64 vs. The Underground

by Jman9877

Chapter 16

Chapter 16

3rd Person POV

64 was now resting in the cot he had set up in the Clock Tower, and was quite surprised that the bag he had thrown had actually made it through the small window. He was lying on his back while throwing a small dagger up and down, catching it by the tip of the blade every time. He literally had nothing to do, and Spike was sick from something he had eaten at Pony Joe’s 2 days ago.

He was also continuously blowing smoke out of his mouth, trying to see if there was any way he could breathe fire. He channeled magic into his lungs and blew out, creating yet another stream of black smoke cascading out.

“For fucks sake…” 64 muttered, waving the clouds of smoke in the small room out of the window. He was getting pretty tired of just lying in bed, so he decided he would go walking around town for a bit. He thought about visiting Twilight’s Library and seeing if there were any books he might be interested in, then heading over to Sweet Apple Acre’s to see if there was anything he could do. Anything but just sitting there.

He leapt out of the window and slid down the side of the Clock Tower, pushing himself off once he neared the ground. He rolled when he hit the ground and dusted himself off, walking towards the Golden Oaks Library.

Once he arrived, he knocked on the door twice. Even though the building was a Public Library, it was still Twilight’s home, so it felt natural. He wait until a purple Aura surrounded the door and swung it open, showing Twilight going through an incredibly large book. It looked like it didn’t have an actual story, but rather a very long list of names.

“Yo, Twilight. What’s that?” 64 said curiously, tilting his head to try and read the words upside down.

“Oh, 64 it’s you. This is simply an archive of all of the books that have been checked out of the Library and their respective return dates, but while I was re-shelving I noticed that there are a few that haven’t been returned. They we’re checked out by Cup Cake and Vinyl Scratch, and they were both due last week. I’m sure they must’ve just forgotten, but I was gonna go make sure. Ugh, but I still have half of the Library to re-shelve…” Twilight groaned, causing a light bulb to go off in 64’s head.

“Hey, I’ll go and get those books. Shouldn’t be too hard, and it certainly can’t be like collecting from the tax dodgers in Canterlot right?”

“Uh… Tax Dodgers?”

“Yeah, ponies who try and skip out on paying their taxes. Usually when it’s only a few dozen bits Celestia would just send them a letter, and then they would usually pay soon after that. But when somepony doesn’t pay up a really serious amount like a few hundred, or even a thousand, I’m usually banging down the doors. Sometimes they try threatening by calling the Royal Guard, but I just show them my badge and they shut up.”

64 pulled the badge which was in an inner pocket of his Black Long sleeve, and showed it to Twilight. It was a Purple 6 pointed Star, much like Twilight’s Cutie Mark.

“My cutie mark…” She mumbled, making 64 chuckle.

“Yup, that’s what I said about them. Anyway, these prove my affiliation with the Royal Family, but whenever I do a mission which requires that… Canterlot’s security… isn’t compromised, I go in saying that I work for nobody. It makes Canterlot look innocent.”

Twilight looked like she was about to question what he meant, but 64 was already standing up and making for the door.

“I’ll be back to explain more when I get back from getting those books! I’ll just ask around for Vinyl Scratch’s house!” 64 exclaimed while walking out the door, making Twilight grumble. She continued to re-shelve all of the remaining books, now wondering about 64’s line of work.

64 made his way towards Sugarcube Corner, wanting to get the first book from Mrs. Cake. He arrived and walked into the establishment through the double doors, seeing Pinkie Pie running the cash register. She gasped and waved happily, bouncing up and down.

“Oh! Oh! 64! I was wondering when you were going to show up! So what’ll you have?” Pinkie Pie said, pulling out a pen and paper out of her hair and ready to take 64’s order. 64 looked at her and decided to not worry about it and have nightmares later, wanting to get the book.

“It’s alright Pinks, I didn’t come to eat. I came get an overdue book from Mrs. Cake. Is she in right now? It says on this small list I stole from Twilight that she still hasn’t returned… what the… A Sensual Night on Lake Libido 4? What the fuck?” 64 reeled back, making sure he was reading that right. Why the hell did a public library have that?

