The Menace of Canterlot

by The_Darker_Fonts

Chapter 4: Private Investigation

Blueblood crouched on the roof of a suburban home, the concave style roof sheltering him from sight off the street. The moon glowed particularly bright tonight, as if Aunt Luna wanted to put a spotlight on him, knowing he would go out. Of course, both Celestia and Luna had prepared to stop him from leaving tonight, but there were a million ways out of the palace, and only the two of them were on the lookout for the Blue Knight. Smirking slightly through his mask, he adjusted his fedora, carefully listening for the sound of the pony below opening the door, humming to themself. That was his signal.

Feeling slightly whimsical at being back in action, he let himself fall backward off the roof, flipping through the air and landing softly in the backyard. It was surrounded by high hedges, providing him some privacy as moved towards the sliding glass door. More importantly, it wasn’t visible from the front room, and Blueblood had already picked the lock. Using his magic, he opened it carefully, a whisper of air as it slid open. Confident, he stepped through the open door and closed it behind him as quietly as it had opened. Blinking at the smell of roses, he shrugged off the unusualness of the pony’s house. Who was he to judge? He was the one breaking in, after all.

The sound of paper bags being set down somewhere drew his attention, and he pressed himself against the nearest wall, peering through the archway that led to the front room. Blinking as the lights suddenly turned on, the pony inside absentmindedly taking out some bread from one of the paper bags they had set on their couch. They turned to glance out the window one last time with a sigh before closing the blinds. With the only port to the street now closed, Blueblood decided to reveal himself.

“Constable Chief Hard Break,” he greeted, stepping through the archway.

“Sweet Celestia,” the pony exclaimed as they whipped around to face him. At the sight of the Blue Knight standing in their living room, their jaw dropped as they muttered, “It’s you…”

“I need some information from you, Chief,” Blueblood told them, trying to get straight to the point. “The stallion is back, and I think he’s gotten far more dangerous.”

“Dangerous, huh,” Break uttered, sitting down and trying to visibly calm themselves. “Funny you should say that. Princess Celestia gave orders today to arrest the Blue Knight on sight for the killing of twenty-five changelings.”

“Princess Celestia feels guilty for something she didn’t do,” Blueblood rebuked.

“Nah, Princess Celestia has a perfect sense of justice,” the constable replied, narrowing their eyes. “I should arrest you right now, Knight.”

“Well, it’s a good thing I caught you off-duty, then,” the stallion shrugged, sitting down as well. “Look, I didn’t come here to be insulted and dismissed, chief. The press has been doing enough of that the last eight months. I need information from you.”

“Yeah, vanish for eight months without a trace after killing a stallion and then come back to ask me some questions by breaking into my house,” Break grumbled. “Like Tartarus I’m gonna give you anything but ten seconds to leave before I take you in myself.”

“Please, chief, you’re acting like that stallion wasn’t the same one who attempted to rob and rape a mare twice and beat your cops up,” Blueblood rebutted. “A stallion who is working for an unidentified, threatening unicorn who was able to knock out fifty of your boys with one powerful blast. A unicorn capable of surpassing me in arcanery and calmly dueling me, void of hate and completely numb to the death of a comrade. He is a stallion of the most dangerous kind, a stallion willing to fight and lose for what he wants. If we don’t take action against him, we’ll be allowing a great threat to Canterlot, maybe even Equestria, to form right in our own city.”

“And what about the threat you pose, Blue Knight,” the chief questioned angrily. “Y’know, I once respected you, looked up to you. You were the newest beacon of strength, authority, and safety in Equestria, a perfect example of fighting for good. But then ya go and kill a stallion in the streets and burn down a neighborhood. I saw the red flags. When you brought in that crooked banker, he was beat so terribly it took two weeks for him to be suitable for questioning. I thought to myself that that was just you getting your licks in for forcing four ponies into cannibalism. But no, it was you just being a brute. Most ponies don’t even fight back; ya just beat them senseless because ya can.”

“Pain is the best teacher,” Blueblood reflexively responded.

“Right, and what’s killing,” Break questioned harshly.

