By My Own Beard!

Chapters

Prologue: The Battle
1. New Friends and New Places
2. Cakes and Countries
3. Magical Introductions
4. The Contest
5. The One Where Ovrik Learns About Meat (a.k.a. The Following)
6. Cutting Wood

Prologue: The Battle

Ovrik Stonebreaker was no greenbeard when it came to battle. The stocky man had seen more battles than he could count. So when word came of a dragon nesting nearby, Ovrik had been the natural choice of who to send to deal with it.

Ovrik hiked through the mountains that held the Stonebreaker mountainhome, Koganusan, for two days. It was arduous and tiresome, but Ovrik wasn't the type of dwarf to give up when things were difficult. Besides, it was impossible for him to lose his way. The sky always contained a marker to guide him to his destination; a plume of black smoke that stretched into the sky.

The trek ended at the entrance to a cave (of course). Ovrik could hear the dragon's snores echoing from inside, a thunderous sound. A grin crept over the face of the dwarf as he hefted the axe he carried, slapping the flat of the blade against his palm as he moved forward. The air was thick with smoke, but it was nothing to a dwarf who had spent many a day working the forges.

After a brief walk, Ovrik came upon his prize and foe. A humongous red dragon rested upon a hoard of gold and precious gemstones. It was a relatively small pile compared to the dragon. Barely a mound, really. The hoard was just large enough to make a pillow for the sleeping dragon. Obviously, this dragon had just moved in.

"Oi! Wake up, ye damned lizard! I got a bone to pick with ye'!" Ovrik bellowed at the dragon when he was within striking range. The dragon stirred with a yawn, stretching itself up to full height.

"Who dares to interrupt the slumber of Karithadeus the mighty?!" The dragon lowered itself back down to Ovrik's level, staring him in the eye. "A dwarf? A lone dwarf dares to enter my chambers and awaken me?" The dragon let out a laugh. Waves of heat washed over the dwarf. "Tell me, little one. Did you think waking me was a good idea before you did so?"

"I wanted a fair fight. Ain't no way I'm startin' a fight with a sleeping enemy. It ain't my way o' doin' things." Ovrik stated matter-of-factly. "Now let's do this proper like. My name is Ovrik Stonebreaker, and I'm here to kill ye'."

Another throaty laugh escaped the dragon. "Very well. I am Karithadeus. When I am finished with you, I shall use your bones to pick my teeth."

Ovrik charged forward with a yell. "For Koganusan!"

His weighty axe crashed against the crimson scales of the fearsom beast. Karithadeus roared in pain before unleashing a gout of flames from his maw. Ovrik dove sideways, escaping the blast with a roll. He came out of the roll with an upward swing of his axe. The mithril weapon dug deeply into one of the dragon's front talons, severing a digit.

A cry of rage escaped the dragon before another blast of flames erupted from him. Ovrik wasn't as quick this time. The flames washed over the unfortunate dwarf. When the dragon's breath attack had ended, there was nothing but blackened stone to mark where the dwarf had been.

***

Ovrik awoke on his back in the middle of a field. The fact that Ovrik was awake at all was a shock to him. Perhaps he had died and this was the afterlife? He sat up slowly, rubbing the back of his head. The dwarf was slowly reacclimating to conciousness. It was then that the scent of burnt hair reached his nostrils.

"My beard! My glorious beard!" The edges of Ovrik's magnificent chestnut beard had been burned by the dragon's last attack. "I swear on me ancestors, that dragon's gonna die!"

A tiny squeak of terror pulled Ovrik's attention from the mourning of his beard. A nearby bush rustled lightly, though there was no breeze to speak of. Ovrik searched the ground for a moment, finding his axe and picking it up before approaching the bush.

"Who's in there? Come on out an' face me!" Ovrik bellowed gruffly. "If I have to come in there I'll make sure to gut ye' like a fish, ye' hear me?!"

More rustling from the bush before a response came from within. "P-please don't hurt me. I didn't mean to startle you. I-I just... I heard you say there was a dragon nearby and I panicked." The voice in the bush was soft, and clearly terrified of the dwarf's challenge.

Ovrik sighed before stowing his axe in its belt loop. "That's all right, lass. Ye' just caught me unawares. Why don't ye' come out?"

"Oh, okay... Um... please don't hurt me."

"I promise not to hurt ye' lass. The name's Ovrik Stonebreaker. Might I have yer name as well?"

"I-I'm Fluttershy." The creature the voice belonged to gingerly stepped from her hiding spot, making Ovrik's jaw drop in the process.

Author's Note

This is what happens when you play too much D&D and watch My Little Pony.

I'm trying something new for me here. I want to do about half story-driven content, and half fluffy fun stuff.

For the fluffy fun stuff, I'm hoping that commenters will put forward their own ideas that they want to see in a chapter.* I have a loose direction I'll take the story, and If I don't get any comments with ideas I'll still write my own fluffy chapters.

*Author will not do anything related to clop. Comments suggesting it will be deleted.

1. New Friends and New Places

Ovrik sat at a kitchen table in a small cottage, eyeing the decor in silence. He took note of a number of tiny birdhouses and other homes for smaller critters. A small white rabbit glared up at him. Ovrik stared back for a moment, before movement from the corner of his eye pulled his attention away.

Carrying a tray with a pot of tea and some teacups on her head, the owner of the home entered the room. Fluttershy, she had called herself, was a yellow pegasus with a light pink mane and a tattoo of three pink butterflies on her flank. Ovrik was less perturbed by this than the fact that she could speak.

"I'm sorry again if I startled you earlier." This was the fifth time he had heard this from the mare.

"Bah. It's behind us." Ovrik waved a hand dismisively.

Fluttershy placed the tea set upon the table and carefully poured two cups. Ovrik took note of the pony using her mouth to pick up and manipulate the teapot. She slid one of the cups to Ovrik, who picked it up and held the warm cup in one hand, letting it cool.

"Thank ye' for the drink. If'n ye' don't mind though, can I ask ye' a few questions?"

"Oh, of course." Fluttershy sat across from Ovrik, picking up her drink with her forehooves. 'Pegasuses are odd,' was the only conclusion Ovrik could draw from this. 'Pegasuses? Pegasi? Pegasusi?'

"Where in the Nine Hells am I?"

"You're in my cottage."

"No, I mean where is this place?"

"Well, you're just outside of Ponyville. It's a wonderful little town. I'm sure everypony will be excited to meet you." Fluttershy gave a soft smile as she spoke.

"Ponyville... Ye' mean there's more o' you pegasuses?" Ovrik set his drink down again. His inner dwarf raged at the fact that he was somehow transported to a city full of yellow talking ponies.

"Well, not just pegasi. There's unicorns and earth ponies, too."

"Ye've got to be kiddin' me. Do they all talk too?"

"Well... yes. Why wouldn't they?"

Ovrik let his head slam into the table with a dull whump. When he spoke again, he spoke into the table. "I don't suppose ye' know how to get to Koganusan?"

"I've never heard of it. If anypony knows where it is, it would be my friend Twilight." Fluttershy gave another soft smile. Had Ovrik been looking up, even he would have been a little comforted by the mare's warm personality. "If you'd like, we could go visit her after tea."

