Chaser

Chaser

Story 3

Chapter 2: The Chasers

By: SleeplessScribe

I was still completely dumbfounded. One would never thing that there was such a big problem going on in this city. “Why not get the Princess involved? Surely one of them is able to come down here and take care of this, right?”

Citrus shook his head slowly, still leaning against the glass. “I’m not sure. I don’t know all the details, just what I’ve either been told or seen for myself. If you ask me, the royalty can’t do anything right now, as I’m sure their aid has already been requested. I just wish I knew what it was.”

As I thought about just what was going on here, I followed Citrus’s example, leaning against the glass. All this was so much to take in, and there was still no proof that everything Citrus said was true. “Sorry, Citrus. I wish I knew what to tell you.”

He let out a small yawn, turning to me again. “It’s getting late, and you don’t need to tell me anything. You need to get out of here as soon as you can. If you can get up early, I’ll help you leave, alright? You’ve already put yourself in danger just by entering this city and being part of our extended family.”

I guess there really wasn’t much I could do. I came here expecting a day of reunion with some distant relatives, and what do I get? A power struggle between the local rat pack and some grease ball with too much money for his pockets. The more I thought about it, though, the more I couldn’t help but feel bad for those ponies. As Citrus guided me up to a guest bedroom- after accepting the pie I had baked- my mind drifted back to that whole ordeal with Flim and Flam, and how I almost lost Sweet Apple Acres. The memories kept me up for a good, long while. Eventually I was able to get to sleep, but my rest didn’t last long. As I felt myself shaking, my eyes slowly opened to a wide awake Citrus standing over my bed.

“Applejack, come on! It’s still early enough for you to slip out!”

With a loud yawn and a rubbing of the eyes, I stepped out of bed to grab a hold of my hat. Well, actually, I sorta rolled out. Still half asleep, I was pulled out of the room and down the stairs. When I finally was completely coherent, I realized that Citrus was bringing me out of the city, and that, ironically one entrance to the city wasn’t that far from their manor. Unfortunately for me, this entrance was the way trains came in, and as I’ve stated before; the train tracks were out, so no trains for a while.

A few guards stood before the gates, and two were stationed in towers on either side. Citrus readied some kind of badge, which I assumed to be from his service, as we stood a little out of earshot of the guards.

“Alright, Applejack, with this badge, the guards will have to let you leave. However, you cannot come back until this situation is dealt with, you hear? If I can, I will send a letter to your farm when it’s safe to return, but until then, don’t even come close to this city. Let’s get going.”

He moved toward the gate, but I stayed put. It took him a moment to realize I wasn’t following him, and he turned around, raising his brow at me. “Come on, Applejack, safety is in our reach.”

“No.” It was all I needed to say. I made a decision, and I wasn’t going to let Citrus keep me from carrying it out.

“No? Mare, are you crazy? You may not be known, yet, but once it’s found out that you not only associate, but are  related to the Oranges, you will become a target! I’m trying to get you out before that happens!”

“No. Take me to Jet.”

Now he was actually giving me that “are you crazy” look. “Applejack, I think you must’ve hit your head or something. Why would you want to see him?”

Turning my back to the veteran, I let out a sigh. “I need to know the whole story. If what you told me is true, I can’t just leave and do nothing. While you may be distant, y’all are still family, and nopony who messes with family can expect me not to do something about it! That’s not all, either. I may not know how it feels, but I can imagine what these ponies must be going through. Their families have owned these companies all their lives, so they’re not just losing their jobs, they’re losing their livelihood. I almost lost Sweet Apple Acres once, and I ain’t about to just let other ponies actually have to experience that.”

“Applejack, you have no idea-“

I stomped my hoof on the ground, making sure he knew I had had enough. “If you know where Jet is, take me to him. Now.”

It was kind of funny how Citrus reacted. He just kinda stepped back as his ears lowered. “Yes ma’am.” With his head lowered a bit, he took me the exact opposite of the way we came. “I’m not exactly sure if he’s there right now, but I know he’ll be where I’m taking you at some point today.”

