//------------------------------// // Chapter 58 // Story: 64 vs. The Underground // by Jman9877 //------------------------------// Chapter 58 3rd Person POV 64 was asleep, but Frenzy was up and about. More specifically, he was focusing on keeping confident and in control. He was repeating the same descriptive sentence about himself over and over in his head, his heart thumping in anticipation. The first day was a bit of a clusterfuck for him, meaning that he couldn't afford to screw up this time. "Dammit 64, this would be so much easier if you did the talking..." Frenzy muttered, watching the sleeping human. On the nightstand beside him, 64's weapons were organized. His Skeleton Blades and his Shock Baton were ready for use, and Frenzy couldn't help but want to see how they worked. He held out his hoof to grab the Shock Baton, bringing the collapsed weapon closer to him. It was a simply collapsible baton, primarily built up of Steel, it contained traces of silver for conductivity.There was a small button on the handle to charge the baton with electricity, which Frenzy made sure to keep his hooves away from. Frenzy then looked to the Skeleton Blades, but noticed that 64 was actually starting to stir. "Ah shit... today is going to be fucking terrible." 64 groaned, sitting up from his bed. He had dark rings underneath his eyes, his eyebrows furrowed to form a scowl on his face, as if he knew how bad things could get. Frenzy noticed that his fingertips were actually starting to channel magic, a red glow forming over his shaky hands. "64? You feeling okay?" Frenzy asked, seeing the disheveled appearance of the awakening human. 64 swung his legs over the bed, pulling his shirt of over his head and tossing the dirty piece of clothing across the room. "Well, considering the fucking mad dash I had to pull last night, I'm surprisingly less stressed than I thought I would be. Still, it doesn't change that today is going to be fucking terrible." 64 grunted, standing up and pulling out the Flame Retardant white hooded long sleeve that Rarity had made for him before he investigated the Slava case. He clipped on his leather and chainmail armor before slipping the special clothing over his head, cracking his neck with a sigh. "Don't say a word unless I give you the okay today, got it? Blackbeak's crown disappearing is going to create a shitstorm until they find it with Aurum, and until then they are going to suspect everyone in this Castle." "You and the other bodyguards are going to be high on their suspect list. Do you have a plan to make it seem that you're innocent? What if that strange Voice rats and shows all 3 of you guys sneaking around the Castle? They can obvious watch us, what makes you think that they don't have it all saved on something?" Frenzy worried, sweat already beginning to form on his brow. "Nope... My plan stays the same. Protect you, and find anything I can that will be an asset against Ethaxial. Honestly, that last part is a big optional objective. But I've dug myself to deep to just quit now. I'm gonna get what that Voice has, then I'm going to stomp on his neck..." 64 growled, his eyes flashing red for a second. The lock on the door automatically shut off, allowing about 7 Gryphon Guards to come rushing into the room. Each held a Halberd, 2 of them aiming the spear-end at Frenzy, the other 5 at 64. Frenzy's hooves shot into the air, while 64 quickly extended his Skeleton Blades and prepared for combat. "You are to surrender all weapons and accompany us to the Grand Hall! You are no longer here as guests, but as suspects of Grand Theft!" One of them yelled, his attention focused at 64. "Drop those Blades unless you want 7 inches of steel through your neck!" 64's right hand shot out and grabbed the spear of the Halberd, pulling the Gryphon towards him and elbowing him in the face. Once the Halberd was in his grasp, he snapped the handle over his knee and threw the pieces onto the ground. The other guards completely forgot about Frenzy, all aiming at the aggressive human. The bloody beaked guard held his mouth in pain, looking up at 64. "From now on... you never threaten me again..." 64 snarled, kneeling down to the downed Gryphon. "Next, you will not be taking my weapons away. Now... take me to find out what this is all about..." The other guards could tell that even though they outnumbered him, they were outmatched. 64 glare was sending shivers of fear down their spines, and some of them began to think if they kissed their wives goodbye that morning. "Right...agh... right this way." The injured guard groaned, standing onto his feet and motioning towards the door. 64 sheathed his blades, and waved Frenzy towards him. "C'mon Frenzy, stay in front of me." 64 ordered, walking out the door with all of the Guards behind him. Frenzy sped to comply with 64's order, not sure whether to be more scared of him or the Guards. 64 remembered the path needed to take to get to the Grand Hall, meaning that he wasted no time in arriving and entering the room. He saw the other 2 Foreign Officials seated in the center of the room, their respective bodyguards behind them with cuffed forelegs. The way 64 saw it, he was watching Mutarus and Capras being held hostage by Ethaxial. To everyone else in the room, it looked like 64 had walked into the room as if he was on practically up in flames, the guards behind him too scared to do anything about restraining him. "64... I'm glad you have arrived. I see that my guards did not restrain you or Frenzy Scribe in anyway?" King Blackbeak asked, his crown missing from the top of his head. "I wouldn't let them. What in the name of Celestia is going on here?" 64 questioned. "Well, I'm sure that you can see a discrepancy regarding his Majesty's appearance today. Do you have any comment on it?" Aurum asked, his Armor already glowing with an Augmentation spell. "Sure, it looked like he actually bathed this morning." 