//------------------------------// // New Life // Story: Nature's Wrath // by smirker //------------------------------// A stallion and a colt came to Ponyville in the morning and a party was going on, it was Pinkie Pie's welcoming party for them, the two walked around and greeted the others, the stallion had a black coat, short gray mane and tail, pale gray eyes, and his cutie mark was a dark green bomb, the colt had a dark blue coat, short white mane and tail, turquoise eyes, and his cutie mark was a white peaked cap with a black visor, they were both Pegasi. The two walked around together and watched the ponies party, "Hi." three fillies said, the two looked forward and saw Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle, the two waved at them, "What's yer name?" Apple Bloom asked, "Jayhawk." the colt replied, "What does your cutie mark represent?" Sweetie Belle asked, "Apparently, I have a special talent for training and instructing others in flying." Jayhawk replied, "Good for you." Scootaloo said while looking down, "What's wrong?" the stallion asked, "My wings are stunted, I can't fly." Scootaloo replied, "Do you know why?" the stallion asked, "I'm half earth pony." Scootaloo replied, "How about growing crops?" Jayhawk asked, "I can't do that, either." Scootaloo replied, "Hmm, come see me at our home one day, I have something that might help." the stallion said, "I hope so." Scootaloo replied, "How old are ya, Jayhawk?" Apple Bloom asked, "Twelve." Jayhawk replied, "What's your education?" Sweetie Belle asked, "He's home schooled by me." the stallion replied, "Yeah, I won't be going to school here." Jayhawk said, "Oh, really?" Apple Bloom asked in a sad tone, "Nope." Jayhawk replied, "That's too bad, we can always use more friends in school." Sweetie Belle said, "That's nice, but Jayhawk is already past elementary school learning." the stallion replied, "Maybe you can help me, I'm failing." Scootaloo said, "I'll see what I can do." Jayhawk replied, "Thanks, well, we'll be going now, bye." Scootaloo said, "Bye." the stallion and Jayhawk said together as the three fillies walked away. The stallion and Jayhawk walked around a bit and the two looked and saw the sky was cloudy, "It's cloudy again." the stallion said, "Reminding you of that Pegasus you developed feelings for in your previous job?" Jayhawk asked, "A little." the stallion replied, "Maybe it's her soul, I wonder if her other three friends are watching us, too." Jayhawk said, "I don't know, well, come on, Jayhawk, let's go home, I have a job interview tomorrow morning." the stallion replied, and the two entered their home. The stallion and Jayhawk entered their home and the two sat at a table and had dinner, Jayhawk paused for a moment and ate again, "Bad memories from your early childhood again?" the stallion asked, "Yeah." Jayhawk replied, "If you wish, I can take you back to your psychiatrist." the stallion said, "I'm fine at the moment, you used to see him, too." Jayhawk replied, "I'd thought about seeing him again, well, come on, let's go to bed." the stallion said, and the two laid down, the stallion slept with a semi-automatic pistol, a fully automatic rifle, and a knife by his side while Jayhawk had a knife with him, the two looked at a picture to their rights and there were five females in it, the figure standing in the center looked like an alicorn, but her main body, head, legs, and hoofs were made out of brown wood, her horn was made out of black obsidian, her eyes were gold with black pupils, her mane was blue flowing water, her wings were red fire, and her tail was green flowing wind, she physically resembled Princess Celestia, there was a kirin standing to her right, an earth pony standing to her left, a hippogriff standing to the kirin's right, and a Pegasus standing to the earth pony's left, the alicorn figure, hippogriff, earth pony, and Pegasus were smiling in the picture while the kirin was not; the kirin had a red coat, a gray mane and tail, light orange eyes, black scales and hoofs, and a dark brown horn, the hippogriff had a light blue coat, a long dark blue mane and tail, green eyes, and a royal blue beak, talons, and hoofs, her pearl necklace was light blue, the earth pony had a yellow coat, long wavy light brown mane and tail, gray eyes, and her cutie mark was a black upside-down triangle with a horizontal line going across the inside, and the Pegasus had a bright green coat, long sky blue mane and tail, light gray eyes, and her cutie mark was a gray tornado; the kirin, hippogriff, earth pony, and Pegasus were all wearing silver necklaces with princess cut gemstones on them, the kirin's gemstone was red, the hippogriff's gemstone was blue, the earth pony's gemstone was yellow, and the Pegasus' gemstone was green, "You still miss them, don't you?" Jayhawk asked, "Yeah, especially that Pegasus, we both probably would have been dating right now." the stallion replied, "Yeah, it's too bad we couldn't save them." Jayhawk