ActFast231

@, "Yeah, I find that those less fortunate usually are a bit more humble than the upper class. Though there are exceptions to the rule..." He said, making his meaning as clear as he could. The wink definitely helped. "As I already said, I've never had friends, even in the clan. I guess I just wasn't that popular." He said with a shrug. Nexus chuckled with her. "I know, isn't it great. I get to learn more about the best mare in Equestria. And believe me, I've been all over the place, so I think I'm qualified to make that judgement."

@, Nexus listened intently, happy that she has what appears to be nice parents and a close relationship with them. "They sound like good ponies. The limited experience I have had with the mayor hasn't been pleasant, but again, all things considered, I don't blame him. They kind of remind me of my parents. "My father was similar. He was a Night Guard, and a founder of the militia that formed when the shit hit the fan. He always treated others right, and they in turn treated him right. It made him quite popular. He was always there for me when I needed him, always making time from his duties to spend time with me. Same with my mother. "She homeschooled me most of my childhood life. She always had a shoulder for me to cry on when I was young, and because she was a field medic, she always patched me up when I got a little carried away. It is because of her that I got into medicine. Last I saw them was when I was 15. That was when..." He looked over to Lume, unsure of what to say. "Never mind. It isn't something that you need worry yourself with. Anyway, your folks seem nice." Jeez man, you really need to learn when to shut up.

@, "You don't know what your missing. Equestria is a place full of amazing sights and experiences, as is the Griffon Kingdoms. But it is also dangerous to those who are caught unaware. Changelings, timberwolves, and manticorns are the natural dangers, while slavers, mercenaries, and bandits are the pony element. But with the training your going to get, plus with my help, nothing can stop us." Nexus frowned at this. He squeezed a little harder with his wings to comfort her. Curiosity crept in, and the hunter had to answer. "If you don't mind, what's your family like?"

@, "Well, that is one helluva stroke of luck. I can't wait for your tour of the upper class area of Fillydelphia...and the reaction to the 6 foot heavily armed bat pony strolling with the mayors daughter." He chuckled at the thought of mares in prissy dresses fainting at the sight of this warrior built pony coming through. "As for a permanent residence...well I always thought that, when the time comes for me to retire, that I would find some ruins, in somewhat decent shape, add a few restorations and call that home. Or possibly seeking citizenship in another country, like the Griffon Kingdoms. A whole new land to explore, new places to see, and new creatures to fight. I heard that place has been mostly untouched by the incident, save for the Mist, but the many wars between tribes of the past leave plenty of abandoned cities to check out." He looked over to the earth pony, sighing. "I'm just fantasizing at this point. I couldn't ask you to make that trek." (I am having too much fun with backstory and lore right now.)

@, Nexus smiled warmly, nuzzling her cheek. "I don't doubt it. I was always told that the upper areas of Fillydelphia were quite beautiful. But I couldn't go, due to no work, and because the mayor wouldn't let me within a hundred feet of the gate. Said I was disturbing the piece, and that he would have to call the Guard on me if I didn't take my leave. By disturbance, he meant that my very presence made the noble ponies very upset. Between the claws, armor, scars, and bat wings, I honestly don't blame them. One look at me and the upper class assume I'm a demon straight from Tartarus."

@@slimmyjimjim, Rockes saw the fear consuming Cypriss as she tried to feebly crawl away, dragging a Luminari that if she didn't see her chest rising and falling, she would swear she was dead. He stood in front of the fearful changeling, standing as tall as she could. "Ma'am, we have very important buisness to attend to. This has been a lovely evening, but we need to take our leave now." He spoke firm, ready to shift and defend the two mares from any possible attack that might come.

@@slimmyjimjim, Rockes could feel the terror filling the room. He retracted his line, making sure not get consumed by it. He looked over to Cypriss-still disguised as the slim colt-and absentmindedly took her/his hoof into his/her own. He tried to reassure the changeling with a smile before turning to the mare. "What the hell is all this? These dolls, the drugs in the tea. What the buck do you want from us?" Rockes spoke with as much force as a young mare could. He would have to shift back soon, less he start losing himself.

@, Nexus was content just to be holding the object of his affection, shuddering slightly at the sensation of her inhalation into his shoulder. Nexus laughed along with her. All things considered, he could of been worse for wear. He made a mental note to shower later tonight. "You ain't no spring daisy yourself." Nexus said with a chuckle. Of course the obvious question came up. "Well, I suppose we should deal with the Presence. Saving Equestria and all that. Definitely one of my more interesting contracts. After that...well, as you know I travel a lot. To all corners of Equestria, looking for contracts and expeditions to take part of." He pulled back enough to look Lume in the eye. "But for you, I would settle somewhere. Give up the hunter life. Maybe join the Guard. They have been hurting for field medics." He thought a moment, maintaining eye contact. "I don't think I could settle in Fillydelphia. I kind of made a bad impression last time I was their. A visit would be fine, but I think some pro changeling extremists might try to kill me, considering my line of work."

