> My Little Pony does Lord of the Rings > by AuthorQuill > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- > Aurora Arrives > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic is property of Hasbro and The Lord of the Rings is the property of New Line Cinema and the Tolkien Works. Please support the official release. My Little Pony does Lord of the Rings Chapter 1 Aurora Arrives Approaching the entrance to Ponyville, I smiled. I patted the saddlebag attached to me, feeling the weight of the precious cargo I was carrying. I had to make a straight shot to Golden Oaks Library, to let Twilight know about it. As I stepped inside, I readjusted my fedora and retied my scarf, not caring that both were water logged. Galloping all the way from Applewood to Ponyville in torrential rain will do that to a pony. I noticed the ponies in the marketplace staring at me, but I didn't care. Granted, there aren't many mares who have a black coat, black mane and tail with purple highlights, dark purple fedora and purple and black striped scarf in Ponyville, but it was still not too deterring to me. As the huge tree in the middle of the town came into view, I grinned. I hadn't seen Twilight since Princess Celestia had sent her to Ponyville to oversee the Summer Sun Celebration, so I know it will be quite a surprise to her. I wanted to see what she was up to and meet the friends she'd been talking about. Knocking on the door and completely soaked, I smiled when I saw my lavender unicorn friend answer the door. She gasped. “A-Aurora?” she asked. I nodded, tipping my drenched fedora as best I could. “What up, Twi? How's my favorite student of Celestia doing?” I asked. She remained speechless. Granted, I'd changed a lot since she was in Magic Kindergarten. I used to be all black from mane to tail, but after going through my 'enlightenment' phase, I put purple highlights into them. Now, I feel that I'm much more of an individual. It took a few minutes, but Twilight began to smile. She pulled me into an embrace, and I could hear her begin to sniff, obviously blinking back tears. I patted her on the back with my hoof and smiled sincerely. We pulled away and she wiped her eyes. “W-What are you doing here? I thought you were living in Applewood now?” I grinned. “I still am, but I galloped all the way here, cause I have an idea for my first movie, and I want you and those friends you've talked about to be a part of it,” I said. She gasped. “You galloped all the way from Applewood to here in torrential rain?” I nodded. “Still as reckless as ever, huh, Twi?” She grinned. “Come on in and tell me about it. I'll put on some tea.” I nodded and walked into the library, thankful to get out of the rain, as Twilight closed the door. ~o0o~ After Twilight and I reminisced over a cup of tea and I had exceedingly dried off, I decided to get right down to business. Reaching into my saddlebag, I pulled out the item that was the reason for my visit. Passing it to Twilight, she examined it. It was a stack of paper bound together with a few metal tabs so that it was in book form, and the top page had typed writing on it. The writing read the name of a title, the title of the movie that I was anxious to get started. My unicorn buddy read the title out loud. “The Lord of the Rings? That's a strange title. What's it about?” she asked. I smiled and proceeded to tell her the storyline. As I told the tale that had been swimming around in my head, Twilight's face went through a few different expressions. At first, she was confused, then that morphed into intrigued, and then that morphed into completely interested. I smiled. When I'd finished, she said, “I have to tell the girls about this. They're going to love this idea. Fortunately, they're scheduled to be coming in a few minutes. We're having a picnic together, so they can all meet you and you can tell them the idea for your movie.” I smiled. She may have moved to a different town and gotten some new friends, but she was still the same Twilight that I remembered. Suddenly, a knock on the door sounded through the library. Twilight smiled and approached it, opening it with her magic. Standing outside, drenched to the bone, were four other mares. They was an earth pony, two pegasi, and another unicorn. I was a little shocked. These were the friends that Twilight had made as she lived here. She smiled to the group and invited them in. I sat off to the side, not ready to be introduced quite yet. The orange earth pony with the blonde mane adjusted her hat, wringing the water out of it, as the white unicorn shook her drenched purple mane, and reverted back to it's curled shape, which she then whipped behind her. I rolled my eyes. A fashionista if ever there was one. The yellow pegasi with the pink mane was not looking at Twilight, her eyes covered by her mane, still dripping wet. I listened in and heard the conversation, wondering who these mares were. “So, Twi, what's on the agenda fer today?” the orange one asked, a thick drawl coming out. Twilight smiled. “I was planning an indoor picnic for all of us, Applejack,” she said. Applejack nodded. The yellow pegasus approached and said, in a very small voice, “That's a very good idea, Twilight, since the weather's not necessarily good right now.” I smiled. She must have been shy, even though she's known Twilight for a while. The cyan rainbow maned pegasus landed and grinned. “Nopony look at me, I didn't schedule this downpour. I had planned to practice for the Wonderbolts today, but now the weather is restricting that,” she said. I narrowed my eyes. This mare is too brash for her own good. Applejack glowered. “Rainbow Dash, it