//------------------------------// // Chapter the Eighteenth - Restorations, Reparations, Recuperations, Revelations // Story: The Betrayed // by Thadius0 //------------------------------// *Beep...beep...beep* Stop the beeping...I hate beeping... *Beep...beep...beep* This is why I don't have an alarm clock...stop trying to get me up... *Beep...beep...beep* -Sire, you're in the hospital.- Oh, that's good. Wait. Why don't I-? Abel's eye fluttered open and took note of his surroundings. Along with the fact that his disguise wasn't active. It took him a moment, but the thought managed to fully process. "WHAT THE BUCKING TARTURUS IS GOING ON?!" Despite his shock at being in the hospital in such a state, Abel knew that if he just yanked out any of the devices on him that he would bring down the full wrath of the institution. Instead, he calmly reached over and tapped the devices off with his hoof. Just as the last one was switched off and Abel started in on removing as many things from his body as possible, Doctor Feelgood and Twilight walked in. And that was when he froze up, right up until the doctor started speaking. "Abel? Relax. I knew already." Abel let out a sigh and resumed his work. "So I'm going out on a limb here, but Twilight finally managed to knock me out and dragged me here for a full battery of medical tests, mostly to figure out everything she could about a changeling's physiology." At this, Twilight's jaw dropped and Doctor Feelgood started laughing. "Well, I suppose, in a sense, that's right. If we look at it from your point of view, that is." Abel nodded to the stallion. "So, how would you look at it? Do tell." The doctor pulled out a clipboard. "Well, as your friends tell us, you were infected with dark magics. This brought forth an alternate personality, it called itself Cain. And Cain did...quite a few things." Abel sighed. "Damn possessive dark spirits...I already had enough...what're the damages?" Twilight had recovered a bit and pulled out a newspaper from one of her saddlebags. CHANGELINGS BACK IN CANTERLOT? Luna goes loopy, locks self in tower. Abel snatched the paper out of Twilight's grip and began reading it rapidly. "Huh...wow. Oh, he used...oh damn. Oh man, Shining must hate me...aaaand he steals my ideas and unveils them in a dark manner. Just. Wretchedly. Perfect." Abel then looked to Twilight. "Aaaand how did you stop him?" Twilight responded with a single word. "Compos." And Abel froze again. "You used that spell? The one I designed specifically for Chrysalis?" Twilight nodded. "I had to make you understand the pain you were putting us all through. It brought you out of your transformed state, and you imprisoned the dark spirit in a crystal." Abel nodded. "And where is it now?" Twilight reached into her saddlebag with a hoof and drew out the crystal in question, which caused Abel to hiss. "Why did you bring it here?" "It reacts badly to magic. I thought you might know why, that's sort of your forte." Abel nodded and closed his eyes for a second, then rapidly opening them. "Oh, wow. He is pissed. And those bonds are top-notch as well. Every bit of magic that touches those bonds feeds them. I don't think he's getting out anytime in this eternity." Abel slowly got to his hooves, and gently took the crystal from Twilight. Staring right at it, he began to speak. "Well hello in there. I'm not going to deny anything you said, because yes, those thoughts are a part of me. But what makes me, me, is how I deal with it when I'm not under the influence of terribly corruptive magics. That in mind, I'm going to find a way to make your imprisonment redefine the term poetic justice." Abel carefully handed the crystal back to Twilight and nodded at her. "Right. I've got a lot to do today, and not a lot of time to do it in. First stop, my place, then, the square. Oh, Twilight. I would appreciate you accompanying me today." Twilight cocked her head to one side. "I...guess I could. But what will you be doing?" Abel's grin was dangerously wide. "The better question is, what won't I be doing?" ----- "I told you this was a bad idea." "Which is why I wanted you with me today!" Abel had neglected to put on his disguise. On purpose. Twilight couldn't fathom why. Abel walked into his house, motioning with a hoof for Twilight to stay where she was. The townsfolk, who had run at the first sight of the changeling, were now coming out of the alleys and the doors, curious as to why