//------------------------------//
// Act 2, Chapter 9 - Racking Up The Miles 
// Story: Hoof and Claw Versus the World 
// by Chythar 
//------------------------------//

Nightmare Moon and I were standing in a room in the Morongo Basin Sheriff's station.  We had just successfully enslaved all of the officers working at the station that evening.  Then found out that there were still two other shifts full of officers that we had to deal with.







"Eskridge."

"Yes, Master?"

"What time is it?  I don't see a clock anywhere."

Officer Eskridge paused while she pulled her cell phone out of her pocket and hit the power button to light its screen.  Her phone reminded of my faithful digital companion, which had been destroyed when I was remade into some sort of a cat-man by Nightmare Moon.  I felt a small pang of sadness over its loss, and all of the data stored on it.

Good thing I play the Gameloft My Little Pony game on a tablet, instead of my phone.  My saved game is still safe.

"It's 2:34am, Master."

"Really?  That's it?"

"Um, yes Master.  Is that a bad thing?"

"No, not at all!  That means we finished our takeover of this station in a little over two hours!  I was sure we had taken longer."

"Is this favorable, Captain?  Do you believe we have sufficient time to subjugate the remaining guards this evening?"

"Eskridge?  How long would it take you to pull up the address of all the off-shift officers, and plot them out on a local map?"

"Oh, um...I'm not sure.  I've never done that for so many people at once.  Maybe two or three hours?"

"That's a long time to wait, my Queen.  Maybe we should call it a night?"

"Nay.  What of our other conquest, the other guard station?  Mayhaps we can continue our successes there."

"The Central Station?  Hmm.  If our work there goes as fast as it did here tonight, we should be able to enslave all the on-duty officers tonight.  We can come back here after nightfall tomorrow, Eskridge should be done by then."

"Yes Master, I'll make sure my task is done before sundown tonight."

"We can then get all of the off-duty officers stationed here all at once, my Queen."

"Excellent, Captain.  We shall travel to the Central Station for our last act of this evening."

"You heard the Mistress, Eskridge.  Are you on shift tomorrow?"

"Yes, Master."

"Good.  Hold down the fort here, we should be back tomorrow evening.  If plans change, we'll let you know."

"Okay, Master.  Have a good evening!"

Now that our final goal for the evening was set, the Mare in the Moon and I left the Morongo Basin sheriff's station via a nearby door and took flight towards the west.  Just like the night before, my dark Queen let me lead.  The map I was using to find the Central sheriff's station was long gone, but I was pretty sure I still knew the way.  I didn't know if this was due to any innate pegasi magic or my own decent sense of direction, but I trusted it to guide me true.

Besides, it would be real embarrassing if I have to tell Moony that I got us lost.

After a scenic yet boring flight over the forest, and a slight course correction once we entered the city of San Bernardino, the Central sheriff's station came into view.  Inwardly, I breathed a sigh of relief.

During the long flight, Nightmare Moon and I had discussed our plans for the sheriff's station.  We both agreed that we should scout the area again before we tried to land.  Without a spy like Eskridge inside, we did not know how to enter the building without setting off an alarm.  This particular visit required stealth, after all - no blasting the doors down.

This time, anyway.

We slowly circled the building twice, just to be safe.

"I don't see any extra guards or anyone watching the sky for us."

"I concur."

"I also don't see any good places to hide on the roof down there, we'd be pretty exposed."

"Again, I concur.  I would prefer to find a secluded place nearby, from which we can observe this guard station in relative safety."

"I think that's going to be a problem.  There's a lot of empty space around here."

"Mayhaps that structure will suit our needs."

"The Goodwill across the street?  Hmmm, yeah.  Looks like there's some nice places to hide down there.  Let's do it."

"Agreed."

Angling our wings to the south, we passed over an empty street and a culvert to land in the fenced-in area behind the Goodwill building.  A quick look around revealed two semi trucks with trailers backed up to the loading dock, and a number of truck trailers with the Goodwill logo parked next to the back fence.  We had obviously landed in their shipping and receiving area.  Beyond a couple of small lights around the building, the area was shrouded in darkness.

