Chaser

Chaser

Story 3

Chapter 6: Family

By: SleeplessScribe

As the train slowed to a halt, it took us both a moment to actually realize. Neither of us could keep from laughing a little bit as Jet nudged my shoulder a little. “That was a beautiful little moment we just had.”

Nudging him back, I made my way towards the library, showing him the way. “Yeah… let’s not tell Big Macintosh or Sprint about that.” That only made him laugh more, but he silently agreed.

“Applejack!” Before I knew it, I was on the ground underneath a pile of pink. “Oh my goodness Applejack where have you been we were so worried and who is this guy is he your friend ooh I love meeting new friends!” The hyperactive pony jumped up, grabbing Jet’s hoof. “Hi there! I’m Pinkie Pie!”

My friend seemed completely unfazed by the sudden Pinkie. “Hey there! My name’s Jet Rush.”

I set my hoof between the two, keeping my attention on Pinkie. “Pinkie, I’m sorry, but I’m not here to stay. Do you know where Twilight is? We really need to get to her.”

“I’m right here.” Just as they had when I left, all of my friends, including Nova, this time around, came out from inside the train station. Upon seeing my alicorn friend, Jet gave her a polite bow, but she lifted him up. “No need for any of that! Any friend of Applejack’s is a friend of ours.”

Jet gave her a nod. “Thank you, Princess…” He motioned with his hoof for her to continue.

“I’m Twilight Sparkle. We’re all very good friends of hers.” One by one, each pony introduced themselves, aside from Pinkie, starting with Rainbow Dash, and, ironically, ending with her brother. “Now, you need not explain your situation to me. Princess Celestia received a letter from one Citrus Orange in Manehattan, and she sent me the letter. She has given me the power to give you legal immunity for taking action against this tyrant, provided you have ample proof of his crimes.”

Before anypony else could even open their mouths, Jet handed Twilight the papers. “Princess, my little sister recovered these documents from inside his tower. They’re sales records dating back at least three months, and they describe, in detail, his the distribution of highly potent, and of course, illegal Seahorse Dreams.”

Her eyes widened as she read through the papers, looking at Jet with quite a bit of concern. “Seahorse Dreams? I’ve read a few books on that; how could anypony have gotten a hold of so much?”

It was my turn to interject. I stepped between them and shook my head. “That’s not what matters here, Twi, what matters is that we put a stop to him!”

She gave us both a nod, taking out a quill and scroll. “You’re right. I’ll let the Princess know that not only do I have these sales records, but the word of the Element of Honesty. I’m sure she won’t mind if I give you the go now, however, so by all means, get back to Manehattan and stop this pony!”

Jet clapped his hooves together, letting out a loud shout. “Yeah, son! We’re finally going to take this guy down!” We both gave each other a high hoof, but that’s when I realized we forgot a big detail.

“Wait Jet, it’s still going to take us some time to get back. Monopoly may already be attacking the base as we speak!”

Both the Dash siblings spoke at the same time, sporting wide grins. “Who said anything about taking the train?”

-*-*-*-

Holy hardcore hill midgets, the pegasi were fast! Riding on their backs, the trip back to Manehattan took less than an hour! Not only that, but they flew right over the wall and took us to the base without any trouble at all. Not a moment too soon, either, as I saw a horde of guards making their way to the theater.

After dropping us off, neither of them left. When they saw our confused looks, the orange one who called himself Nova Dash spoke up. “Do you really think we’re just going to leave you guys hanging? What kind of friends would we be if we did that?”

I was left with no time to respond as my favorite munchkin jumped on me in a tight hug. “Jet! I’m okay, I’m okay! Did you see the stuff I got?”

She was all excited and hyper and bouncing around as I set her down. “I sure did, Sprint! Even if you were stupid enough to sneak into TimeTech Tower all by yourself, you’re still the best sister ever!” I lifted her up into another hug, but it seemed today’s trend was not being able to enjoy moments for any amount of time.

Citrus ran up to us, fully dressed in his military armor-which they got to keep for some reason-and tapped my shoulder. “Jet, I hate to break this up, but we’re running out of time.” He tossed me my headset, giving me a moment to put it on. “It’s set so that everyone can hear you.”

Alright, it was finally time. I already had a plan in mind, so I turned the headset on and let it rip. In a non flatulent way, that is. “Everyone, listen up! We got guards up the wazoo coming at us, so I want everyone in the Assault section attacking them and keeping them away from the base! The Recon division,” I turned to the speedy pegasi, pointing a hoof at them, “that means you two, also, will sweep through the tower and evacuate everyone, also giving me time to take care of Monopoly. Once the building is empty, I want out Techs to place those bombs we recovered at key points in the tower, and we’ll take it down. Everyone got that?”

