The Last Constable by DCFTEF

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(17/04/2020)

 

 

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Constable Mossy Brooks was likely the last constable of Ponyville.

A small village with very little crime, it never needed a formal police force. If anything truly bad happened Royal Guard forces could be dispatched from Canterlot. The only full time law enforcement they needed was a single pony who was more like a night watch-stallion than a Police Officer.

 

Mossy had grown up in Ponyville. He'd left home for a few years with the E.U.P., never serving in a high-profile unit like the Wonderbolts or Royal Guard or achieving high rank, but spending his time quietly helping ponies and earning his Honorable Discharge. When his time was up he returned home to Ponyville, married his Very Special Somepony and raised a family.

He was not a lazy pony, but Mossy never liked working very hard. What he was good at was wandering around town seeing if anypony needed help with anything. He looked in on ponies who couldn't get out of the house easily, like old folks, visiting them to make sure they were okay. At night he'd make sure gates were locked and foalish mischief didn't get out of hoof.

 

Everypony liked Mossy Brooks so when the previous constable retired he was elected to the post. Not much changed for Brooks, he just had a shiny badge now which he usually forgot in the desk drawer at his office. Everypony knew he was Constable, there was no need for the badge, and in the three decades he'd held office he never had to carry a weapon once. The most violent fight he ever had to engage in was when a wild raccoon got into SugarCube Corner and the Cakes needed help chasing it out.

90% of his work was dealing with misbehaving foals & teens. If he caught a youngster doing something bad he seldom filed any charges (maybe some fake ones to give them a good scare), he usually just brought them home to their parents and made them confess their misdeed.

He said that a lot.

 

cont...

Now in his 50's, he knew there would be no replacement Constable when he retired. Ponyville was evolving. Once a dirt-road farming community known only for its seasonal Zap Apple jam, the town was changing, growing. A Princess was headquartered here now, and there was a prestigious international school in town. More visitors meant jobs, new hotels and fancy restaurants, but it meant more potential for trouble. There was already a permanent Royal Guard detachment in town to handle Princess security and new law enforcement issues. Mossy had to share his station house with them but he didn't mind. That office was always too big for him anyway...he preferred to wander around town saying hello to folks all day. Plus, having the young guard ponies share his station was fun, and he was slowly teaching them how to do law enforcement in a small town.

Mossy liked the cream filled ones, but his wife was always on his case about eating too many.

 

Unless there was a night time festival Ponyville pretty much shut down after dark. That was a shame...Constable Brooks enjoyed patrolling the town under Princess Luna's spectacular sky. Tonight was a particularly nice one, with no clouds and just a dim crescent moon that didn't wash out the stars. He was just finishing his last patrol of the town before going home to bed himself when Mossy noticed some lights flickering in the windows of the abandoned saw mill. No pony had used that mill since the big new lumberyard was built across town, so the old building was crumbling without care, likely to collapse into the river soon. It wasn't safe for anypony...especially dumb kids who snuck in there because it was rumored to be haunted. Mossy wanted to go to bed, but had to go check it out.

It was hard to see with no moonlight to aid his 50+ year old eyes, but Mossy did not raise his lantern as he quietly checked the mill. He didn't want to spook any pony into running and possibly getting hurt. In addition to rotting floorboards and a shifting frame the building was full of abandoned metal tools, sharp and rusty.

The lights went dark at the sound of his voice. He could hear whispering. They were hiding. Mossy knew he wouldn't be crawling into his warm bed, next to his plump wife anytime soon.

 

In his younger days he would have gone straight in and caught the trespassers, but he was more careful now as he approached retirement. He would do no pony any good if he stepped through a rotten floorboard or got caught in a collapse himself. And though he was confident it was nothing more sinister than teenagers out having fun on a no-school night there was always the possibility that these were real bandits hiding out as they passed thru town. Best to call some backup.

