//------------------------------// // A Pack Of Wolves // Story: Dancing In The Shadows // by Bluecatcinema //------------------------------// Echo and Sunset's carriage descended upon the countryside in the south of Equestria, not far from the little town of Daleshire. Echo was wearing a jacket and scarf, while Sunset wore a travel shawl over her pregnant belly. "Thank you, gentlestallions." Echo told the Pegasus Guards pulling the carriage. "We will send word for you when we are ready to return." "Understood, Mr, Alchemy." One of the guards nodded. "And... y'know, good luck." The other Guard smiled. "We're all rootin' for you to deal with this mess, just like you did the last one." "That's the basic idea." Echo nodded. "Not so easy to put into practice, though..." "Don't be so negative." Sunset nuzzled him. "Things will work out just fine." "We hope to hear from your soon." The first Guard smiled. "Give those Shadow Stooges one from me!" The second Guard chuckled. The Pegasi pulled the carriage back into the skies. "Good to know some ponies still have faith in you, huh?" Sunset smiled. "Indeed." Echo declared, pulling out a map. "Okay, Daleshire should be due East." "You know, this really is a lovely place." Sunset declared. "And to be honest, I'm not seeing any signs of 'terrorist activity'. I was half-expecting this place to be a war zone, but it's perfectly normal." "It would seem so, yes." Echo nodded. "But might I suggest we reserve our opinions until we get a closer look? That would, after all, be the most logical place to begin our search for the elusive Shadow Stalkers." "After you." Sunset nodded. The newlyweds walked through the serene countryside, which, as Sunset had noted seemed to not bear any signs of conflict. As they continued their trek, they came across a small forest. "Here we are." Echo declared. "According to our anonymous letter, the Shadow Stalkers should be within these woods." "And why exactly couldn't we have had the Guards land us a little closer?" Sunset asked testily. "Because we couldn't risk the Shadow Stalkers seeing us." Echo answered. "Sometimes, I really hate it when you make sense." Sunset scowled. "Let's just get this over with." "My thoughts exactly." Echo nodded. "I've never really been one for forests. Too many trees, and all that..." As they entered the forest, they felt a distinct chill in the air. Ignoring it, they continued onward. As they kept going, they got the distinct impression that they were being watched. A quartet of cloaked ponies were indeed following them. They spoke in whispers as they stalked their prey. "Oh, no..." One of them, a mare, sighed. "Intruders. Looks like trouble." "We gotta gotta these fools offa our turf!" One stallion remarked, his voice that of a street-smart wiseguy "Verily." Another stallion nodded. "They have the look of trouble about them. We must remove them from our forest post-haste... by force, if necessary." "That's what I'm talkin' about!" The first stallion nodded. "Let's kick 'em to the kerb!" "Easy there." A third stallion, easily the biggest declared. "We don't know know if they're here by themselves, or if they have back-up." "I doubt they have back-up." The second stallion said haughtily. "Though the Thestral has a refined air to him, neither one seem to have the feel of organisation to them. They are alone." "Oh, good." The mare sighed. "I was worried we were gonna be in real trouble..." "Exactly." The first stallion scowled. "Those two are here to mix things up. Well, we're gonna mix 'em up first." As the cloaked ponies moved closer, Sunset sensed their movement. "Echo..." She whispered. "I know." Echo said quietly, the microcrystals from under his jacket quivering (which he called forth, just in case they ran into trouble). "I can feel it too." "What should we do?" Sunset asked. "Just play along." Echo told her. "Let them make the first move. It's the best way to convince them we're not hostile." "Great plan." Sunset scowled. As they continued walking, hooded figures darted between the trees, closing in on them. As they reached a clearing, their stalkers decided to make their move. In the blink of an eye, Echo and Sunset found themselves surrounded on all sides by the quartet of ponies, their dark cloaks concealing their bodies. They varied in sizes, with one being really big and muscular, and another small and