My Little Investigations: Wonderbolts Under Fire

by Metool Bard

Eternal Inner Flame

When we burst through the large storm cloud, a sudden chill washed over my body. It wasn't just because of the harsh winds that were blowing every which way, though that didn't help. The entire sky was black with clouds that produced small cyclones and random flashes of lightning. The only real source of light was a green glow in the middle of it all, which was masking a violet magic aura. The glow filtered through two radiant prisms shaped like butterfly wings. Kierra recognized the wings and became perplexed.

"Gypsy Moth? Is that you?"

The unicorn in question turned her head.

"Ah, Kairai. It's been too long," she said, turning her whole body around. As she did so, I saw that she was holding a fan that radiated green mystical energy. Kierra recognized that as well.

"W-wait. That's the Wind's Mandate!" she gasped. "Gypsy Moth, how did you...?"

"Oh, this?" said Gypsy Moth, looking over the fan. "Yes, it's an interesting toy, isn't it? I made it myself. One wave of this simple device, and all of the tengu bow before me. Unless, of course, they try and take it. And that happens more often than you'd expect."

Kierra's brow furrowed. "So, that's how you survived," she said. "You forged a new Wind's Mandate with your alchemy and became the new Tengu Empress."

"Sharp as ever, Karrie. Some things never change," said Gypsy Moth. "But then again, other things have to."

"What are you talking about?" asked Kierra, clenching her talons into fists. "Why are you doing this, Gypsy Moth? This isn't you."

"I just told you. I changed," said Gypsy Moth. "And I've come to one conclusion. The Age of Ponies is over. The Tengu Dynasty will rise again."

"My flank it will!" I barked. "I saw your little sneak attack coming, and as we speak, the Wonderbolts and the Proud Pride are sending your little army packing. It's over Gypsy Moth. And you lost."

Gypsy Moth shook her head. "Tsk tsk tsk. Poor delusional child. Do you know why the Age of Ponies is over?"

"I'm not going to let you conquer Equestria!" I snarled.

"Conquer? Oh, that's just a tengu euphemism," said Gypsy Moth. "No, I'm liberating Equestria."

I, don't think I heard that right. Neither did Blaze or Kierra, apparently, seeing as they were equally aghast.

"What the hay are you talking about?!" snapped Blaze. "How is trying to kill us 'liberating' Equestria?!"

"It's quite simple, really," said Gypsy Moth darkly. "Equestria is living in a dream state. It is a principality wrapped in naiveté and ignorance, shielded from the dark reality of the world around it. I am here to wake it up."

I think I'm beginning to see why Pine Talon called the Tengu Empress insane. Mainly because I haven't got a Celestia-damn clue what the bucking hay she's babbling about.

"Stop speaking in riddles, Gypsy Moth!" Kierra roared, apparently sharing my sentiments. "What are you trying to accomplish?! Why are you doing this?!"

Gypsy Moth's wings flittered as she raised the Wind's Mandate. "I think it's better if I showed you," said she.

Just then, the Wind's Mandate glowed with energy. I felt the wind around me get stronger. Whatever she was doing, it wasn't good.

"Blaze, Kierra! Evasive maneuvers!" I ordered. "Try and draw her fire if you can!"

No one needed to be told twice. The three of us dashed away in separate directions. What we were dodging, I don't know. I didn't exactly bother to turn around and check. Instead, I flew towards Gypsy Moth, aiming to attack. As I did so, she gave the Wind's Mandate a mighty flap. A split second later, I heard a scream that caused my heart to stop for a brief moment.

"Blaze?!"

I stopped mid-charge and frantically looked around. When I found Blaze, I gasped in horror. Visible tendrils of wind were wrapping themselves around Blaze's legs and tightening. Blaze struggled the best she could, but it didn't seem to be any use. She sounded like she was in unbearable pain. As I recovered from the shock, my blood began to boil.

"What did you do to Blaze?!" I demanded, turning savagely to Gypsy Moth.

"I'm simply using this soldier for my little demonstration," said Gypsy Moth nonchalantly.

"The buck you are!" I bellowed. "You let her go right now, or I'm taking that stupid fan and shoving it right up your dock!"

