My Little Investigations: Wonderbolts Under Fire

by Metool Bard

Confrontation: Gustav le Grand

January 15, 13:31
Ponyville
Hospital
***

Time seemed to slow down to a crawl as I sat in the waiting room and awaited the doctor's diagnosis on Soarin's condition. Normally, I'd be pacing back and forth and wearing a groove in the floor, but I just didn't have the energy. My mind was still reeling from what had happened, and I was still in the middle of processing everything.

After what felt like an eternity, Nurse Redheart walked in. She had a very serious look on her face. My heart sank. That couldn't mean anything good.

"Ms. Spitfire? Dr. Horse wishes to see you in his office," said Nurse Redheart. "It's important."

I sighed. Might as well get it over with. Without a word, I got up and followed Nurse Redheart.

***

Seeing the doctor in his office didn't exactly rekindle my hopes. He too looked rather grave and serious.

"Please, sit down, Ms. Spitfire," he said.

I did as he asked and let out another sigh.

"Alright, Doc. Gimmie the bad news. I can take it," I said.

"I think I'd better give you the good news first," said Dr. Horse. "Soarin' is going to be just fine. He just needs to rest here for the day, and he'll be right as rain by tomorrow morning."

It took a while for the doctor's words to sink in, but once they did, my heart felt a lot lighter. A ghost of a smile crossed my face as I breathed a huge sigh of relief.

"I'm, very happy to hear that," I said. "So, what was the problem?"

"That's the bad news," Dr. Horse said darkly. "It's actually a miracle that Soarin' is alive right now. According to the tests, we discovered traces of some sort of unknown chemical in his body. We have reason to believe that it's some sort of poison."

I bit my lip. That right there confirmed my underlying suspicions: The assassin dock-hole had struck again. And this time, he managed to sink even lower than before. I was certain that he intended for me to accuse Gustav le Grand and create political controversy. Well, I wasn't gonna play his game.

"Thank you for the report, Doc," I said, getting up from my seat. "Let me know if anything changes."

"Will do, Ms. Spitfire," said Dr. Horse with a nod. "I assure you; Soarin' is in very capable hooves."

I nodded in return and began the walk back to Sugarcube Corner. I needed more information, and I knew just who to go to in order to get it...

***
January 15, 13:55
Ponyville
Sugarcube Corner
***

When I got back, it appeared that somepony beat me to the punch. Or, at least I think so. Pinkie Pie was looking over all of the tarts with a critical eye. For reasons beyond my comprehension, she held a magnifying glass, wore a weird-looking hat on her head, and was blowing on a bubble pipe.

"This is certainly a puzzler, Faithful Assistant. We've only got one clue and no suspects," she said.

"Very curious indeed," mused Surprise, who was wearing a bowler hat (don't ask me why). "Do you think we should start interviewing the witnesses, Detective?"

"That might be a bit of a problem," said Pinkie. "The only ones in the kitchen were you, me, and Gustav. None of us have any motive to taint the tarts."

"On that, we can agree, Mademoiselle Pinkie," said Gustav with a huff. "I have far too much respect for my craft to even attempt such an unsavory act."

"I find myself in agreement, Mr. le Grand," I said, making my way into the conversation. "Which is why I'd like to ask you a few questions."

"Oh! I didn't know you wanted to help, too," said Pinkie. "Here, hold on."

Without warning, she placed the odd hat on my head and the bubble pipe in my hoof. I could hear Blaze snickering in the crowd. I don't know if it was because this wasn't a good look for me, or due to the fact that she knew I was being forced to play detective to save my team. Either way, I was not amused.

"Laugh it up, Blaze," I muttered, rolling my eyes. I then turned back to Gustav. "As I was saying, Mr. le Grand. I want to know a few things about this Full Spectrum Tarts masterpiece you worked on."

Gustav raised an eyebrow. "Why do you wish to know, Mademoiselle Spitfire?" he inquired.

"Call it mare's intuition, but I think whoever did this was trying to frame you," I said. "I'm not buying it for a second, so that means you have nothing to hide from me or anyone else."

Gustav twirled his mustache in thought. "I see your point, mademoiselle," said he. "Alright, I'll tell you what I can. But I don't know how much help it'll be."

"Let me be the judge of that, Mr. le Grand," I said.

