• Published 26th Apr 2013
  • 3,622 Views, 178 Comments

My Little Investigations: Wonderbolts Under Fire - Metool Bard



Someone wants me and my team dead. At least, that's what this weirdo in a costume tells me.

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Confrontation: Fleetfoot

When I had arrived on the scene, there were medical personnel already attending to Rapidfire while the other Wonderbolts flying in the Derby were muttering amongst themselves. I made a beeline to Fleetfoot and cleared my throat. Once my presence was known, all of the other Wonderbolts moved away.

"You'd better have a damn good explanation for this, Fleetfoot," I said sternly.

Fleetfoot swallowed, but stood her ground. "I-it wassn't my fault, ma'am! It wass an acccident!" she exclaimed.

I lowered my shades. "I'm having a hard time believing that, Fleet. You know this track like the back of your hoof. How could you just 'accidentally' ram Rapidfire like that?"

"I-I sswear, ma'am! I didn't mean to hurt him!" Fleetfoot insisted. "Wonderbolt'ss honor!"

I gave Fleetfoot a stern glare and got right in her face. "You know what'll happen if I find out that you're lying to me, right?"

Fleetfoot gulped again. "Y-yess, ma'am."

"Good," I said, backing up and readjusting my shades. "So with that in mind, I want you to tell me exactly what happened back there."

"Y-yess, ma'am," said Fleetfoot with a salute.

It was hard to tell what she was thinking from the way she was acting. I don't know if she was actually feeling guilty, or if she was just afraid of me. I figured that once I heard her story, I'd find out soon enough.

***
Testimony: What Happened
***

"It wass the lasst lap of the racce, and Rapidfire and I were neck-and-neck," said Fleetfoot. "I have to admit; he wass putting up a good fight thiss time. But no way wass I gonna let him beat me. So I wass jusst about to passs him when ssuddenly, I encountered ssome odd wind ressisstancce. I acccelerated to compenssate, but as ssoon as I did, the wind died down and I went barreling into Rapidfire. That'ss the honesst truth, ma'am."

I placed a hoof to my chin. Fleetfoot's story didn't really seem to make sense on the surface. But I know Fleetfoot. She may be cocky and competitive, but she's not a liar. I needed to ask her a few more questions.

"Let's back up a bit," I said. "You mentioned something about wind resistance, right?"

"Yess, ma'am," said Fleetfoot.

"Describe it for me."

Fleetfoot rubbed the side of her head. "Not quite sure how to do that, ma'am. It wass like nothing I had ever come acrosss."

"Try," I said, folding my forelegs.

"R-right, sure," said Fleetfoot, pausing to think for a moment. "Well, it was a sstrong gale. Almosst like ssomething you'd find in a tornado. Whatever it wass, it wass powerful enough to sslow me down."

"And then when you accelerated to compensate, it just disappeared."

It was hard to tell because of the opaque goggles she wore, but I could guess that Fleetfoot knew that her story sounded ridiculous. "B-believe me, ma'am. I-I don't get it, either. B-but that'ss what happened," she said.

"Hmm," I said, knitting my brow. "What about Rapidfire? Did he feel this wind resistance, too?"

Fleetfoot tilted her head. "Why would he? He wass pulling ahead of me."

I sighed and shook my head. "Fleet, you're not helping your case any. I know your speed is something you take pride in, but are you honestly going to make up a story just to save your ego?"

"This issn't about ssaving my ego!" Fleetfoot blurted out before realizing who she was talking to. "I-I mean, you know me, ma'am. I like nicce, clean raccess. I'd never do ssomething like this on purposse."

I decided to let the outburst go. I had bigger clouds to clear, after all.

"Well, let me ask you this," I said. "You were the only one feeling this, gale, as you called it, right?"

"That'ss correct, ma'am," said Fleetfoot with a nod.

"That would have to be a pretty small gale if it only affected you," I said. "I think we both know that wind doesn't normally act like that."

"I know, ma'am," said Fleetfoot, sheepishly rubbing her foreleg and casting her gaze downward. "B-but that'ss what I felt. Honesst. I wass trying to passs Rapidfire, not hurt him."

I felt like I was on a merry-go-round. I kept trying to press Fleetfoot for new facts, and she just kept looping back to her lack of motive and sticking to her bizarre story. There had to be some way to break this pattern and stop flying around in circles.

Wait. Flying around in circles. That's it!

"Fleet, something has just occurred to me," I said, putting away my shades. "The way I see it, this accident shouldn't have happened."

"Wh-what? What do you mean?" asked Fleetfoot.

