Chapter 9: Sink Or Swim

=== The Conversion Bureau: A New Age, A New Life ===Chapter 9:  Sink or Swim===== ----- ===== ----- =====

-- Act I --

         Andre was wishing his sense of normalcy three-plus months ago was the foretelling of something that would have happened immediately. At least then he probably would have acclimated to it by now. But alas, it was not to be; that world-shattering event he predicted was hitting closer to home, as it were. Ever since then, he began having nightmares - horrifying nightmares. Night after night of them, as if his own subconscious was in open revolt against him. Or maybe, maybe it was trying to remind him of something; something he tried to bury, and had to confront before anything could move forward.

[ Earth, August 28, 2080, 3:30 AM CDT ]

         It was yet another restless night for Andre, only a couple of hours ago he was able to fall asleep. The same recurring nightmare was rearing its ugly head.

He appeared about 12 years old, he couldn't figure out why he was so young but that's how dreams worked, he figured. He would be standing on some kind of boat, he wasn't able to tell what type of boat or where he was sailing, though. The deck was full of faceless people, just shuffling to and fro and talking about something he could not perceive. The only figures beside himself he could pick out to any degree, were figures resembling his mother and father, and that's when the drama really started.

The sky turned from bluish to jet black.

Momma... dad... I'm scared... where are we going? ...

The figures became more restless, as did the sea... the boat was rocking as if suddenly they were trying to sail through a massive storm. The faceless masses scrambled, trying to get to some kind of shelter, and Andre's figure was being knocked and shoved further and further away from his parents. What disturbed him most, though? It seemed like his parents were either ambivalent or oblivious to the entire proceeding.

Wait... momma... dad... where are you going... help me... I can't move...

He got closer and closer to the supposed safety railing, but it would offer no safety. It collapsed, and Andre's figure went plummeting into the ocean of his nightmares.

HELP, SOMEONE HELP ME, PLEASE, I CAN'T SWIM... MOMMA... DAD!!

No one would offer him any help though, it was as if he just disappeared to the world. He thrashed and thrashed as the waves crashed around his head, as if the ocean was alive and wanted to drag him under.

PLEASE, FOR THE LOVE OF GOD SOMEONE HELP ME... I CAN'T SWIM... I'M GONNA DROWN... I'M GONNA DROWN...

His energy would soon be spent though, and began to sink underneath the waves... his voice growing weaker as it seemed like he was heading for an assured premature death.

I'm gonna drown.... I'm gonna drown... I'm gonna drown... I'm gonna drown...

And then... black. A lot of nothing. After which he'd wake up.

         "Goddamnit, WHY... WHY AM I STILL HAVING THAT SAME DREAM?!", he yelled at no one in particular; throwing his pillow at a mostly bare wall. He couldn't figure out why, in the last 2 or 3 months, after everything seemed to be going so well for him to that point, it seemed like his very subconscious was trying to assault him. He stared at the ceiling, trying to figure out what was causing this anguish. He thought he had buried the memories of his parents. Just thinking about them made his blood boil. "Why, why can't I stop thinking about them? I thought I was over it, I thought I was over everything...", he said, almost crying now. He wanted a respite, he wanted anything that could deliver solace to his wracked soul.

=====

         Andre's insomnia showed no relent, so finally he asked the other of the Four Amigos about what he should do. Kyoko made the suggestion that he come up to St. Louis, for a change of scenery; and Ethan and Natasha quickly agreed, seeing that the two lovebirds-in-denial could probably benefit from being together for an extended period of time. She also made mention that the St. Louis Human Conversion Bureau And Pony Rehabilitation Center was but a half-mile down the road. While a Conversion might not be in the cards this soon into the game, at least being around creatures that just exuded 'serene grace' could probably help calm him down. He eventually agreed, and arrangements were set. Twilight, to her credit, felt the strange resonance in her soul; as if some kind of higher power was about to send her a case of particular interest.

[ Earth, September 03, 2080 ]

         Early that morning right after opening time,  Kyoko and Andre walked into the Conversion Bureau's front lobby. The place had an aesthetic that neither were used to given how dreary everything outside the Domes were. The place was soothing, like an oasis of calm in a desert of stress. To that end, a not insignificant number of humans had come through the facilities on a tour, wanting to see the Ponies and start to get to know them. There were deviations though, most notably one person who seemed like he had been dragging himself through a gutter for the last five years or more.Twilight figured form her interactions to this point, that people were still not used to the Ponies' presence by and large. So to expect all but the most desperate to come through looking for Conversions this soon after opening was a fool's errand mostly. So most of her time was spend reading various books, a sleeve on her hoof for the e-book reader when she indulged in Earth-borne materials.

"Hi and welcome to the St. Louis Human Conversion Bureau And Pony Rehabilitation Center. My name is Twilight Sparkle, and how may I be of servi... Oh, it's you Kyoko and... wait, who is the male with you?" Twilight said, starting into her generic greeting before noticing Kyoko and Andre were standing in front of the lobby desk.

"Oh hey Twilight, just dropping in to see how things were going. Oh, and this is my friend Andre Bowman, he's from further south along this river, a city called Baton Rouge, " Kyoko replied.

"Hrm... Baton Rouge... ", Twilight then used her telekinesis to punch in the search parameters on an old-style mechanical keyboard and said, "Ah yes I see, Population 1.32 M, capital of the sub-territory of Louisiana, right there straddling the Mississippi River on both sides. Hrm, so what brings you up this way Mr. Andre?"

"Kyoko here wanted to show me around the Bureau. I was visiting her and her family anyway, so I said 'Well why not...'.", Andre replied with measure of trepidation.

Twilight's ears perked up at this statement. "Hrm, Kyoko is this your boyfriend you decided never to tell me about?", her tone of voice almost teasing.

Kyoko curtly replied, "No Twilight, we're just good friends, and my parents actually appreciate his help quite a bit."

Andre added, "Yeah I hope they would after I had to basically resurrect their internal computer network from the dead. Your dad is the living definition of a 'loose cannon'."

Twilight's expression went flat at the mention of Kyoko's father. When she arrived from Equestria to start her tour as the Head Administrator at the St. Louis Bureau, Dr. Hayato was ecstatic that a more 'standard' Pony was in his midst. He eagerly wanted to run all kinds of tests and whatnot; trying to determine the difference between Twilight and a Winged-Unicorn like Princess Luna.

Twilight then asked, "You know I thought they had AIs to handle that kind of stuff now, isn't that why the computer-knowledgeable humans were all still trying to find new employment?"

Andre flinched at this question, but felt he needed to answer it, "Typically yes, but he fried everything so hard that some outside help HAD to be brought in, and he absolutely insisted another human do the work. My asking price was MegaTrain fare for the next 5 years. And he quickly agreed."

Twilight was incredulous as she asked, "Really, why so much?"

Kyoko clarified, "Oh really it's not that much, the MegaTrains are super cheap because the demand is really low, and most of the Dome types have private aircraft; they hate mixing with the rabble as they say."

Twilight wondered why, with so many people that could possibly travel, that a perfectly safe and quick form of mass transit would be so cheap? After a few moments of thought, she eventually reasoned that most of the population was still too poor to care about travelling further than the town they currently resided.

         Andre sat in a chair, in order to further gather his thoughts. His mind was trying to sort through the the relatively happy family life of Kyoko; despite having parents that should, by all rights, be firmly locked up in Dome trying to build new toys or pets for the wealthy to waste their time with. Yet his parents, supposedly people of modest means, just seemed to up and disappear on him. At least that’s how he wanted to remember it. Twilight, only having a couple clients to give orientation in a couple of hours, decided to spend some time with the clearly distressed human.

