//------------------------------// // The Sky // Story: Nature's Wrath // by smirker //------------------------------// Stealth Bomber and Jayhawk tossed and turned on the floor while they had nightmares, the two screamed briefly before jumping awake and Stealth Bomber aimed his rifle while Jayhawk aimed Stealth Bomber's pistol, the two panted and sweated and put the guns down, "What were you dreaming about?" Stealth Bomber asked, "My life before you and the others found me." Jayhawk replied, "I was dreaming about fighting those griffons in the war." Stealth Bomber said, "I... don't feel well today." Jayhawk said, "Come on, let's go see our psychiatrist." Stealth Bomber replied, and the two exited their home and flew out of Ponyville. Stealth Bomber and Jayhawk went to Baltimare and entered their psychiatrist's office and saw seven other male Pegasi there, "What are you all doing here?" Stealth Bomber asked as he and Jayhawk recognized them, they were the other survivors of Stealth Bomber's unit, Thunderbolt had a white coat, short blue mane and tail, gray eyes, and his cutie mark was a white cloud with a yellow thunderbolt coming out of it, he had a scar going from the top of his sternum to the bottom of his abdomen; Stinger had a dark gray coat, no mane, a short white tail, his left eye was orange and bloodshot, his right eye was completely white due to him being blinded in it and a scar on it, and his cutie mark was a sword; Lancer had a blue coat, long black mane and tail, green eyes, and his cutie mark was a red rocket boot; Eagle had a brown coat, white mane and tail, yellow eyes, and his cutie was an eagle, he had scars on his back; Falcon had a light brown coat, a red mane and tail, and yellow eyes, his cutie mark was a falcon's head, he had metal bracers on all four of his knees; Raptor had a brown coat, short black mane and tail, yellow eyes, and his cutie mark was a raptor bird, he had a scar on his entire right cheek; Condor had a dark brown coat, short white mane and tail, red eyes, and his cutie mark was a condor, he had a scar on the back of his neck, "We had nightmares last night." Thunderbolt said, "Yeah, me and Jayhawk, too." Stealth Bomber replied, "What were you two dreaming about?" Condor asked, "The war." Stealth Bomber replied, "The place I was at before you guys found me." Jayhawk said, "Well, it's good you're here, Jayhawk, remember that we will do anything for you." Eagle said, "I know, thank you." Jayhawk replied, walking was heard and the psychiatrist came, he was an earth pony, he had a white coat, short yellow mane and tail, blue eyes, and his cutie mark was a pistol, "Hello, everypony, Thunderbolt, Falcon, Eagle, Condor, Stinger, Raptor, Lancer, Stealth Bomber, Jayhawk, it is nice to see you all again." the psychiatrist said, "Hello, Liebert." Thunderbolt, Stinger, Lancer, Eagle, Falcon, Raptor, Condor, Stealth Bomber, and Jayhawk said together, "So, what is bothering you nine this time?" Liebert asked, "We're having nightmares about our experiences in the war again." Stinger replied, "Can you all be specific?" Liebert asked, "I'm remembering the griffons and ponies I had to kill." Falcon replied, "I've been smelling the scent of burning flesh when I wake up." Lancer said, "I'm dreaming being in a trench surrounded by corpses." Thunderbolt said, "I'm remembering how my captors treated me before I was found by the Cloudsdale Air Force." Jayhawk said, "I am dreaming about the time I was kidnapped and tortured." Eagle said, "I am remembering the griffons I killed and ate during the war." Stealth Bomber said, "I have been dreaming about gunshots and explosions." Stinger said, "I hear crying and screaming in my dreams now." Condor said, "I see the faces of the people I killed during the war in my dreams." Raptor said, Liebert nodded, "They are the common symptoms of what occurs after a war is over, it is normal, but do you all think fighting in that war was worth it?" Liebert asked, "I thought it was at that time, because I hated griffons back then and wanted to kill them all." Stealth Bomber replied, "Yes, yes, Stealth Bomber, we already covered griffon hate running through your family in an earlier session, but do you still hate them now?" Liebert asked, "Kind of, considering what they did to Jayhawk." Stealth Bomber replied, "How about the rest of you?" Liebert asked, the other Pegasi nodded, "Do you have anypony else for support?" Liebert asked, "No." Stealth Bomber replied, "Only Stealth Bomber and these guys." Jayhawk said, "The support and love I receive from my family and friends now are not making me feel any better." Stinger said, "I'm the same." Raptor said, "So am I." Falcon said, "Me too." Lancer said, "I assume the same for the rest of you." Liebert said, Thunderbolt, Eagle, and Condor nodded, "Do you all still think about Nature Valley?" Liebert asked, the nine Pegasi nodded while Stealth Bomber looked down, "Still heartbroken, I see, Stealth Bomber." Liebert said, "Yeah, but that Pegasus didn't help me get over the memories of war; time, love, support, and friendship don't erase bad memories, it just numbs the pain to an extent." Stealth Bomber replied, "That is true, when I was younger, I believed the only thing that truly got rid of the bad memories was death." Liebert said, "We talked about love and friendship helping us conquer bad memories, the kirin in Nature Valley shot it down." Stinger said, "What did she call it?" Liebert asked, "Flimsy idealistic garbage." Lancer replied, "I can see why she would see things that way, dragons and griffons don't do friends, either." Liebert said, Stealth Bomber's and other's facial muscles twitched at hearing 'griffons', "Aside from that, has there been anything else on your minds bothering you nine?" Liebert asked, "Jayhawk and I still get mad when we see griffons." Stealth Bomber replied, "Yeah, we saw two in Ponyville and our angers flared up." Jayhawk said, "Did you two confront them?" Liebert asked, Stealth Bomber and Jayhawk shook their heads, "Do you seven still get angry at seeing griffons?" Liebert asked, "Kind of." Thunderbolt replied, "To an extent, yes." Eagle said, "Of course." Falcon said, "Yes." Stinger said, "Still do." Condor said, "Yup." Raptor said, "Yeah." Lancer said, "Do you all know what the cause for the hate is?" Liebert asked, "Those griffons tortured me during the war, I was also denied into a school as a kid due to the requirements of having a few griffons everywhere in Cloudsdale as a status quo." Stinger replied, "I was tortured by them, too, they would also rob my parents of their money." Lancer said, "Those griffons were minor creatures when I was a kid and I lost my job to them because of a status quo." Eagle said, "They stole from my parents when I was a kid and made us homeless." Falcon said, "They killed my family." Raptor said, "They stole my ideas for art designs when I was a kid and they became famous for it." Condor said, "They committed crimes like robbery and murder in the area of Cloudsdale I grew up in and they could not be touched by the law due to them