Rivendell
Fluttershy awoke to find herself lying on a warm, soft bed, her head lying on one of the fluffiest pillows she had ever had the pleasure of encountering in her life, and covered in a silky, smooth blanket, the likes of which she was certain only Rarity and the Princesses had.
The yellow Pegasus stretched, and gently touched the wound on her head. It was bandaged with expert care, and her headache had died down to a dull throb in the back of her mind that was easy enough to ignore. She sat up slowly and looked around her, encouraged by the fact that the world was not violently spinning about in a nauseating fashion anymore.
She found herself in what was certainly the most beautiful place she could ever remember seeing in recent time. The windows held no glass, but instead flowering plants crept into the room, and emitted a heavenly scent. All around her, she could hear the songs of birds high in the trees, and the singing of water crashing merrily onto stones. The room itself was whitewashed and unadorned, and there were several other beds around her; one of which was currently occupied by Frodo himself, who appeared to be sleeping quite peacefully.
A door to her left slowly opened, and as she turned she was greeted by Rainbow Dash's visage. When Rainbow Dash saw her, her eyes lit up, and she ran over to her, embracing her tightly.
"Flutters, are you alright?" Rainbow Dash asked her softly.
"I will be if you don't squeeze me to death," she gasped.
Rainbow Dash released her with an apologetic smile and looked her in the eye, happiness shining clearly in her own bright pupils. "You've been asleep for a good long while. I'm so happy that you're finally awake."
Fluttershy smiled just as brightly as she straightened herself, before glancing around at her surroundings once more. "Where are we?"
"You are in the House of Elrond, and it is nine in the morning, on October the 22nd," a voice broke in.
Fluttershy looked past Rainbow Dash and saw a most unexpected -but still quite familiar- figure in the doorway.
"Gandalf!" she exclaimed with a smile, but then her face darkened. "Where were you, Gandalf? We were expecting you in Bree. We looked for you, but you never showed. And then the... the..."
"Nazgul," Rainbow Dash added.
"They showed up, and we couldn't wait any longer," Fluttershy finished.
The smile on his face faded, and he fell deep into thought. Finally he responded. "It is quite a long tale."
"I have the time," she insisted, not willing to let the issue go so easily.
He sighed as he walked over to her, and after the wizard pulled out a chair to her bed, he wearily sat down. Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy looked at him curiously, and the yellow Pegasus almost regretted asking him about it, for his countenance had completely changed with her inquiry.
Before she could retract her question, however, he answered her. "I was being held prisoner."
Rainbow Dash's eyes widened in shock and, behind her she heard Fluttershy gasp. "How? Where?" Rainbow Dash asked.
This time Gandalf shook his head. "All will be explained in due time," he said, "It is a long tale, and I only wish to tell it once. And now is not the time. If you would excuse me, miss Fluttershy and miss Dash, I should see Lord Elrond, and tell him that you are awake."
With that, he stood and left the two alone with the sleeping hobbit.
"Lord Elrond?" Fluttershy asked as she looked at Rainbow Dash.
"He's the lord of Rivendell, where we're at right now," her friend explained. "It's the city where Strider was leading us to. Thankfully he was true to his word."
"Speaking of him, how are the others? Where are they?"
"Sam, Merry, and Pippin are all pretty good, but they're all pretty upset with Frodo in this state," she said, nodding to Frodo in the bed beside them. "He's been unconscious this entire time, and... well it doesn't look good. There's been a constant in and outpouring of elven healers since he got here, doing things to him that I can't even begin to explain, but he's still pretty close to death from what I can gather."
"Oh no..." Fluttershy whispered. "I thought he could find help here, from what little I remember of the last few days."
"So did I, and apparently Lord Elrond is a renowned healer. Nonetheless, he hasn't been able to cure Frodo yet, though he doesn't seem to be getting any worse, at the least. From what I've gathered, even if Twilight could've gotten the shard out, the poison it had in it, had already leeched its way into his system. Some sort of morgul fail safe, or something," Rainbow Dash sighed, before straightening up again. "Strider's been in here with Elrond a lot, and while he's a really hard dude to read, I can tell that he's very concerned for Frodo. Sam's certainly the most worried, though. Me and the girls came to visit you as often as we could, and he was always here with him." She paused as she glanced at Frodo in worry again, but after a moment turned back to Fluttershy with a small smile. "There's one thing that I believe you'd like to know; old Bilbo is here too."