@@slimmyjimjim, Rockes (c wat i did thar?) looked up at the green colt, then down at the tea he took a small sip of. She was about to drink it too. "This tea is drugged?" He asked flatly. He saw Luminari nearly passed out and Cypriss get drowsy her/himself. "Alright, you grab Luminari-since you are the colt in the room-and lets get the hell out of here." Rockes was starting to feel a little sleepy himself. Good thing he didn't drink the entire thing.

@, Nexus smiled warmly in the embrace, relieved that he finally got it out. He finally achieved something he hasn't done since his youth. He had somepony to love. And not just anypony, but a beautiful, intelligent mare. "Thank you Lume, for helping me recover what I lost years ago." He said warmly. "We'll find a way to make this work. I promise you that."

@@slimmyjimjim, "I suppose we should. I only have a few disguises, as I can only shift into ponies I have fed upon. If the love is strong enough, I can shift into the pony their love is centered on." Nexus focused, and slowly began changing form. Not in a green flash like regular changelings, just morphing before the eyes of the changeling. He shrank in size, his armor vanishing. His fur shifted to a light brown, his mane style changing, the color shifting to an orange color. Even his eyes were morphed to a normal pony's. He had finished his transformation into the mare known as Rockshire, which felt awkward. "One side effect I tend to suffer" He-or rather, she-started in the mare's voice. "Is that the longer I stay in a form, the bigger the risk of me losing who I am. This pony I am shifted into will eventually consume me until Nexus is gone, and only Rockshire remains. So I can't stay like this long."

@, Nexus was quickly silenced by a hoof on his mouth, his face growing a much more vivid red. For a second there, he could of sworn his heart stopped beating. He immediately relaxed, his own feature taking on a large grin of their own. That warmed his entire body. He felt like he finally did something worth while. He finally did some good. And the reward was something he could only dream about until today. She had a point. This was not exactly the most appropriate time to fall in love. Guess love cares not for your convenience. He thought about it...for a second, before Lume reacted. Nexus sat down next to her, wrapping a bat wing around her and bringing her close. "I love you too. Don't worry too much about it. Between the two of us, we'll figure something out." He used a hoof to gently lift her head up to meet his gaze. "Remember what I said when you came to me to apologize? We're in this together. We watch each others backs, and we're there for each other when we fall. I meant it then and I mean it now. Whatever happens, I'm here for you. Always." He brought her in for a hug, both with forelegs and wings.

@, Nexus watched as Solar Flare left, and looked back to Lume, trying to not look extremely nervous...and failing. His heart was beating so fast it was almost audible. But armor tends to dampen sound. Speaking of, Nexus removed his helmet, and set it aside. "Alright, well, I-I figured what uh, what those feelings were. And ummm, it came as a shock. I think...well, you have been very kind to me, more than anypony has before, except maybe my parents, but, you know...anyway, you're v-very kind, and um, pretty, as well. I guess what I'm trying to say is that I..." Celestia above why is this so hard to get out? Come on man, it's not like you have doubt in this department, so just pony up and get it out! "S-sorry, this is very, um, foreign to me. i don't really have experience in this field, a-and getting this off my chest is tougher than I thought, but I mean that should show how much of an effect you had on-" And with that, Nexus began to ramble nervously.

@, Nexus watched as he walked away, still uneasy about what he said. He was curious, but this seemed like it could lead to his death. And while the hunter has fought many different creatures, he wasn't sure he could take Garrison on in a straight up fight. He l Nexus immediately noticed the concern on her face and now he had another worry plaguing his mind. "Yeah, we were just discussing some things. I may see him later about...something." He said with a shrug. He looked over to Solar, and quietly lead them to the other end of the training room, out of earshot. "I think...maybe we should have that talk now, considering training is more or less. There are some things that need to get out into the open." Nexus was shuffling in place rather nervously, taking a sudden interest in the wooden grain of the weapon rack next to them.

@, The tone he carried gave Nexus pause. He questioned if this was something he really wanted to get himself into. What secret could he know that is bad enough that only allowed...one way out? "I'll consider that. But before anything I think there are some...things that I need get off my chest with Lume. If you catch my drift."

