Dancing In The Shadows

by Bluecatcinema

Stripes And Strife

The next morning, Echo and Sunset joined the others for breakfast once again. They shared greetings with most of their hosts (though Artorias was as cold as ever, and Wave barely acknowledged them). Snow was enjoying a bushel of blueberries, her mouth and claws covered in the juice.

"Hey there, little filly." Sunset chuckled. "You getting into facepainting, or something?"

"Ha-ha." Snow said through a mouthful of berries. "Very funny."

"No offense, little one, but I hope our own foal won't be that messy." Echo declared.

"Keep dreamin'." Elatha sniggered. "Trust me, all foals are that messy."

"Well, that's something to look forward to..." Sunset deadpanned.

"We really must stock up on bibs." Echo noted.

After they'd all finished their breakfast, Artorias stood up.

"Alright, Moana and Willow are on lookout duty with me today." He announced. "Nano and Aether will handle the foraging. Wave, you're staying behind with Snow and Elatha."

"Say what?!" Wave scowled. "I ain't no foalsitter! I oughta be out there with you guys, kickin' some flank!"

"You know the schedule." Artorias said flatly.

"Yeah, but..." Wave started. "But I shouldn't have to hang back here, doin' nuthin'!"

"Again with the complaining." Moana rolled her eyes.

"Every time it's his turn to watch over the den." Willow added. "As sure as the rising sun."

"I know." Snow smirked. "Isn't it funny?"

"Really, my boy." Aether sighed. "You have to stop being such a martyr about this. It's not like we're asking you to clean the entire den from top to bottom."

"It ain't about that!" Wave growled. "I'm one of the most powerful members a' this pack! I should out there, protecting us from any threats, not sitting in here! Even if that would mean spendin' time with the lovely Elatha..."

Elatha rolled her eyes.

"'Most powerful'?" Nano sneered. "That's debatable."

"I said 'one of'!" Wave snorted. "An' it's true!"

"Until somepony puts a gag on you." Elatha smirked.

"Ooh, that was a cheap shot, girl." Wave cringed.

"There's no point arguing over it." Artorias declared. "You're staying here today, Wave. Deal with it. Unless, of course, you'd rather deal with me?"

"Okay, okay..." Wave held up his hooves, cringing. "I'm cool, I'm cool."

"Good." Artorias nodded. "Everypony else, let's move out."

The rest of the group departed from the kitchen area.

"Come on, Snow." Elatha declared. "Let's get you cleaned up."

"Aww, do we have to?" Snow groaned. "I love this color!"

"Now, little lady." Elatha glared.

"Okay, mom." Snow sighed.

The draconies left, leaving just Echo and Sunset with Wave.

"Great." Wave snorted. "Spending the whole day with you two. Buckin' fabulous..."

"We're not exactly thrilled either." Sunset retorted.

"I shouldn't have to play housekeeper." Wave scowled. "Somepony with my power and skills should be on the front lines, fightin' the good fight, in the name of all Nightcrawlers!"

"My, my." Echo shook his head. "I knew you were arrogant, but I didn't think it was to this degree."

"You don't know nuthin'." Wave spat. "You don't know nuthin' about me, and you don't know nuthin' about this pack. Yer an outsider, bat-boy, so don't talk about what you don't understand."

"Then why don't you enlighten us?" Sunset asked.

"Yeah, right." Wave sneered.

"Sunset has a point." Echo declared. "If you think you're such a great warrior, then why don't you explain to us why you think that way?"

"Yeah." Sunset urged. "Make believers out of us."

"You think I'm gonna fall for your little games?" Wave sneered.

"We don't really care, to be honest." Echo shrugged. "If you can't back up your boasts with hard evidence, that's your problem."

"You sayin' I'm just blowin' smoke?" Wave growled.

"Like a sleeping dragon." Sunset smirked.

"Okay, fine!" Wave snarled, his pride sufficiently wounded. "I'll tell ya why I should be out there with the others."

"This ought to be interesting." Echo grinned.

"I'll have ya know, I was the first recruit into this pack." Wave scowled. "Arty, Elatha, and Aether pulled me into their world before everypony else."

"No kidding?" Sunset asked.

