TEK had been progressing rather well as the year continued. Princess Luna, now regaining a majority of her privileges, had also joined in its development from time to time. Along with both Princesses, Jet and Shade had been supervising the new recruits' training, which was finally nearing completion. The basics were getting covered each week, progressing at a rather substantial rate. Each member had something special about them that particularly aided them in training and the minor missions they were assigned, allowing the team to grow into something remarkable. All in all, TEK was pulling together quite well. Vinyl and Judy were especially helpful to its growth, as Vinyl provided TEK with various equipment and gear she had designed as well as a base of operations - the basement under her club - and Judy had designed TEK's insignia, one that everypony, even Celestia herself, took a liking to: two golden pegasi wings protruding from a bright cerulean orb on opposite sides, with a unicorn horn protruding out from the top of the orb. In front floated a tan banner with the name T.E.K. inscribed on it. All of that slapped onto a dark gray, circular background formed a symbolic work of art that was no less than impressive, to say the least.
Now, with TEK finally ready for what Celestia worked to prepare them for, it was time for them to start working on their first big mission. TEK gathered together with Celestia in a secluded area in the castle as she prepared to brief them.
"Before we begin, I'd like to commend you all for how well you have progressed, and for everything you've endured. Now it is time to really put that training to work."
Celestia moved to the projector that was on her right, turning it on to project an image onto the wall behind her, revealing the same image of a Changeling that Jet and Shade remembered seeing when they first accepted this responsibility. The others, however, were not as sure as to exactly what they were looking at. Vinyl slowly removed her shades.
"What. The heck. Is THAT?"
"This is a Changeling. These creatures are insect-like shapeshifters that feed off of love, disguising themselves as somepony you love and gaining strength from your love for them."
Ditzy shuddered a bit.
"That's... unsettling."
"Indeed. Long ago, their hive infiltrated countless lands using fake or stolen identities, feeding off of the residents' love and draining their strength until they were too weak to defend themselves from being dominated. A little over a century ago, I banished them to a faraway land, and there has been no sign of them since."
Celestia stepped aside as Jet and Shade moved to the front of the room, Jet going on to explain further.
"That was the case until now. About a year and a half ago, the image you see now was taken somewhere within the Everfree Forest by two Lunar Guards. Over the past few months, more and more cases of reported sightings have been showing up all over Equestria."
The others gasped simultaneously at this revelation. Celestia then changed the image to the next slide, showing a map of Equestria with marked locations. Shade did the honors of explaining this time.
"On this map are all the locations of reported sightings of Changeling activity. At first we thought it to be random, seeing no clear pattern. Jet, however, noticed that all the marked locations have one thing in common. They are all centered around the... the, uh...*ahem* Everfree Forest."
Shade concluded, choking on his words when mentioning that particular location. Jet looked at him with concern, but Shade just shrugged it off.
"So I'm guessing that's gonna be the first place we start looking?"
Celestia nodded.
"That is correct, Judy. TEK, this will be your first primary objective. For your first move, you are to investigate the Everfree and see what you can find. One of the Guards that spotted the Changeling there will lead you to that general area to begin your search."
"Once there we'll split into two groups. One will search the actual area while the other will stay behind and keep watch."
Jet finished. Celestia shut off the projector with everything explained.
"That is all the information I have for you right now. You may wish to head back to your base of operations to pick up any tools or equipment you feel might help you on your mission. When you return, the guard we mentioned will escort you to the sighting area. You'll most likely meet her in the halls when you leave this room."
With that, the group of ponies concluded their meeting, and TEK was dismissed to begin their mission. Celestia, however, asked for Shade to remain a little longer.
"What is it, Princess?"
"Shade... I understand this mission may be particularly hard for you..."
Shade looked down, somewhat facing away from the Princess.
"Yeah... I know I've been on missions in the Everfree before, but never that far into it... Even with all the therapy and everything, I... I still..."
"I understand. If you wish, you may be part of the group that stays behind, so you won't have to venture too far into the forest."
