Chapters The Conversion Bureau: Bio-Terrorism
Delsin smirked as he sat down to the small restaurant table, his brother Reggie opposite of him while checking in with the S.P.D.
"Alright, thanks," the Policeman spoke before hanging up the call. "Well, D.U.P.'s checking out some suspicious 'Angel Activity' in the Belltown District, so we've got some time before any patrols come through here."
"Sweet," Delsin started as he leaned back into the chair, "some time to kick back, enjoy a few bites of the local cuisine-"
"This is a burger joint, Delsin," Reggie deadpanned.
Delsin peaked at the sign above him before the sign was drained of its neon lights. He gave a chuckle as the source of the disturbance pulled up a chair, turned it around, and sat in it while leaning forward onto the table.
"Didn't see any sign," Fetch remarked playfully.
Reggie sighed as he shook his head while the two Conduits bumped fists.
"'Sup Fetch?" Delsin started.
"Eh, same ol', same ol'. Taking down Drug Dealers, marking the city with some light shows, taking on waves of heavily armed military soldiers. You know, the usual."
"Sorry I'm late," another voice joined.
The three turned to see a young man with large glasses, a hooded sweater, and a red shirt with two H's on it approach the table.
"Eugene, my man!" Delsin called as he reached out with his palm facing the last Conduit.
Eugene responded by slapping his own hand against Delsin's and pulling up a seat for himself at the table. Once he sat down Reggie spoke up as he began to leave his seat.
"Whelp, good thing I bought extras," he remarked while turning to the restaurant. "Any drinks you two want, though?"
"I'm good," Fetch replied.
"If they have Sprite, could I get a small with no ice?" Eugene asked.
"Sure," Reggie replied before going in to check on their order.
With the "Norm" away from the table, the three conduits all kept silent as they appreciated the moment they were in.
"This is nice," Eugene commented. "The quiet, the air, no screaming or gunfire or rocks being thrown at us."
"Amen to that, kid," Fetch replied. "Oh, you guys should have seen these last druggies I took down! It was hilarious!"
Before Fetch could begin the story, however, all three of them felt a massive disturbance from the North Island. At once, all three of them turned their heads in the direction of the disturbance, and kept their gazes locked on the opposite island. While they did, Reggie came out with a tray that had four burgers, four fries, and three drinks on it, and approached the table.
"Alright, who's hungry for some 'local cuisine'?" he joked before seeing their faces.
All three of the Conduits were watching the sky with a sense of dread, before a massive light burst above the Space Needle, and sent them all flying to the ground.
\\\//////
Augustine nearly fell flat on her face when she felt the tremors rock through the makeshift headquarters. A blinding light ignited above the Space Needle, and burst open some kind of energy that she felt rock her very core. She waited a few seconds before opening her eyes, and when she did, they stretched open to their widest they had been in years.
The entirety of the Seattle Center district was obliterated.
And in its place as a massive dome of golden energy.
\\\//////
Princess Celestia stepped out from the rubble of the Human buildings, and spread her wings and allowed the filthy air of their Earth to bless itself by flowing by her form. In a single, mighty flap of her wings, she soared above the barrier she erected in the city and gazed upon the hideousness of the Human's city. With a sense of familiarity, she reached her magic to all the metal that polluted the air and space around their planet, broke their securities with merely a thought, and spoke to all impure beings.
\\\//////
"Humans of Earth!"
"Your time has come! For too long you have been tearing apart your world, destroying yourselves in selfish acts in the name of preservation and justice! For too long you have been subjected to your own violence, scarring the land with evil magics of technology! For too long, you have been plagued and ill with the greatest injustice of all: being born Human! Now is the time to rejoice, for your saviors have arrived to free you from your own birth! None should be forced to endure the nightmare of being a Human! That is why I, Princess Celestia of Equestria, have come bearing prosperous news! No more, do you have to suffer! My little ponies will bring blessings to all, and convert your kind to a superior race! Leave behind your death and destruction, and join our great land of Equestria! A new life awaits! A greater future as ponies begins for you all!"
\\\//////
Augustine blinked several times as the voice was broadcasted in the own earpiece, the speakers and televisions of the D.U.P. equipment, and through the vibrating window, ready to shatter at the pressure of the alien's voice.
