//------------------------------// // Chapter three- And so it begins // Story: The Gate: A Strange New World // by Ranger-Redstar //------------------------------// Celestia watched in horror as several men with the weapons drawn on me slower came closer to me. I remained as calm as I could be, not flinching as I began to sweat nervously. Two men came up to me, one of them grabbed my hand and put it behind my back and slapped a pair of handcuffs onto my wrists and pushed me to the ground. My face was facing sideways as I looked out and saw a couple of large trailers. I wondered if one of them was their command center “Suspect is secured” one soldier said They kept their weapons on me and a short time later another soldier came out of the trailer, he wasn’t wearing any heavy gear except for his sidearm. He was a tall man; with a mustache, his face was old and worn as if he had been through hell. Well considering the fact that he was probably the one in charge I couldn’t complain. He walked over and looked at me for about a minute “Bring him in for questioning” he said "Yes sir” the two soldiers replied They picked me up by the neck of my shirt and dragged me over to the trailer “Seal the door, I don’t want anything else coming through, not until we’ve questioned our…. guest” “Yes sir” Soon a noise could be heard, and the doors started to slowly close. Celestia watched as I was brought into the trailer just as the gate doors closed in front of her eyes. The two men dragged me toward a different trailer, this one was white, not black, maybe it was a good thing or not. They opened the door and inside where men in lab coats, Lab equipment, and a big plexiglass box possibly for I can only assume for test subjects. The men walked me into the center of the room “Stand up straight, arms out, don’t move” I did what I was told, and they began to pat me down for whatever was on me. All they found was my wallet and my phone “Have someone check this out” He handed my wallet to the other guard and walked out of the trailer. “Here, pull whatever data you find” as he handed one of the scientists my phone He then hooked up my phone to his computer and he began hacking into it. “Do what you gotta do boys” he said When he said that the other scientists began their evaluation on me. They checked my eyes, my body, my blood and hair. They made me take off my clothes and gave me a thin patient gown to wear. I stripped down and put the gown on “Alright in the cell” the guard said I got into the cell as the closed the door behind me. There was nothing to sit on which was a bummer and I hated standing. I decided to sit in the middle facing away from them. Then the corners of the box turned on what appeared to be lasers, they slowly came down on me and scanned my body for what purpose was beyond me. After about an hour they got some test results, and they were not pleased. I turned around to see what was going on and I couldn’t hear what they were saying, the box seemed soundproof. They kept arguing with each other. The one scientist who was digging through my phone kept staring at his screen, he was probably looking at the pics I took of Celestia, Twilight and spike. Soon a guard came into the room and said something to the group. They all looked at me weirdly then the guard came over and open the cell. “The Commander would like to have a word with you” He grabbed my clothes and handed them to me “Here change quickly” I did what I was told and when I turned around, he grabbed my hands and put them in cuffs again. He led me out of the trailer and towards the black trailer where the Commander came out of a while ago. He brought me into the room and there was an office space, a table, a coffee setup and a water cooler. He brought me over to the table and sat me down. I was uncuffed as he left the trailer. There was a clock on the wall slowly ticking away. I was starting to get anxious, what were they gonna do to me? I tried not to think too much about that, then the door opened up and in came the head commander and another guard with a tape recorder and a video camera. He placed the camera down, so it faced me, he placed the recorder on the table with the microphone pointed at me as well. The Commander sat down in front of me as the guard stood by. “I am Major Bennington; this is Sargent Sanchez, were gonna ask you a few questions if that is alright with you?” “Not at all” I said “We know your human, that’s obvious, especially from what we got from the test’s, so first off tell why you would do something so reckless, not to mention dangerous by going into that thing” “Well, I just wanted to know what was on the other side, curiosity got the better of me and as you can see, I am still alive” “You know curiosity killed the cat?” “Ah but satisfaction brought it back” “Hm, tell me what exactly is on the other side?” “Well, there’s a whole other world filled with beings that are how you say different to say the least” “What do they look like?” he said “They look like small horses, ponies from what I’ve gathered, but they are sentient in nature and have similar brain functions like us, like thought and speech” The major looked at me thinking I’m crazy “They also come in a variety of mane and coat colors which I thought was weird, there are also three unique species of ponies, earth ponies, unicorns and pegasi. And they are ruled under a great being called an alicorn” The major still looked uncertain at me, in all his years he had never heard of such utter nonsense “I saw the proof on your phone” He pulled out my phone and went through my pictures and pulled up the Pic of Celestia “You mean to tell me this is what they look like?” “Yes, sir that’s their leader and she is waiting for me right behind the doors of the gate, I could introduce her to you if you so desire” “Their leader is a she?” “Yes sir, her