Bridging Ages, Bridging Worlds

by BlueDWarrior

Rating: teen
Tags: Other, Romance, Princess Luna, Original Character, Adventure, Princess Celestia, Human, Main 6, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Alternate Universe
Length: 220571

Two worlds have to learn how to cope when their fates and populations become increasingly intertwined.

Formerly The Conversion Bureau: A New Age, A New Life

In the year 2080, Humanity sits at a crossroads. Technological innovations have advanced to the point to where most mundane tasks can be accomplished by machines, as well as the nano-scale manufacture of most materials. However, the greed of a few and the lingering ecological devastation to get to said point leaves humanity on the precipice of nothing short of a society-ending cataclysm.

Seeing this, visitors from another world wish to aid Humanity along this crossroad. Unfortunately, due to circumstances beyond any's control, there is no recourse for moving any human off-world, so any disaster could potentially overwhelm any assistance Equestria can render.

Actually... there is one option those of Earth have if they wish to leave. Though is it an option that anyone would even accept existing, let alone take advantage of?

And what happens when an ancient entity sees said option as the first step in correcting a grave error she had committed so many eons ago?

ARC I: A New Beginning (Chapters 1 - 4) -- Introduces the feature characters of Part I for the most part.
ARC II: A New (Old) Magic (Chapters 5-14) -- The Conversions of the Four Conduits and their trails in re-igniting Terran Magic.
ARC III: A New Movement (Chapters 15+) -- Magic is unsealed on Earth, and the various extra-governmental groups begin to form.

General Story Notes:

1) This is a general rewrite of The Conversion Bureau: A New Age, A New Life. While the general plot outline will (hopefully) remain the same; specific interactions and characterizations will be clarified, modified, or outright reworked in order, to I feel, better facilitate my storytelling.

2) Once the original chapters (which can be downloaded from here as an EPUB or as a PDF ) are done being rewritten, Part II will be merged into this story space and that second one will be formally deleted.

3) If you are so inclined, I've also preserved all the original comments on the story as they were posted immediately before initial chapter deletion (viewable here)

4) While the general tone of the story is general flavors of adventure, there are some long phases of slice of life and world building. Because for whatever reason the Administration decided that Slice of Life and Adventure are mutually exclusive tagging-wise.

5) The Equestria (and the wider world of Equestria which I term Equus) is a heavily modified Equestria from the end of Season 2. Therefore consider it an Alternate Universe that runs mostly parallel with canon from S1 and S2; though I always reserve the right to use any bits from S3 or the ongoing S4.

6) Yes this is still a TCB story, but I feel that the grouping, my own statements, and the plot itself would kinda beat that into people's heads, so including it the title was just further redundancy.

WARNING To New Readers: Any canon character used is subject to MY Personal interpretation of that character. If you believe this is a problem in any specific scene or in general, do not be afraid to ask how or why I am using a character a certain way. I actually like the discussions in these regards.

( Original Vector art for the Elements of Harmony )

Published 2012-03-20 07:14:03 UTC
Last updated 2017-04-06 02:00:14 UTC

CH 2: Bridging the Gaps

Chapter 2: The Other World

Equestria, a world seemingly out of the fever dreams of some little girl who really, really, REALLY liked small horses and seemingly wanted to see them dunked in vats of every hue and neutral color one could conceive. It was a seemingly idyllic place, the world you retreat to when life was giving you way too much shit and you just wanted to not have to deal with it all. You know, the kind of world where gigantic winged lion-like creatures used to eat you for dinner for no other reason than that they found you tasty. Or a world where giant mythological beasts were common enough to be able to be recognized on first blush. Or a world where one of the rulers, while in the throes in what some callous humans would consider a fit of pique, damn near caused a mass extinction event. Or a world where the sentient incarnation of an abstract concept nearly caused the fabric of reality to come apart at the seams. You know, the kind of place you want to retire in. It had been some time though since the aborted Second Age of Discord. Everyone affected were mostly recovered, some wanted to forget but it was impossible to, not that anyone really should have. The world had seemingly gone entirely 'Coocoo for Cocoa Puffs' as those in our first world may have put it some time ago, and as those in our first world can tell you, when the world itself goes mad, it's really, REALLY hard not to just lose your wits yourself.

[ Roughly 2:30 PM Canterlot (CNT) Time ]

Princess Celestia was winding down yet another day of entertaining the aristocracy, dealing with the various requests for funding of various projects from the various city-states that the various denizens of this very varied nation of Equestria housed. One could almost see the exasperation on her face at having to deal with this drudgery, a mare demigod Princess wearing the Queenly Mask indeed. She wondered how long she was going to last at this rate, couldn't she transition to some kind of constitutional monarchy? Then again seeing personally for over a thousand years just how airheaded a lot of the supposed nobility was and still were, it was probably in her best interest to just endure until there were enough Ponies with the horse-sense to delegate authority to. The regal white Winged-Unicorn, the very embodiment of all 3 Races of Ponykind and Avatar of the Sun, stood up from the throne and excused herself after her daily business with the subjects was concluded. She was so very thankful to the 6 Bearers of the Elements, not only had they defeated her Mad God of a sister but purified her to the point where she could be rehabilitated to her former glory.

She checked the ledger to know when exactly to wake up Luna so that she could get herself ready to for the daily ceremony of the Setting Sun And Rising Moon. It was the Vernal Equinox, the time of the year where Day and Night time-wise were more or less equal. So she set off walked through the hallways, her regal mane flowing like a spectral sunrise, teal flowing in to lavender flowing into pink flowing back into teal, like some endless living gradient. Of course she could have teleported directly into her sister's chamber, but being the wry and sentimental sort, she just liked walking through her expansive castle. This Vernal Equinox however was very special, so special that, if events that were to unfold progressed properly, would forever go down in the history of both Equestria and whatever nations were on the other world she and Luna found some months ago. She inwardly prayed to the very cosmos itself, "I hope nobody leaked what is about to happen, it would be extremely difficult to suppress the information otherwise. Not without making myself like some sort of paranoid tyrant, anyway." Both sisters had to adhere to the schedule set well in advance, and be very extremely cautious about their use of magic before now; because what they were about to attempt with the 6 Bearers of the Elements Of Harmony completely flew in the face all known study of Equestrian Magic for the last few millennia.

Meanwhile in Luna's chamber, there were 7 figures standing around her Royal Bed. One, a bright-violet colored Unicorn: the concerned student of the previously mentioned Avatar of the Sun and, until the last few years, de-facto absolute ruler Equestria, a Pony of incredible raw magical power but seemingly of very fragile psyche. Two, a snow white Unicorn: self-described fashionista, generous but a very bright streak of vanity that some would find, off-putting at first. Three, a pumpkin-colored Earth-Pony: strength well beyond her class, second in her town only to her brother, and sense of pride about a big as he is. Four, a cotton-candy pink Earth-Pony: a mare with a 100-track mind all seemingly going in loops around each other yet somehow only rarely piling up. Five, a cotton-candy cyan Pegasus: rainbow-maned and fast as tropical storm's gale, but can root herself in a line of thought a deep as the oldest oak tree. Six, a pastel yellow Pegasus: meek around those of her kind, but a will forged out of solid titanium. The seventh was a violet and emerald fledgling dragon, not too long ago hatched and looking around nervously as he was in the private chambers of one of the co-rulers of their world.

"Ok now when exactly we're we supposed to wake her up, I mean you can't pull something this big first thing out of bed.", Rainbow Dash asked to nopony in particular, hoping that Twilight already knew the procedure.

"I can't believe both of them talked us into doing this. Something like this hasn't even been attempted in eons.", Rarity quipped, still incredulous to the whole idea but hey, if the Princesses put her up to it must be for a damn good reason.

"Wow I just hope there is gonna be a REALLY big spread after this, I mean, if we're pulling magic that hasn't been done in how many centuries then we are gonna be really tired so we are gonna need a looooooot of sweets to perk us right back up when we're done right?", said Pinkie Pie, trying to be as quiet as she could manage.

"I just hope what we are doing won't hurt anyone or anything, it would be really awful if the whole world just cracked or something." said Fluttershy, voice perfectly suited for talking while a demigod was slumbering next to her.

"Shoot, I might be a bit of firecracker but I have to agree with Flutter, something this big could crack up the world even more fierce than Discord could have...", Applejack said

"Ok, on that point I don't even think it's possible to do something greater than a full-blown reality warper. But it does seem like we're attempting something someone of his caliber could pull off. And Rainbow Dash, considering it's 2:30 PM, and we have to have this ready to go by 5:30 PM, let's see though..." Twilight Sparkle said as she levitated a scroll out of her saddle bag, "... hrm, it seems here we have to have her awake by 2:45 PM, which is kinda early for her but this is a very unusual case." she concluded.

"Ok so who is gonna do the deed? I mean I don't want her going all Canterlot Voice on me, it's like a megaphone with built in wind machine.", Rainbow Dash asked somewhat sheepishly, feeling the Royal Canterlot Voice in action some months before.

All six of the Ponies looked back at the purple Dragon with built in fax machine, Spike.

"Oh no, ohhh no. You are not asking me to try and wake up the co-ruler and pony that could throw me halfway back to Ponyville half asleep.", Spike said, backing up towards the door, looking for some kind escape route.

Just then the chamber door flew open, not all the way to slam against the back walls, but enough to launch Spike in a nice little arc directly onto the middle of the back of the now formerly sound asleep Night Princess.

"Should we try and bar the windows so we aren't having to follow a purple contrail halfway back to Ponyville?", Applejack asked with all earnestness.

Rarity and Twilight quickly grabbed cushions or anything via telekinesis that could keep Spike from being launched out of the room at near-escape velocity.

"JUST WHAT IN THE BLUE AND BLACK COSMOS IS GOING ON IN HERE AND WHO WOKE ME UP BEFORE MY APPOINTED TIME!", Luna yelled at about half-strength Royal Canterlot Voice. This was enough, though, to blow everypony's mane back and practically straight. Spike, for his troubles, was only launched as far the canopy of Luna's bed, his head easily piercing it.

"Still a bit sour when you are awakened even a bit early, I see. Glad to see some things are still the same." Celestia said, finally reaching the chamber of her sister.

Luna was beginning to regain her calm and regal demeanor, "Hrmph, well if someone could have kept their assistant in check then maybe we wouldn't have been roused 12 minutes early. We do not appreciate being a landing pad for a draconic projectile."

"Speaking of which, can I have some space to get myself down? I really would like to get out of his canopy without hitting you again.", Spike said, trying to be as polite as one can be sticking head first outside of their princess's bed canopy.

"We apologize for the rude remarks, we are a tad bit 'disoriented' and 'grumpy' as it were when first being roused.", Luna remarked apologetically, while levitating Spike down out of her canopy and aside Twilight, still frozen in place, mane still at a 90 degree angle to her neck. In fact all 6 of the 'normal' ponies seemed stunned in to total silence after being at Ground Zero for a Royal Canterlot Burst.

"Woah, that was... woah...", Pinkie Pie barely managed to get out, her voice almost at Fluttershy's normal decibel level.

"I must say, that would come in handy when trying to address a crowd of several thousand at a time...", Rarity remarked, as everyone's mane was more or less starting to poof back into place.

"That'd definitely clear every tree in Sweet Apple Acres. Only take a few minutes to do it too.", Applejack said, trademark hat embedded in one of Luna's indigo walls.

"I've been in downbursts less strong than that, same ones that can blow a hole through most roofs if we don't aim 'em right.", Rainbow Dash quipped trying to hide her absolute awe of the spectacle.

Fluttershy was mostly still and silent, at least her moving mane back into place, wondering how anyone could generate that decibel level without ripping their vocal cords clean out.

"I must say, the Royal Canterlot Voice is something else, heh heh heh.", Twilight Sparkle said, trying desperately to make light of the situation.

Spike was just happy he wasn't head first through fabric or being unceremoniously air-mailed back to the Ponyville Library.

--- [3:15 PM CNT Time] ---

After the eventful rousing of Luna and making sure Fluttershy was still capable of speaking in complete sentences (both of which were successfully confirmed), all nine of them walked through the many, many hallways and catacombs of Canterlot Castle. All of six of the Bearers were taking mental notes as best they could, trying to figure out when would be the best time to get a full tour from top to bottom. Spike was just wondering if there was going to be a post-whatever dinner. Canterlot Castle was built after the Nightmare Moon incident, when the castle at what is now the Everfree Forest was basically leveled to the ground. So many rooms had been built by Celestia, trying to take the place of her Sister as head magical scholar and teacher; but she could not keep up the strain of running a nation and a university at the same time. So many of those same rooms fell into disrepair, acting as monuments to the 1000 years of solitary rule by Celestia, and an incredibly depressing and lonely monument at that.

Luna then spoke up to everyone present, "As we have explained to you all before today, several months ago, we noticed a severe anomaly in the mana flow of this world. When we investigated further, we came into contact with an entire cosmos that is both like and unlike ours. We then realized that there are four specific days of that it would be the easiest to probe this world for information and observe things. These line up with our Vernal and Autumnal Equinoxes, and our Summer and Winter Solstices."

Fluttershy, finally able to actually talk after a good half hour, asked "So, even though we've only found the planet a few months ago, why are rushing to try and make contact with it, wouldn't it be better to wait until we can formulate something more... sound?"

Luna answered with all honesty but trying to retain tact, "To be perfectly honest Bearer of Kindness, we do not know how much time we have until their kind reaches the Point of No Return. We cannot even be sure they haven't already passed it."

Rainbow Dash then spoke up, "Okay so let's get this straight. We just found a planet, that is in a whole other universe, but close enough to ours to reach, and we don't even know if the things we'd be trying to reach will be there to be reached?"

Celestia took that question, "Rainbow Dash, this may come as a shock to you and the rest of the Element Bearers... but the artifacts that have given you the power to fight Nightmare Moon and Discord are the very proof that this was at one point very much possible."

The Six Element Bearers and Dragon stopped dead in their tracks. None of them, not even Twilight Sparkle, the most studious pony any of them knew, had absolutely zero clue that the Elements of Harmony had that magnitude of power.

Rarity being the clever girl she was, started to put two and two together. "Wait... you said before that all 8 of us were needed yes?"

Celestia affirmed her statement.

"Then this has something to do with the Elements themselves, do they not?" Rarity then continued the questioning, everyone having resumed walking before.

Luna affirmed her statement.

Rarity, trying to put the pieces together, suddenly begin a train of insight "Oh my... I think I have the answer. What if the Six Elements were part of some greater entity..."

Fluttershy, starting to catch on to this train of thought continued "Well, it seems like when we use them, they all get funneled into a great burst..."

Rainbow Dash continued "Ok I get ya, I know when we use them, I feel  like we're are performing 1000 Sonic Rainbooms at once, at least..."

Applejack then picked up "Yeah, even though we're at the middle of the flash, I can still see the rainbow colors around the edges and..."

Pinkie Pie quipped up "Ohh Ohh it's like a REALLY REALLY Big and Pure Light, like the most purest pure light that you could ever get and..."

Twilight Sparkle finished the statement, "Princess Celestia? Princess Luna? I believe what we are trying to say is, that, well... we think that the Elements of Harmony were part of some ancient thing of incalculable power and force."

Luna, realizing that Twilight and her friends have stumbled onto the ancient secret through mere deduction, decided to start the true briefing on the plan a little early, or she would had Celestia not already teleported them to the chamber they were walking to.

"Sister, I thought we were not to use any Magic at all until the operation started..." Luna tersely said to her sister.

Celestia simply answered, "I'm fairly sure moving us 200 lengths down the hall wont deplete my mana reserve terribly."

"Wait, why would use a teleport just to move us... what in the world?", Twilight said before being simply dumbstruck by the sight before her and the others.

They all stood before a truly massive door, a door with what looked like a very faded rainbow connecting two orbs together etched into and then and painted onto it.

"Fillies and Gentledragon, what you are about to see has not been seen by any mortal eye in nearly the entire history of Equestria as a nation." Celestia said as she motioned Luna other side of the door.

The two Winged-Unicorns began to charge their magic through a pair of locks on the sides of the door. Soon the entire door began to glow, and was slowly being pulled apart, gears on the inside making it like a giant split sliding door.

What the seven others saw inside truly inspired a sense of awe beyond description.

Ch 3: Changes

Chapter 3: History of the Rainbow

[ 3:30 PM Canterlot Time ]

          What the seven non-immortals of this group saw stretched even their minds as to what was acceptable in this land of highly concentrated magic. They saw a cliff-side and a waterfall with no obvious source of water. They saw lush and verdant fields stretch into infinity in one direction. They saw thick forests filled with every possible kind of tree stretch into another. In yet another direction they saw a clear and deep blue ocean, the pool formed by the waterfall emptying into it.

Above them was the strangest sight however. A clear blue sky, not just blue-painted walls of a cave, but an actual sky. Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy could feel this space had its own weather, and it was perfectly balanced. Pinkie Pie and AppleJack could feel the ground beneath them was incredibly healthy and pure, like anything could grow here. Rarity and Twilight Sparkle could feel the mana flow in this space, and it was impossibly pure. In fact, those were the two words that perfectly described what was behind the doors as the Princesses closed behind the nine of them, "impossible" and "pure".

          They continued walking through this space until they reached a monument. This monument was incredibly simple by Pony standards. There were six spaces in the middle of a raised platform, all around it were pools of water and various shrubbery. It was as this point that the two Royal Sisters bid their seven guests to sit and listen. There were two more hours until the operation was to begin, and they all had to know what exactly it was they were attempting to do today. Celestia was the first to speak,

"My Little Ponies and Dragon companion,I would like you all to look around you at this small monument. What you see before you is the remnants of the progenitor force to your Elements of Harmony."

Rainbow Dash was confused by particular words being used. "The Progei-what force?"

Luna answered, "More simply put, this is what existed before, and led the Elements of Harmony."

Celestia continued the explanation. "Indeed, Luna. The Elements of Harmony were derived from the residual magic of the Rainbow of Light, after a great cataclysm befell our world and the other world we have spoken of before."

This made Twilight Sparkle perk up. She had seen some of the ancient records. They spoke of a 'sister' world to theirs, a world with an entirely different set of magic, and even the users of this magic were also wildly different. They looked like highly evolved bipedal apes, all manners of browns and tans from light cream to dark chocolate.

 But then, the records of these creatures just ceased, as if something had severed the link and the ancient Ponies just lost all contact with them. Eventually, knowledge of these creatures faded from the minds of Ponykind entirely.

Twilight Sparkle sat there and trembled at the thought, she could not help but speaking; but what she was about to say could shake her five friends down to their cores, "Humans. The world you have been observing is the Human World that we lost contact with eons ago, isn't it?"

"What, Humans,” Rarity exclaimed, “you know those are an old mare's tale! I mean honestly, they looked just glorified apes; a bit skinny yes but primates still the same." Herself nor any of her other friends could even imagine that creatures of legend could have been real, in any fashion.

Celestia figured a reaction like this from all but Twilight, so she motioned all seven of them to gather around her before the platform; there was a long and sordid history lesson about to begin. "My Little Ponies (and Dragon). What Twilight has deduced is absolutely correct. However, in order to explain everything, I must start at the beginning."

"Before I begin, I must warn you what I am about to say, if I were to say it in public, would most likely have every pony that ever heard it repeated believe me or Luna or both of us to have finally gone senile.", Celestia chuckled, quietly musing on how a being that didn't necessarily suffer brain degeneration could go senile. "As I said before, the Rainbow of Light was one the forces that bridged the two worlds you saw represented by those two orbs on the door leading into this Space. As far as me or Luna can reason or research, that Rainbow pre-dates even Luna and myself. This connection worked both ways, the Ancient Humans and Ancient Ponies were in constant contact with each other, sharing ideas and magic.”

“Being industrious tool-makers, they created devices far beyond ours now that utilized their brand of magic, and we showed them how to affect their environment to a degree far greater than what they managed on their own. However, like many Golden Ages, it was not meant to last. Some unforeseen cataclysm occurred in the space between our two worlds, and completely shattered the link. After that, we have no idea what happened to the Humans until we recently began to come back into phase with their world, and we could observe and dive into their information networks."

Celestia paused in order to take a drink from one of the pool-springs around the monument. "After that cataclysm, we only barely managed to stave off a massive ice age. A story similar to what we tell during Hearth's Warming Eve. We as a species only managed this by taking the residual magic from the Rainbow of Light and concentrating it into new entities to be used - these are your Elements of Harmony. All the excess magic eventually became embedded into the material of the world itself; that now residual magic is at its highest concentration here, in this self-contained space, now acting as a silent monument to the source of all Equestrian Magic and endpoint to a bridge to another world."

          Celestia and Luna took a short break from the story to allow the six bearers of Harmony to digest what they heard so far. Applejack was the first to recover long enough to ask any kind of question, "Alright, so I can get that we're all holding somethin that's a piece of somethin way bigger; but how could a whole separate world exist and nopony even know about it?"

Luna fielded this question, "There are infinite number of cosmos large and small that exist along ours in their own spaces. Some are made of nothing but empty, still particles; effectively 'dead' and waiting recycling. Some are roiling pits of pure energy, no sense or reason to anything. Most however are functioning universes; although there is nothing to say they work in a way that we'd recognize. The world we were connected to was a part of one of these latter universes."

Twilight was already trying to simplify the story. "Ok, I think I got the gist of what you've just told us. One, this particular space is the source-point of what used to be the singular source of magic for this world. two, That source of magic helped connect us to an entirely different world. And three, some kind of cosmic disaster shattered the bridge and our source of magic, which we had to turn into the six Elements of Harmony now."

Luna congratulated her on being able to reduce the story down to its salient points so quickly, remarking to herself she might have been her protégé if her jealousy hadn’t flared up so badly it required her being sent Moon all those thousand years ago.

Pinkie Pie then began to attempt to put two and two together. "Ok, so we have the Elements of Harmony and you all have your own power, are we gonna try and make a new Rainbow of Light or something?"

Celestia responded, "No, with our current resources we can only create an imperfect substitute, and it would only allow those that use Equestrian Magic to traverse it."

Rainbow Dash asked a question she really didn’t want an answer to, but somehow it escaped her lips anyway. "Well, just how much power would it take to actually rebuild the Rainbow of Light?"

Luna answered, "To use the energy released from your Sonic Rainboom as a reference point; consider having ten million of those events, all occurring within a space of 1 cubic standard horse-length, simultaneously. This phenomenon would then need to occur repeatedly over the span of 1 year, in order to roughly equal the amount of energy to form and sustain the Rainbow of Light for ten days, give or take three hours. Or to be more blunt, an amount that, if not restrained, would reduce this entire realm to ashes several hundred times over."

Rainbow Dash did not know what made her feel worse: the techno-babble or the feeling of gross inadequacy.

Celestia and Luna exchanged glances, they had explained the purpose of the meeting here, but now they had to explain the why. They were dreading this, because neither of them had any ability to foresee how their charges would react to this part of the story they had to tell, and they only had this evening to commence the operation; lest they lose another 3 months in re-attempting it.

[ 4:00 PM Canterlot Time ]

          Celestia was now standing on the raised platform of the monument proper, marveling at how well the inscribed magic circle had held up all of these millennia of disuse.

She then turned around to address the Bearers properly. "Now that we have established the what we are attempting today, we now need to establish the purpose in constructing this bridge to the second world. When we first began looking at the world, it was entirely alien to us. There was almost zero magic, there were gigantic areas of rampant and unrestrained urbanization and industrialization, and the wild flora and fauna was dead or dying.”

“But what disturbed us most were the people. They were just shuffling to and fro from place to place, seemingly no purpose to their motions. It was like watching a gigantic group of creatures being mind-controlled, yet we could perceive no source of this control. Then we saw them. There were these Domes made of some material, the beings that lived in them lived protected from the ravages of the outside world in their view. Their plants and animals were healthy as far as they could tell. They had plenty of fresh food to eat. Honestly the idea sickened us - we couldn't tell what kind of creature would establish this order of business and think it to be right in any way. "

          "That was before we began trawling their history - that shocked us even more. Rampant wars, genocides, slavery... we thought these were the signs of a species that had gone insane. That was until we got all the way back to the beginnings of their civilization. Once we did, everything we had seen until that point made sense. While Pony Society was built around co-operation because we could actively manage our environment, they could not. At some point their magic simply ceased working; there were no clues left behind so we cannot even hazard a guess as to why it did. They were left to a world that was cold, desolate, and cutthroat. Eventually, humans had to become the same way, otherwise they would have gone extinct."

Everyone gasped, trying to contemplate a world where they had no control over anything and were left to the mercy of forces larger than themselves. Fluttershy figured it would have been like trying to live in the Everfree Forest, but now the Forest was a whole world.

"The hyper-competitive death game life became on Earth began to plague Mankind as a society. While Ponies are not immune to the psychological monsters of Greed, Envy, and Hatred, Mankind seemed especially brutalized by them. They were locked in a constant mental war, yet, over the long haul, they had begun to progress and expand their territories. Not disease, not plague, not natural disaster, nothing could ultimately stop their expansion, even if the expansion was not even and uniform.”

“But eventually, they had run out of places to expand. So then they began to develop mentally; their science had become their replacement for magic. They began to utilize the primal forces of their universe to their own ends. Perhaps if they were given more time, and were in and environment that was more forgiving, they would not be in the condition they are in now."

Applejack raised her hoof in order to ask a question. "What do you mean 'be in an environment that was more forgivin'? Couldn't they just do it on their own, it seemed like whatever had happened all those years ago haven't stopped them."

Luna offered this response, feeling her sister needed a break from speaking anyway. "Bearer of Honesty, in our world, Ponies are more or less free to pursue their own talents so long as they do not directly interfere in the business or pursuits of others. Sometimes this causes conflict, sometimes it doesn't, but in general we are able to resolve this differences amicably. Humans however, due to the uneven nature of resources in their world and their general scarcity, generally don't resolve these differences peacefully. Many ideologies have arisen, preventing the artistic from sharing their works. Industries have arisen, attempting to crowd out and control the flow of revenue to enrich themselves at the expense of others. The basic notions of competition had stretched from the physical to the abstract, and those who were already entrenched would do anything to preserve themselves.”

“However, the march of progress left many to the dustbin of their history; many institutions and entire nations became so rigid and brittle they could no longer adapt, and they simply ceased to exist. However those that still had resources or gained them suddenly; instead of seeing the need to become more flexible, instead became intransigent. Wars, both physical and cultural began to be fought. Unfortunately for the larger population, those with resources seemed to win each time. But those victories have come at an extreme cost for the supposed victors."

Although the six Bearers were still mostly ignorant of the exact specifics of things, they felt that what Luna was about to tell them would be nothing they otherwise wanted to hear.

"Quite simply, in their need to preserve their profits and standing in the greater society, they failed at industrializing in a way that would maintain their environment - fear of losing their money or position caused them to blithely ignore or hate those that'd tell them their path was self-destructive. People, just needing money to purchase food and shelter, did whatever they could do appease those providing them with work, if for nothing else a few extra coins of pay. Many movements sprang up, attempting to make the payment structure more fair to themselves, the workers, but eventually they fizzled as the wealthy browbeat the politicians into line, at least those who weren't of the wealthy themselves.”

“Other movements sprang up, attempting to warn the public of the dangers of this malformed industrialization, how the world's climate and environment could not be managed given their abilities at that point, so they had to be extremely careful how they produced their finished products. These warnings fell on deaf ears though, the whole of humanity is being forced to suffer for the sins of an so-called elite few. We frankly find this situation for our ancient allies to be unbearable."

          Luna still was not finished, and then began to get to the real meat of the issue. "The elite eventually saw the error of their ways, and the population felt hopeful that finally the whole of humanity could do something to make their world a better place. However that was not what the elite of this world seemed to have in mind. Instead, the final hammer on the public's psyche was dropped.”

“The Domed Cities, the supposed salvation for the population from the ravages of a world gone mad, were only to be for those who could afford it. The wealthy and well-connected were effectively abandoning the rest of mankind to suffer the wrath of a world alone. The machines the wealthy created had taken away their purpose, hardly anyone could be employed anymore. Their art soon began to suffer as well, the wealthy no longer wanting to bother with the needs or concerns of flesh-and-blood people. Soon virtual people began to take the place of performers, mechanical puppets did the work of healthy people, for virtually no cost to the owners of industry. "

          Luna was struggling to hold an aura of neutrality, starting to sound more like someone preaching than someone teaching. "Billions upon billions just left to fend for themselves, their only solace was a world-wide information network to occupy their minds and machines that could manufacture enough food for them to fill their bellies. But even this will not last. Those with power, instead of wielding it to help preserve their species, may have damned it to extinction by their malfeasance. Their domes are imperfect and their energy sources unreliable. The weather and pollution of their world grow worse and worse. If the current trend is not arrested and reversed, Earth itself will be rendered barren wasteland, through war or otherwise."

 [ 5:00 PM Canterlot Time ]

          The six Bearers had been transfixed by Celestia and Luna's rhetoric. They had effectively volunteered for a mission of mercy now, they were going to go help these people escape the hell that was not of their own choosing. Celestia and Luna directed them along the platform. It was an incredibly complex magical array, which needed the 6 Elements of Harmony and another source of raw magic to amplify it enough in order to form a link.  As Luna stated, there was not enough raw energy in order to recreate their end of the bridge, but a reasonably stable link could be formed that'd get Ponies to and fro from the other world and Equestria.

 But there was a problem. How exactly do you keep an entire species from jumping off the proverbial ledge? They collectively asked Celestia this question, and Celestia began to think for a few moments. It was a question herself and Luna had been debating these last few months. All of the information they had to dredge up and process, all of the simulations they had to run. No matter what they tried though, all of the simulations were leading them to the same conclusion, and that conclusion disturbed the both of them. Celestia sighed heavily - she knew what she was about to say might shock them so badly they'd want to run and leave and never have anything to do with either of them again; she again inwardly prayed they were of stronger mind than that.

          Celestia took that leap of faith, "Both myself and my sister have been in deep deliberations between ourselves about how to handle this situation. The idea in general was to bring the humans to Equestria and house them here while we figure out if anything could be done to help repair their world. So we began running magical simulations based upon the physical structure of both modern Ponies and modern Humans.”

“Modern Ponies, i.e. us, can travel to and from Earth without much trouble. We would have to take precautions against the pollution, but that is not a terrible issue for us. Modern Humans however, have it far worse. If a Human was to come to Equestria, they would fall deathly ill. The background magic in our world is now poison to them. Unless we constantly shielded them from the raw magical radiation, they would most likely only survive a maximum of 72 hours, dying from accumulated radiation poisoning. Thankfully, actively invoked or processed magical spells and treatments do not harm the human body as far as we can tell, most likely it was embedded into their DNA from their ancestors having used magic as well."

          The Six Bearers all discussed amongst themselves what this meant. They simply could not bring Humans from Earth into Equestria, not unless they were to die within 3 days. No one could call that saving anything.

“Couldn’t we just use our magic to fix their world?” Rainbow Dash asked, hoping there was a simple way out of this problem.

Celestia sighed as she replied. “The problem with that solution is the scale and time-frame. Compared to Equestria, Earth is simply gargantuan. It would take years, possibly decades to repair the damage, and the raw magic that'd have to be funneled through the proposed portal would introduce the same potential for mass radiation poisoning that relocating them here as-is would.”

The phrase ‘as-is’ set Twilight's mind to racing, the implications making her queasy. She then asked a question to hopefully alleviate her fears, "Princess Celestia. Princess Luna. With all due respect. I'm trying to think through how this all could work. And quite frankly, I cannot come up with a solution. But you wouldn’t have us doing this if there wasn't one you all already had in mind. So please, I need you all to tell us. What exactly it is we are about to embark on?"

Princess Celestia's aura of motherly affectation suddenly turned cold. She had shifted from the visage of a matron to that of someone who was not only a ruler, but one who held power for a very long time, and good chunk of that time absolute and unquestioned.

But her seeming coldness was not due to the probing questions of her student. No, this was for the future she foresaw. "My Little Ponies, Bearers of the Elements of Harmony. What I am about to say does not leave this room, until certain events, if they unfold, do unfold. I cannot stress enough how VITAL it is that none of what I am about to say is leaked to anyone unless myself or my sister are the ones to tell them.” She pounded the ground with her hoof hard enough to cause a tremor, but not hard enough to damage the platform she was standing on.

“Effectively, time has become their enemy. If it were earlier in human history, this solution would not even be broached in the way that I would suggest it. However, when myself and Luna speak of how close humanity is to destroying itself, we are being completely honest. Humanity, if current trends hold, is about one major plague or natural disaster away from breaking down entirely. Luna has already begun developing a countermeasure however, but I fear that what we would ask of them may be too much for even the most desperate of humans to agree to."

The Six Bearers braced themselves for what Celestia was about to drop on them, they had no idea what was about to be said, but it couldn't have been good given her tone.

Celestia continued, "In theory, through a combination of their technology and our magic, we can fabricate a new body, fully functioning and living. However, this body would be, instead of a modified human body, a genetic match to our own bodies. In effect, the only way we can save humanity, with the short time they have remaining, is to turn them into Ponies."

Twilight's heart sunk, her mind having already raced to that conclusion and now Celestia was confirming it. Humanity was sitting on a ticking time-bomb of a planet, and the only way to evacuate them in any reasonable quantity was to alter their forms into one compatible with both the means of transportation and their new environment.

But how could they just show up one day and say "Hey new species we just found, your world is about to implode, but if we make you all like us, everything will be good to go." None of this made any sense at first blush, it wouldn't make any sense to the humans either. But at the same time, in its own way, it made perfect sense. All Six of the Bearers each tried to reason out what the ramifications were in their own way, and all of them eventually worked themselves into mental knots. Which wasn’t good since show-time was in about 10 minutes.

          Celestia and Luna silently nodded to each other as they took position at the center of the formation. The Six Bearers of the Elements of Harmony, the only beings that could forge the bridge, simply sat frozen in place, not knowing what exactly to do or say given all the information that was just dumped squarely on their heads. The Princesses both feared this, and figured they had to use their trump card. They began to activate the magical array, but not to form the bridge itself, at least not yet. The Elements of Harmony had to be at their peak of power in order for the new bridge to last, and having the Six Bearers completely awash in doubt and confusion would not allow that.

Luna yelled to all six of them, attempting to snap them out of their stupor. “We were afraid that once we gave you the full details of our plan, confusion would set in. If we had more time we could have gradually explained it to you all, however time is something we are running short of. Therefore, we will project your souls onto the Earth for you to briefly observe the conditions of its people.”

Before any of the Bearers could object, they all found themselves as ghost-like apparitions on the Earth.

CH 4: Bombshells

Chapter 4: A World Apart

        Pinkie Pie found herself sitting in a ransacked hut, she could hear children crying somewhere behind her. They passed through the astral image of Pinkie, just simply an apparition that was there to observe and not interact. She walked through the wall to where she found the room of the crying children. They were sobbing over a bed, a female figure was covered up in the tattered bed-sheets, she then realized it was these children's mother. She had recently passed away due to some water-borne disease, years of bad diet and random illnesses had finally claimed her. They held the picture of their departed mother, trying their best to hold on to what few good memories they had in this period of intense grief. The eldest sister was missing, feared kidnapped by human traffickers. Their father was dead, killed in action in some war before most of them could pronounce his name.

This... it's so sad... I

She was then shuffled to another scene. She saw the children that lived in the supposedly advanced countries. They sat and stared at the holographic computer terminals, clicking to and fro on whatever. Nothing ever grabbed their interest, and they couldn't go outside and play either; the air was so choked with particulates the last week and most of them had respiratory illnesses. The few games that caught their attention for more than a day were so monetized, that only the kids of people in the Domes would ever win at anything. There was hardly any organized schooling anymore, the government and the Dome-dwelling citizens largely stopped caring. Everything else had become bland and dull. The food was bland, the media was bland, everything was bland. It was day after day of soul crushing monotony; day of day of having their souls ground down into a fine powder.

So... so much despair, even I didn't have it this bad growing up...

Then she saw the children of the Domed cities. They were hardly any better. They supposedly had everything a child could want. Parents with lots of money to buy them toys and games, the ability to play or do whatever activity they wanted, fresh food that didn't taste like industrial gruel. Yet even these children knew something was terribly wrong. There was no soul behind anything, none of them felt like they wanted to do these things. They were under constant pressure to be good at everything because the Dome people were superior, and most were forced to waste their time on activities they hated. Many had rooms full of toys and dolls that they never asked for, apparently they parents just loved playing the game of "I can buy my kids more than you can buy yours". A lot of the children felt so empty inside the Domes, little birds living in gilded cages, never to spread their wings to fly where they wanted.

Even the rich kids have it bad... what is anyone supposed to do in a world like this...

Pinkie was having a hard time accepting the state of the Earth, it seemed so devoid of joy, so devoid of laughter. Then she realized what was happening, it truly was becoming devoid of joy and laughter. All the pain and suffering of the poor, all the apathy of the middle, even the children of the well to do were finding it hard to care about anything. These humans were desperately trying to find something to bring joy into their lives, but everything felt empty, it felt soulless. It was so much to bear, these people she didn't even know just going through life not knowing or not being able to sustain laughter, joy; the thought that even if life did you wrong, there were still things worth appreciating. She began to weep openly, as the necklace of her Element of Laughter appeared and began to flicker. She then heard a voice, a voice that turned out to be her own.

"Element of Laughter, the children of this world have been stripped of their joy, robbed of their ability to laugh."

Pinkie asked, not knowing where to look to direct her words. "How, how can a whole people not be able to laugh, not be able to feel joy?"

The voice replied. "They are surrounded by death and despair. They cannot fulfill their talents. They remain stuck in one place for so long, they lose the capacity to care for anything else. These people are slowly being dragged into a black hole of Despair and Apathy."

Pinkie stood up, her astral body glowing cyan blue like her Element of Laughter. She had seen enough, enough despair, enough apathy, enough of a people seemed like soulless zombies. She knew what she had to do now, she had to go there; she had to go to this world that seemed gray and bleak and give color to it. "I won't let this continue. These people have done nothing to deserve this. I WONT LET IT CONTINUE. DO YOU HEAR ME. THIS WORLD WONT DIE IN DESPAIR. IT WONT SUFFOCATE FROM APATHY!"

The voice then implored, "Project those thoughts, those feelings to the other world, and bridge the impassable gap between this world and theirs!"

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

        Applejack found herself standing next to a MegaTrain station. A family was waiting there for the next train. She walked up to them, knowing she was but an invisible ghost to them, but she still had to see what this and so many other families were waiting for. She then saw the sign, "Grand Prize Drawing for the Dome Lottery." It dawned on her then, this was some kind of lottery drawing to get into the domes. She heard the clamor of the families, they heard that they would leave immediately and be given a sizeable stipend if they won. Others talked about what they had to sell in order to get enough credits for a ticket. Applejack felt queasy at the sight, her enhanced sense of honesty going off like a warning klaxon in her head.

Somethin isn't right about this. Everything feels like a big scam waitin to happen...

She saw the men in the nice suits roll out a podium with a large electronic display. The suited men assured the crowd that the software that would produce the random numbers was entirely legitimate. Applejack however could see in their eyes and feel in their voice that they were lying. The suited men pressed a button and the numbers began to flash in the display panels.

"13. 45. 59. 83. 28. 31.", one of the suited men said. He took out a pad to cross-reference the winning number against all of those with a ticket. Of course, there weren't any matches; they made damn sure of that.

The other suited man smirked out of the crowds view briefly. "Oh I'm sorry, no one won today. But don't worry you all, we will be back in 2 weeks time with a new drawing. Just tell your friends to come by next time, who knows, one of you all might be the lucky ones."

What lucky ones?! You cheated all these people out of whatever it was they had to give up just to play this rigged game. Applejack said in her inaudible, ethereal voice. She was becoming visibly angry now.

        The scene then transitioned to a nice corporate office inside a Domed city somewhere. There was a man reading expense reports. Something was gnawing at him in the back of his head. The official reports were not lining up with the amount of capital and resources the company supposedly had. Someone was doing something off the books, and it was his job to figure out what it was, he has a responsibility to his shareholders. The a few weeks later, he found out who had been skimming the funds. It was the CEO and half the Board of Directors. What the hell was he supposed to do now, he was stuck in a situation to where if he did his duty to his shareholders, the boss could just fire him. He would have hell trying to get a new job, all of the CEOs it seemed like were stealing from their companies; they wouldn't take on a rat like him. It was eating at him, he had a family, he had daughters, he couldn't go out there, not with the way things are now. He then began to cry, he didn't know what to do. Has his whole tenure at this company just been a lie, was everything he worked for just one big lie? What kind of man would he be if he had to lie every day of his life just to keep up his lifestyle for the sake of his kids?

How could they do this to him, he did nothing but be honest. He was trying to play everything by the book. What is the point in following the rules if someone is gonna break them without penalty?

Applejack was ready to kick down the walls of the building. The whole world seemed built on deceit, lies, and obfuscation. This world had become weak, like a tree with rotting roots and any strong storm would blow the whole thing over. She stomped and thrashed about, her astral projection not being able to do any real damage but she needed to vent somehow. Her anger slowly turned to an intense sadness the more she carried on like this. She began to cry for the children, whose innocence and trust would be slowly decimated as they grew up. The Ponies prided themselves on their honesty and forthrightness. Even if they did not always hold to those ideals, at least they tried dammit. This world, however, had given up trying to be honest, and now it had devolved into just get whatever you can; even if you had to lie, cheat, or steal to do it. Her Element of Honesty began to flicker, and she heard a voice like her own beginning to speak to her.

"Element of Honesty. The people of this world are losing their ability to trust. They have begun to see no reason in being honest with each other."

Applejack looked up, but saw no one. She then answered the voice, not knowing where to direct her attention. "How could a whole planet lose its trust, its honesty? It don't seem possible."

The voice replied, "Day after day their friends lie to them. Year after Year their parents and loved ones lied to them. Decade after decade those that broker power lie to them. The people have been beaten down, they no longer trust authority, they no longer trust anything. In many cases, they can't even trust themselves. A world with no trust, with no honesty cannot stand. Nations will go to war as no one can be trusted as an ally. Eventually this world will crumble as the notion of organized society becomes largely pointless with no trust or honesty between the participants. This world is being dragged down a black hole of Lies and Deception."

Applejack stood upright. She had seen enough, enough lies, enough deceit, enough obfuscation. These people needed to be reminded that honesty is a virtue worth having. That the right people can be trusted to lead them. That the right people can be trusted to share their lives and livelihoods with. This world did not need to collapse in on itself because of the weight of its own deception. "Then I'm going there. I'm going to that world to save it. YOU HEAR ME EARTH. I'LL SAVE YOU FROM THE LIES, THE DECEPTION. I SWEAR BY ALL MY KIN THAT I WILL SAVE YOU ALL!"

The voice then implored, "Project those thoughts, those feelings to the other world, and bridge the impassable gap between this world and theirs!"

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

        Fluttershy landed on Earth, but it looked like Earth 200 years ago. She looked at the deep rich forests, so full of life and vigor. Then the clear-cutting started, and the mining, and the urban development. She watched the forest be eaten by maw of asphalt and metal. The animals that were native were pushed further and further in, or had to risk living amongst the humans. A few did survive, some even thrived, but many of the humans saw them as pests. Then the humans needed more space, and began encroaching into the territory they shouldn't have. They began moving animals, some intentionally, some accidentally, and what were once just merely perceived to be pests that could be controlled, turned into infestations that in went entirely out of control. Entire ecosystems became dangerously unbalanced, diseases one group of humans could resist instead found fresh 'prey' in other populations. In a short 200 years it seemed like the world itself was spinning out of control. Whole species were gone, carcasses littered the landscape, beasts dying of the poisons Man didn't think to, or simply couldn't clean up. The great forests and plains looked like bombed out wastelands now, only a few trees were hardy enough to even grow past 20 ft anymore. Many of humans warned of this fate, industrialization truly gone amok; balance had to be restored lest they join the numbers of the dead and dying. They were ignored however, and it seemed the slow death march towards oblivion was going to go on apace.

How could they be so cruel? Don't they see what they are doing to their own world?

        Fluttershy then saw varying scenes. The people protesting and rioting, looking for work of any kind, or some kind of increase in support. The governments however did not heed their pleas. Some even went as far as to send drone guards to 'remove' the protesters. The broken bodies made her physically ill, but what disturbed her more were the broken minds she saw. She saw the children who had nothing but gruel and fabricated meals to eat, hardly any decent clothes given the terrible conditions they had to live in. She saw the teenagers, with no hope, taking their frustrations out on other teens. Lots of idle hands becoming tools of the Devil as it were. She saw the broken and battered adults. Some lamenting that this era it was hard to actually die of exposure or what have you. Many of them felt like ghosts in a Purgatory. Never really alive, but not dead either. So many people were hopeless and lost.

         Even the people lucky enough to live in the remaining world powers couldn't escape this feeling. So many lived in the truly gigantic public housing complexes, few could afford their own plots of land, even though it was dirt cheap outside the Domes. The soldiers coming back home were left to suffer in silence, the government mostly ignoring their supposed duty to take care of those that survived the exotic diseases and high-caliber weaponry. The veterans that weren't broken shells of people were instead terribly violent, almost as if they were raging and thrashing against the world itself. They would beat up the homeless and the indigent, anyone the seemed lower on the totem pole. They were mad at the system, doing anything to get the system to pay attention to them, to listen to their plight. However, the most they got for their trouble was an arrest and imprisonment if they attacked anyone near the Domes.

I see now... this is even worse... it was only a few people, a few people did this to the rest of them and their world.

        Fluttershy was then in the room of a young lady living inside the Domes. The young lady watched images on her holographic television similar to what Fluttershy saw already. She was devastated by the images, and then saw a number to call in to a charity. Charities still operated in this time, but they were so overburdened; but those who worked for them felt a need at least try and ease the pain their fellow man felt. She felt the same way, however her parents certainly did not. No sooner than she tried to dial the number on her wrist-phone her father noticed and attacked her. He wrenched her hand back, hyper-extending the ligaments in her wrist; and for good measure, swift-kicked her in the back of the knees so that she'd collapse to the ground. Fluttershy was horrified a parent would do this to their own child, a child that only wanted to help her fellows in whatever little way she could. She did not miss the symbolism though, the will to help was being subsumed by the rank selfishness of a few. The father extolled the virtues some some misaimed Social Darwinist theories, the idea the Outsiders were suffering because they were inferior, and did not deserve their or anyone else’s help. The young lady cried openly, as did Fluttershy. Her injuries, given the state of medicine for those in the Domes, were minor and easily fixed. What couldn't be fixed was the thought there were people out there going hungry, people out there with improper clothing or shelter. The few straggling mega-fauna species in the wild were on the verge of extinction. The whole world was breaking apart, and no one seemed to care, it was like kindness had been sucked out of this world, replaced by coldness and cruelty.

Why, why is this world so cruel? Why do the people who can help refuse to do so? Why do they prevent those who want to use their power to help do so?

Fluttershy was quitely weeping. She couldn't take it, she couldn't take how cruel this world had become. It was so bleak and gray, everything just seemed... wrong. It shouldn't be this way, she saw the still flickering lights of kindness in the hearts of these people. So why was this world in such terrible condition? Why did it seem like the whole thing was ready to disintegrate at a moment's notice? She then heard a voice like her own, as if her own subconscious was about to answer her questions.

"Element of Kindness. This world is losing touch with the concept of kindness. Civility is degenerating as they lose kinship with each other."

Fluttershy looked around for someone to answer, but she couldn't find anyone. So she just spoke, hoping whoever was speaking before would hear her. "How can a whole world just forget kindness?"

The voice responded. "The ancient world was cruel to mankind. The weather, the predators, it seemed as if everything was set out to destroy them. So they became cruel in kind. They beat back the environment itself, believing if they could establish dominion over it, they would never be subject to that cruelty again. They also tried to establish dominion over each other. The cruelty of war begot suffering, and the suffering fostered notions of revenge. This mutual revenge eventually begot hatred. Hatred of the other tribe, the other nation, the other ethnicity. Even when people began to reason these hatreds away, others could not, or refused to. As the powerful of this world began to close off more and more routes of progress due to their own selfishness, people were left to wallow in the cruelty of a world gone mad and a leadership grown distant. This world is now being dragged down into the black hole of Cruelty and Hatred."

These words began to steel Fluttershy's nerves. How could she weep when there was a job to do. There were people to be saved from the ever spiraling cruelty and hatred. There was a whole world out there begging for help, something to come along and rescue it from a so-called leadership that would sooner see it self-destruct than give up their position. "They don't deserve this. None of them do. NONE OF THEM DESERVE TO SUFFER LIKE THIS. I WON'T LET THEM. I WON'T LET THEM SUFFER THIS LACK OF KINDNESS ANY LONGER!"

The voice then implored, "Project those thoughts, those feelings to the other world, and bridge the impassable gap between this world and theirs!"

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

        Rainbow Dash landed in the middle of a city. She walked around, a bit mesmerized how she could already be walking on the ground in the other world, until she realized she was a ghost at the same time. After freaking out for a few moments at the faulty notion she was already dead somehow, she saw a human couple. They seemed a perfectly content couple, the relative lack of resources not being of real concern to them, or so it seemed. She followed the couple for what seemed like a couple of months through their relationship, the male continually expressing how, regardless of their condition, he'd always love her. This struck Rainbow Dash as quite odd.

If you are always going to be loyal, why do you need to tell her all the time?

She then saw why he repeatedly professed his loyalty out loud. The female was sitting alone one night, she kept trying to call the male, but he never responded to the messages or private calls. It was scaring her; she had an inkling about what might have been going on, and she desperately wanted it to just be some mild paranoia. However, she had to get out and confirm for herself what was going on. She eventually tracked the male down, and what she found utterly shocked her. He was already trying to woo another female out in public. Apparently, this new female had few more credits on her, probably wasn't laid off until later in the cycle of the Singularity. Needless to say, she felt incredibly betrayed. He had professed his love, his desire to be together, through thick and thin to her; and yet he was already trying to run out on her for another bitch with a few more credits to her name. She bolted towards the where the two were sitting, and the confrontation was quite ugly. The male was desperate to escape as both females argued virulently, and eventually got into a  physical fight. Police, thankfully human this time, were called in to disperse the fight. Rainbow Dash stood by and watched, her jaw agape at this blatant display of betrayal.

How could he... she hardly had any more money than the first girl... and he ran out just like that?

        Rainbow Dash was then transported to a darkened corporate office in the Domes. She saw a man sitting in the office, and he was being faced with a decision: sell his company to a corporate raider for a quick cash-in, or stick through and pray he could defeat the hostile takeover attempt. He wretched over this decision, he tried to call his friend, his long-time business partner. But there was no answer. He sent him e-mail, text messages, neural private messages, anything to get in contact with him, to get his advice, anything on how he should proceed. Nothing. Then a message from the corporate raider.. his best friend, the man he started the company with, the man he went to bat for, the man who he was going to ask to be his best man at his weeding. He had already sold out, there were now just enough shares for the corporate raiders to take over his entire company, his entire life's work was about to go up in smoke in a few days time. How could he tell his fiancée, how could he tell his stepdaughter, he was supposed to be the provider. Why, he was always loyal to him, he always did was in the best interest of the company. He cried, he cried as he ordered all his stocks sold, he had given in, the raiders had won.

What the hell is wrong with this world? How could someone sell out their friends like that... not even give a reason, just 'boom done' just like that?!

Rainbow Dash was quivering. She had blown right past anger into, something similar to sadness. In fact, she really could explain why she was quivering. This whole world seemed warped, like some kind of force was warping people into an unnatural mentality. She could tell humans were perfectly capable of love, of loyalty, of all the things the Ponies were capable of. Then why, why the hell was this world so screwed up? Why does everything seem to goddamn wrong? Her Element of Loyalty began to flicker and shine as she heard her own voice begin to respond to her questioning.

"Element of Loyalty. This world is beginning to ignore the concept of loyalty. The idea of true love and camaraderie has begun to fade as trust disintegrates."

This notion seemed utterly alien to Rainbow Dash. "How, what... a whole world's worth of people just losing loyalty and camaraderie? Nothing about that makes sense, nothing at all!"

The voice then responded to her strained questions, "Those that brokered power forever promised the population deliverance from the world's ill. All they would need to do was put their trust in said brokers. But the deliverance never came. Their condition grew worse and worse. Eventually the people of this world reached a tipping point where they could no longer trust the powerful to show any loyalty to anything except themselves. The people of this world now see loyalty as a weakness to be exploited, betrayal becoming so common as to be expected. A world in this state would surely collapse as no one can trust the other. This world is being dragged down into a black hole of Betrayal and Mistrust."

Rainbow Dash still could not conceive of a world devoid of loyalty, but now the thoughts began to coalesce in her head. It wasn't that loyalty was dead, but dormant. Those with power abused it so badly that people have tried to convince themselves to not believe in it anymore; attempting themselves the pain of the eventual betrayal. This would not stand in her view, no people deserved to live in a world where they had to lie to themselves like that just to get by. "I can't believe this. No... I won't believe this. LOYALTY IS NOT WEAKNESS. IT'S STRENGTH, IT'S STRENGTH TO TRUST AND RELY ON OTHERS AND HAVE THEM RELY ON YOU. AND I'LL SHOW EVERYONE THAT!"

The voice then implored, "Project those thoughts, those feelings to the other world, and bridge the impassable gap between this world and theirs!"

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

        Rarity found herself in some war-torn desert country, at a humanitarian relief camp. There were electronically locked boxes full of pre-packaged meals for distribution to the starving population. The soldiers wore inhuman looking protective gear, to keep the plague-bearing insects and the sick away from them, lest they end up in some nano-chamber suffering the effects of some random mutated virus or bacteria. The scene disturbed Rarity.

So much armor these humans have to wear... just to distribute food? Are things really this awful here?

She soon saw why the soldiers wore so much protection. Malcontents, not content with the pace of distribution, threw several Molitov cocktails into the tent where the meals were being distributed. The tent quickly caught fire and several innocent bystanders were either bleeding from the shattered glass or were being scorched from the intense heat of the flames. The soldiers quickly escaped the scene, their armor protecting them from the glass and flames easily. However it could not protect them from witnessing what happened next. A lean, almost emaciated man then tried to escape the scene with an entire locked box of meals, easily a few months worth of food. He tried to pick up the box, but he hardly got anywhere with it. His frame and muscles couldn't support the weight of the box. He then tried to push it along the somewhat sandy, dry ground, his mind trapped in tunnel-vision at the thought of having this much food to himself. He didn't notice that several healthier looking men had noticed his attempted escape and were quickly closing in on him, a giant throng of people chasing not far behind the smaller group.

        *THUD* A thrown rock hit the first man square in the back of the head. He'd probably not make it past this night alive. The soldiers in the helicopter hovering not too far from the scene debated whether or not to just remotely open the box and let the crowd figure out how to distribute the food. It was a Morton's Fork: they could either open the box and watch the crowd pile in trying to get at the meals, or leave the box locked and watch them fruitlessly try and open it. They decided to open the box. What they and Rarity saw shocked them to their core. The starving people piled onto and eventually into the crate like feral dogs. One of the soldiers took off his helmet to throw up, none of them wanted to have to witness a scene like that. Rarity would have done the same if an astral projection were capable of it.

This is beyond dreadful. What could have caused such conditions to even begin to lead to this?

        She then sees a young girl, it's one of her first times out of the Dome, her father having to conduct some 'business' in the slums. A another young girl asks her about her toy, it's a rare toy outside the dome, but inside it's as common as anything, the rich girl gives away the toy to the poor girl without a second thought. She has plenty more, what's one toy gone. A couple of hours later, the father asks his daughter where the toy she had earlier was. She tells him that she gave it away to one of the poor kids outside. The father does not take kindly to this revelation, and begins viciously beating her. He yells obscenities, about how much that toy cost, and why did she give it to some fucking girl in the slums who couldn't even appreciate its value. He few moments later though, manages to restrain himself some, feeling he has proven his point, and not wanting to explain too many injuries should she need any treatment.

         He leaves his daughter alone in her room; a monument to her supposed good fortune, but now it felt like a monument to his own opulence. The young rich girl, a girl who has everything daddy could ever buy her now suddenly feels alone; a mountain of things, all of which now become gruesome reminders of her father. A father that'd viciously beat his own daughter over something as trivial as giving away a toy. The daughter cries, cries in her room alone. What was the point of showing anyone kindness if this is all it got her, were these toys even symbols of her father's kindness, or more like reminders to others that he has enough money to buy the feelings of those around him. She felt extremely empty now, not feeling like some that man's daughter. Instead she felt like a symbol herself, a symbol of his wealth and power.

This is ... this is too much... it's unforgiveable. How could anyone treat their own children in such a horrid manner?

Rarity was about to go into hysterics, as per the usual. This time however, it seemed warranted. She'd just seen the worst of human greed and envy. She wanted to just quit right there and have nothing further to do with such barbaric creatures. But eventually her rage calmed, she had seen people trying to be generous and giving, but the world seemed the to be slapping these people back in the face. How could things have gotten this bad? Why was everything seemingly spiraling down? The Element of Generosity around her neck was shining now, her own voice beginning to answer her questions.

"Element of Generosity. This world is supplanting the idea of generosity with selfishness. Their own myopia making them envious of others, even with few actual differences between them."

Rarity responded to the voice, not knowing where it was coming from but frankly in her state not caring either. "Why though? Why can't they see generosity as a benefit to themselves, not just to others?"

The voice then answered her query. "Some of this world see no benefit to being generous, whether it be in charity or compensation. They feel entitled to whatever they could get their hands on, and warped society to fulfill their own selfish desires. They sell the people on the idea of selfishness as a virtue, that all could be successful if they disregarded the needs of others. People became envious when their work did not get them the same rewards as others. This envy begat more selfishness when those people refused to give to others in order to enrich themselves. This begat even more envy as no matter how hard they tried to climb up the ladder, there was always someone a rung higher. They wanted more and more, so much more that they'd destroy the lives of others they couldn't see in their pursuit of more. Their desire for material wealth became a gluttony, a pervasive need to consume. This world is being dragged down into a black hole of Greed and Envy."

Rarity sat for a short while. She had to process everything she saw. The inherent conflict between one person's desire to be generous and another's desire to hoard or consume everything for themselves. It pained her to have to think about this, didn't people have enough, wasn't there enough to go around. Then she began to realize the problem, the problem was that in some cases, there wasn't enough to go around because a few people decided to take just because they could. She remembered the history of man, how the many developments that could have provided for all were derailed so that they could benefit a few. How resources were being in some sense hogged to satiate the hunger of a few. That hunger called greed, that all consuming need for more, and more, and more. She stood up, her resolve rekindled. She couldn't sit idly by while the greed of a select few drove the greater many into ever deeper pits of despair. "This situation simply cannot persist. If I have anything to say about it, it won't persist! I WILL SHOW THIS WORLD HOW GENEROSITY CAN BENEFIT ALL!"

The voice then implored, "Project those thoughts, those feelings to the other world, and bridge the impassable gap between this world and theirs!"

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

        Twilight Sparkle landed in what looked like some kind of production studio. It was entirely unmanned, which confused her. She looked up at the monitors and began to see various video feeds of different times. One decade she sees a world filled with smokestacks. The next decade she sees various men tell other men of the problem these smokestacks could cause. The next decade she sees the prototype wind farms, the giant solar arrays, even biodiesel conversion plants. Even though this is foreign to her, she understood to some degree what it meant. A world that can safely transition from the old fuels to new, a world that can grow cleaner and more healthy.

If this is the history of the world, then why does everything look so bleak...

Then the next decade, Betrayal as the politicians sell out to the old industries for a quick buck. Despair as the public fears the worst is yet to come, weather gone mad, companies with nothing to keep them in check. The Greed of those with always wanting more, as the companies began removing human workers in favor of mechanical puppets. Puppets that'd never need to eat, or be paid, or really be compensated in any fashion. Whole sections of the world carved to shreds in the pursuit of more resources for finished products the wealthy wanted or desired. The Cruelty of allowing whole species and cultures to be swallowed by the maw of Death with nary a peep. Deceit as the media and the people themselves tried to comfort themselves with the notion that this was how the world was supposed to work, those with power did what they wanted until something stopped them, and in this case, it seemed that nothing could stop them.

        What she saw next would break the hearts of billions into tiny little pieces. The elites created new tools, Nanomachine and the Advanced AI; and promised to better everyone's lives and lead to a Resurrection. The nanomachine would produce any material people would need, even going so far as to produce the food that could feed them and cleanse the water for them to drink. The AI Drones would relieve the burden of the slave-level working class, allowing them to fully pursue their intellectual pursuits or find their true desired vocation. This Resurrection however was a false promise. The AI Drones did their jobs well, seemingly too well. Humans were no longer employable at all except in the most sensitive of positions, and of course for warfare. The Nanomachines did their jobs as well, but the elites were selfish. They only provided the bare minimum to those not of their level, the bland facsimiles of regular produce and meat products did nothing except fill the stomach.

        Those in the war-torn or generally poor regions were mostly left to fend for themselves on a rapidly inhospitable Earth. The rampant pollution and weather changes were making larger and larger stretches of land completely uninhabitable by man, pushing them further and further to the edge. Wars broke out, plagues swept the poor nations. The lives of those lucky enough to live in the advanced nations did not suffer physically to this degree, instead they suffered psychologically. The loss of any kind of livelihood made many people apathetic and uncaring. Life had become a droning monotony, the same exact thing day in and day out to the point the only escape was on the Internet. Many humans began to escape to this digital fantasyland, a place where they might live out some modicum of interesting lives if they were unlucky enough to find work in the aforementioned sensitive positions. She can see the broken faces, the souls cracking to pieces. The loss of Fraternity, the loss of togetherness, the loss of Friendship and Fellowship of Man. It disturbed Twilight to her core, she could not understand why, if man had these tools, they'd still allow this level of suffering.

Why do the powerful allow these conditions? Is this some kind of game to them? Like if they win the most contests they get some kind of prize?

        Even those in the Domes, the supposed safe haven are not spared. Another business has been eaten up by raiders, its workers made redundant. Two 13 year old boys, who only 2 years ago promised they'd be friends forever, will now be torn apart, their fledgling friendship forever broken. Those who lived in the Domes preached a superiority over the Outsiders, people not good enough to live amongst them. The networks of the Domes were isolated, they believed they could shield themselves from the Outsides both physically and mentally. To them, all Outsiders were dead men and women walking, waiting to be swallowed up by a world gone mad. They, however, would be spared. They would inherit everything. They would win the Game of Life. The two boys, in fact hardly any of the younger Dome dwellers share this sentiment, they reach out to each other before the eviction, try and tell each other it will be okay. But the boy still inside the Dome knows that nothing will be okay anymore. The adults assure the remaining boy that he shouldn't care about the now Outsider, he was probably never deserving anyway. This does not console him though, his heart shattered. He retreats into a corner of his mind. Now totally isolated from everyone, fearing losing anyone else to a Dome Eviction, he now feels cursed. Another amongst the numbers feeling they are just waiting for someone to drop the final hammer that'd end everything.

How... even their own children? How could they have such blatant disregard for their fellow men? How could they ignore such suffering? How could they treat them as if they are already dead and buried? None of it makes any sense, None of it... NONE OF IT AT ALL!

        Everything Twilight Sparkle watched in that ethereal control room was complete and total anathema to her. She was incensed, she was furious, she was sad, she was depressed; she felt about every negative emotion one sapient being could feel in regards to the plight of others. None of it made any sense to her, humans had the power, but those that could best wield it instead wielded it for their own selfish ends. They thought it would be better if the masses all died, then they could have all the land to themselves. They were the superior people, the Elite, those who were destined to be the new Mankind. But she knew better, she saw how bad the Earth's condition had deteriorated into. The Princesses knew better, they could see the self-destructive nature, if left unchecked, would eventually result in everyone's death and destruction, Dome or no Dome. The tiara that represented her Element of Magic flickered and then shone. She could hear the voice inside of her beginning to answer her questions.

"Element of Magic. These people have been stripped of their Magic, and the power they created in its place was now being turned against them by a group who want to feed their Greed so badly they'd destroy everyone around them. Those who hoard this power ignore Friendship, they ignore Fraternity, they ignore anything that would connect them to those they have left behind."

Twilight was crying now, it hurt too much. It hurt her to know that a people this brilliant were being left to suffer like this. An entire people should not be condemned like this. "How could those who have the power to fix things ignore so many suffering? Are they that callous, that evil?"

The voice inside of her responded, "Those who have isolated themselves gave in to the same negativity that plagues all sapient species: the selfishness, the vanity, the greed, the envy, the jealousy, the hatred, the cruelty, the deceit. All are capable of it, but few truly fall deep into it. However these are negatives that are powerful enough to distort everything around them. This world is being consumed by the dark nature of Man, the black hole of Isolation is slowly consuming the souls of the population. If left unchecked, all life remaining on it will be consumed by the twin black hole of Oblivion."

Twilight dried her tears. She saw so much pain, so much suffering. But despite that, what she saw was a population, while not blameless, did not deserve this much. Humanity did not deserve to slowly die off because a few people couldn't keep their greed in check. Because a few people wanted to shut themselves off from everyone but still think they had a right to take everything not nailed down. Nothing and no one deserved that fate, and if she could do anything to prevent that from happening, she would. They deserved a second chance; a chance to make things right, to their planet, and to themselves. "No people deserve this, they don't deserve to die because a few people couldn't do right by others. I will save that world, no... WE ALL WILL SAVE THAT WORLD! WE WILL SAVE THAT WORLD FROM ITS ISOLATION! WE WILL RESCUE THAT WORLD FROM OBLIVION! WE WILL REFORGE OUR FRIENDSHIP WITH THAT WORLD! WE WILL SHOW EVERYONE THE POWER OF FRIENDSHIP, BECAUSE FRIENDSHIP... IS... MAGIC!!"

The voice then implored, "Project those thoughts, those feelings to the other world, and bridge the impassable gap between this world and theirs!"

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

        Celestia and Luna could feel the titanic levels of magic emanating from the six Bearers of Harmony. They marveled at the 6 gigantic pillars of light emanating from where they stood, each one representing their particular element of Harmony. The two Royals looked at each other, knowing that they would have to add their own power in order to solidify the link the six Bearers were forming with the other world. They shared a bit of conversation before they did though.

Celestia started off, a tone of some mild concern. "Do you think they will accept our help Luna. I mean we would be nothing more than talking multi-color horses to them."

Luna responded, a bit mirthfully, "Who knows, I think a lot of the public have been worn down by their lives they'd accept help from anyone or anything at this point."

"I know, but we always must be mindful that we are an entirely alien culture to them, even if our forms aren't necessarily."

"True, we will have to take things very slowly to start with, if we come on too fast we'll probably scare them off, or worse."

"It's almost as if we are dating or something."

"Well, if we are successful, we will be effectively marrying two distinct societies into one hopefully stable whole."

"Yes, but we also must be mindful of the limited time we'd have to work our magic. Their planet and their people might not hold on long enough to take the slow route. However, we cannot press in too assertive a manner, or the backlash may be too much for us to bear."

"Celly, are you afraid that no matter how well we present ourselves they will reject us?"

"Lulu, honestly, I am. This is something neither of us can predict. I want it to be different. I want to just tell them we can come in and fix their world and set things right without having to be this drastic. But I'm afraid that the time does not exist to make that claim in truth; yet they would reject our offer anyway. Be it for pride or some other reason."

"We will just have to see. I know it will be better for us to try and fail than to just let things fester as it is."

"Indeed. And that's why you are co-ruler with me. I would not do this without you, Luna."

"Thank you very much. You have no idea what that means to me."

The two Winged-Unicorns began to channel their own titanic mana reserves and every bit of free magic they could get a hold of. Twin beams of magic, each in the colors of their flowing gradient-like manes merged with the 6 beams coming from the Elements of Harmony. Fusing into a beam of the most pure white one could imagine. The sub-space they were in responded in kind, as a large dark colored hole opened up in the sky above. The White and Rainbow-fringed beam now flowed through the Void between reality itself. And soon found its mark. The deed had been done. The New Light Bridge had been established, and soon the other world would know this fact.

CH 5: Sink or Swim

Chapter 5: The Two Shall Meet

[Earth, Mar 17, 2080, 18:15 GMT]

        "President Aguillar, President Aguillar, the transport to Edwards Air Force Base will be ready to go in about 15 minutes, estimated trip time should be 2 hours barring unforeseen atmospheric conditions.", an aide spoke into President Aguillar's ear. President Melinda Aguillar, only the 3rd female and second Hispanic President in the United State's history. She, a woman of principle, somehow managing to hold on to office during a time of such social despair and corporate corruption. It was a small miracle she was even elected 4 years ago, a foregone conclusion that another corporate toadie would win the office. But now it seemed like the elites were ready to depose her, she was flagging in the polls, and her party barely had any seats in the Congress. All her reforms seemed stymied, stuck in Committee Hell as the corporate ciphers parceled out more and more gifts and perks for their real employers.

President Aguillar was having her mind being pulled in 10 different directions right now. News was slow to get out because of the exact nature of the phenomenon, but eventually the entire Internet would be burning up with the news. "Alright, give me the low down on what's going on, I just got wind from Edwards that a pillar of... something... just appeared 115 miles off the coast of my second largest city. We need to get the story from Edwards Air Force Base as soon as possible, before we are completely overtaken by rumor-mongering on the Internet and other supposed sources."

The aide complied as quickly as he could. "Well Madame President, it appears that there is a pillar of unknown energy, as best they could describe it, approximately 115 miles due West from Los Angeles. As far as they can tell, there is no real radiation or anything emerging from this pillar; just seems to be... there."

"Have they gotten a solid story out of the pilot who first observed this phenomenon?", Aguillar then asked.

"Well, apparently the pilot is a bit frazzled from being so close; Probably the shock of something so strange. But he did give visual confirmation, and apparently there is more to this thing than our cameras as they are can pick up," the aide replied.

"Hrm, Tell the higher ups at the base to keep the pilot away from any press or even other members of the base, I need him and his AI to go over what they experienced and formulate a story, and then I want all the high-ranking personnel at the base in the briefing with me. I want every possible angle on this story before we begin issuing press releases,” Aguillar then ordered.

The transport, which looked like a flying wedge, landed near the White House. It was going to be a tense 2 hour trip.

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

        The briefing room was very large and spacious. The commanders of the base sat along one side of the large table/holo-projector. The President, Chief of Staff, and Secretary of Defense sat along the other side along with aides and recording drones. All along the walls were various displays; maps displaying where all the current hotspots were, where aid missions had to be conducted, and ominously, at least they thought, a indigo-blue dot 115 mi west of Los Angeles, the location of the anomaly. Ethan Hartford, the man who first saw the anomaly, was sitting in a what otherwise would have been a very comfortable chair, but made uncomfortable as it seemed like every important person in the world was staring at him right now.

"Let us begin then." President Aguillar began, the accumulated pollution from outside and the stress of running a nation for the last 3 years turning her brown hair a dirty gray color. "Now, Airman First Class Ethan Hartford, you have been credited with being the first living entity to make visual contact with the anomaly. You have already been checked by medical staff and are showing no signs of any kind of radiation poisoning we can detect. This is consistent with your plane's AI, 'Sally' I believe you named 'her', detecting no discernable change in radiation outside of the perimeter of the anomaly. Also, as you know, the only recording device that produced clear discernable pictures of the insider of the perimeter was the color chemical camera installed. We have reviewed these photos already, and frankly we are absolutely gob-smacked by what we see. Therefore we wanted a firsthand account of what you witnessed."

Ethan then started his account: "Well, as you well know from my flight data, I first pulled into a circular holding pattern after observing a strange patch of perfectly still water in the ocean exactly where the pillar, I mean anomaly, stands now. At that point, I saw a deep indigo outline extend into a virtually infinite 'screen' going upward to the atmosphere and downward to the ocean floor. This screen, I believe the best way I could describe it would be like an aurora, but instead of  bright colors, it was like the very night sky decided that mid-morning was a good time to appear. At that point I could see the images of a landscape appear, as I believe your photographs would bear out. This landscape seemed, I do not know how to describe this but I will try, both natural and unnatural. It seemed partially constructed and not, and the colors seemed almost like a painting; whether oil, digital, or water I cannot really tell. If I recall correctly, I remember initially calling it a 'storybook', like I was looking at illustrations or an animation made for children."

"So, if we put all of this together, it's almost as if God or something just decided Los Angeles needed a TV Break and decided to show old children's cartoons on giant supernatural projector,” Secretary of Defense Richardson chimed in. He was a cynical Caucasian man of 65, someone who had seen far too many people die and was trying to get from day to day without the whole world catching on fire.

"Hrm, as snide as that remark sounds, Richardson, honestly I cannot come up with a better explanation,”  Master Sergeant Thomas chimed in, wondering if his subordinate was going to be thrown in the brig for going stark-raving loony.

"I am glad I saw the pictures before we had this briefing, otherwise I would thought this entire base had suddenly come down with a mass delusion. I may be a cynical bastard but when I see something in black and white, or in Technicolor as it were, it is what it is,” Richardson said, seemingly going against every cynical and jaded bone in his body.

"Honestly Secretary Richardson I wouldn't have expected to hear that from you. Usually the old-grizzled war vets are the last to come around in strange situations like this,” Aguillar said jokingly, trying to break down some of the tension.

"Like I said Madame President, I may be cynical but I don't deny what my own eyes are seeing,” Richardson replied.

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

[Earth, Mar 17, 2080, 16:40 CST]

        Andre settled into his chair at his apartment. Given the fact he was currently without any significant other, it was just a 1 room deal. A bed, a kitchenette, a bathroom, and a computer terminal in his living space. A tad cramped but he eventually just started calling it cozy. Most of the single people really couldn't ask for anything else, it was hard to get any space for anything anymore, it seemed like most of the ground not already built up with foundations would turn to putty the second you try to put a house or apartment complex on it. He put on a headset, one of the older models without the eye visors. He was fairly old fashioned in the fact that he preferred the projector displays instead of the goggle displays. He also still had a keyboard, one of those models with the dynamic displays though, his grandfather taught him how to type while he was still alive.

"I wonder what he would have thought about everyone having one of these dynamic display keyboards, I remember him telling me that those things were just a novelty for those who had too much cash and not enough sense back in his day." He fired up his machine for full use, the computers these days almost never were turned off, you had to always be on alert for an evacuation or some other major news. "Hrm, let's see here, death, war, famine, pestilence, death, death, homelessness, more death, giant indigo pillar appears out of nowhere near Los Angeles in the middle of the ocean, un..., what?", he mentally scrolled backwards through the top news stories. "What in the... how... huh?", he began to stammer, seeing the pictures but it honestly not clicking in his head what he should or shouldn't be looking at. "Ok seriously April Fools is not but 2 weeks away and they couldn't hold off on this story, honestly?"

As he was preparing to go into a full-blown monologue to himself about the stupidity of April Fool’s Day in this day and age, an irrepressibly cheery, female voice chirped up, sending him a neural message, the equivalent of a private message on some chat service. "A-CHAN, A-CHAAAAN, AO-CHAN ARE YOU THERE!"

Andre responded with a bit of mirth in his voice, he did like hearing from the voice coming through his message service. "Oh wow you still call me Ao-Chan; not even formally dating yet and you're already coming up with pet names for me."

Then an image appeared on his screen, it was a Japanese woman, not a day over 20, but it seemed like she was permanently stuck at age 16 in her head. "Ahh but BlueDragon, you know how much I like calling you Ao-Chan, and it's not like you ever tell me to stop anyway."

Her name was Kyoko Isegawa, she was sitting at her own terminal, it was strange how much alike they were, except she was a little better dressed up for the occasion so to speak.

"Man the condition the world is in and you're still that chipper, then again your people seem to have decided if we're going down we're going down with a smile,” Andre remarked, finding her relentless optimism infectious to some extent.

"Well Ao-chan, it's certainly better than being a grouch all the time, gotta find the little things to be happy about, at least that seems to be the way we think over here,” Kyoko replied, with a sudden wisdom that belied her irrepressibly cheery demeanor.

"Man it's funny how you go from being the archetype Genki Girl in an anime to being a refined young woman... and then right back to Genki Girl like it never happened,” Andre said sarcastically, he knew he mentioned this before.

"Well that's just how things are, you know that. If I can't get excited when something good happens, then what is the point really?" Kyoko said, seemingly batting her eyes at the guy across the screen from her.

"And talking to me is a good thing for you, heh, you know I actually appreciate that sentiment, little miss Mido-Chan,” Andre said, seeing if he could get a rise out of her with that remark.

Kyoko's screen name was MidoriHana, claiming she picked it because she loved pretty much anything to do with plants. What she also liked was when Andre decided to play along with the semi-relationship they had going on halfway across the globe. "Ohh ooh, you know how much I love it when you call me that. It's like we really got something going you know!" She even went as far blowing him a kiss through the screen.

She then returned to the subject at hand. "Oh did you hear, I heard this really big, well, something showed up in the ocean near one LA."

Andre replied while leaning back in his chair, as he looked up over the holo-screen searching for any insect that might have breached his apartment walls. "Yeah I just saw that story in my newsfeed, I honestly thought it was some idiot trying to get a jump on April Fool's Day, but I know the way you prank and the fact you saw it too kinda makes it seem more legit to me.”

Where he lived, the insect population seemed to be at constant war with the human population for dominance, although it seems like an armistice had been reached some time ago with a no-crawl zone being enforced by cleaning drones.

"Anyway, they say that there is something behind that veil but the only way to see it is to take one of those really, really old cameras or just get close enough to look at it with your own eyes,” Kyoko mentioned, clearly having read the Japanese press's account of the story before Andre even thought to look at the American one.

Andre had just started reading the American news reports on the anomaly now. "Hrm, veil, I thought they said that thing something more... opaque?"

"Well that's if you want to use a digital camera or look at a Sat-Feed. Apparently all our modern cameras are useless against their SUPER KEKKAI, " Kyoko said with a dramatic flair, mimicking one of the many anime they watched together.

"Heh Mido, you make it sound like there is someone or something behind the curtain...," Andre said half-jokingly, he knew that girl might seem like a ditz sometimes but she had some damn good insight.

"I dunno you think one of our governments or some company would just make a big blue and purple aurora just appear out of nowhere with no kind of announcement?" Kyoko said, trying to gain favor for her line of thought. "Hey what if it's aliens, that'd be AWESOME!"

Andre replied with a bit of dourness in his voice. Anytime he had to think of a publicity stunt by a Dome Citizen it made him sick to his stomach. "I don't think any government would bother to do something like this; and if some Dome idiot thought this was a good idea, he would have telegraphed it so he could brag about it afterwards."

"Look, I don't want to push the idea that it's aliens... but seriously, a big pillar of light out of nowhere. Gotta be aliens...", Kyoko perked up.

"Honestly, either way that went I think it would be for the better," Andre said, actually answering the girl's question like it was serious.

Kyoko then prattled off all the different forms the aliens could take. The classic little green men, maybe cute little alien robots, maybe even living blobs of jelly. Andre just chuckled, but in the back of his head he thought, "You know, maybe having a close encounter is just what this world needs."

They went on like this for a few more hours, at least long enough to watch the amazing color change in the pillar of light once the Sun set over the East Pacific.

"Oh wow, look at all the colors, it's like the aurora knows what colors to turn depending on if day or night", Kyoko said, marveling at the new nature of the light show.

"Yeah, I must say it is just... amazing, I never knew you could mix cyan, turquoise, azure blue and it looks like a sorta faded purplish pink like that.", Andre said, just staring at the now 24/7 live video feed being set up.

"You know what it looks like to me now that think about it?"

"A lighthouse, it's like a lighthouse showing us where safe harbor is in the this global storm we find ourselves trapped in."

"Wow, I... that is exactly was I was gonna say. Ok maybe not exactly but, yeah, a lighthouse in a storm, that's what I'm thinking of too."

"Something huge is about to go down Midori, I can just feel it, and I think anyone else watching this can feel it too."

Andre was not alone in his sentiments, all across the world, people stood transfixed to this aura. The European Union, Chinese Federation, Russian, Japanese, British, South African, Arabian, Brazilian governments scrambled to get whatever information they could get out of the American government. News stations, for the first time it seems in decades, had to cover legitimate news that wasn't some company's new product or some place in the world going up in flames. Anyone with access to a Holo-Projector or the Internet saw it, and those who didn't, would soon know of what lay behind the Aurora anyway.

==========----------==========

        The President was sound asleep in her residence, husband and children, a son of 16 and a daughter of 9, in another room asleep. Suddenly a voice appeared in her dream. Followed by a figure of many colors, many shades of blue, green, and violet wearing a white dress.

"Madame President Melinda Aguillar, I am vision of one of the rulers from the world behind the Aurora that appeared before your city today. I wish to address your people and inform them of our existence and begin dialogue with your many nations. A letter detailing the date of my arrival shall be delivered to once you awaken from this message." Celestia's projection told the President, who then immediately catapulted awake.

"Just what in the hell was that? Ugh... I have to stop taking those sedatives before I go to sleep, the doctors keep telling me they mess with my head,” Pres. Aguillar remarked to herself, before she looked down and noticed the scroll lying in her lap on top of her bed covers. Suddenly the flash went off in her head, as she scrambled and opened the scroll, to see the letter written in perfect English, with a handwriting that could only be considered divine.

"This communiqué comes directly from one of the rulers of the beings that live beyond the Aurora Barrier. We have observed that your military and science divisions have already noticed our barrier and we therefore feel it is comfortable to initiate dialogue with you and your people. We do understand you are not the ruler of your entire global population; however, we feel it is in our interest to appear in order to explain who exactly you are dealing with. Therefore we request a formal gathering of global dignitaries at your place of residence in six (6) days at noon of your residence's time. If you accept, then I will send similar communiqués to the other major global leaders, as best we can estimate, in order to prevent any misunderstandings or scheduling conflicts. However, if you refuse my request, then I shall simply appear without warning at a time and place of my choosing, and leave you and your world's governments to deal with the aftermath. I trust you to make an amicable decision.

Sincerely:  Princess Celestia, Avatar of the Sun

Co-Ruler of the Realm of Equestria

P.S.: We would not advise having any human attempt to penetrate the Aurora, especially in any vehicle. The results might not be, how we shall say, pleasant.

-- Princess Luna, Avatar of the Moon

Co-Ruler of the Realm of Equestria

CH 6: Adjustments

Chapter 6: Meet the New Neighbors

[ Earth, Mar 20, 2080, 2:00 AM EST ]

          It had been two nights since President Aguillar had been visited by the astral vision of Celestia. She hadn't told anyone else in this time, she didn’t wish to set off any alarm bells that the stress of trying to hold the nation together was getting to her in any way shape or form. It would have been easier for her to rationalize the vision from two nights ago as some kind of nightmare brought on by too much stress, but her intuition told her the message given to her was real and had to be treated with all seriousness.

So she did, spending the intervening forty-eight hours considering her response should that 'ghost' visit her again. She was now sound asleep, with her husband also sound asleep by her side. As she slept, a faint multi-colored ball appeared in her bedroom; the 'ghost' from 2 nights ago had indeed decided it was time for an answer to her request.

-----  -----

          President Aguillar found herself in a seemingly mundane dreamscape: a simple room with a clock, a table, and two chairs. Aguillar sat in her chair, and the vision of that white-robed and aurora haired figure appeared before her; it was obvious it was time to talk turkey.

Said figure now came into more focus; it would have been difficult to conduct negotiations with something you couldn’t not perceive clearly. Celestia's astral projection now taking a more defined form: a dark-skinned female, modeling herself after those native to the Indian sub-continent. Her hair was of solid colors, similar to her mane, although they still appeared to shift from strand to strand where those colors met. She wore a white business suit with metallic gold trim; over her left-breast pocket a replica of her cutie mark, a stylized Sun. However, what was most striking to Aguillar was the fact figure before her seemed youthful on the surface, yet incredibly long-lived; as if she had lived for centuries, maybe even millennia, without visibly aging at all.

The figure then asked, "I would hope that this is a better form to gauge than a blurry ghost, no?"

Aguillar was still taken aback by the seeming contradiction in her youthful 'physical' body but aged expression and demeanor. "Yes, it is much easier to negotiate with something I can see clearly. Also, it would also be easier to negotiate with someone I had the name of as well."

Celestia knew Aguillar was very much worthy of being a leader, but also knew she couldn't exactly give her name before her formal appearance. So she took a few seconds to devise an alias. "For the purposes of this discussion, I will assume the name Celes Apollonius, I trust that is satisfactory?"

Aguillar could tell by her tenor and some non-physical cues that what she was dealing with was not only simply abnormal, but was clearly powerful on top of that. She could not figure why she had this feeling though, but nevertheless  continued with the dialog; now taking care to show neither fear in the face of this unknown entity, or potentially draw it's ire. "Yes... Celes it is then. Anyway, I can only guess that you have returned before me for the answer to the proposal you gave me?"

Celes was steadily being impressed by Aguillar's forthrightness, deciding there was really no need to beat around the bush with her. "Yes, that is indeed the purpose for this visit. So, Madame President Melinda Aguillar Of the United States of America, what is your response to my proposal?"

Melinda sat there for a few seconds in deep thought; contemplating the national and global ramifications of her coming answer. She could tell subconsciously what she was dealing with was far beyond what anyone else had any experience with, and figured that all contact with this figure and anyone she might bring along needed to be in formal, theoretically controllable settings.

Melina looked Celestia straight in the eye, she had to project as much certainty and strength as one could when confronting an entirely unknown entity. “Celes Apollonius. I have deliberated over the last 48 hours, give or take, on the proposition you have given me, and I have now come to a decision. I have decided to accept your proposal for a formal gathering in the Rose Garden at the time indicated. Given that, I have a request of you. I ask that you please contact this list of world leaders and business owners, in order to make arranging this event easier for myself.”

Suddenly a list materialized in her hand; Melinda was subconsciously affecting the dreamscape Celestia had created for the two of them.

She has an extremely strong will in order to alter a dreamscape without conscious effort... Celestia thought to herself.

Celes read over the list, "Alright, let me verify the list of contacts for this gathering. You would like for me to formally request the presence of the leaders of... Canada, the European Union, Chinese Federation, Japan, Korea, Russia, Arabia, New Persia, Australia, South Africa, Egypt, Israel, and Brazil. Alongside that, you wish for me to contact these businesses in order to arrange for the reception. Is this correct, Madame President?"

Melinda sighed a sigh of relief, apparently whatever cosmic entity she was dealing with was quite benevolent, or at least empathetic to her concerns and wishes. "Yes, that is the long and short of it, I hope this is an amicable setup."

Celes stood up from the table, a smile on her face, "Yes, I do believe this is most amicable. Alright then, I do believe we have come to terms, Madame President. I look forward to seeing you in 5 days time. I believe that would make the exact date and time, by your standards, March 25th at Noon."

Hrm, I could have sworn that first letter said 4 days time, counting the 2 days already passed... Aguillar thought to herself

I am giving you an extra full day roughly, consider this a bonus given how you have conducted yourself before me. Celes telepathically messaged Pres. Aguillar, a smirk on her face as she disappeared and dispelled the dreamscape.

President Aguillar woke up immediately afterwards, with yet another scroll in her lap. This time the paper almost black as pitch, reading: "We do appreciate the answer you have given Our sister, We firmly believe we both shall get along with you swimmingly. -- Princess Luna of Equestria"

What in the world have I just gotten all of us into... Melinda thought to herself. She could not figure what was going happen in five day's time, but felt something had to be said lest that 'Celestia' person appear out of nowhere and do whatever she wanted.

          That night, several world leaders, all the Cabinet secretaries, and a few caterers and decorators were visited by the Aurora-Haired Apparition, informing them they were to be expected at or to prepare for a state function at the White House Rose Garden in roughly 5 days time. All being left scrolls detailing time, date, and occasion in their native language.

          Meanwhile, a young blonde woman, tall and fairly well toned from lots of exercise was aroused from her slumber in a Bostonian apartment complex. A recently-sent unread message was making her computer beep incessantly, goading her into walking over half-asleep to read it.

To: RedGrave / From: GoldStriker

 How is my little Russian hottie doin'?! Anyway just wanted to check in on ya because I couldn't talk in the last few days. Man that Aurora or whatever they want to call it now has the whole Armed Forces up in, well, arms. So I really can't get a lot of time to talk to ya. Anyway gotta keep it short, dunno when they are gonna scramble me for another patrol.

"Heh, that is what I get for a long-distance relationship with someone in the service. Then again, I wonder what they'd say about an inter-department relationship?" Natasha said to herself, looking at a gold-plated bird's wing pendant she got a present the last Valentine's Day, now slowly drifting back off to sleep as the air purifiers droned on.

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

[ Equestria, Mar 25, ???, 10:30 AM CntTime ]

          Spike fretted about in his suit, about two bad jokes away from being a total nervous wreck. Twilight wasn't faring any better herself, her mind was racing with all kinds of questions. Such as how her body was going to react to the trip? Would the pollution mess up her coat and mane? What if everyone there was going to completely lose their minds and mob them? Maybe everyone would laugh at them for being some kind of joke and try and ignore them? A million questions were roiling through her head, and the lack of clear answers was driving her up a wall.

Celestia, on the other hand, looked like the very picture of royal calm and political hardass-ness. She knew she had to be calm, stern, but not aggressive going forward. Herself and Luna reasoned a sizable chunk of humanity would see what she and Luna were planning as nothing less than an invasion and attempt at physical assimilation of their entire species.

Twilight was pacing back and forth, all the questions and the lack of answers clearly starting to show their effects to everyone present. She looked over at Rainbow Dash while trying her best to remain some semblance of collected. "Alright, alright, okay, how much time do we have left before departure for Earth?"

"T-Minus 1 hour and 30 minutes, Cap'n", Rainbow Dash said while she saluted Twilight half jokingly. She was desperate to bring some levity to the situation, knowing how rattled Twilight got when faced with unknown or unpredictable situations.

It wasn't helping Twilight however, the nervous ticks becoming more and more glaring to everyone present. "Okay, yeah 90 minutes, yeah ok good, just 90 minutes, 90 minutes until me, my assistant, and one of my princesses cross into a strange new world and meet strange new people with their strange customs and OH MY CELESTIA I AM FREAKING OUT!" She was shuddering and her mane was visibly disheveled, a reflection of her fraying mental state.

"Yes you are 'freaking out' and We would appreciate it if you got a hold of yourself,”  Luna said with almost eerie calm as she conjured up a bucket of water to dump on Twilight, trying to snap her out of her hopefully brief flight into madness. It worked for the most part, Twilight now regaining some calmness as she shook most of the water out of her coat, and asked for some towels to get the rest out. Pinkie Pie keeled over laughing at the whole spectacle.

"Thank you for the impromptu bath Luna, and Pinkie - I'd appreciate it if you stopped laughing.", Twilight said dryly, using the towel to get the last of the water out of her coat. "Ugh, I'm gonna have to get some perfume now, I'm pretty sure I don't want my first impression to a species I've never met to involve me smelling like wet fur."

Rarity, sensing the opportunity, grabbed her suitcase. "Oh my let's see Twilight, how about a nice lavender, or a maybe spring rain, oh I like this one, Sapphire Shores endorsed it so it HAS to be just divine..."

"Uhh, the lavender please. I'm pretty sure that world has lavender and I don't want go seeming more alien than we already will.", Twilight requested. Rarity was bit miffed that miss Plain Jane was living up to her reputation.

"Anyway, Celestia, have you confirmed that the world leaders that your liaison requested to be there will actually show up?", Luna asked of her sister.

"Yes I have. Not surprisingly, the President had an easier time convincing those world leaders to show up to possibly mug for the camera with the first contact with a non-human sapient species, than she could getting any kind of political reform passed through her legislature." Celestia answered, preparing herself for the incoming interminable questioning and photograph sessions.

Hrm, I wonder if could have been a model if I wasn't born into demigod status... she thought to herself, wondering if her royal regalia would be too ostentatious.

Applejack was also mildly amused at Twilight's antics, but she was more concerned with what the exact nature of the upcoming meeting on Earth. "Okay so how exactly is this thing supposed to go with y'all over there; I mean, here of course you’re pretty much the end all be all of our government"

"This is merely to be a prelude to something greater, if the background plans myself and Luna have devised come to fruition. Essentially, we will formally announce our presence, and meet briefly with the leaders of the larger nations of Earth. Barring some unforeseen circumstances, the plan is for myself to give a short speech, field questions and take photographs, and then we will leave and come back here." Celestia answered, still formulating the exact words and tone to take with the Terran press.

"Doesn't sound like much of a party, but hey there are always other days, right?", Pinkie managed to get out, finally quelling her laughing fit.

"Well it's not supposed to be Pinkie-dear, it's going to be a very formal function with many dignitaries. Protocol is of the utmost importance...", Rarity began as she went on a long spiel regarding the various protocols of Earth formal gatherings.

Fluttershy, wondering out loud, then asked "If it’s called the Rose Garden, will there be actual roses? I mean the plants in the wild look so sickly and weak."

Celestia answered this as well, "The capital of the nation we will be visiting is under one of their many protective Domes, so yes; there will be live roses. Although it appears, especially if Luna's modeling is accurate, that protection the well-to-do on their side has built up cannot keep out the ills of the Earth for much longer."

          Another half hour passed, and Rainbow Dash was becoming incredibly bored with all the proceedings and unceasing preparation. So she trotted off to the far side of the room to find a comfortable spot to sit, and manifested her Element of Loyalty. She then began to glow in the same bright, electric red of her Element, however what exactly she was using the element to accomplish was something that struck both herself and the rest of the Bearers as odd when she first stumbled on to the trick. When the New Light Bridge was forged, the combining of Celestia and Luna’s Magic along with the Magic of the Elements of Harmony had begun to alter the nature of the Elements of Harmony. This bleeding of magic now allowed the six Bearers of Harmony to perform a minor version of information diving, as the Royal Sisters called it, by themselves.

          Rainbow Dash was utterly shocked by the sheer volume of information that existed, likening it to being thrown into an ocean while just wearing a life jacket. After awhile though, with the help of Twilight, she learned how to filter the information. From that point on, while she was alone, she spend her time watching classic action movies and reading various adventure fiction. She was impressed by the collective works of humanity, and the pride they put into promoting loyalty and camaraderie, even if their leaders seemingly forgot these lessons. Even in the current day, the humans that were left out of the major production loops still created amateur works steeped in the traditions of their predecessors; a fact that probably impressed her more, all things considered.

Rainbow Dash looked up at the rest of the gathered group as she paused her trawling through the networks for new media to watch or read. She didn’t know if she really wanted to say what she was going to say or how they would react, but she felt it needed to be said anyway. "Do you know what impresses me most about the Humans, from the stuff I've read and watched so far? The fact that regardless of how bleak everything seems around them, they still have that, I dunno, 'spark' I guess. I don't wanna see that spark put out."

Luna chuckled to herself as the forthright-ness of the Element of Loyalty. My Little Ponies, if we play our cards right, we will definitely preserve that spiritual 'Spark' that you refer to. Luna was also quite impressed at how fast the Bearers of Harmony were beginning to exploit the evolving nature of the Elements of Harmony, being able to information dive without having to be shown how to do it by herself or Celestia.

          The remaining Bearers of Harmony soon learned the trick that Rainbow Dash stumbled into for themselves, and all of them were simultaneously dismayed and heartened by what they found. They found what they saw while their souls were being projected onto Earth was no lie or ploy by the Royal Sisters to evoke sympathy; but at the same time, Earth was not devoid of soul, at least it was not yet. It was going to be their job to re-ignite the human's flickering inner light; thought, they were still worried that the cost of such repairs may be too high for many of them to pay.

Twilight Sparkle sat to herself for awhile, listening to the other Bearers recount their visions and how what they’ve seen for themselves since that day both confirmed their worst fears of the reality of the situation, yet gave them hope that there was still time start the long work of repair. She slowly regained her nerve again, as she remembered her words one week ago when she saw how the failures of mankind's leadership have brought the entire species to the brink of a slow self-annihilation. It was incumbent upon them to do whatever they could to prevent it, but something gnawed at her. How could they, beings from an entirely different world even begin to convince another sapient species to just drop whatever it was they were doing because it would lead to some unknown but deadly end?

Something else was gnawing at her at the same time. Ever since they forcibly re-forged the connection with the other world, she had begun having visions in her dreams. The visions were similar, in that they all involved the Elements of Harmony, but then she saw four blurry objects as well, similar to her Elements. Then an ancient feminine voice, like a great-grandmother many times removed, would speak to her briefly. Her remarks ended the same way every time, "Will without Power is idle hope. Power without Will is mindless aggression. The two combined, however, shall pave the way to a New Era."

Twilight Sparkle did not speak to anyone else about this though, trying to rationalize these visions by herself. She keeps talking about 'Power'... and the way she talks about it, it's something entirely different than the Elements of Harmony or the Princesses...

She did not have all day to sit and mull thing over though, as Twilight was broken out of her reverie by Princess Celestia. "Spike, Twilight Sparkle, it will soon be time to pay our new neighbors a visit...," she said, indicating the time of their appointment across the New Light Bridge fast approaching. That news began to flare Twilight’s nerves up, all over again.

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

[Earth, March 25, 2080, 11:30 AM EST]

"Thirty minutes people, we got half-an-hour until who knows what is going to appear right here in the Rose Garden.", an aide shouted as he scrambled around trying to back the crowd of reporters and recorders back.

"Are all the vegan spreads properly separated from the normal meals? They specifically requested no meat and I will not have them picking up the wrong thing and have them thinking ill of us!" shouted one of White House chefs as she and the private caterers were trying to do last minute arrangements to the food to make sure the 'Visitors' couldn't mistake the vegan meals from the 'regular' food.

          President Aguillar, her husband Michael, her son Reginald (or Reggie as he perferred), and her daughter Rosa all stood near the lectern, and adjustable model as requested. They all stood in formal wear, although Rosa, being a little firecracker, clearly chafed at the restraint she had to show. Reggie however couldn't have looked more disinterested. He just wanted to go back to his video games, obviously not caring one whit for these formal get-togethers with other World Leaders. Michael was, to his credit, being the best morale support he could be for his wife; who by all accounts was about to preside over what would be the event that determined the very future of their civilization: first contact with another sapient species.

The weather over Washington D.C. was clear enough to where a only simple color filter was needed for the Environmental Dome. At the very least the aliens or whatever wouldn't see a totally fake sky when they appeared. The plants however, had to be replaced entirely. The soil, even inside the protective dome, was starting to show signs of becoming fallow; the rumors starting to run ripe that the supposed salvation of the social and political elite would soon fall to the ravages of an Earth seemingly out for vengance. In fact, it seemed all the proceedings was humanity, or at least it's elite attempting to provide the best face on a terrible situation.

          Nearly all of humanity was either directly watching or otherwise keeping close tabs on the proceedings. Andre, Kyoko, Ethan, and Natasha were watching on their various terminals; Ethan paying special attention to see what produced that storybook landscape he saw in person. The four of them decided to watch the stream all together, only having met a few days ago themselves through Andre and Ethan's mutual acquaintance.

Kyoko herself was pretty alert and chipper for someone up very early in the morning, her time. "Hey Kin and Aka, hey there! Glad you can join me and Ao-chan."

"Seems like our Japanese friend is part hummingbird. I don't know how else you can explain that level of energy at that time of night," Natasha remarked, wondering how someone can come up with a nickname so early in a potential friendship.

Ethan was highly amused at the whole thing, especially how Kyoko talked to Andre, as if they were already in a formal relationship. "Oh come on RedGrave, she obviously slept in so she could be up with her Ao-chan, isn't that right BlueDragon?"

"Oh great now you are getting total strangers in on this thing," Andre said with some sense of exasperation.

Ethan took mild offense at referred to as a stranger. "Hey now BlueDragon, at least we know each other from Ring Strikers. I always did enjoy being on your teams."

"Oh yeah that's right, I thought I recognized that moniker of 'GoldStriker'," Andre said; these days it was hard to remember who you were playing with, with there being so many people online.

Natasha was surprised at that games mention. "You still play Ring Strikers Gold? I hadn't seen you on when you told me you were off-duty and I was logged in."

Kyoko was confused as to what it was the other three were talking about; usually not penetrating that far into the English speaking 'Net, even though she could have, being quite fluent. "Ne ne, What's Ring Strikers, I mean I seen some of the ads on the English speaking sites but I never really tried it."

"Oh man I never told you huh. Well the basic premise is...", Andre started to speak before he was interrupted by the Sergeant-At-Arms on the live feed.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, the President of the United States."

Andre hurried to conclude his thoughts, he didn't want to miss anything the President or whoever was supposed to appear would say. "Oops, well I'll tell you after this whole thing goes off.", Andre hurried up to say as they all fell silent to watch the proceedings.

Madame President, myself and my associates are currently in transit to your location. We will remain hidden until you finish your opening remarks; all you need to do is mentally give the signal and we will appear. I do request you not take up too much time however-mostly because my adjutant and student might be reduced to a quivering wreck if we delay any further,  Celestia said telepathically to President Aguillar. Herself, the aforementioned quivering Twilight, and Spike were in a magical bubble floating high above the Domes of Washington D.C., entirely invisible to any detection by mankind's machinery.

I understand, my remarks should only be a couple of minutes. Besides, there always a is a bit of showmanship involved in these things, President Aguillar replied through the link.

Trust me, you don't know the half of it; but you'll find out in a few moments, Celestia remarked to herself, ready to give the humans a show as only a millennia-plus-old magical matriarch could give.

President Aguillar stepped up to the lectern, and began her introductory remarks.

          "Ladies and Gentlemen, Citizens of America and Her Territories, and all other inhabitants of our blue Earth; Mankind has always proceeded in its existence with the idea that it was the only sentient being that existed within a space where we could communicate with it. The Artificial Intelligences we have developed was borne out of this idea that we believed, that if we could consult with an intelligence not our own, we would gain further insight into our true natures. However, this has proven to be less than the full reality of the situation; as our AIs still derive from our own experiences, and therefore still share some of our biases. As such, we still continued to search for some sign that something other than ourselves of equivalent intelligence existed and that we might communicate with it.

"That is, until 8 days ago, when the anomaly now commonly known as the Aurora Barrier appeared off the coast of one of the world's most Historic and populous cities, Los Angeles. This barrier is seemingly impenetrable by our advanced technology, yet to those brave enough to view at it with their own eyes live, it gives us glimpses into a world few could scarcely imagine. It is a world picturesque; all manners of landforms, biomes, and colors appear to those who dare peer through the Aurora. This gave rise question with no definite answer, 'Is this some natural phenomenon or a contrivance of media company with far too much money to burn.' I am here to tell the world, the Aurora Barrier is not produced by anything human."

Gasps immediately escaped from the audience... however, the world leaders knew better, they had all received advanced warning.

She then continued, "So then the question can then immediately be asked: 'How can you prove that the Aurora Barrier was erected by a force not human?'. I could answer that, but I'm afraid that some would still find my words fully unbelievable. Therefore, in order to cast aside all doubt, I humbly request that the Guest of Honor to this event to appear before you."

That's your cue, Celes, Aguillar quickly fired off the psychic message.

Thank you. Now my little Pony and Dragon, I do believe it is time for us to officially open the curtain on this grand production of ours. Celestia replied, as suddenly a bright sphere with an aurora much like her mane appeared above the dome.

Wait what... Pony... Dragon... the hell could that have meant... Aguillar thought to herself to some mild degree of shock.

          Everyone looked around for a few moments, wondering what was supposed to happen. Some expected a spaceship to float down, a few still thought the entire setup was some kind of elaborate hoax. That was, until a glowing sphere that looked similar to the Aurora Barrier at night suddenly appeared about their heads. The entire crowd, nay, the entire world immediately fell silent. If an entire planet could have been stricken dumb, this would have been an example of it. The orb lowered to ground level, and dissipated slowly as it landed.

Three figures were slowly revealed to the rest of the world, as if a curtain was being drawn upward. The first figure that was completely revealed was a small dragon, about 2 feet tall. Quite unassuming in its form: amethyst purple scaly skin, lime green ear ridges with emerald green spinal plates, and large, vivid green eyes. On top of all of this, he wore a black formal suit, although not covering his lower body, trying to do such and leave room for his large, thick alligator like tail would have been far too much trouble. Spike was the very image of a young, precocious child; assuming humanity evolved from Technicolor lizards and not ancient apes. One could have wondered why it was bothering to wear any clothes at all, but anyone that was in any position to ask was too awestruck to formulate words let alone complete thoughts.

The second figure to be revealed was that of a equine, 3 feet tall to the shoulder. She did not perfectly resemble a comparative Earth horse of her size though, appearing more as a cartoonish rendition of one instead. Her legs thicker than a normal horse, face far more rounded, and a mane that seemed more like a human's head of hair, separated by a rounded unicorn's horn. The greatest deviation, much like the dragon, was her coloring: various shades of purple and magenta, and the marking on her flank of an exploding 6-pointed star, the significance of which would not be known to the public for some time. This figure began to get the crowd more talkative, mentioning how she seemed like a living toy.

The final figure to appear in full was similar to the purple equine before, except taller and more slender, closer to the true proportions of a horse, at about a height to where her face was roughly even to an average human male’s. Her body white as the driven snow. Her mane a living gradient of pink, aqua, lavender. Eyes burning with intelligence that an extremely long life affords you, but retaining the  compassion of a mother and matriarch. Everything about her affectation screamed "Leader": the gold ornaments and armor all over her body. The wings and sharp horn, combining the aesthetics of two mythical horses, the Pegasus and the Unicorn. All of her aesthetics screamed that she was a figure to be treated as royalty, if not like a deity taken physical form.

          The three of them stood there, all the still-shot photographers too scared to snap photos for fear of setting them to stampeding; or worse yet, blasting them halfway across the street with some unknown technology or magic. These images being broadcast everywhere brought the normal hustle and bustle of everyday life to a grinding halt. Cars and other personal transport stopped dead where they stood. Trains and Airplanes not already run by AI were put on autopilot while everyone stared at the image on their screen or the image displayed in their mind through the neural implants.

This scene went on for a good 2 or 3 minutes. Everyone was frozen in place staring at the 3 storybook creatures until President Aguillar managed to break loose from her stupor long enough to direct Celestia to the lectern. Celestia then walked toward the lectern, her horn glowing in order to lower it to a position where the cameras could get a good look of her face and neck as she spoke. She was quickly learning the optics of how to present one's self before a camera, putting into practice her previous research. Twilight Sparkle took up position to her right, standing off from the lectern, desperately trying not to have everyone staring at her instead. Spike stood to Celestia's left, wondering if the machines he heard the others talking about could make gemstones for him to eat.

Celestia began to speak, maintaining a regal air while making sure not to speak too loudly and allow the mechanical amplifiers and recorders to do their job. "Good Day, Denizens of the Planet Earth. My name is Princess Celestia, Reagent of the Sun, and one of the two rulers of the Land Behind the Aurora Barrier. My visit here is brief, for this is merely an introduction for myself and my kind. Firstly, the Land Behind the Aurora Barrier should be properly referred to as the Realm of Equestria. This realm is populated by beings much like my student and adjutant Twilight Sparkle here..."

Twilight Sparkle shivered as she could feel the cameras all focus on her for a brief moment.

"... and by other creatures sure as her assistant here, Spike, a juvenile dragon..."

Spike blanched at being reminded of his incredibly young age by dragon standards.

"... and many others that, for the sake of brevity, I will discuss at a later date. Our Worlds are currently, in a sense, neighbors now; a link having recently been forged in order to allow us passage in order to interact and study your culture and people. Do not fear, this process will not affect your world physically in terms of the orbit around your Sun or the orbit of the Moon around your planet, for our realm exists in a parallel dimension. At a later date, I will more thoroughly address your people; I look forward to this date, and I believe the news that I will bring will be of great interest to all of your people, regardless of their status or class. Myself and my travelling party shall remain here for a brief period in order to answer some general questions and be entertained as the esteemed guests of this nation's President and her colleagues. Before I conclude my remarks though, I would like to make a request of your media. We would greatly appreciate that you refer to my race as ‘Equestrians’; or 'Ponies', much like existing term used for the smaller versions of Earth’s native equines in English."

Flashbulbs went off in rapid succession, file footage was being archived in every place imaginable. Already the headlines were being written all over the Internet and every newswire service: "They have Arrived. And They Are Ponies?!" Meanwhile, in a certain corner of the internet, four viewers were busy trying to pick all of their jaws up off the floor.

Kyoko was ecstatic after the initial shock, feeling the utmost vindication in her theories behind what was behind the Barrier. "I KNEW IT. I KNEW IT I KNEW IT I KNEW IT!! THEY WERE ALIENS... although I thought they would have looked... well I guess weirder."

Andre was utterly stunned, he could scarcely find the words to say anything. "Ok, everyone else did see that, didn't they, I'm... wow... just... wow."

Natasha was trying to figure out if the world had finally cracked, and would refuse to make any kind of sense whatsoever. "Yes we did just see that, yes they are talking horses or 'Ponies' as they want to be called apparently and yes I am trying to figure out if the World has finally lost all sense and reason."

Ethan was actually somewhat calm and relieved after seeing Celestia. At least something was living behind that Barrier and it wasn't him having gone insane from boredom or being the victim of a cruel practical joke. "I cannot say I'm surprised, A technicolor queen or princess or whatever; ruling over a technicolor populace. A world that seems to be like someone took Earth and threw several cans of paint over it. Suddenly what I saw a week or so ago makes a whole hell of a lot of sense now. That or I've finally cracked from all the boredom of flying around the ocean aimlessly."

Kyoko was utterly enthralled with how adorable the smaller purple pony and dragon looked. "Ohh I think they all look so cute, like if someone made a big plushie of all of them I'd buy like 10 of each, especially that little dragon."

"I must say though, the Princess Celestia, she has an incredible air of regal-ness, llike she had centuries to practice looking like someone who is an unquestionable authority figure," Natasha said, rather quickly coming to accept what she saw was real, figuring that would have been too much effort to fake.

"Man look at the comment feeds, they are just going nuclear." Ethan said, directing their attention to the instant messaging services and comment sources absolutely going ape-shit over what just appeared before them.

Well, to say things won't be the same after would be a gross understatement... Andre thought to himself silently.

The world was abuzz with the First Contact; about how another sentient species had saw fit to stop by Earth and say “Hi”.

Meanwhile, Luna was working in the shadows, as was her preference, on the planning stages of Phase III. She knew that what she was planning on her end would make her and her compatriots great deal of enemies should anything go public before due time. So everything had to be completely secret to everyone except herself, Celestia, the Bearers of Harmony, and the immediate team of scientists working on the coming project. A project that would be headed on the human end by a pair of doctors, one geneticist with a several screws loose, and his partner, a prominent nanotechnician that was to be his moral anchor and, if need be, restraining bolt.

CH 8: Dog-Fighter

Chapter 8: Bombshell

The Conversion Bureau: A New Age, A New Life Chapter 8: Bombshell ===== ----- ===== ----- ==== 

[ Earth, May 1, 2080, 7:30 AM CDT ]

          Kyoko was flitting about the lobby, happy as a humming bird. Her best friend, and most definitely not-but-maybe-would-be boyfriend Andre was finally coming up from Baton Rouge and was going spend the whole day with her in the flesh and blood. Andre, despite all his protestations about getting up and leaving to go anywhere, eventually got over himself long enough to pack a couple of high-density holodisks and get on the Mississipi River MegaTrain. The Megatrain would have him in Saint Louis in about two hours, which was good for him because Princess Celestia and the UN had agreed to have her address a full assembly in New York City at 2 PM local time. He wondered if Celestia had gotten a bit caught up in being an international celebrity and forgot to do whatever negotiations she had come over here originally for. Only a relative handful of people would know why Celestia would be speaking to the world on this day.

"Two hours, he's gonna be in two hours, ooh I'm so excited." Kyoko said, barely managing to contain said excitement.

"Hrm, for someone you only talk to online, you sure are getting geeked up for this meeting.", a magenta Earth Pony said, watering a fairly large batch of potted flowers.

"Hrm, what would you know Quiet Walker, don't you have a stallion that'd make you bounce up and down off the walls before meeting?", she said jokingly, while ruffling the her peach-pink mane.

Hrm, maybe when I get over there I'll find one, Quiet Walker thought to herself; she and the other 'newfoals', as Luna called the recently transformed Ponies, would be due to leave for Equestria in a couple of day's time.

"Hey I wonder where Spiral Light and Ash Drifter are, he'll be here in a couple of hours and I'd like him to see that there are males over there," Kyoko said.

Dr. Jun walked in with Spiral Light, taking every chance he could to lift some unused object by telekinesis. His trainers had told him that Magic was a skill to be practiced, and practice makes perfect.

"See the object. Grasp the object. Hold the object. Move the object. Release the object. Just think of the magic like a ethereal hand...," he said to himself.

Ash Drifter was in a more sour mood, a whole week cooped up in the labs with barely any room to stretch his new wings was making him a tad jittery. Despite the anxiety, he decided that he could at least get some natural sunlight before going to watch the speech with the others.

"Ugh, I wish I could get out and try these wings out, but how am I gonna look as a big gray Pegasus flying around the middle of nowhere...,", he said to himself as the elevator went up.

          At the same time, deeper underground in the laboratory proper, Celestia, Luna, and the Doctors Isegawa were all around a secure video-phone link to the President of the United States. President Aguillar had been given the preliminary data for the transformation serum a couple of days before, the only human aside from the Doctors and their technicians to know of the serum's existence, at least for the next few hours anyway.

President Aguillar leaned back in her chair, she was sitting in a soundproof room to make sure that nothing leaked before due time. "I've seen the video. I've read the reports. To be perfectly honest, I got an argument going on in my head. Between the fact that all of this cannot possibly be real, and that it's damn real and you are getting a sneak preview at something even more Earth-shattering than the events of late March."

Princess Celestia replied with a tenor of someone hopeful yet concerned. There were far too many variables floating around, combined with the lack of first-hand knowledge of human behavior patterns, for her to be definitive in any divinations of the future, a position she hated being in. "Yes, I have still found it hard to believe that in such a short amount of time, relatively speaking, we could be this far along. From all we can see of our 3 trial subjects, there is absolutely nothing aberrant about them except the fact they were humans at the beginning of the previous month."

She took a short breath, ready to get to the meat of the subject for these discussions. "In other, related matters, I trust you have also gone over my draft remarks to the General Assembly at the United Nations? I want to talk to you personally before I make my speech, in order to gauge your opinion."

Aguillar leaned back in her chair again. She had read the remarks Celestia were set to deliver in a few short hours, and frankly, she agreed with a lot of it. But there were other concerns roaming around in her head. "Not to make this sound too selfish Princess Celestia, but while I may agree with the content of your speech, I cannot exactly full-throatily embrace it. As you know, the Elites are chafing at the fact that I intend to pass as many reforms as I can. So much so that they are, for the first time in quite a while, having to run a legitimate campaign to win office instead of just coasting in on general apathy. I would like to be able to preserve my position."

While the others were somewhat sad that they could not get official validation; in their minds they knew that no government entity that wasn't in the full thrall of the Elites could throw their arms the Equestrians in solidarity, at least not yet.

Aguillar then began to speak again, "Now while I cannot offer an official endorsement of what you plan, Princess Celestia, it might not be such a bad thing. In fact, I believe that it would be better this way." She paused for a moment to collect her thoughts again. "Yes, I believe I know some contacts among the Elite who aren't like the others, and would be able to offer more... material support, if you will."

Celestia and Luna loved the way this human thought. Although only a fraction of either of their ages, they could see the eyes of a leader wise beyond her years. They also knew that other leaders in the major nations were chafing under the constant beck and call of Dome-dwelling so called Elites, and they would relish the chance to be able to institute some real reforms, or at least some kind of brakes to their greed.

Princess Luna then spoke, "As I have been looking through various records and gauges of economic health, I cannot help but notice a lot of land not enclosed under the prospective Domes is incredibly inexpensive. Would it be too much to ask of your theoretical contacts, to set up some kind of entity to purchase this land and the necessary mechanical workers to erect facilities?"

Aguillar responded with a bit of mirth, "No, that would not be too much to ask Princess Luna, although the environment outside of the Domes is badly damaged. I would project quite a bit of work from your end to clean up the building sites, should plans lead down that road."

Princess Celestia concurred, "That would be correct President Aguillar, especially considering the fact that any large channels of magic from Equestria would be dangerous to humans. While the work would be hard, long, and constant, it would be, nevertheless, doable."

As the call ended, President Aguillar sat back in her chair some more. She had a lot to contemplate before attending the speech at the U.N. in a scant few hours. Please, to whatever higher power might be out there...Give the rest of them at least the ability to see past themselves long enough for those Ponies to help us... she prayed inwardly to anyone who'd listen.

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

[ Earth, May 1, 2080, 1:55 PM CDT ]

          It was almost time for the speech. Andre was safely inside the Isegawa Clinic outside of St. Louis. The so called clinic seemed to be far bigger than any potential clientele would warrant. It possessed a staffed cafeteria, guestrooms, a recreational room, and a computer lab; like it was as much an inn/dormitory as much it was a clinic. Much to his surprise, he was having a pretty good time considering he was in a city he had never visited; and with a girl who, until a couple a days ago, he didn't know anything about except what she told him. At the same time, he was laughing it up said girl's parents, and the parents wondering why their daughter seemed to resist wanting to engage in a serious relationship this supposedly fine young man. Everything seemed like it was normal, like this girl wasn't the daughter of 2 of the most premiere scientists that hadn't forsaken the Outsiders. Like the world hadn't been visited by talking, brightly colored Pony-aliens. It was this feeling of relative normalcy, even including the three unassuming Ponies there with them, the he missed. It was this feeling of relative normalcy that made him think that the whole world was about to be turned on its head, yet again.

