The Conversion Bureau - The Last Human

by Maxis122

Part 2: Chapter 7

~The Conversion Bureau - The Last Human: Part 2: Chapter 7~
~By Maxis122~

The surrounding were dark, there was a thick cloud of fog under my feet. As I looked around I could see that there was nothing but darkness. I took a step forwards, only to almost slip off the edge. I was stuck on this pillar. It seemed to go down forever. There were a few rocks around my feet as well, so it wouldn’t hurt to see how far up I was. My foot made a quick swipe at the rock, causing it to tumble off the pillar.

I then listened.

And listened.

Nothing. Not even the slightest click could be heard. Where was I now? There was nothing around me and the surrounds were still dark. A feeling of regret started to come over me, as if I had made a mistake. As if I had done something that I shouldn’t have. The smoke then turned purple and flew away from me, forming something a mere few feet away. Suddenly, the air escaped my lungs as I saw it.

Him.

“HOW THE FUCK ARE YOU STILL ALIVE?!” I yelled in a sudden burst of fear, which lead to this figure showing a bloody, devilish grin. Suddenly, it jumped at me.

As if I had just been electrically shocked, my body jumped to life. My eyes jumped about the room, looking at everything and anything. My mind was still racing from what I thought I saw. Or did I see it? For once I couldn’t actually say how I was feeling because of the rush of emotions. Confusion, hurt and dominantly fear. I felt vulnerable as my vision and hearing remained blurred - as I could see some figures hovering above me, shouting something.

I felt my entire body spasming about as a rush of energy came along. The figures got closer and I felt even worse as this happened. Everything was moving, getting bigger and bigger. My head was aching and my throat was dry. Soon I ran out of breath, I was tired. They then placed something on my mouth and I began to relax again. This was better, more relaxing. Everything that I thought was so much more simple now. Good, good, good....

---

The sun outside was shining bright, breaching the curtains and covering some of the bed. A slight breeze came through the window and worked its way through the room. Stealing the heat and then retreating to cool down its prisoner. Soon the cool air got to me, causing me to crack open one of my eyes and look at the room around me. I lazily looked around and sat up.

My clock presented the time, nine o’clock. And it was the twenty second of December. Nothing immediately got me about the date, so I simply wiped my eyes and began my descent downstairs. At the bottom I saw that the place was empty, again everyone had an earlier start than I did, leaving me alone in the mornings. And with that, I flicked the television on and moved into the kitchen.

My cooking skills were adequate for what I did in the morning. But this morning I just felt tired and lazy. So I didn’t bother with cooking anything this morning, instead I just settled for a bowl of cereals. After pouring some milk on top of then and after searching for a spoon I made my way back into the room with the television in it.

The news was flashing on the screen currently. The buzz at the moment was the conspiracy with the Conversion Bureau's, and how Equestria was apparently trying to destroy humanity. It was funny to see how people got so worked up about some things. And being at home by myself left me with plenty of opportunities to talk how I wanted to about the current global affairs. I then sat back and began to indulge in my breakfast as I listened to what the news anchors had to say.

“Hello, this is BBC One. It’s the twenty second of December, 2018 - at 9:20. Today’s top stories this morning." The man said on the left. I then immediately turned my attention to the lady sitting next to him, as it was always her turn afterwards.

“Oil around the world is now at it’s all time low and the world is getting ready to say goodbye to easy power - says World Oil Leaders”

“Unconfirmed sightings of dragons around the world leave Earth Citizens scared for their safety” This one made me giggle. As if dragons would come all the way to England just to snatch up a human or two - with the risk of being blown to bits. Sure.

“And our top story tonight - Is the Conversion Bureau really worth it? A report by Peter Parkins” For once, the T.V suddenly caught my attention. I wasn’t always interested in how the Conversion Bureau was affecting the world, but you couldn’t help but be curious of whether or not it would be worth it. The television then showed some shots of ponies going about their various business as a young man began to talk over it.

