Shade practically interrogated the TEK members that had encountered Nova. He left no stone unturned in learning everything regarding the situation.
He learned the nature of the texts and artifacts Nova was stealing, and although all the stolen items were recovered, Nova had clearly gotten everything he needed from them based on what Shade saw he was now capable of. Shade also learned that Jet had in fact informed Princess Celestia of Nova's return, and that they currently had teams of guards searching for him. He's clearly been alluding them.
Knowing that not only his team, but also Celestia was keeping such a major secret from him was really getting to Shade, along with fears of what other tricks Nova might still be hiding up his sleeve. It seemed as though Shade could explode at any moment from the great deal of stress and anxiety currently weighing upon him, and everypony could sense it. Nevertheless, Shade was strongly convinced he needed to be a part of the search for Nova before he could finish whatever he was planning.
Much to Shade's disliking, however, his desire would have to wait, as Celestia had assigned him and other TEK members on a mission to Equestria's mountain range in the Frozen North.
The harsh air whipped all around the heavily-layered TEK members. The Frozen North of Equestria was a cruel and merciless place where only the toughest of creatures could survive, and anypony who wished to travel through it needed to be just as tough.
Thousands of miles above sea level, TEK struggled to force their way through the thick blizzard that they'd found themselves stuck in. Jet, who was leading the way, looked behind himself to the three ponies, zebra, and Changeling trailing him.
Shade didn't seem to be having too much of a problem toughing through the snow. Although his mind was troubled, physically he was A-OK. Only his horn was visible through his thick coat, scarf, goggles, snow boots, and snow pants.
Zecora, assigned the role of navigator, was a relatively strong zebra, moderately clad and trudging through the deep snow like it was a stroll in the park.
Ditzy wasn't initially assigned, but had insisted on joining. She was starting to regret that decision, however, as she was having a very difficult time. Ditzy wasn't weak, but the intense, freezing winds worsened her already unstable balance into a wobbly mess.
Then there was Bulk, who only wore goggles, a winter cap, and a sweat jacket, his thick muscle keeping his body heat insulated at a comfortable temperature. He laughed at the so-called cold his teammates struggled to endure.
Kae'lik was at the back of the party. Although he didn't appear to be having a hard time exactly, he did seem a bit… off.
Jet sighed to himself.
*Better find some shelter. This storm is gonna get even worse and we won't last much longer out here. Except maybe Bulk.*
He focused his gaze, peering far into the blizzard. In the distance he could make out a small dot. Using his pegasus magic he briefly cleared the view with a swift air current, allowing him to see that it was a cave opening. A few minutes later, TEK reached the cave and set up camp inside. Shade had started a fire from some wood he'd stored in his saddlebag and a small energy blast. He certainly came on this mission prepared.
Ditzy was the first to finish removing her gear.
"Gah... That coat gets really heavy after a while... I felt like I was gonna fall over the whole time."
"AAAACHOO!"
Everyone suddenly stopped and looked to Kae'lik, who smiled sheepishly. Jet raised a curious eyebrow.
"Kae'lik... did you just sneeze?"
Kae'lik spoke in sniffles.
"Hehe, yeah... Changelings don't really do too well in the cold... ahh.. ahhh.. AAACHOOO!"
Shade shook his head.
"Why didn't you tell us this before we brought you along? Celestia would've let you stay behind."
Kae'lik shugged.
"I wanted to come along. I knew that if I told you, you would have made me stay back at base, and I'm tired of staying there all the time."
TEK eyed Kae'lik curiously.
"...N-not that there's anything wrong with Vinyl's basement, it just gets boring after a while."
"...Uh-huh. Well hopefully our coming out here will be worth your little 'sniffles.'"
Jet nodded with a chuckle.
"It will be Shade, once we get what we came for. Zecora, care to explain once again?"
Zecora nodded.
