Dancing In The Shadows

by Bluecatcinema

Secrets Revealed

The next morning, after breakfast, Echo made an announcement as he and Sunset walked down the tunnels of the den.

"Sunset, I would like to listen to the rest of my father's recordings by myself." He declared.

"What?" Sunset frowned. "Why?"

"Because it was my father who made them." Echo sighed. "Therefore, it is my burden. And besides, I don't want to expose you to any more of that horror. Not with you in the state you're in right now."

"Seriously?" Sunset snorted. "You're playing that card? Really?"

"I know hearing all those awful things shook you up as much as they did me." Echo declared. "And we both know too much stress isn't good for you or the foal at this stage. What if the next recording is some kind of in-depth, highly grisly account of a Nightcrawler disection? I'm sorry, but I must put my hoof down."

"Okay, fine." Sunset sighed. "Just... try and keep it together. As bad as things look now, I know they'll be better."

"I wish I had your faith, my love." Echo sighed.

"Good luck." Sunset kissed him on the cheek. "Maybe I'll see what Elatha and Snow are up to..."

While Sunset walked in the opposite direction, Echo returned to the chamber alone, and put in the next tape.

"Please... let this be a ounce of equinity that I can remember my father for..." Echo whispered, as the tape began spinning.

"An interesting turn of events ocurred recently." Nocturne declared. "In the news, there has been talk of a vigilante that has been frequenting all over Equestria lately, using very powerful forms of dark magic as his weapon to subdue (not murder, mind you) the criminals he face. There is only one pony that I know who is that powerful... this is Deathgaze."

"Deathgaze?!" Echo gaped.

Deathgaze was the name that Sterling said belonged to his father when his schemes were revealed. According to his 'once' friend, Deathgaze was a Nightcrawler far more powerful than other any other Nightcrawlers, and that Echo had inherited some of that power. Echo wasn't sure if this was true, but a part of him had clinged on to the hope that his birth father was truly out there. But what was baffling him now that his other father was now talking about him as if he had met him...

"Deathgaze was truly a marvel for a Nightcrawler enthuisiast such as myself, and I was fortunate to meet him once in my lifetime." Nocturne continued. "It was a long time ago, shortly after I began my recordings. I wanted to record our conversations, but most of them were insistent on having privacy, so I had to go on was the notes I took on them. Unfortunately, he didn't stick around long, and I feel it is unlikely that I would ever see him again. Truly a shame. He would have made a great contribution to my research..." Nocturne sighed.

Echo was astounded by what he just heard.

"He... he met my father?" Echo gaped. "...And he never told me?"

"Recently, I hit a low point in my endeavors to understand Nightcrawlers. My research was grinding to a halt, I hadn't much influx of Nightcrawlers for a long time, and my employers were getting a little antsy about their money going to a failing project... but then, something glorious came up. Some of my assistants, whom I sent out to scout for more Nightcrawlers, had discovered an inactive Nightcrawler at an orphanage... normally, I would not be interested... but what they told me next changed my mind quickly..." Nocturne continued onwards with his speech.

Echo's eyes widened, as he began to realize what he was about to say.

"They said that this Nightcrawler was none other than the one of two sons of Deathgaze, a young colt by the name of Echo." Nocturne revealed.

"Me?" Echo gasped. "I'm the subject of one of these reports?"

"Needless to say, I was astounded." Nocturne admitted. "According to the scout's intel, Deathgaze had an affair with a Earth Pony mare who was married to a noble by the name of Nero, and the mare bored two Thestral sons, one being Echo, and another that went by the name of Synchro, with Deathgaze having vanished into thin air. When I went to talk to the owner of the orphanage for more information, he told me that the home the family lived in was destroyed in a dark magic explosion not so long ago. The mother and stepfather were killed. Synchro was allegedly killed as well... but according to further research, it is possible that this explosion was caused by Synchro... but as of now, that's just a theory... a dark magic theory."

"No... he knew?" Echo frowned. "He knew I had a brother? And what happened that day? All along?"

