The Conversion Bureau: Change of Life

by Hurricane Puncher


The Big Horseapple

The Conversion Bureau
Change of Life
Part 3: The Big Horseapple

Robert locked the door of his apartment and walked down the hall to the elevator. Most of the doors he passed led into vacant apartments, others were inhabited by ponies. He was the only human left in his building.

He hit the call button and, as he waited for the elevator to arrive, he turned to a nearby window…and started to crack up. Dash was fluttering just outside of it making a multitude of funny faces at him. As the elevator arrived on his floor with a ‘ding’, he pointed down at the Pegasus with a grin. Rainbow nodded and darted out of sight as Robert entered the elevator and hit the button for the lobby.

Central park was a few blocks away from his apartment, so the walk wouldn’t be long. Rainbow always volunteered to fly him wherever they went, but the idea of hanging off of the Pegasus’ front hooves while she flew at speeds that boggled the mind didn’t sit very well with Robert. The elevator descended at its painfully slow pace until it finally reached the lobby. As the doors slid open, Rainbow was already hovering in front of them on her back with her hooves behind her head.

She made an exaggerated display of stifling a yawn. “Man that thing is so slow. I still don’t know why you won’t let me fly you down.”

“Because I’d like to get to the ground floor alive?”

“You really think I would drop you?”

“Of course not. But I don’t think I’m ready to fly that fast outside of an airplane.”

“Psh. You don’t know what you’re missing.” She replied with a grin.

The two friends left the lobby of Robert’s building and walked into the light of the rising sun. As they exited the twelve story brownstone, ponies of every type and color could be seen. Earth ponies and unicorns trotted along the sidewalks, while pegasi flew above. It was a site that, while Robert had grown used to, still managed to seem totally alien.

Rainbow stretched her wings and basked in the morning light. “Ahhhh. What an awesome day.”

Robert however, tugged on the collar of his shirt and wiped his brow. “Says you. It isn’t even summer yet and it’s sweltering. Weather report was totally off this morning.” He turned to Rainbow with a cocked eyebrow. “Would this have anything to do with you not having weather duty today?”

The Pegasus shrugged. “Dunno.”

“Dunno? You mean you really have no idea? I thought this was your field of expertise.”

Rainbow let out an exasperated sigh. “Rob, you know that the city’s weather patrol doesn’t actually control the weather. We can’t. Well, not yet anyway.”

“Yeah. Something about the magic of Equestria not having reached the eastern seaboard yet?”

“Pretty much. All we do is train newfoals who will serve on the real weather patrol when it’s finally needed. Still-“ Rainbow looked up into the sky. “-this is pretty bizarre.”

The two began to make their way down Amsterdam Avenue towards central park. Robert had to admit, it felt very, very odd being the tallest sentient being within probably twenty blocks, but it did have its advantages, for one, actually being able to see over the masses. But this ‘advantage’ also had an unwanted effect; everywhere he went nowadays he was the center of attention, one of the remaining few of a dying race. Heads would turn, stares would linger, and whispers between ponies heard as Robert and Rainbow continued to make their way down the street.

‘Wow. A human!’

‘So rare in the city nowadays.’

‘What’s he waiting for? Is he a part of the HLF?’

‘Don’t stare honey it’s rude.’

‘Isn’t that Rainbow Dash? What is she doing with that human?’

Robert’s shoulders slumped. Rainbow cast glares at the ponies whose gazes lasted longer than a few moments. “Just ignore them Rob.”

“It doesn’t bother me. Really, I’m ok.” Robert lied. He felt like a freak. In this city, where had had been born, raised, schooled, and worked, he felt like a stranger, like his presence was wrong somehow. This wasn’t new, he dealt with it anytime he and Dash went anywhere, but it still shook him to his core.

“They’re all just jealous of your height I bet.” Rainbow said with a grin. “And those.” She added gesturing to Robert’s thumbs with a hoof.

Robert chuckled. “I’m sure they are.”

And just like that Robert’s mood brightened considerably. He could always depend on Dash to lift his spirits. He even felt himself walking straighter, his head raised just a bit higher. ‘Yeah.’ He thought. ‘Let them talk all they want. Why should I give a damn?’

Robert glanced over to the hovering Pegasus with a smile, ‘Thanks’, which she returned, ‘No problem’. At times like this, words weren’t needed to convey trust; their friendship was deeper than that.

‘Mommy, are that pony and human girlfriend and boyfriend?’

