“Officer Radiance?”
Radiance looked up from the report she was reading, and practically jumped out of her uniform.
“C-Commissioner Brass!” she squeaked.
Police Commissioner Top Brass stood beside her. He was a tall stallion, with a golden-brown coat and a graying moustache. His uniform was slightly old-fashioned, made with a pleasingly retro cut, the creases were ironed and the collar starched with the sort of precision that befitted the top cop in Canterlot.
Seeing Radiance’s surprise, he smiled and gave a small bow.
“In the flesh,” he said, in response to her cry.
Radiance scrambled off the bench and onto her hooves, haphazardly slapping her policemare’s cap in place as she did so. “To w-what do I owe the pleasure?” she asked, as she nervously brushed down the front of her uniform.
“Please,” he said, “it’s nothing to worry about. I would just like a few words with you in my office.” He shot a glance at her desk. “Unless you’re busy...?”
Her eyes widened. “N-no, n-n-not at all!” she cried, lighting her horn and pushing her paperwork away for effect. “I can come right now!”
Commissioner Brass smiled and nodded. “Excellent,” he said. “This way, if you please.”
He turned and strode towards the glass-walled office at one end of the room. Radiance jogged quickly after him, the butterflies in her stomach fluttering wildly.
The Commissioner held the door of his office open for her like a true gentlecolt. She crept inside, then looked around, unsure what to do with herself.
“Sit, please,” Brass said as he closed the door behind them.
Radiance practically ran to one of the chairs in front of the Commissioner's massive desk, then sat down hard enough to make the chair give a little squeak of indignation. She looked around: the entire place was paneled with a beautiful, dark wood, with the carpet a dignified navy blue. Two of the walls were made entirely of tall windows, with wooden blinds for privacy.
“Coffee?” the Commissioner asked, pouring himself a cup from the fancy machine on the side table.
Radiance shook her head. “No, thank you,” she replied. “I had a cup of tea just a moment ago.”
The Commissioner nodded as he added his sugars. “Ah,” he said, “a tea mare. Well, to each their own…”
He walked slowly over to the majestic chair opposite Radiance, then sat. He took a sip from his mug, and sighed contentedly. Radiance watched him in silence, a single drop of sweat running down the back of her neck.
“If I may, Sir?” she said quietly.
He looked up, then waved at her to continue.
She swallowed, then spoke again. “May I ask why you’ve called me in, Sir?” she said. “This is a little unusual, after all…” she giggled nervously. “You, the Commissioner, meeting with a rookie like myself, I mean.”
He took another sip from his mug. “That’s what I like about you, Officer Radiance,” he said, “always taking the initiative.”
He set the mug down, then leaned forward. “I’ve been speaking to your Training Officer,” he said. “Officer Victoria has been very impressed with your work so far--as have I,” he added.
Radiance felt herself blush the slightest bit.
“But she has expressed some concern,” he continued. “It seems the last couple days you’ve been somewhat… preoccupied.” He pressed his hooves together on the desk, then leaned forward another inch or two. “Could you please tell me,” he said carefully, “what it was that you saw the other day?”
Radiance shrank back in her chair. The Commissioner was being exceptionally gentle and respectful, and yet, it suddenly felt as if she was tied to a chair in a darkened room, a lamp shining in her eyes.
“W-well,” she admitted, “I’m not entirely sure what I saw…”
“That’s fine,” the Commissioner said. “Just tell me what you think you saw.”
“I-I--well—” She shut her eyes, then swallowed. This was the Commissioner. What was she going to say? Just tell him that one of his best Captains beat up a random suspect? Maybe it would be better to lie, just hope that he’d let it go…
But then, she thought of her father had always taught her--tell the truth, and you have nothing to be afraid of—
And suddenly, Radiance sat up a little straighter. She squared her shoulders. She took a deep breath, then began to speak.
“It was two days ago,” she said. “Out in the hall, outside the big office space. A group of officers were escorting a crystal pony stallion by the name of Kingfisher.”
The Commissioner nodded. “Was the prisoner restrained?”
Radiance shook her head. “I believe so,” she said. “I spoke to him, and he said he’d been restrained since he was first picked up.”
The Commissioner raised an eyebrow. “You spoke to him?” he repeated.
“Yes, Sir,” Radiance responded. “Additionally, it appeared that he had been mistreated by one or more of the arresting officers.”
“In what way?”
