The Mare in the Moon and I had just attacked a sheriff's station, and defeated all that opposed us. But we still had to run with our tails between our legs when reinforcements arrived.
From the roof of a building behind the Morongo Basin sheriff's station, Nightmare Moon and I watched the chaos unfold below. We chose this building because it was both close to the station and completely shrouded in darkness. If there were any street lights or security lights on the building, they were not working.
The fact that the building's rooftop had a clear view of the back of the sheriff's station was a happy coincidence. However, we couldn't see the front of the station from our hiding place. That was a problem because that's where all the action was taking place. To resolve this, the Night Mare had cast an illusion spell on a Shadowbolt and ordered it to hover in front of the station. With the Shadowbolt's help, we had a full view of everything that went on outside the sheriff's station.
It turns out, waiting for something exciting to happen was incredibly boring.
Under our bored gaze, the officers slowly surrounded the building and secured its perimeter. Our first hope of some excitement happened when two large SWAT trucks arrived. Not long afterwards, a cool current of desert air blew in from the south and brought with it a faint smell of diesel exhaust. Our invisible 'Shadowbolt in the Sky' told us the SWAT officers had exited the trucks and had gathered near the front door of the sheriff's station. A few minutes later, they stormed the building.
Our hopes were dashed when nothing interesting happened for a while. I figured the SWAT team was making sure the building was clear of all intruders.
I was thankful that the blacktop beneath my feet was still a bit warm from the day's desert heat. Cold feet suck when all you can do is stand and wait.
More nothing happened.
We were NOT happy. And extremely bored, too.
"Remind me yet again why we are waiting here and not continuing our search for another 'police station'?"
We're going through THIS again?
"We could spend all night wandering around looking for another police station, Mistress. Since NEITHER of us thought to interrogate a guard before we left, we have to start our search from scratch."
I gestured with an outstretched arm to the now-ransacked sheriff's station below us.
"Most of the guards in the area are now down there, so searching for a police car would be useless. Your Shadowbolt is watching all the police cars down there, and will tell us if any of them leave. This is the same answer I gave you the last THREE times that you asked. Don't you know that asking the same question and expecting a different answer is a sign of insanity?"
Nightmare Moon whirled on me, her face contorted in anger.
"Art thou calling us insane?! We have thrown ponies into the dungeons for less!"
"WHAT dungeon? You mean the one down there, in the police station we just trashed? The one which we just RAN from, with our tails between our legs? Or did you dig a secret dungeon beneath our bed back in the cave, while I was sleeping?"
The ebony mare sputtered for a few moments, then turned from me in a huff. I was glad for the silence.
Time awkwardly passed while we watched the scene slowly unfold below. Due to our disastrous attempt to take over the sheriff's station, there was little to do except wait for something to happen.
And bitch at each other, of course.
So desperate was I to kill my boredom, I decided to look around the area and prayed I would find something interesting to stare at. Nightmare Moon and I were perched on the roof of a single-story building at the edge of a medical complex. We were facing south, watching over the sheriff's station. Between us and the station was an empty field covered in dirt and desert brush. Beyond the parking lot to our right was a hospital. While the hospital did have its lights on that night, there were trees between the hospital and our perch that kept us hidden from casual sight.
Behind us to the north was another larger facility, but I didn't know what it was used for. Everything else was empty desert. We were far enough away from the sheriff's station that I couldn't hear a thing down there, though I imagined I would be able to hear a siren if it went off. The only other sound was from the wind rustling the trees around us.
Absolutely nothing interesting. SO much fail.
With nothing else to do but watch the flashing lights from the police cars on the other side of the sheriff's station, I found myself thinking about the battle earlier that evening. And was inexorably drawn back to the fight I just had with Nightmare Moon.
If I was being honest with myself, and I try to be, our failure in the police station was just a mess and was no one's fault.
I should apologize.
"Mistress?"
"I...do not wish to fight with thee again. It does not feel right."
Huh?
"Oh, uh...yeah! I know what you mean. To be honest, I'm more angry at the fight down there and only kind of annoyed with you."
The dark mare chuckled knowingly.
"I am not known for being a patient mare, even at my best. I should not take out my frustrations upon thy hide."
"I'm sorry for snapping at you."
"As am I."
"Kiss and make up?"
Her smile changed into a lecherous grin that I knew all too well.
"Mmm, yes."
We both leaned in for a quick peck on the lips. Nothing hot and juicy, just a bit of electric intimacy to seal the end of our fight. When our lips finally parted, I slid my body next to hers and threw an arm over her withers. When the dark mare leaned into me, I gave her body a quick squeeze. The side of my body warmed slightly from our shared body heat. My thoughts started to wander, and I fondly reminisced upon our second kiss of the night. But my mouth decided to blurt out something else entirely.
