Nature's Wrathby smirkerChaptersNew LifeThe SkyThe SeaThe LandThe FlamesNature's WrathNew LifeA 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. The SkyStealth 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. The SeaStealth Bomber and Jayhawk slept through the night and Jayhawk gasped and panted when he woke up, it woke up Stealth Bomber and he comforted him, front legs wrapped around Jayhawk from behind, he looked and saw Raging Tornado's ghost, "Thank you, Raging Tornado, just seeing you again, even if it's your ghost, makes me feel better." Jayhawk said, "She and I danced a bit last night." Stealth Bomber replied, "That's good, I remember when you two danced once and let me join." Jayhawk said, "Yeah, that was a nice night." Stealth Bomber replied, Jayhawk smiled, "So, what brings you here, Raging Tornado?" Stealth Bomber asked, she tried to do sign language for him, "You need the others here first, then you'll tell us?" Stealth Bomber asked, Raging Tornado nodded, "Alright, they should be back soon." Stealth Bomber said, and he and Jayhawk got up. Stealth Bomber taught Jayhawk how to find the hypotenuse of a triangle and complimentary and supplementary angles, Jayhawk had a little trouble and Raging Tornado taught him how to solve them, "Thank you." Jayhawk said, knocking was heard at the door and Stealth Bomber and Jayhawk ran to grab their weapons, "It's us." Thunderbolt said, they put their weapons down and Stealth Bomber opened the door, Raging Tornado did gestures with her front legs that told the nine Pegasi to get together. Stealth Bomber, Jayhawk, Thunderbolt, Stinger, Lancer, Eagle, Falcon, Raptor, and Condor got together and Raging Tornado began drawing on a paper to explain things, "So you and the others from Nature Valley are unable to rest because of what Big Business and his employees did and you all now want revenge." Thunderbolt said, Raging Tornado nodded, "What do you all want us to do?" Lancer asked, Raging Tornado drew more pictures with a marker and they looked, they saw the residents of Nature Valley wanted them to hunt down and kill the ones who destroyed their home while they will destroy Big Business' industries, "Oh, so that's what you want." Raptor said, Raging Tornado nodded, "What if we don't find them?" Stealth Bomber asked, Raging Tornado drew more pictures, the nine Pegasi looked and saw the other three bearers of Mother Nature's elements will cause disasters of their own, "Alright, we'll see what we can do." Stinger said, and Raging Tornado faded away, "So, what do we do?" Jayhawk asked, "Let's take a break for now, wanna do some target practice?" Stealth Bomber asked, "Sure." Jayhawk replied, and Stealth Bomber got his pistol and fully automatic rifle and they went outside while the other seven flew away to get their guns and came back, they also brought their combat uniforms with them and put them in the house, all nine of them then flew away together. Stealth Bomber and his allies looked around Equestria to see how much damage Raging Tornado's air magic has done, they saw destroyed wind turbines owned by Big Business everywhere, a few garden and crops destroyed, several trees blown out of the ground, trash everywhere, houses with missing shingles, and smashed roofs with trees on top of them, "Well, there's no controlling that." Raptor said, "Yeah, maybe the air ponies will fix it later." Condor replied, "Come on, let's do some shooting." Eagle said, and they flew forward, but they took a few stops along the way to help ponies trapped in debris, they kept going and arrived at their destination. Stealth Bomber and his allies arrived at a target practice field and the targets were all wooden cutouts of griffons, it was the area where they practiced their shooting when they were in the air force. Stealth Bomber was the first one to open fire at a griffon target and the others soon followed, the Pegasi fired their rifles and pistols at the faces of the wooden cutouts and they did not wear ear protectors since they were used to the sound of gunshots, "There you are, Stealth Bomber." Rainbow Dash said from the sky, she flew down to him and she quickly covered her ears from how loud the pistols and rifles were. Stealth Bomber and his comrades continued shooting at the targets, "STEALTH BOMBER!!" Rainbow Dash yelled, they stopped shooting and turned around, "The factory's working again, so we're working today." Rainbow Dash said, "Really? It's working?" Stealth Bomber asked, "Yeah, come on now, Stealth Bomber." Rainbow Dash replied, and she looked at the targets they were shooting and at Stealth Bomber's comrades, "What happened to you guys?" Rainbow Dash asked, "We're all former POWs." Stinger replied, "Oh, that sucks, have you all been able to find jobs?" Rainbow Dash asked, the Pegasi shook their heads, "Well, you all can help at the weather factory, we can always use more hoofs, come on." Rainbow Dash said, and she flew to the weather factory and they followed her. Stealth Bomber worked at the factory while the other Pegasi looked at his comrades with bewilderment at their scars, "This is where you work now, Stealth Bomber?" Thunderbolt asked, "Yeah, it's the only place I'm qualified to get a job." Stealth Bomber replied, "You guys could've joined the Wonderbolts." Rainbow Dash said, "Really?" Lancer asked, "Yeah, ex-air force Pegasi are always qualified." Rainbow Dash replied, "Even me?" Falcon asked, "Maybe, I never saw any rules about disqualifying a pony who has knee problems." Rainbow Dash replied, "Did your dad ever talk about his air force days, Rainbow Dash?" Stealth Bomber asked, "Of course, that was all he talked about when I saw my first Wonderbolt show." Rainbow Dash replied, "Did you like hearing about his experiences?" Thunderbolt asked, "Yeah, some of them were pretty fun to listen to, I would've joined, but they weren't accepting girls, so I decided to join the Wonderbolts." Rainbow Dash replied, "You don't sound disappointed by that." Jayhawk said, "Not really, it would've been cool if I was in the air force, but Wonderbolts is still cool." Rainbow Dash replied, "They didn't allow girls in because they couldn't handle the drill instructor yelling and insulting them." Condor said, "Yeah, my dad told me that, too." Rainbow Dash replied, "Well, I'll go ahead and work now." Stealth Bomber said, "Alright, you guys help him." Rainbow Dash said, they nodded and worked. Stealth Bomber worked with his comrades and Jayhawk throughout the factory, they carried the jars and produced clouds for Ponyville, they also looked at the damage the air ponies caused, "I wonder which group of elemental ponies is going to attack next." Jayhawk said, "We'll see." Lancer replied, and they all worked until it was time to go home, they all went to Stealth Bomber's home and they all ate strawberry ice cream and slept on the floor. The next morning came and Stealth Bomber was outside, he watched Jayhawk play tag with Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle, they ran around while the adult ponies worked together to fix the damages caused by the air ponies, "I can't believe they didn't undo the damage, they have caused some of my dresses and hats to be blown away." Rarity said, "Yeah, them heavy gale storms blew some of mah crops out of the ground, too." Applejack replied, "Did any of you have any damages done to your homes?" Rainbow Dash asked, "Nope, Sugarcube Corner is perfectly fine." Pinkie Pie said, "Have your animals been acting weird, Fluttershy?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "No, they're fine right now." Fluttershy replied, "I'm still getting a bad feeling that those winds were only the first disasters, and there's going to be more." Twilight Sparkle said, "Me too, Ah wonder what the next one is gonna be." Applejack replied, and they worked to fix the damages done while Jayhawk continued playing tag with the Cutie Mark Crusaders. Stealth Bomber looked around and flew up to see if there were any disasters in Equestria, there were none, so he flew down, he watched Jayhawk play with the foals, "Hey, guys, can I join?" Gabby asked as she flew to them, Stealth Bomber noticed she was a griffon and he got defensive, Jayhawk's facial muscles twitched, "You okay, Jayhawk?" Sweetie Belle asked, "Sorry, I don't have pleasant memories of griffons." Jayhawk replied, "Not all of us are mean, you don't see me bullying others." Gabby said, "I still hate you griffons." Jayhawk replied as his left eye twitched, Gabby looked and saw Stealth Bomber's facial muscles were twitching as well, "Hey, he's giving me that look, too." Gabby said, "I suggest you leave." Stealth Bomber said in a calm but angry tone, "Hey, what did I do?" Gabby asked, "You showed your presence." Stealth Bomber replied, "So... what do I do?" Gabby asked, "Leave. Get out of my sight. Griffons are not welcome at my home." Stealth Bomber replied, Gabby looked on with shock and then turned to Jayhawk, "How about you, Jayhawk?" Gabby asked, "No, I hate your kind." Jayhawk replied, "There you go, now leave before I snap and kill you." Stealth Bomber said, Gabby and the Cutie Mark Crusaders looked on with horror and Gabby flew away. Stealth Bomber and Jayhawk watched her and she flew to Gallus, "What was that about?" Apple Bloom asked, "We had bad experiences with griffons in the past." Jayhawk replied, "You guys should let it go." Scootaloo said, "I'm trying, but considering what happened between them and my brother, I can't." Stealth Bomber replied, "You had a brother, Stealth Bomber?" Sweetie Belle asked, "Yeah, griffons killed him." Stealth Bomber replied, "Oh, so that's why you hate 'em, how about you, Jayhawk?" Apple Bloom asked, "They killed my parents." Jayhawk replied, "Wow, we know griffons are rude and all, but we've never met any griffons like that." Scootaloo said, "You're lucky you didn't, my parents hated them, too." Stealth Bomber replied, "You never did say what your parents said about them." Jayhawk said, "We did have a conversation about them at dinner once." Stealth Bomber replied, "Can you tell us how that went?" Apple Bloom asked, "Sure." Stealth Bomber replied, and he looked back on when his parents talked about griffons. Stealth Bomber was having dinner with his mother, father, older sister, and younger brother, "I saw griffons today, they look so sad and lonely being homeless." Stealth Bomber's brother said, "Listen to us, Airstrike, don't feel bad for those griffons, they destroyed their own home through their own stupidity, don't help them or give them anything." Stealth Bomber's mother said, "But what about their culture?" Airstrike asked, "They destroyed that, too, Airstrike, griffons are driven purely by greed." Stealth Bomber replied, "Still, they're forced to come here because they have nowhere else to go, it makes me feel bad for them." Airstrike said, "Airstrike, listen, those buzzards are here to steal our jobs, several hardworking ponies at my workplace were laid off from work to hire griffons, and those griffons didn't even bother doing any training, it was to fill that stupid status quo." Stealth Bomber's father replied, "Speaking of status quo, griffons are now being allowed into my school, they get free lunch and they can sleep in class and still pass, us ponies still have to study and work, it's not fair." Stealth Bomber's sister said, "Mine too, those griffons are beating me up in the boys' bathroom." Stealth Bomber said, "Stealth Bomber, Airstrike, Aerial, those griffons are a bunch of stupid and lazy creatures driven purely by ego and greed, if they share their culture, you do not listen to them, they are full of crap and are trying to twist your mind, they give you a book, you burn it, because their stories suck, and their historical documents are all propaganda, they offer you food, you reject it, they ask for money, beat them up, and if a griffon's in trouble, don't help them, you either leave them, make their situation worse, or kill them." Stealth Bomber's mother replied, "But what if they are genuinely good people?" Airstrike asked, "There is no such thing as a good griffon, Airstrike, they are the scum of this world, the world would be a better place if they were all dead." Stealth Bomber's father replied, "Cloudsdale's air force is accepting the griffon hating ponies into their ranks now, I'm thinking about joining." Aerial said, "That's my daughter, you too, Stealth Bomber and Airstrike, when you two get older, join the air force, make your mom and I proud by killing as many griffons as you can." Stealth Bomber's father replied, "But what about their land?" Airstrike asked, "Griffonstone is a dump, the world map will look better when the entire land is obliterated." Stealth Bomber's mother replied, "But I heard about griffons getting high education here." Airstrike said, "That's because those ponies are working their hoofs and wings to the bone and the griffons are taking all the credit, don't be fooled by those lies, Airstrike, there is no such thing as a hard working griffon, they're all lazy, mean, greedy, selfish, miserly, and egotistic slobs, all of their cuisine is stolen from other creatures, their literature is plagiarized from us ponies, their art is also plagiarized from us ponies, their fashion is wearing other creature's skins as clothes, and their music is created by instruments they stole from us, those griffons getting an education is because they're forcing ponies to do the work for them while they take all the credit." Stealth Bomber's mother replied, "But what about their celebrations and holidays?" Airstrike asked, "They're just excuses for them to not work, those holidays and celebrations they have are them celebrating the fact that they got all the credit for somebody else's work." Stealth Bomber's father replied, "So, um... what if a griffon wants to learn about our culture?" Airstrike asked, "Don't tell them anything, they have no right to know about our culture or why we hate them, the only thing that matters is they're not welcome here." Stealth Bomber's mother replied, "I still want to see if any of them are good." Airstrike said, "Well, don't, just focus on getting a job and don't associate with those griffon scum." Stealth Bomber's father replied, and they all had dinner. "A month after that conversation, Airstrike got a job as a cashier at the nearby store, and two weeks after that, he was laid off to fill this status quo to have griffons and they took his job, two days later, those same griffons murdered him when he tried to befriend them, I confronted them, they mocked his death, I got mad, we fought, I got a criminal record, and I joined the air force to atone for it." Stealth Bomber said, "Oh, so that's why you hate griffons." Scootaloo said, "I was worse back then, I got over most of it because it upset the pony I loved." Stealth Bomber replied, "Who was that?" Sweetie Belle asked, "Raging Tornado." Stealth Bomber replied, "Wait, that ghost with the green eyes is yer girlfriend?" Apple Bloom asked, "No, we weren't boyfriend and girlfriend yet when she was killed, we were working on it, though." Stealth Bomber replied, "Did it really upset her?" Scootaloo asked, "Not just her, her three friends were upset by it, too." Jayhawk replied, "Y'all should apologize to Gabby." Apple Bloom said, "Why?" Jayhawk asked, "Come on, you two, Gabby's not mean, she's a very friendly griffon." Sweetie Belle replied, "What about that other one?" Stealth Bomber asked, "Gallus can be a bit rude, but he's a nice guy underneath." Scootaloo replied, "I'll have to see what the other members of my former unit say." Stealth Bomber said, "You wanna play another game of tag, Jayhawk?" Apple Bloom asked, "Sure." Jayhawk replied, and he played more tag with the Cutie Mark Crusaders. Stealth Bomber watched the four foals play tag while he watched for any signs of more disasters happening, he flew up and looked for any disasters happening elsewhere, his attention was caught when he saw the water around Equestria was rather strong today, he flew down and watched Jayhawk play tag for the afternoon, "Apple Bloom, lunchtime." Applejack said from afar, "Ah gotta go, see y'all later." Apple Bloom said, "Alright, bye." Scootaloo replied, and Apple Bloom ran home, "I'll be going, too, it might be time for lunch for me, too." Sweetie Belle said, "Yeah, me too, bye, Jayhawk." Scootaloo said, "Bye." Jayhawk replied, and Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle ran home. Jayhawk walked to Stealth Bomber and saw him looking around, "What's wrong, Stealth Bomber?" Jayhawk asked, "The water around Equestria's pretty strong today." Stealth Bomber replied, "Really? I wanna see." Jayhawk said, and the two flew up and saw the water was crashing against Equestria's borders a little hard today, "Let's go to where the tide's the strongest." Stealth Bomber said, Jayhawk nodded and the two flew there. Stealth Bomber and Jayhawk flew to where the water was the most violent and they saw the tides going up and down violently, it hit the dam in front of it, the two looked and saw the dam belonged to Big Business, "Hey, do you think...?" Jayhawk asked, "Yeah, I do." Stealth Bomber replied, they looked more and saw ponies black as shadows in the water, "Yup, the next disasters are going to start soon." Stealth Bomber said, "Can I have an ice cream?" a filly asked, Stealth Bomber and Jayhawk looked down and saw a stallion selling ice cream, "Make it quick, I close in one minute." the ice cream pony said, "I'd like a vanilla twist, please." the filly said, and the stallion gave her a regular vanilla ice cream cone and closed the shop. Stealth Bomber and Jayhawk looked and saw the elemental ponies in the water damaging the dam, a hippogriff's front leg raised out of the wave and they stopped, wings appeared and Stealth Bomber and Jayhawk saw the person leading them, it a black shadow-like creature in the form of a teenage hippogriff, it had glowing blue eyes, "So she's the next one." Stealth Bomber said, "I'm kind of surprised, she was the most peaceful of Mother Nature's chosen ones." Jayhawk said, the shadow-like creature shaped like the hippogriff flew to the ice cream wagon and the filly came back, "I wanted vanilla twist." the filly said, the hippogriff walked over and scared the filly, the hippogriff raised her talon up that told her to wait, she took the ice cream cone and filled it with vanilla twist and gave it to her, "Thank you." the filly said, and she walked away while the hippogriff waved bye at her. Stealth Bomber and Jayhawk watched them and the elemental ponies in the ocean wave continued damaging the dam, "What does that dam do anyway?" Jayhawk asked as he and Stealth Bomber looked around, they saw the dam cut off water from a nearby forest and it suffered drought and the animals were thirsty, "So that's what it's for, it's to cut off water from that forest, I guess he wants all the trees and animals to die so building something there will be easier." Stealth Bomber said, "I guess we'll let them destroy it then." Jayhawk replied, "Yeah, Big Business' company does more damage than good, so let's let them destroy it." Stealth Bomber said, and the tidal wave destroyed the dam and water came in, it flowed to the north and went into the forest, the animals ran to the water and drank it, "Let's go home, I think the others will be home soon." Stealth Bomber said, and they flew home. Two days passed and Thunderbolt and Stealth Bomber were educating Jayhawk while Raptor was making lunch for them, "Who was Princess Celestia's previous student?" Thunderbolt asked, "Sunset Shimmer." Jayhawk replied, "Who was her rival when competing to be her student?" Stealth Bomber asked, "Arcana." Jayhawk replied, "Who was Princess Celestia's rival when she was Star Swirl the Bearded's student?" Thunderbolt asked, "Demonicus." Jayhawk replied, "What was the name of his pupil?" Thunderbolt asked, "Daylight Dimmer." Jayhawk replied, "Was he a unicorn?" Stealth Bomber asked, "No, he was an earth pony." Jayhawk replied, "Very good, Jayhawk, I think that's enough for now." Thunderbolt said, "Still, though, the name of Twilight's rivals, Starlight Glimmer, Sunset Shimmer, Daylight Dimmer, they all rhyme." Jayhawk replied, "Yeah, Daylight Dimmer was only discovered recently, he's gone off-the-grid again, and Demonicus' whereabouts is still unknown." Stealth Bomber replied, "I remember that, that shocked Equestria." Thunderbolt said, "Griffon burger's done, Jayhawk." Raptor said, and he ran to the kitchen with his mouth watering, the stallions chuckled as they watched him. Jayhawk came back and sat at the table with a griffon burger, the patty was ground beef made from griffon meat, and in the burger buns were lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, super sharp cheese, bacon made from griffon bodies, onions, and sliced jalapenos. Jayhawk ate the griffon burger like a pig while the other eight Pegasi had griffon meat for lunch, they ate and all drank water, "Well, this brings back memories." Falcon said, "Yeah, during the war, water and griffon meat were the only food and drinks we had." Eagle replied, and they all finished lunch and washed their hoofs. Thunderbolt played his guitar while the others listened, Falcon gave Thunderbolt a costume and he tried it on, he continued playing and the others listened until knocking was heard at the door, Thunderbolt put his guitar down and took the outfit off and he and the others grabbed their guns and aimed them at the door, "It's us, we're here to listen to you guys some more." Violet said, they put their weapons down and Jayhawk opened the door and saw her and Velvet. The ten ponies sat at the table together, "Any luck with Big Business?" Stinger asked, "Kind of, but we're still having trouble questioning him, he said the law enforcement shouldn't be on him since the size of his company makes him above the law." Violet replied, "Just like us, considers himself more important than Princess Celestia when we've never heard of him until we saw his hiring bodyguards application in the newspaper." Thunderbolt said, "Same with us, until we got this case, we've never heard of Big Business." Velvet replied, "Well, go on and continue talking about Nature Valley." Violet said, and they begun their tale. Stealth Bomber, Jayhawk, Thunderbolt, Stinger, Lancer, Eagle, Falcon, Condor, and Raptor all finished collecting the pieces of the wagon they could find and got them together, "What do we do now?" Jayhawk asked, "I guess we explore and memorize where everything's at, we're going to be stuck here for a while with our wings injured." Thunderbolt replied, and they went to the center of Nature Valley and saw Mother Nature walking around, "Hello, I assume you all been enjoying it here." Mother Nature said, "It's alright so far." Thunderbolt said, "Yeah, we're just going to go see the other three places." Lancer said, "Go on, then, and when you all heal and leave, can you all tell Princess Celestia I said hi?" Mother Nature asked, the Pegasi nodded, "Thank you, have fun exploring Nature Valley." Mother Nature said, and she walked around while the nine looked at the places to go, "Why don't we try the south?" Stinger asked, "Yeah, that winter environment looks nice." Stealth Bomber replied, "What do you all say?" Thunderbolt asked, they nodded, "Let's go, then." Thunderbolt said, and they walked to the south. The nine Pegasi walked to the southern Nature Valley and they walked forward, "Watch out." the hippogriff said, and the nine Pegasi fell into the water and they exhaled sharply but stayed over the surface, they looked and saw marine animals from all over the world swimming in the water, they also saw ponies made out of blue water walking around, "Water's freezing." Jayhawk said, "Yeah, let's get to land." Thunderbolt replied, and they swam to the nearest ice cap and flew onto the top of it. The nine Pegasi rested and looked around while the hippogriff flew to them, "Are you all alright?" the hippogriff asked, "Yeah, just warming up a little." Stealth Bomber replied, "Who are you?" Lancer asked, "I'm Tsunami, I'm the bearer of the Element of Water." the hippogriff replied, "You a stewardess, too?" Raptor asked, "No, each one of us has a different title in the area of Nature Valley we stay in." Tsunami replied, "What's your title then?" Jayhawk asked, "Princess." Tsunami replied, "I assume these ponies are scouts, too." Stealth Bomber said, "Yes, they're called water ponies, we watch the seas and under the water where the air ponies can't see, and back when we were a powerful kingdom, the water ponies were Nature Valley's diplomats." Tsunami replied, "So you all had different roles back then?" Lancer asked, "Just us, the other three elemental ponies still have the same roles as long ago." Tsunami replied, "So, what's your role with the other bearers of Mother Nature's power?" Jayhawk asked, Tsunami let out an annoyed grunt while looking away, "Is something wrong?" Jayhawk asked, "I'm forced to play the peacekeeper, since the other three clash a lot." Tsunami replied, "What's wrong with that?" Jayhawk asked, "I'm the youngest of the four." Tsunami replied, "So?" Falcon asked, "The peacekeeper is supposed to be the oldest one." Tsunami replied, the nine Pegasi looked at her, "I can see why you think that way." Thunderbolt said, "Thank you, at least one of you understands." Tsunami replied, "Is Raging Tornado the oldest of you four?" Jayhawk asked, "No, of course not, she's the second youngest one." Tsunami replied, "So, what can you tell us about this place?" Stealth Bomber asked, "We are the most educated and artistic area of Nature Valley, we work hard and study hard to run this place." Tsunami replied, the nine Pegasi looked around and saw the water ponies had charts of the constellations in the sky, they also saw a school where the water ponies were learning math, literature, magic, science, history, philosophy, and performing arts, "We are quite busy, as you can see, we're always studying and trying to make new things." Tsunami said, "Like what?" Lancer asked, "Well, we are in peaceful times right now, so we're busy making art right now." Tsunami replied, "What do you do?" Jayhawk asked, "A lot, actually, I paint, make jewelry, make dresses, arrange flowers, play music, cook, sing, read books, and dance." Tsunami replied, "You're going to burn yourself out with that many hobbies." Condor said, "Really? I don't feel exhausted from them." Tsunami replied, "Maybe later." Stealth Bomber said, "How long have you been doing your hobbies?" Thunderbolt asked, "Um... about a thousand and three hundred years sounds right." Tsunami replied, "I'm surprised you haven't grown tired." Eagle said, "Of course not, I watch the seas of the outside world, I'm always finding inspiration." Tsunami replied, "I'm still surprised to see two non-pony creatures here." Jayhawk said, "Princess Celestia isn't the only one who's friends with Mother Nature, Queen Novo and Rain Shine are friends with her, too." Tsunami replied, "I'm starting to get a little cold." Eagle said, "Yeah, me too." Stinger said, "Come with me, I have a fire in my home." Tsunami replied, and they followed her into her ice home. The nine Pegasi entered Tsunami's home and stood with surprise at seeing the inside of her home was warm and comfortable with dark white rooms with decorations everywhere, "Wow, I thought your house was going to be cold and made from ice on the inside, too." Jayhawk said, "That's one thing about Mother Nature's magic, you can make your home from outside materials, but the inside can resemble fancy houses and even castles." Tsunami replied, the Pegasi looked and saw paintings and tapestries everywhere on the walls, "Did you paint all of these on your own?" Thunderbolt asked, "No, I had help on some of them." Tsunami replied, "What is your favorite hobby?" Stealth Bomber asked, "That's a tough one, I like all of them." Tsunami replied, "Well, which one do you do the most?" Thunderbolt asked, "Um... I am quite busy with painting." Tsunami replied, "I can see that, but you said you didn't make them on your own, does someone else live here?" Stinger asked, "Oh, yes, there is. Rain, can you come here a minute please?" Tsunami asked, walking was heard and a water pony came, "Yes?" the water pony asked in a soft female voice, "This is Rain, my personal servant, she helps me a lot throughout my home." Tsunami said, "Hi." Rain said, "Um..." the nine Pegasi said, "What?" Rain asked, "Is there something going on between you two?" Jayhawk asked, "What? Oh, no, no, we're best friends, not lovers." Rain replied, "How did you get this job?" Lancer asked, "Tsunami was declared royalty when she received the Element of Water, and we were going to give her a personal servant, but she wanted to choose one for herself, she became friends with all of the water ponies, I was her closest friend, so she chose me." Rain replied, "I'm sure your parents were proud." Stealth Bomber said, "Um... about that, elemental ponies don't have parents." Tsunami replied, "Then how were they created?" Jayhawk asked, "Mother Nature created us with her magic, we've been around since ancient times, and we never age, also, due to our body structures, we cannot have children." Rain replied, "So you all are immortal." Thunderbolt said, "Yes, but we can still die." Rain replied, "How?" Jayhawk asked, "We can be attacked and killed in battle, us water ponies are especially vulnerable to lightning." Rain replied, "What happens when you guys die?" Condor asked, "That's it, we're gone forever." Rain replied, "You too, Tsunami?" Jayhawk asked, "Yes." Tsunami replied, "How were you chosen to wield Mother Nature's element?" Condor asked, "I was an orphan and only child, Mother Nature took me in to give me a new life, the same applies to the other three." Tsunami replied, "That's nice to know, but we should get back to getting to know our way around here." Thunderbolt said, "Okay, come again." Tsunami replied, "Wait, before you all leave, why do most of you guys have all of those scars for?" Rain asked, "Oh, they're from our previous job, we don't wish to look back." Thunderbolt replied, "Yeah, they're bad memories for all of us." Stealth Bomber said, "Oh, I'm sorry, come again, guys." Rain said, and the nine Pegasi left. Stealth Bomber and the other Pegasi headed outside and flew around so they would not fall into the water, they saw the water ponies making ice sculptures of Mother Nature and Tsunami, the water ponies also stood on top of the water and danced, many of them did waltz dancing, "Look at that, the water ponies can stand on the water." Raptor said, "Look, they're doing something with the water." Jayhawk said, and they saw images in the water. The Pegasi looked and saw what appeared to be images of past events, the Pegasi watched and looked at the pictures, they saw Nightmare Moon, Discord, Queen Chrysalis, King Sombra, Lord Tirek, Starlight Glimmer, the Pony of Shadows, and the Storm King, "Wow, I wonder what they're doing." Jayhawk said, "Me too, but my best guess is that might be how they record history." Stealth Bomber replied, "Maybe, come on, we'll ask them later, let's see where everything's at." Thunderbolt said, and they flew around. The Pegasi flew around and saw the water ponies attending many classes in schools made from ice, they saw a class outside and a teacher was teaching them the constellations, they flew down to see what they were learning while some of the water ponies looked at them briefly before looking back and focused on class. The teacher taught about the constellations, their names, their locations, and where they used to be thousands of years ago, the Pegasi watched and listened quietly while the others took notes. The Pegasi watched the lecture and displays of pictures while the water ponies continued taking notes and wrote down what they learned as quickly as they could, class finished and the Pegasi flew up since their hoofs were cold from standing in the snow, "This cold weather's a bit uncomfortable." Jayhawk said, "Yeah, but I'd take this over the heat any day." Stealth Bomber replied, "No question there, let's hope we never have to go into a jungle ever again." Thunderbolt said, "It's still nice to see civilized people for once." Stinger said, "Yeah, I hope we never run into those guys from the war again." Jayhawk replied, "Don't worry, Jayhawk, if we do, we'll kill them." Falcon said, they looked and saw the water ponies learning about music and they were making music by manipulating the water, some also mixed water with different colored powders to make paint, and several female ponies were mixing water with powder to make new cosmetics, "Wow, they sure are busy." Jayhawk said, they looked around more and saw marine animals swimming around in the water, several water ponies came out of the water with long seaweeds and began making clothes with them, the males wore a shirt and pants while the females wore long-sleeve floor-length gowns, "Well, it's getting late, we should sleep." Thunderbolt said, "I agree, it's dark, let's get some rest." Eagle replied, and they flew back to northern Nature Valley and slept around the destroyed wagon. "Well, that's how we met southern Nature Valley, Tsunami wasn't good at adjusting to change either." Raptor said, "Okay, so what was your first night sleeping there like?" Violet asked, "Same, we had bad dreams about the war." Stinger replied, "When did they find out about you guys working for Big Business and all of you being ex-military?" Violet asked, "That was when we went to western Nature Valley, the kirin was suspicious immediately." Eagle replied, "Well, can you guys talk a bit more about southern Nature Valley for the record?" Violet asked, "What would you like to know?" Eagle asked, "Can you all talk a bit more about their ways?" Violet asked, "Sure." Lancer replied, and they talked more about southern Nature Valley. The nine Pegasi were in Tsunami's home and she and Rain were practicing waltz dancing, "You all want to join?" Rain asked, "Sorry, but our bodies can't handle dances." Stealth Bomber replied, "Tell me, Stinger, what happened to your mane?" Tsunami asked, "I lost it from my previous job, being bald isn't bad, though." Stinger replied, "Really? Most creatures can't stand being bald." Tsunami said, "Can you?" Jayhawk asked, "No, of course not, I would cry if I lost my mane." Tsunami replied, "Why do you hold onto those things with such value for?" Stealth Bomber asked, "My hobbies are a part of southern Nature Valley culture, the things I do are required for all females to learn." Tsunami replied, "What about males?" Jayhawk asked, "Yes, but not as much, males don't have to learn how to paint, cook, or make clothes, they have to learn basic combat, though." Tsunami replied, "What do they all train in?" Condor asked, "Sword fighting, that's it, eastern and western Nature Valley are the ones who focus on combat." Rain replied, "What about the north?" Jayhawk asked, "Not anymore, they used to train in archery." Tsunami replied, "They should've kept it." Stealth Bomber said, and Tsunami and Rain continued dancing while they watched. The nine Pegasi were seeing Tsunami one day and she was filing her claws, "You all didn't use your names in the military?" Tsunami asked, "No, we were called by numbers." Thunderbolt replied, "What were your code names?" Tsunami asked, "10012508012311." Jayhawk said, "180116201518." Raptor said, "19200914070518." Stinger said, "120114030518." Lancer said, "0501071205." Eagle said, "060112031514." Falcon said, "031514041518." Condor said, "2008211404051802151220." Thunderbolt said, "19200501122008 space 021513020518." Stealth Bomber said, Tsunami's and Rain's jaws' dropped, "How am I supposed to memorize that?" Tsunami asked, "You would have to in the military." Thunderbolt replied, "Yeah, you would have to recite all the numbers perfectly every time you address us." Lancer said, "That's crazy." Rain said, "You think?" Stealth Bomber asked, "Yes!" Rain replied, "Sucks to be you then, 18010914." Thunderbolt said, "Just call me Rain." Rain replied, "What would my number code be?" Tsunami asked, "20192114011309." Stealth Bomber replied, "And Raging Tornado would be 180107091407 space 20151814010415." Jayhawk said, "What about the other two bearers of Mother Nature's elements?" Rain asked, "They would be 05011820081721011105 and 130520051518092005 space 0805121206091805." Jayhawk replied, "And Mother Nature?" Tsunami asked, "131520080518 space 140120211805." Thunderbolt replied, "That's crazy, I can't memorize all of that." Tsunami said, "It's easy once when you know how you get your number code." Jayhawk replied, "Can we please drop this, this is already hurting my head." Tsunami said, "Did you use any code names back then?" Jayhawk asked, "No, we used nicknames." Tsunami replied, "What was yours?" Lancer asked, "Nami." Tsunami replied, "I didn't have a nickname." Rain said, "Did you ever want one?" Raptor asked, "Not really, I can't think of a nickname to go well with my name, either." Rain replied, "Well, you all should go, I have to rehearse for a concert tonight." Tsunami said, and the nine left. There was another time when the Pegasi were in northern Nature Valley and Raptor was making breakfast for Jayhawk, he cooked with a portable stove he got from outside Nature Valley, "Breakfast's ready, Jayhawk." Raptor said, and Jayhawk walked to him, he gave him a piece of griffon meat. Raging Tornado screamed and flew to him, "You can't feed him that!" Raging Tornado said, the others came and saw the griffon meat and looked on with shock, "Sorry, but it's all I have." Raptor said, "You're going to feed meat to a foal?!" Raging Tornado asked, "I always ate meat when I was living with these guys." Jayhawk said, "What?! Doesn't the military provide you guys any decent food?" Raging Tornado asked, "Nope, we had to make do during the war." Thunderbolt replied, "Where did you all get the meat during the war?" Tsunami asked, the Pegasi glanced away, "Come on now, be honest with us." the earth pony said, "We were forced to cook and eat the creatures we killed during the war." Lancer replied, the natives of Nature Valley exclaimed and screamed, "There was literally nothing to eat, so we had to, I ate several as well." Jayhawk said, "What did you guys drink?" the kirin asked, "Blood." Stealth Bomber replied, "You guys didn't drink water?" Tsunami asked, "It was contaminated." Falcon replied, "What is this piece of meat then?" Raging Tornado asked, "Flesh of one of the enemies we killed during the war." Raptor replied, Tsunami exclaimed again, "No!" Tsunami said as she flew to them and went to Jayhawk, "Come on, Jayhawk, let's get you something more healthy." Tsunami said, "Sure, I am a bit tired of eating griffon meat all the time." Jayhawk replied, "You all come along, too." Tsunami said, and the eight Pegasi followed her. Jayhawk sat at a table and waited while Tsunami cooked in the kitchen, she walked out with a tray with plates on it, "Here you go, sorry it took so long." Tsunami said as she walked to him and put the tray on the table. Jayhawk looked and saw she made vegetable soup, there was a slice of bread, a full orange, and a plate full of hay, he tried a bit and shrugged and ate the meal, "Well?" Tsunami asked, "I like it." Jayhawk replied, Tsunami smiled, "Do you always cook on your own?" Stealth Bomber asked, "No, Rain helps me often." Tsunami replied, "We only learned basic cooking in the air force." Falcon said, "What do you mean?" Tsunami asked, "We would just get some wood or sticks, make a fire, and cook things in a pot or on a piece of stone." Eagle replied, "Oh, so you all didn't learn about how to use an oven or stove." Tsunami said, the Pegasi shook their heads, "What about your mothers?" Tsunami asked, "Not often, my mom usually served food raw." Stealth Bomber replied, "Mine too, ponies usually only use stoves and ovens for baking." Condor said, "I see, it's not too late to learn, and have Jayhawk come here for his meals from now on, since the idea of him eating dead bodies makes me sick, and meat is not very good for ponies." Tsunami replied, Jayhawk finished the meal and he got ready to go wash the plates in the kitchen, "No, Jayhawk, I'll handle washing the dishes." Tsunami said as she trotted to him, she took the dishes and washed them, "Thanks for the meal." Jayhawk said, "You're welcome." Tsunami said from the kitchen, "Well, let's go." Raptor said, and they left her home. Stealth Bomber and the others were outside of Nature Valley and at a cemetery of their fallen comrades, Raging Tornado and Tsunami came along to pay their respects to them, they all looked down in silence, Raging Tornado and Tsunami were wearing black long-sleeve floor-length dresses with the dress closed in front of the hind legs, and Tsunami was wearing a black hat with a veil in front of it. The nine Pegasi looked down while Raging Tornado and Tsunami looked at them, "Um, guys." Raging Tornado said, they looked at her, "I have to use the bathroom." Raging Tornado said, "You have to hold it until we're done here." Stealth Bomber replied, "Seriously? We didn't have to do that for funerals back in northern Nature Valley." Raging Tornado said, "Well, you have to for us, and you have to be silent." Eagle replied, "Um... I have to use the restroom, too." Tsunami said, "Hold it for now." Thunderbolt replied, and they did. The Pegasi looked down and Raging Tornado and Tsunami began holding their hind legs' together tightly, "Guys, I can't hold it much longer." Raging Tornado said, they looked at her and saw her clutching her groin with her front legs, "We're almost done here." Stealth Bomber replied, "Um... I'm at my limit, too." Tsunami said as she clutched her own groin with her talons, "Hold it, we'll be done in a few minutes." Thunderbolt replied, "Can we please go?" Tsunami asked, "You can't until this is over." Jayhawk replied, "Pretty please." Raging Tornado and Tsunami said as they leaned towards them, "Alright, go on." Stinger said, and they flew away, "I guess they can leave funerals when they have to use the bathroom back at Nature Valley." Jayhawk said, "Well, they can't with ours, since it'll be seen as disrespectful." Stealth Bomber replied, "True, come on, let's finish paying our respects." Raptor said, and they did while Raging Tornado and Tsunami came back a few minutes later and paid their respects with them. "Alright, I think that's good for now, we'll come back here another day." Violet said, "You two going back to Canterlot now?" Stinger asked, "Not yet, we'll gather evidence and testimonies first, then we'll ask for Princess Celestia to show us Nature Valley." Violet replied, "When is the next time you two will be here?" Thunderbolt asked, "Um... I can't say, we still got to get testimonies from Big Business, too." Violet replied, "What about his employees?" Jayhawk asked, "They won't cooperate with us, either." Velvet replied, "I see, well, you two should go, the train's about to leave." Stealth Bomber said, "It's alright, we can teleport if we miss it." Violet replied, "Come on, Violet, let's go." Velvet said, and the two left. Stealth Bomber looked through a window and watched the two walk to the train station, "Alright, starting tomorrow, we look for Big Business' employees." Thunderbolt said, "Come on, Jayhawk, study time." Stealth Bomber said, and Jayhawk got a book. Jayhawk had a history book and he read it, he finished and looked up, "What was the name of the unicorn conqueror who was stopped by Princess Celestia before he could enact his plans?" Stealth Bomber asked, "Genghis." Jayhawk replied, "What was he going to do?" Stealth Bomber asked, "He was going to conquer all lands in the world and force them to adapt to pony culture." Jayhawk replied, "What was he planning to do with the creatures?" Stealth Bomber asked, "He wanted dragons, griffons, hippogriffs, and Pegasi to act as his air force, seaponies to act as his navy, earth ponies and yaks to act as his army, unicorns to act as his magic unit, changelings to act as his spies, and kirins to act as his fire unit." Jayhawk replied, "Why has he been mostly forgotten by the ponies?" Stealth Bomber asked, "Princess Celestia destroyed all documents and records of his plans." Jayhawk replied, "What was her reason for doing so?" Stealth Bomber asked, "He was a black mark on Equestria's history, and his actions were shameful by our standards." Jayhawk replied, "Did the other creatures ever learn about him?" Stealth Bomber asked, "No." Jayhawk replied, "Good job, Jayhawk, let's rest now." Stealth Bomber said, and they took a break. Morning came and the Pegasi were getting ready for the day, screams were heard and they ran outside, they looked around and saw black clouds in the sky and rain, sleet, snow, hail, and freezing rain fell all over Equestria, "What is it this time?" Applejack asked, more bad weather came and it was freezing cold. Stealth Bomber and his comrades flew up and looked around, they saw there was a heavy blizzard in the Crystal Empire, "The Crystal Empire's not going to survive that." Eagle said, "Yeah, come on, let's go get them." Condor replied, and they flew to the Crystal Empire. Princess Cadence, Shining Armor, and Sunburst were trying to hold the blizzard back with their magic and were having trouble, "It's not working." Princess Cadence said, "Keep trying, the guards are trying to get the crystal ponies out." Shining Armor replied, they kept trying to hold back the blizzard and heavy rain while the guards got the citizens out, "Hey, something's coming." Sunburst said, Princess Cadence and Shining Armor looked and saw Stealth Bomber and his comrades flying over to help, "Who are those guys?" Shining Armor asked, they flew to the Crystal Empire and went to go get the crystal ponies out of the Crystal Empire, they heard several things collapse and they looked, they saw pipes owned by Big Business get destroyed by the blizzard and water flew out, "Big Business has been losing a lot of his industries recently." Princess Cadence said as she looked at the pipes get blown away, Jayhawk flew to her while carrying a crystal pony foal and put him out of the Crystal Empire and flew back, "What were those pipes for?" Jayhawk asked, "Big Business was using them to supply water to his buildings, he used to have them take water from other ponies' homes, he changed it after Princess Celestia complained to him, he then started taking water out of small water bodies and killed marine life, she complained about that too, so Big Business had to get water from around Equestria, he's been bitter about it." Princess Cadence replied, Jayhawk glared and went back to helping the crystal ponies. Stealth Bomber and his comrades carried the crystal ponies out of the Crystal Empire while the blizzard engulfed them, the unicorns used their magic to help others while the Pegasi and earth ponies ran off, "Is that everybody?" Thunderbolt asked, they looked around and did not see any crystal ponies, "Looks like it." Falcon replied, "Come on, let's do a thorough search." Lancer said, and they flew around. Stealth Bomber and his comrades flew around and looked into the houses while enduring the cold, they breathed a little hard while their breaths became visible, they flew around and looked into every house and under them to look for any ponies they missed, "You guys find anything?" Stinger asked, "No." Stealth Bomber and the others replied, they kept looking and did not see any crystal ponies, "Come on, guys, we just counted the ponies, we got everyone." Sunburst said, and they all flew out of the Crystal Empire while Shining Armor and Sunburst teleported out. Stealth Bomber and his comrades arrived outside of the Crystal Empire and Princess Cadence used her magic to warm up the cold ponies, "Thank you guys for your helps, who are you guys?" Sunburst asked, "We're veterans from the Cloudsdale Air Force, we know what's causing the bad weather." Thunderbolt replied, "We all do, first, bad winds, now, this." Shining Armor said, "You all should go, if what we think is about to happen does happen, tidal waves are going to start." Lancer said, "Tidal waves?!" Princess Cadence asked, "Yeah, you all should get going, these next set of disasters are destructive." Stealth Bomber replied, screaming was heard and the ponies with wings flew up and saw heavy rain, blizzards, and strong ocean waves all around Equestria, "We should get going, too." Jayhawk said, and they flew back to Ponyville to help. The creatures in Ponyville screamed while all of the water bodies in the town and the Everfree Forest let out violent waves, Twilight Sparkle and Starlight Glimmer tried to use their magic to stop the water waves, "This isn't working." Starlight Glimmer said, "*gasp* Look!" Pinkie Pie said, they looked and saw the marine animals swimming around and they were destroying underwater pipes that belonged to Big Business, loud noises were heard and the creatures who could fly went up and looked, they saw big tsunamis going over the dams built by Big Business' company and destroyed them. The creatures around them ran away while screaming but stopped when the water went around them and their homes without harming them. The tsunamis went into Equestria and there was now a downpour and blizzards in the entire country, the creatures shivered from the cold while they looked, "Discord! We need your help!" Twilight Sparkle said, there was no response, "Discord!" Twilight Sparkle said, he still did not appear, "DISCORD!!" Twilight Sparkle yelled, Discord appeared in the air, "What is it? I am in the middle of tea." Discord said, "Get rid of the blizzard and tidal waves." Twilight Sparkle replied, Discord looked at them, "There is no need to." Discord said, "What do you mean there is no need?!" Twilight Sparkle asked, "Just look." Discord replied, Twilight Sparkle looked and saw the water go around all the people and homes without harming or damaging them, "See, there's nothing damaged, no need for me to do anything." Discord said, and he disappeared, "Ugh!" Twilight Sparkle said, the tsunamis, downpour, and blizzard continued throughout Equestria and everycreature saw a tidal wave go all the way up to the sky, "Look!" Silverstream said as she pointed at the tidal wave, "What is that?" Sandbar asked, everycreature looked and they saw black silhouettes of pony heads in the tidal wave, "The water ponies aren't happy." Lancer said, "Water ponies?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "Yeah, they're just like the air ponies, but made from water, they were Nature Valley's diplomats back then, they're also scouts for places where the air ponies can't see." Jayhawk replied, "They're not as fast as them, are they?" Rainbow Dash asked, "No, from what we seen, they're strong, but have terrible endurance." Stealth Bomber replied, the black silhouettes came out of the tidal wave with pony bodies and stood on it, glowing blue eyes appeared in the tidal wave and it came forward and the silhouette of Tsunami's body appeared in front of them, "A hippogriff?!" Silverstream asked, Tsunami had her front legs held out to the sides with her wings spread out and had water and ice floating around herself, she lifted her front legs up and the tsunamis got even bigger, she threw her front legs down in front of herself and the tsunamis flooded Equestria while the downpour and blizzard got heavier, "She's gonna freeze all of Equestria if she doesn't stop." Applejack said, "Come on, guys, do something." Twilight Sparkle said, Jayhawk flew to her, "Excuse me. Tsunami?" Jayhawk asked, Tsunami stopped what she was doing and looked at him, "Can you stop what you're doing? Please?" Jayhawk asked, Tsunami shook her head, "Why not?" Jayhawk asked, Tsunami pointed at the dam and pipe pieces in the water, "Is it because of what Big Business did to your home?" Jayhawk asked, Tsunami nodded, "We'll start looking for him and his employees tomorrow." Jayhawk said, Tsunami did not react for a minute but then did a gesture with her talon to tell Jayhawk to move aside and he did. Tsunami held her talon out and the water ponies began going forward with their bodies in the tidal waves, Tsunami held her talons up and water came out of sewers under the ground, "Wait! Stop! Please!" Twilight Sparkle said, but Tsunami, the water ponies, and the marine animals went forward and caused destruction to everything owned by Big Business, "Excuse me, can you all tell me what you're doing?" Fluttershy asked the marine animals, they went past her and caused property destruction. the creatures shivered from the freezing rain and blizzard, hail also hit the buildings and damaged them. Twilight Sparkle began shooting beams at the water ponies to restrain them, they disappeared into the tidal waves and went forward, Applejack tried to pull them out with her lasso but it went into their bodies and floated around, "What in tarnation?" Applejack asked, "Their bodies are probably made from water, physical things like rope probably won't work on them." Twilight Sparkle said, "Let me try something." Starlight Glimmer said, and she cast a spell to bind the water ponies, "Alright, magic works, I'll get them restrained." Starlight Glimmer said, and she cast her spell to restrain the water ponies. Pinkie Pie was on the tidal wave with the water ponies and they looked at her, "Whee!" Pinkie Pie said as she rode on a tidal wave with the water ponies, she picked up two of them and went to the others while Rainbow Dash flew around to get them and the water ponies tried swimming away, Rainbow Dash caught them easily since they were a lot slower than the air ponies, "Ha! This is way easier." Rainbow Dash said, the water ponies were rounded up and were restrained with binds of Starlight Glimmer's magic, "Is that all of them?" Starlight Glimmer asked, the creatures looked and saw there were no more, and Fluttershy has talked the marine animals out of causing property damage. Tsunami glared and she raised her talons again and the tidal waves got even higher and flooded Equestria, Twilight Sparkle shot a beam at her in an attempt to restrain her but Tsunami changed her body into water and it went through her, "What the?" Twilight Sparkle asked, Tsunami flew around while shooting water and ice out of her talons at the buildings and industries owned by Big Business, Pegasi tried to grab her and restrain her but they flew through her body and got wet, she changed to a formless blob of water and floated around in the air, icicles shot out of her body and they froze whatever they hit. Jayhawk flew to her and Tsunami stopped in place, "Tsunami, I think everything you wanted to destroy is already destroyed." Jayhawk said, Tsunami just floated in place, "Also, you hit a few ponies." Jayhawk said, Tsunami's attention was caught and she changed back to her normal silhouette self and looked around, she saw frozen ponies, she flew down and looked down while clutching her head and sitting on her hind knees. The tidal waves died down and the blizzard and freezing rain stopped while Tsunami sat on the ground with her head down, "Tsunami?" Jayhawk asked as he walked to her, he looked and saw tears falling from her eyes, the others walked over to him, "You didn't mean to harm us, did you?" Jayhawk asked, Tsunami shook her head, "Come to think of it, the first group didn't harm any of us, either." Starlight Glimmer said, "Is she from Nature Valley, too?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "Yeah, she and the water ponies are from southern Nature Valley." Stealth Bomber replied, "What about the air ponies and Raging Tornado?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "Northern Nature Valley." Thunderbolt replied, "You all should be ashamed of yourselves, you all have ruined my dresses!" Rarity said, Tsunami looked around and saw soaked dresses on display outside, "You have caused a lot of damage, Tsunami, you and the water ponies should work to fix it." Twilight Sparkle said, Tsunami looked down, a hoof appeared on her shoulder and she looked and saw Raging Tornado, "Both of y'all fix the damages y'all caused, Ah've got a roof to fix but a dang tree is in the way." Applejack said, Raging Tornado looked down, "Get to work, both of you, and have the air ponies and water ponies help." Rainbow Dash said, and the two flew away. The creatures went back with their days and they saw the air ponies getting the trees out of the roofs while the water ponies collected the broken pieces of pipes and dams while Raging Tornado and Tsunami flew around and picked up whatever trash they found, "Excuse me." Jayhawk said as he trotted to Silverstream, who was with her friends, "Yes?" Silverstream asked, "Was there ever a female hippogriff named Tsunami mentioned in your creature's history?" Jayhawk asked, "No, plus, Tsunami is a boy's name." Silverstream replied, "Really?" Jayhawk asked, "Yes." Silverstream replied, "Wow, well, I was just curious if you've heard of her." Jayhawk said, "Sorry, but no." Silverstream replied, and Jayhawk walked away. Stealth Bomber and his comrades entered his and Jayhawk's home and had dinner, "I wonder what the next element will be." Stinger said, "Who knows, there's only two left." Stealth Bomber replied, "Agreed, let's rest for now, we need energy for tomorrow." Thunderbolt said, and they all finished dinner, washed the dishes, and went to sleep. The LandMorning came and Stealth Bomber and his comrades jumped up awake while exclaiming and screaming and aimed guns all around, they sighed and put their guns down, "Okay, let's look for Big Business' employees." Thunderbolt said, and they got on with their days. Stealth Bomber and his comrades went to the post office and saw Derpy working, "Hi, how can I help you guys?" Derpy asked, "Um, well, Derpy, do you know of a Big Business?" Stealth Bomber asked, "Yes, of course, but... um..." Derpy replied, "But what?" Stinger asked, "I can't deliver any mail to him, I'm forced to give them to his employees and they have to give it to him." Derpy replied, "Did you ever meet him in person?" Jayhawk asked, "Yes, I have, he got mad and threw the box at me, he orders heavy mail on purpose so I have to carry them." Derpy replied, "That sounds like Big Business, alright, we were the ones who had to read his mail before he fired us." Falcon said, "How come?" Derpy asked, "He considered reading his own mail beneath him and for ponies not as important as him." Condor replied, "Did he call you any mean names?" Raptor asked, "Yes, the one time I met him, he called me Blind Bimbo." Derpy replied, "Well, can we have the address of Big Business' employees?" Stealth Bomber asked, "I'm sorry, but that's private information, I can't just give it out to random people." Derpy replied, "It's alright, we know all about classified information." Thunderbolt said, "Good, because I don't wanna have to deal with angry visitors." Derpy replied, "Okay, we'll be going now since the line's getting long." Stealth Bomber said, "Okay, bye." Derpy replied, and the nine Pegasi left the post office. The Pegasi went outside and saw it was still morning, "What do we do now?" Jayhawk asked, the Pegasi thought for a minute, "Maybe Liebert has some patients that work for Big Business." Stinger said, "Good idea, let's go check." Thunderbolt replied, and they flew out of Ponyville. Liebert was getting ready for the day and knocking was heard at his door, "Enter." Liebert said, the nine Pegasi came in, "Ah, you nine again, what brings you all here today?" Liebert asked, "Yes, do you have any of Big Business' employees as any of your patients, Liebert?" Thunderbolt asked, "Yes, I do." Liebert replied, "Can we have their addresses?" Jayhawk asked, "Sorry, but I don't keep stuff like that, I only keep their address if they request it." Liebert replied, "I see, have those disasters affected you in any way?" Stealth Bomber asked, "Oh, yes, I have many patients recently." Liebert replied, "Foals?" Lancer asked, "Yup, they've been scared by what's been going on." Liebert replied, "Well, thanks, Liebert, but we really have to get going." Stealth Bomber said, "Okay, and remember, my door is always open." Liebert replied, and the Pegasi left. The Pegasi headed outside and saw a filly enter Liebert's office as soon as they went out, "Come on, let's go to Las Pegasus and to Big Business' headquarters." Stealth Bomber said, and they flew to Las Pegasus. The nine Pegasi flew to Las Pegasus and went to the skyscraper that was Big Business' headquarters, they flew to the top and saw a statue of Big Business on its roof, and he has called his company Big Business Technologies, "Well, that's new." Eagle said, "Yeah, his company didn't have a name when we worked for him." Stealth Bomber replied, "Focus, guys, we have a job to do." Thunderbolt said, and they flew down. They looked through a window and saw Big Business' office, he now had portraits of himself on every wall and the four gems of Mother Nature's chosen ones on display behind his desk, "What the?" Jayhawk asked, "What's wrong?" Raptor asked, "The gems look damaged." Jayhawk replied, the adult Pegasi looked and saw carvings of Big Business' face on the gems, "Look at that, he put his own image in the gems, talk about being full of himself." Eagle said, "You think that could be another reason why the ghosts are mad?" Jayhawk asked, "Possibly, they are keepsakes from Mother Nature." Stealth Bomber replied, the door opened, "Hide, somepony's entering." Thunderbolt said, and they flew away and watched. The Pegasi watched and saw Big Business enter his office, he walked to his desk and began looking at papers, "Let's go, before we get spotted." Stinger said, the Pegasi nodded and they flew down, they looked through the windows of his skyscraper and saw he had less employees than before, "I'm not surprised he has less employees, he paid us below minimum wage." Lancer said, "Don't forget some of his employees quit after what he did to Nature Valley." Falcon replied, they watched him and Big Business had an angry expression and threw his papers across the room, the Pegasi looked at one and saw they were property damages done by the ghosts of the elemental ponies. Stealth Bomber looked at the sky and saw the nearby weather factory was working, "Come on, let's go, I have to go to work today." Stealth Bomber said, and they flew back to Ponyville. The Pegasi arrived back at Ponyville and the entire ground was still wet, the sun got stronger and the water evaporated, everypony saw Princess Celestia and Princess Luna fly over Ponyville and they landed, "Is everyone alright?" Princess Celestia asked, the creatures nodded, "How's Canterlot, Princess Celestia?