With the barrier to the north, south, east and west, the only way to go is up.
Jack Crest couldn't care less about the bureaus. He just didn't care The way he saw it, they should keep to their own and he would his. Now caring for his sister and his aging mother, Jack is under hard times. When a scientist named Otto Chesterfield claims he has a solution to the Conversion Crisis and Celestia decides to take even more action on the human condition, the Crest family must make a leap of faith to land among the stars.
Science division 1188, Otto Chesterfield, Date, nine, seven, twenty sixty-two
Equestria has still refused to disclose with us the chemical make up of their so called "Conversion serum" and their descriptions on how it creates the effects that it has on humans are rather vague and unreliable. I cannot help but wonder why they will not explain this to us. If we do not have the right to know, then who does?
But I digress. Back to current matters. The barrier around the subcontinent Equestria is still expanding. According to our calculations it will reach the west coast of the North American Confederacy in a matter of days. Our detectors have come back with new evidence on why Humans cannot enter the barrier. This barrier is a sort of containment field for deadly concentrations of Sigma Radiation. This radiation cannot go past the barrier, and, we do not know how it is capable of erasing other man made objects. According to our tests on Equestrian subjects captured by Group 1188, we can determine that the Equestrians are immune to Sigma Radiation, which explains why they do not feel its effects. We have tried to enter the barrier with Hazmat suits to block the radiation, but the barrier's eradicating properties erase the suits, exposing the users and killing them. The Equestrian rulers, Princesses Celestia and Luna, have promised that they are doing everything they can to slow down and stop the barrier. Since there is not safe way to accurately measure the progress of the barrier, we must take their words as fact at this point. I fear that there is nothing we can do to stop it from consuming Earth.
However, I have a plan. The North American Confederacy has an unimplemented Extra-Terrestrial Colonization Initiative (ETCI). This was a program that would allow us to make an expedition to a planet similar to our Earth, known as GSC-935b. According to our probes, this planet has an atmospheric composition very similar to Earth, with a slightly higher oxygen composition, but nothing more. Interestingly enough, the system it is located in is a geocentric system, in which the sun and moon orbit around the planet. This "minisun" has undergone extreme pressure from an unknown source. It is assumed to be a neutron star at some point, but something siphoned off matter from it, making it similar to our sun in terms of relative heat to distance from the planet.
The only problem is that we have not sent an expedition team to this planet yet, but we have no time. Desperate times call for desperate measures. With the approval of President Clarke, I will assemble a team, and send out a message to the people of the North American Confederacy. We will improve the human condition. Equestria or not, we will survive this. We will adapt. We will go on.
People say lots of things, about how we humans can do anything. We can adapt to any situation, that we can do whatever we can set our minds to. Maybe they're right. Maybe they're not. Not this time.
My name is Jack Crest. I live in Tallahassee. It ain't a bad place anymore. Got really quiet once the bureau was built. People were packing through the doors, wanting to go to Equestria. Oh yeah, right. Equestria. About two years back, this new land called Equestria just up and appeared in the middle of the pacific. Believe it or not, it was populated by little ponies. Really cute and colorful. The thing was, it brought this barrier along with it. It erases anything made by man, killing any human that touches it. The ruler of Equestria, Princess Celestia or something like that, says that she doesn't know why that is there, and that she's trying to stop it. Of course, people are skeptical. Even I'm skeptical. However, Princess Celestia offered another solution. Humans can actually go and live in Equestria with the ponies. Sounds like a dream come true right? Well, here's the catch. The barrier will disintegrate human flesh, so we can't pass through as humans. They have this potion that they give you, that somehow turns you into a pony. They do it at these facilities they built in, called Conversion Bureaus. Apparently there was a big rush to get to these bureaus, to get saved from this barrier that's supposed to kill everyone.
So why haven't I gone? I just can't bear to leave my old self behind. My sister, Sally, and my mom feel the same, so we've been staying at home most of the time, watching people and ponies come and go on the street outside of the apartment window. Celestia has been sending ponies out into the city, trying to convince those who have not been converted to do so. Sometimes, people react violently. About three weeks ago, somebody tried to bomb the bureau. The Equestrian guards apprehended the guy. who did it. The Confederacy tried to put him under their jurisdiction, but Equestria wouldn't let them have him. People like that see what Celestia is doing as genocide. Personally, I don't see it quite like that, but I still don't like the idea of being converted into something I'm not. Call me selfish, sure, but it doesn't matter when the barrier comes through. Wont be long now, only about a year before it reaches Tallahassee. But today, my life would change. I would be given a second chance.
This morning seemed like any other morning. I woke up, went into the kitchen and ate my cereal with Sally. Mom sat in Dad's old armchair, watching some old reality show on Television. Sally put down her spoon and washed out her dish.
"Jack, I've been having second thoughts." she began. The water from the sink flowed over the bowl, making a rushing sound.
"About being converted?" I asked. She nodded. "Well, Sally, you know Mom and I love you, but I don't think she would ever want to go, and someone's gotta take care of her." I stood up beside her, doing my dishes now. "If you really want to go, I won't stop you, but I won't go with you either."
"Never mind, Jack," she said, shaking her head. "You're right, we need to take care of Mom, no matter what happens." Mom was getting old. As of about three months ago, she was now seventy-two. She needed us to take care of her now, and we did happily, She was always a very kind woman, and she deserved every bit of care she got.
Speaking of Mom. "Kids, kids!" Mom hollered from the living room. "Come quick, it's a message from the President!" We hurried into the room and gathered around the Television. On screen, President Clarke was behind a pedestal in front of the North American Confederacy flag, an Eagle with it's talons grabbing onto a globe centered on North America. Standing beside him was a slightly shorter balding man with a large white beard.
"Greetings, citizens of North America." Clarke said. "Today, is a great day for Humanity!" There was much cheering in the background of the broadcast. "As I am sure you are aware, there is a deadly barrier rapidly approaching the Western Seaboard. It will arrive in a matter of days. Princess Celestia, ruler of Equestria, is rapidly pushing to convert as many humans as she can, to maximize the amount of human lives saved. But today, I present a new way, that will continue the survival of our species. Please welcome, Doctor Otto Chesterfield, to explain."
President Clarke stepped off of the stage. The bearded man took the microphone. "People of North America," he said. "Tomorrow, we will begin a new initiative. Scientists have found an inhabitable planet not far from our own. This planet has been deemed fit for human life. Starting tomorrow, we will load up colony ships made by the Extra-Terrestrial Colonization Initiative. Each can hold 60,000 human citizens, and will contain 5,000 military personnel to protect the colony. These ships will leave out of the following space centers: CSS Columbus from Anchorage, CSS Hudson from Toronto, CSS Amerigo from Cape Canaveral, and CSS Magellen from Galveston Island."
"Cape Canaveral!" Mom shouted! "We can go to Cape Canaveral and escape the barrier! We can survive!"
"Hush now, he's not done." Sally calmed Mom down, and we resumed listening to Dr. Chesterfield.
"Take only clothing, your passports and other legal documents, any cash currency you posses and whatever else you may need for the journey to the spaceport. Once a ship is at the 60,000 person limit, no more people will be allowed on board. No exceptions. The launch procedures will commence in one week, or until all ships are filled to capacity, whichever comes sooner. Make haste!"
"Kids, that is what we are going to do." Mom stood up from her chair.
"Take it easy Mom, you'll throw out your hip or something." I hurried over and steadied my mother.
"We don't have time to take it easy, we gotta make that ship. Get your suitcases, grab all the cash, and hurry." Mom began running around the small apartment. "We are gonna get of this rock, and we are gonna live on!" Neither I, nor Sally, had ever seen Mom this excited for a long time. So we did as she said. I went into my room, and I took as much clothes as could fit into my suitcase. I reached under my bed and took out a safe. It was full of cash for emergencies. I took all of it. By noon we were ready to go. Sally and I helped Mom out into the hall. I handed her cane to her.
"Say goodbye to this place kids." Mom said. "It has served us good, so we better not forget it now."
I gazed around at our normally cramped apartment. All of our stuff, the TV, the refrigerator, our beds, would be wiped out of existence someday soon. It was sad, really. But it was just part of life. You gotta move on no matter what, I guess.
We took the elevator down to the parking garage and got in the car. A Ford Mustang Boss. I worked so hard for that car when I was young, and it was hard because even at that time, it was considered vintage. Felt so good to take that for it's first drive. Anyways, I took the driver's seat, and Sally sat in back with Mom. We drove out of the building and headed down the street towards the city limits. Since Tallahassee's population had been severely depleted because of the Bureau, the streets were not as crowded as they probably would be. But the remnants of people still remained. Trash lined the sidewalks and gutters, every now and then we passed a pedestrian or an abandoned car. Around us, the city slept. Nothing was said. It was quiet. Too quiet.
