Chapter 18: New Monterrey

As the humans and Equestrians approached the bus, the side door opened, and Jeff stood aside and gestured for Celestia to step inside. The inside was not standard. Leather chairs, a mini fridge, monitor screens, and a softly carpeted floor greeted her.

Jeff followed Celestia inside, guided her to a large armchair, then sat across from her. He looked out the window, then leaned forward. "The others will arrive shortly, it looks as if one of your companions has questions about the guard robots."

Celestia looked around the vehicle with wide eyes, taking in the posh accessories and decor. "This is very much different from the Gator," she observed.

"It's designed for important visitors," Jeff explained. "We haven't had much use for it yet since most of the programs here are still under wraps. I imagine you will be the most distinguished to ever ride in it, however."

"You flatter me," Celestia replied with a smile. "By the way, what are we going to eat?"

"Mexican food," Jeff replied, then he frowned. "You know, I just realized I forgot to ask what exactly you can eat."

"I'm not sure what you mean," Celestia replied.

Jeff looked uncomfortable. "Well, ah, you are, vegetarians, and..." He trailed off, uncertain how to continue.

Celestia chuckled. "This topic came up already, actually, when your men came to Equestria. We are aware you are omnivores. In fact, we are, to an extent, omnivores ourselves, although we do not consume the flesh of other creatures, we do enjoy fare such as milk products and eggs."

"You're okay with, um, what we eat then?"

"We have a variety of animal species in Equestria, Jeff. They do not all share our aversion to meat consumption. Applejack, for instance, has a pet dog. Fluttershy has numerous animals she associates with, including otters and bears. Twilight Sparkle has an owl. Rarity has a pet cat. As you might imagine, they cannot and do not share our primarily vegetable diet."

"So it's not a problem for you at all then?"

"None, as long as we don't have to eat it ourselves."

"Well that's a relief, then."

Voices came from outside the open door, and in a moment Twilight was climbing into the bus. She stopped, partially blocking the stairway. "This is certainly-"

"Oh, sweeeet!" Rainbow Dash darted over her and plowed into one of the leather armchairs, immediately draping herself over it as if it were a soft cloud.

Rarity stepped delicately up to one and sniffed the armchair. "It's lovely. What is this fabric?"

Jeff opened his mouth, then he shut it again. "Uh, let's discuss that later, shall we?"

Pinkie Pie bounded up the steps, and the doors closed behind her. "Where are we going?"

"There is a town called New Monterrey about five miles away."

"What's that?"

"Well, many of the people who work here at ProteC live there. As part of ProteC's Mexican development initiative program, we hired many personnel from Mexico to help in creation and maintenance of this facility. Most of them live in New Monterrey, as well as contractors and other ProteC personnel..." he trailed off, noticing Pinkie staring at him with a frozen smile, her eyes slowly drifting apart. "Uh, sorry. There's a restaurant there."

Pinkie instantly focused back on him. "What kind of food?"

"Mexican food."

"Is it cheesy?"

"Look here, Pinkie," Twilight interjected. "Use your ARHUD. It has a ton of info in there."

Pinkie cocked her head to the side, and soon nodded. "Oh, I see. These glasses are actually useful!"

Rainbow Dash put her hoof on her face. "Pinkie, were you paying ANY attention today?"

"I'm sorry, I was hungry. I was thinking about frosting!" She drooled.

"How much sugar do you eat, Pinkie?" Sanchez asked, climbing into the bus. The team had changed clothes during the break, and he was dressed casually now, wearing just cargo pants and a polo shirt, with a Glock strapped in a drop-down holster on his leg.

Pinkie sat back in her chair and crossed her legs. "As much as I can," she replied calmly.

"Move your butt, Sanchez," McAllister growled from the stairs.

Chris leaned into the bus after them. "Jeff, do you have a moment?"

"Sure." Jeff got up and exited the bus.

Chris walked him out of earshot of the others. "I hope I'm not out of line in asking this. But may I speak candidly?"

"Of course. I welcome it."

"Boss, what you doing here? I thought this project was secret. But now you're taking them straight off campus, and parading them about downtown?"

Jeff grunted. "Secrecy? Oh, we're way past that, Chris. I've got almost a hundred people dead. Bulletproof alien monsters rampaging about on my island. I believe these Equestrians and their magical powers may be our only hope of neutralizing the problem before it grows any worse."

"Why not guide them around the facility? Show them some of our technology. Let them meet some of the personnel in a secure environment."

"Because I feel strongly from them that they need to see more than scientists and soldiers. They're very emotionally charged. Very... human, in that sense. Their first impression will be important. They need to see a slice of our life as it really is on Earth, outside of the institution. They need to see children. They need to see families, they need to see ordinary people having a good time."