“Oh I’ve seen her reading that. She hides it in her nightstand and reads it when Mr. Cake is out to make a delivery. I can ask for it back!” Pinkie exclaimed, bouncing into the kitchen and up the stairs. 64 followed her and watched her knock three times on what 64 could only assume was Mrs. Cake’s bedroom door.

“Yes? Oh, yes Pinkie? Did you need help in the kitchen?” Mrs. Cake said, not realizing I was standing there.

“Oh no! It’s just 64 came here saying he’s here to pick up an overdue library book. Do you still have it in your nightstand?” Pinkie said casually, making Mrs. Cake’s cheeks suddenly go red.

“um… well… uhh… I… do… but…” Mrs. Cake stuttered, as 64 understood why she hasn’t returned it.

“It’s ok Pinkie, I can take it from here.” 64 whispered, making Pinkie Pie shrug and bounce away. Once she was gone, 64 turned to Mrs. Cake who was still incredibly red in the face.

“I understand why you didn’t want to return it. I would be pretty embarrassed too I guess, but it still needs to be returned. I’ll be more than happy to take it over to the library for you.” 64 offered, making Mrs. Cake sigh in relief.

"Oh thank you. I understand it’s a dirty thing to have, but I wouldn’t be able to face Twilight again if I showed up with that book in my possession. I just love that series and didn’t have chance to return the newest edition.” Mrs. Cake said, grabbing the book out of her nightstand shelve and hoofing it over to 64.

He gladly took the book and put it into his Satchel Pocket, keeping it away from prying eyes.

When the next book comes out, just ask me to bring you a copy and I’ll be right over. Now I gotta get over to Vinyl Scratch’s house and get a book she still hasn’t returned. You have any idea where she lives?”

“I’m afraid I don’t dear. But I do know that Pinkie Pie often contacts her for the music for her parties, so you might have luck asking her.”

64 thanked her and walked back down the stairs to see Pinkie Pie serving a young filly a box off cookies, who balanced it on her back and walked out of the shop.

“Hey Pinkie, do you know where Vinyl Scratch lives? I have to pick up an overdue book from her.” 64 asked, making Pinkie Pie start to laugh crazily. “Was it something I said?”

“No! HAHAHA! I-I-It’s just because she is like the best mare to go to whenever my parties need a bit of those beats to keep delivering! Of course I know where she lives. C’mon! I’ll walk you there myself!” Pinkie said, leaping over the counter and walking towards the door.

“Uh, don’t you need to take orders down here?” 64 asked, making Pinkie Pie suddenly stop in her tracks. She brought a hoof to her chin and hummed thoughtfully, before gasping and pulling a ballon out of her hair. She inflated it and started to shape it in a way that 64 couldn’t see, and when she revealed it, it revealed a life sized balloon sculpture of herself.

“There we go! No one will notice!” Pinkie cheered, before bouncing out the door. 64 stared at the crude creation for a few seconds before sighing, and simply walking after the Pink menace. They continued through the Market District, where the vendors were peddling their wares. 64 saw that due to the day being right after all of the ponies got off from work, it was hustling and bustling with business. The ordeal looked a bit strange to 64, due to his much larger height than most of the ponies who barely stood up to his elbow.

Pinkie led him to a small one story house with a double eighth note painted on the door, with two records as the note heads. 64 was about to knock on the door, when Pinkie just all of a sudden opened the door and continued to bounce in. He just shook his head and followed, all of a sudden feeling a pulsing beat shake through his feet.

“What the heck is this?” 64 thought as he continued through the house, feeling the vibrations continue to shoot up through his legs.

“It’s just Vinyl, she’s probably working right now!” Pinkie shouted, making 64 try to shush her.

“Pinkie, we’re in someponies house. You don’t yell.” 64 said, recalling that he usually felt the urge to not make a sound when he entered somepony else’s house because he usually had to sneak into them.

“Oh don’t worry! There’s no way that Vinyl is going to hear us. The feeling in your legs is just the vibrations from her super loud speakers she has in her basement!”

“Speakers? Feels like a damn earthquake simulators…”

The pair continued through the small house until they reached the basement stairs, descending towards the incredibly strong vibrations. Once they reached the basement, they both saw a white mare with an incredibly bright mane of two mixture of blue. She was inside a small studio, her eyes behind goggles and her head bouncing up and down to the incredibly heavy beat.

