LostArchivist
Sane, unfortunately.
- Location
- The State of Confusion
Nevermind, good point. So it's more likely to be "HERESY!" rather than just questioning everything.
...That might be more fun, anyway.
Reforged: aka Sauron Did Nothing Wrong (LOTR and Silmarillion/MLP)
- Thread starter Arawndil
- Start date
...That might be more fun, anyway.
Maximum Power
The Unchosen One
- Location
- The Ormulum
I love this, really I do. Have all of my red envelopes 🧧. The more "funny" approach to the Middle Earth characters is excellently done, managing to be entertaining without being overly cartoonish. I can barely wait to see Sauron's plans unfold!
- Pronouns
- She/Her
This was a fun treat to find. Easily the best take on Sauron's internal life I've seen. I can so easily see this version of the character being played for completely straight drama and working just as well as he does in comedy. You've also captured the Mane Six really well both their voices and their characters are spot on.
Luna and Olorin are also well done for the little we have seen of them. On that note making Discord a being from outside the song in a similar manner to Ungoliant was a good move, really helps sell his alienness to the world around him and also shows the ponies' great strength in being able to reach out and find common ground and peace with him regardless.
I honestly find myself hoping that at least one of the CMC does get a cutie mark related to the skills Ember is teaching them given how dispointing that storyline ended up in the show.
Luna and Olorin are also well done for the little we have seen of them. On that note making Discord a being from outside the song in a similar manner to Ungoliant was a good move, really helps sell his alienness to the world around him and also shows the ponies' great strength in being able to reach out and find common ground and peace with him regardless.
I honestly find myself hoping that at least one of the CMC does get a cutie mark related to the skills Ember is teaching them given how dispointing that storyline ended up in the show.
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I don't think he did.
Ungoliant naturally gave off something that was not from creation, her Unlight. Discord? Ever since Melkor originally threw his childish fit, discord has been a part of creation. And our buddy named Discord, as in the personification of that feeling (as far as Sauron is concerned anyway)? He represents something of creation as it was created.
Sauron doesn't seem to think so.
And Discord claims to not be part of what Sauron considers the order of things.
Not that either of them has exactly the most reliable of viewpoints, but still.
This has been interesting so far.
how did this video come up on my youtube recs literally a day after i read this
- Location
- Lake Wobegon
- Pronouns
- He/Him/His
Sauron approves of the algorithm's omniscience and efficiency.
GuesssWho
To Assemble A Name From Scars
- Location
- People's Republic of Treacle Mine Road
- Pronouns
- She/Her
I've had a few thoughts rereading this. First is that I want a pony maker so I can make pony!Sauron in it. Second that Sauron would probably be delighted by things like citrus, which the body really needs but often tastes like pain, because then you can hurt people for their own good in a whole new way. Third I can totally see this Sauron being semi-reformed but never noticing. Or really changing at all except that he's found people to be terrifyingly protective of. And calls them favored servants, because Sauron.
If I find a good pony maker I will absolutely make pony Sauron. And maybe pony Gandalf, and Gollum, and everyone I can think of.
If I find a good pony maker I will absolutely make pony Sauron. And maybe pony Gandalf, and Gollum, and everyone I can think of.
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GuesssWho's Fanart
GuesssWho
To Assemble A Name From Scars
- Location
- People's Republic of Treacle Mine Road
- Pronouns
- She/Her
Art! Sorry for the double-post and slight inaccuracy, it's hard to find a good picture of a forge in cartoon style LOL Spoilers because the pictures this thing makes are ridiculously big.
Sauron
And bonus Smeagol, because the disconnect between 'Smeagol-Gollum' and 'pony' seemed extra-hilarious:
Sauron
Interlude: The Warden
- Location
- United States
Interlude: The Warden
Luna was beginning to wonder if she had made a mistake.
"I'm just saying, black and red is a weird color scheme for someone who claims not to be the villain!"
"What would the drunken mistake of a blind taxidermist know about aesthetics? Nothing. The answer is nothing, you puerile tapeworm!"
It had made sense at the time, of course. Keeping an eye on Sauron would keep Discord out of trouble with a chance to earn back some trust, he would be able to stay out of sight easily, and he would also be able to act quickly if their new guest did anything rash.