Gypsy Moth frowned. "I'm afraid you're not in a position to make ultimatums, child," she said. "I, however, am. So, here's my ultimatum. Either you kill your soldier, or she'll kill you."

"And what makes you think I'll agree to..."

I was interrupted by a hoof clocking me in the face. When I recovered, I couldn't believe my eyes. Blaze stood over me, looking like she was ready to duke it out. However, even with the opaque flight goggles, I could tell that she was just as horrified as I was.

"Do you see now, child?" said Gypsy Moth menacingly. "Do you see what reality is?!"

Before I could answer, Blaze charged right at me. Acting on instinct, I blocked her charge and pressed my hooves against her own. As I did so, I could feel the wind around Blaze's forelegs swirling violently. It was just like with Fleetfoot and Drake. The wind was controlling her!

"Gypsy Moth, stop this!" I heard Kierra cry. "This isn't right!"

I couldn't see what happened because I was preoccupied with Blaze, but from what I heard, Kierra tried to charge in only to be stopped by the Wind's Mandate.

"Yes. You're correct, my dear Rakey. It isn't right," said Gypsy Moth bitterly. "But it is truth! I have learned that trust and mercy are nothing but bull's eyes you paint on your back! You have to look out for yourself, because no one else will look out for you! That is reality! And that is why Equestria must fall and give way to the Tengu Dynasty!"

Horse apples, horse apples, and more horse apples! Didn't she know that the Tengu Dynasty destroyed itself because of that asinine mentality?! If I wasn't caught in this standoff with Blaze, I'd fly over there and shred her stupid wings to ribbons!

"Gypsy Moth, I'm *ack* sorry!" Kierra yelled in a strained voice, sounding like she was being strangled. "I didn't mean to *gasp* abandon you to the tengu!"

Gypsy Moth laughed bitterly. "Oh, you think this is about that, Key-Ra? I'm not mad at you for that. How were you supposed to know I'd survive?"

I then saw her fly into my peripheral vision with a manic look in her eyes. "But by the same token, do you know how many tengu I had to slaughter just because I was stupid enough to believe that they were my friends?! And what's more, do you have any godly idea what that felt like?! Well, you will now, child! You will experience the bitter taste of reality like I did, and be the first casualty of the new law of the land!"

With that, she flew away, leaving me in my standoff with Blaze. As we pushed against each other, I saw Blaze's lip quivering. Just the sight of that made my heart sink. I knew she didn't want to do this. I didn't, either. I would never, and I mean never, hurt my team. And being forced to do so in order to save my own life, well, it was scary. Yeah, that's right. I'm scared right now. Whether I fight back or not, I'm going to hurt her, either physically or emotionally. No matter what happens, we both lose.

I shook my head. No. No way in Tartarus am I letting it end this way. A good captain supports her team. And Blaze needs me to be strong right now. I took a deep breath and opened my eyes.

"Blaze, look at me," I said gently. "Look at me, Blaze."

Blaze averted her eyes. I sighed.

"Blaze, look at me. That's an order," I said, my tone becoming a bit sharper.

Blaze complied. I felt like I was staring right past the flight goggles and straight into her swollen pupils. Honestly, I wouldn't blame her if she was on the verge of bursting into tears. No amount of training can prepare you for something like this.

"Blaze, it's going to be okay," I said as softly as I could. "Everything is gonna be okay. We'll find a way out of this. Just, don't lose heart. Understood?"

Truth be told, I wasn't just talking to Blaze then. I was also talking to myself. I still didn't have a plan, and that didn't do a whole lot of good for my confidence. But that didn't mean I was gonna give up. If I'm going down, I'm going down flying.

Fortunately, Blaze agreed. She gave me a solemn nod.

"U-understood," she said. "I-I trust you, Sis."

"I know," I said.

With that, I let go of Blaze and bent over backwards, allowing her to soar over me. I then looped around and flew at Gypsy Moth, who seemed to be torturing Kierra with the Wind's Mandate.