Surprisingly 64 didn’t hear anything, but only felt the bass throughout his body.

“When is she gonna finish up?” 64 asked, and saw Pinkie Pie was by the door already, pressing her hoof down on a big red button. The bass all of a sudden stopped as Vinyl looked up and saw 64 and Pinkie Pie standing outside of her studio, pulling her goggles up to show her magenta eyes.

“YEAH? WHAT DID YA NEED!?” Vinyl shouted, obviously still a bit hard of hearing after playing music that loud.

“Vinyl Scratch right? Well I’m here to pick up an—“

“WHAT?! CAN YOU SPEAK UP A BIT?”

“Um, sure?! You have an overdue library book! I’m here to get it for Twilight Sparkle?!”

“Oh! Yeah, I remember that one. One With The Beat Right?”

64 nodded and noticed she was suddenly talking completely normal, and shortly wondered if he was getting played. Vinyl walked back inside of her studio and grabbed the book off of the table, hoofing it over to 64 who took it and stuffed it into his Satchel pocket along with Mrs. Cake’s book.

“Hey, that was cool! The book is like way bigger than that little pocket attached to those pants things! How’d you do that to the book?” Vinyl asked, making 64 open it slightly so she could look inside.

“It’s an illusionary spell cast by Princess Celestia. It made my old Satchel which was too big to carry around look smaller, but still have the capacity to hold the same amount of things. Still kinda weirds me out from time to time.” 64 explained, making Vinyl nod her head in acceptance.

64 turned and walked out of the basement as Pinkie started to chat away with Vinyl, starting to talk about some party.

“Got the books… now all I gotta do is get back to Twilight.” 64 whispered to himself, walking out of Vinyl’s house and heading back to Golden Oaks Library.

64 POV

I made it back to Twilight and gave her the books back, and she actually paid me a bit for my troubles. I wanted to refuse, but she literally just shoved them down my pants pockets.

“Is there anything else Twi? I’m going crazy having nothing to do…” I complained, walking upside down on the roof to try and alleviate my boredom. Twilight grabbed me with her magic and pulled me down, making me land headfirst into one of the couches.

“No, but I’d like it if you didn’t leave footprints on my ceiling. I’m all done re-shelving, I already got the medicine for Spike’s stomach ache, and I’m 3 days ahead on my to-do list, so right now I have nothing to do.” Twilight said, looking a bit sad.

“I think the concept of down time is funny. Sometimes we hate to have it, and then we want them when we don’t have it. So right now we should just enjoy what we have got going for us. I’m gonna head back to the Clock Tower and take a look at some schematics that I—“

A heavy buzzing sound stopped me in my tracks when I felt it on my chest, along with a Pink glow.

“GHOST!” I said happily, knowing my messenger charm was going off. I channeled my magic through it and heard a static interference, but after a short moment I heard Ghost’s voice.

“Hello? 64? You there?” Ghost whispered.

“Yeah, how you doing Ghost? Have you found anything?” I said quietly, not sure if he was in an area of danger. Twilight looked at me strangely as she listened on to our conversation.

“You bet I have! Right now I’m staying at some back alley hotel posing as a Gryphon who was here on vacation, but I sent him back to Equestria so there wouldn’t be any duplicates here. I haven’t had to feed yet, but there are a good amount of really lonely Gryphons here that are trying to pick up some tail.”

“Ghost, you remember the female training right? You can feed off males without even getting them in an extracting situation. If you need to resort to that just remember your training.”

“Got it 64. Right now I’m organizing a sting to get the Dealer over here, but I kinda enlisted some help.”

“Woah, woah. Help? Who’s helping you?”

“I sorta… got mixed up with the… local… police… force…”

“Dammit… are they aware that you’re a Changeling?”

“No, I’m keeping up the Gryphon look while they are around, but I drop it when they aren’t. Don’t worry 64, we have a really good plan, and it won’t be long before the trade is stopped. I’ll be fine.”

“I hope you are telling the truth Ghost. Remember, if you are ever in a jam don’t try to be brave, ok? Just run and get out alive ok?”

“Ok 64. I promise.”

“Bye kiddo, make sure to contact Celestia alright?” ‘

“Alright bye!”

