Fallout: Equestria - A Policemare of New Oatleans

Chapters

Chapter 2: Breach
Chapter 4: Reckoning
Epilogue
Chapter 1: A Policemare of New Oatleans
Chapter 3: A Day Different From Others

Chapter 2: Breach

Breach

"It is said that Bitter Exchange is a grand patriot."

The sirens blared their warning. Forcing carriages that were moving on the street pull over to make way for the convoy of police carriages. The ponies saw the heavily armed and armored ponies inside. We were all equipped with riot combat armor, riot helmets, and stun grenades. Most of the cops were equipped with shotguns, except for me and the SWAT. I was equipped with breaching charges, a magnum and a riot shield. There was one SWAT pony in every carriage. And they were better equipped. Assault rifles, battle rifles, and even military grade shotguns. Not police issued, military grade. They said nothing, as was common to them. They were young, silent killers. And they don't like ruining the façade.

"Snipers are in position. Where are you guys?" The radio chirped.

"We are on twenty-third street. We are almost there. Keep an eye on them." Vulpes said. I was in the same carriage as him. Every carriage had four ponies inside. And there were twenty-five carriages in total. A big convoy and, while not exactly an army, it is close enough. A warband, you might say.

I took a deep breath as we turned a corner. I could see the target building not far from where we were. A few more minutes and we would be there, storming the building... I was nervous. As was everypony else. Everyone but Vulpes and those two NODPD officers were nervous. You could feel it in the air. It wasn't a grand feeling. A real hit to morale. But we all tried to remain confident. We most likely had them outnumbered and outgunned. But the thing I was nervous about was the fact that I was the Vanguard. I would be leading the charge into the house. Meaning I will get shot at. A lot.

We passed by the community theater, where my husband works. I didn't see him outside, thank Luna. Or else he would call wondering what's happening.

The sirens continued their screech, and their disco of blue and red did not end as the pony pulling our carriage raced down the street.

"This is Officer Rotgut. They know your coming! They can hear the sirens and we can see ponies running back forth in the windows! Expedite your arrival, now! Or we may miss our opportunity! Give the order to engage and we will take the shot if they try leaving!" The radio chirped.

"Do not engage. We won't miss our opportunity." Vulpes said. I looked out the carriage door to see the rapidly approaching target building."They have no where to go."

The carriage came to a screeching halt, the sirens unending in their screams. Behind us, carriages either stopped or raced ahead to blockade the street. I could hear ponies shouting orders and I could hear hooves scrambling off wood. I swung the carriage door open with one kick.

"Go go go!" I yelled. I grabbed my shield and heaved it up before jumping out of the carriage. I landed with a small thud and immediately shook off the shock I had before racing towards the main walkway. I could see cops running into the backyard, all of them NOUPD. We could tell who was who as the NOUPD, just like with their police barding, had riot barding colored black with blue accents. The same went for the Downtown division, who had the red accents. When I reached the pavement that led to the front door, I slammed my shield down on the ground and planted my free hooves firmly behind it. I held the shield up with my left hoof hooked into handle. The shield was made of a ballistic proof metal, and there was a slit for the eyes to see through.

Around me, officers took positions. The street was blockaded fast, and officers manned every checkpoint. Eight officers flanked me, a few of them being Officer Trotter, Glory, Redlight, and the two Downtown officers. The Chief approached the building with a megaphone.

"This is the police! We have the building surrounded, surrender! Exit through the front door and lay down on your belly on the grass! Now! Or we will storm the building and shoot to kill!" He said into the megaphone, sounding louder than he actually is. Minutes passed with no response.

"Backyard team, whats situation?" He asked over a walkie-talkie.

"No sign of the enemy, sir."

"Ten-four. Overwatch?"

"All quiet."

"Ten-four."

Minutes passed as we waited. Officers had their weapons trained on the front door, some on the windows. I kept my shield planted firmly on the concrete and kept my eyes trained through the slit and on the front door. The Chief stepped back, behind my shield. Eventually, satisfied that they will not comply, gave me the order.

"Blow the door." He said. I nodded, losing any worry or doubt I had on myself. In moments like these, you would have to calm your mind before the storm occurs. Otherwise you might need to pull the trigger and, if you have second thoughts, then you might not go home ever again. Did I still feel nervous? Of course. I had never participated in a raid before. But I managed to calm myself to the point where the feeling was not apparent. But you could never be fully rid of it.

I approached the door, slowly. Redlight was directly behind me, a hoof on my back. Why? Because that's our training. Whenever we have to breach, which we NEVER had to before, each pony with a riot shield was to have somepony backing them up. So, if your backing them up, you have to put one of your hooves onto the shield wielders back and keep it on them as you moved. It also kept you aligned properly and not only made the pony wielding the shield feel secure, but also helped in a firefight. As it kept the pony without the shield out of the danger zone. Glory, Vulpes, and the other officers followed. Every step I took, my heart pumped a little faster. I couldn't feel my nervousness, but it was still there. Tugging at my heart. Tugging at my gag reflex.

Was I scared? I didn't know.

I reached the steps leading to the front door and took a few steps before being parallel with the door. The officers coming with ran to the sides and stacked up behind each other. As soon as everypony was out of the danger zone, I magically levitated a breaching charge out of my pack. And slowly attached it to the door.

'OK, the door blows open, you sprint in. Yelling and screaming orders at the top of your lungs. Don't relent. Don't feel fear... You can do this.'

'Breath in. Out. In. Out...'

*Click, KABOOM*

As quickly as I armed the charge, it detonated. The ponies flanking the door lowered their heads as splintering wood and dust kicked up. I, on the other hoof, charged inside. Flanked by Officer Redlight.

"POLICE! ON THE GROUND, NOW!" I yelled at the top of my lungs. I couldn't see through the wall of dust and smoke, but I pushed forward. When I busted through the it all, I was greeted by the sight of a maid. She was just staring at me in fear. The room the front door led into was quiet big. A once shining floor with marble pillars sprouting out of it enveloped my vision, but I knew that I didn't have time to gawk.

"Get on the ground, right now bitch!" I yelled, and the maid complied with swiftness. I could hear her whimpering from where I was. And, ever so softly, I could hear her pleading.

"Pleasedon'tshootmepleasedon'tshootmepleasedon'tshootme!" I could hear her whisper as she quivered on the ground.

"Redlight, hoofcuffs!" I ordered. Redlight broke from behind me, holstered his pistol, and went to cuff the mare, who kept her face down onto the floor. When the cuffs we applied, she asked exactly what was going on.

"Your under arrest for conspiracy to commit treason against the Crown!" Redlight yelled, helping her up. Forcefully. She began to protest, but Redlight ignored it. As did everypony else. She was here. She is a traitor.

"Treason? What are you talking about?!" One such protest was.

I looked back at Vulpes, who was approaching the maid. He holstered his pistol to allow himself to speak properly, as non-unicorns would have to hold their handguns with their mouths.

"I'm sorry you got caught up in this, Ms. Copper." He said.

"Vulpes?"

"You shall be taken back to the station, where I will question you. Just remain calm, and everything will be alright." He continued. She didn't reply, but rather started sobbing. "We will not hurt you. Just do not resist and everything will be fine... Now, before you are taken to the carriages, where is your employer? Where is Bitter Exchange?" He asked, calmly with more than equal tenderness. It seemed he knew this mare. As he talked to her as polite as any Zebra I've seen. She might've known him and considered him a friend while he infiltrated the sleeper cell. Or, she might've known him a little more....personally...during that time. Though that's less likely. I also didn't care.

"Bit-Bitter Exchange? He... is upstairs. With his friends... What do you ponies want with him?" She asked, a tear gliding down her cheek.

"He is wanted for conspiracy against the nation and against the sovereign ruler." He stated. "Take her to the carri-"

*Cachang*

Vulpes dove to the ground as the wall behind him exploded into a fury of dust and wood. What was left behind when it settled was holes, signifying a shotgun blast. More shots started to fly at us, causing the Officers and SWAT to dive for cover. I stood behind my shield, feeling some bullets ping off of it. I watched Redlight dive ontop of the maid, pinning her to the ground and using his body as a meat shield to protect her from the gunfire.

"Fuck! Return fire! Return fire!" Vulpes yelled, taking his pistol in his the grip of his teeth. Cops scrambled for the weapons they dropped as they ducked into whatever cover they could find. The SWAT members quickly got behind me, returning fire by biting down on their mouth pieces connected to their saddles. I looked through the eye hole of my shield to see who was attacking us, and I saw griffons wearing bowling hats and suits...

Bottleneck gangsters....

The griffons had these...claws. There weren't born with hooves. Meaning they didn't require a battle saddle to effectively use large weapons such as shotguns or submachine guns. They could hold them in their claws and fly with them. But in this case, they were firing at us from above and below. I levitated my pistol, which dropped when Vulpes was shot at, and took my aim at one of the bastard griffons. I was about to pull the trigger, but the griffon in my sights fell over, blood pooling from holes in his suit. His bowler slid off his head and rolling pathetically across the floor.

He was dead before he hit the ground. A large pool of blood forming in seconds.

I had no clue who shot him, as the sound barriers were dominated by gunfire. I didn't stop to think, either, as I quickly turned it on the the next gangster, who was firing from behind a wall leading into a hallway right off the front door. I fired a burst of three shots at him, but missed each shot. He dove behind the wall, unscathed. I heard a thump behind me but didn't turn to meet it, knowing that my flank was secured. More shots pinged off of my shield, and I could feel the force they hit with spread as a wave through the metal. But, unsurprisingly, the shield remained unscathed. So did I, in return.

The griffon presented himself again, this time aiming at a exposed Vulpes. Vulpes was too distracted by the griffon upstairs with a submachine gun to realize the danger he was in. I had to act fast, or else. I steadied my aim as fast as I could, and magically pulled the trigger. But this time only one shot flew from my magnum. And, like a dart shot to its mark, hit the gangster between the eyes. He fell over, dead.

Two rounds left...

I didn't want to kill him, but I also didn't want to be responsible for the injury, or death, of a Ministry of Morale agent. Incapacitation was out of the question, and it seemed that it was the same for the majority of the other ponies. The SWAT were shooting to kill, while the officers were either shooting to wound, or weren't even participating and kept their heads down. I quickly glanced around the room, noting that only three -excluding me, Vulpes, and Glory- of the eight inside were retaliating against the ambush. I saw out of the corner of my eye that there was a cop galloping behind me, his hoof extended to unseen individual.

"Officer Clink! You alright?!"

"I'm fine! I'm fine! Bastard got a lucky hit!"

I heard a strange sound come from Vulpes pistol, I didn't turn to look at it, but I saw not long after a green orb of some kind flying at the enemy upstairs. It ate through the wooden rail and struck the griffon in the shoulder. The orb ate right through his shoulder and came out the other side, dissipating as it hit roof above. The griffon dropped his weapon and clutched his shoulder in agony, screaming and cursing. Vulpes fired again at him but he missed as the griffon turned tail and ran. Two officers by a now partially shot up couch made a move to chase after but Vulpes stopped them.

"Shit. Secure the room! Is everypony alright?" Vulpes yelled. Officers ran past me

"Clinks' been hit!" An officer yelled, I turned to the source and realized the thump from earlier was that Officer. A SWAT more precisely. But he looked fine, no blood.

"Oh goddesses..." I heard, coming from Officer Redlight.

"Oh calm down, not like the bullet went thr-." I stated, turning my head to Officer Redlight. But I stopped my sentence short when I noticed a small puddle of blood encircling him. "Redlight! Are you hit?!" I yelled.

"No, no no no! I'm not hit! But she is!" He yelled, getting off of the maid and laying next to her. He had a hoof over her stomach. "Someone call the paramedics now!" He yelled.

"Its OK, you're gonna be alright!" He said, looking at the mare from behind his riot helmet. Glory ran outside, probably to order some paramedics and get some more officers in here. Finally, regaining my thoughts, I ran towards the wounded pony, deciding to be her shield in case they decided to make another run at them. I planted my shield firmly down on the floor, making sure the wounded mare behind me was behind me and that I was between her and the every way the hostiles could come. I could hear gurgling coming from behind.

"How did she get hit?! You were on top of her!" Vulpes yelled.

"She must've gotten hit when the bullets started flying, oh goddesses she is in bad shape already." Redlight said, putting pressure on her wound. "Just- just look at me. Look at me! Keep your eyes open and look at me. You're gonna be alright."

"Get her outside-" Vulpes started, but before he could finish, a loud gunshot caused him to freeze briefly. He looked up towards the origin point of the shot.

"Hostile eliminated. A griffon with a fucked up shoulder was trying to flee via windows. Continue with the raid." The radio sounded. The zebra, evidently satisfied with what cause of the shot was, turned towards the two Downtown officers. He opened his mouth to speak, but before he could begin, Glory came trotting in.

"Paramedics are on the way." She reported.

"You two! Get her out of here and regroup with us when the paramedics arrive! Keep. Her. Alive!" He ordered. They wasted no time in carrying out their new orders. Taking her cuffed hooves, one bringing them around his neck, the other grabbing her hindlegs, they began carrying her out as fast as possible. More officers ran into the room, no doubt at Glorys request. Quickly reporting in to Vulpes and taking positions behind the couches and other furniture unlucky enough to be in this house today, getting their weapons ready as they moved.

"Sir, how many targets are there?" Redlight asked, the mares blood decorating his forehooves, though he seemed unbothered by this. Whether is was because he was simply ignoring or he accepted it, I had no clue. Vulpes looked upstairs.

"Six, as far as I know. But I only know of Bitter Exchange, Rock Biter, and as I stated in my briefing, Armistice Charge. There is a mare though. A runner, you could say. She is fast, so if see her then be sure to give a warning shot." He stated. "Now, everypony!" He yelled, captivating our attention. "There are very little places to hide in this house, and as far as I know, only Rock Biter is combat proficient. With his bodyguards dead, that leaves only one fighter left. Me and the SWAT will search downstairs. Rails, you take everypony else and clear upstairs. Check every room, and and watch your corners. You wouldn't want to be taken by surprise. Armor doesn't mean shit if your hit in an unprotected area."

"We do not leave until we have our target. Lets go, radio me if you find Bitter."

"Rails, you're the vanguard, so take point! I got your back!" Redlight said, getting up on his hooves. They were still bloody, and he had made no attempt to clean them. But, considering the circumstances, I didn't mind my armor getting a little bloody. Using my strength, I lifted the shield about an inch off the ground so I could move. Looking around, you could see evidence of the firefight. Despite its short length and less-than-significant severity, you could see the bullets holes and where the green orbs ate through the rails... And the blood and bodies. Sure, the maid was hit and so was one of the SWAT ponies, but other than the deaths of the gangsters, it wasn't that bad.

Being followed by a good score of cops and flanked by Officer Redlight, I proceeded up the stairs. My shield lifted to protect myself and those behind me from any oncoming fire from the top of the stairs. After a second or two, I reached the top. Immiediatly shouting to my comrades behind me.

"Stairs clear!"

We stepped up and trotted fast, passing an open doorway and stopping short on the other side. Redlight broke and ran into the room. I saw, in my peripheral, that Redlight had begun scanning the room with his gun at the ready in his mouth. After a quick scan...

"Dining Room clear!" He yelled, a small muffle, caused by the pistol clogging his mouth, finding its way into his voice. The officers trailing us proceeded up the stairs as Redlight returned to my rear. Once he gave my his signal that he was right behind me, I continued forward. The living room was a big area and had much decoration, but had very little places to where it branched off. Stairs leading up, a hallway leading to possibly the kitchen and backyard and other places, and a side door leading to the garage. Though, I doubted anyone was hiding there so as far as I know no officer was checking it. Besides, where would they go? We got every exit covered and we have snipers on overwatch. No pony is leaving unless they don our uniforms.

Our little home invasion force proceed through the upstairs hallway, clearing the rooms would come across.

Stop.

"Bathroom clear!"

Onward.

Stop.

"Bedroom clear!"

Onward.

Stop.

"Game room clear!"

Onward.

We cleared rooms left and right, no pony was inside the rooms. We could hear radio chatter, mostly officers conversing with one another. Vulpes, who I knew could damn well hear it, didn't seem to mind as he never popped on to tell them to shut up. We passed more pictures on the incredibly clean walls. Decorations such as hanging plants, small tables and picture frames, and bright yellow drapes over the windows that matched the yellow painted walls. The corridor wasn't wide enough to allow the officers to progress in more than one row. Which worked both in our favor, and to our detriment. My shield protected the row of officers so long as they remained at a defensive crouch. But should I get stopped, we won't be able to proceed, and if the officer in the back refuses to move, then we can't fall back...

"Connected hallway ahead. Last two officers check it." I passed to Redlight, who in turn passed it to the officer behind him. We passed the hallway, continuing to move and only intending to stop should we pass a room.

"Breaking off." I heard, signalling the last two officers in the row following the order.

Stop.

"Room clear!"

Onward.

Stop.

"Room clear!"

Onward. Corner ahead.

"Hallway clear!"

Minutes passed by, but they felt like seconds to me. I passed by a painting of the capital, Canterlot, and quickly wondered why Bitter Exchange would be willing to commit treason. But my thoughts always returned to the objective at hoof. I began to wonder if the two I sent down the hallway found anything and readied my radio, but Redlight immediately pressed down on my back, raising his head over my shield. His pistol ready.

"Freeze!" He yelled. I looked through the eye slit in my shield to see who he was yelling to, as I had taken my eyes away from it for a second to grab my radio. A pony was standing there, looking at us. I immediately planted my shield down hard on the floor to allow the other officers a line of sight. The pony before us was a stallion with a white coat and blue mane. His eyes a emerald green. He was grinning at us...

Bitter Exchange....

"Bitter Exchange! Get on your belly and submit to arrest!" I yelled.

"Oh ho, I dare say I will not do such a thing. My maid has yet to clean this hallway, sadly... You know, I must admit. I am a bit surprised. When I heard the sirens I didn't think it would take you this long to proceed through my home. In fact, I just got done eating breakfast when you started shooting up my friend's bodyguards." He said in a voice that conveyed his status. Condescending. His face was donned with a plastered smile and wide eyes.

