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The Beginning of the End is the End of the Beginning16,410 words
First Contact2,090 words
The Proposal2,415 words
FIRST SIGHTING3,611 words

FIRST SIGHTING

FIRST SIGHTING

Two months after Celestia had made her pitch to the people of Earth, and after some deliberation, a compromise was reached; there were some who seemed to be entirely disenchanted with life amongst their own kind and who viewed Equestria as being a better place. However because of the barrier, they would never be able to go there as humans (for reasons which Celestia refused to expand on, simply saying that it was for Equestria's protection that the barrier existed and nothing more.) and so any who wanted could try this 'conversion' concept for a trial basis, after the mechanics of how to do so were figured out. If the process was proven safe, then should the barrier ever begin to expand, humanity could convert en mass if necessary.

Conversion required a number of spells that Celestia herself would teach to specific ponies who could be trusted with the knowledge, and also required recent advances in nanotechnology. Nanites enhanced by the spells Celestia had created could enable a person to become a pony within a relatively short time frame. The serum was tricky to make, but ultimately, it was developed. The first test subjects were several apes, humanity's closest relatives. Once it was determined that they could be converted— though the human scientists did note they acted somewhat odd, though they gained the ability to speak and reason, which they thought might account for it— and a human volunteered to go through the process after it was deemed safe, the go-ahead was given for the bureaus to open.

Per the request of the United Nations, an antigen was created that could undo the process in case of an emergency, such as an unforeseen allergic reaction— or something like an allergic reaction— to the potion. This proved to be a smart move, as a small number of people did have bad reactions to it, and needed to be changed back before they suffered anything too severe. These people were studied further and refinements were made to the potion in the hopes of avoiding repeats. However, once all the bugs were worked out of the potion so that there was no chance of such reactions by anyone ever again, all notes on the antidote were mysteriously destroyed, with no explanation. Nobody knew how they were destroyed, who did it, or when or why. All anyone could seem to remember was a strange sense that something had happened, but neither human nor pony could have told you what. It didn't seem to matter though. Since the potion was now stable and safe for all, Celestia had said, it wasn't as if an antidote was really needed since it was intended to be used for those who wished to seek out a different way of life.

Despite the fact that most in the various world governments had their misgivings, the United Nations allowed the Bureaus to operate without the antidote, and as all samples of the stuff were gone along with the notes, it seemed the point was moot anyway since it wasn't needed now that it was safe for all.

Those who went pony seemed 'different' somehow. Nobody from Earth could figure it out. But those who were disenfranchised with life as a human came out sparkly and happy as could be. It was almost enough to induce diabetic shock it was so sickeningly sweet. But no harm seemed to come of it, however odd it might be. The first few who came out soon made their way through the barrier into Equestria and were able to perceive it as not just the massive island that had emerged on Earth, but as the massive kingdom it was, with borders that crossed into lands that humanity could not perceive of on Earth.

Only one or two people realized that some of those first few had been outright suicidal when they went into the Bureaus, and even then, nobody thought to raise questions about the change in personality. They were just too happy to see people so upset with their lives given a chance to start over somewhere that they felt they could be happy. For the first two months, everything seemed to be going smoothly.

It wouldn't last.

Twilight looked at her teacher in horror. The videos she had been shown had shown a humanity so completely unlike what the people on the ship had told her about. World War I, World War II, the Holocaust, Vietnam, Korea, all of it. All the dark underbelly that humanity had seemingly brushed under the rug.

"I don't understand, Princess. Why wouldn't they tell us about this? Our world isn't a stranger to war, but this....the sheer amount of bloodshed. The body count alone...."

"Humanity is corrupt at its core, Twilight. Those who hold power are the core of that corruption, by and large. They may believe otherwise, but how can they not be evil when they do the things you've now seen? No, Twilight, they are a species in need of help and guidance. But due to their very nature as a species whose magic has long ago left this world if indeed there was ever truly any here to begin with, as I have my doubts on that matter— we cannot do anything to show them the truth of their nature. Perhaps if things necessitate it, if the barrier should indeed begin to expand as I'm afraid it might, we might be able to help." Celestia replied, hugging her protége gently with one wing. Twilight returned the embrace gratefully, and in so doing failed to see the cold smirk that adorned one side of her mentor's face, nor did she feel the light magic that emitted from Celestia's horn, as it was so quick as to be impossible to trace or determine to be anything more than the product of a distressed mind and imagination.