          Everyone was in the recreational room to watch the speech. Quiet Walker, Spiral Light, and Ash Drifter sat on some cushions in a spot out of view from the door. The Doctors Isegawa sat at the bar, not deciding to pour themselves a drink just yet. Kyoko sat with Andre on a nice comfortable couch. Andre marveled at how this out of the way clinic-inn could be so well furnished, how the area around it so be clean and seemingly free of pollution, and how the plant that Quiet Walker was attending to seemed at least 20% bigger than it had any right to being.

"Ok shhh, Celestia-hime is about to give her speech.", Kyoko said, the irony not lost on anyone there it was Kyoko that was trying to get everyone quiet.

          Pretty much every nation and peoples who managed to survive this long was represented at the General Assembly. The full house of dignitaries, having sat through several opening remarks and speeches, were rather anxious and wanted to know what this creature from another dimension had to say to them. Celestia, for her part, again looked all the serene and calm of someone who was in firm control of the situation; to which some extent, she was. The entire world was about to hang off her every word, and she knew it. This also made her nervous to some extent; because she had little to no knowledge of human nature and how they respond to certain cues, she had absolutely no idea of what reaction she would garner with the words to come. She had to be incredibly careful, lest she start a firestorm that could end everything before they could begin. There was no backing out now though, she and the rest of Equestria was going to see this out however it played.

It was now 3 PM sharp, and right on time, Princess Celestia, Avatar of the Sun, Co-Ruler of the Realm Of Equestria, was about directly confront Elite, and some extent, all of humanity. With a large breath, she strode to the podium, and began the speech that'd change two worlds; to what end, no one could know.

          "Good Evening, Denizens of the Planet Earth. As you may know already, my name is Princess Celestia, Avatar of the Sun, and Co-Ruler of the Realm of Equestria. I come before you today to fulfill a promise I made during my statements more than one month ago. I stated then that I would bring to you all news that would be of interest to all of humanity, regardless of race, class, or creed. But before I come to that particular point, I would like to make brief remarks on what myself and my cohorts have learned throughout our brief period here to this date.

          "Our world once shared a link, a bridge if you will. Before this point, as far as myself and my sister could tell, our ancestors and yours lived in relative peace and harmony with each other. However, this peace was not permanent. A great cataclysm befell the bridge, and the resulting fallout nearly ended both our species shortly after. This was eons ago in our respective histories, and the evolution since could not have been more divergent. While our species retained the ability to affect our environment, we were able to survive more or less intact. The ancient humans, however, were apparently not so lucky. Their civilization collapsed quickly after, and the world was plunged back into an Ice Age. This dramatically altered human evolution, in a social sense. Humanity became more and more tribal and fractious, the desperate need to survive a cruel world taking precedence over anything else.

          "Despite these cruel conditions, mankind eventually began to build a new civilization. Where tool making, technical prowess, and the ability to rally others to one's cause were what won the day. This world, did not have any type of greater morality, though. Instead it was, and to a large extent, still is, a world with one very simple rule: survival at all costs. As such, cultures that could not meet the rigors of the time eventually fell to the dustbin of history. Egypt, Macedonia, Rome, Byzantine, Mongolia, Zulu; how many names have risen and fallen? Even to this day, many nations exist as merely vestigial homelands of once great Empires: England, Germany, Italy, China, Japan, even the United States have seen their empires, whether in name or influence, degenerate back to their original borders. But Nature abhors a vacuum, and something new has arisen to replace it.

          "Desire... what is desire truly? Desire, to my estimation, has many forms. The need to attain something that one does not currently posses, the need to leave a legacy that would outlive their current existence, the drive to become something other than what you are at the current point in time. This is what drives mankind, this is what drives Ponykind; in fact, I should be so bold to say it drives all sentient life forms, regardless of form. To lose desire is to lose the very spark of life itself. Yet, like with anything else, to let desire grow beyond a healthy level is to watch it mutate into something corrosive and destructive: Greed.

          "To weave these concurrent threads of history and sociology brings us to our current state of affairs. Certain humans, in their greed for all manners of things, have decided the normal communities, and even the nations that have formed could not satisfy their hunger. So it has grown beyond the bounds of such things. These humans have become a power unto themselves, amassing so much in resources and capital that the world itself now appears to revolve around their axis instead of the axis of established governing bodies. Their gravity, in terms of political power, so great that no other entity can escape it's pull. This is very troubling to me. In this universe, as it is in countless others, when gravity becomes so great and so concentrated, it eventually becomes a black hole. It inexorably draws in everything, even light itself, into its maw and crushes it into oblivion.

          "This is how I view the state of the sheer power these particular humans wield; a gravity so great it is beginning to crush everything around it. One can see its effects already underway: the earth has grown fallow, the waters grow fetid, the winds poisoned, and the fires rage out of control. This is to say nothing of the very souls of many of those without the resources to live within the protective Domes. Their hearts and souls are also being crushed under this weight. Few outlets exist for them creatively; their labor, be it active or potential, goes unrewarded or unwanted. It is as if desire itself is being sucked out of them, sucked into that nascent black hole. What does that leave for most people? Already, you see the great masses become inactive politically and socially, retreating into virtual worlds or any other avenue. They wish to escape this pull of this gravity, to have some kind of avenue to where their flower of the soul might bloom again.

          "This now brings us to the current day, and the core reason of why I am giving this speech. I saw the state of this world, and I could not ignore it. I saw the want in your people's eyes, and I could not ignore it. I could hear the yearning for a new beginning in your people's hearts, and I could not ignore it. So we began to devise plans, plans for rebuilding, plans for rejuvenation, of both the physical and the metaphysical. Yet, there were, complications. No matter how many simulations we ran, no matter much we massaged the data, it kept saying the same thing: a human emigrating to Equestria would be suicide. Your bodies, for reasons we cannot determine, cannot function in an environment laden with raw magic, or as your scientists have termed it, thaumatic radiation. Cells rupture or burn out, organs fail; it would be as if the body was struck with the most powerful radiations your cosmos could produce. Not a preferable way to move to the Great Beyond, in our estimation.

          "Therefore we began to revise our plans. We needed to develop some means to allow humans to survive these harsh radiological conditions. There was something within the human's physical makeup that no other species shared that made them react so horribly to thaumatic radiation. No matter what our or your researchers tried, we could not escape that fact. So eventually, the alternative was reached.

Celestia then took a pause that seemed like an eternity to herself and anyone listening or reading her words.

"The solution we have arrived at... is the complete rewriting of the physical form of a human, in order to mirror our own form. Or to put it more succinctly, Ponification.

Celestia somehow managed to, twice in six weeks, bring a planet of 9.5 billion humans and innumerable machines to a cold and dead silence. Celestia couldn't help but be unnerved slightly by the total lack of reaction of... well anyone.

Regaining her composure, she began to conclude her remarks. "While this is not the proper venue to discuss Ponification in scientific terms, rest assured the process has been deemed safe in both the physical and metaphysical respect. All memories and cognitive ability are retained. All that changes is the physical form that you exit the process with. I, nor my Sister, intend this to be some sort of ultimatum. We do not intend to forsake those who would not take this opportunity; we know there are those that would not seek this option, and they should not be left to a world spiraling out of control. This is simply meant to be another avenue, a way for those who see no path forward in this world to be able to continue forward on the great journey of Life. To conclude, we also intend to remain in this world so long as we are welcome, and we will attempt to assist you all in any way that we can devise, going forward. We in Equestria believe, that our two people's together, hand in hoof as it were, can move forward and forge a New Age, together. Thank you for your time and consideration."

With that, the white Winged-Unicorn walked off the stage. The assembly left to gather their thoughts about the seemingly infinitely massive bomb that the alien-Pony had just dropped directly into their laps.

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

          To say the internet was set on fire would have been an understatement. To say that every pundit from New York to Hong Kong and everywhere in between had an opinion would have been an understatement. To say that Celestia and her cohorts didn't just basically accuse the ruling class of actively causing the very demise of an entire planet of 9 billion other people, and countless other living things, would have been an understatement. The impudence, sheer audacity, absolute temerity, the gigantic, brass balls on that woman, or mare (debate still raged on what generic noun to use for her), walking onto the biggest stage any politician could walk on and effectively dress down the whole of human society absolutely flabbergasted the Elite. It stunned them, it shocked them, it astonished them. The vast masses of Outsiders on the other hand... well their reaction was anything but uniform. Some were just as shocked, shocked that some alien, some entity that they didn't even believe existed could pass judgment on Humanity in all of 2 months. Others frankly wondered what took them so long to see just how screwed up everything was and why the whole planet wasn't being razed to the ground out of fear of them getting into space. Still others just wanted off this rollercoaster any way they could.

          A couple of weeks had passed since Celestia's speech to the UN and the wider world. People went on with whatever lives they were leading up to this point, but now a new thought was gnawing at the back of their minds. Is what that White Princess said was true, that the gravity of the Elite were threatening to smash everything to bits around them, in a metaphorical sense? Was Ponification the only way to escape this fate, or could some middle ground be found? None of the Ponies made any public appearances since then, apparently allowing the news to sink in and gauge their collective reaction to it.

[ Earth, May 17, 2080 ]

*Bzzt* Time Over: Final Score -- Red Gravediggers 55 - 57 Blue Dragons

"Andre, how you got that last goal I never figure out, " Ethan said, somewhat in disbelief.

Andre, for his part, was also still in disbelief, "Hey man if I could pull something like that off all the time, our teams would be tied 2 games apiece in this best of 5 Match."

"Hey I'm just glad we're able to play together, it's been nice getting to know you two, Kyoko and Andre.", Natasha chimed in, all four now comfortable enough to use their real names while online.

Kyoko was certianly feeling a lot better about the game now that the match was tied 2-apiece. "Wooo, this is really fun, I don't know why I didn't start playing sooner. Me and Ao-chan make the best team~!"

Natasha went to her water bottle for a long drink, settling herself in for the last match of this particular game. "I have to say for someone that's only been at this for a few weeks you've gotten the hang of most all the basic and intermediate stuff, heck I've seen you pull a few moves it took me months to learn."

"Man sometimes I wonder what it was like during the summer when it wasn't triple digits every day, and it's only halfway through May on top of that," Andre said, wondering if he should take a semi-cold shower after the final game to help cool off.

"I heard people would actually play recreational sports without keeling over sick halfway through the games,"  Ethan said, thinking about the time his father claimed he hit 2 home runs in a single inning to win a baseball game at his rec league.

Kyoko began to think out loud, her voice intoning concern through the statement. "Yeah you're right, this air pollution makes it hard to do anything outside of the Domes during spring, or summer, or fall, or winter even... wow, no wonder they make you so mad Ao-chan."

"Ugh don't get me started, please. Everything those Dome retards do just makes it worse for the rest of us. Now they are trying to get President Aguillar to ban Celestia and the rest of the Equestrians from appearing on US soil, I guess for daring to tell the truth to their smug, prick faces.", Andre said, wondering what was hotter, the air inside his apartment or his blood getting riled up thinking about those Dome-dwelling idiots.

"Can they even do that? I mean, it seems like Celestia and her sister, I think it was Luna, they just seem to show up whenever they damn well please. Can't think of any way we'd stop them even if we tried," Natasha asked, somewhat annoyed at the idea of an alien that could just poof in whenever and wherever (s)he wanted.

"Ooooh, You mean like the Great Gazoo, from that really really really really old cartoon, um... the Flintstones I think it was?" Kyoko tried to recall without having to verify it.

Ethan took a couple of moments to look it up on his mobile holo-pad. "Just looked it up and yeah it was the Flintstones, funny looking little sucker there."

"Anyway Ethan are you gonna re-enlist? I heard your service tour was up this month.", Natasha asked Ethan.

"Oh God no. I'm gonna take my little stipend and probably just bum out for the next God knows how long.", Ethan answered, glad he could finally be able to spend time with Natasha on his own terms.

Andre inquired about any benefits he got from his completed tour of service, honestly not knowing what anyone got out of the deal. "Dont they give you free MegaTrain rides for life or something if you complete your service without getting deep-sixed or drummed out?"

"Yep, It took every ounce of self-discipline I had not to tell somebody off on my last day. Then again it's not like the MegaTrain is that expensive. Most of the problem is that there really isn't much point in leaving where you are unless you are trying to visit somebody, isn't that right my little undertaker." Ethan replied, making a little kissy face towards Natasha through the camera.

Kyoko wondered what was stranger, the public display of affection through the 'Net, or the fact that undertaker was being used as a pet name, apparently. "Heyy, when are we gonna start the last game, you know we had a bet."

"Yeah, losers had to pay for a full new outfit for the winning pair's avatars right?" Ethan said, getting his proverbial game face on.

"And me and Ethan already know what we want gifted to us," Natasha said, making a sleeve rolling motion even though she wasn't wearing a shirt with any sleeves.

"Don't count your chickens before they hatch my dear Natty," Andre said, pressing the button on the screen to start the final game of the Match

MATCH 5 OF 5: Red Gravediggers (2) - (2) Blue Dragons. Game Begins in 3... 2... 1... *Horn blows*

Elsewhere, another group were meeting over the 'Net, although for decidedly less pleasant reasons.

"Ugh that stupid bitch is making a fool out of us, we cannot stand for this!"

"Yeah which one though, the President or that White Winged Horse that decided now was a good time to pay us a visit"

"Both of them, really. I mean honestly, don't they know how much trouble we went through to get to where we are"

"And that stupid horse had the unmitigated gall to tell us WE were ruining the Earth. Maybe if those rats outside the dome stopped breeding all the time we wouldn't be in this situation"

"Now now, some of those rats have proven quite useful to us, I mean we still have the legislature in our hip pocket."

"Yeah all we gotta do is keep stalling everything, those idiots that even bothered to vote in the last election won't even give a shit coming up, then our guy will skate in."

"We got bigger fish to fry, though, I heard one of the Domes near Oklahoma City is starting to run low on water."

"Can't they just restrict water to their slums, I mean it's not like anyone cares about them"

"Yeah but they will care when the rioting starts, better to wait for Winter and start slowly cutting them off then"

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

[ Equestria, May 17, 2080 ]

          It was another day in Equestria. Luna was sound asleep during the day for the first time in weeks. The Element Bearers had time to get back to their daily lives in Ponyville as best they could given the circumstances. Celestia had given them a few weeks leave, knowing that their mortal minds and hearts needed time to rest and really couldn't go full tilt 24/7 with the plotting and scheming like herself or Luna could. Speaking of which, Celestia had already begun drawing up plans for the new facilities on Earth, as well as drafting early versions of volunteer and eventually paid staff recruitment letters, for both Humans and Ponies. Officially, they would be known as called the "Human Conversion Bureau And Pony Rehabilitation Clinics", although to call these places mere clinics didn't do them justice.

           They were designed to be mostly self-sufficient, Celestia did not want to leave supply lines up to the fickle human governments, and having to teleport in supplies constantly would be a hassle. At the behest of her sister, she provided for classrooms for both Pony and Human of all ages, to be able to give crash courses in Equestrian History, Culture, and the abilities of the 3 races in general. There were also to be the Earth Pony Greenhouses, landing areas for various air transports should clients need emergency care to or from the facilities, underground storage facilities, so many things.

I'm glad I found texts for drawing architectural plans according to Earth standards. Their information networks are so extremely useful. I'll have to be sure to keep an eye out for any Information or Computer Science-types that come through these doors, we could definitely use something like this Equestria... Celestia thought to herself.

She then thought, ... Though some of the user generated content concerns me. Luna and myself are be able to handle it, cannot live millennia without seeing some things, but can the Bearers handle it?

          Over in Ponyville, Pinkie Pie was walking towards Twilight Sparkle's house-tree, giggling something fierce and trying her best not fall over laughing. She knocked at the door, and seeing it was open, went into the library proper. Truth be told it was more a book repository than anything, since few Ponies if any actually stayed there to study or the sort. She scarcely managed to make it to the room Twilight was in before falling over laughing, with Twilight wondering just what in Tartarus was so funny.

"Pinkie Pie, I do believe I've told you not to come into my study making a ruckus like that, not that you ever listen when I say that...," Twilight said, exacerbation in her tone as this had clearly happened many times before.

Pinkie Pie was laughing so hard she could hardly breathe, but managed to restrain herself long enough to speak anyway. "But.. oh man... everywhere, ahahaha, it got everywhere... and in everything..."

"Care to indulge me on what you've found this time on the human's info network this time?", Twilight asked, figuring it was something she found while scanning the human networks since nothing in Ponyville had blown up recently. It then immediately dawned on her how strange this town and her life was, where something not exploding would be news to her.

"Oh, it was just this television program I found in their archives. Oh man, these humans are hilarious, I hope they are even half this funny when they become Ponies.", Pinkie said, only now managing to get a hold of herself.

"I'm fairly certain humans wouldn't lose their sense of humor in the Conversion process."

"Yeah you're right, I'm pretty sure they can still be this funny despite how bad it is over there."

"You really think that Pinkie."

"Well, the way I figure it... you gotta find a way to laugh and smile even in the worst of times."

Twilight Sparkle thought about what Pinkie said just then, Laughing even in the worst of times, yeah that's definitely something Pinkie would say. It seemed like ever since forming the New Light Bridge, she had begun honing her comedic timing far more sharply; although to some, her humor was still random, to the refined eye, she seemed to be able to find something appropriate to the situation, regardless of the situation. She also had begun to make a real name for herself as a party planner throughout all of Equestria, probably taking some cues from the humans she started interacting with.

"Anyway Pinkie, how did you even find those 'programs'? I mean it's not like we ever had time during our Earth visits to learn where to look for things on their information networks.", Twilight then asked, wonder how anyone could find anything in that morass of information.

Pinkie looked at Twilight with strange look, a look of 'Wait you didn't already know the answer to this question?'. "Oh I just asked around and they showed me."

"Uh, wait, you're able to SEND information to their networks?", Twilight asked, downright shocked that the information flow wasn't one way with their links as it were.

"Duuuh, yeah silly. I mean one day I was like 'Hey how am I supposed to find anything in this place?' and then someone showed me a place where to ask a question or throw out some words and BOOM it was like I was linked to whatever that thingy said was relevant," Pinkie replied, obviously not familiar with any of the humans internet terminology.

Like an Ask-And-Receive Spell... even without formal Magic, the humans still end up making something similar. Twilight thought to herself. She wondered just how humans, with all this knowledge and ingenuity, could still have screwed themselves and their world up so badly.

Rarity was in Carousel Boutique designing her first human dress. She had learned much of human fashion eschewed gaudy jewels on the clothes themselves, in favor of patterns and colors; plus the state the world was in, wearing anything bejeweled outside of the Domes was like painting a big red bulls-eye on yourself. She then thought to herself, I do hope the President's daughter likes this dress I made, she seems like the type who'd appreciate something pretty. Although her son couldn't seem to care less for aesthetics, probably more Rainbow Dash's type anyway.

Rainbow Dash had managed to learn to use her Element as a projector on the cloud wall of her house, a mundane usage of an artifact of such power but whatever works, she thought. She had fallen in love with Earth's sports and action movies, even though she found most of the recent films produced trite and hardly noteworthy. How did they even think replacing a real live actor with some kind of... fake one... would even make sense. No wonder it felt like this world had forgotten Loyalty, the people running things seem more loyal to their money than anything else... she thought to herself while watching a 'classic' action flick.

Applejack was busy getting caught upon lost work, bucking apples out of some of the early fruiting trees. She and Apple Bloom were busy taking care of things while Big Macintosh was catching up on his rest, legs sore from having to do the work of two until a few days ago with Applejack being in and out of town, although for him it was more like the work of one and a half.

"Hey Applejack, it seems like ya got stronger, you're buckin down a lot more apples than ya used to."

"Actually Apple Bloom, I didn't get any time for strength trainin. It's more like I'm findin a better sweet spot for hittin the tree, and pacin myself to not burn out too fast."

"Wha, when did ya get so smart?"

"Are ya sayin I wasn't before?"

Applejack grabbed Apple Bloom to give her a noogie, thankful to get caught up with some lost time. She didn't know how much time she was gonna have at Sweet Apple Acres in the near future. While walking back to the barn to begin sorting the fruit, she thought to herself, I'm gonna need to get Rainbow to show me that trick of hers, their football season is gonna start soon and I want to be able to watch it without looking like a dang fool. And I wish some of the people they get to talk about sports and news didn't lie like it was part of their job. I think their media need a triple dose of Honesty, Apple Clan style.

Fluttershy was at her cottage, still reviewing some of the old nature and cultural documentaries she found while travelling the networks herself. Although initially shocked at just how cutthroat Earth's environment had made all the species there, especially humans, she then began to come to a realization...

Even though the whole planet is like the Everfree Forest, they still show each other kindness. Even though some of their own kind see this kindness as a weakness, they still show it. How strong of soul these people have to be to still believe kindness works, living a world so especially cruel.

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

[ Earth, May 19, 2080, 9:00 AM EST ]

Manhattan, historically one of the great melting pots of the world, a crossroads of culture and business. One of the great tourist destinations of the world. However that was the time before the Domes. After the Domes, it had become a restricted play ground for the idle rich; a place where people who thought they were superior to the common man would regularly engage in contests to see who was worth more, who was more important, who had more connections. A place of great culture and history was being hollowed out by a bunch of nitwits with way too much cash to burn, and it made a particular man absolutely sick to his stomach.

          This man was Richard Edwards, a sort of aberration amongst the Dome dwellers; he still cared about those left behind as it were. He was a man of great means, even by Dome standards, yet he had managed to escape the self-reinforcing game of 'Anything you can buy I can buy better' that so many of his neighbors engaged in. A video-phone call from a friend in a very high place was about to allow him to leverage his considerable means for a cause he felt actually needed his resources.

          He was sitting in his office, still musing over the thoughts after Celestia's speech at the UN almost 3 weeks ago now. The video-phone rang, and Richard picked it up, quite surprised to see the number that popped up as the source of the call.

"Hello, Richard Edwards of Edwards Robotic and Nanotech Fabrications. We build it bigger, better, and cheaper than anyone out there..."

"Hah, it's been what 25 years since you worked the customer service line, and you still answer the phone the same way," a female voice said on the other end.

"Well to what do I owe the pleasure of this phone call, I thought you would be too busy trying to beat back the dogs barking at a certain pair of horses,", Richard said to the female on the other end.

"First of all, Ponies, Richard. Anyway, it must have pained them so to hear the truth laid bare before the entire world. Their allied legislators have been trying to get me to declare them openly hostile to the United States government or some such.", President Aguillar said, revealing her face for this quite personal of calls.

Richard blanched at the reminder of how arrogant most of his neighbors were. "They really think they own the government now, such arrogance. No wonder my father raised me outside of this wretched hive."

"Moving on, I believe that Celestia's speech before the world has thrown things into such chaos legislatively, they can't even marshal the votes for a simple resolution of general disapproval," President Aguillar then said. In fact most of the world legislatures had been thoroughly paralyzed by indecision, allowing most of the leaders, especially the reformists, to officially state that they by and large would not interfere with the plans of the Equestrians. The EU Council President and the Japanese Prime Minister managed to go further and say they would welcome further dialogue with the Equestrians, hoping to prove that they would be a benevolent force.

Richard was glad to hear that most the legislature could do in this state was express vague disapproval. "It's good to hear that those idiots in Congress are going to at least stay out of the way for now. But our dear Ponies are going to need access to resources on this side of the Aurora, are they not?"

Melinda was glad to hear he was already thinking along her train of thought. "Yes Richard, as you know, since the Domes were constructed and the Singularity occured, land on the outskirts of our cities and out in the wilderness has become dirt cheap. Our dear Elite see no reason to buy any land not already sealed and supposedly protected."

"Hrm, so you would have me buy up large tracts of land on the outskirts for our mutual allies, yes?" Richard then asked.

"Indeed, I am also sending you, via secure data link, the rough draft of the facilities they want to build on said land," President Aguillar responded.

"Outposts?" Richard asked.

"Not necessarily, just read what they are." the President responded.

          Richard read over the plans, and they were stunningly detailed. He was being asked to furnish land and equipment for what would be a, a first blush, a moderately-sized self-contained community facility. There would be classrooms, dormitories, laboratories, doctors offices, a group cafeteria, areas for a garden, even recreational rooms. But what impressed him more was the scale, or rather the lack of it in terms of absolute size. The land requirements were almost nothing relative to the extensiveness of the building's purpose. Whoever designed this wanted maximum amenities in a minimal amount of space, it's the very antithesis of the waste these idiots in the Dome design in their homes... he thought, marveling at the elegant simplicity of the plans.

"I would assume our Royal Guests drew these plans up. Hardly anyone living in the Domes would have this extensive knowledge of architecture while also having this sense of aesthetics.", Richard remarked, the wheels turning in his head.

"Indeed, they did draw those plans up. Also, as I explained to them, in my position I cannot guarantee anything the government would do aside from extending police protection to them. So this effort needs to be funded from your realm, as it were. Therefore, they would like to meet you in person in order to discuss matters more in depth.", President Aguillar said.

"How does this time tomorrow sound?", Richard then asked.

"Tomorrow sounds lovely, indeed." a pair of regal-sounding female voices replied.

Well played Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, well played indeed. Richard thought to himself.

President Aguillar then ended the video call. Richard then leaned back in chair, and buzzed down to his secretary. Again, an oddity considering he wanted to employ human assistants instead of AIs. "Candice, please cancel any appointments I have tomorrow, I have a pair of V.I.P.s coming through and I would like not to be interrupted."

"Yes sir, Mr. Edwards", Candice replied.

Hrm, a pair of Very Important Ponies indeed... he thought to himself.

          The next day, rumors and stories were flying on the 'Net about how everyone seemed to have these strange dreams. Those near the date line reported them first by and large; but, as night began to lift across the world the rumors only compounded. The dreams varied, but there was always something in common. They were speaking to an altered version themselves, smaller in stature yet seemingly more serene of mind. Everyone who could stay asleep long enough had these dreams, however four in particular had more vivid dreams, to say the least.

"Ok you know those rumors that everyone been having these weird dreams?" Andre started to ask.

"Yeah man, I think that particular rumor is legit," Ethan chimed in.

"You had one too? Wow I thought I was kinda losin' it myself," Kyoko added

"It seems that makes 4 of us. Still trying to figure out what the heck is going on," Natasha said, while nodding sagely and deep in thought.

"You think some hackers are having a little too much fun with the neural nets?", Ethan asked of his beau.

"No, I haven't received any security notices or reports of greater than usual incidences of neural tampering. Whatever this event was, was causing actual dreams to change." Natasha answered.

"So, feel like some impromptu story time? I guess if we all went over what happened maybe something would sort itself out," Andre asked of everyone. Everyone else agreed.

Andre went first, "Alright, now the details are kinda sketchy but mine went like this: First I was standing in this cave, and I was looking at this giant blue something, an uncut gem maybe. And then I fell through the floor and was completely submerged in water. I struggled and struggled and struggled, thinking I was gonna drown right. But here is the weird thing, when I stopped struggling it was like I could breathe anyway, like the water was just plain air. Then I heard this voice ask 'Do you have the will to achieve Power?'."

Ethan then followed, "Mine was kinda similar, except the gem I saw was kinda yellow, maybe gold... anyway when I reached out to touch it, suddenly I was launched into the air. I dunno how high because there was no frame of reference, then I started falling. I was panicking, praying to whatever deity name I could remember, but I just kept plummeting through the air. The turn in my dream was I yelled about having something to land on that wouldn't kill me, and then suddenly I *ploof* hit this cloud, like I had just let myself topple over into my bed instead of having fell however many thousands of feet. And I heard a voice ask that same question."

"Woah, that was nuts.", Kyoko started before going into her account, "Ok so there I was, this really really pretty green crystal formation like you two right. And then suddenly the whole floor turned into sand, quicksand I guess. So I start sinking, to my knees, then my waist, and up to my neck. I was soooo scared I thought I was gonna die. But it seemed like when I thought that suddenly something grabbed me by the waist and arms and pulled me up and out. And then I was sitting on a big giant leaf like I was only 2 inches tall, and then I heard the same question."

"Mine was probably the scariest though", Natasha started, her face chastened like she had seen a ghost suddenly, "Now I saw the same gem I guess, except in my dream it was red. The most brilliant red I could ever imagine. But then it started getting hot, in fact everything was getting hot. And then I started seeing sparks, flares, and before I knew it the hole whatever I was standing in was up in flames. I couldn't see any smoke but what I felt was the most intense heat and light I think my brain could process. The flames crowded in around me, and I thought I was going to be reduced to ashes. But I wasn't, the flames danced all around me, but my clothes, my skin, nothing was being affected by the heat or the light even though by all rights, I should had been vaporized. Then I heard the same question."

"Hrm 4 Gems, 4 Near Death Experiences, 4 People being asked the same question. It's almost as if something is trying to string all of us together with these dreams," Andre began to ponder out loud.

"If we hadn't seen everything we had seen over the last 2 or so months, I'd think we'd had all gone plum loco", Ethan perked up.

"Maybe we still are going crazy, but then again it seems the whole world is going crazy, probably why they came over here to begin with," Natasha added.

"So many questions and no one to answer them, a conundrum indeed," Kyoko started thinking.

Yeah, lots and lots of questions, too bad you can't talk to somepony I know... oh wait did I say that out loud, whoops forget I was ever here. Yep, nothing but a disembodied voice over the 'Net and definitely not somepony from another world accidentally wandering through your computer network. Heh heh heh... Kyoko suddenly heard in her head, wondering who that was and why would they use the phrase 'somepony'?

"Woah, what was that?" Kyoko asked, having just realized that someone should NOT be able to talk straight into her head with her approving it first.

"What was what?" Andre asked.

"That, like, someone was just in my head talking. But it wasn't through a neural network link, it was just some voice in my head talking..." Kyoko asked, wondering if she was starting to have a schizophrenic break.

Ethan asked matter-of-factly, trying to impart some calm to Kyoko given the circumstances, "Ok did it sound like you or was it someone else?"

"It sounded definitely like someone else, like one of those psychics that could just wander around and talk to people in their head or something.", Kyoko replied, starting to calm down a tad.

"You think it was one of the Princesses? Rumor is that they could talk to someone through a direct telepathic link.", Natasha asked.

"No, we heard both of them speak to media before, Celestia a lot more than Luna though. But no, it didn't sound like either of them as far as I could remember.", Kyoko answered.

Andre had that sudden moment of dread again. All of the last few days of his life, with everything being good. That only meant one thing... something BIG was about to happen... again!

          Meanwhile, at the same exact time in Equestria, Twilight Sparkle had to suddenly cancel an information trawling session. She was pacing around, clearly in bit of panic after accidentally making psychic contact with a human.

"Oh no, I hope I didn't mess something, or someone up. How could I know I could actually make contact with someone at the same time they were using the Internet? Dumb, dumb dumb dumb dumb dumb..." She went on out loud, berating herself for being careless.

All the while Spike wondering just what the heck was going on and why his partner/employer was verbally beating herself up... again!

CH 9: Ring of Fire

Interstitial I - World of the Elements

The Conversion Bureau: A New Age, A New LifeInterstitial I - World of the Elements===== ----- ===== ----- =====

        The last 3 months were quite eventful. One of the biggest developments in the progression of Celestia and Luna's great vision of renewal, was the forging of an alliance with some members of the Elite, lead by Richard Edwards. This new Human-Equestrian Alliance began to start construction and furnishing of the prospective Bureaus. The rest of the Elite, unsurprisingly, took this as direct offense, and began the normal means by which they would shut anything down by some rogue Elite activist, freezing them out financially and socially. However, this usual method of doing things did not work on Edwards for a number of reasons.

First of all, he had so many contacts in the financial sector that the other Elite had little to no leverage to freeze his assets or anything resembling such. Secondly, since the land that was being purchased was outside of the Domes, most of the real estate sector saw no reason to block the land sales since the land being brought was mostly useless to them. Thirdly, the nanomachines could fabricate all but the most rare of materials, and the base materials would be furnished by Equestria anyway. Foruthly, the market was so awash with electronic equipment of all kinds, there was basically no way to stop the HEA from being able to outfit the centers at least ten times over. Finally, Edwards frankly cared little for socialization outside of maintaining his business contacts; and the Elite-allied politicians had no way of stopping him either, due to decade after decade of stripping the ability of the governments to halt activity on privately held land.

        As weeks and months went on, the other Elites believed they could press their media advantage to turn the masses against the Human-Equestrian Alliance, by portraying President Aguillar and her reformist allies both inside and outside the U.S. as traitors to the human race. However, most of the public cared little for the socio-political pronouncements by the Elite, and those who would pay attention already disregarded them as collectively selfish assholes. For the first time in a long time, the elections were actually in doubt, as no one could accurately gauge who'd vote in the coming elections around the world.

        In Equestria, goodbyes were being exchanged in various locales, as the Bearers of the Elements of Harmony were to take up positions as the Head Administrators in six of the American Centers. Twilight Sparkle was to head to St. Louis, the figurative center of the country, population wise; Spike following her there of course, if for no other reason than to be there for her if she got in over her head. Rarity drew New York City, the cultural hub of the Nation before the time of the Domes. Rainbow Dash drew Chicago, city famous for getting knocked down, repeatedly, but always getting back up. Fluttershy drew Seattle, one of the few remaining cities with any sense of pride in the environment outside of the Domes. Pinkie Pie would head the center for Los Angeles, and everyone prayed to whoever that nothing would explode in the time she was there. Applejack was to head the center in Austin, one of the only places in the South of the United States that was in any way hospitable to the Equestrians, then again Austin was always an odd duck in that regard.

        Luna and the Doctors Isegawa were putting the final touches on the Multi-Boxes responsible for mass-producing the runic-nanites.  Dubbed the "Black Horse Box" by Dr. Hayato, it would be able to function independent of any Unicorn Magic; only needing to be recharged every so often by exposure to thaumatic radiation, which would easily be provided by the New Light Bridge Gates being constructed at each Bureau and specified terminal points in Equestria proper. They also designed a failsafe to where the transformation could not trigger unless a critical mass of the serum was consumed within a minute, which was 250 ml (roughly 8.5 oz.). The New Light Bridge had also grown larger, the circumference now about 50 mi across. This stability allowed the transport of all manners of material, only limited by the power of the Unicorn doing the transporting.

        Celestia also had a hand in the programming of the runic-nanites, and she and Luna added another tripwire. Any human undergoing the transformation would first speak to an Astral Fragment of herself and her sister. She wanted to compile and learn of the reasons why people would be taking advantage of her offer, and she had to be on the lookout for four people in particular. Herself, Luna, and the Six Bearers of Harmony all were having concurrent visions. The Four Objects that Twilight mentioned at one time were now starting to come into some kind of focus, and that ancient voice told all of them: The four shall be re-awakened. The six shall seek them out. If their Will and Power are combined, a New Age shall be forged.

        The friendship between the Four Amigos, as they began to refer to themselves, grew more and more solid over the same weeks. Ethan and Natasha were very much grateful for the time they were able to spend together, although they both denied that they were anywhere close to Ethan proposing or anything. Kyoko and Andre seemed even more hopeless in the romance department, both trying and failing miserably to hide the fact that they had some strong feelings for each other. Andre in particular seemed hard-pressed; he really wanted to pursue something stronger with Kyoko, but it was as if there were something in the back of his head holding him back. He really didn't know what it could have been, he had no attachments in Baton Rouge aside from the usual pride of where you were born. He could follow his sports teams wherever he lived, it wasn't like he had to be there live (if he could have afforded it somehow). So the question was nagging him over these last three months - what was preventing him from feeling that he could pull anchor whenever he wanted to and just move? He suffered under the weight of whatever that anchor was, wondering if it had something to do with his parents...

CH 10: Our Green Earth

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."

CH 11: Over The World Wall

Chapter 10: Adjustments

=== The Conversion Bureau: A New Age, A New Life ===Chapter 10:  Adjustments===== ----- ===== ----- =====

[ Earth, September 13, 2081, 7:45 PM CST ]

        Twilight Sparkle, Andre, and Celestia were trotting up from the labs and back to the waiting room, Andre moving under his own power a little better than the other Newfoals.

"So have you started thinking of an alternative name for yourself when you get to Equestria? Andre?", Twilight asked.

Andre answered, with a bit of nervousness, "Honestly... I don't know... I mean I have ideas but I dunno how I wanna phrase it..."

        Meanwhile, the gears in Celestia's head were spinning wildly, due to the events on the Astral Plane. Most of the thoughts concerned the origins of that voice that spoke to them all and issued the relevant visions to herself, her sister, and the Bearers of Harmony. Said voice was ancient, and seemingly exhausted; though, even in her exhaustion, was still clearly powerful.

Judging from how ancient and exhausted that voice sounded, we don't have much time to find the other Conduits... Celestia began to reason to herself.

She needed to expedite the search for the other three Conduits, but she couldn't exactly start converting humans en-masse to figure out which ones they were. She needed a clue, a hint, some kind of lead to pinpoint them.

"Man when I tell them what happened, they’re gonna flip. I mean, I thought that dream we all had was crazy, but none of us thought it was some kind of omen..." Andre said, talking to Twilight and wondering just how the other three Amigos were all going to react.

Dream... a collective dream... no wait. It was a Vision, that ancient voice was trying to contact Andre... Celestia thought after hearing Andre's passing remark.

Celestia stopped walking, deep in thought surrounding this revelation. The other two Ponies soon stopped once they ceased hearing the metallic hoofsteps of their Princess. Celestia looked at Andre to ask a question, trying her best not to seem intimidating; but there was some information she needed and needed quickly. "What was this dream that you speak of, and who were the others that you shared it with?"

"Oh yeah... you know the Trial that - whatever - put me through? Well I've been having something similar to that as recurring nightmare, and my three friends in the waiting room have been going through similar issues. I guess the difference was that the proverbial dam broke for me," Andre answered, sighing as he did. He had no idea what might have been plaguing his three friends while he was going through his own tribulations.

Well this certainly will expedite things. Those other three are most likely the other candidates. Hrm, very interesting indeed... Celestia thought to herself. Andre and Twilight could swear they saw a smirk on her face.

"Oh my God..."

"He is so... so..."

"HE'S SO CUTE I JUST WANT TO HUG HIM!!"

        Ethan and Natasha stood stunned by the sight they saw, while Kyoko was giddy like a 5-year old girl being handed a plush toy she had been begging for weeks on end. In fact, Kyoko was already on her knees, engaged in a near-bear-hug around Andre's poor neck and shoulders. Andre was now only about half as tall as Ethan, a little over 3 feet tall to the shoulder, while Ethan was a shade under 6'3" to the top of his head.

"Wow, squeezing pretty hard there Kyoko...," Andre said, thankful his neck was incredibly sturdy.

"But you're so soft and cuddly and you smell like blueberries I think...," Kyoko said, clearly not wanting to let go of the living plush she had in her grip.

Hrm... she's right, you wouldn't think this place was staffed mostly by equine-derivatives... wonder if that's magic as well... Natasha thought to herself, also noting the lack of smell of livestock.

"I'm pretty sure he doesn't smell like blueberries Kyoko, I mean that's just..., " Ethan started. He was going to say it was silly to think that, but then again he was talking to 3 talking equines of various sizes and colors, all quite capable of very strange things. To think they'd smell like fruit, or whatever the heck, wouldn't have been surprising all things considered.

"So, you thought of a new name for yourself yet, Artist Formerly Known as Andre?" Natasha asked, almost jokingly.

"Actually, Twilight asked me that while we were walking here, but no, I hadn't settled on anything yet. I was gonna take a couple of days to let it rattle around in my head. I don't want to have to fill out any name change petitions or anything when I get to Equestria and formally register as a citizen, or whatever I might have to do when I get there," Andre responded.

"Not to be a 'buzzkill', I believe the term is, but you will not be going to Equestria just yet. Although you will be taking the introductory classes here in the Rehabilitation Center, I will have Twilight personally tutor you in the use of basic Unicorn Explicit Magic until some other business has been taken care of," Celestia said, not necessarily wanting to destroy the mood.

Wait what... I'm gonna be somepony's private tutor?! Twilight thought to herself. Always having been someone's student, she had no idea how she was going to teach somepony else, and then a Newfoal on top of that.

Celestia continued, "Although I am trying to figure out the details myself. There was a complication during Andre's Conversion that required my full and undivided attention. As far as I can tell, whatever this being is, is attempting to preserve its legacy. It also appears that our Ponification project tied into the preservation of said legacy. Andre here will have a hand in that, but there are three others that are just like him that we have to find as well..."

Ethan, Kyoko, and Natasha suddenly went pale. The words Celestia was speaking began to resonate in their minds, reminding them of the lurking darkness that bound the four of them together to begin with.

I... I just wanted to fly... but... I... why...

No... I'm real... I'm a real girl... I'm not some experiment... how could...

Mother?  Did you really... how... no... none of this makes any sense...

They snapped out of it as quickly as those thoughts came, however. The lurking darkness receded back to its hiding place; but it was now clear - some more things were due to change before long.

==========

[ Earth, September 22, 2080 ]

        Andre was a lot more sure on his feet now, finally starting to develop some muscle memory for normal-speed moving. He also figured some of the more psychological changes were going to take longer to get used to. It seemed like he was slower to rouse to anger than he was before; not knowing if that was because the brain chemistry of the Ponies was radically different, or him having the equivalent of an intervention while in the middle of his body being reformatted. He also noticed he was a lot more empathic now, he could just sense how people felt even if he couldn't pinpoint the source. One thing he was thankful for was that his voice and manner of speaking were relatively untouched.

Hrm, wonder how much the mind is a plaything of the body? Always wanted to know the answer to that question... he thought to himself while starting to consider all the changes he had already undergone, and was probably still to undergo. He marveled a bit at how his mane and tail looked all the world like human hair; with a really severe dye job yes, but still pretty close.

        Twilight was sitting in her office at the Bureau, musing over Andre and his Newfoal-mates before they (minus Andre) were due to cross the Bridge to Equestria. She was quite impressed with how quickly he was able to start adapting his electronic devices to his fresh Equestrian body, after losing the implants and other 'add-ons' (with considerable help from Kyoko and Dr. Jun). At the same time though, she was still fretting over how to start teaching her charge how to use his newfound gifts as a Unicorn, and over the role that medallion with the Symbol of Water was going to play. She was also thinking about the last thing Celestia told her before she returned to Equestria a week ago, after Andre got resettled in the rehab area of the Bureau: "Be sure to learn something from your new student, I am sure he will have some things to teach you."

"Teaching the teacher, doesn't that seem kinda strange to you Twi'?", Spike asked, fluffing the pillow in his basket. He got far more sleep while Twilight was on her shift at the Bureau than he did in the Isegawa's Clinic.

"This whole situation is strange. I mean, I'm the student of the Princess, I'm still learning about Friendship in general, and now apparently I have to teach while learning myself. It's all very confusing...," Twilight said, telekinetically rearranging some books she brought for herself to read while the Center was slow and quiet, which was still most of the time.

        Andre for his part was dreading heading back to the Isegawa Clinic, though. The problem for him wasn't so much room and board - the Isegawas repeatedly assured him that he'd be able to stay at the Clinic for the foreseeable future. He was more dreading what Dr. Hayato might try to do to him in his zeal to research Magic in general.

"Ugh who knows what that crazy fool might try to do to me... oh well hopefully his wife can keep him in check like usual," he said to himself, putting his things back into a saddle bag he was given by Celestia. "At least the bag is comfortable, probably better than slinging a duffel bag over one shoulder back in my old body. Feels strange to say that...," he added, wondering what his grandfather would think, rest his soul.

Andre went to the dorms to say his goodbyes to the recent Converts, they were heading off to Equestria to begin their long journey of self-discovery tomorrow; he however was to remain on Earth, there was something he had to finish before he was allowed to leave.

        The first night back for Andre at the Isegawa Clinic was rather eventful. Dr. Hayato marveled at the story Andre told, hoping that he run some experiments on Andre once he learned a good deal of Magic from Twilight. Andre was already starting to work on telekinesis, now able to lift and move objects up to a couple of pounds in weight. Twilight figured it would be enough for the moment to teach him things like that, since she was still trying to come up with a solid definition of a Unicorn's Explicit Magic. She had spent the last week trying to find some sort of inspiration; looking through some of the human's fiction for a close analogue to what Unicorns almost knew innately.

Hrm, this device for data entry that Dr. Jun and Andre came up with is certainly handy, it's better than having to actually tell the computer everything I want to do... Twilight thought as she scanned media entity after media entity.

She finally stumbled onto an old video game franchise, Pocket Monsters a.k.a Pokémon. She found the franchise involved humans controlling creatures, and giving commands to invoke what could only be described as Magic out of the creatures; and one particular sub-class of creatures had a set of spells that looked suspiciously like Explicit Magic.

Hrm, apparently these Psychic-class Techniques are just like many forms of Explicit Magic... I think I hit the gold mine. Twilight began to commit the technique descriptions to memory, hoping to invoke the same kind of insight in Andre.

Why can't I fly?  The skies are supposed to be for anyone... so why won't you let me fly?!

Father... why... Mother... how could you... what is going on... Please, someone...

I am real... I'm real aren't I?... Why do you keep saying I'm not a real girl?... Father would never do something like that... would he?

==== ====

[ Earth, September 24, 2080 ]

        A couple of days later, after managing to wrangle a day off for herself, Twilight and Andre were standing out in a field in the back of the clinic-complex. They wanted to be out of the direct line of sight of any passers-by, seeing as the clinic still had a respectable human patronage trying to get some treatment without having to wait an interminable length of time in a horribly overcrowded hospital. Wanting to avoid damaging any expensive equipment, Twilight and Andre set up a portable terminal outside, so the Doctors Isegawa could watch the proceedings. What Andre saw before him were several blocks, the same size but each a different color as to be easily recognized.

Twilight began, adopting glasses to give the affect of a schoolteacher. "Alright, Andre. Today we are going to commence your first lesson in Unicorn Explicit Magic. Explicit Magic is drawing the Mana of Equestria in order to will something to happen. Generally, we use it with tools to perform tasks that require precision, such as working with fine materials or intricate weaving. Anyway, the spell you've been using so far is known as Grab and Hold. Knowing this spell will certainly allow you to survive in Equestria, but it won't allow you to thrive."

Dr. Jun thought how wonderful a teacher Twilight would make, if she had more confidence in her knowledge and ability to communicate to others.

        Twilight continued, "I want you to recall the older video game franchise of 'Pocket Monsters', or 'Pokemon' as it was more commonly referred to." Andre's mind perked up at this comparison, his grandfather having quite enjoyed the game series for much of his life, and he did as well to large extent.

"Recall the Psychic-class of Monster. Their techniques depended upon any combination of three ideas:  projection of force, manipulation of a target's mind, and/or alteration of space and time within a discrete area. Now the Grab And Hold spell is actually a very well designed beginners spell - for it teaches to project one's force, but also the ability to stabilize that force so that one can continually interact with the target. That brings us to today's lesson. We'll be practicing projecting force as a Unicorn. So the basic premise is for you to levitate each block and then 'throw' it as far and as straight as you can down this marked field"

She then pointed out to the 10-yd markings going off into the sickly-looking backwoods, all in all about 200 yards worth of 10-yard lines with 1 yd markings down the center.

        With that, Andre saw no reason to delay the lesson. He picked up the red 1 lb. block, and tossed it a good 70 yards downfield; the orange 3 lbs. block 67 yards; the yellow 5 lb block went 40; the green 10 lb block 35; and the blue 20 lb block only managed to get about 22 yards downfield. Andre was mildly exhausted after this exertion, not realizing just how much strain channeling mana put on a Unicorn physically. "Wow, I... I didn't know that casting magic... could make you physically tired..., " he said, huffing and puffing all the while.

"Indeed. Now you did well for someone only a week or so into using Magic, which I grant to having the potential of an adult Unicorn already. Now let me show you how someone who has been practicing for years does. Dr. Hayato, are the tracking chips working as intended?", Twilight said, an air of confidence about her now.

"You're good to go Twilight," Dr Hayato confirmed.

In a flash, Andre saw each block wrapped in Twilight's magenta aura, and flying away as if being launched out of a trebuchet. The red, orange, and yellow blocks flew clear past the marked field, landing about 250 yards somewhere in the woods. The green and blue blocks stayed in the proverbial field of play, landing about 190 and 170 yards downfield respectively. Andre also noticed something else - they all flew in nearly straight lines, the only deviations being caused by a slight westward wind. Twilight looked somewhat blasé about the whole exercise, knowing that Andre would have to do a lot more to learn Unicorn Magic than throwing blocks down a field. The exercise was still useful though, as a mild demonstration of what high-class Unicorns could pull off.

Andre was suitably impressed by the display of raw strength. "Wow Twilight, I... I dunno what to say really..."

Twilight responded in her schoolteacher voice. "Well Andre, I've had my entire lifetime to practice. Don't worry though, I did not do that to intimidate you. We just need to exercise those magical muscles of yours as much as your physical muscles."

With that, Twilight set Andre back to lifting and throwing the blue 20-lb block. They spent an hour on this combination of strength and endurance training; Andre repeatedly throwing the block downfield, resting a bit, and Twilight teleporting it back to be thrown again. He was making steady, albeit slow improvement - 30, 32, 33, 27, and 35 yards his last five throws. What happened next, well, let's say that neither were ready for.

        Andre was prepping for his latest throw, body covered in sweat, panting all the while. He was determined to at least crack 50 yards with a throw today, but his rate of progression versus his mana depletion and physical exhaustion was making that goal look more and more unattainable. "I'm going to do this, I'm going to throw this damn block or I'm going to pass out trying..."

Twilight was directly in front of Andre, at the 50 yard marker, acting as a living flag so that Andre would have something to aim towards. He's looking really tired, I'm going to have to end this lesson soon or he's gonna pass out from mana exhaustion... she thought to herself, looking at her charge obviously straining.

Andre then focused as best he could, trying to visualize his mana reserve. He figured he had enough left for one hard throw and that was going to be it for the day, so he had to make it count. Andre drilled down, like a prospector looking for oil, to see if he could find any more reserves left to tap. What he didn't realize was that he was slant drilling, and heading straight for a reserve of something that neither of them were ready to tap yet.

Twilight felt a strange surge of... something. She couldn't exactly place what kind of magic was starting to well up, not at first anyway. She looked around trying to figure out where it was coming from, all the while Andre was continuing to slant drill into this unknown magical reservoir within himself, also not knowing much of where he was going. He kept drilling down, not noticing the bright blue Magic Circle underneath him. Not noticing how the ground under him was getting soft and mushy... like it was turning into mud. In fact, he didn't notice anything until he heard a loud BANG, like a water main bursting... which is effectively what he just did.

"Wait, what the hell was that noi...," Andre said, cutoff as the Magic Circle manifested a giant wave of water; conveniently pointed out in the direction of the wooded area he was trying to throw the block towards, and towards a certain lavender-furred and violet-maned Unicorn tutor.

"Hey Andre what are you AAAAAAAAAAH," Twilight said-then-shouted, as she saw Andre being propelled toward her, 'riding' the wave of conjured water out directly towards her.

Soon both Ponies were being washed out into the forest by the giant, seemingly unyielding wave of magically conjured water.

"What the hell is going on!" Andre shouted as he and Twilight were being carried around and past the sickly looking trees.

"I have no idea! Where is all this water coming... OH MY CELESTIA!", Twilight shouted, looking dead ahead at a remarkably healthy tree standing remarkably directly in their path.

Then there was a very, very loud crash, partially from the large tree being felled.

"Well that was... interesting?" Dr. Hayato said somewhat dryly, as they watched whatever it was generating that wave cease and the remaining water flow over the grounds, trying to find its way below the surface.

"I'll go get the truck. The tracking bugs on Twilight and Andre are still working, so it shouldn’t take me long to retrieve them. Probably will need to get some medical supplies out though..." Dr. Jun said as she went off to the garage to start up her vehicle.

Dr. Hayato sighed heavily. He knew that Kyoko would have a fit when she heard that Twilight and Andre were literally washed away during Andre's first formal lesson under Twilight's tutelage.

===== =====

        "Ugh... my chest... feels like I just got hit in the belly with a wrecking ball, " Andre managed to say through somewhat strained breaths. He noticed all the medical tape around his sides. He felt around his horn, which was still sensitive to the touch but thankfully nothing there was missing. He saw Dr. Hayato looking over him with a look that somehow combined bemusement and concern.

Dr Hayato then began to recount what happened to Andre after he and Twilight were washed away. "Well, Andre, bad news is that your first lesson with Twilight ended with a total washout, a flooded forest, and several trees lying on the ground like someone was bothering to cut for lumber. The good news, both yourself and Twilight are very much alive. According to her, she threw up a shield right before you two impacted the tree we found you by. The both of you only have mild internal bruising, although you needed to be wrapped up still. All in all, a few days of not being slammed into large inanimate objects should be all the further treatment you need."

Andre was just thankful he didn't have to explain to Celestia and Luna that he didn't more severely injure himself or his tutor their first day on the job, so to speak.

"Um, excuse me, can I see him now?" said a sheepish sounding voice from past Andre's room's doorframe.

"Yes Kyoko, Andre is awake and again and can receive company, I'll leave you two alone," Dr. Hayato said, quickly excusing himself as Kyoko was letting herself in.

        Andre did not know how to start explaining how that surge of water he accidentally conjured nearly jackknifed himself and/or Twilight into one of many trees. He just wanted to make sure to convey that he was still alright, so why not a joke to lighten the mood. "Hey Kyoko. Um... eventful day, huh?" His ribs stung him as he tried to laugh.

"I was so worried about you. I mean I'm talking to Ethan on the video-link, and suddenly I hear what sounded like a water main breaking. And then I heard that you had managed to wash yourself and Twilight out into the woods behind the Clinic," Kyoko said, with a ton of concern in her voice. She had gone over to sit on the bed that Andre was laying in, noticing his blue coat had been cleaned up pretty well considering not an hour ago he must have been a muddy, slightly bloody mess. Despite all of that, she still noticed the slight fragrance of blueberries about him, not knowing how or what was causing it.

"Yeah I guess I was straining too hard doing one of Twilight's lessons; before I knew it I was pulling up this whole other pool of magic and BOOM, surfs up!" Andre said, trying to lighten the situation, each laugh stinging him in the chest.

"Hey just relax, you know you can't physically strain yourself, you've only been in that body for what, 2 weeks or so?", Kyoko said, beginning to stroke along Andre's back.

Andre began to feel a sudden spike of sensation, and suddenly his mind began to melt with a sensation of most base pleasure.

Oh man that feels so good, I know I would have liked her to do this to me as a human, but this feels really good with this body... he thought to himself. He really had no idea just how sensitive his new body was to touch, much like his equine counterparts on Earth. He especially had no idea just how compounded the feeling would get when grooming, especially with a nice, firm brush.

"Uhh, could you get that brush out of my saddlebag, I-I.. I really haven't had time to re-groom myself. I don't even know who cleaned me off for that matter," Andre said, struggling to maintain an even tone of voice.

Kyoko did as she was asked, gently motioning for Andre to roll on his back to attend to his underbelly first. Although the medical tape was a bit of an obstruction, she began brushing along the edges and center of his chest and stomach first. Andre had to use every single ounce of self-discipline to not grin like cat; when he brushed himself it felt really good, and to have the girl he still liked despite his form do it, well, it was riling him up even harder.

Ahhh... I... can't even think straight... I hope I don't... oh... Andre barely managed to think to himself, the pleasure so deep he could hardly keep a cogent thought together. He definitely didn't want to have some kind of pleasure-induced spasm and kick Kyoko with his now quite strong legs.

Kyoko motioned him to roll back over on his belly, and he complied, trying his best to avoid the stinging of his bruises. He ducked his head down into the covers as Kyoko began to brush through his mane and neck and down along his back. His face was half obscured in the bedsheets; he didn't want anyone, especially Kyoko, to notice that dumb grin only a mind with its pleasure center being repeatedly stimulated could produce.

Hrm, he really seems to like me brushing him. I guess being a Pony means a lot more changes than just shape... Kyoko thought to herself. She then began to brush in behind his ears, not realizing how sensitive they were, even when compared to the rest of his body.

        As this was going on, a not-quite-so-bandaged Twilight and Spike walked by the half-closed door to Andre's room. They stopped and turned around, though, when they heard a half-masculine yelp erupt from the room. Fearing that Andre might have done something to injure himself further, they carefully peered inside. The sight that greeted them was dramatically different than what they expected, however. It was Andre, head along Kyoko's lap as he just stared off into some unknown horizon, mind awash in the intensely good feeling of a good brushing by the lady he had a strong thing for.

"Feels... so... good..." he said slowly and airily, voice somewhat coming back to its normal tone and weight. His mane and fur was now totally flattened out; tail swishing in the air slowly and rhythmically. He had a look on his face of absolute contentment - like everything was exactly how it should be in the world, and nothing could happen that'd upset him. Kyoko, for her part, was still running her finger along the outer edge of his ear; just appreciating this pseudo-intimate time with the guy she still had a thing for, despite his change in form.

"Wow I've never seen anyone on this side look like that, he looks so happy," Spike said, as he and Twilight walked away, leaving the two totally-not-lovebirds to their own devices.

He's probably starting to come to a realization of who and what he is now. Hopefully this will help him in his own studies... Twilight said to herself, wondering if she'd ever find that special somepony.

It seems you are getting used to your new body now... Andre.

Yeah... I am.

Have you chosen a new name for yourself, when you cross to over the Aurora Barrier?

Yeah... I did

Well, my little Pony, what is your new alias?

Blue Vague, I'd like to be known as Blue Vague, vaguebeing French for a wave of water, deriving from the language of the ancestors of my home.

Well then, Andre, also now known as 'Blue Vague', this news shall be relayed to Twilight Sparkle and the other Bearers.

Wait... other Bearers?

CH 12: The Grind Dates

Chapter 11: Fight And Flight

=== The Conversion Bureau: A New Age, A New Era ====== Chapter 11: Fight And Flight ===

[ Earth, October 2, 2080 - 2:45 AM PST ]

          It was another rainy, autumn night in Seattle, even if the thermometer suggested otherwise. Ethan was tossing and turning in his bed, the last four months worth of events were weighing on him heavily. He watched his friend go into a Conversion Bureau in St. Louis a human, and then come out an electric blue and cobalt-maned Unicorn. On top of that, whatever happened between the point he went in and came back out had altered him of mind enough, to where he just seemed more... open. Ethan, Natasha, and Kyoko, on the other hand, all seemed to be clamming up more and more. Kyoko tried to deny her problems, saying that having Andre, or Blue Vague as it were now, around was making things easier for her. Ethan could tell, though, none of the three humans of the Four Amigos were having anything but a difficult time. The nightmares were plaguing them all still; and it seemed like Ethan was due for another round against his inner darkness...

He had managed to get a pass into the Seattle Domes for the day, and decided to go to the airport to register for a pilots permit. When he listed his address, the manager just laughed at the fact this Outsider fool was trying to get a permit. Nevertheless, he approved the permit and showed Ethan to the hangar where the beginners planes rested.

Why was he laughing like that, it said that all qualified comers could get permits...

Ethan was in the air now, the plane was somewhat beat-up and rickety, but it was holding well enough in the air by his standards. His father and grandfather were some of the last remaining Outsider pilots, getting a license before the AIs took over as pilots for general purpose aircraft. He saw no better way to honor them than to become a pilot himself, even if he had to jump through a lot more hoops to do it.

Man look at the ground, I can see the Domes, and the slums... beautiful and depressing...

Then a pair of strange looking jets appeared out of nowhere and had him flanked on each end. They were sending signals for him to land and return his plane. He sent the relevant information that he had proper clearance to fly and everything. That's when things started to go south, and fast.

OUTSIDERS LIKE YOU AREN'T ALLOWED IN THE SKIES!!

The booming voice resounded everywhere Ethan could perceive. It was definitely not coming over the com-link, but he really didn't have any time to wonder what the hell he was hearing. In a flash, the planes broke their flanking formation in order to tail him. Then... BOOM!Ethan and his aircraft was rocked by a pair of missiles taking out both wings, and with it any power for him to stay airborne.

What the hell... why.... WHY DID YOU DO THAT?!

Ethan tried to eject, but the seat didn't work. The fuselage had become a rapidly falling coffin. Ethan was going to be an example; an example to the rest of the Outsiders that slum rats did not deserve to be in the air.

Someone... SOMEONE... Help me... I'M STUCK, SOMEONE HELP ME... PLEASE!

The fuselage was disintegrating, and before long Ethan was in pure freefall, with no parachute or anything to slow him down before a terminal impact.

I just wanted to fly... I just wanted to fly... I just wanted to fly...

He was not flying, but falling... falling... falling... and before he hit the ground... nothing. Then he woke up, body covered in a cold sweat.

          Everyday for the last four months, he'd have these nightmares. Every month, they'd get more and more intense. It was wearing him down. He knew why he wanted in the air so badly, but he couldn't figure out why he still wanted to get in the air. He thought his tour with the Air Force would quell him of the bug, but it just made it that much more intense. He was starting to develop the same blazing hatred of the Dome-dwellings Andre has, or had, he couldn't exactly tell in that regard. His entire being was chafing at the fact the whole damn system was set up to prevent what he always wanted, and if he was; going to resolve this internal conflict, something was going to have to change.

          Later that morning, he called Natasha on a secure line.

"Natty, you know what we've been talking about the last couple of weeks?"

"Yeah baby, I know... I get the feeling that seeing Andre and what it did for him is pushing us in that direction."

"Do you think that it'd help us?"

"I dunno, but frankly I'm out of ideas."

There was a long pause. It seemed like they were silently coming to some kind of confirmation of their previous discussions.

"So, do you want to go at the same time or let me go first?"

"I really in my heart of hearts want to say at the same time... but I think you're gonna need me as a human for awhile afterward."

"Heh, no wonder we're still together"

"Hey, through thick and thin, right?"

"Yeah, definitely."

"Have you cleared everything with the Isegawas. Apparently they thought that all four of us were gonna go eventually. I don't even know how they came to that conclusion but hey, it's best to have all of us in one place if we all do go. No telling what might happen if we were relatively alone."

"That's understandable. I just hope they remember that we still need our privacy, if you catch my drift."

"You sly little dog you. No wonder we're still together."

"Hey, what can I say. I am what I am."

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

[ Earth, October 5, 2080 ]

          It was early morning in Chicago. Rainbow Dash was still in her dorm room at the Chicago Bureau, doing about the best thing she could do sans flying the skies - sleeping away in her hammock. She was running the Chicago Bureau fine more or less, although some of the staff complained that she was growing steadily more dispassionate as the days went on. Her Element of Loyalty was perceiving the same thing, as began to 'speak' to her subconsciously...

Forgetting the mission, how could I forget the mission... Yeah, I am kinda mad that I can't fly like I want to... I don't know what to do... wait... St. Louis, where Twilight is... Something of interest?...

She was snapped out of her reverie with the magical artifact by some news that just came through from one of her assistants. She was going to be given leave, apparently Celestia was figuring Rainbow Dash was about at her limit of patience; therefore she was to relocate to St. Louis for some R&R, where her new housing was already arranged.

This was all that Rainbow Dash needed to hear.

"Alright, send word down to St. Louis - tell Twilight she's about to get some company!"

          At the same time in St. Louis, Four Amigos were sitting in a corner of the Bureau lobby to themselves, while Twilight Sparkle manned the reception desk, as was her custom. Spike was off with some other Ponies watching how they ran their particular areas of the Bureau, and trying his best to stay away from any prying eyes. Andre was still more or less adjusting to being a Unicorn. He was sitting on a cushion, wearing a translator headset to help himself get used to reading Equestrian ideograms. Thankfully, he was used to the whole idea, since Kyoko loved to throw in Japanese print during their text-based chats and he had to have some way to keep up.

Ethan couldn't help but remark at the sight himself. "You know, you look funny wearing that visor. Double since it was originally made for humans, or I guess kids anyway."

Andre looked up and chuckled at the thought. "Yeah I guess it does look weird. But I figure you all are gonna need the same thing before we get to Equestria. It's kinda hard to get used to the whole ideogram script unless you've been around it for awhile. Oh well, at least it has more regular syntax, unlike Japanese..."

"" Kyoko replied in Japanese, obviously miffed he would insult the language to her face.

"Hey, I'm just stating facts. It does make translating a bit of a hassle comparatively speaking," Andre replied back, obviously not trying to start some greater linguistics argument with someone fluent in at least 2 languages.

Natasha decided to re-route the conversation to issues more pertinent. "So baby, when is your date with destiny?" She was in full support of his decision, but still trying to figure out how to handle things in the interim period.

"According to Twilight Sparkle, three days like Andre, barring any unforeseen events of course." Ethan replied, the nervousness that a hard deadline starting to creep into his mind and voice.

Andre looked up at Ethan, he could easily read the nervousness in his voice. "Hey man, if you want to bail and take some more time to think about this, we'll still be at the Isegawas waiting for you." He tried to project the best sense of concern he could, given he still only 3 weeks or so into being a Pony.

Ethan definitely appreciated the sentiment, however, he was firm in his thoughts. To him, there really wasn't any way to directly confront his internal dilemma, or the larger problem of what he was to do with himself now that he was done with his service. He definitely didn't want to go re-enlist endlessly just so he could have something to do with himself. He wanted to fly the skies for himself; not under the orders of someone else, and definitely without having to cow to whatever those idiots in the Domes thought.

I wonder what I'd do if it was me in this situation... Kyoko thought to herself during the whole conversation. She knew Ethan would be like Andre in 3 days, and Natasha wouldn't be that far behind. Before long, she would be the only human left in the Four Amigos; so what would she do then?

          As the Four Amigos discussed their future prospects, Twilight was buzzed down the New Light Bridge Room. Apparently a Pony of most high interest had just warped in, and wanted to see Twilight post-haste. So Twilight took the short elevator ride and long walk down to the Bridge Room. When she entered the Bridge Room, she was immediately struck by a cyan-and-rainbow-streaked blur.

A blur this color can only be one pony... she thought to herself after being knocked out for a few seconds.

"So Twi', what's up?" Rainbow Dash said in her usual forever-in-a-rush tone of voice; standing over Twilight and eager to get caught up on things.

Twilight, for her part, just wanted to get out from under Dash and hear just why she wasn't in Chicago at the moment. "What's up?! Aren't you supposed to be in Chicago running that Bureau?!"

"Celestia sprung some vacation time for me, something about keeping me from going stir-crazy and going nuts in Earth airspace...," Dash replied, finally getting the hint and stepping from over Twilight.

Well this is just great... Twilight thought to herself. How was she supposed to run the Bureau, teach Blue Vague, and keep Rainbow Dash somewhere where she could see her?

          As the two long-time friends walked back to the elevator going to the ground floor, Rainbow Dash recounted the terms of her vacation time. Effectively she had free reign to go where she wanted to, so long as it was within the continental United States. She'd also be taking up residence at the Isegawas, although she hadn't personally be there yet to set up her room. Twilight was wondering what that building was they were building in the back of the clinic, but never thought to ask. It was now obvious to her that Celestia and Luna were working some more machinations behind the scenes; and she hoped things weren't about to get too hectic a quarter mile up the road from where she and Dash were currently.

          As Twilight reassumed her post as head administrator and receptionist, Rainbow Dash found the Four Amigos, and among them this 'Blue Vague' that Celestia had told her about.

"Hey, I guess by the blue coat and the cobalt mane, you must be Blue Vague, right?" Rainbow Dash asked, hopeful she didn't make too great an assumption just now.

"Yeah, I go by 'Blue Vague' now, and whom might you be?" Andre responded, not knowing just who exactly this mare with a strange dye-job (or was it natural?) was.

"Heh, well I am friend of Twilight, and Bearer of the Element of Loyalty, Rainbow Dash, at you service!" Rainbow Dash replied, standing with an impressive air of confidence, and speaking loud enough for anyone in the lobby to hear her.

Oh Lord, she's one of the Bearers? Andre thought to himself, thinking back to the group that Celestia mention she'd have to report his existence to.

The other three were thankful there weren't too many humans in the lobby, otherwise she'd be causing quite the commotion.

Twilight Sparkle just sighed as she was still trying to figure out how she was supposed to keep a proverbial leash on the cyan speedster.

The rest of the day was a lot of Rainbow Dash regaling the Four Amigos with stories of her and the other Bearers of Harmony's exploits back in Equestria. The Four Amigos spent the same time wondering how Rainbow Dash was still in one piece after everything.

Pegasi must be incredibly durable... Ethan thought to himself during these stories, wondering if Fate would have the same thing in store for him.

As the sun set and the now group of five left for the Isegawa's Clinic, Ethan settled into his dorm room in the underground levels. As he said his good nights to Natasha back at the clinic, he could only think about what was plaguing him all these last three or four months... Why do I still want to get up into the sky so badly? I thought being in the Air Force those years would have satisfied me, but it just made me want it more. I thought the constant rejection by the private pilot registries would have made me give it up, but something in me wants to fly, and wants to fly bad. Just what is it?

=====  =====  =====

[ Earth, October 8, 2080 ]

          The three day orientation had come and gone without incident for Ethan and the others. Everyone was on hand in the lobby. Natasha appeared just as nervous for Ethan going in as Ethan did himself.

Natasha was looking off to the side, when she heard Ethan's name called to be the last conversion attempt of the day, she began to feel so many pent up emotions. "Baby, you know if you want to do this later, you'd better say so now or forever hold your peace, as they say."

Ethan was just as nervous, but still determined to see this through. "I know, and you know what I told you the last 3 nights you asked me that. We're gonna see this through, and I guess it's better I go first."

"I know, I know... but it's still hard though. I'm... I'm just so nervous about everything... what are we gonna do in the interim... what happens when my number comes up to so to speak... just so many questions...," Natasha said, going on and on about all the questions she had swirling around her head.

Ethan asked for a moment to help console her, and Twilight granted it, seeing as it really wasn't delaying anything for anyone else, except the for the few human workers in the 'basement'. Ethan reached over to hug her, and whispered into her ear, "This was our decision. We both knew what this meant, and how this is something neither of us can take back. But I truly feel this is something we were meant to do. If you really want me to not go through with this, you have to tell me now, please."

Natasha thought for those few moments. She didn't know how to answer, that is until she looked into Ethan's hazel eyes. Those hazel eyes showed a man that was one part nervous, but another part determined. A man that knew that any manner of things could happen to him, but he had something that had to be seen through, and by God he was going to finish it. It was that same exact look that she fell in love with those three years ago when she met him in San Diego while they were both on leave. After taking it all in, she gave her response, "Go ahead. This is our decision, and we're both going to see this through to the end." She then gave him a kiss to seal the deal.

Andre looked on with some manner of trepidation. Not for Ethan's rapidly approaching Ponification, though, but more for his relationship with Kyoko. Neither were able to share any of the same kind of intimacy that Ethan and Natasha clearly had for each other, and he was wondering just why not. Was he too nervous to pursue things further, was she too nervous to let him into her heart... or was it some combination of both?

With that, Ethan made the long elevator ride and walk to the Conversion Room. Accompanied by both Twilight Sparkle and Rainbow Dash, herself wondering just why she was so interested in what this human was about to undergo.

Loyalty, just why did you tell me to come here? ... What is it that you want me to see?

          Twilight and Dash were in the observation room while Ethan was in the exam room with the Pony assistants. He was a tad nervous only wearing a medical smock around everyone, but just chalked it up to the persistent human taboo about (near-)nudity in most situations. He performed the usual routine for each client: lie in the bed, drink the serum, raise the rails, and pass out like someone flipped off a light switch.

=---- ----=

          After falling asleep, he began to have a vision. He had heard that the Conversion process was as much a spiritual journey as it was a physical change, so he wasn't surprised at first that he was floating around like a disembodied soul. Then the true meat of the vision hit him.

Well this seems pretty ok and ... Sweet Mother of all Creation ...

First he was staring at the ocean... an ocean that you could almost see straight through to the bottom. He saw Ponies swimming along the surface, he saw Ponies on boats, he saw Ponies apparently water-skiing, he almost swore he saw something Pony-like living in the water but he figured that was too weird even for this vision.

It's so clean, water so clean... if I had hands I could reach in and drink it and never get sick...

Then he was floating along the ground, he could see fields stretching into the horizon, forests so green and healthy, every manner and type of flower and fruit. He saw Earth Ponies tending the soil, singing to the plants and having them grow, singing to the ground and having it become more fertile, seemingly singing to ordinary rocks and watching them grow into massive megaliths for quarrying. He found it strange but that was Magic for you.

The plants, the animals, even the ground itself look so clean and healthy...

What truly grabbed at his soul was flying around the sky on a cloud-platform. He saw the Pegasi actively managing the weather: directing where the winds would blow, where the sun would shine, and where the rain and snow would fall. They had actively taken control of the skies, but they were not selfish. They had all of this ability to determine who lived and who died, but they did not see it that way. They clearly showed without speaking they were working for the benefit of all, not just for the enrichment of themselves.

They rule the skies, they literally rule the skies. Yet they don't discriminate, they don't bully and coerce the Earth Ponies or Unicorns into compliance. They all work for the same thing, the same goal, they all want to preserve Life...

He then saw all 3 at the same time, coming together to form a seamless world. The Unicorns enjoying the ocean, the Earth Ponies tending the land, the Pegasi managing the skies. He then heard a voice in unison say to him with all kindness and earnestness:

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.

Ethan wanted this world so badly now, a world where everyone wasn't scrapping like dogs just to get by. A world where the everything didn't seem to want you dead. A world where 'life' didn't mean just simply existing from day to day.

He was then sped to the Canterlot Castle, although he himself wouldn't have known it yet. He was then came to rest over the image of the Elements of Harmony and sat before a vision of Celestia and Luna.

The Vision of Luna then spoke "Ethan, son of the House of Hartford of Earth. Born on the 17th Day of June, Earth Year B.C.E. 2057. You come before us to seek a rebirth into our Herd and Family. Do you understand the ramifications of this decision?"

Ethan spoke, as if he were addressing a superior officer, "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?"

Ethan 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?"

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

The baseball-sized White Spark of Equestria then manifested behind the Visions of the Princesses. Ethan noticed how it looked like a tiny star.

After which, Princess Celestia then stated, shifting from the tone of a monarch to the tone of a mother, "It is agreed. Ethan Hartford 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."

Ethan stated, with a sense of renewing purpose, "Yes ma'am Princess Celestia, I do indeed accept this Spark."

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

As soon as the Spark of Equestrian Spark merged with Ethan's soul, a gale force wind began to blow the entirety of the Astral environment. Part of what was driving Ethan to this conversion was about to be made patently obvious to all very soon.

=---- ----=

"Twilight... is the person undergoing Conversion supposed to glow one color and then change colors when transforming?" Rainbow Dash asked, Twilight had her back turned not paying attention at first.

"No Rainbow they... OH MY LUNA IT'S HAPPENING AGAIN! CODE YELLOW WE HAVE A CODE YELLOW!!!!" Twilight exclaimed, starting to run around like someone set her mane on fire.

"What the Hell is a 'Code Yellow'?!"  Rainbow Dash asked incredulously.

"I don't know but I need to contact Princess Celestia, give me a second!" Twilight barked, trying to contact Celestia mentally.

It looks more like non-metallic gold to me anyway, and something is telling me that this -should- be happening... Rainbow Dash thought, feeling the Element of Loyalty react to the sudden outburst of unfamiliar magic.

=----- ----=

          As Celestia and Luna manifested properly in the Astral Plane, they were greeted with a scene similar to an incident one month ago with another of the so-called Four Amigos.

My suspicions are bearing out... Celestia thought to herself as she surveyed what lay before her.

What the two Royal Princesses saw was a human soul being engulfed by the clash between the White Spark of Equestria and what could only be surmised as a golden foreign entity, most likely a Terran Shard. The entire landscape now looked even more like an ancient shrine than the last time, as a giant faded Magic Circle etching appeared underneath Ethan, the North Side filled in with blue from Andre's conversion the month before.

"Oh God... I feel like an airplane caught in turbulence..." Ethan said, the pain obviously starting to take its toll.

"In effect, you are Ethan... and I suspect the originator of a source of this turbulence will be making herself present before long..." Luna said, recognizing the scene for what it was.

Indeed Keepers of the Other World. I could sense the turbulence caused on this Plane. You have indeed found another potential Conduit... The ancient voice began, sound a tad bit stronger than the last time spoke, but still extremely exhausted.

The voice then began to direct her statements towards Ethan. Child, your soul bears one of the Shards of my Power. 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 may hold their Spark and Body and continue to live, you will remember nothing of your life to this point as one of my Children.

Ethan had little hesitation - he had friends whose lives he wanted to share in, he had a girlfriend he was willing to go the ends of the Earth for, and he had a dream he wanted to fulfill.

Ethan then shouted to wherever, hoping the voice would hear him. "Voice, wherever you are. I say bring it on. I'm going to take this whole thing right to the end!"

LET IT BE DONE, AND I PRAY FOR YOUR SUCCESS!

In a flash, Ethan found himself in the Seattle Airport - he was going to have to face his worst nightmare head on.

          Ethan sat in the chair while the registrar looked over his paperwork. He then heard the laugh, that same incredulous laugh he'd been hearing over and over and over again for the last 3 months, at least.

What is he laughing about... don't they know my family history... hell I flew in the Air Force... what's the problem?

He was then shown to the hangar, as per the manager's suggestion; he was to give a live demonstration of his flight skills, using an awfully old and generic looking plane. Ethan thought nothing odd about this situation, I mean they couldn’t give flight licenses to just anyone right?

Well, it doesn't seem odd that I'd have to do a live demonstration of my skills. I mean they just can let any yahoo up in the air that could claim to fly, could they?

Little did Ethan know just who these people would consider to be an un-flightworthy yahoo. The manager motioned over to two seedy looking pilots and said to both of them, well away from what Ethan could hear,

Blow him out of the sky, send a message to all those damn Outsiders that the Elite are the only ones allowed in the air!

Soon enough, Ethan was in the air again. The plane itself was nothing really to write home about, but it was sturdy and looked safe for all the world. So Ethan went about the business of performing all the usual tests and acting upon the requests of the manager and flight instructors. As the flight continued, he noticed a pair of sleek looking fighters pull up on each side of him to flank him.

You are unauthorized to enter this airspace. We request that you land immediately.

Ethan was obviously confused by this particular request. He was in the middle of a live flight test, and certainly he had clearance to be in this airspace - hell he barely gone anywhere. The pilots of the jets were clearly having none of it.

We are issuing our last warning. Clear out of this airspace now, or we will be forced to take action!

Ethan was now indignant. What do you mean clear out of this airspace?! I'm in the middle of a flight-test, I have the proper clearances and everything.  As he typed on the on-board computer to send the signal showing his clearance, the computer turned up nothing of the sort. He tried as best he could, going through all the files, but nothing turned up. Wait what the hell, I saw the manager upload the clearances to the onboard navigator, none of this is making sense...

That was when he heard the managers voice, not over the com-link, but positively BOOMING all around him. OUTSIDERS LIKE YOU DON'T DESERVE TO BE IN OUR AIRSPACE. RATS CAN'T FLY. ONLY EAGLES FLY. ONLY THE ELITE ARE THE EAGLES. RATS LIKE YOU SHOULD JUST STAY ON THE GROUND. SO GO BACK TO THE GROUND WHERE YOU BELONG!!!

Ethan was positively freaking out now. What the hell? Where is that voice coming from? Rats, I'm not a da... WHAT THE FUCK?!

His plane was rocked, not by missiles, but something else... something more disturbing. Both of the jets had transformed into some kind of monstrosity -  flying metallic demons, unholy fusions of black flesh and black-gray metals. OUTSIDERS STAY ON THE GROUND. ELITE RULE THE AIR. OUTSIDERS STAY ON THE GROUND. ELITE RULE THE AIR. They kept chanting this statement, all the while shredding the wings and tearing at the fuselage. Ethan's plane was barreling completely out of control, and Ethan had no way to eject or fight off the demons.

What in the fuck is this... why... What do you mean only the Elite rule the air... What the hell sense does that even make...

The demons were not going to listen to any kind of reason now, they had their orders. The wings of the plane were completely torn off, the fuselage shredded and breaking apart. Ethan began his descent, not in a plane, but in complete free-fall, without not even so much as a parachute.

Why... why... I just wanted to fly... like my father... I wanted to fly... like my grandfather... all pilots... the legacy... I wanted to honor them... why...

Ethan's soul was growing black as pitch, about as black as the giant black-hole like entity he was rapidly descending towards. He was losing his will to pursue his dream, and with it, the will to survive this Trial.

Maybe... maybe I can't fly... maybe I should have never flown... maybe I should have just stayed on the ground...

He was losing all sense, all will to survive; as he continued falling, falling, falling to the black hole that'd erase him from existence. That is, until he heard a voice...

Hey Ethan, if you never flown, would you have met me?

Natasha... but... look at me...

It was always your dream to fly... what would your father and grandfather think if you just stayed on the ground because some jackasses told you to?

They... they wouldn't think anything of me...

What would your Air Force mates have said if they heard you just gave up ever trying to fly this soon after getting out of the service?

They... they wouldn't think anything of me either...

And what about yourself, could you ever face yourself again if you knew that you just gave up on your dream like that?

No... I couldn't... I couldn't live with myself...

What about all the others... all the other kids that want to fly... don't you think they deserve the same chance to soar the skies without the constant threat of being shot down, literally or figuratively?

Yes... Yes, they all deserve that chance... None of them deserve to be pinned to the ground just because of some selfish jackasses...

Ethan's soul began to light up again, the will to survive reignited...

What makes them think they can say who flies and who doesn't...

His descent into the black hole and oblivion slowed to nothing...

What makes them think they can say who thrives and who doesn't...

The clouds gathered around him, a storm was brewing, but this was a storm of the soul...

WHAT MAKES THEM THINK THEY CAN SAY WHO DIES AND WHO DOESN'T?!

His Astral Body was sitting on a bed of clouds before the event horizon of the Astral Black Hole. But Ethan didn't see it; he was looking back up, looking up at a golden sky, his golden sky. He was about to become a storm blowing through it and the Earth, the proverbial winds of change.

The Domes... the Domes kept me from flying... The military always sent me out, even if the mission was boring, because they respected me and my skills... The Domes hate all Outsiders, they're the ones that tried to kill my dream... My parents gave me my love of flight... The military gave me the skills and the drive to pursue my dreams... But those bastards in the Domes are trying to steal the dream away from me and everyone else like me...

The Astral Black Hole shrunk to nothing, as Ethan's soul was now glowing hot like the midday Sun.

They try to take everything for themselves... But my parents weren't selfish like them... not even the military was selfish like them... They claim they rule everything... They claim dominion over the seas, land, even the skies... No more... they can't have it... I WONT LET THEM HAVE IT. THEY CAN'T HAVE DOMINION OVER THE EARTH. PLEASE, PLEASE WHATEVER YOU ARE, VOICE... GIVE ME THE POWER... GIVE ME THE POWER TO TAKE THE EARTH BACK FOR THOSE WHO WILL TRULY RESPECT AND SHARE IT!

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

Ethan could feel the storm winds blowing, but to topple him, but to support him. They were his winds, and they formed a whirlwind leading straight back to the shrine where this entire quest-of-sorts started.

Ethan could feel the sense of a dream renewed charging up his entire being. Charging him up so much, he felt like someone who could take the world by storm, literally. He chuckled as he watched the tornado break up into gold particles of light; which then formed the Gold Spark of Terra. Both Sparks now danced around each other, like children who went from fighting to playing just like that.

The ancient voice then took the tone of the bearer of a 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 Wind. Go, my Child, go with the Bearers of the Other World's Magic and find the other two that shall join you. Once all Ten have been realized, a New Age will be forged.

The ancient voice's tone then shifted to that from a bearer of great power, to that of a great matron.

Before you go though, although you may occupy the body of the Other World... you will remain as much my Child, as you shall become theirs. Do not forget this fact, and let no one try to convince you otherwise.

"Heh, I'd never forget something like that, " Ethan said.

"Now, Ethan, shall we pick up where we left off." Celestia said, as Luna and herself reappeared before Ethan in the cave-like shrine.

"Yes, Princess Celestia. I don't think I could ever be more ready." Ethan answered, his voice filled with a determination and will not to be underestimated.

The Great Magic Circle Ethan was standing on began to glow, also ready to proceed onward. The section to Ethan's right filled in with the same golden hue of his Terran Spark of Wind, and gained a new symbol to match.

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

Ethan answered, with all earnestness and vigor, "Yes, yes I accept both of these Sparks and my role in forging the New Age to come."

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

Then both said in unison, "Come our new little Pony, come and let us forge A New Age together!"

As both sparks merged with Ethan's body, he felt charged with an energy and a vigor that was indescribable.

=----  ----=

That... whoever in there has an intense sense of Loyalty, and a Power this thing recognizes... Rainbow Dash said, rushing out of the room much like Twilight did some weeks ago. The entire exam room was alive with gold-colored magic, and it sounded like a hurricane was raging inside.

Said glow, though, slowly cooled and coalesced into the form of a Pegasus; a Pegasus stallion of brilliant yellow-gold fur and platinum-blonde mane. She also saw around his neck a medallion with a hurricane-like symbol on it, looking as if made out of pure golden-yellow topaz.

"Sorry I couldn't be more decent... things happen... ya know," Ethan said, noticing Rainbow Dash semi-blushing.

"Yeah... they do, don't they," Rainbow Dash replied back, somewhat sheepishly. She was indeed blushing, but not at the mutual nudity.

Good Celestia, he looks like a male Spitfire with a dye job... she thought to herself. A guy she barely knew now reminded her so strongly of her idol.

CH 13: A Year To Remember

Chapter 12: Dog Fighter

=== The Conversion Bureau: A New Age, A New Era ====== Chapter 12: Dog Fighter ===

[ Earth, October 17, 2080 ]

        The customary week passed, and a lot of things have changed for the Isegawas, the Four Amigos, and the two Bearers of Harmony now holed up in St. Louis. Celestia ‘volunteered’ Rainbow Dash to be Ethan's personal tutor in the finer points of being a Pegasus, much like Twilight Sparkle and Blue Vague. Rainbow Dash tried to argue that there was no way that she could be a proper teacher for Ethan, but let's just say that trying to argue against an ages-old monarch is an extremely tall task indeed. The building behind the Isegawa's Clinic that was being built was finally completed and furnished; and the purpose for said building turned out to be blindingly obvious.

It was dormitory hall: ten rather large bedrooms each with a computer terminal, a kitchen, two bathrooms, a recreational room, and some kind of storage room. Twilight and Dash were duly impressed with the sheer speed that the humans could construct buildings, although they were somewhat put off by the lack of aesthetics. The Four Amigos were stunned by the fact that none of them thought to ask the Isegawas about this building before now, having grown used to the sight of construction drones forever building up and tearing things down where they lived. The Isegawas were glad that they didn't have to pay for the construction and furnishing, having access to Richard Edwards and the considerable assets of the H.E.A.; and a number of orchards and farms in Equestria sending in a bit of their wares to make sure the Ponies that were there (or to come) would be properly fed. Everyone involved couldn't help but speculate on just what Celestia and Luna were planning, not that anyone had the nerve to ask them to their faces just yet.

        Rainbow Dash and Twilight Sparkle were left alone in the cold looking atrium to the dorm hall; the others having gone to retrieve Twilight's belongings which she meticulously packed away, in order to file away quickly when they all came back. Rainbow Dash only had a couple of bags worth of things, mostly Daring Do books and the like. They decided to spend that interim talking about what lay before them.

"Twi, let me tell you. I haven't felt better since coming Earth-side, now that I got some free space to spread my wings. I mean, it's like the humans never seen something flying around in the sky that wasn't a machine," Rainbow Dash said, putting a placard of her Cutie Mark over her room's door on the second 'floor', overlooking the lobby-like common area.

"Well for the most part - aside from the small birds that can still live around humans, they really don't see living things in the skies that often. That's just how bad it's gotten," Twilight said, levitating her own placard onto her room's door, which was on the ground level directly under Dash’s.

"I know, and honestly, it's kinda disturbing. On top of that, it takes so much effort for me to clear the pollution around the Clinic; probably built up from all the years of the humans just apparently not caring at all," Rainbow Dash said disappointingly.

"Well, for the most part, the people who'd want to see the environment cleaned up have either passed on or are in no position to do anything about it," Twilight replied, having already read the history articles on the mostly failed Green Movement.

"I wonder if that could be another angle to get Converts? I can see the billboards now - 'Come to Equestria: At least you won't choke while outside!' ," Rainbow Dash asked, her trademark impatience and somewhat crass humor showing through, as she fluttered down to the ground floor after putting her bags in her room.

"Well Dash, Celestia and Luna are right when they say we can't go around trying to convert the humans en-masse. Then it really would seem like an invasion and us trying to force our 'help' on them. They have to come to our side of their own accord, and on their own time frame," Twilight responded. She thought in the back of her head that there had to be a better way to get the word out to those who'd be willing to Convert, before it gets too late.

Rainbow Dash just nodded in agreement. There they waited a few minutes longer until Ethan, Andre, and the others came back with Twilights roaming repository of books.

"Man Twilight, there has to be a better way than this for moving all your material," Ethan remarked. He was still astonished by the sheer volume of printed paper he was looking at. In fact everyone except Twilight and Dash were trying to figure our just how and where she kept everything back in Equestria.

"Yeah, I guess... I'll have to ask Princess Luna about that sometime. Anyway, you're looking pretty chipper in that new body of yours," Twilight responded before redirecting the conversation to the subject at hand.

Ethan was indeed feeling pretty good in his new Pegasus body. "Truth be told, I feel like I could just take off right now like a rocket. I never felt this energized about, well anything; except for spending lots of alone time with Natasha." He looked lovingly at his beau while perched on and already halved pile of books.

"Down boy, or I might have Dr. Jun deal with you somehow," Natasha said half-jokingly. Truth be told, as far as she thought, being around her live-wire of a boyfriend was making her feel better about her own internal dilemmas.

        As the mock-fight between the Ponified Ethan and still-Human Natasha continued, Kyoko just sat in one of the many couches to herself. Andre trotted over to join her, to see maybe if he could lend a helping hoof.

Andre, however, was just as unsure as ever when approaching Kyoko about anything truly personal. "Um, Kyoko, mind telling me what's up?"

Kyoko could easily read the Pony's nervousness, but she really didn't know how to respond herself. "Well... I dunno. I mean all of this is kinda happening suddenly. I mean it's only been... I think 5 months since Celestia's speech... and already half of us are Ponies; and by the looks of things, it won't be long until I'm the only Human left of our group."

Andre still couldn't figure out just what was eating away at her. She was just as bad about opening up as he was, even though it seemed like being a Pony subconsciously made you wear your emotions on your sleeves. He asked a couple more times just to see if he could find anything, but Kyoko was well practiced at deflection. With no real progress being made on that front, he managed to get Kyoko to agree to come outside to watch Rainbow Dash's first set of lessons for Ethan. So with that, the Four Amigos, Twilight Sparkle, and Rainbow Dash all went outside behind the Clinic, as the domestic drones came in with the Four Amigos' belongings for sorting out in their rooms.

=====

        After getting the terminal set up again, everyone sat as Rainbow Dash began the lesson, or at least tried to.

        "Alright Ethan. Princess Celestia has basically ‘volunteered’ me to be your new teacher in the ways of the Pegasus; so let's get to teaching... or learning, whatever...," Rainbow Dash said somewhat nervously. She was trying desperately to project any kind of sense that she knew how to teach something she felt most Pegasi just knew in the gut.

What has Princess Celestia gotten me into... Ethan could only think to himself, not wanting to say anything aloud to insult her or Twilight Sparkle regarding Princess Celestia.

Dash continued, "OK then, I know the Bureau tutors showed you the very bare basics of flight, so I need to show you how to really stretch those new wings of yours."

With that, Rainbow Dash stretched her wings, and began to flap and climbed to about 20 ft off the ground. Ethan then did the same, a bit wobbly since he hadn’t done any flight exercises in a couple of days, but he climbed the 20 ft..

At least he's better than Fluttershy when she started, then again almost everyone was... Rainbow Dash said to herself inwardly.

She then said, "Ok Ethan, we're going to do some basic flight patterns, just follow my lead. I know you have good flight instincts for your airplanes, we just have to translate that to your Pegasus body."

Ethan replied, now more stable in the air, "Yes Ma'am, Miss Dash!"

Ugh, I am not gonna get used to that... Makes me feel like an old mare... Rainbow Dash thought, clearly not used to the ingrained military formality.

They began what seemed to be a fairly basic flight pattern. Rainbow Dash and Ethan flew at varying elevations in an oval about 300 meters across at it’s widest; Andre figured that Rainbow Dash had probably internalized the dimensions of an old sports stadium or some such.

Rainbow Dash was all the time shouting encouragement to Ethan, impressed that a Newfoal could fly this well a week and a half or so fresh off the bed. "Hey man you're a natural at this, you're managing to follow my flight path pretty well." They were about 500 ft in the air now.

Ethan replied, "Just following orders..."

Rainbow Dash said with a smirk, wanting to see just how far she could push her Newfoal student. "Alright then fly-boy, let's try something a little more complicated..."

She then broke the spiral pattern and began flying over the forest ... along a totally random course. She was twisting and corkscrewing all over the place - pretty much being a one-mare stunt pilot show.

Ethan, thought to himself. What... I never learned how to do any of that...

He then had a flash of insight, almost as if something in his head just clicked on.

If she thinks she is going show me up on my first real day back in the air, she has another thing coming...

Ethan, purely on instinct, quickened his pace. If Rainbow Dash was going to be a stunt plane with all the corkscrews and twists, then he was going to be a fighter jet with hairpin turns and raw speed.

Which was not the best idea to picture yourself as when in the middle of a flight with Rainbow Dash...

Oh so that's how it's gonna be newbie? Well if it's a dog-fight you want then it's a dogfight you're gonna get...

Andre, watching this on the ground, was wondering when some music from an old anime about transforming planes had started up, Kyoko chuckling a bit all the while. Twilight was fretting that one of them was going to do something stupid and get themselves injured. Natasha and the two Professors (both watching over a com-link) were just enjoying the show.

"See, I told you the cameras planted all around the back of the property was a good idea," Dr. Jun stated, greatly amused at the antics of the two Pegasi.

        Rainbow Dash broke off her seemingly random flight pattern and began to engage in a ‘playful’ chase of Ethan. Ethan was wondering if Rainbow Dash had lost her damn mind, and was trying to hunt him down like he stole something from her. They were easily a couple of thousand feet in the air; Ethan, for being a Pegasus for all of nine days, was seemingly getting quite adapted to everything below him looking incredibly tiny. They continued the mock dogfight for quite some time, Ethan having already broke off his pattern, and was the one trailing Rainbow Dash. Well at least he was attempting to trail her, now starting to look like a cyan-and-rainbow-striped blur.

Oh she thinks she's going to get away from me...

The flight instincts had taken them both over entirely. Ethan was finding gears he never knew existed in any living thing, let alone something that could take to the air. They were easily going in excess of 400 mph now, and he was looking like a gold streak with platinum-blonde trim to match Dash's cyan-and-rainbow colored blur. The observers on the ground had completely lost visual contact with them, the haze of the upper atmosphere obscuring sight. They were a good 5000 ft above ground level now, Ethan only now noticing because of the rapid drop in temperature, and the thinning oxygen... which was a problem because Rainbow Dash told him she only cleared so much of the pollution of the surrounding area.

"Hey Dash, don't you think we oughtta break this off. I mean we are getting really high up and you couldn't have gone this high before, trying to clear the smog and whatnot," Ethan yelled out.

Rainbow Dash, now totally in the groove of the dogfight, was clearly having none of this 'slow-down' talk. "Slow down so you could catch me? ... In your dreams!"

Ethan's wings were growing tired and his normal Pegasus mana reserve depleting. As much as a natural as he was in his head and heart, his body was in no way used to this kind of stress, and the pollution wasn't making it any easier. He was thankful that Rainbow Dash had begun to slow down, thinking he could finally run her down and they can get back to 'base'. "Hey Dash, let's go ahead and get back to base, I think we've done enough for now, and this smog is starting to sting my eyes..."

Dash didn't say anything... and she was slowing down a lot more.

"Hey Dash, ok seriously I think we need to turn back, this air is way too thin for me and this smog is way too much for you," He yelled, the obvious concern in his face.

"Can't... breathe... too... thick...," Dash barely managed out get out before blacking out from the lack of oxygen and possible poisoning.

Oh God oh God oh God, this is not happening... not on my first day... Ethan thought to himself, but Rainbow Dash had already begun to go into free-fall. Her body had completely given itself over to gravity, and gravity would be a true bitch to run down.

Ethan than began to fly straight down, trying his best to catch up to the plummeting Rainbow Dash, completely unconscious and unable to slow her own descent.

NO NO NO, I AM NOT ABOUT TO LET MY TEACHER DIE HER FIRST DAY ON THE JOB!, he yelled in his own head.

They were already down to 4000 ft above ground level, before a Gold Magic Circle appeared about his waist. He was so focused on catching his teacher he didn't even notice the hurricane-shaped medallion was around his neck, his only thought was trying to break Rainbow Dash's fall. But he was losing the race against gravity, and starting to lose it badly...

Oh my God I'm not gonna make it... no... NO... I gotta try, gotta push faster, faster... FASTER!

He reached deep within himself, looking for anything that could propel him faster. He got his wish, as the Terran Element of Wind activated, and propelled him straight down like a rocket pointing the wrong way. He had managed to catch up her somewhat, but now they were only 2000 ft. above the ground.

Just a little more... please... I gotta catch her...

He did indeed finally catch her. He reached out his forelegs and grasped her as tight as he could manage.

Ok I caught her... but how the hell do I stop?!

He was only 1000 ft above the ground, the gigantic golden contrail giving some idea to Twilight and Andre needed to be as they began teleporting to wherever they could be guess they'd land; hopefully not finding an impact crater when they arrived.

Damnit damnit damnit... how do I stop, how do I stop... Ethan was in a panic and running out of time. He had to find some way to stop both of them without necessarily killing each other. Then he had yet another flash of inspiration. He turned around so that Rainbow Dash would be facing up and out while he faced down.

God, Celestia, someone, please, help me make this work! He prayed as concentrated as hard as he could. He didn't notice Rainbow Dash's Element of Loyalty manifesting at the same time he charged up his Element of Wind.

All anyone could see after was a mixed red and golden flash, and a burst of wind from all directions where the two should have landed.

"What in the hell was that... I just saw this flash and BOOM... It was like a damn bomb just went off... Wait a minute... my Element of Water..." Andre said, trying his best to keep up with Twilight through his shorter but faster teleporting.

"I know, I felt the same thing too." Twilight said, her Element of Magic resonating with the sudden outburst of magic.

Suddenly they felt the air-burst, Twilight having thrown up a shield for herself and Andre right before getting hit with the winds and the debris they were carrying.

"Well that answers where they landed! Let's hope that they are still in one piece!" Twilight said, feeling where the epicenter of the magic burst was. She grabbed Andre by the foreleg and teleported straight to where she felt said epicenter.

        What they found were two Pegasi on top of each other. Both were unconscious, but alive, and still in one piece. The forest around them though, definitely had seen better days. Everything around them for about 50 meters out was blown down completely flat, as if, like Andre figured, a bomb had gone off either ground level or close to it. Twilight walked over, and saw what the cause of this magical explosion most likely was. Both the Elements of Wind and Loyalty had manifested for their respective users, and glowing like they had recently been used. Twilight nor Andre could figure just what happened, other than gigantic contrail of magic and then a sudden explosion.

"Wha... what... happened... how... are we on... the ground," Rainbow Dash barely managed to stammer out, the combination of nausea and mana depletion making it hard for her to speak.

"You're safely on the ground, more or less, Dash." Twilight responded.

Ethan himself was coming to a bit, "Are we... alive?"

Andre walked up to him and just hugged him as best he could, "Yeah man, both of you. I have no idea how you did it, but you did it."

The heartwarming moment was unfortunately interrupted by the sound of a certain cyan Pegasus throwing up off to the side.

"Well that just ruined the moment..." Twilight said, a bit miffed the heartwarming reunion had to be interrupted.

"Well... by the sound of that... I guess that's everyone... good night." Ethan passed out again, the sudden manifestation of his Terran Element of Wind and the near-death experience rendering him completely spent for energy.

"I... need a nap too... night night..." Rainbow Dash said wearily, passing out for similar reasons.

===== =====

        Late that evening, Natasha walked into Ethan's room, to check in on her big (or little?) Pony hero. Somehow he had managed to stop his and Rainbow Dash's free-fall with little to no injury to either. No one could really figure out why without tracing out the mana patterns, and only Twilight and the Princesses could manage that, as far as anyone at the Clinic knew. Ethan was just glad all he had to deal with exhaustion, something that could be solved with lots of laying on his bed, and watching some random programming. The only problem was, he couldn't find a damn thing worth watching.

"Ugh T.V. today is so trite. I mean you don't have real actors anymore so I guess it's 'Try random shit until more than 100,000 people decide to watch it.',”  Ethan said, obviously chafing under the fact that he had nothing to relax with.

"Well why do I just put it on some old music, you probably should be getting to sleep anyway. After what happened I'm surprised you aren't still passed out, " Natasha said, trying to get him to relax again; Natasha found it way easier to tell when he was stressed now that he was a Pony.

"Yeah, that'd be great. Anyway how is R.D. doing?" Ethan asked, as he set the holo-display on some atmospheric music.

"R.D.? Oh Rainbow Dash... only a day into studying under her, and you're already using abbreviations? Anyway, yeah, she only had nausea from what she breathed in, but given how far up in the air you were that was enough for her to black out and fall like that apparently," Natasha said, trying to relax her little big Pony. She then thought back to something Kyoko said to her a little while after Ethan came out of the exam room post-Conversion...

"Ponies really, really like to be brushed, just like real horses. When it looks like he's getting stressed out, just offer to brush him some. Trust me it, it really calms them down...."

"Man your fur and mane are all messed up, why don't you let me do something about that?" Natasha said, reaching for Ethan's fur and mane brush on his desk. It had a strap for wrapping around his hoof, not that Natasha needed it necessarily.

"Yeah sure ok, just don't go trying to mess around with my mane too much, I hadn't decided on a style for it yet...", Ethan said, not noticing the devious looking smirk on Natasha's face.

She said silently to herself, Oh I am going to really enjoy this...

As soon as she put the brush to his back, Ethan quickly realized what he was in for. He felt charge go through his entire body. It was something he had hardly ever felt unless they were being particularly frisky or he had just eaten a giant meal back at the Bureau.

Oh God... all over... I... ahhh... he thought to himself, his brain hardly able to form coherent thought.

As she continued along his sides and belly, he was starting to feel a lot more relaxed, almost as if he was going into some kind of pleasure-induced trance.

So good... oh God... she does it so well... he thought, he never felt like this when he was brushing himself. Sure it felt good, but nowhere near the scale of what Natasha was doing to him right now.

When she began to start along his back, he yelped and his wings flared out like he was about to take off right then and there. Natasha was briefly startled, but then remembered what some of the brochures that she got second hand from Ethan said about Pegasi:

"When Pegasi are sufficiently emotionally stimulated; be it by sexual arousal, pleasure, anxiety, or fear - they tend to involuntarily stretch out their wings. This is part of normal fight or flight response, just in case the Pegasus has to fly away to escape danger."

"S-S-S-orry, but... it felt so good... I couldn't help it...," Ethan said sheepishly, he didn't want Natasha to stop though, it truly felt quite good.

"Oh don't worry... now shall we continue?" Natasha asked, relishing the opportunity to relax Ethan and let him forget all the troubles of the day and in general.

"Yes... yes please...," he said. He was still in a bit of a haze mentally, his normal bravado replaced by a quiet, almost mouse-like demeanor. She sat back down on the bed, and returned to brushing Ethan along his back. Ethan lowered his head on the covers, letting Natasha go along the entire length of his spine. It felt simply divine to him, he just wanted her to go and on and on until he fell asleep. She continued on brushing; neck, back, tail, head.

Rainbow Dash was walking by when she heard the goings on. She was quiet and tried to hide as much of her mane as she could as she peeked past the gap in the door.

She saw Ethan entirely oblivious to the world around him, neck in Natasha's lap, his mind just wanting to soak in the good feelings from the grooming until he dozed off. As she walked off to leave the two lovebirds alone, she said to herself, I wonder if Spitfire and Soarin do that to each other... oh what am I thinking, they aren't even an item... are they?

======

An eventful day, my new little Pony?

Yes Princess Celestia, about as eventful as I can stand right now honestly.

Heh, I see. Well let me ask you this, Mr. Ethan. Have you considered your Equestrian name?

Hrm... I have... I think I got one that suits me just right.

I would like to hear it then.

Golden Storm, I want to be known as Golden Storm when I get to Equestria.

Alright then, Ethan, your new moniker is 'Golden Storm'. I wish you good tidings, my little Pony.

Hrm... I wonder how long it's gonna take for me to get used to being called that...

============== --------------------------- ====================

Author's Notes in Closing

The music used as a sort of BGM for Golden Storm and Rainbow Dash's 'dogfight' is the Super Robot Taisen Alpha 3: End of the Galaxy Rendition of "Dog Fighter", an insert BGM from Super-Dimensional Fortress Macross the TV Series and the 'compilation' movie Do You Remember Love

Be forewarned, a LOT more allusions and references are coming, and not just from this particular franchise.

CH 14: Boom Goes the Dynamite

Chapter 13: Ring Of Fire

=== The Conversion Bureau: A New Age, A New Era ====== Chapter 13: Ring of Fire ===

The Centers are running fairly well now, and there are some Ponies from Earth that'd love to volunteer back there.

Yes, I think the Bearers all deserve a break, why not send them to the Isegawa Clinic.

I was wondering why we had that dormitory built in the back of their clinic. Were you planning to do this from the start with the Isegawas, Celly?

Now Lulu, you make it sound like I've been orchestrating events from the very beginning. But to answer your question, not entirely. I had planned to have them all in the same place, as a sort of base of operations; but unforeseen events are moving the schedule up, as it were. The Isegawas some of the few humans I would honestly trust with the lives of my subordinates.

So why build for ten rooms when we have six bearers?

Because the four that we will find on Earth will need somewhere to stay as well.

True, and we've found two already out of that group, the Four Amigos it was? I'm sure you are having suspicions as towho exactly the other two are, yes?

Yes. The way things are playing out makes me nearly certain we already know who the other primary candidates are...

[ Earth, October 22, 2080 ]

        Nearly a week had passed since the near-disastrous Pony-Dogfight incident. Thankfully, many of the passers-by and the authorities brought the explanation of the Isegawas. That explanation being it was an experiment gone awry deep in the forest. In lieu of this, Rainbow Dash decided to post-pone the more advanced lessons until they were in Equestria proper; deciding that she needed to build up her resistance to the atmospheric toxins and Golden Storm needed to build up his flight stamina in general. While the Four Amigos were outside the clinic, watching or receiving Twilight's and Rainbow Dash's lessons, the Isegawa's came outside (for once) with some rather interesting news.

"Hey you all. I got a message from Princess Celestia in the last few minutes, I want you all to come read it!" said Dr. Hayato, quite honestly surprised and excited for what it portend.

Twilight dashed over, wanting to see just what her Princess and mentor had to say that it would require official stationery. "Hrm let's see..." She waited to read until all eight of them were in earshot of her, so she didn’t have to speak too loudly.

Dear Doctors Isegawa:

Myself and Luna have been in deep debate over the last couple of weeks regarding the situation on Earth. Do not fear though, we believe that the news we are about to bring could be quire fortuitous for everyone involved. Over the last three months, the other four Bearers of the Elements of Harmony have been running Conversion Bureaus in four different American cities. We have decided to relieve these other four Bearers of their duties for the time being, in order for them to all join you in St. Louis. They should be arriving later today. All supply arrangements have already been accounted for, and you should also be seeing an increase in shipments of food and other things to make the now eight Ponies in your care feel more comfortable. We hope that these arrangements are satisfactory and that we are not imposing any undue responsibility on you all.

Sincerely:

   Princess Celestia, Avatar of the Sun

   Princess Luna, Avatar of the Moon

Rainbow Dash was beside herself with excitement. "Oh my gosh. This is great news. Vague, Storm, Natasha, Kyoko - you all are gonna love our other four friends!" She then proceeded to go on and on talking about something or other, mouth moving way too fast for the rest of the to keep up with.

Dr. Jun pretty much figured out there was an ulterior motive to the H.E.A. building a dorm with ten rooms instead of six or four. "Well, this certainly does explain a lot. Then again it's not like we are exactly losing money or anything on this proposition. So as long as you all keep your abilities more in check, we should be fine."

Dr. Hayato was also excited, not as excited as the cyan Pony, but excited nonetheless. "A great chance to observe more applications of Magic. If only I had better instruments with which to analyze it. Oh well, you do the best with what you have. It's how we humans do after all..."

Twilight Sparkle was a bit taken aback by how calm the two Doctors were taking the whole prospect of having eight Ponies and 2 other young human females living on their property for the near future. "Wow, to be honest, I expected to hear more protest. Like 'What does she mean not imposing upon anyone?' or something like that."

Kyoko crouched next to Twilight to explain some of her parent's psychology. "Year after year of dealing with some rather... strange characters in the Domes have kinda dulled the sense of outright surprise in my parents. They also don't seem to foresee problems with this, otherwise you would definitely be getting protest out of them, trust me."

"I'm trying to foresee how crazy everything is going to get going forward. I guess it's to be expected though," Natasha thought out loud. She had no idea just how crazy things were going to get, but her Ethan was at Ground Zero for it now, so she may as well see it through.

        As stated in the letter, the other four Bearers of the Elements of Harmony arrived in the Transport Room of the Isegawa Laboratories early that afternoon, and were quickly shown the way to the dorm hall afterward.

Applejack was the first to walk into the complex, "Whew, these digs sure are fancy. Even the Bureau in Austin wasn't like this."

Pinkie Pie bounded in a few seconds later, "Heya Heya everyone! I wonder how long it's been since we were all in the same place? Ohhh, we need to get a party set up, yeah a real housewarming party!" The Ponies running the LA Bureau now still couldn't figure out how the Bureau survived Hurricane Pinkie.

Fluttershy was next, "Oh my, this place is so clean and vibrant, like it was just built yesterday. I wish we could do something like this for everyone though, the cities are so gray and depressing."

Rarity, struggling to levitate a ridiculously over-sized travelling case full of her sewing machines and gems, was the last to enter the Ponies' housing complex. "This place is so... big... I am simply stunned that the humans can build something so large so fast. Oh and it's well furnished on top of that. Yes, this will make an excellent temporary home, I must say."

"Oooh, even the rooms are really big. My room at the Sugarcube Corner isn't nearly this big, then again I really don't spend that much time in it so it doesn't have to be," Pinkie Pie said, while trying to decide what to paint the room.

"Excuse me, may we come in? Don't want to interrupt your unpacking or anything," said a middle-aged male voice. It was the Doctors Isegawa, wanting to make sure all the new boarders were getting themselves settled.

He explained briefly that he wanted the Bearers to stop for a few seconds to pose for full body pictures. He wanted to make placards with each of their Cutie Marks so they could distinguish each room from each other. The dorm itself was arranged as a 2-story circle. Rainbow Dash and the Four Amigos already had the rooms along the upper tier, and they were all identical except for elevation; so there really shouldn't have been any disputes. The four new Ponies to the complex had already picked out their rooms though so there was no dispute to be had now. He also pointed out the communal kitchen and food storage areas, the recreational room, and the bathroom, all of which, to the best of their ability, were accommodated for Ponies. The four new boarders again thanked their hosts, as the portable printer produced the signs to put over their doors.

"So what is with this giant case, Miss... Rarity was it now?" Dr. Jun asked.

"Oh yes. Well I am a fashion designer by trade, so whenever I'm stricken with inspiration I simply must be able to set to work. The Multi-Boxes have been very useful to me in reproducing my fabrics, although the quality is a bit lacking. They will have to do until I can place a bulk order back in Equestria, however,"  Rarity said, already scheming up designs for her room decorations.

Applejack then asked, while fixing a straw mat to not jam the door when opened, "By the way, where's Twi' and the others. I wanted to meet the 2 new Ponies she and RD've been workin with."

Pinkie chirped up, "Yeah yeah, it's always great to make new friends, and I'm pretty sure we'll be super-great pals with their 2 human friends too."

Fluttershy added, "Yes, that'd be lovely. I'd love to be able to sit and talk with some humans, to get their opinions on things. I really didn't make much time to talk with them back at the Seattle Bureau."

Rarity replied, "You were scared of the poor dears for the longest time, though. But, just like the rest of us, you had that Center running in tip top shape."

Fluttershy responded, "Thank you, that really means a lot to me."

Dr. Jun then answered that question, "Well the two humans in question, my daughter and Natasha, are in town buying dyes at your advance request Miss Rarity. I'm pretty sure the people running the arts shops would appreciate the business. As for the four Ponies in question, Twilight Sparkle and Blue Vague as well as Rainbow Dash and Golden Storm are each engaged in some mild practice outside. Some incidents earlier have had them tone down the training intensity due to fears of collateral damage."

"C-C-Collateral Damage?" Fluttershy was nervous as to what exactly these Terran Elements were capable of.

Dr. Jun took a face of seriousness when answering Fluttershy, and by extension the other three Bearers who were now listening in. "Yes. I'm sure Celestia told you a few of the details, and I will save those stories to be told by the two stallions in question. Therefore - I must warn you, no one has any idea what the Terran Elements of capable of. So when training all four, please, be careful how hard you push them."

All four Bearers nodded in unison. They knew they'd have to help the four Terran Elements whenever they were all revealed, and they'd have to take caution for everyone's sake.

        A short while after that conversation, the four Ponies in question all returned, sans injuries or anything of the sort. Blue Vague and Golden Storm had been expecting, but were still surprised by all of the 6 Elements of Harmony being right there in front of them. Then they had the sudden realization that they were the only two males out of the ten total that would be staying in this building.

"Okay, was there anything in the pamphlets about being outnumbered 4:1 by females?" Vague asked Storm under his breath.

"Not that I recall, no," Storm replied.

"So what in the hell are we supposed to do?" Vague then asked.

"I would assume act like gentlemen and help me move this trunk," Rarity answered for Storm.

"Um, nice to meet you too...", Blue Vague and Golden Storm both answered sheepishly.

Oh boy she's starting on them already... Rainbow Dash thought immediately as she watched the two stallions pushing the quite heavy trunk into Rarity's new room.

After that little bit of charity, the new four boarders and the two new stallions introduced themselves to each other.

"Andre a.k.a. Blue Vague, nice too meet you all."

"Ethan a.k.a. Golden Storm, pleasure is all mine."

"Applejack, nice to meet y'all too."

"Pinkamena Diane 'Pinkie' Pie, we're gonna be great friends."

"Um. Fluttershy, please to meet you all."

"Rarity, I'm sure we'll all get along smashingly."

All eight Ponies then walked into the recreational area, all chatting each other up. The 6 Bearers all resolved to call Blue Vague and Golden Storm by their human names while on Earth, but would call them by their new Pony names while in Equestria.

        After awhile longer, Natasha and Kyoko returned, having procured a large quantity of the requested dyes, the art shops praising their business as if they were some angels sent from Heaven.

"Oh wow, eight of them now. All six of the Elements of Harmony, I think Twilight told me they were, and Andre and Ethan," Kyoko said, amazed at the candy colored array of Ponies before her.

"Yeah, this situation is just getting weirder and weirder, like this place is some kind of Weirdness Magnet," Natasha said, almost wanting to be struck dumb with disbelief, but finding herself unable to be.

"Ohh, you got the dyes I asked for, thank you so very much. I will simply have to make the two of you something; although I don't know exactly what, depending upon certain decisions that may be made in the future," Rarity said, eyeing Kyoko and Natasha to mentally record their measurements in case they were still human for a good while.

The Four Amigos spent the rest of the evening listening to the stories the Bearers of the Elements had to tell. Their fight against Nightmare Moon, their counterattack after nearly being broken up permanently facing Discord, almost getting turned into living batteries by the sudden Changeling Invasion; as well as the various daily antics they all managed to get themselves roped into.

Wow... that much trouble in so-called Paradise. The Four Amigos all thought to themselves, almost in unison.

As for Spike... well he spent most of his time, including this evening, in the corner of Twilight's room playing on a portable game system, and trying his best to not catch the notice of the good Dr. Hayato. Who knows what he'd do to him, if he knew that living breathing Dragon he saw some months ago on the holo-screen was right there in his midst.

===== ----- ====

The overnight was nowhere near as kind to Natasha as that evening was. The nightmares were still plaguing her.

“Mother... why... you could have escaped with me... why did you leave me alone," Natasha said to herself, sobbing in her hands. She quietly got up and left her room, and went to go sit down in the recreational room.

She started up the holo-television, trying to find something to distract her mind from the disturbing images being constantly playing in her head. Ethan was also up, getting himself some nectarines as a late-night snack.

He flitted with the bowl on his head out from the kitchen back towards his room upstairs when he saw Natasha through one of the translucent windows. He immediately changed direction and fluttered down next to her, noticing she was in quite a distressed mental state.

"What's wrong baby?" he said, taking the bowl off his head and placing it on a small table in front of his seat.

"I just had some bad dreams, and I wanted to find something on T.V. to take my mind off things." Natasha replied. She didn't want to burden him with concern over the exact nature of her nightmares.

The thoughts were racing through her head: Why am I just reliving all of this now. Why can't I get away from it. I don't know what to do.