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "Flooded, I had to make the sun really strong today to evaporate the water from all of those tidal waves and tsunamis from yesterday, so it's going to be a pretty hot day today." Princess Celestia replied, "Luckily, all of those tidal waves, tsunamis, rains, and blizzards did have some benefits, the places in Equestria that were suffering from drought now have plenty of water." Princess Luna said, "Are the animals okay?" Fluttershy asked, "Actually, yes, all of those disasters created by those ghosts' magic are going around the animals and leaving them unharmed, they went around the ponies and left them unharmed, too." Princess Celestia replied, "What are them ghosts after?" Applejack asked, "We don't know." Princess Luna replied, "Ooh, maybe a party will calm them down." Pinkie Pie said, "I doubt it, darling." Rarity replied, "Well, we have to go dry the other places of Equestria, so we'll be going now." Princess Celestia said, and she and Princess Luna flew away, "Come on, Stealth Bomber, factory's working, so we have to work today." Rainbow Dash said, and he flew with her to the weather factory. Stealth Bomber worked at the weather factory with his coworkers and looked at the sky through the window in front of him, he saw the sky was clear and clouds were moving through the sky slowly, he went back to working and packed the lightning jars in a room. Stealth Bomber went back to working and looked at the sky again and saw it was still clear, "You okay, Stealth Bomber?" Rainbow Dash asked as she walked to him from behind, Stealth Bomber was startled and he looked back, "Sorry, I was just remembering my time with the people from Nature Valley." Stealth Bomber said, "Something on your mind?" Rainbow Dash asked, "Yeah, you remember Raging Tornado, right?" Stealth Bomber asked, "Of course." Rainbow Dash replied, "There was one afternoon when Raging Tornado and I were sitting on a bench in a park and the sky was exactly the way it is now." Stealth Bomber said, "A date?" Rainbow Dash asked, "I wouldn't call it a date, we just sat and talked, Raging Tornado talked about how the winds take her places and surprises her." Stealth Bomber replied, "But you two had feelings for one another, right?" Rainbow Dash asked, "Yeah, but they weren't immediately, we developed feelings as we got to know each other better." Stealth Bomber replied, "Did she know about your dislike of griffins?" Rainbow Dash asked, "Yeah, I tried to let it go for her, I already let go of some of my hate." Stealth Bomber replied, "That's good, I still wonder what she was like in person." Rainbow Dash said, "Friendly, when me and the others entered Nature Valley injured, she was the one who treated us." Stealth Bomber replied, "Wow, I wonder how she reacted to the number code for your name." Rainbow Dash said, "How do you know about that?" Stealth Bomber asked, "Stealth Bomber, remember, my dad's ex-air force, too, so I know all about the number coding system and how it works." Rainbow Dash replied, "Do you remember your dad's number code?" Stealth Bomber asked, "021523 space 08152008151506." Rainbow Dash replied, "Good job, only the people of western Nature Valley figured out how the number code name system worked." Stealth Bomber said, "*chuckle* Mine's 18010914021523 space 04011908." Rainbow Dash replied, "Do the Wonderbolts do the number code name system?" Stealth Bomber asked, "I don't think so, I haven't seen it." Rainbow Dash replied, "I'm sure you know your friends' number codes, too." Stealth Bomber said, "Of course I do, and by the way, my mom's number code would be 2309140425 space 2308091920120519." Rainbow Dash replied, "Your mom's name's Windy Whistles? Does she have any connection to the air force?" Stealth Bomber asked, "She was a nurse for air ponies, she met my dad when she was treating him of his wounds." Rainbow Dash replied, "Interesting, but we should get back to work." Stealth Bomber said, "Yeah, we should." Rainbow Dash replied, and they worked. Stealth Bomber produced bright clouds to have the waters get evaporated into the sky, he sweated since Princess Celestia made the sun stronger than usual, so today was humid and uncomfortable, "I hate the heat." Stealth Bomber said, "We all do, Stealth Bomber." Rainbow Dash replied, and he worked while he stopped and looked at the sky a few times and had brief flashbacks of himself and Raging Tornado sitting at a park bench and conversing, but he focused on working and produced clouds so the water all around Equestria could be evaporated, he worked until it was break time and went back to work after it ended. Jayhawk was playing dodge ball with the foals in the town and Scootaloo was the most competitive player, she threw the balls while he, Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, Pipsqueak, Truffle, Snips, and Snails dodged them, they all had fun and Jayhawk threw the balls whenever he got them, they triggered brief flashbacks of fire bombs for him, he ignored them and kept playing. Jayhawk threw the balls quickly and hit Truffle, Snips, and Snails easily, while Pipsqueak, Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle dodged them easily, he is eventually hit by a ball thrown by Sweetie Belle and he sat out, the game continued until there was only one player standing and Scootaloo won and the others clapped. Jayhawk walked around and saw Sandbar, Gallus, Yona, Smolder, and Silverstream playing dodge ball, Jayhawk restrained himself when he felt his anger rising at the sight of Gallus, he looked over and saw Ocellus sitting with her back to a tree and her front legs on her own abdomen, he walked to her while she groaned, "Hi, Jayhawk." Ocellus said, "You okay?" Jayhawk asked, "I have a stomachache." Ocellus replied, "When did you get it?" Jayhawk asked, "Shortly after lunch." Ocellus replied, "You probably ate too fast." Jayhawk said, "I ate my regular pace." Ocellus replied, "Well, what did you eat?" Jayhawk asked, "Um... I had some grass, a few flowers, and two pieces of toast with butter." Ocellus replied, "What about drinks?" Jayhawk asked, "Something new, it was called soda." Ocellus replied, "They have soda in school now?" Jayhawk asked, "You know it?" Ocellus asked, "Yeah, I've seen a few vending machines when Stealth Bomber worked for Big Business, they have a lot of different flavors." Jayhawk replied, "I think that's why my stomach hurts, it was all fizzy and expanded in my mouth." Ocellus said, "You probably have a lot of gas in your stomach right now." Jayhawk said, "Huh?!" Ocellus said as she looked at him with a dropped jaw and blushing, "Soda usually makes one gassy, you can probably relieve your stomachache by farting." Jayhawk said, "I'm not doing it out here." Ocellus replied, "I'm not saying fart here, it's just an advice that I thought would help." Jayhawk said, "Oh." Ocellus said, "Say, are your school's bathrooms open right now?" Jayhawk asked, "They should be." Ocellus replied, "Then why don't you go in them and let your fart out now?" Jayhawk asked, "I'll give it a try." Ocellus replied, and she walked to her school. Jayhawk watched the five creatures play dodge ball and he focused on Gallus and watched him fly around and play with his friends, he heard walking and saw Ocellus come back, "You feel better?" Jayhawk asked, "Yes, much better, thank you." Ocellus replied, and she sat and watched her friends play with a smile on her face, "Jayhawk, I've heard about your hatred of griffons." Ocellus said, "What about it?" Jayhawk asked, "Why do you hate them so much?" Ocellus asked, "They killed my parents and changed my life for the worse, let's leave it at that." Jayhawk replied, "Do you hate me and the changelings for invading Equestria?" Ocellus asked, "Now that you mention it, no, but it's probably because I wasn't around and they had no effect on me." Jayhawk replied, "You shouldn't hate Gallus just because he's a griffon, Jayhawk, that really hurts a creature's feelings." Ocellus said, "I've already let go of some of my hate." Jayhawk replied, "Really?" Ocellus asked, "If me and Stealth Bomber still had the same amount of hate as before, we would've killed Gallus on sight." Jayhawk replied, "You will cause a war between Equestria and Griffonstone if you two do that." Ocellus said, "Do you know why those male Pegasi joined the air force alongside Stealth Bomber?" Jayhawk asked, "My history book says it was so they could defend Cloudsdale." Ocellus replied, "Well, that's not the reason, they joined because they wanted to go to Griffonstone and kill all griffons." Jayhawk said, "That's wrong." Ocellus said, "Maybe, but at that time, griffons were basically unaffected by Cloudsdale laws and they took advantage of it, me and those eight Pegasi were hurt by the griffons in some way." Jayhawk replied, "I still don't like that, just hearing that makes me think about you ponies having an entire military force formed and dedicated to hunting down and killing all changelings." Ocellus said, "Well, if Princess Celestia wasn't so forgiving, maybe she would have formed it." Jayhawk replied, "Well, I'm glad she didn't, just the thought of that scares me." Ocellus said, the bell rung afterwards, "Oh, it's time for me to go back to class, Jayhawk." Ocellus said, "Alright, good day." Jayhawk replied, and she stood up while her five friends went to her, Jayhawk's eyes twitched slightly at the sight of Gallus, "What's with you?" Gallus asked, "I still don't like griffons." Jayhawk said, "I'll admit, you griffons are kind of rude." Sandbar said, "Come on, guys, classes are about to start." Ocellus said, "Yona thought Ocellus had stomachache." Yona said, "I did, but I'm better now." Ocellus replied, "What happened?" Silverstream asked, "Um... I was full of gas." Ocellus replied while blushing, Smolder began laughing, "Really? You just had to fart?" Smolder asked while laughing a little, Ocellus looked away while blushing, "That's enough, Smolder, come on, everyone, let's go to class." Sandbar said, and the six left while Jayhawk saw Stealth Bomber coming home, he entered his home while Stealth Bomber arrived home. The next day came and Thunderbolt had papers with him and it was Big Business' contact information, "Any luck?" Stealth Bomber asked, "No." Thunderbolt replied, knocking was heard at the door and they aimed their guns at the front door, knocking was heard again, they continued aiming their guns, "Come on, guys, we know you all are here." Violet said from outside, they put their guns down and opened the door and saw her and Velvet, the Pegasi saw Violet's mane and tail were all frizzy, "Ooh, I guess you couldn't get indoors during the rains and blizzards, Violet." Jayhawk said, "No, I didn't, I was all wet during that time, and this humidity is making my mane and tail all frizzy." Violet replied, "Um, if you want, the shower's open if you want to wash your mane and tail." Stinger said, "It's fine, I'll just ask Rarity to fix it for me." Violet replied, she and Velvet looked and saw Big Business' contact information on the table, "You all trying to contact Big Business?" Velvet asked, "No, we're trying to find the identities of those who attacked Nature Valley." Thunderbolt replied, "Seriously? You never learned the names of your coworkers?" Violet asked, "No." Thunderbolt, Stealth Bomber, Eagle, and Raptor replied while Stinger, Lancer, Falcon, and Condor shook their heads, "Not really." Jayhawk said, "You gotta be kidding me." Violet said, "Anyway, we'd like to hear more about Nature Valley." Velvet said, "Alright then." Stealth Bomber said, and they continued talking about Nature Valley. The Pegasi slept through the night in northern Nature Valley and they woke up screaming and aimed their guns everywhere, Raging Tornado and the air ponies went to them, "Are you alright?" a female air pony asked, "Yeah, just bad dreams." Lancer replied, the Pegasi panted a little heavily and they calmed down, they began fixing the wagon for the time they leave while Raging Tornado met with a few air ponies, "Alright, everypony, it's time to pay our respects to Mother Nature." Raging Tornado said, and they flew to the center of Nature Valley and bowed to Mother Nature, "Oh, thank you all, your loyalty is always appreciated, Raging Tornado." Mother Nature said, "Come on, guys, we might as well." Stinger said, and they joined the air ponies and bowed to her while the air ponies smiled at them, "Oh, you visitors are paying your respects, too, it is much appreciated." Mother Nature said, they bowed until Raging Tornado stood up and the air ponies did with her, "Thank you, you all get on with your days now." Mother Nature said, and Raging Tornado led the air ponies back to northern Nature Valley. The Pegasi stood up and walked forward, "Take your pick, guys, east or west?" Thunderbolt asked, they looked at eastern Nature Valley and saw a bunch of trees and animals, the inside of eastern Nature Valley could not be seen, they then looked at western Nature Valley and saw it was full of deserts and volcanoes, the natives were getting on with their days, "I can't decide." Lancer said, "Me neither." Condor replied, "Which one do you want to go to, Jayhawk?" Stealth Bomber asked, "Um... well..." Jayhawk said, "Why don't we just do a rhyme?" Thunderbolt asked, the Pegasi nodded, "Eeny, meeny, miny, moe, catch a tiger by the toe. If he hollers let him go, eeny, meeny, miny, moe." Jayhawk said as he moved his hoof around, his hoof pointed at eastern Nature Valley when he finished, "Eastern Nature Valley, it is." Thunderbolt said, and they walked there. The Pegasi walked into eastern Nature Valley and saw trees, grass, flowers, weeds, vines, fungi, herbs, and plants everywhere, they walked around and they saw animals that walked and crawled on land everywhere in eastern Nature Valley, the Pegasi flew up and went forward so they do not step on the ants on the ground, they kept flying and saw termite mounds, "Wow, they're huge." Jayhawk said, "I know, I've never seen termite mounds that big." Stealth Bomber replied, "Agreed, it's big enough to be someone's home." Thunderbolt said, "Well, let's see what else we have." Falcon said, the others agreed and they flew together and arrived into the center of the area, they saw the ponies native to the place and the earth pony from before, "Hold on, everyone, cease training, we have guests." the earth pony said, and she walked to the Pegasi while the ponies made from brown rocks watched her, "Welcome to eastern Nature Valley, I am Earthquake, bearer of the Element of Earth." the earth pony said, "What's your title?" Jayhawk asked, "Viceroy." Earthquake replied, "Not vicereine?" Stealth Bomber asked, "No, viceroy is a gender neutral title here." Earthquake replied, "So, what are you guys called?" Jayhawk asked, "Ground ponies." Earthquake replied, "Ground ponies?" Lancer asked, "Yeah, earth pony was already taken." Earthquake replied, "What do you guys do?" Thunderbolt asked, "We're the defenders of Nature Valley from harm, we're Mother Nature's shield." Earthquake replied, "So, you guys are the military." Condor said, "Not all of it, we're the defenders because our bodies are naturally stronger and more durable than the other three pony types here." Earthquake replied, "What about attacking invaders?" Falcon asked, "That's western Nature Valley's job." Earthquake replied, "Must be tough doing training early in the morning." Stealth Bomber said, "Not really, we still have time to pursue our hobbies." Earthquake replied, "Lucky you guys, I remember when we trained." Eagle said, "Yeah, train every morning, afternoon, and evening, four hours of sleep every day." Falcon said, "Four hours? I'm sure you got more sleep than that in a day." Earthquake said, "Nope, it was only four hours for me, too." Jayhawk replied, "Four hours even for children? What kind of training did you guys go through?" Earthquake asked, "Combat training." Stealth Bomber replied, "Why would the weather factory train you all for combat?" Earthquake asked, "No, our jobs before that required combat training." Stinger replied, "Really? Interesting." Earthquake said, "So, um... what is your role between the other three bearers of Mother Nature's elements?" Jayhawk asked, "Well, I'm usually the seductress, I seduce stallions with my feminine charms, but my main role is to protect the other three from harm since I am the most durable of the four, as the bearer of the Element of Earth, I have more powers than the other three elements." Earthquake replied, "I assume you have plenty of dresses, then." Thunderbolt said, "That, I do, but I don't like modest dresses, I like ones that show off my chest and hind legs." Earthquake replied, "You can still be pretty in modest clothing." Jayhawk said, "True, but my charms work better with my legs and chest exposed." Earthquake replied, "Now that you mention it, I think I saw a few dresses in Tsunami's home that showed off her legs and chest." Jayhawk said, "Tsunami will wear anything feminine, Raging Tornado's the one who's cares about being modest." Earthquake replied, "What about that kirin?" Thunderbolt asked, "She's not into dresses and fashion." Earthquake replied, "Is there anything else you like besides dresses and shoes?" Jayhawk asked, "Yes, I like growing flowers and modeling, come on, I'll show you all my garden." Earthquake replied, and they followed her, they saw every house was made from either rocks, mud, straw, wood, bamboo, or adobe, some roofs were made from layers of straw and grass, the Pegasi looked around and saw many gardens for growing crops and flowers, "Here we are." Earthquake said, they arrived at her home and saw her house was a simple house made from dried mud with grass and roses on the roof, they looked at her garden and saw many roses and tulips on the ground, "You guys want one?" Earthquake asked, "What are they for?" Stealth Bomber asked, "Decorations, Raging Tornado, Tsunami, and I like wearing flowers in our manes sometimes." Earthquake replied, "What about the elemental ponies?" Stealth Bomber asked, "The female ground ponies do." Earthquake replied, "Still, to think those air ponies and water ponies can have manes and tails." Jayhawk said, "Well, they can modify their own appearance, but the air ponies and water ponies can't wear flowers or decorations in their manes and tails." Earthquake replied, "And the ones in western Nature Valley?" Stealth Bomber asked, "Nope." Earthquake replied, "Well, it's nice to know, so, um... are you the supreme ruler of this place?" Thunderbolt asked, "No, there are a few ground ponies who rule with me, the kindest and most empathetic citizens are the rulers here." Earthquake replied, "Um... that's not the best way to rule over people." Stinger said, "How so?" Earthquake asked, "Well, being empathetic can lead to making decisions that can have bad consequences in the long run." Stealth Bomber replied, "That's how we rule, those who care the most about others are the rulers here." Earthquake said, "Yes, I understand rulers have to be kind and care about their subjects, but sometimes, doing something to cheer up someone can have bad consequences." Stealth Bomber replied, "For example?" Earthquake asked, "Are you familiar with Equestria's customs?" Jayhawk asked, "That I am." Earthquake replied, "Trying to forgive and befriend your enemies can lead to them backstabbing you." Jayhawk said, "I see what you mean, but we try to cheer up our subjects and make them feel comfortable, we also want visitors to feel welcome." Earthquake said, "Well, thanks, but we're leaving once when our wings heal." Lancer replied, "You all should come visit again if you do leave, me and the others travel the world quite often, too." Earthquake said, "What about the elemental ponies?" Falcon asked, "No, they can't leave here, they'd look very out of place in the outside world." Earthquake replied, "That's too bad." Jayhawk said, the other eight Pegasi nodded, "Well, come on, I'll show you guys what I have." Earthquake said, and they followed her to her home, they saw three mirrors behind her garden, "Mirrors?" Jayhawk asked, "Those are for when I do modelling, they help me see how I look from different angles." Earthquake said, and they went into her home. The Pegasi entered Earthquake's home and they saw her home looked like a regular house on the inside, "My dresses are right here." Earthquake said, and she took them out, most of them were sleeveless and low-cut, "This is the one I wear the most." Earthquake said, and she took out a sleeveless black dress and put it on, it was low-cut and had a slit on the right side that showed off her hind right leg, she then put on black high heels, she did poses that put emphasis on her chest and exposed hind leg, the Pegasi did not react, "Wow, most stallions would be head over heels for me right now." Earthquake said, "Finding a lover is not that important to us right now." Falcon replied, "Yeah, we got more important things to do right now." Raptor said, "Um... I'm falling for her charms a bit." Jayhawk said, "*chuckle* Enjoying the view, Jayhawk?" Earthquake asked, "Kind of." Jayhawk replied, Earthquake chuckled and she did a different pose, "Still, it must hurt to hold those poses." Stealth Bomber said, "You get used to it after a while." Earthquake replied, "I wonder how successful you are with stallions." Thunderbolt said, "Very, if you want to date any of us four, I'm the one you come to." Earthquake replied, "And why is that?" Jayhawk asked, "Because Raging Tornado believes there is a special someone out there just for her, and Tsunami cares about tradition, so she has a certain type of male she likes, so it limits her choices." Earthquake replied, "What about the kirin?" Eagle asked, "She's not into romance." Earthquake replied, "Well, it was nice to meet you, Earthquake, but we need to learn our way around here." Thunderbolt said, "Alright, feel free to ask for help, it's easy to get lost here." Earthquake replied, and they left. The Pegasi looked around eastern Nature Valley and they saw ground ponies standing in place while the animals bit them with teeth, slashed them with claws, and pecked them with beaks, they just stood there and endured them, they looked and saw the ground ponies had no visible wounds, "Wow, they must be tough to just take them like that." Jayhawk said, "Jayhawk, remember, just because they don't look hurt doesn't mean they aren't, they're probably in a lot of pain right now." Eagle replied, they watched the ground ponies endure the wounds and they did not move, they looked around and saw Earthquake was enduring being attacked as well, "Well, let's explore." Thunderbolt said, and they flew around. The Pegasi flew around eastern Nature Valley and tried to memorize where everything was at, the animals walked by them and ignored them, they flew up and tried to get an overhead view of eastern Nature Valley, but the trees blocked their views, "So much for taking a picture." Jayhawk said, "You want one, Jayhawk?" Condor asked, "Not really, but it would suck for someone who did." Jayhawk replied, "Well, let's go back down, since we can't get an overhead view." Thunderbolt said, and they flew back down. The Pegasi flew around to get to know their way around better and they stopped when loud drums and bells were heard, "What was that?" Raptor asked, "Let's take a look." Falcon said, and they flew back. The Pegasi flew back to the center of eastern Nature Valley and they saw several ground ponies playing percussion instruments, "So they play instruments, too." Stealth Bomber said, "They play percussion instruments, and the air ponies play woodwind and brass instruments, I wonder who string instruments." Thunderbolt said, the ground ponies stopped playing and went into their homes and took out string instruments, "Okay, so they play string instruments, too." Thunderbolt said, "We do dancing, too, so do the air ponies and water ponies." Earthquake replied as she conducted while the ground ponies continued playing their percussion and string instruments, "Come on, let's go back to exploring." Thunderbolt said, and they explored eastern Nature Valley by flying. "In the end, we couldn't memorize where things were at since everywhere looked the same, so we gave up." Thunderbolt said, "I see, so Earthquake was a seductress, you all say?" Velvet asked, "Yeah, and usually when Raging Tornado came with us, Earthquake was the one with her the most often." Jayhawk replied, "What about Tsunami?" Violet asked, "She came quite a bit, too." Stealth Bomber replied, "Well, can you all describe what Earthquake was like?" Violet asked, and the Pegasi talked more about Earthquake. The Pegasi were standing in an open field and Raging Tornado and Earthquake were with them, Raging Tornado was wearing a long-sleeve hot pink and white dress and light pink high heels while Earthquake was wearing her sleeveless, low-cut black dress and black heels, Jayhawk got a camera ready and he ran to the others to take a picture, Raging Tornado smiled while Earthquake struck pose to show off her exposed hind leg, Raging Tornado exclaimed with disgust at seeing what Earthquake was doing, "Earthquake!" Raging Tornado said, "What? I can't show off my charms in a picture?" Earthquake asked, "No, it doesn't look natural." Raging Tornado replied, "How about this?" Earthquake asked as she reeled up and leaned forward while holding her own chest up with her front hoofs, "No!" Raging Tornado replied, the camera went off and the picture was taken, they looked and saw Earthquake holding her chest out with a smile on her face while Raging Tornado was yelling in the picture, "Redo it!" Raging Tornado said, "Is something the matter?" Earthquake asked, "I look ugly in that picture." Raging Tornado replied, "Um, Earthquake, I don't have an unlimited amount of film, so I can't take as many pictures as I want." Jayhawk said, "Oh, really? Alright then." Earthquake replied, and Jayhawk readied the camera while Earthquake just stood normally with a smile on her face, the picture was taken and they looked and saw it looked normal, "Hey, you guys aren't smiling." Raging Tornado said, "It's a habit." Stealth Bomber replied, "Yeah, the military taught us to never smile in pictures." Thunderbolt said, "Well, you guys should, it'll make the picture look better." Earthquake replied, "Maybe next time." Jayhawk said, Raging Tornado and Earthquake smiled and they all walked elsewhere. The Pegasi were having lunch at their home and Raging Tornado, Tsunami, and Earthquake were with them, Raging Tornado was wearing a long-sleeve light blue dress with blue high heels and a blue sunflower in her mane, Tsunami was wearing a white low-cut sleeveless dress with the dress over her hind legs, a rose in her mane, and light blue high heels, and Earthquake was wearing a dark pink low-cut sleeveless dress with a slit at her hind left leg, a pink tulip in her mane, and dark red high heels, "Thanks for coming over." Jayhawk said, "You're welcome." Tsunami replied, "Still, what's with the fancy dresses?" Stealth Bomber asked, "Weren't you guys ever taught to look your best when visiting someone?" Raging Tornado asked, the Pegasi shook their heads, "Speaking of looking your best, I've can use the table to make myself look better." Earthquake said, "How does that work?" Jayhawk asked, "Like this." Earthquake replied, and she leaned forward with her front hoofs on the table and her chest sticking forward, Raging Tornado and Tsunami screamed while they pulled her back, "EARTHQUAKE!!" Tsunami said, "What? I'm just showing him how it's done." Earthquake said, "Can't you be modest and graceful at the same time for at least once?" Raging Tornado asked, "Which one do you nine like better?" Earthquake asked, "Doesn't matter to me." Stinger replied, "Yeah, suit yourself." Lancer said, "Enough, Earthquake, you're not going to go around flaunting your legs and chest right now." Tsunami said as she pulled Earthquake into a chair, "Your dress exposes your chest a bit, too, Tsunami." Thunderbolt said, "That's for fashion and beauty reasons, I don't go around showing off my chest like how Earthquake does." Tsunami replied, "Well, let's finish lunch." Stealth Bomber said, and they did. Jayhawk was at the library with Raging Tornado, Tsunami, and Earthquake one day and they were getting books to read, "*gasp* They have it!" Raging Tornado said as she got a romance novel, "Is that...?" Tsunami asked, "Yes, the newest edition." Raging Tornado replied, "Ooh, I wanna read it, too, just let me get a little bit more books." Tsunami said, Jayhawk looked and saw Tsunami had cookbooks, books on fashion, books on flowers, books on cosmetics, and books on decorations, "Ugh, stuck in their romance fantasies again, they'll never win any stallion's heart if they stay in them." Earthquake said, "What are you getting, Earthquake?" Jayhawk asked, Earthquake showed Jayhawk her books, she was getting books on gardening, flowers, fashion, and understanding a stallion's heart, "Wow, this is what I'm getting." Jayhawk said, and he showed her a history book, "*chuckle* History is interesting sometimes." Earthquake said, "You study history, too?" Jayhawk asked, "Sometimes." Earthquake replied, and she watched Raging Tornado and Tsunami browse through the romance novel, "Ugh, while I do like fashion, makeup, and typical girl stuff, I do not like romance novels." Earthquake said, "How come?" Jayhawk asked, "They're unrealistic and ridiculous, if you think real life romance works like a romance novel, you will fail at love." Earthquake replied, "Can I come to you for advice on love one day?" Jayhawk asked, "Of course, Tsunami's good at advice on love and romance, too." Earthquake replied, "Alright then." Jayhawk said, and Raging Tornado and Tsunami came to them and the four checked out the books they wanted. "Um... what do those have to do with what happened at Nature Valley?" Velvet asked, "Well, I thought Big Business and his employees would say bad things about them to demonize them." Jayhawk replied, "The male detectives are currently interviewing the ones who went there, no info back from them yet." Violet said, "When will it be back?" Stealth Bomber asked, "We don't know." Violet replied, "So far, it's been about this Pegasus, hippogriff, and earth pony, but still almost nothing about the kirin." Velvet said, "Sorry, but the kirin was almost never around." Jayhawk replied, "Yeah, she only spent time with us twice, and that was it." Stealth Bomber said, "What about in Nature Valley?" Violet asked, "We saw her a few times, but not often." Thunderbolt replied, "I see, well, that's all for now, we'll let you know when we get information about what Big Business and his employees say about Nature Valley." Velvet said, "Alright, bye." Stealth Bomber replied, and the two unicorns left. Stealth Bomber and the others had dinner that evening and they looked at propaganda posters that were made when they were in the air force in order to encourage them to fight the griffons, knocking was heard at the door and they aimed their guns at the door, banging was heard on the door shortly afterwards, "Identify yourself." Thunderbolt said, "It's me." a voice said, Stealth Bomber realized it was Gabby, "Wait, that voice, go away, griffon." Jayhawk said, "Come on, guys, I'm here to make peace, I'm not the only one here, either, so can you all please open the door?" Gabby asked, Stealth Bomber opened the door and saw her with Gallus and Gilda, "What do you guys want?" Stealth Bomber asked, "How about beating your head into the ground?" Gilda asked, "You're welcome to try." Stealth Bomber replied, "I'm only here because I was forced to come along." Gallus said, "By who? Your parents?" Jayhawk asked, "My parents are dead." Gallus replied, "Now that you mention it, you do look a bit familiar." Thunderbolt said, "How did your parents die?" Stinger asked, "They were killed in a war." Gallus replied, "Where?" Lancer asked, "At a griffon post north of Griffonstone." Gallus replied, the nine Pegasi realized what he said, "Well, well, I thought you looked familiar, I remember your parents now." Thunderbolt said, "What?! You mean...?!" Gallus asked, "We killed your parents, they got bombed along with the rest of the griffons there." Stealth Bomber replied, Gallus' jaw dropped, "So it was you guys who attacked us!" Gilda said, "We were all young and angry with griffons at that time, our hate has faded away as we aged." Stinger said, "I guess the feeling's mutual then, you ponies bullied me in Equestria when I was a kid." Gilda said, "I'm sure they had a good reason." Lancer replied, "I was the only griffon in flight school." Gilda said, "You sure it wasn't because of your attitude?" Jayhawk asked, "Yes, I'm sure!" Gilda replied while raising her voice, "Really? I find that hard to believe." Thunderbolt said, Gilda growled, "Guys, we're not here to make trouble, we just want to make peace." Gabby said, "The answer's no." Condor replied, "What about you, bluebird, who made you come here?" Thunderbolt asked, "The six behind us." Gallus replied, the Pegasi looked and saw Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, and Applejack watching them, "Why are they here?" Jayhawk asked, "Well, this was their idea, they want us to make peace and be friends with one another." Gabby replied, the Pegasi glared, "You expect us to forgive you guys after what you griffons did to us?" Raptor asked, "Were we really that bad?" Gilda asked, "You griffons killed my brother." Stealth Bomber replied, "You guys killed my parents." Jayhawk said, "You all robbed my parents." Thunderbolt said, "I was denied an education because of that stupid status quo." Stinger said, "You robbed me and my family and made us broke." Lancer said, "That griffon status quo made me lose my job." Eagle said, "You all robbed me and my family and made us homeless." Falcon said, "You all stole my art ideas and passed it off as your own and got famous." Condor said, "You griffons murdered my family." Raptor said, Gilda, Gabby, and Gallus stood there speechless, "Wow, I never knew." Gabby said, "It doesn't change the fact you guys invaded and killed some of our kind." Gallus said, "You griffons started it." Jayhawk replied, "Did we now?" Gilda asked, Gabby looked into their home and screamed, "Are those griffon skulls on your wall there?!" Gabby asked, "Relax, those are fake." Stealth Bomber replied, "Yeah, it's artistic design." Jayhawk said, the six mares ran forward and looked into their home, Pinkie Pie screamed while Rarity exclaimed, "What is this macabre design?!" Rarity asked, "Hey, it's just what we like." Thunderbolt replied, "Are those weapons you all have there?" Rainbow Dash asked, "Souvenirs." Stealth Bomber replied, "This doesn't look suitable for a foal to live in." Twilight Sparkle said, "But I like it here." Jayhawk replied, "Anyway, can we call it a truce?" Gabby asked, "Can you guys?" Raptor asked, "Do you all have the money to give us?" Gilda asked, "The answer's no then." Stealth Bomber replied, "Please?" Gabby asked, "We said no, now fly off, buzzard." Thunderbolt replied, the six mares gasped, "That's a bad word." Pinkie Pie said, "No, it's not." Jayhawk replied, "Yes, it is, buzzard is an offensive term for griffons." Twilight Sparkle said, "Really? We were taught it's okay to call them that back in the air force." Raptor replied, "Well, it ain't, you'll anger a lot of griffons saying that." Applejack said, "Well, the answer's no, now go." Stinger said, and the griffons and six mares left. The Pegasi watched them leave, "The nerve of them." Jayhawk said, "Tell me about it, have to pay them money for a truce." Thunderbolt replied, "I still wonder if we should've invaded Griffonstone when we were in the air force." Eagle said, "Well, there's one thing I know for sure, if those disasters hit Griffonstone, I'm not helping them." Thunderbolt said, "Me neither." Stealth Bomber replied, "Yeah, no disagreement there." Falcon said, "Come on, guys, let's rest, it's been a long day." Lancer said, and they went into Stealth Bomber's and Jayhawk's home. The next day came and complaining was heard outside, the Pegasi went outside and saw ponies complaining about their technologies not working again, "Oh no, the next disasters are about to start." Condor said, "I wonder who it's going to be this time." Jayhawk said, the ground shook and the ponies screamed, "Earthquake!" Applejack said, the unicorns used their magic to float and the Pegasi flew, they held up the creatures who could not fly, they looked around and saw landslides and sinkholes appearing all over Equestria, the landslides destroyed the mines owned by Big Business, while the sinkholes appeared under Big Business' oil drills. The earthquake continued around Equestria, they looked and saw sandstorms and dust storms happening, "Another dust storm?" Applejack asked, "*gasp* Look at the plants." Fluttershy said, they did and saw the flora in all of Equestria grew to massive sizes and grew over the houses and buildings, "I sure hope this is the last one." Rarity said, "It has to be, we already had disasters caused by the sky, then by the sea, and now the land, there is no other place left for disasters to happen after this one." Twilight Sparkle replied, they watched and saw the vines grow over Big Business' vehicles that were used for deforestation and the fruits and vegetables in Equestria's forests and gardens grew gargantuan in size, "*growl* Where are they?" Rainbow Dash asked, "Look, over there!" Pinkie Pie said as she pointed to the south of Ponyville, the creatures gasped when they saw black silhouettes climbing out of a hole created by a landslide, the creatures looked and saw black shadow-like ponies again, "It's the ground ponies." Jayhawk said, "Ground ponies?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "Yeah, from eastern Nature Valley, their bodies are made out of brown rocks, their leader's name is Earthquake." Jayhawk replied, "Earthquake? That actually seems rather fitting." Applejack said, "Hold on, where is she... there she is." Stealth Bomber said and he pointed at her, the creatures looked and they saw the silhouette of Earthquake, she was now black and featureless like a shadow and had glowing yellow eyes, "Wait, is she a pony?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "Yeah, an earth pony." Lancer replied, Earthquake made a hill appear below her and she stood on top of it and looked around, she raised her front legs up and vines with thorns appeared around her, she held her front legs out and the vines went forward and grew all over the houses and buildings, "Wait! Earthquake!" Twilight Sparkle said as she flew to her, Earthquake faced her, "I'm sure you're here for the same reasons as Raging Tornado and Tsunami, but I must ask for you and your fellow ponies to stop what you're doing, you're destroying our land." Twilight Sparkle said, Earthquake made trees grow around Twilight Sparkle with her powers and Twilight Sparkle exclaimed while the trees were together in a tight circle and Twilight Sparkle did not have enough space to move around, she cast a teleporting spell and teleported out, "Please, Earthquake, I just wanna talk." Twilight Sparkle said, Earthquake made the hill go down and she disappeared into the ground, "Huh? What the?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "She's over here, Twilight!" Spike said, Twilight Sparkle flew up and saw Earthquake was all the way near Las Pegasus, she waved her front legs around and the roots of the trees in the city grew bigger and damaged it, while the flowers and fungi also grew giant in size and destroyed the homes they were in, the unicorns tried to subdue Earthquake with their telekinesis but she disappeared into the ground, she reappeared in a forest to the west of Equestria, she made the ground erupt and cover Big Business' construction gear and made the trees his company cut down grow back, "That's enough, Earthquake!" Twilight Sparkle said as she flew to her, the ground ponies stood in her path, she shot zaps at them from her horn but it did nothing, "What the?" Twilight Sparkle asked, she shot them with her magic but the ground ponies did not flinch, "What?! Her magic did not work!" Rarity said, "Another thing, the ground ponies are trained in defense, so they're the most durable of Nature Valley's ponies." Jayhawk replied, "Most durable? Leave this one to me." Rainbow Dash said, "Let me down, y'all, Ah'm goin', too." Applejack said, Big Macintosh told the Pegasi holding him to let him down so he could go help, Bulk Biceps flew to them while carrying Rockhoof. Twilight Sparkle tried zapping the ground ponies with her magic but it did nothing, she saw an opening while Earthquake was busy making the trees, plants, flowers, and fungi grow to make them smash Big Business' construction gear, Twilight Sparkle shot a zap at her but she did not flinch or even pay attention to it, "Ugh!" Twilight Sparkle said, she teleported to in front of Earthquake but more ground ponies appeared between her and Earthquake, "*growl* LET ME THROUGH!!" Twilight Sparkle yelled, and she tried to fly to Earthquake but more ground ponies appeared on top of the ones in front of Earthquake, she shot zaps from her horn at them but it did nothing, so she teleported to in front of Earthquake, "EARTHQUAKE!!" Twilight Sparkle yelled, she grunted and was stuck between her and the ground ponies, "Earthquake, please, you're going to make Equestria a big mess if you don't stop what you're doing." Twilight Sparkle said, Earthquake did a gesture to tell the ground ponies to walk forward and they did, Twilight Sparkle fell onto the ground while Earthquake used her powers to make a small sinkhole appear below Twilight Sparkle and she screamed while she fell into it. Twilight Sparkle teleported herself into the air and growled while she saw Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Big Macintosh, Bulk Biceps, and Rockhoof coming, Rainbow Dash tried punching and kicking the ground ponies but they did not flinch, so Bulk Biceps tried hitting them and they did not flinch to him either. Applejack tried to push them aside and they did not move, she grunted as she tried to move the ground ponies, Big Macintosh joined in and tried to help but he could just barely move them a few centimeters, "You got 'em, Big Mac?" Applejack asked while straining, "Eenope." Big Macintosh replied while straining, the two grunted as they tried to push them, the two stopped and tried bucking them, they did not flinch at getting hit, but their attentions were caught when they saw ground ponies going into the air, they saw Rockhoof hit the ground ponies away easily, Earthquake looked back and her eyes widened when she saw Rockhoof was strong enough to get through her defense. Twilight Sparkle cast a restraining spell onto Earthquake and she disappears into the ground again, Twilight Sparkle's face contorted as she grumbled and growled. Earthquake reappeared to the north of Equestria and she made Big Business' oil drills in the city fall into sinkholes, she destroyed his mine in the city with a landslide, she also made the grass grow to consume the city, "Oh, how dare you! That was my mining area for gems!" Rarity said as she teleported to her, she jumped and tried to kick Earthquake, but a crack was heard and Rarity screamed, she laid on the ground while clutching her hind hoof. Twilight Sparkle teleported to her and tried to cast telekinesis to stop her from causing more destruction, but Earthquake changed her own body to dirt and made trees grow out of her own body, one almost hits Twilight Sparkle, "What the?!" Twilight Sparkle asked as she got distracted and stopped casting her spell, Earthquake then changed her body to clay and grew to the size of an ursa major, she walked forward and smashed whatever she stepped on, Twilight Sparkle tried to cast a sleeping spell on her but Earthquake disappeared into the ground again, she reappeared where she was originally at and walked around to smash Big Business' technologies, she changed her body to stone afterwards, Twilight Sparkle cast a spell to change Earthquake back to normal and shrunk her back to normal size, "There, now to stop what you're doing." Twilight Sparkle said, she tried to cast a restraining spell on her but ground ponies appeared around Earthquake again, "Oh, come on, I don't have time for this." Twilight Sparkle said as she threw the ground ponies aside with her telekinesis, but more appeared, so Rockhoof ran and hit them away, the ground ponies in front of Earthquake suddenly began falling and they saw Maud Pie was pressing on certain parts of their bodies to make them fall, "How did you...?" Rockhoof asked, "Pressure points." Maud Pie said, the ground ponies stopped appearing and Earthquake looked around and saw all of them were down, Twilight Sparkle cast a restraining spell onto Earthquake, she got ready to disappear into the ground again but pink crystals appeared under and all around her and made her trapped. Twilight Sparkle looked around and saw Princess Cadence flying to her, she landed in front of her, "Sorry I'm late, I was busy helping Celestia and Luna evacuate the citizens." Princess Cadence said, "Really?" Twilight Sparkle asked as she looked, she saw Princess Celestia and Princess Luna flying around and checking Equestria, she saw the unicorns and Pegasi were also flying around to make sure everycreature was alright, "Stealth Bomber, Jayhawk, and you seven, get over here." Twilight Sparkle said, they put down the animals they were holding and flew to her, Twilight Sparkle's friends and the Cutie Mark Crusaders also came over, "I'm sure you all know her, too." Twilight Sparkle said, "Yeah, Earthquake, she and the ground ponies served as Mother Nature's main defense against invaders." Stealth Bomber replied, "Well, you should be ashamed of yourself, Earthquake, look at how much destruction you've caused." Starlight Glimmer said, Earthquake looked and saw Equestria was destroyed with cracks and uneven elevation everywhere she looked, "Can you fix it for us, Earthquake? Please?" Apple Bloom asked, and Earthquake moved her front legs around and undid the damage she caused, "There, hopefully, the destruction doesn't cause any long-term problems." Thunderbolt said, "Still, I can't believe how many powers she has." Princess Cadence said, "She controls all of the land, so she has the most powers." Jayhawk replied, "And Raging Tornado has complete control over the sky, and Tsunami has complete control over the sea." Twilight Sparkle said, "Yes." Lancer replied, "Where are the air ponies and water ponies? I'd like a word with them, too." Twilight Sparkle said, they appeared with Raging Tornado to Earthquake's right and Tsunami was to her left, "I would like to study your powers, your powers are amazing but too destructive, so if you all have the time, come to my lab so I can study your capabilities." Twilight Sparkle said, Raging Tornado and Tsunami looked at Earthquake, she shrugged, "Hold on, why are y'all lookin' at her for?" Applejack asked, "She's the oldest between the three of them, so she decides." Condor replied, "Well, Earthquake?" Twilight Sparkle asked, Earthquake did sign language that she needs to think about it, "Okay, I'll be at my castle when you decide." Twilight Sparkle said, and Raging Tornado, Tsunami, Earthquake, the air ponies, the water ponies, and the ground ponies all disappeared, and everycreature went home. Everycreature went on with their days and Earthquake undid all of the mess she caused, animal noises were heard at Fluttershy's cottage and everybody went and saw the land animals and bugs were howling and bowing to Earthquake, "Um, Earthquake, it's getting late, I need to put them to sleep." Fluttershy said, Earthquake nodded and disappeared, everycreature left and went into their houses and slept. The FlamesMorning came and the Pegasi woke up, they had breakfast and exercised, they got ready for the day and knocking was heard at the door and they aimed their guns at it, "Who is it?" Jayhawk asked, "It's us." Sweetie Belle said from outside, they put their guns down and Jayhawk opened the door and saw her with Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Gabby, "What's she doing here?" Jayhawk asked, "Well, Gabby's our friend, too, so if you wanna continue bein' friends with us, you gotta accept her, Jayhawk." Apple Bloom replied, "Look, sorry about yesterday, but that griffon demanded money for the truce." Jayhawk said, "I was hoping you can accept me individually." Gabby replied, "I'll have to see your character first." Jayhawk said, "Sure, we have school today, so we can hang out this afternoon." Scootaloo said, "Alright, sounds good." Jayhawk replied, "Good, we'll see ya later then, Jayhawk." Apple Bloom said, and they left while Jayhawk closed the door. Jayhawk sat and read a book while the other eight Pegasi stood by and watched him, he finished afterwards, "Alright, who ruled Equestria before it was formed?" Thunderbolt asked, "Grogar." Jayhawk replied, "Who banished him?" Falcon asked, "Gusty the Great." Jayhawk replied, "Where is Grogar now?" Eagle asked, "Nobody knows." Jayhawk replied, "Is he alive or dead?" Condor asked, "Nobody knows that, either." Jayhawk replied, "Good job, Jayhawk, I think you can read the rest with no tests." Stealth Bomber said, Jayhawk nodded while smiling and continued reading his history book. Jayhawk read until lunchtime and they had lunch, the Pegasi headed outside after they finished lunch and they saw Ponyville was normal at the moment, "Wow, Earthquake really did undo all the damage she caused." Jayhawk said, "Still, I wonder when the last group of elemental ponies will attack." Stealth Bomber replied, they saw Violet in Ponyville and went to Carousel Boutique, "Excuse me, Rarity." Violet said, Rarity looked back and reeled back and shrieked at seeing Violet's frizzled mane and tail, "Yeah, I was hoping you could fix it." Violet said, "Of course, come with me, darling." Rarity replied, and they entered her shop. The Pegasi walked around and they went to the market square to look around, they saw nothing of interest, "I'm bored." Jayhawk said, "Me too, wanna practice sword fighting?" Stealth Bomber asked, "Sure." Jayhawk replied, and the two trotted back home. Stealth Bomber and Jayhawk swung swords with one another and they clanged onto one another, the other ponies gathered around to watch them and cheered, the two entered a deadlock and Stealth Bomber hit the sword out of Jayhawk's hoof and tried to slash him, Jayhawk caught the blade between his hoofs and held Stealth Bomber back, he wrestled with Stealth Bomber and tried to take the sword out of his hoofs. Jayhawk moved his front legs to his right side and made Stealth Bomber lose his footing, he fell over and Jayhawk took the sword and pretended to stab Stealth Bomber in his heart while Stealth Bomber pretended to die, the ponies cheered when they finished. The ponies went on with their days while Stealth Bomber and Jayhawk continued sword fighting until Twilight Sparkle took them away with her telekinesis, "Hey!" Jayhawk said, "You guys should know better than to be using real swords." Twilight Sparkle said, "Sorry, but I don't have practice swords." Stealth Bomber said, "You still shouldn't be having a foal use real swords." Twilight Sparkle replied, "Well, Jayhawk, I guess we'll just have to find something else to do." Stealth Bomber said, "Sure." Jayhawk replied, and Twilight Sparkle walked away with the swords. Stealth Bomber and Jayhawk walked around and saw everycreature was busy, so they decided to go into their home. Jayhawk decided to paint while Condor taught him a few tricks, "Remember, Jayhawk, light brush strokes." Condor said, and Jayhawk tried painting a picture, he made a blotch of colors, "There's room for improvement." Condor said, Jayhawk laughed a little and he painted a little more, "Which color is your favorite one, Jayhawk?" Condor asked, "Red." Jayhawk replied, "Nice color, I like red, too." Condor said, and they painted a little more until knocking was heard several minutes later, "School's done, Jayhawk." Apple Bloom said from outside, he walked to the door and opened it and saw the Cutie Mark Crusaders and Gabby, "Ready to hang out?" Gabby asked, Jayhawk looked back at the eight Pegasi and then at her, "Sure." Jayhawk replied, and he traveled with them. Jayhawk walked with Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle while Gabby flew, "What do you guys wanna do?" Gabby asked, "I don't know, what about you, Gabby?" Sweetie Belle asked, "Well, I've always wanted to try military training." Gabby replied, "Well, brace yourself, Gabby, it's tough." Jayhawk said, "It's fine, I'm up to the challenge." Gabby replied, "Well, let's get started." Jayhawk said, and they went to an open field. Jayhawk had the Cutie Mark Crusaders and Gabby do push-ups and he did them with them, he counted and they tried to do the push-ups in a synchronized group, he heard panting and saw Sweetie Belle was having trouble, he kept watch and saw Scootaloo was beginning to sweat and get tired as well, they continued and Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle fell from exhaustion, Apple Bloom fell and got tired after a while as well. Jayhawk watched and saw Gabby had a big smile on her face while she did them, "Okay, we're done." Jayhawk said while out of breath, "So, what's next?" Gabby asked, "Sit-ups." Jayhawk replied, Gabby squealed with excitement, "That sounds fun, I wanna start now!" Gabby said, "Hold on, we need to catch our breaths." Jayhawk replied, and they did, they did sit-ups next and Gabby went faster than them while screaming and squealing with excitement, "This is so much fun!" Gabby said, "Gabby, remember, we have to be synchronized." Jayhawk replied, "Oh, right, sorry." Gabby said, and she slowed down. Jayhawk and the others did the sit-ups and they had no problem, they finished and Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle exhaled a little heavily, "So, what's next?" Gabby asked, "Running, I need jugs full of water." Jayhawk replied, "Sorry, Jayhawk, but we don't have any." Sweetie Belle said, "That's fine, weights on your legs will do, and Gabby, you can't fly for this." Jayhawk said, "Okay." Gabby replied, "Well, do you have any weights at your home, Apple Bloom?" Jayhawk asked, "Ah think so, hold on." Apple Bloom replied, and she trotted away. Apple Bloom came back with weights to tie on one's legs, Jayhawk put them on the others and himself and they ran, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle had trouble running due to their legs still hurting from the push-ups, "Whee! This is so fun!" Gabby said as she ran past them, "Do we have to be synchronized for this too, Jayhawk?" Apple Bloom asked, "Nope, run at your own pace." Jayhawk replied, and they did. Gabby ran as fast as she could to the nearest tree and she made it to the finish line before the ponies did, Jayhawk came next and then Apple Bloom, Scootaloo came after a while and Sweetie Belle came last, "Well, what's next, I can't wait!" Gabby said, "Well, next would be monkey bars." Jayhawk replied, "We got 'em at our school's playground." Apple Bloom said, "Can we rest? I'm tired." Sweetie Belle said, "Me too." Scootaloo said, "Alright, do you wanna continue, Apple Bloom?" Jayhawk asked, "Not really, mah legs hurt." Apple Bloom replied, "How about you, Gabby?" Jayhawk asked, "I wanna keep going!" Gabby said, "Well, I guess you and I can head to the school then." Jayhawk replied, and they went. Jayhawk and Gabby hung from the monkey bars and moved around, "Whoo! This is fun!" Gabby said, Jayhawk made it to the end while Gabby followed him, they jumped down and Gabby smiled, "What's next?" Gabby asked, "Climbing would be next, but it's almost dark." Jayhawk replied, Gabby saw the sun was setting, "Oh yeah, it is, well, what do you think of me?" Gabby asked, "You're actually not like any griffon I've met." Jayhawk replied, "See?! Can you call me your friend?" Gabby asked, "I'll try." Jayhawk replied, Gabby squealed and hugged him tightly, "Oh, thank you so much, that really means a lot to me." Gabby said and she let go of him, "Well, I'll be heading home now, bye." Gabby said, and she flew home while Jayhawk walked home. Jayhawk arrived home and saw Stealth Bomber and his comrades having dinner, he joined them, "That griffon is quite friendly." Jayhawk said, "We were watching." Condor replied, "What do you guys think?" Jayhawk asked, "She really is