//------------------------------// // Page 58 // Story: The Conversion Bureau : Still Human // by Shader //------------------------------// I've interviewed and spoken with many people concerning the Conversion, but answers to the big questions are always sparse. The "Who, What, Why , When and How". Many of the politicians that pushed for the agreement with Equestria have done a surprisingly good job of vanishing into thin air. Likely converted themselves and fled, new names and all, fearing retaliation. No one knows, and in the absence of knowledge, conspiracy theories fill the gaps. Anything from "It was an expansionism move by the ponies", to "That human leaders had been paid", to "The leaders were transformed ponies, working for years behind the scenes". With the Government influenced media having turned itself into full attack mode on organizations disagreeing with it, even the most outlandish claims aren't hard to believe. The Human Liberation Front (HLF) was one such organization, and as you may know, was hit the hardest. Despite what the media would have you believe, they weren't some shadowy organization hell bent on the eradication of ponies. They wanted what everyone wanted. Peace. But a peace where humanity existed. Their beginnings were quite benign. Protests and petitions, the usual light civil disobedience. Despite the soft handed tactics, they'd been demonized, called everything from 'Terrorists' to 'Human Supremest'. Of course, once things became clear that peaceful action wasn't going to change anything, things started getting nasty. Espionage, sabotage and assassinations became commonplace, and with HLF leadership and organization already in place, it became the natural leader. Another commonly asked question is, if the situation really was as bad as it was claimed, why didn't the ponies help before hand? Ponies had been around for centuries, and while humankind never stepped foot upon their strange little island, them living amongst humans in human cities was hardly an uncommon occurrence. So, why now? I'd never heard of any talks between Celestia and other countries to assist in fixing the apparent 'problems', and neither had anyone else I'd talked too, including many other politicians. Either those meetings were held under the tightest of security and secrecy, or they simply never happened. The only fact we can be sure of is that, bar the top of Equestrian Government or the now vanished human government, no one knows what really went on. And they're not talking. PAGE 58 Even from where I was, standing just outside the doors to the newly opened City Hall, the noise was almost deafening. Tens of thousands of people swarmed the streets in every direction, shouting and hollering, screaming out slogans, and blasting on anything that would make a sound. Between us and the roaring crowd, nearly the entirety of the seven thousand strong militia stood strong, holding them back with shields and bodies. Earth Ponies held the line, taking the brunt with their armored hides and stout bodies, backed up by Unicorn casters armed with sleeping spells and force fields. Above us the Pegasi darted through the air, spinning and twisting, keeping us safe from aerial assailants. I'd been hoping to keep this visit on the low down, but the cat appeared to have slipped from it's bag. Luckily, the majority of the protestors seemed quite content to just make noise, and not outright attack. "Hemmings! How much longer until she's supposed to get here?!" I yelled, almost screamed, to be heard over the noise, turning to face my assistant. "Just a few minutes! I've got a group of Pegasi ready to assist escorting her in!" He hollered back. Looking at the gathered protestors, he shook his head. "This is insane, I don't think I've ever seen a crowd this angry!" "Think about it! The last time their leaders got cosy with Celestia, they ended up royally screwed! They don't want it to happen again!" After everything that had happened over the last several years, I couldn't bring myself to blame them. Hell, I'd have joined in myself if it wasn't my job to keep everything running. "Well it's not helping anyone at the moment, so..." Something in the distance seemed to catch his attention. "Hold on, I think I see her carriage now!" Following the direction of his hoof, I peered off in the general direction of Canterlot. Even at this distance, I could make out the flying formation. One hundred pure white Pegasi, encased in their enchanted golden armor, flanking a single chariot. Didn't need to be a smart man to know what was in there. Before I could formulate a reply, Hemmings leapt to his feet and ran over to a group of lightly armored Pegasi, apparently on a break from sky patrol. A series of flurried signals from the orange Earth Pony had the group up and back in the air, making a bee line towards the incoming Royal Guard. With a satisfied nod, he quickly trotted back over to me. "They'll help keep the Pegasi protestors at bay, and give instructions to land her here!" He shouted to me, making a gesture to the grassy area in front of the Hall. It was only a few moments more before members of the crowd spotted Celestia's carriage for themselves, their shouts and pointing bringing it to the attention of others. If I thought the noise was bad before, it had nothing on the new volume. Very few protesting Pegasi actually dared to approach the Royal Guards formation, thankfully, opting instead to follow behind at a distance and shouting, and those that did quickly got chased away. They peeled off when it entered the restricted airspace setup by the Militia, allowing the the Goddess's chariot to come to rest on the grass. "Alright, lets get this over with." I sighed, glancing over at Hemmings, making sure he was at my side for this. His face looked a bit like mine probably did, worried and intimidated. Squaring my shoulders, I quickly made my way over to the vessel. It was massive, clearly designed for something far larger than the average pony, and enclosed with tinted windows running along the sides. One of many technologies that came from humankind. Its door was quickly opened by one of her Royal Guards, and a massive white figure appeared in the opening. Tall and graceful, with an almost otherworldly mane that billowed in its own strange version of physics, and possessing both a horn and wings. Princess Celestia. Supreme Ruler of Equestria. No one was really sure exactly what she was. Guesses ranged from a mortal pony with amazing gifts, to a literal deity, to anywhere in between. All I knew was that she was beyond anything mankind