"We fight like an old married couple."
"Hah! Thou speakest the truth."
The Moon Mistress turned her head to the side so she could look at me with her right eye.
"Strangely enough, such thoughts comfort me more than I would expect."
Uh oh, there's that awkward feeling again.
"Uh, yeah. About that. What ARE we, Mistress? First I'm serving you, then I'm your student in magic. Now, are we dating -- I mean, courting?"
"In truth, I do not know. I have not experienced such feelings for a stallion in more than a millenia, thus I am not yet certain where they may lead. And besides, romance is difficult during times of war. Even if the guards in this land do not yet realize, we are in truth at war with them."
I had to smirk as a wicked thought came to mind.
"Well, it was one hell of a first date. It started with a tank battle that nearly killed you, then we went to a police station and got shot at! Can't get much more romantic than that!"
The Moon Mare gaped at me for a moment, completely nonplussed that I would say something so ridiculous. Then we both dissolved into peals of laughter. I leaned heavily upon the dark mare while I cackled loudly into her fur coat. The Moon Mare's mirth was giving her similar trouble, making her wobble on her hooves. In time, our mutual merriment wound down and left us chuckling and gasping for breath.
"Oh hohoho, ahahaha, ha. Oh, that was most welcome. Truly, you are a stallion of many talents."
"Hehehe...haha. A talent for making a fool out of myself. I'm just glad you find my sense of humor funny."
The Mare in the Moon craned her neck around to give me a quick nuzzle.
"Be assured that I do."
Turning back to face the station, she closed her eyes for a moment or two.
"Nothing new from my Shadowbolts."
Back to business I see, but that's okay.
I pushed off of the dark mare's barrel and stood on my own, though I left my left hand resting on her withers.
"Drat. Oh hey, can you sense if any of your shadow parasites have taken hold? Maybe one of them can get us the info we need."
"Unlikely, my...hmm. I suppose 'student' will have to do for now."
"It's good enough. We'll figure it out later."
"As you say. And as I have also said, it is unlikely that any of the shadow parasites have finished subverting their host. But, I shall verify."
The dark mare closed her eyes for several moments, sending her magical senses down into the police station below.
"Oh! One of the parasites has fully subjugated its host! Indeed, I cannot recall any other that has integrated itself so quickly before!"
"Cool! Can you communicate with it, and get it to tell us where we can find another police station?"
"I believe so, one moment."
Again the Night Mare closed her eyes, and several long moments passed before she opened them.
"I was unable to convey our needs to her, but she will meet us on the roof of the guard station so we may speak to her directly."
Her? Oh, she must be talking about the officer, not the parasite.
Whups, Nighty's about to leave!
"Wait!"
The Moon Mistress paused just before leaping into the air, then looked askance at me.
"Oh, um, sorry. We should use illusion magic to make ourselves invisible, in case the officers on the ground look up."
"I had much the same thought, my student. I begin to understand the use of illusions in waging war."
Without another word, the dark mare took to the skies and promptly vanished from my sight. I did the same, and in short order I was above the roof of the sheriff's station. While I could sense that someone close by was using illusion magic, which had to be Nightmare Moon, I did not know whether she had landed on the roof or merely hovered nearby.
Common sense told me that one of us should be in the air, in case something bad happened. Two targets are better than one, of course. So I chose to hover above the rooftop, just high enough to clear the large air conditioning ductwork and solar panels that sprawled across the surface. While I slowly circled the building, I spotted a roof access door - a normal-looking door at the end of a small box in the middle of the roof. I figured that was where the enslaved officer would come from. But I kept an eye on the rest of the rooftop, just in case. Fortunately, I did not have long to wait. The door I had seen opened inwards, and light shone across the rooftop. I then heard a faint voice call out from within.
"Mistress, are you there?"
Nightmare Moon appeared almost directly in front of the open doorway, just as her hooves came to rest on the rooftop.
"I am here."
"Quickly, Mistress! Before you are seen!"
Not wanting to be left behind, I dashed over to the open door and landed roughly on the roof's surface. The illusion spell shattered due to the rough landing, and I became visible just as I de-summoned my wings. My timing was good as I stepped into the doorway right behind my Dark Mistress. A quick look revealed us to be in a nondescript gray stairwell. We were standing on a small landing, barely big enough for the three of us, and a set of stairs led down to a gray door on what I presumed was the second floor. Interesting enough, the stairs did not continue downwards to the first floor.
This stairwell must only be used for roof access, then.
