Hey, I'm back.  Nothing really to say here, except to say thanks to tenshiamanda and Black-as-Knight14 for reviewing and telling me what they think.  I really appreciate it, guys.  So, here's more about the ponies!

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Disclaimer: I forgot to put in the last Chapter that I don't own the whole Fellowship/Ring/Quest idea either, so I own part of the plot, but only the parts with the horses.  I also don't own Gandalf or Frodo, but I still own the cute ponies!

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This is once again dedicated to Kristy, who has always believed in me and my writing, and gives me and will and motivation to carry on.

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         The mare pulled the cart up the hill with surprising ease.  Though she was quite small, her body seemed to possess a great wealth of strength that never ebbed.  Frodo watched in amazement as she pulled him and his friend to the top.  The sun shone on her chocolate coat and played in her ebony mane, highlighting every movement of her body.

         Finally, the cart reached the flat peak of the hill.  Gandalf stopped the horse, allowing her unnecessary time to rest.  He dropped the reins, and used this opportunity to gaze upon the land before him. 

         The back side of the hill was much less steep than the front, and it flowed down into a great field that stretched as far as the eye could see.  The tall grass and shrubs swayed in the light breeze that tore through the pasture.  A small stream cut through this field, dividing the area into many large areas, providing water for all. 

         Though the wizard found this huge expanse of undeveloped land quite astonishing in itself, what really opened his eyes were the ponies that were grazing on it.  The field was dotted with many-colored shapes, each one unique from the next.  There were about 25 ponies in all, making a up a small herd.  As Gandalf looked around, he spotted the black one that had stood on the hilltop.  Realizing that he must be the lead stallion, the wizard began comparing him to the others.  There was indeed a resemblance among them all; they all possessed the large eyes and joints, and each pony had the same curly coat and wavy mane and tail.  But what are these ponies doing in the Shire? Gandalf thought to himself.

         Frodo turned to the wizard, hope in his eyes.  "What do you think, Gandalf?"

         "This is... quite a change indeed, Frodo Baggins," the wizard answered uncertainly.  "But, what exactly are they?"

         The hobbit grinned.  "They're hobbit ponies, Gandalf!  Well, Tibboh Seinop is their proper name, but it's such a mouthful that we just call them 'ponies'."  He paused, but went on when the wizard didn't say anything.  "That black one over there?  The one that was on the hill?  That's Bilbo's, and he's the leader of the herd.  You know, it was Bilbo's idea to bring these ponies into the Shire.  Now, that one over there..."

         It was here that Gandalf cut him off.  "Why exactly are the ponies here, Frodo?  Why did Bilbo bring them into the Shire?"

         This question seemed to catch the curly-haired hobbit off guard.  His eyes became worried, as if remembering something painful, and he turned away from the wizard to look out over the herd below.  There was a long moment of silence between them, and the only sounds that could be heard on the hill were those of the ponies in the field eating and playing. 

         It seemed like an eternity before Frodo broke the silence.  He spoke in barely a whisper, not turning away from the ponies to look at Gandalf.  The wizard had to lean closer to the hobbit to hear what was being said.  "They didn't stand a chance....

         "Some months ago, when Bilbo was just starting the preparations for his party, rumors came that some hobbit-folk on the outskirts of the Shire were hearing strange voices and noises outside of their houses.  They were not the shouts of a fellow hobbit, but rather of some creature that we knew nothing of. 

         "Us hobbits further in the Shire thought nothing of these rumors, for information can become twisted over long distances, and even the clearest message can become incomprehensible.  But the messages continued to come, until they were nothing more than cries for help.  Bilbo was the only one of us who thought that these messages could be true, and so one night, he left Bag End for the outskirts of the Shire.  I insisted to be allowed to come along, and he finally agreed.

         "We walked all night and reached the edge of the Shire just as the sun broke over the peaks of the Ered Luin.  As the light increased, we were met with a sight that will linger in my mind for all time.  For there, fleeing across the plain away from the Brandywine River, was what looked like a family, a family of Men." (A/N: I don't think that hobbits called them "people" or "humans", but it wasn't a family of gay men, alright?)

         At this point of his recount, Frodo stopped, and Gandalf feared that the hobbit would not continue.  But after a moment, his voice rose out again, as soft and weak as before.

         "They were on foot, carrying all of their belongings either in their hands or on their backs.  It seemed that they had been running for a long while, and that their stamina was spent.  The smaller ones lagged, and the older ones stumbled so that their progress was painfully slow.  This was the closest that Men had ever been to the Shire, and Bilbo and I feared that one of them would turn and see us.  But they neither turned nor seemed to realize where they were.  They seemed to be so frightened by their pursuer that it didn't matter where they ran, just so long as it was away from him.  And when he came into view, we understood why.

