//------------------------------// // Chapter Three // Story: The Conversion Bureau: United We Stand // by RK_Striker_JK_5 //------------------------------// Nicknames/shortened names: Conversion Bureau ponies Full names: Rainbow Bridge ponies. Canterlot, New Equestria “Now. Let's make sure our little princess has the best eleventh birthday we can give her.” Megan's words echoed through Celestia's bedroom. The alicorn and her prized pupil Twilight stood in front of a mirror mounted on a wall inside Celestia's private chambers that was reflecting a distorted image of the inside of a human dwelling. A pair of bodyguards stood off, both silent and staring straight ahead, ears twitching in alertness.          Celestia's eyes narrowed as she beheld the image of Spike in the kitchen, sitting at the human's table and writing something. She snorted, whipped her head around and stared straight down at Twilight. “Twilight, my dear student, what is Spike doing there? How did he get there?” She looked back up at the image. “He accompanied you to Canterlot, correct? How did he end up on this Earth?”         Twilight's jaw worked for a full minute before she finally found her voice. “I don't know.” She stepped back. “Princess, may I?” At her nod, Twilight's horn glowed and she vanished in a bright flash. A half-minute later, she reappeared. “”Spike's still there!” She looked to the mirror. “Princess, I don't get it!”          The alicorn leaned forward and touched the tip of her horn to the mirror. The glass itself rippled, the image vanishing to be replaced by the back yard of the house. Celestia's eyes narrowed in concentration. The image shifted, focusing on a multicolored arc hanging in midair. There was a sudden gasp from the alicorn. “There!” she said, pointing at the apex of the arc. A rip in space hung there, a hole in the sky. “Twilight, you said these are humans from an alternate Earth?”          Twilight cocked her head to the side. “Yes, Princess.” She looked up to her mentor, eyes wide. “You don't mean–“          “Correct,” Celestia said. She touched her horn to the mirror and the image wavered once more, reverting back to Spike in the kitchen. “This must be some... alternate Spike, different from your number-one assistant!” Her wings rippled. “Tainted by humans and their evils and chaos, no doubt.”          Twilight's eyes watered. “How awful.” she murmured. She suddenly gasped. “But if there's some alternate Spike, then that must... mean...” Her breathing quickened. “Maybe there's some version of me, too!” She suddenly lowered her head, shaking it as part of her mane stuck up. “NO, nonononono! There's no way some freaky version of me could be in league with humans!”          The alicorn merely touched the mirrored surface once more. It flashed multiple times, going across this Earth before settling on a large golden city, an obscenity of metal and technology sitting on a lake. The image zoomed in, finally settling on a group of ponies being led around like chattel by a human. The image focused on a purple unicorn, physically identical to the purple unicorn standing next to Celestia.          Twilight's head dropped. She closed her eyes. “No, how can I do this? How can she do this?” Her head whipped around and she looked up at Celestia with pleading eyes. “Princess, I swear I would never consort with humans that are still humans. I swear!”          Celestia leaned down and lightly nuzzled Twilight. “I know,” she whispered. She raised her head slightly and looked Twilight in the eye, smiling. “I know you would never do anything so awful.” She looked back to the mirror, the smile melting away. “This other Twilight, though. She's not you.” Her gaze hardened and the mirror's frame twisted, ornamentation ripping off. “And she's not the only one.”          The image expanded, showing the rest of the ponies in more detail. Twilight gasped as she saw alternate versions of Applejack, Rarity and the rest. She dropped to her haunches, eyes the approximate size of saucers. “This whole other Equestria must be tainted by humans and their technology. I don't understand how or why, though.”          