The magical connection finally dropped, and I gave a deep sigh. Twilight continued to look at me with a tilted head, and finally spoke up.

“So that was Ghost?” She asked, and I nodded my head.

“Yup, my partner in crime. He’s over in Gryphon Kingdom, and I can’t help but worry about him. He’s… ugh… he’s like a son to me. But he’s proven that he can take care of himself 10 times over. Celestia isn’t too fond of him, but she’s turning around.” 64 responded, looking out the window.

“It’s naturally I guess. Like how I see Spike as a little brother?”

“You mean besides the fact that you practically gave birth to him?”

Twilight turned bright red in the face as I had a good laugh at her expense. She did in a way give birth to Spike, accelerating his growth inside of his egg and allowing him to hatch.

“W-Well, you could probably word it better than that!” Twilight glowered; making me put my hands up in surrender.

“Alright, alright… all that matters to me is that Ghost is safe and succeeding in Ethaxial. As I was saying, I’m gonna go ahead and head back to the Clock Tower. The sun is about to set and I wanna get something to eat. Speaking of that, you wanna come along? You said you didn’t have anything to do.” I offered, making Twilight nod happily.

“Sure, where did you have in mind?”

“There’s that outdoor restaurant on the corner of Mane and Rainy Street, I saw it had food that I was capable of eating.”

I led Twilight out the door and into the town, the sun slowly starting to set into its twilight state. I looked around and saw that Applejack was still at her stall in the market, but it looked like she was just about to pack up for the day. I waved at her as she saw me and Twilight walking, and she waved us over.

“Hey AJ, you set up the stall after we got back?” I asked, making her nod proudly.

“Eyup! Had to, Big Mac isn’t exactly a talker, so he can’t bring in the customers like ah can. And Applebloom is stayin’ overnight at some field trip her and her classmates took over to Canterlot, so she couldn’t run it. Ah guess ah’m the only one in this family who can actually do somethin’ about sellin’ the crop we bring in.” Applejack said, a little annoyed.

“You shouldn’t feel too bad. You are the pater familias, so of course you would be in charge of making sure the Bits keep rolling in.”
“Uhh… pater whatius?”

“Pater familias. Head of the household. Old Equestrian Language.”

“Oh, uh, if you say so. Where are you two headin’ at this time of day? It’s almost quittin’ time!”

Twilight stepped in for this answer, not wanting to keep Applejack waiting. “We’re just about to go and get some dinner. 64 offered so I thought it would only be polite if I accepted.”

“Ok then. Enjoy your supper! Ah gotta get home. See ya tomorrow!” Applejack said over her shoulder, done with the conversation and now walking away. With her gone Twilight and I continued down the street towards the restaurant, and I began to simply stare up at the sky.

“You mentioned earlier, something about Canterlot’s innocence. What did you mean by that?” Twilight asked me, causing my focus to return to Twilight.

“Well, I’m basically a contract killer, no use in sugar coating it. So what would happen if somepony learned that Princess Celestia was sending me to do the dirty work, or more specifically, she was condoning the work of an Assassin? I doubt she would be would be very popular for long. Whenever I have to go on a job, I always try my best to keep my work with Celestia on the down low, and try to make it look like I was working of my own accord, but lately that's harder than usual." I explained.

“But why is that? Can’t you just stay in the shadows for a while until they forget?” Twilight asked naively.

“If I do that, then who will stop the bad guys?”

There was a moment of silence between us as we continued making our way through the now emptier streets of Ponyville. I went back to staring back up at the now darker sky, but something caught my eye.

“Hey, does that cloud look pink to you?”

Author's Note:

Eeyup.

Comments

[Bronydom]

OMG!!!!!! its discord

[Jman9877]

3956638 That profile pic is perfect...

[Bronydom]

3956641 Thanks

[Mexican Brony 101]

Silly 64 , that's not a cloud , that's Pinkie Pie's hair…. Silly 64 ^^

[MG_Kenny197]

64 vs Discord
Place your bets on the replies on who is gonna win.

[Jman9877]

3962294 I'm betting on Discord! Wait, im the author......

[MG_Kenny197]

3963565

[DoVaShy]

Love the Becoming One With The Beat little placement in there. you sneaky devil you