 

Constable Brooks gave his bell one quick ring. No more was needed, the bell was magically enchanted to alert the Guardponies back at the station when he rang. He did not have to wait long, as two Royal Guards came running, a unicorn stallion and a pegasus mare who reminded Mossy of his grown daughter.

They were in full battle armor, carrying spears and powerful floodlights.

He shook his head and sighed. These big-city guards and their big-city training.

The stallion looked worried.

Mossy didn't even bother answering that dumb question, but before he could tell them what to do the young mare took charge.

Mossy facehoofed. The filly was clueless.

It was too late anyway. Her shouted commands definitely panicked the kids inside, and they bolted deeper into the old mill. Disregarding his previous caution, Constable Brooks rushed in just in time to see the last one escape.

But it was too late. Together, Mossy and the two Guards searched the rickety building but found nothing more than an open basement window and a lime green elastic hair tie.

The pegasus mare kicked a stone away in frustration, still not understanding that the trespassers had escaped because of her own foolish shouting. Constable Brooks picked up the only clue and looked it over carefully.

His clueless partner again drew the wrong conclusion.

 

But Mossy took a long hard look at the abandoned scrunchie.

 

Mossy slept late the next morning.

No crime ever happened before noon in Ponyville anyway.

At about 9:30 he had toast and coffee with his wife before going out for his first patrol of the day, the green scrunchie riding in his vest pocket.

 

Constable Brooks found a filly with her pet kitten stuck up a tree. He was too old to climb trees himself, but found a pony with a ladder and they helped her rescue the cat.

Later he stopped at the diner for another cup of coffee and a doughnut, mostly to hear the town gossip. They never charged him, or told his wife he was sneaking cream doughnuts behind her back.

 

Derpy Hooves had a letter for him at the Post Office. It was from a chef in the classiest restaurant in the Crystal Empire. Constable Brooks had found him shivering on a bench near Ponyville Station years ago, dirty and penniless. Poor guy thought he was being arrested for vagrancy when Mossy woke him and took him to the police station, but he gave the stallion a blanket and let him sleep in the jail cell with the door open. The next morning over breakfast he learned the guy really wanted to be a chef, but couldn't get a job. He'd heard there was opportunity in the newly re-appeared Crystal Empire and was trying to get there. Mossy bought him a train ticket and a few months later the Constable and his wife received an invitation to the Crystal City, where they had the best dinner of their lives, seated at the best table in the best restaurant in town. Countess Coloratura played the after dinner show and they had better seats than even Princess Cadenza and her husband. Of course the drifter he helped had arranged it all. Today's letter reminded him the invitation was open any time.

 

A lot of Constable Brooks' cases ended up like that but he knew today's wouldn't. He patted the lump in his vest pocket where he'd tucked the hair scrunchie. Though Mossy stayed quiet last night he knew exactly who it belonged to.

It was a sad part of his job, but he was gonna have to get her in some trouble now.

 

Maple Cake was surprised to hear a knock on her front door but Mossy was always welcome.

Mossy sat down at the kitchen table and answered;

He did not tell her mother any more, yet.

Among the numerous things he did around town was coach the junior buckball club. He'd never played the game himself, but that didn't matter. A patient adult is all the foals really needed.

Maple Cake yelled up the stairs to her daughter.

She chuckled and poured cups of tea for Mossy and herself.

The old Constable replied;

Maple thought for a minute before answering;

He revealed nothing, yet.

As the tea was cooling, Holly Star came down the stairs. She had a worried look on her face which turned even worse when she saw that Mr. Brooks wasn't wearing his buckball jersey, he was wearing his Constable vest. She knew what this was about, even if her mother didn't.

Her mom, Maple Cake was still blissfully unaware anything was wrong. From her nervous looking eyes Mossy could tell Holly wished it would stay that way. But he had a job to do, so solemnly, the laid the hair scrunchie on the table.

Holly gulped but Maple still had not caught on.

He never broke eye contact with the filly, who knew the answer would get her in trouble.