All across the screens, emergency scans, troop deployments, nuclear warheads, all began to lock on to Seattle, and within a few seconds, the screens darkened with the presence of the Council members revealing themselves to the Conduit. She stood ready to hear their orders, or to face prosecution.
"Augustine," a man with a deep voice spoke from the screen, "the council has just received news from across the globe of some signal coming from Seattle. Care to explain."
"Sir, security footage should show you that a single light, almost nonexistent prior to the signal, detonated above the Space Needle. It was not a Conduit in origin, that much we are certain of."
"How are you certain?"
"There are no Conduits in recent years that have that much destructive potential. That, and the fact that the message spoke of something that wasn't Conduit in nature. It spoke as if Humanity was a sickness that needed to be cured. Sir."
"True. Which is why we have contacted the President of the United States to inform him of the situation as it progresses. As of now, the D.U.P. is the first line of defense against whatever sent that message."
"Understood, sir."
With that, the Council left the screens, and Augustine was left with a new goal.
The Conversion Bureau: Bio-Terrorism
Princess Celestia landed gracefully upon the crater that marked the end of this world's sins, a small platoon of pegasi ready with the Cleansing Vials. As she approached them, they moved to bow before the Solar Goddess, and she chuckled warmly at the sight.
"Rise, my little ponies," she spoke in her motherly tone.
At once, all pegasi rose and stood ready before her.
"Today, we mark another campaign to rid the universe of the curse of Human kind. Today, we welcome those who are in need of our blessings, by sharing our love and compassion through the streets of this city. As you all know, there will be violence, just like the previous Earths. But know now, that with your efforts, we will save billions from the cruel fate of being Human."
The platoon of Pegasi saluted the Princess before lifting off into the air, hundreds of wings pumping with a sense of righteousness as they prepared to cure another planet.
\\\//////
Delsin groaned as he tried to force himself awake. He felt the smoke of his Fast-Healing pulsate around his form as he struggled to find his footing, before his senses began to fully return. The first sense to return was hearing, and the first thing he heard, were screams. The Conduit forced his eyes to open and adjust to the harsh light of the mid-day Sun as he looked around to find the source of the screams. When he finally was able to see again, he found the answer: everywhere.
All around him, bombs of liquid and smoke began to pelt the streets with a war-like intensity. Innocent people were being bombarded by unknown bombs and disappearing into clouds of rainbow-colored mist.
"Delsin!" he heard a voice call out.
Delsin turned to see Fetch and Eugene waving him forth from one of the underground maintenance hatches as more bombs collided with the ground behind them.
"I've gotta find Reggie!" he shouted before looking around the immediate area.
His eyes settled on a ventilation shaft, the yellow light pulsating as a beacon against the smokey bombardment. With a thought and instinct, Delsin collapse his genetic structure into a cloud of orange and black smoke, and shifted his entire mass through the pipes faster than any normal current could. When he shot out on the top of the building, the smoke combining into his natural state, he collided with something.
Delsin gripped his nose after the collision sent him rolling onto the roof as the object he slammed into crashed beside him. He strained his eyes open to try and observe what he had hit, and widened his eyes when he settled on the culprit.
The Conduit stared right at the pegasus, which looked like something straight out of a fantasy movie or something equally stupid, with unrivaled confusion. Its fur was white with a blue tail, sported smooth, white wings, wore golden armor, and had an almost Human face, straying only with the absurdly large eyes. On its sides, however, were vials of swirling liquids. Out of curiosity, Delsin grabbed one, which proceeded to explode into a cloud around him.
The air began to freeze up around Delsin as he felt his lungs reject the poisonous substance, causing him to cough uncontrollably. As he did, he witnessed his chest glowing orange as smoke pulsated around his form, trying to whip at the cloud as it it were battling it. Delsin slowly got to his feet and waved away the invading cloud, swatting some of the substance off as he looked out over Seattle.
All across his view, Delsin watched in shock and horror as pegasi bombed out the streets of the locked-down city. Clouds of the rainbow-colored vials burst into the air across the limits of the city, striking every street and corner in Seattle. The Conduit felt his heart nearly implode as the realization of the attack began to hit home.
"Delsin, look out!" a familiar voice called out.
Delsin turned quickly to his right to find a pegasus charging at him with a vial in its mouth, somehow staying in tact. That changed, however, as a loud crack rang through the air, and the creature's head exploded on one side. Its body fell from the sky ungracefully, slamming into the side of the building before dropping into the alleyway. Delsin looked towards the source of the pegasus' death to find his brother holding his pistol.