"You seem distressed about something Mr. Andre...", Twilight Sparkle started.

"You can just call me 'Andre', I figure we’ll get to know each other well enough for that. And yeah, I guess it's kinda obvious I got some things rattling in this head of mine," Andre responded. Somehow looking into Twilight's eyes calmed him some, there was this creature from another world entirely, did not know him in the slightest, and she was showing genuine concern for his well being.

"Well then, Andre. Do you want to talk about what might be bothering you?", Twilight then asked.

Andre fumbled around for a response, he really couldn't talk about his nightmares, not to someone he had just met, so he began on about what he usually rambled on and on about, the state of the world, saying "I dunno, I guess everything really."

"Well that's really non-specific; anything in particular?", Twilight responded, sensing resistance in Andre's voice and countenance.

Andre then looked around the facility. The lobby was very neat and well kept, and it seemed like a cross between a lounge and a doctor's lobby. Not too many had come in for a Conversion, then again, seeing as they had just opened; it would stand to reason that traffic was light. However, his attention gravitated to someone in particular. His clothes were in tatters, clearly looking like someone that had been through hell. He was a fair-skinned man, but the hard life of drinking and eating the cruddy Multi-box produced food day in and day out with no relent had taken a toll on his body. Andre figured he was in his mid-40s, and might not make it to 70 at the rate he was going.

He then started to answer in more detail, "Look at that man over there, I can see the depression in his eyes. He probably hadn't had a good steady paycheck in years, and has to get by on vouchers. He probably has been doing nothing but trawling the 'Net and drinking whatever cheap alcohol he can get his hands on for the last few years."

Twilight looked at the man herself, she too could see the hopelessness in his eyes. She talked to him earlier, not really prying too much into his condition; but he sounded like someone who came in here figuring Ponification was the absolute last resort he had to take now. There really wasn't anything left for him in this town or maybe this whole Earth.

Andre then continued with his commentary, "There is one simple difference between him and I - age. Someone my age still has the ability, as naive as it is, to think things can get better. Someone his age, he's just been beaten down and worn out by the world. He probably has at best 15 to 20 years before he dies of liver cancer or a heart-attack, assuming some random disease or mugging doesn't end him first. At this point, he figures there isn't anything left for him here, so why not go for Ponification; pretty much the only cost of it is showing up at the Center."

Twilight felt that Andre, while entirely right in his observations, was still deflecting; but she decided not to push the issue, hoping instead that he'd open up on his own at a later time or date.

Andre concluded his observation with this, "Do you know what that kind of despair is born of? It's born out of a sense that you have no place in the world. That someone already climbed the ladder over the wall and pulled that ladder up with them. Which means there is nothing for you to do, but wait outside the wall until the Reaper calls your number."

Twilight noticed the slight rise in anger at that last statement. Abandonment issues, he feels left behind by something or someone. Her self-study of human psychology hopefully was pointing her in the right direction.

They talked some more, about another 5 to 10 minutes, before Twilight politely reminded Andre she had a job to do. She picked up a clipboard with some marked paper - a registration form or questionnaire the man had filled out. Andre could swear he saw a hint of resolve in his face now. Even if he was abandoning this life, he was going to take this second chance dammit.

If I was in his situation, could I make this decision? He thought to himself, as he and Kyoko decided to walk around some more of the facilities.

         They walked around the facilities until they got to a simulated ‘clearing’ with a glass roof. In it they saw a couple of Earth Ponies, one with a garden hose in his mouth deftly manipulating it like it was a hand. The other had a hand tiller in a terra cotta potting row, making sure the soil was properly aerated for the seeds she was about to plant. The two humans decided it was a good spot to sit before lunch.

"Oh hello Kyoko, I heard from Twilight you and a friend were taking an impromptu tour of the facilities.", Carnation Opus said while putting the tiller teeth-down on the ground near the potting row.

"Oh hey, Carnation Opus was it? But yeah, Andre and I were just passing through and we decided this would be a good place to lounge for a little while before lunchtime," Kyoko said, waving at the pink-furred and lavender-maned mare.

Hrm, strange naming conventions Equestria has. They must take the whole 'descriptive moniker' thing seriously. Andre thought to himself.

He looked all around, and he was amazed. Everything in this football field sized area was green and healthy, as if they were in a Agriculture Dome. No, it was even healthier than that. Even the air itself just felt more clean and pure.

Man, this has to be magic, straight up. He thought to himself again.

        They then went off to the cafeteria to eat. Twilight figured they would want something eat, so OK’d meals for them as well. The food selection was of course vegetarian. Both chose a nice soup at the recommendation of the Unicorn staffer; his mane in a hairnet, since even the males tended to have long ones. They both marveled at how the object a Unicorn grabbed with their levitation magic actually glowed the same color as their eyes when active, pretty convenient they thought. The real magic began when they ate.

"Oh... my... God... it tastes like... everything... ," Andre barely stammered out, his brain failing to bring up the proper words to describe what it was he was eating.

"Mmph, I... I never ate anything this good... not even when my parents and I would visit the Domes on a client call..." Kyoko replied, not being able to come up with the words either.

I don't know what it is... it's like the food was more... alive wherever it was grown... I dunno if this is magic or not, but it sure as hell tastes like it... Andre thought to himself as they wolfed down everything given to them. Neither he or Kyoko could ever remember eating this well, even when they did have access to food grown in the Domes.

Kyoko and Andre left around 4 pm, the Center usually closed at sundown except for 'emergencies', whatever that meant. Twilight bid them well until she arrived at the Isegawa Clinic. She was to take up residence there while she worked at the St Louis Center as Head Administrator. As they walked those few hundred yards back up the road, Andre felt that he needed that respite from his problems. Even if they came back to him later, at least he could reflect on this time to calm himself down. He wanted to hope as much, anyway.

Hrm, wonder if she's gonna try prying again while we're at the clinic. Andre thought, he was dreading trying to come up with something again in order to deflect from his issues.

=====

[ Earth, September 04, 2080, 3:30 AM CDT ]

         The nightmare proceeded along as it had night in and night out for the last 3 months. He was a pre-teen. He gets knocked off a boat. He thrashes about in the water trying to get anyone's attention. Tonight however, there was an extra twist of the knife his subconscious had in store for him, something that threatened to destroy his psyche, utterly.

The dream was about at the point where he was thrashing about in the water, trying to keep his head above to surface to breathe.

Help.... someone.... anyone.... Momma... Dad... HELP ME!

When two figures came to the edge of the broken railing, he thought maybe he finally would get the help he so desperately wanted.

PLEASE... HELP ME... THROW A ROPE... A LIFE PERSERVER... ANYTHING...

But they did nothing...

Why aren't you doing anything... I'm drowning.... please...

He wasn't able to see who they were at first, but when his eyes finally managed to focus on the figures, it was nothing but utter shock.

Mom... Dad... what... what are you doing...

It was as if the whole dream had slowed to a crawl.

Come on... what are you doing... help me...

The figures of his mother and father just stood there, and watched; still as if they were statues.

I'm your son... why won't you help me...

Andre's voice was steadily growing weaker and more exhausted, he was barely treading water at this point; the waves and ocean would soon claim him, yet again. The figures still just stood there, silent. Andre's plaintive cries for help not moving them to act in the slightest. He mustered enough energy for one last shout...

I'M YOUR SON... PLEASE... PLEASE HELP ME...

Then the female figure spoke, and what she would say would crush his very soul: You are no son of mine...