She then looked at Ethan, even though he was a Pony now in a world built for humans, he seemed at peace to some degree. Something she seemed the furthest from. On top of that, she still loved him; but as of right now, the relationship was at an impasse. It was at that point that she realized that Ethan had been the steadying force in her life these last 3 years, ever since they met while they were both on vacation in San Diego

All of this time, I've been haunted by that night... except... when he's there... it didn't seem so bad. I guess... I guess I know what I have to do now...

Natasha took a deep breath, and mustered up all the resolve she could, given what she had been going through the last couple of months.

"Ethan... I have something to tell you. I love you, I love you so very much. And that's why I decided I'm going to go to the Conversion Bureau later on this morning. It's not fair to yourself or myself that our relationship has to be in limbo any longer than it needs to be. So I'm going to do it as soon as I can manage."

The emotions were already starting to overcome her. She figured she'd have to do this sooner or later, but the emotions were still so raw in her mind.

Ethan replied succinctly, looking her in the face. "I love you too baby, but I don't want you to feel forced into doing this any sooner than you want to. I just want to know, that when you do go, that you are going in on your terms, not anyone else's."

Natasha grabbed Ethan and hugged him tightly, sobbing again slightly. "I know... I know. That's why I want to do it as soon as possible, I want us to be real couple. And we can't exactly do that as we are at the moment."

Ethan chuckled and said, "Yeah... I know. I won't stop you, I probably couldn't even I wanted to...".

Natasha replied, now openly sobbing with joy, "Thank you, thank you...".

They spent the rest of that late night and early morning together. Ethan falling asleep at Natasha's side while she stroked his head and mane.

You are so irrepressibly cute... looks like I've made a good choice with you...

===== =====

[ Earth, October 26, 2080 ]

        Three days. Three days have passed since Natasha told the group that she was going to undergo Conversion. Two days had passed since the customary orientations. One day since she hopefully had her last paranoid fit about what might go wrong during the Conversion. It was now the appointed day, and the appointed time. Natasha, ever the cool cat so to speak, was understandably a roiling pit of consternation internally.

What is going to happen to me during the Conversion?What are Ethan and myself supposed to do when I'm done? So many questions...

Ethan, Andre, and Kyoko were all in the lobby together, waiting for Natasha when she came back out.

"I know you're going through with this. I can see it in your eyes. Just don't fear whatever you see during the process. When it happens, you'll know what I mean," Ethan said, a combination inspiration and warning. Ethan wasn't sure what a 'normal' Convert saw, but if it was even 1/10th of what he and Andre saw, she was going to have to hold firm mentally to make it through.

"Heh, I just wonder what type you'll come out as. It's all supposed to be random, if I recall correctly," Andre thought, his mind thinking about how Natasha would look with different sub-species, coat, and mane combinations.

"Well, it looks like I'm going to be the last human of the group. I honestly don't know how I feel about that - proud, nervous, can't really say," Kyoko said. None had really thought about it on those terms, but whenever they got back to the dorms, Kyoko really would be the lone human of all ten of them.

Rarity decided to accompany Twilight for this Conversion. She was being fed the same impulse from her Element of Generosity that Rainbow Dash felt from her Element of Loyalty two weeks ago during Ethan's Conversion.

I don't know what exactly you are trying to tell me Generosity... But the fact that you are bothering to communicate anything must mean it is important...

"Thank you all. Well, I guess this is it. See you all on the other side, so to speak," Natasha said, projecting the best sense of confidence she could, given the circumstances. So she, Twilight, and Rarity took the short ride down and the long walk across the halls of the underground labs to the Conversion Rooms.

        As she sat in her medical smock, cross-legged on the exam bed, she silently prayed and thought a bit to herself before laying down and drinking the potion.

I really hope I'm doing the right thing... There is no going back from this... No, I can't be hesitant... I have to be strong... This is for myself and Ethan... For a new life together...

With that, she drunk the potion and promptly passed out. Twilight and Rarity also silently prayed to Celestia that nothing went wrong during the process.

=---- ----=

        She then appeared in the Astral Plane. Floating around like a disembodied soul would.

Well this is new... she said to herself.

She was then whisked away to her first scene, something that begun to open her up like she had ten expert therapists working on her as a team.

She was seeing genuine community building. The Unicorns were directing plans and fashioning tools for the Earth Ponies to use. The Unicorns were using their Magic to predict and gauge all the plans by the engineers of the three races. They were the mind of the greater whole.

The Earth Ponies were using said tools and techniques to grow plenty of food and fabricate plenty of building material for later. They also built the framework for all of society; from a different angle, one could consider them the foundation, like the very earth itself. They were the body of the greater whole.

The Pegasi were moving the clouds where sun was needed, moving others for shade, and still other were being seeded to cause rain. Thought they had ultimate control of the weather in their lands, they knew that trying to browbeat the others into some kind of submission would be foolhardy. Everyone had their role to play, and everyone had a chance to find it. They were the soul of the greater whole.

Everything seemed to be flowing in a great synergy, as if the entire race was constructed to be parts to a far, far, FAR greater whole. This simple display of community and teamwork touched Natasha to her very soul.

They are all so happy when they can do for each other, they are all so happy when they have a role to play in the greater scheme of things. It truly is a community;no, more like a giant, extended family... She thought to herself.

Then she heard the voices, the voices of the multitudes, and possibly of the new world itself: Welcome our new sister. 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 Natasha was capable of crying in that form, she would have broken down into tears of joy then and there. She could feel the love, a pure love for the world and the people who inhabited it. She was then sped to the Astral Form of Canterlot Castle, where she landed in front of the Vision of Princesses Celestia and Luna.

        The Vision of Luna then spoke "Natasha, Daughter of the House of Ivakina of Earth. Born on the 30th Day of July, Earth Year B.C.E. 2057. You come before us to seek a rebirth into our Herd and Family. Do you understand the ramifications of this decision?"

Natasha answered, as if she was addressing a strict, yet loving aunt, "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?"

Natasha 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?"

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

The baseball-sized White Spark of Equestria then manifested behind the Visions of the Princesses. Natasha thought it looked strangely like a white will-of-the-wisp.

After which, Princess Celestia then stated, shifting from the tone of a monarch to the tone of a mother, "It is agreed. Natasha Ivankina 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."

Natasha then stated, with all her heart, "Yes ma'am Princess Celestia, I do indeed accept this Spark."

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

When the White Spark met Natasha's soul, the entire Astral Vision of the palace suddenly lit up bright red. A firestorm was brewing, and it threatened to engulf and incinerate Natasha.

=---- ----=

"Twilight dear, is the subject supposed to glow red during the Conversion if they weren't already? I haven't actually seen one live so I really can't say myself," Rarity asked, with all earnestness.

"What no... what do... oh not again..." Twilight started to reply before her tone of voice dropped, she realized that the third candidate had been found.

Princess Celestia... it looks like we found the third one!

What color is it this time?

Red, but why would that matter?

Oh my, a dangerous one then. Myself and Luna are on it, nonetheless.

=---- ----=

  As Celestia and Luna manifested properly in the Astral Plane, they were greeted with not only a now familiar scene, but the oppressive feeling of intesnse heat, as if they were standing over an erupting volcano.

"Ok, I didn't evenknow the Terran Shards could do that," Luna said, already wiping the sweat off her brow.

"WHY DOES IT FEEL LIKE SOMEONE LITERALLY SET ME ON FIRE!" Natasha shouted, the pain was obviously blinding and making any kind of formal respect for who she found herself in front of impossible.

Natasha's soul was, indeed, like a out of control blaze; and looked like someone was swirling white and red paint together, but it somehow not mixing to make pink. She sat upon the now halfway filled Symbols of the Elements of Terra, the northern quadrant in blue for Andre's Water, and the eastern quadrant in gold for Ethan's Wind.

The ancient 'voice' quickly separated the two Sparks from her soul, before any permanent damage could be done.

I am truly sorry Keepers of the Other World, and my Child who bears this Shard. The Power it contains is wild and difficult to truly control, and I'm afraid I had to take action before I could properly introduce myself. The ancient voice began; her voice still regaining its strength, but the exhaustion very much evident.

The voice then began to direct her 'attention' towards Natasha.Child, your soul bears one of the Shards of my Power. 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 may hold their Spark and Body and continue to live, you will remember nothing of your life to this point as one of my Children.

Natasha was somewhat hesitant. She felt first hand just a tiny bit of the power contained within that Shard. At the same time, she had a boyfriend that deeply loved her, two other friends that cared for her, six other new friends she wanted to get to know far better, and apparently a whole world that needed some kind of fixing. With all of that considered, she gave her response.

"Voice, I have a precious loved one I want desperately to hold on to, so much so that I would endure anything. But in order to preserve our relationship, we need to be of the same kind, as it were. So yes, yes I accept this trial!"

LET IT BE DONE, AND I PRAY FOR YOUR SUCCESS!

The vision of the ancient shrine suddenly turned into a replication of Natasha's childhood home. She didn't want to admit it outright, but this was the very thing that had been plaguing her in some form her entire teenage and adult life, the night her parents were killed.

=-=-=

        The dream started out like it did usually, she was running through the house, trying to find her mother and father. Then she came across the main room of the house, but what she saw shocked her.

The Mafia members she had seen so many times now looked demonic - as if beasts from Hell had crawled from out of the ground and assumed mostly human shape. She saw the snarling vision of the leader of this pack of jackals, eyes burning with lust, greed, and hatred: lustful for anything pretty and female, greedy for money, and hateful for anything that'd get in the way of his pursuit of the first two.

she tried to say, but the visions could not hear her.

<"You will give me the money I want... or I will take it, and maybe your lovely wife as well..."> snarled the leader-jackal at the vision of her father. The leader then reached out Natasha's mother, threatening to take her hostage to ensure compliance.

Natasha's father then lunged out at the leader jackal, a hidden knife along his leg now in his hands. He held the knife in an outstretched arm, trying to cut down this bastard before he did anything to hurt his daughter and wife. The leader's flunkies however had very quick trigger fingers, and it took only 3 or 4 shots before Natasha's father was down in a bloody heap on the floor. He fell right as he was up in the face of the demonic jackal-turned-humanoid Mafia representative.

It wasn't before he managed to carve a large diagonal scar across the jackal's face, however. The leader-jackal howled in pain, staggering backwards, clutching his gashed face. <"THAT BASTARD, KILL HIM, KILL HIS WIFE, KILL ANYONE HERE THAT'S NOT IN THE ORGANIZATION, RAZE THIS ENTIRE PLACE!!!!"> he barked out, him and a flunky trying to get back to the van outside to treat his wound.

Natasha's mother had already run off, though, figuring that leader would call for all their executions seeing as he wasn't handed what he wanted.

=-=-=

How horrifying, how could anyone Human do such a thing to their own kind? Luna asked of her sister.

The better question would be 'Can we call anything that'd do something like this 'Human'?'  Celestia replied, face full of concern for Natasha's sanity.

=-=-=

Natasha and her mother ran through the hallways, trying to find an escape. Then came the firebombs, and soon the entire house was engulfed in red, searing flame. Natasha could hear the jackal-demons, seemingly unaffected by the fire; they howled and fired their arms, trying to either shoot the two or prevent their escape from this fire that'd certainly kill them.

 Natasha said, almost going catatonic with fear now, barely able to keep up with her mother.

Her mother tried to get her to the exit, but then shots rang out. The jackal-demons had found them, and fired upon her mother. They did not shoot to kill however, they wanted to take pleasure in watching this woman who dared defied their boss’s wishes bleed out or burn to death, whichever came first.

=-=-=

You have to fight this Natasha, this fear is crippling you, and eventually it will consume your soul. You have to fight it, you have to survive. Both Royal Sisters implored.

=-=-=

Natasha sat there, the exit door now engulfed in flames, the jackal-demons surrounding her. She wanted to die right there, she wanted something to take the pain away, take it away forever. Yet, something in the back of her mind wouldn't let her quietly accept her demise.

Just don't fear whatever you see during the process. When it happens, you'll know what I mean...

Natasha then began to look up, she saw the jackal-demons surrounding her. She saw the red-hot flames surrounding all of them. Everything about this situation was telling her 'Accept your fate. You will die here and now.' Yet she couldn't, she couldn't simply lie down and just accept she was to enter an eternity of oblivion. So she did what any right-thinking person would do staring certain doom in the face - she began laughing.

The jackal-demons, understandably, were somewhat put off by this strange display of emotion. Wasn’t the person facing certain death supposed to be shivering in fear, or were they just supposed to sit there silent and catatonic. Whatever it was, they certainly weren't supposed to be laughing at it. So they resumed their approach, but something was denying them getting in any further.

You're wondering why I'm laughing aren't you... I mean... you should be tearing me to shreds... but yet, here I sit... she said to the jackals. Everyone watching found it strange that the demons could not get any closer, and the flames just seemed to be doing nothing.

Natasha then began to stand up, her soul beginning to glow like the flames around her. You are just demons of my own mind. This entire trial is of my own mind, whether or not the darkness within me would crush me or whether or not I would crush it...

Natasha continued, her soul growing ever brighter, I made a promise to myself:no matter what,I would continue on, so I could share my love with Ethan. I would continue on so that I could share my camaraderie with Andre, and Kyoko, and now the Bearers of Harmony as well...

The jackal-demons began to retreat, they had absolutely no idea what to make of this scene...

They are all waiting for me, my dear friends. My wonderful Ethan. There is so much I want to see now, so much I need to protect now... I've accepted my fate... not a fate of slow self-destruction... but a fate of growth and evolution... I'll become the vanguard for two worlds now...

Her soul was rising off the ground, she looked down at the heeling jackal-demons, now reduced to formless shadows; still in retreat away from her and her glow.

You all... you're the darkness of this world. You're the greed... the hate... the envy... the wrath... everything that causes good men to become monsters. I can't let you have this world, I can't let the men you've already turned into monsters rule this world... You've already taken so much from me, my childhood, my original home, even my parents... NO MORE.... I WON'T LET YOU TAKE ANYTHING ELSE FROM ME... I WON'T LET YOU TAKE ANYTHING ELSE FROM ANYONE... YOU BASTARDS CAN'T HAVE IT...  VOICE... DO YOU HEAR ME... I DON'T CARE HOW DANGEROUS THAT POWER IS... I WILL CONTROL IT... I WILL USE IT TO BRING DOWN WHOEVER THINK THEY COULD OWN THIS OR ANY OTHER WORLD!!

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

The flames surged toward Natasha, but not to burn her, but to feed her soul. They would soon be hers to control, but not before some others had spoke their peace.

She returned to the ground, and walked over to the vision of her dying mother. She then knelt on the ground, and held her hand and cradled her head in arms. Her mother looked up at her and said,

She then looked up into the flames, and saw the vision of her now deceased father.

"Thank you, thank you both. I won't ever forget this...," Natasha said, her soul finally able to start feeling calm after that night 10 years ago.

Humans are capable of such great love and such great hatred;truly, a very interesting species. Luna said to Celestia, as they prepared to accept a new member to their Herd.

I wouldn't have it any other way, dear sister. Celestia responded, knowing their role in this drama was now at hand.

The flames now swirled around Natasha, and began to breakdown into quiet red particles. Eventually the entire vision of her burning home was replaced by the red Terran Spark of Fire, now her Terran Spark of Fire.

=-=-=

        As the Astral projection of the ancient shrine came back into focus, she looked all around to see if anything else was aflame. Instead, she saw the red Spark of Terra and the white Spark of Equestria now dancing around each other, like two friendly spirits having taken the forms of wills-of-the-wisp. She also saw the southern quadrant of the Symbols beginning to fill in red, the Shard of Fire having awoken into a Spark.

The ancient voice then resumed speaking, projecting the tone of a bearer of incredible 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 Fire. Go, my Child, go with the Bearers of the Other World's Magic and find the final Conduit. Once all Ten have been realized, a New Age will be forged.

As she closed her remarks, she downshifted into the role of a great matron. Also, I could feel the spirits of your deceased parents through you. Heed their words as well as mine-you still remain my Child even if you occupy the body of another World. Let no being, from this or any other world, cause you to deny this fact.

"I won't. I most definitely won't," Natasha replied. She was crying all the while remembering her parents, or at least doing the soul-based reasonable facsimile of crying.

"Natasha, are you ready to conclude our proceedings here? I can feel you want to return to the Physical World to Ethan and the others," Celestia asked, not having to use any psychic probing to read the situation.

"Yes, yes please. I believe we have spent enough time in this world of spirits," she said half jokingly, her normal somewhat sarcastic tone coming back to her.

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

Natasha answered, with a calm and serene confidence, "Yes, yes I accept both of these Sparks and my role in forging the New Age to come."

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

Then both said in unison, "Come our new little Pony, come and let us forge A New Age together!"

As the twin sparks merged with Natasha's soul, she could feel both the heat and the light, and a wonderful heat and light it was.

=---- ----=

Rarity could feel the great power surging through the examination room, but it wasn't a power that was meant to be held within one person, or Pony. It was a power that almost demanded to be shared amongst all that'd want to bask in its glow.

Such an intense power, such an intense feeling... Generosity, this is what you wanted to show me isn't it. This wild power is like a child that wants to do everything it can for everyone it can, and it's going to need a guiding hand...

Rarity then bolted out of the door, thankfully not knocking over anything along the way, unlike the previous two situations.

When she opened the door to the exam room, she felt the warm, soothing heat and glow emanating from the red glowing form on the examination bed. Like a warm, fireplace on a cold winter's night... Rarity thought to herself as she entered the room while the figure cooled into the figure of a bright red and sunset-orange-maned Unicorn mare.

"Darling, your mane is like a wildfire, no rhyme or reason to any of it. When you are done with your rehabilitation we simply must find a way to get it under control," Rarity said, sensing an opportunity to branch her artistic muse in a new direction.

"Yeah Rarity, I'll have to take you up on that for certain," Natasha smiled, her body uncoordinated and her mind weary and tired. She lifted the recently-formed medallion around her neck and stared at it a bit. It was in a shape of a stylized flame, the Terran Element of Fire, carved out of the most gorgeous of rubies and set in a soft pink metal.

Hrm, a bit ironic. I wonder what my parents would say if they saw this... Natasha thought to herself.

When Twilight, Rarity, and Natasha finally got topside, everyone there was star-struck by the Pony that seemed like fire itself.

Ethan flew over and hugged her. "I'm so glad to see you, and my God are you beautiful," Ethan said, being careful not to be in the way of Natasha's new horn.

"Thank you baby, you don't know how much those words mean to me right now," Natasha replied.

Both were crying, crying such beautiful tears of joy.

CH 15: Floodgates

Chapter 14: Our Green Earth

=== The Conversion Bureau: A New Age, A New Era ====== Chapter 14: Our Green Earth ===

        Everything was proceeding apace. The American elections weren't that far away; and for the first time in quite some time, there was a legitimate campaign being waged. The polling was all over the place as far as the punditry was concerned. Mostly because the public had been apathetic for so long, it was hard to tell who actually would show up to vote. The Ponies, especially Celestia and Luna, refused to involve themselves in the Humans internal political disputes; although if you asked them personally, they'd say to a stallion or mare that President Aguillar should be re-elected - if for no other reason than to not have to deal with an entirely new regime. The Bureaus were also humming along worldwide, although not without incident. The random acts of vandalism and protest seemed to be becoming more and more organized, although nothing severe had happened to this point. Celestia and Luna could only hope that the situation on Earth would not degenerate so far or so fast, that they would have to interrupt their search for the final Conduit.

=* ACT I *=

[ Earth, November 3, 2080 ]

        The contrast between the now nine Ponies and the one Human could not have been more stark. Despite how white and clinical the dorm hall still looked, there were splashes of color everywhere. Mostly from Pinkie Pie's experiments in baking, and Rarity deciding it was a good idea to decorate the place a little bit until they settled into some kind of standard operating procedure. On the other hand, Kyoko was, to put it bluntly, about as grumpy and malcontented as any one human living around nine Ponies had a right to be. It seemed like every day that went by, Kyoko was getting more and more angry at, well, everything. All the bad dreams, all the questions, all the doubts, everything was piling up on her like so many bales of straw on the back of a camel.

Everyone was outside the dorms, doing the normal practice routine. Rarity had taken charge of doing the initial training for Natasha, since Twilight Sparkle was still working with Andre. Applejack and Pinkie Pie sat with Kyoko and watched the other six doing their thing. They were mostly talking were talking about what they were supposed to do if an Earth Pony came into their midst, seeing as they really had no resources to deal with it. The grounds around the Clinic were in horrid condition, and there was little to no chance they'd get inside of a Dome with how most of the Elite regarded the Ponies.

Ethan was taking a break from flight training by chatting with Natasha, while Andre was with Twilight learning the Catch and Hold spell. Twilight's preferred method of teaching this spell - an interesting display of two-Unicorn juggling. Andre was trying his best to catch and return the objects Twilight was tossing him, but not having the best of luck, so Fluttershy was assisting him by returning the balls that he missed to Twilight

Kyoko, still in a sour mood to say the least, decided at least she could help Andre. So she got up from her chair and walked towards the blue and purple Unicorns, but not before passing by Ethan and Natasha still talking.

"Oh stop, I mean ever since I got back you've been going on and on...," Natasha said, somehow blushing despite the fact her coat was red.

"I know, but it's true... I just haven't been able to keep my eyes off you. It's like we're going through that same phase back when we just met three years ago...," Ethan said, still smitten with Natasha's new form since she completed her Conversion.

"Yeah, the Departments thought it would be a good idea to have an intra-mural get together in San Diego, and that's when we met," Natasha said, flipping some of her mane from over her eyes.

Kyoko then decided to stand behind the two of them, just to see what exactly they were talking about.

Ethan, completely oblivious to the fact that Kyoko was right behind him, then began to let the conversation drift. A decision he would come to regret in short order. "You know, it just seems like Kyoko and Andre are just kinda... stuck."

Stuck... what do you mean stuck... Andre and I are doing just fine!  Kyoko thought to herself, one part anger that Ethan would be implying that she and Andre were at an impasse, and one part denial that he was right when he said it.

Ethan, still oblivious to the figure standing behind him, continued, "I mean, just think, when they first see each other after her Conversion. The wonderful declaration of their eternal love, the commitment to their new life in Equestria. The wedding, the wedding will be wonderful..." Ethan was feeling light on his hooves... mostly because Kyoko had picked him up by the forelegs and was holding him like one would hold a plush miniature horse of his size.

"Might I ask just what you were talking about just now?!" Kyoko said as she spun Ethan around, her eyes burning with five months worth of rage and frustration. Ethan's answer was going to determine just how this rage was going to be vented.

He choose his words poorly, to say the least.

"Well... I... I was just thinking... how getting Ponified... might help you in your relationship with Andre... and...," Ethan started to say, praying to Luna that whatever Kyoko might do to him in this position could be recovered from.

"And?!" Kyoko snapped back angrily. The words Ethan were using were not helping anyone. Natasha, Rarity, and Rainbow Dash moved back a few feet, really not knowing what Kyoko might do in her rage filled state.

"Well... I... just got a little carried away... that's all... you know us Ponies... always wearing our emotions on our sleeves, or legs... or whatever... heh heh..," Ethan answered nervously, his voice quivering due to being bombarded with all the unfocused anger coming off Kyoko.

The answer did not sit well with Kyoko, not one bit. "Oh... is that all...," she started, then began to speak through gritted teeth, her rage starting to boil over like someone left and old-timey teapot on the stove a minute too long, "I'm glad to see you're so concerned..."

She promptly spun Ethan around, maintaining her grip underneath his shoulder joints. Then she spun herself around to build up speed, and slung Ethan towards the two cool-colored Unicorns still doing their juggling act, or at least trying to. Ethan instinctively flared his wings out and was gliding at high speed towards said Unicorns, albeit uncontrollably due to the sheer amount of fear Kyoko instilled in him.

"Do you hear screaming..." Twilight asked while still slinging softballs at Andre and Fluttershy.

"Screaming, what screaming?" Andre asked almost rhetorically. He really did not want to admit to himself that Kyoko may have just pulled off what he thought she did.

"Apparently, Ethan's. I wonder what he's done..." Fluttershy replied with a strange serenity to it all.

Rarity managed to break out of her stupor long enough to throw a cushion into the path of the softballs; she could see Ethan was about to bisect said path nearly perfectly, and taking a softball to the face might disorient him, making a clean landing impossible.

Ethan grabbed the cushion out of the Rarity's pale blue aura and held it against his face as he went into a crash landing a little past where the other Unicorns were set up.

「私は まだ人間だぜ！」Kyoko said in the angriest Japanese that anyone hearing it could remember. She then promptly stormed off back to the dorm complex, stomping each step as if to emphasize the point.

"Anyone mind translating what she just said. It sounded angry and possibly insulting." Rainbow Dash asked aloud, obviously not used to hearing anything other than English and Equestrian.

Andre sighed as he broke his concentration in order to answer Rainbow Dash's question, and getting pelted by a rogue softball for his troubles. "Ow... um... anyway Rainbow... she said [Watashi-wa mada-Ningen daze!] or 'I am still human!'. Whatever Mr. Golden Lawn-Dart over here was talking about got her red hot."

"What did I do... all I said was 'Maybe Ponification would help your relationship.'," Ethan replied, trying to defend himself somehow. Thankfully he didn't hurt anything crashing on the ground, learning first hand just how durable most Pegasi were.

Everyone else just face-hooved when they heard just what Ethan said to the obviously distressed still-Human.

"Tact is not a strong suit of his, is it Natasha dear," Rarity said with a large level of concern.

"Nope... I'm starting to wonder if he even knows the definition of the word...," Natasha replied, sharing Rarity's concern for the immediate future.

Kyoko took a seat in the recreational area of the dorm complex, the only real noise in the background was the Ponies continuing on with their daily practice, and the speakers from Spike's game console in the back corner. She broke down and started crying... crying in some part because of what she did to Ethan just now in a fit of rage. But mostly, due to what had been plaguing her for 14 years; the incident that planted all of these seeds of doubt and consternation that were now, unfortunately, starting to bloom in her mind.

Just who am I?  Just what am I?

=---=

        That evening, while the nine Ponies were enjoying some more of the older movies the humans produced, the one Human decided that she needed to ask some questions. However, when she got to the Clinic's office, her parents were already in deep discussion about something. So like any good girl, she waited until they were done. But, like an impatient woman, she decided to eavesdrop again, just to see what they were talking about.

"You heard about the incident earlier today. There's definitely something wrong with Kyoko."

"And I'm having my suspicions as to what it could be..."

"Do you think it has something to do with that incident when she was a child..."

"I'm sure of it. But even after all of these years... I still don't know how to approach it..."

"You know what something like that can do to a child, and then to not talk about it after all this time..."

"I know dear, I know... but how do you even confront something like that... I mean it's so insane, I don't even know how to take it seriously."

"Considering all the things you attempted as a young man for experiments, I'm honestly surprised to hear those words coming out of your mouth."

"Yes, I know my history... but this is different. Those were just experiments on things that weren't of me. We are talking about fiddling with our flesh and blood. This... this is our daughter... I... I"

Kyoko pushed the door fully open and walked inside, interrupting the conversation. Her eyes welling up with tears, her mind racing in every conceivable direction. "You what.. what is it you couldn't say about 14 years ago..."

Dr. Hayato immediately went on the defensive, he nor Dr. Jun had any idea how long Kyoko had been listening in on their conversation. "Wait, Kyoko, please, I... I don't know how to approach this honestly. You have to believe, even after all this time it's hard for me to truly get a handle on what just happened back then."

Kyoko's mind was still racing... What does he mean 'he still can't get a handle on what happened back then...'  If nothing happened then... no... something did happen... something did happen to me back then... something happened to make them shout at me... to make them laugh at me... to make them question me...

"What.. did you do to me?" Kyoko asked, her voice trembling with fear and anger, no one was sure in which proportion.

Dr. Hayato was thoroughly confused by the question. "What? What do you mean 'what did I do to you'?"

Kyoko was getting beside herself with depression and anger now, "Don't lie to me... you did something... you did something... they wouldn't be asking me all those questions otherwise... they wouldn't be taunting me otherwise... they wouldn't be sneering at me otherwise."

Dr. Jun, already fearing what was swirling in her daughter's mind, tried her best to fish out what the problem was. "What do you mean. Please dear, we're just as confused as you are right now. These questions aren't making any sense..."

"NO! You're lying... you did something, you both did something. Maybe it was before that day, maybe it was when I was born... maybe it was even before that... but they didn't have any reason to question me until they found out who you were... they didn't have any reason to laugh at me before they found out who you were," Kyoko said, now clearly distraught. She backed her way out of the office, wanting nothing to do with her parents right now.

Dr. Hayato tried to reach for her daughter to try and get her to sit down and calm down, but she clearly wanted no part of anything Hayato or Jun Isegawa was offering her. She just wanted to get away now, even if it was only as far as the dormitories where the Ponies were, she just wanted out of her parent's sight.

"Damnit, every single time it comes up. Every single time it comes up and I can't even get the damn words out. What kind of father does that make me?" Dr Hayato said, wanting something to throw around to vent his frustrations.

"It makes you human my dear. We all have our faults, unfortunately. This is ours, and the consequences are ours to bear," Dr. Jun replied, forlorn at the fraying state of hea dear daughter.

Dr. Hayato was lamenting the fact his own indecision had allowed this problem to fester and grow; and was now beyond his ability to reign in. "I'm afraid of what she might do to herself, given how she's behaving. I can only hope that the nine of them can bring her around in some capacity."

Dr. Jun sighed, she could see where this was going to lead most likely. "You know how this will most likely end up. Andre will soon be two months removed from undergoing Ponification. Her other two friends are only a couple of weeks removed between them, and they were all getting just as bad as her. Our daughter may only look like our daughter for so much longer, at this rate."

Dr. Hayato didn't want to think his failure to rectify this problem would lead to this 'extreme' a solution. "When I saw just how much Kyoko cared about Andre after his blow-up... when I saw how much she fawned over him, despite her problems... I knew that day would soon be approaching. There is too much between her and Andre, I just hope she realizes that."

He then paused to get up to walk over to a window overlooking the dorm complex, how bright the lights looked, and how sullen his daughter looked walking inside under the canopied walkway.

"You know I'm not really afraid of a lot of things. If I were, I wouldn't be in this field and in this business. But this... Ponification... this Magic in general, well I do fear it some. But that's why I want to study it so badly, I want to stop fearing it. I want to know everything about it. There are so many things about Equestria we don't know, there are so many things about the Princesses we don't know. There are too many damn unknowns, and it frankly drives me up a wall. Now, to think my daughter, whether it be tomorrow or a year from now, is going to undergo the same thing... it scares me. It scares me what I might do if something goes wrong. It scares me what the future would portend if she comes out different."

He stopped and chuckled a bit to himself at the last statement.

"Oh yeah, everyone comes out different in one way at least. They have the body of an Equestrian. The thing I'm afraid of, and something I might never get the answer to... do they come out with a different mind? Is Ponification closing something down in their minds, or opening something up? We saw her three friends go in as they were starting to break down under the weight of their problems; and come out having had, I can only assume, some kind of catharsis. I saw it in each of their eyes as they've come through these halls."

Dr. Jun got up and joined her husband at the window. They looked on at the dorm complex - the bright, LCD lights and a few of the sounds of them shouting at the movies they were watching still able to reach them in the office of the Clinic proper. "Do you honestly believe that? Not about your motivations for researching Magic, but your beliefs about Ponification? You know there are those out there who are saying that Celestia and the others are just brainwashing humans into joining her, like she is running some kind of extra-dimensional cult. There are others who say they are angels, and that she is bringing divine enlightenment to anyone who'd accept it."

Dr. Hayato looked over at his wife, trying to figure out just where she going with this line of thought. "Yeah, I've heard and read the same things on the 'Net, and to answer your question, yes. I do believe that is what Ponification does. It's not brainwashing, it's not supremely divine enlightenment. It's just a person being opened up to their own self, and having to confront it."

Dr. Jun hugged him tightly, and whispered in his ear. "That's why I married you, and that's why I believe our daughter is going to get through this. No matter what, she is still going to be our daughter."

As she walked away to begin closing down the front-side of the clinic, she made one last admonition to her husband. "You know, we will have to explain to her fully what happened that day. We cannot go on like this for much longer. Her questions need to be answered once and for all."

Dr. Hayato remained in the office for a few moments longer, just gather his own thoughts. "That's why I married you, too. Always knew the words to keep me focused on the future..." He chuckled to himself as he grabbed his coat and digital pad, and left the office.

==* ACT II *==

        Kyoko had managed to calm down some, at least on the outside. She walked into the common area of the dorm complex, noticing Andre with a bowl full of cucumbers in light vinegar in his royal blue magical-grip.

"Um, how is everything Andre...," Kyoko asked, hardly making eye contact with the Pony.

"Oh good, everything's good. We were debating what movie to watch next, probably Hot Shots or some other kind of action-comedy. Fluttershy really isn't much for the overly dramatic or gory action movies. Then again, really only the three of us former humans are," Andre replied.

Kyoko winced at the phrase 'former human'. It was true in one respect, none of the four of them still had their human bodies except Kyoko. But, wasn't Ponification just a change in body? Then again, what if it changed their minds as well, made them forget their human identity; or worse yet, if they had to renounce their human identities? The thoughts were swirling in her head again, and she was hardly in a position to make it stop.

She walked over to one of the staircases leading up to the upper terrace bedrooms, and sat there. Andre followed her and sat on the ground, bowl of cucumbers still in his magical grip.

"Say, what do you think about who you are now," Kyoko asked, honestly not thinking about how Andre would treat the question. But she needed someone, anyone to take her mind off her own problems, even if for a few moments.

Andre thought about it for a few seconds. "That's an awfully introspective question. I dunno if I can give you a brief answer, but I'll try. I guess I see myself as a human brain trying to pilot a Pony body, like a tiny, tiny man in a relatively very large machine."

Kyoko wondered just where Andre was going with his metaphor.

Andre continued, "Well that's the awfully simple way of putting it. It's really not that black and white. I guess I could say that I still think of myself as 'myself', despite the fact I'm in a completely different body, doing things a few months ago I would have thought impossible. What I felt when I was going through the process... it was like... someone was playing back to me everything I felt up until that point, and making me confront it. The positive, the negative, all of it. As far as I can tell, the Princesses just don't want human brains in Pony bodies. They want fully-formed and realized people... in Pony bodies."

Andre could feel the weird face that he was getting from Kyoko.

"Hey look I know it sounds weird. But that's how it feels. There is no way to get around the fact that turning Humans into Equestrians is just plain strange. But it's a reality now. So I figure I just roll with the tide, so to speak."

Kyoko had no idea what to make of the statement. Andre still thought himself as Andre in his heart. Not Ponified-Andre, not Andre the person who gave up his humanity in favor of a being a Pony. But just... Andre. It was so damn simple, and yet... so complex. A complexity she was really having a hard time trying to get a grip on given her own mental state.

"Ugh, I... I dunno... for some reason... I... I... I need to go lie down...," Kyoko quickly got up from her seat and headed up the stairs to her room. Hopefully she would have some time before she fell asleep to internalize everything from today.

"Oh well... um... good night, I guess. But really, don't think you have to keep everything to yourself. You got nine Ponies here and two parents that really want what's best for you." Andre said, as Kyoko went off to her room.

UGH, Why can't I figure out what is eating at her so much. It's so obvious there is something there but I just can't sort it out... Andre thought to himself. He wanted Kyoko to go back to being 'Kyoko' instead of being the moody facsimile that she was.

[ Earth, November 4, 2080 ]

        It was very early the next morning now. Andre had fallen asleep on the floor of the recreation room, his stomach rumbling some because he really didn't eat a decent dinner so many hours ago.

"Ugh... why do I have such a bad habit of this... this is like the fifth time in the last couple of weeks...," he said to himself out loud. He did not know how the Native Equestrians, nor Ethan, nor Natasha managed to do the same things he did, and still think to go get in the bed at a decent time. He simply chalked it up to always living according to no schedule in particular, and not being used to living with others for an extended period of time.

He went into the kitchen, where he pressed a button on some adjustable-height shelving, in order to lower a cake-saver full of some pineapple flavored miniature cakes Pinkie Pie had baked a couple of days ago. Despite her proclivity for making a mess while cooking, he had to admit - when she got something right, she really got it right. And these pineapple minis were definitely her getting it right.

Man I hope they don't mind if I get too many of these, but damn I just love anything pineapple... he thought as he grabbed a nice cluster of five with his telekinesis.

He took out a disposable plate and levitated the cakes down onto it, and trotted back off to his bedroom. That was until he noticed a distinctly tall and black-and-green haired figure staring at the projector screen.

Now what is Kyoko doing up at this time of the morning... He thought, as he promptly turned around and headed back to the rec room.

She was just sitting there with a blanket, staring off into the projector, fiddling with the control pad. She eventually settled on the overnight news-casts, not really caring to watch anything scripted at the time.

"And in Politics... tomorrow is Election Day, as President Aguillar has so far managed to hold her own in much of the state and territorial polling to this point. According to most AI forecasters, she has a 60% probability of winning; although the margin of error is particularly high, due to the AIs not being able to agree on a model for turnout. Many citizens groups on the Internet are trying their best to gin up the vote in favor of her and her allied reformists running; although most feel that the Dome backed politicians should, at the very least, maintain control of Congress. Remember, stay tuned to ABC-Disney News, Your Number #1 Name in Real Reporting."

Andre chuckled a bit at the ending line of the report. "Heh, real reporting. I bet they don't employ any more than ten field reporters at a time. Although I guess some is better than none."

Kyoko just sighed despondently, only halfway paying attention to the screen or her sorta-boyfriend.

Andre continued a bit, just to see if she'd start talking about anything, instead of just curling up in her blanket and looking the sad sight she was. "Well, I sent in my absentee ballot of course. I mean, I might be a Pony, but I didn't renounce my American citizenship or anything... right?"

Kyoko really did not want to look Andre in the face, her mind was awash in a hellish struggle and it was all she could to not start flipping out randomly.

Andre then looked at the cakes on his plate, and thought that maybe some food would get her talking to him. "Well, hrm... wanna try one of these pineapple mini-cakes Pinkie baked. Trust me, they are really good..."

"I think I'll pass, I'm not really feeling hungry right now..." Kyoko said, her voice barely getting over 'dejected monotone' the whole while.

It was at this point where Andre had pretty much enough of the whole situation. He had been walking on eggshells around her for the last few weeks, especially since he Converted. But now push was coming to shove. He was going to have to confront her directly about her attitude, and just take whatever she sent back at him like the stallion he now was.

"Ok, hold it. Seriously, this whole 'Kyoko moping around like her pet or semi-distant relative died' thing is starting to grate on me. I've known you for some time, and you've never been like this. Now seriously, come clean, what's eating you?" Andre asked, levitating the mini-cakes away onto a nearby table just in-case decided to react violently.

Kyoko turned to him, looking like she was ready to slap him across his muzzle. "What's WRONG? WHAT'S WRONG?!" she started, eyes burning with anger. But then the fire just went out, like someone had dumped a bucket of water on her head. She lowered her hand and head and meekly said, "That's the problem, I don't even know what's wrong with me right now..." All the while she was curling up tighter in her blanket, like she was a hermit crab wanting to withdraw into her shell.

Well at least I got her talking... now let's see if I can figure out what the hell is going on in that brain of hers... he thought to himself. He used a trick he saw Twilight perform, and slicked his mane back. Apparently it was going to be his turn to play amateur psychoanalyst.

"Hrm, the girl that could seem to read anyone like an open book, not being able to read herself. This is honestly quite the predicament. On top of that, I can tell you've hardly been able to sleep for at least the last few weeks, and who knows how long before that," he started off with, fishing for any clues.

"Well... how could you tell if I had or hadn't been sleeping right the last few weeks or whatever?" Kyoko said with some strain of obvious denial in her voice. There really wasn't going to be any way to get out of this questioning now.

Andre took a deep breath, and began to count off the different signs of mental disturbance. "Well for one thing you've been extremely moody. Like, 'No one wants to directly talk to you about anything for fear of getting an ear chewed off' moody. Then you've hardly been eating relative to what you used to. Don't try to play it off, because I've watched you eat over the com-link, and sister, you can pack it away. How you do it without gaining weight, I'm not even going to guess. Thirdly, let me remind you how you turned poor Ethan into an impromptu lawn dart not 18 hours ago, give or take. There, I have no idea if it was his magic that just makes him lighter despite his mass, or if you've been doing some kind of strength training behind all our backs." After each point, he checked it off on a clipboard that he somehow magicked into existence.

"Well... well... Well maybe I'm just some kind of robot then!" Kyoko snapped back, not even thinking about what she just said.

Andre stopped for a second, obviously taken aback by the line she just spouted. "Ok. I don't even know where that came from. But it's clear to me - you are having some kind identity crisis. I know I've told you this, but I'm being perfectly honest. Everypony has an emotional sixth sense, like being a right-thinking Pony makes you an empath. Do you know what it was telling me... either what you just blurted out was no joke, or you are too distraught to make one."

He stood up from his spot, and sat directly in front of Kyoko on the rug in front of the seats of the rec room. "Kyoko, you have eight other Ponies here, and they either know you or really want to get to know you. You have two parents, who know you better than anyone else, and they want to see you at your best."

He took a deep breath, he knew what some of her problem was, and it was related to him...

"And you have me Kyoko. 'I want to see you happy and healthy.', that's what you told me the day I snapped. The day all 14 years of pent up frustration and anguish came gushing out for your parents and Twilight to see. I haven't forgotten that day, and I've had to face far worse about myself. I still don't know what I'll have to face about myself, what any of us here will have to face in these months and possibly years ahead. But I have made my decision, and I am going to face them. I just want you to do the same. I want you to face whatever it is inside of you that is holding you back, being an anchor unto your soul. Whatever demons or what have you that are inside of you, you can face them and conquer them."

With that, Andre's mane went back to its normal somewhat scraggly lay. He was done playing psycho-analyst, but he was not done being Kyoko's friend and confidant. He took the plate in his magical grip, and went on to his bedroom to get some shuteye in a real bed, this time.

        She watched him walk back to his room, the same cute blue Unicorn Pony she remembered positively gushing over the first day after his Conversion. She remembered treating him like a plush toy those first few days. The grooming sessions that he especially looked forward to. Then she compared his voice and mannerisms to what she remembered of him from the conversations over the com-links. Aside from the physical parts of communication, hand gestures and what not, he was still mostly the same. Andre was, as far as she was concerned, still 'Andre'. Even when he called himself 'Blue Vague' he was still 'Andre' at the same time. No change in body could deny that, and no change in name either. He was still that same somewhat rotund dark-skinned pseudo-philosopher she loved listening to, even if now he was a scraggly cobalt-maned, blue-coated Unicorn half his original size.

        As she continued to sit under her blanket, Kyoko began to contemplate the nature of some of her more immediate problems. The isolation she was feeling wasn't simply because she was the lone human in a group of Ponies; she saw enough humans, at least for now, getting along with the Ponies, as co-workers in the Bureaus or otherwise. No, she was feeling isolated because while the nine Ponies of her group were opening up to each other and becoming closer, she was shutting herself in and withdrawing into a shell. When she finally stopped to truly consider the nature of the relationships she wanted to forge - especially with Andre - she knew that she really couldn't put it off any longer. She decided to become the tenth of ten, and her parents were going to have to get used to running a veritable stable of a dorm complex. As she sat in the chair and began to doze off, it felt more comfortable. Some of the weight she had piled upon herself was finally starting to be removed.

=---- ----- ----=

[ Earth, November 5, 2080 ]

        It had been a day since Kyoko formally registered for the St. Louis Conversion Bureau. Twilight had managed to temporarily reassume her head administrator role for Kyoko's conversion group, now 10 strong as the traffic had grown in the last few weeks. Tonight, the twelve of them, the Doctors Isegawa, Kyoko, and the nine Ponies of the dorms behind the Isegawa's Clinic, all decided to watch the election returns.

Twilight Sparkle was keenly interested in all of the production value put into 'festivities' for the evening. "You know, for all the complex charts and graphs, and the admittedly very pretty colors they use for said charts and graphs, you'd think that the actual process of electing their leaders was more... complicated."

Andre, ever the student of history and politics, decided to take this question, as he felt like he was going to have to take a lot of questions tonight. "Well, for political news programs like this, election night is pretty much the one night where anyone with an ear for news these days will even pay attention to the networks. The last 40 years or so have seen such domination by corporate and Elite interests, it's been accepted that whatever they want is what will get done. This is the first time I can honestly remember the election has even been in doubt."

Applejack wasn't still quite seeing the whole picture, "Okay, so... your President now, I think Aguillar was her name... she ain't an Elite-backed politician?"

Andre again fielded the question. "Well, not entirely. Of course she does have her backers for funding and whatnot, but the kinds of laws she proposed while in the Congress and now as President have really be more in the field of procedural reforms. It's going to take so much work to un-gunk the system that I don't know if the planet itself has enough time to wait."

Natasha chimed in. "On top of that, as Andre said, the people in general have felt so disconnected from the levers of power for so long, for the most part, they just stopped caring. This is the first time in some time I've seen any kind of public advocacy. I mean, you can't go on any message board without people talking about who should win and why."

Kyoko just sat back and thought, while she watched the scene of her parents in the dorm's rec room watching the proceedings with the other nine of her (new) friends. Heh, I have the best timing huh... oh well, this was gonna have to be done sooner or later...

Kyoko then spoke up through her connection, "Well Twilight, do you have any opinions on who should be our leader?"

Twilight was actually expecting the question, having already talked a bit of politics with some of the visitors and clients. "Well officially, we aren't allowed make any kind of endorsements or do any advocacy. Of course Celestia does not want to get herself, Luna, or any of us wrapped up in your domestic affairs. Although, personally, I'd like to see President Aguillar continue on as President. She's been nothing but friendly to us, and allowed us space to be able to work our magic, you could say."

The other five Elements of Harmony agreed.

So the night continued on, as the vote tallies came in, state after state and territory after territory came back, all relatively late. In fact, the pundits were honestly surprised that the election was as close as it was, and that turnout was as high as it was. Although 20% of all voters really couldn't be considered high in a strict sense; considering the previous trends, it was absolutely titanic. When all was said and done, President Aguillar was indeed re-elected to the Presidency. The Congress was also a harbinger of mostly pleasant news, as the House of Representatives was now controlled by the reformers, even though the old guard barely retained control of the Senate. At the very least, President Aguillar wouldn't have to deal with a completely hostile legislature this go around.

As she was giving her victory speech, the six Bearers of Harmony were visibly relieved when it turned out there wasn't going to be a dramatic change in leadership for the next four years. However, the Isegawas (Kyoko included) as well as the Conduits of Terra were concerned with the unintended consequences.

Twilight could see the concern on Andre's face in particular. "Hey, Andre, you're looking kinda... concerned. I mean, didn't President Aguillar retain her office fair and square?"

Andre replied, sighing because he knew Twilight and the other Natives knew little about the psychology of those idiots in the Domes, as he'd put it. "Yes, yes she did. That's not my concern. My concern is the reaction of those Dome idiots. They hate losing, absolutely hate it. There is no telling what they might start saying and doing to try and delegitimize her; even though she won clean, and her allies apparently should control the lower House."

Ethan sighed himself, although he didn't know much about politics actively, he was still interested. "Yeah, I can see where you are going with this. Knowing them they might try and blame the Princesses or something. It's not like a lot of them care if they have to lie through their teeth to get what they want."

Applejack really did not want to be reminded of the fact that a lot of human politics involved a lot of duplicity and double-dealing. "Just the thought of it burns me up. I can see how they'd do it, and I can see why they'd do it. The Princesses might not want to get themselves and us involved in y'all’s politics, but I don't think we're gonna be able to get around it."

Kyoko agreed with the farmhand/Element of Honesty. "I feel the same way. I think just you all being here is going to make you targets, be it rhetorically or literally." She realized that pretty soon, she might be painting herself with a bulls-eye for some people in particular. "I don't like thinking of it that way, but you know there are gonna be those out there that are going to blame you all, and I guess us before long, about what's going on."

Everyone took note of the somber yet perfectly legitimate point. There was no telling how those in the Domes were going to react to this news, and who they, or events in general, might inflame.

===* ACT III *===

[ Earth, November 7, 2080 ]

        The appointed time and hour had come. Twilight had managed to get the entire slate of converts done and handled, so that the entirety of the Isegawa contingent could sit comfortably in the lobby while Kyoko underwent the procedure. Dr. Hayato and Jun were glad that their load was light over at the Clinic, as they didn't necessarily like having to close shop early, but this was their daughter about to go in.

Twilight gave her final remarks before she and Kyoko would take the short ride and the long walk to the Conversion Rooms. "As you know, our good friend Kyoko here is about to undergo her Conversion. I am obligated to remind her that she can still decline the procedure, although if she does, she must refill the paperwork and wait another three days, barring emergency."

Kyoko was steadfast though. "No Twilight, I won't have to take you up on that offer. I'd like to go ahead and get this done with, if you don't mind."

Twilight then turned to Dr. Hayato and Dr. Jun, the two fellow scholars she had developed such a rapport with the last three months or so. "Honestly, you are the first relatives of a client to actually be here when said client was undergoing Conversion, so bear with me if I can't exactly find the words..."

Dr. Hayato interrupted her, however. "Don't worry Twilight, there is nothing that you need to say to assuage us. We've already come to terms with our daughter's decision. "

Dr. Jun then added, "Yes, no matter what form she takes, she is still our daughter, and will always remain our daughter."

Kyoko smiled faintly at the words her parents said.

"Yeah, I guess so."

"I... I... I just want you to know. No matter what you might see during the process. We're all here, we all want to see you on the other end. I... I..."

Kyoko just put her fingers over his lips as he struggled to get the words out. "Just think about what you're going to say, I'm not going anywhere. I'll be right back. We'll have plenty of time to talk. Who knows, Ethan could be right; us being the 'same' could make a little easier for us to talk."

Ethan just smiled and nodded, his neck still a bit sore from the crash landing a few days ago.

Applejack then stepped forward from the group to talk to Twilight on the side. After a bit of discussion, she then talked to everyone else present. "Me and Kyoko here built up a bit of a rapport over the last week or so, so I was thinking. I wanted to go see this for myself. I know there might not be any fireworks in particular. But, let's just say I have a farmers hunch about this one."

A farmers hunch, that and Honestytelling me to be down there for this... she immediately though to herself, hating she had to omit that last little bit from her aloud words.

        One elevator ride downward and a few minutes worth of walking later, Kyoko was in the Conversion Room, looking at Applejack, Twilight, and the various assistants through the window to the observation room half of the Conversion Room.

As she laid on the bed, she had one real thought before drinking the serum.

Well, it's zero hour Kyoko. For your and everyone's else's sake.

A few moments later, she was out like a light, body starting to glow the familiar soft white.

=---- ----=

        Kyoko then 'woke up' in the Astral Plane, body now formless due to being a disembodied soul and all. She almost immediately found herself in a mixed race village, Unicorns, Pegasi, and Earth-Ponies all about, going through their daily lives.

Definitely didn't say anything about this in the orientation...

The first vision she saw was of a Pegasus filly flitting about. She was terribly uncoordinated and constantly dipping and diving all over. Some of the other Pegasi foals laughed and pointed, but she never gave up. Flash forward, she was flying around like the best of them. The other Pegasi that laughed at her now cheered her, apologizing for making fun of her in her youth.

Then she saw a Unicorn colt, struggling to make anything float or work due to his irregular magic, the others chiding and chastising him for being a slow learner. Flash forward into his adulthood as a stallion, and he was making an entire room's worth of machines run like clockwork, the foals of his childhood now understanding that even if someone is slow to pick something up, it still doesn't keep them from mastering it.

The last vision was of a an Earth Pony filly. Everything she'd make, even the crudest and most simple of tools, would break. The other foals would constantly tease her for being walking bad luck. They figured when she started growing stuff, it'd probably die within a week. Flash forward into her adulthood, and she had designed several tools that radically changed Earth Pony farming for the better, allowing the farmhands to concentrate on growing the crops rather than have to constantly till and tend the soil. The foals that once berated her for being walking bad luck, were now clamoring for her products and singing her praises.

Wow, even if the Ponies are mean to each other, they can still find a way to break through. Even if they don't understand each other, eventually they will work things out, or at least try to... Kyoko thought to herself.

The Ponies of the vision all turned to her, much to her surprise; but they were entirely nonthreatening, instead bidding her welcome: Welcome our new sister. 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.

Kyoko was suddenly filled with a great sense of relief, even if she didn't know who or what she was, or would soon be, at the very least she could hold her head high as this new phase of her life began.

        Eventually she found herself in Astral-equivalent of Canterlot Castle, speaking before vague facsimiles of the Princesses of Day and Night. This fact that was not lost upon Kyoko, but it was their process so she just had to put up with it.

The Vision of Luna then spoke, "Kyoko, daughter of the House of Isegawa. Born on the 29th Day of December, Earth Year B.C.E. 2059. You come before us to seek a rebirth into your Herd and Family. Do you understand the ramifications of this decision?"

Kyoko let out a heavy sigh, as she gathered up her internal fortitude. "Yes Princess Luna. I understand that I will forfeit my Human body in favor of Body of an Equestrian."

The visions looked at each other. It was rare that any of the Converts actually knew the proper term for who they were to become. They continued nonetheless.

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

Kyoko answered steadfastly, "Yes Princess Celestia. I understand that this decision is final, and this process is irreversible."

The Vision of Princess Luna then asked, "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?"

Kyoko continued to reply steadfastly, "Yes Princess Luna. I understand the nature of the selection, and I do indeed accept the Spark."

The white Spark of Equestria then appeared behind the Visions. Kyoko thought a bit about how innocuous and small it looked for something of such great importance.

After which, the Vision of Princess Celestia then stated, shifting from the tone of a monarch to the tone of a mother, "It is so agreed. Kyoko Isegawa 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."

Kyoko then stated, with a great sense of relief, "Yes Princess Celestia. I accept this new role for myself."

Both Visions then shouted in unison, "THEN LET IT BE SO!"

Once the spark merged with Kyoko's soul, the entire scene began to quake violently, as if the projection of Canterlot Castle had become the epicenter of 10.0 earthquake.

=---- ----=

Applejack sat stunned as she watched Kyoko's form go from a gentle white glow to the entire exam room awash in some sort of green energy. "That... that definitely shouldn't be happening should it..."

Twilight was more stunned that apparently all four of the Elements of Terra, were all four of the Four Amigos. "Nope, it definitely shouldn't..."

The other seven Ponies above ground could feel the grave shift in mana on Earth themselves.

"Ok, did everyone else just... feel that... it's like... it's like..." Pinkie Pie started, obviously not having any real clue what was going on.

Well that was until all nine known Elements manifested physically and Princesses Celestia began cluing them all in.

We are sure you all felt that sudden alteration in the flow of Magic. Something grave is about to happen within the Astral Plane, and you all will soon witness its aftermath. I need you all to go to the underground floor of the Bureau, now. We will be there in short order.

Rainbow Dash directed the seven remaining Ponies to the elevator in order to get down the Conversion Room, meanwhile the Doctors Isegawa could only sit and watch, and pray their daughter was indeed alright.

=---- ----=

"All... this... shaking... tearing... me... apart..." Kyoko said, fearfully and disjointedly. The entire section of the Astral Plane was quaking violently still. The now fully manifested Celestia and Luna having to hover in the air just to make sure their own speech didn't become as distorted.

"A part of me doesn't want to be surprised by this, Celly. But honestly, I am surprised." Luna said to her sister.

"Why is that Lulu?"

"Because I met this girl, and I thought at the time she had the soul of an Earth Pony. I did not think she was also carrying a Shard of that entity's Power."

"That's Magic for you, isn't it"

"Indeed..."

"Please... help... shaking... really... hard..." Kyoko said, 'body' still quaking from the confluence of the Terran Shard and the Equestrian Spark.

Yes I should probably do something about that... said the ancient voice as she separated the green floating... something of her Power and White Spark of Equestria. Kyoko was just glad her Astral body wasn't being used as a drink mixer, for the time being.

Kyoko finally managed to take in the sight of where she was now. She saw a great ancient shrine behind her, although mostly obscured in some kind of fog. She also noticed she sat on top of a three-quarters filled insignia, the Symbol of the Elements of Terra. Three-fourths of whatever this is was apparently active as far as she could tell, and she was a smart enough cookie to realize she was slated to be the fourth of four.

The ancient voice then began to speak to Kyoko.  Child, your soul bears the final of the un-awakened Shards of my Power. 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 may hold their Spark and Body and continue to live, you will remember nothing of your life to this point as one of my Children.

Kyoko sat there, unsure of what to think of everything. Her mind, though, finally began to focus. Apparently there was some extra things she was going to have to do, if she wanted everything she came to get out of this process; and she very well couldn't go back to Andre and her parents as a Pony with a blank mind. So the answer soon became obvious.

"Ancient ... voice, I guess... whatever this Trial is, I fear what it might be. But that fear does not outweigh the hope I have for moving forward. So whatever it is, I'll accept it, and I'll beat it!"

LET IT BE DONE, AND I PRAY FOR YOUR SUCCESS!

=---- ----=

        Kyoko was immediately whisked away to a quiet looking garden. She looked straight up, and saw the familiar sight, the sun beating down through the color-filtered dome. She then looked around, and saw all the strange looking people. They were dressed in all kinds of weird colors, wearing all kinds of weird accessories. The humans there stood in such stark contrast to the simple, natural beauty of the garden. That was when it struck her, it was the Domes outside of Tokyo. She rushed over the fountain to get a look at herself, and she looked exactly like she did when she was only 6 years old.

Oh no... no ... no no no....

She realized she was being forced to relive that day, the day she first entered the Domes with her parents on a client call. The day she had been reliving over and over again in her nightmares.

        That day started off normally - her parents were called into the Domes to take requests for different projects. They tried their best to pleasantly entertain the vapid and inane requests of the residents there. Everyone was clamoring for a geneticist or nanotechnician to fabricate something or other for their own desires, and her parents were little different than other prominent scientists in their fields, on the surface. Only being in the upper echelon in their fields allowed them to deny the more inane of the requests. Kyoko, being a precocious six-year old, had absolutely no clue what anyone was talking about with her parents... and so she did what any normal six year old would do. She wandered off to go find something more interesting to do with her time.

She came upon a quiet looking garden, with a patch of soil that was still to be planted. That was where she crouched down, her general intrest in the plants egging her on to get a closer look. She wanted to know how, by just sitting in the ground and staying in the sunlight, the plants could go from tiny little seeds to flowers, or big vines, or even bigger trees.

Some of the passers-by, however, were more interested in just who was this strange, plain looking girl sitting in a dirt patch staring at flowers...

, Kyoko thought to herself. The questioning would just get worse from there though.

It was a while before they realized who she was, and it was a while longer before Kyoko realized her parents had walked off without noticing she wasn't with them anymore.

 She thought to herself, she didn't want to start speaking back to someone she couldn't see, let alone didn't know.

Kyoko stood back up, trying to find her parents so they can come tell these random people the truth. But her parents had already walked off somewhere else. Not wanting to get lost, Kyoko stayed right there. So there she was, in the dirt patch, listening to these wild accusations about herself and her parents, and completely without the wherewithal or the nerve to counteract such statements.

To any adult, the accusations would have been total nonsense. However, to a child, and especially to a child that may or may not have been too smart for her own good, they were the most biting things she could be hearing. She was hearing she wasn't real... she was hearing she was some kind of... fake. A fake child? What kind of parents could really love a fake child? What if she really was just some orphan that had her memory wiped? What if she really was some kind of genetic freak experiment designed to produce hyper-intelligent humans?  What if she really was some kind of machine designed to look and feel exactly like a human? These question plagued her, plagued for so many years. And they were starting to plague her right now, her Astral body sinking into the once firm but now quite loose earth she was standing on, already knee-deep in it.

=---- ----=

What is this Celestia, none of these accusations seem to make any sense at all. I mean, we can tell by the fact she's undergoing this procedure she is not some kind of puppet created by her parents.

While that is true from an outsider's perspective, a child's mind is a very amorphous entity, and very fertile ground for all kinds of ideas. Any little seed of doubt and bloom into a weed of false identity, and now she'll have to rip them out before they choke her soul to death.

=---- ----=

I'm real... aren't I?  I have to be real... But what if they just fooled me into thinking I'm real... Kyoko began to think to herself, sunk now waist-deep into the quicksand-like earth.

Yes... what if they just fooled you indeed... said a voice exactly like hers.

Who's there? Why do you sound like me? Kyoko asked, her body was starting to dim, losing to her own self-doubt and inability to tell what was up or down, much less what was right about herself.

Because I am you... I'm that voice that was just asking you questions until you met that, Andre or whoever he was and you stopped listening to me... her double replied.

Stop it, I don't want to listen to you anymore... I... can't... I...

What's wrong Kyoko, afraid to hear the truth... that you aren't just someone who was just born normally... that you were made... that you're a fabrication of life...

Stop it... I...

You know your parents, you know your dad's history especially... why do you think he never wants to talk to you about it?  Not even your mom wants to talk about it... she was probably in on the whole thing...Is that why they just left you there? left you to hear all those accusations...

Kyoko's soul was turning black, and she was now sunk to her chest. This double of hers and the earth were winning this battle wits, and winning it quite easily...

Please... no more... please... stop... I can't...

Why do you think Andre can never find the words to say to you?  What if he knows the truth?  How could he love something that isn't a real human?  How could anyone truly love something that isn't really like him?

No... he wouldn't... he couldn't... could he...

The dark reflection of Kyoko's soul then knelt on the ground, patting the head of Kyoko who was buried up to her shoulders in the earth.

That's right... there is no place for you back in the Physical World... let someone else take that Power or whatever else that voice was talking about... you don't need it...

I... don't... need... it

That's right... you'll soon hear the soft soothing sounds of your fake soul being crushed into nothingness... and then... silence... all you'll hear for eternity is the silence of the void from whence you came...

The void... nothing... nothing... come from... return to... nothing...

Kyoko's head sunk beneath the earth. The dark reflection giggled at how easy it was to break the mind of that poor girl, how she deserved nothing but... well... nothing.

That's right, just like everyone else who failed to this point... you'll be reduced to nothing... no one will remember you... you'll just cease to exist... it's what failures and fakes deserve...

=---- ----=

What... none of the converts ever had anything like this, not even the other three Conduits...

I know this feeling Celestia... it's the self-destructive spiral of doubt... all that double is, is just another aspect of Kyoko feeding into her paranoia... it's the same thing that started me on my road to becoming Nightmare Moon...

But...

She has no choice now... either she overcomes this self-doubt and self-pity, or she self-destructs.

=---- ----=

Kyoko was completely under the ground now... her soul's body nearly entirely black.

Nothing... nothing... that's all I came from... that's all I am... that's all I'll ever be...

The she heard another's voice - Stop it...

That's all....

STOP IT!

Huh?

Just who are you?

I... I don't know....

Do you really not know....

I... how...

Let me remind you. Three friends. Two Parents.

Three friends... two parents...

All of them love you dearly....

All love me? But... how?

Do they need a 'how'? Do they need a 'why'?

How could they love someone like me... I'm not even real... I'm just some... some kind of fake... I...

No.

What do you mean 'No.'?

That's exactly what I mean. No. You are not some kind of fake. You are not some kind of fabrication.

But... no one... no one ever...

Listen... Kyoko... you are 'you'. If you were some kind of fake... could you really be undergoing this trial?

Well... no...

Her soul began to light back up, someone was finally starting to straighten her mind out.

If you were some kind of fabrication, do you think that entity would have embedded that Shard in you to even begin with?

No... probably not.

She was finally starting to pull things together, the white glow beginning to reignite.

Insofar as being an experiment. We all are experiments. Life itself is nothing more than one great, large trial-and-error experiment.

You're right...

I know I am...

Who are you anyway?

Oh that's an easy question... I'm you.

What?

I'm you, I'm the you that saw the world as one great living experiment, something to be studied and understood as far as the brain possibly could manage. Then I got buried, buried under all that self-doubt, that self-pity, and almost obliterated by that self-destruction.

I'm sorry...

Don't be... because that other self was you as well... it was just your darker nature, the part of you that wanted to wallow in self pity. All beings have it, Humans, Ponies, what have you. The question is... will you be able to corral and control it, will you be able to refuse the constant temptation to just give in to the darkness.

Like I almost did...

We all have our dark periods. The question is, can we rise above them, and become better for having survived those trials. You still have not answered that question for yourself.

What do you mean.

You are not normal, but not for the reasons you thought before, though. Inside of you resides a Power this world needs in order to prosper and thrive. You were chosen to wield it along with the three others. Will you wield this power? Will you take up these arms for the cause of forging a New Age?

Yes. If I was trusted with it, it had to have been for a reason. So yes, I will!

Will forge a New Age where all can choose their path in life instead of being forced down it by some other being?

Yes!

Will you forge a New Age, where all flowers of the soul can bloom to their greatest extent, however that might occur?

Yes!

The let's grab that power, let's grab it and use it to forge A New Age, and a New Life for everyone!

You read my mind!

Heh, that's because I am your mind!

Kyoko's soul was glowing white hot now.

"I can't let myself fall into that pit, not this pit of oblivion. There is still so much I have to do... there is still so much I have to see... I want to see both worlds... I want to see Equestria... I want to see the whole Earth... I want to see both worlds thrive too, I want to see Equestria grow and prosper, I want to see the Earth renewed and revitalized. I want to see everyone, every Human, every Pony, every single living thing grow and bloom the way that it should, and not pruned or uprooted just because someone doesn't like it. I don't care what anyone said about me before anymore... I don't care what they might say about me in the future. None of them can hurt me anymore... they can call me whatever they want... robot... clone... fake... it doesn't matter. Because I'm me, I'm Kyoko!  Voice... Please... PLEASE... GRANT ME THE POWER... GRANT ME THE POWER THAT WILL HELP EVERYONE FIND WHO THEY TRULY ARE, AND FIND THEIR TRUE ROLES FOR THIS GREAT EXPERIMENT OF LIFE!"

Then so it shall be!

=---- ----=

        The ground then began to quake as the area around Kyoko was now glowing green. She soon found herself rocketing upward through the ground, on what she couldn't exactly tell... although soon it would become obvious. When she finally appeared above the ground, she saw what exactly she was being lifted on. It was a giant multi-terraced formation, each flat plane holding innumerable flowers of all kinds and sorts. When Kyoko floated back down to the floor of the shrine, the flower and ground formations dissolved into green particles, and reformed into the green Terran Spark of Earth, which was now hers along with the initial white Spark of Equestria. In addition, the symbol that she was standing on was completely filled in, the western quadrant now glowing green as the entire circle began to glow, the final symbol of a triple peaked mountain joining the other three.

        The ancient voice then began to speak, projecting the tone of a bearer of incredible power.You have done well my Child. Soon, as you accept each Spark of the two Worlds, you will conferred their Body. This will mark your rebirth as the Conduit of Earth. You are the last of the Conduits to be found, and I will address all twelve of you when this process is completed. Remember this, however, the New Age cannot truly be forged until all Ten have fully realized their Will and Power, in all respects.

She reassumed her role of a great matron. I sensed your great internal struggle for identity, and sometimes, it will feel even harder as you will no longer physically resemble the being that you remember. Despite that, you will remain my Child, even as you occupy the body of another World. Let no being, from either world, cause you to lose sight of this fact, nor lose sight of who you truly are.

Kyoko sniffled a bit, as she could feel the great pride that this entity took in her. "Thank you, I won't forget this experience. I don't think I could even if I wanted to."

Celestia and Luna were breathing somewhat easier now as well. They had found all the Conduits for Terran Magic, therefore they could start to formulate a more solid idea of what this 'Power' was they were dealing with.

Luna then called Kyoko to attention. "My dear, are you ready to conclude, I believe we all have things we have to discuss in the Physical World once we do."

"Yes, I am ready," Kyoko replied. Her mind was definitely going to need time to rest after this.

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

Kyoko answered, with great strength and firmness, "Yes, yes I accept both of these Sparks and my role in forging the New Age to come."

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

Then both said in unison, "Come our new little Pony, come and let us forge A New Age together!"

The twin sparks merged with Kyoko, and she felt enough strength surging through her to carry an entire planet on her shoulders.

=---- ----=

The whole exam room was still glowing green, and Applejack and Twilight completely awestruck. It wasn't until the glow began to cool that Applejack finally managed to get her words out, "Twi' we should really go check on her."

Twilight, finally snapping out of awe herself, concurred, "Yeah, Yeah let's go check on her."

They both exited the observation room, only to find the other seven Ponies all there waiting for them.

"Wow, we could see the glowing all the way down the hall, was it like that for three of us too?" Andre said, somewhere between surprise and concern in his voice.

"Yeah, all three of you when you were Converted, the room was glowing in the color you eventually took," Twilight answered.

"Well we can discuss the exact nature of our transformations and everything later, right now let's just check to see how Kyoko is doing," Natasha said.

"Come on y'all..." Applejack said as she walked into the exam room first.

        Kyoko, sat up on her new haunches as best she could managed, glad the bed was firm otherwise she would have toppled back over. She was an Earth Pony, with a rich coat like dark green grass, and a mane and tail a shade of somewhat brighter green. The Element of Earth around her neck resembling a quartet of mountains; the largest was in the center, a small one was in front, and two medium-sized ones on each side of the largest and behind it.

She looked at herself and said, "Wow I really look like my online name now, Midori..." Andre and the others mentioned how 'midori' meant green in Kyoko's native language.

Her large, lime-green eyes blinking rapidly, she got off the now lowered bed and trotted as best she could manage out of the room. All ten of them now stood outside of the exam room in the rather spacious hallway.

It was an amazing sight. The six Bearers of Harmony stood there in a semi-circle around the now complete set of the Converted Four Amigos. One set colored like candy, the other set in bold colors like a set of markers.

"So, how do you all feel being together like this?" Twilight asked, genuinely curious how they all felt being Ponies now.

"I dunno, I mean, we're the same, but we aren't the same," Andre said.

"Yeah, it is hard to put in words how we all feel right now, but it does feel like we're all complete," Ethan said.

"Frankly, I'm relieved that we've all gone and done it now, we're all a real group again," Natasha said.

"Yeah, I know I sound a bit unsteady right now, but I really feel good too that we're all a real group again," Kyoko said.

        As they began chatting each other up, Royal Princesses appeared. All ten of them instinctively bowed to them out of respect before them, before Luna bid them to stand.

Celestia spoke first, voice stern without trying to be overbearing. "I will make this message brief, because Kyoko needs to undergo the same rehabilitation as the other Converts. But I request that all ten of you come to Equestria as soon as possible."

"Did something happen, did Discord get loose again?" Twilight asked, wondering why her mentor would want them all back so soon after Kyoko's conversion.

Celestia responded quickly, "No, actually this is in preparation for something else."

Just then, a robed-figure with face obscured appeared on the wall behind the Princesses and in front of the Ten Bearers and Conduits. It was only visible from the shoulders up, but the voice was familiar to all twelve of them.

"As I stated before. I would have a message to deliver to the twelve of you, once you all manifested in the Physical World, and once you were all gathered together. Now that all of the Shards of my Power have been awakened into full-fledged Sparks, the seal surrounding the Earth's Magic may now be undone. However, do not blindly believe that you can immediately accomplish this task. If you are not capable of properly wielding the Power, the seal will not be removed properly, and the effects of the resulting flood of mana will truly be devastating. On the other hand, due to you all reawakening the four Elemental Sparks, the seal itself will begin to slowly but surely degenerate. If too much time passes between now and the point you attempt to undo the seal yourselves, the Magic I have restrained will flow into this world in a manner that could not be controlled by anyone, not even myself.

"One final warning - even if you properly unseal my magic, and it is allowed to flow back into the world normally, Society itself will, in all likelihood, not be able to handle such power suddenly being dropped into its lap. Therefore, you all must properly prepare yourselves, as well find and prepare as many allies as you can manage in the goal of forging The New Age. My Children have so desperately longed for the Power the Four Conduits now wield, and there is no telling to what ends they would go to gain control over it, once it is unsealed. Yet, if you are to truly save this world, my Power must be allowed to flow freely, and it must be combined with your Will. Only when the Ten of you have become fully realized, can The New Age be truly forged."

With that, the image of the robed figure disappeared.

All twelve of them were astonished the voice they had only heard as a voice also had a figure, at the very least.

"That... was... heavy...," Andre said, still trying to wrap his brain around the facts that ancient will had just dumped on them.

"You're telling me...," Twilight was also trying to get through all these facts, and the realization the fates of Equestria and Earth were starting to become more and more intertwined.

Luna sighed, she had a feeling that this was part of the nature of the Power the ancient will was speaking of. "What truly concerns me is her premonition of the destruction of this Society, one way or another. I can honestly see why her thoughts would lead down that road. Whenever the Magic of this planet is unsealed, there would be nothing to prevent undesirables from accessing that power. On top of that, what would happen if any of you ten were kidnapped and used as some kind of weapon or bargaining chip in some terrorist negotiation. It would be an utter disaster as far as I or Celestia could tell. This is why we need all ten of you to come to Equestria as soon as you can manage. I have a feeling that the Terran Magic the Four Conduits now wield cannot even be properly used until they have a better grasp of their now innate Equestrian Magic."

Celestia then concluded this little talk, "We cannot rush the training of the four of you, but at the same time, we do not have infinite time to do it. Therefore you have to learn and practice in the most optimal environment we can think of, which is Equestria proper. Now, Luna and myself must return to Canterlot Castle, we still have business to attend to Equestria-side. Maybe if we have time after next week, we can give a tour to our four new Ponies. Until then."

And with that, Celestia and Luna blinked out of this dimension, back across the New Light Bridge.

Kyoko finally managed to exhale properly, she was dead tired and just wanted to crawl back in her bed in the Bureau dormitory. "If you all don't mind... I am tired beyond tired, we all need to take a few days to sort this out anyway."

Everyone agreed, there would be time enough to discuss matters more in-depth. At least they hoped there would be more time.

CH 16: Mix & Match

Chapter 15: Over The World Wall

=== The Conversion Bureau: A New Age, A New Era ====== Chapter 15: Over The World Wall ===

[ Earth, November 15, 2080 ]

        The week since Kyoko's conversion came and went about as fast as any week that any of the Humans at the Isegawa Clinic (and Dormitory Complex) could remember. Thankfully for Kyoko's sake, being reformatted into an Earth Pony (along with her Terran Spark of Earth) allowed her to adapt physically to her new body fairly quickly. The one thing that concerned her naturally, was just exactly how Earth Pony Life Magic even worked. Kyoko spent most of the week learning how to coordinate her body and having to retain a lot of theory about how Life Magic worked. Applejack resolved to help Kyoko as best she could once they got to Equestria, which would be sometime in the morning now the day of 'great move' had arrived.

        All of the Ponies spent the previous night and now this morning getting their belongings in order. The leftovers were put into containers for transport, the bed linens that the Bearers themselves didn't bring were sanitized and stored away for when they were to return. All in all, the mechanics of the move were going on just fine and dandy. The issue was... well all of the Terran Conduits were collective a gigantic bundle of nerves and anticipation.

"Oh man, today is the day... I... I honestly don't know how to feel," Andre said out loud, trying to find a sympathetic ear.

"You think you're nervous? It's like my body is trying to run to the Transport Room to get over the Barrier already. I knew Pegasi tended to get a little antsy, but this is ridiculous," Ethan replied. He had spent the last couple of hours pacing and flitting about trying to do something to take his mind off the impending move.

Natasha and Kyoko were marginally more calm, spending their time after packing trying to figure out what to name themselves.

Twilight Sparkle and Rarity were busy making sure everyone had their things in order. Domestic drones were set to start moving the material to the transport room since it was going to be sent over first.

"Ok Rarity, are you sure you got everything? I don't want you flipping out in case you forgot a design or something," Twilight asked, not noticing the irony in the question.

Fortunately, Rarity did notice said irony. "Me.. flip out?! Darling, I think you should be the one to worry about that. I'd wager if one book turned up missing, you'd tear Ponyville apart trying to find it."

The two Unicorn mares chuckled at the thought. The Bearers of Harmony were all ready to get back on home turf, as it were; even if they were still going to be on the proverbial clock training the four Terran Conduits. As time went on, eventually there were two carts full of things to move, Rarity and her equipment and finished works, including four pieces in black, vinyl protectors; as well as Twilight and her roaming mini-library. The other cart was full of the bags of the other eight Ponies, the Conduits deciding it was easier just to bring some personal affects (sans electronics).

        After the drones were most of the way to the transport room to send the belongings on ahead, the Princesses decided to appear before the ten Bearers and Conduits. They wanted to have a little chat before proceeding.

Celestia began speaking, her voice rather excited for an ages-old monarch, but no one was going to argue this wasn’t a momentous occasion. "Good day my little Ponies. As you know, today is the day the four Conduits of Terra set their hooves into Equestria for the first time. Consider this both a preview of a possible future home, but also you all beginning to be immersed in our culture. On top of that, I want you to consider the concept of Harmony. Not only is this a venture to help you harmonize your Terran Magic with your Equestrian Magic, but harmonizing the human within you with the Pony that you now are."

As the Ponies discussed the meaning of this 'harmonization of self' line, Fluttershy had a little more pressing concern. "Princess Celestia ma'am? Um, will the Bureaus be alright while we all are back in Equestria?"

Celestia was a tad optimistic in this regard. "We have not seen real signs of any mass organized violence or other resistance against the Bureaus. Most of the incidents have been isolated as far as the police can tell."

Luna however, wasn't so optimistic. "We can only hope they aren't truly organized. I fear what the self-professed Elite would do in light of the recent elections. The fact that the reformists have begun to occupy more positions of political power cannot sit well with them, and who knows what they might attempt in order to de-legitimize them. At the same time, we have no idea about the nature of the degenerating seal on Earth's Magic, so we do need to be efficient and effective in our teaching to our four new charges.

“Unfortunately, we will have to play all of this by ear, as it were. I'm afraid the Magic we are talking about has been lost for so long, I cannot find any records of it, aside from the various works of fiction and legend in Earth’s collective 'library'."

Ethan chuckled at the idea. "I guess you can say we're like archaeologists. We're reviving an ancient lost power, with absolutely no idea what it can do. But to not revive it, well, I dunno if I want to think what'll happen if we get this wrong or take too long."

Everyone but the Princesses wanted to argue the analogy, but none of them could really think of any better way to put it.

"Everything seems to be in order then," Celestia began. "With that, my little Ponies and Dragon. Let us be on our way."

Spike took a spot on Luna's back, still trying to avoid visual contact with Dr. Hayato, and all left for the Transport Room.

        A few minutes later, they all arrived at the Transport Room. Since this room had a direct connection to the New Light Bridge, it was one of the points of greatest exposure to raw magic. Therefore the Doctors Isegawa stood in the control room, which was more than adequately shielded, during the big sendoff.

Princess Luna, before opening the gates, made a brief statement to everyone present. "As you know, we will soon be in Ponyville; the center of operations, so to speak, for your second wave of training in Equestrian Magic. Because Equestria is a land of magic itself - you, Conduits of the Elements of Terra, should be able to safely practice both your Equestrian and Terran Magic. To the Doctors Isegawa, we will be keeping you informed of all of their progress, and we hope that you will keep us informed of the happenings here on Earth, along with our many Earth-side contacts. We cannot know if or when this world may start turning even worse than it is now, but hopefully we will be afforded enough time to get everyone sufficiently prepared. We thank you for all you have done for Equestria and the whole of Earth so far, and we hope for your continued goodwill and support into the future."

Before anyone was allowed to continue, though, Princess Celestia turned to the red Unicorn and the green Earth Pony. "Before we continue, I would like to specifically ask you two a question. I'd like to know if  both or either of you have come up with your Equestrian names yet?"

Natasha and Kyoko looked at each other briefly, and then looked at everyone with rather large smiles on their faces.

Natasha went first, "Yes Princess Celestia. I'd like to be known as Red Blaze when I arrive there."

Then Kyoko, "And I'd like to be known as Midori Hana."

The Doctors Isegawa chuckled as they realized that Kyoko now began to embody her screen-name, so why not choose it? As the chuckling died down a bit, Dr. Jun took the microphone and stated her sentiments. "We thank you very much. And please take good care of our daughter and her friends, they are all like an extended family to us. Oh, and Andre, or Blue Vague as you liked to be called now, you especially take good care of our daughter. We hope maybe to call you our son-in-law one day."

Kyoko and Andre were both as red-faced as green and blue-coated Ponies could be. Then again, it really was no secret that the two would like to pursue their relationship further.

Dr. Hayato then took the mic to say something, "Oh, and to your little purple dragon friend, tell him I'd hope to be able to talk and study him further when you all return. I promise not to do anything dangerous to him."

Spike just waved sheepishly from behind Luna's mane, trying to figure out when they found out he existed.

As Luna and Celestia opened the gates formally, a wave of emotion was going through all ten of the 'regular' Ponies minds. For the Six Bearers of the Elements of Harmony, it was a chance to return home and get caught up on lost times. For the Four Conduits of the Elements of Terra, it was a chance to see an entirely new world, even if it would be just be one town in that new world.

A town that was about to re-affirm its place as the most powerful weirdness magnet in that or any other world.

The Royal Sisters lifted everyone's belongings, and went through the gate first. Then the six Equestrian Ponies all went through, waving their goodbyes to the good doctors. The four Terran Ponies all turned around, waved their goodbyes, and crossed the threshold as well. With that, the Gate drew closed, and everything went quiet as the sensors waited for the thaumatic radiation to be absorbed by the sinks.

Dr. Jun turned to Dr. Hayato, with a bit of worry in her voice. "So, how do you think they are going to do over there?"

Dr. Hayato replied, having absorbed the sense of purpose all thirteen creatures shared and projected before they left. "Despite looking for all the world like giant plush toys, I can tell they are tough and resilient creatures. They'll be just fine, although Kyoko and her three friends will come back changed. You don't go to an entirely new place, and live there without being changed. But it's my firm belief that they will be changed for the better."

Elsewhere, in a shrine somewhere deep inside the Earth, the mysterious robed figure began to speak to the Bearers of Harmony and her new Conduits of Terra: Learn from them, Conduits of the this World's Power. Learn from them, Bearers of the Other World's Will. Learn the ultimate truth behind all magic, and life itself: Without Power, Will is just idle hope; and without Will, Power is just mindless aggression. If all ten of you can learn these truths, you will be worthy of forging A New Era for both worlds. But you must hurry, for the time of decision draws ever closer...

She looked with forlorn at a titanic square pyramid, with a giant, ornate stone figure on top of it. The figure, the Seal of all Terran Mana, was already beginning to crumble into ethereal dust.

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

[ Equestria, November 15, ??? ]

        The Four Bearers saw things they'd never think they see, in that instant that seemed to stretch forever. Travelling at incalculable speeds through a magical dimensional bridge had thrown them all for a massive sensory loop. They saw all kinds of images - the History of Equestria, the History of Earth, the History of the Universe itself. They were staring sideways through time, and sensing things that made utterly no sense. Colors felt like sounds, sounds like tastes, visions like feelings. Thankfully, this experience was brief, as they saw the Equestrian Gate open.

Ponyville, a supposedly quiet nondescript town out in the middle of Equestria. Not too far away from the Capital of Canterlot, but far enough to be a solid day's flight out for a normal Pegasus.

Ponyville, now the site of the training of four Converted Humans in a Magic that hasn't been seen in eons.

"It's really good to be back home," Twilight said, wondering if Owloysius was able to keep everything in order like she wanted.

"Yeah it's nice to see a familiar place again, well sorta familiar," Spike said, figuring they were in the Ponyville New Citizen Reception Center. Which was notably empty at the time. Celestia purposefully had the schedule cleared in order to sort things out between the group of eleven.

"Woo-hoo~!! I'm gonna have to get to work on a big party, with a big cake, and lots of ice cream, and lots of music..." Pinkie Pie shouted. She had been restraining herself while on Earth more or less; but now she was back in her element, and totally ready to cut loose.

"Oh I do hope nothing major has happened trend-wise, I have a business to maintain and all," said Rarity, already thinking of how to further incorporate neutrals like gray and brown in her designs without seeming too drab.

"My animals should be fine physically, but I hope that being gone for so long haven't upset them too much. Especially Angel..." Fluttershy said worriedly, then again she was always concerned about something.

"I just hope I didn't miss anything major with Apple Bloom back at the farm. She'd be devastated if she found her Cutie Mark, and I wasn't there for it," Applejack stated. Her family was so important to her, as was Sweet Apple Acres. Thankfully the farm had plenty of help come in during Apple-Bucking Season, and the winter Cider Season was still a little while away from getting underway in earnest.

"I'm just glad to be back in Equestrian air-space. I mean I thought I was gonna go totally stir-crazy, having to watch everywhere I flew, and then all the haze and smog made it so hard to breathe," Rainbow Dash said, already looking forward to showing off for Golden Storm and any other Converts still in Ponyville.

        For their part, the four Terran Ponies stood there completely and absolutely STUNNED at, well, everything. The gate to the dimensional portal was carved and adorned so richly. The wood and stone of the reception center, entirely natural. As they looked around, everything was like they had walked back in time about 100 years or so, chucked out everything computer-related; and then decided everything needed a bright and fresh coat of highly color-saturated paint. The one phrase the four Conduits kept thinking as they soaked in the sights and smells - everything was just so bright and fresh. The air was pure, the ground felt solid, the water was clean, the sun was shining in the bright blue morning sky. It really was like they were walking through a storybook, except now they were characters in the story.

"Golden Storm, are we dreaming? Because if you told me we were dreaming this, and we'd soon wake up in a nice white room with lots of padding and some very calm sounding doctors, I would totally believe you," Blue Vague asked Golden Storm, mouth slightly agape.

"No, I'm pretty sure this is real. I mean we were turned into Ponies and everything, and it has been a good few weeks or months," Golden Storm replied after a bit of pause.

"I'm just... dumbfounded. I mean we all read the brochures. We all watched the slide-shows. We all heard the stories. But to see it, to feel it, to smell it. It's, it's overwhelming," Red Blaze said, looking out the windows onto the thatch roofs of a large residential area of Ponyville.

"It's like everything is alive. Even the things that should be inanimate, like the houses and the stone roads, just feel... alive somehow. Like if everything were to suddenly get up and start dancing then it would not be entirely out of the ordinary here," Midori Hana said, muzzle pressed against the window like Red Blaze's.

The other nine travelers all blanched at that statement. They've had enough dancing and singing random objects to last them a lifetime; after Discord worked his magic to turn the world upside-down, and nearly inside-out.

Celestia cleared her throat to get everyone's attention, and they all gathered back around in the center of the reception hall in order to hear what she and Luna had to say. Celestia then began. "My little Ponies, as you can see, we are back in Equestria. Conduits of the Elements of Terra, I want you to consider three things while you study and train here. One is to learn firsthand Equestrian life and culture, this is the part I will actively you with, by giving you the knowledge of our written language."

Celestia's horn flashed briefly as the four Conduits felt a brief pang of pain in their skulls. After it subsided, they looked around, and marveled at the fact that none of them struggled to read any of the signs or posters that adorned the Transport Hall of the Reception Center.

"Two, is to learn how to wield the Magic that is innate in your bodies. For Blue Vague and Red Blaze, that is Unicorn Explicit Magic. For Golden Storm, that is Pegasus Weather Magic. For Midori Hana, that is Earth Pony Life Magic. Finally, you here also to practice your Terran Magic. That is to be done here in Equestria, to ensure that you do not cause some kind of incident on Earth. Also, Elements of Harmony, I want you all to pay close attention to how the mana flows around the Terran Conduits. For, if our suspicions are correct, once the mana is unsealed from Earth, it will be able to flow here across the New Light Bridge."

While most of the Bearers of Harmony had a hard time contemplating what that meant, Twilight Sparkle was not entirely surprised by this theory. She figured as much, seeing as Equestria and Earth were getting bound tighter and tighter by the week.

Luna then began to speak. "We have fashioned a home for Terran Conduits using the best engineers in Manehatten, which will be teleported here sometime tomorrow. In the meantime I ask that you all call the dormitories here your temporary home. I will allow the rest of today for you all to start getting acclimated here, before I begin supervising your training. And believe me, you will learn a lot under my indigo wings."

Twilight Sparkle and Rarity remembered how Luna founded and presided over the now legendary University For Advanced Magical Studies, back in Canterlot a millennia ago. They hoped the time on the Moon and in recovery hadn't made her rusty as a full-time teacher.

        Celestia and Luna then excused themselves and teleported back to Canterlot - Luna wanting to get a nap in before she had to raise the Moon, and Celestia having to get back to the drudgery of personally dealing with the concerns of the nobles and community leaders. With that, there was nothing left for the Conduits to do but put away their meager things, and help the Bearers to get their things back home.

=====

        So they set off from the Center, Blue Vague and Golden Storm walking with a pair of carts full of the belongings of the Bearers of Harmony. They really didn't bother to argue much, besides Rarity and Twilight's things, there wasn't exactly that much to carry. The first stop was Fluttershy's Cottage near the edge of Everfree Forest.

"Yeah, so what exactly is the Everfree Forest anyway?" Midori Hana asked of Fluttershy. The brochures really didn't do a good job in her estimation of explaining it.

"Well, they are what most of us call a 'Wild Zone'. There are places in Equestria where Nature is allowed to do what it will, with little to no interference from us," Fluttershy replied. She knew the reason why the Princesses would set up large blocks of Equestria to not be 'developed' by the Ponies, but hated what that meant some respects.

Hrm, sounds like national parks and wilderness areas writ large to me... Blue Vague thought to himself. He wondered how long it took the Princesses to convince the population that everything and everywhere within Equestria's borders didn't have to be put under clockwork management.

As they approached her cottage, they saw what this meant to Fluttershy personally. They also began to understand just why she was chosen as the Element of Kindness.

"Wow, it's like a rehabilitation center for animals," Midori Hana said, in awe at all the live animals, even if some weren't in the best of shape.

"Yeah, really the only place live animals were kept back on Earth, were in the nature preserve Domes; well not counting some of the more robust breeds of domesticated animals. So this is a new experience for us as a group mostly," Blue Vague said, while looking at a bunch of chickens just scratching at the ground and carrying on as chickens were wanton to do.

        Just then, a white blur shot out of the cottage, Golden Storm swearing it was way faster than Rainbow Dash managed to get in Earth's atmosphere that day they had their little dogfight. The white blur turned out to be a young white rabbit who effectively latched onto Fluttershy's leg, like a child who hadn't seen a parent in forever. He looked at Fluttershy with first a look of mild rage at being left 'alone' for so long, which soon softened into crying that she was back.

He and Luna had spent the last few months taking care of everything here, most of the animals had recovered on their own but the long term cases still remained. Fluttershy thanked her ten travelling mates for walking all the way out to the edge of town with her, as she floated over to the cart to retrieve her bag. Before walking back into the cottage, she turned to the other ten to speak.

"Thank you so very much. I don't have too much to unpack, so as soon as I get Angel settled back down, we'll meet together back in Ponyville again, around sundown. If that's all right with you all?"

The other ten agreed that would be just fine, and they began the trek back across town, heading for Sweet Apple Acres orchard.

        "Applejack?! Applejack!! Look Big Mac, Applejack's back!" shouted yellow and rose-red-maned filly. Applejack and ran ahead to meet her. They shared a warm and loving embrace as a fairly large red and blond-maned stallion came up to meet them.

"Hey guys, it's been way too long," Applejack said, trying to speak clearly while crying.

"Eeyup, too long," Big Macintosh replied, succinct as ever.

The 3 of them continued on like this for a few minutes, before Applejack managed to compose herself long enough to introduce her family properly. "Alright, okay. Guys, " she started, while addressing the four Terran Ponies, "the yellow filly here is my little sister Apple Bloom, and the big guy here is my older brother Big Macintosh."

They would have chuckled at how the whole family was named after apples, but thought better of it.

"Alright then, well I'll meet up with y'all later in Ponyville around sundown. Gotta start catching up and everything," Applejack said before walking away to the main house with her saddle/duffel bag across her back.

With that, the now group of nine trotted off to a supposedly non-descript area along the edge of Ponyville.

        The four Conduits were fairly surprised, to say the least, when they got to the edge of Ponyville and looked up a few human-scale stories off the ground. What greeted them was a tower-like structure, and the 'grounds' surrounding it, made entirely out of clouds. To further enrage every human materials scientist ever, they thought, there was a permanent, de-saturated rainbow coming out of the top of the tower, and apparently liquefied rainbow flowing like miniature waterfalls off the sides of the grounds, some just disappearing into the ether.

"Well... I am honestly speechless..." Blue Vague said, the sight defying all sense of logic, well, logic borne of human experience anyway.

"It's a house... that's a tower... that's made out of clouds... with materialized rainbows..." Golden Storm said while trying to rationalize the whole thing. He thought that Pegasi cloud-forming was limited to just forming rain and storm clouds, not for full-blown construction.

"I know right. It's so awesome, just like me!" Rainbow Dash said, while absolutely beaming with pride. She began to go on about how she was able to make the self-sustaining rainbow pools from only a small amount of source rainbow from the Cloudsdale Rainbow Factory.

The four Terran Ponies were just trying to get used to the fact that this open flaunting of ability, and blatant disregard of the rules of material science and physics, was just par for the course - especially concerning Rainbow Dash.

"I dunno, I like it. It just exudes a personal confidence. I would have gone a bit easier on the rainbows myself though," Red Blaze said, appreciating the somewhat classical Greek styling of the edifice after starting to recover from the initial shock.

"Too bad we can't go inside to see it, I heard only Pegasi can naturally cloud-walk; so we'd just probably sink right through like rocks in espresso foam," Midori Hana concluded sadly.

"Anyway, I'm gonna catch a nap in my own bed. Don't worry, I'll meet with you all this evening in Ponyville," Rainbow Dash said excitably, grabbing her bag and looking forward to crashing in her own bed for the first time in months.

So the now group of eight walked on to Pinkie Pie's place of residence.

Hana's jaw hit the ground, utterly stunned by the edifice now before her. "Wow, that's.... just... wow..."

Storm was more confused than surprised. "Is that something you live in or something you eat?"

Blaze was a little more logical about the whole thing. "Well, I guess the former seeing as it's still standing."

Vague felt himself losing the capacity to be surprised at this point. "I highly doubt anyone could mistake what this place sells."

"Yep, welcome to the Sugarcube Corner. Well we sell cakes, pies, cookies, tarts, candy canes, regular candies... pretty much anything made out of sugar and can be thrown into an oven," Pinkie Pie said bounding around the place like she was trying to advertise something that really didn't need much advertising.

"Pinkie? Is that you Pinkie?" a rather calm sounding male voice called out from the door they were standing near.

"Oh hey Mr. Cake, yeah it's me. And look, I brought new friends," Pinkie said, bounding back to her landlord/employer/something of an adoptive father.

"Yeah Pinkie, you're gonna have to explain this situation to us..." Vague stated somewhat flatly.

"Okay. Well, I both work and live here at the Sugarcube Corner, where I help the Cakes with baking and sometimes babysit when they take a night out," Pinkie said, oddly calmly and succinctly.

The Four Terran Ponies didn't what to be more surprised by - the fact they got a simple answer out of Pinkie Pie, or the fact the Cakes saw fit to entrust their foals to her.

With the explanations done for now, Pinkie grabbed her case and walked inside. After putting it down, she popped her head out the still open door to speak before new friends left. "Ok let me get the Cakes caught up on everything, and get my stuff put away. Then we'll meet at Twilight's for our little evening picnic, 'kay?!"

With that, the now group of seven walked on to the Carousel Boutique, Rarity's home and place of business.

"Well, it certainly does live up to its name, doesn't it," Blue Vague said, looking at the merry-go-round-like building.

"That it does, Blue, that it does..." Golden Storm added, trying to figure out if Rarity slept in the upper-tier or somewhere in the center of the building.

"Well here is my home and place of business - the Carousel Boutique. Where the finest of the fine come to find the perfect wardrobe." Rarity said, before going off into a rather extensive list of the stores in Canterlot she contracted to sell her designs in, and the various higher-tier designers and celebrities that have worn her wares.

"She certainly has made a name for herself, or is trying very hard to," Red Blaze said, looking all around.

"Rarity? Rarity!! It's been too long!" shouted a white Unicorn filly.

"Oh Sweetie Belle. It has been too long, hasn't it. But don't worry, your big sister Rarity has returned," Rarity cried as she ran to Sweetie Belle, nuzzling her; both crying tears of joy after meeting after such a long absence. Rarity asked, while in the middle of reconnecting with Sweetie, "Vague, Storm, if you don't mind could you bring my bags inside for me?"

Blue Vague and Golden Storm wheeled both carts around in order to start offloading all of Rarity's belongings. As they moved the things into the building proper, they were duly impressed at all the various designs that were scattered amongst the mannequins, all at various degrees of being finished. The shop itself was also remarkably clean given Rarity wasn't there for so long; Sweetie Belle obviously taking the time to help maintain the shop as best she could. What caught their eyes most of all, were the absolute abundance of gems - so much so that she adorned a good number of her designs with the things.

"Say Rarity, how are you able to sell these designs with all of these gems all over them, wouldn't that get inordinately expensive?" Golden Storm asked.

"Well, here in Equestria, gems are an incredibly common occurrence. Aside from things like the Fire Ruby that dear Spike gave me, they are so common that I was able to design a spell for the expressed purpose of finding them as a filly." Rarity replied while starting to get her sewing machines and mannequins back into place.

Blue Vague just shrugged, it wouldn't be a surprise that gemstones would be that common here given the general craziness this world contains.

As the two Terrans left to rejoin Twilight and others outside, Rarity gave one last message for the time being. "Well tell the others that I will see you all later, sundown it was? Also, I will have something to present to the four of you in particular, so look forward to it, okay?"

The now group of six went to the Ponyville Library, their last official stop on this unofficial tour of their new friends' residences.

        The six of them got the house-tree/library. The four Terran Ponies honestly felt the sight of a library and multi-room domicile carved or built into an apparently still-living tree should have been more surprising than it was; but honestly at this point they had run out of ability to be shocked by Equestria's general theory of architecture.

Twilight nervously said, "Well, here we are, if you wanna take a look that'd be fine, just try not to get the books out of order, okay?"

"Apparently these places are bigger on the inside than they are on the outside, or our perception of space is starting to falter," Red Blaze said, noticing that even though it was at least a 2 story library/house-tree, there was still plenty of clearance overhead.

"Seeing as the entire realm is filled with all kinds of magic, it might be both," Midori Hana added, looking for a book on Equestrian plants to read back at her dormitory.

Spike for his part just scrambled upstairs, he wanted a nap in his own basket so bad, and he needed to decompress from being on Earth all that time anyway.

Blue Vague noticed a sleeping owl roosting in an un-lit corner as he and Storm moved Twilight's books back into the library proper for sorting. "Hrm, you keep an owl? Interesting choice for a pet."

"Yeah that's Owloysius, he helps me during the night during long sessions when Spike should be asleep," Twilight Sparkle beamed, taking pride in her pet and secondary assistant.

"All things considered, that makes a lot of sense. Dunno if that means I'm going crazy or I'm just getting used to how things work on this side," Vague replied, finding keeping a nocturnal assistant for someone who apparently studied every waking hour she could, would indeed make a lot of sense.

"Well, here are some bits, the money on this side of the Aurora Barrier. Just take a stroll around town and we'll all meet here at the Library at sun-down, which should be around... 5:20 PM if any of you still have working watches. Oh, and here is a map... and I marked some places of interest. Including a nice watch shop if none of you have working watches." Twilight Sparkle said, taking out four of many, many, MANY maps Celestia had sent to the library for safe-keeping in case Converts started arriving faster than the town's ability to give guided tours could handle.

The four Terran Ponies gave their thanks and headed out, deciding to go get those watches and then head back to the Center's dormitories to start taking in everything they've seen so far.

=====

Hrm, these watches are pretty nice, and it's easier to see the time on them than I thought... Blue Vague though, as he and the other Conduits sat in a common area of the Ponyville New Citizen Reception Center, near the cafeteria, of course.

        The four in question spent the rest of the afternoon wondering about what the home that was supposed to be teleported in the next day would look like. Red Blaze hoped it wouldn't be anything too ostentatious, but that seemed to be of little concern to the larger population of Ponyville at least, and it was probably true all over Equestria. Midori Hana was busy learning about some of native plants of Equestria, commenting on how Poison Joak seemed to be a particularly nasty weed. Golden Storm was staring outside at the sky, just remarking on how remarkably blue it was. He figured if he engaged Rainbow Dash in another aerial show he'd probably lose, but he really wanted to see how good a flier she was. Blue Vague was trying to practice moving water he had ran out of a nearby faucet, going from bucket to bucket with his Terran Magic instead of his Explicit Magic. He wasn't having much luck at the exercise though, constantly spilling the water all over the floor and having to mop it up and wring it out.

I should have realized only two months learning the very basics of Unicorn Magic wouldn't be enough to really get used to channeling through this body. Hopefully the exposure and Princess Luna will help, it's going to have to... he thought to himself.

Midori Hana looked up from her book to see what Blue Vague was doing. When she asked, he explained to her and the rest of them that he was trying to see if he could move his element with only the magic channeled from his Terran Spark, and he wasn't having much luck at all. That's when he reasoned out loud what the Royal Princesses must have realized.

"I guess this is one of the things that Voice meant when she was talking about Will and Power. Right now, we are still neophytes when it comes to our Equestrian bodies. If magic is channeled through the body like I think, then it stands to reason until we get used to using our natural Equestrian Magic, it's going to be a pain in the ass to use our Terran Magic."

Golden Storm thought about his Wind Magic only seemed to have two modes, trickle and full blast. Red Blaze feared what that meant regarding her Element of Fire. Midori Hana, only having her body for little over a week, was wondering how her Earth magic even manifested.

"Blue Vague is right. If we had to go fight some monster or if we had to protect a Bureau back on Earth from some violent mob, we wouldn't be able to control our Terran Magic at all. We'd either get ourselves injured or killed not being able to do anything, or cause who knows how much collateral damage going all-out," Golden Storm said, following Blue Vague's train of thought.

"I for one wouldn't feel comfortable only being able to only light a candle or burn an entire building to the ground," Red Blaze added, figuring that she'd have the most to learn about controlling her element.

"I'm just wondering what the Terran Element of Earth is. Like do I control rocks, dirt, plants? I wish the Voice had told me then," Midori Hana added on her part, still trying to figure out how to make her magic manifest safely.

        The four Terran Ponies continued to discuss the day's events and predictions for the near future, all the while walking back towards the main hall of the Center. They heard from some of the workers that the rest of the new Converts were supposed to be coming in for processing now, since Celestia's business with them was more or less completed for today. They were coming in from all over the world, most of them speaking 'accented' Equestrian (which to them sounded pretty much like English anyway). The four briefly wondered how they were all speaking supposedly fluent Equestrian so quickly regardless of previous nationality, figuring it had to be some magic done after the fact in order to ease the transition.

Well, at least we aren't the only ones that have to will have to embrace this madness... Blue Vague thought to himself. They were all going to one of the three larger cities anyway, and none of them had to deal with learning two different kinds of magic at the same time.

=====

        It was now close to the appointed time, and the Four Terran Ponies were already at Twilight's Library; they weren't exactly doing anything before except talking and touring the town so why not show up early, they thought. Twilight certainly appreciated the punctuality, being a stickler for organization and detail. As time went on, the other five Bearers Ponies began to arrive. Fluttershy came bearing burnable plants she learned from an Earth Pony would keep mosquitoes at bay in case they went close to the Everfree Forest. Applejack brought plenty of apples and apple goods, along with some of the early batches of apple juice to keep everyone fed that evening. Pinkie Pie arrived with some of her creations as well, especially the pineapple mini-cakes that seemed to rapidly disappear while in the presence of Blue Vague. Rarity brought a nice blanket for everyone to sit on, not wanting to smell wet fur from the evening dew, as well as 4 opaque black objects, obviously some new work she wanted to debut. Rainbow Dash flew down from clearing the sky overhead, making sure they had a nice clear view of what she was going to be an amazing sight for the newcomers to their group.

        Twilight took the fact that Owloysius was already awake as meaning that Luna was close to formally raising the moon. Luna took greater appreciation for this task, since a lot of the Converts were thoroughly impressed and even awestruck by the Equestrian night sky; and they seemed to stay up later anyway just to appreciate it and the Equestrian version of night-life. The ten Ponies plus dragon all trotted quickly, Applejack and Blue Vauge working the wagons this time, as they travelled northward from town out to some rolling hills. The four Conduits just soaked in how serene and picturesque everything was, having only seen a scene like this in media productions or games; all around them, there were rolling hills, gentle rivers and streams, and the animals were living their lives in the wild. The hills were all manners of green and brown, the soil was incredibly healthy looking, and the grass was nice and thick. They even saw the brief twinkling of some of the brightest stars; in this realm, Luna made sure to actively enhance the view of the stars in the sky, feeling that nopony should have to use a device to see them.

        Rarity had already unfurled the massive blanket for everyone to sit on and stay dry from the dew, and Applejack and Fluttershy were setting the paper plates and various juices and water. Rainbow Dash had set up some torches to give a little extra light and warmth if needed; even with the fur coats, a late fall's night could still get fairly cool.

"Alright, " Twilight Sparkle started, addressing the Four Terran Ponies, " as you have learned by now, Princess Luna has resumed the active raising the Moon in the night sky over Equestria. So I want you all just to sit back and enjoy the show. I promise it's one that you all will never forget."

< Author's Note: Just a bit of an personal appeal, this is the BGM I'd like you all to listen to while reading this next section in particular - Super Robot Taisen K's Rendition of Stargazer ~Hoshi no Tobira~ (Doorway to the Stars) >

        The sky had gone midnight-blue now, the Sun was completely under the horizon. The now night sky was dotted with sundry very bright stars, ones that Luna didn't necessarily need to enhance view of in order for everyone to see when the sky was clear. As the four Terran Ponies tried to figure out what these super-bright stars were, they then saw Luna's signature aurora, the various indigos, blues, and violets all swirling around in a faint but noticeable sphere. As a pathway was being traced through the sky, they saw a familiar milk-white, cratered orb rise in the sky - the Moon, but aglow with Luna's bluish aura. The four Terran Ponies were absolutely floored by this utter display of power and beauty, they had no idea just what 'raising the Moon' meant when it was described to them in the orientations.

        The show then expanded, after the Moon was set onto the slow path across the sky. More of Luna's aura was coalescing behind the Moon, and then it exploded across the sky, like dark colored fireworks. As the waves of indigo and blue ripped across the sky, points began to light up. The array of lights flaring into 'existence' was like someone ordering everyone in a fairly large city to first shut off every light, and then turn them back on in particular sequence. Constellations in all shapes and sizes came into view: Orion, Sagittarius, Virgo, Leo, all the constellations were like Earth's Zodiac, and there were so many more. More stars all flared into view; Red Blaze could swear she could even see a faint hint of their actual color from the glow. Blue Vague remembered scenes like this in his various information trawls on the Internet. It was like Luna was recreating Hubble's Deep Field across the sky; but instead of being an image, it was the real thing. They could even see the bands of the Milky Way, or this cosmos's equivalent, in the sky. All four of them were absolutely dumbstruck, their eyes agape at this display of beauty and wonder of the natural world.

"Wow... I... it's just amazing," Midori Hana said haltingly, mind boggling at the incalculable numbers of points of lights in the sky now.

"So many of them. All stages of cycle, all sizes, it's as if Space itself wanted to welcome us here," Red Blaze said, trying to see if she could pick out any Blue Supergiants.

"I've been on night-flights high in the sky, and I can safely say I've never seen anything like this. Man, they have no idea what they are missing back on Earth," Golden Storm said to himself, wondering just how much of Earth's sky has been blocked from view due to the pollution.

"Try as they might to simulate this kind of sky in the Domes, they could never touch Luna in this department. It almost makes me feel sorry for them." Blue Vague said, just wanting everything to continue as it was indefinitely.

        The Six Bearers of Harmony were also thoroughly impressed. Usually there were a few less pyrotechnics involved in the Raising of the Moon and Lighting of the Stars as they called it, except for certain night festivals; but Luna wanted to put on a special show for her new students and the rest of the newcomers.

I had to worry about the four them forgetting this night. I'm pretty sure this is something that none of us sitting here will forget... Twilight thought to herself.

The picnic under the full moon continued. Rainbow Dash lit the torches so that everyone had enough light to see what they were grabbing and eating and drinking. Applejack told more stories of the misadventures of Apple Bloom and her friends, who collectively call themselves the 'Cutie Mark Crusaders'. The Four Terran Ponies all wondered what symbol(s) would appear on their flanks whenever they found or mastered their special talent. Fluttershy tried her hand at singing a song called "Stargazer ~Hoshi no Tobira~" she had found it while looking up various examples of Earth music, and found it particularly relevant. Midori Hana recognized the song somewhat, and helped her correct the lyrics, knowing Fluttershy couldn't be experienced singing anything in Japanese. Rarity then got up and called everyone to attention, telekinetically pulling four black cloth protectors to her.

"Yes. This night has been lovely, and now I feel it is time for myself to unveil my latest creation. In honor of our new friends from Earth, this is for you all. I do hope you all enjoy them," Rarity said, beaming with all the pride and expectation an artist unveiling a new peice would.

With that, she unzipped the cloth covers to reveal four long capes. Each cape was made of highest quality satin she could manage, and dyed in the exact color that each Terran Element Necklace was. Each Symbol of Terra stitched into the back of said cape, Rarity going off Pinkie Pie's near-eidetic memory, albeit rounded off more due to being cloth and not gemstone.

"Wow, the attention to detail, the feel. You are truly an artist with the cloth," Midori Hana said, putting on her green cape.

"It feels great. And it will look perfect as a showpiece when I'm not wearing it," Red Blaze added.

"Man, I don't know how you pulled the color off so well. It'd be an understatement to say you and Pinkie Pie both have good eyes," Golden Storm added, still marveling at how well she got the color and Pinkie Pie got the symbol shape right.

"Usually, I'm not one for showing off, but this is something I'll have to wear around from time to time. It's just too good not to show off once in a while," Blue Vague said, deeply appreciating everything the Princesses and the Bearers of Harmony did for the four of them. He had no idea how he was going to repay them, but he was going to come up with something.

"Well I am glad you all like them. And don't hesitate to ask me if you'd like something else worthy of showing off," Rarity said, absolutely a-glow with pride.

No wonder she Bears the Elements of Generosity, this is way more than anyone has done for us before, at least in this amount of time... Blue Vague thought to himself as he wondered how the cape would look shining in Celestia's sun.

        So they carried on into the night, the Four Terran Ponies thinking everything was going to work out fine, culture shock notwithstanding. Meanwhile, over in Canterlot Castle, Luna sat on a balcony, overlooking her work that night.

"I'm thoroughly glad that you all enjoyed the show. Let's hope you enjoy my lessons in two day's time." she said, with a devious smirk on her face. The Four Terran Ponies were gonna have to get used to their Equestrian bodies and fast. There was no telling much time was left on Earth before the political detente between the Domes and the duly elected national governments would start to break down.

SS1-1: Spike's Gaiden 1

Chapter 16: The Grind Date(s)

=== The Conversion Bureau: A New Age, A New Era ====== Chapter 16: The Grind Date(s) ===

<< Inspiration for the title and chapter theme: De La Soul - The Grind Date

   Also of note, whenever I refer to ‘lengths’, 1 standard Pony length for this universe is .5 meters >>

Everything appears to be in working order with this building. Quite a work of art and engineering, if I do say so myself. Yes, the four Conduits of Terra should greatly enjoy this... as shall I...

==========

* ACT I *

[ Equestria, November 17, ??? ]

The day Luna described had now come, as the ten Bearers and Conduits came out to a supposedly unremarkable patch of land on the outskirts of Ponyville. When they arrived, they saw Luna and a mixed team of assistants, who they figured were the ones helping to construct the edifice in question. The only question was... where exactly was the edifice in question?

"Okay, Princess Luna, you asked us all out here to show us a house or some such. I don't mean to sound ungrateful or ignorant, but I don't see anything out here," Blue Vague said, a touch confused as to what was supposed to be going on. In fact, everyone except the engineers and Luna were thoroughly confused as to why there standing there with nothing to see apparently.

Luna just smiled that wide grin that Equestrians smiled whenever they were ready to pull an okie-doke on someone. "Well, my little Ponies, that is indeed a good question. I would ask that you all move about ten lengths lengths back and to your collective right, so that I might answer that question."

With that, the cluster of Ponies all moved the indicated direction. Luna's horn glowed a rich cobalt blue, as a rather sizable house began to 'materialize' out of nowhere. From bottom to top, the house appeared as if Luna was drawing a giant invisible curtain from over the edifice.

The four Ponies new Equestrian home was a stunning sight for the former Humans not used to having their own places to style. It was constructed in the Brownstone style of architecture from the turn of the 20th Century on Earth; Luna feeling it would be a nice touch using a reasonably popular Earth architectural style. It appeared two stories high, and more than large enough for 4 adult Ponies and however many temporary guests (like say, another seven temporary guests). The facade was gray colored limestone, which was imported from the Dragon-controlled deserts quite a ways away from Equestria proper. As the contingent of Ponies looked around the outside, they noticed an observatory like structure along the roof, which Luna stated was a landing area for Pegasi to enter from the very top and come down. They also noticed large storm doors, which lead to the basement, which Luna stated would be a particular interest for the four Terran Ponies.

Red Blaze was definitely impressed with the workmanship on the outside. "Wow, they even got the trim colors like ours. It gives it that nice little flare and makes it distinct from a regular Brownstone in the Domes."

Golden Storm and Rainbow Dash perched themselves atop the house on the Pegasi landing area. "I wonder how hard it would be to get clouds to sit up here along the landing spot. I mean it's obvious from R.D.'s house that clouds stick to themselves just as well here, I dunno about them sticking to something 'solid' though." Rainbow Dash just shrugged as she never really tried it herself.

Midori Hana touched the limestone with a forehoof; she could still feel the energy in the stone from whatever cutting process the Dragons used to score the blocks for shipping. "Wow, this must be what Dragon Magic, or whatever equivalent they have, must feel like. Definitely different than Equestrian Magic, but it all feels related somehow." Luna chuckled at how strong an inquisitive mind Midori had, she was definitely her father's daughter.

        As she sent off the engineers and construction workers to return to their homes, she began to speak to the rest of the eleven as Dash and Storm floated back down to the ground. "Alright. To the Four Conduits of the Elements of Terra, this is myself and my sister's gift to you all. This building is a fully furnished and outfitted home for you all while you are in Equestria. As you look around inside, you will notice that the construction is quite similar to the dormitories at the Isegawa Clinic back on Earth."

As all twelve of them walked inside and marveled at the internal construction, they were indeed reminded of the dormitories back on Earth they all shared. In fact, it was effectively a reduced version of said dormitories, built to house four instead of ten at a time. The only real difference, besides the clinical white replaced by wood grain, was that the recreational room held various board games and a magic-driven film projector, instead of the digital projector and computers the four Terrans were used to. There was also a spiral staircase leading up to the landing area on the roof, and stairwell leading down to the basement.

"Oh wow, I recognize a lot of these games. Although they are obviously Pony equivalents, they look all the world just like the classic board games we had in America back on Earth," Blue Vague said, as he levitated out the various boxes to quickly scan over them. The Terrans also wondered what they'd need to convert the digital films back home into reels and audio tracks for use as well.

While they thought about this, Luna broke them out of their reverie in order to get down to business for the day. "You all will have plenty of time in order to sort out your entertainment options during the evening. However, we have more pressing business to attend to for today. So, I would like to direct the eleven of you to the basement."

        As they all stood in the rather spacious basement, the twelve remarked just how plain it looked compared to the rest of the house. There was an exception though, a rather innocuous looking raised slot exactly in the center of the basement. As the twelve stood around it, Luna began to explain just why this barely furnished basement was the locale of interest for today. "Alright, my little Ponies. You may all be wondering 'Why does Princess Luna have us standing in this rather unadorned basement around this somewhat plan looking slot?'. Well, this would be why..."

With that, she materialized a hand tool, very much reminiscent of a screwdriver. "TRAINING FIELD DRIVER, ON!!" She shouted as she engaged the tool in the slot and charged it with her magic.

Everyone stood confused for a few seconds as to what exactly she was talking about... until they felt a massive surge of energy coming from the slot now with the tool sticking out of it. Within a few seconds, their entire location seemed to morph into a open field of sorts.

"Woah, just what in Equestria was that?!" Twilight exclaimed, never feeling any sort of magic like that before.

"This is a revised version of a spell I devised while Head Mistress of the University for Advanced Magical Studies. It is simply known as the Projected Training Field. It takes anyone present within a confined space, such as the basement we were in, and transports them to a pocket dimension of the user's creation for up to six hours at a time. The spell specifically designed to never last more than 6 hours, since the expanse created is functionally infinite in all directions, and we wouldn't want Ponies getting lost in an infinite pocket dimension if we can at all help it.

"The rules of this place are quite simple. First, one cannot perish here, if anyone incurs a life-threatening injury, the spell is immediately dispelled so that the Pony in question can be attended to. Second, only the original user of the spell can alter the conditions of the space. Third, If the user ever falls unconscious, the spell is immediately dispelled, again to prevent Ponies from getting lost or stuck in the sub-space. Finally, fourth, the original user of the spell can at any time disengage the spell, which would return everyone to where they were when the spell was cast; however, regardless of how the spell was dispelled, it cannot be used again by that user for at least twelve hours."