"This presented a golden opportunity for me." Nocturne announced. "As much as I've learned from adult Nightcrawlers, a juvenile subject could prove even more invaluable. And a Thestral Nightcrawler, at that. Despite the Tenebros gene being found more often in Thestrals, I had yet to study one up close, and ironically, they are much harder to come by. Either way, the chance to study a young Thestral Nightcrawler is one in the million..."

"No, please..." Echo shook his head. "It can't have been... he wouldn't."

"Henceforth, after much deliberation and planning, I decided that my best course of action is to adopt Echo as my own son." Nocturne continued. "In raising him as my own, I will have a ready-made test subject at my hooftips. I will be free to examine him as he grows, and record every last detail of his life. The benefits to my research will be incalcuable."

"No..." Echo gasped. "Not me too... Just another experiment..."

"Tomorrow morning, I will go to see the owner about adopting the young lad, and hope that things go smoothly. Flatfoot, over and out." Nocturne ended the message with a click.

His hooves shaking, Echo put in the next tape.

"The adoption was a complete success." Nocturne declared. "A curious aspect of the orphange's adoption process involves the prospective parent spending some time with the adoptee. I spent an afternoon with Echo. He was quite timid at first, but I managed to coerce him into playing a game of chess. Truth be told, the lad gave me quite a run for my money. Ultimately, he left his bishop exposed, and I was able to snatch victory. After the game, we had a small conversation, where I offered to provide a new home for him. He was quite pleased at the prospect of leaving the orphanage, having been shunned by his peers for being a Thestral (I had indeed noticed the rest of the orphans giving him a wide berth). With my credentials, the rest of the adoption process was foal's play. That was two weeks ago. By now, Echo has acclimatised to his new surroundings quite nicely. He seems somewhat quiet and reserved, speaking little of his life before the orphanage. No doubt the trauma from the explosion must had given him retrograde amnesia. I will have to work on curing this if I ever hope to fully assess the boy. Perhaps in time, his memory will come, and I will learn what happened that night. As of now, I have to be careful. To push too far, too soon could have a detrimental effect on Echo's mind, thus impeding the experiment..."

"Experiment." Echo growled, clenching his hooves. "What was that all I ever was to you, 'father'?"

Echo switched the tape again.

"Echo has shown an interesting taste for knowledge." Nocturne started on the next tape. "As busy as I am, I often leave the books on magical theory and spell casting I reserve for recreational reading lying about the estate. On more than one ocassion, I stumbled across Echo reading these books, clearly having no problems grasping the subject at all. Such a prominent scholastic acumen must be nurtured. And I figure, since I am the boy's caretaker, that I should be the one to oversee his education. I fear that Echo would not fit in at a public school setting, and besides, I am a professor. So, I took him to the library, and began to teach him. He is my son now, in name if not in blood, so I must ensure he does my name proud. I do have a certain reputation to uphold, after all..."

Echo scowled.

"However, Echo has proven to be a fast learner." Nocturne continued. "I don't know very much about Thestrals, but I'd wager his intelligence is not the norm among his kind. Who knows? It may even be some latent aspect of his still-dormant Nightcrawler powers. Only time will tell. Also, this thirst for knowledge has gotten him to open up considerably. Alas, he still does not remember much of what happened before the orphanage. But for now, I must be satisfied with the progress I've already made. Roam wasn't built in a day, after all..."

Echo wordlessly put in the next tape.

"I brought Echo to an... associate of mine." Nocturne remarked. "A doctor, who specialises in genetics. Under the guise of a medical check-up, he took some of Echo's blood, tested his physical traits, and anything else required to sell the illusion. From what we have been able to gather, Echo is no stronger nor faster than a regular colt his age. In fact, he's a little on the weak side. And his flight speed is less than impressive. Though I only have Pegasi to reference, I hardly think Thestrals would be that different, considering the comparatively similar wingspan. Echo is no athlete, that's for sure, not to mention his eyesight is dimming slightly. He's definitely going to need glasses... Honestly, between these kind of expenses and providing him with food, clothes and bedding, this project is seriously making a dent in my savings. This is going to be hard to explain to my employers..."

