//------------------------------//
// Chapter nineteen: through the darkness 
// Story: Animal Friends 
// by Elkia Deerling 
//------------------------------//

Gone.

Fluttershy was gone. She had disappeared into the shadows, together with the Ringwraiths and their terrible king. Fluttershy had called out to Radagast once more, but her voice had been swallowed by the darkness.

Now, Radagast was alone.

He lay on the floor of Dol Guldur’s main hall, shivering, coughing, yelling towards the shadows. No thoughts inhabited his broken mind, only slivers and scraps of memories or realizations swirled like a wild whirlwind in his head. Radagast looked around him but didn’t see anything. He listened but didn’t hear anything. Alone in the darkness he lay, until the sun, watery, grey, soulless, casted its light through the windows above. 

Radagast withdrew from the light, as it hurt his eyes. He scuttled to a corner where he lost his consciousness.

His dream was chaotic, lost in a swirl of biting shadow like loose shots of a horror movie. All the while he shivered and his head jerked from side to side. His breath was sputtering out of his mouth as he struggled to stay alive and somehow regain some sanity. A broken mind can hardly dream.

When he woke up Fluttershy was still gone, and Radagast was still alone. He needed to leave Dol Guldur, or stay and fight to reclaim his friend. Both of these tasks seemed like climbing the skies to reach the moon; impossible. He felt as if nothing but sharp nails rattled around in his head, and he was unable to think. But his body seemed to help him. Slowly, inch by inch, Radagast the Brown crawled over the floor, towards the moonlight. The light of the new night stung his eyes and his skin as he reached the end of the chamber, and he had to pause for a long time.

After catching his ragged breath, Radagast reached up, caught hold of a loose rock, and forced himself back to his feet, half stumbling, and leaning heavily on the wall. His head still hurt, and he saw the room in a grey haze before his eyes, amplified by the shadows cast by the moon through the holes in the roof. His body moved. Step by step, tripping, falling, crawling, stumbling, shuffling, he reached the end of the hallway. Of course he had no idea where to go, so he just kept following the light of the moon.

That way, he ended his journey in the courtyard, where the ruins of Dol Guldur surrounded him on all sides. For a second, Radagast thought he saw the Ringwraiths surrounding him once again, with Fluttershy in their midst; their newest recruit. Radagast reached the bridge, caught himself at the handrail, and stumbled along. He almost fell into the abyss as the iron handrail became bent and splintered at one point. Quickly he grasped the new metal, his hands cut and bloodied of the jagged splinters, although he wasn’t at all scared at falling to his death. In his mind, Radagast was already dead.

Through the corrupted Greenwood he stumbled, holding himself upright by the black trees, grabbing withered vines and almost choking on their putrid smell. For many miles he fought himself a way through the dead foliage. He saw no animals, heard no birds, felt nothing grow or rejuvenate; there was only death, and death surrounded him on all sides. The forest was as desolate as Radagast’s spirit.

For days he roamed the plagued forest. Radagast had no idea where he was going, he just went on and on wherever the going was easiest. Hunger tortured his stomach, but there was nothing to eat. No berries, fruits, or mushrooms remained in the dead Greenwood. One day, on a dreary afternoon, Radagast encountered a small ditch of water, from which he drank. The water was black, and tasted bitter on Radagast’s tongue. Still he drank, for the will to survive houses in every creature, and the wizard was not yet dead. His nights were dark and desolate, his dreams short and evil, and Radagast slept as little as he could to prevent his mind from plunging into darkness.

At last, on a dreary and cold morning, when Radagast thought that he would fall down and surrender himself to the carrion crows, he entered the Greenwood—the real Greenwood. He lay on a clearing of dead grass, which regained its green color only yards further where the healthy tree line began once more, red and golden in fresh autumn colors. 

Through the haze of his watery eyes, Radagast could see his forest, but  he felt too weak almost to just look at it from where he lay. He closed his eyes and slumped against a tree, where he stumbled on the edge of the conscious world. His last thoughts contained distorted pictures of Fluttershy. The little pegasus stood in front of him, her face unreadable. There was no way of knowing whether she was scared, angry, or already consumed by the darkness. Radagast reached out for her. “Please… help me…”

The sight of his forest and of his animal friend would have been the last time he ever saw both of them, were it not for an extraordinary creature. 

An elk, strong and sturdy, entered the clearing from the good part of the forest. It was a large stag, looking for a nice place to spend the winter months. Just the day before it had shed its antlers, for it was that time of the year, and it roamed the wilds freely. Maybe it had heard Radagast’s last call, as if some sliver of conscious magic had carried it through the clearing to the elk’s ears. Or maybe the elk just wanted to witness the borders of the Greenwood, which were ever shrinking to the corruption. If the latter was true, he got quite a shock. For a moment he stood still and watched the black trees and the dead shrubs in front of him. He wondered how long it would take for the whole Greenwood to fall under the shadow. 

And so, as he watched the corrupted tree line ahead, he spotted Radagast against one of the trees. Instantly, the elk jumped over some shrubs and trotted towards the motionless figure of the wizard. Good memories came back to him, as the elk recognized the man who had healed his eye after a particularly nasty fight with another stag, which had cost him a beautiful hind and also almost his eye. 

The elk’s nose came close to Radagast’s mouth, as the animal doubted whether or not the wizard was alive. When he felt a slow and weak airstream against his snout, he knew enough. Without hesitation or shame, he licked the face of Radagast, until he opened his eyes.

“Jonathan?” 

The weak voice of Radagast barely reached the elk’s ears, but he heard it nonetheless, and felt quite honored that Radagast had remembered his name, although it had been years ago since they had seen each other. Jonathan bent down and made a few low humming sounds, encouraging the wizard to save himself.

With his last strength, Radagast rolled to the side, threw his leg over the beast’s barrel, and grabbed the elk’s neck, focusing all his fading strength on his arms to keep him steady.

All day long the elk ran through the forest. He knew time was of the essence, for the wizard’s breath had been weak, and sometimes the animal could feel Radagast going limp and his grasp weaken. Jonathan did his best to go as fast as he could, but tried to absorb the shocks with his agile legs to make the wild ride as comfortable for the wizard as possible. He bent his knees and kept his jumps low. Although he wasn’t at all a riding animal, Jonathan reckoned he managed quite well, for Radagast didn’t fall off his back once.

Hoping that his memory did not fail him, Jonathan galloped on and on, dodging branches, jumping over shrubs, occasionally looking back to see if the wizard was still there. When the sun started to set in an orange haze and the grey of the night heralded its coming, Jonathan finally reached a part of the forest he recognized. Big oaks began to flank him on either side, and the plants seems younger and more alive than they had done in other parts of the Greenwood. Jonathan knew he was nearing Rhosgobel.

There it was. After a small cluster of shrubs, the little cabin revealed itself through the trees. With a few jumps, Jonathan crossed the clearing, and stood in front of Radagast’s door. Turning around, he bucked it open, and stormed inside. The elk was quite big, and he knocked over chests and barrels and tables and chairs, but that didn’t matter. He crouched down and let Radagast roll off his back and into the bed. Once again Jonathan checked his breath, and laid an ear on the wizard’s chest. His heart sounded pained. 

The elk trotted back outside. He knew he had to get help. Standing in the middle of the clearing, Jonathan drew in a deep breath, and then let out a mighty bellow. 

Not even birds could be seen flying up in alarm. Rhosgobel was desolate.

Never before had Jonathan seen the forest so lonely and devoid of creatures. He was an animal of action. Then I will get help myself, he thought. Waiting for the wizard to come to his senses was not an option in his mind, for there was nothing he could do for him anyway. Perhaps he could lure some lonely hunter towards the cabin, who might be able to help Radagast. With that mission in his mind, the elk glanced around once, and then jumped through the foliage further into the forest.

Rest did not come to Radagast. He saw many things in the delusions that clouded his thoughts. The last thing he wanted to do was to wake up, but the distorted pictures and ragged fragments left him no choice. With quivering arms he sat up, and looked around his cabin.

