My Little Investigations: Wonderbolts Under Fire

by Metool Bard

The Pseudo Alicorn

Here's a bit of a meteorology trivia for you. By now, you should be well aware that we pegasi are responsible for controlling the weather in Equestria. However, that doesn't mean that we have complete control over the weather. And no, I'm not talking about season-changing events like Winter Wrap Up and the Running of the Leaves where other ponies contribute to the process. I'm talking about an aspect of the weather that nopony really has control over. That aspect is the weather in a region known as the Frozen North.

To this day, no weather team has ever been able to control anything that goes on in the Frozen North. Why? I couldn't even begin to tell you. All I know is that there's some sort of magic mumbo jumbo involved. Honestly, you're better off asking some unicorn historian, or at least somepony who knows who Starswirl the Bearded is beyond; "Oh, yeah. The pony who told Clover the Clever about the windigos."

And speaking of windigos, that is the only form of weather in the Frozen North: Cold. It's as if the entire region is stuck in a perpetual winter. The only place there that isn't cold is the Crystal Empire, and that's because of all the Crystal Pony magic that goes on in that place. Other than that, it's just snow, snow, and more snow. I guess with a name like the Frozen North, very little is left to the imagination.

Why am I bringing this up? Well, I just wanted to give you an idea as to why Raindrops and I chose to take a train to Stalliongrad instead of flying straight there. Because nopony controls the weather in that region, it's impossible to know what days are good to fly. And I don't care how tough a pony claims to be; there is no pegasus alive who wants to be forced to fly in a blizzard.

As it turned out, taking the train was a good move on my part. Looking out the window, I could see that it was snowing, and snowing hard. Seriously, I couldn't even see the sun, and it was almost twelve hundred. Heck, if it wasn't for the sudden jerk of the train, I wouldn't have even known that we were at our destination.

"Satlliongrad station! Watch your step!" the conductor called out.

Raindrops and I had a bit of trouble disembarking. Fighting against the wind while flying is one thing, but trust me; it's much more difficult to fight against it while grounded. The snow blowing right in my face and forcing me to clench my eyes shut didn't help matters. I quickly lowered my flight goggles to compensate, but while that provided protection against the wind and snow, it didn't really improve my vision any.

"Sweet Celestia! I can't even see my hoof in front of my face!" I hollered, straining my voice over the wind. "How are we supposed to find where this Gypsy Moth pony lives?!"

"Not to worry, ma'am!" responded Raindrops. "I still remember her exact address! I can take you there, no problem!"

"Good!" I said. "I don't want us to be out here any longer than we have to be!"

"Understood, ma'am!" Raindrops called out. "Follow me!"

I then let her trot on ahead of me as I tried my best to keep pace. Yeah, easier said than done in this weather. Wonderbolt uniforms might be insulated against low temperatures, but being cold wasn't really the problem here. I could still barely make out Raindrops's form ahead of me, and the wind was working against me every step of the way. Why anypony would choose to live here is beyond my comprehension.

After a few minutes of walking, Raindrops stopped in her tracks.

"What is it, Raindrops?! Are we here?!" I asked.

Raindrops said nothing, but instead pointed to a small beacon of light above us. I looked to where she was pointing and tried desperately to make it out. After a few moments, the light seemed to get closer. And once I made out what it was, my jaw dropped.

Descending upon us was a blue unicorn with a sparkling silver mane. She appeared to be wearing a purple babushka and a dress that was incredibly tattered. She was also carrying some sort of satchel around her shoulder. Her horn pulsed with violet energy, providing some sort of bubble around herself. But that wasn't what kept her airborne. No, it was a pair of huge butterfly wings that protruded from her back, just like the ones Rarity had at the Best Young Flyer competition. I didn't know such delicate wings could even survive in this weather.

When she finally touched down, we were both inside of her magic bubble. The wind suddenly didn't feel as strong, leaving me to believe that the bubble was some kind of shield. She looked up at us with starry eyes of jade and tilted her head.

"My, my. Curiosity certainly abounds," she mused, walking up to me and looking me over like I was some sort of prized statue. "What would the captain of the Wonderbolts be doing here in the Frozen North?"