“When I found him, he was still cuffed and chained to the floor. He claimed that he had been that way since he had first been brought in, approximately forty-eight hours prior.” She took a deep breath. “Restraining a compliant prisoner for that long is a violation of Department policy, and may border on a violation of Equestrian law.”
The Commissioner nodded slowly. “So the prisoner was apparently restrained,” he said. “Troubling in itself, but not necessarily a cause for this much distress.”
Radiance frowned.
“Excuse me, Sir,” she began, “But I feel it is certainly—”
“Is there anything else you would like to address?” the Commissioner interrupted.
Radiance’s frown deepened. “Yes, Sir,” she said, the faintest hint of steel in her voice. “Kingfisher had suffered a number of injuries before he was incarcerated. Injuries, I might add, consistent with the overuse of standard police stunning spells, among others.”
The Commissioner frowned. “But a stunning spell doesn’t injure,” he said.
“Correct, Sir,” Radiance answered. “But I witnessed a number of officers fire such spells at him.”
He stared at her for a moment. “Stunning spells are standard procedure in the case of a noncompliant prisoner,” he said.
“Yes, Sir,” she responded. “But only one, two at the maximum. I counted at least a dozen before I lost track.” She swallowed. “That would be enough to bring down an elephant.”
The Commissioner looked down at his desk and thought for a moment.
“These are very serious concerns,” he said slowly.
“Yes, Sir.”
“Are you willing to stake your career on them?”
Radiance frowned. “Sir?”
He held up one hoof. “Please don’t misunderstand,” he said. “I’m just saying, these accusations are deeply concerning--especially given how little concrete evidence you have to back them up.”
Radiance’s throat went dry.
“If you choose to go through with reporting these incidents,” he said, “I fear that few of your colleagues will see your intentions as good and noble as you think they are. Being well-liked is not a prerequisite to being a good police officer, but having a reputation could very much hamper your ability to work with others.” He paused. “To say nothing of… well…”
The Commissioner looked at her, waiting for her to ask him what he was referring to. Ordinarily, she’d be happy to oblige--but the office had suddenly grown unaccountably hot and stuffy, so much so she wasn’t sure she could speak…
He watched her expectantly for a few moments, then let out a sigh. He heaved himself up from the desk, then walked to one of the windows that lined the walls of his office. He pulled on one of the cords on the blinds, rotating the slats to let in a little more light.
“Officer Radiance,” he said, “I have something I’d like you to see.”
Radiance bit her lip, then slowly slid off the chair and dropped onto the floor. She slowly walked across the floor, then peered through the blinds. Outside, she saw the big shared office again. A few of them were working on paperwork, a few were poring through books, binders, and photographs, and a couple were still chatting by the coffee machine.
Radiance watched the officers for a moment, then glanced up at the Commissioner. “Pardon me, Sir,” she said carefully, “what is it you would like me to see?”
He took a long sip from his coffee, then nodded through the window. “Do you see Officer Chips over there?”
Radiance squinted. On the other side of the room was a brown-coated unicorn stallion, an image of a chocolate-chip cookie on his flank.
“I do,” she replied.
“Do you know he’s the father of four?” the Commissioner asked. “A colt, a filly, and newborn twins. On the other hoof—” he gestured again, indicating a stallion with a golden coat. “Officer Leo, over there. His marefriend is due any day now. He has a little heart attack anytime someone comes through that door, half-afraid he’s going to hear that she’s gone into labor while he’s stuck at the office.”
The Commissioner swung the mug a little wider. “Her mother is in poor health… He’s trying to set a good example for his little brother… She’s the first one in her family to leave the farm... His paycheck is paying for his grandfather’s treatments...”
Radiance shot a sideways glance at the Commissioner. “I don’t understand,” she said. “Why are you telling me this?”
“No reason,” he said casually. “Just, I feel like sometimes you rookies get stars in your eyes when you wander around this place--all the uniforms, commendations, and so on. I think it’s important to remember that there are actual ponies in those uniforms.”
He took another sip from his coffee.
“I wonder,” he added, in an airy, speculative tone, “what might happen if something were to go wrong around here…”
Radiance looked up in alarm. “Sir?”
The Commissioner gestured again. “All of these ponies--every one of them has someone depending on them. Someone who worries about them while they’re gone. Who can’t wait for them to get home, safe and sound, at the end of the shift. You see, Officer Radiance,” he said, turning to her, “this job is dangerous. Even here in Canterlot. The populace depends on us to keep them safe, but, for every single pony in that office, it’s more personal than that. They’re out to protect a pony whose face they see when some tweaker off his meds comes at them with a knife.” He turned and walked back to his desk. “In those circumstances,” he said, “certain… allowances need to be made.”