meek, and two others that were more or less similar in sizes. "Ah, the welcoming committee." Echo said nonchalantly. "Am I to assume you are the elusive Shadow Stalkers we've heard so little about?" "That is none of your concern." The third cloaked pony, the big one, announced in a deep masculine voice. "This forest is our land. And unfortunately, we don't take kindly to trespassers. I would kindly advise that you leave here before we are forced to make you." "No can do." Sunset retorted. "We have a mission to accomplish. You guys have been causing some trouble around here. And we've been sent to put a stop to it." "So, the normals have finally seen fit to come after us, eh?" The third stallion asked, though he sounded disappointed. "I knew this day would come..." "I knew it was only a matter of time..." The female said, sounding very depressed. "That's not what she meant." Echo insisted. "And we're supposed to believe that?" The second stallion growled. "The lies do flow from your lips like the sweetest honey, though they are as sour as the most tart lemon juice!" "It's the truth." Sunset insisted. "More like lies." The first stallion growled. "What? The po-pos couldn't be bothered to deal with us, so they sent some nerd and a fat chick to bring us in? Pa-thetic!" "We'll see how 'pa-thetic' it is when this 'fat chick' kicks you in the face." Sunset shot back. "We mean you no harm." Echo insisted. "We are here to talk, not fight." "We've heard that one before." The third stallion spat. "And we're not falling for it again. Either you leave now, or we'll resort to violence." "Sunset, take cover." Echo whispered. "I need to teach these ponies some manners." "Alone?" Sunset frowned. "But I can help!" "We can't risk the foal." Echo retorted. "You know how powerful they can be. Please, listen." "Okay." Sunset nodded. "Good luck." Sunset rushed behind some trees. "Where do you think you're going?" The second stallion snarled. "Exit, stage left, perhaps? I think not. Nopony leaves until the final curtain falls!" "If you want her, you'll have to go through me." Echo flared his wings. "Sounds like fun." The first stallion sneered. "All two seconds of it." "I knew it would come to this." The third stallion sighed. "It doesn't have to." Echo declared. "So you keep saying." The big pony tore off his cloak, as Echo's eyes widened. The cloak did little to hide the stallion's size, but he could now see that the stallion was immense. He was a dirty white hulk of a stallion, with a short black mane, combed and showing a broad forehead. His dark blue eyes were shielded by small square glasses. His flank was adorned with a striped flag that was red and with with a blue square, with white stars within the blue. He possessed hairy fetlocks, like most large stallions, and size to put even the likes of Big Red and Iron Hooves to shame. "I knew this day was going to be a downer." The mare sighed. Unlike her big friend, she simply took her cloak off. She was a medium sized Unicorn with gray eyes, a light blue coat and a dark blue mane, which fell in a curtain around her face. She wasn't exactly ugly, but she wasn't beautiful either, especially with the dour expression that lay on her face. Her Cutie Mark was of a tear drop. "I'll go first." The giant stallion offered, as he then slipped his glasses off and placed them in a satchel around his waist. "If that's okay with you, my dear?" He asked the mare. "Sure, why not?" The depressed female shrugged. Echo grimaced as the giant stallion approached him menacingly. "Get ready to be pounded, Thestral!" He roared, throwing forth his right hoof. Just before the hoof connected, Echo brought forth his crystals, bursting his jacket open as it caught his hoof. "What the-?!" The giant stallion gaped. "You're a Nightcrawler too?" "That I am." Echo nodded. "Now do you believe me when I say I am not your enemy?" "Don't listen to him, Nano!" The third cloaked pony called. "Nightcrawler or not, he's still on the side of the normals! He's a traitor to his own kind! A regular Brutus!" "That's so depressing..." The depressed female sighed. "I am no traitor." Echo insisted. "I'm trying to help you." "We don't want your help!" The giant stallion, apparently named Nano, growled, pulling his hoof free of the crystals. "We want to make Equestria a better place for our kind! Enable peace, prosperity, and