//------------------------------// // A Shocking Discovery // Story: My Little Investigations: Wonderbolts Under Fire // by Metool Bard //------------------------------// January 13, 07:37 Wonderbolt Academy Training Ground *** When we arrived at the training ground, I had a feeling that something was wrong. Not only was the area devoid of any ponies, cadets or otherwise, but there were far too many clouds in the sky. Or at least, they shouldn't have been clustered around the obstacle course like they were. "Looks like the new recruits are getting complacent," said Blaze half-jokingly. "To be fair, cloud busting drills don't start for another couple of hours," I said. "Still, there weren't that many clouds up there yesterday evening, unless there's a memo from Cloudsdale that I missed." "You think the assassin is trying to cover his tracks?" asked Blaze. "Only one way to find out," I said, taking off into the sky. Quickly, Blaze followed my lead, and we got right to work. You might not believe this, but cloud busting is an important part of being a Wonderbolt. Yeah, it's a job that any pegasus can do, but what a lot of ponies forget is that the Wonderbolts have a major responsibility regarding Equestria's weather. This includes monitoring rainwater collection, rain distribution, and yes, even cloud busting. I'll say this right now; if you plan on becoming a Wonderbolt, you'd better bring your cloud busting A game. Otherwise, forget it. And as expert cloud busters, it didn't take long for me and Blaze to clear the sky and find what we were looking for. Just as I was clearing the last cloud bank, I found a small grey spot poking out of the sea of white. I smiled. "Gotcha," I said to myself. "Blaze, over here! Help me with this bank, would you?" "On my way, Sis!" Blaze hollered back. She quickly flew to my side, and we carefully excavated the cumulonimbus hiding within the cirrus clouds. "Well, Blaze. We found the culprit behind the rogue thunderbolt," I said. "Though I'm not sure what to make of it." "Me, neither," said Blaze, furrowing her brow. "Especially since it further proves my point that our assassin is pretty sloppy." "How so?" "If we hadn't figured out his plan, this thing would've been uncovered during the cloud busting drills," said Blaze. "That's true," I concurred as I looked over the cloud carefully. I then raised an eyebrow. "Wait, this doesn't make sense." "What doesn't?" "There are no hoofprints on this cloud." Perplexed, Blaze took a closer look at the cloud herself. "Yeah, you're right. This cloud's completely untouched. But then, how did the assassin use it?" "I can't even begin to answer that, Blaze," said I. "There could be a chance that this isn't the cloud we're looking for, but it's so out of place up here. Not to mention that it was hidden from plain sight. This has to be the weapon the assassin used to attack Misty Fly." Blaze placed a hoof to her chin and struck a thinking attitude. "So, what now?" Luckily, I had an answer to that one. "We're not gonna find anything by just looking at it. There must be something hidden in this cloud's structure," I said. "Blaze, get Fast Clip and Whiplash up here, on the double. We need to get this little troublemaker over to the Weather Factory in Cloudsdale for a full analysis." "On it," said Blaze with a salute. With that, she darted off. As I waited for her return, I kept looking over the cloud in a vain attempt to find anything of interest. As I have already mentioned, thunderclouds do not act like this. If you want to aim a thunderbolt, you need to operate the cloud manually. Otherwise, you have no control over what that thunderbolt is going to hit. As such, there should've been some sort of sign that this cloud was used. And yet, there was nothing. Not a single hoofprint or indent blemished the cloud's surface. Another possibility came to mind, but it only made me more frustrated. Mainly because it's an area I'm not all that familiar with. I'm talking, of course, about magic. Now, because the weather is mainly delegated to the pegasi, weather spells are not all that common. At least I think. Again, magic is not really my area of expertise. Even so, I reasoned that a thundercloud could conceivably be operated by magic and not show any indication that it was used. Only problem with that theory was that there was no way I could prove it. At least, not without the help of the Weather Factory. As I pondered this, I noticed