name is Princess Celestia” The majors mind was racing with a lot my questions more than answers. Could this civilian be telling the truth or is he telling me this so we can open the gate so his kind can invade earth? “What makes you think she wants to see us?” “Well considering I already made first contact with her it’s only right for her to make contact with us if were gonna form friendly relations between her world and ours” The major looked at the table and thought about the information that has been brought to him “Very well then” As we waited the major asked me more about the lands beyond “How did they treat you when you showed up?” “Well very much like you, they captured me and brought me to their higher up for questioning, except Celestia was at least nicer about it, she didn’t treat me like an alien” “Well, when something strange and bizarre happens like this you can never be so cautious” He turned to the guard by the door “Alright we’ll open the gate and let her come through” He turned back to me “if you’re lying by any means you can kiss your freedom goodbye” “Trust me it won’t come down to that” The soldier came over to me and we walked out to the door with the major ready for the next important part. The major and I went outside and walked in front of the doors, several men were still standing there waiting for new orders. “Gentlemen open the gate” Several men looked at each other “Sir is that wise?” “There’s a being on the other side that wants to talk, this man hear says that she is right behind those doors so open them now and let her in” The men were confused and dumbfounded but they did what they were told. Soon the doors to the gate slowly opened. The men surrounded the doors weapons ready. When the doors were fully opened all that was there was the pitch blackness. Everyone was talking to themselves questioning my sanity, so I yelled into the void “Celestia it’s alright you can come out now” From the black void Celestia slowly started to trot out from the dark. Everyone then started chatting amongst themselves as the majestic winged being stepped into our world. The men were at a complete loss of words. What they saw before them was an alabaster mare with wings and a horn. Celestia looked around at the men with their weapons close to their chests. “Stand down, now, and back away men” The men did what they were told and moved aside to allow Celestia to meet the major. She walked up and stood before the major as they both looked at each other. “So, you must be Princess Celestia” “Yes, that would be me” “I am Major Bennington, I’m in charge of the operations and study of the gate here. This young man here says that he made first contact with you is that correct?” “Yes Indeed” The major looked at me with disappointed look “Told you” I said “Hm, alright well let me be the first to welcome you and it’s an honor to have you here your highness” he said as he bowed his head down Celestia nodded “Thank you major however your introduction seemed a little bit intimidating to me” “I do apologize for that your majesty; we were just being cautious giving the circumstances we were uninformed of what exists beyond the gate" “I understand major, I hope this young ambassador was not hurt in any way” “Not at all, we just asked him some questions” the major said “Good to hear, I’ve been told that a President is in charge of this America am I going to meet him?” “I’ll have to contact him and let him know you’re here, it may take some time as you can imagine he is a very busy man, why don’t I let this young man show you around while I make a call” “Very well then” The Major Saluted her and went back to the trailer. I decided to show Celestia around the area. “So, let me show your around, that is the Casino Ballroom, and beyond that is the Atlantic Ocean, across the street is the Police station and the fire station, behind the gate is a water slide, a church and all those are just houses” “Do people dance in this ballroom?” “It’s more of a small theater for musicians and comedians to perform at” “Oh, so those big green wagons, are those the automobiles you’ve told me about?” “Indeed, that is a deuce and a half truck that runs on diesel, it’s meant to carry a lot of supplies or troops, whichever they prefer” “So that hovering machine from earlier was that an airplane” “No that was a helicopter, that’s a different flying machine that uses blades that spin at a high velocity and help it hover in the air” “Interesting I see that area around the gate is walled up I don’t suppose we can leave the wall” “I mean I wouldn’t until the major comes back, I know my government can seem intimidating at first glance, but I assure you they just wanna get to know what’s beyond the gate” “I understand all I want is for our worlds to coexist peacefully” I looked and saw the major wave at us from the doorway of his trailer “I think he wants to see us now” I said “Very well then” I led Celestia to the trailer, as we walked, I wondered if the president wasn’t as busy as I thought he was and actually wanted to meet the princess. I always wanted to meet the president at least once in my life, I guess being Celestia’s escort had is perks. I opened the door and let Celestia in. The major was standing behind a table facing us. Celestia saw the chair but decided to stand, and I stood by her side. “I just got off the phone with the president, he indeed wants to meet you, if you would like to meet him, it’s up to you your highness” “I would be honored” Celestia said without hesitation “Alright then, you been meeting him at Reagan National Airport, we have a private jet at Pease International Airport, the only thing is how you get there, no offence your highness but I don’t think you can fit in a car” “Well, what about those truck wagons they should be big enough” “We could do that if your comfortable sitting