> In the fields of Equestria
>  by Eltirions
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Prologue
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

In the Timeless Halls sat Eru Ilúvatar, and gathered all around him were the Ainur, many of them, all singing in accordance with the themes He had set.

It had been a time of great upheaval lately, or at least as such things were considered in these Halls. The Valar had laid their guardianship of Arda down and surrendered to Eru’s wisdom, and with what His Children would have called a heavy heart Eru had unmade the Isle of Númenor and its peoples. It pained Him greatly to do so, but unlike His other Children - and indeed, all His creations - Men were free to make their own choices, and they had made them and paid the price.

And Eru had reshaped Arda, more fully than the Valar had ever done in all their wars against Melkor, called Morgoth now. The land the Valar had chosen as their home had been placed beyond the reach of all but the Elves, and the World itself had been rounded, a further step towards the Dominion of Men.

And now, Eru had before Him the Empty Lands, called the Lands of the Sun by those few who had heard of them. They had lain at the eastern end of Arda, but with the rounding of the world there was no eastern end, and so the lands had been removed from the circles of the world like their counterpart in the west.

These lands, however, bore no habitation. No Child of His had ever lived there, and no animal had ever made their home there. The Lands were very much empty, as their name suggested.

Eru, however, did not wish to cast them away. These lands still had a part to play in the Music, even if they were now separated forever from Arda.

Eru rose, and began to orchestrate a new Theme. The Ainur were greatly surprised, but did not question their lord, and they joined Him in music.

The Lands of the Sun were placed in a realm not too dissimilar from Arda; indeed, Eru did not wish to waver overly much from His original design. But changes would be made.

The Lands of the Sun had been much like Aman, shaped like a half-moon, with a dominating mountain range mirroring the Pelóri on the western coast that bent east in the south, cleaving the Lands in two. They were not as big as Aman; still, they were a considerable size.

Eru would reshape these lands, so they fit His plan. And He sang them apart, creating three continents where one had been, and replacing the geography until none could recognize these lands had once been the Lands of the Sun.

So satisfied, He moved to place these lands into their new plane, when a question arose from one of the Ainur, asking what He would place on these lands.

But Eru would not fill these lands. He would wait and see if anything did happen, and He informed the Ainu of as much.

The Ainu agreed with this, but then suggested that a watcher be appointed, so that if life did form they would know of it.

Eru agreed with this too, and then appointed the Ainu who had spoken to be the watcher of these lands. The Ainu was humbled, but agreed readily to the task, and set to it at once.

Eru moved His attention back to the lands, and considered if anything more ought to be done to them, when he heard a call from Ulmo.

‘’What bring you before me, Ulmo?’’ Eru asked perhaps His most determined Vala.

‘’A humble request, Father, for one who has both wronged and done right by me and many others. I speak of Kanafinwë Makalaurë Maglor Quentaro, one of your Children.’’

Eru, perhaps, would have raised one of His eyebrows, if He had them. ‘’What request do you have for him, then, that you and your brethren cannot fulfill yourselves?’’

‘’Maglor will not find peace in Valinor, and he will wither away if he continues to stay in Arda. He needs a place away from his troubles, where he can find healing, and I know not of anywhere he would be able to in Arda or Aman.’’

Eru heard the pleading tone Ulmo tried to keep out of his voice. ‘’Worry not, my child,’’ He said in a reassuring tone. ‘’I will do as you ask of me. There is a place for Maglor beyond Arda where he can heal his wounds in peace. Nothing will pursue him there.’’

‘’Not even the Oath?’’

Eru did not need to think about that for overly long. ‘’Not even the Oath,’’ He confirmed. ‘’I will take him now, unless you deem it to be otherwise.’’

‘’There is nothing more I can do for him,’’ Ulmo replied with regret. ‘’Take him, then.’’

Eru found Maglor without a problem. ‘’A wave, if you please, Ulmo,’’ he requested.

He felt more than heard the amusement of Ulmo as a great wave came and swept away Maglor. If he wanted - and if Eru had allowed him - he could have easily stepped back and fled from it, but instead Maglor watched the oncoming wave with pained eyes, and did not even try to resist as the water swallowed him whole.

So submerged, Eru then took Maglor and moved him from Arda to the new plane he had made. There, he placed Maglor on the western shore, and willed him to sleep, sleep until life had sprung up on those shores.

Now, everything was in readiness. And so satisfied, Eru resumed his seat and waited.
> Chapter 1: Tulusta mi Nícaroccost
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The train pulled into Ponyville Station in the way trains usually did: gently with a sudden stop.

