The Menace of Canterlot

by The_Darker_Fonts

Chapter 8: Cold Cases

For better or for worse, Hard Break had hoped that the Blue Knight had died that night eight months ago. They would never have to question the Blue Knight as a concept if he had just died. They could have said that the Blue Knight was another evil that Equestria had removed that night or that it was fated that the two true evils would destroy each other. They never would have had to confront the truth about somepony who had become a trusted advisor, even maybe a friend. But now there was a hole in their roof, twenty-five dead changelings, and every constable in Canterlot was watching for what they would do now.

It had been brazen of the stallion to return in the first place, terrifying to do so with such violence, and predictable that he would turn to them for help. Unfortunately, that was about the only read Break could get from the masked stallion. In over twenty years as the Chief of the Canterlot Constabulary, they had never been as stumped by a hidden face as they were now. The stallion had covered his tracks incredibly well for somepony who supposed themselves to not be a criminal, in such a way that Break’s information and speculations matched the media’s. There wasn’t even a point in pretending to know more than they did, given the unpredictable, but deliberate, way in which the Blue Knight acted.

Killing those changelings had been the ultimate statement, and so had breaking into Break’s house. The Blue Knight wanted to ensure the Constabulary that it was they who had relied upon him, not the other way. He wasn’t threatened by a single pony in it, and if they were going to be intimidated by him, he was going to press that advantage. If he needed information from them, which appeared to be the only advantage they had against him on a technical level, then he was going to try to extract it. The constables had no reason to fear for their lives around him, but they also needed to comply if they wished to have any leash on the out-of-control stallion. Unfortunately, Break hadn’t expected the dog to return home after running off.

Pursing their lips, Break leaned back. There was nothing they could do to shake the fear from the constables thanks to how abrupt and omnipresent the Blue Knight appeared. Probably because that’s exactly what he was, always waiting, watching, and learning. Whoever the stallion actually was, he had an undeniable intelligence and dedication that, applied to anything else, would have been wondrous for helping the city. Break glanced at the window in their office, half expecting the masked stallion to be looming there, but there was nothing. The sunlight of the clear midmorning day flooded the room, reminding Break that this pressing matter was on a deadline. Somehow, they had to make their move by noon, when the press meeting Shoal had planned was supposed to take place. That mare was sometimes too efficient for the force.

Sighing, Break stood and quickly walked around their desk, attempting to alleviate some of their pent up stress. The problem wasn’t that they didn’t have a response, the problem was the response. The Constabulary, in spite of being the top job for Royal Guard trainees and retirees, had remained nearly completely free of Royal administration during its entire existence. Being a city-wide service, it fell under the jurisdiction of the mayor, was funded by the taxes of the city, and overall was centralized solely around the mountaintop city. The Princesses had only been involved thus far because of the intense impact the Blue Knight’s case was having on their capital city. If Break took the action they wanted too, it would directly through the Constabulary under the control of the Princesses.

Not only that, it would do something that had never been done in crime history before, across all Equestria. There were no laws against it, but that didn’t mean lawsuits, complaints, and criticisms wouldn’t come the Constabulary or Break’s way after the fact. Let alone the fact that it was practically admitting the Blue Knight was an unstoppable, independent entity the constables had no clue how to stop, the entire idea threw into question of Break’s capabilities. While they would always put the city before them, it was impossible not to consider what making such a drastic move would impact their career and life after retirement.

With a grimace, Break sat back down, staring at the paper on their desk. It was the last thing that needed to be done in order to set the plan into motion, a signature to approve of the most aggressive action Break or any other constable in Canterlot history had needed to take in order to capture a criminal. Reaching out and grabbing a quill, they carefully dipped it into ink and signed the dotted line. Setting the quill back in its place, Break once again leaned back in their seat, staring long and hard at their own signature.

They had to do this. Whether it would hurt or harm Break, it would ultimately serve to help catch the Blue Knight and maybe, if luck was on Equestria’s side, also snare the mysterious white stallion. Because if there was one thing the Blue Knight had been correct about, it was him and the danger he posed.

It just wasn’t nearly on such a magnitude as the Blue Knight.

The door jiggled a little as Shoal suddenly opened it, entering Break’s office. The young mare with a brown coat and sleek cream ponytail, engagement ring proudly prominent on her horn. These were the ponies Break was attempting to protect by taking such extreme and risky measures, they told themselves as the mare gave a quick salute.

“Ten minutes ‘til the conference, chief,” she informed Break, glancing briefly at the paper on the desk. Frowning slightly, she asked, “You’re following through, chief?”

“I don’t see any other way out of this mess than with Celestia and Canterlot’s help,” Break determinedly stated. “If there were, it’s too late to find it now. We have to be confident in the path we’ve chosen, because I personally believe this is a path to resolution, even if it isn’t perfect.”

