Darcy and I used to go on roadtrips.

Big ones, that would span distances from state-to-state or the rare coast-to-coast.

We'd climb in the seats of whatever car that we'd stolen that particular week, and drive.

Darcy would pack it up with junk food and soda that she'd bought (with stolen money, she wasn't a saint). I'd be building the device needed for our short bodies to drive properly. We were always too short for the pedals, or the wheel. The music would be an utter bloodbath to pick- as I liked playing CD's of show tunes and country, while Darcy wanted to play the absolute loudest rock music, or anything that would annoy me to death (example, the worst of the worst of pop music, damn me for introducing her to that garbage). There was a compromise though- we both loved comedy songs (she'll deny it, but she loved comedies and parodies as much as me).

Anyway, I digress.

The point was that Darcy and I would go on long trips, with just each other and the open road for whenever we felt like settling down again. Just us, music, and winding roads. Not to mention us constantly bantering about pretty much anything- Author we should've recorded it, we'd be famous comedians by now if we had.

This was different than traveling with the Company on horseback.

For one, they had no air conditioning. Now, while I knew multiple cooling charms that would chill both my clothes and my body. There were electronics that I could used on my clothing that would make them walking air conditioners. Throw a rock on Earth, and you'd hit a store that sold small handheld fans. Even a child could make a paper fan! Middle Earth had plenty of rocks to throw, and paper to fold, but the people were too smart to ignore my having metal contraptions.

Also there were no headphones- or even radios. Yeah I could sing a tune better than any iPod (your aunt will say this is me bragging, but she's just annoyed that I can sing her favorite songs better than her so tell her to shut up), but even I needed to rest my throat occasionally.

That's not to say the journey was silent. Far from it, rather. The Dwarves spent a lot of our journey talking, or joking. They told stories of their pasts. Filled with laughter and adventure aplenty. Darcy would throw in a few of our own, editing certain details out obviously. Bilbo had kept silent, though. Sometime during his agreeing and our stopping for camp at night, Bilbo realized he'd made a big decision.

Last bit- horses were not the tan leather seats of an 80's car. I'd been a horse, that didn't mean I liked riding one for ten hours a day! I barely liked being on my feet for ten hours a day. This was fucking murder.

Now as I had said, we'd made camp for the night. I had set up a small tent for Darcy and myself, equipped to be larger on the inside. A complete accident that had happened when I first built the tent back Home- another side effect of having a percentage of Time Lord in my brain.

Most of the Dwarves fell asleep not long after dinner was had.

Darcy was playing a game of jacks, only she was using a small dagger instead of a bouncing ball.

I sat with the ponies, having a conversation with Lewis and Thorin's horse about how life on Middle Earth was treating them. Both stallions had nice things to say.

Thorin's horse- who'd been named something Dwarfish that he couldn't pronounce, big surprise, and chose the name Brutus- said that Thorin was a better riding partner than the others. It's as I held back laughter at the remark that Bilbo walked up.

Daisy neighed in delight.

"Hello, girl. That's a good girl." Bilbo petted the pony on the mane. Daisy preened in delight. Brutus huffed at it, which made me snort at him. The Hobbit was slipping his horse an apple. "It's our little secret, Daisy; you must tell no one. sh, sh."

"Why Master Baggins." I teased, walking over to a rock behind him. He jumped back in surprise. "Don't you worry. I wouldn't tell a soul." Lewis snorted. "Hush you."

Bilbo smiled, understand that I'd been teasing.

Which was when we heard the screeching.

I winced in discomfort. Across the camp, Darcy's head snapped in attention towards the screeches.

Bilbo looked over to the Dwarves. More specifically, the only two Dwarves among them that were in the shape and form of keeping the peace as my sister. Mostly because they were the only ones left awake.

"What was that?" Bilbo asked, in a 'hey shouldn't we all be terrified of the noise in the woods that doesn't sound at all nice and why do I feel like the only sane one here?'