The comment, which came from a nearby green filly with a blue mane, caused the two friend’s eyes to go wide and they stopped for a moment. They turned to the little pony, who immediately shrank behind her mother’s legs.

The mother, a blue earth pony with an orange mane and tail, flashed a nervous smile towards the pair.

“I am so sorry. She’s young and- w-well I mean, if you two are then- w-what I mean is-” The flustered mare shook her head and turned to her daughter. “Turquoise, apologize to the nice mare and human.”

“What? They were making kissy-face just now!” The little filly cried defiantly.

“Turquoise.” The mare said sternly. “Now.”

The filly, with downcast eyes, stepped forward and bowed her head. “Sorry.”

Rainbow fluttered down to the filly and smiled. “Hey kid don’t worry about it. We all make mistakes.”

Turquoise nodded solemnly and looked up at the pegasus. She blinked, and then her face broke into a huge smile. “OHMYGOSH YOU’RE RAINBOW DASH! THE BEST YOUNG FLYER OF EQUESTRIA!” The filly cried, bouncing up and down in joy.

Rainbow grinned; she lived for moments like these. “THE one and ONLY!” she replied, striking a pose.

“OHMYGOSH OHMYGOSH OHMYGOSH OHMYGOSH!” Turquoise screamed, running circles around her mother. “MY FRIENDS WILL NEVER BELIEVE IT! THEY’RE GONNA BE SOOO JEALOUS!!” She stopped suddenly with a look of realization. “Wait…that’s right, they won’t believe it.” Tears began to brim the young pony’s eyes.

Rainbow began to panic. She hated seeing her fans, especially little filly fans, cry. She scratched her mane, trying to think of something to calm the little pony. Then an idea struck her. “I got it!”

Turquoise stopped sniffling and looked up hopefully. Rainbow reached back and plucked a single pastel blue feather from her wing with her teeth. Leaning down, she stuck the feather behind the filly’s ear.

“There. Now ya got something to remember me by and something you can show your friends.”

Turquoise gasped as tears once again filled her eyes, this time from joy rather than grief. “Oh thank you Dash, thank you! I’ll never let it out of my sight!” She jumped up and wrapped her hooves around Rainbow’s neck before darting back to her mother. “Mommy, mommy, how does it look? Do you think Gem and Sprinkle will like it!?”

The mare smiled lovingly and nuzzled her. “I’m sure they’ll love it honey. Now why don’t you go on ahead, your father is waiting.”

“Ok!” Turquoise took one last look of adoration at Dash before running up the block.

The mother watched her daughter for a moment before turning back to Rainbow.

“I can’t thank you enough. She’s been having a hard time adjusting to this city ever since we moved from Fillydelphia.”

Rainbow chuckled sheepishly while rubbing the back of her neck. “Don’t worry about it, always happy to meet a fan.”

The mare smiled and turned to Robert, who until now had been quietly watching the scene with a mixture of amusement and nostalgia as he remembered meeting his childhood idol at Yankee stadium so many years ago.

“Again, I’m sorry about what my daughter said. She still doesn’t understand humans too well. Really most of us Equestrians don’t. When she saw you two together she probably jumped to conclusions.”

Robert waved a hand dismissively. “It’s fine. Personally I thought it was adorable.”

The mare laughed. “Well, I should be going as well.” She turned to leave but stopped and turned back to the human. “I’m sorry I don’t believe I got your name.”

Robert smiled and walked forward, extending a hand. “Robert, Robert Parker. And yours?”

The mare lifted a hoof, which Robert shook. “I’m Sunset Waters, and it was a pleasure meeting both of you.” She turned and trotted up the block a bit before turning back with a smirk. “Oh, and Robert?”

Robert tilted his head at the mare.

“You better treat her right.” And before Robert could even begin to protest, she cantered out of sight after her daughter.
Robert sighed. Did he and Dash really look like a couple? He was getting a bit tired of people and their wild assumptions about their relationship.

Rainbow fluttered back over to Robert giggling. “What a little cutey. Did you see her face after I gave her that feather?” The mare’s departing words had obviously gone right over her head.

Robert smirked. He had almost forgotten Rainbow’s weakness to cuteness.

“Yeah. I keep forgetting that you’re a celebrity.”

At this Rainbow immediately tried to regain her composure. “Well duh. I am awesome.”

Robert smiled. “Yeah.” He said. “You sure are.”