"...Th-thank you..."
Celestia gave Shade a warm smile, and Shade left to catch up with the others.
____________
Jet and the others stood around waiting on Shade, who for some reason had fallen behind. They needed his portal-making ability in order to get back to base quickly. After a few more seconds, they finally saw him walking towards them.
"There you are. What kept you?"
"Nothing much. Celestia wanted to talk to me is all. I'll be with the group that stays behind."
Jet nodded.
"Alright then. Well, we were waiting on you, but we're also waiting for this guardsmare to show up. We decided we'd check in with her first before going back to get any equipment."
As if on cue, the guardsmare finally arrived. She was an aqua-coated bat-pony, wearing metallic purple armor, though she had her helmet off. Her mane and tail were bright green with a streak of black, and her left eye had a black and white flame around it, which no-pony was sure whether it was a tattoo or not.
"Sorry I'm late, had to finish some reports. Guess you're the new 'special forces' ponies, huh?"
Jet nodded.
"Cool. Hope you guys know what you're doing. So you wanna go now or you wanna stop and gear up first?"
Jet looked to the rest of the team before they all nodded in agreement. Vinyl turned to respond.
"We're gonna head back to base and pick up some of the gear I created for us. We'll head back here and go with you to the sighting."
"Alright, sounds good. You guys need any transportation?"
Shade stepped forward from the group.
"Actually miss... I'm sorry, what was your name again?"
"Oh right! Name's Blaze, Private Blaze Fire."
"Well miss Blaze, I've got our 'transportation' covered."
Shade then turned to his right and closed his eyes, focusing his mind on the location he wanted. Then his horn began to glow, and within seconds a large, swirling blue portal opened in front of him. Private Blaze stood both shocked and amazed at what she just saw.
"Whoa... That's so cool..."
Shade sat down, rubbing his forehead from the mental strain.
"Yeah... Takes a lot of energy, though... and longer distances give me a headache..."
"That's what you get for showing off."
Shade didn't exactly appreciate Ditzy's comment, but he was too dizzy to argue at the moment.
"Just... ooh... get in the portal..."
While the others filed into the portal to base, Shade stayed sitting and holding his head, wincing from the pain.
"...You need some help there?"
Blaze asked with a look of concern.
"No, no... I'll be fine. Just give me a minute..."
"Okay, if you say so... Why aren't you going with them? You're not gonna grab anything?"
Shade paused before answering, still waiting for the migraine to pass.
"Well, the way my portals work is that they stay open until I go through them or I decide to cancel them, so that's why I'm staying behind. Besides, I don't really need any gear, since I usually just rely on my own strength and skills."
"Alright then, whatever works for you."
________________________
TEK base of operations,
'The Vine' basement
________________________
The base had everything they needed. Together, Vinyl's genius and Judy's creativity led to a variety of equipment for different situations TEK could face, with more inventions surely to follow down the line. At the moment, though, all TEK needed to focus on were minor tools for recon, as well as other supplies like first aid kits, food, and water. Stepping out of the portal, Jet wasted no time organizing the team.
"Alright everyone, let's make this quick. Vinyl, Judy, what do we have here for recon?"
Vinyl and Judy walked on opposite ends of the central work table, moving along through the different shelves and desks of equipment. Judy almost immediately levitated a small box with her telekinesis and set it on the table. She then pulled out several devices that looked similar to headphones from the box.
"In here we have headset radio communicators with built-in microphones. With these we'll be able to contact each other while we spread out through the forest."
"Excellent. Vinyl, what do you have?"
Vinyl pulled a box from the bottom shelf and set it down as well. Jet looked inside and was not as impressed.
"...Sunglasses?"
"Not just any sunglasses. These are specially modified to have different functionalities. They allow x-ray, thermal, and night vision."
That definitely sounded much better to Jet.
"Now we're talking. Ditz, could you grab a couple first aid kits?"
"I got 'em!"
"Zecora, Bulk, you mind grabbing the saddle bags?"