Before I could get within striking distance, Blaze came barreling in and cut me off. She then started swinging her forelegs at me. I parried and blocked most of the punches she threw at me, but she got a few lucky hits in. She even managed to break my flight goggles. After a while of this, I found an opening and zipped by her, once again making a beeline to Gypsy Moth.

I got closer this time, but once again, Blaze managed to catch up and bar my path. She aimed to throw another punch, but I quickly blocked it. She tried to hit me with her other hoof, and I blocked that as well. We were caught in another standoff, each side struggling to overpower the other.

"It's futile, child," said Gypsy Moth, using the Wind's Mandate to asphyxiate Kierra. "No one can escape the harsh reality of the world. Not you, not Equestria, no one. You are doomed to either kill your friend, or die by her hoof. That is your punishment for putting your faith in others."

Something about her words sparked something in my brain. I smiled.

"That's a load of crap," I grunted. "And I'm gonna show you why. Blaze, hang on tight!"

With that, I let go of one of her hooves and allowed her momentum to throw her off-balance. Before she could recover, I gripped her other foreleg, swung her around, and sent her flying behind me. Gypsy Moth probably wasn't impressed, because she didn't even bother to turn and look.

"Fight as you might, the result will be the same," she said as the Wind's Mandate glowed with magic. "The winds control her now. She'll come back as many times as is required."

"That's what I'm counting on," I said smugly.

This time, Gypsy Moth released Kierra and turned to face me with a perplexed look in her eyes. "What are you...?"

Before she could finish, I heard Blaze coming in from behind. Just as she was about to reach me, I ducked. Unable to react in time, Gypsy Moth took the full brunt of Blaze's charge and was flipped around. This was enough to disrupt her magic, and it caused her to drop the Wind's Mandate. Free from the fan's spell, Kierra dove after it as Gypsy Moth recovered. Surprisingly, she seemed more peeved than distressed.

"I told you, it's futile," she spat. "The wind still holds your soldier. She'll return to kill you."

"Not if I have anything to say about it!"

Gypsy Moth spun around to face the new voice. I had to smirk. Took her long enough to show up.

Sure enough, it was none other than Mare-Do-Well, gripping Blaze tightly against her chest and flapping her wings with all her might. Gypsy Moth's wings flittered, and she snorted angrily.

"Everyone else, I can understand," she said. "But I created you! You can't disobey me like this!"

"I can, and I will!" Mare-Do-Well grunted, wincing as the winds around Blaze's legs threatened to tear her apart. "I do not bow to a cold-hearted tyrant! I only answer to the plight of those in peril!"

"That's not what I created you for, you worthless automaton!"

"That's who Mare-Do-Well is, you cynical dock-hole!"

Wow. Did not expect to hear that out of the mouth of the Mysterious Mare-Do-Well. I must be rubbing off on her.

"Fine!" Gypsy Moth snapped. "The Wind's Mandate is shattering your core as we speak, anyway! You're sacrificing yourself for nothing!"

Yeah, I wasn't gonna let that happen. I started to fly over to lend Mare-Do-Well a hoof when I heard a whistle from below.

"Aren't you forgetting something, Gypsy Moth?!"

Gypsy Moth looked down, and her eyes went wide. Kierra was holding the Wind's Mandate in her talon.

"You little minx!" Gypsy Moth boomed, flying down towards Kierra as her horn pulsed with a magic aura. "Give that back to me!"

Without a word, Kierra took the fan in her talons and tore it in two. As soon as she did, the winds died down. Gypsy Moth was horrified.

"Do you have any idea what you've done?!" she shrieked. "The tengu will kill me for this!"

"One, that doesn't change much, does it?" I said, pounding my hooves and cracking my neck. "Two, I think the tengu are the least of your problems right now."

Gypsy Moth looked up at me and snarled.

"You think you can best the Pseudo Alicorn, child?" she growled, creating an exploding cloud with her alchemy. "Well, have at you!"

She threw it at me, and I dodged it without a scratch.

"I'm gonna pay you back for every member of my team your little Tengu Dynasty hurt!" I proclaimed. "This one's for Misty Fly!"

I slashed across her, detecting the shimmer of a faulty protection spell as I passed. I looped around for another pass.

"This one's for Fire Streak!"

Another slash.

