Conversion Bureau: Unlucky Day

Captain Moore watched with baited breath as the gates to the UN military base opened for the small convoy that they were expecting. Soldiers from almost every military that had once existed in the world were all lined up around the perimeter of the base, waiting for the inevitable attack from the invaders. After a few minutes, the convoy rolled past the makeshift barrier of scrapped aircraft and cars, and the soldiers hurriedly closed the barrier once more, in fear of infiltrators.

Moore approached the convoy with two guards, former US Marines, and kept his hand over the M-1911 firearm on his hip. The center vehicle, an armored 2003 MDX with the roof torn apart and a .50 Caliber Machine Gun mounted atop it, opened its doors. The first one out was a former FBI operative, Steven, saved from the attack on D.C. by the Captain himself, holding an M4A1 like it was his own child. Opposite of him was a member of the species that had been the cause of New York City's current state.

The defector walked on four legs, had an elongated face that extended into a muzzle, had large eyes, and a horn. The officer that had just stepped out was a light blue unicorn. At first, her kind were considered a myth, and when the portal opened, fanatics were looked upon in a new light, before the Conversion Bureaus opened up. Her silver hair was cut short, along with her tail, and she wore a modified Kevlar vest that was etched with her symbol, a wand with sparks around it.

The two that had exited the MDX gave a salute to the Captain before he returned the gesture. After a few seconds, they all lowered their arms and Moore spoke to them.

"What happened out there?"

"Sir," Stevens started, "we were searching for the camp as instructed, but when we got close to the site, we heard screaming."

Moore remembered that this particular unit was sent to investigate a possible launching-point for the Equestrian military, the force that had driven Humanity to its collective knees. That site in New Jersey was an ideal location for a portal, if what the PHL, Ponies for Human Life, said about Ley Lines was correct. The Ley Line went directly from a point near the Barrier that kept Earth and Equestria apart to the border of Sussex County, New Jersey.

"Screams, Sergeant?" Moore responded.

"The Equestrian Military had set up a camp near a small lake, in a town nearby. I think it was... Crystal Lake."

Moore didn't recognize the name, but kept quiet to let the Sergeant finish.

"We went to check out what was going on, but when we found their camp..."

"They were all gone, sir," the unicorn answered.

"Corporal Trixie, explain," Moore ordered.

"Sir, when we went to investigate, I felt an evil and dark magic take hold of the town. When we first got there, there were bodies everywhere, all slashed apart, beaten to pulp, or eviscerated on whatever was around. Then, some kind of fog rolled over the town, and... everything was gone. The bodies, the blood, even the broken-down buildings were all fixed. There was no evidence of any struggle, or evidence that anyone or thing had ever been there. Sir," Trixie finished.

"So we're dealing with an unknown magical entity of some kind?" Moore speculated.

"Not exactly, sir," Steven answered.

"Explain, you two. The more time we play this guessing game, the closer that Tyrant's barrier comes to our shores," Moore stated impatiently.

Trixie's horn glowed softly as a worn leather book was levitated towards the Captain before it was snatched up by one of the Marines. The unicorn didn't flinch from the sudden movement, as she knew that everyone here was wary of all kinds of magic, especially the kind used by unicorns. The book was then handed over to Moore by the Marine.

"It's clean, sir," the Marine stated.

Moore nodded to the Marine before taking the book in his hands. It was thin, easily less than a hundred pages, and lengthwise, was about the size of his hand.

"In Crystal Lake," Steven began, "there was once a boy who was drowned in the pristine lake. He was thrown in by a group of campers because of how hideously deformed he was. Some time later, the boy's mother, Pamela, went on a killing spree, killing a majority of counselors before the camp near the lake could reopen. After she was decapitated, her son, Jason Voorhees, had apparently come back from the dead, and started killing in her name. There are stories in there about how no matter what you try on him, whether it's stabbing, dismembering, lightning, crushing him, drowning him, or even shooting him in the face, nothing can kill him."

Moore thought on the unicorn's words for a few seconds before responding.

"Are you fucking serious, right now?"

Trixie looked down to the ground, a defeated expression on her face.