happiness! And we don't need the likes of you butting in!" "I didn't want to have to hurt you, but you left me no choice!" Echo snarled, as he threw his hoof forward, sending a torrent of crystals right at Nano, with a force of a cannon blast. However, despite such a powerful blow, Nano stood in place, grinning, as his eyes were now wisping. Once the torrent had faded, Echo gaped in shock as the part of Nano's body where he struck was now coated in chromed metal. With a chuckle, Nano simply swept the microcrystals off the metal skin. "What the... what kind of dark magic is that?" Echo whispered. "Hmph... nanomachines, son." Nano declared, as the metal skin turned to normal. "Response to physical trauma within seconds and withstand a herd of stampeding buffalos... ten even..." He then stepped forth. "Now, where were we?!" Nano charged at Echo. Despite his size, Nano was throwing strong punches with agilty and precision. At will, his hooves became coated in metal skin, and Echo was barely keeping ahead, avoiding each jab, knowing that one hit would be enough to take him out. Echo ducked under one jab, as Nano's hoof swung into a tree, smashing it like a twig. "Whoa..." Sunset gaped. "Incredible..." Echo gasped. "Unless you want me to do that to your head, you'd better give up." Nano jeered. "Not today." Echo shook his head. "Have it your way." Nano shrugged. He lunged toward Echo once more Echo continued to dodge each blow. But as Nano's attack grew more frenzied, he started using his crystal shield. Unfortunately, Nano's blows were so strong that the shield was crumpling with each blow. "That flimsy shield won't protect you for much longer!" Nano taunted, as another blow punched a hole in it. "Enough!" Echo roared, as he retaliated by forming a hammer, and slamming it hard into Nano. "Urghhh!" Nano stumbled backwards. While the metal skin did it's job to protect him, the blow was enough to knock the wind out of him, and formed a dent. "Ready to yield?" Echo asked. "Not a chance, pal." Nano sneered. "I will admit, that stung a bit..." Suddenly, before Echo's eyes, the dented area not only repaired itself, but became thicker and stronger. "But I took harder hits back in my days in the army..." Nano chuckled. "That is impressive." Echo admitted. "This armor gets stronger the more it gets hit." Nano boasted. "Doesn't matter how hard you hit me, I won't go down." "We'll see about that." Echo declared. Nano charged at Echo again. Knowing that brute strength wouldn't win the day, he resort to strategy. Echo had his crystals form around the stallion's hooves and legs, pinning him to the ground. "Hey, what the..." Nano struggled. "I can't get loose!" "Exactly. But that is the least of your problems..." Echo declared, as with a swish of sharpened microcrystals, he sliced a big tree cleanly. "Timber!" The giant stallion blanched in horror as the tree collapsed onto him. His 'nanomachines' were enough to protect his body from the crushing blow of the tree, but it left him doubly trapped, as the crystals coiled tightly around his haunches. "Get this stuff off me!" Nano struggled to break free. "You think this'll hold me, you leather-winged traitor? I'll get back up and flatten you!" "I'm afraid not." Echo nodded. "Strength is meaningless without leverage. You're held in tight, with no wiggle room." "No fair!" Nano yelled. "You stinkin' coward! Why didn't you fight me stallion to stallion?" "Because you'd cave my skull in." Echo declared. "Besides, strength isn't the only way to win." "Typical." The first stallion shook his head. "That tin-headed clown always messes up. Lousy poser wannabe..." "Okay, Moana, the stage is yours." The second stallion declared. "Okay." Moana stepped forward. "I hope I can do this..." "You may want to reconsider." Echo declared. "I took out your compatriot quickly enough. What makes you think you can do any better?" "Why would you say something like that? How can you be so mean?!" Moana actually burst into tears. "Bwahhhh!" "Oh, great, you made her cry." The first stallion groaned. "Oh, I, er... I'm sorry, madam..." Echo, feeling guilty, tried to comfort her. "I didn't mean to-" "Stay away from me!" Moana suddenly fired highly pressured streams of water from her eyes. "Wah!" Echo gasped, as the 'tears' blasted him against a nearby tree, leaving him soaked. "What the..." Moana let out small