said, "Come on, Jayhawk, let's sleep, I have to get up early." the stallion replied, and the two slept for the night. The stallion went to the weather factory in Ponyville first thing in the morning and Rainbow Dash was his interviewer, he stood while she sat, "Alright, let's begin, what's your name?" Rainbow Dash asked, "Stealth Bomber." the stallion replied, "How old are you?" Rainbow Dash asked, "Twenty eight." Stealth Bomber replied, "What shift do you want to work?" Rainbow Dash asked, "Morning and early afternoon shift." Stealth Bomber replied, "Part time or full time?" Rainbow Dash asked, "Full." Stealth Bomber replied, "Is there any specific day of the year you won't work?" Rainbow Dash asked, "No, ma'am." Stealth Bomber replied, "Physical health." Rainbow Dash said, "Above average." Stealth Bomber replied, "Medical record." Rainbow Dash said, "I... received injuries to my back six years ago, I needed to see the doctor to get them healed." Stealth Bomber replied, "What kind of injuries?" Rainbow Dash asked, "Stabbings and whippings." Stealth Bomber replied, "Why?" Rainbow Dash asked, "It was a part of my job." Stealth Bomber replied, Rainbow Dash remained speechless for a second, "Criminal record." Rainbow Dash said, "I went to juvenile hall when I was sixteen." Stealth Bomber replied, "For what?" Rainbow Dash asked, "Fighting." Stealth Bomber replied, "Military record." Rainbow Dash said, "Honorable discharge, July 8, 2015, I served from when I was seventeen to until I was twenty five." Stealth Bomber replied, "What are you? Wonderbolts?" Rainbow Dash asked, "Cloudsdale Air Force." Stealth Bomber replied, Rainbow Dash chuckled and looked at him with a smile, "My dad was in the air force, too. So, what was your rank?" Rainbow Dash asked, "Sergeant." Stealth Bomber replied, "That was my dad's rank, too, what unit did you serve in?" Rainbow Dash asked, "Thunderbird Unit, 4th Squad." Stealth Bomber replied, "Wow, that's the same unit and squad my dad served in." Rainbow Dash said, "What is your father's name?" Stealth Bomber asked, "Bow Hothoof." Rainbow Dash replied, "Sounds familiar." Stealth Bomber said, "My dad was in the scouting division." Rainbow Dash said, "I was in the combat division." Stealth Bomber replied, "Oh, so you actually fought in a battle and saw combat firsthoof." Rainbow Dash said, "Yes." Stealth Bomber replied, "Oh, so that's why you got those injuries six years ago." Rainbow Dash said, "Yes, I'm an ex-POW." Stealth Bomber replied, "Your memories aren't going to affect your work performance, will it?" Rainbow Dash asked, "I promise you it won't." Stealth Bomber replied, "Okay, you have a son, too, right?" Rainbow Dash asked, "Jayhawk's adopted." Stealth Bomber replied, "How long have you been his guardian?" Rainbow Dash asked, "Seven years." Stealth Bomber replied, "Okay. You had another job before this, right?" Rainbow Dash asked, "Yes, I was a bodyguard for an industrialist named Big Business." Stealth Bomber replied, "Oh, I've heard about him, he's a private company runner that's been controversial throughout Equestria." Rainbow Dash said, "Yeah, I was fired a week ago." Stealth Bomber replied, "Why?" Rainbow Dash asked, "We had a big disagreement." Stealth Bomber replied, "I see, well, I can already tell from your time in the air force and working with Big Business that working here will be the first time you'll have female coworkers, that's not a problem, is it?" Rainbow Dash asked, "Not at all." Stealth Bomber replied, "Well, that's all, do you have any questions of your own?" Rainbow Dash asked, "If I get this job, what will be my starting pay?" Stealth Bomber asked, "Ten bits an hour." Rainbow Dash replied, "Are there any days we don't work?" Stealth Bomber asked, "Everypony's off every Sunday." Rainbow Dash replied, "Okay, that's all." Stealth Bomber said, "Alright, I'll send your papers to my higher ups, and let them know what they say." Rainbow Dash replied, and they shook hoofs and Stealth Bomber headed home. Jayhawk sat and read a book while he waited for Stealth Bomber to come home, the door opened and Stealth Bomber entered, "How'd it go?" Jayhawk asked, "I can't say, we have to wait." Stealth Bomber replied, "Who was your interviewer?" Jayhawk asked, "Rainbow Dash." Stealth Bomber replied, "Wow, one of the saviors of Equestria as your interviewer, I think you two would make quick friends." Jayhawk said, "Maybe, I learned her dad served in the air force just like how I have." Stealth Bomber replied, "Do you miss the air force?" Jayhawk asked, "Only the people I served with, not the job itself." Stealth Bomber replied, "I miss them, too." Jayhawk said, "Jayhawk, you know we had to separate for own safeties, all of us being together would've made it easy for Garotte to find us." Stealth Bomber replied, "There still isn't that many of you left, is there?" Jayhawk asked, "Nope, there's only me, Thunderbolt, Stinger, Lancer, Eagle, Falcon, Condor, and Raptor, the others got killed in