"Well, I'm sorry I'm was such a drain on your resources." Echo snarled, quickly putting the next tape in.

"It has been three years since I adopted Echo. The young lad has been progressing quite well since the orphanage. Every task I set him during his home schooling sessions, he passes with flying colors. Not only does Echo possess a keen grasp on spells and history, he has also shown an interest in dark magic (much to my surprise), and now the young thestral is nearing puberty." Nocturne announced. "And with it, the opportunity to activate his Tenebros gene. Of course, this poses something of a quandry: Should I knowingly expose Echo to dark magic in order to activate it? Acquiring dark magic is no easy feat, after all. And then there's the implications to consider. What if Echo's powers destroy my home? The last thing I want is for the boy to develop the Berserker spell and have him tear me and everything else to shreds. This will require careful consideration..."

"Hmph." Echo huffed. "Considering I didn't gain my powers at anywhere near that time, it would seem good sense prevailed. For once..."

Echo put in the next recording.

"I had an encounter with a most unusual stallion recently." Nocturne revealed. "His name was Silas Necross."

"...What?" Echo gasped, remembering the name of the leader of the 'Order of Darkness' in which Sterling and his brother were working with a while ago.

"He belongs to a group who research dark magic directly, apparently connected to my own employers." Nocturne revealed. "Of course, it's not every day you meet a pony with similar interests to yourself, so we got to talking. All things considered, I found Mr. Necross a tad unsettling. His talk about harnessing the power of dark magic borders on the deranged. If I didn't know better, I'd think he was doing for the sake of power, rather than knowledge. Deciding to change the subject, I brought up my own projects, specifically, Echo. Necross was impressed at how well I had done at raising and observing the boy. He was particularly impressed at the boy's knowledge of dark magic. And so he should be, since I have taught the boy almost everything I know by this point. He even suggested that Echo come to work for him after my own research on him was complete, as he could use a mind like his. The offer was tempting. Though I find the fellow quite ghastly, I suppose there would be no harm in pointing him in Echo's direction should the time come..."

Echo dropped the recorder.

"No... please..." Echo grimaced. "Don't tell me Necross only knew of me, only came to recruit me... because of you, father?"

Everything Echo had heard before, every soulcrushing word, was nothing compared to this. The whole reason Silas came to recruit for his "Order's" twisted experiments, their research into dark magic, was because Nocturne had informed him of his existence. Everything that had happened to Echo afterwards; The incident with Sombra's book, his transformation into a beast and subsequent rampage in Canterlot, the ensuing ostracisation... It was all because of his so-called "father."

As Echo reached for the next cassette, he saw that it was the last one.

"Here we go." He frowned. "The moment of truth..."

"Echo is now eighteen, and about to leave home." Nocturne announced. "It seems the grand experiment is over. Ultimately, I chose to exercise caution and not activate his Tenebros gene by force. I won't lie, raising Echo has been an... interesting experience. Having a son that I could raise, guide towards the path of knowledge, has been somewhat gratifying."

Echo smiled, hopeful that some glimmer of life was filtering through the darkness.

"Alas, I have learned comparatively little from him in return." Nocturne declared flatly. "All those years, and I barely gained any knowledge from him at all. Even his being a Thestral didn't make for much difference to my research. In scientific turns, it has all been a big waste. So many years of my life focused on Echo, and it seems they were wasted. At least, that's what my employers think. They are not happy at all my squandered efforts, and I don't blame him. This whole project is something of a bad investment. Perhaps I would have been better off simply leaving Echo in that orphanage. But at least now that he's an adult, I don't have to worry about him anymore. He can live his own life now, and I am finally free to move on to more fruitful endeavors. Perhaps I should give Silas a call, let him know that Echo is ready for him..."

"How..." Echo snarled, his crystals flowing fast and frenzied. "How could you do this to me? I thought you loved me... but you didn't, did you? I was just your little pet project, somepony to observe and push in the direction you wanted... then finally, fob off on another, far worse stallion when you no longer had use for me!"