About twenty minutes later, we passed in front of the bureau. It was a tall, grey stone building. In the northwest corner, the stones were a bit lighter. That was where they had rebuilt over the hole made by the bomb. People were in a short line outside of the bureau, waiting to be converted.
"We don't need that place." Mom said in a matter-of-fact tone. "I don't want to be a pony, that just speaks wrong to me."
As we passed, I noticed a large group of pegasi, landing in. They were carrying in the bodies of several humans. One of the guards appeared to be speaking to the captain of the pegasi team. Wait... were they looking at us? I put a bit more pressure on the gas pedal. I wanted to get away from that bureau as fast as possible.
"What's wrong, Jack?" Sally asked as I sped down the street.
"Did you see those people they brought in?" I said. "There was a team of pegasi bringing in the unconscious bodies of people."
"Why would they do that?" Sally seemed very confused. "I thought conversion was optional, right?"
Mom answered her question. "Maybe it was, honey." She suggested. "Perhaps that pony princess wasn't too pleased to hear about our launch plans."
The car fell silent once more for a while. The thought of forced conversion was pretty scary. Hopefully, we would be out of the city before they took us to the bureau. I focused on the road, trying to push the dark thoughts out of my mind I couldn't allow myself to think about it. "Worry does not belong in a place where it is not welcome", my mother always said. Not much happened, up until we got to the freeway. That's when we ran in to trouble. Two white unicorns in shiny golden armor stood, blocking the on ramp. Looks like Worry barged its way in without asking. I stopped the car. Hopefully, they would let us pass.
"Good day, sirs." I said to the unicorns with a smile as I rolled down the window. "Lovely day for a drive, don't you think?"
The unicorns did not show any emotion. Both of their faces were set in stone. "We must ask you to exit the vehicle. By attempting to leave the city, the three of you are in violation of Solar Decree 126, which states that all humans within thirty kilometers of Equestrian land must face mandatory conversion immediately. As you reside within that radius of Conversion Bureau 32, you must come with us." He looked in the car to see Mom and Sally.
"We aren't going anywhere with you, got that?" Mom yelled. The guard frowned.
"Get out of the car!" The guard rose his voice. Mom made him pretty upset. It was clear he wasn't used to getting trash talked to. Mom unlocked her door, and got out of the car. "I will take you back to the bureau myself!" The guard shouted as Mom hobbled over to him on her cane.
"You may do that, sir." Mom begged. "But please let me have a moment to talk to my children. You have kids somewhere, don't you? I'm sure you would want the same." The guard said nothing, then nodded.
"Make it quick." the guard snapped. Mom hobbled over to us.
"Now kids, I'm gonna distract these goons," She explained. "When I do, you drive away from here as fast as you can, and you get on that spaceship if it's the last thing you do, got it?"
"But Mom-" Sally began, but Mom cut her off.
"Don't even look back, understand?" We nodded meekly. "Now I want you to go get on that rocket for me. You deserve to see that new planet much more than I do. I love you both."
"We love you too Mom." I said. Sally was crying too hard to answer. Mom smiled.
"Be safe, children." Mom hobbled back over to the guards. "I am ready to go."
"Good." the guard said. He motioned to us. "Take them in." The other guard began to walk over to us. That's when Mom acted her part.
Mom swung up and beat her guard over the head with her cane in one swift movement. In another, she tripped up the other guard who was coming for us.
"GO GET ON THAT SHIP, HONEY!" I floored the gas pedal and we took off onto the freeway. moving far away from the guards. That was the last time I ever saw my Mom. Driving on the deserted freeway, we were crushed. Sally sobbed in the back.
"Jack," she asked. "Do you think Mom is gonna be okay?" She sounded like a young child again.
"I don't know." I said, tears biting at my eyes. "If Equestria is as good as they say it is, she will be fine."
"I just wish she could have come with us."
"Me too, Sally. Me too."
That day, was the first day of the rest of our lives. All that mattered to us now was making it to that ship. We would do it for Mom. That was her last wish, and we would be determined not to let her down. This was not an eviction. This was an exodus.
Science division 1188, Otto Chesterfield, Date, nine, nine, twenty sixty-two
The evacuation process is not going well. It appears that, somehow, the barrier is increasing its speed. This increase was first noticed yesterday, approximately nineteen hours after the first ETCI announcement was given. It also seems that Princess Celestia has issued a decree that says that any human within thirty kilometers of Equestrian land must be taken to a bureau for a mandatory conversion. As the land surrounding a Conversion Bureau is technically Equestrian soil, this means that entire cities have been locked down by Equestria, and have been classified as Conversion Zones. The President has attempted to contact Celestia, but she has refused all communications. Given the close timing of this with the increase in speed of the barrier, perhaps her actions can be justified. Or that she has more power over the barrier than she lets on and is trying to thwart the launch for reasons unknown. Maybe her purposes here are darker than we originally anticipated.
I fear that we will have to hasten our launch program. Due to the acceleration of the barrier, the CSS Columbus at Anchorage space center will be overtaken before the one week deadline ends in five days. This is a difficult task. If Celestia really does have control of the barrier, then she will be sure to act should we broadcast the new date to the public. The evidence is mounting against Celestia, as she still refuses to disclose the Conversion process with us. She has not responded to any communication attempts on our behalf. I am very suspicious of her now, as are many other scientists and leaders. There has been an increase of violence in the Conversion Zones that we can gather. I can only hope that the people will be able to escape and come to the spaceports so we can fill the rockets to capacity and leave before the barrier consumes them. Unfortunately, the chances of this are very slim. If worse comes to worse, I can ask the President to send out liberation forces to free the people in the cities.
However, I must be thankful. If it weren't for our informant, we would still be in the dark about the exact radius of the Conversion Zones as well as other classified information. Her name cannot be disclosed here for security reasons, but she has shown great interest in coming with us on the ETCI expedition. She says that she is trying to obtain a sample of the Conversion Serum, but that is extremely top secret and difficult to get, even with her high status. We all hope that she will be successful. It pains me to burden her with more work, but I must ask her to get conformation that Celestia is controlling the barrier. If she is, then we have a better chance of getting the people of Earth to revolt and fight back. Without this conformation, however, there is nothing we can do. One thing is for sure, no matter what happens, we must get at least some people on GSC-935b. Hopefully, we can begin anew there. For now, we must inform the public about the Conversion Zones, so that they can do what they must to get to the colony ships. I can only pray that I do not have to face this uncertain future alone.
"Jack, we should have stayed with her." Sally sat across from me, poking at her food with a fork "We could have saved her."
Sally and I had found a diner just outside the Orlando Conversion Zone. At least that's what Dr. Chesterfield called them on the radio. We needed to catch our breath after they took Mom away. Been driving non stop for a couple of days anyhow. We both needed a little break.
"Sally," I said. "Mom wouldn't want us to risk our lives for her. I don't think she would have let us help her." I took a bit of omelet. "Remember, she wanted nothing more than for us to get on the ship, right?"
Sally shifted. "I guess you're right, Jack. This is what Mom wanted us to do." I paid the waitress, and we got up and went outside.
As I stepped out of the diner, I heard a loud honking noise. It was the sound of my car alarm.
"Crap!" I swore as I ran down the parking lot. Two young men, probably teenagers around 18 or 19 were trying to break into my car. I picked up a rock and hit one of the boys squarely in the back.
"Jack!" Sally shouted, in shock at my violence. The other kid turned to me. He looked very desperate and afraid."On your knees, hands up!" I shouted, the rock still clenched in my fist. They both complied. "Now why don't you tell my why you think it's okay to steal my car?"
"We were just trying to get to the spaceport!" The boy who I had hit with the rock answered me first. "Those crazy ponies have been after us for an entire day!"
"Yeah." The second one spoke up. "My dad was a scientist who was working on the colonization program. Our family was one of the first to get captured when-."
I held up my hand to stop him. "Hold up." I said. "Let's go inside and get you guys some food. You must be hungry, am I right?"
Sally pulled me aside. "Jack," she said. "Are you sure about this? These boys just tried to steal your car."
"They're humans too, Sally." I reasoned. "They deserve a chance. Besides, I think Mom would have wanted us to take them to the space ship."
I motioned to the boys to follow us back into the diner. They followed without another word. Mom would have wanted us to save as many people as we could, so, why not start now. We took them in to the diner. I paid for their food. As we waited, I decided to question them.