“About three years ago a strange land mass appeared in the atlantic ocean, stirring up world security. But not long afterward, intelligent life was discovered and Equestria was recognised around the world.”

“In February 2016, the Conversion Bureaus opened up for the first time. Giving human citizens the chance to live in Equestria - but at a cost. Not of money, but of their humanity”

“Yes, for the first time in recorded history, there was a way to change one life form into another - and this changed humans into ponies” That part always made me cringe a little, the idea of being changed into something that you're not. It just didn’t feel right inside.

“And since then, at least 4 billion people have taken in the idea and have given up their humanity for being a pony. But in the end, was it worth it? We asked some Earth Equestrians about the question”

The screen then changed to a brown earth pony, with black hair and sharp green eyes. His face looked tired but he still wore a smile upon his face. “Coming to Equestria was probably the best thing that I did in my entire life. The food is good, the weather is amazing and predictable. And not to mention how lovely everypony is around here. It feels like a dream come true!”

There was now a blue pegasus mare, she had a crystal blue mane and aqua blue eyes. She seemed younger than the other pony, much younger. If I had to guess I would say that she was about 23. Her grin, like almost every one of those ponies wearer, was slightly more upbeat. “Before I was a pegasus, I was disabled. I couldn’t walk, meaning that I found life hard and difficult. But when I became this, I was given these...” She then spread out her wings, showing them off to the world. “Now I can go anywhere I want!”

Lastly there was a grey unicorn. He was different from the rest as his face was blocked out. It was like one of those Navy Seal debriefing video’s. Meaning what he had to say was going to be quite closet. The news presenter spoke again this time, “But not everyone believes in the perfect world of Equestria, as one comes to tell”

This pony spoke in a dark, deep voice which sounded like it was slightly altered. “What you must understand about becoming a pony is that there is no turning back. You don’t get a second chance here, but instead you get and chance to screw up again. The ponies here are nice and the food is almost eternal. But I can’t but feel like there is someone watching me all the time...”

The screen then zipped back to the main view of Equestria, and back to the original young presenter talking. “So the food is good, the hospitality is better and there is more than enough room for everyone, or everypony. In conclusion, almost everyone can agree that Equestria is worth the journey. Peter Parkins, BBC News”

I bowl was now empty of whatever was in there to begin with, as I munched it all down in the process of, well, processing the information. Go to Equestria, happy life, eat well, live a good life. Stay on Earth, sad life, eat nothing, die a harsh death. If properganda didn’t sum up what the news was saying, then I couldn’t say what would. Everything about moving to Equestria just seemed better. And day by day the human population decreased. Not just by humans changing but by an entire global collapse of everything.

Countries were falling and people were disappearing like wildfire. The depopulation rate was growing daily, and soon, if you weren’t to change, you could become the last human. Imagine that, being the last one of your kind. Pff. It was unlikely, because of how stubborn humans were. If I ever came to being the last human, I would have no idea of what to do. Would I just sit here in London? Procrastinate? Explore the destroyed version of planet Earth?

I then mentally shrugged and turned my attention back to the television to see that it had in fact turned to a state where there was nothing on it. I frowned, picking up the remote and pressing a button the change the channel. Nothing. Again, nothing. I skipped through channel after channel, with nothing but the same static on the screen. I then returned to BBC One and watched the screens static dance about. Had my cable suddenly stopped broadcasting? Probably.

I sat up and then walked over to the kitchen and placed my bowl in the sink. I picked my IPhone off the table and checked the internet. The loading logo came up for a few seconds and then ceased, showing a single error. ‘No signal detected’. I frowned again, no television and no internet. Halve of the remaining youth would have probably gone insane by now. I then pressed the screen and tried to call one of my friends. Bleep, Bleep, bleep - “No signal detected, please try aga-”

I walked back into the room with the television inside and sat back onto the sofa, flicking about, trying to get some form of communication working. But nothing worked. Nothing at all. The internet was dead. The phone lines were silent and the television was...

