//------------------------------// // Chapter 16: Changes (Part 2) // Story: TEK: The Beginning // by Jet Fly //------------------------------// It has now been two days. TEK has been stuck in the Changeling's underground prison for two days now, without any food or water. They were slowly dying, and they all knew it. But if you looked at them, you couldn't tell. Kae'lik watched in confusion as TEK sat there, talking and laughing among themselves as if it were some kind of party. *This makes no sense. These ponies are dying and yet their sitting there laughing. Maybe they've gone insane...* No, they hadn't gone insane, but they did appear to be having a good time. Instead of focusing on their bleak situation, they decided to instead enjoy each other's company. In the process, TEK was growing closer as a team. "And then I just teleported us to the other side!" TEK burst out laughing. "Haha! The looks on everypony's faces were hilarious!" Jet chuckled as he retold of the experiences he and Shade shared. "Ha! You two totally cheated on that challenge!" Judy giggled, whereas Shade only shrugged. "Whether or not that was cheating is still debatable. The Princess did say that 'any magic' is legit. Teleportation is magic. Plus, if I hadn't, we might have never been chosen TEK, and none of us would be here." "Actually, I'm not so sure that would be a bad thing, considering where we are now." Everyone started laughing. "Yea, I suppose your right, Vinyl." Shade chuckled. Among the commotion, Ditzy thought about something that suddenly gave her a bit of hope. "Hey Shade, can't you teleport us out of here?" Shade shook his head slowly. "I'm sorry Ditzy, but something in this cell is absorbing or blocking my magic. Otherwise I would have broken us out long ago." ".....Oh....." There was silence until Jet decided to keep the positive mood going. "Hey Ditz. Tell them about that time you fought that TimberWolf." Suddenly everyone perked up a bit at the prospect of another story. "ENOUGH!" All eyes turned to the angry Changeling marching over to them. "WHAT IS WITH YOU FOOLS!? Do you not realize that we're all going to DIE!?" "Yeah, we know." "...Huh?" Kae'lik asked in confusion as he looked to the orange Pegasus the others called "Jet". He assumed this was the leader of the group. "We all know it's quite likely that we won't leave this place. But we also know that we'll accomplish nothing by just sitting there sad and mopey like you." Kae'lik still didn't understand. "But what do you gain by being happy and cheery? Who are you trying to be strong for?" "Each other." Kae'lik was taken back by this. "Each… each other?" Jet nodded. "Yes. By looking at the positive as a team, no one of us has to endure this alone. We have to be strong for each other. We're in this together, no matter how bleak the situation may be." "Wait, so… so you'd be willing... to die for each other?" "In a heartbeat." Kae'lik was visibly struggling to comprehend any of Jet's words. *This… this makes no sense. In the hive it's every Changeling for themselves. And that makes sense. You can't trust anyone, and no one can trust you. That's how it should be... isn't it?* But what Jet was suggesting contradicted everything Kae'lik knew about the way life worked. So, he decided he needed to understand more. "But… how can you know you can trust them? How can you be sure they won't betray you, then leave you behind to rot in a dungeon…" The sad Changeling dropped down to the ground. "Because I rely on them. And each has come through for me time and again. I trust them, they trust me. Its a mutual bond." Kae'lik's fin-like ears perked up at this. *A mutual bond? That means that everyone involved gives something to the other, and in return they gain something from everyone else.* "What do you gain?" Jet had to think for a second, as the question was unexpected. "I gain friends, peace of mind, and power." "...Power?" Jet nodded. "Yes, power. Anything is stronger when it has something to fight for. Knowing that I have these guys to fight for makes me stronger than I would be without them." Zecora chimed into the discussion. "If a healthy friendship you can maintain, then strength and peace you will attain." *Friends? I've never had one friend. The closest thing to companions I've ever had were my fellow guards, and look at how THAT turned out... Having someone I know I can trust might be nice. Peace of mind sounds good too. My mind has always been flooded with thoughts of this hive. I'm sick of them, and I hate that Queen! As for power, if I have something worth fighting for, I'll become stronger than I ever was. But how can I attain all these things?