private Whisper II: Kingdom of Darkness

[That One Techpriest You Used To Know 2,286]

@@ActFast231, Inquisitor My'kola nodded. "Yeah, I heard about your father. It was a shame, it was. We needed a hero like him around now." He looked at you, smiling. "But as his son, perhaps his greatness was handed down to you. And, yes, there are several malumas around here. However, don't expect too many of them. Your race is rare to begin with, and with what happened..." He sighed.

[Lume WMj 228]

The more Lume flicked through those pages, the more terrified she became. Those were, indeed, word by word, the history of Delvia, narrated by none other than Princess Twilight Sparkle herself. Each one of those diary entries were impeccably filled with all of the struggle and desperation the princesses and the bearers went through during the war described in it. It felt horrible just holding that thing on her hooves, Lume skipped straight to the last entry. She’d lost all of her focus already as her eyes were nearly watering at that point. Upon reaching the bottom of the page, the earth mare smashed the diary shut onto the floor.

 

No…There’s no way… It can’t be…  She thought, breathing heavily and slightly sweating. This place… This is… Ponyville? The answers she so desperately sought were, at last, delivered.

 

Her body felt heavier now. Everything she studied throughout her whole life didn’t prepare her for this. And on top of everything… Why her? The Tarot powers that Moon Crypt mentioned earlier… They were true after all. And Lume somehow had it inside her this whole time, just like those other ponies she’d just met. But what would she do with it? What exactly was her task in such dreadful place? As much as Princess Twilight’s diary cleared some of her doubts, it brought up so many others. Finally snapping out of her thoughts, Lume looked up to the Pegasus that had lent her the diary. However, she found herself in a loss of words. She was going to have to join them, undoubtedly. But before anything, she would have to apologize for the way she behaved up until that point.

 

Lume stood up on her hooves once again and started looking around. “P-p-pardon me.” She stuttered to the Pegasus mare one last time, before rushing out of the room. Ponies and changelings – most likely Inquisitors – were everywhere around the base now. Damn it, where did he go? Lume kept looking around. Kola! He was asking for help earlier! Maybe… With that last thought, the earth mare climbed the stairway up to the guest rooms, searching through the seemingly endless corridors for a certain bat-winged pegasus, to apologize. Her hoofsteps, loud and hasty.

[ActFast231 432]

@,

@, 

 

He nodded sadly, looking down at his scarred body.

 

"Bat ponies are a doomed race. Shame. We were starting to recover our numbers, what with the increased birth rate and the aid of the Royal sisters, but then those damned changelings..." He shook his head, eyes closed tight. He couldn't dwell on the negative. He opened his eyes to see a familiar earth pony looking around. He trotted over to her, but not before excusing himself from Kola.

 

"Hey Lume, your just in time to help with the bed arrangements." He said with enthusiasm that was a little more forced.

[That One Techpriest You Used To Know 2,286]

@, Kola smiled a bit as he noticed Lume entered, and bowed slightly to her. "Hello, miss. No, that's alright. I was talking to someone else. If you want to help, however, you may." His smile faded a bit as he saw that she was shaking. "What has troubled you, Lume?"

 

((Don't worry, only one more changeling to go. And you shouldn't find that out this RP.))

[Lume WMj 228]

Lume continued trotting through the corridor, thoughtful as always. She wanted to apologize - and in her mind, it was something she should do as soon as possible -, but what exactly was she going to say when she found him? Not to mention, she was also struggling to remember his name.

 

Ugh, for Celestia's sake!... Was it Nox, uh... Nyx... Maximus... Or was it--

 

"Hey Lume."

 

"NEXUS!!"

 

The poor earth mare was caught unaware and startled once again. At least she managed to remember his name just in time, shouting it out loud accidentally.

 

"Your just in time to help with the bed arrangements." He said with enthusiasm that was a little more forced.

 

Regaining her breath, she slowly rose her head to meet Nexus standing in front of her. "H-h-help with the b-bed arrangements?..." Lume sheepishly answered, this time not being quite able to play it cool. I should really toughen up... What am I, a coward??... Um...

 

Behind the bat pony, she could see Kola, who politely bowed and then asked for help as well.

 

His smile faded a bit as he saw that she was shaking. "What has troubled you, Lume?"

 

Lume thought for a second, and then quickly remembered about the awful things she'd read from the diary. However, the mare was, once again, in a loss of words. Between helping with the arrangements, apologizing, and asking for further information on the Tarot powers and everything else, at that moment she just wanted to disappear and have a little time for herself.

 

"...It's nothing, really! Just... tired, I guess..." Lume lied to them. "...You guys needed help, right?... Heh... Well then, what can I help you with?~"

[Psych Ward 377]

The red mare finally got up, deciding to go make herself useful.  "Need any help?" Arianna asked as she approached Nexus and the brown mare that had already been here upon their arrival.  She glanced around, mentally noting her surroundings before facing the bat pony.

