January 13, 06:05
Wonderbolt Academy
Mess Hall
***
I was hoping that breakfast would be uneventful. With everything happening one after the other in rapid succession, I desperately needed some time to take stock of the situation and consider my options. As such, my plan was to get my food, eat, and get back to my office to wait for Crescent Moon's report.
Sadly, things didn't quite go according to plan. As soon as I entered the mess hall, Blaze was right there waiting for me.
"'Morning, Sis," she said pleasantly.
I grunted a salutation in response and tried to walk right by her. Unfortunately, Blaze was having none of that. She kept pace with me as I went to get my food. After filling my tray, I breathed a sigh and turned to face her.
"What do you want, Blaze?" I asked.
"What? Is it wrong for me to want to have breakfast with my big sister?" asked Blaze with a shrug.
Oh Celestia, did I ever dread what was coming next. You see, there's something you should know about Blaze. Out of all the Wonderbolts, she's the one who gives me the most headaches (and yes, that's taking Surprise into account). Why, you ask? Well, how do I put this? Blaze can, sometimes be a bit of a brat.
Now, don't get me wrong. She wouldn't be a Wonderbolt if she didn't know how to behave herself. Despite being one of our more casual members along with Soarin' and Surprise, she's highly disciplined. It's just that every once in a while, she likes to play the Kid Sister card when she wants something from me. This can range from me giving her my dessert to me letting her lead the charge against a dragon attacking Ponyville. And to make matters worse, she knows I hate it when she does this. When it comes to my team, I don't like to play favorites. And yet, even though I've made this crystal clear to her several thousand times, she still insists on going through this whole "I'm your kid sister, so you have to do what I say" routine with me. To be fair, it's mainly just to tease me, but as you can probably guess, I was not in the mood.
"Blaze, please don't do this to me," I pleaded. "I've got a lot on my mind right now."
"All the more reason we should eat together, Sis," said Blaze, her voice reflecting concern. "I've talked about it with the others, and we all agree that you need some support right now after what happened to Misty Fly. Maybe talking to somepony will help you clear your head a little."
Well, at least she wasn't being facetious. I mulled it over for a bit before letting out another sigh.
"Alright, fine," I relented. "But it's not because you're my sister."
"I know," said Blaze with a grin as she got her own food. Once she filled her tray, we took a seat at an unoccupied table over in the far corner of the hall.
"So, how did your meeting with the Hippogriff Ambassador go?" Blaze inquired.
"Alright, I guess. There's not much to tell, really," I said with a shrug. "He just wanted me to meet the Proud Pride."
"He dropped in on us this early in the morning just for that? What the hay was he thinking?"
"Believe me, I'd like to know that myself," I sighed, starting in on my food. "Honestly, I wouldn't have minded so much under normal circumstances. You know how I'm usually a morning pony and all."
"Yeah," said Blaze, flattening her ears and poking at her own food. "I, heard you tossing and turning last night. This whole thing with Misty Fly is really getting to you, huh?"
"It's a bit more complicated than that," I said. "Blaze, you mind if I ask you something?"
"Not at all, Sis. What's up?"
"Yesterday during training, did you see anything odd before Misty Fly was hit?"
Blaze placed a hoof to her muzzle. "Hmm. I can't think of anything off the top of my head," she mused. "Why?"
"Because I have no idea where that thunderbolt came from," I said, dipping my voice. "You saw us; we were nowhere near the thundercloud patch when Misty Fly was attacked."
"Wait, attacked?" said Blaze, blinking in confusion. "You think somepony tried to hurt us?"
"Do me a big favor and don't spread it around," I whispered sternly. "I don't want to spook the rest of the team."
"Yeah, sure. Wonderbolt's honor," said Blaze solemnly. "But I'll be honest, Sis. I didn't see anything. Neither did anypony else."
I hated to admit it, but that was a bit hard to swallow. It's not that I doubted my team; I'd trust them with my life. But by the same token, that thunderbolt couldn't have just appeared out of nowhere.
"I'm having Crescent Moon go over the course with a fine-tooth comb," I said. "With any luck, he'll find at least something."