"I'd like that. Maybe yer Twilight friend can tell me how I got here in the first place."

A knocking from the front door interrupted the conversation.

"Oh! I'm sorry, that must be Spike. Twilight said she'd send him over to pick up a few books today. Excuse me for just a moment." Fluttershy flapped her wings and, well, fluttered out of the kitchen to greet Spike.

"Hello, Spike. Please come in. I've got company, but I'll get Twilight's books for you. Why don't you meet my new friend?" Fluttershy lead a small purple-scaled, bipedal creature with green spines into the kitchen. "Spike, this is my new friend Ovrik. He's a dwarf. Ovrik, this is Spike, Twilight's assistant and Ponyville's resident-"

"DRAGON!" Ovrik bellowed the word, sending spittle across the kitchen table. Ovrik's axe was back in his hand as he stood, sending his stool clattering to the floor. Spike had just enough time to let out a cry of terror before fleeing the charging dwarf (who was practically foaming at the mouth at the thought of doing battle with another dragon).

"Heeeelp! Somepony! Anypony!" Spike's little legs carried him into Ponyville. He didn't know it, but Spike was fortunate that Ovrik was a dwarf. Had Ovrik not been a creature of such a stocky build, Spike wouldn't have even made it to Ponyville.

"Get back here, ye' monster!" Ovrik waved his axe over his head as he ran. "When I'm through with ye' I'll wear yer skin as a cap!"

Spike ran through the town square, attracting the attention of everypony going about their daily routines. Heads turned just in time to see Spike running for his life from a creature that nopony had ever seen before. Later, stories would say Spike had been chased by a bear. Others would say that it was a monster from the Everfree forest. Mayor Mare would later claim that the creature had been a zebra hunter travelling through Equestria (and consequently lower her ratings for the next election when people remembered the racist remark. Her victory in the next election was largely theorized to only be won because she announced an engagement to a zebra part way through the election, but that's another story).

Spike's fleeing path took him past the schoolhouse, where Cheerilee would watch from a window while Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon wrote essays in detention. He cut through Sugarcube Corner, where Pinkie Pie was making a life-sized cake sculpture of Discord (Ovrik sliced the creation in half as he sprinted by). He ran by Quills and Sofas, where Rarity was purchasing another fainting couch. Finally, Spike spotted the safety of Twilight's castle.

"Twilight! Help!" Spike gasped out a cry for help. He could hear Ovrik's heavy stomping as the Dwarf began closing the gap between them. "Twilight!"

A lavender alicorn walked out onto her balcony, wondering why Spike was screaming so loudly that it interrupted her afternoon studies. Peering down at the running dragon, it was clear that he was in danger. With a flap of her wings Twilight took flight, swooping down and scooping Spike up in her forelegs. At the same time, she reached out with her magic and seized the axe that Ovrik waved wildly.

"What in Equestria is going on here?!" Twilight glared at the dwarf, who had refused to let go of his axe and now flailed his legs in midair.

"What do ye' mean, 'what's goin' on'? I'm huntin' a dragon! Now let go o' me axe!"

"I was just trying to pick up those books from Fluttershy and this guy started chasing me with an axe!" Spike waved a clawed fist at the dwarf now that he was a safe distance from the homicidal maniac.

Fluttershy came to a landing next to Ovrik. "I'm really sorry, Twilight. This is my new friend Ovrik. He's new here."

"Fluttershy, you know this thing?" Twilight gawked at her friend.

"He's a dwarf, and he says he ended up here after a fight with a dragon. He didn't mean it. He's just not used to dragons that don't want to eat him." Fluttershy spoke softly, attempting to smooth over the situation and (hopefully) defuse the dwarf as quickly as she could. "Tell them, Ovrik. You didn't mean to hurt anypony, right?"

"I..." Ovrik spluttered, his lust for battle quickly dissapating. "I don' know what came over me. I saw a dragon, and part o' me just saw the one I just fought." The dwarf let go of his axe, dropping to the ground and landing uncerimoniously on his butt. "I hope ye'll forgive me, lil' guy."

Spike glowered at the dwarf for a moment before jumping from Twilight's hold. He walked up to the dwarf and held out a claw.

"No problem, dude. Just don't chase me with an axe anymore. I might have hurt you if you hadn't caught me off guard." The baby dragon chuckled lightly as he helped Ovrik to his feet.

"Well now that that's over with, maybe you can tell me how you got here Mister... erm..." Twilight hesitated for a response.

"Stonebreaker. Ovrik Stonebreaker."

2. Cakes and Countries

Ovrik was bored. Really bored. At this point in his boredom, he had actually resorted to counting the number of hairs in his beard (thirty-one thousand, two-hundred and twelve in all). And yet, he was still bored out of his skull as he rested his head on the table in Twilight Sparkle's library.

"Woah. Are you okay, Ovrik?" Spike poked the dwarf's cheek. "You look like you need a nap or something."

"Bah. I'm bored out o' me skull." Ovrik grumbled, leaving his head on the table. "I can' even hunt dragons fer sport."

Spike blanched at the remark, remembering yesterday's incident all too well. He took a few steps back. "Hey Twilight, any luck on the research?" Spike began looking around the room for her as he asked.

Twilight poked her head around a stack of books. "Over here, Spike. And no." She rubbed a hoof over her face in exhaustion. "We've been at this all night, but nowhere in any of my books does it make any mention of dwarves or where they come from! I even went through the fairy tales." The mare gave an exasperated sigh and flopped down on the floor with an expression that wasn't unlike Ovrik's. "I need a break."

"Well, there's always Sugarcube Corner. You could go have breakfast. I bet the Cakes just finished up a tray of those delicious sapphire-frosted cupcakes..." Spike was positively salivating at the thought of his favorite treat. Twilight's stomach gave a growl of agreement (though not necesarily for the gemstone confectionary). Ovrik's stomach answered the call of Twilight's.

"You know, maybe we should get some food..." Twilight poked her head back around the book pile and peered at the bored dwarf. "Ovrik? What kind of food do dwarves eat?" Twilight suddenly hoped that dwarves weren't carnivorous, and to avoid finding out she added on, "Do dwarves eat cake?"

"Aye. Bread, cake, taters, cottage pie... Mmm..." Ovrik sat up and stretched. "I'd kill fer a pint, too."

"You don't need to kill anything!" Spike piped up, maybe a little too quickly.

"No, it's-" The dwarf sighed. "It's just an expression, lad."

Spike's face flushed as he gave a half-hearted chuckle. "Well, yeah, I knew that. I was just giving you a hard time... heheh..."

"Why don't we all head down to Sugarcube Corner? My treat!" Twilight offered, silently realizing that the dwarf probably didn't have any bits. Come to think of it, he probably didn't know what a bit was. What do dwarves use for money? Twilight added the question to the mental checklist of things to ask Ovrik later.

***

Ovrik took note of the strange looks he was getting as he walked with Twilight and Spike to Sugarcube Corner. He largely ignored the hushed whispers, though he rather liked the one of the terms he heard a few times. 'Diamond Dog'. It head a nice ring to it, really.