“An effective way to end a fight that’s getting out of hoof,” he shot back, causing the pony to gasp. “Look, I gave them a chance to surrender, chief. I stepped back and saved one of the unicorn’s lives when he almost turned himself into a magical thunderstorm. The thanks I got was cracked ribs, a concussion, and my back being set ablaze. I killed that stallion by accident regardless. I didn’t go to the fight looking to kill, but they forced my hoof and I lost control trying to put an end to the fighting before it got out of control.”

“And those twenty-five changelings forced your hoof as well,” Break questioned with crossed hooves.

“They went after foals, chief,” Blueblood spat darkly, glowering through his mask. “Foals. The most innocent and vulnerable of ponies, harmless and without fault, and changelings targeted them anyways. I made sure that those who did paid, and the rest would leave them alone. The changelings will never be brave enough to step foot into Canterlot again, knowing I still could turn up and dispatch them with ease.”

“And when they come for vengeance against Equestria for their lost kin,” the chief asked, still frowning, though less certain.

“Chrysalis will be preoccupied with vengeance against the Elements and Princess Cadence, not the Blue Knight,” Blueblood responded. “Besides, if she wanted vengeance for her lost children, Celestia will tell her it was the Blue Knight who killed the changelings. If Chrysalis comes after the Blue Knight, Celestia knows he’ll be more than ready to take her on.”

“And what makes you so certain you can beat the Queen of the Changelings,” Break inquired, unamused.

“Because I’m the third most powerful mage in all of Equestria and the best hoof-to-hoof fighter,” the stallion replied frankly.

“Oh yeah, and who’s better than ya?”

“Twilight and the stallion.”

There was silence for a moment, Hard Break pausing to consider their next words before finally sighing as they asked, “What even makes ya so sure the stallion’s back in Canterlot?”

“I only killed twenty-four changelings during the invasion, and while I know that doesn’t change your mind about me, it means that there’s somepony else in the city who’s not only capable, but willing to kill,” Blueblood explained evenly. “We only know of two ponies who would have the temperaments to do such a thing, the white unicorn himself and the other stallion he was with. That means there are now two killers in Canterlot, one that’s willing to work with the law and one that I think is actively attempting to destroy it.”

“So which is which,” the chief asked darkly.

“Chief, I don’t know what the hay I need to do to get your trust back, but you have to believe we’re on the same side here,” Blueblood pleaded. “We’re two different entities working towards the same goal, a safe Canterlot where ponies can live their lives without concern from anypony. I’m just doing it without your rules.”

“Without Celestia’s rules, and that’s the distinction that keeps me at bay,” they replied tightly. “I can’t make exceptions for you anymore, Blue Knight. The last time I did that, it got somepony killed and destroyed other ponies’ homes. I nearly lost my job, and the only reason I didn’t is because Celestia outright stated that you had fooled everypony. I won’t let you fool me a second time.”

Suddenly, it clicked in Blueblood’s head. The pony’s mind wasn’t going to be changed tonight, not after everything he’d done. He had figured there was a good chance of that, but unfortunately, he hadn’t thought of that being the actual case until now. Seeing the chief’s determinedness, he realized that they had been keeping him here for a reason. Sighing, trying to prevent himself from tensing up and giving his apprehension away, he asked softly, “How many constables will there be here?”

The chief blinked in surprise, opening their mouth to try and lie, but one harsh glare through his mask forced their hoof. “Dozens, potentially every one we have right now. You won’t be able to escape.”

“Then the white unicorn won’t be caught,” Blueblood harshly told the chief. “Think about it, chief. What if the unicorn doesn’t hold back next time you come across him. What if the next time you confront him with how many of your boys, he decides he doesn’t have the time, patience, or care to leave you alive? Instead of a blast to knock you back, it could be a blast to destroy you and everypony you bring with you. The Canterlot Police are known for a lot of things, but strong unicorns aren’t one of them, and you’re facing somepony who I think we’ve only seen half the strength of. You need somepony like me, a quick, powerful pony to match this guy in order to bring him in.”

“And say I do let you go right now and join the hunt for this criminal,” Break questioned with a huff. “I can’t go and tell the police, let alone the princesses, that I let you go and agreed to let you continue to be free. I’d get sacked and arrested myself.”

