The Next Conversion

    I wandered into the security room and checked the cameras. Not much else I could do really and it’s always an advantage to know what your enemy is up to. I opened the door and found the room was lined with televisions each displaying another room and tons of HLF members patrolling hallways. I begun my search for something I would find useful and found something rather counter-intuitive…

    I checked the Utility Room camera and saw that a group of generals had found Colonel Bradford, who had awoken from his extensive nap and was dressed in a new uniform. As soon as I saw this I threw my set of his clothing to the floor and put my hat back on. All good things must come to an end but I was disappointed that it had happened so soon, I was hoping to get a few more chuckles out of how gullible these people were.

    I began to search the other cams for the missing ponies and found that a security guard, a black stallion in riot gear, was trying to protect a small filly who was huddled behind a stove. It was a safe assumption these two were in the kitchen. I marked the location on my map and continued searching for the final pony. I found her in the nurse’s office searching frantically through several bottles worth of medication, I hoped that she wasn’t just a junkie and had a legit reason for breaking and entering.

    Before I left for the crew I grabbed some pepper spray somebody had left behind and a set of handcuffs. The cuffs were rusted and brown but they still worked somehow.

    I headed for the kitchen, the sounds of gunshots helped matters surprisingly in telling me if I was getting closer or not. When I finally reached it I had found that a group of soldiers had been trying to shoot out a lock, each taking turns to blow out the closing mechanism with several types of guns. It was not going to be easy to get them away from that door.

    I pulled my revolver and took aim at one of the men’s wrist, more specifically the one who was about to take a shotgun and probably blow through that wooden door. Before I could pull the trigger one of the small ones in back suddenly noticed me! He fumbled with his gun and began to try and blow my block off, leading a chain reaction of the rest of the group trying to kill me.

    Ducking behind a corner I was able to shield myself from the bullets and began to search for a way to escape or incapacitate them. As I searched the hall I noticed something coming my way, It was Colonel Bradford! Suddenly facing those men seemed like a better option but I realized something; perhaps HE could help me.

    I hid in a doorway and waited for Bradford to cross me and, pulling the revolver, I placed it in his back and demanded he dropped his weapons.

“Who the hell are you?” He said.

“Oh, I’ve been called many things,“ I said, trying my hardest to sound mysterious. “El Diablo, The Man with No Name, Red Mane, Trigger. Let’s just say I’m a man who was here at the right place at the wrong time.”

“What do you want? If you just wanted me dead you would have killed me the moment you saw me.”

“Who said I won’t kill you as soon as you don’t comply?”

“Your gun’s shaking boy. You don’t have the guts.” The moment he said that I looked at my gun and true to his word it was shaking, hard.

    He turned around and I lowered my gun, feeling nothing but shame. He then decided now would be the best time to go on and on about how I wasn’t a real man, how I was fighting for the wrong side and how he and his two other colonels would level the building. My mind was taking a barrage of- wait, two other colonels? That’s it!

“Two? What are you talking about?” I said, in my cruelest voice.

“Jefferson and Howard, we are the strongest three in the core, perhaps even the entire region! Our wit and strengths are only matched by-”

“Are one of them perchance a one-eyed hunchback?” I said trying not to laugh. “With great strength, searching the labs?”

    “Jefferson…”

“Ah, now I know what I can call our new, rippling stallion.” I said, emphasizing the last word as to make it hurt more. He quickly turned to me and was visibly breaking as his skin was turning a pale white and his left eye began to twitch.

“What did you do to him?” He asked silently.

    “Well…” I said trying to stretch this out as long as possible. “Are you aware of what happens to someone once they turn?” His mouth hung open in disbelief as I continued. “First their eyes dilate, allowing them to be able to see every little change unless they were lucky enough to be knocked out. then their mane grows in. THEN comes the fun part of their skin changing to the color of their new form, they lose toes as the bones in the feet grow into hooves. Then, they lose their fingers, one. By. ONE. Your friend was able to find a gun nearby and end his misery there, but the transformation continued.”

    “Stop it.” He said, looking as if he would cry any moment.

“The hole in the bottom of his mouth was bleeding onto his uniform until it had turned into a deep cherry red, but then… the bleeding stopped. The hole in his head had begun to close as his jaws began to grow. The twisting and contorting of his bones as they-”

    I looked at him and saw that he was reduced to tears, his once tough outer shell broken to expose himself as a manipulative slime ball with no way of defending himself. I turned him around and kicked him to the ground. He landed head first in the hallway containing the rest of the men, the crying turning their attention to the man they had once feared as an immovable stone. I stepped out of the corner and put my boot on his head, smiling as I hid my eyes beneath the brim of my hat.