Both nodded.
"Alright. That should just about do it. Let's get this mission underway, team!"
With everything packed and ready to go, everyone headed back into the portal, meeting back up with Shade and Private Blaze, who was a bit surprised at their sudden return.
"Well that was fast."
"Yeah, we didn't really need much. This is only supposed to be a recon mission, so we just got what we would need over the course of a few days."
Shade perked up immediately when he heard Jet say "days."
"Wait, a few DAYS? How long do you plan on keeping us out there!?"
"It'll only be two or three days at the most. There's no guarantee that we'll find anything today, and half the day's already gone anyway. Don't worry, everything will be fine."
"...Two months of experience says otherwise..."
Shade muttered under his breath, though Jet only pretended not to hear it. Private Blaze and many of the other TEK members were looking mildly confused.
"...Is something wrong here?"
Shade only sighed, deciding to continue with the mission.
"It's... it's fine, miss Blaze. Let's just get this over with."
______________
TEK followed Private Blaze through the mountain path that led out of Canterlot and into the forest below. They occasionally had to keep stopping to force Shade to continue moving, especially once they reached the Everfree itself. A majority of the group wasn't sure why he was so resistant this time, and the two who did wouldn't say anything unless Shade did first, which he didn't.
Eventually, Private Blaze reached the general area of the sighting. She stopped and pointed.
"Alright, so we spotted the Changeling somewhere around that area, over where the trees and bushes start getting denser. We caught a photo of it just before it disappeared."
"It's a good thing you had a camera with you at the time. Alright, thanks for the direction. I think we can handle it from here."
Private Blaze nodded to Jet.
"Alright. Hope you guys find what you're looking for!"
With that, Blaze flew up and left to return to the castle.
"Well then. Let's get these sub-groups organized. Shade, you said your staying behind, and I know I'll be heading in. What about the rest of you?"
Bulk slowly raised his hoof before speaking.
"I think it's obvious I'm not the most 'stealthy,' so I'll stay behind."
Ditzy spoke up as well.
"And I think my clumsiness will only hamper the search progress, so I'll stay behind too. Plus, I'm a little scared to go any further, hehe..."
"Alright, so you three are staying here, so that leaves you three. You all with me?"
Jet said as he motioned to Judy, Vinyl, and Zecora. They all answered him in that order.
"I'm with you, Jet! I'm up for a little adventure."
"Yeah, we can handle it."
"Certainly."
Jet nodded to the three of them and faced the others.
"Okay then. Shade, Ditz, Bulk, watch this area and be on guard. Make sure you have some gear with you. And here, take one of the first aid kits."
Shade levitated the red and white box to him and put it inside his saddle bag, while Vinyl gave them each a headset communicator and a pair of modified glasses.
"Everypony else, we're heading in. Make sure you have your gear as well."
And so, Jet and his group proceeded on their way into the depths of the Everfree Forest, a thought that worried Ditzy and Bulk, and terrified Shade.
"Be careful!"
Ditzy yelled out to them as they disappeared through the trees.
"So... what do we do now?"
Bulk asked as he looked around.
"Now we wait, and hope we all survive this..."
Shade spoke with a tone that implied he wasn't very confident that they would, which didn't really help ease the lingering fear in his teammates. Ditzy put a hoof around him.
"I kinda noticed you seemed a bit... tense. Your not a big fan of this place, are you? I mean, no one likes this place, but you REALLY don't like this place."
"Let's just say I've... experienced, the worst of this forest firsthoof..."
____________
The Everfree Forest got thicker and darker as Jet's group continued their search. The massive trees blocked out virtually any sunlight. Each passing moment they felt as is they were being watched, and something could jump out at them at any moment.
"Watch your surroundings, guys. Might be a good idea to put on those glasses and switch to night vision."
Vinyl, Judy, and Zecora heeded Jet's words and pulled out the glasses. The frames were black with green lenses, and the right side held a small switch box for the different functions. The glasses themselves were designed to be able to connect to the headsets as well. Once each member put them on and activated the night vision, the forest area became clearer and washed with a greenish hue. Vinyl looked around the area as her own glasses activated.