Rainbow blinked and looked away as a slight blush filled her cheeks. “T-that’s new.” She stammered. “Usually you would say something like ‘Yeah, yeah’ or ‘No need to keep reminding me’ or you would just laugh.”

Robert grinned. He almost never saw Rainbow blush. Seeing her like this, it was like seeing a completely different pony. She looked…vulnerable? That was one word Robert could never connect to Rainbow, who prided herself on being tough, unshakeable even.

Robert scratched the back of his head, trying to find the words. “It’s just, when you were with that filly, it reminded me of when I was young.”

The Pegasus cocked her head to the side. “How so?”

Robert gazed up into the sky, a look of nostalgia on his face. “When I was eight, my dad took me to my first ball game at Yankee stadium. They were playing their most hated rivals, The Red Sox. The pitcher for the Yankees threw a no-hitter.”
Rainbow looked nothing short of completely lost. Robert couldn’t help but laugh. “Sorry I forgot you don’t know much about human sports. In baseball the object of the game is to score the most runs. The team at bat has to hit the baseball thrown by the pitcher, then try and run to as many bases as he can. If a player catches the ball before it hits the ground, or a player on base tags the base with the ball, or the runner himself is tagged then he’s out. If the runner reaches home without getting out, he scores a run. A no-hitter is a game where the team pitching doesn’t let the opposing team score a single hit, much less a run. It happens very, very rarely.”

Rainbow seemed a bit more interested now. “Wow, so then what happened?”

“After the game, my dad and I were leaving the stadium, and I saw him; the pitcher. I ran up to him, and just like that little filly, gushed about how cool he was, how my friends would never believe that I met him, and, just like that feather, he gave me something to show them.”

Robert took out his wallet, and pulled out the autographed baseball card that was his most prized possession. “This, right here, is the proof that I met my role model. He could have just taken my compliments and left it at that, or even blown me off completely. But he didn’t, he left me with this. You see Dash, like him, you are a role model, probably to millions of little colts and fillies like the one we met today. You went the extra mile, and gave her something precious.”

Rainbow blinked. “A feather?”

“A memory. One she’ll never forget.” Robert said as he placed the card back in his wallet.

“That’s why I had to agree with you. What you did just now represents a part of who you are. You are awesome Dash. So awesome.”

Rainbow’s blush, which had receded as Robert reminisced, returned in full force. “H-hey come on. It’s not that big a deal really.”

“Oh but it is.” Robert said with a smile. “You’re a big deal. You are, after all, The Best Young Flyer on Earth.”

Rainbow turned to hide her violently blushing face and said something Robert could barely make out.

“Hm?”

“Thank you.”

“Sorry, didn’t catch that.”

“Thank you.”

“I can’t-“

“OH FOR CRYING OUT LOUD I SAID ‘THANK YOU’! WHY ARE WE EVEN HAVING THIS CONVERSATION ON SOME RANDOM SIDEWALK?! CAN WE JUST GET TO THE PARK?!”

It was then that Robert realized that they hadn’t moved since they encountered the mare and filly that started this entire conversation. Ponies all around them were giving them strange looks.

“Oh…right, sorry.” Robert said sheepishly.

The two started walking again (with Rainbow on hoof to avoid being seen by Robert) towards central park.

“Uh…hey, Rob?”

“Yeah?”

“How come you never told me that story before, with the baseball player?”

He smiled. “Because until now, I didn’t have a reason to.”

----------------------------------

As the two friends turned a street corner, Central Park came into view.

“Finally! Between that filly and your little reminiscence I didn’t think we’d ever get here.”

Robert gasped as a look of mock-hurt came to his face. “But I thought you liked my little story”

Rainbow glowered at Robert for a moment before turning to cross the street.

“Dash! Rainbow Dash!”

Rainbow froze. For a second, Robert thought she was about to explode as she turned to the source of the voice.

“Oh for the love of Celestia what-”

Rainbow gasped when she saw the familiar white unicorn and her trademark styled purple mane.

“RARITY?!?”

Robert was at a loss for words as Rainbow crashed into the newcomer, wrapping her in a hug.

“Oh darling it’s been far too long!”

The two ponies separated for a moment as Rainbow turned to Robert. “Rob, I’d like you to meet Rarity, one of my best friends from Equestria.”

Robert walked forward and took the hoof of the pony with a smile. “Robert Parker. A pleasure.”

Oh so this is the infamous Robert. She writes about you all the time you know.” Rarity said with a coy smile.

“H-hey c’mon Rarity, not all the time.” Rainbow retorted sheepishly rubbing the back of her neck.

