> The Conversion Bureau: South America > by ComatoseVEVO > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- > Chapter 1 While the hours tick by. > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Smoke billowed out of burning buildings in the background, Lima, Peru was still somewhat recognizable as the former capital of the extinct Republic of Peru, however the copious fires and destroyed houses created a visage not unlike desolation. This is getting ridiculous- I thought angrily- not only are our supplies running low, but we have also scavenged everything in the city, if we can’t find anything soon, we will have to move someplace else. “Yo, Leo, you, okay? – a 27 year old guy with auburn hair with short and unkempt look, Felipe asked while he mindlessly chewed on a piece of pony roast- you seemed rather… gone for a second there.” “Not really bro”- my mind endlessly raced with thoughts, old and new worries bubbling to the surface- it’s just, I don’t really know what to do anymore, our supplies run shorter every day and there’s fewer in the big supermarkets of the area, not to mention two close calls with the pony army almost getting found out, I’m starting to think we should pack up and run elsewhere.” “Don’t you worry, if we stick together and stay focused, we will all make it, we always do” Felipe countered rapidly, a reassuring smile adorned his face. “we just have hold tight until they move their FOB away, then all we have to do is move up until reaching the States and join the local resistance, the radio’s been fuzzy lately but in some frequencies I’ve heard whispers of a big one hiding in the outskirts of Atlanta, and that they plan on attacking the Bureau.” “Even with the possibility of joining the resistance we have to be careful, especially with Cathy, she’s still too young to fight, however she has to take interest in training in order for her to help in the future, since she lost her mother not so long ago, she’s been mourning constantly.”- I replied with a tired sigh- “I can only hope to whatever is out there that we can survive, we need more people too, a group of ten is decent but it lacks any major fighting potential, and just the local Equestrian detachment is over 10.000 strong, and it’s one of the smaller ones.” “I’d never taken you to be the religious type” -Felipe grinned mischievously at me- of maybe you’ve been hiding it from us?” “Now is not the time for jokes, you jackass” A tall and athletic girl in her mid-twenties, her light brown hair caught in a slight breeze, Paula interjected while punching him in the back of the head lightly. “Now eat the meat before it gets cold, that’s bad for your stomach” “Thank you, Paula, you’re such a big help, hell if it weren’t for you the camp would be in anarchy- I replied with cheer- I am curious though, where did you get this pony, they don’t tend to go alone” “Well, on the last scavenging run, Me and Felipe went to a run-down supermarket, sadly it was empty, but we found this orange and blue pony standing guard with his back to us, so we killed him and brought him here” she replied with a smile “And I have to ask, has Cathy eaten anything? She’s been like this for a week now, is there a way of helping her?” “No, she hasn’t, I’ve tried to coax her into eating meat, but she refuses, at least she still drinks water” I replied with a sigh. “I really don’t know what to do, normally it would be a shrink, but that’s not really an option now, is it?” “Damn, we can only hope she can deal with her loss, some people never recover and right now she needs all her wits about her to survive this mess” She added, cursing under her breath. “Has she at least eaten some protein bars?” “Yes, at least she eats those, but she’s still refusing to eat meat” I sighed I noted that I’ve done that a lot lately, nevertheless I still have a mission, I have to protect Cathy with my life, no matter the costs " Paula.....” “What?” she replied looking over to my direction “What is it Leo?” I caught myself before doing something really stupid. “It’s nothing, just a train of thought, I’ll go and explore more of the building, take care of Cathy while I’m gone, Okay?” “You have my word, My Friend” She replied smiling softly” She won’t leave my sight even for a second” “Thanks, Paula” I smiled and thought “At least there’s still someone I can trust my life with” I began to don myself with my weapons of choice; The Combat Knife, I decided to call Luna, my three throwing knifes; My Machete, which I named Celestia and The Combat Shotgun, I baptized as Applejack. I also grabbed some bandages and extra shells for Applejack. And put on a mask that kept my face hidden to everyone. Even though I knew that the ponies would not hesitate to kill or convert me, it was better to remain hidden. Sometimes, it was Life or Death, and I wasn’t about to surrender myself to those ponies. “Better to go now” I mused to myself “After all, the darker, the better” New Canterlot, Old France, Earth Everything was going according to the plan, her Newfoals and Ponies were decimating what remained of the miserable Humans. Except Him, that human had been a nuisance ever since the beginning of The Convergence War, his head was at an all-time high of one hundred million bits to anypony who brought his head to her throne, yet there was no such luck, everypony, griffon or mercenary she sent there never came back, it was almost as if He disappeared by the art of magic, which wasn’t possible due to Humans not possessing the ability to harness magic like any of her perfect little ponies could. And that led to the latest report of failure by her so called “Elite Forces” “What do you mean he escaped again” Helias Astra’s, more known as Queen Celestia of The Royal Sun’s angry voice shouted to the guardspony currently cowering beneath her unforgiving glare “Well? I demand answers!” “I’m sorry Your Grace, it’s just that the human keeps