Dwarf in Equestria Chapter 2

>You awake comfortably to the embers of the fire dying out, and the sun raising above the earth.
>You slowly sit up, and rub your eyes.
>The sleep you had was some of the best you've had in a while, and you've slept in the beds the human royalty would use.
>Maybe the battle with that beast had something to do with it...
>No matter.
>You stand upon your feet, and do some stretches to loosen your muscles.
>A few pops later, you feel much better for traveling.
>You feel a liquid run down your right shoulder, and reach a hand back in confusion.
>Drawing your hand back, you see blood on it, and remember the cut that the beast gave you.
>Oh...right.
>Well, you aren't in any rush anyway.
>You walk over to the riverside, and sit down in a meditative pose.
>Most men would have to get a Magical Binding or something to heal the wound that you received.
>But you aren't most men.
>You are a Monk.
>You take a few deep breaths, and focus on tuning yourself to the enviroment.
>You feel the Earth's strength and endurance flow through your body, slowly healing your injuries, coaxing life into you.
>You continue to breathe deeply after the Earth's embrace leaves you, relaxing as the sound of the river babbles near you.
>A bird chirps nearby, and takes off from it's perch in the trees, favoring your shoulder.
>It chirps lightly, and bounces around for a moment, before chirping again.
>Ahh...nature.
>There's nothing quite like it.
>The sound of the stream, the birds, terrified screaming...
>Wait, what?
>You focus on the voices.
>They sound quite a distance off, but you can easily reach them.
>You stand up and retrieve your robes, which have dried by now.
>You put them on, tying the sash together, and run at the river, easily jumping over it, keeping momentum as you run towards the voices.
>Jumping over fallen trees and occasionally swinging from branches, you gain quite a bit of speed.
>By now, the voices are easily distinguishable.
>You recognize them as being young voices, by the pitch and the volume coming from the location.
>Reaching the source of the noise, you stop, baffled.
>Where the fuck DID that wizard send you?
>You rub your eyes at the sight.
>Three miniature horses that reach up to just below your waist are sitting on a dilapidated tree and are surrounded by what appears to be...wooden wolves?
>You shake your head in disbelief, and look over the small horses.
>One of the horses is a mixture of yellow, with a reddish mane with a equally red bow in it.
>It's companions, while similar in shape, have different colors, but still way out of line with normal ones.
>The second of them had wings, and was orange with a purple mane, which looks unkempt.
>The third is a soft white color, possibly ivory, with a lavender mane.
>And was also a unicorn.
>What are these doing here, and where is their master?
>Whatever, it is not your problem.
>You need to find the source of the voices you heard before.
>You turn to leave...
>A shrieking wail suddenly emantes from the suprisingly human looking miniature horses.
>"SOMEPONY PLEASE, HELP US!"
>Wait, THOSE were the voices you heard earlier?
>You were almost about to leave, but the fact of the voices belonging to those little horses...
>It proves that they are actual beings, and not dumb animals.
>And your Monastery's code was to always help someone in need.
>...Even if they happen to look like horses.
>You sigh, and jump into the fray...
>Landing on your feet, you turn to face the beasts.
>One of the tiny horses calls out in a roughly tomboyish accent, but obviously feminine.
>"What the hay is THAT thing?!?"
>You turn towards...her.
"Now that's no way to be talkin' to yer rescuer, lass."
>You register the look of suprise on the trio's faces, but can't enjoy it, as one of the wolves pounces towards you.
>You quickly slide out of the way, spinning to face the beast.
>As before, you note that it appears to be made out of wood.
>Good thing you've punched trees before.
>...fucking druids and their treants.
>It lunges towards you again, and you notice a sort of magical core in the center of it.
>You prepare to strike, raising your fists slightly, and you fire off a rapid series of punches to it's caged core.
>The beast would yelp in surprise, but you struck it so fast it had no choice but to die-
>Oh no wait, it just fell apart.
>Huh.
>The other wolves turn towards it's fallen comrade, then face you, snarling viciously.
>You note the stench they give off.
>They smell worse then the time one initiate's feet got stuck in his own shoes for three days.
>That was not pleasant...
>You shake the thought from your head.
>Another foolishly tries to pounce you, and you get ready to strike it.
