Chapters The Conversion Bureau: Force of Will
This story is set in a sci-fi version of The Conversion Bureau: Ten Rounds Universe created by Defoloce.
"Whoa! Ah!" Andrew said, as he almost tripped while running towards his safe house through the now abandoned cars in the parking lot.
His heart was beating fast and felt light-headed. He had been scavenging a mere minute ago in the parking lot across the street looking for anything useful inside cars. He had it planned for 2 days and with his binoculars had constantly searched the streets and the sky in look for any kind of activity while on the roof of his apartment building, he never saw anything. They took him by surprise when he had heard a not so distant voice yell "Human! We got a human in the parking lot!", followed by the sound of fast trotting of either Unicorns or Earth ponies.
Just get in there and close the door, run up stairs and use the toilet to hide in the ventilation. You still may have a chance. Andrew repeated to himself in his mind.
He was very scared. He had seen people convert at a distance with his binoculars. Fellow humans fighting for their race with all their being, just to be completely transformed in body and mind by the Potion, ready to serve their new kind. He however had always had a curiosity on how it would feel if he tried the Potion. Would his mind really give in without resistance in a mere few seconds? He could not imagine it.
"He's getting to the entrance!" Shouted the voice. Andrew was pretty sure it was a Pegasus telling his squad his location, but his light-headedness made him stop thinking and just act. Andrew entered and closed the doors without even locking them, running upstairs three floors. When he got to the third floor he heard the doors slammed open down stairs.
"No where to run! It's over, human!" Shouted a female voice.
Andrew felt he was going to faint because of the sudden persecution a minute ago. He was not used to running as he mostly took the sneaky approach when going outside to scavenge. He got inside a room and locked the door to take a while to breathe, his vision was blocked by a bit of blindness and felt light-headedness, all caused by the sudden sprint. He took a few deep breaths and calmed his mind. He was now all set, but it had taken him a full minute to do so.
Right, the ventilation. Very small in this room, but there is a one big enough in the bathroom around this corner. Get there quietly. He thought, as he opened the door slowly and walked slowly towards the corner, then peaked.
No...
"Hello? Please listen, it's for the better. We promise you a life free of worry and violence, you don't need to live like this! Let us help you! Where are you?" A white unicorn mare with dark violet mane yelled. She had a potion launcher, simple mortar-like tubes fired via magic.
One armed unicorn, two armed Earth ponies and a pegasus possibly guarding outside. Ok Andrew, think! Think!
Right! Go get the taser. He thought as he sneaked to his room, about 15 rooms down the hallway.
"There you are! Now hold still!" The unicorn mare exclaimed while preparing her launcher on the corner of the small hallway.
Andrew glanced back quickly, only to see the unicorn aiming at him with an evil smile at about 10 rooms of distance with two Earth ponies with tasers at her sides trotting quickly towards him. Andrew began to run towards his room.
"No! No! No! No!" Was what Andrew shouted before the launcher fired a mass of purple goo. It however collapsed against the open door that Andrew had opened and got in, quickly slamming the door shut.
Locked! Ok, now what do I do?! Oh god, will this really end like this?
A hoof knocked on the door.
"Listen, we really mean no harm. Im absolutely sure you will enjoy it! Please just open the door and let us help you. So you can start a new life in Equestria. We are not enemies, really we're not. Let us give you the Potion and you will understand."
Andrew was searching in his drawers for his revolver, his taser and his flash bang. He needed to buy time.
"Is it really a paradise as they say so?!" Andrew exclaimed in a nervous tone.
"It is! Equestria is a place of friendship and happiness..." Andrew found his flash bang.
"...everyone is peaceful and friendly, crimes are almost non existent..." Andrew found his revolver with 3 bullets inside.
"...it's practically utopia as you humans call it! We guarantee a long, happy life. But you can't be human to enter, so please, open the door and let us take you there." The mare finally said in a calm, friendly voice. Andrew did not pay attention, but he found his taser and was fully charged.
"Ok...im coming out..." Andrew said.
"Thank you! We promise you won't be disappointed!"
Stun them, shock them unconscious and make a run for it. Shoot the pegasus outside, three bullets.
Andrew quickly opened the door, threw the flash bang and closed it, then covered his ears.
"Flash ba-!"