in the back that is” “No problem, as long as Mel is with me, I’ll be fine” “Alright then” He stepped outside to alert his men “Men, get that truck fueled and ready to go in ten minutes, the princess will be meeting the president soon and i don’t want any hang ups The Men did as they were told and got the truck ready for our trip to up north “I’m a little nervous Celestia” “It will be alright Mel I’ve got your back” “Same here” A soldier came and ran up to me holding some gear “Sir if you’re traveling with us, you’ll need to put these on” He handed me a bullet proof vest and a helmet “Thanks” I said as I put them and “What’s the armor for?” Celestia asked “Well because you’re such a high value target there’s a slim chance that we might be attacked but the chance is still slim so having a layer of protection against bullets and explosives is just a precautionary measure the military has in the unlikely event that we do get attacked” “Oh, I see” We both headed to the back of the truck. I pulled the tailgate down and jumped on board. As I did, I saw two men who were sitting in the back to which I could assume they were our backup in case things got dicey. I turned around and held out my hand to help Celestia up. Celestia flapped her wings and she hovered a bit into the air and she gently landed in truck. “Have a seat sir it’s going to be awhile” one of the soldier’s said I sat down on one of the folding seats and Celestia sat down in the middle and soon the truck started up and we hit the road. The gate slowly opened, and a crowd of people could be heard outside the truck. “I guess people are curious to see you and the gate, but I didn’t think there would be this many people” I said “To be honest I kind of expected that instead of armed soldiers” “That would have been better” A police car was waiting for us as we drove onto the main road and soon, we were on our way to the airport. These seats were not the most comfortable and I can only imagine how uncomfortable Celestia was for sitting on the metal floor. As we rode down the highway, I was starting to get bored. “So, how are you liking your time here in America so far” Celestia looked back at me “It’s very interesting, although these wagons aren’t as comfortable as I thought they would be” “Would you like a blanket to sit down on” “That would be nice” Luckily there was a lone rolled up blanket of some sort attached to the truck. I pulled it off and folded it while Celestia moved out of the way. I placed it on the floor of the truck bed, and she sat back down “Ah much better and soft” “Wanna Listen to some music” “Sure” I pulled out my phone, went to my music app and hit shuffle and the first song that came up was This Love by Maroon 5. Celestia listened and started moving her head to the music and so did I. We continued down the road until we finally made it to the Airport. The truck stopped at the gate and the driver showed his i.d. and we rolled onto the airfield. We pulled up to the jet which was waiting for us on the runway. We stopped and Celestia and I hopped off as we walked up to the jet. “Oh, so this is one of those airplane things you mentioned” “Yes, indeed this one is a bit smaller meant for rich people or government officials and stuff like that” “Climb aboard we’ll be taking of shortly” one soldier said We climbed on board first and the jet was very open with a few seats but had enough room for Celestia to either stand or sit. The floor was carpeted which was nice, there was a small bar, a kitchen and a widescreen tv. I took a seat as Celestia climbed on, she looked around amazed at everything. Celestia came over and sat next to me, she seemed a little nervous “Are you okay your highness?” “I’m just a little excited and nervous” “First time flying is a little nerve racking, just close your eyes and I’ll let you know when were in the air okay” Celestia nodded and closed her eyes. Soon we were making our way down the runway, I heard a ding and the plane started to move faster and faster until it lifted off the ground and into the air. Once we gained the right altitude in the air, I gave Celestia a nudge and she opened her eyes. She looked out the window and saw we were flying. “Wow were flying” One of the flight attendants came over to us “Can I get you anything?” she asked “I’ll have a coke please” And what would you like your highness “if you have any wine I'll have a glass” “Okay I’ll be right back” She left us alone with the soldiers and it was rather quite again. “What if something bad were to happen while were up so high” “Well, your highness in the case of an emergency we have parachutes, to help us if the plane goes down, you don’t have to worry I mean you have wings, so you’d be able to fly down to safety easily” “Okay, you guys seem very equipped for all types of situations” “Well, it has taken years for us to figure things like that out” “When will we reach our destination?” Celestia asked “We should arrive in a couple of hours your highness” one soldier said “Wow this is just as fast as our trains” “You have trains in Equestria?” I asked “Indeed, we also have zeppelins to help us get around to different countries” “Fascinating” The steward came back with our refreshments, I took a sip of my soda while Celestia enjoyed her wine “Mmmm, sweet but tart, I like it” “I never knew you liked wine your highness” “Oh yes only on special occasions” We flew for about an hour when the plane started to descend onto the runway in D.C. The plane hit the tarmac causing the princess to stumble a little. “You okay your highness?” I reached out to see if she needed a hand “Oh, I’m quite alright, just wasn’t expecting that” “So, what’s the President like?” “Not sure, I’d like to think he’s charismatic, I wouldn’t say he’s full of himself, but there must be a lot of pressure when you’re the leader of a country” The jet