//------------------------------//
// Confrontation: Gypsy Moth (S) 
// Story: My Little Investigations: Marehunter 
// by Metool Bard 
//------------------------------//


December 14, 15:04
Griffon Kingdom
Nemean Correctional Facility
***


As soon as the all-clear was given, the warden led us back to Gypsy Moth's cell.  Oddly enough, she didn't seem all the perturbed by anything that had just transpired.  She was just sitting down and reading a book.  The warden cleared his throat, causing her to look up.

"Ah, you're back," she said, putting her book down on her workbench. "I take it you sorted everything out with your soldier?"

"You could say that," I said with a shrug. "Now then, let's get back to business, shall we?"

"Of course, of course," said Gypsy Moth, turning to the warden. "Guard, if you'd be so kind as to leave us."

"Actually, I want him to stick around this time," I said.

Gypsy Moth's wings twitched. "Oh?  Why's that?"

"I think you know why."

"Well, assume that I don't and explain it to me."

Before I could say anything else, Blaze stepped forward.

"There was a giant storm cloud outside a few minutes ago," she stated coldly. "When we went to investigate it, something inside of it messed with our brains.  Once we snapped out of it, we barely made it out of there before the whole thing exploded.  You wouldn't happen to know anything about this, would you?"

Gypsy Moth frowned. "I thought you said you sorted things out with your soldier, child."

"I did," I said, pressing my hooves together. "And you know what?  She's absolutely right.  That's exactly what just happened to us.  Or did you not notice the entire place going into lockdown?"

"Oh, so that's what this is about," said Gypsy Moth with a nod. "I thought something was amiss.  But, what does this have to do with me, pray tell?"

"I know for a fact that exploding clouds happen to be a specialty of yours," I answered. "And I'm pretty sure whoever set that cloud up was targeting us.  One way or another, you know something about it, and I want to know what that something is."

Gypsy Moth tilted her head. "I think the answer to that is obvious, child.  I'm actually surprised you didn't figure it out yourself."

"Well, assume that I didn't and explain it to me," I said with a smirk.

Gypsy Moth clicked her tongue. "Hmm.  Touché," she conceded. "Alright, let me refresh your memory.  Remember when I said that there was no impostor, and that Mare-Do-Well is the culprit?"

"Yeah?"

"Well, just put two and two together.  She's the one who created the cloud."

"What?!  No way!"

Rainbow Dash snorted angrily and glared at Gypsy Moth.

"You can't expect us to believe that," she snarled. "Mare-Do-Well would never do that."

"You forget that I'm the one who created her," Gypsy Moth countered. "I think I'd know my creation better than somepony who has never met her before."

"No, Private Dash is correct," said Misty Fly, knitting her brow. "Assuming that what you're saying it true, you're essentially claiming that your own creation just tried to frame you for attempting to murder us.  If you're the one who created her, what sense does that make?"

"Isn't it obvious?" said Gypsy Moth with a shrug. "She's malfunctioning.  Of course her actions don't make sense."

She seems to be sticking to that story, but I dunno.  It's starting to sound like a cop-out to prevent us from prying.  Well, she's not getting rid of us that easily.

"I'm afraid you'll have to be a bit more specific, Gypsy Moth," I said plainly. "We don't know these things like you do."

Gypsy Moth sighed. "I'm disappointed in you, child.  I really thought you were smarter than this.  But, if you want an explanation, who am I to deny you?"

I'm pretty sure that was a shot, but I decided to ignore it for now.  I've noticed that she has this nasty habit of trying to bait us.  Maybe it's intentional; maybe it's not.  But whatever the case may be, I need to make sure that none of us rise to the bait.  I am not having a repeat of what happened with Blaze.


***
Argument: The Malfunctioning Mare-Do-Well
***


"A ponunculus is bound to its creator, and thus must follow any orders given to the letter," said Gypsy Moth. "As you might recall, I ordered Mare-Do-Well to destroy the Wonderbolts.  Not only did she defy me, but she actually helped you foil my plans.  Ergo, it's quite apparent to me that she's not functioning properly, and probably never was.  I don't know the exact nature of this malfunction, though.  It could very well be something no alchemist has ever come across before.  All you need to know is that she's incredibly dangerous."

Well, gee.  That explains, absolutely nothing.  She doesn't even have any form of evidence to back up her position.  On the other hoof, I have something that proves this is all a bunch of horse apples.  But I'm not ready to call her out on it just yet.  Not until I figure out if this is a lie or just a misunderstanding.