Celestia shook her head. “I don't know.” The image wavered once more, showing the human female from before and the other Spike. Celestia focused on her, memories from the ancient past stirring in her mind... Discord's misshapen and mismatched limbs petrified. He looked down, sighing. “So you win, Celestia.” His mouth twisted in a crooked grin. “But I still have the last laugh. Oh, yes.” The stone spread up his legs and down his arms into his torso. “Because I know it'll come crashing down on you and Lulu, oh yes!” Celestia floated before him, eyes ablaze. The whole of the countryside was an inferno of chaos, the land itself twisted like taffy. “No, Discord,” she spat out. “You'll never be free of your imprisonment, I swear it!” By now all that was left was Discord's long neck and head. He rolled his eyes. “Not me, but her.” An image flashed in Celestia's mind, of a mostly-hairless biped with a long, golden mane cascading down its-her-shoulders and back, and a grim expression on her face. She wore rustic clothes, like what ponies wore on the frontier. “Oh, yes. She and all those like her. Such wonderful chaos, the likes of which give me pause! And you know what?” He grunted and strained as his neck solidified. “You'll see them, oh yes. Humans, Celestia. Remember that name and remember that face, because that one will end you and all you hold dear.” He laughed even as his chin, face and entire head turned to rock, his piercing eyes the last to petrify. Discord fell to the ground, impacting with a dull thud, his laughter echoing across the scorched lands. Celestia blinked and her entire body shuddered. The mirror's image wobbled before fading out, replaced by a simple reflection. Celestia stared at herself, her ethereal, multi-colored mane and tail drooping. She let out a sigh. “Sorry,” she said to Twilight. She forced a smile on her face to calm her student. “Even observing this other world is taxing me at the moment. After the events of the previous two years, my reserves are low.”          Twilight glanced at the mirror. “Princess, we've already saved one version of humanity. These others, do we have to?”          Celestia's eyes hardened slightly. “Twilight Sparkle, it is our duty to help those who need it.” She waved a foreleg at the mirror. “Yes, we helped many humans, but there's more to help here. And what of these other versions of ourselves? Shall we deny them our aid simply because of fatigue?” She shook her head and her mane began flowing once more in a non-existent breeze. “No, we must help them, no matter what!”          Twilight stared up at Celestia, tears in her eyes. She swallowed and her cheeks turned a brilliant shade of scarlet. “I'm so sorry!” she cried out. “You're right, Princess! These humans and ponies need our help. And we can give it to them!” She turned to the guards. “Get the serum ready, get the bureau staff on call! We have a people to save!”          There was a slight clearing of a throat behind Twilight. She slowly turned to see Celestia looking down at her. “Maybe the princess should be giving such orders,” she said, a smile playing at the corners of her mouth. She winked and chuckled. “But getting them ready would still be a good idea.” She looked back to the mirror. “Opening a portal and creating a new barrier is going to be very taxing this time around, expanding it even more so.”          Twilight glanced to the mirror. “Perhaps... “ She walked up to it, head tilting to the side. “There's a connection from that Earth to this other Equestria, a... bridge already there.” She rubbed her chin. “Is there any way you can use that one instead of creating an entirely new one?”          Celestia whipped her head around, the smile blossoming on her face. “Twilight, that's brilliant.” She reached over and slightly mussed Twilight's mane. “It's so good to have such an intelligent and clever student.” Her brow furrowed. “I'll set this up a few miles from Canterlot, as soon as possible. Any time delayed is more time that humans destroy their planet, destroy each other, and destroy these other ponies.” She slammed a hoof into the stone floor, cracking it and sending everything in the room hopping a good half-foot into the air. “I will not allow inaction to cause needless death and suffering.”          Twilight smiled at Celestia. “Oh, Princess, you're so kind. Is there anything I can do to help?”          The alicorn looked to the mirror, past it, past the walls of Canterlot. “Yes, Twilight. Please transport the mirror to where I'll be forming the new portal and barrier. I need to make sure when I form them that other Spike isn't there, nor any of those alternate versions of you and your friends. They could cause trouble, even for me. No matter the drain, I'll have to do this as soon as possible.”          Celestia turned and trotted out of the room. Twilight's horn glowed and she lifted the mirror off of the wall, taking it with her as she followed her mentor. And finally the guards left, one as silent as midnight and the other as quiet as a broken heart. Equestria, across the Rainbow Bridge from Earth Although Canterlot dominated Mount Eohippus, it was not the only structure on the mountain. Down the slope, opposite Hippocampus Falls stood Fort Bulwark, a gleaming structure of towers and defender of Canterlot from invasion by land. It was also home of the Royal Tank Corps’ First Tank Regiment, the ‘Steel Hooves’.         