Things were developing just as she had hoped.

Now it was a matter of time and effort to bring the rest of her champions in line.

Lyra Heartstrings found herself as giddy as a filly in a candy store. Humans were such a unique species. What Twilight had told them had left her keen to learn more. She may not have been as study-driven as Twilight was, but when she had something in hoof that she wanted to know more about, she had all the tenacity of a dog with a bone. While she hoped the Conversion Bureaus would be largely unnecessary, she knew from what Celestia had laid out that there was a possibility that they might end up being so. But Lyra, who enjoyed stories of aliens and the odd and unusual since her days as a foal hoped that the barrier wouldn't start moving. She wanted to learn more about the humans. They were so unusual. They were far more advanced in many ways than Equestria was, and in some ways still very much like they were at the same time.

For the time being, the people of Earth were opening their worldwide borders to anyone who wanted to visit. Lyra, much to the chagrin of some others in Ponyville who were still leery of the 'aliens' (which was a term she found silly. Equestria had shown up on their world, therefore, it was the Equestrians who were the aliens!) had cautioned her against applying for a visa. But she was bound and determined to learn more about humanity, especially once she got the chance to see that many of their musical instruments worked in ways akin to their own. She wanted to see them being played in person, to see how humans did the things ponies did without magic.

As she boarded the boat the humans had sent for those interested in traveling to America, she wondered what she would find out there.

The first sighting was almost considered a joke. A gag somebody had come up with as a sick joke given the distrust some still had of the alien equines. It had been some four and three quarter months since the Bureaus had been opened to the public. A few ponies had become pretty close to being ambassadors for Equestria. Lyra Heartstrings had become a minor celebrity, as her desire to learn all about humans and her sheer friendliness had endeared her to just about everyone she met. She was ultimately chosen, and arrived in New York City to a great deal of fanfare. But in the shadows, strange things had been happening.

A pony had been walking around the city, an event that didn't seem quite that odd at this point. What was odd was that he wasn't one of the ones known to have arrived with Lyra and the other ponies who had arrived with her. Nor did it seem to be any of the ponies identified as being in the NYC Bureau. This wouldn't have seemed odd either at first glance. There were those who were interested in becoming ponies, so that wasn't too odd. No, what made this odd was the fact that he wasn't one of the known converts at all. Yet he claimed to have been human just a few hours before. He spoke of a group of ponies that had come to him, proselytizing what they called 'The Word of Celestia'. The next thing he knew, a vial of liquid had been dumped on him from out of nowhere when he'd told them he had no interest in Celestia or Conversion.

"Oh, but I forgive them," the human-turned-pony said quickly, noticing the looks on the faces of those around him, which were disgusted and disapproving. "they showed me that I was wrong! We should all convert! My mind feels so much clearer. All that anger and hate and need to be an individual, it's all gone now. I understand how we were always meant to be a herd species, following the decrees of the great goddess that is Celestia."

This was the first, but not last time that the name Ponification for Earth's Rebirth would pass the lips of the forcibly converted.....

Lyra frowned as she listened yet again to people whispering in the restauraunt she was in. Most of the humans were friendly and open. But she was no fool, and she saw the slightly disturbed looks on some and with her sharper hearing, it wasn't hard to hear some of them wondering if the Equestrians weren't really playing humanity for fools. That PER victim— and the word victim truly applied— had people on edge. She had gone to see this new pony that had been converted by this supposed cabal whom no one seemed able to prove existed. And what she'd seen horrified her. He claimed all he'd been exposed to was the potion. And that scared her.

Is that what happens to the people who convert in the Bureaus too? she wondered for the fiftieth time that evening. She dreaded the answer. She had yet to actually talk to anyone who had been converted at a Bureau. Sure she'd shaken hooves with one of the converted, but the newfoal, as they had come to be called, hadn't actually said anything at that meeting. She had just smiled pleasantly and a few reporters had taken pictures. Maybe I should talk to one of these newfoals... she thought to herself. See what they're really like.

