Dwarf in Equestria Chapter 9

>You awake to the feeling of a warm blanket surrounding your form, with a firm yet soft surface on your back and to your left.
>Cracking your eyes open, you look around to see the Library in a surprising state of repair, considering what happened last night.
>Kols, those ponies can -drink-.
>You never thought you'd meet another being that wasn't a dwarf that could keep up with you.
>Shaking your head, you just chalk their abilities up to magic.
>It's much easier to do that and save yourself a head-ache then think of 'why'.
>As you sit up, you notice that all of the ponies are gone, surprisingly.
>'Strange...'
>A stuttered pitter-patter of claws catches your attention, along with some humming.
>Spike shuffles out from the kitchen, broom in hand as he sweeps the floor.
>Almost as if he feels your eyes on him, he looks up and smiles.
>"Hey, Anon. You had one heck of a party last night, huh?"
>You nod, and shift the blanket off of yourself as you swing your legs to the side of the couch.
>"Man, I think Twilight woke me up with her grumbling last night. I would have gotten up to help her but she would have said 'You're a baby dragon, you need your rest'."
>He snorts, continuing to sweep the floor and muttering under his breath.
>"...s'not as if I'm only six years younger than her or anything..."
>You take a quick glimpse of your surroundings, now that you've sat up.
>It's surprisingly pony-free, and you raise a confused eyebrow as you turn your head to look at Spike.
"Lad, where did all the ponies go?"
>He smirks as he seems to remember something.
>"Oh, them? Hehehe...After you had your party last night, speaking of, tell me the next time you have one like that, there were TONS of ponies in the library. Twilight wasn't too happy about that, so she...uh..."
>He rubs the back of his head and has a barely suppressed grin on his face.
>"She kinda woke them up one by one to get their names and...teleported them to their home."
>He walks over to the stairs and sets the broom down, and then continues on to stand in front of you, the small smirk still on his face.
>"The only one she left was you, because she said you could stay here. But Celestia above, she is going to be FURIOUS when she gets up."
>A small drop of fear drops down into your gut, and you stand up off of the couch.
"Ach, that's gonna be real fun."
>He shrugs, before looking you over in confusion.
>You notice his gaze, and turn to look at him.
"What?"
>Shrugging once more, he turns around to walk into the kitchen, beckoning you with a claw.
>"I just thought it was strange, y'know. All of those ponies got drunk and passed out, they're gonna have some monster hangovers in the morning. I figured you would have been the same, but surprisingly, you're talking and walking normally."
>You purse your lips as you pass through the arch-way into the kitchen.
"And yer surprisingly knowledgeable 'bout hangovers."
>He turns around for a brief moment to raise a singular eyebrow to you, then turns away once more.
>"Look, just because I look like a kid doesn't mean I -am- one. This is just how dragons grow..unfortunately."
>He said the last part under his breath, and you didn't manage to catch it.
>As he walks towards a metal box divided into two sections, he looks back to you once more.
>"Do you mind having eggs for breakfast? I've gotta go shopping later, so we don't have much right now."
>You nod.
>"Alright, that's cool. You like yours sunny-side up, or scrambled?"
>Taken aback for a moment, you cant your head, mocking thought.
"I...think I'll have some 'scrambled eggs', if'n ye don't mind."
>You never even knew there was more than one way to prepare eggs.
>It was only 'fried' and 'in cakes'.
>He nods, and continues to the metal box that is bisected horizontally.
>A confused expression takes over your vision, before you speak up.
"Hey, lad?"
>"Yeah, Anon?"
"Ye do know that you have to go outside to get eggs from a chicken, right?"
>He looks away from the metal box for a moment, before a look of understanding dawns on his face.
>"Oh, right, you haven't seen a fridge before."
>The slight smirk he had before reappears, and he waves a hand theatrically at the 'fridge'.
>"This, Anon, is called a re-fridg-erator. It basically keeps cool because-"
>He trails off for a moment, appearing to concentrate, before speaking up again.
>"-magic, really. I haven't read any books on fridges before. Oh, man, Twilight would have had a conniption if she heard that."
>Shivering, he shakes it off and continues.
