The Conversion Bureau: Ties

by Skybreeze

Tonight your host is....

The Conversion Bureau

Ties

A MLP:FiM fanfic by Skybreeze

Chapter 4

Your host tonight is…

A lone lavender unicorn stood tall and alone on a cliff. Her view gazed down at the vast gorge below. Luna’s night fell across Equestria as her bright moon and stars twinkled in the sky. Luna’s moon lit the night, but at the moment was not brighter than the mare in the darkness. Her mane and tail now ablaze, shined brightly in the night. She stood tall on her 4 hooves, looking over a tall cliff near a dense forest. The pony’s teary eyes closed shut and her expression hurt and grim.

Twilight was shocked by the most recent events that fell over the New York Conversion Bureau. Not only her but everyone became traumatized by the events that took place. A bomb, was discovered by her close friend Rarity by luck alone. Had she not noticed, nothing would have been standing for very long. The cream white colored mare noticed a small girl’s doll. The child coveted the toy with her life at her time in the bureau. The pony would have simply dismissed the toy, but noticed some of the stitching out of place and lazy compared to the rest of the doll. The work was done almost hastily as if to hide something inside. Her second hint, was the strange aroma coming from the small human shaped doll.

At first the girl protested, claiming that she recently lost the doll, when a ‘strange man started seeing her mommy’. Emily did not like this man despite what her mother said. His grin was unsettling, and his head devoid of hair. The nose was fat, his body large and muscular. The man never spoke a name, but she felt one constant feeling around him, a sense of danger. The stranger terrified her, on a level she had not known before. Whoever this stranger was it was not her daddy whom she deeply missed. Emily remembered the fights that occurred nightly just before he left.

“There you are!” said a voice from the dense forest. “Your friends are worried sick about you for days now.”

The tall, dark purple mare kept her distance from the silent unicorn. Her teal eyes never turned away from Twilight as she spoke. The alicorn’s indigo, star lit mane waved against some invisible wind in the night. She was Princess Luna, pony of the night, and younger sister to Princess Celestia, pony of the sun. The mare spent days looking for her sister’s most prized pupil and longtime friend.

Twilight did not turn to greet her princess, did not bow or acknowledged her presence. The unicorn remained as she had been for a long time, enraged, and hurt. Yes, she knew that all of her friends had deeply worried about her. They would be feeling the same on some level after the events. Rarity and Spike both frantically looked for her for days. Eventually the duo settled staying with Pinkie Pie at Sugar Cube Corner. The pink earth pony had been completely not herself, as her mane had been limp since the event, and she had not cracked a single smile.

They had returned to the safety of Ponyville, far out of the reach of those that tried to wrong them. Each of Twilight’s friends dealt with the events in their own ways. Some eventually came around faster than others. Fluttershy passed out for long periods of time, and barely ate. Rainbow dash decided to comfort her, knowing she would be affected worse than the others. It even affected the rainbow maned, blue pegasus. Her usual boastful, carefree nature now silent, and unwilling to fly far from her friend. Applejack simply stayed with her family. While the earth pony didn't lie to her siblings, she didn't completely tell them what happened.

“Twilight I know that…”

“NO!” The mare screamed as her flames and emotions flared. “I am NOT, going back there to that awful place. They tried to kill me, my friends, and everypony there, and they even tried to use a child to do it. It is beyond sick.”

Luna’s expression remained still, and her gaze focused on her friend. The alicorn of the night mentally became concerned for her, and her wild use of her magical ability. Any other pony would have experienced burnout, and at worst would have lost their ability to use magic for the rest of their life. She knew this mare was one of the most powerful in Equestria, there was others more powerful but to experience such level at such a young age was unheard of.

“I know Twilight, and you don’t have to anymore. You and your friends have already gone above and beyond by even going in the first place.”

“Why…why are we even doing this?”

“You know the reason Twilight.”

In her heart, Twilight knew the reason, the same reason that was mentioned over and over in her mind, ever since Celestia told her. It was about the survival of another species. Twilight knew about the other races in Equstria. She was told the stories about the diamond dogs, majestic griffins from across the sea, and the powerful dragons that rule the sky on the outskirts of the kingdom. All of them were allowed to be brought in by Celestia out of compassion. Once again a new species was running out of time and needed a new home.

“But I h..I ha…”

“Hate who tried to do this to you?” Luna interrupted her, expression became grim.

“I don’t know, but it just hurts to think about it.”

“Hate….leads to nothing but bad decisions.” Luna’s thoughts became distant, and her own guilt returned briefly.