"In these mountains grow a rare plant, and pass up this opportunity, we simply can't. It only blooms once a year, and it is so rare it can only be found here. If picked at the right time, It can be used for the good of all ponykind. Its number of uses is endless... This plant is truly stupendous!"
Jet chimed back in.
"The 'Cabracia,' as its called, can be used to cure tons of diseases. Its practically a wonder-plant. Unfortunately, like Zecora said, it only blooms once a year, and only in these mountains. And because these mountains are so hard to get through, it hasn't been picked in quite a while. We're hoping to get a nice harvest this year."
Ditzy cheered happily.
"Cool! Do you know where it is?"
After fully removing his gear, Shade stepped up again.
"Very little is known about these ridiculous mountains. But with Zecora's help, we've made a map of the general area where it's said to grow. Once we got it, I'll portal us as far as I can. Hopefully that'll be near the train station back to Canterlot or something."
Ditzy seemed like she understood the situation. She got up and looked out the cave entrance and into the storm. She could barely see anything anymore.
"Whoa, its getting pretty bad out there... Good call bringing us in here, Jet."
"Yeah, I'm not sure *sniff* how much more I could have taken *sniff.*"
Jet took off his saddle bags and rolled out the few sleeping bags he had. Bulk had carried the rest on his back.
"Alright team, let's call it a night. We've got a long day ahead of us tomorrow and we gotta cover a lot of ground if we want to reach the Cabracia."
And with that, everyone tucked in their sleeping bags and eventually went to sleep around the fire.
_________________
Midnight
_________________
"GAH!"
In one frightened jolt, Ditzy had gone from sleeping comfortably in her sleeping bag to sitting up straight as an arrow.
*Stupid nightmares...*
Looking around she saw all of her teammates fast asleep except for Jet, who was now awake.
"Hey... is everything okay, Ditz? I heard you scream..."
Jet's manner and voice were both groggy and begging for more sleep. Ditzy raised her hooves up.
"No no, everything's fine... It was just a nightmare..."
Ditzy looked deep into the cave. TEK was stationed close to the entrance of the cave, and everything beyond the reach of the fire's azure light was unknown. When they first reached the cave Jet flew deeper into it, and returned claiming it was safe and that the cave was empty.
"You said this cave was empty right?"
Jet weakly nodded.
"Yeah, I didn't see anything... *Yawn* It's just a dead end..."
Ditzy nodded.
"Okay... I guess I'll go explore for a little while I'm up. Now go back to bed, sleepy head."
Ditzy giggled as Jet simply fell back down onto his sleeping bag pillow.
"You don't have to tell me twice... Just be careful..."
And with another yawn he was out cold like the others.
Ditzy grabbed a nearby stick and stuck one end in the now weakening fire. Once it caught the flames and began to burn with a blue light, she held it in her right wing and began her journey deeper into the cave.
She walked down the large tunnel that was comprised mostly of rock, covered with a only a few sheets of ice in some areas. The wall was rough and rugged, even sharp in some places. After walking for about three minutes she entered a larger cavern. It was dome-shaped and at the top were stalactites, some at least a meter long. The flame's light reflected wonderfully off of the ice-covered spires, lighting up the entire cavern.
"Whooooaaaa, this is amazing! Wait... Huh? What's this?"
Ditzy got closer to a portion of a wall. In a cave made of almost pure, slightly frosted stone, a wall of solid ice seemed odd. Placing her hoof on the cool surface sent a chill throughout her body.
"What is this doing here? How did an ice wall even form?"
Suddenly Ditzy heard a loud crack.
"What-"
The ice wall shattered and sent Ditzy crashing through the other side. She hit the cold, hard ground with a thump, dropping her torch.
"...Owww..."
Getting up and inspecting her surroundings, Ditzy discovered that it was just another smaller cavern. Unlike the larger cavern, however, this one was completely covered in...
"Snow? Why is this entire room covered in snow?"
Looking down in front of herself she saw that the torch's blue flame had extinguished in the snow. Further up ahead she saw something else strange.
"What's this ball thing?"