Sugarcube Corner itself was... vibrant, to say the least. The exterior of the building looked like a gingerbread home. It fit right in with the brightly colored ponies, actually. A sign with a cupcake image hung off the front of the building. The scent of baked goods filled the air around the shop. Ovrik's mouth watered at the thought of food. He hadn't eaten a real meal in days, unless you counted the journeybread he had brought with him to the dragon's lair. A pity it didn't make the journey to Equestria with him.

The inside of the bakery was pretty much what Ovrik pictured it took look like, based on the outside. The colors were bright and vibrant, just like the outside. The decor matched the exterior to a fault, giving the impression that the customer had actually walked into a baked building. Ovrik wondered what it tasted like, but it would be rude to sample someone else's home.

"What can I get you and your... erm... friend, dears?" A light cerulean mare with a lightish red mane (that looked like it could have been frosting) asked Twilight and Spike.

"I'll have a slice of lemon cake, Spike's been craving one of your sapphire cupcakes, and Ovrik will have..." Twilight looked over to the dwarf, whose round nose was pressed against the glass as he eyed a scrumptious looking red velvet cake. "Ovrik? Do you see something you like?"

Ovrik shook his head to snap himself out of the daze he had slowly drifted into. With a blush, he pointed to the cake he was eyeing. "I was eyein' this red one here, if that's all right."

"Of course! And a slice of red velvet cake for my new friend, Ovrik." Twilight nodded her head once to emphasize Ovrik's name before levitating a few bits to Mrs. Cake to cover the costs of the goods.

"All right, dears. Pinkie will be out with your order as soon as it's ready. If you don't mind, I have to get back to the kitchen. We have a big order to deliver as soon as we finish up." Mrs. Cake gave a wide smile before trotting back into the kitchens. The trio took took a seat at a table and waited patiently for their food to arrive.

A short while later the food arrived, carried by a bright pink pony with a pink mane. "Hey Twilight! Hey Spike! Hey..." Pinkie faltered when her eyes came to rest on Ovrik. Two thoughts fought for dominance in the mind of the party pony. One: I've never met this guy and I super have to make friends with him. Two: He destroyed the cake I was going to give Discord to say sorry for eating all of his cucumber sandwiches when I was at Fluttershy's house. "...you."

"Have we met, lass?" Ovrik showed no recognition towards Pinkie Pie.

"Yes! Well, no. I'm Pinkie Pie! You kind of ran though Sugarcube Corner waving an axe and cutting a cake in half before I was finished decorating it." She passed out the food as she spoke.

"Oh. Sorry 'bout that. I, erm... kinda lost me head yesterday." The dwarf fidgeted with his beard, clearly at a loss for words.

"It's okay! You can help me make a new one!" Pinkie beamed at the dwarf with a smile that was just wide enough to be unnerving. Enough so that it conveyed to Ovrik the lack of choice he probably had in this situation.

"Well, I... I guess I can help out. But I gotta warn ye', this dwarf ain't known for making cakes." Ovrik looked to Twilight and Spike. "Ye' don't mind, do ye'?"

"Of course not," Twilight answered (Spike answered too, but his words were unintelligible thanks to a cupcake being stuffed into his mouth). "It's a good way for you to make friends while you're here. Pinkie's friends with practically everypony in Ponyville. I'm sure you two will get along great."

***

After lunch, Twilight and Spike headed back home, leaving Ovrik to help Pinkie Pie in the kitchen. Pinkie made sure to have Ovrik scrub his hands before he was allowed to enter the kitchen.

"So... what do ye' need me to do?" Ovrik stared blankly at the mare, clearly out of his depth.

"Well, I need you to stir some batter for me while I gather more ingredients. Can you do that for me?"

"I s'pose so."

"Okie Dokie Lokie!" Pinkie Pie hopped off towards the pantry before Ovrik could ask any questions. Like how did Pinkie know of the god of tricks?

A short while later, Pinkie returned, precariously balancing a carton of two-dozen eggs, flour, sugar, milk, frosting, two wooden bowls, two spoons, a whisk, and two cookies on her nose. She gently placed the stack on the counter tops and down-stacked it until everything was spread out.

Ovrik, meanwhile, paid no heed to the mare and stirred the cake batter while whistling an old drinking tune.

"Oh good, you found the spoons." Pinkie grinned.

"Spoons? I couldn't find them, so I been usin' me axe."

"What! Those are for cutting down trees, not baking!" Pinkie Pie rushed over and seized the batter bowl from Ovrik, leaving him holding just his axe. "Did you add red sprinkles to the batter?!"

"Oh... I guess I shoulda washed me axe first. I didn' think of it."

Pinkie Pie's jaw dropped. "Let's just toss this one out, okay?" Pinkie Pie dropped the bowl of ruined batter into the garbage can and passed one of the empty ones to Ovrik. "Maybe we can just start over."

Some hours later, the cake was finished baking, with the last steps being frosting the cake. Pinkie Pie passed some of the frosting to Ovrik, along with a rubber spatula (making sure to take his axe from him to avoid a repeat incident) and instructions on what the frosting should look like. Ovrik began applying the frosting with the care of a master blacksmith etching designs into his armor.

"Hey, you're a natural! I bet you bake at home, too!" Pinkie exclaimed, frosting another portion of cake Discord. She had already managed to get three different flavors of frosting in her mane and fur.

"Nah. Unless ye' count burning food, I don' cook." Ovrik was adding frosting spines to the cake's tail. "I mostly just fight an' drink."

"Oh. Cider season's coming up. The Apples make the best cider in all of Equestria!" Pinkie waved her hooves in the air for emphasis.

"Well, apples are the main thing fer cider." Ovrik pointed out to the mare. "But where's Equestria? I thought this was Ponyville."

"Equestria is the super-duper awesome kingdom that Ponyville is in, silly!"

"So... who runs it? Who's the king?" Ovrik stepped back and wiped his brow.

"Princess Celestia and Princess Luna. They're in charge of the important stuff like raising the sun and moon. Princess Cadence and Shining Armor run the Crystal Empire, but I'm still not sure if that's part of Equestria or not... Oh, and Twilight takes care of the friendship problems of Equestria." Pinkie held up a hoof after listing off each princess. Ovrik would have sworn for just a moment he saw Pinkie hovering when she mentioned Twilight.

"Why's Twilight part o' yer list?" Ovrik scratched his head, holding back the other questions he had about pony monarchies. Pinkie didn't strike him as the type of pers- pony to know the ins-and-outs of governments.

"Well, duh. She's the Princess of Friendship! Didn't you notice the wings and horn on her head?"

Ovrik's jaw dropped. He hadn't said anything about it, but he had assumed Twilight was just the offspring of a unicorn and a pegasus. Fluttershy's brief explanation on pony types didn't mention anything about combining unicorns and pegasi (he had asked for the plural later). Ovrik thought he was being polite by not saying anything.

"Ye' mean I been speakin' to royalty since yesterday?!"

"Yep!" Pinkie let out a snort of laughter. "You should see the look on your face!"

Author's Note

I can see Pinkie Pie being upset with Ovrik about destroying her cake.