“My own jealousy, hatred, and suffering are what led me to have my sister lock me up for my actions for a thousand years. If it had not been for you and your friends, I don’t want to know what I would have done. I know you are hurt, but holding onto hatred will bring you nothing but grief.”

A few uncomfortable minutes of silence followed. Neither saying a word, and both did not move or leave. Finally, Twilight sighed and her flames died out, and her mane returned to its original color. It was a mess of burnt hair, and very messy. Tears once again flowed down her face. The mare’s exhaustion finally caught up with her, as she started to collapse onto the ground. Luna quickly caught Twilight before she hit the ground in her magic. The unicorn’s breaths became shallow, and slow. The lavender unicorn finally found out how much her equine body needed rest. Twilight didn't know her limits. Constantly she was tested, throwing her life on the line for her friends many times over. She had saved Equestria from eternal darkness, eternal chaos, and monsters that threaten ponies from every dark corner of the empire. The mare cared deeply for her friends, and wanted nothing more than to help them and her mentor Princess Celestia.

“You haven’t had anything to eat or drink since then, have you?” Luna floated an open canteen over to the mare, and lifted her head with a hoof. “You need to drink something, but take small easy sips.” The mare was suddenly so very thirsty for anything. She eagerly washed it down, thankful for each drop. With each sip of water she began to feel better and better, only occasionally coughing up water.

“I don’t know if I can go back, everypony is counting on me.”

“It is your choice to go back or not, we only want the best for you. At the very least return to Ponyville.” Luna thought for a moment before coming to a decision. “There is….somepony who would like to meet you, and is here right now.” Luna said as she turned to her back, and nodded to a distant small figure, standing next to a mare.The two ponies looked at each other, and the older nodded in approval for the younger to approach. A small filly stepped out of the dark forest, and trotted unsteadily on her amber colored hooves. Her ice blue tail tucked subconsciously as she walked. The young filly stopped a few feet, and simply stared at the large princess, and unicorn mare with her large cyan eyes. She was amazed at the sight of the alicorn’s star filled, indigo mane. She had never got a good look at it during travel and it was her first time viewing it up close.

“Twilight, this is Emily Becker.”

The mare blinked through her tear filled face, and turned to look at the small unicorn foal. Quickly she rubbed her tears away from her face with her hoof. The filly shifted somewhat uncomfortably at seeing the unicorn mare's appearance. Emily remembered this unicorn from before at the bureau, before her conversion. She listened in on her speech she gave to everyone and what they were doing, and what they would become.

At first she was unsure if she would be comfortable with becoming a pony. Even after seeing her friends and peers coming to her school completely equine, the filly was unsure. What drove her to change her mind was her mother’s boyfriend. He despised ponies and would say horrible things about them. Emily’s friends said they were still the same afterwards and even liked what they became every time. She could not understand why someone would be those awful things he mentioned after they changed. They seemed nice, even some of the schoolmates who sometimes picked on her, started suddenly apologizing for how the acted before, wishing they could be friends.

“Oh Celestia, Emily are you alright?” Twilight said as she slowly and unsteadily rose to her hooves.

Emily took a few steps closer with her hooves. “I think so, it feels really good but I’m not so used to..aaaah!” She said as she quickly regained her balance from nearly falling over. She had been doing that a lot since her conversion, just hours prior.

“Careful there, just think of trotting without thinking of the steps, and let your body do the rest on its own. Oh! Where are my manners, I’m sorry you caught me like this. Let’s try this again, my name is Twilight Sparkle. Your name is Emily correct?”

The small unicorn nodded slightly and trotted closer to the older mare. This isn't how she remembered the lavender unicorn. The mare looked slightly dirty and her mane was messed up. This did not frighten her however, but made her concerned.

“What happened to your hair um….miss Twilight?”

“Oh…you mean my mane?...!” Instantly Twilight caught flashbacks of meeting a similar unicorn and saying those exact words. The thought made her do something she had not done in days. It caused her to laugh and smile, instantly forgetting what she was feeling, moments earlier. Emily seeing the mare’s mood brighten, began to laugh and smile, though unsure why, it just seemed the right thing to do. The two girls soon started laughing together at how silly they were acting, as if the two were the same age.

“haha..oh I don’t know *snort* why that was so funny…haha” Twilight said as she covered her mouth with a hoof. “Oh wow you turned into a unicorn Emily, like me! You know unicorns can do magic with their horns? With enough practice and study, we can do all sorts of things with them.”

Emily’s already large eyes widened at that thought. Emily once saw a magician earlier in her life at a party performing different tricks. Was that the same thing she thought? What does having magic mean? Once she saw one of her ponified classmates try to levitate a cup in front of his peers during lunch. He barely got it to slide across the table. Afterwards the pony was exhausted and looked like he ran a marathon, or well galloped now that she thought of it.