"Bilbo!" said Fluttershy with joy. "We didn't know him long, but he seemed most delightful. I hope to get to know him better while we stay here. But tell me about the others; how are our friends handling an elven city like this?"
Rainbow Dash paused momentarily, before climbing up onto the bed, and making herself comfortable as she rested next to Fluttershy, looking up at the ceiling.
"Well once the guards let us in, and everypony was certain you were out of danger, the first thing we did was take the longest, hottest bath we've had in a long time. After that, the healers finally took a look at Twilight's wing, and managed to get the nerve un-pinched. But the process left the muscles sensitive and tender, so she can't really manage finer movements needed for flight yet. Gonna take a while to get better," she explained.
"Oh. Well at least there's that," Fluttershy replied and nodded. She'd been worried about Twilight's wing ever since it was brought to her attention.
"After that everyone's more or less just been looking around, getting used to everything while waiting for you and Frodo to wake up. Twilight, naturally, has been spending every moment she can at the Rivendell library, trying to learn everything she can. You know how she can be," Rainbow Dash replied. Fluttershy nodded in understanding.
"Applejack was off wandering the valley last I heard. I hope she doesn't get lost, this is a seriously big city; like Canterlot or Manehattan."
"One can only hope."
Two days later, a very weary hobbit finally awoke from a long, dreamless sleep. The battle for his life was finally over, and the healers had won.
"Frodo, you are awake!"
"Where am I?"
"You are in the House of Elrond, and it is ten o' clock in the morning, on October the 24th. If you want to know."
The hobbit opened his eyes to find his bedside quite crowded. Most of his companions were beside his bed, and as he awoke, the relief was evident on all of their faces. Frodo sat up and looked around him. His eyes finally strayed to an old man currently smoking a pipe.
"Gandalf!" he exclaimed, joy evident in his features.
"Yes, I am here... and you're lucky to be here too. A few more hours in the Wild, and you would have been beyond our help. But you have some amazing strength in you, my dear hobbit. Even the greatest of men could not survive with a wound like that for so long. But I must admit you were very, very fortunate."
Frodo frowned. "Why weren't you there to meet us in Bree? Where were you?"
Gandalf sighed. "All will be explained in due time." He fell silent, deep in his own thoughts.
"Gandalf, are you alright?" Fluttershy asked him. Behind her Applejack was eyeing him with a strange look, as if she was not quite sure what to make of him.
Gandalf came back to reality and nodded. "Oh yes, I am fine," he insisted.
Suddenly Sam pushed through the crowd and came directly to Frodo's bed. "Mr. Frodo, I'm so glad that you are alright," he said with obvious relief.
"Hello Sam, I feel pretty good. My shoulder is not stone cold any more. Soon enough, I am sure I will feel life in it again."
"By the skills of Lord Elrond, you are still among us, and are beginning to mend. You will heal soon enough," Gandalf said, smiling.
"Lord Elrond?" Frodo asked.
It was at this point a lordly-looking elf pushed his way through the crowd beside Frodo's bed. He smiled as he came to his patient. "Welcome to Rivendell, Frodo Baggins."
Later that afternoon, a large group gathered in Elrond's study. Spike found himself the last to arrive, and there he saw that the rest of his companions from Equestria were there alongside their four hobbit companions, Bilbo, Gandalf, Strider, and a few elves; the majority of whom he didn't really recognize.
"Spike, thank you for joining us," Elrond said in greeting. "You know most here already, but I believe you have yet to meet my sons, Elladan, and Elrohir." The elf nodded to each son in turn. "Now that everyone is here," he went on, turning to Gandalf, "you told me some interesting facts about some of our guests here, that the rest of us would greatly benefit from knowing."
"But, as I said, I did not tell all," the wizard pointed out. "That is their decision to make."
Twilight frowned, quickly understanding what he was coming to. "Didn't you tell us not to speak about our origins?"