My sudden entrance through the doorway startled the officer.
"Mistress, we have an intruder!"
Without turning around, the Night Incarnate addressed her new minion.
"This is my student, and my second-in-command. In absence of any orders from me, you are to obey his commands instantly. Do you understand?"
"Oh. Of course, Mistress."
The enslaved officer released the door, and the door closer on the door began to swing the door shut. While we waited for the door to close, I took a moment to look over our new minion. And discovered that she was doing the same to me. In my opinion, she looked to be Hispanic and maybe in her late 20's or early 30's. And she really reminded me of the actress Michelle Rodriguez for some reason.
After staring at me for a moment, the Michelle Rodriguez lookalike's eyes went wide.
"He was the one fighting at your side tonight, wasn't he Mistress?"
"That is correct. Enough questions for now, we have need of your skills. We desire another target this evening, and hope that you may direct us to a nearby guard station."
"Of course Mistress. The San Bernardino Sheriff's department provides all police services for San Bernardino county, so you'll want a sheriff's station."
The officer slipped past her new Mistress and descended the single flight of stairs.
"Please follow me, Mistress. I'll need to do a bit of research before I can give you that information."
As the ebony mare and I followed the officer, I called out a question.
"Do we need to worry about security cameras?"
"No, the security cameras in most of the building are completely disabled. Those cartoon characters were caught on tape, and no one really believes they were real."
The officer opened the door in front of her then walked on through. She reached back to hold the security door open for the Moon Mistress then continued her explanation.
"So they suspect the camera system was hacked and tampered with. Until the system is checked out and verified as secure, they've shut it down."
After Nightmare Moon and I walked through the doorway, the officer let the door shut on its own and then briskly walked past us. Abruptly, the walkie talkie on the officer's belt squawked to life and startled both me and the dark mare. Before we could react, the officer had popped the radio off her belt and answered the call.
"Eskridge here."
More squawking from the radio.
"Nothing to report, no sign yet of forced entry. I'll keep looking."
A short squawk from the radio, then Officer Eskridge clipped the radio back on to her belt. Turning to us, she gave us a full explanation.
"My cover story was searching the second floor for any intruders or any sign of sabotage. As long as I'm 'searching', no one else will come up here so we should be safe enough. And if I don't stay up here too long, I shouldn't be missed."
Nightmare Moon and I followed Officer Eskridge down another plain hallway, past a pair of bathroom doors and finally turned into a side office. The office was cramped, with several filing cabinets ringing a small desk. There was an old-school blocky computer monitor on the desk, surrounded by piles of paperwork. Officer Eskridge sat down at the desk and turned on the monitor, and I followed behind her to look over her shoulder. The room was too small for the Night Mare, so she merely peered in from the doorway.
"So Master, are you looking for a large sheriff's station like this one or smaller ones like the CHP station next door?"
"Our Mistress doesn't need to waste her time on smaller locations."
"Larger stations, then."
She typed on the computer for a few moments.
"The two closest stations are Central in the city of San Bernardino to the west, or the one in Needles to the east."
Nightmare Moon chose this moment to speak up.
"I wish to conquer the lands from here to the ocean to our west."
Glancing back at Officer Eskridge, I shrugged.
"Central in San Bernardino it is."
"Alright, I'll bring up Google Maps and get you some directions."
The only sound heard for several moments was the officer's frantic typing.
"Student, is your search nearly complete?"
"Yes, Mistress. We'll be done in a few minutes."
"Excellent. I shall recall my Shadowbolt and await you on the rooftop we alighted upon earlier."
Officer Eskridge chose that moment to speak up.
"Thank you for letting me serve you, Mistress! Long live the Lunar Republic!"
WHAT?!
Nightmare Moon looked quite nonplussed at the officer's outburst, and turned to me for clarification. Unwilling to explain right then, I merely shrugged in response. Still confused, the dark mare addressed her minion.
"Er, yes and thank you."
She then turned and left, the sound of her horseshoes slowly retreated down the hallway.
I waited until the mare's hoofsteps had nearly faded away, then turned on Officer Eskridge.
"How do you know about the Lunar Republic?!"
She leaned back in her chair, surprised at my outburst.
"I meant no offense Master, I apologize!"
"Just answer the question!"
Eyes wide in alarm, Officer Eskridge quickly rattled off her response.
"I'm a fan of the My Little Pony show! I know who Nightmare Moon and Princess Luna are!"
Well, didn't expect THAT answer. If I had a chair to sit in, I would have collapsed into it.
"You're a brony?"
"Yes, Master. Does this displease you?"
What a relief, that explains it.
