//------------------------------// // Chapter fourteen- Of Their Own Accord // Story: The Gate: A Strange New World // by Ranger-Redstar //------------------------------// “Good Morning New Hampshire in world news a Civil war in Libya has erupted between Colonel Muammar Gaddafi and rebel groups seeking to oust his government. In more recent news the Royal Princess’es from Equestria are set to meet today in DC to sign the Homosapien and Equine accord in an effort for diplomatic peace and exchange of culture. I can only imagine what lies beyond that gate let me tell you” “I’m curious too Amy my daughter won’t stop talking about it, since they appear to be ripped directly from a cartoon called My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, and in case you didn’t know there is now a group of grown men on the internet who are also obsessed with the cartoon as well calling themselves bronies” “Well, the internet is a strange place, but what this accord does mean is that maybe in the future more people can traverse to Equestria more on that later” The day could not come any sooner for I soon found myself back in DC walking alongside Celestia and Luna this time as we made our way to White House. The White House was like you’d expect is was big and furnished like it was back in the day. It was also filled with Secret Service Agents as well as the staff to clean and look after the President and his family. “This White House certainly lives up to its name” as Luna gazed at the architecture. “And this is where the President lives?” Celestia said “Indeed, him and the first family as well, the oval office is where he works and where we plan to meet him” We soon made our way into his office and truth be told I had never taken a tour inside the White House and saw the oval office myself; I’ve only seen it on tv or in movies. As we stepped into the room I felt secure and safe as the president sat behind the Resolute Desk. “Your Royal Highness’s welcome” as the President bowed his head “Wonderful to see you again Mr. President” The President turned to face Luna whom he had not met before “You must be Princess Luna it’s an honor to meet you at last” “I have been informed about you Mr. President you are in fact a very important being, ruling a nation this grand must not be an easy task” “It comes with its challenges which is why we are here” The President sat down on the couch as he was handed a copy of the accord to give to Celestia and Luna. They both using their magic took a copy and began reading it. I watched from the sideline as their eyes darted every paragraph with an occasional hm or oh. What felt like hours Celestia and Luna were finished reading as they set the accord down onto the coffee table “Your terms seem fair enough however I do expect direct supervision if you decide to bring more humans through the gate and In turn, we would like the same for over here” Celestia spoke The President nodded with understanding “Very well, shall we then” The President was handed the actual accord as he scribbled his name at the bottom. He then gave it to Celestia and Luna and they in turn signed the bottom. The President stood up and held out his hand “Princess let me be the first to welcome you to our fair world as equals” Celestia looked and reached out her hoof for the President to shake in solidarity “From this moment on Equestria is now part of this world and this world is now part of Equestria” “It is a noble day, and we thank you for giving us the opportunity Mr. President” Celestia said So, after the signing we soon found our way back at the gate. When we entered the perimeter, we could see Royal guards posted just outside the gate ready and waiting as well as government researchers loading up there equipment on the back of their trucks to take with them through the gate. “Is all this really necessary sister?” Luna turned to Celestia “It is what we agreed to sister, like I said they will be heavily supervised” she looked at one of the guards and nodded at him and he nodded back with understanding “How are thou feeling about this ordeal Mr. Ambassador” Luna turned to me “I feel nervous as usual but I’m glad that ponies have the opportunity to visit here as well, However if civilians start coming through they may need a passport in order to do so. “My finest are already working on a special passport for ponies to cross over as we speak, if you don’t mind me asking are there any ponies that you would recommend?” “Well first ones that come to mind are Twilight and her friends since half of them have not yet seen the other side” “I will make it happen as long as you watch over them” “Yes ma’am” I turned to face Luna “You know, Luna has not spent much time over here if she would like to join us as well” Luna looked shocked when I offered “OH, MOST WONDERFUL! - I mean oh most wonderful, yes, I would be honored” “You’ve made my sister’s day it would seem.” Soon the major came over to see us off again “The Scientists and equipment