//------------------------------//
// Confrontation: Kierra 
// Story: My Little Investigations: Wonderbolts Under Fire 
// by Metool Bard 
//------------------------------//


January 17, 06:59
Wonderbolt Academy
Spitfire's Office
***


After a quick breakfast, I wasted no time getting to my office to wait for Kierra.  I didn't have to wait long, as I managed to bump into her and Crescent Moon just as I was about to open the door.

"O-oh!  S-sorry, Captain," said Crescent sheepishly.

"Don't apologize, Crescent," I said with a smile. "You know how I like ponies who are punctual."

"Yes, quite," said Crescent, clearing his throat. "I'll just resume my regular duties, shall I?"

"Yeah, you go do that," I said. "Dismissed."

Crescent gave me a salute and trotted off, leaving just me and Kierra.

"You have quite the facility here, Ms. Spitfire," said Kierra as I let her into my office. "The Wonderbolts have indeed earned their prestige."

"I'm glad you enjoyed the tour," I said, walking around to my desk. "So, let's get right to it, shall we?  Tell me more about this Tengu Dynasty, and why you think they're involved in the attacks on the Griffon Kingdom and the Wonderbolts."

"This isn't merely a theory, Ms. Spitfire," Kierra said firmly. "I have proof that the tengu are indeed the cause of all our problems."

This I had to hear. "Well then, don't let me stop you," I said. "Please, proceed."

"Of course," said Kierra, clearing her throat.


***
Testimony: The Tengu Dynasty
***


"I first discovered the Tengu Dynasty a few years ago, back when I was an historian," said Kierra. "They are a race of savage beings; bipedal birds with weapons that utilize wind.  Their leader had a special fan called the Wind's Mandate, which allowed him complete dominance over the wind.  From the tactics used in the assaults on the Griffon Kingdom, I have deduced that only they can be behind this catastrophe."

There wasn't much in the way of new information from Kierra's explanation.  Practically all of this was stuff I already heard from High Winds the day before.  I had to dig a bit deeper.

"You mentioned before that the attackers are remnants of the Tengu Dynasty," I said. "What happened to them?"

"It's quite simple, really.  The Wind's Mandate was lost," said Kierra. "It disappeared during a power struggle between the emperor and his heir.  Without the Wind's Mandate to guide them, the dynasty crumbled, and the tengu scattered."

"If they scattered, then how are they the ones behind the attacks?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. "From my experience, they seem rather organized."

"I'm afraid I don't have an answer to that, Ms. Spitfire," said Kierra, furrowing her brow. "My best guess is that someone found the Wind's Mandate after all this time.  Though how is beyond me."

Well, that was a bit of a dead end.  I needed to change gears a bit.

"What motive do you think the tengu have to attack the Griffon Kingdom and the Wonderbolts?" I inquired.

Kierra's face darkened. "The tengu are a race of warmongers, Ms. Spitfire.  Even the most aggressive of griffons would call them barbarians.  The only reason they haven't attacked us before is because they spent so much time fighting amongst themselves with the wielder of the Wind's Mandate the only source of order and stability.  But now that they have fled their borders and somehow reorganized themselves, they are free to seek out new lands to conquer."

That didn't sound good.  Because Equestria is a peaceful nation, we don't typically resort to violence to deal with our adversaries.  There are exceptions to that rule, and it looked like the tengu were gonna be one of those exceptions.  But I still didn't know why Kierra was singling them out.

"You said before that you had proof that the tengu are to blame," I said. "What is this proof?"

"The method of attack, mainly," said Kierra. "Most of the attacks are wind-based.  As I have mentioned, such methods are indicative of the tengu."

"But the tengu aren't the only beings that can control the wind," I countered, adjusting my shades. "It could be a pegasus, or perhaps some magic wielder."

Kierra shook her head. "Magic is indeed involved, Ms. Spitfire.  But no pegasus can replicate the methods of the tengu.  You know what happened to Drake and your comrade Fleetfoot, right?  Only a tengu can do that."

"Even so, I think I need something more concrete," I said.

Kierra thought for a moment, and then nodded. "I know just the thing," said she. "Do you still have that cloth you showed Honor Bound?"

"Yeah," I said, taking it out of my drawer. "What about it?"

"May I see it?"