Which I was trying not to take as an insult.

Afterall, I probably had to be insane by this point in my life.

"Orcs." Kíli answered, seeming to come to the realization as the screeching happened again.

Getting up off the rock, I sat closer to my sister. She was holding the small dagger now- no doubt telling herself that I'd kill her if she went after that Orc. She'd be right.

"Orcs?" Bilbo asked.

"Throat-cutters." Fíli clarified, smoking on his pipe. "There'll be dozens of them out there. The lowlands are crawling with them."

Kíli seemed to catch on to his brother's story. "They strike in the wee small hours, when everyone's asleep. Quick and quiet; no screams, just lots of blood." He explained to Bilbo. He became more somber with every word.

Bilbo turned away from them. His hands were gripping the end of his petticoat, his eyes were wide at the images no doubt dancing in his mind. His gaze-though only half focused- happened to land on myself and Darcy. We were glaring in the directions of the boys. They'd begun giggling at Bilbo's expression of fear.

"You think that's funny?" Thorin prompted. He got to his feet to glare down at his now startled nephews. "You think a night raid by orcs is a joke?"

Kíli lowered his eyes in shame. "We didn't mean anything by it." He apologized.

"No, you didn't. You know nothing of the world." Thorin remarked. He walked over to the ponies, staring out at the land below.

The two Dwarves were silent at that.

Balin walked up to their sides. "Don't mind him, laddie. Thorin has more cause than most to hate orcs." Bilbo moved to listen also. Out of everyone here, he knew the least about the Dwarrow King. "After the dragon took the Lonely Mountain, King Thror tried to reclaim the ancient dwarf kingdom of Moria. But our enemy had got there first."

Now, as Balin spoke, other Dwarves awakened. They sat up slowly- turning to Balin as he recounted the battle for us. Some must have heard this story for sure- though I doubt any besides Dwalin had heard it from Balin's own mouth.

"Moria had been taken by legions of Orcs lead by the most vile of all their race: Azog, the Defiler. The giant Gundabad Orc had sworn to wipe out the line of Durin. He began by beheading the King."

I took a quick breath to steady myself. Balin's tale had brought back images of the movie to me. Only in my mind's eye, Thror had be replaced by my sister. Azog replaced by Dominic Chamberlin.

Darcy sat closer to me, making sure her shoulder touched mine. She lowered her own head to rest on my shoulder. She might've known why I had suddenly gone so pale, why I was suddenly holding my arms close to my chest to hold myself together, why I refused to look away from this one lone leaf in the dirt.

"Thrain, Thorin's father, was driven mad by grief."

Feeling my sister die...like my heart being crushed inside my chest...finding it so hard to breath suddenly...

"He went missing, taken prisoner or killed, we did not know."

Knowing who killed her...knowing what I had to do now...knowing who I had to kill...wondering how many I would bless with death along the way...

"We were leaderless. Defeat and death were upon us."

Death's coming for you, Dominic...and she's ever so hungry.

"That is when I saw him: a young dwarf prince facing down the Pale Orc." Balin was continuing to explain.

Darcy just kept her head where it was, doing her best to comfort me by feeling her breath beside me. She adjusted herself once more, wrapping an arm around my waist. A shuddering breath came out of me- almost as if her arm had accidentally flicked a switch to start up my lungs.

"He stood alone against this terrible foe, his armor rent…wielding nothing but an oaken branch as a shield. Azog, the Defiler, learned that day that the line of Durin would not be so easily broken." Balin recounted for all of the awakened Dwarves. "Our forces rallied and drove the orcs back. Our enemy had been defeated. But there was no feast, no song, that night, for our dead were beyond the count of grief. We few had survived."

And he smiled. Balin looked over towards the King. Thorin was still standing vigilant over the cliff's edge.

"And I thought to myself then, there is one who I could follow. There is one I could call King." Balin praised.

