private Whisper II: Kingdom of Darkness

[Lume WMj 228]

@@ActFast231 

 

Lume bluntly flung her eyes off of her phone and directly onto Nexus as soon as he shouted out loud the last part of his sentence. At first, she looked startled and utterly puzzled by his sudden explosion, until she realized how much of a nuisance she was really being. Ever since she brought into discussion the foolish curiosity towards his personal affairs, she had been acting stubbornly selfish, and immature above all. That just wasn't like her. The insatiable thirst for knowledge and answers, followed by the recent encounter and argument with the irritant brown pony she disliked so much, had gotten to her to a point where she didn't know when to stop bothering the colt. At the end of the day, she couldn't blame him for finally losing it.

 

The earth mare looked down at the two hay sandwiches beside her - without the crust, and not too much hay. Her ears dropped straight down as she looked away, overflowing with regret.

 

"I... I'm sorry..." She apologized at last, sincerity in her voice. "I shouldn't have kept trying to squeeze answers out of you like that... I should have listened to you when you first told me to stop... I'm just... Ugh!... I'm sorry."

[ActFast231 432]

@,

 

Nexus spoke in an apologetic-if not slightly irritated-tone.

 

"Look, it's fine. Just...know this. I never act in a petty manner. I never do things without proper reason. Such things can get you killed in my line of work. So if I am keeping a secret, I'm keeping it for a damn good reason. You just have to trust that I have our best interests at heart. OK?" He looked up to see Lume in a similar state as he is. Which caused a pang of guilt.

 

"Hey. I love you."

[Lume WMj 228]

@@ActFast231

 

Lume was pulled out from her self-loathing by her coltfriend's three little words. She raised up her head and opened a trembling, nearly-cry smile, giving Nexus a smooch before continuing with a tight hug.

 

"Oh, I love you too! And I feel like crap for pushing you so far! I hope you can forgive me." She took a quick glance at the sandwiches that awaited her. "Also, I was so rude when asking-- well, more like demanding you to make me food..." She thought for a few seconds. "Could you... um... take those sandwiches back inside the kitchen and wait there a little bit? Please? I wanna try that again."

[ActFast231 432]

@,

 

Nexus smiled at his marefriend, before squeezing back.

 

"No harm, no foul. I should apologize too. I shouldn't of lost my temper like that. I was just..." Nexus never did finish that statement. He raised an eyebrow at the rather unusual request given to him-though let's be honest, it was far from the strangest request given to him. But he simply smiled, kissed her forehead, and picked up the food on his back.

 

"Sure thing." He trotted back into the kitchen, awaiting whatever it was that Lume was planning.

[Lume WMj 228]

@@ActFast231

 

"Okay, thank you!" Lume told him as Nexus trotted back into the kitchen area carrying the food. After that, she delicately positioned herself into a lady-like pose and cleared her throat.

 

"Um, Nexus, darling! Please, if it isn't too much of a bother to ask thou, would you please be so very kind to prepare me a hay sandwich, please please please? In fact, I would like two of them, if you don't mind, please! Please, and thank you in advance, please!" She smiled widely and blinked several times.

[ActFast231 432]

@,

 

Nexus bit into his bat wing to muffle any laughter that might slip past his lips. He took a second to compose himself, before replying.

 

"But of course, m'lady. It will be but a second." He replied in a cheesy knight voice. It's sad because he met ponies that actually talked like that. They were usually the assholes that consider him a filthy scoundrel that must be brought to justice. As if there is justice outside the major settlements. And they honestly don't give a damn what he does, as long as he doesn't kill an unarmed civilian, which he never would. He was skilled enough to evade any pursuit they gave.

 

He trotted into the room, and presented her two sandwiches to her on one knee, with an outstretched wing.

 

"Your dinner m'lady." He internally cringed at that voice, and hopefully, she was too.

[Lume WMj 228]

@@ActFast231

 

"Why, very much appreciated, honorable stallion!~" Lume kept her humorous stance as she gracefully picked one of the sandwiches and gave it a small, gentle bite. She made sure to swallow the piece before bursting into laughter, not being able to properly play anymore upon seeing and listening to Nexus' character. It was simply enchanting how they both managed to have some fun under the most awkward or unpleasant situations. The act of smiling alone filled the mare with glee, and made the grey, dark city around her gain a few colors.

 

"Wasn't that the politest request ever??" She asked her special somepony, wiping off the tears of joy.

