My Little Investigations: Wonderbolts Under Fire

by Metool Bard

Meeting the Competition

January 13, 05:30
Wonderbolt Academy
Main Barracks
***

Most ponies I work with tell me that a bugle playing reveille at the crack of dawn is the most annoying sound in the world. Honestly, I never got that. Maybe it's because I'm usually an early riser, but even when I first joined the Wonderbolts, that wake-up call never bugged me in the slightest.

However, after a whole night of tossing and turning with a million thoughts flying around my brain like a swarm of angry hornets, I began to see where those ponies were coming from. And boy, did I feel their pain.

"Mmph. Shut up," I mumbled, wanting nothing more than to go back to sleep. I fought against the bugle's call with every ounce of dwindling strength I had. I don't think I need to tell you that this was a losing battle. As I tried in vain to drift off, a thought caused a sense of impending dread to grip my heart. See, our bugle kind of has a cavalry for the really heavy sleepers in the Wonderbolts.

And that cavalry's name is Surprise.

Now I wanted to wake up. I never had to go through Surprise's follow-wake-up call (as she called it), and I planned to keep it that way. Unfortunately for me, the adrenaline flow triggered by the threat of Surprise was not enough to get me moving. And just as the call of reveille ended, I heard Surprise start chanting loudly while crashing two cymbals together.

"Wake up, wake up, sleepyheads!
Get out of your cozy beds!
Bathe yourselves in Celestia's rays!
'Cause it's the dawn of a brand new day!

Sound off! *crash crash*
Sound off! *crash crash*
Sound off! One two three four. One two! Three four!"

And just like that, all hope of staying in bed went flying out the window. Seriously, you try going back to sleep after hearing that. I'm thoroughly convinced it can't be done.

With a groan, I slowly but surely hauled my hindquarters out of bed. I was about to head to the shower room when Crescent Moon came barging in.

"Urgent message for you, Captain!" he said breathlessly.

I breathed a deep sigh and turned to face Crescent. "What izzit?" I mumbled, rubbing the sleep from my eyes.

"We just got word from the control tower," said Crescent. "Ambassador Honor Bound is requesting permission to land."

I'll be honest; after he said that, I felt like slamming my head against the wall. With everything else that had been going on with Misty Fly and that Mare-Do-Well weirdo, I had forgotten all about Honor Bound! How could I have been so stupid?!

I shook myself and took a few deep breaths to calm down. One key thing about being a Wonderbolt is that even when you spin out, you can make a quick rebound. That's the whole concept behind the Dizzitron, after all.

"Inform the Ambassador that he's clear to land, and that I'll be right there to meet him," I told Crescent.

Crescent gave me a once-over and raised an eyebrow. "Permission to speak freely, Captain?"

"Granted."

"I don't think it's wise for you to greet the Ambassador in your current state."

I chuckled dryly. "I'm well aware of that, Crescent. Nevertheless, my order stands."

Crescent shrugged. "If you say so, Captain."

With a salute, he made a brisk departure. Wasting no time myself, I made a quick dash to the shower room in order to make myself presentable.

***
January 13, 05:43
Wonderbolt Academy
Landing Strip
***

After a quick shower and slapping on my dress uniform, I rushed out to the landing strip just in time to meet our noble guest. I hastily adjusted my shades and stood at attention as Hound Bound made his final approach.

As you'd expect, he had a pretty commanding presence. Everything from his regal grey feathers and coat to his sapphire eyes that could stare into your very soul just screamed prestige. He wore a nice brown uniform with a red sash that made me feel positively underdressed. Even his Cutie Mark depicting his seal seemed prestigious (yes, hippogriffs have Cutie Marks. They do have the hindquarters of a pony, after all).

He touched down gracefully and bowed to me. I made sure to do the same.

"Welcome, Ambassador," I said as I raised my head. "I do apologize for the wait. We weren't expecting you."

"Merely a trifle, Captain Spitfire. The wait wasn't too long," said Honor Bound. "Thank you again for agreeing to participate in the Ghastly Gorge Gauntlet. This will truly mean a lot to griffons and ponies alike."

"I'm sure it will," I said, mainly because I couldn't think of anything else to say. After a brief pause, I cleared my throat. "So, to what do I owe the pleasure for this visit, Ambassador?"

