Night Crew

by NFire

Chapter 16

A babble of voices surrounded the kitchen table as they all tried to talk at once, shouting over each other. Blue got control for a moment and slapped a hoof on the table, “HOLD IT!”

Everypony stared at him, silence fell on the house like snowfall.

“Eh..sorry. But anyways. Let’s hear you first Hang, whatcha got?”

Hangfire twisted her hooves in front of her on the table for a moment, “I went and saw Rainbow Dash, she’s the top weather pony manager around, so I figured she’d know a few things.” Her anger boiled up inside her for a moment before she slammed it back down. “She didn’t know Hazy was fired, I mentioned him to her and it really seemed she didn’t know. Did you know the weather control offices were supposed to pay the hospital bills too?”

Blue lost it, normally calm and cheerful, his eyes narrowed as he rocked the table with a hoof, “WHAT? We’re STILL paying those! You mean the offices were supposed to cover it? Why the hay is no one telling us....oh....”

Right. Manager Jerk.

“But why doesn’t anyone tell the higher ups anything?” He pleaded, “I mean..wait a second. “ He grabbed the parchment out from under Hazy’s hoof, “Most of these ponies had disabilities, something that kinda knocked them off stride, some didn’t, but I knew a couple of them. Cheerful, loved their jobs, liked everyone.” He pointed the tip of his hoof at the list, talking for Hazy since he could get the information out faster.

“Now, do you think for one second, some line worker weather pony would have the guts to go to higher ups, or even Rainbow Dash, and complain to them about all this? Manager Jerk had them all cowed and bullied, thinking if they did anything wrong they’d lose their jobs.” He sighed, “Yeah I went out and talked to a couple, they were so scared they’d get fired, and then they got injured, they got a simple payment and were blown off by Night Crew management..Manager Jerk.”

Hangfire nodded, “But that’s the thing, they’re not supposed to get a payment, they’re supposed to get a stipend for injury in the line of duty!”

All four sets of eyes looked at her, “Are you serious?”

“Yes! Rainbow Dash told me! It was set up by the Princesses long ago to help injured ponies!”

Chryse looked totally confused for a second, “But if that’s true, then where..” Then it hit her, it all connected.

“Those ‘friends’ of Manager Jerks! They never do any work, yet they get paid like we do! What do you want to bet they get paid at a lot higher rate, and make quite a bit more money? He’s spreading the wealth around, free of charge, to his so called ‘friends!”

“As long as he sends the right reports, and no one dares to say anything, he can get away with it, hay even Rainbow Dash didn’t know!”

They all looked at each other, downcast eyes checking the table out as Blue spoke quietly, “This is bad, really bad. We need to tell someone.”

Hangfire would have none of it, oh no, not before she vented on someone. “No, we’re gonna handle this, we’re the flying misfits right? Oh no, we’ll do this.”

Chryse got an evil grin on her face. Something nopony there had seen before, it was not just evil, but downright twisted in fact; they all shuddered a bit to see it on her face. “Oh yes, I’ve got a plan.

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The night flew by again, the three mares worn out, but buoyed by Chryse’s plan for their little revenge. After they had stomped into the office to change into regular warm clothing, she and Cornflower wandered over to the manager. Bold as brass, looking for all the world like some loose mare out for a good time.

“Hey bossman?” Chryse was standing there, did she practice that pose? Her tail flicking a bit as her hips twitched, “Cornflower and I have been talking, how about you come round the house and we’ll see about getting a better..well...assignment so to speak?”

The ungainly pegasi almost fell off his hooves as he stood there blinking. Chryse was putting on her best, ‘come and get it’ face. Something none of them had seen her do. It was taking everything Hangfire had to not burst into fits of giggles.

But she had called it, the leer returned to the jerk’s face as he eyeballed both of them, even Cornflower was doing a good impression of a wanton mare.

“Oh really now? Finally decided to take on a real stallion ?”

Chryse’s snowy coat brushed the managers as she rubbed a cheek to his, whispering, “Oh yeah. “ She whispered directions to their home, and turned to walk out, giving her perfectly rounded backside a few extra shimmies for emphasis.