* "How?" Jet looked at him in confusion. "How can I be like you? How can I gain these things?" Jet thought to himself for a moment. He wasn't quite so sure why he was being so helpful to this Changeling. But the more he spoke with him the better he began to really understand him. He no longer saw him as some vicious and deceptive monster, but as someone misguided and lost. And he knew just how to guide him in the right direction. "Well, I suppose you could help us break out of here. Then I'll give you everything you seek." Kae'lik was understandably surprised by Jet's response. "Are... are you sure?" "Your already considered a traitor anyway. Plus, I'm guessing Changelings don't keep prisoners for too long, considering this room." Kae'lik sadly agreed. "Yes. Given another day or so, we'll all be dead. This isn't a holding cell, it's an execution room. I was put in here with the hopes that either you, or this room would destroy me." Ditzy gasped. "That's terrible! How can they do that to one of their own kind!?" Kae'lik looked down in sorrow. "In the hive, there is only the Queen and her pawns. I, Kae'lik, a former commanding officer, am a disposable resource..." There was a moment of silence after that, until Jet finally spoke up again. "So, what'll it be, Kae'lik? Die here, or help us?" Kae'lik' thought deeply for a moment, but only a short one. He already knew his answer. "I'll help you... but on the grounds that you teach me to make friends." "Deal. Now, tell us everything you know about this room." Kae'lik nodded. "This is a high level execution cell. Purposely designed to slowly end its prisoners. It works off of an ancient, highly magical crystal called 'Avsa.' Look up." All of TEK turned their gaze towards the rocky ceiling. Like the ground it was made of smooth green crystals and black stone. The only difference was a red, diamond-shaped crystal hanging from the center. It was giving off a bright light, and a somewhat strange aura. Vinyl seemed confused. "That thing? I thought that was just a light fixture or something." "While it does provide light, its main purpose is to absorb the life force of any hosts within 10-meter radius. That's why you can't use a lot of your magic. It's slowly eating away at your life, draining you of your energy." "Dang…" "Indeed, white unicorn." "My name is Vinyl." "Whatever." Jet interrupted the pair by asking another question. "Is there a way to stop it?" Kae'lik sighed. "Not normally, no. Only the Queen is truly able to neutralize it without being drained herself." Jet began to think deeply. "What separates a Queen from the pawns?" "You mean what makes her different from an average Changeling? Well for starters, her magical abilities far surpass anyone of us." "That's it!" Everyone looked to Jet curiously. "I found a way to break out." "You have? But how?" "If a Queen can stop that Avsa, that means that she somehow uses her magic. And since I know Changelings can't preform high level spells, it means that she must use raw magical ability. The only way to break out is to overload the crystal. Since it slowly absorbs energy, that means it can only handle so much at one point." Kae'lik was awe-struck. *These ponies might actually have found a way out.* But then, he suddenly remembering something important. "I forgot to tell you, but… your country is in grave danger." "What do you mean?" Shade asked. "...There was to be an invasion on your capital soon..." This new information caused everyone to gasp. "Yes. Chrysalis, our Queen, has been disguised as one of your Princesses for some time now, slowly planning our assault. Many of our troops are already there, masquerading as other ponies." Jet was horrified, but he knew that panicking would get them nowhere, so he tried his best to keep his cool. "When was this invasion supposed to take place?" "Judging from how long we've been in here, and from my time before this... it should be taking place in a few hours..." All of TEK gasped even more. "Why didn't you tell us this earlier!?" Kae'lik shrugged. "...I kinda hated you guys..." The room instantly got hot as everypony began to panic. But Jet knew that panicking would do nothing, so he knew he had to calm everyone down. "Enough!" Everyone in the room looked to Jet as he ordered silence. "Let's take this one step at a time. Shade, can you still use magic?" Shade nodded and proved himself by levitating a small rock off the ground. Jet saw the struggle he had doing so. *It took a lot of effort for him to simply lift that rock. And even so, it was sloppy and iffy, like it was his first time. We're running out of time.