Twilight was spending any amount of time around the creature. After a few minutes, a crowd had gathered on the front lawn. And that was when Abel walked out the front door and took notice of the herd of ponies. "Um. I come in peace?" Silence. Then, from in back, a retort. "Yeah, right. You're a changeling!" Abel nodded. "True enough. I'm also different." "Different how?" "My colors mean I don't eat love." "Then what do you eat?" Abel shrugged. "Magic." Silence again. "Isn't there magic in...everything?" Abel nodded. "And yet, you're all still standing. Ponder that for a moment, I have a square to get to." And as the changeling king made his way to the Ponyville Square, the entourage only grew and kept peppering him with questions. Finally finding the spot he was looking for, Abel turned around and addressed the mob that had gathered. "LISTEN, AND LISTEN WELL!" There was silence again, and Abel continued. "Yes, I am a changeling. Yes, I have a disguise. Yes, said disguise is Balanced Books. No, there never was a 'real' Balanced Books, it was a disguise I came up with three years ago to blend in. Yes, I'm as large as Chrysalis, and for a very good reason. She's a tyrant to her own kind. I'm a changeling king to all those she's exiled. I have operatives throughout Equestria, and I have sworn loyalty to Celestia, Luna, and Equestria itself. I had an...episode, recently, where I was infected with dark magic, and fell from the good path. I have a busy day today, I have to make up for what I've done." Spotting Mayor Mare in the crowd, Abel pointed at her and motioned for her to come forward. "My dear, if it pleases you and the town, could you schedule a Question and Answer Town Meeting for, oh...two days from now?" The mayor nodded, gulping once, before asking a question of her own. "Why did you choose to walk around like this?" "Because I'm tired of hiding." Turning to the patch of air Abel had situated himself in front of, Abel talked to Twilight out of the corner of his mouth. "Every door has a key. If you know where to look, like at the other end of a gateway, then when you insert the key and turn it..." With a flash of red, the air began to ripple, and Abel walked through it, vanishing instantly. Twilight, noticing that this seemed all too familiar, chased after him. Once she had vanished as well, there was a bright flash, and the rippling stopped. ----- Abel didn't know what to expect when he managed to walk through the Gate. What he thought might happen would be that he would be arrested, or faced down by an angry Shining Armor. Neither of those things happened. Instead, the streets were empty. Looking around, Abel could sense near nothing. After a moment, Twilight appeared at his side, shaking her head. "You are something else when it comes to strange magics." Abel nodded absently. "Well, in lieu of a clue as to where the crystal ponies are, I'm going up to see Cadence. I can sorta feel her power up in the throne room." As Abel walked off, Twilight followed. "I'm not sure that's a good idea, Abel. I mean, this is sort of where you started your little...episode. You should probably have waited longer to come back." Abel shook his head. "The Gateway is here. I can re-tune it to go to other places once we're done, but I needed to be here to do it. Besides, I think this is the most important of my stops." Just then, the two had entered the throne room. Cadence was sitting on it, while Shining was nowhere to be found. Upon sighting the changeling, her eyes narrowed. "Abel. Or is it Cain? You seemed to have a conflict when we last talked." In response, Abel reached into Twilight's saddlebags and pulled out the crystal again, Holding it in one hoof, he bowed low and presented it to Cadence. "I advise you to not use magic on this, Princess. Doing so will result in nothing more than the bonds on the prison being strengthened." Cadence slowly came forward and prodded the crystal with a hoof. "Is that...?" "The essence of Cain, bound with seals formed of Harmony. I figured him being next to something and somepony he hates would be the best form of prison one could ask for. Will you take this burden up? Will you be Cain's jailor?" Cadence was silent for a long while. Finally, she nodded. "I accept. And...I forgive you." Abel looked up at Cadence and opened his mouth to speak, but Cadence cut him off. "The fact that you came here yourself to do this and didn't send any of your underlings to do it