"You really think this is a malfunction?" I inquired.

"There's nothing else it could be," Gypsy Moth replied.

"But aren't you some kind of master alchemist?  Such mistakes shouldn't happen to you."

Gypsy Moth chuckled. "I'm flattered, child.  But alas, I am not perfect.  Mistakes like this are bound to happen, even to the best of us."

"Then why didn't you correct it?" asked Misty Fly. "If you make a mistake, you should take responsibility for it."

"That would require knowing what you did wrong," Gypsy Moth retorted with a sly smile. "And I'm sorry to say that I haven't an inkling of what happened that caused Mare-Do-Well to act this way."

"Not even basing her on a treasured heroine?" said Rainbow Dash, arching an eyebrow.

Gypsy Moth pouted. "Will you kindly get off that?  I may have used this 'role model' of yours as a template, but I have complete control over what she thinks and feels."

"Apparently, you don't," said Blaze with a cocky smirk. "If you did, she wouldn't have acted against you, would she?"

Gypsy Moth cleared her throat. "L-let me rephrase that: I'm supposed to have complete control over what she thinks and feels.  She never should've betrayed me.  Look, I really don't have an answer for this.  I'm just as clueless as you are."

I smirked and pressed my hooves together. "Are you really, Gypsy Moth?"

Gypsy Moth blinked. "O-of course I am.  Why wouldn't I be?"

"Answer me this.  What would you say if I told you that I know why Mare-Do-Well defied you?"

"I'd say that's impossible, child.  If an alchemist of my talent doesn't know, how could you?"

"Simple.  With a little help from an old friend."

I pulled out the notecards the Proud Pride made. "I mentioned this before, but Kierra was doing quite a bit of research when she died.  And a good chunk of that research pertains to magic."

"I still don't see what you're getting at, child," said Gypsy Moth indifferently.

"I have a quote here from a magic textbook," I said. "It's actually a very basic principle that ties into all disciplines of magic; up to and including alchemy.  Do you know what that principle is?"

"I haven't the faintest idea."

"It is, and I quote: 'If magic is used to create life, that same magic cannot be used to cause death.'"

"Ah!"

Gypsy Moth recoiled, her wings flapping furiously to help her maintain balance.

"I-inconcivable," she panted. "You're bluffing.  Y-you don't even know what that means."

"Doesn't change the fact that you do," I said smugly. "In fact, let me take a shot in the dark here.  A ponunculus is an artificial life form created by an alchemist.  The alchemist is essentially using magic to create new life.  Therefore, by this principle, a ponunculus should be unable to commit murder!"

"F-further proving my point that Mare-Do-Well is malfunctioning," Gypsy Moth sputtered, sweat trickling down her face.

"Ah, but you're forgetting that you gave her an order to kill the Wonderbolts," I said. "And since she was physically incapable of following that order, she suffered a mental shutdown to cope with the contradiction.  But that shutdown didn't erase her memory.  Her instincts told her that you had to be stopped, and that's why she came to me in the first place."

"And here I thought you were smart," Blaze snickered. "I mean, how could you forget this basic principle of magic?  Unless you gave Mare-Do-Well that order knowing full well she couldn't do it, in which case, you're even dumber."

"Sh-shut up!"

Gypsy Moth tried to charge through the anti-magic forcefield, but it quickly held her back.  The shimmering field conformed itself to her face as she gnashed her teeth at Blaze.  After a pause, she moved back into her cell and cleared her throat.

"I-I do apologize for that," she said. "I have no idea what came over me."

"Really?  'Cause to me, it looked like I hit a nerve," said Blaze teasingly.

"Don't you start," Gypsy Moth snarled.

"No, she's right," I said. "You wouldn't have even bothered to create Mare-Do-Well if you knew that it wouldn't work.  So why did you?"

"I-it was supposed to work," Gypsy Moth spat. "I-I thought I could circumvent that silly rule by basing her on a pony without any scruples.  I mean, nopony would actually save all those lives without some sort of hidden agenda."

As a pony dedicated to saving lives myself, that's a slap to the face.  And I knew I wasn't the only one who thought that.  I turned to Rainbow Dash, ready to rein her in before she lashed out.  But to my surprise, she was laughing.

"Wow.  Lieutenant Blaze is right.  You really are dumb," she sniggered.

Gypsy Moth's eyes went wide. "How dare you!  Retract yourself this instant, murderer!" she demanded.