Rarity giggled. “Mhm. Whatever you say Rainbow Dash.”

Robert could feel a warmth rise to his cheeks. Rainbow had never told him that she wrote her friends, much less that she wrote about him.

“OH YEAH!” Rainbow’s outburst brought Robert back to reality. “What are you doing here at central park?”

“Actually I was looking for Twilight Sparkle, apparently there is this cozy little library around here that she’s taken a liking to.”

“Oh well, alright then we won’t keep you. Me and Rob were just going to hang out in the park.”

“Uh-” Robert interjected. “Hey Dash, I know you haven’t seen your friends in a long time. If you want to maybe, I don’t know, catch up with them for a bit I totally understand.”

Rarity shook her head vigorously. “Oh no dear it is quite alright. We are all currently staying at the Brooklyn bureau, and-” A coy smile rose to her lips. “- I wouldn’t want to keep you two from sharing time together.”

Robert was again about to protest when Rarity let out a small gasp. “That’s right!” She turned to Rainbow. “Darling there is something I need to speak to you about, something most urgent.”

Dash blinked and cocked an eyebrow. “What is it?”

“Um…” she turned to Robert with an apologetic grin. He sighed, getting the hint.

“Alright then, I’ll leave you two alone for a bit. When you’re finished Dash lets meet at the entrance to the park.” With that, he turned on his heel and began to stroll down the block parallel to Central Park.

------------------------------

Rainbow was about to call out to Robert’s retreating form when she felt Rarity pull her down a different street.

“Hey! Rarity what’s this about anyway?”

“I’ll explain everything soon dear. Why don’t we talk about it over some lunch? I heard about this lovely little café only two blocks over.”

“Actually me and Rob usually-“

“Nonsense my dear! We haven’t seen each other in such a long time, I insist.”

Rainbow sighed. It was true though, she hadn’t seen any of her equestrian friends in almost half a year and it might be nice to catch up.

The two ponies eventually made it to a small restaurant. Rainbow’s eyes went wide when she read the placard out front; “The Big Horseapple”.

“What the hay?”

“I know Dash. Apparently it was previously a human restaurant, and when the owners got ponified they changed the name to…this little play on words.”

“Don’t they know what that means?”

“I…I don’t think so. But nobody is really complaining, their food is simply to die for.” Rarity said with a smile.

The two ponies nosed their way through the door into the café. The majority of the clientele were ponies, but a few humans could be seen in the darker corners of the room, some with laptops, others watching the mounted flat-screen T.V on the far wall with confusion.

Rainbow and Rarity found a table near the door and sat down. Rarity levitated her menu while Rainbow Dash made do with nosing through her own.

After a few moments a perky teal unicorn with a white mane cantered to their table.

“HI THERE! Welcome to the Horseapple! My name is Diane and I’ll be your waitress today. Can I start you off with something to drink?”

Rainbow blinked at the human name, but realized she was obviously a convert. “I’ll just have some water.”

“Chamomile tea for me please.” Rarity said while still studying her menu.

“Got it, I’ll be right back with that.” Diane cantered out of sight.

As Rarity continued to telekinetically fuss with her menu, Rainbow glanced at the television that most of the humans in the café were watching…

---------------------------

Whenever Robert would walk down the city streets alone, he liked to play little games in his head. One of his favorites was spotting the immigrants out of the masses of converts. As he approached a crosswalk the stop signal began to flash on the other end. The ponies closest to the street immediately stopped out of reflex. These were the converts. Most of the ponies behind them ended up walking right into them, not actually aware of the purpose of a crosswalk. Despite the fact that there almost no cars on the roads anymore, a lot of the ponies just stood there looking around in confusion, unable to reign in their herd instinct. These were the immigrants from equestria.

Robert chuckled as he stepped through the cluttered mass of confused ponies, and joined the converts in walking across the street. He needed something to keep him amused when Dash wasn’t around; this was just one of his ways of staying sane.

After another block of walking, he found it. Between two high rises, a small building stood out from the rest of the surrounding area. It was a quaint two story affair, red brick, with a brown roof and a sign in front that read ‘H.C.P.S Center of Literature.’

The HCPS, or Human Cultural Preservation society, was a non-profit organization devoted to the preservation of humanity’s collective history and culture. Founded shortly after the secondary bureaus were established in the city, the HCPS was everything the HLF could, and should have been. A far cry from the HLF’s xenophobic practices and doctrine, the HCPS welcomed humans and ponies alike into its facilities. They served as hubs for the appreciation and proliferation of human culture, for humans who wanted to remember their race’s accomplishments, and for ponies who wanted to learn more about the species they were welcoming into their own.