"Yep." Wave nodded proudly. "After them, I've got the most experience in the pack."

"But how exactly did you come to join them, anyway?" Echo asked.

"Well, back in the day, I was just plain old Soundwave, some nopony zebra from this tiny little village over in Zebrica." Wave declared. "I was totally bored over there. I hated the idea of stayin' in that dinky village with everypony else, never doin' anythin' special. One day, some tourist came by. One of 'em had a beatbox that was blarin' out some awesome rap music. I loved that sound so much, I went over there to talk with the guy. Fella was called Reverb. Turns out he was a professional rapper, on vacay. Guy told me all about rap, and how big stars like him played in the cities, rakin' in the dough. That li'l talk changed my life. I decided to dedicate myself to becomin' a rapper, just like Reverb. I practised day an' night, makin' up my raps."

"I have a friend who occasionally likes to rap." Sunset declared. "I can see why you'd want to make a career out of it."

"A couple of years later, I left my tribe so I could try to make it over here in Equestria." Wave continued. "Went all the way to Manehattan with nuthin' but the stripes on my back. I took part in some amateur rap battles, concerts, nuthin' too big. But then came my big break. I was up on stage, singing my heart out, and the audience was really lovin' it. When I came off stage, this big-time producer came over, wantin' me to sign on with his label. It was like my dream had finally come true. For a while, I was really rockin' the house. Livin' the high live, ya hear me? Groupies, yachts, fancy hotel rooms, sexy mares, the whole magilla."

"Really?" Sunset raised an eyebrow. "Then how'd you get from there to here?"

"Well, you know how it is." Wave sighed. "Ya get a taste of fame, and ya start livin' it up, gettin' a taste for... other things."

"Such as...?" Echo asked.

"...Drgs." Wave muttered.

"Pardon?" Echo frowned.

"Drugs." Wave said quietly.

"What?" Sunset asked.

"Drugs, okay?" Wave scowled. "I started taking some one night. Gave me such a buzz. We didn't have anythin' like that back in the village. I liked the feelin' so much, I tried every kinda drug I could get my hooves on. One day, one of my delivery boys sat next to this scientist guy on the train, and they wound up takin' each others bags. So instead of taking some nice Parasprite Dust, I wound up takin' this gunk that had been charged up with some of that dark magic stuff."

"Oh, dear." Echo frowned.

"You bet yer leathery wings 'oh, dear'." Wave scowled. "That gunk sent me on an acid trip like you wouldn't believe. The things I saw... Crazy, for a minute, I thought I was in a mansion filled with zombies. I woke up the next mornin' with a killer headache. It was so bad I actually yelled out in pain. That yell turned into a sonic wave that shattered a glass of water. I was totally freaked out at first, thinking I was still trippin'. Wantin' to prove I was just imaginin' things, I tried it again, and wound up breakin' my bedroom window."

"I imagine that must have been quite a harrowing experience." Echo noted.

"Oh, it was." Wave nodded. "Back then, I had no control over how loud I could make my voice. Even my inside voice was a scream. I thought I was broken or somethin', that my career was over. It took a while, but I managed to at get some control, enough to talk at my normal volume. But it was still freaky. I got word from the delivery boy about what I really took, and... well, I threw up. I hated the idea of that dark magic bein' inside me, makin' me into this freak. I was ready to throw in the towel, careerwise... 'til I realized I could use that in my act." Wave smirked.

"Seriously?" Sunset frowned.

"Aw, yeah." Wave nodded. "Those sonic screeches really pumped up my jams. The audience thought it was just some special effect, and I let 'em keep thinkin' that. Thanks to my new powers, I was more popular than ever, baby! I sold out the house in every show!"

"I'm sensing a 'but' coming." Echo surmised.

"Nopony likes a spoiler, bat boy." Wave snorted. "One night, I was performin' at a rave, usin' my powers to really give my performance an extra kick. The crowd were cheerin' and clappin' their hooves, and I just... lost myself in all the hype. Without thinking, I let out a screech so loud that it unleashed a giant soundwave that shattered every thing made of glass all over town. Everypony that was at the rave were made deaf... and those that weren't... well, let's say that more than their ear drums bursted."