Without a word, I gave the cloth to Kierra.  She looked it over with a critical eye for a long time.  Suddenly, her eyes sparkled.

"Eureka!" she exclaimed.

"You find something?" I asked.

"This is the same silk I found in the tengu's nation back when I stumbled upon the Tengu Dynasty," Kierra explained. "We found the same cloth at the site of several of the attacks in the Griffon Kingdom.  I'm certain that this is their calling card."

That got the wheels in my head turning.

"Hold on a sec, Kierra.  I'm getting mixed signals from this," I said.

"Mixed signals?" parroted Kierra.

"These tengu have been able to avoid capture for a while," I said. "But here's my question: How?  They're leaving evidence tied directly to them at the scene of their attacks.  Wouldn't they have been figured out by now?"

Kierra sighed. "That's where I run into my problems, Ms. Spitfire.  Most griffons dismiss the tengu as a mere myth."

"Why?  You're an historian, aren't you?  You had to have written a book about them or something."

"Why do you think I ended up with the Proud Pride?" Kierra growled. "My findings made me a laughingstock of the historical community for a long time.  Everyone thought I was crazy."

"How come?"

"Bad timing on my part," said Kierra. "My findings were published just when the Tengu Dynasty dissolved.  And what's worse, they left nothing behind.  If you go to the far east today, there isn't a shred of evidence that any civilization lived there."

Oof, tough break.  Still, that didn't sound right to me.

"Sounds to me like your colleagues aren't looking in the right places," I said.

Kierra blinked. "Whatever do you mean, Ms. Spitfire?"

"I mean that I may have another clue pointing to them," I said.

Kierra leaned forward with interest. "Well, don't leave me in suspense, Ms. Spitfire.  What is this clue?"

"This right here," I said, taking out the vial of poison.

Kierra tilted her head. "Ms. Spitfire, what is that?"

"Crushed toxic truffles.  It's a deadly poison that tastes like chocolate," I said. "It's very hard to find, too."

"I'm, afraid I don't understand," said Kierra. "How does this tie in to the tengu?"

"I heard on the grape vine that the farther east you go, the more plentiful these toxic truffles are," I said. "Plus, I managed to figure out that this exact poison was used on Soarin' during the festival a couple of days ago.  Now, tell me, Kierra.  Did the tengu utilize poisons?"

"On occasion, when they didn't want to draw too much attention to..."

Kierra trailed off as a realization hit her. "Of course!  That's why they appeared to have vanished!"

"Why?"

"They took everything with them!"

I stared at Kierra blankly. "They, took everything with them?" I parroted.

"The tengu live in trees and nests like any other bird," said Kierra. "A nest would be easy to dismantle, and no one would look twice at a tree."

I suppose that made some sense.  At this point, it looks like Kierra has a plausible theory.  But we needed more than simple speculation if we were gonna convince Honor Bound and the others.

"I don't know why I didn't see this before," said Kierra. "I remember Gypsy Moth telling me all about the toxic truffles."

I did a double take. "Did you say, Gypsy Moth?"

"Yes.  Do you know her?"

"We've, met," I said. "I managed to catch her in Stalliongrad yesterday before she moved to greener pastures.  It's, unrelated to this."

Kierra frowned. "Now this is quite queer," she mused.

"What do you mean?"

"I had no idea Gypsy Moth was still alive."

I found myself utterly speechless.  Gypsy Moth was supposed to be dead?  How come that never came up when Raindrops mentioned her?  Something screwy is going on around here.

"Well, I assure you that she is indeed alive and well," I said. "But, I'm curious.  How do you know her?"

"It's a bit of a tale," said Kierra. "A sad one, at that.  Do you still wish to hear it?"

"Yes," I said automatically.  If Gypsy Moth somehow fits into all this besides being connected to Mare-Do-Well, I need to know how.


***
Testimony: About Gypsy Moth
***


"I first met Gypsy Moth just before I left to discover the Tengu Dynasty," said Kierra. "She was a traveling alchemist seeking new ingredients for her spells.  I allowed her to accompany me on my travels to the east.  It was dangerous, but we managed to protect each other with our combined knowledge.  Then, one day, we were ambushed by a clan of tengu.  I was able to fight them off, but not before they captured Gypsy Moth.  That was the last I saw of her."