The dream suddenly went back to full speed. But there was no more thrashing, there was no more screaming, there was no more struggling. There was only a boy that suddenly had the will to live yanked out of his heart, just another human waiting for the Reaper to call his number.

I'm gonna drown... I'm gonna drown... I'm gonna drown...

As he sunk deeper into the depths, everything fades to black... and then Andre woke up again.

"Why?  Why did you leave me?  What did I do?  What did I do? " Andre asked to whatever would hear his voice, breaking down into open sobbing. He had spent the last fourteen year trying to repress those memories, those memories of parents that seemed to want absolutely nothing to do with him. But something - some kind of force had dredged everything up, and his mind and soul was starting to wither from the exposure.

Twilight was standing outside of the door, hearing Andre yelling in his sleep as she was passing by. She knew well enough not to interfere either physically or magically unless the subject was a clear and present danger to himself. However, she too, began to cry.

I don't know what happened, but I do believe I can help you. Even if all I can do is help you face it yourself... she thought to herself, as she stood here for a few minutes. As she walked back to her room, she wondered how she’d now have to juggle running the Bureau along with helping Andre through whatever it was that was plaguing him.

        The rest of the day, compared to yesterday, was absolutely awful for Andre. He hardly wanted to come out of his room in the inn-like section of the clinic. He did seem like someone who was drowning, but not in water this time. He hooked up a headset and his holodisk, drowning himself in media, drowning himself in games, doing everything he could to avoid going to sleep, or to avoid physical contact with anyone else. The recurring nightmare was doing nothing but grow in intensity, and Andre's mind was shrinking and cracking in the face of it. The sadness, the frustration, the anger, it was boiling  up inside of him. But it wasn't just what was built up from last night, no... it was a very long building up of emotional trauma that looked like it was going to snap his mind in two.

        As the day went by, and Andre hardly came out of his room except to get something to eat and use the restroom. The Doctors Isegawa weren't experts at psychology, but even they could tell something was devouring him inside. The final straw came after dinner. As the dishes were being put away for the machines to clean, an alarm went off, and it was coming from the residential area. All four of them immediately dropped whatever they were doing and rushed to the guest rooms, figuring it was Andre.

        When they arrived at Andre's guest room, what they found disturbed all of them. Everything was overturned that could have been overturned. The headset he was using was snapped like a twig. But what disturbed everyone the most was Andre himself. He looked like someone a few moments away from going completely berserk, all the years of emotional repression was coming out at once, and in a way that no one could claim healthy.

"Oh my God, what is going on in here?", Dr. Jun said, trying to negotiate around the broken materials in the floor.

"WHY?!  WHY?!  WHY?!   WHY DID YOU LEAVE ME?!  WHY?! TELL ME WHY DAMNIT! " Andre said, throwing the pillows around with no regard for anyone that might have been in the way. Twilight quickly began to levitate anything out of the room that might be used as an impromptu projectile.

"Leave you, who left you Andre?", Dr Hayato asked, trying to bring him down off his mental ledge.

"MOMMA, DAD! WHY?! WHY DID YOU LEAVE ME TO DROWN?! YOU KNOW GRANDPA IS SICK, WHAT HAPPENS WHEN HE DIES! ARE YOU JUST GONNA LEAVE ME OUT HERE, LEAVE ME OUT HERE TO DROWN AND DIE?!" Andre yelled and screamed, thrashing at the phantoms in his mind.

Even though Twilight knew she was an outside observer, she also guessed that she was the only person, or pony, here who had any kind of formal psychological training, albeit very brief. At least it was enough to recognize a breakdown, and use some mild mind-reading to figure out the cause; although in this case only a deaf person wouldn't be able to tell what was going on.

She first tried talking Andre down, "Andre, Andre you have to listen to us. Please you need to calm down; we can all help you get through this problem, but you have to let us help you."

Andre, fairly deep in the throes of this meltdown, was having none of it, "NO, NO ONE IS EVER GONNA HELP ME! THEY ALL CAN'T SEE ME, I'M JUST INVISIBLE! I'M NOTHING TO THEM! NO ONE CARES! NO ONE CARES WHAT HAPPENS TO ME!"

Twilight, desperate not to use her magic unless clearly necessary, made one last attempt to subdue him with words. "Please Andre. You have to get it together, you can't be helped if you are thrashing all about, please let us help you."

Andre now seemed entirely lost in himself, "NO, NO ONE CAN HELP ME! WHY WONT THEY LOOK AT ME! NO ONE WILL LOOK AT ME AT ALL! WHY, WHY CAN'T ANYONE SEE ME?! WHAT DO I HAVE TO DO FOR THEM TO SEE ME?!"

Twilight said, after casting a binding spell on Andre to ‘tie’ him down, "I did not want to use magic on you, but you left me no choice. Now please, please, talk to us, talk to all of us. We all care about you. We truly do." Twilight hoped that, even though she had only known this man for 36 hours, the words could at least bring him back down to something resembling normal.

Andre stared at Twilight for a few moments. She could see the pleading in her eyes, and the pleading in the eyes of everyone around him. The Doctors Isegawa, who so graciously allowed him to stay at their home and place of business; and Kyoko, who so desperately wanted Andre to find the exit to the abyss now wandered. Voice starting to calm down some after already expending a lot of his energy, asked "Really... you all... care about... me...?"

Kyoko, voice quivering after Andre’s outburst, replied "Yes, me, my parent, Twilight... we all care about you, we just want to see you happy. We want... to see you healthy. We want to see you 'you' again."

Andre looked down, his body still in the magical restraints, as he began to speak, "Why... why did they leave me then... why did they just leave me... 14 years... so much time I lost... so much... time...", Andre then began openly sobbing. 14 years of pent up emotion, 14 years of rationalizations, 14 years of not knowing what happened to them - all of it was finally starting to drain out of him, like the tears flowing from his eyes.

The wheels in Twilight head began turning rapidly, and she said to Andre. "I want to show you something day after tomorrow Andre, I really want you to come to the Center; and I want Kyoko to come with you as well. Just trust me, please."

Andre was safely released, it looked like the anchor around his soul was starting to loosen now. But Twilight could sense that the Andre’s journey had only begun.

===== ===== =====

-- Act II --

[ Earth, September 06, 2080 ]

        It was mid-morning; semi-cloudy, but still pretty all things considered. Andre and Kyoko were walking to the Bureau again, where they were the invited guests of Twilight Sparkle again that day. The sign-ups for that day were light, only four people had showed up so far. Twilight didn't mind though; in fact she was hoping it would be a bit of a slow day since she had a guest for Andre to talk to. After lunch, the three of them walked into one of the all-purpose conference rooms. The room was set up with chairs or cushions, depending on who exactly was sitting in them at the time. So Twilight sat to one side of the table, while Kyoko and Andre sat to another.

"Now I requested that you come here today, in order for Andre to talk to someone I’ve gotten to know a little bit in the last 2 days," Twilight started.

"Mr. Jonathan, would you please come and sit down at the table next to me?", Twilight asked of someone sitting behind a conveniently placed opaque screen.

A rusty-orange-furred and brown-maned Earth Pony walked out from behind the screen, and gingerly sat down next to Twilight.

Twilight continued, "I wanted the both of you to hear what Mr. Jonathan has to say. The fact he still uses his human name is simply for convenience. It generally takes some time before newfoals can decide upon a name, since picking the wrong name at first can cause quite a bit of issue with the paperwork in Equestria and all. Better to get it 'right' the first time. Anyway enough talking about clerical work, let's go ahead and get started. If you will Mr. Jonathan..."