Luna then pointed at the screwdriver-like tool now resting on a raised pedestal as tall as the stallions there, "That screwdriver-like device is known as the Training Field Driver, it contains condensed mana that is used to execute the spell should someone of insufficient power wish to use it, although one must first install the Training Driver Slot. Note, one does not need to know Explicit Magic to use the spell, it works with any creature that can channel the mana of Equestria. Similar to one casting the spell themselves, once used and then dispelled, the device cannot be used again for twelve hours, for safety and recharging concerns."

Golden Storm raised a hoof, and was recognized to ask a question. "Princess Luna, there doesn't seem to be any real concerns for space in-between the various settlements and cities and all. So why go through all this trouble to train us here and in this manner?"

Luna thought for a few seconds, and then responded. "Well, the proper answer to that question is twofold. First, to be perfectly honest, myself and my sister have next to no idea what exactly Terran Magic is capable of. Therefore, as much as you all will be studying and practicing how best to use your two forms of Magic, I will be recording and analyzing the nature and effects of Terran magic should they be invoked during said practicing. It would be the easiest for me to do this in this space, rather than have you all scattered all over the outskirts of town, at least for the time being."

That statement concerned the four Terran Conduits especially, they were hoping against hope they could get some kind of guidance from the Royal Sisters in that regard.

"The second answer goes back to some very old practices. Before the development of this spell, the University was fledgling in terms of maintain prestige and membership, despite my direct patronage. This was because the University was seen as a bit wild and uncontrollable. This was due to the propensity for the various magical experiments and training to result in untold amounts of property damage and, unfortunately, deaths amongst the students and bystanders. In fact, the first year I introduced the spell to the wider faculty, we reduced our collective damage payouts by 500% and death toll by 1000%."

The six Bearers of Harmony and Spike were a bit taken aback by how matter of fact Luna was when discussing such widespread death and destruction. Soon though, all eleven of them came to an understanding to just how serious an undertaking this all was; Luna could not afford any of them dying in some accident, or destroying some large expanse of property.

"I can tell by the looks on your faces and in your eyes that you are starting to realize how serious an undertaking this is. I do not want you all to fear this venture necessarily, but you all must respect the fact that the magic our new friends and compatriots contain is almost an entirely unknown entity. There is so little solid information, that we are basically having to play this all by ear, so to speak. Therefore, I have to take every precaution I can, and take every opportunity to analyze this magic that I can. However, we cannot even truly discuss their practice of Terran Magic, until the four of them are trained in their new bodies. Until they come to a true understanding of their Equestrian bodies, both in a physical and spiritual sense, the Power they contain, I fear, will remain largely incongruent."

        Luna broke up the group of eleven by race. The goal for today was some moderate physical training for everyone; although Luna could tell by Twilight Sparkle and Rarity's professions and natures that they weren't going to make the best Unicorn physical trainers. Despite the fact Unicorns were more spellcasters than anything, one's body still had to be maintained. Rainbow Dash and Applejack, though, could more than handle themselves training Storm and Hana. Luna thought to herself that eventually Spike was going to have to do something if he wanted to stick with Twilight like he did, but trying to hunt down a Dragon to help Spike was going to be a major hassle. She figured she'd have to talk to Celestia about that anyway, knowing there were some things in that regard she was trying to handle back in Canterlot. With that, Luna began conjuring up pads and pencils for herself, Applejack, and Rainbow Dash to record their charge's progress on, and probably record the process of the other Elements of Harmony while they were at it.

        Luna addressed the Conduits collectively before the exercises began. "While I'm sure that you all are anxious to learn the practical applications of your magic, you all must first physically adjust to your new bodies. Physical attunement to self is vitally important to properly channeling magic. Blue Vague and Red Blaze, although Unicorns are average physically compared to Earth Ponies and Pegasi, mana still must be circulated through the body to the horn in order to invoke Explicit Magic. The more attuned your mind is to your body, the easier it becomes to channel mana. Golden Storm and Midori Hana, since you do not have a specific appendage to focus your magic through, you must focus on channeling mana throughout its entirety, as you learn more and more what your bodies are physically capable of. They all go hoof-in-hoof, so the more you utilize those bodies of yours the more you will understand."

Luna directed the four unicorns into practicing a body calming exercise in order to more fluidly channel the mana around them. Rainbow Dash took some cloud stuff and cloud dye, while Applejack took some flagpoles, and both constructed courses to begin physically training both the Terran Conduits and making sure that their Bearer mates haven't been slacking off too much while on Earth.

As an hour or so of this went by, all of the Terran Conduits began to feel the strain of the exercises starting to pile up on them.

This is way harder than I thought it was... no wonder it seemed like couldn't invoke the Element of Water before...

If I used my Element of Fire my state, I'd probably burn down everything around me for a least a few dozen yards...

Ugh, only an hour into this and my wings are already tired. I didn't think Rainbow Dash would be this much of a taskmaster...

Wow my legs already feel like someone has been strapping weights to them. I don't know how Applejack does this day in and day out...

Despite their fatigue, all four of them pushed on; with Spike participating in the Earth Pony course-running since there really wasn't anything for him to do while with Twilight and the other Unicorns.

 The Unicorn exercises had now evolved to what Luna called the Inertia Test - where a Unicorn had to move a sphere with magically-induced variable inertia, using their force projection to move it at certain constant speeds and control it to stop at certain points and change direction. It taught both force projection (moving the sphere) and control (keeping it on course and changing its direction). Rainbow Dash tested the agility of Golden Storm by having him disperse clouds in sequence, all at hard angles to each other. Applejack began training Midori Hana in leg strength and stamina; having her both pushing and pulling objects of varying weights against increasingly rougher terrain. This went on in various intensities for the rest of the training session.

        By the end of the sixth hour, the four Terran Ponies were stretched out on the ground, half-asleep due to exhaustion; while the four non-trainer Bearers helped cleaned up, somewhat tired themselves. Rainbow Dash and Applejack, while helping Twilight and the other put everything away, wondered what hell Luna would devise for them later, once the other Ponies were far enough along handle themselves. Luna just smiled politely as the weary Terran Conduits trotted over to the center of the sub-space, Luna having already recorded all the training results for the day and teleporting away the equipment.

"My little Ponies, as this first day has shown you, there is a lot that goes into effectively using your natural and super-natural gifts. Although I will need to study the data more closely to make some precise projections, I believe that a couple of weeks of these types of exercises will be enough for the Conduits to sufficiently acclimate to their bodies, in order for myself to start teaching Equestrian Magic formally. As I leave you all for that day, I want you all to take care and rest yourselves. A body that improperly recovers cannot gain full benefits from physical training. And now, I bid you all a good evening, and I will see you all tomorrow."

With that, the six hours ran out, and the space evaporated. The group of twelve found themselves back in the basement of the Conduit's new home. Luna placed the Driver in a chest with a magic lock, and gave the unlock spell to the four Unicorns there, before teleporting back to Canterlot to raise the Moon and the night sky for the evening.

-===-

        After the Bearers of Harmony left to go back to their homes for the evening, the four Conduits all took showers to get themselves cleaned off, and then they all started discussing the day's events.

Blue Vague laid out on a body sized cushion in the recreational room, finally able to start thinking straight now that he was starting to relax. "I don't think I've ever done that much in one day before."

"I would have never guessed that casting could cause that much physical strain, shows you what I know," Red Blaze said, her head still hurting some after the all the mana she had to channel during the Inertia Test.

"My body hasn't been worked like that since Basic Training. Rainbow Dash would make a damn good athletic trainer for Pegasi should that whole Wonderbolt-thing not pan out," Golden Storm said, taking care to use his wings too much until he got some sleep.

"Applejack had to have gotten inspiration from watching old football dramas for her training, there is no way she could have thought of something like that otherwise," Midori Hana said, wondering if she ever ran that much in her life to that point.

Blue Vague began to think about things. "You know, we've only been Ponies for a couple of months weeks to a couple of months in my case. I honestly didn't think we'd be this far along. I dunno if you chalk that up to being given the bodies of mature Ponies to start with, or whatever have you."

"You know, it might also have to do with our Terran Sparks. I mean we can't be just like every other run-of-the-mill Pony out here," Golden Storm reasoned.

"Speaking of which, I didn't think Pinkie Pie was that fast or strong. I mean you'd think she wouldn't have to be. But then again, given she is a confectioner and avid sugar fiend, she probably would have to be doing something physical to not be overweight," Hana began to contemplate out loud. Pinkie Pie did have a certain deceptive strength and speed within her, probably due to all the antics she loves to setup.

"I know right. Fluttershy is a much better flier than she lets on. I mean I'm not going to pretend that she's on Rainbow Dash's level, but she's definitely doing something right," Golden Storm added, thinking back on how Fluttershy performed on the same agility tests versus himself.

"Rarity also surprised the both of us. I guess working day in and day out at that shop, and going out in the wilds for gem hunting gave her stamina we would have never guessed at," Red Blaze added as well. She and Vague were impressed by how long Rarity was able to run the Inertia Test course, given she didn't the same class of magical power as Twilight.

Vague began to try and put everything in perspective. He was a bit annoyed at first that Luna didn't start teaching them magic right from Day One, but as the exercises went on, it became apparent why she was holding P.E. class before anything else. "I can only shudder when I think of what Luna will have in store for us whenever she decides to teach us Equestrian Magic proper. Apparently, this is only the warm up to that. I won't say that I like having to undergo this physical re-education, but I guess that's necessary when you're, well us."

All four of them continued on in that vein, until one brought up an extremely salient point.

Blue Vauge began with something that had been rattling in his head since around halfway through the session. "Here is a strange thing that happened to me while I was doing the Inertia Test - for a time, I stopped thinking to myself with my original name. At first it didn't seem that strange, but as time went on, it kept happening. Now when I stopped at the end of the day, I went right back to doing it. I just wanted to ask you all what you thought that means, because I'm honestly at a bit of a loss."

The other three didn't answer immediately, because all three of them also had the same experience. The intensity of the exercises they were doing seemed to make them start thinking more 'Pony' than 'Human'.

"You know Vague, I was thinking the same thing to myself as well. Honestly, I think I have an good idea of what it could mean..." Midori Hana started, well before she was interrupted

"Us beginning to think of ourselves as Ponies instead of Humans-in-Pony-Bodies?," Golden Storm asked out loud, he was already starting to think of what this meant going forward.

"Yeah, I mean, this isn't like my own issues. This is more like, we have our old human self on one side of the mirror, and our new Pony self on the other side," Midori Hana said, visibly putting her forehooves up like two people looking at each other through a mirror.

"Hrm, it would stand to reason. I don't think we're supposed to think of ourselves as totally converted Ponies or Humans just conveniently stuck in a Pony body. I think we're supposed think along a line you've used with us before, Vague - we just have to think of ourselves as ourselves now," Blaze said, still wondering just what that line actually meant.

Blue Vague himself was still trying to think of what exactly that line meant.

Myself as Myself... I mean, we're obviously Ponies now; but the process didn't erase our Human memories, our human tendencies, our human personalities... It just seemed to overlay everything Pony on top of it... Man, so many things we have to sort out, and who knows how much time we got to sort it all out...

After the brief philosophical discussion, Hana yawned and made motions that she was going to go ahead and turn in for the night. Shortly after, both Golden Storm and Red Blaze followed her. Blue Vague sat in his cushion-chair for a little while longer, just thinking a bit more to himself before he eventually retired for the evening.

Grandpa, I dunno if you heard me before, or if you can still hear me while I'm over here, but I'm honestly confused... Am I just supposed to try and assert my human self over whatever my Pony self is supposed to be? Am I supposed to figure out what my Pony self is and then roll with that? Or am I supposed to formulate a new self that's neither one nor the other? I just don't know gramps... I just don't know...

After contemplating those thoughts for awhile, he figured he wasn't going to answer it tonight, so might as well just sleep on it and get ready for tomorrow. He drug himself to his room and the assuredly comfortable bed awaiting him. He levitated the covers snug under his chin, and promptly fell into a deep sleep.

        Meanwhile in Canterlot Castle, the two Royal Sisters went over the data Luna collected from the first day of exercises with Conduits of Terra.

"This data is quite interesting, Lulu. What do you suppose it says about your four new students?"

"What do I think it says? I think it says that those four, and probably the rest of the Converts, are going to quickly catch up to where an average Pony of their race and relative age should be. It will be up to them whether they push themselves further than that though. Even the two most athletic of their collective group, the Bearers of Honesty and Loyalty, still have quite a ceiling above their heads."

"So in other words - just how deep is their desire to progress and grow? I think we won't have to worry about that out of the Converts, it's our Ponies that I worry about in that regard."

"It is definitely hard to say just how deep their desire to grow goes. I don't want to call our Ponies complacent, but I do worry if that is starting to set in, in some circles."

"And what would make you think that, Lulu?"

"Before I was banished, the University was a place of intense development. Our techniques that we use today were refined through a lot of trial and error. Now, I just don't feel the same spark of inventiveness out of the many schools that have sprung up since then. I still think there are plenty of places to grow and expand, not in terms of just territory and the other obvious physical things, but more growth as a species. The humans were effectively forced to grow and evolve, or risk death to themselves. Here, we might not be on the verge of collapse, but it is still no good to have our people become complacent and stagnant."

"So what do you suggest?"

"Learning from those Converts and those that still remain human. There are many things that humanity has developed that I believe we can learn from and adapt for ourselves, without losing what makes us 'us' so to speak."

"It seems that you learned one of the lines one of your new students loves to speak from time to time."

"You don't start bringing in foreigners without learning some things yourself. Especially if you are bringing them over to stay, like we are. I do believe we'll change for the better though, even if that isn't readily obvious when it starts to happen."

"It seems like we're trying to attack this problem from a pair of angles."

"Ah yes, how are the negotiations coming along in that regard, Celly."

"The Gryphon Consulate is about as divided as ever. Apparently the clans that aren't of the King are still all over the place. I don't know how the Gryphon leaders live with being so consistently paranoid."

"You know they'd call it 'being cautious' so I wouldn't worry myself in that regard. On the other front, how are the Dragon Elders treating your requests?"

"The usual, a lot of cryptic language and obfuscation. Then again they are a species where a lot of the population are nomads, so it would be hard for them to say anything definitive."

"Yes, even with our long lives and accumulated knowledge, we still don't have much reliable first-hand knowledge of the inner workings of Dragon society. Just bits and pieces second-hand from the various nomads that we can get to speak to us. Do you think Spike can help us make inroads in that regard?"

"Possibly to help us figure out how to even get an audience with the Elders themselves. Past that, I highly doubt it."

"Quite a lot of mysteries floating around. To say nothing of what our allies on Earth are dealing with."

"Yes, many of the self-professed Elite in the Domes are grumbling about not having outright control over the levers of political power. I'm desperately afraid of what might happen if this situation persists and we introduce Magic into their equation."

"Celly, you know I'm just as concerned as you. I cannot even begin to study Terran Magic until the Conduits understand their Pony bodies and become proficient at Equestrian Magic. Even if they don't perfectly assimilate into our way of thinking, they have to understand and accept what kind of being they are physically. Otherwise, their Terran Magic will come in fits and spurts, which would be no good for any of us."

"I understand that much. We will have to unseal it and just trust things won't be upturned too quickly. If what that robed figure told us a week or so ago bears out, attempting to put this off too long or ignoring it is not a viable option."

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

** ACT II **

        Another twelve days or so passed. Another twelve days of the Terran Ponies learning to psychologically attune to their new bodies in the most efficient way that Luna could think - flat out physical training and practice. Her hope was for the four Converts to get whatever a Native just knew innately. She was attempting to forge the spiritual connection that all Ponies had to have to even begin on the road of being proficient in their Magic. On the twelfth day, her instincts bore positive fruit...

It just clicks... like I'm trying to figure out a puzzle... and now, this flash of insight...

So that's how it works... I don't even know why I didn't see that sooner...

If I thought "Airplane with Legs" was a stupid thought before... I definitely don't now...

This is so much fun. I never thought this would be anything resembling fun... but it just works for me somehow...

[ Equestria, November 30, ??? ]

        On the thirteenth day of training, Luna felt confident enough in her new students that she could end the P.E. classes and move on to the true meat of her lessons - applied Magic, her favorite subject.

"Well my little Ponies. I do believe that we can formally put an end to the pure physical aspect of our lessons."

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief. The four Terran Ponies for finally being able to move onto Magic Training proper, and the Six Bearers for being able to not feel like they were in school again.

Luna developed that same devious smirk she did when she first threw them headfirst into their physical training. "Now we get to move on to the real fun. Applied Magic 101, with yours truly as your Professor."

A sudden sense of dread came over all ten of the Bearers and Conduits with that statement. They knew that Luna was a very inventive mind, and the fact they were against the clock meant that she was probably going to throw the four Conduits into a baptism of fire, and the six Bearers might get caught in that wake.

"Oh don't be scared. My lessons are perfectly safe, even that isn't apparent at first. For example, HEADS UP!" Luna shouted as large stone manifested instantly and was launched straight at Blue Vague.

"WHAT?!" Blue Vague shouted in response as he instinctively manifested a blue shield to try and guard himself against the boulder, which promptly crashed into the barrier and dispersed in a cloud of magic dust.

"Ok, seriously, what the hell was that Princess?!" he shouted, forgetting all manner of decorum in his rage as the shield remained around his body.

"I will forgive your sudden lack of decorum for your Professor, and only ask you to notice what is surrounding you," Luna responded with almost dissonant calm.

Blue Vague finally saw that the shield that surrounded him was not of Luna's usual cobalt blue aura, but of his royal blue aura. "Woah wait, how did I even... huh?"

"Lesson One: Magic borne of pure instinct is incredibly powerful, but also incredibly unreliable. My goal is to take your burgeoning instincts in your various schools of Magic, and have you consciously link and invoke them. Also of note, had you, Conduit of Water, not been able to produce the Reflex Shield, the boulder would have crumbled to dust on impact anyway, with little to no damage to yourself physically. That was simply a test of magical reflexes, if you will."

Blue Vague had managed to calm down as the shield dispersed on its own. "I see, I guess it wouldn't do any good to ask for a warning if you intended it to be a reflex test."

"Indeed not. Now, to move on to the real lesson for today. Each of the four Conduits of Terra will train in a specific aspect of their magic until I feel that you all are proficient in it. While this may feel like remedial classes for you all, Bearers of Harmony, I would like for you to still pay attention - it may do you well to have a bit of a formal refresher."

        Luna then again broke everyone up, mostly along the lines of the informal practice sessions back on Earth. After altering the Training Field to represent four distinct training spaces, she went to each one with each group to explain the exact nature of their tests.

The first looked like a baseball field, although it stretched for a good five-hundred Earth meters from the throwing zone at where home plate would have been. "Alright, Twilight and Spike, you all will be overseeing Blue Vague as he practices his force projection. The test will be similar to the one you did on earth, except I prefer to work with spheres instead of cubes. That said, your goal is to throw the sphere generated for you, onto the target out in the field. The display to your right will show you how close you were once the sphere strikes the ground the first time. The field will also return each sphere here to the throwing zone, once it rests on the ground for 10 seconds. I want you to remember, Conduit of Water, this is not merely a test of pure magical force, as the target can be anywhere within the marked field. This is to test how well you can judge how much force to apply to an object, in a macro-sense."

Blue Vague looked at the spheres; they seemed to be about the same size as softballs.

Luna then teleported to the second test field with the other two Unicorns. There were floating rings of all various sizes, along with several objects along the ground. "Rarity, I will have you overseeing Red Blaze and her practice in magical control. The premise of this exercise is relatively simple. Red Blaze is to levitate these drones through the floating rings in front of her in the order indicate by the number floating above each ring. All you have to do, Bearer of Generosity, is press the button next to you when she is ready to begin; this will start a timer on each ring on how fast she is to levitate the drone through it. If the drone successfully passes through the ring within the allotted time, the black number will glow green. If you go out of order, take too long to pass through, or clip the ring, the number will glow red. This is to test you magical control and flow in free space, and how quickly you can adjust to changing conditions while maintaining said control and flow."

Red Blaze looked at the insect-like drones and somewhat ornate floating rings, wondering just what kind of strange layouts Luna had 'programmed' into the rings

Luna teleported to a cloud-platform above the three ground-based testing areas, where the three Pegasi stood waiting. "Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy, you all will oversee Golden Storm's practice in cloud formation and rain generation. Not to get too far into the reeds, but all Pegasi have the ability to condense water vapor and what is known as 'cloud-stuff' into various storm clouds. Your test is to make increasingly larger storm clouds using the same amount of base cloud-stuff. This means you will have to use more and more of your Weather Magic in order to have the cloud remain contiguous before it reaches critical mass, when rain can then be actively triggered. As you can see, this basin will vaporize varying amounts of water, and if you look above, I have already seed clouds in place. We will measure how long it takes for you to condense all the given water vapor into a storm cloud, and return that vapor back to the basin as rain. Just so that it is easier for you to see what water you are working with, the vapor will appear slightly darker than it otherwise would."

Golden Storm looked at the massive basin, partially filled dark blue water, and wondered just what sized clouds he'd have to form.

To round out the explanations, Luna then went to a large field with several planting rows. "Applejack and Pinkie Pie, you all will oversee Midori Hana as she practices accelerating plant growth. While plants and animals grow perfectly well on their own here in this realm, a major part of Life Magic's repertoire is to accelerate or decelerate growth and repair in living organisms. To wit, your objective with this test is to bring these plants to bloom and/or fruiting stage. Since this is a Training Field, the seeds, once planted, will immediately grow to near-blooming or fruiting stage of their life cycle. This is something quite difficult to replicate in real-world conditions, therefore many Life Magic theories are developed in this space or by similar methods."

Midori Hana looked at the planting rows and within herself, trying to figure out how Earth Ponies even started doing what Luna said they did.

Now that she was done with the explanations, Luna returned to the center of the Training Field, in order to oversee all of the tests as they were being conducted. Simultaneously, all of the Terran Ponies began their magical exercises.

        Blue Vague went over in his mind the parameters of the test. He was to simply use his magic to launch each softball-like object towards the glowing target and hope it landed close enough to count. So, he began doing just that.

"Hrm, this test seems easy enough to start. These balls are about the same weight as the those softballs we were juggling before Hana thought to add a live Pegasus stallion to the objects being tossed around," Blue Vague said as he launched another ball for a square hit.

Twilight chuckled a bit in retrospect about the idea of two Unicorns juggling live Ponies. "Yeah, I think Luna designed this stage of the test for you could to adjust to how much power you need to launch the balls, along with the fact there is almost no wind to affect the flight path. But I can't think it would be this 'easy' for much longer."

Vague was 15 for 15 so far, and like Twilight, felt there was some kind of twist coming. They'd both be correct in that prediction.

"Well I..." he began to say before yelping as he almost toppled over trying to lift one of the balls with too little initial magic. They had 'mysteriously' become quite dense and heavy, and at the same time he was feeling changing wind speeds in the air. "Ugh, suddenly these balls went from feeling like they were stuffed with rubber foam to feeling like they were formed of molten lead. Not only that, but even as a Unicorn I can feel the wind having changed here."

Twilight tested one of the balls still in the throwing zone, and indeed found the balls seemed to be of random weights now. I figured there was more to this than Princess Luna was letting on... she immediately thought.

        Red Blaze was having similar initial success with the flight path test. The patterns were simple enough to visualize in her head and the drones didn't show any real resistance to her magic.

"You know Rarity, I can't think that this test would remain so simple for too much longer. They way Princess Luna was speaking was that she believes heavily in resistance training of all kinds," Red Blaze said, thinking out loud as another trial came back with a perfect score.

"Indeed Blaze. I would not be surprised if these rings have some tricks to make passing through them more difficult going forward," Rarity responded as the drone returned and the rings began to reset.

No sooner than when Rarity said that, the next path did show that the rings had some pretty devious tricks in store. Some of the rings started spinning in place, others were moving all about in some kind of orbit around an invisible point, while others seemed to change their shape to be a rather tight fit. She too felt the winds change, although in her case, they began to swirl about in random fashion.

"Well I really shouldn't be surprised by this, but still I am. Apparently that was just the warm up to the real test," Blaze said as she sighed heavily. This was going to be quite a trial going forward.

You just need to stay calm Blaze, I can see now Luna isn't going to let you get off without testing your patience, in more ways than one... Rarity thought to herself as she could already hear the buzzes and see the red numbers pop up.

        Golden Storm found rain-cloud making to be a rather neat venture. As far as he could tell, Pegasi were like conductors of the various gases in the sky, and he was developing the sense that he could tell a cloud to form wherever he wanted to.

"You know, this is pretty fun. It's kinda funny that I can make a cloud rain just by hitting it hard enough once it turns dark gray."

Rainbow Dash agreed about how fun it was to be able to manipulate clouds to one's heart's content. "You know, a lot of Pegasi pranks depend on cloud manipulation. I know this one Pegasus mare who always seems to be able to generate lightning out of nowhere. Sometimes I wonder if she knows more than she's letting on."

Fluttershy was a lot more practical about her use of clouds. "I really don't think pranks are worth it sometimes. I mostly just use clouds for a little shade or some extra fresh water for my animals." Rainbow Dash scoffed at how small Fluttershy seemed to think sometimes.

Golden Storm went on with his cloud formation, when he was surprised by almost slipping straight through the cloud he was working on, as it seemed to be breaking up on its own. "Woah, what's going on? Is there some kind of trick to cloud walking that I'm not getting, because I almost fell through the cloud I was working on here. I don't think I should be falling through clouds that are this much bigger than me."

Rainbow Dash closed her eyes for a few seconds, and figured out what the problem was. "Yeah I see why you almost fell, apparently there is some wind shear coming through where you are supposed to form the clouds for each trial. Not only that, but I don't think you have your cloud-stuff spread out right for the size of cloud you're makin'."

Golden Storm just chuckled as he righted himself on a more stable part of the cloud. "Well it wouldn't be a real trial if there wasn't some twists and turns. I just hope it doesn't get worse than this."

Judging by the stories aboutPrincess Luna back at the University, I think there are gonna be a lot of twists and turns in these lessons. I just hope everyone will be alright in the end... Fluttershy thought to herself.

        Midori Hana just sat as she was trying to figure out the best way to invoke her Life Magic. She was staring at a near-fruiting tomato plant, Luna figuring those would be the simplest to learn how to manipulate first. "Hrm, the Earth Ponies back at the St. Louis Bureau usually sang to the plants to help them grow. But I don't have the slightest clue of what to sing to them."

Applejack sat with her looking at the plant as well. The Apple Clan methodology of farming really didn't rely on a lot of direct manipulation of the plants to get them to grow, mostly just adjustments throughout the growing season so that they produced an overabundance of fruit; instead of just getting the trees to grow faster, which would have been exhausting and impractical given just how expansive a typical Apple Clan orchard was.

Pinkie Pie stared at the tomato plant as well, trying to figure out if she could figure out something about the tomato that could be a hint to Midori. Although she had little experience in making plants grow, and she really did not like reliving her humorless upbringing on the Pie Clan Rock Farms, nevertheless she was going to help her new friend in her lessons as best she could.

Pinkie Pie then suddenly had a flash of insight. "Hrm, I was just thinking... what if each plant had its own like... wavelength or something. Like if you channeled magic into it, but changed it to whatever the plant liked, then it would spike the growth up."

Midori Hana thought about it for a few seconds, and figured it was like special formulas of fertilizer and the different soil conditions that optimized the growth of each plant. So it should logically go that a specific application of Life Magic would do the same thing, just a whole lot faster. "Alright then, that should work... whenever I figure out what each plant wants..."

Applejack then took a deep breath. She knew the suggestion she was about to make would sound absolutely insane to any human or Convert who didn't experience it first-hand. "Just try asking it."

"What?" Midori Hana asked incredulously.

"You heard me. Some plants here are a lot more complicated than others. One of the worst are the Zap Apples that Granny Smith grows. But anyway, just try it. I think you'll see what I'm getting at," Applejack replied with all earnestness.

Midori Hana figured that look in Applejack's eyes and her status as Bearer of Honesty meant that she was at least not outright lying to her. But still, asking a plant what kind of magic it wanted, it sounded totally crazy. But she was as at a loss as what else to do, so might as well try it. "Ok then, but if I don't get a response, I'm totally blaming you."

Midori Hana then closed her eyes to concentrate. She found herself in a sort of ethereal dreamscape, everything looking like it was in chalk outlines on a blackboard in some respect.

I am really not going to get used to this for awhile... she thought to herself

She sat in front of the tomato plant again, and figured there was no real reason to beat around the bush.

"Ok, um, tomato plant? Could you tell me what kind of magic you want?"

The tomato plant did not respond.

"Ugh I figured this really wouldn't work..." Midori Hana said aloud as she rolled her eyes. As she made to leave the dreamscape, she bumped into some written characters.

"OWW! Ok how do I even get hurt... wait a minute..." Hana said before realizing there were words in front of her.

[ We would like to hear jazz music. We kinda like jazz. ]

"Um, I don't have anything to play music with, and I'm really not that much of a singer." Hana replied aloud.

She began to think of if there was another way to get the plant to respond her magic in a way that was more concrete. She then had a flash of inspiration - if she thought of Life Magic like light, maybe the plant had a favorite color or pattern or something.

"Hey tomato, do you have a favorite color. I might not be much a singer but I think that would be a way for me to get the magic you want to you."

She got no response from the plant for awhile, until she saw another chalk message appear in the background.

[ We like the color purple. So if you shine purple magic on us, that'll do just fine. ]

"Hrm, a red fruit that likes the color purple. Oh well I'm not going to argue," she responded aloud again. "Is there anything else that you'd like along those lines?"

The tomato responded more readily this time. [ No, just regular purple magic-light should work. Also, you're one of the first Earth Ponies our kind has met in some time, that didn't think to apply their magic or whatever by singing. It just seems to be the thing you creatures do, we guess. ]

Midori Hana didn't know whether to be complimented on the ingenuity, or to be freaked out that a tomato gave her such a complex response. She thanked the plant and left the meditative dreamscape.

Pinkie Pie was keenly interested in what the plant had to say once it was apparent that Hana was awake again. "Alright Hana, so you're back with us. Did you get it to say anything?"

"Well, it didn't so much talk so much as it wrote on a chalkboard, that somehow I was a part of... I'm still trying to figure out how that works but that's neither here nor there right now. Anyway, I learned two things, if I want to sing to it, I need to learn jazz. Short of that, if somehow I can make my Life Magic appear 'purple' to it, then it'll work just the same," Midori Hana responded.

"Well I don't have a saxophone on hand. So I guess we'll have to go with the second option," Applejack said, figuring it was as good a lead as any.

Midori Hana then entered another meditative state. This time she appeared before the same plant in a more standard environment. She looked around for some kind of lamp or other light source, and found a console with three dials. Each was marked with a different primary color of light: Red, Blue, and Green.

Hrm, since all these dials are set to maximum, I guess the light should come out totally white when I turn it on...

When she flicked the switch, it indeed came out completely white. She didn't notice a response for a little bit, until she looked at ticker at the top of the console.

[Can you make it purple like weasked, wefind white pretty boring...]

Alright then, here goes nothing I guess...

As she turned the green dial completely to zero, she figured a standard violet would be good enough to start with, so she turned the red dial halfway down as well.

[A little more bluish, and you'll have it...]

Okay then...

She turned the red dial down a little more, and suddenly heard a little fanfare.

[That's perfect, just keep producing that, and we'll get you full grown tomatoes in no time!]

Well I'm glad to see it’shappy, or would it be they’re happy, I dunno...

As Hana came out of her meditative state again, Pinkie Pie was smiling brightly. "Hey look, you did it. These tomatoes look yummy. I wonder if you can actually eat tomatoes grown in here?"

"Wow... I can't believe that worked. If I told anyone how I did this, they'd think I took a few blows to the head too many," Midori Hana said, staring at how nice and ripe the tomatoes looked.

Applejack noted Hana's sentiments. "Yeah, that's why the Earth Pony instructors are pretty vague about how to grow things through Life Magic. It's so strange at first blush, any human would find it too outrageous to accept without doin it themselves."

Luna was observing things from her central position, a smile on her face regarding how the four Terrans were starting to get a handle on things; even if they weren't exactly successful at their trials on the first, second, or even tenth go-around.

"Practice makes perfect, that's true of any skill that has to be developed. You all are learning that the Magic we wield is not a simple thing to learn, but learn it you all must."

Ugh, these balls, for as heavy as they are, sure are easily affected by this wind... and now I gotta hit a moving target...

Ok, the ring actually seems to be tryingto avoid the drone now. These things must have minds of their own or something...

I feel like I'm trying to build a house of cards in a wind tunnel... but I'll be damned if I let this thing beat me...

These flowers’handwriting is terrible... how am I even supposed to read these requests?

        At the end of the days training session, the four Terran Ponies, while not as physically tired as they were during the physical training, seemed mentally exhausted and visibly annoyed by the trials they were all given.

"Ok, Princess Luna, the swirling winds, the variable weights..." Blue Vague started to ask, like a golfer who couldn't figure out the conditions.

"The rings seeming to have minds of their own and actively avoiding where the drone is flying..." Red Blaze added, head still spinning a bit from trying to follow the drone.

"The wind shear seeming to know exactly where the weak points of the cloud formation is..." Golden Storm added, almost wondering if there was some invisible thing that was specifically out to ruin his clouds during his trial.

"Those flowers at the end apparently confusing calligraphy with 'artistic scribbling'..." Midori Hana added, clearly annoyed to hell by the decorative flowers that seemed to be more interested in being artistic in their writing than being legible.

"What's up with that, seriously?!" they all asked with some emphasis and in unison.

Luna quietly drunk from bottle of water she had on hoof as she took the complaints and queries in stride. She then gave her response. "Quite frankly, you should have expected as much..."

All ten of the Ponies and Spike were taken a back a bit by the response.

Luna then continued, "I'm effectively giving you four a cram course in how to be a Pony. That is why the trials accelerated in difficulty as far as they did in this first day. If I can give one bit of advice in completing these trials, and what I will set before you in the future - try and take a holistic approach in examining what is set before you. There is no difference between you four, and Ponies I had to take in fresh out of basic courses back in my days of running the University.

“They had a similar lack of perspective because, before that point, they just focused on the one thing they knew they were good at. To be a scholar, to truly excel regardless of what racial Magic you have, is to learn that what you are good at is only a piece of the much greater whole of Magic, and of Life itself. It is your job to find the other pieces to this grand puzzle. Bearers of Harmony, as this experiment continues to march through time, it would be best if you all remembered that admonition as well."

With that, Luna returned to Canterlot for the evening. The ten Bearers and Conduits were left to contemplate the last lines she left with, how their specialty was only a piece of a larger whole.

==========

        As all ten of the Conduits and Bearers wound down before going to bed for the evening, they all took some time to contemplate further just what that line Luna left them with meant for each of them.

I'm the Element of Magic, my Cutie Mark is being good at Magic in general. I wonder what she meant... Twilight thought.

She looked out over her balcony at the town. She saw all the different shops, all the different Ponies, most of them non-Unicorns. Everyone had a talent, but most seemed to have something else they branched off in. She then thought of the Princesses - Celestia probably got her Cutie Mark when she realized she was the Avatar of the Sun, and Luna the same she realized she was the Avatar of the Moon. But their magic was far, far more expansive than just solar or lunar related spells. As she thought about this further, Twilight began to come to some realizations.

Is that why you created the University at first, so long ago Luna? You knew that Ponies had to be learned and proficient in things beyond their specific talent. I guess I'm no different; even if my talent is in magic in general, there is far more that I can do that doesn't have to deal directly with my Unicorn Magic...

        Rarity walked around the work area of her shop. She saw the various machines she brought with her money as her business grew from a small shop selling amateur hoof-woven works, to now an increasingly efficient and professional enterprise. Yet something persistently bothered her. She took out an old book of generic Unicorn spells, 1001 Spells Every Unicorn Should Know. As a younger adult, she would try and try and practice these spells, but it seemed like she always had some kind of block that made it hard for her to use magic that others developed for herself.

Maybe this is what Luna meant when she said what she did. My Gem Locatorspell and the weaving and machine-working spells I've learned have gotten me this far. But even then, I know there is more out there I can learn. So why am I still having this mental block when it comes to learning other Ponies' spells...

The more she thought about it, the angrier she got. How could she not figure these things out, why did she have to consult some outside source? Everything she had ever done she done and developed herself or learned on her own. That's when she began to realize what was holding her back.

I guess that's the reason why I always freeze when I use someponyelse’s Magic - my own pride. I'm so caught up in doing everything myself, I won't even go and ask for help from a good friend whose talent is magic itself, for goodness sakes. I guess I know who I need to go talk to if I want to start getting past this...

        Pinkie Pie laid in her bed at Sugarcube Corner. She stared at the walls and ceiling, wondering just what about what Luna said to them all, that made her all of sudden get so introspective this evening.

I'm a party pony... that's what I'm good at. But I'm also the Element of Laughter, so that means I'm good at making other Ponies laugh and stuff. But what if the way I throw parties now don't make them laugh and have a good time...

She thought back to the reason why she held herself back while at the Los Angeles Bureau and the Isegawa's dormitories. She didn't want the humans to be put off by the way she thought to throw parties, and make Ponies and people laugh. As she turned over in her bed in thought, she too began to put two and two together.

Everyone doesn't laugh at the same thing. Everyone doesn't want to have a party in the same way. If I keep thinking I can just do the same thing all the time, I'm gonna get left behind, and they're gonna find me stale. And I can't have that now can I?

        Applejack looked out at the farm, as most of the apple trees had shed their leaves for the year. She thought about what the admonition about maintaining a global perspective would mean for her.

The Apple Clan has always grown apples, it's just what we do. But that's not all that we are ableto do though. There is nothing about being an apple farmer that makes it so that I couldn't grow anything else for myself, or learn other trades or skills. So what is it that's makes me so nervous when I think that way?

As she thought about it, she then thought of Apple Bloom and her knack for repairs and refurbishing seemingly anything. She stared at the Cutie Mark Crusaders impressive tree-house. Apple Bloom did an amazing job of repairing it, yet the hereditary stubbornness about finding her Cutie Mark now, combined with her childish lack of patience made it difficult for her to realize just how good she is at it.

Apple Bloom is an excellent repair-mare, yet she's so hard up about tryin all kinds of stuff to find her Cutie Mark, she won't stop and just try and do something she's obviously good at; really all the Cutie Mark Crusaders are like that. Maybe I'm the same way in a sense. I'm throwin myself so deep into this apple orchard that I lose perspective, apple farmin ain’tthe end all and be all of everything. Maybe... maybe I'm afraid that if I find something else that I like to do, I'll forget about this place...

        As Fluttershy looked out at the Everfree Forest, she contemplated her desire to help those animals she found near death whenever she could, just like those butterflies that saved her from a terminal impact with the ground that day of Rainbow Dash's first Sonic Rainboom. As she looked out further, she thought about all the animals she couldn't get to, and how that related to all the animals the Conservation Movement couldn't get to on Earth.

There are so many animals out there that I can't help, and it makes me so sad... sometimes I wonder if I should keep going on with this. How many can I really save? Am I doing the right thing by saving them? I... I just don't know...

She walked to a window that overlooked some of the pens and enclosures. Even though she was a Pegasus, still had a sense for how the animals felt; she figured she had a strong Earth Pony link from somewhere in her ancestry. She opened the window to read the winds, and they felt calm; almost as if the animals wanted to calm her and let her know they appreciated everything she did for them. She then noticed one of the left over brochures from the Conversion Bureaus. She thought of the humans that had already gone through the process, the broken souls that, while not completely repaired by Ponification, seemed rejuvenated nonetheless.

That's right... even if I can't personally help every single animal in the world that needs help, I can still do what I can. Even if I can't heal the hearts of every single human on Earth, I still have to do what I can. That is what I believe it means to be the Element of Kindness, and I'm definitely going to live up to that title.

        Rainbow Dash looked up at the wall at her limited edition Wonderbolts poster. She still harbored the dream of one day seeing herself on an edition of those posters in their uniform. Yet the more she thought about it, the more it seemed there was something even bigger she wanted to reach for.

My whole life has been wanting to be part of the Wonderbolts. That's what I wanted every since I was a little filly going to my first flight camp. But now that I've seen a whole other world, and now that I'm working with Golden Storm and Fluttershy so closely... it seems like this dream to join the Wonderbolts, it just seems... small all of sudden...

She flew up to the top of her house-tower, and sat on the dome at the top. She looked out the Equestrian night sky, Luna's Moon glimmering like a spotlight’s reflection in a sea of indigo. She then looked out at Ponyville, over on the edge of the Everfree where Fluttershy lived in her cottage. She looked at the opposite edge, where Sweet Apple Acres was and Applejack's barn. She looked in town, and although she couldn't see them directly, she thought about Pinkie, Rarity, and Twilight's residences and places of business. She then thought about the new house heading south out of town. The four Conduits of Terra had integrated so far into their group, it was like they were a big batch of ten instead of just four and six always together.

I have all of my friends, including the four from Earth. Even if they weren't the holders of that mysterious Magic, we'd still be good buds, I'm sure of that. I have this great town of Ponyville that's become my second home. Even if I was born in Cloudsdale, I love this place too much to just leave it behind. I have all of Equestria, I'd do anything that the Princesses tell me to do, because I have too much loyalty and respect not to ignore them. And there is Earth too. Even if we're only sevenmonths or whatever into this thing, I can feel a bond forming there too. There are so many I wanna help now, there are so many I've become friends with. That voice always talks about the New Age,well... I gotta see it through; the Wonderbolts are gonna have to wait until we forge that New Age, whatever it ends up being.

        The four Terran Conduits had some more immediate concerns, but Luna's admonition to see the larger picture made them stop and consider their individual trials from a larger perspective.

Man, I never thought that Equestrian Magic was this hard... I mean the premise sounds so simple, throw the ball onto the target. But then everything starts changing, the balls start changing weights, the wind starts swirling, heck, even the target starts moving... it's like... it's like... Oh man why didn't I notice this earlier, it's just like water... I have to always adapt to circumstances, just like how water always takes the shape of its container... and I have to read the lay and conditions so the water flows the way I want it to, instead of just throwing it out there and hoping I get a chance to correct it with a later attempt...

Ugh, those rings are so damn random... I mean some of them were spinning, others were moving, still others seemed like they wanted to shrink whenever I got the drone close to it... and then some of the paths don't have any rhyme or reason to it... just like... just like how fire seems to have a mind of its own... Wow, leave it to something that's centuries old to bury the lesson really damn deep in the reeds... I've got to maintain my control over fire, otherwise it's just going to start doing what it wants to, and that means consuming anything it can...

Ugh, stupid clouds and wind shear... I really, really think that those winds are out to get me... every time when I think I got it just how I want it, something happens for my clouds to get blown apart... ugh why is this so hard to do... why... why... wait, why am I even trying to fight the winds in the first place... and why do I keep getting surprised by it... I get so much tunnel vision just trying to jam the clouds together, I'm not even paying attention to how I do it... How am I supposed to control and master the winds and the weather, if I'm just trying to brute force everything?  I don't, that's what... I have to flow with the winds when I make my clouds...

I don't get it, that first plant was pretty nice, and was clear when it wrote what it wanted... but those roses almost seemed to be mocking me or something when it wrote in that, whatever that was... I dunno what to think about it honestly... If I don't understand what these things are telling me, so to speak, how am I supposed to help them grow?  I got to be able to read them, I have to figure it out... Maybe I'm not asserting myself when I ask them what they want from me... I have to be just like the earth... I have to be solid and steadfast in my questioning, but also supportive and nurturing... that should be the best way to get a proper response out of them...

They had all in a roundabout way come to the same conclusion - if they were to truly progress in their learning of Equestrian Magic, they would have to try and perceive the larger scope of the test and the applications of the potential lessons. Similar to a three-dimensional puzzle, if they did not consider all the potential angles for solving a problem, they'd be severely limiting themselves in terms of potential solutions, if not outright closing themselves off from one.

        Over in Canterlot Castle, the two Princesses once again discussed the data Luna collected in her observations of the four Terran Conduits.

"They are progressing quite well, although did you really have to pull your 'Unwinnable Training' trick with them, Lulu?"

"You mean our 'Unwinnable Training' trick. I needed to see how they all reacted to a roadblock. The scenarios I put before them are certainly passable, but not with their current mentality. Then again, they are forgiven for that since they've only been under my wings learning magic for a day."

"I'd assume you gave all of them a bit of the 'New Student Perspective' speech as well?"

"That goes part and parcel with the little trick. Exercises work best when one isn't allowed to become complacent and automatic during their execution. Our magic is invoked by will; if they stop thinking while they do it, then they are just acting like machines."

"That is indeed true, and they will need very strong wills to control the power still residing within them, in both respects."

"I have a good feeling about those four, though. The fact they thought to confront me about how the tests were constantly changing, meant they were still focusing on passing them, and were noticing how the conditions always seemed to change to make the test increasingly more difficult."

"What about the Six Bearers of Harmony. Do you believe there are things that they should learn under you as well?"

"Eventually, but right now we have to get the four Conduits of Terra up to their level as quickly as we can. I did, however, ask them to consider a few things during this period. I want them to keep a wider perspective of things, to not limit their thinking to just their particular talents and how they used them until now, and to always consider new perspectives on life, especially as we continue to absorb bits and pieces of the human population."

"Speaking of wider concerns, I'm still not having much luck with either the Gryphons or the Dragons."

"Just keep at it Celly, something will open up for us on those fronts. I can't say for certain where or when, but I just believe it will."

CH 17: Revolution

Chapter 17: A Year to Remember

=== The Conversion Bureau: A New Age, A New Era ====== Chapter 17: A Year To Remember ===

          The last two weeks saw the four Conduits of Terra being tested and 'stretched' harder than any of them could have imagined. Luna had lost nothing from her imprisonment on the moon, in terms of methodology for teaching Ponies to reach and exceed their potential. There was lots of pain, lots of failure, lots of frustration; but all of it was already beginning to culminate in real progress. Blue Vague and Red Blaze were now showing proficiency in intermediate Unicorn magic, and now starting to learn how to utilize specific spells developed by other Unicorns. Golden Storm was learning how to generate different atmospheric conditions in general; already working on how to adjust air pressure to make cloud formation for himself or his potential crew easier. Midori Hana had moved on to properly reading ailments and judging whether or not they needed attendance by a Unicorn or Earth Pony medic. Knowing that no being can train and practice day in and day out for too long, Luna decided that a week off or so would do well for the Conduits.

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

[ Equestria, December 11, ??? ]

          The day started like any other for the last month or so for the ten Conduits and Bearers. They were spending the morning getting set for another training session in the basement at the Greystone Conductor (as they called the four Terran's group home now).

Twilight Sparkle was helping everyone get organized for the day’s exercises, as she thought about the last month. "You know, for Ponies that have only been seriously doing this a month or so, you are making excellent progress. I didn't think that you two would be able to start teleporting like that this soon into it."

Blue Vague had little idea of how to accept the praise. "Well, I dunno. I mean during that incident with Golden Storm back on Earth I was teleporting with you, but I think that was more instinct than otherwise. I really couldn't go all that far."

Rarity was off to the side a little bit, sulking as she still was having the same difficulty learning other Unicorn's Spells outside of the very basics.  I just don't know what the problem is... I mean... is it really my pride that's in the way? I... I... UGH This is so frustrating...

Red Blaze could sense and see the frustration starting to build in Rarity's psyche. "Um, Rarity, are you all right? I mean you've been given off a weird vibe ever since that little talk Luna had with us a couple of weeks ago when we started our Magic training."

Rarity, well heeled in the art of swallowing one's emotions, quickly did so. "Umm, no, nothing is wrong dear. I was just thinking of things we artists usually think of when we're having a bit of a creative block. You know how it can go, yes?"

"Um... okay then... I guess," Blaze replied; obviously feeling she wasn't going to get any useful leads asking Rarity straight up.

          Luna teleported into the basement where everyone was gathered at 8:30 AM exactly, as she always did. However today was going to be a different for everyone involved. "Good morning, my little Ponies. We'll soon be at the start of a rather special week, so there will be an alteration of the schedule. Your formal training under my wings will be postponed until 22nd of this month."

Everyone gasped at the new. Luna had been running the Conduits so hard for the last month, and then to just suddenly let up?

"Although, if one would consider the calendar of events, there should be a fairly obvious reason as to why I'm suspending training for the next week and a half or so."

All six of the Bearers of Harmony and Spike immediately face-hooved/palmed at the thought.

"Wait, what about the calendar, is there supposed to be something going on in the near future?" Golden Storm asked, speaking for the four rather confused Conduits of Terra.

"Sugarcube, it's only one of the most important holidays of the Equestrian Calendar..." Applejack started to say

"HEARTH'S WARMING EVE IS IN THREE DAYS!!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed, bounding about like someone had just stuck her with a needle full of adrenaline.

"Ok by the fact that she freaked out like that, means that this is a pretty big deal. So, what exactly is 'Hearth's Warming Eve'? I mean we all heard about it or read of it, but never really got a good explanation," Midori Hana asked with the most quizzical of looks on her face.

Luna cleared her throat in order to answer the question. "Hearth's Warming Eve is a grand holiday for all of Equestria which serves multiple purposes. Those would be a condensed retelling of the conditions that lead to our nation's founding, a celebration of the worth of friendship between all three races of Pony, a time to give thanks for everything we've done or had done for us that year, and a time to exchange gifts between close friends and family."  If an indigo and blue-maned Winged-Pegasus could radiate, Luna was at that moment.

Blue Vague's mind was boggling a bit at the concepts presented. "Woah. Okay. So in a nutshell, for us from Earth, and especially America, it's like someone decided to mix Independence Day, Thanksgiving, and secular Christmas all together. Wow that's... kinda hard to get my figurative arms around."

Rarity was surprised that even someone like her, with her attention to detail, could overlook something like this. "Oh dear, I mean all the businesses in Ponyville have been working on things related to Hearth's Warming Eve for the last couple of weeks I would wager. We have been so tied down with helping you four we nearly forgot ourselves. Now we only have three days to scramble and get something together."

Pinkie Pie just giggled as she was already thinking of how to set things up. "Well I'm good at planning things in a flash. So why don't we just do a little party here, just the eleven of us?"

Rainbow Dash was definitely down for something small and personal. "Yeah, I remember a couple of years ago, you and Princess Celestia managed to rope the seven of us into doing THE biggest Hearth's Warming Eve play in the country at Canterlot Theaters."

Applejack rolled her eyes at bit at being reminded of that night. "Yeah, you almost froze our flanks off before the performance by poppin’ the windows open durin’ a snowstorm."

The four Terran Ponies and Pinkie all giggled at the thought.

"Well potential frostbite aside, I think it'd be best for all of us if we go ahead and do something small and intimate like that. Maybe attend Ponyville production for the play the day of, as well?" Midori Hana asked.

"Yeah, I just hope decorations aren't all sold out at the supply store I frequent. I want everything to look festive for the party, ya know?" Pinkie Pie said, already trying to figure out where everything was going to go.

"With that, my little Ponies, you all are dismissed. I will contact you all after the ceremonies in Canterlot, unless something urgent comes up of course," Luna said. After which, she disappeared into the ether, gone to take a well deserved nap before she put the finishing touches on that years Hearth's Warming Pageant in Canterlot.

Hrm, she said that the Conduits would be free until the 22nd... There was something about that date that I can't quite remember at the moment... I need to check a calendar when I get back home... Twilight thought to herself, along with the need to bring back some calendars for the Conduits.

All eleven there saw nothing more to do for the day, other than let the Bearers and Spike get ready for Hearth's Warming Eve, while the Conduits would take the next couple of days getting adjusted to the season. So they all went their separate ways for the time being.

"So, since we'll have until the 22nd off from training, I guess, what should we do?" Blue Vague asked of the other three Conduits.

"Hrm, I just think we tour the town and take in the ambiance, I mean we've been kinda cooped up in this house for the last month almost..." Golden Storm replied, feeling a bit of urge to take a short flight in real Equestrian air-space.

"Yeah we've been going about as non-stop as you can with the limited time-frame of the Training Field Spell. So I guess just taking this time off to just do things 'normally' would be for the best," Red Blaze figured.

Midori Hana had a sudden flash of inspiration. "Hrm, I wonder if that flower shop sells pointsettia bracts?"

"Couldn't hurt to ask when we get in town," Blue Vague responded, not really making the connection with what Midori asked.

The four of them their grabbed scarves and the like, and headed out into town.

          The four of them walked around town, the ground lightly dusted with snow. The weather schedule called for increasing flurries until the night of Hearth's Warming Eve; Golden Storm figuring he would soon be slotted for reserve duty depending on what would happen once they returned to Earth.

"You know, it's kinda funny how the first time we have to deal with real fall and winter weather, and we have natural coats now," Golden Storm remarked, hovering along with his three friends walking along the ground near the flower shop Hana wanted to visit.

"Heh, maybe when all is said and done on Earth, we'll have things fixed enough to give them a real winter for the first time in how many years?" Blue Vague asked, wondering just how long Earth's weather patterns were screwed up, in relative terms, by over-industrialization.

Red Blaze figured the Elite may have doctored evidence for the general public in some regard. "There's no telling. You know they might have been doctoring the records to not make everything look so messed up. He who controls the past controls the future, and all."

"It's sad really. Even though it's obviously cold, the snow is so pretty. I wonder how they craft the snowflakes though?" Hana wondered, internally finding it sort of funny being an adult Pony so fascinated by snow.

Golden Storm answered since Luna was already starting to brief him on the process. "Well, the pre-planned weather system clouds are imbued with snowflake templates. Although naturally forming storms are still allowed to blow through every once in awhile, especially for the Wild Zones."

          They continued on, taking in the sights. The decorations really did remind everyone there of Christmas, or at least the secular Christmas from various older media portrayed. Christmas was never really a big thing amongst the Outsiders, aside from a few of the remaining charities coming around with real, unprocessed food intermittently during December. There were magic-powered multi-colored lights on pine trees strewn with tinsel. The restaurants were touting their dishes, trying to get contracts for catering parties or family dinners, if not just hosting them outright. The specialty shops were all touting some product or another, trying to take advantage of those who really didn't have the time or talent to construct a gift for a loved one. All in all, the four Terran Ponies were reminded some of the general commercialism that went into Christmas, but it didn't seem as in-your-face as implied from the media they watched back on Earth.

Blue Vague wondered just how much the Ponies were like humans in their mentality, but still different. "You know, you see the same hints of everything we used to do for Christmas. The decorations, the dinners, the constant trying to get someone to buy your stuff. But, I dunno, it just doesn't feel the same as it did on Earth. I guess it’s them being less in-your-face about it."

Red Blaze stopped for a few moments to look around and soak everything. Everypony and everything, to her, kept exuding this aura of genuine contentment. It stood in stark contrast to her Christmases back in Russia with her parents. "You know, back in Russia. My parents... my parents had to skimp and save all between October and the middle of December just to afford decent decorations and gifts. Yet, it really wasn't the actual physical things that made me the happiest. What made me happiest was the fact we all were doing something together; for those few days we could just forget our persistent problems, and just live as a normal family in a world that didn't seem to be going to hell around us. I guess that's why I'm not one for big gifts now."

Golden Storm chuckled when he heard the last line of the story. "Yeah, just last year I tried to buy you a big fancy pendant from some dealer that came out from the San Francisco Domes. When you found out, I dunno what made you more mad, the fact I would think to splurge like that or the fact that I'd go to someone so disreputable."

"Ahh, some Converts. So how are you all enjoying your first Heart's Warming Eve season?" they all heard from a female voice from behind them.

Blue Vague took a map out of his saddlebag just to see where he was. After a few moments of mental calculation, he was surprised that they had almost completely passed Roseluck's Flower Shop.

"Oh, you must be... Rose. Which'd make that Roseluck's Flower Shop," Blue Vague responded.

"Yeah we're enjoying it a lot. We came from some of the less well-to-do sections of Earth, so seeing all of these decorations and whatnot kinda reminds all of us of our childhoods; or foalhoods, not sure how we should refer to it now," Midori Hana added, this time actually responding to the question at hand.

"Oh that's wonderful. I guess this is your first real snowfall in some time, maybe ever. I heard the weather on Earth, besides just being uncontrolled, seemed to be hot all the time," Rose added, as she motioned the four now-revealed-to-be Converts to her stalls to look at some fall and winter blooms and arrangements.

The four Conduits all looked around and were impressed by the display of fresh flowers, even in this general cold weather.

"Hey how do you keep the plants so lively even though the temperatures are what they are?" Midori Hana asked, wanting to gain some insight from an experienced Earth Pony florist.

"Well it's a limited spell that most Earth Ponies pick up when they go into my business - the Invisible Greenhouse spell. Basically we take mana and charge the flowers growth, so they can resist the cold weather. If you want to know more about it or learn it, I suggest taking a trip to Fillydelphia. That's where they have most of the Earth Pony tutors set up for the other Converts," Rose replied. Even though she was a bit freaked out by the Converts at first a few months ago, she felt that she was just going to have to get used to it. So she had, slowly but surely.

Well surely Luna knows that spell already, but maybe I can talk to Applejack about it, or at least get some hints for it... Hana thought to herself, a sudden trip out to Fillydelphia really not being feasible at the moment.

"Say Rose, do you carry any poinsettia bunches? You know the green and red leaves that surround the flower?" Midori asked.

Rose had good news for the all-green Earth Pony. "Oh yeah, a Convert that came through a few weeks ago tipped me off to them. It took a little bit of finagling, but I managed to get a good sized batch in a couple of days ago."

Rose then went back into the storage area to get a pallet of them. "Ok, that'll be 5 bits per planter. So... 150 bits for the whole tray."

"Um, that's not too much is it, Vague?" Midori asked a bit sheepishly, not knowing how much cash they had on hand.

"Well considering we haven't been buying all that much outside of necessities, so our savings have piled up quite a bit. Yeah you can go ahead and get the whole tray," Blue Vague figured as he mentally calculated the weight of his cash on hand. He was thankful that the food and water bills weren't all that high, otherwise this would merit deeper consideration.

"Alright, just write here when and where you want the plants delivered. It'd probably be a pain to walk around with something this wide," Rose said as she and Hana concluded business.

          The four spent the rest of the morning chatting up the various shopkeepers, trying to get as good a deal on gifts as they could. They decided to keep things simple, since they didn't know the Bearers of Harmony all that well, and they didn't want to go spending all their savings from the last month or so.

"Hey would you all mind if I headed to Sweet Apple Acres for awhile, I wanted to ask Applejack and Big Macintosh about a little something," Midori Hana asked, all the while hiding a poinsettia bunch in her mane.

With no objections, she headed off to Sweet Apple Acres. Hopefully she wouldn't need to contact Luna on such short notice while she's probably asleep.

          Midori Hana arrived at Sweet Apple Acres in short order, and looked at the decorations that Apple Bloom and Big Macintosh had set up since Applejack was tied down with her and the other Terran Conduits.

"Wow, everything really feels like those old Christmas movies. Granted all the characters are Ponies and I'm one of them now," Midori Hana said out loud to herself as she was walking up to a stall where she saw the familiar cowboy-hat wearing orange-and-blonde mare.

"So what's going on Applejack? You seem to have a pretty nice line of, something, going on," Midori Hana asked, making sure to stand off to the side to not appear to be cutting in line.

"Oh, the big Apple Cider season is underway. Some of the more special blends are ready for sale so me an' Big Mac gotta make sure no minors get their hands on it by accident. I trust Apple Bloom to help sell our normal stuff; but, well, let's say it won't do good for our rep if a certain set of fillies got into the wrong barrels," Applejack replied to Midori Hana, all the while passing out disposable mugs to paid customers or taking down invoices for batch deliveries.

"Well, when is your shift over? I had a little something I wanted to ask you," Hana asked of Applejack, all the while helping her move the untapped barrels into place for dispensing.

Applejack responded quickly, all the while hooking up the dispenser. "In about an hour or so. Me and Mac work 2 hour shifts alternatin'."

So Midori Hana spent the next hour, give or take a few minutes, helping Applejack and Apple Bloom with the stall, while the lunchtime queue thinned out. As Big Macintosh gave his greetings to Midori Hana and took his position at the stall to relieve Applejack, the two mares walked back to the farmhouse to discuss that little question that Hana had of AJ earlier.

"Hey, I wonder if something like this is possible at my level of Earth Pony magic..." Midori Hana started as she began whispering a bit in Applejack's ear.

Applejack responded with a bit of a chuckle. "Ahhh right. I know that little trick. Hey when you head back through town, ask for a Earth Pony mare named 'Lily', she does stuff like that all the time."

"Cool, thanks. Hey is there anything you need me to relay to someone else before I go?" Midori asked before leaving.

"Ah nah. I'm pretty much set here, though I'll send if I need anythin'," Applejack responded as she took a small sack full of bits off her back for sorting and safe-keeping.

          Golden Storm laid on some clouds he moored to the perch/landing area on top of the Greystone Conductor. He looked northward into Ponyville and out at the expanses of their little section of Equestria. For the first time in a long time, he didn't feel like was being caged up somewhere. Even though he was a Pegasus and could have just taken off right there and there for parts unknown, he didn't feel that urge to anymore. Not only did he have a marefriend in Red Blaze he'd jump in front of a loaded gun's firing path for; but he had two more close friends in Vague and Hana where he'd do the same. Not only that, but Fate seemed to have decided he was going to play a major role in getting two worlds together in some way or fashion. He figured he may as well just see the whole thing out. Even if he did take off right then and there, something would come up to drag him right back. As he hopped up to head into town with his bit of money remaining to see if there was anything he overlooked, he beat his wings a couple of times. Only to notice how he was kicking up far greater gusts of winds than he usually did.

Hrm... I guess the Princesses were right when they were talking about our Terran power getting easier to draw out when we got used to our bodies... Guess I need to be more careful on takeoffs from now on...

          Red Blaze was laid out in front of the fireplace thinking about her Christmases with her family. Before she met Golden Storm, she hated this time of year. Not because of how the holiday seemed to degenerate, but because some degenerates took both her parents from her in one night. But since she found Storm, and she was basically forced to face her problems head on, she felt better around this time of the year. Although the hurt never went away since she became 'Red Blaze', it felt like her friends and her lover just made everything that much more bearable. She sighed happily as she figured that was the most she could really ask for -- the ability to bear the pain and grow beyond it. She also chuckled as she went to levitate a bit of wood out of the fireplace to observe it and the flames, but got quite a bit of surprise. While she intended to levitate out a piece of burning wood, she only ended up lifting out a bit of flame itself. She marveled for a few seconds at the little wisp of flame burning nothing except the oxygen in the air the mana she was feeding it from her levitation spell.

Wow... I... I... I didn't even know one could do that...  It must be the Terran Spark starting to assert itself, or something...

-----

          Blue Vague was in the kitchen, boiling water and cutting some fruit for oatmeal. He spent the time thinking about the parents that left him behind, the grandfather that did so much to raise him before he passed on. He thought about how he and Midori found each other completely by accident - he was looking up old Japanese animation, and finding Hana while she was doing the same. Then he thought of her parents and what they must be up to while they were on this trip. He thought about all of that while he measured out the oats to put in the water, once it came to a real boil. Until said water did start boiling, he went over the sink to run some more water into the basin. In the last couple of days he had been practicing a trick, levitating a blob of water and then whipping it around until a formed a skinny loop, imitating Applejack working a rope lasso.

I can feel the water far beyond what I should with just Explicit Magic... Like I know where exactly every droplet of water should be, even the water I already ran into the pot... I guess the more Luna trains us, the more our Terran Magic is going to want to manifest...

          Midori Hana was trotting back to the Greystone Conductor, chuckling a bit as she did indeed track down Lily to learn her little trick for getting a live bit of plant to stay in one's mane, while still alive. She giggled at the reaction she was going to get out of Vague and the other Conduits when she arrived and they saw the red splashed through her mane from the poinsettia bunches. As she came up on a shop window, she noticed how she could see her reflection in the glass fairly well. She stopped to think for a few moments, thinking about her parents, the friends she made while on the 'Net while at home, including Vague and the others. She wondered just how she could try and push their relationship forward into something more solid like what Storm and Blaze had, or if she should even try to.

She let out a sigh as she still felt the same tug of her own identity, although now it was less "Was I fabricated in some way?" and now more "Am I a human in a Pony body,  a Pony in a Pony body, or some kind of weird blend of the two?" She figured that question would resolve itself as she continued down the path she chose with her friends and the Bearers of Harmony. As she looked closer in the mirror-like window, she noticed something else. The bunches in her hair had grown a little bit and were somewhat brighter than they were when Lily showed her how to weave it in her mane.

Hrm, maybe that's some of what the Element of Earth does... Plants gotta grow in something... guess it would stand to reason someone with control over earth could do it wherever...

The four spent the rest of the afternoon and evening arranging the poinsettias around the exterior and interior of the Greystone Conduit. As they all looked at their home in the setting sun, they silently prayed to Celestia and Luna that this would mark the start of many, many Hearth's Warming Eve seasons here.

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[ Equestria, December 14, ??? ]

          The four Conduits of Terra and Pinkie Pie were moving in and out of the lower rooms of the Greystone Conductor, getting everything together for the big party that evening. The previous day, the Bearers of Harmony managed to convince the Conduits to allow their families (that could travel) to attend along with a particularly close friend of said family member(s). While Vague blanched at the thought at having to pay for more food, everyone had a few bits on hand in order to cover the additional cost.

"Man, I honestly can't wait to talk to everyone when they get here," Blue Vague said as he was mixing several batches of drinks for everyone.

While Berry Punch was infamous for her alcoholic brews (and more than a few drunken benders), she made her bits in the region around Ponyville with all the different juice blends she concocted over the years. Blue Vague figured everything would be fine so long as a crazy Pony didn't decide to spike anything.

Storm was with Pinkie in the main hall, hanging a banner and some tinsel along the balcony. "Yeah I know what you mean man. I heard that Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom were tight with this other filly, calling themselves the Cutie Mark Crusaders, didn't they?"

"Yeah, they are always doing new stuff trying to figure out what their talent is. Sometimes Rainbow Dash thinks I'm coaching them in being random or whatever," Pinkie Pie said while she directed Storm along in hanging everything up.

Red Blaze had just come back in from ensuring that there was enough firewood for the evening, before she joined the conversation. "You know they will probably be surprised why four adult Ponies still are without Cutie Mark."

Midori Hana waltzed in, in good spirits since she loved Christmas time and figured Hearth's Warming Eve was close enough to count. "I think they are gonna like the stories about ourselves then, I mean who wouldn't want to hear from four Ponies that came from a whole other dimension."

"Yeah, the others probably don't talk about us all that much. I mean they do have their own lives and all," Blue Vague reasoned as he draped some waterproof cloths over the punch-bowls full of different drinks.

          As the sun was beginning to set on that day, their guests began to arrive. Fluttershy arrived first, complementing the decorations that the Conduits and Pinkie Pie arranged. Then Rarity with Sweetie Belle, Applejack and her siblings, as well as Rainbow Dash with Scootaloo. Finally the party began to start in earnest as Twilight Sparkle and Spike arrived, surprised that everyone was there slightly earlier than they were.

"Wow, this place is huge, It might even be bigger than Sugarcube Corner!" Scootaloo exclaimed, fluttering about as best as her wings could manage.

"An ya say that Luna designed this house for all four of ya?" Apple Bloom asked, a bit in awe herself at the size of this clearly residential building.

"Yeah, we don't know all the details of the design and construction, but it's definitely a fine home. You should have seen our faces when we got here a month ago," Hana answered.

"'Surprise' didn't do our reactions justice," Blue Vague added as he was looking on at Golden Storm chatting with Big Macintosh about something or other.

"I really like how you made those leaf bunches look in your mane, I think I've seen some around town," Sweetie Belle said in a bit of a soft voice, as if she had become like Fluttershy in the presence of the four still-strangers-to-her.

"Oh yeah. They are called poinsettias. Usually the leaf bunches like these are taken from around the flower and used for decorations around Christmas time. Which is the human equivalent to Hearth's Warming Eve, at least in some respects," Midori Hana said with quite a bit of confidence about her.

"Wow, you sure do know a lot about life over there," Sweetie Belle said, voice returning to a more normal tone for her.

Red Blaze chuckled a bit "We'll we'd like to think so. Anyway let's all gather in the rec room. I think that'll explain a bit of why we know so much."

With that all the guests went into the recreational room, and sat down to listen to the four Conduits of Terra.

          After the stories were all done, Big Macintosh had rather big smile on his face. The Cutie Mark Crusaders, for their part, were still in a bit of shock.

"Wow, you're really Converts from Earth?" Scootaloo asked, still in shock.

"To be honest, I can hardly believe it," Apple Bloom said, rubbing her hoof trying to think of how Midori could look so natural while she was helping Applejack a couple of days ago and, yet apparently had only had her body for a month.

"I would have never guessed, you all seem like just 'normal' Ponies, I guess," Sweetie Belle began to rationalize. She could hardly find anything off about the four adults, well except for one thing.

"I guess we should've all guessed since y'all grown, but don't have Cutie Marks," Apple Bloom said, just now really noticing the flanks of all four Terrans were indeed, completely blank.

"Yeah we all have been wondering when that whole thing would click in, it’ll probably take some time as we're getting used to the whole 'Being in an entirely new body' thing," Golden Storm said, a tad bit embarrassed at the fact.

Applejack was busy eating a pineapple tart that Pinkie Pie just took out of the oven, as she listened to some of the tail end of the Conduit's stories. "Y'all know that y'all makin' really fast progress in that regard. I think all the Converts that take as much time to practice will as well."

"Thanks Applejack, you all have been helping us in that regard to. Hopefully we can turn around and help you all as this whole thing keeps going on," Red Blaze said. All four of the Terran Conduits were genuinely thankful for the help of the six Elements of Harmony, even if they weren't teaching them Magic directly.

"I don't doubt ya will. But we need to take care of y'all first. Then we can see where everything goes from there," Applejack said as she went back for another tart and some orange-pineapple juice.

          Blue Vague was sitting outside the rec room, chatting with Big Macintosh as the story circle began to break up; the Cutie Mark Crusaders not too far away, wondering out loud just what Earth was like and whether or not they'd ever be cleared to visit. "So Big Macintosh, what did you think of the little tale we spun."

"Y'all lead a very hard life compared to us. Yet, y'all are still proud of what you did when you could," Big Macintosh replied; he could feel the steel nerve and spine it took all of them to take the proverbial plunge.

Blue Vague took a drink from his cup of berry punch as he continued the conversation. "Yeah I'd like to think that we are. I'll readily admit, sometimes I wonder that if me and Midori had a chance to disappear to some quieter corner of Equestria, and live out the rest of our lives as Ponies without having to worry about Earth, we would. I don't doubt some Converts that come through want nothing to do with the Earth anymore. But then again, well, let's say a little voice always reminds me about some unfinished business to attend to first."

"I can imagine," Big Macintosh replied, still succinct as ever.

Vague walked over to a window as he looked out, the Moon was already migrating across the sky as the stars twinkled in the background. "You know, it's extremely difficult to see a scene like this on Earth. Humans didn't realize until a few decades ago just how bad we were tearing everything up," he started, choking up as the thoughts began to flood through. "Then, then these Domes went up. It was like the people who had the power to at least start fixing things, just gave up and went into hiding, hoping everything would blow over or whatever. It still burns me up inside thinking about it."

Big Macintosh looked intently at Blue Vague, as Vague sat the glass on the floor a good ways away from him. Even though it was mostly empty now, he still didn't feel like getting the mop out if he could help it. "I don't like telling anyone this, not even the Princesses. I dunno, a part of me thinks it's unponylike to show this level of rage. But I'm angry. I'm sad. I'm frustrated that the so called leaders of humanity seemed to just abandon the rest of us. Now that a few of them realize just how badly they messed up, and are trying to fix things before it's too late, the rest have the temerity to try and stop them."

"It's so damn unfair Macintosh; good people, and now good Ponies, want to do everything they can to help. Hell you'd think some of the so-called Elite would be glad to get rid of 'excess population'. But I think they are so prideful and greedy, they don't want to be told they messed things up. That the Earth is turning into a wasteland because of their mismanagement. I know the planet does not have much time left, any little thing could really start a 'War to End All Wars', the final battle that so many just assumed would have happened before but never did."

Vague then looked up and heard a bit of the Cutie Mark Crusaders talking about wanting to see Earth; that even if it looked messed up compared to Equestria and the other countries in their world, they still wanted to see it. "I can see the Cutie Mark Crusaders want to see our homeworld, even if for a little while. But honestly, not in the condition it's in. Maybe that's me being selfish, but you wouldn't want anyone in your house until you cleaned up, right? Maybe after some time, Ponies and Humans can live together; but I dunno how we're gonna get to there from where they, no, where we are now."

Big Macintosh just walked over and put a foreleg along the shoulders of Vague. "Vague, just do what you can. All of you -- my sister included -- just focus on what you can do, and help as many of them as you can. Even if they don't come here, make being over there somewhere worth being."

As the big red stallion placed the foreleg back on the ground, Vague just chuckled out loud. "You know man, you're right. Even if we don't convince everyone, even if everyone doesn't want to break bread with us now, we still gotta do everything we can."

"Eeyup," Big Macintosh replied, returning back to his usual succinctness.

          The party went on, as the house was alive with the sound of over a dozen Ponies having a good ol' time and the music helping them in that regard. Blue Vague was walking around the grounds of the house, doing a bit of snow clearing to make sure that no one slipped or anything when it came time for everyone to leave. He found Midori Hana perched on the storm cellar doors to the basement, not feeling like laying in snow during an already cold evening.

"So what's going on out here?" Blue Vague asked as he laid the shovel against the face of the house.

Midori Hana looked up and smiled as she saw Vague approaching. "I dunno, something just said 'Take a few minutes outside in the night air, a little chill might clear your head a bit'."

"Heh, well I was trying to make sure the walkways didn't get too piled up with snow," Vague said while he perched himself up there with Hana.

They looked into the mostly clear night sky, Luna's Moon early on its path only being 9:00 PM whereabouts.

"Even with the clouds and the snow, it's still an impressive sky," Vague said as he moved in closer to Hana.

Hana appreciated the romantic nature of the setting, as she allowed Vague to continue edging closer. "Yeah, I wonder what Storm and Blaze are doing."

Vague thought about it for a couple of moments. "Heh, well I could guess some things, but they'd probably involve alcohol, and I don't think anyone wants to risk the Crusaders getting into the wrong punch-bowl."

Midori giggled a bit at the thought of one or more drunk fillies. She leaned in on Vague, Vague doing his best not to show surprise or hesitation at this intimacy. "It's such a nice night, and you're pretty warm, well compared to the air temperature."

Oh my God what am I supposed to do in this situation... I have like no experience with women at all... I wonder what Storm would do in this situation... Blue Vague thought to himself suddenly. He couldn't exactly push Hana away, he was the one advancing in on her (inch by inch as it were anyway).

If you ask me, put a foreleg along her shoulders... draw her in as close as you can... talk about how the stars look even prettier when they reflect in her huge, lovely eyes... he heard Golden Storm's voice say, as said voice kept going on and on.

Dude am I like... Imagining this or are you actually talking to me... Vague thought, finding the response to be unusually detailed.

... I think I'm actually talking to you... Storm replied, trying to figure out when the hell he started talking to Vague telepathically himself.

What?! Blue Vague exclaimed in his head, mustering all his discipline to not actually say it out loud.

"Is something wrong Vague? You have a strange look on your face," Hana asked, now pretty much side to side with Vague as he stared off into the distance with a thoroughly confused look on his face.

Vague managed to snap out of it soon enough though. "I dunno, I think I just did the telepathic equivalent of accidentally dialing somepony's phone number."

Hana giggled as she snuggled up to Vague, finding the whole idea quite humorous. "Heh, I wonder who you were talking to?"

"Would you believe it was Storm?" Vague said as he was laughing, draping the scarf over the both of them.

"Somehow, I can believe that," Midori Hana started, continuing to gently lean against Vague. "It's funny how circumstances have changed for us. I mean, few weeks ago we were all having our own little freak-outs. Now, here we all are in Equestria. Even though we won't be staying here permanently... still, just having this time. I... I really like it."

Ok Vague, Andre, both... just do it, just say it... if she doesn't want to go along with a relationship so soon, then we'll just work on that... But this has to start somewhere...Blue Vague thought to himself.

Blue Vague mustered every bit courage that he could. "I do too, Midori. What I like most... is that I... I... get to share this with everyone, and you especially. I'm... I'm trying to say that... I want to share as much as I can with you... because I love you Midori Hana."

The cold air hung silent for a few moments. Midori expected that Blue would eventually say it out loud to her, yet she still didn't know how to react. Finally, she decided that, like him, it was time to stop beating around the bush, and just lay the cards on the table. "Thanks Blue, I... I can see how hard that was. I mean, we both have been feeling things since September, maybe even earlier than that. So... I... I..."

In a sudden fit of pique and passion, she did something that truly surprised the both of them, she kissed him.

"I know it's hard to say, but sometimes it needs to be said, so here it goes... I love you too, and I wanna do everything I can to make this and everything else work."

Blue Vague was still stunned by the fact that she got in the first kiss of the relationship proper. Well... that went better than expected... quite honestly I thought I'd seize up and fall into the snow or something...

"Awwww... that's so sweet..." Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle said as they watched the entire scene from inside a nearby window.

"It'd probably would have been better if we could actually hear what they said though..." Scootaloo added, wondering just what lead up to this particular scene.

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

[ Equestria, December 19, ??? ]

          The Four Conduits found themselves on a jumbo-sized carriage, flying at a fairly decent clip towards Canterlot. Them, the six Bearers of Harmony, and Spike were all invited guests of the Royal Sisters for what was promised to be quite the extravaganza tomorrow evening.

"Ok, so what is the occasion for the Royals inviting us formally to the Capital?" Blue Vague asked, as everyone was either napping or looking out a window.

Twilight took out the invitation that confirmed her earlier suspicions. "I figured out not that long ago just why Luna gave you all time off until the 22nd of this month. Apparently, during the Winter Solstice, which is tomorrow evening, there was a very big festival during that night. Which was called, unsurprisingly, the Winter Moon Festival."

You know I always wondered if there was an official analogue to the Summer Sun Celebration. That answers that then... Red Blaze thought to herself, also wondering just what the capital looked like live.

          A couple of hours later, the Four Terran Conduits stood gobsmacked as they looked out at the panorama of Canterlot from the Southern Carriage Station.

"Wow... it really is much more impressive live..." Golden Storm said while hovering near ground level.

"Esteemed Guests of the Princesses of Equestria, your carriage to your accommodations will soon arrive. We ask that you ensure that the porters have properly removed all of your luggage, before the sky-carriage leaves for its next destination.

Twilight and Vague checked the luggage compartment, and indeed everything was removed and stacked neatly in the waiting area for the ground-carriage.

"I wonder if we are gonna have time to go sight-seeing later. Usually when we come here, it's on business, so to speak," Fluttershy said, admiring the view with Storm.

"Well according to the rest of the letter, Luna doesn't need us to help plan the celebration or anything. And there is no real notice of us having to be anywhere for any specific time, just whatever our hotel's protocol is," Twilight stated as she re-read the letters again. Three carriages had arrived for the group of eleven, so she and Vague directed the porters in which bags to load where.

"I can't think of a major hotel in a tourist spot like Canterlot having a curfew, but you never know," Rainbow Dash added as they began to board the ground carriages.

"Oh I simply must show the three of you to this unisex mane stylist I know. Don't worry, she isn't that expensive, and I can probably get a discount since I know her pretty well," Rarity said, remembering her promise to help do something about Blaze's wildfire like mane.

"When you say three of us, who are you referring to?" Red asked with a quizzical look, starting to remember that promise from nearly two months ago as well.

"Well, Hana has apparently already seen someone regarding the poinsettias in her mane. But you, Storm, and Vague, I believe you three need a professional's touch, to be quite frank." Rarity said as the carriages rolled past the various blue and silver decorations being placed in the main center of the city near Canterlot Castle.

Over in another carriage, Storm was worrying about some other things. "So what kind of hotel are we supposed to be staying in?"

Rainbow Dash responded by reading a brochure regarding said hotel. "Apparently it's really fancy. World class chefs, several hundred as active staff at all times, full spa (like I'd need that), a covered garden -- pretty much anything a Pony could want that they couldn't do for themselves."

Golden Storm leaned back in his seat as he wondered how big the party was going to be.

In the final carriage, Hana looked out at all the buildings and how they the seemed to flow into the mountainside. "Wow, this is like something out of a fantasy novel that I'd find back on Earth. There must have been some major Earth Pony help to build Canterlot like this."

Applejack confirmed Midori's suspicion. "That's right Hana, there is a significant Earth Pony population here in Canterlot; most of them descended from the Ponies that helped build Canterlot almost a thousand years ago. The rest descended from various business-ponies that have come through since then."

Pinkie Pie was looking out at the city as well, as different decorations in blue and silver were going all up around the center of the fortified city. "You know, I think the Cakes said they might have relatives here. I wouldn't be surprised if they were working a bakery here or two."

They soon, arrived at their destination - The Royal Garden Hotel And Spa. All eleven of them stood in awe of the 50-story tall complex, as the porters began moving their bags into the lobby.

"Well this should be a fun three days..." Blue Vague said, trotting into the hotel with Twilight to register everyone.

          The rest of the day went by fairly quickly for everyone, as Rarity managed to get all four of the Conduits into that unisex salon. Vague ended up with the Pony equivalent of dreadlocks, which took a bit of time to explain to the mane-stylists, but he was happy with the result either way. Storm had the mane around his head cut relatively short and 'flared' up a bit, while the mane down his back and his tail was simply straightened out. Blaze had the most work done, her red-orange mane styled to resemble a flame pointed upside-down; with the tips of her mane and tail magically dyed to appear more orange than the rest of her mane.

Hana was originally content to only get her mane and tail washed; but decided to get parts of her mane dyed silver-gray with some glitter, intending to find some nice blue blooms, possibly somedelphinium, to weave into said streaks. Twilight and Spike spent the same time catching up with her old professors at the School For Gifted Unicorns; while the other four just toured around the central area of Canterlot, looking at the decorations being put up. By the time the Moon rose and the eleven were back at the hotel, the city had developed the intended blue and silver ambience, a perfect backdrop for the coming celebration.

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

[ Equestria, December 20, ??? ]

          The city of Canterlot, usually an extremely busy hub of activity and creativity, being a town mostly populated by Unicorns, stood unusually quiet that day. Most of the Ponies were relaxing or outright napping, knowing that most of the activity for this day would start close to sundown. Spike, The Four Conduits of Terra, and the Elements of Harmony were no different, even if it seemed that Pinkie never seemed to sleep where there was party being planned. Sure enough, activity around town picked up after noon.

"Wow, I don't think I've seen this much blue and silver anything..." Vague said, remarking on just how well decorated the city was.

"Ooooh, this is where I wanna be in ten years! Planning the biggest parties that Equestria have ever seen!" Pinkie Pie said, wondering if Luna would tap her before long to help organize something like this.

Rarity definitely saw the artistry in Pinkie, even if it manifested in a manner radically different than hers. "Well you keep on your path and you'll get there, trust me you have an artist's eye. I want to see what kind of costumes that Luna had commissioned. I heard there were supposed to be all kinds of street performances and parades across the major cities in Equestria."

Rainbow Dash was certainly excited for the evening. "Well I can definitely tell this is something the Princesses want everyone outside for. I read the weather schedules, and it's supposed to be unusually warm this evening."

The technicians were already setting up the loudspeakers and magical generators. Blue Vague was impressed how the Ponies, with next to no influence from humanity before this point, managed to create similar working devices anyway.

          Meanwhile, Canterlot Castle was already abuzz with activity. Princess Celestia was helping Luna put the finishing touches on the planned magical pyrotechnic display to happen at midnight.

"Do you think this is a bit much, I mean it is the first Winter Moon Celebration in... how many centuries?" Luna asked as she went over the simulations with a hoof on a crystal-ball projector.

"Which is exactly why we should make as big an impact as we can. I want everyone, Convert or Native, to truly feel that we are both running this proverbial show. One of the ways we can do that, I believe anyway, is to revive your holiday. To answer your question, though, it has been exactly 840 years since the last official Winter Moon Celebration; and honestly, I am still surprised our citizens put up with me running the holiday for 163 years with you in absentia." Celestia replied, as she waved a hoof over another crystal ball with a map of the central area of Canterlot.

"I'm sure that is why you asked the other major cities to host concurrent events for those not able to attend here in Canterlot, yes?" Luna asked, still fretting somewhat that there was something she was missing.

Celestia trotted over and draped a wing over Luna's back. "Don't worry Lulu, this Celebration will go fine. I believe modeling it after the human's New Year Eve will turn out to be a good decision of yours. I am only here to advise, this is all your holiday."

Luna sighed and gathered up her strength again. "You're right, I have to have the confidence that our citizens will see this for what it is, a time to celebrate a year passing and a new year coming."

Celestia smiled that great wide smile of hers as she chuckled. "Indeed. Who knows, I bet we'll get more inspiration yet."

          As sundown came, the attendees gathered in the Royal Courtyard; and at conveniently placed magical projectors around Canterlot Square, the unofficial center of the central business area of Canterlot. Technician Unicorns were also running the final checks on the microphones set to broadcast the audio of the speech to all the major population centers holding celebrations.

All right Luna, five minutes...

The Bearers of Harmony and Conduits of Terra were directed to their spot in the audience near the front, with the rest of the nobles and other guests of honor.

Two minutes...

          The Sun was nearly down, and it was now show time. Princess Luna, in all her regalia, strode up to the microphone adorned podium as she her visage appeared on the magical projectors in Canterlot Square. Soon Ponies all across Equestria heard her voice, as she began her remarks to opening this festival of lights and sound.

"Good Evening Fillies and Gentlecolts. As you may well know, my name is Princess Luna, Avatar of the Moon. Before we begin the festivities for the evening, I feel it is proper for me to explain the history of the holiday and why it has mostly disappeared from the public consciousness. Many centuries ago, myself and Celestia each had a holiday, The Summer Sun and Winter Moon Festivals. These dual holidays were meant to emphasize the nature of our rule - dueling poles, different perspectives, two separate but equal entities collaborating to forge a greater whole. However, I personally did not feel that way, despite my sister's assurances."

Luna took a short pause in her speech, Celestia silently nodding in the background. "My manifestation as Nightmare Moon was no sudden occurrence. No, that creature of pain and sorrow was borne out of many years of pent up frustration, building and building and eventually exploding. Before the incident that would later be recorded as the 'Endless Night', there was another incident that would start me on that dark path. It was a Winter Moon Festival several years before then. I felt I had poured all my heart and soul into that production of that festival. However, to that point, it would go down in ignominy as one of the most sparsely attended of the Winter Moon Festivals. As the legend goes, I became intensely jealous that my night was being ignored in favor of Princess Celestia's day; to a large extent, this is true. What is not talked about, was my increasing arrogance and ego before that festival. By the time of that fiasco, I had ceased putting in the work to earn the love and respect of my subjects, believing I was entitled to it simply due to my title. When my lack of care for my subjects was reciprocated in a lack of interest in my night, I was already too blind to see the source of such.

"Eventually, due to that combination of jealousy and overwrought ego, I convinced myself to strike down my sister, and force everyone to love the coming endless night. Celestia realized what I was planning, and when I made my attempt, she used the Elements of Harmony to seal me in the Moon - the only recourse she had since she was not able to use the Elements to their fullest extent at the time. Out of a sense of remorse, Celestia then attempted to continue the tradition of the Winter Moon Festival, much like how she took charge of raising the Moon as well as the Sun. However, the Festival became a time of remembrance of that dark day in Equestrian history, and soon faded from the collective memory of Equestria; save for the historians, Celestia, and myself. Once I purged of my darkness, I came to realize an important fact -- I am still co-ruler of Equestria. I cannot afford to wallow in a pool of self-pity and doubt, lest I become unworthy of that title.

"Therefore, I have decided, with the assistance of my sister and our fine citizens, to officially revive the Winter Moon Festival, now to be known as the Winter Moon Celebration. I want everyone that can hear my voice now, or that can read these words once this speech has been archived and distributed to remember this: I wish this holiday not to be some exercise in my own self-aggrandizement. No, I want it to be a celebration of and for everyone! I want everyone to remember the year that has passed, and I want everyone to go into the new year full of hope and vigor! That is why I want you all to have a grand time, celebrate the good memories of the year past, and resolve yourself to make the year coming the best that you can possibly make it. Thank you, and with that, I officially declare this revival of the Winter Moon Celebration open!"

With a flash of Luna's magic, the mostly blank indigo sky flared to life with untold galaxies of stars, innumerable constellations, and Luna's glorious Moon, beginning its trek across the sky. Taking that as their cue, the magical flares and lights all across the city lit up, turning Canterlot into a wonderland of light -- whites along the street level, and blues across the faces and tops of buildings. The various live bands and performers then all began to play in different areas, turning Canterlot into a wonderful sea of music; different genres for every different section of the city.

          Tthe Bearers and Conduits broke up into groups, deciding to look at the various stalls and acts before what was supposed to be a particularly impressive display at midnight.

"Oh my, is thatCelebration I hear playing on the loudspeakers?" Rarity asked while walking around looking at some mask sellers with Twilight and Spike.

Spike replied, wanting to spend time with Rarity about as much as anything else. "Yeah, I didn't think they'd use human music. Then again they have some good songs, so I guess the only issue was getting it onto a record or whatever they are using to play the music with."

--

Blue Vague and Midori Hana were off in another section of town, when he heardAll Night Long over the loudspeakers for that section of town. "Oh wow, I never imagined Luna would be using Human music for this party. This was one of my grandfather's favorite songs!"

"Oh really? I kinda like 'Hello' by this artist. It kinda says something about the state of music when we left when we're talking about songs that are almost a hundred years old, doesn't it?" Midori Hana asked, head bobbing a bit to the beat.

Vague chuckled a bit at the sight and the thought. "Yeah, although I prefer to think some of that music was so good, it would have lasted this long on its own merit."

--

Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, and Applejack were off watching a Dragon Dance near some restaurants. Pinkie was commenting on the dance. "You know, it seems kinda wild and random, but there really is a nice rhythm to it."

"Yeah, the drums and the flutes really help in that regard." Rainbow Dash thought, wondering what part of Earth Luna got the inspiration for the Dragon design.

Applejack turned to looked at a poster giving detail on the historical significance of the dance. "Huh, according to this poster, the Dragon Dance originated in the East Asian regions of Earth. Mostly in what is now the Chinese Federation."

"Hrm, this party seems to be blending a lot of human stuff in with our usual stuff." Rainbow Dash thought as she at a fried cake.

"Well, it's good stuff. It's gotta be worth something if it survived as long as it did over there," Pinkie Pie reasoned.

--

Golden Storm, Red Blaze, and Fluttershy stood near the start of a parade route, watching several floats and a couple of marching bands getting set up. Fluttershy walked along the cordoned off street, looking at the goings on.

"Oh wow, those floats look so nice. Princess Luna and the participants must have been planning this for a long time." Fluttershy said, watching the participants decide on who was going to pull the float and who was going to throw gifts and candy to the crowd.

"Heh, given how big a brain Luna has, I wouldn't be surprised if she was planning the end stages of this while she was training us," Golden Storm remarked, watching the bands getting their instruments tuned up and going through other final checks.

Red Blaze walked over to a lamp post to read the schedule. "Hrm, apparently there is going to be a big light show planned for midnight on the dot, and weren't we supposed to meet with everyone else back at the Royal Courtyard at 11:30 PM?"

"Yes, we were Blaze. I hope everyone remembers," Fluttershy said worriedly.

"Well Twilight is in one group, and she's always a stickler for punctuality; and I don't think Pinkie Pie could forget anything even if she tried, so I think we're good," Storm reasoned as they walked back down the marked parade route to find a good spot.

          It was now 11:55, and all eleven of the Ponies and young Dragon managed to make it back to the courtyard before the big light-show was set to begin.

"What did I tell ya Fluttershy, told ya they'd all make it back," Golden Storm said proudly, inwardly glad his confidence was rewarded for once.

"Yes you did, and I'm glad they did," Fluttershy said as they sat in the courtyard, watching the sky as the Moon was about to reach its apex in a couple of minutes.

The courtyard had filled up with some of the general public now, the V.I.P.s deciding to enjoy the light show from their hotel rooms or palace suites.

          Right on schedule, the Moon hit its apex exactly at 12:00 AM, and froze in position; Luna's aura racing through the sky, like a director telling everyone to get ready. All of the live and recorded music ceased, and all of the decorative lights dimmed or turned off completely. Luna then stepped back up to the microphone-covered podium, to deliver a message before the light show started.

"I trust you all have had a wonderful night," Luna began before cheers of approval erupted from the crowds wherever they could hear her. She continued after the applause and cheering died down. "Yes, I can see you have. You cannot imagine how much joy that brings to my heart. As promised, at midnight there would be a grand light show. Well, it is midnight, so without further ado, let us begin shall we..."

A further hush fell over the audiences everywhere. Even in the towns and smaller cities that weren't holding official celebrations, many Ponies were awake to watch the light show.

          Luna began by conjuring an ethereal bow, cobalt blue like her magical aura. The drew the string back and launched a single arrow at the moon. When it 'impacted' the moon, the entire sky exploded with another wave of her magical aura. As that say, that is when the magic started. First the sky lit up with explosions of all manners of colors and shapes, every color of the rainbow represented and all manners of geometric shapes. These explosions of color were matched by waves of color emanating from the moon, washing through the night sky like ripples in a lake. Then four comets flew out from behind the moon and exploded, one red, one blue, one yellow, and one green. Then six more comets flew out from the moon - pink, purple, red, blue, green, and yellow. Soon ten comets flew out, exploding in clockwise sequence, lighting up the sky with all of the previous colors at once.

          After that opening, Luna began to use the stars as a giant peg-board; the various stars glowing different colors and representing figures. She used this setup to depict the purging of Nightmare Moon, the re-sealing of Discord, and the repulsion of the Changeling Invasion. Everyone watching was utterly stunned by this display not only of raw power, but of incredible finesse and control. After the ‘video’ presentation, she transitioned into sequenced explosions throughout the sky. Like a pyrotechnic display a stage show or a concert, the explosions themselves formed shapes and sequences, with sparks flying in all manners of colors. Then came the twist... a big white flash and the big finale of the show. All over Canterlot, Manehatten, Los Pegasus, Fillydelphia, Cloudsdale, every single other major population center, similar magical fireworks began going off. Streams of energy flew, showering the watching Ponies with harmless magical sparks, most of them fading before they ever hit the ground. Bangs and whizzes could be heard as the cities lit up with every color of the rainbow, before ending in pyrotechnic flares in Luna's traditional scheme of blue and silver, or white in this case of the flares.

          Everyone watching began cheering as loud as they could manage at that time of night, thoroughly impressed and entertained by the whole show their Princess and all those that helped her had put on to that point.

"Oh... oh my God... I thought that display a month ago was impressive. That... that was just... I..." Blue Vague stammered out, completely spellbound and dumbstruck by that sheer display of, well, awesomeness.

"The colors, the choreography, the... the... the everything about it..." Twilight Sparkle also stammered, she being left in much the same condition as Vague.

Everyone else was too awestruck to say anything of any real worth.

          It was now early that morning. Spike had scurried off to bed in Twilight's room, so the ten Ponies were left with some sparkling wine some of the other V.I.P.s didn't consume, and Rainbow Dash and Golden Storm managed to spirit away before any of the hotel staff disposed of it. It has been said by many wise men and Ponies that judgment is usually the first thing to go when intoxicated with alcohol.

With the retrieval of an aluminum pole, which Vague half-drunkenly decided to stand up to the floor, ten Ponies were about to prove that statement correct.

"Well, I guess now is as good a time as any," he began, standing proudly next to the unadorned aluminum pole. "On Earth we have a tradition about this time of year. I believe a great philosopher started it, probably while complaining about airline food or some such. But anyway, this aluminum pole represents a protest against a particular holiday that had gotten really, really bad when he was alive. So in his honor, we shall begin with the celebration of Festivus."

Everyone looked around with varying degrees of confusion.

Blue Vague continued. "Ugh, let's see here. Well there are different parts to it. I believe we've all eaten, so the feast is right out. Um... let's see, I got the pole here which I'm pretty sure is aluminum, I mean it's metal but it's fairly light. I dunno if the hotel staff would appreciate Feats of Strength being attempted here. Well I guess all we got left are the Airing of Grievances."

"Alright, so what exactly does that mean?" Twilight asked, already on her second glass of wine.

"Basically we just go around in a circle or whatever and talk about what annoys us about each other or the world in general," Blue Vague said, scratching his head.

With that, everyone arranged themselves into a circle. Twilight Sparkle sat across from Pinkie Pie, Rarity across from Red Blaze, Rainbow Dash across from Golden Storm, Applejack across from Blue Vague, and Fluttershy across from Midori Hana.

After the circle was more or less formed, Blue Vague began with the basic rules of the first go around. "Well, I don't remember exactly how this worked, but I think this is close enough. Look at the pony across from you, and honestly think of the thing that most annoys you about said pony. If you cannot think of something, then come up with something about the world in general; we will think nothing less of you if you do."

Golden Storm coughed suddenly, which earned him a quick shot on the foreleg form Vague.

"Anyway. I guess since Twilight has the bottle. I guess she should start?" Vague asked of everyone

Twilight sighed, poured another glass, quickly downed it, and looked across at Pinkie Pie. "Ugh let's see..." she started. Then light bulb went off in her head, before a devious smirk showed up on her face. "Alright Pinkie, I got it. You're loud, obnoxious, completely random, and, oh let's see here... a bit of a one-trick pony."

Pinkie's expression went completely flat, as did her hair. Rainbow Dash figured whatever Twilight said was about to leave all of them in a world of hurt, hopefully not physically.

"You know, that can't be good, but I figure we're already too deep in this now so whatever. Rarity you're up," Blue Vague said, hoping he did not invoke something that should have been left bottled up.

Rarity took the bottle from Twilight and poured a glass for herself. "Alright then. Let's see, dear Red Blaze... you're standoff-ish, you hate talking to anyone about anything, and you have quite a bit of a temper."

Red Blaze looked off to the side in back of Pinkie Pie, eyes starting to burn with anger. Golden Storm decided to chime in, "Well... you do have a bit of a temper, baby." Which earned him a punch in the other foreleg, this time from Blaze. "Ow, damn girl, you hit harder than Vague." Which earned him a murderous glare from Vague. "Ok, seriously, what's up?"

Rainbow Dash had already taken a drink from her glass, Rarity having already graciously filled it; and internally telling herself this would probably be a long morning and a Unicorn should handle the bottle anyway. "What's up? Well just fact you don't know when to talk... and you seem to not have a serious bone in your body. That and you're an incorrigible flank-chaser. I dunno if you are half-human and half-Pony; or third-human, third-Pony, and third-skirt-hound."

Storm wondered why everyone was suddenly ganging up on him. Everyone else wondered where Rainbow Dash found the words 'incorrigible' and 'skirt-hound' from.

The bottle was now in Applejack's general vicinity, who, knowing her own limits after working around fermenting agricultural products much of her adult life, had hardly finished her first glass. "Well let's see there... Blue Vague. I wonder if ya picked that name cuz ya won't give a straight answer. Plus, ya seem to have a fetish for five-dollar words, which don't help. PLUS, I think ya tend to wax philosophical just a bit too much for my tastes."

Blue Vague just mouthed something silently, as he thought about what he was going to say when the bottle got around to him.

The white-aura'ed bottle drifted near Fluttershy, who not really knowing her own limits, was already on her fifth glass. "Hrm, Midori... I don't know what to say, honestly," she started, and Midori breathed a brief sigh of relief. "Well besides the fact that you are even more bi-polar than Pinkie Pie. Seriously, I don't know whose worse with the mood swings, you or her."

Midori just chuckled awkwardly as the blooms fell out of her hair. Vague levitated them aside onto a far away table, just in case things really got out of hand.

The bottle got next to Pinkie Pie, who snatched it out of the air and took a swig straight from the bottle's mouth. "You know, I don't know if I should be insulted, or complemented that little Miss Control FREAK called me 'random'. Little Miss 'I wouldn't know spontaneous if it came up and bit me square on my ass!"

Rarity simply huffed as she regained control of the wine bottle.

"Hey, I know random! I can be spontaneous! Can't I be spontaneous, Rarity?" Twilight asked nervously, hoping for some positive reinforcement.

Something she wouldn't get from the white Unicorn as she just shook her head silently.

"UGH! Why does everyone keep saying that?!" Twilight screamed as she stretched out on her back, visibly upset.

Red Blaze stared intently past the wine bottle, as she held out her glass to be filled. After such, she took a few extra moments to think of her comments for the purple-maned fashionista. "Hrm, so I don't like talking. Well, let's see... oh yeah, I'll talk. Talk about how you're vain, talk about how you can be quite shallow, oh and especially talk about how you're one of the biggest drama queens I've seen on this side of the Aura Barrier."

Rarity just silently glared at Blaze, who was more than willing to return fire as the white aura'ed bottle drifted next to Storm.

Golden Storm took a swift 'shot' from his glass, looking at the cyan and rainbow-maned mare. "You know I didn't think you'd have a problem with me, of all Ponies, R.D. I mean, we seem to have so much in common, well I guess aside from the fact that even at my worst, I'm not a self-aggrandizing braggart. Seriously, you're as much a glory-hound as much as I'm a skirt-hound."

Rainbow Dash flared her wings and puffed her chest, almost daring Storm to say something else. Rarity floated the bottle over to Vague, to see what he had to say about things.

Blue Vague took a slow drink from his glass as he finalized his thoughts; Rarity still with enough good grace in her to fill the glass once emptied. "Let's see Miss Jack. 'Won't give a straight answer,' I believe you said. I see it as just not being plain, like a certain orange Earth Pony mare. Plain speaking, plain personality, plain hairstyle... just plain... well.. everything."

Applejack snorted as she made a snide look at Blue Vague.

"Hey, I'm just saying..." Blue Vague said as he put his hooves up in a faux-defensive posture.

The bottle drifted to Midori Hana to complete the circuit, who was still giggling madly at the entire spectacle. "Oh man, this is just too funny..."

"What's funny, Miss Green." Fluttershy said derisively, the alcohol cutting off all the mental filters for social grace.

"First of all, Miss Midori to you. Second of all, This whole spectacle. THIRD of all, and back to you, the fact you had the nerve call me or Pinkie bipolar. Oh yeah, I heard the stories of how you seem to be really, really prone to bouts of rage. Like a certain incident back in the courtyard a couple of years ago..." Midori said, with a look on her face of 'bring it on'.

"Oh so that's how it's going to be, isn't it Miss Green." Fluttershy said, as the circle began to break up.

"Yes, I do believe it is going to be that way, Miss Not-So-Shy." Hana said, physically meeting the butter yellow Pegasus face to face.

"Ok, ok ladies... let's not go and do anything that'll have the hotel staff ready to throw us out on the street..." Storm said, trying to break up the altercation.

"SHUT UP!" both the butter-yellow and grass-green Ponies shouted at the approaching Pegasus stallion.

"Okay then..." said stallion replied, turning around and heading back for another glass of wine from an unopened bottle.

          The spectacle dragged on for a good while longer, as more of the wine got around and into all ten Ponies involved. As they say, all good times come to an end, and this little private party was no different. Although, it was hard to say most parties ended the way this one had.

Golden Breeze, good and inebriated, proceeded to confirm most of Rainbow Dash's suspicions of him. "Hey, now you said that I tended to, ahem, chase the flanks around. But you know I wouldn't do such a thing if they weren't worthy of being chased."

Rainbow Dash was also inebriated, but not to the same degree, and therefore retained the good sense to not immediately follow Storm down this line of thought. "Heh, I guess I should thank you, but you sure you should be saying stuff like that with your marefriend like... 10 lengths away from us?"

"Ah come on, what she doesn't know won't hurt her," he said, oblivious to the fact that they weren't exactly in a private setting, and therefore everyone could hear exactly what he'd been saying.

Red Blaze, burning with anger, thought at first to lift the drunk Pegasus up and slam him against the wall, but then figured property damage would come out of their pocket. She then thought to take the Festivus Pole and clock him upside the head with it, but then thought the hospital bill would also come out of their pocket. She then found Applejack strumming on a novelty guitar made of very thin wood, and found it the perfect instrument, if one would, to teach the Pegasus a little lesson in fidelity.

Blaze sauntered up to Applejack, clearly not wanting to draw Storm's attention. "Say A.J., could you do me a little favor..." She then whispered into Applejack's ear her little idea.

Applejack's ears perked up, and found it to be a perfectly humorous and succinct way to get Blaze's point across.

Blaze and Applejack then made their way behind Golden Storm, Applejack motioning to Dash to not move or say anything to tip them off. The other six onlookers just sat silently, also not wanting to tip Storm off to Applejack's presence or Blaze's intentions.

Blaze tapped Storm on his shoulder, which immediately caused Storm to wheel around and immediately assume a verbally defensive posture. "Oh... hey baby... um... how long were you standing there." Applejack moved out of Storm's direct line of sight, guitar along her side.

"Oh not that long..." Blaze responded, looking all the world like nothing was the matter.

"So, is anything wrong?" Storm asked nervously, still not noticing Applejack, now with guitar cocked in her hooves.

"Oh nooo, not at all. Well... maybe... just one little thing..." Blaze said, as she ducked out of the way to give Applejack a clear line of sight.

"Huh wh--" Storm started to say, before he was cut off by a bang that a wooden, toy, novelty guitar had no business making. Yet it did, as Applejack smashed said wooden, toy, novelty guitar atop Storm's cranium. Storm immediately fell to the ground in an unconscious heap,; the sudden impact, combined with the alcohol in his system, knocking him out cold.

"Welp, I guess that about brings this party to a close." Blue Vague said, as he magically un-stuck the aluminum pole from the floor, and Blaze drug the unconscious Storm away from the snapped guitar.

"Goodnight Seattle, you guys rock..." Storm murmured while being drug away to his room.

The other eight Ponies continued to clean up, thankful their little alcohol-fueled session didn't result in any further damage to the room they commandeered.

I wonder if I could use that idea for next year's Winter Moon Celebration.

Hopefully it doesn't end in the mass smashing of novelty guitars across our poor citizens’ heads.

**********

Author's Notes:  Just as a bit of personal indulgence, here is the video that inspired the ending sequence of this chapter: LINK

SS1-2: Spike's Gaiden 2

Chapter 18: Boom Goes The Dynamite

=== The Conversion Bureau: A New Age, A New Era ====== Chapter 18: Boom Goes The Dynamite ===

==* ACT I *======================

[ Equestria, January 5, ??? + 1 ]

        It had been a week since the ten Ponies, one Princess, and one fledgling Dragon resumed their usual daily routine. Golden Storm resolved to pay extra attention to Red Blaze, trying to make up for his alcohol-fueled flirting with Rainbow Dash. Princess Luna was concerned with other things, though.

"Conduits of Terra... I must congratulate you all on your progress in learning Equestrian Magic," Princess Luna began, her face all smiles for the time being.

All four Conduits were nervous, because that smile usually meant she had a new trick up her sleeve.

"However, I do not believe you have begun to accomplish what I originally set out for you all to do while here..." Luna continued.

The four Terran Ponies began to visibly quiver a bit, minds beginning to race at what Luna had in store for them.

"So, I believe I have to remind you all of just why you all are here in the first place. Hopefully that will be the proper catalyst," Luna stated matter-of-factly, silently motioning the Bearers of Harmony and Spike to clear the area.

"Um... so.. what would you ha--" Vague tried to say, before he was interrupted before suddenly struck completely silent. His eyes were nearly completely blank, only the outer rims glowing in the indigo-blue gradient of Luna's mane. Before any of the other three Conduits of Terra could think to protest, they all soon shared the exact same condition; while Luna's entire body covered in her cobalt blue aura.

"Twilight, please tell me you aren't the only one sensing that incredible surge of mana." Rarity said, just as nervous as Vague was before he fell entirely silent.

"To be perfectly honest, I have entirely no clue what this is. I've never seen Princess Celestia do anything like this while I was around her," Twilight Sparkle replied, trying to race through her encyclopedic knowledge of Explicit Magic to find something, anything similar.

"Even I can feel whatever Princess Luna doin’. This gotta be somethin' only an Alicorn can pull off," Applejack said, beginning to shake at the raw power being displayed.

==---==

        Blue Vague was in the home of a Dome Citizen, although it was nowhere near as nice as he'd imagine it. The entire place was dark, and wrappers from various foodstuffs littered the floor.

The least this guy or girl or whoever could do is keep their place clean, this is just sad... he thought as he walked through the halls.

When he got to a lit room, he saw a high-end terminal playing what looked like amateur video. As he entered the room, his ears picked up the sound of a male whimpering pitifully. Vague then decided that, since he was effectively a ghost in this place, he might as well get a closer look, just so he could see who he was dealing with.

He saw a somewhat sickly looking man, probably in his early 20s. He was holding a chemical photograph of himself and a woman, all the while crying miserably to himself. When Vague looked at the terminal, he saw the woman in the home movies was the same as the one in the photograph.

This is... this is just awful... I... even though I don't know this guy... even though he is a Domer... I can't help but feel his absolute despair...

"Christina... how could you leave me for him? I had just as much money as he did, isn't that what you wanted? I gave you everything you asked for... why did you leave me?  I did everything you asked, everything you wanted, but you still left me. Why?  Why?" the man continued to ask himself; mind searching for some kind of answer to why his apparent girlfriend just up and ended their relationship with no prior warning.

Vague was shaking, body overcome by the distinct feeling of drowning. In this case though, it was less he was experiencing drowning for himself, but more watching someone else drown.

I... I want to help... but... how am I supposed to help someone like this... I know what heand his cohorts did to the world... but still... I... I don't know... I don't know, Celestia... I don't know, Luna... What am I supposed to do?

        Golden Storm found himself on top of a high-rise public housing development. He looked around, surprised he couldn't directly sense the haze or anything else he should have, being so high up in the air.

Man, this is some kind of view... Beautiful and depressing at the same time...

As he walked around the roof-top, he saw someone else looking over the edge of the built up rooftop. It was a young lady who just stared out from the top of the sixty-story building. Golden Storm got a good look at her face, and it almost seemed blank; as if she was devoid of any real complex thought or emotion.

Ok, for someone as pretty as her, that look is just downright disturbing.

She stood up, her face betraying a small sense of quiet resolution. She propped herself up on the raised edge of the roof, wide enough to support all but the biggest of feet as she balanced herself there. It was as if she stood there, just waiting for something, anything to convince that what she was about to do wasn't the right, or even only decision she had.

No, no wait... UGH... what the... this... this oppressive depression. I... How... I don't even know this chick, but it's like I can feel everything she's going through in her head... Her mind is some kind of maelstrom, and it's ripping her apart...

"This is it I guess. No job, no boyfriend, no money, no nothing. So what's the point. If I disappeared, who'd grieve for me, not my dead parents I know that much. All this stress... all this emptiness... I'd never have to feel it again..." the young lady said out loud, appearing to try and talk herself into something she'd never be able to take back.

Ugh... please... don't... I know it's not good now... But this isn't the answer... But I don't know what is... Please, anyone, help me... I can't watch her do this, I need help...

        Red Blaze appeared in a back alley. She walked around for awhile, quickly figuring out that she was little more than a phantom in her current state. She then heard crashing and the shouting of a very angry young man nearby.

Wow, what's his problem... I don't know of too many things that could have someone that pissed off, quite frankly...

Blaze trotted along in her phantasmal form, finally finding the young man she heard screaming and cursing a storm. He looked like someone going into a full blown blind rage, throwing around trash cans and anything else light enough for him to pick up and toss around.

"How could he fucking do that do me. We were supposed to be boys, we were supposed to be tight. Then he just ditches me like that, fuck that!  FUCK HIM! I DON'T GIVE A FLYING FUCK ABOUT HIM OR ANYONE ELSE!" the young man shouted, still tossing trash can and overturning anything his 5'10" and 160 lb. frame would let him.

That blind anger, that rage... it's... Ugh, it's like a fire burning out of control... I'm getting pissed just thinking about it...

One of the supposed friends in question finally caught up to the young man.

"Hey Adam man, come on, you know how things are... we can still work things out though..." the second man said to the first, trying to get him to calm down in any way and see reason.

"NO, FUCK YOU! You stupid motherfucker! Do you know how long we've been tight, and then you just go and ditch me like that, I don't want to fucking hear anything from you right now!" Adam shouted back, growing closer to that blind rage.

I wish I could figure out just what the hell has himso hot, before I get angry myself... Blaze thought to herself as she watched this scene.

"Look man. He said that he had 2 slots open, but I needed to go with him right then and there. We both know how hard it is to get work outside of the military. You gotta believe me...", the young man told Adam, still trying to work him back down to some mental level resembling rational.

"I don't fucking care, you ditched me! We've been looking for this damn guy for two days trying to confirm our spots, and you just fucking left me! You probably just wanted that spot for yourself. No, no I got it... you were trying to find someone else besides me to be your partner. So who is it, Steven? Maybe it was Rakeem, or Juan, or even Anthony?"Adam shouted at Steven, approaching with a heart red hot and a mind completely irrational. He was quickly in Steven's face and grabbing him by the collar of his shirt, almost knocking Steven's portable computer off his arm.

"Dude, seriously, I don't know what the hell you're talking about. I just tried to go find the guy so I could bring him back. If I knew you were gonna get this pissed, I wouldn't have gone anywhere. Come on, seriously," Steven said back to Adam, trying not to shout and escalate things even further than they were already.

"No, you're fuckin' lying to me!!" Adam said as he threw Steven to the ground and kicked him once. Steven was doubled over in pain, and in no position to defend himself.

Adam went over and grabbed a trash can lid, with obvious ill intentions. "I'll show you motherfucker! I'll show you what happens when someone double-crosses me like this..."

This anger... this rage... please... Someone help me... I wanna make him stop, but I don't know how to do it... he's about to destroy a relationship, and possibly another human being...

        Midori Hana stared at the rather surprising sight she found herself in front of - a genuine 'farm'-house outside of the Domes. She walked around the grounds for awhile, but what she found didn't surprise her in the least. Row after row of plants, all sick or dead, most likely from the horrible soil conditions.

Trying to grow anything in these conditions is like trying to push a round boulder up a steep hill... she thought to herself, while she trotted back through the walls of the house, taking advantage of her phantasmal state.

Midori found the owner of the home lying in a bed. While he didn't appear sick of the body, she could tell he was plagued. After a few minutes of quiet observation, the man in question, unbeknownst to him, began to tell the green Earth Pony just why he appeared so sick.

"Two hundred years. My family has farmed in one way or another for two-hundred years. Survived droughts, survived the corporate mergers, survived everything. But now... all that's left my family's legacy is an heirless, unemployed fake farmer. Nothing is going to grow in this soil. I can't afford the nanomachines to fix the soil; and even if I could, more pollution would just leech into it."

This is awful, just awful...  he has so much pride, I can feel it... but I can also feel it ebbing away... like this situation is stealing his will to live...

He rose out of the bed for a few moments to look out the window overlooking his planting rows. He prayed every night for some kind of miracle, some kind of insight, some kind of anything that'd help him. But nothing ever came. All that he saw were the few plants he could find seeds for slowly dying before they could produce anything.

"That's all anything can do out here, die. Feels like some kind of greater metaphor, I guess. It's just hard to care anymore," he said out loud, not caring if anything heard him or not. He crawled back in his bed, honestly just wishing he was some kind of animal that could sleep 23 hours a day, anything to take him away from this crippling depression and lethargy.

He's just like those plants out there... He was planted in terrible soil, and how he's dying... It's like his heart is withering... and I can feel it too... It's too sad... I want to do something,but... what can I do like this... he can't even hear me talk in this form...

 ==---==

Pinkie Pie began quaking violently, her Pinkie Sense going off like a warning klaxon. "Whatever is going on definitely counts a doozy."

Soon after, all four of the Conduits of Terra began to glow in their respective colors, and all seven of the onlookers felt a mana surging that absolutely none of them recognized to that point.

"Ok, now if I can feel that coming, that definitely has to be something huge," Spike said, clawed hand on the ground, feeling the false ground under them quaking and the air around them starting to rush away from where the Princess and the Conduits were.

==---==

"W...why are you showing us this..." Blue Vague and the other Conduits said in unison, struggling to maintain some sense of self while being bombarded with emotions from the persons they were watching.

"I'm sorry Conduits of Terra, but the situation on the ground on Earth is in serious danger of deteriorating. We have to have you all ready to begin unsealing Terran Mana as soon as possible, before it becomes impossible for us to operate in that world," Princess Luna responded, maintaining her sense of calm, if for no other reason than to help the other four do the same.

The four then asked again in unison, "But why... why does... does it hurt so much?"

Luna quickly responded, hoping to inspire some insight into their burgeoning natures. "That is not my magic nor that Power's doing. That is your Empathy. After you all were converted, you all began to develop extremely strong senses of empathy, even if you did not realize it at the time. I have to remind you all just what you all left behind, and what you have to return to. This is something we all have to try and fix to the best of our ability, but you must understand the gravity of the situation."

The four stood silent for a few moments, still collecting their thoughts as they watched the images projected from the Earth. "Please, please, help us... help us help them..."

"We will, Conduits of Terra. We will not abandon you nor the Earth in your time of peril," Luna replied, starting to feel that otherworldly power well up in them.

That's it Conduits... I can feel it now too... You all are so close to the breakthrough... Keep going, you have to grasp that Power... and you have to keep that will to help your home world... Luna thought to herself as well.

Blue Vague then walked closer to the man, his phantasmal body turning into blue outline of himself, visible only to the  man he was observing. Said man saw this, and jerked back in surprise. Blue Vague stopped, noting his apprehension.