* "Good. Our only option is to overload that crystal. Then, we'll rest until we regain our strength." Shade was visibly nervous. "But... but this room has taken so much out of us… I'm not sure I have the energy to match a Queen's, even if I was at my full strength..." Jet looked serious. "There's always your 'Adrenaline Rush.'" Shade's eyes widened in a horrified shock. "But… but..." "I know. We both know the risks. But it's our only option." Shade hesitantly nodded. "Okay… I'll try..." "Don't worry, we'll have your back. Trust me." "I'm confused... what's this 'Adrenaline Rush' you guys are talking about?" "Just sit back and watch the show, Ditz." Shade then slowly rose and charged up his horn, concentrating all of his power into this last spell. Suddenly, little sparks of energy began to fade in and out of the air around him. The wind picked up and Shade began to sweat. Then his horn produced a blinding light, forcing everyone to close their eyes and turn away. When they opened their eyes, TEK saw an amazing yet terrifying sight. Shade's pupils had shrunken and were like a blazing fire, and his body was wrapped in a cloak of blue aura. Small sparks of energy flashed in and out around him, and his mane and tail flowed wildly in the small energy storm. Everyone except Jet remained frightened and speechless. "Shade, destroy that crystal." The now powered-up Shade turned his attention to the Avsa, gritted his teeth, and aimed his horn. Then, a massive amount of energy began to stream out of his horn and into the Avsa. It was visibly struggling to handle all of the energy it was taking in, and Shade screamed as he painfully struggled to keep the stream flowing. *I was right... It can't handle all this power. Its having a hard time, but Shade still needs more power. He won't be able to keep this up much longer.* Jet walked up to Shade, fighting the intense winds that now engulfed the room, and placed his hoof on His shoulder. Suddenly the beam got bigger, and turned a brighter blue. All the while, TEK was amazed and wondering how all of this was even possible. "Vinyl, Kae'lik, focus your magic on the crystal!" Jet yelled through the massive power cyclone. Doing as they were told, they both took aim and fired at the Avsa. It was slowly beginning to crack under the extreme pressure. *Still... not enough... Needs something more...* Jet thought before looking behind him to see the rest of his team, gazing in pure awe at the intense light show. "Ditz! Bulk! Zecora! Judy!" The ponies in question looked to their leader through the miniature storm. "Come! Touch my shoulder! I'll do the rest!" They immediately obeyed their commander. It took a while for them to make it through the intense winds from being thrown left and right, but eventually they reached Jet and all placed their hooves on his shoulder. Immediately, they each felt their energy flow out of their bodies and into Jet, and in turn, into Shade's massive beam. It felt as if it were being carried away in a stream leading to a massive river. In effect, the blast from Shade's horn tripled and turned pure white. It formed rings of energy around itself and the winds ran rampant throughout the entire cell, kicking up dust and loose rock everywhere. Suddenly, Vinyl fainted. She had given it everything she had, but she was drained. Kae'lik was soon to follow, and all the other members soon after. But Jet and Shade wouldn't give out. Their bodies were beading sweat like crazy but they continued on. The Avsa was clearly at its limit, and finally, in an amazing burst of color and light, it exploded into a million scarlet shards which completely disintegrated. The last thing Jet saw before he passed out was Shade dispersing the last of his energy and collapsing. ______________ "...Ughhh........" "Oh good, he's awake." "Everyone, give him some space." Shade's eyes finally opened to the greeting sight of his friends and a Changeling surrounding him. "...What… what happened?" Jet approached his drowsy friend to give him his explanation and due commendation. "You did well Shade. With all of our combined effort, we managed to destroy the Avsa." "So... we did it?" "You bet." Ditzy was confused about one thing, however. "What happened just then? As soon as I touched Jet I felt my energy begin to leave, and then Shade's beam got bigger. Did all of our energy transfer into him or something? How does that even work?" Jet took the liberty to explain. "It's simple really. I did the same thing I did to myself when I touched Shade. I transferred my flow of energy into him. When you all touched me I tapped into your flow of energy and brought it into myself. Thus, into Shade." They seemed convinced, but still confused, as none of them quite understood what that meant. "Look, think of it this way: each pony has a flow of magical energy in them, similar to a river. It courses all throughout the body. Because of my intense training I have almost complete control over my own energy. That's how I use my wind blades. When you touched me, I made a 'canal' connecting our energies, combining them into one flowing stream. And remember that spell Shade used, the 'Adrenaline Rush?' It increased the flow of Shade's 'river,' allowing him to use every ounce of power his body has to perform at peak magical and physical