“I trust your judgment,” the mare replied curtly with a small nod, continuing to hold the door open for the chief as they stood and left their office. They could see out the front windows of the station where the press was gathered, facing the podium in front of the door. Shoal gave them one last nod of reassurance before returning to her desk, signed paper levitated to the top of another pile of papers. Taking a deep breath, Break pushed their way through the doors and up to the podium.

Already, multiple members of the press were attempting to shout questions at them, but they had become quite used to not paying attention to questions until after they had made their statements. A few bright flashes highlighted them as they took the podium, news cameras attempting to catch the juiciest picture for the evening papers. Little did they know, Break mused to themselves.

They had no script, not in hoof or prepared on the podium as every other press conference would require. Licking their lips, they looked out over the small crowd of maybe fifty or so reporters, with a couple dozen citizens watching from across the street. They couldn’t help but wonder what those ponies would think, witnessing something that would undoubtedly alter Canterlot’s history. Break just had to hope that they would reflect in awe at a momentous occasion they happened to witness rather than regret at something that had taken Canterlot to a new low.

“Mare, gentlecolts, and everypony else, last night the Blue Knight broke into my personal home while I was off duty,” Break announced without warning. They paused as the reporters ravenously began shouting questions over one another and cameras flashed. Raising a hoof to indicate silence, they fell back into their seats with discontent. “The Blue Knight did not harm I or the other constables on site, even after confrontation, nor did he make any attempt to. He seemed to be under the impression that the Canterlot Constabulary has forgiven him for his crimes against both the citizens of this city and the changelings. While they did attack us, their rights as living creatures of Equestria cannot be denied, especially in the face of such ruthless brutality from a pony.

“The Blue Knight did make it clear to me that he held no remorse for any of the crimes he committed and, if given the chance, would do them again. For this reason, I am restating clearly that the Blue Knight is in fact unjustified in his killings, both of pony and changeling. When we catch him, he will serve punishment for his crimes according to the extremity of them. However, that is not the point of this press conference.

“As has been obvious by the lack of his capture, the Blue Knight is an incredibly hard stallion to track down, having hidden everything from his fur to his magical signature well. He flies like a pegasus, uses magic like a unicorn, and has the physical prowess of an earth pony. While I have been hesitant to call into question this strange phenomenon, it is clear to both myself and the Constabulary that this matter cannot be resolved with the usual logical, methodical techniques we’ve used to solve countless other cases. No, it is time we call upon a different approach than has ever been seen in Equestrian police history.

“The Blue Knight is an unexplainable, uncontainable force that opposes the good of Canterlot’s ponies. Worse, he believes what he is doing is going to help the city, when it clearly has and will not. Therefore, extreme measures must be taken to hasten the capture of the stallion behind the mask before he can cause more harm to anypony. In order to help involve the ponies of Canterlot in the protection of their city, and in the hopes that a larger pool of volunteers and minds can unravel the mysteries of the Blue Knight, I have just signed an order to open all files involving cases in which the Blue Knight has been involved.”

This time, Break had to pause not for questions but as reporters gasped or whispered to each other at the shocking announcement. Break needed the moment though, as the tremendous weight of telling the world became crushing. They would have to wait until morning to see how the city would react to such a bold maneuver, but given that it was far from unprecedented, they could only hope it would be supportive. If it wasn’t, Break could only imagine the criticism they would receive after this next announcement.

“The Blue Knight is the greatest lasting threat to Canterlot as a city, one the Constabulary has been incapable of addressing. He fooled the entire city and caused unparalleled damage before retreating from us, hiding for a time and recovering until he could inflict his vision upon this city once again. I am ashamed to admit that, at one point, I had been completely trusting of the stallion even without knowing who he was. During his time in which he partnered with the Constabulary, he came to know our way of work and understand our code. Unfortunately, this means that he knows the Constabulary’s ins and outs better than it knows him.

“With this vital flaw in mind, we have come to the hard decision that the Constabulary alone cannot be the only entity to be searching out for and capturing the Blue Knight. It is with the utmost humility and urgency that I must ask, publicly, Princess Celestia to assign the Royal Guard to the Blue Knight case as well.” Even though there was once again very loud and clear shock from the crowd at the announcement, this time Break kept speaking. “Not once in the history of Canterlot has the Constabulary and Royal Guard worked together on a case, but mares and gentlecolts, this is a time and case that requires the pairing of these two powerful and efficient institutions. The Blue Knight represents the greatest threats to Canterlot, and thus one of the greatest threats to Equestria; a powerful mage who has no loyalties, no control, and no rules. If it were not for the dire nature of this case, the most concerning and impactful in all my career, I would not have been prompted to make such an admittedly bold move. However, if there’s one thing we can learn from the Blue Knight, it is to never confront him unprepared. And that, Canterlot, I promise we will not be.”

Author's Note:

Aso could've named the chapter Escalations but that seemed a bit much. Anyways, as always, questions, comments, and concerns welcome and wanted.