He saw the intense white light appear in the borders of the door followed by a loud noise of the grenade. He had his revolver in locked mode in his pocket and the taser held tightly on his right hand. He immediately opened the door and saw the 3 ponies stunned and scratching their eyes. Andrew stunned the first Earth pony in the neck and feel quickly to the ground, knocked unconscious. The effect was beginning to wear off, but he managed to stun the second Earth pony in the forehead, knocking him unconscious. The white mare could now see and was about to levitate her launcher, but Andrew stunned her enough to get her temporarily paralyzed on the floor, but not unconscious. Andrew took the launcher and threw it towards the opposite way of the hallway from where he was going.
I MAY MAKE IT! I WILL ACTUALLY MAKE IT OUT OF THIS! Andrew thought to himself, he needed to get out NOW. He began to go downstairs where he was met by a light green pegasus mare with a stun device on her nose.
"Heh, nice try human. But you can't run forever!" Said the pegasus, as she jumped at him.
"Ahh!" Andrew shouted, he had been tackled to the ground facing upwards to the pegasus on top, trying to stun the human with her nose. He dropped his taser. He was holding the mares head with his hands to prevent him from being stunned.
"It's of no use! Stop resisting!"
"Get...off!" Said Andrew as he punched the mare in the gut. That weakened her a lot and managed to push her off. Andrew took his taser from the floor and stunned the pegasus until she fell unconscious.
*Phew*
...
"Ah shit."
The unicorn mare from before was now levitating her launcher and made a shot. Andrew managed to barely dodge the mass of Potion, but it had covered part of the stairway, making it slippery and a trap. If he touched it, game over.
Great, one less escape route.
Andrew ran upstairs one floor before the mare could make another shot. He began to run towards one of the the last rooms of the hallway and locked himself there. The room had no windows and the ventilation was too small for him to fit. He still had a chance, he still had his taser and his revolver loaded with three shots. He was going to attack by the side of the door when she entered.
The door smashed open and Andrew went straight to stun her in the neck, but before he could do that has quickly hit right in the gut by the strong legs of the mare, she was expecting that. Andrew fell on his back while covering his gut in pain. The mare levitated his taser and threw it out of the room, then brought her launcher into the room. Andrew still had his revolver.
"I'm sorry!" Andrew exclaimed in a tone with pain, as he took his revolver out and aimed straight at her head and pulled the trigger, the perfect head-shot at close range.
*Click*
"Huh?!"
*Click*
The lock!
But it was too late, the revolver was engulfed in purple magic and was harshly taken away from him, then thrown out the room.
Not good, not good. This is it, it's...over. This is how I converted. Andrew was shocked at this realization and felt the need to cry, but he forced himself not to with only slightly watery eyes.
The white mare spoke as she closed the door.
"No where to go now. Understand it's for your own good. Once you are converted you will see, and you will want everyone else to see. Here, take this." She said in a soothing voice as she levitated a test tube with the purple liquid, an incredibly complex combination of both human technology and Equestrian magic.
"Im grateful you tried to use your gun as a last resort, here, I promise everything will be better. A new life awaits you in Equestria" She said with a slime, then levitated the test tube to my hands and I held it.
"How about? NO!" Andrew shouted as he threw the potion at her, but was immediately held by her magic and placed back in her bag.
She gave a long sigh.
"You humans just never want to cooperate, but no worries." She levitated her launcher aiming straight at me. I stood up and backed off until I hit the wall.
"I will fix everything right up. You'll see." Andrew was horrified. He took a last look at his hands, his feet, his legs and his arms.
"They say the potion affects the mind too right? It removes the human part of us?" Andrew said in a worried tone, he had known the answer, but no details.
"Indeed. It removes your human nature and essentially makes you an Equestrian in mind." She said as she aimed right for my chest, no chance of missing.
"It wont hurt at all, in fact it feels good. Just relax."
What if I fought against it? Might at least try. I will fight as much as I can with my willpower to keep my humanity. Im not Equestrian, never was, and never will be. I'm a human, and I will always be one. Nothing can change that.
She shot him.
Covered in the purple elixir from the shot on my chest. It felt warm and it made him extremely drowsy in an instant, collapsing to the ground trying to remain conscious. He could not resist closing his eyes, he saw the mare lowering her launcher before everything went black.
Never forget. Don't you dare ever forget. Your name is Andrew. You are a human. They converted you in body, but will never change your true self. You don't want to follow Celestia, she is enslaving human kind, your kind. You won't he-
He began to feel the body transformation, which was completely painless. In fact, it felt very pleasant. He needed to get ready for when the potion reached his brain, so he kept concentrating, ignoring his hands turning into hooves and the shifting of his bones.