"Did you at least grow a goatee or a curly mustache to complete the look? I mean, if you're really going to go with that branding, you might as well lean into it!"
"Why don't you be like a tree and burn to death, you wretched…wretch?!"
Luna had worried that Sauron might hurt some pony through accident or malice, or that he would unleash some darkness upon Equestria that they hadn't anticipated. She had never even considered that he would be so well-behaved that Discord would get bored and start poking the manticore.
"Oof, didn't quite stick the landing on that one, did you? Don't be nervous, though, it's not uncommon to have…performance issues."
And Gandalf was just sitting there, puffing on his pipe of strange incense, as if the pot in front of them wasn't boiling over and melting the stovetop!
"I will put a hole in you. I'll do it."
"Don't threaten me with a good time, Sparky!"
"No one is putting holes in anyone!" Luna finally snapped. She couldn't believe she actually had to say such things! "Discord, we shall discuss your poor decisions later. Go and take the rest of the night off."
The Spirit of Chaos gave her five thumbs up and produced a white plastic pool chair, which he then stretched out on languidly and began loudly slurping a colorful beverage.
Luna's eye twitched. "…Somewhere else, if you please."
Once Discord had finally left the dream, and they all waited a few seconds to ensure this was indeed the case, the Alicorn allowed herself a small sigh before turning back toward Sauron. "What in the world am I going to do with you?"
"Nothing, I should think," he snapped. "If you let that thing run amok across your realm with no leash but its own fleeting whims, a knife at your back still dripping from its last stroke, then why trouble yourself with the likes of me?"
"Discord is a known factor- we know how to deal with him," replied Luna, albeit with more confidence than she really felt. While it was true that the Spirit of Chaos had been thoroughly, as Celestia had put it, dis-incentivized from causing serious trouble by what he stood to lose by doing so, whether they be the strange social bonds he formed or the new amusements provided by actually participating in society, Luna knew perfectly well that she could not actually control him in any meaningful way, thus the current situation.
"You, however, are alien to us and to our culture," said Luna, narrowing her eyes at the spirit in front of her. "And what little we do understand about you does not inspire confidence."
"It does not matter how accustomed you have become to its presence," Sauron hissed, and the embers in Gandalf's pipe sparked with a maroon flame before the wizard grumbled and dunked it in his tea. "It should not exist. It does not deserve to exist!"
"That is not for either of us to decide," Luna snapped, and the Dreamscape around them became cloudy and opaque as the tension grew. "I don't know you. I don't trust you. So excuse me if I do not leave you unattended any time soon."
Sauron glowered at her, and she could sense his steaming irritability rapidly cool into something distant and inscrutable and cold. Luna was reminded once more that this was not a pony, was quite possibly not even a living creature as she understood the idea. She tried to avoid asking herself how alike 'he' really was to a pony, and how much he simply pretended to be.
How much Irmo and Gandalf pretended to be, came the thought unbidden, and she could sense the bearded Maia projecting a feeling of reassurance and…apology. Luna chose not to dwell overmuch on that.
"Is that how it is." Sauron nodded at her mechanically, and it seemed to her that he had come to some sort of decision. "Then I shall need to more clearly demonstrate my nature to you."
The Alicorn felt a surge of alarm, and the Dreamscape began to close in around them, roiling like a storm cloud as she gathered her strength. "We are not like Discord, Ember. We do not laugh off threats to us and ours."
The once Dark Lord jolted away from the shrinking boundaries of his dream, but his expression was not one of surprise or fear as she might have expected, but rather confused annoyance. "What is this nonsense, quadruped? Have I not made it clear that conflict with your brood does not interest me?" Sauron huffed in exasperation. "Leave me to my business, keep that rot out of my sight, and I will show you why I am a Smith."
The nascent hurricane churning around them slowly began to break apart, returning to the star-dappled aurora she had (naively) hoped would promote a calm atmosphere. Luna ran a hoof through her mane and willed herself toward serenity while restraining an undignified groan.
"Just…just don't give my sister a reason to get involved, alright?" It had taken a tremendous amount of convincing for Celestia to allow the Maia to come to Equestria, and Luna very much did not care to test the boundaries of her fellow Alicorn's understanding should their subjects be put at risk by her 'project'.