"First of all, I've never killed anypony in my entire life, and I plan to keep it that way," said Rainbow Dash, composing herself. "Second, didn't it ever occur to you that a pony who saves lives has a little something called, oh, I don't know, a conscience?  You just blindly used Mare-Do-Well's template without fact-checking, didn't you?  That's why she dedicated herself to being a hero, not because of some stupid malfunction that you made up!"

"Y-you imbecile!" Gypsy Moth roared. "I-I just told you that her personality is under my control!"

"How are we supposed to believe that?" asked Misty Fly. "Since we got here, your entire testimony has been peppered with incendiary off-hoof comments.  You could just be lying to get Private Dash riled up."

Gypsy Moth blanched. "H-how did you...?  How could you...?  Why...?  GAH~!"

Looks like she has no rebuttal to that.  I think we're beginning to see Gypsy Moth's true colors.

"I-It's not what you think," she said nervously. "I-I didn't want to talk about my, mistakes, so I dodged the issue."

"You consider Mare-Do-Well a mistake, then?" I said.

Gypsy Moth sighed. "I, may have cut a few corners in her creation, yes.  I-I thought it would be enough to bypass that life magic rule, but apparently not."

Heh.  How ironic.  She half-assed the creation of Mare-Do-Well so that she could get an assassin, and she ended up giving her free will instead.  I'm sure any magician worth their salt would call that a groundbreaking success, not a failure.

"Anyway, that still doesn't matter," said Gypsy Moth. "I've changed my ways."

"Sure you did.  And I'm the queen of Prance," said Blaze, rolling her eyes.

"I'm being serious," Gypsy Moth huffed. "Even if there is this impostor running around, they have nothing to do with me.  I didn't make that cloud, nor did I kill Kraie or Arreik or whatever her name was."

"And I'm sure you have a good reason for us to believe you?" I said, raising an eyebrow.

Gypsy Moth snorted. "Use your head, child.  I'm powerless in here.  There's no way I could've been involved in any of this."

"I'd honestly like to believe you, Gypsy Moth," I said. "But right now, you're not giving me much of a reason to."

"Stubborn until the end, I see," Gypsy Moth sighed. "Fine, fine.  I'll indulge you.  But be forewarned; my patience has its limits."

"So does mine," I retorted, folding my forelegs.  Truth be told, I'm starting to side with Blaze here.  Gypsy Moth might say that she's changed, but she doesn't quite seem to act like it.  She's trying to cover something up, but on my honor as a Wonderbolt, I'm not gonna let her.


***
Argument: I'm Still Innocent
***


"Nemean Correctional Facility is the most high-security prison in the Griffon Kingdom," said Gypsy Moth. "I'd be a fool to try and commit any sort of crime from here.  This anti-magic field prevents me from using my magic outside of this cell, and if I so much as tried to escape, I would be caught instantly.  Kei-Rak's blood cannot be on my hooves, and that cloud you faced could not have been created by me."

Hmm.  I have enough evidence from Gilda to prove that she could conceivably be responsible for Kierra's murder, but she's probably going to dismiss that as circumstantial.  As for the cloud, well, I guess she could've used the chimney from her hearth, but I have no way to prove that, either.  For all intents and purposes, her argument's rather solid.  Damn.  What am I missing here?

"So, you think this impostor might be trying to frame you, then?" I inquired.

"Could be.  Who knows?" Gypsy Moth said with a shrug.

"But see, that makes you involved," I said. "The impostor knew we would be going after you, and they created that exploding cloud using Rage Powder to make it look like you did it."

"Well, thank you for telling me this, child," said Gypsy Moth coyly. "I honestly didn't know that before.  And if I did, you have no way to prove it."

"Tch!"

Crap.  She's right.  How would she be able to know about being framed from the confines of her cell?  Dammit, I can't back down.  That's not how the Wonderbolts roll.  Still, this is tough.  There has to be some weak point in her argument, but what is it?

"Hang on, hang on," said Blaze, raising her hoof.

Gypsy Moth deadpanned. "Oh, great.  You again," she muttered. "Child, I wish you'd keep your soldier on a shorter leash.  Her bias towards me is not helping you any."

Blaze snorted and looked at me. "C'mon, Sis.  I-it's not like that.  I-I really think I'm onto something.  Just, give me a chance.  Please."

I paused to think for a moment.  Even after our talk, it's still possible that she's not thinking straight.  But on the other hoof, she might end up being right.  Finally, I smiled.

"I think at times like this, it's best for a captain to defer to her wingpony," I said. "Go ahead, Blaze.  But this better be good."

