//------------------------------// // Chapter 56 // Story: 64 vs. The Underground // by Jman9877 //------------------------------// Chapter 56 64 POV I stayed there, floating in the immense darkness which was my mind, while Princess Luna gazed at me from where Super Nova had just departed. She looked concerned, her mouth in a frown and her eyes half lidded. It looks like she was finally able to get into my mind, but it took a bit of effort. "So she was the one locking me out... I wonder why she would decide to let me in now." Luna whispered, flying over to me. "She said something about unlocking the power of the Sun for my own use, but I've learned better than to trust what she says nowadays." I replied, crossing my arms. "Why are you here?" My question came off as a bit blunt, but I was genuinely curious. She looked down and sighed, looking back up at me. "I could tell that you were in a state of physical distress. An incredible amount of trauma within the span of about 15 minutes. I feared the worst and tried to make contact as soon as you fell asleep. Has anything happened in Ethaxial?" She asked. "No, nothing too serious. I was challenged by the Captain of the Gryphon Guard to combat, and I had to accept or make Equestria look weak. I'm not hurt too badly, just a bit tired..." Luna let out a small sigh of relief, glad that things weren't as serious as she thought they were. "I feared that the Treaty talks might have gone sour." Luna sighed, but I guess my face of nervousness alerted her of something else. "What's happened now 64?" "Well, Frenzy is plenty smart... but is lacking in the assertiveness part. They aren't taking him seriously, and he's too afraid to speak out against the other diplomats. He's gonna need some help or else things really will go sour." I admitted, scratching at my neck. "I can help him out, but things might take awhile." "I expected as much. Do not worry about deadlines 64, you have more than enough time to accomplish your task. And... there is a bit of good news from Equestria as well." Luna said with a cheeky grin, a part of me already knowing what it was going to be. "It seems that a Royal Wedding will be taking place very soon. Shining Armor has proposed to Cadence tonight." I grinned and laughed. "That son of a bitch... Did you at least get photos of the proposal? I wanna see how much Shining cried versus how much Cadence cried." "Sadly it was a behind closed doors proposal. The news has already sent Canterlot into a frenzy, with some of the best wedding planners tearing each others manes out in an attempt to oversee the wedding. I wouldn't be surprised if the wedding plans would be completed in the matter of a few weeks." I nodded at that, knowing it could be possible. This just gave me incentive to finish the job here as fast as possible so I could get back to Equestria. "It's been a matter of hours since you fell unconscious, and I feel that Frenzy Scribe is in need of the company. Farewell 64." "Goodnight Luna..." I replied, giving her a grin. The last thing I saw before everything went white was Luna smiling at me, making something in my chest feel tighter... 3rd Person POV 64 opened his eyes, noticing that the sun was beginning to set already. Frenzy was laying on his bed, the same Musical book still laid out in front of him. "Well look who's not dead yet! Ya'know I was a bit afraid that your noggin might have gotten a bit bumped up while you were fighting Aurum, but I'm glad that you're alive and kicking!" Frenzy called off, once again reverting to his excited self. "It's gonna take a bit more than serious brain damage to keep me down... Now has there been any word from Blackbeak or anyone else?" 64 groaned, sitting up and rubbing his eyes. "Well... kind of. Whoever's on the other end of that Gem you were talking about tried to contact you about a half hour ago. I answered it, and all they did was tell me to give a message." "And?" "They said, 'Don't bother with the next task... the Zebra managed to pick off Quinn'. "Well... whoever he is, he's watching us right now. So all we have to do is wait for him to call us now that he knows I'm conscious." 64 sighed, running a hand through his hair. The two sat in silence, waiting patiently for contact to be made. 64 sat on the edge of his bed and stared out of the grated window, watching as the sunset began to flourish in a blast of orange and pink shades of color. He swiveled his right shoulder to get a kink out of it, when he felt the sting of his shoulder injury acting up. He lowered the collar of his shirt and saw the bandage that was applied earlier, now stained brown thanks to his dried out blood. 64 knew that it just needed to air out over night, so he made quick work of removing the bandage, seeing that his injury was already beginning to scab over. "Wow, he really got you good didn't he?" Frenzy asked, seeing 64 looking at his injury. "Eh, it's not as bad as it looks. Probably gonna scar though." 