[ActFast231 432]

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Nexus caved in and busted a gut laughing around the same time Lume did. He hated that voice with a burning passion, but was great for mocking others-in good nature mostly. He briefly thought about the situation at hand, the emerald fragments, the army of mercs, the mutants, and the Presence, but found that he didn't care at that moment. He was having a good time with the mare he loved. Everything else can wait until morning. He was surprised to see her tearing up, but quickly deduced them as happy tears.

 

"If it were anymore polite, I would have mistaken you for the reincarnation of Celestia herself. Considering how damn amazing you are, it may still be a possibility." He hopped up onto the bed, a little too enthusiastically, before digging into his own food.

 

"This may be the most fun I've had in years." He said between bites.

[Lume WMj 228]

@@ActFast231

 

"If it were anymore polite, I would have mistaken you for the reincarnation of Celestia herself. Considering how damn amazing you are, it may still be a possibility."

 

She blushed. "Aw, shucks, now! I can't be compared to a goddess!..." Lume replied with a giggle whilst Nexus got back to his meal. "I gotta say, though, you look like somepony that could totally be the King! Let's see, you're handsome, charming, humble, fearless, valiant, and you can speak fancy... and Italian." She added before picking up a sandwich for herself. With all of the fun they were having, she had almost forgotten that she was starving. She demonstrated the ferocious hunger by consuming nearly one whole quarter of the food in the first single bite, taking a fair amount of time to properly chew it while politely covering her mouth with a hoof.

 

"This may be the most fun I've had in years."

 

Her ears perked up at that statement. Lume was glad knowing that she was being able to bring joy to the bat colt's life. It always felt great to make ponies smile and to pull them out of misery - especially when she was in love with the pony in question.

 

"You know..." She began, a little before finishing with the chewing. "There's still much more fun to come after we're done with the Presence. Fillydelphia - the nice part of it - and The Griffon's Kingdom are already on our list, yeah?"

[ActFast231 432]

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"I gotta say, though, you look like somepony that could totally be the King! Let's see, you're handsome, charming, humble, fearless, valiant, and you can speak fancy... and Italian."

 

Nexus chuckled at that thought.

 

"Me, a king? The day the nobles put a hunter and assassin on the throne is the day they all donate their countless possessions to charity. Hell, English isn't even my first language. I just spent a loooong time learning it and practicing accent elimination. Makes business much easier." He gave Lume a sly grin before taking another bite of his food. He swallowed, then spoke in his native accent.

 

"This is what I normally sound like. E questa è la mia lingua madre. Anche se avete sentito prima, il mio tesoro prezioso." He smiled warmly before finishing his food.

 

"I suppose you're.." He cleared his throat, and once again spoke without an accent.

 

"I suppose you're right. There is a LOT of adventure to be had. Assuming we aren't all disemboweled by demonic horrors."

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

@, @@ActFast231,

 

 

((Alright. Wrap up the snuggling and get some sleep.))

 

 

 

@@Psych Ward,  @@Prince Midnight,

 

 

The mutant looked at you sideways, as though trying to determine what you are. "My name is of no importance. Though I am rather interested in yours, and why you are trespassing." He gestured to White Rose. "Is this one of your associates, or a separate problem?"

 

 

 

@, 

 

 

((I have no idea where you went, so I can't help you right now.))

 

 

 

@,

 

 

((Are you alive?))

 

 

Edited August 23, 2013 by Thunder Knight

[Psych Ward 377]

"She's with us!" Arianna spoke up.  She didn't give her name however, not sure whether or not to trust this creature.  It seemed more intelligent by far compared to the other mutants, but that didn't mean he was safe.  If anything it made him more dangerous than the others.

[Lume WMj 228]

(( OOC: Sorry I've been taking so long to respond. :c ))

 

@@ActFast231

 

"This is what I normally sound like. E questa è la mia lingua madre. Anche se avete sentito prima, il mio tesoro prezioso." He smiled warmly before finishing his food.

 

Lume blinked in a state of awe. For some weird reason, she was able to spot a slim resemblance between Nexus' accent and the annoying brown pony's German. Perhaps that was because she had never really spoken to a non-native speaker before - not to mention, she had absolutely no idea of what either of them were saying, so she unconsciously processed them all as the same indecipherable gibberish. 

 

"Woah!... That's actually pretty cool! I would never have guessed that you aren't a native English speaker, you're good! Is Italian the official language of all the bat ponies?" She would also have asked him to translate, but she thought that the detail about her not being able to understand more than a single idiom should better stay out of discussion for the time being.

