Salvation Through Destruction

by RoflLuxRay

Chapter 10

Salvation Through Destruction
Based on Concepts from: The Conversion Bureau by: Blaze

Chapter 10

“Have you ever been to Fillydelphia?” I asked with curiosity, it had been a long trip and the night was already over Equestria. Outside the window, the lights of a nocturne city were seen in the distance.

“Nope, but Granny Smith says I was once there when I was a little filly but I don’t recall it. Twilight says it’s quite similar to any of yer cities on earth, big buildings, lots of ponies everywhere, ya know what I’m sayin’.”

“Certainly; and why did you ask Rarity the gowns and coats?”

“I heard it’s pretty cold n’ there. Besides, Rarity dresses are awesome, I’m sure ya’ll like yours when we get there.”

“Applejack, we’re about to arrive in Fillydelphia, where shall we land?” A voice asked from the outsides of the cart, it must have been one of the driving Pegasi.

“Take us to the Colton Hotel. We’ve booked a couple of nights n’ there.” The cart moved brutally to one side, steering was always brutal when flying in a chariot drawn by Pegasi.

“Okay, so what’s the plan?”

“We get there, get some sleep and tomorrow at first hour, we began lookin’ for the building Apple Bloom dreamt of,” the lights in the city were a lot closer than I thought at first. Fillydelphia did look like any city on earth, but with considerably less size and practically no skyscrapers. The cart began descending drastically, I felt like I was in a roller coaster and tried to get a grip from anything near me and Applejack however, was enjoying the sensation.

“C’mon Leighton, enjoy the ride!” she shouted with excitement, the cart kept descending rapidly.

“I’m sorry, I’m not very used to this kind of turbulence,” I closed my eyes bracing for a brutal impact. For my relief, the cart stopped gently on a street; Applejack burst into laughter when she saw me all curled up on a corner of the cart.

“The ride’s over, brave stallion,” she teased as she stepped down the vehicle, the city outside reminded me of any city in the earth, except ponies walked on its streets. The white building in front of us stood at least fifty meters tall, a decent size for a regular hotel on earth; the glass double doors covered the entrance to a fancy golden lobby with a large reception counter.

“I didn’t know they had such fancy hotels in Equestria,” I said with much surprise.

“If there’s ponies like Rarity walkin’ ‘round ‘ere, there’s hotels for ponies like her,” she stepped inside the hotel and rang the bell on the reception counter, a yellow mare with a green mane popped from under with a helpful smile.

“Welcome to the Colton Hotel, do you have a reservation with us?”

“Yeah, we booked a room yesterday. Applejack and Leighton McRae,” the mare quickly dug through the registration book and pointed it with a hoof.

“Yes, we have your registration miss and mister McRae-”

“Excuse me, milady. Applejack is not my wife, we’re business partners, she just happens to not have a last name like I do,” I quickly straightened with firm voice, I was not offended by the receptionist’s statement, and neither was Applejack.

“Oh,” she said with realization, “my apologies. Well, you’ve been assigned with room 2476,” she handed over a keycard labeled with the number, “enjoy your stay!”

“Thank you,” we left the counter and headed to what seemed to be the elevator.

“Leighton, would you mind goin’ on ahead to the room? I’ve got to pick the bags back at the cart,” she snapped and walked back towards the entrance.

“Alright then, see you at the room,” the elevator door opened, cozy red fur colored walls made it something I had never seen before. I pressed the button labeled with the number twenty four and waited patiently for the machine to lift me to my destination. Above, I noticed a speaker phone, usually used for the music. But this time, the news were being played.

“The Fillydelphia Fillies defeated the Manehattan Colts thirteen to four.

And on news from our dimensional neighbors, the United States of North America have confirmed that Adam Chambers is the new president, after the tragic assassination of Anita Goyle last Wednesday night. He stated America will reinforce the front of war and have a more radical pose towards ponification on his soil, revealing that the shutdown in the Russian ponification facility in the Koryak Mountains earlier this morning was caused by American armed forces. Ambassadress Twilight Sparkle is confirmed to assist to a meeting in the United Nations headquarters in New York City next Monday, to discuss a possible legalization of ponification and to put an end to the friction between ponies and humans…”

“You have got to be kidding me!” I kicked the fur with my hind hooves in fury, “that son of a bitch is president now?!” the elevator doors opened and a couple of ponies stared at me blankly.

“Excuse me,” I walked past them as politely as my anger allowed me to, looking around for the numerical order that would point towards my room. I wandered around the floor for a few minutes until I stumbled across a double door room labeled with the correct number, I slid the key and the door opened.