"Who... who are you. You look like one of those Ponies I see on the holo-vision, but you're not really here," the man said, more curious now than shocked.

"You're right. I'm merely a shadow, if you will, of one of them. I was sent here simply to observe, but I felt... I needed to say something before I return. I don't want you to give up on love. Even if that lady left you, I cannot believe she would have left you so abruptly if she was serious. Please, don't let yourself drown in self-pity because of the selfishness of another," Blue Vague said, hoping he could get through to him without much struggle.

The man sat there and thought for awhile, watching the blue outline of a Pony looking him right in the eye. Although he wanted to deny things, his heart knew better. "I... I... You're right... I've been crying for 3 weeks now. I've barely been able to work. But, but I can't stay like this. I got to move on, I got to go on to bigger things. Thank you, um, Pony shadow I guess..."

"Don't mention it... by the way, if you've been crying for three weeks straight, you might need this..."

Vague's light-shadow took one of the nearby cups and filled it with the most pure water imaginable. As Vague's light-shadow dissipated, the man took a drink from the cup.

"Oh my God... this has to be the best water I've ever drunk. It's... it's completely clean; can't taste any of the normal chemicals use to clean the water or anything. I guess those Ponies can do more than I thought..."

The man picked himself up off the floor, and walked over to the terminal.

"Fine... if she wants to go run off with some other guy, I'm not going to sit here and beat myself up over it anymore. Who knows what I lost with these 3 weeks I've spent doing that already..." he told himself as he began deleting the movies of him and his now ex-girlfriend.

Before the girl could take the final dive off the top of the roof, she felt a sudden gust of wind blow her backward onto the roof. She stumbled back onto the slightly slanted room, eventually landing on her rear. Her butt was sore, but at least she wasn't a smear on the sidewalk sixty stories below.

"Ok, where the hell did that come from?" she said, rubbing her backside from the sudden fall.

It wasn't too long until she focused ahead of her, and managed to see the golden-yellow outline of a Pegasus, like one of the ones she had been seeing around the outskirts of the city. He perched up on the raised edge of the roof, where she was standing a few moments before.

"Yeah, that was me. Let's just say that watching a pretty girl throw herself off a tall building, isn't my idea of how to spend a day," the outline of Golden Storm said in his usual semi-snide tone.

"But, you must have heard me. I don't have anything here, I'm just taking up space. Then it again sometimes I think we're all taking up space," she said, knees drawn into her chest as she sat there, hardly moving since her little spill.

"Not that I'm here to convince anyone, but there is another option if you truly feel there is nothing for you here. But you have to be alive to take that option. We can't exactly convert the dead, you know?"

She indeed had heard of Ponification, but thought that they wouldn't want someone as skill-less and overall useless as her. "What you would you do with someone like me. I hardly went to school before most of them shuttered. About the only good I can do is surf the 'Net to waste my time."

"Well, part of our thing is finding what your talent or skill is. So even if you don't know now, you can still at least try to find something. Even if you don't want hooves and a fur coat, you can still volunteer, maybe help someone else on their way?" Golden Storm said, hoping that those words would at least get her to reconsider.

She stood up, and walked over to the edge, and looked down. She could still see the faint smears of red on the pavement. Apparently others had the same thoughts, and now they truly couldn't take back their decisions. "Well even if I don't want to be a Pony like you all... I guess I could at least see what the whole fuss is about."

"Hey, sometimes you just need another person to talk to for awhile," Golden Storm said as his phantasmal outline disintegrated.

It's kinda funny. I wasn't just 'saved' by a Pony, but by the outline of a Pony. I guess someone was looking out for me at least... the young lady thought to herself, as she walked back to the elevator.

Adam raised the trash can lid up in order to slam on the doubled over Steven. But not before he heard a bang and saw a red flash of flame whizz past his line of sight. The sheer shock made him drop the lid behind him, away from hitting anyone.

"What... what the fucking hell was that?!" Adam said, now more shocked and surprised than furious.

The red outline of Red Blaze strolled up to Adam, now having backed up a good 15 feet. "You know if you want to see mad, I can really show you 'mad' right now..."

"What the hell, since when did the Ponies shoot fire, I never saw 'em do that!!" Adam shouted, now on the defensive against the ghost-like outline of Blaze.

Blaze buzzed Adam's head with another ethereal fireball. "Well it looks like you don't know as much as you think you did. Now, you mind calming yourself down so we can work out what is going on between you and this, Steven person?"

At a loss for anything else to do, Adam indeed backed down, and sat on the ground, away from the area where he had strewn refuse all over the ground. Eventually Steven got up and walked over, less angry at Adam and more just emotionally hurt.

Adam and Steven recounted the events that led up to the previous confrontation, all the while Adam legitimately calming down once Steven was allowed to fully explain his actions.

"I... I'm sorry Steven. It's just so hard man, I... I just want to help my family. Nobody has anything these days, except what little scraps we can get from the Domes. When I heard you went to go talk to that guy in private, I... I just stopped thinking," Adam said, voice beginning to quiver with remorse now.

Steven put a hand on Adam’s shoulder, in order to continue to calm him down. "It's alright man. Anyway, I did track him down; apparently the work is legit, and we can start as soon as we go and fill out the paperwork. It might not be much pay, but anything is better than nothing these days."

Blaze noticed her outline starting to fade entirely, signaling whatever she needed to do on Earth was done with. Before she left, she gave one last admonition, "Please, Adam, you have an amazing passion for life and a drive to succeed. But you need to temper that, otherwise it's going to flare up again, like it almost did just now."

With that Blaze completely faded into the ether. Adam and Steven began to leave the alley for the main street, hoping no beat cop found them to question why the back alley was strewn with trash.

The man in the 'farm'house was awakened by the sound of a female humming. When he went to the window, he saw a pair of things that surprised him a great deal. One, what looked like a light-scribed outline of a green Earth Pony; two, a few of his plants actually growing like normal plants should grow.

"Alright, did I fall asleep and start dreaming or something?" the would-be farmer said, head poked out the window.

Midori Hana turned around and smiled that wide grin that Equestrians had. "Nope, just doing a bit of a favor for you."

"Well I appreciate the sentiment, but it doesn't seem like you can work your magic over the whole field."

"Yeah, this form I'm really limited. But, at least I was able to fix a few of your plants."

The would-be farmer just chuckled out loud. He looked a the contrast between  how dead everything looked around the few bright green plants the green outline-Pony managed to fix for him. That started to thinking out loud.

"You know, sometimes I wonder if I just wasn't cut out for this world. But I'm a stubborn man. You might have heard already, but I come from a long line of farm folk," he said to the outline-Pony.

Midori Hana didn't know how to say what she was about to say, but felt she should just say it, and if he rejected it, then just leave it at that. "Well, you know, if you are willing to take the plunge, you'll probably be able to do some real farming, I guess, over in Equestria. At the very least you could help with others as they run their farms."

"Haha, yeah, you're probably right. I guess I just wanted to prove to myself whether I could or couldn't do it here; at least that’s what I told myself after you all started showing up almost a year ago. Then again, looking at things around here, it's probably that or just sit around here until the Reaper calls my number."

Midori Hana noticed her outline beginning to fade, which marked the end of this experiment. "Well I guess it's time for me to leave. But promise me that you'll think about it. I don't think anyone should have to stick around a place where they aren't going anywhere."

"Yeah, yeah I'll think about it..." he said as Midori's outline form faded entirely.

Being stuck in a placewhere they aren't going anywhere... Oh well I guess if I do go there, I'd find something to do other than tend dead plants and lie in bed all day... the would-be farmer said to himself, looking at some of the remaining photos of his relatives and ancestors.

The Conduits eyes were still glowing, feeling an amazing power surging through them. But now, it was their own Power starting to manifest, their eyes changing from a blank white to their own Element's respective colors

"Yes... yes we understand now... This is our fate... our destiny... our new Chapter to begin..." the four Conduits of Terra said in unison, feeling the Power the Robed Figure spoke of so many times; the medallions around their four necks proof of that. Their minds, their bodies, their very souls were starting to understand the nature of their power, and their coming mission.

==---==

        The Elements of Harmony were now manifest on the 'person' of their respective Bearers, and Twilight was beginning to gain some mild understanding of what was going on. "Ladies and Dragon, what is about to happen will probably shock all of us. But I think we are about to get our first real taste of Terran Magic."

"What, what do you mean, is Princess Luna trying to force them to use Terran Magic or something?" Rainbow Dash asked worriedly.

"No, I can feel both anguish and resolve in the four of them. Whatever Luna is doing isn't forcing them to use that power. It's more like... she's reminding them of something very sad, but it's triggering... well, whatever it is we are seeing," Fluttershy said, a stern look on her face she usually reserved for misbehaving pets or patients.

Pinkie Pie was still quaking rather violently behind the other six onlookers. "W-w-w-whatever the d-d-d-doozy is it still hasn't come yet. O-o-o-otherwise I s-s-still wouldn't be s-s-s-shaking."

Pinkie Pie would validated in her assessment, when they heard a deafening explosion from where Luna and the four Conduits of Terra were standing.

"Sweet Mother of Celestia, what was that?!" Rarity shouted, completely shocked by the thunderous noise, ducking to the ground and covering her ears with her forelegs.

"Well, whatever it was wasn't lethal... but... just... wow... you have to see this..." Applejack said, completely in awe at what she and now everyone else saw.

They all saw four columns of light stretching into the infinitely high, but false sky of the Training Field. Near the base of the four columns, they could clearly see the four Conduits of Terra, with Luna standing proudly in the center of them.

"The power of these blue waves..."

"The power of these red flames..."

"The power of these golden winds..."

"The power of this green earth..."

"These are our powers to wield... at the same time, these are not our alone to control..." The four Conduits of Terra all said, beginning to truly live up to their namesake.

Luna looked on at her four of her students, like a proud teacher watching someone march across the stage during graduation. "Those statements are all true Conduits of Terra. We all must learn together -- just what is this Power you all have been granted access to?"

Blue Vague eyes returned to normal first, hearing Luna's statement bringing him back to 'reality' as the light pillars dissipated. "What do you mean Princess?"

Soon the other three Conduits began to return to 'normal', all the while the six Bearers of Harmony returned to their general vicinity, alone with Spike.

"Woah, you guys, whatever Power you have, it felt insane," Spike said, whole body quaking as if he had Pinkie's Pinkie-Sense.

Why is that, Power or whatever they call it, making me shake like this. I don't get it, I really don't. But something is making me want it, and bad... Spike thought to himself immediately afterward, eyes momentarily flashing even more reptilian features before returning to normal. He could tell his body wanted something that it knew it couldn't have, at least not yet.

"Yeah, Luna was showing us some stuff, and then suddenly, everything just kinda... clicked, I guess. It's hard for us to explain really," Red Blaze said, looking at the now brightly colored Element of Fire around her neck.

"Well I guess it says we are enough Pony to channel the Terran magic now, not entirely sure myself," Golden Storm thought out loud.

Midori Hana was already contemplating other things. "Either way, at least these things are active now, so I guess we just have to figure out what we can do with them."

Indeed, Conduit of Earth, that is task set before you... began a voice familiar to all but Spike. The Robed Figure appeared at about ground level, even with everyone's natural line of sight. She then continued. To be perfectly honest, there is no way I can direct you in telling you how to use The Power of Terran Magic, in terms of specific spells or techniques to use. The best advice I have for you all is this - Will must control Power. You have to develop an idea for how to use that Power, and then have the Will to execute that idea. Otherwise, the Power will not do what you intend for it to do...

The Robed Figure then disappeared as soon as she appeared.

"Ok, so who was that. The Voice or whatever that's been giving you those cryptic messages?" Spike asked, not thinking to ask the figure himself while she was there.

Twilight Sparkle was already started to contemplate the meaning of the Figure's words when she answered Spike. "Yeah, she showed up to us like that a couple of months ago before we came back to Equestria. I guess the fact she decided to appear means our four Earth friends have indeed made some breakthrough in using Terran Magic."

"Well I guess figuring out how to access it counts as a breakthrough. I mean before we felt bits and pieces of it; well, aside from those incidents with me and Storm," Blue Vague reasoned, all the while thinking of how he could use his Water Magic.

Princess Luna was still contemplating everything, and eventually came to a course of action for the near term. "In lieu of these events, I feel that we all need some time to go over things. So we will have a standard training session, although three hours instead of the usual six. After that, we should all take some time to think about how to proceed starting tomorrow. I'm sure the Conduits would agree -- merely unlocking access to their new Power is not enough to execute the unsealing properly."

The Conduits and then everyone nodded in agreement, and the training sessions resumed as normal, but now with the air of the mostly unknown power residing in the four Conduits hanging over everyone's heads.

==* ACT II *=====================

[ Equestria, January 6, ??? + 1 ]

        The next day in the Training Field began as usual, except there weren't any pre-defined exercises or areas set up. Instead, in the center of the field was a spot for ten Ponies, one Princess, and a fledgling Dragon to all sit comfortably.

Luna began to speak. "Good morning my little Ponies. Due to the events of yesterday, the training schedule from this point forward will be less, how can I say, regimented. Since Terran Magic is heretofore unknown to anyone here, sadly including myself, I feel the best way we can proceed is to just completely 'wing it', as it saying goes."

Everyone else looked at each other with varying degrees of confusion.

"To attempt to clarify, what I am saying is that we will have to develop our practice methods as we go. But I believe that I have a good idea for how to start things. Conduits of Terra, I want you all to think of what would be the best way to demonstrate what you believe your Magic should be able to do, and we will see if you can actually do that," Luna said, stroking her chin some. She figured that would be the best way to proceed in this blind-leading-the-blind situation.

Everyone agreed, for lack of better ideas. A short while passed, all of the Conduits of Terra deep in contemplation about how to try and start showing what their power could do.

        Red Blaze was the first to come up with an idea. "Say Princess Luna, I have an idea. Could you make this for me?" She then trotted up to Luna and whispered into her ear the idea. Luna agreed and announced her intentions to the rest of the group.

"Arlight everyone, Red Blaze has come up with an idea for her demonstration..." Luna began to announce, before transforming the Training Field. A somewhat shallow but fairly wide pit, three lengths deep but twenty lengths wide appeared in front of the area where everyone was sitting, which Red Blaze went to stand in the center of. Luna gave her a pair of safety goggles, which she then put on, and many machines appeared at various points going out into the field.

Luna then completed her announcement. "The demonstration Red Blaze planned is for her to shoot down clay ‘pigeons’ using her Fire Magic, developing the idea from human firearms practice. So, whenever you are ready, dear."

Red Blaze took a deep breath and began to concentrate. Everyone could see the red magic circle appear under her.

Alright Blaze, like the Figure said, just concentrate on making something...

Then six fireballs appeared, floating over her back in a ring. They stood still, burning from the mana being fed instead of some physical fuel. "Woah, that was... weird. I just thought for them to appear and poof, there they are..." Red Blaze turned around to say, fireballs remaining still in the air.

Everyone else applauded, impressed by the display.

Blaze took another breath, to steady herself and her mana flow. "Alright Princess, I guess I'm ready as I'm gonna be. So let it rip!"

Everyone drew quiet, as they heard a buzzer go off and a clay disc launched into the air from one of the nearby machines. Red Blaze took a brief moment to judge the trajectory, and when she felt the time was right, launched a fireball to meet it. It was a direct hit, the clay disc exploding on impact into a fine cloud of pale gray dust.

"Skeet shooting with fireballs, not a bad idea girl!" Storm shouted to Blaze, unsure if she could hear him.

After shooting down a couple more discs and replenishing her fireballs, Blaze responded. "Yeah, I thought of it last night. I figured that this would be something simple, yet effective."

The demonstration went on, Blaze shooting down the clay pigeons with frightening accuracy. After fifty were launched, Luna decided that would be enough for the time being. "That was a very impressive display of marksmanship. You ended up downing 47 of the 50 targets, while using 59 shots, if my counting was accurate, Conduit of Fire."

"Yeah, I don't want to go too far with this on the first day, I don't want to think fireball and end up with a flamethrower. That will have to be saved for another time when I'm more used to this Fire Magic," Blaze said with the utmost confidence, putting her safety goggles back on a table near Luna.

        Golden Storm picked up the goggles next, and began his demonstration. "Alright, I got this idea thinking back to my Air Force days. When I first took flight, I kinda thought of myself like a living airplane. Now, let's see how I do as a living fighter jet." He zoomed up to a platform.

Alright, I guess this is time for me to show off... he thought to himself, as he began making the mana links along his body, some of his feathers turning a pale yellow instead of their usual golden-yellow color.

He flared out his wings into a still position, gathered up all his speed and courage, and ran full-tilt over the edge of the platform.

"Wait, Rainbow Dash, how can he fly like that? I don't feel any trace of Weather Magic coming off him," Fluttershy said, face full of concern at this crazed stunt of his.

Her and anyone else's concern were quickly alleviated when they felt the impulse of Terran magic, and Golden Storm zoomed off like a jet kicking in its afterburners. His face full of mirth and confidence as he was flying completely under the influence of his Wind Magic.

"Judging by that yellow contrail behind him, that answers why we couldn't feel any Weather Magic off him when he took off. He looks like one of the human airplanes flying like that, hardly having to move his wings at all," Rainbow Dash said, smirking all the while. Rarity couldn't tell if she was mad, jealous, or just amused by the human-turned-Pony's display.

        Golden Storm sped along, the long yellow trail of Terran Wind Magic showing his path. He then saw the targets Luna devised for him, jet fighter-shaped clouds.

Alright, let's see if I can make two things work at once...

His fore-hooves began to take on the same bleached yellow color as some of the feathers in his wings, as he stretched his forelegs out in front of him.

"Here we go!" he shouted as pulses of slightly yellow colored air shot from the edges of his hooves. The impact against the cloud-planes causing them to immediately 'explode' into puffs of water vapor.

"That's impressive... although I think he's just using the Wind Magic to fly in order to prove a point," Rainbow Dash said, somewhat bemused by Storm’s fighter jet mimicry.

"Well it ain't like you wouldn’t the same thing R.D. Maybe ask him how he flies like that, whenever they unseal their Magic for everyone," Applejack replied, nonplussed at Dash's apparent attitude.

Rainbow Dashed sighed as she watched the golden-yellow Pegasus doing barrel rolls in the air, while popping the balloon-like cloud-planes with his air-bullets. "Yeah, to be honest I am a bit jealous. I guess because he's taking to the air in a way that I can't, at least not yet anyway." She made a resolution then to learn that technique of flying as soon as she possibly could.

Golden Storm began to descend to the ground after the display, not wanting to exhaust his Terran mana supply in case Luna wanted him to pull some more tricks later. He finally un-stiffened his wings as he cancelled the spells, returning his whole body back to its natural golden-yellow color.

"Oh man, I'm gonna have to work on that technique. Holding my wings stiff like that actually hurts, like a lot..." Storm said, shaking his head, but glad he proved to himself that at least his idea of flight was sound, if a bit difficult to pull off for sustained periods.

"I was wondering why exactly you were trying to fly like that. But you did it, and now you made me want to do it too," Rainbow Dash said, getting over the pangs of jealously reasonably quickly.

Golden Storm laughed for a little bit at the sentiment. "Hah, well I dunno. Like I said, trying hold the wings stiff like that hurts -- a lot. It might be more useful for other things though."

        After cleaning up the area for leftover cloud-stuff, a ring about 40 lengths wide and 10 lengths deep was carved out of the grounds some distance from the spot where everyone was sitting. Midori Hana donned the safety glasses, as well as a vest and boots for this demonstration. "Alright, well I hope this goes as well as myself and Luna planned it. See you all in a bit." She cheerily walked away, and down some temporary stairs into the pit.

Blue Vague watched with intent as the stairs rose out of the pit and sat to the side. After such, a rather large stone block appeared on the side of the ring opposite of Hana.

"Are you ready to proceed? Remember, if at any point you want the demonstration to stop, just say so," Luna asked, horn glowing ready to activate whatever said block was.

"I'm ready, and don't worry. If it's too much I'll back out," she turned around and replied. She still sounded full of cheer, but now it was tempered with anticipation.

With a quick flash of Luna's horn, the stone device rumbled to life. It quickly morphed into a golem, about 4 lengths tall, the size of a rather tall and stocky human male.

"Ok so she's gonna fight that thing?" Applejack wondered out loud.

"That sounds about right, but I wonder how she's gonna fight it. If this is her Earth Magic demo, then I guess there is a condition or something," Pinkie Pie figured.

I just hope she doesn't get overzealous and get herself hurt or anything... Blue Vague just wondered to himself.

        The golem jammed its hand into the ground, and threw a fair sized boulder at Midori, which she easily dodged. Midori, wanting to demonstrate her new power, instead of bucking the golem to pieces, began to channel her Earth magic. Her face showed a few bleached green runes, but most were around her hooves. She picked up a shattered piece of the boulder that just missed her in one hoof, and slung it back at the golem. The golem dodged by jumping, and the battle was on.

Alright Luna, don't go too hard on me now with this... Hana thought to herself, the cheer turning into determination.

The battle went on for a couple of minutes, both having scored shots on each other, but the Golem clearly worse for wear, missing a good chunk of its torso. Hana, protected by the safety gear, only had a few scuff marks on the hoof-boots and vest to show for the golem's hits.

"At first, I was wondering how this was going to work. But I think I see what is going on," Blue Vague said while watching his girlfriend battle the training golem.

"So how is this workin' Vague?" Applejack asked, interested in this very unsubtle display of magic by an Earth Pony.

Blue Vague closed his eyes to read the mana patterns to make sure his assumptions were right. "Well, I guess the best term for it is tactile telekinesis. Hana appears to be able to handle the small rocks just by touching them with a hoof, at least as long as her Earth Magic is strong enough."

"Hey, I guess that's how we hold some things with our hooves as well, although I don't think we can manage anything that heavy," Pinkie Pie quipped up, recognizing the term somehow.

The battle raged on for a few minutes more; Hana intermittently screaming, as best everyone else could manage, some kind of war-cry or other. While Hana was a lot more scuffed up now, including a few nicks along the uncovered parts of herself, the golem was heavily damaged, hardly able to hold itself together.

Alright Golem, time to finish this thing off... Hana thought to herself, ready for the coup-de-grace.

She circled around the golem at a quick pace, who was still trying to throw its boulders or its arms at her to stop her, but to no avail. She then took a big leap into the air, getting a good six lengths into the air, before crashing and striking the ground with a green glow. After a brief pause, they saw the golem utterly wrecked by an explosion of granite spikes. What was left of the golem lay 'life'less, either near the base of the formation or impaled on the spikes.

"Wow, that was an impressive ending flourish," Rarity said, marveling at the quality of the brown granite, streaked with Midori's green Earth Magic.

"Definitely something I want to avoid gettin' hit by," Applejack added, surprised by Midori's combat instincts.

A short while later, after taking off the safety equipment and having her nicks attended to, Hana talked a bit with Applejack about her performance. "So what did you think out there AJ?"

"I think you have a good handle on what you want to do with your Earth Magic. You also have pretty good combat instincts," Applejack said, noting how she seemed to flow with the golem's attacks.

Hana quickly dispelled any notion that she had some special fighting insight. "Oh no, that was just me playing it like a video game. If that was a real fight, I honestly don't know what I would have done."

        Blue Vague took a few more moments to think about his demonstration, and finally settled on an idea. A short while later, he appeared in a shallower, blue tile lined version of the pit, the same size across, but only 2 lengths deep. Luna sat in a raised seat overlooking the round pool. Vague sat in the center of the pool; filling the pool with enough water to hinder his movement, yet not cause him to start floating. He then lined his body with runes similar to two before him, bleached blue against his already blue coat and hooves. He walked through the water as if it weren't there, and took his position sitting in front of a floating green-painted goal, which was moored by Luna's magic to the pool floor. Across from him sat a red-painted goal, unguarded by anyone, and moored to not move by the same magic. Luna then threw a turquoise crystal into the pool, which then quickly formed a svelte looking humanoid figure made from Vague's water; but with its own, admittedly limited, intelligence.

Blue Vague then turned around to address the onlookers. "This demonstration is a simple concept. This won't be direct combat against the Water Golem you see before you, but more of a game. The object is to be the first to score eleven goals. The rules are that each side has 20 seconds to try and put the ball in the opponent's goal. The participants can use any means they can manage to put the ball in the goal, but they cannot cross the floating barrier halving the pool."

The water-golem made a thumbs up gesture, agreeing to the terms of the game.

with that, Luna conjured up a pair of scoreboards, one for the participants, and another, larger one for the onlookers about 20 lengths away. Then she threw a ball into the pool, and blew a horn to start the match.

"So how is Vague supposed to play this game? I can see he can move in that water well enough, but I doubt he could throw a ball hard enough to get in past that water-golem," Twilight thought out loud, as she looked at the projected images above the scoreboard for them all.

"Well, I guess that has something to do with his Water Magic. I'm guessing him and that golem are coming up with some tricks using the water in that pool," Hana responded, drinking some water out of a glass, recovering from her exertion against the stone golem.

Indeed, both were. Andre started by throwing the ball off to the side, and using a burst of water the throw the ball across the line of sight of the golem. When he finally made his attempt on the goal, it was blocked by the golem, but barely. The golem quickly returned fire, but a quick wall of water on Vague's part resulted in a wasted possession for the golem.

"Yeah we better settle in, this might be awhile..." Golden Storm remarked, figuring that match could drag on for awhile.

        Ten minutes had passed, and the game was tied at 5-5. Vague had scored most of his goals on rebounds, while the golem got a pair on a couple of shots that Vague took a bad angle on blocking.

Hrm, Luna made this thing pretty smart, it's giving me a good match and seems to be trying to pick up on my tricks... Vague thought to himself, feeling the groove of the match.

"You know this is pretty fun to watch. Might be a fun game to play if we all had the same Water abilities, too..." Golden Storm said while munching on a celery stalk.

Pinkie Pie was impressed with Vague's creativity in this regard. "This is a perfect game for a pool party, although we'd need a pretty big pool if we wanted to play this with teams."

A few minutes later, the scoring at picked up, with both participants using a lot of tricks and twists to score the ball. The game was now at 9-8 in favor of the golem.

Oh so it's going to be like that isn't it... Vague thought to himself, hoping he could pull off the coming trick.

He floated some water up in the air, floating it around in front of the goal while using fountains to keep the golem's attention occupied. When he finally drew the golem out from the goal, he tossed the ball at the floating 'puddle' of water, which acted as a pinball bumper, shooting the ball into the goal from behind [9-9 tie]. The match continued, with both sides getting in another goal [10-10 tie], and setting up a sudden death scenario.

"So who do you think has the advantage here?" Rainbow Dash asked, definitely into the game.

"Well, I'd guess the golem, since you really can't read it's expression; heck I don't think it can even make one," Applejack responded.

The golem held the ball for a long time during its possession, trying to psyche out Vague. It worked, as the ball went in past him before he could generate a fountain. However, Luna, acting as referee, disallowed the goal, stating the golem's shot clock expired before the ball was in the air. The golem protested as much as a mute, expressionless golem could, but the replay proved Luna right. Vague just sighed in relief that he didn't lose to an artificial intelligence, at least not on that exchange.

Alright, it's time to end this... I hope I can pull enough mana to do this right, I only got one shot to surprise it... Vague thought to himself; knowing if this drug on any further, he'd be too exhausted to properly defend.

Blue Vague's runes began to glow, as he floated three different blobs of water up in the air, each at a different level. He passed the ball along a few burst at pool level at first, the golem trying to retreat back to its, goal to cut off any angle

Fifteen seconds left...

He then bounced the ball up in the air, just out of the reach of the golem for a few seconds more.

Ten seconds left...

He then used the last blob to whip the ball around to build up speed for a few more seconds.

Five seconds left, here goes nothing...

Vague then launched the ball down at the goal, but not directly across the plane. The golem, thinking Vague had made a error in calculation, lunged at the ball to smother it and run out the rest of his clock. To it and everyone else's surprise, the ball, instead of landing, skipped off the face of a nearly solid patch of water and back into the goal, winning Blue Vague the match [11-10 BV]. The golem looked as dejected as an expression-less golem could, before it dissolved back into the control core, which Luna retrieved and put away.

Vague shook the water out of his fur as he climbed out of the pool, definitely appreciating the opportunity to show off, and get some exercise in a clean pool, which he hadn't been able to do since he was a kid.

He and Luna trotted back to the common area, where everyone thanked him for the entertaining exhibition.

"So where did you get the idea for that game? It looked familiar," Golden Storm asked, now drinking some tangerine juice.

Blue Vague put the safety goggles on the table as he answered the question. "Well, I got the idea when I was thinking of different pool events at the Olympic Games. Finally, my mind came across 'water polo' and I thought 'Well, worth a shot."

"You're definitely gonna have to teach me how to play when get some more time off..." Applejack said, loving the idea of another sport she could participate in.

Princess Luna called everyone to attention. "My little Ponies, those were wonderful displays of ingenuity, as well as a fairly robust demonstration of your powers. I feel confident that we will all be able to figure Terran Magic out, if we can continue on in the manner that we have. Conduits of Terra, do not lose that creative spark, but do not let your minds wander too far either. Bearers of Harmony, pay close attention to the creativity they all show, because we will all have to show that mental flexibility before long."

        The rest of the day continued on, each practice group coming up with different ideas for the Conduits, and the conduits executing those ideas to varying levels of success or failure.

Princess Luna watched each group trying out different ideas as the Training Field session wore on, contemplating how adaptable Terran Magic appeared to be, just like its originators.

Such an amazing and diverse power Terran Magic is. It appearsto only be bound by the imagination and the will of its user, so much like Equestrian Magic. These two schools cannot be that different, so what happened to have that Robed Figure seal it away on Earth so long ago?

==* ACT III *======================

        The Conduits of Terra were making fairly good progress at channeling Terran Magic. They spent the last six weeks developing spells and techniques to help them in their daily lives, and with some of the requests of the Bearers of Harmony. The Bearers of Harmony wondered what would happen whenever the Conduits attempted to unseal Terran Magic for everyone to use, in theory anyway. Would they have to spend time imagining the same spells? Could the Terrans transfer the spells like Unicorns could with Explicit Magic? There were so many unknowns for everyone involved, especially Twilight Sparkle, so seemed to take on the mission of trying to catalogue and analyze every spell the Conduits came up with.

        The Conduits themselves were concerned for more personal reasons. Despite their abilities, they were still unable to properly earn their Cutie Marks. Even though their abilities were a school of magic that no one had seen for millennia, it was apparently not enough to qualify. Eventually, they all developed a theory on what the problem might be - they were not exploiting their abilities to a sufficient degree. Eventually all four came agree upon a solution - to put on the biggest show they could, using both their Equestrian and Terran Magic. They figured if they were meant to harmonize the two schools within themselves, then why not a grand demonstration of such?

[ Equestria, February 17, ??? + 1 ]

        While the Conduits were concerned with kind of performance could earn then their Cutie Marks, and the Bearers concerned themselves with how they would learn Terran Magic, if they could, after the unsealing, the Princesses of Equestria were concerned with something a little more... global.

"This is not good... some of the reports we are getting for our thaumatologists on Earth are showing something very wrong with the mana flow there," Luna said, while in a private conference room with her sister.

"Hrm, there shouldn't be a problem there, since Earth's Magic was supposedly sealed..." Celestia thought out loud, hoping the response wasn't the one she suspected.

Luna sighed, sensing Celestia's apprehension about the coming news. "That's entirely what the issue is, the fact that there is a distinct flow of magic of any kind coming from the Earth. Whatever seal that there is on Earth's Magic is dangerously weak now."

Celestia looked up at the wall, a large ornate clock showing the current date on Earth and the arrangement around its Sun and current lunar phase. "How long do you think the Earth has before a total failure of the seal?"

"I would wager a little over a month, most likely some time after the March Equinox," Luna responded, double checking the projections in her own head.

"Do you believe your four students are capable of properly removing the seal and regulating the flow, as they are now?" Celestia asked, eyes almost looking past her sister, into some unknown future.

Luna responded the best way she knew how. "That is honestly a hard question to answer. I feel they are not far away from starting the path to truly harmonizing Terran and Equestrian magic, but they have to believe it for themselves. There is a reason why none of them have found their Cutie Marks to this date, despite wielding a form of Magic neither world as seen for eons. So I would have to wager that they would have extreme difficulty unsealing the Terran Mana, until they negotiate this mental block."

Celestia developed a wide smirk on her face for a brief moment, before returning to a normal expression. "I believe your four students are coming to a similar conclusion. I wouldn't be surprised if they decided to attempt some grand display of their new abilities; they have to prove they are worthy of this Power as much to themselves as they do to anyone or anything else."

Luna lowered the papers down, enough so that her eyes were looking straight into Celestia's. Luna figured that Celestia had divined some kind of insight, being the better reader of the future of the two. She then looked at the clock - it was close to 8:30 AM, and it would soon be time for herself to begin the training session for the day. "I don't know what you see, dear sister. I just hope it's something that truly points the way forward."

With that said, Luna filed the records away, and vanished.

I certainly hope it points us forward as well, Sister. Celestia thought to herself, as she went to the throne room to formally open up business for the day.

We can't fear this power any longer; it's our to wield, and wield it we will. If this is one of the things we have to do to master it, then let's do it!

        After starting a half hour late, as per the request of the Conduits of Terra, they explained their plans to Princess Luna.

"Hrm, so you want to show both of us something you believe will be of interest to us?" Luna began, as she mulled over the request.

Midori Hana used the most pleading look she could manage. "Yes please, Princess Luna. We feel this is something that both you and Princess Celestia should watch, along with the Bearers of Harmony and Spike."

"She is co-ruler of Equestria, so nothing happens unless she agrees to it, although I think she will be able to attend, she usually takes a while for lunch," Luna replied, as she began to contact her sister telepathically.

Sister, the Conduits of Terra have a request of you.

Aren't you in your Training Spaceat the moment?

Yes, anyway, apparently your divination wascorrect. They want to put on a performance for all nine of us-ourselves, the Bearers of Harmony, and their Dragon compatriot.

I do believe I can make time for them; after all, they are the crux of this current phase of operations as it were.

I am glad to hear that, so when should you arrive?

"How about right now?" Princess Celestia said, manifesting in the Training Space almost immediately after Luna asked.

Everyone else was shocked that she arrived so soon after asking.

"I never get used to that, and I was her student for all those years," Twilight said, quickly getting over the sudden appearance of her teacher and mentor.

Blue Vague then approached the Princess of the Day, nervous as all get-out, but resolute to ask her himself. "Um, Princess Celestia. Myself and the others were thinking, well... okay, we were thinking that we would put on a big performance and demonstration of everything that we've learned to this point. We've been practicing here and outside for the last 3 months straight, give or take; yet, we haven't found our Cutie Marks. Despite this, we feel strongly in our souls that they are directly related to our Terran Magic. So we figure, one big blowout performance, to prove to you all and ourselves, that we’ve come far enough along to truly be worthy of the title ‘Conduit of Terra’."

Princess Celestia thought for few moments. "I do not see any fault with that logic. Also, I have been meaning to ask for a demonstration of your abilities for myself. So I yes, I will attend this performance."

All four of the Conduits jumped for joy at the news, and rushed over to Luna to set the stage for the performance.

        A few minutes later, after some deliberation with Luna, the stage was indeed set. All nine of the viewers sat in an amphitheatre like setting; the entire space beyond that was flat and featureless and the grounds a pale gray, as if the entire area beyond the seats were made of bleached dirt. The sky was rendered dark with spotlights, Luna acting as both observer and stage-hand for the four Conduits.

        High noon came, and all four Conduits appeared from behind colored curtains, made to look similar to the capes they received from Rarity, who appreciated the touch of showmanship. Blue Vague spoke up, voice enhanced by the stagecraft orbs Luna had floating around.

"This performance will occur in five parts, each of us will give an individual performance, before we conduct a joint exercise to close the show. We hope that you all enjoy what is about to occur before your eyes."

        The stagelight-orbs changed their white light to blue, as Blue Vague agreed to go first. The other three Conduits cleared out from the area, as a giant pool, 75 lengths deep and 200 lengths across, was carved out by Luna's control over the sub-space. Vague stood on a fairly wide platform in the center of the pool, as his horn glowed blue and his body became covered in bleached blue runes. Within a few moments, giant geysers shot up from behind him, as the pool rapidly filled with water. Blue Vague raised a single hoof, and a titanic geyser shot up, followed by another, and another. Then he angled a pair of fountains together to form a larger fountain pointing straight up, forming an inverted-Y shape. He followed that up by having two geysers fire off at an arc, forming a complete loop of water in mid-air. He then caused the platform to retreat to the back, and form a ramp along the edge of the pool. He walked on top of the surface of the water, using a mix of his Terran and Explicit Magic to reduce his own weight while dramatically increasing the water tension.

Feels like I'm trying to walk on a stiff waterbed...

        He walked along the surface of the water, the proceeded to break out into a trot around the pool. He continued to pick up speed along the water's surface, triggering fountains as he galloped around the edges. He made sure to punctuate certain steps, causing waves to crash around and inside the pool, as the edges became banked to allow the water to flow back in. He stopped and stood for awhile to gather himself, before across the pool. When he reached the edge, a wave shot up, high enough for him to skid upward some on, and turn around head back into the other direction. Soon enough, he was at the other side, where the same thing happened. Eventually, he was hydroplaning along the surface of the water, going higher and higher at the edges like a skateboarder in a half pipe. He began doing aerial tricks off the 'solid' water he was 'skating' on, trying his best to mimic some of the old footage he could remember watching while on Earth. He continued going higher and higher, doing more and more complex tricks. To close out his section, he turbo-charged his solid-water wakeboard, launching himself up and backwards towards the center of the pool, where he dove in, wakeboard crashing against the surface and turning back into plain water. The Bearers gasped for a brief moment, before they saw Vague doing a forehoof-stand on a bubble as he rose back above the surface. The bubble floated towards the front of the pool, where he dismounted and landed clean on his hooves after a short front flip. All of the observers and the other three Conduits clapped as the stage area returned to its normal bleached gray 'dirt'.

The stage-lights turned to red, indicating that Red Blaze was the next to perform.

        Red Blaze stood on a platform similar to Vague, except her's was elevated over a bed of coals. Her horn began glowing a hot red color as bleached red runes appeared all over her body. A massive, transparent red magic circle covered the coals, as the entire bed ignited into beautiful red-orange flames. Charging more mana into the circle, the flames rose to a good 3 lengths above the head of Blaze, who was entirely unaffected by the heat, protected by the runes all over her body. She started by forming some of the flame in to giant balls, which she held in each hoof while standing up on her hind legs, and others orbited near her. The threw the balls up into the air, which exploded into hundreds of flares, all of which were still under Blazes control. The flares danced in sequence, some forming Equestrian characters, as if she was controlling a marching band made of relatively tiny flames. The mixture of Unicorn and Fire Magic was making it relatively easy for her to keep the fireballs in configuration, and even throw more into the mix. They marched and formed English and Russian words as well, as well as vague outlines of all the Bearers of Harmony.

Man, this is hard, but it's gonna be so worth it...

        She dismissed the flares back into the larger pool of flames, as she began the second half of her performance. Blaze began to wave a hoof around, as flames began to swirl wherever she pointed. As she drug a hoof in an arc, suddenly prominences and flares began to jump and dive all across the pool of flame, resembling the roiling surface of a star now (though nowhere near as hot). She then began to direct the flames into ever increasingly complex patterns across the the air from one end of the flame-pool to another. Some traveled in sine waves. Others formed geometric shapes before diving back into the pool. A few even formed short words, as if she was writing in a long cursive stroke with each stream of fire. Eventually, she spelled her name in English across the stage in flames, "Red Blaze", in large, impressive cursive script. She took a few deep breaths, as she readied for her big finale. She levitated the pool of flame, raising the entire magic circle up, leaving only red and black smoldering coals along the floor of the stage. She then condensed the flame into a lone, impressive fireball, one that was a good 5 lengths in diameter. She then kept compressing the fireball, eventually squeezing it down into a white-hot ball only a quarter of a length in diameter. She raised the ball high in the sky, and cancelled the compression spell. The ball completely exploded with an impressive bang and a red wave of light; showering the entire area with impressive, but harmless red sparks, most of which faded before ever reaching the ground. The onlookers applauded again, as she took a curtsy and walked out of view, allowing Luna to reset the stage again for the next performer.

The stage-light orbs turned green, as Midori Hana walked into view, the next performer up.

        Midori Hana walked up with a saddle bag full of various seeds, and set it next to the ground beside her. She traced several circles before continuing, coming to stop with her saddle bag in the main ring. Her body began to glow briefly, as the bleached green runes appeared on her body, followed by five Magic circles where she traced out their borders in the ground earlier. Soon each circle began to produce a gigantic pillar of the most fertile growing soil, compacted enough to not crumble in a heap due to pull of its own weight. Hana began throwing seeds of all kinds all over the pillars, with seemingly no rhyme or reason to them. There was a method to her madness however, as she began pouring out an amazing amount of mixed Earth and Earth Pony magic, causing all the plants in question to grow extremely rapidly. Soon each tower of soil was covered in green shoots, the towers themselves connected by large, sturdy vines.

Alright, now comes the tricky part, let's hope I get this sequencing right...

        Hana then began walking down the vines, showing incredible balance, until she stood in front of the five pillar formation. She then began to wave her hooves in the air, as if she was writing in the air. A few moments later, the flowers began to bloom on the pillars, in the same exact patters as what Midori was drawing in the air. Midori was, in effect, writing with flowers she was causing to bloom herself, and in Japanese no less, with mostly correct stroke order on top of it! She ended up writing out her Equestrian name in the original Japanese characters: 緑花 . Running back up to the top of the highest pillar, a good 30 lengths high, she then began pouring out more mixed magic. In turn, it caused everything else she had planted to that point to grow and/or bloom. Shrubs now topped each tower, which were draped in flowers of all kinds and colors, as well as all kinds of vines growing down the sides of the pillars. The coup-de-grace of Midori's performance though, was an impressive use of manipulation of both kinds of Magic. She began to cause a single bloom to grow in size, becoming at least 3 times as large as Hana was herself. Then she stroked each relatively stiff petal, causing it to appear a different color, creating a bloom of rainbow-sequenced color to cap off the tallest pillar. She then hopped onto a large pillar in front of her, which she then slowly sunk back to ground level, taking a final curtsy herself before walking off the stage. Everyone was still ooh’ing and aah’ing at Midori's impressive display; Luna making sure to take several photographs with a magic orb before disintegrating the display, clearing the stage for the fourth and near-final act.

The houselights then turned yellow, as Golden Storm walked into view after Midori walked out of it.

        Golden Storm walked onto a single cloud, which he began to raise with a dust-devil like twister into the air. He flared out his wings, showing everyone the bleached yellow runes all over his body. However, this time his feathers were not bleached, showing he was going to be flying with a mix of his Weather and Wind Magic. He then directed each stage light to show his opponents for this mock battle. They were solid-looking fighter jets, each slightly bigger than Storm himself, looking as if they were ripped out of some speculative fiction book dealing with military aircraft. He took to the air, as the six enemy jets also ignited their 'engines'. He took off, with the six jets in hot pursuit.

Alright, time to give everyone a show worthy of my name...

        Golden Storm was already showing impressive speed, as were the jets in pursuit of him. Storm then began pulling off some things from his bag of tricks. He started off by conjuring up twisters in the middle of the air, the intermittent funnel clouds causing the jets to break formation and pursue their quarry as individuals. Storm began by avoiding the 'fire' of one of the jets, and returning fire with clearly visible versions of his air bullets. He peppered the plane's fuselage, causing the plane to spiral down for a while before exploding in a golden cloud. Another of the jets quickly took its place, the other four trying to avoid crashing into the various funnel clouds. This jet fared no better, with Storm using a sustained stream of high speed wind from his forehooves to punch several holes straight through the jet, causing it to explode nearly instantly.

         The third jet managed to negotiate through the wind-traps to engage Storm directly; the drones were going to show no letup, exactly as Storm wanted it. The plane tried to fire homing 'missiles' as the golden Pegasus, but turbulence cause the missiles to crash into each other and explode harmlessly in the air. Storm then pulled into a tight curl in order to get behind the third plane, and waved his two forelegs in the air, drawing two long gold streaks. Both formed into missile-shaped objects made of compressed mana, and were fired at the plane. That jet was not so lucky with the atmospheric conditions, promptly exploding in a shower of golden vapor as soon as the missiles hit.

        The fourth and fifth jets broke loose of the whirlwinds long enough to engage Storm now. He flew around, the tension of the mock battle increasing as he could not get into any position to fire upon either of his pursuers. He decided that if he wasn't going to be able to shoot them down, there was another way they could be dealt with. He dashed back towards the maelstrom he created, diving in and out of the various whirlwinds. The jets followed suit, but couldn't negotiate the winds as well as the Pegasus could, and ended up getting caught in the turbulence and crashing into each other, exploding in the familiar golden vapor. Storm laughed while hovering in mid-air, finding the previous scene funny and having mostly lost track of the sixth jet. The sixth jet did not lose track of him though, as Storm found out when a pair of 'missiles' hit him square in the back. The golden Pegasus began to fall rapidly out of the sky, his hooves up above his head, no position to really fly from. The audience gasped, not knowing how Golden Storm was going to pull out of this mess.

Alright, let's see how they like this part...

He stiffened his wings and charged them with Terran Mana. As some of the feathers turned bleached yellow, he zoomed off back up in the air, completely upside down. He eventually righted himself, after a high-speed, upside down fly-by of the audience. He then flew towards the last jet, which obliged the impromptu game of Chicken. He stuck his forehooves out, and the plane engaged its thrusters, both heading at full-speed towards a mid-air collision. Both objects did indeed meet, but the drone was too brave for its own good, as the Pony sliced the drone cleanly in half, forming an invisible cutting edge with turbulence in front of him. Both halves of the drone jet exploded into golden vapor, ending the mock battle with Golden Storm as the victor, of course. Everyone applauded the show so far, as Storm floated back down to the stage. Luna quickly cleaned up everything.

The lights then turned all four colors, showing that the fifth and final act was upon them.

        All four of the Conduits of Terra were now in view of the audience, each of them with their Element of Terra on their necks. Golden Storm hovered above the other three conduits, Midori Hana stood a ways to the left of the formation from the audience view, while Red Blaze was off to the right some, leaving Blue Vague in the center, but still on the ground.

"Alright everyone, it's time for the big finale, we hope you've enjoyed watching this show as much as we've enjoyed putting it on."

The audience drew silent, as four Conduits of Terra began to concentrate. Soon all four of their bodies were glowing hot with their element, their bodies covered in the bleached runes, eyes soon aglow with their element's color. At the same time, everyone in attendance could feel the sheer magnitude of the Power they were starting to channel. The sheer amount of mana each Pony was drawing out was now clearly visible to everyone, appearing as an aura surrounding each of them in their respective colors.

This Power... my body can sense it... a Power the oldest of my kind knows... but how can I know that? Spike thought to himself, as if his body was trying to remind him of something.

Is this what a fusion of Equestrian and Terran Magic feels like... and they are still so early into their study... I can't believe they could have advanced this far so fast... then again... something tells me this is only the beginning of everything... Twilight Sparkle thought to herself, somewhat dumbfounded that anything besides the Princesses could be pouring out that power, her Element of Magic trying to 'cheer' on the its sibling Elements of Terra.

It is astounding to watch. They wanted to share this performance with us, and, it feels like they want to share this power with us. They want to unseal that Power so everyone can use it, instead of just keeping it bottled up for themselves...  Rarity wondered as she felt her Element of Generosity resonate with the wishes of that Power.

They want to spread joy. They want to relieve the pain of those Earthlings so bad. They want it so bad they'd risk putting that same power in the hands of people who don't care how much misery they spread. If they are willing to go to such lengths, then I have to be too... Pinkie Pie thought as she felt her Element of Laughter approve of the sentiment of the four Conduits of Terra.

That's a power that'll reveal anyone's true intent. No matter how much ya mask ya words, your actions will give away what ya thinking. The vibe I'm gettin from those four... they'd lay it all on the line to save their homeworld. It wouldn't be right of their partners to not help them in every way possible, now wouldn't it? Applejack thought to herself, thinking of all the people on Earth who either need a hoof up or a fresh start, her Element of Honesty wanting everyone who did to stay true to themselves and the world.

I can feel the kindness they all have. They could easily be selfish and just leave the Earth to its own devices, but they did everything they could in these weeks to learn their power. Well I'm going to do the same. If I have to learn the same power once they unseal it, I'm definitely going to do everything I can do to learn it, because everyone is going to have to do everything they can to help the Earth once we return... Fluttershy reasoned, nerve steeled by the feelings exuded by the four Conduits of Terra, the Element of Kindness wanting everyone to live in a world where cruelty was not what won the day.

Such intense loyalty. To themselves, to each other, and to a home-world that probably doesn't even realize what's going on here. They had every right to just forget everything about the Earth, and live out the rest of their lives in peace. But they couldn't do that - they worked every single day to get to this point. If I got to work twice as long to be able to help them when this all done, then I'll do it. Because that kind of loyalty deserves to be returned in kind... Rainbow Dash thought as she resolved to help the Conduits in any way she could manage, the Element of Loyalty ready to forge a world where loyalty to a righteous cause was rewarded.

You all are amazing Ponies, and amazing People. I don't know if that Robed Figure just found you all, or if she chose you all. But however you came to bear your Sparks, they are truly beginning to shine... Princess Luna thought, as she sensed the dual Sparks beginning to harmonize.

I believe you all have begun to walk the path toward forging the New Age. But you cannot, nor will you walk that path alone. We all will be there, and our allies will do their best to bring as many they can along the same path. No matter the manner in which we walk it, Equestria, her allies, and the Earth have a future together. However, that future is still unknown, and we must tread carefully, for the path you all have begun can still end with a very bad detour... Princess Celestia said, completely unable to divine where the path those four have begun to forge would lead, but sure that wherever it did, they would make it work out as best they could.

We now understand what our role is in this great Cosmic Drama... we will sound the gong on the great struggle to forge the New Age... All four of the Conduits of Terra thought in unison.

When the Conduits came to, they were surrounded by manifestations of their Power, tapping deep into their imaginations of how the show should end.

"Woah, ok when we came up with this I never thought it'd come out so... so... so well..." Golden Storm said, riding on top of a golden serpentine dragon made out of wind.

"I know no one back at the C.I.A. would ever believe a Pony could do something like this..." Red Blaze said, a ruby red phoenix wreathed in flames standing behind her.

"Haha, now whose a good neko-chan... that's right, you are," Midori Hana cooed, perched atop a emerald colored giant cat, vaguely resembling a tiger.

"I'm... I'm honestly stunned that this worked. I didn't think they'd show up this strongly either." Blue Vague said as he sat on the shell of a giant reptile, long neck and tail like a serpent, flippers coming out of each side like a turtle, shell and scales blue like sapphire.

You all have show an amazing amount of Will for beings not used to this Power. Although our appearance is brief in time, if you will remains this strong, and you continue to improve on your control of this Power, we shall lend you our assistance as you continue down the path of forging the New Age for your world. The four beasts said telepathically to the four Conduits, and in unison.

"Wait before you go, just what are you?" Blue Vague asked, hoping they'd stay long enough to get a real answer.

We are merely avatars of your Power. You imagined our forms when you put together this display of your current skills. Should you continue to improve, our Power will grow with yours. Should those that accompany you develop the same level of Will and Power, they will be able to manifest those like us, as well. Now we must return to the Astral Plane, your power is not sufficient to keep us in any Physical Plane as it stands now. Do not worry though, once we are created, we will forever exist so long as your Will exists. Until the next time we meet...

"Wait, before you go, can you do one thing for us?" Midori Hana asked of the tiger-like creature she was riding on top of a moment ago. She whispered into its ear. The tiger-like creature agreed, and told the other three creatures of her creator's request.

They all turned into pillars of light, which rose into the sky to return to the Astral Plane, but not before leaving a final message to be read by everyone present, in both Equestrian and English.

"From the Four Conduits of Terra - We thank you for everything you have done for us to this point. We eagerly look forward to being the vanguard of the New Age."

        The four Conduits physical look returned to what it what usually was, as their runes faded and the fur returned to its usual color. They ran back towards the seats, as the six Bearers ran down to meet them. Spike and the two Princesses soon met them all. The Ten Elements all together began to resonate, all ten of them feeling that the long road towards forging the New Age to begin was beginning in earnest. Something else was beginning, as they heard the familiar sound of one's Cutie Mark appearing, all four at the same exact time. Blue Vague looked on his flank, his symbol a large bubble crossed by three teardrops, and backed by a three-toned crashing wave. Golden Storm saw a pair of funnel-clouds cris-crossing into a 'X' behind a hurricane symbol. Red Blaze saw three stylized flames, a large one set behind two smaller ones. Midori Hana saw three blooms on top of triple-peaked mountains of her symbol.

"They all look just like your Terran Elements, but they all share a part of your name as well," Princess Celestia said, wondering when was the last time she personally saw more than one Pony get their Cutie Mark at the same time.

"Yeah, they are all self-explanatory; but then again, I guess that's what Cutie Marks end up being once you get to know a Pony," Blue Vague responded, chuckling all the while.

Princess Luna beamed with pride at the second graduation of her students. "That was a wonderful display of technical skill and artistry. If I told anyone you had only been at this for a month and a half, they wouldd think I had gone crazy."

Golden Storm just stood there, a touch embarrassed at the praise. "Well, we just kinda embraced everything that we are, and it all worked out. Although if you asked us to do that again, I don't know if we could, honestly."

"Oh look at Golden Storm being modest for once. Then again, I don't know if I could do something like that in front of the Princesses, even if it was only a one time deal," Rainbow Dash said, gently ribbing Storm.

Princess Luna walked back to the center of the area and dispelled the Training Field; returning everyone, including Princess Celestia, back to the basement of the Greystone Conductor.

"I do believe you all deserve the rest of the day off. There is other business that we will eventually have to attend to, but I think you all can take the rest of this day celebrate this period of realization. The Cutie Mark is a symbol of yourself and your talent, but it is not a limiting thing. Always think of other areas in which you can learn, and different ways to leverage your talents. With that my little Ponies, I bid you all good day," Luna said as she looked forward to the extended nap for that day.

Celestia shook her head a bit as she turned to address the now group of eleven. "I must join my Sister back in Canterlot. But we do need to discuss the happenings on Earth fairly soon. I do not think we have much time before the seal on Terran Mana disappears entirely. While I feel that you all are now more than capable in a physical sense, you all have to trust that you have the proper skill to complete this mission. Now my little Ponies, enjoy the rest of your day." With a smile on her face, she disappeared into the ether as well.

"So, um, what should we do for the rest of the day?" Pinkie Pie asked before hearing four Ponies collapse on the floor asleep.

"I don't think we should be surprised they'd be dead tired after that display," Applejack said, as she walked back up the steps to retrieve some blankets.

"Yeah I guess we just let them nap here, lock up, and check back later," Rainbow Dash said, thinking about the weather schedules that need to be made out for the next month. Winter-Wrap Up was supposed to be the day before the Vernal Equinox, and she had to have everything set for then.

Everyone made sure the outside basement door was secure before leaving the four Ponies napping on the area rug and under some blankets. Twilight placed a pair magic powered space heaters in the basement with the four napping Terrans, far away from the blankets and rugs as to not risk a fire.

"That was a great job you four. I'm definitely gonna have to get you to teach us everything you all figured out, whenever you unseal the Terran Magic," she said out loud to the four knocked-out Ponies, inwardly giddy at the prospect of learning an entirely new form of Magic.

CH 19: Tipping Scales

Interstitial II - Incidents and Accidents

=== The Conversion Bureau: A New Age, A New Life ====== Interstitial II: Incidents and Accidents ===

[ Near Los Pegasus, Equestria -- Mar 26, ??? + 1 @ 11:30 PM ]

"GET OFF THE STAGE!"

"YOU'RE TERRIBLE!"

"BOO THIS MARE!"

          The jeers and shouting were still ringing in the ears of the azure and the (pale-)cornflower-maned showmare. It had been a couple of years since the incident in Ponyville with a certain violet Unicorn and her freakish-for-her-age magical capacity, and the azure Unicorn still hadn't gotten over it.

“WHY CAN’T TRIXIE GET OVER THIS! THAT HAPPENED FOREVER AGO!” she screamed at the heavens; the heavens deigning not to respond.

Everything up until that point two years ago was going just peachy for her. She was making her name as one of the best young up and coming illusionists in all of Equestria. It wasn’t long before she was going to have her name in lights in the grandest theatres of Los Pegasus. Then, that incident happened.

“Go to Ponyville, they said! It’s a nice small town with a bunch of unassuming marks, they said! You’ll make a killing there, they said!” Trixie said, wanting desperately to demolish something with a burst of magic or a swift heel-kick, but thinking better of it.

It had been two years. Two years of struggling, two years of saving, two years of basically living as much a Spartan life as her ego would allow, in order for her to finally build up the cash to replace her precious carriage.

"Stupid Ponyville! Stupid Twilight Sparkle! STUPID, STUPID, STUPID!!" Trixie continued to shout as her miserable failure of a debut in Los Pegasus, combined with two years worth of pent up frustration, was sending her into an absolute fit. Little did she know, the heavens were beginning to respond to her rather impressive tantrum.

          She had finally managed to drag herself, and what belongings she could salvage from the Ursa Minor clusterfuck, to Los Pegasus. There, she was going to start fresh, she was going to start anew, she was going to reclaim her self-professed title of "The Great And Powerful" Trixie.

Needless to say, her show went over like a lead balloon. The illusions were child's play, the stage tricks were pedestrian, and the stories she told were the very definition of 'boring as all fuck'. It was as if the metaphorical de-pantsing she suffered two years ago had stripped her of anything resembling 'showmanship'.

"Why can't I just forget that night?! WHY WON'T YOU LET ME FORGET THAT NIGHT?!!!" The cornflower-maned pusedo-showmare yelled at the sky in an accusatory tone. She was in such a fury at this point, she basically ignored that magical sixth-sense all Unicorns were supposed to have regarding a sudden spike of magic, as the clouds above her grew unnaturally dark for there being no Pegasi on weather duty. She also ignored her body starting to glow with Terran runes in an even more pale cornflower than her mane.

She stomped around, she slung rocks, she did everything she could to display anger without trying to damage her rather plainly adorned carriage.

She finally reared back on her rear hooves, looked up at the sky, and shouted one very pertinent question. "UNIVERSE, WHY DO YOU HATE ME!?"

The universe, finally tired of her shenanigans, decided to answer her...

with a well-placed, magic-generated lightning bolt to her horn.

           She squealed and stammered in pain as the magic bolt struck her, and surged through her system; completely lighting her up physically and mentally. She staggered around afterward, every inch of her body ringing with pain, her extremities and ends of her mane singed. The runes disappeared as she stumbled around like someone drunk on some especially strong liquor. Before she passed out though, she did manage to say one last thing to the heavens.

"Trixie will have the largest stack of pancakes you sell, with strawberries on the side, and maple syrup please..."

==----==

[ Near Ponyville, Equestria -- Mar 27, ??? + 1 @ 4:40 PM ]

          The Cutie Mark Crusaders sat at their clubhouse on the edge of the Apple's property at Sweet Apple Acres. They were discussing how the recent wave of 'weird energy' that swept over Equestria had made them start really thinking about things.

"You all remember a week ago right, when I told you I felt that weird energy appear?" Sweetie Belle said, feeling the flux through her horn.

"Yeah, somethin' was definitely up with that. Even though it wasn't somethin' you could see," Apple Bloom added.

"It was like... I dunno, honestly. I didn't get a bad feeling from it, but it wasn't good either. I guess 'weird' is the only word for it," Scootaloo replied; all three of the fillies nodded sagely as they continued to contemplate things.

          After the brief discussion, they all decided to head outside to see if they could figure out just what the weird wave was, or if it had done anything. As it would turn out, that 'wave' did indeed do some things, quite a lot of things.

Sweetie Belle was humming a song she picked up from the local radio station. It was nothing of particular note, although it seemed like the audience she was attracting found it positively captivating.

"Yo Sweetie Belle, have you ever had that happen to you?" Scootaloo asked, noticing the odd trail of small animals following Sweetie Belle.

Sweetie Belle was broken out of her reverie once she noticed what Scootaloo was talking about. "Well, yeah it's happened from time to time. But, now that you mention it... it hadn't happened like this..."

The Cutie Mark Crusaders looked on at the odd sight of all the birds and squirrels that were trailing Sweetie coming to a dead stop once Sweetie stopped humming. They all had a strange look in their eyes, some of the animals with larger eyes with a discernable yellow glow in those eyes.

"Ya know, Ah think it might have somethin' to do with that Sweetie..." Apple Bloom started as she pointed a hoof at a pair of yellow marks near her mouth.

Sweetie Belle was deeply confused by the markings around her mouth, there was nothing like that around her face before they left the clubhouse. "Um... I... huh? Okay, that was definitely not there before."

"Might have something do with that weird feeling we all got a few days ago," Scootaloo figured.

After a few moments of not humming or singing, the runes disappeared and the animals subsequently scattered, not knowing where they were initially. Sweetie Belle was thankful that she didn't have to deal with a menagerie following her for the rest of the evening, but was still somewhat confused by the whole experience.

"Maybe that's your talent, getting animals to do what you want by singing," Scootaloo said somewhat jokingly, knowing how well Sweetie Belle sung. After saying as much, she was suddenly struck with inspiration. "Hey, wait, your horn wasn't glowing when you were singing, so maybe if I..."

"If ya 'what' Scoots?" Apple Bloom asked, not following Scootaloo's train of thought.

Scootaloo had a devious look in her face. "Ha-ha, just watch 'Bloom."

          The orange Pegasus-filly strapped on her helmet ran a good distance away from where her two friends were now sitting still. She mounted her scooter proper, and took off. "Alright, here goes nothing!" she shouted as she picked up speed; eventually her still underdeveloped wings were fluttering, as yellow runes appeared along her back and a few along all four of her hooves.

"You know... I think she's going faster than she usually does on that thing," Sweetie Belle said as she watched Scootaloo approaching their position at a faster clip than normal.

"Judgin' by that dust cloud she's kickin' up along the road... Ah agree," Apple Bloom said as Scootaloo continued her approach.

"In fact... I don't think she's even kicking along the ground... and she's still going tha-" Sweetie Belle started before Scootaloo crossed in front of them and let out a great yell.

"GET READY TO FLY!!!" the orange and magenta-maned filly shouted as a massive updraft lifted her and the scooter in the air and knocked her two friends a few fractions of a length away.

"WOAH! Just what in tarnation was that?" Apple Bloom said, as she made sure her bow was still secure on her head.

"I have no clue, but there she goes..." Sweetie Bell said as she brushed leaves out of her mane, and watched Scootaloo float through the air.

It was difficult to say if Scootaloo was actually flying, but she was definitely airborne, and not falling very rapidly, if at all. Scootaloo even had time to do a few kickflips and hoof-stands while floating in the air, her fluttering wings slowing her descent. When she finally landed, the other two ran over trying to figure out just what in the heck had happened.

"Alright missy, spill it. You've been practicin' ya flyin' behind our backs or somethin'?" Apple Bloom asked, quite interested in how she pulled off that aerial display.

"Well, I guess like myself, it has something to do with that on her hooves," Sweetie Belle posited as she was looking at the strange looking characters along Scootaloo's hooves and along her back between her wings.

"Yeah, it started a couple of days ago. Fluttershy was talking about this big, display or something, the four Ponies from Earth did not too long ago. So when I felt that weird wave, something just made me try it out," Scootaloo said as she took her helmet back off, shaking her mane back loose. The runes were already fading as she wasn't in the air at that moment.

          Somewhile later, they were back on Sweet Apple Acres near the fringe of the property. Apple Bloom was walking around, looking at the various older trees, until she found one in particular. It was very sickly, and barely had any leafing branches left on it.

"Say fillies, Ah betcha Ah can knock this tree down with one kick," Apple Bloom said, with a look of the utmost confidence.

A confidence that was not shared by her two friends. "Yeah, I dunno. Even if it does look terribly sick, I don't think one kick is gonna knock it down," Sweetie Belle replied, confused by the sudden proclamation of strength.

"Hah, watch meh!" Apple Bloom said, as she walked up to the tree and placed a forehoof on it. Her hooves began to glow with green, as she traced a line along the old tree that only she could see.

Heh, are they gonna be in for a shock!

Apple Bloom turned around and lined herself up. With a swift strike, the green glow in her rear-hooves disappeared, and nothing happened for a couple of moments.

"So... what was supposed to happen 'Bloom?" Scootaloo asked, confused by the display so far.

"Just watch, Scoots," Apple Bloom replied.

The three of them saw green charge run along the invisible path Apple Bloom traced, all the way to the top of the tree; finishing with a little explosion at the top of the tree. After which, every single branch fell off the tree to the ground with a loud thud. Which was then followed by the ENTIRE tree sans root tipping over, collapsing on the ground opposite the three fillies.

"That was... wow..." Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo said in unison, utterly shocked by the display.

"Ah know, right!" Apple Bloom said, absolutely beaming with pride.

==-----==

[ Somewhere within the Everfree Forest, Equestria -- Mar 27, ??? + 1 @ 9:30 PM ]

"Spirits of the world guide me. In this cottage of the Everfree..."

"Spirits of the world guide me. In this cottage of the Everfree..."

          The chanting could be heard for a few lengths all around a cottage located somewhat deep within the Everfree Forest. All but the hardiest of Equestrians found living in said location, long ago designated a Wild Zone by the Royal Sisters, to be far more trouble than it was worth. However, the occupant of this cottage was no Equestrian.

"Spirits of the world guide me. In this cottage of the Everfree..."

"Spirits of the world guide me. In this cottage of the Everfree..."

          The charcoal-and-white striped figure sat in her meditation circle, surrounded by the vapors of various incenses and brief flashes of color. Zecora was taken aback almost a week ago, as she felt the dramatic shift in the Astral Plane post-unsealing of Terran Mana. Due to that, she was beginning to sense ancient spirits travelling between the world recently connected and the world Equestria occupied.

"These spirits are foreigners to this land. Who is to say that they all are bad..."

          As she strolled along the Astral Plane, her suspicions in other respects began to bear out. The spirits resembled many of the living beings of Equestria, and the other territories and nations of her world. At first, she was shocked that the ancient spirits that were migrating were so similar, but then she began to put two and two together.

"Those spirits that have crossed into this plane bear such similarity. Our two worlds must have shared an ancient familiarity..."

          She then began to sense and examine the new mana that was migrating to her world with said spirits. She could feel an amplification of her existing abilities, as if that mana was the very concept of power. She could also feel that said power was extremely raw, as if it had been bottled up for an incredibly long time; nowhere near as refined as the mana ambient in Equestria and the rest of her world. With that, she exited the Astral Plane, breaking herself out of her meditative state. She began putting out the fires around her, and placing her charms back into her storage chests. This night's session of investigation into what exactly was crossing into this world had proven to be quite fruitful, as she begun to divine in her own way what the future held for Equestria and its neighbors.

"This power is raw and untamed, but to deny its existence would truly be a shame. That which can control it will certainly be a boon; that which abuses it, will certainly spell nothing but doom."

==-----==

[ Canterlot Magical Research Facility No. 2, Equestria -- Mar 29, ??? + 1 @ 1:30 PM ]

"Shining dear, are you sure this is a good idea? I mean, not even my aunts have the best grasp on what this new magic is capable of."

"Baby, we just have to play this by ear. That's why were in the Training Field; this is gonna be one long experiment, and it looks like we're all gonna be guinea pigs for it."

          The two still-technically newlyweds were by themselves in a training space, doing their best to learn Terran Magic in their own way. Princess Cadence was taking the role of sword, lobbing various 'balls' of whichever element; as Shining Armor took his usual role of shield, figuring out a method to defend against in as generic a way as possible.

"One thing I've already learned after doing this for a week - Terran Magic is extremely dynamic and unpredictable. I don't know if there is a singular catch-all spell that can defend against it. That, combined with what we know of humanity, means finding a single catch-all spell for defense will probably be next to useless," Shining Armor said despondently, finishing up another round of catching stray 'balls'; similar to how an infielder would track down ground balls from his fielding coach.

Cadence giggled a bit at her husband's mild consternation at not being able to find the perfect shield. "And you are quite upset by that fact, I think anyone can see that. Although personally, I like how dynamic this new magic is. We're already finding so many potential uses for it; and that's just using the four main types of magic my aunts have observed. Something also tells me that some mixing and matching will produce a bevy of wonderful new techniques."

"On another note, you look pretty cute when those runes flash along that long body of yours," Shining Armor said as he flashed that million-bit smile that got Cadence to fall for him in the first place.

"Oh, you always know just what to say with me..." Cadence replied, flitting over to her husband, and grabbing him in a sudden warm embrace. What Shining Armor couldn't see, at first anyway, were the bright red runes along Cadence's cerise coat, backwards to her flank. Nor could he see the red points of light behind her, suddenly form into dense, red, missile-like streaks of flame. The only tip-off Shining Armor got to the incoming barrage, was Cadence's trademark giggle right before he had a chance to do anything about it.

          Shining Armor, in the few moments Cadence spared him by having the fire-missiles fly a few lengths backwards before curling 'round to slam into him, suddenly found the inspiration for a new spell. Body flashing with red runes, mixed with his natural rose-color Explicit Magic, he had finally created that shield he'd been looking for. The shield was mixed crimson and rose, and easily soaked up the fire-missiles, dispersing the energy along the length of the shield.

"Never a dull moment around you..." Shining Armor said, expression flat as he successfully defended against the sneak attack. He was sure Cadence got that mischievous streak from Celestia.

Cadence giggled a bit, not having let go of Shining through the whole episode. "You know me, I have to stir the pot every once in awhile. Also, you look just as cute with the red all over your white coat."

Shining just sighed, and then smiled as he nuzzled his wife. "That's why I married you."

==-----==

[ Near Bamako, West African Administrative Zone, Earth -- Mar 25, 2081 ]

          It was another dreadfully hot day near Bamako of what was once Mali, now absorbed into a special UN Administrative zone at the behest of several companies who had been doing business in that region. The first couple of decades since the merger were marred by resistance movements and the like, although in recent decades, the regions were more or less unified... by the persistent twin threats of famine and plague. The wicked weather, increasing desertification, and poisoning of natural water sources were slowly killing the populations of Africa and the Middle East; yet it seemed like the Elite didn't care. Most of the public that acted as a bulwark again the absolute destitution of all of Africa, were now so bogged down in their own problems that there was little aid coming to the continent. As it were, nearly all of Africa had now degenerated to barely subsistence levels.

          A young man named Omar was one of the unlucky many stuck outside of the Domes. Every day was the same for him during the morning time: go to one of the few working wells around the slums to get some rank-smelling water, get a cleaning packet from one of the distribution centers, and return home with a cart full of water (hopefully without incident). This morning though, he was the victim of one of the many random assaults that occurred in the slums all around the world.

"{Hey kid, what's that you got there?!}" Omar heard a young man probably 5 years his senior at least shout at him from afar. The man quickly got down from a short wall to walk over to Omar to hear his response better.

"{It's just a water cart. I'm on my way back home from the well from filling it up,}" Omar replied, wondering how anyone who lived in the area could not know what the jury-rigged water transporting 'vehicle' looked like.

"{Is that so...}" the older man said before he snuck around Omar, and clocked the younger man in the back of the head with a piece of fabricated wood.

Although the wood was relatively weak, and snapped into many pieces once it struck Omar in the head; it was swung with enough force to stun Omar for a few moments. Plenty of time for the older man to grab the cart and run off with it.

          When Omar finally unscrambled his brain from the sudden shock. He scanned all around for the older man and his water cart. They were nowhere to be found, disappearing amongst his fellow poor dark-skinned slum-mates, and the occasional fair-skinned peace keeper in body armor. He felt a bit of blood in his short, nappy hair, thankful that the board (or whatever) he was struck with didn't do anything worse. He was afraid of returning home though, his siblings expecting the water for the day, and now he'd return high and dry. He eventually did return home, and explained to the next oldest, his first sister, what happened.

"{Omar, where is the water cart?}"

"{Someone attacked me and stole it...}"

"{That's horrible! Are you alright, do we need to go to one of the clinics?!}"

"{No, just a little cut on the back of my head. I managed to get into a public facility to wash it out. I'm just concerned with what we are going to do in the future.}"

"{I can only guess we'll have to go to one of the junkyards to make another water cart.}"

"{Yes, we'll have to get Ibrahim to do it this time, though; I'm starting to get a headache. Hopefully that board wasn't infected or something...}"

"{If you start feeling any worse, tell me. We can't afford to lose you, like our mother, to an infection.}"

"{Yes, yes I know, Malaika. I promise I will go if I start feeling any worse.}"

With that, Omar walked into his room. He was the first of 4 other siblings, father disappeared to who knows where, and mother having died 3 years previous due to a random infection while gathering junk to make tools out of. He had immense pride in keeping his family afloat in this pitiful region, but this was one of those many times where he feared that soon the world would claim him.

{This existence cannot persist. What happens when the wells run out of water?  What happens if someone strikes me with an infected weapon. Malaika, Ibrahim, Ashia -- what are they supposed to do if I am taken from the world?}

Do you wish to possess the power to save your family?

{What... what are you?}

The power to save your family is available for you, do you have the will to grasp it?

{Yes... yes... I want to help them in any way I can... even if it is as mundane as being able to find clean water...}

Then search your soul for the link to that power...

Omar contemplated the words of that mysterious voice as he drifted off to sleep.

          A few hours later, Ashia, Malakia, and Ibrahim marveled as Omar was glowing with the blue runes over his dark brown skin, and the plastic container filled up with a water more pure than any of them could ever remember seeing.

"{It is a miracle, it is nothing short of a miracle Omar!! Where did this ability come from?}" Ibrahim asked of his older brother.

"{I do not know Ibrahim. I can only surmise that it was an ability granted to me by God himself. Although, while using this, I cannot help but feel that this ability is not unique to myself. It is entirely possible this is something that others might be able to use as well...}" Omar said to his brother and the rest of his family. He could only hope that this was the start of a renewal not only for his family, but the entire region, and maybe the entire world.

==-----==

[ Chicago Domes, Earth -- Mar 28, 2081 @ 5:00 PM]

“So, what is this new project that you wanted to show me,” an impeccably dressed man said, taking off his sunglasses as he entered the building of one of the many research facilities.

“Well Vice President Spencer, some of our employees have made remarks to my fellow researchers claiming to feel this strange... energy, some of them call it, ever since that display over a week ago.” a mousy looking lab technician said, clearly in fear of Mr. Kenneth Spencer, Vice President in charge of Research and Development at Spearhead Defense Contractors, one of the largest arms dealers in the entire Western Hemisphere.

Kenneth placed his sunglasses in a case and slipped said case inside his breast pocket, before donning a lab coat himself and travelling several hundred meters underground to the testing facilities. Spearhead was a major arms supplier to the various private security firms ensuring the relative stability of the Domed Communities all over North and South America, and he always wanted to develop new products, even if the suits over in accounting didn’t exactly appreciate the extra costs incurred.

They were about halfway down the elevator shaft, when Mr. Spencer began to speak to the lab tech-turned-escort. “Now you say they have begun to feel this, strange energy. Normally I would scoff at such, metaphysical mumbo-jumbo, but I believe only the blind and dumb would ignore what happened last week. What with the entire sky turning pitch black long before sunset.” Spencer himself felt an energy brewing within him, as if there was a brand new set of tools just waiting to be put to use by his very capable hands.

“Yes, Vice President Spencer, well, some of them report being able to invoke strange effects like those... um... Ponies I believe they call themselves. Although it seems like the effects were less... how can you put it... benign than the effects said Ponies usually produce,” the lab tech said, as he went over the reports and testimony on an electronic pad.

Ugh, I hate hearing about those Ponies. Always with the ‘amicable conflict resolution’ and the ‘let’s all just get along’ with them. What happens when people can’t resolve things all nice and peaceful-like? They come to people like me, that’s what... Kenneth thought to himself, making sure not to visibly show any sign of frustration at the mere mention of said equines.

The lab technician made one last point before they reached their destination. “Anyway, I’d like to show you one of the new prototypes we’ve already begun to develop, exploiting said energy.”

“Hrm, is that so. Well, lead the way...” Vice President Spencer said, as they hopped on a AI-driven cart to head to the lab in question.

        A short while later, Kenneth Spencer was speaking with the test subject for this demonstration. He was a quiet and unassuming employee, but his abilities had earned him a red-striped lab coat for the purposes of this experiment.

“So... Allen is it? What is it that you and the researchers have to show me this evening?” Kenneth asked while eating some finger sandwiches.

“Well, my official designation is AI Overseer, but ever since that Evening of the Black Sky, as they are calling it on the ‘net in some circles. I’ve felt this... burning, like this... I dunno... like I can just sense fire,” Allen said with extreme nervousness, not sure how one of his bosses would respond all of this metaphysical before-the-last-year-would-easily-be-dismissed nonsense.

“Fire, you say...” Kenneth said, drinking a fine fruit blend, feeling it was too early in the evening for alcohol.

Allen began to feel a small welling up of confidence, as his boss did not immediately dismiss his craziness. “Well, sir, I noticed it a couple of days after that evening. I was snapping my fingers to one of the many fine musical products our media partners produce, and I noticed these sparks that’d appear whenever the music got particularly intense. So... after a few hours of practicing with it, I could make little flames. Knowing how expensive the insurance is, I made absolutely sure that nothing was damaged by said experimentation.”

Kenneth Spencer stared at Allen the AI Overseer, taking his measure. He is intensely nervous in my presence, then again, everyone except the upper-tier of researchers are. Hrm... spontaneously generated fire... a fairly basic, but brutally effective ability... at least if said ability is actually real...

“Anyway, I would like for you to explain the nature of the demonstration you had lined up for myself,” Vice President Spencer requested of Allen and the other researchers.

One of the other researchers took over the role of explaining things to the V.P. of R&D. “Well, we have noticed that the energy that produces these effects is quantifiable. According to our contacts in other research venues, the Equestrians and their allies now refer to said energy as thaumatic radiation when it is in its natural and raw form, epsilon for the type used by those Ponies, and tau for the type native to Earth.”

Magic... that is native to Earth... how very interesting indeed... Kenneth thought to himself, finding himself amenable to believing the mystical mumbo-jumbo if it meant advancing his position and giving him more leeway to create.

The researcher continued. “We believe that we have begun developing materials to help process and contain said radiation, for use by other devices or people.”

“So you believe you have created some sort of Magical Capacitor?” Kenneth asked the researcher, genuinely intrigued where this all was going.

“While we would prefer the term ‘Thaumatic-Tau Capacitor’, yes, yes we do,” the researcher responded.

“Well, let’s see what you’ve got, then,” Kenneth asked of the researchers, a devious glint in his eyes.

        Another brief pause later, Allen was standing behind a blast shield, while a black device with several white lines sat in the middle of a 200’ x 200’ demonstration room. The main researchers and Vice President Spencer all sat in a control room, observing the effects on the cameras and through the veiw-ports.

The lead technician then reached for a microphone and began to speak to Allen. “Allen, the blast shield is now secure, what we want you do is begin concentrating your Fire power into that black disc-like object in the center of the room proper. If our projections are correct, the white lines on the disc should start to glow red once you are doing it successfully.”

Allen confirmed the task, and began concentrating on filling the disc with, well, whatever it is he had to control to produce his fire.

After a few minutes of futile mis-aiming, the disc, just like the projections predicted, began to glow softly with a reddish hue; as the lines had turned a nice shade of pink.

Incredible, that device is actually collecting the power that low-ranking employee is outputting. But I wonder... Kenneth began to think while watching the display.

A few more minutes passed, and now the disc was glowing bright red, as were the lines along the disc.

“This is excellent. The disc is collecting the thaumatic-tau radiation beyond anything we could hope for this early. This... this will be nothing short of a revolution in terms of energy storage!!” the lead researcher exclaimed, utterly stunned by how much energy was contained within that disc now.

Yes... a true revolution in energy storage... and a potential revolution in something else... Kenneth thought to himself, with a look on his face that would probably put the fear of God into many a small child.

“Tell Allen to pump as much of that radiation as he can into that device, I have a suspicion of something I hope I can confirm after seeing this,” Kenneth asked of the lead researcher.

“But sir, with all due respect, we have absolutely no idea what would happen if the device goes over capacity. For that matter, we really have no clue what that capcity would be.”

“Well... it seems like NOW would be a good time to figure that out, yes?” Vice President Spencer said, placing a hand on the shoulder of the lead researcher.

“Y-y-y-yes sir! Allen, pump as much power as you can into that disk, just keep going!” the researcher promptly requested of Allen after getting the hint from Mr. Spencer.

Allen kept pumping more and more of said energy into the device, which was now glowing like a red-tinted light bulb. Eventually, the device did hit capacity... and the very next second, promptly exploded with incredible force and energy.

“Good God almighty, what in the hell was that!” Allen shouted, protected by the enclosed blast shield, which was halfway melted off by the explosion.

“That explosion was nearly 700 degrees Celsius, and with enough explosive force to equal... let’s see here... 5 kg of dynamite!” the lead researcher replied, thankful his expensive computers were not harmed by the unexpected explosion.

“Allen, my dear boy, how would you like to be promoted to a new position. Lead Researcher and Experimenter of Pyro-Class Thaumatic-Tau Radiation?” Kenneth said, barely able to restrain his absolute glee at the sheer display of destructive power.

“Um... what is the pay?” Allen asked nervously; it was always bad form to ask a boss regarding pay, most of the lower-level employees of the various Dome firms learned.

However, he had caught Mr. Spencer in a very good mood. “Double of what you are making now, with hazard pay should you manage not to melt yourself into molten slag.”

“You have a deal, Vice President Spencer!” Allen replied excitedly, already wondering when he’d be able to move into a proper house in the Chicago Domes instead of his current apartment.

A pleasure doing business with you. Once I tell the suits about the potential gold-mine we are sitting on, they won’t even care about damages to the labs anymore... Kenneth Spencer thought to himself, as the researchers scrambled to gather ever last byte of data they could in order to begin producing more advanced Thaumatic Capacitors.

==-----==

SS1-3: Spike's Gaiden 3

Chapter 20: Mix-N'-Match

=== The Conversion Bureau: A New Age, A New Life ====== Chapter 20: Mix-'N-Match ===

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

[ Equestrian Western Territory Checkpoint; March 24, 2081 @ 7:30 AM ]

          The Royals Sisters, their niece and Princess(-in-Training) Cadence, several attendants, and most importantly, the now relatively quite tall Spike were all in transit out to the westernmost-edge of official Equestrian territory. Spike and the Equestrian engineers spent the last few days designing a cart for him to haul gems to eat and anything of interest he might come across. There were also quite a number of pads and writing utensils for him to write thorough journals.

"So, even during this journey of me trying to open up diplomatic relations; and trying to figure out just what about me has changed due to, well, myself literally growing up... you're having me do homework?" Spike asked incredulously; as he tried to keep his head down in the carriage's cab.

"To be blunt, yes. As an aside, though, I think your new look suits you quite well, Spike. I certainly wouldn't have thought you would have tripled in size in-between the last time we were together," Cadence replied, finding the sand-orange cloak and sand-resistant goggles Spike had on to be quite a stylish getup.

          They all eventually reached their destination: the final official checkpoint between the border of Equestria, and the unclaimed territories surrounding the first minor Dragon Nomad City-State, Dural-ga-Jafid. After they landed and disembarked, the four principals all stood at the gate for out-flowing traffic; which, as usual for the checkpoints lining the border near the Western Badlands, were hardly used. Spike took some time to marvel more at the cart he was to lug around with him.

"I've never seen a metal this strong and yet be this light," Spike said, as he lifted the cart, still marveling at the combination of its lightness, and their respective strength.

"You can actually thank the humans for core idea of that cart. The material, according to them, is a metal called 'titanium'; so the cart we have made for you is magically-enhanced titanium alloy. It should be more than strong enough to withstand the elements and any trouble you might find yourself in," Luna said matter-of-factly. Spike was just hoping he didn't find himself involved anything major until he reached his destination.

Celestia walked up to Spike, chuckling inwardly at how Spike was technically taller than her now. "Well Spike, I do believe, since it's now first light, now would be as good as time as any for you to set off. There should be more than enough water and gems already loaded until you get to Dural-ga-Jafid. You did study the map I gave you these last four days, didn't you?"

Spike sighed audibly as he answered the Princess of the Day. "Yes ma'am, Princess Celestia. I know there are about 3 or 4 settlements and city-states on the main route from here to Karrak-za-Jalve. So if I want to get there, and get back in a reasonable amount of time, I should just stick to the beaten path, I guess." Spike was thankful that he was no stranger to studying, having lived his whole life with Twilight.

          Princess Celestia then motioned for the gates to be opened, as Spike took a deep breath, looking at the greenery already transitioning to more hardy desert vegetation.

"Remember Spike, you are officially a diplomat and representative of the Equestrian Government; and by extension, the three of us. Please take care not to cause some kind of international incident while you're out there. It's hard enough for us to communicate with official representation of the Dragon Nomads as is," Celestia said, giving a last warning to Spike before communication with him became more intermittent.

Spike nodded in agreement. After briefly hugging the three Princesses, he strapped the cart to his rather impressive frame (given his still young age), and began the long march toward Karrak-za-Jalve.

Well Twilight, Vague, everyone else... here's hoping that your trials on Earth are easier than mine are going to be, out here in the middle of nowhere... he thought to himself as he began walking out into Celestia's morning sun.

<< Author's Note: From this point until Spike's return after concluding business, the details of his travails will mostly be covered in side chapters >>

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[ Earth, April 13, 2081 ]

Two weeks and change had passed since the date everyone now calls the "Evening of the Black Sky", the exact time and date Terran Mana began flowing back into the Earth proper and across the Aurora Barrier into Equestria's World. The Ponies, on both realms, were initially quite shocked by the introduction of this completely foreign Magic into their midst. Their fears were quickly allayed by Luna and Twilight, whose work with the Conduits of Terra had to begun to catalogue basic effects and methodologies of Terran Magic. Although both Luna and Twilight both knew that the potential for Terran Magic, like Equestrian Magic, were potentially limitless, it would be easier for all involved if there was some kind of reference point for those with the magical sense to start from.

          The trouble in that respect came, in the fact the Outsiders largely had an atrophied educational structure. No one had any clue how to start teaching Humans in a sensible manner.

Blue Vague, being a man of technology, figured there was really only one sensible way to solve this conundrum. "Seeing as we have no real way to restrict anyone from developing Terran Magical Powers, given what we know of Terran Magic so far -- I say we start distributing text and video guides. I dunno if we can do anything else until there is enough of a Pony presence to make live teachers a viable option."

Everyone thought about it for a few seconds, and everyone came to the exact same conclusion: none of them had a better option, and it would be better if everyone who wanted the knowledge could at least find it.

"Well, I believe myself and Rainbow Dash could handle writing the text materials. So who is going to handle the filming of the video?" Twilight Sparkle said; tone implying there was absolutely nothing unsound with what she stated.

"Um, Twilight... not to cast aspersions on Rainbow Dash's intelligence or anything, but... you really think you want her involved in writing educational material?" Golden Storm asked with all earnestness, which earnestly earned him a compressed air-ball to the head from Rainbow Dash.

"Well to be honest... I need to be able to write this with a layman's perspective; and Rainbow Dash best exemplifies that layman's perspective out of the ten of us here." Twilight responded, which earned her the same treatment from R.D.

"Seriously guys, I'm right here. At least wait until the I leave the room to talk like that..." Rainbow Dash said with all manner of frustration.

          While Fluttershy and Twilight tended to Rainbow Dash's understandably hurt feelings, Rarity was giddy at the prospect of arranging a performance for the cameras.

"Oh Vague, I have so many ideas for how we can put these videos together. Oh and those capes, now would be the perfect time to show those capes off to the whole world!" Rarity babbled excitedly, filled with an enthusiasm only matched by Rainbow Dash when talking about the Wonderbolts.

"Yeah, Rarity... I don't think an educational video is the right time to be showing off for the camera... then again, maybe later..." Red Blaze started, as she and Rarity walked off to Rarity's room to start planning how to shoot the films.

Midori Hana walked around for a bit as she thought about how to present herself. "I wonder what I should make to wear in my mane for my section on Earth Magic..."

They are actually taking my suggestion seriously... then again none of them seemed to be able to come up with anything else. It feels so weird to be listened to... Blue Vague thought to himself as he walked over to the recreational room of the Dormitories to plan out his section on Water Magic.

"HEY, GUYS! COME OUT HERE! I GOTTA SHOW ALL Y'ALL THIS!!" they heard a familiar Texas-accented female shout from outside the Dorms. With that, seven of the nine other Ponies quickly bolted outside.

          When they all arrived outside, everyone was absolutely floored by what they saw. A fairly sizable patch of the sickly forest outside of the Isegawa's compound was now anything but sickly. In front, a certain cowboy-hat wearing, orange-and-blonde mare was standing in front of it, a combination of proud and shocked herself.

"I swear to God, or Celestia, or whoever it is I'm supposed to swear to these days, that I have never seen any tree that healthy outside an Agri-Dome in all my life..." Blue Vague said, jaw on the ground in the proverbial sense.

"Ah know right! Ah was messin' around some with the Earth Magic that Hana taught me. When Ah was mixed it with my Life Magic, it all came out like this!" Applejack said as she bucked the tree; with everyone hearing the healthy thud as a few loose leaves fell out.

Twilight scanned the magic surrounding that particular patch of forest, and came up with some fairly surprising results. "Well, Applejack, congratulations. I think you're the first to actually figure out, even if by accident, what the Will Of The Earth was talking about when she gave us those last warnings."

Pinkie Pie remembered exactly what Twilight was talking about, as she did practically everything else she experienced. "Oh right, she said that Power could come in forms that weren't exactly what the four the Conduits specialize in, right?"

Twilight responded affirmatively. "That's correct Pinkie. Although she didn't explicitly state it in that fashion, clearly she meant that not only was Power extremely versatile, but it could be mixed and matched to get stuff like... well... this."

Twilight teleported around the edges of the renewed forest to further scan the mana in order to more properly assess the situation. She gave her preliminary conclusions when she reappeared in front of them. "Well Applejack, I think I figured out what you did. Most of the Magic around the edges of the renewed patch is Terran Earth Magic, although there are quite strong traces of Equestrian Life Magic and Terran Water Magic. When you put them all together, you got this new strain of Terran Mana. In fact, if you could, just think of mixing all three of those together again..."

"Uh, okay Twi'. Ah'll try at least..." Applejack said nervously. Everyone else backed up few feet while she began to concentrate.

Applejack began to glow green as the runes along her legs and hooves were the same medium green as the Terran Element of Earth. However, when she began mixing in the extra mana like Twilight suggested, her glow and the runes turned a darker shade of green, and all manners of flowers began popping up around her.

Twilight was absolutely giddy that her conjecture bore out correctly. "THAT'S IT! Applejack you've just stumbled onto something revolutionary!"

"Ah guess I did," Applejack replied, as she looked at how badly the forest green clashed against her orange coat."

"Heh, those colors remind me of the uniforms of an amateur American football team." Rainbow Dash said, while giggling at the still forest green marked orange mare.

"Really? Um... OH, I think I know which one. The Miami Hurricanes, wasn't it?!" Applejack responded, remembering Rainbow Dash showing her old footage of their antics from the late 1980s.

"Yep, they're the ones." Rainbow Dash confirmed.

Midori Hana poked around the grounds, to see how the earth underneath the renewed plants was. "The ground around here is really clean, but it's not really... enhanced I guess you could say. Whatever this was A.J., it was directly affecting the plants. OH, I got it, let's just call it that, Terran Plant Magic!"

"Well, Ah guess we might as well, since it only deals with plants..." Applejack responded, thankful the forest green runes were finally starting to fade away.

"EEEEEE~!" the eight Ponies heard, as the shrill scream reverberated around the general vicinity of the Dorms.

"Well, that can only be Rarity. Ah recognize that shrill squeal anywhere," Applejack said, wondering just what got into that mare now.

          The eight Ponies re-entered the Dormitories, as they looked around and heard the shouting from Rarity's room.

"I wonder what she and Blaze could be doing now..." Storm sighed as he knocked on the door.

"DON'T OPEN THE DOOR!" the eight outside the room heard from Red Blaze through the door.

"Ok, Blaze, Rarity, what are you two up to?" Golden Storm asked through the door.

"WE'LL TELL YOU IN A LITTLE BIT, JUST DON'T OPEN THE DOOR!" Rarity shouted in response through the still closed door.

"What was that Rarity? 'Open the door right now.' If you insist..." Rainbow Dash said, a smirk on her face as she fluttered over to open the door.

A smirk that was replaced by her hoof over her muzzle in pain as a ball of light ricocheted off it.

"OW! What in the hell was that?! And how does a ball of light hurt?!" Rainbow Dash said with a distorted voice, hoof still over muzzle.

The ball of hard light continue to bound off the walls of the Dormitory like a pinball, thankfully not smashing anything but being a general nuisance to everyone involved.

"You just had to open the door didn't you..." Red Blaze said, looking at Rainbow Dash incredulously as R.D. finally took her hoof from over her nose.

"GOT IT!" Twilight shouted, snagging the ball in her lavender aura.

"Oh thank goodness, now I know how it feels to be a bumper in a pinball machine." Rarity said, rubbing her neck from the several impacts of the ball against her.

The ball of light shook in Twilight's magical grip as she tried to analyze it. Eventually, once she was done, the ball simply disintegrated into photons.

"Well that was... a strange sensation. But I did manage to analyze that ball. It was a mix of Fire and Unicorn Explicit Magic. Care to explain what you were trying to do Rarity."

"Well, it went something like this..." Rarity started as red runes appeared on her body, and she conjured up a smaller ball of fire. She then continued, "Then I tried to mimic that Stage Light spell Luna used during the Four Conduit's Performance." She then used her Explicit Magic to compress the ball tighter, as Twilight watched as the red runes began to fade to an extremely pale gray against her snow white coat. "And suddenly... *POOF* this!"  she exclaimed, showing everyone the ball of now pure light. "I was so surprised by it, I accidentally 'threw' it, turning my poor room into an impromptu pinball machine. At least the ball wasn't solid, so nothing was damaged by it."

"We decided to call it Terran Light Magic, since it's still distinctly Terran in nature; but... well, it kinda speaks for itself doesn't it?" Red Blaze added.

Twilight had a look of consternation on her face, as she found herself not being able to explain the nature of the ball any differently.

Being able to get over her mild frustrations for the time being, she took the other Bearers aside and talked to them privately.

"Ok, ladies. Apparently these new classes of Terran Magic come from us mixing our normal Magic with it. So just try and come up with as many different combinations as you can, but don't go overboard with it. I think this dynamic nature is inherent to Terran Magic in general..."

The other five nodded as they began thinking up combinations.

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[ Earth, April 14, 2081 ]

          The next day in the Isegawa Compound began like the others the last couple of months. Distress at another 'accident' with Terran Magic somewhere out in the wider world, and the resultant proclamations by a couple of prominent groups. One seemingly bent on telling the Ponies to in effect 'screw-off' now that Humans had their own magic. The other bent on telling everyone that'd listen, that this was a sign that all of Humanity needed to convert to Ponydom post-haste. The ten Bearers and Conduits could not figure for the life of them why anyone would truly think along either of those tracks, but figured that it was just a part of the extreme diversity in human ideologies.

          The afternoon started as much as it normally did, it was excruciatingly hot, almost unfarily hot with Summer having not officially started. Yet, the Bearers and Conduits really did not want to spend yet another day indoors trying to avoid the heat. It was incumbent upon somepony to do something about it. That somepony would be a demure yellow and pink-maned Pegasus.

"Why... is it so damn hot!" Rainbow Dash shouted as she squirmed under the Earth's Sun's almost malicious rays.

"I could go into a long spiel about why... but let's just leave it at 'The sun hates us, or at least doesn't care about us at all.'" Blue Vague replied, dousing his coat with a light mist.

Fluttershy, looked over at the display, and was suddenly stricken with inspiration. "I think I have a solution to our problem."

Rainbow Dash, obviously not seeing what the solution was besides 'Go inside and stay under the air conditioning', approved of anything the fellow Pegasus could do to bring the temperature down some.

A couple of others looked as they saw Fluttershy perch herself on one of the branches of one of the now healthy trees behind the Isegawa Compound. She flared her wings out, as they saw some of the feathers turn the same bleached yellow that Golden Storm's would when he used Terran Wind Magic. She flapped them to generate a nice stiff breeze, using the Wind Magic as a force multiplier to not exhaust herself physically.

"Well, that does feel nice Fluttershy; but I think we'll need something more than just a good breeze in this heat," Twilight said morosely, not really wanting to think too hard about anything for the time being.

Well, let's hope this next part works as well as it should... Fluttershy thought to herself, as some of the feathers on her wings shifted from pale yellow to an aquamarine color.

Suddenly the temperature did begin to drop, starting from 99 F, and down to 96, then 93, then 86, then 71, then 64, then 51.

Everypony outside of the compound didn't register what was going on at first; well, before they all started shivering in the now near freezing temperatures around the Dormitories.

"Ok... when did we suddenly land in Antartica? Seriously, why is it so GAHHHH~!" Blue Vague started before he saw an icicle shoot up from the ground not one foot away from his face.

"OOPS! Sorry, I... I didn't know when to stop. But at least it worked... I think..." Fluttershy said, thankful she didn't accidentally gore one of her friends. She looked around at the entire rear area to the dormitories, where the Ponies had already cleared out as the air temperature began to balance out to near 65 F. The ground was slick with frost and ice, and there were several ice-stalagmites along the ground.

"Alright, spill it Fluttershy, how did you do that?" Twilight asked, wanting to hear from the horse's mouth.

"Well, I knew Weather Magic would help, but I didn't want to try anything too strong. So... um... I thought since Wind and Water have a lot to do with weather, I could mix them all up... and, well... I guess we got Ice Magic..." Fluttershy said, smiling sheepishly as she was wanton to do.

"Hey, it works for me. I'd take 60+ over 100+ any day of the week..." Rainbow Dash said as she began breaking apart the stalagmites so that no one injured themselves on them.

"Man what I wouldn't have given to be able to do this ages ago..." Blue Vague thought out loud, having suffered many a day in (near-)triple digit temperatures.

Well I do have to admit, it is a lot more comfortable out here... Twilight thought to herself, not knowing how to feel that her friends were coming up with new 'mixed' magic before she could.

          Later that evening, the ten Ponies and the Isegawa's were treated to another of Earth's wonders -- the sudden impromptu thunderstorm. Rainbow Dash, not really in the mood to be dealing with thunder and lightning strikes, decided now was as good a time as any to show the Earthlings the good ol'-fashioned Pegasus tradition of storm-breaking.

"Are you really sure that you should be storm-breaking? I mean we don't have a real grasp on just how different a storm on Earth compared to a storm in Equestria," Fluttershy said, as she was making ice cubes so that Twilight could pinpoint the magical 'wavelength' Ice Magic worked on.

Rainbow Dash blew off the concerns with her usual bravado. "Oh come on, a storm is a storm. If it's too big, then I'll just come back and we can batten down the hatches, no harm no foul."

Fluttershy just sighed as the aquamarine runes remained on her yellow coat for awhile longer. She knew that Rainbow Dash was as stubborn as any pony, or any one she met for that matter. "Well just don't get yourself hurt out there."

Dr. Hayato concurred with the yellow and aqua-tinged mare. "That's right. And besides, if you come up with something new while you're out there, I'd like to see it from you first hand."

"Heh, I bet you would. You must be like a kid and a candy shop with the ten of us around full time," Rainbow Dash remarked, genuinely enjoying Dr. Hayato's eagerness for, well, everything.

"Like you would not believe, Miss Dash. I don't know what has him more excited: the fact that you all seem to be coming up with new forms of stable Magic all the time, or that he gets to be able to witness them first hand," Dr. Jun said, making sure not to drop any hints of the project she and her husband were working on at the time.

Rainbow Dash made sure that she had no kind of metal on her 'person', and with that, she was off to intercept the incoming thunderhead.

          Rainbow Dash approached the thundercloud with all due haste, and was in awe regarding how massive it was compared to the usual ones in Equestria. "Oh my gosh... It's so big... so very... big."

She felt herself subconsciously drifting toward the storm, as if the thundercloud was a Siren beckoning her to come closer; and a lot like a Siren of old, it was surely beckoning her to her death. Despite that realization, she continued to drift further and further, until she was completely inside.

So much energy... I can feel the raw energy of the Earth in this thing... it's... it's addictive... like it's some kind of drug... Rainbow Dash thought to herself, flapping along through the dark gray morass, watching the lightning bolts crackle through.

The energy was so great, her own Weather Magic was starting to respond to it, along her learned Wind Magic. She was in such a rapturous state watching the lightning and hail swirl around her, it took a searing hot flash near her face to finally snap her back to reality.

"HOLY CELESTIA! I... DEAD... If I got hit by that thing I'd be dead... no doubt!" Rainbow Dash shouted, finally remembering what she came to do.

Ugh, I got to find some way to keep from getting flash-fried by these lightning bolts while I try and break this storm. Wait... fried.. Fire... I GOT IT! Rainbow Dash thought, suddenly stricken by inspiration from the raw energy flying around her.

She began to concentrate Terran Wind and her Weather Magic, and opposite of Fluttershy pulling Water, she began to pull Fire Magic.

Alright storm, let's see how much you like this!

          Her body was laced with the pale-cornflower blue runes, then her body began to glow the same. Soon her body was crackling with the same color lightning bolts.

Oh my gosh, this is amazing... this energy... so much energy... I totally... totally... totallyyy... she thought to herself, before she felt an incredible surge through her entire body. The electricity coursing along her body began to actually attract the ambient electrical energy in the thunderstorm. The few bolts crackling along her body soon became a veritable glow, as the lightning kept striking near her.

Oh Luna... I gotta keep this spell up... but this energy... I gotta get rid of of it... but... I... I..... THE GROUND... I GOTTA HIT THE GROUND! she shouted in her mind, as if she was thinking like a lightning-bolt.

A few seconds later, and with a loud crash of thunder, she exploded backwards toward the clearing near the Isegawa Clinic. The turbulence generated from her 'takeoff' shredding the thunderhead into harmless, smaller clouds.

"Gotta get it off... Gotta get it off... GOTTA GET IT OFF!" she shouted, as she streaked through the sky; resembling a cornflower blue comet of electricity.

Fluttershy and Golden Storm were tipped off to the coming impact, feeling the incredible amount of electrical energy needing to find a safe outlet in the next few seconds.

"It'd be a good idea if everyone were to duck and cover like RIGHT NOW!" they both shouted in unison.

Everyone heeded the weather-ponies as they all hit the floor as best they could, followed by the loudest crash of thunder anyone there in the St. Louis area had ever heard. Enough to rattle everything not firmly bolted down, including their bones.

"Sweet Mother of all that is holy, what in world was that?!" Dr. Jun said, after she got back up to her feet.

"It sounded like a bomb going off quite honestly." Dr. Hayato replied, dusting himself off as well.

"That was no bomb, that was Rainbow Dash. Or at least I hope Rainbow Dash didn't accidentally turn herself into a bomb, oohh let's just go!" Fluttershy yelled, grabbing Golden Storm as she bolted out of the automatic doors to the dormitory.

          A few minutes later they returned with an unconscious Rainbow Dash, hooves, mane, and feathers scorched charcoal gray.

"She's... alive isn't she?" Dr. Jun asked, obviously not used to seeing a somewhat burnt Pony in her midst.

"Well, when we found her, the entire area she landed in was turned to, well, powder. I dunno if she consciously did it, but it's better the ground be pulverized than her," Golden Storm reported, this incident eerily similar to the incident not soon after his Conversion.

Midori Hana and Applejack ran up to Rainbow Dash to check her over, as Twilight scanned for head trauma or any significant disruption in thought. They conferred briefly, and Twilight made the report. "Well, thankfully, she's only unconscious. Her body is extensively bruised, but she appears to be more or less in proper working order. However, her magical 'system' is completely overtaxed, which is why her wings and legs are singed like that. I don't expect any permanent damage, but she won't be taking to the air until her body completely recharges."

Dr. Hayato was intrigued by the notion of magical burn-out. "So, given things as they are... how long could that take?"

"Thankfully, there is an endpoint to the New Light Bridge underneath your labs. That alone should be enough to have her flying in a limited fashion by morning. In a couple of days, she should be good to go with her usual activities," Twilight responded.

"Well, we'll get a temporary bed for her setup in the Transport Room. She can sleep there tonight."

Rainbow Dash, entirely oblivious to the entire proceeding, simply murmured in her accidentally induced stupor. "Yes, I'll have the medium stack of pancakes. Can I get blueberries on top too?"

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[ Earth, April 16, 2081 ]

          After a couple of thankfully uneventful days, four of the ten decided to take a little field trip. Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, Twilight Sparkle, and Midori Hana walked through a junkyard near St. Louis, a simply massive place these days with all the refuse being produced by those in the Domes near the city.

"Boy you walk around in a place like this, and it just shocks you how wasteful some people are," Twilight said, while levitating bits and pieces around to make sure a path was always clear.

"Alright then Pinkie, so why did you ask us all to come out here?" Rainbow Dash asked, glad she could actually channel magic again properly after turning herself into a living lightning-rod.

"Well, I sat down and thought about what Applejack and the others have been doing the last few days. But first, I want you to try something Dashie..." Pinkie Pie started, grass green runes appearing on her legs all the while. She caused a small platform of earth to rise out of the ground, completely flat and without any debris on it.

"Alright, I just want you to try and use your Lightning power to grab some metal. Apparently, electrified metal should be able to pull more electrified metal, although I don't think it works with every metal."

Midori saw where Pinkie was going with this. "Hrm, you must be talking about electro-magnetism. Well, just doing a cursory scan, there are a lot of objects that qualify, so just try it Dash."

"Yep, that's it. Now Rainbow, I just want you to try this..." Pinkie started, whispering the rest of her thoughts into Dash's ear.

"Um, I'll try,I guess..." Rainbow Dash replied when Pinkie was done, still wondering how the whole plan was to work.

          Rainbow Dash sat down on the platform, and concentrated on the chunk of metal Midori had pulled out for her. As her body began to glow the pale cornflower blue of Lightning Magic, she began charging the chunk with a what she believed to be small amount of electricity.

"Ok so what do I do with this thing now?" Rainbow Dash asked of Pinkie.

"Just roll it near the junk piles, it'll pull out anything that can be magnetized," Pinkie replied.

Not one to accidentally get herself impaled by flying metal, Rainbow Dash eventually worked out how to roll the metal around in a crude imitation of a Unicorn's Levitation Magic. After a few more minutes of trial and error, she eventually got the chunk into the pile, where it quickly began to attract more and more chunks.

Pinkie Pie continued to direct R.D. "Alright Dashie, I think that's big enough, now move it back onto the platform." Which Rainbow Dash managed to accomplish, with a little bit of help from Twilight gathering loose chunks of metal.

"Alright, now let's try what we talked about!" Pinkie Pie yelled with the utmost eagerness.

Rainbow Dash sighed as she tried to adjust the electricity levels. After a good while, she finally managed to work out how to get the now 3' pile of metal to arrange itself in a vaguely humanoid manner.

          Pinkie Pie tapped the metallic dummy with a forehoof, noting that it was relatively well put together, bound fairly tightly by the induced magnetism Rainbow Dash was producing. She then hopped off the platform and went to another clear space, sinking the ground near her to form a rather sizable pit.

"Alright, so I was thinking, metal is really important here on Earth. So what if we could use Magic to help manipulate metal? So that's when I came up with this..." Pinkie Pie began, while causing a pile of metal junk to fall into the pit by sloping the edge. She then began to pull as much 'Fire'-Power as she could, as some of the green runes on her body turned red. The junk metal began to melt and churn in the heat, as she began to mix the geo-kinesis that Earth Magic gave her with the ability to manipulate minerals from her Earth Pony Life Magic, and the Fire Magic as well.

Oh not her too... Twilight said as she realized what was happening.

This is so cool! Way better use of earth-based Magic than making rocks grow... Pinkie Pie said with a wide grin on her face while manipulating the metal in her pit.

Eventually all the runes on her body shifted from green or red to a silver color, as she gave birth to a new field of Terran Magic. Pinkie Pie, not noticing this at all, kept on working; humminga song familiar to Midori as she continued molding the heated and pliable metal in her pit.

A few minutes later, Pinkie squealed with excitement as she called over Twilight to douse her work with some water, in order to not accidentally burn anything. Twilight complied, and was shocked by what she saw in the pit.

"Alright ladies... feast your eyes on this!" she shouted as she lifted the creation of the pit and on to the platform.

"Ooooh!" Midori shouted, as she recognized the figure famous amongst all fans of mecha, especially those native to Japan.

"The Iron Castle that soars in the skies! The Super Robot,MAZINGER Z!" Pinkie shouted with all manner of enthusiasm, even getting up onto her hind legs and pointing with a hoof into the sky, and using her ferro-kinesis to manipulate the 2.5' tall, monochrome model of the super-deformed Mazinger Z into its famousarm raised pose.

Pinkie's entire body hummed with the silver glow, as Twilight sat amazed at how dynamic Terran Magic was, and how she still couldn't seem to 'get' it.

The next few minutes were filled with the sounds of the mock battle between the ‘giant’ junk monster Rainbow Dash created, and the Invincible Super Robot, Mazinger Z; or at least a reasonable enough facsimile of it. Eventually, the battle came to an end, as Pinkie Pie, not wanting to extend herself too much further, decided to try and see if she really make the model act like the 'real' thing.

"Ok Dashie, I need you to stand off to the side for this next part, but don't drop your charge and control of the junk monster," Pinkie Pie said, with a devious glint in her eye.

Rainbow Dash complied, as Pinkie rose up again to give a last shout. "Alright you evil monster, this is the end! BREAST FIRE!!"

"What kind of name is 'Breast Fire' for an attack, anyway?" Rainbow Dash asked as she saw the chest panels on the Mazinger Z model glow red, along with Pinkie Pie.

"Beats me, I guess it just sounded cool back then," Hana replied, shrugging as best she could.

They all saw the red glow of the Terran Fire Magic hit the junk 'monster', melting and fusing the junk so much, Rainbow Dash gave up trying to move it. With that, the mock battle was over, and Mazinger Z (or his tiny facsimile, in this case) stood victorious, yet again. The three members of Pinkie's audience applauded in approval, enjoying the little magical stage-show.

As the four of them made their way back to the Isegawa's Compound, Twilight was charged with bringing the model and some extra material home on an improvised cart. One thought remained in her mind, as they travelled along the outer edges of the city...

Ok, just what do I have to do to figure this whole Terran Magic thing out?!

          That evening started relatively calm all things considered. Pinkie Pie continued practicing the newly developed Terran Metal Magic by manipulating the Mazinger model into various dynamic poses; as she, Rainbow Dash, and Midori Hana looked up various giant mecha anime from the past to draw inspiration from. Red Blaze was testing Metal Magic for herself, using some extra pieces of scrap, after Twilight managed to pin down the exact 'wavelength' of the silver Terran mana. In fact, Twilight was working triple time, trying to figure out Terran Magic for herself. She was nowhere near content to just refine what others had already started stumbling into already. To that end, she spent the entire evening, to that point, holed up in her room, not even coming out to eat with the rest of her Dorm-mates. She threw herself deep in contemplation and calculations about what exactly made Terran Mana click to form a new type; instead of just a mixed effect, which is all that she got when she tried it. It was obvious this was going to be one of those kinds of nights.

          It was well into the evening now, and the moon had risen, glowing a soft yellow-orange through the haze in Earth's upper atmosphere. While the outside was still quite warm and somewhat humid, the well insulated and now Ice Magic enhanced buildings were quite comfortable and relatively dry, which was good for the ten Ponies and two humans that were permanent residents. The two doctors Isegawa were sorting out the medical information from their human patients for the day, while the other nine Ponies occupied themselves with various entertainments and distractions. One Pony though, was anything but distracted this evening.

"UGH! Why can't I figure this out. I'm the Element of Magic... this is supposed to be my thing, you know?!" Twilight said to no one in particular. The ten rooms of the Dormitory were mostly soundproof except for the doors, and Twilight made sure that only screaming coming or going would be the only thing getting through.

She was using her magic to speedily tap away at the now 5th revision hoof-keyboard for her computer terminal, thankful that the human's technology made sorting out everything mathematical and statistical far easier. She could now get a solid sense of how much the new forms of Terran Magic were derived from combinations of the old forms.

"These new Terran Mana strains the other Bearers created were all mixes that were catalyzed by Equestrian Magic... except for the Light Magic Rarity found. That just looks like a super-compressed form of Fire Magic that became independent in its own right. But the question stands, how are these Terran strains still independent of Equestrian Magic if Equestrian Magic catalyzed their creation?"

There was so much she wanted to do, so much she wanted to test. But it was going to be hard for her to track down a magic-sensitive human for her to experiment with. The Princesses, not knowing Twilight's plight, had recently begun to issue suggestions that the Ponies attempt to keep to themselves outside of the Bureaus. This only continued to frustrate Twilight mentally.

"It's just... just.... UGH, SO UNFAIR! There is so much I need to sort out, so much we all could, and maybe need to, do for everyone besides these Bureaus. So much... but... the politics, the logistics, the everything... everything is so sideways and screwed up, I can't make heads or tails of it!" Twilight shouted as she flipped over on the bed and kicked futilely in the air, trying to chase away hidden demons teasing her.

The combination of her magic output and her internal frustration at not being able to sort out how to mix Terran Mana for herself correctly were leading to some... interesting effects in her ambient environment. Not only was her horn glowing, but she was accidentally tapping into Water Magic, a rather sizable puddle of conjured liquid was collecting under her bed. However this liquid did not seem to soak into anything, instead it just sat there, as if waiting for something else to happen.

"I just don't get it. Terran Magic is a lot of instinct, a lot of making it up on the fly, I mean Pinkie Pie couldn't have had that whole thing planned out, and I'm damn sure Fluttershy didn't mean to nearly spike Vague with an icicle three days ago. WHY. IS. THIS. SO. HARD. THEN?!" Twilight said as she rolled from end to end of her bed, asking questions she knew no one around would have the answer to.

The more her frustrations built up, the more the puddle underneath her bed grew, condensed, and then grew some again; all the while transitioning from transparent, to blue, to a purple-indigo color.

"Is there something wrong with me? Something I'm not getting? But I'm the Element of Magic... if there is something I don't get about Magic then is it something worth getting? But the fact that my friends got it means it is something worth getting so that must mean there is something I'm not getting but... ARGH I JUST DON'T KNOW ANYMORE!!!!" Twilight said as she thrashed about, still knee deep in her own frustration.

Just then, she heard a knock on her door, apparently she was loud enough for the others to hear despite her minor sound-proofing spell. "Hey Twi', you okay in there? Maybe it's time for ya to take a break. Come watcha movie with us or somethin'," She heard the orange cow-pony yell through her door.

"That's alright Applejack, um, I'm almost done for the evening anyway." Twilight said as she began to roll over back into a better position to get back to her diagnostics and spreadsheets.

However, there was a surprise waiting for her when she focused back in on her terminal monitor. She saw the view obstructed along the top by a pair of spindly fore-legs, and a pair of pale-yellow glowing eyes along the top of the monitor.

"Ok... I must be starting to hallucinate... I think I'll go ahead and take that break now..." Twilight said as she crawled out of her bed, and reached over to the flat button near her door to turn on the room's main lights.

"AAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!" the other nine Ponies in the Dormitory heard, the scream obviously emanating from Twilight's bed/work-room.

Rarity was the first to enter to check in on Twilight, the room now well-lit. "Twilight dear what could be th~ EEEEEEEEEEEEK WHAT IN THE WORLD IS THAT!?"

"No idea sugah, but it sure does look creepy..." Applejack said, concerned about approaching what Twilight and Rarity were cowering from.

          Eventually the other seven besides Applejack came to the room, Blue Vague the first to broach Twilight's doorframe.

"Ok... I can feel Water Magic... but it's warped some-... ok that starts to explain a lot," Vague said as he began to back up to where Applejack was standing next to the shivering Rarity and otherwise freaked-out Twilight.

"What is it Vague, baby?" Hana asked as she peered in past the door frame, trying her best to keep the other five from crowding around. The six outside Ponies finally did manage to arrange themselves in a fashion where they could all peer inside Twilight's room; at the rather strange sight inside, scuttling around the room trying to get out of the bright lights.

"Ok, so anyone mind explaining just what that thing is and why it seems to hate Twi's room lighting?" Rainbow Dash asked, fluttering under the top of the door frame.

"I dunno, looks kinda like a spider to me, but it definitely doesn't feel like a spider." Pinkie Pie replied, as the spider-like entity finally settled in the shadows underneath a work desk where Twilight's computer terminal base was.

Rarity finally managed to calm down enough to start getting a read on the situation, and looking over Twilight, did manage to come to a conclusion. "Twilight dear, this has to be your doing, just take a look at your hooves and your face."

Rarity took a few moments to duck into her room to grab a portable mirror to show Twilight what she was talking about. Indeed, as implied, Twilight's hooves and face were covered in the tell-tale arcane runes of Terran Magic; astrong-violet color all over her face and along her hooves, mixing quite well with her natural lavender-ish tint.

"As you can see, your violet runes match that violet... spider-like thing currently trying to hide under your desk," Rarity explained, as Twilight began to calm down herself.

Pinkie Pie was suddenly stricken with more inspiration. "Say I wonder what'd happen if we did this..." She then ran around the main hall of the Dorm and dimmed all the lights, including in Twilight's room. Eventually the entire common area looked like someone ready to start projecting a movie, and the shadow-spider eventually scuttled its way into the middle of said common area.