“What magic can I do?” Emily curiously asked the mare.

“Oh that’s easy! You can do things like this to start out.”

Suddenly Twilight started to levitate the empty canteen around in her horn field. She slowly moved it across the small filly’s view. She was amazed, never had she saw something like this before, but did not disbelieve it either. In her mind what she was seeing was real. Nothing was telling her what she was looking at was false or some trick, and it made her happy.

“But if you want to learn how to do other spells than just levitation it takes some study, dedication and practice. The trick to magic is making something you want, actually happen! But just to start out, I can give you a tip to start.”

Emily nodded and sat on her haunches, her mind fully focused on her first lesson in magic. She felt excited at the thought of learning magic. Luna simply smiled and stayed quiet as Twilight continued her lesson. The night goddess was relieved that Twilight was showing signs of feeling better. She would never forgive herself if anything were to happen to Celestia’s most faithful student, and longtime friend.

“The first thing to try for a while is just getting your horn to glow. After that, levitation should come easy to you.” Twilight said in a proud tone.

Emily looked a bit sad, and lightly kicked the dirt with her hoof. The filly had something on her mind as she looked down. Earlier today she had been a normal girl with her mom, and walked on two legs. Now she was in a strange new place, in a foreign body, and could barely walk. It was not that she didn't like her new form. She actually made the decision to change with her mother. Now Emily knows what her friends felt after their conversions.

When Emily woke up on the conversion metal bed, she was absolutely and completely happy. During her conversion she experienced what many newfoals did, a conversion dream. In her dream, she remembered seeing many ponies, or, what she thought was the idea of ponies. They looked equine in shape, but had a bit of transparency to them. She remembered seeing endless fields of grass, large ponds of water, and many trees. Before she knew it, she found herself floating towards a large castle at a great speed. The castle looked like something out of a fantasy, only much more detailed. The large castle didn't seem to be on solid ground, so much as she saw a divide of a sky, both behind and above and below it. One side had a view of daytime as bright as a noon summer day, the other had a view of a clear winters night sky filled with stars and a large moon.

Inside the castle were two large beings in a large throne room. The room was filled with mural glass windows, and banners hanging from the ceiling. In the center, near the throne, showed two large beings, and what appeared to be a doorway to what seemed like an infinite space of night and day.

“My little pony, what is it that you seek in equestrian life?” said the being of the sun.

Emily knew what she wanted, it was the same thing that has been on her mind ever since. As she stood looking down at the ground in front of twilight, the filly carefully thought about what she wanted to ask. Her mind was suddenly filled with hope, and she desperately did not want to be let down with the answer.

“Can….can magic really do anything?” asked the filly.

“Well with enough study magic can do many things, like appearing from one place to another. What is it you want it to do?” the mare asked curiously.

“Do… you think magic can bring my dad to me?” she asked as she looked up at the mare’s large eyes.

“I…well you see…” Twilight said as she folded her hooves in front of her.

“That’s what I asked the large pony in my dream.”

“This one speaks the truth Twilight, every human who undergoes conversion must have a conversion dream.”

“I heard that newfoals experienced dreams in great detail, that’s incredible! What did the large pony say Emily?”

“She said that if I come to Equestria, that I may meet my dad again.”

“If Celestia said that, then I believe that it will require a different kind of magic for that. I won’t promise you that you will meet your dad, but if you keep up with your magic you might find a way.”

Emily beamed and grinned wider than when she first woke up as a pony. Her smile warmed twilight’s heart more than the fire in her mane from before. Once again she felt hope for the new species, that they would make it in their homeland. The filly was galloping and shouting with glee in circles around Luna and Twilight, which made them both chuckle. Yes, everything will be just fine.

******

Desert Sand was full of hope as he set up his shop stand. His new batch would surely sell more than the last he brought with him. The tent he set up in the Manehattan marketplace was white with blue stripes, and a simple folded table between him and the street. Celestia’s sun shined brightly in the morning equestrian sky, and ponies began their daily routine. Well-dressed stallions and mares trotted down the cobbled stone streets of the marketplace, with their snouts raised to the sky. The stalls sat near the market square, just close enough to be in the shadow of one of the tall skyscrapers of the city.

“Fresh exotic tea for sale, made with fresh leaves. Come and try some, there are plants for sale too!”

It had been his special blend he spent years developing and refining, and he was the only one who made it with a certain special ingredient, for its unique flavor. Even though his special tea was a hit back home in Phillydelphia, he rarely stayed in one place. Desert simply wanted to get as many ponies interested in his tea all over Equestria.

