Rumors among the little fillies and colts talk of many strange and silly occurrences. However, not everything they say is a fable or a myth. The story of Princess Luna, who visits her subject's dreams to give advice or guide them is a common one. However, a lesser known story tells of another entity that enters the dreams of the young to aid them. Few less even know the name. Some fillies claim it is the one who truly sets forth the path of wicked straight. No one ever sees this omnipotent force. All they know is that once it is met, you can never go back.
"Beware Nightmare Moon, but always watch for the Night Stalker."
~~~~~~~~~
So yeah. That's me. Nothing special about me, actually. I had been studying under Princess Luna for a while now. Believe me, it can be a major pain. You would think that working with one of the most ancient and powerful Alicorn in history (the other being Celestia...or so they say.) would be fun like fighting monsters or going on adventures. Sure, we do that, but most of the time we spend late at night when REGULAR PONIES SLEEP passing laws, reading lower court grievances, etc.
Princess Luna herself is actually pretty cool. She didn't use her Canterlot voice that often anymore and my hearing is actually starting to return. Her court/cabinet was made up of...stranger ponies. It wasn't that they were idiots or something, it was just that they had an unnerving presence. But then again, when your cabinet is your conscience split into 22 different forms. Yep; anger, sadness, happiness, cockiness, etc. Luna's mind splits and makes 22 copies of her. In their pure forms, they allow her to make non-biased decisions and see the argument from all sides. Why she couldn't just have regular ponies do it was a mystery to me.
I am her assistant for the most part. I fetch her coffee. I get her food when she gets hungry. I don't know what these "video games" are, but everypony assumes that is what she does. In actuality, she is very intelligent and has 3 master degrees and 4 PhDs (Celestia has a PhD in almost every field. Luna doesn't like to talk about how that happened...). When she isn't-
"Dark Skies! Get your unicorn butt down here!"
Well, I'll finish that later.
It was about night time when Princess Luna had arrived back from the realm of dreams. Contrary to popular belief, she actually did not just appear in a child's dream. In fact, she had to go through a painful "de-materialization" that broke her body down to particles so small it allowed the senses to experience different planes of the mind on one's own.
But the simpler term was: she teleported using magic.
She took off her regalia. Luna always did hate her jewelry. How she wore so much while she was Nightmare Moon was a mystery for the ages. Then again, the armor was more of a manifestation of her soul, so it wasn't like she MADE it. She flopped onto her bed in her room.
"Yes, Princess?" I asked eagerly. Maybe tonight was the night I got to learn about-
"Nope. I said you aren't ready yet. I can't afford for you to get lost on the planes. Not after what happened to the last Night Stalker..."
Her eyes grew distant. She never talked about it too much. The Legend of the Night Stalker truly was one lost to the ages, except Luna and those she graced with the position. But it had been several hundred years, in fact 1000, since she had had a controller of Nightmares.
"But I have been working hard! I understand how dreams and Nightmares work! When a filly' guilty conscience begins to manifest-"
My mentor just stared at me. That was one of the things I hated most. Sometimes, Luna would just stare at you and wait for you to answer. I could never tell if I was right or wrong until she had given feedback. Often, I was wrong.
"-her fears take the form of entities known as Nightmares. They vary in shape and form and can only be dispelled by admitting ones self."
She continued to stare for about 10 seconds. "Not bad, Mr. Skies. But do you know what a Night Stalker's job is?"
I gulped. I had only read about the job. It wasn't even in the original job description when I came to work and study under Luna. But I had learned about it from Luna's lessons during the night time classes. My personal research did little, however, to improve my knowledge of the position. "A Night Stalker is the aid of Princess Luna, you. His or her job is to help children overcome their fears or problems in the stead of Princess Luna."
"What is the difference?" She interrupted.
"What do you mean?
She cleared her throat. "Why do we need a Night Stalker? After all, I can manifest myself to every filly's dream in an instant. What makes you think I need your help?"
"I..." She had me there. As far as I knew, the Night Stalker WAS practically Luna's job. In fact rumors said that Luna was in fact the Night Stalker herself. However, no one could prove something like that.
She stood up from her bed. "Come now. If you cannot answer that question, how can I take you with me on my next trip?"
"Well, I suppose that- wait. Did you say-?"
"Yes, my lowly assistant." I hated when she called me that. "I will be taking you on a Dream Hunt with me tomorrow night. It will be good practice if you ever want to truly become my aid."
My mouth hung agape. This was my chance! I could finally learn more about Luna's work. Ever since I had heard of the Night Stalker Legend, I had constantly prodded her to teach me the way. Whenever I did, she would always become distant, and the night air seemed to grow colder. But now, when she looked me in the eyes and told me her acceptance, I could see hope in her eyes.
"Th-thank you!" I hugged her. She quickly pulled away.
"You're welcome. Don't do that again." I blushed. Sometimes I got excited. "But it will not be easy. I will need to prepare your body. As you are now, even as a unicorn, your body will have trouble breaking down and re-creating your conscience in a dream state. The good news is that it won't hurt too much."