Once again he was alone in the darkness. Night enveloped Rhosgobel, and Radagast looked around the desolate cabin. The animals had followed his advice, and were by this time almost at the Old Forest Road. No, there was nothing left for Radagast in his house. It looked lifeless without the scuttling and flying of his animal friends. Now it was just a lonely hermit’s house; nothing more.

Hunger forced the wizard towards his kitchen. He was in no state to make anything, so he scrounged together some bread and some cold oatmeal, and devoured those with quick mouthfuls. It was then that utter loneliness struck him like an icy cold wave. He heard no sounds. Not even from the elk, which he only scarcely remembered. 

Halfway through his dreary dinner, Radagast’s head slumped down upon the table. Hopelessness gripped him tightly. Radagast knew he couldn’t go back to Dol Guldur, let alone fight the Ringwraiths. He was broken, and he couldn’t even feel the tiniest sliver of magical energy in his body. Radagast the Brown, warden of the Greenwood, protector of animals, had failed his task. The Greenwood was corrupted by an enemy he could not defeat. His animals had fled towards places stronger and with more resources to fight back the shadow. Radagast had no forest to fight for. Radagast had no animals to care for. He had nothing.

But the biggest failure had been Fluttershy. Thanks to his weakness, his foolishness, the little pegasus was now in the cruel hands of the enemy. Radagast’s darkened mind revealed pictures and fears of what the Ringwraiths—what Sauron—would do to her. A shiver crept over his body and didn’t leave him alone. Perhaps they would torture Fluttershy with horrible tools and black magic to break her will. Perhaps they would force her to breed with savage beasts and exploit her flying ability. With a shock, Radagast’s head jerked up. Perhaps they would sweep away all her memories. All of their beautiful and cheerful moments… gone forever!

That was too much for him. An urge to flee grabbed hold of his mind. Flee from his failed task. Flee from his evil thoughts. Flee from himself. 

Tears burned in his eyes, as he got up. He had just enough rational thoughts left to grab some food and water. Then he walked out the door, and left Rhosgobel behind without looking back.

Radagast the Brown wandered alone through the Greenwood. He was no longer a wizard, but a tramping vagabond. He would go where people would want him. He would beg to stay alive, or use the woods as his source of food. Perhaps some animals would cross his path, who just might feel pity for him and help him to some berries or share their winter stash with him. 

The night drew on and revealed a green day. Sunlight filtered through the canopy and landed in rays on the forest ground, marking a couple of game trails which Radagast followed. He felt like he was reduced to an animal now, living only for the moment, constantly busy with surviving—nothing more. His primal instinct had filled up the gaps in his tattered mind; it was the only thing that drove him forward.

After a while the going became slow, as Radagast found himself climbing a hill. He struggled against the sides of it, but didn’t feel like going around. When he reached the top, some tall pine trees, waving their leaf crowns in the autumn breeze, greeted him. Passing the trunks, there was a small clearing where no trees grew. Had times been different, it could have been a lovely picnic spot. Radagast paused and brought out a flask of water and some bread, to still the worst hunger and thirst. He stayed for an hour or two, catching his breath and gathering some strength. Leaving the landmark behind, he returned to the Greenwood on his lonely journey.

Far above in the reddening sky, the sun said goodbye to Radagast, as it went to rest in the West. Even though the light grew dimmer and dimmer, Radagast trudged on. He would fall asleep once he was tired, and not earlier than that. 

Suddenly, the landscape changed like day and night. The green of the forest was swept away, and in its place stood blackened and scorched trees, trying their best to survive on a mixture of earth and old ash. For a moment, Radagast felt his broken heart sink in his boots, as he thought he knew where he was. Was this once more a corrupted part of the forest? It might as well be possible, because in the dim light, Radagast couldn’t quite see the difference between the scars of a forest fire or the corruption of the shadow. Radagast thought he had gone in circles, and was now back in the bad part of the forest.

Nevertheless, he walked on with hesitant steps. Had he gotten some of his magic left, Radagast was sure that he would feel the dead air and the decay in the soil and amongst the roots that remained. But then again, he knew how terrible the shadow was, and he could imagine its influence on this part of the forest even without magic.

He walked on, step by step, as night fell behind him. Thick clouds gathered above, and Radagast threw a quick glance up. It looked as if a storm was brewing, and a stab of memory made his heart bleed, as he reckoned the weather looked just like that first fateful night—or had it been a day?

Radagast could see the edge of this desolate part, where the trees began with full leaf crowns again. They swayed in the breeze, which became a bit stronger. Dust and ash moved with the wind, and followed Radagast in his footsteps. Just a few more steps and he would be back in the Greenwood, where he would at least feel a little bit at home.

The tree line neared, the branches creaked and moved, and then Radagast stopped once more. He saw something moving, but it wasn’t a branch.

A pink-ish hue could be seen between the brown and red leaves. It wasn’t blossom, for it wasn’t summer. Radagast knew what it was—or rather, who it was.

“Fluttershy!” It was the first time he had spoken in days, and his voice felt strange to him. 

The pink shape didn’t move.

“Of course!” Now it all made sense to Radagast. He reasoned that he had made a large circle, only to have come out in the corrupted forest around Dol Guldur. Somehow Fluttershy had escaped, and was now roaming the wild and tainted forest in search for Rhosgobel. The fantasy ignited new hope and love, and Radagast found himself running. “Fluttershy! Don’t be afraid! I’m here!”

The pink hue stirred at his ragged outcry, and moved away.

“No! Fluttershy!” Radagast fought through the bushes, throwing branches aside which slapped in his face twice as hard, grabbing tree trunks and pushing himself off them, jumping over shrubs with his last remaining strength, in a mad rush to save his friend.

At last a root stopped him. Radagast tripped over it and fell forward. The momentum of his fall forced him into a roll. He tumbled straight through the foliage, until he came to a halt in a curious clearing. 

“Radagast the Brown!”

The voices were high, but not as soft and delicate as Fluttershy’s. The color of one pony was a very light purple—almost pink—but it was her hide, and not her mane that bore it. And instead of one pony, there were two, gazing at the wizard as he scrambled up.

“Radagast the Brown, hello! It is quite an honor to meet you,” Twilight Sparkle said, and bowed politely, soon followed by Starlight Glimmer.

A shock went through the wizard like the lightning bolt that had struck that exact same spot many days ago. Before he could stand up he fell down once more, and crawled backwards, eyes fixed on the two strange mares, until his back banged against a tree. 

Everything was right about them: the pastel colored hides, the funny manes and tails, the cutie marks on their flanks, their big eyes with that friendly sparkle in them. But they both weren’t Fluttershy. 

Indeed they weren’t. Starlight Glimmer and Twilight Sparkle were standing in a small crater, where the ground was blackened and the leaves scorched. There were some burn marks on the trees around as well, and in some places there was still smoke curling on the ground.

The two ponies did a few steps forward, throwing questioning glares at Radagast’s startled face. He looked as if he’d seen a river flowing upwards. For a few seconds Starlight and Twilight stood motionless, gazing at the wizard, each of them comparing his features with the image their minds had conjured up when they read those few lines in The Fellowship of the Ring in which he is mentioned. 

He looked more animal than human, as he sat with his back against the tree, his chest heaving and his eyes darting about. He looked like cornered prey, and the two ponies could understand that. They reckoned he had probably never seen Equestrian ponies before. Twilight Sparkle did a careful step forward; the wizard followed her every movement. 

“Don’t be afraid, Radagast,” Twilight said. “We are ponies from Equestria. Eh… from another world I mean, and we are looking for somepony.”

Starlight stepped next to her mentor. “Actually, it’s quite nice that we meet you now. Surely you must know every animal in the Greenwood, don’t you?”

The wizard started to tremble. “Fluttershy…” he whispered. Then he said it louder. “Fluttershy!”

His voice broke into a call. “Fluttershy!”

Twilight and Starlight exchanged a startled look. Radagast knew of Fluttershy! Although the news was good, they saw that there was something very wrong with Radagast, and they realized that his rugged appearance was the result of a long and hard journey; not just his regular stature. 

Suddenly, before either of the ponies could say something, Radagast collapsed. He lowered his head until it touched the ground, as the desperate face of his abandoned friend crashed into his mind. Tears rained down on his dirty beard. His shoulders twitched through the pain. Thoughts flashed by in the mess which was his head, and he voiced them, now that he finally had someone to talk to.