the war." Stealth Bomber replied, "I knew some of them, too, that's why I decided I'm going to join the Wonderbolts when I get older, I don't want to fight anymore." Jayhawk said, "Good, I think you'll do good in it." Stealth Bomber replied, Jayhawk smiled, "What are you reading?" Stealth Bomber asked, "Flying formations of the Wonderbolts, it looks pretty easy." Jayhawk replied, Stealth Bomber looked and saw the flying formations, "That does look easy." Stealth Bomber said, Jayhawk chuckled and the two read the book together, Stealth Bomber looked at the time after a while, "Come on, Jayhawk, it's lunch time." Stealth Bomber said, and he put the book down and the two had lunch. Stealth Bomber and Jayhawk had strawberry flavored ice cream for lunch, "How's it taste?" Stealth Bomber asked, "Not bad, beats eating griffon meat." Jayhawk replied, "Yeah, no disagreement there." Stealth Bomber said, and the two ate more ice cream, it was gone and the two drank energy drinks, "I like this, finally a break from water." Jayhawk said, Stealth Bomber chuckled and he washed the ice cream container and put it in the trash. Stealth Bomber and Jayhawk read the book together again and knocking was heard at the door ten minutes later, the two opened the door and saw two unicorn mares, one mare had a light purple coat, straight light blue mane that went down to her shoulders and no bangs, a long tail that was almost touching the floor, purple eyes, and her cutie mark was a brown smoking pipe, the other mare had a dark purple coat, long dark blue mane that reached the floor and bangs, a tail that was dragging on the ground, dark blue eyes, and her cutie mark was a gold police badge, she had dark blue eye shadow on and a silver drop earring in each ear, "Good afternoon, gentlecolts, can we enter?" the light purple mare asked with a slightly rough voice, "For what?" Jayhawk asked, "We just need to ask a few questions." the light purple mare replied, Stealth Bomber thought about it, "Who sent you two?" Stealth Bomber asked, "Princess Celestia herself." the light purple mare replied, "Alright, come on in." Stealth Bomber said, and they entered. Stealth Bomber and Jayhawk sat across from the two mares, "Who are you two?" Jayhawk asked, "My name is Violet, Canterlot Detective Agency." the light purple mare replied, she held her front right hoof out to the dark purple mare, "And this is Velvet." Violet said, "What are you two here for?" Stealth Bomber asked, "We were sent here by Princess Celestia, she wants us to get answers about events from a week ago at a place called Nature Valley." Violet replied, Stealth Bomber's and Jayhawk's attentions were caught, "What? It's real?" Violet asked, "Yeah. Why?" Jayhawk asked, "It's not on our maps." Violet replied, "What? Seriously?" Jayhawk asked, "Yes, there is no place on the Equestrian map called Nature Valley." Violet replied, "What in the world?" Jayhawk asked, "Well, do you two care to explain what happened?" Violet asked, "What do you know so far?" Stealth Bomber asked, "That you, Jayhawk here, and seven other stallions that served under Big Business as bodyguards and scouts, I'd like to know happened in Nature Valley." Violet replied, "What does Princess Celestia want to know?" Stealth Bomber asked, "She said one of her friends lived there and has stopped contacting her a week ago, she wants to know what happened." Violet replied, "What is her friend's name?" Jayhawk asked, "Mother Nature." Violet replied, "Oh, I know who she is, I have a picture of her." Stealth Bomber said, "No, I'm just here to ask questions, not gather things." Violet replied, "So, you're not arresting us?" Jayhawk asked, "Not yet, I have to speak to the other seven stallions and Big Business himself after this." Violet replied, "Well, Big Business found Nature Valley with a spell by chance, we stayed there and learned their ways, and then after a while, Big Business decided he wanted to industrialize their home and destroyed it, me and the others I served in the air force with disagreed and fought with our coworkers, but in the end, we lost due to being overwhelmed by numbers, their land was destroyed, and Big Business killed Mother Nature." Stealth Bomber said, "That does sound like Big Business, alright, Princess Celestia has written several complaints to him about the way he does things." Violet said, "Do you have anymore questions?" Stealth Bomber asked, "No, that is all." Violet replied, "What about your subordinate here?" Stealth Bomber asked, "Actually, she's the subordinate." Velvet replied in a soft, sweet voice, "Wait? You're the superior officer?" Jayhawk asked, "Yeah, Velvet's my superior, I'm still new to the job, so she's showing me the ropes." Violet replied, "How long have you been a detective?" Jayhawk asked, "A month, this is my first case." Violet replied, "Well, that is all we can tell you." Stealth Bomber said, "Come on, Violet, we'll miss the train." Velvet said, and the two left. Stealth Bomber and