***
Testimony: Full Spectrum Tarts
***

"I made the Full Spectrum Tarts with the intention of commemorating this event," said Gustav. "Just like le Ghastly Gorge Gauntlet symbolizes the unity between ponies and griffons, so too does this masterpiece I worked on with Mademoiselle Pinkie Pie. What's more, we were the only ones handling the tarts. Neither of us have a reason to poison them."

Hearing Gustav's testimony, I couldn't help but think the assassin was getting more and more sloppy with every attempt. Not only was Soarin' going to recover, but no one was buying his attempt to pin the crime on Gustav. There had to be more to this.

"Are you sure they were poisoned?" I asked.

"That's the only explanation," said Gustav with a nod. "I take my work very seriously. Ask any pony or griffon in Equestria. I have never made a bad dish."

Considering that I had sampled his work, I was inclined to believe him. However, that brought up an interesting point.

"Surprise?"

"Yes, Cap?"

"Did anyone else get sick while I was gone?"

"Nope-a-reeno," said Surprise, shaking her head. "Pinkie and I already thought of that, but everyone else seems to be hunky-dory."

I furrowed my brow. "That means that only one tart out of the whole spectrum was poisoned," I said. "That, seems very sloppy."

"Sloppy?" asked Gustav.

"It's very likely that the poisoned tart would never have been eaten," I explained. "It was just pure luck that Soarin' managed to find it. And while I'm at it, that tart could've been eaten by anyone."

"I'm confuzzled," said Surprise. "What exactly does that mean, Cap?"

"I can't say this with full certainty, but I think whoever poisoned that tart was aiming to hurt one of the Wonderbolts."

There was a collective gasp.

"Hurt the Wonderbolts?! But who would want to do that?!" exclaimed Pinkie.

"Not Mr. le Grand, that's for sure," I said. "He's already a staunch supporter of Ambassador Honor Bound's attempts to strengthen pony-griffon relations. This assassination attempt could very well have thrown a wrench into the Ambassador's plans."

"Sacre bleu, you are right!" Gustav gasped. He seemed absolutely horrified by the prospect, further proving my point.

"Wow. Lucky we didn't jump to conclusions this time," said Pinkie.

"But it still leaves us with an important question," I said. "Who would have a motive to hurt the Wonderbolts and have access to the tarts?"

Gustav snorted. "Mademoiselle Spitfire, I think I might know."

"Hmm?"

"I know who might have a motive," said Gustav gravely. "My brother, Pierre."

Okay, I did not see that coming.

"Gustav, how dare you!" Pierre roared, flying right into his brother's face. Gustav was not intimidated in the slightest.

"You don't think I know my own brother?" he said sternly. "I have plenty of good reasons for this accusation."

"If that's so, I think we should hear them," I said. This, was going to get rather sticky. If the captain of the Proud Pride had a reason to do away with the Wonderbolts, what did that mean for the Ghastly Gorge Gauntlet?

***
Argument: Pierre's Motive
***

"The Le Grand family has always been a family of fierce competitors." said Gustav. "Pierre here is no exception. But unlike me, he has no control over his competitive spirit. He believes that all's fair in love and war, and he'll do anything to claim victory."

That threw me for a loop. If what Gustav said was true, Pierre wouldn't last a day in the Wonderbolts. Whose bright idea was it to make him captain?

"Are you absolutely certain about that, Mr. le Grand?" I inquired. "That's a very bold accusation, especially since it's against your brother."

"I will confess: I've never seen him go this far," said Gustav, giving Pierre the evil eye.

"Then, why accuse him?"

"Because the only thing on his mind is defeating you, mademoiselle," said Gustav plainly. "It's all he's ever talked about ever since le Proud Pride was formed. Never mind what this means for the griffons of Equestria; he just wants to prove that he's better."

"That doesn't mean I'd poison them!" Pierre snarled.

Something clicked in my mind. Maybe the assassin wasn't as sloppy as I thought.

"Hold everything, both of you," I said sternly. "I think this is what the assassin behind this wants."

Gustav tilted his head. "What? But I thought he was trying to frame me."

"So did I," I said. "But consider this. Which patsy would cause more political damage? A simple pastry chef, or the representative of the best fliers in the Griffon Kingdom?"

