True to his word, Stygian and the others made it to the wooden gates of Bree at roughly around 7:00. But the journey was long, and it had started raining an hour or two before they got there. They were tired, hungry, and desperate to go someplace that was dry, and had a cozy fire somewhere.
Once they had made it to the gates, Stygian pulled them over to talk, "Okay, I'm going to be straight with you. We don't know if the mirror changed our language to fit theirs, so we have to be careful. Twilight said she had to learn the language here before she could talk freely with anyone. Did anyone study the languages of Middle-Earth before we got here?"
Sunset shrugged,"Well, I know a bit of Sindarin and I'm fully versed in Black Speech. But there aren't any elves around these parts, and the language of Black Speech is something of a foul tongue to anyone who isn't an orc."
Stygian sighed, "Well then, that limits our options. Okay, when we go in, let me do the talking first, and then we'll see what happens."
Then, taking a deep breath, Stygian banged his fist on the door three times. A few seconds later, a grizzly old man opened a small peek hole in the gate. He was obviously the gatekeeper and he was not very happy to see them.
"What do you three want?" he said in a scruffy old voice, obviously suspicious of these oddly colored children.
The oldest one with blue hair came up and said, "My name is Stygian. My friends and I have traveled a long way, and are looking for food and board."
At first, the gatekeeper stared at them for a few minutes, and Sunset began to suspect that they were still speaking in Equestrian, which would just be soft horse neighing to him. These fears were confirmed to her when he shut the opening in their face. But after a few minutes, the gates swung open, and the gatekeeper quickly beckoned them to come in.
"Very well, then. Come on in. If you're looking for a warm place to stay, I'd suggest going to the Prancing Pony. Ol' Butterbur runs the joint, he'll fix you up."
"Thank you sir," Stygian replied while bowing, "We'll be sure to give it a look."
And with that out of the way, all three friends quickly made their way into the providence of Bree. Starlight whispered, "I guess that answers that question."
Sunset chuckled, so the mirror forced them to speak in the common language after all. Maybe this wasn't going to be so bad.
The town of Bree looked like it came out of a story book, to put it bluntly. There was a very medieval vibe to it. There was muddy roads, people wearing brown hoods over their heads, their faces barely visible, and there was crops farms and pig pens scattered from place to place. The only thing missing was a castle, but there wasn't one or any government building to be seen at all. Sunset suspected that these people had created some self-government system. That worked just as well for them, that meant no pesky officials asking what they were doing.
"So where is the Prancing Pony?" Starlight asked.
Sunset replied, "No idea. The map was more explanatory on where you are in the country, not where you are in the town."
"Very well, we'll have to ask some locals. But try to keep a low profile," Stygian warned.
Starlight went up to a small stout man eating a carrot, "Excuse me, sir? My friends and I are looking for the Prancing Pony. Do you have any idea where we can find it."
Taking a big bite out of his carrot, the man gruffly said, "Just follow the path, take a left, and it's right there."
"Thank you, and have a good day, sir," Starlight replied, to which the man grunted and went back to eating his carrot.
It was stuffy in the inn, but warm. It gave off the sense of a small party, there was numerous chatting, singing, dancing, and drinking. It wasn't the quietest place in the world, but it suited their needs. They each took up a stool at the bar nearby and waited to be served.
A plump man, nearly bald, and very red in the face, came up to greet them, if he was weirded out by their skin colors, he did a good job at hiding it, but one couldn't deny that he was a little curious.
"Good evening young master and ladies, I am Barliman Butterbur, at your service. What can I get for you all?"
All three simply asked for a meal and water, they were not here to get drunk like everybody else. When they were served, Starlight was disgusted by what she saw. Not that the meal was terrible, but by the fact that they had been given meat along with their water and biscuit. She slowly pushed her plate away from her, but gave a look of amazement at Stygian and Sunset, who were eating their meals without pause, meat and all.
Sunset, noticing the look on her face, simply said, "What? You don't get be human without learning how to eat meat. It's actually pretty good, you should try it."
"Oh, don't worry. I've done this loads of times on my adventures with the Pillars. You'll get used to it," piped in Stygian.