         "Their pursuer was a man as well, cloaked, and armed with a bow and a sword.  He rode atop a tall horse, golden as the sun and swift as the wind.  The distance between hunter and prey shrank, until," and here Frodo shuddered.  "until he caught them."

         The hobbit stopped, not wanting to elaborate on what the man did.  Expecting more, Gandalf waited.

         "Afterwards, Bilbo seemed quite upset.  We took the rest of the day to return to Bag End, with my uncle muttering and planning all the way.  We were not far from home when he took me aside. 

         "'Frodo,' he said to me.  'What you saw this morning was a warning, a message sent to us Hobbits for whoever would listen.  That family would not have been caught had they had horses as well.  Dark times are upon us, my boy, and we must be prepared.  We Hobbits mustn't allow ourselves to be caught.'  And with that he set off once more, still talking to himself in hushed tones."

         Now was the first time that Frodo turned to look at Gandalf since he had started his tale.  The wizard was surprised to see tears forming in the ice-blue eyes.  "As soon as we reached Bag End, Bilbo announced that he would be leaving for a few days to take care of some important business.  Two days later, he returned with Smaug," Frodo turned and pointed to the black lead pony. "Escandil," He pointed to a dark chocolate brown pony. "Kelandri," He pointed to a smokey grey pony. "Rovirdil," He pointed to a rust-colored pony. "and Nrimalar." He pointed to a golden pony.  "They are the five original Tibboh Seinop, out of whom the entire herd has formed."

         Seeing that Frodo had finished, Gandalf stepped in.  "Did Bilbo tell you where he acquired these five?"

         "No," Frodo answered.  "When I asked him, my uncle changed the subject, so I pursued it no further."

         The wizard nodded.  "I see.  Do the ponies belong to anyone?"

         Frodo smiled.  "Smaug is Bilbo's, and he gave Escandil to me.  The others have no owners yet."

         This seemed to satisfy and confuse Gandalf at the same time.  "So these ponies are meant to help the Hobbits flee from danger should they be attacked.  But why are there so few of them?  There are surely not enough Tibboh Seinop in this herd to save the entire Shire.  What do those who do not have one think?"

         Frodo quickly cast his eyes downward.  "Well, you see, Gandalf, not everyone knows about them.  This field used to belong to the Brandybuck family, but then Bilbo bought it from them to house the ponies and didn't tell anyone.  Since it's private property, no one ever comes back here, and Bilbo's only told enough hobbits about them so that each would have one.  As the herd grows, so will the number of hobbits who know."

         "That Bilbo," Gandalf muttered.  "Always getting in over his head.  Frodo, did you ever think about what would happen if you Hobbits were attacked tomorrow?  What would those who didn't know think when they see you and your uncle galloping to safety on ponies?  Isn't that quite a big risk to take?"

         Frodo considered this for a moment, then sighed, defeated.  "You're right, as always, Gandalf.  I shall announce the existence of the Tibboh Seinop at Bilbo's birthday party tomorrow."

         "That's a good lad, Frodo my boy." Gandalf said, patting the hobbit's shoulder.  "Now, what do you say about us going to see that uncle of yours?"

         "No thanks, Gandalf," Frodo answered, turning to get out of the cart.  "I think I'll stay here with the ponies."

         "Very well," the wizard said.  "I shall see you at the party, then."

         Frodo got out of the cart, and turned to Gandalf, who was preparing to turn the cart.  "Bag End is just over that ridge over there.  Why don't you let your horse out of the cart and let her graze with the herd?"

         Gandalf chuckled.  "Frodo, my boy, you never cease to amaze me.  I'm afraid that wouldn't be a very good idea.  You see, this is nothing more than a common cart horse, borrowed from my friend of afar.  I cannot trust that this horse would stay within the borders of the field, and my friend would be quite disappointed if she was to run away."

         Seeing the confused and let-down look on the hobbit's face, Gandalf smiled.  "You still have much to learn about horses, Frodo Baggins.  Why, any common horse would run for freedom as soon as he was let loose.  What were you thinking making that offer?  Did you believe that I had come with Shadowfax, lord of all horses, hitched to my cart?"

         With that, the wizard turned the cart and started back down the hill, leaving a disappointed Frodo behind.  The hobbit didn't want to admit it, but he had believed it.

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I know it was really long, but I hope it cleared up some of your confusion (if you had any) about the Tibboh Seinop and why they were in the Shire.  Thanks for reading, and please review!  Thanks!