Radiance watched him sit, a deep pit growing in her stomach. “I don’t follow,” she said.
The Commissioner gestured for her to sit, but she remained standing. He sighed, then rubbed at his eyes.
“Let’s say an officer steps over the line,” he said. “Theoretically, of course. Perhaps they get scared, and shoot off the wrong spell. Or, perhaps, they’re afraid that the violent offender they’ve just picked up off the street might take a swing at them. A hundred different things, every day.” He put his hooves together on the desk. “What does the rulebook say to do in those cases?”
Radiance swallowed. “Assuming something happened,” she said carefully, “the department should open an investigation. Ensure that the officer, or officers, were acting within their authority.”
“Absolutely correct,” the Commissioner said approvingly. “And yet, that answer doesn’t take into account certain practicalities of the situation.”
Radiance’s eyes widened a fraction of an inch.
“You see,” the Commissioner continued, “All anyone wants in this job is to get home at the end of the night. If they don’t, it will destroy the lives of everyone they love. So, if they happen to make a mistake, out of fear for all those they love, can you blame them? Really?” He stood, walked leisurely back to his coffeemaker, and refilled his cup. “Of course, we prefer when they go by the book, but so much can happen in the heat of the moment. Besides,” he added. “If I opened an investigation every time the regulations said I should, I wouldn’t have time to get anything else done.”
Radiance stared at him, barely believing her ears, as he topped off his mug with a sprinkle of sugar. As he set the sugar back down, he hesitated, then sighed.
“Listen,” he said. “You probably think I’m a monster right now, telling you to ignore the rulebook every now and then.”
Radiance did not reply. The Commissioner appeared to take her silence as an answer all its own, and chuckled darkly.
“Let me assure you,” he continued, “I take my job very seriously. And, in the case of serious problems, I do everything in my power to take care of it. Corruption, bribery, drugs--you name it, I’ve seen it, and went through the proper channels to make sure the officers in question were properly taken care of. However—”
The Commissioner's expression hardened. Radiance felt a sudden need to crack her collar--when had the office gotten so damn hot?
“However,” he repeated, “this job is a dangerous one. One that, all too often, requires quick thinking and quicker action. When I send you out on patrol, I expect you to watch your partner’s back, and for them to watch yours. Without mutual trust and respect between officers, I can’t trust them to be safe out there.” His frown deepened. “That’s how you end up with dead cops.”
Radiance started to tremble.
“As I’m sure you recall,” the Commissioner continued, “You are still a rookie. You’re not officially an officer until you get promoted at the end of your first year. We use this time to judge if you are a good fit for our department before we hire you full time.” He straightened up, looking down his nose at Radiance. “Let me speak plainly,” he said. “If I cannot trust you to make the right decision when the time calls for it, then I don’t want you in my department.” A scowl flickered across his face. “Do I make myself clear?”
Radiance, positively shaking now, gave an unsteady nod. “Y-yes, S-s-sir,” she stammered.
“Good,” the Commissioner said, leaning back and smiling. “A pleasure, as always, to meet with you.” He gave her a dismissive wave. “You can return to your desk now.”
Radiance turned, then carefully walked to the door. She resisted the temptation to run for it.
But only just.
This took me out of the immersion a bit. There are a number of assumptions that don't quite mesh with Equestria in general and Canterlot in particular, at least how I pictured them.
That aside, an excellently chilling scene. Because from the commissioner's perspective, it's justified. He just wants his people to go home to their families every night. It's just the heat of the moment, after all. Never mind that an innocent stallion has been beaten and left suffering for the crime of panicking at a jewelry store window.
Definitely looking forward to more.
Yeah, all I can say, again, is excellent job on the exchange, characterizations and future chapter set-up in all the right places. Yeah, Radiance has the point in that the stallion she was talking to DID NOT deserve the force that was used on him, nor to be restrained for that much longer than regulations permitted. But, yeah, I can also see why the Commissioner would, unfortunately, take that stance. While that perspective is wrong in this case, he's just trying to make sure as many of his officers get home in one piece as possible. And, unfortunately, her resigning would mean she could NOT stick around long enough to help things change for the better. Still, something DOES need to be done and it will certainly be interesting to see how she handles this setback.