The Earth Pony picked up his gaze, in order to look at the two humans sitting in front of him. He recognized them somewhat as some people who had been through the center the day he signed up, "Oh, oh yes. My name is Jonathan. You are probably wondering why I've undergone the procedure. Well it was quite simple to me. I feel that I was sorta... listlessly drifting through life. You see, I was a professor at the University of Missouri system, well, before the AIs began taking up a lot of the computing jobs."

The last couple of statements definitely caught Andre’s attention.

Jonathan continued, "Anyway as you can figure, the AIs made it near impossible to get any entry-level work in Computer Science. So most teens now just self-study in a particular field of interest and become hobbyists. With the lack of participants in the university-offered courses, my workload was whittled down to nothing. Eventually, I was fired due to overall lack of demand, and the Computer Science department shuttered.

“At first I thought I could get odd jobs to get by, but it turns out the AIs had run people out of almost all service sector jobs. What happened to heavy industry with the advance in robotics, now was happening to all non-management level workers. After a year or two of no work, I began drinking heavily. The food I was eating steadily grew worse in quality, until all I could ‘afford’ was whatever I could get out of the Multi-box with my vouchers.

"I was going nowhere fast, and basically drinking myself into the grave. But then these Ponies came, and announced their plans. I wasn't sure what to think of it though, until the Center opened a couple of weeks ago. After reading some of the literature, I decided I should try and make a new way for myself in Equestria. So here I sit before you, a yet unnamed Earth Pony, off to the Fillydelphia Adult-Learning Complex in seven days time, more or less."

Twilight then turned to Jonathan, "Thank you Mr. Jonathan, you my return to your room, your treadmill rehab session doesn't start for another 3 hours, so rest up." The brown Earth Pony nodded and trotted off back to his dorm room.

She then turned to the both of them to say, "Now I want you to understand. I did not ask Mr. Jonathan to speak before you to garner any particular sympathy or convince you to undergo Ponification. Also, he made his decision with the full knowledge that this was a one-way, permanent transformation. Despite those warnings though, he agreed anyway. He told me that basically he had nothing left on this side, so why not see if he could find something on other side. Therefore, we granted him a new, fresh body.

“If you remember 2 days ago, while we talked the first time, you correctly pointed out that he would have died of liver cancer. However, it wouldn’t have been 15 years before he ran out of time. He was probably no more than 2 years away from total liver failure, the ambient pollution aggravating his liver degrading. He effectively had no future here, so he's taking a gamble in Equestria."

Twilight then changed her tone, making it clear this was now her personal opinions she was about to give.

“Despite all the trouble and strife in his life, did you notice his eyes? His eyes were completely calm and serene. That is because the transformation sequence, at least for me, as much about allowing your heart to be opened, as  it is allowing your body to be altered. I cannot say exactly for sure what the Princesses have done with the mass-production potion, but all the Newfoals we’ve processed mentioned some kind of intensely personal vision as they underwent the procedure; as well talking to Princess Celestia and Luna themselves, or at least some reasonable facsimile."

Opening one's heart... I'd laugh if I weren't seeing it first-hand... Andre thought to himself.

Later that evening, Andre said his goodbyes to the Isegawa's and Twilight for the time being; he wanted to travel back home for a few days to assess things. Talking to Jonathan and some other rehabbing Newfoals sparked earnest interest in whether or not Ponification would be a good idea. As he rode the MegaTrain back to Baton Rouge, something else decided to try and spark interest in his Ponification.

The choice has been laid before you. Do you have the Will to grasp Power?

        Another three days passed, and Andre spent most of the time either online with the other three of the Four Amigos, or deep in thought to himself. The nightmares never went away, but at least he wasn't going into a full-blown freak-out after each one. Instead, he thought of what Twilight said at the end of his meeting with the now Ponified Professor Jonathan:

I cannot say exactly for sure what the Princesses have done with the mass-production potion, but nearly all the Newfoalswe’ve processed mentioned some kind of intensely personal vision as they underwent the procedure; as well talking to Princess Celestia and Luna themselves, or at least some reasonable facsimile.

On the third day, as he thought about Twilight's words on-and-off, he began taking serious stock in his physical surroundings. He realized that his actual possessions were quite meager - the bed was part of the apartment, as was the Multi-box and the refrigerator. The computer terminal was his, but that could be taken with him wherever he'd decide to go, at least in theory. As the various realizations began to occur to him, he got up to walk towards a shelf with a few old paper books and a picture. It was him and his grandfather while he was still alive.

He sat there thinking about his grandfather, the Doctors Isegawa, Ethan, Natasha, and most of all Kyoko. Then he thought about his parents, and his blood began to boil; but as he picked up a couch cushion to throw, he stopped. He looked again at the picture of his grandfather, and remembered some of his last words before he passed:

You can't let the circumstances with your parents be an anchor around you. If you feel you need to move, then move. A real man carries himself with prideall times, no matter where he is...

He dropped the cushion back on the couch as he sat down again, and laughed to himself as he looked up at the ceiling. He said out loud, as if he was talking to the spirit of his grandfather, "You know I never really was much of a spiritual person, but I can feel you here grandpa. I just hope that if and when I see you again, you still recognize me..."

        Andre spent the next few days getting his affairs in order. The Isegawa's allowed him to move in to the clinic, seeing as there wasn't anything to move besides his personal affects and some clothes, and they could easily cover the extra food and utilities. Ethan and Natasha also arrived at the clinic as temporary guests, marking the first time all four of them were physically in the same place. There was a damn good reason for this, Andre had indeed come to a decision. He would undergo Pontification.

[ Earth, September 12, 2080 ]

        "The St. Louis Human Conversion Bureau and Pony Rehabilitation Center, almost 2 weeks ago I came here as a guest, and now I'm coming as a client. Amazing how fast situations can change...," Andre said to himself, thinking about how before long, he'd be on the other side of the looking glass.

        Ethan was looking around the lobby, the first time he was in a center, not really thinking to visit the one in his hometown of Seattle. "I would have never believed it if you hadn't told me yourself, but I can tell in your eyes you really want to do this, Andre."

        Natasha, was also looking around at the Ponies. Despite looking all the world like living cartoon characters, she eventually grew to accept their presence. "To think that in 3 days time you'll look like a living plush doll would be too weird, if I didn’t know you like I did. The whole idea still a bit strange to me though."

        Kyoko hugged Andre tightly, not caring if anyone else just assumed they were an item, since they pretty much were without openly declaring it. "I don't care what body you're in. We'll still all be friends, I just know it."

        Twilight walked over with the registration forms, which Andre took and read over a couple of times before beginning to write down the relevant information...

Name: Andre Bowman

Age: 26

Race: African-American

Country of Origin (Residence, if different): United States of America

Known Allergies: None

Medical History: Nothing noteworthy

[...]

All in all pretty boilerplate stuff insofar as recording one's basic personal information. He did freeze, however, on page 3; in big bold print it read the following:

"I hereby state that all of the above information is accurate to the best of my knowledge. I also, hereby state that this decision is made entirely of my own free will, with no coercion or extortion involved. Finally, I hereby also recognize, that should I be accepted as a Pony, I will pledge my allegiance to both my country of citizenship, as well as Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, and the Law of Equestria."

He chuckled a bit as he signed all the relevant lines, thinking how strange it would be to still qualify for dual citizenship after changing species.