"You guys see anything?"
"Nothing over here."
"I see nothing with my eyes alone... Jet, perhaps you see something we don't?"
Jet continued to move bushes and branches around, looking for anything of significance.
"Nothing so far on my end. Keep searching, I'm sure we'll find something."
Jet was just about to move to another area when he saw something peculiar a slight distance away.
"Now what do we have here...?"
Jet moved past a cluster of plants and branches until he found a small pathway, with numerous hoof prints along it.
"Guys... you might wanna see this..."
The other three ceased their searching and walked over to Jet. When they saw what he'd found, numerous questions arose.
"Okay, how'd you even see this from over there?"
"I have very sharp eyes, Vinyl."
"Do you think these are from the Changelings?"
"It's very possible, Judy, though we can't be too sure."
Jet followed the path with his eyes carefully. His mind was working out countless possibilities and explanations.
"I say it's best to see where this path leads. Let's split up and see what we find down either direction."
"Actually, I have a better idea."
Judy then stepped onto the path and switched to her x-ray vision.
"I'm just gonna use the x-ray function to see past all these trees, and hopefully find something significant."
"Good thinking Judy. Thinking outside the box as usual."
Judy looked down one direction and saw only more trees. When she turned to face the other direction, however she found something else.
"I think this way leads to some sort of mountain. Think that could be something?"
Jet rubbed his chin in thought. From everypony else's viewpoint, he looked like he was onto something.
"If I remember my studies correctly, Changelings usually establish themselves in either underground tunnel systems or in rocky terrain... the interior of a mountain definitely sounds possible."
"So, shall we meet back with the others and tell them what we have discovered?"
Jet nodded to Zecora.
"That sounds like a good idea. I'll radio them and inform them of our progress."
Jet positioned his headset's mic in front of him. Then he remembered he didn't even know how to use it.
"Hey, Vinyl... how does this thing work again?"
"Oh, you see what you do is you press and hold the button on the mic side of the headset while you talk, and let go when you finish speaking. Pressing the button opens the radio channel your using, and letting go closes it and allows you to hear what somepony else is saying."
Jet did as she described and contacted the others.
"Guys, this is Jet. We found something that might give us a lead. We're heading back to you now. Oh, and to speak into the mic, you gotta press and hold the button on the side, and let go of the button when your done."
There was a short pause, and then the four of them in turn received a distorted response.
-Okay. Hurry back then. It's starting to get dark out here...-
"You know you have night vision glasses, right Shade?"
-Not my point. It's very, VERY dangerous here at night. Trust me.-
-We'll be here when you guys get back. We'll be fine.-
Ditzy chimed into the radio. Jet and the others then started back on the way they came.
Little did anypony realize that they were being watched. Hidden in the shadows of the trees, a Changeling scout observed as the ponies started closing in on there whereabouts. He escaped unnoticed as he took the long way back to the Hive. He knew he needed to get back and alert the Queen...
_____________
TEK reported their findings back to Celestia after regrouping and returning to the castle. It was decided they would return the next day. Apparently, there was an upcoming wedding scheduled this month, and Celestia wanted this situation handled ASAP, as the bride was her own niece, Princess Mi Amore Cadenza.
The plan was to have TEK gather whatever information they could on their possible lead. If the Changeling hive was indeed located there, they would return, and a legion of guards led by Princess Luna would work to drive them out and into another land away from Equestria.
Currently, TEK was getting the info-gathering underway. Jet led the team to where the search group found the pathway yesterday. Once there, he wasted no time in orchestrating his strategy.
"Alright so here's the plan: we'll split up into the same groups as yesterday, with the same roles. Shade, Bulk, and Ditz will stay here and be on guard, while the rest of us inspect the mountain. Keep your communicators on. We'll notify you on our progress as we work."
Each member equipped themselves as instructed and got into their positions. As Jet's group started down the path, Jet turned back to the others.