Echo was struck by the sudden urge to smash the recorder, in the half-baked hope that destroying it and the offending tapewould take away the pain it had caused him. He formed a hammer out of his crystals, and held it over the device.

"RARRRGH!" He swung the hammer down.

The hammer impacted... on the dirt beside the recorder. At the last second, Echo had diverted the swing. As much as he hated to admit it, the information on those tapes could still prove valuable. He had to keep them safe, no matter what pain they brought.

"Damn you, Nocturne..." He said breathlessly, as his crystals receded. "Damn you all the way to Tartarus."

Still breathing hard, Echo lay down on his hammock, covering his face with his hooves. The pain of his adoptive father's betrayal was like poison in his veins.

"The moment of truth..." He sighed, wallowing in his misery. "The terrible, awful, truth..."

Meanwhile, Sunset was walking through the tunnels, planning to get some water from the river, when Snow suddenly bumped into her.

"Snow?" She asked.

"I didn't do it!" Snow yelled. "It wasn't me!"

"What wasn't you?" Sunset asked.

"Snow!" Elatha voice rang down the tunnels.

"Oh no." Snow gulped, racing off.

Elatha rounded a corner, clearly very annoyed.

"What's going on?" Sunset asked. "Why's Snow so freaked out?"

"This is why." Elatha held out her Voldemare charm, which had been cracked. A faint wisp of dark magic was leaking out of it.

"Ohh..." Sunset cringed. "That's not good."

"No, it isn't." Elatha declared.

"How did it happen?" Sunset asked.

"I was in my room, taking a nap." Elatha recalled. "Then I woke up, and saw her holding it. She dropped it, and it cracked."

"Which explains why she just ran past me at about a hundred miles an hour." Sunset deadpanned.

"This isn't the first time she's done this." Elatha frowned. "I don't know why, but she's always playing with my charm. And she breaks it every time. Aether can fix them, but he always gets so angry about it. I am really not in the mood to get another earful from him about how we don't 'take proper care' of the charms, and that we're 'risking discovery'."

Sunset was mildly surprised. She had taken Aether to be a slightly doddering, likeable grandfather figure. The idea that he could be such a hardnose came as a shock.

"Maybe I can fix it." Sunset suggested. "I know a few things about magical trinkets."

"Would you?" Elatha asked. "That would be great. At least then, I wouldn't have Aether on my back."

"Shouldn't we find Snow?" Sunset noted. "She went down that tunnel."

"Yeah." Elatha nodded. "She's going to have to answer for this..."

"What exactly do you have in mind for punishment?" Sunset asked. "I imagine grounding is out of the question..."

"Oh, I have my options." Elatha declared. "No blueberries for a week, water-gathering duty, checking the tree roots for woodworm..."

"Points for creativity." Sunset nodded.

"Well, you do need to improvise down here..." Elatha smirked.

They found Snow in her room, pouting.

"I'd like a word with you, young filly." Elatha declared.

"It was an accident, okay?" Snow scowled. "I was just looking at it, and I... dropped it. It's not my fault there was a rock down there..."

"I know you didn't mean to break it." Elatha said fairly. "But this has to stop. Aether doesn't like having to fix the charm all the time."

"I know." Snow sighed. "I'm sorry. Are you mad at me?"

"I'm more 'annoyed' than mad." Elatha admitted. "Try not to do it again, okay?"

"Okay." Snow smiled.

"Atta girl." Elatha hugged her daughter.

Sunset smiled also, admiring Elatha's show of parenting.

'I hope I can be this patient with my foal...' She thought.

"Now, lucky for the both of us, Sunset's going to try and fix the charm." Elatha declared. "So we won't have to trouble Aether today."

"Can you really do that?" Snow asked Sunset.

"I can give it a shot." Sunset shrugged.

"Here it is." Elatha passed over the cracked gem.

"Okay, here goes nothing." Sunset screwed up her face in concentration.