This is usually the part where I ask how she knows who I am, but let's face it. When you're captain of the Wonderbolts, you're gonna get recognized.

"I'm looking for a pony named Gypsy Moth," I said. "I was told that she lives here in Stalliongrad."

The stranger's eyes seemed to smile at me. "Your timing is most impeccable, child. Had you arrived a few hours later, Stalliongrad would've no longer been my home."

"Wait, what do you mean by that?" I asked.

"First, I think it's only proper that I introduce myself," said the stranger with a bow. "I am Gypsy Moth to my friends; the Pseudo Alicorn to my enemies. I can create anything of an arcane nature you so desire."

The Pseudo Alicorn? Geeze, and I thought the Mysterious Mare-Do-Well was a cheesy name.

"So, you were planning on moving?" asked Raindrops.

Gypsy Moth turned to Raindrops and smiled. "Ah, 'tis you. Names often escape me, but I never forget a pony who has assisted me. You are, Derpdrops, right?"

"Raindrops, Ms. Moth," Raindrops corrected. "So, why are you moving?"

"I'm always moving, Droprains," said Gypsy Moth, getting Raindrops's name wrong again. "It has been that way since I can remember." She then turned back to me. "So, if I may be so inquisitive. How may I be of assistance to you?"

Before I could answer, the magic bubble around us seemed to flicker. Gypsy Moth sighed.

"Blasted protection spell," she muttered. "I can never get those right." She then looked up at me. "We should probably continue this discussion indoors. I wouldn't want my wings to get ruined."

"Any place you have in mind?" I asked.

"My workshop should suffice," said Gypsy Moth. "I haven't started packing yet, so it should still be hospitable. Come, follow me."

With that, she took into the air. I gave Raindrops a nod, and we followed after her.

We arrived at a small cottage at the top of a hill. Once Gypsy Moth had opened the door, the smell of exotic herbs hit my nostrils. Looking around, the place seemed rather, empty. The only piece of furniture I saw was a couch off to the side and a few chairs. There was also a workbench and a forge on the far end.

"Please, make yourselves comfortable," said Gypsy Moth. "I'll fix you up some potato soup, and we can talk over luncheon."

"Um, thank you," I said, still looking around. "So, I take it you live alone, then?"

"I do, child," said Gypsy Moth, using her magic to manipulate several flasks. "It has been that way for a long time now."

"Don't you have any friends?" Raindrops asked.

Gypsy Moth paused for a moment. "I used to," she said sadly. "It's not a story you want to hear."

"That's fine. We won't ask if it makes you uncomfortable," I said. "Um, I'm just curious. Why the wings?"

"Mmm? Oh, right," said Gypsy Moth. "Well, that's part of my special talent. I am an alchemist. I can change any inanimate object into whatever I please as long as I have the right ingredients. The spell that earned me my Cutie Mark was being able to take gossamer and morning dew and turn them into temporary wings."

Wow, no wonder those things are so fragile. But, I had more important things on my mind.

"You said you travel a lot," I said. "Have you ever been to Ponyville, by any chance?"

Gypsy Moth stopped what she was doing and struck a thinking attitude. "Ponyville, Ponyville..." she said thoughtfully. "I'm afraid my mind is not what it once was, child. Is there something in Ponyville I should know about?"

"Just one thing," I said. "Have you ever heard of somepony calling herself the Mysterious Mare-Do-Well?"

Gypsy Moth's wings flittered a bit and she breathed a whimsical sigh.

"The Mysterious Mare-Do-Well," she said. "Now there's a name I haven't heard in a long time."

"You know her, then?" I asked.

"First thing first, child," said Gypsy Moth, putting down her flasks and carrying over three bowls of soup. "Here, eat. I have a bit of a tale to tell."

"Oh. Thank you," I said, accepting the bowl.

"Yeah, thanks," said Raindrops.

Gypsy Moth sat herself down as well and folded her wings. "I remember now. I have been to Ponyville. But, it has been quite a while."

"So, you were around when Mare-Do-Well was helping out the town?" asked Raindrops.