Rarity frowned at the smell of the smoke rising from the front of the train. It was not at all a pleasant thing to enter one’s nostrils, and for the life of her Rarity did not understand how she was the only one out of her and Sweetie’s friends who appeared to be bothered by it. She would have to take a bath as soon as possible.

The train, it seemed, had objections to her desire for speed, as it took far too long for its doors to open. Longer than normal, in Rarity’s opinion.

A host of ponies emerged from the now-opened doors, chatting and making all noises that crowds emerging from crowded spaces are wont to make. Rarity kept an eye out for her parents and sister; however, given the general crowdedness, it was not an easy task.

Now if only-

All three of them took a step back as an immensely tall creature, easily twice the height of a pony, emerged from the train. Behind it were Sweetie and her parents, talking merrily.

‘’Sweetie?’’ Rarity tentatively asked. ‘’Mum, dad?’’

All three looked away from their conversation with broad smiles on their faces. ‘’Hi Rarity!’’ Sweetie was the first to greet her. ‘’We’re back!’’

‘’I can see that,’’ Rarity noted absently, ‘’but what is that?’’

The creature looked at her, and its eyes seemed to shine with a strange light that looked like that of the sun, but more… Rarity couldn’t find the right word for it, but it was most certainly unnerving.

Besides that, she noticed some other things; the creature had long, uncombed dark hair, and clothes that looked like they would fall apart at the slightest breeze.

‘’My name is Maglor. I am an Elf,’’ the creature who was evidently called Maglor answered. ‘’I apologise if I have caused you distress, my lady. It was not my intent.’’

Well, at least he - based on the voice, Rarity assumed the Elf (which she had never heard of before, but that could wait for later) was male - was polite. It would be rather discourteous to not return the favour. ‘’You are forgiven, Mr Maglor.’’

Maglor nodded once. ‘’Your family has been most companionable in the time I’ve known them, when they’ve had little cause to do so.’’

‘’Mr Maglor!’’ Rarity’s father said, clearly affronted. ‘’Sweetie found you dwelling on the beach at night, with barely any food or water on you! We couldn’t just let you freeze to death!’’

‘’And I am grateful for it,’’ Maglor replied, before bowing to Rarity’s family in a way that was very similar to a normal bow. ‘’I shall have to repay your generosity somehow.’’

‘’Nonsense!’’ Rarity declared rather firmly. ‘’If things are truly as dire as your words suggest, then it is only right they invited you in!’’

She was not the Element of Generosity for nothing, thank you very much.

‘’If you want to, you can stay with me, darling,’’ she continued. ‘’In fact, I must insist you do so, if you cannot afford a place elsewhere.’’

Once again, Maglor bowed, this time to her. ‘’Very generous of you, my lady…’’

‘’Oh, pardon me!’’ Rarity exclaimed, scandalized. ‘’My name is Rarity Belle, and it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance.’’

‘’The pleasure and honour is mine, lady Rarity,’’ Maglor said. ‘’And then, you two little ones must be Scootaloo and Apple Bloom.’’

The two fillies, who had - rather miraculously, in Rarity’s opinion - kept silent during the conversation, mostly from awe if the size of their eyes was to be believed, finally spoke. ‘’I’m Scootaloo, mister!’’ Scootaloo said.

‘’And Ah’m Apple Bloom!’’ Apple Bloom added. ‘’Nice to meet ya!’’

‘’It is nice to meet you too,’’ Maglor replied very courteously. ‘’Sweetie has told me a good deal about all three of you, and about Ponyville.’’ He lifted his head up and looked around. ‘’It looks beautiful.’’

Beautiful was not the word Rarity would have used for Ponyville, but perhaps Maglor saw something she didn’t. Unlikely, but still.

‘’I’m tired,’’ Sweetie quite abruptly declared.

‘’In that case,’’ Rarity’s mother said, ‘’I think it’s time to head for Rarity’s home.’’

‘’Indeed,’’ Rarity agreed. ‘’It’ll be tight with everyone, but it ought to be fine.’’




|-x-X-x-|




It did indeed fit, though the second part of Rarity’s prediction proved to be true too. Carousel Boutique was not intended for five people to stay in; at least one person would have to sleep in a room that was not made to sleep in.

As such, they had to improvise. Rarity had, with some small amount of hesitance, asked Appleboom to go to her sister and ask if they had any spare mattresses. Hopefully she’d return soon.

For now, of course, it was not so much of a problem. Maglor was comfortable enough sitting on the ground, or so it appeared.

