The Betrayed

by Thadius0

Chapter the Twenty-Fifth - Dealings

Author's Note:

So hey, I bet you all were wondering where yesterday's chapter was.
Well I TOLD you this could happen. And it did.
I caught up on my sleep yesterday, at the expense of your entertainment.
Usually it's the other way 'round.
That being said, ON WITH THE SHOW!

Books ran to Ponyville's square. -Perfect Facet, retune the gate! Get me there, NOW!-
-Doing so without Cadence here would be an off--
-There are no words to accurately express how much I do not care, I need to be there!-
A pause. Then, -Done, sire.-
Books activated the corresponding key spell, the air in front of him shimmered, and he took a giant step forward.
Which was then interrupted by a head-on collision with a wall of pink, to the tune of "WAAAAAAAAAAIT!"
Pinkie and Books stumbled through the portal and vanished.
-----
Books and Pinkie staggered through the Empire gate, shaking their heads to clear them of dizziness. After a few moments, Books glared at Pinkie. "And why did you feel like ambushing me on my way to the Empire was so important?"
"Well, why do you need to be here, silly?"
"Some of mine found something up here, I came by to confirm it."
"Well, you owe me for breaking a promise!"
"Will you accept time in the Crystal Empire as payment?"
Pinkie pondered for a few moments. "Hmm...it'll do for now. You'll still owe me, but not as badly. I think one good prank on you by me and Dashie will be good enough afterwards."
Books pointed himself north and nodded at Pinkie. "I have to go check on mine now, have fun Pinkie."
-----
Books pressed on, north of the Empire, far beyond the shield. The cold would have gotten to him, but he'd stocked up on his quick run through the Empire.
He'd explain later, if Cadence brought it up, as to why there was a disturbance in the city revolving around a sudden absence of magic in some homes.
He had remembered not to touch the Heart, though. Or the ponies.
-How did we find them?-
-We were following a particularly rich vein of crystals, and then we broke into a tunnel. We thought it was a natural formation, until we found...well, them.-
-Keep back, y'hear? No telling what traps or wards they put into place.-
-Understood!-
It was another half hour before Books had reached the mineshaft in question. The workers were milling about, but Books paid them no mind and went up to his disguised agent. "How long ago were the tunnels exposed?"
"Two hours, sir. In that time there has been zero activity that we can detect."
Books nodded and looked at the opening in the earth. "There is no possibility that they're alive. But I will tread first, in case their wards or traps are. Even with my damaged ability, I should still be able to sense traps of a magical nature."
The changeling in disguise nodded, and Books entered the mine.
-----
Well. Guess that answers my question as to why they would stay...
Crystals. Crystals everywhere.
The entire Hive that had been uncovered was 80% made of crystals of various shades and sizes. Pink, blue, large, small. They only thing they had in common was they were all crystal, and they were all of very high quality.
Abel reached out with his senses, and found ancient traces of magic lingering in the crystals.
Faint...but it was there, once. This place had...no, was power. Their Hive...it must have been something in its glory days...
When Abel had found the first white changeling in the tunnels, he was overjoyed for a moment.
Followed quickly by shock and sadness, before a calm acceptance covered his features.
It had been entirely encased in ice. And when he probed it with his magic, there was no response. Nothing.
It had entered hibernation ages ago, and never woke up. Not even to stop the ice from growing on it.
Its mind was gone.
Abel kept tracing the feel of magic through the Hive, noticing a few patterns here and there, before he stopped.
In the beginning, they were called on, drained, in small circular patterns. As though the inhabitants were still feeding off them...Maybe, with the Crystal Empire disappearing, whatever they usually fed on to charge the crystals went as well? And then they couldn't fight the cold as well...
But now I'm noticing a different pattern...it's as though someling stood in one spot and...called all the magic to him...but where...and why?
Abel would get his answer soon enough.