Robert ascended the stairs and entered the library. The woman at the front desk smiled.

“Hello again Mr. Parker. Will you be checking anything out, or just browsing?”

“Browsing, I won’t be here for too long.”

With that, Robert walked past the front desk and into the library area. Hundreds of shelves extended to the far walls in rows. Ponies could be seen trotting through the rows, books in their mouths or being levitated by magic in front of them. There were a few humans, some reading quietly at tables or perusing the shelves. The library itself was two stories tall above ground, and three below. Robert’s favorite sections were on the first level though so he hardly ever went to the other floors.

As he reached the fiction section, he took a deep breath and slowly walked down one of the rows. He loved it here, the smell of books always made him at ease. With the loss of his career and the many changes that had occurred in his life, Robert had rediscovered a solace in reading. He ran his fingers across the innumerable spines of the shelved books as he walked, eventually reaching the end of the row which opened up into a reading area with a few chairs, a table, and a television.

Usually this area was empty, but today it had a sole occupant sitting at in of its chairs; a purple unicorn.

Robert froze as he recognized the purple Unicorn from the debate; Twilight Sparkle. The pony, who had been telekinetically flipping the pages of her book, looked up to Robert in surprise.

“Oh! Um, hello.”

Robert tilted his head to the side. “Hi…aren’t you Twilight Sparkle? I saw you on the news.”

A blush rose to Twilight’s cheeks as she looked away with a smile. “Y-you saw that? It really wasn’t anything amazing.”

“I disagree.” Robert said while taking a seat at the table across from Twilight Sparkle. “I think Maitland needed to be put in his place, and the way you handled him throughout that debate was excellent.”

Twilight’s blush deepened. “Thank you…um...” He extended a hand to the bookish pony. “I’m Robert Parker, pleasure to meet you.”

As the two shook…their respective appendages Twilight’s face lit up. “Wait, would you happen to know-”

“Rainbow Dash? Yeah, she’s a really good friend of mine.”

Twilight clopped her hooves together enthusiastically. “Oh wow! Rainbow’s told us all about you in her letters.”

Robert chuckled. “Nothing good I imagine.”

Twilight shook her head. “Nononono, Rainbow always-” Twilight stopped when she saw the grin on Robert’s face. “Oh, I get it.” She giggled awkwardly.

“So, Rainbow and I were actually on our way to central park when we ran into your friend Rarity, and she told us you’ve taken a liking to a nearby library. Would this be the one?”

Twilight nodded. “The HCPS’ massive repository on your species’ literature is incredible; it dwarfs the selection of almost any other library I’ve visited!”

“And how do you like human literature?”

Twilight glanced around at the multitude of shelves. “It’s fascinating. Learning the English alphabet was a bit hard, but it has been very rewarding. I’ve learned so much about your people and their history.”

“Nothing good I imagine.” Robert repeated darkly, testing her.

Twilight’s smile fell slightly. “I will admit most of humanity’s history is full of violence…and atrocities. In fact most of us who first came from Equestria were warned about that, warned that you were savages.”

Robert remained silent, but the look on his face spoke what was on his mind.

Twilight quickly waved a hoof in front of her. “That’s what we were warned about. What I, and almost all of us have learned, is that this is not true.” Twilight’s smile returned in full. “Your race’s history is rich, and has just as many good parts as bad ones. I was enthralled by my readings of the renaissance period, the age of discovery, mankind’s first journey into space and then the moon, the list goes on Robert. Your species has accomplished so much, and while I may not speak for every pony in Equestria, I for one am very happy our two races have finally come together for the future of our world.”

He studied Twilight carefully, her words and smile seemed sincere enough, and she was a good friend of Rainbow Dash. He sighed, and returned Twilight’s smile.

“Thanks Twilight, that means a lot.” For a while the two sat in silence, unsure of what to say. Robert tried to think of something to break the awkward silence. He glanced at the book in front of the unicorn. “What are you reading?”

Twilight levitated the book in front of Robert so he could read the title. “The Lord of the Rings huh? Great choice.”

“I agree!” Twilight chirped happily. “I’ve never been one for fiction, but your race’s works have proven to be amazing reads!”

“If you like Lord of the Rings, you should try Discworld, it’s a pretty good fantasy series.”

