//------------------------------// // Secret Society // Story: Twilight Sparkle Versus the Forces of Darkness // by Rytex //------------------------------// Twilight Sparkle Versus the Forces of Darkness Chapter 02 - Secret Society “Damn it, Sparky,” Sunset rubbed her eyes from her spot next to Twilight in the university library’s research section.  “Why’d you make me come here with you again?” “Because the author has hit writer’s block at this section, and since he knows I’m a popular character in the fandom, he is shamelessly throwing pandas at the readers while also writing himself out of it?” “Really?  A fourth wall break this early in a chapter?  He promised they wouldn’t be this frequent,” Twilight glowered at the author. “I’m sure it won’t happen again.” “But that makes about as much sense as your other theory,” Twilight ran a hand through her hair as she stared at her computer in frustration.  “Seriously, Sunset?  Government agents and the Illuminati?  Have you been hanging around Foil Hat?” “I have no choice,” Sunset rolled her eyes and shrugged helplessly.  “He’s my lab partner.  Wouldn’t even go near the fluoride solution we had to use last Chem lab.”  She snorted.  “Seemed to think it was in our water, or chemtrails or something.” “Mother of old Celestia,” Twilight face-palmed.  “This university will accept anyone, won’t they?” “They’ve got quotas to hit to meet standards,” Sunset shrugged again.  “Speaking of bureaucracy, you are going to the President’s address tomorrow, right?” “Yeah,” Twilight dipped her head.  “I’m gonna bring a book for her to sign as well.” “Extra credit, or something?” Sunset glanced back toward the research section’s entryway just as one of the music professors strolled in. “Nah,” Twilight shook her head.  “Just want me a copy signed by a famous person.  And an excuse to get out of class!” “You’re twenty-four, quadruple-majoring, and you’re skipping classes?” Sunset asked skeptically.  “Alright, who’s handling note-taking?” “Beaker,” replied Twilight dully.  “Only other person who pays attention in Chem.” “Beaker?” Sunset tried to stifle a laugh.  “The accident-prone one with the red hair?” “Pretty much,” Twilight replied, a note of resignation in her voice.  “He was the only one I could count on.” Sunset cringed at the thought of the fourteen different ways Beaker could potentially kill himself while just taking notes.  Was death by note-taking a thing?  Perhaps a thousand paper cuts? “Still, whatever it is you’re looking up has gotta be pretty important if you’re willing to skip class over it,” Sunset pointed out.  “Even more so if you’re looking up conspiracies.  What’s going on again?” “I was on my way to school this morning, and there was this big black guy watching me from by an alley.” Sunset blinked. “Okay, that’s slightly racist and more than a little creepy.” “No, I mean,” Twilight face-palmed as she pulled up some page listing the latest conspiracy theories, “It was this guy in a big black cloak, sitting in an alley, just… watching me.” “Okay, not racist anymore, but still creepy,” amended Sunset, looking up at the ceiling thoughtfully.  “And a black cloak?  It’s the beginning of summer!  That’s astoundingly impractical.” “That’s what I thought!  He must have been on fire under that thing,” Twilight agreed, nodding enthusiastically.  “But that’s not even the weird part.” “It gets weirder?” “Yes,” Twilight dipped her head.  “No one even noticed he was there.  And after a few moments, he just…” “Just…?” Sunset tilted her head quizzically. “Just… teleported or something.” “Teleported?” “I know what I saw!” Twilight preemptively defended herself.  “There was this big black bubble that swallowed him up, but he didn’t look concerned or anything!  It was like he wanted to be swallowed up by it.  It just makes the most sense that it was some kind of teleportation.” She frowned. “But… how is that possible?” the whispered to herself. “Magic, obviously,” shrugged Sunset. “That’s impossible,” refuted Twilight, crossing her arms.  “Magic doesn’t exist!” “You literally saw it right in front of your eyes, and you say it doesn’t exist?” Sunset deadpanned. “There has to be some sort of explanation!” Twilight tossed her hair back.  “I mean, magic describes something inexplicable!  Surely there has to be some sort of science behind it.” Sunset rolled her eyes. “I’m not going to argue that, but why can’t you just accept that there’s nothing explainable about it now,” Twilight shot her an irritated look, “and just come back later when you have more knowledge?  