are loaded up and ready to go if you’re ready?” “Yes sir” as I nodded “What sort of research will these scientist be conducting in Equestria?” Celestia asked “Well from what I understand they’ll be surveying the land and taking samples back here for analysis” “As long as they don’t steal anything that not there’s” I said “We’ll make sure, alright let’s move out!” The major waved his hand in the air Soon the gate opened, and the trucks rolled in, Celestia and Luna followed behind with me and Haynes behind them. The research team set up shop right next to Sargent Haynes encampment and began setting up their equipment as Celestia’s Royal guards watched intently. One scientist set up a theodolite and began looking out at the vast hills and mountains in the region. Another began taking soil samples to analyze. A couple others began chatting with the local ponies to learn more about the physiology and biology. “They certainly know what they are doing” Luna said “Yeah” Pretty soon more ponies from town gathered around to watch the scientist’s do their work being astounded by more humans in Equestria even attracting the attention of Twilight. Twilight watched as they worked with glowing eyes of bewilderment. She wanted a better look but couldn’t get too close without being in the way of their work. “Oh, hey Twi” “Mel, good to see you, I see that the accord was signed otherwise there wouldn’t be this many humans here” “Yup this is where it begins” Twilight looked on pointing out exactly what field of science each of the scientists were doing “So, are they surveying the land, why?” Twilight asked “Probably so they can create an accurately map out the lay of the land” Celestia was dumbfounded “If they wanted a map they could have just asked” When Celestia said that all the scientists just looked right at her stupefied. One of the Royal guards stepped forward and offered a map of the region to one of the Scientist. He picked it up and unrolled it revealing all of Equestria and its neighboring lands, he began looking at it more closely “For beings of science, they aren’t very bright” Twilight said “Yeah” Celestia and Luna went back to Canterlot as the scientist’s continued their work. Twilight then looked back at me. “So does that mean that ponies can go through the gate now?” “Only a certain amount for now however you’ll need a passport to cross over” “Yay I’ll have to ask Celestia for one right away” “She’s already been made aware of and has also made some for your friends as well” Twilight’s eyes went wide again “So, we're all going!” she said excitedly “Yes, Luna is coming along as well as our chaperone” Twilight then jumped with joy “Yay I’m gonna go pack right now!” “Whoa there, it’s not gonna be immediate, also I should probably let your friends know about the trip as well” “Oh, right of course” as she hurriedly ran back to her treehouse to plan I decided to let the girls know about the trip, so I headed over to Fluttershy’s cottage first. “So, um you want me to go beyond the gate again?” “If you’re willing however, this time we’ll have more fun” Fluttershy smiled so cutely “Oh, so it’s like a vacation?” “You could say that” “Oh, wonderful I would love to have some fun and see more your world again” Next up was Applejack “You want me to go to your world again?” “Yes, if you want” Applejack seemed uneasy when I asked “I’m not so sure sugarcube you remember what happened last time?” It’s a day I definitely won’t forget. I rubbed my chest where I got shot it didn’t hurt anymore but just the memory made it feel hurt. I then knelt down in front of Aj and put my hand on her shoulder “I promise nothing bad is going to happen, if this trip does take a turn for the worst, I assure you Aj I won’t let anything bad happen to, you have my word” Applejack closed her eyes and exhaled “Alright then imma hold you to it” Next up was Rarity “I get to see whats on the other side?” “That’s right” Rarity jumped for joy letting out a high pitch squeal that almost seemed unladylike “Oh, I’m so excited to see what clothes you humans wear over there I might have to pick some up to show off here or better yet get some fresh new ideas for my next wardrobe collection Rainbow Dash was next “I get to go on Vacation with you and the girls?” “Eeyup” “That is so awesome!” as Rainbow did an ariel flip “I have to see those airplanes you mentioned and see how fast there are I mean they can’t be fast as me obviously” “A Jet going Mach 1 might, but we’ll see” Last but not least and probably more excited to go was Pinkie Pie “Yes, I wanna go with you guys” as she got right into my face “Wait how did you know what I was going to ask?” “Just a hunch anyway I’ve been so excited to party with you guys over on the other side for so long, ever since I first met you, I’ve always wanted to throw a party with you over there and the girls and all the new people that I haven’t even made friends with” she said almost out of breath “Please contain yourself Pinkie” “Oh, sorry