‘’Do you want any tea, darling?’’ Rarity offered. ‘’Some biscuits too, perhaps? Or something else? I’m not certain what your kind eats, but I can try my best to find you something to your liking.’’

‘’Tea would be wonderful, my lady,’’ Maglor answered. ‘’So would a biscuit or two. If you can spare them, of course.’’

‘’Don’t worry about that, darling. I’m always happy to share what I have with those who need it more.’’

With that said, Rarity turned and headed for the kitchen. Once there, she made two cups of tea - one for Maglor and one for herself - and three glasses of lemonade. Why her parents refused to drink tea, Faust only knew.

Once all the drinks had been prepared, Rarity retrieved the tray of biscuits from the counter and then made her way back to the living room, where she saw her parents conversing next to each other, while Sweetie was sitting next to Maglor, talking animatedly with him.

‘’You should sing again!’’ Sweetie said excitedly. ‘’Your voice is very beautiful!’’

‘’Thank you.’’ Maglor inclined his head. ‘’Perhaps later I shall sing again.’’

Rarity put the various drinks and the biscuit tray down on the table. ‘’Here you go, darlings.’’

‘’Thanks Rarity!’’ Sweetie chirped, before floating her glass over to herself.

‘’Thank you, my lady,’’ Maglor said with a nod. He leant forward and grabbed the cup with his… hands? Rarity seemed to recall that being the right term for those things.

‘’You’re welcome,’’ she replied with a nod back.

Silence fell, for a short time, as all of them enjoyed the drinks and biscuits Rarity had prepared for them. 

‘’So,’’ Rarity finally said, ‘’how did you come to meet my parents and sister. Mr Maglor?’’

‘’Well…’’
> Chapter 2: Vëasta o Tengwar
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Some time had passed since Maglor had arrived in Ponyville. A week, in fact. During this week, he had met many ponies, first and foremost of which were the five friends of Sweetie’s sister Rarity, the so-called Elements of Harmony. Maglor had whispered a quiet prayer to Eru that these Elements had been moved to a place called Canterlot; seeing jewellery like that would only bring back bad memories. 

But the Bearers themselves were nice enough, even if Pinkie had insisted on a party for him (which was far different from any party he’d ever attended, and he still wasn’t sure if that was a bad thing or not) and Twilight had asked far too many questions (about half of which Maglor couldn’t answer himself).

Of course, those were not the only ponies Maglor had met. Sweetie had two friends as well, Appebloom and Scootaloo. The trio rather reminded Maglor of Amrod and Amras, and the acts of mischief and chaos they got up to in Valinor, and even in Beleriand when the Ñoldor were still numerous and mighty.

Maglor was quietly impressed by the chaos the Cutie Mark Crusaders managed to cause on a daily basis. It almost matched that of his youngest brothers, though their tricks had (mostly) been planned beforehand, while the Crusaders’ chaos appeared to be accidental.

There were many other ponies that Maglor had met as well, but many of them only in passing, such as the brother and grandmother of Applebloom and Applejack. Or the Mayor of Ponyville, who’d taken care of some paperwork for him. Now he was actually a citizen of Ponyville and Equestria, instead of just a wanderer.

Maglor, if he was completely honest with himself, wasn’t sure if this was what he wanted. He was still sleeping in Rarity’s house, which was emptier now that her parents had headed to their home in a city called Manehattan. But, if he was going to stay in Ponyville for a longer time, he’d need his own home.

And there was, frankly, no way he could afford one.

He had no coin, and no instrument to play. He could try singing, of course, but it would take a long time before he would scrape enough gold - or Bits, as the currency here was apparently called - to buy a house for himself. And there was no way he was accepting more generosity from Rarity or her friends. They’d already given him much more than he deserved, but Maglor was polite enough to not refuse their offers.

One of those offers had been by Rarity; to repair his clothes. Maglor had protested, after all they’d served him well enough for thousands of years, but he hadn’t been able to convince Rarity that she shouldn’t bother herself, and now he had new clothes that were far more comfortable than he was used to. It was a very odd feeling, but Maglor wasn’t going to complain.

The sun shone down on him as he made his way through Ponyville, no particular destination in mind. He hadn’t yet had much of an opportunity to fully explore the town, and that was something he aimed to rectify.

The town was… well, rural. Certainly when compared to the great cities of stone that he had lived in in the past. But Maglor found he didn’t mind it that much; yes, he would have preferred being in a Ñoldorin city with all the things that encompassed, but residing in Ponyville was certainly better than wandering the coast for the rest of eternity.

Ponies still stared at him, obviously intimidated by his size and appearance. But more than a few also offered him smiles, and some even waved. Maglor made sure to smile as well, and waved back at the ponies who’d waved at him.