Maybe then you’ll be able to explain it away.” “Because this is magic we’re talking about,” Twilight replied, kneading the flesh above her eyebrows.  “Magic, Sunset!  If magic had so much information about it running around, how many google search results would turn up?” Fun fact, the actual answer was 1,150,000,000 (in 0.58 seconds). “This… may take a while,” Twilight sighed. “You may even have to look at the second page,” Sunset mused. “I don’t have time for this!” Twilight groaned, before letting her head slam onto the space of table right in front of the keyboard. “Maybe you’re underthinking it,” Sunset suggested.  “Think about it.  If magic implies something inexplicable, and you think there’s an explanation, maybe it goes by a different name?” Twilight paused for a moment. “Sunset?” “Yeah?” “You’re a genius.” Sunset examined her nails in faux-haughtiness.  “I do try.” “I need to get back to the library,” Twilight said, starting to log off and grab her bag and books. “Twilight, you’re already in a library,” Sunset pointed out, struggling not to smile. “The other library,” clarified Twilight, rolling her eyes.  “There could be some information here, but until I know what it’s supposed other name was, I’d just be searching through all these reference books blind.” “Fair point,” conceded Sunset, inclining her head at her roommate.  “Just don’t stay out too late.  I don’t think I need to remind you that you want to get a book signed by a famous person tomorrow morning.” “I hear ya,” Twilight started making her way toward the exit.  “But that means Flash has to leave when I get back.  I don’t need you two keeping me up all night.” Twilight was grateful she couldn’t see the smirk Sunset was definitely sporting.  She was even more grateful for the lack of traffic that afternoon, and the near-emptiness of the Public Library as she walked in. “Twilight!” exclaimed Ms. Valkyrie from the center desk, rising to greet her.  “This is unexpected.  I thought you had class at this time.” “Not this semester,” Twilight replied, charging right up to Ms. Valkyrie’s desk and setting her bookbag right on top.  “Ms. Valkyrie, I need your help.  Do you know of anything about magic?” Ms. Valkyrie tilted her head.  “Magic?  Very little, I suppose, though I have a few rudimentary tutorial books and such.  Taking up a new hobby?” “Do… what now?” Twilight asked.  She had tutorial books on magic?  Was there something she had missed? “I was actually checking in one just now,” the elder woman said, digging around in a return bin and yanking out a small white book. “Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About Magic But Were Too Afraid To Ask?” Twilight asked, taking the book in her hands.  A quick inspection of the inside cover revealed a child wearing a top hat and cape and wielding a black wand with white tips.  “Oh!  No, not this kind of magic, Ms. Valkyrie.  I’m talking about actual magic.” “Actual magic?” Ms. Valkyrie took the book and returned it to the pile.  “Advanced stuff or--” “No!”  Twilight cut her off, facepalming.  “I mean, like, the supernatural, arcane kind.” “If I may ask, what’s bringing on this sudden interest?” the elder asked, choosing to go ahead and process the magic tutorial book while she had it out. Twilight cast a cursory glance around the room.  No one else was here, not even Ms. Valkyrie’s helpers. “Dear?”  Ms. Valkyrie looked up from the book with concern.  “Are you alright?” “Fine, fine,” Twilight shook her head.  No one else was here.  What was she so afraid of?  “It’s just… in the marketplace this morning.  There was this cloaked being watching me.” Ms. Valkyrie froze, her eyes widening a fraction. “I don’t know, it’s weird,” Twilight shrugged, “but I couldn’t see his face.  It was completely black under his hood.  And when I noticed him, he just…” she held her hands up as she struggled to describe it, “disappeared in this big black bubble thing.” The encounter with the man replayed in Twilight’s head.  Everything seemed to be in crisp clarity.  The way the being and her just stared at each other, the inky blackness that swallowed him… Twilight returned her attention to Ms. Valkyrie to see that the librarian’s eyes were now staring past her, and she seemed very distant all of a sudden.  And were her tendons bulging in her hands…? “Ms. Valkyrie?” Twilight asked hesitantly. The librarian blinked several times as she was jolted from her thoughts.  “Sorry!” she apologized, meeting Twilight’s gaze and giving her an equally apologetic look.  “It’s just… how do you know of the Nightwalkers?” “Err… ‘Nightwalkers?’” Twilight asked, confused.  “They have a name?” “Of course they do,” Ms. Valkyrie stepped out of the desk through a small door to the side and motioned for Twilight to follow her.  “Come.  We need to have this conversation someplace a bit more private.” “More private,” it turned out, was just Ms. Valkyrie’s hidden office at the back of the library.  Tucked away behind the archives, filled with practically nothing but filing cabinets, a desk, and an aging computer. Twilight had been in here all of twice before.  The computer’s software was as old as the hardware, since it was still running Macrohard Windows ‘91 despite it being almost nine years later. What a noob, still stuck in the 198th century.  She probably still used Internet Explorer and everything. Ms. Valkyrie took her place behind the antique of a computer and frowned at the blank screen. “Where to begin…” she muttered quietly as Twilight sat down in a plain, old-looking cushioned chair. “They have a name?” Twilight asked again. “Of course they do,” Ms. Valkyrie nodded gravely.  “If that is or isn’t their real name, we don’t know.  All we know is that these beings cloaked in black have cropped up over the last ten thousand years.  Someone had the idea to call them the Nightwalkers, so we use that name since we don’t have a better one.” “Ten thousand years?” Twilight gasped.  “How old are they?” Ms. Valkyrie shrugged.  “All we know is that their first sighting was on Night Zero.” “Did they…” “...have something to do with it?” finished the elder, eyes narrowing.  “Yes.  In fact, they’re believed to be the reason behind the disappearance of Princess Luna.” “Disappearance?  I thought she died.” Ms. Valkyrie shook her head.  “Not that we know for fact.  Without a doubt, eyewitness accounts report a Nightwalker directly murdering Princess Celestia, and another eyewitness reports a Nightwalker battling Princess Luna shortly before Princess Luna is reported missing.  Beyond that, no one knows.” “Twilight huffed.  “She’s obviously alive then.  No body, no death.  That’s how this always works.” “Even so,” continued the elder, “no one knows where she is.  Of course,” she added, with a humorless smile, “there are possibilities for where she could be hiding or kept prisoner, such as Mt. Snowdin or someplace outside of the Republic.” “Mt. Snowdin?  The one with the perpetual ice storm, right?” “Exactly,” Ms. Valkyrie dipped her head.  An ice storm that wards off all would-be summitters, and no one has seen what the peak looks like.” “Do you think that may be where the Nightwalkers are headquartered at?” Twilight asked, already pulling out her notebook and scribbling down what she had learned thus far in addition to all of the other conspiracy… er, possibilities. “It’s as likely as any other place,” Ms. Valkyrie shrugged.  “As for what has become of the Nightwalkers, they’ve popped up every few hundred years.”  She frowned.  “Every time, they seem to just observe someone.  There’s no pattern to their targets, and no one but the one they watch ever notices them.” “Why do they watch random people?” Twilight asked, as there came a prickling feeling in her neck. “Dear, I haven’t the foggiest idea,” answered Ms. Valkyrie apologetically, closing her purple eyes and shaking her head for a brief moment.  “What makes it even more baffling is that nothing ever happens to the targets, either.” “Nothing?” Twilight asked, confused.  “Nothing at all?” “Nothing traceable, anyway,” Ms. Valkyrie shook her head again.  “All of the observed ones went on to lead normal lives.  Some were cut short tragically due to various reasons, others lived long.  Some lived sad lives, others lived prosperous ones.  There is literally nothing we know of that links any of the people known throughout history to have been observed.” “How do you know about them?” Twilight asked.  “They didn’t seem to be in any of the history books I saw, and if they were involved in Night Zero--” “I know because I, too, was once watched by a Nightwalker.” Twilight froze, her mouth falling open. “You!?” Ms. Valkyrie nodded.  “I was about your age.  I was walking to work one morning, not a care in the world, and suddenly, I saw him.  Standing there on top of a building, just looking right at me.” Her eyes glossed over as her mind drifted back to the memory. “It scared me, at first.  I remember looking through every possible book I could, trying desperately to find any information about it.” Her eyes quickly returned to focus and she looked Twilight dead in the eye. “Your research will, and probably already has, attracted the attention of the government.  