 

@@ActFast231, 

[ActFast231 432]

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@@Psych Ward,

 

"Ah, Arianna. Yeah, if you could help us with the beds, that would be great." He said, actively trying to bring up his mood. He stopped however at Lume's odd behavior and light shaking halted the hunters progress and he turned to face her.

 

"Hey, what's up? You look like you've seen a ghost. You OK?" He asked in a concerned tone.

[Psych Ward 377]

@@ActFast231,

 

Arianna nodded, carefully using her hooves, and a bit of magic, to spread sheets onto the nearest bed.  She worked silently, occasionally glancing up from her work.  When she finished, she moved on to the next, steadily working through the sheets.  She listened, trying to catch the other pony's name.  

[Lume WMj 228]

"Hey, what's up? You look like you've seen a ghost. You OK?" He asked in a concerned tone.

 

Lume sighed, giving up on trying to hide her feelings and, at last, deciding to open up. As yet another pony entered the room - a dark red, tall mare -, she gazed into Nexus' eyes.

 

@@ActFast231,

"Yeah, I'm okay... It's nothing much, really. Let's just say that I finally found the answers I was looking for and dove into reality... I read Twilight Sparkle's diary your friend was carrying down there." She slightly shuddered. "But the reason why I am here is... Well... I wanted to apologize for the way I behaved earlier. I was scared, and confused... Completely out of myself, per say. I hope you understand, and I also hope you would be so kind of still letting me accompany you and your group from now on. I was lost, you see... and I don't know what would happen to me if I ever dared to venture myself out there on my own."

 

Lume lowered her head. "Lord Moon Crypt said you guys have those... Tarot powers, was it?... Well, me too, apparently. But as much as I still seek explanations, all I want is to go home..." She rubbed her eyes with her right hoof, trying her hardest to hold back the shameful tears of a hopeless foal.

[ActFast231 432]

@,

 

This made the changeling hunter grow a smile on his face. A small one, but one that was genuine.

 

"No need to apologize. I understand what it's like to feel confused and uncertain. And you are welcome to stay with us however long you like. As long as we are here in Delvia, we need to stick together. We have each others back and we pick each other up when we fall. It's how a groups works." Nexus wondered if being more positive would of caused this change sooner. As the words left his mouth, he changed again. His coat became lighter, and was now a brighter, less subdued blue than before. His eyes became a softer color as well, shifting to a aqua green color. A few of his scars faded away, fur replacing him, and his body grew less deformed. It was subtle, but noticeable. How many more of these until his scars were gone for good, he wondered. He shrugged.

 

"As for the Tarot power, we don't know the details yet of our individual powers, though I suspect Moon Crypt will fill us in. Though I suspect that mine is affecting my appearance and state of mind."

[BlackShardNixium 277]

Klarix watched the obviously troubled Lume retreat after having read the diary.

I warned her... she thought sadly before retrieving the book. She would have to find some place safe to keep it hidden. It wasn't that she wanted the information for herself; she couldn't bear to see anypony else so shaken. It was an awful thing, finding out that the ponies who were supposedly their Guardians had more or less betrayed them.

Of course, they already knew the awful truth behind Delvia and its past as Ponyville... But reading the entire story was another matter entirely.

[Lume WMj 228]

@@ActFast231, 

 

"No need to apologize. I understand what it's like to feel confused and uncertain. And you are welcome to stay with us however long you like. As long as we are here in Delvia, we need to stick together. We have each others back and we pick each other up when we fall. It's how a groups works."

 

Those warm words calmed down Lume more than she expected. Now, the feeling of being part of a group no more angered her, but comforted her instead, like a promise of a happy ending. She lifted her head up to meet Nexus once more, but before she could say anything, the earth mare just observed, astonished, as his body started to alter. It was evidently altering to better - some of his wounds even vanished. But still, very peculiar.

 

"Well, um... Apparently I still can't take back what I said about you guys being freaks, though." Lume giggled. After saying that, she hoped she didn't sound rude again, or else she was going to have to apologize again. But she did anyway. "...Sorry, I didn't mean it like it's a bad thing. It's, uh... interesting, really!"

 

What was certainly odd, though, is how often Lume was having trouble finding words. Clever like she was, she used to always have a quick answer to everything and everypony. But ever since she arrived Delvia, the earth mare was stuttering like never before. Common jitters, perhaps. But still, abnormal.

[ActFast231 432]

@,

 

Nexus chuckled at the mare's comment, as what she said was true.

 

"No, your right there. A changeling hunter, mercs, hybrids, squiddies, changelings, and students? Yep, we are an odd bunch indeed. But we can kick ass like noponys buisness." It felt good to chuckle and smile. He has done it so rarely in the past that he forgot the feeling. And it felt nice. Warm, in a sense. But he forgot why they were up here.