Thorin turned- either not seeing anything or he wanted to tell us to end the story at that. He was met with surprise as all the Dwarves were standing on their feet, staring at Thorin in awe and devotion to a Dwarf who they all no doubt now saw as their King.

"But the pale orc?" Bilbo asked, drawing everyone's attention to his soft spoken question. "What happened to him?"

'Way to kill the mood Bilbo.' It took a lot of me not to snort at my remark.

"He slunk back into the hole whence he came." Thorin growled under his breath, all anger directed to the orc. He walked through the Company, back to where he'd been sleeping. "That filth died of his wounds long ago."

Gandalf tensed at that. My sister and I exchanged a knowing look before looking to Gandalf. He silently confirmed our suspicion- or at least implied there was little to prove and little to disprove what Thorin believed to be true.

Either way, I stood to my feet.

"Morgue-" Darcy began.

"I'm going to bed." With that I crawled into our tent. There was no chance I was getting any sleep tonight.

==AET==

Sword going through my neck

My daughter screaming for her mother

The light fading from Darcy's eyes

"Why didn't you see it?" She asked

Bringing her back...only for her to have a necklace made of scars around her neck...using magic to erase them but still seeing them there constantly.

"It was supposed to be you."

I shot awake.

Guess I really wasn't getting sleep tonight.

As I adjusted in my sleeping bag, I tried to settle my mind for sleep. Or at least enough for just lying down for a few hours. Sleep may come, sleep may not.

"Twilight asked me why we would make you in charge." Darcy whispered into the quiet of the night. "We were planning a takedown, and I was setting them up to put you on top. Twilight-the others too, I guess, wanted to know why."

I didn't encourage her.

I didn't tell her to shut up.

Which I guess in a way is encouraging her.

"I'd just killed Emily and George." Darcy went on.

The night she killed the parents that bore her, a familiar memory for us. It was the night her eyes changed from blue to purple. From when she had a home to none. From when I ignored her, to when I paid her attention like a proper sister should.

"You came home. Instead of like, you know, screaming and shit, you just cleaned it all up." Darcy explained. "And- and you just...kept cleaning them. All my life, you were with me and cleaning up after me. You yelled at me, when I screwed up big time-which I'll admit sometimes I deserved...but you kept on doing it. When it came time that I cleaned up your mess...I don't know...it felt like I got it. Got why you did it, for all those years. Even when a lot of people would've called the cops or killed me. You did it because a kid was in trouble...and no matter how hard I've seen you try, you couldn't ignore a kid in trouble...or anyone in trouble. It's just not who you are. That made you a hundred times better than that asshole...so I told the ponies that you were getting a crown on your head by the end of it all. Because it was high time you had one."

And though we were loath to admit it by morning...it was the closest we'd felt in years...and the nicest thing Darcy had ever said to me.

==AET==

As the downpour continued, I stayed secure under my hood. It not only served great as a Wizard hood, but a quick charm I remembered from Equestria had gotten the downpour to slide off my hood.

My sister was content to stay in the rain. V for Vendetta, and all.

The Dwarves around us...well they weren't less content...just...more annoyed. The rain had come suddenly to us. Few had rain protection, while the rest made do with their own hats and being wet.

Bilbo wasn't overjoyed at being soaked. He just went with it.

Which made him look like a wet kitten...so cute!

"Here, Mr Gandalf, can't you do something about this deluge?" A Dwarf asked over the downpour.

"It is raining, Master Dwarf, and it will continue to rain until the rain is done." Gandalf instructed. "If you wish to change the weather of the world, you should find yourself another Wizard."

"Darcy could stop it- if she remembered that thing I told her!" I prompted her.

Darcy groaned out- complaining. "But that was so ha-ha-hard!" She whined. Her head rolled back so her whine could be heard over the downpour.

I copied her movement. Groaning also. "Quit being la-la-lazy."

"You do it!" Darcy groaned in compliant.

"I never learned!" I argued.