eluding our search patrols” Stated a cowering voice belonging to the guard, his brow was full of sweat and his normally glistening golden amour was battered and unpolished, dotted with holes. His blue mane was ragged and unkempt “please don’t smite me Your Highness” “I accept your apology” -the guard released a sigh of relief- “However that does not excuse you from failing me “Astra’s indignated voice spat at him “you will receive the same punishment that traitors receive, now die you worm!” “No please, Princess, have mer-” he was however cut short as a giant fireball encompassed his body and he began to scream in agony, the shrieks his throat emitted gurgled for a second and then, silence. “Worthless pawn, you have failed me, once again. but no more” Astra’s voice declared “may your soul forever burn in Tartarus” she seethed, as she walked off into the halls of the former Palace of Versailles. She had to admit to herself that it was truly a great piece of architecture, even if it was made by those disgusting humans. She then directed her attention towards a pony with purple and golden amour, the current Captain of her guard and successor of the traitorous Shining Armor. “Captain Stalwart, dispatch a platoon to capture the peskiest of humans, don’t bother to convert him, I want him here, alive, we have some unsettled scores to even out.” “Yes, Your Highness, it shall be done at once, may I ask something, Your Grace?” Captain Stalwart inquired in a timid voice, fearing the worst. “What is it, Captain, I don’t have all evening.” “Where is the last known location of the human, Your Highness?” Stalwart asked, wording his question carefully, lest it cost him his life. “To have a better point of reference where to begin his search” “The last report of this human’s activity was in Old Britain, Captain” Helias Astra’s voice resonated through the halls, as if they produced an endless echo. all sound stopped; the hoof-falls of Captain Stalwart were no longer audible. “How is that possible, humans are destroyed when in contact with The Barrier” The shocked answer of the Captain broke the silence that had befallen them. “He should be dead.” “I don’t know Captain, but I suspect it has something to do with Sister dear and my Niece” Astra’s reply sounded, like a thousand drums of war had been stricken at the exact same time a roaring inferno ignited in her eyes as she spat those words of hatred intermingled with a hint of pain. But the pain was drowned in an ocean of despite and hatred. “Captain, find the human, bring him back here, I don’t care if you lose all your stallions, I want him here, NOW!!!” “At once, Your Highness, my Stallions and I won’t fail you, I promise.” The Captain sounded off, trotting fast towards the barracks. He had a job to do, and he would not fail his Goddess. “Prepare yourself Ape, because today you shall meet your end” Crystal Empire, Frozen North, Rebel HQ It was a frigid day, even by the Frozen North’s standards. The facility had to be constantly heated via magic and the Crystal Guard had nothing to do but to sit there heating the HQ up, the unicorns at least. the earth ponies, pegasi and threstals did commoner chores but not less important, yet nopony could shake the feeling that they were being watched with every single move, from the shadows. in truth they were being watched, but not watched by the Treacherous Sun Goddess but by their princesses, they watched to see how they coped with their new rebel lives. “Luna, this can’t go like this any longer, if it does, I’m afraid our ponies will snap” The worried voice of Princess Mi Amore Cadenza resonated throughout the cold corridors. “If they snap that can lead them to go towards Celestia’s side, seeking peace” Princess Luna whirled around glaring at her niece, her eyes white with fury and magic “That monster is not the Tia We knew, thou know that very well Cadence, you knew it from the moment she started with this wretched campaign to wipe out the Humans” replied Luna she took a moment to calm herself and looked Princess Cadence in the eye " We’re sorry niece, it was unbecoming of us to shout towards an equal” “There’s nothing to be sorry about auntie, this war has gotten into us in some way or another” Replied Cadence, compassion and understanding shining in her eyes “How do you think the Humans are doing?” “Bad, that is for sure, the last report that came from the spies we have in Helias Astra’s ranks are of mass murder and raping; they say that The Tyrant’s stallions are remorseless, every town they enter, only ponies go out alive, the rest however, aren’t that lucky.” “What kind of fell magic could be ailing Aunty?” The concerned Alicorn questioned “Aunty Celestia would never do such cruel things!” “We do not know dear Cadence, whatever it is must be a spell of the foulest proceedings, and powerful too, Tia is a powerful being, not any kind of spell would be capable of infecting her mind.” Luna answered somberly, dreading whatever being could pull this off “We suspect a magical entity could tempt her over the years as it happened to us, but the Nightmare was never this brutal, it just wanted what I wanted at that moment, that everypony could partake in my nightly creations, but in it’s own twisted way.” “Then this is something else, could have an old enemy escaped imprisonment?” Cadence thought about her own run ins with Equestrian enemies, Chrysalis could replace her, but she could not imitate her magic, not only that, all she wanted was love, by turning herself into Celestia she’d have all she could ever need, she would gain nothing from converting the humans and hunting them to extinction and King Sombra was not a likely option either, as he was destroyed by the Crystal Heart. New Canterlot, Old France, Palace of Versailles Rapid hoof steps echoed down one of the many corridors of the palace, the owner of those hoof steps was quickly scrambling away from her