> The Hobbit: Desolation is Magic
>  by King Camelot
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> The Accident... Again
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sunset was enjoying her walk with Twilight. Daresay, she needed it. After the whole business of her friends forgetting her and treating her like trash, she could've used a break for a while. And with just her luck, she had received a letter from Twilight explaining that they had opened up a new school for teaching friendship, and that she could have a tour if she wanted. And boy did she want it. 

After grabbing a few things, and leaving a note to explain where she had gone, she left for the portal to return to the place she once called home. And boy was it fun! After catching up with Twilight on everything, she received the tour she was promised. 

It would be an understatement to say that the school was extraordinary, but there were no other words known to Pony (or Men) to express its grandeur. It had taken the form of a humongous castle, perhaps even larger than the one Twilight currently lived in. It gave a sense of Royalty and Knowledge, but at the same time, it gave a sense of Warmth, Equality, Kindness, and more importantly, Friendship. And upon entering, she was even more impressed, if such was possible.

The inside of the school was just as amazing as it was on the outside. Great halls dotted the castle, each one adorned with great white pillars, and exotic flowers. All leading to a different part of the castle. There was the Principle's Office, where the Princess of Friendship herself sat. There was the Lunch Room, which even with its simplicity, was enough to be called a Banquet Hall.   

"And here is the Auditorium," explained Twilight, once they returned outside again, "Here we perform skits, plays, do the daily bulletin, and all kinds of other things." And it was a nice auditorium, nestled in the trees to feel one with nature, and a great view of the sky. 

"Wow, this is a nice stage, what kind of performances have you done with it?" Sunset asked, with a smile.

"Well, we did do a skit about Princess Celestia," answered Twilight, "But we don't talk about that." Her eyes became dark at that. Sunset decided not to push the matter, the play about the Sun Princess seemed like dangerous territory. But after taking a moment, the purple alicorn was back to her perky, egg-head self, "So, what do you think?"

"It's... amazing!" Sunset said, and she meant it. This place was like a paradise for students and teachers alike. She was at a loss for words at its marvelousness, "It's truly incredible, the thought that you could accomplish all this, and even teach ones who have no pony blood in their veins about the Magic of Friendship!"

"Well, I couldn't have done it without my friends," Twilight responded. And that was true, without all her friends, she couldn't have done any of this. Had her friends not stuck by her side the entire way, she wouldn't be the ambassador she was now. That reminded her, "You know, you could come teach here if you want."

Sunset was stunned, "What? Me, a teacher here?" 

Twilight smiled, "Of course, with your devotion to the studies of Friendship, not to mention your knowledge about the human world, our students could learn a lot from you. You'd fit right in. That is, if you want to, of course."

Sunset thought about this. Her, a teacher? I mean, she did teach students about friendship during her time at CHS, but she was also an equal to them. Here, she would be in a higher position than everypony else. Was she truly ready for such a responsibility?

"Well, you don't have to decide now. You can take as much time as you like," Twilight spoke, sensing her internal conflict. Sunset awoke from her thoughts at this, and a good thing, too. She really needed to decide if this was the right path for her. Twilight cleared her throat, "Now, is there anything else you'd like to see?"

"Well, we haven't gone over the classes you teach here, why don't we return to the school and discuss some of those?" Sunset offered. Twilight jumped for joy at this.

"Oh yes, the classes! Oh, I'm so excited to show you all the subjects we study! Not to mention the homework, the projects, the field trips! Oh I think you'll love them!", And with that Twilight ran back into the school. Sunset merely rolled her eyes amusingly as she followed.

It turned out that there were a great many deal of courses to choose from. The study of Friendship was still the main goal of the school, but still, there were many options wide open to you. There was the usual Equestrian classes like Magic, Alchemy, Agriculture, Weather Control, you know, the usual. But there was a bunch of other courses being taught as well, some of them coming from the human realm("You were the inspiration for that, Sunset." Twilight revealed). There were studies like Math, Science, English, "Earth" World Cultures, and a few that she never thought would be a possibility before! Hippogriff Lore, Changling Behavior, and...

"Sindarin?" Sunset said confused, she had never heard of that language before. There were also a bunch of other weird languages she never heard of, like Quenya, and Khuzdul. And there also a bunch of species that she was sure didn't exist, like Elves, Dwarves, and... Hobbits? Not to mention all those made up times and places that could be studied. The Second Age, the Third Age, Rivendell, the Kingdom of Gondor, what was all this?!

Sunset turned to Twilight, hoping for answers, "Um, did something happen in the time span I was gone?" 

Twilight shook her head, "Well, no. Not here at least." Twilight's eyes fell to the floor, she was obviously hiding something, "Well, it's kind of a long story."

"I've got plenty of time," Sunset responded, not willing to let the matter go. What were all these made up languages? What was the Kingdom of Gondor? And what exactly was a Hobbit? Twilight was obviously hiding something, and Sunset was going to find out what it was. 

Twilight shuffled her hooves a little, it was hard to explain. She finally found the courage to say something when suddenly, a crash was heard down the halls. 

Sunset and Twilight shot worried looks at each other, and sped for the direction of the sound. Following the echos of the castle, they located the source of the room, Classroom C-137: Hobbit Lore.

"What's a Hobbit?" asked Sunset.

"I'll tell you later. Right now, let's be sure our friends are safe! On the count of three?" Twilight asked. Sunset nodded, and prepared to go in swinging if need be.

"One... Two... THREE!!!"

The two friends burst through the door with all their might. What they saw behind it was surprising to say the least. It was like a party in there. All the students were jumping up and clapping to music whose source could not be seen from anywhere. A few students, (most of them being species with opposable thumbs) had large wooden cups in their claws, which were filled with, what Twilight suspected, was a drink that they shouldn't have been drinking at that age. In the center of the classroom, the teachers Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, and surprisingly, Fluttershy were dancing on a big round table, three big glasses of cider in their front hooves. Rainbow and Fluttershy were using their wings to support themselves, but Pinkie Pie seemed to have no trouble dancing on her back hooves. They were singing an upbeat song, Fluttershy being the one most cheerful and confident in her singing,

"Oh you can search far and wide,
You can drink the whole town dry,
But you'll never find a beer so brown,

Oh you'll never find a beer so brown,

As the one we drink in our hometown,
As the one we drink in our hometown.
You can drink your fancy ales,
You can drink them by the flagon,
But the only brew for the brave and true...
..Comes from the Green Dragon!!"

At the end of their song there was a big clunk, and all three took a big swig from their flagons. The students erupted into cheer and the few who also had something to drink followed in kind, raising their cups high above as the warm tasty drink poured down their throats.

Sunset, feeling a little daring, decided to take a glance at the Alicorn Headmistress. If she was angry, she was only doing half a good job concealing it. Her right eye began to twitch a little, and she had a unrealistic smile spread across her face, and her horn was beginning to glow. Sunset, deeming it wise, slowly backed away. And sure enough there was a loud BANG, and just like that, the cups had disappeared, the tables and desks were back in place, the students were all sitting down, and the three drunk teachers fell to the floor with a loud thud.

"Alright everycreature," Twilight said with some kindness to her voice, "Class is dismissed, be sure to have your essays about the culture of hobbits done by the end of the week, bonus points for those who write and recite the essay in Sindarin." Groaning a little, and realizing the party was over, the students filed out one by one until it was just herself, Sunset, and their three irresponsible friends. Speaking with a new aura of authority and disappointment, she she in a loud clear voice, "My office, now!"



 
After the three teachers were promptly scolded for their actions and put to bed so they could sleep it off, Sunset and Twilight decided to just end the tour with a cup of tea in her personal quarters. "Well, thankfully the stuff they drank isn't too strong. The Hangover should last for only a few hours, "Twilight said, taking a small sip from her tea, "But still, I was expecting better out of Fluttershy. Rainbow and Pinkie, I can understand, but Fluttershy? Those two hobbits must have had more of an impact on her then I thought."

Sunset asked immediately, "What two hobbits?"

"Why Merry and Pippin of course," The words were were out before they could stop themselves. Twilight, realizing her mistake, hid her face behind her tea cup, pretending like nothing happened.

But Sunset would not be easily deterred. She had a million questions in her head, it was in danger of bursting. Who were Merry and Pippin? What was the Green Dragon? What was a Hobbit? And why was Twilight being so sensitive about it? 

Putting her cup down with a small thud, Sunset confronted her friend, "Twilight, enough is enough. Why are you being so weird about this? Who were the hobbits Merry and Pippin? What even is a hobbit? What happened while I was at Canterlot High School? Answer me!"

It took a moment for Sunset to realize she was yelling, as Twilight had spilled her cup and retreated a little behind the table. Taking a deep breath, she lowered herself and sat back down at the table, "Twilight, we've been friends for a very long time now. We shouldn't have to hide things from each other. Whatever happened, you can tell me."

Pondering this for a few minutes, Twilight finally let out a long sigh, got up from the table, and simply said, "Follow me."

Twilight led Sunset to a secluded room deep into the school. The room was full of vaults and places for safekeeping, that she thought Celestia must have trusted Twilight a lot to keep whatever these were guarding in a public school. In time, they came to an empty wall at the end of the hall, nothing special about it, really. Sunset was about to ask if they took a wrong turn somewhere, when Twilight dimly lit her horn, a bright beam of light rather than her usual lavender color. She was using a spell that she learned from Luna, which created artificial moonlight, that glowed brighter than any illumination spell. Stepping forward, Twilight shone her light on the empty wall. 

A series of words spread across the wall, forming a tall and steep archway over what would've been a door. But the words weren't in a language that Sunset understood, and they were glowing in a bright light similar to the light Twilight used only a few seconds ago. Then, without a second glance at the words, Twilight stepped forward and spoke in a ancient but fair tongue never used by the mouths of Equestrian blood,

Ang telu, 
Heled  rammas 
Narv a narv 
A never dant.  

The glowing words, burned brighter, almost lighting up the dark hallway of vaults. To say Sunset's curiosity was peaked would be an understatement. Now she knew what Twilight was feeling when they found the Restricted Section in the Canterlot Library. But here, Twilight remained calm and silent, a hint of sadness within the air around her. She leaned forward and simply whispered,

"Lantern."

The archway shifted, a line of blue light connecting below it. Twilight then gave a small nudge, and the wall below the arch gave way, forming an invisible door that none could see had the riddle not been answered correctly.

Inside the Secret Vault, was a collection of treasure, precious gold, fair and sparkling gems, and hung upon the sides, lay cloaks green as the open fields surrounding Ponyville, and gleaming swords that could only have been wielded by unicorns or those most skilled with using their hooves. But at the center of the vault, stood a lonely pedestal, perhaps the only thing in the room of equestrian design. What lay upon this pedestal was an old tome, far too big and heavy to carry, even skilled unicorns may find trouble lifting it with magic. Upon the tome was that same language that Sunset could not read, there were even a few different languages on it as well, none of which were legible to her untrained eyes. It gave off the presence of wisdom and age, like it had resisted the test of time longer than that of the Two Sisters. It took everything in her being to resist going forward to touch it.

"Twilight, what is this thing?" Sunset asked after a good ten minutes had passed. Twilight sighed,

"This, Sunset, is the detailed description of the History of Middle-Earth, and all the creatures that live in it."

Sunset turned toward Twilight, "Middle-Earth? Is that where these made up languages and countries come from?"

"They are not made up, they are the ancient tongues used by many an elf, dwarf, man, and even orc who had ever lived in Arda." Twilight explained, "Perhaps it's time I told you what happened."

And so, Twilight told Sunset about her adventures in Middle-Earth with her friends. How she had met Gandalf the Grey, learning of the existence of the Dark Lord Sauron, and his One Ring, how said ring almost corrupted Rainbow Dash into betraying them, how she had fought Sauron alone in a battle of wills, and just barely coming back alive, how many of the friends that they met there died to ensure that Middle-Earth, and possibly Equestria, would have a future. Sunset just listened and took it all in, never saying a word until the story was over. She now understood why it was a touchy subject for her. This adventure they had was nothing compared to what they had faced before, she was sure not even the Elements of Harmony could've defeated Sauron and his armies. She was lucky all of her equestrian friends survived.

Sunset let a few tears fall, "I'm sorry that happened to you. Nopony should have to go through something like that."

Twilight just nodded, sniffling a little but never crying, "Well, it was a long time ago. When we came back, I decided to use the knowledge I gained there to ensure that if we ever had to face somepony or somecreature like Sauron here, we would have the strength and skill to deal with them. But I'm a fool, if I can't even tell my friends about it, how can I expect myself to tell an entire generation of new ponies to fight against such an evil should it arise."

Twilight then lit up her horn with magic, and a small journal appeared in front of her with a small pop, "And that's why, I'm giving this to you."

Sunset lit up her own horn, and allowed the book to be eclipsed in her magic and float over to her direction, "What is it?"

Twilight walked over a little closer, "When I left the forest of Lothlorien, I was given that tome you see over there as a gift from the Lady of the Forest, Galadriel. When I returned, I vowed that when the next generation of heroes came, I would give them the means to understand it," Twilight then motioned to the journal, "And that is what you have in your hooves now. A completely translated script of the history the tome describes, and how to read it's many languages. I even put a few notes in myself from my own experiences. I want you to have it, consider it an apology gift for not being open with you."

Sunset graciously but reluctantly poofed the journal into her own pocket dimension for safe keeping. While being given the means of learning about another world was exciting to her, she felt that this journal should've gone to somepony else. Perhaps a student here in the school, or maybe an heir when her days would come to a close, but her? Sunset would not have trusted herself with this knowledge, considering who she used to be. Nevertheless, she accepted this gift and promised to use it only for the betterment of Equestria.





The next two days were spent reading the journal that Twilight had given her. 

The journal itself, was a small earth-red leather notebook with a strap holding it in place while it was closed. What made it unique was that it had an enchantment placed upon it that allowed it to hold more pages than it would have on it's own. Within it's pages lie a detailed map of Middle-Earth, a recorded history all the way up to the Fourth Age, guide sheets on how to read, write, and speak every language uttered there, recipes on Elvish Medicines and tasty meals (Courtesy of Samwise Gamgee), a few notes written in purple ink by Twilight about her encounters and experiences, and much much more.

She found that learning Sindarin was a bit complicated, as there were many words in the Equestrian alphabet that did not correspond with the Sindarin one, but she managed to get the gist of it in by the end of the day. However, she found that she was having an easier time learning Black Speech, the language spoken by the orcs under Sauron's dominion.

The teaching of Black Speech at the school was strictly forbidden, but some exceptions were made, such as Sunset having permission to learn it from Princess Twilight. After all, she would not have included it in her journal if she didn't feel that it would be necessary. In only an hour or two's time, she could speak and sound like an Orc, (having a photogenic memory really helped sometimes). She had to be forbidden from using this language around the students, as they were not allowed to even know about it, but she found ways to practice when they were not around.


THUD!

The door suddenly burst open, as her studies had been interrupted. Sunset quickly cut herself off mid-sentence, as she was reading in Black Speech, and looked upon who came in.  It was a student, a young stallion panting deeply and loudly, "Miss Shimmer, the Headmistress wants to see you! Somethings happened with the mirror!"

Pocketing her journal once more, Sunset teared through the school, following the student all the way to Twilight's office.





Twilight was right when she said that the Mirror was acting weird.

The usual sparkly and clear view that it usually gave off was replaced by a dark swirling vortex. It was just like what happened when Twilight and her friends were sent to Middle-Earth, all those years ago. But something was different, the gravity well that had trapped them last time was not present, and the solar flares that started this mess would not reoccur in another decade or so.

Regardless, this was something of upmost importance if Starswirl the Bearded was here-

"Starswirl the Bearded?" Sunset gaped in surprise. She had heard rumors that he and the other Pillars of Equestria had returned, but she didn't believe it for herself. And yet, here he was. The unicorn wizard that had inspired unicorns for centuries was standing before her, flesh and all.

"Yes, you would not be the first to react that way to me," said the old but powerful voice of Starswirl, "And you must be Sunset Shimmer. Twilight and Starlight have told me so much about you. It is my recollection that you found a way to breach into the realm of humans, where I once banished those mischievous Sirens. No easy task, even by alicorn standards."

Sunset blushed, "Well, it wasn't all like that. I did have the help of the mirror and all that. And... Whose he?"

Sunset had just caught sight of another unicorn talking to Starlight close by. He was a scrawny fellow, barely past the age of twenty. He had a gray coat with deep blue eyes. Noticing he was being addressed, Starlight gave him a nudge and pointed him in Sunset's direction.

"Oh, forgive me. I go by the name of Stygian, Magical Artifact Researcher and seventh member of the Pillars of Equestria, at your service," He replied, giving a small bow.

Sunset, feeling obliged to do so, bowed in return, "It's a pleasure to meet you, Stygian. So, what brings you and the great Starswirl the Bearded all the way out here?"

Starlight was the one to speak up, "Well, Twilight told me about the mirror and what caused it to go haywire. We're afraid that the catastrophe that happened a few years ago is going to happen again. We were hoping that since Starswirl-"

"Since I was the one to create the Mirror, that me and my friend Stygian might be able to fix it before it causes another disaster," Starswirl finished for her, "I invented the mirror with the intention to enter the world where I banished the Sirens. I sent them to a place where I was sure that little to no magic resided for them to feed upon. This mirror was a means to check upon them and ensure that they stayed that way."

"Oh," replied Sunset, "I was wondering what that purpose of the mirror was."