"I must say I am not pleased with such a thing. The blood will take days to get out of the cracks of the tile... Ugh. Well, I am glad to have greeted my unexpected guests. But I also have business to attend to, so... Miss Quill? Mister Armistice? Push our unwelcome guest back into the living room, will you?" He said, motioning to unseen ponies. But said unseen became the seen, as they presented themselves. A red mare, unicorn, came sauntering out from a room with a rifle in her magical grip. Then, a blue Earth Pony stallion followed. A revolver in his mouth. They were both clad in kevlar barding. "And don't be afraid to spill blood, yes? I do not like to see it on my floor, but I can make an exception considering the circumstances." He said, turning away. He began to walk, but stopped. A thought must've occurred to him as turned back. "One last thing: Leave the mare with the shield alive, if possible. I would like to make an example. Plus, a captive might... persuade her friends to let us walk. Ehehehe." He finished, walking away and disappearing into another room... Or maybe its another hallway.

The fuck was with this house having so many goddessdamn hallways?!

Redlight growled, but kept off the trigger as he awaited my order. Of course, I didn't exactly know what to do now. Two ponies were ahead of us, with guns. We were in a single file line guarded only by my shield. Only Redlight, me, and any other unicorn (however few there are) behind me could even think of returning fire. I opened my mouth to say something to the duo, but a loud noise startled me. As did the blood that dripped onto my back. I quickly turned, knowing what had happened, to see that Redlight had been shot. He dropped his pistol, which thunked onto my helmet, before screaming. A bullet had pierced his armor and went through his shoulder.

"Aggggh!" He screamed, whether it was extreme pain or just regular pain, I had no idea. He quickly remembered he was out in the open and vunerable from the chest up, and he got off me, wrapping his arms around my waist and yelling for me to pull back.

"Go back! Go back!" He yelled. I quickly levitated my revolver out and fired it at the duo, not even stopping to aim. They, as a result, fell back out of sight. But they were still there, waiting.

"Fall back! Get back around the corner!" I yelled. One of the traitors hopped out and sent a bullet my way, but it pinged off my shield and ricocheted through a nearby window. As quickly as he appeared, he disappeared around the corner. "Fuck..." The officers behind me slowly pulled back, with Redlight screaming that he was hit the whole time. Eventually, after a few seconds, these seconds full of shots being directed at me, and my response being occasionally being to fire one back at them, we rounded the corner. Redlight was still hugging my waist, and I believed he was panicking, which I wouldn't hold against him. We are cops, not well trained SWAT. Remember the SWAT from earlier? He didn't panic when he got hit. But, then again, the bullet didn't pierce anything either. I backed out of the open, just in time to dodge another rifle round thrown at me. It hit wall, going straight through.

"Armor piercing rounds." I said to Glory, and she nodded in affirmation. I slammed the shield down into the floor, hoping to get it stuck in the floor so it would stay up. Luckily, I slammed down hard enough to do just that. I took my hoof off the handle, and it stood straight up, undeterred by gravity. An officer behind me pulled Redlight off and laid him up against the wall.

"Where are you hit?!" He asked. "Stop...fucking....stop! Stop!... Shit... Rails, Rails.." He said, after some struggle. "He was hit in the shoulder, bullet went straight through, but it looks like it missed the shoulder blade. He'll be fine, but he is in no condition to fight." He said, looking up at me. Glory sighed.

"And here I was hoping nobody would get wounded today."

"Alright, take Officer Trotter with you and-" I pulled the chamber on my revolver out, realizing I had emptied it on the retreat."-get Redlight outside. The paramedics should be there by now." I ordered, filling the chamber with three'o'seven rounds. Though, none of them would work against kevlar unless we had what they were packing. Trotter came up, with the officer in front of me nodding in understanding of the order, and hoisted the wounded officer over Trotters back. They then immediately made for the exit.

There were four remaining, Me, Officer Glory, and two others.

"What the hell do we do now?" Glory asked. I shrugged, peeking around the corner. I retracted my head, figuring it was a bad idea to push my luck. I floated my radio out, deciding to go ahead and alert the officers outside first of the incoming wounded.

“Officer down, repeat, Officer down. Immediate medical attention required! How copy?”

"Ten-four, We read you. Paramedics have already arrived and more are on route."

"Roger. Be prepared to receive more wounded, as a two-four-six is in progress. Over."

"Check."

My radio found its way back to my side. The two suspects remained in waiting, and the three officers with me remained at our corner. We could not advance, nor could we issue a withdrawal and risk losing the main conspirator in the maze of hallways. I looked to my fellow officers, studying them each for a moment. But my eyes settled on Glory, who looked visibly nervous. It was entirely understandable, of course. Given the current situation, I’m pretty sure we were all nervous, if not anxious or scared.

"Hey, Glory. Its fine, you ain't gonna get shot." I said, giving a calming smile. She could see it fully, due to the fact my mane wasn't draped over the side of my muzzle. I had it like that this morning, but situation demands I have it pulled back to fit in my helmet and not constrict my vision, how little it did. She gave me a nervous smile, but looked none the calmer.

"Thanks." Was all she had to say. I looked to my fellow Sergeant, Officer Magi. Despite his name, he is not a unicorn. Don't ask me why. "Magi, I just got an idea." A bad occurrence for me, as my ideas often lead to trouble or disaster. "Radio the overwatch team and ask them to assist us. As they get in position, ill charge them with my shield and attempt to knock the bitch with the fucking armor piercing rifle down. You guys take care of her asshole fuckbuddy. If you can't, then that's where the snipers come in." I said, with a a small hint of a commander in my voice. I was never good at leading officers --or for that matter, any pony-- into a shootout or tense altercation. But I felt a little confident, but for what reason I did not know.

Magi nodded, getting his radio out and speaking into it.

"Officer Rotgut, this is Officer Magi, we are pinned by hostiles on the second floor, manoeuvre and assist us please. Over."

"Roger, this is Officer Rotgut." The radio chirped, a very deep voice on the other end signifying Rotguts presence. "Give us a few minutes to relocate and be ready to point out targets. How copy?"

"Negative, negative. We have sight of the main target. We have to move now, or we will lose him and this operation will take a longer time to complete." There was silence at the other end for a couple moments, as if Rotgut was pondering on what to do. I, meanwhile, took hold of my shield and readied it for a charge.

"Roger that. Proceed with whatever plan you have. We will relocate to assist you, but don't expect us in the next few minutes. Over and out." The radio cut off, and Magi looked at me.

"Looks like we are fucked on sniper support." He said, putting his radio away and readying his pistol. "We'll follow your lead. Move when ready." He said. I nodded and looked to the other Officer and Glory. Glory was nervous, but she nodded to me, as did the other officer. I turned my head back and concentrated my eyes, keeping them locked with the slit in the shield.

I charged from around the corner, feeling a a shockwave of force moving through it as a bullet pinged off of it. I could see my attacker, the mare in kevlar. She looked a bit confused, but nonetheless determined. Firing again, this time, it hit much closer to the eye slit. I picked up my pace, galloping as fast as I could. I could feel the air rushing by me as went. It was slightly cold, but it didn't cool down the heat that I was feeling. I could feel nervousness racking my body, getting more intense with each step. Somehow, facing an armed and dangerous criminal always seemed like the first time. And this was no different.

*PING*

I glared down at the mare, who wasn't backing away, but rather taking her time to make more precise shots. Each one getting closer to the slit... As I approached, every second seemed to drag on.

*PING*

I could feel the heat from that one. The sparks flying up into my muzzle guard. As I got within legs length of her, I began to use all my strength to heave the shield left. And right then and there, time slowed for me. I could see the mares defiant, but confused expression. I could see her fuckbuddies panicked eyes. The officers behind me were running to intercept him, with Glory hanging back. All slowed to a snails pace. I opened my mouth to yell in both anger and force as, intending for a bash, I swung it as hard as I could at the mare in front of me. You could hear it slam into her. And she collapsed like an overworked student, blood pouring from her muzzle.

Had I broken her nose? I'm not that strong, though it was a shield...

I levitated my revolver out and had it pressed against her head. Cocked and ready to fire. Her eyes were closed. I looked to my comrades, whom had already had the fuckbuddy pinned. His weapon kicked away by Magi. I hadn't even noticed nor heard them scuffle with him in my adrenaline state... I smiled, no one had died, cop or criminal. But my smile faded as Magi yelled to me.

"Look out!" He yelled. With a surprised look, I turned back to the mare. She had a pistol, fully loaded and pointed right at me, a smug smirk was plastered across her face. But, what she neglected to remember was that I controlled her fate, and in my panic to save my own ass, I pulled the trigger. A loud bang resonating from it, and her blood splattering on the wall she was resting against was all the proof I needed to know her skull was now ventilated. I jerked back in fear as some of the blood splattered onto my faceplate, the danger to my life passed.

Cops don't like killing. Our job is to protect and serve. We were always trained to wound, not kill. In fact, we were told in training to kill only when you absolutely have to. Otherwise, make every shot a wound. I mean, in this instance, I was justified in killing this mare. But, it makes my after action report suffer, and I also would have to go through more paperwork. Now SWAT? That's a whole other story. They're trained to kill first and ask questions later. That's why we only call them in when situation demands it. This situation certainly demanded it.

I guess, whether I like it or not though, that I have to accept that I had killed today. Probably shouldn't make much of a big deal over it though, she wont be missed.

"Fuck..." I breathed out, exhaling heavily in a startled state and wiping the blood off of me with a shaky hoof. The officers were speechless, but I knew that they weren't against me. Her friend, though?

"No! Fuck! You motherfucking pig! Ill gut you for this!" He yelled towards me. I turned my eyes towards him, failing at giving him an indignant look. I was still scared. "You fucking piece of shit! Ill find out where you live! Ill-- gah!" He continued to rant, but a quick blow from Magi knocked him cold. His annoying voice no longer pricking the inside of my ears. He looked up at me, with a surprised chuckle.

"Guess they were fuckbuddies, eh?"

The other officer chuckled, but me and Glory didn't say, or do, anything. Glory was still visibly nervous, getting close to shaking. Of course, I had no idea why this was and I had actually felt a little worried. Maybe it was because of the blood? Fear? Morale? I mean, I could understand in that instance because Glory...well... She never really shot anypony before. She always hesitated if she was in a gunfight, and it would be another officer doing it for her. Or rather, in her defense.

She kept her eyes locked onto the body of the dead mare, her eyes wide with fear and her body betraying emotion with shakes. I moved towards her to comfort her, but Officer Magi stopped me.

"We'll slap some hoofcuffs on him and Ill drag him down to the carriages. You, Glory, and Tusk will have to forge on." He said, Tusk on the radio talking to a familiar zebra voice. "If i'm not mistaken, the bastard fled that way. Only one room, I see though. Better get going."

"Right. Glory you-" I started, but before I could finish, a loud bang sounded near my ears, making me scream in intense pain as I felt my hearing fade from my comprehension and replaced with ringing. A painful, sharp, ringing noise. I then felt a blunt force strike me in the back of the head and I fell muzzle first to the floor. I felt a pained gasp falling from my lips as I fell with a heavy thud, my helmet promptly slid off once I collapsed.

As fast as it happened, I soon found myself being dragged up, a knife to my throat. The officers were shouting warning and protests, but what they were saying I had no clue. I myself felt confused, I was being stood up on my hind legs, a familiar colored foreleg wrapped around my chest and knife pressed against my gullet. I looked at the officers in confusion, they had their weapons, Magi with his shotgun and battle saddle, and Tusk with his pistol. Magi was shouting, or at the very least, saying something. But the ringing...

What the fuck happened?! Agh! The ringing! Somepony stop..stop the ringing!

I began to panic as the reality of the situation settled in. It hit me hard like a bullet train, and I began to felt fear like I never felt it before.

I was being held hostage.

The ringing in my ears soon settled slightly, and slowly it began to clear. I could hear the officers voices, but not clearly make out what they were saying. In my panic, I tried to look at my assailant, but the knife dug in the more I moved. I could feel myself heaving and exhaling, another result of my panic. I felt my attacker moving backwards. As we moved, the ringing in my ears settled. And I could hear clearly again.

"Let her go, dammit!"

"Not a chance, swine!"

"Glory, I swear Ill shoot you! Let her go!

"Swine! If I die, she goes with me! If you know what's best you'd keep off the triggers!"

Glory....

Glory?!

I let out a slow exhale in an attempt to calm myself, all the while my mind raced. Glory... She held me hostage?! Why?!

"Glory..."

"Be quiet!"

"Glory..."

"I said shut it!" She yelled, shuffling backwards. "You fucking Equestrians.." She murmured. The officers kept their distance, not wanting to close the gap and risk losing me. Not only would it look good for them in the end, but it would also mean that... well... I'd be dead. The force never likes losing one of their own.

"Glory.. what the hell are you doing?" I stammered out, my breathing still unregulated. Glory, Magi, Tusk.. They all could see I was in a state of panic, but inside I was trying to calm myself. I had no doubt that, if a Downtown officer was in this situation, he or she would be calm. But not me. I had never been in this situation, ever. Training doesn't count, either.

"Why am I doing this? Heh, did you really ask that?" She asked, shuffling a little further back from the officers who kept their guns trained on us. If Glory attempted to gain distance, they'd close it right away. "You swines think you're all tough, but look at you... Spineless..." She said, an evil smirk working its way onto her face and adopting a personality entirely alien to me, as she had never acted like this before or spoke like this before.

We were friends...

"Glory.. we're friends.. what.. just why!" I asked.

"Perfect cover, don't you think? Befriending the enemy so as to never gain suspicion? Hehehe..."

"But.. I.... We... You were at my wedding! You were the one who brought the ring down the isle!" I yelled at her, the knife digging into my neck signalling that I should stop with that.

"Yeah, a sweet moment weddings are, no? Makes me wish I had married... But no, my duties belong elsewhere, I have no time to settle down." She remarked. "A pity that we are in this situation. I was sure I could've turned you. But no, a stubborn Equestrian you are, you remained loyal to this doomed nation. And so you remained a sworn enemy to the Caesar..." She continued shuffling back the way we came. With us both on our hind legs, we required each other for balance. It was kinda hard to move fast at all on our hind legs as well, which means the officers had no trouble keeping up.

"I will only say this once more, Glory. Release her, or you will die where you stand!"

"Bite me!"

I was shocked, to say the least. Glory and I... just... we go way back. I first met her in the physical test for the Police force. She was a quiet mare then and has always been as long as I've known her. We had also been very good friends and had even started drinking together. Which was, to me, a symbol of my own trust. Hell, I had considered her to be one of my closest friends, if not my best friend. So, naturally, I felt a mixture of emotions. Betrayal. Confusion. Fear. And surprise. But betrayal was greater.

I felt like that's all there was. Betrayal.

Shocked as I was, I did not struggle in my situation. Part of me knew it would bear no fruit, the other part just couldn't summon up any strength to do so. And if you ask me, that was a good thing. If I struggled, I risked having my throat cut. But even now I still risk it.

"You'll know I'll shoot! You have three seconds!"

I don't think they would shoot. Too dangerous. And if they miss or fuck up, then my life will be forfeit... I think Glory knew this, because she laughed at his choice of words.

"You swine will be spared no mercy when the Zebra military rolls through, all of you!" She barked. My breathing still uncalm. "You ponies... you underestimate the power of the Zebras." She said, her tone getting serious. As if a memory or thought dominated her mind with those choice of words.

"Glory, why... why would you do this?! Why?!" I asked, breaking the silence that prevailed over my vocal cords. Suddenly, I felt her mood drop. Her breathing became a little more calm as her thoughts began to race. I felt a small sigh. The blade easing a bit as memories of the past flowed through her mind, one eventually finding its way to her lips.

"Months ago, before this all even began, my mother. She... she died in a skirmish with the Zebras... W-when I asked the commander what happened, he simply stated that 'She didn't follow orders.'” She said, I could feel some despair resonating from her.

“I inquired further with her squad mates. They said she was ran through when defending a wounded subordinate, even when the order was to retreat." She continued, shuffling further back. I felt a wetness roll onto my shoulders. Tears. While tears were not flowing freely, they were there. The officers noticed this, but didn't give any quarter. They closed any gap that was made, and kept their weapons trained on her. Either not buying this story, or just not caring.

"So, you ask me "Why?". Well, look at this nation! Its leadership is uncaring. Evil. Its soldiers... its officers... All of them! Luna ordered us into a bloodbath even when she knew they outnumbered us! The commander ordered a retreat, and scolded my mother after death when all she did was do her duty... She wasn't even given an honorable funeral, but rather, they left her body to rot amongst the dead in the trenches. The let the Zebras claim her armor and weapons. They let the Zebras trample it." She cried, and I could feel more tears wetting my shoulder pads. She never told me this. "They let my mother down. They let me down.”

"I had no idea, I mean.. you never told me that so... I'm sorry to hear that but... Fuck.. So-so, you think this is the answer?! Committing treason?!" I shouted. "This isn't what she would've wanted! Seriously, think for one second! You are holding an officer of the law as a hostage with a knife to her throat. Don't forget she was your friend." I said, putting emphasis on the "was". If we both manage to survive this, our friendship is over. I felt the knife move away from my neck, only partially. "If you just let me go. We can talk about this. Friend to friend. The officers will stand down and we can talk. Just calm down." I said, and felt another sigh. Then I felt some of her muscles slump, as if she was feeling resignation.

I can't believe it! This is working!

"I will not let you sway me! Equestria must pay its sins!" She yelled, perking back up with a loud and defiant voice. The knife making a swift motion to one side of my throat. I felt the cold steel of the blade, and I felt a cut being made. I felt the pain beginning to surge, and soon, reality began to fade as a white light began to overtake my vision... I heard the officers beginning to shout, as if it was all in a slow motion movie. That's how it felt. The cut, the shouting. The blade releasing blood from my neck. All of it.

But it came as a surprise to hear a loud crack. Glass breaking. And a warm wetness covering the nape of my neck. Gravity, being the bastard it was, pulled me to the ground. I landed hard, giving a grunt of surprise as I landed. I could still only see white, but I felt a presence. A friendly presence. And I felt its hoof on my neck, not with anger, not with force. But with good intention. I could hear its owner's voice. No longer slowed.