But Starlight suddenly had a loss of appetite, and refused to eat anything else for the rest of the night.
Leaving her be, Sunset decided to strike up a conversation with Stygian, "So, you seemed knowledgeable in Middle-Earth, to an extent. Have you been here before?"
Stygian took a bite of his steak and shook his head, "I have been to many worlds in my adventures with the Pillars, but sadly this was not one of them. The knowledge I do know, was shared to me and Starswirl by Princess Twilight as she was explaining the situation. I'm just as new to this as you are. How do you know about Middle-Earth, aside from that journal in your pocket?"
Sunset shrugged, as she took a swig from her water, "Same as you I suppose. She explained to me what Middle-Earth was when I asked. And she gave me this journal to pass on to the next generation of ponies should a threat from Middle-Earth find a way to Equestria."
Stygian chuckled a bit, "Wow, she must really trust you in order to pass on something that important to you."
Sunset didn't know whether to be flattered or offended, and frankly didn't care, "Well, that's the kind of person Twilight is. She's over trusting of people, she sees the good in people before the bad ('In most people,' she quietly added. Stygian laughed). And she seems convinced that the Magic of Friendship can be for everyone. I don't pretend to be overly confident in it, but I'm glad that they thought I could use it too. I'm glad that she took pity on me and showed me that there was a better way."
Stygian agreed, having gone through a similar experience himself, "The pity of Twilight Sparkle, may rule the fate of many."
Sunset raised her glass, "To Twilight."
Stygian raised his own, "To Twilight."
And with a small clink, they took a drink from their water. Sunset finally let out a loud whoop and shouted, "What is in this thing?!"
Perhaps they weren't being clear when they said that they wanted water.
It is not clear how much time had passed since their toast, but it was definitely spent merrily. Sunset and Stygian had drunken enough to the point where they were tipsy, and became a little more loose in keeping a low profile. There was singing, sometimes in their native language, which the locals did not understand in the least bit, but cheered anyway for having a good tune. Starlight was the only one who stayed sober enough to keep them from losing their heads, but at one point she gave up and just sat down somewhere where she could be alone.
It was at this point where she met eyes with a stranger at the other side of the room. The stranger was a short man with a nice build. He had long black hair which was braided in areas to the side, and had a short black beard. He was eating his meal in silence, trying to ignore everyone else around him. But then his attention began to drift elsewhere.
Starlight followed his gaze and saw that she was not the only one who was staring intently at the stranger. There were two other men, one who was bald with a white eye and another with dark messy hair, neither of which were attempting to hide their interest in him. Suddenly, both of them got up from their seats and slowly began to walk forward towards him. Sensing their gaze upon him, the stranger slowly began to reach to the side of the table, where a sword hung from its side.
Starlight immediately picked up on the clues and panicked internally. These two were going to kill him. There was probably going to be a fight happening soon. She wanted to help but she didn't know how to help or who to help. Not really knowing what she was doing, or who she was helping, she got up from her seat and sat down at the stranger's table, praying that he wouldn't put that sword through her stomach.
"Oh, hello Fire Feeder. Haven't seen you in a long time, where have you been?" She gave him a small nudge, urging him to play along. He was surprised to say the least, but quickly got the message, seeing few alternatives that didn't involve swinging his sword around.
"Well, I've been moving from town to town. Never in one place, you know," He said in a convincing voice that would hint to anyone that they were long time friends.
It wasn't working. Whether the assassins saw through the trick or they simply didn't care, they continued to slink closer to the table where they sat. It wasn't until a third person came forward and sat down with them that they began to back off and pretend nothing happened.
"Mind if I join you two?" asked the third stranger. He was old, but young at the same time, if that made any sense. He was tall and strong, and his face was covered by a long grey beard and hair. He wore a grey robe and a brown belt around his waist. He gave off a presence similar to that of Starswirl the Bearded and Princess Celestia all rolled into one man. He pulled over a waitress and told her, "I'll have the same."
He then spoke, "So Merida, Fire Feeder, how have things been with you two?"