64 admitted, leaving his wound alone. "So Frenzy, how'd you enjoy the fight?" Frenzy chuckled, a grin spread across his face. "It was really impressive when you smashed the wall and pulled out chucks of rock to use! I wouldn't had even thought of that!" bzzt...bzzt...bzzt... 64 and Frenzy both turned their heads toward the buzzing Gem on 64's nightstand. Not wanting to waste time, 64 reached over to the gem and grasped it in his fist, opening the channel. "My favorite part was when you actually managed to get Aurum to activate his Armor Augmentation..." "Alright, what is it that you want? Apparently Dolus was more than capable of taking down Quinn. What could you possibly have for me next?" 64 questioned, trying to figure out what his game was. "Oh... much more, in fact, I have an assignment needed to be done at precisely midnight tonight. The Changeling and Zebra have already be informed." "What's so specific about the job that it has to be done at exactly midnight?" "Just the fact that the door which the objective is behind only opens at midnight. A minute too late, and what I need won't be accessible until the next midnight, and I'd rather have it sooner than later. We'll be in touch." The channel cut out, leaving 64 in the dark once again. "What the fuck kind of door is only open for a minute, then locks?" 64 asked Frenzy, who put a hoof to his chin in thought. "Well, it could be a time release door like the one we have. Maybe this lock is just made in a way that it's too tough to pick?" He answered, giving his thoughts. "The way he made it sound, it's probably some sort of vault door." "A vault is meant to protect something valuable, and to keep other out. whatever he wants inside that vault..." 64 stopped himself before he said anything else, knowing that they were listening in. "What about inside the vault?" 64 grabbed Frenzy and brought him close, whispering in his ear. "whatever he wants... he's wants it really bad. what if I just so happen to bar him from receiving it?" Frenzy's eyes widened at my plan, but a grin formed nonetheless. "or... maybe you could arrange a face to face? no setting up a drop off point or anything... face to face only?" "Sounds good, but we'll see how the situation plays out when the times comes." 64 spoke, using his regular tone of voice. He looked out of the window once again and saw that the sun had now completely set, leaving the sky shrouded in elegant moonlight. Looking up at the clock and seeing that it was only 9 PM, 64 saw a perfect opportunity for something. "Hey, let's get started on your assertiveness training Frenzy." Frenzy's eyes shot up from the book in front of him, a look of nervousness shooting across his face. "Right now!? But... I-I still haven't look through my research books about intimidation yet!" He cried, causing 64 to shake his head. "I swear you're like if Twilight and Pinkie Pie had a kid or something... Look! None of the matters when it comes to keeping your willpower stronger than others. We'll try one of the easiest ways to test how confident you can be" 64 instructed, getting up and walking into the bathroom Frenzy's head tilted in confusion when he pointed towards the mirror. "You are going to have a staring contest against yourself." "What? What is this supposed to prove?" Frenzy asked, but 64 just shook his head and pointed to the mirror. Frenzy sighed, "Fine, let's give it a shot..." Frenzy stepped onto the small step-stool in front of the mirror, resting his forelegs against the sink. He made eye contact with himself in the mirror, and realized what 64 was talking about. He would stare himself in the eyes for a few moments, but always felt compelled to look in a different direction due to his own nervousness. "Frenzy, look yourself in the eye, and tell me what color are your eyes." 64 ordered, making Frenzy make eye contact with himself again. "They're... teal colored..." Frenzy strained, having a hard time. "Now tell me what color is your mane?" Frenzy didn't see how this was helping, but didn't stop. "G-Green." "And what color is your coat?" "Greyish Blue, 64 I don't see the point in any of this!" Frenzy complained, but 64 kept making him stare. "Keep repeating those lines. 'My eyes are teal, my mane is green, and my coat is Greyish Blue'. you are going to repeat those lines until you feel that you can't stand anymore, got it?" Frenzy gave him a stern glare, but nodded nonetheless. "And make sure to look yourself in the eyes when you do it!" 64 added. "I got it!" Frenzy groaned, starting to repeat the lines clearly and concisely. "My eyes are teal, my mane is green, and my coat is Greyish Blue. My eyes are teal, my mane is green, and my coat is Greyish Blue..." 64 POV I left Frenzy to his exercise. I know it seemed useless and repetitive, but he would learn to immediately look at someone else's features and list them in his head, keeping him calm and focused. All he had to do was just try a bit, and his confidence would soar. I was cleaning my Skeleton Blades a bit, seeing how they got a bit dirty from the weather, and making sure that I oiled up the Shock Baton so it'd swing out smoother. I knew that these weapons were without a doubt trustworthy, but I had gotten them for situations where I couldn't use my