64 taunted, receiving a growl from Aurum. "That is enough from both of you!" Blackbeak yelled, slamming the round table with his clenched talon. "If I still had my sword I would decapitate the both of you! Aurum, allow 64 to step towards the table. Project 64, another remark such as that one and I will banish both you and Frenzy Scribe back to Equestria!" 64 sighed and grunted, motioning for Frenzy to step towards the table. The stallion took a seat, feeling a bit less confident than he did this morning. 64 couldn't help but notice that guards were stationed at all corners of the room, each of them with a pistol sidearm and Halberd. If things got dirty, it would get cleaned up real fast with them in the room. "Now... the reason you were brought here under such harsh actions is to find out who had the audacity to steal from me. My crown and sword are now missing, and nothing has came up from the search teams. My best guess... is that 1 of you 3 have them." Blackbeak accused, motioning to the 3 bodyguards. 64 and Novus exchanged glances, with Dolus looking a bit confused. The human and Changeling were wondering how the hell Aurum was still standing in the room. If he underwent morning inspections, they would have found that he had the crown in his possession. "Well, you could search us and our rooms, you won't find the crown or sword there." 64 defended, crossing his arms. "We are already doing so. If there is any sign that you were even outside your rooms during these past days, then I will have no choice but to banish you from Ethaxial." Blackbeak stated, causing 64 to growl. He'd been careful, but he remembered that one the first night, he and the others had to go outside of the castle to intercept Marcos. It was raining heavily, meaning his dirty clothes could still be wet. Novus and Illudere were throwing glances at each other, as if they definitely had something to hide. Frenzy noticed this and looked to 64 for advice. He shook his head, telling Frenzy to just stay quiet and wait. The silence in the room shrouded everyone like a thick blanket, smothering them with the lack of sound. Whatever happened next would decided the fate of the Agreements. "we withdraw..." Illudere muttered, causing all heads to turn towards him. Frenzy leaned forward, unable to hear him the first time. "Um... could you repeat that?" Frenzy asked, more nervous than he had ever been. "I said, Mutarus will now formally withdraw from these Non-Aggression Agreements. It's obvious that with these threats and hostilities no real progress can be made." Illudere stood from his seat, but looked back at Vulnus who was staring wide-eyed. "But, let it be said that I will not leave without giving aid towards Capras. We will discuss arrangements for land trade soon. Now, if you'll excuse me, Novus and I will gather our things from our guest room and depart." Illudere was making his way towards the door, when Aurum stepped in front of him. "You'll do nothing of the sort. You won't be leaving this room until we are done searching you rooms and belongings. Now sit back down in your seat." Aurum threatened, reaching for a blade on his waist. Illudere saw the serious look on Aurum's face and knew he wasn't going anywhere, so he returned to his seat. "Can we at least uncuff these two? I seriously doubt that it matters if you cuff them or not." 64 suggested, looking at Dolus. "It's true, I already managed to pick the locks." Dolus agreed, holding up the now unlocked hoofcuffs. Aurum growled and released the restraints on Novus, who rubbed his hooves in pain. "Thanks.." "Now that the nonsense is over, would anyone like to confess to stealing my crown before we find out who did it?" Blackbeak growled, as the guards lining the walls took once step towards the center. Aurum moved behind Blackbeak, an excited malicious grin on his face. No one moved or gave the hint that they were going to speak out, except for Frenzy who was shifting nervously at the news that the Changelings were withdrawing. Of course, it was good that the Zebras would still get a chance to get the farmland necessary for their survival, but now the Gryhpons had no obligation to give anything in return for the Gems Equestria would supply them with. 64 on the other hand, was racking his brain to find out what was going on. With everything he did the night before, Aurum should have been locked up tighter than Celestia's cake stash. How did he explain Novus being free after being caught trying to sneak into the Throne Room? How did no one find Blackbeak's Crown in his footlocker? How did he explain no longer being in possession of Blackbeak's sword? There were too many unanswered questions, and 64 had a feeling none of them would be answered with coincidence. He could speak up and call Aurum out, but he wouldn't be able to explain how he knew Aurum was supposed to have the Sword. "Novus, do you agree with your companion that withdrawing right now would be the best course of action?" Blackbeak addressed with a knowing smile, making Novus shift a bit. "Well... he's the brains. I'm not sure I can make a call like that." Novus answered nervously, as all of the guards in the room once again took another step towards the center table. 