"For Rapidfire!"

Another slash. This time, I distinctively heard a crack.

"For Fleetfoot!"

The crack became louder and more pronounced.

"For Soarin'!"

That one shattered the protection spell completely. I towered over Gypsy Moth, who looked rather dazed from my strikes.

"And this one is for Blaze!"

I flew into a sharp dive and tackled her. Down, down, down we fell. We barreled right through her dark clouds and straight towards Ghastly Gorge below. Before we reached solid ground, I decreased my acceleration and slowed myself to a stop within inches of the cliffside wall.

I panted heavily as I held Gypsy Moth in my forelegs. Her coat was covered with bruises, and her precious wings had been completely shattered. She was still breathing, but she was in no condition to do anything. Good. Because I still had more to say to her.

"G-go ahead," she panted. "Do it. Kill me. You know you want to."

"And let you take the easy way out? Not a chance," I said. "I'm not like you."

"Then you give me ample time to recover and stab you in the..."

I slapped her across the face to shut her up. I wasn't going to put up with that song and dance again.

"Cut the crap. This isn't about the Tengu Dynasty," I said. "It's all about you, and what you think reality is. Equestria might be more peaceful than other nations, but we're not perfect. We still have our share of fights, and yes, sometimes we fight with our friends and family. But nopony can live alone. We still support each other at the end of the day. The tengu destroyed their own dynasty because they didn't understand that."

Gypsy Moth scoffed. "You think you understand what I had to go through? I had to kill several tengu because I thought they were my friends!"

"And I'm very sorry that you had to endure that," I said. "But instead of trying to fix the damn problem, you just accepted it as status quo and decided to force your pain down everyone else's throats. That's simply repulsive."

"You're repulsive," Gypsy Moth spat, resorting to schoolyard taunts (seriously, that's just sad). "You don't know what true pain is."

I slapped her again. Now she's gonna get it.

"Because of you, I had to go through an entire week of torture!" I screamed. "Your little schemes forced me to watch helplessly as you and your little assassin friend tried to strike down my team one by one! So you're in no position to lecture me about pain!"

I then hefted her up and forced her to look me in the eye.

"However, there's a major difference between you and I. When life throws me for a loop, I correct my course and keep flying. You, on the other hoof, are content to just crash and burn. Well, guess what, bitch? You're not taking me with you."

I then lifted her horn out of the way and headbutted her right between the eyes, knocking her out cold. Afterward, I set her down on the edge of the cliff. As I did so, Pierre and Drake came flying in.

"The enemy has fled, Capitaine Spitfire," said Pierre. "We are victorious."

"Good," I said with a nod. "Tell Ambassador Honor Bound that I have subdued the Tengu Empress. I'll let him decide whether she'll be tried in Equestria or the Griffon Kingdom first."

"Very well," said Pierre. "Um, where is she?"

I pointed with my hoof. "It's a long story," I said. "I'll make sure you get a copy of my report later. Right now, there's something I gotta take care of."

Before Pierre could ask any further questions, I flew off in search of Blaze, Kierra, and Mare-Do-Well.

***

It didn't take my long to find them. Blaze was completely unconscious and lying on a small rock outcropping in Ghastly Gorge while Mare-Do-Well and Kierra were licking their wounds. I came in for a landing next to them.

"How are you all holding up?" I asked.

"Mmph. I've been better," Kierra groaned, her voice still sounding hoarse. "I still find myself at a loss for words."

"I wouldn't shed any tears over Gypsy Moth," I said bluntly. "She got what she deserved."

"I, suppose so," said Kierra. "It's still quite tragic, though. She wasn't always like that."

"I know, but it doesn't excuse what she did," I said, turning to Mare-Do-Well. "What about you?"

"My core is pretty badly damaged," whispered Mare-Do-Well, taking out the flask she showed me before and using her cape to hide it from prying eyes. Indeed, the vial looked pretty beaten up.

"Well, I know a unicorn in Ponyville who can probably fix you up," I said. "She's currently looking into the order form for your costume. Sharing your secret with her is probably not gonna kill you."

Mare-Do-Well obscured her eyes with her hat. "I'll consider it," she said. "Your comrade Blaze is still breathing, by the way."