@, It was Nexus' turn to laugh. "You think YOU'RE a freak? I met a unicorn mare that believed the changelings to be divine and tried to summon the queen by dripping her own blood onto her own severed horn. I learned this after she brought me to her room under the guise that she was offering a contract. She then tried to seduce me, to get my armor off for...that and when I refused, she tried to stab me through it, saying that 'the heretic must be destroyed for the divine glory of Queen Chrysalis. She ended up falling on her own blade when I shoved her off. So believe me, I've met worse. For what it's worth, you two are alright. A bit violent and eccentric, but alright."

@, "I think we all have had our fair share of hardships. And these hardships have had an unfortunate effect on who we are now. We chose to take this path in life for our own reasons. But that doesn't have to rule who you are and how you behave. Look at me, I had to watch everything and everypony I knew taken away by changelings as a teen. I spent the next 16 years training myself in combat and survival to aid my futile revenge quest. But even so, I still always offer assistance to those who need it, be it through my medical expertise or through search and rescue operations. I always try to be as polite and helpful as I can be, even if I can't always be so. I bet you that if you-both of you-just tried being more open, more friendly, ponies would be more willing to be your friend. And don't be discouraged by failure or rejection, less you become bitter and hateful. There's somepony for everypony, even for the mercs, hunters, killers, and warriors of this world."

@, "OK, note to self. Don't make a habit of jumping on the backs of opponents larger than you. Armor and all, that would still hurt like hell." "As bad as I am, I try to do good. I may have the skills of a hunter and assassin, but that doesn't mean I can't try to help out with those skills. Plus, considering her experiences in Delvia so far, I figure she needs all the help she can get overcoming her weaknesses." Nexus moved out of earshot of Lume. "Plus...she's a friend, and one of the first ponies to show me any kind of kindness in years. She means a lot to me." (I assume that is who you meant, considering that I wouldn't call Solar Flare a "goody-two-shoes")

@, @, "Yeah, loads of fun. If you consider fighting a unicorn with the strength of a griffon and the speed of a pegasus fun, that is." Nexus joked. He was about to see what he needed to do next, when he was cut off. "And how would you react to having a large heavily armed bat pony on your back pummeling your chest?"

@, Once Nexus regained vision, he saw a bruise forming on the Inquisitors chest. A rather large one. Judging by the size and position of the bruise, Nexus guessed that had the actual blade been used, it would of likely of either killed him or cause major injury. "Looks like my strategy hasn't changed. When direct assaults and swift attacks failed, you forced me to employ stealth and enchantment use. And even then it took quite the struggle to get a hit on you. At least I got the hang of these things." Nexus said, giving a grin and affirmative nod to the sword coming from his right hoof.

@, (Alright, rest up.) Nexus held on to the hindleg tight, weathering out the shakes and attacks, his armor proving useful against the wooden axe. How the hell can such a big guy move so fast? Nexus saw a window, and pushed forward with his wings to get farther up the body. He brought out a sword, and began swinging with the blunt end, aiming for the chest and head.

@, Nexus slowly moved around the room, his claws folded up. He hovered only inched from the ground so his grieves would not make sound. He is almost caught, ducking behind a large chest. When he is certain that Solar turned his gaze elsewhere, he moved into position to his left. And then charge, moving as quick as he could to tackle Solar down into a pin.

@, "It's fine. I've had worse crashes. I doubt the Presence will be as apologetic, so this is good training." Nexus removed his current gauntlet and placed it next to the severed blade. Replacing the gauntlet, he hovered again, trying to think of a way to deal a blow. So head on attacks don't work. And he is too fast to charge like that. I wonder... Nexus extended his claws and activated the enchantment. He channeled the electricity through his blades, and when they were prepped, he slammed both swords into the wooden floor. It didn't absorb, and instead the electricity shot up to the ceiling in a large crack. The lightning cleared and Nexus was gone. The light show proved useful cover to get to into hiding so that he could take him by surprise. As long as he remained undetected, he would be in striking distance in no time.

@, Nexus scolded as the blow missed. Though it may have to due with Solar's skill. He out maneuvered a bat pony going full speed while carrying a large wooden weapon. Speaking of, that wooden weapons was attempting to swat Nexus out of the air like a fly. Nexus managed to avoid the brunt of the attack, but the weapon came down on the shortsword attached to his left hoof. The force was enough to tear the blade from the gauntlet and send Nexus tumbling to the ground. Nexus shot up, and saw that only the base of the weapon to his left remained. He could see the severed blade in between him and his trainer. "Holy buck your tougher than you look."