"Why, I thought you'd be interested to meet the Proud Pride, of course," said Honor Bound.

Question: What made you think springing this on me at oh-six hundred was a good idea? I haven't even had breakfast yet, was what I would've said if I didn't know better. Instead, I replied; "I must confess, Ambassador. I've never heard of the Proud Pride before, and neither have the rest of my team. Are they new?"

"To Equestria," said Honor Bound. "They've actually made quite a name for themselves back in the Griffon Kingdom."

That didn't sit well with me. "With all due respect, Ambassador. If some flight team is making a splash over in the Griffon Kingdom, I would think that at least one pony on my team would hear about it."

Honor Bound smiled and shook his head. "That's where you're wrong, Captain Spitfire. The Proud Pride was formed just a few days ago. News may travel fast, but certainly not that fast."

I lowered my shades. "Doesn't that strike you as odd, Ambassador? I mean, how can this team build such a reputation in only a few days?"

Honor Bound's smile quickly turned into a stern frown. "I'm afraid that information is strictly on a need-to-know basis, Captain Spitfire," said he.

I readjusted my shades to hide my eye rolling. Of course it was confidential information. Why would I have expected otherwise?

"So, where's this team?" I asked.

"They are above us as we speak, Captain Spitfire," said Honor Bound. "Just a moment, I'll call them."

He then let loose a powerful shriek that could be heard from the Crystal Empire. I felt the onset of a migraine. After Surprise's follow-wake-up call, this was exactly what I didn't need. I shook myself and regained my composure as three griffons descended from the sky, two male and one female.

I had to lower my shades again. Each griffon was dressed in combat fatigues; mountain camo if I had to guess. They also wore red bands on their right forelegs. Was this really the look they were going for? They looked more like a strike team than a group of stunt fliers.

The center of the trio was probably the captain, as he was wearing a red beret atop his head. Apart from that, he looked a bit, odd. I don't know, maybe it was because of the small, thin mustache he had on his beak. To his left was the female of the group; a smaller griffon with radiant eyes of violet. The last griffon was the largest, and he looked very stern and serious.

"Captain Spitfire, allow me to introduce you to the three top members of the Proud Pride," said Honor Bound as the three griffons touched down. I walked over to them and gave them a nod.

"Pleased to make your acquaintance," I said.

"Ah, no no. The pleasure, she is all mine," said the mustachioed griffon in a thick accent. "I am Pierre le Grand, and these are my compatriots, Drake and Kierra."

"It's an honor to meet you in person, Ms. Spitfire," said the female of the group with a warm smile. "The Wonderbolts have quite the reputation, even amongst us griffons."

The stern griffon said nothing, but gave me a curt nod.

"You must forgive Drake. He has lost his tongue and cannot speak," said Pierre.

I was not about to ask. "I see," I said, clearing my throat. "So, I take it you're the leader of this outfit, Mr. le Grand?"

"But of course, Capitaine Spitfire," said Pierre with a bow. "We hope you will give us a good challenge in the upcoming Ghastly Gorge Gauntlet. Rest assured, we are not to be taken lightly."

"The Wonderbolts always give a hundred and ten percent, Mr. le Grand," I said with a smug grin. "You will not be disappointed."

Pierre's beak curled into a sly smile. "I'm holding you to that, Capitaine Spitfire."

"Good," I retorted. "So am I. If you're as good as you say, you'd better give us a run for our money."

"Now now. There will be plenty of time for banter later," said Honor Bound with a chuckle. "Why don't you tell Captain Spitfire a little about the Proud Pride, Pierre?"

"What is there to tell?" said Pierre with a shrug. "We are the best fliers in the Griffon Kingdom. That is all Capitaine Spitfire needs to know, yes?"

"I think she could do with a little more than that, Pierre," said Kierra, rolling her eyes. She then turned to me. "Well, we can't say much, but we all contribute something a little different to the team. For example, my specialty is gliding. I can go a long time without flapping my wings."

I had to admit, that sounded impressive. "Hmm. That must come in handy," I said. "And each of you have your own traits and styles, huh?"

"Oh, yes. All twelve of us."

