Nighttime. It was during the afternoon that the ponies, dragon, animals and human girl were done with cleaning the house. It looked much better. Why, even Rarity is happy with the result. She even admired the beautiful carvings of animals on various wooden places.
"Ah, much better. Don't you think so, girls?" She asked.
"It sure looks much cleaner than before." Applejack said.
"Those little squirts won't even know what happened." Rainbow said.
"I'm sure they'll be very happy about this when we tell them." Fluttershy said.
Twilight looked sadly at the ground and Rarity saw it. "Whatever is the matter, darling? Aren't you happy that whoever lives here will be happy about what we've done for them?"
"It's not that, Rarity. It's about Snow White." Twilight answered.
Rarity looked at her friend in confusion and then looked at the human girl with whom they became friends with. "What about her?"
"Don't you remember? The queen is still after her, who also wants to kill us too." Twilight said.
"Oh, right." Rarity said when she came back to reality.
"Well, if she ever find us, I'm ready for her." Rainbow said who's ready to fight.
"You mean harm her? That's not nice." Fluttershy said.
"She's right. After all, she's still Snow White's mother." Applejack said.
"Stepmother." Rainbow corrected.
"A stepmother's love can be as deep and pure as any mother's. It is jealousy that made her wicked." Applejack said.
"I still don't know, guys. Are you sure we're gonna be safe in here from that witch?" Rainbow asked while feeling uncomfortable.
"I sure hope so. I don't even wanna think about when she finds out we're here." Fluttershy said.
Suddenly, Pinkie rubbed Fluttershy's head. "Don't you worry about that. That Queen Meanie doesn't know where we are. I'm sure she won't find us. Unless she has a mirror that knows and sees everything and she asks if Snow White is still alive."
Suddenly, Rarity remembered that she saw a mirror in the castle of the queen and her eyes went wide. "Oh no. She has a mirror like that."
"What?" Twilight asked.
"Me and Rainbow saw it. It knows and sees everything." Rarity said.
The ponies and the dragon gasped in fear. "You mean that running away was all in vain?" Twilight asked in shock.
"Wait a minute. Humbert gave us a chance to escape her. Meanwhile he's searching for an animal's heart and show it to the queen. So there could be a chance that she'll leave us alone when she sees the heart." Spike said.
Twilight thought for a minute. "That could work. Let us all hope that she doesn't ask the mirror to be sure."
The ponies and dragon cringed at the thought until their thinking was interrupted by Snow White who was holding a candle in her hand. "Is everything alright?"
Twilight shook her head and gave Snow White a smile. "It's alright."
"Are you coming upstairs? I wanna see what's there." Snow White said.
"We'll be right there." Twilight said.
"Should we tell about her stepmother's mirror?" Rainbow asked.
"Maybe it's best if we don't. She has dealt with enough trouble. But we best protect her from the queen if she finds us. Let us hope she won't come here." Twilight said.
The others nodded and they arrived at the stairs. "Let's see what's upstairs." Snow White said. And with that, the ponies, dragon and animals followed her. The tortoise was having a little trouble with climbing up the stairs that he fell on his back. Rainbow saw it and went towards the tortoise.
"Need any help?" She asked.
The tortoise smiled and shook its head. He grabbed his tail and rolled backwards to stand on all fours again. "Okay if you need help, just call me." Rainbow said before she went upstairs. The tortoise bit on each part of the stair and dragged its body with it.
On top of the stairs was a door, Snow White opened the door and saw that they were in a bedroom. "Oh, what adorable little beds." She said.
Fluttershy also couldn't help but smile. There were seven beds in the room. Rarity was especially amazed about the beautiful wooden carvings of animals on the beds. Some of the animals began to sit on them.
"Those sure look cute." Twilight said.
"And look, they have their names carved on them." Snow White said.
They all looked at the names on the beds and began to read them.
"Doc." Snow White said.
"Happy?" Pinkie asked with a smile.
"Sneezy." Applejack said.
"Dopey." Rarity said.
Snowy White couldn't help but laugh. "What funny names for children."
"And to think our names were funny." Spike said.
The ponies looked at him and read the rest of the names.
"Grumpy, Bashful and Sleepy." Twilight read.