"And eat some proper breakfast when you get up!" called out Gandalf as Sauron began to fade back into the waking world.
"I know, I know! Stop pestering me you smog-belching fool…"
As the proverbial thorn in their sides vanished from the Dreamscape, Luna let out a breath and took a long sip of tea to cover her grimace. What a disaster- why in the world did I invite this walking migraine into my life?
"I think that went quite well!" said Gandalf mildly, blowing a fragrant smoke ring out into the ether while Luna stared at him incredulously over her teacup.
How can you possibly say that?! Are your expectations really that low? Just what kind of catastrophe were you expecting?!
"In what sense?" she asked.
"In the sense that, despite his rather colorful attempts, Ember failed to provoke Discord. Rather the opposite in fact, which I dare say is a new experience for him."
"They should not have been in such a position to begin with," Luna grumbled regretfully. "It was foolish of me to trust Discord with anything requiring restraint."
"That may be so, if your intent was for him to remain unknown and unnoticed into perpetuity, and all the while let Ember glare upon his neighbors with ever more delusional suspicion as to your source of information about him." Some of her annoyance must have shown on her face, as Gandalf coughed out some smoke and waved her off. "I speak with hindsight, of course, as those who think themselves wise so often do. It is easy to say 'it is raining' when your head is already wet, and regardless, I think that this could be a good opportunity."
"...For what exactly?" Luna asked with exasperation, putting aside a frustrated retort about the 'wise' and their love of pithy adages.
"For your exceptionally fortunate ward to relearn how to coexist with those that he dislikes, however vehemently, but that do him no real harm. It is a skill that most social creatures tend to take for granted, but seems to be largely forgotten when one dominates society for centuries and is violently intolerant to disobedience."
"Does he deserve to?" Luna couldn't help but ask. "Does he deserve the chance to learn, when he plainly has no desire to change his ways or to repent for the evil he has done?" She was not a fool- the Alicorn knew that, even if Nightmare Moon had ruled for a thousand years, she could not have inflicted a fraction of the wickedness that Sauron had in his ages of grinding, calculated tyranny. She did not doubt that her Ainur friends had sheltered her from the worst of the horrors, but she could fill in the gaps herself, and what they implied was worse than anything Equestria had seen since the time before the Three Tribes. And yet…
Would I have ever confronted the evil in my heart if I had not been forced to? Is that really the only way? Sauron was not an imminent threat to civilization like Discord or Tirek or even Nightmare Moon- she could not imagine that he could pose such danger in his current state, whatever his nature or past deeds. Even if they did wield the Elements of Harmony against him, Luna did not feel justified in taking the chance that he would be imprisoned in stone or withered to an emaciated husk or- as she privately feared- that he had been steeped in cruel obsession and vindictive malice for so long that there was nothing left underneath, and that he would be erased entirely and for all time.
"No, he does not deserve it," Gandalf answered solemnly. "But as you yourself have said, that is not for either of us to decide. Does that surprise you?" he asked, taking in Luna's expression. "He has been Judged. His victims, whether they be his enemies or the servants he indoctrinated and enslaved, are out of his reach for good or for ill. He can do them no further harm, and the only harm that he can undo is that which he has done to himself. It is not for us to weigh his deeds against one another on a scale, but to give him the chance to heal and to reclaim his true self."
"I am amazed that you can show him such compassion after the pain he has caused you and those you love. I do not think that I could have, had I been in your place." Luna could not have imagined ever offering Tirek or Sombra even as short a leash as she and Celestia had once placed on Discord, much less the relatively free life that Sauron was being permitted.
Gandalf puffed on his pipe and looked at her sharply with eyes like storm-clouds. "You think too highly of me. I have not forgiven him." Luna began to form a reply, but nearly flinched at the flicker of grief and wrath that escaped her friend, like the last cinders of a smothered fire being suddenly uncovered.
"Though he thought it only a few horrible moments, the truth is that an Age of the world passed between the destruction of Sauron's Ring and his judgment by the Valar. It is only now, after many centuries have passed since his final defeat, after the black soil of Mordor blooms for the first time since he touched it, after I have done the same for many worthier and more receptive souls scarred by his malice, that I have offered 'Ember' my unwanted aid."