"So, what happened to you guys?" I inquired. "It seems like you two have been through a lot.
The first boy answered me first. "Call me Ralph Seigan. I didn't have anymore family, they volunteered for conversion. I just couldn't bring myself to go with them. I love this place. After those ponies started mandatory conversion, I laid low. Found a small HLF base that let me stay there for a bit. That's where I met Joey."
Joey was the son of the scientist. "I am called Joey Hoppner. My dad was part of the HLF and he worked with that other doctor a couple of times. Chesterfield, or something like that."
So this guy's father was involved with the space colonization program. "What happened?" I asked.
"The Equestrians raided the HLF base that we were at. He was one of the first taken. That's when we met, and we were one of the only ones who escaped. We were trying to get on the colony ship, and there was no way we could get there on foot."
"Sorry we tried to steal your car, Mister."
"It's Jack." I said, introducing myself. "My name is Jack Crest, and this is my sister Sally. We drove down here from Tallahassee. We'll take you to that ship."
"No way!" Joey exclaimed. "Tallahassee was completely converted last night"
"What?!?" I was stunned. Even though Tallahassee was pretty empty by the time we got out of there, I was surprised that it had been completely converted so quickly.
"Apparently," Ralph explained. "The ponies really cracked down on the place after they had a couple families escape, and according to Joey, that might be the case everywhere."
"Jack, we should get down to the cape as fast as we can" Sally suggested. "What if the Equestrians move beyond the Conversion Zones?"
"Good idea," I agreed. I looked at the boys. "You two coming with us?"
"Yes Mr. Crest," Joey accepted the offer. "We don't know how we can thank you."
"No need." I replied. "Let's finish up and go."
I just happened to look out the window. A small squad of Pegasi and Unicorns had landed in the parking lot. They wore bandoliers over their golden armor that held a purple liquid. Other people in the diner took notice as well. They pointed out the window and started yelling in panic. "On second thought, let's just go. Now!"
The four of us stood up. The ponies started moving toward the door. People started running for cover, hiding behind the bar, in the kitchen, and under tables. A few produced guns. "Let's leave out the back." We ran into the kitchen, grabbing weapons on our way as we headed out the back door. Joey pilfered a cleaver, Sally took a meat skewer, and Ralph snatched up a chef's knife, while I grabbed a frying pan. The terrified diners and kitchen staff were too scared to notice us.
We hid around the corner of the building. The ponies were still standing in the parking lot.
"Ready. Aim. FIRE!" There was a shout from one of them, and the squad began throwing rocks into the diner, followed by conversion potion. Shrieks and cries of pain and panic came from inside the diner. About 3/4 of the squad now entered the diner. Gunshots, magic, and the sound of breaking glass emitted from within the building. The guards that remained outside had their attention on the diner, so it was possible to sneak past them. However, this had to be done before the other guards came back out, or getting to the car would be impossible. I took point. Pan at the ready, I hurried past, making sure that I didn't make any unnecessary moves and that I kept my footstep noise to a minimum. I managed to get behind a beat up old Dodge, just a couple empty spaces down from my car. The others followed suit, and we grouped up behind the truck.
"Okay, here's the plan." I explained. "The car is unlocked. All we have to do is sneak around to the front. I'll open the front door and you two," I gestured to Ralph and Joey. "can climb in the back. Sally and I will then take up the front seats and then we can drive out of here."
"We'll need to hurry, they will probably notice us before we can all get loaded." Sally pointed out.
"Right, let's move as fast as we can and get the hell out of here." I affirmed. We walked across to the car
"I've converted at least twelve of these Celestia dammed humans. The guards were talking to one another. "Not one has fought back. This sucks."
"Hey, save it for the base, we're on a mission... as true as that is, though."
Heartless bastards. I still don't know who they think they are, pushing us around like that. No matter. I had to focus on getting our party into the car without being seen and, undoubtedly, converted. I snuck to the front of the car. The guards still had their backs to us. I opened the car door as quietly as I could. When I opened it, it made a pop. The guards voices grew louder as they turned around. "You two." I heard a voice say. "Check out that noise!" I ran back to the group, as they approached the car. We all were afraid. Ralph took out his knife. I gripped my pan tighter as they inched closer and closer. At last, after what seemed like an eternity, they had reached the vehicle.
After a few seconds they searched and did not see us. "There's nothing over here!" one of the two called back to the superior. I let out my breath, not realizing that I had been holding it. But then, a light flashed across the guard's face. Ralph's knife had reflected the sun int his eyes. He blinked for a moment, and then we made eye contact. "HUMANS!" He shouted. At that moment, we attacked. I grabbed the guard who had called out, my hand around his throat. His horn lit up to charge a spell. I lifted my pan and swung it down upon his horn with all my strength. A small explosion blew me back onto the rough asphalt as a bright light blinded me. When my vision returned, I heard cries of pain. The guard I had hit was writhing on the ground, hooves around his horn. My blow had broken off a good chunk of it. His screams were silenced by Sally, who stabbed him with her skewer. The sharp metal rod penetrated the soft golden armor with ease. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a blue beam of light fly past, and a flash as Joey brought his cleaver down onto the offending unicorn, a wet thunk and a small painful groan told me he had found his mark. I sprung up, adrenaline coursing through my body.
"Get in the car, hurry!" I shouted. The other guards ran towards us as the boys climbed in the back, while Sally and I sat up front.
"Stop them!" I heard more shouts from the other guards. I turned the key, activating the engine. Putting the car into reverse, I floored the gas. The car shot backwards, and bucked up and down as squelching noises, screams and blood filed the air, staining the rear windows. I switched to drive and the car lurched forward as we left the bloody massacre.
We got back on the freeway I thought we were in the clear at last, but I was wrong.
"Jack, they're following us!" Sally pointed into my rear view mirror. Indeed, we were followed by three Pegasi. We had no ranged weapons to dispatch them. Thuds and smashing glass were all around us. They were throwing potions at the car. Fortunately, they had no effect on the smooth painted metal.
"You got any guns in this car?" Ralph asked.
"None that I know of." I said, swerving to avoid the potions.
"What about this one?" Joey piped up, a loaded pearl handled revolver in his hand. I didn't take time to ask where he got it from.
"Yeah, okay. Can you shoot them down?"
"Sure." Ralph took the gun from Joey. He rolled down the window and leaned out of it, only to quickly duck back inside as a bottle of serum was chucked his way. He leaned back out and fired two shots. Out of the mirror, I saw one of the ponies take a dive into the concrete. "I need a clear shot!" Ralph yelled.
"Okay, brace yourselves!" I said as I hit the breaks. The car swerved and stopped facing sideways across the road. The Pegasi were lined up in Ralph's sights. He fired twice more. The other ponies hit the ground. The bottles of potion they had smashed and emptied their contents to form a pool around the bodies. Joey took out a camera and took a picture.
"To inspire other HLF members." He explained. Without another word, I turned the car back down the freeway and we left the lifeless, potion soaked corpses to the elements.
"So where did you get that gun?" I asked Joey. "From the HLF?"
"No, I found it in this bag." I turned around. Mom's old handbag sat between the boys. Even after she had been taken, Mom had still found a way to save our lives. A tear escaped my eye as I remembered how much she loved us, and was willing to make the sacrifice for us. "Something wrong?" Joey asked. Sally and I told them about Mom and what she did for us. It was really hard not to cry, and even harder to focus on the road at the same time, so Sally did most of the talking.
"That's awful." Ralph mumbled and looked down. It was clear that the HLF members didn't know what to say. After a bit of quiet, Joey handed me Mom's gun.
"You should hold on to this then." he said. I took hold of the pearled hand grip, and stowed the gun in the glove box. We would no doubt need it for the times to come.
"Attention, citizens of North America. This is Doctor Otto Chesterfield." I had turned the radio to the NAC Government channel to keep updated on news. We saw a couple of other cars, but the freeway was still quiet. "I am pleased to inform you that at last, we are making progress with the issue of the Conversion Zones. Our ambassadors are meeting with Princess Celestia in an attempt to lift the Conversion Zones, or at least to lower the distances they cover."
"I don't think that's gonna happen." Ralph said. "Just a feeling."
"No matter what happens, the NAC will provide opportunities for evacuation, so do not worry." Dr. Chesterfield continued with his announcement. "Everybody living in this country deserves a chance, and we will provide. In addition, we have established official Evacuation Zones around the spaceports. Food, water, and shelter will be provided withing these zones, until we are ready to load up the colony ships and evacuate. Do not fear, my friends, for we will improve the human condition! Together!" The broadcast looped back to the beginning.