"Maybe they're named after their personality." Pinkie said. "Doc is probably a doctor. Happy is probably fun and...well, happy. That's an easy one. Sneezy probably sneezes a lot. Dopey..."
"Ah think we get the idea, Pinkie." Applejack said. "Like that, Sleepy probably sleeps a lot."
Snow White began to yawn. "I'm a little sleepy myself."
Pinkie yawned too and jumped in a bed. "Yeah, me too. Maybe we better get some sleep and forget what happened before we got here."
"That doesn't sound like a bad idea." Rainbow said and yawned.
"Yeah, I agree." Spike yawned too.
The other animals yawned too.
"It's been a long time I had a good night sleep." Rarity said.
Twilight knew they were right and she also was tired. Snow White placed the candle on a wooden board and laid herself on three of the beds, because she was too big for one. Fluttershy cuddled close to Snow White, because many of the animals also slept in the beds. So Twilight decided to sleep with Spike while Rarity, Applejack and Pinkie were sleeping close to each other. And Rainbow, she slept on a bed with her legs spread everywhere. A bird flew towards the candle and used its tail feathers to extinguish the flame. Some of the birds placed a blanket on both Snow White and Fluttershy. All of them including the animals were sleeping peacefully on their way to Dreamland.
None of them knew that the tortoise was still climbing in his own way up the stairs. He almost reached the top. Suddenly, some of the animals began to wake up. Also Rainbow opened an eye, because they heard something. It sounded like...singing?
"Heigh-ho. Heigh-ho." the singing continued.
"Pinkie. Would you stop that singing and let us sleep?" Rainbow whispered.
Pinkie, who was also awake, said "I'm not singing, I swear."
"Wait a second. If it isn't you, then who..."
The singing got a little louder and soon the rest of the animals and ponies woke up. Except Snow White and Fluttershy who were sleeping like roses.
"Heigh-ho! Heigh-ho!" the singing continued.
"What's going on?" Twilight asked.
"Heigh-ho, Heigh-ho. It's home from work we go."
The animals looked outside the window and suddenly they ran out of the room to the stairs.
"Hey, wait! What's going on?" Spike said.
"And who's singing that amazing song?!" Pinkie asked.
"Come on! Let's follow them." Rainbow said.
The ponies and dragon followed the animals while the singing continued.
"Heigh-ho, Heigh-ho! Heig-ho, Heigh-ho, Heigh-ho. It's home from work we go!"
When the tortoise finally reached the top, the other animals and ponies ran downstairs while passing the tortoise who's spinning in his shell. Now he has to go downstairs again, but that was no problem for him. Even when he falls on the staircase and bumped against the wall. The animals were running out of the door.
"Wait for us!" Pinkie said.
The animals were hiding in a large bush while the ponies and dragon did too. "Can somepony tell me what the hay is going on?!" Applejack asked.
"Shhh." Twilight said. "Someone's coming."
"Who?" Rarity asked. "Who would interrupt my beauty sleep?"
And suddenly, they saw who sang that song. The seven individuals who live in the cottage. What they didn't expect is that these people weren't children after all. They were known as 'dwarfs'. Seven dwarfs. All brothers to each other. Many of them looked funny, they wore similar clothing but each in a different way and they all wore stocking caps. All of them had a beard except the last one. The ponies were totally surprised.
"Are those the ones who live in that cottage? They don't look like children at all." Twilight said.
"Of course not. I mean, what child has a beard?" Rainbow said.
Pinkie giggled a little. "They look a little funny."
"Sh. Don't let them hear you. We don't know what they're capable of." Twilight said.
The dwarfs kept on singing and whistling until the first one pointed. "Look!" And as a result, the other ones bumped against each other. Pinkie couldn't help but giggle, but Twilight kept her shut.
"Our house! The lit's light...uh, the light's lit." said the first one with the glasses.
When Twilight heard that, she covered her mouth. "Oh no. The lights. We forgot to turn them off." Twilight said.
The dwarfs were hiding behind a few trees and each of them popped their heads out to look at their house. "Jiminy Crickets!" They all said.
"The door is open." said the one with the glasses.
"The chimney's smoking." said the fat one.