Giving him a nod, I started following him as I looked around. “That’s good enough, I reckon.” The city looked really different when the sun was up. The only times I had been here were when it was night, and when I was a filly I left just as the sun came up. It was like all the buildings gave their light to the sun, and even thought it wasn’t anything like Sweet Apple Acres, there was some kind of steel beauty to it, if that makes any sense.

Just seeing the tall skyscrapers looking as if they could touch the sky was amazing, and the crazy amount of different types of attractions, restaurants, and business left me with my mouth agape. Citrus led be down an alley between a bowling alley and what I read to be an insurance agency, and at the end was the back entrance to a movie theater. The door was solid steel, and as we approached it, a rectangular slider opened to reveal a pair of brown eyes behind it.

“Password?”

My cousin cleared his throat and stared at the eyes. “Lauren Faust. And don’t worry, she’s with me.”

The door opened, but there was no pony behind it. I just assume he was probably behind the door, but at this point, who knows where he might’ve been? “What’s a Faust?”

He simply shrugged, giving me one of those long “m” sounds. “Your guess is as good as mine. We’re almost there, and even if Jet isn’t here, the team will be.”

“Team? Exactly what team are you talking about?”

Just as he started to speak, we entered the main part of the movie theater. It was like something out of one of Twilight’s books in her make believe section; wires and cords everywhere, all connecting machines that I didn’t even recognize. The screen itself was displaying what looked like dozens of different parts of the city, and there were quite a few mares and stallions walking around. Some were working on these machines, some were just talking, and others were doing some weird stretches and exercises.

“They call themselves the Chasers. As I’ve said, the guards around here are no good, so this group of ponies is the only kind of justice there is on the streets of Manehattan.”

“Not only that, be we also dedicate ourselves to digging up dirt to get TimeTech out of our city.” I almost jumped when I saw Jet coming up to us from our right. “Alright Citrus, let’s address the elephant in the room.” His eyes widened as he looked at me, letting out a nervous chuckle as he realized how what he said might be taken the wrong way. “Why is she here?”

Before he could answer, I put my hoof down between the two of them. “I want to join.”

At the same time, the both of them shook their heads, dropped their jaws, and spoke. “You wanna who what?”

I gave them both a roll of the eyes, turning to Jet directly. “I. Want. To. Join.”

Citrus put his hoof on my shoulder, trying to pull me back. “I don’t think so, Applejack. You can’t help, and this isn’t your fight.”

Swatting his hoof away, I shot him as menacing a glare as I could muster. “It is now. I’m not about to sit by while these ponies fight for their way of life! You may not think I can help, but I’m sure Jet can find some kind of use for me. Back home, family and friends are the most important things in life, and as far as I’m concerned, friends of the family are friends of mine.”

I turned to Jet to ask him what I could do, but I was met with half closed eyes and a smug smile. “So you want to help us just because your moral code tells you to?”

After a nod, I stood as straight as I could, still not quite as tall as him. “I reckon that’s what I just said.”

The stallion let out a small chuckle, pulling me into a quick hug. “Well then, AJ, welcome aboard. Spunk like yours is hard to come by, and, for lack of a better phrase, I could find quite a few uses for you.” Letting go of me, he turned to all the working ponies near the back of the theater. “Somepony get this mare a legband! Now!” Within minutes, one of the workers came to us with a band just like Jet’s, and he lifted my leg foreleg and slipped it on me. “Before we do anything, I’m going to have to give you some background. Thanks for bringing her, Citrus.”

My cousin left without a word, simply giving the big guy a nod as he ascended the stairs back out. Jet nudged me and motioned his hoof around the room we were in right now. “See that screen? We have cameras hidden all throughout the streets so we can watch for crime, and this is where our tech ponies normally work. They make sure the cameras are always running, and they sound an alarm whenever there are signs of crime.”

As he directed me, I followed, tilting my head a bit. “Jet, what exactly is the Chasers’ goal?”

He let out a long sigh, pausing for a moment. “We want TimeTech out of our city. To do that, we need to prove that Monopoly, the owner of the company, didn’t make the bulk of his money through the company, but what we believe to be illegal trading of drugs and slaves. Our goal is get proof of this so the royalty can act.”