        Twilight took back the clipboard after Andre reported he finished filling out all the documents. "All right Mr. Andre Bowman. You are all registered. Now realize you have a 72 hour period to reconsider, if you take advantage of this, this signed document will be incinerated and all computer records derived from it deleted. You may come back then at a later date, but note you will have to refill the paperwork, of course.", Twilight said matter-of-factly, trying to keep this part of the process as professional as possible.

She continued, "Now during this 72 hour interstitial, there will be an orientation and distribution of preliminary educational materials. There will also be a seven day rehabilitation period post-Conversion, in order to allow your rewired brain time to adapt to your new body. Depending on what form you take after the Conversion process is completed, additional materials will be distributed, until the time you are sent to the Ponyville Newfoal Processing Center. From there, you will be sent to one of the 3 main Adult Education Complexes: Unicorns will go to Canterlot, Earth Ponies to Fillydelphia, and Pegasi to Cloudsdale."

I wonder how their city names became puns like that... the Four Amigos all thought at the same time.

"Well, I guess that means 3 days left as a standard, ordinary, run of the mill human, huh Andre?" Ethan asked with a bit of a needling tone.

"Yeah, a good run of nearly 27 years, I guess, all things considered. I mean I never got hit by a car, or never got struck by lightning," Andre replied jokingly.

"Ahh, I can understand why you are gonna do this, but I can't help but feel a little sad," Kyoko said, an air about her like she was pouting.

"Wonder why you'd be sad, I mean, it's not like you wanted to do something with him," Natasha said, obviously trying to bait Kyoko into openly admitting she had strong feelings for Andre.

"Wha... something... well I guess, maybe, Oh I don't know," Kyoko replied, obviously flustered and pouty regarding the half-way nature of her relationship with Andre.

"Yah know Kyoko, it's not like you can't take the plunge either. I'm pretty sure you'd make a great couple," Ethan said, following Natasha's lead.

Andre and Kyoko blushed and looked at each other. Kyoko turned around and began fidgeting, she had no idea what to think.

I like him... but I dunno if I like him that much... but if I really like him... but then I might not see him again for a long time... I mean once he leaves for Equestria, I might not find him even if I become a Pony... Oh what should I do... She thought to herself, obviously not knowing the answer.

        The group continued on with their weaving discussions. There was some good natured ribbing about Andre wanting to become a Pony because he seemed entirely redundant as a human, and this was his only chance to break out. Andre then suddenly started waxing philosophical, stating that could be a reason a lot of Outsiders end up taking the plunge. Despite everything President Aguillar was doing to reform things, the Dome-allied legislators might still defeat her in the coming elections. Even if they didn't, was it already too late to affect any major change?

As the four of them continued to talk through the day, moving from place to place, Twilight had some time to herself to think about the last couple of weeks, and her interaction with Andre and his friends. Celestia, we got a good one coming our way. Who knows, maybe we can get all four, make a complete set...

        After closing for normal ‘business’, Andre went with the other clients to the underground dormitories. He settled in, taking out few personal affects he brought with him in a duffel bag. Kyoko did buy him a brand new high quality, size-adjustable headset.

Hrm, I dunno if I can make use of this immediately after conversion anyway, if I read this brochure correctly all my implants and whatnot will be destroyed during the process... he thought to himself. He figured he could get Dr. Jun to modify it to operation through wired connections back to a terminal instead.

However the holo-disks and the portable terminal were quite usable post-conversion, although he really hoped he'd become a Unicorn; mostly so he wouldn't have to peck at the keys with a small stick or something. With that, he decided this would be a night to his own thoughts, as he popped in some music and drifted off to sleep.

The nightmares felt slightly less intense this time; and he was hopeful this was a sign that he was starting to resolve his issues.

[ Earth, September 13, 2080 ]

        The first real day for Andre in the center seemed like any other day before he met the other three of the Four Amigos in person. A lot of video chat, a few game sessions, some personal time with old music and television archives. He did not skip out on the various group functions, though. There were another four clients to be Converted in his group, in roughly 48 hours. People from all walks of life, each with their own particular set of issues. There was a 16 year old runaway, figuring Equestria was as good a place as any to start her life in earnest. She definitely did not want a life of being a street urchin, or worse, a sex slave. There were a couple of unemployed light construction workers, Jose and Enrique, both in their mid-40s. Neither had any steady work for about 20 years between them, so they figured why the hell not, maybe they'd make good Earth Pony engineers. Finally there was another lady, Samantha, probably in her 40s as well (but Andre wasn't going to ask). She had recently been through a particularly nasty divorce, and had the kids removed from her custody. She hoped for a fresh start in Equestria and a stallion that'd appreciate her for who she was, once she ever figured who she was. Maybe if she was lucky she could come back for her children when they were a little older and wanted to Convert themselves.

        Early that morning, they attended a class with a rather cheery Pegasus went through basic Equestrian history with them all. The topics included founding of Equestria, the first reign of Discord, the Royal Sisters, Nightmare Moon; the Pegasus lecturer trying to get as many highlights as she could in an hour and before the humans would cease paying attention. They all listened intently though, figuring that if they are going to go through all this trouble, they had better at least learn these Ponies culture and history as best they could, before having to be thrown in headfirst.

         Lunch that day was just as eventful with the other four of his Conversion-mates marveling at the Equestrian cooking. The runaway in particular was brought to tears almost, she could scarcely remember the taste of non-fabricated food. Andre just thought to himself about what Ethan and Natasha would think once if they ate here in a couple of days time, when his proverbial number was to be called.

        The afternoon session mostly involved explanations of the innate magic of the 3 races. The Pegasi had what was known as Weather Magic - they could walk on clouds from birth and were responsible for the weather in the formal territories of Equestria. The humans boggled at the thought, as they thought the entire realm over the Barrier -was- Equestria. The Unicorns had Explicit Magic - they could cast spells from their horns to all kinds of different effects. The humans wondered how they could cast without words or seals, but that was for another lesson. The Earth Ponies specialized in Life Magic - they had an ability to bring out the life in the minerals, soil, and plants they grew. There was no real discussion about the exact nature of Rock Farming, figuring the humans would find that far too strange to accept without live demonstrations and evidence.

         Then came dinner, which went a lot like lunch, except there was dessert involved as well. The 5 humans nearly keeled over from delight at how sweet and delicious the fruit pastries were. Andre figured when word got out how good the food was in Equestria, all the time, people would convert in droves for that alone.

        And so, as Andre went to sleep, he wondered what he would become by the end of the third day. He really didn't care much at that point, figuring whatever he became, he'd make do somehow. It's what he did up until now. While he was asleep, he wasn't visited by his nightmare again; instead by a disembodied voice that asked him a simple question:

There are two days left until the moment of truth. Do you have the will to grasp Power? Or will you simply be another also-ran?

Andre had no idea how to answer that question, but there was something that kept asking it of him, and he had to figure out an answer at some point.

        The second day went by much like the first, the biggest deviation being Ethan and Natasha getting their lips around some of the Ponies cooking. Andre figured it'd shock them, just like it did for pretty much everyone in the center he had talked to about the Ponies cooking. His prediction held true, as neither Ethan or Natasha ate that well before. It was so good, it left both them asking if they could just outright buy some of the dessert pastries. The cafeteria staff eventually relented, and made a few extra miniature cakes for the happy little couple to enjoy and share with Kyoko back at the Clinic.

[ Earth, September 15, 2080 ]

        As the hours of the last day for Andre as a human ticked away, he decided he had to take care of some last things. He made peace with some of the people he argued with online. He made peace with some of the people he argued with in real life, albeit online as well. The problem that kept nagging at him, on top of everything else he was dealing with at the moment: Had he made peace with himself?

