Abel was in his basement, more specifically, his workroom, when he was informed that someone was at the door.
Grumbling to himself and putting on his disguise, Books answered it with a scowl on his face.
"What?!"
Spike cringed back a bit, the measuring cup in his tail's grasp noticeably shaking.
"Eh...I can come back if you're busy?"
Books sighed. "No, no. Come in, Spike."
The two made their way to the living room while Books put the kettle on for some soothing tea.
He really needed it, all things considered.
Walking back into the living room yielded a curious dragon looking around for...something.
"So, what was that all about?"
Books sighed, dropped the disguise, and rubbed his forehead with a hoof.
"Appleloosa. They're being...belligerent. Somehow they've got a contraption or a device that sees through our disguises, and they're blocking us from putting up a permanent safehouse. I sent Swiftwind to help, seeing as how she's better at shock and awe, considering she can actually manipulate electricity."
Spike whistled. "That's impressive...wait, can you not, then?"
Abel waved a hoof around in a so-so gesture. "Yeah, but it doesn't bother me. I'm better in some things than she is, but she seems to...understand the elements better than I ever will. We compliment each other."
Spike grinned, and Abel felt his amusement. "Sounds like somepony has a crush."
Abel growled at that. "I do not-"
Just then the kettle whistled, and Abel went to answer it, pouring himself a cup of soothing mint tea and bringing it back to the living room, where a grinning Spike was leaning back.
"So you were talking about your crush?"
Abel growled again. "No, I do not have a crush on her. I appreciate her talents, yes. And looks have never been important to me, especially considering the whole changeling thing. What I do look for is intelligence. And I have to test her, constantly, to see how she reacts to any given situation. It's not looking promising so far, but she's getting better."
Abel shuddered a bit as he recalled Swiftwind opening the prototype bag of holding 'just to see what would happen.' It'd taken him hours to clean up after...
Abel then looked at the measuring cup in Spike's grasp and noticed it was full of jewels. "So...why are you here, Spike? I assume you're gathering the gems for something."
Spike jolted a bit before nodding. "Yeah, all the girls are going up to the Crystal Empire for the Equestria Games. They can't take their pets, so I'm looking after them while they're away. The gems are just a bonus."
Abel eyed him critically. "Did it occur to you how my previous visits to the Empire have ended? Or that I might not be going?"
Spike tilted his head to one side. "What'd you do?"
Abel held up a hoof. "Let's review. First trip, everypony in Equestria knows how that turned out. My latest trip involved saving Swiftwind. My technical second trip involved me cursing out Cadence. And the trip after that involved me dyeing Cadence and Shining Armor's coats some very interesting colors. Plus, let's not mention that Perfect Facet somehow got a hold of some polka-dotted paint, Pinkie's flying device, thirty feet of bungee cord, and a basket of rotten eggs, and put them all to good use."
Spike was sniggering a bit. "That was you?"
Abel shook his head. "Nah. Technically it was under my orders. Anyways, you're actually offering your services at a good time."
Spike grinned and moved the measuring cup closer. "Oh?"
"Yeah, see, I'm going on a trip, but not to the Empire. I have no idea how long I'll be gone. But someone needs to keep an eye on Ferrix. Currently he's out fetching Discord for me. You agree to look after the bugger, I'll pay you one diamond now, and more gems for every time he gets away and causes trouble you have to clean up after, plus an additional gem for every additional week."
Abel could swear he heard the 'Cha-CHING' as Spike's eyes lit up at the promise of more jewels. "Wait, but do you have enough? I'm pretty sure that he can rival Dash for pranks."
Abel grinned. "I'm head of a Hive, Spike. A Hive that recently managed to connect all our other safehouses in a wonderful pattern. Once we get one set up in Appleloosa, we'll work on it too. We have gems, and besides enchanting a few here and there, I think bribing dragons is a good use as well."
Discord's signature knock interrupted any rebuttal the young dragon would give, and Abel answered the door. "Discord, c'mon in, you're the last contestant we needed."
Discord smiled as he and Ferrix walked in, fanfare playing from nowhere. "Oooh, and what prize do I earn today?"
"We'll get into that in a bit. Ferrix, can you go fetch a diamond from the vault for me?"
Ferrix yapped and vanished, while the young dragon and draconequus eyed each other. Smiling, Discord slowly raised his paw and put two fingers together, enjoying Spike's panicked expression all the while.
"Dissy, no. We kinda need him to remain whole and untraumatized today. Plus I think he's also got a busy week ahead of him."
Discord pouted and lowered his paw. "Oh, you're no fun at all."
Abel rolled his eyes. "Oh please. I'm the one that gave you the idea to turn Rarity's bed into a mixture of chocolate and graham crackers."
Discord smiled at the memory and wiped a tear from his eye. "Ah, yes. Do you think she got it?"
"Only when the chocolate started melting, and the 'bed' collapsed."
And at that, the two laughed loudly, while Spike looked on in a mixture of confusion and rage. "That...was you two?"
Abel caught his breath and held a hoof up to the dragon. "Yeah, but at least we planned it for a day when she had no major clients coming in. Plus the bed got put back afterwards. And it gave her an excuse to go to the spa again!"
Discord barked out a short laugh. "Oh please. She doesn't need an excuse!"
Abel nodded, and Ferrix returned with a diamond held in his jaws. It was quickly placed in Spike's cup, and Ferrix was placed next to Spike. "There you go my young drake, one diamond, and one kitsune to watch over while I'm on my trip. Take care!"
And with that, Discord snapped his fingers, sending the two directly to the library in a flash. Abel glanced over at the Spirit of Chaos and rolled his eyes. "Impatient much, Q?"