Don’t be alarmed,” she added, as Twilight had stiffened, “they do truly desire to help.  You will likely be brought in for questioning, or perhaps interviewed someplace private, but if you ever see the Nightwalkers again, come back to me and I can pass word along to the ones who need to hear it.” Twilight’s mind was reeling.  Had she just gotten caught up in a giant web of intrigue, just by being the one person these Nightwalkers felt like watching? “Relax,” Ms. Valkyrie placed a hand on her shoulder reassuringly.  “The government have been attempting to find the Nightwalkers since the foundation of the Republic, but they are on our side, I promise.” She glanced at a clock on the wall. “You need to go,” Ms. Valkyrie stood up.  “Go back to the campus and continue with your life, but keep an eye out.  Again, if you see another one, don’t hesitate to come right back to me.” “I will,” promised Twilight, nodding as she began to leave.  All of this information was certainly a problem.  It was only the middle of the semester, so exams weren’t a concern yet, but this certainly put a lot on her plate. “Yes, thank-you for the call.  We’ve already started.” The voice of an elderly woman said something unintelligible to anyone but the well-dressed middle-aged man on the phone. “Yes.  IF all goes well, we’ll reach out to her tomorrow.” Another pause while the woman on the other line spoke some more. “Will do.  I’ll alert the President immediately.  Goodbye.” Director Watcher tapped the End Call button on his screen and slipped his smart phone back into his pocket.  Once he felt the familiar weight of it, he sighed, running a hand through his short black hair, down to under his chin. Why does every important anniversary have to involve some kind of impending doom? he wondered. When he had been a member of the military, Shadow Watcher was the very model of a modern major-general.  He had information vegetable, animal, and mineral.  He knew the kings of England and could quote the fights historical, from Marathon to Waterloo in order categorical.  He was very well acquainted with matters mathematical.  He understood equations both the simple and quadratical.  About binomial theorem he was teeming with a lot of news. Hang on, what’s a good math rhyme for news? Oh, wait, got it. With many cheerful facts about the square of the hypotenuse. He was very good at integral and differential calculus.  He knew the scientific names of beings animalculous.  In short, in matters vegetable, animal, and mineral, he was the very model of a modern major-general. This prime wealth of knowledge, of course, made him the perfect candidate to direct the Night Hunt, the government collection of agents whose job it was to hunt down the Nightwalkers and their base of operations. Of course, nearly ten thousand years of failure had hardly endeared the division and its agenda to the big wigs.  More than once, the division had teetered on the edge of being shut down, before some new sighting of the Nightwalkers came to light, which only redoubled their efforts. But still, when Watcher first heard he was being appointed director of the operation, he had to admit, he thought he was being promoted for the sake of being demoted.  Sure, the job had a nice pay, rather lax hours, and the constant nagging that you’re looking for something 99.9% of the general populace don’t know exists, but on the other hand, there was the constant nagging that he was looking for something 99.9% of the population didn’t know existed. Yet, when Watcher had first taken over, he had been startled to find a true wealth of information regarding these beings.  Everything from theories regarding their base of operations, be it on Mt. Snowdin, under the sea, or even on the moon, to very detailed descriptions and sketches of their outfit, as well as a database on every single person they had ever watched, and as many circumstances about their lives as they could find. Everything from life span to favorite colors, to the restaurant they ate at for their twentieth birthday. And for that matter, the offices in which they worked were actually pretty high-class. Literally, just a couple of floors under the President’s office.  And to continue to hide, their job doubled as secret service agents, protecting the President wherever he or she went. Which just so happened to be the Ops Room of their division at the moment. Watcher stepped into the dimly lit room where their team of analysts were going through their data as efficiently as possible.  