Twilight approached the mirror, trying not to get to close out of fear that it might pull her in again, "But ever since the solar flares a few years ago, its magic has become corrupted. It could take us to Canterlot, but it could now send us to Middle-Earth without us knowing about it. This could develop into a problem, not only for us, but for the people of Middle-Earth too. A threat from their world could find a way to come to us, and vice versa. With the differing laws of our two magics, the threat could become much more difficult to deal with."

Sunset checked this all through her head, there was something that didn't add up, "Okay, but if that's the case, how come I was able to come here no problem?"

"Well, that's actually why you're here, Sunset," Starlight explained, "It appears that the doorway on the other side of the portal is uncorrupted and is working as it was designed to do."

"Exactly," Stygian confirmed, "We developed a hypothesis that if we use the residual magic left on you when you went through the portal, we might be able to correct it's behavior, or at least create a 'switch' so that we can control when we go to the human realm or Middle-Earth."

"Well, why not use Twilight or Starlight then?" Sunset theorized, "They've gone through the portal too. Couldn't you just use their 'residual magic'?"

"We tried that already," Twilight said with a hint of disappointment, "But it appears that the residual magic of the human realm wears off after a few days. Since you were the most recent, we have no choice but to use you."

Sunset, now realizing that it was all up to her, was having an internal struggle with herself. True, it had fallen on her to save the day before, but she was always backed up by her friends. But now her friends were on the other side of the portal. Sure, they could come here, and no doubt they would if they heard she was in trouble, but if they did that, they might never be able to come home again. It was hard to face these things without them, but she couldn't bring herself to do that to them. Besides, she had Twilight and Starlight, at least she wasn't completely alone.

Taking a deep breath, Sunset stepped forward and said, "What do I have to do?"

Starswirl motioned to the mirror, "We just need you to get close to the mirror. Cast a simple spell on it, nothing too complicated, and the residual Earth Magic should piggyback on your own magic and help to correct the mirror. We will be here to run diagnostic checks on it, make sure everything goes smoothly, and should the need arise, ensure that you don't get pulled in too."

"Right," replied Sunset. Facing towards the mirror, she prepared to cast the spell. To say she was afraid would be an understatement, and she was doing a poor job at hiding it. But suddenly, she found Starlight and Stygian at her side.

"Don't worry, Sunset," Starlight said reassuringly, "We're right behind you."

"Indeed," Stygian agreed, "We will be here to ensure your safety."

With these words, Sunset's confidence took a huge boost. She and Starlight didn't know each other extremely well, and she had only just met Stygian. And yet both of them were putting themselves in the front lines with her, to ensure that she didn't suffer alone. She gave each of them a warming smile, and put herself forward,

"I'm ready."

"Very well," Starswirl said, "Twilight and myself will stay back a little further. Equestria cannot afford to lose an Alicorn princess and the only one who knows how the mirror works. Horns at the ready!"

And with these words, every horn in the room was ablaze with magic, aiming directly at the mirror.

"One..."

"Two!"

"THREE!!!"

Sunset racked her brain for a spell, any spell. Starswirl said it didn't have to be a complicated one. As long as it was sturdy enough for the residual magic to piggyback on. Deciding a simple Illumination Spell would do, she focused on the object she wanted to make glow, which was the mirror. With little to no effort, she made the mirror give off a brilliant orange sparkle.

Once that was in place, the other Unicorn wizards got to work. Starswirl and Twilight aimed two different beams of light on the mirror, and focused their magic on the sides of the mirrors. These spells were a bit more complicated than Sunset's, and required a level of strain in order to use.

Starlight and Stygian used their magic to create an anchor for Sunset. Using magic created ropes to wrap around Sunset they used their own weight to hold her back from the mirror should this whole thing go south.

But it didn't look like things were going to go wrong, the mirror wasn't reacting to anything, and both Starswirl and Twilight gave the signal that the mirror was stable. This was going to work, the mirror was going to be fixed and Sunset would be able to go home without worry. Things were finally going her way.

Suddenly, a student came in. A red griffon by the name of Talius, came bursting through. He came rushing in for the most innocent of reasons. You see, he was having an argument with a fellow student about whether or not griffon fliers were anywhere as fast as pegasus fliers, and it developed into a fist fight. Being pinned for the blame, he was sent to Starlight's office to talk about what happened. When he found that she wasn't there, she suspected she was having tea with the Headmistress, so he dashed over to her private chambers to fetch her. He was certain that with her help, the feather-brained Velocity Pilot would be put in his place.

But his timing couldn't have been more worse. For he burst through the door quite suddenly, and broke everypony's concentration on the mirror. Because of this break of focus, the spell suddenly ceased and the mirror became unstable. 





What happened next, nopony rightly remembers. There was a flash of light, a word spoken in a language nopony could recognize, and two of five powerful wizards laying on the floor unconscious.

The other three wizards, were nowhere to be seen. All that remained of them, was the fruit of their labors. A magical mirror that no longer swirled like a vortex, rather it wasn't swirling at all.

It was now just a normal mirror, never to open again for another thirty moons.
> Arrival?
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sunset slowly began to stir, having no idea what had happened. The last thing she remembered was fixing the mirror, a sudden outburst from outside, and the rest of it was just blank. Trying to get up, she placed her hands on her forehead, which was really aching at the mo-

Wait a minute, Hands?! Forehead?!

Desperately feeling herself all around, she found that she was no longer in her pony form. She was a human again! But something was wrong, not with her body of course, she was used to this. No, what was wrong, was where she was.

She definitely wasn't in Canterlot High School, there was pavement by the mirror. Where she was, there was grass, a few trees here and there, and a worn out dirt path going off into the distance. Wherever here was, it definitely wasn't in Canterlot, which could mean there was only one other place she could be...

She was in Middle-Earth! If the situation were different, she would've jumped for joy. Ever since learning about the place, she always wanted to go there. She wanted to travel with her friends to Gondor and meet Aragorn. She wanted to go to see the Elves, whatever remained at least, as they had all departed for the Undying Lands during the Fourth Age. But most of all, she wanted to see the Shire. She wanted to go to Hobbiton and see for herself what a hobbit really looked like, as hearing about something and seeing it are two totally different things. She wanted to go to Bag End, and meet Samwise Gamgee, whom she had heard about through Twilight's cookbook section of the journal. There was just so much she wanted to learn and explore here!

However, that was not what she was feeling right now. On the contrary, she was feeling afraid. She didn't know where in Middle-Earth she was, where to go, or what to do. She imagined Twilight being here to guide her through all of it, but that was definitely out of the question here. There was no sign of her friend or Starswirl anywhere. She was all alone in the middle of nowhere.

"Ugh, my head. What happened? Where are we?"

Or perhaps, not entirely alone. As she turned to see who had made that noise, she saw that Starlight was beginning to stir as well. She had also taken human form, but she was struggling to control it. True, she had been to the human realm before, but she was only there briefly. Not nearly enough time to get the hang of her new body. Not to mention she hadn't gone through the mirror in a long time. Even Twilight struggled getting reacquainted with her human side after coming to help with the Dazzlings.

Rushing forward to help her friend, she grabbed her by the arms and gently helped her up to her feet, "Easy Starlight, just take your time. There you go. Now are you okay?"

Starlight held a hand up to her head, "Yeah, I think I'm okay. But, where are we? We're definitely not in Canterlot, so what is this place?"

Sunset was surprised Starlight was being slow on the uptake, perhaps the fall had messed with her head a little bit. No matter, she would be back to herself in a few minutes, "Well, you're right about one thing, we are not in Canterlot right now. So that can only mean that we are-"

"It means we've been transported to Middle-Earth."

Both Sunset and Starlight jumped at this new third voice. Turning around, they saw none other than...

"Stygian, is that you?" Starlight asked. Stygian had, like the rest of them, taken the form of a human. He was slightly taller then the both of them, and his skin was his usual gray color, covered by brown pants, a blue shirt, and a long brown robe. His dark blue hair was ruffled and scruffy looking, but also controlled and restrained at the same time, which made no sense, but there was no other way to describe it. He looked quite handsome, and both Sunset and Starlight couldn't help but feel a little weak in the knees around him.

"Yes, it's me Starlight," he said at last, "I woke up about a half hour before you did and tried to evaluate our predicament. I figured we should try and take the road east, and see if we can find a settlement there to get our bearings. But I figured I should wait until you woke up before making any real decisions."

"Wait a minute, a half an hour?!" Sunset said bewildered, "You've been walking around on two feet with no problem for about a half an hour?! It took me days before I could get it right!"

Stygian chuckled a little bit. Not that kind of chuckle when your in civilized conversation and trying to be polite, mind you. No, this chuckle was that kind of real, deep down chuckle you felt when someone told a really funny joke. 

Once he calmed down a bit he said, "What, you can't expect yourselves to be the only ones to have used the mirror, can you? You forget, I was there when Starswirl invented the mirror, I had plenty of practice when me and the other Pillars would go to the human realm to check on the Sirens."

Sunset and Starlight suddenly remembered that Stygian was over a thousand years older than they were, and any fantasies they had about him were suddenly silenced. Clearing their heads of these kind of thoughts, they got their minds back on their situation and how they were going to get home.

Starlight, finally being able to let go of Sunset and find her own balance, was the first to ask questions, "But if we're in Middle-Earth, does that mean our hypothesis failed?"

Stygian shook his head, "No, I think our hypothesis was correct. But factors out of our control had caused the process to become unstable. If I remember correctly, Twilight told me that her friends and herself retained their pony forms when traveling to Middle-Earth. Is this correct?"

Sunset, who had heard the story from Twilight herself, nodded her head in confirmation. Stygian continued, "So that must mean that we only partially fixed the mirror. More specifically, we fixed the part that forces our bodies to adapt to the environment of the Human Realm and prohibits our magic. You can't use magic right now, unfortunately."

Now both the girls were terrified, Starlight more than Sunset, who was not used to not having magic in her day to day life. Sunset wasn't as shocked as Starlight was, as she was used to having limited to no magic available, but the aspect of having no magic at all was still a dreadful thought to a skilled unicorn such as herself. 

After hearing this news, both unicorns turned human were trying their best to channel their magic, but to no avail. Without a horn or some kind of conductor for their magic, there was simply no way to perform even the simplest of spells. To say they were in a pickle would be a huge understatement.

"Without magic, how are we supposed to get home?!" Sunset asked rather loudly.

Stygian put his hand below his chin and said thoughtfully, "Well, even if we had our magic, the chances of us getting home are slim. Twilight said that even with her magic, the magic mirror closed behind them, and there was no way for them to get back to Equestria. When I awoke, I looked for any signs for the mirror that we came from, but I fear that it has already closed on us."

And he was right. The mirror, or any portal of some kind, was nowhere to be found. The only thing within a five yard radius was two teenage girls and one man in his early twenties standing in the grass besides the road.

"So what do we do now?" Starlight asked, still not quite done hyperventilating by the fact that they had no magic.

Sunset gave it a moments thought and decided, "Well, we can't stay here, that's for sure. Even if Twilight finds a way to open the mirror and come get us, we have no way of knowing when she'll show up. It could be months for all we know. So I think we should follow Stygian's idea. We no longer have magic at our disposal and we don't even know where we are. We should follow the road and see where that gets us. Let me check Twilight's journal and see where the closest village is.

Hoping beyond hope, she reached into her pocket. Breathing a sigh of relief upon learning it was there, along with a few other unimportant items from her pocket dimension, she flipped through the pages to find the map. That relief was short lived as she gasped in horror.

"Sunset, what's wrong?!" Starlight said, even Stygian leaned forward to see what was wrong.

"The pages," Sunset meekly whispered, "Half of the pages are blank!"

She pushed the book into their view. The map of Middle-Earth, the Language Manuscripts and the pages about the different species and their customs were still there. But half of Twilight's notes and all history past the first half of the Third Age was gone! Erased as if	it was never there! An entire half of foreign knowledge, gone! 

Being a little of a bookworm herself, the aspect of all that knowledge going to waste was a horrendous thought. No doubt Twilight would be screaming with terror if she was here. She began hyperventilating like crazy, quite forgetting about everything else at the moment. It took a few shakes from Starlight and a slap in the face from Stygian to bring her back to the present.

"Sunset, listen to me!" Starlight shouted, "It's fine, everything is fine! We can rewrite the journal when we get back! But right now we need a plan, which is to find a safe location to plan the next move we make! The map wasn't erased from the journal! As long as we have the map, we should be okay!"

Sunset, now a little more calm than when she originally was, took a deep breath, and tried to reel in the Twilight part of herself, "You're right. This is no time to freak out. Until Twilight or anypony else from Equestria comes to rescue us, we need to plan how we're going to survive the next few days. Thanks for snapping me out of it, Starlight."

Starlight wrapped her up in a hug and said , "Hey, what are friends for, right?"

After a few minutes, Stygian broke them up and said, "Not that this isn't a touching moment, but we still need to find out where we're going. Can I see the map for a moment?"

Sunset obliged and handed the journal over to Stygian. He spent the next few minutes looking over it and muttering to himself before finally declaring, "Okay, from what this map says, we're somewhere near here, by the Barrow Downs. The closest town from here is a little town called Bree. If we start now, we can make it there by this evening."

"Well, that seems a good a place to start as any. Let's just hope they're friendly to outsiders," Starlight responded, "Shall we get going then?"

"Wait!" Sunset suddenly shouted, "Before we go, we should leave a message as to where we're going."

Going over to a small tree not far from the road, she pulled off a small branch and etched a message of equestrian writing into the ground, "When she was here, Twilight told me that she would leave messages for Princess Celestia explaining what she was doing and where she was going should she ever come here to look for her and her friends. She wrote it in the equestrian language so that nopony but herself or anypony from Equestria could read it. I'm just writing to Twilight that we're all okay, and that we plan to go to Bree. Okay, that should do it."

"Smart thinking, Miss Shimmer," Stygian replied, as Sunset finished writing her message.

Sunset blushed, "Oh please, just call me Sunset. No need to be formal among friends."

Stygian was a bit surprised. They hadn't knowing each other for a good forty-five minutes and she was already calling him her friend? She really was a lot like her mentor, "Very well, Sunset it is then. Off to Bree, everypony!"

And so the three friends started on their way to the small town of Bree, none of them knowing that they were about to take part in one of the biggest adventures Middle-Earth had ever seen.
> Prancing Ponies and Planning Quests
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

True to his word, Stygian and the others made it to the wooden gates of Bree at roughly around 7:00. But the journey was long, and it had started raining an hour or two before they got there. They were tired, hungry, and desperate to go someplace that was dry, and had a cozy fire somewhere.

Once they had made it to the gates, Stygian pulled them over to talk, "Okay, I'm going to be straight with you. We don't know if the mirror changed our language to fit theirs, so we have to be careful. Twilight said she had to learn the language here before she could talk freely with anyone. Did anyone study the languages of Middle-Earth before we got here?"

Sunset shrugged,"Well, I know a bit of Sindarin and I'm fully versed in Black Speech. But there aren't any elves around these parts, and the language of Black Speech is something of a foul tongue to anyone who isn't an orc."

Stygian sighed, "Well then, that limits our options. Okay, when we go in, let me do the talking first, and then we'll see what happens."

Then, taking a deep breath, Stygian banged his fist on the door three times. A few seconds later, a grizzly old man opened a small peek hole in the gate. He was obviously the gatekeeper and he was not very happy to see them.

"What do you three want?" he said in a scruffy old voice, obviously suspicious of these oddly colored children.

The oldest one with blue hair came up and said, "My name is Stygian. My friends and I have traveled a long way, and are looking for food and board."

At first, the gatekeeper stared at them for a few minutes, and Sunset began to suspect that they were still speaking in Equestrian, which would just be soft horse neighing to him. These fears were confirmed to her when he shut the opening in their face. But after a few minutes, the gates swung open, and the gatekeeper quickly beckoned them to come in.

"Very well, then. Come on in. If you're looking for a warm place to stay, I'd suggest going to the Prancing Pony. Ol' Butterbur runs the joint, he'll fix you up."

"Thank you sir," Stygian replied while bowing, "We'll be sure to give it a look."

And with that out of the way, all three friends quickly made their way into the providence of Bree. Starlight whispered, "I guess that answers that question."

Sunset chuckled, so the mirror forced them to speak in the common language after all. Maybe this wasn't going to be so bad.

The town of Bree looked like it came out of a story book, to put it bluntly. There was a very medieval vibe to it. There was muddy roads, people wearing brown hoods over their heads, their faces barely visible, and there was crops farms and pig pens scattered from place to place. The only thing missing was a castle, but there wasn't one or any government building to be seen at all. Sunset suspected that these people had created some self-government system. That worked just as well for them, that meant no pesky officials asking what they were doing.

"So where is the Prancing Pony?" Starlight asked.

Sunset replied, "No idea. The map was more explanatory on where you are in the country, not where you are in the town."

"Very well, we'll have to ask some locals. But try to keep a low profile," Stygian warned.

Starlight went up to a small stout man eating a carrot, "Excuse me, sir? My friends and I are looking for the Prancing Pony. Do you have any idea where we can find it."

Taking a big bite out of his carrot, the man gruffly said, "Just follow the path, take a left, and it's right there."

"Thank you, and have a good day, sir," Starlight replied, to which the man grunted and went back to eating his carrot.

It was stuffy in the inn, but warm. It gave off the sense of a small party, there was numerous chatting, singing, dancing, and drinking. It wasn't the quietest place in the world, but it suited their needs. They each took up a stool at the bar nearby and waited to be served. 

A plump man, nearly bald, and very red in the face, came up to greet them, if he was weirded out by their skin colors, he did a good job at hiding it, but one couldn't deny that he was a little curious.

"Good evening young master and ladies, I am Barliman Butterbur, at your service. What can I get for you all?"

