Introduction: Rainbowland
Saruman stood baffled, the wind ruffling his shimmering cloak as he gazed on what should have been a moonlit landscape. The trees rustled in the breeze, reflecting the bright greens of summer in a dancing spectacle. The sky was blue, the clouds white, and a strange, mystical rainbow waterfall poured out of the rock on a nearby cliff-side.
The Ring-maker examined his precious-above-all-else treasure, the one he had striven with all his knowledge and might to create: his precious Morauta, the ring of black metal, set upon his right forefinger; the runes etched onto its surface were glowing dimly blue, as if hiding a great power. For indeed they held the power to summon or dispel the very elements, and amplified Saruman's powerful voice; and it answered to no higher ring, he had made sure of that. He took comfort at the sight of it, its familiar presence filling him with hope against all despair. Thinking back on what had happened, there was much cause for despair.
His home and his culminating work, Isengard, had been destroyed by the Cunorto, a terrible demon that he had ensnared and empowered under the impenetrable tower Orthanc to be used later in his war against Rohan. Saruman rued the fact that he had fled Isengard and taken refuge on Methadras, the nearby mountain, after the demon escaped its iron prison and slaughtered his army. For in that hour, he had feared for his life; he had been at the gate of Isengard when the vile thing broke loose, standing between him and the great tower. And the energy it would have taken to dominate such a monstrosity was beyond him, and Cunorto knew it. Thinking about it now, Saruman supposed that Cunorto would try to get away from Isengard and get to Sauron, feeling his presence as one would a fell wind.
Saruman, dismissing the thought, walked out of the damp cave entrance he stood in and over to a small precipice. He surveyed the lands, dimly realizing that he was probably nowhere within the walls of Arda anymore, but instead in an entirely different world. The sun appeared dimmer in this world than it had in Arda, but the colors were--much to Saruman's annoyance--achingly vibrant in this world. They made his new cloak appear rather whitish after all. That might need to be changed.
Having no clue how he started in a cave on Methadras and ended in Rainbowland, he sat down upon a boulder and covered his hands with his face as a wave of sorrow for his loss and loneliness swept over him. But, composing himself, he thought over his options. He had already tried returning to the cave several times, to no avail. He could think of no explanation for the spontaneous teleportation...or was it spontaneous? Perhaps a greater power had intervened, preventing him from returning to Isengard...but why? He was not much of a threat now that his greatest weapon had turned against him. Or maybe this was somehow Cunorto's doing? No, that would be nothing short of impossible.
Redirecting his thoughts, Saruman gazed around him. It was about noon, assuming the heavens operated in Arda-fashion. He wouldn't need food for another day or two, and water wasn't likely to be a problem here--there was a large waterfall nearby, forcing a river through the heavily forested lands ahead. He would travel on foot, carrying with him only his staff and his precious ring. As he looked out at where the forest ended in the distance, he suddenly caught sight of something out on the plains....a village, it seemed to him. Well, that was lucky, he supposed, considering the alternative was foraging in the wilds anyhow.
As Saruman trekked off down the mountain and into the forest, he couldn't help but notice that he was being watched. He smiled, glad for the opportunity, and as the giant creature leaped at him, he spun around and thrust out his staff at it, blinding it with a bright flash. He was keenly aware that he hadn't performed that trick in a very long time. Gandalf would be proud. Saruman smiled malignantly.
The creature seemed to be a large serpent with...a chicken head? Saruman looked into its red eyes before feeling a cold sensation seize his feet, crawling up his legs. He found he was unable to move them, as they had been...what?! Saruman furrowed his brow, before blasting the creature away from him, sending it crashing through several trees before it finally came to a stop. The boom echoed throughout the entire forest, scaring away any lesser animals within a huge radius. Ancient trees creaked as they fell to the ground, their long-lived forest-guarding at an end. Saruman did not much care for trees or wildlife, but they served their purpose, except when they got in his way. He looked down at his feet again, relieved he was once again able to move them. "This world certainly won't be short of interesting trials for me," he thought. "At least it doesn't seem to be devoid of power, as I feared it would. That would make things far more irritable than they already are." As for the loud blast alarming the village, he knew that fear always brought out the worst in people. It gave him a timely opportunity to direct things his way--when there was fear, Saruman could manipulate people at his leisure.
No more wasting time. Saruman wanted to be away from this spot; he had much to do. Figuring out whether this world was worth it or not would take time, and a lot of sneaking...he must not be seen, until he had learned all he could and frightened the townsfolk enough to get them in place, though the latter was less important. His voice would find its way into everyone's heart, willing or not. And it was unlikely he would even be sought out before he had the entire village in his sway; he already had a plan to skirt the village, plundering the houses on the edge of the forest, searching for information, before making his grand appearance. As he dashed away from the destruction, almost invisible and nearly silent, he thought he could feel the slightest hint of a presence in the darkness. A presence far more sinister than the one he had just faced in the open. Something else (or someone, for that matter) must be watching him. He could almost feel it enclosing around him in the darkness. Hurrying off into the shadowy undercover, he continued on his path toward the village.
Chapter One: A Series of Uncommon Events
Pinkie Pie and a host of other celebrating ponies screamed as a distant boom encompassed the town square. After a bit of panicked running for cover and some fainting, all eyes turned toward Pinkie Pie as she started laughing loudly. "Now THAT was a doozy!!" she hollered, her eyes huge and watering from laughing so much.
Flutttershy bravely flapped her wings to try and get above the houses to see where the boom had come from. "I don't see any clouds," she whispered.
"WHAT!? Well of COURSE there has to be clouds, silly! You can't have thunder without clouds!" Pinkie objected very loudly. The other ponies, all clad in costumes, were looking around nervously for someone to explain what had happened. However, as neither Twilight nor Trixie had attended the party, there was complete silence.
Derpy Hooves piped up. "I think it was---"
"Be quiet, Derpy!" interrupted a grey colt with a black mane. "What would you know about loud noises? Besides the ones you make, I mean." Several townsponies snickered at this, and Derpy shied to the back of the crowd. Before Pinkie Pie could finish yelling "Hey! That wasn't nice!" and begin lecturing the grey colt who was looking at her smugly, Rainbow Dash shot down from the sky, swooping over the croud three times before settling nimbly down on one of the roofs. Pinkie shouted at her.
"Rainbow DAAaaash! That sonic rainboom sounded GREAT! It scared the fillies out of us!' Everypony laughed at her choice of wording.
Rainbow inclined her head towards Pinkie, looking incredulous. "What'd'you mean, Pinkie Pie? I didn't do that! I was just flying down here to let you guys know that something exploded in the Everfree Forest! It knocked down a whole bunch of trees, and..." her voice was cut off by another loud boom that engulfed the entire courtyard with noise, shaking the houses and shops and causing everypony to crash to the ground. Rainbow Dash instantly shot off toward where the sound had come from while the other ponies scrambled back onto their hooves, desperately trying to catch up to no avail.