    They were stunned some dropped their weapons, others had dropped their jaws, while a good chunk of them just stood awe filled at what I had done. I took one step forward and saw the unarmed ones flee. I saw that the men who hadn’t dropped their weapons shaking in terror as I slowly moved my other foot towards them. As I laid down my heel the rest of them took off, fearing for their very lives.

    I opened the door to the kitchen and saw the two ponies staring at me with looks of bewilderment and fear.

“Back off Mac, I told yer supperiours that thur’d be no nugoshiating.” The larger, grey one said in an accent thick enough to cut through. “Is heer gal ain’t goin nowere.”

“I’m not with them, I scared them away.”

    “I dout that. If you beat ‘em off why don’cha proove it, big man?” The stallion head-butted me in the stomach and I flew into the wall. I heard a crack as my skull met the concrete, and my vision began to fade.

    “Wake up!” I heard as cold water splashed onto my face. I began to cough and try to get up but found my hands were tied together and my legs were in the same predicament. My vision cleared of the water and I saw the tall grey stallion standing over me triumphantly. “See boy? I told’ja I’s gut a plan. Now we hafta get him to squawk.”

    “What’s going on here?” I asked, panicked. I was answered with a smack to the jaw.

“I’m asking the quest-uns solja boy. What is yer name?” I realized what had happened, he had mistaken for an HLF member! I hoped that maybe if I played along long enough he’d let me go.

    “I’m Rick Alanson,” I said trying to come off as someone who was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. “I was born in-” SMACK, right to my jaw.

“Next question: Why‘re ya here?”

“I’m here because I was trying to save you! Those lunatics at the HLF want everyone dead and I…”

    I trailed off because he made an excellent point. Why was I here risking life and limb for some ungrateful horses? Why wasn’t I in the safe house with the rest of them? It was the same with my entire life: stand up for the little guy, get my ass handed to me, get no reward for helping, rinse, repeat. I sat and looked stupefied for the longest time, trying to piece together why I was doing this.

    SMACK, his hoof hit my eye.  “I sed, What is yer problem with us pony folk?” I must have gotten lost in my thoughts.

“I have nothing against them! I came here to save you and your…” I quickly looked around the room and found that we were the only ones there. “Your kid?” I must have struck a nerve as he began to twitch and his eyes were turning red.

    SMACK, right to my eye once more. Everything once again began to fade. SMACK, to my jaw. I saw the tears running down the cheeks as the stallion continued to try his damnedest to kill me. SMACK, I felt blood flow from my ear. I saw him raise his hoof to strike me once more before I blacked out.

    I awoke in darkness, nothing but blackness surrounding me. I tried to pick myself up and found that I had been untied. I felt my face and found that the sores and bruises I had sustained during the adventure had faded.

    In the distance I saw something, an odd white form appearing in my sight growing closer and closer. I was attracted to it, like a moth to flame. It was so beautiful, tears rolled down my cheeks as it grew larger and larger in my line of sight. As I got closer I did something I had never expected to do.

    I ran into it. I had been rushing toward it so fast that I may as well have run into a trampoline, because it bounced me back. I looked at the object and saw that it was a pony. It wasn’t just any pony however, it was Celestia! I remained down, fearful of what this was meaning.

    We stared at each other before she finally broke the ice.

“Hello“ Her voice was one of grace and kindness. “I am Princess Celestia.” Looking into the face of a god is an experience I never thought would have happened to me. Sitting silently I could only stare at her fine white coat, her flowing rainbow mane, her tall posture looming over me. Only one question was running through my mind as I faced the majestic mare.

    “A-a-am I dead?” I stammered, trying to form the inevitable question. She let out a soft chuckle and put her hoof on my chest.

“You aren’t dead. Even if you were you’d be sent back.”

“Sent back? Back to Earth?”

“You still have work to do.” I looked at her, dumbfounded by her bluntness with me. She turned around to head off and began to walk away from me. Quickly I shouted,

“Wait!” She stopped and looked back at me. “Where am I, your highness?” I said shyly.

    She just smirked and continued on her way.

Authors remarks: Ah yes, the first non-OC joins the already expansive list of characters. This is just stalling mind, but my next chapter is my personal favorite.