“You… you came too late, ponies.” He forced his voice to calm down, and to stop croaking despite his thirst. “I know who you are and where you come from.”

“You… you do?” Twilight Sparkle said, inching closer to the wizard.

“Yes…” Somehow, Radagast felt a little better. Seeing the two cheerfully-colored ponies standing in front of him, speaking soft words with the breeze of the wind. He sat a bit straighter. “She was… she was with me for a long time, until… until…”

Now Twilight and Starlight stepped closer until they were standing next to Radagast, as they saw that he had a hard time. Sitting down in front of him, Twilight lifted Radagast’s bearded chin with her hoof. “Are you alright, Radagast?”

Radagast’s breath stuck in his throat as he looked into the deep-purple eyes of Twilight Sparkle. They looked so much like Fluttershy’s, and yet they were totally different. Twilight’s eyes were infinite seas of wisdom and magical radiance, where Fluttershy’s had been skies of friendly birds and care. Even with his mind lying broken at his feet, Radagast could feel some magical energy in the alicorn princess; something familiar yet exotic; something he couldn’t quite place. For a second, there was a connection between the two magicians. Radagast spoke in a low, cracked voice. “My mind… is broken. My staff is taken from me. Oh, ponies, it was so terrible. Fluttershy is… she is captured in Dol Guldur, and it is all my fault!” Radagast averted his eyes and covered his head in his hands. The truth was just too awful for him to bear.

Twilight and Starlight suppressed a small gasp. They both knew what was hidden in Dol Guldur, and they both realized that they had been too late. Sauron was here, in the Greenwood. He had retaken his old fortress and was spreading his dark influence over the land. And Fluttershy was there.

With a few wobbly steps, Twilight Sparkle stepped back. She couldn’t feel her legs anymore, as fear paralyzed her. Everything she had imagined, all the horrible things her mind had thrown at her, were true. The guilty feelings crashed on her and crushed her underneath their terrible weight. Fluttershy was in Dol Guldur, in the hands of the enemy—if she wasn’t already dead.

Starlight felt her stomach drop at Radagast’s words. She stared with wide open eyes at the wizard, who didn’t look back. She too, realized that their hopes might have been in vain; that the building of the machine and rescue mission in Middle Earth might have been in vain. With a trembling voice, she said. “Is she…”

Radagast shook his head. “I don’t know.”

And that was the last they could get out of him, as the wizard slumped down once again. Twilight now sat down on the blackened leaves as well, and didn’t look much better than Radagast. Seeing her this way, Starlight Glimmer forced herself to stay strong. She stood up and walked over to her mentor; she wasn’t sure whether Twilight had heard Radagast’s words. “Twilight, don’t give up! She might still be alive. Radagast said she wasn’t… You know. We can still save her.”

Twilight Sparkle looked up; her eyes sparkled with tears. 

“Yes, good!” Starlight Glimmer said. “Let’s find out what happened at Dol Guldur from Radagast, so we can get a better picture and make a plan of action.”

Twilight Sparkle had never been more thankful for her friend’s mental resilience. Starlight’s voice forced her thoughts to collect and helped her gather her wits. Starlight stuck out a hoof, which Twilight took, and stood up. She wiped a tear from her cheek, before she spoke. “I think Radagast is very wounded,” Twilight said. “Magically, I mean. His spirit is very low, and I could feel so little magical energy inside of him. We have to help him—I have to help him.”

Before Starlight could offer any assistance, Twilight Sparkle trotted towards the wizard. At the sound of the alicorn’s hooves, he raised his head once more, and once more he became lost in her magical eyes. 

But those eyes weren’t looking at Radagast; those eyes were looking at a flashback—back to Discord. Twilight had paid much attention to the spell Discord used to transfer his power into the Flutterite, as she had found it very interesting. She had seen how he had gathered and organized the magical energy inside of him, and now Twilight did the same. She had seen how Discord had focused a fraction of his powers into his horns, and now Twilight did the same. She had seen how Discord’s horns had touched the rocks to transfer all of the separated energy, and now Twilight did the same. Her horn flashed a healthy purple, as she brought it down and tapped Radagast’s head. A spark connected the two minds for a second, and during that second, they had an insight into each other’s power. 

Radagast felt a glow and a clarity inside his head, almost as if a fresh spring breeze whisked away the threatening, thick winter clouds. His eyes began to see more, his mind began to think more. One by one, his senses returned to him. The pulse of the forest, which had left him quite cold and had later vanished altogether, returned. A moment later, Radagast was connected to the Greenwood once more. The warden of the Greenwood was alive.

He could hear himself thinking again. The whirlwind in his head calmed down to a gentle wind, which organized his thoughts and experiences. Strangely enough, he couldn’t remember much after what happened at Dol Guldur. His ears picked up the sound of a flock of crows, and he watched them go far above the clearing. Then he watched the eyes of Twilight Sparkle, who did a step back and watched her magical cure at work.

“Thank you.”

Finally Twilight Sparkle had been able to help someone in need, and she felt good. This little victory was all she needed, and her spirits rose. “Are you ok, Radagast?” she said again. “Your magical energy was so low it scared me.”

“Yes…” Radagast shifted so he sat straighter, and crossed his legs. He tapped the ground in front of him; Twilight and Starlight sat down. “My magic was taken from me. My mind was broken. But I feel better now; I really do.”

Starlight tilted her head. “Taken by whom?”

Suddenly, Radagast lowered his voice, as if the name could make the very grass on which he sat wither. “Sauron.”

Even though the ponies knew, they still couldn’t suppress a gasp

“He has gathered his soldiers, the Nine, and their terrible Witch King. I can see his corruption tainting the Greenwood. But… But I’m afraid I have been too late. You are the friends of Fluttershy, no doubt, but I have lost her at Dol Guldur.”

His head dropped low again. Old grey locks fell in front of his face. Before Twilight or Starlight could say anything, however, he continued on his own.

Radagast began to tell the whole story. From the moment he first saw the little pony alone on this exact same spot, until the events at Dol Guldur, and everything in between. The positive memories brought gentle smiles on his face, and whisked  him right back to those merry hours. But as his tale darkened, Radagast’s eyes became troubled. He told about the fortress, about his fight with the Ringwraiths, and about his capture. 

All the while the ponies listened, and felt the emotions through his words. They couldn’t believe how lucky they had been for Fluttershy, when she got found by Radagast. Radagast had taken very good care of her, and for that they thanked him from the bottom of their hearts. As the story progressed, and the essence of Sauron became involved, Starlight and Twilight shuddered along, because they knew very well what he was capable of. Maybe they knew those terrible magics the Enemy mastered even better than Radagast, for they had read all of the Lord of the Rings books.

“There’s books about me?” Radagast asked, interrupting his tale. “And there’s books about Middle Earth?” He had heard the word ‘book’ in Fluttershy’s song, of course, but he hadn’t given that word much thought.

Starlight and Twilight exchanged a glance. “Eh… we’ll tell you later,” Twilight said. “Please go on with your story. We have to know what happened with Fluttershy so we can save her.”

To that, the curious gleam disappeared from Radagast’s eyes like glittering water drops falling down. “It is of no use. She is in the hands of the Witch-King and his terrible master. And it is all… it is all my fault. Fluttershy traded herself for me. She sacrificed her life to save mine.” Suddenly it looked as if the magical rejuvenation had somehow worn off. Desperation took an iron bound grip on Radagast’s mind, and he cursed himself for his cowardice. “I can’t believe I just… I just fled the place. There was nothing I could do. Oh! I am just so weak. I’m a terrible friend!”

Twilight Sparkle looked at Radagast, and then the words came to her. She could feel what he felt, as Twilight had often had the feeling that she left Fluttershy to a terrible fate. Trying to find the wizard’s eyes underneath his bushy eyebrows, they met and locked. “Don’t be ashamed, Radagast. Everyone makes mistakes once in a while; small mistakes, big mistakes, or mistakes that are life-threatening.” She averted her gaze to look at Starlight Glimmer for a moment, and then back to Radagast. “A good friend of mine told me that I should keep my head together, and try to find a way to fix my mistake, instead of scolding myself and making myself mad with guilty thoughts. The only way we can apologize to the ones we’ve hurt or lost is to make them better or get them back. The only way to say sorry to Fluttershy is by getting her back.” With a small jump, Twilight Sparkle stood up, and extended her hoof. “We can get her back, Radagast. It doesn’t matter that you gave up on yourself. Because if you can’t do it alone, there are always friends who can help you.”