"Indeed I did. But with rules, there are always exceptions. All in this room are friends, and some already know," Gandalf said, glancing briefly at Bilbo and Frodo before turning back to Twilight. "And beyond this room, your story will not be heard by any."
The Alicorn nodded and glanced at her friends. When they did not show any objections to Gandalf's request, she briefly told the others how they arrived to Middle-earth. Some details were left out for the sake of simplicity, based on Gandalf's earlier reaction to the explanation. While the elves and Strider kept still, the hobbits, who had no way of knowing their full story, were clearly amazed at the prospect of visitors from another world.
"I was wondering about you fellows, but I would have never guessed that!" Pippin exclaimed.
"The explanation certainly clears many of my questions," Glorfindel said. "It explains some of their odd mannerisms, to say the least," he muttered in Sindarin to Strider who was right by his side. Strider only nodded, but kept his thoughts to himself.
Twilight's ears twitched at hearing Glorfindel's hushed muttering. "That's not exactly a nice thing to say," she replied.
Strider looked taken aback at hearing what Twilight had just said. She smiled to herself, before continuing. "Lord Elrond has been quite kind during our stay, and allowed me access to some of the Rivendell libraries. And I must say, the language of the Elves is much simpler to understand than the language of Man," she explained, before demonstrating that she too could speak in Sindarin.
"You learned their language in that short amount of time?" Merry asked, amazed by the display.
"Most of it. Some words, however, don't appear to have a direct equivalency with other languages, so it's a bit tricky. I'm afraid it's a bit patchwork right now," Twilight explained.
Arwen merely shook her head in response. "What did you do back in your homeland?"
"I was once the prized student of Princess Celestia herself, but I ascended to Alicorn -and by extension, royalty- status recently; just a few months ago really," Twilight explained.
"Eh, she's just being modest, as always," Rainbow Dash replied and waved her hoof dismissively. "Anyway, back where we came from, I was in charge of managing the weather for Ponyville. Fluttershy over here provides animal care services whenever somepony needs critters managed. Pinkie over there works at the local bakery. Rarity over there to the side is an expert at making high-class clothing. And Applejack off to the side there is a farmer, whose family is responsible for founding Ponyville where we all live."
"Hey, what about me?" Spike asked indignantly.
"Oh, right, sorry. Spike there is Twilight's assistance; he's the only one that was up for that task," Rainbow Dash added.
Elrond simply nodded in response. "No one can say what brought you to Middle-earth, but already you have proven helpful to Frodo and his kin. You may yet provide more aid in the future."
"Wit' all due respect, Sir, Ah don' know if tha's a possibility," Applejack spoke up as she stepped forward. "Gandalf said he was gonna see if there was a way ta send us back where we came from. An' much as we'd like ta stay an' help ya out, we've got responsibilities back home ta tend to. We got folks countin' on us there too," she explained.
"That's right," Rarity replied and nodded, before turning to face Gandalf. "I don't mean to be abrupt, Gandalf, but did you manage to find anything in Isengard while you were there? Did this, what was his name, Saruman The White? Did he know of anything that might help us?" she asked.
At this, Gandalf's face darkened.
"I must apologize. What Saruman knows, is of no use to your plight, my friends. I fear that my efforts at finding what would best assist you, were abruptly cut short," he explained.
"Well that's as cryptic as all get out," Spike complained.
"Yeah!" Pinkie added and nodded enthusiastically. "You said it yourself, Gandalf, we're your friends. Don't we deserve to know what happened?" she asked him pointedly.
Gandalf realized he stood in a precarious position, faced with the need to share what he knew, but uncertain of just what details to share. But if these ponies were going to be of assistance to them, they needed to know that they were trusted; not simply relied on because they were a source of convenience.
"Saruman is no longer an ally to the free peoples of Middle-earth. He now serves the forces of Sauron," he finally explained.
"... What!?"
All around the room, the revelation drew varying responses of shock, disbelief, and even outrage. It was understandable. But it was Twilight's response that seemed to stick out the most out of all of them. She was the only one who managed to get his attention in the ensuing bedlam.
"How... h-how does something like that happen? You said Saruman was the wisest wizard of the council! How could he of all people fall to Sauron?" she asked in utter disbelief of the revelation.