"They have already promised to help us."

"Yes they have. Even from the brief time I have known them, I can see they are a kind and generous sort of people. But I believe they need to be in it for more than just a verbal promise. They need to see what they are protecting. They need to see what's at stake for us."

Chris nodded slowly. "I think you're correct. It's a bit risky, but even if their picture shows up on the Web, who would believe it's real?"

Jeff grinned. "Now you're getting it. Nobody would care how real it looks, because they're already popular fictional characters. We have little to lose, and everything to gain from making a good impression on these Equestrians. Shall we?"

Chris grinned, and together they got back on board.

Soon everyone was seated and the bus doors closed. They shifted slightly as the vehicle glided forward almost silently on its electric hub motors, cruising sedately towards the installation main entrance. The afternoon was beautiful. Applejack and Rainbow Dash peered out the window as they went through the large security gate. Marky observed the guard robots scanning retinas on drivers of cars coming in, and the humans armed with rifles watching over them. "Have you had security issues here in the past?" he asked Jeff.

"Well, when a multi-billion dollar business builds a remote facility, let's just say that it attracts the attention of unsavory individuals. We have had attempts, none successful, to penetrate our facility through force. To put it simply, we are a sovereign state inside Ecuador. We answer to no one, and there are no limitations on what we can do inside our facility... or to defend it. The few attempts made by pirates and gangs failed so miserably that it has served as a memorable example to all. In general, the, ah, undesirable elements don't come near our facility here or New Monterrey at all. ProteC doesn't take kindly to threats directed at our facilities or employees, and the world knows it."

Marky nodded. "I see."

He leaned back in his seat, a thoughtful expression on his face.

The gate passed behind them, and soon they were rushing through the jungle on the well maintained road. The trip was uneventful, small talk and a few jokes raising the spirits of everyone. Celestia, Twilight, Jeff, and Marky were discussing comparisons between magic and human technology. Chris and Emmy were sitting next to each other, watching something on Chris's phone. Rainbow Dash was snoring. Hamilton sat next to Fluttershy, and they talked in low tones. Applejack and the others looked out the window and observed the passing scenery. Within about twenty minutes they were entering the outskirts of the town.

"This is New Monterrey," Jeff said.

The sun was directly overhead, beating down and reflecting blindingly off the metal and glass of other cars. People walked on the sidewalks, many wearing hats to protect them from the sun.

"I'm not used to roads like this," Applejack said. "Even in Manehattan, there are ponies pulling wagons. Seeing traffic like this?" she pointed a hoof at the cars driving through the streets. "It's really weird."

"You'll get used to it," Hamilton replied. "Believe me, this is tame. Check out Los Angeles or New York City on your ARHUD sometime."

Jeff pointed at a single-floor building. "That's it!" A large sign reading "Pepe's Mexican Cafe" hung above the front door. "Everyone ready for some lunch?"

"It's about time! I'm starved dead!" Rainbow Dash squealed hungrily.

The bus pulled to the curbside parking and hissed to a halt. The doors opened, and McAllister got out first, followed by Sanchez, their ARHUD glasses darkening into sunglasses in response to the noon light. They stood on the sidewalk in a seemingly casual manner while they discreetly guarded the other occupants. Chris and Sanchez got off the bus next. They entered the empty restaurant and gave it a quick visual once over. "Go ahead and bring them in," Chris said to Jeff over his ARHUD.

Moments later, Jeff and the Equestrians walked through the door.

"Looks like my kind of place," Marky commented.

"Pepe! Where you at, man?" Jeff called out.

A big Mexican man came rushing out of the kitchen. "Jeff! Aha! There you are!" He screeched to a halt and his eyes bugged out of his head when he saw the ponies. "Oh goodness. You weren't pulling my leg after all!" He quickly made a sweeping bow towards Celestia and the girls. "Welcome to my humble establishment, lovely ladies!" Talking smoothly, he ushered them towards the counter.

The restaurant had a concrete floor with a long glass counter. They walked down the line, pointing out what they wanted in their burritos to the wide-eyed and excited people behind the counter.

"You can get black bean burritos, chili rellenos, cheese enchiladas, there's other stuff too," Chris said to them. "I've already called ahead told Pepe to have his staff stick with vegetarian products for Equestrians."

"But can I get a beef burrito, please?" Marky asked politely.

"You eat... meat?" Twilight was shocked. "I mean I know the humans do, but..."

