The Conversion Bureau - The Return of the King

by Dan_s Comments

23) There Is So Much World to See

The Conversion Bureau - The Return of the King
There Is so Much World to See by Dan's Comments
Disclaimer: My Little Pony is the property of Hasbro, Inc.
Godzilla is the property of Toho Company Ltd.

The sight of a mouse 'arguing' with a full-sized human reminded Godzilla too much of all the 'Japanese Self-Defense Force Fights Godzilla' for him to remain without laughing his head off. At least the 1998 American film used anti-ship weapons against a kaiju, instead of anti-tank, he thought on leaving.

He'd rocketed back close to the port, landed in the water and carefully walked back to where the negotiations were taking place. In a piece of brilliant insight, the Equestrians had a billboard up and the current, recently resolved and tabled points of contention were being tallied, like the scoreboard of a baseball game. They also had a sand pit, like a gigantic etch-a-sketch, where Godzilla could make suggestions or request clarification, without erasing a broad sweep of the landscape.

All in all, every-`pony` was being reasonable, he thought as he waited for a full report. The current point was utilization of farmland and the dedesertification of areas that pony weather control methods, limited as they were, could still have an effect. The points of contention seemed to be 'yes we can, but should we'. He noted that the 'utilization of Godzilla to change the course of aquifers' had been tabled, along with whether 'request, implore or begging' was the appropriate verbiage.

When they spend time on minutiae, at least they're keeping their sense of humor.
------------------------------

Twilight would have been reduced to tears by Shining Armor's fury at what had transpired, if her friends hadn't arrived.

What do you mean you don't remember Sombra replacing me? You cast the transformation spell! Armor squeaked in righteous fury, You did it to prove your loyalty to Celestia! That you were more loyal to her than to your own family!

That did it for Twilight, and her friends. Spike carefully picked up the mouse and trotted off, leaving Rarity and Applejack to alternately try to soothe Twilight, and burst into tears themselves.

"They really don't remember," Spike said, "And I can't understand you, so please don't ask questions, just listen. They all did terrible things, to insure that Celestia's hold on them was strong." Spike's expression hardened. "And before you start blaming them, especially Twilight, for 'why didn't you do something before it came to this', you were the Captain of Celestia's Royal Guard, one of the few ponies allowed, if not required, to be armed in her presence. If you really had those worries, you should have stabbed her to death in her sleep. A spear through the head would have saved all of us a huge amount of heartache. But you didn't, you couldn't, and why? The same reason Twilight couldn't. You believed in her with unthinking reverence, until it was far too late. For any of us."

Shining Mouse gawked at the once-dragon, then sadly nodded.
------------------------------

Spike left Shining and Twilight together, alone. He walked through the Newfoal-remade city, searching for Cadence. He got a few odd looks, but some recognized him and told the others. He'd never been so glad of ponies' tendency to ignore anything not of immediate concern. He wanted to be alone with his thoughts. He'd been changed physically as much as the others. But mentally he'd also been changed, he suspected the others had too, and none of the others had seen the need to discuss it with any of the others. Spike felt he needed to, with somepony he knew.

He was now painfully aware of his immortality, in a way that hadn't been so overwhelming when he was a dragon. He was also aware that while he still liked Rarity, and a couple of other mares, they were alien to him now. Even Celestia was alien. They weren't as immortal as he was. As long as he remained on Earth, he could not be killed. He doubted that even Celestia was that immortal. The first thing he really had to worry about for his own safety, was the sun becoming a red giant and burning the planet to ashes. Even a 'dinosaur killer' asteroid wasn't enough. As long-lived as Changeling Queens, Alicorn Princesses, even dragons and draconequuses were, he would outlive them all.

As much as I like them, they'll be here and gone in a moment. Even Godzilla, MothraDash and Tank will be here for an eyeblink, he thought, But I can't let 'they're only mayflies' trick me into acting like Celestia. For their brief span, they are alive. They think, they feel, and they do not deserve to be treated as inconsequential because they could fall at any moment, or avoiding that, their allotted span is limited. When she stopped caring about ponies, and only cared about Ponies, that was where she walked off the track and descended into madness.

He also realized he was still a child, despite being in an adult's body. He knew things would be very difficult for some time. He'd physically skipped puberty and the craziness, but mentally, he wasn't even close. What would be his future weighed heavily on his mind.