“I’m sure we can do it together, Radagast,” Starlight added, “but we need your help. We have had our fair share of struggles, but you know the terrain, the location of the fortress, and the nature of our enemy. We have only read about them in the books. We need you. Fluttershy needs you. Together we can get her back.”

Radagast’s trembling hand reached Twilight’s hoof, and she pulled him up. Radagast glanced at the two, seeing their horns, sparkling in the moonlight upon their heads. He reckoned that these two ponies were both powerful wizards, having felt part of Twilight’s magic during the spell she’d performed on him. For the first time in many hopeless days, Radagast felt a crackling spark inside of him. The spark of hope, kindled by the fire of desire and revenge. With a frown speaking of the sudden determination he felt, Radagast looked from one pony to the other. “Yes,” he said. “Let’s get Fluttershy back.”

                                                                                              * *                                                                                        

It had been a long time since Twilight Sparkle had performed a shape-shifting spell, but it seemed to work just fine. 

She and Starlight soared through the sky, with Radagast in their midst in the form of a large old hawk. Twilight looked in admiration at the wizard, riding the winds as if it was all he ever did. Compared to her own first moments in the air, Radagast was doing much better than she had done when she received her wings from Princess Celestia. Twilight’s mind was busy finding an explanation for that, but couldn’t come up with anything.

“I have seen millions of hawks flying through the air, Miss Sparkle,” Radagast said, when Twilight asked him about it. “Sometimes it was all I ever did during a day, when there was nothing else for me to do. I have often asked the hawks and other birds about flying, and learned much from their words. But at that time I could never have guessed that such knowledge would come in handy like this.”

To that, despite their grim mission and grimmer destination, the two ponies and the hawk actually laughed. 

But above them, the moon didn’t laugh along. Thick clouds, pregnant with a brooding storm, wrapped around the silver orb. In the distance the first flashes of lightning could already be seen; the wind became stronger with every mile the creatures flew. The forest below moaned and sighed underneath the heavy winds. It sounded as if it was in pain. Radagast couldn’t help looking down.

Through his keen hawk eyes, he could see every poor tree, capsuled in dark tendrils of shadow. He could see every patch of open land, corrupted and stained with foul magic. He could hear and feel nothing at all, not even a cry of help, from the dead forest below. He could feel an enormous gap in the fabric of magic; the fabric of life, where once there had been a tight network of magical energy. He knew they were almost at the fortress.

“We are almost there,” Radagast said to Starlight and Twilight. 

They both nodded to him. “I can feel it,” Twilight said.

Starlight Glimmer said nothing, for she had to concentrate. It took her a big effort to keep her concentration and fly on. She had caught herself in a magical haze of energy, and flew through the air with her legs stretched out, almost as a pegasus would do it. But sometimes her haze flickered, and she lost a bit of altitude. The vacuum of magic wasn’t just an absence of energy, but it seemed to pull her to the ground like an unseen current. Despite the cold swipes of wind, beads of sweat formed on Starlight’s forehead. She hoped it wouldn’t be far.

It wasn’t far. For the third time, the darkness reluctantly revealed the shapes of Dol Guldur in the distance. The three magical creatures could see and feel its presence. 

Starlight and Twilight uttered a cry of amazement and shock, as they saw it too. Standing alone on the hilltop, Dol Guldur was surrounded by a strange, thin mist, and covered by black rainclouds. As they neared, rain started to fall, making the mental picture Starlight and Twilight had had about the place frighteningly complete.

They had reached the fortress. It was time. Silently, the creatures swooped down and landed amidst the cursed trees, just out of the sight of Dol Guldur’s watchtowers and walls. A few grey shrubs offered some cover and a view of what lay ahead, and there they hid. Their plan was stealth. The Ringwraiths might be masters of shadow and deception and hiding, but Fluttershy, as far as they reckoned, was still a pony of flesh and blood. She would probably be locked in the fortress’s dungeons, buried like a treasure deep under the hill. Sneaking inside, quickly and silently, they would find her cell and free her. It sounded so simple, but still they knew that getting past these ghostly figures would require all the skills they had. 

“The bridge leads to a courtyard,” Radagast said, as his beak transformed back into a beard-rimmed mouth, and his feathers became once again robes and boots. “From the courtyard there are ways into the main hall, and side passages will probably fan out to all other directions of the fortress. I suggest we keep following stairs down, go as deep as we dare, and then work our way up.”

“Shall we split up?” Starlight said. “That way we can cover more ground.”

Radagast looked at her as if she just asked him to fly without wings. Just the thought of potentially losing another friend made him nauseated. “No,” he said, panic already creeping in his voice. “If we are discovered, we have much more chance of getting out alive if we are together. Perhaps we can drive one of the Nine away if we combine our magic, but a one-on-one confrontation will be disastrous. And besides, they also have a much bigger chance at finding us when we spread out.”

Twilight Sparkle weighed those words. “He’s right. We go together, or not at all. Three can do more against the Ringwraiths than one.”

“You mean four,” Starlight Glimmer said. 

Twilight met her gaze, then looked at Radagast. “Four,” she said.

Radagast nodded. “Four. For Fluttershy.”

The time had come. Briefly they had considered flying through the air and landing somewhere inside the fortress, instead of going over the bridge, but that way they would definitely be seen, even by careless eyes. Nothing stands out more against a dark, rainy sky than a lavender alicorn and a light-purple unicorn. No, instead, they decided to cross the bridge, but not without a trick.

As soon as they stepped out of the bushes, Twilight Sparkle and Starlight Glimmer’s horns began to glow. An aura of shining magic enveloped them all, before fading to the same grey color as the stones and the sky. They were clad in an invisibility spell. Starlight and Twilight did know that the Ringwraiths also used smell and other senses to find their prey—having read that in the books—so they left nothing revealed. With a small suppression spell, they blocked their scents and hid their magical presence as best as they could. With those two spells combined, they were off the radar.

Nothing happened on the bridge. Not a single shifting shadow could be seen. No shapes hid in unseen places. Beneath the spell, Starlight, Twilight, and Radagast dared to share a hopeful glance. So far, things looked good.

As they shuffled beneath the iron portcullis, Twilight imagined the thing falling down with a rattle, and impaling them underneath the jagged spikes. That didn’t happen. The splattering rain and the howling winds masked every sound they made, and the only thing that rattled was a distant chain.

Suddenly, a lightning bolt flashed and a thunderclap followed it. They all jumped, and the two ponies thought they would lose their concentration for a split second. But like a musician which lost but then found the right note again, Twilight and Starlight quickly grasped the handholds of the spell; it didn’t break. They couldn’t resist, and glanced back at the direction where the boom had come from. Another startled glance was shared, as they could swear it was the same spot where they’d hidden just moments ago.

Through the mist and the rain, they could barely make out the courtyard. A stony circle with some statues surrounded them. In the middle was a small basin, which could have been a fountain in ancient times. Behind them, the half-crumbled wall covered them all in shadow. The mist was so dense that they couldn’t make out which way would be going to the next halls in the fortress, but they had Radagast. In the middle of the courtyard they stopped, and spoke in hushed voices.

“Where do we go, Radagast?” Twilight said.

To that, Radagast had to think for a moment. His mind had been at its worst when he escaped from Dol Guldur, and the direction he took didn’t linger in his mind. Just as he was about to speak, Starlight Glimmer let out a gasp.

Radagast and Twilight looked at her fear-filled eyes, and then followed her gaze. All of them shivered across their whole bodies, as a sudden coldness sneaked up to them. Their short, startled breaths left their mouths in small puffs of smoke, and their hearts froze. They were looking at one of the Nine.