Your name is Andrew. You are a human. You don't want to go to Equestria, it's not your home. They are destroying and converting your home, you don't want to join them. Celestia is not superior, you don't have to obey her. They are enslaving your race. Im Andrew, and will always be Andrew.
The transformation had been fairly quick, he was now fully converted in body. Now the potion made it's final phase, into the brain, to eliminate what had previously been human Andrew to be changed into an Equestrian mindset.
He felt a dominant impulse to give in fill his thoughts. He envisioned all the errors of human kind; the invention of the atomic bomb, famine, pollution on soil and air, crime, war, the Human kind was the most terrible race in existence and had to be dealt with. He had to join forces with Equestria. His entire mind had the most irresistible impulse to accept that and join them.
Yes. He thought I was so wrong! I need to help them see! I need to save them from themselves! It feels very good, we will bring peace and joy to our new world! Celestia was right all along haha! I need to sign up, I need to-
He stopped, quieting his thought still under great influence of the Potion.
Could...could I have been wrong all these years? Are their methods correct? Re-cap, re-cap. It's not correct. Or is it? I need to help them! I...
No, it's not. You can't just extinguish a race against their will. Remember, there are Purity Patrols too, they murder people who stand out on resisting Celestia's methods. It's not correct, they can't tell us how to live! It's not correct. I will never join them. It's the eradication of my species! I won't do it, I won't do it, I won't do it! Ahh! He felt a pain inside his head.
What if I have simply misunderstood them? Do join them! It's for a greater good, it's conversion of the entire race or they will destroy themselves!
But it's not necessary is it? I mean, sure we humans may not be perfect, but thats not reason enough to end us... He was very confused, not sure which side to choose. But now he would base himself on memory.
What did I think about it before I converted? ... "Celestia is enslaving humanity", and by extension, the whole planet. We are humans forcefully converted into other species because they think they know better. They kill anyone who opposes. This is not even their home planet. They don't have the right to do this to us! I have made my decision. Ouch! The pain began to get very intense in a single point somewhere inside his head, as if he had a needle inside.
I have made my decision! Im a human and will stay human! The pain got even more intense and he could not bear it, yet he resisted.
You won't work on me. I rather die.
The pain got even worse and was unbearable, he thought the Potion was going to kill him.
The end. At least I died a man...well kinda heh... A tear dropped from his eye.
I really hope humanity makes it, it's their right to be free. It's our home planet, not Celestia's. Ow... The pain felt like hot needles sticking inside a single point in his brain.
There better be an afterlife or I'll be mad haha...Goodbye... He thought, as we has losing consciousness.
The pain had stopped completely.
What? He thought confused and excited at the same time. He opened his eyes.
The Conversion Bureau: Force of Will
This story is set in a sci-fi version of The Conversion Bureau: Ten Rounds Universe created by Defoloce.
Everything grew sharp in contrast, colors were intense and beautiful. Corners looked sharper, and everything was brighter. The mare that had shot him standed before his eyes in front of the closed door, she had a look of worry on her face.
"Are you ok? Do you feel well?" She asked in an honest concerned voice.
"Y...yes, im fine." Andrew said. His vision slowly went back to normal, everything looked the same as when he was human.
"Are you sure? I saw you began to tear up a few moments ago, what happened?" She asked, still worried.
Did it really work? Did I...change? I don't feel like it. Ok, just act as if it did so she suspects nothing.
Andrew stood up on 4. He was freaking out at his conversion, but now was not the time for that.
"Oh yes, im very sure. I was just sad because I realized what a horrible species Humans are, and how they are resisting their own salvation...We have to help them!" Andrew said in a fake concerned voice, that had tricked the mare.
She put a calm smile.
"Now you see, I told you you would. You will make a great pony, you are free to join my squad if you wish. We could really use another pair of eyes on the sky."
Pair of eyes on the sky? Wait a second... Thought Andrew, as he turned his head to his back. He was a gray pegasus with a black, short tail. The exciting thought of flying crossed his mind, but it's not the time for that he remembered.
"You can count on me, where do we start?" Andrew said in a fake enthusiast voice.
"Let me just wake up our friends and we'll give you your very own shock device for your nose. Welcome to the herd!" She was excited.