Sunset's horn started to glow, as did the gem. The crack slowly started to seal itself. However, the dark magic was making things difficult. Sunset put everything she had into pushing it back inside.

"Almost..." She groaned, sweat dripping down her brow. "Got it!"

The crack completely vanished, leaving the gem whole again. The gem shone, even more brightly than before.

"There." Sunset smiled, wiping her brow. "Nothing to it."

"Wow." Snow gaped. "I thought only Aether could do that."

"He makes it look a lot easier though." Elatha admitted. "But listening to him chew us out sure isn't easy."

"You're not going to tell him, are you?" Snow asked.

"Of course not." Sunset grinned. "It's our little secret."

"Thanks." Snow beamed.

"But I'm afraid you're still going to have to be punished, young filly." Elatha declared. "No blueberries tonight."

"Aww!" Snow groaned. "But mom-"

"No buts." Elatha said firmly. "Now run along back to room. Sunset andI need to have a little chat."

"We do?" Sunset asked.

"Okay..." Snow sighed, walking off to her room.

Elatha looked around, making sure nopony was there.

"Speaking of secrets... Follow me." She told Sunset.

"Sure..." Sunset complied, though with some confusion.

Elatha led Sunset down the tunnels, her expression set.

Wanting to clear his head, Echo walked down the tunnels, trying in vain to get his mind off the horrific revelations. So lost in thought was he that he bumped into Aether.

"Sorry." Echo apologised.

"Is something wrong, friend?" Aether asked. "You look... troubled."

"Oh, it's...." Echo sighed. "I've just been listening to more of those recordings. The information is... unsettling. Nocturne raised me, and I never imagined he would speak words like that."

"It's true, those recording are unnerving." Aether admitted.

"Nocturne spoke of Nightcrawlers as if they were just test subjects." Echo sighed. "Even I was little more than a 'project' to him."

"I'm sorry you had to hear that." Aether said sympathetically. "Then again, what more can you expect from a normal pony?"

"Pardon?" Echo asked, "Didn't he help you and your friend once? I figure you would at least hold him a bit higher in regards..."

"That he did... but it doesn't change the fact Nocturne only considered our kind little more than a scientific curiosity." Aether scowled. "To his kind, that is all we are; Anomolies. Deviations from the norm. Freaks."

"I wouldn't put it quite like that." Echo frowned.

"Really?" Aether snorted. "You've heard the origins of my fellow pack members. And you yourself have suffered. All thanks to the so-called 'normal' ponies who choose to torment us for our differences."

"I know there are those who have caused Nightcrawlers pain." Echo declared. "But we can't hold it against their entire race. Nor can we let such bitterness overwhelm us."

"Is that so? Just look at the cruelty normal ponies inflict on our kind." Aether scowled. "The persecution, the torment, hunting us down, slaughtering us or even worse."

"They aren't all like that, though." Echo declared. "Some are perfectly willing to let us live our lives in peace."

"Yet they do nothing to stop the others from persecuting us." Aether retorted.

"I wouldn't say 'nothing'." Echo frowned. "Prince Shining and Princess Cadance are doing everything they can to slow down that Registration Act."

"Slow it down, yes." Aether admitted. "But they can't stop it. Their precious politics won't let them. They may as well not be doing anything at all."

"At least they're trying." Echo scowled. He was surprised by Aether's sudden change in personality. He had never seen him look so fierce, so blunt. "Despite what you may think, not all normal ponies are against us. There are some whom are for us, ones I am proud to call friends. And others still can be turned away from their prejudice. In fact, Prince Shining once despised me, but he eventually saw differently. We can achieve peace between our two races. All we have to do is prove that Nightcrawlers as a whole aren't a threat."

"Oh, is that all?" Aether said sarcastically. "What are you intending to do for a follow-up mission, prove that Parasprites don't eat everything in sight?"

"Very droll." Echo snorted.

"Your plan for 'peace' won't work, Echo." Aether said bluntly. "Those 'friends' of yours as you call them, such as Prince Shining, may hold you in high regards now...but if somewhere down the road, you do something that goes against their ways? What then?"

