It looked as if Hochstetter was right, nobody could escape the clutches of the Gestapo... even if you were in another world. This Major Hoofstetter was a near exact copy of Hochstetter in nearly every single way possible, minus the trifling fact that he wasn't human. For all that Hogan had dealt with Hochstetter, the man still scared him. And if the two rulers of this nation look worried about the Major, it was clear that the usual stunts would not work.
If this were Stalag 13, it would be an entirely different story, thanks to three factors: Klink, Schultz and Langenscheidt, and the Underground. Klink was too much of a chicken to do anything, Schultz and Langenscheidt always kept their mouths shut, and the Underground always kept tabs on the friendly local Hammelburg Gestapo Chief. But this was uncharted territory in uncharted waters. No Klink to make a mess for Hogan to hide behind, no prison guards to see nothing, and no Underground for logistical support. The only support Hogan could possibly rely on was the six so-called "Elements of Harmony" and their two rulers. But even then, Hogan was still suspicious of them all, and he had a right to be. Especially that Princess Luna... something was off about her, he just knew it. But such musings would have to wait for the next day. Rubbing his eyes, he climbed into the sleeping bag and slowly but surely drifted off to sleep.
*** *** ***
Night had once again fallen. This time, however, the pain of Night Court was not present. After finishing up her dream rounds in Vanhoover, Luna made her way back to Ponyville. The night was still young, and luckily not a lot of nightmares were about so there was plenty of time for Luna to observe a certain suspicious figure, Colonel Hogan.
Well, okay, he was not that suspicious, but he seemed secretive and was clearly a manipulator. Their little encounter with the good Major earlier that day showed it pretty well. However, it was clear something was bothering the Colonel. Better to solve a problem before it gets worse, or even before it happens.
Finally reaching Ponyville, Luna made her way into the library and soon found herself in front of the sleeping soldiers. Newkirk and Le Beau both had their legs chained to the wall while the rest slept on the floor covered in blankets and pillows. They all seemed so peaceful, their dreams calm. Well, all except for the Colonel. His dream, while not exactly bad, definitely looked unsettling. Once again, just as she had with Schultz, Luna prepared herself to enter the mind of Robert Hogan. And just like that, she was in his dream.
*** *** ***
All was quiet when Luna entered Hogan's mind. Until she heard a slight rumbling noise. When she looked around, she found herself by the side of a black paved road. Unlike Schultz's dream, Hogan's did not seem to take place in a city, but rather in a rural or suburban area of some sort, judging by the surroundings. But back to that noise.
For a few seconds it grew louder until Luna finally spotted lights coming down one end of the road. But as fast as this — apparition -- had appeared, it kept on moving towards its destination. However, Luna did get a good look at it. It seemed like one of those mechanical carriages that she had seen in Schultz's dream, although this one seemed slightly modified.
But there was no time to track all these details. Luna knew she needed to find Colonel Hogan, so her best bet was to follow the mechanical carriage. She could sense that it would lead her to the Colonel.
Taking flight, she quickly caught up with the speeding carriage and followed it for what seemed like a few miles, not stopping a moment, even for breath. After a while, lights began to appear in the distance, and as she flew closer, she could make out what seemed like a large city in the distance, rather like Manehattan, if on a smaller scale. Large floodlights were high in the the sky as she followed the carriage onto a large wide road with other carriages of different sizes.
Finally, the carriage slowed down as traffic grew heavier. Cloaking herself to match the darkness of the night, Luna flew down to get a good view of the passenger inside the mysterious mechanism. Inside, it was nearly pitch black, but she could somewhat make out two figures in the dark. Behind the glass window, Luna could see two humans in the carriage, sitting in the front seats. The one on the right side was clearly female while the male on the left was the one controlling the carriage. Trying not to reveal herself, Luna waited until a nearby large carriage passed by and one of the electric lights in its front shone through the window, giving Luna a good view of her target. Before her eyes sat a quite younger looking Colonel Hogan.
His facial features were relatively the same, albeit a bit more defined with youth. He seemed to be wearing regular clothing, not the uniform Luna had seen on him in the waking world. But something else was different... he seemed calm and happy. He did not seem as tense as he was in the library, especially after Major Hoofstetter’s visit.
But before Luna could analyze the situation any further, traffic began to move again and she was forced to resume chasing the car. After a few miles of stop and go traffic, Luna found herself next to a large sign illuminated by small floodlights. On it was the city's name:
Welcome to Indianapolis
Indianapolis, the name sounded somewhat familiar but was probably not so important just then. She still needed to follow Colonel Hogan to his destination.
Hogan had maneuvered his car off the road and made his way through the city with his lady friend alongside. The shining lights and bustling city streets made it look like Manehattan during the Noir days. While Luna was busy admiring the city around her, she nearly failed to notice Hogan and his lady friend stop and get out of their carriage and head into a building. When she finally took her eyes off the buildings, Hogan had already walked inside. She almost went in through the front door until she remembered she could just walk through the wall since it was a dream. When she made it inside, she was greeted by some energetic jazz music and dancing humans. The night was looking to be a long one for Luna.