won't kill you to not practice for the Wonderbolts for a day,” she said. I smiled. Applejack definitely lowered Rainbow Dash's ego a bit. Suddenly, another knock came from the door. Twilight approached and opened it, and a pink blur rushed in. We all turned to find a pink mare with a dark pink mane, soaking wet and dripping, but with a big smile on her face. Without a word, she shook herself dry and her mane and tail reverted to a poofy shape. When she talked, it came out in an extremely fast manner, so fast that I almost couldn't make it out. “Twilight! I'm sorry I'm late but the Cake's were going out and they asked me to look after Pound and Pumpkin, and then Gummy disappeared and I was looking all over for him, and then I had to help some customers behind the counter, and when I saw the clock, I gasped cause I knew I was late, so I put Pound and Pumpkin to sleep, found Gummy, finished at the counter, left a note for the Cakes, then ran over here in the rain and now here I am!” she said. When she finished, I felt my head spinning. Twilight smiled. “Don't worry, Pinkie, you're not too late. Everypony else just got here too,” she said. Pinkie smiled. She then turned, noticing me for the first time. Her big blue eyes widened and her huge grin reappeared. Before I knew it, my hoof was being shaken vigorously. “OHMIGOSH! New pony! In Ponyville! Have to remember to plan party!” she said. Soon, she stopped shaking me and the others approached. Twilight smiled. “Girls, this is my old friend from Canterlot. Meet Aurora Lightwise,” she said, motioning to me. I waved to the five mares. Applejack stepped up and shook my hoof and the shaking continued. “Well howdy do, Ms. Aurora. Ah'm Applejack,” she said, letting go of my hoof and tipping her hat. The white unicorn stepped up and smiled. “A pleasure to meet you, darling. My name is Rarity. Any friend of Twilight's is a friend of mine,” she said. I smiled. I guess I had Rarity wrong the first time. The brash, rainbow maned pegasus approached. “Nice to meet you, Aurora. I'm Rainbow Dash, the fastest flyer in Equestria,” she said. I smiled on the outside, but inside I still glowered. Rainbow Dash I had right from the first time. The shy, yellow pegasus shuffled forward and didn't look at me. I smiled. “Hi, what's your name?” I asked. The pegasus turned away, retreating into her mane. “I'm Fluttershy,” she said. It was a little hard to hear, but I understood what she said. “Nice to meet you, Fluttershy,” I said, giving her a sincere smile. Then, the pink mare who had probably rattled my brains the first time, approached. “HI! I'm Pinkie Pie! My full name is Pinkamena Diane Pie, but only my parents call me that, my friends call me Pinkie Pie, or Pinkie for short. It's so nice to meet one of Twilight's friends from Canterlot! I love meeting new ponies!” she said, in her fast manner again. I smiled and nodded at Pinkie Pie and the others. “It's very nice to meet you all. Twilight's been telling me all about you girls,” I said. “So, what brings you to Ponyville?” Applejack asked. I grinned. Grabbing my screenplay, I passed it to the five mares. “The Lord of the Rings? What, exactly, is this, darling?” Rarity asked. I smiled. “It's a screenplay for a movie that I want you all to be a part of, if that's all right with you all,” I said. Each of the mares nodded, Fluttershy still not looking at me. Twilight reappeared with a few more cups of tea, and then I proceeded to tell everypony about the parts I had in mind. “Okay, now I know that there hasn't been a very successful movie that was shot in Ponyville, but I plan to change that, only I'm not just going to film in Ponyville. I'll film almost anywhere in Equestria, with Princess Celestia's permission of course. I had originally selected some parts for you all based solely on how Twilight described you, but meeting you all for myself, I know exactly what parts you all should have,” I said. The girls smiled, pleased with what they were hearing. I pulled out another piece of paper from my saddle bag, took out my glasses and read the writing on the page. “Okay, so here are the parts I originally had selected for you all. Rarity, I had you as Galadriel. Applejack, you were going to be King Theoden. Rainbow Dash, you were going to be Aragorn. Fluttershy, I had you as Arwen. Pinkie Pie, I had given you the part of Elrond and Twilight, you were going to be Eowyn. But now, I've changed it up. Here are the real roles you have. Rarity, you are going to be Gimli. He's the dwarven member of the Fellowship with a fascination for gems and a fighting prowess that can't be matched. He originally had a feud with the elf, Legolas, but in the end, the two became the best of friends. I think Gimli is a perfect role for you,” I said. Rarity smiled. I turned to Fluttershy, who looked intrigued now. “Fluttershy, you're going to be Legolas. He's the elven member of the Fellowship, has a love of animals and is extremely protective of his friends. He's also a master archer, is agile like every elf, and usually keeps to himself. Like I said, he has a feud with Gimli, as Elves and Dwarves don't trust each other, but by the end, they are best friends,” I said. Fluttershy smiled and nodded. I grinned, happy that she'd accepted the part. Turning to Rainbow Dash, I smirked. “Rainbow Dash, the part you have now is Boromir. He is one of two members of the Fellowship representing mortals, is an excellent fighter, and even though he almost breaks the Fellowship apart, his loyalty shines through and is victorious, but at a cost,” I said. Rainbow had a grin fixed on her face all the way through the explanation. Then, I turned to