just got a little nervicited” “I see” So, after a week or so the scientists were done analyzing the land, gathering data from ponies and collected enough samples to keep them busy for a while. I could only imagine where they were going once they got to the other side, probably Area 51. Haynes, the Royal Guards, and I waited by the gate to make sure they got everything they had and needed, also to keep an eye on them as they left. In no time at all I could see Celestia and Luna flying down from the sky to join us at the entrance “Good to see you Mel, I trust your people have everything they need?” “Indeed, now they can go back to their secret labs in gods knows were and test the samples of whatever they acquired” “Your people seem rather eager to learn more about this world Ambassador” Luna spoke “Well to us it is quite…Alien, we just wanna make sure it’s safe for everyone ya know?” Luna nodded with understanding as Celestia turned to face her “Keep a close eye on them sister and have fun” Celestia smiled “I’ll try dear sister” Celestia then handed me six little light blue books. I looked and they were special Equestrian passports. Each had a picture of each of the girls with information about them as well. They almost worked similar in fashion to ours. “They’ll need these” “Yes, thank you your Majesty” Celestia chuckled “You can call me Tia you know” “Sorry it’s just a force of habit I guess” She smiled as she flew up into the air and back towards Canterlot. Soon the girls all started to come by packed with their own saddlebags “So, you guys ready?” I said “Absolutely I can’t wait to see your world again” Twilight said “Well, the best part from what I heard is you guys greeting the town of Hampton first and checking out the beach” They all got very excited by that “Well, it’s a good thing I packed my sun hat and towel just in case” Rarity announced “I curious about that Apple farm you mentioned” Applejack uttered “I too am eager to see your home world Ambassador” Luna blushed a little as she averted her eyes and looked away “And maybe see more of these video games” as she held her 3DS “We'll make sure to check out some while were over their” “Will there be food for us?” Pinkie said “Non-meat food will be provided” Rarity, Pinkie, and Rainbow all looked at each when I said that “Wait you guys eat meat over there?” Rainbow said Twilight walked up to Rainbow to assure her “It’s okay Rainbow they don’t eat horse’s they have this really delicious food called pizza that’s like square with provolone on top” “Okay I’ll admit that does sound good” We all gathered behind Hayne’s Humvee as we followed close behind him through the Gate. When we emerged, we were greeted by the major as well some other government officials. One stepped forward to address the newcomers “Welcome to the United States ponies, before we proceed, I trust you have a passport of some form?” The girls all lined up and presented their paperwork to him. One by one they were given the okay to continue on. “Welcome back Princess” Luna turned to face the major “Thank you major I look forward to spending more time over here” “Well then let’s get started all of you will be escorted to the bandstand on the beach where you will present yourselves to the public” “What exactly for major?” “It’s just to make the people more comfortable with ponies and it also helps with the town and tourism” “I see” I saw a familiar bus as I hurried the ponies along with Luna to get this show on the road. The girls made their way to the bus while I stayed behind to talk to the major. “Hey major, I’ve got this feeling in my gut” “What kind of feeling?” “Like something bad’s gonna happen I don’t know when I but know somethings gonna go down” The major closed his eyes and huffed “Do you require anything?” “I have a list” I pulled it out of my pocket and handed it to the major. He glanced over it quickly and looked back at me “I’ll have my men procure this for you” “Thank you major” I shook his hand before heading over to the bus. We didn’t travel far, just up the road and onto the beach where the bandstand was. I looked and saw by the stage was a large gathering of people along with many photographers. The mayor was on the stand next to the microphone. After we stopped, I got out first and directed the girls one at time to stand by the door. They all gathered by the door along with Luna. I slowly opened the door to see the mayor as we locked eyes and he gestured that we were ready “Alright ladies and gentlemen let’s give a big round of applause as we welcome the ponies of Equestria” The crowd roared, clapped, and cheered on for the girls. I opened the door, and they slowly made their way on stage. Luna followed close behind me as I stood by the girls as they all waved at the crowd. I started to feel anxious as I looked out into the crowd. My breathing got heavier as my eyes darted from face to face. Suddenly it all went quiet for me as my right hand started to shake a little as