In front of an otherwise nondescript pair of doors, another changeling king lay, covered in ice, like his subjects.
Abel walked up and put a hoof to the ice sculpture.
Rest well, mine ancient relation.
Thinking to confirm what he'd been sensing, Abel reached out and was only slightly shocked as the pattern did not end here.
This king...drew the magic to himself...but not here? Then, behind him?...
Abel opened the door and saw a small white changeling curled up atop some sort of bed, the sheen of ice covering it as well.
Abel reached out once more and gasped.
Now I understand! When all seemed lost...when it was you and her, and all the power in your Hive to save either one of you...you chose her! A stronger stasis spell I've never seen! Her mind, it's still there!
She could be saved!
-----
Books and the changeling workers in disguise rushed back into town to meet a slightly irate Cadence and Shining Armor.
Upon seeing his cargo, however, the two rulers gasped.
"Books, is that a-"
Books shook his head. "No time! Now that we've brought her here, we need to work, and work fast! Do you think you could repair her body?"
Cadence and Shining Armor shook their heads as well. "The extent of the damage she must have suffered..."
Books stamped a hoof. "Plan B! Retune the gate! Get us to Canterlot Castle, medical wing! She needs to be treated for, well, everything imaginable before she thaws out completely, otherwise who knows what complications could arise!"
"Books-"
"SHE IS THE LAST DAMN SURVIVOR OF HER HIVE, AND I WILL NOT BE STOPPED, CADENCE!"
It wasn't quite Royal Canterlot levels of volume, but the fury behind Books' shout, and the temporary flickering of his eyes to his normal ones clearly got Cadence's attention. Mainly, by stunning her into doing what he'd asked.
Without another word, the pink alicorn turned to the Gateway and retuned it, and Books' workers, towing the white changeling, hopped into the portal. Books stopped for a moment and turned to Cadence.
"Thank you."
And with that, Books vanished as well.
-----
Beep.....beep.....
Books had managed to get treatment for the white changeling he'd brought in.
Beep.....beep.....
It wasn't easy. First he'd had to explain that she was physically older than could be believed, and was not aligned with Chrysalis. Then he had to explain she'd been part of a Hive found up north, in the cold. That every other changeling had entered hibernation and never woken up.
Beep.....beep.....
That the king had chosen to cast a stasis spell on her with all the power he could muster. That if her body were healed, once she was thawed, there was a good chance she'd actually live again.
Beep.....beep.....
Doing so was an exercise in some of the more advanced magical healing techniques Books had ever seen. Since her body was just shut down. not dead or decaying, it was a simple matter of reactivating the right systems in the right sequence. Lungs and heart had obviously been first, one right after the other.
Beep.....beep.....
Afterwards, they melted the ice off her to let her breathe, and they checked every system. Physically, she was fine. Now, all she had to do was choose to wake up.
Beep.....beep.....
Books only left her bedside to go gather magic. Either for his own sustenance, or hers.
Beep.....beep.....
While it was tremendously boring, she would need to wake up to a friendly face.
Books didn't even want to imagine what she would do if she didn't.
Beep.....beep.....
Of course, that had been two days ago. The fact that he hadn't seen either one of th-
"Hello, Books."
Scratch that, Celestia decided to poke her head in.
"Hello, Celestia. I'd bow, but I'm a bit preoccupied."
Celestia looked from the changeling in the bed to the one besides the bed, and back again. "Who is she? I thought you were the last Albino left."
Books sighed. "She's from...before. There was always a rumor floating around in the Archive that one of the old Hives stayed in the north, even in the face of the cold. They claimed they would find a spell to stay warm and defeat that e'er present enemy of ours. They failed. And in the last moments that their king had conscious, he had to make a choice. Between himself, and this one, and he had all the power of his Hive to work with.
He chose her. And I will not let it go to waste."
Celestia nodded and put a hoof to her chin. "But why do you care so much? You have hardly left the castle these past few days. In fact, my niece tells me you just about ran, taking all the magic you could grab on the way, to the place where you found her."