"Sound's like they'll be sending in armies to search for humans still left in the Conversion Zones." Joey explained. "That's what my Dad told me."
"We are going to make it, guys." Sally said excitedly. "We'll be at Cape Canaveral by tomorrow at most."
This seemed to be the case for the next few miles, but it became apparent that it wasn't going to be so easy. Around the next turn of the twisted freeway, we came across a barricade. Cars were piled up to form a wall. Some still had purple stains from getting potion dumped on them. Similar blockades lined the off ramps. We were boxed in.
"Oh no." I felt my heart sank. "The Equestrians must have set up this blockade." The only way out was a small set of maintenance stairs leading down to a street below the freeway. A forest lined the other side of the street "We got to move on foot. Take everything you need." We hopped out of the car. I opened the trunk and took my suitcase out, placing the loops of Mom's handbag around the handle. Sally took her own suitcase, and Joey offered to take Mom's.
"This thing is pretty light." Joey commented on Mom's suitcase. Mom had always been a light packer, always taking only what she absolutely needed. It was a good thing too, especially now.
Ralph hiked up the backpack that he shared with Joey and reached around to the front pocket. He took out a map and unfolded it. "Now, according to this," he announced. "There's an HLF base a little way into the swamp. I overheard Dr. Hoppner on the radio at the Orlando base saying they had an air boat that they used to float people down the river to another base which was connected to the Evacuation Zone at Canaveral."
"Good." I said. "You got the map. Lead the way kid." With that, we hiked off into the woods, every step bringing us closer to safety. Or so we thought...
Science division 1188, Otto Chesterfield, Date, nine, ten, twenty sixty-two
Negotiations with Princess Celestia on the removal and migitation of the Conversion Zones have so far been unsuccessful. Due to the sudden speed up in the barrier's expansion, she claims that she is only trying to save as much lives as she can. I fear that the amount of lives lost due to the violence that has sprouted because of this does not justify her actions. We were unable to convince her to take down the Conversion Zones. Our only option is to send armies into the Conversion Zones that are located in the immediate vicinity of the Evacuation Zones to liberate as many humans as we can. Celestia has warned us against this, saying that she is ready and willing to retaliate should this course of action be taken, but I am afraid that there is no other option.
Our informant has not been able to recover any data on the barrier, however, she has managed to get a small sample of the Conversion Serum. This is all we need. Perhaps we can reverse engineer the serum someday, should the barrier slow and allow enough time. Another thing, she has learned and reported Celestia's retaliation plan. Celestia has amassed armies that are prepared to attack the Evacuation Zones directly on a moment's notice. Our informant has offered to have specialized teams of her comrades create a protection field around the Evacuation Zones. This field uses magic and amplifies its area via quartz dispersal units to make a localized field that can withstand and disperse any amount of radiation. If only we had such technology at Chernobyl. From what tests we have done so far, this field also mitigates the effects of the Conversion Serum, as several radioactive elements within the serum are irradiated, requiring a much larger quantity of serum for a successful conversion. We have also learned that the serum has a sort of built in safety mechanism of some sorts. Conversion can only take place when a certain amount of radiation is exposed to a human being. We are trying to pinpoint the exact amount or radiation required for a conversion to take place. The informant has offered to assist us in decoding this complex potion for Tests 03-04 to 03-12 the first of which will take place at 7:00PM tonight.
There has been talk of a retribution plan, should the barrier fully engulf the entire earth. One theory is to hide a large tank of radioactive dust deep underground with a drill attached, which is connected remotely to a surface sensor. When the sensor is eradicated by the barrier, the drill will take the tank up to the surface. The tank will then release the deadly radiation into the air. Another is to launch Nuclear Warheads into orbit, and programming them to re-enter the atmosphere when the sensor is destroyed. Personally, I am against these theories, they are senseless and serve no true purpose to our mission. Whatever our scientists choose to do after I leave with the colonists for GSC-935b is not under my control.
There have been reports of squads of Equestrians leaving the Conversion Zones to hunt for humans in and around the Florida province. I lost contact with Dr. Hoppner, who was stationed at a Human Liberation Force base that was a mile out from the Orlando Conversion Zone, last night. His status is currently unknown. I have ordered the army to contact HLF bases close by the Amerigo Evacuation Zone in order to provide a network of bases that lead into the perimeter of the Amerigo Zone. We have estimated that the CSS Amerigo is at 45% capacity. This is not good enough, we need to double our efforts to save as many people as we can in that area.
I fear that a peaceful solution between the people of Earth and the ponies of Equestria is no longer possible.
"If we keep moving at this speed, we will certainly reach the base by nightfall." Ralph said, studying his map. We were trekking through the forest, the trees sheltering us from the hot Florida sun. Unfortunately, the humidity made up for it. It had been about an hour, and we had no food or water with us. My brow was slick with sweat. We were all dripping with perspiration. The only good thing was that the ground was fairly flat, making it easy to take the suitcases through the wilderness.
It wasn't as big of a deal for Sally and I. Throughout the years, Mom and Dad took us on hikes and camping trips quite often. Mom made it a point to take us on at least one each month after Dad passed away and after she retired. She cared a lot about her health, and she always did some kind of hardcore activity to keep in shape. Sadly, after Mom got arthritis and had to use a cane, we couldn't go on any more trips with her, but she made sure that we went on our own.
"It's strange, Jack," Sally caught up with me. "It seems like everything Mom has done for us has led up to this. The gun, the wilderness survival stuff. Don't you think it's weird?"
"Yeah, it is kind of funny." I said. "Do you think she knew about this all along or something."
"No, that's impossible," Sally shook her head. "But it is a bizarre coincidence, isn't it?"
"Uh, guys?" It was Ralph. "We might have a problem." In front of us was a large swampy area. Muddy water covered the ground. Trees grew up out of the water as if it was regular land. It would be very hard to transverse.
"How far is the base from here?" I asked.
"It's right on the other side of the swamp, I think."
"Can we go around?"
"It'll take about another day to do that."
"Dang." We didn't have that time. We had to go through the swamp, or we were done for. "Okay." I said. "Looks like we have to go through the swamp." With that, I waded into the muddy swampy water. It was by no means cold, but it was cooler than the hot forest area. Still wouldn't dunk my face under it, though. Who knows what kind of bugs are in this stuff. "It seems safe enough, but we should still be careful." I reported. One by one, the other members of our group waded into the murky liquid, Ralph taking point.
I don't know how long we moved through the swamp, it was at least a few hours. I just know that it was dusk now. By this point there was a low fog in the swamp. You could see up into the sky, but not very far anywhere else. I lost count of how many times we had to stop to pick off the leeches that had infested the swamp water. And the smell. It got into all of our clothes and hair. At least Mom had the suitcases waterproofed when we got them.
"We're not far, guys." Ralph assured us as we pressed on through the muck. "We'll probably get there within the hour."
"Good!" I heard Joey pipe up from the rear. "I can't take the smell anymore."
"Too bad Mom didn't take us camping in the swamp, huh Jack?" Sally remarked.
"You know... I think I would have passed her up on that." I replied. Truthfully, I probably would have gone anyways, mainly because I wouldn't have known how much the swamp sucks. And it does. The mud grabs at your shoes. Sally got stuck a couple of times. It was pretty funny, but I dared not laugh. She would find a way to get even, and she always did without fail.
"I suppose it's good that we have this tree cover." Joey commented. "It would be impossible to make progress if there were Equestrians on out backs- EUUGH!" Joey groaned as he took in a breath of stench. "I think the smell is getting worse. I sense there are... feces near by." He was right. The stink was increasing in intensity. The thought of feces completely made me loose my appetite. I prayed that there wasn't any of the crap in the water. My head hung low, praying for this to end. As we waded through the bayou, I noted an incline. We were approaching a shore bank.
"Okay everyone," I announced. "We're coming up on shore. Check yourselves for leeches." I looked down at the water for a brief moment. My face was not the clean man I was at the start of this. I was covered in bug bites, and I was beginning to get some stubble. Dang it, I knew I should have packed a razor. Maybe there's one at the rocket or something.
I kept looking down. The water changed slowly to muddy ground, and from that to... wooden planks? I perked my head up. We now stood on a small platform made of boards. On the platform was a small shack.
"Well, Joey," I said jubilantly. "You were right about the smell. I think this is an outhouse!"
"And if there's one of these," Sally grinned in excitement. "I bet the base is not too far away!" Sure enough, there was a pathway made of boards that led away through the trees. There was a light in the distance, probably from a house of some kind.