"Wisdom does not preclude one from making foolish decisions," Gandalf explained, "Sauron is not one to be trifled with lightly. Even in his weakened state, his spirit retains much of its potency. Saruman saw this for himself, and as a result he... chose poorly."
"Wonderful," Rainbow Dash grumbled. She could see this ending very, very badly. Saruman, supposedly the wisest of wizards around, was a treasonous coward, and was now aiding the enemy, meaning Sauron had access to who knew what kind of intel and support. As if this situation they found themselves in wasn't bad enough.
Twilight really should have gone with Gandalf to Isengard. That was the thought currently running through Rainbow Dash's mind. Had she and Gandalf been together and teamed up, they probably could've walloped the traitor right upside his head.
"Well then," Applejack spoke up, "looks like y'all got yerselves some extra helpin' hooves fer the time bein'. We're jus' gonna have ta make the best o' the situation," she reasoned.
Spike said nothing in response. In all the times he'd wanted to join Twilight and the others on their adventures, he'd never really expected it to actually happen; and certainly not in a world that wasn't their own. Their adventures in the parallel mirror world notwithstanding. Maybe he should've kept his wishes to himself.
Getting everyone calmed down in the wake of the revelation had not been easy to pull off. It had taken a great deal of effort by Elrond, Gandalf, and even Strider to get the room settled once again. The matter would certainly be discussed in greater detail, but not at present. According to Elrond, a matter of this sensitivity had to be discussed appropriately, and that needed the proper timing for best results.
For the time being, there were other matters to tend to. There was a delegation of coming visitors that had to be addressed.
The night Frodo awoke, there was a large feast in the Great Hall of Rivendell, and the hobbit and his companions were not the only guests there. There were many elves from far away lands, such as Galdor from the Grey Havens, and Legolas from the Mirkwood Realm. There were also dwarves, such as Gloin, and his son Gimli, from the Lonely Mountain up in the North. There were also a couple of men from kingdoms far away.
All the guests sat up at the high table. When Twilight and Spike came in, there were many mutterings, mainly from the dwarves, about there being an actual dragon in Rivendell of all places. Those who had yet to meet the ponies shot odd looks at them, especially at Pinkie Pie, who by far looked and acted the strangest of the strange.
Rarity, and more reluctantly Applejack, came in dressed in formal elven gowns loaned to them by the elves of the valley. While Rarity quickly fell into the role of a lady, Applejack looked rather uncomfortable and she would have preferred to eat at a table that was not higher than all of the other tables. The dress, too, was unlike anything she had ever worn back in the Grand Galloping Gala. But Rarity had talked her into making a good presentation on their guests, and the elves had been all too willing to provide them with something that seemed tailor made to their unique bodies.
The hobbits had on clean clothes, and most were quite embarrassed at sitting up at the high table with all the great lords, their little legs dangling so far off the flooring. Twilight and Rarity were used to it, as they had attended many such formal dinners within the last year, and Twilight all her life. Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie really didn't care about where they ate, and Applejack's hunger soon took over her own discomfort at being a spectacle. The only one who really remained visibly uncomfortable with the whole arrangement was Fluttershy.
They sat down near one another, finding some comfort with each other among all the strangers. While Frodo quickly engaged in conversation with a dwarf, the younger hobbits were unsure on what to do, and so looked at the others for guidance. Fluttershy was talking quietly to Twilight; Rainbow Dash was goofing about with Pinkie, using various utensils and goblets to do something they didn't recognize; Applejack seemed too busy wolfing down her food to bother with talk. Spike, Merry, and Pippin quickly took after Applejack and began at their meal, while Sam quietly kept an eye on Frodo. Rarity, meanwhile, was taking care to make sure her dress didn't become mussed or wrinkled as she sat, doing her best to maintain proper posture.
And all throughout dinner, they were unaware that they were being discretely observed by the likes of Elrond and Gandalf.
"They are quite extraordinary. In all of my time, I have never seen anything quite like them..." The Elven lord whispered, watching the seven newcomers with astonishment. "They actually survived a wraith attack unarmed?"