Robert and Twilight continued like this for a while, completely lost in conversation. They talked about their favorite books, recommending books to each other, and about literature as a whole. Eventually their conversation was interrupted by the television next to the table humming to life. Robert looked up to see the woman from the front desk, remote in hand.

“I’m sorry you two but I just got a text message from my grandson to turn on the news. Apparently something strange is happening.”

Robert and Twilight turned to the television. It was an emergency broadcast, featuring the same redhead anchor from earlier.

“For those just tuning in, meteorologists are stumped in the face of a strange weather phenomenon taking place across the east coast. Let’s go to Steve for the weather report.”

The camera panned to a man in a blue suit standing in front of a Doppler map.

“Thanks Jamie. Now, earlier, we were expecting these cold fronts here to move in by midday and bring some showers by the afternoon. But, as you can see-” He waved his hand over the line of green hovering near the middle of New Jersey. A time lapse from 5 am to 8 am time showed the lines of green slowly moving towards New York. From 9 am onward however, they came to a halt and advanced no further. “-the fronts have…stopped, and this is not an isolated incident.” The map zoomed out to show the eastern seaboard. “Temperatures as high as eighty degrees are being seen in Maine, and across the east coast all predicted weather patterns for today have failed to occur. Instead every state along the coast is experiencing the same weather; sunny skies and summer-like temperatures.”

Robert was at a loss for words. This explained the unseasonable weather, but something this grandiose, this widespread was beyond comprehension.

“The National Meteorology Coalition is still investigating the matter, but believes that the phenomenon does not pose a threat to safety. We will be updating hourly with any developments we may hear, until then, enjoy the weather!"

“Thanks Steve. Tune in tonight for-” the television went black as the library greeter shut it off. Ponies and humans alike that had gathered throughout the broadcast in the reading area were now dispersing.

“Now that’s just bizarre.” the older woman said while scratching her head. “But if it’s safe, I’m not complaining, my bones just can’t take the rain like they used to.” With that she strolled back to the front desk, leaving Robert and twilight to themselves.
Robert just sat there dumbfounded. Twilight however was still gazing at the television, her expression unreadable.

------------------------------

Rainbow turned away from the flat panel. “Huh. That’s…that’s really weird. What do you think it is Rarity?”

Rarity said nothing as she rested her menu back on the table. Her horn flashed and all sound in the café died. Rainbow’s eyes went wide as she wildly looked around the restaurant. “What the hay? Rarity what was that?”

“A spell taught to me by Twilight. We cannot hear them, and they cannot hear us; to them we simply appear to be whispering.” Rarity said proudly, before regaining her serious tone. “Rainbow dear, I need to talk to you about something.”

Rainbow Dash glanced at her friend warily. “Alright…shoot.”

“Dear…how do you feel about Robert?”

Rainbow blinked. “He’s a really good friend of mine.”

Rarity nodded. “Obviously, and I’m sure you care about his well-being yes?

“Of course! Rarity what’s this about?”

Rarity sighed. “Dash, has Robert appeared to be…sick in these past few weeks?”

Rainbow looked away. “…no, not really.”

Rarity sighed. “You aren’t a very good liar. I’ve only spoken to him for a few minutes, and even I could tell he looked under the weather.”

Rainbow winced. She didn’t want to admit it but Robert had been looking progressively more haggard over the past month; his hair a bit more disheveled his eyes a bit more sunken. He had lost much of the spring in his step, but he had never complained about it so Rainbow never asked.

“Has Robert ever complained about strange dreams? Nightmares?”

Rainbow slumped further. “He…he’s had this recurring dream, says it’s about his family, but he never went into details.”

Rarity nodded. “Dash, why hasn’t Robert undergone ponification?”

Rainbow swallowed hard. She was dreading this question. Rainbow had only brought it up with Robert once, and he had nearly lost it. Ever since, she never brought up the Bureaus or his family again.

“…he has his reasons.”

Rarity sighed. “Rainbow, you need to talk to him about it.”

Rainbow Dash shook her head. “No. He doesn’t like talking about it, last time I did he was so angry-”

“Rainbow…Robert is dying.”

She froze. “W-what the hay are you talking about?!”

Rarity gestured to the flat panel. “Twilight told me about it earlier. Apparently the magical energy from Equestria is spreading, much faster than was anticipated. The east coast has slowly been inundated with it but not at a fast enough rate to cause harm to the humans; that apparently changed roughly a month ago. There have been reports of…erratic behavior in the humans, and unexplainable health problems. At some point either yesterday or early this morning, the amount of magical energy along the eastern seaboard reached a critical level, enough to begin affecting the environment. That is why the weather has changed.”