Usually when a grown-up offers a choice like that to a kid the latter option will be much worse, so Holly reluctantly squeaked out a confession to her mom.

 

Maple Cake was angry but not furious.

Holly cringed and tried to make a feeble explanation about how it wasn't her idea and the other kids wanted to go see if the old mill was really haunted. Maybe it had been fun on a dark and spooky night with no school tomorrow, but now it just sounded dumb in morning's harsh glare. Holly's mom was angry, but didn't sound like she was in a spanking mood. A good scolding definitely, maybe some time grounded in her room...and Holly could likely kiss having no curfew goodbye.

His job done, Constable Brooks looked for a way to say goodbye. He'd done his part and now it was the parents' job to deal with their foal. It was always hard to cut in on a parent chewing out their offspring though.

Mossy cleared his throat to interrupt the scolding

Maple Cake gave her daughter a little smack on the flank and ordered;

The teenager did not hesitate

But he was cut off.

 

Mom had been peeved before, but this just hit her trigger. Holly knew she'd fucked up by mentioning that part. Mr. Brooks wasn't gonna tell on her.

Unexpectedly, Maple reached out and boxed her daughter's ears. Mossy was surprised but reacted quickly to prevent another slap, putting himself between them.

Holly cowered behind him but knew Mr. Brooks wouldn't save her from Mom forever.

 

Holly knew she was in ultimate trouble (put there by her own verbal slip) so she just whimpered and endured Mom's wrath. She knew it was going to get worse. Mossy tried to de-escalate the situation and calm every pony down.

Terrified, Holly cried out;

This Mossy and Holly Star both refuted.

 

Maple Cake slumped back in her seat, nostrils flared but trying to get hold of her anger.

Holly nodded

With a fearful squeak she confirmed the truth

The squeak was a thin whimper this time. This was Holly's gravest offense.

Maple growled;

Holly didn't have to answer, and as long as the situation remained calm Mossy had no reason to interfere.

 

Ouch.

Even old Constable Brooks winced at that one. He'd been present for a lot of scoldings over his years as Ponyville's only cop and he'd seen that emotional gut punch reduce more foals to tears than the threat of a belt whipping. For her part, Holly Star had already been crying.

Maple Cake continued, under control but with anger obvious by the tremor in her voice.

All Holly could do was whimper a feeble;

Maple turned to the Constable and asked;

Mossy nodded.

And Maple continued;

Holly Star just sobbed. Any more scolding was pointless. There would be more time to discuss this later. She felt miserable enough now.

The fidgeting filly squeaked out the most terrible question gnawing at her brain.

Even at 14, Holly could barely speak the dreaded S-P-A-N-K word.

Mom cut her off ominously.

With a squeal Holly Star scampered for the stairs. Mom never said what she was counting to, or even why, but Holly knew when her mother started counting she better run.

All Holly heard was that terrible word: HAIRBRUSH. She stopped on the stairs and turned around to beg, front hooves clapped together as if in prayer.

Mom was unmoved.

She snorted.

 

Trembling, the teenager tearfully trudged to her frilly pink execution chamber, but she turned her head one last time. Mom bristled; she better not be stalling.

It was heartbreakingly sincere and brought a tear to Mossy's eye.

 

Once Holly was gone (they could hear her panic-cleaning upstairs), Maple tried to take a sip of her tea but her hoof was trembling from stress and anger.

 

He spoke softly, calmly to the frazzled mom, like the wise village elder he was.

Maple wiped a tear from her eye and took a deep breath.

He blushed.

Maple gave the older pony a hug. That happened a lot.

She giggled. It swept away the tension in her chest and she breathed easier after a laugh. She needed that.

 

Walking out onto the street Mossy turned his ears to the upstairs windows of the home. Already he could hear the sad 'boo-hoo'ing of a filly in awful trouble, the stern measured voice of her caring mother, then the first few sharp smacks of the hairbrush.