Sitting on the ground wedged - almost intentionally, it seemed - in the snow was a small, glistening orb of ice. Ditzy reached forward and tugged it out of the snow, almost dropping it.
"Whoops! It's kinda slippery, hehe..."
Upon closer inspection, Ditzy saw that its surface was rough with many edges, as well as tiny holes all around it. Its shape was a rough oval, rather than a smooth orb, almost like a hoofball or an egg made of crystalline ice. The easily-amused mare smiled at the strange object.
"This is cool! I'll keep it as a souvenir!"
She then placed it under her wing and headed back to camp.
Meanwhile the snow the "orb" was nestled in began to stir…..
_______________
"C'mooonnn Jet, can we take a break now?"
Jet raised an eyebrow at Ditzy.
"But we've only been walking for ten minutes."
"But I'm so tired... Cut me some slack."
Jet sighed.
"Sorry, but we need to cover more ground if we wanna get to the Cabracia on schedule. Besides, it's a nice day. We don't even have to wear our goggles."
It was true. The sun was shining through the clouds and the wind speeds were low. Perfect conditions for mountain climbing.
"Okay....."
Jet smiled and continued to lead the team up the mountain, until suddenly he heard Shade's voice.
"...Jet."
Jet turned back around to his friend, who displayed a serious expression. The look on Shade's face immediately told Jet something was wrong.
"Yeah?"
Shade paused, and looked around the area.
"...We're surrounded."
Jet's eyes narrowed.
"What is it?"
Shade waited a little while longer, still looking around before he closed his eyes and shook his head.
"I have no idea. Never felt this kind of presence before. It doesn't even feel... alive."
Jet concentrated and listened closely to the wind in his ears, faintly picking up specific sound waves in the air.
"Yeah... I hear them... About ten of them; I can tell from the heartbeats, if they even are heartbeats..."
Shade nodded. The rest of TEK was busy trembling in suspenseful fear.
"Yeah... The air is resonating with their magical energy."
Jet took a deep breath.
"Anything could pop out. You ready?"
"Yeah. They're moving in closer now... If we're gonna do something we better do it now. Want me to teleport us outta here?"
"Let's hope that won't be needed. We'll see what they are and what they want first. They might be peaceful..."
TEK waited anxiously, anticipating any signs of something approaching or other sudden movements. Suddenly the snow in front of them exploded, clouds of white kicking up into the sky and raining down around them. Shielding their eyes from the chaotic flurries, TEK heard a deep, powerful growl of the most terrifying nature.
"...OR NOT!"
In front of Jet and the others was a roughly two-and-a-half-meter tall, hairy beast. Its pure white fur blended in perfectly with the white snow, and was so dense that it concealed any discernible features. Not even its legs or face. Its arms, however, were large and raised high into the air with clenched fists, ready to be slam down with great force.
"EVERYBODY GET DOWN!"
Zecora, Bulk, Vinyl, Kae'lik, and Ditzy did as Shade commanded and dropped down onto the snow-covered ground.
Suddenly, nine more of the hairy beasts exploded out of the snow, completely surrounding TEK. Deafening roars and growls filled the air.
Shade formed a barrier shield around them just in time as the first beast's meter-long arm slammed down. The force of the impact made Shade flinch.
"Gah! These things pack a punch! What are these things?"
Jet looked closely and then back to Shade and the rest of TEK, most of which was still laying on the ground in fear.
"They look like Abominable Snow, but that can't be possible... They where said to have gone extinct hundreds of years ago!"
Shade flinched again from another impact.
"Apparently not- GAH! These things are so strong! My shield won't last much longer!"
Jet took another deep breath and flared out his wings in pre-flap position.
Shade knew what was going on. He'd seen this before.
*...He's charging power...*
After about three seconds, Jet's wings started to glow a faint blue. Looking to Shade, Jet gave him the signal.
"Lower the shield."
Hesitantly, Shade lowered the shield, but only for a moment as he reformed it around everyone except Jet.