heaves, as her tears were leaking from her eyes (which were now wisping too) like faucets, leaving big puddles at her hooves. "You like that?!" Moana snarled, her melancholy attitude suddenly replaced by fierce fervour, her sobbing turning on a vicious tone. "Huh?" "Not bad." Echo declared, shaking some water off his fur. "A water-based Nightcrawler... wasn't expecting that..." "Then try some more!" Moana yelled as her horn glowed a dark purple. The big puddles (that were still growing due to her heavy tear flows) bulged, and fired forth more streams of waters. Echo moved as fast as he could, dodging the powerful sprays. He struck back with his crystals, but Moana's whole body suddenly turned into water, through which the crystal splashed harmlessly through. "Unbelievable..." Echo gasped. "My turn." Moana turned back to solid, and sprayed Echo with another stream, knocking him away again. Barely able to recover, Echo continued trying to doge, while at the same time throwing more crystals, which were easily deflected. When he had no more room to manoeuver on the ground, he took to the sky. "That won't help you!" Moana yelled, as more puddles that were formed from her streams of tears fired more firehose-esqued sprays. Echo artfully dodged the blasts, until one clipped him in the side. "Ahh!" He yelled. "Echo..." Sunset gasped. As Echo dropped to the ground, he formed a cushion of crystals, breaking his fall. "Well?" Moana approached the fallen Thestral, letting out a small sniff. "Have you had enough yet?" Quick as a flash. Echo leapt over Mona, grabbed her hooves, and pinned them against her back. "Hey! Let me go!" Moana cried, as tears continued flowing, as more puddles threatened to fire. Instantly thinking on his hooves, Echo used his crystals to wrap around her eyes and her hooves (plus her horn for good measures). "Sorry, my dear." He apologised. "But I'm afraid I've had enough water for one day." "Oh... I should have know this would happen..." Moana sighed, returning to her former downcast attitude, her tears stopping. "That's two of yours neutralized." Echo told the others. "Really, I was expecting a little more from the likes of you. Especially after all the stories I've heard..." "Don't be too proud, mister Thestral." The second stallion threw off his cloak, revealing a handsome young Pegasus stallion, his coat light green with a messy dark green mane, his eyes a light blue. He was wearing a crinkled white collared shirt with a loose tie, and his Cutie Mark was was a red curtain. "No offense to my fellow co-performers, but Nano and Moana aren't exactly the best actors. Now you're taking on a professional!" "Ooh, I quiver in fear." Echo joked. "But you know, my offer to talk is still in play." "Hmph, you won't have much chance of talking after I dazzled you with my performance." The Pegasus scoffed. "Don't get cocky, Willow." The first stallion scowled. "This pack's been humiliated enough for one day. We got a rep to maintain, remember?" "Calm yourself, Wave. I have this." The one called Willow smirked. "Are you ready, Thestral?" "If you insist on continuing this farce, I suppose I have no choice." Echo sighed. "Just try to put up a better fight than the others did." "Oh, trust me." Willow chuckled, as his eyes grew wispy like with the others. "My show's going to blow you away!" Willow flapped his wings, creating a massive gust of wind that knocked Echo off his hooves. "Ah, I see." Echo groaned, as he got back up. "Clever wordplay. And here I thought you were just a blowhard." "Hey!" Willow snarled. "Those are my lines! Get your own script!" Willow brought up another powerful gust. Echo quickly threw up a shield of crystals to protect him. "As I thought." Echo smirked. "You really are full of hot air." "What did I just say?!" Willow yelled. With more furious flaps, Willow created a miniature cyclone, which began to suck up all the small objects in the vicinity... including Echo's crystals. With his shield coming apart, Echo took to the air, trying to get out of the cyclone's range. But its pull was starting to effect him. "You can't get away!" Willow taunted him. "Why not give up and exit stage right?!" Echo suddenly hit upon an idea. Instead of evading the cyclone, he flew right into its eye. In there, he was safe from its pull. "Hey, that is unfair!" Willow yelled. Angrily, he cancelled out the