Applejack. “Applejack, I had to debate for a while as to who exactly you should be, but the choice I've come up with I think is perfect. You will be playing Aragorn. He is the other member of the Fellowship representing mortals, is extremely loyal and honest with the rest of the characters, is an excellent fighter, and, as an added bonus, is destined to become High King of the land. He's one of the main characters, along with the rest of the characters I've mentioned, gets a lot of screen time, and I think would be perfect for you,” I said. Applejack smiled and tipped her hat in appreciation. I turned to Twilight and smiled. “Twilight, I don't know how I didn't see it before, but the part I have for you now is the absolute perfect part. You're going to be playing Gandalf the Grey/White. He's the leader of the Fellowship, is an extremely powerful wizard, cares deeply about every member of the cast, and after his battle with the Balrog, becomes even more powerful than anyone else. With you being Princess Celestia's student, I couldn't think of a better part.” Twilight nodded. I then turned to the bouncing, energetic Pinkie Pie. “Pinkie, you're part was the most challenging. You have a lot of unique traits, which made you eligible for any of the parts, but I think I know the best part for you. Pinkie, you will be playing the role of Smeagol/Gollum. He's a tortured soul who kept the Ring for 500 years and is extremely protective of it, referring to it as 'Precious'. He has two sides to himself, Smeagol being the caring and sensitive side, never wanting to hurt anyone, and Gollum is the evil and sinister side, the side that allowed Smeagol to survive for 500 years. He's heartless, uncaring, and wants nothing more than to reclaim the Ring, and doesn't care who he has to go through to achieve this goal,” I said. When I'd finished, Pinkie was still bouncing, that huge smile still plastered on her face. When I'd finished, all had big grins on their faces. “Now, I haven't cast all the parts, I haven't even scratched the surface, but I wanted to give you all the parts before auditions so that you could get accustomed to them,” I said, going to my saddle bag and pulling out a few copies of the script, passing them to each member of the group. “Auditions begin tomorrow and I need all of you to be there. With luck, this is going to be amazing,” I said. All of them nodded and I smiled. We were now ready for the auditions. > Auditions > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Chapter 2 Auditions After getting the 'OK' from Mayor Mare to use town hall as an audition center, I gathered the rest of the cast and we prepared to welcome the auditioners. We put a big rectangular table to one side of town hall, put a few lights around and made a little make shift audition center. Me, Twilight and the rest of the girls sat at the table, as we called the first group in. Three small filly's trotted in. They were a yellow earth pony with a red mane and a pink bow, an orange pegasus with a short violet cropped mane, and a white unicorn with a pink and purple curled mane, almost like Rarity's. I smiled at the three fillies. “Hi there. What are your names?” I asked. The yellow earth pony smiled. “Ah'm Applebloom!” Then the orange pegasus smiled. “I'm Scootaloo!” Then the white unicorn smiled. “I'm Sweetie Belle!” Then all three said in unison, “And we're the Cutie Mark Crusaders!” I grinned. “Well, it's very nice to meet you three. Now, if you want to review the characters, I'll let you three see the character list,” I said. Spike came over with three sheets of paper and handed them to the Cutie Mark Crusaders. They reviewed the lists then gave them back to Spike. “So, who are you going to be reading for, girls?” I asked. “Ah'm going to read for Samwise Gamgee,” Applebloom said. Applejack smiled. “I'm going to read for Pippin,” Scootaloo said. Rainbow Dash smiled. “I'm going to be reading for Frodo Baggins,” Sweetie Belle said. Rarity smiled. I nodded then realized that we had nopony for Merry. Spike handed the scene to the Cutie Mark Crusaders, but before I could shout, “Action!” , a small voice shouted, “WAIT!” We all turned to the door and a small, light purple unicorn filly cantered in. Her gold eyes shined as she saw the CMC. “Sorry I'm late, girls. My mom was baking muffins,” she said. The CMC nodded. I smiled at the filly. “What's your name?” I asked. The filly smiled. “I'm Dinky Doo. The CMC asked me to come down and audition with them,” she said. Smiling, I motioned to Spike, who walked over and passed Dinky a copy of the scene. She smiled and got into place with the CMC. I assumed that she was reading for Merry. I sat back with Twilight and the others and said, “Action,” and the girls began. Dinky and Scootaloo slammed into Sweetie Belle and Applebloom. Scootaloo smiled down at Sweetie Belle. “Frodo? Merry, it's Frodo Baggins,” she said. Dinky smiled. “Hello, Frodo,” she said. Applebloom glared and pulled Scootaloo off of Sweetie Belle. “Get off him!” she snapped. Scootaloo and Dinky pantomimed putting items into Applebloom's forelegs. Applebloom put on a perplexed face. “What the...You've been into Farmer Maggot's crop!” she said. The three other fillies broke into a gallop, leaving Applebloom alone. She then opened her forelegs and took off after the others. “I don't understand why he's so upset! It's only a couple of carrots!” Dinky said. Scootaloo smiled. “And some cabbages. And those three bags of potatoes that we lifted last week. And then the mushrooms the week before!” Dinky sighed. “Yes, Pippin! My point is, he's clearly overreacting!” she said. The fillies stopped and bowed, as