“Keep your boys out of my way, and nopony gets hurt,” Blueblood replied with a shrug. “I can promise you that none of them will be killed or hurt badly, but if they give me too much of a push, I’m gonna have to shove back.”

“And how do you propose you convincingly escape here,” the pony questioned, folding their hooves again. “They’re all probably surrounding the place by now. You’ll be lucky to make it three steps outside the front door before being tackled.”

Looking up at the ceiling, smiling through his mask, he asked them, “How attached to this house are you, chief?”

“Deals off if you blow a hole through my roof, Knight,” the chief warned. “I just finished paying this off.”

“Then I’ll be careful,” Blueblood answered, standing up. Glancing to the chief one last time, he tipped his fedora lightly before vanishing, appearing on top of the roof.

There were a few gasps of surprise from pegasus constables that stood around him on the roof, four in total. With a flash of light, their hooves were stuck to the roof with ice as the Blue Knight took off, soaring into the air. Hearing exclamations and shouts behind him, he turned and fired a small beam at a few pegasi who took off after him from the ground crew. The beam hit one of the constables and teleported him right back to the ground, the hapless constable flying through the hedge of the chief’s backyard as he appeared there. The other two pegasi tried to move evasively, but focusing slightly, he grabbed them both telekinetically.

“Now boys, don’t do anything stupid like chasing the Blue Knight when the real trouble is down there,” he chastised them jovially, careful to make sure he still seemed to be flying with wings. Pointing them towards the ground, he already had an illusion of a massive bullfrog leaping through the street, causing many of the constables to be distracted from their main goal. Smiling, he let the confused pair go and quietly made his getaway before magically exploding his illusion in a soft white light. Not blinding, but rather consuming, covering up where he flew while the constables’ vision was all white. Chuckling to himself as he made his way behind a cloud formation, his light spirits from his ridiculous getaway quickly died.

Frowning, he slowly made his way to the castle, moving through the clouds to keep from sight. He knew the way back better than he anticipated, though he was a bit rusty from eight months of inactivity. The moist coldness of the clouds bit through the mask on his face, a comfort he had missed during his recovery. He hadn’t expected to miss being the Blue Knight so much, nor had he anticipated his reliance on the role as a crutch to keep him tempered. It was surprising that after only playing the hero role for a few months, he had come to rely on it greatly. It was also strange that it had taken him only a few months to become hated for the rest of his life.

He had killed somepony, which of course garnered negative thought and a good deal of fear, but the level of Canterlot’s paranoia was unanticipated. Even eight months after the stallion had been killed in the streets, burnt to a crisp, many newspapers had speculative headlines or small articles updating the hunt for the elusive criminal. Of course, all of them had been misleading and rather harmful, as two different stallions had been arrested for being the Blue Knight. There was no evidence and their cases dropped, but it was still a fiasco that kept the city fearing.

Blueblood wished the ponies of his beloved city would stop fearing him, he really did. His return hadn’t been planned, though, and the reception he received was even more damaging than his absence. At least it let the ponies of the city know the Blue Knight lived and still worked to protect them, even though they feared him like Tartarus itself. It also served as a very good warning to the changelings and any other villains that may dare to threaten Canterlot. The griffons had begun getting riled up by the disturbances of their neighbors, and a rogue dragon had neared the city two months ago. He had almost emerged then, but fortunately it had been taken care of before it was necessary for the Blue Knight to become involved again.

Even then, though, six months after his back had been set ablaze, he had still been in recovery from the severe wounds. Thanks to the help of Ms. Lily and the other mare, he had survived long enough for Celestia and Luna to save him, but their ministrations had to be secretive and Prince blueblood had appearances to make and keep up. That meant both prolonged recovery and accidental negligence when it came to healing. Frowning, he glanced over his shoulder as he flew and tried to move his tail. It didn’t so much as twitch, though he felt something pull in his dock as he flexed the muscle.

The scarring was bad, and it appeared he would never be able to move his tail again thanks to muscle damage from the burns. His coat no longer grew on most of his back, burn scars covering them and leaving his wanting to keep a coat on even in private. It was humiliating, the damage that stallion had done to him, attempting to kill him after he had saved his life. In return for mercy, he had been mutilated. Glaring at the mist in front of him, he dove, emerging from the cloud and landing on the castle rooftop covered in low-hanging clouds.