"Something's in there." said the sixth dwarf.
"Maybe a ghost." said the fat one.
"Or a goblin." the fifth said.
"A demon." said the one with the glasses.
"Or a dragon." said the sixth.
The ponies listened to their conversations. "But I'm a dragon." said Spike.
"They think monsters invaded their home." Applejack said.
Then the second one began to speak. "Mark my words. There's trouble a-brewin'. Felt it coming all day. My corns hurt." he said while pointing at his shoes.
"That one looks like he's in a bad mood. Better watch out for him." Rainbow whispered.
"Gosh!" said the fat one.
"That's a bad sign." said the fifth.
"What'll we do?" said the fourth, the fifth and the one with glasses.
"Let's sneak up on it." said the fat one.
The one with the glasses cleared his throat. "Yes. We'll, uh, squeak up... uh, sneak up. Come on, hen...uh, men. Follow me." And they slowly sneaked towards the cottage.
"Looks like that one stammers a lot." Twilight giggled. "Okay, everypony. Let's follow them, because Snow White and Fluttershy are still inside."
"I don't think they want to cause any harm, Twilight." Spike said.
"Never judge a book by its cover, Spike. Now, come on." said Twilight.
And they all walked slowly towards another bush to watch the dwarfs' actions. When the dwarfs approached the house, they looked inside. The one with the glasses, who was probably the leader, motioned them to follow him. "Psst." he said. He slowly opened the creaking door and each of them popped their heads out of the opening. The last dwarf appeared out of one of the beards. The leader opened the door a little more and they all entered while their shoes squeaked. While they walked in, one of them accidentally stepped on the head of the last dwarf. The ponies, animals and dragon were silently walking towards the window to see better. The dwarfs all raised their pickaxes above their heads prepared for anything. The last dwarf slammed the door behind him very hard. It was so loud that the dwarfs immediately reacted. They ran around and raised their weapons above their heads again. When they saw who closed the door, they motioned him to be quiet. The silly dwarf shivered a little while he turned his attention to the door and said "shh."
Pinkie giggled at the scenery.
"That one doesn't look very smart, is he?" Applejack said.
"Pst. Hey, girls." Rainbow whispered. "Me and Pinkie are going to the ceiling to have a better look."
"Rainbow, wait!" Twilight whispered, but Rainbow grabbed Pinkie and they flew inside the cottage to the ceiling faster than the wind.
The dwarfs could hear the noise. "Did you hear something?" said one of them.
The ponies ducked their heads.
"It was probably the wind." said the fourth.
"Careful, men. Search every cook and nanny...uh, hook and granny...crooked fan..." The leader stuttered until he gave up and said the next thing. "Search everywhere."
The dwarfs sneaked everywhere inside the cottage while their shoes squeaked. None of them knew that Rainbow, Pinkie and the bird family were watching them from above while the rest of the ponies and animals watched from the window. They even had to hide when the dwarfs came too close to the window.
"Should we talk to them?" Spike asked.
"No, Spike." Twilight whispered. "They have pickaxes for Celestia's sake."
Suddenly, one of the dwarfs's shoes squeaked too loudly which startled the ponies at the window.
"Shh! Quiet." said the leader and they walked further until he looked at the floor and ceased every dwarf's movement. "Look! The floor, it's been swept!" They all looked in confusion.
"So, now they noticed." Applejack said.
The second dwarf was checking one of the chairs. He rubbed his finger on it and saw that there was no dust. "Hah! Chair's been dusted."
"Our window's been washed." said the fat one who was checking one of the windows.
"Gosh, our cobwebs are missing." said the fifth who look at the ceiling. Luckily, he didn't saw the pink Earth pony and the blue pegasus.
The dwarfs were confused, more than ever. "Why, why, why, why, the whole place is clean." said the leader.
"There's dirty work afoot." said the second one.
Two dwarfs were looking inside the sink. "Sink's empty." said one of them. "Hey, someone stole our dishes."
"Pft. Who wants to steal dishes?" Rainbow whispered.
"I know, right?" Pinkie giggled.
"They ain't stole. They're hid in the cupboard." said the fat one.