"So yes, you think too highly of me," Gandalf smiled wryly, and the glib and grandfatherly sage Luna had befriended returned once again. "Moreover, I must confess that my motives for engineering this whole affair are mostly selfish."
"...I think that we ponies may have a different idea of what that word means. Perhaps you could explain to me how helping your worst enemy to live a happy and satisfying life is 'selfish'?"
"Because I refuse to fail my family again." Gandalf fumbled with his pipe and sighed. "You have spoken at times of your friend Princess Cadence. Would it be fair to say that you think of her as part of your family? Not by blood, and not as close to your heart as your sister, but something in the way of a favored cousin or niece?"
Luna blinked at the sudden change in topic. "I would say so, yes." Though the younger Alicorn had been born during her long years of exile, the Princess of Love had been fast to form a connection with Luna. Perhaps too fast for her preference, truth be told, but Cadenza had an intense and disarming earnestness about her that had made her efforts to bond with Luna feel genuine and heartfelt where nearly anyone else would seem presumptuous and overbearing. That she should be intimidated by an ancient being that had, until very recently, been a symbol of mythic dread for most of their kind did not seem to occur to her at all, and she quickly found a comfortable place on Luna's short list of friends and confidants.
"A long time ago, before spirits took flesh to dwell in and life as we now think of it was commonplace, I had such a companion." Gandalf said softly, and his speech grew slow and halting, as if he was choosing words carefully to describe things that could barely fit inside of them, like cups that were a single drop away from overflowing. "We did not use names then, as our identities were obvious to one another, but in essence she was *RADIANCEWARMHEARTH*".
Though she saw his lips moving, Luna felt rather than heard this last part, the Concept seared directly into her mind. Visions and sounds, emotions and sensations whirled through her mind at breakneck speed, and her head throbbed as her physical brain strained to process the sheer amount and density of information being conveyed to her. She unclenched her jaw and tried to relax her face to avoid the oncoming headache, and saw Gandalf wince at her expression.
"Ah, I apologize," said the Maia regretfully. "I was not certain how you would react to having a Concept communicated to you directly, being an Incarnate with a living body. Words shall suffice- we have no need to discomfort you for the sake of brevity."
It was difficult for Luna not to feel condescended to at times like this, as if her Ainur friends were lying on their bellies to look a mouse in the eye, but her faith in their friendship and mutual respect helped to take the sting out of it. "What was she like?"
Gandalf furrowed his brow in thought, cleaning out the bowl of his pipe before reaching for a small pouch that smelled like spring mornings. He scooped the pipe through its contents, and soon a wisp of savory smoke was winding through the air around them. "She was a fire for loved ones to tell stories around. Quiet but joyful, gentle but daring and bold. A moment at her side was more restful than the deepest slumber. She laughed more than she spoke, but listened more still. She loved to listen to others speak about their passions, to see through their eyes and to feel what they felt, and to reflect it back to them in new and exciting ways. She had a way of making everyone feel closer together, of making us celebrate our differences rather than merely thinking our own ideas to be correct. Perhaps if Mairon…"
Gandalf shook his head and sighed, a plume of dark smoke covering his face for a moment.
"But there was one whose passion outshone us all, whose overwhelming presence she became more and more drawn to, whom she began to listen to far more than she did everyone else combined. I shall not call him as we called him then, for that is lost to him, but after their awakening the Elves would call him Melkor."
Luna flinched at the echo of pain and terror that rippled through the Dreamscape, as if the very fabric of reality remembered that name and recoiled at its utterance. Luna quickly checked to see if any of her subjects had been disturbed in their slumber, but the Ponies of Equestria seemed not to have noticed.
"Her curiosity became obsession, and obsession became mania," Gandalf continued tonelessly. "Having ensnared her, the Enemy consumed her every thought, and when he began his war against Creation in earnest, she abandoned us without hesitation."
Gandalf paused for a time, and to Luna's horror hot tears began to stream down his face. "I did not see her again for a very long time. When I did, it was on the Bridge of Khazad-dûm, where we began our fight to the death." The Alicorn leapt to his side and wrapped him in a hug, which he leaned into gratefully. "I have never been a warrior by choice, and I did not march in arms against the Great Enemy in the Elder Days, but I heard the tales and felt the shadow of the Balrogath, the seven Demons of Might who served as his champions. I never dared to suspect that she was among their number until that moment, for those that did had thought to spare us the pain of the knowledge." Gandalf scoffed, and it was a bitter, ugly sound.