"Yes," said Gypsy Moth. "And honestly, I wish more ponies were like her."

"How did she help you?" I inquired.

"Oh, she didn't," said Gypsy Moth. "But I saw everything she did for the ponies of Ponyville. I never found out who she was, though."

I needed to change gears a bit. None of this was new to me, and I needed to know if she placed that order. "Ms. Moth, I recently became aware of the fact that an anonymous order for Mare-Do-Well's costume was placed in Ponyville."

"Really?" said Gypsy Moth. "And?"

"I think you're the one who placed that order."

Gypsy Moth gave me a quizzical look. "I haven't been to Ponyville in ages, child."

"But I recognized your hoofwriting on the order form," said Raindrops. "It's the same as when you signed for the package I delivered to you."

"Oh? Can you show me?" asked Gypsy Moth.

Raindrops flattened her ears. "No..."

"Then why should I believe you?" said Gypsy Moth with a shrug. "It's not that I doubt your integrity, Waterdroplet. You don't seem like the kind of pony who would throw accusations without precedent. I just find it hard to blindly accept mere words as truth."

I suppose there's some merit to that philosophy, but it wasn't helping my investigation any. If Gypsy Moth was going to talk, I needed to get my hooves on that order form. But in the meantime, I could at least show her something else.

"Ms. Moth, I want you to take a look at this," I said, showing her the antidote Mare-Do-Well gave me.

Gypsy Moth's wings flittered. "Just a moment. That's mine," she said.

"It is?" I said.

"Indeed. The design on the vial is unmistakable," said Gypsy Moth with a nod. "Tell me child. Where did you get that?"

Wow, way to put me on the spot. If I brought up Mare-Do-Well now, there was no way I could back up my claim that she was connected to Gypsy Moth. But by the same token, I had to make the most of this trip.

"Somepony gave it to me," I said with a shrug. "I don't remember who."

"I see. Most curious," mused Gypsy Moth.

"Um, what is it?" asked Raindrops, tilting her head.

"It's an antidote for toxic truffles," said Gypsy Moth. "It's very hard to synthesize. The ingredients can only be found in the Griffon Kingdom and the Frozen North."

"And, what about toxic truffles themselves?" I inquired.

"Oh, those are quite rare," said Gypsy Moth, placing a hoof to her chin. "They're almost impossible to find in Equestria. They're more plentiful in the Griffon Kingdom, but that isn't saying much. From what I recall, they become more common the farther east you go."

I don't know why, but something about that reminded me of that weird story High Winds told me about earlier today. The connection was tenuous, but if it existed, it could blow this mystery wide open. Hey, it was certainly better than nothing.

"Please indulge me in one last question," I said. "Where will you be heading to next?"

"I haven't quite decided yet," said Gypsy Moth. "But I am leaning towards the Crystal Empire. I need more herbs from the Griffon Kingdom, and receiving packages out here is quite inconvenient."

I looked over at Raindrops. She looked like she wanted to say something, but she held her tongue and continued eating her soup. I quickly finished my own.

"Well, thank you for the hospitality, Ms. Moth," I said. "Hopefully, we'll see each other again."

Gypsy Moth smiled. "Judging by your last question, it'll be sooner than you think."

I'm not gonna lie; the way she said that was kinda creepy. She might not be good with names, but she's a sharp one. If she was connected to any of this, I needed to work extra hard to outfox her.

Luckily, the blizzard had died down when we left Gypsy Moth's workshop. Still not willing to take any chances, Raindrops and I decided to take the train back.

"I'm sorry, ma'am," said Raindrops glumly as we flew to the train station. "I was so caught up with escorting Soarin' that I forgot to ask Twilight about the letter."

"Not your fault," I said. "Just be sure to remember next time. Oh, and try to get a copy for me if you could."

"Yes, ma'am," said Raindrops with a salute.

I nodded in response. If Gypsy Moth wanted proof, then I had to deliver. All I needed to do was wait for Raindrops to get what I required. In the meantime, however, there was a certain griffon that was overdue for some grilling back at the Academy...