different from other griffons." Stealth Bomber replied, "Still, remember to keep your guards up, it could all be a facade." Thunderbolt said, and they all had dinner and slept. The next day came and it was quiet outside, they all had breakfast and knocking was heard at the door while they washed the dishes, "It's us." Violet said from outside, Stealth Bomber went to the door and opened it and saw her and Velvet, he saw Violet had an annoyed face, "Why so down, Violet?" Stealth Bomber asked, "That earthquake from the other day split my home into two." Violet replied, "That sucks." Stealth Bomber said, "It does, but those ghosts are fixing it for me." Violet replied, "Well, we're here to hear more about Nature Valley, so we need everyone around." Velvet said, and they all sat, "Okay, we already covered the north, south, and east, let's hear about the west now." Velvet said, "Actually, that is the next part after we left eastern Nature Valley." Jayhawk replied, "Well, what was it like?" Violet asked, "Very different from the other three." Stinger replied, "Well, let's get started." Velvet said, and the Pegasi talked about Nature Valley. The Pegasi walked out of eastern Nature Valley and were in the center, "Well, only one place left." Lancer said, "Yup, let's go." Falcon replied, and the nine walked to western Nature Valley. The Pegasi arrived and their hoofs began to hurt from walking on the rocks that made up the ground, they saw ponies made from red fire fighting and hoof wrestling, they walked forward a bit and saw more of them doing push-ups and lifting weights, they saw their homes were made from rocks and obsidian, "Hey, look, there's the kirin." Jayhawk said as he pointed at her, "Let's see what she's like." Stinger said, and they walked to her and she glared at them, they stopped walking, "Who are you guys?" the kirin asked, "We said it yesterday, we're deliverers to the weather factories across Equestria." Stinger replied, "Then tell me, what kind of weather factory cargo carries knives, pistols, and fully automatic weapons?" the kirin asked, "Those are for security reasons." Eagle replied, "Yeah, there are ponies who like to attack and steal the weather factory's supplies." Falcon said, the kirin glared at them, "What? You don't believe us?" Condor asked, "You think I'd fall for a lie like that? There are no weather factories in Equestria that have security problems and carry weapons, now tell me who you guys really are." the kirin replied, "Hold on, how do you know about the knives and guns?" Jayhawk asked, "We're Nature Valley's fighters, me and the fire ponies are basically the military, in other words, we're Mother Nature's sword." the kirin replied, "Alright, you got us, those weapons are from our previous job." Stealth Bomber said, "What would that be?" the kirin asked, "Security guards." Thunderbolt replied, the kirin glared at them again, "I can tell by your scars and the knee braces on that one that you guys had a more dangerous job than just being mere security guards." the kirin said, the Pegasi looked around and saw the fire ponies gathering around them, "Well? Who are you guys?" the kirin asked, "What do you think we are?" Raptor asked, "A bunch of liars for one." the kirin replied, "Well, we were just here to say hi." Jayhawk said, "Save it until you guys come clean with me." the kirin replied, "Why didn't the other three ask about our guns?" Stealth Bomber asked, "Because Raging Tornado, Tsunami, and Earthquake have no idea what they are." the kirin replied, "Well, to put it lightly, we're survivors of a war." Raptor said, "I can tell by your scars." the kirin replied, the Pegasi's attentions were caught, "Well, are you guys military?" the kirin asked, the Pegasi became speechless, "There's also the fact you all woke up scared and aimed your weapons around, that tells me all of you have been to war." the kirin said, "Well, we're all from Cloudsdale." Stealth Bomber said, "You guys Wonderbolts?" the kirin asked, "Um..." the Pegasi said while glancing away from her, "Fine, be that way, just keep in mind you won't be welcomed here until you all tell me who you guys really are." the kirin said, "Can we have your name so we can remember who to tell?" Jayhawk asked, "Meteorite Hellfire." the kirin replied, "Why so interrogative for?" Lancer asked, "Because I'm the oldest of Mother Nature's chosen ones, it is my job to make sure Raging Tornado, Tsunami, and Earthquake stay safe, I'm also in charge of keeping Nature Valley protected, I'm Mother Nature's personal bodyguard." Meteorite Hellfire replied, "Wait, you're her bodyguard? I thought it was Earthquake." Jayhawk said, "No, Earthquake usually focuses on defensive means, she's not one to fight back." Meteorite Hellfire replied, "So between you and the other three, you're the leader." Stealth Bomber said, "No, there is no leader between me and the other three, we're all equal in rank, I just look after them because I'm the oldest one." Meteorite Hellfire replied, "So what is your role among the group?" Jayhawk asked, "I'm the fighter, I'm the one who deals with threats and those who pick on us." Meteorite Hellfire replied, "What's your element?" Lancer asked, "I'm the bearer of the Element of Fire." Meteorite Hellfire replied, "Well, we were just here to see this place, come on, guys, let's go." Thunderbolt said, and they left while Meteorite Hellfire and the fire ponies watched them. The Pegasi went back to northern Nature Valley and were at Raging Tornado's home, she was making dinner for them, "Well, what do you guys think of Nature Valley?" Raging Tornado asked, "It's... unique, I'll give it that." Stealth Bomber replied, Raging Tornado chuckled while she cooked, "Still, that kirin was quite suspicious of us." Falcon said, "Sorry about that, Meteorite Hellfire can be difficult to get along with." Raging Tornado replied, "She talked about how it's her job to look after you and the other two since she's the oldest." Jayhawk said, "It is, she's like a big sister to us, even though she's almost never around." Raging Tornado replied, "She also said she's Mother Nature's bodyguard." Raptor said, "She is, when it comes to professional roles and defending Nature Valley, Meteorite Hellfire is Mother Nature's last line of defense, Earthquake's the one who leads us into battle, Tsunami's the strategist, and I'm the scout." Raging Tornado replied, "So Earthquake's the top enforcer?" Stealth Bomber asked, "Yup, she's also the one who fights the most." Raging Tornado replied, "Speaking of Earthquake, she did poses in a dress today." Jayhawk said, "Ugh, she always does that, likes to flaunt her beauty around and show off her skin, I get sick of it." Raging Tornado replied, "Don't you do the same thing?" Thunderbolt asked, "No! All of my dresses completely cover my body, I don't go around showing off my legs and chest to others." Raging Tornado replied, "I wonder about Tsunami." Falcon said, "Well, Tsunami does have several dresses that show her chest, but she doesn't flaunt it around like Earthquake." Raging Tornado replied, "And Meteorite Hellfire?" Raptor asked, "Meteorite Hellfire doesn't wear dresses." Raging Tornado replied, black smoke appeared in the room afterwards, "Oh, no!" Raging Tornado said as she ran to the kitchen, she was heard groaning afterwards, "Everything alright?" Thunderbolt asked, "I burned you guys' dinners." Raging Tornado replied, "It's fine, we'll just eat it that way." Stinger said, the Pegasi agreed. Raging Tornado served the dinner and it was burned hay, they ate it with no problem, "Wow, most ponies would've complained to have it redone." Raging Tornado said, "We learned from our previous job we can't be picky." Stealth Bomber replied, "Well, if you want, I can make beds for you all to sleep in." Raging Tornado said, "It's fine, we'll just sleep in the wagon." Thunderbolt replied, "Really?" Raging Tornado asked, the Pegasi nodded, "Okay then." Raging Tornado said, they finished dinner and Raging Tornado washed the dishes while they went outside and slept around the wagon. "So... um, when did they find out who you guys really were?" Velvet asked, "The next day." Jayhawk replied, "Oh, really? Go on then." Violet said, and the Pegasi continued talking about Nature Valley. The next day came and the Pegasi were tossing and turning on the ground, they screamed and exclaimed as they woke up and aimed their guns everywhere, they saw the residents of Nature Valley around them, "Are you all alright?" Tsunami asked, the Pegasi panted and calmed down, "See, this is why I don't trust you guys, who are you guys, really? Come clean with us." Meteorite Hellfire said, Thunderbolt sighed, "We're bodyguards for a unicorn named Big Business, he wanted us to investigate this place and see what's like, he wants to see if he can bulldoze this place and put one of his industries here." Thunderbolt said, "Bodyguards? Then what is the wagon for?" Raging Tornado asked, "We didn't know if you guys were friendly or hostile, so we staged an accident and waited to see how you all would react to foreigners coming into your home." Stinger replied, "Why are you guys working for this Big Business for anyway?" Earthquake asked, "It was the only place we were qualified to get a job." Raptor replied, "You guys don't have high education?" Mother Nature asked, the Pegasi shook their heads, "What did you guys do before working for Big Business?" Raging Tornado asked, "We're veterans of the Cloudsdale Air Force, we all fought in a war." Stealth Bomber replied, the residents of Nature Valley murmured, "Well, that explains the bad dreams." Meteorite Hellfire said, "Wait, even Jayhawk?!" Tsunami asked, Jayhawk nodded sorrowfully, "Come on, guys, come with me." Meteorite Hellfire said, and they followed her. The Pegasi walked into western Nature Valley and Meteorite Hellfire stopped in front of her home, "Okay, let's get started, what kind of dreams are you guys having?" Meteorite Hellfire asked, "Gunshots and explosions." Falcon replied, "What about the rest of you?" Meteorite Hellfire asked, "Pretty much the same." Stealth Bomber replied, "Hmm-mm." Thunderbolt said, "What were your ranks?" Meteorite Hellfire asked, "Senior Air Pony." Raptor said, "Senior Air Pony." Condor said, "Sergeant." Eagle said, "Sergeant." Falcon said, "Sergeant." Stealth Bomber said, "Chief Sergeant." Stinger said, "Senior Sergeant." Lancer said, "Master Sergeant." Thunderbolt said, "I didn't have a rank." Jayhawk said, "I see, well, since you all are ex-military, I expect you all to behave in a disciplined manner." Meteorite Hellfire said, "They'll be taking the commands from me." Thunderbolt replied, "No, I command here, and even if I wasn't the ruler, my rank would still be higher than you guys." Meteorite Hellfire said, "What is your rank?" Jayhawk asked, "General." Meteorite Hellfire replied, the Pegasi's eyes' widened, "It's not just my rank, it's my title as the ruler of this place, too." Meteorite Hellfire said, "Stewardess Raging Tornado, Princess Tsunami, Viceroy Earthquake, General Meteorite Hellfire, I wonder what Mother Nature's title is." Thunderbolt said, "It's different depending on which area of Nature Valley you're in." Meteorite Hellfire replied, "Oh." Thunderbolt said, "Well, let's get started, why did you guys stage an accident for?" Meteorite Hellfire asked, "As we said, it's so we wouldn't trespass, it's also from our prior experiences during the war." Stealth Bomber replied, "What was that?" Meteorite Hellfire asked, "We were shot down from the skies and landed in an unknown area, we quickly discovered it was enemy territory when the natives there tried to kill us on sight." Thunderbolt replied, "I see, so that's how you determined if we were friendly or not." Meteorite Hellfire said, "Would you have attacked us if we just entered?" Jayhawk asked, "Usually, no, but if I see you all are here to cause trouble, then yes." Meteorite Hellfire replied, "Also, we have to report to Big Business what you guys are like when we get back." Stealth Bomber said, "What are you all planning to tell him?" Meteorite Hellfire asked, "You all are unfriendly and powerful, we had to hide in the woods and ran back while being hunted." Stealth Bomber replied, "Why make us seem like monsters for?" Meteorite Hellfire asked, "Because Big Business wants to destroy your home and build an industry around here just to satisfy his own ego." Jayhawk replied, "Oh, it's so he will leave us alone and not mess with us." Meteorite Hellfire said, the Pegasi nodded, "I mean, you guys were a bit shady when you all entered here, but after learning who you all really are, you guys don't seem too bad, you can explore, but be careful here." Meteorite Hellfire said, "Why?" Lancer asked, "Well, for starters, the fire ponies are a bit aggressive, and be careful not to get lava from the volcanoes on yourselves." Meteorite Hellfire replied, "Can we enter your home?" Lancer asked, "Sure, maybe you guys will find something of interest." Meteorite Hellfire replied, and they went into her home. The Pegasi entered Meteorite Hellfire's home and saw she had a small house, she had boxing gloves, dumbbells, barbells, a leg press, a punching bag, kettle bells, and a chin-up bar attached to her wall, "Be careful not to stub your hoof on anything." Meteorite Hellfire said, "Wow, your home is bringing back memories of boot camp." Lancer said, "Now that you mention it, it is a bit like our boot camp." Stealth Bomber replied, "Really? You all did these exercises in boot camp?" Meteorite Hellfire asked, "Yeah, but we didn't have that equipment there." Thunderbolt replied as he pointed to the leg press, "Also, we fought without boxing gloves." Lancer said, "Me too, the boxing gloves is mostly for training and roughhousing." Meteorite Hellfire replied, "You like boxing?" Jayhawk asked, "Uh-huh, it's my favorite sport." Meteorite Hellfire replied, "Um..., we don't watch boxing." Raptor said, "Not interested?" Meteorite Hellfire asked, "No, it makes us have flashbacks of fighting in the war." Stealth Bomber replied, "Ah, give it time, maybe you all will come to terms with it." Meteorite Hellfire said, "Well, the sport will mainly play now is golf." Jayhawk said, "Yeah, I don't like golf too much, too slow and boring for me." Meteorite Hellfire replied, "I'm still surprised you don't have any outfits." Stealth Bomber said, "Wait, before you say anything else, I am not interested in fashion or dresses." Meteorite Hellfire replied, "No, I just thought you would at least have a suit of armor." Stealth Bomber said, "Oh, no, I'm already slow enough as I am when it comes to fighting, being even slower is the last thing I need." Meteorite Hellfire replied, "Why are you so slow?" Stinger asked, "Drawback from wielding the Element of Fire, it makes me slower than the other three, but I am the strongest in terms of strength." Meteorite Hellfire replied, "So how do you catch people you're chasing?" Jayhawk asked, "I have several ways, I have telekinesis, too." Meteorite Hellfire replied, "Wait, you have telekinesis?" Stealth Bomber asked, "Yeah, I'm a kirin, my people can cast magic with our horns, too." Meteorite Hellfire replied, "Still, your house is smaller than the other three." Jayhawk said, "Well, I don't need that much space, everything I need is in your sight." Meteorite Hellfire replied, "Where do you sleep?" Stinger asked, "Over there." Meteorite Hellfire replied as she pointed to the room that was to the right and behind her, "I don't see a bed." Lancer said, "I sleep on the floor." Meteorite Hellfire replied, "Doesn't your back hurt?" Eagle asked, "Not really." Meteorite Hellfire replied, "Well, it was nice for you to show us, but we have to get to know our way around here." Thunderbolt said, "Alright, I'll be around here if you need me." Meteorite Hellfire replied, and they left her home. The Pegasi left Meteorite Hellfire's home and they sweated and panted from the heat of western Nature Valley, "I'm hating this heat already." Jayhawk said, "Me too, it's humid here, too." Stealth Bomber replied, "Not to mention this area is all desert and volcano, it's always summer here, too." Thunderbolt said, "Let's finish looking around quickly." Stinger said, the others agreed and they flew around. The Pegasi flew around and saw fire ponies roughhousing with one another as they flew around, the volcanoes erupted and the nine flew around carefully, they looked at the palm trees as they flew around, they panted as they flew around western Nature Valley to get to know the place, they saw cacti around and they flew around them, "*pant* *pant* I'm exhausted already." Jayhawk said, "Come on, let's get an overhead view." Thunderbolt said, and they flew up and looked at western Nature Valley, "There's almost nothing around here." Jayhawk said, "It shouldn't be surprising, most creatures, plants, and animals can't survive around fire or in this kind of environment." Thunderbolt replied, they sweated and panted and they flew down, "Well, we're done, let's leave." Stealth Bomber said, "I agree, it's too hot here." Thunderbolt replied, and they left and went to southern Nature Valley. "Meteorite Hellfire was almost never home, either, she was almost always gone." Jayhawk said, "Doing what?" Violet asked, "She didn't say." Jayhawk replied, "We only spent time with her twice outside of Nature Valley, she was forced to come the first time, though." Stealth Bomber said, "Can you all describe it?" Velvet asked, and they got ready to tell her. The Pegasi were at a store one day and Raging Tornado, Tsunami, and Earthquake were looking at new books while Meteorite Hellfire rolled her eyes and waited for them impatiently, the Pegasi saw them looking at more romance novels and they sighed, "You guys, too, huh?" Meteorite Hellfire asked, "Yeah, romance never interested us." Stinger replied, "So, what do you guys like?" Meteorite Hellfire asked, "History and horror." Stealth Bomber replied, "All of you?" Meteorite Hellfire asked, the other eight Pegasi nodded, "*chuckle* I'd take horror over romance any day." Meteorite Hellfire said, they looked and saw the three looking at more books, "What books do you like, Meteorite Hellfire?" Jayhawk asked, "I don't read." Meteorite Hellfire replied, "Wow, you really are different from them." Lancer said, "Well, I am the oldest, maybe they'll be more like me when they get to my age." Meteorite Hellfire replied, "Where do you go when you leave Nature Valley?" Falcon asked, "It's different every day." Meteorite Hellfire replied, "Where do you usually go?" Jayhawk asked, "The woods." Meteorite Hellfire replied, "For what?" Stealth Bomber asked, "Training and meditation." Meteorite Hellfire replied, "We almost never see you with anyone, either." Thunderbolt said, "I work alone a lot, but when I'm teamed up with the others, I'm usually with Tsunami." Meteorite Hellfire replied, they heard walking and saw the other three coming, "You three done?" Meteorite Hellfire asked, they nodded, "Come on then, let's go home." Meteorite Hellfire said, and they walked together. The Pegasi and Meteorite Hellfire were at the hospital and seeing a Pegasus who fought in the war with them, he was missing all four of his legs and his wings, his mane and tail were burned off, and he had a mask over his face since his face was blown off by a machine gun, and he has lost all of his senses except for his sense of touch, "What have the doctors said?" Thunderbolt asked, "He'll be like this for the rest of his life." a male Pegasus doctor replied, "Might as well euthanize him." Stealth Bomber said, "I agree, just look at him." Stinger said, they did and saw Meteorite Hellfire lay her head on his chest, "Shh, it's alright, it will all be over soon." Meteorite Hellfire said, the Pegasus in the bed moved his head up a little and touched Meteorite Hellfire with his mask, she finished comforting him and he laid his head back down, "Anyway, the doctors are going to euthanize him tonight, so say your goodbyes now." the Pegasus doctor said, and they did the same thing as Meteorite Hellfire and they all left the room, they looked at the amputated Pegasus one last time and then left. "Those were really the only times we've spent with her, there was one other time when we were all having lunch at our home and we had visitors." Thunderbolt said, "What's so important about that?" Violet asked, "She was the one who made us rethink our ways with griffons." Stealth Bomber replied, "What do you guys mean by that?" Violet asked, "Well..." Eagle said, and they talked about the day. The Pegasi were having lunch at home one day and Meteorite Hellfire, Tsunami, Earthquake, and Raging Tornado were with them, knocking was heard at the door and the Pegasi aimed their weapons at the door, "Can we stay here?" a female child's voice asked from outside, Stealth Bomber went to the door and opened it and saw four griffons, there were two males and two females, two were kids while two were adults, "Can we stay here for the night?" the female child griffon asked, the Pegasi aimed their guns at them, "What are you buzzards doing here?!" Stinger asked, "We just need shelter from the rain that's coming." the adult male griffon replied, "Liar! You're here to try to steal from us and live with us so none of you have to work, you all are a bunch of freeloaders!" Lancer said, "Please, we have nowhere to go." the adult female griffon said, "Good! It serves you all right for making us ponies do all the work while you all get the credit." Stealth Bomber replied, "What are you talking about?" the male child griffon asked, "Don't play dumb with us, you're all here to eat all of our food and use up all of our water while you griffons slack off and make us work harder and get other jobs to pay the bills since you all are too lazy to work on your own." Raptor replied while he and the other Pegasi walked to the door, "But... we just came to Equestria yesterday." the female child griffon said, "Well, go back to Griffonstone, the last thing we need is you buzzards driving our country into the ground with your greed and egos just like how you all did to your own." Thunderbolt replied, the four griffons looked on with shock, "What are you buzzards doing in our country anyway?" Jayhawk asked, "My family's dead." the female child griffon replied while trying to hold her tears back, "My family's dead, too." the male child griffon said, "I heard Equestria was more peaceful and safer than Griffonstone." the male adult griffon said, "I'm just sightseeing." the female adult griffon said, "Where were your parents when they died?" Eagle asked, "They... were at a post to the north of Griffonstone before they were bombed." the male child griffon replied, the female child griffon nodded, "Look behind us." Thunderbolt said, they did and the the female child griffon gasped when she saw the Cloudsdale Air Force uniforms and griffon skulls mounted on the wall, "It was you guys who did the bombing!" the male child griffon said, "And good riddance, the less griffons in the world, the better." Stealth Bomber replied, "You guys killed my parents!" the male child griffon said, "You should've been there so you could've died with them." Thunderbolt replied, Raging Tornado's, Tsunami's, and Earthquake's jaws dropped, "You see those skulls on the wall there? They mean "Not Welcome."" Jayhawk said, the female child griffon began to cry, "Stop your sniveling, it serves you buzzards right." Falcon said, "But you guys killed my family, I'm an orphan now." the female child griffon replied tearfully, "Stop grieving, your family deserved to die." Stealth Bomber said, Raging Tornado, Tsunami, and Earthquake gasped while Meteorite Hellfire's horn glowed red and she pulled them away from the door with her telekinesis and ran in between them and the griffons, "ENOUGH!! ARE YOU GUYS EVEN LISTENING TO YOURSELVES?!" Meteorite Hellfire asked, "Why should we extend a helping hoof to these ego-driven and greedy scumbags?" Jayhawk asked, Tsunami gasped, "Jayhawk!" Tsunami said with shock and horror, "You guys are just getting angry at them for being griffons! None of you are looking into their personalities!" Meteorite Hellfire said, "You're defending them?! You, a griffon sympathizer?" Stealth Bomber asked, "I get it, you guys were wronged by griffons, and they were your enemies in the war, but not all griffons are like that, that applies to everycreature." Meteorite Hellfire said, the griffons looked at Meteorite Hellfire with surprise, "My brother was a griffon sympathizer, and they killed him!" Stealth Bomber said, "How would your parents feel if they saw the way you're behaving now?!" Meteorite Hellfire asked, "My parents would be proud!" Stealth Bomber replied, "Ours too, they wanted us to join the military to kill griffons to begin with." Thunderbolt said, "Join to kill griffons?! I heard this is a land of friendship!" Meteorite Hellfire said, "Griffons are an exception." Jayhawk replied, "Come on, let's go elsewhere." the male adult griffon said, and they walked away while the female child griffon continued to cry, the Pegasi tried to run after them but Meteorite Hellfire held them back with her telekinesis, "Stop right there! What are you nine planning to do?!" Meteorite Hellfire asked, "They're griffons." Stealth Bomber replied, "So?!" Meteorite Hellfire asked, "They have to die!" Thunderbolt replied, "How would you guys like it if unicorns and earth ponies hunted down and killed you guys just because you all were Pegasi?!" Meteorite Hellfire asked, the nine Pegasi calmed down and realized what she was saying, "See, there you go, you guys are doing the same thing to them." Meteorite Hellfire said, "Because they're nasty and greedy people." Jayhawk replied, "They're not the only creatures that are rude and nasty, dragons and yaks are like that, too." Meteorite Hellfire said, "I've never had any problems with dragons." Thunderbolt said, "Have you even met one?" Meteorite Hellfire asked, "Yeah, I met a few." Thunderbolt replied, "Anyway, let's finish our lunch, and you all think about how you guys treat the griffons, it's a good thing Princess Celestia isn't around to see you guys right now." Meteorite Hellfire said, and they walked back, Stealth Bomber looked at Raging Tornado and saw she had tears in her eyes from how he and his comrades behaved towards the griffons, they all sat and had lunch quietly. Violet and Velvet looked at them with widened eyes' and slightly dropped jaws, "Wow, I've never heard of ponies hating a creature that much." Violet said, "Well, aside from that, Meteorite Hellfire was also the one who offered us support whenever we had bad dreams of the war, out of the four of them, she understood us the most." Thunderbolt replied, "Was she you guys' counselors?" Violet asked, "A secondary one, we were already seeing Liebert before we went to Nature Valley." Stealth Bomber replied, "Well, go on and tell us in case Big Business' employees offer us a different description of her personality." Violet said, and they told her more. The Pegasi were sleeping in Nature Valley one night and they were tossing and turning on the ground, they woke up yelling and screaming while aiming their guns, their elemental ponies comforted them while Meteorite Hellfire trotted to them, "It's alright, guys, calm down, let's sit." Meteorite Hellfire said, and they did, "What have you all been dreaming about now?" Meteorite Hellfire asked, "I was remembering how I got my scars." Lancer replied, "We never did talk about your scars, how did you guys get them?" Meteorite Hellfire asked, "We were all tortured at sometime during the war." Eagle replied, "Wait, you guys were tortured?" Meteorite Hellfire asked, "Yeah, we were all POWs at some point, I was tortured, too, even though I don't have any scars." Stealth Bomber replied, "How did you get your scars?" Meteorite Hellfire asked, "The griffons cut me from my sternum to my abdomen in an attempt to cut open my body and pull my internal organs out." Thunderbolt replied, "I had acid rubbed on my head and I lost my mane, my left eye was exposed to poison gas, and my right eye got slashed by a knife." Stinger said, "Even though I don't have scars, either, I received beatings and was hit with hammers, my torturers were hoping to break my bones." Lancer said, "The griffons tried to skin me alive, they only got my back." Eagle said, "My knees were smashed with sledgehammers." Falcon said, "My right cheek was skinned off by a knife." Raptor said, "The back of my neck was set on fire and I was burned." Condor said, "Wow, what happened to you, Stealth Bomber?" Meteorite Hellfire asked, "I was received whippings on my back, the griffons also stabbed knives into my back, the doctors were able to treat me before the scars formed." Stealth Bomber replied, "And you, Jayhawk?" Meteorite Hellfire asked, "I got beatings." Jayhawk replied, "Alright, now then, what have you all been dreaming about?" Meteorite Hellfire asked, "I was dreaming about the time this gas that was dropped near where we were stationed at, I remember the Pegasi who got hit by it, I watched their skins melt off as they screamed in agony and died in front of me." Lancer replied, "My god, that must've been a bad sight." Meteorite Hellfire said, "It smelled terrible, too." Lancer replied, "I was dreaming about the burning of the bodies, I remember some of the ponies and griffons who were burned were playing dead and got burned alive." Stealth Bomber said, "I remember that, too, I had to cover my ears when I heard them screaming." Jayhawk said, "What have you been dreaming about, Jayhawk?" Meteorite Hellfire asked, "The corpses we had to eat to survive." Jayhawk replied, "What? You guys didn't have MREs?" Meteorite Hellfire asked, "We did, but it wasn't enough." Condor replied, "You guys didn't get proper nutrition." Meteorite Hellfire said, "None of us did, we had to kill wildlife to eat, too." Thunderbolt replied, "Well, moving on, what have the rest of you been having dreams about?" Meteorite Hellfire asked, "I was remembering waking up to gunshots at night." Stinger replied, "I dreamed about the time I had to eat a fellow dead soldier to survive." Falcon said, "I was dreaming about the time I smelled burning flesh in the woods." Eagle said, "I dreamed about the time I was patrolling alone at night and I could hear screaming everywhere." Thunderbolt said, "I was dreaming about seeing a fellow Pegasus mauled and eaten alive by a bear." Condor said, "I dreamed about the time when I saw griffons wearing skinned pony faces as masks." Raptor said, "Wow, you guys really did see a lot of horrors, anyway, are you all having trouble sleeping every night?" Meteorite Hellfire asked, the Pegasi nodded, "I see, I am very familiar with the horrors of war, and remember, you have to come to terms with them, yourself, but make sure to support one another, the last thing you guys need is one of you succumbing to the memories and committing suicide." Meteorite Hellfire said, the Pegasi nodded, "Well, I guess that's all for today, try to get through the day, okay?" Meteorite Hellfire asked, the Pegasi nodded and the residents of Nature Valley got on with their days. The Pegasi were sleeping one night in Nature Valley and Jayhawk began screaming in his sleep and swung his front legs around, the others woke up and looked at him, "No! No more! Please!" Jayhawk said loudly in his sleep, Raging Tornado and Earthquake shook him awake and he woke up panting, "You guys never did talk about how he joined you eight." Meteorite Hellfire said, "During the war, Jayhawk's parents were killed and he was thrown into a camp with other colts his age, they were beaten and had to fight to the death each day or the griffons guarding the camp would've killed them." Stealth Bomber said, "I had to fight every day, we were trained in knife combat and shooting, we had to do slash and shoot one another with real weapons, we had to do hoof-to-hoof combat, too, every fight was a fight to the death, those who refused were killed by the griffons, they didn't feed us, either, so we had to eat the corpse of the one we killed, we also had to look at and smell dead bodies to get used to them." Jayhawk said while trying to keep himself together, "When we found him, Jayhawk was the only prisoner left, we killed the guards and took him in with us, he was anorexic and sick, the medics nursed him back to health." Thunderbolt replied, "But why did they do that?" Raging Tornado asked, "They were training and conditioning him to become a soldier." Stinger said, the residents of Nature Valley gasped, "You mean... they were turning Jayhawk into a child soldier?!" Tsunami asked, Jayhawk nodded sadly, "Where were his parents?" Earthquake asked, "The guards there killed my family before they threw me into the camp." Jayhawk replied, "Do you have child soldiers, too, Meteorite Hellfire?" Stealth Bomber asked, "No, of course not, a child shouldn't experience war, let alone fight in one, they should be happy, they should be outside playing, they should be making friends and spending quality time with their parents, not fighting for their lives and being forced to participate in cannibalism." Meteorite Hellfire replied, "I still want my old life back." Jayhawk said while tears began to form in his eyes, Tsunami ran to him and hugged him, "He was a happy foal before the griffons killed his family, we did the best we could to try to make feel at home with us." Thunderbolt said, "Nothing will recreate that feeling for him, I'm sorry to say this, but he's probably traumatized for life." Meteorite Hellfire replied, they looked at him and Tsunami continued to hug him while Jayhawk looked down with his eyes closed and tears coming out of them. The Pegasi were in Nature Valley another time and morning came, they woke up and saw Jayhawk was missing, "Jayhawk?" Stealth Bomber asked, they flew around and looked for him, they found him sleepwalking in western Nature Valley and Tsunami was behind him. Jayhawk sleepwalked to the north with tears falling out of his eyes, "Mom? Dad? Where are you?" Jayhawk asked, he sleepwalked more and looked around while Tsunami covered her own face with her talons and cried as Jayhawk walked away. Violet and Velvet looked at the Pegasi with bewilderment, "You're a former child soldier, Jayhawk?" Velvet asked, "Yeah, I killed a few griffons during the war, too." Jayhawk replied, "I'm sorry to hear that, Jayhawk, but please try to remember you're not in a war zone anymore." Velvet said, "Well, that's all the time we have today, now that we have information on all of the areas, the next thing we need to know is what Big Business did." Violet said, "Alright, next time, then." Stealth Bomber said, "Well, off we go." Violet said, and the two left. The Pegasi looked at the time and they decided to home school Jayhawk, they taught him how to do math and they had dinner when the sun set and they went to sleep. Two days passed and it was quiet, complaining was heard outside and they left their home, they saw the technology has stopped working again, "Again? Are there anymore disasters to come?" Roseluck asked, "I doubt it, we already got hit by disasters from the sky, land, and sea, I don't know where the next one would be." Mrs. Cake replied, "Ah can't believe things still ain't workin', we already got hit by the three areas that make up the world." Applejack said to her friends, the Pegasi walked to them, "First, tornadoes and heavy winds from the sky, next, tidal waves and floods from the sea, along with blizzards and rain, then, earthquakes and sinkholes in the ground, all of those ponies from that Nature Valley place already hit us." Twilight Sparkle said, "Um, girls." Jayhawk said, the six mares looked at him, "There's four elemental ponies." Jayhawk said, "What?! Four of them?!" Rarity asked, "Yeah, this should be the last of the disasters." Stealth Bomber replied, "I wonder what it's going to be." Fluttershy said, an explosion was heard and ponies screamed, they looked and saw a train explode with its coals to power its engine falling out, "Wait, that's not the Friendship Express." Jayhawk said, "No, that's Big Business' train, he just shows it off and lets no one ride it, the rails he owns also cuts off the Friendship Express sometimes and they have to wait for that train to pass." Twilight Sparkle replied, more explosions were heard and the ponies screamed, everycreature looked and saw the ovens owned by Big Business exploding, more explosions were heard around all of Equestria, the Pegasi flew up and saw Big Business' machinery exploding as well, "Oh, boy, Meteorite Hellfire must be mad." Stinger said, "She always had a bad temper." Falcon replied, they looked and saw the creatures running away from where the explosions happened and the ponies near them also ran away. The Pegasi flew down and lava began bursting out of the ground around all of Equestria, the ponies screamed as the lava went into the sky and flowed onto the ground, the creatures who could fly grabbed the ones who could not and flew up, they all saw a big fire to the east of Equestria and it was moving west, more lava erupted out of the ground and the volcanoes in Equestria erupted as well. The creatures screamed as ash blocked the sun and darkened the sky, "Look, something's emerging from the fire." Ocellus said, they looked and the silhouette of more ponies who were black and featureless like shadows appeared, they flowed forward in the fire before they began walking on the ground, the creatures looked when another black and featureless silhouette formed in front of them, it took the shape of a kirin and had glowing red eyes, "Wait, what is that?" Smolder asked, "Is that... a kirin?" Applejack asked, "What's a kirin?" Sandbar asked, "Ah'll explain later." Applejack replied, the ghosts walked forward while two red lines appeared on Meteorite Hellfire's horn and she shot fire out of them and burned whatever was in her path, "Wow, Meteorite Hellfire must be mad." Jayhawk said, "Can't blame her, she's probably lost her patience over us trying to find Big Business." Stealth Bomber replied, Meteorite Hellfire and the fire ponies moved very slowly but everything they passed caught on fire and lava shot out of the ground, "Come on, everyone, we gotta stop her before she burns all of Equestria." Twilight Sparkle said, and she flew to her. Meteorite Hellfire continued setting Equestria on fire as she made her way to the west, "Hi there." Pinkie Pie said in front of her, "My name's Pinkie Pie, I was hoping we could have some fun and do a fire show." Pinkie Pie said, Meteorite Hellfire hit Pinkie Pie away with the back of her hoof and Pinkie Pie screamed as she flew through the air and hit a tree, the tree's roots came out of the ground and fell over. Meteorite Hellfire continued going forward with the fire ponies behind her, they grew wings and horns and flew around, they flapped their wings to spread fire farther and shot more fire out of their horns, the flames were extinguished by zaps and they saw Twilight Sparkle flying forward, Meteorite Hellfire glared and flung her away with her telekinesis. Meteorite Hellfire led the fire ponies and she shot fire at whatever machinery was owned by Big Business, "Excuse us, Meteorite Hellfire." Thunderbolt said, she looked up and saw him and the other eight Pegasi, "We're sorry finding Big Business' employees is taking long, but please wait a little longer, the detectives in Canterlot are interviewing them right now." Thunderbolt said, Meteorite Hellfire glared sharply, "We're serious, Meteorite Hellfire, they might be done soon." Stealth Bomber said, two orange lines appeared on her horn and she shot lava out, they flew out of the way, "Yeah, there's no calming her down." Stinger said, "What do we do then?" Jayhawk asked, "She'll have to be subdued." Lancer replied, "What? But she was our friend." Jayhawk said, "I know, but she'll destroy all of Equestria if we don't calm her." Stealth Bomber replied, they looked and saw Meteorite Hellfire has moved forward and was entering Ponyville, the unicorns all tried to subdue her and the fire ponies with their telekinesis, Meteorite Hellfire shot fire at them out of her horn, "That's far enough." Twilight Sparkle said as she flew to her, "I ask that you stop this now." Twilight Sparkle said, Meteorite Hellfire cast a spell and three weapons appeared on her back, she had a two hoofed battle axe and a cross-shaped spear with two curved blades on the central lance crossed together, under her axe and spear was a double-edged broadsword with two tips on the sides of the blade, all three of her weapons had orange blades that glowed brightly. Meteorite Hellfire took her axe out and swung it forward, a wave of fire went forward and Twilight Sparkle flew over it, Meteorite Hellfire spun the axe around and a circle of fire engulfed her. Twilight Sparkle flew back slowly while Meteorite Hellfire moved forward, she stopped spinning and sent another wave of fire towards Twilight Sparkle, she quickly flew over and shot a zap at her, it pushed her back a little but she stood her ground. Meteorite Hellfire saw the axe was too slow to hit Twilight Sparkle with, so she put it back on her back and took her spear out, she did diagonal slashes and each one sent out a wave of fire, Twilight Sparkle screamed briefly when one wave touched the tip of one of her feathers and set it on fire, she put it out with her other wing. Meteorite Hellfire spun her spear above her head and sent out circular waves of fire that burnt anything they touched, Meteorite Hellfire did several horizontal and vertical slashes that sent out waves of fire that Twilight Sparkle flew around to dodge. Hitting noises were heard and Twilight Sparkle and Meteorite Hellfire looked back and saw several other ponies were trying to subdue the fire ponies, the fire ponies hit whoever tried to restrain them and they were sent flying away in the air, they screamed and destroyed whatever they collided with, the ponies who got hit were knocked out after one hit. Rainbow Dash flew around to knock out the fire ponies, "Good luck trying to get me." Rainbow Dash said as she flew around and hit the fire ponies down, Meteorite Hellfire glared at her and shot fire out of her horn at her, Rainbow Dash flew around and dodged it easily, Meteorite Hellfire glared even more and sent out waves of fire with her spear, Rainbow Dash dodged them all easily, her spear got grabbed from behind and she saw Applejack trying to take it, Twilight Sparkle shot her with her magic and knocked her back, Applejack took the spear as well. Meteorite Hellfire took her axe out again and sent big waves of fire at Applejack, more running was heard and she looked back and saw Big Macintosh coming, she tried to hit him with her axe but he went around her and bucked her on her side, she was pushed back a bit and dropped her axe, Rainbow Dash flew by and took it. Meteorite Hellfire took her sword out and swung it around to make more waves of fire appear, she spun her sword around and the grass caught on fire when the blade touched it, she sent out more waves of fire that were easily dodged since her sword was slower than her spear, she held her hoof forward to signal the fire ponies to attack, but nothing happened, she looked back and saw the fire ponies were all subdued, "Y'all are strong, Ah'll give ya that." Applejack said, "But you guys only have average endurance, you all also really need to work on your speed." Rainbow Dash said, Meteorite Hellfire glared even more and swung her sword even faster to send out more waves of fire, Twilight Sparkle cast a spell on her sword to take it away from her, Meteorite Hellfire had orange lines appear on her horn and she shot lava at her, Twilight Sparkle cast a shield to block it, the shield went down and Twilight Sparkle threw the sword behind herself with her telekinesis. Meteorite Hellfire turned herself into a body of fire and floated into the air, "What the?" Twilight Sparkle asked, Meteorite Hellfire flew through the air in the form of a stream of fire, the Pegasi flew after her to stop her but lava erupted out of the ground around her to stop them from reaching her. Starlight Glimmer teleported to in front of her and shot her with a zap from her horn and changed her back to normal, Meteorite Hellfire fell but landed on her hoofs, she glared sharply and nirik fire appeared above her eyes and on her hoofs, her mane, tail, and scales on her hind hoofs also changed to nirik fire. Meteorite Hellfire shot regular fire and nirik fire out of her horn at Starlight Glimmer, she quickly teleported away while the fire and nirik fire burned whatever they touched to ashes, she looked around and saw no one, so she walked forward while her nirik fire made her hoofs burn whatever she stepped on. Meteorite Hellfire walked forward and saw ponies were coming to stop her, so she began to run, but the ponies caught her easily, Meteorite Hellfire turned back into a stream of fire and the ponies who touched her got burned, they yelled in pain while Meteorite Hellfire flew through the sky, Twilight Sparkle cast a spell to turn her back, "That's enough, Meteorite Hellfire." Twilight Sparkle said, Meteorite Hellfire's horn had red and orange lines on them and she shot out regular fire, nirik fire, and lava together, the ponies quickly moved away while Meteorite Hellfire disintegrated anything her regular fire, nirik fire, and lava touched, telekinesis was cast on her from behind by Starlight Glimmer and she tried to break free, Twilight Sparkle cast magical binds onto her to restrain her and Starlight Glimmer put her down, Meteorite Hellfire tried to break free and use her telekinesis to move forward but could not, she sat and shook her head. The ponies went to her and Meteorite Hellfire looked at them, "Just be a little more patient, Meteorite Hellfire, Big Business will be dealt with soon, I promise." Thunderbolt said, Meteorite Hellfire glared, "So, who are these guys?" Starlight Glimmer asked, "Fire ponies, they're from western Nature Valley, they're the fighters, while they're strongest of the elemental ponies, they're the slowest." Jayhawk replied, "Yer tellin' me, Pinkie Pie's still unconscious from gettin' hit." Applejack said, they looked and saw Pinkie Pie laying unconscious with stars over her head, "You should be ashamed of yourself, Meteorite Hellfire, look at how much damage you've caused." Twilight Sparkle said, nirik fire appeared over Meteorite Hellfire's eyes, "Don't you get mad at Twilight, you have burned down the animals' homes." Fluttershy said, "Well, compared to the other three, she didn't get that far." Jayhawk said, "Yeah, but look at how much damage she's caused, she would've caused more damage than the other three combined if she went to all of Equestria." Starlight Glimmer said, "Try to settle down, Meteorite Hellfire, we know you're mad and want justice, but we promise that Big Business will face justice soon, just give us a little more time." Stealth Bomber said, Meteorite Hellfire's nirik flames disappeared, "Good, now undo the damage you've done." Twilight Sparkle said, and she freed her and she began making the lava go back into the ground with her magic, "Tell me, does she take orders from Earthquake too when she's with the other three?" Starlight Glimmer asked, "No, she's the oldest of the four, so Earthquake doesn't command her." Jayhawk replied, "Well, let's go home, we've got a mess to clean tomorrow." Twilight Sparkle said, and they all headed home. Stealth Bomber and the others had dinner and looked outside, "What will happen next?" Stinger asked, "Who knows, that's all four of Mother Nature's chosen ones." Thunderbolt replied, "We'll just have to wait and see, let's sleep, I'm tired." Stealth Bomber said, and they laid down on the floor and slept. Nature's WrathMorning came and the Pegasi ate more griffon meat for breakfast, they finished and washed the dishes, knocking was heard at the door while they washed the dishes, "Um, Jayhawk, it's me." Gabby said from outside, he went to the door and opened it, "Um, were you ever thought about griffon history?" Gabby asked, "Yeah, I have several propaganda posters with me from the air force." Jayhawk replied, "Can I see them?" Gabby asked, and Jayhawk went to go get them. Gabby looked at the propaganda posters and Gabby screamed as she looked at the three posters, "Griffons play favoritism and only allow those they personally like to do jobs over those who are qualified? Stop them before they make you jobless? All of the art, literature, music, and cuisine of griffons are stolen from other creatures and passed off as their own? Arrest all griffons before they steal your culture? Griffons are carnivores and have restaurants dedicated to cooking and eating the ponies they killed?! Kill and eat all griffons before they kill and eat you?!" Gabby asked, Jayhawk saw tears forming in her eyes, "These are only a few of the propaganda posters." Jayhawk said, "What did the others say?" Gabby asked, "There was one about the griffons moving to Equestria because they're jealous that our kingdom was still standing while theirs was destroyed, so they're coming here to destroy ours out of jealousy, another one was talking about how King Grover was actually a thief and he stole the Idol of Boreas, and the Arimaspi was there to retrieve it to give it back to its people, and the most popular one was that griffons were coming to Equestria to spread their seeds into ponies to create a new generation of tainted ponies that are as selfish and greedy as the griffons, and it can be prevented by making them extinct." Jayhawk replied, Gabby had tears in her eyes, "I can't believe you kind and friendly ponies can come up with stuff like that, us griffons are nothing like that!" Gabby said, and she flew away crying, Jayhawk shrugged and went back into his home. Jayhawk began reading a science book and was reading about genes, he looked at the gene analyzing equipment that Stealth Bomber got from the air force and then went back to reading, knocking was heard at the door and the Pegasi aimed their guns, "Jayhawk, you there? We need to talk." Twilight Sparkle said from outside, Stealth Bomber put his rifle down and opened the door, he saw her with her friends, "Where's Jayhawk?" Twilight Sparkle asked, Jayhawk walked to the door, "We saw Gabby crying just now and she told us about these propaganda posters you have." Twilight Sparkle said, "Oh, those, yeah, the Cloudsdale Air Force made them to boost morale and convince others to fight." Jayhawk replied, "Let me see them." Twilight Sparkle said, and Jayhawk got them and showed them to her, Pinkie Pie gasped, "My, what is this?!" Rarity asked, "I've never seen anything so mean." Fluttershy said, "Come on now, the griffons are rude." Stealth Bomber said, "Yeah, but they never said stuff like this about us." Rainbow Dash replied, "Yeah, them plagiarizin' other creatures and passin' it off as their own sounds very hard to believe." Applejack said, "And there is this about them eating ponies, that is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard." Rarity said, "Well, the Pegasi in the air force liked it." Jayhawk replied, "Draw me a picture of how a typical griffon looked in the posters, Jayhawk." Twilight Sparkle said, and Jayhawk trotted into his home. Condor and Jayhawk drew a picture together and colored it, they finished after about ten minutes and Jayhawk went to Twilight Sparkle and her friends, he showed them the picture and Pinkie Pie and Rarity screamed, the griffon had a brown body, a white head, and a yellow beak, he was morbidly obese with pregnant mares laying around him crying and bruised, he had a cooked headless pony on a stick as his scepter and he had pony meat, blood, and bones dripping from his mouth, he was sitting in a throne made from gold and ponies were under it and carrying it, he also had ponies in front pulling his throne forward while chained and shackled, he wore a necklace that had shrunken pony heads on it, and a crown on his head made out of owl pellets. Twilight Sparkle looked at Jayhawk with shock and disgust, "This is how you guys are taught to see the griffons?!" Twilight Sparkle asked, "All of us were, we were at war with them." Jayhawk replied, "That griffon has a name, too." Stealth Bomber said, "What would that be?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "King Guano." Jayhawk replied, Fluttershy gasped while Pinkie Pie screamed again, "Worst name ever!" Pinkie Pie said, "How can you all come up with such a thing?! This is a disgrace against pony culture!" Rarity said, "As we said, it's propaganda, not many Pegasi took it seriously, either." Stealth Bomber replied, "It's still not cool." Rainbow Dash said, "What did they teach you about Griffonstone?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "That all of the buildings and homes are actually stolen parts of other kingdoms that the griffons destroyed." Jayhawk replied, "Did you ever learn about King Grover?