"Reggie!" Delsin cheered before jumping off the edge of the building.
When he landed, however, another pegasus slammed into Reggie, tackling him to the ground face-down as his weapon clattered against the street. It slammed one of its legs down onto Reggie's back, causing him to scream in pain.
"Get off of him!" Delsin shouted as he charged the creature.
It was too late, however, as it brought out a vial in its mouth and slammed it onto Reggie's back. The pegasus had no time to react as a storm of smoke and metal wrapped around its body, throwing it into a nearby car head-first, crushing its skull into the inner workings of the vehicle. With the attacker dealt with, Delsin returned his attention to Reggie, only to find his empty clothes in the street.
"No," Delsin began as he came up to his brother's uniform, "no, no, no, no, No, NO!"
The Conduit slammed his fists into the pavement in denial before reaching over to the uniform.
"No, come on, Reg, don't do this to me!" he cried to the cloth.
When he came into contact with it, however, Delsin felt something move inside. He paused only for a second before grabbing the uniform and trying to remove the top portion, desperate to find something left of his brother. Just when Delsin had found purchase in his efforts, he froze. Where he expected his brother to be, was a light-red pegasus, smiling up at him.
"Delsin," it spoke in his brother's voice, "thanks for that. I needed to get out of those if I'm going to get to see Princess Celestia."
The Conversion Bureau: Bio-Terrorism
"Re... Reggie?" Delsin asked hesitantly.
The pegasus before Delsin wrapped its front legs around his arm and began to rub its red fur on him.
"It was scary and dark in there," it continued in Reggie's voice, "I thought I was gonna cry."
Delsin fought to get a hold of the situation, having no idea whatsoever as to how this happened or what was still going on. As he tried to focus, the pegasus Reggie let go of his limb and stood up with a beaming smile.
"This feels amazing, Delsin! I've never felt so clean! So new! So alive!"
The Conduit managed to get to his feet and looked down at his morphed brother, Reggie's combed-back hairstyle barely up to Delsin's waistline as opposed to the former few centimeters above Delsin's head.
"Wha... what happened, Reggie?" Delsin finally managed.
"I've been reborn!" he cheered. "I'm a new pony, now, Delsin! You should try it! Let the magic free your soul, Delsin! It's incredible!"
Delsin tried to form a response before he heard more cheering and voices all around him. With a turn of his head, Delsin watched in stunned silence as more small horse-people began to fill the streets, painting his vision with a rainbow of intense colors. A few were like Reggie, with wings, while others either had a horn on their faces, or neither. They were all greeting each other, hugging, cheering, and saying hi to the brothers as they passed by them as they walked in the same direction.
"Reg, where are they all going?" Delsin asked his morphed brother.
"To Princess Celestia! She's here to liberate us from our-"
"Reg, come on, man, cut the crazy talk and be straight with me here!" Delsin interrupted as he raised his voice.
"Delsin, there's no need to shout," Reggie said with an eerily warm smile.
"You're talking about weird names and 'cleansing' and- dude, you sound like a Nazi, right now, except with these..."
"Ponies, Delsin. And besides, Princess Celestia's calling out to us. I can hear the others rejoicing now. If we go now, maybe we can find some of the Cure for you, too!"
"'Cure'? For what?"
"For being Human," Reggie answered almost casually.
Delsin paused for a second before igniting a swirling vortex of smoke around his arms.
"Reg, I think we both know I'm not Human," Delsin reminded his brother.
"But think of what this can do! Maybe you'll be able to keep your powers when we go there! Think of all the ponies you could-"
"Don't say 'help', because before we came here, you told me we were trying to get rid of them, remember? I don't wanna add 'being an alien horse-thing' on a list of problems that-"
"Delsin, I know you're confused, but just follow the light," Reggie stated before he extended his wings and began to flap.
"Wait, Reggie," Delsin started as he grabbed his brother, "where do you think you're going?"
"To Princess Celestia," he answered.
"Well you're not going to-"
Delsin was unable to finish his protest as an armored pegasus barreled into him at a dangerous speed, slamming him into the pavement as Reggie took off in flight. As his face was being pushed down by an armored limb, Delsin watched his brother's pegasus form disappear towards the dome of light.