"That's a lie!" She snapped. She had learned that I'd been elevated to Princess in Equestria, standard Alicorn form added on. Which meant I had wings.

"I never learned the breaking clouds part!" I corrected myself.

Darcy groaned, leaning her body against Missy's neck. The mare neighed in annoyance. "Why not?!"

"I got busy!" I excused. "There's been a lot going on- you know that!"

"Are there any?" Bilbo asked, bringing his pony behind our's.

Gandalf glanced over his shoulder to the Hobbit. "What?"

"Other wizards?" Bilbo clarified.

"There are seven of us." Gandalf answered. "The greatest of our order is Saruman, the White. Then there are the two Blue Wizards; you know, I've quite forgotten their names."

I glanced at my sister. :What are their names? I'm curious now.: I asked in American Sign Language.

Darcy and I had learned as kids, excited to have a sort of secret language on top of our Twin-Speak. We'd fallen in and out of the practice over the years. We'd had a refresher before Traveling here. Apparently Dwarves has their own Sign Language and-well simply put I like showing off. And using my hands while talking. Sign Language is a good combination of the two.

My sister smirked. :A-L-A-T-A-R and P-A-L-L-A-N-D-O. They're from a book published by Tolkien's son, with more ideas from L-O-T-R. They didn't have the rights to use the book in the movie, so they're nameless.: She signed.

:I get it now.: I signed back. :And I'm disappointed.:

:How so?:

:We could've had-: I paused to remember the Sign Names we'd given certain Actors.

Mine was the sign for 'dead' mixed with 'vacation'.

Darcy's was 'killer', and the letter 'D'.

Any Sign Name I was remembering was cut off by Gandalf's continued conversation.

"I am sure by now you know my two apprentices. They are quite new to our Order, I shall admit." Gandalf continued.

"Morgan the Pink." I reminded, bowing an imaginary hat on my head.

Darcy held up a peace sign. Or flipped the bird, I swear ever since she found out that's how Englishmen tell you to fuck off... "Darcy the Red."

"Yes. I am familiar with them." Darcy and I snickered- hidden beneath the downpour. "And who is the seventh?" Bilbo asked.

"Well, that would be Radagast, the Brown." Gandalf answered.

"Is he a great Wizard or is he...more like you?" Bilbo asked plainly.

"Are you insulting the Ladies too?" Darcy asked, challengingly.

Bilbo flustered. "N-no. Of course not."

"I think he's a very great wizard, in his own way." Gandalf admitted, looking at Bilbo with care at the indirect insult. "He's a gentle soul who prefers the company of animals to others. He keeps a watchful eye over the vast forest lands to the East, and a good thing too, for always Evil will look to find a foothold in this world."

"But he won't stop the rain." Darcy told Bilbo.

"You could do it, if you tried." I reminded her.

"Yeah, I could. But the sky is up there, and I'm down here. That's too far!" Darcy complained. "Plus I'd have to let my wings out. You didn't teach me how."

"It was the first thing I taught you to do!" I broke through her lie. "You wouldn't stop jumping off the top of the Center, just so you could use your wings before you hit the bottom."

She didn't dare show shame at being caught out in another lie. "Hard core death defying stunt. Nothing exciting."

"So will ya stop this rain?" A Dwarf asked. I should really learn all their names...this is getting ridiculous.

"I would, but this is probably the only bath any of you have gotten in weeks." Darcy snarked.

A handful of the lot laughed. Bilbo one of them-the only one with manners enough to cover it up as a cough.

==AET==

The rain stopped aged later. Or rather we'd rode beyond the rain.

Thorin led us towards an old abandoned farmhouse. "We'll camp here for the night. Fíli, Kíli, look after the ponies. Make sure you stay with them."

The Dwarves all nodded in acceptance. Everyone climbed off their horses to get ready.

Gandalf walked off to the farmhouse. I followed behind. Darcy went off to set up our tent.