being minor creatures at that time." Thunderbolt said, "They killed my family and threw me into a camp." Jayhawk said, "My younger brother was laid off from his job to the griffons being minor creatures and they were accepted to fill a status quo, those same griffons later killed him, I got mad and grieved, those griffons told me to stop grieving because he deserved to die, I got mad and fought them, I was taken to court and was pleaded guilty and sent to juvenile hall, and I had to join the air force the next year to clear my criminal record." Stealth Bomber said, "Were your parents happy about you joining the military, Stealth Bomber?" Liebert asked, "Of course, my parents hated griffons even before my younger brother was killed, they wanted me to join and go to war, it was because they wanted me to kill as many griffons as possible." Stealth Bomber replied, "You all said that's why every Pegasus in Cloudsdale joined the air force back then." Liebert said, "Yes, we were angry, and wanted revenge, since friendship didn't work on the griffons, so we all decided to join the air force so we could fly around all of Equestria and kill every griffon in the land." Thunderbolt replied, "You all also said the air force didn't accept girls back then, either." Liebert said, "Well, actually, they tried to get females in, but they all broke down and cried from the drill instructor yelling at them, so it was decided no females." Stealth Bomber replied, "You all should hear Spitfire yelling at the Wonderbolts." Liebert said, "I already did, she's nothing compared to the drill instructors of the air force." Condor replied, "Anyway, aside from that, have any of you been able to get a job since you all quit working for Big Business?" Liebert asked, Thunderbolt, Stinger, Lancer, Eagle, Falcon, Condor, and Raptor shook their heads, "I did, I work at the weather factory in Cloudsdale now." Stealth Bomber replied, "How is it?" Liebert asked, "Peaceful, but I'm not comfortable working with technology." Stealth Bomber replied, "I see, well, that is all the time we have today, price is thirty bits." Liebert said, and everypony except Jayhawk paid him and they left. The nine Pegasi walked outside and they saw the big gray clouds and strong gusts of wind in the sky, "Come on, it's probably best we all stay together." Thunderbolt said, "Let's go to my place, Violet and Velvet and are in Ponyville right now." Stealth Bomber said, and they flew to Ponyville. Stealth Bomber and the others arrived in Ponyville and saw everycreature looking at the sky, "Oh, come on, the train's still not working." Violet said, "Calm down, Violet, we'll just teleport." Velvet said, the nine Pegasi walked to them, "Excuse us, Violet and Velvet." Thunderbolt said, the two turned around and saw them, "We'd like to talk about Nature Valley if that's fine with you two." Stinger said, "Another time, we'll come see you guys." Violet replied, "Alright, we'll be waiting." Falcon said, and they walked away, "So, what do we do to pass the time?" Eagle asked, they wind began to blow harder, "I guess we can do a game of golf." Condor replied, the others murmured in agreement, "I'll get the equipment from my home." Thunderbolt said, and he flew away and came back with the bag of golf clubs and golf balls, "Hold on." Stealth Bomber said, he flew to Rainbow Dash, "Hey, Rainbow Dash." Stealth Bomber said, Rainbow Dash looked at him, "You want join us for a game of golf?" Stealth Bomber asked as his comrades and Jayhawk smiled, "Sorry, but I'm gonna have to pass, golf's not my type of sport." Rainbow Dash said, "Alright, then." Stealth Bomber said, and he and the others flew away. Stealth Bomber and the others arrived at a golf course and they let Jayhawk go first, he hit the ball and the wind made the ball fly out of bounds, "Wow, the wind's going to make all the balls fly out of bounds." Jayhawk said, "That gives me an idea." Stinger replied, and he hit a golf ball in the wrong direction. The golf ball changed direction in the air and flew out of bounds. Lancer hit a golf ball next and it hit the flag at the hole and it flew out of the ground, "Wow, it's almost like the wind in northern Nature Valley." Jayhawk said, "Now that you mention it, it is." Condor replied, Stealth Bomber saw a construction pony working on a roof far away, "Hold on, I have an idea." Stealth Bomber said, and he got a golf ball and walked away. Stealth Bomber hit the golf ball and the strong winds made the ball fly out of bounds, it kept going and it hit the construction pony on the left side of his flank, he screamed while holding onto his flank and fell off the roof. The nine Pegasi laughed and they continued playing golf, they went to different parts of the course so the ball would fly and hit the fences around the golf course, they also used putters instead of the drivers and irons. The nine Pegasi played golf while the wind made the golf balls fly far and destroy anything they touched, they chuckled a bit, "Alright, it's getting late, we should head home." Falcon said, and they picked up the golf balls and flew back to Ponyville. Stealth Bomber and the others headed back and the winds blew stronger, screaming was heard to their rights and they looked, they saw wind turbines with Big Business' face on them being destroyed and stallions who worked for him being spun around in tornadoes, "That's not normal." Jayhawk said, "I guess Princess Twilight was right, there is some kind of magic at work." Stealth Bomber said, "Let's go home, and stay together." Thunderbolt said, and they flew together, they heard explosions and saw fans flying everywhere, they looked and saw the explosions came from ventilation shafts in buildings owned by Big Business, more explosions were heard and they saw air conditioners built by Big Business' company being destroyed as well, "Wow, everything made by Big Business is being destroyed." Jayhawk said, "You think it could be the residents of Nature Valley?" Lancer asked, "It can't be, Big Business and his workers destroyed their land and killed them all." Thunderbolt replied, "But they still have their elements, maybe someone else is using them." Falcon said, "That's possible, come on now, let's see if Violet and Velvet are available." Condor replied, and they flew to Ponyville. The stallions arrived in Ponyville and entered Stealth Bomber's and Jayhawk's new home, they saw the many weapons and griffon skulls on the wall, "You always did like weapons and the macabre, Stealth Bomber." Thunderbolt said, "It runs in my family, my parents and siblings liked them, too." Stealth Bomber replied, "I think it looks cool, too." Jayhawk said, "Well, since the weather's bad, we might stay here, too, is it okay if we add some decorations of our own, Stealth Bomber?" Stinger asked, "Sure." Stealth Bomber replied, and the eight stallions left and came back with their decorations. Thunderbolt brought an electric guitar and a drum set into the house, his guitar's body was shaped like a buzz saw, the bars that held the two tom drums and the legs of cymbals, floor