As soon as he was exposed, Jet raised his wings and flapped down as hard as he could. The force of the massive amount of energy being released through a powerful air gust sent a large boom throughout the mountain. The shock wave proved to be too strong for the Abominable Snow monsters, sending all of them flying at least five meters away, crashing down onto the snowy ground away from TEK. The snow beneath where they landed was sent flying in great quantities into the air, creating a misty cloud and giving TEK a nice snow cloak for a clean get away.
Shade once again lowered the shield and TEK retreated. Once a safe distance away, TEK stopped to catch their breath under the shelter of a large flat rock protruding from the mountainside that made a makeshift cave. Shade looked to Jet in exhausted confusion.
"What was that all about? Why'd they attack us like that?"
Jet rubbed his chin.
"I don't know... History describes them as very docile and even gentle creatures. There are no reports of them ever attacking ponies..."
Vinyl looked up from catching her breath, still panting and wheezing from the intense retreat.
"Perhaps the cave we slept in last night was enough to make their anger ignite. Maybe we were intruding in their land, and that's what caused hostility so grand."
"AH-CHOO!!! *sniff* Yeah, I think Zecora's right. Most animals are aggressive when they find intruders in their territory."
Jet still thought about it though. Something wasn't quite adding up.
"I'm not sure that was the reason... If it was, why would they wait until we left the cave, instead of ambushing us as soon as we entered? Nothing's really making sense here..."
Shade decided to share his own thoughts on the matter.
"Yes but the cave..."
And as the rest of TEK grouped up, discussing what could have happened, Ditzy sat alone in the back, thinking to herself.
*Could it be that weird thing I grabbed last night?*
Opening her bag she saw the oval of ice was still there.
*No, it can't be. Why would they even care about this thing?*
"Ditz?"
Ditzy snapped out of her concentration and looked up at Jet.
"Is everything okay? You spaced out for a second there."
Ditzy nervously smiled.
"Yeah yeah, everything's fine, nothing weird going on here. What's in my bag? Oh nothing, just some mountain supplies. What were you implying? I'm not acting strange, you are!"
TEK just stared at her before Jet just slowly nodded his head.
"Yeeaaaaah right, okay. Let's get a move on everyone. We still have a mission to do."
There were a few groans but they did as they were told. As they continued up the mountain, reaching a large plateau, the weather turned for the worst. The snowstorm from the night before had returned with a vengeance.
"JET!!!"
Shade called out to his leader, whom he could barely see through the raging snowstorm. TEK would have brought their multi-vision glasses, but they weren't designed for this kind of intense weather.
"IT'S TOO BAD OUT HERE! WE GOTTA STOP!"
Jet looked back at his team through his frost covered goggles.
*He's right... I shouldn't have made us go this far... This snow storm is so thick even MY eyes are having trouble.*
Turning around, Jet could just make out Shade struggling behind him.
"CAN YOU SEE ANYTHING WE CAN USE FOR SHELTER?"
Shade squinted as he scanned the area for a while. Suddenly his eyes widened in horror when he sensed something wrong.
"JET! WATCH OUT!"
Just then, the snow in front of Shade exploded just like before, this time separating Jet from the rest of the team.
Before Shade could even react, a giant, white, and hairy arm slammed into Shade from his right, knocking the wind out of him.
"UUUWAAAGH!!!!"
Shade was sent flying several meters away, far out of eyesight in the intense snowstorm. The Abominable Snow roared ferociously.
Suddenly snow all around TEK was exploding, revealing the ten huge and hairy beasts.
Jet instantly got serious.
*This is bad... This is very bad...*
They were surrounded. Jet alone was surrounded by five of the beasts, and they were constantly roaring and growling at him. All Jet could do was prepare for an attack.
Bulk, Zecora, Kae'lik, and Ditzy were surrounded by the rest of the Abominable Snow, but they seemed to be specifically focusing on Ditzy.