"For all intents and purposes," Gandalf whispered back, knowing that what weapons Strider had procured, had gone to the hobbits. "As I understand it, their encounter included the Witchking of Angmar himself. Which makes their survival no less than a miracle."
"In any case," Lord Elrond said. "For seven inexperienced travelers, all of whom are uninformed of the specific dangers in our world, managed to survive what some of the finest warriors in Middle-earth could not." He shook his head. "I do not say it often. But frankly, I am stunned."
"They may be unaccustomed to the dangers of our world, Lord Elrond, but from what I have gathered, they are experienced in addressing grave threats," Gandalf replied. "I've gathered that much from what Twilight Sparkle has told me about their home. Apparently, she and her group of friends have faced many dangers. A corrupt tyrant that attempted to blot out the sun until the end of days, a rogue spirit with the powers of chaos itself, a maniacal dictator who enslaved an entire kingdom for over a thousand years, and a centaur that had the ability to absorb all of the magic in their homeland."
"Gandalf," Elrond said slowly. "As you know, delegates from distant countries have come to Rivendell in the past few days, seeking my council." He now met Gandalf's eyes. "I am calling a secret council, to be held tomorrow afternoon. I will permit the ponies to attend, but I would prefer that Spike stay out, along with Samwise, Meriadoc, and Peregrin."
"Right. And they may address their concerns at the council?"
"Yes. Though, Gandalf, I will warn both you and them- I will not stand for any childish outbursts."
"You need not worry. They are seven of the most dignified, responsible, and well-behaved beings I have ever seen. They will not cause a problem." Elrond gave a small smile.
"Good."
After a long, slightly chaotic dinner, everyone went back to their rooms to get some rest.
Everyone, that is, except for Rainbow Dash. The Pegasus was far too restless, and instead went outside the Last Homely House, and began to wander the paths around the valley, silently contemplating what she saw of the elves during the feast that night. After meeting with elves like Legolas, she concluded -either rightly or wrongly- that only Glorfindel was a frightening elf, and that other elves during the feast were nothing to worry about. During the feast, she saw some elves at the lower tables becoming merrily drunk; the Pegasus then came to the conclusion that elves could actually be rather fun companions, if enough drink was available.
Not that she was an alcoholic or anything like that. She was just going by what she'd seen around here.
As she walked along a wooded, secluded pathway, wondering where she could find some more of the elvish wine served during the feast to keep the more stiff-necked elves entertaining, she suddenly heard voices. More importantly, she recognized both voices. Rather than leaving as a decent pony would do, she happily let her curiosity take over her, crept over to a tree, and flew up to get a better view of what was going on, hovering just about over a stream and a bridge, and waited.
Her suspicions were confirmed when she saw the owners of the voices, Strider and Arwen, walked along the pathway. Their hands were intertwined, and the look they gave one another was the same look Shining Armor and Princess Cadence often seemed to share, Rainbow Dash could not help but smirk. Love: the only thing in the world that made a pony act more foolish than a tankard of ale.
The couple walked over to the middle of a bridge, right below her, completely unaware of her presence. They started speaking in Sindarin with one another, and Rainbow Dash held in a sigh. Being unable to understand the language was not particularly helpful in the art of eavesdropping. She was really going to need to talk to Twilight about teaching her what she'd learned.
Finally Strider spoke in the language she could actually understand. "You said you would bind yourself to me, forsaking the immortal life of your people."
"And to that I hold. I would rather share one lifetime with you, than face all the Ages of this world alone."
Rainbow Dash raised an eyebrow. Elves were immortal? Was that really what she was hearing?
She then saw Arwen give something to Strider. it was a silver necklace that glimmered brightly in the moonlight; it almost looked as beautiful as Frodo's ring.
"I choose a mortal life," Arwen whispered to him.
"You cannot give me this," Strider argued.
"If they don't want it, I'll take it," Rainbow Dash thought to herself. She couldn't deny that, even now, knowing all that she did, she was still lusting after the ring that Frodo carried. The evil contained within it, that was calling out to her, still couldn't taint the beauty it had about it. But maybe, maybe if she could substitute it for the next best thing, it would have a harder time holding onto her.