The quote that inspired this chapter, courtesy of Yelp.

She's technically not upset, but I picture Pinkie Pie wanting to get to know Ovrik a bit more rather than immediately hating him. Kind of like what she did for Gilda.

3. Magical Introductions

"Yer a princess."

"That's the short version, yes." Twilight responded as she rushed about her study, collecting various items and stowing them in a saddlebag.

"Yer a princess."

"Well, I wasn't born one. I became one thanks to some... special circumstances."

"Yer a princess..." Ovrik was having trouble fully processing the concept of alicorns. "But ye' used to be a unicorn until ye' got pegasus wings. And that makes ye' a princess."

"Well, I'm not sure if the alicorn transformation is what made me a princess, or if being a princess is what made me an alicorn. Again, I'm a little fuzzy on details." Twilight Sparkle had spent the last half-hour trying to explain to a kneeling Ovrik that she shouldn't be venerated because of her title. The dwarf refused to stop kneeling in her presence, stating something along the lines of 'royalty needs to be shown respect'. "Please stand up Ovrik. The floor is made of crystal. It can't be good for your knee."

"As ye' wish, yer highness." Ovrik stood, his knee giving a loud pop as he did so. Courtesy had dictated that he kneel to royalty when he was visiting their court.

"Please, don't call me that." Twilight flushed slightly, feeling awkward at the sudden attention Ovrik was giving her. "I just want to be treated like everypony else. Me being a princess shouldn't change how you act around me." Twilight crammed one last book into her saddlebag and closed it (with some effort, as the saddlebag was filled beyond capacity). "I have to get going. I'm meeting Rarity at the train station. Spike!"

"Yeah, Twilight?" Spike had a small bundle tied to a stick, ready to accompany his best friend.

"I need you to stay here. Somepony has to keep an eye on things while Rarity and I are gone."

"Did ye' need me to do anything, yer high- Twilight?" Ovrik piped in.

"Oh, um... I guess just make friends with some of the ponies around town." Twilight levitated her saddlbag up and carefully placed it on, avoiding covering her wings. "And no hunting dragons."

"Bah, ye' take the fun outta things."

"I mean it. When I get back, I'll write Princess Celestia and see if she knows of anything about dwarves or where they come from." Twilight gave a list of supplies a triple check before stowing it in her saddlebag. "Okay! I'm off! Wish us luck!"

"Bye! Good luck Twilight!"
"Stone be with ye'."

Twilight trotted out, the sound of the heavy doors to the castle marking that she had, indeed, departed. Ovrik and Spike blinked at each other for some moments, leaving an awkward silence hanging in the air.

"So... Where did Twilight say she was goin'?" Ovrik broke the silence, rubbing the back of his head as he spoke.

"The map sent Rarity and Twilight off to some village called Bridleton. They should be back in a few days."

"A map sent them somewhere?"

"Yeah, its kind of what Twilight and the gang do. The map tells them where friendship problems are and they go solve them."

"Right... Well, what do we do while she's off savin' friendship?"

"Well, we could always go meet some of the other ponies around town. I'm sure they'd love to meet you." Spike rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "I'd leave your axe here though. Nopony has met a dwarf before, and weapons might make them nervous."

"Aye. Yer probably right about that." Ovrik chuckled. "Don't seem like there's anythin' dangerous 'round here anyway."

***

A crowd was beginning to gather outside of the town hall. Ponies in the crowd seemed to be having mixed reactions about what they had gathered for. Some bore curious smiles, while others scowled at an azure unicorn wearing a star-covered cape and pointed hat. The mare was addressing the crowd.

"Behold! The Great and Powerful Trixie has arrived with a new show!" Puffs of violet smoke appeared behind Trixie as she waved her hooves dramatically in the air. "Trixie will show you feats that most ponies have never even dreamed of. Behold, as she makes her assistant vanish before your very eyes!"

Beside Trixie was a very nervous looking colt wearing a peculiar hat with a spinning propeller on it. He looked like he wanted to flee the mare. Ovrik noted that the colt didn't have a butt tattoo like most of the ponies he had seen.

"Oh great, Trixie's back in town. Last time she was here she took over the town and tried exiling Twilight." Spike grumbled from next to Ovrik. The dragon was hopping up and down though, trying to see exactly what was going on.

"Up ye' go!" Ovrik hoisted Spike into the air and onto his shoulders. Spike yelled in protest as he left the ground, still leery about the dwarf. "Better, lad?"

"Yeah, thanks!"

On stage, Trixie was preparing her spell. "Hold still, Trixie doesn't want to lose you after she casts her spell." The colt broke out in a cold sweat. The spell built to a blinding crescendo before finishing, leaving Trixie alone on the stage. "Tada! Was there ever any doubt?" Trixie struck a dramatic pose to a mix of polite clapping and murmuring from the crowd.

"Hey! Where are my legs?! I can't see me! Ohmygosh! I'm invisible!" The colt's voice could be heard over the crowd. "This is so cool! I can't wait to show my mom!"

Meanwhile Trixie had levitated out a small white bag from behind the curtain of her makeshift stage. "Trixie apologizes, but this part is much easier when she can see you." The bag turned over above where the colt had been standing, emptying the flour held within. The colt came back into view with a coughing fit, now coated in a fine layer of white powder. Trixie's horn glowed again, letting out another blinding flash. This time, there seemed to be no change to the colt, who was still coughing. Trixie floated a bucket from behind the curtain this time and, without warning, dumped the water it held over the colt. The white powder was washed away, leaving the colt soaked, but completely visible and otherwise unharmed.

"Trixie will now offer herself up to the audiences requests. Tell Trixie of a trick you want to see and she shall perform it!" The mare lifted a leg into the air and struck a regal pose with her head tilted back slightly.

The crowd began calling out various spells and tricks for the performer, who in turn performed them with surprising ease no matter what the trick was. There was oohing and awing as the mare created fireballs that flew high into the sky before exploding into various shapes (usually those portraying Trixie or something related to her), levitated herself above the crowd to perform acrobatic stunts, and even pulling an angry looking white rabbit from her hat before poofing him away again.

"Any last requests before Trixie ends the show? The Great and Powerful Trixie never backs down from a challenge!" Trixie asked the audience, panting slightly from the exertion of her performance.

"I got one!" Ovrik raised a hand in the air, pulling the attention of the entire crowd to him. Most of the ponies began conversing in hushed whispers at the sight of the strange creature that had been watching from the back of the crowd. "Can ye' make me fly?"

"Are you sure about this Ovrik? Trixie's nowhere near as strong at magic as Twilight." Spike looked down at Ovrik. "I'm sure Twilight could do it when she gets back if you really want."

"I always wanted to try flyin' as a lad. And Twilight ain't gonna be back fer a while. I don' feel like waitin'." Ovrik chuckled and set the dragon down. The crowd parted to let the dwarf through, unsure of how to treat the newcomer.

"The Great and Powerful Trixie already perfored that trick, but I suppose if you want to experience it for yourself then you can't be blamed." The mare's horn began glowing again, enveloping Ovrik in a light magenta glow.