Alright, that answered my question, but I was still confused as all heck. “Why can’t they just help now?”

Jet tipped the blue cap on his head, lifting it again so he could see me. “We’re vigilantes. Unfortunately, the princess can’t aid those who take the law into their own hooves. She sympathizes with our cause, though, and if we can get undeniable proof that TimeTech’s behavior has warranted our actions, she will see fit to help us.”

I was taken to what looked like the lobby of the theater. There were a few refrigerators, one large freezer, and two ovens that they had rigged up in addition to the popcorn maker, cotton candy machine, and all the candy bars. “This is obviously where we eat. Sometimes the members will cook something up, but mostly we just run in, grab something quick, and go. Not all that exciting, but I think you’ll enjoy our next room quite a bit.”

He led me through the lobby and into another one of the theater rooms, but all the chairs had been removed. Instead, treadmills, dumbbells of all sizes, bench-presses, and punching bags were laid out around the room. “Here is where we do most of our exercises. For what we do, a fit, strong body is an absolute necessity.”

Flashing him a grin, walked over towards one of the bags and turned to face my back to it. “Oh, you mean like this?” I let loose with a flurry of kicks, finishing with a kick with both hooves and sending the bag about a quarter of a full circle in the air. “Years of apple buckin’ can make a pony stronger than you imagine.”

His front hooves banged together in a clap, and he met my grin with one of his own as he followed up. Jet’s kicks weren’t near as fast as mine, but when he was done his double kick sent the bag in a one-eighty, swinging between us as it came down. “Wow, Jet, and what have you been doing to get so strong?”

He gave a simple shrug, the grin still on his face. “Years of supporting my own weight. If things go well, and you end up getting out there with us, you’ll see what I mean. We’re called Chasers for a reason.”

As soon as he brought up time, I jumped, slightly worried. “That’s right! I got family that’s expecting me back home soon! Oh, what are they gonna do when I don’t come back for who knows how long?”

“Nothing. They know you’re in good hooves, Applejack.” Citrus saw my reaction to him and smiled. “I figured since you were serious about this, the least I could do was let your family know. If any of them are anything like you, I don’t expect them not to react, but at least they know you’re not dead or missing.”

I’m sure both of them knew I wanted to say something, but the long haired colt put his foreleg around me, apparently eager to continue showing me around. “So, now that that’s settled, all that’s left is to show you where the living quarters are, and show you how teams work.”

Jet began to push me, and despite my slight resistance, I still started moving. “Wait, Jet! This is all still a little much to take.”

He stopped, patting my back gently. “AJ, Citrus said it best: you’re in good hooves. I understand if you want to back out, and if so, we’ll help you leave. None of us will judge you if you don’t feel like you can help.”

Shaking his leg off of me, I stomped my hoof to the floor. “I never said that! I said this was a right much to take in, but I don’t recall sayin’ anything about quitting!”

“Alright then, tell me why you think so.” We began to walk again, and I started explaining just how I felt.

“Well, after seeing all this, the only two things I can say are that this either must be something serious, or y’all are all crazy.”

He let out a loud, hardy laugh, nudging me in the shoulder. “Applejack, honestly, it’s both. We Chasers are just a tad bit crazy. But hey, in times like these, you just have to go a little crazy, and maybe everything you touch will turn to gold.”

I tilted my head a little bit, confused yet again. “…Okay then. To be honest, Jet, do you really think that this little group can take on a power like TimeTech if it’s as big a threat as you say?”

The stallion stopped for a moment, raising a hoof to his chin. “That’s a good question, AJ. Now let me respond honestly: we’ll never know if we don’t try. If we just sit back and let this happen, Monopoly will own Manehattan, and as a result, he’ll own our lives. I feel the same way as you; I’m not about to just let that happen.”

There was a lot I wanted to say, but I could decide where to start before we came to the third theater in the building. I gotta say, for what seemed like just a bunch of ponies with workout equipment and some fancy machines, they were pretty good builders, too. Again, all the chairs had been cleared out, and they had made rooms with walls of double layered plywood. In each room was at least one bunk bed, and some had two. The internal walls of each room were layered with what Jet told me was the carpet from the bottom of the fourth movie room, to give the ponies sleeping in them some privacy if they wanted to talk.

