My Little Investigations: Wonderbolts Under Fire

by Metool Bard

Myriad Mysteries

January 12, 18:04
Wonderbolt Academy
Main Barracks
***

When I got to the barracks, I could already hear the other Wonderbolts talking amongst themselves over the sound of running water. I wasn't paying all that much attention to what they were saying, but it sounded like they were concerned about me and Misty Fly. I allowed myself to shed a single tear as a soft smile crossed my face. That's another thing I love about my team. Despite our differences, we try to look out for one another.

I got out of my uniform and entered the mares' shower room. As if by magic, the muttering stopped. Even Surprise clammed up, and trust me, that's rare for her. I guess none of them really knew what to say to me. That or they wanted to give me my space and let me sort out my thoughts. Either way, I was grateful. I wasn't really in the mood for talking, anyway.

I stepped into the nearest stall, turned on the water, and let the cold spray hit my face. Slowly, I began to clear the fog around my mind and piece together what had transpired.

Now, before you ask, I did not blame myself. Yeah, I daydreamed during practice, but that's because I knew the course so well. Which is why I knew for a fact that the thunderbolt that hit Misty Fly was out of place. Otherwise, Misty Fly would've dodged it no problem. Or at least, she wouldn't be in such critical condition.

Did Crescent Moon make a mistake setting up the course? No, that couldn't be it. Crescent is many things, but one thing he's not is careless. Besides, we passed that same spot at least five times during our run-through, and only on the sixth lap did that thundercloud decide to release its payload. As an expert weathermare, I can tell you that thunderclouds don't work like that. In order for that to happen, somepony had to be operating the cloud manually.

As soon as that thought entered my mind, the gears in my head went into overdrive. The more I thought about it, the more apparent it became that this wasn't an accident. Someone tried to punch Misty Fly's ticket. The very notion brought my blood to a boil. I didn't feel like crying anymore. I felt like hitting something repeatedly. Preferably the schmuck who thought attacking my team was a good idea.

But, that brought me to another problem. There were only twelve pegasi in the sky at the time, and those twelve were me and the rest of the Wonderbolts. It couldn't have been one of the others; we have more respect for each other than that. Did one of them see something and not tell me? If so, why didn't they? And if not, where the bucking hay did that thunderbolt come from?!

With a scream of frustration, I punched the wall with all my might. For the longest time, the only sounds I heard were the water from the showers and my own heavy breathing. I stood there, staring down the drain as I let my rage dissipate. Throwing a tantrum wasn't going to solve anything. I knew that better than anypony. But sometimes, even I can't be the level-headed captain who's always in control no matter what life throws her way.

"Need a hug, Cap?"

I didn't even turn to address Surprise. I knew she meant well, but she also had no tact whatsoever. One of these days, she's gonna end up picking her teeth up off of the floor.

"I don't think that's going to help, Surprise," I muttered.

"Mmm. Well, let me know if you change your mind," said Surprise.

"Yeah, sure," I said. "Oh, and Surprise?"

"Yeah?"

"Tell the others to go to the mess hall without me. I'll catch up later."

"You got it, Cap."

I then heard Surprise's hoofsteps as she left the shower room. With a sigh, I turned off the water and got into my bathrobe. I decided to wait around for Crescent Moon's report before hitting the mess hall myself.

I didn't have to wait long. As soon as I got out of the shower room, Crescent Moon was right there, waiting for me. His cheeks turned a rosy pink.

"Um, uh... I-is this a bad time?" he asked nervously.

I shook my head. "Don't worry about it, Crescent. Just give me your report."

Crescent swallowed. "I'm afraid I have bad news, Captain. I checked the obstacle course at least seven times. Nothing was wrong."

I bit my lip, resisting the urge to chew Crescent out for this. After all, it wasn't really his fault. I took a deep breath to compose myself before addressing him again.

"Well, keep at it," I said. "Also, how's Misty Fly doing?"

"The doctors are taking a look at her right now," said Crescent somberly. "They said they'll have a full diagnosis in the morning."

"She isn't giving them too much trouble, is she?"

"When I last saw her, she was resting comfortably."

"Well, at least that's something," I said with a sigh. "Let me know about her condition as soon as you can."

"Will do," said Crescent. "Oh, and one more thing. Whiplash found this attached to Misty Fly's uniform. He said you might want to know about it."

He held out his hoof, showing a little note attached to a pin. Raising an eyebrow, I snatched it up and read it to myself.

