private Stardust's Companion

[Rascal~ 657]

She couldn't take it anymore, she just couldn't. The music was pounding in her head, and she could feel the blood coming out of her ears. The music sometimes did that to her, traumatised her with symptoms that wouldn't go away. It terrified her. And the knowledge of why they were there, of how they had gotten inside her head was something that was even worse. She couldn't take it anymore.

Over 500 years of living with the never ending drums and she was going to end them for once and for all. Stardust was going to kill them off. 

But of course, that meant killing herself too. Well, she didn't care. Stardust had been pushed too far, the music was starting to whisper to her, they were telling her things and they agreed to what she was thinking. It was the only way to get them out of her head, to destroy the thing that made her.

So she got up, from her depressing mess of a sleeping area on the floor. She walked towards the door and kept walking, through all of the many corridors and passageways of her home. The memories of exploring them when she was a filly started to fill her mind until the music started to shred them to pieces, removing them from the forefront of her mind. The music whispered to her to keep moving. 

Stardust got to her door, she was weak from her despair that she had released on the ground and the music only fueled the numbness in her bones. Though she was determined to finish off the never ending music, and so she started to cast her spell.

Her horn glowed its brilliant green and the spell she had known since her filly days started to work, bringing back the door from its pocket timestream back into the current one. It appeared in front of her and she opened the wooden door. 

Stardust could see the light, it was near sunset. She looked behind her as the door to her home disappeared. She was never going to see her home again and with the spell in place, no one else would ever be able to get in either. The perfect lock and key for her perfect home. 

She looked away from the mountain from which she just came from, trying to keep the music down as she said goodbye to the only thing she ever loved.

***

Stardust was on the ledge above a raging river, it was the only thing she could find and she stumbled upon it. She couldn't hear it because of the music getting so loud inside her head. The river was going to fast in the middle for her to need a rock to tie her down. She had killed enough ponies to know when something was going to kill them pretty much instantaneously, it was something she had learned with much eager. The banks were more calm but she was going for bullseye. And so she prepared herself, cursing to the never ending music. The drums and violins, the cellos and double basses, the trumpets and trombones with the guitars and clarinets and flutes. Every single instrument she could think of playing in her head, so she was prepared to kill them off.

And she jumped.

[Ampharos 1,009]

Ursidae was walking calmly through the forest he knew as his home. He came to the rapids that he got water from when he could. He happened to look up and saw a pegasus falling down into the water. No, it was a unicorn. No, it was an alicorn. Helping an alicorn could benefit Ursidae in several ways, so his horn illuminated red, and his eyes flashed as he stopped the alicorn, levitating her with his magic. He levitated her quickly to the ground and trotted slowly over to her. "Did you just jump off of that bridge? Or did someone push you?"

[Rascal~ 657]

Stardust's eyes widened, she had stopped. Mid fall she had stopped, her wings weren't being used so it wasn't her and she could see the magic aura around her. The music was pounding, it had gotten way too loud. Everything didn't make sense, everything was been distorted by the sound in her head.

She looked up and saw a purple unicorn, a stallion. His mouth was moving to words that she couldn't hear and she couldn't read his lips, but that didn't matter. That she probably wouldn't have been able to answer properly.

Though she did try to attempt.

"What? I can't hear you. Please, let me die."

She needed to get rid of the music and she could feel the blood starting to drip from her ears again. though it was coming down more flowingly then what was healthy. She could feel it dripping down past her chin, her hoof was trying to block it up but she was too scared too terrified.

She looked back at the stallion, regretting her decision to tell him to leave her be. A watery death she didn't mind but she didn't want to die by a loss of blood that was coming from her ears.

"he..lp"

[Ampharos 1,009]

@,

 

Ursidae gave the alicorn a cold stare and looked her up and down. He could see she was losing a lot of blood from her ears, which was quite sickening to look at, and he took his time assessing the situation. After several seconds of pondering his horn glowed a bright red. A magical aura formed itself around the mare's ears. Ursidae's eyes flashed and the blood began retreating back into the mare's ears. There was nothing else he could do until she could tell him what was wrong. "Why were your ears bleeding." He said the sentence like a command, not a question. 

[Rascal~ 657]

@,

Stardust was panicking, the stallion had retracted the blood  and she had no idea if that was the best course of action. The music only got louder and louder and since the blood couldn't flow out she felt her head was going to explode. She looked back up at the stallion, only just catching the fact that his lips had moved. But she couldn't hear anything, had her vision was blackening a little bit. She was going to faint from pressure in her head if it wasn't fixed soon. The sound affected in nearly every way and she could do only so much.

"I can't hear you... too much sound."

Stardust lifted her hoof to point at her head, she hoped that her words were actually coming out. She had no idea, she couldn't even hear herself talk.

"I..I need to get rid of it. But I can't..."

Stardust eyes grew, it took her long but the music was stopping her. But she was the mare of time and she wasn't about to give up to it, she was trying to kill it. Kill herself. And the stallion stopped her act, the music followed her swift change in emotion. She wasn't scared anymore, she wasn't terrified by her insanity. No, now she was angry. 