"Also, what will be your new name? I doubt you want to stay with whatever weird human name you have."
Equestrian names were strange, it combined real words. So Andrew just made up a random name, he would always be Andrew.
"I want to be called Dashing Light, but you can just call me Dash"
She responded with a nod.
"Well, im Emerald Snow. Nice to have a new friend."
We began to trot calmly towards the 3rd floor, where Andrew had shocked 3 ponies unconscious. Two brown stallion Earth ponies nocked out on the entrance of his room and a green pegasus mare nocked out in the intersection between the hall and the stairs.
Think quick, you could get her unconscious by strangulation or you could just get out while she wakes up his friends! Wait...when she wakes up she will know for sure something went wrong with the conversion. They might look for me or upgrade the Potion more than it is. Just...go.
"I'll wait for you outside, this place gives me bad memories." Andrew said.
"It's ok, I understand completely. Just give us a shout if you hear or see anything and need our help."
"Thanks."
We reached the 3rd floor and split up, she stayed there to wake them up and I carefully went down stairs to not slip with the previously shot gel. I finally reached the entrance of the building, then, I began to trot behind the building towards the streets. When I was 2 blocks away, I began to trot at medium speed just to not exhaust myself if I needed to run again.
Silence was everywhere with only the sound of the wind and the eco of my hooves trotting. Stores with broken windows and some with vines covering them. The street was in bad condition with cracks and a few remains of trash. A few abandoned cars on the streets. Completely alone and with the most uncertain future.
Andrew was looking around his environment while trotting, talking to himself.
"Ok, you kept your humanity. I have never heard a converted opposing to Celestia, and I have clearly done just that. God this is weird, how can walking on 4 feel...comfortable?" He gave a sigh.
"They will wonder where you went, but by the time she wakes them all up I will be far gone. I should really find a car...thats right! The car!" Andrew remembered. He looked around him for a second to make sure no one had heard him.
A few months back he had spotted with his binoculars a working car left out by two humans. They had been scavenging inside a car repair station with their car, just beside the sidewalk. Then Andrew had seen how a pegasus squad spotted them. Gun shots were heard with shouting, then silence. Two unicorns came out along with the pegasus squad and left. The car was not far away, it was just a few blocks from there, he remembered the way.
"Ok, the block with the two fallen traffic lights. It's on the next block corner on my...left." He said as he began trotting towards his new direction. His heart was pounding and just prayed that the previous squad did not notice he was gone yet. He became relieved when he saw the car repair station with the car parked next to the sidewalk.
I made it! Just look for the keys inside!
He went towards the unlocked car and opened the door with his mouth.
"Where are the keys? Come one...Aha!" He had found the keys in the glove box.
He was ready to insert the keys with his mouth, but he noticed it was getting late. The sky was getting dark, it was almost nighttime. He placed the keys inside the glove box and closed it.
"They will see the car headlights, just wait until tomorrow"
By then they will already be searching for you. Damn.
"-ello?! -ing Light?! -ere are y-?!" A faint voice was heard.
He felt his ears drop.
"Shit." Andrew said, as he went inside the small car repair station to hide.
The place was all a mess, there were dry remains of Potion on the floor and walls. Windows were broken, small piles of wheels and paper and some used shotgun shells on the floor. As he looked closer, se noticed shots fired towards the ceiling and near the windows, but no blood. Those two survivors had failed every shot. There was a shotgun in seemingly good condition laying on the wide puddle of now dry Potion, along with some clothes.
Poor men, they never saw it coming. He said in a slightly sad voice. But now was no time for remorse, he had to hide.
"-ello?!" It was them.
Lets' see here...a trash can! The metallic trash can was wide enough to fit in, he just had to empty it from some tiers and got in, closing it.
Not comfy, but it doesn't matter. Now just hold still. He thought as his vision was pitch dark.
A minute had passed, then four. Had 15 minutes gone by? Or was it now 30?
Hooves huh? He thought.
Strange, it doesn't feel that b-
"Dash?! You here?!" the sudden loud voice startled him, but he froze, not making a sound against the metallic walls of the container.
"Are you here?! Make any noise and we will help you!" It was a male voice, most likely one of the Earth ponies.
"Those darn humans messing with my friends...Humans, give up and give us our friend back! You too shall be enlightened!"
Ok, they suspect nothing of you. They think you got captured, good.
He then heard the sound of hooves getting inside the building.