had ever seen. Many assassination attempts had been made on her life, as well as her sister's, most of which were in the last few years just before the Purification. Everything from poison to bombs, and none had succeeded. That wasn't to say they'd been foiled, as quite a few attempts went to plan. It simply did nothing to her. Poison she ate without hesitation, showing no ill effects no matter the dosage. More than once an explosive had detonated under her feet, leaving a smoking crater with a very surprised looking mare standing at the bottom. Bullets, everything from tiny peashooters to giant anti-materiel rifles, did nothing and just bounced off her coat. A creature alive since before recorded history, and could shrug off weapons designed to incapacitate even the heaviest of armored vehicles. For all intents and purposes, a Goddess. And I got to meet her face to face. Joy. Of course I'd been mentally prepping myself, ever since Miss Sparkle had left in such a huff, but nothing could have prepared me for this. Even without a horn of my own, I could feel the power rolling off of her in waves, like an aura that just screamed 'I'm in charge'. Never in my life had I ever felt so... small, a mere insect before her. If the audible gulp that came from his direction was any indication, Hemmings felt it just as strongly. "Your Majesty!" I shouted over the din, trying to keep my fear from showing on my face. "This is an honor! Welcome to New Hope!" Peeking over her shoulder, Celestia pointedly looked at the protesters amassed in the streets and air before turning back to me with a raised eyebrow. "Quite a warm welcome indeed." Oh, this wasn't going to be fun. * * * It took everything I had not to fidget nervously as I sat at my desk, across from the white Alicorn as she settled herself in. It was one of those times when everything you had planned and rehearsed just vanishes in the face of the cold truths of reality, or in this case, the face of a living Goddess. It didn't take long before I broke the silence. "I... I apologise, Your Majesty." Mentally I drove a fist into my face. First word out of my mouth and I was already stuttering. "We attempted to... to keep this under wraps, but somehow it... it got out and I have no - " A raised golden encased hoof quickly put a pause to my ramblings, her eyes never leaving mine and her face completely emotionless. "I am well aware of the discontent amongst the New Foal population, Mr Roberts," she began, "As well as their opinion on myself." "Then, uh... may I ask, why are you here? Um... If you don't mind, that is." No stuttering that time. I was improving. "You appear to be the leader, or at least the originator, of this exodus from the centers." Still she'd not changed her expression. I'd be lying if I said it didn't scare the piss out of me. "I'm here to get an understanding of why you started it." "I started it?" I repeated, confused, "I didn't really intend to start anything. I was, well... unhappy with the current arrangements, and decided to go out on my own." "Then why is there...?" Celestia left the sentence unfinished, but a pointed look through the window left no question as to what she was referring. "They followed me. They just decided that because I was here first that they'd ask me what to do, and it just snowballed from there!" I really didn't want to be here, not with her. She paused, briefly considering me. "Then I guess the bigger question, Mr Roberts, is for what reason are they here? Why are you here? I had originally sent Twilight Sparkle to inquire about it, but it seems you both rubbed one another the wrong way." "I'm... I guess I'm here - " "And I insist on your honesty. I will be rather displeased otherwise." There was a very real threat left unspoken there, and I damn near lost control of my bladder. I'm not ashamed to say she terrified me. Sitting up, muscles tense and quivering in fear, I started blurting out everything that came to mind. "I dislike Equestria, I hate Equestrian laws, I feel uneasy around Equestrians and I don't want to live under you!" Inside, I was begging her not to kill me. "And this is shared between all who reside here?" Still, her expression never changed. "I - I think so. It's the most common answers to why they - they've followed me," I stammered. Many long, tense moments passed, just me stiff as a board, and Celestia staring at me. Thankfully, it came to an end as she sighed, clenching her eyes closed and muttering, "It wasn't supposed to happen this way." "I... I'm sorry?" I asked, confused. Whatever she was referring to escaped me. "Never mind," She replied curtly, her impeccable poker face returning, as she stood and quickly made her way to the door. "I'm sorry for the interruptions, I'll leave you to your business." She was leaving? The sudden, and rather jarring, dismissal came as quite a shock. My reputation in New Hope had taken a sharp hit ever since word of this meeting had gotten out. Not to mention the time and man hours spent by the militia doing their utmost to keep the mass protesting from turning into mass rioting. Then there was the huge cost of it all, the extra pay for the extra hours all those men and women spent protecting the City Hall. All for under five minutes of questioning that made little sense to me? "Excuse me, Your Highness?" I shouted after her, my shock quickly giving way to indignation. I wanted to know what the hell was going on. "What was the purpose of this? I'm a very busy man, and this time and effort could have been spent on -" She jerked her head around, looking back at me over her shoulder, and glared. Her eyes, no longer the overly large eyes of a pony, were replaced with pure flame, tongues of fire flickering up towards her mane. The temperature within my office rose to sweltering heights, and as she opened her mouth, her breath distorted the air with searing heat. "The purpose is none of your concern, New Foal. Do not overstep your position." I never actually saw her leave, hiding as I was behind my desk, but the drop in temperature informed me of her departure. Peeking up over the ridge of the wooden furniture, double checking her absence, I noted where the paint covering the walls had warped and melted. Scorch marks marred the floors surface, thin wisps of smoke still lazily trailing into the air. Half my office was in dire need of repainting, and as the icing on the cake, the unpleasant odor of urine hit my nostrils. Sighing, I stood, quickly looking for a towel, or at least something capable of soaking up liquids. Maybe with her gone, everything could return to normal.