//------------------------------// // Chapter 7: Dinner and Communications // Story: The Conversion Bureau EarthGate Saga: Prisoner of War // by Dolphy Blue Drake //------------------------------// After sitting down to eat, Twilight looked at Flash as if to ask him a question, but neither spoke.  However, Flash nodded as if he knew exactly what she wanted. Motioning for a guard, Flash whispered something in the armored pony’s ear, after which the guard nodded. “Understood Prince Sentry,” the guard replied.  “I’ll send for them at once.” After the guard left, Zachary cocked an eyebrow as food began to be served.  It was all vegetarian, but that was to be expected from a nation of herbivores. “Oh, don’t worry, Corporal,” Flash chuckled.  “Twilight just wants you to meet our children.  I also told the guard to not let anypony in here without our permission or in a few other circumstances, so take a load off!  I’m sure you’d prefer your hands back, right?” Zachary did as was suggested, then took off his helmet, placing it on the ground next to his chair.  With that done, he served himself up some salad and looked at the princess curiously. Twilight giggled before explaining.  “I can tell there’s something weighing you down, Corporal,” she informed the Protean, causing him to drop his fork in shock.  He had been certain that he had kept his frustrations over everything that had transpired since the EarthGate opened safely covered up. Twilight giggled again and shook her head.  “I’ve been an expert on every subject of friendship for a little over forty years, Corporal,” she continued.  “That includes reading expressions and body language, no matter how slight it may be.  I feel that meeting our children will help you lighten up a bit more on the inside.” Zachary opened his mouth to argue, but didn’t get the chance when a pegasus colt and a unicorn filly burst through the door, giggling excitedly while a guard followed them, pushing what appeared to be a stroller. The filly had Twilight’s eye, mane and tail colors, but Flash’s coat.  The colt was the reverse, having all of Flash’s features with the exception of having Twilight’s coat. “Your children have arri—” the guard started to announce before the filly cut him off. “Mommy!  Daddy!  We’re here!” she proclaimed.  “What’s—” The filly also cut off after getting a look at Zachary, and simply stared, as did her brother. “Mom!  How’d you do it?” The colt cried out in amazement.  “You reversed it!  This is so cool!” “Sorry, Dusk, but he’s here on his own,” Twilight sighed before looking at Zachary and nodding, implying that he should introduce himself. “Eheh, hey there,” Zachary chuckled nervously.  “I’m Zachary Jenkins.  I’m from a place separate from both Earth and Equus, where humans have advanced far beyond anything you’ve ever seen, I’m sure.” “Oh yeah?” the filly challenged.  “Prove it!” “Well, have you seen a human able to do this before?” Zachary chuckled before shapeshifting to the form of a human-alicorn syncretic hybrid. The siblings’ jaws dropped, unable to believe what they just saw. “You can shapeshift?” the colt exclaimed.  “That’s so cool!  Wait!  I haven’t given my name yet!  Sorry ‘bout that!  I’m Dusk Gale!  Prince Dusk Gale, if you don’t mind!” The filly shoved her brother out of the way and gazed at Zachary excitedly as he shifted back to his default form.  “Don’t mind my brother, sir.  He may be older than me by three years, but he acts like a toddler sometimes.”  Putting out her hoof for a shake, she added, “My name is Mirage.  I hope you let me study you some time in the future, but that can wait.  Mom won’t let me use her lab equipment in the basement yet.”  Mirage shot her mother an icy glare with that last statement, but Twilight just giggled. “Who’s in the stroller?” Zachary asked curiously. “Oh, that’s our baby brother, Astro Gleam,” Dusk said quietly.  “Mom doesn’t want word about him getting out.  You know why?” “Why?” Zachary asked with intrigue. “Because he’s an Alicorn!” Mirage whispered excitedly.  “Take a look for yourself!” Zachary looked to both parents first, and after both nodded to him, he gently reached into the stroller and brought out the infant Alicorn. Astro had a powder blue coat and a midnight blue mane.  Then, when the little one opened his eyes, they were revealed to be a brilliant silver, shining almost as if his irises were metallic. Astro cooed happily as Zachary returned him to the stroller, and Zachary couldn’t help but break into a huge grin at the display. The three foals joined them for the remainder of dinner, Zachary entertaining them with displays of his ability to shapeshift, taking any request they could throw at him and doing his best to mimic whatever they wanted. As dinner drew to a close, the doors suddenly burst open as three ponies—a green pegasus stallion, an orange unicorn mare, and a violet earth pony mare—stepped into the room.  Before Twilight could call for her guards, the stallion held up a hoof and shook his head. “No need,” he said.  “We’re friendly.  