 

"Right, well, we best start helping with the bedding." He said, glancing over his shoulder.

[Lume WMj 228]

Lume let herself enjoy the moment, for the first time in a very long time, smiling along with Nexus. She was glad she didn't offend him again, so perhaps now she could try again and give out a good impression of herself to her new group mates.

 

"Right, well, we best start helping with the bedding." He said, glancing over his shoulder.

 

As the bat pony reminded her about their assignment, Lume nodded in agreement. They were going to put the beds together, and she had just decided she was going to be as helpful as possible. With that, she glanced over to My'kola, and afterwards, to the unicorn pony that had entered the room earlier.

 

@@Psych Ward,

The unicorn pony, for that matter, had been working on the beds since she arrived, and while Lume and Nexus were chatting. Lume rapidly found an undone bed for her to work on, and rushed over to it, standing fairly beside the unicorn (Was it Arianna her name?). Lume's focus constantly alternated between the two: the bed, and the unicorn mare. After a few seconds, in an impulse, Lume tried to start off a conversation.

 

Alright!...  I won't screw up this time!

 

"...Hi there~"

 

...Ugh, why did I even do that.

[ActFast231 432]

Nexus started folding out beds in the rooms provided, thinking to himself as he worked.

 

It's nice when a newcomer shows up, and she isn't psychotic. Red Alert worries me, as he seems prone to violence, and Standoff seems to just want to assume control. Apparently he didn't get the memo that nopony is going to do what you say just because you demand it.

 

His thoughts continued to drift to each member of their group

 

Midnight seems to have a lot of potential, though I don't feel comfortable with bringing Fen everywhere. Celestia forbid anything happen to her. I know I can restore her. I just need the right pieces.

 

Arianna and Klarix worry me. They don't seem like fighters, and I don't want to put them in harms way. Nor do I with anypony, but I fell better if they at least know how to fight. Maybe the Inquisitors can teach them some basic combat. Or Rose. She seems capable with those swords. She has to be to survive alone in this hellhole for a month. Can't believe this used to be a quaint little town...

 

Acheron also raises alarms. His dark magic could be useful, but he seems more interested in his own personal agenda, and getting at me. We can't afford infighting. If I kill him, or he corrupts me, it will weaken the entire group. I'm no good to anypony as an amnesiac or enthralled. Not much I can say about that one stallion as we haven't met yet.

 

Then theirs Lume. She seems to have a good head on her shoulders, but I can't speak for her combat abilities. She seems tough though, and is nice enough. Rarely do I get apologies from anypony. It will be nice to work with pleasant company. Rather nice looking too...Not sure how that's relevant but there it is.

 

He finished his work and trotted out to Kola.

 

"Finished. Anything else you need help with?"

 

@,  

[Prince Midnight 817]

midnight blinked....."im.....a....stallion...........................anyway, id like to learn any and every changeling spell willing to be taught to me, at all, i want to learn how to be a changeling, one that is good, and can do good." he sighed, "and mabey somepony can tell me what my medallion means? i was born with it, but thats all i know."

Edited June 30, 2013 by Nightmare Rarity

[That One Techpriest You Used To Know 2,286]

@@ActFast231, @, @@Psych Ward, My'kola thought for a second. "No, that's it for now. Why don't you head down to the mess hall- back downstairs, right corridor, second door to the left. He's got some food for everypony, and then he might actually get around to telling you why you are here." He sighed. "He is quite a dramatic changeling. Not what is unexpected in a spy, though."

 

@, @, @, Moon Crypt stuck his head out of the dining hall,smiling. "Dinnertime," He ducked his head back in, satisfied with what he had created. A salad. His cooking skills weren't the best, and it tasted good and it was healthy, so a win for him. He got out one of his precious love bottles- he hadn't had anything in a few days- and then decided to give Nightmare Rarity one.

 

The Inquisitor frowned for a second, then took out a book and handed it to Midnight. "I am sorry, sir." He then traipsed off, leaving you grasping the book on changeling magic.

[Senor Citizen 516]

Red reached the dining hall at the same time as Standoff, who stopped him at the door. "We're leaving. Nothing we can do here." "Vat? But... Okay." Red opened his bag and unzipped an inner pocket, taking out a small PDA. "Zis yours? Doesn't smell like garlic..." "Your fault anyway." The two fiddled with their devices for a moment, and then there was a flash followed by a small explosion.

"Urgh... What was- oh God."

[Psych Ward 377]

@,

 

Arianna turned her head with a small smiled.  "Hello," she said softly.  She had finished the bed she was working on and had heard that it was finally time for them to get some food.  "My name is Arianna," she quickly said to the other pony.  "I'm not sure I caught yours." 