A loud, resounding “Yes sir!” echoed through not only the room we were in, but wherever everyone that I was talking to through the headset was. I then sent everyone, except Sprint, who I sent to lie down some more, off to their places, but Applejack stayed behind.

“I ain’t leaving you, Jet.”

I turned to her, giving her a grin. “You’re not leaving me. Don’t worry, AJ, I’ll be out of there before you know it, I promise you. I’ll be fine.”

My friend opened her mouth to speak, but, again, today’s trend was getting interrupted.

“He will be.” I knew it had to happen eventually, so why not when the fight was almost over? The bright yellow foreleg now sported a red band as Firecracker walked over to us. “Applejack, never doubt Jet when he makes a promise like that, trust me. I’ve known him long enough to have learned that.”

It was obvious she was still angry at Firecracker for the things she’d done, but after a long sigh, she gave me a tight hug and a nod. “Alright then. I’m sure Big Macintosh is the with Assault team, so I’ll go help them out.”

She took off, not even giving me a chance to say goodbye or good luck or anything. Our new ally walked up to me, wrapping her forelegs around me as I heard obvious, but soft crying. “Jet, I’m so sorry. I’m so, so sorry.”

This was one of those moments I knew couldn’t be interrupted as I patted the mare’s back. “Stop, Firecracker. I’ve forgiven you, alright? You know I loved my mother, and I still do, and now I’ve learned what Monopoly’s been doing to you to keep you under his control. You weren’t yourself when you did what you did. We’re going to get you help, when this is all over, and there won’t even be any more drugs for you to get a hold of.”

She was still crying a little, but she was finally able to let me go. “Make me a few promises I know you can keep?” After a nod from me, she continued. “Take care of your sister. Enjoy your life. And above all else…,” she turned back in the direction AJ had taken off to before giving me another hug. “Be good to her. She’s a sweet mare, and she really cares for you. She’ll be much better than I ever was.”

Patting her shoulder, I lifted her now lowered head. “Don’t put yourself down. It’s time for you to help the winning team.” Now it was her turn to nod. “You know that tower better than any of us, what’s the fastest way to get to Monopoly?”

She didn’t even wait for me to finish my question. “The stairs. He’s pretty high up, but he’s probably disabled the elevator. That colt is far too proud and stupid to leave his tower, so arresting him should be easy.”

After another pat, I took off, but not before she grabbed me and pulled into one last hug. “Be careful.”

“I will, you go help the Recon team evacuate the tower, alright?”

* * *

I actually just followed Firecracker all the way to the tower, avoiding the fighting right outside the theater doors. As we approached the massive building, pegasi could be seen zooming in and out of the doors, carrying ponies with them as they came out. Once we were in, Firecracker turned to me. “Just go up until you can’t go up any more! He’s always at the top floor, and hardly ever leaves.”

Giving her a nod, I did just that. After a while, I gave up counting how many flights of stairs I had gone up and just kept running. I seriously felt like it took me ten minutes to get to the top, but once I was through the doors, there was only one room at the end of the hallway. Rushing into it would probably send me right into a trap, so I made my way down the hall slowly, kicking the door open rather than tackling it.

The back of his chair was facing me, but I could see the reflection of his face in the massive window. He began a slow, mocking clap as he turned his chair, now facing me. “Bravo, kid, bravo. I must say, I’m quite impressed with your tenacity. Who would’ve thought that your integrity and moral code would eventually lead up to this?”

Grabbing a pair of cuffs from underneath my band, I slowly approached the stallion. “Party’s over, Monopoly. You’ve lost.”

Before I knew it, he flew over his desk and kicked me into the wall. Strangely, he didn’t capitalize on my temporary stun. “Don’t count the enemy out until they’re dead, Jet Rush. I know why you’re here, but getting rid of me won’t bring back mommy dearest.”

Shaking my head, I picked myself up and glared at him. “This isn’t about revenge, this is about justice. I want to see you thrown in a dungeon where you belong!” I was getting sick of words, so before he could speak again, I tackled him, crushing him between myself and his desk as his cigar fell out of his mouth.

He had a plan, though. I felt a sharp pain in my side, dropping to the floor as Monopoly pulled the blade out. So that’s why he was missing a cuff on his sleeve. “You’re a fool, boy. You can’t take me down, and you never could!” I managed to dodge his swing, but his followed up with another that sliced the bridge of my muzzle.

That crap stung, but I didn’t let it keep me from grabbing the leg with the blade and slamming my head right into his face. The head-butt shattered one of the lenses in his glasses, cutting him under his eyes as he threw them off. “Do you have any idea how much those cost?” In a rage, he stabbed at me, but my roll made him miss as the blade got stuck into a wall.