Books still didn't turn to look at her. "That Hive was from before Chryssy. Think of all the potential for discovery there. Why would I not rush? I wasn't even planning on finding a survivor. In my minds eye, they were all dead and dust long ago. But if I can save her, then I will move Heaven and Earth to do it."
Celestia merely asked that one leading question. "Why?"
Books turned to look at her slowly, locking eyes with the solar mare. "Because I can see her future. Without me, it will be worse than my past. She has nothing, now, save her life. And she may not even have that, if she chooses not to wake up. I can help. So why don't I? It's the sort of thing a changeling king does, after all. Helps his subjects...and his relatives."
Books turned back to the changeling in the bed and put a hoof on her foreleg. And just then, the beeping picked up.
Beep...beep...beep...
Books and Celestia looked to the heart monitor, then back to the changeling. "Is she?"
Beep...beep...beep...
Books nodded. "I think she is. You might want to leave..."
Beep...beep...beep...
"Why?"
"Because she's not going to see you as a pony. She's going to see you as a huge, delicious snack, and we know what'd happen to the world if she succeeded!"
Beep...beep...beep...
"Just let me talk to her, get her acquainted with a new set of morals. Make sure she doesn't do too much in her first minutes awake. You should just get out before she sees you!"
Celestia rapidly exited, and just in time, as well.
Just as the door softly closed with a clicking noise, the changeling on the bed woke up and clapped eyes on Books. Books peeled away his disguise, and the changeling on the bed blinked.
"Yǫu̧.̀.͠.̵a͘re n̕ot͝ ͘f́at͏her.̷ ͠ Who͏ are͜ y̵ou?̨"
An ancient dialect that he wasn't really familiar with, but Abel made the effort to respond in kind.
"M҉y ͢na҉m̶e҉ i̵s̀ A̶̶̢b̶̕e͜l̨̀. ҉ Much͢ ͠t͏i҉m̕e͞ ́has̛ pa̵ss̨eḑ ҉sin̢ce ̨y͘o̵ùr ̧Hi͡ve̛ wás i͞n t́h͟i̧s ̶wo̶r͟ĺd͡.̨"
"I̸ s͡ee.͞ W̴hat ́has c̨h҉an̶ge̵d?͞ ͘Gi̷vę ̢me͢ a brie͞f̴ ovér͜v͠iew.͞"
"F͡or o̧ne, ͝th͝e ̛po̧n̡ies ru̶le͜.́ ̛For ͏a̷noth͘e͏r͢, w̶e ͞arè t̀he ́l̡a̷s̸t̀ whit̢e one̕s.͠ And ̀f̧in̡al͠l̛y, i͜t̵ ̸is̶ con͝s̨i̡dér͟ed̶ u͢nf̶òrgi̡vab̵lȩ to҉ t̡akę ̡ma̵g̡íc̕ ͜fr͜o͠m ̀a̶noth͠er̛ s̵ap̛įent be̛in͟g.͞"
At the first two statements, the little changeling's eyes widened. "Tr͟ųly? ̛O҉ur n͢úmbe͘rs͞ ̸are s͢o f҉ew̨?̶ ̷A̸l̶l͝ t̸ha̕t i̢s͡ le͏ft̀ o̕f̷ ̡o͜uŕ ̷l͝eg̶acy͢ ͢a͘re ̨th͟e b̢l̶ac̸k̨ ͏one͢s͏?͘"
"Y̵es,͏ ̷an͞d̛ ̵t͜h̀èy͡ ar̷e r҉ul̢ed͜ bý a t͜y̕ra̕nt ͏quee͜n,͠ w̵h͏o g̕o̷e̡s by̨ ͝the͜ ̷nam̵e Ć̴̡͘h͝҉̶͠͞r̛̕͠͝͡y̷̶̶̧͟ś̷̡̛͠a̶̛ĺ̸i̡̨̕͡s̵͟͠͡."
The white changeling looked askance, possibly contemplating the situation she found herself in. "Wíĺl̶.̡.̧.y͢o͞u ̛g̶u͜ard͟ ̸m̕e?͝ I ͘ha͏ve.͞..̴much͡ tơ.̢..̡get ̴u̕se̛d̕ t͟o̸...it͡ ́wòuld ͏s̡e̷e̛m͢...͡"
"Cąn yo͜u ̸te̛l̡l͞ ̀me ͘y̡our ̧nam̡e͠?͞"
"I͏ w͢as..̧.̸n͡o, ͡a͜m ̶kn̕ow̸n ̢as̀ S͏͢w̶̶͡͞i҉̴͞f̸́͟t́ẃ̷̛͢i͘͘͠n̵͡͝ḑ͜͝."
"S͏͢w̶̶͡͞i҉̴͞f̸́͟t́ẃ̷̛͢i͘͘͠n̵͡͝ḑ͜͝, I s̸hall ͟d̨ơ all ̴i̕n m̵y ͘po̕wer҉ ̧t̴o ̸ķe̢ep ̨yo͟u fr̀o͠m h̀ar͜m̴ an͢d̸ ̶to ̧ḩe͏l̶ṕ a̛cc͘lim҉a̴t̢e҉ ̴yo͟ư to̡ th͡is͢ ͘wo҉r͝l̛d͏ and̀ ti͡m͝e.̷"
Swiftwind nodded. "My l͘i̛fe is͝ ̶i͞ń ̀yo͠ur hoo͘ves.̸"
"A̸n̨ḑ I ͞wil͘l̸ t͢áke good ̡ca̷re ͘o̸f̴ i̵t.͢" Turning back to the door, Abel stopped talking in insect-like clicking noises and spoke normally. "Celestia, please enter."
The solar mare entered the room again, and Swiftwind let out a noise of shock. "T̀h͡e p̀owe͝r t͞hi͡s ̷one ̛co͞m̧mąn͝ds̷!́ ̕ ̀W̡h͡y͘ d҉o̴ you͟ ͝not-"
Abel turned back to her. "N͠O! ͘ ́N͢EVER!̸ Sh́e͏ ̵com͠ma̷n̶d̡s th͠e ̀ve̸ry ͏S͘UN ITS͜ELF̷!̛ T͏o fee̡d̕ ̕f͞r̸o҉m҉ ͟any pony̡ ̡i̶s ̷unf̷o͞r͏gi̴vab̶le, ͝but from her͡ ́o͢r̵ ̕hȩr si͝ste͡r,̢ ̕c̴o̧uld̷ ̴be̷ ͡ca̴ta̷s̨trơp̛h͜ìc!"
Celestia tilted her head to the side. "I...think I caught a few words. Mind translating for me, Abel?"
Abel merely waved a hoof at her. "Sw̷e̸ar to m͞e̴, ͡m͢a͢ke th͠e Vow, th̴a҉t̸ y͘ou͏ w̴il͜l NE̛V̶ER ͠FE҉ȨD͢ ON A̕ ṔONY!"
Swiftwind gulped, but channeled magic into her horn. "I ͜swea͡r͘ ̶on͞ my ̡life ąn͘d̨ mag̡ic th͘a͡t͏ so ͠long ̸as t҉he on͜e ́k̛nòw̶n ͜a̷s A̴͜b̕͠e͞҉҉̧͝l͟͝͡ p͠r̀ote͟ct͞s͡ an͠d ̵g̵uide̶s̀ m͟e̛ that͝ I͡ ͘will ne̕ver f̢eȩd o҉n͟ a pony."
Motes of pink exploded from the albino on the bed and hovered around Abel, who charged his own horn. "I ́swe͘a҉r ̷ǫǹ ͝m̨y ͟li͝f̴e ͘and m͠agi̛c t̕h̨at s҉o͜ ͟lon͞g͏ ͏as͞ ̛the ̢ǫne͟ ͘k̕no͝wn҉ ҉as̷ S͘͜w͡͡͏͝i̡͜͞f̵̷̀͘͝t̢̧͡͞w̢͟҉̧i̶̛̕͝n̶̛͝͝d d͜o͏es ͞not͟ ͟fee̴d̶ ͡oǹ a͢ p͠ony, ͏tha͡t ̢I͜ ͢sha͠ļl ͡ṕr̛o͢tec͢t a̡nd̨ ̧g͏u͞íd̕e h̀ęr."