"Remember, this is a recon mission only. If you see anything, notify the Princesses. Do NOT engage."
The watch group nodded, and the search group continued down the path.
_________________
Underground,
Changeling Hive
_________________
Far below the Everfree Forest, within the rocky depths of a complex system of tunnels and caverns, the commanding officers of the Changeling Hive have gathered in the dark cave that served as the throne room.
"So the ponies are closing in on our location, are they?"
One hissed as they stood together, forming a plan.
"That is what the scout has reported. From what he has gathered, a highly organized group has found our little trail. I kept telling Queen Chrysalis we needed to cover our tracks better."
The other five officers looked at the sixth questionably.
"Are you questioning her rule, commander Kae'lik?"
"All I'm saying is we need to be more careful, especially during her absence. If her infiltration plan is to work, we cannot afford any ponies to discover our location."
The officer beside him scoffed.
"What do you suggest, then?"
"I will work to divert them from the mountain. I'll have a few squads stand by should anything go wrong."
____________
Jet, Zecora, Vinyl, and Judy followed the pathway slowly. Stealth was key at this time, as the Changelings could very well be located nearby. Any words were spoken as a whisper, and their movements were cautious and silent. Once the mountain had gotten within sight, Jet stopped, motioning for the other three to do the same. Pressing the button on his headset, he contacted the others.
"Guys, we have a visual on the mountain. When we reach it we'll have a look around the area to find any sign of an entra-"
Jet stopped mid-sentence when he saw something far down the trail, something that appeared to be heading their way.
"Hang on, something's heading our way..."
-What? What's going on over there?-
Jet didn't answer Shade as he prepared himself for whatever was about to come. The others did the same, a bit unsure of what was going to happen. Upon closer inspection, however, Jet realized it was a stallion running towards them.
"Stop! Don't come any further!"
The stallion yelled out to them as he got closer. Everyone remained somewhat suspicious.
"What seems to be the problem?"
Jet asked the stallion as he finally stopped in front of them. He was a light grey pegasus, with a dark grey mane and tail with black and silver stripes, and he was wearing the royal armor of a Solar Guard.
"This entire area is restricted. For your own safety you must leave immediately!"
Everyone looked at this guard with a raised eyebrow.
"On whose authority?"
Jet asked suspiciously. Something just didn't seem right.
"By order of Princess Celestia, this area has been classified as a danger zone. I implore you to please return the way you came."
*Oh yeah. Something's DEFINITELY wrong here. Time to get some answers.*
"There must be some kind of mistake here. We're here on official business. Celestia herself has permitted us to search this area."
Jet simply pushed passed the guard and continued down the pathway, motioning for the others to follow. He didn't make it far before the guard ran past him and blocked his path again, which left Jet mildly annoyed.
"Step ASIDE, soldier."
The guard looked Jet dead in the eyes.
"I'm afraid I can't allow that..."
Jet, Judy, Vinyl, and Zecora all jumped back in shock as the Guard became engulfed in a shroud of green flames.
"WHAT THE HECK???"
The flames disappeared as quickly as they had appeared, and standing in the Guard's place was a snarling, dark blue-armored Changeling. And before Jet could react, dozens more appeared out of the trees.
"It's a trap!"
______________
Shade, Bulk, and Ditzy sat by the pathway, checking the surrounding area every few minutes. They were all a bit on edge after Jet hadn't responded for a while.
"Do you think something happened to them?"
Ditzy asked with a clear look of concern. Shade shook his head.
"All he said was something was heading their way. We can't be sure what or who it was at this point. I just hope that-"
-Guys! Guys come in!-
Jet suddenly broke in on the radio channel as Shade was speaking. Relieved to hear his voice again, Ditzy responded immediately.
"Jet? What happened? Are you okay?"
-Gah! Ambush! It - ngh! - was a trap! The Changelings ARE here! Warn Celes- *kzzzzzt*-
Just like that, Jet's signal cut off. None of the others responded either. All they heard was static. Ditzy slowly looked at the others speechlessly, a look of horror covering her face.