>"Basically, it keeps food cool. The small section at the top is the freezer, it's- well, it freezes things. Kinda simple if you ask me."
>He finally opens the door, satisfied after his little display of knowledge.
>Retrieving a medium sized box of a strange shape, he patters away as the door slowly closes shut, before you catch it and stick a hand inside.
>The feeling of cool air greets your hand, and you take it out before closing the door.
>'Huh. Ain't magic really something."
>The sound of rushing water hisses through the air behind you as you open the freezer door, and experience the same sensations, only colder, and turn around to see him standing on a stool with a very pink and frilly apron on.
>He blinks as you stare at his apron, a slight blush breaking out on his face.
>"I-it was a gift from Rarity, I swear!"
>A good natured smile appears on your face as you go to join him by another metal box, this one dark in coloration with strange metal formations on the top.
"Whatever ye say, lad, whatever ye say."
>He frowns, turning to focus his attention on the metal box.
>"Do you want your eggs or not, smart-flank?"
>You lift your hands in mock surrender as he opens the box and retrieves an egg, which he breaks on the side of the counter and opens it over the pan.
>He does this a few more times as he breaks some more eggs, and starts stirring them around in the pan, breaking everything up.
>Attempting to make conversation, he speaks up once more.
>"So, before Twilight comes down and unleashes the wrath of Celestia upon you, I wanna know how your job search went. Must have went well, considering what you happened here last night."
>A small tinge of pride makes itself known as you respond.
"Well, lad, I have tae say I did pretty well for meself. Got a fair amount of some nice gold pieces. It's safe tae say that the lass won't have to worry about me for at least a year."
>"Wait a moment, you mean bits, right?"
>He spares a glance at you for a moment, before returning to the eggs.
>"'Cuz that's the only gold pieces I know of."
>You nod, retrieving a small pouch from your waist full of jingling coins, and you open the pouch, allowing him to peer in and see it.
>Spike continues to mix the eggs, before shaking his head.
>"Sorry Anon, but bits aren't worth as much as you think they are. I don't know how much those 'gold pieces' were worth in your world, but in Equestria ponies usually go through a few hundred every month. And -that-"
>He gestures with a free claw for a moment before returning it to the handle of the pan.
>"Is only about twenty. Sorry, Anon, you're gonna have to find some more work."
>You look at your small pouch and sigh, before returning it to your waist.
>The drake purses his lips together for a moment, before sighing.
>"Look, you're the only one who's treated me as if I was more than a kid, so I'll try to help you out. If you come and help me with the groceries, and carry them all without my help, then I'll sacrifice my allowance to help pay for your stay."
>His frills deflate as he appears to sadly look off in the distance.
>"Even though that means no gem-filled Ice Cream."
>You swear his lip starts to tremble, before he shakes his head and pushes the eggs around, which are now ambiguous chunks of yellow that look quite fluffy.
>"Of course, helping me with the groceries isn't the only thing you'll help me do, but it's a start."
>He turns off the small dial on the front of the stove, before setting the pan on a different metal formation to not have it sit on a hot area, and then turns around.
>"So? Is it a deal?"
>Spike extends a claw, which you take and shake firmly once, before letting it go.
>The drake smiles, before reaching above the stove into a cabinet for a couple of plates, which he takes and hops off of his stool with them, which he then places onto the table.
>He gestures for you to sit in front of one of the plates, before he returns to the stool to stand up on the counter, and reaches to the top of the cabinet to get a small unassuming jar, and hops off once more to set that on the table opposite the seat you chose.
>Finally, Spike takes the pan off of the stove and walks over to the plates and scrapes off half onto your plate before putting the rest on his, then puts the pan into a sink of some sort, before retrieving some forks from a drawer, passing one to you as he walks by.
>He opens the jar he got out, and takes a literal handful of precious stones and sprinkles them onto his eggs, closes it, and begins to lift a forkful of eggs and gems into his mouth-
>-before he notices your bewildered expression, and sighs.
>"I'm a dragon, I eat gems. Kinda weird, but they're actually healthy for me. And tasty, too!"
>Having finished his short explanation, he begins to dig in to his mixture of 'scrambled eggs' and gems.