I caught my Queen's eye, then jerked my head towards the truck trailers.  The dark mare easily caught my meaning, and the two of us slipped between the wheeled containers to search for a hiding place.  We found one in no time, and it was big enough for the two of us to sit comfortably.  As soon as she sat down, Nightmare Moon closed her eyes and attempted to contact her minions across the street.

"Do not interrupt me Captain, I must have silence.

"Now, let me see...

"Ah, yes!  I am in contact--

"Nay, the shadow parasite has not yet taken hold of its host and it cannot relay my commands to her.  I must try again.

"Hmmm...nay...nay...nay...yes!  A parasite that has full control of its host!

"Alas, the host is asleep at his post!  My retribution upon him shall be swift once the fortress is under our control.

"I must find another.  Nay...nay...nay...nay."

The ebony mare sighed aloud and opened her eyes.

"I have failed to establish contact with a suitable minion.  We must impress the 'savior' dream upon them before they will respond to my commands."

"So what do we do?  Just sit around until one of them steps outside for something?"

"Perhaps.  However, if I can get closer to them I may be able to exert enough control to force one outside so we may capture it."

"Closer?  But weren't you just talking to them now?"

"Distance weakens the connection between myself and the shadow parasites, my Captain.  If I am too far away, my commands become too distorted to be useful.  Most of the minions I attempted to communicate with could not hear my commands clearly."

"But you were able to talk to Eskridge from this far away last night."

"Again, I say nay.  I could not speak to her, but merely impress upon her that I wished to meet with her.  It was she that suggested a meeting on the rooftop, and only by sending an impression of the entranceway that she opened for us."

"Damn."

"Indeed."

I looked towards the sheriff's station, and thought about its exposed rooftop.

"I think we're going to have to hide on the roof anyway."

"It is a significant risk, my Captain.  But it appears that it is one that we must take."

"Well, let's minimize the risk if we can.  Illusion magic, and land in the middle of the roof?"

"A reasonable precaution, my Captain.  However, I will be exposed as soon as I begin my search for a suitable minion."

"Okay.  Perhaps I could hide you while you cast?"

"Your offer is appreciated, but I can easily maintain both spells at one time.  It is the fact that the magic I must cast will shatter any illusion cast over me."

"Oh, right.  Duh."

"'Duh'?  I do not understand."

"Sorry.  It's an expression that basically means 'the correct answer was obvious and I stupidly missed it.'"

"I see.  In this case I agree, 'duh' is an apt description."

"Thanks a lot."

The dark mare stuck her tongue out at me, but did not otherwise respond.  I rolled my eyes at her then took to the air, with my Queen right behind me.  Once airborne, the two of us used a touch of illusion magic to hide ourselves from view.

Just as I angled downwards to land on the roof of the sheriff's station, my eyes caught something that I was sure we could take advantage of.  Right as I landed on the rooftop, I dropped my illusion spell in hopes the Night Mare would follow suit.  A moment later, she came into view next to me just as her hooves settled on the tarred surface.

I reached out to her neck and pulled her close, then whispered into her ear.

"Fate has smiled on us, prepare the 'savior' dream."

I released the ebony mare quickly, then ran to the edge of the rooftop farthest from the street.  Looking over the edge, I noted that the 'something' I saw from the air was still outside.  My target was a lone sheriff's officer, who was standing in front of a door directly beneath my spot at the edge of the rooftop.  He appeared to be older than the other officers I had seen, with thick white hair on his head.  His wrinkled hands appeared to shake slightly as he fumbled with his keys, and I could hear him muttering to himself.

And he had no idea I was watching him from above.

Summoning magic into my hands, I reached down to the officer two stories below.  Once I had a magical hold on him, I jerked my hand upwards.  The hapless officer was briefly surrounded with a red glow just before he was yanked up into the air.  His dropped keys jingled on the concrete as he soared up and over the roof's edge.  A quick magical toss to my Queen, and he was deep asleep dreaming the 'savior' dream.