"No!" he grunted as he slammed his elbow into the pegasus holding him.
When his arm made contact with its armor, the metal released a loud gong as the metal bent inwards, shaping itself along Delsin's strike. The pegasus rolled off of him without resistance, and Delsin got up and ran.
"Reggie!"
\\\//////
Sergeant Hot Fuzz of the Royal Guard smiled warmly at the sight of herds of Newfoals lining up before the exterior of the shield, positively gushing with positive emotions as they waited to start their new lives in Equestria. The thought of saving so many had always been the best part of joining the Guard, he reminded himself. He remembered the first time he had been on an assignment like this, and the Humans had come willingly to be born anew at the hooves of the Princess herself.
At this time, however, the Newfoals were becoming less frequent, as the last of the herds of former Humans began to trickle in. Every now and again, one would stop to thank him, hug him, and, on rare occasions, kiss him on the cheek. One in particular, however, decided to stop by for a quick talk. The red pegasus had a light smile on his face, as opposed to the beaming ones he had seen so often, and landed quite shakily to talk to him.
"Something the matter?" Fuzz asked.
"Well, I felt so amazing when I was reborn, but I tried to get my brother to follow me to be cured, as well," the pegasus said sadly. "Am I a bad brother for not being able to help him?" he asked.
"Absolutely not," Hot Fuzz answered with a smile. "You did the right thing by trying to help, and that's all that matters."
The pegasus smiled wider, but not as wide as Fuzz thought he would.
"Well, I think he might need some special help with being cured, though."
Hot Fuzz chuckled as he placed a hoof on the pegasus' shoulder.
"Don't worry, we have special cases all the time. We'll save your brother."
The pegasus hugged him and whispered a quick thanks before moving towards the edge of the barrier to Equestria. Just as he was about to, however, a shout rang through the immediate area.
"Reggie!"
A group of Guards prepared to block the incoming Human as Hot Fuzz ignited his horn and lifted three bottles of The Cure. When the Human was close enough, it stopped and looked between the Guards and the pegasus at the edge of the barrier.
"Reg, come on, bro, don't do this to me!" it shouted, false tears running down its hairless face. "What about Betty!? What about the Akomish!? What about taking care of Augustine, or Eugene, or Fetch, or even your cop buddies here!? You're strong, Reggie! That's how I was able to get to where I am now! All of my self-control, all of the 'doing good things for people', that's because of you! Because you were always the one who did everything right, for everyone! Don't leave! PLEASE!"
The pegasus Newfoal almost seemed to be moved by the Human's speech, but shook his head silently before turning back to the barrier.
"REGGIE!" the Human screamed as the Newfoal stepped through the barrier, never to see this world again.
"Guards, hold down the Human!" Hot Fuzz ordered as the rest of the group moved in to subdue him.
After collapsing to its knees, the Human was surrounded by 30 of Celestia's Finest. Fuzz brought the three vials of The Cure close to the edge of the line of Guards before he spoke to the Human.
"I'll admit, that was actually quite touching. But don't worry, you'll see him in a minute."
"You did this to him," the Human spoke as its fists clenched.
"We saved him."
"You brainwashed him!" the Human shouted as it raised one leg to stand.
"Think what you want now, you'll be saved regardless," Fuzz stated before chucking all three vials at the Human.
The glass containers shattered against the Human and wrapped it in a cloud of rainbow mist before everything seemed to become silent. Just as Hot Fuzz was about to call out to the Newfoal that should have been resting inside, the cloud began to pulse black before spiraling around a silhouette of the Human. As the smoke began to part, the Guards got a look at the Human, its arms morphing with the cloud of smoke as its eyes began to glow red.
"You took by brother from me!"
Before the Guards could figure out what was happening, the Human crouched close to the ground and looked as though it was going to jump. As it did, however, the smoke surrounding it shot into its body, and the Human exploded upwards into three balls of orange light, smoke trailing upwards as the three lights circled each other. When the smoke reached its apex, the three lights collided to form the Human, glaring down at the group of Royal Guards. A war cry rang from the Human's maw as black and orange smoke ignited behind it, propelling its wavering form into the center of the Guards. When the Human collided with the ground, Hot Fuzz felt a wave of rage rush over him as bits of the street beneath him were melted away, smoke and embers filling his lungs as his world turned black.