Stardust's manner change rapidly, you could see the anger seep through her eyes and words as she spoke.

"Because you stopped me."

Stardust was leaning towards the stallion and she was ready to pounce on him, her bloodlust rising with the music in her head

[Ampharos 1,009]

@,

 

Ursidae stepped back, his eyes once again flashing. "I advise you don't do that again. I'm only trying to assist you. There's no gain in killing yourself. Wasted potential." Ursidae still had a flat expression on his face. He already knew his course of action in the event that the mare insisted on advancing towards him. He didn't know if he would actually be able to fight her, but in the event he started to lose it, he had a plan for that too. His cloak was flowing and his hood had fallen off. His horn was slightly more curved than most, and was also longer. He held his cold stare, showing he wasn't afraid.

 

Yet.

[Rascal~ 657]

Stardust was looking at him closely, and so she was able to see what he was saying. But she didn't understand most of it, she still couldn't hear and she hadn't read lips for a while.

"I CAN'T HEAR YOU."

Stardust was raging just a little bit, she was losing herself to the music. She was going through a battle in her head and this stallion was just talking to her, and she couldn't hear. The blood started to drip again, though much slower than before and it was barely visible because it was melding with the dried blood. Stardust couldn't keep up with herself, she was losing the battle between herself and her madness. She was whispering to her self.

"I need to get rid of it, I need it gone. I can't win. I can't, why. Why?"

She looked back at the stallion, her anger simmered down and then she fell. Her eyes rolled into her head but she kept moving. She wasn't going to let herself go and she kept trying to move. It looked like she was having a seizure but she wasn't, she was just trying to win.

[Ampharos 1,009]

Ursidae sighed nonchalantly. "Oh dear, that doesn't look very good." He thought about what to do, and came up with an idea. He wasn't sure if it would work, but he might as well try. His horn glowed a vicious red, and his face changed for the first time. He looked slightly strained, but in reality he was barely holding consciousness. He almost never did spells stronger than teleportation, but learning this one had been a good idea. His nose began to bleed slightly, but he didn't notice it. He was trying to get inside the mare's head. He had finally broken through, but was bombarded with a loud assortment of instruments. The link broke and he cried out in pain. After regaining himself, he wiped the blood from his snout. Is this why she is unable to hear me/ This was an odd case he was dealing with. Ursidae trotted over to the jerking alicorn, and attempted to lift her up with levitation. His horn sparked a couple times, but nothing else happened. He looked down at the mistletoe around his neck. I wonder if she's worth using it for. This is beginning to become a annoying ordeal. Then again, I'm not aware of the things she could do to me if she reoriented herself. He came to a final conclusion, and broke a small white ball that had been part of the plant around his neck. He walked over to the mare, and tried shoving the ball down her throat. He began using his last energy supply, and enchanted the plant to have the reverse effect of what it usually did to ponies, which was poison them. If it worked, the mare would hopefully be able to reorient herself enough to hear him. 

[Rascal~ 657]

@,

Stardust was still trying to win her fight when she felt something be jammed down her throat, she started to choke a little bit on the small thing that was in her throat and she was having trouble trying to swallow it. Though she did and then she kept working on the sound in her head. Then it quieted down, it didn't go silent but it calmed down enough. She was able to open her eyes properly and looked up at the stallion.

[Ampharos 1,009]

@,

 

Ursidae backed up slightly and narrowed his eyes. "Can you here me now? I'm not entirely positive that worked. I apologize for that unpleasant ordeal. What's you name."  Once again, the green stallion said the sentence as if it were a statement or command rather than a question. He was still unsure about this mare, but he would give her the benefit of the doubt for the moment.

[Rascal~ 657]

@,

 Stardust swallowed again, the music was still loud but she was able to grasp something of what the stallion had said.

"Better, much better."

Stardust looked up at the stallion trying to figure out what he had said to her. She tried to get up from the floor and felt a bit sick but she was able to answer him.

"Stardust, the time mare. Thank you for your help."

[Ampharos 1,009]

@,

 

Ursidae looked her up and down. She had said her title like it was well known, but he had never heard of her. Then again he rarely left his forest, so that might have had something to do with it. "Ursidae Stag. It may not be my true name, but it is what you shall call me while in my company. I insist you come back to my hut. You are obviously not well." 

[Rascal~ 657]

@,

Stardust considered Stag's offer. She could go with the unicorn to his, he would probably have all sort of medicines that he thought would help her. But they wouldn't, herbs and such wouldn't fix it. Only time would. Oh how ironic, only time would heal the wounds time made. Though Stardust would need somepony to help her if she wanted to get better, even though she didn't like it she knew that she needed help for her health. And this stallion looked like he could keep an eye on her, but his medicines would be useless to her.

 

"I think that if you need some sort of special herbs or something I have a better stash in my own home. Though I don't have the knowledge to use them properly. I can heal better in my own home."

[Ampharos 1,009]

@,

 

Ursidae nodded slowly. "Alright. But I won't be able to take us there if that's what you're suggesting. I used the last of my energy to enchant the mistletoe. If it's close then I shouldn't worry."  Ursidae wasn't sure if the mare had any energy to teleport them. If this was the case, he could probably morph into a stag and carry her. But the stag's body might be too frail to do so... The bear was also faster than Ursidae was normally, so he would most likely do that if the mare had no easy way of getting home quickly.

