Hoof and Claw Versus the World

by Chythar


Act 2, Chapter 7 - Rewind and Repeat

Nightmare Moon and I had flown to another sheriff's station in hopes of conquering it. I hoped that this one would be an easier job.


"A pox! A pox upon thee!"

Nightmare Moon's curses were flung at the sheriff's officers in the room, whose unconscious bodies littered the floor of the cafeteria. More officers lay unconscious in the hallway outside. Despite the dark mare's hopes of a different outcome, the battle had gone off much like the one at the Morongo Basin station. As before, my cartoon characters frolicked around the room at an insane pace. Tables and chairs lay on their sides or were broken into pieces. And one of the vending machines had been pulled over to be used as cover. Turns out, the metal and glass of the vending machine didn't block bolts of magical lightning.

Oops.

This time, the Night Mare did not wait to taunt the officers but instead incapacitated them in her mist form. I had already run back to the reception desk to turn off the audible alarm, though the silent alarm was still going off. We had won the battle, but still failed to recruit new warriors. As far as Nightmare Moon was concerned, that was a complete and utter failure.

"I did tell you that this would happen, Mistress."

Her ethereal mane lashed the air around her in a frightening frenzy as she stared me down.

"Thou art not helping!"

I wore much the same wan smile that the dark mare had worn earlier that evening.

"I know. So now what? More shadow parasites?"

This deep in the building, we would not be able to hear any sirens blaring outside. But I knew they were coming, and probably from the Morongo Basin station. We would have to leave soon.

"Celestia's rotten teats! What is wrong with the warriors of this world?!"

Nothing actually, we're just aggressive predators that instantly see you as a threat. But I'm not telling you that.

"They're just very loyal, I guess. Once an oath is given it takes a lot of convincing to break it. Imagine how loyal these warriors would be if you convinced them to join you."

"What good wouldst such loyalty be to me, if I must defeat them utterly then subjugate their minds?!"

In her frustration, the Moon Mistress kicked a fallen officer with a forehoof. He groaned slightly but otherwise did not react.

"Utterly useless!"

"Now, now. We did get one officer to submit completely. I'm sure we can figure out how to get the rest to submit as well."

The ebony mare let out a great sigh as her anger and her mane finally deflated.

"Perhaps. Though I am not confident that such odds are in our favor."

I walked over to the dark mare's side, and patted her withers in what I hoped was a comforting way.

"We'll figure something out. Now, put parasites on these officers so we can leave before we have to fight our way out again."

"Oh, very well."

A minute or so of popping out parasites from her horn, and the dark mare had quickly paired each with their new host. Two illusion spells later, and we retraced our steps down a hallway and back to the front door. We took to the sky just as reinforcements arrived with lights and sirens blazing. The cartoon illusions followed us out and cavorted around the arriving patrol cars, both to cover our escape and to drive the officers insane. Once we were far enough from the station, we dropped our illusion spells.

The Night Incarnate spoke not a word to me as she set our course home, and I settled in for the long flight. We seemed to be taking a more north-eastern route, rather than backtracking to the east. I figured the route change was intended to avoid the Twentynine Palms marine base. Beyond that, I would have to continue following the dark mare as I didn't know where our home was from here. Unfortunately for us, the sky was getting lighter. It seems our two failed attacks this evening had taken more time than we planned on. Still too far from home and too close to civilization to risk being seen, we would have to do something soon. I didn't know what my Mistress had in mind, be it teleportation or just a long flight hidden under an illusion spell, but I chose not to wait for her to act.

The illusion spell I cast made me look like a generic bird with gray feathers. I couldn't change my size, so if I was on the ground I'd just look like a huge-ass bird. But I figured that anyone looking wouldn't see a gigantic bird high in the sky, but instead see a small bird flying closer to the ground.

Forced perspective for the win.

Nightmare Moon delayed her change for several more minutes, until the tops of the trees ended and the open ground spread out in front of us. Before my eyes, her mane and tail rapidly swirled around her until she vanished and her less-visible mist form remained.

Abruptly, she accelerated and I almost lost sight of her before I could react.

Adrenaline rushed through me as I flapped my wings as fast as I could. My airspeed rose higher and higher until I was moving faster through the air than I ever had before. The tiny misty blob that was Nightmare Moon slowly grew in size, from a tiny speck to a small poof within the span of a few minutes. Slowly, inexorably, I got closer and closer to the Mare in the Moon as the minutes flew by. An hour or so later, I finally reached the mare's side. To avoid passing the Misty Mare, I pulled my speed back a tiny bit to match hers. We were finally flying side-by-side again.