"Sir," Steven started, "those stories are true. We found a security system in one of the shops, and you need to see this."

Steven reached into one of his pockets and produced a small flash-drive. Moore took the device and motioned to his Marines and the two operatives. With Moore in front, his Marines on either side, and Steven and Trixie following, they made their way to the War Room, which amounted to a conference room in the JFK National Airport.

When they arrived, eight officers and three PHL executives all stood and saluted the Captain. Moore returned the gesture before going to the computer terminal that acted as the Central Intelligence Monitor.

"Captain Moore," one of the PHL executives, Coco, started, "what brings you back so early?"

"Trixie, Steven, explain while someone searches through this thing," Moore commanded as he handed the flash-drive over to a technician.

"Sirs," Steven began, "when we reached Crystal Lake, we arrived at a massive slaughter. All of the Equestrian forces were brutally murdered, and not a single Human or PHL corpse was found."

"Approximately thirty three minutes after we arrived," Trixie continued, "a magical fog rolled over the town, and all of the bodies, blood, and damages just vanished into thin air."

"Corporal Lulamoon," one of the PHL executives, Spitfire this time, interrupted, "what purpose does this serve us?"

"Got it," the technician stated. "It's ready to play, sirs."

"What is?" Spitfire asked.

"The solution to our problems, ma'am," Trixie answered. "Lieutenant, would you kindly play the video?"

The technician looked over to Moore, who nodded in response, before typing on the keyboard for a second as the lights in the room shut off and a light began to broadcast onto the wall.

The scene started with a trio of Newfoals, former Humans turned pony by the Conversion Potion, were simply smiling at each other with their empty, emotionless eyes. One was blue with an orange hair and tail style, another was green and had no mane, but had a red tail, and the last was white with a blonde hairstyle and tail. All of them were switching between looking at each other and the forest behind them. After what seemed like hours, the white one talked.

"Aren't you all excited about next week?"

"I know," the green one responded, "we're going to save so many!"

"Queen Celestia's finest are on their way! I just want to throw a big party for them!" The blue one concluded.

A collective shudder of disgust and fear rang through the conference room, disturbed by the unnatural behavior of the seemingly lobotomized Newfoals.

"Yes! Let's do that! I wonder if we can swim in the lake nearby!"

Spitfire was about to sigh in agitation before the image began to flicker in static, and a thumping sound began to echo through the recording.

"I hope we can celebrate by taking the newest ones to the airships while we bomb the city!"

"To show them what we saved them from!" the three said in unison.

A shadow began to expand from the forest behind the Newfoals as the static began to turn into faded whispers.

"What if we filled the lake with the saving serum, and watch them be saved by diving into the lake!"

One of the Newfoals gasped as the thumping began to grow even louder.

"That's like a poem of some kind!"

The first one gasped as well, ignoring the shadow that began to solidify by the edge of their little sit-down.

"Maybe that's how you'll get your Cutie Mark!"

They looked as though they were about to start cheering before a boot slammed into the ground, and all attention was drawn to the monstrous figure behind them.

It was a Human, except far too large to be confused for any normal man, easily standing more than 7 feet tall. His boots were almost as wide as the Newfoals' torsos, capped off with steel toes. His jeans were damp and matted with mud and rust and what looked like blood. Next, everyone seemed to focus on his massive torso and arms, which were covered in what looked like an old military jacket that was sewn with a leather coat. Underneath the jacket was a worn and torn black shirt, which barely contained his burly form. His chest was about as thick as an average pony was long, and his arms resembled tree stumps one would sit on. Around his neck was a thick, moss and rust coated chain, which lead up to his head. The man's face was concealed behind a terrifying hockey mask, cracked and faded in a few spots, revealing nothing but demonic eyes.

What stood out most, however, was the massive machete that was sticking out of the center of his chest.

"Oh my goodness," one of the Newfoals shouted.

"He's hurt and needs help!"

"Somepony get a potion!" another shouted.

The static began to intensify as the kind voice of a woman spoke.

'Jason, sweetie, kill for mother.'