But instead of a cloaked and hooded figure, standing alone with a sword clutched in its hand, there was the figure of a king. He looked down upon them all with stern, harsh eyes, robed in flowing garments as graceful as his long hair. There was a second of cold tension, then Radagast spoke. 

“It’s just a statue. Don’t worry.”

Starlight and Twilight let out a small sigh. Despite the cold, a blush appeared on Starlight’s face. How could she be so silly?

The wind began to pick up. The breeze howled against the face of the hill fortress, through the dark spires, around its walls. It bore an even nastier cold; cold as the wind on a lonely graveyard. Twilight and Starlight suddenly felt very uncomfortable. They were still horses, and they could sense when danger was abroad. They both primed their ears, and then noticed that the wind was actually speaking, uttering words in an awful language.

Radagast felt the cold wrapping around his heart, stinging it with frozen needles. The winds dug up memories of the darkest moments in his life. His mind became as gloomy as the thunderclouds above. It was right at that moment that he knew they were expected. He could understand the words in the gales, and soon they manifested into a terrible voice.

“Foolish wizard!”

The words stabbed right through them all. Starlight Glimmer lost her concentration, and when Twilight followed, their spell waned.

The voice came from behind them. They turned around.

“We have let you go and spared your wretched life. Yet you have returned and have disturbed our preparations.”

A sniffing sound mingled with the rush of the winds, coming from their right. “But do you see that?” another voice said from the mist. “He has brought more strange creatures in our midst.”

Twilight and Starlight knew the hidden figures were talking about them, and felt their voices aimed at their hearts.

“So he has,” a new voice said from somewhere in the dark. “I can sense them.”

“Their magic is strong. Oh, so strong! They will serve the master well, just like the first one.”

They were talking about Fluttershy. Twilight Sparkle concentrated, opened her mouth to speak, but found that the words didn’t dare to leave her mouth. She tried again. “We have come for Fluttershy. Where is she!”

Then a collective hiss resounded. They couldn’t make out if it was scolding, cursing, of laughing, but it sounded awful. 

“She is in the service of our lord,” one of the Ringwraiths said. 

“Yes. It took us quite an effort to break her spirit. She was stronger than she looked. Stronger than she herself thought.”

At those words, Starlight Glimmer could not hold it anymore. Although her rage was tempered by the dreadful cold, her voice was filled with fury. “Show us your faces! Stop hiding in the shadows and the mist. Fight like the kings you once were, you pathetic slaves of Sauron.”

Another hiss like a pit full of deadly snakes filled the air. At once the mist retreated, commanded by the Ringwraiths’ will. At last, Radagast, Twilight Sparkle, and Starlight Glimmer faced the Ringwraiths.

They were still clad in robes made of the darkest shade of black. They did a step forward, closing in on the magicians. Their steel boots rattled on the stone, and the cold gleam of chainmail hauberks peeked through their mantles. Each of them wore a helmet made of silver and steel, but no jewels were set in it. Eight of them stood in a ring around their prey, dressed for battle; only the Witch-King was not yet among them.

They did another step closer. Radagast, Twilight, and Starlight felt like cornered prey, as the enemy surrounded them on all sides. A feeling of dread almost mastered their minds, known all too well by Radagast but new to Starlight and Twilight. With a piercing metal clink, the Ringwraiths drew their swords. They used their most trusted weapon against their enemies: fear and threat. Many enemies had lost their minds just by standing before them. The bravest heroes had gone mad at their presence. They thought it was enough.

But Twilight and Starlight had read about the invisible aura of fear that the Ringwraiths bent to their will, so their minds were prepared. 

The Ringwraiths had reached their foes. They all drew back their arms and pointed the tips of their gleaming swords in the direction of the two ponies and the wizard. That’s when Starlight and Twilight sprang into action. They channeled their powers, clinked their horns against each other, and let loose a burst of light. Like an enormous radiant bubble it erupted from their horns, bathing Dol Guldur in a blinding white light. And there it stayed. Like a bubble made of gleaming steel did the magical force field linger. White sparkles mingled with fiery blazes swirled around the three magicians. Twilight and Starlight both knew the weakness of the RIngwraiths, as they had read in The Lord of the Rings. During the fight with the RIngwraiths, both Gandalf and Aragorn had used fire to keep them at bay, and that was exactly what the ponies intended to do. They knew the weakness of their enemy. They knew they had the edge.

To the flash, the Ringwraiths staggered backwards, covering their cruel eyes with their hands. A terrible scream cut through the chilling air. They dissolved into shadows, and disappeared from the courtyard like wisps of black smoke.

Despite the strain of the spell, Twilight opened her eyes and scanned the surroundings. “They’re gone,” she said through the sound of the swirling magic. “The Ringwraiths are gone!”

Indeed, their plan seemed to work, for fire was indeed a great enemy of the Nine. They preferred the cold and the shadows above the warmth and the light. What Twilight and Starlight forgot, however, was that both Aragorn and Gandalf didn’t fight all of the Ringwraiths on Weathertop.

As soon as Twilight Sparkle had spoken those words, shadows began to stir. At first it looked as if the moon shifted and the shadows followed along, but then they gathered and mingled like a black fire. From their bases, as if they emerged from the ground itself, arose once more the Ringwraiths. They stood at a distance, still covering their eyes, and spread out to face the bubble of light. 

The three magicians could see them standing, but still their hopes were high. They felt safe in their magical barrier. Twilight Sparkle prepared another burst of energy, ready to lash out if the Ringwraiths would try to get close again.

And that is what they did. In one smooth motion, they drew back their swords and jumped. 

Before Twilight could do anything, they were already upon her. She felt eight needles sting her mind, as the Ringwraiths’ swords penetrated the magical bubble. The tips stuck through it like the spikes of an iron maiden. But Twilight and Starlight didn’t give up yet. They doubled their concentration and doubled their effort. Twilight knew that if the force of the magic membrane would be strong enough, she might be able to break the tips off the swords, as a blowtorch would cut through steel. Trying and trying as she did, she couldn’t make that happen.

A darkness began to spread. Like a spider web, black tendrils sprang from the steel of the ghostly blades. They swirled around the orb, waving along with the pulsing magic. Intertwining, merging, covering each other in a thick black web, the bubble slowly fell underneath the assault. Soon the bubble’s light dimmed, until Radagast, Twilight, and Starlight were caught in their own spell, covered by the darkness of the Wraiths’ magic. A deadly cold began to spread in both ponies’ minds. Twilight and Starlight knew they couldn’t uphold the psychic link with their magic much longer. The spell dwindled.

What remained of the light vanished. The Ringwraiths drew their swords back and stepped away from the ponies, content at the breakdown of their enemies’ spell.

The light mingled with darkness fell like a piece of discarded cloth to the ground. When at last all the magic was gone, Twilight Sparkle and Starlight Glimmer appeared, panting against the exhaustion which the spell had brought on their minds. Radagast stood behind them, trembling, watching the Ringwraiths without looking in their eyes.

They stood, motionless, like statues frozen in the night. All at once, they turned their swords around, until they held them upside-down, with the points to the stone floor. They did another step back, as if they were disengaging. Instead they made way for their king, who rode from the shadows into their midst.

Radagast could hear the sound of hooves. His eyes peered into the shadows and the darkness, but he couldn’t make out whom they belonged to. Twilight and Starlight too, threw their tired glances into the shadows, but could see nothing.

Then the Ringwraiths unleashed their powers. A sharp hiss went through them, as if they readied their terrible voices for a surge of sound. Their cry was horrible, and shattered stone and iron alike. Like the howling of wolves, it carried an unnamable sense of dread on the single tone. It swept all over the courtyard, until it finally reached the minds of Radagast, Twilight Sparkle, and Starlight Glimmer. Tired as the two ponies were, it was so terribly hard to resist. The black breath invaded their minds, stirred and directed their thoughts to the darkest corners of Middle Earth and Equestria alike. It awoke in them their worst fears, and left a trail of despair behind. They dropped to the ground, and yelled against the dark thoughts. But yelling them away did not work, and the black breath kept playing their thoughts and emotions like a piano clavier. 