>But notice that another is charging so that if you did take the chance to strike it, you would find yourself  run over, and prime for devouring.
>So you don't strike, but you jump on top of the closest wolf's head, and launch yourself towards the one that tried to ambush you.
>A swift kick delivered while flying made short work of the abomination.
>Again, it shatters into nothing but branches and twigs, much to your suprise.
>You turn to the two remaining wolves, and they appear to be subconciously communicating.
>So THAT'S how they came up with that plan before.
>They begin to slowly pace around you, looking for a weak zone.
>A minute passes as they try to position themselves in an advantageous way.
>Eventually, they think they have one, and charge you.
>One from behind you, and one dead on in front.
>Your mind races as you think of something to do.
>What about...
>No.
>No way they would fall for it.
>Well, you can at least try it...
>You wait for them to get close.
>Uncomfortably close.
>And at the last second...
>You jump, causing their forward momentum to be spent smashing each other to bits.
>You land among it, and smirk at your handiwork.
>'Can't believe that worked...'
>You chuckle a bit at the fact.
>Monks persevere, even when the odds are stacked against them.
>After viewing the scene, you remember what you were doing here in the first place.
>So, you turn towards the tree the horses were in.
>You walk towards the little horses, who's faces are a mix of awe and fear.
>You take your last step towards them, and adopt a relaxed pose.
>The yellow one creeps forward cautiously, stopping before you.
>"T-thank ya mister."
>You smile.
>It appears these horses are but children.
>You pat your hand on her head, and start to speak.
"It was no trouble, lass."
>She flinches at the sound of your booming voice, and your hand patting her head.
>But she appears to be less scared of you now.
>And it looks like her companions are the same.
>"DID YOU SEE THAT?! HE...HE JUST DESTROYED THOSE TIMBERWOLVES WITHOUT BREAKING A SWEAT!!!"
>You flinch.
>...Maybe that's not a good thing.
>You look towards the culprit.
>The tomboyish looking one smiles sheepishly.
>"Um...hey..."
>The ivory colored one walks up.
>"Um....Thanks."
>They seem to collectively pause, and look at you.
>The orange one speaks up.
>"So, just what ARE you?"
>The yellow one kicks it in what you think is the horses equivalent of the shin.
>"Ow..."
>The orange one rubs it's shin while the yellow one looks up to you apologetically.
>"Sorry about her, mister."
>You deeply chuckle, and raise a hand.
"It's quite alright little one. Not many people see an actual Dorf in their lifetime."
>They all share a glance, and look to you, the ivory one speaking up.
>"Never heard of one."
>You shrug.
"Well, I've never met talking horses before."
>They appear to be miffed, and the orange one speaks up loudly.
>"We're not horses, we're ponies you stupid b-"
>And then a hoof from the yellow one flies out of the blue and stuffs itself into the mouth of the orange one.
>The owner of the hoof smiles sheepishly, and speaks up.
>"S-sorry about her, mister. It's jus' that we've never seen one of your kind before."
>You nod.
"I apologize for my speech, lass. I haven't met one of your kind, either."
>The yellow one removes her hoof from the orange one.
>"Do ya have a name, mister?"
>You contemplate telling them your name, and decide that it would do no harm.
"I am known as  Anon Ymous, monk of the Stonefist Order."
>You bow graciously, and then stand up straight.
>The yellow one giggles, and bows herself, before standing up.
>She points to herself with a hoof.
>"Ah'm Applebloom, and this here's-"
>She's cut off by the ivory one.
>"Sweetie Belle!"
>The yel- Applebloom, speaks up again.
>"And she's-"
>The orange one jumps up excitedly.
>"Scootaloo!"
>They all gather together, Applebloom starting to talk again.
>"And we're-"
>They collectively take a deep breath.
>"THE CUTIE-MARK CRUSADERS!!!"
>You reel a bit from their noise, and bop yourself on the ear, trying to get hearing back.
>And it just so happens to work.
>Sweetie Belle kicks a hoof along the ground, before looking up to you.
>"S-sorry, mister."
>You shake your head.
>You need to get back on track.
>"It's alright, lass. Say, could you tell me where the town is?"
>The orange one- You mean, Scootaloo perks up.