"Goddessdammit, can you hear me?!" I heard. It was a stallions voice.

Footnote: Level up!

New Perk: Final Breath - When death is imminent, time comes to a snails pace. Only you notice it, however. Should you kill during this time, a smidgen of health will be restored and you will gain 10% more EXP for that kill only.

Chapter 4: Reckoning

Reckoning

"In the end, nothing matters. We all die, none different from the other."

Most mornings I awake to my alarm. My husband usually next to me, or sometimes I'm on top of him. All that assuming, of course, he does not need do overtime at the Theater. But this morning, it felt different. It was different, actually. I awoke to no alarm, but instead to my own volition. It was still early in the morning and the sun wouldn't be out for a few more hours. I glanced at the clock, which read three twenty-four. Very early, way before I usually woke up.

Redlight did indeed take me out for drinks after we were released from duty for the day. Vulpes, before I left, personally requested I come in tomorrow despite the Chief telling me I could take a week or two off. I had no idea why, but I guess I have to do it. When me an Redlight got to our favorite watering hole, the bartender already had our drinks ready the second we sat down as he knew what we liked. At first though, he refused to serve us. But a quick call to the Chief confirmed that we were off duty. He questioned me on my wound. But I brushed him off, saying it was just a result of a pursuit. My voice was still hoarse. I stayed there for an hour or two, to the point where I was buzzed. Not drunk.

We talked to each other as if nothing happened that day. Chatted, gossiped. Talked about the teams we supported in sports. Joked around, both friendly and dirty. When I did eventually stumble home, Noteworthy was on the couch. He was napping, but woke when I came in. The rest of the night was one of sadness and sorrow. I cried on his shoulder as the memories of the day came flooding back. A veil of tears covered my face as I recounted the events that had transpired. Glory, me being held at gunpoint... I didn't tell him it was all a raid on a sleeper cell as Vulpes swore us all on an oath of silence. Instead, I told him it was a shootout, and that Glory had died in a crossfire with Bottleneck mobsters. Noteworthy, the caring pony he was, tried to comfort me. But, I let it all out. My tears, my sorrow. Everything. I had held it all in because I didn't want to make a scene in public. Of course, he knew I was buzzed, too. As he could smell the alcohol on my breath and could easily chalk the whole thing up to the booze. But he knew I spoke truthfully, I never lied to him or made things up before... Besides, why would I be drinking instead of coming straight home like normal?

I think this would be the first lie I ever told him. For the remainder of the night, we watched TV together. My head resting on his shoulder, my face apparent that I had cried. Throughout the night, tears still seeped to the surface and slid down my cheeks. But I had controlled it. And eventually, we went to bed. But, I couldn't sleep. Not after what had happened. I tossed and turned last night, and no matter what, I couldn't sleep. But Noteworthy knew how to get me snoozing like a baby.

And that was a nice, pleasurable romp.

Ill just say it was a nice release after the day I had. He certainly is a stallion.

I felt my throat, which was still sore. It affected my voice slightly, but didn't have any negative effects aside from that. It was red, and you could see where it bled. But, as the paramedic stated, a little antibiotics every morning and night would make it right as rain. I looked down, to where my husband lay. The moonlight shown through the window, which was abnormal as the moon always stayed in cycles. Light wouldn't shine bright enough to go through windows for most of the year. Guess this is Luna's personal reward to us for our raid.

Noteworthy was still asleep. On his side facing me with a smile. He had right foreleg over my stomach, but a gentle removal of it left me free of his grasp. I hadn't even stirred him. Normally, if I ever woke up early, I would fall back asleep. But, this time? No. I could not even entertain the idea of sleep. Not anymore at any rate, and I had no more sexual energy left in me for the night. So instead, I got up, my rump rather sore, and silently stepped out of the room. Looking back, I saw my husband laying there, breathing but motionless. I sighed with content, feeling slight amounts of pain from the air running swiftly past the wounded flesh. I turned and left, closing the door slowly and silently behind me. Ahead, the only hallway in my house that led to the living room. The bathroom was to my left, and a few other doors lay to my left. I skulked through the hall, deciding against flicking the lights on and eventually finding myself in the living room. It was dark, but the moonlight from the windows gave me all the light I needed to see. I looked down to the remote to the TV.

And with one click, the idiot box flicked on. And lucky for me, it wasn't that loud. Not loud enough to be heard at the other end of the house anyways. I sat down on the couch, squinting slightly from the light the TV produced. A war movie was playing on the screen, taking place in a war-torn Equestria. Ironically, the war was between the Equestrians and Zebras, and they used old weapons and uniforms. The movie was about a soldier being dropped by air with her platoon in a captured city to rescue a princess. I remembered this one being in theaters a while ago but I never got to see it. I even begged Noteworthy to take me, but we both got so caught up in our work and recent events that we were unable to go. But, hey, no time like the present right? Time passed as the movie went on, I got up during one commercial to brew coffee and grab something to snack on. When I came back, there was a fight scene. The main character in a scrap with another individual. Hoof-to-hoof combat. But it seemed the cloaked pony was better at this than the soldier. I watched as the the cloaked pony swung at the soldier, but she dodged but swung again and it connected. The knife the soldier had fallen from her grasp, and the cloaked pony grabbed it before pinning the soldier.

She spoke about how she wanted to watch the soldier die. Going so far as calling her a heathen. The accent was Equestrian, so I could instantly tell it was not zebra. Even the soldier looked genuinely confused. The cloaked pony grabbed a nearby flashlight and shone it on the soldier's face, but soon after returned the knife and made an apology for her attack. It was later revealed that the pony was also a soldier fighting on the same side as the main character... It was shaping as a good movie, the fight scenes were good. And the story seemed pretty solid to me. It ended eventually, the main character dying and the princess rescued. When it was over, the time was four forty-five. I had finished a full pot of coffee and was still hungry, but I decided that I should stop. Noteworthy makes a good pancake and I didn't want to spoil myself.

Truth be told, I wasn't happy at all. For a while, I sat there on the couch. The TV playing whatever it was playing, but I ignored it. Instead, my thoughts and focus went to the events of the previous day. Vulpes. Bitter Exchange. Rock Biter... Glory.

Glory...

The name rattled in my mind. And what was once a name I would be happy to hear, now only conjures feelings of betrayal and sadness. She was a great friend, and was very kind to Noteworthy. We drank together, we went to movies and events together, and we were comrades in the police force. She even, as I stated before, carried the ring down the isle at my wedding. I trusted her. And she threw it all back in my face without even a second thought...

She betrayed me. She betrayed Noteworthy. She betrayed the police, her comrades. She betrayed her country and her sovereign. I shouldn't have felt bad that she was dead, but... I just couldn't help but feel like... no. No.

'Quit thinking these thoughts.'

I just realized I was crying silently. Tears running down my cheeks. I quickly controlled, letting out a loud sniffle before turning my attention back to the TV, wiping the remaining tears off. But, I soon felt a nagging suspicion that I had forgotten something recently. Something important.

What was it...

I scanned the room, and my eyes soon landed on the letter I received this morning. I remembered that I did not open the letter my father sent. It was still there, on the table. Unopened. But, a quick flicker of magic and I held it in my hooves.

I tore it open, and took out the contents. Reading over what he sent, and smiling at every word. While terrible thoughts dominated my mind, the thought of talking to my father brought warmth to my otherwise dreary state. But its too bad it wouldn't stay like this. For I still had work today. Normally, but luckily, it was at the request of Vulpes. I had to go in but, at least it was only for the day. Then, I could go home for a week.

<><><>

The morning was rather uneventful. My husband waking up and grabbing us breakfast. My morning walk to the police station. Passing by morning goers and the old stallion who runs the nearby Coffee Shop. My husband and I barely spoke. Not that he was mad at me or anything, but he knew I didn't want to talk. Mostly because it hurt, but also because of the recent events. I had told him I was in a shootout, and I had told him that Glory was killed in the line of duty. I wanted to tell him what happened, but I was kept under an oath of silence by the Ministry of Morale.

And if you have seen any spy movies one would know that if you break an oath of silence, you'll never be seen again. All that hush-hush "you never saw us" type bullshit. So, yeah. I had to lie.

When I passed by early birds and morning joggers, some would stop to ask me what happened to my throat. Most ponies in town had already heard about what happened but the official report that was released was that the police did a drug bust. When the ponies asked, I told them I almost died in the line of duty. Nothing more, nothing less. They would shake my hoof, or offer me condolences. Or both. I would say little, but always kept up a smile. Its the least I could do. I could only remain depressed for so long and it wasn't me. Despite appearances, I was actually known to be a happy and fun-loving pony. To the unknowing, you would think me to be edgy.

I stepped into the police station, and it was unusually empty. Just like yesterday. But right now? There was no reason for it. The only pony was the receptionist. She looked up to see who entered, and her eyes immediately shined with recognition. She smiled.

"Oh, uh, hey! Officer Rails! Nice morning, huh?" she asked. Gleefully, I'll add.

"Somewhat," I replied, my voice still slightly hoarse. I was trying to keep from speaking too much unless situation demanded it. But since was not going on patrol, I doubt any situation will demand it. I gave her a small smile, but started to move past her.

"Oh, wait! The chief told me he wants to see you in his office when you show up. Vulpes is in there too, so just, err, I guess hurry up?" she said as she looked at her computer. She looked back up at me and smiled. And I just nodded in acknowledgment and walked past her. She kept her eyes on me until I disappeared out of sight.

I walked upstairs, passing some offices and the break room. There was one officer inside the break room, but paid me no mind. I eventually found myself at the Chief's office. To be honest, I was sort of nervous. I had no clue what the Chief wanted, and usually trips up here end badly, but some situations vary. Like promotions or raises. But I doubt I deserved either.
Maybe it was a thank you from the mayor?

Taking a deep breath, I opened the door and stepped inside and closed it behind me. Inside, the Chief and Vulpes sat. Justice behind his desk, Vulpes was sitting down across from him, in formal zebra attire repainted with Equestrian national colors. The sun on both sides. He had epaulets on that symbolized his rank within the military hierarchy. Golden with a star on the straps. They both looked up at me, pausing a conversation they were both engaged in when I entered. The Chief did not smile, but Vulpes did.

"Sit, Sergeant Rails. Please." The Chief said.

Oh, this can't be good.

I did as he requested, taking my seat next to Vulpes. I looked at him, and he looked like he was about to attend the Grand Galloping Gala. I asked the chief what was going on.

"Sergeant Rails." He said, finally showing glimmers of a grin. But the indifference remained. "I questioned a few officers who were with you at the raid. They spoke highly of you. Saying that your kept your cool even under the intense pressure you were put under and when things took a turn for the worst, you took charge and got a wounded officer out of the fray without thinking twice. Confidence, Rails, is an admirable thing to find within a sergeant, especially on a job they never undertook before. Tough-mindedness is even better. Wouldn't you agree, Vulpes?"

"Yes."

"But, I did not bring you here to praise you just for what you displayed yesterday. Taking note, you have been with us for how long? Four? Five years?"

"Uhh, yes sir. The latter."

"Well, five years. And during that time, you became a sergeant. You demonstrated on many different occasions your ability to take charge and be a leader. You've shown stressful situations are where your abilities thrive the most, and after observing all of this on a body camera, I think its safe to say a promotion is in order." He finally said, his lips turning into a calm, collected smile.

Promotion?

"So, Rails. For your service to the police force, your community, and the skills you possess as a leader..." He said, reaching into his desk drawer, pulling something out. "For your loyalty to your sovereign, and to your friends, I hereby award you the rank of Lieutenant." He said, pulling out two golden bars.

Oh shit... Lieutenant!

I looked at the bars for a second, then back at the Chief. A promotion was something many officers loved to hear and I was no different. But.. Lieutenant? I never ever thought I would reach that rank...

"But... Lieutenant? Doesn't staff sergeant come before that?" I asked, raising a brow.

"Normally, it does. But Vulpes here insisted your promotion to Lieutenant, instead. I also am inclined to agree with him So, Rails? Yes or no?" The Chief said. Yes or no... Obviously, I was going to say yes. I opened my mouth to speak, but paused as memories of yesterday flooded my mind. Vulpes noticed this and his smile faltered into an expression of concern. The memories were memories I was trying to forget. I did not want to think about them, especially not now. With a quick mental shake, the memories were gone. Drowned in liquor and tears.

"Yes, sir. I am grateful you even considered me for this promotion!" I said, smiling like a foal on graduation day. Vulpes' expression did not change, but the Chief smiled.

"Kehehehe, I knew you wouldn't say no. Well, congratulations Rails. Or should I say Lieutenant Rails? Hehehe."

Lieutenant Rails....has a nice ring to it.

"Well, we have it finalized tomorrow if you want. Or when you get back from you week long break, your choice." He said, handing my bars. "But, for now? You can leave, the work day is beginning and I have to talk to Vulpes before he leaves. Good day, Lieutenant." The Chief said.

"Good day, and thank you." I said before rising out of my seat. I made for the door, but stopped and looked back at Vulpes. He had his eyes on me, and I smiled. Opening the door and closing it behind me, whatever they had to talk about was out of my earshot. And did not concern me.

A promotion? A promotion?!

As soon as the door was shut, joy and excitement filled my body. I felt the sudden urge to dance, but I ignored it. I felt warm, and fuzzy as the thought of wearing these bars upon my collar pictured in my mind. I silently squealed in delight and stomped in place, but soon attempted to composed myself as an officer turned the corner. Trotter.

It didn't work, my mouth was still curled into a toothy grin and I was still stomping in place

"Hey, Rails. Whats going on?" He asked with a nice warm smile and calm eyes.

"Hey, Trotter! You'll never believe it! I got promoted to Lieutenant!" I exclaimed, galloping over and smothering him in a hug. I squealed in joy when I wrapped my arms around him. Did it hurt? Hell to the yes, it did. Burned slightly, but it was worth it. Trotter, Redlight, they both were like brothers to me. Should they ever do something sweet towards me or my husband or I was just excited for something I would often hug them, or occasionally peck them on the cheek, to convey my excitement or gratefulness.

"Woah, woah! Slow down, you got promoted?!" He asked, my arms still around him. I nodded to confirm it, and he returned my hug. "Nice! Good job!" He said.

"I'm kinda surprised your acting like this, considering how you were yesterday when we got back from the-"

"Please, don't ruin the moment with that." I interrupted, pulling out of the hug and looking down. "Yesterday was just something I wanna forget, and Noteworthy helped my get all the tears out last night. Please, don't bring up that moment." I pleaded.

"Alright, alright. Don't worry; my lips are sealed on that subject." He stated, giving me a sympathetic look.

"Good.... when did you show up? When I got here, the station was empty." I asked.

"Me and Redlight arrived together, other day shift officers are arriving at their own paces, and I wouldn't blame them." He stated, looking back. "Come, lets go find Redlight."

<><><>

"....that's when I said "Where am I? In Foalida?!"." Redlight announced, causing me and Trotter to burst into a round of laughter. After my encounter with Trotter, I decided to stick around a little while longer and chat with both him and Redlight. I passed by Rotgut when I was with Trotter, looking for Redlight. Rotgut nodded to me, giving me a sympathetic look. Not like him to do that at all. Redlight was telling a joke that, well... one would have to have been there to understand. Something about the heat and how the Fall feels more like Summer. And... well... yeah.

Me and Trotter were at Redlight's desk, I was sitting on top of it, while Trotter commandeered a a roly chair from a nearby desk. Redlight was in his chair. My smile was genuine, and calm. My throat still pained, but I didn't notice it.

"And then, the mare looked at me. Giving me that bitch look most, ehmm." He said, stopping to look at me for a second before proceeding. "Most...mares... give stallions when they do-"

"Hold on now, what?" I asked hastily, arching an eyebrow and giving false disapproval. I loved screwing with him. Redlight looked back up at me.

"Wait, I-I.. I didn't mean, err. What I mean is.." For the next few minutes, he squirmed in his seat as he tried to explain to me what he meant. I knew what he meant. Trotter did too, but Trotter said nothing. Simply holding his laughter. I did the same, and it was getting harder and harder the longer I let this go on. Whenever he would end his sentence I would say something like "Sure..." or "Uhuh.". Eventually, I couldn't let this go on any longer.

"Ahahahaha! Relax, man! I'm fucking with you!" I said, hopping off the desk and hugging him, chuckling all the while. Trotter also started laughing. Redlights face was so fucking red you couldn't tell him apart from a cherry.

"Oh, eheheheheh... heh." He chuckled, nervously. "You're so mean."

"I know I am." I said. I released myself from the hug and stepped off to the side, leaning against the nearby wall. "Now, come on! Finish the story!" I egged on.

"Right... well.. As I was saying, she gave me that, err, that bitchy look and I sat there, oblivious to it, and smiled at her. She started closing the distance between us with an angry expression and to me? I had no idea what I did...." He started. He ended the whole thing a minute later, telling us how the mare had walked off with a coffee stain on her outfit. Though, why she was wearing an outfit in this heat is beyond me. But then again, I also don't care. They do what they do; I do what I do. For a while, we chatted. I announced my promotion and Redlight was happy for me. He, too, questioned why I was so happy but he quickly rescinded his remark when I deadpanned at him. We all discussed it for a bit, and how it would affect our friendship.

But we all came to a mutual agreement at some point: Our job took priority.

Minutes passed as we chatted. Redlight talking about his wife and how they plan to take a vacation in a week or two. And that she just found she is pregnant. I congratulated him on it, and so did Trotter. But soon, the question was asked of me. They asked if I ever considered trying for a baby. At first, I didn't think they were serious. But they were. I shifted as I was slightly uncomfortably at the question. Were it anyone else asking, I would change the subject, but I felt a lot more comfortable talking about this with my close friends.

"Well..." I started, unsure of even how to start. "I.. guess I'd be open to the idea. But I would probably not want to do it. I mean, I hear having a child is a rewarding experience, but for my line of work? I would rather wait.." I said. Trotter nodded in agreement, and Redlight sighed.

"Well, I'll let you know how it is." Redlight smirked, obviously happy at the pregnancy.

"Yeah, well. Yesterday? I almost died. Twice. If I had a child at the time, he or she would've grown up without a mother." I said, a small hint of sadness in the words. My eyes found the ground, avoiding the eyes of my friends. "Its not something I want to put any child through."