"No, not at all."
I held up a fist for her to bump.
"Brohoof?"
Officer Eskridge smiled and bumped my fist with her own.
"Brohoof! You're a brony too?"
"Yup, ever since season one. Talk about a chance of a lifetime, we both get to serve Nightmare Moon!"
"I know, isn't it great? How long since you were enslaved by her?"
"Actually, I wasn't. I volunteered."
"Really?! Wow! I would never have joined her willingly. I mean, I recognized her as soon as I saw her, but I would never have joined up with one of the villains. But now that I've been enslaved, it all makes perfect sense!"
What...?
That's really creepy. Is that how the shadow parasite works?
"Um, yeah. Well, Nightmare Moon isn't here to bring eternal darkness or kill anyone. She just wants to rule the world."
Man, that was so weird to say.
"So there should be very few conflicts between your job and her commands."
Officer Eskridge blissfully smiled and relaxed back into her chair.
"Oh, that's so good to hear. Thank you for telling me that, Master."
Another strange reaction.
"Uh, you're welcome. Oh, I guess since you're the first one of us enslaved by Nightmare Moon, that makes you Minion Number One. Cool, huh?"
"Really? That's quite an honor!"
"It sure is. I'd give you a button that says 'Number One Minion', but that would kinda give you away."
Officer Eskridge gave me a sidelong glance.
"You think? Anyway, let me print out directions to the Central office along with an overhead map of the local area and a Street View shot of the building itself."
A few minutes later, and I had the printed directions in hand. I tucked them behind the armor plate covering my chest.
"Good job, Officer Eskridge. You've served your Mistress well."
"Thank you, Master."
I was about to leave, but I felt the need to give Officer Eskridge some additional directions.
"Keep an eye on your fellow officers. Nightmare Moon gave a bunch of them shadow parasites, and we're not sure if all of them will enslave their host properly."
"I know, Master. I can feel the other shadow parasites working in their hosts."
"Really?"
"Of course. All shadow parasites can sense any others in the area. It's how we know that we can work together."
Learn something new every day - er, night in this case.
"Okay then. Keep a list of all the officers stationed here that don't have parasites, and if any of the implanted officers are fighting their parasites."
"Got it. Standard procedure for failing parasites is to isolate the host and talk with them to help the parasite settle their emotions."
Seems these shadow parasites were fairly self-governing.
"Good. Oh, and don't tell Nightmare Moon anything about the My Little Pony show or the brony fandom. I'm not sure how to break it to her yet and I'm afraid she'll freak out."
"I will not lie to the Mistress! I have to tell her if she orders me to!"
"Yes, yes, I'm not asking you to lie to her. Just keep it to yourself unless she asks. Withholding the knowledge won't affect her conquest, I'll make sure of that."
Officer Eskridge visibly relaxed and nodded once to confirm my command.
"Understood. Anything else?"
"Nope, just be careful you don't give yourself away. Speaking of which, is computer usage tracked here?"
"Not with the login I used, but if anyone asks I'll make up something. Don't worry."
"Alright then, we'll be in touch. Bye!"
With that, I left the office and retraced my steps back to the rooftop door. Before I opened the door, I made myself invisible. Then I left the building and took to the air. A minute later, I arrived at our rendezvous point. With a thought, I dropped my illusion spell then landed next to the dark mare.
"Got the directions Mistress, we're ready to go."
"Good work.
"Did you query the slave as to the meaning of 'The Lunar Republic'?"
Quick, think of a plausible lie!
"Oh, yes I did. She said it was some cultural thing for her, something about an ages-old battle between the sun and the moon. Warriors were either part of the 'Solar Empire' or the 'Lunar Republic'. She said it felt right to match you up with the Lunar Republic legend she learned as a child."
"Ah, good. That must explain why she gave in so easily to the shadow parasite. I was concerned that something had gone awry with the bonding."
"Not that I could tell Mistress. But then again, I don't know how the shadow parasites work. She did act kinda strange. She mentioned that she would not have joined you voluntarily, but seemed to be completely unconcerned that she was serving you and technically betraying her colleagues."
"Then the shadow parasite is working properly, my student. It adjusts the host's perceptions so that any and all orders seem perfectly reasonable and fit within their moral fiber. However, an order that contradicts their moral fiber too greatly can weaken the parasite's hold and in some cases break it. Fortunately, the subjugated host will hesitate and act uncertain or aggressive when such a conflict occurs and simply rescinding the order resolves the conflict immediately."
That explains a lot.
"Thank you, Mistress. I'll keep all that in mind. Shall we go?"
"Of course. As you have our map, you shall lead. Proceed when ready."