Radagast wasn’t better off. He had experienced this exact same feeling twice before, but never as intense as this time. He tried to cover his ears, but it didn’t help. He felt as if his brains were going to explode. At once, the guilt, the sorrow, and the worries returned. He wasn’t Radagast the Brown; he was a faceless vagabond, right back in the forest, roaming to nowhere. He had failed his friend and left her to the most horrible fate before the terrible might of the Ringwraiths. He would never see her again, and now he would offer two more ponies to the servants of Sauron. The negative thoughts collected in a spiral, and Radagast’s mind slid down upon it, until it shattered on the cold hard ground. Once again, his mind was broken.

The urge to flee became too big to bear. He crawled away. Away, away, away. Once more he left his friends, as he pulled himself behind a large half-crumbled column, and rested his back against it. There he lay sprawled on the ground, squirming in a pool of darkness. 

The wind carried the black breath away into the night, as the Ringwraiths ceased their magic and bowed their heads towards their king. The Witch-King nodded in their direction, and then spurred his mount onward. With a few steps of its mighty legs, it brought the Witch-King close to the two ponies, and he looked down upon them. He drew in a long breath to fuel his cruel words. “More exotic creatures to serve the master. Good.”

The voice of the Witch-King stabbed through the ponies’ brains, interrupting the effects of the black breath to make way for the words. Twilight Sparkle was the first who dared to look up. But as she saw what stood before her, she wished she hadn’t.

The Witch-King was riding a horse out of hell. Long, black legs, which occasionally revealed a stained blotch of yellow, carried a creature out of a pony’s deepest, darkest nightmares. Its long, ragged mane fell half over one eye, set deeply in a big skull. Through the horse’s nostrils came breaths of black smoke, and it blinked its red, unseeing eyes. Grand and strong the beast was, with muscles bulging beneath a charcoal hide. It looked bred for evil deeds, ready to carry its cursed bearer wherever it needed to go, and ready to aid in whatever dark mission its master would execute. Suddenly it let out a terrible, distorted whinny, and opened its wings in a threatening flap. With its wings unfurled, the horse looked twice as big. Where before there had been a cheerful, light, yellow, now there were only feathers as black as crows’, wavering in the stormy winds.

“Do not worry,” the grave voice of Fluttershy’s rider said. “She is in good service now, and will accomplish many great deeds.” The Witch-King reached out an iron-bound claw towards Twilight and Starlight. “Join us in our mission. Your magic will be a powerful addition to my master’s might. He can give you whatever you desire. He can make you powerful like the winged horse. You will conquer, your name will not be forgotten. You will take lands and enslave entire races, and all in the name of the Dark Lord Sauron.”

Suddenly, those dark promises stirred something inside Starlight Glimmer. She herself had been a tyrant once, and she knew very well what a tyrant’s voice sounded like, and what a tyrant’s voice could offer to corrupt the weak-minded. Her face contorted into a scowl. Instead of fighting the dark thoughts that the black breath had cast upon her, like Twilight did, she embraced them. She rode them like a wave of black dreams, recognizing some of them from her past. She jerked her head up, met the Witch-King’s gaze for a second, and then launched a sizzling bolt of blue stinging magic towards the Wraith’s face, right between the eyes.

The Witch-King’s crown flashed in the light, as the bolt hit home. The black horse staggered back and let out a whinny, soon accompanied by its master’s yell. When it calmed down at last, the Witch-King approached the two trembling horses as close as he could, until he loomed over them like a dark mountain. Reaching behind his back, the Witch-King brought out an enormous mace. Its slender hilt rose and rose, and then fanned out into a black, bladed orb, shining silver like the moon in the night. A crystal was embedded in the mace’s head. The weapon almost looked like a dark, poisonous flower, eager to kill.

For a moment the mace hung still in the air, and the Witch King-looked upon his enemies. “Such ungratefulness,” he hissed. “I promised you a future in the Dark Lord’s world. Now… I promise you death.”

But instead of smashing the mace down upon their heads, he turned his horse around with a flick of the reins. His crowned head turned to the left and the right, at his servants. “Finish them off. I have something else to do.” At once, he disappeared in the shadows, leaving only a dark memory behind. 

The rest of the Ringwraiths made a bow towards their king. With a thrust of their undead hands, they brought their swords back into fighting position. Slowly, step by step, they advanced on the ponies. 

Starlight Glimmer looked at her mentor, who still sat on the ground and swayed her head from side to side, as if she would be falling asleep any minute now. “Twilight! We gotta do something. He has Fluttershy!” But where Starlight’s spirit had been awoken by rage and defiance, Twilight’s spirit was still low. She was still in the abyss in which the black breath had thrown her. Starlight saw that. She didn’t have time. Charging a small jolt of energy, she shot it at Twilight Sparkle in a little flash of light.

The Ringwraiths were not at all taken aback by the little sizzle, barely more than a firecracker, and came ever closer, holding their swords high. 

“Twilight!”

The magical bolt startled her at first, which was all she needed to regain her awareness. “Starlight, what—“

But a sword interrupted her words. Just in time, Starlight Glimmer grabbed Twilight and shoved her out of the way while she sprang aside. The sword cut off a piece of Twilight’s tail, which dwindled to the ground and dissolved into cold ash.

Another Ringwraith advanced on the two ponies, and swung its blade at Starlight Glimmer. But Starlight’s mind was quicker. In a flash of magic, she summoned a sword of her own, and parried the Wraith’s blow with a loud clang. A shudder spread like a frozen gale through her body, as the two swords made contact; an extra effect of the Wraith’s cursed blade. For a second, a dark memory revealed itself in Starlight’s head, but she whisked it away as if she closed a door. She knew how to handle her difficult past and self-doubt, and she didn’t let the Wraiths use that against her. 

Two more Ringwraiths sprang from the shadows, blades high. The ponies’ horns flashed, and a second later a shield was between the swords and their heads. Once more the remnants of the black breath tried to manifest itself in their bodies as the weapons clanged. It seemed even harder to resist this time.

Suddenly Twilight and Starlight found themselves surrounded again, as some of the Wraiths had creeped through the shadows behind them. Only by the gleam of their swords could the ponies spot them in time, and only by their quick thinking did they save themselves. With another burst of concentration, their horns once again erupted in a flash of roaring magic. But they knew that they couldn’t uphold a barrier for long, as their minds felt brittle. Instead, they let it fly like a pulse of fire, and hoped that Radagast would be out of the way.

The Ringwraiths shrieked as the fire covered them all. Their cloaks and hoods caught the flames, and they fluttered like burning flags in the stormy winds. It was magical fire, which was not at all easily extinguished by wind alone. For a moment, the Ringwraiths looked genuinely distressed, but they quickly reacted. Casting aside their robes, they were now knights in ancient armor, with cruel swords grasped in undead arms. As their fiery cloaks dissolved into ash and cinders, their eyes flared with a light cold and hot at the same time, gazing at their enemies with rekindled hatred.

One of them couldn’t withhold its rage, and charged towards the two horses. As quickly as the Wraith’s mad dash , a counter maneuver popped up in Twilight’s mind. Like Applejack, she turned around and bucked, aiming at the Ringwraith’s belly, in order to kick him away. Instead, Twilight’s hooves connected with its undead hands, and with a cry of rage, it let loose its sword, which bounced and slid across the stones with a nasty grating sound.

But that was all Twilight could do, because she and Starlight had fought themselves in a corner. 

The RIngwraiths saw that clearly, and began to reassemble as quickly as they could. Their breaths hissed and their hauberks rattled as they moved closer and closer to the cornered ponies. Their swords were raised high, pointing with steel eyes towards the ponies’ heads.

Starlight and Twilight looked upon their foes. Tiredness from all the spell-casting got them both now, and their minds felt heavy. Starlight looked at her mentor, who was panting heavily, and was already sitting down upon the rocks. “Twilight!” she said, her voice weak with exhaustion. “I… I don’t think we can win this. We have to fly!”

As the ponies spoke, a ripple of hushed whispers went through the Ringwraiths, as if they were congregating with one another.

Twilight’s eyes met Starlight’s. “But… what about Radagast? We can’t leave him here, and I’m not sure if I can transform him into a bird once more. I… I’m not even sure if I can fly.”