"I think we found the base." I took the lead from Ralph. I brought out Mom's gun, just in case things went south. As we approached the light, we discovered that it was indeed, a house. I saw a figure move from withing the window. "Hello?" I called out. "Is someone there?" The door of the house opened. A man with grey hair and a goatee stood in the doorway. He pointed a shotgun at us.
"Don't make me put a bullet in yeh, you prancing show pony." The man threatened.
"No, wait!" I called back to him. "We're human! Don't shoot. We're just trying to get to the HLF base."
The man rubbed his eyes. He squinted at us. "Oh, oh!" He lowered his gun. "My goodness, more survivors!" He quickly beckoned us to enter the house. "Come on in!" he said. One by one, we filed into the house.
The house was small. There was a kitchen, a small living room with some old, beat up couches, and a door to what I assumed was the bedroom. Crates of supplies were stacked in a corner of the living room area. A bulky looking radio sat on a table near the crates. "Please forgive me for the cold welcome." The man said. "My eyesight ain't so good anymore." The man set down his gun by the door and went into the kitchen. He emerged a minute later with some bottles of water and a plate of ham sandwiches. "You four must be tired and hungry, huh?" The man said. "Have a seat and eat up while I radio the base, m'kay?" I took a bottle and a sandwich, and sat down on a ratty old couch in the living room I drank the water first. It tasted more refreshing than it ever had before. The sandwiches were a bit dry, but they were the only food we had to eat all day since breakfast at the diner. The man went over to the radio. He turned a few knobs and spoke into the microphone. "Outpost two to base eighteen, outpost two to base eighteen, come in base eighteen."
A male voice spoke tinnily from the radio. "This is base eighteen, go ahead outpost two."
"We have four survivors that just came in, they need to be escorted to the base."
"Copy outpost two. Can you verify that they were not followed?" The man glanced up at us. I shook my head.
"They were not."
"Confirmed. We're sending an escort out. ETA twenty minutes. Base eighteen out."
The man stood up from the radio and sat down in an armchair across from us. "They're sending some folks to take you through to the base." he explained. "Them ponies suspect that the base is around here, and they've been trying to find it. Been seeing squads of their fliers around looking for it."
"Have they made any progress that you can tell?" Joey inquired.
"Not yet," the man replied. "And we intend to keep it that way. So," The man took out a bottle of alcohol from behind his armchair. "Tell me your stories."
"She and I are brother and sister from Tallahassee." I said simply. "Our mother was with us, but she was captured when we tried to leave the city."
"I'm Joey Hoppner and this is Ralph Siegland." Joey introduced himself to the man. "We came from the HLF base that was raided last night. They took my father, Dr. Fredrich Hoppner."
"That's right." The man said, stroking his goatee. I've heard that name before. Worked with Dr. Chesterfield on a few things, didn't he."
"Yes, he helped plan the Colonizing Initiative." Joey affirmed.
"I see." The man said. "Well, finish up your sammiches." He stood up from the armchair. "The HLF Escort will be here soon." He came over to me. "As a word of caution," he spoke softly, just above a whisper, as if there was someone else in the room that he didn't want to overhear us. "I suggest you hide that piece of yours, lest they confiscate it. You need all the protection you can get in times like these, am I right?"
I nodded. After finishing the food and drink provided, I stood up and looked out the window. The fog had lifted slightly, and I could see farther than before. A gravel road passed in front of the house. Beyond that was more swamp. I was hard for me to believe that anyone could actually live out here, but this guy who was offering us some respite did a pretty good job at it. At least, I assumed he was the owner of the house.
A few minutes later, I saw a light come from down the road. The light split off into a total of four as it got closer, like cells dividing. The man came over to the window and looked out. He now wore a pair of wire glasses. "That's them!" He said. He turned to the rest of the group. "The escorts are here! Pack up your things!" I grabbed my suitcase slipping Mom's gun into the front pocket. Sally grabbed her suitcase, as did Joey with Mom's. The man picked up his shotgun once more, and led us out the front door. The escort vehicles pulled up in front of the house. A truck and a minivan. The truck had a machine gun mounted on the back, and the minivan had one sticking out of where the windshield used to be. The passenger side door of the van opened. A young man with a hunting rifle hopped out. He wore a blue trucker hat, and looked like he was only in his twenties.
"Howdy there Frankie." the trucker said. "You got people that need saving, huh?" He spoke with a clear southern accent.
Joey stepped forward. "Hello, I am Joey Hoppner." he introduced. "These are my friends, Ralph Siegland, and Jack and Sally Crest." he gestured to each of us in turn as he listed our names for the trucker. The trucker grabbed Joey's hand and shook it vigorously, bursting with enthusiasm. It was more like he was working a water pump rather than shaking hands with someone else.
"Well howdy sport." The man said. "People just call me Ed 'round these parts." He gestured to the van. "Put yer stuff in the back and hop in. We got a schedule to keep up with now, dont'cha know?"
Ed popped the trunk and I helped him load up the suitcases. He shut it with a slam. "Go on, git!" he said as he ushered me into the back with the others. He hopped in the passenger seat and took hold of the machine gun. "Here's to the first day of the end of the world! Yeehaw!" The van started to move. As it turned around, I saw Frankie wave to us from the porch. I rolled down my window to wave back.
"Thank you," I called to him. He smiled as we passed him. As he faded out into the fog, I saw him turn around and walk back into his cabin. We had made it to safety at last
The ride was rather uneventful. Ed kept jawing about all the stuff he had to deal with, living in the swamp. He told numerous stories about killing various animals, many of which, were "Crocs and Gators" as he called them. Soon though, we reached the base. The entrance was rather simple. A metal door that was wide enough for vehicles to pass through was fixed into a large mound of land. Ed jumped out of the van and went over to a small keypad that was previously concealed with vines beside the door. He entered in a code, and then got back in the gunner's seat as the door opened to reveal a dimly lit tunnel. Our convoy moved into the tunnel, and the door was closed behind us. The tunnel sloped downward, taking us below ground. Eventually we came into a large warehouse type area. Crates and vehicles lined the sides of the room, except for one, which had a larger door covering most of the wall space. People armed with assault rifles flanked all the doorways in the room.
"This place used to be a missile launching facility." Ed explained as we got out of the car. "It was abandoned during the cold war. That door leads to the rocket silo." We were approached by another man. He wore a dirty policeman's uniform, complete with the hat.
"Hello Ed," he said. He looked at us. "These are the survivors from up north, aren't they?"
"Sure as sugar." Ed replied. "You here to take them to their room?"
"Yes, that's right." I was surprised. I had the impression they would ship us down there right away. Sensing my shock, the police man put his hand on my shoulder. "Don't worry, we'll get you down to the Amerigo in time." he assured. "It's too dark out for us to take you now. Those ponies have some kind of night vision or something like that on them, and we can't risk it. We will take you there first thing in the morning, so get ready. In the meantime, you can stay in one of the rooms here, so grab your stuff and follow me." He turned around and led us through a doorway. Ed waved back to us from the convoy. "Happy trails, pardners!" he called out happily. He turned back to the van and took out a personal radio from the glove box of the van. "Heya base, this is Ed. What's that? Really? How many? Okay, we're on the way. He hopped back in, and with a loud "Yeehaw!" he jumped back in the van and sped back up the tunnel, the truck following behind him.
"Come on, Mr. Crest, let's go." Ralph tugged on my sleeve. I shook my head, recovering from my space out, and followed the rest of our group into the doorway.
Inside was a small room, and an elevator. It opened up its doors with a "ding". We filed behind the man into the elevator. The doors closed.
"Uhh sir?" the officer asked me. "Can you press the button for H1?" I looked behind me. There was a button panel. I pushed the button marked H1, and, with a small jerk, the elevator slowly descended into the base.
"We'll leave first thing in the morning. We already sent out our last party of the night to Base 17 down by the Canaveral Evacuation Zone. They'll take you to the spaceport" He stated as the elevator descended. Another small ding rang out and the doors opened up onto a long hallway with rooms on each side. "And here we are!" The officer showed us to a room about four doors down on the left side. The room was rather small. Two rumpled bunk beds were at the end of the room, and a footlocker was at the end of each one. Other than that, the room was bare. "Here's your room." he said as he ushered us inside. "Bathrooms are at the end of the hall by the elevator. We'll send you someone that will wake you up and feed you in the morning, so get as much sleep as you can, now." With a small smile, he left and closed the door behind him.
Joey sat on the bottom bunk of the left bed. "I suggest we do as he says. We will no doubt need the energy tomorrow."