As he struggled to get it out, I let loose with a few hits to the face, bloodying his nose before his other hoof met my jugular, forcing me to back away as I started coughing. He made his way over to me again once he pulled himself out of the wall, but I turned him around, pinning him against the wall.

Dust came on the headset as I held our enemy. “Jet, everyone’s out and the explosives are planted!”

It was now or never. I did not need to think about it, my mind was already made. I was going to get Monopoly out of here no matter what, and if that meant being a little crazy, then that’s what I had to do. “Bring down the house.”

Dust Devil knew me as well as Firecracker, and as a result knew not to argue when my mind was made up. There was no doubt in my mind he didn’t want to give the order, so he shut off the communications, but within moments there was a loud, resounding boom as the tower began to fall.

“So this is it, boy? You’re going to sacrifice yourself to end me?”

“No. I told you, I’m out to see you brought to justice, not for revenge.” I reached out for the cuffs that were still on his desk as a section of the wall fell.

I heard a small, sinister chuckle come from Monopoly just before his last hurrah. “Too bad.” Taking advantaged of my relaxed grip, he kicked me right through the glass, his laughter echoing as I shouted in cliché movie fashion.

“No! You idiot!” There was no time for me to even see the tower fall. On my way down, I hit a large piece of debris that knocked me out before I was even halfway to the ground.

Rainbow Dash managed to catch him just as the tower completely fell, and she laid him down in the middle of all the friends now gathered around. Not only that, but a rather large amount of the citizens still living in Manehattan had come, and were now gathered around. Of course, it was Sprint, Quick Fix, Dust Devil, Jackhammer, Firecracker, and myself that made our way through the decent sized crowd, huddling over him.

Although everypony wanted to say something, both Firecracker and Jet’s little sister held back all but me as I kneeled over to him. Shaking him a bit, I felt myself tearing up as I realized what may have just happened. “Jet?”

No response. There was no stopping myself now. As the thoughts of losing such a good friend took hold of my, the tears fell onto Jet’s chest. In the short time we had spent together, I had built such a close bond with him, and now he was gone. I lowered my head onto his chest, crying into him. “Jet, you jerk! Y’all promised me you’d be fine! Y’all promised!”

As my hoof pressed against his neck, I jumped up and looked at him. “He… he’s alive! He’s still got a pulse!” I’ll be honest; I expected a more excited response, but all I got was silence. Immediately I began CPR-it’s a good thing I learned it- pressing down on his chest for the reps before breathing into him. After no response, I did it again, and in the middle of my breathing, I backed away as the stallion began to cough, opening his eyes.

When his coughing fit was over, he looked up at me, gently caressing my cheek. “Heh, you know, AJ, if you wanted to kiss me, all you had to do was ask.”

There was the excited cheering I had expected. Everypony that was being held back made their way over to Jet and I, wrapping us both in a tight group hug. All at once, everyone but Jet managed to shout “We did it!”

-*-*-*-

I made it a point for everyone to search the wreckage. Applejack, however, demanded to stay with me while I rested in the Orange’s mansion. The whole time we talked, she was smiling and holding my hoof.

“Jet, don’t you ever do that to me again. You have no idea how scared I was that you were dead.”

A simple shrug was all I gave. “I didn’t care, to be honest. Remember what I said? You just have to go a little crazy, and maybe everything you touch will turn to gold. Throughout our struggle, Monopoly truly believed that I wanted him dead, but he was wrong. Regardless of the things he’d done, killing him wouldn’t bring my mother back, nor would it have cured Firecracker’s addiction. It would’ve just made me a murderer.”

The mare leaned forward, giving me a gentle kiss on the cheek. “You’ve got a good heart, sugar cube, you know that?”

As corny as it was to say, I just couldn’t resist as I let out a small chuckle. “This good heart of mine belongs to you, now.”

She got a laugh out of it too, softly hitting my shoulder. “I didn’t think you were capable of something so cheesy, but thank you, Jet. I guess Sprint was right after all.”

Reaching out to her, I pulled her close to me as my lips met hers. The kiss didn’t last that long, but it didn’t have to. “I love you, Applejack. You’ve done so much for me and my friends, all out of the kindness of your own heart. You’re just… an amazing pony.”

Who would’ve known a pony’s face could turn that shade of red? She rolled her eyes, hitting me again. “Oh, stop.”

I couldn’t be too upset, as I really didn’t know where this moment would go, so Citrus’s entrance didn’t bother me much. What did bother me is his shaking of the head.