"Yeah, like I said, I may look like you but I'm not Equestrian. See?" Marky opened his mouth, displaying his long, white canine teeth. "Different world, different biology. Human food is pretty much exactly what I am accustomed to eating at home. I'm not freaking you out, am I?"

"Marky, you're an interesting pony, fangs and all. It's unusual, for sure, but no, you don't freak me out."

"I'm glad to hear that. I think your burrito is ready, by the way."
"Oh, thanks." A moment later, Twilight's plate floated through the air next to her while she walked to the table. Sanchez, McAllister, and Hamilton had pushed small square tables together on the concrete floor to make a single long one.

Celestia was joining them with a plate of cheese enchiladas when two small children entered the restaurant followed by their mother. The kids took one look at the ponies and began dancing around.

"Mama! Mama! My little ponies! Mama!"

The woman peered over, and her eyes grew very wide.

"Is it costume? Costume party?" she asked in broken English, her heavy Spanish accent coloring her words.

"No ma'am," Marky answered, his beef burrito plate floating in the air next to him. "All real today."

The woman was shocked, but the children were delighted. They rushed the ponies.

Pinkie Pie was slapping a bottle of hot chili sauce over her plate. "Won't... Come... Out!"

The kids plowed into her. A huge SPLAT of hot sauce sprayed out over her entire plate. She quickly jammed a forkful in her mouth. "Ooooh! Perfect!" she drooled, tears in her eyes from the heat, and hugged the excited children. "Thank you!"

Rarity grimaced at Pinkie Pie's greedy slurping on the plate of hot sauce. "Pinkie, really. That is going to hurt a lot, well, later."

"When she goes to the bathroom!" Rainbow Dash crowed, pieces of burrito falling out of her mouth.

"Fire in yer hole!" McAllister chuckled. "Gonna have to change her name to Mud Pie!"

They both laughed until they choked on their mouthfuls of food and started coughing.

Rarity dragged a hoof over her face. "Sometimes I just... ugh."

"This is how ponies die laughing," Twilight said, glaring sternly at the two gagging jokers. "I don't want to have to perform the hind-kick maneuver on you."

"Very immature," Rarity added.

"I like mud pies," Pinkie said helpfully, licking hot sauce off her cheeks.

Celestia held a napkin over her mouth and giggled uncontrollably.

"They're right though," Emmy commented, grinning perversely. "If Pinkie Pie keeps that up, she's going to be dealing with a lava flow of volcanic proportions."

"Well if that happens, someone throw a rope over the stall and we'll pull her to safety," Chris added. "And it seems we are assembling quite an audience." He glanced at his watch. "It's actually lunchtime now. This place gets super busy."

Many more people had entered the restaurant, and they immediately came to the center table, where the crowd grew. Wide eyes and open mouths abounded, and the ponies were the center of attention for all.

Celestia smiled and waved, then was surprised to find herself signing autographs on random objects. Cellphone cameras flashed. Chris's team kept a watchful eye from where they sat, but the atmosphere was cheerful and excited. The friendly demeanor of the Equestrians made them an instant hit.

After a short time the commotion relaxed somewhat, allowing them to eat their lunches, although word seemed to be getting around because the restaurant was more full than Jeff had ever seen it before.

"This is a lot like what happened in Ponyville," Sanchez observed. "Except this time you guys are the celebrities."

"I'm glad there's some good Mexican food here." Marky poked some stray cheese strings into his mouth with a hoof, and chased it down with a deep swig of horchata. "Reminds me of home."

"You're from Mexico?" Sanchez asked.

"No, I mean, there were some good Mexican restaurants around though. It's my favorite."

Gradually plates emptied, and the meal slowed down.

McAllister leaned back and stretched. "Well I'm stuffed."

Hamilton rolled his eyes. "You shouldn't eat so much. You need to stay light on your feet."

"Relax, I'm a professional."

"Was everything satisfactory?" Pepe asked,walking up to the table.

"It was wonderful," Celestia said, smiling. "This is our first meal on your planet, by the way."

Pepe hesitated. "Might I... ask for a favor?"

"Of course."

Pepe pulled out a camera. "Can I get a photograph?"

Minutes later Pepe was smiling widely, looking at the group photograph of himself and his visitors. "It's wonderful! I must have this printed and framed! It will be on the wall the next time you visit!"

Jeff paid on the company card, and soon they were back on the bus, returning to the ProteC installation.

"Thank you for lunch," Celestia said to Jeff. "It was more fun than I have had in a long time."

"The honor is entirely mine." Jeff hesitated. "I only hope you feel as generous towards us after hearing the briefing we are headed to."

"It does not matter matter. We stand by our promises."