 

"I suppose you're.." He cleared his throat, and once again spoke without an accent. "I suppose you're right. There is a LOT of adventure to be had. Assuming we aren't all disemboweled by demonic horrors."

 

She giggled. "I'm sure we will make it through this! I've already told you there's no way either of us can fail as long as we stick together." Even though she had a fair share of worries and uncertainties, she tried to be as positive as she could. After all, she had found something - or somepony, rather - to fight for. As long as Nexus stood by her side, she would keep on striving for survival as best as she could.

 

The mare finished up her sandwich and cleaned her mouth with a napkin. With a yawn, she laid down on her back and closed her eyes, forgetting about the second sandwich she had asked for.

 

"Today was a long day, wasn't it?" Lume commented, her eyes still closed.

[ActFast231 432]

@,

 

 

 

"Woah!... That's actually pretty cool! I would never have guessed that you aren't a native English speaker, you're good! Is Italian the official language of all the bat ponies?"

 

"Each clan has its own cultural heritage. My clan-the Terra Nova-had Italian origins, the Tempest clan had French origins, and the only other one I know is the Eclipse clan, which had origins in...I think it was Arabian? We are-or were-all different. It made bat ponies very culturally diverse."

 

 

 

"Today was a long day, wasn't it?" Lume commented, her eyes still closed.

 

Nexus finished his own food, before lying next to her, looking at her with a sense of admiration and affection.

 

"Yep. It was full of fighting, and it took out my left eye. I'm just glad to be able to relax now." Slowly he allowed his eyes to droop shut, and absentmindedly wrapped a foreleg around Lume. He would of said goodnight, if he wasn't already half asleep.

[Lume WMj 228]

@@ActFast231

 

As Lume turned around, she took a glance at Nexus' blank, scarred eye when he mentioned it, before he closed them. Since it was being covered up by the eye patch at most times, now that she could better examine it, despite the fact that his left eyesight had been disabled, it didn't look so bad on the bat pony's figure. She wouldn't say it out loud, but it actually had a certain charm to it. After all, the mare was gradually learning to appreciate scars and battle marks on ponies, since she had recently gotten one herself.

 

When her coltfriend put a foreleg around her, she did the same with a warm smile decorating her feature. "Sweet dreams, Nex." She whispered, followed by a kiss on his forehead. With the coziness of the cuddle, it didn't take to long for her to fall asleep.

[Prince Midnight 817]

midnight frowned, "yes, shes with us, there was somepony else, a younger mare, where is she?" midnight was worried about fen and hoped she was okay.

 

He glanced over at arianna readying his magic to grab his sword and possibly blast back the mutant if need be, "my name is....midnight..midnight moon."

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

@@Psych Ward, @@Prince Midnight,

 

 

"Filly? I saw no filly. However, this one-" He shook White- "I found, messing around with one of the younglings. Obviously, she was quite confused to what she was, as they can be." He glared at you. "If you are with her, please explain why you are here and why your comrade was meddling with one of my kind."

 

 

 

@, @@ActFast231,

 

 

((Time for some severe time jumping.))

Two guards opened the doors as a herd of Inquisitors came spilling out. Nexus and Lume had woken up to a herd of them traveling through the hallway, and then discovered that the meeting Karma had called was going on. They had argued for about two hours in the Hall of Inquisition before everyone spilled out talking amongst themselves. It was decided that the Inquisitors would muster into three groups to create distractions for Karma, Solar Flare, Flame Blitz, Lume, and Nexus to infiltrate the castle and search for the spell and the seal.

 

The only ones remaining in the hall happened to be the above mentioned ponies, and it felt quite like the previous night. Karma sighed, kneading his forehead, while Solar Flare was pacing across the floor. Flare Blitz was reading from a large book labeled with a large red I. Lume was back in her armor- having been magically repaired and enchanted by their artificer.

 

Karma sighed and looked towards them. "Is there anything that you wish to have, any questions, whatever before we go?"

 

 

[ActFast231 432]

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Nexus sat on his haunches in the hall. The tension in the air was thick enough to feel, but that didn't bother him too much.

 

"Karma, in my room, their are seven shards of an emerald. A very large, very powerful emerald. It has enough energy on its own to purify Delvia and the surrounding areas. I wish to have the emerald reassembled and placed in the town center. From their, it can be activated and the city should be cleansed of the dark magic it is enveloped in. It should also restore the mutants too." 