If anyone had been watching at that moment, they would have seen the officer's keys float upwards in a red glow and disappear over the edge of the roof.

Shortly thereafter, our newest minion walked into the station and checked in with his superiors.  Once the security around a side door had been disabled, he opened it and let us inside the building.  We followed the enslaved officer while he led us down a plain hallway and into a storeroom.

A quick look around the cluttered room, and we knew that it was big enough for our enslavement needs.  However, one could see everything from the doorway; we would be discovered as soon as the door was opened.  So the three of us rearranged some boxes, chairs and other miscellaneous office supplies in the room.  When we were done, most of the room was blocked from view from anyone standing in the lone doorway.  Anyone entering the room would have to walk around the boxes to see us, and by then it would be too late.  

At our command, the officer left the storeroom and began luring other officers back to us.

As with the Morongo Basin station, it went down nice and smooth.  Most officers on duty that evening already had shadow parasites, so they only needed a pass or two through the 'savior' dream for the parasites to firmly take hold.  We finished enslaving all officers inside the station not long before daybreak.

We chose to leave the building in a more dignified fashion than we had the night before.  That night, the Night Incarnate and I strolled slowly down a hallway that led towards the front of the building.  As with the Morongo Basin station, the security cameras were down as it was presumed they were hacked and thus compromised.  Enslaved officers would pass us in the hallway on occasion, either choosing to give Nightmare Moon a brief greeting or simply said nothing at all.  It was kind of surreal, everyone acted like we belonged there even though I knew we did not.

My mind thought about the flight home, and I remembered that it was a very long and boring multiple-hour flight.  And wondered why we didn't use the obvious shortcut.

"My Queen?"

The Moon Mare turned her head towards me slightly, but continued walking forwards.

"Yes?"

"It's a long flight home.  Can't you just teleport us back?"

She of the Night angled her head downwards, as if she was looking at me over a pair of invisible glasses.

"Art thou too lazy to fly thyself home?"

"No, though you have to admit it's a pretty boring flight."

"Hmph, perhaps.  Regardless of thy reasons, I cannot teleport us to such a far destination.  Such teleportation demands a far greater amount of energy than I wish to part with.  Even if I were willing to do so, the distance is too far us to travel safely.  Teleportation beyond a certain distance is affected by the rotation of the planet and its speed through the cosmos.  The longer the distance, the more complicated the spell must be.  If the spell is miscast in even the smallest way, we may find ourselves in open space or buried deep in the planet.  Only a mare with an incredible grasp of mathematics and physics would attempt such a spell, and I am not that sort of mare.  My talents lie elsewhere."

If the My Little Pony show is any indication, Twilight Sparkle is that kind of mare.  But what Nightmare Moon is saying doesn't match up with what I remember.

"I admit, I'm confused.  Didn't you already teleport us home once before?"

"Nay, Captain.  I have not performed any teleportation since I arrived on this world."

"Really?  I thought you teleported us back to our cave, on the day you recruited me?  The transition from the rooftop to the desert was instantaneous."

"From the rooftop...ah!  I know what it is that you speak of.  And again, I say I did not teleport.  That day, I travelled the entire distance in my mist form to avoid detection.  Now that was a long flight, Captain."

"Uh, I'm still confused.  How come I don't remember that trip?"

"You did not travel with me, Captain.  At least, not directly.  I could not hide thee in my mist form, our passage through the sky would be easily observed by any who merely glanced upwards.  Thus, I cast a spell to temporarily place you in another dimension.  A 'pocket' dimension, as it were.  Time does not pass the same there as it does here, so to you time would not appear to pass.

"Once I completed the long flight, I retrieved you from the other dimension and you merely appeared next to me.  I suppose from thy point of view, you would simply have moved from one place to another with no time in between.  That is also the reason why there was daylight when we left, and darkness when we arrived."

"I...guess that makes sense.  But couldn't you just hide me with illusion magic, and carry me along?"