The motes faded, and Abel nodded, then turned back to Celestia. "Just had to make sure she wouldn't try feeding on any ponies. Swiftwind here needs protection and guidance, and I will provide. She's coming back to Ponyville with me."
Celestia nodded. "When she can speak modern Equestrian and knows and respects our laws, then perhaps we can have another conversation."
-----
Balanced Books was walking to Sugarcube Corner with Swiftwind in tow. Under his guidance, she'd adopted the disguise of a silver pegasus mare with a two-toned yellow mane. Her cutie mark in this form was of an unrolled scroll, with several lines of text on it.
Unlike other disguises in use in Ponyville, her eyes were not green, but rather, pink. She rather liked them, and it had taken quite a bit for Books to get her to change away the slitted version for a normal one.
"Why we go here again?"
Books sighed. It was going to be hard to teach proper grammar to her. At least she understood, even if she couldn't speak quickly or make her point known.
"One of my friends is here, and it's best we get this over with now. Remember, when I or anyone else call for Silver Tongue, we're calling for you. We're going to play you off as shy for a little bit until you get used to speaking, so if you absolutely must, talk into my ear or at a very low volume."
Silver Tongue shook her head. "Know cover. Want know why meet friend."
Books sighed and rolled his eyes. "You're technically a new pony in town. She has ways of knowing when there are new ponies in town, and she does not ever stop trying to be their friends. Best to meet her now and get on with the day."
Silver sighed as well. "Fine. After, you catch me up."
Books nodded. "Here goes..."
The soft ting of the bell in SugarCube Corner was the herald to the storm of pink that was Pinkie Pie.
"Oh hey there Books I-"
Then Pinkie noticed Silver standing behind Books and gasped.
Just as she was about to run off, Books restrained her with magic and put a hoof to her mouth.
"Pinkie. This is Silver Tongue. Yes, she's new here. However, she's very shy and doesn't speak Equestrian very well. If you could...delay the party until she can talk fluently, everypony would appreciate it."
Books carefully lowered Pinkie to the ground, removed his hoof, and cut off his magic. Pinkie sat on her haunches and gave a mock salute. "Understood, sir!"
And then from a sitting position, Pinkie somehow bounced over to Silver and gave her a good once-over. Pinkie let out a few choice "hmm" and "I see" noises, before she proclaimed "AH-HA!"
Pinkie pointed a hoof at Books, before leaning in and whispering to him. "She's a changeling! And your marefr-"
Books cut her off with another hoof. "Half right. You get to guess which half. C'mon, Silver, I think you've had enough of Pinkie for one day."
Silver nodded. "Yes. Goodbye, pink one."
-----
Books walked out to the disconnected clearing with his jar on his back and a few other supplies in his saddlebags.
It'd taken hours to convince Silver that she could sleep upstairs and nothing would happen.
Finally, though, he'd snuck out.
Carefully opening the jar of crystal toadstool spores, Books took a hold of it with his hooves and spilled a fine stream of them on the ground in a circle pattern.
Magic reacted with the spores something fierce.
Closing the jar and putting it a safe distance away, Books walked back to the circle he'd spread and sent a small jolt through it.
Thousands of spores grew, but in the end, only about twenty actually managed to make it to full size, and they still held that ring shape.
Nodding to himself, Books ran another charge through the grown crystal toadstools, and awed silently as they began to glow, in nearly every color of the spectrum.
Carefully cutting a containment circle around the toadstool one, Books ran a charge into it and grinned for all of a moment, before he sat on his haunches and sighed. How did that chant go?
"Fae, clamo ad te, fae, clamo ad te, fae, clamo ad te..."
He was interrupted by a flash of light and a high, mocking voice.
"Well, it's been a long, long time since any of us has set foot in this world..."
Books smiled as he looked at the figure before him.
"Well hello there. I'm glad you're here. I'd like to negotiate a trade with you..."