I frowned. I wasn't exactly accustomed to pain. But it would be worth it to finally do something interesting around here. This would be far different from making a trip through the Everfree or making new zoning ordinance laws. Dream Hunting was NOT to be taken lightly. According to the ancient books Luna had on the subject, (not that there was a lot) Dream Hunting often involved catching Nightmares, the entities formed by children's guilt. But, it could manifest into more severe machinations over time.
"I'll talk to you about it tomorrow. We can do an overview lesson and discuss what you will need to prepare for the journey. Sleep now." With a bright light from her horn, my eye lids grew heavy. "Good night, Night Stalker." Off I was to dream land.
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Luna dispelled her glowing horn. She shouldn't have done it. He was far too incapable of handling the powers of the night. Not to mention his body might not be enough of a vessel to even hold all the Shade energy. Not to mention he didn't actually have any experience Dream Hunting. The types of encounters they would have could not be dissolved with a simple buck to the face.
She had to be vigilant on the Hunt. Until he could learn to handle his power, Luna needed to keep it under control. She had seen it often at her meetings with her mind. The most observant aspect could feel the different energies within the unicorn. However, a murky haze blocked Luna's abilities to look deeper. It could be anything. What she had never told Anypony was that the Night Stalker was older than here. She had merely taken up the mantle and given it to another. Also, the powers of the Night Stalker are not simply received; they are passed down specifically. Not even she knew how.
Luna relaxed a bit. If he did not have the capacity, perhaps it was for the best. Then, he could give up on the silly idea and she could continue to work on her job. Alone.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Uh....Shade Energy?"
"Yes. I thought you said you had done research!" Luna's voice became louder. She tended to do that sometimes. It wasn't the Canterlot Voice, but it would still send my ears ringing to the fire station.
She sighed and face hoofed. "Alright, I'll explain." She pulled over a board from seemingly nowhere. "Shade Energy is how much a Dreamer can either alter their surrounding or create their dream. Let's do some vocabulary real quick. What is a Dreamer?" Her eyes did a quick flicker around the room. "No one?"
"Ha ha." I played along. "Dreamers are sleepers. They come in two forms: Awake or Dormant. Awake often means they have better control of their dreams while Dormant Dreamers just randomly create the world around them."
"Very good, lowly assistant." She turned back to the board. "So Awake Dreamers have better control of Shade Energy. However, Dormant Dreamers have a larger amount of Shade Energy, but, as you said, cannot control it. Dormant Dreamers are the number one customers of Nightmares. What are Nightmares?"
I thought for a moment. Normally, nightmares, lower case n, were just bad dreams. In reality, they were a malicious form of something known as Nightmares. "Nightmares are entities that attack Dreamers. They usually manifest in three forms: figure, voice, or world. I don't really get what those are.
Luna giggled. "I doubt you would know."
"Hey!" I complained. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"Nothing offensive, I assure you. I just don't have many books on it. Or the subject in general. Most of those manuscripts were lost during the Great War. As for the forms, I am shocked you even know them. Figure Nightmares take a form. They are children's "real" fear. This can be bullies, ponies who have scarred them into fear. Voice Nightmares are often evil manifestations of guilty consciences. And lastly, World Nightmares, affect the atmosphere of a Dreamer. They are usually Dormant Dreamers."
It was a lot to take in. Two types of Dreamers fed into three kinds of manifestations. "How can you tell?"
"They are often distinct. However, you can have Mutated Dreams. But that is all advanced. Most ponies who do studies into the subject know very little of any of this. I have not allowed them to see even my knowledge on the subject." Her eyes twinkled, giving her a mischievous feel. "They have known my wrath..."
I smiled. No one messed with the Princess of the Night. She began to speak again. What she said next made me cringe. "Alright, now that you know the basics, let us get down to the transference chamber."
"What is-"
"If you waited," she interrupted. "The transfer chamber is how I will give you the ability to break down your body and enter the Dream state. You will feel a little wobbly when you stand. You get used to it."
"How long did it take for you to get used to it?" I questioned.
"I'm...different. Since I am able to control the moon, the night has always been within my general power. So...I don’t really know how you may feel. But the last pony to do this lived.
"How long?" I had intended it to be a joke. But it was clear it was not a subject to be discussed with Luna.
She made no response. Her only answer was her silence.
"Oh. Well...Let's get to it then."
~~~~~~~~~~~
I followed her to the castle basement. Dusting aside cobwebs, the Princess began to pace around, looking for the ideal spot to begin. "This is the transference chamber. I have not used it ages, to be honest."
I coughed. "I can tell."
She finally stopped prodding the ground at about the center of the dusty chamber. While it didn't seem like an important spot, upon closer inspection I realized that it was much more than flooring design.
On the ground was what appeared to be a large mosaic. In the center was a picture of a pony hidden by shadows, wearing nothing but a simple scarf and it's mane flowing in the apparent night breeze. Surrounding it were three circles. The words on them were like none I had ever seen.
"Here is the transference point." She pointed to the center. "Around it are the Laws of the Night Stalker."