tom, snare drum, and bass drum had green snakes wrapped around them, and his drum sticks were shaped like swords; Stinger brought his chairs in, they were outlined with bones and had dragon skulls on top of them, he also brought in a table for dining, it was painted black and the legs had dragon heads carved on them, he also brought in cups shaped like pony skulls; Lancer brought in a knife set he made during his time in the air force, they were knives made from flint, he had makeshift serrated blades on his knives made from griffon teeth that were tied on with sinew; Eagle brought in books on weapons, armor, and torture, along with horror stories, and a bookshelf with two dragon heads carved on each corner at the top of the bookshelf; Falcon brought clothes, they all had the same base design, long-sleeve shirt, pants, gloves, boots, and overcoat, they were all black and made out of leather; Condor brought in black plates with skulls painted at the bottom of them and silverware made from griffon bones, he also brought in paintings of ponies killing griffons and hung them on the wall, his paint colors were red, black, brown, white, gray, and yellow; Raptor brought in butcher knives, carving forks, meat cleavers, hatchets, and recipes that involved eating griffons, his main recipe was the griffon burger. Jayhawk put up a picture of himself with the all of the Pegasi from the unit the eight stallions served in and had propaganda posters on the floor where he slept, "I think the place looks great." Jayhawk said, Stealth Bomber looked around and nodded in agreement. Knocking was heard at the door and the ponies aimed their guns, "Hello, Stealth Bomber, are you home? Stealth Bomber?" Violet asked, they put their guns down and Stealth Bomber opened the door and saw her and Velvet, "We're ready to hear what you all have to say about Nature Valley." Violet said, and she and Velvet entered and sat across from the nine Pegasi, "I must admit, I do like the designs in your home." Velvet said, "Thanks." Stealth Bomber replied, "Well, let's get started, start from the very beginning, right when you all began working for Big Business." Violet said, and they began to explain what happened. Thunderbolt, Stinger, Lancer, Stealth Bomber, Eagle, Falcon, Condor, and Raptor have just retired from the Cloudsdale Air Force and they took Jayhawk with them, they were going through a newspaper to look for a job, "You all see any job we can get?" Lancer asked, "Nope, we need an higher education for all of them." Thunderbolt replied, "Why don't you all send me to school?" Jayhawk asked, "We don't have the money, and if you'll be a laughing stock if we send you now because you'll be older than your classmates." Stealth Bomber replied, "Well, there's only one job we can get, it's bodyguard work for a private industrialist named Big Business." Condor said, "What are the requirements?" Eagle asked, "Adult, muscular, physically fit, royal guard or other military service, combat trained, no education required, and there's one note here that says he's only hiring males." Condor replied, "Maybe because they're physically stronger than females." Stealth Bomber said, "Probably, I see we go see him for a job." Eagle said, "Alright, it says here his headquarters is in Las Pegasus, let's go." Condor replied, and they flew there. The nine Pegasi arrived at Las Pegasus and went to Big Business' headquarters, they saw he was a unicorn, he had a sky blue coat, short well groomed gray mane and tail, gray eyes, and his cutie mark was a gray gear with three yellow millet plants inside of it, "You nine looking for bodyguard work?" Big Business asked, "Well, yes, it's the only thing we're qualified for, well, all of us except Jayhawk here, he's too young to work." Thunderbolt replied, "Oh, nonsense, children can work as bodyguards if they can fight back." Big Business said, "What? But sir, Jayhawk here is only nine years old, he's from a war zone, too." Eagle replied, "That's good, that means if the fight goes badly for him, his PTSD can kick in and make him violent, it'll help in defending me as well." Big Business said, "It won't be good for his mental health." Stealth Bomber replied, "That's his problem, if he can't handle them, that's his own fault, since that means he's too weak to endure the hardships and too stupid to find a coping mechanism." Big Business said, "Are you saying I'm an idiot?" Jayhawk asked, "You're applying to be my bodyguard, so you have to be." Big Business replied, Jayhawk growled, "With all due respect, sir, we all fought in a war against the griffons, so we have knowledge about the world outside of Equestria." Falcon said, "Good, that'll be useful, do you all hate all creatures besides ponies?" Big Business asked, "We hate the griffons." Raptor replied, "Yeah, we all joined the air force in hopes of killing the entire race." Condor said, "Good, I can use that hate, we need to show the other creatures that us ponies are superior." Big Business said, "So, what do you do?" Stinger asked, "I am an industrialist, I am modernizing Equestria with technology, I will bring forth a new era after I industrialize and modernize the other countries of the world." Big Business replied, "So you try to make living easier?" Thunderbolt asked, "No, how my businesses and companies affect others is not my concern, as long as they buy my things and give me money, I'm a happy pony, I can care less if my industries make things better or worse." Big Business replied, "Tell me, why aren't there any females here?" Stealth Bomber asked, "Because they are the inferior gender, they're not as strong as us males, and this company of mine is a private company free from any government interference, I started it when I had enough money to start it." Big Business replied, "Where did you get the money?" Jayhawk asked, "Um... let's just say I have my sources." Big Business replied, the nine Pegasi looked at him suspiciously, "Anyway, you guys’ jobs are to stand around, look strong, look scary, but act stupid, you all got the job." Big Business said, and he shook their hoofs while they scowled. Three months passed and a mare went to go speak with Big Business, "Big Business, if you don't mind, I'd like to work here." the mare said, "The answer's no." Big Business replied, "Why not?" the mare asked, "Didn't you read what you need to work for me, you idiot? No females, you are not allowed to work for me, ever, now get going and die in the streets." Big Business replied, and the mare walked out while crying. Stealth Bomber and his fellow Pegasi stood around and were ready to defend Big Business from harm while they heard the mare crying outside, "Hey." Big Business said, the nine Pegasi looked at him, "That mare is getting annoying, go out there, and give her a beating and don't stop until she stops crying." Big Business said, "Beating her up is going to make her cry even more." Lancer replied, "Then beat her to death." Big Business said, "What? We're not assassins." Thunderbolt replied, "Well, get her to stop crying, it's annoying, kill her