Jayhawk stood up and went to the area of the floor they slept on, Stealth Bomber looked at his old air force uniform, it was a suit of heavy gray armor with black goggles built into the eye areas of the helmet, the outfit covered his entire body and had rocket thrusters on the hind legs, he had eight guns on the ground, four for each wing, he had two rotary guns, two air-to-surface missile launchers, two air-to-air missile launchers, and two anti-tank missile launchers, they were all connected to a backpack full of ammo with ammunition belts, "You always did like that outfit." Jayhawk said, "I guess it's grown sedimentary for me, it's still a good outfit, though." Stealth Bomber replied, "Yeah, I'd take that over the Wonderbolts outfit any day." Jayhawk said, "Remember, Jayhawk, I had more uniforms." Stealth Bomber replied, "Yeah, I know, the service uniform, the mess dress uniform, and the physical training uniform, you didn't like any of them." Jayhawk said, "None of us did, we all liked the combat uniform I have here." Stealth Bomber replied, "Yeah, me too." Jayhawk said, "Well, come on, Jayhawk, let's just continue our day." Stealth Bomber replied, and the two went back to reading the book about the Wonderbolts. Stealth Bomber and Jayhawk read the book about the Wonderbolts and they looked at the picture of the five figures again before going back to reading again, the two read but stopped when they heard thunder, Jayhawk put the book down and they went outside. Stealth Bomber and Jayhawk headed outside and they looked at the sky, they saw black clouds and heard thunder, it was also foggy, "You think it could be her?" Jayhawk asked, "Maybe, if it is her spirit, then she is sad." Stealth Bomber replied, it then began to rain, "It looks like the hippogriff's sad, too." Jayhawk said, "Yeah, I think the earth pony's a bit sad, too, look at the ground." Stealth Bomber replied, Jayhawk saw the plants withering away and dying, "I don't see anything about the kirin being sad." Jayhawk said, "She's more likely to be angry than sad, and you know her, she's not one to show her sorrow." Stealth Bomber replied, they heard howling and they flew up and saw the animals at Fluttershy's cottage, some were howling, and some were looking in sorrow, "What are you all doing?" Fluttershy asked, they all continued to howl and look down, "What are you all sad about?" Fluttershy asked, the animals continued to grieve, "What in tarnation is goin' on?" Applejack asked, Stealth Bomber and Jayhawk turned around and saw Sweet Apple Acres, the crops were dying and withering away, the two flew down and looked around. Stealth Bomber and Jayhawk saw everycreature in Ponyville gathering around and looking at the ground and sky, some of the foals stuck their tongues out to catch the rain, they gagged when the rain hit their tongues, "It's salty!" Sweetie Belle said, "Salty?" Twilight Sparkle asked, Jayhawk stuck his tongue out and the rain landed on his tongue, "She's right, it tastes like someone's tears." Jayhawk said, "The rain's a bit warm, too." Stealth Bomber replied, "Could someone be crying?" Pinkie Pie asked, "Probably, my animals are all sad and grieving, I don't know what's going on." Fluttershy replied, black smoke appeared in the air and everypony saw fires in some of the houses extinguish themselves, "So the kirin's spirit is grieving, too." Stealth Bomber said, and the others watched Ponyville as the wind blew softer, it rained harder, the plants died and the rocks broke apart, and the flames extinguished themselves, "Oh my, here too." Princess Luna said from above, everybody looked up and saw her and Princess Celestia flying around, the two flew down to look around, Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, and Applejack went to her, "What's going on, Princess Celestia?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "I don't know, but this weather suddenly started, it's in Appleloosa, Baltimare, Manehattan, and Las Pegasus, too." Princess Celestia replied, Stealth Bomber's and Jayhawk's attentions were caught, "Wait, Appleloosa? Baltimare? Manehattan? Las Pegasus? That's where the other members of your unit are at." Jayhawk said, "Yeah, Thunderbolt and Stinger are in Appleloosa, Eagle, Falcon, and Condor are in Baltimare, Lancer's in Manehattan, and Raptor's in Las Pegasus." Stealth Bomber replied, "Should we go see them?" Jayhawk asked, "I guess." Stealth Bomber replied, and the two trotted to them. Princess Celestia and Princess Luna looked and saw Stealth Bomber and Jayhawk coming, "Stealth Bomber. Jayhawk. So this is where you two went." Princess Celestia said, "Is it true that you sent Violet and Velvet to investigate the Nature Valley incident?" Stealth Bomber asked, "Yes, I'm too busy to investigate myself, and I'm friends with the ruler, she hasn't contacted for a week, and I don't feel her magic anymore, I just want to know what happened to my friend." Princess Celestia replied, "Wait, Nature Valley?" Rainbow Dash asked, "It is an area that is home to ponies like no other, it is divided into four areas, north, south, east, and west, each area has a different culture and way of ruling." Princess Celestia replied, "I've never seen Nature Valley on the maps." Twilight Sparkle said, "That's because it's not on the map, you need to cast a specific spell to find it, there's an illusion around the area." Princess Celestia replied, "Do you know the spell, Princess Celestia?