Cornflower followed her with a wink and wiggle as they walked out the door, taking to the air. They were flying for a few seconds before Hangfire burst into laughter. Giggles filled the air as they streaked towards home in the cold dawn.

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It wasn’t very long after they returned home there came a knock at the door. Sure enough, there was Manager Jerk, almost drooling in anticipation of what he expected to get. Chryse tried to hold back from gagging, thinking of that huge belly and ugly face, but she gave him a wink and nuzzle, leading him into the big living room.

Seeing Hangfire lying on the couch, he about lost his mind, thinking of getting it going with THREE mares? Oh this was a dream come true.

Until Hazy walked in alongside Blue.

“Oh no, I don’t do the coltsnuggling thing, you’ll have to tell your friends there to take a hike.

Blue just smiled, it didn’t reach his eyes as he stared at the fat manager, pinning him in place, “Oh no. Nono. We wouldn’t dream of being with anyone like you, you ugly slob.”

“Hey, your fillyfooler friends invited me, so take off losers!”

Hazy just grinned, stamping a hoof on the floor, rattling the boards. A basso voice came from the hallway as a mountain of muscle with wings moved into the doorway.

Bulk Biceps was the pegasi’s name but everyone called him Snowflake; he had a real heart of gold, he tried to put up a front but everypony knew. He was a good pony and helped friends out. Hazy liked butterflies, Snowflake liked flowers, they were good friends.

“I think you are being rude.” Rather than the normal ‘YEAH!’ everyone expected, he could talk just fine, and with some culture when he chose.

Manager Jerk wasn’t worrying, he could just walk out, “Fine, I see how this is, a house full of lame and limp, and you too Bulk? Someone will have to take a look into this I guess.” Meaning he’d stir up trouble with weather control.

He turned to go back out the hall to the front door, but found his way blocked.

His eyes turned nervous as he actually had to look upwards from bumping into the chest of somepony.

Bulwark wore an eyepatch, due to an accident he was sure had been on purpose, but could never prove it. Depth perception gone, he couldn’t be a weather pony anymore, it had almost destroyed him. His green eye bored a hole right through the managers face, as he forced him backwards with a chest thump into the living room proper. Stonewall stood next to him, matching his name, hard and tall. Another casualty of the ‘accidents’ that befell Night Crew ponies. Now admittedly there was no one like Big Mac, ever. But these two pegasi could give him a run for his money.

Bastion and Granite, Earth Pony brothers, were behind them. Their coats flexing with solidity underneath, glaring at the manager, ducking through the door way as they all crowded the pegasus who was sweating bullets now.

Bulwark’s deep voice rang in their ears as he said softly, “You are going to tell us what’s been going on. Or by all that’s good in Celestia’s Sun, we’ll pull your wings one feather at a time.”

The bloodless face turned from pony to pony, seeing nothing but pure murder in their eyes. He tried to yell out for help, call the guard or something. Nothing came out but a miserable sputter as one of the huge Earth Ponies knocked a hoof into his throat.

“Calling the Guard are you? No fear, we’re IN the Guard.” Both brothers laughed, turning to show the brassards on their shoulders.

“You...you can’t do this! I’m important! Someone will hear about this!”

Granite chuckled, his voice gravelly and coarse, looming death in his face as he laughed, “Not if they don’t find the body.”

Stonewall slammed a plate like hoof on the floor, rattling the rafters with it’s force, “Start talking, NOW!”

The manager’s ego deflated, along with his resistance. The ponies crowded him onto the couch, sitting and listening to everything they’d figured out as it was confirmed. It was more than they had realized, the amounts that were being stolen. The high pitched voice squeaking out names and numbers, everything they needed to put the manager and his friends away. The two Guard ponies were taking copious notes as fast as they could write.

Hangfire let herself relax, leaning into the others as they heard the manager talk and talk. Everything it took so long to figure out, coming to the fore. Now maybe, they could get back to a normal life.

But then the manager kept talking.

Oh no.