Andrew hold his breath.
"Wow...it looks they got them good haha." The voice spoke as he chuckled in the end. Andrew heard the sound of something being taken, something large.
"And this is going back to base, too dangerous to be left out here."
"Brown! We need to get back to base, it's getting too dark. We'll look for him tomorrow, hopefully he is still alive and well." Said a familiar female voice. It was the one from that green pegasus from earlier.
"You're right, let's go." Said the stallion as he trotted away. The trotting slowly faded away, leaving everything dark and in silence.
Andrew spent the rest of the night in the trash can, falling asleep.
He woke up to be met by the darkness of the trash can. His back slightly hurt as he had to bend a little to fit in and had fallen asleep.
"Ow..." He opened the trashcan and saw it was early due to how illuminated the sky was by the windows. It was between 6:00 or 7:00 A.M he guessed. The shotgun was gone, but it was not like he could use it anyway.
He got out and rested over the now dry puddle of Potion, as it covered great part of the floor. He gave a long sigh.
Now what? If I meet another human they will think im one of them and will try to kill me. If I give in to the Equestrians, I could still keep my humanity in my mind, but I would live with the enemy for the rest of my life in Equestria.
It was tempting. Equestria was truly paradise and he could now go there without losing his human part, he would live a long perfect life. That however would make him a traitor, he would not be able to call himself human again.
What should I do? I want to help my kind, but how? ... He gave another long sigh.
Youtube Video
"I won't join them, I never will" He said to himself decisively, standing up. Now advancing out of the small building to the car. He opened the door with his mouth, then the glove box and took the key with his mouth.
It was kind of hard, but he managed to get the key in and spun it a few times. The engine refused to respond the first few tries, until the fourth try. The car's dashboard lit up with life and the gas meter went up to 3/4. The engine had turned on and he now sat on the driver seat. He put his seatbelt on. It was extremely uncomfortable to sit, but not imposible. He looked behind him as the rear mirror was broken, he went reverse and got in the middle of the street. He now accelerated at a moderated speed forwards, he was going to leave the town. Now driving forwards the nearly empty street, with the abandoned town he once called home.
Andrew now looked what laid ahead, leaving his home possibly forever.
The Conversion Bureau: Force of Will
This story is set in a sci-fi version of The Conversion Bureau: Ten Rounds Universe created by Defoloce.
"-humanity has to be transformed for their own good. Look at your history, look at your world, please understand we are trying to save you. We offer a long life full of happiness in Equestria. It's never too late! Just find the nearest Potion or Purity Patrol and ask to be converted. They will be happy to take-" The radio spoke until the gray pegasus turned it off, annoyed that all stations kept repeating the same propaganda over and over again.
"Much better. Silence." He said. It had been 6 hours since he had left the town. Most of the trip had been in silence with only the sound of the car working. Open fields of dry grass with a few sections of green grass were everywhere at the sides of the long road.
Consequence of human contamination. He thought.
Ding!
ding!
ding!
ding!
The car signaled it was about to run out of gas, but he had seen a gas station at a distance, he was about to get there.
"Come one, just a little bit longer." He said calmly.
I really hope there is still some gas left. Even if there isn't, it's not something to worry about. I can just walk and even practice flying. That would be pretty cool. He thought to himself as he was just a few seconds away from reaching the gas station. After about 30 seconds he had arrived. He turned off the engine on the side of the street, a couple meters of distance from the gas station. Andrew left the car, leaving his key in the glovebox. He advanced towards the gas station. The street had a few cracks and a few small dried up blood puddles.
Now he standed in front of the place.
The abandoned gas station had it's windows broken, as always. There was a pickup parked nearby, but what caught Andrew's attention the most were those puddles of dry blood and dry Potion on the window frames.
Damn, what happened here?
Andrew stepped in the entrance of the gas station. "Hello? Anyone there?" He said, but he only got silence in return.
This looks like a war zone... He thought, as he studied the scene.
*Sniff sniff*
"Smells like berries..."
There were human clothes left on the ground covered in dry Potion. Potion had hit and covered a wide part of a wall. There was another wide dry puddle of Potion mixed with a bit of blood. Used rounds of different types of guns were everywhere; Shotgun, SKS, and other rounds he could not identify.
A small group of survivors, shame they didn't make it. He thought. He looked to his left and saw a weapon, a Lee-Enfield. He came closer to examine it.