if you have to." Big Business said, and he walked away, the nine Pegasi went outside. The mare sat on the sidewalk and cried with her hoofs over her own face, the nine Pegasi walked to her, "Excuse us." Raptor said, the mare looked at them, "You have to leave." Raptor said, "You all saw how Big Business treated me, how can you be so cold and force me to leave when I have nowhere to go?" the mare asked, and she cried again, "That's not the point, if you don't leave, we're going to have to get rough, Big Business said your crying is annoying him, and he has ordered us to kill you to make you stop." Stealth Bomber replied, the mare's jaw dropped a little, "Go home and try to apply for another job, we'll write a complaint to Princess Celestia." Thunderbolt said, "Okay, thank you." the mare replied, and she walked home while wiping tears away from her eyes, the nine Pegasi went back into the building. Two weeks passed and Stealth Bomber and the other Pegasi wrote several complaints to Princess Celestia about Big Business not allowing females to work for him since he considered them the inferior gender, since they wrote their reports with their right wings, they wrote the complaints with their left wings so Big Business would not figure out they were the ones writing the complaints. The door burst open and they looked at Big Business, "I got a letter from Celestia, read it for me and decide what to do with it." Big Business said, "Shouldn't you read your own mail?" Jayhawk asked, "I am a businesspony! Reading mail and paying bills and taxes is beneath me, I am too high of importance to be doing such menial things." Big Business replied, "Um, Big Business, we never heard of you until we saw your name in the newspaper." Thunderbolt said, "Well, you've all been out of country, but I am a household name, my name is bigger than Celestia's." Big Business replied, the Pegasi glared at him, "Well, that's all, you all read the letter and decide what to do with it." Big Business said, and he walked away, "I can't believe we're still working for that jerk, I say we look for another job." Jayhawk said, "We would, but we're not qualified for any other job, we have no choice." Stealth Bomber replied, "Plus he pays us below minimum wage, he doesn't offer any sick or vacation days, either." Falcon said, "Yeah, miss one day and we're fired." Raptor replied, "Well, there's nothing we can do, come on, let's read the letter." Thunderbolt said, "Big Business, This is Princess Celestia, I have been receiving many complaints from the people who work in your company about you not allowing females to work for you due to you considering them the inferior gender. I ask you kindly that do allow them to work for you and stop thinking such a way, this has nothing to do with me being a female, myself, Equestria is a land of tolerance and acceptance. If I continue to receive complaints about you not allowing females to work for you, I will shut down all of your company operations and have you arrested." the Pegasi finished reading the letter, "What do we do?" Jayhawk asked, "Let's keep it, but make sure the letter's hidden." Thunderbolt replied, "Yeah, the last thing we need is Big Business finding this, let's keep it at home." Lancer said, "We'll have to stop writing complaints, too, Big Business will probably hire assassins to kill us if he finds out it's us writing them." Stealth Bomber said, "But we're military trained with heavy weaponry, we can take them." Jayhawk said, "Maybe, but a lot of assassins tend to be elite soldiers, so they're more trained than us, and have stronger weapons and armor, so it's probably best not to take our chances." Raptor replied, "Plus, we'll get fired, too, and that'll make getting a job even harder." Condor said, "So, we have to stop?" Jayhawk asked, "Yeah, sorry, Jayhawk, but it's probably for the best we stop, we have no choice but to continue working for him." Stealth Bomber replied, he looked down and Thunderbolt held onto the letter. Four months passed and Stealth Bomber and Thunderbolt were observing an area where Big Business wanted to build a factory that would produce firewood from the trees around the area and animal meat to eat from the animals living in the woods, "What do you say?" Stealth Bomber asked, "We'll tell Big Business it's not a suitable place to build a factory." Thunderbolt replied, "Good idea, ponies don't need firewood, they can make fire with their magic, and those who don't have magic already have firewood at home." Stealth Bomber said, "Plus, most creatures don't eat meat, dragons eat gems, and yaks eat hay and sweets, destroying this forest and killing its animals for food will all be for nothing." Thunderbolt replied, "Then why does he want that factory built?" Stealth Bomber asked, "I don't know, but I heard yesterday that he was angry about Fluttershy wanting the animals and forests to be safe, so maybe this is supposed to be a message to her." Thunderbolt replied, "Well, let's go tell him that it's not possible because the terrain's uneven and there's a family living nearby." Stealth Bomber said, and they flew back. Stealth Bomber and Thunderbolt reported to Big Business and he became livid, "What do you mean the terrain's uneven?!" Big Business asked, "Exactly what we mean, building a factory in that forest is going to cause it to slide and fall, there's no even ground." Thunderbolt replied, "And what is this about a family living nearby?" Big Business asked, "There's a family living off the forest in a cabin nearby." Stealth Bomber replied, "Force them out." Big Business said, "What? But sir, we can't just force them out, it's their home." Stealth Bomber replied, "Then build the factory so the uneven terrain makes it slide and fall on their house, look, I don't care what you have to do, get them out, kill them if you have to." Big Business said, "Big Business, they have a colt, a filly, and a baby living with them." Thunderbolt replied, "Get rid of them, and if you have to kill them, make sure you kill those kids first." Big Business said, Stealth Bomber and Thunderbolt looked at him with shocked expressions, "What? But... they're just kids." Thunderbolt said, "Just kids, my flank, I hate kids, they are so loud and annoying, and they ruin and destroy everything." Big Business replied, "They don't know better." Stealth Bomber said, "So what? They're still ruining my business with their stupidities." Big Business replied, "You can at least give them warnings." Thunderbolt said, "Forget warnings, kids don't deserve second chances, they deserve beatings." Big Business replied, "Then why did you take Jayhawk in?" Stealth Bomber asked, "Because he might be useful, I don't like having him around, but since he saw war, he might have combat training, and I can use that." Big Business replied, "Well, that's all we have to report." Thunderbolt said, "Okay, I'll leave the planning on what to do with that forest to you guys." Big Business replied, and the two left his office. Thunderbolt and Stealth Bomber hear loud bangs and Big Business grunting angrily, "Stupid