"Doesn't mean, however, that I wont have a child." I added.

Redlight and Trotter both murmured in agreement with my words. Redlight started to talk, but my phone, as if on cue, went off. I had it on vibrate, and as such, was going off like a buzzer in my shirt pocket. I levitated it out and looked at the caller ID.

Noteworthy.

"Who is it?" Redlight asked.

"My husband... I gotta take this, give me a second will ya?" I asked as I turned away and clicked the answer button. He was at work, and they didn't let him on his phone unless its break time so, must be lunch or something."Hey, sweetykins... whatcha you doin', calling me at work?" I asked, trying to sound cute but the hoarse voice kinda fucked it all up. Though, I'm pretty sure he found it nice regardless. My whole façade ended when I heard his voice. Panic was evident in his voice, and I could hear him breathing audibly and heavily.

"Oh my Goddesses, I can't believe I finally got you! I have been trying to call you for twenty minutes but my calls wouldn't go through!" He instantly replied, panic very apparent in his voice. "Listen, you gotta-"

"Hold on, hold on slow down! What's going on you sound scared." I inquired, looking back at Redlight who noticed my sudden change of tone.

"Baby... Discord's blood, you don't know, do you? Is there a TV? Radio? Anything?! Its on all the channels!" He asked, I looked towards Redlight whom always had a radio on his desk to listen to his stupid music.

"Yeah, hold on." I said, before raising my voice for Redlight. "Hey, Redlight. Turn on your radio." And so he did, pausing his conversation with Trotter only to turn it on, resuming once he had click the button... instead of the normal pop that Redlight listens to, a stallions voice came on. A calm, collected, and concerned voice. I approached the radio and sat down on the floor. The phone was still up to my ears.

"...and now we are getting confirmed reports of... explosions... rocketing the west. Eye witnesses report that Canterlot, Manehatten, and... oh goddesses no...." The voice said. Trotter and Redlight, as soon as the voice came on, were captivated. As for me, I felt dumbfounded. Explosions? What did they mean? The sound of the radio host was replaced by background talking. I couldn't understand what they were saying but... it sounded bad. I looked at Redlight.

"It... it seems we lost contact with our affiliates and.. reporters over in Fillydelphia as well. I-.. oh goddesses what is going on?" He said. Sobbing, it sounded like. Just then the radio cut off, replaced by static.

I, myself, remain dumbfounded. Confused, to say the least. I looked over at Redlight, who shared my look. Trotter looked indifferent, but his face was slowly turning into one of concern. For both me and Redlight as we both have relatives and friends in Fillydelphia. Most are military.

"Explosions? What the fuck?" He asked.

"Honey.... they just said they lost contact with Fillydelphia..." Noteworthy chirped. "I think you should call Unique." He said.

Daddy!

"They said Canterlot exploded? And Manehatten? Or... what is this?" Trotter added.

"Noteworthy, I'm putting you on hold!" I said, frantically. I didn't even wait for an answer, but quickly tapped the button to send him to hold before dialling my father.

"Who you callin' now?!" Redlight asked.

"My father! He is stationed in Fillydelphia!" I yelled. The phone ringed. Redlight then commented on how he should call his sister, who was stationed in Fillydelphia as well. Trotter got up and went to another room. I heard him calling out to the ponies, asking them if they heard what's happening. His voice showed a great deal of concern.

*Brrrr.... Brrrrr.*

No answer yet.

*Brrrr... Brrrr.*

Still no answer...

Come on... pick up daddy... pick up....

Seconds later, and I still got no answer. I retried, but I still got no answer. I heard Redlight curse to this as well... I looked to him and asked him if he was getting through but he just looked at me. I felt a little stupid, and some panic surged into my mind... what had happened? I put Noteworthy back on.

"Hey."

"Anything?" Noteworthy asked.

"No... He didn't pick up. He-" I started, but Trotter came trotting in. A scared look on his face. He looked at me, grimly.

"Fillydelphia is gone." He stated. Dread in his voice and his brows arched in a worried look. I sat there, staring at him.

"What?" Me and Redlight asked in unison.

"They... they have the TV on in here.. Come look." Trotter said, turning back into the room he came from. Me and Redlight shared a look before galloping into the room. The TV was on, and there was a reporter. She was standing out in a field, overlooking the Delamare River. Her face was grim. Her eyes showed fear, but collected fear. You could see sweat visible on her forehead, and she occasionally stumbled on her words. There were officers packed in the room. The Chief and Vulpes were at the front, and more and more officers were arriving inside the room. The receptionist was in the back, shocked. The mare on the TV spoke, her voice giving away fear.

"We are getting more.. more and more reports of cities just... being devastated by explosions and cities such as Canterlot, Cloudsdale, Fillydelphia..."

I stopped listening there.

Daddy!!!

My mind blanked. Fillydelphia? Did she really just say Fillydelphia?

No...

NO!

My face went red, and I instantly felt tears trying to free themselves from their ducts. I held them back though, as I hated crying in public. I felt my skin go pale, and my eyes shrink even more. Of course, your couldn't tell my eyes had shrunk as the fur covered it, as did my uniform. But I felt it. My mind was plagued with thoughts such as "Did Daddy make it out of the city?" and "What of Redlights Sister?".

I couldn't think, and perhaps that was for the best.

"... now... oh no... Are you sure about this?" The reporter asked to somepony off camera. Her face was now frozen mask of fear. Her pupils shrunk. "Oh my, err," She looked at the camera. "We are now getting reports that the Zebras are the ones behind this. Launching these ....explosives at out cities and military bases. As of this moment, military divisions are being deployed country-wide to aid in evacuation efforts... and..." She said, but something stopped her. Something bright had flashed behind her, and the reporter turned quickly in shock. The camera started shaking, showing that the camerapony was moving around. You could see the confusion turned fear on the reporters face, her features betraying emotion blatantly. There were ponies who started screaming off screen, and the reporter was looking back and forth at the camera and the blast before it cut to static. The colored bars on the screen was all that was left. Officers in the room began to murmur and a few ran out. No pony stopping them.

Redlight looked at me, and I looked at him. I didn't even realize Noteworthy was talking over the phone. But when I did realize, I didn't reply. The Chief had turned to us, and so did Vulpes. Surprisingly, that bastard had a calm expression. As if he knew this was going to happen. I heard Noteworthy mention something about soldiers entering his theater, but I didn't react to his remark as the situation I was in had more importance.

"Al right, quiet!" The Chief yelled, causing silence to prevail over the room. "I don't know what the hells going on and I'm sure the rest of you don't either. Now, listen, stay calm. I'm sure that..." He began, but something stopped him. Something loud. It gave us chills whenever we would hear it. It would scare children, and frighten mothers and fathers. A sound no one would want to hear in war. We would drill it all the time; officers would flood the streets during these drills and maintain a semblance of martial law until the drills were over. I'm not sure if that's exactly how it was supposed to work, but I didn't argue.

Raid Sirens...

"What the hell...?!" An officer yelled.

"Noteworthy, whats going on?!" I asked.

"I don't know, I don't know!! Soldiers just busted into the theater and are taking those who, at their word, are allowed in the Stable and now sirens are blaring!"

"Are you at the Stable?" I asked. Officers began moving towards the windows in the room.

"Holy shit, a tank!" Someone yelled.

"Are those soldiers?! What the fuck?!" Someone else yelled.

"Not yet, but the soldiers are taking us there... You need to hurry, now!" He said, but a voice in the background made him pause midway. A second later he spoke. "I can't talk any longer, I have to-" He said before a voice in the background erupted with anger and authority. I could hear the two struggling, the authoritative voice shouting "Give me that!" seconds before the phone hung up. I looked at the phone. Redlight made a remark, but I didn't pay attention.

"Alright, everypony. You are all dismissed! Go home! Now!" The Chief yelled. "Vulpes, with me! Come on!" The Chief order. "All of you! Go home to your families!" He finished. Officers around me, not quite calmly, but not panicked either, dispersed from the room. Trotter left without so much as a goodbye, but I couldn't blame him. He had a fillyfriend and I'm sure he needed to check on her. The Chief and Vulpes made for the exit, Discord knowing where they are going. But before they left, Vulpes glanced back at me. Spotting me in the crowd of blue and only shook his head before leaving, disappearing around a corner.

What that meant, I had no clue.

I looked at Redlight, who remained at my side. He didn't know what to do and I didn't either. I still had the phone in my magical grip.

"Fuck.. fuck! Rails, I gotta get home now! Where are you going?" He asked.

"I have Stable access, so I'm gonna have to head there."

"Nice, alright... What about-"

"He is already on his way there. Soldiers are escorting him."

"Alright, good then.... good luck Rails.. Lieutenant Rails." He said, offering a hug. A hug that I accepted.

The room was much emptier now. The occupying officers quickly falling out to the streets.

<><><>

Redlight and I, we both parted quickly. He went out the back entrance as to avoid the streets, but me? I left through the front. Around me, ponies were either running through the streets or just watching the skies in shock. Thick cloud layers were forming, and there were some sky chariots in the air. Overwatching the scrambling earth cursed below. Soldiers and tanks were indeed in the streets, directing ponies to the nearby Stable. The sirens continued their wail, and the only thing louder than that was the panicked screams of the populace.

I wondered to myself how I was calm during this. I had suffered yesterday, and now my father is possibly dead. Yet I was calm and collected. Most mares I know would've cracked by now, but not me. Guessing it was from all the training, but then again, maybe I'm just strong willed. Maybe I know I'll have time to grieve and mourn later, when I'm behind the comfort and safety of a steel door. Or maybe.... I don't know. I looked around, there were some officers assisting the soldiers, whom were clad in golden combat fatigues. I saw one cop with a megaphone, shouting.

"Proceed to the Stable, immediately!" Was one of his shouts. A soldier stood next to him, a giant machine gun lay next to him. Propped up against a nearby cop carriage. A soldier stopped in front of me.

"What the hell are you doing?! If your not gonna help, proceed the Stable now!" He yelled, mock anger in his voice. He wasn't trying to save himself, as when he finished yelling at me he proceeded into the police station to warn those straggling inside. I respected these soldiers, as they know what was at stake and yet they didn't dare desert for themselves. But you could tell each one scared inside, and I mean, its understandable too.

"Shit..." I murmured before taking off in direction of the Stable, AKA where everypony else was running off too. It would unfair to say everypony was running, as I saw some who were just standing there. Watching the panic pass by them, some were just on the ground with suitcases scattered about. I even saw a pony sleeping on a bench, unaware of the problems occurring around him. I don't know if it was the right action to take, but I woke the bum regardless.

"Hey, asshole! Wake up!" I yelled. He woke with a stir, yawning before looking at me with squinted eyes. He sighed.

"Alright, Officer fine. Ill move along." He said, gesturing for me to go away as he groggily looked at me. Another yawn slipped his lips but his eyes widened when he saw ponies scrambling past him. Past me. And I could hear him gulp when he saw the soldiers. "Officer, what's going?!" He asked, looking back at me with wide eyes.

"I have no idea! Go! Get to the Stable!" I yelled, backpedaling. I saw him look around confused but I turned around and kept moving, so I didn't see him get up. I moved through the streets, I guess you could say I was following everypony else. But I knew where the Stable was. During those drills, I was often assigns as a Stable Guard for the duration of the drills. I knew where it was.

Despite the panic, there really wasn't a lot of ponies to form a mob. Sure, there were lots of ponies. I mean, this is town, its population is close to that of an average city. The crime downtown is close to that, but that is less significant. But, most of the population lived Downtown and on the Harbor District. Not to say, of course, that not a lot lived in Uptown. But, you know... Those who could afford it. I could easily get through the streets. Every few minutes I was on a new street, passing familiar locations. None I'd like to talk about, however. I eventually stopped in my tracks to get my bearings. Ponies were still running past me, and I could still see sky chariots up above. But the clouds were thickening fast. And more and more of the sky was being covered as time pressed on.

What the hell...

I shook my head, clearing it of questions. Now wasn't the time for questions, now was the time for running. The sirens continued to blare, and soldiers were on every corner, directing the civilians to the Stable. I was getting close, a few more blocks and up a hill. There it would be.

"Hurry! Get to the Stable! Don't stop!" I heard a nearby soldier yell. And I listened. There really was no time to stop, hell, since I left the station I had been running nonstop. I wasn't out of breath, otherwise I wouldn't really be a cop now would I?

I just had to hope the Stable was still open when I got there. And that Noteworthy is inside.

I wandered onto another street and noticed a couple struggling with baggage. A stallion was on the ground, gathering various items that fell from it. The mare, however, was begging him to leave it. But he was denying it. Being the good pony I was, I stopped and ran over to them to assist in recovering his sundries.

<><><>

There it was. Up on the hill, there was a bunch of military ponies and a lot of civilians. Some cops too, but not a lot. Most of them were keeping the ponies away from the fence. Some SWAT were there too, but I didn't recognize any of them. Rotgut certainly had a family. He wouldn't be here. The hill was a rocky one. Had boulders and crags all up it. And at the very top? The Ridgeback Mountain, where the Stable protruded into. A tourist attraction and military base. Fort Stark Reality was it its peak, and the name a joke on the forts part as it was known to be haunted. Part of the reason why it was a tourist attraction. I had visited it before, on various occasions, but none were important. Or at least not important enough to note.

The couple I saw earlier were grateful for me helping and went on their way. Though, they were not going in the direction of the Stable. When I asked why this was and they said were skipping town as fast as they could. I simply wished them luck and went on my merry little way. Soon arriving at the base of the hill. Ponies were scattered about. Some crying, some not. Soldiers were everywhere too. But, that was to be expected.

As I began to move up the hill, something stopped me. A tug at my leg caused to me look back in its direction. At first, I saw nobody, but a voice caused me to look down. Behind me, standing much shorter than I was, was a foal. A colt, to be more specific. He a brown coat, just like me, but instead of a black mane he had an orange one. His eyes a deep red. He looked genuinely confused and partially frightened. But his voice told me he was totally oblivious to full reality of the situation.

"Excuse me, Miss Police Officer. Have, you seem my mommy?" He asked, his voice betraying no emotion. No worry. No nothing. Literally, despite the confusion and frightened eyes, he actually seemed calm... Ahhh, the unmindful youth. Keeping calm unless their parents are the ones yelling or crying. Quickly, it dawned on me the seriousness of his question. "I got stuck in a big crowd and an army stallions brought me here and told me he would look for her." He added.

"He never came back."

Oh goddesses...

I looked back at the Stable and then back at the child. I felt pity for the child, but really had no time to help. The sirens were still blaring, and with every second that passed on everypony seemed to be getting more restless and scared. I had no idea if those Zebras were sending.... whatever the hell they were launching at us to get us, but this didn't seem like a drill. I mean, both a news reporter and radio host said that multiple cities were leveled and at my guess? Many dead as well.

Including Daddy....

No, do not think about that. Worry about the now, and worry later of the past. The now matters.

I exhaled with gritted teeth before answering the child, deciding that it my duty to help him, in any way I could.

"Uhh, what's your mother look like?" I asked.

"Uhhh... Shes big, taller than you probably. She has bow in her mane, and its red too! Did you see her?" He asked.

Fuck.

"Uh..." Was all that I could stammer out. I have not seen her, and it really hurt to hear this kids problem. He looked around briefly before looking up at me with an arched eyebrow.

"What's going on? Ponies seem scared and the army ponies wouldn't tell me." He asked. I didn't answer. I couldn't answer, I didn't want him scared. "I think its just the loud noises though."

I just realized how fucked the colt is. Without his mother, he can't get into the Stable and I doubt the soldiers would give charity. After all, a huge crowd of ponies were at the fence leading up to the shelter. Soldiers in their fatigues and what looked like Steel Rangers were keeping them back. Alongside Police, SWAT, and Stable Security. I saw foals in the crowd, and they were not on the Stable side of the fence. No charity.

What was I going to do?! I couldn't leave him here, that's against my morals. But I couldn't stay out here either! Noteworthy... My thoughts raced quickly as I decided on what to do. Helping the child find his mother was way out of the question, but leaving him to fend for himself was also taboo...

Words from my lips earlier echoed in my mind, and an idea came to me. A stupid idea, probably. But one good regardless.

I wouldn't leave him out here. I couldn't leave him out here. So, I decided to just take him with me. He didn't deserve to die, and at his age he would be too young for it. I looked at the kid, trying to stay calm.

"Uhhh, yeah! Yeah! I saw your mother!" I lied. Kids his age are so gullible, so I didn't have to go the extra mile to seem truthful. The kid perked up at my words.

"Really! Where is she?!" He asked with glee.

"Uhhh, sh-she is in the Stable up there! Come on; I'll bring you to her!" I said, taking his hoof quickly. He retracted it and backed away.

"My mommy told me never to go with strangers." He said. Smart. Smart kid.

"But didn't she also tell you that the police are your friends?" I replied. He paused, his eyes showing that he was obviously open to the logic I presented him. "Come on! She is in the Stable; I'll take you to her!"

He smiled back, deciding that it I was telling the truth.

"OK! Thank you Miss Police Officer."

I smiled at that. Foals would always gawk and stare at the police on their beat. Some would ask their parents who we were. Some would just come right up and talk to us. I have had my share of that happening. And it was cute. Funny, too. The kids would ask me if it was hard being a cop. I would answer how I felt fit. They would tell us they wanted to be a cop, and I encouraged them. Told them it was a lot of fun. Sort of a stretch of the truth, but they are kids. They would say other things and they would always make me smile. Its one of the reasons I loved donning my badge.

I took his hoof, gently of course, and walked up the hill. Passing by panicked ponies and soldiers. A lot of soldiers, actually. It sort of even terrified me the amount. You'd think we were being invaded. As we approached the crowd, I saw a familiar pony fleeing from it. He was wearing a coat similiar to that of the representative of Stable-Tec. But when he got closer, I did indeed recognize him.

"I'm reporting thiiiiiis!" He yelled as he ran by. Not even noticing me as he galloped by.

Poor guy.