Wow, these things are old. Build in the UK, these things are over a hundred years old now. Shame I can't use it...darn hooves...
A piece of human history, abandoned here in the middle of nowhere.
He sighed.
"Let's see if their pickup has any gas" Andrew said as he trotted back outside towards the pickup. He opened the unlocked door of the vehicle and searched for the key.
Keys nowhere to be found, and neither did I see any tubes inside the station. Lets see if I missed anything. He closed the door and went back inside the station. Silence invaded the place along with the strong sunshine from outside, it was about mid-day right now. Andrew began to open the damaged wooden counters, checking for anything useful.
"Open cans, money, gun rounds, a plastic bag, rotten vegetables... Nothing useful." He thought as he closed the last counter. He now looked for the bathroom, in hopes that the place had some water left. He found the bathroom and turned the water on, drinking from the small stream of water.
"Ahhh...I needed that..." He said as he cleaned his lips with his arm, but then saw his reflection on the dirty mirror.
"It's...me...Wow, this is very freaky haha." He had a gray coat and a black mane that went backwards, not falling on his forehead. He had blue eyes.
He looked down at one of his hooves.
"Darn it."
He then heard his stomach growling, then gave a last glance at the mirror and headed outside. He trotted behind the gas station into the wide field of grass with a small area of green grass.
So...ponies eat grass right? He was not sure he would like the taste. Had the Potion changed his sense of taste? He leaned his head down towards the grass to find out and took a bite. His eyes opened wide when he began chewing.
Yep, my sense of taste is seriously fucked up. It's delicious! He thought, as he began to munch on the grass filling his cheeks.
I haven't eaten this much in years! Im completely surrounded with food! He thought.
Back at home when Celestia had just made the Potion mandatory, he had the luck to have found an apartment room where the previous owner was apparently obsessed with getting prepared for a 4th World War, with a huge amount of non-perishables that would last him years. That had last him 3 years, with a small ration per day, also trapping rats in order to cook and eating berries of a nearby park. He had been hungry every day that last 4th year, rationing over the little food he caught. Now that was over, food was everywhere.
"Mhh...God this is delicious..." He mumbled, as his cheeks were continuously re-filled with grass as he chewed with delight. Once he was over, he gulped one last time and headed back to the gas station. Complete silence with the curtains of one side of the room moving because of the wind. He laid on the ground and rested.
No worries...plenty of food...water...you can walk the rest of the trip... He thought, as his breathing became more prolonged and his muscles relaxed. His eyes slowly closed and re-opened again a few times. That was, until he fell asleep.
"...ews, the Conversion Bureaus, all over the world have made a response to the bombings of the Human Liberation Front, also known as HLF. They have announced the beginning of a new, more effective approach. Princess Celestia, goddess of Equestria has made the public announcement that Conversion will now be mandatory, thanks to new variations of the Poti-" 13 year old Andrew turned off the T.V inside his apartment room on the 3rd floor, the announcement had been published in all channels, all radio stations, ever since 4 days ago. His parents had told him they would come back as they were going to help evacuate a school, but that had been 2 days ago. He had his Remington rifle fully loaded peaking outside his window, as he and the 27 residents had made a resistance stand on the building. He had received the gun from an old man that lived on the first floor, obsessed with the idea of a 4th World War coming and nuclear fallout.
"Here they come! Hold!" Shouted the old man with a megaphone, located on the roof. Over 4 dozen ponies of different types and colors, about 55 in total were advancing towards the building. Earth ponies, being the fastest runners, had debilitating shock-prods strapped to their forelegs and nose. They were in charge of incapacitating humans by electric shock so they could be converted without resistance. Unicorns with their Potion launchers on their backs, mortar-like tubes fired by their magic.
Earth ponies were on the front of the formation while Unicorns stayed behind them, all while they advanced towards the building at medium pace. Unicorns were vulnerable when aiming since they had to stay still to shoot effectively. It was hard to see them as they were behind the wall of Earth ponies.
"Aim!" The voice commanded, as Andrew did his best to remain calm and aim at the invaders. Andrew had never shot a gun before, unless a few paintball matches counted.
"Fire!" Followed by the loud sounds of gun shots and trotting.
Gunfire and a few grenade explosions were all he could hear, as he shot towards the enemy not knowing if he hit or not. He felt the window frame shake because of the explosions.