Comments

[hs0003]

Erm, wouldn't he be stuck protecting and guiding her forever now?

[Thadius0]

3842120
Until she has been guided into a new era, and can protect herself...

[Wolfinsheepsclothing]

3842120
They are both bound to each other if I'm reading my magical contracts right.

[hs0003]

3842144 His promise was that he would protect her and guide her as long a she didn't feed on anything sentient(pony, whatever).
I don't see a way out of that contract.

[Thadius0]

3842154
3842160
What he intended and what actually happened are two very different things.
This is merely part one of my plan to screw Abel over again.

[hs0003]

3836559 They could urinate in her morning cake, every morning for years, then tell her. That would surely bring forth a scenario where 222's wish could be fulfilled.

[hs0003]

3842162 Too sad this new plan of yours screws over Swiftwind also. Unless she turn out evil as fuck, then he'd be forced to help/protect her.

[Thadius0]

3842181
Yeah. But y'know what they say.
Misery loves company.

[Wolfinsheepsclothing]

3842162
ah that seems to happen a bit

[Thadius0]

3842194
People keep telling me he's OP and Mary Sue as shit.
Frankly if I didn't agree, I'd make his life easier.

[Tattered Ribbon]

3842120
Yes, BUT, she is not an ageless like he is.
Furthermore she is needed if more white changelings are to be born, so she is more help then hurt in the long run.

[Wolfinsheepsclothing]

3842201
I like his power level

[Tome Turner]

Sup, Fae? How u doin'?
Also this female changeling seems like a pretty boring character... You'd better move her to one side and allow the interesting characters to be interesting.

[Muranuse]

The 'Shipping Train' has left the station!
(We really need a Cadence emoticon...)

[cronus]

is it odd i could read that old changeling dialect easy? i read thrue it like it was english. not a second delay.

i have a few notes on able. he is a jack-of-all-trades. and fluent in all of them. he overcomes things that will garentie a death to any others. a stew almost. but he has weaknesses at the same time. some stronger weakpoints may have made him more... interesting. but, the story is completed at the time of this post, so, it is what it is.

[Blaze Song]

Fae? Nope nope nope! Nooopppe!! don't just don't Abel.. thay are cunning buggers... they always have loopholes in their deals!

[erictheblue]

7883342
reminds me of the online comic "tales of the Questor" on Rhjunior.com where the hero spoke to the Fey in Latin to avoid loopholes.