So, Kierra and Gypsy Moth used to be traveling partners.  That opened the door to a whole slew of new possibilities.  I had to know more.

"Did Gypsy Moth tell you about herself at all?" I asked.

"Not much," said Kierra with a shrug. "She was just out in the world trying to make a living as an alchemist.  She said there wasn't much else to tell, and I honestly didn't see how there was.  She was quite a pleasant pony, although she kept getting my name wrong."

"She did mention something about being bad with names when I met her," I said. "So, when the tengu caught her, you thought she was dead?"

"The tengu don't take prisoners, Ms. Spitfire," said Kierra darkly. "To a tengu, a prisoner is libel to kill you when your back is turned, so it's better to kill the prisoner first."

Yikes.  That's, pretty harsh.  I'm telling you right now; there isn't a pony alive who would condone that.  I don't even think they'd resort to that in Pre-Unification times.  Heck, I think even a complete dictator like King Sombra would draw the line at killing the defenseless!

"Well, I just had lunch with her yesterday, so she obviously survived somehow," I said.

"I don't see how," said Kierra. "The tengu had to have done away with her quickly so that she wouldn't have time to strike.  There's no logical way she could be alive right now."

Except that she was.  If the tengu were as ruthless as Kierra said, then this didn't make a lick of sense.  Gypsy Moth somehow survived her encounter with the tengu.  But how?

After much pondering, I came up with an answer.  It wasn't perfect, but it was the only explanation I had.

"I think I know how Gypsy Moth survived," I said.

"You do?" asked Kierra. "How?"

"With this."

I took out the vial containing the antidote.  Kierra tilted her head.

"And, just what is that?" she inquired.

"The antidote for toxic truffles," I said. "It was synthesized by Gypsy Moth herself."

"But I don't see how..."

Kierra trailed off again, and pounded her fist into her palm.

"By the King's beak, I think you've got it!" she cheered.

"Thanks.  Um, what did I get?" I asked.

"That's the only way Gypsy Moth could've survived: By providing something the tengu needed," said Kierra. "According to my research, the tengu didn't have much in the way of medicine.  All they had were natural remedies provided by their forest home, and they felt that was enough."

"Except it clearly wasn't," I said. "Gypsy Moth told me that the antidote for toxic truffles has to be synthesized.  If a tengu was dying from that poison and Gypsy Moth managed to cure him, then they'd have no reason to kill her."

"Well, the other clans would.  But again, they were reined in by the Wind's Mandate," said Kierra. "It's possible that Gypsy Moth managed to live amongst them up to the time of the dynasty's fall."

"Or perhaps she left before then," I added. "She did say she was quite a traveler."

"Hmm, indeed," Kierra said with a nod. "I must say, Ms. Spitfire.  This discussion has been most insightful."

For her, maybe.  As for me, I was still kinda confused.  Our only concrete lead to the tengu was Gypsy Moth, and even then, it was possible that it was a red herring.  Were the tengu really to blame for these attacks?  And if so, what role did Gypsy Moth play, if she played a role at all?

My pondering was interrupted by a knock at the door.

"Who is it?" I asked.

"Crescent Moon!" came a familiar voice. "Urgent news from the control tower!"

"Come in," I said.

Crescent Moon didn't have to be told twice.  He barged right in, looking rather ragged.

"Sheesh, Crescent.  You look like crap," I said. "What's got you all worked up?"

"We received a request to land from Raindrops, Wonderbolt Cadet Second Class," said Crescent. "However, her request was blocked by Surprise, and nopony at the control tower knows why.  You have to sort this out, Captain."

Well, that's just ducky.  I guess that's the downside of keeping information classified.  There's no way the cadets at the control tower would know of Surprise's little trap.

"I'm on my way," I said. "Sorry I have to cut this short, Kierra.  But, duty calls."

"Of course, Ms. Spitfire," said Kierra. "Anything I can do in the meantime?"

"Just keep your eyes to the skies," I said. "I'd like to know when we've got something in the trap."

"Understood," said Kierra with a salute.

I let out a dry chuckle and shook my head.  If I were to guess, I think that was a subtle jab at Pierre.  I decided to let that go for now as I left my office.  I had more urgent matters to attend to.