The fifth grabbed one cup from the cupboard and looked inside with a sad face. "My cup's been washed. Sugar's gone."
"Well, they all needed to be washed, right?" Rarity whispered to the other ponies.
The ponies nodded. Two dwarfs were watching a giant pot with delicious soup inside that was being warmed in the fireplace. "Something's cooking." said the fat one and sniffed at the food.
"Oh, yeah. The soup Applejack made with Snow White. It is deeeeelicious." Pinkie said.
Rainbow quickly closed Pinkie's muzzle.
The two dwarfs were too focused on the food. "Smells good!" said the fat one and grabbed a spoon to have a taste. But suddenly, the second one stopped them.
"Don't touch it, you fools! Might be poison." He said.
"Why, that little... It's part of a family recipe." Applejack said.
Suddenly, the steam hissed from the pot startling the three dwarfs until it stopped. "See? It's witches' brew." The second one said.
The leader checked on the table that was nicely decorated with plates, glass cups and cutlery and a nice bouquet of goldenrod flowers.
"Look what's happened to our stable... Uh, table." he said.
"Very nice, huh. Did it myself, of course." Rarity whispered.
The fifth saw the flowers and grabbed them with a smile. "Flowers!" he said and sniffed at them.
The sixth looked in confusion. "Huh?"
"Look, goldenrod." The fifth said and put them in front of the sixth's nose.
The dwarf quickly pushed the flowers out of his face and walked away from it. "Don't do it. Take them away. My nose! My hay fever! You know I can't stand it."
"Oh, dear. I didn't know one of them had hay fever. Now I feel sorry." Rarity whispered.
The dwarf began to have more trouble with his nose. He was on the verge of sneezing. "I can't...I can't...I...Oh. Ah..." All the dwarfs came close to him, knowing what was coming. "AAAAHHHH...!" Before he could sneeze, the dwarfs placed their fingers under his nose making him raise high in the air. Pinkie was almost on the verge of laughing, because of the dwarfs' funny reaction and when he was about to sneeze. When he wasn't going to sneeze anymore, the dwarfs put him on the ground and took their fingers away. The dwarf sighed in relief. "Thanks." He said with a smile.
But he spoke too soon and just like that he released a loud sneeze. "AAAHCHOOOOOOO!"
The sneeze was so powerful it blew all the dwarfs away in a funny way. The second one was struggling against the wind. Not only them but also the ponies, animals and dragon at the window were blown away, screaming while it happened. Even Rainbow and Pinkie were blown against the ceiling. Rainbow was trying to struggle, it was like she was swirling in the dizzitron, but much worse. The tears came out of her eyes. All the dwarfs except the second one were being pushed to the wall, making a few cups and pots fall from a shelf and fell on top of each other. Suddenly, their heads showed up and hushed the sneezing dwarf.
After that, Rainbow and Pinkie landed back on the wooden beam on the ceiling. Rainbow shook her head back to consciousness. "Wow, what was that?" she whispered.
"Haha, let's do that again." Pinkie giggled in a silent way.
"Shhh. Dude, that wasn't a sneeze. That was a hurricane." Rainbow said with disbelief in her eyes.
The animals, dragon and other ponies were walking back to the window after they were blown away. "Wow, that feller has powerful lungs to make a sneeze like that." Applejack said.
After the dwarfs silenced the sneezing dwarf, he rubbed his nose. The second one approached him. "Ya crazy fool! Fine time you picked to sneeze."
"I couldn't help it. I can't tell. When you gotta, you gotta." The sneezing dwarf said in defense.
"He is right, you know." Pinkie said to Rainbow. "When you gotta blow, you gotta blow."
But suddenly, the dwarf felt something coming. "I...I...I gotta."
The ponies immediately noticed his reactions.
"N...n...n...It's coming." the dwarf said and was on the brink of sneezing again.
"Hold tight, girls. Here he goes again." Twilight said and they ducked. Rainbow and Pinkie also held tight on the wooden beam. When the dwarf was about to sneeze, the other dwarfs quickly jumped on him and tried to stop him.
"Don't let him." said one of the dwarfs.
"Stop him." said another one.