speaks volumes. And you weren't exactly yourself when this happened. Therefor your crimes...are pardoned." Abel could only nod at her. "I will do my best to prove myself worthy of your forgiveness, your majesty." Cadence smiled. "Well, you can start by keeping your minions out." Abel shook his head. "Not the brightest of ideas. Part of my deal with Celestia is that I inform her of any of Chryssy's operatives in her lands. If we've no presence here, then how can we detect any of hers should she ever come here?" Cadence smiled again, this time with a mischevious glint in her eyes. "Oh, but aren't you and yours the only ones with a warming spell?" And this time Abel smiled. "'If a thing is done once, then it is only a matter of time before it is done again.' It's only a matter of time before Chryssy becomes aware that the Empire's returned. The fact that love and light keep it safe, along with the fact that you two are in charge? I'm not sure if she'll try to resist, or come on all the harder." Cadence frowned. "You...have a point. We'll talk about this in depth later." Abel looked askance for a moment. "Am I to assume that your husband has taken over guarding the crystal ponies?" Cadence pulled out a map. "You would be correct. He is watching over them...here." Abel took note of the position and was off. "I'm off to see a pony about some ponies." ----- The moment he entered the warehouse, Abel was assaulted by Shining Armor. Draining the magic from the attack, Abel looked over to see him and idly flicked a shield up. "Shiny. Wonderful to see you. Don't mind my new chitin, I figured white was back in season and got rid of that garish grey. I don't know what I was thinking, it's far too dark for my tastes." The sarcasm seemed to get through to Shining Armor, who was flummoxed for a moment as to why Abel was still standing. Abel's eyes flickered over to the rows upon rows of cots containing nearly comatose crystal ponies. Behind him, Abel heard the facehoof and Shining muttering 'Right, albino, feeds off magic...' Abel turned his gaze back to Shining. "Y'done trying to kill me? Cause if not, I gave your wife the crystal containing Cain. You could go shout at it for a while. I'm sure he'd be appreciative." Shining looked at Abel with an eye of scrutiny. "No more dark magic infecting your brain?" Abel walked over to a cot with a crystal pony on it. "Nope. What's the matter here?" "Suffering from magic drain. Cain took enough to put them in a coma, but not enough to kill. If they had just one spark more, they could reco-" And then Abel exploded. Well, exploded is a rough term. But he did blast out a wave of raw, pure magic from his very being as a 'pulse' that swept through every pony, the warehouse, and a good few blocks besides. He instantly felt weakened and fell to his knees. Meanwhile, the crystal ponies had absorbed some of the magic and began to stir. Abel nodded and began to leave, but before he could, Shining Armor stopped him with a hoof. "What did you just do?" "Reversed my feeding ability. I'm surprised it worked so well." "I could probably strike you down now." "Yeah, probably. But you won't." Shining looked at Abel critically. "Why? Why would you help fix this?" Abel had an answer prepared. "Because even though it wasn't 'me' that did this. If one has the means and materials to make a wrong right again, then one is doing wrong by not making right." ----- Abel walked slowly back towards the Gate, where Twilight and a small crowd of crystal ponies were waiting. The moment the crystal ponies clapped eyes on him, they all screamed and ran away. Abel sighed and walked up to the crystal that made up the gate and touched his horn to it. "Let's see. Canterlot....Canterlot...got it. Castle...bingo. Hmm...eh. I'll re-tune it again later, right now, I need to get to Luna. Can you wait here, Twi?" Twilight nodded and then asked, "Why do you need to see Luna?" Abel turned his eye to Twilight. "Because the Hive Mind knows, Twi. They all know what I did. They were unwilling backseat viewers to my actions. They just wanted confirmation that they now got, that I am myself again, before they would tell me a damn thing. The spell I used on Luna is unforgivable, and I can save her from that madness." And before Twilight could stop him, Abel stepped through the Gate. ----- Luna. Luna, look at me. No...I can't...I can't look at anything anymore...all I see is darkness...all I see is madness... PRINCESS