Blaze smiled back. "You won't be disappointed, Sis," she said.  She then turned to Gypsy Moth. "I think we mentioned before that Kierra was concerned about your well-being."

"Yes, what about it?" said Gypsy Moth.

"Tell me, would you happen to know anything about the Kurama Tengu?"

Gypsy Moth's wings flittered. "I-I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Clan of tengu; used dark music magic.  None of this is ringing any bells?"

"N-no.  Should it?"

"In a word, yes," said Blaze. "Because according to Kierra's audio journal, she heard some sort of sound on the night that she died.  The sound was some kind of music.  She was worried that one of the Kurama Tengu was still around, and he was forcing you to relapse."

"Th-that doesn't mean anything," snapped Gypsy Moth. "I-it wouldn't have done him any good."

"Then how about that package you had Gilda send to Professor Kierra, huh?" said Rainbow Dash. "Or better yet, how about that chimney you've got in your cell?  We already know you have access to toxic truffles and other dangerous ingredients, and nothing's stopping you from using them."

"B-but that doesn't mean I would," said Gypsy Moth. "I-I've changed, really!  J-just believe me and leave me alone!"

Wait a minute.  I see what Blaze is getting at!  That really puts a whole new spin on things.

"You know what, Gypsy Moth?  I just figured out what you are," I said.

Gypsy Moth tilted her head. "Wh-what I am?"

"Yeah," I said, walking right up to her cell and staring her in the eye. "You're nothing but a coward."

Gypsy Moth did a double take. "Wh-what do you mean, child?"

"Simply that," I said frankly. "You're afraid of everyone around you, and you think everyone should feel the same way.  The only problem is the world doesn't work like that.  It can't work like that."

"I-I don't understand," said Gypsy Moth. "Wh-where are you going with this?"

"In a sense, what you're saying is true," I said. "You wouldn't commit these crimes of your own free will.  But what if someone put a knife to your back and forced you to do all this?  What then?"

Gypsy Moth's face lost all color. "N-no.  I-I can't say any more.  Y-you're not supposed to know.  You're not even supposed to be alive right now!"

"I do believe that qualifies as a confession," said Misty Fly. "You did set up that explosive cloud with the Rage Powder."

"Eep!"

Gypsy Moth recoiled, flapping her wings furiously to keep herself from falling over.

"You do realize this is in strict violation of the rules, Gypsy Moth," the warden snarled. "The Griffon Magistrate will hear of this."

"Tell her then!  It doesn't matter now!" Gypsy Moth shrieked. "I failed!  She's going to kill me!"

"Who's going to kill you?" asked Misty Fly.

"Nightmare-Do-Vile!"

We all blinked in confusion.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa.  Back up," said Rainbow Dash. "Who's Nightmare-Do-Vile?  And what kind of lame name is that?"

"Sh-she's another ponunculus I created back when I was the Tengu Empress," Gypsy Moth explained. "She was supposed to track down Mare-Do-Well and fix her programming so that she'd obey me.  I-I used dark magic to circumvent the life magic rule, but in doing so, I-I made her too powerful.  As such, I put her in stasis, discarded her, and proceeded with my plan to take out the Wonderbolts and sabotage the alliance between Equestria and the Griffon Kingdom."

Huh.  I was wondering why Kierra marked a passage on dark magic's effect on the psyche.  It looks like she had her doubts about Gypsy Moth's therapy having effect.  I mean, I know I'm not all that magic-savvy, but from what I hear, dark magic can really mess with a pony's head.  That's supposedly what happened to King Sombra back in the day, so I guess it's not unreasonable to think that the same happened to Gypsy Moth.

"Wait, hang on," said Blaze. "If you put her in stasis, what's she doing running around?"

"I-I don't know.  I really don't," said Gypsy Moth.  She then gave me a crooked smile. "But it doesn't matter now.  You might've gotten this information out of me, but it'll do you no good.  Nightmare-Do-Vile has already won."

I raised an eyebrow. "Excuse me?"

"She had it allll figured out, child," said Gypsy Moth, stifling a laugh. "She's done more on her own than I could've done with the entire Tengu Dynasty.  And even though I failed to dispose of you, that's just a minor setback for her."

I blinked. "Still not following you here."

"Don't you see, child?  You played right into her hooves.  All of you did.  And you know what else?"

"What?"

"You're dead!"

Gypsy Moth tossed her head back and began laughing maniacally.

"You're dead!  All of you are dead!" she cackled. "These are dead ponies I'm looking at right now!  There will be nothing left once Nightmare-Do-Vile is through with you!"