"Hehe. It tickles."

Trixie focused all her attention on her spell, silently worrying that she might not be able to perform this spell. The creature who wanted to fly was much heavier than she. Still, after much exertion, she was able to slowly lift the bipedal thing into the air. It gave a laugh of delight as it hovered above the stage. Hesitantly, Trixie spun the thing in place one time, trying to figure out the best way to keep control of it without dropping it. A second layer of overglow enveloped Trixie's horn as she carefully floated Ovrik around the stage. He let out a child-like laugh as he moved about.

The crowd watched on in awe as Ovrik was floated about. Something about seeing something other than a pony float about enraptured them. Even Spike seemed to be enjoying the spectacle.

Trixie gave the bipedal thing one last twirl in the air and decided to set him down. Her horn, however, decided that setting down the creature was too much effort and chose that precise moment to drop it. Ovrik hit the wooden stage with a crash, breaking through the flooring.

"Ow." Ovrik stood up slowly, the world struggling to realign itself. No wait, that was his vision. "Good thing I landed on me head. Sturdiest part o' a dwarf." He climbed out of the hole in the stage to a mixture of laughter and applause. The residents of Ponyville apparently thought that this was part of the show.

"I-I'm sorry! I didn't mean to drop you! Are you okay?" Trixie was panicking, thoughts of lawsuits and prison flooding her mind.

"I had worse. Where'd you get a twin from?"

"I-I..." Trixie struggled to regain her composure for a fraction of a second. She turned to the crowd. "The Great and Powerful Trixie would like to thank her lovely assistant for all his cooperation. Everypony stamp your hooves for the Talented and Forgiving..." She turned her head to the dwarf, who was still struggling to remember where he was or how to stand up properly.

"Ovrik!" Spike called from the crowd.

"The Talented and Forgiving Ovrik!" Clouds of smoke erupted from behind Ovrik and Trixie, the latter of which was trying desperately to keep the crowd from realizing her mistake. The crowd was eating up the ruse though, stamping their hooves and cheering. Ovrik waved with a goofy grin as Trixie stood on her hindlegs and put a leg around Ovrik's shoulders. She whispered from the side of her mouth, "Trixie will give you half her profits tonight if you promise not to make this a big deal."

Ovrik wrapped an arm around the mare's shoulders with a laugh. His inner dwarven child was much to thrilled about living out a childhood fantasy to worry about trivial things like concussions.

Author's Note

Yay! I managed to show Ovrik to Ponyville without them reacting negatively. And I got to introduce best unicorn!* :trixieshiftright:

This chapter went through multiple renditions before I settled on this one. The first actually cast Trixie in a much more antagonistic role, but I just can't see her in that light after watching "Magic Duel"

*Author is contractually obligated to make this statement whenever Trixie performs in Ponyville without fleeing in embarassment.

4. The Contest

Ovrik was surprised at how easily the ponies of Ponyville had adjusted to his presence. If a talking, brightly-colored pony walked into Koganusan, the dwarves there probably would have killed it. Ovrik was not proud of that thought.

On the bright side though, the ponies of Ponyville were incredibly friendly. Over the last few days he had spoken with a number of the townsfolk, all of whom seemed perfectly fine with the bearded creature that walked on two legs. One of them (Carrot Top, her name was) had even gone so far as to say that Ovrik wasn't even on the list of top-weird-things-to-happen-to-Ponyville. Still, it was nice to have ended up in a friendly place rather than one of the nine hells.

Today Ovrik was enjoying a nice walk through Ponyville and enjoying the afternoon weather. The sky was a dull gray, contrasting the changing leaves of the trees. Autumn was approaching fast. On at least three occasions the dwarf had overheard snippets of conversation about something called the Running of the Leaves. Ovrik wondered if it was anything like the Running of the Goblins, a sport involving a straight tunnel, a horde of goblins, heavy betting, a boulder, and a downward slope. Good times, really.

Up ahead, a familiar pink mare was hopping towards Ovrik. "Hey, Pinkie. What ye' up to today?" Ovrik waved cheerfully at the mare.

"Hi!" Pinkie greeted Ovrik with her trademark grin. The dwarf wondered if she ever stopped smiling. "I'm headed over to Applejack's. We have a tradition we like to do to celebrate the start of cider season."

"Aye? What's that then?"

The mare leaned close, looking around to see if anypony was listening in. "AJ and me like to use the first barrel of the hard stuff for a drinking contest." The mare's grin had turned mischievous. "I haven't lost yet!"

Ovrik let out a laugh that originated in his belly. "Aye? Ye' haven't ever gone against a dwarf, though, lass!" In his own world, knowledge of dwarves and their drink was common; so much so that it was a stereotype. This wasn't common knowledge in the lands of Equestria, though.

"Really? I guess that makes sense though. You seem like you'd live in forests and stuff. You know, cuz of the axe."

Ovrik was in tears, he was laughing so hard. He had to take a moment to compose himself, wiping away the moisture in his eyes. "Ye've got a lot to learn 'bout dwarves, missy. Ain't a dwarf alive that don't take a moment every day to appreciate his drink."

"Ooh! I know! You should come with me and join us! I'm sure Applejack won't mind, and you two can get to know each other! We can make it a three way!"

Ovrik put a hand over his mouth to contain the snorts of laughter. "I think ye' should watch how ye' phrase things. Other folks might get the wrong impression." Ovrik said with a chuckle.

"Okie Dokie Lokie! Come on, Sweet Apple Acres is this way!" Pinkie bounced off, with Ovrik following the overly energetic mare.

***

Sweet Apple Acres lived up to it's name. Apple orchards filled with healthy trees stretched out across the massive farm as far as the eye could see. Ovrik let out a whistle of appreciation at the sight. Dwarves didn't do much farming, so Ovrik had never seen fields as large as the ones that lay before him.

At the center of the property was a large red barn, and beyond it was the Apple house (as described by Pinkie). Off to one side, Ovrik could make out chicken coops (proving that not all animals could speak here, something that Ovrik had wondered during his stay.). In the barn, Ovrik could just barely make out an orange pony and a larger red one setting up some barrels next to a table and chairs.

"Howdy, Pinkie. Who's yer new friend?" The orange pony, a mare with a blonde mane and tail, walked out of the barn to greet them as they walked up.

"This is Ovrik. He's a dwarf from another world!"

"Pleasure ta make yer acquaintance, Ovrik. Name's Applejack, and this here's mah brother, Big Mac." Applejack tipped the Stetson hat she wore as she introduced herself and her brother.

"Aye. Glad to meet ye' both."

"Ovrik was telling me about how he has hard cider where he's from, and I that it was a fantabulous idea to bring him along so that he could join us and get to know one of my bestest friends so that you guys could be friends too!" Pinkie Pie spewed her explanation without pausing for breath, finally inhaling deeply when she was finished and flashing a huge grin.

"Well, I ain't one to turn down competition. You sure you can keep up, Ovrik?" Applejack smirked at the dwarf.

"Do elves whine about trees?" Ovrik guffawed.

All three ponies gave Ovrik a strange look before Pinkie piped up. "Do they?"