Looking up at him, my ears fell flat. It was weird to feel them do that, since my hat normally kept them that way to begin with. “He’s dead?”

He shook his head again. “There was no body, but there was no way he couldn’t gotten out. He just… disappeared.”

My gaze shifted from Citrus, to AJ, and then just down. “That’s the exact opposite of what I wanted.”

The veteran smiled at me, stepping up to the other side of the bed. “That’s another reason I’m here. Jet, a reward has been prepared for you, and I’d like to ask that, as soon as you feel ready, come see everyone TimeTech’s ground zero.”

I was still a little weak, but I managed to get myself out of bed and get my hat on. “I’ll go now.”

Even as we left the mansion, the effect of our actions was obvious. The whole city just looked, and felt, safer without that massive tower looming over everyone. It was bright out, the sun was shining, and there wasn’t a cloud in the sky as we made our way over to the wreckage. The ponies had made some kind of makeshift stage, and Citrus dragged me onto it.

“Fillies and gentlecolts, it is with great pride that I now declare TimeTech out of commission!”

His statement received a roar from the now massive crowd, all of them throwing their hooves up and shouting. “Our city is free once again, thanks to the effort of Jet Rush and the Chasers! Their continued attempts at taking down this tyrannical company have finally paid off, and it is at this time, that I would like to thank the leader of this organization! Jet Rush, not only did your determination bring down the biggest threat Manehattan has ever faced, but your integrity has set an example for all of us!”

As the crowd shouted and cheered, Citrus snapped a golden medal around my neck, the center of which resembled the horseshoe in my cutie mark. “Go on, say something.”

I was never good with speeches, but I did have some things to say and this was probably the best place to say them. “Everyone, I have to get this out now. It was just me who made this happen, it was every single one of these Chasers, and the combined efforts of all of us. I’ve made a lot of friends on this journey, and at the very end of it, met who I believe will be the love of my life. Now, that being said, I must inform you all that this is not that mare’s home, and when she leaves, both my sister and I will follow.”

That got a loud gasp from the crowd, but I raised my hoof to silence them. “However, I leave you all in good hooves, and I leave my team in better ones.” She knew I was talking about her, and I didn’t even need to look at her for Firecracker to know to join me. “This is Firecracker, the new leader of the Chasers, and from now on, the Chasers are the law here in this city! Always remember, my friends, we fight for justice.”

Yet again, the crowd began to roar and cheer again as I took off my leg band, handing it to the mare. “As much as I love this city and the ponies in it, my role here is done, and I now have a new one to play. So, as I prepare for my new purpose, I would like to say goodbye to you all. Never forget this day, and never let anyone knock you down again!”

It was my turn to throw up my hoof, and everyone in the crowd did the same, still shouting as I left the stage and approached my leaders. Neither Jackhammer nor Dust wanted to say anything, but as I walked past them with hoof bumps, Quick blocked my way with tears in her eyes.

“Jet, do you really have to leave?”

I brought the saddened mare into my embrace, holding her close. Nopony actually knew how long we’d known each other, but I knew Quick Fix before I even knew Sprint. I was ready for this. “I do, Quick. My place is with AJ now, and that’s where I belong.” Reaching up, I wiped away her tears. “Don’t cry, Quick, it’s not like I’m not going to visit a whole ton, and you all know you can come see me whenever you’d like.”

After a sniffle, she pushed out of my hug, trying to keep from crying again as her glasses fogged up. “I know that, but… I don’t know what I’ll do without you.”

With a smile, I patted her shoulder. “I’ll tell you what you’re going to do. You’re gonna do two things: help my dad finish what he started with this long range, instant communication,” leaning down, I gave her a small kiss on the tip of her nose, “and you’re going to stay beautiful and smart. Am I clear?”

Her retainer, though hard to see, was still visible as she grinned, tears falling from her eyes again as she gave a salute. “Yes sir!”

* * *

It was evening by the time all goodbyes were said, all attempts to convince me to stay were given and failed, and both of us packed the things we were taking. Sprint hopped on my back excitedly, hugging me.

“You ready to go, squirt?”

She nodded quickly. “Uh-huh! I’m ready, Jet!”

There was no crowd waiting for us, as most were at home, tired from a day of tearing down the wall Monopoly had put up. Everyone from Ponyville was waiting for us at the train station, as some of the citizens decided to aid the workers with fixing the tracks.

Nova, Rainbow, Applejack, and Big Macintosh all smiled when they saw us, giving us a round of applause. Apparently the trend of interruptions still wasn’t over, as Big Macintosh spoke out before anyone else could. “When I first found out about all this, the only thing I wanted to do was bring my sister home, but right now, all I want to do is make sure you’re ready to keep her safe when I’m not around.”