        As such, the Four Amigos were all together again, watching the end-of-the-day conversions, which comprised entirely of Andre's group of converts. They wondered out loud if they would still call themselves the Four Amigos, or would it be Three Amigos + One, or some variation thereof. Either way, the order was set for this session of conversions. Andre would go last, Twilight wanting Andre see more of what was in store for him, before he felt it for himself.

Jose and Enrique went in first and second. Sure enough, both had become Earth Pony stallions (Jose was brick red and Enrique slate gray). Sharing an awkward high-hoof after the process was all done for both, they resolved to keep in contact with each other even after they were done in Fillydelphia.

Samantha was next at third, and came out a beautiful ruby-red Unicorn mare. She was absolutely shocked at her mane - naturally curly, a perfect style to show youth and vitality. She wondered what kind of magic she'd specialize in, but figured the instructors in Canterlot would know the answer to that more than anyone else.

Christina was the fourth to go, and after slightly longer in the hopper, she came out a slender Pegasus mare with an electric purple coat. Visions of her soaring through the Equestrian skies, slinging clouds to and fro, raced through her head. She was audible in her giddiness to get to Cloudsdale; Andre remarking that all Pegasi seemed impatient to him.

         Twilight then walked in, and called Andre's name, he was the last of the day. It seemed like his heart jumped up into his throat, as the repressed anxiety about the exact nature of Ponification started to hit him. He did manage settle down enough to give a hug to the other three Amigos, an extra long one to Kyoko. Kyoko was almost in tears, not sure of if they were sadness or joy. Natasha give him a fist pound, telling him not to choke while in there. Ethan only gave a salute as he walked through the door to the underground labs, Andre responding with a thumbs-up before the door closed.

        When he walked out of the elevator to the examination and observation room, he was surprised that the rooms were basically being entirely run by Ponies, save one human technician. The Unicorns manipulated the electronic controls while the Earth Ponies and Pegasi all scurried about, moving machines or cleaning the floors, getting everything nice and clean for their next arrival.

It's a shame that only Unicorns can really use our tech well. Hopefully I can do something to help that once this is all said and done. He thought to himself, as he disrobed and put on the medical smock.

Twilight was already in the observation room, making sure there were no anomalies. She had direct lines to all manner of Pony doctors, if there was a post-transformation issue; the human technician there if there was some kind of electronics glitch that prevented proper observation. By being a Bearer of Harmony, she also had a direct line to Celestia and Luna, should something truly surprising, or catastrophic, happen.

"Alright Andre, since you are by all accounts a healthy and normal case, you will receive the standard serum.", Twilight said into the microphone.

Andre looked over and saw the serum. It was a purplish color, smelled slightly of grapes, and there was a metallic sheen to the slightly viscous liquid.

"Now if you please, first lay on the bed, then drink the dosage of serum the attendant gives you. After 10 seconds you will fall asleep and the process will begin, " Twilight said, all the while making sure the sensors in the wall were providing the proper readouts.

Alright then, here is to a new me, I guess... he said, drinking the serum and then laying on his side.

May Celestia and Luna watch over you my friend. Twilight inwardly prayed.

=---- ----=

        Andre soon found himself floating around the Astral Plane, not knowing his soul had been disloged from his body. He had no idea how much time was passing, and had no real way to tell. Soon, thousands of images flew by, showing seemingly random points in Equestrian history - the Founding, the Rise of Celestia and Luna, The Fall of Discord, and on it went until he began to see a massive heard of Ponies in all colors and sizes.

He saw 'flocks' of Pegasi in the skies, all colors of the rainbow,; some doing all manners of tricks in the heavens, while others managed the clouds with the assistance of their Weather Magic.

Flying without assistance... Controlling the weather... something mankind has only dreamed about... Andre said to himself

He saw Earth Ponies in the forests and fields, using their Life Magic tending to the tress and animals, growing whatever they needed to feed themselves and build with.

Taking care of the environment as a group... instead of just leaving it to a minority of activists...

He saw Unicorns in buildings and great Castles, practicing the Explicit Magic he was told; all sorts of spells - Levitation, Mind Reading, Fortune Telling.

The intellectual pursuits...all supported by each other for the benefit of everyone...instead of just trying to make a profit...

He felt at peace, almost as if the world itself was calling out to him. In fact, this Astral Projection of Equestria itself was calling out to him.

Welcome our new brother. We graciously await your arrival in our lands. Soon your heart shall be put at ease you embark on a new journey of self-discovery...

If he could have cried as a disembodied soul, he would have.

Immediately his vision was shifted, like a camera that panned up to the sky. He watched the sky cleanly divide itself into equal halves. The daytime half with the Sun bright and golden against the clear blue. The nighttime half with the Moon brilliant and silver against the indigo with untold number of stars. The two heavenly bodies then descended came out the skies and began to form into ethereal version of Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, sitting at a dual-throne in an equally ethereal Canterlot Castle. He suddenly saw himself sitting on a pictogram of the Elements of Harmony, which he innately recognized but could not tell why.

The Vision of Princess Luna then spoke "Andre, son of the House of Bowman of Earth. Born on the 23rd Day of January, Earth Year B.C.E. 2054. You come before us to seek a rebirth into our Herd and Family. Do you understand the ramifications of this decision?"

Andre spoke with clarity and purpose, if he showed any hesitation now, who knows what would happen to him. "Yes Princess Luna, I understand I will forfeit my Human body in favor of the Body of a Pony from this Land."

The Vision of Princess Celestia then spoke, "Do you understand that this decision is final, and the process irreversible?"

Andre stated, "Yes Princess Celestia, I understand this decision is final and this process is irreversible."

The Vision of Princess Luna then spoke, "Do you understand that your form will be selected once you receive the Spark of our Magic. Also, that selection of form is entirely random and can in no way influenced by any entity, not even ourselves?"

Andre stated, "Yes Princess Luna, I understand my new body will be determined here and now, and I do accept this Spark."

A white light appeared behind the visions of the Royal Princesses. It looked like a miniature, baseball-sized star of the most pure white Andre could imagine.

After which, Princess Celestia then stated, shifting from the tone of a monarch to the tone of a mother, "It is agreed. Andre Jamison of Earth, you will be imbued with this Spark and be reborn as a member of our Herd. Please accept this with all your Heart and Soul."

Andre stated, with some relief in his voice, "Yes ma'am Princess Celestia, I do indeed accept this Spark."

Both Princesses then spoke, "THEN LET IT BE SO!"

As soon as the Spark of Equestrian Spark merged with Andre's soul, a massive bang could be heard all through the Astral Plane.

=---=

As Twilight watched the transformation continuing as usual, she could feel a dramatic shift in the ambient mana of the area. Eventually, she realized it was coming from the examination room, there were two sources of mana where there should have only been one.

What in all... where is that other mana coming from? This doesn't make any sen.... OH MY CELESTIA!

It was then she saw the normally somewhat gleaming white body of a human undergoing transformation, suddenly become a positively radiating... blue?

SINCE WHEN DID THEY GLOW BLUE?!

She scrambled around trying to figure out if the readings or her own eyes were being false. Neither were; as far as the sensors were concerned nothing was out of the ordinary. But no human she converted ever glowed this bright, and DEFINITELY not anything but white. It was then she was suddenly struck with a realization, this was in all likelihood related to the visions the Princesses and other Bearers were sharing now!

Princess Celestia! Princess Celestia! We have a Code Blue! We have a Code Blue! she shouted telepathically to Princess Celestia, trying her best not to show outwardly the inward panic she was experiencing.