If nothing else, she could always give it to Rarity, since she had an appreciation for fine jewelry. It was certainly no fire ruby, but it was... subtle. Enough to be desirable, while still leave you wanting more.
"It is mine to give to whom I will," Arwen quietly rebutted. "Like my heart." With that, they fell into a passionate kiss.
If Rainbow Dash had any particular thoughts on the scene before her, she had no time to think them. As the couple touched lips, the Pegasus set down on the branch below her as she felt her wings stiffening up. And then she heard a crack. She gasped and tried to get off her perch, but was too late; the branch broke, and Rainbow Dash fell with it.
Arwen and Strider's kiss was interrupted by a loud splash. They abruptly broke apart, and quickly looked over the edge of the bridge. They saw a large branch floating downstream, but before they dismissed their interruption to nature only, Rainbow Dash stood up in the stream. Strider and Arwen were too surprised to speak. The Pegasus shook her head in a effort to dry her mane, trying to think of what to say in response to being caught more or less spying on them.
"Wonderful night for a swim, eh?" she called out to the two. Before they could respond, she pulled herself out of the stream and staggered away, cheeks flushed.
Twilight looked around her, stepping delicately to avoid making any noise as she moved, not wanting to wake the others from their well deserved slumber. Thankfully they were all too out of it from their feast to pay her any attention, as she soft hooved her way out of their provided quarters.
She moved slowly, cautiously to avoid putting too much pressure on the floor that might cause a creak to sound, or her pack to make a commotion from an unintended shift in weight. The last thing she needed right now was an audience.
Slipping out of the room undetected was one thing. Doing the same through the hallways was something else, but she'd managed it regardless, making her way outside. If anyone had seen her moving about, no one had said a thing to her about what she was doing with her pack, or where she was going. And she was quite, quite thankful for that disinterest.
"So far, so good," she breathed to herself as she made her way to the outer edge of Rivendell proper, completely unnoticed.
"What's up, Twilight?"
Unnoticed... except for Rainbow Dash who seemed to pop out of nowhere, nearly making her scream in response to her sudden appearance.
"What're you doing out here?" she asked.
"Went for a late night swim to clear my head," Rainbow Dash replied and shrugged. "What about you?"
"I..." Twilight paused, trying to think of how to explain what she was up to. "I need to, take care of some things. Alone. By myself."
"By yourself?" Rainbow Dash asked and quirked an eyebrow. "Look, Twilight, I don't know what you're up to, but I know you're not looking for a bathroom. And if whatever you're doing requires a pack, then obviously it's something significant," she pointed out, noting how Twilight flinched at her words. "Look. There's two ways this can go. You can either trust me, and tell me about what's going on. Or I can find out by myself when I follow along. Your call really."
Twilight bit her lip, realizing that she was pretty much cornered right now. And as Rainbow Dash had so eloquently stated, she was going to find out what she was up to, one way or another. She really wasn't liking her options right now.
Knowing what she did, there was really only one thing she could do in this situation.
Gandalf jolted awake at the sound of a firm, frantic pounding on the door to his room. He knew that the hour was still quite late, so he hadn't even come close to oversleeping. And yet he was still being awoken urgently.
Getting out of bed, he stumbled his way to the chamber door, opening it to the flooding of lights in the hallway, and -as his eye adjusted- to the sight of a very frantic looking Fluttershy, her blue eyes telling him that she was on the verge of total panic.
"Gandalf, we need help!" she stated as firmly as her soft voice would allow.
"Whatever is wrong?" Gandalf asked.
"I woke up only a little while ago, but Twilight wasn't in her bed. Neither was Rainbow Dash. All I found was this," she stated shakily as she presented with a folded piece of parchment she had tucked under her wing.
Taking it in his hand, he recognized the glyphs as being the same that Twilight had used during her efforts at learning how to communicate in the common language. But recognizing them didn't mean he understood their meaning.
"What does it say?" he asked.
"I-it's Twilight's writing. It says she went to Isengard to see Saruman," Fluttershy explained.
Gandalf's response came in the form of Sindarin as best Fluttershy could tell, but she had no idea what he'd just said. But she had a sneaking suspicion that whatever it was, it was very impolite, and best not used in mixed company.