I looked back at the fence. The soldiers had ponies keeping the civilians away from the gate. An officer stood in the gate with a clip board in a magical grip, flanked by two Steel Rangers and a SWAT with a shotgun. Further beyond him was the Stable, security, police, and soldiers were everywhere there. Many looked to be from the Downtown station as those beyond had red accents instead of the Uptowns blue. I didn't really care, though. As long as they kept ponies from massacring each other then was fine. I approached the gate, the foal with me. The officer was there, waiting.

"Name?" He simply asked.

"Rusty Rails, last time I checked I was on the list."

"Mare. Five foot two. Brown coat, black mane, police affiliation...." He listed as he looked at his clipboard. "Correct me if I'm wrong but you are married to a Mister Noteworthy, yes? Blue coat. Five foot eight. Err..." He asked, glancing me over quickly before going back to the clipboard.

"For the love of... yes! I am married to Noteworthy!"

"Alright.. you can-" He started before his eyes fell to the child. He quickly glanced back at his clipboard before looking at me "Is this your child?" He asked. I looked down at him.

"Go wait over there." I said, pointing to an officer standing by a few feet away with a megaphone. "He'll protect you. I'll be back in a minute." I added. He complied without question, smiling and walking to the officer. The aforementioned cop looked down at the child as he approached, then at me. Annoyed.

"Is that your child?" The officer asked again, show impatience.

"No, he is not my child. He lost his mother in the crowd and I'm taking him with me into the Stable. I'm hoping his mother is inside." I said, lowering my voice. I had no idea why I did though. There was no way he could hear me over this racket. And that's something I was glad for. "Please, let him in."

"I'm sorry ma'am. But its policy, if your not on the list you don't get entry. That goes for everypony." He said. Almost coldly. His eyes scanning the clipboard.

"What?!"

"You heard me."

"You can't do this! I'm on the list, what does it matter if its my child or not?! I'm taking him with me!" I yelled as my eyebrows arched and my lip curled into an angry frown. He didn't seem so impressed

"Ma'am, you try to get past us with that child and we will obligated to gun you down!" He yelled, looking back at me. His glare looked like it could melt ice, and the Steel Rangers behind him got closer. "I'm sorry ma'am, but my job is to make sure only the permitted pass. If anypony not on the list gets in, then that could damper on the Stables supplies. We have to think about the future of the Stable."

"He is just a child..."

"And its my job to make sure everything works. If even one thing goes wrong then the whole Stable is fucked!" The officer yelled back. "I'm sorry! Unless you can prove the mother is inside right now or is on the list then I will let him through. Otherwise, take a hike." He said, lowering his voice finally. "What is the mother's name?"

Fuck!

"I don't know!" I said. "I didn't ask! I thought.. I thought.. Fuck just let him through! He is a child! You can't do this!"

"Ma'am, I'm tired of hearing this! Back away, or enter! But if you decide to loiter I will have you shot! Your choice!" He ordered. I looked at him, not sure whether to believe him or not. But the presence of the Rangers glaring down at me made me think twice of pursuing the argument. I simply cursed under my breath, and looked back at the foal.

As I've stated I could not leave him out here. But I couldn't abandon Noteworthy either. I then looked back at the Stable with a solemn look. The conundrum was: Forsake morals, duty, and equinanity and go into the Stable. Leave the foal behind and be reunited with Noteworthy. I would live forever knowing that I let a child die for my own gains and life. Go into depression over my selfishness, and possibly kill myself in the near future. Or, abandon Noteworthy and the safety of the Stable to try to comfort the kid in his final moments. Obviously, if this whole thing is FUCKING REAL, then I would die. But I would die with my morals still intact. My equinanity intact. And a little happy. Both have cons I can't forget, but... words I uttered previously flooded back to my mind. And there was only one choice I could make.

Its not something I want to put any child through.

I couldn't leave the kid to die alone. Its not right. He wasn't my child, but he was someone’s child. My duty must come before myself. My duty to both my community and my nation. My duty to protect and serve. I was staying. If I abandoned him, then I will live and always see him in my dreams. Dying. I don't want that. I'd rather die happy than depressed with a noose around my neck. I looked back at the officer, an evil glare upon my face.

"Fuck you! You'll burn in hell!" I yelled, backing away as the Steel Rangers got closer. Every time I would raise my voice, they got closer. Their battle saddles revving up. I looked back at the kid, who stood alone. The officer walked away. Bastard.

"Hey, are you alright? You look mad." He asked as I approached.

"Mad? Why... why would I be mad? I just found out your mother is in the Stable and she is coming out to get you!" I lied, feigning happiness over a layer of anger and frustration. The child looked visibly happy, and started smiling and trotting in place.

"Yay! Thank you Miss Pol-"

The whole sentence was cut in half as a loud rumble in the air washed over us. The crowds of ponies went silent, and even the soldiers looked concerned. I looked around for the source of the rumble, but saw nothing. Only ponies. Rocks. And a dickwad blocking entry into the Stable. Everyone was scared. And I was no different.

"What is that?" Someone asked.

Just then, a loud crack broke the sound barriers, and a bright flash appeared in the distance. In New Oatleans Market District. The market district was a fair ways away from the Stable. It was in Uptown, but close to Downtown. Nearly bordering it. The light from the flash caused my eyes to burn, and I shielded them with a hoof. Other ponies did the same as they all turned to look at it. The flash gave way to a large mushroom cloud, and the roaring thunder of its meeting with the ground was unimaginable. No words could describe the sound, besides ear piercing and brief. Ponies began screaming in terror.

"Holy shit!"

"Fuck! Let us in the Stable! Now!"

I looked back and saw a Stallion rush the officer, tackling him and attempting to make a run for the steel doors, but the Steel Rangers quickly cut him down with a hail of bullets. I saw the steel doors closing slowly, the security retreating within to safety. Leaving the police and military helpers to their deaths. No one up there looked like they were rejecting it, but I could tell none of them were happy.

Why would they be?

I looked back at the foal, who kept his eyes on the explosion. A felt a small gust of wind rush past me.

"What's your name, kiddo?" I asked, calmly and nonchalantly. Trying to keep him calm.

"Its... Crackle why-why is there... what is that?" He asked, stumbling upon a few words as he pointed at the huge cloud.

"Oh, that? That.. thats a... huge firework!" I said, improvising. "Yeah, yeah! Fireworks! Its a parade!"

"But, the ponies.. they seem-"

"What, scared? Pffft. They ain't scared. They are excited! See? I'm excited! See?!" I yelled, giving a huge smile. I brought my eyebrows back to try and convey more excitement. The kid just looked at me and asked to see his mommy now. But I sighed, not wanting to tell him the truth, and told him she is almost here. A felt a heavier gust of wind hit me. This time, stinging a little. The cries of the crowd around us almost drowned out my next choice of words, but these words were heard nonetheless.

"OK. Ok.. One thing kid, she won't come out until you close your eyes." I started. "Count to one hundred. And think happy thoughts." And so he did. Smiling as he believed it was a game. I looked around, ponies were screaming and crying and the soldier's concern was no more, but instead, they gave looks of acceptance. Most just looked at each other, some dropped their weapons and sat down. And others just looked groundwards. They all accepted their deaths, and it was admirable. I looked at the officer. The prick. He was sitting there, looking back at me with a sad frown. We exchanged looks before I broke the stare. I could still feel him watching me. Judging me. As if that was what was needed now.

The wind started to hurt worse, and I could tell the others felt it too. Somepony yelled and asked for the pain to stop. Then, out of nowhere, somepony yelled "Look!", And many did. Including me.

What we saw was death. A huge wave of dust, debris, and wind was coming for us. Rushing at us at fast speeds. Many screamed in terror once again and ran off in the opposite direction, hoping to outrun it. But they were fools. You couldn't outrun that. Even I knew that. Some just stayed put, crying with their families. I saw one soldier hug a mare whom I assumed to be his wife. I glanced back at Crackle, who had his eyes closed and his smile unfading. I sighed, accepting the fate I chose for myself.

Sorry, kid. I never knew you or your mother. But, at least I die doing her a favor since she couldn't do it... Hopefully, you'll see her soon.

Why I wasn't scared was beyond me. Maybe I knew I died happy? Dying for my duty? Or maybe I just accepted it. I knew what I was doing when I chose to stay out. But now? Well, can't go back now, can I? The tidal wave of death and destruction was approaching rapidly, with the crowd thinning as many tried to foolishly and hopelessly outrun its arrival. The ponies at the base of the hill were consumed by the wave, disappearing in its hungry maw. I looked down at the foals, and closed my eyes. Then, I wrapped my arms around him. Taking him into an embrace. I never knew him, or his mother, but its the least I could do. For my community.

Protect and Serve...

And, a second later. I felt it. The wave of destruction rushed through me, and the screams and the cries of those who remained were drowned out as the wave rushed in. Destroying and killing all in its path.

Including me.

Footnote: Level up!

New Perk: Good Girl - You always followed the example your father set. Doing good, and not being selfish. Permanent +5 added to Charisma. Also, you will have unique dialogue choices for good-natured characters.

Epilogue

"The end to all things. Sad, right?"

The air was never different. The scent of mud and dirt was always apparent. But one would learn to ignore it, or live with a sinking feeling of depression wherever they looked. Not many ponies would be able to live on with that. Especially soul-torn ponies. A loud crackle of thunder broke through the darkened sky, and a figure moved through the rain that assaulted the ground.

Hoofsteps clattered on the mud, leaving prints. And rain droplets drenched her barding and trickled off of her sunglasses. She stepped past a skeleton, grazing the rib cage of the long dead pony.

What the pony was approaching was a grave. Marked by a wooden planks. With words scrawled poorly that read "Here lies Crackle. A colt that died too young. R.I.P.". As she stood over the grave, she let out a sigh. But the sigh conveyed no feelings. No dread. No sadness.

Just indifference.

What was interesting about this, the whole thing that captivated her and piqued her interest, was the fact that there were skeletons littering the area. It made sense, too, as up the path aways was a Stable. Stable 56. But that is irrelevant. What piqued her interest is that somepony had the time to dig a grave for a pony here, instead of all the other skeletons. She could tell the grave wasn't fresh either, as the planks were worn. Some black moss growing on the edges. But, it looked strong. Sturdy. As if it could survive another millennium embedded in the ground. Somewhere, not far away, crackles of gunfire rang out. But this did not disturb the mare. It soon ended, replaced by a thundering sound. The storm was worsening.

"What a sham." She mumbled. Rain droplets slid down her sunglasses, but she made no move to clean them off.

Her eyes scanned the planks before going over the grave. It was small, alright. Small enough to fit a child. But she could tell the grave was dug by hoof, not shovel. But again, it was insignificant. She could hear hoofsteps behind her. An NCR trooper, her comrade, was approaching. He was of a lesser rank. A private first class in the regular main body of the NCR. New Califoalia Republic. Nowhere near the level of training, she a Ranger, had.

"Lieutenant Ghost. What are looking at?" He asked, frowning. She didn't look back at him, but simply sighed. Some rain droplets landing in her mouth, which she promptly swallowed. Her eyes returned to the named scrawled on the planks, aged over time.

Crackle...

"Just an image of a time passed."

Author's Note

Story couldn't have been done without the editing expertise of both atronosthelast and TheStratosphere. I heavily advise that if you need editing done, look to both of them. If one can't do it, i'm sure the other could. :twilightsmile:

Thanks guys!

I would also like to thank you for reading this story! For me, its so hard to write Fo:E! Its just something I'm not used to. I hope you all enjoyed this new take on the Fo:E universe.

Chapter 1: A Policemare of New Oatleans

A Policemare of New Oatleans

Written by: The Dark Soul

Edited by: TheStratosphere, atronosthelast

Story created in collaboration with: TheStratosphere, atronosthelast

Created by: The Dark Soul

*BRRR. BRRR. BRRR. BRRR.*

I groaned as the noise buzzed in my ears. Frowning at the fact I was woken up by such a loud, and sudden noise.

*BRRR. BRRR. BRRR. BRRR.*

I shut my eyes tighter, mentally asking for five more minutes. As the sound continued, I growled, clenching my eyes tighter in a failed attempt to block out the sound.

*BRRR. BRRR. BRR-*

I slammed my hoof onto the off button of my alarm clock in a drowsy rage. Admitting defeat to the annoying buzz. Of course it was after a few failed attempts that only resulted in me slamming my hoof onto wood. But, regardless, I achieved my goal of ending the destroyer of sleep.

"Fuck..." I murmured, my eyes closed. I attempted to turn over, but I felt a familiar weight on my side which prevented me from turning. I smiled, taking his hoof with mine and moving it closer to my chest. There was a movement behind me, and I felt something nuzzling the nape of my neck. I sighed in comfort and pleasure. Enjoying the mere presence of the love of my life.

"Mornin', hun." He said. My eyes opened slightly, but all that greeted me was darkness. The only light in the room was the faint light from my alarm clock. The time was four A.M. Wednesday. My smile did not fade as I replied.

"Morning, sweetie." I closed my eyes again, and pushed my form against him. To be in his loving embrace, and to feel his warmth on my body. He brought his hind leg over my haunches, and I could feel both comfort and... his 'what's in between' resting on my rump. It wasn't something I disdained. In fact, I loved it when he did this. It wasn't really an advance, and trust me when I talk of love towards his advances as well, but I liked to treat it as one.

"You're not gonna get up?" He asked, acting as if he wasn't settling in. But I giggled in response to his bad acting. 'Oh Luna,' I thought to myself, 'he is in charge of actors, but not good as one himself.'

"Oh, I will. I just wanna cuddle a little while longer." I replied.

"I would love that too, but you have work..."

"Oh come on..." I said, drawing out the "on". "I don't have to report for four hours." As I said this, I released his hoof and it immediately began travelling down my dark brown coat. It ended at my waist. "Oh, ehehe." I giggled, turning over and looking at him... attempting to, anyways. Unfortunately, no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't see anything in the dark. I pecked him before resting my head affectionately against his chest... I thought it was his chest, anyway. I was a bit smaller than him so I confirmed it was when I felt his head rest on mine. I let out a content sigh.

We lay there, just enjoying each others company for some time. Neither of us speaking, or breathing too loudly. We both loved these moments. We had no kids, and only one cat. So it was quiet around here usually. But that never meant we never enjoyed quiet time together. Away from the noises of the city. Away from our places of work. Away from the troubles of the world.

My name is Rusty Rails, daughter of Seargeant Major Unique Rails. A soldier in the war against the Zebras, and yes, I know what you're thinking. Let me just say that he is thirty seven and guess what? I'm twenty. I'll let you guess how old he was when I was born. He was also a Purple Heart Recipient.

Despite my name, my cutie mark is actually that of a badge. All that being said, I am a popular pony at my place of work. Which, I'm proud to say, is the New Oatleans Uptown Police Department. My husband is a handsome stallion named Noteworthy. He, luckily, did not work at one of the many casinos that litter the Downtown district, or the few that lie here in Uptown. Instead, he worked as a Theater manager at the New Oatleans First Community Theater. It played movies, plays, ballets, and much more. Noteworthy was a fine stallion of thirty-three years. We both met one day by chance.

I was trotting, working out, as I was preparing for the physical test for the NOUPD, and I accidentally bumped into him, knocking all the stuff he was carrying out of his hooves and mouth. Naturally, I was embarrassed and he was a bit stunned. I helped him pick his possessions up (I soon learned it was scripts for some play), and, well...

I gave him my number too.

He, of course, was flustered at that. He asked why and my simple reply was "You're pretty handsome.". I remember that day so clearly. I remember trotting away, smiling. Him? He had a deep red blush. It was so funny. To be honest, though. I never expected him to call. I really did it as a goof, but, he actually did call. So, I decided there was no harm in giving him a chance. But it was the first date that I realized my feelings for him. He acted like a true gentlecolt.

We married two months later. Its a moment I'll never regret.

"Honey, if we have time... what say we fool around?"

Have we considered kids? Well, yeah. What couple hasn't? But, we decided against it due to my job. Too dangerous for me to mother a child. But that doesn't mean we don't have sex. I mean, you cannot have a healthy and successful relationship without some regular intimacy. But we make sure to play it safe.

"Ugh.. You know I want that, but... You know I have work today. Can't we just cuddle for a bit?" I whined.

"Oh come on. You know you want to." He said, rubbing my side. Dammit, that felt good. It was true, I did want to, but its never a good idea to begin work days with a romp. As I had learned a while back in the early days of our marriage. I giggled even more to his suggestion. It was a fine thought, but I had to refuse.... Didn't mean I couldn't tease him though. I brought my uppermost hind leg (we were both on our sides, Ill remind you) over his legs and rolled ontop of him. He gave a surprised "Oh.". I pressed my fore hooves into his chest and massaged compassionately, speaking warm and soft.

"You're right." I said in a low whisper. I eased down, bringing my hooves off his chest and effectively laying down on top of him. Chest to chest. My hooves in his. My legs resting between his. My mouth was right next to his ear. "But you'll have to go without this morning." I added. Ignoring the stiff brushing up against my hind legs.

"Now, you mind getting the light?" I asked.

"What? I thought you just wanted to cuddle? I mean, we have four hours...."

"Yeah, but now i'm awake." I said. "Thanks to a certain stallion who couldn't resist a thing like me" I chortled playfully and lovingly. "Now, please, get the light. The first sight I wish for the day is you." I begged as I lifted my head away from his ears. I smiled but I doubt he saw it.

"Heh....Likewise." He said, moving his hoof to pull the chain on the nearby lamp. I felt his hoof strain a bit, but eventually he found it. The light flickered on, and I was greeted with the sight of a handsome, blue Noteworthy. He was smiling, and I was returning it with a half-lidded smile.

He exhaled.

"Morning." He said.

"Morning."

The few minutes was spent with me resting on his form. My head buried in his chest, eyes closed. And him with one of his hooves draped over my body. I could still feel his little friend. It was still erect, and it had no intention of deflating. I think Noteworthy knew that I could feel it, but he knew I didn't mind. Not one bit.

Eventually, Noteworthy piped up.

"I thought you said you have to get ready?"

"I do. I just don't want to get up." I replied with a drowsy expression. I kept my eyes closed and and refused to move. But I knew I had to get up eventually.