The television now presented a single message on the screen, simple and straightforward. “World Communications are now down. All communication services can no longer be used and any attempts to use them WILL be unsuccessful. This global communication silence is in accordance to the Conversion Bureau’s proportionality rule. And because there is no longer enough humans to power the world. We are sorry for this final inconvenience. This message will cease in 2019, along with global power”

I was now there, sat alone, looking like a zombie into a television which had basically said that humanity had thrown in the towel to technology and changed into pony kind. It just feels like this is impossible. There are at least 3 billion humans left on the planet, right? At least. And yet this silence feels like there is no one. Or is the world is more empty then we have been told.

The door suddenly threw itself open and Nathaniel ran inside the room, looking like he had just run a marathon. He then flopped onto the sofa next to me and joined in with the silence that I was being a part of. Nathaniels longer brown hair seemed to be filled with a rather large amount of sweat, in comparison to my short black hair. I rolled my head around to look at him in his suit.

“Off work early then?” I asked.

“With this global silence thingy, they just sent everyone home” Nat said, letting his head rest back, taking in every breath that he could.

“Who would have known...” I spoke aloud.

“No one would have. Fuck, this is like a nightmare” Nathaniel said as he looked down at his phone, before throwing it away from him.

“So we are finally screwed over by ponies” I announced. He nodded. “And now I guess we have to change, or we can die here”

“To be honest... I couldn’t give a damn about humanity any more” Nathaniel said, moving into his speech tone. “Let’s just admit it to ourselves. We’re done. There’s no reason to fight for us being who we think we are. I guess all this time it was bound to happen. It’s almost like it was destiny for us to become ponies in the end.” We then sat there for a few seconds in silence.

“If you had the choice, which would you become?” I asked.

“What?” Nathaniel stuttered, confused.

I rolled my eyes, “You know, pegasus, unicorn or earth”

“Oh...” He realised what I had asked and considered the question. “Probably a unicorn”

“You, with powers?” I laughed for a moment, sustaining a grin on my face. “You’re already too dangerous with your intelligence”

“I’m a writer at heart, that doesn’t take intelligence - Max” He deadpanned. I shrugged, waiting for him to explain. “It takes imagination, the will to go on and a good heart”

“That’s three things that prevent me from being a writer” I admitted.

He shook his head, “Hey, your I pilot. The sky is your canvas. And besides...” He then prodded me in the chest. “You do have a heart, even though she left you”

“I wish I still did...”

A bright light then dominated my vision, my eyes began to water as the old room of the hospital returned. I was back in the real world. Shame, even though that memory was in the dark days, they were better than what I had to deal with currently. I blinked, looking at the window again. The same bird was there from when I first looked. It just watched me, helpless and alone. Damn bird.

I sat up a little and got my bearings back. The door was closed and the wheelchair was no longer right next to the bed, but far away. What did they want me to do, crawl over there to move about. They wanted to challenge me? No, it was just the incentive to stay in bed until I was strong enough to stand on my two feet again. I was weak, compared to how I was before all of this.

A warm burst of heat blasted through me as the room lit up a little bit. I frowned and looked back to the window to see somepony there. Somepony rather familiar. She was back too?

“Twilight?” I said, hoping that I was correct. She was hesitant at first, moving slowly towards the bed. When I could focus again, I could see her again. She was dressed in the same way that she was the first time that I met her. The scarf and backpack. As if she had been journeying for a long time. That’s my Twilight.

“I know I shouldn’t be here, but...” She began, but she couldn’t finish.

“You knew I was here, with other humans” I pressed, receiving a slow nod in return. “And yet you didn’t tell anyone”

“I couldn’t say... I wouldn’t tell anypony because...” She seemed hard pressed to find her words at the moment.

“So why are you here?” I decided that this subject wasn’t worth continuing, so I moved it along.