Meet me in your office at midnight tonight. We have much to discuss.

~A fan

Well, that didn't help. If anything, it made me more confused. And believe me, more confusion was the last thing I needed.

"Everything alright, Captain?" asked Crescent.

I gave Crescent a deadpan look. Soarin' I could understand, but Crescent isn't this oblivious. I think he knew that as well, because I could see the embarrassment on his face.

"R-right. Stupid question. Sorry," he said sheepishly. "I-I'll just get back to work."

With a quick salute, he left in quite a hurry. I sighed and shook my head. I didn't like any of this one bit, and I had a bad feeling in my gut that it was only gonna get worse.

***
January 12, 23:55
***

As you could imagine, I couldn't sleep a wink that night. I had so many thoughts running through my head that I couldn't relax. After just lying in my bunk for a while, I looked at the clock. It was almost midnight. I shrugged and quietly got out of bed. I figured as long as I couldn't sleep, I might as well see who this fan was and what they wanted.

When I got to my office, I noticed that the door was already ajar. That didn't bode well. Crescent usually locks up my office before Lights Out. Cautiously, I peeked into the room. My eyes went wide when I saw somepony sitting at my desk. Throwing caution to the wind, I slammed the door open and burst in.

"And just what do you think you're doing?" I said with an angry snort.

The pony turned to me and slowly emerged from the shadows. I recognized who it was, but I didn't know what to make of it. It was that oddball pony that saved Misty Fly's life.

"You're early," said the pony in a dull whisper. Judging by the pitch, I felt it was safe to assume that she was female. However, it was nopony that I recognized off-hoof.

"Don't dodge the question, pal," I said sternly. "How did you get in here?"

The weirdo shook her head. "Tsk tsk. Poor Ms. Spitfire. Are you really going to get hung up on something as trivial as that?"

"Since when is breaking and entering not trivial?" I retorted, putting my hooves on my hips.

"Considering that I saved your comrade's life, I thought you would be grateful," said the weirdo with a shrug.

I was not in the mood for this. "Is that what you came in here for? A medal? I had the situation under control, you know. I didn't need your help."

"Oh, medals are not for me, Ms. Spitfire," said the weirdo with a dismissive wave of her hoof. "I prefer to let my actions speak for themselves."

"If that's the case, your actions are speaking in gibberish," I growled. "Stop beating around the bush and get to the point. What do you want?"

"Simply to talk," said the weirdo.

"Alright then. Start talking," I said, folding my forelegs. "First, tell me who you are."

"I suppose that's acceptable," said the weirdo. She then got up and walked around the desk, stopping in the middle of the room to take off her hat and bow to me.

"My true name is a secret that I will take to my grave," said she. "But you may refer to me as the Mysterious Mare-Do-Well."

Yeah, that didn't sound corny or anything.

"Alright, Ms. Mare-Do-Well. What's your game?" I asked.

"It's no game, Ms. Spitfire. Of that, I can assure you," said Mare-Do-Well, sounding a bit offended. "I am a vigilante by trade. Whenever a pony needs my help, I answer their call."

"How very noble of you," I said dryly. "So, you just saved Misty Fly out of the goodness of your heart, is that it?"

"Sharp as a tack, Ms. Spitfire. I'd expect nothing less," said Mare-Do-Well. She might've been mocking me, but it was very hard to tell.

"Alright then, answer me this," I said. "How did you know that Misty Fly would be attacked?"

There was a pause. I don't know why, but the room suddenly felt a lot colder.

"I come to you with a warning, Ms. Spitfire," Mare-Do-Well said darkly. "This attack is but the first of many."

I wasn't sure if I heard that right. At least, that's what I told myself. "Excuse me?"

"Someone aims to kill you and the Wonderbolts, Ms. Spitfire," said Mare-Do-Well. "And the only way to save your team is to find the one who would want such a thing."

"Easier said than done," I said. "The Wonderbolts are a household name. I can't think of anypony who'd want to hurt us."

"Notice that I never said 'pony,' Ms. Spitfire," said Mare-Do-Well tersely.

"Oh, well that narrows it down then," I said sardonically.

"Your sarcasm is noted," said Mare-Do-Well, obscuring her eyes with her hat. "Nevertheless, I ask that you take this seriously. You care about your team, don't you?"

"More than anything," I said without missing a beat.

"Then perhaps you can channel your energy into solving this mystery, hmm?"