His feet, eventually, brought him to Twilight’s home, the Golden Oaks Library. A library inside a tree wasn’t entirely a novel concept to Maglor, but it wasn’t something the Ñoldor usually did. 

He knocked on the door, and Spike opened the door. ‘’Good morning, Maglor!’’

‘’Good morning to you as well, Spike,’’ Maglor returned the greeting. The idea of a friendly baby dragon had been a little difficult to wrap his head around, but the thing couldn’t even breathe fire for more than a few seconds, and barely came up to Maglor’s knee. It was hard to be afraid of that.

‘’May I come in?’’ he asked.

‘’Sure!’’ Spike pulled open the door further, then stepped aside to allow him in. Maglor had gotten used to bowing before entering through a door by now, but fortunately the ponies built their homes high enough that he could stand without being bent over constantly.

For a farming town, there was an impressive collection of books inside the library. Maglor couldn’t actually read any of them yet, as they were written in an alphabet that was distinct from any he’d ever seen.

‘’Twilight’s visiting Fluttershy,’’ Spike said before Maglor could ask where the unicorn was. ‘’But I can check out a book for you, if you want.’’

‘’That is not the reason I am here,’’ Maglor admitted. ‘’Obtaining a book from this library is rather premature if I can’t read its contents, no?’’

Spike frowned. ‘’You can’t read?’’

‘’I can,’’ Maglor said, ‘’but not these letters.’’ He gestured around at the room. ‘’They are very different from my own.’’

Spike nodded. ‘’Well, I think there’s a book for learning letters around here somewhere. Or there should be. If not I can always order it.’’

‘’That is kind of you.’’

Spike flicked a claw dismissively. ‘’Twi would have my scales if she found out I didn’t help you with something like this. She’s a little obsessive over her books.’’

Maglor chuckled. ‘’Rarity said something about that, yes.’’

‘’She was probably underselling it,’’ Spike declared, ‘’but you’ve got an idea, at least. I’ll go and look for that book for you, and then we’ll work on it together, alright?’’

‘’That’s kind of you, but I’m sure you have better things to do,’’ Maglor said.

‘’I really don’t,’’ Spike countered. ‘’I was just going to read some of my comics again. This will be something new, at least.’’

Well, Maglor couldn’t really refuse his help. And it would probably make things easier for him. But still…

‘’Very well then,’’ he agreed. ‘’If you’ve a quill and parchment, I will write down the letters of Tengwar so we can compare.’’

‘’Over in that cabinet.’’ Spike pointed at a wooden cabinet in the corner. ‘’Be right back.’’

Maglor quickly collected the quill and an inkpot, as well as some parchment, then sat down at the table and began to write out the Tengwar letters. His fingers were unused to writing after so many centuries of not using a quill, but after a few failed attempts he managed to get his muscle memory working again, and it went quite quickly after that.

He was just finished with the last letter when Spike reappeared, holding a small book in his claws. ‘’Here we go,’’ he said as he dumped the book on the table, then pulled out a chair next to Maglor and sat down on it.

‘’Wow. Those look way different from ours,’’ he remarked as he looked at the Tengwar.

‘’Indeed,’’ Maglor dryly agreed. ‘’Let’s compare them, shall we?’’

‘’Sure.’’

And so, an unlikely friendship was born.
> Chapter 3: Sanye o Aranel
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

A letter arrived a few days later via Spike, who could apparently transport such things via something called ‘’flame travel’’. Maglor was unsure he and Twilight were speaking on the same level when he had questioned how that worked, but in the end it mattered little how the letter had gotten to him; the contents, that was what mattered.

And the contents were very interesting indeed. Maglor had already known Twilight was the student of Princess Celestia, the ruler of these lands, but he had not known that Twilight had informed her mentor about his existence. But she had, and now the Princess had invited him over to her capital of Canterlot, which was actually visible in the distance quite clearly to him, even individual buildings discernable to his keen eyes.

Maglor had not expected to be invited to a private meeting with the Princess of these lands, but he could not say he was very surprised; he had told Twilight a little about himself, but his appearance alone was interesting enough that a meeting might be expected. After all, Maglor was fairly certain he was the only Elf in these lands; he had never come across another, nor had he found Men, Dwarves or any other race found in Middle-Earth. If they existed somewhere, it was far away from any place he had wandered to, and he had wandered quite far.

‘’Maglor?’’