As if he had heard the voice, the man, Jason, reached for the machete and yanked it out in a shower of blood. The closest Newfoal was unaffected by the action, yet still watched on. After cutting himself in a way that would have killed any other person, Jason simply flicked his blood off the machete and walked over to the unmoving Newfoal. He raised the blade high before slamming it down through the Newfoal's head, cutting clean through his head and splitting it in half. The Newfoal's body fell to the ground as the other two simply complained like children. Jason merely walked past the corpse and raised his left leg. Jason thrust his leg outwards and sent the blue one flying into the brick wall of the store. Static began to fill up the screen again until everything went black, and all that could be heard was slashing.

The technician paused the recording and switched the lights back on. Everyone in the room was wide-eyed and sweating, especially Trixie. Spitfire was the first to snap out of her fear, clearing her throat to draw attention.

"That was... something, indeed. But what good does this do us? We don't even know if this, 'Jason,' is still a Human after that."

"Ma'am," Steven started, "this could be our ace in the hole. The things we've read about Jason Voorhees, not to mention the evidence we have on his existence right here, prove that he could help end this war."

"Sergeant Steven," Moore started, "what are you suggesting?"

Steven looked between Captain Moore, Executive Spitfire, and Trixie before speaking.

"Sirs, Trixie and I threw some ideas around, and we thought that since Jason is likely to kill anything and everything that gets close to that lake, we could use him as a trap."

"We could send out a false message, or an easily intercepted Scroll," Trixie continued, "and get them to send their highest ranking officers to investigate what would have been a secretive command outpost."

"Fight monsters with monsters, sirs," Steven finished.

Captain Moore pulled out a seat and sat at the head of the table, rubbing his temples as he weighted the proposal.

"What are the odds that this would work?"

"Better than our chances now, sir," Steven answered.

"Wait, are we really considering this as a plan?" Spitfire asked. "We're going to place all of our faith on a man that may or may not even exist, so that he can do what? Slow them down? What if they send the Elements of Harmony to take him down? What if they manage to convert him and turn him on New York City?"

"Spitfire," Moore started, "it is an undeniable, and may I say fundamental quality of man, that when faced with extinction, every alternative, is preferable."

Moore pointed at Trixie and Steven.

"Get that fake message out on a high-priority channel out to some former outpost, and make sure it's something they'll think is worth intercepting."

Trixie and Steven saluted.

"Yes, sir."

The two left the room and made their way to the Magi-Comms, where they would end up encoding the message that would lead to their victory.

\\\//////

Twilight munched happily on a daisy sandwich as she overlooked the Fleet of Salvation as it hung over New Coltland, formerly known as the United Kingdom by the Humans. She had seen the conversion of the inhabitants first-hoof after developing the potion, and couldn’t be prouder of her own work. She was working to save an entire species, after all. Few would ever be known for these events.

A Newfoal happily walked up and placed a saucer with a glass of water on a table beside her, bowing to the alicorn.

“Thank you, Spearmint,” she spoke to the Newfoal.

“Of course, Princess Twilight. Anything for the mare that saved my life.”

Twilight looked forward to the crystal map before her, the magical structure displaying a 3-D map of the “front lines,” as the Royal Salvation Army would call it. She giggled at the thought. They had to be reminded that this wasn’t a war, it’s a crusade of salvation. A rescue mission, that entailed fighting in most parts.

The alicorn focused on the map, seeing the Barrier by what the Humans call, “New Jersey,” and soon to be renamed “Sunset Shores”.

The train of Twilight’s thought was interrupted when the massive airship, “Ray of Hope,” ignited its engines and began to move forward. The door to Twilight’s observatory burst open as a Royal Guard rushed to her side, bowing before her.

“Your Highness, we’ve intercepted a Magical transmission from the Human and Traitor city across the sea. They’re setting up a secondary command center on a site where we were planning to assault New York City from.”

Twilight rubbed her chin in thought.

“I see. So the Admiral decided to move the fleet immediately to capture and convert the Human leaders. Good thinking on his part. Send a message to the rest of the Elements of Harmony. We’ll hold the site until we receive word from Queen Celestia.”

“Of course, ma’am.”