>You pick up the fork (you never really cared for human untensils, but you learned in case you were ever in front of polite company) and gather some of the fluffy looking eggs on it.
>Taking a bite, you're pleasantly surprised at the flavor of them, curious as to why no-one in your world had served them like this.
>It's not like you're complaining, these 'scrambled eggs' are delicious!
>You continue to devour the eggs, the only sounds in the kitchen of you and Spike eating your small meals.



>After you and Spike finished your eggs, you left out of the house in a hurry, snagging the grocery list as you exited the kitchen.
>He tried to explain that you had to get the shopping done early, but you recognized it as the need to get the hell away from Twilight before she woke up with death in her eyes.
>You appreciated the gesture, as you had no need to be shouted out by a purple unicorn almost your size.
>That knew magic.
>And was incredibly -good- at said magic.
>Many a dwarf has tangled with forces outside his understanding, and nothing good has ever come of it.
>You spare a shiver as you think of what happened to them as you plod after Spike, who is nose-deep in a list and muttering to himself.
>"Alright, we can stop by Golden's to get the carrots, Applejack -obviously- for apples, the quill store for some more ink...
>He trails off as he continues his thought in his head, and then he lifts his gaze to you.
>"Do you wanna start at the closest shop from the library, or the farthest?"
>Debating for a moment, you decide to start at the far end of town.
"I think I'd prefer if we were tae start at the farthest point. That way it'll get heavier as we head back tae the house, not further away."
>He nods and does some more mental work, his lips silently moving, before he speaks up again.
>"Okay, that means the first stop is the Quills and Sofa store -weird combination, I know- and the last should be Applejacks. We'll stop by various stores on the way, and since you're new in town I'll lead. That work for you?"
>You nod, and he smiles giddily to himself.
>"Sweet! This is the first time I've been able to show anypony else the town before!"
>The drake begins to jog off excitedly, and you spare a smile that's hidden by your beard as you lightly jog off after him.
>He's a good kid, little wide-eyed and naive, but what adolescent isn't?



>You shift the heavy load of groceries in your arm, your venture with Spike in the market coming to a close.
>Sure, there were some ponies that stared too long at you, but you'd have to say you enjoyed the small venture.
>This town has a nice rustic charm to it, one that you wouldn't get in any of the human's large cities.
>It's...
>Nice, actually.
>You can't say whether or not you preferred the dwarven cities under the mountains, but Ponyville is starting to compete with them.
>There weren't many ponies that stopped you to chat for a while, it was mainly talking with the vendors and haggling for prices.
>You did, however, learn that Spike was a cutthroat at bargaining.
>He used the fact that every one of the ponies thought he was a little kid to great effect.
>If you were a more under-handed individual, you would be bursting with pride for him at this moment.
>But, your temperament as it was left you vaguely happy for him.
>There was only one stand-out affair during the whole time.
>It was a certain unicorn that you hadn't seen in a while, so when you called out to greet her, Spike had frozen stock still.
>The unicorn?
>She was Rarity, and the waves of adoration coming from Spike were almost tangible.
>This small drake that was sarcastic to everyone and incredibly dutiful just melted into a puddle of amour in front of Rarity.
>After talking to her for a bit (and convincing her that you, in fact, didn't need any more robes) you said your goodbyes, upon which Spike humbly offered (Read: Fell over himself for the opportunity) to help Rarity at her 'Boutique'.
>With a flip of the mane that set Spike's face almost literally on fire, she smiled slightly and accepted, then parted from you two to head back to her house after everyone said their good-byes.
>Which brings you to now, the drake almost pushing you towards the last destination on the list.
>Apples from (you guessed it) Applejack.
>As you approach the stand from a fair distance, you share a few words with Spike.
"I see yer quite keen on this 'Rarity' Lass, ain't ye?"
>A flustered expression overtakes his face, before he looks away.
>"N-No."
>He looks back to meet your gaze, before sighing.
>"...Yes."
>If your hands weren't full, you would pat him on the back.
"Well, I wish ye all o' the luck in the world, lad. Yer gonna need it."
>He rubs one of his arms as he looks down at the road.