All three simply asked for a meal and water, they were not here to get drunk like everybody else. When they were served, Starlight was disgusted by what she saw. Not that the meal was terrible, but by the fact that they had been given meat along with their water and biscuit. She slowly pushed her plate away from her, but gave a look of amazement at Stygian and Sunset, who were eating their meals without pause, meat and all.

Sunset, noticing the look on her face, simply said, "What? You don't get be human without learning how to eat meat. It's actually pretty good, you should try it."

"Oh, don't worry. I've done this loads of times on my adventures with the Pillars. You'll get used to it," piped in Stygian.

But Starlight suddenly had a loss of appetite, and refused to eat anything else for the rest of the night.

Leaving her be, Sunset decided to strike up a conversation with Stygian, "So, you seemed knowledgeable in Middle-Earth, to an extent. Have you been here before?"

Stygian took a bite of his steak and shook his head, "I have been to many worlds in my adventures with the Pillars, but sadly this was not one of them. The knowledge I do know, was shared to me and Starswirl by Princess Twilight as she was explaining the situation. I'm just as new to this as you are. How do you know about Middle-Earth, aside from that journal in your pocket?"

Sunset shrugged, as she took a swig from her water, "Same as you I suppose. She explained to me what Middle-Earth was when I asked. And she gave me this journal to pass on to the next generation of ponies should a threat from Middle-Earth find a way to Equestria."

Stygian chuckled a bit, "Wow, she must really trust you in order to pass on something that important to you."

Sunset didn't know whether to be flattered or offended, and frankly didn't care, "Well, that's the kind of person Twilight is. She's over trusting of people, she sees the good in people before the bad ('In most people,' she quietly added. Stygian laughed). And she seems convinced that the Magic of Friendship can be for everyone. I don't pretend to be overly confident in it, but I'm glad that they thought I could use it too. I'm glad that she took pity on me and showed me that there was a better way."

Stygian agreed, having gone through a similar experience himself, "The pity of Twilight Sparkle, may rule the fate of many."

Sunset raised her glass, "To Twilight."

Stygian raised his own, "To Twilight."

And with a small clink, they took a drink from their water. Sunset finally let out a loud whoop and shouted, "What is in this thing?!"

Perhaps they weren't being clear when they said that they wanted water.





It is not clear how much time had passed since their toast, but it was definitely spent merrily. Sunset and Stygian had drunken enough to the point where they were tipsy, and became a little more loose in keeping a low profile. There was singing, sometimes in their native language, which the locals did not understand in the least bit, but cheered anyway for having a good tune. Starlight was the only one who stayed sober enough to keep them from losing their heads, but at one point she gave up and just sat down somewhere where she could be alone.

It was at this point where she met eyes with a stranger at the other side of the room. The stranger was a short man with a nice build. He had long black hair which was braided in areas to the side, and had a short black beard. He was eating his meal in silence, trying to ignore everyone else around him. But then his attention began to drift elsewhere.

Starlight followed his gaze and saw that she was not the only one who was staring intently at the stranger. There were two other men, one who was bald with a white eye and another with dark messy hair, neither of which were attempting to hide their interest in him. Suddenly, both of them got up from their seats and slowly began to walk forward towards him. Sensing their gaze upon him, the stranger slowly began to reach to the side of the table, where a sword hung from its side.

Starlight immediately picked up on the clues and panicked internally. These two were going to kill him. There was probably going to be a fight happening soon. She wanted to help but she didn't know how to help or who to help. Not really knowing what she was doing, or who she was helping, she got up from her seat and sat down at the stranger's table, praying that he wouldn't put that sword through her stomach.

"Oh, hello Fire Feeder. Haven't seen you in a long time, where have you been?" She gave him a small nudge, urging him to play along. He was surprised to say the least, but quickly got the message, seeing few alternatives that didn't involve swinging his sword around.

"Well, I've been moving from town to town. Never in one place, you know," He said in a convincing voice that would hint to anyone that they were long time friends.

It wasn't working. Whether the assassins saw through the trick or they simply didn't care, they continued to slink closer to the table where they sat. It wasn't until a third person came forward and sat down with them that they began to back off and pretend nothing happened.

"Mind if I join you two?" asked the third stranger. He was old, but young at the same time, if that made any sense. He was tall and strong, and his face was covered by a long grey beard and hair. He wore a grey robe and a brown belt around his waist. He gave off a presence similar to that of Starswirl the Bearded and Princess Celestia all rolled into one man. He pulled over a waitress and told her, "I'll have the same."

He then spoke, "So Merida, Fire Feeder, how have things been with you two?"

Not knowing who this old man was, but knowing that he definitely knew what was going on, simply said to him, "Oh same old crap, the local royalty's been trying to drive my village into their conformist ways for months. We're holding strong, but those six representatives of theirs will not take 'no' for an answer. They're destroying everything we've built!" 

The first stranger simply nodded, and the third one said, "Well, best of luck to you then. As long as you hold true to your ideals you will never fall."

At this time, Sunset and Stygian came forward, shoulder to shoulder and holding two flagons of "water" in their hands, they were slightly slurred in their words and had not picked up on the feeling around them.

"Starligh', wher've  you been? We've been lookin' al' o'er over fer y-"

Starlight suddenly got up from the table and slapped her hands on their mouths, "Heh heh, old Tom and Mary, getting into trouble again are we? Well, let me take you over to the bathroom to get yourself cleaned up."

She then pushed them over to the corner, where neither the crowd, the strangers, or the assassins could hear them. After splashing them with water and sobering them up a little, she explained the situation.

"Well, that's highly suspicious, don't get me wrong. But what does that have to do with us?" Sunset asked, not entirely sober yet.

Starlight was getting a little tense, "I don't know, I don't think it does. But now that I've seen it, I can't just walk away and pretend nothing happened. Something fishy is going on, and I'm going to get to the bottom of it."

Sunset, sensing her friend was tense, put her hands on her shoulders, "Okay, okay, we'll bite. But how do we eavesdrop on them without getting seen?"

"I might have a solution to that," Stygian declared, "I have a spell that will allow us to hear and see what it is they're talking about."

Starlight didn't believe him, "Wait, you said we couldn't use magic."

"I said you couldn't use magic," Stygian corrected, "I, on the other hand, brought this with me."

From his pocket, he pulled out a blue fist-sized crystal and held it out to them, "This is a Soul Gem. I conveniently had it in my pocket when we were sent here. It's not as good as a horn, when it comes to magic conductors , but it gets the job done. I can use it to spy on their little conversation for us. Now if you'll both step back a bit..."

He put his mouth close to the crystal, and muttered a few magic incantations into it. Suddenly, a small orb of blue light emerged from the crystal and flew over to a chandelier where it could get a good view of the conversation.





"What were those three about?" The first stranger asked the third one.

"No idea," replied the third one, "But I sensed no ill will from them. They may have just been children who sensed someone was in trouble, and came to help in any way they could."

"I highly doubt that," spoke the first stranger, "They seemed the suspicious sort."

"If that is the case, they will be dealt with accordingly." reassured the third one, "But for now, let's just talk. I should introduce myself, my name is Gandalf. Gandalf the Grey."

"I know who you are," spoke the first stranger, not hiding the skepticalness in his voice.

Gandalf laughed, "Well, this is a fine chance. Tell me, what brings Thorin Oakenshield to Bree?"

Thorin shouldn't have been surprised that he knew his name, but he was. No one had known him by that name for many years. But his visitor was a wizard after all, who probably had the power to read minds. Hanging his head low, he answered, "I received word that my father, had been seen wandering the Wilds near Dunland. I went looking, I found no sign of him."

Gandalf knew who he was talking about, he was the right hand man, and son to Thror, King Under the Mountain, "Thrain."

Thorin raised his head, the tone in Gandalf's voice being one he heard before, "You're like the others, you think he's dead."

Gandalf, not wanting to offend him, tried to change his tone, "I was not at the Battle of Moria..."

"No," Thorin interrupted, "But I was. My grandfather, Thror, was slain. My father lead a charge towards the Dimrill Gate, he never returned."

Thorin paused for a moment, he had just relived a painful moment in his history, the battle where he lost his grandfather to the Orc, Azog. The battle where his father went missing. Taking a breath, he continued, "'Thrain is gone', they told me, 'He is one of the fallen'. But at the end of that battle, I searched among the slain, to the last body. My father was not among the dead."

Gandalf didn't know what to say, he wanted to comfort the young dwarf, but didn't know how, "Thorin, it's been a long time since anything but rumor was heard of Thrain."

Thorin would have none of it, "He still lives, I am sure of it!"

Gandalf, sensing the topic was getting heated and wanting to change it, turned his attention on something else, "The ring your grandfather wore, one of the Seven given to the Dwarf-Lords many years ago. What became of it?"

Again, Gandalf had asked a personal question, but Thorin could not see the relevance of it. They were just talking about his father and now he wanted to talk about a ring? Confused, he simply answered, "He gave it to my father before they went into battle."

"So Thrain was wearing it when he," he paused, he was heading into dangerous waters, "When he went missing."

Thorin simply nodded. Now Gandalf understood, perhaps Thrain was alive if he had one of the Seven with him. But before he could think about it anymore, the waitress he had pulled over came by with his order.

Thorin was beginning to put the pieces together. If Gandalf was so interested in his father that must mean...

"My father came to see you before the Battle of Moria."

They were getting to the heart of the conversation, they were getting close to why Gandalf had stepped in.

Thorin leaned in, "What did you say to him?"

There it was, the perfect moment to strike, Gandalf answered, "I urged him to march upon Erebor, to rally the seven armies of the dwarves. To destroy the dragon and take back the Lonely Mountain. And I would say the same to you. Take back your homeland."

Thorin was amused, rally the dwarves? What he was asking was impossible. He brought up his cup to drink, asking, "This is no chance meeting, is it Gandalf?"

Gandalf dropped his over-friendly attitude, there was no more need for theatrics, now that Thorin was onto him, "No, it is not. The Lonely Mountain troubles me, Thorin. That dragon has sat there long enough. Sooner or later, darker minds will turn towards Erebor." 

He then pulled out a leather strip, carrying a written message in Black Speech, "I met some unsavory characters whilst traveling on the Greenway. The mistook me for a Vagabond."

"I imagine they regretted that," It would've been funny had the situation been different. Gandalf pushed the leather message over to Thorin so he could see it.

"One of them was carrying a message. It is Black Speech, a promise of payment."

Thorin examined it, though he could not read it, "For what?"

"Your head," Gandalf said gravely. Thorin looked up, almost unable to believe what had been told him.

"Someone wants you dead," Gandalf continued, "Thorin, you can wait no longer. You are the heir to the throne of Durin. Unite the armies of the dwarves, together you have the might and power to retake Erebor. Summon a meeting of the seven dwarf families, demand they stand by their oath!"

Thorin scoffed, Gandalf truly was asking asking for the impossible, "The seven armies swore that oath to the one who wields the King's Jewel, The Arkenstone. It is the only thing that will unite them, and in case you have forgotten, that jewel was stolen by Smaug!"

Gandalf looked out of the corner of his eye and saw that the two assassins were leaving. Those three children were also missing from their hiding spot in the corner. That spell they used to eavesdrop on the conversation was quite remarkable, he'd have to ask "Tom" how he performed it. But he would deal with them later. He decided to end the conversation by explaining his plan.

"What if I were to help you reclaim it?" Gandalf offered.

Thorin was once again confused. What was this wizard plotting? "How? The Arkenstone lies half a world away, buried beneath the feet of a fire-breathing dragon."

"Yes it does," confirmed Gandalf, "Which is why we're going to need a burglar."





Starlight had heard enough. She had made it all the way up to talk about the dragon before she could take it anymore. She put her hand on the Soul Gem, disrupting his magic and ending the eavesdrop. 

"Hey," Stygian said, annoyed, "What was that for?!"

"We shouldn't have listened to that! This was all a mistake!" Starlight yelled.

"This was all your idea!" Sunset yelled.

"I know, and I regret making that decision!" Starlight snapped as she rushed out of the Prancing Pony.

"Hey, Starlight! Wait up!" Sunset called after her, and soon she and Stygian ran after her, unaware that the wizard they were spying on had taken note that they had left.

They were a good three blocks away from the inn before they finally caught up to her, "Starlight, whatever they were talking about doesn't concern us. We can just forget we ever heard it and just-'

"You don't understand!" Starlight yelled, "It is now crucial that we find a way home!"

"What do you mean?" Stygian asked, he wasn't catching on.

"Think about it, when did Twilight and the others participate in the Quest for the Ring?" Starlight asked.

Sunset thought for a moment, "Well, the quest happened around somewhere during the end of the Third Age. Twilight and her friends joined Frodo on his quest to destroy the Ring after Bilbo gave it to him."

"Yes, that's what Twilight told me, too." Starlight confirmed, "And what did Bilbo become famous for?"

"Well, according to Twilight," Sunset thought, "He took part in the battle of the Five Armies, after he and thirteen dwarves had retook the Lonely Mount-"

Now she understood why Starlight was so upset. But how was that possible, there was nothing about that when they talked about fixing the mirror, could they really have..?

Stygian's wheels were turning too,"Wait, are you saying that...?"

"Yes, you idiots!" Starlight exploded, " The Battle of the Five Armies took place sixty years before Twilight and the others would come here! We didn't just go to Middle-Earth, WE TRAVELED BACK IN BUCKING TIME!!!"

"Traveled back in time, you say?"

All three of the friends suddenly screamed. For standing right behind them, stood Gandalf the Grey himself. He must have caught on that they were eavesdropping on them and came to investigate. Crap, if he found out they were from the future, the future itself could be in danger!





Gandalf had seen many different things in his life, each one more weird than the one before it. But this, this was the one that currently took the cake. Here were three children who claimed they were from the future. Something was weird, but perhaps they could be of use.

The one he had called "Merida" at the table, stepped forward and meekly asked, "How much did you hear?"

"Oh, only the part where you say you're from the future, and also the fact that you know Bilbo, or more accurately, you will know Bilbo," Gandalf explained. And he was telling the truth, he had not heard anything else other than those two facts. Perhaps it was better that way, the less he knew about the future, the better.

"Well, we don't know him," began the one Merida called "Mary", "But our friend will. Please don't ask us her name."

Gandalf smiled, "Oh, don't worry. I have no intention of telling anyone what I have heard of, or making use of anything you might tell me. But perhaps we should start over, I am Gandalf the Grey."

"We know who you are," The one named "Tom"replied, "Our friend told us all about you. You are the starter of adventures and a member of the White Council."

"I see," Gandalf pondered, "Now perhaps, you could enlighten me of your names, as I am sure that they are not Merida, Mary, and Tom."

At these words they huddled together, deciding whether or not they should fulfill his request. Gandalf could understand their suspicion, but he could see no harm in him knowing their names. None in the immediate future, anyway. The three then broke the huddle, and decided to reveal their true names.

The one named Merida came forward and said her name was Starlight Glimmer, Mary admitted her true name was Sunset Shimmer, and Tom told him that he was known as Stygian where they came from.

"Pleasure to meet you all," Gandalf bowed respectively, "But I must ask, why have you come here?"

Stygian went forward and explained that it was sort of by accident that they came here. They were trying to fix a magical mirror that would take them to Middle-Earth. They didn't mention anyone's names, or the name of the country they were from, but it became clear to him that they were indeed, not here of their own volition.

"Now, I must ask," Gandalf continued, "Do you have any idea of the events that are to come?"

"No sir," Sunset clarified, "We know names of certain events in the future, but we do not know the outcome for most of them."

Gandalf then chuckled, "Then there is nothing that you could tell anyone, and as such, could not alter the future more than you already have."

Starlight then sighed with relief, they weren't in trouble after all, "So, we can just pretend we never met, right?"

Gandalf then shook his head, a somber look on his face, "I'm afraid it is too late for that, Miss Glimmer."

Sunset looked confused and scared at the same time, "What do you mean?"

Gandalf brought his staff forward and leaned on it a little, "Well, you see, Miss Shimmer, Miss Glimmer here already inserted herself into the story when she came to the rescue of Thorin. And she sealed her own place in it, as well as Mister Stygian's and yourself, when you chose to eavesdrop on our conversation. Now you know about our quest, and that there are those who will use the information to put it in jeopardy. I'm afraid you will have no choice but to see your part in the story through the end."

Starlight became a little shocked at these words, "Wait, you're not suggesting that..."

"You are right, I am not suggesting, I am telling," explained Gandalf, "You will be helping me and Thorin take back Erebor."

Starlight just fainted at this new aspect, while Stygian and Sunset felt a little excitement about this new adventure they had just landed themselves into.
> Party at Bag End
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Starlight couldn't believe what was happening, even though it was happening all around her. They had been caught, they had failed to keep the secret, and now they were forced to go on an adventure that they were never supposed to exist in. Starlight had half a mind to just grab her friends and make a run for it. But Gandalf was a wizard, after all, so he could probably stop them from trying, and the fact that she had no magic didn't help. 

Stygian and Sunset, on the other hand, were more than happy to join the adventure. Stygian had heard stories of Middle-Earth, mostly the ones about the Elves and such. As a self-respecting scholar, there was no way he was going to pass up this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to meet them.

Sunset, of course, had simpler goals in mind. She had read all about Middle-Earth through Twilight's journal, about all the adventures and treasures there. It was always her dream to go on an adventure in Middle-Earth, and possibly find some treasure of her own as a bonus. She didn't really care that they traveled back in time, really. To her, an adventure was an adventure, regardless of the circumstances.