Rainbow was speechless. She felt sick, she felt angry, and she didn’t know how to react to all of this. She glanced at some of the other humans in the café; some of them were sweating, others were very pale, some had their heads on their tables in apparent discomfort.

“Dash…unless Robert undergoes the process or leaves the city, he is going to die.”

“Why…why weren’t people told sooner Rarity?”

Rarity looked down sadly. “The bureaus didn’t want to panic the remaining human populace. They will probably release the information to the news tomorrow, and urge any remaining humans to either undergo conversion or evacuate New York.”

Rainbow said nothing. Rarity extended a comforting hoof placing it on her shoulder.

“Dash sweetie, we know how much you care for Robert, it sounds like he’s treated you very well, and that you two have come to depend on each other. Any friend of yours is a friend of all of us Rainbow, and we wanted to tell you so you could have the chance to maybe change his mind.”

Rainbow slowly placed a hoof on Rarity’s; she smiled with tears in her eyes.

“Th-thank you Rarity. Really…thank you.”

Rarity smiled.

------------------------------

Robert mulled what he had seen on the television over in his mind. He had heard that the world would eventually change to resemble Equestria, could this be related to that? If so why was it happening now? What would this mean for people still living in the city?

Robert's thoughts were interrupted by a dull throbbing through his skull, and a ringing in his ears. He leaned back and rubbed his eyes, hoping it would pass. This was starting to happen more often the past few days, and he was beginning to think it may be more than a persistent migraine.

Twilight glanced at Robert worriedly. "Robert, are you alright?"

"I’m fine; I’m just a little tired. Plus I didn't have much of a breakfast."

Twilight tilted her head, she didn't look too convinced. "Has this happened before?"

"Occasionally." Robert said while continuing to rub his eyes. The throbbing was getting a bit worse, the ringing a bit louder.

"Has it gotten worse recently?"

Robert stopped rubbing his eyes and stared at Twilight. "...Do you know something Twilight?"

Twilight shifted uncomfortably in her seat, not making eye contact with Robert. “I do. Robert there is something you need to know.”

With that Twilight’s horn began to glow, and a translucent dome appeared over the table they were sitting at and then vanished.

Robert jumped in surprise. He wasn’t a stranger to magic, hell his neighbor did it every day, but this was something totally different. He soon noticed, with shock, that all sound in the library had vanished.

“Twilight…what…what was that?”

“A globe of silence spell; nobody will be able to overhear us.” Twilight said matter-of-factly. “Now, Robert can I ask you a few questions?”

Robert nodded slowly. “Alright.”

Twilight took a deep breath, as if steeling herself, and looked Robert straight in the eye.

“Robert…how do you feel about Rainbow Dash?”

That had come out of left field. “…what?”

“How do you feel about her? You two are friends right?”

“Of course…but what does this have to do with-“

Twilight raised a hoof to silence him. “In time. This needs to come first.”

“…yes me and Rainbow Dash are friends.”

Twilight smiled. “That’s good…but…you know she can’t stay here in New York forever right?”

“Well…I mean, yeah, I knew she would leave New York eventually but not for at least a few months.”

Twilight shook her head. “No Robert, Rainbow has responsibilities, like controlling Ponyville’s weather. Apparently the pony who replaced her is doing a…subpar job. Rainbow will be journeying back to Equestria with us in a week and a half.”
Robert felt his blood run cold. A week and a half? Robert had grown so used to having the Multi-colored pony in his life, the thought of her leaving it…and in such a short amount of time…

Robert ran a hand down his face.

“Robert…are you okay?”

He leaned forward and rested his head in his hands on the table. “Sure.” He said sarcastically. “Just fine…”

Twilight sighed. “You couldn’t have thought-“

“I know.” Robert interrupted. “I knew she would have to leave at some point…I just didn’t think it would be so soon…she just never told me when...”

Twilight smiled sadly. “It sounds like you’ve really come to depend on her. “

“You have no idea…if I hadn’t met her I really don’t know where I would be right now. “

The unicorn nodded. “Robert, it’s the same way for her.”

Robert blinked, and looked up toward the pony.

“In her first few letters, Rainbow always mentioned how much she hated this city and the people in it. We were all worried about her…until she met you. After that happened her letters became much more cheerful…she was herself again. She always mentioned how much fun she has spending time with you, how you helped her to see the city in a new light…how she was able to be happy again.”