The Guard rushed out of her observatory as Twilight watched the landscape below her slowly crawl away, giving into the ocean that divided New Equestria from the remaining Human territories.

Twilight heard a light chime behind her and turned her seat to smile at the familiar face.

“Hello Twilight, dear,” Rarity said with a smile.

“It’s good to see you Rarity. How are you doing?”

“Fantastic. Although, I wish I was here on just a regular visit, I must ask why we’re suddenly moving.”

“Oh, did one of your projects get interrupted?” Twilight asked.

“Oh, not a project, just spilled some tea on a fabric roll. Honestly, I had forgotten about it, but seeing the patterns in it now, I’m sad to see it unusable.”

“Well don’t worry, I’ll get you a new one when we come back. We just intercepted a message saying that the Human leaders are relocating into an open area, and from what I can see on the map, it’s right on a Ley Line.”

“Oh, splendid!” Rarity cheered with a small clap. “We’ll have this conversion sped up very nicely once these ruffians see how much their leaders love being cured.”

“I’m sure Pinkie’s looking forward to it, too.”

\\\//////

Pinkie looked out towards the sea as she felt the warmth and happiness of the last few months slowly bleed out of her. She remembered the darker past of her Pinkie-Sense, and who had taught her to read them.

Granny Surprise.

She remembered every combination that her Granny had taught her, from ear wiggle to wobbly knees. The one she had at that moment, however, gave Pinkie a sense of dread. She felt her knees itch, her ears buzz, her tail shook, and her mane shed out exactly 13 hairs.

Pinkie remembered exactly what that combination lead to.

She would never forget the final prediction her Granny ever made.

\\\//////

Rainbow Dash pumped her wings as she flew above the air of Ponyville, watching the weather teams instruct a batch of Newfoal pegasi on how to operate the rain systems. Ponyville had not seen a large number of Newfoals over the past few months, only ever getting those that had once held positions of power amongst the monkey-apes.

The pegasus dived to the left and descended to the streets below, coming to a stop in the center of the market. Almost immediately, a thundering sensation rumbled beneath her as the ponies around her stomped and cheered.

“Thank you, thank you,” she spoke to the crowd. “I know, I’m awesome. Thank you.”

Dash began to stride through the crowds, some bowing before her as she scanned the area for a certain somepony. On the other end of the market, she saw the familiar pink trail of a tail, and hurried her pace. In a few more strides, she found who she was looking for and tapped the pegasus on the shoulder.

“’Sup, Fluttershy?”

The butter-yellow pegasus turned and smiled to her friend.

“Oh, hello Rainbow Dash. How are you doing?” she said in her soft voice.

“Awesome as always,” Rainbow emphasized with a stretch of her wings.

“Well, that’s good to hear.”

“I’ve got some great news!” Dash beamed.

“Really? What is it?”

“Hold on a sec.”

Rainbow Dash jumped into the air and began to speak.

“Hey, everypony! We’ve found where the monkeys are hiding, and we’re gonna save ‘em in a week, tops!”

Everypony began cheering and stomping, especially the Newfoals, when the news of the Human’s imminent salvation was declared.

“Queen Celestia’s sending in the Royal Guard Elites now, and we’ll be off by tomorrow! I think that calls for some pre-victory celebration! Who’s with me!?”

\\\//////

Queen Celestia sat upon her throne in the center of Canterlot Castle, staring over the pristine white and gold city as she pulled the Sun across the sky like the puppet of her will that it was. A smile graced her perfect face, causing her legion of Royal Guards to beam like Newfoals.

They were so close to finishing the Salvation.

Equestria’s finest had proven their worth, raising Celestia’s flag on more and more cleansed soil as the scars of mankind were wiped from their eventual expansion. Her little ponies felt the Ley Lines of Equestria strengthen as they shared power with those of New Equis, and were on the verge of a second Magical Revolution.

Celestia examined the murals that were hung in her hall. Each one was an attempt to capture her perfect figure, the majesty of her motions, her beauty, her grace. None had come close, but they were good attempts, nonetheless. Some had her flying across the skies of Equestria, a cleansing fire burning across the landscape as the city of Manehatten rose like a Phoenix. Another had depicted her holding the planet in one hoof as she blew a kiss to it, the Sun wisping off her lips to give life to the planet.

