Consciousness returned slowly, my mind fuzzy and murky as I came back to reality. Dizziness flowed in waves over me, making my head spin nauseatingly.
Where was I? What was going on?
Trying to answer those questions by opening my eyes proved a folly, and were quickly shut as bright lights seared into my retina. Pausing to take stock of the situation, I concentrated on what little I could make out. What felt like a soft mattress sat below me, and thick blankets wrapped themselves tightly around my body. From somewhere nearby a constant beeping irritated my ears.
Grunting with the effort required to move sleep stiffened muscles, I stretched out and grabbed at the covers, feeling the freshly washed cloth between my fingers. As nice and cosy as it was, the extra layers of cloth proved too warm, so with a flick of my wrist I threw them to the side.
Many moments passed as I lay there, letting my mind catch up to reality, trying to work out why everything seemed so... strange. Strange, but in a good way. Like a cast being removed from a previously broken leg. Drumming my fingers on the bed spread, I -
Fingers?
Bolting upright, ignoring the painful throbbing from my head and eyes, I stared at my hand. My hand. Five digits, four fingers, one thumb, palm and wrist.
Like tiny hammers, memories flooded into my head. The press release, the speeches, reporters, flashing of camera's. Snippets of questions came to mind.
"Mr. Roberts, how does it feel to be the first to go through?"
"Will you be releasing any more details of the process, at this time?"
"Has there been any statement made by the Equestrians?"
Gazing past my hand, I took in the room around me. Sparsely furnished, the bright white room consisted of the bed I had been sleeping upon, a desk covered in papers and documents, and what seemed to be a medical cart. The cart appeared to be where the consistent beeping came from, a heart rate monitor if I had to hazard a guess.
And below me, stretched out on the mattress, I saw a body. My body. My human body. It was a bit older than I remembered, but it was to be expected. Had been a good while since I'd last seen it.
The heavy wooden door creaked open. and a brown unicorn poked his head through the gap. Spotting me, he softly smiled, looking relieved.
"Oh thank goodness, you're finally awake." Turning around, he shouted to someone behind him, "Mr. Hemmings!? He's up!" Smiling once more towards me, he said, "He'll be here shortly. Now, you've been out for four days, so I shoul -"
The unnamed Unicorn never got to finish, as a orange blur barreled past him, knocking the half open door off its hinges. Immediately I was set upon by the frantic Earth Pony, leaping around the bed and launching rapid fire questions.
"Oh boss, you're up! Are you ok? How are you feeling? Does anything hurt!? You weren't supposed to be unconscious for that long! Please tell me nothing hurts! We need to get the - "
Reaching over, I closed my hand around his muzzle, silencing any further inquiries. Taking a moment to gather my thoughts, I noted just how small he seemed. Everything seemed smaller, in truth.
"I feel... fine. I think it worked." I replied.
Two glistening eyes, and a radiant smile was my only answer.
* * *
Ever since I'd set foot upon the stage, the reporters had never once let up with the flash photography. Star's filled my eyes, almost blinding me to the crowd filling the streets, a sea of mishmashed colors. To either side of the mass of citizens, huge buildings stood proud, some up to four stories high already. A testament to all the hard work and dedication of everyone within the city.
Rearing onto his hind legs, Hemmings was giving his speech, mostly filled with the more technical details of the Anti-Conversion Formula. Never being much for science, I tuned most of it out. Not like it made any sense to me.
"...now, if you would, Mr. Roberts has a few words to say."
The mention of my name jerked me from my half dozed state, and I quickly stood, taking my place at the podium. Clearing my throat, I looked down at the cue cards in my hand.
"My friends, today marks a new, wondrous beginning for Humanity," I began, speaking into the microphone set before me, my voice reverberating through multiple loudspeakers. "Fifteen years ago, we were brought to our knees, forced into extinction by the actions of a few. We may never know what exactly transpired to cause this turn of events, nor may we ever know who. But despite all odds, I stand here before you, once more as a human being. As living proof that we are not yet finished."
"We survived the Cold War, when a push of a single button would have reduced Humankind to ash. We survived World War Three, when a push of a button would have vaporized the surface of the planet! And we, as a species, have now survived the Ponyfication!"