“I know, Twilight. I feel terrible too,” Starlight said, while keeping an eye on the Wraiths, who seemed to be standing still now. “But we could at least—“

An explosion of sound interrupted Starlight’s words. In a chorus of unholy shrieks, the Ringwraiths unleashed their black breaths once more. They had heard them speak about flying, and realized that they might just flee. That couldn’t happen. They had to ground the ponies long enough to finish them off.

Behind the column, Radagast winced at the sound and the fear that bore it. Gritting his teeth, he tried his best to resist it, but found his mind too weak. Once again the agony tried to rip him apart. But then the black breath suddenly ended, and a grave silence lay upon Dol Guldur like a heavy blanket. Only the winds roared on. 

Radagast forced himself to sit upright. His mind was filled with the most horrible thoughts. It was so silent. Were the ponies dead? Tears started to fill his eyes, as he scrambled to the edge of the stone pillar to peek around the corner. 

But just as he did, he heard a snort behind him. Turning around, Radagast witnessed how the shadows grew and grew, until they fanned out of the ground and took the shape of a black rider upon his mount. Even though her appearance was completely transformed, Radagast knew it was Fluttershy. He knew it was his friend.

The Witch-King nudged his horse, and rider and mount closed in on the wizard. In the glimmer of the Witch-King’s mace, Radagast could have one last glimpse at his friend. From the cute little pony was nothing left. Before him stood a great dark war steed, obeying to the will of its rider. As the beast let out another snort, its smoky breath swirled before the wizard, and his heart felt cramped.

“Yes,” the Witch-King said. “Have one last look at your flying horse, and see how we utilized her powers. She is ours now. She is a part of the shadow.”

Radagast looked up, and tried to find those soft, blue eyes again, but what he got were glaring, murderous eyes, ready to see the world burn in Sauron’s fire. He tried to find that funny, awkward smile again, but found only a threatening scowl as the beast looked down upon him. “Fluttershy…” Radagast said. His voice almost sounded like a question, as he couldn’t believe it himself. The fact was too awful for his broken mind to grasp.

“Fluttershy is dead,” the Witch-King said. “Dreadwing is born.”

As if in affirmation with her master’s words, Dreadwing flicked her head up and down, until they met the wizard’s once more.

“No… Fluttershy, please!” Now Radagast wished he didn’t know. He now wished that he didn’t know about the cruel fate that had befallen his animal friend. For the first time in his life, he felt betrayed and deserted. “Fluttershy! It’s me, Radagast! We had so many wonderful days together. You have told me all about your world. We were so close at sending you back to Equestria. Please… resist the darkness.” Radagast knew his words were desperate and hopeless, but some part of him didn’t yet give up. He scuttled to the side and pointed with a finger. Despite the utter despair he felt, Radagast tried his best to sound soft and comforting, just as he had done the day he first found her. “Look, Fluttershy, your friends are here too. We’re all here, and we’re going to take you back to your own world. They have a plan, and once we’re gone from this horrible place, we can live happily ever after; you and me.”

But if Fluttershy was still within that unholy mare, she showed no reaction to Radagast’s words. 

“Your attempts are pathetic, wizard,” the Witch-King said. He shifted the mace in his iron claw, and slowly raised it in the air. “Death has come.”

The wizard refused to look at that awful weapon, and instead aimed his gaze right at the black horse. “Fluttershy! I know you’re in there. We are still friends. You have to resist.”

The crystal in the top of the Witch-King’s mace glimmered and shone like the moon itself. The weapon reached its apex.

“Fluttershy, please. Remember how much friendship there was between us. I am your friend.”

A snort came from Dreadwing; a roar of strength from the Witch-King.

The sparkle of the mace caught the attention of Radagast. The wizard saw it one more time, and he gasped. The weapon plunged down into an underhand swing.

But at the sight of the mace’s tip, Radagast felt a burst of strength. At the last second, he hurled his body aside. The mace struck the stone pillar with the sound of a thunderclap. Miraculously enough, the pillar held. 

Radagast looked at the shiny stone, captured between iron fangs in the mace’s head. He jumped up, and laid his hand on the stone. Immediately, he felt a familiar surge of power pulsing through his hand, his arm, his head. It felt as if he just realized that he was a wizard again. It was as if he were a soldier who regained his lost sword. 

The Witch-King tried to reclaim his mace, but found it stuck in the rocks.

Dreadwing stood uneasily on her hooves. The horse shuffled and wanted to walk away from that bright light, which the wizard reclaimed.

With one last glance at the horse, Radagast placed his other hand upon her nose, stroking her as if he wanted to calm her down. Immediately, a sizzling flow of magic connected to the dark horse, from the stone, through Radagast’s body, where it became filled with happy memories and positive thoughts, and into her body. The horse began to shake its head wildly from side to side, but it stood as if rooted to the ground, and Radagast kept his hand on her nose. For a moment their minds were connected. Then, Radagast received a shock as evil memories streamed from the horse into his own mind. Memories of a dark and fearful time in the Dungeons of Dol Guldur. Memories of a terrible ritual which had been performed. Memories of torture and famine and thirst to break her spirit. Memories of hopelessness, fear, and in the end, evil. Radagast almost let go as he saw the horrible pictures flash by before his mind’s eye. “Oh, Fluttershy…” he whispered. “I’m so sorry. I will never leave you alone again. You’re safe now.”

Dreadwing’s ears twitched, and turned towards Radagast. Had she heard his soothing words? Or was it Fluttershy who responded?

“Your attempts are futile, wizard,” The Witch-King said. He let go of his mace, grabbed the reins with his hands, and drove his spurs in the belly of his mount. “Go! Trample the fool underneath your mighty hooves!”

Dreadwing gave an angry snort; her gaze pierced Radagast’s. She gave out one last whinny, before she came into action. The giant muscles quivered, as Dreadwing bent down on her forelegs. Then, with a burst of unholy strength, she reared as high as she could, almost tumbling backwards. Her hooves punched the air, as Dreadwing threw off her rider.

With one last agonizing yell, the Witch-King fell on the ground, where he became one with the shadows. His mount was lost.

But could Radagast’s reclaim her? Still Dreadwing hadn’t moved, and faced the wizard once more, staring him down through red eyes. Without a moment of hesitation, Radagast thrust both hands between the sharp iron blades of the mace’s head, and drew out his magical crystal. He sprang to his feet, threw his arms around Dreadwing’s neck, and caught her into a powerful embrace, clutching the crystal tightly in his hand.

Immediately, the magical connection was recast. Radagast felt the horse; the horse felt Radagast. For a moment they were one, united in the web-like structure of flowing magic. The magic of friendship. 

Bright lights danced around their magical embrace. Before the wizard’s eyes, Dreadwing began to change. Its hide started to become lighter. First a mottled grey, and then it changed from that to a buttery yellow. Its mane and tail became long and flowing. The horse seemed to shrink smaller and smaller, until it reached the size of a pony. When Radagast felt the silk-soft feathers of her wings again, he dared to let go of his embrace and looked Fluttershy right in the eyes. Soft, caring eyes they were, blue as a calm and radiant sky. 

“Twilight, look!” Starlight pointed at the column, which bore a giant hole where the mace had struck it. A flashing light came from it. “I think it’s Radagast!”

Twilight Sparkle looked through the gleam of the swords, and pieced her mind together after another assault of black breath. Then she saw what Starlight meant. She immediately saw that it was no dark magic that created such radiance, and a smile curled her lips. Somehow, she knew that Radagast had done it. And somehow, she was not at all surprised. 

But they were still surrounded by murderous Ringwraiths. Just a single stab would be the end for them. Suddenly, Twilight Sparkle felt the hoof of Starlight against her own. She took it and held it tightly. Both of them closed their eyes. There was no strength left to fight back. The only thing they could do was to hope that Fluttershy and Radagast would make it. If they did, their rescue mission would still be a success, no matter if they lived or died.

They could feel the cold breath of the Wraiths against their faces. Death looked at them. 

A cold cry shredded the air. Had the two ponies opened their eyes, they could have seen the mist treading back into the courtyard. They could have seen how the Ringwraiths stopped in their tracks and turned their heads towards the source of the shriek. They could have seen how Radagast jumped from behind the pillar, clutching his magical crystal in his hands. They could have seen how a burst of light erupted from the figure of the wizard. 

