The Conversion Bureau: The Call of Equestria

by threecard

Prologue

September 23, 2012
Boston, Massachusetts
3:26 PM

Through the uncaring cosmos, strange forces whittle away at their work. Black holes devour entire AUs of space at a time to satiate their endless hunger, while wormholes join two distinct points into one. Supernova's lash out against the inevitability of heat death, while white dwarfs end their eons long existence with a whimper before it is pinched out. Under this backdrop, countless civilizations on an infinite number of planets have clawed their way out of the primordial ooze, only to discover they are trapped in an insignificant speck of sand. Whatever method they use, they are all fruitless in their efforts to find meaning. Some races have been driven to madness and despair, committing mass suicide to hide from the truth, others waiting out their doom with no hope of rescue from their gruesome fate. Others still are put under the bonds of conquerors who reshape them in their image, like an artist does with clay. For any being to last long in this universe, it has needed strength, whether from mind, body, or spirit.

One species, Human kind, can call themselves resilient in this environment, if nothing at all. It has endured multiple revolutions in thought and society, their World Wars, 50 years of nuclear paranoia, and a laundry list of circumstances that endangered the structure of civilization. People have always stood at the end of a conflict to build their world anew while attempting to learn something from it. While the species history has more or less been one of mistakes, they have tried their best not to repeat them. Humans have done this for eons under relative isolation from the rest of the universe, though from time to time they have looked up upon the cosmos and wondered if there was something else out there other than their miniscule pebble. They got their wish in the first years of the 2010's, when the land of Equestria finally revealed itself to the rest of Earth's inhabitants.

The country, a medium sized island somewhere in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, had turned inward to it's own affairs and did not have any interest about the outside world. The place was populated mostly by talking ponies, something biologists considered an utter impossibility. There were reports that other beings called the place home, like the mythical Griffons, actual alleged dragons and other similar 4 legged folk such as zebras and buffalo, but the world at large dismissed these, not wanting to face the implications. Equestria had "opened" its borders sometime during July of 2012, when it's unknown ruler decided to let it's inhabitants spread their way of life to the four corners of the globe. Despite their almost otherworldly appearance of pastel colored bodies and manes, The ponies friendly demeanor and calming aura had earned them widespread acceptance, though it was still very rare to see them in everyday life. During the last days of September, anxiety had risen amongst Boston's citizens as they wondered if the ponies had anything planned after their recent arrival.

What I am about to relate to you is the life of Cory Elisen, one of the metro area's 4 million residents during these tense times. A 23 year-old adult born and raised in the unofficial capital of New England, Cory had lived the short time of social independence he had as a journalist for the Boston Herald, often covering stories that delved into the unusual. He had always drifted through life in a word, and regarded the appearance of the ponies as just another news story, never having caught a sight of one.

At this time of day he had just started the walk home to his apartment. Normally he would be driving, but his car had crashed when he heard a lightning bolt in clear day. Even other people had been spooked by it, things like that being unheard of. As his mind was drifting on the event, he felt a soft drip on his head. Cory looked up, and saw only a dark gray sky. Boston was no stranger to a heavy rainfall here and there, but lately, it had almost seemed as if the weather ran on a schedule. It always rained at night, on a pattern, and with quite a bit of warning, like someone found a way to tame nature itself. He had gotten so used to it he thought that this rainfall was "make-up" for last week being rainless. Cory did not dwell on such things however, as the increasingly heavy rain forced him to make a sprint and take cover in the nearest building.

Cory had found himself in an expensive looking lobby, most likely for a bank or other such business. The guards did not shoo his rain-drenched soul out, being accustomed to taking in bystanders during the region's nor'easter storms. Cory took a seat near the door, looking at the torrent of rain that almost covered the window. A hand tapped him on the shoulder, and he turned to find a drenched man somewhere in his 30's, wearing a suit and tie.

"Excuse me, but did you see my wallet when you were running here?"

Cory responded. "Sorry, I didn't see anything on the ground. The rain must have washed your wallet away."

"I knew I shouldn't have let that unicorn use it to show me magic."

"Wait, magic?" Cory had never believed in magic, having always thought the the power of reason was enough to solve any problem he had. For a random stranger to say he witnessed magic was almost inconceivable. Then he heard the unicorn part.

"Does it have something to do with those ponies I've been hearing about all over lately?"

"Yep. She was trying to recruit me for one of those, what do they call it... Conversion Centers."

"Conversion Centers? This is all related to those lots they bought right?" Only a couple weeks after their arrival, several lots in Boston and other cities around the world had been purchased by the ponies. Cory had noted the the ones in Boston were all placed with walking distance of the city's homes, including his own.