The crowd roared, cheers and whistles filling the air, stamping the ground with their hooves sending vibrations through the surface of the stage. Holding up a hand to request silence, I gave it a moment to die down.
"However, I am aware that after such a long time, there will be those who would rather not return to their human form. We have no desire, nor intent, to force anything upon those who have no wish to change. For all those who are interested, clinics will be setup to help ease you back to your old self."
"For now, though, may we celebrate this day away, upon this momentous occasion. Thanks to the tireless efforts of the scientists you see behind me, Humankind will live again! And thank all of you watching today for all your effort. Without your support, and hard toil, we would never have gotten back onto our feet. You have placed your trust in us, and I hope that we continue to live up to your expectations."
Fifteen years ago the species Homo Sapiens, commonly known as Man, was rendered extinct. Either killed, or changed. Only in mind and soul did we live on.
For ten years, we were confined to living within Equestria's borders, as the purification would kill any sentient life form. Supposedly.
Five years ago, we left Equestria, and began again. Clearing wild forests to make way for housing, flattening hills for roads.
One month ago, we successfully turned a New Foal back into a human. That human was me.
Today, clinics around the city are full of New Foals awaiting to be returned to their human bodies and the Anti-Conversion Formula is being transported to other cities.
In the past, Humanity has made mistakes. We've warred endlessly over resources like Oil and Coal, all the while those very substances polluted the air and water. Eventually we found other sources of energy, cleaner and more efficient. The rapid decay of our planet was halted, and its effects beginning to reverse, but there was always that ever present smell in the air. Now, it's a brand new planet, ripe for civilization.
Thankfully we never lost the knowledge of those modern energy sources, so this time around, those old, polluting technologies will never be an issue. And what knowledge was lost can be easily recovered, as the theory is still known.
I know not what the future may hold. No one ever truly can. When I walked away from that New Foal Center with my few possessions, I wanted nothing to do with anyone, just a desire to be left alone.
Now? I've helped shape the direction Humankind will take for generations to come. And I honestly hope it's for the better.
Thank you for reading, and putting up with my... less than stellar writing. At times it's grown long winded, others it's been lackluster.
But this is important to me, and to many of us.
Never forget your past, lest it become your future.
THE END
This isn't the end is it?
501521
I only ever intended it to be a short little thing. More of a test doing a 1st person POV, as opposed to 3rd.
And rather than a big adventure, more about world building than character building.
This isn't the end is it?501536
But what about Celestia? Could you at least show hers and the Ponified humans reaction to all this?
501541
I was thinking about putting that in, but I never really found a good point.
Either way, she's feeling just like when she left his office. Angry, but resigned to losing control of humans.
An interesting take, and much less misanthropic than a lot of extant stuff.
Though I think it would have been funny for a Pegasus/Earth/Unicorn transform to "Base Human/Dwarf/Elf" equivalency to account for the magic remaining.
501627
The lack of any more unbearable misanthropy that inspires so many of the Conversion Bureau fics, if not all of them, is the main reason why I think this is the absolute best in the series. I've also felt that with how many of them focus on the before, during, and the shortly after of a the conversion I've been waiting for another something like this.
I really liked that you acknowledged that Celestia had a PR machine and was politically savvy. That's rare in TCB stories. However, it sort of opens up a plot hole since a smart Celestia would be able to make accurate predictions about how humanity would react to various PR ploys. Public relations is all about saying the thing that will make the recipient act in the way you want them to.
I have been waiting for this exact fic for some time. The conversion bureau series as it stands now is as good as dead. The misanthropy makes me feel my own disgust for a small and more specific portion of humanity. I've felt there is so much wasted potential in the whole series and everyone is too busy either bemoaning the evils of man or polishing their mary-sue shoes to create anything truly worthwhile.
Not only have you gone where few have gone before, but you do it with flair and a slap to the face of the so very depressing fics which cast ponies as the saviors of mankind by being its executioner.
I love the concept of the human world in some way meeting the pony one and scour this site and others for any titles with that label. I have wadded through some truly bad self-inserts and "X in equestria" fics to find the few gems but as a whole I'm sorry to say that when speaking of this series the only well crafted titles end up being the most depressing for their hatred of humanity. I hope that should you continue with similar stories that you would be able to turn this series around for the better. I really did enjoy this fic.