cyclone. "All's fair in love and war." Echo smirked. He fired off more crystals. "So true." Willow suddenly became translucent, and the crystal passed right through. "What the-?" Echo gaped. "What is this?" "My own little show-stopper." Willow smirked. "Like Moana, I can become one with the element I control. And you can't hurt the air, can you?" Echo growled in annoyance, until he noticed that Willow's wings were glowing. "We'll see about that." He smirked, hitting on a plan. "Verily." Willow nodded. While still translucent, he created more gusts of wind. Echo dodged several of the gusts, but one of them caught him, sending flying into a tree trunk. "Ah!" He yelped, dropping to the ground. "No!" Sunset gasped. "Victory is mine!" Willow became solid once more as he landed by Echo's prone body. "Hail the conquering hero!" Echo suddenly opened his eyes. "The show's not over yet." He smirked. "What the-?" Willow frowned. Before the Pegasus could react, Echo struck him hard in the jaw as he took to the sky once again. "My turn." Echo smirked. He flapped his wings, spraying out a swarm of crystals that ensnared Willow's own wings, cancelling out his abilities. "No! No, no, no, no, no!" Willow yelled, trying vainly to free his wings as Echo landed. "You bore, you rank amateur, you scene-stealer!!" "This isn't a play, my friend." Echo said bluntly, binding Willow's hooves. "Typical." Wave scowled. "As usual, it's up to the zebra to finish the job." Wave removed his robe, revealing himself to be, indeed, a Zebra. His black and white mane was spiky, and he had purple eyes. He was wearing a gray hoodie, a golden ring earring, and a curious tattoo on his chest, which resembled the letter "Z" in the shape of a Zebra head, and his cutie mark was shaped like a microphone. "I'd advise you to reconsider." Echo told him. "I've already beaten three of your numbers. Unless you want the same humiliation, we really should just stop and talk about this." "Talk?" Wave sneered. "That's right." Echo nodded. "Whatever your grievances are with regular ponies, I'm sure you have your reasons for attacking them. And I'd be more than happy to listen." "Oh, really?" Wave grinned darkly, as wisps surrounded his eyes. "Then listen to this!" Wave breathed in, then released a hypersonic scream. The noise would have been deafening for a regular pony, but for a Thestral, whose ears were as sensitive as a bat's, it was excruciating. "AHHHHHH!!" Echo screamed. Covering his ears, he dropped to his knees. "No..." Sunset groaned, barely able to stand it herself. "Echo..." "Not this again." Nano groaned. "That's definitely not an opera voice." Willow cringed. "I hate it when he does that." Moana sighed. Just when Echo thought he couldn't take any more, the onslaught stopped. "So, did I get my point across? " Wave smirked. "Or should I repeat myself?!" Echo got to his hooves, shaking from the audio onslaught, unable to hear anything but his own ears ringing. "Repeat, it is, you foo." Wave snarled. As Wave breathed in for another blast, Echo had his crystals form into ear plugs. As the second wave blasted into him, the noise was muffled enough to be almost bearable. He struggled through the scream, nearing Wave, who tried to keep up the attack, but was faltering. "Dayum, you don't know when to call it quits, doncha?" Wave growled, his throat burning. "Well, I ain't gonna get my black and white flank kicked by some batty geek." Echo lunged at Wave, striking out with his crystals. Wave stepped back, trying to evade Echo, but Echo pushed on. "Step off, wings!" Wave snarled. "Not today." Echo struck him with a crystal hammer. "Don't mess with me, pal!" Wave spat. "I mean it! I'm a karate stallion! I'm gonna mess you up!" "I'd like to see you try, my loud-mouthed friend." Echo sneered. "Okay, ya asked for it!" Wave snarled, as he cleared his throat and was about to let another screech. However, before he could release it, Echo darted forward and suckered punched him in the throat. "Gak!" Wave choked, clutching his throat, unable to make any sound. "How about you put a sock in it." Echo declared, as he unplugged his ears. "How about you... er... I got nothin'." Wave shrugged. Echo used his crystal to bind Wave and cover his mouth. Sunset breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed like it was over. Unfortunately, it wasn't. From out of the