we all applauded. I smiled. “Well, done, girls. I think we've found our Hobbits,” I said. The fillies beamed and ran out, giggling. I smiled at the other cast members. “NEXT!” Twilight called. A chestnut brown stallion trotted in. He had a dark brown spiky mane, with bright blue eyes and what looked like a collar and tie. His cutie mark was by far the strangest. It was an hourglass. I hadn't the foggiest idea what his special talent was, but smiled at him. “Hello. What's your name?” The stallion grinned, pearly white teeth shining. “I'm the Do...um, I'm Time Turner,” he said. I was a little confused about the flub he'd made originally, but overlooked it. I smiled at Time Turner and asked, “So, what part are you reading for?” He smirked. “I'll be reading for Faramir,” he said. I smiled. This stallion's got guts. Spike passed the scene to him and when I gave the word, he began. “I think at last, we understand one another, Frodo Baggins,” he recited, with the heart that was perfect for Faramir. I took the line said by Faramir's lieutenant. “You know the laws of our country. The laws of your father. If you let them go, your life will be forfeit.” Time Turner smiled. “Then it is forfeit. Release them,” he said. Twilight took Sam's line. “Captain Faramir, you've shown your quality, sir. The very highest.” Time Turner gave the most sincere and heartfelt smile as he said, “The Shire must truly be a great realm, Master Gamgee, where gardeners are held with the highest honor.” When he finished, we all were speechless. Turner was perfect for Faramir. I smiled and said, “Welcome to the team, Faramir.” He grinned and nodded in thanks, then left without a word. As we all discussed how great Turner was, Rainbow Dash shouted, “NEXT!” A grey pegasus trotted in, a small smile on her face. Her blonde mane was in the rigid, protruding style of Rainbow Dash, and her cutie mark was what looked like bubbles. But her eyes were the most striking feature. Her eyes shone with golden light, but were crooked. One hung up and the other hung down, giving her a cross eyed appearance. I smiled at the pegasus. “Hi there. You are?” I asked. She smiled. “My name's Ditzy Doo, but most ponies call me Derpy Hooves,” she said. I smiled. “Alright, Ditzy, what part would you like to read for?” She looked down, blushing. “Um, Eowyn,” she said. I smiled. Spike passed her the scene and I had Applejack read with her, as Aragorn was also in the scene. I gave the word and the two began. “You have some skill with a blade,” Applejack said. Ditzy frowned. “The women of this country learned long ago, those without swords can still die upon them. I fear neither death nor pain,” she said. Applejack nodded. “What do you fear, my lady?” Ditzy sighed. “A cage. To stay behind bars until use and old age accept them and all chance of valor has gone beyond recall or desire.” Applejack smiled and took a step closer, saying, “You are a daughter of kings, a shield maiden of Rohan. I do not think that will be your fate.” Ditzy smiled and then turned and bowed. We all grinned. “Congratulations, Ditzy, you're Eowyn!” I said. She squeed and flew out, giggling happily. Rarity called, “NEXT!” and a familiar face appeared. A white unicorn stallion with a dark and light blue mane and tail, blue hooves, light blue eyes and a cutie mark of a shield with a star and sparkles very similar to Twilight's. I smiled, and so did Twilight, as we knew this stallion well. “Hello, Shining. Fancy seeing you here,” I said to Twilight's big brother, Shining Armor. He grinned. “Hi, B.B.B.F.F!” Twilight called, waving. He waved back. “Hey, Twily,” he said. I smiled. “So, Shining, who are you going to read for?” He smiled. “I'm going to read for King Theoden,” he said. Spike passed him the scene and Twilight stood up to read with him, as Gandalf had lines too. I gave the word and the siblings began. “Simbelmyne. Ever has it grown on the tombs of my forebears. Now it shall cover the grave of my son. Alas, that these evil days should be mine. The young perish and the old linger. That I should live to see the last days of my house,” Shining said, starting to make Rarity teary-eyed. Twilight sighed, trying to be as Gandalf as she could be and not cry. “Theodred's death was not of your making,” she said. Shining stared at her and began to weep, saying, “No parent should have to bury their child,” before completely breaking down. I could hear Rarity sobbing and inside smiled. Shining was perfect. Twilight composed herself and finished her lines. “He was strong in life. His spirit will find the way to the halls of your fathers,” she said, then embraced her brother. I smiled. They both bowed and grinned, looking my way. “Shining, you are our Theoden!” He bowed in reply and, after hugging Twilight once more, left. As the first day of auditions started to wind down, I called out, “NEXT!” one last time. A dark grey mare entered, a humble smile on her face. Her mane was dark and almost black, with a bob in the front. Her tail was the same, though more wavy. She had a collar and bow tie around her neck, and her cutie mark was a purple treble clef. Her eyes were a bright purple, not unlike Twilight's eyes. I smiled at our last volunteer. “Hi. What's your name?” She smiled. “I am Octavia,” she said, in a very sophisticated accent. “And what are you going to read for, Octavia?” I asked. “I am going to read for the Lady Arwen,” she replied, a small smile on her face. I nodded and Spike passed her the scene. Applejack got up and read with her, as this was an Aragorn and Arwen scene. I gave the word, and the two began. In what could only be described as the voice of a breeze, Octavia