"Oh, my Faust." Sunset grimaced.

"I know." Wave nodded. "The second I realized what I'd done, I ran right out of there. I decided to hole up in my penthouse suite until things blew over, but they didn't. An angry mob came up, callin' me stuff like 'monster' and 'killer', and wantin' to get me lynched. Not wanting to stick around for that, I climbed out the back window and got the Tartarus out of there!"

"A wise decision, given the circumstances." Echo admitted.

"I went out into the fields, wandered around for days." Wave continued. "Just when I thought I was totally lost, Artorias and Elatha found me. They clued me in on what I was, and asked me to join 'em. Now, I wasn't too fired up to join a buncha freaks, but it wasn't really like I had any other option. I still tried to shake 'em off, though. But Elatha really turned on the charm, convinced me I'd be safe with 'em, so I decided to come along just for a little while, 'til somethin' better came along."

"How gracious of you." Echo snorted.

"Yeah, I was kinda a jerk." Wave shrugged. "I still had that stardom high, only thinkin' about what they could give me. But I started to see things differently after a while. After a couple of months, I realised that those guys were on the level, and I owed 'em everything. They helped me find a new path, and a new place in their little pack. Course, it's not so little no more... With each new member, it got a little less lonely around here. One thing I couldn't buy back in the old days were real friends, not groupies and entourage, who only hung around because I was famous. Nah, this is the real thing. Almost like a family..."

"Sounds like you really landed on your hooves." Sunset noted.

"Yeah, it could ended a lot worse for me." Wave admitted. "But still, I kinda miss my old life. I had it all, y'know? Fame, money, luxury... And now I'm stuck down in this mud pit, hidin' with all the other freaks."

"I know the feeling." Sunset noted. "I was once Princess Celestia's personal student. I had this big room in the castle, all to myself, living in the lap of luxury... And after I ran away, I was reduced to hiding in another dimension, living in a normal house, going to a normal school... At the time, it really got to me. I was totally full of myself back then. I really thought I was better and smarter than everypony else, and that I deserved more. Thankfully, I eventually grew out of that phase."

"Yeah, well, no offense, but I was great a musician as I thought I was." Wave declared. "I earned all that stuff I had through hard work. And now, I got nuthin' to show for it..."

"Well, at least you have the pack." Echo declared. "That's something."

"And Elatha, maybe..." Sunset added.

"Nah." Wave sighed. "I tried askin' her out a while ago... but she turned me down. Gal's a little cold towards me."

"We gathered that." Echo deadpanned. "You have my condolences."

"Still think she's hot, though." Wave grinned. "And that kid of hers is a bundle of fun."

"Something else we've noticed." Echo grinned. "Snow is quite an endearing little filly."

"You can say that again." Sunset chuckled.

"And the others may be annoyin' sometimes, but they're a great bunch." Wave admitted. "Best ponies I could ever hope to be stuck underground with."

"Sounds like you don't have things too bad around here." Sunset noted.

"Yeah, I do." Wave sighed. "And don't get me wrong, I love those guys. But there's a part of me that thinks if I had the chance, I could go back to my old life, and not have to put up with this whole Nightcrawler business, y'know? Like not having to worry about some racist tryin' to kill me. Sometimes, I just want to be back on stage, singing my raps, and not have to worry about any of this. Does that make me a bad guy?"

"Not really." Sunset admitted. "We all have times in our lives we wish we could go back to..."

"I believe I have misjudged you, Wave." Echo admitted. "Underneath all that bluster is a good and honorable soul."

"Thanks, batty." Wave smiled. "You're not as bad as I thought either. And neither's your gal."

"Good to see we've finally found some common ground." Sunset smiled.

"Don't get me wrong, I still don't trust you two, and I really don't like your 'tudes." Wave snorted.

"The feeling is mutual." Echo deadpanned.

"What say we pretend like this whole convo never happened?" Wave suggested. "Don't want the others thinking I'm goin' soft on you."

"I can live with that." Sunset shrugged.

"Me too." Echo nodded. "Consider it our little secret."

"Good." Wave nodded. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'm gonna go check all the exit points, make sure they're still shut tight. Can't be too careful, y'know..."