He looked down - he had been doing that a lot in the past two weeks, and his neck had started complaining because of it, so he’d taken some time each evening to massage it - at Sweetie, who he’d been walking through the fields around Ponyville with for some time now. ‘’Yes?’’

‘’I just remembered something,’’ the filly said sheepishly. ‘’I was supposed to tell you that Twilight and Rarity wanted to speak to you. Something about that letter from Canterlot?’’

Hm. ‘’Then I suppose I’d best go and see what they wish to discuss, no?’’

‘’Okay!’’

Maglor patted the filly’s head, then they made their way back to Ponyville. Sweetie accompanied him until they reached the Golden Oaks Library, then she ran off to play with her friends again. Maglor waved her goodbye with a smile, then went into the tree.

Inside, Twilight and Rarity were both already seated at a table. The letter from Canterlot was spread out on it, and some other books were stacked up on a pile next to it.

‘’Maglor darling!’’ Rarity greeted. ‘’We’d thought you’d never come!’’

‘’My apologies,’’ Maglor said as he sat down in an unoccupied chair. ‘’I forgot the time.’’

‘’Quite alright, darling. You’re here now, after all.’’

‘’Indeed. What did you wish to discuss?’’

‘’Your invitation from the Princess,’’ Twilight answered. ‘’There’s a lot of important things you need to remember with her.’’

‘’I have some experience in meeting with rulers,’’ Maglor chose to diplomatically say; it was, of course, an understatement. ‘’But it has been a long time since I last did that. Perhaps a refreshment wouldn’t be amiss.’’

‘’Of course, darling,’’ Rarity agreed as Twilight nodded along. ‘’Twilight, darling, you know the Princess better than me, so go ahead.’’

‘’Right.’’ Twilight took a breath, then began to explain. ‘’Princess Celestia didn’t mention where she’d be meeting with you, but she usually has private meetings in her solar.’’

Maglor inclined his head; Maedhros had preferred to do the same. ‘’What can you tell me about the Princess? What is she like?’’ he asked.

Twilight’s eyes lit up. ‘’Oh, she’s regal, to start with! Kind, generous, and happier now that her sister has returned. But she’s ruled Equestria for over a thousand years, of course, so she can be stern and demanding, but never too much. She’s…’’

‘’Like a mother,’’ Rarity finished, watching for Twilight’s reaction cautiously.

‘’Precisely!’’ Twilight agreed. ‘’The mother of Equestria.’’

Well.

‘’I see,’’ Maglor elected to say. ‘’What do you think she wishes to speak with me about?’’

He could guess - and probably guess correctly at that - but he’d rather hear such things from someone who was the personal student of the Princess.

‘’I don’t know what the Princess would want to speak about,’’ Twilight said. ‘’I’ve written her about you, of course, but…’’

‘’She probably just wishes to talk, Maglor,’’ Rarity put in after a few moments of silence. ‘’About what, well that I couldn’t possibly guess at with any accuracy, but I would expect questions about yourself and your history.’’

Maglor hummed noncommittally. In truth he would rather not darken these lands with his history, but if the Princess of them commanded it from him, who was he to refuse? He was no prince here, just a Ñoldorin wanderer.

‘’Well, I think I can answer those questions,’’ he said. ‘’Is there any protocol I should follow or be aware of?’’

‘’That’s why I’m here, darling!’’ Rarity said. ‘’Allow me to explain, please.’’

‘’Go ahead,’’ Twilight said. ‘’You know it better than I do.’’

Rarity ignored that remark. ‘’So, when you have arrived at the palace, you will be escorted through the halls to the Princess’ solar. There, you will be announced by your escort, and then shown into the room.

When you come before the Princess, it is required that you bow, like so.’’ And Rarity demonstrated how a pony bowed, which was one of the more amusing and, frankly, weird things Maglor had seen in the last weeks.

‘’Of course,’’ she continued, ‘’if I was the one invited, I’d curtsy like a proper lady, not bow like a gentlecolt. But that’s neither here nor there. Once you have bowed, the Princess will ask you to take a seat, possibly indicating one for you. If not, sit down on an empty one. Do not begin conversation; such is the Princess’ right.’’

Rarity looked at him with a brilliant smile. ‘’That should cover the basics, darling!’’

‘’... I see,’’ Maglor said after a long silence. ‘’Thank you. That should help.’’

‘’I should hope so!’’ Rarity agreed. ‘’I think that’s everything from me. Twilight, darling, have you anything to add?’’

The aforementioned unicorn shook her head. ‘’I can’t think of anything. Thanks, Rarity.’’

‘’Yes, you have my gratitude, both of you.’’

‘’It was my pleasure, darlings!’’