Not knowing who this old man was, but knowing that he definitely knew what was going on, simply said to him, "Oh same old crap, the local royalty's been trying to drive my village into their conformist ways for months. We're holding strong, but those six representatives of theirs will not take 'no' for an answer. They're destroying everything we've built!"
The first stranger simply nodded, and the third one said, "Well, best of luck to you then. As long as you hold true to your ideals you will never fall."
At this time, Sunset and Stygian came forward, shoulder to shoulder and holding two flagons of "water" in their hands, they were slightly slurred in their words and had not picked up on the feeling around them.
"Starligh', wher've you been? We've been lookin' al' o'er over fer y-"
Starlight suddenly got up from the table and slapped her hands on their mouths, "Heh heh, old Tom and Mary, getting into trouble again are we? Well, let me take you over to the bathroom to get yourself cleaned up."
She then pushed them over to the corner, where neither the crowd, the strangers, or the assassins could hear them. After splashing them with water and sobering them up a little, she explained the situation.
"Well, that's highly suspicious, don't get me wrong. But what does that have to do with us?" Sunset asked, not entirely sober yet.
Starlight was getting a little tense, "I don't know, I don't think it does. But now that I've seen it, I can't just walk away and pretend nothing happened. Something fishy is going on, and I'm going to get to the bottom of it."
Sunset, sensing her friend was tense, put her hands on her shoulders, "Okay, okay, we'll bite. But how do we eavesdrop on them without getting seen?"
"I might have a solution to that," Stygian declared, "I have a spell that will allow us to hear and see what it is they're talking about."
Starlight didn't believe him, "Wait, you said we couldn't use magic."
"I said you couldn't use magic," Stygian corrected, "I, on the other hand, brought this with me."
From his pocket, he pulled out a blue fist-sized crystal and held it out to them, "This is a Soul Gem. I conveniently had it in my pocket when we were sent here. It's not as good as a horn, when it comes to magic conductors , but it gets the job done. I can use it to spy on their little conversation for us. Now if you'll both step back a bit..."
He put his mouth close to the crystal, and muttered a few magic incantations into it. Suddenly, a small orb of blue light emerged from the crystal and flew over to a chandelier where it could get a good view of the conversation.
"What were those three about?" The first stranger asked the third one.
"No idea," replied the third one, "But I sensed no ill will from them. They may have just been children who sensed someone was in trouble, and came to help in any way they could."
"I highly doubt that," spoke the first stranger, "They seemed the suspicious sort."
"If that is the case, they will be dealt with accordingly." reassured the third one, "But for now, let's just talk. I should introduce myself, my name is Gandalf. Gandalf the Grey."
"I know who you are," spoke the first stranger, not hiding the skepticalness in his voice.
Gandalf laughed, "Well, this is a fine chance. Tell me, what brings Thorin Oakenshield to Bree?"
Thorin shouldn't have been surprised that he knew his name, but he was. No one had known him by that name for many years. But his visitor was a wizard after all, who probably had the power to read minds. Hanging his head low, he answered, "I received word that my father, had been seen wandering the Wilds near Dunland. I went looking, I found no sign of him."
Gandalf knew who he was talking about, he was the right hand man, and son to Thror, King Under the Mountain, "Thrain."
Thorin raised his head, the tone in Gandalf's voice being one he heard before, "You're like the others, you think he's dead."
Gandalf, not wanting to offend him, tried to change his tone, "I was not at the Battle of Moria..."
"No," Thorin interrupted, "But I was. My grandfather, Thror, was slain. My father lead a charge towards the Dimrill Gate, he never returned."
Thorin paused for a moment, he had just relived a painful moment in his history, the battle where he lost his grandfather to the Orc, Azog. The battle where his father went missing. Taking a breath, he continued, "'Thrain is gone', they told me, 'He is one of the fallen'. But at the end of that battle, I searched among the slain, to the last body. My father was not among the dead."
Gandalf didn't know what to say, he wanted to comfort the young dwarf, but didn't know how, "Thorin, it's been a long time since anything but rumor was heard of Thrain."
Thorin would have none of it, "He still lives, I am sure of it!"
Gandalf, sensing the topic was getting heated and wanting to change it, turned his attention on something else, "The ring your grandfather wore, one of the Seven given to the Dwarf-Lords many years ago. What became of it?"