[Rascal~ 657]

@,

"It is not far, I was too weak to be able to travel for from my home. And it seems now that I am still too weak."

Stardust tried to walk but she fumbled and fell, she was having trouble to stay upright. The music was still pounding in her head but it was quite than compared to before. But she knew that it could rise any second. 

[Ampharos 1,009]

@,

 

Ursidae nodded. He knew what the easiest decision would be. "I suggest you prepare yourself. This might seem a little odd. After I do this I need you to give me directions." Ursidae stood back. His body became surrounded in an opaque red aura, and when the aura disappeared, he was a full grown bear. He stood up on his forelegs, and attempted to grab Stardust so he could put her on his back. Hopefully she wouldn't freak out and attack him or try to get away from him.

[Rascal~ 657]

@,

Stardust watched as the stallion in front of her became a bear. She wasn't phased, she knew of shifters. Different to changelings, but still changed shape, and she didn't mind bears. Stardust let the male shifter pick her up and smiled, the claws felt much better on her skin than the ground. She knew that he probably wanted directions but their really wasn't any need for many.

"I live in the mountains, if we could get to one we can get to my home."

Stardust tried to get comfy with the bear's grasp.

[Ampharos 1,009]

@,

 

The bear grunted and began to run towards the mountains. The mare had given him odd directions. Any mountain would take them to her home? It didn't make much sense at the moment. Ursidae still didn't truly know why he was helping this mare. She seemed mentally ill and very weak. What use would she have to him. But he couldn't really just throw her off of his back and run away. So he just kept running, making his way toward a mountain.  

[Rascal~ 657]

@,

-Fast Forward-

Stardust and the bear finally made it to the mountains, her home. The peaks were high above her, she could see the snowy peaks. During the small ride to her home Stardust had been charging her magic, she didn't heal properly during the time but she needed to have her magic to open the door. Her horn started to slightly glow, showing how weak she was and the fact that was going to use her magic.

"Can you put me down? I need to open the door."

Stardust sounded like she was slightly out of it, but she was weak. She needed to heal the wounds of time.

[Ampharos 1,009]

@,

 

Ursidae shifted back into a pony, and Stardust became lower to the ground. He carefully shifted her off of his back so she would hopefully land on her hooves. "What... What is this door you speak of. I don't even see a building of any sort remotely close to here. And... Why are using magic." 

[Rascal~ 657]

@,

Stardust landed on her hooves, though she was wobbly at best. She looked at the bear, he was going to like this. Stardust charged up her horn and then casted her spell. The spell that would bring back her door from the other time stream and into her one, bringing it out into existence. The wooden door appeared in front of them, big enough to fit the bear and herself through. She opened it walked into the dark, it calmed her a bit but she waited just inside so she could show the stallion where the storage for herps were.

[Ampharos 1,009]

@,

 

Ursidae morphed easily back into a pony, but waited slightly outside the door. "I feel uneasy going into this. I still don't know you very well, I'm dangerously low on magic supply, and you seem to be mentally ill. I hope you understand why I am hesitant to follow you." 

[Rascal~ 657]

@,

Stardust waited for the stallion, and then he spoke.  

 

 

"I feel uneasy going into this. I still don't know you very well, I'm dangerously low on magic supply, and you seem to be mentally ill. I hope you understand why I am hesitant to follow you." 

 

"I've always been insane, its just now the music in my head has reached a point. I assure you I won't intentionally harm you while you are in my home, I know how to play the role as host. And I do need your help, since you seem to be a stallion with knowledge of herbs. I have a wide collection of then from all different points in time, but I have not considered studying to the science of it. I would like it if you were to come in."

[Ampharos 1,009]

@,

 

Ursidae stood in his spot, his face once again showing a flat expression. Without saying anything, he began to walk through the door. It was an odd feeling when he walked through. He then began to think about what the mare had said. She has herbs? I don't even know if there's anything to help her. Why was there music playing in her head? There were tons more questions he was asking himself, and he had answers to almost none of them.  

[Rascal~ 657]

@,

Stardust watched as Stag walked through the door. Then she let it go. The door disappeared and returned to its pocket timestream, basically looking themselves in the mountain. The area around them was almost pitch black until Stardust went looking for the switch. She had installed an electrical system of lights and power around and inside the mountain so that she wouldn't have to control everything and could leave things without draining her energy. 

She found it a flicked the switch, and the passage was revealed. The halls were high and an average width but there wasn't much decoration, only a few support beams to keep certain places still and they were only a little bit decorated. But Stardust was the one who did it and she hadn't had the motive to do any more, but what was on the beams already told a story. Many of the small pictures were that of wars, you could see griffons and ponies and draquenies and dragons and everything else fighting against the other. There were just plain doors all around in the hall, none of them had signs but Stardust had an idea of what each of them were.

"I know that there is a door around here that holds the collection, like I said. They come from all over the place and from different points of time. So if you need a minute to go through it then go ahead. But first I have to find it."