trees came another cloaked figure, who was roughly the same size as Nano. He looked around at his fallen comrades. "Uh-oh..." Wave murmured his gag. "Now you're in for it." Moana sighed. "Yeah, he's dead." Nano nodded. "The final curtain's about to drop..." Willow smirked. "What is this?!" The cloaked figure growled, as he then glared at Echo, "You dare to attack my pack?" "To be fair, they attacked me first." Echo shrugged. "I don't care." The cloaked stallion spat. "You will pay for this!" "Look, I am growing rather tired of this baseless violence!" Echo growled, his ears still aching from Wave's screeches. "I have been trying to reason with your colleagues, but they kept attacking me! I do not want to fight you!" "Well, that is too bad..." The stallion sneered. "Because you got one!" The stallion threw off his cloak, revealing a very familiar suit of armor, wings and claws. Echo and Sunset's eyes widened. "Oh no..." Sunset gasped. "It's you." Echo gulped. "The Great Gray Wolf..." "So, you've heard of me? That means we can skip the introductions..." The Great Gray Wolf smirked. "A pity you don't seem to have heard what a mistake it is to cross me!" The savage Nightcrawler leapt at Echo, claws bared. Echo threw up a crystal shield, but the brute's claws sliced right through it. "Your powers are pathetic." The Wolf sneered. "And you are clearly no fighter." "We'll see about that." Echo growled. Echo took to the air, but the Wolf followed him, his own speed outpacing Echo's. "There's no escape!" The Wolf spat. "Escape was not my intention." Echo retorted, firing off a stream of crystals. The stream knocked the Wolf back, but did no real harm. "Pitiful." He snorted. "Try this!" The Wolf unleashed a plume of flame. Echo barely dodged it, but in doing so gave his foe the opening to grab one of his legs and toss him to the ground. Echo barely had a moment to recover from the impact before the Wolf slammed into him. "Guh!" Echo groaned. Gathering his crystals, he formed a giant hoof that punched the Wolf aside. However, that only brought him a brief respite, as the Nightcrawler recovered in seconds and charged at him. "Raaah!" He swung his claws. Echo dodged or blocked some of the swings. "Slippery little bat, aren't you?" The Wolf smirked. "And what are you, exactly?" Echo asked. "Claws, fire... if I didn't know better, I'd say you were-" "Say nothing!" The Wolf spat. The Wolf swung his claw, but Echo caught it in a stream of crystals. "You little..." The Wolf scowled. Echo took advantage of the moment to strike the Wolf in the voice with a crystal hammer. The blow didn't even phase him. "Oh, dear..." He gulped. "Not smart." The Wolf growled. With one powerful pull, the Wolf broke free, and started swing his claws at Echo once more. Echo tried his best to dodge, but he was running out room. Eventually one swipe hit home, slashing his side. "Ahh!" Echo yelled. "You're not just a traitor, you're a weakling!" The Wolf spat, punching Echo to the ground. "Gah..." Echo groaned, as he tried to crawl away, only for the Great Gray Wolf to roll him on his back, and pinning him hard. The Thestral could feel his ribcage nearly cracking. "Look at you... if it isn't bad enough that you betray your own kind, but to serve those who persecute us?! I will not allow this atrocity to continue! You will not stop the rise of the Nightcrawlers!" The Great Gray Wolf held up one of his claws, wisps forming from his cowl. "No..." Echo gasped. Having watched the footage of the Wolf's attack on Malus, he knew what was about to happen... Sunset knew too, and she couldn't bare to stand on the sidelines anymore. "That's enough!" She yelled. The Wolf barely had enough time to glance her way before she fired a beam from her horn that struck him in the side, knocking him off-balance, and off Echo, as Sunset darted over Echo's body. "Leave him alone!" At the same time, the four bounded Nighcrawlers looked upon the scene with shock. "You shouldn't have done that, normo." The wolf scowled as he steadied himself. "Now you will share the fate of all those who have antagonized me..." "I don't care." Sunset growled. "I won't just stand by and let you kill the father of my foal!" "Foal?" Willow gasped. "She's preggers?!" Wave frowned, his eyes wisping to raise his voice high enough to break the gag. "I thought she was just fat!" "Big shock, Mr