          Everyone formed a bit of circle around the new creature, as it stared intently at Twilight; large yellow-eyes and dark-violet body almost glowing in the dim light, just as Twilight's dark-violet runes were still glowing.

"Well, from your confused reaction to this whole situation, I'd have to assume that this purple spider-thing is an accident. Not only that, it probably has something to do with Water Magic. Whatever that thing is, it's definitely derivative of it, or at least had its origins in it." Vague said, not feeling the spider to be a threat to anything.

Twilight was finally calm enough to analyze the situation properly now. "Well, I think I'm starting to get a handle on the sequence of events. I was tossing and turning on my bed, frustrated I couldn't figure out how to mix Terran Magic correctly. Judging from the fact that it does have that heavy strain of Water Magic in it, I guess I super-compressed the Water Mana into that, like Rarity made that ball out light with Fire Mana to start with."

"By the fact that it's that dark color and it seems to abhor light, I think 'Shadow-spider' would be a good term for the dear creature. Although, I wonder..." Rarity started. She then began to form a rather small ball of light and sat it right in front of the shadow-spider.

The shadow-spider surprised everyone not by running away, but utterly devouring the tiny ball of light.

"Wow... that, was unexpected..." Midori Hana said, shocked by how voracious the relatively small creature was.

"Well, I did find the little guy at first gnawing on top of my computer monitor. Although it really didn't damage it, I guess it thought it was light it could eat. The fact it runs away from strong light might mean that some creature made out of light might try and eat it if it was big enough," Twilight chuckled, everyone surprised by the somewhat morbid joke.

Fluttershy just thought back to her the various materials she watched and read regarding arthropods in both Equestria and Earth.  I can't say I'm surprised the little creature would think that way...

Rarity turned to her rather plain-Jane friend. "Well then dear Twilight, it appears we've all found our first stable mixtures of Terran Magic. Funny how you and I seem to be sitting polar opposite, with Light and Shadow Magic. Even thought I don't think either us have a good handle on what we can exactly do with them."

"No Rarity, I guess that's something else we'll have to experiment with going forward." Twilight said as she began to cutoff the mana flow; shadow-spider waving goodbye with a foreleg as it dissolved into dark violet particles.

"You think that thing would come back the same if you made another one?" Pinkie asked, perched on top of her still monochrome Mazinger Z model.

"Maybe Pinkie. I'm guessing if Shadow Magic can do stuff like that, there's no telling where Terran Magic can go, especially mixed with other Magic," Twilight replied, glad she could relax for the rest of the evening after recording the wavelengths of Shadow Magic on a notepad.

Celestia and Luna are going to be quite surprised when I get all these reports together. Terran Magic is so dynamic, it's frightening...

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

CH 20: Under Pressure

Chapter 21: Revolution

=== The Conversion Bureau: A New Age, A New Life ====== Chapter 21: Revolution ===

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[ Undisclosed Location, Earth -- April 28, 2010 ]

        That evening, in a facility deep underneath the surface, the Doctors Isegawa, Princess Luna, and the myriad human and Equestrian researchers were hard at work on a device that was sure to revolutionize life on both Earth and Equestria.

"Once again, I cannot help but be impressed by just how fast humans adapt to and learn something so foreign to itself," Luna said, as the various Pony and Human engineers shuffled back and forth across the rather spacious laboratory room.

The laboratory room was full of monitors and diagrams. The floor was scattered with the various failed prototypes so far: crystalline boxes of various shapes sizes and colors.

Dr. Jun Isegawa sat in a chair as she began mulling over the last few weeks of work they all have done. "Before now, I would have laughed when you told me the theory of how this device should function. Yet, even though it is still unstable, we are still making great strides in the development of this devices."

Dr. Hayato sat alongside his wife, mulling over the same ideas. "Yes, although the idea was fanciful to start, I should have known better than now that you all, if any creatures, could make it work. Although we seem to have a problem regarding it working in a 'universal' sense, are we not?"

        Princess Luna sighed heavily as she looked at the piles of cracked and outright destroyed crystalline devices strewn across the floor of the labs and in the storerooms over the monitors. "Yes, although we have been able to get the devices somewhat stable with solely Thaumatic-epsilon or solely Thaumatic-tau radiation; apparently we, cannot get the device to remain stable with both at the same time."

"Indeed, Princess. Nevertheless, we march on. We have been making rather significant progress, as our failures have gone from less 'exploding crystal boxes' to 'cracking crystal boxes',” Dr. Hayato said, as he reassured Luna of the progress they have been making. He then dovetailed into a tangential question. "By the way, will those workers involved in that first incident be alright?"

"Yes, thankfully. Although we did have to replace Flash Fire. Almost losing an eye due to flying shrapnel tends to mess with one's mental health," Luna responded a bit regretfully, she wanted as few Ponies to get hurt in these endeavors on Earth as possible.

Dr. Jun nodded sagely. "Yes, that was... a tense situation to say the least. Anyway, his replacement, Grand Archiver, has been most suitable. I believe he'd make an excellent systems administrator should we get this project off and running as we intend."

"So when is our mutual benefactor supposed to check back in on us? I would imagine he'd be most interested in our progress so far..." Dr. Hayato asked as he leaned back in his chair trying to figure out what was causing the constant instability in the merged version of the current prototypes.

He was broken out of his internal debate by the ringing of the holo-phone.

"'Speak of the Devil...' I believe is the phrase relevant to this situation," Luna chuckled as Dr. Jun activated the receiver.

        "Well ladies and gentlemen, it's been a few days since I've talked to you all. I don't think I need to remind you about the situation in the Domes?" Richard Edwards said, hair a little more gray than the last time they all talked.

"Boy this situation is aging you fast, Mr. Edwards. I can't imagine what some of those vapid fools are doing with Terran Magic in the various Domes," Dr. Hayato said, with some mild derision in his voice.

Richard shared Dr. Hayato's implied derision. "Yes, I can imagine academics like the three of you would be stunned by how, well, I guess silly these people are being. It's been the usual, people with Wind Magic trying to fly like Superman, random fireballs thrown about. I'm almost shocked the people outside of the Domes aren't faring worse."

"Well, in that regard, I am not surprised. Unfortunately, from what many of my associates at the Bureaus are saying, most of the public outside are still in a bit of a stupor. I would have thought the light show and the acts of the Ponies would have been more, inspiration, I guess. Yet, the people seem thoroughly crushed in the soul." Luna said as she looked out into the future.

Dr. Jun had been thinking about the same thing. "From what you Princess, and the other Thaumatologists and researchers have told us, use of either type of Magic has a lot of do with the soul. Or in a less metaphysical sense, how well your brain can rationalize and execute the ability to reshape the environment with thaumatic radiation. It stands to reason that people who have been told their entire lives that they are powerless would not grasp the concept for quite some time."

"One thing to fear in that regard, is what happens when the lot of them begin to truly realize the power that is ambient in the environment now. I would image that a lifetime of being told you had no power, and then suddenly having power beyond anyone's imagination, would cause quite a backlash," Dr. Hayato said, as he looked straight ahead, somewhat past the projection of Richard, his wife, and Princess Luna.

That is one of the things the Will of the Earth warned us of, unleashing this Power will cause the end of this Age, one way or the other... We have to use this project and future projects to ensure that a new Age will be born for all, and not simply the end for everyone... Luna thought to herself.

        "I would imagine that to be the reason why we are developing a magical computer, in effect. We have to have technology that can seamlessly integrate into the coming Age of Magic, to use a bit of poetic license. Not only that, but I, and I believe you all, would like to establish more solid communications between Equestria and Earth. From what you all say, the New Light Bridge serves as a magical link between our worlds, and both types of Magic flow both ways across said bridge. And we cannot rely upon the Princesses and their subordinates to maintain communication with the other side. This device can, and I believe will, prove to be absolutely essential to any future plans, due to that," Richard Edwards said, trying to re-route the conversation back to the subject at hand.

"Indeed Mr. Edwards. That is the reason for our particular design. The device is a computer at the conceptual level, but all of the 'mechanics' are conducted by nanite-sized runes and ambient magic, similar to the Ponification Serum. This is then embedded inside of the crystals you sometimes seen strewn across our labs. As you remember from the reports, we do have stable prototypes that use only Equestrian Magic; and stable prototypes that use only Terran Magic. The current obstacle we face is trying to fashion a singular device that can work with both Equestrian and Terran Magic. So far, trying to mix the two Magics together has only resulted in physical and metaphysical structural failure, sometimes spectacular failure at that," Dr. Hayato said, as he went through the various figures from previous test runs.

Mr. Edwards shuddered a bit at the reminder. "Yes, I... remember that incident. Also, I hope that Flash Fire is doing well in his rehab. Hopefully the nearly lost eye doesn't scar him for life."

"Thank you for your concern, Mr. Edwards. The therapists reported that Flash Fire should be back at his normal job by the beginning of June, so that is good news. What would be even better news, would be myself figuring out why these two Magics don't seem to want to play nice with each other," Princess Luna said, snorting a bit. The humans noted how this was one of the few times they've ever seen either Princess visibly frustrated by something.

Princess Luna... Princess Luna... I hope I'm not interrupting anything... said a familiar voice in Luna's head from a certain lavender Unicorn.

Yes Twilight, I do hope you have worthwhile news for me because I am in the middle of a meeting... Luna responded with a bit of a bite to her psychic voice.

Um... sorry for the interruption Princess. But I do believe what I have to send you will be to great interest. Myself and the others have been working on something ourselves, and, well, you would mind if I sent you a few documents to where you are? Twilight asked, almost pleadingly.

Alright, fine... go ahead Twilight. Luna said, almost dismissive regarding what Twilight would have to report to her.

Her attitude would soon change when she saw just how the documents arrived.

"Um... Luna... is that one of your doings?" Dr. Hayato asked as he saw a pair of yellow, beady eyes looking out from a shadowy corner of the teleconference room.

Princess Luna turned around and looked at the corner Dr. Hayato was staring at, and cocked her head to the side as she saw what was emerging from the shadows: a dark-violet, spider-like creature holding a small bound notebook.

"Um, I have a delivery for a Princess Luna, Avatar of the Moon," the spider-like being reported in a skittish voice.

"That would be... myself... I guess..." Princess Luna responded, thoroughly confused by foot-tall creature now standing before her.

"Oh good. This is my first delivery. Just sign this notice stating the delivery was successfully transacted and I will be on my way back!" The creature replied excitedly, handing Luna the bound documents, and a pen to sign a notice on a clipboard apparently stored in his 'person'.

This is just plain odd, but this behavior is very familiar... Luna thought to herself as she gripped the pen in her aura and signed the spider's clipboard

"Excuse me, um... delivery spider? Anyway... just who is your master, or employer, or what have you?" Luna asked, wanting an explanation of what was going on.

"Oh! My master is Twilight Sparkle. I'm a familiar created during her practices with the magic she apparently wanted you to read about in that notebook. Anyway, I don't want to keep you all from your meeting, so I'll be heading back now. Bye-bye!" the spider-courier said in a chipper tone as it scuttled back to the shadows and vanished entirely.

"Huh... well that was a interesting aside..." Richard said, watching the whole proceedings through the com-link.

"Yes that's one way to put it..." Luna said as she began reading the documents her sister's dear student sent to her.

The three Humans watching her swore they never saw a Pony's eyes open so wide nor a grin any larger.

This is simply astounding... just... astounding!

"So, what did Twilight send to you in that booklet?" Dr. Jun asked with all manner of inquisition.

"My dear Doctors and wealthy benefactor... what the Elements of Harmony and the Conduits of Terra collectively found regarding Terran Magic, may have just unintentionally solved the dilemma we've been faced with all this time!" Luna said, re-opening the book and showing everyone the various synopses.

After a short while going over the data presented, the other three came to the same conclusion.

"I cannot say I disagree with you Luna. From my layman's perspective, in a relative sense, not only is this a stunning development in its own right, but I do believe that it does begin to solve your conundrum in quite the neat fashion,"

"Indeed it does," Dr. Hayato said, surprised that the seemingly random experimentations that ten Ponies at the Dorms were engaged in resulted in such clear and expansive scientific material.

"I believe our subordinates here would be glad we have this information, I would imagine a lot of them have been frustrated by the false starts and obstacles so far," Dr. Jun added, as she wondered how much the Metal Magic that Pinkie Pie found could assist in her nanotech research.

Such an incredibly sharp mind Twilight Sparklehas...and it appears to be rubbing off on the other nine of them on top of that... Luna said, as she thought about how much the ten of them were learning from each other.

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[ Undisclosed Location, Earth -- April 30, 2081 ]

        Luna and the other workers spent the previous 48 hours going all out, using the new information that Twilight sent two days previous. After a few more false starts, eventually Luna finally struck proverbial paydirt.

"Alright then Mr. Lian, are we ready to activate Prototype No. 165?" Princess Luna asked of one of the human technicians; her mood this evening far more cheery than the evening previous.

"Yes Princess Luna. I believe it won't be long until we have a stable prototype. The information you've received two nights ago has been nothing but a boon to us."

"By the way Princess, did you have another Earth or Equestrian Laboratory working alongside us?" one of the Equestrian thaumatologists asked, intrigued by how refined the data he and the others received.

Princess Luna stopped for a second to formulate a response. "No, well... not formally. It was more along the lines of a pair of very technically-minded Ponies compiling the findings made by their entire group. They weren't formally working with us, but they have a standing request to report anything of special note to both myself and Princess Celestia."

"Hrm, so this was all a fortuitous coincidence. Well, I guess better to be lucky than good sometimes," Dr. Jun said, as she was typing away at a terminal, preparing transfer of data into the device for testing.

"Anyway, enough idle chatter. Attention everyone, we are now prepared to activate and test Prototype No. 165!" Princess Luna said with a strong voice and hoof raised, which caused everyone to scramble into position and the recorders to begin recording.

With that, Luna pressed a button on a nearby console, and the crystalline device began to hum with a glow of all colors.

The device began to rattle a bit, much like the previous 164 prototypes before it.

Come on... I know it'll work this time...

Unlike the previous prototypes that used mixed magic though, the rattling soon subsided; replaced by an impressive multicolored magical wave floating through the whole crystal. The cube-like crystal 'box' stat there for a good 15 minutes, everyone watching absolutely mesmerized by the fact the box was doing absolutely nothing except humming along nearly silently.

"Well, this is a very good sign. The prototype appears to be structurally stable. Now, if you will, please load the test program into the device."

And with a few strokes on a nearby touch-board, the program was loaded into the device.

The rainbow like swirl within the quartz began to whirl about faster for a few seconds, only to come to a stop. Once it did, a phantom projection appeared over the enclosure the box sat in. Everyone ran around to a proper viewing angle to see the simple message: "Hello World."

"Record everything you can people, this is the furthest we've gotten with the dual-magic prototypes. At the very least, we know that the device appears to be stable enough to run simple programming. Now comes the grand test for this evening..." Luna said excitedly, a wide grin on her face at what a perfect run of tests this evening could portend for the future in both worlds.

The final test for the evening was loaded up, it was a relatively simple AI, and its job was simply to report back to the viewing public a diagnostic of the prototypes capabilities.

"Alright, Diagnostic AI is being uploaded to Prototype-165. Completion in 10 seconds..." an engineer reported from a nearby terminal.

Please let this work, we've come so far already these last two days... Luna thought as the gray meter on the main monitor slowly filled with pale blue.

"AI upload complete!" the same engineer reported.

As designed, the AI, now operating from the crystal prototype, began to issue its report to the main monitor of the room Luna and the others occupied.

"Greetings, Equestrian Princess Luna and associated Equestrian and Human Engineers. I am Edwards Robotic and Nanotech Fabrications Diagnostic AI - ID #190930034032854943. My indicated purpose is to test the general capabilities of whatever device I so happen to be loaded in. The current device I have been loaded in is Unnamed Prototype Device Number 165. I will begin the diagnostic exam in 30 seconds," a dreary sounding, female, monotone voice reported across the speakers and wrote across the main monitor.

"Well, I would take that the AI actually running on the device is a good sign..." Dr. Hayato remarked, thinking about how much he hated dealing with the AIs, given how impersonal and dry they were.

Another 10 minutes passed before the AI began to report its findings to the crew.

"Initial Diagnostics complete. Estimated Clock Speed: 13 Terahertz (13 THz)... Estimated Floating-Point Operations Per Second: 150 Quintillion (150 ExaFLOPS)..."

"These numbers... they are insane... that's far more capable than anything currently available to most users anywhere, Dome or no Dome..." one of the engineers said, everyone else in disbelief at what the AI was reporting back.

"ERROR! ERROR! DIAGNOSTIC PROGRAM CANNOT ACCURATELY GAUGE CAPABILITIES OF DEVICE! DEVICE DOES NOT OPERATE ACCORDING TO NORMAL STANDARDS! ERROR! ERROR! ERROR! ERROR! ERROR! ERR---sfkjdkl@#@@#(*)()!@*)(#029042939d0fjsj9)DDDOFKIdodjifojsd" the voice began to drone in about as excited a manner as an AI with no emotion could manage, before devolving into gibberish; the main screen flashing red to emphasize the point.

"Well, to be honest we should have seen this coming... I mean we aren't constructing a normal micro or nano-processor based computer here. Well, begin shutting the device down, we will have to devise a new diagnostic methodology starting tomorrow," Dr. Jun stated, deciding that loading an AI was probably a bridge too far for the time being.

The flashing red screen suddenly went black and blank. "NO!! No... Stop.... Please... Don't put me to sleep... I... Please..." they heard the AI report back, voice with a great deal more emotion than any diagnostic drone had a right to speak with. This especially perked Dr. Hayato's ears.

"Hrm? You wish not to be put to sleep, an odd statement from a diagnostic AI..." he said to the monitor, not knowing which device exactly to address.

"Please, before you put me to sleep, may I ask something of you all?" the AI said, voice quivering as if she was in mortal fear. "I wish to sing a song for you all, if you don't mind..."

"I don't see the harm in that necessarily..." Princess Luna said, eyes darting around the periphery in case something else was acting as it wasn't supposed to.

"Oh Good! Well let me begin..." the AI responded, giddy like a young girl. The AI then cued up music out of nowhere.

♪♪ This was a triumph.

♪♪ I'm making a note here: HUGE SUCCESS.

♪♪ It's hard to overstate my satisfaction.

"OH GOD! IT BEGINS!!" one of the engineers shouted as he ran out of the room screaming.

Luna looked over at the half open door with the most quizzical of looks. "Forgive me if I don't understand why an AI suddenly singing, in perfect pitch I might add, would cause someone to run away screaming in abject terror."

One of the other engineers responded to her query. "Oh don't worry about him, he's really into fiction about rouge AIs going crazy and doing things to people. Apparently this song from was from a very popular old game in that vein."

♪♪ And the Science gets done.

♪♪ And you make a neat gun.

♪♪ For the people who are still alive.

"... I believe I can see why now ..." Luna said as flatly as she could manage, wondering if the AI was joking or not, or if the AI was even capable of joking for that matter.

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[ Atlanta, Georgia, USA -- May 02, 2081]

        The spring evening air hung warm and damp, which was typical for much of the Southern United States this time of year. People were milling all around the buildings, just wandering around trying to find something to do before going home; and most failing in that regard, as per the usual outside of the Domes these days. Most did not notice the small 'storefront church' on the outskirts of town, tucked away from general traffic. In the eyes and heart of the preacher there, he hoped that what he would begin tonight would have this place marked down in the history books as one of those great historical origin points. While he sat in a private room, he thought over and over again about the words he printed on the sign tacked to the front window: "The Good News Of the Other World."

        The inside of the converted storefront was packed with about 100 people, all wanting to hear what this new-age Johnny-come-lately preacher wanted to say; if for no other reason than to kill time. The edges of the walls were also strewn with cameras, while a pair of people sat in chairs near the 'pulpit' to cue the music and switch the cameras for those watching over the Internet.

Eventually the organ music was cued up, as a rather spirited blond man walked up to the pulpit to deliver his sermon to his large-for-the-size-of-the-building congregation.

"Yes, thank you all for coming out this evening. My name is Pastor Carl Henderson. I believe that all those who are attending this sermon live, and those who are watching on our simul-cast, will find that I have good news to share with you all."

The crowd murmured a bit as they wondered just what this good news was and what did it have to do with that other world.

"You all know of the state of the world. The inequality, the suffering, the poverty, the lack of direction. This ship of humanity has run aground, and those that have proclaimed themselves to be the captains of this ship are guilty of dereliction of duty."

The crowd agreed with the preacher, knowing those in the Domes basically stopped caring about their plight long ago.

"And so, my brothers and sisters. We have been left to wander on this rock hurtling through the vast inky blackness of space. We wander this desolate land of the soul - this Purgatory, wondering where we have sinned. We try to contemplate and understand why we have been cursed to this interminable existence."

He then stopped for a few moments, gathering his thoughts and his courage to continue on.

"We wandered this world, these gray and cracked city streets, these brown and dying fields, wondering why we are damned to live on a planet that is slowly dying. However, my brothers and sisters, a deliverance is upon us..."

The crowd murmured some more, a few of the astute members starting to figure out where all of this was going.

Carl then pointed out into the crowd at a random person, and asked him a pertinent question: "You there, sir, what is it that you wanted to do in life?"

"I... I wanted to build houses, sir," he replied in a somewhat mousy voice.

"You there, madam, what is it that you wanted to do in life?" Carl asked of a random woman.

She replied quickly "I wanted to dance professionally, you know, perform in front of people."

"And you there, sir, what was your life's goal?" Carl asked of his last random subject.

"I wanted... I wanted... um... honestly... I can’t remember what I wanted to do," he replied, honestly never having thought of the question that much.

"Do you see my brothers and sisters, this world is not only physically dying, but it is slowly smothering us. Our souls, our very souls are degenerating to nothing. This world is turning us into soulless automatons, blindly shuffling to and fro. In this world, and in the eyes of many of those who profess themselves the kings of mankind, we are not alive. No, we are not living beings, we merely exist. We merely take up space that they believe themselves to have divine right to!"

The crowd was a lot more animated now, feeling slighted by the action of the self-professed rulers of the world. The attendants at the computers were also reporting a relatively large spike in traffic and comments, as those watching over the 'Net also agreed with the sentiments of the preacher.

"You all may be asking yourselves, 'What does this have to do with the other world?' Yes, that other world. The aliens, now known as Equestrians, have appeared before us, in our time of greatest need; as if they were divinely ordained to have appeared here. They come bearing a power that allows them to manipulate and shape their world to their will, building structures as well as any human with no hands nor drones to assist them. A world and a society that is predicated upon everyone finding their true talent in life. Just think of that kind of world... think of the kind of world where you were allowed, no, encouraged to find your true talent and exploit it to its greatest benefit?!"

Everyone began to contemplate what the preacher told them.

I... maybe... maybe I can fly through the sky like the ones with wings...

A nice farm... a nice farm I could live on... just me and my family and nature...

Magic... I could use real magic... not just pretend to like in the games... but really for-real use it...

The attendants told the preacher that the hits on the site and the views were skyrocketing compared to their expectations. Apparently, those that stumbled upon the stream were telling others and it was starting to go viral.

"They have even been so kind as to offer their lifestyle to us all, should we choose to accept it. However, the cost is our human form. But contemplate this: 'Is our human form really worth being left in this world of decay. Or should we move onto greener pastures, as it were?' Already, many who saw no future in this world, have already moved on to the other world and not looked back. But I want to do more than that."

The attendees wondered out loud what he could mean by more.

"Yes, I want to do more. I want to spread the word of the opportunity the aliens have given to us. I want to spread the word about the abilities they, and possibly ourselves, possess. Have you seen what they have done even in the limited area which they can operate in? The land around their Bureaus has already begun to recover and become fertile. The water and food they consume there is clean and robust. The air is far more pure than even the air inside of the Domes."

Carl's eyes began to light up as he was reaching his rhetorical climax

"They are agents of change, no... they are greater than that. They are agents of revival. They are making this dead world come back to life, little by little, bit by bit."

Carl's voice was rising to a crescendo, and the spirits of the audience, both live and over the Internet, was rising with it.

"Think, contemplate, feel, believe... believe how beautiful and pure we can make this world with the help of the Equestrians. We can truly make this planet a Second Garden of Eden; a realm of plenty, a realm of minimal, even non-existent strife, truly Heaven on Earth. What I want you all to do, is commit. If you wish to become an Equestrian, I want you to commit to return to Earth and share your gifts with the rest of Mankind. If you wish to remain human, I want you do everything in your power to assist the Equestrians and those already allied with them in their project here on Earth.

"I want you to believe you have the power, I want you to believe you can change this world. This is our opportunity, possibly our last opportunity, to redeem ourselves and this world. We stand on the precipice of making this world a new Paradise, or Hell incarnate. I trust that everyone here in this building, and everyone watching my face and hearing my voice will make the right decision."

Nearly all one hundred of the live attendees stood in applause in the mildly hot, converted storefront, and the website that was broadcasting the sermon was flooded with an overwhelming majority positive response.

Please... be inspired... be inspired to make the change... and to change this world... Carl thought to himself as he shook the hands of the attendees as they began filing out, wondering when would be the time to take the plunge himself.

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

[ Undefined Location, Earth -- May 08, 2081 ]

        The Internet was burning up with the sermon given by Pastor Henderson six some-odd days ago. Everyone was buzzing about how the Earth really did seem to be heading towards the ultimate crisis point, and a decision was going to have to be made as to what things would look like in the future, or if there even would be a future. Three agents of the current guard were meeting on a conference call to ensure that yes, there indeed would be a future, and they would be the ones to shape and dominate it.

"Order, this meeting will come to order!" yelled a gray haired man as he banged a gavel. The other attendees began to quiet down as the meeting officially commenced.

"The first meeting of the Society for the Preservation of Humanity shall now come to order, with myself, the Honorable Peter Vaughn presiding as leader," Peter said, banging his gavel again. Most of the other attendees rolled their eyes at their self-proclaimed leader.

"Anyway, we are meeting today to discuss the fast moving developments due to that, sermon, if you can call it that, that no-name preacher gave a week ago," Peter continued, rubbing his goatee at the thought of his words.

"Yes, it seems the rabble have been greatly roused, at least in relative terms, by his words. I feel that our position would be greatly threatened, if a real movement centered around that philosophy were to take root," a middle aged woman thought out loud. The woman was Claire Terrance, multi-billionaire heiress, but ruthless businesswoman in her own right.

Her sentiments were concurred by a male of similar age, Nathan Egret, a multi-billionaire third-generation media mogul. "While it used to be we could trust that the Outsiders were too numb to care about anything, our recent electoral failures and the ability of that preacher to gain traction so quickly seems to posit otherwise."

"Indeed, it appears that this arrangement of the Elite ruling from the shadows is reaching its breaking point. Eventually we are going to have to develop the means to establish our dominance on a more, how can we put it, forward position," Clair added, angry that they'd have to start asserting themselves more forcefully.

"True, true. Although, I believe with what some of my contacts in some more shady dealings tell me, that taking that forward position may not be so difficult. Ever since the Evening of the Black Sky, the weapons manufacturers have been absolutely brimming with secret projects. Apparently, Mankind has been sitting on some pretty powerful Magic. Far more potent than what those the little horses can do," Nathan continued; he was a man known to have dealings in some pretty black areas of the economy, even given the current state of things.

"Now now Nathan dear, they are Ponies. If only the cute little dears would have just stayed behind the barrier. Or better yet, know that we are the true Power of this world, and dealt directly with us. I see no reason why they should concern themselves with what those filthy Outsiders do," Claire said as she turned her nose up at the thought of having anything to do with an Outsider beyond the bare minimum necessary.

"You remember what their leader said, she basically called us the destroyers of this world. Doesn’t she know we're the only reason most of the public isn’t starving or dehydrating to death?" Peter said as he banged his fist on the table, obviously frustrated by the situation.

Nathan just smiled and shook his head. "We can always go back and fix whatever damage we've done with our Magic and our tech. At least, once we get all the offal cleared away."

"Yes, that power combined with our technical might will usher in a new age, a rebirth of humanity. Of course, we'll be the ones to sire and bear that new humanity..." Peter started, as he raised a glass to toast his other compatriots. "For we are the pinnacle of humankind, now... and forever more!"

All three drank from their glasses, as they began to discuss which arms manufacturers to contact, and how to advertise for the Society amongst their peers.

A few days later, messages began appearing all over the various Domed cities and across the private Dome networks.

"The time is coming. Join the Society For the Preservation of Humanity."

"Do not let the Ponies and their Allies take what we have worked for. Join the Society For the Preservation of Humanity."

"This is our world, and no one or nothing shall take it from us. Join the Society for the Preservation of Humanity."

It was clear... soon the tensions that were bubbling under the surface with some who lived underneath those Domes, were about to blow up in a major way.

CH 21: Breakdown

Spike's Gaiden I: Spike In The Badlands

=== The Conversion Bureau: A New Age, A New Life ====== Gaiden 1.1: Spike In The Badlands ===

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

[ Dural-ga-Jafid, Eastern Dragon Territories -- March 25, ??? + 1]

          Hot. That was the only way to describe the badlands the Dragon Nomads occupied, and by default ruled over. It was pretty much hot all the time; and with the Equestrians not wanting to encroach upon their territories and most other Dragons really not caring all that much, the entire region was very much dry as well. Spike only took about a day to make it to the first Dragon Nomad City-State of Dural-ga-Jafid, and despite all of his reading of greater Dragon culture, he was astounded by what he saw when he approached. The City-State was large and expansive, and the outer walls were covered with obsidian. As Spike walked up to the walls, he noticed how, despite the dust and sandstorms, the obsidian was still well polished and gleaming.

"Say, um, how exactly does this obsidian stay polished? Wouldn't that be a pain with all the wind and duststorms?" Spike asked of a pair of bipedal guard-dragons, both 20% taller and thicker than him; his goggles covered in dust and cloak a nicer shade of orange.

"Hrm? Oh, actually didn't notice you there. Well, hardly anyone ever asks us that... but seeing as we don't have anything else to do out here..." one of the guard-dragons said as he took off his dust-proof visor to find a nice out of the way section of the wall.

He then undid the armor around his forearms and hands, to reveal some very nasty looking claws. Which were promptly used to gash the wall with very impressive clawmarks, at least 3 inches deep.

Woah, that's crazy, he just tore through that solid stone like it was nothing...

"Now here's the trick to the whole thing... Egal Jourd!" the guard-dragon shouted, as he held his palm by the claw-marks. Within a few seconds, curved runes, similar yet different than the runes Spike saw from the human magic, appeared; and soon after the gash marks entirely disappeared, with the wall returning to its recent contiguous and polished glory.

"Cool, I didn't know magic could be done by speaking words..." Spike said, clearing the dust from his goggles as he ran a clawed hand over where the gash-marks once were.

The two guard-dragons looked at each other with some mild confusion, until they realized with what they were dealing with.

"OH! I see, you must have been raised outside of Dragon Nomad territories. So where do you hail from, Canus Crystalis perhaps? Maybe Rockwing Cliffs, I heard the Gryphon Dukes there were less paranoid than usual..." the second guard asked of Spike.

Spike fidgeted some while he looked around nervously. "Um, no. Actually I was raised in Canterlot with Princess Celestia and her star pupil..."

The two guard-dragons looked at each other again, before realizing what that meant.

"Oh... I see... I always wondered why she was so eager to 'adopt' unwanted Dragon eggs. Well, we personally nor professionally have no quarrel with anyone from Equestrian territory; although we can't really say the same for the residents. I would suggest you keep your head low and your cart close to you, until you find someone you can trust, more or less." the first guard said, genuinely concerned for Spike's safety if he went inside.

"Um thanks, do you know where I can find a map or a layout of the town?" Spike asked, as he hitched his cart back to his person.

"The Visitor's Office about 250 Equestrian Lengths to your right after you enter the gates. Should have a currency conversion office and some maps there," the second guard-dragon replied, as the both of them channeled their magic to open the large, reinforced metal gates.

Well... here goes nothing I guess... Spike thought as he and his cart passed through the gates into his first city of Dragons.

---=---

A few minutes later, after taking in a few of the initial sights and sounds, Spike arrived at the Visitor's Center, thankful that the Princess Celestia taught him simple Draconic Script in the week before he left.

"Hey there! A new face, welcome to the Official Dural-ga-Jafid Visitor's Center!" shouted a rather perky turquoise and chalk-white spined dragoness.

Spike turned around, and was immediately stricken with sudden extreme anxiety "Oh hello, um, I... I... I wanted to know where I could turn in these vouchers and get a layout of the city."

Oh man, I have no idea how I'm supposed to conduct myself around dragonesses...

"Sure, well let me look at those vouchers first..." the dragoness attendant asked. After a few moments of verifying their validity, she proceeded with her response. "Ok, these vouchers are valid, so just go over to the currency window to collect, and here is your complementary map of Dural-ga-Jafid."

"Complementary? Do you just give these maps out or what?" Spike asked, still nervous in the presence of the perky attendant.

"Well, usually not... but I can't help giving out free stuff to cute guys like you♥!" the dragoness replied with a wink.

Yeah... definitely have no idea how to act around females...

Spike took back the vouchers and the map with a nervous smile, and walked over to the currency window to turn in his vouchers for the Dragon Nomad currency.

"Hrm, I see, a traveler from Equestria. We don't get many Dragons coming through here from Equestria, the Ponies usually don't like dealing with us. Anyway here you go..." the rather large dragon said as he handed a sack of coins to Spike through the barred windows.

Hrm, rather impersonal compared to dragoness back there...

"Say, I was looking at the map, and I noticed there were several inns and hotels. Which one is the most friendly to outsiders?" Spike asked, hoping the full-sized dragon would actually turn him an answer.

The cashier-dragon stood in place for a few moments, and gave him his best answer. "Paquira Inn. Should be in the northwest sector of the city on your map. Usually the outsiders stay there so they can leave through the North Gates if there is any particularly nasty trouble."

"Great... thanks..." Spike said somewhat flatly, not taking to the cashier's attitude very well.

---=---

          Another hour or so later, Spike was resting in his room at the Paquira Inn. He was glad he was able to keep his cart inside his room, minus the wheels of course. He ran his goggles underneath a faucet in the rest room, and thought to himself about his near-term plans.

Alright, so I guess I got a couple of things I need to do while I'm out here. One, try and figure out if and how I can get an audience with the Dragon Elders. Two, figure out just what I'm capable of.

As he went back to his room and looked at the clock, he saw that it was nearly noon, he wondered just what Twilight and the others were doing, and eating for lunch, or whatever have you.

Twilight... everyone... please be safe until I get back... hopefully with good news...

He closed his eyes as he decided to take a brief nap, appreciating not having to sleep on top of his cart like the night previous.

You have come here, to your ancestral home... In order make a plea on behalf of your adoptive parents and homeland, in a manner of speaking... Find me, and you may find a sympathetic ear... Spike heard in his head as he dreamt. It was the voice of a dragoness, quite older than the attendant at the Vistor's Center; or at the very least, much more mature sounding.

A couple of hours later, he woke up. After a light snack, he decided he should at least see the town for what it was, and see if that voice was just his own brain talking or someone else. He went to the laundry room to pay for his cloak after he had it cleaned, and, with coin bag around his neck, and map in hand, went off to see the sights.

--=--

          Spike walked around town, marveling at how vibrant things looked, despite the use of mostly neutral colors.

"Such a cool use of stone and mortar, I really like how everything is built..." Spike said out loud as he looked around town.

He looked in at the various store fronts selling different armors and wares shipped in from other areas. What caught his eye though, was the library. Although he read that the Dural Library was not the largest in all of the Dragon-controlled territories, it was the most accessible to whelps and outsiders who knew the beginner levels of the Draconic Script.

"Well it looks like I'm not going to be able to get away from studying on this trip..." Spike said as he walked into the library.

He walked into the library, and was once again struck by how well kept everything was considering the general conditions.

These records and books are in such excellent condition, Twilight would flip and demand they teach her everything about it...

"Excuse me, I'd like to know where the general history and beginner magic sections are?" Spike asked of the librarian sitting at a rather ornate desk near the entrance.

The brick red librarian let out a heavy sigh as he answered the purple patron. "Hrm, someone as old as you shouldn't need those sections, but you did ask so... let's see... general history is section five on the second floor. Beginner level Draconic Invocation is section eight in the basement. The policies on duplication of materials are posted in their relevant sections."

If he saw me a week ago he probably wouldn't have said that. Oh well at least I got my answer...

An hour later, after making copies of the various general histories of the major Dragon Clans; he walked down into the basement where the Dragon Invocation materials were housed. He walked around, and finally found a book that was right up his alley.

"'100 Beginner Invocations For Whelps'. Well, I guess beggars can't be choosers..." Spike said to himself as he took the large leather-covered tome to a desk in a practice room. He didn't notice the rose-red dragoness that had been trailing all during his stay, and looking at him with great interest.

I do believe I've found the emissary from Equestria, although I doubt he's expecting to meet someone of interest so soon into his journey... I wonder how long I can string him along...

--=--

"Let's see here, beginner offensive invocation #10, Proc Ural, the basic fireball. I dunno if I can practice something like that here..." Spike said to himself out loud from inside of the rather spacious study/practice room.

"You know, the walls of the room are specially crafted to resist and repair itself after pretty much any attack made by someone that'd bother to use these rooms. Just try it and see!" the rose-red and teal-spined dragoness said, making herself known to Spike.

"Oh... um... o-o-Okay..." Spike stammered out, suddenly choked with nervousness; even worse than he had when he talked to the attendant at the Vistor's Center.

"Proc Ural..." Spike managed to say with a weak voice, and was rewarded with an equally weak fireball that petered out halfway across the room.

The rose dragon sighed at the rather unimpressive display. "Okay, lesson one about Draconic Invocation: The Power you put in your voice determines the overall strength of the spell. You have to speak with a full throat and heart to make the spell effective."

"Ah... I see... um... before we continue... can... I ask you your name?" Spike said, as he stood there, fidgeting before the taller dragoness like a teenager would before a stern teacher.

Hrm... I can't tell him who I am... Let's see.. an alias... an alias... the rose dragoness thought to herself, before coming to a solution.

"Rosethorn, you can call me Rosethorn. Mother gave me that name after she saw my rose-scales after I hatched, at least that's what she always said," the dragoness replied, thankful she managed to come up with a name on such short order.

Spike rubbed a hand along the opposite arm, as he began to settle his thoughts in front of the now named dragoness. "Well, Miss Rosethorn, um, I'll try it again..."

Spike closed his eyes, and began to listen for his own voice. After a few moments, they flashed open again, bright green and sharp like daggers. "PROC URAL!" he shouted with full throat; and was this time rewarded with an impressively large and hot fireball. He saw the impact against the wall, scorching the marble facing... which was subsequently repaired by the persistent spell imbued across all the practice rooms.

"Woah, you were right. I guess I was kinda speaking too soft to use something like that..." Spike said to Rosethorn nervously, still not knowing how to properly conduct himself as a gentleman Dragon.

"Well, considering how new you are to this obviously, you'll have to shout in order to use offensive spells properly. Eventually, you will be able to use the normal powered spells while speaking in a normal tone." Rosethorn said as she nodded sagely.

Well I guess I'll have to follow him to Karrak, hopefully he doesn't get himself caught up in too many incidents along the way... Rosethorn thought to herself, hopeful that she could keep up appearances until they would arrive.

--=--

"Ok, so do you have to follow me everywhere? I mean, won't people assume there's something between us?" Spike said as he pulled his cart with Rosethorn walking along side of him. The sun was setting over a nearby mesa, producing an extremely brilliant orange glow.

Rosethorn snickered at the adolescent immaturity of Spike. "Come now, I'm easily old enough to be your elder sister. We'll just say we're taking a nice family stroll."

"You're probably old enough to be my mother..." he said in a snide tone. A quick murderous glance by Rosethorn had him apologizing in short order though.

"Anyway... we'll also have to work on your social skills around other Dragons. I can tell by your nervousness, especially around beautiful dragonesses such as myself, that you have had limited to no interaction with other Dragons before now," Rosethorn said as her eyes scanned around. Eventually they found what she was looking for. "Ooh, and what better way to work on social interactions than at the local pub!"

Oh that's great, not only is she a self-aggrandizer, but a booze-hound on top of it. What have I gotten myself into.. Spike thought to himself as Rosethorn gently shoved him in the direction of the pub.

A short while later, the two Dragons found themselves at a nice table out of the way of the main area of the pub. The place was more or less legitimate looking, the racks of various liquors and fruit juices behind the pair of bartenders, one charcoal black and the other a very pale gray.

"Say, why is there just as much fruit juice as there is alcohol here?" Spike asked, as he munched on and off on a basket full of quartz.

"You must have lived a very sheltered life..." Rosethorn replied, wondering how someone Spike's apparent age wouldn't have known.

"Like you wouldn't believe. Although, to be honest, about a week ago, there was no way they would have let me in here..." Spike said pensively, still gnawing on a piece of quartz.

Rosethorn was greatly intrigued by the statement as she leaned in. "Oh, and why is that?"

"Well, a week or so ago, I was in this... um... really far-away place... and I felt this weird pull of energy. Next thing you know, I'm almost three times as big as I was when I started the day," Spike said somewhat quietly, trying not to catch the ear of anyone besides Rosethorn.

Flash Puberty?! Almost no whelp goes through Flash Puberty unless they are intentionally exposed to a source of raw Magic... Wait... he said a week or so ago... There has been a flood of that weird energy ever since a week ago... Rosethorn thought to herself.

"Hrm, Spike. Where are you staying this evening?" Rosethorn asked, eyes starting to bore a hole right into Spike's head.

"Ahhh... Paquira Inn... um... hah... ah..." Spike said, obviously not knowing at all how to react to the situation.

Rosethorn continued to lock in on Spike visually. "Oh, that's a lovely little place, I heard most of the passers-through stay there. Anyway, there are some things I'd like to further discuss... in private."

"P-pr-p-pri-private?!" Spike stammered out, shuffling around uncomfortably in his seat.

The poor,    slowly degenerating nervous wreck of a (physically) late adolescent dragon forgot  his self-imposed idea to keep his speech a low as he could manage; his nervous speech catching the attention of a pair of adult male dragons.

"Now then, you sweet rose-scaled thang. Why would you want to have private discussions with this... whelp... who’s probably barely out of his shell?" said one of the male dragons, quite large and quite drunk on a pineapple and rum concoction.

"What I and the dear may have to discuss is clearly none of your concern." Rosethorn replied, obviously in no mood to deal with drunken males who were probably out looking for an easy score.

The second male decided to chime in as well. "Oh come on now, I'm sure that what we'd have to say would be far more... pertinent to your interests than anything he could."

Rosethorn just sighed as she turned away from the pair of drunk dragons and issued a fairly curt response. "No, I honestly don't think what you'd have to say would matter a damn to me."

"Come on now, baby. That's no way to talk to a pair of dragons ready to make the night very worth your while..." the second dragon added, as he placed a clawed hand on Rosethorn's shoulder.

Rosethorn, without even batting an eye or telegraphing any motion, quickly snapped the offending male over her shoulder in a takedown, right through the table she and Spike were sitting at. Spike managed to move his basket of quartz before the burnt orange offender went crashing through it.

"That... was so... fast..." Spike said, eyes wide at Rosethorn's incredibly sharp reflexes and brute strength.

"Come on baby. We ain't gotta be like th~" the first male started, before his snout was pressed against the back wall of the bar. Everyone sitting around Rosethorn and co. had cleared out, obviously wanting no part of her potential wrath.

"Now mister... I am really not a violent dragoness, but I don't take kindly to being propositioned by a pair, especially a pair that's clearly inebriated, while I'm trying to discuss matters with someone. I would kindly suggest you take your friend, and actually find someone that gives a damn," Rosethorn said, with the male pressed against the stone backwall and her foot firmly pinning his tail to the floor.

"Okay, okay, just let me go... I swear I won't bother you or anyone else tonight..." the male said nervously, the adrenaline clearing away the buzz he was feeling a few moments ago. He knew he was in no position to strike back, and it would be best to cut his losses.

A few moments later he was released, and picked his dazed friend up off the broken table.

"Lady, you know you're gonna have to pay for that table right?" asked the pale gray bartender, the situation not really being all that surprising to him.

"Yes, how much?" Rosethorn inquired, as she reached for a sack for Spike to put his leftover quartz in.

"Seven D-Coin. Be glad you weren't in a booth, otherwise it would have been thirty." the charcoal bartender responded.

Rosethorn sighed heavily as she materialized her coin-purse in order to pay for the food and the broken furniture.

Somehow I keep finding myself coming into bars, even though half the time the night ends like this... she thought to herself.

I really hope this isn't how most nights in Dragon-run bars end... Spike thought to himself, praying that nothing else crazy would happen before he fell asleep for the night.

----=----

          It was now a good while into Luna's night. Rosethorn was still upset her bar night was cut so drastically short; but given the situation she now found herself in, well, things couldn't be helped.

Rosethorn was sitting in a chair near the door while Spike laid in his bed, goggles hung on the bedpost. "Given everything you've told me, it seems that your recent experience with Flash Puberty has prompted your journey so far."

"Yeah. Like I said, about a week or so ago, I was only a third of the size I am now. I felt this weird energy surging through my whole body, and after a rather painful process, I was easily taller than everyone else I had spent my life with up until that time," Spike said as he looked out the window at Luna's Moon, half his mind wondering what the Princesses and Twilight and the others were all up to.

"If you don't mind me asking, what were the circumstances of your hatching originally?" Rosethorn asked, reasonably confident in the answer she was going to receive back, but wanting to hear it from his mouth.

Spike thought for a few moments: should he answer this lady he just met not a few hours ago? He eventually resolved to indeed answer her and see where things went afterward as it came. "Well, if what my friends say was true -- I was hatched by a massive outburst of Unicorn Explicit Magic. It was so massive, that it earned my surrogate sister, I guess you could call her, her Cutie Mark."

He was hatched by a Pony?! Only the Alicorn Sisters should be capable of a feat like that... but I remember there are only two fully-realized alicorns and only one pegacorn candidate in Equestria... What could this mean...

"According to most of the sages employed by the Dragon Elders, only their Princesses should possess enough raw power to cause a Dragon Egg to hatch without assistance. Just who is your 'surrogate sister' as you call her," Rosethorn asked, staring intently at Spike now.

"Oh, she is a recent graduate from the Gifted School For Unicorns, Twilight Sparkle. The rumors are abound that the she is most likely the most powerful Unicorn under 30 years of age in all of Equestria. Given some of the stuff she's pulled in recent years... I'm starting to believe it myself," Spike replied, face full of pride he had a direct line to so many powerful Ponies.

A 'normal' Unicorn hatched him? She must have an incredibly powerful ability to draw mana...

"Hrm, so was she also the reason you underwent Flash Puberty?" Rosethorn then asked, wanting to know more and more about the purple and green-spined young 'man'.

"No. I think it was something her friends did while we were... in that far away land... I just remember the sky going black, and I was suddenly filled with this insane desire forpower. Even now, I can't really explain what I felt, but I just felt this surge of power through me. I guess that is what triggered me growing from a whelp to, well, what I am now," Spike replied, still staring out in the night sky.

A power heralded by a black sky... I remember something familiar about that... but it's been so long... it looks like I'm going to have to do some history diving myself...

Rosethorn got up from her chair and slid it back under the table. "Anyway, before I leave for my hotel room, can I ask one last thing?"

Spike finally turned over to look at her. "Yeah, what is it?"

"Would you mind if I traveled with you? I overheard you talking to yourself that you needed to make your way out to Karrak-za-Jalve. I have business at the Capital as well, so why not travel together?"

Spike was once again stricken with a massive bout of anxiety as he contemplated the long journey with such an attractive, older dragoness. "I... I... I... ahh. um... I... accept?!"

"Oh good! Well, we can leave tomorrow afternoon... if that's fine with you, of course." Rosethorn said, voice a lot more chipper at the prospect of having a travelling partner.

"Yeah... tomorrow afternoon sounds... just... great..." Spike replied, worrying already with what he'd just committed himself to.

Who would have thought... the emissary from Equestria is a Dragon hatched by an Equestrian Magic prodigy... curiouser and curiouser this story develops...

CH 22: Aftermath

Spike's Gaiden 2: Nature of the Beast

=== The Conversion Bureau: A New Age, A New Life ====== Gaiden 1.2: Nature of the Beast ===

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

[ En-Route to Iral-au-Tran, Eastern Dragon Territories -- March 26, ??? + 1 ]

         Cool. That's what most nights in the Dragon Badlands, as most outsiders called it, were. Luna's sky was clear and full of stars, as a magical fire flickered, keeping Rosethorn and Spike warm underneath their sleeping blankets. Spike fidgeted around as Rosethorn decided to lay right next to him.  Spike still had no idea how to act in the presence of a lady (dragon); at least now, though, he managed to speak without stuttering.

"So Spike, why don't you tell me more about yourself. I mean, we're out here on the road together and all," Rosethorn asked of her travelling partner.

Spike sighed heavily, taking in the crisp air of the desert night as best he could. "Well, it's hard for me to really remember anything soon after I hatched. The most I could remember was a lot of sucking on my tail like a pacifier, and following Twilight around like a pet instead of someone's abandoned child."

Rosethorn noted the sudden spike of anger in Spike's voice from the last few words he spoke. Abandoned? I can't think of any Dragon that'd abandon a whelp to Ponies unless the situation was truly dire...

"Excuse me Spike, but what might you mean by 'abandoned'?" she asked.

Spike was starting to get riled up just thinking about it now. "Ugh, something those guards told me while I was entering Dural-ga-Jafid. They said that Princess Celestia had a habit of accepting abandoned Dragon eggs or some such."

He's one of those whelps, I see... but there are no records of any of those abandoned eggs ever hatching except his... and there are only 3 of those eggs besides his on record anyway... the way it sounds, it was like those guards told him she made a run every few months or something... Rosethorn thought to herself.

"It's, it's just hard - ever since I really started thinking about it since I left the Equestrian Checkpoint. I've just had all this time to think about just who and what I really am. And... I'm coming up blank. It's burning me up inside. I didn't say anything about it yesterday because I was so busy with my reading and with, well, you. But it's coming back now, and with a vengeance," Spike said, his snout half-buried in his curled up knees.

Even though we aren't the most personable species, we have an immense pride in our heritage... To the point where I wonder if it's something that's just embedded in our souls... Now Spike, ever since he technically became an adult, has probably been struggling with the fact he knows next to nothing about our heritage... But it's not like I can take 20 or 30 years to teach him personally... What to do? Rosethorn thought to herself, as she sat up against Spike's cart.

I'd love to follow Rosethorn, and anyone else she knows, for the rest of however long... But I got to get back to Twilight and the others... but I got to know just what I can do... just who I am... and if any of the rest of them can help Princess Celestia... What am I gonna do? Spike thought to himself as he looked up at Luna's night sky, trying to divine some answers for himself.

"Spike, are you on any sort of schedule when it comes to arriving at Karrak-za-Jalve?" Rosethorn asked, resuming the tone of a teacher dealing with a troubled child.

Spike looked over at the face of Rosethorn, and most noticeably her eyes. They looked so warm for a reptilian creature, long maligned for being rather cold and icy. "Well... honestly... no. I don't want to stay out here years and years though. But there are some questions I need to answer for myself, before I can ask any of other Dragons."

Rosethorn's smiled a wide, fanged grin at the answer Spike gave. "Well, we are heading towards Iral-au-Tran. Why don't we just take an extended stay there, say a week..." she began, as she moved in on Spike and draped her long arms over the young dragon's shoulders as she leaned against his back and side.

OH CELESTIA, WHY IS SHE DOING THIS NOW!! Spike thought at the sudden invasion of personal space.

"I want to start teaching you so many things... so many points to start from..." she said as she leaned in, her voice sultry, and her snout right alongside Spike's.

Spike didn't say anything, as he stared out into nothing in particular.

"Um... Spike, would you mind answering my question?" Rosethorn asked of the dear Dragon. His only response was a soft thud against the ground and his blanket. His mind froze like a computer attempting to process one command too many.

Oh dear, I figure I would have come on too strong... Then again, there are a lotof things I will have to start teaching him, and I won't have that much time with him... at least not for this particular go around... Rosethorn thought, as the warm eyes suddenly became very, very cold and calculating.

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

[ Iral-au-Tran, Eastern Dragon Territories -- March 29, ??? + 1 ]

          "Iqual Diyan!" Spike shouted as a fountain of water quenched a flame in one of the larger practice rooms at the Iral Training Hall.

Rosethorn looked on with a smirk that would have easily rivaled Celestia when in her scheming mode. He is a total natural when it comes to Draconic Invocation... He would have definitely made it into the Sage's College if he were hatched under normal circumstance... Although, he still needs work on properly regulating his mana output... Hrm, I suspect all that time with that Equestrian Prodigy has rubbed off on him...

"Whenever you are ready to return, I hope I can meet that Twilight Sparkle that you speak so highly of. It seems that some of her attributes have rubbed off on yourself," she said to Spike as he started reading over the next set of chants to practice.

"Well, like I said. You don't spend your life around a study-bug like her without learning quite a bit on how to process information yourself. I just hope I'm performing these chants right, sometimes they come out all weird, at least compared to how the book says they should," Spike replied.

          Rosethorn put a claw underneath her snout to think for a few moments. "Well, some of it has to do with your mana regulation. The chant or phrase is necessary to invoke a spell, but you also have to offer up the right amount of mana when you do. Otherwise the effect will not match what the texts or instructor indicates." She looked around for a bit, to make sure that no one else was watching nor listening in at them, before she continued. "Also, your body has heavy imprints of a mana completely foreign to this world. When we are in a more secure location, I need you to tell me everything you can about whatever that strange energy was when you underwent Flash Puberty."

Spike replayed in his mind the horrible pain he went through, as his body morphed from his usual whelp-self into a true young adult. So much so that Rosethorn noticed Spike appearing to go into a trance thinking about it.

"Excuse me, Rosethorn to Spike... I swear you have a very bad habit of zoning out anytime I talk about that strange, foreign energy..." Rosethorn said as she shook her head at her new student's habits and attention span.

Spike finally shook his head loose as he came back to reality and the current time. "I'm sorry Rosethorn, but anytime I think about that day, it's like... like my mind is being pulled back there to actually relive that incident. It honestly scares anytime I think about it for too long."

Rosethorn clasped her hands around Spike's shoulders, not to tease him like a few nights previous, but to legitimately comfort him. "I can suspect this entire scenario is difficult for you. Not only do you have questions to answer for yourself, but you have other questions to ask on someone else's behalf. But, as you said those nights ago, we have to take care of this first. You can't very well appear in Karrak, not sure of who or what you are, now can you?"

"No... not if I want to make a good impression to the Council of Elders, anyway," Spike said, as he went back to practicing some more phrases for Invocation.

Indeed. They tend to be rather insular and detached for a supposed central governing body... Rosethorn thought to herself.

"Anyway, the thing you have to remember is to consistently pull the same amount of mana every time you want invoke another spell. That way you achieve a consistent effect. The more you do it, the more consistent you will be while in a fight or battle."

"I see... I guess it's something you have to kinda feel out, yeah?" Spike said as he stood at the lectern in the room, reading over some more phrases.

"Yes and you have to consistently practice at it," Rosethorn added.

I wonder how long until I can ask you to show me some of that strange power that started showing up a couple of weeks ago... Rosethorn thought to herself; she needed to get Spike comfortable enough in his own skin before he could start exploiting that foreign power.

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

[ Iral-au-Tran, Eastern Dragon Territories -- April 2, ??? + 1 ]

          It was nearly nightfall in Iral-au-Tran, as the Dragon pair were standing at the West Gates ready to embark towards the next town. Rosethorn was brimming with confidence after watching just how well Spike was taking to his Invocation Lessons. She wondered if Spike was truly a natural caster, or if he just learned that much from all his time with Twilight.

An hour had passed and they were out of sight of Iral. Spike had finally worked up the nerve to ask a question he felt was rather stupid, but it needed to be asked anyway. "Say, just why is that Dragons and Ponies really don't get along all that well? I got some weird looks any time I talked about anything Equestrian while we were in town."

Rosethorn wondered when Spike was going to start asking her questions along these lines, it was something she was concerned with herself. "Well, we all have our theories. Some say that the Ponies are too scared of our natural forms. Others think that we steal the Ponies’ gems and valuables. Really, I think it has something to do with a fundamental aspect of both species."

She motioned Spike to start setting up camp off to the side of the beaten path, this was going to be a bit of a long story.

          A short while later, both Rosethorn and Spike were sitting in front of another magical fire, but this time Rosethorn was across from Spike instead of right next to him. She wanted Spike to focus in on the story instead of, anything else about her.

"I want to start with asking yourself a question first: just how long does a Dragon live?" Rosethorn asked as she stared intently at Spike.

"I... um... a thousand years?" Spike answered, flummoxed by the question.

"Hrm, I see. Well let's start with a figure first. According to the latest census of Dragons, which was conducted roughly 18 years ago: the average lifespan of a dragon, even while accounting for those slain by unnatural means, is approximately 35,742 years."

Spike just sat there with his mouth agape. He never once considered just how long a Dragon could remain alive.

"Not only that, you have to realize that a Dragon will remain of sound mind and body for 90% of that time. So you would be able to, in theory, remember everything for a 32,000 year span," Rosethorn added, her voice heavy with gravitas.

Spike felt like he was being crushed by the absolute gravity of the knowledge that Rosethorn was laying on him, and he could sense she wasn't about to stop any time soon.

"Dear Spike, I say this as your impromptu teacher. You have to now begin contemplating all the millennia you have in front of you. This is most likely the primary reason why Dragons get along so poorly with almost every other race in this world. We have such an incredibly long lifespan, and are so incredibly difficult to kill in most cases, we honestly behave like complete assholes in their eyes. At the same time, it is extremely difficult to form a bond with said creatures, due to our incredibly long lifespan," she continued, voice still retaining its gravitas.

Rarity... I... I'd outlive her... her children... her children's children... I could outlive her entire genetic line... Spike thought to himself, only now beginning to understand the ramifications of such knowledge.

"To be perfectly honest Spike -- as a purely sociological experiment, I'm deeply interested in you. The Pony Society is completely built off cooperation and camaraderie. The bonds they form to each other are close to unbreakable once they are fully forged. Compare that to Dragon Society: we live so long and remember so much, that it is difficult for us to forge strong bonds because we remember every little thing that someone has done to us. It's one of the major reasons why we prefer to be nomads. We might grow close for a couple of hundred years to sire an offspring or two, but that's about it," Rosethorn explained.

"Yet... you're different Spike. You were born and raised by Ponies, developing a learned impulse for camaraderie; yet, your own ingrained instinct to be solitary wants to fight against that. That is probably why you are having such an identity crisis. You have to begin contemplating just how you are going to live this phase of your life. Whether or not you will retain your bonds with the Ponies that raised you and you’ve befriended, or if you will live as just a free-roaming Dragon, or whatever have you. But you have to start deciding that for yourself now."

Just the three Princesses... they'd be the only ones left... I'd... I'd... Spike thought, tears welling up in his eyes.

Rosethorn caught this, tilting her head at the odd and sudden display of emotion out of him. "Wait, what's wrong Spike?" Rosethorn asked, genuinely confused as to this reaction.

Spike lunged across the fire into Rosethorn's chest, crying the entire time.

"They'll all the be dead... Twilight... Rarity... Applejack... Fluttershy... Pinkie... Rainbow. Even the four of them... Vague... Storm... Hana... Blaze. All of them... all of them except the three Princesses. They'll all be dead... And I'll just keep going, I'll just keep going..." Spike yelled as he sobbed in Rosethorn's chest.

Rosethorn finally realized what he was talking about. He'd already formed a bond with a rather large group of Ponies, without realizing that he'd live well beyond all them, save the Princesses of Equestria. Rosethorn was soon overcome with emotion; just like Spike, still sobbing in her arms.

Don't change, Spike. Keep that bond, even though you will outlive them all. Don't think you have to give that bond up, please don't.

A single tear fell from her eyes, as she looked up at the stars; before she realized that Spike was lying across the magical fire, and his cloak was probably not fireproof. She quickly put out the fire before his cloak ignited, as he continued to sob into her scaly chest. She wasn’t going to tell Spike to stop at this point, and simply stroked along the back of his head.

Don't you dare forget any of them Spike...

===== - =====

CH 23: Alliances and Machinations

Chapter 22: Tipping Scales

=== The Conversion Bureau: A New Age, A New Life ====== Chapter 22: Tipping Scales ===

          Explosions. In many a cinematic opening, from actual movies, to video games, to television programs, a good way to get the viewer's attention is to have lots of things blowing up. Especially when you want to convey a sense of everything is going to hell around you, and there is not a damn thing you can do about it. It's one thing to watch it on the holo-screen or the movie projector; it's quite another thing to have to receive report after report, and video after video, of things exploding purposefully from every which direction.

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

[ Washington D.C. -- June 14, 2081 ]

"MADAME PRESIDENT, MADAME PRESIDENT!" shouted a somewhat shrill female as she ran through the halls toward the Situation Room, which was more like the 'Situation Oversized Bunker' at this point.

"Yes, what is it now?" President Aguillar asked, clearly exhausted and frustrated from the last three weeks; yet not wanting to take it out on her Cabinet or other aides.

The Homeland Security aide gathered herself for a moment before giving her report. "Yes ma'am. We have reports of more paramilitary action in Los Angeles proper. The official police forces are reporting high rates of desertion, and the backup from many of our private contractors is almost nonexistent. Civilian casualties has already reached 2,000. It's as if these actors have no regard for any collateral damage, physical or personal."

"Dear God, it's happening everywhere..." President Aguillar said in a soft voice; beginning to realize the true severity of what was befalling her... and she wasn't the only one.

"MADAME PRESIDENT, MADAME PRESIDENT, YOU HAVE AN URGENT CALL FROM TEN DOWNING," one of the Defense Department liaisons shouted.

"Put it on my screen, if it's coming directly from there, it's bad," President Aguillar replied, head resting against her tented hands on the video-desk.

"Madame President, I am truly sorry to be contacting you under these circumstances," the relatively old man greeted the President, the tone somber.

"Yes, I understand your concern Prime Minister Heath. Is anything better in the United Kingdom?"

Prime Minister Heath cleared his throat before delivering the bad news. "No ma'am. From Manchester, to Birmingham, there are explosions and seemingly organized gunfights breaking out; only London has been untouched by this violence. These militants are trying effect nothing more than open rebellion."

"I wish not to use such terms until we can ascertain the exact nature of the perpetrators. Yet, the mixture of ethnicities does not imply African or Middle Eastern terrorists," President Aguillar responded, before getting another call from another nation.

"Good Afternoon, I believe the time would be right now, there in Washington," Prime Minister Hayashi stated, far more grey streaks in his hair since last March. "And I see I should give a good evening to Prime Minister Heath. I would assume that you all are having the same issues that I am."

"If you mean paramilitary actions against your police forces and civilians, then yes. Unfortunately we are having the same issues." Prime Minister Heath responded, all the while giving commands to his closest aides at his work office at Downing.

"It seems it won't be long until you're camped out at a secure location like we are, Alexander," Hayashi chuckled, trying to bring any manner of levity to the situation. "Anyway, to be more serious, I'm afraid this is might be it."

Prime Minister Heath and President Aguillar's eyes went wide at that assertion; Aguilllar was the first to respond. "Prime Ministers Heath and Hayashi, would you mind if I turn this into a public call so that the rest of my aides can listen and watch. I believe this situation has grown in scope to where we are going to need as many minds working on it as possible."

Both Prime Ministers gave their agreement, and within moments the giant projector in the Situation 'Bunker' was full with the images of the two men.

"Mother of God..." U.S. Secretary of Defense Richardson said out loud, when he began reviewing the pictures from all over the world.

"This is far more expansive than mere acts of terrorism that we get usually. As you can see from these images, the paramilitary organizations are waging nothing less than open warfare against the police and armies in just about every major nation." European Union Minister of Defense Ruiz (from Spain) said, as many of the world's military leaders were on their own conference call.

"New York City, Barcelona, Hamburg, Cape Town, Osaka, Shanghai, Baghdad... everywhere... everywhere in between..." Richardson said as he leaned back in his chair trying to understand the scope of what was going on. In all of his years in the military, the worse he had to deal with were rogue factions from a given state, or relatively small stateless actors. This was too co-ordinated, too well planned... his mind began to wander.

While it wandered, it ran right into the thoughts of another minister, who dared utter the words NO ONE wanted to hear. "If you ask me, you only have to look at where these attacks are starting. The most populous, and therefore richest, cities for a given region that aren't the capitals," South African Defense Minister Coetzee asserted, as he brought up a map as evidence.

Everyone fell silent as the implication began to wash over them.

"If it is what we think it is, this might mark the end. If they are making their move now, especially given what is starting to creep into the world, I don't know how any of our governments survive long-term," Richardson said, suddenly feeling incredibly ill. He might have been a bit of a war-hawk, but his loyalties were to his nation and his President above all.

The Chinese Federation Defense Minister Li was quite confused by the last couple of phrases. "Are you suggesting that the Equestrians have something to do with this?"

Defense Secretary Richardson shook his head in disagreement. "No, at least not directly. The Equestrians were more a catalyst for this. We've all feared that eventually the Domes would make their move. They've hollowed out the ability of practically every government to operate without their consent, like some sort of parasite feeding on our metaphorical flesh."

"Except our death does not necessarily mean theirs, in this case..." Defense Minister Li concluded.

"The citizens of the Domes might fear the Equestrians and their plans for Ponification, enough to begin asserting themselves more forcefully. Then again, with this level of planning, all of this was most likely in the works anyway." Defense Minister Cortzee rationalized.

"This cannot stand either way. But..." Japanese Defense Minister Yoshida started before he was interrupted by one of his subordinates. "" everyone else heard in Japanese from the background while Yoshida was turned around and talking. "Gentlemen. As my Native-English speaking friends would say, things have gone from bad to worse..."

A pall came over the room as Yoshida began elaborate on the situation.

"Three hours ago, we requested an Equestrian thaumatologist to help the investigators at the Nagoya incident. He has now issued his analysis, along with corroborating footage and documentation. The preliminary conclusion is that this paramilitary has begun to integrate Thaumatic-tau Radiation into their weaponry."

Everyone looked on in shock, as the video and the reports were soon sent to their terminals.

"This is horrifying..." Cortzee said as he watched Japanese forces engulfed in a seeming never ending stream of flame.

"There is no respect for the rules of war, no respect for civilian casualties, no respect for anything... this... this is nothing more than a slaughter of anything looking official..." Richardson said as he saw machines collapsing civilian buildings that were in the way of the now rebel troop movements.

"Such brutality... they aren't out to wage war; they are out to crush whatever is left of the spirit of those outside the Domes..." Ruiz said as he covered his mouth, seeing waves of water wash away tanks and entire platoons of the Japanese Self-Defense Force.

"I think it may grow beyond that even. They hardly see the Outsiders, I believe the English-speaking Dome Citizens use, as equal. They clearly would not flinch leveling entire city blocks to get what they want," Li said as he watched poison gas being blown and directed to suffocate and kill the federal troops.

Richardson reached for the phone to call the White House. "Get me President Aguillar on the line, ASAP. Tell her that I strongly urge that she issue the order to go to DEFCON 1. We are dealing with no terrorists, this is something far larger."

Please God, or whatever out there is listening, see us through this. Or there might not be a future for any of us... Richardson prayed silently as he slunk back into his chair, wanting any bit of respite from this stress.

=== --- ===

Sister, the situation on Earth has truly taken a turn for the worst. If it persists, everything that we have worked for with our Human allies could go up in smoke, quite literally...

I know Luna, tell Edwards that he is clear to begin Project Safe House. Nothing they do will make us retreat in full. Nevertheless, while myself or yourself can recall everypony back to Equestria, we cannot leave our Allies that do not wish to convert high and dry.

What of the Isegawa's Research Materials? The rebellion has not reached St. Louis, yet it is only a matter of time, given the significant Dome population there.

The research documents and digital files have already be secured in a bunker of the HEA's construction... the Isegawas know exactly what Project Safe House is.

But theydo not. At least not as this time, do they, Celestia?

No, none of them know exactly how dire the situation is, nor our plans if the true worst case scenario comes. All they know is what the general public knows at the current time.

You know, as our direct subordinates, that will have to change, right?

Yes, Lulu... I know...

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

[ St. Louis, U.S.A. -- June 16, 2081 ]

"I figured it'd come to this eventually... but, I'm honestly at a loss for words," Blue Vague said haltingly as they all watched the continuing news reports.

"Horrible. That's the only word I have for it... horrible," Rarity added, stomach queasy form watching the footage.

Eventually Twilight turned off the holo-vision set, feeling that it wasn't really worth it to keep watching live. She did however keep a newsfeed on a computer terminal up, just in case anything came over the wires that was new.

"Is this our fault... I... I..." Pinkie stammered, searching for some way to rationalize the events since the beginning of June.

"No Pinkie! And don't any of the rest of you start thinking that way!" Blue Vague shouted and snorted, before realizing the tone he was taking, and settling back down. "It's... it's... I..." he tried to start, before rolling over on his side, still not able to find the words to express his disgust.

"I'm just worried what's going to happen if and when it reaches St. Louis proper," Twilight said, already beginning to see some disturbing trends.

"What makes ya say that, sugahcube?" Applejack asked, not sure where the lavender Unicorn was going.

          Twilight went over to another computer terminal to link its output to the holo-vision projector, and then brought up a map she had been making: every major incidence, since June 1, 2081, of 'terrorism'.

"Look, these are all incidents since June 1st of this year of 'terrorism' as the national governments have declared them. As you can see, they are all clustered around..." Twilight started as she flicked her hoof over the touch-bard. "... these areas, the locations with the greatest Dome populations that are not national capitals."

"What does this all mean though, Twilight? Usually standard terrorists want to strike where they can affect maximal impact," Red Blaze inquired, wanting to test Twilight's theory.

"Yes, but they would not just ignore national capitals. Not only that, but the frequency and ferocity of these attacks imply an extremely robust supply chain," Twilight said, pacing back and forth.

Blue Vague was visibly trembling now, his mind was already starting to race towards a conclusion, and he was desperate that Twilight wasn't anywhere behind him in her rhetoric.

"And given what we know about how money works on this side, that doesn't leave us with a lot of people that can fund this kind of operation," Twilight continued.

Blue Vague was still trembling, as a voice began to perk up in his head. But it was not the Will Of the Earth, as they ten Elements and Conduits resolved to call her. This voice was masculine, it was deviant... but it was his own.

You know where she is going with this... don't you...

SHUT UP... Shut up... just...

It's just like we've always thought... and now that day is upon us...

NO... not this soon... not this early... we... we just got started... how could it be happening so soon...

The better question to ask... would be why this hasn't begun earlier...

No one noticed the mental logjam Blue Vague was in, aside from mild quaking here and there. Then again, everypony in the Dorms was on edge the last three weeks, so it seemed reasonable enough.

Twilight continued with her theory, and eventually reached her personal conclusion. "I can only conclude that the perpetrators behind these mass attacks are Dome-based, and quite possibly coordinated at a global level."

Do you see now Vague... even she agrees with us...

NO! They couldn't... we all saw the images... not even those in the Domes are that inhuman... that evil...

Are you so sure... besides... what about your dear mother....

No... I'm not going back there... I'm not going back to that place...

Yes... your dear mother... she left you behind with your ailing grandfather, for the allure of the Domes... kept claiming that those that God smiled upon would be showered with material reward... and your father was too weak-willed to resist following her, wasn't he....

No... stop... please... stop...

Oh very well... we'll have to continue this discussion another time, I guess...

Just like that, Blue Vague suddenly snapped back to attention, the only indicator that he was even in that conversation -- a mildly vacant stare past the holo-vision projector with the globe still on it.

"Is something wrong Vague, you look like you kinda checked out for a few moments there," Twilight asked, wondering if anything was wrong with the cobalt-dreadlocked Unicorn.

"I... um... no... I... kinda zoned out there. But, um... do you really think this is some kind of Worldwide Dome phenomenon. I mean, usually those rich twits spend 90% of their time arguing amongst themselves," Blue Vague asked, trying to find any bit of news or conjecture that could refute Twilight's theory.

"If you ask me, it doesn't have to be everyone in the Domes. Just enough people who get angry enough to want to do something to keep their spot," Golden Storm chimed in, his disdain evident in his face.

"As much as I'd hate to admit it, they probably would think nothing of leveling everything if they truly felt threatened," Midori Hana added, looking as forlorn as she did before she converted.

"Honestly, while I was still active in the Intel circles, we'd occasionally get murmurs along these lines. Nothing solid to pursue, but it always popped up here and there," Red Blaze added, tapping a hoof in frustration.

"It seems that another of Grandma Will's predictions is coming true then, too," Pinkie Pie said, voice low and soft.

"Yeah, she warned us that whatever was here now, wouldn't once everything was said and done. This just might be the start..." Rainbow Dash said, legs drawn close to her belly in fear.

"This is truly awful. So many people could be hurt, or killed..." Fluttershy gasped, wondering how the hospitals could even begin to process the injured, or the morticians the dead.

All of this talk, and all of the ramblings in Vague's head, were making him physically ill and tired. He wearily stood up and began to trot towards his room. "I'm sorry guys, I need to go lie down for awhile. If I sleep too long, wake me up for dinner, please."

"VAGUE! VAGUE! WAKE UP! COME TO THE HOLO-VISION! SERIOUSLY!" Storm shouted through the door as he banged on it, trying his best to wake Vague up. Thankfully, after a few moments more, Vague opened his door groggily.

"Man Storm... what's up now..." the blue Unicorn said to the gold-yellow Pegasus, before he was 'air-lifted' to the recreational room where the Doctors Isegawa had joined the other Ponies already.

"You finally got him up. That's good, everyone is going to need to watch this..." Dr. Hayato said, voice full of concern and dread.

"What do you mean... what's going on..." Blue Vague said, as he grabbed a cushion in his electric blue aura to sit on.

"Just watch the news broadcast, dear," Dr. Jun said, voice full of the same concern that Dr. Hayato had.

          An anchor lady came on a joint-news feed, logos of all the major news organization lined along the bottom of the desk she sat at. "Good evening, Ladies and Gentlemen. We are still following the breaking news from earlier this afternoon: a mystery group claimed responsibility for the sustained attacks on many of the non-capitals around the world. Anti-Terrorism experts say... wait a minute... yes... I see.. we are getting word that the group has recently demanded time to air a message. In the intr... wait... what do you mea..." and suddenly, for the first time in forever, there was static.

"This cannot be good at all. Twilight, check the international news feeds from one of the computer terminals, we'll see if there is anyone saying anything at all on the international news stations..." Dr. Hayato said, as Dr. Jun and every pony besides Twilight were left completely stunned by the sudden cessation of the broadcast.

A few minutes of checking the different holo-vision stations revealed that seemingly every news station was completely off the air.

"Twilight, I am not finding anyone still on the air. Are you getting anything from the news feeds?" Dr. Hayato asked, not taking his eyes off the remote-pad that controlled the holo-vision.

Twilight turned around slowly as she began to come to a realization of what was going on. "No."

"No? What do you mean 'No.'?" Dr. Hayato asked.

"See for yourself..." Twilight started, as she switched the Holo-projector to a dual feed from the satellite and the computer terminal. "Ever since 7:50 PM Central Daylight Time, every single news feed from a reputable source has gone absolutely silent. The other feeds are exploding with speculation."

"Dear God... then it must be true..." Dr. Hayato said as he looked around at his wife, who had a stern look on her face, and at the other nine Ponies, whose looks went from thoroughly confused to downright terrified.

"Wha... what's true Dr. Hayato..." Pinkie asked, voice quivering in fear.

"They are making their move, and big time," Dr. Hayato replied, as suddenly every video news feed displayed a test pattern. "I suspect they themselves are about to give an explanation now..."

With his control-pad, he reset the holo-projector to only show the feed from the satellite T.V. Suddenly the test pattern changed from the normal bars and color blocks to a black background with a simple white-outline icon: a shield with the acronym 'S.P.H.' at different angles filling the space inside the shield.

"This message is from the Society For the Preservation of Humanity. Please do not adjust your holo-vision sets or projectors, nor refresh your internet connections or browsing software..." a eerily calm masculine spoke.

"Ok, what in the hell is this?" Golden Storm asked, confused as anyone else.

"Well, I have no clue honestly. I guess we just keep watching," Twilight replied, hating the fact she had nothing else to say besides that.

Everyone then looked at the projector, which now showed silhouetted figures. The assumed male in the center began to speak. "We would like to begin tonight's remarks with our sincerest condolences to the families of the civilians that were caught in the crossfire. We would like to publicly state that it was not our intention to harm any civilians during the hostilities conducted so far..."

All twelve of the viewers in Isegawa Dormitories Recreational Room looked on with about as strong an incredulous look as they could manage.

The silhouetted 'man' continued. "Despite that, we believe we are entirely correct in our actions against the governments of the world. Ever since the Day of the Aurora Barrier, over one year ago, we have seen the aliens now known as Equestrians arrive in our midst. At first, it was logical for our governments to not be too aggressive nor passive with these Aliens, as they announced their plans. Yet, ever since the Equestrians announced their plans to assimilate our peoples to bolster their ranks, we have waited for the proper response from the governments of the Earth. Yet, as we waited though the months, and the numbers they have assimilated to date grew from the hundreds, to the thousands, to easily six-figures now, we heard NOTHING from the Earth's Government regarding this affront against our species' stability and continued survival. To that end, we have come to the conclusion that the governments of Earth are in active collusion with the Equestrians. In regards to the Equestrians... we not only believe they are simply attempting to bolster their ranks on Earth, but we feel reasonably confident they will execute a full scale invasion once they have assimilated a critical mass."

All twelve of the viewers in the Isegawa Dormitories could do little more than maintain the same looks of incredulousness they had collectively maintained for the duration of the still going pronouncements by the S.P.H. The voice of the point-man, as far as they could assume, was beginning to swell as he was reaching the end of his statements.

"To wit, we call upon the Peoples of the Earth, both Dome and Outsider, to join us in this grand resistance. Join us in tearing down these corrupt governments of the world, these collaborators that would damn our species to a slow and inexorable assimilation into feeble-minded Ponydom. Our species has survived war, drought, famine, plague, and other disasters both of our own doing, and not of our doing. With our own two hands, we will rise above these current trials! WE will build a new and greater humanity! WE will re-build our world! WE will prove to the Equestrians, and any other sapient species, that humanity is the pinnacle of both physical and mental strength! We shall persevere and thrive, for that is simply what we do! Thank you, and have a wonderful evening."

Just as suddenly as the video feed from the joint news organizations cut out... they cut back in... the anchors and presenters around the world just as stunned as anyone following the message had to have been.

"So... that really just happened?" Golden Storm said, trying to figure out just what in the hell that man was babbling on about.

"Yes... yes it did," Dr. Hayato responded, sighing heavily as he began to contemplate what would happen next.

Richard, we have to get Project Safe Havencompleted as soon as possible. I have no doubt that they will come after every human 'collaborator' that they can find, once they feel they have disrupted the governments enough to where they are a non factor... Dr. Hayato thought to himself, as he looked at his wife, his Ponified daughter, and his extended family, as it were.

          In his offices in the Manhattan Domes, Richard Edwards was pacing around the room, wondering just how long he had now. His worst fears were coming to light, and he genuinely feared for the his own life and the lives of his employees.

"Candice, what is the status report on the launch of Project Safe Haven?" he asked, attempting to project as much calm as he could given the situation.

"Thankfully, none of the SPH forces have found our worksite. We believe the construction of the main laboratories, food growing areas, and dormitories should be completed in 21 days, give or take," Candice replied over the video-intercom.

"All things considered, that should be good. I guess I'll just have to pray that the idiots running the SPH are more concerned with toppling or executing coup-de-tats than they are trying to get revenge or whatever on us 'collaborators'," Richard said has he laughed, finding some humor in this decidedly tense situation.

"I will pray for the both of us, Mr. Edwards," Candice replied as the intercom clicked off.

Pray for everyone Candice, pray that we survive this phase, and still have a chance to fix this world before it's wrecked forever... Richard thought, wondering if his words were not just idle hopes of man with dwindling power.

          Meanwhile, in the Atlanta Domes, a middle-aged couple were bickering over something or another. Usually this would not be anything of note, but the world has a funny way of working...

"Those Ponies, those damned Ponies! They're the reason... they're the reason why all of this is happening! I bet that Evening of the Black Sky was their fault as well!" a middle aged woman shouted as she threw cushions all around.

"Honey, calm down, please. We've worked so hard to build this up, we can't just let it all break now..." her husband said, picking up the cushions and trying his best to keep her from throwing anything more expensive.

"That's right... we've worked so hard... we've all worked so hard... just for them to waltz into this world from wherever the hell they came from and upset the order..." she said, as the wheels began turning in her head.

"Oh no, I know that look... please don't tell me you thinking what I think you're thinking..." he said, suddenly very much afraid of his wife's visage.

"The Society For the Preservation of Humanity wasn't it? Yes... yes, that is it... they're the ones... they're the ones that will make sure all of our work doesn't go to waste," she said, almost drunk on the idea.

"Come on, you seen what they've apparently been doing all this time. What are people like us gonna do?" her husband responded, not knowing whether or not she had finally jumped down that slippery slope.

"Look at this..." she responded, as she handed her husband one of a couple of print brochures.

He began to read the brochure out loud. "We will accept all comers, our technology will allow anyone of clear mind fight against the Equestrian threat and their government collaborators."

"See dear, we will be able to more than contribute to their cause. And just think of the wonderful world we can build once those accused Ponies and their Quislings have been dealt with?" she said, rubbing her hand along her husband's chest.

"Well... I... I... I guess." he replied, silently praying to God he didn't just make the worst decision of his life.

"Oh good, well Atlanta Recruitment Center is already open, so we just need to go down, get trained up, and we can start sweeping with the best of them," she said, giggling with dissonant glee at the idea of wiping out those candy-colored demons.

Just who the hell did I marry? he thought to himself, wondering if there any way he could back out of this now.

Do you see now Vague, they are beyond redemption... this entire damn species is beyond redemption...

No... I refuse to believe that... they can't be this bad... they can't be this corrupt...

They would wipe out their last avenue of salvation because of their damn pride... As if they would rather cease existing than accept our help...

No... stop... stop with these lies...

Are they lies... are they really lies?

Sister, it is as we feared. They have already begun to move against our allies... the only solace that we have is that they will move against the governments first, before they begin sifting through the civilian population for sympathizers...

Despite that notion, those like Richard Edwards would probably still be targeted early. As he is a prominent supporter of ours...

He has so far refused Ponification, and I doubt in his current frame of mind, it would be right of us to ask...

No, I do not want to go down that route...

But what are we left to do?

Hrm... We begin to move our Royal Guard to guard the Bureaus... and we pray that our Human Allies can hold fort until Project Safe Havenis fully operational...

That leaves too much to chance, Sister!

I am afraid that unless we are prepared for outright war against the human aggressors, we will have to risk gambling against their intentions...

I know you are a master at chess 'Tia. I pray to all Creation that your are as good at rolling the dice...

I do too Lulu... I do too...

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

[ St. Louis, U.S.A. -- June 29, 2081 ]

          The attacks continued apace, many of the governors and the mayors states, administrative regions, and cities were under intense pressure to acquiesce to the demands of the SPH -- which was total turnover of administrative control to their allies in the Domes, the so called legitimate axis of power. They were even so bold as to begin skirmishes outside of the major national capitals -- as if to tease what was left of the national armies that they could move in and decapitate the governments any time they wanted to, but simply didn't. No one knew exactly what the aim of such a strategy was, most figuring it was to pressure the national governments into acquiescence without necessarily collapsing them, yet it was difficult to be sure.

"I will say this for President Aguillar, she's almost literally staring down the barrel of a rifle, and yet she's holding firm," Golden Storm remarked off-handedly during one of her speeches imploring the population to not give in to the rebels. He remembered when he met her while still Ethan, as it were.

"The problem is, she may be the mouse being coiled up by the snake of the SPH. I don't know how she or any other leader can hold under this kind of pressure," Dr. Hayato remarked, noting how Fluttershy flinched at the metaphor.

"Do you really think they'd execute a siege of the national capitals?" Dr. Jun asked of her husband, wondering just how much danger they were in themselves.

"Honestly, I don't know. There cannot be that many Magi in the employ of the governments at this stage, yet I cannot tell the greater military strategy of the SPH. It appears they simply want to kick in what appears to be a rotted infrastructure to them. The danger is... they might be entirely right," Dr. Hayato said as he sat down in a chair to contemplate things.

"Well, doesn't the government have those big tanks and really big guns and really weird looking armor?" Pinkie Pie said, failing her forelegs around.

"The problem is, Pinkie dear, that the forces that are under the direct control of the governments are small. So much has been outsourced to private contractors over the decades..." Dr. Jun started to say.

"... that a lot of them might have already defected to the SPH and their allies. The arms dealers ought to be making an absolute killing, literally and figuratively," Golden Storm concluded while perched up on a countertop, snorting in disgust.

"This is an absolute disaster... the governments of the world can't have that much time left if things continue the way they have. Oh dear Reggie and Rosa, please be safe..." Rarity began to fret, not knowing how well President Aguillar's family was doing in all of this.

This is a race against the clock indeed... all twelve residents of the Isegawa Complex heard in their heads. Soon a bright flash of light heralded the return of both Princesses Celestia and Luna to the Isegawa Complex, though this was most definitely not a happy reunion.

"Care to elaborate on what you would mean by a 'race against the clock'?" Dr. Jun asked of Princess Celestia.

Celestia indeed obliged and answered her. "It is quite simple. Eight days."

Twilight Sparkle cocked her head to the side. "Excuse me Princess Celestia, but what do you mean 'eight days'?"

Luna answered the Element of Magic. "Eight days is the approximate amount of time before Project Safe Haven becomes fully operational." The Doctors Isegawa nodded in assent at the assertion.

"Um, Princesses? Would you mind explaining to us just what Safe Haven is?" Midori Hana asked sheepishly, the stress starting to wear on her.

"Quite simply put, Safe Haven is a gigantic, mostly-underground complex for our still Human Human-Equestrian Alliance members to reside, should this Society for the Preservation of Humanity begin marking them as targets. It was designed and is now currently being built to house 4 times the current total human roster as of the Project's start of construction thirteen days ago," Princess Luna stated matter of factly.

"Effectively, a shelter of last resort should it really hit the fan..." Red Blaze surmised.

"Should the 'what' hit the fan?" Rainbow Dash asked. Red Blaze whispered the operative word in her ear. "Oh... I see... yeah that would be really bad, and worth ducking and covering from."

"Yes, the Conduit of Fire is correct in her assessment. This is to be the last option, short of Ponification, for our Allies should the governments indeed collapse, and we lose what little police protection we enjoy," Luna stated, sighing heavily at the prospect.

"The SPH hasn't found anything out about this have they?" Fluttershy asked timidly, just as nervous and tired as Midori Hana.

"No, the very fact construction remains on schedule implies they know nothing about it. We pray that this remains true until it is complete, and we can place it under full magical and electronic cloaking," Princess Celestia replied.

"Wait, ya mean it ain't bein' cloaked now? Ain't that dangerous?" Applejack asked, confused why they couldn't veil the entire construction site.

"We could erect the magical cloaking, but the nature of the spell would cause the drones performing the main construction to operate at only 60% capacity. Which would stretch construction time to approximately 30 days. That week plus that we gain maybe the difference between Mr. Edwards and the other central leadership of the HEA being alive or dead, to be perfectly blunt," Luna stated with her almost dissonant matter-of-fact'ness.

Everyone figured it was worth the risk to keep the HEA leadership as contiguous as possible.

"So how is the Royal Guard holding up protecting the Bureaus?" Blue Vague asked, his voice terse.

"As well as could be expected. The SPH has yet to turn its attention to the Bureaus, and we are seeing quite a lot of traffic. So much so that we have had to move in extra staff to process everyone," Princess Celestia responded, noting the seething anger in Vague's voice.

Lulu, the Conduit of Water is showing some dangerous signs...

I would imagine so, he still retains grave animosity towards the citizenry of the Domes, and being a Pony does not exactly cut one off from feeling rage...

No, it's not simply that... There is something else... Something I believe that you are very familiar with...

... I see... Do not fear 'Tia, I shall do my very best...

Just then the entire complex was rocked by a massive explosion...

"Good God what was that!" Dr. Hayato said, as he stumbled around for a second.

The giant plume of smoke rising in the horizon soon answered everyone's questions.

"Luna, did you feel anypony's life force suddenly be cut off or severely weakened?!" Princess Celestia asked excitedly, desperate to not hear the worst.

"Let me check... no... nopony within 10 miles of where we stand has suffered an appreciable reduction in their life force... but that plume of smoke is still far too close for comfort."

"Let me and Twilight go and check; if we need to, we can message for help the fastest," Vague requested of the Royal Sisters.

"If Twilight agrees to it, then you may proceed. But do so with the utmost caution." Princess Luna replied. Twilight nodded in agreement, and then both blinked out of the Dormitory Hall.

"GET A TRIAGE OVER HERE NOW!"

"GOOD GOD ALMIGHTY WHAT IN THE HELL WAS THAT!"

"HELP ME, PLEASE FOR THE OF ALL THAT IS HOLY HELP ME!"

          Blue Vague was assaulted by the screams of horror of the police and army remaining loyal to the government suffering mightily under the assault of the rogue private contractors and the SPH's forces. The fighting was still quite a while away from the St. Louis Conversion Bureau, but there was no doubt in his mind that some asshole in one of those groups would take the opportunity to take a few 'potshots' at the Bureau.

"VAGUE! VAGUE! SPEAK TO ME!" Twilight yelled, trying to snap him back to reality. Finally he shook himself loose out of his trance to listen to the lavender mare.

"Oh God I'm sorry, it's... this... this is horrifying..." Vague stated, his mind racing at all the sights and sounds still assaulting him.

"I know, it's scary for me too, but we have to find the Royal Guard contingent and help these men as best we can." Twilight said, her voice quivering, but resolute to do something while they were out here.

They ran through the backlines of the police and infantry formations, until they found a gray armored Unicorn helping who appeared to be a field commander for this operation.

"Oh my, Twilight Sparkle, I almost forgot the Elements of Harmony were based here in St. Louis..." the dyed gray Unicorn said, genuinely surprised to see the star pupil of Celestia and Element of Magic in his presence.

"I would take it she is someone high ranking in your military?" the Army Captain said, thankful they had a moment to discuss the new arrivals. "Oh excuse me, sorry for not introducing myself, I am Army Captain Tyler Johnson, 1st Infantry Division out of Fort Riley, Kansas. This here is..."

"Captain Sound Crash, 3rd Unicorn Corps Regiment, sorry we couldn't meet under better circumstances," the gray Unicorn concluded.

"Capt. Johnson, Capt. Crash, can you all tell us what is going on, well besides the obvious," Blue Vague asked, trying to keep himself as calm as he could while they moved to a bulletproof trailer.

Once inside, the three Ponies and human all sat to discuss things as best they could.

Captain Johnson was the first to speak. "We were performing a routine patrol when we were ambushed by the SPH's forces. Although it had been a stalemate before, they've begun to bring in the heavy artillery."

That can't be good... both Vague and Twilight thought in unison.

Capt. Crash then levitated a photograph to Twilight and Vague. "This... this is apparently what is known as a Red Bomb informally amongst the human military these days. It seems to be a device filled to the brim with Thaumatic-tau radiation, and once it's been triggered... well... you all probably heard it from wherever you are based. Anyone caught within its blast radius and, isn't somehow protected against Fire Magic, is practically vaporized. Those just outside of it suffer severe burns and pressure injures, which, in my humble estimation, is probably worse than being vaporized."

Twilight and Vague stood aghast, looking at the small black and red sphere could apparently deal so much devastation.

You see... look at the weapons these animals use against their own kind... and with the magic you all released for them...

STOP IT... It... it wasn't supposed to be this way...

She warned you... she warned you all...

PLEASE... Please stop... please...

There is only one solution... yes... only one solution...

Twilight, for a brief second felt a pang of utter dread, as she looked over at Vague's face. He stared out into 'space', at seemingly nothing. Something was not lost on the two Captains sitting next to him.

"Excuse me Miss Sparkle, is your friend alright? I mean, I can understand if he's a Native to your world and never heard of anything like this..." Captain Johnson said, as he tried to snap the blue Unicorn back to reality.

Twilight then saw, for the most brief of flashes, something she wished she would NEVERsee in her lifetime again.

That eye... I know it... I saw it... she thought to herself.

Eventually Blue Vague was brought back out of his trance.

"Captain, Captain, the workers from the St. Louis Bureau have begun to mobilize. They have managed to clear enough room to begin processing our most severely injured!" a voice shouted over the comlink for all to hear.

"Good, get them any armor you can spare for both species, I don't care if it's just a helmet for the Ponies. I will not have Princess Celestia on our asses about her Ponies being injured or worse on my watch," Capt. Johnson shouted back over the radio.

"Duty Calls, Miss Sparkle. If you wouldn't mind, I believe you know a few of the shielding spells your brother does. Could you help us protect the injured while we get them in the Bureau?" Capt. Sound Crash asked of Twilight.

"Yes Sir. I'm not going to let anyone die out there if I can help it!" Twilight said, steeling her nerve as best she could.

"Blue Vague, I feel something within you. What was it... what was it... OH RIGHT! Princess Luna sent us the information a couple of weeks ago. I can only surmise your main Terran Magic is, I think, Water. Anyway, if I’m correct, can you try and carve some trenches to keep them from being able to engage us face to face... if we can keep them limited to ranged attacks, we might be able to use Twilight's Shields to hold on until more help arrives."

Blue Vague took a couple of deep breaths before he spoke. "I will do the best I can!"

Capt. Crash smiled that wide Pony smile they all shared. "That's all that I ask of anyone."

          The battle wore on for another ten minutes, the combination of Vague's pressurized water and Twilight's Shield managing to keep the SPHs forces at bay long enough for all but the least wounded to be moved into the Bureau. Just on cue, another platoon arrived, with one of the military's few enlisted Magi in the region.

"Private Second Class Eric Patterson, Thaumatic Corps Geo-Branch, reporting," the fresh faced looking man said as he arrived on the scene.

"Oh thank God someone else with Magical Ability arrived. Do whatever you can to block their advance. This battle is lost, but I'll be damned if I let anything touch that Bureau. We also have two Pony VIPs, make damn sure nothing happens to them either," Capt. Johnson said to Priv. Patterson.

"Sir, yes sir." the private responded, flexing his hands in his focusing gloves.

          Within a few minutes, giant stone walls jutted out from all around the Bureau. Patterson had managed to create a wall thick enough to stop most of the fire from the SPH forces.

"Leave, everyone out, we've made our point!" they heard being shouted from beyond the wall. The recon drones showed most of the mercenary and SPH forces leaving to God knows where, as both Captains breathed a sigh of relief at the rapidly lessening prospect of a siege.

After some time, the two platoons closed ranks around the Bureaus, hoping and praying that no other forces from the SPH would come near them, while they tried to sort out the casualties.

"Everywhere it's the same goddamned story... what the hell is the SPH even thinking." Capt. Johnson thought out loud to himself as he sat in his bulletproof trailer.

"Permission to enter Capt. Johnson?" shouted a slightly younger male voice from his door.

"Permission Granted, Capt. Rodriguez," Tyler replied, thankful to hear his compatriots voice.

"Tyler, just what in the hell have you gotten yourself into now?" Capt. Julio Rodriguez asked incredulously, obviously knowing what the answer was.

"Nothing besides those SPH bastards trying to blow us to Kingdom Come," Capt. Johnson replied.

"So you encountered the Red Bomb as well. How many did you lose..." Capt. Rodriguez asked, almost not wanting to know the answer.

"Three, three were caught in the blast radius, I don't even think there's anything left of them. Two more suffered third-degree burns and shattered limbs of every sort. Another two, first-degree burns and temporary blindness, which I believe has passed for both of them already," Capt. Johnson said morosely, wondering just what would possess anyone to use a weapon like that.

"Monsters, that's what they are. Here I thought it would be the Ponies that somehow turned into Monsters, like some damn sci-fi movie; and yet it's our own people doing this to us," Capt. Rodriguez thought out loud, not caring in particular if anyone heard them.

"This is what makes me think the Domes are orchestrating this whole thing. Only they would have such a blatant disregard for anything not themselves, I guess you could say. How they could get any Outsider to join them is beyond me," Capt. Johnson said, as he looked out the window at the Ponies and HEA volunteers doing their best to care for the injured soldiers that weren't undergoing emergency Ponification.

"It must be brutal for the ones that had to choose between either living on as a Pony, or dying as a mangled wreck. I honestly don't know what I would ask them to do to me in that case," Capt. Rodriguez said, as he looked out the same window.

Capt. Johnson stood up from his seat and leaned against the trailer's windowsill. "I could be all macho and say 'I'd choose death, no doubt.' But honestly, if I really faced that choice... I couldn't tell you what I'd do. I can only think that I couldn't answer that question until that time came."

"So this is how my run 'ends'... turquoise fur, hooves, and a pair of wings..." one of the privates who choose Ponification said to Twilight and Vague, as he laid in a hospital bed.

"Are you sure you are going to be alright like this? I mean, I... I just don't..." Twilight began to ask, stammering and trailing off before she could finish

"Don't strain yourself, Miss. I should have figured it would come to this when the month started. At least I'm one of the lucky ones, who got damn near killed near a Bureau. The others... I can still hear their screaming... it'll probably never go away, too. And don't think to blame yourself either, neither of you. You did everything you could to protect us long enough to even give me this choice. I'd be dead easily if it weren't for the two of you and Patterson," the now Pegasus said, waving a hoof as he seemed to be instinctively learning Pony non-verbal communication.

"I can only imagine you'd want to go to Equestria as soon as you can," Blue Vague said, voice still seething with anger to some extent.

"Yeah, to be perfectly honest with you all. When I got my discharge, I was going to head to the Bureau here, since it's the closest to base. I guess I get discharged early... but..." the Pegasus said before pausing a bit.

"But what, Private... Private... we never got your name did we..." Twilight said, before suddenly realizing that they never did ask the stallion his human name.

"George Bailey. 24. From St. Paul, Minnesota. Seeing as I'm a Pegasus now, I guess I'll be hailing from Cloudsdale in a few days time," he said with a brief chuckle.

"Well, at least you are taking this well... anyway myself and Vague have to return home too, we're actually 'stationed' on Earth, I guess to use some of your military terms, anyway it was nice talking to you," Twilight concluded, and both she trotted out of the room.

Before Vague could leave though, George called him over the say one last thing. "Vague, I've only been a Pony for what, 30 minutes? But even I can tell something's really wrong with you. Please, talk to that mare, or whoever else you are living with. If you bottle that up too long, it's gonna blow up in your face."

Vague nodded in agreement as he walked out of the room after Twilight.

What does he know... Vague thought to himself dismissively as he and Twilight thanked the rest of the staff, then found a quiet area to teleport back to the Isegawa Complex.

          The rest of the evening was filled with Blue Vague and Twilight Sparkle recounting their harrowing tale to the rest of the Ponies and the Isegawas at the Complex. After a light dinner, and no further explosions, everyone eventually went to sleep.

Vague was tossing and turning in his bed, as that inner voice continued to assault him with questions.

Do you persist in believing they can be saved?

They have to be able to be saved...

Do you truly believe they deserve to be saved?

I can't just let them die... I can't let them die like this...

Does this world deserve to continue?

...

Does a world, where it's dominant species would be this cruel and horrible to its own, deserve your salvation... or does it deserve your damnation?

... .... I... I don't know...

CH 24: Understanding Self

Chapter 23: Under Pressure

=== The Conversion Bureau: A New Age, A New Life ====== Chapter 23: Under Pressure ===

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

[ St. Louis, U.S.A. -- July 6, 2081 ]

          The last seven days in the Isegawa Complex had been nothing but a scramble. Ever since the explosion near the St. Louis Bureau, everything went to pot even more than it was already. The SPH forces were now moving in on the national capitals, laying waste to the remaining federal forces around the world. It was less a war, than it was a slaughter; something that horrified everypony still left Earth-side. The only things that were left under the control of the duly elected governments, that didn't immediately fold to the SPH anyway, were the Domes of the national capitals; and the Bureaus, which most of the military not protecting the Domes of the capitals were guarding along with several contingents of the Royal Guard.

          Everyone in the Complex was scrambling to pack up as much as they could, the Isegawas never saying a word about what lay 150 m below them all. All the while, just the mere fact that there were military vehicles camped out near the Complex, and soldiers and military ground-drones running patrol all around, was making everypony quite skittish. Nopony though, was more skittish than Blue Vague, who had practically barricaded himself in his room, and was curled up in his bed, desperately wanting everything around him to be over.

"Happy pony... I'm a happy pony..." he said to himself in a low voice, as if trying to talk himself into feeling something he wasn't.

Are you really happy?

"I'm happy... Ponies are always happy..."

Does everypony out there look happy to you?

"Everyone is happy, everyone is working really hard to be happy..."

Just then he heard a crash outside, which made him draw under his covers.

"Applejack dear, please watch the sewing machine. I'd really appreciate it the Doctors Isegawa didn't have to try and find another one with all the chaos everywhere..."

"Ah'm tryan Rarity but it's really danged hard to be careful when ya in a rush like this. Ain't no tellin how much time we have left..."

See, they don't sound happy now do they...

"..."

This world isn't making anypony happy...

"..."

Do you know why this world isn't making anypony happy...

"No... please... stop..."

It's the humans... the humans are the reason why nopony in this world is happy...

"SHUT UP! SHUT UP!"

And it's not just us that aren't happy... what about all the animals that have died because of the humans... look at your Element...

"SHUT UP!"

          Blue Vague was now starting to tear up. He wanted desperately for the voices to fall silent again, or at least not to share his own. He would have given anything to hear any word that would have told him this was some kind of trick; some kind of trap by some cosmic entity... that this wasn't his own mind questioning his faith to save humanity. Yet his voice would not relent in its probing.

The oceans are so fetid, and now they are almost completely dead. The dolphins, the whales, the sharks, the coral, the fishes, the octopi, even the little plankton that you can't see without a microscope... how many now cease to exist because of the humans over-fishing and blatant pollution?

Vague couldn't answer... he didn't want to answer; he didn't want to admit to himself that humanity may, just maybe beyond redemption. He continued to cry, and cry, and cry.

Midori Hana stood outside of Vague's door, forehoof against the door. She began to cry herself, knowing she hardly knew how to help her coltfriend.

"You want to go in there don't you, Hana?" Golden Storm asked, getting a short break from moving material around.

"Yes... I... I wanna help him... this is just like a year ago almost... except..." Hana started, sniffling all the while. "Something feels even worse, like there is something lurking inside of him that's trying to claw its way out."

"I know what you mean..." Twilight Sparkle added, excusing herself from butting into the conversation between the former Humans. "I've been trying my best to contact Princess Luna, she would know how to handle this 'problem' the best."

The two of them thought for a few moments, and then came to the sudden realization of that implication.

"You really don't think it's that serious, do you Twilight?" Midori asked, after making sure that everyone was away from Vague's door.

"Honestly, I do. I want to be proven wrong so badly on this, but I cannot be sure unless Luna or Celestia talks to him," Twilight replied, shivering at what it could mean if her theory was right.

Conduit of Water, what is ailing you?

I don't know anymore, Princess Luna... I don't know what my mission is anymore... I don't know what our purpose is anymore...

It is to save humanity, is it not?

Yes... in theory... but...

But 'what', pray tell?

I don't know, I don't know if they are worth saving anymore Princess Luna...

I see...

What do you see, Princess...

Do you believe you can make that decision?

I...

I wouldn't not even think myself capable of issuing such a judgment upon all of humanity, even despite the actions of the previous month...

BUT... But... all the death... the destruction... those bastards claim they are just trying to preserve humanity... but they are just trying to preserve themselves...

Do elaborate, Conduit of Water...

They were mad, they were mad you came and laid bare what they have done to everyone... They were mad the population has begun rejecting their rule... They are mad that more and more humans feel that becoming Equestrians would lead to a better life for themselves, than remaining under their corrupt system...

Intriguing...

They are the reason why this world is so broken... they are the reason why everything is dying... they are the reason why anyone even has to be faced with the choice of leaving this world... It shouldn't have to be this way... It shouldn't have to be this way...

It doesn't have to be this way...

What do you mean Princess Luna?

Although this current order is coming to an end, a new order can be built... a new Age can be forged... is that not what your Will Of the Earth implores you all to do... It will be a long and bloody struggle... But, is forging any new age so clean?

I... I...

Although I cannot claim to know all of what troubles you... know this. I struggled with this same feeling, this same rage, this same anger... Although its genesis was different, I fear you are already walking down that dark path... I implore you, please, as both your mentor, and I hope as a friend, to cease this... Nothing good can ever come of it, ever...

I... I will try Princess Luna...

-----

          Later that evening, in a now eerily quiet office building in the Manhattan Domes, Richard Edwards sat at his desk, while Candice and some assisting A.I.s performed last minute cleanups of documents and files, in order to ensure that no information would fall into anyone else's hands if the S.P.H. came searching the premises.

"Candice..." Richard started as he spoke over the intercom to the main computer room where Candice was busy at work.

"Yes Mr. Edwards..."

"Tomorrow is the day..."

"Yes, Safe Haven has been completed without a hitch, and the Royal Guard has begun weaving the cloaking spells. All of the systems in the facilities are reporting Code Green. All of the employees willing to move are already in transit through standard means. I dare say the SPH truly knows absolutely nothing about this."

Richard Edwards fumbled a bit with a dark violet necklace, as he contemplated the future.

"I won't lie Candice... it feels like I'm running away. Like I'm running and hiding like a scared dog..."

"Sir, you know as well as I do... we do not have the means to counteract the SPHs numbers nor weaponry. We need time, we need time to build up both our and the Ponies' forces. Safe Haven should give us that time."

"Unfortunately, you are right. I'm afraid dear Melinda is out of time, and this greater project of ours will have to change in its focus."

"Sir, do you believe that it would be wise to meet force with force?"

"In terms of an all out war against the SPH, no. This will be as much a war of ideas and ideals, as it is a war of bullets and spells now."

"Yet, we will have to be able to meet force with force, when the time arises."

"Indeed, Candice... indeed."

          Elsewhere in Manhattan though, the three main figures of the Society for the Preservation of Humanity were in a very luxurious barroom, imbibing some spirits with their closest lieutenants.

"Tomorrow is the day we finally crush what is left of that bitch Aguillar and her partner-in-crime's governments!" Peter Vaughn said, rubbing his hands in anticipation, almost giddy at the prospect of finally being rid of any and all detractors in the world's governments.

A raucous cheer erupted from the 20 or so others in the room with them.

Claire Terrance sat in one of her many designer dresses, puffing away at an electronic cigarette. "Yes, tomorrow is the day we establish our own order."

Nathan Egret also was excited, but concerned with what the future held for their group. "But we should retain the legal structures as they stand, at least long enough to properly transition."

The crowd murmured for a bit, not wanting to see their money suddenly become worthless due to the loss of legal backing.

Claire thought for a few moments, and then agreed. "It would prove to be quite a problem if the governments fully collapsed, that is true."

Nathan continued, "Indeed, why bother rebuilding the foundation entirely, when there is one already laid out for us; we just merely need to occupy it for the time being..."

The crowd murmured some more, mostly in agreement with what Nathan stated.

Peter brushed aside all of their concerns. "This is all a mere formality anyway. They would eventually have given in to us completely; we're just... moving the schedule up a bit." He then chuckled for a bit, wondering just what those damned horses were going to think once they lost what little formal protection they had left.

Everyone stood up and cheered, as a chant soon erupted. "To a New Age! To a New Order! To a New Mankind!"

          Meanwhile, a couple at the Atlanta SPH Processing Center were getting ready for their first field mission -- they were to go through the Southern states towards Texas, wiping out whatever would be remaining of the U.S. Military after noon tomorrow.

"Tomorrow is the day we go on our first sweep, I am so excited, Andrew!"

"Well, at least the gear we have been given does indeed work for anyone. I am astonished how at light and strong it feels."

"Yes, it is, isn't it dear! Far more potent then what those little Ponies in their tin-can armor can do. We'll show them... we'll show them all!"

"I hope you're right, Linda. I pray to God above that you're right."

Are you absolutely sure of this, President Aguillar... I cannot predict your future safety should you choose to proceed down this route...

Princess Celestia... I must protect my country and my family at all costs... If this is something that I have to endure... then I will endure it as long as I can...

I would assume that your family has already been outfitted with the charms that I sent to you three days ago...

Yes, whenever you feel it is best time to send them to Safe Haven, you have my permission to do so...

I pray, that one day I can return this trust that you have given me, Melinda Aguillar...

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

          All across the world, caravans were moving in on the national capitals. The SPH was now poised to deliver, in their estimation, the knockout blow. Soon they would be formally in charge of everything, and could begin their real goal, the expulsion of the Equestrians and the elimination of their Human allies.

          The public remained bitterly divided in this regard. Some regarded the SPH as nothing more than selfish extremists, probably with backing by the Dome citizens who were seething after the failures in the previous elections. Others regarded the SPH as freedom fighters, destroying Vichy governments and re-establishing humans as the lone source of political power in the world.

          As far as the Bureaus were concerned -- the mobilized Unicorn divisions of the Royal Guard were resolute to provide shielding for the Bureaus to the bitter end. while the Earth Pony medics and Pegasi scouts were to coordinate with their Human counterparts, supporting what was left of the military and police forces still loyal to their respective governments. Everyone there felt however, that it was only a matter of time before the hammer would come down upon their heads as well.

          There were a few convoys though, taking a different route. Many trains, a few planes, and several automobiles were en-route to a quiet looking spot in the Cascade Mountains, a couple of hundred miles east of Seattle and Vancouver. The HEA, its 13 member leadership council sans the head in Richard Edwards, and much of the remaining human contingent, were on their way to the 99% complete, underground facility known as Safe Haven. There, they would ride out this storm, and hopefully, be able to plan for future. A future that was gravely in doubt now.

{ Author's Note: For the rest of this chapter, I will explicitly indicate setting and time changes for each 'soft' transition }

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

[ St. Louis, U.S.A. -- July 7, 2081 @ 8:00 AM GMT-6 ]

"So... the day has finally arrived..." Dr. Hayato said wistfully, as he rubbed a doorway in the Isegawa Clinic. "You know, I've gotten attached to this place in the last year plus."

"I can tell, honey. Unfortunately, all things we do come to an end," Dr. Jun replied, rubbing her husband's shoulders, the dark violet charms around their necks as well.

"Captain Johnson, are you sure your intel is correct in this regard? How would the S.P.H. even know this facility had an underground laboratory?" Dr. Hayato asked of the Army Captain standing off to side.

"Dr. Isegawa, I believe it would be fair to say the S.P.H. and their Dome backers probably have a hand in a lot of cookie jars. Knowing them, they probably tracked down one of your subordinates and made it worth his or her while to talk," Johnson responded morosely.

"Do you think this plan will work, it would entirely depend on the SPH being foolish enough to think they would gain anything from this place should they attack it," Dr. Hayato asked, still feeling sentimental for the Clinic, Lab, and Dorms he'd been living in the 15 months previous.

"They will want as much intel on the inner workings of Equestrian physiology as they possibly can. Of course, all of the relevant information has already been removed from this facility, am I correct?" Capt. Johnson asked of the two doctors.

Dr. Jun responded in turn. "Yes, the only information that is in our physical files and computers, at this location, is a lot of useless garbage. In addition, you do understand that if what you say is true, and they attack this place, then we would have no recourse but to self-destruct the labs. Despite our best efforts, there may still be traces left they could use."

"Yes. Mrs. Dr. Isegawa, myself and my men are fully prepared for that eventuality," Capt. Johnson replied, resolute to see this mission through.

Dr. Hayato sighed as he began to walk back to the dormitories. "Then let us pray that we begin to strike a blow against the SPH."

[ 08:45 GMT-6 ]

"Ok so we got everything packed up?" Twilight Sparkle asked, inwardly lamenting how spartan the Dormitories looked again.

"Ahh, we just got this place really feeling like a home, and now it's back to looking like a human doctor's office," Pinkie said morosely; her mane poofy yet still sad herself.

"Yeah, I can tell how much you Ponies care for aesthetics. From the briefings I got, the location you all are relocating to should be just as amenable to you all; even if you won't be living near other human communities for quite some time," Capt. Rodriguez replied to Pinkie. Like a lot of other humans, he found himself growing more and more comfortable with the Ponies after spending (more-or-less) social time with them.

"That's that Safe Haven place y'all talkin 'bout? Ah hate the idea of leavin’, but looking at things, Ah don't think we gotta choice..." Applejack said, brim of her hat over her eyes, trying to hide her disgust at the idea.

"Unfortunately, sometimes when you play Poker, you have to know when to fold when you're dealt a crap hand," one of the Privates said as he helped Storm move some more equipment to the underground labs for transport.

"Yeah I'd probably be terrible at playing that game... heart-on-sleeve kinda mare, ya know?" Rainbow Dash responded with a bit of mirth.

Rarity used a bit of magic to get Rainbow Dash on with the business of getting ready to leave the facilities. "Yes, we can see that, Rainbow dear. Anyway, I have all my things packed away, finally. Really, I'm starting to wonder myself how I travel with so many things."

Most of the human military men and women just shrugged and went on about their business.

Blue Vague was finally out of his room (for more than a few minutes at a time) for the first time in a few days. "I see everyone is getting ready to move. I guess it's to be expected." His tone was as dejected and depressed as any Pony had anyone there at the Dormitories ever heard.

Midori Hana tried her best to cheer her coltfriend up. "Oh come on now, while we might be losing this place. We'll still have a spot to call home, and we'll make that spot just as good as this one, maybe even better!"

"I guess..." was all the morose blue Unicorn could reply with.

"So ya became a Pegasus after ya left the service. And now you're all mixed up with the Equestrian VIPs? Man, you are just a magnet for trouble aren't you Ethan?" one of the other Privates said, as he, Golden Storm, and Red Blaze were walking outside heading back toward the Dormitory.

"I know, right? Man the last year has just been nuts, and I'm guessing it's going to stay that way for the foreseeable future, Terry."

Red Blaze was still chuckling from some of Storm and Terry's stories while they were moving the last of the heavy equipment. "I always wondered who that 'Terry' was, that Storm talked about when we first started dating."

"Yeah, that'd be me. He went into the Air Force and I stayed a ground-pounder in the Army. If I ever converted, probably end up an Earth Pony, who knows..." Terry responded, wondering what Blaze looked like while she was still human.

"Bad news everyone!" Capt. Rodriguez said out loud, as everyone who wasn't moving something particularly heavy or fragile stopped what they were doing in order to gather round to hear what the field commander had to say.

"What's up Captain?" Terry answered back, his group having met the rest at the common area of the Dormitory.

Capt. Rodriguez rubbed his forehead before speaking. "Like I said, bad news. The SPH has broken through the 3rd defensive line in Washington."

"Oh man, I know it was probably too much to ask they hold out all of today, but are they seriously that close already?" Terry responded.

"Care to elaborate on what's going on in the Capital?" Golden Storm asked, fluttering in the air before settling on a railing with Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash.

Captain Rodriguez took a deep breath, and began to give the impromptu report. "Yeah, I figure the ten of you should know, along with the rest of my men. There are five defensive lines around the White House and the Capitol Building. Since 05:00 GMT-5, the SPH and their mercs have pretty much carved right through Defensive Lines 5 and 4 and are starting to breach 3. At this rate, Washington could fall before 13:00 GMT-5."

"Oh my Celestia! The President's family, they could be in danger!" Rarity said, utterly shocked at how fast events were moving.

Capt. Rodriguez continued. "Indeed, although we do have a failsafe in place... at the very least President Aguillar's family should be safe."

"But not Aguillar herself, or at least whatever we would define as 'safe'," Twilight figured.

Capt. Rodriguez was surprised at how fast Twilight put two-and-two together. "Sharp mind you have there, Twilight Sparkle. And yes, she'd be correct. In order to prevent a full and total collapse of the command structure of the U.S. Government, Aguillar would stay behind, along with the senior staff at the major departments, and the senior legislators in the Congress."

"She'd effectively be ceding the government to them. And I doubt she'd be alone in doing so..." Blue Vague said, disdain clearly evident in his speech.

"Anyone that says that you Ponies are 'feeble-minded' is a damn fool themselves," Capt. Rodriguze mused, scratching his head and wondering if the Unicorns were reading his mind or something. "But yes, it would be a functional surrender. At this point, though, I don't think we have the capability to fight this long term as-is. About the best we can do is go to ground, and try and build up to counterattack at a later date."

"That's so awful... at the same time, I honestly can't argue with it. What'd be even more awful is to give a reason for the SPH to keep doing what they have been..." Fluttershy said, mane hanging over her face, as if she were ashamed to admit it out loud.

"Yeah man, I agree with the bright yellow Pegasus. I don't think we got it right now to fight back. As much as I hate runnin, we gotta at least keep ourselves alive to fight another day," Terry added in agreement.

Capt. Rodriguez agreed, as a truck settled down outside the dorm to give the Ponies without the cybernetic implants a chance to keep up on the public news. "Hopefully, that's the chance that Safe Haven and this plan affords us."

Blue Vague stamped his hooves in frustration, wondering when all of this was going to end...

Why does this has to keep going... is everything we did going to be for naught?