said, “Why do you fear the past? You are Isildur's heir, not Isildur himself. You are not bound to his fate.” Applejack sighed. “The same blood flows in my veins. The same weakness.” Octavia approached Applejack and placed a hoof on her cheek. “Your time will come. You will face the same evil, and you will defeat it.” Applejack nodded and, still in character, placed a small kiss on Octavia's hoof, causing the other mare to blush. I smiled. Our Arwen was secured. The scene finished, both bowed and I gave Octavia the news. “Welcome to the team, Arwen.” She smiled, bowed her head in thanks and then left as quietly as she had come. We began to pack up the equipment and empty the Town Hall, but the auditions were far from over. I still didn't have a Saruman or a Grima, and those two are essential to the story. Perhaps Twilight would know two ponies who would be interested. We still had a lot more characters to cast, but we'd worry about that tomorrow. Tonight, we all retired to our homes and slept, eager for the next day. > Great and Powerful Casting Choices > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Chapter 3 Great and Powerful Casting Choices To say that finding the trailer owned by “The Great and Powerful Trixie” was hard is an understatement. Being a traveling magician, Trixie moved with her trailer, and after an extensive search, Twilight and I finally found her on the outskirts of the Everfree Forest, on the path to Appaloosa. We approached the door, when Twilight put a hoof on my shoulder. “Are you sure you want to do this, Aurora? I mean, Trixie hates me! Why do you think she'd agree to doing the movie?” I shook my head. “I agree it's not the most sound casting choice, but we need somepony to be Saruman and it has to be a rival unicorn to you. You told me about Trixie and I thought she would be good. We'll just ask her, if she doesn't want to do it, we'll find somepony else.” With the matter solved, I proceeded to knock on the door. A thump was heard and a muffled voice called, “The Great and Powerful Trixie will be with you in a moment!” A ruffling was heard and Twilight glanced at me. I gave her a small smirk. The door burst open and there stood Trixie, exactly like Twilight had described her. A purple hat and cape with stars on them were the only clothing, covering her ocean blue body and silver mane. Her violet eyes shone, but Twilight was right, she praised herself more than she should. “Gaze upon the magic of the Great and Poweful TRIXIE!” she yelled, then noticed that Twilight and I were the only one's there. She looked around, searching for the crowds. “Where's the audience that's come to see Trixie?” she asked. I smiled. “No audience, Trixie. Just me and her,” I said, motioning to Twilight. When Trixie's gaze fell upon my unicorn friend, she glared. “Twilight Sparkle,” she growled out, “Come to rub your victory in Trixie's face?” she asked. Twilight glared, but motioned to me. “Trixie, I'm making a movie that requires a unicorn that can play being powerful, and I think you'd be perfect,” I said, smiling to the blue unicorn. Her gaze softened and she tilted her head in confusion. “You want Trixie to be in your movie?” I nodded. With a whoop, Trixie reared up on her hind legs and shook my hoof vigorously. Great. “Oh thank you. You have no idea what this means to Trixie!” I smiled. “You're very welcome. There's just a few things that we need to go over initially. First, you're going to have to lose the whole 'talking in the third person' thing you do,” I said. The unicorn smiled. “Oh that's easy. I only do that for dramatic effect, and to annoy Twilight,” she said, smirking at my friend. Once all was settled and I'd told Trixie when rehearsals started, Twilight and I left, heading back to Ponyville. We had preparations to make. ~o0o~ With Saruman cast, now I had to get his lackey Grima Wormtongue cast, which would be tricky, as I hadn't seen any pony in Ponyville that fit the character description of Grima. As I headed to Vinyl Scratch's house to give Octavia the revised script, I noticed something. Applebloom, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo were being harassed by two fillies. One was pink with a purple and white mane and tail, blue eyes, and a tiara on top of her head. Her cutie mark was a tiara and a sneer was afixed on her face. The other filly was dark grey with light grey and silver mane and tail, a pearl necklace and blue glasses in front of violet eyes. Her mane was in a braid and a silver spoon with a heart was her cutie mark. A sneer was also on her face. I listened in to the argument. “You three think that you're so special cause you were cast in that new movie?! You were only cast cause they felt sorry for you,” the pink filly snapped. The grey filly nodded in agreement. “Yeah, if we were cast, we'd show you just how great actresses we can be!” she said. I approached, intrigued now. That's when the two bully's said something that surprised me. “We don't know if Saruman's been cast, but if she is, we know exactly who we'd try out for,” the pink one said. Then she and the grey one smiled. “Late is the hour in which this conjuror chooses to appear!” the pink one said. The grey one then added, “Lathspell I name him. Ill news is an ill guest.” That was all I needed to hear. Finally making my presence known, I smiled at the fillies. “I didn't think that two fillies like you would know one of Grima's lines,” I said. The fillies smiled. “In fact, why cast one pony for Grima when I can cast two? Two fillies filling the role of Grima would be perfect. What are your names, girls?” I asked. The pink one giggled. “I'm Diamond Tiara,” she