He saw Cadence among a group of artists and painters. They were chattering about the museum, and all the cultural exchanges that were now possible. He wanted to tell her about Armor, but he also wanted to talk to the one pony who might have an inkling of what he was going through. The step from regular pony to alicorn was probably as great as the step he'd been forced into. The others hadn't had to really think about how they'd been changed, yet. Cadence had already lived through it without breaking.

He waited until there was a break in the discussion. "Cadence, they found Shining Armor, and they're working on turning him back into a pony."

Not the most gentle way, but I think she would want to know quickly, and that these others will have to understand her swift departure, Spike thought.

Cadence made her apologies and trotted away, only breaking into a gallop when she was out of sight of her friends. "Is he all right?" she asked.

"Furious, but unharmed," Spike said as he easily kept pace with her, "After you meet with him and things calm down a little, I need to talk to you."

"About what?" Cadence asked as she slowed her pace slightly.

"Being a Terrestrial Unicorn, versus a pony, versus a dragon," he said, "Considering your growing into your powers, I figured you'd know what it will be like."

"So you're different from a regular unicorn?" Cadence asked.

"You have no idea," he said as he led her back to where Shining Armor, now restored, stood among several other ponies and ponoids.

Spike smiled at the very genteel flying tackle as Cadence greeted Shining Armor with a kiss he wouldn't soon forget.
------------------------------

Celestia watched the huge rose gulp down the last of her anaerobe monsters. Then it stopped. This one seems more sedate, she thought, HA! I've done it again. Perfection.

"There shall be hundreds of you, and you shall help me reconquer my lands." Celestia paused and regarded the huge rose, who had turned slightly to face her, but made no threatening moves.

A definite improvement, Celestia thought.

"And I shall call you Audrey, because of your noble strength," Celestia said with a grin.

Erika, the creature thought so loud Celestia could feel it, My name is Erika.

It was polite enough it didn't warrant a full rebuke, but Celestia chided her, "I don't think you are old enough to know who you are."

I was one of the victims of the early potion testing. You buried my distorted and broken bones in your rose garden, Audrey thought, I was Erika, I was Wind Twister for a few moments, and I am Erika again.

"You are Audrey now," Celestia chided, "Erika was a human. Wind Twister was a tragic mistake, I am truly sorry we weren't successful in making you a pony, but you are Audrey now."

Audrey bowed.

Celestia smiled as her first new subject accepted her place. Then dozens of vines charged with chaos energy wrapped themselves around Celestia. An alligator head with more teeth than a family of Asmundrs emerged from the rose petals, and immediately had Celestia in its jaws.

Several moments of damp, crunching noises followed.

Erika spat out the crown and pectoral, both badly dented, and looked around. I can't see you, but I know you are there.

The Chaos Titans muttered quietly among themselves before responding that they were there, and they were waiting for Erika's next move.

She gestured at the buried bodies and restless spirits of many of the potion's first victims. Psychopomp, she told them, Then, I too can rest.

The Titans of Chaos muttered to each other, but came to the consensus that with everyone else gone, they could start from scratch.
------------------------------

The Newfoal fishing fleets brought in their catch. The ponies tilled the fields, although some were pegasi and unicorns, a very radical departure from 'peace, love and tolerance' Equestria. The samples from the space station were analyzed and tested, again by a mix of ponies and ponoids, horror of horrors that magical expertise was spread among the races.

There was talk of investigating the dragon, minotaur and griffon lands, to see if any of those had survived the war. The smiling Milquetoasts called Newfoals, who could not raise a hoof in self-defense against another pony, had been completely capable of fighting a genocidal war against Equestria's neighbors, as long as Celestia commanded them to do their duty. None of the native Equestrians had bothered to pay any attention to the huge numbers of Newfoals who'd been shipped out of Equestria, never to return. If they survived, the MILAGSO philosophy reigned. They killed for the land, then would farm/colonize it, but be ready to be soldiers again if someone tried to take back what had been theirs. An utterly pragmatic way to deal with excess population, and unruly neighbors at the same time. Who said Celestia never learned anything from humans.

Godzilla considered the celebration several miles away, and the peace treaty was ratified, the first, limited restoral potion successes were announced, although that they were only taking terminal or gravely-ill volunteers spoke volumes to what 'success' currently meant. But success would come, 'Erika' had reported the truly hideous numbers of failed experiments before the potion was, well finalized, something like that could never be `perfected`.