Discord chuckled. "Well, you called me here for a reason, and I think it's time you tell me what it is."
Abel nodded, walking over to his basement door. "Put simply, methinks it's time all my old bargains started paying out."
Discord notably halted for a moment at that. "You mean...? Today? Right now? You're doing it?"
Abel nodded and turned the corner into his cave, angling himself towards his workroom. "Yup. Got my supplies packed up and everything."
Walking in revealed only a desk, a set of saddlebags, and a crystal archway that resembled a Gateway, but was not.
For one, it was filled in with a door that had a seam running down the middle, also made of crystal.
Two, it had two small crystals attached, one to a side.
And finally, where normal gateways didn't have much of a glow to them, this one glowed red.
"Took up a lot of magic to make this thing. Attuning it is gonna be a biiiitch..."
Abel sighed and put his horn to the device, calling up from memory the co-ordinates the Fae had given him.
He wasn't stupid, he'd scryed them beforehand as well. They were correct, down to a T.
However, looking across half of infinity, and making a bridge across it, two very different things. Very strenuous. Very intensive.
Calling on what the Doctor had told him let him mitigate the strain a bit, but only a bit.
It still felt something like swimming through Jell-o. That was also on fire.
It was only to be expected, really. Especially since not only was he trying to make a pathway across infinity, but to one specific point in space-time in the universe he was going to.
He had to hold where he wanted to go, where he was, and the pathway there in his mind.
It took quite a bit of Abel's remaining stores, but he'd finally done it.
The connection was there, made, tenuous, feeling like it could snap at any moment. Time to call up the protection.
"Fae, I call upon our bargain. Protect this pathway that I make. Stabilize it. Shield me and it from what lurks Without."
There, he could sense it. Forces beyond his ken, gathering around the pathway, which felt like a thin line cast out into an ever-shifting ocean.
"I ask of thee, is it done?"
A slight reverberation across the entire thread, as though it had been a violin string being plucked.
"I ask again, is it done?"
Another vibration, it was a miracle the thread hadn't snapped.
"One final time, is it done?"
And the entire path felt as though it had previously been an uninsulated wire and was now being given a very thick rubber coating by a myriad of workers.
Abel nodded and turned to Discord. "If you could put some sort of Notice-Me-Not charm on it for everyone but me on both ends, along with a way for me to toggle it, I'll consider our bargain concluded."
Discord nodded and snapped his fingers. Nothing seemed changed, but that was, hopefully, a good thing.
"The safe word is bananas if you want to take it down. Now, does this go where I think it does, m'boy?"
Abel grinned. "Where do you think it goes, Dissy?"
Discord's grin widened. "Oh happy day! What'll you bring me?"
Abel cocked his head to the side. "Whaddya want?"
Discord lifted a claw to his chin. "How about a cheeseburger?"
Abel nodded. "I can probably do that."
Abel turned his gaze to the crystals on the gateway. "Now to make sure I can open it on the other end, a key phrase. Dissy, turn off your ears for a moment, if you'd be so kind."
Discord promptly reached up and pulled his ears off his head. "Go ahead!"
Closing his eyes and charging his horn, Abel imbued both crystals with a spell designed to seek out and open the pathway of the gate they were currently attached to, then gave it a verbal cue that would activate them.
Of course, he'd have to speak said phrase first. Or rather, sing it.
"I once was lost, but now I'm found, I once was blind, but now I see.
I'll live this life until this life won't let me live here anymore,
Then I will walk, yes, I will walk with patience, through that open door,
I have no fears, angels follow me wherever I may go,
I'll live this life until this life won't let me live here anymore."
The crystals glowed as the information was recorded before dimming slightly. Abel motioned towards his ears as a signal that Discord could put his back on. The spirit merely snapped, and he was capable of hearing once more. "So. Secrecy maintained, nobody will find your project on either side, you have your way back, along with a backup, and it's all secure as well."
Abel nodded and opened his saddlebags, revealing a plethora of charged crystals within. In fact, the bag almost seemed bigger on the inside...
Discord looked in before the two new additions were plucked off the gate and tucked away within. "You've been hanging around that Doctor pony, haven't you?"
Abel smiled. "Well I won't admit the idea was entirely original, but I needed SOME way to bring food along. Besides, he's an Earth Pony, how could he have done this?"
Discord nodded a bit. "Fair enough. Any last-minute requests before you test this crazy device?"
Abel tilted his head as he went over his mental checklist. "Only that if I'm gone for a while that you tell nobody. Not even Celestia, Luna, Cadence, or Twilight. The first three because they at least have some form of royal power, and the last because you KNOW she'd try to follow, meaning the other Bearers would too. Which isn't something that's good for the country."
Discord nodded in understanding. Abel turned back to the gateway and took a few steps.
The gateway reacted by sliding open slowly, revealing a wonderful twisting tunnel that was illuminated sporadically by bursts of color.
Abel took a few deep breaths to psych himself up. "I'm comin' home...I'm comin' home..."
Stepping forward, Abel vanished from Equestria altogether.
-----
Outside a suburban home in the midwest of the USA, a rectangle of red light appeared in the backyard.
It stayed for a moment before an insect-like pony form was deposited on the ground roughly, closely followed by a set of saddlebags.
Then it vanished, leaving the form behind to grumble to itself.
"Ow. Note to self. Trans-dimensional travel sucks."
The form slowly picked itself up, blinking at the sight before it.
"My...home. It's been so long. And yet for it, no time at all."
The form turned around and used a perforated hoof to draw a line in the lawn behind it, ripping up some grass and leaving behind a line of dirt.
"Now that I have a landmark..."
The form turned back to the house and smiled to itself.
"Welcome home, John Steele. Welcome home."