Code Blue... what in... wait... okay Twilight, I understand. Luna and I will deal with this right away... she heard back from Celestia, as herself and Luna began to manifest in the Astral Plane fully.

=---=

Andre's soul was in incredible pain, the normally gentle white glow had turned blue, his ‘body’ positively crackling with energy. "WHY... DOES... EVERYTHING... HURT!" he shouted, having no idea what was going on, as it felt like two distinct entities were fighting over his body and tearing him apart in the process.

"We are not sure, but we have our suspicions, and what is going on under you will reveal all soon." Princess Luna said, eyes narrowed, as Celestia and herself manifested in place of their Astral Projections.

The entire environment of the Astral Plane was now altered, transforming into in a cavern-turned-shrine. The image of the Six Elements of Harmony now replaced by a large circle. Said circle was completely gray, and covered with extremely faded runes; the magic it represented was extremely ancient and almost completely faded from either world’s collective memory

"I suspected as much. No wonder the images we saw in our visions were so obscured... ," Princess Celestia said, as she looked at the circle Andre's soul was camped out on.

"Images... of... what?" Andre asked, struggling to formulate any kind of speech in the state he was in.

I believe I can answer that question... Suddenly spoke an ancient voice. The Royal Sisters recognized that voice as the same of their visions.

Princess Luna was absolutely stunned that voice would choose now to respond in the Astral Plane, "Sister, that's the voice from the visions of ourselves and the Bearers of the Elements of Harmony!"

Princess Celestia was also surprised, as she looked around for some figure to focus her attention on. Not finding anything to focus her attention on besides Andre’s soul struggling to reconcile the two Magics, she spoke out in general, hoping the voice in question would respond, "Voice from our visions, we request that you explain what is happening before us. My sister and I feel that this has something to do what the visions you have sent to ourselves and the Bearers of the Elements of Harmony."

The ancient voice then responded to the request of Celestia: Keepers of the Other World. You have done well in your machinations. While my world is dying, you are filling it with a new life, a new energy. However, my will still exists, and I must ensure that my legacy does not fade into oblivion.

"What you mean by 'your Legacy'?" Princess Luna asked.

Once again, the ancient voice responded: My Magic once flowed through this world, but an ancient Cataclysm forced me to seal it. Once it was sealed, the knowledge of Magic slowly faded from this world, to where it only exists and mere fairy tales to my Children. The introduction of your Magic, slight as it has been so far, has been enough torekindle the desire for it in earnest.

My Magic is ancient - it is Power incarnate, but it lacks Will. Your Magic, it is Will in its purest form, but it lacks Power. Magic is incomplete without both Will and Power. Four of my Children retain Shards of my Power in it’s most elementary form. If those Children are exposed to your Magic... that Shard will regenerate, and a Conduit will be born.These Conduits will be for me what your Bearers are for you. Once all Ten Conduits and Bearers are fully realized, A New Age can be forged.

The ancient voice then began to address Andre specifically. Child, your soul bears one of these shards. Now you face a choice - to awaken that shard of my Magic comes with a Trial. One must face the very darkness that pervades their heart and conquer it, before they may be granted my Power. If you accept this Trial of the Soul and pass, you will be granted a Magic that no one from either World has seen in eons. If you accept but fail, your very soul will be destroyed and your body rendered lifeless and inert. The shard shall then embed itself in another of my Children's Souls. If you reject this Trial, your memory will be purged completely and the shard reassigned; while you wouldcontinue to live in the Body of one from the Other World, you will remember nothing of your life to this point as one of my Children.

Andre thought about this hard, through the very assault his soul was under. He then came to a realization, he is a Child of Terra; and even if he is in another form, he will forever be a Child of Terra. He also wanted to begin his life anew - if this world would offer him nothing, then he needed to move on to proverbial greener pastures.

Andre then gave his response to the Ancient Voice's question, "Lady... Voice... Whatever you are... I have 2 words for you: Trial Accepted."

He felt both the Spark of Terra and the Spark of Equestria leave his soul, floating as a blue and white baseball-sized orbs respectively. The ancient voice then made one last statement before the Trial began:

Remember Child, you must overcome your darkness in order to embrace the light. Succeed, and you will begin walking the Path of Will and Power. Fail, and you will only walk the Path of Oblivion. I pray for your ultimate success.

With that said, the scene shifted to something deeply familiar to Andre.

"No... not this.... not this again..." He said, his voice obviously quaking with fear. He recognized the form he was in, that twelve year old boy. On the boat. It was his nightmare again, this time in full force.

"Luna... what is this... this looks like something you would conjure up." Celestia asked of Luna, she knew that dreamscapes were part of Luna's duty as Princess of the Moon.

"I see. Celestia, this is his greatest nightmare; although since he is Human, I cannot pinpoint its psychological origin..." Luna said, trying to read the actions and Andre's soul as best she could manage.

The trial started exactly as his nightmare usually did. The boat began to bob and rock violently, the sea was churning like a storm was overhead. The sky was black as pitch, and the faceless masses shoved and bounced him around like a pinball as they tried to save themselves.

Mom, Dad, I'm right here... Please... help me... I don't want to get lost again.

He heard no answer though. Although he could see their figures, they just stood there like statues, ignoring his pleas.

Please... I'm begging you... help me... help me!

He continued to be bounced and knocked around, and just like in his nightmare, he crashed right through the supposed safety railing and fell into the sea below.

HELP! HELP! SOMEONE HELP ME! SOMEONE HELP ME! Andre yelled as he thrashed around, trying to get anyone's attention.

The figures of his mother and father appeared at the edge of the boat, looking over the broken railing at their 'son' thrashing around in the roiling ocean.

Please Momma, Dad, help me, please get some help...

That is when he heard his mother speak, that voice he tried to forget these last fourteen years:Then why didn't you do like we asked?All we asked you to do go to the schools we told you to. Go to the churches we told you to. You were such a disobedient child. Always running to my father whenever we made you do something you didn't want to. It was for your own good, though. The Domes don't accept troublemakers...

Andre was at his mental limit, his soul couldn't take this torture for much longer, as his glow began to fade.

But... I just wanted to be me... was that so wrong... I just wanted to find my own way...

His mother began to speak again: I wanted so much for you. You could have had everything in the Domes. Everything a human could have always wanted. But no...you had to be an insolent little brat. So... I did what you always wanted;I left you with your precious grandfather. If you wanted to suffer outside like the rest of them,the so be it. I don't needa son that refuses to obey his own mother.

Andre was fading fast - his soul’s white glow now turning black. The human-like form he retained now starting to crumble under the crushing pressure of all the emotional trauma being dredged up. He was rapidly losing the will to live, the will to continue on...

I... why... how... no... it... nothing... nothing... that's all I am... nothing... that's all I'll ever be... nothing...

His ‘body’ continue to sink into the astral ocean, the pressure growing greater and greater. His soul nearly faded to black, and with it his life was ready to come to an abrupt end... but something else had other designs for him.

Andre... I thought I taught you better than that...

The new voice that surrounded him began to rekindle his will to live, his soul now glowing very faintly, but glowing nontheless. He looked around the blue-black morass, trying to find whatever it was that was speaking to him now. Then he realized exactly who it was.

Grandpa?  Is that you?

Andre, remember what I told you. No matter where you go, you will always carry your pride as a man. You cannot let the memory of your parents destroy that pride... to destroy your very being. You cannot let that anchor drag and hold you under. You are greater than that, and this world has greater things for you...