'Erika' had also reported to him on Celestia's demise, something he'd shared with no one. Celestia `in being` was too useful a club in keeping the more raucous ponies in line. And proof would require 'opening the can' she'd been stuffed in. Also, too much chance it was a ruse. He knew it wasn't, but others would refuse to be as sure. But now, the sea called to him. He could be a warrior, and a diplomat, but the races of Earth were beyond needing him as a hammer to behave. The shadow of Celestia and the hostility of Earth was sufficient. MothraDash and Tank would provide a more sufficient reminder of the power that remained in Terra's hands. The explorer in him yearned to dive into the sea, to depths unattainable to any other, and to drift and catalog what was there.

The sudden arrival of his 'toupee' interrupted his musings.

"You aren't leaving, are you?" Fluttercorn asked.

I was thinking about it, he admitted, Lots to do, lots to explore, and some rest would also be nice.

"B-b-bu-bu-but you'll come back, won't you?" his toupee landed gingerly on his snout and looked at him with watery eyes.

Eventually, he thought to Fluttercorn, But for now, the ocean calls, Godzilla walks into the ocean and the credits roll.

Fluttercorn gave the best hug the form and their relative sizes could manage before flying away. Godzilla nearly smiled, but the sea beckoned and he would answer the call.

Comments

[Professor Litmus]

well done.

[Von Voctavia]

Good ending. :)

Wait, what did Spike become?

[Dan_s Comments]

7537143 From chapter 7 The unicorn was the weirdest. He wasn't an Equestria unicorn, but one out of human legend: goat's hooves and beard, horse's body, lion's tail.

[Meta Knight]

Very well done and very nice ending

[wlam]

As much as I like them, they'll be here and gone in a moment.

I always dislike that particular sentiment. Time doesn't become shorter just because you live longer. Did the days start becoming shorter for you as you grew into an adult? Can you suddenly blink and miss a week? No, of course you can't. A year will always as long as a year. You just find yourself having more of them. I find that notion not acknowledged here nearly often enough.

[Lord of Something]

7537197 the amount of time doesn't change, but over time memories start to meld together making it hard to tell when something happened and where.

[wlam]

7537332
Well, that much is true, but that doesn't seem to be the thing that the average story wants to say with it when they use that line. The whole "we are as mayflies" sentiment, it's just silly. A thousand years are a thousand years. Unless immortals literally start thinking more slowly or perceive time in fast-forward, this should not actually happen.

[Lord of Something]

7537340 ya I have to agree with you on that. A hundred years won't go by if you blink once that's just stupid. If your just remembering, ya it may seem like that, but time doesn't work like that.

[EdBecerra]

7537197 Actually, you can. Here. It's September 4th as I write this. August was obviously 31 days long, yet emotionally, it seemed to have passed in but a day. All I can remember of the entire month are a few highlights, and little else. I wonder how just a few hours of actual life could have stretched to fit four and a half weeks.

I know that's not what REALLY happened, but emotionally, it seems as if August (and indeed, most of my life) vanished in a flash of burning time, months slipping away like mere days...

[wlam]

7537968
Well, as Lord of Something said, retrospective isn't a very reliable measure of those things. The more active your lifestyle and the less routine you have in it, the more you will consciously recall of it... but that didn't make those days of tedious routine feel any shorter while you were going through them, in my experience, even if you would have wanted them to. Usually, it's the opposite.

In unrelated matters:

fifty years later, the Destroyah will be born

I do wonder if they actually pronounced that with a "yah." That would be funny.

[Dan_s Comments]

7537999 What was written was how they pronounced it 'Destroi-yah'.

These are godzilla geeks, they'd get it right.

[wlam]

7538281
Neato. I wonder if there is a "nerds in Equestria" group. If there isn't, I'm making one.

[Cozybro]

A fitting end for the egotistical tyrant Celestia. Died in an utterly mundane way.

[NecromanCREEEEEE]

So, my thoughts on the story from start to finish.
1: Godzilla? I wonder how this'll go
2: He's... Oddly intellectual for a 'vengeance seeker'
3: Hmmmmmmmmm.... Okay? Odd plot point but that's Discord for you.
Skip to near end-
4: Ummmm, mind fuck anyone?
5: I'm confused.
6: So... Dash is Mothra now?...
7: Why are Cloudkicker and Twilight suddenly whorny?(That is technically how it's spelled.)
8: So... Diplomat now?
9: By the Void Celestia, just give up already.
10: I want a sequel and yet I know I won't survive a sequel.

