My Little Investigations: Wonderbolts Under Fire

by Metool Bard

Wild Goose Chase

January 17, 10:45
Crystal Empire
Train Station
***

"That is, quite a tale, Ms. Spitfire," Kierra mused as I had concluded my briefing. "Are you certain that costumed pony and Gypsy Moth are connected?"

"Mare-Do-Well was the one who gave me the toxic truffles antidote, and Gypsy Moth said that it belonged to her," I said. "If that isn't a connection, I don't know what is."

Raindrops said nothing, but simply gave me a worried look. I was actually expecting that from her. This was a lot for her to take in, after all.

"I dunno, Sis," said Blaze, stroking her chin. "Is finding out Mare-Do-Well's identity really necessary? I mean, we caught the prick that was attacking us."

"Yes. The prick that was attacking us," I said. "I don't care how tough he is; one tengu cannot be responsible for attacking the Wonderbolts and the Griffon Kingdom. There has to be more to this, and if Gypsy Moth is connected to the tengu, then so is Mare-Do-Well."

"But, that doesn't make sense," said Blaze. "I mean, if she knew about the tengu, why didn't she just catch the motherbucker and save you the headache?"

"I've been asking myself that since this whole mess started, Blaze," I sighed. "Hopefully, we'll get some answers from Gypsy Moth."

"Crystal Empire, ladies! Watch your step!" the conductor called out.

As we disembarked, I couldn't help but feel a certain sense of awe. Believe me when I say this; the Crystal Empire is one of the most beautiful places in Equestria. And, that's about all I know about it beyond some remedial history that was made public knowledge after its reappearance. Again, a lot of it has to do with magic, which is not my area of expertise.

"So, how are we supposed to find this Gypsy Moth pony?" asked Blaze.

"We'll just have to ask around, I guess," I said with a shrug. "Besides, she's a regular unicorn in a city of Crystal Ponies. She should stick out like a sore hoof, especially with those butterfly wings of hers."

"Perhaps we can try the marketplace," suggested Raindrops. "She did mention that she wanted to get more herbs from the Griffon Kingdom."

"Ah, good thinking," I said. "Alright, let's move out."

***
January 17, 11:00
Crystal Empire
Marketplace
***

"So much for sticking out like a sore hoof," said Blaze.

I would've reprimanded Blaze for the snark if she didn't have a point. Despite Raindrops's good inference of where to find Gypsy Moth, the marketplace was deserted. I mean, there were a few salesponies here and there, but none of the griffon merchants were around to offer their exotic wares. Was this because of the attacks from the tengu?

"Captain Spitfire? What are you doing here?"

A gentle voice made itself known behind me. I turned to see who it was, and couldn't help but feel a bit surprised. Standing before me was a unicorn stallion I knew all too well.

"I could ask you the same thing, Captain Shining Armor," I said with a salute.

Shining Armor chuckled. "You forget that I'm not Captain of the Royal Guard anymore, Captain Spitfire," said he.

"Oh, right. Sorry, old habit," I said sheepishly. Being fellow ponies charged with protecting Equestria, the Wonderbolts and the Royal Guard have a great amount of respect for one another. We don't interact too much, but I'll occasionally get a Royal Guard transferring to the Wonderbolts, and visa versa. Because of this, I've been in contact with Shining Armor on and off. And I'll be honest here; I can't really picture him outside of the role of Captain.

Yes, I know he's a prince now that he's married to Princess Cadence. But that doesn't change the fact that he's a damn good captain. And this is coming from a pony who strives to be a good captain herself, so I think I know what I'm talking about. He put as much hard work and dedication into his job as I put into mine. I'm not saying that I can't picture him as a prince; I just haven't gotten used to referring to him as such yet.

"Anyway, I think I should make some introductions," I said, clearing my throat. "I take it you already know Blaze, my sister and fellow Wonderbolt. These here are Raindrops, Wonderbolt Cadet Second Class, and Kierra, a member of the Proud Pride."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Your Majesty," said Kierra with a bow.

"Pleasure's all mine," said Shining Armor. "I heard a bit about the Proud Pride from Ambassador Honor Bound. You guys are racing the Wonderbolts in a couple of days to test out a new event for the Equestria Games, right?"