"They just don't get it!" Starlight thought to herself. She had known a thing or two of the consequences of time-travel, having caused one herself. She knew better than most ponies about what happens to those who mess with time. But it was too late, she had made a rash decision to help Thorin and get involved in the quest.  She was determined to stay as uninvolved in the adventure as she could. She could only hope that her friends would behave themselves during it, lest they cause irreversible damage to the space-time continuum.





The next morning went about rather quickly. They had spent the night in the Prancing Pony, and (with some help from Gandalf) paid for their meals last night. After getting all that out of the way, they all took a trip to the local shops and bought the provisions they needed, some cooking kits for the road, as well as three small horses for a decent price. Thorin had left some time before they were ready, leaving them to travel with Gandalf. Soon, after leaving a message for Twilight, they set off from Bree and embarked to the small village of Hobbiton.

If Gandalf had traveled alone, he would've been able to get there in a few days, but due to the extra baggage he had picked up, in the form of three time-traveling children, the journey would take a bit longer than that. They were going to be a bit late, but no matter. Gandalf had a feeling these three would have a role to play, and he couldn't deny that he would like to learn a little more about them.

After a few hours, the road had gotten boring, and everyone had kinda drifted off into their own thing. Stygian was showing Gandalf his Soul Gem, and how he was able to channel magic from it. He didn't mention any names or places, but he managed to tell him a little bit about Equestria and how magic there works. Gandalf just nodded, asking a few questions here and there. He had just assumed that they were from a colony that was either lost to history, or would be founded in the future. Stygian would've told more, but Starlight made him and Sunset swear secrecy about Equestria. They didn't fuss, they knew that it had to be the Princess of Friendship to tell Gandalf about their native country, after all. 

Sunset had taken to killing time by reading her journal. Not all of it was missing, and she could still find ways to learn about Middle-Earth with what was still there. Gandalf had asked to read it from time to time, but Starlight had always jumped in to shut down the idea. But that didn't stop Sunset from slipping it into his robes, at the promise that he would return it. 

Starlight had distanced herself the most from the group. After making Sunset and Stygian promise to keep Equestria a secret, she would often just hang in the back, thinking to herself. Whenever she was addressed, she spoke in short sentences and never answered any questions that were asked. So eventually, everyone else just left her to her own devices. But she was finding this to be boring beyond belief, and after an hour of silence, she had rode up to talk to Sunset, who was reading the assassination reward letter Gandalf had given her (part of the payment for the journal).

"What does that read?" Starlight asked, letting curiosity get the better of her.

Sunset jumped, not expecting Starlight to sneak up on her like that, "Oh, hey Starlight. It's written in Black Speech. It's a really ugly language spoken by orcs."

"An ugly language, indeed," Gandalf confirmed, having overheard the conversation, "Very few know how to speak it, or have the bravery to. You must be really something to be fully versed in it."

Sunset just shrugged it off, "I just like learning new things, that's all."

"But what does it say?" Starlight asked again, "Why would someone write in a language like that?"

"Well, whoever they are, they must really hate Thorin," Sunset guessed, "They wrote about paying somebody handsomely well for the head of Thorin Oakenshield. Just a head, nothing attached to it."

"Someone wants him dead?" Stygian asked, now joining the conversation "Then is it really safe for him to be travelling on his own? Shouldn't he have come with us?"

Gandalf simply laughed, "Do not be so quick to judge the strength of Thorin Oakenshield, young Stygain. He will be fine on his own, for the time being. Besides, he has his own task to perform, and we have ours."

"What is that task exactly?" Starlight questioned, "I know that we're going to Hobbiton, but what does that have to do with heading to the Lonely Mountain."

Gandalf rode forward a little, taking charge of the group, answering, "We are heading to a party. Thorin has gone to rally the Seven Armies to help him retake Erebor, along with other members of his kin. Our burglar has graciously lent his own house to host the meeting."

"Burglar?" Sunset chipped in, "If you needed a burglar, you could've just asked me. I'm a pretty decent pickpocket, and I know how to get in and out of places quickly."

Gandalf just shook his head, "I'm sure you do. Unfortunately, Smaug has long been used to the smell and taste of Man and Dwarf. We will need the smell of something he isn't used to, like a hobbit, perhaps?"

Starlight, feeling a little daring, asked, "Hobbit, I've heard that word a lot. Our friend often talked to us about them, but the details were vague. What is a hobbit, per say?"

"Doesn't surprise me," Gandalf answered, "Very few know about their existence, and they very well prefer it that way. Hobbits are small creatures, barely three feet tall. They live quiet, peaceful lives and prefer to be left alone if they can help it."

Stygian was puzzled, "If that's the case, what makes you so sure that your burglar will help us?"

"Oh, trust me," Gandalf winked, "He will."





After about a week or so of travel, they had found themselves in the quiet little town of Hobbiton. When they arrived, Sunset thought she would be reaching Pinkie Pie levels of excitement when she saw them. It would be an understatement to say she was sorely disappointed. True to Gandalf's word, hobbits were nothing more than three feet tall men who preferred quiet and comfortable lives, not taking kindly to anything that was out of the ordinary. More than once, she and her friends had received a few dirty looks from some grouchy looking ones while working on their gardens.

"Just ignore them," Gandalf warned the group, "the Sackville-Baggins family are a rather bad-tempered sort. Don't take any of their manners too seriously."

It went without saying that all three friends had wholeheartedly agreed.

Not to say that there weren't a few things that interested her. She found out that they made their homes out of holes in the ground. It was a bit of an amazement how they were able to turn a small dirty hole in the ground into a warm, comfortable living place, all without the help of magic, too. She would've asked them how they did it, but she had a feeling that these simpletons didn't want to talk with her, probably another batch of those "Sackville-Baggins" people Gandalf told them about. No matter, once she met Gandalf's burglar, she would be able to ask them all the questions she could think of.

In time, Gandalf pulled them over by a small set of bushes and told them to wait there, "I'm simply going ahead to inform our burglar that everything is in order, and that he should be expecting a party of thirteen dwarves or so, three children, and myself. You just wait here until I give you the all clear."

Not really wanting to go anywhere without Gandalf, the three friends agreed to stay put. Even Starlight, who would've saw this as a perfect chance to escape, promised to stay where she was, out of fear that she would alter the timeline if she wandered off. With that out of the way, Gandalf went forward to have a chat with his burglar.





Bilbo Baggins was one of the more respectable hobbits in Hobbiton, always on time. He had a nice hobbit hole, filled with good food, a warm fireplace, and all the comforts of home. He would spend his days talking to the neighbors, reading his books, or simply smoking from his wooden pipe on his front porch. He was a normal everyday hobbit, and nothing unexpected ever happened to him.

So you could imagine his surprise when a robed man with a staff came up to his gate and turned his smoke ring into a butterfly, which had landed on his nose before evaporating into thin air. He looked up at the robed man, but didn't know what to make of him. He certainly wasn't from anywhere in Hobbiton, he was sure he wasn't from the Shire altogether. If he wanted to talk to him, he made no sign that he was going to. Not wanting to be impolite, Bilbo was the first to say something,

"Good morning."

"What do you mean?" the robed man asked him, "Do you wish me a good morning, or do you mean that it is a good morning whether I want it or not; or perhaps you mean to say that you feel good on this particular morning; or are you simply saying that it is a morning to be good on? Hmm?"

Confusion painted Bilbo's face like a canvas. How could someone take something simple like a 'Good Morning' and turn it into all that? 

"All of them at once, I suppose?" Bilbo cautiously answered.

The robed man just stared at him at this comment. It looked as if he was studying him, sizing him up for something. Bilbo had no idea what he was doing here, or why he was talking to him. He wasn't the kind of hobbit to associate with his kind of sort. But there was no use in just staring at each other, "Can I help you?"

"That remains to be seen," the robed man simply replied, "I'm looking for someone to share in an adventure."	

Now Bilbo's confusion was replaced by surprise. So much surprise in fact, that his pipe had fallen out of his mouth. An adventure, him? Ha, Bilbo could hardly make it past the gates of his own front porch, let alone an adventure. He laughed slightly, "An adventure? No, I don't imagine anyone west of Bree would have much interest in adventures. Nasty, disturbing, uncomfortable things, make you late for dinner."

With those words, Bilbo got up to check his mail. The robed man had his answer now, so he would certainly go away now and ask somebody else. But the robed man didn't budge, in fact it looked like Bilbo's answer hadn't registered to him, or he was simply ignoring it. Bilbo was now a little afraid, and he wanted to get back into his hobbit hole as quick as possible.

"Well, heh, good morning," Bilbo bid the stranger, and walked up the steps to Bag End.

But apparently, the robed man wasn't satisfied with the answer he was given. He stepped forward a little, and spoke in a challenging voice, "To think that I should have lived to be 'good morninged' by Belladonna Took's son as if I were selling buttons at the door."

At these words, Bilbo paused. It wasn't a secret who his parents were, not here in Hobbiton. But this stranger wasn't from Hobbiton, or anywhere in the Shire, was he? Bilbo turned to address him, "Beg your pardon?"

"You've changed, and not entirely for the better, Bilbo Baggins," the robed man plainly stated.

If he was suspicious at first, now Bilbo was on guard. It was one thing for someone to be familiar with his parents name, of course. But for someone to know his name, and to address him as if they were very old friends, that was highly suspicious, and his reaction was not entirely different than anybody else's if they were in a similar predicament.

"I'm sorry, do I know you?" Bilbo asked, almost with a challenging voice himself.

"Well, you know my name," the robed man declared, "although you don't remember I belong to it, I'm Gandalf! And Gandalf means... me!"

Now they were getting somewhere. Bilbo now understood who this man was, "Gandalf? Not Gandalf the Wandering Wizard, who made such excellent fireworks? Old Took used to have them every midsummer's eve!"

Gandalf felt a little bashful. His fireworks were great, of course, but he was sure they weren't all that. Still, it felt good to have someone compliment you on your work.

"No idea you were still in business," Bilbo bluntly added.

Just like that, those bashful feelings were gone, " And where else should I be?"

"Where else..? Ahem," Bilbo blundered. He had just insulted him, but he didn't seem to notice that he had. But Gandalf didn't seem to mind, at least he remembered him for something.

"Well, I'm pleased to find you remember something about me, even if it's only my fireworks," Gandalf said, trying hide his disappointment in Bilbo. He was a bit of a pompous, sure, but that would change soon. His mind was made up, Bilbo was just the person he needed, " Yes. Well, that's decided. It'll be very good for you, and most amusing for me. I will inform the others."

"Inform the who?" Bilbo stuttered, now his guard was replaced with sternness, and a touch of anger, "No, no, no... wait! We do not want any adventures here, thank you! Not today, not... I suggest you try Over the Hill or Across the Water!"

And with one final "Good Morning", Bilbo opened the door, hurried into his hobbit hole, and locked the door behind him. He remained there for some time, hoping beyond hope that Gandalf would just go away. But as he was thinking to himself, he heard a strange noise coming from outside. He pressed his head up to the door to hear a little better. It sounded like someone was etching something on a board, rather loudly too. No, he couldn't be. Bilbo then peaked through the window to confirm his suspicions.

He didn't see much of anything, other than Gandalf's great big eye staring at him through the window. Having the sense to back away, he hid himself on the other side of the wall. He hid there for a few seconds before hearing the sound of footsteps becoming fainter and fainter. Risking it, he peaked through the door once again to find that Gandalf had left, humming to himself on the way out. Finally deciding that the coast was clear, he relaxed a little bit. Hopefully that would be the last time that he would see Gandalf, and he could go back to his comfortable, respectable life.





Unfortunately, that would not be the case. Gandalf had made up his mind about Bilbo, and once it was, there was little a person could do to change it. He would be riding ahead a little bit and informing the other guests about the location of the meeting place and what they could expect. But first, he had to go back to his friends and tell them what would be happening. They were now wrapped up in all this, so they were expected to show up just as much as the others were.

"I'll be back before the evening is done," Gandalf said, once he had told them of what he had planned, though he left out the part about Bilbo's hostility, "In about a quarter day's time, make for the providence of Bag End. It's the hobbit hole on the hill, with the mark on the door. A hobbit named Bilbo Baggins will be there to get you all sorted out for dinner. Be there at around eight, sharp."

And with those words, Gandalf got on his horse, and rode out of Hobbiton, leaving the three ponies turned human to camp in the bushes for a few hours.

In that amount of time, they had gotten to chatting about what they were going to expect on their adventure.

"I've heard fascinating stories about the Elves of Middle-Earth from Twilight," Stygian explained hopefully, "Just imagine, the ability to remain young and fair for eternity. I imagined only an alicorn was capable of such feats. It would be amazing to be able to meet one."

Sunset just shrugged, "I don't really care about all that. I was hoping I would be able to see the Kingdom of Gondor myself. But they won't have a true king until the next sixty or so years. So instead, I'll just settle for an adventure or two and a few nice souvenirs to show my friends back home, if we ever get home."

"Don't talk like that, of course we're going to get home," Stygian replied, "Hey Starlight, what are you hoping from all this?"

But Starlight had remained silent, her policy of not speaking unless spoken to was still in affect, and she certainly didn't want to talk to these two idiots.

Sunset nudged her a bit, "Come on, Starlight. I know you, you aren't this stuck up about everything. Why don't you stop being a worrywart and just talk to us."

Now Starlight was offended. Standing up, she said in a loud voice, "Oh, I'm the worrywart?! Because we're trapped in an alien world that we have no idea about, I'm the worrywart?! Or because we got sent back sixty years into the past, and could alter the future beyond recognition with our actions, I'm the worrywart?! Or the fact that I trapped myself and my friends on an adventure where we could be badly hurt, or worse, I'm the worrywart?! Oh sure, go have fun with your quest, and just buck everything sideways about the timeline! Just blame ol' Worrywart Glimmer for caring about the safety of my friends!!!"

And with those words out in the open, she just sat back down, and put her hands to her face. To say that Sunset and Stygian were shocked at this remark wouldn't begin to cover it. They had no idea Starlight was so worried for them. They wanted to comfort her in some way, but didn't know how exactly to do it. Sunset just settled for putting her hand on her shoulder, "Look, I can't pretend to know anything about what you're talking about, but I do know one thing: You care about your friends, and that's admirable of you to do. Just know that as long as we stick together, we'll be fine. We're all going to get through this in one piece, we just need to stop worrying about the future, and think about what we do in the moment."

This wasn't as comforting as Sunset would've hoped, because Starlight just brushed her hand off and coldly said, "You have no idea, either of you. You have no idea about the consequences of time travel."

Sunset wanted to help her in some way, make it all feel better. But before she could, she heard a call for their names, and saw that Gandalf had returned, and he was not alone.

Dwarves. Sunset had heard about them, but had never actually seen what they looked like. They were much like hobbits, except they were a bit taller, had a stockier build, and most noticeably, they had big and scruffy looking beards.

One of them came up to Gandalf, "Oy, what are these three doing here?! You never told us there was going to be children attending!"

This comment was followed by a flurry of comments of agreement. Gandalf tried his best to calm them down, but was finding it hard. Once he did, he explained to them, "Please, please, calm yourselves. These are my associates, they may look like children, but I assure you, they will be most beneficial to your quest. Why don't you introduce yourselves?"

Sunset, realizing that he was talking about them, bowed low and introduced herself, "Hello, I'm Sunset Shimmer. Pleased to meet you."

"Starlight Glimmer," Starlight whispered reluctantly.

Stygian bowed low and said, "Stygian, Magical Researcher and fifth member of the White Council, at your service." 

It was a lie, and Gandalf knew it. The fifth member was actually Cirdan, and while Stygian was skilled in magic, he was nowhere near as powerful as himself or anyone else in the Council. He had often wondered why he had told him about the Council in the first place. Nevertheless, the dwarves seemed to buy it, believing that another wizard within their ranks would be helpful.

When it was their turn to introduce themselves, they took turns in kind. The one who had questioned their presence was a dwarf named Gloin. The youngest looking one was called Ori. There was a partially deaf one there too, who had to press a small horn up to his ear, his name was Oin. The next one wore a funny fur hat, he went by Bofur. Next in line was a particularly fat dwarf with a small bald spot on the top of his head, Bombur was his name. Next to him was a dwarf with a white beard who didn't speak any English (Bofur said his name was Bifur). And after them were the two dwarves Nori and Dori.

After everyone was properly acquainted, they all set out to Bag End, they only had a few minutes before the required meeting time, after all. The dwarves chatted among themselves, talking about what kind of food would be at the party, what they had been up to since the last time they met, what powers Gandalf and Stygian might hold, etc. They mostly didn't pay attention to the three otherworldly friends, except for young Ori, of course. 

"So, how exactly do you know Gandalf?" asked Ori in a rather innocent voice, he reminded both Sunset and Starlight of Fluttershy.

Sunset bent down to his level, "Well, a while ago, he was being hunted by a group of assassins. If it wasn't for us, Gandalf most likely wouldn't be here right now."

"Oh, I doubt that," Ori said confidently, "He's a wizard, after all. Wizards are one of the most powerful beings there is, he probably could've dealt with them on his own. But still, it was nice of you to help him."

Sunset was a little baffled by Ori's comment, but agreed with him all the same. The way Twilight described him, he probably had more magic up his sleeve than any of the Alicorn Princesses, or at least, he would. 

They continued walking and talking for about five minutes before they made it to Bag End. It was like all the other hobbit holes Sunset had seen, but was different from them at the same time. It was a small hole in the hill with a door, like all the other ones. But it gave off a homely and comfortable charm that the other hobbit holes just couldn't compare with. She was anxious to get in and see what it looked like on the inside. Apparently, the dwarves were also anxious to get in, as they all began to crowd to the door as soon as the bell was rung. From inside, they heard a rather angry and unfriendly voice calling out to them,

"There's nobody home, go away and bother somebody else! There's too many dwarves in my dining room as it is! If this is some clot-head's idea of a joke, I can only say it is in very poor taste!"