Lyra wondered if there were any newfoals she even could talk to. Most of them tended to book near-immediate passage for Equestria after conversion, citing a desire to see the land the ponies came from. On the surface of it, the request was actually pretty logical. Humans and human tech were effectively locked out of the Kingdom, and should the barrier start moving as Celestia had suggested might happen, there were going to be a lot more people converting in order to protect themselves from the barrier's effects if it spread across any land masses. Still, these newfoals seemed to leap to that idea pretty fast. And none of them had yet to come back, though that could just be because there was so much of Equestria to explore that many of them were simply too busy to come home right away.

Maybe I'm just being paranoid. Lyra mused to herself, picking up her menu for the fifth time in as many minutes and trying to finally pick something out. Luckily, there were a number of dishes suited for those whose diet was herbivorous, so she was ultimately able to decide on a nice caesar salad with ranch dressing and a grilled cheese sandwich with pickles on the side (as opposed to the odd option of tomato soup. She had never liked tomato soup, though oddly enough loved pizza. Perhaps it was something to do with the way the soup was made. But she had simply never been able to stomach the stuff.) while trying to figure out her feelings on the PER Newfoal, for lack of anything else to term him.

"Ambassador Heartstrings?" Lyra looked up to see her liaison to the White House approaching. She gave him a smile as he sat down. "I hope I haven't come at a bad time?"

"Not at all, Bill. I was just running things over in my head about that newfoal. The one created by this group calling themselves the PER. I just can't wrap my head around it. I know some people aren't keen on converting in case the Barrier starts to move like Celestia said it might, but I didn't think it was such an issue that ponies would go out and decide to force the situation on people." Lyra huffed, munching on some lettuce. "It just doesn't seem real to me yet. I've never heard of ponies acting like that before."

Bill nodded. "Hmm. That's why I'm here. You're pretty close to the...Elements of Harmony, I think they're called. Have they been informed of this 'PER' stuff yet? Has Celestia?" he asked.

Lyra could only give a half-shrug. "I'm not entirely sure yet of who has what details. I know Celestia's likely heard about it by now. Something like this is going to get kicked upstairs past the lower governmental administrators, given how major an event it is. As for Twilight and the others? I can't really say."

Bill sighed and leaned back in his chair.

"I wish we could be sure that this is some kind of demented hoax. I really don't like the implications of this, Lyra. People are still having a damned hard time accepting that you ponies exist at all. That there's some other dimension that suddenly ended up poking through into ours." He said, picking up a menu. "So, how's life in the Big Apple been treating you?"

Lyra smirked. "Well enough. I still find that nickname hilarious. For a number of reasons. I like the other one. The City That Never Sleeps. I can believe it. It's never fully quiet. Someone's always on the move somewhere in this town and I can see why some nations consider it to be America's greatest city. Then again, say that in any other major city, and they'll argue otherwise. But still, not every city gets to play home to the United Nations building, nor did they put the World Trade Center just anywhere."

Bill laughed and placed his order with a waitress who had been sent over. Then when his menu was taken, he turned back to Lyra.

"Nice to see this incident hasn't done anything to your sense of humor, Lyra. As a native of D.C., I'll tell you straight up. New York may be the only place you can get a decent hot dog or pizza in this country. But when it comes to steak, you just can't beat a Boston cut."

Lyra rolled her eyes.

"Primarily a herbivore here, remember? I don't indulge in meat that often. Though I'll admit, I'm getting a taste for ham steak. It may not be beef, but it has its own charm."

Bill grinned. "Now them's fighting words." he chortled and Lyra rolled her eyes.

"Oh, hush up you. So, why did you want to talk to me, anyway?"

As his drink arrived, Bill pondered how best to answer the question. At length, he shrugged.

"I'll be honest with you, Lyra. Or as honest as a politician on this side of the barrier gets, anyway." They both grinned at his somEwhat self-deprecating joke. "Right now there's a lot of people in the intelligence community who're plenty pissed at not being able to find out what's going on past that magical buttress out there. For those to whom knowledge is the true power in this little game of thrones all nations on Earth play, having someone who can keep everything so close to their chest with impunity is like a slap in the face to them."

Lyra leaned back against her chair. It didn't take a genius to know that knowing nothing about someone other than what they allowed people to know didn't go a long way towards making the strongest of friendships.

"What do you need from me?"

Shining Armor was reading over a report from one of his soldiers on the recent news coming out of Equestria. He wasn't sure what to make of it.

PER, huh? This is a new one. No known base of operations, no record of their appearances, names or cutie marks...wonder what they're really after? If they want to prepare for the worst, why not just work at a Bureau?