His ‘body’ came to a stop; his soul glowing brighter. He had enough of the self-destruction, the self-pity, the avoidance. If he wanted to live, he would have to come to some kind of catharsis, he’d have to cut that anchor that was dragging him into oblivion.

They left me with my grandpa because they didn't want me. But that was just them;my grandpa took me in with open arms. Even though he was one man in a world falling apart, he saw enough in me to raise me when they abdicated. Evenafter he died...I still carried his lessons, I still carried his spirit. I wanted to grow as a man, I wanted to make my place in the world the way I wanted to.

His soul was aglow now, like a soft nightlight in a pitch black room. As he continued on, he began to realize just what his grandfather was talking about when he kept referring to an ‘anchor’.

But that's not what my parents wanted... they wanted something of me I didn't want... they wanted me to be something I couldn't... I couldn't be a liar... I couldn't be a cheat... I couldn't be so... so false, so transparently false... a false piety, false ethics, all to justify their own selfishness...

Andre's soul regained its former radiance, now glowing like a lantern in the dark depths. The water that tried to drown him now was receding and formed a bubble around his soul’s ‘body’.

Those bastards in the Domes were no different, they preach delusions of their own grandeur and superiority... all for their own selfishness... They think themselves gods... They don’t control anything... None of them know what they are doing...so self-destructive... they'd kill the Earth itself if it got them another bauble, another trinket... I won't let that happen... I want everyone to have the Earth... I want everyone to share the Earth... Humans, Equestrians, Plant, Animal, whatever... the Earth is too precious to divvy up amongst some self-professed gods among Men.

His ‘soul’s body was now shining like a star as he began to come to his catharsis, and realized the path he now had to walk.

I WANT TO SAVE IT... I WANT TO SAVE THE EARTH... THEY CAN'T HAVE IT... I WON'T LET THEM HAVE IT... VOICE... I DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU ARE... BUT IF YOU HAVE POWER TO GRANT IT TO ME, THEN I WANT IT. I WANT THE POWER TO SAVE THE EARTH FROM ANYTHING THAT'D DESTROY IT!

So you have wished it, so it shall be granted!

The waters that once tried to drown him now supported him. The bubble that surrounded his soul while in the ocean now floated calmly on the surface, as the rest of said ocean reduced to blue particles of light. Eventually they coalesced back into the Blue Spark of Terra; White Spark of Equestria reappearing next to it as well.

As the scene shifted back to ancient shirne. Andre floated down on the bubble, with the circle he was sitting on before now glowing. The north end of the circle, directly in front of Andre, was glowing the same blue of the Spark of Terra. The runes of the circle began to appear more legible, Andre reaching out to trace their figure, as if he was trying to read the extremely ancient script. Both Sparks drifted in front of him, dancing around like fae inviting him to come and play.

“These... sparks... they’re both mine?” Andre asked, obviously not knowing what was going on with the dancing orbs.

The ancient voice then took the tone of a being of great power.  As you accept both Sparks of each World, you will be conferred the Body of their World. This will mark your rebirth as the Conduit of Water. There are still three other Conduits to find, and they must be found with the utmost urgency. Do not fear the Power that has been conferred to you; so long as you maintain your Will, it will bring you no harm.

The ancient voice's tone then shifted to that from a bearer of power, to that of a great matron.  Before you return to the physical world...although you may occupy the body of the Other World,you will remain my Child. As a Child of Both Worlds, let no one convince you that you must forsake the other, nor forget the other in order to continue on your path of Life.

"Yes, I won't Voice. I most definitely won't forget, " Andre said.

"We will not forget either,” Celestia said, as Luna and herself reappeared before Andre in the cave-like shrine, “Now, Andre, shall we resume where we left off?"

"Yes, Princess Celestia. I ready now, more so than ever." Andre replied, voice full of energy and life.

Assuming the role as the Supreme Monarchs of Equestria, both Celestia and Luna asked, in unison, "Andre Bowman of Earth: do you accept Both of these Sparks, - the Spark of Terran and the Spark of Equestrian Magic, so that we together may forge a New Age for both our Worlds?"

Andre answered, with no trepidation or regret, "Yes, yes I accept both of these Sparks and my role in forging the New Age to come."

Both Luna and Celestia nodded and smiled, and Andre breathed a sigh of relief. Princess Celestia then said, like a mother welcoming a new child, "Come my little Pony, come and forge a new path as a Child of Both Worlds."

Princess Luna then said, like a teacher welcoming a new student, "Come my little Pony, come and learn of your new Role in this great Cosmic Dance of Life."

Both said in unison, like the leaders and mentors they were, "Come our new little Pony, come and let us forge A New Age together!"

Andre's soul merged with both Sparks, feeling the calming waves washing over him as he embarked on the next phase of his life.

Don’t forget Andre, you’ll always carry your pride as a man... no matter where you are...

Thanks grandpa, I’ll definitely remember that...

=---- ----=

The exam room was still glowing a brilliant blue; and Twilight was glowing an equally brilliant violet as her Element of Magic began resonating with whatever force was coming from the exam room.

What is it... something is going on in there, My Element senses something, like it found a long lost brother... Twilight tried to ask Celestia telepathically, now visibly showing signs of having no idea of what was going on.

Yes Twilight, an long lost Powerhas begun to reawaken, kin to your Elements of Harmony. Celestia told her telepathically, she was already in transit and would be there in moments.

"A long lost Power... long lost Power... THE VISIONS!" Twilight said, dashing out the room, knocking over almost everyone and everything in her path. Thankfully door to the exam room was only ten feet away from the observation room’s door.

As soon as she opened the doors, she could feel the sheer magnitude of the magical force being exuded. She began to panic, fearing for the life of the human technician working in the exam room...

“Do not fear Twilight, the human assistant will not be affected by this particular outburst,” Celestia said as she manifested next to Twilight, outside of the exam room.

Twilight was still somewhat panicky as she reliped. "Why not?! I thought raw magic was lethal..."

"Raw Thaumatic Radiation is lethal yes, this however is something born of Earth, not Equestria,” Celestia responded, wanting to see how the Bearer of this new Power would manifest for herself.

"Wait you mean....,” Twilight managed to say, finally beginning to realize the magnitude of what was going on in the exam room.

"Yes, as you will see in a few moments..."

The blue wave of energy began to subside, which the Pony technicians in the room was thankful for. The sheer pressure of the Magic being exuded from the cooling figure was making it incredibly difficult for anyone to breathe, even for the hardy Earth Pony assistants.

"Ugh... whole... everything... hurts..." said a male voice, body obscured by the sheer glow he was still putting out.

The wave now completely subsided, and the glare off the new body on the exam table cooled and dissipated. The figure that was left before Celestia, Twilight, and the remaining lab technicians was a Unicorn stallion. His coat a brilliant royal blue; and mane like color-desaturated cobalt powder with well defined white streaks mixed in. On his chest and around his neck, a medallion made out of sapphires set in some strange pale blue metal. Twilight then saw the symbol, and was stunned by what it was. It was the now clear version of the obscured blue figure in her visions - a very large yet seemingly simple raindrop, the Terran Element of Water.

Andre then opened his eyes, irises colored like sky itself. Although, as a male, his eyes weren't quite as big as Twilight's, they still covered much of his face.

Oh my Celestia... he's... he's... so handsome... Twilight thought to herself, momentarily stunned by the vulnerable visage before her.

Andre then began to speak; same voice as before, but now dead tired from the metaphysical struggles he recently endured. "I take it... by Twi's reaction... the procedure... was a success?"

Celestia responded, with all manner of warmth and comfort. "My new little Pony, it was a smashing success."