The door suddenly swung open, and all the dwarves who crowded the door suddenly toppled over like dominoes. Luckily, Gandalf, Sunset and the others stayed a bit in the back, as they did not go tumbling with them. As the dwarves struggled to get themselves back up again, Gandalf peaked his head through the door, a sheepish grin spread over his face.

If they weren't so sure of the fact that they traveled back in time before, there was no denying it now. Bilbo was nothing like Twilight had described him. He was younger looking, much younger looking. His white, messy hair was replaced by dark blondish, less messy hair, and he seemed more of a pompous than an adventurer to Sunset.

"Gandalf," he accused coldly, "And who are those behind you, huh? More uninvited guests, I presume? Well, at least they're not dwarves, I've had it up to here with dwarves!"

As he stormed off to attend to the other "guests", with the dwarves, now up from their domino tumble, close behind, the three equestrians gave Gandalf a suspicious look, "Wait a minute, you said that Bilbo knew that we were coming."

All Gandalf could do was give them the same sheepish grin he gave Bilbo.





Sunset was right, the inside had the same homely charm as on the outside, though the roof was obviously built for someone much smaller than her, like smaller then her waist. Stygian almost got a concussion because of the many times he hit his head on the chandelier. And it was hard to admire a model home when said home was crowded with hungry dwarves.

There were four other dwarves here other than the ones she had arrived with. The first was Dwalin, who had a bald head and a long black beard. Next was an old dwarf named Balin, when he spoke, he gave off a similar presence to Twilight, in the sense that they were both very wise and knowledgeable. Then there were the two brothers, Fili and Kili. Those two were like Rainbow Dash, if she was a guy, and was split into two people. They were rather fun to hang around, Sunset could not deny. She hoped that she would be able to sit next to them when dinner was served. 

Bilbo, on the other hand, was not enjoying his time at all. He was trying in vain to get the dwarves to behave themselves, but they kept taking food from the pantry, picking up chairs and plates and other priceless family heirlooms to use at the dining table. He reminded Sunset of Rarity, if Rarity wasn't interested in clothing and was three feet tall. It was every self-proclaimed high-class pony's worst nightmare! Starlight was also trying to help Bilbo get the dwarves under control, seemingly forgetting her fear of the space-time continuum for basic table manners.

Meanwhile, Gandalf had taken to counting off the dwarves, making sure that everyone was here, "Okay, there's Stygian, Sunset, and Starlight, they came with me, of course. Uh, Fili, Kili, uh... Oin, Gloin. Dwalin, Balin, Bifur, Bofur, Bomber... Dori, Nori, Ori!"

At that moment Bifur came up to Gandalf and said something in Dwarvish or something, "Yes, you're quite right, Bifur. We appear to be one dwarf short."

"You mean Thorin?" Sunset asked, "Where is he if he's not here?"

"He is late, is all" Dwalin clarified, a big wooden flagon in his hand, "He traveled north to a meeting with our kin. He will come."

At this moment, Dori came up to Gandalf with two glasses full of red substance on a serving plate, "Mr. Gandalf? A little glass of red wine, as requested. Oh, and here's one for you too, Miss Shimmer. Figured you could use a little something as well. It's got a fruity bouquet."

Even though Sunset never asked for the drink, she graciously accepted it. She had never tried alcohol before, to be honest. She was but a filly when she abandoned Celestia, and in the Human Realm, she wouldn't be allowed to drink until she was twenty-one human years, and ol' Butterbur swore on his life that the stuff she and Stygian were drinking was non-alcoholic. This was a new experience, and she wasn't going to turn it down, plus it was polite. And with a small clink both Gandalf and Sunset took a shot of their red wine, looking sorrowfully at their small cups.

Soon after, the chairs were all in, the food was laid out, and everyone was hungry and ready for dinner. Sunset got her wish, as she managed to secure a spot between Kili and Nori. Stygian was sitting next to Gandalf, he was still disoriented from his bash in the head, and Gandalf was the only one tall enough for him to lean on. Starlight had just decided to sit outside with Bilbo. They were both tired from trying to get the dwarves under control, and had just opted to sit it out until they were done with dinner. To everyone else, dinner was fantastic! Bilbo really knew his stuff when it came to cooking. Sunset's favorite, in particular, was the sausages. She had really loved meats like sausages and bacon, partially the reason why everybody called her Bacon Hair, after all. Upon hearing that little story, every dwarf in the room laughed with delight. Bofur and Bombur had made a little game with themselves, Bofur would throw a handful of food at him, and Bombur would catch it in his mouth, this also earned a few cheers and laughs from the dwarves. Fili was serving ales to everybody, trying hard not to step on anybody's hands or plates.

"Who wants an ale?! Here you go!" he called to the other dwarves, giving them out as he went. His brother Kili, had requested an ale from him, and Sunset did as well. Dwalin asked for one too, but as soon as he got it, he poured it down Oin's hearing horn, who proceeded to blow it out like a trumpet, causing ale to splash everywhere. A soon as he was done serving everybody, Fili got off the table, and secured a spot next to his brother. 

"Ale on the count of three!" Bofur yelled. Everyone all agreed, but decided to down their ales on "two" instead of waiting for "three". For the first time that night, everyone was silent, as they had lifted their flagons high, and poured the tasty beverage down their throats. After a few seconds, the room had become a chorus of burping. Nori had been the first to burp, follwed by Ori (who had burped the longest) and then... 

"BUUUUUUUUUUURRRRRRRP!!!!!!!"

At this the room fell silent, and all eyes frantically searched for the one who had caused that earthquake of a burp. Soon, they managed to trace it to the unlikeliest of people.

Sunset, had burped so loud and long, that the table and plates shook a little bit. All eyes were on her, never before had they heard a burp so loud or long. Sunset began to feel uncomfortable, like she had said a very offensive curse word.

"Um, excuse me?" Sunset said meekly.

What happened next, was unexpected, but very expected at the same time. For every dwarf in the room had erupted into a series of cheers, the ones closest to her giving her pats on the back and "congratulations". It was from then on, that Sunset was known to the dwarves of Durin Folk as Bacon Hair, the Queen of the Banquet Hall, or simply Sunset, at her request. 

Starlight buried her head in her face, already they were altering the timeline beyond repair. Bilbo, not knowing what she was upset about, but wanting to help, simply put his hand on her lower back (he was aiming for her shoulder) and just gave it a few pats.

After dinner was done, all the dwarves had gone to work cleaning up after themselves. But they were doing it all wrong, the plates weren't supposed to go there, that wasn't how you used the soap, and that was a doily, not a dishcloth!

"But it's full of holes," Bofur pointed out, a little confused.

Bilbo showed it to him stating, "It's supposed to look like that, it's crochet."

"Oh and a wonderful game it is too," Bofur joked, "If you've got the balls for it."

This earned a few laughs from the other dwarves, but Bilbo was not amused. In fact he was angry beyond belief,

"Bebother and confusticate these dwarves!"

Gandalf, who had witnessed Bilbo's rather inappropriate choice of words, come up to see him, "My dear Bilbo, what on Earth is the matter?"

"What's the matter?" Bilbo sassed him, as if these dwarves would be here without him, "I'm surrounded by dwarves. What are they doing here?"

Gandalf just smiled, witnessing Nori and Bofur playing tug-of-war with a string of sausages, "Oh, they're quite a merry gathering, once you get used to them."

"I don't want to get used to them!" Bilbo hissed, "Look at the state of my kitchen! There's mud trod into the carpet, they pillaged the pantry, I'm not even going to tell you what they've done to the bathroom; they've all but destroyed the plumbing. I don't understand what they're doing in my house!"

At this moment, Ori came in with his plate in hand, a rather innocent look on his face, "Excuse me? I'm sorry to interrupt, but what should I do with my plate?"

"Here ya go, Ori. Give it to me," Fili said as he walked in, taking the plate from Ori's hands. He then threw it to Kili, who then threw it to Bifur, who then started to wash it in the sink.

Starlight, who had walked in at the time, was freaking out, "Excuse me, is that any way to treat your host's belongings?!"

Bilbo had quite agreed with her,"Be careful with that, that's my mother's West Farthing Pottery, it's over a hundred years old!"

But they had either not heard Bilbo, or didn't care, as they continued to throw the plates around like they were basketballs. Starlight and Bilbo tried desperately to stop them, but they were too nimble and too quick for them. Starlight, feeling rather like she was going to explode, grabbed Stygian's Soul Gem (who was resting nearby) and tried to use it to channel her magic so she could catch the plates in midair; nothing happened.

"Why isn't it working?!" Starlight shouted.

"Locked... on... genetic code," Stygian muttered, holding his ice pack closer to his forehead, "Won't... work... for... except... me."

Starlight grunted loudly and tossed the Soul Gem into his lap, before storming off.

Meanwhile, everyone was playing with the forks and knives. Sharpening them, playing swords with them, making rhythmic bumps on the table and the floor. Bilbo was just not amused, half-heartingly accepting that they would not listen to anything he said, "And can you not do that, you'll blunt them!"

"Oh, ya hear that, lads?" Bofur spoke, feigning concern, "He says we'll blunt the knives."

Kili then got a song going, followed by Fili, and soon every dwarf was singing along to it as they cleaned up, even Sunset managed to join in on it, once she got the gist of it. And it went a little something like this:

Blunt the knives, bend the forks
Smash the bottles and burn the corks
Chip the glasses and crack the plates
That's what Bilbo Baggins hates!

Cut the cloth, tread on the fat
Leave the bones on the bedroom mat
Pour the milk on the pantry floor
Splash the wine on every door!

Dump the crocks in a boiling bowl
Pound them up with a thumping pole
When you're finished, if they are whole
Send them down the hall to roll 

They had a real rhythm going. They sang in tune with their work, the plates were all thrown to each other, Bombur cleaned the plates by eating the leftovers, Balin simply catapulted the plates with his own, doing it in time. Sunset caught the ones that they didn't, tossed them to the nearest dwarf to get them back into the flow of things, and little Ori was in charge of putting them away when they were cleaned. This lasted for a few minutes, and when it was all done, they finished their song with one last big:

That's what Bilbo Baggins hates!

When both Bilbo and Starlight walked into the room, what they found was unexpected to say the least. The table was clean, the trash was either thrown away or eaten by Bombur, the plates and silverware were all stacked and ready to be put away, and everyone was just chilling about, laughing at the look of their faces.

Starlight was impressed, they may have been terrible house-guests, but they definitely knew how to clean up after themselves, Bilbo happened to be thinking the exact same thing.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Suddenly, there was a huge knock at the door, not acknowledging the presence of the doorbell. All the merriment stopped, all the laughing had come to a halt. The tone had become serious and somber.

Gandalf, turned his head towards the company and gravely said, "He is here."
> The Tale of the Lonely Mountain
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thorin Oakenshield had arrived at last. He was much different from the last time Starlight had seen him, for one he was shorter than her, like all the other dwarves. She didn't know why she was surprised about that, perhaps sitting with him at eye level in the Prancing Pony had convinced her he was taller than most. He also wore a long brown coat over what looked like battle armor, he looked like he was preparing for war. The one thing that didn't change about him, was that grumpy and brooding look he had to him, like he really didn't want to be here right now. Yet, that was not true. He very much wanted to be here now, but he had a troubling week up to this point, and he did not have good news to share.

Letting himself in, he went up to speak with the wizard who had invited him here, " Gandalf, I thought you said this place would be easy to find. I lost my way, twice. I would't have found it at all had it not been for that mark on the door."

Bilbo, who had overheard this, rushed out to see this "mark", "Mark? There's no mark on that door, it was painted a week ago."

"There is a mark, I put it there myself," Gandalf reassured him.

Starlight, who had calmed down for the most part, came up and said, "Wait a minute, so you invited dwarves over to a house whose host had no idea you were coming and you left a mark on his door? Have you not heard of manners?"

Thorin stepped forward, "What's it matter to you, 'Merida'? What are you and your drunk little friends over there doing here, anyway?"

"They are here on my authority," Gandalf declared, "And they will remain here, and during the trip to Erebor, as long as I see fit."

"Very well," scoffed Thorin, he was not happy that three strangers were here to listen in on their business. But he had more important matters to attend to, he and Gandalf could talk about them later. Right now, he was more interested in the hobbit that was standing right in front of him.

"Bilbo Baggins, allow me to introduce the leader of our company: Thorin Oakenshield," Gandalf stated, with a tone as if he was introducing a king.

Thorin stepped forward a little bit. He was examining Bilbo, as if a predatory bird was sizing up his prey, "So, this is the hobbit? Tell me, Mister Baggins, have you done much fighting? Ax or sword, what is your weapon of choice?"

Bilbo had not understood the question. He was slightly skilled at Conkers, at least. But he had never started an actual fist fight in his life, let alone used an ax or sword. Thorin seemed to pick up on the hints, "Thought as much. He looks more like a grocer than a burglar."

With that little chuckle, all the dwarves moved to the dining room, ready to discuss plans on what was to be done, with Bilbo following close behind, confusion covering his face once more. Sunset and the others did not follow them, they had a small bone to pick with Gandalf, and they intended to let him know about it.

"Him, you want him to be the burglar?!" Sunset had asked, " I think Thorin's right, you're practically sending him to his death!"

"Calm yourself, Sunset," Gandalf waved, "all will be explained in due time. Now come over to the table, we are about to begin."

The three equestrians were confused, most of all Sunset. What was this wizard planning?





Everyone was once again at the dining table, but the reason for it was absolutely different. All of the dwarves had sat down in their original places, with Thorin being at the end of the table. Gandalf had chosen a spot in the corner, next to Thorin. Bilbo and the three equestrians stayed outside a bit, this was obviously a private matter. But apparently not too private, if the grey wizard wanted them to be close.

Balin was the first to speak, having a question he wanted answered, "What news from the meeting in Erid Luin? Did they all come?"

Thorin simply nodded, "Aye, envoys from all seven kingdoms." The dwarves were pleased greatly at these words. If all seven managed to come, then they were certainly interested in the quest. Surely Thorin had convinced them to join them on their adventure.

Dwalin however, had a question of his own that he wanted to ask, "And what did the Dwarves of the Iron Hills say? Is Dain with us?"

Thorin's look became somber at this question. He did not know how to answer it, he'd rather not answer it at all. But all the same, he did, "They will not come. They say this quest is ours and ours alone."

Needless to say, the three equestrians listening in on the conversation were not pleased at all, especially not Sunset and Starlight. What Dain and his people were doing to Thorin was not right at all. Friends help friends, no matter the danger or the peril. Dain was basically abandoning his friends to the fire of Smaug! Sunset was about to speak her mind on the matter, when she was stopped by Stygian. Slightly shaking his head "no", he told her that Dain and his kin had made their choice, and no amount of speeches about Friendship and Loyalty were about to change that. Feeling defeated, Sunset slunk back into her spot.

Not surprising at all, Bilbo had not one, but many questions that he wanted answered. After all, out of everyone here he was the least informed on what was happening, "You're going on a quest?"

Neither Gandalf or the three equestrians knew how to convey it in one or two sentences, so Gandalf tried to answer his question through other means, "Bilbo, my dear fellow, let us have a little more light."

Recognizing the request, Bilbo went into the other room to grab one of his candle sticks. To help explain what was going on, Gandalf pulled out a small piece of paper, about the size of a handkerchief. Bilbo and the three equestrians leaned forward to see what was on it. Depicted on the paper, was a single solitary mountain, and a series of other smaller, less important places, with a set of instructions that not many could read. Clearing his throat, Gandalf began, "Far to the East, over Ranges and Rivers, beyond Woodlands and Wastelands, lies a single solitary peak." 

Bringing the light a little closer, Bilbo read aloud the title of the page, "The Lonely Mountain?"

Starlight, who also read it aloud, spoke up a little, "The Lonely Mountain? That's where you guys used to live, right?"

Thorin chuckled, "So Gandalf, you're friends over there seem to have a sapling of an idea about what's going on after all. Aye, Miss Glimmer, the Lonely Mountain was once our home, ruled over by the Dwarvish King Thror."

Gloin nodded, "Aye, Oin has read the portents, and the portents say it is time!"

"Ravens have been seen flying back to the mountains, as it was foretold!" Oin explained, trying to prove his findings: 'When the birds of Yore return to Erebor, the reign of the beast will end.'

Bilbo paused right where he stood, he had left the conversation some time ago to get his pantry back in order. But at the sound of 'Beast' he instantly stopped right in his tacks, his interest in the conversation rekindled once again, "Um, what beast?"

"That would be a reference to Smaug the Terrible," Sunset jumped in, eager to share the knowledge she learned in Twilight's journal, "Chiefest and Greatest Calamity of the Third Age to date."

Bofur, who was about to explain it himself, simply nodded, approving of Sunset's description of him, "The lass is right. Airborne Firebreather, Teeth like razors, claws like meat hooks. Extremely fond of precious metals."

"Yes I know what a dragon is," Bilbo interrupted, not wanting to hear more. Such details were just too much for a respectable hobbit such as himself to bear.

Ori, who suddenly stood up, started claiming that he wasn't afraid of any dragon, and that he could shove his iron sword right up the dragons... well, down below. This earned a mix of praise from some dwarves, while others just told him to sit down. Sunset and the others agreed, Ori was just showing signs of his youthful foolishness, and such rash actions like that were going to most definitely get him killed.