terrain, just you wait, Fluttershy, I will destroy your sanctuary one day, I'm tired of your animal safety guides hindering my business." Big Business said, and the two walked away. "Ugh! When is Nature Valley?!" Violet asked, "Um, Nature Valley didn't happen until two years later." Jayhawk replied, "What?! Seriously?!" Violet asked, "Yeah, so we've still got a long way to go." Falcon replied, "You know what, just skip to Nature Valley, I think your description of Big Business' personality is enough." Violet said, "We won't be able to truly use your claim as evidence until we see how Big Business really acts." Velvet said, "Is something the matter?" Jayhawk asked, "My reports say you nine had bad relationships with him, so your claims about him sound very biased." Velvet replied, "Don't you all have any male detectives?" Condor asked, "Yes." Velvet replied, "Then why don't you all just have one of them see Big Business and report his behavior?" Condor asked, "That's actually a good idea, I see we give it a shot, Velvet." Violet said, "Alright, but don't tell him we came up with the advice, nor say he was sent by a mare, he won't let that detective anywhere near." Stealth Bomber said, "Okay, let's get started with Nature Valley." Violet said, and they all began to talk about Nature Valley. The Pegasi were going through newspapers to look for another job since they were tired of Big Business' attitude and him underpaying them, the door flew open and Big Business came in, "I need you all to come with me." Big Business said, and they followed him. The Pegasi arrived at where Big Business wanted them and he cast a spell and revealed a hidden area in the forest, they saw an area divided into four areas, the north had a green ground and there were tornadoes everywhere, the south was covered with water and snow and houses were made out of ice, the east had a forest and there were many plants there, and the west was a desert with volcanoes in it, "How did you find this place?" Jayhawk asked, "I was practicing my magic and one of them revealed it by chance." Big Business replied, "Look at the people there." Thunderbolt said, they saw the ponies in the northern area were made out of gray wind, the ones in the south were made out of blue water, the ones in the east were made out of brown rocks, and the ones in the west were made out of red flames, "What strange looking ponies." Falcon said, "There are more than just ponies here, look." Jayhawk replied as he pointed down, they saw a Pegasus, an earth pony, a hippogriff, and a kirin, they all had on silver necklaces that had a gem on them, "Is that an alicorn in the center there?" Condor asked, they looked and saw the deity, "I need you nine to explore and report back to me what they're like, if I'm lucky, I can use their bodies to power my technology." Big Business said, "I think they should be left alone, Big Business." Stealth Bomber replied, "I'm the boss here, if I can't use them, I can still use their destroyed home to build skyscrapers." Big Business said, "What do you want us to do?" Raptor asked, "Get in there and see what they're like, I'll leave the method to you guys." Big Business replied, and he flew away. The nine Pegasi looked at them and thought about what to do, "What do we do?" Jayhawk asked, "I don't want to enter their country and report it to Big Business since he wants to destroy them, but we have to since it's our job." Stealth Bomber replied, "Then why don't we quit and look for another job?" Jayhawk asked, "Because there is no other job, we're not qualified for the new jobs in the newspapers." Thunderbolt replied, "I say we lie and say their home is indestructible, and the ponies attacked us on sight, maybe that'll get Big Business to leave them alone." Lancer said, "Sounds good, it's a plan." Stinger replied, "How do we enter?" Stealth Bomber asked, "The best thing I can think of is orchestrate an accident, since we don't know if they're friendly or not." Thunderbolt replied, "True, and the last time we crashed was during the war, and we were attacked." Stinger said, "We'll be risking our lives again, but let's give it a try, let's wait for a day with a thunderstorm, we'll fly close by a thundercloud with a wagon and let it zap us and land in that place, let's try to land in the area with the Pegasus." Thunderbolt said, and they flew away. The day with a heavy storm came and Big Business cast the spell again to reveal the place and teleported away, while the nine Pegasi brought their fully-automatic rifles, pistols, combat knives, and leftover MREs with them, "Okay, here goes." Thunderbolt said, and the nine Pegasi took a wagon from the nearby weather factory and rode it south. Eagle, Falcon, Condor, and Raptor pulled it forward and flew under a thundercloud, it zapped the wagon and it caught on fire, they began to fall and were going to fall in the area they wanted to go. The Pegasus and ponies made from gray wind were getting on with their days and they heard the wagon coming, they looked and saw the wagon on fire coming into their country and they flew out of the way before it hit them, the wagon crashed onto the ground. The creatures from the other areas of the place walked over and saw the wagon, it opened and Lancer came out, he limped and groaned, "You guys alright?" Lancer asked, Eagle, Falcon, Condor, and Raptor groaned as they stood up, Thunderbolt, Stinger, and Stealth Bomber came out while limping and panting, "Jayhawk? Where's Jayhawk?" Stealth Bomber asked, "Right here." Jayhawk said from under the wagon, they lifted it and Jayhawk crawled out, the creatures gasped at seeing Jayhawk was a child, the nine Pegasi limped around and looked at the sky, "Weather's bad today, we should've went the other way to deliver the weather jars." Stinger said, "Let's check the jars." Falcon said, and he and a few others looked into the wagon, "Well?" Condor asked, "Nope, they're all broken." Eagle replied, "Well, can you all fly?" Thunderbolt asked, and they all tried to fly and fell, "Nope, we're stuck here." Stealth Bomber said, "What do we do with them?" the kirin asked, "Let's help them, they don't look suspicious." the alicorn-like creature replied, "Really? Most of them have scars, that one has metal bracers on his knees, and that one is blinded in one eye, they look very suspicious to me." the kirin said, "Well, I don't see anything suspicious looking in the wagon." the alicorn-like creature replied, they looked and saw it had broken shards of glass in it, "Could they be fine to have around?" the earth pony asked, "I think so, they've got a kid, too." the hippogriff replied, "Well, what do we tell our bosses?" Raptor asked, "We encountered bad weather and a thundercloud struck the wagon and set it on fire." Thunderbolt replied, "Talk about bad luck." the earth pony said, the Pegasus nodded, "What do we do?" Jayhawk asked, "Well, we've got two options, sit here and wait for our wounds to heal, or go through the forest and look for another civilization." Stealth Bomber said, "Wait." the Pegasus said as she flew