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "Yup, he was called a thief." Jayhawk replied, "What? No, he wasn't." Twilight Sparkle said, "Well, that's what propaganda said." Jayhawk replied, "You should be ashamed of yourselves! I'm sure you ponies offended the other Pegasi in the air force." Fluttershy said, "Actually, they found the propaganda posters to be funny." Stealth Bomber replied, "What?! There is nothing funny about them!" Rarity said, "They thought it was funny." Jayhawk replied, "Just wait a bit, Jayhawk, I got several books for you to read, I'll be back with them." Twilight Sparkle said, and she and her friends left. Stealth Bomber went to work at the weather factory and he looked around Equestria and saw Meteorite Hellfire's destruction was not undone, he went back to producing clouds and yawned since today was a slow day, his mind drifted a little while he waited for the day to end, "You good, Stealth Bomber?" a male employee asked, "Yeah, just tired." Stealth Bomber replied, and the employee left while Stealth Bomber continued to work. Stealth Bomber looked out the window and saw the sky was clear, the sea was calm, the land was quiet, and there were no flames anywhere, he went back to producing more clouds and storing away lightning jars, he kept looking out the windows as he passed them since he could see almost all of Equestria from the weather factory, he saw Violet and Velvet meeting with five stallions in Canterlot and they gave the two papers, the two unfolded them with their magic, Violet's magic aura was sky blue while Velvet's was royal blue. Stealth Bomber watched them and saw Violet's facial expressions change as she read the reports while Velvet's expression remained the same, he went back to work and looked at the two each time he passed the window. Stealth Bomber worked more and he saw Princess Celestia and Princess Luna seeing the ponies and making sure everyone was alright, he worked until it was time to go home and he headed home. Jayhawk was outside and seeing Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle, they went to go see Gabby since she was still upset, "There, there, Gabby, it's alright, regular ponies don't see griffons like how Jayhawk was taught to do." Apple Bloom said, "But still, I didn't know ponies could be so cruel." Gabby replied, "Was there any specific griffon you were taught about?" Scootaloo asked, "Yeah, King Guano." Jayhawk replied, Gabby quickly looked up at him, "There isn't a King Guano in griffon history." Gabby said, "What did he look like?" Sweetie Belle asked, "I drew a picture of him for Princess Twilight earlier today." Jayhawk replied, "Oh, um, did she take it?" Sweetie Belle asked, "No." Jayhawk replied, "Can you go get it for us?" Sweetie Belle asked, and Jayhawk trotted back home and got the drawing, he came back and showed it to them, Gabby screamed at the picture of King Guano, "This isn't what we griffons look like!" Gabby said, Gallus heard her and flew to them, "What is it?" Gallus asked, "Look! This is how the Cloudsdale Air Force taught him how to view us." Gabby replied, Gallus looked and his eyes widened and jaw dropped from the picture, "That isn't us!" Gallus said, "What is with this design?" Apple Bloom asked, "That's the point, everything in this picture is a symbolism of griffon propaganda." Jayhawk replied, "What do they represent?" Scootaloo asked, "King Guano being fat symbolizes that griffons are lazy gluttons, the ponies carrying his throne also symbolizes griffon laziness, the pregnant female ponies symbolize the griffons are going to plant their seeds in us to create ponies that will have the traits of griffons, such as being rude and greedy, their bruises symbolize griffons beating their spouses and non-griffons, the meat, blood, and bones dripping from his mouth symbolize griffons as being carnivorous slobs, the scepter symbolizes materialism, the headless pony also symbolizes gluttony, his gold throne also symbolizes greed, the shrunken pony heads as his necklace symbolize barbarianism, too, and that griffons are sadistic to ponies, and the owl pellets symbolize griffons as being unhygienic, he wears them as a crown to symbolize griffons taking pride in being filthy and carrying sicknesses with them." Jayhawk said, the Cutie Mark Crusaders and griffons looked at him with shocked faces, "That's wrong, Jayhawk." Sweetie Belle said, "I didn't realize that back then, but I do see it now." Jayhawk replied, "Who came up with this?" Gallus asked, "Actually, a lot of ponies did, there isn't just one." Jayhawk replied, "Is this the only one of the griffon propaganda you all came up with?" Gabby asked, "Yeah, but we did have to vote on his name, though." Jayhawk replied, "What other names did you have for him?" Scootaloo asked, "His other name was King Glutton, we had to do a vote on which one the Pegasi liked better, and King Guano won." Jayhawk replied, "Did y'all call Griffonstone Griffonstone?" Apple Bloom asked, "No, after we named him, we called it Guanotopia." Jayhawk replied, "Guanotopia?" Gabby asked, "Yeah, it symbolizes that griffons will name everything after themselves to stroke their own egos." Jayhawk replied, "Wow, but why just griffons, and not dragons and yaks?" Gallus asked, "Because the Pegasi in the air force who met the dragons and yaks didn't have any problems with them." Jayhawk replied, "You still should let go of yer griffon hate, Jayhawk." Apple Bloom said, "I'm working on it." Jayhawk replied, "So, um... what made you decide to change your ways?" Scootaloo asked, "Meteorite Hellfire got mad at us and confronted us about our hatred of griffons one day, we had an argument, and we realized what we were doing after that argument." Jayhawk replied, "So Nature Valley changed you guys." Sweetie Belle said, "Yeah, that was the main change in us." Jayhawk replied, "It's almost dark, Jayhawk, we're headin' home, ya should go, too." Apple Bloom said, "Okay, see you guys next time." Jayhawk replied, and the Cutie Mark Crusaders, Gabby, and Gallus left while Jayhawk went home. Jayhawk entered his home and read a book on Equestrian history while Stealth Bomber came home from the factory and they slept along with the other seven Pegasi. The next day came and the Pegasi ate griffon meat for breakfast, knocking was heard at the door while they washed the dishes, "It's us." Violet said from outside, Thunderbolt opened the door and saw her and Velvet, "We got our reports on Big Business and his employees yesterday." Violet said, "Well?" Thunderbolt asked, "We'll show them at the table." Velvet replied, "Come on in, then." Thunderbolt said, and they entered the home. Stealth Bomber and his comrades sat with Violet and Velvet at the table, "Here is what Big Business' employees had to say about Nature Valley." Velvet said as she showed them the reports, they saw each report about Nature Valley was basically the same, it was that everypony entered with Big Business and they began slaughtering and destroying everything on Big Business' orders because the residents provoked them and tried to kill them on sight, and the elemental ponies considered themselves superior to other ponies and Mother Nature was plotting to destroy Equestria with her magic, "I figured they would lie." Stinger said, "Well, I can't say it's a lie just yet, but please do tell us your side of the story." Velvet replied, "Alright, here goes." Thunderbolt said, and they told their side. The Pegasi recovered from their broken wings and they were getting ready to leave, "Are you all going?" Tsunami asked, "Yeah, Big Business is waiting for our report." Lancer replied, "Will you guys come back?" Raging Tornado asked, "We'll think about it." Stealth Bomber replied, "Come on, guys, let's go." Thunderbolt said, and they left while the ponies of Nature Valley said bye to them. The Pegasi went back to Las Pegasus and were in Big Business' office to give their report, "Well?" Big Business asked, "The residents of Nature Valley are not friendly, they shot us down when we flew over them and they tried to kill us." Thunderbolt replied, "Why didn't you all fly away?" Big Business asked, "They shot our wings." Stinger replied, "Okay, but what took you all so long to come back here?" Big Business asked, "We were hiding in the woods to evade them, they just gave up this morning." Lancer replied, "I see, well, I'm surprised you nine survived, especially you, kid, since you're dumb enough to win a stupid contest." Big Business said, Jayhawk growled, "Anyway, I was ready to replace you guys if you all died, but since you're here, that saves me the time and energy of having to replace you idiots with even dumber idiots, I'll give you all your next assignment later." Big Business said, "Well, what do you say about Nature Valley?" Stealth Bomber asked, "Let's go over it, I'll look for another place to build my businesses." Big Business replied, "We'd also like a raise." Lancer said, "Why?" Big Business asked, "We just risked our lives." Stealth Bomber replied, "So?" Big Business asked, "We'd like higher pay if we have to do more dangerous jobs." Thunderbolt replied, "I already pay you guys enough." Big Business said, "You pay us below minimum wage." Eagle replied, "But putting together the money I give you eight equals to minimum wage, so I think I pay you guys enough." Big Business said, "What about your other employees?" Condor asked, "What about them?" Big Business asked, "How much are you paying them?" Condor asked, "Minimum wage." Big Business replied, "When do they get a raise?" Raptor asked, "Never." Big Business replied, "Why?" Stinger asked, "I need the money more than they do." Big Business replied, "For what?" Jayhawk asked, "To show Equestria that I'm the most powerful and influential person in the land." Big Business replied, "You sure it's not to hire new ponies to work for you?" Stealth Bomber asked, "I have specific ponies I'd hire to work under me." Big Business replied, "Who? Flim and Flam?" Jayhawk asked, "Flim and Flam are not worthy to work for me." Big Business replied, "Well, that is all we had to report, we suggest you send your employees elsewhere to build your industries." Thunderbolt said, "Fine, now get out, the presence of you nine is making me mad already." Big Business replied, and they left while scowling. "Three months after that, Big Business arrived into Nature Valley with his employees and they began destroying the place, they killed everyone native to Nature Valley, too." Stealth Bomber said, "Where were you guys?" Velvet asked, "In Nature Valley, we still visited them after we left the first time we were there." Falcon replied, "I can already guess you all fought with the elemental ponies to help them defend their home." Violet replied, "We did." Lancer replied, "Well, can you all elaborate?" Velvet asked, and they told her and Violet their sides of the events. The Pegasi were seeing Raging Tornado one day in Nature Valley and loud vehicles were heard they looked to the north and saw Big Business coming with his employees, vehicles, and construction equipment, "What are you doing, Big Business?" Thunderbolt asked, "I changed my mind, I'm going to build here." Big Business replied, "We said this place is dangerous and the ponies here will attack you." Stinger said, "It doesn't look that way to me." Big Business replied, "We're trying to make a truce right now to be left alone." Stealth Bomber said, "Well, too bad, I've made up my mind, this place has to go." Big Business replied, "Why?" Jayhawk asked, "Females are not fit to rule, that's a male's job." Big Business replied, "Where do you get that kind of thinking from?" Raptor asked, "That doesn't matter, come on now, guys, destroy the place." Big Business said, and his employees went forward. Big Business and his employees began attacking Nature Valley and used their equipment to destroy their land, they began attacking the air ponies with their magic while the Pegasi flew after them and the earth ponies held some of them down, "Go! Make sure not a single one survives!" Big Business said, and he used his magic to destroy their homes and land, "What are you doing, Big Business?!" Thunderbolt asked, "Simple, these ponies are made from natural resources, I can use their bodies to power my industries." Big Business replied, "But why are you destroying them?" Jayhawk asked, "Because they're in the way, and their ruler's are female, the inferior gender, so they have to die." Big Business replied, the Pegasi glared at him and flew to tackle him, but Big Business teleported away, they looked around and saw Big Business' employees going to all of Nature Valley. Stealth Bomber and Jayhawk remained in Nature Valley while the others went to the other three areas to help, Raging Tornado's gem glowed and she summoned strong winds and tornadoes to blow Big Business' employees away, the Pegasi flew along the wind's currents while the unicorns simply teleported around and shot at her with zaps from their horns, Raging Tornado yelled when she got hit by one and fell to the ground. Stealth Bomber flew around and fought Big Business' employees, he saw several of Big Business' employees laughing and destroying the air ponies' homes and equipment while they held them down and forced them to watch, he heard grunting and saw several of Big Buisness' employees restraining and beating up Jayhawk, he tried to break free while Big Business' employees knocked him down and began kicking him. Stealth Bomber flew to them and punched and threw Big Business' employees over his shoulder, one tackled him down from behind and the earth ponies began kicking Stealth Bomber while he grunted. Raging Tornado summoned more tornadoes and rain and blizzards appeared all over Nature Valley, the ground shook and everypony stumbled, the water ponies, ground ponies, and fire ponies appeared in northern Nature Valley to help fight off Big Business' employees. Eagle, Falcon, and Lancer fought Big Business' employees in southern Nature Valley, only the unicorns and Pegasi came, the three punched some of the Pegasi out of the sky and they fell into the water, they saw the unicorns restraining the water ponies and killed several of them with lightning spells, they became flat bodies of water and evaporated. Tsunami looked on with horror at seeing the water ponies die and became frozen in place, Lancer flew to her and shook her, "Tsunami, focus, you'll die if you stay in place." Lancer said, Tsunami came back to her senses, "Sorry, but I really hate violence." Tsunami said, "Not the time, you have to focus." Lancer said, and Tsunami's gem glowed as she raised her front legs up and made tidal waves appear. Tsunami focused and created blizzards and avalanches to stop the invaders, they used their magic and wings to evade the blizzards and avalanches, Eagle and Falcon hit the ponies in their temples to knock them out and put them on the ground, the two heard screaming and saw the unicorns killing the water ponies with lightning magic, the two and Lancer flew to them to fight them. Stinger and Condor were in eastern Nature Valley and fighting the earth ponies that served Big Business, the ground ponies stood in front of them and took in the hits and the ponies could not get through, "There. Hold the line." Earthquake said, and her gem glowed and she made sinkholes appear to make Big Business' employees fall into them, the unicorns floated over them while the Pegasi flew out of them, some of the earth ponies hung onto the ledges and climbed up. Stinger and Condor flew around and they punched and kicked several of Big Business' employees to knock them out, the unicorns flung them away with their telekinesis and did the same to the ground ponies, they disappeared into the ground and reappeared in front of them when they landed. Big Business' employees tried to get through the ground ponies but could not, an earth pony ran out of eastern Nature Valley and came back with a sledgehammer, he hit one ground pony in the head and it broke into pieces, he fell on the ground dead and decomposed. The ground ponies and Earthquake looked on with shock while the unicorns made more sledgehammers appear with their magic, they hit the ground ponies and they broke apart while Earthquake made plants grow bigger around herself and the ground ponies to block off Big Business' employees, they tried to smash the plants with the sledgehammers but they did not go down. Earthquake and the others heard loud noises and she made a hill rise up under her and saw bulldozers coming, they pushed the land forward but could not move the big trees and plants, she also saw backhoe loaders coming in an attempt to dig the flora out of the ground, Earthquake smiled at seeing her defenses work. Stinger and Condor tried to stop the vehicles from destroying eastern Nature Valley but there were too many of Big Business' employees and they held them down. Thunderbolt and Raptor helped the fire ponies defend their home while Meteorite Hellfire took on Big Business' employees directly, "Come on, is that the best you all can do?" Meteorite Hellfire asked as she hit Big Business' employees with her front legs, they got knocked out with one hit and were thrown across the place, they landed on the ground and put craters in it. Thunderbolt and Raptor wrestled with the earth ponies that attacked them but they got attacked from behind while distracted, "If only we've known Big Business was coming." Thunderbolt said, "Yeah, we could've had our weapons and armor with us." Raptor replied, and the two got overwhelmed by numbers and were restrained to the ground. The fire ponies went over and sent Big Business' employees flying away by smacking them away, they hit the ground and made craters in it, the air ponies, water ponies, and ground ponies also appeared in western Nature Valley to help. The elemental ponies tried to defend their home while volcanoes erupted, blizzards, storms, tornadoes, and earthquakes appeared all over Nature Valley, Thunderbolt looked and saw Mother Nature casting magic, her magic aura was red, blue, yellow, and green, she made Big Business' employees get burned, drifting in water, hanging onto the ground during earthquakes, fall into sinkholes, and blown away by tornadoes. Thunderbolt stood up when the tornadoes blew away Big Business' employees and he helped Raptor stand up, "What the?" Thunderbolt asked, he and Raptor looked around and saw some of Big Business' employees were fighting each other, they all fought one another while the natives of Nature Valley fought them off but ignored the ones who were helping them. Mother Nature continued manipulating the weather and summoned thunderclouds to electrocute the invaders, she looked around for Big Business and saw him outside of Nature Valley with a shield around himself and watching, she froze for a minute at seeing the elemental ponies die, the air ponies turned into gusts of wind and blew away, the water ponies evaporated, the ground ponies broke apart and decomposed, and the fire ponies got extinguished with smoke blowing away. Mother Nature shot big beams at Big Business and he teleported away, he reappeared in the air while holding himself up with his telekinesis and saw how progress was, "You idiots! You were supposed to kill their pets first!" Big Business said, his employees stopped attacking for a second and looked at him with disbelief, he cast a spell and drained life out of the animals in Nature Valley and killed them, the elemental ponies got distracted and ran to go check on them while Big Business' employees attacked and killed them from behind. Big Business saw Jayhawk frozen in place and looked forward as his memories kicked in, he got an idea and put him in western Nature Valley with his telekinesis. Jayhawk is put into western Nature Valley and he saw the flames everywhere, "Jayhawk?" Stealth Bomber asked as he punched Big Business' employees that were restraining him away, he looked for him and did not see him anywhere. Jayhawk froze in place and began to have memories of the war and dead bodies being burned, Big Business' employees attacked him and he began to scream as he remembered the camp the griffons threw him into, he began attacking whoever went near him and he punched everycreature in their eyes and bit into their necks with his teeth, Big Business' employees screamed in pain while Meteorite Hellfire and Stealth Bomber went to him and shook him, "Jayhawk, relax, you're not in the camp anymore." Meteorite Hellfire said as she held his front legs, Thunderbolt and Raptor flew to him while she and Stealth Bomber tried to bring him back to the present, "Jayhawk, it's me, Stealth Bomber, I'm here, Jayhawk!" Stealth Bomber said, Jayhawk came back to reality and saw the dead ponies around himself, Meteorite Hellfire carried him away while Stealth Bomber looked at Big Business angrily while he smiled at him. Tsunami was getting the dead marine animals in southern Nature Valley and hyperventilated as she looked for one that was still alive, Eagle, Falcon, Lancer, and the employees who stopped working for Big Business continued fighting Big Business' employees and they got overwhelmed by how many there were, several unicorns shot Tsunami with big blasts from their horns and she screamed as the others looked, the unicorns stopped and Tsunami was laying on the ground, "TSUNAMI!!" Mother Nature said as she flew to her, she checked her and saw Tsunami was dead, she cradled her body and grieved. Eagle, Falcon, and Lancer looked around and did not see a single water pony, they became angry and determined and continued fighting Big Business' employees with those who defected. Raging Tornado and the employees who defected continued fighting the invaders but all of the air ponies were dead, she is shot from behind by a beam and she screamed, "Raging Tornado!" Stealth Bomber said as he flew to her, he entered northern Nature Valley and saw she was dead, he flew down to her and closed her eyes, Big Business' employees ganged up on him and beat him up while he grieved. Earthquake tried to make the ground uneven with rocks and mountain terrain to stop Big Business' vehicles, the ground ponies fell as Big Business' employees smashed their heads with sledgehammers, Stinger and Condor were held down and being beaten, the Pegasi who worked for Big Business flew in the air and they grabbed Earthquake, she changed herself to mud and they sank into her, she then disappeared into the ground. Earthquake appeared to the north of eastern Nature Valley and changed the terrain to make it hard to move around, the unicorns shot beams at her and she screamed as they hit her, "No!" Condor said, the unicorns stopped and he and Stinger saw Earthquake on the ground dead, the two looked on while Big Business' employees continued to hold them down and beat them. Meteorite Hellfire hit Big Business' employees away with her front legs, she took her spear out and began spinning it around to make waves of fire appear and burn Big Business' employees, she looked and saw all of the fire ponies were dead. Pegasi flew at her from behind and restrained her while ten unicorns shot her with beams and she screamed as she got hit, "No! Meteorite Hellfire!" Thunderbolt said, the unicorns stopped and Meteorite Hellfire was dead, they snickered while they continued to beat up Thunderbolt and Raptor while the employees who defected continued to fight back. Mother Nature flew around and saw of her subjects, animals, and four chosen ones were dead, and all of her land was destroyed, "I win, ruling a country is a male's job, you're not worthy to be a ruler." Big Business said, Mother Nature growled and shoot four beams out of her horn while screaming with rage, Big Business shot a beam out of his horn and the two entered a deadlock and Mother Nature began overpowering him immediately, several of Big Business' unicorns shot zaps at her while the Pegasi and earth ponies pulled on her and bucked her to break her concentration, Big Business overpowered her and Mother Nature screamed as she fell, she panted while Big Business floated down with his magic, "You haven't won, Big Business, we will come after you, we will have revenge." Mother Nature said, and Big Business shot a beam at her face and she screamed, everypony looked and saw Mother Nature was destroyed. Big Business smiled and laughed a little while everypony gathered around him with Stealth Bomber and the others being held, "Now, to make this place as I see fit." Big Business said, "What are you going to build?" Thunderbolt asked, "A factory to harvest this place's natural resources, I don't need you nine anymore, you all are fired for disagreeing with my plans. Beat them up, start with the foal first." Big Business replied, and his employees beat Jayhawk while he screamed, the eight Pegasi tried to break free but his other employees held them back and beat them up, "Good, now the other eight together." Big Business said, and his employees beat them up more while Jayhawk laid down while in pain and unable to move, the eight Pegasi grunted in pain while his employees who helped Mother Nature and her subjects defend their home rushed in to try to hold back the employees still loyal to Big Business, they got the Pegasi and Jayhawk and put them behind themselves, "This is how you treat your bodyguards?!" one employee asked, "You got a problem?" Big Business asked, "You're disgusting, they were a peaceful settlement, and you destroyed them for no reason and enjoyed it, we quit." a second employee replied, and they walked away while carrying Stealth Bomber and the others. "Shortly after we left, we got attacked at our home by one of the griffons we fought in the war, we quickly discovered that Big Business hired him as an assassin to hunt down and kill us and those who quit working for him, so we moved and lived separately in hopes that the griffon doesn't hunt us down so easily." Jayhawk said, "Wait, how did you guys find out?" Violet asked, "We saw a few severed heads of the employees who quit around his neck on a necklace, he was carrying a burlap sack full of their heads, too." Stealth Bomber replied, "You all knew him from the war, right?" Velvet asked, "Yes." Lancer replied, "What's his name?" Velvet asked, "Garotte." Falcon replied, "Alright, as you all already know, we have contradicting stories, we're going to take our reports to Princess Celestia and she'll handle it from there." Violet said, "Our psychiatrist has some of Big Business' employees as patients, his name's Liebert if you two have forgotten." Stealth Bomber said, "We know Liebert, he's famous throughout all of Equestria." Velvet replied, "So you guys already know where his office is at." Condor said, "Yup." Violet replied, "Okay, before we go, one quick question that's off topic, but have you guys ever found Liebert's behavior to be a little off?" Velvet asked, "What do you mean?" Jayhawk asked, "That behind his charming and friendly personality lies an evil person, that his true personality is that of a monster." Velvet replied, "No, not really." Jayhawk said, "How about the rest of you?" Violet asked, the other eight Pegasi shook their heads, "Well, thank you all, that's all we needed to know, we'll be back to let you all know when the court date is." Velvet said, and the two got up and left. Three days passed with nothing in particular happening, Stealth Bomber worked at the weather factory, Thunderbolt was still trying to find the names of Big Business' employees that went to Nature Valley, Jayhawk just sat in a chair and thought about his hatred of griffons, and the others flew around Equestria to do whatever they could to pass the time, all nine of them were home once and knocking was heard at the door, they aimed their guns at the door, "It's us." Violet said, and Stealth Bomber opened the door and saw her and Velvet, "The trial on Big Business is about to start, you all are needed." Velvet said, "Any luck on Nature Valley?" Stealth Bomber asked, "Yeah, Princess Celestia showed us, it's all factories, everything's gone." Violet replied, "Well, let’s go." Thunderbolt said, and they flew to Canterlot while Violet and Velvet used telekinesis on themselves, they flew and saw Nature Valley as they passed, northern Nature Valley was covered with wind turbines, southern Nature Valley had dams and pipes to control the water's flow, eastern Nature Valley was now a mine and there were drills for drilling oil, western Nature Valley was supplying thermal energy to the other areas, and the center of Nature Valley had a big statue of Big Business, the nine groaned with disgust and went to Canterlot. Stealth Bomber and the others arrived into Canterlot castle and the royal guards took them to the courtroom, they sat near the front to the right with Violet and Velvet, they saw Liebert and several of Big Business' employees were also present, and Big Business was on the stand. Princess Celestia walked to the judge's bench and stood behind it, "Court is now in session, for those of you new here, I will be acting as the prosecutor, defense, and judge, I will now go over the case, the defendant is Big Business, as all of you already know, he is an industrialist, and has many businesses in Equestria, now then, Big Business, you have been accused of destroying a peaceful settlement a week ago, what do you have to say about it?" Princess Celestia asked, "Peaceful? They were anything but peaceful, they started attacking my industries just out of the blue, I never harmed them, I wouldn't harm a fly, my employees can tell you that." Big Business replied, "Really? I have received several complaints about your behavior and workplace ethnicities in the past, along with you destroying natural environments of Equestria." Princess Celestia said, "That's necessary for building my factories and dams, I need the places cleared out." Big Business replied, "Yes, but I have also received complaints about your businesses not really giving anything beneficial to Equestria, and they're just there." Princess Celestia said, "Who's sending the complaints?" Big Business asked, "A lot of people, they're coming from all over Equestria, too." Princess Celestia replied, Big Business growled, "Anyway, how long have those people from that settlement been attacking your buildings and industries?" Princess Celestia asked, "Ever since I first started." Big Business replied, "Then why wasn't it reported back then? Why now?" Princess Celestia asked, "I wasn't that big back then, so their attacks were smaller and more subtle." Big Business replied, "What kind of damage did you find?" Princess Celestia asked, "Um... it's been so long, I don't remember." Big Business replied, "Big Business, if you can't remember what you found, then I will have to assume you're lying." Princess Celestia said, "It's been years, I can't remember every little damage they've done." Big Business replied, "Well? Do you remember?" Princess Celestia asked, "Um..." Big Business said, he began to sweat a little, "There wasn't any damage, was there?" Princess Celestia asked, Big Business became speechless, "So you didn't have any damages done back then, if I also recall, I myself didn't see any damage, either." Princess Celestia said, "There was damage, I just don't remember." Big Business replied, "But you haven't given any specific details, so I can't believe you." Princess Celestia said, Big Business glared at her, "I also have received information that the place you found could only be found with a certain spell, how did you learn it?" Princess Celestia asked, "I just cast it by chance when I was practicing in the nearby forest." Big Business replied, "Okay, what was the first thing you did when you found the place?" Princess Celestia asked, "I went over to go say hi, but they turned hostile and attacked me." Big Business replied, Stealth Bomber and his comrades glared at him along with his employees, "Then what were these wagon pieces Detective Velvet and her subordinate found?" Princess Celestia asked, "What are you saying?" Big Business asked, Princess Celestia held up a picture with her telekinesis, there were very small wooden pieces on the ground, "This was taken in the northern part of the place, Detective Violet and Detective Velvet submitted it to me as evidence when they came back from the settlement." Princess Celestia said, "How did they find the place?" Big Business asked, "I cast the spell for them." Princess Celestia replied, "You know the spell?" Big Business asked, "Of course, it's my duty to make sure every settlement in Equestria is safe." Princess Celestia replied, Big Business scoffed, "Anyway, how do you explain these wagon pieces?" Princess Celestia asked, "How do you know they weren't planted?" Big Business asked, "I think their decayed state and the destroyed vines wrapped around them is proof enough, there was a report of a wagon missing at the weather factory north of this place, now, how do you explain these?" Princess Celestia asked, "Um... I borrowed it from the factory." Big Business replied, "Borrowed? The factory reported it as stolen." Princess Celestia said, Big Business yelped, "You're admitting to thievery, Big Business?" Princess Celesita asked, "No, no, no, I... just saw it laying around and thought it was abandoned." Big Business replied as he sweated, "I have received many reports from your former and current employees that nine Pegasi who served as your bodyguards were the ones who went there with that wagon." Princess Celestia said, "I never had any bodyguards." Big Business replied, "Don't lie to me, Big Business, I saw your post in the newspaper that you wanted bodyguards." Princess Celestia said, "Yes, but nopony took the job." Big Business replied, "Then why do I have reports about you hiring nine bodyguards, eight adults and a foal?" Princess Celestia asked, "What? Surely, there's been a mistake." Big Business replied, "No, I have the information here, nine Pegasi, eight adults, one child, all males, all ex-Cloudsdale Air Force." Princess Celestia said, "Uh..." Big Business said, "Who are those nine you see right there?" Princess Celestia asked as she pointed to her left, Big Business looked to his right and Stealth Bomber and the others, his facial muscles twitched a little while he glared at them, "Can you tell me who they are?" Princess Celestia asked, "Never seen them in my life." Big Business replied, "Really, their records say they served under you as bodyguards for about three years before you fired them a week ago." Princess Celestia said, Big Business' eyes widened, "I also received reports saying that they were the ones who entered Nature Valley, not you, your employees said the same thing." Princess Celestia said, Big Business grumbled, "I have also received contradicting information from the detectives on what the natives of this settlement were like, your employees say they were hostile and attacked on sight, while those who entered said they were friendly and welcoming, what do you say about this, Big Business?" Princess Celestia asked, "They were hostile, those nine over there reported to me that they were hostile and tried to kill them, they came back late because they were hiding in the forest and trying to find their way back." Big Business replied, "Yes, about that, those nine said they said that to you in hopes that you would leave them be and not destroy their home." Princess Celestia said, "They just said that so they wouldn't have to stand trial with me." Big Business replied, "And why is that?" Princess Celestia asked, "Because they're cowards, they're too scared to come forward." Big Business replied, "Do you have any proof of that?" Princess Celestia asked, "Not at the moment." Big Business replied, "Speaking of contradicting reports, those nine have given very detailed reports about how the ponies of that settlement behaved, and I, myself have been there, so I know you're lying from my own experiences, Big Business." Princess Celestia said, Big Business reeled back a little, "Moving on, I also have a report with your employees saying that the ruler of this settlement was planning to destroy Equestria with her magic, I knew her personally, so I know that's a lie, too." Princess Celestia said, "Wait, what?" Big Business asked, "You were never told of her plotting to destroy Equestria?" Princess Celestia asked, "No, I mean, sure, she and her subjects attacked us, but she had no ambition from what I've seen." Big Business replied, "I see, I also have reports about you coming in with equipment to destroy their home and your employees helped." Princess Celestia said, Big Business' employees protested, "Stop lying, you guys led the invasion behind my back." Big Business said, "Liar, you mind controlled us and made us do your bidding." an employee replied, the other employees nodded, "That goes against what some of you told me." Liebert said, "What?" another employee asked, "Some of you said you regret destroying this Nature Valley and wish you never did." Liebert said, "I was drunk at the time." one employee replied, "No, you were not, I know a drunk when I see one." Liebert said, "So that's how it's going to be? You're going to betray your own boss?" Big Business asked, "If you ask me, Big Business, they were never loyal to you from the start." Liebert replied, "What?" Big Business asked, "He's right, Big Business." another employee said, "Yeah, you overwork us and underpay us, we have no reason to pledge our loyalty to you." a third employee said, "Enough, we're getting off topic here, the detectives also took pictures of your headquarters and Nature Valley, before I show one, have you ever seen four gems, one red, one blue, one yellow, and one green?" Princess Celestia asked, "No." Big Business replied, "Then how do you explain this?" Princess Celestia asked as she held up a picture with her telekinesis, it was the four gems of Nature Valley, "Well?" Princess Celestia asked, "Never seen them." Big Business replied, "Then why were they found in your office, and why is your face carved into the gems?" Princess Celestia asked, "Uh... um...?" Big Business asked, "You lied to me again, Big Business, the fact that these were in your office and have your face carved on them more than proves that you do know about these, these belonged to Nature Valley, so you are guilty of thievery." Princess Celestia said, Big Business exclaimed, "One more thing, Big Business, I have seen reports that several of the employees who quit working for you after Nature Valley have gone missing, do you know anything about that?" Princess Celestia asked, "No." Big Business replied, "Then what is this report I've got about a griffon named Garotte?" Princess Celestia asked, "Never heard of that person." Big Business replied quickly and almost raised his voice, "Then what happened to those former employees? Why are they missing?" Princess Celestia asked, "I don't know!" Big Business replied angrily, "Stop lying to me, Big Business, your tone and sweating more than tells me that you know." Princess Celestia said, Big Business groaned, "Well, Big Business?" Princess Celestia asked, Big Business panted heavily while sweating, "Well?" Princess Celestia asked while raising her voice a little, Big Business just panted and sweated more. Running was heard in the hallway at the back of the courtroom, "Hey! You guys can't go in there!" a stallion said from outside, the doors flew open and four stallions ran in, "Wait, stop the trial for a minute!" one pony said, they all looked and saw they were employees who quit working for Big Business after he attacked Nature Valley, "We're ex-employees of Big Business, we defected from him and tried to protect Nature Valley, we didn't come here on time because Big Business hired an assassin to hunt us down and kill us, we've been evading him, he attacked Nature Valley because the rulers were females, and he considers them the inferior gender." one ex-employee said, the mares gasped, "Yes, I have received several complaints about that, I have written to him to stop doing that, I can see that he hasn't." Princess Celestia replied, "I should've known it was you nine who wrote them." Big Business said as he looked at Stealth Bomber and his comrades, "How'd you figure out it was us?" Falcon asked, "Those complaints started when I hired you guys and stopped when you all left." Big Business replied, the ceiling burst open and debris fell, a griffon came into the courtroom, he was wearing a black leather coat that went down to his knees, black pants, black boots on all four of his feet, and a necklace with severed pony heads on it, he was blinded in his right eye and had a scar on it, his feathers were dark yellow and his beak was yellow and stained with blood, he also had a burlap sack in his front right leg. The ponies screamed at seeing him and Big Business' ex-employees tried to run away, but the griffon flew to one and knocked him down and got ready to rip his head off with his talon, "Garotte, you idiot! You were supposed to kill the foal first!" Big Business said, the ponies gasped, "Sorry, but Jayhawk got away and went into hiding." Garotte said, "He's right there!" Big Business said as he pointed at him, Garotte saw him and flew to him but the guards quickly restrained him with their telekinesis, "So you did hire an assassin, Big Business, and you have ordered him to kill your own employees, I think I have an idea on where the others are at, guards, check his burlap sack." Princess Celestia said, and they took it off of him with their telekinesis and opened it, severed pony heads fell out of it, the ponies watching screamed, Stealth Bomber and his comrades realized they were Big Business' ex-employees, "There's more than enough evidence to prove your guilt, Big Business, you have committed enough crimes." Princess Celestia said, "What am I charged for?" Big Business asked, "Discrimination, underpaying your employees, unsafe workplace environment, intentionally designing your products to be harmful to children, along with low quality products so others have to pay more money to you, making your industries and business' beneficial only to yourself, destroying nature, hiring an assassin, destroying a settlement, and murder, I also have reports about Jayhawk having post-traumatic stress disorder from his time as a child soldier, and you exploited it in Nature Valley." Princess Celestia replied, the ponies' jaws dropped, "I sentence you to six months in prison, you will be sent into rehabilitation and be given friendship lessons, I also sentence to have all of your business' and industries shut down, you will be paying money to the ponies whose homes you have destroyed after your time in prison is done, and as for you, Garotte, I am going to have you deported back to Griffonstone." Princess Celestia replied, "You're a female! Your laws don't apply to me!" Big Business said, "Big Business, I am not going to have my authority questioned because of my gender, I am the ruler of this land, and you will obey." Princess Celestia replied, "I am more important than you!" Big Business said, "No, you are not, Big Business, you're just an industrialist at best, but you're not famous, you will serve your sentence, no matter how much you protest." Princess Celestia replied, "WHAT?!" Big Business asked, his employees who destroyed Nature Valley cheered, "What about them?!" Big Business asked, "You were the one who ordered them to destroy Nature Valley, and the fact you sent an assassin after the ones who quit, I'm dropping all charges against them due to it being blackmail." Princess Celestia replied and she hit her gavel, Big Business' employees cheered again, Big Business glared at them while the guards took him and Garotte away. Stealth Bomber and his comrades smiled at seeing Big Business get taken to jail, "As for you nine, Thunderbolt, Falcon, Eagle, Stealth Bomber, Stinger, Lancer, Condor, Raptor, and Jayhawk, you nine will be charged, too." Princess Celestia said, "What?" Stinger asked, "Wait, for what?" Lancer asked, "You nine are to go to Griffonstone and give them an official apology for your actions and motivations for going to war with them, your families will be giving the apology, too." Princess Celestia said, the nine Pegasi stared on with bewilderment, "Seriously?" Thunderbolt asked, "Did you nine really think I wouldn't notice you all being mean to griffons just because they're griffons? This is a land of friendship, you nine have left a black mark on our nation's reputation." Princess Celestia replied, "Um... you do know that's a bit risky, right?" Stinger asked, "Yes, I'm aware that griffons can be unforgiving and rude, but what you nine did was unacceptable, you all have one week to come up with an apology, and face whatever punishment they have in mind, if you nine don't, I will have you all imprisoned while Jayhawk will be sent to juvenile hall." Princess Celestia replied, the Pegasi nodded, "Good, court is adjourned." Princess Celestia said and she hit her gavel and everypony left. Stealth Bomber and the others walked out of the courtroom and were with Violet and Velvet, "What are you two going to do now?" Stealth Bomber asked, "We got a report to file, our work is far from done." Velvet replied, "Yeah, and who knows, if Princess Celestia decides to investigate the damage caused by you ponies during the war, we might meet one another again." Violet said, "Alright, bye, you two." Jayhawk said as Violet and Velvet left, the nine exited Canterlot castle and flew home. The Pegasi arrived home and they got ready to think of what to say as an apology, "Well, I guess Big Business is done for." Jayhawk said, "Yeah, still sucks the employees who destroyed the place with him got away with it." Stealth Bomber replied, "Well, maybe they'll come back up again later, let's think of an apology." Thunderbolt said, and they all tried to think of what to say until knocking was heard at the door, "You there, Jayhawk?" Twilight Sparkle asked from outside, Jayhawk opened the door and saw her, "Sorry I'm late, I would like to have you attend the School of Friendship as a part-time student." Twilight Sparkle said, "Why?" Jayhawk asked, "So you can learn proper griffon history, you and your guardians have to apologize to Gallus, too." Twilight Sparkle replied, "For what?" Jayhawk asked, "You guys made him an orphan, he was an only child, too." Twilight Sparkle replied, "Oh, I see." Jayhawk said, "I'd like for you to start coming tomorrow, you'll be on a half day schedule since you're home schooled." Twilight Sparkle said, "Sounds good." Jayhawk replied, "Good, make sure you leave a good impression on your first day, I'll be going now." Twilight Sparkle said, and she walked away. Jayhawk closed the door and went back to trying to come up with an apology for Griffonstone, but an earthquake started and everycreature screamed, loud winds were heard and a tornado was seen outside the window, blizzards, downpours, and volcanic eruptions started as well, the Pegasi ran outside and they saw tornadoes, waterspouts, downbursts, windstorms, downpours, freezing rain, blizzards, hailstorms, sleet, earthquakes, dust storms, dust devils, droughts, landslides, sinkholes, wildfires, and volcanic eruptions appearing all over Equestria. Everypony screamed as they ran away and the disasters kept happening, "What's goin' on?" Applejack asked, tsunamis began flooding Equestria and towns got buried in them, everycreature looked and saw Raging Tornado and the air ponies flying in the sky, Tsunami and the water ponies in the water, Earthquake and the ground ponies appearing everywhere on land, and Meteorite Hellfire and the fire ponies in all three areas, the four had their gems with them. Raging Tornado's and Tsunami's gems glowed and a hurricane appeared, the creatures screamed as they ran away, "No! Stop!" Twilight Sparkle said, Tsunami's and Earthquake's gems glowed and quicksand appeared on the ground and sunk whatever was over them, the plants and trees grew faster as well, Raging Tornado's and Earthquake's gems glowed after sometime and a heavy windstorm with trees, plants, and leaves in them appeared everywhere, Tsunami's and Meteorite Hellfire's gems glowed next and volcanoes erupted underwater, Meteorite Hellfire's gem continued to glow and Raging Tornado's gem glowed next and tornadoes made from fire appeared, Meteorite Hellfire had her gem continue to glow and Earthquake's gem glowed next and meteors fell from the sky, the ponies screamed when they fell, "Stop! What's wrong?" Twilight Sparkle asked, Tsunami made water appear and float up in the sky and it showed Big Business' trial, "It's the trial, they're not happy with the verdict." Jayhawk said, the disasters continued but the ghosts disappeared, thunder appeared in the clouds and hit the ground, the ponies screamed as the thunder destroyed whatever it hit, "What now?" Rainbow Dash asked, "Um, guys, the animals are acting weird." Fluttershy said, they looked and saw the animals looked like they were bowing, fog appeared in Ponyville and a big black silhouette was seen coming forward, it had glowing golden eyes and the body of an alicorn, "Princess Celestia?!" Twilight Sparkle asked as Stealth Bomber and his comrades walked back as they noticed it was Mother Nature, the other ghosts appeared around her, Meteorite Hellfire stood to her right, Earthquake was to her left, Tsunami was standing to Meteorite Hellfire's right, and Raging Tornado stood to Earthquake's left, the elemental ponies were behind them, "Wait, Mother Nature!" Princess Celestia said as she flew to Ponyville and landed, "Mother Nature?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "I know you're mad about your home being destroyed, but I have to give all of my subjects a fair chance at being redeemed and accepting friendship." Princess Celestia said, Mother Nature glared at her, "Mother Nature, please, I know you're not as forgiving as I am, but you were one of my closest friends, and I miss you a lot, I got the one responsible for destroying your home and your deaths, so please stop causing disasters." Princess Celestia said, Mother Nature did not react, "I will make it up to you, Mother Nature, just tell me what you want." Princess Celestia said, Mother Nature used her magic to make water appear in the air and showed pictures of Big Business' employees that have destroyed Nature Valley, "You want them all in jail?" Princess Celestia asked, Mother Nature shook her head, "You want them dead?" Jayhawk asked, Mother Nature nodded, Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, and Applejack gasped, "What about the ones who regret destroying your home? Can we spare them?" Stealth Bomber asked, Mother Nature shook her head, "Will you stop the disasters when they die?" Thunderbolt asked, Mother Nature nodded, "Alright, it's decided then, I think we'll need to pay Violet and Velvet one more visit." Thunderbolt said, "Actually, I have files on those who attacked Nature Valley." Princess Celestia replied, "Can we have them?" Stinger asked, Princess Celestia made them appear with her magic and handed the files to them, "Hold on, who are these guys, Princess Celestia?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "They are the residents of Nature Valley, that there is Mother Nature, she's older than I am, these four are her chosen ones, they're the bearers of the Elements of Nature." Princess Celestia replied, "What?" Rarity asked, "Wait, Elements of Nature?" Applejack asked, "Yes, there are more elements than the Elements of Harmony and elements of the Pillars of Equestria, the Elements of Nature are the Fire, Water, Earth, and Air, they're stronger than our elements because unlike ours, ours only power Equestria, theirs power the entire world." Princess Celestia replied, "Really?" Rainbow Dash asked, "Ooh, I know, we should have an Element Party." Pinkie Pie said, Meteorite Hellfire glared at her, "Wait, hold on, if they power the entire world, then shouldn't the bearer of the Element of Earth be a yak, and the bearer of the Element of Air be a griffon?" Applejack asked, "I am not the one who chose them, Applejack, and Mother Nature chose them to bear her powers." Princess Celestia replied, "We're wasting time, we should hunt down those employees now." Stinger said, "Alright, I'll send them messages to meet at Nature Valley once when you nine are ready to take them down." Princess Celestia replied, and she flew away, "Let's get ready." Thunderbolt said, and they entered their home. The Pegasi went into their home and began putting on their battle uniforms, they put on their heavy gray armor and then their backpack that contained their ammunition, they picked up their eight guns with their wings and flew to Nature Valley. Princess Celestia watched them from the sky and saw the Pegasi go to Nature Valley, she began sending out letters to the employees that destroyed the place to meet there. The Pegasi hid in the woods and waited for the employees to arrive, walking was soon heard, "What is this about? Have to go back to Nature Valley." one employee said, "Who knows, maybe we have to take over now that Big Business is gone." another employee replied, "No way, that guy's designs suck, his places are dangerous to run, too." a third employee said, and they all walked into Nature Valley, "Okay, this is weird, no one's around, I wonder why Princess Celestia told us to come here." a fourth employee said, the nine Pegasi appeared from behind the trees and began shooting at them with their rotary guns and killed a few, "It's an ambush!" one employee said, "Quick! Run!" another employee said, and they began to run away. Stinger, Lancer, Eagle, and Falcon flew up with their rocket thrusters and looked into the forest, they shot their air-to-surface missiles to clear the trees, they heard a few screams and saw some of the employees got hit by the missiles, they fired more of their rotary guns and killed whoever they saw. Thunderbolt and Stealth Bomber did a pincer attack and shot the employees between them with their rotary guns, some of the Pegasi flew to the buildings in the area and Condor and Raptor shot them with air-to-surface missiles to destroy them, the Pegasi flew away and Jayhawk shot them down with his rotary guns, they screamed in pain when the bullets went through their wings, Stealth Bomber shot them to pieces with his rotary guns. The unicorns teleported out of the place and all nine Pegasi flew up and shot and destroyed the trees with their rotary guns and air-to-surface missiles to look for them, they saw the unicorns appear outside of Nature Valley and they began to run, the Pegasi clapped their hind hoofs together and activated their rocket thrusters to fly faster, they opened fire and shot the unicorns with their rotary guns and they screamed and died. The Pegasi flew around more and saw several Pegasi fly to them in an attempt to fight them, they shot them with their rotary guns and fell to the ground in pieces, the unicorns shot beams at them from the ground but did nothing due to their armor protecting them, the Pegasi shot their rotary guns at them and killed them, "Quick! Keep going!" one employee said, the Pegasi looked and saw the earth ponies running away, they shot their air-to-surface missiles at them and they screamed when it hit them, they saw several Pegasi flying away as well, they shot their air-to-air missiles at them and they got hit and screamed as they fell to the ground in pieces, they flew around and did not see a single employee left, "Was that all of them?" Lancer asked, "I hope so." Thunderbolt replied, they flew around to make sure, "That was all of them, guys." Princess Celestia said as she flew to them, they faced her, "You all go ahead and head home, I'll clean the place." Princess Celestia said, and they all flew home. The Pegasi landed in front of their home and Rarity screamed as she ran to them, "What is this outfit?!" Rarity asked, "The official Cloudsdale Air Force Combat Uniform." Stinger replied, "You all really could use a redesign, that dull gray color is ugly, the black googles can use a recolor, too, this entire uniform has to be redesigned." Rarity said, "We have more uniforms than just this one." Jayhawk replied, "But why did you all choose that one?" Rarity asked, "Because it's the one best suited for self-defense." Thunderbolt replied, "That, and it's our favorite uniform." Stealth Bomber said, Rarity's jaw dropped, "Jayhawk, I am going to say this now, you cannot wear that in the School of Friendship." Twilight Sparkle said, Jayhawk looked down, "Well, I'm just glad those disasters are over, you all should be glad no one truly got hurt, I'll leave you guys for now." Twilight Sparkle said, and she and Rarity walked away. The Pegasi turned around and saw the ghots of Nature Valley there, Mother Nature hugged Jayhawk and he hugged her back, Mother Nature walked back while Raging Tornado went to Stealth Bomber and they hugged one another and touched each other with their snouts, they let go and Raging Tornado went back and they all disappeared. The Pegasi looked around and saw Rainbow Dash coming, "What are you doing here, Rainbow Dash?" Stealth Bomber asked, "My parents are here to see you guys." Rainbow Dash replied, Bow Hothoof and Windy Whistles flew and landed, they saw Bow Hothoof was wearing a tiger-stripe pattern uniform and black boots, the sleeves on his front legs were rolled up. The Pegasi saluted Bow Hothoof and he saluted back, "Identify yourself." Thunderbolt said, "021523 space 08152008151506, Sergeant, Thunderbird Unit, 4th Squad, Scout." Bow Hothoof replied, "And I'm Windy Whistles, his wife, I was a nurse for the Cloudsdale Air Force." Windy Whistles said, "What brings you all here?" Lancer asked, "I am here to pay my respects, I'm also wondering if a reunion ball has been planned." Bow Hothoof replied, "We haven't heard of one." Lancer said, "I see, well, it was nice to meet you all, I'll be taking my leave now." Bow Hothoof replied, the Pegasi saluted him again and he saluted back and he went back home with Windy Whistles and Rainbow Dash while the Pegasi went into their home and had dinner and slept. The next day came Jayhawk got ready to attend the School of Friendship, he put on the only other outfit he had besides the combat outfit, "Well, off I go." Jayhawk said, and he left his home. Jayhawk walked to the school and saw a welcoming party, "Welcome to the school, Jayhawk." Pinkie Pie said as her party cannon went off, "Thanks, but I shouldn't keep Princess Twilight waiting." Jayhawk said, and he walked to her, "Good, you're here, I'm going to want you to be with Gallus here at all times since you're not yet over your hatred of griffons, so I hope he can get rid of it and you two can become friends." Twilight Sparkle said and she walked away. Jayhawk and Gallus faced one another while the other five stood behind Gallus, Jayhawk's facial muscles twitched a little, "Still not over it?" Gallus asked, "Of course not." Jayhawk replied, "Um, what exactly happened between you two?" Silverstream asked, "It's a long story." Jayhawk replied, "Yeah, not a pleasant one, either." Gallus said, "You really should apologize, Jayhawk." Ocellus said, "Later." Jayhawk replied, "Well, since you're going to be with me all day, you might as well get to know the others." Gallus said, "I wouldn't wear that outfit here if I were you, Jayhawk." Sandbar said, "Why not? I think it looks cool." Smolder replied, "Um... outfit kind of scares Yona." Yona said, "Well, I'll go attend my welcoming party now." Jayhawk replied, and they followed him. Jayhawk attended his welcoming party while the others looked at his outfit, Rarity screamed again and ran to him, "What is this?!" Rarity asked, she saw Jayhawk's outfit, he was wearing a long-sleeve shirt that was tucked in, pants held up with a belt that had a silver buckle, an overcoat that was open and went down to Jayhawk's hind hoofs, gloves that went halfway up his front calves that his coat and shirt were tucked into, and heavy boots that went halfway up his hind calves that his pants were tucked into, and every single piece of clothing was black and made out of leather, "Don't you have any other outfits?" Rarity asked, "There's only my combat outfit." Jayhawk replied, "No! You are not wearing this, let's get you into something more appropriate." Rarity said as she pulled him with her telekinesis and walked to her class. Stealth Bomber was off from work and decided to go see Liebert, "How are you doing today, Stealth Bomber?" Liebert asked, "Usual, I actually miss Raging Tornado already." Stealth Bomber replied, "Ah, yes, a broken heart, it happens to all of us, well, almost all of us." Liebert said, "Yeah, you're telling me, even though we weren't boyfriend and girlfriend, yet." Stealth Bomber replied, "That's feelings for you, I wonder if your family would've liked her." Liebert said, "Now that you mention it, I haven't contacted my sister or parents, I hope they're alright." Stealth Bomber replied, "So, what are you doing here today?" Liebert asked, "I have to give an official apology to Griffonstone six days from now, I don't feel they deserve it for all they did when I was a kid." Stealth Bomber replied, "Remember, Stealth Bomber, hatred is born when people gather together, so it would probably be best to keep the apology small." Liebert said, "Maybe, but those griffons consider themselves superior to us." Stealth Bomber replied, "That's true, no one's equal unless they are dead." Liebert said, "Meaning?" Stealth Bomber asked, "No living thing is created equally, we are only equal in death." Liebert replied, "Okay, I won't ask how you got that logic, but anyway, at first, I thought my hatred for griffons was just, but after going to Nature Valley, they showed me that the hatred I had has caused as much damage to them as it did to me." Stealth Bomber said, "Do you regret your actions?" Liebert asked, "No, but I have realized how much pain I've caused when I met a few griffon orphans, two from a few months ago, and one in Ponyville, me and the others killed their parents." Stealth Bomber replied, "So, what are you here for?" Liebert asked, "I'm a bit conflicted if I should let go of my hate or hold onto it, if I let go, my family will be disappointed in me, if I hold on, Raging Tornado and Princess Celestia will be disappointed." Stealth Bomber replied, "Simple, pretend to let go and present yourself as a new pony in public, but hold onto that hate in secret, and only share it between your comrades and your family." Liebert said, "I hope it works." Stealth Bomber replied, Liebert smiled, "Is there anything else you'd like to talk about?" Liebert asked, "No, that's all." Stealth Bomber replied, "Okay, as usual price is thirty bits." Liebert said, and Stealth Bomber paid him and left. Stealth Bomber flew home and saw Jayhawk was at home with the Cutie Mark Crusaders, they gave him books, "Here you go, Jayhawk, Princess Twilight wanted us to give you books on griffon history." Sweetie Belle said, "Thanks." Jayhawk replied, "Yer welcome." Apple Bloom said, "We'll be at our clubhouse if you need us." Scootaloo said, and they walked away, Stealth Bomber flew down and saw Jayhawk wearing a black tuxedo, "What happened to your other outfit?" Stealth Bomber asked, "Rarity didn't like it and made me wear this instead." Jayhawk replied, "I can see why." Stealth Bomber said, and Jayhawk entered his home and walked out without an outfit on, the other seven Pegasi came out with him, "Well, we can all live together again." Thunderbolt said, "Yeah, we'll have to get new jobs, though." Stinger replied, "The weather factory might be able to hire you guys." Stealth Bomber said, they looked and saw it was not on today, they saw the Wonderbolts flying around and Rainbow Dash flew to them with Spitfire and they landed, "This is them, Spitfire." Rainbow Dash said, "We just heard you guys talking about looking for new jobs, you could've joined us." Spitfire said, the Pegasi are caught off guard, "Wait, what?" Falcon asked, "Seriously?" Lancer asked, "Of course, anypony who served in the Cloudsdale Air Force is more than qualified to join the Wonderbolts." Spitfire replied, "We'll think about it." Stinger said, "Okay, let us know if you all decide to join." Spitfire replied, and she and Rainbow Dash flew away, "Well, we have a day off." Raptor said, "I feel like playing another golf game." Condor replied, the others murmured in agreement, "Alright, golf, it is." Thunderbolt said, and they flew away. The Pegasi were at a golf course and Thunderbolt hit the golf ball and got a hole in one, "Wow, good job, Thunderbolt." Jayhawk said, "Thanks." Thunderbolt replied, and they all hit the golf balls just to see how far they can hit them, they looked and saw a few ponies getting mad over the golf balls not landing where they wanted them, "Um, excuse me." a familiar voice said from behind, they turned around and saw Fluttershy, "Can I join?" Fluttershy asked, the Pegasi nodded and said she can, "The golf balls and clubs are right there." Stinger said as he pointed to them, Fluttershy got a golf club and a golf ball, "Who's winning so far?" Fluttershy asked, "Actually, we're not playing seriously right now." Stealth Bomber replied, "Yeah, we're just seeing who can hit the ball the farthest." Jayhawk said, Fluttershy chuckled and she hit the golf ball, she smiled when it landed and flew to it, "So, what should we do with Big Business?" Jayhawk asked, "Let's leave him to his fate, I don't think he's going to live that much longer." Stealth Bomber replied, and they all continued playing golf. Big Business was in his jail cell in Canterlot and was grumbling, "Receive rehabilitation, I don't need rehabilitation, I'm perfect just the way I am." Big Business grumbled to himself, he stopped walking and gasped a little when he saw the ghost of Tsunami standing in his cell and between him and the door, Raging Tornado stood to her right and Earthquake was to her left, Big Business' eyes widened a little when he saw the three looking at him, he saw something move out of the corner of his right eye and turned around, he saw Meteorite Hellfire reeled up on her hind legs and holding up her sword with her front legs, she did a quick horizontal slash from her right to her left and cut his head off.
