Company of Myself

Starlust still wasn't sure how he got in this mess, trapped on a train with two mares he didn't really know that well. Well, he new Fluttershy a bit, but he had only known Twilight for a few hours, and here he was on some crazy trip to meet the Queen of the Changlings with her. Starlust knew crazy pretty much summed up his life, so stuff like this was as close to his norm as possible. He mentaly reviewed what was going to be ahead, first they would get off the train in Appleoosa, then they would have to trek half way through the Badlands to get to the Changling nest.

That was the part that bothered him the most, the nest. What if they don't let outsiders in? Changling are not exactly the nicest creatures. In Starlust's mind, worst case scenario would be to fight their way in. He hoped it wouldn't come to that, the last thing he wanted was to have Fluttershy in any danger. Twilight was a unicorn, and a powerful one from what Starlust could sense, she could handle herself. Still, he wanted to avoid any fighting if possible.

He glanced over at Fluttershy, who was across the isle from him, staring out the window with a blank stare. He kept looking at her for a few seconds, but it felt like minutes.

"You know that Fluttershy and I battled Changlings awhile back?" Twilight said from the seat behind him, startling him slightly. He blushed slightly at the fact that he had been caught staring at Fluttershy, but Twilight didn't seem to either notice or care.

"You don't say?"

"Yea, we kind of stopped the queen's plot to take over Canterlot." She stated.

'Wish she had told me that earlier...' Starlust thought to himself.

"Well your experience with them might help a bit." he told her. "Lets just hope the Queen doesn't remeber you...."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~/ One hour later /~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As Starlust stepped off the train he sheilded his eyes with his hoof. He forgot how harsh the weather was out here.... 'I might want to buy a hat....' He told himself. 'but where are Fluttershy and Twilight at?' Then he saw them at them a bit away from the train, and headed towards them. After getting something to eat, they decided that they might as well start the trip into the badlands. With Twilight in the lead with the map, Starlust following behind and Fluttershy behind him, they began the journy.

The first few miles we're fairly uneventful, though he was fairly sure that if Twilight wasn't using a map, they would have gotten lost already. There wasn't mush in the way of land marks so Starlust could not guess as to how close to the Changling nest they were.

They traveled for the most part in silence, which gave Starlust some thing to sort his thoughts. Yet fo some reason he kept thinking about Fluttershy, he wasn't quite sure why. It was just something about her....

Then he shook himself out of his daze, he didn't have time to be pondering things like that at a time like this. He had to get this curse lifted, then he could think about other things. For now, he had to remain true to his goal.

'If this Changling Queen knows how to lift this curse, I will do what ever I can to do so. This I swear.' He said to himself, and what If she knew nothing? 'Well, lets not concern about "What if's" right now' He told himself.

It was times like this that Starlust reminisced about his old life, the one he had long ago. Before the curse, before he traveled across Equestria and beond.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~/ Alone /~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A long time ago their was a Royal guard, who simply stood and protected what he was ordered to. He was not a high ranked guard, but he most definitely wasn't bottom of the barrel. He was strong, swift, and brave. Yet never had a chance to prove himself truly. Then one day, he found the Eternity Stone, and it drove him mad. The Royal guard had no place for someone who could not do his duties. With no job, no place to call home, he searches to this day for a way to lift the plague that reaps his mind. Until then, he assumes that he will have no one he can trust.

He believes that he is truly Alone.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

'Not much of a story, assuming that you expected better. but I guess that is how I came to be Starlust.' He thought. 'But if your looking for a sob story, well then you came to the wrong pony.'

Yet it still bugged Starlust that for some reason he could NOT stop thinking about Fluttershy...

Perhaps he can call these kind people his friends, maybe, just MAYBE, he isn't truly alone in this world.