"Likewise." He said. I groaned in exhaustion and lifted myself off of his form. Rolling onto my side of the bed and slowly rising. When I rose, I looked back at Noteworthy, who was still in bed. He kept his eyes on me.

"Mind making me a pot of coffee?" I asked with a smile. He nodded in response and chuckled. Knowing how bad my addiction to Coffee is. I once told myself I would quit. But I never followed through with it. If I ever went an extended period of time without coffee, I would get jitters and insomnia. It sucks.

I looked around the room, surveying my surroundings and overall just trying to get my bearings. It was a room painted blue, two wooden dressers, two wooden nightstands. A computer at one end of the bedroom, and a window next to it. There were pictures on the walls. But mostly of us. Me on graduation day at the Police Academy. Me and Noteworthy's Wedding Night, though there was no intimacy in the picture, just us at a bar. Interesting fact: We got married AT the Police Station, ain't that some shit? My brothers and sisters in blue payed for the wedding and the Chief administered it.

There were pictures of me, Noteworthy, and our cat, Jubbles. Those were just us relaxing, Casual. Then there was one picture of me and my husband at my fathers promotion to Sergeant Major. There was also a picture of my mother, Celestia rest her soul. The picture was of her in her teen years.

There was also a picture of me and my father having a beer while he was in the hospital for a wound he received in the war. It also included an Equestrian Army Officer in the photo aswell, not drinking a beer, but smiling for the camera. That is probably the most recent photo out of all of them. Noteworthy took that one. Unique was smiling greatly, and I had a smile too. I was happy that my father was getting a medal, but not too happy it was a Purple Heart... I mean, its a Purple Heart. Getting shot is not fun.

Trust me, I had been in my share of shootouts, and let me tell you that, while I have never been hit, it's certainly far from fun.

I pushed myself to get up, but I felt a hoof brush against my black mane, and I turned to look at my husband. Wondering what he wanted.

"Make sure you brush your mane too. It looks pretty bedraggled." He laughed. "Not that I don't like it. Makes you look cute."

<><><>

I stepped out of the shower, entering the warm, moist air that had engulfed the bathroom. My mane sopping wet, and my fur drenched, dripping with water. I magically gripped the towel on the rack and pulled it towards me, patting myself down from head to rear, making sure to get the belly as well. Once I was dry, or somewhat dry at any rate, I turned to the mirror. It was fogged up, but nothing a little wipe couldn't fix. A quick wipe with the towel revealed a parallel universe, where a pony that looks like me and uses the same expressions as I, stared back at me.

A parallel universe known simply as a clean mirror.

I reached for my brush, but a voice stopped me.

"Hey, hun. I got your uniform laid out." Noteworthy called to me from the other side of the door.

"Thank you, sweetheart." I called back.

"The cap is on the coffee table in the living room!"

I gripped my brush and began the work to make my mane-style the way I loved it. A right part, and the rest in the front swiped to the opposite side. My mane was long enough to where it would fall over my left eye when done like this, effectively leaving me with vision only in my right. But hey, I had good depth perception so its no problem. My friends liked it.

And as a bonus: Noteworthy would go crazy over the style. One of reasons I did it to begin with.

You would wonder why I, a beat cop, would even try to look good. Well, despite the fact New Oatleans is hardly the fanciest town in the whole goddessdamn nation, it was always nice to look presentable. Especially in Uptown. I lay the brush down and looked back into the mirror. I saw myself, and I looked good. My mane the way I like it, my fur somewhat dry. All that was missing...

"My uniform and a morning tweak." I mumbled.

I turned to the door and waltzed towards it. Content with my looks. I opened the door and eyed my uniform, laying there undisturbed on the bed. Noteworthy no where to be seen.

<><><>
"Stay tuned for the weather update!" The radio said.

I had put on my uniform, which was a black with blue accented police barding, so that also meant the words NOUPD were on it, as was my name, and had put on the tie, fastening the buttons on my uniform in the process. Lastly, a had stuck my badge onto the end of my tie.