*What's going on? We have to be out of their territory by now... Why are they still chasing us? Does it have something to do with Ditz?*
Suddenly it dawned on him. He remembered the only reason an Abominable Snow would act so aggressively, and Ditzy's strange behavior earlier.
"DITZ! GIVE THEM THE-"
Jet was unable to finish before a giant limb the size of his entire body slammed down. He just barely managed to dodge, but the force of the arm sent a wall of snow shooting up on both sides of the limb.
The wall of snow forced Jet back, but then suddenly his hoof slipped on slippery ice. He placed his back left hoof further back to find some suitable ground, but instead found empty space. Instantly Jet's pupils shrank to the size of pin tips.
He tried to lean forward and pull himself back up but it was too late, and he found himself falling back off the ledge leading to the giant abyss below. Immediately he tried to open his wings and fly back to the plateau... except he had covered them up under his coat when the cold weather turned extreme.
*So… this is how it ends, huh?*
Finally, Jet began free-falling to his doom... until something suddenly grabbed him by the back of his coat collar.
Jet looked up and saw one of the Abominable Snow holding onto him. The only thing keeping Jet alive was this creature's grasp on him. Looking down all he saw was seemingly endless darkness, with no bottom in sight. As grateful as Jet was, he was also very confused.
Meanwhile, the rest of TEK stood in complete shock. Although Jet was alive in reality, from TEK's perspective he had slipped off the cliff and fell to his end. It didn't help that the Abominable Snow that had actually saved him was blocking all view of Jet.
Bulk and Kae'lik hung their heads down, Zecora's expression was that of pure shock, and Ditzy was completely devastated.
"No… No way… Jet… Th-this can't be happening..."
All of this was her fault, she was sure of it, and it was then she truly regretted her insisting on coming along on this mission.
Zecora looked to the team, and then back to the five enclosing Abominable Snow. As hurt and afraid as she was, she knew that Jet had told her that if anything ever happened to both him and Shade, she was the next one in charge. Jet had given her a command to protect TEK, and that's what she planned on doing now.
Zecora turned to her team and saw that they were broken. With both of their leaders gone, they were like sheep without a shepherd, and if they didn't do something soon, they would all end up like chopped lamb.
"Do not give up hope now, learn why our escape they cannot allow! Jet and Shade gave us a mission, and we will complete with or without these creatures' permission! Stand up and fight, and let your courage take flight!"
Zecora's speech seemed to motivate the remaining TEK members enough to enable them to face the present situation.
Kae'lik rose out of his gloom and readied himself.
"There's no way we can take on so many of these creatures, *sniff* but I know that they wouldn't keep attacking us for no reason. There must be *sniff* something they want from us."
All of a sudden an Abominable Snow was standing right above Ditzy, its fist raised and ready to strike. She could do nothing but be terrified as the giant fist came closer and closer.
Ditzy closed her eyes and clenched her teeth before she heard a loud boom and then a few loud growls. Opening her eyes she found Bulk's bulky figure in front of her. Amazingly he had caught and stopped the giant fist with his rippling, muscular biceps.
"B-Bulk…"
"YEAAHH!!!"
Bulk's coat was beginning to tear from the pressure as he grappled with the Abominable Snow, and he was clearly having trouble keeping it in check.
The other Abominable Snow nearby growled furiously, and before Bulk knew it, a giant fist crashed into his left side, echoing with another small boom, but like a boss Bulk still stood tall. In fact, it seemed to make him angrier.
In a swift movement Bulk swung the giant fist, and the entire Abominable Snow, to his left, slamming it into the one that had hit him. The two crashed into each other and fell to the ground in a mass of growls and hair.
Kae'lik, Ditzy, and Zecora were impressed.
"YEAH!"
"WAY TO GO BULK!"
"EXCELLENT WORK!"
Bulk gave a mighty "YEAAHH," but quickly backed up as the other three Abominable Snow surrounding them began moving in on him, more ferocious then ever.