Although the front was massive fortifications with fences, turrets, and walls, the back was a massive open field and smaller buildings. A small chunk of it was laid out for pegasi, airships, and balloons, but the majority of it was for tanks, large and small. They rumbled around, lining up for target practice and massing for maneuvers as new tank crewmen got the feel for their machines. A pair of tanks were parked near the garages. One was an Equestrian Mark XXIX, a large, green machine with four 75-millimeter gun emplacements in sponsons within large, wrap-around treads that overshadowed the main chassis, and a machine gun turret sticking out the top. The frontal armor was sloped, albeit somewhat thin, with a rather large engine and a smokestack in the rear. Next to it was an M1A3 Abrams, a tank actually slightly smaller than its Equestrian cousin, with a 120-millimeter hyper-velocity railgun sticking out from its turret and a smaller laser emitter atop it. The armor was sloped and thick, capable of taking tremendous punishment. A large engine sat in the rear, an inner glow barely visible. Three ponies approached the two tanks. Two of the ponies wore the uniform and armor of the Tank Corps, trailing behind the third, who was clad in a blue general officer’s uniform. Major General Romper Stomper, Commandant of the Royal Tank Corps, strode forward. A tan-coated earth pony with a crew cut for a mane, he was a stallion of few words but big actions. A human and a pony standing by the tanks suddenly snapped to attention. The human, Jack Robins, had dark skin and short black hair tucked underneath his hat. He wore an olive-drab jumpsuit with the insignia of Staff Sergeant stitched onto the left side of his nomex uniform. His equine counterpart, a unicorn mare named Blossomforth, had a green coat that blended well with her own jumpsuit. She had an almost-identical cap over her head, save for a hole for her horn and set of goggles. She held up her foreleg in salute at Romper Stomper’s approach. Romper Stomper returned Blossomforth’s salute. “At ease,” he said. He looked up to the human. “A pleasure to meet you, Sergeant Robins.” He held up a foreleg and extended it to Jack, who shook it. The general turned his head, looking over at the Abrams. “So, this is from your military. It’s the first time I’ve seen one other than photographs or film.” He tapped the treads with a hoof. “Treads?” He looked up at Jack. “Don’t you have access to anti-gravity technology from the Autobots?” Jack turned to his right, following Romper Stomper. “Yes, sir.” he knelt down and motioned to the treads. “Treads are still a lot more reliable and easier to maintain than those fancy anti-grav units the Autobots have.” He patted the belted metal. “There are weird magnetic fields and anomalies on other planets that stop those units cold, but a good old-fashioned tank tread will roll right over it.” He pointed to over a dozen shiny disks mounted underneath the hull . “We have emergency units for inclement weather and the like, but the primary mode of transportation is the treads.” Romper Stomper nodded. “Excellent. I don’t feel as bad now that we still use treads.” He cracked a smile and chuckled before walking around the Abrams and Mark XXIX with his aides, Jack, and Blossomforth following. He stopped and looked up at the main barrel. “Seeing this makes me realize how far we have to go.” He stopped in front of the Mark XXIX, turning to face the two tank commanders. “Sergeant Robins, Sergeant Blossomforth, the truth. How badly would one of our Mark XXIX’s get mauled by one of yours, to say nothing of our lighter vehicles?” Jack turned to face the smaller tank. “General, there’s nothing ‘technically’ wrong with your vehicles. They’re built with high-quality materials and I haven’t seen any real design flaws.” He bent slightly at the knees and rubbed his chin. “Kinda reminds me of the old tanks used during World War I, with your use of sponsons instead of a turret, though it’s nice to see you don’t have two exhaust pipes running up through the center of the cabin.” Blossomforth spoke up. “Sir, permission to speak freely?” Romper Stomper looked to her and nodded. “Granted, Sergeant. How bad?” “Sir, with sufficient ammunition and without access to magic, I’m fairly certain this tank could wipe out the majority of the Steel Hooves. The armor is virtually impenetrable and their power source can last a month without refueling.” Romper Stomper nodded. “And with magic?” There was a moment of hesitation before Blossomforth continued. “We could knock the aim off, move the chassis around a bit with telekinesis with concerted effort or maybe mire it in mud for a bit with weather control before they turned on their anti-grav units.” She looked up at Jack. “Of course the tank would still be firing hypersonic rounds that would be blowing holes through our lines and taking out multiple units with each shot and a laser cannon that, while not as powerful, would