"Sacre bleu! How could I have been so blind?!"

Gustav recoiled in horror. He seemed to understand what I was getting at.

"Plus, there's a major problem with your accusation," I said. "As I said before, that tart could've been eaten by anyone. That includes the Proud Pride. Heck, Captain le Grand could've eaten it himself. There was no sure way to get that particular tart to its desired target."

"Unless this kind of political controversy is what the assassin was aiming for. Mademoiselle Spitfire, you are a genius!" exclaimed Gustav.

"Hmmph. That doesn't explain who poisoned the tart," Pierre said with a snort.

"Hey, I just defended you from your brother's accusation. Show some gratitude," I said, more than a bit insulted. "Anyway, I'll try to figure this out. No one hurts my team and gets away with it."

"Then I wish you the best of luck, Mademoiselle," said Gustav with a bow. "And Pierre, I do apologize for my rude accusation. Nevertheless, you'd best curb your attitude. You were put in charge of the Proud Pride for a reason."

Pierre grunted in response. Something told me that he wasn't going to take that to heart. Oh joy.

"That was some pretty impressive deduction, Detective Cap," said Surprise.

"Yeah! You sounded like you were really on top of things," Pinkie chimed in.

I sighed. Even if I was on top of thing, I still had no idea who the assassin was. The only clue I got from any of this was that he was trying to unravel what Honor Bound had established. At least I think. There was no way to know for sure.

"Ma'am?"

I looked up and saw Rainbow Dash walking in with the other cadets. None of them looked particularly happy.

"We're sorry things had to go wrong," said Raindrops glumly. "We really put a lot of work into this festival, and..."

"And I appreciate that," I said, cutting across her. "Even if things didn't go as planned, we still enjoyed ourselves. And besides, Soarin' is gonna be back to his old self in the morning."

I then smiled. "Which is why I have a special mission for you five."

They all looked up. "Special mission?" asked Rainbow Dash.

"I want you five to personally escort Soarin' back to the Academy tomorrow morning."

Rainbow Dash beamed. "Yes, ma'am! Consider it done, ma'am!" she said with a salute.

"Um, yeah. Sure," said Raindrops with a salute of her own.

"Got it, ma'am!"

"Will do, ma'am!"

"YEAH!"

"Good," I said, returning the salute. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'd say it's time the rest of us returned to base."

With that, I began rounding up my team. You're probably wondering why I gave the cadets this mission. Well, a few reasons. First, it was a cautionary measure. Soarin' could still be targeted by the assassin, and no way was I leaving anypony alone. Second, I didn't want the cadets to blame themselves for anything. They and everyone else involved put together a great festival. It was the assassin's fault for messing things up, not theirs.

Third, and most importantly, I needed to talk to Raindrops. She was helping Twilight with her investigation somehow, and I needed to know how.

In the meantime, though, I needed to tie up some more loose ends when I got back. The festival gave me a lot to think about, and I wasn't about to just sit on my dock and just wait for things to happen.

Comments

[Godiswithus3]

Hmm. Since Gustav, Pinkie and later Surprise had handled the tarts the whole time until the unvieling, I then conclude the assassin injected the poison afterwards and was hiding in plain sight. It has to be one of the Proud Pride members. Not Pierre, Spitfire has taken him off of the suspects list. Unless new evidence contradicts that.

There is only one less in in Ponyville. a full doctor's report on Soarin. Hopefully they will have identified the chemical that has poisoned the poor stallion. Other than that, the trail stops in Ponyville, unless I totally missed something.

The only trail left open is the red cloth, which I'm disappointed that Spitfire did not take advantage of this when she had the opportunity.

[KiaraGate]

Is Raindrops Mare Do Well? Only time will tell.

[SilverDiamond]

Yeah... Spitfire COULD have tapped Rarity for cloth. Missed the boat on that one. As it stands, I don't really like this story. So far we have NOTHING.

Scrap of cloth - no info.
Shocked pony - thunder cloud - weather manipulation - pegasus/alicorn
Sliced pony - griffon/weapon(ANY flying being)
Fallen pony/framed pony - magic user - unicorn/alicorn
Posioned pony - literally ANYONE present there at the time. You don't have to be a cook/baker to inject a single dish with poisonous substance.