Well, that was new. I had never heard of them before. Maybe it was like some secret vows or promises to forever serve Luna. The princess smiled. "I can tell you are slightly confused. Allow me to explain."
"The Laws of the Night Stalker are completely binding: once you submit, you must follow through. There are three Laws or, shall I say, motto, that the Night Stalker has. Law One: Your job is to help, never to injure."
I giggled. "Isn't that obvious?"
"Mmmm. It may seem so at its most basic level. But, that means you cannot kill Nightmares either."
I stared blankly. "Aren't they our enemies?"
Luna shook her head in good natured annoyance. "How little you really know. Nightmares are meant to keep ponies in line. If we went and destroyed them all, how would we complete that job? Our path is to guide. That is Law Two: You will guide, not answer."
"Aren't those two the same?" I questioned.
"Not exactly. If somepony asks you "What should I do about money I stole?", your job is to guide them to the realization they should give back the money. Simply answering them "yes" will not change who they are. This is the Night Stalker's role."
"Well," I stuttered, suddenly fearful that I would have to lead somepony "What does that make your job?"
Luna laughed. "Not much difference, I suppose. But that is where Law Three will come in. Law Three: You must never bask in the light of fame. This means you will do your duty in the shadows. No pony will recognize you in their dreams. You will take the form of Nightmares if need be. But, your goal is still to guide. You may become any Manifestation: Figure, Voice, or World. But no pony must ever know you are Dark Skies."
The room seemed to grow several decibels quieter. No pony would ever remember me? All I would do for the rest of my time under Princess Luna was serve as a shadow. I didn't want the fame, I supposed. But it would be nice to receive gratitude for helping other ponies. Princess Luna began to concentrate her energy.
"When you are ready, step in the middle. I will begin the process of transferring the Shade Energy I have into your vessel. Once complete, you will have your own well of Shade Energy that will constantly recreate itself as you continue on your journey as the Night Stalker."
I nodded. I was about to do something important with my life. No longer would I be some simple assistant. I could go and truly make a difference! How many ponies could claim to have the opportunity I was receiving. But it came at a price.
"What if I can't do my job?" Luna stopped her magic concentration. I cleared my throat. "I don't know a lot about leading ponies. And I still get nightmares myself! Are you sure I really am qualified to do this?"
There was silence between us for the 100th time today. Then she spoke up.
"Listen, Skies. You were the one who wanted to do this right?" I nodded. "Then you have to believe in yourself most of all. If you are to guide others, you must learn yourself and what drives you. A sheep lost in its own herd can never lead."
I shook my head. "But this is much harder than that!"
"I know it is. But, if you truly want to do something for this world, this is your chance. I believe you can do it. Why don't you?"
I stared at the floor. If I took the job, I would become the Night Stalker, guide to Dreamers, an entity that can take the form of Nightmares to combat Nightmares and to lead the wicked. Life would certainly be a lot harder. Coffee runs would certainly be dropped from the list of duties.
"Alright. Let's do it."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I don't quite know, or want, how to tell how the transference happened. I stood in the middle of the three circles as Luna began to channel her power again. The circles began to glow with bright, ethereal energy. In first ring turned purple, and that was when I first felt the power begin to flow through me. Like a distant voice, I could hear Luna's voice.
"Please respond "I will, as The Night Stalker".
I nodded my head to no one in particular. I closed my eyes and suddenly I was in a different place. All I saw was a vast emptiness of blue. Whether or not I was floating, I couldn't tell. My body attempted to move, but I myself went nowhere.
"Keep calm. You are within your own mind." The Princess announced. Then her Canterlot Voice interjected once again.
"AS THE KEEPER OF THE NIGHT, DO YOU SWEAR TO UPHOLD THE THREE LAWS OF THE NIGHT STALKER?"
"I will, as the Night Stalker."
"DO YOU SWEAR TO GUIDE THOSE WHO CANNOT GUIDE THEMSELVES?"
I responded as before. "DO YOU SWEAR TO FIGHT THE EVIL IN DREAMERS AND BE A SYMBOL OF HOPE?"
I stuttered a little. Symbol of hope? "I-I do- I mean, I WILL AS THE NIGHT STALKER!" Confidence suddenly rushed into me. I could feel the Shade Energy welling inside of me, creating a pool of energy.
"THEN DUB YOU THE KEEPER OF THE NIGHT, THE NIGHT STALKER!"
Everything went black.
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So yeah. That is how my legend goes. Whoa, got ahead of myself. That was how it began for me and the Night Stalker's modern legend. I don't really know what will become of my life as I guide others. I assume it will be relatively interesting. No more having to deal with boring meetings or fetching coffee. Nope. Now it's just me and Luna against the Nightmares.
"Oh lowly assistant! I need my room cleaned and the maid is out for the night. Would you be a dear?"
"YOU NEED MORE FORCE! HEY DUMB BUTT! GET DOWN HERE AND WORK!"
"Oh, don't be so mean..."
Did I mention I hate her 22 consciences?