64 knew something was up, and was slowly charging magic into his hands. "Hmph... I guess that is a logical decision... what about you Project 64? Do you agree with his actions?" Blackbeak asked, directing the conversation towards the suspicious human. "I don't have a say in the matter. What I do have a say in is why do I feel we are being threatened?" 64 questioned, motioning to the guards surrounding them. "I feel that in light of this breach in security, added personnel was necessary. I apologize if you feel in anyway threatened." Blackbeak answered with grin, his tone dripping with sarcasm. "Until we find my Crown, you are not here as guests. You are here as suspects. If our search of your rooms come up fruitless, we will take each of you one by one into an interrogation chamber and 'question' you... until we can find what we need." Frenzy's pupils shrunk into pinpricks, with 64 putting a hand onto one of his shoulders to calm him down. "Laying a talon on any of us would give us the means to declare war. I doubt that's what any of us want right now." 64 argued, but Blackbeak just laughed. "Oh? I guess it would be. But, wasn't it Equestria that wanted to set up these Non-Aggression Agreements in the first place? I doubt the nation that wanted 'Peace' in the first place would strike first. That goes double for someplace as benign as Equestria..." "There's no need for this kind of talk. We should all calm down and focus on proving our innocence." Vulnus called out, Dolus glaring at him for bringing them into the conversation. "And why are you so adamant about proving your innocence? If you didn't do it, then you obviously wouldn't draw attention yourself like that, right Dolus?" Aurum taunted, making the Zebra mare narrow her eyes dangerously. "We are being held prisoner and you expect us to keep our mouths shut? Our homelands will be told of this treachery, and you will be held accountable for this..." Dolus threatened, making Aurum scowl. He slowly walked towards her, nearly touching her muzzle with his beak. "I would hold your tongue... The Changelings were gracious enough to actually consider giving your nation land. I wouldn't want to ruin that chance by making threats.... would you?" Dolus grunted and shook her head no. "I... wouldn't..." Aurum gave her a condescending pat on the head. "Very good." "Equestria is still giving Gems to Ethaxial. You wouldn't want them to be withheld on account of threats being made to allied nations would you?" 64 countered, but Aurum just turn on him. "Yet the Zebras are giving you nation Coal and Oil! What if they learn of your threats against us and withhold those resources from you!" "ENOUGH!" Blackbeak yelled, slamming his fist into the table again. "Aurum, please return to your position behind my seat." Aurum smirked and went back to stand behind Blackbeak, who was wearing a very distinct scowl on his face. "So what do we do until you guys are done with the search? Sit here picking our noses?" 64 asked, fists clenching in anger at his sides. "If that is what we must do, then yes. We will." Silence once again filled the room, everyone except Frenzy sending harsh glares at each other. Then, the possibly worst thing that could happen, happened. bzzt... bzzt...bzzt... The gems that 64, Novus, and Dolus had all went off, causing the vibrating noise to fill the room. Blackbeak saw where they were coming from, and stood. "RESTRAIN THEM AT ONCE!" He yelled, causing a few of the guards lining the walls to rush forward. Over ten guards went towards 64, who managed to sent a bolt of magic at a few before getting tackled to the ground. Novus was grabbed and shoved to the ground, restrained by about 3 guards. Dolus managed to act like a bar of soap, slipping through and dodging guards that were attempting to grab her. She was going to make her way towards the door, but a single shot rang out, and her shrill scream filled the room. A guard stood across the room, his pistol aimed at her fallen body. "Good shot Arkos. Get her up." Aurum commanded, as two guards picked up the shot mare. She had a bullet wound through her right foreleg which she struggled to hold, and was bleeding profusely. "Grr! Let go of me!" 64 yelled, struggling against the many guards holding him down to the ground. "Find those gems! Search them!" Blackbeak commanded, as the guards searched the bodyguards. They quickly found the gems around their necks, and ripped them off. They were all still buzzing, and Blackbeak moved to grab the one stolen from 64. "Who is this?! Why are you contacting these 3!?" No response came from the Voice 64 expected to hear, instead it was Blackbeak's voice just echoing. "Who is this!?" His words just echoed, and Frenzy's eyes lit up. "Whoever that is is in this room! Their gem is picking up your voice!" Frenzy yelled, as the same effect took place with his voice. "Sorry Blackbeak... Your time is up..." Everybody except the guards turned their heads towards the direction of the voice, and all of their eyes widened. He had pulled out the Crown and placed it onto his head, then pulled out his sword to reveal it was actually the Royal Blade. "Long Live the King..." Aurum growled, before charging at Blackbeak.