I unfurled my wings and took off into the air, then banked right to follow the roadway in front of the sheriff's station. As a precaution, we hid ourselves from sight until the station was far behind us. Our chosen path would take us nearly due west, across a mountain range and the forest therein, then finally into the city of San Bernardino itself.
The leisurely and scenic flight over the San Bernardino National Forest passed without incident. A short flight over darkened houses and roads, and we arrived at our destination. Instead of landing however, we stayed in the air to scout out the target. Hey, when you can fly you like to keep your air superiority.
The Central Sheriff's station in the city of San Bernardino was another two story building in much the same colors as the Morongo Basin station, but this building seemed to be bigger (or perhaps longer). The front entrance was also on the south-west corner of the building, but unlike the Morongo Basin station you had to walk in front of a wall made of glass panes to get to the door.
The glass panes went up past the second floor and arched over the roof; the structure reminded me of an atrium or a greenhouse. Looking through the glass, I could see hallways and closed doors on both floors. While I watched, a door on the second floor opened and an office worker exited that room. The worker then walked down the hallway to our left and disappeared from sight. There was a single door on the ground floor to the right side of the glass, which could only be the front door. Beyond the glass next to the front door, I could see the reception desk which appeared to be manned by a lone officer.
After our failure at the last sheriff's station, I was confident Nightmare Moon would take a more conservative approach. Or so I thought.
"Mistress, we are not doing this again!"
"I do not see the problem. It is clear to me that the situation at the last police station was an aberration. This time, my plan shall work."
"Mistress, these officers are part of the same group as the ones we met at the last station. They are trained the same way and will react the same way."
"Nonsense. We are clearly in a more civilized area, and the guards inside will act accordingly."
Why can't I get her to understand?
"These are not ponies, Mistress. They do not submit when outmatched. They will fight with as much ferocity as the last ones we fought."
The Night Mare glanced over at me, a wan smile on her muzzle.
"Truly, I do not wish to fight with thee again this evening. I would much prefer to fight side-by-side, with one shared purpose in mind. Canst thou trust me, just this once?"
Guilt. I felt guilt for denying her, even though I knew I was right.
At least she didn't give me puppy-dog eyes.
"Fine, we'll do it your way. But can we at least use illusion magic to hide ourselves, until we walk inside the front door? Walking past that glass wall will surely give us away to those inside."
"In truth, my plan was to smash through that wall of glass and avoid the issue entirely. But I shall compromise with thee and enter the building your way."
Hidden as we were, no one saw us land and approach the building. The officer manning the front desk looked quizzically at the front door as it seemed to open on its own. I saw him pick up a foam coffee cup on his desk and stare into it, as if to wonder if someone had spiked his drink and he was seeing things. Unfortunately for him, his drink was fine. He never saw us as Nightmare Moon incapacitated him instantly with a bolt of lightning. Her illusion failed catastrophically, shattered by the magically-summoned attack. I dropped my illusion immediately afterwards.
The Night Mare and I strolled past benches placed along the walls as we casually approached the reception desk. There was no waiting area like in the Morongo Basin station, just benches lining the walls and an occasional trash can. The reception desk was directly in front of us, so the front door was now behind us and to our left. I turned to examine the hallway to my left, the one in front of the glass. It stretched down about 50 or so feet, with the glass on the left and doors on the right. That hallway ended at a set of double doors that were closed. Just to the left of the reception desk was another set of double doors, and maybe 20 feet to the right of the desk was a wall with yet another set of double doors.
After checking that the officer was unconscious and reasonably unhurt, I nodded to my Mistress. She immediately summoned her magic and cast the spell to sense all life in the building. While we waited, I summoned up some illusory vampire fruit bats and had them hug all the security cameras I could see. Finally discerning our closest target, the Moon Mistress strode confidently towards the double doors to the left of the desk and blasted them down effortlessly.
We sauntered casually down the resulting hallway, and I continued to summon bats to cover any cameras in sight. We had nearly reached the end of the hallway before the Night Incarnate paused at a door on our left. A simple push and it opened easily.
We walked into what looked like a joint cafeteria and break room. Vending machines lined one wall, and another wall held cabinets and a countertop with a sink and a microwave. Many chairs and tables filled the room, several of them occupied by officers. Some were busy eating an early-morning meal, others paused their game of cards to look at us. My dark Mistress addressed the officers, and announced her intent to all in the room.
"Good evening. I am Nightmare Moon, and I am taking ownership of this police station. Surrender or be overcome."
The dozen or more officers in the large, open room all drew their handguns at once.
"Fine. Thou hast made thy choice. Have at thee!"