We’re here at the Corporal’s personal request.” With that, the three ponies shifted into humanlike forms, their black saddlebags shifting into singulon armor with only a millisecond of delay. The other Proteans removed their helmets to reveal a dark-skinned man with short brown hair and brown eyes, a fair-skinned woman with long red hair and amber eyes, and a tan-skinned woman with black hair and blue eyes. “Greetings, Corporal Jenkins,” the man began as Zachary rose to his feet.  “I’m Agent Peter Swift, and these are my colleagues, Agents Rachel O'Reilly and Yolanda Hoover.”  The fair-skinned woman nodded when the first name was listed, and the tan-skinned woman nodded when the second of two names was mentioned.  “We’ve been sent to provide whatever aid we can.  In short, we’re at your command, sir.”  Agent Swift finished with a salute, and the two female agents mirrored his actions. “Well, I’m meeting with the leaders of the secession movement right now, actually,” Zachary informed the three spies.  “I think you should talk to them, see what they need, for having a friendly state on this side of the portal can only help things along.” Swift nodded, then all eyes were on him and Twilight as the Princess of Friendship began to ask questions. “So, first of all,” Twilight began, “I need to know:  how difficult is it to reverse the effects of the serum?  Celestia duped me into creating it for her, and knowing if there’s anything I can do to help streamline the process if it needs it would ease my conscience a bit.” “Doctor Fleck M. Eureka has stated that the procedure takes three hours to restore one newfoal back to being fully human in body and mind,” Agent Swift replied.  “This is far from ideal, for the potion works in seconds, while reversal takes hours.  It is painless, however.  In addition, we give the newly restored the offer of artificial Protean evolution, which if accepted, takes about half an hour more.” “Well, if you could get me in contact with this Doctor Eureka, maybe I could help him,” Twilight suggested.  “After all, I’m the one who made that infernal brew in the first place.  So I know quite a bit about it, though even I didn’t know it produced mind control effects.  Celestia must have cast a spell that twisted the potion’s effects.” “Well, after this meeting is complete, I’m sure we could get you in contact with him,” Swift said with a nod.  “He’s currently educating others in the technique, using captured newfoals for demonstration purposes.” “Now, how about military aid?” Twilight asked next.  “We can’t risk taking any action to secede until we know that Celestia won’t slaughter everypony who resists her.” “I’ll let the Chimeron himself speak to you about that,” Swift chuckled as he pulled out a device.  He pressed a button on it, and the words, “ESTABLISHING A SECURE CHANNEL.  PLEASE WAIT.”were suddenly projected into the room, floating in the air for a few seconds before a man wearing what appeared to be a cross between a clerical robe and a lab coat over a business suit had his image projected into the room. “Greetings!” the man said with a wave and a smile.  A smile that Twilight once knew quite well.  It was the same kind of smile that Celestia often wore before contact was made with Earth:  full of warmth, but also able to make any who saw it feel safer just by being in the presence of the one smiling.  “I take it you ponies are the secession movement I’ve heard about?” Lyra spoke up first.  “Yes, sir.  I am Lyra Heartstrings, co-organizer of the movement, along with my husband, Noteworthy.”  The named stallion waved. “And I am Princess Twilight Sparkle, future leader of the Kingdom of Friendship, if secession succeeds,” Twilight added. “Well, Now that I’ve met your movement’s leaders, I guess it’s time to tell you who I am,” the man chuckled.  “I am Chimeron Joe dan Bohr CI of the Proteocracy of Clericorum.  I lead the most powerful and most advanced nation in the Lalande 21185 system, eight light-years away from Earth.  We could benefit greatly from having an allied state on your end of the portal, so your wish is my command.  Ask, and my people will gladly give it to you.” “How many troops can you spare to aid us in our rebellion?” Twilight asked first. “Straight to the point!  I like that in a leader!” Joe chuckled.  “Very well, we can have our first troops there tomorrow, and we can continue to send more to assist you daily until you complete your revolution.  We will even grant you the knowledge of any technologies we have that may prove helpful to you.  Who knows?  Maybe by merging magic and technology together, we can both become a powerful force to be reckoned with!” “I completely agree,” Twilight said with a nod before moving on to her next question:  “We have received offers to aid us from a nation that is on the verge of dying because their food source has been corrupted by the large amounts of newfoals.  Could you aid us in removing the newfoals from their area so that they will be able to grant us their aid?” “Hmm…” dan Bohr mused, rubbing his chin in thought.  “And who might these potential allies be?” “They’re called Changelings,” Twilight replied.  “They’re like a cross between insects and ponies, and they feed on love.  The newfoal’s corrupted affection is what’s poisoning them.” “Well, I’m sorry, but Clericorum isn’t the best suited for that, given your description of them,” Joe replied sadly. “What?” Twilight exclaimed in shock, unable to believe her ears. “Don’t get me wrong, we’re the best suited to cleanse the newfoals,” the Chimeron replied hastily.  “But there’s a better nation to assist you with the initial steps of aiding them.  Just give me a second, and I’ll use the Marconi Tower to patch the leader of the nation I’m referring to into this call.” After a few seconds of the Chimeron fiddling with something, a second image appeared alongside him:  a human-sized bipedal royal ant wearing a green robe over her form, which had a dark green cloak under it. “What is it, dan Bohr?” the female ant demanded, sounding quite strained and upset.  “I’m in the process of dissolving the Unimind back into individuals!  This had better be good!” “It is, Progenitor, it is,” Joe replied with a smile that even the fierce ant couldn’t help but chuckle at.  “We’ve made contact with the secession movement in the nation of the enemy, and they’re in this call with us.” The ant looked and noticed Twilight for the first time.  “Forgive me.  How unladylike of me,” the ant said with a bow.  “I am Progenitor Ha Torth CII, center mind of the Great Joining of Pun Elleco, the greatest nation to be descended from klackons.  I may appear different from dan Bohr, but I’m a Protean, too.  My default form just happens to be that of a klackon.” “Center mind?” Twilight repeated, confused. “Yes, as in, I am currently one mind in many bodies,” Ha explained.  “Unlike the other six nations, who stick to one form of government the entire time, we Ellecor switch back and forth between two government forms depending on the needs of the country.  We are able to accumulate great military power and wealth while merged into one mind with me as the center.  But alas, I am still one mind, so scientific development and complicated battle strategies are incredibly difficult in this state of being.  Right now, I am dissolving the Unimind back into the individuals who make it up, for we’re going to war against an enemy the likes of which no klackon has ever seen.  We’ll need all of our greatest military and scientific minds as themselves for this conflict, and some of our precious people have been abducted by a ship that came through the EarthGate.  We need to be separate in mind to rescue them.  In a few hours, I’ll have changed to the title of ‘Chimeron’, and my nation shall become a proteocracy.” “Wait, abducted?” Twilight shuddered.  “By whom?” “The ship was piloted by ponies,” the Progenitor said sadly.  “As we speak, they are being tested on in the flight back to the Gate.  It pains me to give them their individuality back only for them to immediately feel the pain and fear that I’ve been shielding them from, but it must be done.  Now, I trust you have something to say to me?” “Oh!”  Twilight exclaimed.  “That’s right!  I am Princess Twilight Sparkle, and I’m who will be leading the Kingdom of Friendship if we succeed in breaking away from Equestria.  We have gotten a plea for aid from the nation of the Changelings.  They’re like a fusion of pony and insect, still retaining the social structure of a hive.  They feed on love, and there are so many newfoals in their area, that they can’t safely collect their food anymore.  Newfoal love poisons them.  They’ve promised me and the rebellion anything in return, including military aid.” “I see,” Progenitor Torth replied.  “We may have never known them, but you have described them as sapient insect-like beings, complete with a social structure similar to our own.  We can’t let this continue.  As the leader of the most powerful nation with klackon technology, I promise you, Twilight Sparkle, that those you wish to aid will receive their aid in the form of Pun Ellec military might!  We will round up every newfoal in the vicinity of the Changelings’ hive, and deliver them into the hands of the Clerisy for them to restore.  As soon as I finish dissolving the Unimind, I’ll give the orders.  Farewell for now!  If you wish to speak with me again, just ask the Clerisy to patch you through to me.” “I will,” Twilight replied with a smile. “You smile just like dan Bohr does, you know that?” Torth chuckled.  “Keep smiling like that, you hear me?  It does his people good, and it’ll do your people good, too.” With that, Ha cut her end of the transmission, and the Clerisiac Chimeron sighed. “Well, I have to get going, too,” Joe informed them.  “We have preparations to make, as well.  Corporal Jenkins, you and the agents get some rest.  We’ll need you ready to meet the first division of troops tomorrow.” “Yes, sir,” Zachary replied before the link was cut. “Well, looks like we’ve got a big day ahead of us tomorrow,” Zachary said to the whole room. Everyone nodded in agreement. “So, the agents and I are going to get some rest,” he finished.  “Do you have any guest rooms?” “Follow me, please,“ the guard who had been standing around the whole time said to the group of Proteans.  “Guest rooms are this way.” The four Proteans nodded, shifted into pony forms, then followed the guard as he led them through the castle. None of the four took in much of what they saw, focusing only on getting some rest.  After they arrived at a set of four doors, the guard left, and they each entered a separate room before shifting back into human form, removing their armor, and diving into bed.  All four fell asleep in a matter of minutes.