"I agree." Sally hopped up on the top bunk of the other bed. "Let's go to bed now. That way, we'll be all ready to face whatever the next day will bring." I put our suitcases in the other corner of the room and got into the bed below Sally. My eyes closed as sleep overtook me. The last thought I had that night came at that moment. We're safe now. We made it.
Okay, Celestia's raid on the Orlando base was a setback, but not to worry. I will be able to come into contact with Dr. Chesterfield soon, and all will be fine. I still can't let these people know my secret. NO! I have to tell them. They trust me, they deserve to know. They did get me this far, and I have no doubt they will make it to the Evacuation Zone. But how will they react? Will they kill me? Oh, don't worry about that, now you're just being silly. I have grown to trust my new friends. I know, I'll wait until we arrive at Canaveral. Then, I am sure they will be ready to learn the truth, and even if they aren't, I will be under protection. We just need to get there. And soon. Dr. Chesterfield is counting on me, and I cannot fail him now.
There was a sharp knock on our door. "Wake up! Wake up in there!" A female voice rang through the door. I rolled out of bed. with a groan and sat on the edge.
"Man, when they say first thing in the morning, they aren't kidding, are they?." Ralph complained as he hopped down from his top bunk. I looked at my watch. It was 6:30 in the morning.
"Watch out, Jack, I'm coming down!" Sally warned. I stood up and went to the door, giving Sally room to jump down. I opened the door to find a middle aged woman standing in the hall. She held a tray with four bowls of hot oatmeal, and four plastic spoons. Raisins and brown sugar were scattered on top of the oatmeal.
"Better eat fast people, we're heading up to the air boats in fifteen minutes!" The woman spoke with a loud and obnoxious voice, which was probably why she was stuck waking people up. I thanked her and took the tray from her. I sat the tray down on one of the footlockers.
"Eat up," I said. "We're going to the Evacuation Zone in 15 minutes." We each took a bowl and a plastic spoon, and ate hastily. Even though there were raisins and sugar on the oatmeal, it was still rather flavorless. None the less, everyone finished their bowl completely. We were going to need the energy. I passed out the luggage to their respective bearers, and we walked out into the hallway, leaving the room behind.
In the hall, there were about 40 others standing in line. About 12 more people filed in behind us. The obnoxious woman who had brought us our oatmeal was standing at the front by the elevator.
"If you don't have suitcases and can take the stairs, go up to floor B3." Her loud voice carried through the hallway. "If you do, wait in line for the elevator. Six people at a time!" Some people who were wearing backpacks stepped out of line and walked up the stairs. Ralph stayed with us, not wanting to split up the group. The line moved as people got on the elevator, and others moved up to fill the spaces left by the backpackers.
"Wonder how fast this line is going to move?" Joey asked. "We need to get to the Evacuation Zone as soon as possible."
"Don't worry now," Sally reassured him. "I'm sure this is all on schedule." The line moved forward a few steps as the elevator returned to carry another group.
"Wonder how long the journey is?" A man and a woman, probably husband and wife, talked amongst each other.
"What I'm worried about," the wife replied. "Is the safety of this whole thing. What if one of those Pegasi teams or something swoop down and convert us and whisk us off to Pony-land or wherever they live? The river is open to the sky, we'll be easy to see!"
"Now, now, don't worry about that, dear. These people have done this many times before, I'm sure they know how to remain unseen."
The line moved forward again as the elevator returned. We were very close to the elevator now, probably getting permission to board within the next two groups. "It's hard to believe how many people are taking this in so many ways," Joey remarked. I was a bit surprised. Wasn't he a part of the HLF. I thought on this for a bit. It was a bit strange. A ding brought me back to reality, as I realized the elevator had arrived to take us down. We got on with the worried couple. The police officer who had shown us to our room last night was at the button console.
"Going up!" He said as he pushed the button marked B3. The doors slid shut and the elevator rose upwards. After a minute, the doors opened again, and we stepped out into another dim hall. At the end was another metal door, like the one that was on the outside of the warehouse upstairs. Another HLF member who stood by the door input the passcode into a keypad, and the door opened up. We moved on through to the boat house.
The boathouse was a large hangar type area, but on water. A concrete docking area ran around the bay. One side was taken up by a set of huge metal doors. At the bottom of the doors, a retractable grate was there to let water flow in and out. Motor boats, as well as air boats were lined up around the docking area. Most of the boats already had people on them. The civilians stayed on the air boats, while HLF members armed with machine guns took the motor boats Each air boat also had a smaller machine gun on it. A young woman in an orange life vest with the letters HLF stenciled on the back helped us into one of the air boats. It was just us four and the couple from the line in there. The seats were arranged in rows of two. Sally and Ralph sat up front, Joey and I sat in the middle, and the couple sat in back. The woman in the life vest took out a hand held radio as she strapped down our luggage in a small depression near the rear of the boat.
"This is water convoy number one, we're loaded up and ready to move out." She spoke into the radio. The radio squawked something back which I couldn't hear, but it sounded like a go-ahead. She got up front behind the wheel. A short man in an army uniform boarded the boat and manned the machine gun. "Okay people, life vests are under your seats. Put them on quickly and hold on to something, because we leave NOW!" I reached under my chair and pulled out a life vest. It was exactly the same as the vest the woman wore, stenciled letters and all. I put it over my head and buckled and tightened the straps. The air boat fan chugged to life, causing a slight sucking at our back. Around the docking bay, motors buzzed and fans whirred. The convoy was ready. The doors opened and the grate retracted. Outside, the river water was green, and gold, reflecting the sunrise off of the surface. One of the motor boats went out first, followed by an air boat, and they alternated. Our boat was one of the last to leave. We left the dark base and came into the sun once again.
The water sprayed up in and around the boat as we rode down the river. The boat bounced up and down, shaking up us up like a prankster with a can of soda. Behind us, the wife of the worried couple was complaining and crying to her husband, his attempts to assuage her falling on deaf ears.
"Oh, Hugh, hold on tightly, this is really bumpy. AH! It's too bumpy." I groaned inwardly. This was going to be a long ride.
The driver was apparently fed up with the woman's antics as well. "Don't worry, miss." She shouted. "We know what we're doing here, so keep calm, and we'll be there before you know it." Then the woman started complaining about how rude the HLF people were. Geez, some people you just can't please, I suppose. I tried to tune her out and looked around. Trees lined the riverbanks. The sun peeked over the treetops. It was fairly beautiful, but it wasn't as sweet as it used to be. I suppose that it's from Celestia proclaiming that she's goddess of the sun back on her own world. Since a lot of people are fed up with her nowadays, the sun had also lost a bit of respect as well from us humans. Up in the sky, I saw some strange shiny objects. They couldn't be stars, it was already too light out.
"Uhh, miss?" I hailed the driver and pointed up. As I did so, her radio spat out a message. She picked it up with one hand, and looked worried. Things were about to get ugly.
"Everybody brace yourselves!" The driver shouted. My suspicions were confirmed. We were under attack. Why did everything happen to us? The radio squawked out another message. "Will do," The driver replied. "Grab on to something, people! This is gonna get rough!" Up ahead, I saw that the river split into two directions. Half of the convoy went left, and our half went right. The short soldier grabbed onto his machine gun and aimed it at the skies. The glittering shapes began to get bigger as they descended. Pinkish bolts flew down from above, creating large splashes when they hit the water. The driver swerved around each one. My stomach tightened. The oatmeal that was fed to us that morning was now threatening to return. The woman behind us was screaming at the top of her lungs.
"FIRE!" The driver ordered. The gunner fired his gun into the air. The ponies swerved around the bullets. I could now see that the opposing forces were clearly Pegasi, and in the center of the group was a carriage containing Unicorns who were firing down magic bolts onto the convoy. The machine gunner, seeing this, concentrated fire on the carriage. A bolt landed in the water right behind us, launching the boat into the air. I clenched the seat rest, yelling in fear and surprise. The gunner and the screaming woman were flung off of the boat and into the river. One of the Pegasi flew back, probably to convert the two victims. We were now defenseless. Some of the unicorns now concentrated fire on the other boats, who were now firing on the squad as well. One of the boats was hit by a bolt of magic. Its broken pieces and occupants flew into the air, landing in the river with a splash. THWOK! I flinched as something hit the seat rest. I examined the object. It was a small dart, filled with a purple fluid. They were shooting serum at us! THWOK THWOK THWOK! More darts landed on the boat. "Watch for the darts, don't let them hit you!" Joey shouted. I looked up at the ponies. The Pegasi had strange black crossbow type weapons, which were loaded with the conversion darts.