The dwarf sighed and covered his eyes in frustration, having forgotten that elves were probably something that didn't exist here. "Aye. They do." The dwarf explained before trailing off and mumbling something to himself.

"Well, if'n we're all ready, Big Mac an' I just finished settin' up for the contest." Applejack said.

"Eeyup." Big Mac chimed in.

"Rules are the same as last year, Pinkie, but I'll explain for our new friend here. We go drink for drink, 'til somepony calls it quits. I guess in this case, it's last one standin'. We got some hay piled up in case we need to sleep things off like last year. Got a few buckets too, for when things... can't stay down." Applejack blushed at the last part, clearly remembering a past incident.

"And I'm lockin' the doors. Apple Bloom don't need no repeats of last year, either. She says her sheets still smell." Big Mac added to the rules.

"Now that's just ridiculous. We washed them sheets twice the day it happened." Applejack retorted with a defensive tone.

"Eeyup. I'm still lockin' the house up. Better safe than sorry."

"You're right, I suppose." Applejack kicked a hoof in defeat. Her tone quickly changed as she smirked at Ovrik and Pinkie Pie. "Let's get this started."

"Whee!" Pinkie Pie's high-pitched exclamation was confirmation that she was ready, which nearly drowned out Ovrik's laugh. Big Mac simply trotted out of the barn as the trio took their seats at the table. Outside the barn the sky was darkening as the sun lowered below the horizon.

Applejack passed mugs of cider to her opponents. Pinkie took her mug in both hooves while Ovrik wrapped a hand around his. Applejack lifted her mug high, both hooves clasping it the same way Pinkie did.

"Tah new friends and friendly competition!" Applejack toasted, to which Ovrik and Pinkie clinked the mugs they held against Applejack's. The three of them immediately downed the drinks they held, only to refill them as soon as everyone had finished their first drink of the contest.

And so the competion went. The three spent their time laughing, telling jokes, and getting to know one another through the bonding process unique to alcohol. The drink counter (also known as the chalk kept nearby) marked each round on the table, so that the contestants would know in the morning why they were so dreadfully hungover.

Four drinks in and everyone was laughing and telling jokes. Seven drinks in and Ovrik was telling the tale of the first time he got drunk (an interesting tale involving riding a giant rat naked through Koganusan. Unfortunately, that's a story for a different day.). At the twelve drink marker, Applejack let out an obnoxious belch and unintentionally started a belching contest. Pinkie won that bit.

After hitting the fifteenth tally on the table, Applejack pushed herself back from the table. "I can't go on y'all. I'm just gonna... gonna... um..." She stumbled towards a large pile of hay further back in the barn. "Sleep! That's the word." The orange mare flopped unceremoniously into the hay and fell fast asleep.

"Jus' you an' me, Pinks." Ovrik said to the three pink mares that swam across his vision. "Ain't no dwarf that's lost a drinkin' contets. 'cept against his one kin!" The dwarf had begun to slur his speech.

"Just because you-you have boozahol where your from doesn't... doesn't mean I'm going down!" Pinkie pointed a hoof at Ovrik while her other front hoof held her steady against the table. "Pour anoth-" She let out a loud hiccup, "another!"

Ovrik did just that, passing Pinkie's mug to her and hoisting his own for another toast. "For mah new friends! I'm havin' a blast!" Pinkie let out a drunken giggle before slamming her mug into Ovrik's (and spilling some of that delicious, delicious cider in the process. What a waste.) and chugging her latest drink. Ovrik did the same, wiping foam from his beard as he set down the empty mug.

"Ooh! My hoof! I feel something in my hoof! Its gone numb!" Pinkie Pie exclamed, clearly feeling the effects of way too much drink.

"Bah! Ye just- Ye can't hold yer cider!" Ovrik exclaimed with a laugh before he could bear the spinning barn no longer. His eyes rolled back in his head and he fell backwards out of his chair, snoring softly before he even hit the ground.

Pinkie Pie let out a small giggle and another hiccup. "Looks like I win again." She giggled to herself again before her head swiftly fell forward to meet the table. Pinkie Pie's loud snores were muffled by the table as she slept face-down, dreaming of fantastical things most ponies could never comprehend.

Author's Note

If remember correctly cider season is coming up. I wouldn't be adverse to seeing a three way drinking contest between Pinkie, Applejack and Orvik.
The hard cider.

This chapter's comment inspiration brought to you by TheTownCrier

I enjoyed writing this one entirely too much. These three are going to hate tomorrow morning. :pinkiesick:

5. The One Where Ovrik Learns About Meat (a.k.a. The Following)

Ovrik woke to find himself on his back. It was difficult to open his eyes at first, thanks to the blinding sunlight that poured into the barn of Sweet Apple Acres. Ovrik overcame this challenge be keeping one eye shut, and forcing his eyes to adjust one at a time (thinking himself quite clever in the process). After finally adjusting to the noontime sun, Ovrik stood and looked around for his friends.

Pinkie Pie was easy to spot. The bright pink mare was only a few feet away, snoring softly into the table that Ovrik, Pinkie, and Applejack had used for last night's drinking contest. Ovrik couldn't really remember who won.

Applejack was a bit more difficult to find as she was half-buried by a pile of hay in the back of the barn, her stetson hat the only clear marker of where she was. Had it not been for he hat, Ovrik might have missed spotting her completely. A soft grunt of frustration from Applejack told Ovrik that she was awake as well.

"Mornin' Applejack!" Ovrik said jovially. "How ye' feelin'?"

Applejack's response was another groan, followed by pulling her hat down tighter over her ears and eyes. "Too loud..." Came the weak reply, "Sugar cube, turn off that light for me?" Applejack nestled further into the hay until she became a muzzle with a hat on top of it.

Ovrik gave a light chuckle before moving to the door of the barn and mostly closing it. He left the barn open just enough to let in the day's cool breeze and some light so that he could see. Pinkie stirred nearby.

"Owie... My head feels like Dashie did a sonic Rainboom inside of it. Why'd you do it, Dash?" Pinkie was mumbling into the table, her words barely comprehensible. "Go away, Dashie." Pinkie Pie pressed her hooves to her ears and whimpered slightly.

"Ye' all right, Pinkie?" Ovrik touched the mare's shoulder softly.

"I'm okie dokie." The mare's head didn't move from the table. "Peachy keen. You wouldn't happen to have a hayburger on you though, would you?"

"Uh... no?" Ovrik had no idea what a hayburger was, but he was certain he didn't have one.

"Hayburger sounds great. Ahm starved." Applejack spoke up from the back of the barn. "Ow..." Before regretting raising her voice.

"Let's get a hayburger then?" Ovrik offered. "My treat." Ovrik had a fair number of bits from playing assistant to Trixie the other day. Consequently he had learned about bits from Spike after a visit to Nurse Redheart (who could only guess at how to treat dwarven anatomy).

***

The trio walked (slowly) down the street towards a place called The Hayburger. They walked in silence, Pinkie and Applejack nursing their hangovers with juice boxes until they could get some food in them. When they arrived, Ovrik held the door. At the edges of his vision, he thought he saw a flash of something moving but when he looked there was nothing but a bush. Ovrik shrugged and entered the building.