"Um, yes," said Kierra. "Ambassador Honor Bound believes it'll strengthen our relations."

"Well, that's certainly another reason to get the Crystal Ponies excited," said Shining Armor with a smile. "You may not know this, but the Crystal Empire is actually being considered as a host for the Games this year. If it is, it would be the perfect place to introduce this new event."

I suppose there was some truth to that. The Crystal Empire is the closest pony settlement to the Griffon Kingdom, which is why it's the only place to get goods from the Griffon Kingdom in Equestria. And believe me, before the Empire reappeared, trade negotiations with the Griffon Kingdom were a massive pain in the flank. But, I digress.

"So, Captain Spitfire. What brings you and your friends to the Crystal Empire on this find day?" asked Shining Armor.

"W-we're looking for a pony named Gypsy Moth, Your Highness," Raindrops said timidly. "She told us yesterday that she was moving here from Stalliongrad."

Shining Armor raised an eyebrow. "I'm not sure I know anypony named Gypsy Moth. Do you know what she looks like?"

"Blue coat; silver mane; butterfly wings. Trust me, she's not exactly hard to miss," I said.

Shining Armor knitted his brow. "I'm sorry, Captain Spitfire. I can't think of anypony matching that description," he said thoughtfully. "Although I think I know somepony who can help."

He then looked up at one of the merchants, who quickly bowed out of respect.

"Yes, Your Highness?" he asked.

"Do you know where we can find Quicksilver? I need to speak with her."

The salespony pondered for a moment. "I just saw her a few minutes ago. She went that way," he said, pointing west.

"Great, thank you," said Shining Armor with a bow. "C'mon, Captain Spitfire."

He didn't need to tell me twice. As he galloped off, I quickly followed after him with Blaze, Raindrops, and Kierra not far behind.

***

"Um, pardon me, Your Majesty, but who is this Quicksilver?" asked Kierra as we followed Shining Armor.

"She's our messenger pony," explained Shining Armor. "If there's anypony who would know about somepony like this Gypsy Moth moving to the Crystal Empire, it's her. Ah, there she is now."

He stopped and pointed to a tan Crystal Pony with wings on her ankles (don't ask; I really don't know) buying some crystal berries. I'll say this much; she certainly fit the description of a messenger with her brown postal uniform. Shining Armor cleared his throat, and the pony quickly perked up and rushed up to him.

"Y-your Highness!" she said with a hasty bow.

"Settle down, Quicksilver," said Shining Armor sternly. "I need to ask you something."

"Yes, Your Highness?"

"Captain Spitfire here is looking for somepony named Gypsy Moth. She says she was moving here from Stalliongrad."

Quicksilver tilted her head. "I'm sorry, Your Highness, but nopony named Gypsy Moth has come here from Stalliongrad."

My brow furrowed. "I don't get it," I said. "Raindrops and I talked to her yesterday. She told me that she was going to be moving here so that she'd have ready access to herbs from the Griffon Kingdom."

"The Griffon Kingdom?" asked Shining Armor, raising an eyebrow. "I'm not sure if you know this, but the Griffon Kingdom isn't in a position for trading right now. They've been suffering these strange attacks, and they cut off all forms of trading with us as a precaution."

"Understandable, but how would she know that?" I asked.

"I'm afraid I can't answer that, Captain Spitfire," said Shining Armor with a shrug. "Who is this Gypsy Moth, anyway?"

"She's a traveling alchemist," said Kierra. "She used to travel with me before I became a member of the Proud Pride. That was some time ago, though."

"Well, she did say she might be moving here," said Raindrops. "Maybe she changed her mind?"

It sounded like an innocent-enough explanation, but for some reason, I wasn't buying it. I don't know, it just sounds too, convenient. Despite her mannerisms and somewhat-senile behavior, I managed to gather that she was a pretty crafty pony. It was very possible that she lied to me about the Crystal Empire to get me off her back. But why? All I was looking into at the time was her connection to Mare-Do-Well. In the context of this investigation, that wasn't as important as finding the assassin and unraveling the mystery behind the Proud Pride. She didn't really have a reason to hide this from me, did she?

And more importantly, how was I supposed to find her now? I didn't have the time nor the energy to search every corner of Equestria for this one pony. I still had to deal with that prick Pine Talon, and get in some training for the Ghastly Gorge Gauntlet. I gave a deep sigh of frustration.