FFT! "Ow!" The man who had lost his wife cried out in pain. I looked back at him. A dart had found its mark and had lodged in his shoulder. He looked at it, then up at me in a panic. He clutched at it, trying to pull it out. Then suddenly, he locked up. He fell off of his seat and writhed and twisted on the deck of the boat, screaming as if he was on fire. His fingers became shorter, and then vanished, blue fur sprouted all over his body, his hair turned green and started to grow. The man's face changed, becoming longer, his limbs rearranged themselves. All through this process, he screamed and screamed. I closed my eyes, trying to block out the cries of pain and agony. The boat lurched all around. It was like a scene from a child's nightmare. A gunshot permeated the screams. They stopped and devolved into a gurgle. I opened my eyes. The driver was trying to stow a small handgun as she focused on driving and dodging the projectiles being shot our way. The former man now earth pony colt lay on the deck, motionless. Blood stained his aqua fur as it dribbled from a bullet hole in his neck. We would surely be overwhelmed and converted as well.
"Jack, get your gun!" I could barely hear Sally over the screams, shouts and rushing water. I dropped to the deck to avoid another barrage of darts. I crawled along the side of the boat, careful to avoid the corpse of the dead colt which was now starting to slide around the row of seats that he had formerly sat in. Reaching the luggage, I found my suitcase on top. I opened the zipper of the front outside pocket and pulled out Mom's gun. I undid one of the straps on the luggage pile and returned to my seat. I secured myself in a safe spot using the strap, attaching it to a hook on the side of the seat, and loaded a speed re-loader of bullets into the revolver. I took aim and fired one shot at the skies.
My aim was true. I guess Dad's outings to the shooting range were really starting to pay off now. One of the Pegasi went down into a spiral, a trail of blood falling from his wing behind him. He crashed down on another boat. I saw the occupants shove his body into the water, leaving him behind. I shot another three rounds into the carriage. A Pegasus landed on the boat deck. Another landed on the other side of me. Both held dart guns. Before they could steady themselves, I fired. The one I had shot at fell overboard, sent backwards by the force of the bullet. I turned around to dispatch the other. As I fired, however, the boat was launched into the air again and my shot went wide. When I tried to fire again, the hammer of the revolver clicked. I was out of ammo. The pony steadied himself first and was poised to fire. I struggled to undo the strap to try and get away, but he cried out in agony. Ralph had snuck around us to his backpack and grabbed his chef's knife that he had pilfered from the diner. This knife was now plunged through the Pegasus' neck. He uttered a quiet groan and tumbled to the deck.
"Thanks kiddo!" I said as I grabbed another speed re-loader. I opened the wheel of the revolver, ejecting the spent cartridges. I plunged the fresh bullets into the wheel and closed up the gun again. I was once again ready to fire. This time, I focused on the two ponies that were pulling the airborne carriage. They were heavily armored. I didn't know if it could stop a .357 bullet, but I aimed for the head just to be sure. My first bullet went a bit off, only glancing the side of the armor. It caused the Pegasi I had hit to veer slightly. I waited until he was steady once more, and then took another shot. It went lower than I had expected, but punched through the armor. He went down, taking the carriage with him. It hit the water with a splash This caused the rest of the Pegasi to retreat. Some carried other ponies with them, that were either wounded guards, or converted humans.
The driver pulled up to the partially submerged carriage. The remaining Pegasus who was still alive was wrestling to get out of his harness, but he was only succeeding in exhausting himself. He looked up at us with fearful, pleading eyes. The driver coldly let him drown, as he undeniably would. She looked into the window of the carriage. Seven discombobulated Unicorns were lying in the water. Some were actually dead, while others were just dazed.
"Hey Mister!" she called to me. "You stirred up hell back there. You wanna do the honors?"
I shook my head. "No, I need to conserve ammo." I reasoned. "You lost the gunner man back there, you should do it." Without a word, the driver fired a few shots into the carriage. The greenish river water was now tinted red. The driver got back behind the wheel and we drove off down the river, unmolested, leaving the drowning Pegasus to his fate.
We had caught up with the rest of the convoy. Other parts had taken some pretty big hits. We even lost a few boats completely.
"Dang, Mr. Crest," Ralph complimented me. "You can be a real sharpshooter when you need to be. Wish we had you in the HLF earlier! Where did you learn to shoot like that?"
"Practice." I answered simply. "My dad made me put in a lot of time at the shooting range. Now I guess I can appreciate why."
"Thank you Jack," Sally said. "You saved us."
"You should thank Mom and Dad, Sally," I replied. "If it weren't for them, I never would be able to do anything like that." Stowing Mom's gun in my suitcase once more I took a few deep breaths as I calmed my nerves.
I was a bit distracted. Those screams. The sight of the man writhing on the ground as he metamorphosed into one of them, his screams, would be forever embedded into my memory. I couldn't get the sight out of my head, or the screams. How could they do this... to people? Surely people wouldn't go into the bureaus if they knew that this painful process would be repeated on them. Would they? Were people sedated? What would people do if they knew this was what really happened.
I felt a hand on my shoulder. "Hey, tiger!" I looked up. It was the driver. "We're here." She looked at me funny. "You okay, pal? Did you doze off or something?"
"I guess so." It was strange. Dozing off is not likely, for even without Equestrians shooting at us, the air boat was rather tumultuous. I guess I just spaced out again. I've been doing that more often, now. It makes me kind of worried. There I was, doing it again! Come on Jack, pull yourself together. I got up, and with the help of the driver, exited the boat. Sally, Joey and Ralph were already unloaded.
"Hurry up now, Mr. Crest," Joey called out. Another man sat on a large pile of crates next to them. He was in an army uniform, and held some kind of gun in his hand. It was a bluish gun with an orange front end, with two orange pipes going back over the gun. A trio of rectangular objects were situated on a rotation device near the back. He gave the gun to the driver as she prepared to leave. She gestured towards us.
"Go down the tunnel until you reach the warehouse at the end." The driver instructed. "There are folks down there who will take care of you and get you to the colony ships, okay?"
We nodded, and then set down the dim path. It looks like it was at some point a drainage tunnel. A damp, musty smell hung in the air, as flickering lights that swung gently with the draft were hung up every few feet. Each step resulted in a loud, hollow echo.
"I think this leads to an abandoned factory of some kind," Sally observed. A loud rattling came from down the tunnel. "Hold on, what's that?" She asked. We looked ahead. A small group of workers were pushing carts with crates on them in a single file line. We moved to the side of the tunnel to let them progress. As one of the carts passed me, I noticed something written on the boxes.
PROPERTY OF SCIENCE DIVISION 1188 [CHARGED TAU LEPTON LAUNCHER] HANDLE WITH CARE DO NOT DISTURB CONTAINER EXCESSIVELY
I could see inside the top box, as the lid was slightly askew. Inside was the strange weapon from before. The three rectangular objects were each nestled in their own foam spaces, as was the gun itself.
"Did you see that crazy looking gun?" I asked as we walked down the tunnel.
"I've never seen a gun like that before." Sally added. "And with our Dad, I would have never thought that was possible."
"I think they're New Age Weapons." Joey explained. "From what I hear, Dr. Chesterfield is trying to push the high tech weaponry to being standard issue, with all of the violence between Humans and Equestrians lately."
"I bet they're putting those guns on the air boats to help defend." I reasoned. "Well, no use musing about it now, we need to focus." We were nearing the end of the musty tunnel. A light shined at the end.
"New arrivals," a voice echoed down the hall. "Keep moving forward with your hands visible. No sudden movements." We looked at each other, and put our hands in front of us. We stepped out of the tunnel into a wide room. The tunnel came out into a depression in the floor, probably where water used to flow. Some other civilians were in the room, being processed by HLF and Army soldiers. A soldier stood to the side of our tunnel, a Tau Launcher in his hands, and a flashlight on his helmet. He patted us down briefly for any concealed weapons.
"I apologize for the scare." He said. "With those damm PER hippies running around, we have to tighten things up."
"Understandable." Joey said. "Er, do you know if this base has a way to contact Dr. Chesterfield?"
"Why do you need to know that?" The soldier asked. "Make it quick, don't want to hold up anyone who might be coming up the pipe."
"I worked with... uh, I mean, my father, Dr. Hoppner worked closely with him," Joey explained. I noticed that he made a slight slip up in his words, but I dismissed it. "I want to update Dr. Chesterfield on his findings, seeing that my father cannot do so himself." Joey finished.