With that, Wave left the chamber.

"Well, how about that?" Sunset mused. "Guess the loudmouth's not such a jerk after all."

"Indeed." Echo agreed. "It's a pity though. All the pack members seem to have such horrendous backstories. So much pain, and misery, just because of what they are. Compared to them, my own strife seems... insignificant."

"You must be one of the lucky ones." Sunset noted. "But you shouldn't feel bad about not sharing their pain. You're still a Nightcrawler, and that's what matters."

"You're right, my dear." Echo smiled.

"As always." Sunset joked.

Meanwhile, Frankensteed and Scalphunter were still continuing their mission. It had been a long trip, trailing down the grassy plains, with nothing to show for it. Tempers were rising high, mostly Scalphunter's.

"You sure we're heading in the right direction, tin grin?" Scalphunter asked. "We've been trackin' Echo for three days now. Shouldn't we have found him already? Or are you not as smart as you think?"

"Of course we're heading in the right direction." Frankensteed snarled. "I've tracked down plenty of Nightcrawlers before, I'll have you know."

"Yeah?" Scalphunter snorted. "Well, I'm the professional tracker here. I had tracked down all sorts of ponies that needed findin' and I never let one got away. 'Cause unlike you, I don't spend my time in some lab, being worked on by some labcoats."

"For your information, the reason my name is Frankensteed is because I had underwent certain procedures to become the perfect hunter." Frankensteed growled.

"Certain procedures?" Scalphunter scoffed. "Like drugs or somethin'?"

"...That I am not certain." Frankesteed admitted. "But it was because of those 'procedures' that I am standing here today. And from those procedures, my body was made stronger, faster, and I can sense even the faintest traces of dark magic a Nightcrawler emanates from his very being. These qualities allow me to fulfill my destiny to rid the world of these freaks."

"Well, lah-di-dah." Scalphunter spat. "I'm a real tracker, numbskull. I don't need any fancy spells or drugs or whatever. Just my natural senses. Then again, considering you walk around with that mask stuck to your face, that's probably not an option for you."

"Watch your tongue." Frankensteed growled. "I don't need bounty hunting scum like you to get the job done."

"That's not your bankrollers seem to think." Scalphunter sneered. "They hired me to make sure the job's done right."

"Don't flatter yourself." Frankensteed scoffed. "You're just an insurance policy. Back-up. You're here to assist me. Nothing more, nothing less."

"I ain't nopony's assistant." Scalphunter spat. "I didn't get to be the best bounty hunter around by carrying somepony else's bags."

"No, you got to where you are by doing things for money." Frankensteed said contemptuously. "All you care about is lining your pockets with Bits. My goals are a tad more substantial than that."

"Oh, you think you're better than me?" Scalphunter held up his knife in a threatening manner.

"Hold it right there." Fury stepped in, wielding a large spear, the point shaped like a dragon head, its mouth wide open, baring jagged teeth. The other agents tried to follow, but he flared his wings, silently telling him to keep back. "Back off, Scalphunter."

"Butt out, feathers." Scalphunter sneered. "This ain't your fight."

"It is when you're threatening my superior." Fury spat. "Now put down the knife."

"That's a nice spear, by the way." Scalphunter declared. "Very... special looking."

"It'll look even more special jammed into your neck." Fury threatened.

"Well, this knife would look great sticking out of your eye." Scalphunter retorted.

"You're more than welcome to try." Fury dared him.

"Let's put a pin in that for now." Scalphunter sneered. "It's your boss I'd really like to stick it to." He pointed the knife in Frankensteed's direction again. "You wanna prove who's really the top hunter around here?"

"Someday, perhaps." Frankensteed nodded, barely acknowledging the knife. "But for now, like it or lump it, we are on the same side, with the same mission, for the same employers. And if we wish to accomplish it, we must work together."

Scalphunter held his knife up for a moment. The tension was palpable. Then...

"...Yeah, ya got a point there, rust-face." Scalphunter lowered his knife. "We do have a job to do. And the sooner we get it done, the sooner I get paid. And the sooner I get to stop looking at your ugly mask..."

"I'm glad to see good sense prevailed." Frankensteed sneered triumphantly, as his agents stood down.