“Mmm…yes, the flavor does have an unusual aroma, but it is not unpleasant. Do you agree, Marble Gold?” said the mint green stallion unicorn. A pair of local ponies happened to run into Desert’s stand, just as he was finished with his preparations for the day.

“Well yes Silver Lace it does, I think we will take two…but oh um what are those there?” The cream yellow mare said as she pointed her hoof at one of the plants.

“Why that is the other item I am selling today for such nice customers! These are my own grown cacti plants straight from the southern desert!

Desert’s hopeful expression was full on his face, but not for long. For as soon as he saw their scowls and disgust he knew what they were going to say next. It was the same thing every time.

“You have got to be kidding. They look incredibly sharp and have no sense in elegance and beauty like the trees in this town. Let us go Silver Lace.”

“Yes I agree, you make wonderful tea however.”

As the two ponies trotted out of view, the earth pony sighed and looked at his displayed potted plants. They were in simple clay brown pots with fresh soil, still in an early state in their life. It was true that cacti were sharp to the touch. However, the stallion adored them since he was a foal. Once by chance, he saw one while stranded at a train station, that he happened to spot one away from the track. In his life he never saw anything so strange, and mysterious in his life. Desert also noticed that they were few in number, and very lonely.

Wild buffalo would stampede across the desert and sometimes seeds of cacti would attach to them to travel to a new destination. Over time, buffalo would not get caught in the cacti’s seed traps and they steadily grew smaller in number. The reason Desert knew this was because the cacti told him. It was not told through words but with something else. It was something that only an earth pony could interpret, that is if, their talent allowed through a type of sense. Earth ponies while all had a sturdy build and increased strength that rival pegasai, or surpassed them, some could communicate with flora. A few could even control how they grew. For the small colt all it took was a simple conversation.

Since then it had been the stallion’s destiny to understand everything about the plant, and why they exist. For years, decades, he wandered the desert alone in an attempt to repopulate the species across Equestria. It also earned his new name and cutie mark in the process.

Desert attempted to cheer up his small potted plants, by giving them a drink of water, from a pail held in his muzzle. It had been a slow, but promising morning for him. His first customers arrived in the morning, and earlier than he expected. He was not in town every day, and only earned enough bits to fund his expeditions. Setting down his water pail his equine ears picked up a strange noise in the distance. He saw the market square suddenly filled with ponies, and they all seemed to be in a commotion about something.

The stallion quickly became curious and trotted over, leaving his stand unattended. He was not concerned that his goods would be stolen as such acts were uncommon in Equestria, but not unheard of. The noise from the crowd grew louder as he approached. Something must be really off or unusual for the ponies to be this lively. The closer Desert got to the front, the more the unmistakable image of the royal Equestrian emblem came into view. Royalty was here in Manehattan, and accompanied by armored guards. It was not just any royalty that visited. She was perhaps the single most powerful allicorn in Equestria, as far as Desert knew.

“We of the Royal house of Equestria are seeking able pony volunteers to help a dying species. Our land has come into contact with a new world unlike anything we have ever seen. We welcome them but not in the form of another species, but our own. Those that come will do so on hooves exactly like your own, in bodies like your own, and will be in great number.”

Desert’s equine ears and expression was focused on the immortal princess as she spoke. He never saw her in his entire life. To most ponies, she was well known but not seen, except when she was on business in foreign lands. He never saw Princess Celestia, because, most of the time he was far away from any settlement. The way she spoke was graceful, and calm, but also commanding, and urgent. To see the most powerful being in Equestria ask for help outright in pony ,must mean it is very serious.

“If you volunteer you will leave your homes for months, possibly years. The land is far from the safety of Equestria and vast, but shrinking by the day. By going, you would be doing a great service bringing aid to those needing it. To all willing, I and everyone thank you from the bottom of our hearts.”

Once the speech was over, everypony simply conversed with each other. Most of the ponies were either troubled, confused or shocked. Not a single pony stepped forward to volunteer, but who could blame them? Leaving your home, your family for months or years to a foreign land to help a mystery race? Desert knew the reasons against going but for the earth pony, he had nothing but his plants. He had no close family or friends not out of anything negative, but because he was so focused on his work. He had accomplished a great deal in the years he spent in the vast desert, and left him somewhat content with his life. His plants needed him, but knew something else needed help even more. Weighing his options carefully he did the only logical action in his mind, he stepped forward.