sweat rolled down the side of my head. My eyes kept darting back and forth at all the faces. It felt like time was moving slowly as I could hear my own heartbeat. My eyes locked with a familiar face in the crowd. I remembered it all too well it was the man I shot and killed back in DC. He looked alive but his chest was covered in blood. He slowly turned his head, and I gazed back at him trembling. He spoke but I couldn’t hear his voice as he mouthed “You will die” I started to sweat even more as I was completely spooked. It wasn’t until Luna came up behind me and nudged me that I snapped back to reality “Ambassador, are you alright?” I got my breathing under control as I looked back out into the crowd and saw the dead man was nowhere to be found. Was I hallucinating or was it a premonition? “I’m fine” I wiped my head with a handkerchief as I composed myself for the crowd. I walked up to the mic to say a few words “Thank you everyone for making these ponies stay more comfortable, if there are any kids that would like to meet the ponies, please line up over here” A lot of little girls and a few boys raced to the front of the bandstand and slowly began to approach the girls. They all were stunned and excited to meet their favorite cartoons ponies in real life. They asked the girls all sorts of questions about Equestria and about them as characters. They all seemed to like the attention non the least Rainbow Dash. She was thrilled performing acrobatic stunts for them. Fluttershy was giving hugs, Applejack was giving them rides on her back. Rarity was complimenting their outfits; Twilight was levitating them with her magic even Pinkie was thrilled to meet them making them laugh and smile with her goofy antics. Soon came time for the girls to explore the beach. “Alright kids say thank you and goodbye to the ponies” The children all waved and said their thanks as the girls all waved back and headed out the back door one by one. The girls all gathered by the bus while I closed the door to the bandstand behind me. “Well, that went well” “I would have never guessed the children over here like us so much” Twilight spoke “If you recall there is a cartoon about you guys over here” “oh right” Rainbow Dash, Rarity, and Pinkie looked confused “Wait, wait, wait there’s a cartoon about us over here?” “Oh, that’s right you weren't with us last time” I turned to face them “Yes, there is a cartoon about you girls that exists over here called My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic” “That sounds absolutely wonderful darling, oh I’ve always dreamt of being a star” “Yeah, its very popular amongst younger children especially young girls” “That makes sense” Twilight said “Alright shall we explore the boardwalk?” They all nodded and said yes. “Wait what about all those people?” Applejack said “Oh, they only came out to see you guys, this area has been locked down for us to enjoy without any…interruptions” Luna came up behind me to speak “I see, are there any places that you would like to show us Ambassador?” “Follow me” We walked along the sand which felt different for the girls, but they liked the feeling beneath their hooves. We soon found our way onto the sidewalk right in front of the Hampton Casino Ballroom. “Ooh what’s in there?” Pinkie jutted “Oh, that’s the Ballroom where concert and comedy acts take place, but there’s also food and games underneath” “Food now yer talkin” Applejack said It was nice that the arcade and food stand was open, even though the summer hadn’t officially started. Usually, the beach was fully open by Memorial Day. Perhaps the government wanted at least one thing open for the girls to enjoy. We all walked up to the food stand to place our order. I got the girls a couple a cheese pizza’s some ice cream for pinkie and some sodas. I got myself some cheese fries, and we all sat down as I passed out the food. “Cheese, on fries?” Rainbow said “Yeah, it’s really good” as I tossed one into my mouth “Want one?” as I present the gooey basket to her She seemed hesitant but gently grabbed one using her wing which was baffling at best and took a bite and instantly fell in love “MMMM you weren’t kidding” “This pizza is simply divine, yet simple” Rarity using a fork and knife to eat her pizza “It’s so good” Pinkie stuffing her face with a slice “It’s not nearly as good as that square pizza but its good” Twilight said “This pizza is quite tasty with so few ingredients, we must bring this delicacy back to Equestria” Luna said nibbling on her slice “Maybe I’ll open up a pizza shop one day” We all laughed as we finished our meal. “Oh, Mel can we play some games while we're here?” as Pinkie looked around at the number of arcade machines “I suppose, wait here while I get some change” I walked over to a quarter dispenser. I pulled out my wallet and I felt like someone was watching me. I looked back towards the beach and saw nothing. I turned back towards the girls and the back exit which was wide open and looked at