levels." Everyone seemed to now understand. Shade attempted to stand up, but he immediately felt an incredible pain all over and fell back down. Kae'lik noticed this and came to a conclusion. "It lets you use all your power, but it takes an incredible toll on your body, doesn't it?" Shade nodded with a wince. "Yeah... If I had held it up any longer, I might have died... I used up every last drop of my power. It didn't help that I didn't have much to begin with." Vinyl chuckled lightly. "Well, good way to commit! Talk about going all out!" "YEEAAHH!!!" Jet chuckled at his team's reclaimed enthusiasm before wrapping up his explanation. "Unfortunately, it was too hard to concentrate on focusing all of our power inside me, so I wasn't able to use all of your potential before you fainted." Kae'lik took all of Jet's words to mind and thought deeply about all that just happened. *This, Shade... was willing to die to help his companions... Is… is this. friendship?* "Well, now what?" Everyone got quiet when Ditzy brought up the question on everyone's mind. Jet decided to answer. "We escape. And I've got a plan..." _______________ It was almost too easy. All TEK and Kae'lik had to do was rest for a few hours until they each had enough strength to bust the door open. That was a piece of cake now that the Avsa was gone. And although they were prepared to fight, only a few changeling guards were present. It was easy for the escapees to sneak past them, easily taking down any of the few that had spotted them. After they had gotten out of the prison catacombs and reached the pathway which Kae'lik confirmed led to the exit, TEK had split up. Jet, Shade, and Kae'lik went off to retrieve their confiscated gear and any Changeling intel, while the others went on to wait for them at the exit. Currently, they were hiding in a cluster of bushes outside the mountain's entrance. "That was crazy easy! It was just like Kae'lik said! Because of the invasion just a few guards were present! That explains why none of the guards came to check on our cell when we made all that noise!" Judy said gleefully. Zecora still remained a bit worried, however, for it was taking the others quite a while to come out of the hive. "I hope our friends make it here before night. Otherwise we'll have to go back and fight." "Yeah. I know when we split up they told us to wait for them once we got out, but I'll go back to find them if it gets too dark." "They said they wouldn't be long, Vinyl. They said they were only going find some intel. That's why Kae'lik went with them. He knows this place inside out! I wouldn't worry about them!" Judy said, still maintaining her positive and gleeful attitude. ___________________ Changeling Hive, Storage room cave ___________________ "Well, lets make our way out. We got what we came for." Jet said to Shade and Kae'lik as they wrapped up their operation. They were deep within the hive, in a small room with white sacks that Kae'lik informed them to be where Changelings stored information. Once Jet and Shade had grabbed a few they started to head out, while Kae'lik had stayed behind a little while longer to grab the confiscated gear. Little did they know they had been spotted. Hidden in the shadows and rock spires of the cave outside the storage room, a Changeling soldier charged his horn with all of his energy, preparing to use the most fatal spell he knew, specifically designed for terminating ponies. As Kae'lik gathered all of the gear and started to exit the storage room, he thought to himself about how one thing was off about this entire situation. *This is easy… too easy. I remember there were supposed to be 30 changelings on duty when the invasion took place. I only counted 29. Either the other ponies encountered one outside, or…* Kae'lik stopped in the middle of the storage room entrance and watched as the Changeling jumped from his hiding place, firing a green bullet of pure energy towards Jet. By the time Jet saw it, it was too late, and he could only stare wide eyed in horror as emerald death drew closer and closer. "DIE, PONY SCUM!" "JET!" Shade yelled as time seemed to slow down around them. But before the bullet of dealt energy could strike its target, a black blur jumped in front of Jet just in time to take the full force of the blast. "GAH!!!!" Kae'lik yelled in pain as he was knocked back and tumbled across the ground beside Jet. Shade turned his attention to the Changeling that ambushed them, and wasted no time in blasting him through the wall with his own blast of sapphire energy. He then looked back to make sure his friend was ok, but saw him next to a wounded Kae'lik. "KAE'LIK! ARE YOU OK?", Jet yelled. A few coughs and pained groans where all he got for an answer. "Shade! We need to give him medical treatment now! Lets get him to Zecora immediately!" "Right!" ___________________ When Kae'lik