Balin shared these thoughts, as he somberly added, "The task would be difficult enough with an army behind us. But we number just thirteen. And not thirteen of the best, nor brightest."

This earned him a few comments, a few of the more "Brawn than Brain" types calling him out for calling them stupid. But that didn't stop Fili and Kili, who were showing signs of their youthful foolishness as well. But unlike Ori, they had seen battle before, and they knew how to turn that foolishness into bravery.

"We may be few in number," Fili admitted, "But we're fighters, all of us, to the last dawrf!"

Kili agreed with his brother, "And you forget we have two wizards in our company! Gandalf and Stygian would have killed hundreds of dragons in their time!"

Both Gandalf and Stygian backed away, not being able to back up the claims that were being laid on them. "Well, not exactly," Stygian admitted, "Where I'm from, dragons are nothing more than common nuisances. I've never had any reason to actually kill one before."

Despite this new bit of knowledge, Kili was unwavering, "Gandalf then, even if Stygian hasn't killed any Gandalf certainly must have!"

Left to fend for himself, Gandalf stuttered, "Oh, well no, I-I-I wouldn't say.."

"How many then?" Dori asked most accusingly, "How many dragons have you killed?! Go on, give us a number!"

Gandalf could do nothing but just cough slightly in his pipe. Without solid proof that either Gandalf or Stygian had experience in defeating dragons, the room erupted into chaos. Many were aimed at Gandalf, accusing him of being a fraud. The more kinder ones rather bashed him for bringing Stygian and his friends into the party, since they had yet to prove their usefulness to the quest. It was too much for Bilbo to bear, "Um, excuse me, please?"

Nobody could hear him, they were too busy yelling at each other. Starlight, who had heard Bilbo's attempt, tried to get the others to calm down so he could speak, but still to no avail. It was only when Thorin himself entered the fray when everyone stopped fighting and sat back down, "NO MORE!"

Thorin, realizing he had the room, spoke in a clear and decisive voice, "If we have read these signs, do you not think others will have read them too? Rumors have begun to spread, the dragon Smaug has not been seen for sixty years. Eyes look east to the mountain, assessing, wondering, weighing the risk. Perhaps the vast wealth of our people now lies unprotected. Do we sit back while others claim what is rightfully ours, or do we seize this chance to take back Erebor?!

Now this is what set Thorin apart from Ori, Fili, and Kili. He was neither young nor foolish. When he spoke, he knew exactly what he was talking about, how he could rally others to his cause. How he could turn a forgotten group of washouts into a battalion of warriors! And it worked, every dwarf in the room rallied and cheered, willing to risk their lives to reclaim what belonged to them! But there was one problem...

"You forget," Balin added, "The gateway is sealed, there is no way into the mountain."

Sunset was confused, "Wait a minute, what do you mean sealed?"

Balin cleared his throat, "What I mean, Miss Shimmer, is that when the dragon Smaug attacked Erebor, he destroyed the main entryway into the mountain, no doubt to trap any potential meal who intended to escape. As said before, there is no way into the keep."

Gandalf simply smiled, "That, my dear Balin, is not entirely true." Gandalf suddenly pulled out an old looking key, made of dwarvish design and a metal so sturdy it would be nearly impossible to break. Twirling it in his fingers, he showed it to Thorin, who had a look of disbelief in his eyes, "How came you by this?"

"It was given to me by your father, by Thrain" Gandalf explained, "For safekeeping. It is yours now." He then held it out for Thorin to take. Slowly putting his hand forward, Thorin allowed the heavy key to fall into his palm, staring at it like it was antique piece of precious metal.

The purpose of the key became clear to everyone in the room, "If there is a key, there must be a door."

Referring back to the picture of the Lonely Mountain, Gandalf explained, "These runes speak of a hidden passage to the lower halls.

"There's another way in," Both Kili and Sunset simultaneously spoke, hope was not lost after all.

Gandalf however, was not done talking, "Well, if we can find it. But dwarf doors are invisible when closed. The answers lie somewhere hidden in this map, and I do not have the skill to find it."

"Maybe I can?" Sunset offered. Suddenly, all eyes were on her, "What I mean is, I have a journal with me that has data on every known language of Middle Earth. If you could give me the time to read it, maybe I can decipher it."

With that out on the table, Sunset grabbed the picture, and rifled through her journal to find the corresponding language. About ten minutes passed before people started to get restless, "Well, what does it say?"

Sunset continued to rifle through her journal, a panicked look in her eye, "I don't know! I can't seem to find the language!"

"Here, allow me to take a look, Miss Shimmer," offered Gandalf, taking the journal off her hands. After a few minutes, Gandalf came to his conclusion, "Well, I thought as much. You cannot find the language because it is not here."

"What?!" Sunset asked bewilderingly, certain that languages wouldn't have been erased from the journal. 

Gandalf brought his hand up, "Allow me to explain. You mentioned to me before that parts of your journal had been erased from your view. Whatever is at play with this journal, it does not want us to figure out how to read the map, at least not without earning it. We will discuss this later, for now let's get back to business. Just because Miss Shimmer and I can not read it does not mean that there are not those who can."

Changing the subject, Gandalf continued, "The task I have in mind will require a great deal of stealth, and no small amount of courage. But if we are careful and clever, I believe that it can be done."

Ori, who was paying attention rigorously, was the first to catch on to what Gandalf was talking about, "That's why we need a burglar!"

"And a good one too," Bilbo added, not knowing who they were thinking about, "An expert, I imagine."

"And are you?" Gloin asked, making it perfectly clear that they were talking about him. Yet despite that, despite the fact that everyone in the room was looking at him, Bilbo still couldn't grasp that he was who was chosen to be the burglar,

"Am I what?"

"He said he's an expert!" Oin declared, having heard so from his hearing horn. This caused a few chuckles poking at his partial deafness, but Bilbo didn't find it funny at all, "What, me? No, nononononono. I'm not a burglar. I've never stolen a thing in my life. I was thinking that maybe you consider Miss Shimmer for the job. She looks like she's had a fair amount of practice in stealing and sneaking and that sort of thing."

"Well, I'm afraid I have to agree with Mister Baggins," Balin confided, knowing what kind of sort Bilbo was, "He's hardly burglar material. Miss Shimmer would be the right person for the job."

"Nope," Bilbo agreed, trying his best to seem non-burglarly like.

Dwalin confided as well, "Aye, the wild is no place for gentle folk who can neither fight nor fend for themselves. Miss Shimmer, everyone seems to be looking at you. How much of a burglar are you really?"

Sunset gulped. It was true that she used to cheat and steal things back before she met Twilight, but she would hardly call herself a burglar,"Well, I've stolen a magic crown before, but that's just about it."

Bilbo was happy to agree, "See? She stole a crown, a magic crown, no less. Definitely more burglar material then I am."

Once more, the room erupted into loud talking and mixed opinions. Many were against Bilbo, and wanted to pick Sunset to be the burglar instead. Others, like Kili and Fili, wanted to give Bilbo a chance and insisted that he'd manage just fine. Sunset herself was rather nervous about the whole thing. No doubt she could be their burglar had the circumstances been different, but she had already been told by Gandalf that she couldn't be. Even her friends were against the idea of her being the burglar, Starlight for the obvious reasons of Space-Time Continuum stuff and not wanting her to get hurt, Stygian for the same reasons, having shared a drink with her and attached to her enough to not want to see her die. The more the dwarves argued, the more Gandalf became more stressed and restless. Until finally, enough was enough...

"Enough!" Gandalf stood up, roaring in a booming voice that didn't sound like him at all, the area around him becoming dark, with the rumbling sound of thunder accompanying it, Sunset Shimmer is not my choice! And if I say Bilbo Baggins is a burglar, then a burglar he is!

Once he was done yelling, the sound of thunder ceased and the blackness around him faded. Continuing, he added, "Hobbits are remarkably light on their feet. In fact, they can pass unseen by most, if they choose. True, Miss Shimmer is the more obvious choice, but you forget one thing: The dragon Smaug has long been accustomed to the smell of Man and Dwarf, the scent of a hobbit, is all but unknown to him, which gives us a distinct advantage."

Sitting back down, Gandalf addressed Thorin, "You asked me to find the fourteenth member of this company, and I have chosen Mister Baggins. There's a lot more to him than appearances suggest. And he's got a great deal more to offer than any of you know, including himself." 

Thorin scoffed, "And what of Sunset and her lot?"

"They will be coming as well," Gandalf answered unwavering, "They know a lot about our quest and could be a liability if left unchecked. Besides, their use to the company may present itself in time. You must trust me on this."

Thorin did not like this plan at all, the four people that Gandalf suggested would be a burden more than anything. This quest had no place for a gentlefolk and three meddling children. But, he had to admit, it would be amusing to see how long they lasted before they wanted out, "Very well, we'll do it your way. Give them the contract."

Bilbo and Starlight did their best to try and weasel their way out of this, but both Sunset and Stygian were eager to begin. Taking the contract, Stygian asked, "So, what does this contract entail?"

"It's just the usual," Balin clarified, "Summary of 'Out-of-Pocket' Expenses, Time Required, Remuneration, Funeral Arrangements, so forth."

Bilbo couldn't believe his ears, "Funeral Arrangements?"

"Don't worry about that," comforted Sunset, "My friends and I will make sure you get back in one piece. For starters, let's just look over what the contract says.

As Sunset and Stygian helped Bilbo look over the arrangements, Thorin quickly whispered to Gandalf, "I cannot guarantee his safety. Not his, not the children's. Nor will I be responsible for their fate."

Gandalf understood, realizing that it would be up to him to keep both Bilbo and his new friends alive, "Agreed."





After the meeting, Bilbo and Sunset's gang had resided to the other room to discuss the terms of the agreement, "Terms: Cash on Delivery; up to but not exceeding 1/14th 17th of total profit, if any."

"Wait, why was the fourteenth crossed out?" Sunset wondered.

"Because we were never supposed to be here," Starlight insisted, "They never expected Gandalf to add a few surprise members to the company. Hell, we shouldn't even be here!"

Alright, alright, quit worrying!" Stygian snapped, "Now what does it say here? Present Company shall not be liable for injuries inflicted or sustained as a consequence thereof including, but not limited to: Lacerations, Evisceration, Incineration, etc." 

Bilbo grabbed that contract, "Wait, did I hear that right, Incineration?"

"oh, aye," answered Bofur, who happened to be nearby at the time, "He'll melt the flesh off your bones in the blink of an eye."

These words were not comforting to Bilbo, nor Starlight. Bilbo's life had never been in mortal danger before. For Starlight, it was different, she had been in mortal situations before, but she also had her magic, something she lacked thereof at the moment. She couldn't just teleport herself and her friends out of there if it ever got dicey, she would be going in with no real security or reassurance that she would make it out alive."

Balin seemed to notice their concern, "You two alright?"

'Yeah, I'm fine," both Starlight and Bilbo lied, starting to hyperventilate a little bit. Bilbo was starting to feel a bit faint.

Bofur didn't catch the hint at all, continuing to list off the ways they could painfully and gruesomely die, "Think furnace with wings. Flash of light, searing pain, then poof! You're nothing more than a pile of ash!"

Bilbo tried desperately to get a hold of himself, tried to convince himself that none of that would happen to him, but in the end he couldn't do it. He just gave a quick and short, "Nope" and fell on his carpet, dead to the world. That just left Starlight to keep herself calm and collected.

"Oh, and one more thing," Bofur added, "No one will know you even died! Your family will never know what became of you before it was too late, and your friends would likely share a fate similar to yours."

That was the tipping stone for Starlight, she said something awfully rude to Bofur, and then fainted herself, barely missing Bilbo as she fell next to him.

Sunset, who had managed to grab hold of the contract before Bilbo fainted, shot Bofur a mean look and continued to drag Bilbo and Starlight into the other room."

"Very helpful, Bofur," Gandalf remarked as he left to help Sunset with the bodies.





Bilbo sat in his living room in one of his comfy chairs, slightly whimpering as he sipped from a hot cup of tea. Starlight was also in the room, with a cup of her own. But she sat on the floor, the furniture in the room not built to handle someone as big as her. They just sat in the room, whispering to themselves, how they were going to be alright, how Starlight was gonna find a way to bring herself and her friends home before they had to face Smaug.

Sunset and Gandalf were closely watching from the other room, Sunset being very concerned for their mental health, she wanted to give them one of her trademark pep talks about how they were going to make it, and how the Magic of Friendship would guide and protect them. But this time, she couldn't find the words, every time she tried, the words just hung in her mouth, "What are we gonna do, Gandalf?"

Gandalf however, couldn't have been more confident in what he was about to do, "Don't worry, Miss Shimmer. I know exactly what to do. You just wait here while I get these two sorted out."

"I'll be alright, just let me sit quietly for a moment," Bilbo insisted, trying to get Gandalf to go away.

But Gandalf would have none of it, "You've been sitting quietly for far too long."

"Or maybe," Starlight interrupted, "Maybe we haven't been sitting quietly for long enough. If we just sit quietly for a very long time, you and your dwarf friends will just go on your quest without us and we'll just wait here for someone to rescue us from this nightmare."

"Miss Glimmer," Gandalf tried to comfort, "Everything that you just said is wrong and flawed. Even if you stay behind, you surely cannot convince Miss Shimmer and Mister Stygian to do the same. They've already signed the contract and have agreed to its conditions."

At these words, Starlight shot up, "They've what?! What the hell are they thinking?! They could be hurt or worse! They could alter the timeline, or cause things that weren't supposed to happen to happen! No, the best course of action is to stay here and wait to be found."

"I wholeheartedly agree," Bilbo chipped in, although he had no clue what she was talking about, "If the original 'timeline' means me not going on this quest, just sitting here with my books, my pipe, my doilies and dishes, then I would very much like to stay on this side of the timeline."

But Gandalf did not move, he came here to get them out of this stupor they were in, and he aimed to stay here until they were, "Tell me, since when did doilies and your mother's dishes become so important to you? Since when did worrying about future events and avoiding them actually stop them from happening?"

Turning his attention to Starlight, he continued, "Starlight, you're so busy worrying about the future, that you haven't stopped to think about the present. Whether you go or don't go is irrelevant in the grand scheme of things. I will still go, Thorin and his company will go, and Sunset and Stygian will most certainly go. You can't stop what has been set in motion, you can only go along with it and hope for the best. That's about as good as anyone can do."

"And Bilbo," Gandalf mentioned, "I remember a young hobbit who was always running off in search of elves in the woods. Who would stay out late, come home after dark, trailing mud, twigs, and fireflies. A young hobbit who would've like nothing better than to find out what was beyond the borders of the Shire. The world is not in your books and maps, it's out there."

Bilbo managed to catch a glimpse outside one of his windows. A part of him would very much like to leave the Shire, to see what lied beyond, to secure that 1/17th of that humongous treasure that Smaug was greedily guarding. That part of him was growing stronger by the second. But like a tidal wave, his common sense came crashing down, "I can't just go running off into the blue! I am a Baggins of Bag End!" 

Gandalf laughed, "True, but you are also a Took. Did you know that your great-great-great-great Uncle Bullroarer Took was so large, he could ride a real horse? Well, he could!"

Gandalf pointed towards the picture of Bullroarer that Bilbo's family had hung for years now. Grabbing both Bilbo and Starlight's attention, he continued his story, "In the battle of Greenfields, he charged the goblin ranks! He swung his club so hard, it knocked the Goblin King's head clean off, and it sailed a hundred yards through the air, and went down a rabbit hole. And thus, the battle was won, and the game of golf invented at the same time."

Both Bilbo and Starlight didn't believe it, that just sounded like a fairy tale that a mother would tell her child at bed time. Bilbo laughed, "I do believe you made that up."

Gandalf sat down, giving a small chuckle of his own, "Well, all good stories deserve embellishment. You both'll have a tale or two of your own to tell when you come back."

Bilbo was almost convinced, but one small thing still dug at his head. Starlight, on the other hand, was firm in her belief that she wouldn't go, "That's the thing, isn't it? Will we come back? Let's assume that we do go with you, the timeline still stays the same, and everything goes according to plan; will we come back? My friends are putting their lives in danger for this stupid treasure hunt, and if they're gonna go flamboyantly toss it away like that, I need to trust that you will look after them, look after us. Can you absolutely promise to me, to both of us, that we will come back?"

Gandalf's smiled faded, there were no other cards he could play. There was no sugarcoating this answer, "No. And if you do, you will not be the same."

Bilbo looked satisfied, he had an absolute, very real reason not to go on this adventure, "That's what I thought. I'm sorry Gandalf, I can't sign this. You've got the wrong hobbit."

"I can't either," Starlight agreed, "If my friends want to toss everything aside and risk their lives, that's on them. I refuse to be a part of this crackpot of an adventure."

And with both of their minds made up, they put down their tea and left the room, leaving Gandalf to his thoughts.





Sunset sighed, unable to believe that someone she considered a friend would make a decision like that. She just couldn't understand.

"So I guess that's that, then," said a voice behind her. Sunset jumped, turning around to see who it was. She gave a breath of relief, it was only Stygian, who was using his Soul Gem to cast an invisibility spell, "Starlight Glimmer, will not be going to Erebor."

"Does that mean we're still going?" Sunset wondered, "Maybe we should stay here and watch after her, make sure she doesn't do something she'll regret?"

"No Sunset," Stygian bluntly said, putting a hand on her shoulder, "The adventure must go on. We can't just end it because one of our own has abandoned the path. We can't force her to join us, and we can't just stay here, hoping against hope that equestrian help will come. It won't, the mirror's broken, and by the time they fix it, we may already be three quarters there to Erebor. The only thing we can do is keep moving forward with life, and live with our own choices and the choices of those around us."