I glanced over at my Mistress, looking for some sign that she had noticed my arrival. But her mist form showed no emotion, or none I could read anyway.

However, I did hear her voice whisper in my ears for a brief moment.

"Thou took thy time.”

The miles flew by as we raced to our daylight sanctuary under the hill.

At long last, we arrived. I recognized the area a moment before the Night Mare began her steep descent to the desert floor. She remained in her mist form until she passed through the cave entrance, then re-formed into her armored ebony equine form. I landed directly in front of the cave entrance instead, not yet comfortable flying into such an enclosed space. My landing shattered the illusion hiding me from view, and I quickly de-summoned my wings as soon as I walked into the darkness of our home.

As I rounded the bend in the passageway, I caught sight of the dark mare again. She was sitting in the small open space in front of our bed. Her back was to me, but I could easily read the sadness in her body language: wings hanging limply by her sides, shoulders slumped and head hung low. Her mane and tail draped over her form like normal hair, for once. And she was still wearing her armor.

I removed my armor with my magic, and placed it upon its stand. Then I walked the few paces to the ebony mare and stood by her right side. I was reminded that she was almost as tall sitting down as she was standing up, and noted that her head was about level with my chest. I placed a hand on her withers for comfort, then spoke to her in what I hoped was a comforting voice.

"Mistress?"

I did not ask if she was well or what was wrong, it was pretty clear to me our failures tonight were bothering her. The lack of motion in her mane was also a dead giveaway as to her mood. The Night Sky given Flesh did not reply, but instead chose to lean against my side for comfort.

Neither of us spoke. Instead, we simply enjoyed the touch of one another.

Small gestures of affection always made my human girlfriends feel better, so I hoped the same thing would work on my Equestrian one. I lightly trailed my hand up her neck, until I was stopped by her helm. My fingers reached under the metal edge to rub the fur underneath, and hoped she would take the hint.

She did.

First her helm, then the rest of her armor was unbuckled by her magic and floated over to rest on her armor stand. Once the last piece of armor came to rest, I trailed my fingertips up her neck and began to rub behind an ear. She sighed slightly in response, then turned her head and pressed the side of her face into my chest. I brought up my other arm to hug and hold her head close. A deep sigh came from her as she relaxed in my embrace.

"It has been an age since I have enjoyed the comfort of a stallion. And these hands of thine art a welcome change from hoof and wing."

"Oh, I'm sure a wing would have a gentler touch."

"Perhaps, but their touch is too gentle at times. The touch of thine hands is unlike anything I have felt before, and the claws on the ends are surprisingly strong."

"Fingers."

"Hmm?"

"They're called 'fingers', Mistress; not claws. Though this new body of mine does have claws I can use."

"I care not for what they are called. Just, for the love of the Moon do not stop."

I chuckled and decided to re-use a reply she was fond of.

"As you wish."

The fingertips on one hand slowly danced up and down her neck, while the other caressed her cheek and muzzle. The warmth from her body seeped in and merged with my own, until it felt to me like we were of one body. The electric intimacy between us was simply intoxicating. I smiled to myself as I realized I had another checkmark for my imaginary brony fantasy checklist.

And in the next instant I realized I didn't care anymore. Mentally tossing the imaginary checklist over my shoulder, I dearly wished for these moments to last as long as possible.

Alas, all good things must end. This intimate moment ended when my dark Mistress briefly sagged against me, then sat back up with a start.

"Forsooth! Thy touch..."

She interrupted herself with a wide yawn.

"...is most mesmerizing. I had not realized how exhausted I was."

She covered another yawn with a hoof.

"Shall we retire for the day?"

"Sure."

I released my hold upon her, then watched the mare carefully as she slowly got to her hooves. I was worried that she was too tired to walk straight and would fall over. My concern was unwarranted however, as she only staggered slightly as she stood up. Under my watchful gaze, Nightmare Moon slowly and unsteadily walked to her side of the bed. Already in bed myself by then, I watched the mare use a smidge of magic to lift the sheets and slide beneath them and into bed.

Rolling on to my side, I reached a hand over and caressed her barrel with a hand.

"Do you remember how we woke up, two nights ago?"

Nightmare Moon's voice was tired, yet silkier than usual.

"Hmmmm, yes? Dost thou mean the night I woke up flailing in bed?"