Suddenly, the head of the sneezing dwarf popped out. "Oh! Ah...Ah...AH!" The ponies were very watchful. The dwarfs brought him back on the ground and kept trying to stop him.
"No, tie it tight." said one of the dwarfs.
"Don't let it go."
"Hold him tight."
"I'll tie it." said the fat dwarf.
"Make a hard knot."
The fat dwarf grabbed the beard of the sneezing dwarf and used it to tie his nose so he won't sneeze again. "There, that will hold him."
"Tying his nose? Really?" Spike said.
"Thanks!" sighed the sneezing dwarf with joy.
"Shh!" said the fat dwarf.
"Quiet, you fool! You want to get us all killed?" said the second dwarf.
Pinkie saw everything and couldn't hold it any longer. "HAHAHA!" she laughed. But Rainbow quickly reacted and held her friend's muzzle.
The dwarfs heard that. "Did you hear that?" asked the sneezing dwarf.
"I sure did." The second dwarf said.
"Oh no." Rainbow said.
"Oh no." said Twilight when she watched the whole thing.
But the bird family, who were with Pinkie and Rainbow, winked at each other and the ponies. And then, they tapped on the wood. The dwarfs were shocked when they heard that.
"Wha...wha...what's that?" asked the fat dwarf.
"That's it." said the leader.
"Sounded close." said the fifth.
"It's in this room right now." the second whispered.
The dwarfs began to feel uncomfortable when he said that. The birds looked at each other again and then they shrieked very loud, so loud that Rainbow and Pinkie covered their ears. The other ponies did as well, but the dwarfs...they froze in fear. And then, they yelled and ran around the room to hide. The sneezing dwarf hid in a big pot with a lid, the fat dwarf hid behind a chair, the fourth in a bucket with a broom, the seventh in a pile of logs, the second in a sack with potatoes and the fifth under the staircase.
"Phew. Thanks, little guys. That was close." Rainbow said to the birds.
"Hey, they're pretty good at hiding. They should play 'hide and seek' more often." Pinkie said talking about the dwarfs.
"Will you be quiet?" Rainbow whispered.
The dwarfs all came out of their hiding spots and gathered together at the staircase. The leader was holding a candle. They all looked upstairs.
"It's up there." said the leader.
"Yeah. In the bedroom." said the fifth.
"Oh no. Don't tell me they're going upstairs." said Rarity.
"I think they are." Spike said.
"One of us has gotta go down and chase it up. Uh, uh, uh. Up. Down." The leader corrected his sentence.
All the dwarfs nodded at his plan. And then they looked at one dwarf: the seventh. As you know, the seventh is a funny looking guy who wore a green vest and a purple stocking cap. He just smiled while he doesn't know that he's the one who must go up.
"Him? He doesn't seem fit for the job." Applejack said.
"He looks more like a child than a man." Rarity said.
The seventh looked behind him and then back to the dwarfs, but then he quickly looks back behind him. Maybe he knows that the dwarfs chose him to go upstairs, so he quietly walked away from them. But the second and the sneezing dwarf quickly grabbed him. The leader tried to give him the candle.
"Here, take it. " He said while he shook nervously. The seventh tried to grab it while he was shaking too. "Don't be nervous."
But the leader quickly grabbed the dwarfs hand and gave him the candle. And with that, the dwarfs pushed him upstairs. The dwarf walked up the stairs while they creaked. Suddenly, he turned around and looked down at his fellow brothers who were waiting. They were also shaking in fear.
"Don't be afraid. We're right behind you." said the leader.
"Yes! Right behind ya." said the other dwarfs.
"Yeah, sure they do." Rainbow said sarcastically.
The seventh dwarf nodded and gulped in fright. And so, he walked further up the stairs. When he opened the door, he peeked to see if everything's safe. While he does that, the other dwarfs quietly walked up the stairs.
"Oh no." Twilight said when she saw this.
Meanwhile, the seventh opened the door a little further and took another look around before he quietly walked inside the room. But suddenly, the sound of someone moaning spooked him. He looked towards the bed and saw the sheets moving like a ghost. The dwarf froze for a moment before he screamed very loudly and ran out of the room. While that happened, the dwarfs were already waiting at the doors to strike.