"As I mentioned before, you know this track like the back of your hoof," I explained. "As such, you know that it goes in a circle. Now, I was watching from Fancy Pants's private box. When you rammed Rapidfire, it was while he was making a turn. And yet you plowed ahead in a straight line. Why didn't you turn?"

Fleetfoot appeared flummoxed. "I-I don't know, ma'am..."

"Oh, you don't know, huh?" I said, narrowing my eyes and staring down at Fleetfoot. "You're gonna have to do a heckova lot better than that, Fleet. Otherwise, I think there are some potatoes in the Academy kitchen with your name on them."

"NO! IN THE NAME OF CCELESSTIA, ANYTHING BUT THAT!"

Fleetfoot recoiled from my threat. She hates being put on KP; more so than any of the other Wonderbolts. Now that she knew the stakes, I was certain that she'd be more willing to cooperate.

"Like I said, you're gonna have to give me a better explanation," I said. "What happened on that track?"

"I-I sswear, ma'am! It wass that sstupid gale!" stammered Fleetfoot.

I raised an eyebrow. "I thought the gale only slowed you down."

"W-well, it did," said Fleetfoot. "B-but I jusst remembered ssomething elsse about it. Pleasse, let me exsplain."

I snorted and put my shades back on. "Alright, Fleet. I'm listening. But this had better be good."

"O-of coursse, ma'am," said Fleetfoot.

If she was sticking to her gale story, there had to be a reason why. Either it was true, or Fleetfoot was just talking out her dock. In my mind, neither of those scenarios made a lick of sense. But, there was a chance that could change.

***
Testimony: The Gale
***

"The gale didn't jusst come from one direction, ma'am," said Fleetfoot. "It, ssort of ssurrounded me from all ssides. And when I acccelerated, the wind behind me got sstronger and I couldn't turn. I know that doessn't make ssensse, but I can't find any other way to exsplain it."

That last part convinced me that Fleetfoot was on the level. She didn't believe her own story, but she insisted that it happened. That led me to believe that there was something else at work here.

"So, this gale of wind surrounded you, and yet you were still able to move," I said.

"Yeah," said Fleetfoot with a nod. "At leasst, that'ss how my body felt. It wass like the wind wass targeting me for ssome reasson."

Another light bulb went off in my head. "Fleetfoot, repeat that."

"What? The wind targeting me?"

"Yes, that," I said. "That right there might just prove your innocence."

Fleetfoot breathed a huge sigh of relief. "Thank goodnesss. I almosst thought you didn't believe me," she said.

"Don't celebrate yet, Fleet," I said tersely. "Because this still doesn't make sense."

"How sso?" inquired Fleetfoot.

"Remember the airship that attacked us yesterday?" I said. "I think whoever was behind that tried to sabotage this race."

Fleetfoot gasped. "What?! Ssabotage a racce?! Ooh, jusst wait until I get my hoovess on whoever..."

"Stand down, Fleetfoot," I ordered. "I'm not done yet."

"O-oh, right," said Fleetfoot, clearing her throat. "P-pleasse continue, ma'am."

I nodded and adjusted my shades. "Without going into too much detail, I believe that Rapidfire was supposed to die from this, and whoever wanted to off him planned on framing you."

Fleetfoot lowered her flight goggles and gave me a blank stare. "I'm, not following you, ma'am. Why would ssomeone want to kill Rapidfire and frame me?"

"I wish I knew," I said with a sigh. "Anyway, I'll figure this out. You're off the hook for now, Fleet."

"Thank you, ma'am," said Fleetfoot with a salute.

I returned her salute and went over to the medics. "What's Rapidfire's condition?" I asked.

"He just had a minor concussion," said one of the medics. "He should be fine by tomorrow."

"Good to hear," I said with a nod. Although this was great news, it just served to baffle me further. If this was the work of the assassin again, he really sucked at his job. None of the ponies he attacked were dead, or even crippled. Misty Fly had it the worse, and she just needed some time in bed. What was the point of trying to kill my team if this dock-hole wasn't going to, you know, kill my team?

Despite that conundrum, this attack did give me some more information. Whoever this guy was, he could apparently control the weather. Or at least, he could make thunderclouds that exploded (still can't get over that, by the way) and change the direction of the wind. Yeah, that wasn't really a good lead. Heck, after my chat with Honor Bound, I was sure that I'd get more answers out of the cloth.

I flew back to Fancy Pants's private box to say my farewells before heading back to the Academy. Maybe Blaze had something to say about all this. But knowing my luck with this stupid mystery, that was wishful thinking.

Author's Note:

((OOC: For those who are curious, I envision this to be Spitfire's Objection theme. :rainbowdetermined2: ))