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.

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.