501959
If she were smart like a supreme being maybe, but as a ruler no different in mind than any human equivalent, it works perfect that her vision of a perfect world would utterly fail to turn out as planned. When you make a character perfect your story can lose any substance and interest rather quickly, but when you make the character merely think they're perfect you can create something great.
502010
Very unlikely, as I'm very much not a fan of TCB, or the entire universe. I was just sick of the fic's being 'Pony's good, Humanity mislead, HLF baddies'. Heck, HLF are fighting for the survival of the human race. I'd have probably joined them in a heartbeat.
Glad you enjoyed my attempt at wading in!
Wow! This fic truly shows the triumph and persistance of the Human spirit.
And personally, I think TCB-verse ponies and Celestia are complete assholes.
I pray for your mankinds re ascendancy but they must never forget the lesson of Mankind 1.0
You will never go any further than your leadership will allow.
IF they can avoid electing and appointing the same kind of leaders we do, they will have a new Golden Age.
If not, they may just as well be damned to repeat the same mistakes of so many cultures past.
Not bad, not bad indeed.
to tell the truth woudn't the humans bomb the crap out of equestria the moment after they finished rebuilding human civilization. I'm pretty sure humanity as a whole would be pretty pissed of with all those people looseing their lives to magic poisoning the celestia brought with her into the human world
503401
I think it's hard to truly get this fic without knowing enough about the CB series. Many of them include mention of various powers throwing bombs against an impenetrable magical barrier of some kind before Celestia's intentions are made known, often painting humanity in all things inhuman such that it would make sense, somehow, to bomb a peaceful civilization that suddenly appears out of nowhere. I like the way this fic covers that by mentioning how ponies had always been around and while not unknown to humans it's rare to see them outside of their homeland.
502157
Isn't the nature of this fic to point out the flaws that exist in the ponies of the CB series more than the humans?
503565
yeah i don't think that a civilization that is responsiable for the death of over 6 billion humans can qualify as being peaceful
An gem of a story.
501568 So why DID she want control of Humans?
We arent as productive without our bodies, hell we are the species with more natural resistance on Earth right now
And our ideas would challenge her, her position, and her government
Sorry, just need a bit of clearing up in that direction
504589
Heh, I don't know.
It wasn't something that the main character would have been privy too, so I never went and thought one up. POV and all that.
Anything from 'She thought they'd be happier', 'Land', to 'More subjects'. Who knows?
501568
Angry is a bit of an understatement. I thought she was going to fry the poor guy.
The humans won!
................. Favorited.
.....So what? I mean humans are in Equestria now and this is the TCB universe. I'm surprised Celestia hasn't tried to murder them yet. So what do they go into hiding or do they ever reopen dialogue with the world, what?!
I'm more surprised that Celestia hardly did anything after her meeting with Jack. But oh well, the world will finally get back to normal and hopefully there will be a new found peace between true humans and ponies.
xeno celestia doubt confirm a truce with humans
she would treat permanently extinguish
but now humans are in a new land with magic
so with the human mind and all his knowledge of physics, mathematics, chemistry biology, philosophy etc.
I would say this to emerge technomagical
celestia vera birth and a powerful enemy
I think lyra and some ponies
humans would join some groups even cooperate to bring true peace to equestria
and I think it would be a good leader Luna
his sister lied about the saponification
(ofcourse is just my idea)
ok greetings and great story
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756306
with you all the way!
Humanity now:
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Humanity is not yet lost! Viva la humanité!
From the sea we conquered the trees. From the trees we conquered the lands. From the lands we conquered the planet. Now, we shall rise forevermore, or die defending our liberty. Give me humanity, or give me death!
Thats the thing about Humanity that Celestia ignored. She dislooked at our histories of triumphs, our ups and downs as a species, our courage to continue and regrow from our mistakes.
The one thing that makes us human is our compassion and courage, and that we don't give up. We humans have faced many threats through our history and came close to extinction at times, but we always rised back up to the top.
No matter how hard Celestia tries, Humanity will rise again, again, again, AND AGAIN.
Celestia sees herself as a god, but she is not. She may have broken our bodies, but she will never break our spirits. She will never remove of what makes us humans!
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