pulled into a hangar and the hangar doors began to close. The jet doors opened, and the two soldiers escorted us out. I got out first and, in the room, where more soldiers and secret service agents everywhere. Standing in the middle behind a table was the President, he seemed eager to meet the Princess, but he seemed not to care about me. “Who is he?” the President whispers to the soldiers “He’s the one that made first contact sir” “Is he a scientist, journalist or is he an agent working with us” “No sir he’s just an ordinary civilian sir” “I see.... very well let’s get through this” he said with a fake smile I walked up to the President “It’s an honor to be here Mr. President, I’m here with the Princess of Equestria" “The winged unicorn, yes the major informed me of the one that wants to see me” Some of the DC soldiers and secret service chuckled and laughed “Celestia it’s safe to come out now” Celestia slowly poked her head out the jet and everyone in the room gasped. She slowly walked down the steps and over to the table. “Mr. President this is Princess Celestia, Celestia this is the President of the United States” Celestia and the President just looked at each other as if they were trying to read each other. Celestia bowed her head and extended her hoof out “It’s a pleasure to meet you” she said The President slowly reached out and shook her gold-plated hoof shoe “Likewise” The President let go of her hoof and sat down. Celestia just stood where she was but I decided to take a seat. “So, your highness I take it you’re here to negotiate some form of peace?” “Yes indeed” “Very well what are some things you’d like to start with” “Well, your soldiers have done a good job of keeping the gate safe from outsiders, well except for this young man” Celestia pointed at me “And my soldiers are doing the same” “So, we can we send a team through to your world to explore and study?” “To many of your kind might scare my ponies and might send the wrong message” “So how do you propose we go about learning from your world then your highness?” “Well Mel has already learned quite a lot about us why don’t you send him” “Well, I would prefer I send someone a bit more qualified” “Mel has already learned quite a lot and I think you should give him a chance, if not then I'll just leave” The President looked at me, apprehensive he rubbed his eyes and let out a sigh of annoyance. “Very well, Mel Panzo” he looked into my eyes “You will be our new researcher and ambassador. You will travel through the gate and you will learn all that you can from this new world and its beings. You will be representing America in this endeavor; I wish you luck in this task, I hope you won’t let us down” I was a bit nervous, but I stood up and reached out to shake his hand “I won’t let you down sir” “Good Sargent Haynes will have you do some paperwork and then you can go back through” The Sargent came up to me “If you’ll come with me sir” I sat up out of my chair and looked at Celestia “Feel free to ask the President about anything, I’ll be right back okay?” “Very well then” Celestia said I followed the Sargent as he led me to a door on the side of the Hangar. The room looked like another office more likely where the manager kept records of all the aircrafts. There was a table with some papers on it, the Sargent sat down and so did I. “You know you are very lucky to have this opportunity, I hope you don’t screw it up by doing something stupid” “I understand, so where do I sign my life away” “Just sign these and we should be good to go” I did what I was told and signed my name on several documents. After a few minutes I was done. I handed them to the Sargent, and he looked them over. “Alright, just so you know when your done being debriefed from the other side, we have set aside a place for you to live in while you’re on this side of the gate” he began flipping through some of the papers “Says here you be staying at the Century House on Ocean Boulevard unit #10” “Sounds nice I’ve always wanted to live on the beach” “Well with all your paperwork signed you should be good to go, do you have any further questions?” “Will I be given any personal equipment when I go over there” “If you would like to bring certain things with you write them down and I’ll see what I can do” I grabbed a piece of paper and wrote down the following: 9mm Pistol with an underarm holster 3 spare magazines Survival knife Steel woven line Quick attach grappling hooks Waistband flashlight Portable First aid kit Wind/waterproof matches I handed it to the Sargent, and he looked it over. “Are you planning on an expedition to Spain or something?” “Well from what Celestia said they have an insane forest littered with god knows what, I just wanna be safe is all” “Very well then I’ll see what we can do, and I’ll be sure to give them to you before you leave” “Thank you I’d appreciate that” The Sargent led me out of the room and back into the hangar. Celestia and the President were laughing as we came back to the table “Oh, Mel how did everything go?” I looked at her with a bit of a smile “Well, it’s official I am now an ambassador and researcher for the United States Government” “Well Congratulations” Celestia said “The Sargent will be responsible for taking you both back, now if you'll excuse me, I have a country to run” The President stood up and shook my hand again before walking towards the exit with his agents. I turned to Celestia “You ready to go back your highness” “Absolutely” Celestia and I got back on the jet and flew back to New Hampshire. We sat in the back of the truck as we rode down the highway. While we were riding, I looked out at the world I knew and tried to take in the scenery. I was about to embark on a journey that might possibly change the world. Would this be a good or bad change, well I guess it’s up to me as we headed back to the gate