"I've already done several things that were wrong in Shining's eyes." Echo replied. "Yet he still trusts me. It was rather rough between us, but we had finally developed respect between us."

"But for how long?" Aether sneered. "What if that Registration Act becomes law, and you refuse to go along with it? Will he still trust you then, when you refuse to give up your freedom for the law he is bound to follow? Or will he simply brand you a criminal, and have you arrested?"

"Shining would never do that." Echo declared.

"Oh?" Aether asked. "Can you be so sure?"

Echo stumbled for a moment, not entirely sure.

"I don't need to be sure, because the Act will never come into being." He said quickly. "Malus will never infect this land with his hate."

"Artorias was right about you." Aether said scathingly. "You're an idealistic fool. You think things will always turn out for the best."

"And why not?" Echo retorted. "I was in a bad place once, but everything worked out for me in the end."

"You were lucky." Aether snorted. "You got a wife, a home, a high-ranking job, and accepted mostly by your peers... something none of us have known in a long time. You may be a Nightcrawler, but you are not one of us."

"I am in spirit." Echo retorted. "And I will do everything I can to help you."

"You think yourself our saviour?" Aether snickered. "You are talented and you are smart, but you are no Dark Messiah. That much I am certain."

"Who?" Echo frowned.

"What, you've never heard of the Dark Messiah?" Aether scoffed.

"I can't say that I have." Echo admitted.

"Well, rumor has it that there is a Nightcrawler out there, far more powerful than any Nightcrawler in the world. It is said that this one pony would be the one to bring about a new age of prosperity for the ones cursed with dark magic, and rid this world of hate. He championed our cause for many years, and he will one day free us from this den of dirt." Aether decreed. "No one has ever met him except for a few, but those that did saw him for what he was... a god amongst the mortals.. .something I am afraid that you are not."

"...Okay... I have no idea whom this Messiah is that you speak of, and even then, we have no need for him." Echo said skeptically. "I will help make peace between you and the normal ponies if it's the last thing I do."

"Again with the talk of 'peace'." Aether sneered. "You want so badly for all of us to live together in harmony. But that will never happen. The normals will always hate and fear us. Look at your so-called father, Nocturne. To him, you were nothing but a means to an end, an experiment. And there are so many more like him out there. Is that really the kind of pony you want us to live beside?"

"I..." Echo spluttered.

"Listen, boy, you are a talented Nightcrawler, but you must take time to rethink your position..." Aether declared as he walked away. "Perhaps even reconsider who's side you're on. Maybe then, will you become one of us..."

Echo was once again left alone with his thoughts. Only this time, his thoughts had shifted...

"What if Aether is right?" Echo asked himself. "What if there is no way to achieve peace? What if Shining will hold his dedication to the law above our friendship? Will he really turn on me? Is Aether right? Are my attempts to prove Nightcrawlers are not a threat doomed to failure? Is this nothing but an idealistic fool's errand? Maybe Aether's right, and normals and Nightcrawlers will never be able to live together in peace. ...I don't even know if I'm doing the right thing anymore..."

Meanwhile, Elatha led Sunset down the tunnels, finding the most secluded spot in the den.

"What is all this?" Sunset asked, a tad breathless. "Why did you lead me all the way down here?"

"...Sunset, I have something I need to confess to you." Elatha sighed. "Something I need to keep just between us."

"Really? What is it?" Sunset asked.

"Well... it's about that letter you and Echo received." Elatha declared. "The one that brought you both here."

"Do you find out who wrote it?" Sunset inquired.

"Not exactly." Elatha declared.

"What do you mean 'not exactly'?" Sunset frowned.

"I don't need to find out who wrote it because... I wrote it." Elatha admitted.

"What?" Sunset gasped, shocked. "You..."

"That's right." Elatha nodded. "I'm the one who brought you and Echo here."

Comments

[danick]

HA!! I KNOW IT IT WAS ELATHA!!!

[Spyro the Night Fury]

dun dun dun.