******

“Following a 2 day closure of the downtown New York Conversion Bureau after the attempted bombing, plans have begun to reopen the facility with increased security. Some of the new policies include metal detectors and stationed guards around the clock. Those that sign up will be required to surrender all items of value before being allowed to stay for disposal. While such items can’t currently be taken across the barrier anyway this won’t have much of an effect on those converting. Coming up next dragons and griffons, are they really a threat? We will go into this after...”

The female news anchor on a dimmed holo tv was interrupted, when a half empty liquor bottle smashed into the console.

“God damn ponies, I’M SICK OF THESE PONIES!” shouted a tall bald man at his now broken screen.

The man didn’t care if his holotv is damaged, his plans were almost ruined and had cost him too much in the process. It had been so simple, once he returned the doll with the explosive, his message would be sent. At first he wanted just Susan’s money she had acquired being the ex-wife of a successful hospital director. Once he knew that she was going to donate all of her assets away, his anger was fueled. She was never told his real name, he would only tell her his name was Chompsky.

Chompsky was a proud man and a successful one. He never intended to join the HLF, which was the plan, until his source of his wealth was in danger. Through a series of deals and plans, and a lot of social climbing and backstabbing, he grew to be in control of many companies. His wealth grew from controlling many of them through debt and fear. The man was one of the single most wealthy and powerful individuals and not a single person knew it in New York. He could have exposed himself and easily would run for president without competition. That is if he ever wanted to get shot by his enemies. Chomsky was content with how things were, and as he put it “ran this bitch”.

Once the ponies came, they offered an alternative to earthly life. It was a way to escape not only the cycle of debt, but also the approaching Equestrian barrier. New York was the first in its line of targets and could not be stopped by any means. Or so it was told by the media that this was the case. Most of his businesses were stationed in New York and with the town swallowed, soon, he would be in deep financial trouble. With no other alternatives he found a way to fight back, with the HLF. There were many people willing to join their cause since the 3 day war, and all of its lives it claimed. They all wanted blood.

Chomsky looked about 6’4 and wore a white button short sleeved shirt, with black suspenders. His face was almost squashed with a wide nose. He was bald but not because of losing hair but because he preferred it. Nobody noticed anyway, it was always covered with a badly worn cowboy hat. Something that irked Susan and many others who thought it was bad taste. The man was now standing in what remains of an apartment, now torn to shreds. His couches torn and turned over, as were many things in the apartment. The room was in chaos however there was a copper metallic smell gradually filling the room. It belonged to a man living just a short time ago, now limp on the floor.

Tony Frank II also known for his extensive engineering skills, assured him that the bomb would detonate within 90 seconds in the targeted area. Once it didn't go off, Tony speech was reduced to mumbling words for his defense. This continued before and after he was brutally beaten for his failure by the angry man. He didn't care if the body was found, and had means to dispose of the body without trace. The man was untraceable by any means, like a phantom or specter in the world he thought. What Chompsky did care about was if they ever linked the bomb back to him, and his face. This means he would have to lay low for the time being. It was certainly not a victory at all for him, and his group. The angry man decided to wait for a few months,to plan for his next move.

Comments

[Chatoyance]

This is an interesting story, and I am enjoying it.

That said, you may want to do another editing pass. One way I edit my work is to read it out loud to one of my spouses. Reading your own story out loud catches all sorts of little grammatical - and other - errors. If a story reads well out loud, it will almost certainly read well in the mind.

The biggest trouble is mixed up sentences. Like this:

“Mmm…yes the flavor does have an unusual aroma but not unpleasant doesn’t it marble gold?” said the mint green stallion unicorn

If you read it out loud, you can instantly see the problems - incorrect tenses, lack of commas, periods, capitalization, and so forth.

One way to fix it would be this:

“Mmm…yes, the flavor does have an unusual aroma, but it is not unpleasant. Do you agree, Marble Gold?” said the mint green stallion unicorn.

Like I said, I am enjoying your story, but it would be much better with an editing pass over it, to catch the errors.

Whatever the case, please continue!

[Skybreeze]

2938961

Thank you for your help, I will go over it again when I get home later today. I am very glad you are enjoying this story. You have given me the drive to continue.

[Chatoyance]

2939803
It really is a very good story. I was afraid to say anything, because the last thing I wanted to do was to harm your enthusiasm. I want your enthusiasm to take you all the way to the end, because I want to see what happens next!

I hope I was gentle enough and kind. Writing is hard, and editing is booooorrrrrinnng. Reading to someone else makes it less so, though. Actually, Elde and I have come to treasure me reading my chapter to her to edit it before publishing. It's become a fun thing we do, that she looks forward to.

In any case, please... MOAR!

[Skybreeze]

2941908

You were certainly gentle and kind. These suggestions are a very big help, thank you. I am going through it again to see what I can find.