As soon as I crossed under the barrier of the old door, I shivered. It was like...walking on a grave.

"A farmer and his family used to live here." Gandalf remarked.

I shivered again, rubbing my arms to get the horrifying chill out.

"Oin, Gloin."

"Aye?"

"Get a fire going."

"Right you are."

Thorin was walking towards us. Gandalf turned towards the Dwarrow King. "I think it would be wiser to move on. We could make for the Hidden Valley."

Thorin glowered at Gandalf. An action that I was most familiar with- despite knowing the Dwarf less than a month. "I have told you already, I will not go near that place."

"King Thorin, if I might inquire-" I began, walking so I stood on the sidelines of their fight. "From what Gandalf has told me, the Elves of Hidden Valley are open to travelers of all sorts. Could we not walk by-even for a refreshment of supplies before carrying on?"

"I do not need their supplies." Thorin sneered. More at Elves than at me. One of the few reasons he still had a face.

"Why not? The Elves could help us." Gandalf added in support of my argument. "We could get food, rest, advice."

"Nor do I need their advice." Thorin argued.

"We have a map that we cannot read." Gandalf pointed out to him, in reminder. "Lord Elrond could help us."

"Help?" Thorin snarled kingly. "A dragon attacks Erebor, what help came from the Elves?" Gandalf winced. I stayed behind him, keeping my face neutral yet sympathetic. "Orcs plunder Moria, desecrate our sacred halls, the Elves looked on and did nothing."

'Those were the Mirkwood Elves. Elrond's would help you.'

"You ask me to seek out the very people who betrayed my grandfather and betrayed my father." Thorin snapped at Gandalf.

"You are neither of them." Gandalf pointed out, as though it were the only difference that mattered. "I did not give you that map and key for you to hold on to the past."

"I did not know that they were yours to keep." Thorin hissed.

I winced. Gandalf went to storm out.

"Gandalf wait-!" I called out. He continued storming away. I sighed. Once Gandalf was out of the house, I turned to Thorin. "Apologies, King Thorin. No offense was meant here."

Thorin glared up at me. Though not in rage as had been for Gandalf. This was more restrained, like he knew being angry at me was stupid. Or maybe because I was a girl, who knows? "Gandalf said you were new to the Order."

I nodded. He didn't ask for a time, so I wouldn't give one.

"Have you met the Elves yet?"

I shook my head.

"All the luck to you for it." Thorin spat on the ground. He turned from me.

Well...joy.

After blowing out a sigh, I walked out of the house. The chills were left behind.

Darcy ran up to me.

:He's not making us leave with him, is he?: I asked.

Darcy shook her head. :He really wants that time alone. Or maybe he thinks a group of Dwarves-while idiotic-have the means to keep us safe. O-R-C's are in these woods, Morgue. He knows that.:

:He tell you this?:

:No. Why would he?:

:...cause you sounded way too...Not you.:

Darcy narrowed her eyes. :Why? Because I'm too stupid to have moments of genuine thought?:

:Because you sounded grown up.: I admitted. :I never thought I'd hear you like that...I like it.:

Darcy suddenly flustered. "S-Shut up."

:No: I smirked.

Bilbo ran up to Darcy and I, looking concerned. "Is he coming back?"

"Yes." I answered before my sister did.

Bilbo swallowed nervously, though more relieved by my answer. "You're sure?"

"A Wizard arrives precisely when he means to. Not a moment sooner." I answered, purposefully cryptic.

My sister rolled her eyes. She knew how much I liked quoting things.

The poor Hobbit hadn't asked for a time after all. Then I'd have gotten to say something cryptic about the sunrise and wouldn't that just have been a blast?

==AET==

AN: Oh I forgot how much I liked writing long paragraphs that had absolutely nothing to do with the story...I missed that.

Thanks to Aurora the Void Dragon, Lizzajane63, for favoriting

Thanks to Aurora the Void Dragon, Lizzajane63, for following