"Hey Shiny. What're you looking through there?" An ear flicked lightly at the sound of Cadance's voice. He flipped through the rest of the page, and skimmed the next two. Shaking his head, he set them aside.

"Trying to make heads or tails of this new group." he answered, thumping the report lightly with a hoof. "They seem a bit weird, even for the kind of cultists that have cropped up in both of our worlds over the centuries. The main problem is that if they keep doing what they're doing, they're gonna do Celestia knows what kind of damage to our relations with Earth. They're already worried about the barrier. I don't blame them. If that thing starts moving, there's going to be a lot of people in jeopardy unless they convert. And from what I keep hearing through the grapevine, most of the humans aren't thrilled with the concept."

"Well, that'll have to wait. I just got a letter from auntie Celestia. She says she has something to show us over in Canterlot." Cadence said, holding up the letter she'd gotten in her magic.

"Fine by me." Shining said, letting out a sigh of relief as he managed to pull himself out of the seat he'd been in all day going over the standard military reports and intelligence dossiers he had to deal with during times of upheaval such as this. "I could use a day or so off."

Rarity flipped through some of the magazines that she'd gotten in the mail. The entire kingdom was abuzz about the humans. Photographers had made their way to the United States, Japan, Canada, and the United Kingdom and come back with a virtual treasure trove of images. What naturally caught Rarity's eye as the fashion of their world. There was some overlap due to their world being composed of a singular sapient race, but the styles were as varied as anything she had created or seen in any of the lines put out by those in the industry in Equestria.

"Hey sis. What're you looking at?"

Rarity grinned and held out the magazine. "Just some reviews of what designers are making on Earth, Sweetie Belle. Very interesting stuff, I must say."

Sweetie looked over the magazine. She was no fashion designer like her sister was, but even she knew these were great clothes. "Pretty cool, Rarity. I mean, I'm not sure how they manage to stay warm without fur and all, but these look like some great party wear."

Rarity chuckled. From what little she'd been able to understand, clothing was very much the public norm for humans, which meant that stuff like what she was seeing in these magazines were indeed a luxury of sorts, but there was also necessity in their existence.

"Oh yeah, almost forgot. Twilight asked me to tell you she's back in town and wants to see you and the others in a sap."

Rarity did a doubletake. Why in the world would Twilight want to see her covered in...she facehoofed as she realized what her sister had obviously not quite understood. She giggled at the silliness despite herself.

"I'm on my way."

Author's Note:

Well, this came close to the wire, but as promised, I managed to get at least one fic updated before my Birthday was out! The Warerior's Way continues! Slowly, yes. But it continues. I turned 37 on this day, March 10, 2017. But you guys get the gift. Hope you all enjoy it.

Incidentally, folks, I'd love to see some of my fics get some love on TVTropes.org. So far nothing of mine is up there. Help a writer out, huh?

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GIULIO

GIULIO #1 · Mar 10th, 2017 · · ·

Oh hey! Warwolf's alive and updated a nifty TCB fic. Let's just take a look and --

OH GOD WALL OF TEXT

Warwolf

Warwolf #2 · Mar 10th, 2017 · · ·

8011674

Hmm. Maybe I should break that up a bit....

Warwolf

Warwolf #3 · Mar 10th, 2017 · · ·

8011674

That better?

GIULIO

GIULIO #4 · Mar 10th, 2017 · · ·

8011699
Definitely, though there still a few sentences and paragraphs that require the same treatment.

Overall, the feeling I got from this read was dread. For example:

Nobody knew how [the notes on the antigen was] destroyed, who did it, or when or why. All anyone could seem to remember was a strange sense that something had happened, but neither human nor pony could have told you what. It didn't seem to matter though. Since the potion was now stable and safe for all, Celestia had said, it wasn't as if an antidote was really needed since it was intended to be used for those who wished to seek out a different way of life.

Even if the serum were to be considered 100% fool-proof and safe to not require notes on how to produce an antidote, anyone with half a brain can tell you that you still keep samples ready on hand. The fact that people just shrugged and went along with it suggests a memetic spell to render the topic unimportant in their eyes. That's scary as all hell.

Also the last two passages literally made me go 'Noo! Don't go to them, they'll brainwash you!'

Some minor typos and grammar issues are present, but overall this was a good, if brief, read.

17JosephLC