//------------------------------//
// Chapter 1: Eviction 
// Story: TCB: Among the Stars (Part 1: Absquatulate) 
// by Herr Director 
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	People say lots of things, about how we humans can do anything. We can adapt to any situation, that we can do whatever we can set our minds to. Maybe they're right. Maybe they're not. Not this time. 
My name is Jack Crest. I live in Tallahassee. It ain't a bad place anymore. Got really quiet once the bureau was built. People were packing through the doors, wanting to go to Equestria. Oh yeah, right. Equestria. About two years back, this new land called Equestria just up and appeared in the middle of the pacific. Believe it or not, it was populated by little ponies. Really cute and colorful. The thing was, it brought this barrier along with it. It erases anything made by man, killing any human that touches it. The ruler of Equestria, Princess Celestia or something like that, says that she doesn't know why that is there, and that she's trying to stop it. Of course, people are skeptical. Even I'm skeptical. However, Princess Celestia offered another solution. Humans can actually go and live in Equestria with the ponies. Sounds like a dream come true right? Well, here's the catch. The barrier will disintegrate human flesh, so we can't pass through as humans. They have this potion that they give you, that somehow turns you into a pony. They do it at these facilities they built in, called Conversion Bureaus. Apparently there was a big rush to get to these bureaus, to get saved from this barrier that's supposed to kill everyone.
So why haven't I gone? I just can't bear to leave my old self behind. My sister, Sally, and my mom feel the same, so we've been staying at home most of the time, watching people and ponies come and go on the street outside of the apartment window. Celestia has been sending ponies out into the city, trying to convince those who have not been converted to do so. Sometimes, people react violently. About three weeks ago, somebody tried to bomb the bureau. The Equestrian guards apprehended the guy. who did it. The Confederacy tried to put him under their jurisdiction, but Equestria wouldn't let them have him. People like that see what Celestia is doing as genocide. Personally, I don't see it quite like that, but I still don't like the idea of being converted into something I'm not. Call me selfish, sure, but it doesn't matter when the barrier comes through. Wont be long now, only about a year before it reaches Tallahassee. But today, my life would change. I would be given a second chance.

This morning seemed like any other morning. I woke up, went into the kitchen and ate my cereal with Sally. Mom sat in Dad's old armchair, watching some old reality show on Television. Sally put down her spoon and washed out her dish.
"Jack, I've been having second thoughts." she began. The water from the sink flowed over the bowl, making a rushing sound.
"About being converted?" I asked. She nodded. "Well, Sally, you know Mom and I love you, but I don't think she would ever want to go, and someone's gotta take care of her." I stood up beside her, doing my dishes now. "If you really want to go, I won't stop you, but I won't go with you either."
"Never mind, Jack," she said, shaking her head. "You're right, we need to take care of Mom, no matter what happens." Mom was getting old. As of about three months ago, she was now seventy-two. She needed us to take care of her now, and we did happily, She was always a very kind woman, and she deserved every bit of care she got.
Speaking of Mom. "Kids, kids!" Mom hollered from the living room. "Come quick, it's a message from the President!" We hurried into the room and gathered around the Television. On screen, President Clarke was behind a pedestal in front of the North American Confederacy flag, an Eagle with it's talons grabbing onto a globe centered on North America. Standing beside him was a slightly shorter balding man with a large white beard.

"Greetings, citizens of North America." Clarke said. "Today, is a great day for Humanity!" There was much cheering in the background of the broadcast. "As I am sure you are aware, there is a deadly barrier rapidly approaching the Western Seaboard. It will arrive in a matter of days. Princess Celestia,  ruler of Equestria, is rapidly pushing to convert as many humans as she can, to maximize the amount of human lives saved. But today, I present a new way, that will continue the survival of our species. Please welcome, Doctor Otto Chesterfield, to explain."
President Clarke stepped off of the stage. The bearded man took the microphone. "People of North America," he said. "Tomorrow, we will begin a new initiative. Scientists have found an inhabitable planet not far from our own. This planet has been deemed fit for human life. Starting tomorrow, we will load up colony ships made by the Extra-Terrestrial Colonization Initiative. Each can hold 60,000 human citizens, and will contain 5,000 military personnel to protect the colony. These ships will leave out of the following space centers: CSS Columbus from Anchorage, CSS Hudson from Toronto, CSS Amerigo from Cape Canaveral, and CSS Magellen from Galveston Island."
"Cape Canaveral!" Mom shouted! "We can go to Cape Canaveral and escape the barrier! We can survive!"
"Hush now, he's not done." Sally calmed Mom down, and we resumed listening to Dr. Chesterfield.
"Take only clothing, your passports and other legal documents, any cash currency you posses and whatever else you may need for the journey to the spaceport. Once a ship is at the 60,000 person limit, no more people will be allowed on board. No exceptions. The launch procedures will commence in one week, or until all ships are filled to capacity, whichever comes sooner. Make haste!"
"Kids, that is what we are going to do." Mom stood up from her chair.
"Take it easy Mom, you'll throw out your hip or something." I hurried over and steadied my mother.
"We don't have time to take it easy, we gotta make that ship. Get your suitcases, grab all the cash, and hurry." Mom began running around the small apartment. "We are gonna get of this rock, and we are gonna live on!" Neither I, nor Sally, had ever seen Mom this excited for a long time. So we did as she said. I went into my room, and I took as much clothes as could fit into my suitcase. I reached under my bed and took out a safe. It was full of cash for emergencies. I took all of it. By noon we were ready to go. Sally and I helped Mom out into the hall. I handed her cane to her.
"Say goodbye to this place kids." Mom said. "It has served us good, so we better not forget it now."
I gazed around at our normally cramped apartment. All of our stuff, the TV, the refrigerator, our beds, would be wiped out of existence someday soon. It was sad, really. But it was just part of life. You gotta move on no matter what, I guess.

