GANDALF IN EQUESTRIA
Gandalf stood tall in his grey robes on the bridge leading away from the mines of Moria. Durin’s Bane, the infamous balrog of the mine stood before him cloaked in terrible fires. Gandalf gripped his staff and sword heroically.
“YOU—SHALL – NOT – PASS!” He screamed, slamming the staff into the ground. The Durin’s Bane roars and steps forward, only to have the pathway crumble under his feet. As he falls, his whip of fire cracks out and lashes Gandalf’s foot, throwing him down. Frodo turns to Gandalf.
“GANDALF!” the Hobbit yells at his old time friend.
“Fly you fool,” mutters Gandalf before falling into the cavernous pits. He fell for what seemed to be infinity through shadow and flame, until finally respite hit him in the form of a white, bright light and unconsciousness.
When Gandalf the Grey awoke, he was in no land familiar to him. No land he had ever seen in Middle-Earth. Gathering his surroundings, he begins to wander the small meadow he awoke in. Vibrant trees and wildlife a far cry from where he had just been.
“What trickery is this?” he mutters, pulling his pipe from underneath his robes. With a few ancient words the leaves in the pipe lit. He puffed casually.
“I suppose there’s nothing to it but to get walking,” says the old wizard. He begins to walk through the forest. On the trek, he feels his worries of Frodo, the Ring, and the Fellowship simply fade from his mind.
Eventually, he finds himself in a town full of ponies. Gandalf checks to see what he has in his pipe and walks into town. The ponies look at him strangely. Soon, however, one walks up to him. It’s a white unicorn with a purple mane.
“Hello, you,” she says coyly.
“Hello, miss,” Gandalf responds. “Where, might I ask, has this old wizard found himself?” Rarity laughs.
“Oh you, don’t you remember me?” she asks. Gandalf shakes his head.
“How about if I do this?” Rarity says as she walks between the wizards legs. Gandalf steps away.
“I have no memory of this,” the wizard says. Rarity frowns and walks away. Another unicorn walks up and begins to chat with him.
“Hello, my name is Twilight Sparkle. What’s your name?” she asks.
“My name is Gandalf. Where am I?”
“You’re in Ponyville obviously. Where else would you be?” she answers with a laugh. Gandalf fakes a smile.
“You wouldn’t happen to have a ring would you? I seem to have lost one…”
“No, I don’t,” she responds. Gandalf thinks for a second.
“Would you like to go on a trip for a ring? What if I told you it was of great danger to everyone in Middle-Earth?”
“Middle-Earth? This is Equestria. Are you sure you’re alright?” Gandalf blinks slowly, as if to remember the name.
“I’m never better. Now, about this quest. I’m sure you and a group of friends would love to go on a trip, right?” Twilight sighs and walks off.
The next few days were of little note in Ponyville. Everyone was accosted by the wizard, asking if they wanted to go on a grand adventure. No one said yes to the crazy old man. Finally, after Twilight asked Rarity for help, did she intervene again.
“Gandalf, please stop this,” she whined. He turned to her sadly, pipe hanging loosely in his mouth.
“I don’t know why I keep asking, something tells me to,” he admitted. Rarity put a hoof around his back.
“It’s okay, come with me back to Middle-Earth,” she said sweetly. Gandalf looked at her strangely.
“How can you take me back to Middle-Earth?” he asked.
“Why, silly, it’s me, Shadowfax.”