Definitely looking forward to more of this.
Sorry for the delay in replying, everyone! I've been busy the last several days, but now I've managed to steal an hour or two. Mega-comment incoming!
First off, thank you all for your kind words. I've actually been discouraged the past several days, and seeing your reactions to this piece have helped me feel quite a bit better! Stay tuned for more writing, as always.
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That's a great line! Unfortunately, not sure there's room for it: I tried to write Radiance as a little more self-aware than that. Still--pretty funny!
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Excellent point! I must admit, though, I didn't quite have that in mind when I started--I just wanted to show how upset Radiance was by having her vent to her roommates.
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Y'see, I was going to respond to this comment... but, y'know, chapter 3 kinda made this a moot point
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I will admit, the timing of Radiance's paranoia may have been a slight oversight--I think this scene was originally supposed to go a little later on in the story--but I think it still stands. For one, she's gotten an indication from the other rookies that, as a wise man once said, "the Policemare's code is more what you'd call 'guidelines' than actual rules." Given that information, she's suspicious that such an inconvenient piece of paperwork might be "accidentally" misfiled, thus making the problem go away entirely.
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I will admit, that's one thing I've been worried about. I've tried to make the story a little more complex than simply "people good, police bad"--for example, the chapter posted today, which explores the police's motivations--but everyone I've had read it so far says it works pretty well.
M E G A C O M M E N T
P A R T I I
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I will admit that Radiance not going directly to Celestia is a slight oversight as well. Yes, Twilight is still Celestia's student, so Radiance has a line of communication straight to the top, but, as we'll see later, doesn't quite feel comfortable talking to the Princess(es?) just yet. She'll get there, though.
Also, Comickook--the exact timing of this story will be revealed soon.
And IceStar: yes, the art is gorgeous! It's done by LiaAqila on DeviantArt. She works quickly, her prices are exceptionally reasonable, and she's currently taking commissions! You should head over there and say "hi!"
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That photo in particular is important to Radiance, as it's her with the two ponies who had the biggest influence on her choice of career: Night Light, who has worked as a security guard for her entire life, and Shiny, who showed her that she could achieve her dreams. The rest of the family showed up in other pictures, but this one in particular is near to her heart. That was totally the plan all along, yes it was. It's not just a band-aid over another plot hole, no sir. Always part of the plan.
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just to clarify the timing: this takes place about two years after the previous story. Radiance has successfully passed the Canterlot Police Academy, and this is her first job stright out of school. She's probably been on the job less than a month at this point. The "four days ago" comment in Chapter 1 referred to the beating of Kingfisher; that happened four days before we saw Radiance at her typewriter.
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Ach, I cannae take credit for th' accent. As I said in the A/N, I had extensive help from multiple users to get it right. I may try the accent again in a future fic, but, as I said, it was kinda difficult to nail down. Nevertheless, I'm glad that you enjoyed it!
In my head: Kingfisher and the other Crystal Ponies were functionally expats from the Empire: they lived in small farms up in the mountains, far enough away from the Empire itself to dodge whatever Sombra did. However, there are so few of them that they mostly remain isolated from the wider world, kinda like the Kirin in that respect.
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Thanks again for your kind words--and that's exactly right! As I said a little earlier in this comment, I wanted to show that the police aren't neccesarily evil, at least not in this story. The Comissioner, at the very least, values teamwork, cooperation, safety, and at least some form of accountability for his officers. However, these values tend to come at the expense of the criminals they bring in. He's not neccesarily heartless--but his love is reserved for his colleagues, not for the common pony.
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Funny you mention that, since she was already on my radar. I'm about to have a horse book that will be in need of a cover once I have the last story revised, and she was at the top of the list of artists I was looking into.
Also, as for this chapter the stallion does have some points here, and I don't read his actions as seeking to intimidate. I do believe that his heart is in the right place, and logically he's only looking out with the ponies he's tasked to take care of. But Radiance is right, she just needs some more concrete evidence. That was probably her biggest folly here, approaching without objective evidence beyond her word. Hopefully she can recover from this.
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Oh? You have a book coming out? That's awesome!
If you need a higher-res picture, I would recommend the artist I used for Celestia XVII, Celestia XVII-2, and The Sisterverse Social. She works in vectors, so she can probably do a picture that works a little better in print. If you're interested, send me a PM, and I'll send you her email.
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Yeah, just a buncha short stories with Canterlot related to 'em so far. Thankies.