I was no longer in the bedroom, but instead, in the kitchen. Sitting down and drinking coffee while listening to the radio and reading the morning newsprint. There was nothing interesting, just continued reports of Zebra incursions into Mainland Equestria, and propaganda. Word of recent events such as the Unveiling of the Statue of Macintosh. But I didn't know where as I started tuning things out around that time so I could pay more attention to the paper. A certain article caught my attention.

~~~~~~~New Oatleans Informant~~~~~~

Your trusted paper. By the ponies, for the ponies.
New Oatleans. Home to gamblers, doctors, shipmasters, cops, and Zebras?
According the local reports and leaks in the Department of Law Enforcement, a Zebra that goes by the name of Vulpes appeared in town days ago. Eye witness reports indicate that this Zebra has special interest in the Local Law Enforcement, as he has been spotted coming and going from the Uptown Police Station ever since his arrival. Entering twice a day, and entering twice a night.

"Its just strange, that. What would our finest have to do with those....scum?" One local patriot told this reporter.

As of this moment, the NOUPD refuses to comment on the matter. Saying that nothing is wrong and that the Zebra is simply a citizen looking for help against the prejudice and racism he faces day in and day out. But the citizens claim otherwise. Stating that the Zebra may be a spy for the the Striped Menace and there may an informant amongst the NOUPOD. Others claim the Zebra is one of those from the disbanded Equestrian Sympathizers military group, its name unknown to this reporter. And others claim the Zebra is just your average citizen looking to continue life in a war torn nation.

Whatever the case, this reports suggests that all mares watches their foals closely, and lock their doors at night. One can never be too safe these days, and with a mysterious Zebra showing up in the dead of night for no reason, caution should not be thrown to the wind. - Sharp, reporter for the New Oatleans Informer.

My eyes burned from that.

I had to double check what I had just read. Seriously? More xenophobia? Ugh. If I had a bit for every time the media attempted to demonize new arrivals or strange ponies in town, then I would be one rich little bitch. I mean, sure, the town wasn't crime free. The NODPD, aka New Oatleans Downtown Police Department, investigate five crimes a day, and the average lifespan of rookie officers is a month. But, not everypony who showed up in town was bad.

One can never always believe the media. Or else they fall into a world of fanatical propaganda and brainwashing.

I set the coffee mug down and scoffed at the legitimacy of article before crumpling it up and tossing it towards the trashcan. I missed, much to my annoyance.

As I enveloped the paper in my magical grip, a knock on the front door startled me, causing me to drop the paper once more. I groaned in frustration before enveloping it again and dunking in the trash can. I took one more sip of my coffee before walking towards the door, passing my cat along the way who decided to follow me. I opened it only to be greeted by a stranger. A well dressed stranger, but a stranger nonetheless. It was dawn outside, and the mailmare was making her rounds. Luna's wonderful night was retiring to let her sisters amazing day take over.

"Good morning! Stable-Tec calling!" He cheerfully announced, stepping into the doorway to foil any attempt to slam the door in his face. Which was literally my first thought. I would've attempted a slam anyways, but his cheerful mood kinda took me off guard. At this time of the morning, most ponies are irritable. So either he is faking it, or he genuinely had a good night. I hoped for the latter. Regardless, I let him speak. Getting ready to deny whatever it was he was attemping to s- wait... did he just say "Stable-Tec"?

"Before anything else, may I speak with Mr. Noteworthy, or Mrs. Rails?" He asked.

"Errr... The mister is out getting breakfast. But you are speaking to the missus. Can I help you?" I replied with a confused gaze. He looked at me, and his cheerful smile didn't falter. It wasn't a creepy smile, but more of a calm and casual smile.

"Ahh, one of New Oatleans finest! All the better, eh? Ahahaha. Well, I don't need any help, rather, I want to help you!" He said, extending a foreleg to me. "I am proud to announce to you, Officer Rusty Rails, that, due to your fathers service in the war, you and your family has been preselected for entry in the Uptown Stable!" He continued. "Stable.....56." He said, drawing it out to seem more exciting. Stable 56, huh? I had heard of it. Some kind of...fallout shelter. I noticed that the mailmare had finished with the house across the way and was approaching mine. But she stopped when she realized that a stallion was at my door, and instead of putting my mail inside the mailbox, she just stood there, confused.

"Ahh... Great. Stable 56." I said, leaning against the door.

"Yes. Stable 56. Anyways, I only came by to finish up your registration. I just, uhhh, need to answer a few questions and get your date of birth. Once I have all that, you will have completed your registration and have secured your families future!" He said, smiling. As he finished, my cat came prowling out the door to see what was going on. I looked down and smiled as Jubbles approached the salesstallion.

"Oh, and who is this sweetikins?" He asked, petting her as she rubbed against his legs.

"That's Jubbles. Very friendly cat."

"I see that. Well, that answers question one! Ahahaha..... Question one was if you had any animals. Alright, well. Its a nice cat." He said. The cat began purring as it enjoyed the headrub it got, but suddenly it stopped, looked at a nearby tree then ran at it. Climbing it so fast it could rival a roadrunner with that speed. Ah, the ever changing inclination of a cats mind.

"Ok... well. If I can ask you the next few questions, I can get out of your mane."

"Alright, ask away. But lets hurry this up I have work in about two hours."
"Okie dokey. Question Two:" He started, holding up a pen in his magic, and a clipboard in his hooves. "How long have you been a member of the New Oatleans community?"

<><><>

"And that's it! Congratulations on securing your families future!" He said, putting away the pen and clipboard. "I hope you have a good day, ma'am. Now, ill just, uhhh, run this over to the Stable. Have a good morning!" He finished, before turning and walking away. He smiled as he passed the mailmare, who was still standing there. The mare then looked back at me, still confused. She shuffled a bit, as if contemplating if she should ask. After a moment or two, she started walking towards me.

"Who was that?" She asked as she approached me.

"Oh hey, Leafy. Eh, it was just a salesstallion from Stable-Tec. Apparently me and Noteworthy has been preselected for entrance." I said, looking at her all casual as if it was a normal occurrence. But, I guess these days, it is. Don't rightly understand why me though. Sure, my father served, and still is serving, but... patriotism isn't uncommon in todays world.

"Oooo, nice." She said.

"Ain't that some shit, right? Ahahaha."

"Well, i'd love to stay and chat, but I have to continue my route. I only stayed to make sure things were alright. Have fun at work today." She said, hoofing me a small envelope. I waved at her as she left. Then I looked down at the envelope, scrutinizing it for the sender and return address.

There was plenty of blanked out words. Lots of black marks. The only words visible were "S.M. ", "Unique.", "To" and "Rusty Rails", 'Wait' I thought to myself, 'Did that say.. Unique? As in Unique Rails? Dad?! Daddy! Wonder what he is writing about!'

I began to open the letter, but a familiar voice took my attention.

"Hey, I got the biscuits! Whats that?" Noteworthy said, passing by the mailbox.

"A letter from Daddy." I said, gleefully. My mouth curled into an excited smile. I always loved chatting with him. Been that way for as long as I could remember. Since birth... or I guess since I learned to talk, anyway, he would tell me stories of his youth, and how he met my mother. And I always listened attentively. Eager, more like. Then, when I turned sixteen, my father joined the army, leaving me in the care of my grandmother, since my mother died when I was young. Too young to remember her. He would stop by every so often and reconnect with me. Take me out to eat, tell me stories about the military. And, as always, I loved every second of it. He was the best father a filly could ask for.

"Ahh, that's nice of him." Noteworthy replied, stepping past me through the doorway. "Why don't you open it? See what he wants?" He suggested, setting the breakfast down on the counter.

"I will, I will. I think I'll take it to work today. Read it on my break. Whatcha think?" I asked, turning back into the house and shutting the door behind me.

"Whatever floats your boat." He said. "Come on and eat. I got your favorite." He said, looking back at me.

"Ahh, nice! I can always count on you, can't I?" I cooed. I laid the letter down on the coffee table, next to my policeponies cap. I then walked up, and pecked my husband on the cheek before taking my biscuit in a magical grip. Unwrapping it from the foil as I sat down.

He sat down and began to eat alongside me. We chatted, but mostly about the recent events surrounding Equestria and that Zebra country. How the Zebra are pushing against the borders and how the military was hard pressed in holding them off. I had no worries though, my father wasn't on the frontlines. At least not after his wounding. No, he is stationed in Fillydelphia. A good ways away from the fighting. Or, at least I think... I don't know my geography. I also had faith in our military. With our dominance of the skies and our mastery of the arcane arts, its kinda of a wonder why we are getting hit hard. But then again, Zebras have their own skills. Such as better speed. I heard their melee prowess is unrivaled. And their tacticitioners? Don't get me started on what I hear about them. I also told him about the Stable-Tec guy and that we, apparently, now have membership.

Sometimes I would wonder if I should join the fight, try to make a difference. But then I think about how I wake up every morning next to the handsome stallion I wed, and I would then realize it would be a grave mistake. Trading sleeping in his embrace for sleeping in a trench or tent, hugging a shotgun or rifle to my chest in anticipation for an attack. Not something I would want trade in. Never, is a better word.

I took another bite of my biscuit, savoring the taste before munching on the dandelion that I had pulled out with my teeth. I loved dandelion biscuits with a passion. As I ate, I looked at Noteworthy.

"Did you hear about what happened Downtown?" I asked in between mouthfuls of food. He chuckled, not at my question, but at the mess on my face. I knew that was what it was about, so a quick wipe with my forehoof fixed things. He was about to answer, but a familiar ringing paused his action. I looked back into the living room, and onto the the coffee table, where my cellphone lay. It was ringing with a very familiar ringtone. A tone that told me that my boss was calling.

"Uhh, let me go ahead and get that." I said, standing up and setting down what little of a biscuit I had left. I could've used my magic and just brought it to me, but as a cop, I can't afford to constantly rely on magic. Sometimes you would have to do things yourself. This was just a remind to do just that. Clicking the answer button, I put the phone to my ear and formed a hello.

"Good morning. Whats going on?" I spoke.

"Get to the station, now. We are calling every cop in Uptown and some from Downtown, we need every available body on hoof."

"Every available body? What's happening? A drill?"

"No. No drill. That's not scheduled until next Monday. Actually, we are assembling for a raid. Don't tell your husband. Just get up here, now. ASAP." The phone beeped, signifying that the pony on the other end had hung up.

'A raid?'

I slowly removed the phone from the vicinity of my ear, and then just looked at it. 'A raid?! Who are we raiding?'

"What was it?" Noteworthy asked. I half turned my head and thought frantically on what I was going to say. A split second later, I had my alibi.

"Uhh, Chief wants me to come in. Officer Trotter has a nasty cold so I gotta take over for him today and take his beat instead." I said, putting the phone in my pocket. "I need to leave right now or else I'm gonna get Trotter some late hours." I said, levitating my cap onto my head. I heard Noteworthy get up.

"Right now? You mean, you gotta leave right now? Damn, is his cold that bad?"

"That's what the Chief said. Listen, you can have what's left of my biscuit. Now, I gotta go, don't wanna be late." I said, starting towards the door. But Noteworthy, with a wry smile, intercepted me and blocked my way. His smile went to one of sadness. Mock sadness.

"What? You leave and I get no goodbye kiss?" He asked. "Oh, what a horrid thing to do."

I smirked at that. He always liked doing this when I was either gonna be late, or was called in early. Seemed he got a kick out of it. But, again, I didn't mind. Well, at least smooching part. It sorta did get on my nerves, but he liked that. He liked watching me squirm under pressure. I guess it was either funny to him, or he thought it to be cute.

"Ooooh, your riiiight. I just simply can't leave without that, can I? What a horrid thing to do, you must simply forgive me. Ehehe." I said, trying to hide my slight annoyance. Would it be bad to admit I was a tad bit annoyed?

I leaned in close and looked him in the eyes, he then brought his right hoof over and brushed my mane out of my left eye so he could get a better look into mine. He cocked his head before moving in closer to the point where it was my nose and his touching. Our muzzles were close enough to where we could feel the tips of our fur surrounding our lips. I could feel the breath leaving his nostrils. It was calm, not frantic.. Not like our first kiss. My eyes went half-lidded, and now all that was left was for him to move in...

Goddess damn it! I want to jump him right now! Right fucking now! Fucking Chief....

And move in he did. Our lips met, and soon our tongues did too. He brought his left foreleg and draped it over my neck, and I grabbed it with my right. Holding it in my grip, to make it more memorable for me. Our tongues danced at the border between our lips, gentle and easy it went, as neither of us liked it rough. Eye contact broke off as I closed my eyes. Ever so steadily, I fell into the moment. I never forgot where I had to be at, but physically, I did. Sort of. It was these moments I liked to savour, to hold. For in my line of work it could all be taken away so quickly. There isn't one week that goes by where I don't have one dream of death and sorrow. Crime isn't in abundance up here, but when it does show its ugly face then can become incredibly violent. Besides, I like the feeling of getting aroused, and aroused I was.

I got even closer as our tongues danced and let go of his hoof, opting instead to embrace him with my forelegs. I moaned, pleasure seeping from my voice, as his tongue explored my own. After a short while, it broke off from the dance, and wandered to explore the rest of the cave. Mine didn't chase, as the feeling of it all was too good to stop. His tongue returned to dance with mine, but I broke it off to allow another pleasured moan to escape the confines of my mouth before returning. Some couples might not commit as much swapping as we, but that was them. We had our own quirks, they had theirs. I guess that just shows how much we truly love each other...

That or it makes us perverted fucks. Whatever, i'm fine with it. After all, I like it.

It was me who broke it off, eventually deciding that enough was enough. As much as I liked making out with my husband, I couldn't get too into it, or sex was inevitable. I was surprised to see no string of saliva connecting our lips as they parted, but also sort of relieved. As I would not want any of the drool getting on my uniform. It might be colored black, but trust me, it would show. I found my hooves still wrapped around my husbands neck, but I didn't let go. I didn't want to. I opened my eyes to see his still looking back. My sensual smile did not fade.

"I love you." He said simply.

"I love you, too." I replied.

I let go of him, and he let go of me. He moved out of the way, and I started for the door, but I realized that in the excitement that my cap had fallen off. Nothing a little levitation couldn't fix, but it shows just how much I got into it. After donning my cap, I trotted to the door and opened it, looking outside. There was a nice breeze, better than the breeze from earlier. And the sun was a little higher in the sky, showing off more of its magnificent light.

I turn and waved to my love, and he waved back.

<><><>

All lovelife and sexy business aside, it was a calm and less than exciting walk to the station. Just the occasional early riser of Uptown out and about, maybe a carriage or two. But nothing abnormal. I mean, it was half six in the morning, so not many ponies would be out. It was an odd thing to not see any night shift beat cops about but, as the I was told over the phone, all officers have been asked to report for duty, night shift or not. So every officer in Uptown was probably already at the station, or at least nearing it. It was a boring walk. Not many officers or civilians, to pass by. No one to strike up a conversation with or just walk past. There was the occasional soul who passed by, giving me a look that said "Thank you.". I passed by houses, a park, and an apartment complex before, finally, I arrived at the station.

The walk took a boring twenty minutes. Just like every other day.

But, I cant demonize it. It gave me some time alone with my thoughts, and clearing your mind before work can end an otherwise stressful day before it even beings. As I approached the station, I could see plenty of NOUPD carriages outside. More than usual. There was also an unmarked carriage parked across the way, flanked my NOUPD carriages. I saw one officer outside. Officer Glory, who was a good friend to both me and Noteworthy. She saw me and waved. As soon as I was close, she started talking.

"Hey! Good morning, Officer Rails. How was your night?" She asked with a calm smile.

"As good a night as any. I sleep next to a handsome stallion, and I have a pretty comfortable bed. I guess every night is a good night."

"Hmph, I have never seen a happier couple than you two."

"Ha, right?" I laughed. "Neither have I. You know, I think its the current events. War fatigue and such, but I could be wrong."

"Right. Well, I would love to chat about this with you, but you need to get inside. Head to the board room." She said, becoming instantly serious.

"Why aren't you inside?" I asked, partially curious but mostly joking around. But she apparently didn't pick up on the joke, and instead opted to remain serious.

"Orders. I am to direct all latecomers inside to the board room."

"Ah, alright then. Is everypony inside?" I asked.

"Only three haven't reported in. You. Officer Redlight, and Officer Swiss. Head on inside and I'll follow. The Chief would like a full chalk, but we need to start the briefing now before ponies begin to wake... I assume you know what's going on?" She asked.

"Of course. The Chief let me know over the phone... Who are we raiding?"

"I have no clue. But I did hear a Ministry of Morale agent will be here to direct us. Though why they wont do it themselves and why they don't just use the SWAT I have no clue. Come on, lets head inside." She said, turning towards the door. She began walking and I followed.

'A Ministry of Morale agent?' I thought to myself, 'What the hell...?' I knew those ponies and they were scary freaks. You ever see one of those posters that have Pinkie Pie's face on it? Some unsettling shit, that is. And her lackeys are no different. I had thought that the ministry was for parties and stuff, but no. Raids. Federal Prison....

And I had heard horrid rumors of torture...

I figured it was better keep my mind off of all that. Morale and such. When I had thought about it, I had never been in a raid before. Not many NOUPD had ever participated in a raid. Neither did the local SWAT. There wasn't enough crime up here in Uptown to warrant one. Of course, we had trained for raids. But unfortunately, training doesn't mean anything unless you have experience. And none of us had it. Even shootouts were a rare occurrence up here. In fact, I had been in three shootouts. Mostly at the jurisdiction border between Downtown and Uptown. Occasionally, chases end up crossing between the districts and the NOUPD will be required to intercept it and help out our brothers and sisters from Downtown. I had never been hit, and I never wanted to.

Officer Trotter was hit, once.

As we walked through the station, we passed a multitude of rooms and the receptionist. We said nothing to each other as I clocked in. She wrote down my time of arrival and gestured for me to head further inside. As expected, the station was empty. Everypony inside was at the board room.

A few seconds later and we arrived at the board room, with Officer Glory opening the door for me. I entered the room and was greeted with the sight of a projector and multiple benches and tables. A couple dozen officers were inside who were minding their own business. A few looked up to see who entered, but quickly returned to their individual activities when satisfied with their answer. Most were chatting with each other, others were reading. Many of the seats were taken, but there were a few open. So I started for it, but that's when the Chief caught my attention.

"Ahhh, there is our late sergeant." He said, catching everyone’s attention. I froze. "Now that she is here, we have enough ponies to begin. Officer Glory, go outside and wait for Officers Redlight and Swiss. When they arrive, guide them in and take a seat."

"Yes sir!" She said. She left almost as quickly as she entered.

"Now, Rails, I think you have delayed us long enough. Please take a seat." He said. An embarrassment fuelled blush grew hot on my cheeks as I lowered my head. I heard some of the officers chuckle, either at my reaction or what the Chief said. Either way, it didn't matter to me. I quickly took a seat in the nearest empty spot and kept low. Trying to avoid the wave of embarrassment hitting me. I watched as the Chief walked up to the podium, ready to announce what the hell was going on and why most of us were called away from our sleep...

And why I was called away from my Noteworthy.

"Alright everypony. The sooner we get this whole thing done, the sooner this mess is over and the sooner we can all go home. Trust me when I say that i'm not at all happy to be in right either. Neither is my wife, hahaha." The Chief started, with his naturally calm demeanor. Every officer respected him, and he returned the respect. He never panicked. He never docked our pays. He never did anything we disliked. He basically earned everyponies respect. "But, when our country demands service then we, as protectors of New Oatleans Uptown, are honor-bound to respond. Now, some of you might be wondering why our country demands service. No, we are not going to war so don't worry about that. No, instead, we will assist the war effort in our own way." He continued, looking down at some papers resting on his podium.

"It turns out that, well... It turns out there is a possible Zebra sleeper agent cell located in our city. At the request of the Ministry of Morale, we are to investigate and terminate this cell. Now, as some of you may know, we have an agent from the ministry here today. Please welcome Agent Vulpes." The Chief stated, without any concern. I remembered that name from the paper and I wasn't all that surprised. Nor was I angry. I have no qualms against Zebras, or, at least the ones disloyal to their homeland. I grew up with plenty of Zebra friends, so I learned tolerance at a young age. Long before the war began. But even now I still know tolerance unlike most ponies.

The door behind him opened, and a zebra clad in some military grade power armor stepped through. He had no helmet, which revealed his red-striped face. Unsurprisingly, many of the officers began to murmur disapproval at the sight of this agent, and some began to give scowls and glares. The zebra ignored all of this though. He had no mane, which wasn't much of a surprise either as the Zebras tend to grow very large manes. His was a buzz cut to allow easier access into his helmet. But, as mentioned prior, he had no helmet.. The logo "M.o.M." was painted on the chest piece. But that didn't calm many of the officers, even though it sorta did signify his allegiance. I had also heard that red stripes signified allegiance to the Equestrian Crown, but I didn't know if that was true or not. I decided to assume not.

The Chief immediately looked to the crowd of officers and hushed them before stepping aside and allowing the zebra to take the spot. His power armor making those metal stomping sounds with every step he took.

"Hello, officers of New Oatleans. I am Vulpes, agent of the Ministry of Morale. I am sure most of you had heard rumors of a zebra named Vulpes in town, but I must assure you I am here to help you all by ridding you all of a terrorist threat." He spoke in his heavy zebra accent. You could tell he wasn't native to Equestria, and that kept most of the officers in an uneasy and disincentive state. "I would to start out by saying that I am no threat to any of you and al-"

"Hold on, just hold that thought, "Agent". Why is a zebra working for the Ministry of Morale? Aren't they arresting your kinsponies left and right?" An officer asked. Earning a glare from the Chief.

"Ah, a question often asked of me. Well, I'll put it like this: What better way to commit subterfuge and espionage then by using the "enemy" as a spy?" He said. The officer who questioned him huffed a response but sat down. Obviously satisfied with his answer. The doors opened and most of the room, including me, turned their heads to see who was entering. Five officers entered. Three were wearing the Uptown uniform of black with blue accents. Redlight, Swiss, and Glory. The other two were unfamiliar, but I recognized their uniforms. Black with red accents. Downtown police.

"Ahh, finally. I assume these are the rest of your officers, Centurio Justice?"

"Uhh, its captain, but yes. Three of them are mine, the other two are officers I requested from the Downtown division for what we are about to undertake." The Chief replied. "Those two officers with the red have the most experience with raids in the entire NOPD. So, they will be directly under your command."

"Good. Please, find a place to sit or stand. This briefing will not take long." He started. The officers who entered seemed genuinely confused, but they did not question anything. We all turned our sights back to agent.

"Now, as your Centurio, Uh, Captain! Captain. As your captain has previously stated, there is suspected dissent amongst the population of your city and as most of the agents whose job is...controlling dissent are tasked at the current moment, they sent me with orders to get the local police force involved. Now, our job is to find and arrest the zebra sympathizers. Luckily, with my heritage, I passed easily as a zebra spy and gained access to the sleeper agent cell." He began. "Cent- Captain. Uhh, forgive me. I am still used to my countries ranks, not the local ranks. Anyways, Captain Justice, please, activate the projector." The projector flicked on. The first thing that appeared was the picture of a large house... Wealthy looking, too.

"Now, this is the target building. Owned by a one "Bitter Exchange"."

That surprised me on a whole new level. Bitter Exchange was huge supporter of the Equestrian Military and even donated a good portion of his wealth to the Ministry of Wartime Technology to fund their research. Most ponies I knew, including myself, assumed him to be one of the biggest patriotic ponies in the entire city. This was certainly news to me.

"Now, Bitter Exchange has been meeting with local traitors. Most names are unknown to me, but I know of two treasonous ponies in his inner circle." He continued. I was still surprised at the news of Bitter Exchange. Glory, who I just realized was standing a few feet next to me, looked a bit nervous. Then again, most of us probably were. I mean, we were talking about a raid. None of us, save for Vulpes and the two Downtown officers, had been in one. I looked over to her.

"Hey, Glory, calm down buddy. I'm sure this will all work out." I said.

"Right... right."

"...and Rock Biter. Leader of the Bottleneck gang. He and his bodyguards attend meetings with the traitors every month on this day. As the NODPD officers might know of, he is a dangerous pony with dangerous friends. Be careful around him." Glory looked to have calmed down a bit, the amount of sweat building on her forehead began to stop flowing. "Now..." The picture of the house changed to an overlay that detailed entrances, possible escape routes, and postings. "This is the plan. There are two entrances. Back door and front door. When we arrive, police and SWAT will surround the building. Setting up barricades and setting up checkpoints to prevent any escape. Then, a combined team of SWAT, police, and I will storm the front door, clearing it room by room and take out the insurgents before they have time to properly organize and barricade the doors. SWAT snipers will be set up in the trees to allow for overwatch, and policeponies armed with shotguns will be stationed in the backyard to prevent escape. Essentially, it will be a siege."

"Keep in mind that these dissidents will be armed with military grade hardware. So, in kind, we will counter it with military grade hardware... Will a Officer Rails please step up?"