We took the elevator down to the parking garage and got in the car. A Ford Mustang Boss. I worked so hard for that car when I was young, and it was hard because even at that time, it was considered vintage. Felt so good to take that for it's first drive. Anyways, I took the driver's seat, and Sally sat in back with Mom. We drove out of the building and headed down the street towards the city limits. Since Tallahassee's population had been severely depleted because of the Bureau, the streets were not as crowded as they probably would be. But the remnants of people still remained. Trash lined the sidewalks and gutters, every now and then we passed a pedestrian or an abandoned car. Around us, the city slept. Nothing was said. It was quiet. Too quiet.
About twenty minutes later, we passed in front of the bureau. It was a tall, grey stone building. In the northwest corner, the stones were a bit lighter. That was where they had rebuilt over the hole made by the bomb. People were in a short line outside of the bureau, waiting to be converted.
"We don't need that place." Mom said in a matter-of-fact tone. "I don't want to be a pony, that just speaks wrong to me."
As we passed, I noticed a large group of pegasi, landing in. They were carrying in the bodies of several humans. One of the guards appeared to be speaking to the captain of the pegasi team. Wait... were they looking at us? I put a bit more pressure on the gas pedal. I wanted to get away from that bureau as fast as possible.
"What's wrong, Jack?" Sally asked as I sped down the street.
"Did you see those people they brought in?" I said. "There was a team of pegasi bringing in the unconscious bodies of people."
"Why would they do that?" Sally seemed very confused. "I thought conversion was optional, right?"
Mom answered her question. "Maybe it was, honey." She suggested. "Perhaps that pony princess wasn't too pleased to hear about our launch plans."

The car fell silent once more for a while. The thought of forced conversion was pretty scary. Hopefully, we would be out of the city before they took us to the bureau. I focused on the road, trying to push the dark thoughts out of my mind I couldn't allow myself to think about it. "Worry does not belong in a place where it is not welcome", my mother always said. Not much happened, up until we got to the freeway. That's when we ran in to trouble. Two white unicorns in shiny golden armor stood, blocking the on ramp. Looks like Worry barged its way in without asking. I stopped the car. Hopefully, they would let us pass.
"Good day, sirs." I said to the unicorns with a smile as I rolled down the window. "Lovely day for a drive, don't you think?"
The unicorns did not show any emotion. Both of their faces were set in stone. "We must ask you to exit the vehicle. By attempting to leave the city, the three of you are in violation of Solar Decree 126, which states that all humans within thirty kilometers of Equestrian land must face mandatory conversion immediately. As you reside within that radius of Conversion Bureau 32, you must come with us." He looked in the car to see Mom and Sally.
"We aren't going anywhere with you, got that?" Mom yelled. The guard frowned.
"Get out of the car!" The guard rose his voice. Mom made him pretty upset. It was clear he wasn't used to getting trash talked to. Mom unlocked her door, and got out of the car. "I will take you back to the bureau myself!" The guard shouted as Mom hobbled over to him on her cane.
"You may do that, sir." Mom begged. "But please let me have a moment to talk to my children. You have kids somewhere, don't you? I'm sure you would want the same." The guard said nothing, then nodded.
"Make it quick." the guard snapped. Mom hobbled over to us.
"Now kids, I'm gonna distract these goons," She explained. "When I do, you drive away from here as fast as you can, and you get on that spaceship if it's the last thing you do, got it?"
"But Mom-" Sally began, but Mom cut her off.
"Don't even look back, understand?" We nodded meekly. "Now I want you to go get on that rocket for me. You deserve to see that new planet much more than I do. I love you both."
"We love you too Mom." I said. Sally was crying too hard to answer. Mom smiled.
"Be safe, children." Mom hobbled back over to the guards. "I am ready to go."
"Good." the guard said. He motioned to us. "Take them in." The other guard began to walk over to us. That's when Mom acted her part. 

Mom swung up and beat her guard over the head with her cane in one swift movement. In another, she tripped up the other guard who was coming for us.
"GO GET ON THAT SHIP, HONEY!" I floored the gas pedal and we took off onto the freeway. moving far away from the guards. That was the last time I ever saw my Mom. Driving on the deserted freeway, we were crushed. Sally sobbed in the back.
"Jack," she asked. "Do you think Mom is gonna be okay?" She sounded like a young child again.
"I don't know." I said, tears biting at my eyes. "If Equestria is as good as they say it is, she will be fine."
"I just wish she could have come with us."
"Me too, Sally. Me too."
That day, was the first day of the rest of our lives. All that mattered to us now was making it to that ship. We would do it for Mom. That was her last wish, and we would be determined not to let her down. This was not an eviction. This was an exodus.