"So, you're saying this entire investigation was just a trap?" Blaze growled.

"Yes!  And my word, did you fall for it!" Gypsy Moth howled.

I know I should feel like an idiot now, but honestly, I don't think our trip here was an entire waste of time.  Even if Kierra's murder was just used as bait, she was still murdered.  And finding her murderer was just as important as finding the fake Mare-Do-Well (or, Nightmare-Do-Vile, whatever.  Geeze, Gypsy Moth is not only bad at remembering names; she's also not very good at creating them).

"Well, I think we're done here," I said. "Warden, be sure to tell the Griffon Magistrate about all of this.  Don't glance over any details.  I want to make sure Gypsy Moth gets what she deserves."

"Don't worry, Captain Spitfire.  She will," said the warden with a nod.

I nodded back and turned to Gypsy Moth. "Just so you know, I'm not afraid of this Nightmare-Do-Vile you created.  She might've been able to trick us, but she's not getting away with it.  I managed to take you down, and I'm gonna do the same with Mare-Do-Well's impostor.  Wonderbolt's honor."

"Famous last words," Gypsy Moth laughed. "You know not what you're dealing with.  But you will, child.  You will~!"

I sighed.  Part of me wants to feel bad for her, but I can't bring myself to do it.  I have no sympathy for cowards.  She could've stood up to her creation and told her to piss off, but no.  She just did what she was told.  It's the same thing that happened when she became the Tengu Empress.  Instead of changing the Tengu Dynasty for the better, she just became a tyrant to protect herself from her paranoid subjects.  She disgusts me.

"Goodbye, Gypsy Moth," I said, turning my back to her. "This will be the last time we ever see each other."

"Indeed, it will be!" Gypsy Moth hollered. "Happy dying, Captain!  Eh-hahahahahahah~!"

Her sinister laugh echoed throughout the halls of Nemean as my team and I left.

"I-I can't believe this," Rainbow Dash muttered. "W-we were duped.  All of us were duped."

"Don't be discouraged, Private Dash," said Misty Fly sagely. "None of us saw this coming.  And even so, we need to just keep flying.  Isn't that right, Spitfire?"

"Couldn't agree more, Mist," I said. "Oh, and Blaze?"

"Yeah, Sis?"

I gave her a broad smile. "That was some smart thinking back there.  I'm very proud of you."

"Told ya I wouldn't disappoint you," said Blaze, smiling back. "Th-thanks for giving me a chance."

"I wouldn't be a good captain if I didn't," I said with a wink.  I then sobered up. "Alright, Wonderbolts.  We're heading back to Canterlot, double time.  We need to get this information to Princess Twilight ASAP."

"But what about the missing evidence and stuff?" asked Blaze. "We still don't know where the tape recorder went."

"I think we can chalk that up to our impostor," I said. "Remember, she used Pan's Music Code back at the Gala.  That means she was probably the song Kierra heard before she tried to write that letter to the Griffon Magistrate.  We can also thank her for defacing the bookmark, since investigating Kierra's murder was part of her plan."

"I suppose that's as good an explanation as any," said Misty Fly. "Though I doubt the Griffon Magistrate will find any evidence to that effect."

I shrugged. "As long as Gypsy Moth has that defeatist attitude, I think it's safe to say that she's gonna tell her everything, anyway," I said. "Now then, I'm pretty sure we passed a border checkpoint on the way from Epiphany University.  We can use that to get back to Equestria, and from there, we keeping flying until we get to Canterlot.  Understood?"

"Yes, ma'am!" came a chorus of acknowledgements.

"Good.  Then let's fly!"

With that, we all took off into the air and flew as fast as our wings could carry us.  Well, that's one mystery solved.  I still can't believe the whole thing was just a ruse.  But, it does raise an important question.  What does this Nightmare-Do-Vile want with the Wonderbolts?  Gypsy Moth said she was programmed to "fix" Mare-Do-Well, so why set up this elaborate trap to kill us?  And while I'm at it, what about the other investigations?  Were they traps, too?  Brrr~.  That's not a pleasant thought.

"You alright, ma'am?"

I turned to Rainbow Dash. "Fine, private.  Just a little worried."

Rainbow Dash grinned. "Don't sweat it, ma'am.  I know my friends.  They're tough ponies.  If we got out of our mess, I'm sure they did, too."

I snickered despite myself.  I'm actually inclined to agree, if only because I know that Vinyl and Octavia wouldn't take this kind of crap lying down.  I can't really speak for everypony on this mission, though.  Man, I really hope they're okay, wherever they are...