The Conversion Bureau: The Devil's Diary
The Journal of Euclid, Unicorn professor at the Canterlot Unicorn Academy.
October 4th - afternoon
I started this journal to organize my thoughts during this trip. It’s my first formal excursion from Canterlot, and not a moment in my life did I ever expect it to be to another world. Things have been happening to fast these past few years; the Joining, the Conversion Bureaus, and especially these Humans.
A close relative of apes and chimpanzees, they walk on two legs, have no coat to speak of other than extremely fine hairs covering their skin. Most of them have manes covering the tops of their heads as well as occasionally their face.
What amazes me so much about them is that they are all the same. Not in an identical way a-la clones, but they all share the same body structure for each gender. No horns or wings to differentiate them. I have had trouble distinguishing them from each other in my time in their world, but the more time I spend with them, the more I notice the subtle differences they use to identify individuals. Subtle facial structure differences, mane colors/shapes/styles, as well as body shapes.
The thing that amazes me the most by far about this species is their potential or intellect. I stress the ‘potential’ aspect of this observation due to my experiences with humans who... have not lived up to their brothers and sisters in intelligence. Most of all out here in the countryside.
I should explain what my goal is, shouldn’t I?
I’m spending time out in the human wilderness (or what’s left of it) searching for creatures normally reserved for legends and folklore. Should their forests and untamed wilds bear any resemblance in the chaotic nature of the Everfree Forest back in Equestria, then it is likely that the creatures would possess some sort of ability to avoid detection to humans.
But not me.
My present target is what’s known to the local populace as ‘The Jersey Devil’.
I have just arrived in the region the creature is known to reside in, and plan to move into the wilds in a few days after I prepare.
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October 5th - evening
I was joined by three others in my investigation of the Jersey Devil. Two humans and a pegasus named Helios. He used to be a human who lived in the town I was staying in and wanted to be a part of this just for the ‘thrill of it all’ (his words). The two humans who joined me are locals of the area. The forest we have entered in today used to be known as ‘The Pine Barrens’ several decades ago. It stretched for dozens of miles in every direction, at least until the pines began dying off from the toxic runoff from the chemical plants around it. Now it is a mere shadow of itself, a pitiful reflection of the majesty and mystery it used to possess.
That doesn’t keep it from getting under my skin at night.
Susan, one of the humans in our group, owns a cabin in the forest we’re presently heading to. Hank, the other, is driving the car. He’s lived around the forest his entire life and knows full well of the story I’m investigating. His aid will be indispensable. The sun set about half an hour ago, and Luna’s indigo night is steadily taking the sky for itself.
Tomorrow Hank is planning on taking us three to the ruins where the Devil supposedly was born in. Fortunately, we’re going during the late morning, so as to avoid being out at night any more than we need to be.
Both Hank and Susan are uneasy. Even in the steadily dying light, I can see sweat forming on their brows. Each loud noise outside the car is greeted by a quick glance by Susan paired with a soft gasp.
I have a feeling that this investigation is going to go all too well. Only time will tell.
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October 6th - late evening
I am very glad we avoided travelling at night today. I can hear strange noises outside of my window and I presently have no plan on investigating them. Ever.
On to the story of the Devil: surprisingly rooted more in magic than I had previously suspected. Religious magic, witchcraft, it doesn’t matter.
Supposedly, this ‘Mother Leeds’ gave birth to twelve children. She was also a suspected witch, and upon the birth of the twelfth child, she cried out: “Let the next child be the devil!” or something along those lines.
Lo and behold, she birthed another child; a son, Lucas. Shortly thereafter, he twisted and transformed into a winged monstrosity and devoured his mother, his brothers and sisters, and the midwife. He wrecked the cabin and flew off into the night.
Reported sightings span hundreds of years, giving more credence to it’s inherent magical nature. Should it still be alive today, our chances to encounter it are much higher with the smaller area of the forest.
The ruins Hank took us to was indeed the cabin where Lucas was born. Only a chimney made of stone still stood. Though, during the time we occupied the area... I could feel something watching us. I have no grounds to base this on other than paranoia and pure speculation but I felt a presence that was not human nor pony.
The reason I bring this up and not just ignore it was that shortly after that feeling I got, both Hank and Susan headed straight to the car, yelling at me and Helios to get in. They felt it too.
Helios, on the other hand, seemed excited. Not scared. What is with this colt? I’ll have to see if I can get some history on him later on tomorrow.
Susan placed an odd piece of polished brass above the doorframe in the cabin. Upon asking her about this, she responded: “The creature is the spawn of Satan. Only the power of God can surely protect us.”
I’m unfamiliar with human religion, but if this creature is magical in nature as I suspect, the cross-shaped object will be of more use if she would just throw it at the Devil should it show up.
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October 11th - late night:
I heard something. I know for a FACT that I heard something outside the window. It was possible that it was just my eyes but I believe I saw it in the window. Staring at me.
How did I figure this? It’s EYES glowed. They glowed a sickly red, and as soon as I sat up to get a better view, they vanished.