New LifeA 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.
The SkyStealth 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.
The SeaStealth Bomber and Jayhawk slept through the night and Jayhawk gasped and panted when he woke up, it woke up Stealth Bomber and he comforted him, front legs wrapped around Jayhawk from behind, he looked and saw Raging Tornado's ghost, "Thank you, Raging Tornado, just seeing you again, even if it's your ghost, makes me feel better." Jayhawk said, "She and I danced a bit last night." Stealth Bomber replied, "That's good, I remember when you two danced once and let me join." Jayhawk said, "Yeah, that was a nice night." Stealth Bomber replied, Jayhawk smiled, "So, what brings you here, Raging Tornado?" Stealth Bomber asked, she tried to do sign language for him, "You need the others here first, then you'll tell us?" Stealth Bomber asked, Raging Tornado nodded, "Alright, they should be back soon." Stealth Bomber said, and he and Jayhawk got up. Stealth Bomber taught Jayhawk how to find the hypotenuse of a triangle and complimentary and supplementary angles, Jayhawk had a little trouble and Raging Tornado taught him how to solve them, "Thank you." Jayhawk said, knocking was heard at the door and Stealth Bomber and Jayhawk ran to grab their weapons, "It's us." Thunderbolt said, they put their weapons down and Stealth Bomber opened the door, Raging Tornado did gestures with her front legs that told the nine Pegasi to get together. Stealth Bomber, Jayhawk, Thunderbolt, Stinger, Lancer, Eagle, Falcon, Raptor, and Condor got together and Raging Tornado began drawing on a paper to explain things, "So you and the others from Nature Valley are unable to rest because of what Big Business and his employees did and you all now want revenge." Thunderbolt said, Raging Tornado nodded, "What do you all want us to do?" Lancer asked, Raging Tornado drew more pictures with a marker and they looked, they saw the residents of Nature Valley wanted them to hunt down and kill the ones who destroyed their home while they will destroy Big Business' industries, "Oh, so that's what you want." Raptor said, Raging Tornado nodded, "What if we don't find them?" Stealth Bomber asked, Raging Tornado drew more pictures, the nine Pegasi looked and saw the other three bearers of Mother Nature's elements will cause disasters of their own, "Alright, we'll see what we can do." Stinger said, and Raging Tornado faded away, "So, what do we do?" Jayhawk asked, "Let's take a break for now, wanna do some target practice?" Stealth Bomber asked, "Sure." Jayhawk replied, and Stealth Bomber got his pistol and fully automatic rifle and they went outside while the other seven flew away to get their guns and came back, they also brought their combat uniforms with them and put them in the house, all nine of them then flew away together. Stealth Bomber and his allies looked around Equestria to see how much damage Raging Tornado's air magic has done, they saw destroyed wind turbines owned by Big Business everywhere, a few garden and crops destroyed, several trees blown out of the ground, trash everywhere, houses with missing shingles, and smashed roofs with trees on top of them, "Well, there's no controlling that." Raptor said, "Yeah, maybe the air ponies will fix it later." Condor replied, "Come on, let's do some shooting." Eagle said, and they flew forward, but they took a few stops along the way to help ponies trapped in debris, they kept going and arrived at their destination. Stealth Bomber and his allies arrived at a target practice field and the targets were all wooden cutouts of griffons, it was the area where they practiced their shooting when they were in the air force. Stealth Bomber was the first one to open fire at a griffon target and the others soon followed, the Pegasi fired their rifles and pistols at the faces of the wooden cutouts and they did not wear ear protectors since they were used to the sound of gunshots, "There you are, Stealth Bomber." Rainbow Dash said from the sky, she flew down to him and she quickly covered her ears from how loud the pistols and rifles were. Stealth Bomber and his comrades continued shooting at the targets, "STEALTH BOMBER!!" Rainbow Dash yelled, they stopped shooting and turned around, "The factory's working again, so we're working today." Rainbow Dash said, "Really? It's working?" Stealth Bomber asked, "Yeah, come on now, Stealth Bomber." Rainbow Dash replied, and she looked at the targets they were shooting and at Stealth Bomber's comrades, "What happened to you guys?" Rainbow Dash asked, "We're all former POWs." Stinger replied, "Oh, that sucks, have you all been able to find jobs?" Rainbow Dash asked, the Pegasi shook their heads, "Well, you all can help at the weather factory, we can always use more hoofs, come on." Rainbow Dash said, and she flew to the weather factory and they followed her. Stealth Bomber worked at the factory while the other Pegasi looked at his comrades with bewilderment at their scars, "This is where you work now, Stealth Bomber?" Thunderbolt asked, "Yeah, it's the only place I'm qualified to get a job." Stealth Bomber replied, "You guys could've joined the Wonderbolts." Rainbow Dash said, "Really?" Lancer asked, "Yeah, ex-air force Pegasi are always qualified." Rainbow Dash replied, "Even me?" Falcon asked, "Maybe, I never saw any rules about disqualifying a pony who has knee problems." Rainbow Dash replied, "Did your dad ever talk about his air force days, Rainbow Dash?" Stealth Bomber asked, "Of course, that was all he talked about when I saw my first Wonderbolt show." Rainbow Dash replied, "Did you like hearing about his experiences?" Thunderbolt asked, "Yeah, some of them were pretty fun to listen to, I would've joined, but they weren't accepting girls, so I decided to join the Wonderbolts." Rainbow Dash replied, "You don't sound disappointed by that." Jayhawk said, "Not really, it would've been cool if I was in the air force, but Wonderbolts is still cool." Rainbow Dash replied, "They didn't allow girls in because they couldn't handle the drill instructor yelling and insulting them." Condor said, "Yeah, my dad told me that, too." Rainbow Dash replied, "Well, I'll go ahead and work now." Stealth Bomber said, "Alright, you guys help him." Rainbow Dash said, they nodded and worked. Stealth Bomber worked with his comrades and Jayhawk throughout the factory, they carried the jars and produced clouds for Ponyville, they also looked at the damage the air ponies caused, "I wonder which group of elemental ponies is going to attack next." Jayhawk said, "We'll see." Lancer replied, and they all worked until it was time to go home, they all went to Stealth Bomber's home and they all ate strawberry ice cream and slept on the floor. The next morning came and Stealth Bomber was outside, he watched Jayhawk play tag with Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle, they ran around while the adult ponies worked together to fix the damages caused by the air ponies, "I can't believe they didn't undo the damage, they have caused some of my dresses and hats to be blown away." Rarity said, "Yeah, them heavy gale storms blew some of mah crops out of the ground, too." Applejack replied, "Did any of you have any damages done to your homes?" Rainbow Dash asked, "Nope, Sugarcube Corner is perfectly fine." Pinkie Pie said, "Have your animals been acting weird, Fluttershy?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "No, they're fine right now." Fluttershy replied, "I'm still getting a bad feeling that those winds were only the first disasters, and there's going to be more." Twilight Sparkle said, "Me too, Ah wonder what the next one is gonna be." Applejack replied, and they worked to fix the damages done while Jayhawk continued playing tag with the Cutie Mark Crusaders. Stealth Bomber looked around and flew up to see if there were any disasters in Equestria, there were none, so he flew down, he watched Jayhawk play with the foals, "Hey, guys, can I join?" Gabby asked as she flew to them, Stealth Bomber noticed she was a griffon and he got defensive, Jayhawk's facial muscles twitched, "You okay, Jayhawk?" Sweetie Belle asked, "Sorry, I don't have pleasant memories of griffons." Jayhawk replied, "Not all of us are mean, you don't see me bullying others." Gabby said, "I still hate you griffons." Jayhawk replied as his left eye twitched, Gabby looked and saw Stealth Bomber's facial muscles were twitching as well, "Hey, he's giving me that look, too." Gabby said, "I suggest you leave." Stealth Bomber said in a calm but angry tone, "Hey, what did I do?" Gabby asked, "You showed your presence." Stealth Bomber replied, "So... what do I do?" Gabby asked, "Leave. Get out of my sight. Griffons are not welcome at my home." Stealth Bomber replied, Gabby looked on with shock and then turned to Jayhawk, "How about you, Jayhawk?" Gabby asked, "No, I hate your kind." Jayhawk replied, "There you go, now leave before I snap and kill you." Stealth Bomber said, Gabby and the Cutie Mark Crusaders looked on with horror and Gabby flew away. Stealth Bomber and Jayhawk watched her and she flew to Gallus, "What was that about?" Apple Bloom asked, "We had bad experiences with griffons in the past." Jayhawk replied, "You guys should let it go." Scootaloo said, "I'm trying, but considering what happened between them and my brother, I can't." Stealth Bomber replied, "You had a brother, Stealth Bomber?" Sweetie Belle asked, "Yeah, griffons killed him." Stealth Bomber replied, "Oh, so that's why you hate 'em, how about you, Jayhawk?" Apple Bloom asked, "They killed my parents." Jayhawk replied, "Wow, we know griffons are rude and all, but we've never met any griffons like that." Scootaloo said, "You're lucky you didn't, my parents hated them, too." Stealth Bomber replied, "You never did say what your parents said about them." Jayhawk said, "We did have a conversation about them at dinner once." Stealth Bomber replied, "Can you tell us how that went?" Apple Bloom asked, "Sure." Stealth Bomber replied, and he looked back on when his parents talked about griffons. Stealth Bomber was having dinner with his mother, father, older sister, and younger brother, "I saw griffons today, they look so sad and lonely being homeless." Stealth Bomber's brother said, "Listen to us, Airstrike, don't feel bad for those griffons, they destroyed their own home through their own stupidity, don't help them or give them anything." Stealth Bomber's mother said, "But what about their culture?" Airstrike asked, "They destroyed that, too, Airstrike, griffons are driven purely by greed." Stealth Bomber replied, "Still, they're forced to come here because they have nowhere else to go, it makes me feel bad for them." Airstrike said, "Airstrike, listen, those buzzards are here to steal our jobs, several hardworking ponies at my workplace were laid off from work to hire griffons, and those griffons didn't even bother doing any training, it was to fill that stupid status quo." Stealth Bomber's father replied, "Speaking of status quo, griffons are now being allowed into my school, they get free lunch and they can sleep in class and still pass, us ponies still have to study and work, it's not fair." Stealth Bomber's sister said, "Mine too, those griffons are beating me up in the boys' bathroom." Stealth Bomber said, "Stealth Bomber, Airstrike, Aerial, those griffons are a bunch of stupid and lazy creatures driven purely by ego and greed, if they share their culture, you do not listen to them, they are full of crap and are trying to twist your mind, they give you a book, you burn it, because their stories suck, and their historical documents are all propaganda, they offer you food, you reject it, they ask for money, beat them up, and if a griffon's in trouble, don't help them, you either leave them, make their situation worse, or kill them." Stealth Bomber's mother replied, "But what if they are genuinely good people?" Airstrike asked, "There is no such thing as a good griffon, Airstrike, they are the scum of this world, the world would be a better place if they were all dead." Stealth Bomber's father replied, "Cloudsdale's air force is accepting the griffon hating ponies into their ranks now, I'm thinking about joining." Aerial said, "That's my daughter, you too, Stealth Bomber and Airstrike, when you two get older, join the air force, make your mom and I proud by killing as many griffons as you can." Stealth Bomber's father replied, "But what about their land?" Airstrike asked, "Griffonstone is a dump, the world map will look better when the entire land is obliterated." Stealth Bomber's mother replied, "But I heard about griffons getting high education here." Airstrike said, "That's because those ponies are working their hoofs and wings to the bone and the griffons are taking all the credit, don't be fooled by those lies, Airstrike, there is no such thing as a hard working griffon, they're all lazy, mean, greedy, selfish, miserly, and egotistic slobs, all of their cuisine is stolen from other creatures, their literature is plagiarized from us ponies, their art is also plagiarized from us ponies, their fashion is wearing other creature's skins as clothes, and their music is created by instruments they stole from us, those griffons getting an education is because they're forcing ponies to do the work for them while they take all the credit." Stealth Bomber's mother replied, "But what about their celebrations and holidays?" Airstrike asked, "They're just excuses for them to not work, those holidays and celebrations they have are them celebrating the fact that they got all the credit for somebody else's work." Stealth Bomber's father replied, "So, um... what if a griffon wants to learn about our culture?" Airstrike asked, "Don't tell them anything, they have no right to know about our culture or why we hate them, the only thing that matters is they're not welcome here." Stealth Bomber's mother replied, "I still want to see if any of them are good." Airstrike said, "Well, don't, just focus on getting a job and don't associate with those griffon scum." Stealth Bomber's father replied, and they all had dinner. "A month after that conversation, Airstrike got a job as a cashier at the nearby store, and two weeks after that, he was laid off to fill this status quo to have griffons and they took his job, two days later, those same griffons murdered him when he tried to befriend them, I confronted them, they mocked his death, I got mad, we fought, I got a criminal record, and I joined the air force to atone for it." Stealth Bomber said, "Oh, so that's why you hate griffons." Scootaloo said, "I was worse back then, I got over most of it because it upset the pony I loved." Stealth Bomber replied, "Who was that?" Sweetie Belle asked, "Raging Tornado." Stealth Bomber replied, "Wait, that ghost with the green eyes is yer girlfriend?" Apple Bloom asked, "No, we weren't boyfriend and girlfriend yet when she was killed, we were working on it, though." Stealth Bomber replied, "Did it really upset her?" Scootaloo asked, "Not just her, her three friends were upset by it, too." Jayhawk replied, "Y'all should apologize to Gabby." Apple Bloom said, "Why?" Jayhawk asked, "Come on, you two, Gabby's not mean, she's a very friendly griffon." Sweetie Belle replied, "What about that other one?" Stealth Bomber asked, "Gallus can be a bit rude, but he's a nice guy underneath." Scootaloo replied, "I'll have to see what the other members of my former unit say." Stealth Bomber said, "You wanna play another game of tag, Jayhawk?" Apple Bloom asked, "Sure." Jayhawk replied, and he played more tag with the Cutie Mark Crusaders. Stealth Bomber watched the four foals play tag while he watched for any signs of more disasters happening, he flew up and looked for any disasters happening elsewhere, his attention was caught when he saw the water around Equestria was rather strong today, he flew down and watched Jayhawk play tag for the afternoon, "Apple Bloom, lunchtime." Applejack said from afar, "Ah gotta go, see y'all later." Apple Bloom said, "Alright, bye." Scootaloo replied, and Apple Bloom ran home, "I'll be going, too, it might be time for lunch for me, too." Sweetie Belle said, "Yeah, me too, bye, Jayhawk." Scootaloo said, "Bye." Jayhawk replied, and Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle ran home. Jayhawk walked to Stealth Bomber and saw him looking around, "What's wrong, Stealth Bomber?" Jayhawk asked, "The water around Equestria's pretty strong today." Stealth Bomber replied, "Really? I wanna see." Jayhawk said, and the two flew up and saw the water was crashing against Equestria's borders a little hard today, "Let's go to where the tide's the strongest." Stealth Bomber said, Jayhawk nodded and the two flew there. Stealth Bomber and Jayhawk flew to where the water was the most violent and they saw the tides going up and down violently, it hit the dam in front of it, the two looked and saw the dam belonged to Big Business, "Hey, do you think...?" Jayhawk asked, "Yeah, I do." Stealth Bomber replied, they looked more and saw ponies black as shadows in the water, "Yup, the next disasters are going to start soon." Stealth Bomber said, "Can I have an ice cream?" a filly asked, Stealth Bomber and Jayhawk looked down and saw a stallion selling ice cream, "Make it quick, I close in one minute." the ice cream pony said, "I'd like a vanilla twist, please." the filly said, and the stallion gave her a regular vanilla ice cream cone and closed the shop. Stealth Bomber and Jayhawk looked and saw the elemental ponies in the water damaging the dam, a hippogriff's front leg raised out of the wave and they stopped, wings appeared and Stealth Bomber and Jayhawk saw the person leading them, it a black shadow-like creature in the form of a teenage hippogriff, it had glowing blue eyes, "So she's the next one." Stealth Bomber said, "I'm kind of surprised, she was the most peaceful of Mother Nature's chosen ones." Jayhawk said, the shadow-like creature shaped like the hippogriff flew to the ice cream wagon and the filly came back, "I wanted vanilla twist." the filly said, the hippogriff walked over and scared the filly, the hippogriff raised her talon up that told her to wait, she took the ice cream cone and filled it with vanilla twist and gave it to her, "Thank you." the filly said, and she walked away while the hippogriff waved bye at her. Stealth Bomber and Jayhawk watched them and the elemental ponies in the ocean wave continued damaging the dam, "What does that dam do anyway?" Jayhawk asked as he and Stealth Bomber looked around, they saw the dam cut off water from a nearby forest and it suffered drought and the animals were thirsty, "So that's what it's for, it's to cut off water from that forest, I guess he wants all the trees and animals to die so building something there will be easier." Stealth Bomber said, "I guess we'll let them destroy it then." Jayhawk replied, "Yeah, Big Business' company does more damage than good, so let's let them destroy it." Stealth Bomber said, and the tidal wave destroyed the dam and water came in, it flowed to the north and went into the forest, the animals ran to the water and drank it, "Let's go home, I think the others will be home soon." Stealth Bomber said, and they flew home. Two days passed and Thunderbolt and Stealth Bomber were educating Jayhawk while Raptor was making lunch for them, "Who was Princess Celestia's previous student?" Thunderbolt asked, "Sunset Shimmer." Jayhawk replied, "Who was her rival when competing to be her student?" Stealth Bomber asked, "Arcana." Jayhawk replied, "Who was Princess Celestia's rival when she was Star Swirl the Bearded's student?" Thunderbolt asked, "Demonicus." Jayhawk replied, "What was the name of his pupil?" Thunderbolt asked, "Daylight Dimmer." Jayhawk replied, "Was he a unicorn?" Stealth Bomber asked, "No, he was an earth pony." Jayhawk replied, "Very good, Jayhawk, I think that's enough for now." Thunderbolt said, "Still, though, the name of Twilight's rivals, Starlight Glimmer, Sunset Shimmer, Daylight Dimmer, they all rhyme." Jayhawk replied, "Yeah, Daylight Dimmer was only discovered recently, he's gone off-the-grid again, and Demonicus' whereabouts is still unknown." Stealth Bomber replied, "I remember that, that shocked Equestria." Thunderbolt said, "Griffon burger's done, Jayhawk." Raptor said, and he ran to the kitchen with his mouth watering, the stallions chuckled as they watched him. Jayhawk came back and sat at the table with a griffon burger, the patty was ground beef made from griffon meat, and in the burger buns were lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, super sharp cheese, bacon made from griffon bodies, onions, and sliced jalapenos. Jayhawk ate the griffon burger like a pig while the other eight Pegasi had griffon meat for lunch, they ate and all drank water, "Well, this brings back memories." Falcon said, "Yeah, during the war, water and griffon meat were the only food and drinks we had." Eagle replied, and they all finished lunch and washed their hoofs. Thunderbolt played his guitar while the others listened, Falcon gave Thunderbolt a costume and he tried it on, he continued playing and the others listened until knocking was heard at the door, Thunderbolt put his guitar down and took the outfit off and he and the others grabbed their guns and aimed them at the door, "It's us, we're here to listen to you guys some more." Violet said, they put their weapons down and Jayhawk opened the door and saw her and Velvet. The ten ponies sat at the table together, "Any luck with Big Business?" Stinger asked, "Kind of, but we're still having trouble questioning him, he said the law enforcement shouldn't be on him since the size of his company makes him above the law." Violet replied, "Just like us, considers himself more important than Princess Celestia when we've never heard of him until we saw his hiring bodyguards application in the newspaper." Thunderbolt said, "Same with us, until we got this case, we've never heard of Big Business." Velvet replied, "Well, go on and continue talking about Nature Valley." Violet said, and they begun their tale. Stealth Bomber, Jayhawk, Thunderbolt, Stinger, Lancer, Eagle, Falcon, Condor, and Raptor all finished collecting the pieces of the wagon they could find and got them together, "What do we do now?" Jayhawk asked, "I guess we explore and memorize where everything's at, we're going to be stuck here for a while with our wings injured." Thunderbolt replied, and they went to the center of Nature Valley and saw Mother Nature walking around, "Hello, I assume you all been enjoying it here." Mother Nature said, "It's alright so far." Thunderbolt said, "Yeah, we're just going to go see the other three places." Lancer said, "Go on, then, and when you all heal and leave, can you all tell Princess Celestia I said hi?" Mother Nature asked, the Pegasi nodded, "Thank you, have fun exploring Nature Valley." Mother Nature said, and she walked around while the nine looked at the places to go, "Why don't we try the south?" Stinger asked, "Yeah, that winter environment looks nice." Stealth Bomber replied, "What do you all say?" Thunderbolt asked, they nodded, "Let's go, then." Thunderbolt said, and they walked to the south. The nine Pegasi walked to the southern Nature Valley and they walked forward, "Watch out." the hippogriff said, and the nine Pegasi fell into the water and they exhaled sharply but stayed over the surface, they looked and saw marine animals from all over the world swimming in the water, they also saw ponies made out of blue water walking around, "Water's freezing." Jayhawk said, "Yeah, let's get to land." Thunderbolt replied, and they swam to the nearest ice cap and flew onto the top of it. The nine Pegasi rested and looked around while the hippogriff flew to them, "Are you all alright?" the hippogriff asked, "Yeah, just warming up a little." Stealth Bomber replied, "Who are you?" Lancer asked, "I'm Tsunami, I'm the bearer of the Element of Water." the hippogriff replied, "You a stewardess, too?" Raptor asked, "No, each one of us has a different title in the area of Nature Valley we stay in." Tsunami replied, "What's your title then?" Jayhawk asked, "Princess." Tsunami replied, "I assume these ponies are scouts, too." Stealth Bomber said, "Yes, they're called water ponies, we watch the seas and under the water where the air ponies can't see, and back when we were a powerful kingdom, the water ponies were Nature Valley's diplomats." Tsunami replied, "So you all had different roles back then?" Lancer asked, "Just us, the other three elemental ponies still have the same roles as long ago." Tsunami replied, "So, what's your role with the other bearers of Mother Nature's power?" Jayhawk asked, Tsunami let out an annoyed grunt while looking away, "Is something wrong?" Jayhawk asked, "I'm forced to play the peacekeeper, since the other three clash a lot." Tsunami replied, "What's wrong with that?" Jayhawk asked, "I'm the youngest of the four." Tsunami replied, "So?" Falcon asked, "The peacekeeper is supposed to be the oldest one." Tsunami replied, the nine Pegasi looked at her, "I can see why you think that way." Thunderbolt said, "Thank you, at least one of you understands." Tsunami replied, "Is Raging Tornado the oldest of you four?" Jayhawk asked, "No, of course not, she's the second youngest one." Tsunami replied, "So, what can you tell us about this place?" Stealth Bomber asked, "We are the most educated and artistic area of Nature Valley, we work hard and study hard to run this place." Tsunami replied, the nine Pegasi looked around and saw the water ponies had charts of the constellations in the sky, they also saw a school where the water ponies were learning math, literature, magic, science, history, philosophy, and performing arts, "We are quite busy, as you can see, we're always studying and trying to make new things." Tsunami said, "Like what?" Lancer asked, "Well, we are in peaceful times right now, so we're busy making art right now." Tsunami replied, "What do you do?" Jayhawk asked, "A lot, actually, I paint, make jewelry, make dresses, arrange flowers, play music, cook, sing, read books, and dance." Tsunami replied, "You're going to burn yourself out with that many hobbies." Condor said, "Really? I don't feel exhausted from them." Tsunami replied, "Maybe later." Stealth Bomber said, "How long have you been doing your hobbies?" Thunderbolt asked, "Um... about a thousand and three hundred years sounds right." Tsunami replied, "I'm surprised you haven't grown tired." Eagle said, "Of course not, I watch the seas of the outside world, I'm always finding inspiration." Tsunami replied, "I'm still surprised to see two non-pony creatures here." Jayhawk said, "Princess Celestia isn't the only one who's friends with Mother Nature, Queen Novo and Rain Shine are friends with her, too." Tsunami replied, "I'm starting to get a little cold." Eagle said, "Yeah, me too." Stinger said, "Come with me, I have a fire in my home." Tsunami replied, and they followed her into her ice home. The nine Pegasi entered Tsunami's home and stood with surprise at seeing the inside of her home was warm and comfortable with dark white rooms with decorations everywhere, "Wow, I thought your house was going to be cold and made from ice on the inside, too." Jayhawk said, "That's one thing about Mother Nature's magic, you can make your home from outside materials, but the inside can resemble fancy houses and even castles." Tsunami replied, the Pegasi looked and saw paintings and tapestries everywhere on the walls, "Did you paint all of these on your own?" Thunderbolt asked, "No, I had help on some of them." Tsunami replied, "What is your favorite hobby?" Stealth Bomber asked, "That's a tough one, I like all of them." Tsunami replied, "Well, which one do you do the most?" Thunderbolt asked, "Um... I am quite busy with painting." Tsunami replied, "I can see that, but you said you didn't make them on your own, does someone else live here?" Stinger asked, "Oh, yes, there is. Rain, can you come here a minute please?" Tsunami asked, walking was heard and a water pony came, "Yes?" the water pony asked in a soft female voice, "This is Rain, my personal servant, she helps me a lot throughout my home." Tsunami said, "Hi." Rain said, "Um..." the nine Pegasi said, "What?" Rain asked, "Is there something going on between you two?" Jayhawk asked, "What? Oh, no, no, we're best friends, not lovers." Rain replied, "How did you get this job?" Lancer asked, "Tsunami was declared royalty when she received the Element of Water, and we were going to give her a personal servant, but she wanted to choose one for herself, she became friends with all of the water ponies, I was her closest friend, so she chose me." Rain replied, "I'm sure your parents were proud." Stealth Bomber said, "Um... about that, elemental ponies don't have parents." Tsunami replied, "Then how were they created?" Jayhawk asked, "Mother Nature created us with her magic, we've been around since ancient times, and we never age, also, due to our body structures, we cannot have children." Rain replied, "So you all are immortal." Thunderbolt said, "Yes, but we can still die." Rain replied, "How?" Jayhawk asked, "We can be attacked and killed in battle, us water ponies are especially vulnerable to lightning." Rain replied, "What happens when you guys die?" Condor asked, "That's it, we're gone forever." Rain replied, "You too, Tsunami?" Jayhawk asked, "Yes." Tsunami replied, "How were you chosen to wield Mother Nature's element?" Condor asked, "I was an orphan and only child, Mother Nature took me in to give me a new life, the same applies to the other three." Tsunami replied, "That's nice to know, but we should get back to getting to know our way around here." Thunderbolt said, "Okay, come again." Tsunami replied, "Wait, before you all leave, why do most of you guys have all of those scars for?" Rain asked, "Oh, they're from our previous job, we don't wish to look back." Thunderbolt replied, "Yeah, they're bad memories for all of us." Stealth Bomber said, "Oh, I'm sorry, come again, guys." Rain said, and the nine Pegasi left. Stealth Bomber and the other Pegasi headed outside and flew around so they would not fall into the water, they saw the water ponies making ice sculptures of Mother Nature and Tsunami, the water ponies also stood on top of the water and danced, many of them did waltz dancing, "Look at that, the water ponies can stand on the water." Raptor said, "Look, they're doing something with the water." Jayhawk said, and they saw images in the water. The Pegasi looked and saw what appeared to be images of past events, the Pegasi watched and looked at the pictures, they saw Nightmare Moon, Discord, Queen Chrysalis, King Sombra, Lord Tirek, Starlight Glimmer, the Pony of Shadows, and the Storm King, "Wow, I wonder what they're doing." Jayhawk said, "Me too, but my best guess is that might be how they record history." Stealth Bomber replied, "Maybe, come on, we'll ask them later, let's see where everything's at." Thunderbolt said, and they flew around. The Pegasi flew around and saw the water ponies attending many classes in schools made from ice, they saw a class outside and a teacher was teaching them the constellations, they flew down to see what they were learning while some of the water ponies looked at them briefly before looking back and focused on class. The teacher taught about the constellations, their names, their locations, and where they used to be thousands of years ago, the Pegasi watched and listened quietly while the others took notes. The Pegasi watched the lecture and displays of pictures while the water ponies continued taking notes and wrote down what they learned as quickly as they could, class finished and the Pegasi flew up since their hoofs were cold from standing in the snow, "This cold weather's a bit uncomfortable." Jayhawk said, "Yeah, but I'd take this over the heat any day." Stealth Bomber replied, "No question there, let's hope we never have to go into a jungle ever again." Thunderbolt said, "It's still nice to see civilized people for once." Stinger said, "Yeah, I hope we never run into those guys from the war again." Jayhawk replied, "Don't worry, Jayhawk, if we do, we'll kill them." Falcon said, they looked and saw the water ponies learning about music and they were making music by manipulating the water, some also mixed water with different colored powders to make paint, and several female ponies were mixing water with powder to make new cosmetics, "Wow, they sure are busy." Jayhawk said, they looked around more and saw marine animals swimming around in the water, several water ponies came out of the water with long seaweeds and began making clothes with them, the males wore a shirt and pants while the females wore long-sleeve floor-length gowns, "Well, it's getting late, we should sleep." Thunderbolt said, "I agree, it's dark, let's get some rest." Eagle replied, and they flew back to northern Nature Valley and slept around the destroyed wagon. "Well, that's how we met southern Nature Valley, Tsunami wasn't good at adjusting to change either." Raptor said, "Okay, so what was your first night sleeping there like?" Violet asked, "Same, we had bad dreams about the war." Stinger replied, "When did they find out about you guys working for Big Business and all of you being ex-military?" Violet asked, "That was when we went to western Nature Valley, the kirin was suspicious immediately." Eagle replied, "Well, can you guys talk a bit more about southern Nature Valley for the record?" Violet asked, "What would you like to know?" Eagle asked, "Can you all talk a bit more about their ways?" Violet asked, "Sure." Lancer replied, and they talked more about southern Nature Valley. The nine Pegasi were in Tsunami's home and she and Rain were practicing waltz dancing, "You all want to join?" Rain asked, "Sorry, but our bodies can't handle dances." Stealth Bomber replied, "Tell me, Stinger, what happened to your mane?" Tsunami asked, "I lost it from my previous job, being bald isn't bad, though." Stinger replied, "Really? Most creatures can't stand being bald." Tsunami said, "Can you?" Jayhawk asked, "No, of course not, I would cry if I lost my mane." Tsunami replied, "Why do you hold onto those things with such value for?" Stealth Bomber asked, "My hobbies are a part of southern Nature Valley culture, the things I do are required for all females to learn." Tsunami replied, "What about males?" Jayhawk asked, "Yes, but not as much, males don't have to learn how to paint, cook, or make clothes, they have to learn basic combat, though." Tsunami replied, "What do they all train in?" Condor asked, "Sword fighting, that's it, eastern and western Nature Valley are the ones who focus on combat." Rain replied, "What about the north?" Jayhawk asked, "Not anymore, they used to train in archery." Tsunami replied, "They should've kept it." Stealth Bomber said, and Tsunami and Rain continued dancing while they watched. The nine Pegasi were seeing Tsunami one day and she was filing her claws, "You all didn't use your names in the military?" Tsunami asked, "No, we were called by numbers." Thunderbolt replied, "What were your code names?" Tsunami asked, "10012508012311." Jayhawk said, "180116201518." Raptor said, "19200914070518." Stinger said, "120114030518." Lancer said, "0501071205." Eagle said, "060112031514." Falcon said, "031514041518." Condor said, "2008211404051802151220." Thunderbolt said, "19200501122008 space 021513020518." Stealth Bomber said, Tsunami's and Rain's jaws' dropped, "How am I supposed to memorize that?" Tsunami asked, "You would have to in the military." Thunderbolt replied, "Yeah, you would have to recite all the numbers perfectly every time you address us." Lancer said, "That's crazy." Rain said, "You think?" Stealth Bomber asked, "Yes!" Rain replied, "Sucks to be you then, 18010914." Thunderbolt said, "Just call me Rain." Rain replied, "What would my number code be?" Tsunami asked, "20192114011309." Stealth Bomber replied, "And Raging Tornado would be 180107091407 space 20151814010415." Jayhawk said, "What about the other two bearers of Mother Nature's elements?" Rain asked, "They would be 05011820081721011105 and 130520051518092005 space 0805121206091805." Jayhawk replied, "And Mother Nature?" Tsunami asked, "131520080518 space 140120211805." Thunderbolt replied, "That's crazy, I can't memorize all of that." Tsunami said, "It's easy once when you know how you get your number code." Jayhawk replied, "Can we please drop this, this is already hurting my head." Tsunami said, "Did you use any code names back then?" Jayhawk asked, "No, we used nicknames." Tsunami replied, "What was yours?" Lancer asked, "Nami." Tsunami replied, "I didn't have a nickname." Rain said, "Did you ever want one?" Raptor asked, "Not really, I can't think of a nickname to go well with my name, either." Rain replied, "Well, you all should go, I have to rehearse for a concert tonight." Tsunami said, and the nine left. There was another time when the Pegasi were in northern Nature Valley and Raptor was making breakfast for Jayhawk, he cooked with a portable stove he got from outside Nature Valley, "Breakfast's ready, Jayhawk." Raptor said, and Jayhawk walked to him, he gave him a piece of griffon meat. Raging Tornado screamed and flew to him, "You can't feed him that!" Raging Tornado said, the others came and saw the griffon meat and looked on with shock, "Sorry, but it's all I have." Raptor said, "You're going to feed meat to a foal?!" Raging Tornado asked, "I always ate meat when I was living with these guys." Jayhawk said, "What?! Doesn't the military provide you guys any decent food?" Raging Tornado asked, "Nope, we had to make do during the war." Thunderbolt replied, "Where did you all get the meat during the war?" Tsunami asked, the Pegasi glanced away, "Come on now, be honest with us." the earth pony said, "We were forced to cook and eat the creatures we killed during the war." Lancer replied, the natives of Nature Valley exclaimed and screamed, "There was literally nothing to eat, so we had to, I ate several as well." Jayhawk said, "What did you guys drink?" the kirin asked, "Blood." Stealth Bomber replied, "You guys didn't drink water?" Tsunami asked, "It was contaminated." Falcon replied, "What is this piece of meat then?" Raging Tornado asked, "Flesh of one of the enemies we killed during the war." Raptor replied, Tsunami exclaimed again, "No!" Tsunami said as she flew to them and went to Jayhawk, "Come on, Jayhawk, let's get you something more healthy." Tsunami said, "Sure, I am a bit tired of eating griffon meat all the time." Jayhawk replied, "You all come along, too." Tsunami said, and the eight Pegasi followed her. Jayhawk sat at a table and waited while Tsunami cooked in the kitchen, she walked out with a tray with plates on it, "Here you go, sorry it took so long." Tsunami said as she walked to him and put the tray on the table. Jayhawk looked and saw she made vegetable soup, there was a slice of bread, a full orange, and a plate full of hay, he tried a bit and shrugged and ate the meal, "Well?" Tsunami asked, "I like it." Jayhawk replied, Tsunami smiled, "Do you always cook on your own?" Stealth Bomber asked, "No, Rain helps me often." Tsunami replied, "We only learned basic cooking in the air force." Falcon said, "What do you mean?" Tsunami asked, "We would just get some wood or sticks, make a fire, and cook things in a pot or on a piece of stone." Eagle replied, "Oh, so you all didn't learn about how to use an oven or stove." Tsunami said, the Pegasi shook their heads, "What about your mothers?" Tsunami asked, "Not often, my mom usually served food raw." Stealth Bomber replied, "Mine too, ponies usually only use stoves and ovens for baking." Condor said, "I see, it's not too late to learn, and have Jayhawk come here for his meals from now on, since the idea of him eating dead bodies makes me sick, and meat is not very good for ponies." Tsunami replied, Jayhawk finished the meal and he got ready to go wash the plates in the kitchen, "No, Jayhawk, I'll handle washing the dishes." Tsunami said as she trotted to him, she took the dishes and washed them, "Thanks for the meal." Jayhawk said, "You're welcome." Tsunami said from the kitchen, "Well, let's go." Raptor said, and they left her home. Stealth Bomber and the others were outside of Nature Valley and at a cemetery of their fallen comrades, Raging Tornado and Tsunami came along to pay their respects to them, they all looked down in silence, Raging Tornado and Tsunami were wearing black long-sleeve floor-length dresses with the dress closed in front of the hind legs, and Tsunami was wearing a black hat with a veil in front of it. The nine Pegasi looked down while Raging Tornado and Tsunami looked at them, "Um, guys." Raging Tornado said, they looked at her, "I have to use the bathroom." Raging Tornado said, "You have to hold it until we're done here." Stealth Bomber replied, "Seriously? We didn't have to do that for funerals back in northern Nature Valley." Raging Tornado said, "Well, you have to for us, and you have to be silent." Eagle replied, "Um... I have to use the restroom, too." Tsunami said, "Hold it for now." Thunderbolt replied, and they did. The Pegasi looked down and Raging Tornado and Tsunami began holding their hind legs' together tightly, "Guys, I can't hold it much longer." Raging Tornado said, they looked at her and saw her clutching her groin with her front legs, "We're almost done here." Stealth Bomber replied, "Um... I'm at my limit, too." Tsunami said as she clutched her own groin with her talons, "Hold it, we'll be done in a few minutes." Thunderbolt replied, "Can we please go?" Tsunami asked, "You can't until this is over." Jayhawk replied, "Pretty please." Raging Tornado and Tsunami said as they leaned towards them, "Alright, go on." Stinger said, and they flew away, "I guess they can leave funerals when they have to use the bathroom back at Nature Valley." Jayhawk said, "Well, they can't with ours, since it'll be seen as disrespectful." Stealth Bomber replied, "True, come on, let's finish paying our respects." Raptor said, and they did while Raging Tornado and Tsunami came back a few minutes later and paid their respects with them. "Alright, I think that's good for now, we'll come back here another day." Violet said, "You two going back to Canterlot now?" Stinger asked, "Not yet, we'll gather evidence and testimonies first, then we'll ask for Princess Celestia to show us Nature Valley." Violet replied, "When is the next time you two will be here?" Thunderbolt asked, "Um... I can't say, we still got to get testimonies from Big Business, too." Violet replied, "What about his employees?" Jayhawk asked, "They won't cooperate with us, either." Velvet replied, "I see, well, you two should go, the train's about to leave." Stealth Bomber said, "It's alright, we can teleport if we miss it." Violet replied, "Come on, Violet, let's go." Velvet said, and the two left. Stealth Bomber looked through a window and watched the two walk to the train station, "Alright, starting tomorrow, we look for Big Business' employees." Thunderbolt said, "Come on, Jayhawk, study time." Stealth Bomber said, and Jayhawk got a book. Jayhawk had a history book and he read it, he finished and looked up, "What was the name of the unicorn conqueror who was stopped by Princess Celestia before he could enact his plans?" Stealth Bomber asked, "Genghis." Jayhawk replied, "What was he going to do?" Stealth Bomber asked, "He was going to conquer all lands in the world and force them to adapt to pony culture." Jayhawk replied, "What was he planning to do with the creatures?" Stealth Bomber asked, "He wanted dragons, griffons, hippogriffs, and Pegasi to act as his air force, seaponies to act as his navy, earth ponies and yaks to act as his army, unicorns to act as his magic unit, changelings to act as his spies, and kirins to act as his fire unit." Jayhawk replied, "Why has he been mostly forgotten by the ponies?" Stealth Bomber asked, "Princess Celestia destroyed all documents and records of his plans." Jayhawk replied, "What was her reason for doing so?" Stealth Bomber asked, "He was a black mark on Equestria's history, and his actions were shameful by our standards." Jayhawk replied, "Did the other creatures ever learn about him?" Stealth Bomber asked, "No." Jayhawk replied, "Good job, Jayhawk, let's rest now." Stealth Bomber said, and they took a break. Morning came and the Pegasi were getting ready for the day, screams were heard and they ran outside, they looked around and saw black clouds in the sky and rain, sleet, snow, hail, and freezing rain fell all over Equestria, "What is it this time?" Applejack asked, more bad weather came and it was freezing cold. Stealth Bomber and his comrades flew up and looked around, they saw there was a heavy blizzard in the Crystal Empire, "The Crystal Empire's not going to survive that." Eagle said, "Yeah, come on, let's go get them." Condor replied, and they flew to the Crystal Empire. Princess Cadence, Shining Armor, and Sunburst were trying to hold the blizzard back with their magic and were having trouble, "It's not working." Princess Cadence said, "Keep trying, the guards are trying to get the crystal ponies out." Shining Armor replied, they kept trying to hold back the blizzard and heavy rain while the guards got the citizens out, "Hey, something's coming." Sunburst said, Princess Cadence and Shining Armor looked and saw Stealth Bomber and his comrades flying over to help, "Who are those guys?" Shining Armor asked, they flew to the Crystal Empire and went to go get the crystal ponies out of the Crystal Empire, they heard several things collapse and they looked, they saw pipes owned by Big Business get destroyed by the blizzard and water flew out, "Big Business has been losing a lot of his industries recently." Princess Cadence said as she looked at the pipes get blown away, Jayhawk flew to her while carrying a crystal pony foal and put him out of the Crystal Empire and flew back, "What were those pipes for?" Jayhawk asked, "Big Business was using them to supply water to his buildings, he used to have them take water from other ponies' homes, he changed it after Princess Celestia complained to him, he then started taking water out of small water bodies and killed marine life, she complained about that too, so Big Business had to get water from around Equestria, he's been bitter about it." Princess Cadence replied, Jayhawk glared and went back to helping the crystal ponies. Stealth Bomber and his comrades carried the crystal ponies out of the Crystal Empire while the blizzard engulfed them, the unicorns used their magic to help others while the Pegasi and earth ponies ran off, "Is that everybody?" Thunderbolt asked, they looked around and did not see any crystal ponies, "Looks like it." Falcon replied, "Come on, let's do a thorough search." Lancer said, and they flew around. Stealth Bomber and his comrades flew around and looked into the houses while enduring the cold, they breathed a little hard while their breaths became visible, they flew around and looked into every house and under them to look for any ponies they missed, "You guys find anything?" Stinger asked, "No." Stealth Bomber and the others replied, they kept looking and did not see any crystal ponies, "Come on, guys, we just counted the ponies, we got everyone." Sunburst said, and they all flew out of the Crystal Empire while Shining Armor and Sunburst teleported out. Stealth Bomber and his comrades arrived outside of the Crystal Empire and Princess Cadence used her magic to warm up the cold ponies, "Thank you guys for your helps, who are you guys?" Sunburst asked, "We're veterans from the Cloudsdale Air Force, we know what's causing the bad weather." Thunderbolt replied, "We all do, first, bad winds, now, this." Shining Armor said, "You all should go, if what we think is about to happen does happen, tidal waves are going to start." Lancer said, "Tidal waves?!" Princess Cadence asked, "Yeah, you all should get going, these next set of disasters are destructive." Stealth Bomber replied, screaming was heard and the ponies with wings flew up and saw heavy rain, blizzards, and strong ocean waves all around Equestria, "We should get going, too." Jayhawk said, and they flew back to Ponyville to help. The creatures in Ponyville screamed while all of the water bodies in the town and the Everfree Forest let out violent waves, Twilight Sparkle and Starlight Glimmer tried to use their magic to stop the water waves, "This isn't working." Starlight Glimmer said, "*gasp* Look!" Pinkie Pie said, they looked and saw the marine animals swimming around and they were destroying underwater pipes that belonged to Big Business, loud noises were heard and the creatures who could fly went up and looked, they saw big tsunamis going over the dams built by Big Business' company and destroyed them. The creatures around them ran away while screaming but stopped when the water went around them and their homes without harming them. The tsunamis went into Equestria and there was now a downpour and blizzards in the entire country, the creatures shivered from the cold while they looked, "Discord! We need your help!" Twilight Sparkle said, there was no response, "Discord!" Twilight Sparkle said, he still did not appear, "DISCORD!!" Twilight Sparkle yelled, Discord appeared in the air, "What is it? I am in the middle of tea." Discord said, "Get rid of the blizzard and tidal waves." Twilight Sparkle replied, Discord looked at them, "There is no need to." Discord said, "What do you mean there is no need?!" Twilight Sparkle asked, "Just look." Discord replied, Twilight Sparkle looked and saw the water go around all the people and homes without harming or damaging them, "See, there's nothing damaged, no need for me to do anything." Discord said, and he disappeared, "Ugh!" Twilight Sparkle said, the tsunamis, downpour, and blizzard continued throughout Equestria and everycreature saw a tidal wave go all the way up to the sky, "Look!" Silverstream said as she pointed at the tidal wave, "What is that?" Sandbar asked, everycreature looked and they saw black silhouettes of pony heads in the tidal wave, "The water ponies aren't happy." Lancer said, "Water ponies?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "Yeah, they're just like the air ponies, but made from water, they were Nature Valley's diplomats back then, they're also scouts for places where the air ponies can't see." Jayhawk replied, "They're not as fast as them, are they?" Rainbow Dash asked, "No, from what we seen, they're strong, but have terrible endurance." Stealth Bomber replied, the black silhouettes came out of the tidal wave with pony bodies and stood on it, glowing blue eyes appeared in the tidal wave and it came forward and the silhouette of Tsunami's body appeared in front of them, "A hippogriff?!" Silverstream asked, Tsunami had her front legs held out to the sides with her wings spread out and had water and ice floating around herself, she lifted her front legs up and the tsunamis got even bigger, she threw her front legs down in front of herself and the tsunamis flooded Equestria while the downpour and blizzard got heavier, "She's gonna freeze all of Equestria if she doesn't stop." Applejack said, "Come on, guys, do something." Twilight Sparkle said, Jayhawk flew to her, "Excuse me. Tsunami?" Jayhawk asked, Tsunami stopped what she was doing and looked at him, "Can you stop what you're doing? Please?" Jayhawk asked, Tsunami shook her head, "Why not?" Jayhawk asked, Tsunami pointed at the dam and pipe pieces in the water, "Is it because of what Big Business did to your home?" Jayhawk asked, Tsunami nodded, "We'll start looking for him and his employees tomorrow." Jayhawk said, Tsunami did not react for a minute but then did a gesture with her talon to tell Jayhawk to move aside and he did. Tsunami held her talon out and the water ponies began going forward with their bodies in the tidal waves, Tsunami held her talons up and water came out of sewers under the ground, "Wait! Stop! Please!" Twilight Sparkle said, but Tsunami, the water ponies, and the marine animals went forward and caused destruction to everything owned by Big Business, "Excuse me, can you all tell me what you're doing?" Fluttershy asked the marine animals, they went past her and caused property destruction. the creatures shivered from the freezing rain and blizzard, hail also hit the buildings and damaged them. Twilight Sparkle began shooting beams at the water ponies to restrain them, they disappeared into the tidal waves and went forward, Applejack tried to pull them out with her lasso but it went into their bodies and floated around, "What in tarnation?" Applejack asked, "Their bodies are probably made from water, physical things like rope probably won't work on them." Twilight Sparkle said, "Let me try something." Starlight Glimmer said, and she cast a spell to bind the water ponies, "Alright, magic works, I'll get them restrained." Starlight Glimmer said, and she cast her spell to restrain the water ponies. Pinkie Pie was on the tidal wave with the water ponies and they looked at her, "Whee!" Pinkie Pie said as she rode on a tidal wave with the water ponies, she picked up two of them and went to the others while Rainbow Dash flew around to get them and the water ponies tried swimming away, Rainbow Dash caught them easily since they were a lot slower than the air ponies, "Ha! This is way easier." Rainbow Dash said, the water ponies were rounded up and were restrained with binds of Starlight Glimmer's magic, "Is that all of them?" Starlight Glimmer asked, the creatures looked and saw there were no more, and Fluttershy has talked the marine animals out of causing property damage. Tsunami glared and she raised her talons again and the tidal waves got even higher and flooded Equestria, Twilight Sparkle shot a beam at her in an attempt to restrain her but Tsunami changed her body into water and it went through her, "What the?" Twilight Sparkle asked, Tsunami flew around while shooting water and ice out of her talons at the buildings and industries owned by Big Business, Pegasi tried to grab her and restrain her but they flew through her body and got wet, she changed to a formless blob of water and floated around in the air, icicles shot out of her body and they froze whatever they hit. Jayhawk flew to her and Tsunami stopped in place, "Tsunami, I think everything you wanted to destroy is already destroyed." Jayhawk said, Tsunami just floated in place, "Also, you hit a few ponies." Jayhawk said, Tsunami's attention was caught and she changed back to her normal silhouette self and looked around, she saw frozen ponies, she flew down and looked down while clutching her head and sitting on her hind knees. The tidal waves died down and the blizzard and freezing rain stopped while Tsunami sat on the ground with her head down, "Tsunami?" Jayhawk asked as he walked to her, he looked and saw tears falling from her eyes, the others walked over to him, "You didn't mean to harm us, did you?" Jayhawk asked, Tsunami shook her head, "Come to think of it, the first group didn't harm any of us, either." Starlight Glimmer said, "Is she from Nature Valley, too?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "Yeah, she and the water ponies are from southern Nature Valley." Stealth Bomber replied, "What about the air ponies and Raging Tornado?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "Northern Nature Valley." Thunderbolt replied, "You all should be ashamed of yourselves, you all have ruined my dresses!" Rarity said, Tsunami looked around and saw soaked dresses on display outside, "You have caused a lot of damage, Tsunami, you and the water ponies should work to fix it." Twilight Sparkle said, Tsunami looked down, a hoof appeared on her shoulder and she looked and saw Raging Tornado, "Both of y'all fix the damages y'all caused, Ah've got a roof to fix but a dang tree is in the way." Applejack said, Raging Tornado looked down, "Get to work, both of you, and have the air ponies and water ponies help." Rainbow Dash said, and the two flew away. The creatures went back with their days and they saw the air ponies getting the trees out of the roofs while the water ponies collected the broken pieces of pipes and dams while Raging Tornado and Tsunami flew around and picked up whatever trash they found, "Excuse me." Jayhawk said as he trotted to Silverstream, who was with her friends, "Yes?" Silverstream asked, "Was there ever a female hippogriff named Tsunami mentioned in your creature's history?" Jayhawk asked, "No, plus, Tsunami is a boy's name." Silverstream replied, "Really?" Jayhawk asked, "Yes." Silverstream replied, "Wow, well, I was just curious if you've heard of her." Jayhawk said, "Sorry, but no." Silverstream replied, and Jayhawk walked away. Stealth Bomber and his comrades entered his and Jayhawk's home and had dinner, "I wonder what the next element will be." Stinger said, "Who knows, there's only two left." Stealth Bomber replied, "Agreed, let's rest for now, we need energy for tomorrow." Thunderbolt said, and they all finished dinner, washed the dishes, and went to sleep.