to them, "You all can come with me, come on, let's get you all treated." the Pegasus said and she picked up Jayhawk and flew to her house while holding him, the wind in the place lifted them into the air, "Ugh, there she goes trusting strangers again." the kirin said, "I think it's a good thing, it means she's a decent person." the hippogriff replied, "Me too, they don't look like bad people." the earth pony said, "Come on now, everybody, back on with our days." the alicorn-like creature said, and they all left. Stealth Bomber and the others sat at a table while the Pegasus got flowers and herbs, she mushed them up and put them on their wounds, "There, you all should heal in no time." the Pegasus said, "Thank you." Jayhawk said, "What are your names?" the Pegasus asked, "I'm Jayhawk, that's Stealth Bomber, he's Falcon, Eagle, Raptor, Condor, Thunderbolt, Stinger, and Lancer." Jayhawk replied, "Wow, some of you are named after the birds here." the Pegasus said, "What's your name?" Stealth Bomber asked, "Raging Tornado." the Pegasus replied, "Why aren't you like the other ponies in the area for?" Jayhawk asked, "Well, because I was chosen to wield some of Mother Nature's power, I was chosen by her when I was a little girl." Raging Tornado replied, "I guess it was recently, then." Stinger said, "I'm a lot older than I look." Raging Tornado replied, "What's your earliest memory?" Stealth Bomber asked, "When all of Equestria was in chaos due to Discord's magic." Raging Tornado replied, "Discord broke out of stone and caused chaos a few months back." Lancer said, "No, the first time, when he ruled Equestria." Raging Tornado replied, the nine Pegasi eyes' widened, "You're that old?" Condor asked, "Uh-huh." Raging Tornado replied, "What is that gem you have there?" Thunderbolt asked, "That is the gem that contains the powers of Mother Nature that I control, there are three more." Raging Tornado replied, "Who is Mother Nature?" Raptor asked, "That alicorn-like pony in the center of this area, she's our supreme ruler." Raging Tornado replied, "And you?" Thunderbolt asked, "I am a ruler of this section of Nature Valley, but Mother Nature has more authority than me, but I have no power or authority in the other three areas." Raging Tornado replied, "Are you royalty?" Jayhawk asked, "Well, not exactly, I'm more of a noble." Raging Tornado replied, "And the others?" Stealth Bomber asked, "The citizens here are called elemental ponies, the ones here are the air ponies." Raging Tornado replied, "I assume you have a title." Stinger said, "Stewardess." Raging Tornado replied, "So, what is this place?" Jayhawk asked, "This is Nature Valley, it was once a thriving kingdom, but as Equestria got more and more industrialized, Mother Nature's powers got weaker, so she tried to bestow them onto someone, but it was too powerful for that person to handle, so she divided her powers into four, they’re inside the gemstones, they are also elements, mine is the Element of Air, the other three are Earth, Water, and Fire." Raging Tornado replied, "Still, what a strange place." Thunderbolt said, "Yeah, it's like something out of a children's book." Stinger said, "I think you all are going to like it here, and I hope you all packed some clothes with you, each area of Nature Valley is a different season, it's always autumn here, always winter in the south, always spring in the east, and always summer in the west." Raging Tornado replied, the Pegasi looked at one another with confusion, "So, um, what about you guys, what's with all of those scars and the knee bracers?" Raging Tornado asked, "That's from our previous job." Lancer replied, "Yeah, we had to fight to defend Cloudsdale." Stealth Bomber said, "You all ex-Wonderbolts?" Raging Tornado asked, "No, we're former air ponies, well, that was what we were called when we started the job." Condor replied, "Really? What are you guys doing now?" Raging Tornado asked, "We work at weather factories now." Stealth Bomber replied, "Weather factories?" Raging Tornado asked, "Yeah, we're drifters now." Thunderbolt replied, "Do you all have a home?" Raging Tornado asked, "Yeah, but it's far from here." Jayhawk replied, "Why is he with you guys?" Raging Tornado asked, "Our boss said bring him to work with us since he'll be home all alone and he'll get lonely without us." Stealth Bomber replied, "Do you all have a sitter?" Raging Tornado asked, "No." Thunderbolt replied, "Where are his parents?" Raging Tornado asked, Jayhawk looked down, "They were killed in a war." Stealth Bomber replied, "Oh, I'm sorry to hear that, if it bothers him, you can take him to that kirin in western Nature Valley, she understands the effects of war better than any of us." Raging Tornado said, "What about you?" Eagle asked, "Kind of, but I'm not an expert on it like how she is." Raging Tornado replied, "Well, we'll try not to stay here long." Stealth Bomber said, "No, please do, I think you all will like it here." Raging Tornado replied, "You sound lonely." Jayhawk said, "It's just... you all are the first visitors we've ever had." Raging Tornado replied, "Really? We heard from the kirin that you trust strangers." Raptor said, "I travel out of Nature Valley sometimes." Raging Tornado replied, "So you've seen the outside world." Thunderbolt said, "Of course, part of my job as Mother Nature's bearer of her element is to control nature, Mother Nature's powers aren't just in Equestria, they affect the entire world." Raging Tornado replied, "Must be a tough job." Stealth Bomber said, "Not really, like I said, I only control one part, and that's the sky, I mainly control the winds, but I also control the clouds, this gem also grants me powers." Raging Tornado replied, "What about the rain?" Thunderbolt asked, "I only control the cloud, the hippogriff in southern Nature Valley controls the rain." Raging Tornado replied, "So what is your role in all of Nature Valley?" Lancer asked, "I'm the scout of the group between me, the earth pony, the hippogriff, and the kirin, the air ponies are scouts, too, and act on my command, it's because we're the fastest ones and can fly." Raging Tornado replied, the nine Pegasi nodded, "Is outside influence allowed in this place?" Stinger asked, "Yes, I have a lot of books and several dresses." Raging Tornado replied, "What kind of books?" Jayhawk asked, "Romance novels, fantasy, you know, typical girl stories." Raging Tornado replied, "What other hobbies do you have?" Jayhawk asked, "Well, I mostly look at dresses, I like dresses that go down to the floor and have skirts closed in front of the hind legs, I don't like dresses that are open in front of the hind legs." Raging Tornado replied, "So you're a modest pony." Stealth Bomber said, "Yes, unlike that earth pony who likes clothes that show off her skin." Raging Tornado replied, "Are there any hoofwear you like in particular?" Stinger asked, "Actually, yes, I love high heels." Raging Tornado replied, "Any reason?" Stealth Bomber asked, "I like how they look." Raging Tornado replied, "Can we see?" Jayhawk asked, "Sure." Raging