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "Of course I do." Princess Celestia replied, "Can you teach me?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "Forget it, Nature Valley's destroyed." Stealth Bomber replied, "I still wanna see it." Twilight Sparkle said, "Another time, Twilight, I have royal duties to attend." Princess Celestia replied, and she and Princess Luna flew away, the rain stopped, the clouds and fog went away, the plants grew back, and the fires reignited themselves, the creatures murmured over what was going on, "What was that about?" Applejack asked, "I don't know, Applejack, but we're not supposed to have weather like this today." Twilight Sparkle replied, "Could somepony be castin' magic?" Rarity asked, "No, I don't think so, if someone is, it looks to be a different kind of magic from what we use." Twilight Sparkle replied, "Come on, Jayhawk, let's go home." Stealth Bomber said, and the two went home while the others discussed what could be going on. Three days passed and Stealth Bomber and Jayhawk finished unpacking their things, Stealth Bomber had swords, spears, axes, and war hammers everywhere in the house, and Jayhawk had daggers and a book on surviving in the wilderness, and there was a bright red flag with a stallion in the center of it wearing the Cloudsdale Air Force uniform, he was holding a spear with his front left hoof and there was a griffon's head on it, there were also skulls of the griffons Stealth Bomber killed during his time in the air force hanging on the walls, "There, we're finally done unpacking." Stealth Bomber said, "Yeah, I'm surprised nothing's happened over the week, though." Jayhawk replied, "I still like the flag even after all of this time." Stealth Bomber said, "Me too, I think it looks great." Jayhawk replied, knocking was heard at the door and Stealth Bomber aimed his fully-automatic rifle while Jayhawk aimed a pistol, "Whoa, guys, I hear the guns, lower them, I'm just here to talk." the voice said from the other side of the door, the two noticed it was Rainbow Dash, they lowered their guns and Stealth Bomber opened the door, "I just got word back from my higher ups, you got the job, you start working today." Rainbow Dash said, "Okay, I'll be there shortly." Stealth Bomber replied, Rainbow Dash looked forward and saw the decorations in the house, "Are those weapons?" Rainbow Dash asked, "Yeah, I collected them when I was in the air force." Stealth Bomber replied, "Those look awesome." Rainbow Dash said, "Thanks." Stealth Bomber replied, "Uh... are those skulls?" Rainbow Dash asked, "Griffon skulls, they're trophies of the griffons I killed in the war." Stealth Bomber replied, "Oh, yeah, there are two griffons here in Ponyville, so you might not want to show that to them." Rainbow Dash said, "I'll keep that in mind." Stealth Bomber replied, "Well, come on, let's go to work." Rainbow Dash said, and the two flew to the weather factory. Stealth Bomber arrived at work and he was shown around by Rainbow Dash, "Alright, Stealth Bomber, your job is make the shape of the clouds and release certain kinds of clouds into the air depending on the weather and schedule of the day, the lightning jars are in that room over there, and the rain clouds are over there, and the thunderclouds are over there, good luck on your first day." Rainbow Dash said, and she flew to her work area. Stealth Bomber pressed buttons watched the clouds go around the weather factory, he has brief flashbacks of the Pegasus in his picture back at home while he worked the clouds, he kept working while his coworkers watched him, "Um, Stealth Bomber?" a female voice asked, Stealth Bomber looked to his left, "Are you alright?" the female Pegasus asked, "Yeah, just a little nervous." Stealth Bomber replied, "You don't look nervous." the Pegasus said, "What do you mean?" Stealth Bomber asked, "The way your face looks, you look sad and longing." the Pegasus replied, "Sorry, I lost somepony dear to me before I started working here." Stealth Bomber replied, "Oh, I'm sorry." the Pegasus replied, "Well, I'll keep working." Stealth Bomber said, and he got back to work and worked quickly, he saw the sky filled with fog and it rained on its own, "There's that weird weather again." a male Pegasus said, "I see it, they just appeared suddenly, too." Rainbow Dash replied, Stealth Bomber watched the fog approach the weather factory but it soon stopped, the Pegasi murmured, Stealth Bomber worked more and produced bright white clouds for Equestria