“I’ve been following you for a while, actually. Since the stir up of you being banished from Equestria I put a tracking spell on you so I would know where you were” She explained, I raised an eyebrow at the idea that she had been stalking me for so long, but anyway. “When there was the incident in the factory, and you were discovered by the other humans - I couldn’t just leave you with those injuries.”

“I guess the blast should have killed me” I presumed.

She shook her head, “The burns were the least of your worries, but the fall you had should have killed you. But I guess your guardian angel was there for you for that one.” She gave me a little smile, and her horn lit up.

I watched as she touched a burned area of my skin and it began to heal a little. She then retracted and looked a little tired after it. Another thought shot into my mind.

“Is Derpy alright?” I asked suddenly.

She looked confused for a second and then remembered, “Yes, she’s fine. When me and Rainbow found you she came out running as well. You were unconscious at the time, but she seemed rather worried about you.”

“That’s good, and how’s Rainbow holding up?”

“Rainbow? She’s taking care of Derpy at the moment but she’s been at your side for a while now” She smiled a little bit at the memory. “It’s funny how much she’s changed after meeting you. How she’s seen a completely different view of humans and realised how alone they have been”

“Not all humans though” I added.

“Right” She nodded, “I guess she only thinks such things of you because you're different”

“Different...”

“You’re not obsessed with destroying everything. You’re not the pure evil that we have all been told about all these years. But instead you’re almost like us. Just trying to survive” Twilight explained.

“Well, I have left my mark on the world” I thought about it for a moment, “Quite literally.”

“Everypony makes mistakes”

“But some more than others” I then sat back in my bed a little, now in the knowledge that everything was alright. But then something in the back of my mind crept up again, something that would have been first if it weren’t for everything else. I rubbed my temples and sat up again. “What happened to his body?”

“Who’s?” She replied, but in that second I heard the door unlock. A flash of light and Twilight was gone. I continued to look where she was as someone entered the room.

“Awake now?” asked the ever familiar voice of Tracy as she walked into the room and place a tray on my lap. She looked at me and then looked in the direction that I was looking.

“Who do you consider as your friends?” I asked out of the blue.

Tracy blinked, “Excuse me?”

“Again, who would you consider as your friends?” I repeated.

“The ones who I keep close, who I look out for as they look out for me” She said.

“Friends look out for each other then” I confirmed.

“They do...” She frowned for a moment as she considered what I was saying. “Are you confused about who your friends are?” I shook my head, “Then you’re just making sure”

“I guess” I said emptily, watching the space where she once was. And for once in my life I just wanted her to be there again. I couldn’t pinpoint why, but it felt like friendship was suddenly important to me. Even though I have been lonely for all these years, and had all these events thrusted upon me, I still have a heart. The realisation hit me, after all this time I realised that I still did.

I have friends.

Comments

[redskin122004]

i have no idea what is going on.

[fujtfg8067ujfujyt5685678]

2348948

And that's how we like it!

SPOILERS
No but really, from what I've gathered, Max (the main character) has just found a camp of humans who were off the radar and hidden, while Derpy's fine with Rainbow in Equestria. While Twilight sort of looks after Max, popping up often. And on a side note, I think what attacked him in the factory was the changelings.

[Anubis Nox]

2349628 Yes, maybe it should.

[Red Bomber]

2348948
First part was a nightmare, then it shifted into a memory, and then he finally woke up and had a conversation with Twilight before she disappear. However I think he missed the most important part of this reunion.... What did Princess Celestia say or do to Twilight after she kicked him out of Equestria?

[redskin122004]

2349325>>2351033 Thanks...Maybe I either read too fast or I was simply up too late and my brain just farted on itself just to make me pass out.

[Red Bomber]

2351113
You're welcome, and to be honest I was confused myself. I just had to re-read a few paragraphs in order for me to get it. ^^;

[stonedcookie]

There were a few rocks around me feet as well <<< me feet

[AtTheCrimsonFckr]

2348948 I would say welcome to the party but you were here first.