That filly was in for a long, painful ordeal but Mossy knew she'd be alright. As he often said;

 

It was near mid-day so Mossy wandered home, where his wife had a nice cucumber & grass salad ready for lunch. He didn't really like cucumbers and grass for lunch, but he loved his wife. They'd fallen in love as blank-flank foals in the Ponyville schoolhouse, where she later taught for decades until Miss Cheerilee took over so she could retire. It was hard for Mossy to know whom he loved more, his wife or his town, until he realized that they were the same for him. She had always been here; she was what he dreamed of when he traveled far away with the army. His Very Special Somepony, always here in the town he lived for.

He didn't need to be rich or important to feel lucky. Mossy had a roof over his head, a wife he was still madly in love with, enough money to be comfortable and a town that made him happy every time he walked its streets.

When she fed him grass for lunch his wife was only showing the same love. She could not bear losing him, she wanted to keep him with her in this town they both loved for as long as possible. And he could not bear the thought of making her bury him. He wanted to stay a long time too.

 

So no more doughnuts today.

 

END

 

Epilogue

After lunch Mossy sauntered down to the station house to check on things these. He found the three Royal Guards goofing off as usual. There was nothing else for them to do on a Saturday afternoon in Ponyville. That pegasus mare and the unicorn stallion who helped him last night were having a mock battle in the office, firing pencils at each other with crossbows made from rubber bands and other office junk. Their Earth pony Sergeant, who had been off duty last night, was napping in the jail cell with the door shut. Brooks wondered if it was locked. Sometimes his friends locked him in there after he'd eaten chili for lunch, to keep him from farting up the station. Constable Mossy told them that was a bad idea;

 

When Mossy entered the young guards stopped playing and had embarrassed looks on their faces, expecting him to yell at them for goofing off like a Royal Guard officer would. But Brooks just waved a white hanky and pleaded;

He sat down and asked;

Not surprisingly, the unicorn stallion reported;

Mossy grinned.

The pegasus mare shrugged but gave an accurate answer. She was trained to remember details like that and recited the description like a well-drilled cadet.

Her partner laughed out loud.

The young mare giggled, but blushed. Mossy suspected parental spankings were a not-so-distant element of her past.

Constable Brooks nodded in approval.

The unicorn shuffled through some papers and answered;

He cocked his head and replied;

Maple Cake had been busy.

Both he and his partner shivered at that. Mossy praised them.

They grinned. Despite only being assigned to Ponyville a few weeks the young guards liked Constable Brooks and saw him as a pony they should work hard to impress.

 

He had one more question;

The mare answered;

Not wearing her helmet, she flicked her own ponytail back and forth to show him. Her scrunchie was Royal Guard blue, like their helmet crests.

The mare gasped. Her partner took a few more seconds but he caught on too. Sarge kept snoring in the jail cell.

Mossy kicked his hooves up on his desk and admitted;

That was small-town policework, and Constable Brooks was good at it.

As for the guilty youngsters, all five endured a very unpleasant weekend. Led by Maple Cake the parents resolved to keep every filly & colt's punishment uniform. Following Maple's lead the moms each took their respective foal over their lap and administered a long, painful spanking with the hairbrush. The next day the daddies took their turn; Holly Star, Buster Blaze, Silver Spoon, Shady Daze and Twist all got an after-dinner/before bed dose of the belt or strap to freshen up the marks on their rumps before school on Monday.

That morning all 5 tried to cover their shame with skirts or shorts...all were halted at the door and denied.

Of course they all begged to be spared the humiliating ordeal, and all were flatly refused. Off to school they were sent, sore, crimson rear-ends on display for all their classmates.

Reactions ran the gamut;

But by the end of the day every one of their classmates knew what had happened and regardless of whatever bravado they showed in public they all had to take pause and consider seriously the consequences of disobeying the Constable or the Royal Guards. Every teenage colt and filly had their own opinion on the deeds of the “Trespasser 5” but when one of them passed with brightly marked rump they all said to themselves;

 

END, again.