to have over their lands, "Wow, you work fast, Stealth Bomber." Rainbow Dash said, "It was required in the air force." Stealth Bomber replied, "Remember, you're not at war anymore, Stealth Bomber, so you don't need to think or act on your feet all the time here." Rainbow Dash said, Stealth Bomber nodded, he worked until it was time to go home. Stealth Bomber flew home and the fog followed him and it hugged around him, he stopped for a moment, "It is you." Stealth Bomber said, and the fog hugged him while he held it, he let go and flew home slowly. Jayhawk was playing with Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle and they tried to do a strength training routine Jayhawk did when Stealth Bomber was still in the air force, they were flipping big tires over across the ground, Jayhawk flipped one on his own while the three fillies had to work together to flip one tire over. Jayhawk flipped a tire over one last time and finished the course, "Phew." Jayhawk said as he wiped sweat off of his own forehead, he looked back and saw Apple Bloom grunting and flipping the big tire over while Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle were on the ground and panting and sweating heavily, "You two alright?" Jayhawk asked, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle nodded, "Apple Bloom, in the air force training, if one collapsed from exhaustion, you would have to carry them with you to the end while training." Jayhawk said, "Oh, hold on, then." Apple Bloom replied, and she trotted to Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle and put them on her back, she tried to move the tire but Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle fell off of her back. Jayhawk heard flying and saw Stealth Bomber coming home, he flew down and looked at him and the three fillies, "Made new friends already?" Stealth Bomber asked, "Yeah, these three are really nice ponies." Jayhawk replied, "That reminds me, Scootaloo, come with me and Jayhawk, we have equipment to analyze your genetic structure." Stealth Bomber said, and the three fillies followed him and Jayhawk to their home. Stealth Bomber took a sample of Scootaloo's blood and analyzed it, the three fillies watched while he and Jayhawk watched the results come out on a sheet of paper, Stealth Bomber and Jayhawk looked at it, "No wonder why you can't fly, Scootaloo, your earth pony genes are the dominant genes of your body." Jayhawk said, "Meaning?" Scootaloo asked, "Your earth pony traits are stronger than your Pegasus traits." Stealth Bomber replied, "Then why do I have wings and can't grow any food?" Scootaloo asked, "You're a hybrid, Scootaloo, the Pegasus genes are interfering with the earth pony genes and vice versa." Jayhawk replied, "I guess that explains why there aren't very many couples of different ponies in Equestria." Sweetie Belle said, "But it's not fair, I've seen ponies of two different types give birth to a pony who doesn't have any problems." Scootaloo replied, "For example?" Stealth Bomber asked, "The Cakes, they're earth ponies and their children are a unicorn and a Pegasus, and they don't have any problems with their abilities." Scootaloo replied, "You were probably unlucky, Scootaloo, it's common for foals that are not the same type of pony as their parents to have problems with their abilities." Jayhawk said, "Like what?" Scootaloo asked, "A unicorn foal who has one parent that's not a unicorn can cause them to have trouble with the most basic magic spells, a Pegasus foal might have weaker wings, and an earth pony foal can be physically weaker and can just barely grow any crops before they wither and die." Stealth Bomber replied, Scootaloo looked down, "Don't look down, Scootaloo, you're actually physically stronger than most Pegasi fillies your age." Jayhawk said, "I still want to fly, though." Scootaloo replied, "Hmm, me and the other stallions from my air force unit can probably help." Stealth Bomber said, "I hope so, I really want to fly." Scootaloo replied, "I'll contact them later, would you three like anything to eat or drink?" Stealth Bomber asked, "Sure." Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle said together, "Alright, hold on, I'll make something for you three." Stealth Bomber said as he walked to the kitchen. Jayhawk sat with Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle at a table while the three fillies looked around and saw the many weapons and griffon skulls on the walls, "What's with the weapons and skulls?" Apple Bloom asked, "Stealth Bomber was a weapon collector during his time in the air force, the griffon skulls are trophies." Jayhawk replied, "Trophies? Of what?" Sweetie Belle asked, "They're the griffons he killed during the war, he kept their skulls as trophies." Jayhawk replied, the Cutie Mark Crusaders' jaws dropped, "You shouldn't have stuff like that." Sweetie Belle said, "Well, me, Stealth Bomber, and those he served in the air force with hated griffons when we were