"...What do we do now?"
Bulk asked as they all looked at each other helplessly. Shade then reached into his saddle bag and pulled out a roll of paper and a quill, holding them in front of him with his telekinesis. Ditzy wasn't exactly sure what he was doing.
"What could you possibly be writing right now?"
"I'm sending a warning to Celestia. She needs to be informed of this immediately."
Shade soon finished writing and sent the message away with his warp beam. He finished just in time, too, because in a matter of seconds they started hearing mass buzzing sound, which got louder and louder. Ditzy's face grew even paler than before.
"...Is th-that..."
"...Changelings?"
Shade finished as his heart sank.
____________
Princess Celestia anxiously waited on the balcony to hear of TEK's progress. They had been gone for quite some time now, and it was starting to get late. Just when she was about to send them a letter, she received one herself. Its contents were not to her liking.
-Princess Celestia, the Changelings are in the mountain. They may have captured Jet, Judy, Zecora, and Vinyl. We may be next. Don't worry about sending guards in, protect the city first.-
As much as Celestia hated the idea of leaving her subjects to fend for themselves, she knew they were right. Canterlot needed to be protected in case the Hive moved to attack the city next. Heading back through the castle, she ran to the nearest guard around.
"Guard! Notify Captain Shining Armor! Tell him to raise the shield and double the security!"
As Celestia continued running through the halls, Queen Chrysalis, disguised in the form of Princess Cadence, stood hidden in another hallway, listening and watching. She silently sneaked away to return to her room. She needed to take care of something.
__________________
Changeling Hive,
Throne room cave
__________________
Commander Kae'lik was not liking the current situation at all. He had failed to lead the ponies away from their location, and they claimed to work for the Princess as well. Sure, they'd successfully captured them, but there was no doubt their absence would not go unnoticed, only leading to more problems. He continued to pace around the dark, crystal-filled cavern as he dreaded each passing moment. The other Changeling guards in the cavern were starting to get annoyed.
"Sir, are you seriously going to pace around for eternity? Your making me dizzy just watching you."
"You joke now, soldier, but this only spells disaster ahead of us."
Kae'lik's racing mind was interrupted when one of the crystals in the cavern starting glowing and humming.
"What in Tartarus-?"
The humming ceased, and a pony's face appeared in it.
"What is the meaning of this!?"
"It's ME, you fool. Princess Cadenza possesses crystal-related magic, which I can manipulate while in her form."
Commander Kae'lik eased slightly upon realizing it was the Queen. However, he had a feeling that he knew why she had contacted him.
"Now, would you mind explaining to me why Celestia is doubling Canterlot's security now?"
Hesitantly, the Changeling officer answered her.
"A group of ponies started closing in on our location... We captured them, but they claim to work for their Princess. If they speak truthfully, their absence might have alerted her and... led to... the increase in... security........"
He trailed off fearfully, as the Queen's expression grew angrier the more he spoke.
"Your incompetence will make the plan far more complicated now. Once again, Commander Kae'lik, you have disappointed me..."
Kae'lik bowed low, more so to avoid Chrysalis' piercing gaze than to humble himself.
"Forgive my error, my Queen."
"I've forgiven quite a number of your errors, Kae'lik, and I grow tired of it. You are hereby relieved of your duties as commander."
Kae'lik quickly shot up.
"What!?"
"Guards, remove this failure from my sight."
On cue, two guards buzzed to his sides and took hold of him, a sinister smirk on both of their faces. Kae'lik looked around helplessly and back to Chrysalis, who shared their smirk.
"In fact, throw him in with the captives."
"You're insane! They'll tear me apart!"
Chrysalis chuckled maliciously.
"I know. Gotta go now!"
The image of the disguised Queen faded, and the guards dragged Kae'lik away to the prison cave, Kae'lik struggling and shouting furiously.
"CHRYSALIS!!!!!!!!!!"
