Chapter 24: Settling unsettling things
As soon as JetStream blacked out, all you could hear outside of the door was a thump and nothing afterward. Eggman pulled away from the door, "I assume they have settled things."
"What happened to, JetStream!?" Tails exclaimed. Eggman pointed his thumb toward the direction of the door.
"Him? He basically got, caught up, in the heat of the fight." Knuckles took a step forward.
"Fight?"
"Yes, as you all deliberately destroyed the last one, I built another, simple as that." He preceded to pull it out, "I call it, the 'ippos-manipulator."
"We don't care about that! Open the door!" Sonic ordered. Eggman smiled as he turned.
"So be it..." he undid the lock and the doors swung open, what Eggman assumed to happen caught him by surprise, "What?!" he stared at the scene in awe, "This wasn't supposed to happen..." he said quietly. Eggman just stood there while they all ran past him to get to their aid. One of the robots from behind the front doors were starting to short circuit. Eggman needed to get out of here, he had places to go. But before he could make it out, one of the robots exploded, sending Eggman back a good distance. As it happened, an object flew out from the blast as well, and landed directly on Knuckles's head, making him fall to the floor. Tails and Sonic looked at him for the second.
"You okay, Knux?" Sonic asked, partially smiling. Tails was snickering until he realized what he saw in Knuckles's hand from the floor breaking its fall.
"Sonic, it's another Chaos Emerald." Tails pointed at the shiny yellow object, Knuckles eyes opened.
"What, was that?" Sonic took the Chaos Emerald from his hand.
"A Chaos Emerald, good job, Knuckles." Sonic patted him on the head. Knuckles grit his teeth in annoyance.
"Alright, alright." Tails went back to JetStream, and kneeled down so he could pat him on the side of his stomach.
"JetStream, can you hear me? JetStream..." Sonic looked throughout the entire room.
"They're all really knocked out..." the violet mare shifted, and Tails noticed instantly. Tails looked at JetStream with a frown before he looked over to the mare.
"Hey..." He walked over to her, "Are you awake? At least conscious... Can you hear me?" Knuckles looked back, there was no sign of Eggman anywhere, he just rolled his eyes and looked back toward the room. Then out of the corner of his eye, he noticed a white mass start to shift as well.
"Guys, she's moving too." Sonic and Tails looked at each other, more worried than relieved. Tails looked back at the mare before her. Her eyes were opening so Tails decided to stand back. It took a while for her to recollect what she had lost, but once she did, she jolted up and backed away from Tails.
"Ah! ... Who are you? What are you?" her concerns of safety rose as the presence of these not-before-seen animals were revealed.
"Don't worry, I'm not here to hurt you. I came to see if you're okay." she didn't know whether to believe him or not, "My name is, Tails." he smiled, the mare was still quite shaken, she used all the courage she had.
"Oh, well then hi, Tails." that's when she suddenly noticed the pony lying next to her, "Oh, no." she looked at Sonic, "Is he going to be okay?"
"Yeah." Sonic assured, "He's only tired..." Sonic got the info from how his chest was at least moving. But when she took a closer look, she suddenly got this feeling of recognition.
"Wait, this pony saved me from the thing's mechanism..."
"What? Saved you?"
"You guys..." Knuckles continued.
"From the influence of that machine gave me, that this one thing had." Sonic snapped his fingers.
"I bet that's the 'ippos-manipulator Eggman was showing us." Sonic shrugged at Tails.
"The 'ippos-manipulator?" Tails nodded.
"Yeah, he uses because he made it for one purpose of controlling ponies of this universe." she lifted one of her hoofs from the ground.
"No wonder you three don't look familiar."
"Ahem!" Knuckles finally got their attention, the mare jumped in shock as she turned.
"Princess Celestia!" she galloped to her, revealing that everything is fine, "... Are you okay? Princess Celestia?" she tried to get Celestia off her side.
"Princess?" Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles echoed as they're shocked to hear it. They gave each other looks as Celestia finally started to rise.
"Oh my... What happened?" she held her hoof to her aching head.
"Princess, it's over. And the thing that caused this is gone too." Celestia shook her head.
"That is not good for the well-being of the future..." looking around her own throne room, and in the process, three figures stopped her train of thought, she walked a bit closer, "... And who are you three?" Tails got nervous quickly, Sonic and Knuckles were still questioning each other.
"Uh, my name is, Tails. These are my friends, Sonic and Knuckles."
"Mmmhmm..." she continued to look around, when she noticed a colt lying on the floor, "Oh my!" she exclaimed softly, "Is he alright?" As she continued to look, it suddenly hit her. The same mane and tail, it had to be him, especially with that Aura, "This pony is, JetStream. Why is he here?"