[Psych Ward 377]

Arianna frowned.  "Fen is one of your kind," she said.  "At least that's who I think you're talking about.  She's the filly Midnight here is talking about."  She looked up at White Rose worriedly.  "I can assure you she meant her no harm."  She frowned, hoping she hadn't said anything wrong.  She had a feeling she didn't want to get on this creature's worse side.

[Lume WMj 228]

@, @@ActFast231,  

 

Lume inhaled a lengthy yawn as she listened to the Inquisitor's discussion in the conference room. Being awoken halfway through one of the best nights of sleep she'd had in a long time by their hasty hoofsteps, during the reunion, the mare had to concentrate more on forcing her eyelids open than on listening to the discussion itself.

 

After most of the Inquisitors left, only a few familiar faces remained, though the stress and anxiety in that room were still overwhelming - so to complement the sleepiness and make her situation even worse. When Karma directed a question to both Lume and Nexus, she immediately raised her head and smiled awkwardly in an attempt of pretending to be alert. When the beloved bat colt began asking his question (about the emeralds he had been mysteriously given), she raised a hoof in the air - just like a first-grader willing to answer the teacher's two plus two - and politely waited for Karma to respond to Nexus first.

[Senor Citizen 516]

@, after re-arming at one of the armories in the stronghold, Garrison made a quick jump to check on a pet project they'd been working on for some time. Upon jumping back, they decided to check on something else.

 

Striding out of the door, they had only a moment to register a loud whistle before taking a bullet to the throat and hitting the floor for the last time.

 

Nexus's PDA let out one long beep.

(Bye, guys. I'm no longer needed or wanted, so I've served my purpose.)

Edited August 27, 2013 by Monsieur Buttmad

[Prince Midnight 817]

midnight shook his head, "i found fen alone and scared, i took her under my wing and have been taking care of her as much as i could." he frowned, "like arianna said, the pony you hold meant her no harm, i would never allow anypony to touch her with the intent of harm." his eyes and body screamed that he was telling the truth as he stared into this new mutants eyes.

Edited August 27, 2013 by Prince Midnight

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

@@ActFast231, @,

 

 

Karma laughed. "You are funny. There's only one thing in the..." He stopped talking and looked at Nexus sharply. "If you indeed did this, and you are not joking, then this is a very grave matter indeed. Guards!" He added, raising his voice. They peered in. "In Nexus's room there are seven shards of an emerald. Wrap each piece in a null-magic cloth and return." He looked at Nexus. "I want you to tell me where you got these shards. Be completely honest, I understand more about this that you think I do, and indeed more than you do. Who is the idiot that did this?" He said, voice raising.

 

While waiting on a dumbstruck Nexus's answer, he turned to Lume. His voice softened but was still irritated and... worried? "Yes, Lume?"

 

 

 

((More coming later, DOn't worry. Had to post this quickly.))

[Lume WMj 228]

@@ActFast231, @,  

 

When Karma angrily responded to Nexus, Lume was lost. With a hoof still raised, her expression showed worry, blended with a bit of coyness. On top of everything, however, she was content knowing that there was somepony way more powerful than herself asking about Nexus' business with the shards. Not to mention, now it looked like something considerably more serious than just a silly curiosity. Perhaps if she was subtle enough, she would be able to finally uncover the mystery.

 

After that, the bionic Inquisitor turned to her. She lowered the hoof she had raised.

 

"Yes, um... About that Presence pony-- uh... thing. With it roaming around all of Equestria, do you think it will try to interfere in our mission? Do you think the King will be safe?"

[ActFast231 432]

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@,

 

Nexus had his ears pinned down, a look of indecision and worry on his face. He couldn't say no to what is for the moment his superior, but he didn't want to endanger Lume with this Plane Jumping business. He wouldn't complicate her life anymore than it already has been. 

 

"Lord Inquisitor, sir, I...Garrison was the one who retrieved them under my request. I asked for gems that could be charged with light magic to be used in saving the mutants and purifying the land. I don't know the details, as he didn't share and I didn't ask, but I am assuming he didn't get them from the Crystal Empire. Where he got them, I do not know. Perhaps it is better that we don't" Nexus had chosen his words carefully, as to not reveal anything vital to Lume. At that last statement, he was giving Karma a look that practically begged him for discretion. Begged him not to reveal the true nature of Garrison and...himself.