magic. The Skeletons were only used for the siege on Smokey Mountain, and the Shock Baton was just in case the Magic Retainers made my magic useless here. Of course my magic was just fine, maybe a bit weaker, but it would do the trick. I looked at my right and and focused on conjuring a shape, one that was hexagonal and elongated. Once the shape was finished, I held it in my hand and sighed, remembering what it looked like. I had sort of gotten over it... Vi being dead and all. But whenever I saw her with Super Nova in my head, it was just a painful reminder that the real one is dead, but a memory of her still lives in me. The same could be said for Super Nova. Although she was technically still trapped in stone in Canterlot, she was able to speak with me because I had her magic. Of course I could do without her hijacking my consciousness for her own games, but what could I do? I finished up with the weapon maintenance, closing my Baton and putting the Blades into my wrists. I looked up at the clock and saw that it was about to ring 11, so I should be getting word from The Voice soon enough. "My eyes are teal, my mane is green, and my coat is Greyish Blue... My eyes are teal, my mane is green, and my coat is Greyish Blue..." Frenzy recited, eyes eyes beginning to droop. "Alright Frenzy, I think you're good for tonight. Get some shut eye, I have to stay up to get this guy's assignment..." I groaned, cracking my knuckles and putting on the gloves he had given me. If I needed to go outside again, I would definitely need them. "Alright..." Frenzy yawned, walking towards his bed. "I did feel more comfortable looking at my own reflection though..." "That's good man. You'll probably have an easier time tomorrow at negotiations, just make sure to stay relaxed." I instructed, before I heard the soft breaths of sleep. I sighed and once again started to play with fire, creating small little flames between my finger tips and just rolling them around. In the darkness of our room, the flames created a dance of light, letting me just forget about everything for awhile. Unfortunately, I was in a frozen hell hole far away from my home and friends, so reality gave me a check when I felt a very familiar vibration around my neck. I grabbed the Gem and opened the channel. "Now... you 3 will race to retrieve something very important to my plans." He said, as I realized we were all on the same channel. "Just tell us already, no need to get all dramatic!" Novus complained, making me roll my eyes. "Just play along, he obvious needs the ego boost." I sighed, waiting for him to continue. "As 64 predicted, the artifact I need is hidden behind a time released vault. Every night at Midnight, it opens to allow King Blackbeak inside. You will need to retrieve this artifact without alerting Blackbeak, and bring it to a drop off point." "Why a drop off point? Why can't we simply deliver it straight to you?" Dolus questioned, asking what I was about to. "I know what you are thinking. And trust me, that will not be an option." He growled. "I think we can make it an option. You need us, we don't need you." I countered, an edge to my voice. Apparently he was thinking about it, because he didn't say anything for a good while. "I won't reveal a location until one of you have the artifact... The vault door is behind King Blackbeak's Throne." The voice said before cutting the channel. I didn't have anytime to waste, so I disarmed the alarm on my door and sped out of my room. There weren't going to be any truces this time, no teamwork. I either beat these guys, or they beat me. I slid behind a few boxes when I saw a patrol of Gryphon guards walk by, two of them talking to each other. "Look, nobody has seen Quinn since this morning, and you saw how bad Marcos was roughed up last night." "He said that he fell from the top wall, and Quinn always takes those trips into the village. He's probably just passed out drunk in some chicks house." Another guard tried to rationalize. "How could Marcos fall if he could fly?" "He said he got tangled in some rope in his fall so he couldn't use his wings! C'mon your making a mountain out of an anthill." They passed, allowing me to continue forward. Apparently my assumptions that Marcos wouldn't say anything to save face were correct, keeping me and the other bodyguards safe. I still didn't know what was the deal with Quinn thought, or why the voice targeted him. I noticed a shadow shoot by me, absolutely booking it towards the Throne Room. "Shit..." I muttered, sprinting after the blur. I gave my watch a quick glance and saw that it was 11:58, meaning that door was going to open in 2 minutes. If King Blackbeak was in there, and we only had a minute to get in and out, this was going to be difficult. As I ran I saw countless unconscious guards sprawled all over the floor, following the trail towards Dolus as she ran. She obviously didn't know how to be subtle, how were they going to explain all of the knocked out guards? I was barely able to see someone slip into the Throne Room, the large doors barely opening and closing in front of me. I couldn't