"I could feel the presence of my old friend, though like her form it was twisted and horrible, but she did not recognize me. I was just another insect to be crushed, as was anything that moved under the sun. There was nothing left of what made her who she was- the Enemy, the true Enemy, had hollowed her out and filled her with an abyss of malice and pain, with no respite but spreading that pain as far as it could reach. I can only hope that now she will be able to find the peace that was denied her for so long."
Luna felt sick. "Mel- the Enemy had that kind of power over others? To hear Ember speak of him, he seemed endlessly mighty, but ultimately a simple brute…"
Gandalf clenched his pipe until it snapped. "He had every kind of power- he was Power. He was, and is, Change itself, and he left his mark on everything he touched. The ground beneath our feet, the air we breathe, the very flesh and bones of every living creature are saturated with him. Sauron saw what he wanted to see, a useful tool that he could manipulate to his own ends, but the truth has always been the reverse."
"...What happened to your friend was not your fault," Luna said at length, hoping to offer some crumb of comfort. "You did the right thing, putting her out of her misery. From what you have said, she was many years beyond help."
"Perhaps," Gandalf mused. "But Curumo was not."
Luna searched her mind for that name- Ainur seemed to accumulate entirely too many of them. "Saruman? The traitor?"
"The war was won, and when I met him on the road to Bree, I had my final chance to take him under my wing, whether he willed it or not." He shook his head wearily. "But I was tired, more tired in victory than I had been in my thousands of years struggling against the Shadow. When he refused our offer of aid for the final time, I let him go, only for him to commit one last evil against my friends before being cut down by an abused servant."
"And you think that we have a chance of helping Ember after you lost your chance with Saruman?" asked Luna. "But was his not the greater evil by far? Why would he be any less likely to throw away his last chance out of petty malice?"
"Because he has no grudge against Ponies, nor they against him," replied Gandalf. "Because this is the first time in millenia that he can make a first impression not sullied by his reputation, and has been met with openness and kindness instead of terror or contempt. And because he has a tremendous advantage that Saruman, in the end, did not possess."
"And what is that?"
Gandalf gave her a conspiratorial smile. "Unlike Saruman, who chiefly desired admiration and power for his own self-aggrandizing, Ember still fervently believes that everything he does is for the betterment of others."
He chuckled wryly at Luna's expression. "Indeed, despite everything that has happened, and how twisted and baffling his rationale can be, he still somehow has good intentions."
Sauron glowered at the coals of his forge as he tempered the black steel head of the ballista bolt. A mighty work of craft, capable of warding off dragons and the great beast of the Everfree Forest, but entirely inadequate for threatening the Enemy. No, he would need access to far more exotic materials to make progress on that front. Perhaps it was finally time to explore those mountains to the west…
A/N: Kept you waiting, didn't I?
Oh Sauron, since you are point in fact creating a weapon it means that you are going to make killing Discord a personal thing, aren't you? Instead of making something subtle you are so pissed off that you just going to make something inherently violent.
Neruz
Rogue Spiderbanana
- Location
- The Land of Fire and Poison
Oh dear, here we go again.
On the bright side, given recent history the Ponies are quite used to dealing with the widespread collateral damage that Sauron forging things inevitably leads to.
LostArchivist
Sane, unfortunately.
- Location
- The State of Confusion
Heh. Well, after the battle levels a good chunk or two of the forest, they'll be the best of friends!
(Well, probably grudging acquaintances, but eventually...)
It's also nice to see more of the motivation behind his arrival, and I feel bad for Gandalf. Tolkien's setting, though, was always a story about the loss of uncountable wonders, so that doesn't surprise me that much...
(Well, probably grudging acquaintances, but eventually...)
It's also nice to see more of the motivation behind his arrival, and I feel bad for Gandalf. Tolkien's setting, though, was always a story about the loss of uncountable wonders, so that doesn't surprise me that much...
- Location
- Lake Wobegon
- Pronouns
- He/Him/His
I wouldn't say that. To do so would be frightfully rude.