I breathed an inward sigh of relief. "Right. Thanks," I said.

"Just doing what I was meant to do," said Mare-Do-Well with a pained chuckle.

I trotted over to Blaze and prodded her with my hoof. "Hey. You awake?"

Blaze stirred and opened her eyes. "Ow. I hurt all over," she moaned as she tried to get to her feet.

"Whoa there. Easy now," I said. "You should save your strength."

Blaze looked up at me. "S-sis?"

"Hey, Blaze," I said with a soft smile.

Blaze cast her eyes downward. "I, didn't hurt you too badly, did I?"

"No, you didn't," I assured her. "You managed to get a few good hits in, but I'll live."

Blaze shook her head and looked at me with teary eyes. "No. Be straight with me, Sis," she said. "Sh-she wanted us to kill each other. I-I tried to stop myself, but I just couldn't. I-I don't know what would've happened if..."

I raised my hoof and cut across her.

"Wonderbolts don't play the 'What if' game, Blaze," I said solemnly. "Besides, I told you everything would be okay, didn't I?"

"W-well, yeah," said Blaze as she sat up. "B-but I was still scared."

"I understand, Blaze," I said with a nod. "I was scared, too."

As soon as those words left my lips, a dam inside of me just burst. All of the tears that I held back for the past week were now flowing freely down my face. Blaze sniffled, trying to hold back her own tears.

"C-c'mon, Sis. D-don't do this to me," she whimpered. "I-I hate seeing you cry. You know that."

"Sorry, Blaze," I said with a sniffle of my own. "But, a good captain is honest with herself and knows when it's okay to cry. And after everything I've been through, I think I've earned this."

I then walked forward and wrapped my forelegs and wings around Blaze. "I-I'm so glad you're okay," I whispered.

"S-same here," Blaze said, returning my hug. "Y-you're the best captain a pony could ever ask for, Sis. I-I love you."

I smiled through my tears. She wasn't saying that just to tease me. She really meant it. I could tell. After all, I am her sister.

"I love you too, Blaze," I cooed. "And I'll always be there for you, no matter what."

"I know," said Blaze. "But, it's not just me."

"Mmm?"

"You're there for all of us, Sis. Each and ever pony in the Wonderbolts can always count on you. That's what makes you a great captain."

The tears running down my cheeks seemed to double. "You want to know something, Blaze?"

"What?"

"You're a real sweetheart when you want to be."

Blaze got all flustered. "Wh-what? I-I, um, th-thanks. I guess."

I giggled. "Let's just stay like this for a while, okay?"

"Sure thing, Sis. I-I was about to ask you the same thing, anyway."

***

And so, we stayed wrapped in each other's forelegs and wings until neither of us could shed any more tears. And you know what? I'm not embarrassed in the slightest. Because Blaze is absolutely right. Every pony on my team is important to me. And whether they need a strong leader or just a shoulder to cry on, I will never let them down.

Comments

[MariusIoannesP]

Finally, the gripping climax! It was as exciting as I imagined it would be.

[Ri2]

You suck, Gypsy.
Spitfire does not!

[Godiswithus3]

*Relieved Sigh* phew. That was quite the show down the main antagonist put our heroes through. So.............Gypsy went off the deep end and wanted to impose her Social Darwinist vision upon the rest of the world, particularly Equestria. And it was mainly because she has forgotten the virtues of friendship, trust, and mercy and was replaced with blood lust, madness, paranoia, and authoritarian traits............her vision reminded me of Senator Armstrong from Metal Gear Rising, which was why I was listening to "It has to be this way" when she was fighting our heroes.

And when Spitfire rescued Kierra from Gypsy's chokehold, that scene reminded me of when Riku had to rescue Sora from Xemnas in the final boss battle. Nice reference.

And man, when Spitfire delivered the Coup de Grace against Gypsy as payback for all the Wonderbolts she has hurt, my blood was pumping and It felt VERY satisfying to see the villain in serious pain for what she has done.

Overall, this confrontation was extremely excellent. And the heart-to-heart between Spitfire and Blaze did hit me in the feels. I shed some tears.