"It looks like we're just wasting our time here," I said. "I'm sorry about this, Cap— I mean, Your Highness."

"Wait. There is something I wish to ask," said Kierra. "Your Majesty, do you know anything about the attacks?"

"Only what Ambassador Honor Bound told me, and it's not much," said Shining Armor. "I'm supposed to be meeting him today for lunch so that he can give me an update."

Huh. Now, this was an interesting development. Perhaps this trip wasn't a total loss after all.

"When he does drop by, let him know that we caught the assassin who has been attacking the Wonderbolts," I said.

Shining Armor's eyes widened. "Somepony's been attacking the Wonderbolts?" he asked.

"It's a long story," said Blaze. "The Ambassador will probably give you more details once you let him know."

"Don't worry, there haven't been any serious casualties," I added. "Apparently, this assassin sucks at his job."

"Hmm," said Shining Armor with a nod. "Alright, I'll let him know. I just hope the Crystal Empire isn't in danger. Despite everything going on in the Griffon Kingdom, everything has been rather peaceful here."

"I don't think you'll have to worry, Cap— Your Highness," I said. It's only the Wonderbolts they're after, I added mentally. At least according to Mare-Do...

As soon as the name Mare-Do-Well crossed my mind, an epiphany hit me like a splash of cold water. I didn't have to track down Gypsy Moth after all! I already knew a pony who could tell me everything! Now, if only she'd cooperate...

"I, suppose we'll be taking our leave now," I said with a salute. "It was nice meeting you, Cap— Your Highness." I then sighed. "I'm never going to get used to that."

Shining Armor chuckled. "It's alright, Captain Spitfire. And thanks for letting me know about all this. I'll be sure to relay your message to the Ambassador."

With that, we exchanged brief farewells and went our separate ways.

"I have to give you a lot of credit, Kierra," I said. "You managed to prevent this trip from being a complete waste of time."

"I figured you'd appreciate that, Ms. Spitfire," said Kierra. "Now that this has become a greater incident, I feel that we can be more free with our information."

"Well, that's all well and good, but what now?" said Blaze. "This Gypsy Moth pony could be anywhere."

"Don't worry, Blaze. I know how to find Gypsy Moth," I said with a grin. "But, that can wait until later. For now, let's get back to the Academy. I want to give a certain birdbrained dock-hole a piece of my mind..."

Comments

[MariusIoannesP]

"You may not know this, but the Crystal Empire is actually being considered as a host for the Games this year. If it is, it would be the perfect place to introduce this new event."

I've been wracking my brain throughout this story trying to figure out when in the series it takes place. This finally confirms that it takes place before "Just For Sidekicks" and "Games Ponies Play"!

He stopped and pointed to a tan Crystal Pony with wings on her ankles (don't ask; I really don't know) buying some crystal berries. I'll say this much: She certainly fit the description of a messenger with her brown postal uniform.

Oh she's the Crystal Pony messenger from "Games Ponies Play".

[Godiswithus3]

Well, while this trip wasn't a total loss, it was still a dead end. I think it's obvious that Spitfire is gonna ask the Mysterious Mare-Do-Well about Gypsy's whereabouts. I am actually wondering how Spitfire is gonna be able to keep the masked vigilante in place against her will. This should be interesting.

I have a theory that Gypsy Moth and the Mysterious Mare-Do-Well are one and the same pony, but there are two major obstacles that prevent me from saying it is a sure fact. 1) Spitfire never commented on Gypsy having a shoulder wound. 2) Spitfire never saw butterfly wings on the Masked Vigilante herself. The theory is possible, but has holes in it.

Now that Spitfire and the gang have come to a dead end, it is time to interrogate Pine Talon..........I have a bad feeling about this. I'm getting vibes that he purposefully allowed himself to get captured only to strike his captors when their guard is down, like what the Joker did in the Dark Knight. Considering who the protagonists are dealing with, I have good reasons to be worried............nothing venture, nothing gained. Onto the next chapter.

[SilverDiamond]

So, she WAS acting... God damn. AND she likely knows of tengu... Ugh. This whole problem could have been AVOIDED if they just COOPERATED.