younger, we're not as bad as before, though." Jayhawk replied, "Then why do you still have their skulls on the wall for?" Apple Bloom asked, "Stealth Bomber and I thought it would look cool." Jayhawk replied, "That flag doesn't look good, either." Scootaloo said, "Oh, that, that was the Cloudsdale Air Force flag when Stealth Bomber was in the air force, he has that up as a reminder that he's a veteran." Jayhawk replied, "I assume a lot of y'all air force ponies hated griffons." Apple Bloom said, "All of us did." Jayhawk replied, "Why?" Sweetie Belle asked, "When Stealth Bomber was a colt, he was always taught that griffons are rude and greedy, and they are driven purely by ego and money." Jayhawk replied, walking was heard and Stealth Bomber came back spaghetti with tomato sauce and grated Parmesan cheese, "Here, sorry took so long." Stealth Bomber said, and he put the five plates on the table. The five ate while the Cutie Mark Crusaders looked at the decorations in the room, "How's your new job, Stealth Bomber?" Jayhawk asked, "Peaceful and quiet, I don't like working with technology, though." Stealth Bomber replied, "Then why did you take the job?" Apple Bloom asked, "It was the only place I was qualified to work at." Stealth Bomber replied, "How did you get your first job?" Sweetie Belle asked, "Same, only place I was qualified to work at when I left the air force." Stealth Bomber replied, "What was Nature Valley like?" Scootaloo asked, "Um, it's kind of hard to explain." Jayhawk replied, "Can you tell us the basics?" Sweetie Belle asked, "Well, I can draw the flag." Jayhawk replied, "Sure, let's see it." Apple Bloom said, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle nodded and Jayhawk got a piece of paper and five markers. Jayhawk got a sheet of paper and drew four rhombuses that were together to form one big rhombus, he colored the entire paper black while he colored the top rhombus green, the left rhombus red, the right rhombus yellow, and the bottom rhombus blue, "Is the green one the leader?" Sweetie Belle asked, "No, no, they're all equal in rank, Nature Valley was divided into four areas, north, south, east, and west." Jayhawk replied, "What's with the colors?" Scootaloo asked, "Nature Valley had control over the elements." Stealth Bomber replied, "The Elements of Harmony?" Apple Bloom asked, "No, not those elements, the Elements of Nature, fire, water, earth, and air." Stealth Bomber replied, "The position of the rhombuses correspond with the element each section of Nature Valley controlled." Jayhawk said, "Can you explain?" Sweetie Belle asked, "The green rhombus is at the top because northern Nature Valley controlled the Element of Air, it represents the sky, the blue rhombus is at the bottom because southern Nature Valley controlled the Element of Water, it represents the sea, the yellow rhombus is to the right because eastern Nature Valley controlled the Element of Earth, it represents the land, it's also in the middle because the land is above the sea and below the sky, and the red rhombus is to the left because western Nature Valley controlled the Element of Fire, and while fire can appear in the sky and over the water, most of it is on land." Jayhawk replied, "Wait, fire in the sea and sky?" Scootaloo asked, "Have you ever seen fire over the surface of the water?" Stealth Bomber asked, "No." Scootaloo replied, "How about fire in the sky?" Sweetie Belle asked, "Machines in Cloudsdale exploding." Jayhawk replied, "Oh." Sweetie Belle said, "What's Nature Valley's culture like?" Apple Bloom asked, "Each area has its own culture." Jayhawk replied, "Does that include their ruling style, too?" Sweetie Belle asked, "Yes, Nature Valley had four different types of ruling styles, too, the north was ruled by those who were the most devoted and loyal to the supreme ruler, the south was ruled by the smartest and most educated, the east was ruled by the most empathetic, and the west was ruled by the strongest." Stealth Bomber replied, "Wow, well, we'll goin' now, thanks for the spaghetti." Apple Bloom said, and Jayhawk and Stealth Bomber said bye to them while the three fillies left. The next day came and Stealth Bomber was getting ready to leave for work, "That's weird, my oven is not working today." Mrs. Cake said, "Really? The fans in my store that are used for showing off a flowing mane stopped working, too." a stallion replied, Rainbow Dash flew down to Stealth Bomber, "We can stay home today, Stealth Bomber, everything in the weather factory's not working." Rainbow Dash said, Stealth Bomber looked and saw fog and rain everywhere, he also saw crops dying and flames going out in locomotives, and howling was heard at Fluttershy's cottage, they all looked around and the weather went back to normal again, "What is goin' on?" Applejack asked, "I think there's some kind of magic at work here, but I can't detect who's using it." Twilight Sparkle replied, Stealth Bomber and Jayhawk looked around and the two quickly