Moon

Chapter 4: Mental Issues with Trolls

*Edited*

"You know what I want?" said Moon the next morning as they began to leave the campsite.

She looked at them expectantly until Gandalf sighed,"What, Moon?"

"I want a unicorn. You know because I bet they taste good," she said. "Like rainbows. Or glitter..."

"Or butterflies?" Fili suggested, trying to be helpful.

She give him a disgusted look. "Definitely not butterflies. Those are disgusting," she said, sticking her tongue out and making a face. "The wings were stuck in my teeth for weeks! And they are kind of furry," she visibly shivered. "Absolutely not butterflies."

An awkward silence followed, that was only pierced by the clippity clop of the ponies and horses hooves.

Moon gave a nervous laugh, flicking her long blonde hair over her shoulder. "Why are none of you talking to me...? Oh Valar. You all think that just because I'm a creature you don't know I can't be a good friend. I've had plenty of friends! Like Bilbo!" she exclaimed, looking to Bilbo who jumped at the mention of his name.

"Yeah... we're great friends," he said nervously.

"See!" she said excitedly. Thorin snorted in amusement.

"Well okay Mr. Snorts-A-Lot, thanks for your input," she said sarcastically, earning hearty laughs from a few of the dwarves.

"You seem to be in a good mood, lass," said Bofur in amusement.

"Well, the sun is shining! The birds are chirping! Thorin isn't griping! It's a wonderful day to be in a good mood. By good I mean a morning to be good on with a matching attitude," she explained.

"Dwalin, what's your favorite food?"

He mumbled something under his breath.

"Cupcakes! ME TOO! We could be twins! Look I have some!" she giggled throwing him a chocolate cupcake with chocolate chips and chocolate icing spotted with chocolate sprinkles.

"Actually chocolate is my favorite, but cupcakes are my second favorite. Right after bacon, which would be second making the previous second third," she said, her eyebrows furrowing. "But then there's plums, which are third making the previous third fourth. Carrots are actually my third, making the previous third fourth, and the previous fourth fifth. Then there's strawberries, which are actually my first. So that makes the most recent first second, the previous second third, the previous third fourth, the previous fourth fifth, and the previous fifth sixth. So, actually, cupcakes are my sixth favorite food, Dwalin. Sadly we can't be twins," she said, looking down, clearly upset.

The others sat there, trying to work it out, but were hopelessly confused, as they redundantly forgot what she had said.

"You know," she said loudly enough for the train of people to hear,"I believe we're being followed."

"Not a chance," denied Thorin. "I have told no one beyond my kin of the quest besides you, Gandalf and Bilbo."

She shrugged in an uncaring manner. "I'll end up saving your skins one way or the other, so, really, it doesn't matter. Unless it's some insane enemy from the past you believed to be dead," she said with the air of someone commenting on the weather.

"Moon, remind me when this quest is over we need to revisit our lessons on normal. Let's start now. I want you to say the word "normal"," said Gandalf.

"Oh that's easy," she shrugged. "Normil. Normel. Noooorrrrrtel." Her eyebrows knitted together in concentration. "Nirmal. Nimal. Nerzal. There is no z in there, Moon," she mumbled to herself.