"Perhaps, but holding you with magic for the entire flight would waste precious energy.  Also, thy former non-magical form would likely have been injured at the speeds I wished to travel at.  Thus, the pocket dimension was an ideal choice."

"Oh.  Sounds like an ideal place to hide soldiers.  Outnumbered?  Boom!  Surprise army!"

"An excellent idea my Captain, and one I have considered many times.  However, the pocket dimension is much too small and is somewhat unstable.  Inanimate items are stored rather easily, such as our bed, but living beings can destabilize the magicks that sustain the pocket dimension.  It takes careful and time-consuming spell casting to ensure that a single living being is stored safely.  It takes more time to retrieve a living being intact and uncorrupted.

"Such time and care required makes it impractical for storing living beings, much less an entire army.  It is normally much easier and more practical to transport living beings via more conventional means.  Thus, I reserve such use of the pocket dimension for dire circumstances or when there is no other viable option."

That's a relief.  At least I know she won't just toss me in that pocket dimension whenever she feels like it.

Wait a second!

"You've tossed me in that pocket dimension another time!  If you haven't done any teleportation, then you must have used the same trick when we were hiding from the soldiers out in the desert!  I thought you teleported us past the grate, but you must have dropped me in the pocket dimension and slipped past the bars in your mist form!"

"Yes, exactly.  I saw no other means to escape that day."

We passed through a set of double doors and found ourselves in the front lobby of the building.  A single officer was present at the front desk.  Upon seeing us, he nodded once then resumed his duties.  The two of us continued our slow and casual walk towards the front door of the lobby.

"It's still a long flight, my Queen.  Maybe we should move our home closer this way."

Nightmare Moon paused in the middle of the open lobby.

"What an intriguing idea."

"It makes sense to me.  We spend a lot of time simply flying out this way, and that time will only get longer as we continue our progress towards the coast.  We could use that time to enslave police stations instead."

"An outstanding idea, Captain.  However, it will take time to find a suitable place for us to rest each evening.  Will that search not eliminate any time saved?  Also remember, such a search will become more difficult as the population density increases."

"That won't be a problem."

"Oh?  How so?"

"Easy.  We make use of our new minions."

Stopping and turning towards the nearby front desk, I addressed the sheriff's deputy sitting there.

"Officer?"

He looked up from his computer screen.

"Yes, Master?"

"The Mistress and I are looking to move our base somewhere nearby.  Do you know of any abandoned homes we can take over?"

"There are plenty to choose from, Master.  The recent housing crisis hit this area rather hard."

I thought so.

"Alright.  Task someone to find a home suitable for the Mistress and myself.  One in an empty neighborhood or a vacant street would be best.  The home does not need electricity, nor does it need to be furnished.  But the home should be clean on the inside and relatively undamaged."

He finished writing down my requirements on a notepad, though he was reading the words aloud to himself.

"...relatively undamaged.  Got it, Master.  I'll send your command on and have someone keep an eye out."

"Do more than that.  The Mistress and I are looking to move to a new location tonight."

"Understood.  I'll have someone start searching right away.  We'll have a suitable home for you when you arrive this evening."

"Good."

I turned back to my Queen.

"All set.  Shall we go?"

The Moon Mistress had an awestruck look upon her muzzle.

"Incredible.  Is there any task thou canst not accomplish?"

"Bah.  All I did was delegate the task to our minions.  They're doing all the hard work."

The ebony mare lifted an eyebrow, not pleased with my denial.

"It does not become thee to belittle thyself.  In one fell swoop, thou has not only shown the worth of our new minions but thou hast saved us many hours of travel time each night."

"I guess so.  Isn't that what a second-in-command is supposed to do?  Make things easier for his Queen?"

She of the Night smiled warmly at my comment.

"Very true, my Captain.  Shall we depart?"

Without another word, Nightmare Moon and I exited the building and took off into the early dawn sky.  One mist form and one bird illusion later, and we were on our way home.  The long and boring flight was just as uneventful as I remembered, though it was more bearable knowing this would be the last time we made the trip.

I wonder, can I sleep and still fly?

...

Dammit.