She blinked, and then everything changed.

Her white halls had become red, drenched in blood. Every piece of furnishings, such as the drapes and vases, had been broken and torn, covered in the gore of what remained of her Royal Guards. The paintings changed as well.

One had changed from her standing atop a cliff to show her hanging off of it, her foreleg snapping off as she plummeted beneath the frame. Another that had painted her with a halo as her armies stood by her had changed, her halo replaced with a cage that was piercing her flesh, and her soldiers all slashed in two.

A Human form stood on the opposite end of the hall, bathed in blood and holding a severed head. Celestia took a closer look at the decapitated victim, and was shocked to see that it was her own.

Celestia blinked again, and everything had gone back to normal.

“Y-your highness?”

Celestia looked to her left to see a Royal Guard, shivering and fearful, looking up to her with worried eyes.

“Yes, my little pony?”

“We felt a dark surge of magic, and detected in come into here. Then your eyes did something odd, and…”

“I’m fine, Wind Spear. Thank you for your concern, but I’m not effected easily by dark magics.”

Wind bowed deeply, his muzzle almost digging into the rich carpet.

“I apologize, your highness, I beg your forgiveness for doubting your might.”

Celestia smiled warmly.

“It’s alright, little one. You were merely cautious. If you’ll excuse me, I must go.”

Queen Celestia stood from her throne and ignited her horn, the purest and most powerful magic in all of existence bending reality to teleport the goddess to the more remote chambers of Canterlot Castle. She appeared in a trophy room, and gazed upon her victories. The head of Chrysalis, the horns of Tirek, Discord’s stuffed carcass (posed in her favorite scream of pain), the horn of Sombra, and the stone corpse of her former sister.

She had scanned them all over and over again, trying to find out which spirit had refused to yield to her might. None had any trace of magic.

Annoyed that there might be some little hitch to her perfect world, Celestia took out her rage by starting a firestorm in the Griffon wastes, annihilating three or four villages. Whatever had caused the annoyance wouldn’t matter in the long run, she knew. After all, no Human can live on Equestria, let alone harm get close enough to breathe the blessed air she had walked through.

\\\//////

On the edge of Camp Crystal Lake, there laid a single cabin. At first glance, it would seem like an average cabin that would just seem a bit far from the Camp grounds. Since the Barrier opened, however, a magical surge had suddenly made a change around this specific cabin. All of the plant life that had grown around it turned brown and died before fixing themselves, stuck in an undead state. The reason for this was simple.

The Necronomicon.

A powerful and ancient tome of the world of the dead, and all the magics that can change this force of nature. Ever since the Ley Line had suddenly been revitalized, the Necronomicon had fed off of the magical surge and began to pour it out into all the things around it, as well as the only anchor it had left in the world.

Jason Voorhees.

The murderer in question was currently staring at the small mural the Necronomicon rested on, his mother’s head having rotten away a decade ago. Those alien creatures had been feeding off of the Ley Line, and in doing so had drawn out more magical energy, which fed into the Necronomicon, making him more powerful than ever.

His machete was practically glowing, the magic-infused blood screaming in pain long after the victims had died. Voices were calling to him from all across, from Purgatory, from Hell, and even from Heaven.

They were begging for blood.

Blood of those invaders.

They had mutilated, murdered, and raped the innocence of billions in a campaign that they screamed was for justice.

The voice of not only his mother, but also of thousands of others, shouted at him to kill. To butcher.

To bring justice.

‘Kill for Humanity, Jason,’ they all spoke at once.

Jason gripped his machete tighter than he ever had before as dark magics flowed from beyond the grave, the will of the dead pulsing in his undead veins.

The Necronomicon glowed twice as Jason felt a tear in the magical presence of Crystal Lake. The undead slasher turned towards the door of his cabin and marched out of it.

Before he did, however, the faded calender on the wall flipped to the current date, the Necronomicon altering its pages. As Jason closed the door to his cabin, the calender stopped at Friday the 13th.