"This time." Fury scowled at Scalphunter. "But the next time you take leave of your senses, I might not be so nice."

"Whatever." Scalphunter holstered his knife, then noticed something in the grass. "Hey, check it out."

"What is it?" Frankensteed asked.

"Royal carriage tracks." Scalphunter knelt down, examining some barely noticeable indentations in the grass. "A couple of days old, at least. And over here... the faintest of hoof prints."

"This must be where our quarry disembarked." Frankensteed noted.

"Yeah, and judging by the way the Guards landed, they went this way." Scalphunter pointed in the direction of the forest.

"We have those vermin now." Frankensteed smirked. "It won't be long before they, and the Shadow Stalkers, are ours."

"Don't get ahead of yourself, chrome dome." Scalphunter snorted. "That's a big forest. The real hunt's just about to begin..."

"Just remember to keep Echo in one piece." Frankensteed reminded him.

"Nag, nag, nag..." Scalphunter rolled his eyes. "You sound just like my mother... until I killed her."

"Somehow, that doesn't surprise me..." Fury snorted.

The villainous stallions (and Griffon) continued on their quest.

That afternoon, Echo played the next of Nocturne's recordings.

"I stumbled onto some extraordinary good luck recently." Nocturne's voice announced. "I came across a homeless Nightcrawler by the name of Smudge. The subject possesses the interesting ability to control dirt and grime. He had developed it after digging up a dark ruby from out of the mud outside his house. He had been forced out onto the streets after an unfortunate incident involving his landlord and a room full of muck. When I encountered him, he was attempting to eke out a living as a carriage washer, his abilities enabling him to deal with the more stubborn stains. Obviously, that is no work for such a unique specimen. Seizing the opportunity, I decided to take him on as a housekeeper on one of my estates. This gave me the perfect opportunity to observe his powers in action. The subject was all too eager to take me up on my offer, as the chance to have a roof over his head once more, and earn a decent living was too tempting a prospect to resist. So blinded was he by his sudden turnabout in fortune, that he didn't even object to my taking some of his blood, which I claimed was something I required of all my employees, for 'medical purposes'."

"He lied to Smudge?" Grimoire frowned.

"And what's with all this 'the subject' stuff?" Sunset pointed out.

"The subject's blood had provided me with a wealth of new information." Nocturne continued. "My associates will be most pleased with the furthering of my research. And of course, if any future examination of is required, the subject is right here, ready to... volunteer."

As the recording came to an end, Echo once again started feeling uneasy.

"Did you... ever meet this Smudge guy?" Sunset asked.

"Never." Echo shook his head. "None of my father's estates had a housekeeper by that name... at least, not by the time I came to them."

"Okay, now this is getting unsettling." Sunset frowned. "But maybe your dad had a reason for firing Smudge before he adopted you."

"If that was indeed what he did." Echo frowned. "For all we know, poor Smudge ended up on an operating table somewhere, fooled by my father into thinking it was routine, and dissected for science."

"Come on, don't talk like that." Sunset urged. "You knew your dad."

"I thought I knew him." Echo sighed. "But now, I'm not so sure. All these secrets, and lies... I'm starting to wish I hadn't started listening to these recordings."

"Or maybe you should listen to more of them." Sunset suggested.

"Excuse me?" Echo asked.

"Hear me out." Sunset told him. "You know how that last one wasn't so bad? Well, maybe the next one after this isn't so bad. Maybe if you listen to a whole bunch of them, the good stuff might outweigh the bad."

"I suppose I could try that." Echo nodded. "It's better than listening to them one at a time, and suffering many unsettling nights inbetween."

"Not to mention, you'll get to the bottom of this faster." Sunset added. "For better or for worse, you need to know the truth about your dad."

"That I do." Echo nodded. "And his research, whether for good or for ill, could still prove invaluable to our mission."

Though outwardly, Echo seemed determined, inwardly, he was still worried. He couldn't shake the feeling that the good in those recordings would be outweighed by the bad...

Comments

[Spyro the Night Fury]

Love the Transformers reference.
SOUNDWAVE SUPERIOR AUTOBOTS INFERIOR.