said, then her friend added, “I'm Silver Spoon.” I smiled and told them when rehearsals started and where to meet. After assuring the CMC that they wouldn't get into any shenanigans, I continued to Vinyl's. ~o0o~ After giving the script to Octavia and making a promise to Vinyl that I'd find a part for her, Applejack approached with her brother, Big Mac. I smiled. “Hey AJ!” I said. She smiled and tipped her hat. “Howdy, Aurora. Big Mac here has something ta ask ya. Go ahead, big brother,” she said. Big Mac passed me a piece of paper. I looked at the writing on it which said, “Would it be too much trouble to ask to be Eomer?” I smiled. “You want to be Eomer, Big Mac?” “Eeyup,” he said. I grinned. “Then you've got it.” He smiled and left with Applejack. The character list was shortly whittling itself down. I just needed Galadriel and Elrond, but where was I going to find two powerful ponies who could fill the roles of the Lady of Lorien and the Lord of Rivendell? ~o0o~ As I was preparing to complete the finished rehearsal and shooting schedules, a blinding white light illuminated the first floor of the library. When it subsided, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna were in it's place. I gasped, getting to my hooves and bowing. Princess Celestia smiled. “Aurora. It's been a long time since I have seen you,” she said. I giggled. “Thank you, Princess. It's a great pleasure to see you again as well. What can I do for you two?” Princess Celestia chuckled. “Luna and I have heard about your movie and we were wondering if we could take part?” she said. I gasped. Princess Celestia and Princess Luna wanted to be in my movie? I didn't know what to say, so I just said, “Yes, of course.” The two Alicorns smiled. Then I had to instantly think of who they could play, and instantly thought back to Galadriel and Elrond. I smiled. “Princess Celestia, I would like you to play Elrond, the ruler of Rivendell and forger of the Fellowship. He's a very prominent part and is a driving force for the entire trilogy,” I said. The Princess of the Sun smiled, nodding. “Princess Luna, I would like you to play Lady Galadriel, the ruler of Lothlorien. She's another prominent part, and is a perfect fit for your royal stature. She is regal, noble, and kind. There are times when she will become stern, but nothing much else. Also, she can see into the future,” I said. The Moon Princess nodded, a small smile on her face. After giving scripts to the two Princess's, I smiled. All the major and partly major roles were cast. Now, I just needed the minor secondary characters, which I would find after we started the first few days of rehearsals. > Combat Training > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Chapter 4 Combat Training Meeting up with the girls outside of Ponyville, we proceeded to a large field where the first day of rehearsals began. Which meant the moment I've been waiting for had finally arrived. COMBAT TRAINING!! Eeeeheee!! I'm so excited!! I even got the greatest combat trainer in Equestria, Bob Canterson. He's done so many battles for so many Equestrian films like The Princess Bride, The Mask of Zorro, Pirates of the Canterbbean: The Curse of the Black Pastry and so many others. But, this may be his magnum opus as Rarity would say. I could see Bob setting up the arena for Twilight and the others, weapons strewn about. Smiling, I went up to him. “Hi, Bob. How're things?” I asked. The elderly pony smiled back, putting down one of the swords. “Things are perfectly fine, Aurora. Is the cast ready?” he asked. I nodded. Soon, a whole horde of ponies came forward, Twilight leading the pack. I could see that the group was the Mane 6, the CMC's, Trixie, Time Turner, Ditzy, Princess Celestia, Big Macintosh, Octavia, Vinyl Scratch as Haldir and stand-in for Isildur, Shining Armor and a few of Princess Celestia and Princess Luna's guards for sword fodder. Bob smiled, glad that he had a large class to teach. Everypony sat on the ground, as I said, “Everypony, I'd like to welcome you to the first day of rehearsals. Today is combat training!” Everypony cheered. “As you all are probably aware by now, combat is a big part of the Lord of the Rings script, so for now, I'll leave you in the very capable hooves of our swordmaster, Bob Canterson!!” I said, as Bob approached. Wasting no time with introductions, Bob was a stallion that got right down to business. “Now, will the members of the Fellowship come forward?” he asked. Twilight and the others, along with the CMC's came forward. Pulling a clipboard out, Bob smiled. “Alright, come forward when I call your name and the name of your character. Twilight Sparkle; Gandalf the Grey,” he said, as Twilight stepped forward and was given a wooden staff and a practice sword that had the name Glamdring scrawled on it. She smiled, twirling the sword around and swinging the staff. “Applejack; Aragorn,” he said, as Applejack stepped forward. Bob gave Applejack a practice sword along with a practice bow and quiver of arrows. Applejack tipped her hat. “Rainbow Dash; Boromir,” he said. Rainbow Dash hovered up, as Bob gave her a practice sword, a practice shield, and a practice dagger. She winked, nodding her head. “Fluttershy; Legolas.” Fluttershy came forward, hesitantly reaching for the practice bow, quiver of arrows and twin fighting daggers that Bob was giving her. She smiled very small, going over to the side with the rest of the girls. “Rarity; Gimli.” Rarity trotted up, trying hard to keep ahold of the the large double bladed axe that Bob was giving her, as well as using her magic to take the two smaller single bladed axes. She smiled at the rest of