the buildings. My first thought was someone is spying on us, but I just couldn’t see them but who? I put money into the machine and took the quarters. “Alright let’s play some games” The girls went around and played various games like Skee-ball, Cruisin USA, claw machines, coin pushers and air hockey. By now the girls were getting pretty tired. “Whew-ee I haven’t had this much fun since Pinkie’s last party that she threw” “You said it, hey Mel where are we staying exactly?” “Oh, were staying up north in a really nice hotel” They all cheered as we headed back to the bus. Haynes and his men were also waiting for us. “Sir, are you ready to go?” “Yes sir” The bus doors opened, and the girls climbed on board. I let Luna on before me as I held onto the railing of the bus. I looked back out to see anything as the sun began to set. I figured it was just my paranoia and soon we all drove away from the beach and headed up north. We soon made it to the hotel which was much bigger than I expected. Haynes men helped us with our luggage as we all gathered into the hotel lobby. We walked through the revolving door to get to the lobby. The interior of the lobby was white with electric lamps on the walls to emulate old candles and red carpet. “Now this is a hotel darling” Rarity spoke “It’s seems nice and cozy” Fluttershy uttered We made our way to the concierge to get our rooms. “Ah yes the ponies from beyond the gate, we’ve been expecting you, I have two full sized rooms for you if you would be so kind as too follow me” We followed him into the elevator and went up a couple of floors until we stopped at floor 5. The doors opened as we walked down the hall and to the right were our rooms 111 and 112. “Here are yours keys and we hope that you’ll enjoy your stay here” He left as we entered our rooms both rooms were connected via a door to allow access to both. Both rooms were spacious with two queen sized beds, a couch a tv and a full bathroom. “Alright Aj, Rainbow, Pinkie and Rarity get this room, Fluttershy, Twilight, Luna and I will take this room” The girls didn’t seem to object as I assigned them to their rooms. I put my suitcase down beside the bed closest to the balcony window. Just then I heard a knock at the door. I almost felt a chill down my spine and I slowly approached the door and looked into the peephole and saw one of Hayne’s men standing there. I slowly opened the door to address him as my nerves called down “Sir your requested items” as he handed me two long silver case’s “Thank you” as I took them “We’ll be on the lookout, have a good night, sir” he turned as walked back towards the elevator I walked back into the room and placed the case’s on the floor “What are those?” Luna said “Oh, it’s for emergencies” Luna then walked up to me “Are you feeling okay you seemed anxious when we first got here” “I’m just a little on edge is all, I cant shake this feeling that we’re being watched but not by the government but by someone else” “And you think that something bad will happen?” “I don’t know, I just wanna be prepared” “I understand” Pinkie then broke up the conversation by yelling from the other room “Hey Mel, we found that cartoon of us on the TV you wanna come watch with us?” Pinkie yelled “I’m good Pinkie I’m just gonna turn in for the night” “Okay then” I took my shoes off and my jacket and set them on the couch. Luna went to join the girls in watching My Little Pony. I picked up the cases and opened them. The first case had a CQB Rifle complete with a mounted foregrip, red dot sight and duel mags. It had some spare magazines as well as a few frag grenades. The second case housed a Benelli M4 with an upgraded ejection port and charging handle with textured grips. It too had some extra shells as well as couple of flashbangs. I looked at them both as I checked under my shirt to see I was wearing the Alicornium armor underneath. I went over to the window to see the darkness outside and the streetlights were lit. I looked at the trees and foliage in the distance and for a split second I thought I saw a glint of glass. I quickly closed the curtain and took some deep breathes. The girls decided to turn in for the night as they all got into their beds. Luna climbing into her bed saw me sitting on the couch staring off into space “You should get some sleep Ambassador, tomorrow will bring about a new day” as she pulled the covers up to her chest I just nodded as I laid down on the couch and closed my eyes. I waited until everypony was fast asleep. I then pulled out the case’s grabbed both weapons, I placed the rifle on the couch while I held the shotgun under my arm. I propped one of the extra chairs facing the door and sat down with the shotgun pointed at the door. I made sure the safety was off as I slowly fell into a deep sleep. Unbeknownst to us several unidentified groups of armed men were converging on our location. One from the road. One from the opposite side of the hotel and one from the air. Their purpose unknown