Nyx whistled a merry tune the next day as she trotted down the street to the address listed on the paper in front of her. Though police work probably wasn't all glamour and heroism, it would go a long way in trying to dispel the stigma of being Nightmare Moon's reincarnation. She had considered other options, and while some were enticing, she wanted to get to work burying her past as soon as possible.
Looking up, she realized she had arrived at the Las Pegasus Police Academy. Smiling, she trotted inside to the front desk, where a dark amaranth pegasus mare sat doing the daily crossword, occasionally tossing a lock of her grey mane out of her face. "Hello," the secretary said, not looking up. "Can I help you?"
Glancing at the sheet, Nyx nodded. "Yes, I'm a new recruit for the force, I sent in my application a few weeks ago?"
Sighing, the secretary put down her pencil, and reached for a stack of papers. "Name?"
"Nyx," replied the alicorn.
The mare paused, and finally looked up. Her blue eyes widened on seeing Nyx. "You... you're the ex-Nightmare, right?" she asked, plucking an application out of the stack absent-mindedly.
Nyx winced. "I prefer not to be called anything like that, ma'am."
"Well, of course not!" the mare replied. "I mean, you saved a whole town, nearly killed yourself in the process, and have done nothing since to earn anypony's ire. That was years ago, anyway, and it's all water under the bridge to me." She held out a hoof. "Delta Requiem, pleasure to make your acquaintance."
Nyx smiled, shaking the offered hoof. "Likewise, Ms. Requiem."
"Please, just Delta," replied the pegasus. "So, you applied to the academy, eh? Good choice; Las Pegasus prides itself on its police force. Of course, we kind of have to, since our crime rates are the highest in Equestria, despite our efforts. Every little bit helps, you know?"
Nyx nodded. "Exactly. So, where do I go?"
"Well, you've got 15 minutes before orientation, so if you'll follow the signs, you'll get right to the meeting room," Delta replied.
Nyx thanked her, and followed the signs to the labeled room. She opened the door, where twenty-nine other ponies were seated at desks, with one at a podium on a small raised stage. Nopony had noticed her yet, so she announced her presence with a knock on the door. Everypony turned, and promptly started gawking at her. All save the unicorn stallion at the podium. "You'd be Nyx, right?"
Nyx nodded at the stallion's no-nonsense attitude. "Yes, sir."
"Take a seat. You're just in time," he said. Nyx took a seat near the stage. A few minutes later, the stallion checked the clock on the wall, and nodded, closing the door with his magic. "Greetings, recruits. I am Captain Sharp Whistle of the Las Pegasus 45th Precinct, and also a teacher here at the Academy. You will not be working with me every day, so don't expect that. Now, some academies have you read books or take written tests for the first few months. Not here. Here, we believe in 'learning by doing'. So, if you'll follow me, we've got a few mock-ups of scenarios you might face in your time as an officer of the law."
Nyx and the other hopefuls followed him to a hallway filled with doors. "There are ten doors, and thirty of you total. One group of ten will go first, then the next group, then the next. We'll cycle through everyone, until everyone has done each scenario once. The rooms are all equipped with security cameras that will record everything that happens. You will be judged based on your reactions to each situation. Now, you ten will be the first to pick a door."
That group included Nyx. She chose a door at random, as the other nine in her group went to doors of their own choice. Nyx opened the door to find...
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