>"Yeah, don't I know it..."
>Sighing, he looks up to you once more as Applejack waves to the two of you, which Spike returns.
>"If it's not too much to ask, could you keep it a secret? I don't want her to find out before I'm ready to tell her myself."
>As you look down towards the drake's face, his pleading, teetering on heartbreakingly sad expression causes you to nod.
"Aye, lad. I'll keep quiet about it."
>A small smile appears on his face.
>"Thanks, Anon."
>The two of you approach the stand, and Applejack peers over the stand at the two of you.
>"Well, if it ain't mah two favorite clawed friends! Twahlight sendin' you out after wha' happened last night at your place?"
>A sheepish rub is all you can afford to spare, and Spike speaks up in your stead.
>"He is, but I'm just getting my chores done before I head over to Rarity's!"
>Applejack's smile twitches for a second, before she cants her head slightly.
>"Well, Ah hope you have fun helpin' her out. Now, what can Ah do ya fer?"
>He takes out the list and scans over it, before looking up.
>"All we need is a dozen apples, and we're done!"
>She smiles slightly, before extending a hoof.
>"Six bits, and Ah'm not gonna let ya haggle me under that like -last- time."
>He chuckles before digging around in his satchel.
>"Oh, Applejack, you know me -so- well..."
>He passes the bits to her, and she bags some of the apples before hoofing it over to him.
>"There ya go, one dozen apples fresh from Sweet Apple Acres."
>She puts her hoof to her chin for a moment in mock thought.
>"Say, since you're done here, why don't you jus' scamper along over to Rarity's and let Mr. Anon here take the groceries back to yer house?"
>He shifts uneasily from claw to claw.
>"I...well, that'd be nice but I don't know how he would feel about it..."
>Applejack meets your gaze and nods towards Spike.
>Sighing in defeat, you turn to Spike.
"Alright, lad, ye can go ahead'n get over to Miss Rarity's. Just be careful, now."
>He nods ecstaticly, before beginning to jog off to a direction you assume leads to the 'Boutique' Spike mentioned before.
>You turn your gaze away from the rapidly disappearing drake and meet Applejack's gaze.
"Well, lass, I assume ye were trying to get me alone for a little chat?"
>She nods, before shifting her hat on her head.
>"Ah heard that yew were tryin' to find a job the other day and didn't have much luck."
"That's correct."
>"So then yew started doin' a street performance to make bits, right?"
>Your brow kneads in confusion, but you nonetheless nod.
>The apple inclined mare sighs, before shaking her head.
>"That ain't no way for a- what did you call yourself? A dwarf?- to be."
>Taking in a slight breath, you start to defend your act but she cuts you off.
>"Ah don't care if yew were alright with it, you're not gonna make enough doin' that to pay for your stay at Twahlight's."
>It's not like you can debate that, it's pretty crystal clear that she's correct, and she takes your silence as a cue to keep speaking.
>"Now, the farm is doin' pretty well for itself this year, but we're a mite small on hooves to clear the trees and take in the apples. Ah wouldn' mind takin' in a dwarf of your persuasion, jus' as long as -you- don't mind workin' in the fields fer a long time."
>She walks out from behind the stand to meet you.
>"Ah won't lie, it's gonna be hot and there's a buncha hard work, but if ya do what we need of ya, then we'll pay ya well for your work."
>Leaning her weight to one side, she lifts a hoof up to you.
>"So, whaddya say, partner? Think you're up for a challenge?"
>You sit still for a moment, before choosing you answer.
>Your hand reaches out and wraps around her hoof, which you shake once, firmly.
>Letting go, she returns the hoof to the ground and nods in finality.
>"Well, that's that. Why don't yew head along back to Twahlight's and drop that stuff off, then meet me at the farm? Ah'd like to get yew acquainted with what you're gonna be doin' as fast as possible."
>A small smirk appears on your face.
"Aye, lass. I'll meet ye there, take care for now."
>She returns the smile with one of her own, and then begins to walk behind the stand as you walk off in your own direction.
>Towards the lair of the beast itself...
>You gulp, a cold lance of fear sending itself down your spine.
>This is not going to be pleasant...