The Hayburger wasn't like any tavern Ovrik had ever seen. Sure it had the wooden furniture and the smell of cooking food in the air, but where were the bards? The fireplace for telling stories around? The barmaids? Ovrik already decided this tavern was rubbish. Before he could suggest they find a better tavern though, Applejack and Pinkie Pie had walked over to the bar and begun conversing with another pony behind it. He heard something about cider season and the 'hangover special', but didn't catch all of it before approaching.

Ovrik ordered the same thing as Pinkie and Applejack, not really knowing what the food was. He paid the barpony behind the counter and the three sat at a nearby table to wait for their food. Applejack still had her hat over her ears and Pinkie, well, was being less Pinkie-y and more... something else. The pink mare had gone completely limp, half-laying on the table. Even her mane seemed to have gone limp, looking much straighter than usual.

"What's that?" Pinkie half-heartedly pointed a hoof at the window. When Ovrik and Applejack looked back at the window, there was nothing there. "It's gone... There it is again." Another hoof pointed at the window, and again there was nothing there. "It's gone again. Oh well..."

The meal came fairly quickly. Ovrik inspected the peculiar looking food in front of him, uncertain of what he was looking at. The fried potatoes looked familiar (despite the horseshoe shape to them). The other thing? Well, it looked kind of like a sandwich. There was a roll sliced in half, with lettuce, tomato, pickle, and a healthy portion of red and yellow sauces. Instead of meat, however, there was a patty that looked like it was made of greasy fried hay.

"What's this thing in the middle o' me sandwich?"

"That there's a hay patty. Ain't nothin' better for a hangover."

"But... where's the meat?" Ovrik's question drew stares from everypony nearby. Many of the staring ponies were slackjawed. One light yellow mare with a rose for a butt tattoo actually fainted out of her seat, leaving her friends waving napkins to cool her off. "Somethin' I said?"

"Hate to break it to yah, sugar cube, but we're ponies. We don' eat meat." Applejack explained the dieting habits with a look of sympathy. "I don' think you'll find a place serving meat anywhere in Equestria, save fer specialty places, maybe."

Ovrik took this news surprisingly well. He took a slow, deliberate breath before standing up. "I don' feel too good. Ye' two can split me food if ye' want. I'm gon' go back to the castle an' lay down."

"You sure yer alright there, Ovrik?" Applejack put down her hayburger with a look of concern.

"Aye, I'll be fine." Ovrik gave a light smile to the mares before leaving the tavern.

Outside, he took another deep breath. By the Gods, this was going to be a difficult stay without meat. A flash of turquoise caught his eye, but when Ovrik looked over there was no pony there. He shrugged and began walking towards the castle. Spike was a dragon. Maybe he knew how to get meat around here.

Ovrik made his way back to the castle. A few ponies were about, enjoying the afternoon weather. Ovrik waved to a gray mare in a pink bow tie and her friend, a white mare with a bright blue, spiky mane. They waved back politely, going about their business. Ovrik could have sworn he heard a high-pitched squeak behind him as he waved. Again when he looked around he found nothing out of the ordinary.

It was about this point that Ovrik started to think something was off. First the thing Pinkie saw in the window, then the glimpses of stuff in the corner of his eye, and now sounds that don't have a source. There was only one logical conclusion: Ponyville was haunted.

Ovrik picked up his pace. He didn't know what this spirit wanted from him, but he'd be damned if he'd wait long enough to find out. Ovrik's path took him down an alley. As he exited the other end, he heard the rattling of a trashcan behind him. A quick glance over his shoulder showed nothing else in the alley.

Ovrik took a left, cutting through the marketplace. He could feel his heart thudding in his chest as he struggled to remain calm. Ovrik hated ghosts. You couldn't take an axe to a ghost's head. Looking back, Ovrik thought he saw another glance of turquoise, but couldn't be sure. At this point though, it was enough. Ovrik took off in a full sprint as fast as his stocky legs could carry him.

He tried changing his route, creating a serpentine path throughout Ponyville. No sudden changes in his route would shake the pursuing spirit. Ovrik made a right down an alleyway, only to hit a dead end. The dwarf took a readied stance and drew his axe. By the Stone, if this spirit intended to harass him, he'd try to wallop it... maybe... he hoped.

A turquoise unicorn popped up from seemingly nowhere into Ovrik's face, eliciting a small cry of shock from him. "Hi! I'm Lyra. I just wanted to say, I'm a huge fan!" The mare spoke excitedly, flashing a toothy grin at Ovrik that was more than a little unnerving.

"I, eh... hi?" Ovrik mumbled his disjointed response, putting away his axe. "Have ye' been followin' me?"

"Well... sorta. I mean I meant to come say hi, but then I got nervous and you seemed like you were hanging out with Applejack and Pinkie Pie and I didn't want to seem rude so I just kinda waited until I could talk to you alone but then you ran and I didn't want to lose you so I kinda followed you until you ran back here." Ovrik gave a slack-jawed stare, barely comprehending the mare's rushed story as he stowed hi axe again.

"Um... ye' coulda just said hi. I thought someone was trying to follow me." Someone being a ghost. Ovrik neglected to share this information though.

Lyra let out a high-pitched squee of delight. "I didn't think it'd be that easy! Can I touch your hand?"

"Huh?" Ovrik scratched the back of his head for a moment. "Um... okay?"

Lyra took Ovrik's free hand between both her hooves. "They're so cool! And you can move each of these wiggly things on their own?! I'm so jealous!" Another cry of pure joy escaped Lyra. All the while, she kept that same toothy grin. Ovrik didn't know what to say. On the one hand, he was very uncomfortable. On the other hand (did ponies say hand or hoof?), Ovrik couldn't bring himself to do something to take the unicorn's smile away. There was something almost endearing about it, like a child with a new toy.

"There you are, Lyra!" Another pony had shown up, this one with a cream coat and a blue and pink mane. "I've been looking for you all over!"

"Bon Bon? What's up?" Lyra turned to face the newcomer.

"Did you forget about our best friends spa visit?"

"Oh that was today? I kinda... lost track of time. This is my new friend... um..." Lyra looked back at Ovrik for a bit of help.

"Ovrik Stonebreaker. Good ta meet ye'." Ovrik tilted his head politely.

Bon Bon sighed and shook her head. "It's good to meet you too. I'm really sorry about any trouble Lyra has caused. She has... interesting interests."

"Bah, s'no trouble at all. She surprised me a bit, but yer friend seems harmless." Ovrik shuffled his feet awkwardly.

"Thank you for putting up with her." A grateful smile crossed Bon Bon's lips.

"You guys know I'm right here, right?" Lyra interjected. "And you're still talking about me."

Ovrik gave a little chuckle. "Sorry, lass."

"Yes, I know you're here. If you hurry up, maybe we can still make our spa appointment." The cream colored mare shot her friend an annoyed look. Lyra took the meaning and began to leave with Bon Bon.

"Thanks again, Ovrik! See you around!" Lyra called back to the mildly perplexed dwarf. She then mouthed the words thank you before disappearing around the corner. Ovrik stood alone absorbing the bizarre encounter for a few seconds before rolling his eyes and heading towards the castle. At least it wasn't ghosts.