______________
Shade awoke to darkness. He was lying on his side on hard rock, and his entire body ached. The last thing he remembered was himself, Bulk, and Ditzy fighting an entire army of Changelings. As hard as they fought, they were significantly outnumbered and outmatched. Shade remembered an armored Changeling surrounding the three of them in green flames that shrouded them in a dome, fading everything to darkness. As his eyes adjusted, he realized he was in a rock cavern with a large, pulsing blue crystal embedded in the ceiling. He also saw that he was in here along with all of TEK, who were all sitting around throughout the small cave.
"Guys... where are we?"
Jet looked to him, glad to see his friend had finally awoken.
"Oh hey, you finally woke up... we're apparently in some kind of prison. We all tried using our abilities to find or make a way out, but..."
"Our abilities don't seem to work in here."
Judy stated. Shade could only sigh. He was exhausted, sore, and stuck in a prison with no way out. He felt like a failure. He agreed to be a part of this TEK specifically to protect those he cared about, but how could he now?
"Perfect..."
A short moment later, the rusty iron gate to the cave prison opened, and TEK watched as two Changelings threw another prisoner, also a Changeling, into their cell, chuckling as they slammed the gate behind him. The Changeling immediately got up and ran to the gate, shouting after them.
"YOU'LL PAY FOR THIS, YOU HEAR ME!?"
Shade immediately started growling once he heard his voice. This was the very same Changeling that sent him and his friends to this prison. He didn't know why he had been thrown in here with them, nor did he really care. All he knew was that he wanted to tear him apart.
".....You......"
The Changeling turned to face him, and almost seemed afraid as Shade, Bulk, and Vinyl slowly approached him.
"Stop."
Shade and the others' head snapped back at Jet's sudden command.
"We'd gain nothing from attacking him. Besides, if he's in here, then he's merely a prisoner like us now. He's no longer any threat, so leave him be."
They gave Jet a hesitant look, then turned to the Changeling who had since slowly sidestepped them and backed away. A short moment passed before the three aggressors obeyed Jet's command, returning to where they were each sitting, while the Changeling sat by himself in a corner of the cave.
"So now what?"
Shade was answered only with silence, which lasted for what seemed like forever. Then Zecora broke the silence.
"Well, since we have thrown all our options of escape out the door, why not take this time to get to know each other a little more?"
Everyone began to look at each other from one team member to the next, waiting for someone else to speak.
"...I'll go first, if that's fine."
They all looked to Ditzy as she began to speak.
"My name is Ditzy Doo, and this is my story.......... I know everypony has always judged me and questioned my intelligence because of my eyes. But the truth is, my eyes weren't always like this.......... When I was very young, I tried to fly, far before I was ready to... I went to the top floor of my home, opened a window... and I jumped out. For a couple minutes it was working. I was actually flying, and I was so happy........ but then I... I started to fall......... I suffered serious head injuries, and my parents immediately rushed me to the hospital...... the doctors did the best they could, but the impact left permanent damage to my eyes... they've been this way since, and my life has been miserable ever since then, especially after my parents died in an accident......... That all changed when I joined TEK. You guys have helped me to see I'm not worthless, and you have really made me feel loved again......."
Ditzy finished speaking with tears in her eyes, which she started wiping away with her hoof. She was not the only one, either. Many of her fellow teammates had teared up from her story. Seeing Ditzy pour her heart out like that was very moving, and they couldn't help but feel somewhat closer to her. All of this left a significant impression on Shade.
*It must have taken a lot for Ditzy to talk about something like that... She must really trust us...*
Shade looked around the cavern, observing all of his teammates.
*...Can I trust them like she does?*
Ditzy spoke up again after pulling herself together.
"That's my story... Would anypony else, maybe... want to go next?"
After another pause of silence, Shade finally spoke up.
"I will."
Everyone looked to Shade in shock. Through all the time they'd worked together, Shade never talked about himself. He was the last pony they'd expect to open up next.
"My name, is Shade Vortex... and this is my story..."