I came to two conclusions when I saw this room, and I made it a personal goal to get answers from Jet. Turning to him, I held one foreleg in front of him and lifted my other hoof to his mouth. “Alright Jet, I got questions. First off, this setup seems a might extensive for what seems to be going on. Just how many ponies are in on this operation? And second, how long has this been going on? You’ve had enough time to pull up all these theater seats, set up all that fancy technology, that workout equipment, the food, and these rooms! Just how long have you been trying to catch this guy?”

After a long sigh and a lowering of the head, he looked back up at me with a hint of shame in his eyes. “Five months. We’ve never been able to get close enough to him to have a chance to do any spying or snooping. Monopoly keeps his tower locked up tighter than Celestia’s rear end. Not only that, but every time we try and come up with a plan, some kind of robbery or kidnapping comes up that we have to deal with. As for how many ponies are part of this group… I think it’d be better that you see for yourself.”

Once again I found the big colt leading me somewhere new. There were five theaters in all; I had seen three, and one had been stripped for materials to make the rooms in the third. Jet took me to the fourth, which was across the lobby from the first one we came out of. When we got there, the theater itself was empty, but I could see movement from the projector room way in the back.

When Jet brought me up there, all heads turned to us. There were four of them altogether. Three of the four looked to be around my age, but the one that actually walked up to us was a little filly that looked closer to Applebloom’s age. She had bright blue eyes, like Jet’s, and her coat was a light brown with a cute white spot between her eyes, and her mane and tail were the same color as Jet’s. She hopped up on my new friend’s back, waving at me.

“I’ve never seen you before, hi! What’s your name?”

Before I could actually answer, Jet leaned his head back towards the filly. “Sprint, this is Applejack. Applejack, this is Sprint, my little sister.”

He then directed me to the other three ponies in the room. The one on the left was a stallion even bigger than Jet, though he looked to be older as well. His coat was some kind of teal, with a mane of alternating shades of green stripes. His eyes were a bluish gray, and a yellow hardhat was stamped on his flank.

As Jet point to him, he gave me a proud smile with one eye closed. “AJ, this here is Jackhammer. He’s our go-to for big time strength jobs, and he’s the head of our Assault section. They’re the main ones who do the fighting and make arrests; a hit from someone under Jackhammer’s command is liable punch through stone.”

The big guy let out a small chuckle, rubbing the back of his head. His voice was surprisingly… I wouldn’t say high, but it definitely wasn’t as low as I thought it would be for a stallion his size. “That was just one time, and I was really mad. You don’t gotta make it sound like some kind of super power.”

Attention was then directed at a slim, emerald-coated mare. Her mane was apple red, though the glare from her glasses kept me from seeing what color her eyes were. On her flank was a diagonal screwdriver with a screw forming an x across it, and I noticed her face reddening a bit as Jet began to talk about her.

“This is Quick Fix, one of the smartest earth ponies I know. She heads up our tech section, who make sure our communications and cameras are functioning, and take care of the technical repairs. If you ever have anything from a tractor to a television that needs work, she’s your mare.”

Her glasses slid down her face a little as she circled the ground with her hoof, trying to avoid anyone looking her in the eyes. Finally Jet addressed the Pegasus floating around the room. He sported a solid, dark-blue coat with shiny yellow hair, and a dark tornado for a cutie mark. “This here is Dust Devil. He’s in charge of our Recon team, and they normally do the stealthy scout work. So far Dust here is the only pony to get close enough to TimeTech Tower to see the front doors. These three ponies all are in charge of a different part of this group, each with their own specialties. And the sections consist of about ten ponies each, so not counting everypony in this room, that’s about thirty.”

I looked around at all of them for a moment before turning back to Jet. “So, where will I be going then?”

Jet flashed a smile and patted me on the back. “You’re with me, AJ, and I’m in charge. Applejack, say hello to Team Chaser.”