Tornado replied, and she left and came back with a rack full of dresses, they saw Raging Tornado's dresses were all long-sleeve and floor-length with the skirt closed in front of the hind legs, her shoes were at the bottom, they were all sparkly high heels, and all of her dresses were two or three different colors, "Do you buy them or make your own?" Jayhawk asked, "Buy." Raging Tornado replied, "Well, we should get going, we have a mess to clean." Thunderbolt said, "Okay, have fun here." Raging Tornado replied, and the nine Pegasi went outside. Stealth Bomber and the other Pegasi went outside and stayed in the air due to the wind, they saw all of the houses in northern Nature Valley were floating in the air with tornadoes under them, and every type of avian creature and flying bug from around the world flew around the place, they looked and also saw the houses were all made from sticks, tree branches, wood, leaves, and pine needles, "I guess this is Mother Nature's magic instead of Raging Tornado's." Jayhawk said, "Probably, I wonder how much of her powers it takes her to keep them up like that." Stealth Bomber replied, they looked and saw Mother Nature was walking around just fine, they heard music and saw several air ponies playing woodwind and brass instruments, and more dancing by doing either ballet or with ribbons, "I guess each area of Nature Valley has its own forms of entertainment." Lancer said, and they tried to get down onto the ground but could not, so the air ponies grabbed them and put them on the ground and they began collecting the pieces of the wagon. "Shortly after that, we began to explore Nature Valley and we met the others, and Raging Tornado and I began to develop feelings for one another." Stealth Bomber said, "She doesn't sound like the type of person you would have feelings for." Velvet replied, "Well, it's because I was the one who was there to comfort her when something happened to her, she was often the one who had bad luck within her group of friends." Stealth Bomber said, "What kind of bad luck?" Violet asked, "Well..." Stealth Bomber replied, and he went over what happened. Stealth Bomber and the other Pegasi met with the other three bearers of Mother Nature's elements and Raging Tornado was not there, "Ugh, she's late again, she's always late." the kirin said, "She'd better hurry, or she'll miss the ice cream." the earth pony said, and they all tried an ice cream. Panting was heard and Raging Tornado came, "Sorry I'm late, I overslept, I'm here to try the ice cream." Raging Tornado said, "Um, the shop already closed." Jayhawk replied, "What? When?" Raging Tornado asked, "Twenty minutes ago, you're way too late." Thunderbolt replied, Raging Tornado looked with a mortified expression and then she covered her own face with her wings and cried, Stealth Bomber offered her his ice cream and she ate it. There was one day when a festival was being held in Nature Valley and Raging Tornado, the earth pony, and the hippogriff were all wearing fancy dresses, Raging Tornado wore a pink and white long-sleeve gown and white high heels, the earth pony wore a black sleeveless dress that was cut down to reveal her chest and a high slit on her hind right leg and black dress shoes with flat soles, and the hippogriff wore a white sleeveless dress with two blue ribbons on the back and dark blue high heels. The ponies native to Nature Valley offered a drink to Jayhawk and he tried it, he spat it out and Raging Tornado screamed when it landed on her dress, "My dress!" Raging Tornado said, "That thing is more bitter than dark roast coffee." Jayhawk said, the kirin laughed while the others looked at him with disbelief. Stealth Bomber got a towel and gave it to Raging Tornado so she could wipe the drink off of her dress. There was another time when Stealth Bomber was at home with the other Pegasi and Raging Tornado came in while in tears, "What is it, Raging Tornado?" Thunderbolt asked, she held her front right leg up and showed that her green high heel shoe had mud on it, Stealth Bomber cleaned it for her. Lunchtime came and Raging Tornado's tray had less food in it, Stealth Bomber gave her some of his food, her wooden spoon also broke, so Stealth Bomber gave her his, the two went outside afterwards and Stealth Bomber brought two umbrellas since it was said to rain, it poured rain and the two opened the umbrellas, and the top of Raging Tornado's umbrella broke off and flew away, she screamed and Stealth Bomber gave her his umbrella. Violet chuckled a little while Velvet smiled, "So it wasn't love at first sight?" Violet asked, "Not at all, it took a bit of time." Stealth Bomber replied, "Well, that's all the time we have today, we'll be back tomorrow if we're still stuck here." Violet said, and she and Velvet left, the Pegasi looked at the time and saw it was dark, they yawned and all went to sleep. Stealth Bomber heard gunshots and explosions in his dream while he tossed and turned on the floor, Jayhawk screamed a little when he woke up with the others, they were all sweating and panting, "You all had nightmares, too?" Thunderbolt asked, the others nodded, loud winds and screams were heard outside and they ran outside. Stealth Bomber and the others ran outside and saw large black clouds roaming in the sky, a windstorm appeared and they all saw Big Business' wind turbines in the sky and being ripped to pieces, "What is this weather?" Rarity asked, "Don't ask me, the weather factories aren't working." Rainbow Dash said, "Wait, what is that?" Spike asked, tornadoes came out of the sky, "Twisters!" Applejack said, the ponies ran away while screaming and Twilight Sparkle tried to cast a spell to undo the weather, "Hey, what is that over there?" Jayhawk asked as he pointed south, everycreature looked and saw a dust storm was in Appleloosa, there were also dust devils forming there. Everycreature looked around more and they saw downbursts coming out of the sky, waterspouts then appeared over water bodies, "Discord!" Twilight Sparkle said, Discord appeared in front of her, "Why, now, it is not me who is causing this, plus, if it was me, these winds would have powdered candy in them." Discord said, "Then what in tarnation is causin' this weather?" Applejack asked, "I don't know, but it's someone's magic, it's not by artifacts, either." Twilight Sparkle replied, the ponies screamed, "Look, something's coming out of the sky!" Roseluck said as she pointed to it. Everycreature looked and saw black silhouettes of what appeared to be earth ponies coming down, they landed on the ground and white fog appeared around them. The white fog moved forward while everycreature watched, walking was heard and they saw the creatures, they were all black and featureless like shadows, but the one leading them from the front had wings like a Pegasus and glowing green eyes, "G... ghosts?!" Rarity asked, a falcon screech was heard and they saw all of the flying animals from Fluttershy's sanctuary were with them as well, "Who are these guys?" Rainbow Dash asked, the ghost with the green eyes held its