"I know," Sunset admitted, "But it just doesn't feel right, leaving her here by herself. I know I wouldn't want to be left behind by my friends."

"Neither did I," Stygian said, "I know what it's like, and it doesn't feel good. But we can't just stop the path because we're afraid. That's what Starlight is doing, she's letting fear dictate her actions. But if we stay on the path and show her our bravery, then perhaps we can inspire her and others to show their own bravery."

Giving a small sigh, Sunset agreed, "You're right."

With their minds made up, they went into the living room, where everyone seemed to be gathering. They were humming a song, but this song wasn't merry and happy. This song had a somber tune, full of sadness, longing, anger, and a distant memory of better times. Both Sunset and Stygian felt swayed by the music, to the point where they had to sit down to not topple over. They watched and listened as Thorin started to sing, who was soon joined by others. The song went something like this:

Far over the misty mountains cold
To dungeons deep and caverns old
We must away ere break of day
To seek the pale enchanted gold.

The dwarves of yore made mighty spells,
While hammers fell like ringing bells
In places deep, where dark things sleep,
In hollow halls beneath the fells.

For ancient king and elvish lord
There many a gleaming golden hoard
They shaped and wrought, and light they caught
To hide in gems on hilt of sword.

On silver necklaces they strung
The flowering stars, on crowns they hung
The dragon-fire, in twisted wire
They meshed the light of moon and sun.

Far over the misty mountains cold
To dungeons deep and caverns old
We must away, ere break of day,
To claim our long-forgotten gold.

Goblets they carved there for themselves
And harps of gold; where no man delves
There lay they long, and many a song
Was sung unheard by men or elves.

The pines were roaring on the height,
The winds were moaning in the night.
The fire was red, it flaming spread;
The trees like torches blazed with light.

The bells were ringing in the dale
And men they looked up with faces pale;
The dragon’s ire more fierce than fire
Laid low their towers and houses frail.

The mountain smoked beneath the moon;
The dwarves they heard the tramp of doom.
They fled their hall to dying fall
Beneath his feet, beneath the moon.

Far over the misty mountains grim
To dungeons deep and caverns dim
We must away, ere break of day,
To win our harps and gold from him!

It sounded like a somber lullaby, neither Sunset, Stygian, nor Starlight and Bilbo (who were secretly listening in the other room) could resist falling asleep to the music. And thus ended the Party at Bag End.
> We're Going On An Adventure!
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sunset Shimmer dreamt of many things that night. She dreamt of adventure, of gold, and of heroic bravery. She dreamed of finding the way into Erebor, being the first to charge down the mighty dragon Smaug, and being the one to finally take that filth's miserable life. She dreamed of the dwarves retaking their homeland, of how Thorin and his kin would bow to her feet, eternally grateful that is was her that had finally killed the beast that had plagued their home for so long. She dreamed of Starlight, who had finally stopped worrying and started to have fun with the adventure, who apologized for worrying too much about her. She dreamed of going back to Canterlot High School, a huge truck behind her carrying a small mountain of gold and gems, how many of her friends and peers would ask her over and over again how she slayed the beast and won the day. She would then show them Smaug's ginormous head, which she hung outside her house, and would tell them the tale of how she climbed on the dragons back, and stabbed at the dragon until she reached its evil, horrible, and gruesome beating heart! It was a very lovely dream, but in the end, that's all it was and ever would be. A Dream.

"Hey, 'Mary'! Wake up you lazy oaf!"

Sunset suddenly jolted awake, her dream cut short by the painful experience of getting repeatedly kicked in the side. Turning around, she saw the stubby little legs of Thorin Oakenshield painfully meeting her waist, "Get up! We're heading out now!"

"Alright, alright! I'm up, I'm up!" Sunset insisted, "No need for all that!" Slowly wincing at the pain Thorin caused, she got herself off of the floor (the only place she where she could really sleep), tempted to deliver her own set of kicks to the rather rude dwarven prince. But before she could get the chance to, he went off to go kick awake some of the other dwarves within the company. So she decided to let off some steam by kicking a few of the other dwarves awake. Their reactions definitely made her feel better, their constant griping made her chuckle a little bit.

"Argh!" Gloin grumpily awoke when he was kicked, "Alright, alright, no need for any more of all this forsaken kicking!"

For the next five minutes or so, the dwarves kicked themselves awake from their dreams, grunting annoyingly as they got ready to start their long journey. Everything was being accounted for, provisions were being packed, weapons were being hung from their belts, and all the equipment they would need was being packed on their ponies.

Pausing for a brief moment, Sunset broke away from the company, to check on Starlight and Bilbo. Both were still fast asleep, Bilbo on a small stool, and Starlight on the floor. She had half a mind to wake them up, to give them one last chance to join the company. But those thoughts were quickly interrupted by Balin, "C'mon lassie, the others are on their ponies and waiting for us. We'd best get going."

"I know," Sunset complied, but was still hesitant to leave them there, "It just feels wrong to leave them there. Starlight's my friend, we started this journey together. I'm worried about her, that she's making a terrible choice that she's going to regret. Same for Bilbo, I don't know him that well, but I feel like he's making a choice that will cost him."

"I understand you concerns, Miss Shimmer," Balin agreed, "But they've made their choices. The only thing we can do for them now is get out of their hair." Still, seeing that Sunset just wanted to watch them and think for a moment, he backed off a bit, "I'll give you a moment. But be quick, we're leaving at daybreak."

In her mind, he knew Balin was right. But in her heart, she still didn't want to leave them. She even thought about tying them up and dragging them to Erebor if she had to. She wished Twilight was here, she would've come up with this fantastic speech about friendship and protecting one another that surely would've convinced both of them to come. But she wasn't here, and Sunset wasn't that good with speeches. She probably would've stayed in that spot watching them for the rest of her days, had it not been for Stygian, who had come to finally collect her.

"Come Sunset, we must go or they will surely leave us behind," Stygian reminded her, gently taking her hand. Sunset just simply nodded and allowed herself to be lead away from her friends and out the hobbit hole. On the way out, Sunset noticed that the contract they had signed was still waiting on the table. Why wasn't it packed yet?

"Hey, isn't that the contract?" Sunset wondered, "Why isn't it packed with everything else?" She moved to pick it up and take it with her, before she was stopped by Stygian.

"Leave it," Stygian told her, "Gandalf's idea." He ended the exchange with a small wink, and went outside with the others. It took her a minute, but Sunset now understood what the wizard was planning. Whatever it was, she knew it involved Starlight and Bilbo. In the time she knew Gandalf, she had seen that he was a person who used clever words and tricks to sway others, similar to the Equestrian Princesses. No doubt Gandalf had set something in motion that would convince both of them to participate in the adventure. She only hoped that it changed their minds soon, lest they be left behind to far to catch up.

Gathering herself together, Sunset went out and joined Stygian and the others. Each got on their respective horses, the dwarves mounted on ponies, a bit of an uncomfortable thought for the former unicorns. But ponies of this world were not like they were, so there wasn't much to talk about ethics. They thought about leaving Starlight's horse, just in case she changed her mind, but Thorin shot down the idea, saying that they would need the extra storage and horse power. After one last look at the map confirming their route, Thorin, his band of dwarves, the wizard and two of his charges set off for Erebor. Sunset sighed to herself, urging Starlight to wake up soon, while she still could.





It was a beautiful morning outside. The sun was poking its head over the lush hills, the morning birds were chirping, and there was a gentle breeze. A morning such as this should not be spent in bed. Luckily, it wasn't, for the two creatures in Bag End were just beginning to stir from their slumber.

Bilbo was the first to awake, blinking his eyes and yawning slightly. Then suddenly, his eyes went wide. Where was Gandalf? Where were the dwarves and the three human children? Quickly getting up from the stool he was sleeping on, he tripped on something, taking a painful tumble onto the floor.

"Urmph!" grumbled the thing he tripped on. Starlight slowly got up to her feet, a bit grumpy from the rude awakening, "W-what? Where am I?"

Bilbo, a bit grumpy himself, put his hands to his pockets, "So, you're still here? That means last night wasn't just a dream then."

"I could say the same thing myself," Starlight said back, "I was sure that this was all just a dream, and my friends and I were back in Equestria."

Starlight hadn't caught her mistake, and was too groggy to care at the moment. Bilbo didn't really care either, for he had more pressing things on his mind, "Wait, if your here, where are the others?"

At these words, it became abundantly clear to Starlight how quiet the house was at the moment. Had Sunset and Stygian truly left her to join the dwarves? No, they couldn't have. She was so sure that they would stay when she declared she wouldn't go, "Sunset? Stygian? You still here? Where are you?" 

Forgetting how tall she was compared to everything else, Starlight banged her head on the ceiling before tearing through the house looking for her missing friends. Bilbo was close behind, being just as curious as she was to the whereabouts of the uninvited guests. To their surprise, the house was completely empty. Aside from the empty pantry and Starlight, there was almost no trace that they had ever been there. Bilbo was overjoyed; he had won, Gandalf had finally given up, meaning he could go back to his quiet and respectable life. He gave himself a whispered hurrah and shook his fist in delight.

That delight was short lived as he watched Starlight fall to her knees. "They really left me here," Starlight said to herself, unable to believe what her friends had done. Bilbo then suddenly realized that he was still charged with Starlight, and frankly didn't know what to do with her. She couldn't stay here, she was out of the ordinary, and would most likely be the root of nasty rumors towards him. At the same time, he couldn't just kick her out. Her friends had left her here and she most likely had nowhere else to go. To say he was in a pickle would be an understatement to say the least.

"They left me here," Starlight repeated again. In her head, she was trying to understand why. They were obviously oblivious to the dangers of time travel, but surely they would've at least tried to drag her along, right? Keep trying to convince her to go? She knew Twilight would never leave her behind like that, she'd even carry her if she had to.

Then, it dawned on her. Despite her fear of the future, and what possible damage they could cause, had she really wanted to go on the quest? Out of a desire to protect the timeline? Perhaps, but there was something else to it as well. Whatever happened during the quest, whatever problem they faced, they were supposed to do it together as friends. They would've looked out for each other no matter what. Starlight was still afraid of the timeline, but she knew that whatever damage they caused, they could fix it with the Magic of Friendship at their side.

"Yes they did," Bilbo agreed, "They left us here." For Bilbo, his thought process was a little different. For the first time in a long time, he realized how incredibly empty his house was. It was completely ordinary, nothing unusual about it. Which would have been completely fine for the Baggins side of him, of course. But slowly, his Took side was beginning to take over, reminding him of the adventurous boy he was in his youth, what kind of treasures lay outside the Shire for him to claim, and the stories that he could tell when he returned.

Both Starlight and Bilbo began to kick themselves in their heads, for their selfish behavior costing them the chance of a lifetime. Well, there was nothing that either of them could do but get started with their days. Bilbo was willing to allow Starlight to stay for breakfast (which would consist of whatever was left in the house) before helping her find a place to stay. As he approached the table, his eye suddenly caught onto a lonely piece of paper.

"Hey, Starbright. Come take a look at this," Bilbo called over to his human guest.

"It's Starlight," she corrected, "What is it that you wa-"

She never finished her sentence. Bending down a little, she saw what had gotten Bilbo so worked up. They had left the contract for them. Everything was still there, the requirements, the rewards, and the signatures. Everyone had signed, including Sunset and Stygian, who had made their own place on the parchment. Their eyes caught upon the last three slots on the contract.

Signed: Thorin, son of Thrain

Witnessed: Balin, son of Fundin

Burglar:

It had become abundantly obvious to both of them what the message for them was: "It's not too late, come with us."

Bilbo and Starlight locked eyes for a moment, before looking out the window, and they both knew what they had to do.

After ten minutes of rushed packing, Bilbo shot out the door, contract in hand, with Starlight following close behind him. They ran all across town, jumping over fences, taking shortcuts through cow and pig pens, even leaping over other hobbits. They were all given confused and disapproving looks by the other hobbits of Hobbiton, but they didn't care. All that mattered was catching up to Thorin and his Company, which gave Starlight an idea.

"We'll be running all day at this rate!" Starlight noted through heavy breaths, "Hold on tight!"

"What?" was all Bilbo managed to speak before he was thrust up into the air and placed on Starlight's shoulders. Once he had grabbed tight, Starlight ran as fast as her human legs could carry her.

"Mr. Bilbo, what on earth are you doing up there?" called out one of the farmer hobbits.

"Can't stop, we're already late!" Bilbo answered, his grip on Starlight never faltering.

"Late for what?" called back the other hobbit.

"We're going on an adventure!" both Bilbo and Starlight simultaneously responded, before exiting the quiet village of Hobbiton and disappearing into the outside world.





Back with Sunset and the rest of Thorin's company, the dwarves were talking amongst themselves about how much of a disappointment and a waste of time the entire party at Bag End's was.

"Didn't I say it," one of the dwarves commented, "Nothing but a waste of time."

"That's true enough," called out another dwarf, "Use a Hobbit'? Whose idea was that anyway?"

"That's quite enough of that," Stygian called to them, not wanting to give up hope, "Bilbo will show up, they both will! Just give them more time."

"Ah, you're talking nonsense, laddie," the dwarf named Bofur told him. But neither Stygian, Sunset, or Gandalf wanted to give up on Bilbo and Starlight. They had a gut feeling, they would be here just about...

"Wait! Wait! Wait for us!"

Everyone suddenly stopped their mounts, surprised at the new voices joining them. Everyone had turned around to see Bilbo Baggins himself riding on the shoulders of Starlight Glimmer herself. There was a look of exasperation on most of the dwarves, but Thorin gave a look of curiosity, curiosity of what they were doing here, and how they could hinder them any further.

"I signed it!" Bilbo explained after letting himself down from Starlight's shoulders.

"We both did," Starlight agreed, "Please don't leave without us." Taking the contract from Bilbo's hands, she walked up to the pony Balin was riding on, and presented it to him. The old dwarf gladly took it from her, bringing out his eye glass to make sure that everything was accounted for. Both Sunset and Stygian held their breaths in anticipation, hoping that they had done everything correctly.

Soon enough, Balin had confirmed both their signatures, Bilbo's as the Burglar, and Starlight right alongside her friends as Participators, "Everything appears to be in order. Welcome, Master Baggins and Mistress Glimmer, to the company of Thorin Oakenshield."

There was a bout of light and well meaning laughter among the dwarves, Balin himself had given them a kind wink. Sunset was ecstatic with joy, jumping off her horse and wrapping Starlight in a humongous back-breaking hug.


"Starlight, I'm so glad you're here," Sunset told her friend, "I knew you'd come, I just knew you would."

The hug wasn't nearly as enjoyable for Starlight, who was slowly losing breath from her lungs being crushed, "Sunset... can't breathe... help..."

"Oh!" Sunset cried as she quickly let go. Her cheeks had turned red, and a sheepish grin had spread across her face, earning another bout of laughter from the dwarves.

"It's glad to have you with us, Starlight," Stygian added as he rode up to them, "But I must say, I'm a bit surprised. You were so set on staying behind, what changed your mind?"

"Well, someone's gotta make sure you don't screw up the timeline," Starlight joked, "Besides, I'd remembered one of the most important lessons Twi- our friend taught us. Whatever happens next, whatever danger we come across, we go through it together, as friends."

At these words, Sunset gave Starlight another hug, and Stygian gave her a short nod of approval. At these words, all the other dwarves and company gave a small round of applause, except for Thorin, who was becoming more annoyed by the second, "Alright everyone, that's enough. We've lost enough time already."

Recognizing that the moment was over, everyone began to resume the long trail ahead of them. Parting from their hug, both Sunset and Starlight got back on their respective horses, when Sunset began to realize something, "Wait, what about Bilbo?"

Thorin gave a sigh of annoyance before declaring, "Give him a pony."

To the hobbit, these words were quite distressing, he had never ridden an animal in his life, and had grown to be quite fearful of them, "No no no, that won't be necessary. Thank you, I'm sure I can keep up on foot. I-I've done my fair share of walking holidays, you know? Even got as far as Frogmorten once. Woah!"

Despite his protests, both Fili and Kili had lifted Bilbo high up off his feet, and unto the closest pony there was. To say that he was rather uncomfortable with the whole situation would be an understatement. Noticing his disquietude, Sunset rode up to him and patted him on the back, "Hey, you think this is weird? Just imagine what this might feel like for us," she laughed before rejoining her friends. Bilbo hadn't the slightest idea what she meant, and it offered him absolutely no comfort whatsoever.

For another ten-fifteen minutes or so, the company rode through the surrounding forests of the Shire, before the trees began to thin out, finally breaking through the endless green and brown, and having a clear view of the blue and white in the sky. The three equestrians has seen many blue skies back in Equestria, but at this moment, none of them could compare.

After a while, the dwarves started socializing amongst themselves again, "Come on Nori, pay up!"

"Oh no, you don't," Nori called back to Oin, "The bet was if only Bilbo showed up! You'll not get one coin from me!"

This conversation continued in a similar matter among the other dwarves, demanding payment, and throwing back and forth pouches of coins. Then there were a few who refused to toss their pouches for some reason or another. This ordeal confused both Bilbo and Starlight, though only Bilbo rode over to Gandalf to confirm it, "What's that about?"

"Oh, they took wagers on whether or not you, or Starlight, or both of you would turn up," Gandalf explained, "Most of them bet that you wouldn't."

"And what did you think?" Bilbo asked with great interest. Even Starlight was now interested what Gandalf had thought about them.

"Well..." Gandalf began, and both Bilbo and Starlight had feared he had doubted them. But this thought was short lived, for there was a small clink, as Gandalf caught a rather large bag of coins, "My dear fellow, I never doubted you for a second. Either of you."