Robert felt himself smile, knowing that he had made as much of a positive impact on Rainbow’s life made him feel better.
But, he knew there was something else, so he decided to change the topic.

“Thank you for that Twilight…really thank you…but can you tell me about that weather phenomenon now? What does it have to do with me?”

The unicorn nodded. “Very well, I do owe you that.”

The pony looked Robert in the eye. “Robert have you, and be honest, been feeling ill lately?”

Robert sighed. “A bit, it’s mostly headaches, fatigue, and this ringing in my ears.”

Twilight nodded sagely. “I see, and when did this start?”

“…about a month ago, it’s gotten a bit worse though.”

“Have you been having strange dreams?”

Robert balked. He didn’t feel too inclined to tell her about his recurring nightmare, but if she did know something…

“…Yes…a recurring dream.”

“How often do you have this dream? How long have you had it?”

“Every night for the past several months…but it has gotten a bit more vivid…”

Twilight frowned. “Robert I’m sure you’ve heard how your world will eventually mirror that of Equestria, and how humanity in its current form will not be able to survive the change.”

A chill Ran down Robert’s spine.

“Are…are you saying-”

“I don’t know Robert. There is no way to be sure, but your symptoms sound similar to other cases.”

Twilight nodded towards the television. “What is occurring right now is your world’s environment reacting to the magical energy of Equestria. Apparently, early this morning, the amount of energy here in New York, as well as the entire eastern seaboard, has reached a critical level.”

Twilight gazed at Robert sadly. “If you continue to be exposed to it your mind and body will progressively deteriorate until…” Twilight shook her head.

Robert blankly stared at the pony in front of him. Was she serious? He was going to die? Go insane? Both? He felt the world spin as the painful throb in his head intensified. This was too much, too fast.

“This is insane…” Robert gasped, trying to regain his composure. “First you tell me one of…no…my best friend will be walking out of my life in a little more than a week, and then that if I remain here in the city I have spent my entire life, I am going to eventually die?”

Twilight looked away with tears in her eyes. “I’m sorry Robert. We never wanted it to be this way; we wanted humans to have more time to choose…”

“Can it be stopped?” Twilight shook her head grimly.

“I don’t get it…if the entire world is going to be eventually saturated in this energy what does that mean for people who choose to remain human?”

Twilight wiped her eyes. “Shield cities will be established all over the world. Within them people will be safe from the energy of Equestria. I don’t know the specifics, but apparently the same human/pony joint think tank that came up with the ponification technology has discovered a way to shelter widespread areas from harm.” She smiled at Robert. “I could get a recommendation from the Princess to give you first priority residence as soon as the first one is built. It’s the least I could do for such a good friend of Rainbow Dash.”

Robert leaned back in his chair. The thought of leaving New York didn’t sit very well with him…but he could probably adapt, it wouldn’t be the end of the world.

Twilight studied the human’s face. “…Leaving the city isn’t what’s bothering you is it?”

Damn it. Transparent as always.

“…Its Rainbow Dash isn’t it?”

Robert said nothing. Twilight took his silence as a confirmation.

“Robert…there is always conversion.”

Robert felt his jaw involuntarily tighten. His gaze bored into the pony before him; Twilight felt herself shrink slightly under its intensity.

“It really isn’t as bad as the HLF has made it out to be. Think about it Robert, you could remain in the city if you wanted, or you could come to Equestria to stay close to Rainbow Dash.” Twilight took a deep breath. “And I’m sure there are people in your life that have undergone the procedure you would like to see again…am I wrong Robert?”

“…how long?”

Twilight blinked. “What?”

“How long do I have?”

The unicorn scratched the back of her head in thought. “Given the slow development of your physical symptoms and mental degradation…and the fact they will be accelerated now that the Equestrian energy has reached the mainland…roughly two weeks before you would need to be hospitalized…and a few days after that point before death.” She sighed. “Of course that is a very rough calculation, and we do not have much evidence to go on. It appears every human is affected differently; you could succumb to the energy sooner or later than the projected time.”

Robert stood. “Thank you for everything Twilight. It’s been a pleasure.” He turned away from the table, but glanced back at the Unicorn. “I’ll be sure tell Rarity how to find you if I see her.”

As he began to walk towards the exit, he could barely make out Twilight wishing him good luck before he passed through the boundaries of the silence spell and the sounds of the library filled his ears once more.