"Yes, but I was actually thinking of the cuddling that came before it."

"Oh?"

She made a pleasurable sound as she remembered that part of the evening.

"Mmm, thou hast the most wonderful ideas."

Rolling on to her side to face me, she stretched her forelegs open to beckon me closer. I schooched in between her forelegs and cuddled up to her barrel. As she wrapped her forelegs around me, I gave her breast a soft kiss. A moment later, I let my face rest against her cool flesh. Just before I dropped off to sleep, I felt the ebony mare curl her neck over my head and rest her chin between my feline ears. Cocooned as such, I fell into a deep slumber.


Consciousness arrived slowly for me, partially since I was super comfortable and did not want to face the new day. Or night, in this case. Unfortunately, my body had decided it had gotten enough rest and it was time to wake up. Before my fateful encounter with Nightmare Moon, I would have expected my bladder to insist that I awaken and demand to be emptied. I supposed there were some benefits to being sustained by ambient magic. Full bladder or not, I was awake.

It would seem that neither Nightmare Moon nor I had moved in the night, for I was still snug in her cool embrace. Despite the comfort, my body insisted it needed to be stretched and threatened me with pins and needles if I did not. My mind succumbed to the urge and I tensed up all the muscles in my body. I held that pose for several moments, then relaxed. With a sigh of relief, I realized that the urge was now gone.

Awakened by my sudden motion, the dark mare tugged me closer with her forelimbs.

"Nay, do not leave my embrace just yet."

I stifling a yawn and addressed my cuddly Mistress.

"How long have you been awake?"

"I do not know, I did not care to track the time."

Aww, how sweet.

I nuzzled her breast and pressed my face against her in hopes I could catch a few more minutes of sleep. Regretfully, my body took that moment to tell me that my right arm had fallen asleep -- and was tingling madly. I had fallen asleep on my right side, cuddled up against the Moon Mistress, with my right arm pinned between my body and hers. Seems this body kept that defect from my old one - whichever arm I slept on always fell asleep when I was spooning someone, and even sometimes when I slept too long on my side.

Ow, ow, ow!

I squirmed in the dark mare's embrace, in a desperate need to free my asleep arm. Misunderstanding my frantic moment for wanting to get out of bed, the Night Incarnate pulled her forelegs tighter around my body.

"Nay, nay! I am not ready for thee to leave my embrace!"

"I gotta move! My arm's asleep!"

"I do not understand."

"I need to get my arm free! Relax your forelegs, I promise I just need to roll over!"

Perhaps reluctantly, my cuddle buddy did open her forelegs to free me. True to my word, I rolled over and pushed my back into her barrel. Then frantically rubbed my numb and tingling arm. After a moment, the Night Mare realized I had stayed within her grasp and wrapped me up again within her forehooves. While I tried to get feeling back into my arm, I also noted that my position against the dark mare felt oddly familiar.

We hadn't cuddled like that before, so that wasn't it. Then I realized what it was. When I flipped around to place my back against the dark mare, I had nestled the back of my head against her breast, between her forelegs. Thus, when she wrapped her forelegs around me they came down across my shoulders and crossed over my chest. The position strongly reminded of a roller-coaster harness.

And then realized the analogy was quite appropriate - it's been one hell of a ride so far since I met Nightmare Moon, all those days ago.

At long last, my right arm felt normal again. At least it wasn't tingling like mad anymore.

I sighed in relief, and relaxed back into my cuddle buddy's embrace.

"Dost thy arm feel better?"

"Yes, much better. Thank you."

We continued cuddling for a little while longer. However, while I was very happy with the intimacy between us I was also wide awake. I knew myself well enough to realize I had to do something to keep my mind active, or I was going to want to get up and out of bed. Maybe I can get a conversation going instead.

"Still awake, Mistress?"

Her reply was a bit slow and soft, implying to me she was really comfortable.

"I have found myself drifting somewhence between the boundaries of sleep and wakefullness. Neither truly awake nor asleep."

Ooh, cryptic. But not very helpful.

"So, that's a 'yes'?"

"Perhaps."

Somepony sure gets non-committal when she was warm and snuggly. I'll have to be more persistent.

"What were your plans for our night tonight?"

"Hold thee close and ne'er let go."

I guess it's a really good thing I didn't need to pee, then.

"Actually, I was referring to your plans to conquer this world."

"Ah.

"I admit that I find this subject distasteful."