The LandMorning came and Stealth Bomber and his comrades jumped up awake while exclaiming and screaming and aimed guns all around, they sighed and put their guns down, "Okay, let's look for Big Business' employees." Thunderbolt said, and they got on with their days. Stealth Bomber and his comrades went to the post office and saw Derpy working, "Hi, how can I help you guys?" Derpy asked, "Um, well, Derpy, do you know of a Big Business?" Stealth Bomber asked, "Yes, of course, but... um..." Derpy replied, "But what?" Stinger asked, "I can't deliver any mail to him, I'm forced to give them to his employees and they have to give it to him." Derpy replied, "Did you ever meet him in person?" Jayhawk asked, "Yes, I have, he got mad and threw the box at me, he orders heavy mail on purpose so I have to carry them." Derpy replied, "That sounds like Big Business, alright, we were the ones who had to read his mail before he fired us." Falcon said, "How come?" Derpy asked, "He considered reading his own mail beneath him and for ponies not as important as him." Condor replied, "Did he call you any mean names?" Raptor asked, "Yes, the one time I met him, he called me Blind Bimbo." Derpy replied, "Well, can we have the address of Big Business' employees?" Stealth Bomber asked, "I'm sorry, but that's private information, I can't just give it out to random people." Derpy replied, "It's alright, we know all about classified information." Thunderbolt said, "Good, because I don't wanna have to deal with angry visitors." Derpy replied, "Okay, we'll be going now since the line's getting long." Stealth Bomber said, "Okay, bye." Derpy replied, and the nine Pegasi left the post office. The Pegasi went outside and saw it was still morning, "What do we do now?" Jayhawk asked, the Pegasi thought for a minute, "Maybe Liebert has some patients that work for Big Business." Stinger said, "Good idea, let's go check." Thunderbolt replied, and they flew out of Ponyville. Liebert was getting ready for the day and knocking was heard at his door, "Enter." Liebert said, the nine Pegasi came in, "Ah, you nine again, what brings you all here today?" Liebert asked, "Yes, do you have any of Big Business' employees as any of your patients, Liebert?" Thunderbolt asked, "Yes, I do." Liebert replied, "Can we have their addresses?" Jayhawk asked, "Sorry, but I don't keep stuff like that, I only keep their address if they request it." Liebert replied, "I see, have those disasters affected you in any way?" Stealth Bomber asked, "Oh, yes, I have many patients recently." Liebert replied, "Foals?" Lancer asked, "Yup, they've been scared by what's been going on." Liebert replied, "Well, thanks, Liebert, but we really have to get going." Stealth Bomber said, "Okay, and remember, my door is always open." Liebert replied, and the Pegasi left. The Pegasi headed outside and saw a filly enter Liebert's office as soon as they went out, "Come on, let's go to Las Pegasus and to Big Business' headquarters." Stealth Bomber said, and they flew to Las Pegasus. The nine Pegasi flew to Las Pegasus and went to the skyscraper that was Big Business' headquarters, they flew to the top and saw a statue of Big Business on its roof, and he has called his company Big Business Technologies, "Well, that's new." Eagle said, "Yeah, his company didn't have a name when we worked for him." Stealth Bomber replied, "Focus, guys, we have a job to do." Thunderbolt said, and they flew down. They looked through a window and saw Big Business' office, he now had portraits of himself on every wall and the four gems of Mother Nature's chosen ones on display behind his desk, "What the?" Jayhawk asked, "What's wrong?" Raptor asked, "The gems look damaged." Jayhawk replied, the adult Pegasi looked and saw carvings of Big Business' face on the gems, "Look at that, he put his own image in the gems, talk about being full of himself." Eagle said, "You think that could be another reason why the ghosts are mad?" Jayhawk asked, "Possibly, they are keepsakes from Mother Nature." Stealth Bomber replied, the door opened, "Hide, somepony's entering." Thunderbolt said, and they flew away and watched. The Pegasi watched and saw Big Business enter his office, he walked to his desk and began looking at papers, "Let's go, before we get spotted." Stinger said, the Pegasi nodded and they flew down, they looked through the windows of his skyscraper and saw he had less employees than before, "I'm not surprised he has less employees, he paid us below minimum wage." Lancer said, "Don't forget some of his employees quit after what he did to Nature Valley." Falcon replied, they watched him and Big Business had an angry expression and threw his papers across the room, the Pegasi looked at one and saw they were property damages done by the ghosts of the elemental ponies. Stealth Bomber looked at the sky and saw the nearby weather factory was working, "Come on, let's go, I have to go to work today." Stealth Bomber said, and they flew back to Ponyville. The Pegasi arrived back at Ponyville and the entire ground was still wet, the sun got stronger and the water evaporated, everypony saw Princess Celestia and Princess Luna fly over Ponyville and they landed, "Is everyone alright?" Princess Celestia asked, the creatures nodded, "How's Canterlot, Princess Celestia?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "Flooded, I had to make the sun really strong today to evaporate the water from all of those tidal waves and tsunamis from yesterday, so it's going to be a pretty hot day today." Princess Celestia replied, "Luckily, all of those tidal waves, tsunamis, rains, and blizzards did have some benefits, the places in Equestria that were suffering from drought now have plenty of water." Princess Luna said, "Are the animals okay?" Fluttershy asked, "Actually, yes, all of those disasters created by those ghosts' magic are going around the animals and leaving them unharmed, they went around the ponies and left them unharmed, too." Princess Celestia replied, "What are them ghosts after?" Applejack asked, "We don't know." Princess Luna replied, "Ooh, maybe a party will calm them down." Pinkie Pie said, "I doubt it, darling." Rarity replied, "Well, we have to go dry the other places of Equestria, so we'll be going now." Princess Celestia said, and she and Princess Luna flew away, "Come on, Stealth Bomber, factory's working, so we have to work today." Rainbow Dash said, and he flew with her to the weather factory. Stealth Bomber worked at the weather factory with his coworkers and looked at the sky through the window in front of him, he saw the sky was clear and clouds were moving through the sky slowly, he went back to working and packed the lightning jars in a room. Stealth Bomber went back to working and looked at the sky again and saw it was still clear, "You okay, Stealth Bomber?" Rainbow Dash asked as she walked to him from behind, Stealth Bomber was startled and he looked back, "Sorry, I was just remembering my time with the people from Nature Valley." Stealth Bomber said, "Something on your mind?" Rainbow Dash asked, "Yeah, you remember Raging Tornado, right?" Stealth Bomber asked, "Of course." Rainbow Dash replied, "There was one afternoon when Raging Tornado and I were sitting on a bench in a park and the sky was exactly the way it is now." Stealth Bomber said, "A date?" Rainbow Dash asked, "I wouldn't call it a date, we just sat and talked, Raging Tornado talked about how the winds take her places and surprises her." Stealth Bomber replied, "But you two had feelings for one another, right?" Rainbow Dash asked, "Yeah, but they weren't immediately, we developed feelings as we got to know each other better." Stealth Bomber replied, "Did she know about your dislike of griffins?" Rainbow Dash asked, "Yeah, I tried to let it go for her, I already let go of some of my hate." Stealth Bomber replied, "That's good, I still wonder what she was like in person." Rainbow Dash said, "Friendly, when me and the others entered Nature Valley injured, she was the one who treated us." Stealth Bomber replied, "Wow, I wonder how she reacted to the number code for your name." Rainbow Dash said, "How do you know about that?" Stealth Bomber asked, "Stealth Bomber, remember, my dad's ex-air force, too, so I know all about the number coding system and how it works." Rainbow Dash replied, "Do you remember your dad's number code?" Stealth Bomber asked, "021523 space 08152008151506." Rainbow Dash replied, "Good job, only the people of western Nature Valley figured out how the number code name system worked." Stealth Bomber said, "*chuckle* Mine's 18010914021523 space 04011908." Rainbow Dash replied, "Do the Wonderbolts do the number code name system?" Stealth Bomber asked, "I don't think so, I haven't seen it." Rainbow Dash replied, "I'm sure you know your friends' number codes, too." Stealth Bomber said, "Of course I do, and by the way, my mom's number code would be 2309140425 space 2308091920120519." Rainbow Dash replied, "Your mom's name's Windy Whistles? Does she have any connection to the air force?" Stealth Bomber asked, "She was a nurse for air ponies, she met my dad when she was treating him of his wounds." Rainbow Dash replied, "Interesting, but we should get back to work." Stealth Bomber said, "Yeah, we should." Rainbow Dash replied, and they worked. Stealth Bomber produced bright clouds to have the waters get evaporated into the sky, he sweated since Princess Celestia made the sun stronger than usual, so today was humid and uncomfortable, "I hate the heat." Stealth Bomber said, "We all do, Stealth Bomber." Rainbow Dash replied, and he worked while he stopped and looked at the sky a few times and had brief flashbacks of himself and Raging Tornado sitting at a park bench and conversing, but he focused on working and produced clouds so the water all around Equestria could be evaporated, he worked until it was break time and went back to work after it ended. Jayhawk was playing dodge ball with the foals in the town and Scootaloo was the most competitive player, she threw the balls while he, Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, Pipsqueak, Truffle, Snips, and Snails dodged them, they all had fun and Jayhawk threw the balls whenever he got them, they triggered brief flashbacks of fire bombs for him, he ignored them and kept playing. Jayhawk threw the balls quickly and hit Truffle, Snips, and Snails easily, while Pipsqueak, Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle dodged them easily, he is eventually hit by a ball thrown by Sweetie Belle and he sat out, the game continued until there was only one player standing and Scootaloo won and the others clapped. Jayhawk walked around and saw Sandbar, Gallus, Yona, Smolder, and Silverstream playing dodge ball, Jayhawk restrained himself when he felt his anger rising at the sight of Gallus, he looked over and saw Ocellus sitting with her back to a tree and her front legs on her own abdomen, he walked to her while she groaned, "Hi, Jayhawk." Ocellus said, "You okay?" Jayhawk asked, "I have a stomachache." Ocellus replied, "When did you get it?" Jayhawk asked, "Shortly after lunch." Ocellus replied, "You probably ate too fast." Jayhawk said, "I ate my regular pace." Ocellus replied, "Well, what did you eat?" Jayhawk asked, "Um... I had some grass, a few flowers, and two pieces of toast with butter." Ocellus replied, "What about drinks?" Jayhawk asked, "Something new, it was called soda." Ocellus replied, "They have soda in school now?" Jayhawk asked, "You know it?" Ocellus asked, "Yeah, I've seen a few vending machines when Stealth Bomber worked for Big Business, they have a lot of different flavors." Jayhawk replied, "I think that's why my stomach hurts, it was all fizzy and expanded in my mouth." Ocellus said, "You probably have a lot of gas in your stomach right now." Jayhawk said, "Huh?!" Ocellus said as she looked at him with a dropped jaw and blushing, "Soda usually makes one gassy, you can probably relieve your stomachache by farting." Jayhawk said, "I'm not doing it out here." Ocellus replied, "I'm not saying fart here, it's just an advice that I thought would help." Jayhawk said, "Oh." Ocellus said, "Say, are your school's bathrooms open right now?" Jayhawk asked, "They should be." Ocellus replied, "Then why don't you go in them and let your fart out now?" Jayhawk asked, "I'll give it a try." Ocellus replied, and she walked to her school. Jayhawk watched the five creatures play dodge ball and he focused on Gallus and watched him fly around and play with his friends, he heard walking and saw Ocellus come back, "You feel better?" Jayhawk asked, "Yes, much better, thank you." Ocellus replied, and she sat and watched her friends play with a smile on her face, "Jayhawk, I've heard about your hatred of griffons." Ocellus said, "What about it?" Jayhawk asked, "Why do you hate them so much?" Ocellus asked, "They killed my parents and changed my life for the worse, let's leave it at that." Jayhawk replied, "Do you hate me and the changelings for invading Equestria?" Ocellus asked, "Now that you mention it, no, but it's probably because I wasn't around and they had no effect on me." Jayhawk replied, "You shouldn't hate Gallus just because he's a griffon, Jayhawk, that really hurts a creature's feelings." Ocellus said, "I've already let go of some of my hate." Jayhawk replied, "Really?" Ocellus asked, "If me and Stealth Bomber still had the same amount of hate as before, we would've killed Gallus on sight." Jayhawk replied, "You will cause a war between Equestria and Griffonstone if you two do that." Ocellus said, "Do you know why those male Pegasi joined the air force alongside Stealth Bomber?" Jayhawk asked, "My history book says it was so they could defend Cloudsdale." Ocellus replied, "Well, that's not the reason, they joined because they wanted to go to Griffonstone and kill all griffons." Jayhawk said, "That's wrong." Ocellus said, "Maybe, but at that time, griffons were basically unaffected by Cloudsdale laws and they took advantage of it, me and those eight Pegasi were hurt by the griffons in some way." Jayhawk replied, "I still don't like that, just hearing that makes me think about you ponies having an entire military force formed and dedicated to hunting down and killing all changelings." Ocellus said, "Well, if Princess Celestia wasn't so forgiving, maybe she would have formed it." Jayhawk replied, "Well, I'm glad she didn't, just the thought of that scares me." Ocellus said, the bell rung afterwards, "Oh, it's time for me to go back to class, Jayhawk." Ocellus said, "Alright, good day." Jayhawk replied, and she stood up while her five friends went to her, Jayhawk's eyes twitched slightly at the sight of Gallus, "What's with you?" Gallus asked, "I still don't like griffons." Jayhawk said, "I'll admit, you griffons are kind of rude." Sandbar said, "Come on, guys, classes are about to start." Ocellus said, "Yona thought Ocellus had stomachache." Yona said, "I did, but I'm better now." Ocellus replied, "What happened?" Silverstream asked, "Um... I was full of gas." Ocellus replied while blushing, Smolder began laughing, "Really? You just had to fart?" Smolder asked while laughing a little, Ocellus looked away while blushing, "That's enough, Smolder, come on, everyone, let's go to class." Sandbar said, and the six left while Jayhawk saw Stealth Bomber coming home, he entered his home while Stealth Bomber arrived home. The next day came and Thunderbolt had papers with him and it was Big Business' contact information, "Any luck?" Stealth Bomber asked, "No." Thunderbolt replied, knocking was heard at the door and they aimed their guns at the front door, knocking was heard again, they continued aiming their guns, "Come on, guys, we know you all are here." Violet said from outside, they put their guns down and opened the door and saw her and Velvet, the Pegasi saw Violet's mane and tail were all frizzy, "Ooh, I guess you couldn't get indoors during the rains and blizzards, Violet." Jayhawk said, "No, I didn't, I was all wet during that time, and this humidity is making my mane and tail all frizzy." Violet replied, "Um, if you want, the shower's open if you want to wash your mane and tail." Stinger said, "It's fine, I'll just ask Rarity to fix it for me." Violet replied, she and Velvet looked and saw Big Business' contact information on the table, "You all trying to contact Big Business?" Velvet asked, "No, we're trying to find the identities of those who attacked Nature Valley." Thunderbolt replied, "Seriously? You never learned the names of your coworkers?" Violet asked, "No." Thunderbolt, Stealth Bomber, Eagle, and Raptor replied while Stinger, Lancer, Falcon, and Condor shook their heads, "Not really." Jayhawk said, "You gotta be kidding me." Violet said, "Anyway, we'd like to hear more about Nature Valley." Velvet said, "Alright then." Stealth Bomber said, and they continued talking about Nature Valley. The Pegasi slept through the night in northern Nature Valley and they woke up screaming and aimed their guns everywhere, Raging Tornado and the air ponies went to them, "Are you alright?" a female air pony asked, "Yeah, just bad dreams." Lancer replied, the Pegasi panted a little heavily and they calmed down, they began fixing the wagon for the time they leave while Raging Tornado met with a few air ponies, "Alright, everypony, it's time to pay our respects to Mother Nature." Raging Tornado said, and they flew to the center of Nature Valley and bowed to Mother Nature, "Oh, thank you all, your loyalty is always appreciated, Raging Tornado." Mother Nature said, "Come on, guys, we might as well." Stinger said, and they joined the air ponies and bowed to her while the air ponies smiled at them, "Oh, you visitors are paying your respects, too, it is much appreciated." Mother Nature said, they bowed until Raging Tornado stood up and the air ponies did with her, "Thank you, you all get on with your days now." Mother Nature said, and Raging Tornado led the air ponies back to northern Nature Valley. The Pegasi stood up and walked forward, "Take your pick, guys, east or west?" Thunderbolt asked, they looked at eastern Nature Valley and saw a bunch of trees and animals, the inside of eastern Nature Valley could not be seen, they then looked at western Nature Valley and saw it was full of deserts and volcanoes, the natives were getting on with their days, "I can't decide." Lancer said, "Me neither." Condor replied, "Which one do you want to go to, Jayhawk?" Stealth Bomber asked, "Um... well..." Jayhawk said, "Why don't we just do a rhyme?" Thunderbolt asked, the Pegasi nodded, "Eeny, meeny, miny, moe, catch a tiger by the toe. If he hollers let him go, eeny, meeny, miny, moe." Jayhawk said as he moved his hoof around, his hoof pointed at eastern Nature Valley when he finished, "Eastern Nature Valley, it is." Thunderbolt said, and they walked there. The Pegasi walked into eastern Nature Valley and saw trees, grass, flowers, weeds, vines, fungi, herbs, and plants everywhere, they walked around and they saw animals that walked and crawled on land everywhere in eastern Nature Valley, the Pegasi flew up and went forward so they do not step on the ants on the ground, they kept flying and saw termite mounds, "Wow, they're huge." Jayhawk said, "I know, I've never seen termite mounds that big." Stealth Bomber replied, "Agreed, it's big enough to be someone's home." Thunderbolt said, "Well, let's see what else we have." Falcon said, the others agreed and they flew together and arrived into the center of the area, they saw the ponies native to the place and the earth pony from before, "Hold on, everyone, cease training, we have guests." the earth pony said, and she walked to the Pegasi while the ponies made from brown rocks watched her, "Welcome to eastern Nature Valley, I am Earthquake, bearer of the Element of Earth." the earth pony said, "What's your title?" Jayhawk asked, "Viceroy." Earthquake replied, "Not vicereine?" Stealth Bomber asked, "No, viceroy is a gender neutral title here." Earthquake replied, "So, what are you guys called?" Jayhawk asked, "Ground ponies." Earthquake replied, "Ground ponies?" Lancer asked, "Yeah, earth pony was already taken." Earthquake replied, "What do you guys do?" Thunderbolt asked, "We're the defenders of Nature Valley from harm, we're Mother Nature's shield." Earthquake replied, "So, you guys are the military." Condor said, "Not all of it, we're the defenders because our bodies are naturally stronger and more durable than the other three pony types here." Earthquake replied, "What about attacking invaders?" Falcon asked, "That's western Nature Valley's job." Earthquake replied, "Must be tough doing training early in the morning." Stealth Bomber said, "Not really, we still have time to pursue our hobbies." Earthquake replied, "Lucky you guys, I remember when we trained." Eagle said, "Yeah, train every morning, afternoon, and evening, four hours of sleep every day." Falcon said, "Four hours? I'm sure you got more sleep than that in a day." Earthquake said, "Nope, it was only four hours for me, too." Jayhawk replied, "Four hours even for children? What kind of training did you guys go through?" Earthquake asked, "Combat training." Stealth Bomber replied, "Why would the weather factory train you all for combat?" Earthquake asked, "No, our jobs before that required combat training." Stinger replied, "Really? Interesting." Earthquake said, "So, um... what is your role between the other three bearers of Mother Nature's elements?" Jayhawk asked, "Well, I'm usually the seductress, I seduce stallions with my feminine charms, but my main role is to protect the other three from harm since I am the most durable of the four, as the bearer of the Element of Earth, I have more powers than the other three elements." Earthquake replied, "I assume you have plenty of dresses, then." Thunderbolt said, "That, I do, but I don't like modest dresses, I like ones that show off my chest and hind legs." Earthquake replied, "You can still be pretty in modest clothing." Jayhawk said, "True, but my charms work better with my legs and chest exposed." Earthquake replied, "Now that you mention it, I think I saw a few dresses in Tsunami's home that showed off her legs and chest." Jayhawk said, "Tsunami will wear anything feminine, Raging Tornado's the one who's cares about being modest." Earthquake replied, "What about that kirin?" Thunderbolt asked, "She's not into dresses and fashion." Earthquake replied, "Is there anything else you like besides dresses and shoes?" Jayhawk asked, "Yes, I like growing flowers and modeling, come on, I'll show you all my garden." Earthquake replied, and they followed her, they saw every house was made from either rocks, mud, straw, wood, bamboo, or adobe, some roofs were made from layers of straw and grass, the Pegasi looked around and saw many gardens for growing crops and flowers, "Here we are." Earthquake said, they arrived at her home and saw her house was a simple house made from dried mud with grass and roses on the roof, they looked at her garden and saw many roses and tulips on the ground, "You guys want one?" Earthquake asked, "What are they for?" Stealth Bomber asked, "Decorations, Raging Tornado, Tsunami, and I like wearing flowers in our manes sometimes." Earthquake replied, "What about the elemental ponies?" Stealth Bomber asked, "The female ground ponies do." Earthquake replied, "Still, to think those air ponies and water ponies can have manes and tails." Jayhawk said, "Well, they can modify their own appearance, but the air ponies and water ponies can't wear flowers or decorations in their manes and tails." Earthquake replied, "And the ones in western Nature Valley?" Stealth Bomber asked, "Nope." Earthquake replied, "Well, it's nice to know, so, um... are you the supreme ruler of this place?" Thunderbolt asked, "No, there are a few ground ponies who rule with me, the kindest and most empathetic citizens are the rulers here." Earthquake replied, "Um... that's not the best way to rule over people." Stinger said, "How so?" Earthquake asked, "Well, being empathetic can lead to making decisions that can have bad consequences in the long run." Stealth Bomber replied, "That's how we rule, those who care the most about others are the rulers here." Earthquake said, "Yes, I understand rulers have to be kind and care about their subjects, but sometimes, doing something to cheer up someone can have bad consequences." Stealth Bomber replied, "For example?" Earthquake asked, "Are you familiar with Equestria's customs?" Jayhawk asked, "That I am." Earthquake replied, "Trying to forgive and befriend your enemies can lead to them backstabbing you." Jayhawk said, "I see what you mean, but we try to cheer up our subjects and make them feel comfortable, we also want visitors to feel welcome." Earthquake said, "Well, thanks, but we're leaving once when our wings heal." Lancer replied, "You all should come visit again if you do leave, me and the others travel the world quite often, too." Earthquake said, "What about the elemental ponies?" Falcon asked, "No, they can't leave here, they'd look very out of place in the outside world." Earthquake replied, "That's too bad." Jayhawk said, the other eight Pegasi nodded, "Well, come on, I'll show you guys what I have." Earthquake said, and they followed her to her home, they saw three mirrors behind her garden, "Mirrors?" Jayhawk asked, "Those are for when I do modelling, they help me see how I look from different angles." Earthquake said, and they went into her home. The Pegasi entered Earthquake's home and they saw her home looked like a regular house on the inside, "My dresses are right here." Earthquake said, and she took them out, most of them were sleeveless and low-cut, "This is the one I wear the most." Earthquake said, and she took out a sleeveless black dress and put it on, it was low-cut and had a slit on the right side that showed off her hind right leg, she then put on black high heels, she did poses that put emphasis on her chest and exposed hind leg, the Pegasi did not react, "Wow, most stallions would be head over heels for me right now." Earthquake said, "Finding a lover is not that important to us right now." Falcon replied, "Yeah, we got more important things to do right now." Raptor said, "Um... I'm falling for her charms a bit." Jayhawk said, "*chuckle* Enjoying the view, Jayhawk?" Earthquake asked, "Kind of." Jayhawk replied, Earthquake chuckled and she did a different pose, "Still, it must hurt to hold those poses." Stealth Bomber said, "You get used to it after a while." Earthquake replied, "I wonder how successful you are with stallions." Thunderbolt said, "Very, if you want to date any of us four, I'm the one you come to." Earthquake replied, "And why is that?" Jayhawk asked, "Because Raging Tornado believes there is a special someone out there just for her, and Tsunami cares about tradition, so she has a certain type of male she likes, so it limits her choices." Earthquake replied, "What about the kirin?" Eagle asked, "She's not into romance." Earthquake replied, "Well, it was nice to meet you, Earthquake, but we need to learn our way around here." Thunderbolt said, "Alright, feel free to ask for help, it's easy to get lost here." Earthquake replied, and they left. The Pegasi looked around eastern Nature Valley and they saw ground ponies standing in place while the animals bit them with teeth, slashed them with claws, and pecked them with beaks, they just stood there and endured them, they looked and saw the ground ponies had no visible wounds, "Wow, they must be tough to just take them like that." Jayhawk said, "Jayhawk, remember, just because they don't look hurt doesn't mean they aren't, they're probably in a lot of pain right now." Eagle replied, they watched the ground ponies endure the wounds and they did not move, they looked around and saw Earthquake was enduring being attacked as well, "Well, let's explore." Thunderbolt said, and they flew around. The Pegasi flew around eastern Nature Valley and tried to memorize where everything was at, the animals walked by them and ignored them, they flew up and tried to get an overhead view of eastern Nature Valley, but the trees blocked their views, "So much for taking a picture." Jayhawk said, "You want one, Jayhawk?" Condor asked, "Not really, but it would suck for someone who did." Jayhawk replied, "Well, let's go back down, since we can't get an overhead view." Thunderbolt said, and they flew back down. The Pegasi flew around to get to know their way around better and they stopped when loud drums and bells were heard, "What was that?" Raptor asked, "Let's take a look." Falcon said, and they flew back. The Pegasi flew back to the center of eastern Nature Valley and they saw several ground ponies playing percussion instruments, "So they play instruments, too." Stealth Bomber said, "They play percussion instruments, and the air ponies play woodwind and brass instruments, I wonder who string instruments." Thunderbolt said, the ground ponies stopped playing and went into their homes and took out string instruments, "Okay, so they play string instruments, too." Thunderbolt said, "We do dancing, too, so do the air ponies and water ponies." Earthquake replied as she conducted while the ground ponies continued playing their percussion and string instruments, "Come on, let's go back to exploring." Thunderbolt said, and they explored eastern Nature Valley by flying. "In the end, we couldn't memorize where things were at since everywhere looked the same, so we gave up." Thunderbolt said, "I see, so Earthquake was a seductress, you all say?" Velvet asked, "Yeah, and usually when Raging Tornado came with us, Earthquake was the one with her the most often." Jayhawk replied, "What about Tsunami?" Violet asked, "She came quite a bit, too." Stealth Bomber replied, "Well, can you all describe what Earthquake was like?" Violet asked, and the Pegasi talked more about Earthquake. The Pegasi were standing in an open field and Raging Tornado and Earthquake were with them, Raging Tornado was wearing a long-sleeve hot pink and white dress and light pink high heels while Earthquake was wearing her sleeveless, low-cut black dress and black heels, Jayhawk got a camera ready and he ran to the others to take a picture, Raging Tornado smiled while Earthquake struck pose to show off her exposed hind leg, Raging Tornado exclaimed with disgust at seeing what Earthquake was doing, "Earthquake!" Raging Tornado said, "What? I can't show off my charms in a picture?" Earthquake asked, "No, it doesn't look natural." Raging Tornado replied, "How about this?" Earthquake asked as she reeled up and leaned forward while holding her own chest up with her front hoofs, "No!" Raging Tornado replied, the camera went off and the picture was taken, they looked and saw Earthquake holding her chest out with a smile on her face while Raging Tornado was yelling in the picture, "Redo it!" Raging Tornado said, "Is something the matter?" Earthquake asked, "I look ugly in that picture." Raging Tornado replied, "Um, Earthquake, I don't have an unlimited amount of film, so I can't take as many pictures as I want." Jayhawk said, "Oh, really? Alright then." Earthquake replied, and Jayhawk readied the camera while Earthquake just stood normally with a smile on her face, the picture was taken and they looked and saw it looked normal, "Hey, you guys aren't smiling." Raging Tornado said, "It's a habit." Stealth Bomber replied, "Yeah, the military taught us to never smile in pictures." Thunderbolt said, "Well, you guys should, it'll make the picture look better." Earthquake replied, "Maybe next time." Jayhawk said, Raging Tornado and Earthquake smiled and they all walked elsewhere. The Pegasi were having lunch at their home and Raging Tornado, Tsunami, and Earthquake were with them, Raging Tornado was wearing a long-sleeve light blue dress with blue high heels and a blue sunflower in her mane, Tsunami was wearing a white low-cut sleeveless dress with the dress over her hind legs, a rose in her mane, and light blue high heels, and Earthquake was wearing a dark pink low-cut sleeveless dress with a slit at her hind left leg, a pink tulip in her mane, and dark red high heels, "Thanks for coming over." Jayhawk said, "You're welcome." Tsunami replied, "Still, what's with the fancy dresses?" Stealth Bomber asked, "Weren't you guys ever taught to look your best when visiting someone?" Raging Tornado asked, the Pegasi shook their heads, "Speaking of looking your best, I've can use the table to make myself look better." Earthquake said, "How does that work?" Jayhawk asked, "Like this." Earthquake replied, and she leaned forward with her front hoofs on the table and her chest sticking forward, Raging Tornado and Tsunami screamed while they pulled her back, "EARTHQUAKE!!" Tsunami said, "What? I'm just showing him how it's done." Earthquake said, "Can't you be modest and graceful at the same time for at least once?" Raging Tornado asked, "Which one do you nine like better?" Earthquake asked, "Doesn't matter to me." Stinger replied, "Yeah, suit yourself." Lancer said, "Enough, Earthquake, you're not going to go around flaunting your legs and chest right now." Tsunami said as she pulled Earthquake into a chair, "Your dress exposes your chest a bit, too, Tsunami." Thunderbolt said, "That's for fashion and beauty reasons, I don't go around showing off my chest like how Earthquake does." Tsunami replied, "Well, let's finish lunch." Stealth Bomber said, and they did. Jayhawk was at the library with Raging Tornado, Tsunami, and Earthquake one day and they were getting books to read, "*gasp* They have it!" Raging Tornado said as she got a romance novel, "Is that...?" Tsunami asked, "Yes, the newest edition." Raging Tornado replied, "Ooh, I wanna read it, too, just let me get a little bit more books." Tsunami said, Jayhawk looked and saw Tsunami had cookbooks, books on fashion, books on flowers, books on cosmetics, and books on decorations, "Ugh, stuck in their romance fantasies again, they'll never win any stallion's heart if they stay in them." Earthquake said, "What are you getting, Earthquake?" Jayhawk asked, Earthquake showed Jayhawk her books, she was getting books on gardening, flowers, fashion, and understanding a stallion's heart, "Wow, this is what I'm getting." Jayhawk said, and he showed her a history book, "*chuckle* History is interesting sometimes." Earthquake said, "You study history, too?" Jayhawk asked, "Sometimes." Earthquake replied, and she watched Raging Tornado and Tsunami browse through the romance novel, "Ugh, while I do like fashion, makeup, and typical girl stuff, I do not like romance novels." Earthquake said, "How come?" Jayhawk asked, "They're unrealistic and ridiculous, if you think real life romance works like a romance novel, you will fail at love." Earthquake replied, "Can I come to you for advice on love one day?" Jayhawk asked, "Of course, Tsunami's good at advice on love and romance, too." Earthquake replied, "Alright then." Jayhawk said, and Raging Tornado and Tsunami came to them and the four checked out the books they wanted. "Um... what do those have to do with what happened at Nature Valley?" Velvet asked, "Well, I thought Big Business and his employees would say bad things about them to demonize them." Jayhawk replied, "The male detectives are currently interviewing the ones who went there, no info back from them yet." Violet said, "When will it be back?" Stealth Bomber asked, "We don't know." Violet replied, "So far, it's been about this Pegasus, hippogriff, and earth pony, but still almost nothing about the kirin." Velvet said, "Sorry, but the kirin was almost never around." Jayhawk replied, "Yeah, she only spent time with us twice, and that was it." Stealth Bomber said, "What about in Nature Valley?" Violet asked, "We saw her a few times, but not often." Thunderbolt replied, "I see, well, that's all for now, we'll let you know when we get information about what Big Business and his employees say about Nature Valley." Velvet said, "Alright, bye." Stealth Bomber replied, and the two unicorns left. Stealth Bomber and the others had dinner that evening and they looked at propaganda posters that were made when they were in the air force in order to encourage them to fight the griffons, knocking was heard at the door and they aimed their guns at the door, banging was heard on the door shortly afterwards, "Identify yourself." Thunderbolt said, "It's me." a voice said, Stealth Bomber realized it was Gabby, "Wait, that voice, go away, griffon." Jayhawk said, "Come on, guys, I'm here to make peace, I'm not the only one here, either, so can you all please open the door?" Gabby asked, Stealth Bomber opened the door and saw her with Gallus and Gilda, "What do you guys want?" Stealth Bomber asked, "How about beating your head into the ground?" Gilda asked, "You're welcome to try." Stealth Bomber replied, "I'm only here because I was forced to come along." Gallus said, "By who? Your parents?" Jayhawk asked, "My parents are dead." Gallus replied, "Now that you mention it, you do look a bit familiar." Thunderbolt said, "How did your parents die?" Stinger asked, "They were killed in a war." Gallus replied, "Where?" Lancer asked, "At a griffon post north of Griffonstone." Gallus replied, the nine Pegasi realized what he said, "Well, well, I thought you looked familiar, I remember your parents now." Thunderbolt said, "What?! You mean...?!" Gallus asked, "We killed your parents, they got bombed along with the rest of the griffons there." Stealth Bomber replied, Gallus' jaw dropped, "So it was you guys who attacked us!" Gilda said, "We were all young and angry with griffons at that time, our hate has faded away as we aged." Stinger said, "I guess the feeling's mutual then, you ponies bullied me in Equestria when I was a kid." Gilda said, "I'm sure they had a good reason." Lancer replied, "I was the only griffon in flight school." Gilda said, "You sure it wasn't because of your attitude?" Jayhawk asked, "Yes, I'm sure!" Gilda replied while raising her voice, "Really? I find that hard to believe." Thunderbolt said, Gilda growled, "Guys, we're not here to make trouble, we just want to make peace." Gabby said, "The answer's no." Condor replied, "What about you, bluebird, who made you come here?" Thunderbolt asked, "The six behind us." Gallus replied, the Pegasi looked and saw Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, and Applejack watching them, "Why are they here?" Jayhawk asked, "Well, this was their idea, they want us to make peace and be friends with one another." Gabby replied, the Pegasi glared, "You expect us to forgive you guys after what you griffons did to us?" Raptor asked, "Were we really that bad?" Gilda asked, "You griffons killed my brother." Stealth Bomber replied, "You guys killed my parents." Jayhawk said, "You all robbed my parents." Thunderbolt said, "I was denied an education because of that stupid status quo." Stinger said, "You robbed me and my family and made us broke." Lancer said, "That griffon status quo made me lose my job." Eagle said, "You all robbed me and my family and made us homeless." Falcon said, "You all stole my art ideas and passed it off as your own and got famous." Condor said, "You griffons murdered my family." Raptor said, Gilda, Gabby, and Gallus stood there speechless, "Wow, I never knew." Gabby said, "It doesn't change the fact you guys invaded and killed some of our kind." Gallus said, "You griffons started it." Jayhawk replied, "Did we now?" Gilda asked, Gabby looked into their home and screamed, "Are those griffon skulls on your wall there?!" Gabby asked, "Relax, those are fake." Stealth Bomber replied, "Yeah, it's artistic design." Jayhawk said, the six mares ran forward and looked into their home, Pinkie Pie screamed while Rarity exclaimed, "What is this macabre design?!" Rarity asked, "Hey, it's just what we like." Thunderbolt replied, "Are those weapons you all have there?" Rainbow Dash asked, "Souvenirs." Stealth Bomber replied, "This doesn't look suitable for a foal to live in." Twilight Sparkle said, "But I like it here." Jayhawk replied, "Anyway, can we call it a truce?" Gabby asked, "Can you guys?" Raptor asked, "Do you all have the money to give us?" Gilda asked, "The answer's no then." Stealth Bomber replied, "Please?" Gabby asked, "We said no, now fly off, buzzard." Thunderbolt replied, the six mares gasped, "That's a bad word." Pinkie Pie said, "No, it's not." Jayhawk replied, "Yes, it is, buzzard is an offensive term for griffons." Twilight Sparkle said, "Really? We were taught it's okay to call them that back in the air force." Raptor replied, "Well, it ain't, you'll anger a lot of griffons saying that." Applejack said, "Well, the answer's no, now go." Stinger said, and the griffons and six mares left. The Pegasi watched them leave, "The nerve of them." Jayhawk said, "Tell me about it, have to pay them money for a truce." Thunderbolt replied, "I still wonder if we should've invaded Griffonstone when we were in the air force." Eagle said, "Well, there's one thing I know for sure, if those disasters hit Griffonstone, I'm not helping them." Thunderbolt said, "Me neither." Stealth Bomber replied, "Yeah, no disagreement there." Falcon said, "Come on, guys, let's rest, it's been a long day." Lancer said, and they went into Stealth Bomber's and Jayhawk's home. The next day came and complaining was heard outside, the Pegasi went outside and saw ponies complaining about their technologies not working again, "Oh no, the next disasters are about to start." Condor said, "I wonder who it's going to be this time." Jayhawk said, the ground shook and the ponies screamed, "Earthquake!" Applejack said, the unicorns used their magic to float and the Pegasi flew, they held up the creatures who could not fly, they looked around and saw landslides and sinkholes appearing all over Equestria, the landslides destroyed the mines owned by Big Business, while the sinkholes appeared under Big Business' oil drills. The earthquake continued around Equestria, they looked and saw sandstorms and dust storms happening, "Another dust storm?" Applejack asked, "*gasp* Look at the plants." Fluttershy said, they did and saw the flora in all of Equestria grew to massive sizes and grew over the houses and buildings, "I sure hope this is the last one." Rarity said, "It has to be, we already had disasters caused by the sky, then by the sea, and now the land, there is no other place left for disasters to happen after this one." Twilight Sparkle replied, they watched and saw the vines grow over Big Business' vehicles that were used for deforestation and the fruits and vegetables in Equestria's forests and gardens grew gargantuan in size, "*growl* Where are they?" Rainbow Dash asked, "Look, over there!" Pinkie Pie said as she pointed to the south of Ponyville, the creatures gasped when they saw black silhouettes climbing out of a hole created by a landslide, the creatures looked and saw black shadow-like ponies again, "It's the ground ponies." Jayhawk said, "Ground ponies?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "Yeah, from eastern Nature Valley, their bodies are made out of brown rocks, their leader's name is Earthquake." Jayhawk replied, "Earthquake? That actually seems rather fitting." Applejack said, "Hold on, where is she... there she is." Stealth Bomber said and he pointed at her, the creatures looked and they saw the silhouette of Earthquake, she was now black and featureless like a shadow and had glowing yellow eyes, "Wait, is she a pony?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "Yeah, an earth pony." Lancer replied, Earthquake made a hill appear below her and she stood on top of it and looked around, she raised her front legs up and vines with thorns appeared around her, she held her front legs out and the vines went forward and grew all over the houses and buildings, "Wait! Earthquake!" Twilight Sparkle said as she flew to her, Earthquake faced her, "I'm sure you're here for the same reasons as Raging Tornado and Tsunami, but I must ask for you and your fellow ponies to stop what you're doing, you're destroying our land." Twilight Sparkle said, Earthquake made trees grow around Twilight Sparkle with her powers and Twilight Sparkle exclaimed while the trees were together in a tight circle and Twilight Sparkle did not have enough space to move around, she cast a teleporting spell and teleported out, "Please, Earthquake, I just wanna talk." Twilight Sparkle said, Earthquake made the hill go down and she disappeared into the ground, "Huh? What the?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "She's over here, Twilight!" Spike said, Twilight Sparkle flew up and saw Earthquake was all the way near Las Pegasus, she waved her front legs around and the roots of the trees in the city grew bigger and damaged it, while the flowers and fungi also grew giant in size and destroyed the homes they were in, the unicorns tried to subdue Earthquake with their telekinesis but she disappeared into the ground, she reappeared in a forest to the west of Equestria, she made the ground erupt and cover Big Business' construction gear and made the trees his company cut down grow back, "That's enough, Earthquake!" Twilight Sparkle said as she flew to her, the ground ponies stood in her path, she shot zaps at them from her horn but it did nothing, "What the?" Twilight Sparkle asked, she shot them with her magic but the ground ponies did not flinch, "What?! Her magic did not work!" Rarity said, "Another thing, the ground ponies are trained in defense, so they're the most durable of Nature Valley's ponies." Jayhawk replied, "Most durable? Leave this one to me." Rainbow Dash said, "Let me down, y'all, Ah'm goin', too." Applejack said, Big Macintosh told the Pegasi holding him to let him down so he could go help, Bulk Biceps flew to them while carrying Rockhoof. Twilight Sparkle tried zapping the ground ponies with her magic but it did nothing, she saw an opening while Earthquake was busy making the trees, plants, flowers, and fungi grow to make them smash Big Business' construction gear, Twilight Sparkle shot a zap at her but she did not flinch or even pay attention to it, "Ugh!" Twilight Sparkle said, she teleported to in front of Earthquake but more ground ponies appeared between her and Earthquake, "*growl* LET ME THROUGH!!" Twilight Sparkle yelled, and she tried to fly to Earthquake but more ground ponies appeared on top of the ones in front of Earthquake, she shot zaps from her horn at them but it did nothing, so she teleported to in front of Earthquake, "EARTHQUAKE!!" Twilight Sparkle yelled, she grunted and was stuck between her and the ground ponies, "Earthquake, please, you're going to make Equestria a big mess if you don't stop what you're doing." Twilight Sparkle said, Earthquake did a gesture to tell the ground ponies to walk forward and they did, Twilight Sparkle fell onto the ground while Earthquake used her powers to make a small sinkhole appear below Twilight Sparkle and she screamed while she fell into it. Twilight Sparkle teleported herself into the air and growled while she saw Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Big Macintosh, Bulk Biceps, and Rockhoof coming, Rainbow Dash tried punching and kicking the ground ponies but they did not flinch, so Bulk Biceps tried hitting them and they did not flinch to him either. Applejack tried to push them aside and they did not move, she grunted as she tried to move the ground ponies, Big Macintosh joined in and tried to help but he could just barely move them a few centimeters, "You got 'em, Big Mac?" Applejack asked while straining, "Eenope." Big Macintosh replied while straining, the two grunted as they tried to push them, the two stopped and tried bucking them, they did not flinch at getting hit, but their attentions were caught when they saw ground ponies going into the air, they saw Rockhoof hit the ground ponies away easily, Earthquake looked back and her eyes widened when she saw Rockhoof was strong enough to get through her defense. Twilight Sparkle cast a restraining spell onto Earthquake and she disappears into the ground again, Twilight Sparkle's face contorted as she grumbled and growled. Earthquake reappeared to the north of Equestria and she made Big Business' oil drills in the city fall into sinkholes, she destroyed his mine in the city with a landslide, she also made the grass grow to consume the city, "Oh, how dare you! That was my mining area for gems!" Rarity said as she teleported to her, she jumped and tried to kick Earthquake, but a crack was heard and Rarity screamed, she laid on the ground while clutching her hind hoof. Twilight Sparkle teleported to her and tried to cast telekinesis to stop her from causing more destruction, but Earthquake changed her own body to dirt and made trees grow out of her own body, one almost hits Twilight Sparkle, "What the?!" Twilight Sparkle asked as she got distracted and stopped casting her spell, Earthquake then changed her body to clay and grew to the size of an ursa major, she walked forward and smashed whatever she stepped on, Twilight Sparkle tried to cast a sleeping spell on her but Earthquake disappeared into the ground again, she reappeared where she was originally at and walked around to smash Big Business' technologies, she changed her body to stone afterwards, Twilight Sparkle cast a spell to change Earthquake back to normal and shrunk her back to normal size, "There, now to stop what you're doing." Twilight Sparkle said, she tried to cast a restraining spell on her but ground ponies appeared around Earthquake again, "Oh, come on, I don't have time for this." Twilight Sparkle said as she threw the ground ponies aside with her telekinesis, but more appeared, so Rockhoof ran and hit them away, the ground ponies in front of Earthquake suddenly began falling and they saw Maud Pie was pressing on certain parts of their bodies to make them fall, "How did you...?" Rockhoof asked, "Pressure points." Maud Pie said, the ground ponies stopped appearing and Earthquake looked around and saw all of them were down, Twilight Sparkle cast a restraining spell onto Earthquake, she got ready to disappear into the ground again but pink crystals appeared under and all around her and made her trapped. Twilight Sparkle looked around and saw Princess Cadence flying to her, she landed in front of her, "Sorry I'm late, I was busy helping Celestia and Luna evacuate the citizens." Princess Cadence said, "Really?" Twilight Sparkle asked as she looked, she saw Princess Celestia and Princess Luna flying around and checking Equestria, she saw the unicorns and Pegasi were also flying around to make sure everycreature was alright, "Stealth Bomber, Jayhawk, and you seven, get over here." Twilight Sparkle said, they put down the animals they were holding and flew to her, Twilight Sparkle's friends and the Cutie Mark Crusaders also came over, "I'm sure you all know her, too." Twilight Sparkle said, "Yeah, Earthquake, she and the ground ponies served as Mother Nature's main defense against invaders." Stealth Bomber replied, "Well, you should be ashamed of yourself, Earthquake, look at how much destruction you've caused." Starlight Glimmer said, Earthquake looked and saw Equestria was destroyed with cracks and uneven elevation everywhere she looked, "Can you fix it for us, Earthquake? Please?" Apple Bloom asked, and Earthquake moved her front legs around and undid the damage she caused, "There, hopefully, the destruction doesn't cause any long-term problems." Thunderbolt said, "Still, I can't believe how many powers she has." Princess Cadence said, "She controls all of the land, so she has the most powers." Jayhawk replied, "And Raging Tornado has complete control over the sky, and Tsunami has complete control over the sea." Twilight Sparkle said, "Yes." Lancer replied, "Where are the air ponies and water ponies? I'd like a word with them, too." Twilight Sparkle said, they appeared with Raging Tornado to Earthquake's right and Tsunami was to her left, "I would like to study your powers, your powers are amazing but too destructive, so if you all have the time, come to my lab so I can study your capabilities." Twilight Sparkle said, Raging Tornado and Tsunami looked at Earthquake, she shrugged, "Hold on, why are y'all lookin' at her for?" Applejack asked, "She's the oldest between the three of them, so she decides." Condor replied, "Well, Earthquake?" Twilight Sparkle asked, Earthquake did sign language that she needs to think about it, "Okay, I'll be at my castle when you decide." Twilight Sparkle said, and Raging Tornado, Tsunami, Earthquake, the air ponies, the water ponies, and the ground ponies all disappeared, and everycreature went home. Everycreature went on with their days and Earthquake undid all of the mess she caused, animal noises were heard at Fluttershy's cottage and everybody went and saw the land animals and bugs were howling and bowing to Earthquake, "Um, Earthquake, it's getting late, I need to put them to sleep." Fluttershy said, Earthquake nodded and disappeared, everycreature left and went into their houses and slept.