"Well, that's good and all," said Blaze. "But what about the Ghastly Gorge Gauntlet?"
I gave my twin sis a smirk. "Blaze, you of all ponies should know that it would take a lot more than that to weaken my resolve. Yeah, I was a bit rattled when Misty Fly got hurt..."
"A bit?" said Blaze, raising a skeptical eyebrow.
"Okay, very rattled," I confessed. "And truth be told, I'm still not over it. But I've accepted Honor Bound's challenge, and I don't intend on backing down. I know Misty Fly would agree with me."
Blaze smiled. "You're a great captain, Sis. Truly an inspiration to us all," she said.
I couldn't help but blush a little. "Y-yeah well, I try," I said, taking a moment to compose myself. "Still, there's something that bugs me about our competition."
"Huh?"
"I, don't know a whole lot about them."
Blaze tilted her head. "Didn't you just say that Honor Bound dropped in this morning so you could meet them?"
"Yeah, but their background is very sketchy," I said. "Lots of confidential information. I really don't know why; as far as I'm concerned, they're just a new flight team."
"Well, did they tell you anything about themselves?"
"Just that they formed a few days ago, and yet somehow managed to become pretty big in the Griffon Kingdom. That and they all have their own unique abilities."
Blaze was flabbergasted. "Whoa whoa, time out! They built up a huge reputation in just a few days?! How the hay did they manage that?! And why didn't we hear about it until yesterday?!"
"You're not the only one who wants answers to those questions," I said. "Unfortunately for us, Honor Bound and the Proud Pride are being very tight-beaked about the whole thing."
Blaze struck a thinking attitude. "Hmm. That's pretty strange. So, what are you gonna do about it?"
"What can I do? It's not like I can press Honor Bound on this issue," I said with a shrug. "Besides, I have more important things to worry about."
"Yeah, I hear you," said Blaze. "You want to find the bastard that shot Misty Fly out of the sky, right?"
"I know I won't be getting a good night's sleep until I do."
"Alrighty then. Count me in."
I lowered my shades and raised an eyebrow. "Come again?"
"I wanna be your wingpony on this one, Sis," said Blaze. "You may be our captain, but that doesn't mean you should tackle everything on your own. Let me help out a little."
"Thanks, Blaze. But I think I'll be okay," I said. "After all, I've got Crescent Moon helping me."
"This isn't up for debate, Sis," Blaze said firmly. "I want to know what happened to Misty Fly too, y'know."
"Yeah, you and the rest of the team," I retorted. "We all want to know what happened. This isn't news to me, Blaze."
"Maybe not," said Blaze, a mischievous gleam in her viridian eyes. "But I have my own reasons for wanting to help."
"Don't say it, Blaze," I growled.
"It's not just for Misty Fly's sake, y'know."
"Don't you dare say it."
"Do you want to know my reasons?"
"Blaze, I swear to Celestia; if you say what I think you're going to say, I'm gonna put you on KP so fast it'll make your head spin!" I warned.
Blaze gave me a gentle smile. "I know how much the Wonderbolts mean to you, Sis. But to me, you're more than just my captain. You're my big sister. And as your sister, I'd feel terrible if I just sat on my hooves while you had the world on your shoulders."
Sunnova bitch, she said it! Not only that, but she really laid it on thick with the sap. I took off my shades, slapped my forehead with my hoof, and let out an exasperated groan. After composing myself, I gave her a dirty look.
"Do you want to know something, Blaze?" I asked.
"What is it, Sis?"
"You're a real pain in the flank sometimes."
Blaze chuckled. "Well, I wouldn't be your kid sister if I wasn't," said she. "So, am I in or what?"
I sighed. There was no way around it. "Yeah, you're in," I conceded.
"Cool. You won't regret it, Sis," said Blaze, looking rather pleased with herself. "So, what's our first move?"
"First, we finish breakfast," I said plainly. "Then, I want you to accompany me to my office. I'll give you a full briefing on the way."
"A full briefing? You mean there's more?" inquired Blaze.
"'Fraid so, Blaze," I said, heaving another sigh. "I'll cover it in the briefing, but for now, let's just say that Misty Fly wasn't the only reason I had trouble sleeping last night..."