Author's Note

This one's a bit of a mash-up between two comments:

"I'm just waiting for the hilarious scene where Ovrik meets Lyra...." by Sin Zi,

and "we must see the aftermath, Ovrik should wake up without a hangover, it will be glorious." by Dagon M Dragoon

6. Cutting Wood

Ovrik found himself enjoying a leisurely afternoon in Ponyville. His day had been eventful, but fun. Trixie was still in town, so Ovrik was able to watch another of her shows (from a safe distance on the ground this time). After that he had lunch as Sugarcube Corner with Pinkie Pie, but she had to leave for a 'unicycle emergency'. Now he found himself sitting on a bench in the park, watching the sun sink below the horizon, a sight he didn't see often back home but loved, nonetheless.

Ovrik looked about, but nobody seemed to be in the park at this hour. It was lonely, but peaceful. Ovrik still wished he could spend some time with his new friends, though. Twilight was still out of town, Applejack had chores (and refused help from Ovrik), Fluttershy had some kind of work to do on the edge of the forest with someone named Rainbow Dash, and Pinkie Pie had been dealing with the aforementioned emergency. Ovrik let out a content sigh as the last rays of sunlight disappeared beneath the horizon.

Ovrik stood and stretched, ready to head back to the castle for the evening. As he turned to make his way there, he heard a faint cry from behind him.

"Help! Ovrik, please help!" Ovrik spun, spotting Fluttershy flying across the park towards him faster than he had ever seen the mare fly. "Ovrik!"

Ovrik ran to meet Fluttershy, recognizing the fear in her expression. Something was wrong. "What's goin' on? Ye' all right, Fluttershy?"

"No! I mean, I'm fine! It's Rainbow Dash. She needs help." Tears welled up in the yellow mare's eyes. "We were attacked by timberwolves. Rainbow sent me ahead to get help while she held them off."

"Say no more, lass. Which way is yer friend?"

Fluttershy pointed a hoof towards the forest on the edge of town. "She's in the Everfree Forest, that way."

"All right. Go get more help. I'm gonna go help yer friend." Ovrik barely waited for a nod from Fluttershy before he was sprinting off towards the Everfree Forest. He ran as fast as his legs could carry him. He'd heard enough stories from the merchants of Koganusan to know that wolf attacks were no joke.

Ovrik was breathing heavily when he reached the edge of the forest. He stopped, craning his neck in the hopes of hearing something that would help him locate the pony in danger. After a tense moment of concentration, he could just barely make out the sounds of a feminine voice and what sounded like it may be combat. Ovrik charged forward, axe in hand.

"I'm comin' lass. Just you hang on!" Ovrik barreled into a clearing, spotting a blue pegasus mare with a brilliant rainbow mane surrounded by wolves made of wood (Ovrik would laugh at the pun later). One of the mare's wings hung limply at her side, eliciting a grimace every time she made a move that affected it. A timberwolf advanced upon the mare, only to receive a powerful buck to the head and send it scampering back a few steps.

Ovrik let out a cry that would have done his Gods proud, had they been watching. The dwarf's axe splintered wood on it's first strike, drawing the ire of the rest of the wolves as Ovrik cleaved the nearest one in twain. Ovrik grinned madly, glad to see combat for the first time since ending up in Ponyville. The pegasus saw an opening through the pack and retreated away from the wolves, taking the opportunity to nurse her injured wing.

Ovrik, meanwhile, was a blur of motion. Flashes of dwarven steel drew cries of pain from the timberwolves as Ovrik lost himself to the melee. The only other sound that the pegasus could hear was the laughter of the strange creature that had charged in to save her.

In what seemed like mere moments, most of the timberwolves lay in pieces around Ovrik. The remaining few realized that they were outmatched and fled deeper into the forest, the darkness quickly hiding their escape. Ovrik didn't bother to give chase. Instead, he turned towards the mare he had saved.

"I'm takin' it by yer mane that yer Rainbow Dash?"

"Who's asking?" The pegasus crouched defensively, ready to spring at the dwarf if he made any sudden moves.

"Name's Ovrik. Yer friend Fluttershy sent me to come help ye'." Ovrik put his axe away, not needing to clean it (a first, he noted). "Ye' are Rainbow Dash, right? If not, I gotta go help somebody else."

"Fluttershy sent you? Then she got away. Is she okay?" Dash visibly relaxed at the news.

"Yeah, she's fine. Yer not lookin' to good though." Ovrik noted as he stepped closer. "Let's get ye' back to town. Ye' need a healer."

"Ya think? My wing's kinda broken."

"Ye want me to carry ye' back? Ye look like ye need it."

Rainbow Dash hesitated as she contemplated the offer. "Just to the edge of the forest. I don't know if you've heard of me yet, but I've kinda got a reputation to keep."

Ovrik let the mare keep her pride as he carried her piggyback to the edge of the forest. As the two neared the treeline, they heard the cries of their friends. He set her down gently, letting her walk from the treeline herself.

"Rainbow, are ya all right?" Applejack ran over, drawing the attention of the rest of the ponies there.

"Yeah. It's nothing someone as awesome as me couldn't handle. Me and my new pal Ovrik really showed those timberwolves a thing or two." Rainbow Dash replied as coolly as possible.

"Oh my goodness! Is your wing all right?" Fluttershy fretted, afraid to get to close to her injured friend as if breathing near Rainbow Dash would hurt her.

Pinkie Pie ran up with a unicycle tied to her back. "Wow, Dashie! Good thing Fluttershy found Ovrik in time to help you! We need to get you to a doctor!" Pinkie Pie drowned out Fluttershy's timid questioning, speaking at the only volume she really knew. Loud.

"Yeah, i know. Let's get this over with." The blue pegasus grumbled. "We all know he's gonna say I can't fly for a while."

Ovrik followed quietly behind as the rest of the ponies trotted towards Ponyville.

~~~~~~

Far removed from the events in Ponyville, two sets of eyes stared into a bubbling cauldron. Neither creature watching spoke for a moment as the cauldron showed images of the ponies and the unfamiliar creature walking back towards the village they lived in.

"It seems we have a new pawn on the board, sister." A melodic voice spoke, finally breaking the silence.

"Indeed we do, sister." The other creature replied, speaking with a rougher voice. "But it matters not. We have waited this long. One new arrival isn't going to change our plans."

"Correct. This new creature is of no threat to us." The melodic voice let out a laugh.

"Indeed. Shall we move forward with the plans?" The rougher voiced creature laughed as well.

"Indeed, sister."

Author's Note

Sorry it took so long, folks. This chapter was a tremendous pain to get through. I wrote this chapter multiple times before settling on something that hints at the story portion I have lined up.

This chapter was originally meant to just introduce Rainbow Dash, with iterations ranging from the Running of the Leaves, to a competition, to Ovrik and Dash talking over hot cocoa after a misunderstanding (This was my least favorite rendition by far). I just struggled with something that I felt reflected Dash's personality. I like to think I managed to capture her a bit better in this version.