Something clicked in my mind. "Wait. Did you say twelve?"

"Yes. There are twelve of us," said Kierra, tilting her head. "Why? Is something wrong?"

I cast my eyes downward and bit my lip. This was not going to be easy to say.

"I'm afraid I have some bad news on my end, Ambassador," I said with a sigh. "Misty Fly was hit by a stray thunderbolt during practice yesterday. I'm not sure if she'll be able to make it to the competition."

"Is that so?" said Honor Bound, bowing his head in reverence. "You have my deepest condolences, Captain Spitfire."

"Mine as well," Kierra added.

Drake nodded.

"Thank you all," I said with a small smile. "That means a lot to me."

"Hmmph," Pierre said with a snort. "You would not catch any of the Proud Pride being taken out of commission so easily."

"Know your place, Pierre," Honor Bound scolded. "We are trying to strengthen our relations with the ponies. We show them the same respect they show us."

Pierre gulped. "Y-yes, Ambassadeur Honor Bound. M-my apologies," he said with a bow.

I decided to let the breach in conduct go. Honor Bound seemed to have it handled, anyway. "Well, thank you for taking the time to visit, Ambassador," I said with a bow.

"It was indeed a pleasure, Captain Spitfire," said Honor Bound with a bow of his own. "We shall see you in six days time. Fare well, and I hope your comrade has a speedy recovery."

With that, he and the three griffons took off into the air and flew off over the horizon. As I watched them leave, Crescent Moon walked up to me.

"How did it go?" he asked.

"Let me get back to you on that," I said. I sighed inwardly. This Proud Pride was raising a whole new crop of questions on top of the attack on Misty Fly and the Mysterious Mare-Do-Well. I still wasn't keen on the idea, but playing detective seemed to be getting more and more palatable.

I then heard a growl from my stomach and blushed a little. First thing first. If I was going to do any sleuthing, I sure as heck wasn't gonna do it running on empty.

"I'm gonna go hit the mess hall," I told Crescent. "When I get back, I want a full report on Misty Fly's condition and your latest findings from the obstacle course."

"Right-o, Captain," said Crescent with a salute. We then flew off our separate ways; Crescent to get some intel, and me to get some grub.

Comments

[Skeeter The Lurker]

Griffon Cutie Marks? Don't actually think they've got any... But whatever. It's a fan fic.

~Skeeter The Lurker

[Metool Bard]

2502687 Keep in mind, Honor Bound is not a griffon; he's a hippogriff. A hippogriff is the offspring of a griffon and a mare, and its body is that of a horse. Ergo, it stands to reason that hippogriffs born of Equestrian ponies have Cutie Marks.

[Skeeter The Lurker]

2502770

Perhaps. But, still seems unlikely.

Your fic, though. So your canon.

~Skeeter The Lurker

[ultra8]

Heh. Any chance the Proud Pride's leader is related to a certain pastry chef?

[Metool Bard]

2525236 Good eye, my friend. Believe it or not, this plays a part later on. How? Oh, you'll see.

[GAPDashie]

2525796

Pastries laced with performance enhancing substances. Calling it now.

[MariusIoannesP]

"Ah, no no. The pleasure, she is all mine," said the mustachioed griffon in a thick accent. "I am Pierre le Grand, and these are my compatriots, Drake and Kierra."

I imagine this Pierre le Grand is related to Gustave le Grand.

"You must forgive Drake. He has lost his tongue and cannot speak," said Pierre.

Like was his tongue cut out or something?

[Cobalt Shock]

Either Mare-do-well, Honor-what'shisname or one of the Proud Pride did it. Calling it right now.

[Godiswithus3]

Honor Bound and the Pride Proud (that name belongs to the department of redundancy) are quite interesting. The former is prestigious, respectful but defensive over secrets. And the team consists of the French stereotype, the friendly one, and the stoic and serious one. Lovely cast.

[Metool Bard]

7674365 It's actually a play on words. A pride can also refer to a group of lions.

[KiaraGate]

My money is on Crescent being the culprit.

[mylittleponyfan12345]

I like the characterization you have given Spitfire. It was quite funny to visualize Honor bound scolding that griffon, Pierre? Was it?