front left hoof out and the black pony sillhouettes behind it flew forward. The shadow-like ponies flew around and went as fast as Rainbow Dash when she did the Sonic Rainboom, they began destroying all wind powered technology owned by Big Business, the flying animals and bugs helped as well, "Wait! Stop!" Twilight Sparkle said as she ran to the shadow-like pony with the green eyes, "What are you doing?" Twilight Sparkle asked, two tornadoes formed to its sides, "What the? It looks like that one's the one making this bad weather." Starlight Glimmer said, the shadow-like pony with the green eyes held its front legs up and the tornadoes went back up into the sky, the creature moved its front legs down and the two tornadoes reappeared elsewhere and destroyed wind turbines owned by Big Business. Twilight Sparkle tried to shoot a spell at the creature but it turned into gusts of wind and disappeared, "What the?" Twilight Sparkle asked, destruction was heard but the shadow-like ponies grabbed whoever was in their path of destruction and carried them to safety, "Stop! That's enough!" Twilight Sparkle said as she zapped them and the creatures causing the destruction fell, she had trouble since they flew fast. Rainbow Dash flew up to get them and did the Sonic Rainboom so she could catch them, she hit them down and they fell. The one with the glowing green eyes reappeared in the air and Rainbow Dash flew after it, the creatures gasped when they saw that one was even faster than the others. Rainbow Dash flew after it and the creature's body changed into gray wind, "What in tarnation?" Applejack asked, Rainbow Dash flew under the creature and went to the left, she flew back to the right and did a beeline to the flying creature, but went through its body, "Huh?" Rainbow Dash said, she flew after it again and it was still too fast for her to catch, the creature moved the clouds telepathically and made more fog appear, "Nice try, but you're not getting rid of me that easily." Rainbow Dash said as she flew after the creature. The creature flew forward and saw more wind turbines owned by Big Business, it stopped flying and began flapping its wings and created strong gusts of wind that destroyed the turbines, "That's enough!" Rainbow Dash said as she tackled the creature down, the creature turned into gusts of wind and floated away, it appeared in the sky and began to fly away, "Oh, no you don't." Rainbow Dash said as she quickly flew to it and grabbed it and knocked it down. Rainbow Dash panted and the creature with the green eyes laid on the ground with the other creatures behind it, Fluttershy went to go speak with the other animals, she soon came back, "Who are these guys?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "They are known as air ponies, they're ponies literally made out of wind, all flying fauna in the world look at them as their masters." Fluttershy replied, "Wait, air ponies?" Falcon asked, "Is that you, Raging Tornado?" Jayhawk asked, the creature with the glowing green eyes nodded, "So they are ghosts." Thunderbolt said, "Y'all know them?" Applejack asked, "They're from Nature Valley, Big Business and his workers destroyed their land and killed them all." Raptor replied, "The animals mentioned a Nature Valley, too." Fluttershy said, "Excuse us, make way." Violet said, everypony looked back and saw her and Velvet coming over, "We're detectives assigned to investigate what happened at Nature Valley, can you all tell us the events?" Violet asked, Raging Tornado and the other ponies pointed at their own faces where their mouths should be, "I don't think they can speak while they're like that." Lancer said, "Makes sense, since they look like shadows right now." Violet replied, "So, what are these guys like?" Starlight Glimmer asked, "Friendly ponies, they healed our wounds when our wagon crashed into their home, Raging Tornado is the leader among these types of ponies." Thunderbolt replied, "Wait, there's more than one type of these guys?" Rainbow Dash asked, "Yeah, they're called elemental ponies, but their leaders are not elemental ponies themselves." Jayhawk replied, "Judging by Raging Tornado's appearance, I assume she's a Pegasus." Twilight Sparkle said, "Yeah, we were surprised about that, too." Stealth Bomber replied, "Um, Raging Tornado, would you be kind and stop this bad weather for us?" Fluttershy asked, Raging Tornado made the clouds and heavy winds stop telepathically, "What are these elemental ponies like?" Spike asked, "Well, each one's got its strengths and weaknesses, the air ponies here are the fastest ones." Thunderbolt replied, "I can see that, even I can barely keep up with them." Rainbow Dash said, "Their weakness is they're weak physically, their attacks barely scratch us, and one hit is usually enough to knock them down." Eagle replied, "Well, you guys shouldn't go around destroying property like that, the owner is going to be mad." Twilight Sparkle said, Raging Tornado glared at her, "Now, that's done, let's see how much damage there is." Twilight Sparkle said, and the creatures walked away, "Come on, let's just go home." Stealth Bomber said, "We're going to go check our homes to see how much damage has been done to them." Raptor replied, "Alright, see you guys later." Stealth Bomber said, and they left while he and Jayhawk entered their home. Stealth Bomber and Jayhawk ate hay for dinner and drank water, "How are you feeling about having Raging Tornado back, Stealth Bomber?" Jayhawk asked, "I'm... actually kind of glad, I never thought she would return." Stealth Bomber replied, "You still have feelings for her, don't you?" Jayhawk asked, "You already know the answer." Stealth Bomber replied, "*chuckle* I still would've liked to have her as a guardian." Jayhawk said, "Well, she's back now, so maybe you can for sometime." Stealth Bomber replied, and they finished dinner, washed the dishes, and laid down. Gusts of wind blew in and Stealth Bomber looked, Raging Tornado's ghost walked to him, "What is it, Raging Tornado?" Stealth Bomber asked, she hugged him and rubbed her snout against him, Stealth Bomber hugged her back, he looked at Jayhawk and saw he was asleep, Raging Tornado then grabbed his front hoofs, "You want to dance?" Stealth Bomber asked, Raging Tornado nodded, "Alright." Stealth Bomber said, and he stood up. Stealth Bomber and Raging Tornado reeled up on their hind legs and waltz danced throughout the room, Stealth Bomber held on to Raging Tornado's front hoofs while she spun around and the two went back to stepping around the room again, the two danced a little more and Stealth Bomber picked her up and spun her around before putting her down, Raging Tornado looked and saw Stealth Bomber had a frown on his face, the two danced as the moon shined through the windows. Stealth Bomber and Raging Tornado danced through the night and Raging Tornado hugged Stealth Bomber at the end, he hugged her back as he felt tears fall from her eyes and they landed on his shoulder, he yawned and went to sleep while Raging Tornado sat and watched him and Jayhawk.