the ponies. “Sweetie Belle, Applebloom, Dinky Doo, and Scootaloo; Frodo Baggins, Samwise Gamgee, Meriadoc Brandybuck, and Peregrin Took.” The CMC's approached, as they were given very small practice swords. Once the Fellowship was armed, Bob then turned to the other ponies. “The first fight we are going to practice will be the fight in Balin's Tomb in Moria. Will the Princess's guards come forward please?” A small group of Princess Celestia's guards came forward, becoming outfitted in orcish practice weapons and shields. Then, Bob set to work. “Now, that rock in the middle will be the casket that Balin is in. Rarity, I need you to stand on top of it, wielding both of your small axes,” he said. Rarity nodded and did as he said. “Applejack, I need you to be to the right of Rarity. You'll be wielding your bow, but not yet. I've got to show you how,” he said. Applejack nodded and got in place. “Fluttershy, I need you right in the center, in front of Rarity. You'll also have your bow out, but not yet,” he said. Fluttershy nodded, very slowly getting in place. “Rainbow Dash, you're to the left of Fluttershy. You're going to have your shield and sword out, but don't do anything yet,” he said. Rainbow nodded, giddy with anticipation. “Twilight, you and the Cutie Mark Crusaders are in the back behind Applejack. Twilight, you are in the front, with Scootaloo behind you, then Applebloom, then Sweetie Belle, and Dinky's last. Now, you guards, the line you all start making noise at is, There is one unicorn in Moria who still draws breath. Understood?” All nodded. Bob smiled. “Good. Now, will the rest of the Fellowship sit down, while I work with Applejack for a bit. Converse amongst yourselves. Fluttershy, will you also come up?” he said, as the farm pony waited. Taking the bow from Applejack, Bob strung an arrow into it. “Now, pull back on the string as hard as you can,” he said to the pegasus and earth pony. They nodded and pulled back on the string with their forehooves, keeping the arrow taut. Then, Bob said, “On my mark, release.” They both nodded, waiting for the signal. Waving a few of the guards forward, Bob held up his hoof, then a hush fell over everypony. Then, he swiped his hoof down, giving the signal. Applejack and Fluttershy released their arrows, as the guards fell, then they got up, filling the role of new goblins. Applejack and Fluttershy re-strung the arrows in the bows, and released them again. Soon, after a few repeats of those moves, the guards were within breathing distance of Applejack and Fluttershy. Bob smiled. “STOP!!” he shouted. “Well done, Applejack. Fluttershy,” he said. Calling up Twilight, Rainbow Dash, Rarity and the CMC's, they all got back into position. Bob then instructed Rainbow and AJ how to use their swords. I smiled. It was going to be a good rest of the day. ~o0o~ After going over the big battles in the movie, namely the Battle between Gandalf and Saruman, the Battle of Amon Hen, the Battle of Helms Deep, the Battle of Minas Tirith, the Battle of Osgiliath, the Battle of Pelennor Fields, and the Battle at the Black Gate. The prologue battle, the Battle of the Last Alliance, was also done. Pretty soon, everypony was tired, but satisfied, knowing that they'd accomplished the first day of rehearsals. I smiled, as everypony went back to their homes. Bob packed up, telling me that he'd be there to really teach them how to use their real weapons, but for now, we had to get through the read through first. This was gonna be awesome. > Unexpected Additions > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Chapter 5 Unexpected Additions I was getting things ready in Twilight's castle for the read through, when Princess Luna burst in, panicking. “Aurora, I must speak with you!” I nodded frantically. “What's wrong, Princess?” Luna frowned. “My dear sister, Tia, has asked for a representative to go to Griffon Stone and draft a peace treaty, and I have volunteered, so unfortunately I cannot participate in the film. I deeply apologize,” she said. I sighed, thanking Princess Luna for letting me know. This was a problem, now I need another pony to play Galadriel, and I can't think of anypony else. I mean, Princess Cadence could work, but she's busy in the Crystal Empire. Then, I thought of some other pony's in Canterlot. Minuette and Lyra might work, but they just wouldn't have the right gravitas to match Twilight as Gandalf. I needed somepony who was almost exactly like Twilight. That's when lightning struck my brain! I'm so stupid! How did I not think of her before! Concentrating, I teleported to Canterlot, staggering a bit since I hadn't used magic for a while. I sighed, approaching the purple door with the moon on it, and gave a few knocks. The door opened, and a yellow unicorn, in glasses and a black turtle neck sweater smiled. If you took away the glasses and sweater from her, most pony's would call her Twilight's twin, even more so before Twilight became an Alicorn. Oh, did I mention that? Twilight's an Alicorn now. The Princess of Friendship, she's called. It suited her really well. Anyway, the pony at the door. Her name's Moon Dancer. She was friends with me and Twilight back in Magic Kindergarten, along with Lemon Hearts, Minuette, Lyra Heartstrings and Twinkle Shine, but she sort of became a shut-in when Twilight went to Ponyville. The poor dear, she felt like Twilight abandoned her. But, after a visit from the Princess of Friendship and Ponyville's resident Party Mare, Moon Dancer became the friend we all remembered. She gasped. “Aurora?” I grinned. “Hey Moonie. What's up? Long time, no see,” I said. She grinned. “Come on in, I'll put on some