The FlamesMorning came and the Pegasi woke up, they had breakfast and exercised, they got ready for the day and knocking was heard at the door and they aimed their guns at it, "Who is it?" Jayhawk asked, "It's us." Sweetie Belle said from outside, they put their guns down and Jayhawk opened the door and saw her with Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Gabby, "What's she doing here?" Jayhawk asked, "Well, Gabby's our friend, too, so if you wanna continue bein' friends with us, you gotta accept her, Jayhawk." Apple Bloom replied, "Look, sorry about yesterday, but that griffon demanded money for the truce." Jayhawk said, "I was hoping you can accept me individually." Gabby replied, "I'll have to see your character first." Jayhawk said, "Sure, we have school today, so we can hang out this afternoon." Scootaloo said, "Alright, sounds good." Jayhawk replied, "Good, we'll see ya later then, Jayhawk." Apple Bloom said, and they left while Jayhawk closed the door. Jayhawk sat and read a book while the other eight Pegasi stood by and watched him, he finished afterwards, "Alright, who ruled Equestria before it was formed?" Thunderbolt asked, "Grogar." Jayhawk replied, "Who banished him?" Falcon asked, "Gusty the Great." Jayhawk replied, "Where is Grogar now?" Eagle asked, "Nobody knows." Jayhawk replied, "Is he alive or dead?" Condor asked, "Nobody knows that, either." Jayhawk replied, "Good job, Jayhawk, I think you can read the rest with no tests." Stealth Bomber said, Jayhawk nodded while smiling and continued reading his history book. Jayhawk read until lunchtime and they had lunch, the Pegasi headed outside after they finished lunch and they saw Ponyville was normal at the moment, "Wow, Earthquake really did undo all the damage she caused." Jayhawk said, "Still, I wonder when the last group of elemental ponies will attack." Stealth Bomber replied, they saw Violet in Ponyville and went to Carousel Boutique, "Excuse me, Rarity." Violet said, Rarity looked back and reeled back and shrieked at seeing Violet's frizzled mane and tail, "Yeah, I was hoping you could fix it." Violet said, "Of course, come with me, darling." Rarity replied, and they entered her shop. The Pegasi walked around and they went to the market square to look around, they saw nothing of interest, "I'm bored." Jayhawk said, "Me too, wanna practice sword fighting?" Stealth Bomber asked, "Sure." Jayhawk replied, and the two trotted back home. Stealth Bomber and Jayhawk swung swords with one another and they clanged onto one another, the other ponies gathered around to watch them and cheered, the two entered a deadlock and Stealth Bomber hit the sword out of Jayhawk's hoof and tried to slash him, Jayhawk caught the blade between his hoofs and held Stealth Bomber back, he wrestled with Stealth Bomber and tried to take the sword out of his hoofs. Jayhawk moved his front legs to his right side and made Stealth Bomber lose his footing, he fell over and Jayhawk took the sword and pretended to stab Stealth Bomber in his heart while Stealth Bomber pretended to die, the ponies cheered when they finished. The ponies went on with their days while Stealth Bomber and Jayhawk continued sword fighting until Twilight Sparkle took them away with her telekinesis, "Hey!" Jayhawk said, "You guys should know better than to be using real swords." Twilight Sparkle said, "Sorry, but I don't have practice swords." Stealth Bomber said, "You still shouldn't be having a foal use real swords." Twilight Sparkle replied, "Well, Jayhawk, I guess we'll just have to find something else to do." Stealth Bomber said, "Sure." Jayhawk replied, and Twilight Sparkle walked away with the swords. Stealth Bomber and Jayhawk walked around and saw everycreature was busy, so they decided to go into their home. Jayhawk decided to paint while Condor taught him a few tricks, "Remember, Jayhawk, light brush strokes." Condor said, and Jayhawk tried painting a picture, he made a blotch of colors, "There's room for improvement." Condor said, Jayhawk laughed a little and he painted a little more, "Which color is your favorite one, Jayhawk?" Condor asked, "Red." Jayhawk replied, "Nice color, I like red, too." Condor said, and they painted a little more until knocking was heard several minutes later, "School's done, Jayhawk." Apple Bloom said from outside, he walked to the door and opened it and saw the Cutie Mark Crusaders and Gabby, "Ready to hang out?" Gabby asked, Jayhawk looked back at the eight Pegasi and then at her, "Sure." Jayhawk replied, and he traveled with them. Jayhawk walked with Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle while Gabby flew, "What do you guys wanna do?" Gabby asked, "I don't know, what about you, Gabby?" Sweetie Belle asked, "Well, I've always wanted to try military training." Gabby replied, "Well, brace yourself, Gabby, it's tough." Jayhawk said, "It's fine, I'm up to the challenge." Gabby replied, "Well, let's get started." Jayhawk said, and they went to an open field. Jayhawk had the Cutie Mark Crusaders and Gabby do push-ups and he did them with them, he counted and they tried to do the push-ups in a synchronized group, he heard panting and saw Sweetie Belle was having trouble, he kept watch and saw Scootaloo was beginning to sweat and get tired as well, they continued and Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle fell from exhaustion, Apple Bloom fell and got tired after a while as well. Jayhawk watched and saw Gabby had a big smile on her face while she did them, "Okay, we're done." Jayhawk said while out of breath, "So, what's next?" Gabby asked, "Sit-ups." Jayhawk replied, Gabby squealed with excitement, "That sounds fun, I wanna start now!" Gabby said, "Hold on, we need to catch our breaths." Jayhawk replied, and they did, they did sit-ups next and Gabby went faster than them while screaming and squealing with excitement, "This is so much fun!" Gabby said, "Gabby, remember, we have to be synchronized." Jayhawk replied, "Oh, right, sorry." Gabby said, and she slowed down. Jayhawk and the others did the sit-ups and they had no problem, they finished and Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle exhaled a little heavily, "So, what's next?" Gabby asked, "Running, I need jugs full of water." Jayhawk replied, "Sorry, Jayhawk, but we don't have any." Sweetie Belle said, "That's fine, weights on your legs will do, and Gabby, you can't fly for this." Jayhawk said, "Okay." Gabby replied, "Well, do you have any weights at your home, Apple Bloom?" Jayhawk asked, "Ah think so, hold on." Apple Bloom replied, and she trotted away. Apple Bloom came back with weights to tie on one's legs, Jayhawk put them on the others and himself and they ran, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle had trouble running due to their legs still hurting from the push-ups, "Whee! This is so fun!" Gabby said as she ran past them, "Do we have to be synchronized for this too, Jayhawk?" Apple Bloom asked, "Nope, run at your own pace." Jayhawk replied, and they did. Gabby ran as fast as she could to the nearest tree and she made it to the finish line before the ponies did, Jayhawk came next and then Apple Bloom, Scootaloo came after a while and Sweetie Belle came last, "Well, what's next, I can't wait!" Gabby said, "Well, next would be monkey bars." Jayhawk replied, "We got 'em at our school's playground." Apple Bloom said, "Can we rest? I'm tired." Sweetie Belle said, "Me too." Scootaloo said, "Alright, do you wanna continue, Apple Bloom?" Jayhawk asked, "Not really, mah legs hurt." Apple Bloom replied, "How about you, Gabby?" Jayhawk asked, "I wanna keep going!" Gabby said, "Well, I guess you and I can head to the school then." Jayhawk replied, and they went. Jayhawk and Gabby hung from the monkey bars and moved around, "Whoo! This is fun!" Gabby said, Jayhawk made it to the end while Gabby followed him, they jumped down and Gabby smiled, "What's next?" Gabby asked, "Climbing would be next, but it's almost dark." Jayhawk replied, Gabby saw the sun was setting, "Oh yeah, it is, well, what do you think of me?" Gabby asked, "You're actually not like any griffon I've met." Jayhawk replied, "See?! Can you call me your friend?" Gabby asked, "I'll try." Jayhawk replied, Gabby squealed and hugged him tightly, "Oh, thank you so much, that really means a lot to me." Gabby said and she let go of him, "Well, I'll be heading home now, bye." Gabby said, and she flew home while Jayhawk walked home. Jayhawk arrived home and saw Stealth Bomber and his comrades having dinner, he joined them, "That griffon is quite friendly." Jayhawk said, "We were watching." Condor replied, "What do you guys think?" Jayhawk asked, "She really is different from other griffons." Stealth Bomber replied, "Still, remember to keep your guards up, it could all be a facade." Thunderbolt said, and they all had dinner and slept. The next day came and it was quiet outside, they all had breakfast and knocking was heard at the door while they washed the dishes, "It's us." Violet said from outside, Stealth Bomber went to the door and opened it and saw her and Velvet, he saw Violet had an annoyed face, "Why so down, Violet?" Stealth Bomber asked, "That earthquake from the other day split my home into two." Violet replied, "That sucks." Stealth Bomber said, "It does, but those ghosts are fixing it for me." Violet replied, "Well, we're here to hear more about Nature Valley, so we need everyone around." Velvet said, and they all sat, "Okay, we already covered the north, south, and east, let's hear about the west now." Velvet said, "Actually, that is the next part after we left eastern Nature Valley." Jayhawk replied, "Well, what was it like?" Violet asked, "Very different from the other three." Stinger replied, "Well, let's get started." Velvet said, and the Pegasi talked about Nature Valley. The Pegasi walked out of eastern Nature Valley and were in the center, "Well, only one place left." Lancer said, "Yup, let's go." Falcon replied, and the nine walked to western Nature Valley. The Pegasi arrived and their hoofs began to hurt from walking on the rocks that made up the ground, they saw ponies made from red fire fighting and hoof wrestling, they walked forward a bit and saw more of them doing push-ups and lifting weights, they saw their homes were made from rocks and obsidian, "Hey, look, there's the kirin." Jayhawk said as he pointed at her, "Let's see what she's like." Stinger said, and they walked to her and she glared at them, they stopped walking, "Who are you guys?" the kirin asked, "We said it yesterday, we're deliverers to the weather factories across Equestria." Stinger replied, "Then tell me, what kind of weather factory cargo carries knives, pistols, and fully automatic weapons?" the kirin asked, "Those are for security reasons." Eagle replied, "Yeah, there are ponies who like to attack and steal the weather factory's supplies." Falcon said, the kirin glared at them, "What? You don't believe us?" Condor asked, "You think I'd fall for a lie like that? There are no weather factories in Equestria that have security problems and carry weapons, now tell me who you guys really are." the kirin replied, "Hold on, how do you know about the knives and guns?" Jayhawk asked, "We're Nature Valley's fighters, me and the fire ponies are basically the military, in other words, we're Mother Nature's sword." the kirin replied, "Alright, you got us, those weapons are from our previous job." Stealth Bomber said, "What would that be?" the kirin asked, "Security guards." Thunderbolt replied, the kirin glared at them again, "I can tell by your scars and the knee braces on that one that you guys had a more dangerous job than just being mere security guards." the kirin said, the Pegasi looked around and saw the fire ponies gathering around them, "Well? Who are you guys?" the kirin asked, "What do you think we are?" Raptor asked, "A bunch of liars for one." the kirin replied, "Well, we were just here to say hi." Jayhawk said, "Save it until you guys come clean with me." the kirin replied, "Why didn't the other three ask about our guns?" Stealth Bomber asked, "Because Raging Tornado, Tsunami, and Earthquake have no idea what they are." the kirin replied, "Well, to put it lightly, we're survivors of a war." Raptor said, "I can tell by your scars." the kirin replied, the Pegasi's attentions were caught, "Well, are you guys military?" the kirin asked, the Pegasi became speechless, "There's also the fact you all woke up scared and aimed your weapons around, that tells me all of you have been to war." the kirin said, "Well, we're all from Cloudsdale." Stealth Bomber said, "You guys Wonderbolts?" the kirin asked, "Um..." the Pegasi said while glancing away from her, "Fine, be that way, just keep in mind you won't be welcomed here until you all tell me who you guys really are." the kirin said, "Can we have your name so we can remember who to tell?" Jayhawk asked, "Meteorite Hellfire." the kirin replied, "Why so interrogative for?" Lancer asked, "Because I'm the oldest of Mother Nature's chosen ones, it is my job to make sure Raging Tornado, Tsunami, and Earthquake stay safe, I'm also in charge of keeping Nature Valley protected, I'm Mother Nature's personal bodyguard." Meteorite Hellfire replied, "Wait, you're her bodyguard? I thought it was Earthquake." Jayhawk said, "No, Earthquake usually focuses on defensive means, she's not one to fight back." Meteorite Hellfire replied, "So between you and the other three, you're the leader." Stealth Bomber said, "No, there is no leader between me and the other three, we're all equal in rank, I just look after them because I'm the oldest one." Meteorite Hellfire replied, "So what is your role among the group?" Jayhawk asked, "I'm the fighter, I'm the one who deals with threats and those who pick on us." Meteorite Hellfire replied, "What's your element?" Lancer asked, "I'm the bearer of the Element of Fire." Meteorite Hellfire replied, "Well, we were just here to see this place, come on, guys, let's go." Thunderbolt said, and they left while Meteorite Hellfire and the fire ponies watched them. The Pegasi went back to northern Nature Valley and were at Raging Tornado's home, she was making dinner for them, "Well, what do you guys think of Nature Valley?" Raging Tornado asked, "It's... unique, I'll give it that." Stealth Bomber replied, Raging Tornado chuckled while she cooked, "Still, that kirin was quite suspicious of us." Falcon said, "Sorry about that, Meteorite Hellfire can be difficult to get along with." Raging Tornado replied, "She talked about how it's her job to look after you and the other two since she's the oldest." Jayhawk said, "It is, she's like a big sister to us, even though she's almost never around." Raging Tornado replied, "She also said she's Mother Nature's bodyguard." Raptor said, "She is, when it comes to professional roles and defending Nature Valley, Meteorite Hellfire is Mother Nature's last line of defense, Earthquake's the one who leads us into battle, Tsunami's the strategist, and I'm the scout." Raging Tornado replied, "So Earthquake's the top enforcer?" Stealth Bomber asked, "Yup, she's also the one who fights the most." Raging Tornado replied, "Speaking of Earthquake, she did poses in a dress today." Jayhawk said, "Ugh, she always does that, likes to flaunt her beauty around and show off her skin, I get sick of it." Raging Tornado replied, "Don't you do the same thing?" Thunderbolt asked, "No! All of my dresses completely cover my body, I don't go around showing off my legs and chest to others." Raging Tornado replied, "I wonder about Tsunami." Falcon said, "Well, Tsunami does have several dresses that show her chest, but she doesn't flaunt it around like Earthquake." Raging Tornado replied, "And Meteorite Hellfire?" Raptor asked, "Meteorite Hellfire doesn't wear dresses." Raging Tornado replied, black smoke appeared in the room afterwards, "Oh, no!" Raging Tornado said as she ran to the kitchen, she was heard groaning afterwards, "Everything alright?" Thunderbolt asked, "I burned you guys' dinners." Raging Tornado replied, "It's fine, we'll just eat it that way." Stinger said, the Pegasi agreed. Raging Tornado served the dinner and it was burned hay, they ate it with no problem, "Wow, most ponies would've complained to have it redone." Raging Tornado said, "We learned from our previous job we can't be picky." Stealth Bomber replied, "Well, if you want, I can make beds for you all to sleep in." Raging Tornado said, "It's fine, we'll just sleep in the wagon." Thunderbolt replied, "Really?" Raging Tornado asked, the Pegasi nodded, "Okay then." Raging Tornado said, they finished dinner and Raging Tornado washed the dishes while they went outside and slept around the wagon. "So... um, when did they find out who you guys really were?" Velvet asked, "The next day." Jayhawk replied, "Oh, really? Go on then." Violet said, and the Pegasi continued talking about Nature Valley. The next day came and the Pegasi were tossing and turning on the ground, they screamed and exclaimed as they woke up and aimed their guns everywhere, they saw the residents of Nature Valley around them, "Are you all alright?" Tsunami asked, the Pegasi panted and calmed down, "See, this is why I don't trust you guys, who are you guys, really? Come clean with us." Meteorite Hellfire said, Thunderbolt sighed, "We're bodyguards for a unicorn named Big Business, he wanted us to investigate this place and see what's like, he wants to see if he can bulldoze this place and put one of his industries here." Thunderbolt said, "Bodyguards? Then what is the wagon for?" Raging Tornado asked, "We didn't know if you guys were friendly or hostile, so we staged an accident and waited to see how you all would react to foreigners coming into your home." Stinger replied, "Why are you guys working for this Big Business for anyway?" Earthquake asked, "It was the only place we were qualified to get a job." Raptor replied, "You guys don't have high education?" Mother Nature asked, the Pegasi shook their heads, "What did you guys do before working for Big Business?" Raging Tornado asked, "We're veterans of the Cloudsdale Air Force, we all fought in a war." Stealth Bomber replied, the residents of Nature Valley murmured, "Well, that explains the bad dreams." Meteorite Hellfire said, "Wait, even Jayhawk?!" Tsunami asked, Jayhawk nodded sorrowfully, "Come on, guys, come with me." Meteorite Hellfire said, and they followed her. The Pegasi walked into western Nature Valley and Meteorite Hellfire stopped in front of her home, "Okay, let's get started, what kind of dreams are you guys having?" Meteorite Hellfire asked, "Gunshots and explosions." Falcon replied, "What about the rest of you?" Meteorite Hellfire asked, "Pretty much the same." Stealth Bomber replied, "Hmm-mm." Thunderbolt said, "What were your ranks?" Meteorite Hellfire asked, "Senior Air Pony." Raptor said, "Senior Air Pony." Condor said, "Sergeant." Eagle said, "Sergeant." Falcon said, "Sergeant." Stealth Bomber said, "Chief Sergeant." Stinger said, "Senior Sergeant." Lancer said, "Master Sergeant." Thunderbolt said, "I didn't have a rank." Jayhawk said, "I see, well, since you all are ex-military, I expect you all to behave in a disciplined manner." Meteorite Hellfire said, "They'll be taking the commands from me." Thunderbolt replied, "No, I command here, and even if I wasn't the ruler, my rank would still be higher than you guys." Meteorite Hellfire said, "What is your rank?" Jayhawk asked, "General." Meteorite Hellfire replied, the Pegasi's eyes' widened, "It's not just my rank, it's my title as the ruler of this place, too." Meteorite Hellfire said, "Stewardess Raging Tornado, Princess Tsunami, Viceroy Earthquake, General Meteorite Hellfire, I wonder what Mother Nature's title is." Thunderbolt said, "It's different depending on which area of Nature Valley you're in." Meteorite Hellfire replied, "Oh." Thunderbolt said, "Well, let's get started, why did you guys stage an accident for?" Meteorite Hellfire asked, "As we said, it's so we wouldn't trespass, it's also from our prior experiences during the war." Stealth Bomber replied, "What was that?" Meteorite Hellfire asked, "We were shot down from the skies and landed in an unknown area, we quickly discovered it was enemy territory when the natives there tried to kill us on sight." Thunderbolt replied, "I see, so that's how you determined if we were friendly or not." Meteorite Hellfire said, "Would you have attacked us if we just entered?" Jayhawk asked, "Usually, no, but if I see you all are here to cause trouble, then yes." Meteorite Hellfire replied, "Also, we have to report to Big Business what you guys are like when we get back." Stealth Bomber said, "What are you all planning to tell him?" Meteorite Hellfire asked, "You all are unfriendly and powerful, we had to hide in the woods and ran back while being hunted." Stealth Bomber replied, "Why make us seem like monsters for?" Meteorite Hellfire asked, "Because Big Business wants to destroy your home and build an industry around here just to satisfy his own ego." Jayhawk replied, "Oh, it's so he will leave us alone and not mess with us." Meteorite Hellfire said, the Pegasi nodded, "I mean, you guys were a bit shady when you all entered here, but after learning who you all really are, you guys don't seem too bad, you can explore, but be careful here." Meteorite Hellfire said, "Why?" Lancer asked, "Well, for starters, the fire ponies are a bit aggressive, and be careful not to get lava from the volcanoes on yourselves." Meteorite Hellfire replied, "Can we enter your home?" Lancer asked, "Sure, maybe you guys will find something of interest." Meteorite Hellfire replied, and they went into her home. The Pegasi entered Meteorite Hellfire's home and saw she had a small house, she had boxing gloves, dumbbells, barbells, a leg press, a punching bag, kettle bells, and a chin-up bar attached to her wall, "Be careful not to stub your hoof on anything." Meteorite Hellfire said, "Wow, your home is bringing back memories of boot camp." Lancer said, "Now that you mention it, it is a bit like our boot camp." Stealth Bomber replied, "Really? You all did these exercises in boot camp?" Meteorite Hellfire asked, "Yeah, but we didn't have that equipment there." Thunderbolt replied as he pointed to the leg press, "Also, we fought without boxing gloves." Lancer said, "Me too, the boxing gloves is mostly for training and roughhousing." Meteorite Hellfire replied, "You like boxing?" Jayhawk asked, "Uh-huh, it's my favorite sport." Meteorite Hellfire replied, "Um..., we don't watch boxing." Raptor said, "Not interested?" Meteorite Hellfire asked, "No, it makes us have flashbacks of fighting in the war." Stealth Bomber replied, "Ah, give it time, maybe you all will come to terms with it." Meteorite Hellfire said, "Well, the sport will mainly play now is golf." Jayhawk said, "Yeah, I don't like golf too much, too slow and boring for me." Meteorite Hellfire replied, "I'm still surprised you don't have any outfits." Stealth Bomber said, "Wait, before you say anything else, I am not interested in fashion or dresses." Meteorite Hellfire replied, "No, I just thought you would at least have a suit of armor." Stealth Bomber said, "Oh, no, I'm already slow enough as I am when it comes to fighting, being even slower is the last thing I need." Meteorite Hellfire replied, "Why are you so slow?" Stinger asked, "Drawback from wielding the Element of Fire, it makes me slower than the other three, but I am the strongest in terms of strength." Meteorite Hellfire replied, "So how do you catch people you're chasing?" Jayhawk asked, "I have several ways, I have telekinesis, too." Meteorite Hellfire replied, "Wait, you have telekinesis?" Stealth Bomber asked, "Yeah, I'm a kirin, my people can cast magic with our horns, too." Meteorite Hellfire replied, "Still, your house is smaller than the other three." Jayhawk said, "Well, I don't need that much space, everything I need is in your sight." Meteorite Hellfire replied, "Where do you sleep?" Stinger asked, "Over there." Meteorite Hellfire replied as she pointed to the room that was to the right and behind her, "I don't see a bed." Lancer said, "I sleep on the floor." Meteorite Hellfire replied, "Doesn't your back hurt?" Eagle asked, "Not really." Meteorite Hellfire replied, "Well, it was nice for you to show us, but we have to get to know our way around here." Thunderbolt said, "Alright, I'll be around here if you need me." Meteorite Hellfire replied, and they left her home. The Pegasi left Meteorite Hellfire's home and they sweated and panted from the heat of western Nature Valley, "I'm hating this heat already." Jayhawk said, "Me too, it's humid here, too." Stealth Bomber replied, "Not to mention this area is all desert and volcano, it's always summer here, too." Thunderbolt said, "Let's finish looking around quickly." Stinger said, the others agreed and they flew around. The Pegasi flew around and saw fire ponies roughhousing with one another as they flew around, the volcanoes erupted and the nine flew around carefully, they looked at the palm trees as they flew around, they panted as they flew around western Nature Valley to get to know the place, they saw cacti around and they flew around them, "*pant* *pant* I'm exhausted already." Jayhawk said, "Come on, let's get an overhead view." Thunderbolt said, and they flew up and looked at western Nature Valley, "There's almost nothing around here." Jayhawk said, "It shouldn't be surprising, most creatures, plants, and animals can't survive around fire or in this kind of environment." Thunderbolt replied, they sweated and panted and they flew down, "Well, we're done, let's leave." Stealth Bomber said, "I agree, it's too hot here." Thunderbolt replied, and they left and went to southern Nature Valley. "Meteorite Hellfire was almost never home, either, she was almost always gone." Jayhawk said, "Doing what?" Violet asked, "She didn't say." Jayhawk replied, "We only spent time with her twice outside of Nature Valley, she was forced to come the first time, though." Stealth Bomber said, "Can you all describe it?" Velvet asked, and they got ready to tell her. The Pegasi were at a store one day and Raging Tornado, Tsunami, and Earthquake were looking at new books while Meteorite Hellfire rolled her eyes and waited for them impatiently, the Pegasi saw them looking at more romance novels and they sighed, "You guys, too, huh?" Meteorite Hellfire asked, "Yeah, romance never interested us." Stinger replied, "So, what do you guys like?" Meteorite Hellfire asked, "History and horror." Stealth Bomber replied, "All of you?" Meteorite Hellfire asked, the other eight Pegasi nodded, "*chuckle* I'd take horror over romance any day." Meteorite Hellfire said, they looked and saw the three looking at more books, "What books do you like, Meteorite Hellfire?" Jayhawk asked, "I don't read." Meteorite Hellfire replied, "Wow, you really are different from them." Lancer said, "Well, I am the oldest, maybe they'll be more like me when they get to my age." Meteorite Hellfire replied, "Where do you go when you leave Nature Valley?" Falcon asked, "It's different every day." Meteorite Hellfire replied, "Where do you usually go?" Jayhawk asked, "The woods." Meteorite Hellfire replied, "For what?" Stealth Bomber asked, "Training and meditation." Meteorite Hellfire replied, "We almost never see you with anyone, either." Thunderbolt said, "I work alone a lot, but when I'm teamed up with the others, I'm usually with Tsunami." Meteorite Hellfire replied, they heard walking and saw the other three coming, "You three done?" Meteorite Hellfire asked, they nodded, "Come on then, let's go home." Meteorite Hellfire said, and they walked together. The Pegasi and Meteorite Hellfire were at the hospital and seeing a Pegasus who fought in the war with them, he was missing all four of his legs and his wings, his mane and tail were burned off, and he had a mask over his face since his face was blown off by a machine gun, and he has lost all of his senses except for his sense of touch, "What have the doctors said?" Thunderbolt asked, "He'll be like this for the rest of his life." a male Pegasus doctor replied, "Might as well euthanize him." Stealth Bomber said, "I agree, just look at him." Stinger said, they did and saw Meteorite Hellfire lay her head on his chest, "Shh, it's alright, it will all be over soon." Meteorite Hellfire said, the Pegasus in the bed moved his head up a little and touched Meteorite Hellfire with his mask, she finished comforting him and he laid his head back down, "Anyway, the doctors are going to euthanize him tonight, so say your goodbyes now." the Pegasus doctor said, and they did the same thing as Meteorite Hellfire and they all left the room, they looked at the amputated Pegasus one last time and then left. "Those were really the only times we've spent with her, there was one other time when we were all having lunch at our home and we had visitors." Thunderbolt said, "What's so important about that?" Violet asked, "She was the one who made us rethink our ways with griffons." Stealth Bomber replied, "What do you guys mean by that?" Violet asked, "Well..." Eagle said, and they talked about the day. The Pegasi were having lunch at home one day and Meteorite Hellfire, Tsunami, Earthquake, and Raging Tornado were with them, knocking was heard at the door and the Pegasi aimed their weapons at the door, "Can we stay here?" a female child's voice asked from outside, Stealth Bomber went to the door and opened it and saw four griffons, there were two males and two females, two were kids while two were adults, "Can we stay here for the night?" the female child griffon asked, the Pegasi aimed their guns at them, "What are you buzzards doing here?!" Stinger asked, "We just need shelter from the rain that's coming." the adult male griffon replied, "Liar! You're here to try to steal from us and live with us so none of you have to work, you all are a bunch of freeloaders!" Lancer said, "Please, we have nowhere to go." the adult female griffon said, "Good! It serves you all right for making us ponies do all the work while you all get the credit." Stealth Bomber replied, "What are you talking about?" the male child griffon asked, "Don't play dumb with us, you're all here to eat all of our food and use up all of our water while you griffons slack off and make us work harder and get other jobs to pay the bills since you all are too lazy to work on your own." Raptor replied while he and the other Pegasi walked to the door, "But... we just came to Equestria yesterday." the female child griffon said, "Well, go back to Griffonstone, the last thing we need is you buzzards driving our country into the ground with your greed and egos just like how you all did to your own." Thunderbolt replied, the four griffons looked on with shock, "What are you buzzards doing in our country anyway?" Jayhawk asked, "My family's dead." the female child griffon replied while trying to hold her tears back, "My family's dead, too." the male child griffon said, "I heard Equestria was more peaceful and safer than Griffonstone." the male adult griffon said, "I'm just sightseeing." the female adult griffon said, "Where were your parents when they died?" Eagle asked, "They... were at a post to the north of Griffonstone before they were bombed." the male child griffon replied, the female child griffon nodded, "Look behind us." Thunderbolt said, they did and the the female child griffon gasped when she saw the Cloudsdale Air Force uniforms and griffon skulls mounted on the wall, "It was you guys who did the bombing!" the male child griffon said, "And good riddance, the less griffons in the world, the better." Stealth Bomber replied, "You guys killed my parents!" the male child griffon said, "You should've been there so you could've died with them." Thunderbolt replied, Raging Tornado's, Tsunami's, and Earthquake's jaws dropped, "You see those skulls on the wall there? They mean "Not Welcome."" Jayhawk said, the female child griffon began to cry, "Stop your sniveling, it serves you buzzards right." Falcon said, "But you guys killed my family, I'm an orphan now." the female child griffon replied tearfully, "Stop grieving, your family deserved to die." Stealth Bomber said, Raging Tornado, Tsunami, and Earthquake gasped while Meteorite Hellfire's horn glowed red and she pulled them away from the door with her telekinesis and ran in between them and the griffons, "ENOUGH!! ARE YOU GUYS EVEN LISTENING TO YOURSELVES?!" Meteorite Hellfire asked, "Why should we extend a helping hoof to these ego-driven and greedy scumbags?" Jayhawk asked, Tsunami gasped, "Jayhawk!" Tsunami said with shock and horror, "You guys are just getting angry at them for being griffons! None of you are looking into their personalities!" Meteorite Hellfire said, "You're defending them?! You, a griffon sympathizer?" Stealth Bomber asked, "I get it, you guys were wronged by griffons, and they were your enemies in the war, but not all griffons are like that, that applies to everycreature." Meteorite Hellfire said, the griffons looked at Meteorite Hellfire with surprise, "My brother was a griffon sympathizer, and they killed him!" Stealth Bomber said, "How would your parents feel if they saw the way you're behaving now?!" Meteorite Hellfire asked, "My parents would be proud!" Stealth Bomber replied, "Ours too, they wanted us to join the military to kill griffons to begin with." Thunderbolt said, "Join to kill griffons?! I heard this is a land of friendship!" Meteorite Hellfire said, "Griffons are an exception." Jayhawk replied, "Come on, let's go elsewhere." the male adult griffon said, and they walked away while the female child griffon continued to cry, the Pegasi tried to run after them but Meteorite Hellfire held them back with her telekinesis, "Stop right there! What are you nine planning to do?!" Meteorite Hellfire asked, "They're griffons." Stealth Bomber replied, "So?!" Meteorite Hellfire asked, "They have to die!" Thunderbolt replied, "How would you guys like it if unicorns and earth ponies hunted down and killed you guys just because you all were Pegasi?!" Meteorite Hellfire asked, the nine Pegasi calmed down and realized what she was saying, "See, there you go, you guys are doing the same thing to them." Meteorite Hellfire said, "Because they're nasty and greedy people." Jayhawk replied, "They're not the only creatures that are rude and nasty, dragons and yaks are like that, too." Meteorite Hellfire said, "I've never had any problems with dragons." Thunderbolt said, "Have you even met one?" Meteorite Hellfire asked, "Yeah, I met a few." Thunderbolt replied, "Anyway, let's finish our lunch, and you all think about how you guys treat the griffons, it's a good thing Princess Celestia isn't around to see you guys right now." Meteorite Hellfire said, and they walked back, Stealth Bomber looked at Raging Tornado and saw she had tears in her eyes from how he and his comrades behaved towards the griffons, they all sat and had lunch quietly. Violet and Velvet looked at them with widened eyes' and slightly dropped jaws, "Wow, I've never heard of ponies hating a creature that much." Violet said, "Well, aside from that, Meteorite Hellfire was also the one who offered us support whenever we had bad dreams of the war, out of the four of them, she understood us the most." Thunderbolt replied, "Was she you guys' counselors?" Violet asked, "A secondary one, we were already seeing Liebert before we went to Nature Valley." Stealth Bomber replied, "Well, go on and tell us in case Big Business' employees offer us a different description of her personality." Violet said, and they told her more. The Pegasi were sleeping in Nature Valley one night and they were tossing and turning on the ground, they woke up yelling and screaming while aiming their guns, their elemental ponies comforted them while Meteorite Hellfire trotted to them, "It's alright, guys, calm down, let's sit." Meteorite Hellfire said, and they did, "What have you all been dreaming about now?" Meteorite Hellfire asked, "I was remembering how I got my scars." Lancer replied, "We never did talk about your scars, how did you guys get them?" Meteorite Hellfire asked, "We were all tortured at sometime during the war." Eagle replied, "Wait, you guys were tortured?" Meteorite Hellfire asked, "Yeah, we were all POWs at some point, I was tortured, too, even though I don't have any scars." Stealth Bomber replied, "How did you get your scars?" Meteorite Hellfire asked, "The griffons cut me from my sternum to my abdomen in an attempt to cut open my body and pull my internal organs out." Thunderbolt replied, "I had acid rubbed on my head and I lost my mane, my left eye was exposed to poison gas, and my right eye got slashed by a knife." Stinger said, "Even though I don't have scars, either, I received beatings and was hit with hammers, my torturers were hoping to break my bones." Lancer said, "The griffons tried to skin me alive, they only got my back." Eagle said, "My knees were smashed with sledgehammers." Falcon said, "My right cheek was skinned off by a knife." Raptor said, "The back of my neck was set on fire and I was burned." Condor said, "Wow, what happened to you, Stealth Bomber?" Meteorite Hellfire asked, "I was received whippings on my back, the griffons also stabbed knives into my back, the doctors were able to treat me before the scars formed." Stealth Bomber replied, "And you, Jayhawk?" Meteorite Hellfire asked, "I got beatings." Jayhawk replied, "Alright, now then, what have you all been dreaming about?" Meteorite Hellfire asked, "I was dreaming about the time this gas that was dropped near where we were stationed at, I remember the Pegasi who got hit by it, I watched their skins melt off as they screamed in agony and died in front of me." Lancer replied, "My god, that must've been a bad sight." Meteorite Hellfire said, "It smelled terrible, too." Lancer replied, "I was dreaming about the burning of the bodies, I remember some of the ponies and griffons who were burned were playing dead and got burned alive." Stealth Bomber said, "I remember that, too, I had to cover my ears when I heard them screaming." Jayhawk said, "What have you been dreaming about, Jayhawk?" Meteorite Hellfire asked, "The corpses we had to eat to survive." Jayhawk replied, "What? You guys didn't have MREs?" Meteorite Hellfire asked, "We did, but it wasn't enough." Condor replied, "You guys didn't get proper nutrition." Meteorite Hellfire said, "None of us did, we had to kill wildlife to eat, too." Thunderbolt replied, "Well, moving on, what have the rest of you been having dreams about?" Meteorite Hellfire asked, "I was remembering waking up to gunshots at night." Stinger replied, "I dreamed about the time I had to eat a fellow dead soldier to survive." Falcon said, "I was dreaming about the time I smelled burning flesh in the woods." Eagle said, "I dreamed about the time I was patrolling alone at night and I could hear screaming everywhere." Thunderbolt said, "I was dreaming about seeing a fellow Pegasus mauled and eaten alive by a bear." Condor said, "I dreamed about the time when I saw griffons wearing skinned pony faces as masks." Raptor said, "Wow, you guys really did see a lot of horrors, anyway, are you all having trouble sleeping every night?" Meteorite Hellfire asked, the Pegasi nodded, "I see, I am very familiar with the horrors of war, and remember, you have to come to terms with them, yourself, but make sure to support one another, the last thing you guys need is one of you succumbing to the memories and committing suicide." Meteorite Hellfire said, the Pegasi nodded, "Well, I guess that's all for today, try to get through the day, okay?" Meteorite Hellfire asked, the Pegasi nodded and the residents of Nature Valley got on with their days. The Pegasi were sleeping one night in Nature Valley and Jayhawk began screaming in his sleep and swung his front legs around, the others woke up and looked at him, "No! No more! Please!" Jayhawk said loudly in his sleep, Raging Tornado and Earthquake shook him awake and he woke up panting, "You guys never did talk about how he joined you eight." Meteorite Hellfire said, "During the war, Jayhawk's parents were killed and he was thrown into a camp with other colts his age, they were beaten and had to fight to the death each day or the griffons guarding the camp would've killed them." Stealth Bomber said, "I had to fight every day, we were trained in knife combat and shooting, we had to do slash and shoot one another with real weapons, we had to do hoof-to-hoof combat, too, every fight was a fight to the death, those who refused were killed by the griffons, they didn't feed us, either, so we had to eat the corpse of the one we killed, we also had to look at and smell dead bodies to get used to them." Jayhawk said while trying to keep himself together, "When we found him, Jayhawk was the only prisoner left, we killed the guards and took him in with us, he was anorexic and sick, the medics nursed him back to health." Thunderbolt replied, "But why did they do that?" Raging Tornado asked, "They were training and conditioning him to become a soldier." Stinger said, the residents of Nature Valley gasped, "You mean... they were turning Jayhawk into a child soldier?!" Tsunami asked, Jayhawk nodded sadly, "Where were his parents?" Earthquake asked, "The guards there killed my family before they threw me into the camp." Jayhawk replied, "Do you have child soldiers, too, Meteorite Hellfire?" Stealth Bomber asked, "No, of course not, a child shouldn't experience war, let alone fight in one, they should be happy, they should be outside playing, they should be making friends and spending quality time with their parents, not fighting for their lives and being forced to participate in cannibalism." Meteorite Hellfire replied, "I still want my old life back." Jayhawk said while tears began to form in his eyes, Tsunami ran to him and hugged him, "He was a happy foal before the griffons killed his family, we did the best we could to try to make feel at home with us." Thunderbolt said, "Nothing will recreate that feeling for him, I'm sorry to say this, but he's probably traumatized for life." Meteorite Hellfire replied, they looked at him and Tsunami continued to hug him while Jayhawk looked down with his eyes closed and tears coming out of them. The Pegasi were in Nature Valley another time and morning came, they woke up and saw Jayhawk was missing, "Jayhawk?" Stealth Bomber asked, they flew around and looked for him, they found him sleepwalking in western Nature Valley and Tsunami was behind him. Jayhawk sleepwalked to the north with tears falling out of his eyes, "Mom? Dad? Where are you?" Jayhawk asked, he sleepwalked more and looked around while Tsunami covered her own face with her talons and cried as Jayhawk walked away. Violet and Velvet looked at the Pegasi with bewilderment, "You're a former child soldier, Jayhawk?" Velvet asked, "Yeah, I killed a few griffons during the war, too." Jayhawk replied, "I'm sorry to hear that, Jayhawk, but please try to remember you're not in a war zone anymore." Velvet said, "Well, that's all the time we have today, now that we have information on all of the areas, the next thing we need to know is what Big Business did." Violet said, "Alright, next time, then." Stealth Bomber said, "Well, off we go." Violet said, and the two left. The Pegasi looked at the time and they decided to home school Jayhawk, they taught him how to do math and they had dinner when the sun set and they went to sleep. Two days passed and it was quiet, complaining was heard outside and they left their home, they saw the technology has stopped working again, "Again? Are there anymore disasters to come?" Roseluck asked, "I doubt it, we already got hit by disasters from the sky, land, and sea, I don't know where the next one would be." Mrs. Cake replied, "Ah can't believe things still ain't workin', we already got hit by the three areas that make up the world." Applejack said to her friends, the Pegasi walked to them, "First, tornadoes and heavy winds from the sky, next, tidal waves and floods from the sea, along with blizzards and rain, then, earthquakes and sinkholes in the ground, all of those ponies from that Nature Valley place already hit us." Twilight Sparkle said, "Um, girls." Jayhawk said, the six mares looked at him, "There's four elemental ponies." Jayhawk said, "What?! Four of them?!" Rarity asked, "Yeah, this should be the last of the disasters." Stealth Bomber replied, "I wonder what it's going to be." Fluttershy said, an explosion was heard and ponies screamed, they looked and saw a train explode with its coals to power its engine falling out, "Wait, that's not the Friendship Express." Jayhawk said, "No, that's Big Business' train, he just shows it off and lets no one ride it, the rails he owns also cuts off the Friendship Express sometimes and they have to wait for that train to pass." Twilight Sparkle replied, more explosions were heard and the ponies screamed, everycreature looked and saw the ovens owned by Big Business exploding, more explosions were heard around all of Equestria, the Pegasi flew up and saw Big Business' machinery exploding as well, "Oh, boy, Meteorite Hellfire must be mad." Stinger said, "She always had a bad temper." Falcon replied, they looked and saw the creatures running away from where the explosions happened and the ponies near them also ran away. The Pegasi flew down and lava began bursting out of the ground around all of Equestria, the ponies screamed as the lava went into the sky and flowed onto the ground, the creatures who could fly grabbed the ones who could not and flew up, they all saw a big fire to the east of Equestria and it was moving west, more lava erupted out of the ground and the volcanoes in Equestria erupted as well. The creatures screamed as ash blocked the sun and darkened the sky, "Look, something's emerging from the fire." Ocellus said, they looked and the silhouette of more ponies who were black and featureless like shadows appeared, they flowed forward in the fire before they began walking on the ground, the creatures looked when another black and featureless silhouette formed in front of them, it took the shape of a kirin and had glowing red eyes, "Wait, what is that?" Smolder asked, "Is that... a kirin?" Applejack asked, "What's a kirin?" Sandbar asked, "Ah'll explain later." Applejack replied, the ghosts walked forward while two red lines appeared on Meteorite Hellfire's horn and she shot fire out of them and burned whatever was in her path, "Wow, Meteorite Hellfire must be mad." Jayhawk said, "Can't blame her, she's probably lost her patience over us trying to find Big Business." Stealth Bomber replied, Meteorite Hellfire and the fire ponies moved very slowly but everything they passed caught on fire and lava shot out of the ground, "Come on, everyone, we gotta stop her before she burns all of Equestria." Twilight Sparkle said, and she flew to her. Meteorite Hellfire continued setting Equestria on fire as she made her way to the west, "Hi there." Pinkie Pie said in front of her, "My name's Pinkie Pie, I was hoping we could have some fun and do a fire show." Pinkie Pie said, Meteorite Hellfire hit Pinkie Pie away with the back of her hoof and Pinkie Pie screamed as she flew through the air and hit a tree, the tree's roots came out of the ground and fell over. Meteorite Hellfire continued going forward with the fire ponies behind her, they grew wings and horns and flew around, they flapped their wings to spread fire farther and shot more fire out of their horns, the flames were extinguished by zaps and they saw Twilight Sparkle flying forward, Meteorite Hellfire glared and flung her away with her telekinesis. Meteorite Hellfire led the fire ponies and she shot fire at whatever machinery was owned by Big Business, "Excuse us, Meteorite Hellfire." Thunderbolt said, she looked up and saw him and the other eight Pegasi, "We're sorry finding Big Business' employees is taking long, but please wait a little longer, the detectives in Canterlot are interviewing them right now." Thunderbolt said, Meteorite Hellfire glared sharply, "We're serious, Meteorite Hellfire, they might be done soon." Stealth Bomber said, two orange lines appeared on her horn and she shot lava out, they flew out of the way, "Yeah, there's no calming her down." Stinger said, "What do we do then?" Jayhawk asked, "She'll have to be subdued." Lancer replied, "What? But she was our friend." Jayhawk said, "I know, but she'll destroy all of Equestria if we don't calm her." Stealth Bomber replied, they looked and saw Meteorite Hellfire has moved forward and was entering Ponyville, the unicorns all tried to subdue her and the fire ponies with their telekinesis, Meteorite Hellfire shot fire at them out of her horn, "That's far enough." Twilight Sparkle said as she flew to her, "I ask that you stop this now." Twilight Sparkle said, Meteorite Hellfire cast a spell and three weapons appeared on her back, she had a two hoofed battle axe and a cross-shaped spear with two curved blades on the central lance crossed together, under her axe and spear was a double-edged broadsword with two tips on the sides of the blade, all three of her weapons had orange blades that glowed brightly. Meteorite Hellfire took her axe out and swung it forward, a wave of fire went forward and Twilight Sparkle flew over it, Meteorite Hellfire spun the axe around and a circle of fire engulfed her. Twilight Sparkle flew back slowly while Meteorite Hellfire moved forward, she stopped spinning and sent another wave of fire towards Twilight Sparkle, she quickly flew over and shot a zap at her, it pushed her back a little but she stood her ground. Meteorite Hellfire saw the axe was too slow to hit Twilight Sparkle with, so she put it back on her back and took her spear out, she did diagonal slashes and each one sent out a wave of fire, Twilight Sparkle screamed briefly when one wave touched the tip of one of her feathers and set it on fire, she put it out with her other wing. Meteorite Hellfire spun her spear above her head and sent out circular waves of fire that burnt anything they touched, Meteorite Hellfire did several horizontal and vertical slashes that sent out waves of fire that Twilight Sparkle flew around to dodge. Hitting noises were heard and Twilight Sparkle and Meteorite Hellfire looked back and saw several other ponies were trying to subdue the fire ponies, the fire ponies hit whoever tried to restrain them and they were sent flying away in the air, they screamed and destroyed whatever they collided with, the ponies who got hit were knocked out after one hit. Rainbow Dash flew around to knock out the fire ponies, "Good luck trying to get me." Rainbow Dash said as she flew around and hit the fire ponies down, Meteorite Hellfire glared at her and shot fire out of her horn at her, Rainbow Dash flew around and dodged it easily, Meteorite Hellfire glared even more and sent out waves of fire with her spear, Rainbow Dash dodged them all easily, her spear got grabbed from behind and she saw Applejack trying to take it, Twilight Sparkle shot her with her magic and knocked her back, Applejack took the spear as well. Meteorite Hellfire took her axe out again and sent big waves of fire at Applejack, more running was heard and she looked back and saw Big Macintosh coming, she tried to hit him with her axe but he went around her and bucked her on her side, she was pushed back a bit and dropped her axe, Rainbow Dash flew by and took it. Meteorite Hellfire took her sword out and swung it around to make more waves of fire appear, she spun her sword around and the grass caught on fire when the blade touched it, she sent out more waves of fire that were easily dodged since her sword was slower than her spear, she held her hoof forward to signal the fire ponies to attack, but nothing happened, she looked back and saw the fire ponies were all subdued, "Y'all are strong, Ah'll give ya that." Applejack said, "But you guys only have average endurance, you all also really need to work on your speed." Rainbow Dash said, Meteorite Hellfire glared even more and swung her sword even faster to send out more waves of fire, Twilight Sparkle cast a spell on her sword to take it away from her, Meteorite Hellfire had orange lines appear on her horn and she shot lava at her, Twilight Sparkle cast a shield to block it, the shield went down and Twilight Sparkle threw the sword behind herself with her telekinesis. Meteorite Hellfire turned herself into a body of fire and floated into the air, "What the?" Twilight Sparkle asked, Meteorite Hellfire flew through the air in the form of a stream of fire, the Pegasi flew after her to stop her but lava erupted out of the ground around her to stop them from reaching her. Starlight Glimmer teleported to in front of her and shot her with a zap from her horn and changed her back to normal, Meteorite Hellfire fell but landed on her hoofs, she glared sharply and nirik fire appeared above her eyes and on her hoofs, her mane, tail, and scales on her hind hoofs also changed to nirik fire. Meteorite Hellfire shot regular fire and nirik fire out of her horn at Starlight Glimmer, she quickly teleported away while the fire and nirik fire burned whatever they touched to ashes, she looked around and saw no one, so she walked forward while her nirik fire made her hoofs burn whatever she stepped on. Meteorite Hellfire walked forward and saw ponies were coming to stop her, so she began to run, but the ponies caught her easily, Meteorite Hellfire turned back into a stream of fire and the ponies who touched her got burned, they yelled in pain while Meteorite Hellfire flew through the sky, Twilight Sparkle cast a spell to turn her back, "That's enough, Meteorite Hellfire." Twilight Sparkle said, Meteorite Hellfire's horn had red and orange lines on them and she shot out regular fire, nirik fire, and lava together, the ponies quickly moved away while Meteorite Hellfire disintegrated anything her regular fire, nirik fire, and lava touched, telekinesis was cast on her from behind by Starlight Glimmer and she tried to break free, Twilight Sparkle cast magical binds onto her to restrain her and Starlight Glimmer put her down, Meteorite Hellfire tried to break free and use her telekinesis to move forward but could not, she sat and shook her head. The ponies went to her and Meteorite Hellfire looked at them, "Just be a little more patient, Meteorite Hellfire, Big Business will be dealt with soon, I promise." Thunderbolt said, Meteorite Hellfire glared, "So, who are these guys?" Starlight Glimmer asked, "Fire ponies, they're from western Nature Valley, they're the fighters, while they're strongest of the elemental ponies, they're the slowest." Jayhawk replied, "Yer tellin' me, Pinkie Pie's still unconscious from gettin' hit." Applejack said, they looked and saw Pinkie Pie laying unconscious with stars over her head, "You should be ashamed of yourself, Meteorite Hellfire, look at how much damage you've caused." Twilight Sparkle said, nirik fire appeared over Meteorite Hellfire's eyes, "Don't you get mad at Twilight, you have burned down the animals' homes." Fluttershy said, "Well, compared to the other three, she didn't get that far." Jayhawk said, "Yeah, but look at how much damage she's caused, she would've caused more damage than the other three combined if she went to all of Equestria." Starlight Glimmer said, "Try to settle down, Meteorite Hellfire, we know you're mad and want justice, but we promise that Big Business will face justice soon, just give us a little more time." Stealth Bomber said, Meteorite Hellfire's nirik flames disappeared, "Good, now undo the damage you've done." Twilight Sparkle said, and she freed her and she began making the lava go back into the ground with her magic, "Tell me, does she take orders from Earthquake too when she's with the other three?" Starlight Glimmer asked, "No, she's the oldest of the four, so Earthquake doesn't command her." Jayhawk replied, "Well, let's go home, we've got a mess to clean tomorrow." Twilight Sparkle said, and they all headed home. Stealth Bomber and the others had dinner and looked outside, "What will happen next?" Stinger asked, "Who knows, that's all four of Mother Nature's chosen ones." Thunderbolt replied, "We'll just have to wait and see, let's sleep, I'm tired." Stealth Bomber said, and they laid down on the floor and slept.
Nature's WrathMorning came and the Pegasi ate more griffon meat for breakfast, they finished and washed the dishes, knocking was heard at the door while they washed the dishes, "Um, Jayhawk, it's me." Gabby said from outside, he went to the door and opened it, "Um, were you ever thought about griffon history?" Gabby asked, "Yeah, I have several propaganda posters with me from the air force." Jayhawk replied, "Can I see them?" Gabby asked, and Jayhawk went to go get them. Gabby looked at the propaganda posters and Gabby screamed as she looked at the three posters, "Griffons play favoritism and only allow those they personally like to do jobs over those who are qualified? Stop them before they make you jobless? All of the art, literature, music, and cuisine of griffons are stolen from other creatures and passed off as their own? Arrest all griffons before they steal your culture? Griffons are carnivores and have restaurants dedicated to cooking and eating the ponies they killed?! Kill and eat all griffons before they kill and eat you?!" Gabby asked, Jayhawk saw tears forming in her eyes, "These are only a few of the propaganda posters." Jayhawk said, "What did the others say?" Gabby asked, "There was one about the griffons moving to Equestria because they're jealous that our kingdom was still standing while theirs was destroyed, so they're coming here to destroy ours out of jealousy, another one was talking about how King Grover was actually a thief and he stole the Idol of Boreas, and the Arimaspi was there to retrieve it to give it back to its people, and the most popular one was that griffons were coming to Equestria to spread their seeds into ponies to create a new generation of tainted ponies that are as selfish and greedy as the griffons, and it can be prevented by making them extinct." Jayhawk replied, Gabby had tears in her eyes, "I can't believe you kind and friendly ponies can come up with stuff like that, us griffons are nothing like that!" Gabby said, and she flew away crying, Jayhawk shrugged and went back into his home. Jayhawk began reading a science book and was reading about genes, he looked at the gene analyzing equipment that Stealth Bomber got from the air force and then went back to reading, knocking was heard at the door and the Pegasi aimed their guns, "Jayhawk, you there? We need to talk." Twilight Sparkle said from outside, Stealth Bomber put his rifle down and opened the door, he saw her with her friends, "Where's Jayhawk?" Twilight Sparkle asked, Jayhawk walked to the door, "We saw Gabby crying just now and she told us about these propaganda posters you have." Twilight Sparkle said, "Oh, those, yeah, the Cloudsdale Air Force made them to boost morale and convince others to fight." Jayhawk replied, "Let me see them." Twilight Sparkle said, and Jayhawk got them and showed them to her, Pinkie Pie gasped, "My, what is this?!" Rarity asked, "I've never seen anything so mean." Fluttershy said, "Come on now, the griffons are rude." Stealth Bomber said, "Yeah, but they never said stuff like this about us." Rainbow Dash replied, "Yeah, them plagiarizin' other creatures and passin' it off as their own sounds very hard to believe." Applejack said, "And there is this about them eating ponies, that is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard." Rarity said, "Well, the Pegasi in the air force liked it." Jayhawk replied, "Draw me a picture of how a typical griffon looked in the posters, Jayhawk." Twilight Sparkle said, and Jayhawk trotted into his home. Condor and Jayhawk drew a picture together and colored it, they finished after about ten minutes and Jayhawk went to Twilight Sparkle and her friends, he showed them the picture and Pinkie Pie and Rarity screamed, the griffon had a brown body, a white head, and a yellow beak, he was morbidly obese with pregnant mares laying around him crying and bruised, he had a cooked headless pony on a stick as his scepter and he had pony meat, blood, and bones dripping from his mouth, he was sitting in a throne made from gold and ponies were under it and carrying it, he also had ponies in front pulling his throne forward while chained and shackled, he wore a necklace that had shrunken pony heads on it, and a crown on his head made out of owl pellets. Twilight Sparkle looked at Jayhawk with shock and disgust, "This is how you guys are taught to see the griffons?!" Twilight Sparkle asked, "All of us were, we were at war with them." Jayhawk replied, "That griffon has a name, too." Stealth Bomber said, "What would that be?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "King Guano." Jayhawk replied, Fluttershy gasped while Pinkie Pie screamed again, "Worst name ever!" Pinkie Pie said, "How can you all come up with such a thing?! This is a disgrace against pony culture!" Rarity said, "As we said, it's propaganda, not many Pegasi took it seriously, either." Stealth Bomber replied, "It's still not cool." Rainbow Dash said, "What did they teach you about Griffonstone?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "That all of the buildings and homes are actually stolen parts of other kingdoms that the griffons destroyed." Jayhawk replied, "Did you ever learn about King Grover?