As the train pulled up, I gave him a nod. “I am, ready. But, Big Mac, believe me, your sister can take care of herself.”

“I know.”

All of us started to laugh as we got on the train. The Pegasus sibling slept in one train car, and Big Mac wanted to be in the same with AJ and myself, but Sprint wouldn’t let him. I gotta say, it was pretty funny to watch a little filly change the mind of a guy bigger than me, but eventually he agreed and both of them stayed with the Dashes.

Applejack and I shared a bed, but we were both so tired we just kind of fell onto it. By the time anyone was awake, Ponyville was in sight, and the sun was shining again. The little town itself was a stark contrast to the city I grew up in; the steel, concrete, and pavement that made up my home was replaced by wood, stone, and dirt. We said our goodbye to the pegasi, and Applejack showed me the way to their farm.

I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many trees in all my life! Once you got to the actual house and barn, you could look out and still never seen the end of them. “Wow, AJ, I can see why you like it here.”

Sprint immediately began running around the farm, giggling as she did until she bumped into a rather cute, yellow filly sporting a big, pink bow in her red mane. “Hi there! I’m Sprint!”

The filly looked from her, to me, and then to Applejack. “Um, Applejack, who are these ponies?”

My marefriend chuckled and walked over to her. “Applebloom, meet Jet Rush. He’s the reason I was gone for so long, I’m sure someone told you about it, right?” After Applebloom nodded, AJ turned to my sister. “This here is his sister Sprint.”

She looked from me to my sister repeatedly until finally focusing on Sprint. “So you’re from Manehattan? Do you happen to know a little filly named Babs?”

I actually had to put my hoof under my chin to keep my jaw from dropping. Talk about a small world! My sister’s eyes lit up as she looked at who I assumed was AJ’s sister she had told me about. “You mean Babs Seed? She was my best friend back home!”

Applebloom’s eyes did the same as they both jumped up. “She’s my favorite cousin! Applejack, what exactly are they doing here?”

Now it was my turn to keep the trend alive. Walking over, I ruffled Applebloom’s mane teasingly. “We’ve decided to live in Ponyville. AJ and I have gotten… close, and I really didn’t want to be so far away from her.”

“Are you kidding? You’re gonna be staying here?” After a nod from me, she wrapped her forelegs around my sister, squeezing her. “Oh, this is gonna be the best thing ever! Come on, I gotta introduce you to the Cutie Mark Crusaders!”

My sister raised her brow as the other sister took off with her. “Cutie Mark what now?”

The random series of events got all three of us to laughing, but my laughing was cut short by a green hoof pressing against my cheek. An old mare rubbed my face, staring at me with unblinking eyes. “Um… hello?”

She didn’t say anything, poking at the stitches in my cheek, which honestly needed to come out, that gash was probably healed by now, and the new bandage over my muzzle. Removing her hoof, the old lady got up in my face, staring me in the eyes.

Finally, she backed away, slowly holding up her hoof. “You can call my Granny Smith, sonny. I can tell you’re a good apple, and it’s my pleasure to welcome you to the family.”

As I shook her hoof, I gave her a courteous and grateful bow. “Thank you, ma’am. It’s a pleasure to be here.”

So, that was it. My fight was over. I had a new home, a new life, a new family, and a new love. By the time everything settled down, it was time for everyone to go to bed, despite the groans from both fillies. AJ and I stayed in the same room, but all throughout the night, Granny Smith’s actions made me feel like we were being watched.

It was weird waking up to what I would soon learn was called a rooster instead of an alarm clock, but honestly, I preferred it. Both Applejack and Big Mac taught me about the everyday farm work, but I had more fun climbing the trees and knocking apples down from there than I did just kicking them.

Eventually we found that having my jump from tree to tree knocked down a fair amount right off the bat, so the regular routine consisted of me getting up a little earlier than the rest and doing just that, then helping to kick down the rest of them.

I liked it. This new life was calm and peaceful, and I soon found out that it wasn’t all about working on the farm, either. I got to know AJ’s friend well, too, and while it was a little awkward being one of the only two guys in the group, the shenanigans Nova and I cooked up more than made up for it.

Sprint made new friends too, and apparently joined a group called the Cutie Mark Crusaders with two of Applebloom’s friends. Though on Sprint’s end, not much changed aside from the kind of trouble she got in. I’d catch all four of them doing all kinds of crazy stuff, let me tell ya.

It felt like I had just started living life, like all the things in my past were just things I had to do, and I was now free to do what I wanted. For the first time in a long time, I didn’t feel needed, but I still felt like I belonged.