By now, however, Kae'lik had finally built up enough energy to pull off a new technique he had been training to develop. There was a bright flash of green flames, and as they dissipated they revealed Kae'lik in the form of a dark gray, rocky carnivore.
"Stone Wolf..."
Ditzy whispered as she and Zecora witnessed the now Stone Wolf version of Kae'lik jump forward, snarling and growling with his ears pointed back. He was only half the size of the wolves Jet and Shade faced months ago, clocking in at about a meter in height and a meter and a half in length. Kae'lik's transformation seemed to make the Abominable Snow withdraw slightly. Two of the other Abominable Snow from over where Jet had been saw the commotion and came over. Now TEK had seven beasts to deal with.
There was now a standoff between a flexing Bulk, a snarling Stone Wolf, and seven outraged Abominable Snow. The cold air and blizzard was filled with growls and roars.
While the standoff continued, Zecora and Ditzy stayed back. Both were watching, wondering what would happen next.
______________
Back at the cliff, Jet, who was still being held up by one of the Abominable Snow, could hear all the crazy growls and other animalistic noises.
*What the heck is going on up there? I've been screaming to them this entire time. I guess this storm is blocking out my voice. Those loud growls aren't helping either. I sure hope they know what they're doing...*
______________
"We have no idea what we're doing…"
Ditzy admitted as TEK had backed up so far that they were now backed up against the side of the mountain. With nowhere left to go, all the two mares could do was watch as Kae'lik decided to make the first move. The false Stone Wolf pounced up… only to be slammed back down with incredible force by one of the Abominable Snow who suddenly appeared. A dog-like yelp escaped Kae'lik's mouth.
Bulk tried to jump in and help but suddenly two Abominable Snow jumped him, blocking him from helping his friend. Bulk took a swing at the closest Abominable Snow, landing a solid hit in its gut, but it wasn't very effective. The second one punched him in the back, forcing him to the ground.
Another one raised its arm to slam down on Kae'lik again before a transparent blue wall appeared out of thin air, making the incoming fist bounce off and forcing the Abominable Snow back.
"ENOUGH!!!"
All sounds ceased. The very howls of the intense wind seemed to quiet themselves in fear. The entire storm was blocked out, and looking up, TEK could see a giant blue dome surrounding the entire plateau.
The air became calm and clear, revealing Shade approaching from the left. Zecora and Ditzy were filled with newfound hope and started cheering, glad to see Shade still alive.
Shade, however, was in no mood for such joyful celebration, his face full of anger. His head was pounding, his body half-covered in snow and scrapes.
His horn was glowing intensely as the wall he had created to protect Kae'lik began to shift around the seven Abominable Snow that were around TEK. He caged them together, and despite them constantly hitting his force field, Shade's intense focus kept them in check.
Shade looked back to TEK, who was all huddled together in fear, but Shade didn't see Jet. Looking around, he didn't see Jet anywhere.
"...Where's Jet?"
TEK all looked down in sadness. None of them knew how to break the news to Shade. Shade was confused until finally, Zecora pointed to the cliff a few meters away, where three Abominable Snow still stood huddled together. Shade stood still for a moment, until the realization dawned on him.
"WHAT!?"
Jet heard the enraged voice of his friend echo through the sky. He wanted to say something, now that he could tell the storm had died down somehow, but being held by only his coat collar was beginning to take its effect, and his collar was starting to choke him and make it difficult to breathe, let alone speak.
Back on the plateau, TEK watched in agony as Shade began falling apart. He dropped to his knees, his eyes shut tightly as they stung from hot tears of pain. His teeth clenched and he slammed a hoof down on the cold ground.
Watching Shade only added to TEK's grief and soon they too gave way to tears. Suddenly, they heard Shade's somber voice.
"...Continue up the mountain. Finish the mission..."
Ditzy looked to Shade with increasing worry.
"But, Shade... What about you?"
"Go... Leave, now."