The room seemed quite cozy and fancy, the queen size beds, the clear brown sheets, everything was nicely placed on the spacious room. I dived in one of the beds, my head crashed against the large white pillow as I sighed crankily. My mind analyzed what would happen upon my return to earth, now that the sworn enemy of ponies on earth is in command of the most powerful army in the world.

After a few minutes of staring at the ceiling, Applejack came through the doors with the saddlebags, struggling to carry mine. I shot straight from my bed to help her upon noticing her handicap.

“Let me help you out” I grabbed Twilight’s gray saddlebags and carried them to the nearest bed.

“Thanks,” she stretched her muscles, “do ya know what time‘s it?

Completely unaware of the hour, I looked around for a clock, or something that would point out the hour.

“It’s quarter past ten, I was just messin’ with ya,” she said with a devilish grin, I just frowned at her joke.

“If you want to take a bath there’s a bathroom over there,” I pointed a door next to a bed, “I call the bed over there, by the way.”

“Sure, just watch over the room while I’m gone,” she took off her hat and tossed it straight to my face, with a hat flying at that speed no one could ever hope to catch it mid-air.

“No problem,” I took the hat and placed it in my head, she stepped inside the bathroom and water flowing was heard shortly after. Since I was used to having at least a TV on any hotel on earth, the lack of one forced me to lie on the bed once again. It was comfortable, enough for me to cover my face with the cowboy hat and drift off in my thinking for a while.

“Ain’t ya gonna take a bath?” Applejack lifted the hat off my head, light struck my eyes directly as I fell of the bed in shock.

“Yeah, I’m going to, just… let me…” I dizzily walked towards the bathroom, crashing against the wall a couple of times. Something was clear, after I finished taking a bath, I was going to sleep.

I gazed at the city from the balcony, comfortably sitting on my small chair with a cup of wine next to me. The sounds of this city were different. There was no ambulance racing through the city, there was no gunshots or people fighting. It was quiet, with an occasional pony greeting each other late at night. Nights were always long for me, ever since Angelica and Blair were ponyfied I couldn’t get a quiet night of sleep, no matter how tired I was.

“Things are getting more and more complicated. With Chambers ahead of the United States, they will try to assassinate Twilight during her conference. He was cynical enough to admit he threw his forces to Russia.”

The dark and quiet night was the perfect scenario for a lonely man who desires to spend his night thinking about the future and the past. I took a sap from my wine, enjoying its bitter taste before resuming my meditation.

“I have to come up with another plan to stop mankind from destroying the ponies, specifically Twilight. Taking Chambers down is a must, and since nothing ties me to the ponies, I suppose I can take him down in the UN and pass as another terrorist. But that stops ponification from being legalized; it has to reach a conclusion before I can shoot somepony in the head. Looks like I have to wait for further options to appear-”

“What the heck are you doin’ up so early in the mornin’?” Drowsy Applejack asked as she rubbed her eyes, interrupting my train of thoughts.

“I’m not a whole night sleeper. I sleep four or five hours a day, I can’t sleep more than that,” I tried to keep the conversation as short as I could, but knowing Applejack it was likely that my night was not going to be lonely.

“Why’s that?” she sat next to me, serving some wine on another glass cup.

“Night always comes as a burden to me, not a relief. I spent many nights awake building project HC, I’m used to this.”

“You’re just circlin’ the question, not answerin’ it,” she quickly deducted. Not bad for a pony with a few minutes awake. I looked down with acceptance preparing my next line.

“Ever since I ponyfied Angie and Blair I haven’t been able to sleep well. Do you know why?”

“I don’t,” she spoke softly.

“Because I lied to them.”

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After the bombardment in Liverpool, I decided to take my family far from the United Kingdom. But by the year of 2030, war was everywhere on the face of earth. I had to take them somewhere safe, a place where war could not find them.

When I first told Angie about ponification, she instantly agreed. She was tired of hiding, running from cross fires with a child on arms. I was already skilled in handling firearms by that time, but you can only do so much protecting your family from a platoon of Chinese soldiers, fortunately, I was always wise enough to outsmart them and flee on the nick of time.

The travel to the Russian facility was not easy, not many English people can enter Russia as refugees. I bribed a few people and threatened some more before we could even approach the facility.

“That’s it. C’mon, we’re almost there,” I remember taking Blair in arms and walk down the deserted Russian streets. My girl had her grandma’s eyes; they were amber and shined like gold. Despite being just four years old, she was smart like her mother and careful like her father, I remember her enjoying listening to her mother’s tales about any creature she encountered in the backyard. She naturally inherited my hair color, but the face and attitude of her mother.

“Leighton,” Angie suddenly stopped walking, “I’m… I’m not sure of this.”

Just by looking at her I could feel her fear, it was not just the cold what made her shiver.

