//------------------------------// // Arrival Track 39 // Story: An Extended Holiday // by Commander_Pensword //------------------------------// Extended Holiday Chp 1: Arrival Track 39 Act 1 “Alright, so, after a few adjustments, I finally got the cuffs to be at the right length. How’s yours coming along Otter?” “Well,” The voice was heard as he had the headset out and he heard movements. “This is year three for me to be honest. I got my haircut this time, but still… Just talking while waiting for my ride to the halloween party tonight.” He also could hear a song changing in the background. “Oh sweet… the Chattanooga Choo Choo song…” He smirked. “Just testing out a playlist my dad made.” The screen was black as the video was not on at the moment. “Ha ha, found the boots. Got everything together and need to get these on now.” He was working and as he did so, his computer dinged and Otter moved to pick up the new Ipod his father bought him. he turned and stuffed it into a side compartment in a brown case before closing the lid and clicking the locks shut. The man messing with his jacket turned towards his computer screen, reaching forward he grabbed the mouse and turned on his video feed, preparing to show off his new ensemble. “Alright, so, just got to wait for the video feed to turn on…” He mumbled mostly to himself. “Should be on in a couple seconds, going to turn yours on as well?” He asked the man on the opposite end. “I Guess, let me move the laptop first, too bulky to move my desktop.” Otter laughed a little. “Besides, that way you can see the entire outfit.” There was the sound of movement and walking. He could hear the footfalls of boots on wooden floors and soon the sounds were that of setting up the laptop again. “Okay, here we go.” the opposite end man called out. A few seconds later the computer screen showed the video looking into the front entry. A man in short cropped hair with a black beret on his head was bent over tying black combat looking boots, while the clothing he wore were jungle camo from the eighties or nineties of United States Army surplus. Those in military knowledge knew right away it was a mismatched uniform but still looked like it could be a uniform. The man stood up. “Well, what do you think?” he asked with a slight smile as he adjusted the glasses on his head. “Not bad, seems like an interesting combo… Now if only my webcam would just-” The webcam burst to life finally, revealing him wearing a long dark maroon jacket with a gold trim around the front of it, and on the inside of it. He wore a very loose white dress shirt that seemed to be from an older era, his pants were tan dress pants, being cut off around the bottom of his kneecap by a pair of brown leather boots, with a couple of buckles around them to hold them in place. “Oh wow,” Otter replied with a blink of eyes. “That looks like you belong in an old fashioned swashbuckling story. Still awesome looking outfit.” He smiled and leaned in as he fixed the fold of his beret to look more military. Then again, the blue square with the border of white stars helped as well. He looked at his watch. “Okay, waiting for my ride now… early but that is good. First Halloween party in about two years for me.” The man scratched his growing goatee. “I don’t think I have ever been to one, but I hope you have a good time nevertheless.” He smiled as he finished his statement. “Man, I just can’t believe I finally got this outfit finished, to get the outfit to look like Ridgedog’s outfit. Glad the goatee grew in just in time for Halloween…” “That is good to hear.” he smirked a little. “Well I am clean shaven for this outfit. I am meeting some of my vet friends and current service as well, They all wanted to see this outfit.” he smiled and laughed a little. “They don’t think I will be willing to show up in this… they bet enough money for me to buy myself a nice little item, so… yeah I am going.” he was laughing now. An icon appeared onto the man's computer, signifying a friend logging in. “Hey Otter, think I should add Taze to the call? He said awhile ago that he had a good idea for an outfit.” “Sure go on ahead, add him in. Always fun talking to him.” Otter replied with a chuckle. After a short moment of scrolling through his friends list he found him, and added him to the conversation. Taze appeared on screen his normally messy dirty blond hair had a set of goggles strapped just below his bangs. Under his chin was a thick piece of blue fabric forming a collar that stretched out onto his mid shoulders. Leather straps came down from it under his arms. under the straps covering his chest seemed to be a patchwork of brown leather and green fabric his right arm was bare save for a band around his forearm and a green and blue gauntlet that looked like it had been built up with paper mache. the other arm was covered in a sleeve of green fabric with lighter green stitches up the side leading down to a slightly smaller but similar looking gauntlet, his shoulder had what appeared to be a pauldron made of some kinda plastic plates.. over his left shoulder was a red handle seemingly belonging to a weapon. a similar blue handle stuck out near his right shoulder. “Hey guys, what do you think?” Taze grinned as he appeared. “Took me a while to get this just right.” “That looks amazing.” Otter replied with a grin. “Oh reminds me… I added something this year.” he moved to out of screen and he was carrying a briefcase type thing. “Authentic millennial Attache Case.” he was grinning with the look of the cat who ate the canary. “I even have some documents inside, Declaration of Independence, Constitution of The United States, Magna Carta, Scriptures, A survival book for US Army, Art of War, never can go anywhere without that book for the costume, and a few novels, SSN and Hunt for Red October by Tom Clancy, Redwall, Martin the Warrior oh, Time Machine and War of the Worlds.” He paused and looked inside, “Oh, I have Hamlet and MacBeth and the complete Sherlock Holmes book series.” He grinned. “Mind you