Ditzy and the others hesitated, but reluctantly began continuing up the path leading further up the mountain. Kae'lik reverted to his normal self and he and Bulk got up to leave as well.
Shade sat alone in the snow, completely still and silent. The Abominable Snow watched him curiously as he appeared to be doing nothing. The barrier around them was beginning to weaken as well. The gray unicorn seemed to have given up completely.
But in actuality, Shade was diverting his power and focus from the barrier to plan something else...
______________
While TEK slowly made their way up the mountain, they kept thinking about the strangeness of the Abominable Snow's actions so far.
"I still don't understand... Why did they follow us again? What is it they want from us?"
Zecora didn't have an answer for Kae'lik, for she had her own questions. For instance, she found it curious that three of the creatures had remained by the cliff away from everyone else. Two of the Abominable Snow were blocking all view from the third, who didn't appear to be doing anything at all. Its "face" - you couldn't really see it but could tell its head was turned - had been focused on what was going on, however, like it was waiting for something to happen.
*Was he waiting for us to surrender, or for something else we need to render? There must be a reason they target us specifically, for they are not attacking critically...*
As they continued moving, Ditzy's mind grew increasingly troubled. She couldn't stop thinking about Jet, still struggling to believe he was gone, and seeing Shade's pained reaction only made her feel worse.
*...This is all my fault...*
Ditzy stopped walking and looked at her bag. She opened it and pulled out the glistening orb of ice, still trying to piece together why the beasts would want it so bad.
Then finally, the realization hit her like a train.
*...It's an egg...*
TEK realized she had not been following and stopped to turn and look to her. She was holding a strange object tightly, facing behind her to where they had left Shade and the Abominable Snow behind.
She knew what she had to do.
"Ditzy no! What're you doing!?"
Kae'lik yelled after Ditzy as she bolted back the way they came.
"Giving them what they want!"
TEK looked at each other and then quickly hurried after the fleeing mare.
Rounding a few corners along the mountain path, Ditzy made her way back to the scene of confrontation. She was not expecting what she ended up discovering.
The atmosphere had changed drastically as Shade's entire body began to emanate with a faint but sinister aura. Small electrical charges could be seen flashing in and out around his horn, and his blue eyes were glowing, filled with streaming tears and a burning rage.
Ditzy wasn't sure exactly what Shade was planning, but she knew it could hardly be anything good. She had to act quickly, so she sprinted over to the trapped and now huddled Abominable Snow.
When Ditzy was about a meter from the beasts, she skidded to a halt and took notice of the barrier. It was flickering weakly and looked like it could be easily shattered. Ditzy turned herself around and delivered a strong bucking kick against the shield as hard as she could. Her hind legs broke through with one forceful strike, sending glass-like shards of energy flying and fading away, as well as setting the creatures free. She turned around and pulled out of her bag the ice egg she found in the cave the night before. The Abominable Snow watched the mare carefully as Ditzy gently handed the egg over to them, and backed away slightly.
"DITZY, GET AWAY!"
Ditzy turned back to see that Shade now had his horn aimed directly at the beasts, with a deadly-looking orb of azure energy charging up at the tip. His shrunken pupils and clenched teeth conveyed all of his intense feelings of pain and hatred, and he was clearly intending to act on them.
"Shade stop! You don't have to hurt them! They only wanted their egg back that I took from them... there's no need to keep fighting!"
By now the others had finally caught up to Ditzy to witness the chaos she had just gotten herself right in the middle of, and they watched in horror, paralyzed with fear.
"THEY KILLED JET! THEY KILLED MY BEST FRIEND, AND I'M GOING TO MAKE THEM PAY!"
"Jet wouldn't want this, Shade! Please stop!"
"MOVE, DITZY. NOW."
Ditzy, terrified as she was, stood her ground. Her own pain swelled up within her, tears returning to her eyes.
At the same time, the Abominable Snow who were near the edge saw that the others had the egg now, and suddenly, Jet felt himself rise as the beast holding him lifted him up, bringing him back onto solid ground.