This mare was unbelievable. I couldn't even begin to imagine why she'd ask this of me.

"Listen, whoever you are. I'd do anything for my team, but what you're asking of me isn't really my forte," I said as plainly as I could. "I'm not a sleuth."

"Why should that matter?" inquired Mare-Do-Well. "We both know you don't want these attacks to continue, and there's only so much I can do to protect you and your team. If you want this to stop, you have to reach out of your comfort zone a bit."

"Hey, here's an idea. If you know so much about this, why don't you do the legwork and catch this dock-hole yourself?" I asked.

"If I could do that, we wouldn't be having this conversation, Ms. Spitfire," said Mare-Do-Well with a shrug. "I'll do what I can to help, but catching this 'dock-hole,' as you put it, is up to you."

"Okay then. Give me one good reason as to why I should trust you," I said, starting to lose my patience. "Because as of right now, your credibility is very suspect. I don't even know who you are, for crying out loud!"

"You're not supposed to," said Mare-Do-Well, lowering her hat over her eyes again. "However, as proof of my integrity, I shall give you a clue to help you get started."

With that, she reached into her cape and threw something at me. Instinctively, I caught the object with my hoof. When I got a good look at it, I saw that it was a piece of cloth. It was bright crimson with a golden border, and it felt very much like silk. I stared at the fabric blankly.

"Really? This is supposed to be my first clue?" I griped. "What the heck am I supposed to do with—?"

When I raised my head, I found that I was talking to myself. The window was wide open, and Mare-Do-Well was nowhere to be seen. The only thing left of her was her hat with a note pinned to it.

I know you'll make the right decision, Ms. Spitfire. I look forward to our next encounter. Pleasant dreams.

~Mare-Do-Well

Right then and there, I decided that this Mysterious Mare-Do-Well character was a bit of a cunt. I apologize for the language, but really, can you blame me? This oddball just showed up out of nowhere and expected me to play detective in order to save my team. What the heck was I supposed to think of her? I stared at the note for a while, and then back at the "clue" Mare-Do-Well gave me. I sighed.

"'Pleasant dreams,' she says. That's a laugh," I scoffed bitterly. "As if I'm gonna get any sleep now..."

Comments

[BRD]

Just a wild guess, but I think that Mare-Do-Well is The Doctor. (Doctor Whooves)

[Metool Bard]

2497043 I can kinda see why you'd think that (although to be honest, that was completely unintentional). Whether you're right or not, however, is yet to be seen.

[Justice flight]

This is epic
Mare do well has to be a Pegasus or a powerful unicorn who can cast a spell to walk on clouds and a wing spell so due to the fact butterfly wings weren't described its probably a Pegasus .so mdw is RD flutters or derpy?

[Metool Bard]

2498159 Perhaps. But then again, perhaps not. Only time will tell.

Out of curiosity, why do you think it's one of those three?

[Justice flight]

2498225 well they are the only ones witH access to the costume with fluttershy having her own and rainbow could probably get fluttershy to lend her it for some event then say she lost it in order to keep it and derpy is ......... Well derpy

[Journeyman]

Mare-Do-Well may not be the pony the Wonderbolts deserve, but certainly the one they need.

[ultra8]

And so the mystery/fun begins.
A really nice start and set up, also like how you've fleshed out the other Wonderbolts. They sound like they'll be some fun personalities.

[MariusIoannesP]

"Really? This is supposed to be my first clue?" I griped. "What the heck am I supposed to do with-?"
When I raised my head, I found that I was talking to myself. The window was wide open, and Mare-Do-Well was nowhere to be seen.

This Mare-Do-Well is just like Batman!

[MariusIoannesP]

2512815 Just like Batman.

[Cobalt Shock]

2512815 Why am I getting a Nanny McPhee vibe from this?
Mare-do-well: "If you need me, but do not want me, then I must stay. But if you want me, but no longer need me, then I must go."

[tomboy athlete02]

It's the CMC!!!!! DUN DUN DUUUUUUUUUÙNNNNÑN!!!!!

[Godiswithus3]

Well, I can see why she is called the mysterious mare-do-well. She carries a sense of enigma around her, not explaining how she knows about the plot and where she got the "clue" from. I don't blame Spitfire for her attitude towards the costume fella. The latter is not being one hundred percent forthcoming. *sigh*

Well. If Mare-Do-Well is correct, then Spitfire needs to answer the call and try to solve this mystery.