slip in a fast as she could, meaning i had to find another way in. "ashes to ashes... dust... to dust..." I whispered, channeling magic to my entire body. I felt my legs begin to become numb, seeing them literally turn to dust. The rest of my body followed suit, and I was able to slip underneath the door. It felt strange moving around as a pile of ashes, but it was the only way I was going to be able to stay hidden in here. I had to find another hiding space soon though, because I could only stay like this for 2 minutes. Luckily that's all I needed. I could feel that Dolus was somewhere in the room, but I couldn't pick out where. She was a stealth specialist after all. Then there was King Blackbeak, sitting on his throne. He had a look of deep thought plastered across his face, looking up at the ceiling. I moved to a corner of the room in my dust form, trying not to be spotted by the King. A loud bell tolled, signifying that Midnight had arrived. I only had one minute to get whatever was that vault, and get out. King Blackbeak got up from his Throne, sliding it aside to reveal a large door with a large pulsating green light in the center. He sighed and opened the door, showing two pedestals side by side, one of them with a stand. Moving excruciatingly slow, he grabbed his Crown and placed it onto the pedestal on the left, adjusting it so that it was perfectly centered. Next, he pulled his sword out of his sheathe, placing it on the stand which was on the other pedestal. Suddenly I heard the door slide open and a small thud, revealing a small form lying on the floor. "Who goes there!?" Blackbeak yelled, taking his sword back and pointing it towards the intruder. While he was distracted, I moved towards the vault and reverted back to my human form, but also saw Dolus drop from the ceiling silently, making for the Crown. "Guards! Come quickly!" Blackbeak yelled, managing to grab the intruder at the door and put him into a submission hold of some sort. My hand and Dolus's hoof came into contact with the crown at the same time, but I wasted no time smashing my elbow into the side of her face. She pulled her Kukri out of her sheathe and immediately took a swing at me, managing to to slice my right forearm and make me drop the crown. The clatter it made made us both freeze, but I used the opportunity to grab her head in my hands and send my knee into her nose. I grabbed her Kukri before it fell to the ground, and put her into a choke-hold before she could retaliate. Guards started to come into the room as she began to kick and flail, starting to collect the intruder and interrogate him. "So you decided that you wanted a piece of King Blackbeak huh?! Wanted to get rid of him when you had the chance!?" Aurum yelled, looking a bit banged up but okay nonetheless. Dolus finally stopped kicking around, slowly going limp in my arms. I took the crown and placed it into my Pocket Satchel, along with her Kukri. I slunk out of the Vault room, not wanting to be stuck there when it closed. I contemplated leaving Dolus in there, but the rational part of me picked her up and put her forelegs around my shoulders, giving her a piggyback ride of sorts. I took a page from her book and climbed up to the ceiling with her on my back, using one of the banners adorning the walls. Once I knew I was in the clear, I watched as the guards continued to rough up the intruder, finally standing him up from the floor. "Let's see who thought they could get the drop on our King..." Aurum growled, pulling the hood back off of the mysterious figure. My mouth widened at who it was, and I suddenly felt really scared for them. Novus stood there, green blood dripping down his face and cracks decorating his face like a macabre portrait. "Of course... damn Changelings trying to swindle us. Get him to the dungeon, and don't do anything to him until I get there." Aurum ordered, as the other Gryphon guards dragged the beaten Changeling away. "Are you alright Your Majesty?" "I'm fine... luckily his skills in staying hidden are about as good as your skills in combat..." He said scornfully, as the Vault closed. "Damn... I couldn't put my sword away..." "Allow me sir, I'll keep them safe until the sunrise." Aurum said, bowing low to the ground. King Blackbeak removed his scabbard and held it out towards Aurum. "Very well... make sure our Changeling guest is treated... 'well'." Blackbeak said, an edge on the word well. They both left the Throne Room, as I growled at losing the sword. "They're gonna be on high alert after a stunt like that... I gotta find somewhere to hid Dolus then get to the meet up point for the Crown..." I thought, sliding down the banner and holding onto Dolus' hooves. I slowly crept out of the Throne Room, making my way towards one of the empty boxes lining the corridors. I put Dolus into the wooden box and placed a burlap cover over it, leaving her safe and hidden. I sighed and pulled my Gem out of my shirt, knowing that I had to wait for him to contact me first. I pulled the Crown out and gave it a look over, sighing in exhaustion. "I hope this is all fucking worth it..."