All Jet could do at first was cough and take a deep breath, but he quickly analyzed the situation, and his eyes widened in horror. To his left, he saw Ditzy standing in front of the other Abominable Snow, and to his right, Shade charging his aimed horn, and he knew exactly what was happening.
*Oh no... He's gonna fire a devastation blast... I gotta stop him before he kills the Abominable Snow, and Ditz along with them!*
Jet tore off his coat without hesitation. Being cold would have to wait for now, as he needed his wings now more than ever. Launching himself with great speed, Jet flew several meters directly towards Shade.
Time slowed as TEK saw a familiar orange blur speeding past them, and as Ditzy watched in shock as Jet grabbed Shade and pulled his head back to aim his blast away from the beasts and herself just a second before Shade fired the blue sphere of energy, causing it to fly off unguided into the sky while Jet and Shade fell backwards onto the ground.
Suddenly, high above among the gray clouds, a huge explosion went off. The shock wave evaporated a large portion of the clouds, revealing part of the pure white sky.
Ditzy fainted almost immediately.
At first Shade only experienced massive disorientation, but when he saw Jet beside him in the snow breathing heavily, he felt extremely confused.
*Jet...?*
And soon he too fell unconscious.
The rest of TEK quickly scurried to their leader and fellow teammates, while the Abominable Snow regrouped and made their leave.
________________
"Those creatures were smart. The second time they attacked us they first took out Shade, who they figured was the biggest threat. Next they tried to get me out of the picture, so they led me off the cliff. That one Abominable Snow grabbed me either as insurance or because he simply didn't want me to die. Or both. When you guys finally handed them what they wanted they released me. If you hadn't, he might have dropped me. Then, I saw what was going on and acted quickly to save the other Abominable Snow and Ditzy. After watching me save their own kind, the other Abominable Snow no longer saw me as a threat and left us alone, taking the egg Ditzy gave back with them."
Jet had explained all that had happened to his team, based on what he saw and figured out. It sounded almost unbelievable to TEK, even after just recently experiencing it. Kae'lik tilted his head in confusion.
"Wait, so that ice ball thing was... an egg?"
"Yeah. Explains why they fought so aggressively for it."
Jet then turned to Zecora.
"I'm proud of you, Zecora. You took the lead in the absence of both me and Shade and gave TEK the strength and will to keep fighting. Had you not done so, things might have turned out very differently."
Zecora nodded humbly.
Currently TEK was huddled together in a cave they found a little further up the mountain. They had each told their version of what happened and Jet was explaining everything. He looked to Kae'lik and Bulk.
"I'm also proud of you two. You both took action and defended your fellow team members as best as you could. Very well done."
"YEAAHH!!!"
"Thank you, commander."
Then Jet looked to Ditzy with a serious frown.
"Ditz, I'm highly disappointed in you. You put all of our lives at risk by taking something without knowing what it was, and then not telling us what you found. If you had shown it to me before, I could have told you that it was an egg. I understand that you eventually forgot it was in your bag for a while, but you still endangered the entire team."
Ditzy looked down in shame as she awkwardly clutched her rolled up sleeping bag. One could even see a small tear fall from her eye.
"However, you did eventually realize the problem, and put yourself at risk to protect the innocent creatures. I am proud of the courage you showed."
The sudden commendation made Ditzy's heart race slightly, her cheeks briefly displaying a hint of red.
Finally, Jet turned to Shade, who couldn't even face anyone, let alone Jet, and had been silent this entire time.
"And Shade… need I even say anything?"
Shade's already lowered head dropped even further down in shame. His tears were much more evident.
Jet shook his head and sighed.
"The past is in the past, and there's no point in sulking over things that already happened. But make sure this never happens again, understand?"
They all said "yes" in unison, some voices more faint than others.
"Excellent. Now, let's get back to this mission so we can go home. We've got a heck of a report to give when we return."