Sensitive." Nano snorted. "I didn't know he was going to be a father..." Moana frowned. "If you prefer, I can let you share his fate." The wolf pointed his claw at her. "Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Wave burst free of his binds (which were weakened at the same time as Echo did), and quickly rushed over between Sunset and the Wolf, "Ease up there, man!" "Get out of the way, Wave." The Wolf scowled. "Ya can't kill her, man!" Wave declared, "She got a bun cookin' in her oven! Remember our golden rules!" "He's right, Artorias." Nano declared from under the tree, "You said so yourself that wolves do not attack the females that are with pups. It's a code of honor! We shouldn't hurt a pregnant mare, or rob her of her foal's father. That would be against everything we stand for!" "Yeah, Artorias, have a heart!" Moana whimpered. "Surely we can afford to be lenient?" Willow offered. "if nothing else, then for the sake of decency itself!" The Great Gray Wolf, or as his brethren called him, Artorias, breathed heavily, as he glared at Echo, then at Sunset. Finally, he lowered his claws, and backed away from them. "Very well." He growled. "I'll let you trespassers live... just so long as you leave to whence you came, now." "I'm afraid we can't do that." Echo declared, grunting as he struggled to his hooves. "You see, we weren't sent here by any authorities. We came answering a call for help." "Help?" Artorias glared from under his cowl. "Yes." Echo nodded, grimacing as he rubbed his bruised chest, "We received a letter about your group terrorizing some family here in the woods. See for yourself." He pulled out a letter and showed it to Artorias. Artorias snatched and glanced at the letter, while Wave freed Moana and Willow, and made to try and remove the tree from off Nano. "What lies are these?!" Artorias growled. "There is no such family out here! Even if there were, we would not 'terrorize' some family who lived here before us!" "Really?" Sunset snorted. "Because you attacked us without provocation." "In our defense, you were trespassing." Nano grunted, as he struggled to break free while Wave and the others tried to lift the tree off him. "Under the law of the defense of property we had the right to defend ourselves!" "There he goes with the law stuff again." Wave snorted, as he finally lifted the tree off him. "The law wants us gone, remember?" "All we want is to be left alone." Moana declared. "Is that too much to ask?" "Yeah, can't a couple of guys and gals get some R&R without some dumb ol' bat and his preggo wife snooping the place?" Wave growled. "Wave makes a good, if crudely spoken, point." Willow said haughtily. "I apologize, but we came out here to discover the truth about you Shadow Stalkers." Echo declared firmly. "To see if you were really the 'terrorists' the media claims you to be." "Oh, now they're calling us terrorists." Nano rolled his eyes. "Last I checked, we were 'subversives'." "Look, we only want to know what is going on here." Echo sighed. "If all of you indeed just want to be left alone, then maybe we can help you. You might get your 'R&R' if we can reach an understanding..." "Somehow, I doubt that." Artorias scowled. Artorias glanced at his comrades. "Y'know, Arty, I think he means it." Wave admitted. "Of course he does." Sunset said indignantly. "Everything Echo's said has been the truth." "I am no traitor." Echo declared. "I only want to help my fellow Nightcrawlers. Please allow me to." "Maybe they're telling the truth after all." Nano suggested. "We did attack them first." Moana admitted. "Perhaps if we stay our swords, we can get to the heart of the matter." Willow suggested. "There's one way to know for sure." Artorias declared coldly. "We'll take them to Aether. He'll get a read on them. He always does..." "Come with us." Nano declared. "We'll suss out the truth soon enough." "My thoughts exactly." Echo nodded. "Come along, Sunset." "Are you sure about this, Echo?" Sunset asked. "That Artorias guy did just try to kill you." "Only in self-defense." Echo declared. "And besides, not many 'terrorist' groups have a code of honor. Perhaps there's more to them than meets the eye." "Let's hope so..." Sunset frowned, as they were led deeper into the forest. Their first encounter with the Shadow Stalkers had yielded interesting fruit. What came next would surprise them all...