Radagast concentrated on the spell. His mind felt light and clear, and he channeled his powers through the ancient crystal. He felt the power and might flow through his fingertips. He pointed towards the Ringwraiths, and as he did, arrows of light, with leaves as tips, shot through the air. Whenever an arrow struck one of the Ringwraiths, it was reduced to nothing but shadow, and retreated. They were without a master to command them, and a new threat had appeared. 

“Keep your eyes closed!” Radagast shouted to the two ponies. But he didn’t need to hold his spell for a long time, for the shadows disappeared.

When Starlight Glimmer and Twilight Sparkle opened their eyes, they saw their two friends standing right before them.

“Fluttershy!”

Indeed, there she was. Standing next to Radagast, still rubbing her eyes of the light, was Fluttershy, alive and seemingly well. She looked up at her friends, and trotted towards them. “Twilight! Starlight! Are you ok? Oh, I am so glad to see you. I’m so sorry I brought you into so much trouble.”

With the help of Fluttershy and Radagast, Starlight and Twilight scrambled back on their hooves. “Oh, Fluttershy,” Twilight said, and caught her in an embrace. “I should be the one who is sorry. I’m so sorry I teleported you into Middle Earth.” 

Then Starlight joined in. “We’re so glad you’re alive. Thanks to Radagast we were able to save you.”

Radagast smiled awkwardly, as he felt that no credit should be given to him. Then, as if someone opened a door to let the cold in, a freezing cold breeze made him shudder to the bone. Rain fell down upon the ponies, and mingled with their tears of joy. Radagast looked around and at the sky. A lightning bolt flashed. “I think we should go at once,” he said. “The weather is still very bad, and I don’t think we are the only ones here in Dul Guldur. The Ringwraiths are not destroyed; they only retreated.”

Twilight looked over the shoulder of Fluttershy at the wizard. “You’re right, Radagast.” Her eyes suddenly looked troubled, as she realized what he meant. “The battle has been won, but not the war.”

The moment those words left the alicorn princess’s mouth, another thunderclap resounded. It sounded as if it its lightning bolt had struck somewhere up high, as a blinding light erupted from the spires of Dol Guldur. But the sound wasn’t a thunderclap, and the light wasn’t the light of lightning. The thunderclap was a terrible explosion; a summoning. The lightning was the light of fire, cast around a flaming, lidless eye. 

Between the spires hovered the eye of Sauron, which looked down upon them all. Instantly, the cold vanished, and a burning, raging ring of fire took its place. They were surrounded by flames. They could do nothing but witness the terrible eye. 

“I SEE YOU!”

The air became hotter and hotter. The flames closed in. The trap sprung. Twilight Sparkle saw the fire dancing before her eyes. Sweat beaded off her forehead. Breathing became hard in the hot atmosphere. She had to think of something—fast.

The others looked around, their hearts filled with dread. They all reckoned that jumping through the flames would be madness; they looked hotter than hellfire. Instead, they turned to Twilight.

But Twilight’s mind jammed. All the psychic blows and magical attacks it had been through during the fight against the Ringwraiths had paid a heavy toll. Her mind felt empty and hollow. She looked at all her friend’s eyes, blinking against the heat; hopeful eyes which depended on her. And Twilight Sparkle reckoned that if they would die, it would be her fault. That couldn’t happen. With a voice as dry as paper, Twilight said, “Magic! Magic, everyone.”

She always got inspiration with a good surge of magic flowing through her body, and she hoped that that method of finding ideas would help her now as well.

Immediately, her horn began to glow, as Twilight Sparkle centered herself as the focal point of the magical energy. Starlight Glimmer followed her example, and added her magic to Twilight Sparkle’s. Their horns touched each other; their eyes flared up. Holding the magical crystal between the horns, Radagast tried to tune in on the unicorn magic. To his surprise, it worked. Even though Fluttershy wasn’t magical, she put her head against Radagast’s hands. 

Inspiration… inspiration… inspiration… And then Twilight Sparkle thought she got it. If Sauron took the shape of a flaming eye, they had to blind it.

Twilight Sparkle let all the magic flow freely through her body. She felt the powerful unicorn magic from Starlight Glimmer; she felt the nature magic from Radagast the Brown; and she felt her own magic—magic worthy of a princess. The streams converged. Like a rainbow, a multi-colored beam of magic flared out of her horn, and towards the eye of Sauron. 

But as it flamed into the eye, nothing happened. The black pupil took the magical energy and devoured it. It was like carrying water to the sea. The beam had no effect on the hateful eye. No, it seemed only to infuriate it. 

The air became hotter. Breathing became next to impossible. It was as if they were breathing through a thick cloud of smoke, and it suffocated them all. 

“YOU WILL BURN!”

The beam lost some of its strength, as Twilight Sparkle turned to herself and her thoughts, which seemed to boil in her mind. Thinking was almost impossible; only words and ragged sentence fragments came to her. 

Eye… 

Fire…

Hate… hate… hate…

The opposite is… love…

Love… or friendship…

Friendship!

“Radagast!” Twilight croaked through a bone-dry throat. “The magic of friendship! Use it. You know how!”

“W-w-what?” Radagast wasn’t sure he understood what Twilight meant. He knew of many kinds of magic: elemental, nature, psychic, physical. But friendship? Then, his mind returned to the resurrection of Fluttershy. Had he used the magic of friendship there? Was that what it had been?

But there was no more time for thinking. Radagast tried something, and hoped for the best. He filled the magic with his positive memories, with laughter and warm moments he had shared with Fluttershy. It was then that he realized he had never really felt such warm friendship between him and another creature. Of course, there had been Gandalf, and he had met and befriended many other animals. But Fluttershy… was different. Suddenly, he felt a spark, as his mind connected with Fluttershy’s. He felt her gentle breath, and slowly, the wizard laid his arm upon her shoulder. That was all he needed to do. Their friendship was complete. From another world they came, and they had never seen each other before. Yet out of their souls, their essence, their magic, sprouted a beautiful friendship. A golden friendship.

“Yes!” Twilight Sparkle felt a sudden surge of magic like a flash flood add to the stream she casted. Without so much as tempering or controlling it, she channeled it through her horn, and it struck the eye with an enormous bang. Still, the pupil swallowed the magic, although the eye began to waver. 

The wind roared and steered the flames in their direction. The clouds wept. Lightning flashed. Then, it seemed that mother nature chose the side of the ponies and the wizard. A lightning bolt crackled through the sky, and struck the tip of Twilight Sparkle’s horn. The force of the impact was so big that Radagast, Fluttershy, and Starlight Glimmer got blown away, almost through the ring of fire. 

But instead of killing her, the lightning became a part of her. Twilight Sparkle already had all the elements of the spell prepared, and the lightning amplified them all a thousand fold. The surge of energy became a part of her. Twilight Sparkle felt as if the energy would rip her apart. She could not constrain such a piece of natural force, so she let it fly. She let everything fly, and let it fly straight towards the eye of Sauron.

Starlight, Fluttershy, and Radagast saw how the energy set the spires of Dol Guldur ablaze. They saw how it pierced straight through the black pupil of the eye. With a voice like a fiery earthquake, the pupil disappeared from the eye. 

The ring of fire was doused, almost as if the rain put it out. The ray of light looked broken somehow, and flashed from side to side.

“Fly! Fly, everyone!” Radagast called, and pointed towards the bridge. 

Starlight ran, Fluttershy flew along, but Twilight Sparkle finally succumbed to the immense strain of the magical energy, and collapsed. Radagast didn’t hesitate, and picked up the limp alicorn princess. 

They all ran over the bridge, and didn’t look back. Only when they had reached the first of the tainted trees in the Greenwood did Radagast dare to look behind. He saw a faint red gleam like a sunrise, but as he watched it, it slowly died. Radagast knew that Sauron was far from defeated, but he knew also that he had gained some very important information. Information that would play a critical role in the rest of the Lord of the Rings books.

But Radagast couldn’t care less about that at the moment. Now they ran. They ran and ran, away from danger and into the woods, with Fluttershy flying in front of them.