I don’t know if coming out here was a good idea anymore.
Oh sweet Celestia, what have I gotten myself into?
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October 12th - late morning:
I relayed my encounter with the others. Hank and Susan were surprised that I was able to identify the red eyes. They didn’t see any reason to share that detail with me, and why should they? It was a legend to them and their race. Perhaps they have been humoring me this past week.
Helios went out to fly around earlier, saying he wanted to look for the Devil himself. At least with him gone, it’ll give me some peace and quiet around here for me to continue my research.
Hank went out as well. He took his axe with him to collect some firewood. Susan and I are the only ones in the cabin for today. She has an old paper book she’s reading, laying on the couch in the living room while I investigate the books and notes I borrowed before coming here.
At least I’m making some progress.
There are many sightings of the Devil ranging as far back as four hundred years. Some had claimed to have killed it, others blamed it on their livestock getting killed in the night. Perhaps some of these stories are indeed the fault of the Devil, but not many.
I’ll write again when I find something big.
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October 13th - morning:
It seems as if the Devil was listening to me yesterday. Hank woke up to a mutilated deer outside of the house, right in front of the door. According to him, the poor creature was torn open and... Oh Celestia... I don’t want to have to picture it anymore.
Needless to say, Hank cleaned the area and in fact took some the meat from the carcass for him and Susan. Helios wanted to try some of it too, being a former human and all. I won’t stop him, but if he does try and eat meat, he’s in for a rough night. Meat’s not kind to the pony digestive system.
This is pure speculation here. I’m only basing this on my imagination and what’s happened so far.
But...
What if the Jersey Devil is trying to communicate to us?
Telling us to leave?
Maybe it’s taking a strong interest in me in particular. The other night still bothers me. I can only sleep soundly with the shades closed, now. Is it because I’m a unicorn? Is it because I’m investigating it?
Maybe I should heed it’s warning and leave... before I end up like that poor...
No. I’m staying. I will get what I want. We need to come up with a plan to capture it. Only then can I study it with any power over the circumstances that may arise.
Hank and Susan aren’t gonna like this.
Not one bit.
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October 14th - late night:
I had another encounter with it. It may have just been my mind playing tricks on itself as I slept, but I feel as if it was something far more sinister than a simple dream.
Let me describe what I saw.
I was laying in my bed when I heard a noise coming from the other room. I was frozen in place, unable to move anything but my eyes. Fear gripped me in its frozen grasp.
The door slowly opened, but I saw nothing. It was far too dark, and since my blinds were always closed from the other night, no moonlight could illuminate the room.
While I could see nothing, I instead felt it. Subtle things. I heard the floorboards creaking under its feet. I smelled its rancid breath, heavy with rotting meat. The room seemed to get colder the longer it was present, almost causing me to shiver under the sheets.
At the foot of the bed, it opened its eyes and looked at me again. Those sick, glowing eyes. I wanted to scream. Every instinct in my body was yelling at me to run. Run far away. As far away as possible to get away from this thing.
A red glow began to illuminate the room. I saw details. It walked on two hooved legs, and had two massive claws on the other two. Its skin was covered in a pitch black fur, but failed to conceal its bulging muscles. Two leathery bat wings were stretched on either side of it.
The monster’s face was what terrified me the most. It had an elongated snout, similar in a way to earthborn equines, but the mouth stretched across the entire thing. Two jagged horns rose into the air from the skull, rippling with energy.
It opened its enormous jaws. Rows of savagely long teeth stained with red were bearing down on me as I blacked out.
I woke up drenched in a cold sweat, shivering.
Upon checking the room, I was horrified to discover subtle indentations in the floorboards similar to the Devil’s claws.
Did it indeed visit me? Or is my mind simply grasping for closure to this?
I’m not going to mention this to anyone. We need to stay focused.
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October 15th - afternoon:
Surprisingly enough, they are willing to go along with it. Turns out they both have separate scores to settle with the Devil.
According to them, there have been so few stories on the Jersey Devil because it captures anyone showing interest in it.
(Maybe my crackpot theory was right? Especially when paired with last night.)
They both have relatives who have gone missing in the past several decades, all while they either wanted to hunt the Devil or when they tried to investigate the disappearance of another individual. It seems as if this is some sort of cycle.
Helios was all for it the moment I suggested it. I still need to ask him a few questions. He goes out to fly around the forest every day. A bit suspicious, but hopefully that suspicion is unfounded.
I’ll ask him when he comes back tonight.
Hank and Susan noticed my unease. I told them it was nothing, just the forest starting to get to me after spending my life in Canterlot for so long. Fortunately, they bought it.
I plan on locking my door tonight. Even if it was just a dream, I refuse to take any risks. It’ll help me get to sleep.
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October 16th - late night:
Helios still hasn’t come back to the cabin yet. Hank went out to drive around, hoping to catch his attention and bring him back, just in case he was out in the woods, hurt.
I advised against it. Hank did seem uneasy about the whole idea, but he insisted on going out.