these are all in two cases, Stamped as if I work for the Army…” Otter was grinning a little. “oh… I have an obscure book of Indiana Jones finding Noah’s Ark.” He paused and then patted his pockets. “Always good to have a book thats what my mom always said” Taze laughed “I got snacks in my belt pouches mostly and a canteen, and some small empty bottles for detail” taze stopped for a moment “these weapons are metal but not actually combat worthy the bowie knife is definitely real” “Not a problem, we are not going into combat.” He motioned himself. “All I have as a weapon is this folding knife from my ROTC days,” he pulled out a seven inch blade that folded for easy carry. “I doubt the party would like me showing up even with a fake M16 on me.” Otter shook his head sadly. “Though I have in one of my cases a cardboard drawing of a nineteen eleven. Plus cardboard extra magazines.” he spoke with a chuckle. “I actually have a sword right here.” The man opened the left side of his jacket revealing a sword at his hip, hidden by the coat. “It is real, but it is dull so it’s harmless.” His face scrunched up slightly. “A little light for my taste, but it isn’t light to the point of being difficult for me to use.” From the side another voice called out. “Hey Soldier Boy,” Otter’s head turned sideways and once could see his eyes light up. “Got this for you, Happy early, early birthday.” “Cool, thanks Uncle Sam.” He replied with a laugh as a man dressed as Uncle Sam walked into the camera shot and handed a box over to him before walking away as Otter began to open it. His eyes going wide. “OH WOW!!!!” His voice overpowering most everything around. The background of Otter’s call was full of laughter as he pulled out a large leather bound knife. He quickly strapped it to his leg. “Okay… now This is a better knife, a K-Bar.” He paused and looked at the other two. “Sorry, I get a little too excited.” “Hey knives are always awesome.” Taze laughed Otter only returned the laugh. “Agreed, however a nice firearm is in my book better.” He shook his head. “Oh!” He jerked a little. “That reminds me, I am getting my conceal carry permit in the mail next month… I am so excited for that.” He was grinning now like Christmas had come early for him.  He paused a little and looked at his wrist. “Now… where is that ride of mine? They are five minutes late.” “They should be there sometime soon, I would guess.” The man dressed as Ridgedog said. “Might be outside already and you didn’t get the message or something.” “Nope, the agreement was a text fired off, and then them coming up and ringing the doorbell Shawn. That way we get a group photo of everyone before heading out.” He chuckled a little. “Besides we joked that usually I hand out candy in this outfit so they are doing that to keep the tradition alive.” Otter replied with a flat tone of voice as if wondering why he thought he would only get a text and nothing else. Shawn could only shrug. “Well at least they aren’t like my father, otherwise you would be waiting an extra hour.” He looked over to his left. “I might have to go soon, got to give out candy myself.” “My family has it’s own timezone.” Taze chuckled. Celestia, Luna, and Shinning Armor all stared as the doors slammed shut behind the leaving the conference room in silence. The threat lingered in the air that they would regret their refusal of the demands of the now departed diplomatic group. “Captain, please prepare the city for lockdown and errect a force field.” She took a steady breath. “We must prepare for anything that they might plan to do against us and the Kingdom.” Shining Armor a white stallion only bowed his head. “As your majesty commands, shall we postpone the wedding?” Celestia only shook her head. “No, with something like this, a wedding, especially one of the size and publicity as yours and Cadence. It would do well to calm the Ponies nerves with what we have to do to protect the city.” “Very well your majesty, I shall gather my troops and call in the reserve units as well. Canterlot will be, excuse the pun, Swarming with troops for the wedding and against the threats of both Canterlot and Equestria.” With those words Shinning Armor left the room to direct his orders. Outside the castle in the gardens things were going on as they usually did, plants grew, flowers bloomed, and the statues stayed utterly still, as that was what statutes did. Ponies wandered the area enjoying the sights and scents around them. As a group from Neighpon admired the recently, ‘modified,’ statue of Discord, adorning the center of the gardens, there was a loud thud behind it. Several meters away, on the left of the statue, another thud sounded. the third thud followed the other two after a brief pause, as something landed on celestias prized roses. The noises alerted a few guards who were patrolling the gardens and when they arrived in the Discord area they found three smoking alien forms of hairless Minitours. While three guards stayed behind one to each of the forms the other guards raced away to inform castle security, Shining Armor, and the Princesses as well of the developing situation. Two guards also remained to take statements from the tourists in the area to see what they could find. However just like a prank of Discord, all they could ascertain was, three Thuds and nothing else, no real magic in the air, no sudden storms no strong winds. Nothing but thuds. As to the manner of dress, it was curious. One was dressed like the nobles, taking a nap in Celestia’s rose bush, another off to the left and next to a Koi pond was a primitive hunter by looks of things. As for the figure behind the statue of Discord, it looked like the Minotaur had been sneaking in a jungle with two rectangular boxes with handles. In the distance a certain changeling could only smile at the situation. The guards were distracted, Celestia, Luna, and even Shining armor were being pulled away from their current location, leaving Cadence with only a couple of guards. Her plan became easier… Much, much, easier.