Standing in the center of the room, wearing a white pantsuit, was a young,-looking, tall pale-skinned pink-haired woman with pink eyes, who looked around the room sternly, intently watching everyone work. “Madam President,” Watcher inclined his head as he approached. “Director,” President Sunbeam nodded.  “What was the call about?” “It was from one of our old cases,” he pulled back on his suit sleeves to free his arms just a bit.  “She said one of her friends, a young woman who attends Canterlot University, is the latest observee of the Nightwalkers.” “Have you learned anything new?” the President asked, glancing at another suited agent, who had pulled out his phone and ducked away. “Nothing that we hadn’t seen in the last couple of hours, though the young lady will apparently be in attendance of your address tomorrow,” answered Watcher. “The readers waited six months for this chapter, they demand some damn answers, and this is all we have?” Sunbeam asked in disbelief. Watcher nodded.  “Valkyrie recommended we approach her after the address and debrief her.” Sunbeam nodded tensely.  Watcher had to imagine that a sudden reappearance of something that wasn’t supposed to exist, right at one of the most important dates in the history of their fair republic, wasn’t exactly good for stress management. “Should I arrange for her to come to the Manor, or perhaps debrief her someplace on campus, do you think?” she asked, crossing her arms. “I’d recommend on campus, ma’am,” Watcher replied.  “We need to spend tomorrow preparing security detail on the manor until further notice.  While it would be preferable to have you in the house, the fact of the matter is, with what we we know about these Nightwalkers, we can only do so much against magic.” Sunbeam’s eyes narrowed somewhat at that last statement. “Then what is your recommendation?” Sunbeam asked rigidly.  “If there is little to do against magic--” “Add to security detail, but otherwise act as though nothing is going wrong,” stated Watcher.  He gave a quick shake of his head before continuing.  “No one will be any the wiser with the Deci-Millennium coming up.” President Sunbeam had nothing to offer at that, simply continuing to watch the analysts go about their work. “Will that be satisfactory, Madam President?” Watcher asked. “That will,” Sunbeam dipped her head.  “Prepare to meet with the young lady tomorrow and schedule the extra security detail.  Make it so, Director.” Watcher bowed slightly.  “Right away,” he said, before starting his work. Blackness.  Everywhere she looked was blackness. Twilight hated dreams like this.  So boring!  Nothing to do but wander around the inky landscape, hoping to come across something interesting to occupy her time until she was awake. Everything was going the way it usually did, with her walking along, humming to herself.  It was all the same as always, except this time, something interesting found her. “Oh?” Twilight’s gaze snapped to the left.  There was a woman in an elegant yet simple white toga standing there, her face obscured by shadow.  She had hair of pink, green, and blue waving independently of any wind, golden jewellery adorning her arms and neck, and an air of authority about her. “Hello?” Twilight asked, wondering just how many more encounters with mysterious strangers she would have to deal with. “Well, this is a pleasant surprise,” the woman mused, smiling slightly.  “It’s been a long time since I had anyone to talk to.  It’s been so lonely here…” “Who are you?” Twilight asked, drawing back slightly. “Oh, I daresay you’ll find out soon,” the woman said.  “If you were drawn to me like this, then I have no doubt we will meet again, child.” The woman took the opportunity to survey Twilight, though since Twilight couldn’t see her eyes, she had no idea what the woman was looking for. “”I see,” the woman muttered to herself, now striding forward and starting to walk around her. “Erm… can I help you?” Twilight asked, feeling a bit self-conscious. The woman didn’t answer.  Twilight just continued to stand there, perplexed. After a few moments more, the woman stopped in front of Twilight. “We will meet again, child,” she said.  “Your dream is ending soon, and it is time to wake.” How did the woman know this was a dream? “And one final thing,” the woman said, suddenly quite stern.  “Do not trust the being known as Flare Dancer.” “Wait,” Twilight said.  “What’s wrong w--” But it was too late.  Instantly, the woman vanished, leaving Twilight standing alone in the void, waiting to awaken only a few short moments later.