I sent a prayer to Luna and Celestia for the two of them to come back safe and sound.
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October 17th - afternoon:
Oh goddesses. Hank’s gone.
When the car was still gone this morning, Susan and I traced the tire tracks down the road for a few miles. They veered off the dirt road, with a pattern likely implying that Hank had slammed on the gas.
The car was found in a ditch on the side of the road. The canopy was torn open, scraps of metal with clear claw marks all over the car and in the surrounding area. I refused to go any closer. Susan confirmed what I dreaded. Hank was there. He was all over the inside of the car. He was... oh sweet, merciful goddesses... he’s dead.
I’m still trembling even now as I write this. I NEVER wanted anyone to get hurt on my investigation.
To be honest, I was expecting to go back to Canterlot in a few days once I had come up with no evidence on the existence of this creature.
Susan and I got back to the cabin as fast as we could. Without the car, trying to leave that late in the day was futile without running the risk of travelling during the dark. We’re also assuming to got Helios too. He still hasn’t shown up either.
Tomorrow morning, we’re making a run for it. And never looking back.
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October 17th - evening:
Helios came back, much to our surprise. He claims that he hurt his wing after a gust pushed him down below the canopy of the forest, so he took refuge in a nearby cave until the morning.
We told him about Hank. He was upset, but something seemed off. His mind seemed distant.
After Susan began packing our things up and went to bed, I asked Helios about his night in the woods, and if there was anything he wanted to tell me.
I asked him why he wanted to come out here and why he was always flying during the day. He kept on saying that he was looking for the Devil during the day, but I called his bluff. After a long grilling, he finally caved in.
His sister (while he was still a human) was taken just a year before the Joining. He wanted to kill the Devil himself, and he just kept looking for it.
What a poor colt.
I told him he should have just come forth in the beginning. But when I told him we were leaving tomorrow, he refused. He was going to stay, and kill the Jersey Devil with his own hooves.
No matter how hard I tried, the foal stood firm.
I gave up, and retired to my room for the night.
Tomorrow we leave. I don’t want to be here anymore.
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October 18th - afternoon:
I don’t know how to explain it. I’m simply at a loss for words. I’ve seen some miraculous magic performed by both Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, but I can’t even begin to comprehend how this happened.
Susan and I tried to leave this morning, but no matter how much we ran down the road, we always ended up running in a giant circle, ending up back at the cabin.
Susan tried using a compass, but the needle kept spinning in circles even while we stood still.
Reality distortion? Spatial bridges? I can’t even begin to wrap my head around this magic.
We returned to the cabin to find Helios huddled in a corner, mumbling to himself. Something spooked him good. I fear I know exactly what it was.
It’s toying with us. We’re nothing more than the food it’s playing with before it eats.
I’m scared for my life now.
I want to go home.
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October 18th - night:
I heard laughing. Coming from outside. I walked outside to see who or what it was (it took me a good ten minutes to gather my courage to do so). Helios was simply standing in the leaves, laughing.
I can still hear him.
I don’t think I’ll be getting back to sleep tonight.
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October 19th - late afternoon:
Helios is gone again. In all honesty, I’m hoping he never comes back. I just don’t want to have to deal with him right now.
Susan seems... off, somehow. She’s uncharacteristically happy today. She’s not saying much.
I’m worried.
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October 20th - early morning:
Oh Celestia no. Susan’s gone too.
And I saw Helios, the very same colt, EATING HER.
I can barely think. I can barely act.
She apparently went out last night with her cross, believing that would protect her from the Devil. It didn’t.
When I walked outside to check where she was (I didn’t hear her leave the night before), I saw the pegasus with blood covering his coat and mane, with pieces of her hanging from his mouth. He flew off when I screamed in horror.
I still feel sick. I can’t go back outside. I’m convinced it used some sort of spell to eradicate Helios’s mind to control him.
I can’t help but feel it’s saving me for last.
And I feel this may be my last night.
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October 20th - late evening:
It’s right outside. I hear both of them; Helios and the Jersey Devil. They’re right outside of my windows. I’m sending this journal as soon as I finish this entry to Canterlot so others can know what I know.
They’re coming. The glass in the other room broke. I locked the door but I don’t know how long a simple wooden door with a deadbolt will hold the two of them.
Please tell my wife I lov
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“It just ends after that, Princess.” The white unicorn placed the ragged journal on the table before the Princess. She was troubled by what she had read, the findings that Euclid made on Earth. This Jersey Devil was truly a force that she could not simply ignore.
“Thank you. You may leave now.” The white unicorn nodded and trotted off, closing the door behind him.
Celestia walked over to the computer screen in the back of her office on Earth. It wasn’t as cozy as the palace in Canterlot, but it had everything she needed to make sure the Conversion Bureaus operated smoothly. The screen flickered to life, and with a few keys pressed, she was connected to a familiar, yet old face.
“Well hello, Princess.”
“Hello, President Joseph. I believe I have a new mission for our team,” Celestia said.