"It's not going away any time soon, Mistress. We have to figure something out."

A frustrated sigh came from above me, then I felt her muzzle come to rest on top of my head between my feline ears.

"Very well."

Still cuddled up with my back to the Moon Mare, I felt the need to hold her in return. The first thing I could think to do was to slide my hands down her forelegs and wrap my fingers around her cannons. The comparison to a roller coaster harness sprung to mind again, but this time I pushed it aside.

"I think we can salvage all this, somehow. If we can figure out a way to get the officers to submit to the parasite, we'll have the start to your army."

"Didst I not tell you, most subjects do not submit to the shadow parasite willingly?"

"Yes, yes you did. But we do have one officer that submitted completely. If we can make the rest submit that far, we'll have an army that can think and fight for you."

"I fear that she was an aberration, my dear student. Few if any will share her childhood memories of this 'Lunar Republic'."

That lie of mine was going to bite me in the ass if I wasn't careful. I was going to have to break the news about the My Little Pony fandom to her eventually. But at least this lie was close enough to the truth for me to work with.

"They don't need to have the same memories, they just need to accept you somehow. Can't you enter dreams or cause nightmares or something?"

I knew the answer of course, but to keep my lie she had to tell me what her powers were.

"Hmm. Yes, I can cause dreams and enter them. Though I do not yet see your point."

"I don't know...maybe you can make them dream good dreams about you, so they see you in a good way?"

"Perhaps. I am still uncertain how this will help."

Ah, I have an idea.

"Okay then. I'm thinking of an underlying theme amongst many of the stories in my culture. In these stories, the main character must choose between someone who is clearly evil, and someone who isn't evil but may not be good. And in most of these stories, choosing the one who isn't evil turns out to be the right choice. The one they chose turns out to be good, or at least good enough, and the evil is defeated."

"Interesting. And what if they choose to help evil?"

"That doesn't happen too often, but it usually makes the hero's job more difficult. In those stories someone else ends up helping the hero, or the hero gets lucky, and the hero wins anyway. It's rare to see a story where both sides are evil, or one is simply less evil."

"I begin to see thy point. I must portray myself as this 'possibly good' pony, and somehow convey that I am fighting against somepony who is clearly evil."

"Yes, that sounds right."

I scoured my brain for ideas, and several different monster movies came to mind.

"You don't have to fight against a pony, Mistress. Just show yourself fighting against a monster of some sort. The monster should be seen rampaging in a town or city, and you are clearly fighting against it."

"Yes, yes! This idea may bear fruit. Perhaps the dream might show me being injured in some way, and allow the dreamer a chance to defend me?"

"Now you're getting it! And if they don't defend you, the monster can chase them instead and the dream becomes a nightmare. Thus punishing them for making the wrong choice. It sounds like this might work!"

"I think so, my student. But we must test it to be sure. Hold still, and do not move."

"What are you..."

And then everything went blank.


When I could see again, I found myself outside and standing on the sidewalk on a street. Beyond that, I had no idea where I was. The dark sky told me that it was night time, though I did not know what time it was. The street lights up and down the road were casting a soft glow on all that their light touched. To my immediate left were one- and two-story houses, made with brick or wood siding and angled asphalt paper rooftops. Some had the old-school porches, with the small two-step staircases in front. Others simply had a door that opened directly on to the sidewalk I stood upon.

Said sidewalk was narrow, compared to the wide swaths of concrete I was familiar with around my home in Los Angeles. Trees were growing in the sidewalk, next to the curb. Holes were cut in the concrete to allow the trees room to grow. Metal grates framed the trunk of the tree, hiding the tree's roots from casual view. I cast my gaze down the sidewalk, and saw what looked like a market on the corner maybe a half-block or so away.

The stop light at the corner had its red light lit, which changed to green as I watched. Beyond the stop light in the far distance, large multi-story skyscrapers could be seen. The scenery made me think that I was in the suburb of a large city. No cars were visible anywhere within my sight, moving or parked. Everything I saw felt familiar to me, yet I could not remember being in that place before. It could have been a neighborhood in my old home town of Chicago, or some area in San Francisco, or even some city on the east coast of the United States.

A head turn to the right revealed a small residential street. The road next to me was unmarked by lines, yet appeared to be just wide enough to handle a lane of traffic and a row of parked cars parked parallel to the curb. Looking farther out revealed a grassy median, perhaps as wide as a lane of traffic, covered in green grass of some sort and more trees. Past the median was another stretch of pavement, likely as wide as the one on my side. Again, no cars could be seen even though I expected one to pass by any moment. On the other side of the street were more houses, similar in layout and construction to the houses on my side of the street. A porch swing from one of the houses swung lightly in an unfelt breeze.