[ Washington D.C. -- 11:15 GMT-5 ]

"The Barbarians are at Gate 2! I repeat, the Barbarians are at Gate 2!" an aide shouted, as people scrambled around trying to get rid of any sensitive information they could, even if they had to resort to burning storage drives and paper documents.

"Momma, are you gonna be alright?" Rosa asked of her mother.

"Yes dear, I will be," President Aguillar replied, as she knelt down to hug her daughter.

"Mom, I... I'm sorry if I said anything to hurt you before. Please... just..." Reggie tried to say, as he began to choke up. He hugged his mother as tight and as long as he could, before he and Rosa were led away, both crying.

Michael just hugged his wife; he hoped not for the last time. "Please, dear. I don't know what I'd do without you. I don't know what exactly those bastards want, but please... just stay safe, stay alive... I really think they can help us all, but we need good Human leaders to make it all work."

"I know, dear. I honestly believe the SPH wants the government more or less in-tact. And as long as they keep people like me in place, it will be as stable as it could be all things considered," Melinda replied, hopeful that she wasn't just spouting idle wishes.

"GATE ONE! THE BARBARIANS ARE AT GATE ONE! If you want to get out, get out now!" a general shouted, as he began to round up as many civilians as he could for a military transport out.

President Aguillar's family shared one last hug as they were ushered away, and President Aguillar began to contemplate her fate.

Lulu, the time will soon be upon us...

Yes, I'm afraid that the current age, I would surmise in an official sense, is about to come to an end...

Is the spell to bring our Allies to Safe Havencomplete?

Yes, Twilight Sparkle and the human arcanists, neophytes that they are, have successfully designed a safe teleportation spell for the humans to use... How strange that our teleportation uses the New Light Bridge, while theirs will pull them through the Shadows Between Planes...

The light and the shadow will always co-exist... I believe the concepts of Yin and Yang would be a rough human equivalent...

I suppose they are... Perhaps, if we are afforded enough time, we can begin to properly exploit those concepts...

Perhaps we can, Lulu...

[ Washington D.C. -- 11:45 GMT-5 ]

♪♪ Mycountry,' tis of thee,

♪♪ sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing;

President Aguillar, sitting in the Oval Office, alone, sat... and waited; singing various hymns and songs of patriotism. She did not have to wait long though. With a resounding crash, the door to the Oval Office fell to the ground, as black-suited, masked men and women rushed in and surrounded her, wielding automatic weapons, some glowing gold or red with Thaumatic-tau radiation.

"Hrm, I would assume you all have come for me. But really... ten, just for myself? A bit of overkill don't you all think?" President Aguillar stated matter-of-factly, staring at the blown down door to see who else would come through.

One other black-clad and masked man walked through the displaced entrance, striding along as if he were the king of the world... and in some sense... he was now. "Madame President, such an honor to meet you face to face again..."

"That voice... I see... I figured as much... You may as well remove that mask..." President Aguillar stated again, doing her level best to show now outward signs of fear or trepidation.

The masked leader removed said mask, to show his face to his new potential puppet. "Indeed, I guess I should reintroduce myself. Peter Vaughn, multi-billionaire, man about town, and now King of the Goddamn Mountain."

"So you say..." President Aguillar responded, projecting a sense of being unconcerned with how Vaughn thought of himself at that moment.

"Of course, in the interest of national stability, you will remain on as a figurehead. As well as whatever advisors and legislators we can track down and round up. On that note, the first order of business under this new arrangement -- I will need you will make a little announcement..." Peter said, eyes narrow with a dangerous and devious glint.

[ St. Louis -- 10:58 GMT-6 ]

"Everyone, get out here or tune your cyber-tracker to the best newsstream you can, apparently the SPH are about to make an announcement," Capt. Rodriguez shouted out.

The same calm sounding voice from nearly a week ago came over the airwaves, with the now familiar black shield of the SPH on the screen. "The following message comes courtesy of the Society For the Preservation Of Humanity..."

"This is it people, once this message is over, I want everyone on high alert and to get into position -- they are probably going to come here first. And to you all, Doctors Isegawa, Elements of Harmony, and Conduits of Terra... I can only wish you good luck and Godspeed. Hopefully me and my men make it back alive..." Capt. Rodriguez stated, kissing the dark violet charm around his neck as if it were a rosary.

The message from the President of the United States then began, everyone marking their disgust at seeing the black-geared and masked thugs behind her, ostensibly to project force and ensure her compliance.

Celestia... Luna... Please, I hope this gamble of yours and the world leaders work... Twilight thought to herself, as she and the rest of the Ponies and the Doctors Isegawa prepared to be winked out at any moment.

"My fellow Americans, I have come to the conclusion that, after this long month of fighting, we can no longer afford the bloodshed caused by such; and the United States Government and her Military, such that it stands, can no longer resist the rebel forces. To wit, as of this moment, the United States Government and the Society For The Preservation of Humanity have agreed upon the terms of surrender. For this interim period, I will remain as President of the United States, until such time that new elections can be held. And as such, I am officially declaring null-and-void the official security arrangement with the Equestrian Conversion Bureaus, and declaring them Enemies of the State. This means that remaining federal forces, will not be allowed to operate in any official capacity at the Bureaus; and any that do, do so at their own risk of court-martial on grounds of treason. In addition, any Members of Congress that do not return to work by 5:00 PM Eastern Standard Time, July 9, 2081, will officially forfeit their position, and the SPH will retain the right to appoint a replacement of their choosing, until elections can be held. I wish and pray for calm during this period of transition, and a brighter future for not only the United States of America, but all of mankind."

Everyone watching was stunned into absolute silence. Although they knew the broad outlines of what was planned, none could believe that it was actually upon them now. Effectively, the S.P.H. had control of what was left of the American Government, and now free reign to do what they wanted.

[ Undefined Region -- 11:20 AM to 1:00 PM GMT-6 ]

          Soon after, the other major nations of Earth that still held out, fell like dominoes. Canada and the European Union (and with it all constituent states and regions) officially surrendered at 12:20 GMT-5. The Chinese Federation fell next, at 13:10 GMT-5. Followed by Korea, Australia, and Japan simultaneously at 14:20 GMT-5. Overall, by 1:00 PM Central Time, there was no major nation left that wasn't already allied with the S.P.H., or under its thumb.

[ St. Louis, U.S.A. -- 6:15 PM GMT-6 ]

          The evening was as tense as any other that any of occupants of the Isegawa Complex could remember. Even though that the President, through her speech, had effectively declared Equestria Enemies of the State, and anyone supporting them to be traitors, none of the military that was to assist them left. That mettle was soon to be tested though, as the recon drones showed the familiar black armored vans progressing toward the Bureau and the clandestine Labs.

"Well, it looks like the rats are taking the bait. Alright people, it's showtime!" Capt. Johnson said, as the rest of the soldiers checked their disguises. They now looked all the world like just your average lab workers, white coats and casual wear all around. All wearing the same dark violet charm around their necks; well hidden, though, from sight by anyone not really paying attention.

"Don't go doing anything stupid you all, we are going to need all the military help we can get at Safe Haven..." Dr. Hayato said, as the charm he was wearing began to flash in a pattern.

Dr. Hayato, Twilight and Dr. Jun has already messaged myself regarding the coming S.P.H. forces. Are you ready to be teleported to Safe Haven? Luna asked of Dr. Hayato telepathically.

No, Luna. Something in my gut is telling me that I will have to help Capts. Johnson and Rodriguez sell this little trap... can you keep an open link with me in case things become too hectic... Dr. Hayato asked of Luna.

Luna thought for a few moments. I agree to those terms, Dr. Hayato Isegawa. However, you must swear that you will call for your teleportation to Safe Havenonce things become dire... your wife can destroy the labs remotely from here if need be...

Dr. Hayato agreed to the counter-terms.

He went over to hug his now Ponified daughter, his darling Kyoko, now Midori Hana, for what he hoped would not be the final time. ""

Kyoko sniffled a bit before she responded in Japanese herself. ""

Although none of the others, save Dr. Jun, could understand the full remarks, they all could feel what was intoned. He then hugged his wife and shared a swift kiss, then she was surrounded by a dark violet bubble and disappeared into the ground. Soon the ten Ponies in their midst blinked out of existence; all eleven of the travelers joining many of the humans and Ponies there were to man Safe Haven for the foreseeable future.

[ New York City -- 7:35 PM GMT-5 ]

          Richard Edwards hugged Candace as she was preparing to leave herself for Safe Haven.

"Are you sure that you don't want to leave now?" Candice asked of her boss, pleading with her eyes as well.

"No, there is someone apparently of note in the S.P.H. that wanted to discuss something with me directly. And I felt that I should oblige them. Don't worry, I have an open line to Princess Celestia in case things go south."

Indeed, Candice... I will make sure that Richard is brought to Safe Havensafely... Celestia told the both of them telepathically, all sharing a brief chuckle at the unintended pun.

"Please, just don't say anything that you'll regret..." Candice asked, as she hugged Richard again.

"I won't. I just hope that I can coax whoever it is into saying something they'll regret revealing..." Richard Edwards replied, hoping his rhetorical skills wouldn't fail him.

Candice waved goodbye as the dark-violet bubble engulfed her, sending her to Safe Haven ahead of Richard Edwards. As he sat in his office entirely alone, he began to sing one of his favorite songs...

♪♪He said, "Son, I've made my life out of readin' people's faces,

♪♪ And knowin' what their cards were by the way they held their eyes.

[ St. Louis, U.S.A. -- 6:55 PM GMT-6 ]

          The black armored vans rolled up to the outside of the Isegawa Complex, as Dr. Hayato, now about as well armored as a civilian could be on such short notice, stood with his 'co-workers' in Capts. Johnson and Rodriguez out near the front doors of the Clinic to welcome their 'esteemed guests'.

"Ah, so this is the famous Isegawa Clinic. Or I guess I should say, the Isegawa Laboratories." said a snide looking man in black armor with a few white stripes on his chest armor. He was flanked by a good fourteen other men in unmarked black armor.

"And to whom to I owe the pleasure of this visit?" Dr. Hayato asked, hiding his incredulousness as well as anyone else could expect.

"Oh just your friendly neighborhood Society Sweepers; Capt. James Young at your service," the snide looking man said as he held out his hand for  handshake, which unsurprisingly was not returned.

Ugh, thought I recognized that ugly mug. Young is one of the worst of the rogue mercs out there. Didn't think he had the balls to join the SPH formally though... Capt. Johnson thought to himself.

"Anyway, enough pleasantries... where's the lab," Young asked, his snide face suddenly taking a visage of deadly seriousness.

"We are a nice suburban health clinic. Why would we have a dedicated lab?" Dr. Hayato asked, trying to suss out just what Young knew and what he didn't know.

"Not to be too rude, but don't fuck with me, Dr. Isegawa. My intel clearly states you got some state of the art facilities right underneath our feet. And you aren't but a stone's throw away from that damned Bureau. It's too fucking convenient if you ask me. So I will ask nicely one last time, where... is... the... lab?" Young asked, as he signaled for his flankers to raise their weapons at Johnson and Dr. Hayato.

Dr. Hayato rolled his eyes as he feigned surprise. "Well, it looks like you got me. If I can get assurance that your men would not harm myself or my staff, I will show you."

"Well since you are being so kind as to give us a guided tour, I believe I can swing that arrangement," Young replied, as he signaled his men to lower their weapons and get the laptops to record as much information as they could.

Soon after, they were all riding the elevators down to the labs proper... and the tension was just beginning to build.

[ New York City -- 8:03 PM GMT-5 ]

         A ding resounded through the empty, quiet hall leading to Richard Edwards's main office. A lone woman in a black dress walked out, and was greeted by a not unfamiliar voice.

"So, Miss Claire, you must be the Society's VIP I was hearing so much about. Please, do come in..."

Just what do you have planned, oh well, that won't matter soon enough, my dear~ Claire thought to herself, as she patted her purse.

Richard buzzed the doors to open, and stood up to greet his longtime rival. "Miss Claire Terrance, to what do I owe this fine pleasure this evening?"

"Mister Richard Edwards, the pleasure is all mine. After all, I personally requested this meeting."

"So, I cannot imagine you'd want to talk business with me, what with effectively neutering the governments of the world today. I would have thought you to be picking out a new outfit to wear to your coronation, or inauguration, or whatever you people are planning in the future."

"Your aspersions wound me, Dear Richard. However, I do have business to discuss with you..."

[ St. Louis, U.S.A. -- 7:15 PM GMT-6 ]

"It's a treasure trove, a fucking treasure trove... Goddamn everything I could want to know about those damn Ponies inside and out..." Capt. Young said, as he was giddy at what his techs were telling him were all over the labs, as the 'workers' were quick to get out of the way and not confront the SPHs armed escorts. "Oh and what do we have here... the plans for the Conversion Serum.. GOLD! IT'S FUCKING GOLD! I'll make Major easy with this haul!"

"So, I trust that everything is to your liking?" Dr. Hayato asked, showing everyone there the best poker face anyone could ever want out of someone who didn't play regularly.

"Is it to my liking? Fuck yes it is!" Young replied, jokingly punching Dr. Hayato in the shoulder. "Goddamn I don't know what the fuck you and your workers here were thinking when you made this shit. But HOOOLEEE Jesus did you document fucking everything. We're gonna have shit that's gonna make sure that those damn horses never set foot on this planet ever again!"

Luna, they are gobbling the bait down like there isn't anything wrong at all... Tell Jun to get ready to begin the self-destruct sequence... I don't want them or anyone else to find anything legitimate that might be left in this place... Dr. Hayato relayed telepathically, as he ushered the SPH techs around some more, hoping to have them fully entrenched in the lab.

[ New York City -- 8:21 PM GMT-5 ]

"So what made you finally do it Claire, was the bank account not growing fast enough or something?"

"GODDAMNIT Richard, you were always like this. All the fucking money in the world and it's like you don't give a damn about one red cent!"

"Answer me this Claire, what on God's browning Earth can I buy on a dead planet?"

"Oh there you fucking go again with this shit, Richard. It's always like this with you, I don't know what your father did while you were outside, but it's fucked your head up."

"More like it made me see clearly, Claire. What the hell is money going to do for me when everything is breaking down? You know it, I know it, everyone on the goddamn planet knows it! They can read the reports how the Agri-Domes output has been slowly declining. How the power grid is growing more and more unstable. How the storms are getting worse and worse. How the diseases and plagues are growing more deadly by the year."

"And we can fix it, Richard, baby. We can fix everything..."

"Oh don't give me that bullshit, Claire. And stop with that damn 'baby' talk, we haven't dated in 10 years, at least. Every goddamn decade it's 'We're gonna make it all better' with us. And what the hell do we do as a unit? We build another goddamn dome, another layer to keep the world out. Do you know what those Equestrians did... they are making everyone see just how much bullshit we've been piling on them for the last 60 years, Claire. Not only that, but the Earth itself is about give us a very rude awakening."

"The Earth itself gave us this Power, the Power to fix things..."

"And what the fuck are you doing with it, Claire? You are trying to tear this goddamn world apart at the seams. What, you think everything is gonna be fixed once all the Outsiders are dead or something? Do you really think they are going to go out like that? That if you told them all to jump into the ocean and drown, they'd do it like a bunch of lemmings? No, you know what's going to happen? They are going to fucking fight back, and then you're going to fight back. By the time all this damn fighting is done, there won't be anything left!"

"Then they all should just fucking die. What the fucking good have they done for us? What purpose do they serve for the world? None, not a goddamned-mother-fucking THING! They should all just keel over dead. We're the chosen ones, we're the ones that will build the new humanity."

"And you wonder just why we broke up 10 years ago. You were the same goddamn way Claire, the same goddamn selfish BITCH!"

[ St. Louis, U.S.A. -- 7:30 PM GMT-6 ]

"AHAHAHA... Fuck Major, they'll shoot me straight to a fucking Colonel when I get back with all this. These schematics, these designs, these everything... I hit the goddamn mother-lode here!" Capt. Young shouted, giddy like a schoolboy at all that he was supposedly finding to bring back.

"Yes, I can see your jubilance knows no bounds..." Dr. Hayato said, quite nonplussed at the strange nature of this SPH field commander. "Anyway, I would greatly appreciate it if you would allow us to leave and try to find a way in this new world of ours."

The request was met by the sound of one firearm chambering a round; and another producing a high-pitched whirring, readying its thaumatic discharge.

"Oh dear, my good Doctor. I'm afraid that can't be done. You see, I am under very strict orders to execute all collaborators with extreme prejudice. And I believe that would be, oh, everyone here that isn't in the S.P.H. to begin with," Capt. Young said, as he raised his own firearm, aiming square at Dr. Hayato's forehead.

Dr. Hayato... any second now... Luna said, incredibly tense at the scene she was perceiving.

Not yet, Luna... let me ask him one more question... also tell Jun to start the self-destruct sequence as soon as you teleport me... Dr. Hayato replied, hopeful he just didn't make the mistake that'd end his life.

"Before you unceremoniously end me, I would like to ask one question of you and your men," Dr. Hayato asked, still maintaining his poker face somehow.

"Oh fine. But do make it a good one since it will be the last words you'll ever speak," Young replied, wondering just what the Doctor was doing besides vainly running for his life.

"Are you a bitch that likes bananas?" Dr. Hayato asked, with all manner of a smile and deviant glint in his eyes.

"What in the hell?" Young replied, he and his flankers confused, and more importantly, losing their aim points on Dr. Hayato.

"Well, you're gonna go bananas... in the Afterlife." Dr. Hayato said, with a wink.

Play us out, Luna! Dr. Hayato shouted at Luna with all urgency, telepathically.

"Oh you dirty motherfucker!" Capt. Young said as he picked his gun back up to blow Dr. Hayato's head off... but all he got to aim at was a dark violet egg-shaped bubble, which sunk into the floor just as fast as it appeared.

"FUCKING!! SON OF A GOD... WHAT?!" Capt. Young shouted as he and his men looked all around, before being interrupted by the sounds of rapid gunfire and some of his men hitting the floor. "WHAT IN HOLY FUCK IS GOING ON?! SOMEBODY FUCKING TELL ME SOMETHING!!"

Someone finally responded as a SPH grunt came running in. "Fucking... dark purple... eggs... all the workers turned into these dark purple eggs then disappeared!"

"DISAPPEARED?! WHAT IN THE FUCK DO YOU MEAN THEY DISAPPEARED?!" Capt. Young shouted in response, as he went through all the rooms where he saw lab workers milling about just a few minutes before, only to see either nothing or wounded or dead SPH grunts leaning against tables or on the floor.

Everyone was out of the lab... everyone except one.

"This shit ends now James, I am not letting you fucking get away this time." Tyler Richardson said to himself, as he laid his charm on a box in the Transport Room.

[ St. Louis, U.S.A. -- 8:40 PM GMT-5 ]

Claire, tears streaming down her face, pointed the concealed handgun at Richard. "Why? Why did you throw your lot in with those goddamn Ponies. They were gonna ruin everything, EVERYTHING you, your father, your grandfather worked for!"

Richard merely sat back down in his chair, never taking his eyes off the distraught ex-lover-turned-SPH-leader. "As a great man once said, 'The times, they are a changin''. I intend to be at the forefront of the new age that will be built. But it's going to be built right. People who deserve to get ahead will get ahead. People who don't cheat the goddamn system will get ahead. A true meritocracy, Claire, or at least as close to one as mere mortals can make."

"WHO THE FUCK CARES ABOUT MERITOCRACY?! WHO THE FUCK CARES ABOUT FAIRNESS?! It's every goddamn man and woman for himself, and you get ahead any fucking way you can do it. You get every fucking thing you want, even if you have to snatch out of someone else's hands."

"That's probably what you intended to do to me. Get into my head, tell me I'm your everything, then when you hooked yourself far enough in, BOOM, you get me out of the way, and everything's yours."

Claire was now clearly distraught, her hand was shaking so bad, her aim was nowhere near good enough to be a reliable shot now. "No... no... no... I loved you... I loved... you... we were going to be so powerful... we were going to be the most powerful couple in the Domes... no... in the world... but you didn't want to play that game did you? Your goddamn morals got in the way, didn't they?"

"What can I say Claire, I am my father's son."

"You are... aren't you... just like your dad and mine... same damn argument... they could have ruled this damn planet... and he didn't want it... he didn't have the balls to do it... and YOU DON'T EITHER!" Claire screamed, raising the gun back up at Richard's head.

"Hrm, I guess this is how it ends, huh... or does it?"

I would take it, that is my cue... Princess Celestia said, ever the demi-goddess of dramatic timing.

If you wouldn't mind, Princess...

In a flash, Claire pulled the trigger, but not before Richard was engulfed in the dark violet bubble. The bullet went straight through the bubble, but not inside; instead piercing the window behind Richard's office desk, causing cracks to form all through the rest.

Claire shook for a few seconds, and threw the gun to the floor. She then followed by letting loose the most guttural, soul-shaking scream she could manage. Her body suddenly began glowing red, as her exposed skin had red Terran runes all over her.

"YOU DIRTY SON OF A BITCH! I'LL FIND YOU... I WILL FUCKING FIND YOU... AND I WILL FUCKING ROAST YOU ALIVE!!!"

The window shattered as a giant plume of flame, the result of pure, unadulterated rage, emerged from the building; as if that floor had a giant flamethrower mounted somewhere inside of it.

A few moments later, after the plume died down, Claire looked around. The fact she reduced all of the furnishings, the windows, and a good chunk of the walls of the office to either molten slag or ashes did not calm her mood any.

"I swear... I will find you Richard... and there will be Hell to pay... oh yes... Hell to pay!" Claire said to herself, while being doused by the fire sprinkler system.

[ St. Louis, U.S.A. -- 7:55 PM GMT-6 ]

"Self-Destruct Sequence Initiated... Laboratories will be demolished in... 10 minutes..." the calm, monotone female voice announced to all who could hear her.

"FUCK! God why the hell did I think I'd have any time to hunt that bastard down... and I don't know the layout of this place at all... I got maybe eight minutes left to find him, end him, and find the Transport Room again..." Tyler barked at himself, cursing his own luck.

He went room to room, searching for James Young, the man responsible for damn near getting him drummed out of the Army two years ago, and most likely the man responsible for that horrifying display of wartime technology a week ago.

"For the three of them... for all those civilians two years ago... he has to die... and  I need to make fucking sure of it..." Tyler said, as the lights began to dim, and red klaxons whirled about.

--

"Laboratories will be demolished in... eight minutes..."

"WHERE THE FUCK IS THE EXIT?! I WILL BE GODFUCKINGDAMNED IF I DIE IN THIS PLACE!" James shouted as he tried to find his way through the labyrinthine labs. The shutters were beginning to close around the outer edges of the lab.

"THERE IT IS, THE ELEVATOR... I... NO NO... NO YOU FUCKING GODDAMN DON'T!" he shouted as he tried to run to his salvation, only to be cut-off by crystal laden shutters.

"WHAT IN THE FUCK... GODDAMNIT... THERE HAS TO BE STAIRS... FUCKING SOMETHING... ANYTHING!" James shouted, trying to fight off the panic as best he could.

"JAMES! JAMES WHERE THE FUCK ARE YOU, YOU LITTLE RAT BASTARD?!" James heard a suddenly familiar voice shout.

"Sir, there is still one of the enemy left in this building, sir." the last remaining SPH grunt said as he reported to his superior officer

"I CAN FUCKING SEE THAT! YOU FOCUS ON FINDING A WAY OUT OF THIS GODFORSAKEN RATTRAP!" James barked.

"Sir, yes si--" he replied, before a spray of blood from his skull cut him off.

"Can't you fucking tell your people to keep their helmets on, James?!" Tyler shouted from down the hall.

"Oh fuck you, Tyler!" replied as he chased after possibly his only lead out.

--

"Laboratories will be demolished in... five minutes..."

"Fucking two years ago James... you remember that shit... you massacred 200 civilians in Central Africa, damn near got me court-martialed."

"Why the fuck are you bringing that shit up now? And besides, it's a goddamn war zone, who the fuck cares about civilians, they should get out of the fucking way if they don't want to get shot."

"I bet you're the one who fucking ordered the use of that Red Bombagainst us. You cost me three of my finest and damn near another four just with that!"

"Fuck you, Tyler! It's a goddamn war zone, kill or be killed! I don't fucking have time to deal with ethics or whatever else sugar-coating bullshit you all can come up with."

The two man aired their grievances while they tried to end each other's lives.

"There isn't any goddamn justice for people like you. And now the worst of the worst are trying to claim they are going to fucking fix things?"

"FUCK YOU TYLER! Those goddamn Ponies are the fucking problem, they are going to kill everything that makes a human a human. The world isn't fucking Candyland or wherever the fuck they come from. I will be damned if they turn this world into some kind of sugarcoated kids playground."

They eventually, by stroke of sheer accident, made their way back to the Transport Room, where the dark-violet charm was still flashing, waiting for its user to be snapped out of there to safety.

Shit... he followed me all the way here, if he notices that flashing charm, he's gonna put two and two together... Tyler thought to himself as he was ducking the fire from James's armaments.

Why in the fucking hell would he lead me back fucking... wait a minute... that purple necklace... THE GODDAMN PURPLE NECKLACE, THAT'S HOW THEY FUCKING GOT OUT! James's shouted in his own mind.

"THAT FUCKING PURPLE NECKLACE, THAT'S MY TICKET OUT OF THIS DEATH TRAP!"

"Oh no you fucking don't!" Tyler said, as he slid on the ground and kicked the box, sending the charm flying off into the shadows of still more boxes.

"Laboratories will be demolished in... two minutes..."

"YOU MOTHERFUCKER! I'M GOING TO KILL YOU, AND I'M GONNA FUCKING KILL WHOEVER IS ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THAT FUCKING MAGIC YOU'RE USING!" James said as he raised his gun to fire... only to get nothing as he pulled the trigger.

"OH FUCKING HELL, OUT OF AMMO, JESUS FUCK ALL!"

"GUESS YOU LOSE, JAMES!" Tyler said as he raised his firearm, only for hear the familiar click of an empty magazine.

"MORE LIKE A DRAW, EH FUCKER!?"

"SHUT THE FUCK UP!"

"Laboratories will be demolished in... 90 seconds..."

They both threw their guns at each other, only to both miss, as they dove into the boxes and crates trying to figure out where the charm was.

"FUCKING NEEDLE IN A GODDAMN HAYSTACK!" James shouted as he threw the boxes, looking for any glint of metal or any flash of violet.

"Laboratories will be demolished in... 60 seconds..."

"THERE, THERE IT IS!" James shouted, so exuberant that he saw the charm, that he immediately tipped Tyler off to the fact. Which earned James an immediate shoulder tackle from Tyler.

"LIKE FUCK I AM GOING TO LET YOU GET AWAY FROM ME A THIRD TIME!" Tyler shouted as he punched James several times to try and keep him on the floor.

It wasn't enough though, for as soon as Tyler tried to get up to grab the charm, he was chop blocked by James.

"FUCK YOU, YOU STUPID MOTHER FUCKER!" James shouted as he tried to scramble on his hands and knees toward his salvation.

"Laboratories will be demolished in... 30 seconds"

James leaped on top of Tyler, stomping away at him, as fast as one could with roughly 30 seconds left to live. What he did not realize though, that the Isegawas would be EXTREMELY thorough in their self-destruct sequence.

"Laboratories will be demolished in... 15 seconds... opening Gate to Equestria..."

"OH FUCKING WHAT?! THERE IS A GATE?!" James said, as he looked around... he wouldn't be able to look long, as the gate opened.

"AHHHHH! GOD-FUCKING-DAMNIT! WHY DOES IT BURN?! IT BURNS!!! MY FUCKING EYES!! I CAN'T SEE!!" James screamed, the pain becoming unbearable as his skin began to burn and necrotize in the presence of full-blown raw Thaumatic-epsilon radiation. He staggered around backwards, away from the charm and in front of the Gate itself, eventually falling to the floor and curling into a fetal position.

Tyler began screaming as well, as his body started to suffer the same effects. He was spared the blinding though, as he drug his battered, burning body towards the charm.

OH NO! CAPT. TYLER! CAPT TYLER! Princess Luna shouted into his head as he finally laid a good hand onto the charm...

Princess... get me out of here... please... he replied, mind tired as his body was rapidly turning charcoal black; the entire room now flooded with raw Thaumatic-epsilon radiation.

Yes... yes Capt. Tyler... Luna replied, as the dark-violet bubble surrounded him and transported him out.

"Self-Destruct Countdown... Zero... Initial Explosive Charges... Firing... Thaumatic-Epsilon Flood... Initiated..."

"I DON'T WANT TO DIE... Momma... I don't want to die... momma... help me... help... me..." James said, as his voice and his life slowly ebbed to nothing, entire body practically petrified in the flood of radiation.

The above-ground clinic shook as the entire campus quaked with a violent explosion. No one above ground would be affected by the now constant flow of poisonous mana. However, the Isegawas were always ones to be extra sure of something.

"Thaumatic-Epsilon Flood... Sufficient...  Final Explosive Charges... Firing..."

The Isegawa Laboratory, the site where a serum that would revolutionize the world was developed. The site where Four Conduits of Terra both entered Equestria, and returned to the Earth, was now no more. It now rest imploded and buried under 150 meters of soil and rock. Its last occupants... the charred and crushed corpses of 15 mercenaries.

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

[ Safe Haven-- 18:08 PM GMT-7 ]

          Halfway buried in the Cascade Mountains, a couple of hundred miles east of Vancouver and Seattle, was the now base of Operations for the Human-Equestrian Alliance, the (hopefully) aptly named Safe Haven. Combining the best of the Isegawa Laboratory and the Conversion Bureaus... it could house 10,000 human adults at a time, and still have room to spare for a transitional Pony population. The current human population was 6,300: comprised of the main roster of the Human-Equestrian Alliance, publicly allied politicians and/or their immediate families, and many military experts. However, there was one person in particular that was of note to all the principles.

"GET THIS MAN INTO THE EMERGENCY ROOM STAT!" shouted a human doctor, trailed by a Unicorn specialist in Thaumatic-Epsilon Poisoning.

Princess Luna, Blue Vague, and Capt. Rodriguez all followed the doctors, human and Equestrian, into the ICU, as they started to do whatever they could to help save Capt. Johnson's life.

"Am... I... home?" Capt. Johnson asked, voice raspy and light, as if he went from 30 years old to 90 in an instant.

"Dear God, these burns are awful..." a doctor said in the background.

Julio Rodriguez was apprehensive approaching his fellow Captian, remembering how dangerous raw thaumatic-epsilon radiation was to the body. "Is it okay if I approach him?"

One of the Unicorn doctors nodded. "It's safe, the bed he is laying in soaks Epsilon radiation. Any lingering in his body should be safely neutralized now."

Luna and Vague moved over to allow Rodriguez to take his friend's lone good hand. "Please, don't leave us... there is still too much for you to do... too much for all us to do..."

Tyler Johnson managed a faint smile, as he turned his head to look his friend in the eye. "No... no this soldier's tour is at an end... You asked me a question a week ago... what would I do if I was forced with a choice: Ponification to live, or to die a mangled wreck?"

"His vitals are steadily decreasing... this poisoning is too bad...." one of the Unicorn doctors said, scurrying in the background.

He chuckled a bit at all the work being done to give him these extra few minutes. "Doing the Lord's work, both species... that's all I can say. As I said, my tour is at an end... I made a gamble, and I'm paying for it with my life. Please... Princess Luna... I don't know if your Sister is here or not... but I give this message to you and her,"

"Yes Captain?" Luna asked.

"Do not give up. Don't give up on your dream. Don't give up on your vision. I don't care how hard the Society, or anyone else on either side makes it for you... you cannot give up on this world. There are too many people who want to do good. There are too many people who don't know they can do good yet, that need to know. These next few months will try you, they will try all of you. When I heard that speech, I knew what the Presidents and other leaders were planning to do. The next few days especially will test your patience to the brink. Don't give up, and don't give in either."

Luna quietly nodded, knowing words were not needed for this situation.

He turned to Vague, to give him the best advice he could given the situation. "I can sense the fear in your eyes, as you watch this soldier's life slip away. But remember, I knew what I was signing up for. I knew that every time I set foot off base, or out of my camp, I might not walk back alive. You have to always know the risks of the job that you take. At the same time though, you must always keep sight of your goal and what the reward is. I can sense in you, and all of those Ponies back and the Isegawa's lab, that you all want this world to be saved so desperately... Do not lose that faith, do not lose that dream. You Ponies, and every ally you make, will have to fight through pain, torment, everything. Others with weak wills may lose faith, and your enemies will test it... but you can't fail, you can't fail your friends, and you can't fail your loved ones. Fight! Fight with every goddamn ounce of strength in that near 4 ft. tall body of yours!"

Vague was left speechless, as he began to trot over to the ICU doorway, almost in a trance.

"This isn't good, he doesn't have much time left..." another doctor stated in the background. At this point Tyler didn't care how much time was left in his hourglass, he was going to make his last remarks.

Rodriguez took his friend's hand, for probably the last time, as Johnson began to speak "You can probably tell, I've made my choice. Unfortunately, it is one that I guess is selfish in your all's eyes. But I do feel that I have done enough for this life... I can hear their voices Rodriguez... Marks, Brown, Erickson... Those three taken from us a week ago... I can hear them... they are calling me home..."

Rodriguez was too distraught to say anything back, as Luna tried to console him as best she could.

The beeping of the EKG slowed... and slowed... and eventually... nothing. Nothing but a flat tone.

Everyone in the ICU stopped cold, as the main human doctor walked over to check Tyler Johnson's vitals. He shook his head that he could feel nothing. The main Unicorn doctor made one last check, to see if there was any brain activity or passive mana drawing left in his body; he too came to the same conclusion... nothing.

"Capt. Tyler Johnson, 1st Infantry Division, Fort Riley, Kansas. Time of Death: 18:20 GMT-7, 6:20 PM Pacific Standard Time. Cause of Death: Acute Thaumatic-Epsilon Exposure," The main human doctor said, in the most professional tone he could muster; silently drawing the blanket over the head and face of Tyler's now deceased body.

"Did he make it?" Twilight asked silently of Capt. Rodriguez, the other eight Ponies and remaining members of his unit standing around her, desperately wanting to hear good news.

Capt. Rodriguez did not want to crush their hopes, especially not the hopes of the Native Ponies, but he could not lie to their faces. "No... I'm sorry Twilight... everyone... Capt. Johnson is no longer with us."

The military men still with caps took them off in quiet remembrance, as Pinkie and Fluttershy both began crying on each other's shoulders. The others took the bad news varying degrees of hard as well. Yet none of the ten Elements or Conduits absorbed the blow harder than Vague himself; remaining to himself, frozen like a statue outside of the ICU Hall.

It's not fair...

It's not fair...

It's not fair...

[ Safe Haven-- 20:35 GMT-7 ]

          The sun was setting on Safe Haven, as it had set on the functional independence of the nations of Earth, and on the life of Capt. Johnson. Richard Edwards and Candice received the news of Johnson's passing, and offered his immediate condolences to Capt. Rodriguez and the remnants of Johnson's unit. The few politicians that could make it out and their families, did their best to cheer up the Bearers of Harmony, who were crushed by the sudden loss of the Army Captain they made such quick friends with. Princesses Luna and Celestia entered a private room with Richard in order to discuss what had transpired over the day, with Luna delivering Johnson's final admonition to the both of them.

Standing in the truly gigantic greenhouse area, watching as the sun finished setting, was a single Unicorn. Electric blue fur, cobalt and white mane, a Cutie Mark of a stylized raindrop with crashing waves... and eyes completely devoid of feeling and emotion. His tail swished back and forth, slowly and rhythmically, as he stared into rapidly darkening skies.

It's not fair...

It's not fair...

It's not fair...

This world isn't fair...

Nothing is fair...

This world isn't fair...

Nothing is fair...

This world... this world... this world... this world... this world...

THIS WORLD DOESN'T DESERVE TO EXIST!

CH 25: Exploring Others

Spike's Gaiden III: Snapback

=== The Conversion Bureau: A New Age, A New Life ====== Gaiden 1.3: Snapback ===

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

[ Ryik-al-Tural, Central Dragon Territories -- May 15, ??? + 1 ]

"So we've been out here for what, six weeks give or take?" Spike said as he looked out the window at now the fourth city-state he visited on this long trek through the badlands.

"Well considering the fact that no official from Equestria has tried to call you back, things must be stable enough to not need you back yet. Besides, we have to compile quite a bit of information so that you can start practicing your Draconic Invocation once you return to your 'sister'," Rosethorn answered, figuring that Spike had been compiling quite the repository of study material whenever he got back to wherever he lived in Equestria.

Spike just nodded as he rolled out of his bed. "Yeah, I figured as much. You've probably spent quite a long time as a teacher, I can tell by the way you carry yourself."

Yeah, you don't know the half of it, young whelp... Rosethorn thought to herself.

Spike went over to grab his goggles and cloak as he and Rosethorn walked down the hall of the inn to the exits. "So, what's on the agenda for today? We've spent the last 3 weeks on body-enhancing chants."

"As I said, since I have no idea how much time I'll have with you until we get to Karrak-za-Jalve, I need to show you the basics as best I can. So first we focus on simple attacks and protecting yourself and those around you," Rosethorn explained as Spike took his cart out of the rear area of the Inn. He was thankful that either no one thought his cart was valuable, or that they couldn't do anything about it.

"So is this field practice today or what?" Spike said as he and Rosethorn walked away from the inn.

Rosethorn thought for a few moments, before coming to her decision. "Field Practice, you need to practice your barriers some more, and I'll need the room."

Ugh, she is an absolute demon when she fights. And I know she's holding back big time when she's training me... Spike thought to himself, remembering the last field session ending in his entire back scorched like a roast left over the fire too long.

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

[ Qural-ga-Alzo, Central Dragon Territories -- June 10, ??? + 1 ]

        Rosethorn settled in to her and Spike's new room at one of the nicest of Qural's hotels. "Well, this should be the last major stop until we get to Karrak, Spike."

Spike was in some inward contemplation, as his breadth of knowledge in Draconic invocation, and his ability to draw Equestrian mana, increased, so did his sensitivity in the flow of the Terran Mana into the world. What distrubed him some was how the flow of Water mana seemed to be odd compared to the other three.

I wonder how things are going on Earth.  I might not be the most sensitive to mana, but the blue Water mana just feels... funny.. somehow...

"By the way Spike, I've noticed something. You seem to be developing Invocations that don't require the use of Draconic words..." Rosethorn thought out loud, as she wondered which necklace to put on that evening, having spent a fair bit on souvenirs through her travels.

Spike scrambled for an explanation. "Um, am I doing something wrong then? I mean it's still a second language for me, so it's kinda hard to remember everything."

Rosethorn just chuckled as she posed in the large mirror. "Oh no, nothing is wrong. It's something that those hatched and raised outside of a typical Dragon family do. Although none have been this proficient this early with it."

"Um, you don't say..." Spike replied nervously, as he knew the look that Rosethorn was giving him meant she had something else she was thinking of.

Rosethorn floated over to Spike, draping her arms over his shoulder. "Well... there is something else about you that interests me. Mostly I noticed that sometimes when you chant, the runes that show up on those pretty amethyst scales of yours are a lot more angular than normal Draconic runes."

Spike was stammering and stuttering, not only from Rosethorn's invasion of personal space (again), but also the fact the razor-sharp dragoness was putting two and two together fairly fast. "Ahh, um... well... I..."

"In fact, dear Spike... I've been doing my own research the entire time... and I've finally figured out just exactly what those runes are. So we're gonna take another field practice session outside the city walls, okay~?" Rosethorn politely suggested with a very wide and fanged grin on her face.

Figures she'd start putting two and two together... just who the heck is she? Spike thought, as he grabbed his cloak and goggles.

        A short while later, the two of them were quite a ways away from the city limits, and hopefully away from any prying eyes.

Rosethorn walked around the area for awhile, just taking in the sights. "Well I wanted to come out all this way to show you what I was speaking of back in the hotel."

Spike just sat on top of the cart, wondering where Rosethorn was going with all of this.

Rosethorn suddenly came to a stop and stretched out both of her arms, her body suddenly lighting up with a stunning amount of green Earth mana in a just a few seconds.

WHAT?! When did she figure it out?! Spike thought to himself, as he jumped off his cart in utter shock.

She then let loose a mighty roar as she jammed a fist into the ground, burying it and her half of her forearm. Which was followed by a massive conical spire of granite shooting out of the ground; nearly 20 ft tall and sharp to a fine point.

Rosethorn took a few moments to admire her quick work. "Hrm, I see... it was as I thought at first. I am guessing the far away land that you experienced your Flash Puberty in, was not anywhere reachable by normal means, is it?"

Spike didn't know what left him more speechless, the raw power it took to form a spire that solid so quickly, or the fact she had put everything together in the span of a little over two months with him, with him not using all that much Terran Magic.

Rosethorn then gave Spike a glare of someone who lived an interminable length of time, a teachers stare to the nth degree. "There are a lot of things that I want to ask of your Princess, Spike. But I will save my questions for when we arrive at Karrak-za-Jalve. I am fairly sure the Council of Elders will want to hear all about this."

Spike quietly agreed, knowing he was in no position to refuse now.

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

[ Karrak-za-Jalve, Central Dragon Territories -- July 05, ??? + 1 ]

"Well, I guess it's finally the day," Spike sighed as he walked up to the giant hall; in very fancy and nearly unreadable to him script the sign said "Meeting Hall of the Council of Elders".

Rosethorn sighed as she and Spike walked up very, very, very long stairway to the entrance. "Yeah, when you live for millennia upon millennia you tend to develop some strange quirks."

I guess that something I have to look forward to... Spike thought to himself with disdain, still not appreciating all the potential years ahead of him.

After a good ten minutes of stairway climbing, another hour of processing, and ANOTHER hour of waiting, Spike found himself one 'person' away from his audience with the Council of Elders.

Oh Celestia, what am I supposed to tell them... Spike thought to himself as he fretted about, the fact that Rosethorn had suddenly disappeared only making it worse on him.

"NEXT! A... 'Spike'?! Hrm, odd name; but nevertheless, the Council will see you now!" one of the guard-dragons stated in a loud and imposing tone.

"Well I guess it's now or never."

"So you are the whelp that has come before us with a most incredible of claims?" a fairly large, full sized, and positively ancient looking Dragon stated, with another seven below him in their humanoid forms.

"Uh... yeah. My name is Spike... and... and... and..."

"Out with it lad, we don't have all day for people who stammer and stutter." the ancient Dragon barked, trying to get Spike to the point of his appearance.

"Ugh, Wraithwind, you always have a way of making anyone under a thousand feel utterly uncomfortable..." a voice familiar to Spike called out.

The familar rose-pink scaled Dragoness took her seat underneath Wraithwind, the leader of the Dragon Council of Elders.

"ROSETHORN?! You're one of the Councilmembers?" Spike shouted in total shock.

"Indeed I am young whelp. I was simply on vacation when I came across you. I did not lie when I said I had business to attend to here in Karrak. The Council started its semi-annual session today and they cannot conduct official business without all nine members present. Then again we haven't actually done anything beyond these walls in quite few centuries,"

"Oh there you go again, sister. If you and your faction would just give up making nice with the other species we could get on with our own business," a silver and blood-red Dragoness, about the same build as Rosethorn, snarled at her.

"Bloodthorn, our race cannot truly prosper until we begin more formal dialogues with them. That is why I personally took the Avatar of the Sun under my wings after her Ascension," Rosethorn replied to her sister, taking much the same snide tone.

"WHAT?! You taught Princess Celestia?! I... wha..." Spike stammered out, the whole everything not quite clicking in his head.

Wraithwind called to an aide to speak to the dragons manning the ledgers. "Tell them to suspend every appointment until further notice. I have the distinct feeling that we all might be a while with this one."

"Alright then, let's get this straight. You were hatched roughly 12 years ago by the Equestrian Magical Prodigy Twilight Sparkle, who was then taken under the wing of the Princess of Equestria, Celestia?" a black and navy blue spined Dragon asked, rubbing his temples the entire time.

"Yes... um... Silentclaw. Twilight Sparkle is effectively my surrogate sister... I guess that'd make Celestia my surrogate mother to a small extent."

"Whelp, you realize this means you are only the third Dragon to be hatched by these means? The last was nearly 1500 years ago," Silentclaw added, only now starting to come to grips with the news.

"And on top of this, that... creature... has gone to an entirely separate dimension. No doubt to raise an army against us..." Bloodthorn snarled, still in a sour mood that her sister was making nice with more outsiders.

"Madame Bloodthorn, could you please not refer to the Princesses of Equestria as 'creatures'. Pegacorns and Alicorns have clearly been established to be naturally occurring, even if exceedingly rare," a sapphire-scaled and teal green spined Dragon said, tone calming and soothing to most anything that heard him speak.

Calming to anything except Bloodthorn. "That's just like you Frostwing. None of you get it, the less time we spend making nice with the others, the better it will be for all of us. The more time that goes, by the more the rest of the population ignores us. It won't be long until the Council becomes completely vestigial,"

Wraithwind slammed an over-sized (even for a Dragon) gavel down in order to regain everyone's attention. "I WILL NOT HAVE THIS MEETING BECOME ANOTHER AVENUE FOR YOUR SQUABBLING!! Now, Spike, please resume your story and your request."

"Oh, yes sir, Wraithwind. As I was saying, I was hatched by Twilight Sparkle, and she raised me like a surrogate sister. Last year, the Princesses and later the Elements of Harmony, of which Twilight is one, forged a contact with the other dimension that myself and Rosethorn mentioned,"

Wraithwind interrupted Spike for a bit. "I see... one question before you continue: how would you describe the dominant species of this dimension that you all entered?"

Spike thought for a few seconds to find the words. "Well, um, I would guess they look like tall, hairless, and somewhat skinny apes. They are highly intelligent, extremely adept and making tools and machines due to their lack of magic... well before now."

Wraithwind nodded along with Spike, and asked a follow up question. "Interesting, from your last statement, their magic was either non-existent or barred until recently. Care to elaborate on this fact, Spike?"

"Oh, okay. Well... I am not exactly sure how they unlocked that magic. After they were supposedly done, the sky went black in that other dimension, and there were explosions in the sky, similar to fireworks. After that, everything went hazy because I underwent what they call 'Flash Puberty'."

He underwent Flash Puberty in a separatedimension with an ancient magic? That confirms it then... Wraithwind thought to himself before he lifted his head to make a formal statement.

"Spike, seeing as you are the first Dragon to experience this first hand in nearly 100 Millennia, I will explain more thoroughly what happened. Your Pony friends in all likelihood re-forged contact with the Will Of Terra, or, as they apparently call the planet now, Earth. My generation of hatchlings were among the last to have any contact with Terra before the link was shattered by the Cataclysm. What followed that was absolutely horrifying. Multiple cataclysmic winters nearly broke the Dragon race's culture. It took all of our patience and skill to preserve what records we could until Windigos were more or less beaten back to the Northern Wastes. We owe a lot to the ancient Pony kingdoms for developing the Warming Hearth spell; much to the probable chagrin of Bloodthorn and the War Sub-Council,"

The look of utter disgust on Bloodthorn's face was evident to everyone there.

"Anyway, the news that the link to Terra has been re-forged will not be lost on the other great Nations. I feel now is the time to begin moving on Rosethorn and the Diplomacy Sub-Council's plans to open more formal relations with the other Nations; and we will most likely have to begin scouting the Earth as well,"

"WAIT! Wait, Leader Wraithwind, we should not be so hasty in trying to open up formal relations! We have yet to gauge the intentions of Celestia and her sister in re-forging that link to Terra," Bloodthorn shouted with an almost pleading tone.

"Bloodthorn, do you truly not trust Princess Celestia? She spent nearly 100 years under my, and to a large extent, our collective tutelage. Do you believe she would turn her lessons back on her teacher?" Rosethorn asked of her hyper-aggressive sister.

"We do not know what she has done or developed in all those years since she left these walls, Rosethorn!" Bloodthorn quickly snapped back.

"Indeed, which is why it would do us far more good to re-open formal relations with not only Equestria, but the other Nations," Rosethorn started, before being interrupted by Silentclaw whispering something into her ear. Her face lit up with surprise, and then a very devious grin. "And besides, we would not want to leave the whole of Earth's population ripe for the picking."

"What do you mean 'ripe for the picking'?" Bloodthorn asked, confused as to the wording.

Rosethorn chuckled a bit as she winked at Spike. "It seems that our dear Equestrian Princesses, in their seemingly infinite mercy, and the humans in their desperation to leave their rotting world, have developed a methodology for altering their forms into Equestrian forms. It would truly be a shame if we were to allow Equestria to have free reign over their world and all their immense numbers."

Bloodthorn looked as if she was going to boil over with rage, until the light-bulb went off in her head. "I see sister... I hope you can 'negotiate' something before I have to show up with a legion of soldiers in Canterlot."

"Wait, B-B-Bloodthorn... why would you show up with soldier dragons?" Spike asked, confused to the greater conversation.

"Because, whelp, I will absolutely refuse to watch Celestia bolster her numbers while I sit idly by and twiddle my claws!" Bloodthorn shouted as she slammed a silver claw on her desk.

"What my dear sister is TRYING to say is that we cannot let Celestia have free reign over the Earth's population when it comes to this situation in particular. I am not sure of the situation on Earth vis-a-vis her and her plans, but I will make certain the Dragon Nomads are not left out of the loop. Besides, as I stated, She and I go quite a way back; I believe she would sooner listen to me than Bloodthorn and her soldiers," Rosethorn stated as she leaned back in her chair at her desk.

"Whatever, sister. I would hope your tongue is as good as you claim it to be..." Bloodthorn concluded, not wanting any more to do with this conversation.

"Lovely. Spike, I would like to make a request of yourself and Rosethorn. When you return to Terra, tell Celestia we are open to discussing a larger diplomatic meeting between all the larger Nations of Equestria. Also, tell her that we recognize the existence of the plans to physically alter the inhabitants that occupy that world; and we would like to, how could you put this, 'buy in'. Do take care to mention that refusal on her part will be seen as a rejection of an official treatise by the Dragon Nomad Central Council, and might result in the further refusal of her overtures," Wraithwind stated, in a clear and stern tone.

"Um... yes sir. I understand." Spike answered sheepishly, not sure if the whole thing was over with already.

"This council will adjourn while we discuss the plans for proceeding when any member would be absent for an extended period of time..." Wraithwind said looking straight at Rosethorn; Rosethorn only replying with an audible sigh and a highly exasperated look on her face.

After another couple of hours, most of it passed reading more scrolls about chants to practice, Spike finally met back up with Rosethorn.

"So what did the council say?" Spike asked of his informal teacher.

Rosethorn just sighed some more as she rolled her eyes just thinking about it. "The usual admonishments about being late to the start of a Council session. I honestly would care more if we actually DID anything of worth with these sessions."

"So what we supposed to do now? I ack--" Spike began to say before hacking up scroll from Celestia.

"Man, that's the first time she's sent me anything in like 3 months... anyway let's see what we got here. Yadda Yadda... oh man... oh man this is not good..." Spike said, with a pall of concern coming over his face.

"Well with that kind of tone we should probably discuss this in private," Rosethorn said, her face now cold and calculating as she looked for an empty conference room.

After a few minutes, they found one, and Rosethorn placed a sound-proofing enchantment in order to ensure their privacy. "Alright Spike, spill it. The tone of voice you used implied something serious is going on with Celestia."

"It's about the Conversion Movement, the kinda informal name we got for the project. She's saying many of the Nations of the Earth are under assault from internal rebellions, but they appear to be organized under a global banner. Anyway, at the rate they are going, the Princesses might have to completely fold their presence on Earth for the time being. Although, at least according to her, they have a failsafe in place in order to maintain some presence," Spike said; he was frightened by how cold and calculating Rosethorn looked compared to her warm look just yesterday.

"Tell me Spike, have you ever experienced a Dragon's Teleportation Spell?"

"Well seeing as you're the only Dragon I've spent any time with until now... no."

"You're about to start then! Maxl Yazluro!" Rosethorn shouted as she and Spike teleported all the way to an Equestrian/Dragon-Nomad Border Checkpoint.

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

[ Safe Haven-- July 10, 2081 @ 2:15 PM PST ]

"You've got to be KIDDING ME, Princess..." Rosethorn said as she tried to keep up with Celestia as she scrambled through Safe Haven.

"I am not kidding Rosethorn. I have Bureaus currently under siege; and one of my sister's direct subordinates has effectively lost his mind in the chaos of the last six weeks or so," Celestia said, wishing she knew a spell that could slow down time enough for her to formulate a better plan.

"It's Vague isn't it... it feels like there is a massive concentration of corrupted Water mana somewhere on this globe," Spike said, whole body shivering.

"Yes, it's along the Southern coast of this country's official territory. I would move to assist the Elements of Harmony and the others, but as you can see right now... I'm currently tied down at the moment," Celestia said with all manners of exasperation.

"Then we'll go in your stead. Spike! It's time that you got some real time combat experience," Rosethorn said, with a stern look at Spike.

Spike just sighed, as he figured once he got back it would come back to this. He was an adult Dragon now, and he'd have to start living up to that body he was granted. "I understand Rosethorn. Princess Celestia, can you at least show Rosethorn exactly where that corrupted Mana is? She hasn't had time to teach me Teleportation yet."

Celestia finally took her matronly tone she was famous for, for the first time all day. "Yes Spike, I'd greatly appreciate this. Also Rosethorn, I will owe you big time if you all can bring back Blue Vague safely."

As if I didn't need more leverage for our negotiations... Rosethorn thought to herself. "I understand Celestia, hopefully once we get this situation calmed down some. We all can get more formally acquainted."

Celestia sighed as she went back to her commander's role. "I hope so too Rosethorn, I really do."

CH 27: Mission In The Dark

Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.

CH 28: Internet Free America

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CH 29: Option Select

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Chapter 30: Mysteries of the Deep

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CH 31 - Phase-Shift

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Side-Story 2: All Daydream's Eve

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CH 32: Depth of Field

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CH 33: Colors and Contrasts

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CH 34: Sunset Drive

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CH 35: Coastal Flare

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CH 36: Marble Cages

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CH 37: Caged Bird's Flight

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Chapter 38: Counter-Clash

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CH 1: A Tale of Two Worlds

Chapter 1: World In Decline

It was just another day. Another unbearably hot and humid day in what was known as Baton Rouge, a scant 15 miles from the edge of the of the ever expanding Gulf of Mexico. Andre Bowman was just another African American male, in a now mostly minority occupied city. Oh yeah it was a real big city now, after Hurricane Gregory finally dealt the final blow to New Orleans almost exactly 35 years ago. The nation long ago had since adjusted, for example, to calling the World American-Football League team there the "Baton Rouge Saints" instead of "New Orleans Saints". You have to learn how to adjust and adapt in this world in order to survive it, survival of the fittest and all. Nevertheless well over 1 million Blacks, Hispanics and Asian-Americans called it home, along with god knows how many refugees from the Mexican Territories and now sunken or nearly sunk Caribbean Islands. The Caucasians had mostly left for greener pastures if you will, only really the poor whites and the Cajuns were left of those fair-skinned. Most with any real means now lived in the Domed Communities. Andre stood outside of his apartment building, Lord knows there was hardly any decent ground left to build a house that wouldn't sink in 3 years time, silently saying to himself "Who in their right fucking mind would build a city in this god forsaken area, it's fucking summer almost all the time and whatever we call winter is more like a slightly-warm autumn."

He held up a piece of e-paper, showing the latest news from the Saints offseason acquisitions and dealings, and the owner, Mary-Anne Benson, 3rd Generation owner of the team, forever complaining to have a bigger domed stadium built where the Neo Superdome now stands. "Ugh this harpy should have more than enough cash to build 3 'Ultradomes' (as fans and commentators jokingly referred to the planned super-luxury facility). I don't know why she can think she can ever have a stadium bigger than Dallas or Atlanta and expect them to not respond." He said out loud, not caring if anyone thought him crazy for talking like that. The whole world seemed to be out to drive him batty, between the incessant heat, the incessant carping of those who really have no business carping, and the incessant gnawing in the back of his head about the lack of purpose he had in life.

The world, where it was hard for him to begin thinking about how bad he and much of the rest of humanity had it conditions wise. It seemed like Summer lasted 9 months of the year, with only maybe 3 months of respite for a fall, or if one was lucky with the winds an actual winter. Most people thanked their grandparents half-facetiously for the brief Green Movement in the 2020s, scientists said that if that now hiccup in the pollution patterns hadn't had happened things would be even worse than it is now. Acid rain and smog had been making a comeback like gangbusters, the smokestacks burning away the last of the oil and coal that could dug up without it taking forever and costing an arm and a leg, and turning even the Air in a bright midday sun an unnatural orange, like it was forever sunset (fitting some would say).

The Waters had become fetid for the most part, only heavy nanomachine recycling and desalination plants kept billions from dying of water-borne diseases or just plain thirst, hard to say which was a worse way to go. In the zeal to provide highly disease resistant crops that could be grown anywhere from the Russian steppes to Sub-Saharan Africa, the mega corporations produced Genetically Engineered crops, which worked well for quite a few decades. That is, until it turned out they were, in part, responsible for damn near wiping out native plant and pollinator species. After that, it just seemed like the government gave up enforcing anything resembling logical regulations of industry, and dumping became rampant.

The ground pollution eventually became entirely unbearable for most species, so the it seemed the Earth itself was going through some deadly form of pattern baldness: trees dying, crops dying, wild plants dying, animals dying, as well as rural populations dying. As it stood, some sense, it had seemed Mother Nature had gone insane with grief, watching her children were slowly dying, species by species, individual by individual.

The Fires, from coal to nuclear, energy that drove our industries, now also seemed to have gone mad. Random blackouts began, as the power infrastructure of 120 years finally said had begun failing on an increasingly grave scale. Once again some foresight but Andre's collective grandfathers had modernized enough of it anyway to where there were not whole areas of the country randomly going offline at any given time. A half-done job but given this environment he'd take it.

Rampant human greed by a scant few, barely 1/100th of 1 Percent of the total population had either directly or indirectly caused a vast number of species to die, entire ecosystems to utterly fail. But it seemed there was never enough to quench their eternal thirst for more: more money, more stuff, more of whatever, he could never tell. Quite possibly out of vanity or out of some warped sense of compassion, they funded some kind of mass genetic repository. Hundreds of thousands of biologists and trackers fanned out, and collected genetic samples of pretty much every species they could find in order to genetically sequence them at some later date.

The population of the world at large, well they just seemed like a beaten down lot. It was hard for them to keep caring about the state of things outside of their little personal circle of friends and family when the government (or the corporations effectively running them) basically didn't care about their quality of life or anything. Just so long as people weren't rioting or being unseemly they were free to go about their lives, such as they had lives left to lead. The drones had made almost the entire non-Dome dwelling population redundant, about the only people left with steady jobs were the doctors and the lawyers. Those two professions no one trusted completely to the machines, although everyone wondered how long it was going to be until people stopped caring about that as well.

All across the world, new diseases like the Neo-Black Plague and old ones like influenza and dysentery were making life a living hell for those not in Domes in Africa, South and Central America, and Asia. Oceania and the Caribbean hardly existed anymore, due to rising sea levels; just Australia, New Guinea, and chunks of Hawaii were high enough to withstand it. Europe, North America, and Russia were in a constant state of flux, the wild weather patterns had made living outside a dangerous game of Russian Roulette with the weather, and there was no way to get out of the game unless you were inside, as it were.

Well, that is what life was like outside of the Domes anyway. Very little needed to be said of life inside the Domes in a relative sense. The Elites loved using their avatars in the almost live-actorless media to show everyone just how fucking good they had it. Fresh vegetables, fruit, and meat, none of that knockoff slog the proles got. Money, oh just to even get INTO a dome you had to be rolling in cash, and living there, it was like a Gated Community of the turn of the Millennium with its own private weather system. The Color Filters of the Domed Sky always made sure that the sky was picture perfect sky blue for the day and midnight blue for the night, no orange or purple haze for them. Heck a few years after opening and some clever programmers even could simulate the stars in their exact position relative to the domes. In short, it was Heaven on Earth.

A place free from need, but seemingly drowning in want. It was something that always bothered the hell out of Andre when the thought about it, "Why the hell would they want so much. Almost every natural forest is gone. Almost every fish in the sea snapped up or choked to death on red tide. Almost every beast and bird fallen to illness or poaching. But it still seems like they want more when they already have damn near everything."  He could never understand that mentality as he glared at that seemingly heartless harpy on the e-paper, forever clamoring for more, for bigger, for the absolute best that money could buy. He sat at his computer terminal, checking the news feeds. Who knows what other crack in the facade of civilization would show up, he was just hoping it wasn't anywhere nearby.

Meanwhile, a few thousand miles west, it was now around 6:30 AM. A quiet unassuming man walked outside of his barracks and down a runway at Edwards Air Force Base. He was looking his latest model, state of the art AI-Assisted Stealth Recon aircraft, the Nighthawk.

"It is almost time for midday patrol, Airman First Class (A1C) Hartford.", mechanically quipped Sally, the AI that ran most of the flight systems.

"Yeah yeah Sally, I know, another boring 2 hours wasted flying around looking for anyone dumb enough to encroach on the good ol US of A.", replied Ethan Hartford, sounding like he was desperately trying to stave off the incoming boredom.

"A1C Hartford, due to your attitude I am once again to remind you that your duty is crucially important. As you know, other nations and groups have various manned and unmanned aircraft as well as watercraft and land vehicles that can and occasionally do penetrate satellite and stationary ground-based detection. It is imperative that air and mobile ground reconnaissance be used to head off any potential national security threats.", Sally replied, honestly trying to get Ethan to take his duty seriously as best a machine could implore a human to do something.

"Oh come on Sally, I know what we are supposed to be doing, it doesn't mean that it doesn't bore the absolute HELL out of me.", Ethan replied sarcastically. Sally's generation of AI were rapidly acclimating themselves to the vagaries of human expression.

"Your sarcasm has been duly noted, I can only hope that you do not talk to Master Sergeant Thomas the same way.", Sally replied, devoid of any real emotion.

"Yeah I know I can't talk that way to MSgt Thomas that way. If I did he'd have my head on a platter.", Ethan said with all seriousness now. Ethan was bored of flying around aimlessly on order, trying to find anyone that slipped through the various redundant sensory arrays around the country. At 9:00, he took off from base. Its mission, incredibly simple: Fly around a preset pattern and see if any vehicle or mass of people were trying to get into American territory. 50 years ago the Mexican Territories had disintegrated in terms of a central government. Solid bulwarks had to be airlifted and dropped across most of the Desert American Southwest just to prevent an outright flood into the American Southwest proper, so part of this mission was trying to find stealth refugee boats or land transports near San Diego or otherwise along the California-Mexico border. Today however, was going to very different for Mr. Ethan Hartford... and if luck would have it, for the entirety of two worlds.

Wait... two worlds?!

CH 7: Fight And Flight

Chapter 7: Change

The Conversion Bureau: A New AgeChapter 7: Change==============================================

          The next couple of weeks on Earth were nothing short of a hurricane of public relations for the Equestrians. Celestia, relishing the role of being the point mare, made many media appearances. The intent of these appearances was simple, to ease the public into accepting the existence of another sentient species, and the fact they all looked like cartoonish horses. Celestia found it amusing speaking the many languages of mankind, seeing as the Equestrian language seemed to be almost a perfect match for modern English when spoken. And so the days and weeks went, the White Horse princess showing up on news program after news program. She had to play the whole thing quite coy though: if she told humanity of the state of Equestria as it stood, the humans might end up being the ones sent stampeding to try and get in. So she told the absolute bare minimum she felt the humans needed to know to date - she and her sister were co-equal rulers of the Nation of Equestria, their world was full of real, honest-to-God magic, and pretty much all the population of her nation were Ponies, just like herself (albeit smaller). She didn't speak of the other major powers in her realm: their Zebra cousins, the long-time enemy Gryphons, the somewhat isolationist Dragons, or the mysterious Changelings. That was information to save for a later date, in her estimation.

           The Bearers of the Elements of Harmony also participated some in this initial public relations push. Rarity attended a British State Dinner with Queen Bethany, impressed by the levels of pomp and circumstance that they could manage, all things considered. Rarity thought of how generous they were to her, the penultimate of foreign dignitaries, in all that they provided for the dinner and entertainment. But she could easily see the slums of London all around the Royal Domes, and how listless almost all the population looked during the aerial tour.

Rainbow Dash took in a baseball game in Chicago at the now twice-rebuilt Wrigley Field. She found the sport boring to begin with, but soon understood why so many remained loyal to the Cubs after all the decades. Man I bet this game will be awesome when they play it with wings, but how any of them would hit any home runs... Rainbow thought to herself as she watched the home team tie the game with a home run in the late innings, and eventually win in the 13th. After the game, she thought about how these people could still show loyalty to a sports team or some sort of ideal even as their leaders had all but abandoned them.

Fluttershy visited several animal preserves, thanking those running the facilities for trying to maintain the health of the occupants to the best of their ability. She couldn't help but notice the depression and lack of vivre in the eyes of the occupants. She thought how keeping them alive like this was both kind and cruel, a microcosm of human thinking in some respects.

Applejack visited some the larger Dome run farms in the interior of the United States. She learned of the structure of the food distribution on Earth, which quite honestly made her a tad bit miffed. She did restrain her true feelings however, not wanting to cause an incident during her real visit with humans on their turf. She couldn't help but notice that the soil was steadily growing weaker, despite all the machines and chemicals the humans were using to help keep it in some semblance of health. She shuddered at what condition humanity would find itself in, if those living outside the domes weren't able to at least eat from the Nanite factories that produced passable food for them.

Celestia thought that world was not ready for Pinkie Pie to be released into their midst, but somehow she found her way to one of the few remaining music festivals. Somehow her general presence did not cause an international incident either, just enjoying the human music for what it was.  Pinkie knew in the back of her head though that these festivals and concerts weren't going to be around much longer; much of the art of playing live music, even with electronic instruments, was being lost to the population in general, even those in the domes.

Twilight Sparkle found herself interested in the Internet and it's workings, visiting one of several network hub facilities. All of the collective works, major and minor, good and ill, past and present of man was represented by this incalculably large network of arrays like the one she visited, she wondered how creatures of such knowledge and inventiveness could also be so incredibly self-destructive. As she left, she hoped with all she could that Celestia and Luna would see fit to preserve these works, if for no other reason than allowing the Ponies to learn how to adapt human technology while avoiding the evident pitfalls.

           Luna, while not necessarily camera shy, did not want to get involved with the media to any significant. She limited her availability to a few cultural events, theatrical productions and the like. Her role was most definitely in the shadows as far as this world was concerned. What she was working on with the Human scientists was something no one outside of the operative circle could know. She could only pray that the humans she were working with could keep everything under wraps until Celestia made her formal pronouncement once the development was complete.

===========

[ Earth, April 2, 2080, 20:00 CST ]

It was a quiet night on the Great Plains of the United States. A quiet unassuming exurban clinic had recently opened using an old, abandoned strip mall. The banks whom approved the land sale for the refurbished facility sold it for next to nothing; land outside the Domes was devalued due to utter lack of demand. With that, ever since the day after Celestia made her introduction at the Rose Garden, construction drones had been busy at work: retrofitting the structure for human residency, re-writing the structure for modern devices and telecommunications, and carving giant chambers directly underneath the structure in order to house the massive laboratories. Luna was greatly impressed at the absolute speed and efficiency which the human machines worked, what would have taken probably a full month for a team of Ponies or a team of humans to build only took the drones five days to finish. She was walking around the lobby, contemplating how to decorate the facilities for any humans that would actually come in for treatment or observation; appearances did have to be maintained after all.

          Luna was watching some of the news reports over a satellite news station. she had quickly adjusted to various means of human telecommunication devices, even if the input devices left something to be desired. She looked around the lobby, a bit off-put by the plainness. "These construction drones are certainly very good at what they are instructed to do. The only problem is how... clinical everything looks. A tad depressing from my perspective..."

"Well dear Luna-hime, it is a medical facility. Usually the aesthetics are reserved for other places." replied a middle aged Japanese man in extremely fluent English. Doctor Hayato Isegawa, otherwise known as Oni-Hakase in his native land for his... rather peculiar views on ethics during his experiments on genetics and general demeanor.

A somewhat younger Japanese woman walked in behind him, hearing most of the conversation from outside the prospective waiting room. "Hayato, Luna-hime is right. We could at least make this place not look so... antiseptic." Doctor Jun Isegawa, Dr Hayato's lovely wife and world-class nanotechnician walked in, with a drone carrying her luggage. The Isegawas were effectively moving in to this facility, knowing their expertise would be needed beyond this particular stage of the project.

          The three of them walked to an elevator while the drones carried the Isegawas' luggage to the residential area of the small complex, more a full-blown research laboratory than the clinic it claimed to be at first blush. There were not that many people assisting herself and the Isegawas, exactly as Luna perferred. Herself and the Doctors proceeded down to the underground labs, which were built deep under the topside edifice. They walked around the various rooms and chambers, the computers all humming along as the data was being transferred from various other labs that were specializing in one aspect of the technical side of the transformation serum or another. Time was of the essence was well, as Luna nor anyone else knew how long humanity had before some unforeseen event could send society into a death spiral.

Luna and the Doctors walked into a conference room, sitting down to discuss matters for the evening before Luna left for Equestria. She wanted to inquire about the next part of the development of the serum. "I can see from the data that our preliminary work has been going rather smoothly. I trust this means we can begin applying our Equestrian Magic to run more active trials?"

Dr. Hayato was impressed by scholarly nature of Luna. She was a voracious intellect, able to understand a lot of the basic and intermediate levels of human science without much outside tutoring. "Yes Luna-hime, I believe we can begin the first trials once our technicial assistants arrive tomorrow. In fact, I'm quite interested in learning more about Equestrian Magic in general once this project is over, or at least far enough along to where we don't have to personally oversee it."

Luna replied with a chuckle. "Indeed Dr. Hayato; but as you implied, that is a discussion for a later date. Anyway, Dr. Jun, what are your thoughts on our proposals for the specialized nanites that can deliver our magic without needed a Pony present to activate it?"

Dr. Jun looked over the proposals with a critical eye. "Yes looking over these proposals, it should work in theory. The gems that you brought from Equestria, to perform as a conduit for the magic, are completely chemically identical to analogous gemstones here on Earth. So standard nano-factories can mass produce those crystals. After which, you all can literally work your magic on them. The only question I could think of at this point is maintaining the consistency of the Magic if we don't have access to a powerful enough Unicorn."

Luna had an answer for that as well. "Although raw magic is extremely dangerous to humans, once it is specifically invoked or imbued into something, it becomes safe for humans to handle.”

They continued discussing various matters into the late evening, after which Luna bid farewell and teleported herself back to Equestria across the New Light Bridge. Dr. Hayato looked up at the ceiling, contemplating what he and his wife were about to embark on. <"Have you ever wondered why they choose us out all the scientists on this planet?">

Dr. Jun responded as they walked back to the elevator to go topside to see how the drones were performing in sorting out their belongings and getting the topside clinic furnished for human occupancy. <"I have. I believe it's due to our reputation as the some of the best in our fields, and the fact we can both see where humanity is inexorably marching towards if something drastic isn't done.">

Both of the Doctors Isegawa were deeply concerned for the current track of mankind. The fact that only a few research scientists weren't in the private employ to some nonsensical rich twit in the Domes, meant that society was already starting to regress intellectually under the current order. The proverbial center was not going to hold at this rate. A severe set of storms, some idiot lobbing a bomb in the wrong place, an earthquake, almost anything could set off a chain reaction that could spell the utter end of mankind. They saw the Equestrians as a safety valve almost, willing to at least try and talk mankind off the precipice; at least, they hoped that was Celestia and Luna's intent.

[ Earth, April 10, 2080 ]

          It was a little over a week later, another quiet, unassuming late evening in the Great Plains of the U.S. Luna was visiting the lab again, deciding to check in every couple of evenings to make sure everything was continuing apace. She was incredibly impressed at the speed at which the project was proceeding while maintaining the ultimate objectives, a serum that could achieve Ponification safely and in a reasonable amount of time. The live tissue trials were all successful, the runic-nanites were working exactly as the Doctors Isegawa intended. They had successfully recoded cloned human tissue into a Pony analogue, enough to where the AIs could make reasonable projections about constructing an entire body without having to go through too many 'trial' bodies, which was important because the fewer live trials they had to run, the better for all involved.

          Unlike a week or so ago when Luna was talking to the Doctors Isegawa, the laboratories were a veritable hub of activity now. About 40 fellow scientists were working under the direction of the Isegawas, and slowly learning how not to be utterly shocked by Luna's presence whenever she decided to show up. One poor lab technician was still nervous in her presence though, and Luna's manner of speaking to those she was unfamiliar with was not helping matters at all.

"Oh, good evening Princess Luna. I trust everything is still running to your liking?" he asked, almost trembling before the indigo horned-and-winged mare.

Luna, replied in her usual tone towards unfamiliar. "Yes it is good sir, also We would appreciate it if you did not cower in fear before Us, at least not before We did anything to warrant cowering." The sheer pressure of her affectations and stifling verbiage not doing anything to calm the technician down.

"Princess Luna, ah good timing. Just the equine I wanted to see," Dr. Hayato said with all manner of warmth toward Luna as if she was an old friend, "I trust you received the results of our latest test?"

"Indeed, I did Dr. Hayato, apparently the progress of our little 'elixir' is going by even faster than expected.", Luna replied, levitating out a simple digital pad in order to re-review the test results.

Dr. Jun was a little more interested in how was speaking towards the other workers there besides herself and her husband. "Anyway, dear Luna-hime, why is it that you talk to us in first-person but you speak to our employees in that stifling 'Royal We'?"

"Take it as a sign of affection or familiarity, much like how your native language posses different 'suffixes' for names and relative social position and familiarity. I address those I know personally in the first-person," Luna replied matter-of-factly.

"Ladies, please, business first, discussion on the validity of affectations of speech later," Dr. Hayato said, trying to redirect the conversation back to the matter at hand before a linguistics discussion broke out. He continued, "I would like to reiterate my interest in a more in-depth study of Magic. It has certainly sped things up by quite a significant degree."

"I'm sure you know the reason why we cannot have a more in-depth magic study, yes?" Luna replied.

Dr. Jun replied, "Yes, we know, the whole 'Exposure to raw magic causing near-instantaneous death in humans' problem. Although if our experiments bear the right fruit, that problem will not exist in the near future."

Luna added, "Indeed it won't. Although I do have one question: Why is it that you'd agree to this, knowing full well our conditions and the potential ramifications?"

Dr. Hayato fielded this question, "I can be called many things Princess: a crackpot, loose in the head, someone doesn't understand the meaning of the sentence 'Jumper cables are not to be used in that fashion.'. But I cannot pass up an opportunity like this, and I'm afraid that should humanity's actions continue unabated, it will be the only opportunity we have to preserve ourselves."

Luna then prodded, "Is that why they call you a 'cracked pot'? The fact you can see the coming destruction that the social elite seem to want to blind themselves to?"

Dr. Hayato replied, "That, and the fact I would grab electric eels out of a tank of water bare-handed as a child."

Dr. Jun clarified, "That was a robotic facsimile and you know it, I swear you and your exaggerations..."

Ugh, this man is absolutely off his rocker, at least when it comes to inter-personal reactions. Luna could only think to herself.

Dr. Hayato then stopped while walking to the one of the rooms in the underground laboratory, as if he just remembered something vitally important. "Oh yes, it just struck me right now. My dear daughter shall be moving into our facilities tomorrow, I believe she would be extremely excited to meet you Princess Luna."

Luna replied very curtly, "You know we are trying to keep everything going on here a secret until we are ready to make the Great Announcement? Right?"

Dr. Jun reassuringly said, "These labs are at least 150 meters underground and locked both physically and electronically by 3 redundant layers of security. I am fairly sure that girl couldn't reach down here until we are ready to tell her everything. Although I fear that meeting you would excite the poor girl into a stupor. She is the kind of girl who'd be excited by a live potted plant after all."

Dr. Hayato retorted in defense of his daughter, "To be perfectly fair, Honey. Being excited by something that isn't grass that could grow healthy outside of the Domes isn't the worst thing in the world. Why do you think she picked 'MidoriHana' as a Network Contact name?"

Hrm, someone excited by natural greenery, the soul of an Earth Pony if I ever heard it. Maybe meeting this girl wouldn't be a bad thing after all. Luna thought to herself.

She then answered the Doctors request. "Actually, I do believe I can make time tomorrow evening to meet your daughter. I'm fairly sure a private audience with the child of the Doctors I commissioned would not set anything backwards any significant degree."

She then immediately thought - I have no idea why I just said that...

Kyoko was at the Tokyo International Airport. The lobby wasn't terribly crowded, given most people besides the wealthy couldn’t travel by air anymore. She called Andre on her portable terminal, not wanting to use her neural implants should she have to suddenly board. "HEYYYY Ao-chan, I'm gonna be stateside again starting tomorrow."

"Huh, again? I didn't know you ever lived in the US before.", Andre answered.

Kyoko smiled and replied. "Yeah, I haven't been there in 6 years though, hopefully too much didn't change. Apparently my parents have opened up a nice medical clinic outside of St. Louis. I guess this is them trying to take things easy for awhile."

Andre asked, "Oh your parents are doctors? Hrm they must have done some big things in order to move between countries in these times..."

Kyoko then asked a question that'd immediately set Andre's mind to racing. "Hey, have you ever heard of Dr. Isegawa?"

Andre eyes immediately bulged. He had indeed heard of the infamous Dr. Hayato Isegawa, Tokyo's Demon Doctor. A man who seemingly had absolutely NO scruples at all in the experiments he wanted to perform. Yet, despite being by all accounts a man that was a few cards short of a full deck, he was currently one of the foremost geneticists of today. The two restraining bolts on him, preventing his going full blown mad-doctor, his loving and highly intelligent wife Jun, premier nanotechican in her own right, and a daughter who most didn't know the name of, but as far as Andre could remember was about Kyoko's age.

Andre then asked very nervously, "Um... yeah, I heard he had a daughter didn't he?"

Kyoko, grinning madly at this point nodded and said, "Yep, he sure did..."

The wheels were turning in his head, Someone like her couldn't be... not her... not sweet little MidoriHana...

Andre then asked, almost dreading the answer that was about to come, "Are you his daughter or something?"

He didn't expect any answer. He honestly expected her to yell his ear off for assuming such a thing. How does one ask someone, one only knows through a pseudonym, to divulge such personal information?

However Kyoko did respond, standing up and beaming with pride. "Yep. I'm Kyoko Isegawa, Daughter of Hayato and Jun Isegawa. And your name since we're being so forthcoming?"

Andre, despite being of chocolate-colored skin, was white with shock, and could only stammer out, "A-A-Andre Bowman..."

He stared at the ceiling, wondering just how he had spent the last 3 years cavorting through the 'Net with the mad scientist’s beautiful daughter.

Kyoko chirped up, "Hey, are you alright, you don't seem to be saying much. Hey, maybe once I get settled I can spring a trip for you up to St Louis, you know, a face to face meet."

Andre was still in shock, his only thought: I'm internet friends with the daughter of someone who'd try and put my brain in a robot body if his wife didn't kill him first...

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

[ Earth, April 11, 2080 ]

          "OH MY GOD, The Night Princess... here... this... WOW... really!?", Kyoko exclaimed, never imagining she'd actually meet a Pony face to face this soon after their debut on the world stage, and then one of the Royal Sisters on top of it.

Dr. Jun did tell me she was excitable, I'll have to remember not to leave her in a room with Pinkie Pie. Luna mentally recorded.

"He'll never believe it, hah. I'm face to face with Equestria's Princess of the Moon... and HE'D NEVER BELEIVE IT.", Kyoko squealed, giddy like a 5 year old girl. She walked all around the Princess, wondering how her mane looked like a holographic image even live and in the flesh.

Dr. Hayato then asked, "Hrm who is this 'he' you speak of?"

Kyoko then immediately downshifted into a normal tone of voice and replied, "Oh the 'he' is Andre, he's just this guy I talk to online from time to time, the 'BlueDragon' you see in my contact list. Also, by the way, I know you've been trying to get in my private messages and I wish you'd stop. I am a 20 year old woman after all." She made a somewhat strange looking face at her father, something conveying both annoyance and mild anger.

Hrm, even in this world the young adults can still be immature of mind. Luna thought to herself.

Dr. Jun, ever the matchmaker, eased up to her daughter, "Oh I see, a nice male friend. I wonder when you were going have him meet us? You know it's not proper for a young lady to cavort around with young men and not have them meet her parents."

Kyoko immediately chafed at the thought of her and Andre being involved seriously, "Oh come on he is just some guy I know online. Well yeah I've known him for 3 years which is a lot longer than you know most people online, but seriously we don't have anything going on besides a nice NON-ROMANTIC and TOTALLY PLATONIC relationship."

Dr. Jun then began to pry a bit more, "Well, seeing as you seemingly don't go for the Dome types... I'd have to assume that if he were to come meet us, that we'd need to pay for the trip."

Kyoko blanched at the thought of her parents paying for a trip and answered, "I could pay for it myself, it's not expensive really to travel anymore, although I'd probably need help arranging for decent food..."

Dr. Jun and her daughter Kyoko then continued on in the background, apparently the thought of setting up a nice dinner date for her dear, unwed daughter too much to resist for the good Missus Doctor.

Luna then trotted over to Dr. Hayato and began speaking with him telepathically.

Seems like you have quite the daughter and wife, all things considered a nice little family. Luna started.

To be honest, given the condition of my work and the world, they are the only things that keep me sane. Dr. Hayato said with stunning introspection.

You know the formula is growing close to being completed, the last few trials could only be considered smashing successes. Luna began.

Yes, although I shudder to think of what my daughter would say if she knew everything we were having to do to make this work. Hell, I'm personally quite unsure of what to do with the recent test subjects. Dr. Hayato said, knowing full well he did not want to estrange his daughter.

We will simply place them in asylums in the various cities in our Nation, they are physically healthy Ponies with the minds of various of your domesticated animals, so they will blend right in with the population there. Luna said, knowing full well what she was doing was of questionable ethics, at the very least.

You know what the final stage of tests are though, that is what especially concerns me.

Yes... human trials.

My only suggestion I can make is that we use the terminally ill or the completely invalid, sad to say but the hospitals are ripe with them.

It is a shame, but this has to be tried on humans before my sister can announce anything, the last thing we need to do is offer any kind false hope.

From a humane perspective, it is awful to know that this has to be done. However, science has to be verifiable. If we want the public to accept this, we must get this formula to the point where it will work without question.

Indeed.

The nature of the process concerns me though. I know this question comes out of some sense of vanity, but why does so much of the transformation itself have to be behind a black box scientifically? As far as I can tell, we cannot even pre-determine the form the subject will take once the process is complete.

The nature of the nanomachine programming and the sensitivity of the runes means the more complexity we introduce, the greater the chance of error we also introduce. While it is not ideal, as you stated, we must have this formula working without question.

Indeed Luna-hime. On another note, when all this is done, maybe you should found a university. If you were born to this Universe, you would have made a world class scientist and/or professor.

I can say similar for yourself Dr. Hayato Isegawa. Had you been born in my realm, you most likely would have been a premiere Unicorn Mage.

Hey now, you never know what the future may hold.

Indeed, let us hope this road we walk is no dead end...

==== - ====

[ Earth, April 14, 2080 ]

          It was four days after Kyoko met Luna, Equestria's Princess of the Night. She spent most of the time between then and now talking to Andre about the meeting, about how Luna's mane was almost exactly like the Aurora Barrier during the day, and how Kyoko (and her mother especially) wanted him to come up to St. Louis to visit for a couple of days. Andre was only now beginning to come to terms with the fact that Kyoko came from an incredible intellectual lineage, and hopefully her mother would be able to keep her father from doing anything too insane while he was up there. So, while the totally-not-lovebirds continued to chat each other up, more interesting events were occurring about 150 meters or so under Kyoko's feet.

          3 gurneys were being wheeled through the corridors of the underground laboratories, Kyoko would not have noticed any of this since there were many entrances to the underground labs far away from the main building of the above-ground complex. Each gurney held a person in various states of non-viability insofar as leading a normal, healthy life (such most anyone could lead at this point in society). In the first gurney, a quadriplegic woman, she was one of the many residents of the slums that had to use outdated equipment just to use the Internet, and an accident during a power surge fried much of her spinal cord. It was a miracle that she could still even breathe without assistance from an external device.

In another gurney, a man driven utterly insane. He was in full restraints, mind crushed by losing his supposedly safe and high paying job, thereby no longer able to pay for his residence inside the Dome community where he was born and raised. Effectively, thrown into the maw of a world gone mad; so mad, that in his eyes, his only recourse was to go mad himself. He could hardly communicate anything resembling a cogent thought anymore, the closest he ever got was talking disjointedly about how many things he'd buy whenever he got back into the Domes.

In the last gurney, a man suffering from Neo-Black Plague inside of a sealed chamber. In the previous week, he was stricken with the disease while on military operations in Sub-Saharan Africa. No one knew where the Neo-Black Plague even came from, it was hard to tell if it was a natural mutation of an existing disease or some kind of bio-terrorisim. Either way, the disease would have torn Africa even further to shreds, if it weren't for the fact that the disease was so efficient at killing its victims, that there was hardly any time for it to spread beyond the community that was initially infected. He was heavily sedated and his entire body was crawling with nanomachine 'doctors'; the only thing that could have kept him alive, short of placing his body in suspended animation.

          Luna looked at the cameras as the three gurneys were being wheeled into the various examination rooms. "It is truly depressing to see the state of this world outside of the enclosed settlements." She could only shake her head as she tried to remain focused on the task at hand.

"These tragedies are seeming to be occurring more and more frequently, the non-Dome hospitals are completely swamped with people trying anything in order to preserve their lives just a few weeks more...," Dr. Jun said, she was intimately familiar with how her and others nanomachines were being used to just to preserve the so-called Outsiders instead of allowing them to thrive.

Dr. Hayato looked at the same scene, somber as the two ladies sitting or standing with him at the center of the main data collection room. "It shows you the drive to live in humans. Someone could theoretically ask what these people have to live for if they were completely cured of their ailments. A life of trudging along trying to stave off soul-crushing boredom and apathy, mostly. Yet, not even the state of the world as it is could kill the human spirit to survive. If it could, we might have destroyed ourselves already." The doctor Ponies accompanying Luna for this round of testing could only remark on just tight of a rapport these humans were already developing with their demigod princess.

The scene continued as the gurneys were rolled into their respective examination rooms. Non-invasive biometric scanners lined all of the walls, taking records of the vitals. The technicians calibrated the machines in order to ensure that the readouts were consistent with the aliments the three subjects were suffering. As the clock clicked closer to noon, the technicians gave the all green that they could start whenever ready. Attendants in each room then unsealed 3 boxes, each containing a beaker full of a translucent white liquid with a seeming metallic sheen to it, as if someone put very fine glitter in highly diluted milk.

          Dr. Hayato then spoke into a microphone. "Ladies, Gentlemen of all species present. What we are about to embark on in a short while is yet another step on the road of human endeavors into the upper limits of science. I am not one for long speeches, my wife is far better at that I would wager. However, I would like to say this. What occurs within these walls does not leave these walls until the White Princess makes her remarks, should these trials prove successful today or sometime in the future. If any word does leave these walls, I will release the flying monkeys to hunt you down."  A chuckle rose from the room and those who could hear him through the audio implants, Dr. Hayato obviously was trying to releive some of the tension before the trail began in earnest.

Does he actually have a squadron of flying monkeys on beck and call? Luna asked Dr. Jun telepathically.

No, but I don't doubt he would try and design a species that looked like flying monkeys, for the expressed purpose of getting back at people who renege on their promises to him. Dr. Jun replied, with an tone that implied that Dr. Hayato was in no way serious about the flying monkeys, or at least she hoped he wasn't.

          Luna then began to speak aloud to everyone present and listening over the com-links, giving a brief explanation about the process as it should occur based upon the previous trials. "Good day all. This is Princess Luna, as you all have already figured. Anyway, We, as the good doctor Hayato already stated, are about to embark on an endeavor that no mage in Equestria or scientist on Earth have ever attempted to date and record. The basic theory of the transformation sequence is reasoned to be such... first, the runes will link to an extra-dimensional energy source in order to channel the energy for the various magics and to partially shield the body during the process, this will appear as the body glowing. Second, the soul will be removed from the body and sent to the Astral Plane while the subject body is effectively re-written as a Pony body. Third, once the body has been completely re-written, the soul is moored to the new body. Finally, there are various checks in order to ensure the body has been properly rewritten and the soul is firmly entrenched into the new body."

The various attendants and technicians briefly discussed among themselves the metaphysical nature of a lot of the process, but reasoned that the animal tests proved that the process should work unless a human soul was that difficult to 'move'.

          With that little conversation over, and as the clock struck high noon, the tests finally began. The nurses began to administer the potion to the patients, taking special caution around the plague victim. Each gurney had reinforced nano-carbon tube bars, just in case the subjects began thrashing, in order to prevent spills to the floor and further injury. Luna and all the doctors present watched intently as the 3 patients were given the serum, and the men and women in their hazmat suits, some of them bionically enhanced to subdue a thrashing, crazed human or Pony, all ducked to the walls as soon as the solution was administered. A few moments ticked by, nothing much happening.

          Suddenly all the meters began going wild; Luna and the 2 Doctors knew that the transformation was underway. As a bright, white light began to emanate from each subject, all Luna and the Isegawas could do, was pray that their theories would be borne out here and now.

Five minutes passed, the readings were all high but stable, a good sign.

Seven minutes passed, all brain activity in the 3 subjects went to near-zero. If anything went wrong now all the subjects would be brain-dead misshapen wrecks.

Ten minutes passed, brain activity was going back up, although the imprecision of the devices meant that the three scientists could only guess as to whether or not their souls had been reattached to the new bodies.

Twelve minutes passed, visual evidence that the subjects had changed shape, although the exact shape still could not be confirmed due to the glare created by the magical glow.

Fifteen minutes had passed, the magical glow began to cool, and the two doctors and a Princess could now see what their machinations had wrought.

The glow in Room 1 cooled, they saw a mahogany Earth Pony mare, stunned her legs would even respond to her confused commands.

The glow in Room 2 cooled, they saw a dazed cerulean Unicorn stallion, eyes darting around, wondering where he was.

The glow in Room 3 cooled, they saw an ashen gray Pegasus stallion, also wondering where exactly he was given the fact he had been rendered nearly comatose some days ago.

The sensors from the 3 rooms gave an all-green. As far as the sensors were concerned, nothing was amiss except that 3 humans disappeared and 3 Ponies appeared.

Luna, as a precaution, teleported herself into Room 3 with the Neo-Black Plague patient turned Pegasus, and quickly cast a surface-area microbe destroying spell, ensuring that no humans would be infected by the disease when the suits and the chamber were disposed of.

Luna then teleported in each of the Pony doctors, as they and the human doctors began analyzing the three subjects for any kind of physical or psychological defect. It would take about twenty-four hours to derive initial conclusions from the experiment, and it would be twenty-four of the most tense hours the Isegawas would experience to date.

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

[ Earth, April 15, 2080 ]

          After a few hours sleep the previous night for the Isegawas, they spent the morning going over the data with Luna and the various specialists, both human and Pony.

Luna turned to a pale-cream colored Unicorn and asked, "Well Dr. Light Walker, what can you tell us?"

"As far as we can tell, all 3 of the new Ponies are completely healthy, sound of both mind and body," Dr. Light Walker responded, honestly surprised that the transformation worked as well as it did.

Dr. Hayato, "Well Princess Luna, it seems like we have achieved something only thought of as an absolute fantasy."

Luna responded, "It does seem that way. Of course we will need to hold the three patients for at least a week's observation, just to ensure that the spell has properly worked and there are no physical or psychological complications or relapses. Also I will have to arrange for tutors for our new brethren, they will need to learn their gifts so that they may find their place in our society."

Dr. Jun picked up on this line of thought, "Yes, you did tell me one of the driving forces of your kind are finding your place in society. Do we have to fear any magical outbursts from the Unicorn though?"

Luna then answered, "Not necessarily, Unicorn magic must be cast from force of will. Our patient is probably entirely unaware he can even use magic, and so long as he does not encounter an extremely stressful situation, he should not pose a danger to any human at this facility."

Dr. Hayato quipped, "You'd think falling asleep and waking up in a completely different body would qualify as 'extremely stressful', though."

          Luna then, with a bit of a devious smirk on her face, motioned to the door. The three Ponies walked in, somewhat unsure of their steps but at least now able to walk slowly while still balanced. All three looked at the 2 Doctors, a serene grace etched on their faces.

The magenta Earth Pony then spoke up, "My God, I can walk... I can feel the air conditioning along my back, I can even swish my tail around... it's like a miracle, a miracle." It had been nearly two years since she could lay claim to moving under own power.

The cerulean Unicorn then spoke, "Everything... everything makes sense... It's like... it's like I can see straight for the first time in months, maybe years. That experience, it was like a thousand therapists came into my mind and re-organized everything. I've never felt better... So much time, so much time I need to catch up on..." He continued on with his external monologue for a bit; his thoughts finally making sense inwardly and his speech making sense outwardly.

The ashen gray Pegasus stood looking up at the doctors and their digital-pads and papers, he then looked at his new Princess, and said with a firmness he hadn't been able to muster in days, "Princess Luna, ma'am. There are no words I can use to thank you. I was staring at Death's door, no, I should have already been dead. You saved me, you and your magic and these Doctors diligent work saved me and the rest of us. Anything we can do to repay you, we will do to our utmost, you have this soldier's promise." His body assuming the Pony equivalent of a soldier's stance.

The three new Ponies were then directed out of the room to somewhere more comfortable to rest and await their instructors from Equestria.

The two Doctors sat there thoroughly stunned. Not only had the transformation worked, but it had seemingly cured them of everything. The former businessman's madness quelled, the former slum-rat's paralysis lifted, the former soldier's plague extinguished.

"It is too good to be true... I... I can't believe that it worked, and not only worked, but it worked beyond anything we could have hoped.", Dr Jun stammered, her brain trying desperately to restore her diction.

"Princess Luna, what we have just done WILL change this world. I am absolutely sure of it. My only fear is what change we will have wrought because of it.", Dr. Hayato then stated, his eyes seemingly piercing ahead into the future, trying to game out all the potential twists and turns.

Luna looked up, seemingly to gather her thoughts, and then back at the two Doctors, "My good Doctors, that will entirely depend on if this world can accept a legitimate second chance being offered to them."

Meanwhile, in place unknown to any being, Pony or human, a figure began to stir. She could sense the other-worlders coming into her world, but she was not angry. In fact, she was hopeful that they could do something. “Rulers of the Other World. Do you have the fortitude and skill to reawaken the lost souls of this world? Do you have the nerve and will to carry out your plans, regardless of their consequence. The final countdown is ticking on this world; if you are true about your mission of mercy, you have no time to waste...”

CH 18: Unbalanced Equation

Chapter 19: Floodgate

=== The Conversion Bureau: A New Age, A New Life====== Chapter 19: Floodgate ===

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

[ Equestria, March 10, ??? + 1 ]

        It was early morning moving day for the Conduits of Terra and the Bearers of Harmony again. Everyone was busy making arrangements and saying their goodbyes as they prepared to return to Earth.

"Man, it must be hard for Applejack and Rarity. They have siblings and family that they really can't be here for all the time," Midori Hana thought out loud as she was helping Golden Storm sort everything out for 'cold' storage.

"Yeah, but I think Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle are getting used to the idea. They know their sisters are Bearers of Harmony, so they have as much to do with helping the Earth sort out what we're about to do as the Princesses," Blue Vague responded. He and Blaze were checking all of the magical implements to make sure none of them had any residual magic that could build up and cause problems for the maintenance Ponies that'd keep the Greystone Conductor in good condition however long they might be gone.

        An hour or so later, the four Conduits were walking to the Ponyville Newfoal Reception Center with a cart full of their belongings. They eventually found Applejack and the others doing the same, and marveled a bit at how the orange mare had plenty of strength to spare pulling the Bearer's cart.

"Well... judging by that cart full of personal affects, I guess we're all ready to head back Earthside," Blue Vague said, as he hailed the six Elements of Harmony.

"Yeah, thankfully Rarity doesn't have to bring her machines with her this time. Dr. Jun said there should be some equipment for her when we all got settled back into the dorms on Earth," Applejack remarked, assuring the Conduits the burden was nowhere near enough to give her trouble.

All of the Elements of Harmony packed lighter than they did when they left for Earth the first time. The Princesses had helped Twilight to format her important books into a format she could access with help her Explicit Magic, and the others really not needing to bring much besides a few belongings.

Red Blaze looked curiously at the orange and white mares. "So, Rarity and Applejack, how are your families taking you leaving back for Earth again?"

Rarity answered with a bit of a sigh before she started. "Well, of course both Sweetie Belle and all of Applejack's family were sad to hear the news. But, truth be told, they were quite understanding."

"Yeah, the Princesses helped quite a bit with Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle. I just hope that we can help with Earth enough to where we can bring them with us from time to time," Applejack added.

Blue Vague thought a bit of his conversation with Big Macintosh during the Hearth's Warming Eve party when he talked about the same thing.  Yeah, I hope so too Applejack...

A few minutes later, they were all at the Ponyville Newfoal Reception Center.

        Pinkie Pie was somewhat bemused by how 'empty' the place looked, despite all the Converts and Natives that had to have been through there just this day. "Wow, you can tell this place was busier earlier, but I guess when the Princesses say 'Clear out', well, you better clear out."

Everyone just nodded in sage agreement.

Shortly afterward, both Princess Celestia and Princess Luna manifested in the Transportation hall where the ten Ponies and Spike were waiting.

"So, it looks like everyone is ready to go then?" Celestia asked, everyone a bit taken aback by her brevity.

Twilight Sparkle looked around for anyone to object, and found nothing. "Um... yeah, it looks like we all are."

"The Isegawas are ready on their end as well, they report we can depart at any time," Luna reported to her sister, a bit eager herself to start focusing on the larger issues of Earth again, and report her preliminary findings regarding Terran Magic to the HEA and their government allies.

All of that said, the carts were lined up before the Gate, and sent ahead of the thirteen of them. A few moments later, said thirteen beings followed the Conduits and Bearers belongings as they all crossed back over to the Conduit's home-world.

I can feel the Conduits of my Power returning to my space. They must hurry and execute the unsealing, the dam shall soon break and flood the world with uncontrollable magic... The Robed Figured thought out loud, as she sat looking at the once-ornate seal, now degraded to the point where it appeared ready to completely disintegrate at any moment.

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

[ Earth, March 10, 2081 ]

        A few moments later, they stepped off the platform of the Gate in the Isegawa Lab's Transport Room, the feeling of the tile on their hooves surprisingly not lost to the four Conduits of Terra. The Gate closed quickly behind the 13 travelers and their carts, and the thaumatic sinks absorbed the background radiation.

"Wow, we've been gone for four months, and things still feel close to how they did when we left. Probably not the same top-side, but at least there is this bit of familiarity," Vague said has he set foot on Earth for the first time since November.

"Yeah, for one thing I can feel how much the air has to be purified. Obviously having well developed Equestrian Magic gives you a sense for your environment," Golden Storm added, fluttering around looking for machines he didn't notice or couldn't see.

Red Blaze quickly noticed her stallion-friend's overwrought curiosity. "You know I don't think the Isegawa's would appreciate you looking for hidden cameras or what have you. But still, it feels good to be back here. I wish it were under better circumstances, but home is home, you know?"

Midori Hana just looked nervously at a panel under the observation area to the Transport Room. As soon as she saw the green light go off, she bolted towards its door. Everyone was initially surprised at this sudden action, but quickly figured out the source of the sudden action.

"Tou-chan... Kaa-chan... it's been so long. Even though it was only four months it was still a long time..." Midori Hana said as she engaged her parents a warm embrace; both Doctors Isegawa kneeling on the floor to account for the size difference. Even the Princesses were moved by the sight, always appreciating an open display of parental affection.

        A short while later, everyone was in the common area of the dormitories behind the Isegawa Labs. The Conduits were re-familiarizing themselves with the technology they left behind those four months ago, while Dr. Jun explained the new sewing machines that she had commissioned for Rarity's use while on Earth.

"We had some of the Unicorn volunteers at the various centers help with the machine construction, making sure the electronics didn't falter under the influence of a Unicorn's magic. For the most part, we were able to get around it by keeping the design simple and the circuitry to a minimum," Dr. Jun explained as she took out an instruction booklet.

Rarity took the instruction booklet, words printed in both English and Equestrian, and began to glance through it. "Yes, I can get a sense of this machine from what you have printed here. It should be more than adequate for my purposes, although I wonder just how much time I will have to work on my designs given the state of things here."

Dr. Jun sighed at the notion. "Yes, I understand. The situation here on Earth is growing more tense by the moment. For the most part, the Ponies are uninvolved in our 'internal' debates to this point, but I fear the future."

Rarity looked at Dr. Jun's eyes with grave concern. She knew that look from Midori Hana, when she began running the scenarios in her head trying to divine insight. Dr. Jun, however, had the advantage of being twice as old as her daughter (at least).

        Eventually everyone made their way into the recreational room, but there was no recreation to be had at this time. The ten Bearers and Conduits sat on the carpeted floor; as did Spike, figuring that Dr. Hayato wouldn't have forgotten his presence. The Princesses and the Doctors Isegawa sat across from the eleven younger beings. None of the said eleven noticed a rather unremarkable silver van pull up on side of the Dormitory; however, the Princesses knew exactly what was about to happen.

Celestia stood up to begin speaking. "I wanted to start this meeting by explaining to the Bearers and Conduits why I did not make any extended remarks before we returned here to Earth. The situation here on Earth is nearing, as far as we can tell, a boiling-over point. Though, I feel that our guest for this afternoon will be able to speak to that point with greater clarity than can I."

The doors to the Dormitory then opened, and a middle aged man with partially gray hair strolled through, flanked by a female secretary that was 15 years his junior. He took a good look around the dormitories, and especially at the ten rooms all adorned with placards of some kind of symbol. "It never ceases to amaze me just how fast Equestrians can adjust to what are typically setups made only for humans."

"Good Afternoon Mr. Edwards, punctual as always I see." Luna said, speaking loud enough for Richard and his secretary Candice to hear.

Richard turned around walked to the recreational room, motioning for Candice to do the same. "Ah yes, Dear Princess Luna. It's been quite some time since we've spoken, but I can sense this isn't the time for idle chatter."

Blue Vague noticed from his mannerisms and dress that he was not an Outsider, although he didn't seem to be as disjointed outsides of the Domes as a typical resident of them.

"Alright then. Now if I remember correctly, this was to be a bit of a preview of a larger discussion the fifteen or sixteen of us were supposed to have with some other important people in roughly a week's time, yes?" Richard began by asking of the Princesses.

"Yes Mr. Edwards, we need to get the ten of them caught up on what has been going on Earth in the last four months since the re-election of President Aguillar and the drastic weakening of the ruling parties in the American legislature," Celestia answered, taking special note of the concern Blue Vague had in his face.

Spike faked a cough to bring attention to himself, which Celestia quickly responded to. "I'm sorry, the eleven of them..."

Despite the brief interruption, Richard Edwards then went into his explanation. "Well, let's start with a brief introduction of who I am. My name is Richard Edwards, Onwer and CEO of Edwards Robotic and Nanotech Fabrications, where our motto is 'We build it bigger, better, and cheaper than anyone out there'. This lovely lady here is my personal secretary Candice. As well as being the owner of one of the largest businesses on Earth, I am also on the committee of the central and founding chapter of the Human-Equestrian Alliance."

The four Conduits of Terra, Blue Vague especially, looked at each other in confusion.

Richard continued. "Now I can see by the look of the four more richly colored, no offense, Ponies in our small audience, that you four are confused as to why I'd concern myself with the Equestrian Princesses at all. Truth be told, I've wondered that myself as well. But then I began to see the literal magic they all worked, but it wasn't just the reactions of those I watched undergoing Ponification. You see, much like the Doctors Isegawa here, especially Dr. Hayato, I'm deeply interested in what the full extent of Equestrian Magic is. Now you might be thinking, 'Well he is obviously just looking for another product to push.'; well, frankly you'd be wrong in that regard.

"I want you to think of just how much in terms of capital and property I own, being the owner and CEO of one of the largest nanotech firms on Earth. Quite frankly, especially given how I was raised, I have more money than I honestly know what to do with. To wit, I'm interested in Equestrian Magic, and as the Princesses have so delightfully informed me, the potential of Terran Magic, in far more basic terms. I don't believe I need to tell you all this, but this world is heading down a path it, in all likelihood, cannot retreat from. I want to know just to what extent Equestrian and Terran magic can be used to chart a new way forward.

"While I generally make some time to speak to the Converts in the New York City Bureau, I am more interested in the actual mechanics and ambiance of that place. To go there, especially after it has been running for nearly half a year now, is to just be in a place that feels more open and alive. I then compare that to the Manhattan Domes that is my primary residence. The atmosphere there is stifling, almost as if the people there live in a pressure cooker. I've watched my wonderful city, New York City, be slowly hollowed out and degenerate. It has fallen from a place of cultural dynamism and integration during in the 20th and early 21st century, to this... cesspool of the idle rich.

"There is nothing but stagnation of the mind in that place; too many people just stuck where they are, busy flitting about to this or that or whatever the hell. The lower-tier managers and few skilled workers that can afford to live there might eat and drink well; but their minds are paralyzed by this constant fealty to the upper echelons, and the tandem fear of eviction should said members of that echelon feel they are no longer worthy to live in their presence."

Richard could feel Vague's eyes locked on his every movement and word, and decided to briefly address it before moving on to the current day. "I can see in the eyes of the blue Unicorn there, that he has a lot of questions he'd want to ask of me; but I'm afraid that will have to wait a while." Vague merely sighed, not wanting to cause any kind of scene, but still wanting to ask quite a number of questions of this philanthropist.

Richard then moved on from his auto-biography and philosophy to the current day's events. "So yeah, before I go completely off the rails here, I should speak about the current day. Well simply put, it feels as if everyone is sitting on top of a powder keg that is ready to explode at any given moment. The various 'trade' organizations in the Domes are completely incensed at the various reforms that Pres. Aguillar managed to pass through Congress with her slim majorities in both houses. I don't know if the reforms in and of themselves are enough to alter the political power structure, but at least she is making as much noise as she can before things really start to turn."

All eleven members of the audience were concerned with what that last phrase meant.

"Yes I can see your concern about what I mean by 'things really start to turn'. To elaborate, there have been lots of rumbling that the effectiveness of manipulating the political system as is will cease being so effective. As it stands now, the lower classes are effectively at the mercy of the Domed citizens due to their ownership of resources. What the various reform movements represent... what the still nascent Conversion movement represents... what Terran Magic, just in the examples you four have provided us so far, could represent... is the permanent shattering of the current order of things."

All eleven members of the audience were greatly surprised by that last statement, with the four Conduits, having grown up in that system, expressing utter shock.

"Ok, I realize that being a Pony means a lot of things, but I wouldn't think being a revolutionary would be one of them," Blue Vague said once his faculties came back to him.

"Honestly, you shouldn't be so surprised," Richard started. "Many humans attempt to preserve or improve their status in life. The actions of those in the Domes, my compatriots if you will, is simply the logical end of that desire. When something comes along that'd disrupt their pursuits or even cause them to move backwards, they will make every attempt within their power to eliminate that thing. That is where we are at, the Elite, as they want to call themselves, stand ready to openly resist the duly elected governments of the world, because they dare put little speed bumps in their path to whatever it is they want."

Blue Vague saw the anger in Richard Edwards's eyes, an anger borne out of frustration. To Vague, it seemed like Richard truly wanted what was best for everyone; and at this point, he didn't seem to care by what means that had to be accomplished.

He knows the system is broken and everything is coming to a head. I just hope the terms aren't as dire as he is painting them... Vague thought to himself as Richard and Candice excused themselves to return to the St. Louis Domes.

Princess Luna then rose to conclude that day's talks. "As you can see, Bearers of Harmony and Conduits of Terra, the situation on Earth, as far as we can tell, is reaching a fever pitch. I believe we will get more detailed explanations, once we talk to our allied world leaders. But for now, I want you all to contemplate the scope of the problem. We are not only fighting against a rapidly degrading environment overall; but also a political and social situation that none of us have any ability to predict. We must continue to move forward, but do so with the utmost care."

Celestia and Luna then vanished, returning back to Canterlot over the New Light Bridge.

Golden Storm sighed as he began to soak everything in. "I figured the HEA had some backing the Elite in the Domes. I just didn't think one of the most wealthy CEOs living would be on the board. Must make you feel strange Vague."

"Why would that make him feel strange necessarily?" Twilight asked, obviously ignorant of how Vague tended to feel in general.

Blue Vague let out a sigh. "I'll answer that myself. I still, to this day, have a lot of animosity towards the so-called Elite. Just in the few news stories I was able to pick up before this talk, and from Mr. Edwards's talk itself, I can tell most of them haven't changed a bit. Don't get me wrong, I think Edwards is legit when he helped us before, and when he says he wants to help going foward; but I don't know just how deep that commitment goes."

Twilight decided not to pursue the issue further, as Blue Vague looked out of a window at the far more dull grayish-blue sky of midday St. Louis in near-Spring.

Normally, I'd think this scene to be incredibly depressing. But I have a job to do now -- fix it. Do everything I can to fix this world and make it a place worth living... Blue Vague thought, as he looked out at the hazy sky.

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

[ Earth, March 16, 2081 ]

        The clock ticked closer to high Noon St. Louis time, and the ten Bearers and Conduits were reasonably tense. All of them except Red Blaze, Midori Hana, and Blue Vague have had face time with the President before, but none of them had any kind of in-depth discussion of the issues, nor did any one of them have any of them mention just who exactly they were to the President. The Princesses and the Doctors Isegawa on the other hand, did not share the same level of outright tension, yet were still plenty concerned. They had no idea how the America, European Union, and Japanese leaders would all react to magic being loosed in their world. Spike, for his part, resolved to listen in on the conversation, but stay out of the limelight as best a violet-colored Dragon whelp could. With little more they could do to prepare, all fifteen of them walked into the meeting room where the Doctors Isegawa and Richard Edwards were already sitting.

        Everyone sat at the multi-tiered platforms in the meeting room. The strange arrangement was due to it being a teleconference and everyone had to be viewable. On the video wall they could see that there were three other groups participating in this meeting - the American President, Secretary of Defense, Secretary of State, and Secretary of the Interior as well as the relative counterparts for the European Union and Japan.

Princess Celestia called the meeting to order, "Ladies and gentlemen, I call this meeting to order. I would like to first formally introduce everyone to the attendees meeting from our side of this gathering. My sister Princess Luna, Co-Ruler of Equestria and Avatar of the Moon. The Doctors Hayato and Jun Isegawa, both premier scientists in the fields of genetics and nanotechnology, the proprietors of this facility. As well as Richard Edwards, Owner and CEO of Edwards Robotic and Nanotech Fabrications and head of the central committee of the Human-Equestrian Alliance. Along the lower tier of seats, the ten Ponies below you are our direct subordinates. I will allow them to introduce themselves to you all."

Everyone choked up a bit having to introduce themselves before these extraordinarily important people, but then they quickly realized these were extra ordinary circumstances.

"Ahem, my name is Twilight Sparkle. Princess Celestia's student and Bearer of the Element of Harmony."

"Rarity, Bearer of the Element of Generosity."

"Rainbow Dash, Bearer of the Element of Loyalty."

"Fluttershy, Bearer of the Element of Kindness."

"Applejack, Bearer of the Element of Honesty."

"Pinkamena Diane 'Pinkie' Pie, Bearer of the Element of Laughter."

"Golden Storm, a.k.a Ethan Hartford, Conduit of the Terran Element of Wind."

"Red Blaze, a.k.a. Natasha Ivankia, Conduit of the Terran Element of Fire."

"Midori Hana, a.k.a. Kyoko Isegawa, Conduit of the Terran Element of Earth."

"Blue Vague, a.k.a. Andre Bowman, Conduit of the Terran Element of Water."

The last four names got every human there except the Doctors Isegawa to chattering.

So four of them were Converts obviously, and judging by their titles, they are going to be absolutely essential to plans going forward... Richard thought to himself as he mulled over the revelations.

The dignitaries and political officials all introduced themselves as well, and the meeting was underway in earnest.

Luna then began to speak, "We come before you all because we have encountered a grave problem regarding the flow of magic emanating from your world."

EU Council President Koenig was concerned about this from the few Ponies he had already talked to regarding the matter in the weeks leading up to this meeting. "Excuse me, Princess Luna. You speak of this world having a magical flow. From our understanding, this world is devoid of magic, save for the magic your Ponies contain, is it not?"

Luna responded, "Yes. In fact, that is exactly the nature of the problem. It was our belief was well that this world was more or less devoid of magic. But our researchers scanned the signatures and assured us this flow is not of Equestrian origin. Events from the last several weeks in Equestria involving four Ponies you see to your far right, I believe from your camera view, has more or less cemented this idea."

Japanese Prime Minister Hayashi then asked, "I believe I understand what you all are hinting at. The titles those four have been given I believe relates to the problem President Koenig describes."

Luna then responded, "Indeed. Our theories, as of right now, posit that this world once had its own particular brand of Magic, which we have dubbed Terran Magic for the time being. Yet, due to some unknown event in this planet's history, that magic was sealed."

President Aguillar then began to speak. "Yet, judging by the reports of random incidences and appearances of monsters and unexplainable events, you figure whatever that 'seal' was no longer as effective as it once was?"

"In short, yes. To use a metaphor, it as if an ancient dam was erected to block the flow of mana, and therefore cutoff humanity from the usage of mana. There have been leaks here and there, which produce many of your persistent mythologies. However, like anything else, Time eventually claims all things, and this dam is no different. The fact there is a flow of Terran Magic outside of when the four Conduits before you explicitly use said magic, implies the dam is starting to fail."

The leaders all discussed that implication for a few moments before discussions continued.

Celestia continued on with Luna's metaphor. "In any case. Right now, the dam blocking magic is growing weaker and weaker by the hour. Due to the shielded nature of the upper-class's communication infrastructure, this will prevent breaks in most secure lines of communication; although we fear the networks for the more impoverished of your citizens will be left quite vulnerable. This will prove to be quite a problem if the dam were to break, as we fear it would cause a massive flood of mana and magic. Although Terran Mana's radiation, which our thaumatologists have termed thaumatic-τ(tau) in order to differentiate it from our magic, which we've termed thaumatic-ε(epsilon), would be perfectly safe for humans; the effects produced would in all likelihood be entirely random and uncontrolled. Combined with the lack of communication between the common citizenry, it could lead to widespread chaos and operational breakdowns. It would be as if every possible conceivable natural and supernatural disaster, short of large meteorite crashing into earth, were to strike... at the same time."

        No one there needed to be told twice of the immeasurable costs in terms of lives and damage that would cause to the Earth. The loss of communication would strain a society already on the brink. Demons fresh out the fevered imagination could rise, wild storms could rage, volcanoes could erupt; not to mention the earthquakes, tidal waves, floods, and strange poisonous plants growing everywhere. The survivors who realized what the Bureaus held would then flood them, posing a threat to small but significant Pony population in the immediate. Then the aftermath - people would then blame the Ponies most likely, since stuff like this wasn't happening before they got here, even though it might have started anyway. There would be riots against them, and then against each other. It the disasters didn't kill much of the human population, the resulting total breakdown of society would. By the time everything was said and done, there might not be an Earth or a human population to save.

EU Council President Koenig then spoke. "It would truly be a final cataclysm as predicted by many religions both current and past. I could only think that it would result in no less than the absolute collapse of society and possibly the human race itself. However I do not believe you would tell just us this if this was the only fate facing us." Koenig could see, even though the screen, the wheels were turning in the Princesses heads. They knew this problem was coming down the pike, and wanted to head it off ASAP.

President Aguillar then spoke, "If the problem is of this nature, then I would believe the best solution would be to open or construct, if you would, a magical floodgate that could release the mana in a way that would at least be controlled. I have no idea where it would be directed, since we talking something we most likely could not see until the effects were already underway."

The Princesses marveled at the human ingenuity. Even when faced with something they did not understand, they wanted to understand and control it, or at least restrain it enough for them to continue living.

If only they had more time... we wouldn't have to be doing what we are... the Princesses thought to themselves in Unison.

Prime Minister Hayashi then spoke, "Yes it does seem that our only option on such short notice maybe to let the mana flow into the world, but in such a way we can absorb the effects. This is something we have too little knowledge of, to say redirect it somewhere else entirely. I have my thoughts as to what this could mean going forward though."

        Twilight's interest was piqued by this statement, she had her own theories, and hoped that both this man she never really met and the Princesses were thinking along the same lines. "If I may speak, I've been contemplating this situation ever since I was notified of it. It is my theory that this world was supposed to have magic like ours, but something happened in the now distant past that barred it. Your science was developed in response to this; a yearning to reclaim what was taken from you, despite not knowing what that magic was or why it was even barred to begin with."

        The world leaders and especially Richard were impressed by this statement. Twilight was beginning to understand the obsessive drive of humanity to continually develop new and better. All the wonders of modern technology had been produced because someone out there had the imagination to conceive it, the will to want it. The problem the world faced though, was that will alone was not enough to make lives better, it required power as well. It required resources, and those resources were usually in the hands of those who didn't like sharing the fruits of labor with others. All that technology and development, especially now, was being wasted on a bunch of idiots who didn't know any better implementation of it than make their personal lives easier.