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "Yup, he was called a thief." Jayhawk replied, "What? No, he wasn't." Twilight Sparkle said, "Well, that's what propaganda said." Jayhawk replied, "You should be ashamed of yourselves! I'm sure you ponies offended the other Pegasi in the air force." Fluttershy said, "Actually, they found the propaganda posters to be funny." Stealth Bomber replied, "What?! There is nothing funny about them!" Rarity said, "They thought it was funny." Jayhawk replied, "Just wait a bit, Jayhawk, I got several books for you to read, I'll be back with them." Twilight Sparkle said, and she and her friends left. Stealth Bomber went to work at the weather factory and he looked around Equestria and saw Meteorite Hellfire's destruction was not undone, he went back to producing clouds and yawned since today was a slow day, his mind drifted a little while he waited for the day to end, "You good, Stealth Bomber?" a male employee asked, "Yeah, just tired." Stealth Bomber replied, and the employee left while Stealth Bomber continued to work. Stealth Bomber looked out the window and saw the sky was clear, the sea was calm, the land was quiet, and there were no flames anywhere, he went back to producing more clouds and storing away lightning jars, he kept looking out the windows as he passed them since he could see almost all of Equestria from the weather factory, he saw Violet and Velvet meeting with five stallions in Canterlot and they gave the two papers, the two unfolded them with their magic, Violet's magic aura was sky blue while Velvet's was royal blue. Stealth Bomber watched them and saw Violet's facial expressions change as she read the reports while Velvet's expression remained the same, he went back to work and looked at the two each time he passed the window. Stealth Bomber worked more and he saw Princess Celestia and Princess Luna seeing the ponies and making sure everyone was alright, he worked until it was time to go home and he headed home. Jayhawk was outside and seeing Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle, they went to go see Gabby since she was still upset, "There, there, Gabby, it's alright, regular ponies don't see griffons like how Jayhawk was taught to do." Apple Bloom said, "But still, I didn't know ponies could be so cruel." Gabby replied, "Was there any specific griffon you were taught about?" Scootaloo asked, "Yeah, King Guano." Jayhawk replied, Gabby quickly looked up at him, "There isn't a King Guano in griffon history." Gabby said, "What did he look like?" Sweetie Belle asked, "I drew a picture of him for Princess Twilight earlier today." Jayhawk replied, "Oh, um, did she take it?" Sweetie Belle asked, "No." Jayhawk replied, "Can you go get it for us?" Sweetie Belle asked, and Jayhawk trotted back home and got the drawing, he came back and showed it to them, Gabby screamed at the picture of King Guano, "This isn't what we griffons look like!" Gabby said, Gallus heard her and flew to them, "What is it?" Gallus asked, "Look! This is how the Cloudsdale Air Force taught him how to view us." Gabby replied, Gallus looked and his eyes widened and jaw dropped from the picture, "That isn't us!" Gallus said, "What is with this design?" Apple Bloom asked, "That's the point, everything in this picture is a symbolism of griffon propaganda." Jayhawk replied, "What do they represent?" Scootaloo asked, "King Guano being fat symbolizes that griffons are lazy gluttons, the ponies carrying his throne also symbolizes griffon laziness, the pregnant female ponies symbolize the griffons are going to plant their seeds in us to create ponies that will have the traits of griffons, such as being rude and greedy, their bruises symbolize griffons beating their spouses and non-griffons, the meat, blood, and bones dripping from his mouth symbolize griffons as being carnivorous slobs, the scepter symbolizes materialism, the headless pony also symbolizes gluttony, his gold throne also symbolizes greed, the shrunken pony heads as his necklace symbolize barbarianism, too, and that griffons are sadistic to ponies, and the owl pellets symbolize griffons as being unhygienic, he wears them as a crown to symbolize griffons taking pride in being filthy and carrying sicknesses with them." Jayhawk said, the Cutie Mark Crusaders and griffons looked at him with shocked faces, "That's wrong, Jayhawk." Sweetie Belle said, "I didn't realize that back then, but I do see it now." Jayhawk replied, "Who came up with this?" Gallus asked, "Actually, a lot of ponies did, there isn't just one." Jayhawk replied, "Is this the only one of the griffon propaganda you all came up with?" Gabby asked, "Yeah, but we did have to vote on his name, though." Jayhawk replied, "What other names did you have for him?" Scootaloo asked, "His other name was King Glutton, we had to do a vote on which one the Pegasi liked better, and King Guano won." Jayhawk replied, "Did y'all call Griffonstone Griffonstone?" Apple Bloom asked, "No, after we named him, we called it Guanotopia." Jayhawk replied, "Guanotopia?" Gabby asked, "Yeah, it symbolizes that griffons will name everything after themselves to stroke their own egos." Jayhawk replied, "Wow, but why just griffons, and not dragons and yaks?" Gallus asked, "Because the Pegasi in the air force who met the dragons and yaks didn't have any problems with them." Jayhawk replied, "You still should let go of yer griffon hate, Jayhawk." Apple Bloom said, "I'm working on it." Jayhawk replied, "So, um... what made you decide to change your ways?" Scootaloo asked, "Meteorite Hellfire got mad at us and confronted us about our hatred of griffons one day, we had an argument, and we realized what we were doing after that argument." Jayhawk replied, "So Nature Valley changed you guys." Sweetie Belle said, "Yeah, that was the main change in us." Jayhawk replied, "It's almost dark, Jayhawk, we're headin' home, ya should go, too." Apple Bloom said, "Okay, see you guys next time." Jayhawk replied, and the Cutie Mark Crusaders, Gabby, and Gallus left while Jayhawk went home. Jayhawk entered his home and read a book on Equestrian history while Stealth Bomber came home from the factory and they slept along with the other seven Pegasi. The next day came and the Pegasi ate griffon meat for breakfast, knocking was heard at the door while they washed the dishes, "It's us." Violet said from outside, Thunderbolt opened the door and saw her and Velvet, "We got our reports on Big Business and his employees yesterday." Violet said, "Well?" Thunderbolt asked, "We'll show them at the table." Velvet replied, "Come on in, then." Thunderbolt said, and they entered the home. Stealth Bomber and his comrades sat with Violet and Velvet at the table, "Here is what Big Business' employees had to say about Nature Valley." Velvet said as she showed them the reports, they saw each report about Nature Valley was basically the same, it was that everypony entered with Big Business and they began slaughtering and destroying everything on Big Business' orders because the residents provoked them and tried to kill them on sight, and the elemental ponies considered themselves superior to other ponies and Mother Nature was plotting to destroy Equestria with her magic, "I figured they would lie." Stinger said, "Well, I can't say it's a lie just yet, but please do tell us your side of the story." Velvet replied, "Alright, here goes." Thunderbolt said, and they told their side. The Pegasi recovered from their broken wings and they were getting ready to leave, "Are you all going?" Tsunami asked, "Yeah, Big Business is waiting for our report." Lancer replied, "Will you guys come back?" Raging Tornado asked, "We'll think about it." Stealth Bomber replied, "Come on, guys, let's go." Thunderbolt said, and they left while the ponies of Nature Valley said bye to them. The Pegasi went back to Las Pegasus and were in Big Business' office to give their report, "Well?" Big Business asked, "The residents of Nature Valley are not friendly, they shot us down when we flew over them and they tried to kill us." Thunderbolt replied, "Why didn't you all fly away?" Big Business asked, "They shot our wings." Stinger replied, "Okay, but what took you all so long to come back here?" Big Business asked, "We were hiding in the woods to evade them, they just gave up this morning." Lancer replied, "I see, well, I'm surprised you nine survived, especially you, kid, since you're dumb enough to win a stupid contest." Big Business said, Jayhawk growled, "Anyway, I was ready to replace you guys if you all died, but since you're here, that saves me the time and energy of having to replace you idiots with even dumber idiots, I'll give you all your next assignment later." Big Business said, "Well, what do you say about Nature Valley?" Stealth Bomber asked, "Let's go over it, I'll look for another place to build my businesses." Big Business replied, "We'd also like a raise." Lancer said, "Why?" Big Business asked, "We just risked our lives." Stealth Bomber replied, "So?" Big Business asked, "We'd like higher pay if we have to do more dangerous jobs." Thunderbolt replied, "I already pay you guys enough." Big Business said, "You pay us below minimum wage." Eagle replied, "But putting together the money I give you eight equals to minimum wage, so I think I pay you guys enough." Big Business said, "What about your other employees?" Condor asked, "What about them?" Big Business asked, "How much are you paying them?" Condor asked, "Minimum wage." Big Business replied, "When do they get a raise?" Raptor asked, "Never." Big Business replied, "Why?" Stinger asked, "I need the money more than they do." Big Business replied, "For what?" Jayhawk asked, "To show Equestria that I'm the most powerful and influential person in the land." Big Business replied, "You sure it's not to hire new ponies to work for you?" Stealth Bomber asked, "I have specific ponies I'd hire to work under me." Big Business replied, "Who? Flim and Flam?" Jayhawk asked, "Flim and Flam are not worthy to work for me." Big Business replied, "Well, that is all we had to report, we suggest you send your employees elsewhere to build your industries." Thunderbolt said, "Fine, now get out, the presence of you nine is making me mad already." Big Business replied, and they left while scowling. "Three months after that, Big Business arrived into Nature Valley with his employees and they began destroying the place, they killed everyone native to Nature Valley, too." Stealth Bomber said, "Where were you guys?" Velvet asked, "In Nature Valley, we still visited them after we left the first time we were there." Falcon replied, "I can already guess you all fought with the elemental ponies to help them defend their home." Violet replied, "We did." Lancer replied, "Well, can you all elaborate?" Velvet asked, and they told her and Violet their sides of the events. The Pegasi were seeing Raging Tornado one day in Nature Valley and loud vehicles were heard they looked to the north and saw Big Business coming with his employees, vehicles, and construction equipment, "What are you doing, Big Business?" Thunderbolt asked, "I changed my mind, I'm going to build here." Big Business replied, "We said this place is dangerous and the ponies here will attack you." Stinger said, "It doesn't look that way to me." Big Business replied, "We're trying to make a truce right now to be left alone." Stealth Bomber said, "Well, too bad, I've made up my mind, this place has to go." Big Business replied, "Why?" Jayhawk asked, "Females are not fit to rule, that's a male's job." Big Business replied, "Where do you get that kind of thinking from?" Raptor asked, "That doesn't matter, come on now, guys, destroy the place." Big Business said, and his employees went forward. Big Business and his employees began attacking Nature Valley and used their equipment to destroy their land, they began attacking the air ponies with their magic while the Pegasi flew after them and the earth ponies held some of them down, "Go! Make sure not a single one survives!" Big Business said, and he used his magic to destroy their homes and land, "What are you doing, Big Business?!" Thunderbolt asked, "Simple, these ponies are made from natural resources, I can use their bodies to power my industries." Big Business replied, "But why are you destroying them?" Jayhawk asked, "Because they're in the way, and their ruler's are female, the inferior gender, so they have to die." Big Business replied, the Pegasi glared at him and flew to tackle him, but Big Business teleported away, they looked around and saw Big Business' employees going to all of Nature Valley. Stealth Bomber and Jayhawk remained in Nature Valley while the others went to the other three areas to help, Raging Tornado's gem glowed and she summoned strong winds and tornadoes to blow Big Business' employees away, the Pegasi flew along the wind's currents while the unicorns simply teleported around and shot at her with zaps from their horns, Raging Tornado yelled when she got hit by one and fell to the ground. Stealth Bomber flew around and fought Big Business' employees, he saw several of Big Business' employees laughing and destroying the air ponies' homes and equipment while they held them down and forced them to watch, he heard grunting and saw several of Big Buisness' employees restraining and beating up Jayhawk, he tried to break free while Big Business' employees knocked him down and began kicking him. Stealth Bomber flew to them and punched and threw Big Business' employees over his shoulder, one tackled him down from behind and the earth ponies began kicking Stealth Bomber while he grunted. Raging Tornado summoned more tornadoes and rain and blizzards appeared all over Nature Valley, the ground shook and everypony stumbled, the water ponies, ground ponies, and fire ponies appeared in northern Nature Valley to help fight off Big Business' employees. Eagle, Falcon, and Lancer fought Big Business' employees in southern Nature Valley, only the unicorns and Pegasi came, the three punched some of the Pegasi out of the sky and they fell into the water, they saw the unicorns restraining the water ponies and killed several of them with lightning spells, they became flat bodies of water and evaporated. Tsunami looked on with horror at seeing the water ponies die and became frozen in place, Lancer flew to her and shook her, "Tsunami, focus, you'll die if you stay in place." Lancer said, Tsunami came back to her senses, "Sorry, but I really hate violence." Tsunami said, "Not the time, you have to focus." Lancer said, and Tsunami's gem glowed as she raised her front legs up and made tidal waves appear. Tsunami focused and created blizzards and avalanches to stop the invaders, they used their magic and wings to evade the blizzards and avalanches, Eagle and Falcon hit the ponies in their temples to knock them out and put them on the ground, the two heard screaming and saw the unicorns killing the water ponies with lightning magic, the two and Lancer flew to them to fight them. Stinger and Condor were in eastern Nature Valley and fighting the earth ponies that served Big Business, the ground ponies stood in front of them and took in the hits and the ponies could not get through, "There. Hold the line." Earthquake said, and her gem glowed and she made sinkholes appear to make Big Business' employees fall into them, the unicorns floated over them while the Pegasi flew out of them, some of the earth ponies hung onto the ledges and climbed up. Stinger and Condor flew around and they punched and kicked several of Big Business' employees to knock them out, the unicorns flung them away with their telekinesis and did the same to the ground ponies, they disappeared into the ground and reappeared in front of them when they landed. Big Business' employees tried to get through the ground ponies but could not, an earth pony ran out of eastern Nature Valley and came back with a sledgehammer, he hit one ground pony in the head and it broke into pieces, he fell on the ground dead and decomposed. The ground ponies and Earthquake looked on with shock while the unicorns made more sledgehammers appear with their magic, they hit the ground ponies and they broke apart while Earthquake made plants grow bigger around herself and the ground ponies to block off Big Business' employees, they tried to smash the plants with the sledgehammers but they did not go down. Earthquake and the others heard loud noises and she made a hill rise up under her and saw bulldozers coming, they pushed the land forward but could not move the big trees and plants, she also saw backhoe loaders coming in an attempt to dig the flora out of the ground, Earthquake smiled at seeing her defenses work. Stinger and Condor tried to stop the vehicles from destroying eastern Nature Valley but there were too many of Big Business' employees and they held them down. Thunderbolt and Raptor helped the fire ponies defend their home while Meteorite Hellfire took on Big Business' employees directly, "Come on, is that the best you all can do?" Meteorite Hellfire asked as she hit Big Business' employees with her front legs, they got knocked out with one hit and were thrown across the place, they landed on the ground and put craters in it. Thunderbolt and Raptor wrestled with the earth ponies that attacked them but they got attacked from behind while distracted, "If only we've known Big Business was coming." Thunderbolt said, "Yeah, we could've had our weapons and armor with us." Raptor replied, and the two got overwhelmed by numbers and were restrained to the ground. The fire ponies went over and sent Big Business' employees flying away by smacking them away, they hit the ground and made craters in it, the air ponies, water ponies, and ground ponies also appeared in western Nature Valley to help. The elemental ponies tried to defend their home while volcanoes erupted, blizzards, storms, tornadoes, and earthquakes appeared all over Nature Valley, Thunderbolt looked and saw Mother Nature casting magic, her magic aura was red, blue, yellow, and green, she made Big Business' employees get burned, drifting in water, hanging onto the ground during earthquakes, fall into sinkholes, and blown away by tornadoes. Thunderbolt stood up when the tornadoes blew away Big Business' employees and he helped Raptor stand up, "What the?" Thunderbolt asked, he and Raptor looked around and saw some of Big Business' employees were fighting each other, they all fought one another while the natives of Nature Valley fought them off but ignored the ones who were helping them. Mother Nature continued manipulating the weather and summoned thunderclouds to electrocute the invaders, she looked around for Big Business and saw him outside of Nature Valley with a shield around himself and watching, she froze for a minute at seeing the elemental ponies die, the air ponies turned into gusts of wind and blew away, the water ponies evaporated, the ground ponies broke apart and decomposed, and the fire ponies got extinguished with smoke blowing away. Mother Nature shot big beams at Big Business and he teleported away, he reappeared in the air while holding himself up with his telekinesis and saw how progress was, "You idiots! You were supposed to kill their pets first!" Big Business said, his employees stopped attacking for a second and looked at him with disbelief, he cast a spell and drained life out of the animals in Nature Valley and killed them, the elemental ponies got distracted and ran to go check on them while Big Business' employees attacked and killed them from behind. Big Business saw Jayhawk frozen in place and looked forward as his memories kicked in, he got an idea and put him in western Nature Valley with his telekinesis. Jayhawk is put into western Nature Valley and he saw the flames everywhere, "Jayhawk?" Stealth Bomber asked as he punched Big Business' employees that were restraining him away, he looked for him and did not see him anywhere. Jayhawk froze in place and began to have memories of the war and dead bodies being burned, Big Business' employees attacked him and he began to scream as he remembered the camp the griffons threw him into, he began attacking whoever went near him and he punched everycreature in their eyes and bit into their necks with his teeth, Big Business' employees screamed in pain while Meteorite Hellfire and Stealth Bomber went to him and shook him, "Jayhawk, relax, you're not in the camp anymore." Meteorite Hellfire said as she held his front legs, Thunderbolt and Raptor flew to him while she and Stealth Bomber tried to bring him back to the present, "Jayhawk, it's me, Stealth Bomber, I'm here, Jayhawk!" Stealth Bomber said, Jayhawk came back to reality and saw the dead ponies around himself, Meteorite Hellfire carried him away while Stealth Bomber looked at Big Business angrily while he smiled at him. Tsunami was getting the dead marine animals in southern Nature Valley and hyperventilated as she looked for one that was still alive, Eagle, Falcon, Lancer, and the employees who stopped working for Big Business continued fighting Big Business' employees and they got overwhelmed by how many there were, several unicorns shot Tsunami with big blasts from their horns and she screamed as the others looked, the unicorns stopped and Tsunami was laying on the ground, "TSUNAMI!!" Mother Nature said as she flew to her, she checked her and saw Tsunami was dead, she cradled her body and grieved. Eagle, Falcon, and Lancer looked around and did not see a single water pony, they became angry and determined and continued fighting Big Business' employees with those who defected. Raging Tornado and the employees who defected continued fighting the invaders but all of the air ponies were dead, she is shot from behind by a beam and she screamed, "Raging Tornado!" Stealth Bomber said as he flew to her, he entered northern Nature Valley and saw she was dead, he flew down to her and closed her eyes, Big Business' employees ganged up on him and beat him up while he grieved. Earthquake tried to make the ground uneven with rocks and mountain terrain to stop Big Business' vehicles, the ground ponies fell as Big Business' employees smashed their heads with sledgehammers, Stinger and Condor were held down and being beaten, the Pegasi who worked for Big Business flew in the air and they grabbed Earthquake, she changed herself to mud and they sank into her, she then disappeared into the ground. Earthquake appeared to the north of eastern Nature Valley and changed the terrain to make it hard to move around, the unicorns shot beams at her and she screamed as they hit her, "No!" Condor said, the unicorns stopped and he and Stinger saw Earthquake on the ground dead, the two looked on while Big Business' employees continued to hold them down and beat them. Meteorite Hellfire hit Big Business' employees away with her front legs, she took her spear out and began spinning it around to make waves of fire appear and burn Big Business' employees, she looked and saw all of the fire ponies were dead. Pegasi flew at her from behind and restrained her while ten unicorns shot her with beams and she screamed as she got hit, "No! Meteorite Hellfire!" Thunderbolt said, the unicorns stopped and Meteorite Hellfire was dead, they snickered while they continued to beat up Thunderbolt and Raptor while the employees who defected continued to fight back. Mother Nature flew around and saw of her subjects, animals, and four chosen ones were dead, and all of her land was destroyed, "I win, ruling a country is a male's job, you're not worthy to be a ruler." Big Business said, Mother Nature growled and shoot four beams out of her horn while screaming with rage, Big Business shot a beam out of his horn and the two entered a deadlock and Mother Nature began overpowering him immediately, several of Big Business' unicorns shot zaps at her while the Pegasi and earth ponies pulled on her and bucked her to break her concentration, Big Business overpowered her and Mother Nature screamed as she fell, she panted while Big Business floated down with his magic, "You haven't won, Big Business, we will come after you, we will have revenge." Mother Nature said, and Big Business shot a beam at her face and she screamed, everypony looked and saw Mother Nature was destroyed. Big Business smiled and laughed a little while everypony gathered around him with Stealth Bomber and the others being held, "Now, to make this place as I see fit." Big Business said, "What are you going to build?" Thunderbolt asked, "A factory to harvest this place's natural resources, I don't need you nine anymore, you all are fired for disagreeing with my plans. Beat them up, start with the foal first." Big Business replied, and his employees beat Jayhawk while he screamed, the eight Pegasi tried to break free but his other employees held them back and beat them up, "Good, now the other eight together." Big Business said, and his employees beat them up more while Jayhawk laid down while in pain and unable to move, the eight Pegasi grunted in pain while his employees who helped Mother Nature and her subjects defend their home rushed in to try to hold back the employees still loyal to Big Business, they got the Pegasi and Jayhawk and put them behind themselves, "This is how you treat your bodyguards?!" one employee asked, "You got a problem?" Big Business asked, "You're disgusting, they were a peaceful settlement, and you destroyed them for no reason and enjoyed it, we quit." a second employee replied, and they walked away while carrying Stealth Bomber and the others. "Shortly after we left, we got attacked at our home by one of the griffons we fought in the war, we quickly discovered that Big Business hired him as an assassin to hunt down and kill us and those who quit working for him, so we moved and lived separately in hopes that the griffon doesn't hunt us down so easily." Jayhawk said, "Wait, how did you guys find out?" Violet asked, "We saw a few severed heads of the employees who quit around his neck on a necklace, he was carrying a burlap sack full of their heads, too." Stealth Bomber replied, "You all knew him from the war, right?" Velvet asked, "Yes." Lancer replied, "What's his name?" Velvet asked, "Garotte." Falcon replied, "Alright, as you all already know, we have contradicting stories, we're going to take our reports to Princess Celestia and she'll handle it from there." Violet said, "Our psychiatrist has some of Big Business' employees as patients, his name's Liebert if you two have forgotten." Stealth Bomber said, "We know Liebert, he's famous throughout all of Equestria." Velvet replied, "So you guys already know where his office is at." Condor said, "Yup." Violet replied, "Okay, before we go, one quick question that's off topic, but have you guys ever found Liebert's behavior to be a little off?" Velvet asked, "What do you mean?" Jayhawk asked, "That behind his charming and friendly personality lies an evil person, that his true personality is that of a monster." Velvet replied, "No, not really." Jayhawk said, "How about the rest of you?" Violet asked, the other eight Pegasi shook their heads, "Well, thank you all, that's all we needed to know, we'll be back to let you all know when the court date is." Velvet said, and the two got up and left. Three days passed with nothing in particular happening, Stealth Bomber worked at the weather factory, Thunderbolt was still trying to find the names of Big Business' employees that went to Nature Valley, Jayhawk just sat in a chair and thought about his hatred of griffons, and the others flew around Equestria to do whatever they could to pass the time, all nine of them were home once and knocking was heard at the door, they aimed their guns at the door, "It's us." Violet said, and Stealth Bomber opened the door and saw her and Velvet, "The trial on Big Business is about to start, you all are needed." Velvet said, "Any luck on Nature Valley?" Stealth Bomber asked, "Yeah, Princess Celestia showed us, it's all factories, everything's gone." Violet replied, "Well, let’s go." Thunderbolt said, and they flew to Canterlot while Violet and Velvet used telekinesis on themselves, they flew and saw Nature Valley as they passed, northern Nature Valley was covered with wind turbines, southern Nature Valley had dams and pipes to control the water's flow, eastern Nature Valley was now a mine and there were drills for drilling oil, western Nature Valley was supplying thermal energy to the other areas, and the center of Nature Valley had a big statue of Big Business, the nine groaned with disgust and went to Canterlot. Stealth Bomber and the others arrived into Canterlot castle and the royal guards took them to the courtroom, they sat near the front to the right with Violet and Velvet, they saw Liebert and several of Big Business' employees were also present, and Big Business was on the stand. Princess Celestia walked to the judge's bench and stood behind it, "Court is now in session, for those of you new here, I will be acting as the prosecutor, defense, and judge, I will now go over the case, the defendant is Big Business, as all of you already know, he is an industrialist, and has many businesses in Equestria, now then, Big Business, you have been accused of destroying a peaceful settlement a week ago, what do you have to say about it?" Princess Celestia asked, "Peaceful? They were anything but peaceful, they started attacking my industries just out of the blue, I never harmed them, I wouldn't harm a fly, my employees can tell you that." Big Business replied, "Really? I have received several complaints about your behavior and workplace ethnicities in the past, along with you destroying natural environments of Equestria." Princess Celestia said, "That's necessary for building my factories and dams, I need the places cleared out." Big Business replied, "Yes, but I have also received complaints about your businesses not really giving anything beneficial to Equestria, and they're just there." Princess Celestia said, "Who's sending the complaints?" Big Business asked, "A lot of people, they're coming from all over Equestria, too." Princess Celestia replied, Big Business growled, "Anyway, how long have those people from that settlement been attacking your buildings and industries?" Princess Celestia asked, "Ever since I first started." Big Business replied, "Then why wasn't it reported back then? Why now?" Princess Celestia asked, "I wasn't that big back then, so their attacks were smaller and more subtle." Big Business replied, "What kind of damage did you find?" Princess Celestia asked, "Um... it's been so long, I don't remember." Big Business replied, "Big Business, if you can't remember what you found, then I will have to assume you're lying." Princess Celestia said, "It's been years, I can't remember every little damage they've done." Big Business replied, "Well? Do you remember?" Princess Celestia asked, "Um..." Big Business said, he began to sweat a little, "There wasn't any damage, was there?" Princess Celestia asked, Big Business became speechless, "So you didn't have any damages done back then, if I also recall, I myself didn't see any damage, either." Princess Celestia said, "There was damage, I just don't remember." Big Business replied, "But you haven't given any specific details, so I can't believe you." Princess Celestia said, Big Business glared at her, "I also have received information that the place you found could only be found with a certain spell, how did you learn it?" Princess Celestia asked, "I just cast it by chance when I was practicing in the nearby forest." Big Business replied, "Okay, what was the first thing you did when you found the place?" Princess Celestia asked, "I went over to go say hi, but they turned hostile and attacked me." Big Business replied, Stealth Bomber and his comrades glared at him along with his employees, "Then what were these wagon pieces Detective Velvet and her subordinate found?" Princess Celestia asked, "What are you saying?" Big Business asked, Princess Celestia held up a picture with her telekinesis, there were very small wooden pieces on the ground, "This was taken in the northern part of the place, Detective Violet and Detective Velvet submitted it to me as evidence when they came back from the settlement." Princess Celestia said, "How did they find the place?" Big Business asked, "I cast the spell for them." Princess Celestia replied, "You know the spell?" Big Business asked, "Of course, it's my duty to make sure every settlement in Equestria is safe." Princess Celestia replied, Big Business scoffed, "Anyway, how do you explain these wagon pieces?" Princess Celestia asked, "How do you know they weren't planted?" Big Business asked, "I think their decayed state and the destroyed vines wrapped around them is proof enough, there was a report of a wagon missing at the weather factory north of this place, now, how do you explain these?" Princess Celestia asked, "Um... I borrowed it from the factory." Big Business replied, "Borrowed? The factory reported it as stolen." Princess Celestia said, Big Business yelped, "You're admitting to thievery, Big Business?" Princess Celesita asked, "No, no, no, I... just saw it laying around and thought it was abandoned." Big Business replied as he sweated, "I have received many reports from your former and current employees that nine Pegasi who served as your bodyguards were the ones who went there with that wagon." Princess Celestia said, "I never had any bodyguards." Big Business replied, "Don't lie to me, Big Business, I saw your post in the newspaper that you wanted bodyguards." Princess Celestia said, "Yes, but nopony took the job." Big Business replied, "Then why do I have reports about you hiring nine bodyguards, eight adults and a foal?" Princess Celestia asked, "What? Surely, there's been a mistake." Big Business replied, "No, I have the information here, nine Pegasi, eight adults, one child, all males, all ex-Cloudsdale Air Force." Princess Celestia said, "Uh..." Big Business said, "Who are those nine you see right there?" Princess Celestia asked as she pointed to her left, Big Business looked to his right and Stealth Bomber and the others, his facial muscles twitched a little while he glared at them, "Can you tell me who they are?" Princess Celestia asked, "Never seen them in my life." Big Business replied, "Really, their records say they served under you as bodyguards for about three years before you fired them a week ago." Princess Celestia said, Big Business' eyes widened, "I also received reports saying that they were the ones who entered Nature Valley, not you, your employees said the same thing." Princess Celestia said, Big Business grumbled, "I have also received contradicting information from the detectives on what the natives of this settlement were like, your employees say they were hostile and attacked on sight, while those who entered said they were friendly and welcoming, what do you say about this, Big Business?" Princess Celestia asked, "They were hostile, those nine over there reported to me that they were hostile and tried to kill them, they came back late because they were hiding in the forest and trying to find their way back." Big Business replied, "Yes, about that, those nine said they said that to you in hopes that you would leave them be and not destroy their home." Princess Celestia said, "They just said that so they wouldn't have to stand trial with me." Big Business replied, "And why is that?" Princess Celestia asked, "Because they're cowards, they're too scared to come forward." Big Business replied, "Do you have any proof of that?" Princess Celestia asked, "Not at the moment." Big Business replied, "Speaking of contradicting reports, those nine have given very detailed reports about how the ponies of that settlement behaved, and I, myself have been there, so I know you're lying from my own experiences, Big Business." Princess Celestia said, Big Business reeled back a little, "Moving on, I also have a report with your employees saying that the ruler of this settlement was planning to destroy Equestria with her magic, I knew her personally, so I know that's a lie, too." Princess Celestia said, "Wait, what?" Big Business asked, "You were never told of her plotting to destroy Equestria?" Princess Celestia asked, "No, I mean, sure, she and her subjects attacked us, but she had no ambition from what I've seen." Big Business replied, "I see, I also have reports about you coming in with equipment to destroy their home and your employees helped." Princess Celestia said, Big Business' employees protested, "Stop lying, you guys led the invasion behind my back." Big Business said, "Liar, you mind controlled us and made us do your bidding." an employee replied, the other employees nodded, "That goes against what some of you told me." Liebert said, "What?" another employee asked, "Some of you said you regret destroying this Nature Valley and wish you never did." Liebert said, "I was drunk at the time." one employee replied, "No, you were not, I know a drunk when I see one." Liebert said, "So that's how it's going to be? You're going to betray your own boss?" Big Business asked, "If you ask me, Big Business, they were never loyal to you from the start." Liebert replied, "What?" Big Business asked, "He's right, Big Business." another employee said, "Yeah, you overwork us and underpay us, we have no reason to pledge our loyalty to you." a third employee said, "Enough, we're getting off topic here, the detectives also took pictures of your headquarters and Nature Valley, before I show one, have you ever seen four gems, one red, one blue, one yellow, and one green?" Princess Celestia asked, "No." Big Business replied, "Then how do you explain this?" Princess Celestia asked as she held up a picture with her telekinesis, it was the four gems of Nature Valley, "Well?" Princess Celestia asked, "Never seen them." Big Business replied, "Then why were they found in your office, and why is your face carved into the gems?" Princess Celestia asked, "Uh... um...?" Big Business asked, "You lied to me again, Big Business, the fact that these were in your office and have your face carved on them more than proves that you do know about these, these belonged to Nature Valley, so you are guilty of thievery." Princess Celestia said, Big Business exclaimed, "One more thing, Big Business, I have seen reports that several of the employees who quit working for you after Nature Valley have gone missing, do you know anything about that?" Princess Celestia asked, "No." Big Business replied, "Then what is this report I've got about a griffon named Garotte?" Princess Celestia asked, "Never heard of that person." Big Business replied quickly and almost raised his voice, "Then what happened to those former employees? Why are they missing?" Princess Celestia asked, "I don't know!" Big Business replied angrily, "Stop lying to me, Big Business, your tone and sweating more than tells me that you know." Princess Celestia said, Big Business groaned, "Well, Big Business?" Princess Celestia asked, Big Business panted heavily while sweating, "Well?" Princess Celestia asked while raising her voice a little, Big Business just panted and sweated more. Running was heard in the hallway at the back of the courtroom, "Hey! You guys can't go in there!" a stallion said from outside, the doors flew open and four stallions ran in, "Wait, stop the trial for a minute!" one pony said, they all looked and saw they were employees who quit working for Big Business after he attacked Nature Valley, "We're ex-employees of Big Business, we defected from him and tried to protect Nature Valley, we didn't come here on time because Big Business hired an assassin to hunt us down and kill us, we've been evading him, he attacked Nature Valley because the rulers were females, and he considers them the inferior gender." one ex-employee said, the mares gasped, "Yes, I have received several complaints about that, I have written to him to stop doing that, I can see that he hasn't." Princess Celestia replied, "I should've known it was you nine who wrote them." Big Business said as he looked at Stealth Bomber and his comrades, "How'd you figure out it was us?" Falcon asked, "Those complaints started when I hired you guys and stopped when you all left." Big Business replied, the ceiling burst open and debris fell, a griffon came into the courtroom, he was wearing a black leather coat that went down to his knees, black pants, black boots on all four of his feet, and a necklace with severed pony heads on it, he was blinded in his right eye and had a scar on it, his feathers were dark yellow and his beak was yellow and stained with blood, he also had a burlap sack in his front right leg. The ponies screamed at seeing him and Big Business' ex-employees tried to run away, but the griffon flew to one and knocked him down and got ready to rip his head off with his talon, "Garotte, you idiot! You were supposed to kill the foal first!" Big Business said, the ponies gasped, "Sorry, but Jayhawk got away and went into hiding." Garotte said, "He's right there!" Big Business said as he pointed at him, Garotte saw him and flew to him but the guards quickly restrained him with their telekinesis, "So you did hire an assassin, Big Business, and you have ordered him to kill your own employees, I think I have an idea on where the others are at, guards, check his burlap sack." Princess Celestia said, and they took it off of him with their telekinesis and opened it, severed pony heads fell out of it, the ponies watching screamed, Stealth Bomber and his comrades realized they were Big Business' ex-employees, "There's more than enough evidence to prove your guilt, Big Business, you have committed enough crimes." Princess Celestia said, "What am I charged for?" Big Business asked, "Discrimination, underpaying your employees, unsafe workplace environment, intentionally designing your products to be harmful to children, along with low quality products so others have to pay more money to you, making your industries and business' beneficial only to yourself, destroying nature, hiring an assassin, destroying a settlement, and murder, I also have reports about Jayhawk having post-traumatic stress disorder from his time as a child soldier, and you exploited it in Nature Valley." Princess Celestia replied, the ponies' jaws dropped, "I sentence you to six months in prison, you will be sent into rehabilitation and be given friendship lessons, I also sentence to have all of your business' and industries shut down, you will be paying money to the ponies whose homes you have destroyed after your time in prison is done, and as for you, Garotte, I am going to have you deported back to Griffonstone." Princess Celestia replied, "You're a female! Your laws don't apply to me!" Big Business said, "Big Business, I am not going to have my authority questioned because of my gender, I am the ruler of this land, and you will obey." Princess Celestia replied, "I am more important than you!" Big Business said, "No, you are not, Big Business, you're just an industrialist at best, but you're not famous, you will serve your sentence, no matter how much you protest." Princess Celestia replied, "WHAT?!" Big Business asked, his employees who destroyed Nature Valley cheered, "What about them?!" Big Business asked, "You were the one who ordered them to destroy Nature Valley, and the fact you sent an assassin after the ones who quit, I'm dropping all charges against them due to it being blackmail." Princess Celestia replied and she hit her gavel, Big Business' employees cheered again, Big Business glared at them while the guards took him and Garotte away. Stealth Bomber and his comrades smiled at seeing Big Business get taken to jail, "As for you nine, Thunderbolt, Falcon, Eagle, Stealth Bomber, Stinger, Lancer, Condor, Raptor, and Jayhawk, you nine will be charged, too." Princess Celestia said, "What?" Stinger asked, "Wait, for what?" Lancer asked, "You nine are to go to Griffonstone and give them an official apology for your actions and motivations for going to war with them, your families will be giving the apology, too." Princess Celestia said, the nine Pegasi stared on with bewilderment, "Seriously?" Thunderbolt asked, "Did you nine really think I wouldn't notice you all being mean to griffons just because they're griffons? This is a land of friendship, you nine have left a black mark on our nation's reputation." Princess Celestia replied, "Um... you do know that's a bit risky, right?" Stinger asked, "Yes, I'm aware that griffons can be unforgiving and rude, but what you nine did was unacceptable, you all have one week to come up with an apology, and face whatever punishment they have in mind, if you nine don't, I will have you all imprisoned while Jayhawk will be sent to juvenile hall." Princess Celestia replied, the Pegasi nodded, "Good, court is adjourned." Princess Celestia said and she hit her gavel and everypony left. Stealth Bomber and the others walked out of the courtroom and were with Violet and Velvet, "What are you two going to do now?" Stealth Bomber asked, "We got a report to file, our work is far from done." Velvet replied, "Yeah, and who knows, if Princess Celestia decides to investigate the damage caused by you ponies during the war, we might meet one another again." Violet said, "Alright, bye, you two." Jayhawk said as Violet and Velvet left, the nine exited Canterlot castle and flew home. The Pegasi arrived home and they got ready to think of what to say as an apology, "Well, I guess Big Business is done for." Jayhawk said, "Yeah, still sucks the employees who destroyed the place with him got away with it." Stealth Bomber replied, "Well, maybe they'll come back up again later, let's think of an apology." Thunderbolt said, and they all tried to think of what to say until knocking was heard at the door, "You there, Jayhawk?" Twilight Sparkle asked from outside, Jayhawk opened the door and saw her, "Sorry I'm late, I would like to have you attend the School of Friendship as a part-time student." Twilight Sparkle said, "Why?" Jayhawk asked, "So you can learn proper griffon history, you and your guardians have to apologize to Gallus, too." Twilight Sparkle replied, "For what?" Jayhawk asked, "You guys made him an orphan, he was an only child, too." Twilight Sparkle replied, "Oh, I see." Jayhawk said, "I'd like for you to start coming tomorrow, you'll be on a half day schedule since you're home schooled." Twilight Sparkle said, "Sounds good." Jayhawk replied, "Good, make sure you leave a good impression on your first day, I'll be going now." Twilight Sparkle said, and she walked away. Jayhawk closed the door and went back to trying to come up with an apology for Griffonstone, but an earthquake started and everycreature screamed, loud winds were heard and a tornado was seen outside the window, blizzards, downpours, and volcanic eruptions started as well, the Pegasi ran outside and they saw tornadoes, waterspouts, downbursts, windstorms, downpours, freezing rain, blizzards, hailstorms, sleet, earthquakes, dust storms, dust devils, droughts, landslides, sinkholes, wildfires, and volcanic eruptions appearing all over Equestria. Everypony screamed as they ran away and the disasters kept happening, "What's goin' on?" Applejack asked, tsunamis began flooding Equestria and towns got buried in them, everycreature looked and saw Raging Tornado and the air ponies flying in the sky, Tsunami and the water ponies in the water, Earthquake and the ground ponies appearing everywhere on land, and Meteorite Hellfire and the fire ponies in all three areas, the four had their gems with them. Raging Tornado's and Tsunami's gems glowed and a hurricane appeared, the creatures screamed as they ran away, "No! Stop!" Twilight Sparkle said, Tsunami's and Earthquake's gems glowed and quicksand appeared on the ground and sunk whatever was over them, the plants and trees grew faster as well, Raging Tornado's and Earthquake's gems glowed after sometime and a heavy windstorm with trees, plants, and leaves in them appeared everywhere, Tsunami's and Meteorite Hellfire's gems glowed next and volcanoes erupted underwater, Meteorite Hellfire's gem continued to glow and Raging Tornado's gem glowed next and tornadoes made from fire appeared, Meteorite Hellfire had her gem continue to glow and Earthquake's gem glowed next and meteors fell from the sky, the ponies screamed when they fell, "Stop! What's wrong?" Twilight Sparkle asked, Tsunami made water appear and float up in the sky and it showed Big Business' trial, "It's the trial, they're not happy with the verdict." Jayhawk said, the disasters continued but the ghosts disappeared, thunder appeared in the clouds and hit the ground, the ponies screamed as the thunder destroyed whatever it hit, "What now?" Rainbow Dash asked, "Um, guys, the animals are acting weird." Fluttershy said, they looked and saw the animals looked like they were bowing, fog appeared in Ponyville and a big black silhouette was seen coming forward, it had glowing golden eyes and the body of an alicorn, "Princess Celestia?!" Twilight Sparkle asked as Stealth Bomber and his comrades walked back as they noticed it was Mother Nature, the other ghosts appeared around her, Meteorite Hellfire stood to her right, Earthquake was to her left, Tsunami was standing to Meteorite Hellfire's right, and Raging Tornado stood to Earthquake's left, the elemental ponies were behind them, "Wait, Mother Nature!" Princess Celestia said as she flew to Ponyville and landed, "Mother Nature?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "I know you're mad about your home being destroyed, but I have to give all of my subjects a fair chance at being redeemed and accepting friendship." Princess Celestia said, Mother Nature glared at her, "Mother Nature, please, I know you're not as forgiving as I am, but you were one of my closest friends, and I miss you a lot, I got the one responsible for destroying your home and your deaths, so please stop causing disasters." Princess Celestia said, Mother Nature did not react, "I will make it up to you, Mother Nature, just tell me what you want." Princess Celestia said, Mother Nature used her magic to make water appear in the air and showed pictures of Big Business' employees that have destroyed Nature Valley, "You want them all in jail?" Princess Celestia asked, Mother Nature shook her head, "You want them dead?" Jayhawk asked, Mother Nature nodded, Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, and Applejack gasped, "What about the ones who regret destroying your home? Can we spare them?" Stealth Bomber asked, Mother Nature shook her head, "Will you stop the disasters when they die?" Thunderbolt asked, Mother Nature nodded, "Alright, it's decided then, I think we'll need to pay Violet and Velvet one more visit." Thunderbolt said, "Actually, I have files on those who attacked Nature Valley." Princess Celestia replied, "Can we have them?" Stinger asked, Princess Celestia made them appear with her magic and handed the files to them, "Hold on, who are these guys, Princess Celestia?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "They are the residents of Nature Valley, that there is Mother Nature, she's older than I am, these four are her chosen ones, they're the bearers of the Elements of Nature." Princess Celestia replied, "What?" Rarity asked, "Wait, Elements of Nature?" Applejack asked, "Yes, there are more elements than the Elements of Harmony and elements of the Pillars of Equestria, the Elements of Nature are the Fire, Water, Earth, and Air, they're stronger than our elements because unlike ours, ours only power Equestria, theirs power the entire world." Princess Celestia replied, "Really?" Rainbow Dash asked, "Ooh, I know, we should have an Element Party." Pinkie Pie said, Meteorite Hellfire glared at her, "Wait, hold on, if they power the entire world, then shouldn't the bearer of the Element of Earth be a yak, and the bearer of the Element of Air be a griffon?" Applejack asked, "I am not the one who chose them, Applejack, and Mother Nature chose them to bear her powers." Princess Celestia replied, "We're wasting time, we should hunt down those employees now." Stinger said, "Alright, I'll send them messages to meet at Nature Valley once when you nine are ready to take them down." Princess Celestia replied, and she flew away, "Let's get ready." Thunderbolt said, and they entered their home. The Pegasi went into their home and began putting on their battle uniforms, they put on their heavy gray armor and then their backpack that contained their ammunition, they picked up their eight guns with their wings and flew to Nature Valley. Princess Celestia watched them from the sky and saw the Pegasi go to Nature Valley, she began sending out letters to the employees that destroyed the place to meet there. The Pegasi hid in the woods and waited for the employees to arrive, walking was soon heard, "What is this about? Have to go back to Nature Valley." one employee said, "Who knows, maybe we have to take over now that Big Business is gone." another employee replied, "No way, that guy's designs suck, his places are dangerous to run, too." a third employee said, and they all walked into Nature Valley, "Okay, this is weird, no one's around, I wonder why Princess Celestia told us to come here." a fourth employee said, the nine Pegasi appeared from behind the trees and began shooting at them with their rotary guns and killed a few, "It's an ambush!" one employee said, "Quick! Run!" another employee said, and they began to run away. Stinger, Lancer, Eagle, and Falcon flew up with their rocket thrusters and looked into the forest, they shot their air-to-surface missiles to clear the trees, they heard a few screams and saw some of the employees got hit by the missiles, they fired more of their rotary guns and killed whoever they saw. Thunderbolt and Stealth Bomber did a pincer attack and shot the employees between them with their rotary guns, some of the Pegasi flew to the buildings in the area and Condor and Raptor shot them with air-to-surface missiles to destroy them, the Pegasi flew away and Jayhawk shot them down with his rotary guns, they screamed in pain when the bullets went through their wings, Stealth Bomber shot them to pieces with his rotary guns. The unicorns teleported out of the place and all nine Pegasi flew up and shot and destroyed the trees with their rotary guns and air-to-surface missiles to look for them, they saw the unicorns appear outside of Nature Valley and they began to run, the Pegasi clapped their hind hoofs together and activated their rocket thrusters to fly faster, they opened fire and shot the unicorns with their rotary guns and they screamed and died. The Pegasi flew around more and saw several Pegasi fly to them in an attempt to fight them, they shot them with their rotary guns and fell to the ground in pieces, the unicorns shot beams at them from the ground but did nothing due to their armor protecting them, the Pegasi shot their rotary guns at them and killed them, "Quick! Keep going!" one employee said, the Pegasi looked and saw the earth ponies running away, they shot their air-to-surface missiles at them and they screamed when it hit them, they saw several Pegasi flying away as well, they shot their air-to-air missiles at them and they got hit and screamed as they fell to the ground in pieces, they flew around and did not see a single employee left, "Was that all of them?" Lancer asked, "I hope so." Thunderbolt replied, they flew around to make sure, "That was all of them, guys." Princess Celestia said as she flew to them, they faced her, "You all go ahead and head home, I'll clean the place." Princess Celestia said, and they all flew home. The Pegasi landed in front of their home and Rarity screamed as she ran to them, "What is this outfit?!" Rarity asked, "The official Cloudsdale Air Force Combat Uniform." Stinger replied, "You all really could use a redesign, that dull gray color is ugly, the black googles can use a recolor, too, this entire uniform has to be redesigned." Rarity said, "We have more uniforms than just this one." Jayhawk replied, "But why did you all choose that one?" Rarity asked, "Because it's the one best suited for self-defense." Thunderbolt replied, "That, and it's our favorite uniform." Stealth Bomber said, Rarity's jaw dropped, "Jayhawk, I am going to say this now, you cannot wear that in the School of Friendship." Twilight Sparkle said, Jayhawk looked down, "Well, I'm just glad those disasters are over, you all should be glad no one truly got hurt, I'll leave you guys for now." Twilight Sparkle said, and she and Rarity walked away. The Pegasi turned around and saw the ghots of Nature Valley there, Mother Nature hugged Jayhawk and he hugged her back, Mother Nature walked back while Raging Tornado went to Stealth Bomber and they hugged one another and touched each other with their snouts, they let go and Raging Tornado went back and they all disappeared. The Pegasi looked around and saw Rainbow Dash coming, "What are you doing here, Rainbow Dash?" Stealth Bomber asked, "My parents are here to see you guys." Rainbow Dash replied, Bow Hothoof and Windy Whistles flew and landed, they saw Bow Hothoof was wearing a tiger-stripe pattern uniform and black boots, the sleeves on his front legs were rolled up. The Pegasi saluted Bow Hothoof and he saluted back, "Identify yourself." Thunderbolt said, "021523 space 08152008151506, Sergeant, Thunderbird Unit, 4th Squad, Scout." Bow Hothoof replied, "And I'm Windy Whistles, his wife, I was a nurse for the Cloudsdale Air Force." Windy Whistles said, "What brings you all here?" Lancer asked, "I am here to pay my respects, I'm also wondering if a reunion ball has been planned." Bow Hothoof replied, "We haven't heard of one." Lancer said, "I see, well, it was nice to meet you all, I'll be taking my leave now." Bow Hothoof replied, the Pegasi saluted him again and he saluted back and he went back home with Windy Whistles and Rainbow Dash while the Pegasi went into their home and had dinner and slept. The next day came Jayhawk got ready to attend the School of Friendship, he put on the only other outfit he had besides the combat outfit, "Well, off I go." Jayhawk said, and he left his home. Jayhawk walked to the school and saw a welcoming party, "Welcome to the school, Jayhawk." Pinkie Pie said as her party cannon went off, "Thanks, but I shouldn't keep Princess Twilight waiting." Jayhawk said, and he walked to her, "Good, you're here, I'm going to want you to be with Gallus here at all times since you're not yet over your hatred of griffons, so I hope he can get rid of it and you two can become friends." Twilight Sparkle said and she walked away. Jayhawk and Gallus faced one another while the other five stood behind Gallus, Jayhawk's facial muscles twitched a little, "Still not over it?" Gallus asked, "Of course not." Jayhawk replied, "Um, what exactly happened between you two?" Silverstream asked, "It's a long story." Jayhawk replied, "Yeah, not a pleasant one, either." Gallus said, "You really should apologize, Jayhawk." Ocellus said, "Later." Jayhawk replied, "Well, since you're going to be with me all day, you might as well get to know the others." Gallus said, "I wouldn't wear that outfit here if I were you, Jayhawk." Sandbar said, "Why not? I think it looks cool." Smolder replied, "Um... outfit kind of scares Yona." Yona said, "Well, I'll go attend my welcoming party now." Jayhawk replied, and they followed him. Jayhawk attended his welcoming party while the others looked at his outfit, Rarity screamed again and ran to him, "What is this?!" Rarity asked, she saw Jayhawk's outfit, he was wearing a long-sleeve shirt that was tucked in, pants held up with a belt that had a silver buckle, an overcoat that was open and went down to Jayhawk's hind hoofs, gloves that went halfway up his front calves that his coat and shirt were tucked into, and heavy boots that went halfway up his hind calves that his pants were tucked into, and every single piece of clothing was black and made out of leather, "Don't you have any other outfits?" Rarity asked, "There's only my combat outfit." Jayhawk replied, "No! You are not wearing this, let's get you into something more appropriate." Rarity said as she pulled him with her telekinesis and walked to her class. Stealth Bomber was off from work and decided to go see Liebert, "How are you doing today, Stealth Bomber?" Liebert asked, "Usual, I actually miss Raging Tornado already." Stealth Bomber replied, "Ah, yes, a broken heart, it happens to all of us, well, almost all of us." Liebert said, "Yeah, you're telling me, even though we weren't boyfriend and girlfriend, yet." Stealth Bomber replied, "That's feelings for you, I wonder if your family would've liked her." Liebert said, "Now that you mention it, I haven't contacted my sister or parents, I hope they're alright." Stealth Bomber replied, "So, what are you doing here today?" Liebert asked, "I have to give an official apology to Griffonstone six days from now, I don't feel they deserve it for all they did when I was a kid." Stealth Bomber replied, "Remember, Stealth Bomber, hatred is born when people gather together, so it would probably be best to keep the apology small." Liebert said, "Maybe, but those griffons consider themselves superior to us." Stealth Bomber replied, "That's true, no one's equal unless they are dead." Liebert said, "Meaning?" Stealth Bomber asked, "No living thing is created equally, we are only equal in death." Liebert replied, "Okay, I won't ask how you got that logic, but anyway, at first, I thought my hatred for griffons was just, but after going to Nature Valley, they showed me that the hatred I had has caused as much damage to them as it did to me." Stealth Bomber said, "Do you regret your actions?" Liebert asked, "No, but I have realized how much pain I've caused when I met a few griffon orphans, two from a few months ago, and one in Ponyville, me and the others killed their parents." Stealth Bomber replied, "So, what are you here for?" Liebert asked, "I'm a bit conflicted if I should let go of my hate or hold onto it, if I let go, my family will be disappointed in me, if I hold on, Raging Tornado and Princess Celestia will be disappointed." Stealth Bomber replied, "Simple, pretend to let go and present yourself as a new pony in public, but hold onto that hate in secret, and only share it between your comrades and your family." Liebert said, "I hope it works." Stealth Bomber replied, Liebert smiled, "Is there anything else you'd like to talk about?" Liebert asked, "No, that's all." Stealth Bomber replied, "Okay, as usual price is thirty bits." Liebert said, and Stealth Bomber paid him and left. Stealth Bomber flew home and saw Jayhawk was at home with the Cutie Mark Crusaders, they gave him books, "Here you go, Jayhawk, Princess Twilight wanted us to give you books on griffon history." Sweetie Belle said, "Thanks." Jayhawk replied, "Yer welcome." Apple Bloom said, "We'll be at our clubhouse if you need us." Scootaloo said, and they walked away, Stealth Bomber flew down and saw Jayhawk wearing a black tuxedo, "What happened to your other outfit?" Stealth Bomber asked, "Rarity didn't like it and made me wear this instead." Jayhawk replied, "I can see why." Stealth Bomber said, and Jayhawk entered his home and walked out without an outfit on, the other seven Pegasi came out with him, "Well, we can all live together again." Thunderbolt said, "Yeah, we'll have to get new jobs, though." Stinger replied, "The weather factory might be able to hire you guys." Stealth Bomber said, they looked and saw it was not on today, they saw the Wonderbolts flying around and Rainbow Dash flew to them with Spitfire and they landed, "This is them, Spitfire." Rainbow Dash said, "We just heard you guys talking about looking for new jobs, you could've joined us." Spitfire said, the Pegasi are caught off guard, "Wait, what?" Falcon asked, "Seriously?" Lancer asked, "Of course, anypony who served in the Cloudsdale Air Force is more than qualified to join the Wonderbolts." Spitfire replied, "We'll think about it." Stinger said, "Okay, let us know if you all decide to join." Spitfire replied, and she and Rainbow Dash flew away, "Well, we have a day off." Raptor said, "I feel like playing another golf game." Condor replied, the others murmured in agreement, "Alright, golf, it is." Thunderbolt said, and they flew away. The Pegasi were at a golf course and Thunderbolt hit the golf ball and got a hole in one, "Wow, good job, Thunderbolt." Jayhawk said, "Thanks." Thunderbolt replied, and they all hit the golf balls just to see how far they can hit them, they looked and saw a few ponies getting mad over the golf balls not landing where they wanted them, "Um, excuse me." a familiar voice said from behind, they turned around and saw Fluttershy, "Can I join?" Fluttershy asked, the Pegasi nodded and said she can, "The golf balls and clubs are right there." Stinger said as he pointed to them, Fluttershy got a golf club and a golf ball, "Who's winning so far?" Fluttershy asked, "Actually, we're not playing seriously right now." Stealth Bomber replied, "Yeah, we're just seeing who can hit the ball the farthest." Jayhawk said, Fluttershy chuckled and she hit the golf ball, she smiled when it landed and flew to it, "So, what should we do with Big Business?" Jayhawk asked, "Let's leave him to his fate, I don't think he's going to live that much longer." Stealth Bomber replied, and they all continued playing golf. Big Business was in his jail cell in Canterlot and was grumbling, "Receive rehabilitation, I don't need rehabilitation, I'm perfect just the way I am." Big Business grumbled to himself, he stopped walking and gasped a little when he saw the ghost of Tsunami standing in his cell and between him and the door, Raging Tornado stood to her right and Earthquake was to her left, Big Business' eyes widened a little when he saw the three looking at him, he saw something move out of the corner of his right eye and turned around, he saw Meteorite Hellfire reeled up on her hind legs and holding up her sword with her front legs, she did a quick horizontal slash from her right to her left and cut his head off.