"You could be right. I think that's one of them being built right in front of us." The man pointed at the almost finished construction site just across from the street.

It was a large building for the neighborhood, about 5 stories tall. The front resembled a large health clinic, designed to take in a large amount of people, while the rear housed a similarly large greenhouse with the back roof open. The "clinic" part had a warm feel about it, as though it was not made for the typical things like broken bones or heart attacks. What glimpses Cory snatched into the greenhouse revealed several unusual looking trees and plants, almost looking like they belonged to some serene place, not of this earth. The site looked as if it was not affected in the least by the rain, and a large banner proudly declared:

'Conversion Center Grand Opening: September 24' That date was tomorrow, Cory realized.

"There has been one thing I heard, if that Unicorn was right. You think those centers are built for people?"

Cory nodded. It was only natural that people would help others like them acclimate themselves to an unfamiliar place like Boston was to these ponies. What else could it have been?

"No they aren't. The unicorn, Star Charmer if I remember right, told me those are really built for humans."

"No way. Whatever use for humans would they need hundreds of buildings like that all over the world?"

"I don't know. I'm considering caving in to the unicorn though. She was very friendly, and said I had nothing to lose."

"Are there any other people doing it?"

"A few here and there."

"You do know about those scientists right?"

Cory was referring to the sudden disappearances of several doctors in biology, psychiatry, and the like. They had all expressed somewhat negative views on humanity before tantamount vanishing off the face of the earth. All of them had spent significant time in contact with the new arrivals to the world, the ponies. Cory's mind tensed a little at the possibility of such an event happening to an ordinary man like the one standing next to him.

"The ponies look like they wouldn't harm a fly. What's the worst that could happen?"

"Better safe than sorry. Who knows what's out there?"

By now the precipitation had relented, and one could walk in Boston's streets again without being soaked. Cory took a long view of the almost completed building before heading back to his apartment. As he finished the commute and closed the front door, he went to the writing desk in his bedroom. He picked up a journal and began writing.

September 23

I am writing this journal because I am concerned about the recent rash of "Conversion Centers" that are being built around Boston and the world. Even though a person I met earlier today has said that he doesn't think much of them, I still anxious that something horrible and tragic might happen to the city. To whom it may concern, if you are reading this, I hope you get a viewpoint of what exactly happened during the late days of September 2012 when the ponies that only recently had shown themselves to the world became known. As a reporter of a local newspaper, it is only natural that I investigate a deep suspicion of mine.

In case you don't know, at the time of this writing, several buildings called Conversion Centers have been built by the ponies, intended so serve humans in some way or another. They have been placed all around the city, and this is the main reason I am wondering if they serve some ulterior purpose. Why are they so numerous, or even being built for that matter? What purpose do they serve? The only thing I have a possible connection to is the disappearance of a multitude of scientists in somewhat related fields who have known the ponies.

Boston's local "Conversion Centers" have scheduled their grand opening for tomorrow. Then, I shall look into this, and hopefully put my mind at ease, or, if my greatest fears are correct, uncover some horrific plot.

Cory looked at his finished writing stating his intent to investigate the so-called Conversion Centers. Investigator. He liked that title. It fit his situation somehow and had a nice ring to it.

Comments

[Commander Ponysun]

Hope this is not pro-pony, cant stand that shit.

[threecard]

388384 No it isn't. From the title, the description, the setting, etc. it should be fairly obvious that horrible, horrible things are about to happen.

[Commander Ponysun]

388419

Horrible as in Aryan ponies?

Or horrible as humans fucking about?

[Da Bunnana King]

Looks good so far, so I shall track... I mean favorite it and continue to read.

[please delete]

can't have utopia and free will at the same time.

[Chatoyance]

388384

Yeah, I know what you mean. God damn ponies! I hate them too! I don't even know why I watch the show! Hate those god damn ponies! Whatever you do, make sure the ponies are properly represented as absolute evil. Fuck those god damn ponies! I'm glad I'm not alone in hating ponies!

[Midnightshadow]

You'll need to check your English a bit - it's better than many but still a bit wonky here and there. Mostly in the mechanical aspects, for example when you're quoting the sign, use single quotes not double, and "it's" is short for "it is". If you're not saying "it is", you probably want "its" instead.

[Commander Ponysun]

388585

Eventually, every conversion burrito fic attracts faggots like you.

I mean, do you masturbate to these? I can see you guys commenting on every single one.

And yeah, pro-pony TCB fics are full of horrible things, maybe you should read up on what they are?