[Dan_s Comments]

7538978 Congratulations, you are now a cheese nerd too.

7539046 6. and Tank is Gamera.
7. for Cloudkicker, not suddenly, she doesn't have Spitfire as competition. Everypony wants to fly a Spitfire. Twilight, by osmosis. Although that could have been why Twilight went along with the whole conversion thing.
Just think, you'll finally be able to use the things in those books you've been studying.

8. Diplomacy is not just the art of saying 'nice doggy' while looking for a big stick, it's also the art of having that big stick, and wanting not to use it. 'Let us reason together.'
5. 4. Of course bagels and grommets are bipolar. How else to you get your bowling balls to clean?!

[ErikPhantom]

7538284
7537383
Studies have shown that in humans the perception of time's speed in passing is inversely related to the the length of time lived, the longer you live the faster year's appear to go by, seniors can easily be surprised that it's their birthday again already, whereas in children an hour's delay appears an eternity.
Now I'm sure there are a multitude of factors (since correlation does not equal causation and suchlike) including (im)patience and lack of perspective but it does appear to be a thing that affects people thus the "thousand years in a blink of an eye" belief would be just a somewhat logical extension of that caused by immortality/extreme longevity.

[wlam]

7540511
True, although it's kind of up in the air how much of that is from having lived longer and how much is from the natural, age-related deterioration of the brain - which doesn't really apply to someone who doesn't physically age. Personally, I'm thinking it's mostly the former. This kind of thing tends to set in suddenly, if my experiences with geriatric relatives are any indication.

[MWKillKenny84]

Good ending.

So Godzilla return to the sea, Xelestia died by the teeth of a Biollante expy (that she called Audrey, oh the irony, like the one from Little Pet Shop of Horrors), and the two sides of the conflict are learning to live at each others' side instead at each other's troath.

Vote: 10+++

[BronyofMeddlers]

Well, at least we got a good ending of sorts.

[Dan_s Comments]

7813169 There's a difference between 'not taking shit from no one' and being an asshole about it. He still wants to destroy the ponies who tried to destroy humanity, but using Humanity's good points against them. He want to point out the ponies' hypocrisy by forcing them to attack, or accept the separation.

He want to destroy the ponies' sense of moral superiority, and reinforce the superiority of the humans. He's quite willing to lay waste to entire swathe of territory, but that would diminish the moral victory. Remember, Equestria (especially TCB Equestria) is a top-down, authority-driven culture. If he can destroy the moral authority of Celestia and the Mane 6 in the eyes of the rest of the population, he wins. If that doesn't work, he can still easily burn the place to the ground.

The difference here is one of grace, Godzilla has it, Celestia doesn't. Godzilla is willing to let others live as they choose, Xenolestia demands they live as she dictates. Godzilla could go the genocide route, but he doesn't think it's a good idea. Xenolestia thought it was a terrific idea.

Don't mistake gentleness for weakness, he is allowing the ponies' and their nation to exist. It's his choice, and he knows it. Once the ponies start to realize it, they are going to have real problems as they recognize they live by his sufferance and nothing Xenolestia can do will tip the balance back in their favor.

[Dan_s Comments]

7861199
That's because he is a harmonious community. All the pieces work well together, seamlessly coming to decisions without 'lag'.

He is litteral proof humans are better at harmony than humans.

[Hairy Konquerer]

This was amazing. Very satisfying with Celestia's demise. So if I'm not mistaken, with mentions of Micro Oxygen in the last chapter, did Celestia inadvertently fuel the rebirth of Destroyah?

[Dr_Tornado]

8681688
?????????????

[Somdudewillson]

8681715
It wasn't our Rome that was referenced.

[BanditRingtail]

10512157
Yeah, I figured that out from reading the comments and more of the story. XD Enjoying it so far! Hope to see it get a good ending.

[BanditRingtail]

I confess, once I realized what kind of unicorn Spike had become... The Last Unicorn song popped into my head, and I can't get it out! XD Because he kinda is, at least of the earth kind.

[Detective Chmilewsky]

Just finished. A great read!

[Nitro19]

Great story, would like to see a sequel about what happens next, but that's probably not going to happen any time soon if at all.

[Largefish8]

woulda loved to see this continued...see what the other races, equestria's neighbours, if they did survive the newfoals, will do now they're on earth