Again, Gandalf had asked a personal question, but Thorin could not see the relevance of it. They were just talking about his father and now he wanted to talk about a ring? Confused, he simply answered, "He gave it to my father before they went into battle."
"So Thrain was wearing it when he," he paused, he was heading into dangerous waters, "When he went missing."
Thorin simply nodded. Now Gandalf understood, perhaps Thrain was alive if he had one of the Seven with him. But before he could think about it anymore, the waitress he had pulled over came by with his order.
Thorin was beginning to put the pieces together. If Gandalf was so interested in his father that must mean...
"My father came to see you before the Battle of Moria."
They were getting to the heart of the conversation, they were getting close to why Gandalf had stepped in.
Thorin leaned in, "What did you say to him?"
There it was, the perfect moment to strike, Gandalf answered, "I urged him to march upon Erebor, to rally the seven armies of the dwarves. To destroy the dragon and take back the Lonely Mountain. And I would say the same to you. Take back your homeland."
Thorin was amused, rally the dwarves? What he was asking was impossible. He brought up his cup to drink, asking, "This is no chance meeting, is it Gandalf?"
Gandalf dropped his over-friendly attitude, there was no more need for theatrics, now that Thorin was onto him, "No, it is not. The Lonely Mountain troubles me, Thorin. That dragon has sat there long enough. Sooner or later, darker minds will turn towards Erebor."
He then pulled out a leather strip, carrying a written message in Black Speech, "I met some unsavory characters whilst traveling on the Greenway. The mistook me for a Vagabond."
"I imagine they regretted that," It would've been funny had the situation been different. Gandalf pushed the leather message over to Thorin so he could see it.
"One of them was carrying a message. It is Black Speech, a promise of payment."
Thorin examined it, though he could not read it, "For what?"
"Your head," Gandalf said gravely. Thorin looked up, almost unable to believe what had been told him.
"Someone wants you dead," Gandalf continued, "Thorin, you can wait no longer. You are the heir to the throne of Durin. Unite the armies of the dwarves, together you have the might and power to retake Erebor. Summon a meeting of the seven dwarf families, demand they stand by their oath!"
Thorin scoffed, Gandalf truly was asking asking for the impossible, "The seven armies swore that oath to the one who wields the King's Jewel, The Arkenstone. It is the only thing that will unite them, and in case you have forgotten, that jewel was stolen by Smaug!"
Gandalf looked out of the corner of his eye and saw that the two assassins were leaving. Those three children were also missing from their hiding spot in the corner. That spell they used to eavesdrop on the conversation was quite remarkable, he'd have to ask "Tom" how he performed it. But he would deal with them later. He decided to end the conversation by explaining his plan.
"What if I were to help you reclaim it?" Gandalf offered.
Thorin was once again confused. What was this wizard plotting? "How? The Arkenstone lies half a world away, buried beneath the feet of a fire-breathing dragon."
"Yes it does," confirmed Gandalf, "Which is why we're going to need a burglar."
Starlight had heard enough. She had made it all the way up to talk about the dragon before she could take it anymore. She put her hand on the Soul Gem, disrupting his magic and ending the eavesdrop.
"Hey," Stygian said, annoyed, "What was that for?!"
"We shouldn't have listened to that! This was all a mistake!" Starlight yelled.
"This was all your idea!" Sunset yelled.
"I know, and I regret making that decision!" Starlight snapped as she rushed out of the Prancing Pony.
"Hey, Starlight! Wait up!" Sunset called after her, and soon she and Stygian ran after her, unaware that the wizard they were spying on had taken note that they had left.
They were a good three blocks away from the inn before they finally caught up to her, "Starlight, whatever they were talking about doesn't concern us. We can just forget we ever heard it and just-'
"You don't understand!" Starlight yelled, "It is now crucial that we find a way home!"
"What do you mean?" Stygian asked, he wasn't catching on.
"Think about it, when did Twilight and the others participate in the Quest for the Ring?" Starlight asked.