something out of the corner of my eye. The thundercloud was beginning to glow and spark on its own. Curious, I cautiously prodded a blank spot with my hoof. I had to draw it back quickly, as the cloud produced a nasty static shock. Slowly, the cloud glowed brighter and produced more and more sparks. As I stared at the cloud, something in my gut told me that this was not a good sign. "Get back!" Before I could react, a figure flew in out of nowhere and tackled me. After I had recovered from the hit, I discovered that it was that Mare-Do-Well weirdo. With a growl of frustration, I pushed her off. "Hey! What's the big id—?!" My question was answered before I could ask it. Right above us, the thundercloud abruptly detonated in a burst of electricity. A large shock wave rippled across the sky, along with a deafening boom. The air was alive with electricity, and it caused my mane to stand up on end. My heart was pounding something fierce, and my breathing became erratic. That, was way too close. "Buck me," was all I could say as I stared blankly at the light show above. "I would think that you'd be more careful, Ms. Spitfire," said Mare-Do-Well sternly. "Especially since the one you are looking for is trying to kill you." She had a point, but at the same time, how was I supposed to know that would happen? Thunderclouds may be dangerous to handle, but they don't explode! They're just clouds, for Celestia's sake! What the flipping heck was going on here?! I closed my eyes and breathed a deep sigh. I wasn't going to answer that question staring at the sky like an idiot. Slowly but surely, I found my center and regained my composure before turning to address Mare-Do-Well. "A-any idea what the hay that was?" I asked. Mare-Do-Well obscured her eyes with her hat. "I wish I knew, Ms. Spitfire. I've never seen anything like this." I raised an eyebrow. "Then, how did you know to tackle me out of the way?" "It's a reflex," said Mare-Do-Well. "I react quickly to danger, even when those in danger can get out of it themselves." "Mmm-hmm," I said. "So, you were just passing by, huh? Or are you stalking me?" "I think we both know the answer to that question, Ms. Spitfire," said Mare-Do-Well coyly. "After all, I'm supposed to be helping you, aren't I?" I wanted to argue, but really, I couldn't think of anything. After all, she did just save my life. "Well, thanks," I said. "But don't think that this means I trust you." "Perhaps you don't," said Mare-Do-Well with a tip of her hat. "But you still need me, Ms. Spitfire. After all, you're not a sleuth." Okay, I knew that was a shot. I was about to retort when I heard a familiar voice call out to me. "Sis!" I turned to see Blaze rushing in with Fast Clip and Whiplash. And boy, did she ever look worried. "A-are you *pant* alright?" she asked breathlessly. "We were *gasp* just coming back *huff* when we saw *puff* that explosion." "Relax, Blaze. I'm fine," I assured her. Blaze breathed a deep sigh of relief. "Oh, thank Celestia. What the hay happened?" "You're not gonna believe this, but that thundercloud we found just decided to explode on me," I explained. Blaze's jaw dropped. "Are you serious?!" "Yeah, I can't believe it, either," I said. "Mare-Do-Well here says that..." I gestured with my hoof over to where Mare-Do-Well was flying, but she had completely disappeared. I groaned. "Okay, if she insists on doing that every time I meet her, it's gonna get old really fast," I groused. "But, what do we do now?" asked Blaze. "We're back to Square One. That thundercloud was our only piece of evidence that was worth a damn." I sighed. "I don't like it, but we're gonna have to wait for this dock-hole to strike again. Fast Clip, Whiplash." "Yes, ma'am?" said the two security guards. "I want you both to keep your eyes peeled and your ears open," I ordered. "If you see anything, and I mean anything out of the ordinary, you tell me ASAP. Blaze, that goes double for you." "Understood, ma'am," said Fast Clip and Whiplash with a salute. "Yeah, I gotcha, Sis," said Blaze with a salute of her own. "Good," I said with a curt nod. "Dismissed." Fast Clip and Whiplash flew back to resume their normal duties. Blaze lagged behind to give me a concerned look before flying back herself. I stared at the spot where the thundercloud once was and glowered. I had many questions floating around my head, but one seemed to resonate stronger than the others: Just who the heck was I dealing with?