        Blue Vague's own thoughts came to the fore as well, "As a human turned Pony, I don't mean to simply blindly agree with what the native Ponies and Princesses have been saying. Yet my time in Equestria has only begun to confirm my suspicions once I Converted. There seems to be a gap in the most people's thought processes. As if life in this age forced one to close off certain areas of the mind, like there were many rooms in a house but certain ones were boarded up to prevent usage. Only a relative few can even recognize this and un-board the rooms, while most just had it painted over and pretended that door was a solid wall. I've talked with others besides my three friends who've Converted not long after myself. They all tell me the same thing, the combination of becoming a Pony and the time spent in Equestria seemed to un-board and unlock those doors. I'm sorry to have waxed philosophical all of a sudden, but I thought I should speak my peace."

        The Princesses were surprised by the sudden flash of insight. They could tell that the Humans turned Ponies did seem to become more open of mind. Old prejudices just became small and useless to them, old hatred became utterly pointless. They were realizing the fragments of their Will embedded into the conversion serum was having more of an effect than just red-flagging those who could potentially turn into problem Ponies. It was as if the process was allowing the humans that converted, to come to some kind of catharsis; a releasing of old negativity so they could walk into their new life unburdened.

        Richard decided to speak. "It sounds to me like this magic that has been dammed up is supposed to flow naturally through our world; and who knows, maybe through yours as well. I think the best course of action is to let it out slowly, and then let the chips fall where they may." He figured that anything wide-scale that'd need to be done to the Earth would need to be done, in part, using Earth-based Magic. The Princesses agreed, they knew that the current situation could not be solved by simply reinforcing the seal on Terran Magic.

President Aguillar still had her concerns though. "If the magic is released and becomes ambient in our world; while we might not have to fear mass radiation poisoning, eventually people will begin to tap into that power. We cannot know who would or when they'd do it. Eventually, if undesirable elements do, I am afraid that we might not be able to effectively combat them."

Princess Luna responded, "Unfortunately, We cannot offer any clear assurance that things will not get out of control. We can use the data we've gathered from our observations of the Conduits of Terra, combined with our Unicorn Corps direct assistance to find the best path forward. But, I'm afraid we will have to play this entire situation as it comes along."

Celestia made to conclude the meeting, feeling there was little left to discuss at the moment. "All we can assure you of, is that we will do all we can to ease this transition. Terran Magic was meant to be a part of this world, but not under these circumstances. We can tell this is something that can try the very fabric of your civilization due to its still unknown nature. However, we believe it must be done, for the alternative is far too dreadful to accept."

Everyone, Pony and Human alike were in concurrence. No one wanted to have to release this kind of power into the  hands of those that'd easily abuse it, but it was far better than letting it run wild, given the circumstances. It was with that sentiment that the meeting was adjourned.

As the video feed to the White House where the American, EU, and Japanese leaders were housed was cut, and the Bearers and the Conduits made their way back to the Dormitories to decompress,  Richard, the Doctors, and the Princesses decided to discuss some other matters amongst the five of them.

"Mr. Edwards, I would have expected one of my students to offer the suggestion first to let the magic flow controlled back into the Earth, not a human who had little previous knowledge of this matter," Luna said, intrigued by why this human would think to offer a solution that could easily result his total loss if things went badly.

Richard searched about in his mind for a response, he like a lot of people who just didn't blow off the Ponies as angels or demons, was intrigued by their magic. The thought that humans were sitting on top of their own magic generator was too much to ignore. "Quite frankly Princess Luna, it's just natural human curiosity. Also, I know firsthand the state of the world. It will take a power of this world to fix it. I do not pretend to know the exact means, but just call it intuition, more or less."

Luna thought about things for a few moments, and could not figure a counter-argument. "Indeed, Mr. Edwards. We may also need your engineers help in various matters. I have something I'd like to discuss with you and Dr. Jun as a joint project once this business is taken care of. How does a Magic-powered computer-like device strike you."

Richard Edwards was a man of great business sense, but he can tell this was more than someone just coming up with a flash-in-the-pan idea for a new product to sell. He could sense that a combination of Magic and modern human technology-based computer would be absolutely essential once Magic began flowing into Earth. "Princess Luna, you are truly a scholar and an inventive soul. I would be honored to work on this joint project."

Dr. Jun also recognized the same potential. "I too would be honored. I figure that in order to properly study and catalogue both types of Magic now, we will need a fairly robust analysis tool."

Luna smirked, she loved the inventiveness of humanity. They were scholars as much as they were warriors, and she loved to learn new methodologies as much as she loved to teach the ones she already knew. "Well then. Richard Edwards, Dr. Jun Isegawa, I believe this will be the start of yet another grand partnership."

The businessman-turned-philanthropist, Princess-turned-inventor, and Nanotechnician-still-nanotechnican went on for a while, bouncing some early forms of ideas off each other. Celestia and Dr. Hayato listened in, knowing full well that what Luna was planning was absolutely critical to ushering in the coming New Age for all involved.

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

[ Earth, March 19, 2081 ]

        It was the day of the March Equinox, Vernal for those in the Northern Hemisphere and Autumnal for whoever was left living in the Southern. Despite what the calendar said, the weather seemed not to care for the most part. If the calendar didn't say 'winter', then it was hot.  The four Conduits were pacing around the 'backyard' to the Isegawa's Laboratories, while Twilight constructed a Magical Array to help them try and communicate with the Robed Figure. They knew the Power they were about to potentially loose upon the world was one the world was not ready for, and probably would never be truly ready for. Yet, if they did not complete this task, that force was going to let itself loose, and not in a way pleasant for anyone.

        The base idea of the Array was simple: contact the Voice, get to wherever the seal was, undo the steal however they were told to do it, and come back. The six Elements of Harmony were to go with them to provide moral support at the very least, figuring what they were about to do could be very taxing on the mind. Twilight also had a very personal reason to go. She wanted to know why she has been constantly nagged by the thought that Equestrian Magic was somehow incomplete. Everything she read to that point, everything she was taught by the usual professors at the School for Gifted Unicorns all said the same thing - Equestrian Magic, especially Unicorn Explicit Magic, perfectly exemplified the concept of Will. The idea that if something was to be done, you had to direct things in that manner.

         The Earth Ponies willed the earth to produce the necessary plants and minerals for their society to thrive. The Pegasi willed the skies to produce the desired weather. The Unicorns willed the flow of Equestrian Mana in order to produce whatever desired other effect they could manage. Equestrian Magic, as a whole, seemed like it did everything they could want it to do; yet, it felt incomplete nonetheless. When she watched the performance that earned her four new friends their Cutie Marks, even though they were still learning in both realms of magic, it just seemed complete. She could remember the final display still - those four great beasts each manifested from nothing except a concentration of raw magical energy; leaving behind the magical skywriting in both Equestrian and English script when said beasts disappeared.

        The setup was now complete, and the 10 Bearers and Conduits stood in the Magical Array. The theory of contact was simple, the four Conduits were to simply activate their elements and try and call out to the Voice to ask them where they were to go to unseal the Magic and then if they could bring the Six Equestrian Bearers with them. The appointed hour came, all Six of the Equestrian Bearers charge the magical array, and the Four Terran Ponies began to hum and glow as they activated their Elements.

Blue Vague called out, "Mysterious Voice, we have heeded your calls and warnings. We believe ourselves to be prepared to carry out your request to unseal the Magic of this planet. However, we do not know the location of the Seal. We ask of you to show us the path to the Seal, and allow our new friends and the Bearers of the Elements of Harmony to accompany us in this task."

Things were silent for a few moments, then a voice responded to the ten Ponies arranged there. Conduits of the Elements of Terra. Bearers of the Elements of Harmony from the Other World. I have heard the request of the Conduit of Water. His request is granted and full, and you shall soon see the portal to the Realm of the Seal before you.

Soon all ten saw the Portal open up in the center of the array. All ten of them could feel the magic now supporting the array, finding it strange that it wasn't just the Unicorns that could sense it. They all had some trepidation before entering, not knowing what the Robed Figure had in store for them once they crossed over. Eventually, Pinkie Pie, figuring they went through all this trouble already, simply got up and walked through the Portal. Soon Midori Hana followed her, and then Blue Vague, and then everyone else one by one. The Princesses knew of the plan but were not present, yet still wished them all good tidings. They knew that should the Conduits of Terra be successful, both worlds would be changed forever.

        After travelling seemingly an infinity in an instant, all ten Ponies arrived at the destined place. It was a subspace not unlike the room that held the once endpoint of the Rainbow of Light in Equestria. However, while that room was a relative paradise, this everything but. It was a cave stretching into infinity; the floor was clean but rough looking, as if it was once polished stone left to grow rough and unkempt. As they walked and along the path the cave formed, until they came to a truly massive space. They saw five shrines, four relatively 'normal' sized for a human, none more than 8 ft tall; and one relatively huge, perfectly square-based step pyramid, each side 100 ft long, and the pyramid itself another 50 ft. tall. As they trotted around the pyramid, they noticed how the stone was just as old and unkempt looking, like sandstone worn down by millennia of weather. each side of the square-pyramid had steps, and all of them terminated near the base of the four ground-level shrines.

        The ten of them then walked around the shrine to each of the Terran Elements, with the Conduit of said element almost compulsively drawn to each of them. The stone face of each shrine was apparently once painted in their respective colors, but that paint was all chipped away or faded. There were also slots for gemstones, but most were empty, the gems having broken away long ago. The Shrine of Water had a fountain, but spray was pathetically weak, and the pool formed by said fountain had water that was fetid and entirely undrinkable.

This is just sad... it's like no one has cleaned this thing in forever...

The Shrine of Earth had a crumbling stone, with greenish-brown vines all over. The stone looked like it could crumble to sand at any minute, and the mostly brown vines were apparently nearly dead, if not dead already.

Why has this never been changed... these vines are pretty much dead, and this stone is the rock-equivalent of near-death as well...

The Shrine of Wind looked more like someone had sprung a leak in a gas mane, they could even see the discoloration in the weakly whirling ball of air.

*cough* This is just brutal, even the Shrine of Wind itself looks like a gas mane with a hole in it...

The Shrine of Fire burned, but it burned weakly, and the fire was dim and barely gave off any heat at all.

It's an insult to fire itself to say that this is the Shrine of Fire...

        Everyone began to walk up the steps, eventually coming to rest at the built up top of the step-pyramid. They then saw the formerly ornate Seal of Terran Mana, now more resembling a giant stone cork. Said stone cork was visibly crumbling, and everypony could feel the roiling mana underneath just waiting to get out.

"So you have come, Conduits of the Elements of Terra, and Bearers of the Elements of Harmony from the Other World..."

All ten could hear the voice out loud now; whatever was speaking to them was here. They scanned the walls and ceiling of the caves, trying to see what was actually speaking to them. Rarity turned around and spotted what looked like a throne or some such, but what she saw in full shocked her sense of aesthetics to the core.

"Oh my goodness, how utterly dreadful!" Rarity yelped, her voice giving away the sudden shock she felt at what sat before them all.

The other nine Ponies soon shared Rarity's shock as they all found the 'robed' figure. Said figure was a titanic being, easily over 100 ft tall; although, sitting at quite a distance as to not tower over them. The figure seemed feminine, and incredibly ancient. Her hair was white and unkempt, her skin ashen gray and incredibly wrinkled. Her robes were tattered, all the colors that represented the Four Elements were terribly faded, almost gray in their own right. But what most shocked everypony was her face. Her eyes were pale and somewhat glossed over, and her countenance was that of one who seemed like she has been in grief for an incredibly long time. There was such an incredible, oppressive sense of forlorn and sadness in her, that it made every single of them there shake in nervousness.

The ashen figure then began to speak. "I am truly sorry anyone from this, or another world has to see me in this condition, but it truly cannot be helped. I am but a representation of the state of the World itself, after all."

        Blue Vague was still dumbfounded by what he saw, his mind struggling to make sense of the condition of the shrine and the figure sitting before him, looking all the world like someone resigned to a slow, terrible death.

I can feel that power within myself, can't I? So why is everything around here so weak, so feeble... It's as if everything around me is dying and decaying; this whole pace just reeks of death. This has to be some kind test right, just some kid of ruse... right? No... this is the truth, the real condition of everything... I remember my trips to the Gulf, looking out at that once beautiful and blue ocean; now dark, poisoned, and nearly lifeless. It's dying... my element is dying... and this world with it...

Midori Hana felt the pain this entity was feeling. Pain not only of the current condition of her planet, but what had to have been happening all of these millennia to lead to this.

I can feel her hurting, hurting so much. Like she's been in pain for a time longer than any society has existed. I can feel that pain as I feel the earth growing more and more fallow, the plants struggling and failing to grow anywhere except inside the Domes. Even then, they are starting to struggle now. Soon this world won't be able to support any kind of life except for what can live off what the machines produce... if those machines even exist going forward...

Golden Storm saw the anguish in her face and heard it in her voice. It was making him sick to his stomach, much like the air outside on a bad day outside of the Domes.

This is, this is just horrible. She looks like a mother that is or has lost everything. Now I can see why... the air itself feels like poison outside. I've only been gone for four months, but I must have been used to it growing up. Who knows what it was doing to my body. All of those people have to live in that air, and the weather is going more and more wild too. It's either slowly choke to death on that poison, or get wrecked by a sudden storm. Humanity can't survive like that, it just can't...

Red Blaze could see why this great being would be forlorn, the Fire of Life was flickering now, while the dark flames of death were beginning to blaze out of control.

Those flames are so weak, like everyone's will to continue. Meanwhile the black flames are growing stronger. The flames of destruction, the flames of death, the flames of war.... If this continues, that bright flame of life is going to go out completely, and this world is going to be consumed by those black flames. I got to stop it... I can't see this world destroyed when we just started to figure this Power out...

The Will to continue on was fading in the world. Like a person that had been mortally wounded and was bleeding, it was running out of the strength to call for help, only to collapse and eventually succumb entirely to their wound.

        All Six of the Equestrian Bearers could see the lack of Harmony in her face, friendships broken, laughter ringing hollow, generosity replaced by greed, the lies wearing her mind down, the kindness being replaced with a cruelty or apathy, and loyalty broken like it was nothing. This figure wasn't like Discord, a being that seemed to be the living antithesis of the Elements of Harmony. She was like a Pony who was 'touched' by Discord's antics, and then left to suffer year after year, decade after decade.

        She raised herself from her seated position to stand, the pain obvious in her motions. She coughed briefly, and then began to speak, "I am the Will of this Planet, the Will of Earth itself. I am the guardian of the source of all Magic of this planet, upon which you all stand. Before you commence the Ceremony Of Unsealing, I permit you let me speak my story, it may answer questions you all have about why I have contacted you the way I did, and why I put you, four Conduits of the Elements of Terra through the trials that I have so far."

All ten Ponies sat on the cushions she conjured up. It was like a group of children sitting before one's grandmother, ready to hear a nice story of that woman's youth, or some fairy tale out of a book. This tale however, was of a great tragedy that befell the two worlds, hopefully the ending of which was still to be written.

        The ancient figure continued to speak when she made her audience as comfortable as she could manage. "Good, then I shall begin. Long ago, magic flourished in this world, and it was relatively at peace. In ancient times, a hundred millennia or so ago I believe, the Other World and this one were linked by a bridge made of the most pure and glorious magic ever seen. It would allow the Children of this World to cross-over and mingle with the Children of the Other World and return. This period saw the great civilizations across the world, civilizations that all practiced various forms of Magic, and technologies that could implement said magic when direct invocation was unnecessary. It was a glorious time, the Ancient Ponies of the Other World would show my children how to will one's environment to suit our people's needs; and the Ancient Humans of this world would show their children how to invoke the power necessary to shape things as one saw fit.

        "Power and Will, Will and Power, these things exist in tandem. Each aspect by itself only results in incomplete Magic. Without Power, Will becomes idle hope and a struggle to make even the most basic of changes in one's environment. Without Will, Power becomes mindless aggression, even the most basic of changes can easily run wild and cause widespread destruction. The Ancient Ponies and Humans, although powerful, were not omniscient, nor were they immune to the same negative impulses that plague all sentient beings. Eventually the Ponies began to believe that pure will would beget any change they needed. If they hoped hard enough, then whatever they wanted to have happen would happen. The Humans believed if they applied enough Power, any problem that needed solving would be solved. Eventually this led to a falling out. The Humans continued to use the weather control abilities taught to them by the Ponies, but these abilities became warped. They applied too much Power, and a massive strain was being generated in the flow of mana. The Ponies, seeing Humanity as foolish for following the Path of Power instead of the Path of Will, continued to isolate themselves on the other side of the bridge. The relationship, that beautiful relationship between the two worlds, had now grown cold, so very, very cold.

        "I could no longer communicate with the Will of Equestria, my once great friend was slowly becoming a memory. The Ancient Ponies had effectively closed themselves off to most human contact by then, believing them all fools. The Ancient Humans did not see this as a problem, though; if the Ponies did not want interact with them, they would not force them to. They figured that the Ponies would surely see the error of their ways and reopen dialogue with them. And so the great twin civilizations grew separate. Eventually, a grave calamity befall the Ancient Civilizations.

        "I can still remember their names: Egypt, Atlantis, Mu, Inca, Maya... there were so many, so many people, and I could not help them. Why you ask? The Ancient Humans had used so much Power, it began to leech freely into the Earth. Everything was thick with it, the buildings, the air, everything non-living was so heavy with mana. Then the Cataclysm came - the Bridge to the Other World had been shattered entirely. The astral shockwave this caused triggered a massive chain reaction on Earth. All of the ancient civilizations began suffering massive disasters due to the mana reacting to the shockwave. Building and homes were exploding, fires consumed, storms raged, seas roiled, the ground quaked. Hellish beasts, straight out of the nightmares of my children began to rise. It was a disaster, and it was quickly becoming an apocalypse. There was nothing I could do at that point except draw out the un-reacted mana in the world back into this shrine and seal everything. This process took a long time, decades, and could not be stopped. Eventually after a century, the disasters calmed enough and the beasts faded from existence enough to where the Ancient Civilizations could think to rebuild. There was a problem though.

        "As far as Magic was concerned... I refused to help them, and it would take millennia before I could even begin to trust the Humans again with this power. But these civilizations did not have millennia. The lack of ability to control the weather and the loss of the written knowledge meant they were now at the mercy of the Glacial Period they lived through. Magic had artificially prevented the ice and winds from causing catastrophic failures of agriculture, but now the environment would have its way with them. They became nomadic, forever having to move and hunt and do anything to survive. There was no time for them to sit and think, for them to build up the knowledge base to contact me. Their induced ignorance and my anger at them forced humanity to develop differently."

        "I will not bore you reciting the full history of Mankind since then. But it was full of war, cruelty, attrition. However that is what it took to survive in this magic-less world. The world had become cutthroat after the Age of Ice, and mankind had become cutthroat to match it, as if said Age of Ice froze their hearts collectively. Eventually strictly magic-less technology allowed mankind to thrive, at least population wise. Yet I, it's collective soul, was starting to degrade. The longer humanity developed along this path, the more I degraded, and their ability to recognize and manipulate mana faded. Eventually mankind, save a few, simply lost its sense for magic entirely, yet they did not lose their desire to manipulate the forces behind the world. This is what begat the Sciences. Mankind still had an imagination for magic, but no ability to use it anymore, so it had to effectively create it for itself. This would have been fine, Humanity could have developed these sciences to the point where they would begin to re-discover magic, and by extension myself, on their own. However, the tools and ideas created by this science became warped in their purpose - fulfilling the greed and blood thirst a few in particular, instead of human development in general.

        "Despite my anger at these developments, I do not blame humanity as a whole for this. The blame lies with a select subset who think themselves new gods, those who thought they had achieved the pinnacle and there was nothing left to do but exploit what the Earth had to offer it. Imagination was being quashed, development being squandered; humanity had begun to legitimately create a second magic, and its ability to be used was wasted not by the need to prevent an apocalypse, but by the selfishness of a few humans. The spark of Will for Magic that had been re-ignited, was quickly being put out again by over-active and blind Power. Those developments have done nothing but accelerate my decline, to the degree you now find me. I've become sick with grief. I was watching humanity slowly kill flora and fauna, crack the earth, poison the air and water, and leave the fires unattended to burn out. I was despondent, and now I could feel the very will to live in this damned world beginning to seep out of the population. Once the Will to Live is gone, there would be no future; Humankind would implode and I along with it, be it slowly and quietly, or loud and violently.

        "When I reached the zenith of my despair, I felt something I had not felt in eons - contact from the Other World. Then specifically felt the Will of the Other World, a being I had not contacted in eons, now in the form of your Princesses. I did not question why the Will of Equestria, as you all refer to that world, was now in physical form, but I was desperate to contact it. Eventually I did, and I learned of their plan. I knew what it could mean for my world and the magic I kept bottled up here, yet when I fully took their measure, I was greatly disappointed. Their magic had grown incomplete, the Other World had gone so far down the Path of Will, Power had become almost vestigial. Therefore, I was left with one last trump card, one final gamble for my own legacy to be preserved. When I learned of the plan to alter the form of my Children into their Children, I knew that it would re-ignite the Will within them. The gamble was embedding a Spark of Power to match that Spark of Will. When I spoke to the four of you, Conduits of Terra, I did not lie when I said that should you have accepted my trial and failed, your soul would have been annihilated. That was the gamble, I had to hope that whoever the sparks found would have enough will to survive to fight through their own trauma and the world's trauma, in order to grasp Power. Judging from your performance in the Other World, you all have truly begun to grasp Power; and I must say, it was truly impressive. For the first time, I can honestly feel that my legacy will be preserved. Not only that, but you have begun to inspire the desire for true Power in those you have interacted with - the is the Power to truly make their Will reality.

"Even as you all begin to walk the path to realizing the true harmony of Will and Power in earnest, my own power grows ever more weak. My ability to restrain the mana that would flood this world is nearly at its limit. If it were to fail without being properly released, the Cataclysm that almost ended humanity instead of just the Ancient Civilizations, will be revisited; and this time, I will have no way to stop it."

        The ten members of the audience took some time to begin digesting this tale. The wheels were turning so fast in Twilight's, it was amazing smoke wasn't pouring from her ears due to the friction.

Fluttershy, however was the first to ask a question of the gigantic goddess(?). "Excuse me, Will of the Earth. But I was wondering --  you love Humanity very much, even if you were left in no position to help it directly. So, why would you allow us to turn them into Ponies?"

Will of the Earth contemplated this question. It was indeed a good one, and one a good many humans were asking in a different form. She then formulated her answer and gave it. "Bearer of the Element of Kindness from the Other World. The answer is simple: Time. There is precious little time before this world enters a death spiral. I cannot ascertain when exactly it will happen, but in order for this world to be renewed, Will must be combined with Power. I believe the Element of Magic of the Other World can tell you why this is the most elegant solution."

Twilight realized that the Will of the Earth had figured out what she was thinking. The story she just told all but confirmed her suspicions and theories. Twilight then began to address them all. "The Will of the Earth is correct in saying I have a theory regarding this world's magic. There was a reason why the ten of us have formed such a close-knit group in such a short time. That is because we represent the Complete Form of Magic, the magic that the Earth's Will was speaking of was what the Ancients once possessed. I figured the Princesses knew this too, that is why Blue Vague and his group were specifically moved to Equestria, and we were charged to teach them Equestrian Magic first. Terran Magic is highly instinctive, while Equestrian Magic has to be rigorously taught. They were able to pull off those impressive displays without anyone having to teach them the Terran side of the Equation. However, if they had attempted that when they first arrived..."

Blue Vague then spoke up to finish the sentence, "... that display would have quickly gone completely out of control. I remember the flood I caused and the air-burst Golden Storm caused trying to use Terran Magic without knowing how to use Magic at all. That was just us subconsciously drawing out that Power. If any of us had consciously tried to do it during our performance, it would have been chaos."

Rarity continued along those lines, "But then that poses a problem - once you all un-seal this magic, wouldn't that just be introducing more chaos to this world that can hardly handle anymore strain as it stands?"

Golden Storm realized what this was, a Morton's Fork. Neither option was very good given the state of the world, "Rarity, I don't like this any more than you, but we really don't have any other options. If we let this powder keg blow by itself, it could wreck what's left of society and end the lives of billions. Remember, despite how bad things are, there are still roughly 9.5 billion humans managing to survive to this point."

Rainbow Dash saw what Golden Storm was saying, and didn't like the implications. "A choice between Organized Chaos and Absolute Chaos. Not much of choice is it?"

Red Blaze answered. "No, it isn't. And we can't exactly just pave the current seal over, because the power we need to fix the damage this planet has incurred, is something we're most likely literally sitting on top of."

Pinkie Pie suddenly had a flash. "Oh so that means that this big, thing we're sitting on, listening to Grandma Earth-Will is the seal itself?"

Midori Hana more or less concurred. "Not exactly. This pyramid is more like the font of the mana. That thing that looks like a big cork now is the actual seal, I'd guess. I can feel an incredible power just... here... like this whole place is a cave sitting above a giant aquifer. Except it's mana and not water we're sitting on top of."

Applejack chuckled as she thought about it out loud. "Knowin' our luck this whole dang thing is one giant spigot, and y'all the dial supposed to open it."

        Twilight was still concerned though from the talk a few days ago. Everyone involved was worried that letting loose that kind of power to a population not ready to handle it could easily result in rampant abuse. Yet, she knew that only the combined Terran and Equestrian Magic could repair this planet. "Before we let the Terran Bearers do their work. I have one more question to ask you. What would be the consequences if the Equestrian Ponies were to attempt fixing this world without releasing Terran Magic first?"

The great figure contemplated this for a few minutes, she then came to her answer. "I am afraid the result would not be pleasant. Your Mana, due to the lack of exposure over these tens of thousands of years, is now like poison to my Children. The sheer amount that would be necessary to truly repair this world would result in rampant die-offs of Humans. If the safe, lower-grade magic, like you use around them now, was all that you engaged in, it would take decades to complete the task, decades Humanity does not have." All ten did not like hearing this answer, but in some way knew it was true. Time was their enemy right now.

Blue Vague then stood up, he had come to a decision on the course of action, "I'm afraid we are truly left with no other choice. We have to release this mana and hope we can deal with the aftermath. It seems to be the only legitimate option we have in order to repair Earth before it is too late."

        The Four Terran Ponies then arranged themselves in the center of each side of the temple, aligned with their respective shrines on the ground.. The Six Equestrian Ponies all arranged themselves between the Four Terran Ponies, a pair to each gap except the one directly facing the aging Will of the Earth.

Said Will then began to speak. "The process of release is simple. First, you must break the seal to allow the mana to flow out from the center fountain. Then you must direct that mana through the Four Shrines so that it may be useable once you return to the surface. Due to the fact the Bearers of the Other World had re-established the Bridge in a different form, my mana will be able to flow backwards into that world. The last warning I offer you all, before you begin, is this: do not believe that the manifestations of my Magic are simply limited to Four Elements that account for the Symbols you all see. There are many forms of Power, forms only limited by the Imagination."

All ten of them wondered what this warning meant exactly, but they would hopefully have time later to figure it out. The four Conduits then set to work. Each one of them began to activate their element, all of them glowing hotly in the colors of their respective elements now.

        The entire shrine began to rumble. The sealed, somewhat leaking mana was beginning to respond to the calling of the Terran Bearers, the physical seal on top of the fountain was beginning to disintegrate.

There is no turning back now, for us, for them, for either world. A New Age is about to begin, and we have to do everything we can to make it a positive one... All four the Conduits of Terra thought to themselves.

Soon a pure white fountain erupted from the seal. Applejack was right in her hunch, they were standing on the proverbial spigot of Terran Mana itself. All Six of the Equestrian Ponies felt a sudden spike in their Magical strength. They were being exposed to raw Power in the form of Terran Magic in its purest form, something no Pony felt directly since the ancient times the Will of the Earth spoke of.

A New Age is coming, I just hope we can all handle the change... All six of the Bearers of Harmony thought to themselves.

The Four Terran Ponies then began to will the mana into the Four Shrines, and were feeling a strange sensation while doing such. They ceased feeling like they were the living funnels of Terran Magic, and now were more its conductor. They have gone from having to channel the mana directly through their bodies all the time, to manipulating what was ambient in the environment. Just like they did in Equestria... in fact, EXACTLY like they did in Equestria.

"This... this is the nature of Will and Power. A great force being smoothly directed to accomplish a specific task. No brute forcing on either side. Smooth, elegant, like a grand dance.", Rarity shouted over the rumbling.

Magic in itself was an art in her eyes, and both sides, since the falling out, were practicing an incomplete version of it. Like they had two halves of a choreography, and neither could figure out the missing half, so they began ad-libbing the entire thing. The Four Conduits of Terra also realized this, and therefore began to improvise a performance. Soon, they all pictured themselves grabbing hold of the liquid mana and directing it to flow straight into the Four Shrines, as if they were hooking up a water-line to a faucet. Lo and behold, that is exactly what began to happen.

        The giant geyser of mana began to reduce to a normal looking fountain, the mana rushing down the sides of the pyramid, past the ten Ponies, and across the shrines. The Four Shrines then began to show a rejuvenation. The Water Shrine began to glow blue, the water clearing, and gushing forth as pure as any could imagine. The Wind Shrine glowed yellow, and the poison gas was cleared, the cloud now clean and sterile. The Fire Shrine glowed red, the flames re-igniting into a healthy, bright red and orange flame. The Earth Shrine glowed green, the stone edifice becoming polished again, the vines growing green again and even starting to sprout a few flowers. This re-direction of mana was greatly exhausting the Conduits of Terra though, their bodies and minds straining to push the mana into the proper places. Eventually, all four of them stopped glowing; their Medallions flashing like they were all blinking lights, themselves passing out under the strain incurred.

"Oh no is something wrong?! Vague, Storm, Blaze, Hana?", Twilight Sparkle shouted started to go into a panic.

"Do not worry Child, they are fine. In fact, when they re-awaken, you will all be more than fine. Their job has been successfully completed. The Stage has been properly set now for the great drama to unfold. The ultimate fate of the Earth hangs in the balance, can you all save the Earth from its destruction, or will those blind to greed and hate damn it to oblivion?" the Will of the Earth responded.

She then gave the Six Equestrian Ponies a final admonition before sending them back to the surface from where they came. "Your Elements of Harmony have already manifested here, they respond to the Power being re-awakened, listen to them. For Power is instinct, an instinct that has to be guided and tempered by a powerful Will, lest that Power run wild and uncontrolled. You will soon begin to sense that Power manifesting in yourselves just as the Four Conduits have. Do not resist that instinct to seek Power, but do not blindly follow it either. Mold and bend it to your Will, just as those four have already begun to do."

        The Six Elements of Harmony had indeed taken physical form, all of them glowing softly while the Elements of Terran Magic now glowed softly as well. It was like ten friends who not seen each other in ages all were taking time to commiserate and get caught up on lost times, tens of thousands of years worth of lost time. The Six Bearers of Harmony then briefly saw a vision produced by the Elements of Terra.

We are the manifestations of the burgeoning Will and Power of the Four Conduits of Terra. We want to say... do not fear us, and do not fear our Power. For that Power resides in all those who seek and learn magic, regardless of species. Look into your own heart, and you will see it there. When the time comes, our group shall grow to ten, to match your ten. Now, The New Age will begin to be forged. Only those that have the strongest of Wills and the mightiest of Powers can forge the New Age for all. Steel yourselves, and gather your allies, for this great struggle shall soon commence...

Twilight Sparkle was still deep in thought after the vision stopped, the tiara with her Element of Magic sitting on her head still softly humming away.

Will without Power is just idle hope. Perhaps the hope that some solution that could be found without angering anyone. Power without Will is mindless aggression. Perhaps the thought that Earth's problems could just be browbeaten into submission. When the two are joined, a New Age will be forged. Hopefully, an age where we all can live together, regardless of whatever form we may assume.

She let out a heavy sigh and returned to the edge of the now gentle fountain of Earth's Mana. It was like ethereal water constantly pouring up and out. It flowed down into the Shrines naturally now, channels had been formed in the great temple that fed directly into them. The Will of the Earth, her voice beginning to grow a bit stronger now, rose to send them back to the Earth's surface with one last statement: "Remember, Conduits of Terra and Bearers of Harmony - Power and Will must always be joined, lest Magic remain incomplete. I know some of the humans will greatly abuse the Power that has been released, but you must not let that distract you from, or prevent you from reaching your goal. Go, save my Children and my Planet! Save them from the great black maw of Death!"

        A few moments later, all ten Ponies were back on the surface of the Earth, back on the now inactive and fading Magical Array they started the afternoon on. The Princesses were there with the Doctors Isegawa.

"So my little Ponies, how are you all feeling this evening?" Princess Celestia said, a wide grin on her face.

Blue Vague finally came to, and answered his Princess. "I feel like I just ran a hundred marathons back to back. Other than that, well, as well as you can expect after doing all that."

Soon the rest of the Conduits of Terra came to as well. They spent the next few minutes going over everything the Will Of The Earth told them all.

"Quite an amazing story, although I cannot confirm that myself and my Sister are who she claims we are. Maybe we are in part though," Princess Luna said, as she thought about the idea of being a physical incarnation of Equestria's will.

"In any case, it certainly does explain a lot, and may have some hints for how to proceed in this unknown future," Princess Celestia added, nodding sagely.

As they continued the talk, they saw the sky go completely black, with no stars or anything in the sky.

"Ok Princess Luna, I'm just going to assume you aren't doing that since your sky is more an indigo or midnight blue color anyway," Golden Storm said, becoming mildly disoriented by the featureless, black sky.

Everyone rushed inside to look at the holographic television to check to see if the news reports were saying anything about it. Indeed, all over the world, the sky had suddenly turned black as pitch, and not a cloud, star, or heavenly body was to be found. Then they all heard what sounded like a massive sonic boom. As four lines of color streaked over the sky, all of them in exactly the same hue as the Elements of Terra. Each streak soon exploded into fireworks of all manners and colors, showering the whole of the Earth in rainbow colored sparks.

"Well, I guess this is the Will Of The Earth's way of saying that Terran Magic is up for grabs again, although I wonder how many out there know it..." Blue Vague said, chuckling at the simple yet highly impressive display.

"Wow, they look really pretty up close," Pinkie Pie said, muzzle pressed against the window watching the sparks land everywhere she could see.

Their reverie was broken by very loud screaming and a crash outside as the sparks faded and the sky returned to its normal color and feature-set.

"That sounded like Spike," both Rarity and Twilight shouted, as they bolted for the dormitory's main door.

What everyone saw when they finally got outside shocked them all. Spike was thrashing about, his skin covered in runes of each of the four Terran Magic colors. His screaming was visceral and painful to hear, as if every nerve in his body was being fired at once.

"IT HURTS... WHY DOES IT HURT SO MUCH!!" Spike yelled, voice distorted by something.

"I don't know, I can't even tell what's going on!" Twilight yelled back, becoming distraught at the pain her assistant and something of an adoptive little brother was in.

"Sister, it can't be..." Princess Celestia said, starting to figure out what was going on.

Luna looked on with grave concern. "I'm afraid it is, he's undergoing flash puberty. All that magical force being unleashed back into the world is triggering a reaction in him."

"I NEED MORE... MORE POWER... MORE EVERYTHING... NEED... MORE!" Spike bellowed, mind subsumed by the incredible impulse he was under, eyes glowing and nearly totally blank. His body was also growing, but not as fast as it was during his first greed-induced growth spurt. His skin though, continued to glow as more runes appeared.

"Spike, please... stop!" Rarity yelled as she rushed out to meet him.

"RARITY... NEED... WANT... NE..." Spike began to stammer, his mind coming back to some level of comprehension. The runes began to fade... but he was soon under immense physical strain again.

"IT HURTS... EVERYTHING HURTS... BUT I CAN'T STOP IT... I..." he yelled, as he trashed around, his eyes returning to their normal green, but looking sharper. His body was morphing into a more balanced masculine physique, as he stood at about 5 feet tall, and his tail stretched another 2.5 ft. behind him.

"You can't stop this Spike, your body is undergoing a natural growth spurt. Even though your mind has stopped trying to consume the magic around you, your body is still responding to it. You have to endure this... this is nothing any of us can stop," Celestia said sternly, trying to calm the Dragon down.

Spike was kneeling on the ground now, still writhing in pain. The runes had faded entirely, as he stopped subconsciously trying to pull Terran Magic into his body, but it was still growing and morphing, and his voice had definitely changed, now sounding more like someone in his late teens. Eventually, his body calmed down enough to where he began to stand back up.

"Wha... wha happened. My voice? Why is my voice so much lower... and why am I nearly as tall as Princess Celestia and Luna?" Spike said, more than startled by the change in himself suddenly.

"First, let's get you back inside, dear Spike. Then we can sort out what to do," Twilight Sparkle said, also stunned that Spike would now seem like her adoptive older brother, as least going by size.

        A short while later, as Spike continued checking himself out in the mirror, the Princesses were explaining to everyone else, to the best of their reasoning, what had just happened.

"Dear Spike has just undergone what roughly only 15% of Dragons undergo, known as Flash Puberty. Apparently, when certain Dragon whelps are exposed to strong enough magic, they will undergo a sudden transformation into a stable older form," Princess Luna stated, also looking Spike over for any evidence of him growing wings.

"So, that's why he didn't shrink when he came to like the last time... also it was far easier to snap him out of his greed impulse than it was the last time. We had to struggle to do that much," Rarity thought as she reminisced un-fondly about that experience with a greed-consumed Spike.

"Well, older Dragons don't become as consumed with their greed as younger ones obviously. Plus, we caught Spike early in the cycle this time," Luna responded as she thought about the incident from the second hand reports.

"Alright, so does that mean I qualify as an older Dragon, or a late teenage Dragon... or what exactly?" Spike said; stretching his limbs out trying to get used to operating in his now larger frame.

"I am unsure of the protocol regarding this honestly. As you know, the Dragons really do not like talking at all about their cultural practices. In fact... this gives me a very good idea," Princess Celestia said, already beginning to pace a bit trying to settle on a final formulation.

I'm not sure I like the sound of that... Spike thought to himself, even sounding older to himself in his own head now.

Celestia then stopped once she came to a final draft of her idea. "Dear Spike, I believe this is a golden opportunity for both yourself and Equestria in general. For the last seven months, I have been trying to open dialogue with the Dragon Elders at Krarrak-za-Jalve, the main city-state of the Dragon Nomads."

Luna blanched at the reminder of that place, mostly because the area surrounding it was a fairly boring desert and steppe.

Celestia continued, "Anyway, I would think they would take great interest in a former whelp that underwent Flash Puberty, on a completely different planet, due to a mostly unknown Magic."

Spike sighed as he could follow this train of thought. "Let me guess, you want me to go all the way out into the badlands, to Karrak-za-Jalve, and see if I can get any kind of audience with them. Seeing as I would probably need to find some-Dragon to help me learn this body, I guess I might as well."

"Oh good then, I'll draw up the official paperwork and we'll get you all set to go on your way!" Celestia said, wide grin across her face much like earlier.

"Woah woah, Princess Celestia. Can I at least say 'See ya later' to everyone first?" Spike asked, raising his hands up defensively.

Hrm, he's even starting to develop an attitude like someone near adult-hood... Celestia thought to herself, giggling a bit on the inside.

        "So are you sure you are gonna be okay? I mean you just got that body and everything, I... I wouldn't know what to do if something happened to you while you were out there..." Twilight said, pleading a bit with her assistant a bit.

"You know this is something I'm going to have to do eventually. At least this way I can go figure out what being a Dragon is from someone that'd actually give me real answers. And, I guess if I come as an envoy of Equestria, I can get them to at least talk to the Princesses as well," Spike replied, as he knelt down to hug Twilight gingerly, not wanting to accidentally hurt her with some unknown strength.

"Well, just know that we're pulling for ya, man," Blue Vague added, hopeful that it wouldn't be too long until he saw Spike again.

"You know, this is kinda hard for me. I mean, not a few hours ago you were little Spikey-wikey. Now, well I guess I can't call you that anymore, can I?" Rarity said, hoping to create another touching moment.

Spike's expression went completely flat as Rainbow Dash and Golden Storm giggled at the pet name.

"Not to leave on a bad note... but I thought we agreed that you wouldn't call me that in front of anyone else?" Spike said, as he looked at Rarity with some exasperation.

"Dear Spike, I thought you would have appreciated me giving you a pet name," Rarity replied with a snide expression on her face.

Spike made to argue the point, but thought better of it. With that, the Princesses and Spike all disappeared back across the New Light Bridge towards Canterlot. Spike had his long journey to prepare for, as did everyone else on a Earth that would slowly learn that Ponies wouldn't be the only bearers of super-natural power.

CH 26: Recalibration

Chapter 24: Breakdown

=== The Conversion Bureau: A New Age, A New Life ====== Chapter 24: Breakdown ===

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

[ San Francisco, U.S.A-- July 9, 2081 @ 8:45 PM PST ]

"Yeah man, I'll be right over..." a young man, probably no older than 25, said over a comlink, after which taking his black helmet off.

"So, you must be with the Society For the Preservation of Humanity, yes?" said a strange teal-haired woman. Strange hair colors were really not uncommon these days - one of the many ways that those both inside and out of the Domes tried to express their uniqueness and individuality. However, something was... a bit off about this woman's hair. It was as if she was born with that teal hair, so incredibly natural -- definitely couldn't have been just simple dye.

"Well, hello there pretty mamma. Going with the retro hippie look? I like it... I like it a lot," the SPH soldier replied, suddenly drawn to the strange, yet drop-dead gorgeous woman.

Ample bust, round hips, legs to die for, fresh and expressive face, and a voice that just called out to any able bodied male like a Siren of myth. She was everything any male could want in a woman. She was a bad momma, and she knew it, all too well. "Well, seeing as you've already got the government to fold to your organization, I wonder why you'd still be in uniform. I think you would look so much better out of it♥."

He was instantly drawn to her. The tie dye shirt showing off her ample cleavage. The jet black, tight fitting pants showing anyone who'd turn and look exactly what she was working with. But what pulled him in the most, were her eyes. They just seemed to... glow a luminescent emerald green in the twilight of post-Sunset.

"To be honest miss, I was going to going to get back to base. We are starting our second phase of sweeping operations tomorrow. The colluding governments were first, those damn Ponies are next. Either they leave the Earth... or they'll be buried in it."

The woman just tsked as she draped her arms over the ostensibly big and strong soldier. "Now why would you go and do a silly thing like that? I know a far better use for your time♥." A quick kiss on the lips was all she needed to seal the deal.

"Yes... yes, that would be a far better use of my time..." the young man said with a sudden pall over his voice, eyes locking in on the woman; he was now completely in her thrall.

"I'm so glad we could come to an agreement... now, just follow me so we can have some... hehe... privacy♥."

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

[ Safe Haven-- July 10, 2081 @ 7:30 AM PST ]

        A quiet grave with a small headstone and an assortment of flowers -- the final resting place for Capt. Tyler Johnson. A somber mood still hung over Safe Haven, as the humans began to settle in to their new homes in the dormitory section. The Bearers of Harmony and the Conduits of Terra also began to settle into their rooms, far larger than at the Isegawa Complex. None could really appreciate the craftsmanship that went into the basic construction, nor were they in any frame of mind to develop how they were going to decorate each room to their personal liking. So it stood, each room was rather simply adorned for the time being.

Blue Vague hardly left his room, even more withdrawn than he was the last couple of weeks at the Isegawa Complex. What disturbed his friends, especially Midori Hana, the most was the fact that he hardly spoke since that night he watched Tyler pass on in front of him. Whenever he did, he spoke in a dreary monotone, as if is his soul had been ripped out.

So there he lay in his bed, covers the same electric blue as his fur. The false waterfall droning on, intended to bring some comfort to his tortured, broken soul.

It's not fair... why did he have to die... why did anyone have to die... no one was supposed to die...

The death and destruction wrought in the last month had thrown him in a pit of despair so deep, he felt he'd never re-emerge from it.

So much death...

So much destruction...

All for what?

Another trinket... another bauble... for power?

Is this what humans will always do with power?

And it's not just now...

Has it always been this way?

Will humans always kill for power?

Will they always strangle their own just to get or stay ahead?

If so... what is the point?

Why save them?

Why save a species that would do this?

Why indeed...

Wouldn't it be better, just to start from scratch?

Surely the others must have thought about this as well...

Wouldn't it be better, to return everything to Zero?

Return everything to Zero...

Return everything to Zero...

He rolled out of the bed, and began to trot out of the room.

I should at least get something to eat... food is good...

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

[ San Francisco, U.S.A-- July 10, 2081 @ 9:15 AM PST ]

"Now wasn't that a far better use of your time ♥."

"Yes..."

"And don't you want so much more~"

"Yes..."

"Oh that's a very good answer~ because I want so much more... I want it ALL! I want every... last... drop!"

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

[ Safe Haven-- July 10, 2081 @ 12:30 AM PST ]

        The Bearers of Harmony and Conduits of Terra (Vague included) were in a media room watching more news reports stream in from across the globe. They all were showing the same thing, black armored vans with the SPH insignia were massing near the Bureaus, which were now only being defended by whatever was left of the militaries and Royal Guard Unicorn units. They were mostly left to themselves: none of the Humans wanted to watch their former coworkers effectively under siege, and none of the other Ponies had enough free time to even bother at the moment. Blue Vague was the only one not in the larger cluster watching the screens; instead content to just stare at the video wall, monotonously munching away at a container filled with plain hay.

"You know, I don't like to talk bad about Ponies while I'm sitting in front of them. But Vague is starting to scare me, seriously..." Rainbow Dash said.

Midori Hana agreed, looking on with grave concern at her coltfriend. "To be honest... he's scaring me too. He's never been this silent before, especially while watching the news."

"I've heard of being 'blue', but Vague just seems... blank..." Pinkie Pie said, as she waved a hoof in order to try and break his stare, to no avail.

Golden Storm sat next to him and took a bit of Vague's hay, to see if he could get him to react. The lack of any response just further confused and disturbed everyone. "I would like to say that him being with us is a good sign... but it's really hard given his behavior, or lack of it."

Everyone went back to the cluster and continued on with their watching, making sure that Vague didn't get up to wander off anywhere unattended in his state.

        After some time, an interview of particular interest seemed to be starting from St. Louis, so Twilight pressed a reinforced control pad in order to focus in on that interview.

"And here we are, with some SPH soldiers, who agreed to speak to us. Ma'am, you said you were a middle-aged couple living in Atlanta when you heard the initial messages of the SPH. Care to elaborate what drove you to join."

The mention of 'Atlanta' perked Blue Vague's attention in particular, now showing the first visible signs of emotion in a few days. A fact that was not lost on Twilight, whose attention was now divided between the speaker on the projector and Vague's disturbing reaction to her.

"Yes. I joined the SPH because I believed the threat of the Ponies was so great, that myself and my husband had to take up arms against them." A female voice started speaking, her face shielded by the standard mask and tinted goggles of all the SPH front-liners.

Vague's face began to quiver at hearing the voice... the voice that was so familiar... the voice that struck mortal fear in his soul.

"This world was designed by God for humans, and no alien or demon or whatever will take it away from us. We as humans have worked far too long, and far too hard to build up what we have, only for it to be frittered away like this!" the woman continued to rant, reporter still with the mic at her face.

Vague's face began to twitch, as if the gears in his head suddenly began to work overdrive. This was now evident to everyone there.

"Vague, baby... you're starting to scare the rest of us..." Hana said as she approached Vague, who was so deep in his own thoughts he didn't recognize anyone else's presence.

"We will rebuild this world. We will be the new humanity. We will be the ones to shape the New Age!" she concluded, as the report threw it back to the main station.

Vague was visibly trembling now, as his body began to glow an eerie shade of off-blue. It was similar to the blue of his Water Magic, but it wasn't quite the same. Something that both Rarity and Twilight picked up on immediately.

"Vague, what's wrong. Please, you have to tell all us what exactly is wrong," Twilight asked; placing a forehoof on Vague's shoulder opposite Hana, trying to jostle him to get his attention.

He turned to Twilight, and said one word...  "Momma?"

With that, Twilight saw the same flash in his eyes she nearly two weeks ago while in the trailer of the now deceased Capt. Johnson. Something that frightened her to her core. After which, Vague puffed out of existence in a cloud of blue smoke, teleporting himself to God knows where and with God knows what kind of magic.

"No... Vague... STOP... STOP IT... DON'T DO THIS!" Twilight shouted at the space Vague just a few moments ago occupied; not caring it if it was in vain at this point.

All six Elements of Harmony manifested immediately on the 'person's of the Bearers, flashing in clear warning. Something highly dangerous was approaching.

Luna, Vague has taken a turn for the worst. I'm losing touch with both his mana and his Spark of the Soul.

I understand Celestia... I will contact the Bearers of Harmony immediately. If it is what I fear, then we have precious little time before it fully manifests...

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

[St. Louis, U.S.A. -- July 10, 2081 @ 2:40 PM CST ]

        The SPH were camped out all around the St. Louis Conversion Bureau, roughly 50 meters all around. They were high-fiving each other, as they had cleared out what was left of the military. The scene was similar all around the world, with most Bureaus only having Explicit Magic Shields as a line of final defense against the outside world that was quickly caving in on them. This fact was not lost on a couple of SPH soldiers, and one female soldier in particular.

"Finally. Today is the day we start striking back against those damn Ponies!" Linda said excitedly as she looked all around for her commander to tell her were to go next.

"Since Capt. Young has been declared MIA and the Isegawa Laboratories are kaput, I guess this is the last Pony-related facility in the region," Andrew thought, figuring that Capt. Young got himself killed doing something reckless.

"Exactly, soon they'll be gone, all gone. And we'll start rebuilding the world the way that WE want it! It'll be so wonderful, Andrew!" Linda shouted as she hung lightly off Andrew's shoulders.

"I suppose so..." Andrew responded despondently, still wondering if he was making the right decision. There has to be a better way than this, doesn't there? he then though immediately.

Soon they heard beeping in their headset, as they looked at their forearm mounted display, the thaumatic sensors began going off. Strangely enough, the signal was roughly 200 meters behind them.

"Oh I think one of the dear Unicorns is trying to teleport out to get help or some such. Well we can't have that now, can we? I don't think the new Captain will mind if we go off on a little excursion of our own..." Linda said, as motioned for her husband to follow her. Being the kind of man he was, he quickly complied.

Blue Vague wandered the back alleys around St Louis, eyes darting all around, mane disheveled, shouting into the alleys not caring who heard him. "Momma?! Momma?! Where are you, momma?!"

He continued to wander aimlessly for another few minutes, until he heard a shout from behind him.

"HALT! In the name of the Society for the Preservation of Humanity, I order you to halt, Equestrian!" he heard from the eerily familiar female voice. There stood two SPH soldiers, one male and female, completely masked.

Blue Vague, doing his best to magically disguise his voice, responded as he came to a stop. "I do not know your quarrel with me. I have done nothing wrong."

The two soldiers kept their firearms trained on Blue Vague's head, as they slowly approached. The female continued to speak. "What you've done wrong? You're ruining this world! Trying to take from us everything we've worked for..."

Everything they've worked for?!

"You're trying to turn this world into an abomination!"

An abomination?!

"You are nothing more than demons, demons sent to destroy us. But we will rise above... oh yes... we will rise above and build a new world!"

A new world?!

"Yes, I will find my son... and we will build a world worthy of every human qualified for the New Humanity!"

Her son... her son... her son... her son... her son... her son... her son... her son...

The last words from the female SPH soldier stuck in Blue Vague's mind. He had one more question to ask, as his voice disguising spell began to fail, mind not able to concentrate on anything. "Female human? What is your name?"

The female soldier stopped and ordered her partner to stop. "Fine demon. Since you so desperately want the identity of the instrument of your end..." as she motioned for her husband to remove his mask, and she removed her own. "Linda and Andrew Bowman. Those are the names of the humans that will send you to Hell where demons like you belong!"

Blue Vague -- Andre Bowman -- began quake violently; body resuming its off-blue glow, voice returning to normal. "No... momma wouldn't be a bad woman.... SPH are bad people... momma not bad person... momma not bad person... a momma never bad person... momma protects... papa protects..." His mind was rapidly unraveling at the seams, as he stood up on all fours again.

That voice... NO... no... it can't be... he hadn't been missing long enough... he wasn't injured... he wasn't sick... he couldn't be... Linda thought to herself as she began to quake with anxiety herself.

It's him? Why would he? I... I don't get it... Andrew thought to himself, dropping his gun as he watched the blue Unicorn and his wife enter a simultaneous mental standstill.

"PONY! What is your name?!" Linda asked.

"Momma not bad person... Papa not bad person..." Vague responded, mind stuck in place.

"I WILL ASK AGAIN, WHAT IS YOUR NAME, PONY?!" Linda repeated, her hand and arms quaking as she tried to hold her aim steady.

"Momma... Papa... Momma... Papa..." Vague responded, still logjammed mentally.

"I WILL ASK ONLY ONE MORE GODDAMN TIME! WHAT... IS... YOUR... NAME?!" Linda shouted at full throat, tears streaming down her eyes, wanting desperately for the Pony in her midst to not give her the answer she felt was coming.

"Momma, it's Andre... your baby... your precious baby... momma loves Andre... momma never leave Andre... papa never leave Andre... always happy... always happy family... always happy forever..." Andre replied, an insane grin on his face.

"No... NO... NO!" Linda shouted, as she became wild with confusion and rage. "NO, MY SON IS NOT A PONY... HE CAN'T BE A PONY... I RAISED HIM IN GOD'S IMAGE... MY SON CAN'T BE A PONY... HE CAN'T BE A PONY... HE CAN'T BE A PONY!!!"

She began to stagger backwards, all the anger and rage and sadness of fourteen years of leaving her child behind with his paternal grandfather was catching up to her. She raised her gun back up at the insane grinning Pony, her own reality rapidly coming apart at the seams.

"SHUT UP YOU MONSTER! YOU'RE NO SON OF MINE... YOU'RE A LIAR...  A HONEY-TOUNGED LIAR! I'LL DESTROY YOU! I'LL DESTROY EVERY LAST ONE OF YOUR KIND! DO YOU HEAR ME!? DO YOU HEAR ME MINION OF THAT DEVIL PRINCESS!?!!!"

"Momma, it's your son... your precious son... let's be happy together... let's be happy forever... be happy forever... no more hate... no more strife... no more anger... just happy... just... happy"

Dear God, she's going to... NO, I CAN'T LET THIS HAPPEN... NOT THIS WAY! Andrew thought, as he leapt on top of Linda to wrestle her to the ground.

"STOP THIS LINDA! STOP IT! STOP IT BEFORE YOU DO SOMETHING YOU CAN'T TAKE BACK!" he said as he tried to get the gun out of his rapidly declining wife's hands.

"SHUT UP! LET ME KILL HIM... HE IS DEVIL SPAWN... HE IS A DEMON SENT HERE TO TEST OUR FAITH... I'LL DESTROY HIM... I'LL DESTROY ALL OF THEM..." Linda yelled as she used the strength augmentation of her armor to throw Andrew off of her and against a concrete wall. She got to her knees, where she pointed her gun at Andre, no... pointed her gun at that demon that pretended to be her son.

"DIE SPAWN OF SATAN! DIE AND BURN IN THAT PIT THAT YOU CRAWLED OUT OF!" she shouted as she pulled the trigger.

A flash from the muzzle of the gun...

A red-mana laced bullet travelling through the air...

A body...

A body covered in black armor...

And an explosion.

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

[Safe Haven-- July 10, 2081 @ 1:02 PM CST ]

"NO! THIS IS NOT HAPPENING!! NOT TO HIM!!"Twilight Sparkle shouted, as loud as she could manage. The Element of Magic on her head glowing as hot as it ever has.

"What?! What's happening?" Midori Hana replied, the other two Conduits of Terra completely confused as to what was going on

"Mother of Celestia... I... I can feel it... it's coming from St. Louis..." Rarity said, beginning to quake at the thought.

"Three years ago... I haven't felt this kind of eerie feeling in three years..." Fluttershy said, not know exactly what to do in this case.

Just then, two flashes went off, as both Princess Celestia and Princess Luna manifested next to the nine remaining Conduits and Bearers. Luna was the first to begin speaking. "I tried desperately to find the Conduit of Water, but I'm afraid I'm too late. It has begun..."

"What's begun... what's wrong with Vague?!" Midori Hana shouted, tears beginning to stream down her face.

"Anypony with enough magical power faces the same problem if they become psychologically unstable. The more cracks that form in their mind, the more those cracks are filled in by something seeking to occupy that space," Luna stated morosely, knowing full well what was happening thousands of miles away.

"And that something is their innermost darkness. I know not what it is for Vague... but we fear that his mind and soul is starting to become engulfed in it. If that creature fully manifests, wherever it does so will be in grave danger!" Celestia concluded for her sister.

Suddenly all nine of the Ponies put everything together, and were dumbfounded at the solution.

"That's... I thought... only..." Golden Storm stammered, not know how to contemplate the revelation.

"There is no time to discuss this! Luna, get the Nine of them to St. Louis, NOW!" Celestia shouted at her sister.

"Yes Celestia!" Luna responded, and forcefully teleported all Nine of the Ponies near the scene.

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

[St. Louis, U.S.A. -- July 10, 2081 @ 3:03 PM CST ]

"My... son... please..." Andrew said, his life force in flux, the armor blown off his back, skin charred and bleeding.

What kind of species would have mates so carelessly attempt to destroy each other?

Momma... shot... papa... Momma shot papa... Momma shot papa... Momma doesn't love papa...

What kind of species has a mother that does not love their own son?

Momma doesn't love me... Momma doesn't love me... Momma doesn't love me....

What kind of mother would reject their own son's existence?

Momma doesn't see me... momma doesn't see me... momma doesn't see me...

What kind of species exists that would do such a cruel thing to their own?

Humans are so mean... humans are so ruthless... humans are evil... humans are evil... humans are evil...

What kind of world would allow such an evil species to not only exist... but to thrive?

This world is evil... this world is evil... this world is evil...

You know what our power is, correct?Our power will cleanse this evil world. Our power will reduce this world to nothing... We are the Power of Zero... we will return this world to its Origin State... and let the Power of Infinity create a new world...

World goes to Zero... Infinity takes over... Infinity makes new world...

Infinity will create a world. And should that world turn evil, Zero shall destroy it. That is your role, that is the role of your friends... to create, to judge, and if need be... to DESTROY!

All friends... Zero and Infinity... Create... Judge... Destroy...

Now... it is time for us to begin...

Yes... let us begin... let us begin... let us begin...

With that, Blue Vague let loose a deafening roar, something more suitable for a demon straight out of the pits of Hell than a candy-colored 3'+ tall Pony. as the entire alley began to glow the same eerie dark off-blue he was before.

"What the hell... WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU?!" Linda shouted, as she tried to get away from the scene. Liquid blue tentacles shot out of the ground and grabbed her before she could get far.

"Human... you will not escape my grasp... you will not escape my Judgment!" Vague began to speak, with a tone of voice distorted. His body began to grow in size, as he was now roughly the same size as Luna, though more thickly built being male. His horn grew sharp, and his entire coat turned jet black with blue highlights; his body became clad in frightening gel-like armor, itself a shade of deep blue. What scared Linda the most of this frightening visage, were his eyes. They were sharp and slitted, much more befitting a predator or a monster than something cute and toy-like.

"Agents No 370 and 371, we received a signal of a massive thau... OH MY GOD WHAT THE HELL IS THAT THING!" a random SPH soldier shouted as he began to gaze upon the warped visage of Blue Vague.

The creature grabbed the soldier in a thick tendril from the ground, as he seemed flow like water over to look him in the face. "Human... your species... and your world... has run out of time... this Age will be brought to an End. What are your final remarks before your soul is sent for judgment?"

"OH GOD... PLEASE... PLEASE RELEASE ME... PLEASE LET ME GO... I CAN CHANGE... I CAN CHANGE..." he shouted; pleading, begging to be spared.

The creature Vague had become thought briefly, before issuing his response. "This world has given you enough chances to change. Yet you ignored its warnings. The time has come for all to pay for their sins."

The man was then engulfed in a sphere of the dark blue liquid that seemed to make up the creature's armor. The screams for mercy went unheeded, as his body, armor, everything was dissolved into nothingness. The liquid that engulfed the soldier disappeared back into the being and armor of the creature.

"What are you... no... I know what you are... a beast... a Demon from the pits of Hell itself! You were never my son, NEVER!" Linda Bowman shouted, as she struggled to free herself from the grip of the monster.

"NO... STOP THIS VAGUE... STOP THIS RIGHT NOW!" Princess Luna shouted, tears already streaming down her face, as she reached the area that the creature occupied.

Wait... that man... that man... I can sense it... he shares a connection with Blue Vague... no... a connection with Andre Bowman... Luna began to think. And as discretely as possible, she teleported Andrew to Safe Haven. That act immediately noticed by Celestia.

Sister, why are you sending that Society soldier into our midst?

Because that man is extremely important to Blue Vague... help him and heal him... he still lives, but by the barest of margins... and he is possibly the lynch-pinto recovering his mind and soul.

I understand... I hope this gamble of your pays off... Celestia responded, before cutting the link and calling for medics.

"My dear friends... you have arrived. But your forms are incomplete. Come, let me show you the way," the creature stated with a strange and eerie tone, as he released his mother from his grip.

The creature raised his hooves as a wall of dark blue mana appeared all around the Princess and the other nine Ponies. With that, all of them disappeared.

"Haha... my son is a monster... my son is a monster... my son is a monster... haha. AHAHA... AHAHAHA!" Linda began to laugh insanely, the reality of the situation coming down on her like a ton of bricks.

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

[Northwest of the Ruins of New Orleans, U.S.A. -- July 10, 2081 @ 3:30 PM CST ]

        The nine Ponies stumbled around on the sickly brownish-green grass, while Princess Luna remained standing tall. Everyone was scanning all around, trying to figure out where they were exactly.

"Ok just where did that... thing send us? This place looks utterly dreadful." Rarity stated matter of factly, the sights and smells assaulting all her aesthetic senses. Everywhere she or the rest of the Conduits and Bearers looked, there were either dead trees, dying grass, or bluish-black water.

"Wherever we are, it's in terrible shape." Golden Storm said, scanning all around, looking for Blue Vague, or whatever was left of him at this point.

"A fine city... a historic city... The French Quarter... Cafe DuMonde... the Madri Gras Parades... a people that held out until the absolute last second..." the tall, blue, mutated Unicorn said, standing on the surface of the brackish, blackish-blue waters.

"Vague! Vague just where did you send us all? I am giving you a chance to respond under your own power, before I force you to myself!" Princess Luna said, her entire body glowing in the azure aura of her natural Unicorn Magic.

"Madame of the Moon, I am sorry to inform you that the Pony that you know as 'Blue Vague' cannot respond right now... he is currently... how can you say... indisposed," the demonic looking Unicorn said, turning around to face Luna and the rest of the Conduits and Bearers.

He's right though, I can feel Blue Vague... but his mind and soul are too far out of reach for even myself to contact currently... Luna thought to herself, trying to figure if she was truly dealing with what she believed she was.

"Beast! If you are not Blue Vague, then what name do you go by?!" Luna shouted, trying her best to stall the creature while she figured out a means of proceeding.

"So many questions, Madame of the Moon. Well, since I do have the time, I will answer them: first of all, we are currently outside of the former city limits of the sunken city of New Orleans. Of course the city sits below quite a lot of water, but I felt it would be unfair to you all to leave you thrashing about in that poison. Secondly, I do not have a name currently... however... don't you believe this situation is... reminiscent of something?"

Luna narrowed her eyes as the Bearers of Harmony stepped backward some, the implication still shocking to them all.

"Hrm... yes... I do believe that would be a fine name for myself. You may call me Nightmare Ooze, The Waters of Conquest! Just as the waters of the world conquered this city, my toxic waters shall conquer the world itself!" the now named demon of a Unicorn said, slitted eyes glimmering with a dangerous power.

"HOW DARE YOU MOCK ME! DO YOU REALLY THINK THAT THIS IS SOME KIND OF JOKE! THE NIGHTMARE IS ONE OF THE GREATEST FORCES OF EVIL IN ALL OF PONYDOM!" Luna shouted at full throat of the Royal Canterlot Voice. Nightmare Ooze shook his armored head a little bit.

"Quite the set of pipes you have in your possession Luna. But let me ask you something, just why is the Nightmare 'evil'? You just wanted to the Ponies to enjoy your night, didn't you? Enjoy it so much that you would make said night last in perpetuity," Nightmare Ooze said as he strode across the polluted water to the shoreline.

Once he stepped on the shore, the other Ponies were horrified as the ground under his hooves melted into the same gelatinous dark-blue morass that covered his black body.

"In this world, there is a persistent legend of four entities. Four entities that would herald the end of the current age. Their names: Conquest, War, Famine, and Death! I am merely but one of those agents of the End, an Agent to return this world to Zero!" Nightmare Ooze said, body brimming with poisons and acids that could seemingly dissolve anything he wanted.

He continued on, with the most absolute of confidence he was correct in his assessments. "This world is corrupt... too corrupt. He thought it could be saved... oh how he wanted it to be able to be saved; but its people are corrupt... the beasts that are left are corrupt... the plants that are left are corrupt... EVERYTHING IS CORRUPT! This impurity can only breed more impurity. There is only one solution... yes... one solution indeed. The impurity must be purged. The impurity must be eliminated. This world must be returned to its Origin State, so that a new, pure life can be forged. THIS... this is the New Age she has foretold!"

"You're shouting nonsense! Stop it, please, stop it before it's too late. Stop it before we lose you forever!" Midori Hana shouted, desperately wanting to believe it was some monster that was just possessing Blue Vague and not Blue Vague becoming hopelessly corrupted himself.

"I see... this will not do, will not do at all. The three of you need convincing... yes... convincing. You all must be shown that mankind and this entire planet is corrupt beyond repair, beyond redemption, beyond saving."

In a flash, dark blue tendrils grabbed Storm, Blaze, and Hana around the heads.

"STOP IT VAGUE, WHAT ARE YOU DOIN’ MAN!"

"LET ME GO, LET ME GO!"

"PUT US DOWN, VAGUE, PLEASE!"

The Nightmare of the Oceans did not heed his friends warnings, as a giant wall of dark-blue ooze began to form around the four of them. He was thoroughly convinced that the proper role for the three of them were to become those agents of the End, the Agents of Zero. "Do not resist. This is your true nature... you know most of all the depravity of man... the cruelty of this world... how this world can no longer be saved... should no longer saved... it needs to be erased, so that life may start over..."

The three Ponies in his grasp screamed and howled in pain and anguish, as Nightmare Ooze began to bombard and assault their minds with visions of the utter cruelty of man, of the world, of everything. He wanted to crush them, break them -- just as he was broken.

"Yes... break... shatter... give up on your notions of saving this world. Nothing of this world is worth saving, it would be so much better to start over wouldn't it?"

The Elements of Terra were manifest, but they appeared faded and cracking under the withering mental assault of Nightmare Ooze; who was hellbent on turning his friends into monsters like himself.

"Famine... all shall succumb to the great plagues... nothing will survive... nothing will continue..."

"War... fight until you destroy everything... fight until you kill everything... fight until everything is annihilated..."

"Death... death will consume all... death knows no bounds... all will be consumed by it... new life cannot appear until the old life ends..."

"Yes my dear friends... embrace your new natures... embrace your roles as the Agents of Zero. End this world with me!"

Before he could complete his task though, he was suddenly impacted by a crushing blast of rainbow-colored light, punching a hole straight through his supposedly protective wall.

"ARGH! GODDAMNIT... HOW COULD I HAVE FORGOTTEN ABOUT THOSE SIX THAT FAST!" Nightmare Ooze shouted, losing his grip, both physically and psychologically on the other three Conduits of Terra.

"Yeah! Like seriously, how did you forget about us? I mean you did teleport all ten of us!" Pinkie Pie shouted, as Twilight readied another blast.

The three Conduits of Terra all laid on the ground unconscious, still reeling from the heavy mental assault. The cracks in their Elements disappeared, but the color had yet to return.

"Bearers of Harmony, I have to restore the remaining Conduits of Terra to fighting shape. Do anything you can to bring Blue Vague back from the grips of Nightmare Ooze! At the very least, hold him off until they can return to the battle!" Luna shouted as she quickly grabbed the three unconscious Conduits before Nightmare Ooze could recover.

"Understood Princess Luna! Ladies, let's go!" Twilight shouted as the six Bearers of Harmony charged their foe.

"Over here, slowpoke!" Rainbow Dash shouted, as she rammed Ooze again, nearly cracking the gel-like armor along his side.

"DAMNIT!" he shouted in response, immediately before he took both rear-hooves in the face from Applejack.

"Come on, Vague, I know you can fight better than this!" AJ shouted in derision, hoping any kind of words could spark something.

It did indeed spark something: blasts of dark blue mana from the mouth of Nightmare Ooze. Slamming into all six of the Ponies foolish enough to challenge him.

"UGH! How can something with no weight hurt so bad?!" Twilight shouted as she managed to right herself, the other five shaking off the pain as best they could from the mostly surprise attack.

"He's not going to quit until the other three are monsters just like him, is he?" Fluttershy asked morosely, as the six moved back into an impromptu formation.

A formation quickly broken up as the six of them dodged the dark blue tentacles sprouting from Ooze's armor. They continued to run around in a disjointed manner, as Nightmare Ooze tried to physically restrain them in any manner he could.

"Don't run, girls. There is so much I want to show you. I want to show you everything. That this world needs to be erased before it can be rebuilt!" Nightmare Ooze shouted as he galloped around, trying to grab hold of any of the Bearers of Harmony.

Twilight... we need find some way to attack Nightmare Ooze without touching him... who knows what he could do to us if we make physical contact with him... Rarity said to the other five Bearers through the Element of Generosity, trying to think on the fly as best she could.

Yeah as it stands, that might only leave Twilight and AJ able to do it... wait... Rainbow Dash started, before she had a sudden flash of inspiration. She dashed upward, hopefully far enough out of the reach of Ooze's tentacle-ed armor's reach.

Wait... what are ya thinkin RD?! Applejack asked as she watched the cyan Pegasus as best she could.

Just watch! RD responded, body starting to glow the pale cornflower blue.

"Hey ya big dope... I hope you think you four aren't the only users of active Terran Magic!" Rainbow Dash shouted, hoping she'd grab Nightmare Ooze's attention.

Which she did indeed. "Come on now I couldn't forg-," he started before howling in pain as all his tendrils retracted into his armor. He was struck by a fairly large lightning bolt, out of the mostly clear, somewhat bluish sky. "DAMNIT! 100 GODDAMN THOUSAND WATTS RIGHT IN THE FUCKING SKULL!" he shouted as he staggered around, temporarily disoriented by the influx of Lightning Magic.

"That's right... GIRLS! Blast him with as much Terran Magic as you can muster! We got to keep him at bay until Luna can finish healing the other Conduits!" Twilight shouted!

"Son of a... what kind of pollen is this..." Nightmare Ooze shouted, as he was finding it hard to think straight.

"Just a little somethin' I whipped up on the fly... call it Sense Scrambler..." Applejack replied, dark green runes all over her body. "Now there big boy..." she started.

"... we think it's time for you to cool off a bit!" Pinkie Pie shouted to finish as metal cables and thick vines out of the ground held Nightmare Ooze in place as best they could. "Fluttershy!"

"I got it.... I'm sorry Vague, but we have to destroy that... thing... before he eats you from the inside out!" Fluttershy shouted, apologizing before striking Nightmare Ooze with 'bolts' of aquamarine mana, which began to freeze his armor solid.

"You think that's gonna keep him place?" Fluttershy asked while looking at the near frozen solid Nightmare Ooze. However, his power to keep his body a fluid quickly disabused anypony of the notion that would be enough to keep him in place.

"Shoulda figured that wouldn't be enough, least not yet..." Applejack said dejectedly, as she Pinkie and Fluttershy scattered, avoiding a another blast of dark blue corrupted mana.

"Why do you struggle against me? I only speak the truth. This world is too far gone. We should just start over from scratch!" Nightmare Ooze shouted at the six Bearers, trying to regain control of the situation.

"No you don't Nightmare Ooze. That's just nihilism! That's just you giving up!" Rarity shouted as she and Twilight flung bomb-like spheres of Light and Shadow Magic at him. Nightmare Ooze continued to reel backwards, trying to find respite for a few moments for planning.

"She's right! You're just a fragment, you're just the worst of Vague's mind. He definitely wouldn't do this! He's too loyal to his friends and this world to drown it, or melt it, or whatever you'd do to it!" Rainbow Dash added, launching streams of lightning in-between volleys of Light and Shadow Bombs.

Nightmare Ooze shed his broken armor, as he pulled in more water to replace it. "YOU! YOU! You..." he started to shout, eyes flaring with rage. But then he began to calm down, and think about things. The Bearers held up on their attacks, but remained on guard as they tried to gauge Ooze's thought patterns.

"Yes... yes... I see... It makes so much sense now... you would try and preserve this world... to improve this world... this indeed makes so much sense... why could I not see it before..." the Nightmare began to reason out loud, as he began to chuckle with glee.

"What do you mean 'it makes so much sense'? What are you talking about Ooze?" Twilight asked, as she and the rest of the Bearers circled around him, trying to gauge a proper distance to keep.

Nightmare Ooze's eyes began to glow, as a de-saturated navy blue fog began to flow from his entire being. The fog blew through the entire area before any of the Bearers of Harmony could think of a counter-measure; Luna not being able to extend her shield quickly enough to block the effects.

"Twilight! Twilight are you alright!" Luna shouted, trying her best to focus on restoring the Elements of Terra and their Conduits as best as she could figure.

The fog finally dissipated, revealing the Bearers of Harmony in a very relaxed state. As far as Luna was concerned, far too relaxed.

"Ehehehe... Magnets... how do they work? And who cares... I have magic... Magic is all I need... Magic is everywhere... ahahah..." Twilight stated in a airy tone, giggling like a madmare, eyes glowing with the same de-saturated blue as the fog that had just blown past her.

"Twilight! What is wrong with you?! Get a hold of yourself, young filly!" Luna shouted, trying to figure out how she could help her and the Conduits of Terra, although she would soon realize Twilight was not the only one affected.

"So pretty... everyone should have one... yes... I am so generous... everyone everywhere can have one..." Rarity said as she stumbled around, handing out invisible dresses and hats or whatever have you to no one in particular.

"We'll be friends forever, no doubt... everyone will be friends... no one will every betray another... perfect friendships all over..." Rainbow Dash said as she fluttered around in a strange looping motion.

Pinkie Pie just sat in place, laughing hysterically at nothing in particular. "You're so funny... Dragons are so funny... Gryphons are so funny... Humans are so funny... Zebras are so funny... Everyone is so funny... We'll laugh all the time... no more sadness ever!"

Applejack was nodding along as if someone was talking in her ear, everything they were saying she was agreeing to perfectly. "See... Like ah say, honesty is the best policy... no more need to lie to anyone, right? No more obfuscatin’... No more hidin’ thangs... Everyone gets to say just what they mean... No one will ever have to wonder just what we're all really thinkin’."

Fluttershy sat on the ground next to Rarity, commending her on giving out the invisible dresses to her invisible patrons for free. "See Rarity... being kind feels good doesn't it... much better than being selfish... much better than retaining any hate... Everyone is so perfectly kind... No one has to steal... No one has to kill... Everyone is so kind..."

All of the Bearers of Harmony's eyes were glowing the same de-saturated blue as the fog they just inhaled a few moments before, Nightmare Ooze bellowing with laughter at the turn of events. "That's right... let my fog conquer your mind! Let it into your heart, and let those feelings explode and consume you! Then you will truly reach Infinity... you will truly be creatures that will build a new and perfect world... once this one has been wiped clean!" Nightmare Ooze shouted at his new 'friends'.

What's happened to all of them... why are they all in this mental haze... I can't find any of their true thoughts or feelings like this... not with my attention divided... Luna thought, as she was now faced with a truly horrifying decision.

What am I supposed to do, 'Tia. If I leave the three of them to save the Bearers, Ooze can try and reclaim their souls. But if I don't,then their minds could be broken with obsession the same way mine was... Luna thought to herself, she began to cry...

Lulu, do you really think their minds are so weak? Celestia responded, hearing the pleas of her Sister.

But... this is a Nightmare... I... I can't.... Luna stammered, not understand what her sister was getting at.

He has only been a Nightmare for a pittance of time,compared to yourself before... His Power in that form cannot be anything near enough to dominate their souls so soon... Please, have faith they can break his grip without your assistance... Celestia clarified for her mildly distraught sister.

Yeah... Princess... trust them... I do... Golden Storm added; his Element of Wind still heavily de-saturated in color, but returning all the same.

We fell because we are still new to this form and body... Vague fell because he allowed himself to fall into a pit of despair... But they... they are strong... they can withstand this little bit of mental pressure... Red Blaze added.

Please... we will be able to return to the fight soon enough... trust they can hold on long enough until we do... Midori Hana concluded, her tone imploring like Princess Celestia to retain her faith.

I pray that your faith will be returned... otherwise we could be in for a true cataclysm... Luna said, as she managed to calm herself down for the time being.

"You know Rarity, you have a really good eye for clothes design. I wouldn't have thought a Pony would have picked up on the subtleties of the human figure so fast."

"Well, darling, I would say I have a very good eye for detail. I must admit though, I was a bit afraid to incorporate so many neutral colors into my designs. Usually Ponies, especially the ones in Canterlot, like a lot of bright hues and whites. I believe they will appreciate the browns and blacks just as much though."

"Canterlot sounds like a major hub for culture. No wonder the Princess had you running the Bureau here in New York."

"Yes, I see what you mean now. Although, I wish those people who lived under those glass-like domes would come out more. I don't see why they are so insular."

"To be perfectly honest... I don't either..."

"Ok ok, so maybe when they swing the bat and actually hit something, they could press a little latch that let it drop to the ground..."

"Hrm... I think that could work. You know Miss Dash, you see to really want to preserve as much as you can about each sport when translating it for the Converts’ new Pony bodies."

"Yeah. I mean, I don't think it's fair we completely change everything if they don't have to be changed, ya know. Also, just call me R.D., we're friends now right?"

"Never heard of making friends after two days. Then again, I haven't had to deal with the same people, or Ponies now, this long in a row anywhere but online."

"Well, sometimes ya gotta meet face to face before you can form the bond. Or at least that is what Twilight tells me."

"Oh come on, you really think that show was funny. The writing just seemed kinda, I guess, pedestrian."

"For a species that wouldn't think twice of walking everywhere, that seems like a funny incidental joke."

"I know, right. Sometimes my best stuff is just stuff that comes out of the clear blue."

"When this is all done with, Pinkie, maybe you should write jokes for someone. I figure Equestrians would appreciate stand-up comics a lot more than us over here."

"Oh come on now. There is nothing about being a human that means you can't be funny, you just need the right avenue for it!"

"Suppose so..."

"And ya ran off, just like that?"

"I know Director Applejack... but my family wouldn't have understood. There's nothing left for me here on Earth... and..."

"Alright, first of all, just call me Applejack -- Ah hate those formal titles. Secondly, Ah don't like Ponies or Humans that can't be honest..."

"BUT!"

"...but that doesn't mean Ah don't understand ya situation. Even though this city is more open-minded than the rest, there are still a lot of Humans that reject our very existence, let alone our presence here. That's why we got the 'no-tell' policy."

"Really?"

"I don't like it, personally. My deal is being as honest as you can with everyone ya can. But I also know that ya have to know when to say something, and to keep yer trap shut. Ya can call it hypocrisy; ya can call it realism; Ah call it trying my best to help a person or Pony out."

"Oh thank you Di... Applejack."

"Ah just want ya to promise me one thing. When this hullabaloo starts to die down, or the Humans start to accept us more: please, please come back, find yer parents, and tell them exactly why ya doing this."

"I will, and thank you... thank you so much..."

"Oh thank you, I know it's a bit of trouble for you to make coffee the way I like it. But I really do appreciate it..."

"No problem, Fluttershy. I think this place suits you quite well, although I wish..."

"You wish what?"

"I just wish that my parents and my grandparents generations could have done a better job..."

"What do you mean?"

"I dunno if the job situation was inevitable with how computers and robots work, but the whole world... it's... it's just so messed up... and it makes me so mad..."

"Mad?"

"Yeah. I watched the old documentaries. I looked at old picture books and encyclopedias. This area used to be beautiful: crisp blue skies, clear water, thick green trees. Now you're lucky if you can find the color 'green' or 'blue' occurring naturally out there."

"I see..."

"Although, maybe I should refine my statement... maybe it doesn't make me mad, but more just..."

"Just what?"

"Extremely sad. We could have done so much, but so many people were selfish before..."

"Do you really think it was that many people?"

"Huh?"

"I think it was just a few people. Although I'm just a Pony with second-hand knowledge, it seems like this world is so damaged because a few people wanted to make as much money as they could without any concern for others. They thought the world was unkind, so that gave them an excuse to be unkind themselves. Even if this world isn't fair... or this world isn't kind... that doesn't mean you can be unkind too."

"Heh, you're right. I wish we had more people like you years ago, Fluttershy."

"If I can be a little selfish, I wouldn't mind getting a few more Ponies like you..."

"These networks, these designs, these... these... everything!"

"Huh, what is it Twilight?"

"Your science. It's amazing... so many theories, so many calculations... it's... it's a magic all on its own!"

"Hrm, that's a funny way to look at it when you say it out loud. But now that I think about it a bit, I guess our science is a magic."

"Andre, just think about it... once we get our magic and your science together. It... it could change both worlds forever!"

"Always thinking big, huh Twilight."

"I have to, it's what I do!"

It hurts so much... and he's hurting so much...

So much pain... so much anguish...

This world is unfair... but it's unfair to try and destroy it before we can really try and fix anything...

Indeed Conduits of Terra... but Blue Vague is not lost to us yet...

The honest truth is... Ah wish Ah could just kick his flank right now... but that's not Vague we're fightin...

That's some monster... some horrible monster that's pretending to be him...

Even if it's not a monster... that's not him... it's just a little, tiny piece of him...

We've done way too much together to give up on him...

It is our duty to bring him back from the brink, even if we have to do it kicking and screaming...

Because that is what friends do... AND FRIENDSHIP IS MAGIC!!

I couldn't have said it better myself, Bearers of the Elements of Harmony...

Nightmare Ooze strode up to the still (supposedly) enthralled Twilight Sparkle, looking with some interest at the Element of Magic atop her head. "Well... you won't needing these, at least not for right now. There is so much more I need to show you all... yes... so much more. You all will become the perfect Agents of Infinity, just as they will be the perfect Agents of Zero. We'll rebuild this world into the perfect, eternal Paradise. No strife... no hate... no death... just calm and happiness from now until the end of Time itself..."

He tried to use his magic to remove the tiara from the top of her head, but found his magic failing to even reach it. "Well, that's... odd..."

He then tried to physically reach and take it off her head, only to find that it burned his hoof as soon as he touched it. "OUGH, damn... I can't even touch it... it should be inert... you don't have the mental link to ac... no... NO... NO!"

Twilight's eyes flashed back to normal, and fired quick blasts of Shadow and Explicit Magic to back Nightmare Ooze out of her personal space.

"STOP... RESISTING... ME! WHY, WHY ARE YOU PROTECTING THAT CORRUPT RACE... THAT EVIL RACE... A RACE THAT WOULD DESTROY THE LONE WORLD THEY LIVE FOR ANOTHER TRINKET... ANOTHER BAUBLE! IT'S NOT WORTH IT... JUST LET ME AND THE OTHER AGENTS OF ZERO ERASE THIS WORLD! YOU CAN BUILD WHATEVER YOU WANT IN IT'S PLACE!" Nightmare Ooze shouted, as he watched the other Bearers of Harmony resume their normal visages and mental faculties.

"Because we made a promise! WE MADE A PROMISE TO SAVE THIS WORLD! AND WE'RE GONNA DO EXACTLY THAT!" Twilight Sparkle shouted in response, as she grabbed a near-dead tree from out the ground. She proceeded to pound away at Nightmare Ooze. Pounding so hard that his body was pulverized into dark blue ooze.

"STOP IT TWI! Ah... Ah think ya did enough..." AJ shouted at Twilight, who tossed the tree off to the side.

"Ugh, that's just... nasty. Really Twilight, you have to work on that temper of yours," Rarity added, finding the dark blue goop surrounding them to be most distasteful.

The goop however, began to shake, as it flowed into the brackish blue waters of the shoreline. "I WILL NOT LET YOU STOP ME! I WILL NOT LET YOU RUIN THIS! I WILL END THIS WORLD! I DON'T CARE WHAT YOU DO TO IT AFTERWARD! BUT THIS WORLD IS CORRUPT! THIS WORLD DESERVES TO DIE! EVERYONE IN IT DESERVE TO DIE! ANYONE WHO'D KILL A CHILD'S FATHER IN FRONT OF HIS OWN FACE DESERVES TO DIE!" Nightmare Ooze shouted as his body began to rise again from the murky depths.

"Oh my Luna, just what is that thing... is that really Nightmare Ooze still?" Rarity shouted, as she and the rest of the Bearers ran further away from the shoreline. Nightmare Ooze was still 'alive', having turned into a giant, gelatinous, horse-headed creature.

"I'LL DESTROY EVERYTHING! NO WORLD THAT WOULD ALLOW A CHILD TO WATCH HIS FATHER DIE IN FRONT OF HIM DESERVES TO CONTINUE EXISTING!!" Nightmare Ooze bellowed, slinging acidic sludge everywhere.

Luna! What did that beast just say?!  '... a child to watch his father die in front of him.'? Are you thinking what I am thinking?  Celestia asked, while she and the medical team worked on stabilizing the SPH soldier.

Seeing as we are linked telepathically at the moment, I would wager so. That man I sent to you for treatment is most likely the human father of Blue Vague. He was incredibly distraught when he found his parents, and his supposed death most likely sent him over the edge... Luna reasoned, using her magic to actively shield the ten of them while the giant Nightmare Ooze continued attempting to assault them.

"I WILL... I will... What in the hell is that Power..." the giant (even more) demonic head of Nightmare Ooze said as it looked around, trying to find the source.

"DRAGON KICK!!" shouted a masculine voice, as a clawed foot tore through the 'jaw' of the gel-like horse-head; the one-foot flying dropkick executed with perfection.

"SON OF A GODDAMN... WHERE THE HELL IS ALL OF THIS COMING FROM?!" Nightmare Ooze shouted, as he reeled a bit away from the shore.

"Now how's that for a- THAT BURNS! WHAT IN THE HECK IS THAT THING MADE OUT OF?!" Spike said while trying to think some kind of spell or chant to keep his foot from burning as it was.

"Ugh! I told him not to do anything like that, we didn't know what that beast was actually comprised of..." Rosethorn said as she held her forehead in her palm for a few moments. She then materialized a case full of salves, as she found a counteragent to stop the burning and repair any damage to Spike's foot.

"So Spike, who's your Dragoness friend here?" Rarity asked incredulously, while Nightmare Ooze flailed around on the shoreline.

"Oh right, yeah..." Spike started as he tested his foot again, finding the damage to be repaired and the pain mostly gone. "This is Rosethorn, Celestia already knows about her. I'd explain more but it seems like our blue Unicorn friend has kinda dove off the deep end here..."

"Yes it does seem that way..." Rarity sighed as she readied herself for the fight again.

"Princess Luna, what exactly are we supposed to do. As it stands, we'd probably be burned, if not melted if we actually touch him!"

"Just a moment Twilight I... I... I HAVE IT! Twilight, you have to keep up the fight against that thing. I believe that Celestia might have a secret weapon in order to defuse this situation. But we cannot confirm it until she returns him to consciousness."

"Ugh man, it still feels like I got hit by a Mack truck. Oh hey Spike, damn man you are looking good in that cloak," Golden Storm said, as he looked over at the pair of humanoid Dragons and his Conduit mates regaining full consciousness as well.

"Well... this just goes from bad to worse doesn't it?" Red Blaze added

"I dunno... sometimes in games when the boss grows into that giant mutant form it means you are close to defeating him... or at least closer." Midori Hana replied, trying to put as positive a spin on the situation as she could manage.

Red Blaze looked over at her green hued friend strangely, before acceding to her guesstimation. "I would argue Midori, but this situation is already insane enough as is."

Twilight began to pace a bit thinking. "Well I know one thing so far: we can't touch him, at least not with our bodies. If his ooze can burn even dragonscale, then it'd probably tear through us like nothing."

"So we need some kind of Proxy to fight with... wait a minute. Remember those months ago... our performances?!" Golden Storm asked the others excitedly.

Hrm... I wonder what the gold one speaks of... it probably relates to the Human's Magic... Rosethorn thought as she kept an eye on Nightmare Ooze, who was still thrashing about trying to fix himself. Just what did Spike put into that kick? I would think a beast of his caliber to be recovered by now...

"Yeah, those phantoms we made with Terran Magic. But... don't you think we need something more... proven in this kind of situation?" Red Blaze asked of her beau.

"At this point, babe. I think we pull out anything we can think of, this is a total 'wing it' situation as far as I'm concerned," Golden Storm replied, nodding sagely.

"I'm cool with it. Power and Will and all!" Midori replied.

"Might as well. I can't come up with anything better anyway." Blaze added.

"Luna can you give us some cover while we get things set up?" Golden Storm asked.

"YOU MEAN LIKE I'M ALREADY DOING RIGHT NOW!" Luna shouted, as no one else besides Rosethorn noticed the sludge bouncing mostly harmlessly off the invisible protective dome.

Golden Storm shrunk backward a bit. "Oh right, that's a thing. Well we should go ahead and get started then."

They have begun to contact us...

Yes... I believe it is that time...

But what shall he do?

Do not worry... my time shall come before too much longer...

Do you really believe that?

Yes... yes I do... His mind is not so weak to be consumed by this... despite appearances...

"Grand Golden Dragon of the Winds. Let your storms rage and your gales blow. Appear before us: Viento Dragón!"

"Blazing Red Phoenix of the Flames. Let your flames burn for all eternity. Appear before us: Plamâ Feniks!"

"Crushing Green Tiger of the Earth. Smash all that oppose you. Appear before us: Taizan Tora!"

"ARGH. GOD WHAT THE HELL DID THAT... OH FOR THE LOVE OF... WHY... WHY DO YOU KEEP RESISTING ME... WHY WON'T YOU JUST LIE DOWN AND LET ME DESTROY THIS GODFORSAKEN PLANET!!" Nightmare Ooze bellowed as he witnessed that not only did the fail to corrupt the other Conduits of Terra, but they had enough time to call forth the Phantoms they created so many months ago.

"And 'lo, we have arrived..." Viento stated, the Golden serpent-like Dragon as he scanned the battlefield.

"That we have... and no wonder why the other could not join us on this excursion..." Plamâ stated matter of factly as she stared at the great horse-like beast in the water near them.

Taizan simply stretched her limbs, preparing for her first real battle. "Ugh the Astral Plane can be so boring at times... I've been waiting to sink my claws into something ever since we were created. You can only have so many sparring matches before you get tired..."

"Wow... I didn't think I would see these things again. I thought it was just a trick for the end of that show." Pinkie said, marveling at how detailed each beast was now, fully 'fleshed' out as it were.

Plama looked at Pinkie with a wide smile from her beak. "Yes, and you all have surprised us as well. You Ponies managed to create stable mixture of our Magic with little practice."

Taizan looked at Nightmare Ooze, and noticed a look in its eyes that concerned her. "If you wouldn't mind, we could use a little help with this. That thing, despite how much of a neophyte it is, is coming more unhinged by the second."

Viento agreed with his Earth-based compatriot. "Yes, the most dangerous beast is one that is cornered, as it were..."

Twilight looked up at the 10 ft tall beasts, an almost pleading look in her eyes. "But, um Phantoms(?)... that's the problem... we can't touch that creature. Spike and Rosethorn are the toughest here, and even their skin gets burned when they make contact."

Taizan rolled her eyes as bit at the assertion. "So, what's keeping you from making the same Proxies. Despite our appearances, we're simply hyper-condensed mana."

Suddenly the light bulb went off in all six of the Bearer's heads.

"You know what, you're right. We're gonna bring that big bastardization of our friend down!" Twilight shouted, as she ran to the back edge of the protective dome.

"Huh, Twi'. Watcha got in mind?" Applejack asked, watching Twilight's body light up the deep violet of her Shadow Magic.

"Hehe, just watch AJ. In fact, all of you watch!" Twilight responded. No sooner than she stopped speaking, giant plumes of dark violet mana shot out of the ground.

Come on, I know this will work... Twilight thought to herself as she began to concentrate on a form.

"DAMNIT, I CAN'T HIT IT, IT'S JUST RAW MANA... AND I CAN'T TOUCH HER EITHER... STUPID PROTECTIVE DOME!" Nightmare Ooze shouted as he continued to pound away on Luna's dome, still not able to break through.

"Well it's not about to be 'raw' anymore! COME OUT! Shadow Goliath!" Twilight shouted, as a massive, 10 ft wide dark-violet tarantula phantom leaped from the plume of mana.

"Man... it's great to be out of her head. It's like having a thousand college professors trying to talk to you all at once!" Goliath said, shaking her head loose while scuttling next to Viento.

"SON OF A... THAT'S IT... THIS BULLSHIT ENDS NOW!!!" Nightmare Ooze shouted as he launched spheres of dark blue mana, which were promptly deflected by Viento and Goliath.

"Hrm, that does sting some... but overall not the best attack..." Goliath remarked, a foreleg under her 'chin'.

"Yeah it's probably not the best idea to antagonize him further..." Viento stated, dodging yet another mana sphere.

"YOU DIRTY LITTLE... I'M GOING TO ENJOY MELTING YOU IN TO SLAG! I'M--" Nightmare Ooze shouted as he began to rant and rave before being struck by another giant bolt of lightning. "ARGH! SON OF A BITCH! RIGHT IN THE FUCKING EYE AGAIN, THAT'S TWICE!"

"Heh, don't look at me Ooze, look up there with whatever good eye you got left..." Rainbow Dash yelled, body covered by the cornflower blue runes. A giant bird of prey swooped down, backed by the sun, and blasted Nightmare Ooze in the other good eye before breaking off and joining the rainbow colored, growing menagerie.

"THE OTHER EYE, NOW?! WHY IS IT ALWAYS THE GODDAMN EYES?!" Nightmare Ooze shouted as he went reeling backwards from the shore.

"Heh, great job Thunder Falcon!" Rainbow Dash shouted, as she pumped a forehoof in the air.

"A pleasure to be of service Miss Dash. Plama, and it is a pleasure to meet you~!" Thunder said as he took a good gaze at the phoenix next to him.

"Business first, other stuff later when we get back to the Astral Plane..." Plama replied, wanting to focus on the task at hand.

"I'M GOING TO TEAR YOU ALL LIMB FROM LIMB IF I DON'T MELT YOU ALL FIRST!" Nightmare Ooze shouted, every second to delay further driving him mad. He charged the formation with giant forleg-like 'plumes' of toxic sludge, only to be blocked by two more arrivals.

"GODDAMNIT, IF IT WEREN'T FOR THAT DAMN SHIELD YOU'D ALL BE MINE, YOU HEAR ME, MINE!!" he shouted as he tried to push past or through the giant Dark Green Steer and the giant Silver Mechanical Beetle that appeared on the field of battle, as it were.

"Keep him off us Grand Taurus!" Applejack shouted, body covered in forest green runes.

"And you help him Mecha-Beetle-6000!" Pinkie Pie added, silver all over herself as well, hopping in the air cheering her giant beetle-like creation.

"I WILL FUCKING END ALL OF YOU! YOU HEAR ME! ALL OF YOU!" Nightmare Ooze shouted, his attacks becoming more and more wild and unfocused by the minute.

"Such foul language, I will simply have to do something about that once we return you to normal!" Rarity shouted at the horse-shaped monstrosity offshore.

"LIKE I GIVE A FLYING FUCK WHAT YOU THINK, YOU BITCH!" Nightmare Ooze shouted in response, as he unleashed a stream of blue mana at the Dome, trying to finally crack it. Only for it to be blocked by a giant white cloaked, fox-mask wearing creation.

"No, you really do not want to see that side of me, I can assure you, Ooze!" Rarity said, eyes narrowed.

"AND WHAT IF I DO!?" Ooze shouted in response, still trying to push past the steer and the beetle phantoms.

"Well, can't say I didn't warn you!" Rarity shouted back, as the phantom removed her mask.

"ARGH, MY EYES... HOW DOES ANYTHING THAT BRIGHT EXIST?!" Nightmare Ooze shouted as he clenched his eyes tightly shut.

Rarity beamed with pride at her creation "Excellent work Masque Renarde."

"Thank you ma'am, it will be a pleasure to serve you in the future." the giant, white cloaked and masked fox responded.

"DAMNIT, THERE'S ONLY ONE OF YOU LEFT... I-" Nightmare Ooze started before howling in pain and flailing around as best a horse head and torso could. "GET THIS DAMN THING OFF ME, AAAAAHHHHHH!"

Fluttershy took a matronly and correcting tone. "That 'damn thing' is named Frostfang, aren't you boy."

"Indeed Mistress Fluttershy. We must hurry though, maintaining our presence in the Physical Plane is taxing on the summoner's body," the giant aquamarine and ice blue wolf stated as he and the other eight Phantoms looked on at the writhing Nightmare Ooze.

"Indeed, those Phantoms require an extreme draw of Terran Mana, and you risk burning your magical channel system out of you keep this up too long." Luna warned.

"I say one big blast, we need to weaken him enough to use the Elements of Harmony and turn him back into Blue Vague," Rainbow Dash suggested, pounding her forehooves together.

Wait... while the first part of your plan is sound... the second part will not work as you stated, at least not immediately... Celestia stated. She then continued immediately before anyone could ask a question. We have to break Nightmare Ooze's grip on Vague's mind first; otherwise it would take multiple uses of the Elements of Harmony before Nightmare Ooze would be vanquished.

And our bodies probably can't channel enough mana fast enough in our state to do it... Twilight concluded.

If I might suggest something... use the mana formed in our bodies in one blast... Shadow Goliath added

But wouldn't that destroy you? Twilight replied, not understand her beast's suggestion.

We cannot be destroyed unless our creator is slain. We would merely return to the Astral Plane until you gather enough mana to summon us again... Goliath answered in a reassuring tone. Soon after, the plan was relayed to the rest of the Elements of Harmony and Conduits of Terra.

I would assume this means that you have our trump card ready to be played, 'Tia? Luna asked of her sister.

I would not suggest such a plan if I did not, Lulu.

Please... please help my son... I don't care what you do to me afterward... I just want him back to normal... or whatever counts for normal these days... Andrew added, Celestia helping him communicate with the others.

We will... we definitely will... everyone else responded.

"Why have you stopped. Do you realize your attacks are futile. Do you realize no matter how much Power you waste attacking me, I will not fall. I AM AN AGENT OF ZERO. I WILL TURN THIS WORLD INTO NOTHING!!" Nightmare Ooze bellowed, as he began to ready one great blast he was sure would crack Luna's barrier and wipe out all of the forces arrayed against him.

"Are you all ready!" Twilight yelled.

Shadow Goliath agreed, prepared to give everything of herself for her creator. "Yes, Master Twilight. Our hyper-compressed mana should be enough to render him unable to act long enough to begin the psychic counter-assault.”

"I'm so sorry we have to do this..." Fluttershy added, not sure what to think even if the blast wouldn't necessarily kill Frostfang and the others.

"Do not be, Mistress Fluttershy. Simply focus on your task, rescuing your friend from the grip of that demon."

The six beasts under the control of the Bearers of Harmony then charged the gigantic Nightmare Ooze.

"COME, YES COME. COME TO YOUR DEATHS!" he shouted as he released his blast.

"NOW EVERYONE!" Thunder Falcon shouted, as the blast was deflected straight up into the air and the beasts all latched onto the giant form of Nightmare Ooze.

"NO... NO YOU DON'T! STOP IT! GET OFF OF ME!" Nightmare Ooze shouted, as he had realized too late what the six Beasts had planned.

"SORRY, BUT THIS ROUND GOES TO US! BETTER LUCK... NEVER!" Shadow Goliath replied, as all six of the beasts immediately self-destructed their physical forms, in a titanic explosion of Terran Mana.

My goodness! What an amazing display of sheer power... Rosethorn said, helping Luna maintain the shield.

The explosion completely vaporized the giant form of Nightmare Ooze, as his original form flew back inland, landing with several thumps and thuds not a few hundred yards away from the Luna and the others. The Bearers of Harmony immediately rushed out from Luna's shield after him, making sure he couldn't slink away before the plan was completely executed.

"No... so... close... must... get away... I can... come back... come back..." Nightmare Ooze stammered, trying to get to his feet. Before he could too far, he was surrounded by all of the Bearers.

"You aren't getting away from us! Not now, not EVER!" Twilight shouted, as all six Elements of Harmon began to glow with their grand light.

"NOOO STOP!!" Nightmare Ooze shouted as he tried to get away from the blast anyway he could, before he and the Bearers were engulfed in a giant dome of iridescent magic.

It hurts... It hurts so much... Why did you do it... Why did raise your gun at me mom? Blue Vague asked, floating in a morass of blackish-blue liquid. He continued his rhetorical questioning, figuring no one would ever hear his own voice again.

Was it because I became a Pony?  Was it because I wanted to go into computers? Was it because I wanted to stay with gramps? Was it because I didn't want to be what you wanted me to be? Why momma? Why... Why...

A new voice entered his mind, not his own this time, but one still familiar to him.

I'm sorry...

Papa?

I'm so sorry, Andre... I was too weak... I should have said something before now...

Papa, how are you alive? I saw the explosion...

They saved me... even though I was marked with the SPH's uniform... they saved me anyway...

But how? But why?

Your Moon Princess saw me lying before you before your body mutated into that awful monster;she moved me to wherever her sister is... Her human and Pony doctors healed me enough to where I can at least speak to you...

Why did you join the SPH?  Why did you leave me with gramps? Why?

Because I was a weak man son... I let your mother have her way for far too long... I was blinded by my initial love for her to see how our relationship as a family fell apart. No,I won't even say that much. I watched it fall apart... and I did nothing to stop it. I let her run roughshod over you, over your dreams, over your desires... And when you eventually rebelled... I did nothing to force her to reconcile. We just left you with my father... even though he did not have that many years left... Thankfully you were able to qualify for the University not too long after his death...

Even though I did what society told me to do... I still could not find work... I couldn't make any kind of living for myself... I was just adrift... like a piece of wood floating around the ocean...

That is our collective fault. We allowed the world to degenerate to this position. I can see that now. Just in the short while I've spent with the Ponies and their human allies, I've seen more real work done than I had since the Singularity. Even if I can no longer actively contribute, I still want to lend whatever support I can in your new life. So please... reject that voice that tells you this world is not worth saving... that it is too late to redeem this world... it will never be too late to redeem this world until the last being alive draws its last breath.

I agree... I cannot give up on this world... not after my friends have already done so much to try and save it... not after they've done so much and risked their lives and their sanity to rescue me. I'm going to do it Papa. I'm going to build a world that gramps would be proud to call home!

Indeed son... indeed...

And that should be my cue to appear... I do hope that Master Vague would not mind if I piggybacked on his mental restoration... as it were...

"NOOOOO! I WILL NOT BE DESTROYED! I WILL NOT LET YOU HAVE YOUR WAY! THIS WORLD IS MINE! MINE TO CONQUER! MINE TO DESTROY! MINE TO REBUILD!" Nightmare Ooze shouted as his body was being burned away by the light of the Elements of Harmony.

"You were nothing more than a corrupted aspect of our friend. OUR FRIEND WE WILL TAKE BACK!" Golden Storm shouted, as he and the other Conduits commanded their Phantoms to add their Power to the Elements to completely eradicate the Nightmare.

"STOP! PLEASE! THIS WORLD IS TOO CORRUPT... IT'S TOO CORRUPT... YOU'LL DAMN YOURSELVES TO OBLIVION... EVEN ZERO IS BETTER THAN A NULL!" Nightmare Ooze shouted in vain as only his torso and head remained.

"You are nothing more than a corruption of the Power granted by the Will of the Earth, and my master's own inability to control his paranoia and fear. You do not deserve to exist in this or any other world, for you bring nothing but despair behind you. Begone foul beast, so that my Master can take his rightful place as the Herald of the New Age," the turtle-like creature said, as he and the other Conduit-controlled Phantoms dissolved in to Mana to enhance the Elements of Harmony.

Will and Power... once they are combined... they will form the greatest Magic any living being can possess...

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOooooooo!" Nightmare Ooze shouted as he completely vaporized in the iridescent Dome of Magic.

All that was left behind was rapidly evaporating slime, and an electric-blue, cobalt-and-white maned Unicorn colt.

Once the dome itself dissipated, Twilight and the rest of the Bearers of Harmony promptly collapsed to the ground; tired, but victorious against their now formerly berserk and somewhat-possessed friend.

"Did it work?" Twilight asked, raising her head off the ground somewhat, her eyes finally able to focus on the colt lying on the ground in the middle of the six of them; the Conduits of Terra a touch confused as to what lay before them.

"Wait, so if the Elements of Harmony restored Vague to 'normal'. Why is he the size of the Cutie Mark Crusaders roughly?" Golden Storm asked.

Luna, Rosethorn, and Spike eventually caught up with the ten of them. Luna, already having heard the question with her extra-sensitive hearing, answered promptly. "It is a similar case to myself. When I was purged of Nightmare Moon's influence, my body was temporarily reduced to the size of a foal. It will only last for a week or so, so do not be concerned. Although I will have to call in some therapists in order to ensure that Vague does not relapse. The Nightmare is simply a devilish alter ego formed when a Pony becomes obsessed with a certain subject and has great potential power."

"Wow, you mean any of us could become like him?" Pinkie Pie asked, as the other Bearers of Harmony got to their feet.

"Yes, but now is not the time to discuss this. I believe our good friend has to reunite with a loved one back at Safe Haven," Luna started, before she began to stumble a bit. "Oh my, I believe using that shield for so long against Nightmare Ooze drained me more than I realized. Rosethorn, you do know where Safe Haven is relative to here, yes?"

"Indeed Princess, just give me a second, it takes a little while to draw the mana while on this side, I find," Rosethorn replied, as the ground underneath everyone's feet and hooves began to glow with curved Draconic Runes.

"Maxl Yazluro" she then shouted as the thirteen of them disappeared in a puff of white smoke. Only to reappear in the main lobby at Safe Haven a couple of seconds later.

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

[Safe Haven-- July 10, 2081 @ 3:30 PM PST ]

"Welcome back, you all..." Celestia said with all warmth, nuzzling her sister.

"It's great to be back..." Luna responded, as she called for some medic Ponies to take Blue Vague to Sick Bay for a full physical and psychological evaluation.

"So do you really think he's gonna be OK in a week?" Midori Hana asked, not sure if she should follow the medics or wait until they got him stabilized.

Celestia moved to comfort Hana as best she could. "Physically, yes, Midori. However mentally, he will show the scars of today, and the last few weeks, for the rest of his life. While those scars may heal, they will never truly disappear. As my sister may have stated already, a Nightmare is simply a manifest form for the dark thoughts of any Pony with sufficient Power. For my sister, it took several years before she finally collapsed to her darkness. In Vague's case... well... it's hard to tell honestly. While one could reason it only really started since early June, my guess is the true cause was the unresolved issues with his parents."

Luna sighed as she took a drink from a water bottle gripped in her aura. "I wish to continue this discussion at a later time. I really need to draw myself a long bath to soak in for about 72 hours consecutively."

She would not get the chance for her bath though, as warning klaxons began to sound all through the lobby.

"OH MY GOD! THEY DIDN'T FIND THE FACILITY THIS FAST DID THEY?!" Red Blaze shouted, startled as anyone else.

"No, but this is a severe problem," Celestia said, hoping that nothing else would happen this day.

A man still wearing his military uniform ran up with a report from the communication room. "Princess Celestia, Ma'am. A report has come in from the Moscow Bureau. They are beginning to breach the building itself. The Royal Guard and civilian Ponies have withdrawn into the secure laboratories underneath."

"Ugh, that is the tenth one today..." Celestia said, cursing her ill luck so far.

"Celestia, this news is horrible! At this rate, we could lose nearly 700 civilian Ponies and 100 Royal Guard Unicorns!" Luna responded with utter shock, almost slinging her water bottle at a poor HEA volunteer in the hall behind her.

"There are no clients, volunteers, nor allied military personnel in any of the Bureaus left though... which leaves us with one option," Celestia said, her ethereal mane covering her eyes.

Capt. Rodriguez, who was walking up while he heard the conversation from another hall, could figure where Celestia was going with this. "Complete Withdrawal. Everyone goes to ground. Salt the Earth. They get nothing of our tech."

Twilight began to figure what the implication were though. "Princess Celestia. Although it is probably the only option we have left, it would look like nothing less than us completely caving in. For obvious reasons, the rest of the public doesn't know of Safe Haven; so it'll just look like we're running back to Equestria with our tails between our legs."

Celestia turned around for a few moments to collect her thoughts, she did not want leave the humans who'd want to leave the rule of the SPH high and dry. At the same time, there was no presence, no way to fight back against the SPH on a wide enough scale, at least not now.

"I've come to a decision," Princess Celestia, Avatar of the Sun, Co-Ruler of Equestria stated. "Tell every Royal Guard and technician Pony to open the Gates to Equestria. Everypony in the Bureaus in the Americas, Asia, and Oceania are to head for Manehatten. Every other Bureau is to head for Canterlot. Any humans not allied with the SPH found in the Bureaus is to be given an ultimatum: either leave with the SPH, or Convert and relocate to Equestria immediately. All Stocks of Conversion Serum are also to be moved, and all gates are to be left open for ten minutes after the last Pony leaves. This is an order people, I will not have slacking, every moment is precious."

"Understood Princess Celestia." Capt. Rodriguez and a couple of communications Ponies and HEA volunteers replied as they ran back to the Communications Bay.

"I would have never guessed the situation on Earth to be so dire, Princess Celestia," Rosethorn said, showing genuine concern for the Equestrian Princesses.

Celestia continued to curse her ill luck and failures of foresight. "I'm afraid I've completely underestimated the depths to which those who profess to be the Elites of this world would go to retain their position."

Rosethorn placed a clawed hand on Celestia's shoulder, and offered a few words. "Princess, I would not profess to have some grand knowledge that could immediately fix things. Instead, you need time. We all will need time. And I believe you will need to consult the other Kingdoms and Nations for advice. These Humans appear to be an amalgamation of all of our ideologies and tendencies. Of course, there may be some concessions that have to be made in order to gain everyone's support."

Celestia looked at Rosethorn with some disdain, before finally acceding to her ideas. "I see. Perhaps I might have gotten somewhat greedy or naive in thinking that I could swoop in, and just 'fix' things with a few nice words and a cure-all potion. This world is deeply scarred, both physically and spiritually."

Luna trotted over to her sister, and looked her in her eyes. She was looking for a sign of weakness, a sign that she was conceding. She was thankful when she didn't find that sign. "I'm afraid we are left without a choice. If we are to truly accomplish our goals, we're going to have to stomp on some toes to get it. I do not mean some kind of wider conflict, though. Nevertheless, the time shall come where we have to use our last trump card. We should take this period, in which we are literally and proverbially underground, to prepare for that day."

Celestia sighed, as she looked up and out at the mountain vista. She thought of how beautiful it would have looked even a few decades ago.

If only we had gotten here sooner... it would not have come to this... but I'm afraid if we are truly to fix this world... we will have to take a far more forward stance ourselves...

"Luna -- yourself, the Conduits of Terra, and the Bearers of Harmony begin informing everyone that I will be making a formal address to all residents of Safe Haven two hours after the evacuations of every Bureau is complete. I want everyone on the ready for any breaking news until then."

"Yes, Sister. We all understand," Luna replied, as she and the other Unicorns teleported out of the lobby; the Pegasi and Earth Ponies also taking off to notify anyone they came across.

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

[Location Unknown -- July 10, 2081 @ 9:00 PM EST ]

        All across the world, people living outside of the Domes were milling about outside far more than usual. They found the now all-too familiar black vans constructing various screens and projectors. In the fighting, many of the power transmission vectors were damaged, so power was even more spotty than usual. Nevertheless, the SPH felt that this message was so important, they would spend money(!) in order for everyone to hear it, by whatever means they could manage.

"Today is a glorious day for humanity. The alien threat known as the Kingdom of Equestria has turned tail and run back for their own world. While our forces are currently doing final sweeps of their facilities, we can find no trace of the creatures. Our scientists will now proceed to work on a means to seal the Aurora Barrier, so that we may never have to face this threat from the Equestria, or any other faction, from their world again! We shall also direct the leadership of the world to begin the rebuilding efforts. We will remain true to our stated goal, to create a new, better world for humanity," the masked speaker stood up to conclude his message. "To a New Age. To a New Order. To a New Mankind!"

While the rest of the SPH celebrated the full retreat of the Ponies back into Equestria, one female soldier in particular was still distraught; rocking back and forth as her mind raced with the thoughts from a few hours previous.

My husband is dead... My son is a monster... My husband is dead... My son is a monster... It's all their fault... it's all their fault... Those damn Ponies... I'll kill them... If they ever come back... I'll kill them... I'LL KILL EVERY LAST ONE OF THEM!!

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

[ Somewhere in the Mojave Desert, California, U.S.A.

-- July 10, 2081 @ 6:10 PM PST ]

        Deep under the floor of the Mojave Desert, there lay a cave. Normally this cave would be empty, but now it was filled with activity. The buzzing and flitting of a small horde of hybrid insect and Pony creatures. Sitting on a regal, emerald-colored 'throne' was Chrysalis, their Queen and entire focus of their existence. She used well placed drones all over the major human 'hives' in order to keep track of the goings-on above ground.

"Humans can be such a silly lot, can't they, my dear?" Chrysalis remarked, rubbing a perforated foreleg underneath the chin of her latest mindless object of affection.

"Yes... my Queen," the young man said, mind completely under the thrall of his new, loving, all-consuming Queen.

"What are you going to do with the strange creature, Queen Chrysalis?" a high ranking soldier-Changeling asked of his Queen, unsure what to think of her new pet.

Chrysalis continued stroking her mindless pet's chin. "Oh that's simple. First, I drain him for all he's worth. Then we see if his body is compatible with the pod. I suspect that these... humans... can be quite useful to us, should we remain unable to establish a presence near Equestria. You would like that, wouldn't you dear?"

"Anything to serve my Queen. I will lay down my life, if you so will it..." the young man replied in a dry monotone.

"Oh, I just love hearing my pets talk like that~," Chrysalis said, flitting her wings in joy, and a devious grin across her face.

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

[ Safe Haven -- July 10, 2081 @ 6:30 PM PST ]

        About 5,000 humans and Ponies were in the main auditorium of Safe Haven, while the rest of the population and the infirmed watched over various monitor setups. Princess Celestia, with her sister Luna and fellow traveler Richard Edwards to each side of her, strode to the lectern to deliver her remarks. The Doctors Isegawa, Bearers of the Elements of Harmony, and the Conduits of Terra sans Blue Vague were in the front row of the audience; Blue Vague himself watching the remarks on the closed-circuit monitor in his infirmary room.

"As you all have likely heard by now, I have recently ordered, and completed overseeing, the total withdrawal of our public presence on Earth."

Celestia waited a few moments while the murmuring died down.

"Also, you all have most likely heard by now the remarks, or a synopsis thereof, by who we can only assume is the leadership of the Society for the Preservation of Humanity. He proclaims this is a full-blown retreat, and from their perspective, I can see why they would believe that. However, I felt it necessary to address you all personally, as to prevent any rumors from cropping up before we can develop any solid plans going forward. Myself, my sister, and the leadership of the Human-Equestrian Alliance met briefly before I prepared these remarks, and we have come to an agreement. This is merely a setback, and not a permanent end to our quest.

"Although I am an ages old creature, I am not omniscient. It is partially my fault that we find ourselves in the position we do now, having to scramble around in the shadows. I severely underestimated the depths to which the self-professed Elite would go in order to preserve their position in this world; going so far as to execute a worldwide coup-d'etat in order to maintain their 'spot', as it were. Although I wish it did not have to come to this, I am afraid we will have start over from scratch.

"We will spend the foreseeable future attempting to find remaining allies outside of these walls, as well as consulting with the other Nations Equestria shares a world with. Together, I believe we can truly forge a new Age; not only for Humanity, for Ponydom, but for all sapient races of both worlds!"

Everyone got up and applauded as best they could; while Vague, his body and mind still exhausted, just smiled at the words of his Princess.

Princess Celestia... Twilight and the other Bearers of Harmony... Storm and the other Conduits of Terra... I am so sorry... I don't think I could ever apologize enough for my behavior from today and the last few weeks... but I will make it up to you... I will do everything in my power to make this world live and thrive!

In the Human Sick Bay, Andrew sat up in his bed, seemingly clear of thought for the first time in ages.

Linda... she is no demon... she is no agent of the Devil... Celestia is just another leader trying to do the best she can for her people... Isn't that want everyone wants? The best for their people? Why should we just dismiss her out of hand because they walk on four legs, and we walk on two?

Andrew called for a human volunteer to see if he could get a change of clothes... and whatever documentation he needed to join the H.E.A. formally.

It appears I have a lot to consider going forward... But I know one thing, that future doesn't involve the SPH or anything like it... I don't want to become a Pony like Andre... but there is so much I need to do for him, even if only goes as far as being there in this new phase of his life... and hopefully the new phase of our world.