For the most part, nothing in my immediate area made any sound. Faint sirens could be heard off in the distance, accompanied by the unmistakable sound of a helicopter flying nearby. Then came a sound I was not familiar with, a heavy 'thump'. Followed several seconds later by another 'thump'. The peaceful quiet of the night was abruptly shattered by a loud screech! The sound sent chills down my spine, as the piercing sound went on and on. This was not the distinctive roar of Godzilla, but it was similar enough to make me think, 'KAIJU!'

The thoughts of 'kaiju' put the 'thump' noises in perspective; what I had heard was the footsteps of a large creature. Those footsteps had resumed, and to my horror they were getting closer! Before I could think to move, a very large head appeared high above the corner store down the street. It was covered in light-brownish scales, had green eyes and some sort of reddish feathers sticking out the sides of its head. The head was joined by another identical head, and then a third. The rest of the creature walked into view, revealing a yellow striped belly, two clawed feet and a large tail.

The creature, towering high above the nearby buildings, tore down the stop light in front of it like a child would pull at a string. The fourth head was looking behind the creature, as if looking for something pursuing it. I knew without a doubt what this creature was - a hydra!

I took an involuntary step back, and my foot knocked over something behind me. A quick glance revealed a metal can I did not know was there, and it had fallen over at my touch. The sharp metallic noises as the can bounced on the concrete might as well have been as loud as gunshots on the quiet street. All the hydra heads perked up and swivelled around to try and find its source. One head caught sight of me, and to my horror all four heads turned to face me. They all began to salivate and lick their chops in expectation of a meal.

Fear shot through my entire being, as I realized I was about to become the hydra's midnight snack. One of the heads screeched out a call, and the other three heads dove for me. I made to run, but the hydra moved at a speed that belied its awesome bulk. My vision filled with the sight of one of the heads, its excited grin telling me I was about to die in its fangs.

But just before it struck, a loud yell echoed down the street! With it was a loud explosion, which impacted the side of the closest hydra head. The attack didn't seem to affect the hydra, but it did stop trying to eat me. However, the explosion knocked me flat back on my ass. What luck had saved me?

In the next moment, I had my answer. It was not a 'what', but a 'who'. A black and silver streak flew through the air, and it landed heavily on its hooves in front of me. My savior was a black horse, covered in silver armor and sporting not only a pair of black wings but also a large sharp horn on its head. The horse was very familiar, but I could not remember what it was. It turned to me, and with a kindly expression spoke to me in a clearly feminine voice.

"Art thou well?"

My voice had left me, so all I could do was nod in reply.

"Good, now make thy escape while I keep yon monster occupied!"

The dark mare did not wait for me to respond, but instead turned and engaged the hydra with a flourish. I scrambled to my feet, then turned and ran away from the battle as fast as my feet would take me. Without warning, an alleyway appeared to my right between two tall buildings. The alleyway seemed like an excellent place to hide, so I dove down it and hid behind some conveniently-placed garbage cans. Then waited to see if I had actually escaped or was destined to be Hydra food.

Screams from the hydra and shouts I presumed from the mare could be heard as they fought. Shortly afterwards, the sounds of battle ended with a meaty smack and a scream that pierced the night. The dark mare who saved me skidded to a halt on her side, right in front of the alleyway I was hiding in. Somehow knowing I was there, she stiffly turned her head to face me and weakly called out to me.

"Help me, I beseech thee..."

Emotion welled up within me, giving me a strong sense of bravery and urgency. My savior had saved me, it was only right that I tried to save her in return. A quick glance around revealed a thick branch stuffed into a garbage can, and a quick tug I pulled it free. Armed with a weapon, I ran out of the alleyway and swung the branch with all my might! The hydra head that was about to devour my savior pulled back, now nursing a bruised nose. The creature pouted, and the head I had hit began to cry.

Next to me, my savior had recovered and had risen to her hooves. The dark mare slowly walked over to my side and smiled warmly at me. Then she made me an offer.

"Fight with me, and together we shall deal this monster a sound defeat! What say you?"

I nodded, somehow knowing that between the two of us nothing could stand in our way. As I turned to face the hydra once more, my vision faded to a pleasant black...