"He's with us." Sonic answered as he held his thumb against his chest. Soon afterward, JetStream started to shift, Tails went to him again.
"JetStream, get up." his eyes opened slowly.
"T-Tails...?" he smiled.
"You're alright." he assured himself. Celestia was surprised with what she was seeing, in which she smiled.
"It seems you have already befriended him as well." the mare standing next Celestia was surprised to see the mercy of these two characters.
"They were telling the truth, it's got to be, wait..." the mare turned to Celestia, "You know him, Princess?"
"Of course I do, Twilight. I know his father and mother if I may add."
"Sort of like you know mine?" Celestia nodded, and at the same time JetStream was able to stand, and smiled.
"Thanks, Tails." he nodded. JetStream looked to his right, "Celestia! You're okay!" JetStream looked at the pony next to her, "I'm glad you're alright too."
"Thanks for getting me out of that." she smiled, as did JetStream.
"You're welcome." Celestia shifted.
"Excuse me but, did I miss something?" Twilight turned to Celestia.
"Yes, I guess you did, Princess. You see, JetStream, here got me out of the craze of that machine." Celestia as she heard the story.
"That's what I would expect for a pony with an outgoing Aura like his..." Celestia turned to JetStream, "And I must sincerely thank you for saving my student, JetStream." he blushed.
"Thanks, Celestia." she whole heartedly giggled.
"So I assume we have all of this figured?" everybody nodded, "Alright, I'm glad we've gotten things under our control." JetStream took a step forward, losing his blush.
"I gotta ask you Celestia, but where is the Royal Guard?" Twilight was shocked to hear that.
'He knows about the guard too? Maybe he has been here longer than I thought...' Celestia's eyes widened in remembrance.
"That reminds my troubling thoughts, we better go get the guards out of the dungeons." Celestia offered JetStream and the others to follow, which they did.
"... Dungeons?" JetStream asked.
"Why yes, JetStream, this castle has had them for centuries." the path led them to go deep under the castle, where the walls were cobblestone, there were torches, but that weren't lit, with some struggling, JetStream could see fine, but Celestia insisted on lighting it for them.
"Sure." they all responded in unison. Soon after the area started to glow, and Celestia's horn glowed a sun-like gold, Tails was astonished.
"Amazing to see actual magic work." the mare went to focus also, soon enough, a purple-pink glow gathered around the mare's horn. JetStream saw that as the entire dungeon was completely lit.
'The magic is strong with this one...' they reached the cells and went to unlock all the locks done, the mare undid the next one, and JetStream undid the last, and as soon as it was he undone it, he opened the gate and let all the guards out by standing aside, "How did this happen anyway?"
"Well, it was something awful, it was some black substance, or something like it." JetStream remembered and realized what she was talking about, "It overpowered us, and got all the guards in the cells after it was ordered by its creator, or whoever it was, so they couldn't help." JetStream leaned back.
"Wait, overpower? The last time, or the first time we battled against it we were the ones to get the best of it." they both grew worried.
"Could it be growing stronger?" JetStream nodded when he didn't want to.
"There's a probability." Celestia spoke out.
"Princess Celestia." they said in unison, "But for one thing, JetStream..." he turned to her, "You activated a certain pattern on the bell, correct? Back in your hometown." JetStream's eyes widened.
"How do you know that?" Celestia looked up.
"The first time I have heard that song, I was really young. Actually around your age." JetStream took a step forward.
"Really? How come you know it?" she suddenly paused as she looked back down, opening her eyes.
"... Sadly, that's beyond my ability to answer..." JetStream sank as Sonic waved his arms from the front door.
"Celestia! All the guards are out." she turned to him.
"Thank you, thank you all." they soon all headed out to get back to Tails's plane, where Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles were already outside. JetStream walked through to outside, but stopped and turned.
"Excuse me, but I never got to ask you your name." he asked the mare, Celestia got her attention.
"What is it, Princess?" she motioned her to look, "Oh... My name is Twilight Sparkle, JetStream."
"It's nice to meet you, Twilight, and I got to get going." JetStream smiled, as did Twilight as she started waving goodbye, JetStream mimicked her as they continued to their next destination. Celestia smiled.
"Be safe you four." Twilight looked up to Celestia.
"Celestia..." she looked down to her, "I was wondering what were in those saddlebags of his..."
"Who knows, he could be holding something for somepony, or be keeping something dear to himself. Lets go ahead and get back inside." as they did, the guards closed the door, saluting their Princess.
~~~Chapter End~~~