This knowledge comforted Bilbo. He had been rather rude towards him for the short time they've known each other, and yet the wizard still hadn't given up hope with him. Starlight, on the other hand, was more interested in what her friends had to say on the matter. "So, did you two bet anything on me?" she asked, even though she probably knew the answer.

"You bet we did," Sunset told her, "Hey Thorin, both Starlight and Bilbo showed up! You know what that means!"

Thorin simply grunted in annoyance, his eyes never leaving the road ahead of them. This reaction got a laugh out of a few of the other dwarves, who were so confident that such a bet would backfire on Sunset, that they couldn't help but laugh when it wasn't so. Stygian came up close to Starlight and whispered, "We bet one whole share of the treasure, that both you and Bilbo would join us by the time we left the Shire."

"You did what?!" Starlight gasped, "Do you know how stupid that was? Putting aside the timeline, that money isn't ours to bet! You could've put us in a debt we couldn't dream to pay if we stayed in Middle-Earth for the rest of our lives!"

Stygian shrugged, "Which isn't a problem now, since both you and Bilbo showed up in the end, like we knew you would."

Starlight was once again reminded of the lessons she had been taught under her tutelage with Twilight Sparkle. These ponies, who called her their friend, were willing to bet everything that she would return to them. There were fewer things in the world of Equestria, Middle-Earth, or any world, that showed how strong a friendship was, than that act of loyalty and selflessness. Starlight could not help but feel honored, but one thing still nagged on her mind, "So, then why did you bet that both me and Bilbo would show up?"

"Well, the higher the stakes, the higher we could bet, I suppose," Stygian answered, leaving Starlight a little flabbergasted, "Besides, you're so worried about the timeline. Whether we showed up or not, Bilbo was supposed to go. I figured if he went as well, it'd be a sign that everything was still going the way it was supposed to go."

Starlight gave him the evil eye, the space-time continuum was a bit more complicated than that. She was honored that her friends had believed in her, but her mission hadn't changed; she was going to do her best to protect her friends and the timeline. But in that line of thinking, she had to admit that they were right; they had managed to get Bilbo to go on the quest, and that was a start.

Speaking of Bilbo, he had suddenly started to develop a habit of sneezing on the trip, which worried Starlight a little bit, "Hey Bilbo, are you alright?"

"What? Oh, it's horse hair, having a reaction, is all," Bilbo explained, reaching into his pocket. Then, his face turned into one of concern, then later panic, as he dug deep into his pocket for something, "No, wait wait, stop! Stop, we have to turn around!"

This little panic from Bilbo had halted the company for the second time that day. There were many looks of confusion and annoyance from the dwarves, even a few from the equestrians. "What on earth is the matter?" Gandalf asked him.

"I forgot my handkerchief," Bilbo told him, earning him a few grunts from the dwarves. At this rate they were never going to get to Erebor. Of course, Sunset and Starlight were used to this type of predicament, this was the type of stunt their friend Rarity would have pulled.

"Here, use this," Bofur told him, as he tore a piece of cloth from his clothes, and tossed it to Bilbo. Bilbo looked at it in disgust, it looked absolutely foul, and smelled even worse. After a small bit of laughter, the dwarves continued their journey, having had enough of Bilbo and his gentlefolk needs. Bilbo, having been defeated on the matter, just chose to use the "handkerchief" as a rag to hold the ropes of his pony. There was no way he was going to put something like that to his face.

"You'll have to manage without pocket handkerchiefs, and a good many other things, Bilbo Baggins, before we reach our journey's end" Gandalf told him, "You were born to the rolling hills and little rivers of the Shire. But home is now behind you, the world is ahead."

The three Equestrians had agreed. They had been on adventures before, so they knew that there would be little to no time for things like what Bilbo was used to. Adventures often required that you put such thoughts aside, until they were over, and even then, there were a few things left behind that could not be recovered. But the three equestrians had no knowledge of this last part of adventuring, having been lucky enough to be on adventures that did not cost them much at all. But this adventure was a different one, and it would a long time before they would see its completion.

This new adventure was just beginning, and it would change Sunset, Starlight, and Stygian forever, for better or worse.
> One I Could Call King
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Three fourths of a day had passed since Bilbo and the three equestrians had began their journey with the Company of Thorin Oakenshield. It had seemed like they had been riding for hours on end, and everyone was beginning to wear out. Especially Starlight and her friends. Only one of them had gone on adventures of this ilk, the other two having adventures that only ever lasted a day, and were mostly traveled to by train. So by nightfall, the only people who still had energy left in them to keep riding were Gandalf, Stygian, and Thorin Oakenshield himself.

Despite this, Thorin could not ignore the silent cries of his company. After finding a small cave into the plateau they were crossing, he declared, "We'll make camp here for the night. Get as much sleep as you can, and be ready to travel again by daybreak."

Everyone had given audible signs of exhaustion and relief, as they got off their ponies and horses and prepared to make camp. There was no dinner, everyone had just unrolled their packs and went straight to sleep. Except for Fili and Kili, who had made the campfire and were keeping first watch with Thorin. 

Gandalf was up as well, silently smoking his pipe and thinking, like he usually did. But this time, his thoughts were not occupied by Bilbo or Erebor, instead he had passed the time thinking about the three children, Starlight in particular. She had spoken about the fact that they were from the future, and that them being here was drastically affecting the flow of time. He didn't quite know what to make of it, but it was surely nothing good. What was she so afraid about? Was she worrying over nothing, or was she cursed with the foresight of a terrible event that had yet to come? And what of Stygian and Sunset? Stygian had the ability to produce magic, which was surely not a feat capable to any creature on Middle-Earth that wasn't an Istari, Maia, or Eldar. Sunset had a book in her possession that had detailed events from the beginning of Arda to the present, and she claimed that half of it was erased. What or who had caused the journal to be erased, and what did the erased passages detail?

To all these questions, Gandalf had none of the answers to. When the time was right, he would have to steer the company to the beings who surely did have that knowledge, to both the children and the hidden clue of the map. But now was not that time, now was to simply rest and smoke his pipe.

Bilbo, however, had received little to no rest that night. The dwarves were heavy sleepers and loud snorers. Bombur in particular kept sucking in and spitting out a small squad of knats as he slept through the night. Poor Bilbo could not get a wink of sleep under these conditions. So he didn't sleep, and chose to spend some time caring for the ponies. Double checking to make sure the people that were awake weren't watching him, he sneakily pulled an apple from his pocket and presented it to his pony, whom he had named Myrtle.

"Hello girl, who's a good girl?" Bilbo playfully said as he gave her the apple, "There's our little secret, Myrtle. You mustn't tell no one. Shh, shh." After eating the apple, Myrtle came up close to his face and gave him a few nudges.

"She likes you," came a voice from behind him. He quickly turned around in surprise, to see Starlight. Apparently, she was still awake too, but by the looks of her, she had only awoken a few minutes ago. She then did something rather peculiar, she went up to Myrtle and gave her a few soft neighs, telling the pony to go join the others.

To say Bilbo was shocked beyond belief would be an understatement, "How on earth did you do that?"

Before answering, Starlight had an inward panicking moment, trying to choose her next words carefully. After a few seconds, she said, "Back where I'm from, we spend most of our lives around ponies. Caring for them, training them, loving them like you would love a friend. We're even taught how to speak with them."

Bilbo was fascinated, "Who taught you how to do that? Talk to ponies, I mean."

"My father," Starlight answered, which was a half-truth, as he did teach her to speak, "I never knew my mother, so he basically had to do all the parent work during my filly- er, childhood."

"Do you think, that maybe, you could teach me how to do it?" Bilbo asked, trying to sound as polite as hobbitly possible.

Starlight smiled, "Perhaps someday. But for right now, I just want to get my friends through this quest in one piece."

"You really care about them, don't you," Bilbo noted, "About what happens to them. You talk about them like I would talk about my mother's things to my neighbors."

Starlight's friendly demeanor dropped, being replaced with a passive aggressive one, "What are you saying?"

Bilbo could tell that he was on thin ice, so he tread carefully, "I'm just saying, that you seem to put all the weight on your shoulders when you don't have to. I haven't seen them fight, but they seem like they can take care of themselves."

Starlight was starting to get more defensive, "You don't understand, it's my fault that we're in this mess. If we had just fixed the mirror like we were supposed to, none of this would've happened. But I made a mistake, some flaw in the process, and we ended up here. I got us into this mess, it's up to me to get us out of it."

Bilbo hadn't the slightest clue what she was talking about, but he did get one particular gist, "Listen, I don't know anything about what you're talking about, mirrors and processes and the like. But it's like I said before, you're putting all the weight on yourself when you don't have to. Sunset and Stygian over there, they're your friends. Let them help you carry some of the burden, and you might be surprised with how strong they are."

Again, it went back to friendship. Starlight was getting a little tired of hearing all the friendship talk, but she also had to admit, it was also a little comforting, "Ha, you remind me of this woman I knew. She talked an awful lot about friendship too; she practically worshipped it. But, the things that she said did have a lot of truth to them, and they shaped me into the woman I am today. I feel like if she were here right now, she'd be telling me the exact same thing you're telling me right now."

Bilbo smiled, he didn't know much about friendship himself, aside from polite talk with the neighbors. Yet, he was happy that he knew enough about it to give her good advice, "What was her name?"

Starlight hesitated, debating whether or not she should tell him the name of her teacher. She weighed the possibilities in her mind, what damage it might cause, what might be changed, etc. However, she was spared from having to answer such an awkward question, for just on the other side of the plateau where they were camping, they heard the most horrid and inhumanly screech off in the distance.

Both Starlight and Bilbo shot upward, Fili and Kili had looked up from their duties by the fire, and Thorin suddenly had an attentive and sour look on his face.  Bilbo had never heard such an awful shriek such as that in his entire life, "What was that?"

"Orcs," Kili answered, a grave tone to his voice.

"Orcs?" Bilbo asked with bewilderment, he had never heard of such a creature.

"Orcs," Starlight repeated, "Ugly, sadistic creatures who hate all the free peoples of Middle Earth." She knew this much from Twilight, who had taught her about them, how cruel and vile they were, and how dangerous they could be should a swarm of them appear in Equestria.

"Miss Glimmer is right," Fili agreed, "Throat cutters, there'll be dozens of them out there. The Lone-Lands are crawling with them."

"They strike in the wee small hours when everyone's asleep," Kili explained, his voice carrying a weight like if one was telling a ghost story, "Quick and quiet, no screams. Just lots of blood."

Bilbo did a double take towards the shrieking, his mind frantically trying to figure out how far away they were, and how long it would take for them to get where they were camped. The Baggins side of him adding another reason to the ever growing list why he shouldn't have come with them on the journey.

Then, the mood between the dwarf brothers changed, as they began to chuckle at the idea. Starlight could not believe them, what part about getting killed before you could defend yourself was funny? Thorin shared her disdain, "You think that's funny? You think a night raid by orcs is a joke?"

Fili and Kili backed off, realizing too late that they had touched a nerve, "We didn't mean anything by it."

"No, you didn't," Thorin spat, the poison in his words would've been enough to kill an Equestrian Yak, "You know nothing of the world!" He then left the campfire, directing his attention towards the distant orcs and their vile screams. Starlight wanted to go to him, to offer him some comforting words or just be alongside him. Her better judgement, however, told her that the last thing he wanted was comforting words, especially from her. So she decided to just leave him alone.

"Don't mind him, laddie," came a voice from behind them. Balin, who had awoken some time ago, came up and joined the campfire, "Thorin has more cause than most to hate orcs."

Starlight was intrigued, "Really, why is that?"

"Because of what they did to his family," Balin explained, beginning to tell Thorin's tale, about his singular and unwavering hatred for the Orcs and how they had wronged him, "After the dragon took the Lonely Mountain, King Thror tried to reclaim the ancient dwarf kingdom of Moria."

Again, something Twilight had taught her about Middle-Earth. She remembered being in a classroom where Twilight would teach her students about the kingdom, how it was ruled by the dwarven line of Durin, how their riches came from their bottomless mines as they searched for the powerful metal mithril. However, their reign had not been forever, for Moria was taken from them by an evil and ferocious creature of darkness; a Balrog, whom had been named Durin's Bane. But she had never heard of this part of the tale, and she was a little excited to be able to hear it from someone who had actually been there.

"But our enemy, had got there first," Balin told them, as he recounted the battle for Moria, "Moria had been taken by legions of orcs, led by the most vile of all their race: Azog the Defiler!"

Balin said his name with such poison and anger hidden in his words, that both Bilbo and Starlight had known that Azog had truly earned his evil title, but they feared what he did to earn it, "The giant Gundabad Orc, had sworn to wipe out the line of Durin. He began... by beheading the king."

The old dwarf paused, having relived a painful moment of his people's past. Starlight turned around to see Thorin, who was still staring off into the darkness of night, pretending that he wasn't listening to the story. She had begun to feel sorry for him, she had known what it felt like to lose someone that you loved, how it created a hole inside of you. But the difference between them was she was able to meet her friend again, refill the hole in her heart and find what was lost. Thorin couldn't do that, his grandfather was gone forever, and there was no magic in Equestria or Middle-Earth that could change that.

"Thrain, Thorin's father, was driven mad by grief," Balin continued, after recollecting himself, "He went missing, taken prisoner or killed, we did not know. We were leaderless, defeat and death were upon us." Bilbo was now listening to the story intensively, hoping against hope that there was a happy ending to this tragic tale, as most hobbit stories did. He was granted his wish, when Balin's demeanor changed, showing pride and aspiration, "That is when I saw him. A young dwarf prince facing down the Pale Orc. He stood alone against this terrible foe! His armor rent, wielding nothing but an oaken branch as a shield! He charged the enemy, and cleaved his hand clean off his horrible wrist! Azog the Defiler learned that day, that the line of Durin would not be so easily broken. Our forces rallied and drove the orcs back, our enemy had been defeated!"

Balin took a breath, remembering how Thorin rallied the dwarf army, while the surviving orcs dragged Azog's squirming body deeper into Moria. How they had charged the remaining orc forces and slaughtered the filthy creatures without pity or mercy. Yet, the glory in their victory was short lived, "But there was no feast nor song that night, for our dead were beyond the count of grief." Then, Balin's tone changed once again, this time to hope, "We few had survived, and I thought to myself then, 'There is one I could follow. There is one I could call King.'"

The two dwarf brothers, the hobbit, and the otherworldly daughter of Felaróf, had gained a new respect for Thorin that night. The battle he had fought that day, and the battle he was still fighting to this day, taught them not to pity the dwarf prince, but to honor him. For he alone had gone through more than any of them could claim, and still come out strong and powerful, who put his people first before himself. His story being over, Thorin broke away from his watch and looked upon his company. The other dwarves, and the other two equestrians had awoken from their slumber, as if the story had been a call to arms that they could not refuse. Thorin had seen the faces of every dwarf who had chosen to come with him, and their faces all said the same thing: "We will follow you to the ends of the earth, my king."

All three equestrians felt the same way, for they had understood that loyalty. Princess Celestia, who had suffered for a thousand years so that her subjects wouldn't have to, had earned that kind of loyalty. Princess Twilight, who had put herself in danger time and time again for the well being of her friends, had earned that kind of loyalty. The three equestrians, who had seen Thorin as a grump and a person who cared little for others, were proven how wrong they were. Through his actions at the Battle of Moria, he had proven that he was worthy of the same loyalty as Celestia and Twilight were.

This moment was soon broken by the little hobbit, who wanted to hear one last detail of the story, "And the Pale Orc, what happened to him?" Balin remained silent, for he did not know Azog the Defiler's final fate. Yet, where Balin had said nothing, Thorin was eager to answer, 

"He slunk back into the hole whence he came! That filth died of his wounds long ago!" He spoke this belief with such certainty, he actually seemed to believe it to be true. But Starlight had seen from the faces of both Gandalf and Balin, that he did not truly know what became of his enemy, and it was most likely that what he said did not come to pass. But Thorin was in no mood to have a discussion about it, they had talked about him enough, "If we're all rested and awake, pack your things. We leave at first light."

This earned some moans and sighs, but none dared disobey. As everyone started packing, Starlight came up to Sunset and asked, "What do you think happened to Azog?"

Sunset shrugged, "I don't know, my journal doesn't mention anything about him. But if I were to guess, I'd say he's not as dead as Thorin believes he is."

"I agree," Stygian said, "But it's not our place to talk about it around him. We don't want to give Thorin another reason to dislike us. If he disowns us from the company, we'd lose the only path we'd have to take before we are rescued. Sunset, how are those messages to Twilight coming?"

"I'm leaving them every chance I get," Sunset told him, "If she comes here, she'll know where we've been, where we're going, and that we're alright."

Stygian nodded, "Good, let's keep it that way." Although Sunset and Stygian talked about Twilight coming to save them, Starlight secretly hoped that she didn't come and that she would have the right mind to send someone else to find them. Twilight already existed in Middle-Earth, sixty years from now when she and her friends would join the Fellowship of the Ring. If she showed up here, the consequences would be disastrous. 

And so ended the first night with the Company of Thorin Oakenshield, the last few hours spent preparing to continue the trip first thing in the morning. None of them ever suspecting that on the other side of the canyon, a hunting party of foul orcs on their hideous warg mounts, was watching them with gruesome intent. The wolf-like creatures snarled at the company, wanting so desperately to attack the unsuspecting dwarves, but their evil masters kept them at bay, for the time being.

<Send word to the master,> the orc leader told his comrades, in the vile tongue of Black Speech, <We have found the Dwarf-scum!>