[Prince Midnight 817]

Mdnight blinked then looked down at the book he held, "thank.." he looked back up noticing the pony had dissappeared, "you...?"

shaking  his head he looked towards moon crypt, then back at fen who, in her sleep, had rolled onto her back and her legs twitched, but she was sleeping soundly.

 

he turned back and entered the kitchen.."so.....whatre we having?"

[ActFast231 432]

@,

 

Nexus gave a nod, and started heading down. He was going to as Lume to join him, but she looked in the middle of a conversation. He shouldn't disturb them. So he headed down to the mess hall, but not before hearing a small explosion. Which caused him to sigh.

 

"Who the hell is blowing stuff up now?" He muttered under his breath. He shrugged it off, and moved into the mess hall. Where ponies were growing in number. Even with a over a quarter of the scars gone, Nexus still felt uncomfortable being around the many ponies naked. He trotted to Moon Crypt to pick up his meal, but not before asking

 

"Hey, when do you think the enchantments on my weapons and armor will be done?"

[rolle 320]

Scorpiok had been silent all the time and just watched the others as they got comfortable... Too comfortable considering they were in a changeling nest and you cant trust a changeling even if they are friendly, though this one might be good since he said he was an inquistor but he was still suspicous, after awhile of thinking he heard someone say that it was dinner after that he saw some people walking to another room most likely the dinner room, he followed them closely waiting before taking a seat.

 

(ya happy thunder?)

[Lume WMj 228]

 "Hello," she said softly.  She had finished the bed she was working on and had heard that it was finally time for them to get some food.  "My name is Arianna," she quickly said to the other pony.  "I'm not sure I caught yours." 

 

"I'm Lume! Pleased to meet you!" She smiled, slightly relieved as well. "Lord Moon Crypt had helped me a few days ago and brought me here to safety. And it looks like I will be accompanying you and your group from now on!..." Even though the earth mare felt happy in saying that, she still had no idea what exactly they were going to do out there. Besides, Lume didn't have any sort of combat experience yet, and after seeing those very tough-looking ponies downstairs, perhaps it was going to be a little harder to fit in than she thought.

 

Lume got back to work on the bed, while still trying to think about nice things to say to Arianna.

 

"No, that's it for now. Why don't you head down to the mess hall- back downstairs, right corridor, second door to the left. He's got some food for everypony, and then he might actually get around to telling you why you are here." He sighed. "He is quite a dramatic changeling. Not what is unexpected in a spy, though."

 

As soon as she heard that dinner was ready, her stomach responded to it by growling. With all of the earlier commotion, Lume had completely forgotten about the hunger. She, then, tidied the bed as fast as she could (the first and only bed she worked on) and stood by the door of the room, glancing over to Arianna.

 

"Let's have something to eat! Then afterwards, we should rest. Tomorrow's going to be a long da--" Before she could finish her sentence, the sound of a small explosion reached Lume's ears. The german psycho... She immediately thought, and frowned upon realizing that she was going to have to sit down in the same table as him. "...Um, I'll meet you downstairs. Nice knowing you!" She said to Arianna one last time before trotting to the staircase, descending towards the hall where all the other ponies were gathered.

[That One Techpriest You Used To Know 2,286]

((Here we go...))

 

((@@rolle, This isn't a changeling nest. The only changelings here are My'kola and Moon Crypt. The others are pegasi, unicorns, earth ponies... you get it. But say what you want to. And yes, I am satisfied.))

 

@, Moon Crypt stuck his head out- and got a faceful of smoke caused by the PDAs exploding. He stuck his head back in a coughed for a bit, before casting a spell that blew the remaining smoke out of a vent in the ceiling.

 

@@ActFast231, He turned to Nexus. "It'll be done later tonight, but I recommend leaving it in there until morning for maximum charge."

 

@, @@Psych Ward, @, @,

As everyone else  sat down, he smiled as he put out nine bowls of salad for Nexus, Lume, Red Alert, Standoff, White Rose, Klarix, Scorpiok, Arianna, and Krein, and a bottle of love for himself and Midnight. "Alright... I guess that's everyone." As they all ate, he smiled to himself and pulled out two decks of tarot cards. "Alright... I suspect that each of you have a special tarot power. There is a way to find this out." He started shuffling both decks together, not letting himself and the others see it. He then spread the deck out. "Pick any two cards and put them face down in front of you. If you are a Tarot user, both cards- and all tarot cards ever, should you choose to draw again- will be of the same tarot, unless the deck is rigged in any way, shape or form, or you cheat." He smiled. "Shall we?"

[ActFast231 432]

@,

 

Nexus shrugged as he ate his salad, pulling out two cards from the deck, not bothering to lift them, and keeping them face down. He put them in front of him, just ahead of the salad bowl. He swallowed his mouthful before looking up at Moon Crypt.

 

"OK, now what? Do I just flip them now, or what?"