awoke, almost his entire body ached. He was also lying in a white bed in strange room with the ponies he had aided in escaping. "Hehe... You finally woke up. I gotta say, I'm impressed you survived." Kae'lik looked to Jet and chuckled. "Heh... Thanks to our shell-like exterior, we Changelings are a lot tougher than we look... Besides, that spell was intended specifically to kill a pony, not another Changeling. Thankfully he hadn't seen me at the time..." All of TEK was gathered in the castle's personal hospital. When they rushed back to Canterlot through a quick portal to get Kae'lik some emergency care, they arrived to find the city in ruins. But TEK was just glad it was still standing. After hearing what had happened from Blaze and Celestia, TEK came to the conclusion that they had failed this mission. Celestia was at first hesitant to let an injured changeling in one of the castle's personal hospitals, but after hearing what he had done, she was more than willing to help Kae'lik out. "Why would you risk your life for me?" Jet asked as Kae'lik finally mustered the strength to sit upright. "I'm not entirely sure why... It just felt... right." Jet couldn't help but smile. "I guess its time I held up my end of our agreement. You wanted friends. Well, you've already made seven." Kae'lik was confused by Jet's words. "What do you mean?" "All of us, Kae'lik. We want you to be a part of our team." "What!? Even though I'M the one who captured you? I put all of our lives at stake!" Jet nodded. "Yeah, you did. But without your help, we would be dead by now. And you also risked your life for mine. I owe you that much, Kae'lik." Shade nodded in agreement. "It would be an honor to have you as a member of the Taskforce of Equestrian Knowledge." Kae'lik gasped at this offer. "Wha... Are you sure?" Vinyl stepped forward to speak her mind. "Heck yeah! You saved all of our lives, dude! That's a friend in my book." "YEEAAHH!" The others agreed as well. Kae'lik was shocked. Never had he actually been thanked for anything. All his life his hard work had gone unappreciated and criticized. This reaction he was getting now was different. This was genuine praise and commendation. He could tell because he could feel the rush of energy from the love being directed to him. "I... I don't know what to say… All my life I've been a mere pawn without any real purpose or reason to live..." Shade pitched in this time. "Let us give you a reason. You fight for us, we'll fight for you, and together we'll fight for Equestria." Kae'lik felt a new sensation, one that was warm and refreshing. He also felt something wet trickle down his cheek. *Is this… Is this happiness? Is this what having friends is all about? Have I finally found peace?* "...I will join you, not like I have much of a home to go back to anyway." Everyone happily cheered, though Jet and Shade only nodded. "Well, if your going to live here, your going to need a disguise." Shade stated. Kae'lik flashed a fanged smile. "I have just the one." ___________________ Changeling Hive, Throne room cave ___________________ "So, the little runt decided to run off with the ponies, did he?" "Yes, my queen. He also took some data sacks as well." Queen Chrysalis' eye twitched. "Well done, Kae'lik. Well done. Not only have you abandoned your hive, but you've successfully ticked me off." The queen groaned. This day had not gone as planned. As she sat on her throne, something on the ground nearby caught her eye. "What's this?" Using her telekinesis, she picked up the small black box and brought it before her. "It looks like-" And the box exploded ______________________ Canterlot, Castle halls ______________________ "You think Chrysalis found the gift we left her?" "Yeah. It's just a minor shock wave bomb, so it's not strong enough to kill her. But it'll at least send her through a wall or two." Both Jet and the light grey pegasus with a grey mane and tail with silver and black streaks and a cutie mark of a swirling vortex of wind he was walking with fell to the floor as they burst out laughing. "If she didn't before, she'll totally want my head for that now." Jet got back up and smiled. "Kae'lik, your crazy, you know that?" "Hey hey, I'm not Kae'lik in this form, remember? I'm Burst Hurricane. Keep it on the down-low." "Oh yeah. C'mon, the team's waiting on us. " "Right." Kae'lik rose to his hooves as well as he thought about how far he'd come at this point. *I've finally found them: happiness, friends, power. Jet kept his word. I've left behind my old, meaningless life to live this one. A life where I matter. Where I have friends, and something to fight for. Good going Kae'lik, you finally made the right choice.* "C'mon scrub, the team's still waiting!" Jet called out to "Burst." Kae'lik looked out the window to the sky and noticed how beautiful a day it was before jogging after Jet.