“I know you’re not, no one could ever be,” I placed Blair down and took Angie’s hands, “but there is no other option. We have to do this, Angie. Look at Blaire,” I pointed at the small child running around and playing in the snow, “she does not deserves this, she deserves life where she’s happy, in a place where she’s not haunted by war or death.”

“I know but… We’re just running to live a life where we are not ourselves, there’s no guarantee that I’ll remember you once we become ponies.”

“Angelica, there is no magic on this world or the world of the ponies that could make me forget about you or Blaire, the very thought of it is just preposterous. No matter what happens, I will never leave you…” I took her in my arms and spoke the ultimate lie, an unspeakable offense but the only way she could ever trust me for one last time, “I promise.”

I kissed her one last time before Blair rushed in from a side and warmly hugged her mom’s leg, her smile was innocent. Ignorance is bliss, so they say.

We walked to the entrance of the facility, particularly deserted but very well protected by some man in blue uniform. I approached one of them guarding the steel door and told him we were here to be ponyfied. He asked for the payment ticket, I showed a paper with the two million Euros deposit to their account. The door opened, and my two dearest persons walked in.

“Daddy, aren’t you coming?” Blaire asked innocently, Angie turned to me with her eyes wide open. I felt a void in myself; you’re never prepared to betray your own family’s trust for their own good.

“Leighton?” Angie said as she took our girl in arms, leaning her face against her shoulder, “What the hell are you doing, come here.”

“I’m sorry,” I felt like the ultimate imbecile, backing down like a perfect coward with a blank look in my eyes, “I could only pay for your ponification.”

“Liar!” my wife shouted with fury, offended by my statement, “We have enough to pay for every single one of us. Why, Leighton, why would you do this to me?!!” she broke down into tears, Blair played with her mom’s hair, completely oblivious to the situation.

“I… I have to save humanity,” was the best I could come up with, but it was the truth. I always had an inner hatred for mankind for being so selfish and destructive, until I met her. She was the person that showed me I was wrong about mankind; she showed me that good people still existed on earth. I could easily turn my back from my own kind and run from its fate, but that would mean we would fade away if someone didn’t took a stand. I had to take a stand, I had an uncontrollable urge to save all of humanity, I just wasn’t sure how.

“For crying out loud, Leighton you’re not a super hero. You can’t leave us like this!” her words reached my very soul; I wanted to keep my family company. But this need was even bigger than them and I just felt horrible for it.

“One day I’ll go with you, I have to do this!” I shouted as loud as I could, but I knew I had lost all credibility with the person I cared the most about, “I love you!” was the last words I ever told them, I could see in Angie’s face she even felt disgusted by them.

“Daddy!” Blaire said before the Russians sealed the entrance, leaving me standing there like a complete fool. The void inside me was… is… something that still haunts me today.

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“I can’t believe this…” Applejack said completely surprised by my tale.

“It’s the truth. I’m not proud of my actions, but it had to be done in order to save mankind. I’ve come too far to just give up now,” I drank all the wine inside my cup, quite a considerable amount.

“How could you?” she slapped me in the face, tears covered her eyes, “they trusted you and you just betrayed them!”

“As I said…” I rubbed my left cheek, “I’m not proud of my actions, and I feel like an idiot just by remembering that very moment. But look at what I’ve accomplished; I’m close to saving humanity. My sacrifice and their sacrifice were not in vain,” silence fell on the balcony for a minute and we avoided all eye contact.

“I’m… I’m sorry Leightn’,” Applejack said with remorse, “I got carried away with the moment. I forgot who you are in this moment; nopony should be judged by its actions, but rather what they learned from ‘em. You take strength from your family to stay in earth buildin’ yer whole plan.”

“The end does not justify the means, but there was really no other option,” I sighed melancholically, “I just hope they can ever forgive me for that.”

“If your plan succeeds, I’m sure they’ll understand,” she smiled at me and I felt something I hadn’t felt in a long time, something I had completely forgotten about. Peace. I know it sounds incredible, but something in that orange pony’s words brought that long gone feeling back to me.

“C’mon Leighton, It’s still pretty early, go back to bed and get sum sleep.”

Applejack went on ahead and I followed shortly, enjoying that peace I hadn’t felt in so long.

“Looks like I can be in peace with myself for one night at least,” I thought before crashing my head against the pillow, but a high pitched scream and an explosion coming from the streets woke us up before we could even enjoy the comfort of our beds.

The explosion lightened up the room like the sun, the shockwave broke all the windows around us, followed by an earthquake that made the alarms of the hotel go off. Without hesitation, we left the room fearing for our lives. We dashed down the stairs and reached the lobby, where lots of ponies were hiding all around.

“They’re here!” a pony covered in dust and blood ran into the hotel shouting with terror in his voice.

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