still be capable of one-shot kills.” Romper Stomper nodded. “I see. Thank you, Sergeant.” He looked up to Jack. “Well, we’ll see how we do in the war games five days from now.” He cocked his head to the side. “Lieutenant!” he barked at one of his aides. “Make sure General Faireborn, Director Burnett-Faireborn and the rest are given the red carpet treatment upon arrival. Understood?” The aide snapped to attention. “Sir, yes sir!” The General glanced to Jack and Blossomforth, who both straightened to attention. “Well, I shan’t keep you any longer. Carry on.” he returned Blossomforth’s salute before turning and trotting off, his aides following. Jack looked down to Blossomforth. “Not sure it’ll be that bad.” He looked to the Mark XXIX, reaching out to touch the armor plating. “This is a fine piece of machinery. I bet they’d have killed to have something like this at the Somme.” Blossomforth tilted her head to the side. “The Somme? I’m guessing some ancient battle on Earth?” Jack nodded. “First use of tanks in warfare, nearly a hundred years ago. I read about it in high school.” He turned and looked to her. “That’s a human school for older teenagers.” Blossomforth tilted her head down, staring at Jack over her muzzle. “Really, I had no idea.” A sigh came from Jack’s mouth and he waved her off. “Okay, okay. That was dumb. I admit it.” He stood up straight and looked around, seeing a pair of smaller tanks racing about. “It’s just... I don’t know, a bit odd being here in Equestria, which makes no sense to me since I’ve been to Earth’s moon, Mars and even outside the Solar System three times.” Blossomforth rubbed her chin. “Maybe because while there, you’re still in your own galaxy, and home’s a transwarp jump away, but here it’s the Rainbow Bridge and you’re still sort of on Earth.” A smile crossed Jack’s face and he began humming ‘Somewhere Over the Rainbow’, getting a curious look from Blossomforth. “Old movie song,” he said, waving her off. He checked his watch. “Well, debriefing in fifteen minutes. Still on for the motor pool with our crews at 1800 hours?” Blossomforth nodded, a smirk playing at the edge of the unicorn’s mouth. “I think our drivers are developing a bit of a rivalry. Should be fun to watch!” Jack hesitated for a moment before shaking his head. “If by fun you mean butting heads like buffalo, then sure.” Everfree Forest, outside Ponyville in New Equestria, four days later Celestia planted her hooves apart and leaned forward slightly. Twilight stood beside her, mirror floating by her side and her bodyguards a short distance away. Several dozen ponies stood at the outskirts, near the path that led back to Ponyville. Some were original inhabitants of the town, but most were ‘newfoals’-humans changed to the superior pony form. Some held up signs reading ‘Celestia for Empress’ or something along those lines. Celestia had waved to them, but they all dropped to the ground, bowing.          She didn’t mind it, though she had not done what she did for admiration, but for their benefit. Still, ‘Empress Celestia’ had a nice ring to it. Perhaps after this new Earth was conquered?          She looked to Twilight, who swung the mirror around to float right in front of her. Celestia reached out with her horn and touched the surface. It rippled, eventually showing that human female from before, now known from a few more viewings to be named Megan Richards. She was walking around the backyard, holding one of the obscene devices to her ear and chatting away. A thin smile formed on Celestia’s lips. “You’ll thank me for this,” she muttered. The image rotated, focusing on the hole in the sky. She half-closed her eyes and grunted, summoning all of her reserves of power. Her entire horn was wreathed in golden energy as a strong wind kicked up, scattering signs and snapping branches off.          Twilight swayed a bit, but one of the bodyguards reached out, steadying her. Celestia paid it no mind as a coruscating field of energy formed a few inches in front of her horn, expanding and forming a new Barrier, one lethal to humans and their technology. Celestia thrust her horn forward, penetrating the Barrier and wrapping it around her horn. She continued, spreading her wings and lifting off the ground. She flew forward, her horn hitting the mirror a half-second later and shattering it. The shards and frame vaporized, but the reflection remained, expanding and focusing as the image changed into an actual portal.          Celestia soon found herself in the backyard, Megan scrambling away from her. She touched down on the ground and smiled. “Fear not, Megan Richards. I have come to save you from yourself, from your current human body and reliance on technology and science.” Her horn glowed slightly and a beaker of rainbow-colored liquid popped into existence. “Please, accept my gift, my new friend.”