>"Yeah, it's just over..."
>She loses track of her sentence, looking at something behind you.
>You quirk an eyebrow.
>Why did she just stop like that.
>You look over to the others, which have similar looks on their faces.
>You would be insulted, but you realize that they're not looking at you...
>They're looking at something BEHIND you.
>You cringe, and slowly turn around...
>The small twigs and branches have formed what appears to be a massive wolf made of wood, with a small amount nestling itself into place.
>Your jaw drops, and your mind works furiously on what to do.
>Scootaloo, however, thinks she knows exactly what you're going to do.
>"You better run, because Anon here is going to beat your butt!"
>You curse the orange runt's name mentally, as the beast snarls at the mention of you.
>The snarling snubs Scootaloo's bravado, as she nervously speaks up.
>"R-right?"
>You know what you must do.
>You take a deep breath, and utter a simple phrase, one which you used in only the most dire of situations.
"Nope."
>You turn around, and gather the three little ones in your arm, and RUN.
>Panting, you sprint through the trees, the brute of a monster chasing you.
>You feel certain that Scootaloo would be ridiculing you for being a coward, if she wasn't scared for her life.
>The same as you.
>You keep up the pace, and glance behind you.
>Shit, even as fast as you were, the beast was catching up.
>Damn these short legs of yours.
>You shout between pants.
"LITTLE ONES. TOWN. WHERE?"
>One of them manages to speak up from the jarring motion of you running.
>"IT'S OVER THEREEEE...."
>You look forward, as you burst from the treeline.
>And immidiately stop.
>...
"Don't tell me..."
>Between pants, you look at what appears to be a massive canyon, with some wooden posts on each side, obviously for a bridge.
>But the bridge was missing.
>You estimate the gap is at least 70 feet across.
"Don't tell me....the town is over this gap..."
>All three of the ponies in your arm gulp audibly.
>"Yep."
>Applebloom speaks up.
>"Ah..Ah s'pose this is the end."
>She sounds on the edge of tears.
>"Ah...Ah want you two to know...you've been the best friends ah could evah hope for!"
>They gather each other in a hug, and start to sniffle to themselves.
>...
>You aren't going to let it end like this.
>You take some steps back from the ledge towards the forest, noting that you can now see the Beast running towards you, baying for your blood.
>"What-What are you doing, mister?"
>You turn around, and start to sprint towards the gap.
>You hear the shrieks of the fillies in your arm, but pay no mind to them.
>You shut out the sounds of the enviroment, focusing on nothing but the jump.
>Visualizing the mighty tigers of the B'Shalian jungle, you finish running, and crouch down before the ledge.
>The tigers curl up, coiling their muscles, before releasing the tension, soaring through the air.
>You feel a natural strength well up in your body, and allow yourself to be guided by the motions.
>Releasing the tension pent up, you take a mightly leap towards the other side of the canyon.
>The air rushes by you, seeming to return and push you along the chasm.
>Landing on your feet on the other side, you take a deep breath, feeling the natural energy leave you.
>For a second all is quiet.
>...
>"THAT WAS BUCKING AWESOME!!!"
>Once again, your ears are shattered by that orange demon.
>"...oops."
>You glare angrily, before turning to look at the other side of the canyon.
>The wolf, unable to stop in time, plummets hilariously to its destruction.
>You snort in amusement, before releasing the ponies to the ground to walk around.
>They stumble around, getting feeling back into their legs.
>Once again, Applebloom pipes up.
>"Thanks again, mister! Ah thought we were goners!"
>Sweetie Belle seems to agree, by the way she's nodding.
>Scootaloo does the same thing that Sweetie is doing.
>Which is nodding excessively.
>But still...
>It doesn't help you any.
>You rub the back of your neck, and turn to the trio.
"It was no problem. But, would ya three be as kind as to help me get to the town?"
>They all look towards each other, and whisper to each other, looking at you conspiratorily from time to time.
>Eventually, they reach an agreement, and face towards you.
>Sweetie speaks up.
>"Alright mister! Follow us!"
>They all turn towards the forest, walking along a trail nearby.
>You begin to walk in silence.
>...
>"Say, mister, would you mind if we asked you something while we walk?"
>...
"Sure,lass."