"Here it comes!" yelled the second one. But suddenly, the seventh bumped into them and they all fell down the stairs. Then all of them except the seventh, who's head was stuck between his legs, ran towards the door while shouting.
"Hihihi. Look at them go." Pinkie said while she looked.
"You can't even see them clearly." Rainbow said not believing that the dwarfs were running that fast.
"Quick! Everypony into that bush." Twilight said while they ran away from the window.
The six dwarfs ran in a flash out of the cottage. The leader quickly closed the door.
Suddenly, Pinkie dropped to the floor and went to the seventh dwarf who freed himself from his legs. Then he saw the pony.
"Hi, there. I'm..." but before the pony could finish, the dwarf immediately ran away from her. "Wait!"
The seventh bumped against the door and tried to open it, but the others closed it from the outside thinking that a monster was pursuing them.
"It's after us." said one of the dwarfs.
"Don't let it out."
"Hold it shut."
The seventh still was trying to open it, but with one hard pull he broke the door knob and crashed into the cupboard. All the pots and cups fell on top of him. The dwarf jumped out of the pile, completely dressed with pots, pans and cups, and ran towards the door opening. Rainbow dropped herself to the floor.
"Why do you always have to say 'hi' at the most inappropriate moments? Come on. Outside." Rainbow said and they went outside.
Meanwhile, the ponies, dragon and animals all hid in a bush while the dwarfs waited in a tree. The seventh dwarf was approaching and the dwarfs immediately saw it as a monster.
"Here it comes." said one of the dwarfs.
"Now's our chance."
"Get it now!"
When the seventh came close to the tree, the others immediately dropped themselves on him and hit him with their weapons.
"Oh no. The poor guy." Rarity said.
"Quick!"
"Give it to it!"
"Don't let it get away!"
While they hit him, the kitchenware came loose from the dwarfs body. When his face showed up, the second dwarf accidentally hit his head. But the leader quickly stopped them.
"Hold on there! It's only Dopey." he said.
"So that's Dopey. Kinda makes sense." Applejack said.
Then the dwarfs began to ask questions to Dopey.
"Did you see it?" asked the sneezing dwarf and Dopey nodded.
"How big is it?" asked the fat dwarf and Dopey motioned with his arms how big.
"Was it a dragon?" asked the second and Dopey nodded.
"Has it got horns?" asked the sneezing dwarf again. Dopey puts his fingers on his head and stuck his tongue out a few times.
"Was it breathing fire?" the second asked again.
"Was it droolin'?" asked the fat one again.
Dopey began to drool while they asked.
"What was it doin'?" asked the sneezing dwarf.
To that, Dopey laid his head on his hands and made a snoring sound. The leader seems to understand what he tried to say.
"He says it's a, a monster asleep in our beds!" he said.
The dwarfs began to talk among one another.
"They think Snow White and Fluttershy are monsters?" Spike asked.
"Dopey must have thought they were monsters. Or he wouldn't have screamed." Twilight said.
Then Dopey pulled on the shirt of the leader. "What is it, Dopey?" asked the leader.
Dopey pointed towards the cottage and then landed on all fours acting like a horse.
"What? A horse? Uh, a pony?" asked the leader.
Dopey nodded.
"That's strange we don't have a horse or a honey, uh, pony." said the leader.
"Forget whatever else is in that house. There's a monster in our bed. I'll say we attack." the second dwarf said.
"While it's sleeping." said the sneezing dwarf.
"Yeah, while it's sleeping." said the fourth, the fifth and the fat one.
"Oh no." Rarity said while putting her hooves in front of her mouth.
"Hurry, men. It's now or never!" said the leader.
"Off with its head." said the fat one.
"Break its bones." said one of the dwarfs.
"Chop it to pieces."
"We'll kill it dead."
When the ponies heard that, they were in complete shock. "Come on. We gotta stop them." said Twilight.
"I can't believe they're going to try to kill Snow White and Fluttershy." Rarity said.
"I'll stop them." Rainbow said.
"No. I have a better idea. We'll see how far they go and when they try to attack, I'll use a freeze spell on them. It'll be easy since there are only seven of them." Twilight said.
"Then let's go." Applejack said and they followed the dwarfs back to the cottage.