teacher. There was no stopping now, Celestia had gone mad, insane even, when she saw Celestia kill that poor pony begging for his life, her eyes filled with so much condescendence, the gurgling screams of the deceased guard haunted her like angry ghosts, she could not stop, not after what she had seen, it was all so shocking, but at the same time made oh, so much sense, The constant chatter behind the closed doors of the Princess’ chambers, only to be greeted with only Princess Celestia there, all those times she had seen a glassy-eyed pony bow to her so low that his/her stomach was touching the floor, the over-zealous preachers of “The Will Of Helias Astra”, everything led to one heart-wrenching conclusion; Celestia was no longer her Celestia. “No, no! it can’t be true!” Twilight screamed in her mind, she fought back tears that had been threatening to come out, chocking back a sob she quickly reached the entrance of the Palace of Versailles and spread her wings, even if her watery eyes impeded her line of sight, blurring things together, Twilight couldn’t care less. Finally, as she soared over the grassy fields of Prance*, she found peace, the tears no longer painful, streaked down her muzzle, matting her violet fur. “I’ve got to find Luna and Cadence. Unknown to her, yellow eyes with red irises watched from the distance, narrowing as she sped up. “What are you up to, Princess Twilight?” The eyes asked to no one, the pupils shrinking to the size of pins as a sudden realization hit the entity, a flash of light later, in place of the eyes a grey bee with the same eyes plus a goatee hovered in place, after a few seconds, the tiny insect sped forwards, heading the same way Princess Twilight took off to. “I’ve got to warn Lulu and Cady, if She sent her there, then there’s no telling what she might do The lush pastures dotted with patches of trees gave way to mountain ranges and misty mountain tops, a volcano smoked from a distance signaling it’s inevitable release, the scenery blurred together as Discord sped behind Twilight, the Alicorn being just a dot in the distance, finally the continent ended and the Mediterranean Sea reigned over the expanse of Discord’s field of view, soon a small landmass was seen in the horizon, increasing in size, The Island of Equestria, as the Humans dubbed it. He reached the shore entering the docks of Manehattan, Twilight suddenly veered to the left, causing Discord to fly past her, but a quick teleport and he was behind her yet again, finally confirming his suspicions; Twilight was heading to the Frozen North. The lush green pastures and snowy mountains gave way to frozen tundras and ice banks, the weather became chilly, and a snowstorm began picking up, effectively shortening Discord’s range of sight. “Damn, I’ll need to fly faster if I want to get there in time. come on wings do not fail me now! “Discord thought frantically, pumping his little bee wings. “Screw it, if I don’t teleport now, I won’t make it in time!” With that final thought he concentrated on the two magical signatures of the royal mares, willing himself on the destination he honed more closely on Luna’s signature, hoping to appear in front of her. “Good, they are alone, this’ll make things faster” He vanished in flash of light. Twilight looked back confused, feeling the magical excitation of the field, she stopped for a moment to catch her breath and investigate the odd occurrence. “That’s weird, I could have sworn I felt something familiar, chaotic even” she said aloud while the cogs in her brain turned, with a furrowed brow and pensive look she quickly reached the logical conclusion. “AHA! Discord, that must mean I am in the right track” “We do not know, there are many mysteries populating our world, before we can do anything about it, we have to discern what caused her to become this twisted version of herself” Luna added sagely taking a deep breath to clear her thoughts she was interrupted by a familiar magical disruption “Brace, dear niece, Lord Discord has decided to pay us an unannounced visit” As soon as she finished speaking an anomaly could be seen forming in front of them twisting the space around it as if a spherical glass orb was in front of them, it only lasted for an instant ending by shrinking and giving a small pop and flash marking the brand of magic the Chaos Lord possessed, in front of them stood, looking concerned Luna steeled herself, as whatever made the chaos lord this worried surely can’t be good “What happened Discord? What distr-” She was cut off by a frazzled Discord “Lulu, It’s Twilight she’s coming this way, when I teleported, she was about 10 kilometers away from the Cristal Empire” he said frantically while waving his mismatched arms about as a madpony. “I began following her at the Palace of Versailles and she came directly here, we don’t have much time!” “Please Discord, there is no way she can find this facility, it’s in the middle of nowhere and has a ton of warding and alteration spells” she assured confidently. “My sister’s apprentice may be a prodigious mage but even she cannot crack every ward” As soon as she finished saying this an alarm began blaring through the base, outside the room guards hoofsteps could be heard galloping in a well-practiced scramble, Shining Armor burst into the room and saluted. “Your Highness there has been an unknown contact with the outer perimeter spell, the guard has already mobilized to the entrance and are holding and waiting for instructions” Shining Armor broke his salute and looked sternly towards Cadence. “Dear, you should go to Flurry’s room, Discord, Luna and I have this one covered” Luna teleported her royal combat armor onto her body, the dark blue hue of the steel achieved through an illusion spell powered by the Onyx gem in the center of the breastplate, Discord shook himself to shake the nervousness away and they both followed Shining to the main entrance.