Now that stallion was back, and this time when they came face-to-face, Blueblood would not make the naive mistake of trusting the unicorn’s chivalry. Even though the white stallion looked respectful and impressed by Blueblood, that hadn’t kept him from turning him into a flying torch. Blueblood admitted he could be brutal and cruel when occasion demanded it, and he was ever unremorseful of killing the other unicorn, but he wasn’t so far gone he would kill the pony who saved his life. Gritting his teeth, he looked out over the city, trying to see it through the cloud cover. Much like the mystery that surrounded the dangerous stallion, though, the city was kept from his sights.

“Sweet Celestia,” he cursed in frustration, reaching up to his head and removing his fedora. Sitting down, he growled at the terrible turn of the night. While it had been good to convince the chief not to arrest him on sight, nothing else had gone as hoped. He desperately needed to catch back up with whatever ongoing investigation was being held for the nameless white unicorn and he had hoped the chief would be able to give him some information. Unfortunately, his most trusted source inside the city itself had turned against him, and now he was back to the start again. He remembered this feeling well, or at least part of it.

Over a year ago, when he had begun this job, the ponies of Canterlot had wondered if he was a hero or simply a vigilante. He had shown them he only meant good, turned himself in to the chief for questioning. They had built a respect for each other, the police not attempting to reveal his identity and him sharing everything he knew with them. They had worked in tandem for months, but one bad incident had ruined it all, and now he had to find a way to make them trust him again. So, he knew this feeling of needing their trust, but now also had the bitter sting of rejection to go along with it.

“You called, nephew,” Princess Celestia suddenly questioned from behind him, causing him to jump slightly. His senses must have dulled incredible to not hear the heavy footfalls of an alicorn on the roof behind him. “Out playing… hero again, are we? What did you break now?”

“A hedge,” he replied dryly, turning around to stare at the princess. “More accurately, one of your constables ran into it while chasing me.”

“You fought the constables,” Celestia asked with wide eyes.

“No, I just evaded them,” he answered with a sigh. “I’m sure you’ll read a report about it in the morning.”

“I still want to hear your side of the story, Blueblood,” Celestia stated compassionately, sitting down in front of him. Reaching out a hoof carefully, she pulled on his mask, though instead of taking it off, it just pulled him forward. Flushing slightly in embarrassment, she let go as she apologized. “Oops, I thought you took it off by pulling on it…”

“A bit more than that,” he chuckled in response, reaching up both hooves, and grabbing it by the front of his snout and back of his head. Tugging on it hard, it came off, letting his damp brown mane free. “Gotta make sure it doesn’t get ripped off in a scuffle and cause a whole mess for the both of us.”

“I see,” Celestia nodded before falling silent, glancing aside awkwardly. “You know, Blueblood, while I don’t agree with you, I’m still on your side. It’s why you’re still free, not turned over.”

“No, that’s because you don’t want the mess,” Blueblood grumbled, beginning to stand. Before he took a step forward, though, Celestia reached out and pressed a hoof against his chest.

“Yes and no,” she admitted. “I don’t want that mess, but more importantly, I want you to keep doing what you’re doing, if only with a better methodology. I know you’re right though, and I know there isn’t a pony in all of Equestria that is better suited for taking on this danger than you. That night, when the ripples of that unicorn’s blast passed over me and I felt the hate in them, I felt truly afraid. I haven’t felt such scorching, internalized hate since Sombra himself, almost seventeen hundred years ago. But when I see you looking over Canterlot with such love, I know you’re the best pony to take on its threats. That’s why I let you do what you do. Because in spite of your missteps and our arguments, you’re still protecting the city. Do you understand?”

“Yes Auntie,” Blueblood answered with a light smile, before giving her a kiss on the cheek. “I understand perfectly.”

“Good,” she said, beaming at him. “Now off to bed with you, before anypony notices we’re sharing quality time with each other.”
Grinning, he muttered, “Celestia forbid.”

Author's Note:

Happy feeling back. As always, questions, comments, and concerns welcome and wanted.

Clarification: Hard Break is non-binary, so references to "them" and "the pony" refer to them.