LUNA SELENE YOU WILL LOOK AT ME THIS INSTANT! Suddenly, in Luna's dreams, instead of the darkness, there was a beacon of light. It slowly resolved to take on the form of- "YOU! Have you no shame? Even in my dreams I cannot flee from you!" Luna, LOOK. White. Not grey. I'm not Cain, I'm Abel. Cain is gone. Sealed up in a crystal, and given to Cadence to watch over. Luna examined the changeling before her, realizing he was right. "So why did you come?" Because I can help. Luna scoffed and looked away. "None can help. What thine darker half did to me...I shall never forget it." I CAN help, Luna. Luna turned back and eyed Abel. "How." Take my hoof. Luna slowly walked forward and stopped right in front of Abel. "That is all? No tricks?" Abel held his hoof out. None. Luna touched it with hers, and held it there. A few moments stretched on, and nothing seemed to change. "What is this mea-" Out of the corner of her eye, Luna saw a change in the darkness. A shift. A thinning. As she turned to look at it, Luna realized that almost all the darkness behind her was gone. Instead, it had faded to show a scene. Ponyville, during Nightmare Night. That night when she had been accepted for who she was. Luna took it all in, and realized that the darkness wasn't just disappearing. It was going somewhere. She turned to look at Abel again, who had a sad smile on his face. "Are you taking..." Yes. All of its touch on you. The very memory of looking into it. I'm taking it from you, because you don't deserve that fate. "But...taking it on yourself...Even you, I cannot condone-" It is DONE, Luna. And really, it doesn't matter that much that I've done this. What's a little more madness to one that's traveled between, eh? "But you were-!" I lied, Luna. Oh yes, it protected me from being their pawns. But even without eyes, one can stare into the Void Eternal, and have it stare back into you. It's why I needed to recuperate while I was just being reborn in this world. Enjoy this dream, Luna. By the time you awaken, I will be long gone. ----- The Doctor had a most unusual guest at a most unusual hour. Derpy had long gone home, and visiting hours had ended a while back. This, of course, did not stop Abel. He sat there, staring at the brown earth stallion he'd almost ended. Said stallion was sleeping off the extreme blood loss. And the few broken ribs. Fortunately, none of that was fatal. Apparently, at some point, Cain had just ripped off The Doctor's saddlebags, and when he looked around, noticed the screwdriver poking out of them. It was highly likely he didn't think it would be that easy. Said screwdriver was now resting on the nightstand near The Doctor. Abel cleared his throat a few times. "I don't know if you can hear me. I'd like to think that at least some of this will get through to you. Then again, I also know that if you were awake, I wouldn't be able to look you in the eye. I also know you'd probably have some choice words for me. And quite frankly, I'd deserve them. Right, getting sidetracked. The world was never really in any danger. Cain overthought everything, and underestimated the Elements. I'm not sure he even had a plan for after the Elements. And now he's sealed in a crystal and in the care of Cadence, so that's a job well done then. Luna suffered at his hooves as well. But then again, I know how to deal with the sort of madness he inflicted on her. And I also went around unmasked in town today. I don't think I'll make a habit of it. Fear was never an emotion I liked to feel. There...there are no words that express how sorry I am for all this. Yes, I was under the influence of dark magics. But...I can't help but think that I should have done something, not let the situation turn out the way it did. I'm returning your screwdriver. I could have had a load of fun with it, but frankly, I don't think I'm responsible enough. Get...get better soon, Doctor." ----- As Abel walked up to his house, an unpleasant 'surprise' waited for him. Namely, Princess Celestia and a full platoon of guards. Abel, ignoring everypony there, walked up to the door and unlocked it. The guards tried to stop him, but he pushed them and their weapons away from his path with magic. Celestia was clearly baffled that somepony could just brush her off, and cleared her throat. Abel looked out at them all from inside his house, and locked gazes with Celestia. "Abel, you're under arrest." Abel snorted once. "Took you long enough."