The soldier took out a radio. "Get Captain Forest down here, we have a possible Zero Nine down here, over." he said Turning to us, he pointed to a ladder on the wall. "Go up the ladder and keep to the right. There will be a station where you can take your belongings. "I've asked the captain to check your story, and what will happen to you is up to him. Move along now." He waved us away. I climbed up the ladder first. Another soldier pointed us to the right.
"This way for baggage collection." he announced. Around the corner, suitcases were placed single file on a series of long tables. It didn't take long to find our three bags were right next to each other. As we took them down off of the table, a group of three soldiers approached us. The man in the center wore a red beret.
"Don't worry, I will handle this." Joey said.
"You are the possible Zero Nine?" the beret wearing soldier said to Joey.
"That is correct, Captain." Joey responded.
"Do you have ID?" The captain asked. He held out his hand. Joey took out a blue badge and handed it to the captain. The man's eyes widened. There was something that he was not expecting. "I see." he finally stated. "We will get you a link with Dr. Chesterfield at once. He will be pleased to see you. As for you three," he now addressed the rest of us. "You will continue through the process as usual. You saw nothing here, understand?"
"No, Captain, they will come with us." Joey said. The captain's eyes bugged out of his head.
"What? Do you have any idea of how much a liability that is?"
"I know, and I am confident that these people will keep secret what we need them to." Joey explained. "Besides, they deserve to know the truth, for they have protected me well." Truth? What truth? What didn't we know? And why is Joey trying to give orders to a man who could have us shot right then and there? Furthermore, why was the captain taking those orders?
"Indeed." The captain sighed in defeat. "The four of you will follow me. Don't dally." He stepped through a door to the left of us, and we drafted close behind him. The other two soldiers remained in the hall as the door closed behind us.
We were taken to a dark room. The only light came from a row of computer consoles that lined one wall of the room. A large monitor was in the center of the wall.
"Remove your cover, informant." The captain said.
"Informant?" I said to Joey. "Informant for what? When did you plan on telling us."
"I was worried about revealing myself to you." Joey responded. "You might not trust me after you know the truth. However, I hope I can make it up by saying I had complete confidence in all of you the entire time." Joey's body began to glow. I scrunched my eyes shut. The light made my head ache. At last the glow faded. In Joey's place was a mint green pony. Her mane was green and white, and she had soft golden eyes. Her flank mark was a lyre
"Mother-" I heard Ralph mutter behind me.
"Okay, okay, okay." I put my hands up. "Would someone kindly tell me what the hell is going on here?" I raised my voice.
"Mr. Crest, please calm down." the pony said. "My name is Lyra Heratstrings, manager of Equestrian-Human affairs.
"Okay, I know that. Why are you here?"
"In addition to that," Lyra continued. "I am an informant to Dr. Chesterfield. I've been helping him from inside the barrier, giving him information on what Princess Celestia's intentions are. Princess Luna is also secretly providing support for you, like me. However, Celestia manages to keep her motives hidden, even from Luna and I."
"Lyra," a technician approached us. "Dr. Chesterfield is on comms. You should speak to him at once."
"Yes, of course." Lyra went over to the giant screen. "And Jack," She added. I looked up at the pony. Her golden eyes sparkled "Thank you so much for helping me. I am sure Dr. Chesterfield would be willing to thank you as well."
On the monitor, the bearded face of Dr. Chesterfield swam into view. "Impossible!" he said. He took off his glasses and squinted at Lyra. "I can't believe you got here without getting caught. How did you do it." He raised his hands and looked away. "Oh no, tell me later. Please relay what you have learned."
The captain stepped in front of us, blocking my view. "I must ask you to leave for this. This is classified information." He escorted us out of the room. "Wait here until otherwise directed." he instructed. With a turn of his heel, he went back into the room and shut the door.
"Well, that was unexpected." I remarked simply.
"I can't believe we were helping a damm pony!" Ralph was very upset. It was clear he harbored ill will towards all ponies. Even the ones who were actually trying to help us. "She's played us all for fools."
"It makes you wonder, doesn't it?" Sally said. "Your best friend could be a pony in disguise, and you would never know."
"I don't think they worry about that here." I said. "Looks like they have a way to tell if someone is actually a pony. I'm sure there are also restrictions on which unicorns can be disguised, otherwise, we would hear about this all of the time."
"Maybe they don't want us to find out." Ralph suggested. We quieted down after that.
After a few minutes of waiting, the captain opened the door. "Dr. Chesterfield wants to speak with you three." I raised my eyebrow.
"Better not keep him waiting, guys." I said. "Lead the way, sir." We went back into the room. Dr. Chesterfield was still on the screen. Lyra sat in a chair next to the monitor. She sat upright, like a human, which I found odd.
"So you are the ones responsible for escorting my agent back to safety." Dr. Chesterfield asked.
"Yes sir," I said. "Although we didn't know it fully. It's an honor to speak to you, Doctor."
"Oh no, the honor is mine, sir." Dr. Chesterfield rebutted. "Lyra tells me you had to go through quite a lot. However, the events that occurred to you just so happen to confirm a theory of mine."
"It is clear that the Equestrians are striking first against the humans." Lyra explained. "In most skirmishes between humans and Equestrians, the latter is often the aggressors in the situation."
"So what does this mean." Sally asked.
"It means that the Equestrians are becoming openly violent to us, doesn't it?" Ralph presented his theory.
"That is correct." Dr. Chesterfield confirmed our suspicions. "We have noticed that this increase in violence occurred as soon as I gave the announcement that we would be utilizing the Extra-Terrestrial Colonization Initiative. It seems that Princess Celestia is actively trying to stop us from leaving Earth. We have caught several of her spies attempting to sabotage the evacuation procedures and space programs. Lyra has brought evidence to support this."
"Yes." Lyra said. "However, there is good news. The Evacuation Zones are close to capacity. The colony fleet may leave earlier than expected."
"That is good news." Ralph said. "The sooner we can get away from these dammed ponies, the better. No offense, Lyra."
"None taken."
"There is one last thing I want to tell you before I must send you on your way." Dr. Chesterfield mentioned. "Due to the efforts you three have taken to save my informant, oh, one moment." Dr. Chesterfield turned to the side and typed something into a keyboard off-screen. "Yes, I have booked you a suite in the Renaissance Hotel. We use the hotels to house people while they wait for Evacuation Day." That was a bit strange. We were being rewarded for something we didn't know we were doing in the first place. Finally, things were going our way for once! "Everything you need will be provided until Evacuation Day. And, as I have no need of Lyra's services anymore, she may come with you if she wishes, and you will allow it."
"You know what, guys?" Ralph stated. "I don't mind her tagging along. You can hang out with us, Lyra."
"Cool, thank you so much!" Lyra smiled and trotted over to stand beside me. I slid my hand through her mane. She giggled.
"Then it is settled." Dr. Chesterfield nodded. "You will be taken to the suite at once, and by express travel. Captain Forest will escort you down to the matter transmitter at once. Your luggage will be right behind you. Chesterfield out." The screen went black. I looked at Lyra.
"What did he mean by 'matter transmitter?'" I asked.
"I think it's a kind of teleporter that doesn't rely on magic." she responded with a small shrug. "I didn't know they were in use yet."
"Wonder what else they haven't told us." Ralph remarked snidely.
The captain with the beret stood behind us. "Folks, just follow me." He instructed, a bit kinder now that he knew that Dr. Chesterfield trusted us. He led us out of the dark room to another door down the hall. He opened the door and ushered us inside.
A large platform, able to hold at least ten people was raised above the floor. Over it, a large Tesla coil hung by cables snaked around the platform. On one wall, a tinted window hid the operators behind it and reflected my disheveled appearance back at me. Did I really look like that by now? My face was dirty and had sustained two bruises. My pants were caked with dry mud, and I had bug bites all over my arms. I look like some kind of hobo or something. I looked back at the teleporter.
"Impressive." I said as we marveled at the device.
"Step on the platform, stand still, and we'll get you through in one piece." the captain said. We climbed the steps onto the platform. The machine began to make a loud whirr. Lights began to flash. I closed my eyes. I could hear the captain shout something i couldn't understand. I opened my eyes for a moment. I saw him raise his hand. The lights forced me to screw my eyes shut once more.
"Ten, nine, eight, seven..." I heard the captain count down from ten. I felt Sally's hand in my right, and Lyra's hoof in my left.
"...Five, four..." The whirring got louder and louder. The captain's voice was barely audible over the roar of the machine.
"...Three two one." I opened my eyes just in time to see the captain bring his arm down to his side, signaling the operators behind the glass to activate the machine.