tea,” she said, moving into the house. I followed her inside, chuckling. Exactly like Twilight. I sat down on her purple futon and took a look around the house. It was really roomy, very much like how the Golden Oak library was. Oh, yeah. Golden Oak's got destroyed. Long story, but basically it was blown up by a soul sucking centaur from Tartarus. Yes, I am dead serious. Anyway, Moon Dancer came back with two cups of tea held in her magic. “So, what brings you here?” she asked. I smiled, pulling out the script and hoofing it to her. Her eyebrows shot up in intrigue. “The Lord of the Rings,” she said, opening the script. I smiled, just sipping my tea as Moon Dancer's face went through a few different expressions. Intrigue, surprise, anticipation, and finally, extreme glee. “This is amazing! I've never read something so intriguing, action packed, heartbreaking, drama-filled and character essential in my life! Oh my goodness! Are you making this a movie?” she asked. I nodded, sipping my tea. “I've got most of the cast, but we just had a recent walk out, and I came to you to ask if you wanted to fill in,” I said. Her eyes widened behind her glasses, and her pearly whites became visible in a cheek to cheek smile. “YES!! Yes, yes, yes, yes!! Oh, thank you, Aurora! What part do you want me to play?” she asked, giddy. I smiled. “Galadriel, Lady of Light, Eleven ruler of Lothlorien,” I said, pointing out the role of Galadriel for Moon Dancer. Taking the script, she highlighted Galadriel's lines. I smiled, telling her that the first read through would be in a week at Twilight's castle in Ponyville. She promised she'd be there. I took my leave and teleported back to Ponyville, to Twilight's castle. ~o0o~ A few days passed, when Derpy came by on her mail route, and dropped off some mail at Twilight's door. Spike came to my room, with a letter that had my name on it. I opened it and sighed, reading the contents. Apparently, Octavia now had to drop out of the movie, because she and Vinyl were going to Canterlot to work on their 'classical/dubstep' combination concert, and were going to go on tour too. Great, now I need somepony else to play Arwen, but I can't think of anypony who could have that kind of chemistry with Applejack, besides Rarity. I shook my head. Not that they wouldn't be cute on screen together, but Rarity works so much better as Gimli. This was a problem. I decided to take a trip to Sweet Apple Acres, to see if Applejack could give me some advice, and also to re-stock on Apple Cider. For some reason, the four bottles I just bought were gone, and all I found was a small red, yellow and blue hair from a tail. And before you ask, no, I don't drink all of them at one time. I'm adventurous, not insane. Teleporting to Sweet Apple Acre's, I could see the Cutie Mark Crusaders outside on the porch. I smiled, approaching. “Hiya, Aurora. What's up?” Apple Bloom asked. “Do you know where your sister is, AB?” She nodded. “She's out on the Apple Orchard.” I smiled, tipping my hat and headed out to the orchard to find Applejack. But, while I thought she would be bucking apples, I instead found her on the hill overlooking the orchard and playing her guitar. “Hey, AJ. What's up?” I asked. She smiled. “Oh, hey Aurora. I'm just takin' a little break from bucking apples. Actually, I'm waitin' for a friend to come by,” she said. “Oh, anypony I know?” I asked. She smirked. “I don't think so,” she said. That's when I saw a light aquamarine gray form coming down the hill to me and AJ. The smile on Applejack's face was ear to ear. I'd never seen her that happy. The pony approaching had a dark gray indigo mane with dark indigo and opal highlights, and I could see that her eyes shined a bright opal. Applejack was straightening her hat for some reason as the pony finally got to us, and I could see her cutie mark was a yellow star surrounded by five eighth notes of different colors. “Hey, AJ,” she said, her eyes twinkling as she greeted the earth pony, who in turn blushed slightly. “Oh, hey, Rara. This is Aurora, Twilight's old friend,” she said. I smiled, tipping my hat to Rara. “It's a pleasure to meet you, Aurora. My name's Coloratura, or Rara for short,” she said. I gasped. “Coloratura? As in Countess Coloratura? The famous pony pop star? Oh my Celestia, I can't believe it!” She smiled sheepishly. “Yeah, I was, but I don't call myself that anymore,” she said. Applejack smiled. “I've known Rara since we were filly's at friendship camp. She's my best friend,” she said, as Rara blushed slightly. My eyes widened. They'd known each other since they were filly's and from the looks of it, they had feelings for the other that they weren't admitting yet. I smiled. “Hey, Rara, I came by to tell Applejack that Octavia dropped out as Arwen in my movie,” I said. Rara nodded. “Yeah, AJ's been telling my all about it. It sounds so great,” she said. I smiled. “Well, the part is open, and it's a part that is extremely important to AJ's role of Aragorn. You'll have fight scenes and wear beautiful dresses,” I said. Rara giggled, nodding. “You will have a kissing scene or two between you and Applejack, are you okay with that?” I asked. She and Applejack blushed, but she nodded. I grinned. “Great. We're going to have the first read through in a few days, at Twilight's castle. Will you be able to make it?” I asked. Rara nodded. I smiled, tipping my hat. Deciding to take my leave, I said goodbye to Rara and Applejack, and headed back for Twilight's castle, making sure that the script be delivered to Rara tomorrow. For right now though, I'm going to go back to Twilight's castle and put on some tea. I need it after all this.