The officers in the room all turned and looked at me, a metaphorical spotlight landing on me. I slowly rose, looking around while I did.

"Uhh, that's...that's me." I said, not really sure of what to say. I couldn't understand why he would need me.

"I looked at the records and files of all the sergeants. One special note said that you were the fastest pony in the force. Am I correct?" He asked.

"Uh... Yeah. That is correct, as far as I know." I replied with a continued feeling of uneasiness. Why did I get the feeling that something was about to go wrong for me?
"Good. Then you'll have a special role in all of this." He stated. "And before you ask what role, it the role of the breacher. You will be equipped with a riot shield, breaching charges, and a high powered pistol."

"Wait, wait, wait!" I exclaimed. "Wouldn't it make more sense to use a stronger pony. Such as one of the stallion officers? Or earth pony?" I asked. I honestly had no clue why I was chosen, as I didn't see how speed was relevant to the role of a breacher. No, strength seemed more important than speed.

"Well, not only are you the fastest, but you are also one of the few unicorns in the NOUPD. That means you can safely arm the charges on a door while remaining safely behind a shield. Speed also plays a role on this as, if you can't set a charge and you're under fire, then you can charge the door down. You're a police officer, your more athletic than the common pony, thus your stronger than a common pony." He said.

And it was true. Being a police officer meant you were more physically fit than an average civilian. We were not as fit as a Military pony, but we were close. To be honest, looking at a police officer you could tell they worked out. As most of us had an athletic build. Those few that didn't showed the cop stereotype of being a pig. Fat.

However, he made a good point, though. My strength, combined with speed and the shield, could easily bust a door down. I sat down, partially understanding why I was chosen.

"Now, onto what you all will be equipped with..."

Footnote: Level up!

No perk points awarded this level.

Author's Note

I suck so bad at writing romance. :rainbowlaugh:

But, hey, I tried. Something to be said for that. I have an emo friend who told me that writing good romance and shit like that requires experience. Something I lack, so don't be too surprised to see that it might not be all that swell.

Hey, btw, I would like to say sorry for the long ass wait. Apart from 2017 being a rough start for me, and Writers Block pushing itself onto me because i'm trying too hard, I just had a very hard time to write. And i'm sorry.

Chapter 3: A Day Different From Others

A Day Different From Others

"When you walk your beat, you see faces. Some warm, some not. This isn't a beat. There are no warm faces."

Pain. Fear. Betrayal.

That's all I felt... all I could feel. The pain was getting irrelevant, as it wasn't too bad. But the pain of betrayal was still there. Then the fear...

I honestly thought that was the end. I thought I would die the second I felt the knife cut flesh. I thought I would never see Noteworthy again, nor my father... I still hadn't read the letter he sent. And that's something I would have regret should I have died. I felt a warmness radiating around my neck, both front and back and I felt a friendly presence alongside it. But my hearing wasn't great, and everything started to go bleak at the end. My vision was white, but it was fading back to reality. And my hearing, while it was damaged from the crack of Glory's pistol, didn't prevent me from hearing my comrade.

"Ah, she's bleeding, man."

"How bad is it?"

"Not too bad, I reckon she can still breathe."

I was demoralized, to say the least... Glory, had she really been a traitor this whole time? Posing as a friend, only to further advance the goals of our enemy? Well, she certainly wasted no time to show her true colors, right when we are hot on our target...

Reality returned, and my vision was flooded with the sight of the hallway we were standing in. The officers had pulled me to the side, and one had a cloth torn from a nearby curtain. It was bloody. I stared at the two in shock, before letting my eyes gaze towards the corpse of Of-

...To the corpse of Glory.

I gulped, looking at the body. There was a huge puddle of blood encircling it, and a hole on both sides of her riot helmet, a red liquid seeping from both sides. Blood was staining the muzzle guard. The window nearby had a good sized hole showing where the bullet had came.

"Target down. You didn't say you were in a hostage situation." The radio chirped. Magi reached for his and replied.

"We weren't."

"What... Am I alright?" I asked, keeping my eyes on Glory's corpse. Tusk, who was sitting next to me, applied the bloody cloth to my neck again. Telling me to be still.

"You have a cut, and its bleeding. But you'll be fine. It wasn't deep enough to severe anything vital, are you alright? You seem dazed." Magi asked.

"Dazed is one way to put it." Tusk huffed. Frowning as he gently wiped the blood seeping from the cut. I winced at the thought of having a slit throat, but considering I can still breath, she didn't have ample time to finish the job.

"Glory... she...."

"A traitorous bitch," Tusk said.

"Yes, Rails. She tried to kill you...I'm sorry. If its worth anything." Magi said. The whole department knew our friendship was almost ironclad. We were best friends. Of course, now that the situation had ended, I wasn't sure why I wasn't devastated by it. I should have been, but I figured my mind was blocking out the whole moment, allowing me to focus.

I kept my eyes on the corpse. Magi was making attempts to comfort me, but I rejected them all. I wanted no comfort. Tusk, however, was cleaning the blood off of me. He even wiped the nape of my neck when he noticed Glory's blood. My eyes soon moved over to the dead sleeper agent I killed. Her corpse lay there against the wall, lifeless, and her buddy was unconscious, locked in cuffs not far from her.

I was hoping there would be no death today, or at least not too much. But, to almost lose your life and to watch a pony who was your friend lose hers, its unnerving, for lack of a better word. I exhaled, not realizing that I had not been breathing since I fell down. Magi reached for his radio, but it sprang to life. A voice on the end other. Rotgut.

"What the hell are you guys doing? Get after the target! There will be time for mourning later!"

Rotgut... always the callous pony. Never caring for the lesser officers. From the little interaction I have had with him, I could tell he cared for no officer but the SWAT. Doesn't mean he wasn't a good pony, though.

I looked around for my shield, and there it was. Laying next to the unconscious stallion. I rose to get to it, ignoring the protests of officers Magi and Tusk. But stopped when I heard hoofsteps running down the hall behind us. I looked back to see Officer Trotter rushing return to us... he stopped when he saw Glory. A lifeless corpse upon the floor. Her blood staining both the curtains, and the walls.... what high powered rifle they used to do that, I had no idea. His mouth opened to speak, but stopped when he noticed the red line crossing my neck. He then spoke, with added terror.

"What the hell happened?!" He yelled.

No one answered. I grabbed my shield, hooking my left hoof around the handle, and gave a quick inspection. There was a small stain of blood on it from when I bashed the dead sleeper agent. I looked back at the officers.

"Trotter. Take him outside to the carriage and tell them we are down one officer." I ordered. He looked back at Glory before nodding, partially understanding. He trotted over and took the pony by his legs, and then proceeded to drag him down the hall, avoiding the blood. I turned my head towards the way I saw Bitter Exchange go. There was only one room. At the far end of the hallway. It wasn't really a hallway, more like a vestibule connecting with the hallway we were in. I assumed that it was a bedroom. I mean, why else would a room be connected to a vestibule? I hefted my shield up.

"Rails, are you gonna be alright? That was some situation you were in." Officer Magi asked, looking at me and arching his brows. I only scoffed, attempting to show that I felt better than what was actually true.

"Yeah, I'll be fine. We need to finish our job." I said, frowning and furrowing my brow. I didn't mind the concern, but I wasn't a child, I could handle it, and there was a job to do. "Lets roll."

"Wait!" I turned back to Officer Tusk, who had my helmet in hoof. "You might need this." He said, pushing it onto my skull. I gave a calm smile as he did. Feeling secure and happy knowing I have friend with me, but deep down I felt horrible. I decided to block it out, I would unleash the tears sometime tonight, away from my comrades.

I moved into the vestibule, Magi and Tusk behind with their weapons ready. They flanked the door, and I got in front of it. I looked at both officers, and they knew what I had to do. I stepped back a few paces, and then charged as fast as I could. Using all my shield to bash through the door.

The door fell apart at my charge; wood splintered apart as its full being failed to resist. Dust kicked up and wood flew. As I burst through it into the room it guarded, the doors remnants fell on the floor, making the sound you expect wood to make when it breaks apart. I opened my mouth the scream at the occupants to surrender, but I felt something push up against the back of my skull, and heard the cocking of a revolver.

"Drop the shield! Drop it now!" A rough but young stallions voice yelled. I complied, gulping. "Say the word, sir! Say the word and I'll drop her!" He yelled. I looked around the room, getting my bearings. The room was a bedroom alright. A king sized bed, paintings of ponies such as Starswirl the Bearded and the Gryphic King were on the walls. There were two doors, but where they led I knew not. There was a bench in front of the bed, with a radio next to it. A nice warm carpet on the floor, and blue painted walls... A literal blue bloods house. I noticed a pony, by his dresser. He had a briefcase sitting on top of it, with a few items in it. But his focus was on me. A dash of fear and surprise. But it was soon replaced with a warm smile. A warm smile I've seen him use so many times in public.

"Don't..." He said, approaching. The officers behind me couldn't get through the door, but they were yelling warning at the duo inside. My flank was still in it, and the gun to my head prevented me from moving for fear of losing my life. Essentially, I was a hostage again. "So, officer. I must say I am surprised. Really, I am. I did not think that, should a raid take place, you would proceed through my house so fast without taking so much as a step back. Or, at the very least, without a lot of casualties." He said, in his rich-yuppie voice.

"So, officer. I'm sorry I don't believe I learned your name. Its so rude to visit and not provide a name. So?" He said, sitting on the bench. I gulped, my mouth quivering.

"O... Rusty... Rusty Rails." I said.

"Officer Rusty Rails, pleasure to make your acquaintance. Too bad its not under better circumstances, or else I might treat you to a nice dinner."

"I'm already married."

"Are you? Well, then your husband could've joined too. You misinterpreted it for interest, but really it wasn't. But rather a friendship invitation... tsk tsk tsk. But such a thing will never be." He said, continuing his smile and pursing his lips only in the middle of his sentence, but resuming his smile at the end. I felt my lips quivering and quickly controlled them. Not wanting to give away fear. "So, Officer Rusty Rails. I'm sure your wondering what happens next. I'll admit it, I have no clue. As I have stated both now and before, I did not expect you all to make the progress you did. So, I'm at a loss." He bowed his head, but brought it up soon after and kept his smile. I exhaled heavily.

"You see the fine gentlecolt next to you? No? Well, let me introduce you... Officer Rails, you are standing in the presence of Rock Biter. Leader of the Bottleneck Mafia." He said, gesturing towards the unseen stallion.

"The same Rock Biter whose griffons you butchered in the living room." Rock added.

"Oh, yes. Such a bloody business that..." He said, before craning his neck to look past me. "And I see you killed Ms. Pennyapple. Such a waste." He said, closing his eyes. As if pondering on what to do. They opened a second later as he began to scan me. His eyes landing on my throat. "Oh dear, I believe you might be bleeding."

"Yeah, thank that to your friend, Glory." I defied. Furrowing my brows and giving him a glare. A glare that told him he couldn't win. I think he knew this, which is probably why he was still civil towards me.

"Oh, Glory did that to you? And here I was beginning to believe she was just a spy who infiltrated our group. Good to know she wasn't. She met death at your hooves, though, didn't she?" He asked, but I gulped. Holding my tongue. "Such a shame. Another wasted life." I heard a radio chirp behind me, but what they said was unintelligible in my ears. All that mattered right now was what was happening in the room.

"Boss, with all respect, we should ice her now!" Rock Biter said. Bitter Exchange, however, denied this motion with a shake of his head. "Boss, we are in deep shit. We nee..."

"No... No more killing." He said. "It takes a a strong pony to admit defeat. And I admit it." He continued. Rock Biter opened his mouth to protest, but was quickly silenced as Exchange spoke over him. "Think for a second, you oaf. If you kill her, then our lives are forfeit. Wasted. Wasted like our comrades lives."

"We will just be another loss in a war. Forgotten swiftly, as if we never existed." Bitter Exchange stated. Sorrow becoming apparent in his eyes, and his brow loosened. Throughout the whole exchange, he never did lose his smile. Minutes passed as he talked to his traitorous comrade. Trying to talk him into surrendering. He mentioned the Zebras pushing into our lands, and conquering us. He said the Zebras would honor the Equestrians loyal to the Caesar, and would torture the ones who were not. The infidels, he called us. He spoke with a convincing aura, and I could see why so many ponies followed him. A silver tongue he had, something I wish I had. But, he did not sway me. Nor would he ever.

"Boss." Rock said, "I..."

"Just stand down. The odds are not in our favor."

"I... yes sir." Rock Biter said in a defeated tone, closing his eyes and allowing the pistol to drop onto the ground. I did not move, but instead, I remained in halfway in the doorway. I looked over at Rock, who was standing there. Looking back at me. His ears lowered, and his eyes shown with defeat. "Well. Aren't you going to arrest us?" He asked.

"Right..." I said, looking over at Bitter Exchange. I opened my mouth to say something, but my nerves got the best of me. My mouth only hung open for a second before it shut. I was unable to articulate any word towards him, and I felt it was for the better. I turned towards Rock Biter. Once I had moved from the doorway, the officers behind me rushed through, yelling standard police warnings such as "On the ground, now!". They both complied.

As I got out the hoof cuffs, Rock Biter looked at me. His face still a show of sorrow, but also indignity. He opened his mouth to speak.

"Let me see my family before you turn me over to the Ministry of Morale. Please..." He begged.

<><><>

"Just apply some antibiotics every morning and night and it should heal in time. But for now, just don't raise your voice." The paramedic said, packing up a bunch of medical supplies.

"Why you can't you use a healing potion?" I asked, my voice slightly scratchy.

"For that little wound? Its not too serious to warrant one. You'll be fine." He said, smiling. He turned and walked away. Around me, officers were standing around. Talking, or standing guard. The public was kept well back under the guise of a drug raid. Four ponies had been arrested today. Bitter Exchange. Rock Biter. And two stallions. Turns out Vulpes team captured one pony downstairs. And they were coming to see what was going on when we captured Bitter Exchange. Redlight was sitting next to me, smoking a cigarette. The wound he suffered didn't penetrate his armor but did cause a nasty bruise. He took a puff, exhaling before he spoke.

"So."

"You gonna be alright?" He asked, looking over to me and taking another puff. I looked down at him, my eyes conveying my answer. He looked away, but a second later offered the cigarette to me.

"No, thanks. I don't smoke." I affirmed.

"You drink. But you don't smoke." He said, looking away. "Heh, you don't know what your missing." He said, looking back to me, cigarette in his mouth. I looked around, cops and SWAT were about their business. Either placing police tape or dealing with the captured ponies. Rock Biter was crying and carrying on, demanding to see his family. And one officer looked like he was losing his patience rather quickly. Vulpes was talking with Bitter Exchange, who had his pleasant smile still active. But Vulpes was another story. From where I was, I could see that he was frowning, and he had a blood-red glare.

He was very unhappy with Bitter. Close to anger.

"What are you gonna do now?" Redlight asked. I looked back at him.

"I don't know. Go home? Get a drink? Something, I... just don't know." I said, looking down. I was sitting in the doorway of one of the police carriages, Redlight laying down next to me. Every so often I would feel a burning pain from my throat, but the doctor said that it wasn't a fatal response and that I would feel it a lot in the days to come.

"Stop feeling sorry. She had gotten what she deserved for being a traitor."

"We were friends, closer than that even." I said solemnly. My eyes being cast downwards in despair. We were friends, best friends actually. But now? I just felt betrayed.

And it angered me. But also filled me with more sorrow than anger. Why would she do such a thing?

But I guess she did provide a reason, a fucked up reason it was albeit. My thoughts turned to Noteworthy. My husband. He was at home, and if the news wasn't being the nosy shits they were, then he wouldn't know what had occurred today. He wouldn't know that Glory is dead. Or that she held a knife to my throat. Or that.... that I survived.

I survived two attempts on my life, but at what cost?

The cost of a friendship. The cost of a life. A felt a tear stream down my cheeks at the thought of dying and losing everything. Losing Noteworthy, losing my friends. Everything. I heard a familiar voice speaking to me, and I turned my head towards the source. The Chief.

"Hey, Rails." He said."I heard what had happened in there. I'm sorry, for what its worth. I.." He started.

"It's fine, chief, I'm fine. Just.. I don't want to talk about it." I replied, looking up at him. I wanted to give a fake smile, but I could not summon up the will to do so. Redlight looked at me.

"Well, you'll be happy to know that with your recent injury and the effects recent events might have had on your psych, I will be giving you a week off. But if you want to come into work, then that's your choice. Its all paid leave, too. So don't worry about that, either." He said, giving me a comforting smile. I looked down for a second before looking back up at him. Not smiling, but not frowning either.

"Thank you chi-... Thank you, Justice."

He looked at me with a smile, then turned and walked off. But not after reassuring me that everything will be fine. I looked around, Vulpes now was talking with a paramedic. Neither looked too happy. After a moment or two, I decided I had to do something. I looked back at Redlight.

"I have to make a call, do you mind?" I asked.

"Not at all, go ahead."

I levitated my phone out and turned it on. My background -Soarin in his flightsuit- greeted me in a flicker. I found my way to my contacts and looked through it, eventually finding Noteworthy amongst all my phone numbers. I saw Glory's number as scrolled. One tap and my phone began to ring. I put it to my ear, and seconds later, I heard his voice.

I never felt so happy to hear his voice before.

"Hey, babe. What's goin' on? Lunch?" He asked.

"Hey, Noteworthy, I- I just called to let you know I'm alright."

"Alright? What do you mean?" He said, pausing mid sentence for a second."Do you feel OK? Your voice sounds hoarse."

"Yeah, I-I'm fine. Just... I'll tell you about it when I get home. I just wanted to you to know that I'm alright." I said, trying to remain calm. Trying to keep my voice from trembling at the prospect of never being able to talk to him again. And that fear almost became reality today.

"I uh, OK. See you when you get home, I guess. Love you."

"I love you too. I have to go now. Bye."

It clicked off; Redlight looked up at me.

"He question if you're alright?" He asked, taking a final puff of his cigarette before tossing the remains on the ground. He stomped on it to prevent any flames from the embers.

"Yeah, but I don't think he knows what happened." I answered, looking down at him as I put my phone away.

"And that's for the best, Rails." A voice said, next to me. I jumped slightly from the sudden voice and swiftly turned to see who it was. I should've known it was Vulpes, the Zebra accent is unmistakable. "Secrecy is one thing the Ministry likes. Even though the public knows of our activities due to Ms. Pinkies... lack of subtlety, we don't like plunging those unaffiliated with us into the massive aroma of controversy. That being said, the Ministry is grateful for your assistance, Rails. As it is with the whole police force for helping us." He said, looking at me. His armor looked a bit notched, signifying he got into a scrap in the building. But he had no bruises or wounds, so he must've been alright.

"You scared me." I said, grinning.

"I get that a lot. 'Sneaky sneaky', they say." He chuckled. "I heard from the paramedics you received an injury worse than Officer Redlight. That you actually bled more. I also received a report saying you were held at gunpoint and as a pony shield so I just wanted to see if you're alright. So, are you alright, Decanus?" He asked. I looked at it, my expression signifying that there was a faster way to say that. But also showed confusion at his choice of word at the end.

"Decanus?" I asked, looking at him.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Still used to my country's words and such... Sergeant is what I meant. Sergeant." He chuckled, blushing somewhat and smiling.

"Well, alright." I said, continuing my smile. I was happy he took an interest in our welfare. Its a quality of a good leader. But I have met some who wouldn't make a good leader because of the qualities they lack. "I'm not alright. I got betrayed. Held hostage. And held at gunpoint. I saw, or rather, heard, my "friend" get her head blown off. And now, I'm stuck with thoughts on what would've happened had things gone differently... and it- I-"

"You don't have to say anything else if you wish not to. I understand your predicament and its unfortunate that you went through what you did. If it means anything, I'm truly sorry you had to go through that. And I would also like to say that I'm surprised you kept your cool under all the stress you were put under. Most ponies would've broken down, crying. Or just simply given up. But you?" He said, his smile finally faltering. "Well, you have my respect." A paramedic walked past us, hurrying towards a body bag laying near the police taped gate. I looked back at Redlight, who had lit another cigarette. I told him how that would kill him, but he simply told me to piss off before laughing. And I joined him. Didn't think I would genuinely laugh after Glory's death, but... there you go.

What pegged me wrong was that everything seemed normal again. As if nothing happened. Sure, I sound a bit hoarse, and a few officers won't be going into work for a day or two, but everypony was acting like this was a normal occurrence. I mean, he was right. I went through a lot today. Most ponies would've cracked, but here I am, chuckling with a buddy and talking with an agent as if nothing had happened. Glory had her head ventilated, and I'm sitting here not even shedding tears... perhaps my subconscious was holding in all I had to shed until later, when I'm in the comfort of my home, and in the arms of Noteworthy. Or perhaps my brain is just blocking out the reality of the situation.

Whatever the case, I'm just glad I'm not crying in front of my friends.

"Hey, Rails, I have a question." Vulpes asked. I looked at him, and kept an indifferent expression as I calmly replied and asked him what he wanted. His face no longer an expression of relief, or subtle joy. But now a serious one. One with slight despair and anger. One with added amounts of grief.

"You're married, yes?" He asked. My brows were raised, and I looked around, trying to avoid eye contact as I felt slight discomfort with the question. I had no idea why I felt this way, as he didn't even ask me what he really wanted to know. Maybe its because I barely know him. I just nodded. "Ok, thought so. Your record did state that. So maybe you can answer this...." He mumbled. He turned and looked at me and opened his mouth, but quickly hesitated and closed it. But after a second of thought, he spoke.

"If...if you lose somepony you care about, or you were to lose somepony you cared about, deep care that is, how would you deal with it?" He asked, slowly. I just looked at him, blankly. As did Redlight. He even paused mid-inhale but quickly fixed that by exhaling, coughing from botched up puff.

"What?"

"I-I mean, you... you like somepony, and she likes you as well. And when you lose that pony.... just... ugh! How do you deal with it? Its not something I ever had to go through and.. well.." He asked once more in frustration.

"Are you saying...?"

"Yes."

I just stopped, unsure of what to say now. From what I gathered from this, he had somepony he cared for, loved is a better word, and lost them. Was it one of the sleeper agents? Or a SWAT? I didn't see any body bags with a SWAT pony coming out...

"Who was it?" I asked calmly. My voice as soft as a hoarse one could. For a second, he didn't answer. Preferring to remain silent. As if he regretted even bringing this up. But, he sighed when he realized there was no way out of this now. Of course, why he brought it up I'll never know.

"It... well, see. When I was acting as a double agent, I developed feelings for their maid. Ms. Copper. And she in turn developed feelings for me. When we breached the building, she was caught in the crossfire; she didn't know of my true allegiance until today and, well.." He said, looking away. "She died of her wounds on route to the hospital." He finished.

"Damn..." Redlight chipped in. I just looked at the zebra for a minute. Confused. He had an affair with their maid? My confusion, however, wasn't from this, though. It was because he decided to share it with me.

"Why are you sharing this with me?" I asked. He sighed.

"Rails... Sergeant Rails, I tell you this because, well, I learned from my time reporting to your Chief that, and your comrades agree too, you and your husband have the healthiest marriage anypony here has seen." He started, but Redlight chipped in again.

"That's true. I've never seen a couple so happy with each other. Not even that DJ mare and that blue-blooded cellist whats-her-face. I've heard they have had their fights."

"The question I ask came to me when I learned of her death. And I was afflicted with emotions that felt... strange for me. Despair. Love. General unhappiness, to say the least. I mean, as I've said, I'd never felt this way before. Its something I never went through, and I just want to know. What... how you would you handle? How do you deal with this? I mean, if you lost your love... how would you deal with the loss?" He asked, looking me in the eyes. The tone in his voice told me he was as serious as a threesome in a dark alley -very serious, if your confused-.

"Well..." I started, looking away uncomfortably. "There is no real way for me to answer that. I mean, I never really have been in that situation. But I guess you just.. live on. You live on in their name and you continue on remembering them. I mean, that's all I can really say. Like I said, I never really had to go through what you're going through right now."

"What about Glory?" Redlight asked.

"What about her?" I deadpanned. Not wanting to discuss her. Redlight took the hint and turned away, finishing his smoke. I looked back at Vulpes, who looked a bit happier. Although the sorrow from the loss was apparent. I felt bad for him, to be honest. As if he was living out an actual fucking spy film thing. But, in all seriousness, he lost the one he loved, and he didn't know how to feel about it. That's something that I could not even begin to imagine the feels on that. He smiled, somewhat comforted by my words. My advice.

"Well, thanks, Decanus. That's actually... more comforting than you realize. Remember her, huh?" He said. "Thank you." He turned and looked away, at a SWAT handling a pony in cuffs. The zebra got up, and trotted over. As if our conversation never took place.

"Hey, didn't I tell you to-" The agent said as he walked away.

"Well, that's that then." Redlight said.

"Yeah."

"You ask me, I'm surprised that a zebra fell in love with a pony. Especially in these times." He added. "But, what you said seemed to make him perk up a bit, so, good on ya. Glad to see your not all... errr traumatized by everything that happened today."

"Well, I'm not all that well, you understand. Don't be mistaking my calm demeanor. " I said.

"Yeah, yeah. Well, I know something that would fix that. Drinks, on me? I'm sure you could use one after today." He said. I looked at him, and my stiff form melted slightly at the thought of a nice cold mug of goofy juice running down my throat. Doubt it would be painless, but the alcohol would help anyways.

"That would be nice," I replied, a small grin shining.

Footnote: Level up!

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