began glaring on impulse when they saw Gabby and Gallus, the two flew by and they looked around more and saw the technology in Ponyville was not working, "Is it just here?" Fluttershy asked, "No, nothing's working in Cloudsdale, either." Rainbow Dash replied, "Then I guess that means all technology in Equestria has stopped working for now." Twilight Sparkle said, "Hey, look, there's Violet and Velvet." Jayhawk said as he pointed at them, the two mares walked to them, "You two need something?" Stealth Bomber asked, "The train's not working! And we can't get an interview with Big Business and his workers!" Violet said, she let out a loud groan and Velvet touched her shoulder to calm her down, "Sorry, we've been running into roadblocks in our investigation, we can't travel far now with the train down, and Big Business refuses to see us due to us being females." Velvet said, "Were you able to speak to the other eight remaining members of the unit I served in?" Stealth Bomber asked, "Yes, we did, they told the same story as you and Jayhawk." Violet replied, "So Big Business still won't work or associate with females, we wrote a few complaints to Princess Celestia about that." Jayhawk said, "Yeah, we saw that, she showed us when we were still in Canterlot." Violet replied, "So what do you two need?" Stealth Bomber asked, "We can't find Nature Valley." Velvet replied, "Oh, I can't help you with that, you need to cast a certain spell to find it." Stealth Bomber said, "What is the spell?" Violet asked, "I don't know." Stealth Bomber replied, Violet groaned loudly, "Violet." Velvet said as she touched her shoulder and calmed her down, "It's not just Ponyville and Cloudsdale that doesn't have its technology failing, is it?" Jayhawk asked, "No, none of the technology in Equestria is working, they all stopped suddenly." Violet replied, "Well, you can stay with me and Jayhawk if you two are stuck here." Stealth Bomber said, "Thank you, but we've already got a place to stay." Velvet replied, "Yeah, Fluttershy is letting us stay at her cottage until everything's back up and working." Violet said, "Can't you two teleport?" Jayhawk asked, "Well, yes, but we don't know exactly where you and the others were staying, we only have what town or city you all are at, we don't know where Nature Valley is, either." Violet replied, "Well, I'm not sure how I'm going to be able to show you two, but good luck on your investigation." Stealth Bomber said, "Thanks, we're going to need it." Violet said, and the two mares walked away. Stealth Bomber and Jayhawk went into their home and Stealth Bomber began teaching Jayhawk history, "How many elements are there total, Jayhawk?" Stealth Bomber asked, "Sixteen." Jayhawk replied, "What are they?" Stealth Bomber asked, "Healing, Strength, Sorcery, Bravery, Beauty, Hope, Kindness, Honesty, Magic, Loyalty, Generosity, Laughter, Fire, Water, Earth, and Air." Jayhawk replied, "What were pony values called before the elements?" Stealth Bomber asked, "Virtues." Jayhawk replied, "How many were there?" Stealth Bomber asked, "Seven." Jayhawk replied, "What were they?" Stealth Bomber asked, "Humility, Kindness, Charity, Temperance, Diligence, Chastity, and Patience." Jayhawk replied, "Why were the Virtues forgotten?" Stealth Bomber asked, "Because they were about the qualities of an individual and had nothing to do with friendship, when friendship was discovered to be stronger, pony values changed, and the Virtues were forgotten, and Kindness and Charity were not remembered until Princess Celestia and Princess Luna wielded the Elements of Harmony, and Charity was changed to Generosity." Jayhawk replied, "Why are the Elements of Fire, Water, Earth, and Air not taught in Equestria?" Stealth Bomber asked, "Because their powers go beyond Equestria, those four control the entire world, and the weather we have every day, those who wield those elements control the land, sky, and sea." Jayhawk replied, "What else did the Elements of Nature do to its bearers?" Stealth Bomber asked, "Enhance their physical capabilities." Jayhawk replied, "What did the Element of Fire increase?" Stealth Bomber asked, "Physical strength." Jayhawk replied, "Water." Stealth Bomber said, "Flexibility." Jayhawk replied, "Earth." Stealth Bomber said, "Physical endurance." Jayhawk replied, "Air." Stealth Bomber said, "Speed." Jayhawk replied, "What was the main thing and drawback of having the Element of Air?" Stealth Bomber asked, "Fast but weak." Jayhawk replied, "Earth." Stealth Bomber said, "High defense but low offense." Jayhawk replied, "Water." Stealth Bomber said, "High offense but low defense." Jayhawk replied, "Fire." Stealth Bomber said, "Strong but slow." Jayhawk replied, "Very good, I think we've done enough for today." Stealth Bomber said, "Yeah, *yawn* I'm tired, I'm going to sleep." Jayhawk replied, Stealth Bomber looked at the sun to estimate what time it was and he saw the sun setting, he laid down next to Jayhawk and the two slept.