Sunset thought for a moment, "Well, the quest happened around somewhere during the end of the Third Age. Twilight and her friends joined Frodo on his quest to destroy the Ring after Bilbo gave it to him."
"Yes, that's what Twilight told me, too." Starlight confirmed, "And what did Bilbo become famous for?"
"Well, according to Twilight," Sunset thought, "He took part in the battle of the Five Armies, after he and thirteen dwarves had retook the Lonely Mount-"
Now she understood why Starlight was so upset. But how was that possible, there was nothing about that when they talked about fixing the mirror, could they really have..?
Stygian's wheels were turning too,"Wait, are you saying that...?"
"Yes, you idiots!" Starlight exploded, " The Battle of the Five Armies took place sixty years before Twilight and the others would come here! We didn't just go to Middle-Earth, WE TRAVELED BACK IN BUCKING TIME!!!"
"Traveled back in time, you say?"
All three of the friends suddenly screamed. For standing right behind them, stood Gandalf the Grey himself. He must have caught on that they were eavesdropping on them and came to investigate. Crap, if he found out they were from the future, the future itself could be in danger!
Gandalf had seen many different things in his life, each one more weird than the one before it. But this, this was the one that currently took the cake. Here were three children who claimed they were from the future. Something was weird, but perhaps they could be of use.
The one he had called "Merida" at the table, stepped forward and meekly asked, "How much did you hear?"
"Oh, only the part where you say you're from the future, and also the fact that you know Bilbo, or more accurately, you will know Bilbo," Gandalf explained. And he was telling the truth, he had not heard anything else other than those two facts. Perhaps it was better that way, the less he knew about the future, the better.
"Well, we don't know him," began the one Merida called "Mary", "But our friend will. Please don't ask us her name."
Gandalf smiled, "Oh, don't worry. I have no intention of telling anyone what I have heard of, or making use of anything you might tell me. But perhaps we should start over, I am Gandalf the Grey."
"We know who you are," The one named "Tom"replied, "Our friend told us all about you. You are the starter of adventures and a member of the White Council."
"I see," Gandalf pondered, "Now perhaps, you could enlighten me of your names, as I am sure that they are not Merida, Mary, and Tom."
At these words they huddled together, deciding whether or not they should fulfill his request. Gandalf could understand their suspicion, but he could see no harm in him knowing their names. None in the immediate future, anyway. The three then broke the huddle, and decided to reveal their true names.
The one named Merida came forward and said her name was Starlight Glimmer, Mary admitted her true name was Sunset Shimmer, and Tom told him that he was known as Stygian where they came from.
"Pleasure to meet you all," Gandalf bowed respectively, "But I must ask, why have you come here?"
Stygian went forward and explained that it was sort of by accident that they came here. They were trying to fix a magical mirror that would take them to Middle-Earth. They didn't mention anyone's names, or the name of the country they were from, but it became clear to him that they were indeed, not here of their own volition.
"Now, I must ask," Gandalf continued, "Do you have any idea of the events that are to come?"
"No sir," Sunset clarified, "We know names of certain events in the future, but we do not know the outcome for most of them."
Gandalf then chuckled, "Then there is nothing that you could tell anyone, and as such, could not alter the future more than you already have."
Starlight then sighed with relief, they weren't in trouble after all, "So, we can just pretend we never met, right?"
Gandalf then shook his head, a somber look on his face, "I'm afraid it is too late for that, Miss Glimmer."
Sunset looked confused and scared at the same time, "What do you mean?"
Gandalf brought his staff forward and leaned on it a little, "Well, you see, Miss Shimmer, Miss Glimmer here already inserted herself into the story when she came to the rescue of Thorin. And she sealed her own place in it, as well as Mister Stygian's and yourself, when you chose to eavesdrop on our conversation. Now you know about our quest, and that there are those who will use the information to put it in jeopardy. I'm afraid you will have no choice but to see your part in the story through the end."
Starlight became a little shocked at these words, "Wait, you're not suggesting that..."
"You are right, I am not suggesting, I am telling," explained Gandalf, "You will be helping me and Thorin take back Erebor."
Starlight just fainted at this new aspect, while Stygian and Sunset felt a little excitement about this new adventure they had just landed themselves into.