"Pegasi!" Shouted the speaker. "A squad of Pegasi coming at 11 o'clock!" We had all agreed on using the building front as a reference to 12 o'clock.
Andrew aimed with his hands shaking. He took a few deep breaths and then hold it, aimed and shot. He had hit a light-blue pegasus down, collapsing on the parking lot on the other side of the street.
"Stay away!" He shouted, as he aimed at the Earth ponies, following the same breathing tactic of before. He only took 2 down.
Then, the waves of Potion shots came. He saw how from behind the advancing wall of Earth ponies, multiple masses of purple goo were shot, going up and towards the building.
"About 2 more dozen ground ponies coming at 3 o'clock! Pegasi squad almost down! Floor 2, fire your rocket laun-!" The speaker suddenly interrupted by the high-pitch sound of the megaphone being dropped and the sound of multiple loud splashes hitting on the roof.
"Oh shit!" He stepped out of his room and into the hallway. He quickly ran towards the stair way.
"The Pegasi will get here from up-stairs everyone! Cover the stair way!" He shouted towards the upper floors, hopefully someone would have heard him.
With the sounds of gun fire in the background and a sudden loud explosion from the rocket launchers, making the whole structure shake, he came back to his room running to get back to position. He opened the door, only to be met by the room covered in Potion and a broken window.
He began to feel dizzy as his mind filled with fear.
"They got through the first floor! Retreat to the second!" A female voice shouted, followed by more gunshots.
"Throwing Thermal Imploder ! Get to cover!" A male voice shouted. A loud noise, very distinct from a frag grenade, made the floor shake, which made Andrew support himself on a wall to not lose balance.
"Where to go? Where to go?" Andrew thought, he was very scared and horrified. Finally his fear took over and dropped his rifle, as he ran towards the public bathroom, closing the door behind him. He just wanted to hide.
The entire building was surrounded, it was over. Vastly out-numbered and having lost the first floor and the roof. Andrew, along with the now 15 residents knew they were only delaying their inevitable conversion.
Andrew was woken up by the sound of something at a distance coming at a high speed. Judging by the illumination, he had fallen asleep for about an hour or so. He felt how his ears rose as he quickly stood up and ran to hide inside one of the damaged wooden counters.
If it's a human, they will kill you. If it's an Equestrian squad, they will be very confused and will take you to Equestria if you play along... Andrew thought inside the darkness of the counter, as the sound of a car was rapidly coming closer, which confirmed they were humans. He just stayed there, thinking on how to counter attack if they opened the counter and spotted him.
The high sound of wheels stopping, as if in a hurry, were heard just outside the station. A door was quickly opened and shut loudly, someone was definitely in a hurry. Andrew could heard the quick footsteps of a human entering the gas station.
"-cker followed me! No way im turning into one of those four legged fucks! God dammit Paul, you were so close!" A male voice shouted, he sounded angry and had a bit of sadness at the same time. Andrew could hear how he stepped on glass, which meant the man was near the broken windows.
"Listen Dylan, you can't lose the package. A rifle...eh, later. Now it's not the time. Concentrate." The man spoke a bit more calmly, he had noticed the Lee-Enfield laying on the ground. The room fell silent for full minute, as the breathing of the man tried to calm down. Then, a sound of flapping wings was heard coming.
"-ylan, please listen to me! We were wrong! Please Dylan trust me, I don't mean any harm!" A male voice was heard on the roof, shouting.
"God dammit man! You were such a good sniper, and now you are one of them! What happened to you?! How can you be on their side?!" Dylan shouted back. His voice had noticeable sadness in it.
A former comrade. Andrew thought.
"Please Dylan, we've known each other for years. I really need you to trust me on this one! We were fighting for the wrong side, Conversion is the only salvation!" The pegasus spoke, as he came off the roof and landed in front of the gas station. He was now on Dylan's sight.
"Don't make me shoot you man! I really don't want to do that!" Dylan shouted, as he stepped back away from the window frame.
"Please Dylan, please let yourself see the truth..." The pegasus spoke with the sound of a liquid with each step, most likely Potion on his hooves, as he advanced slowly towards his friend.
"I told you to back off!" The man shouted, as he shot two warning shots towards the roof and aimed again towards the pegasus. Judging by the sound, he seemed to be armed with a semi-automatic pistol.
"Don't point that thing unless you are willing to shoot. Understand im here to help you, to open your eyes."
Andrew heard how the man ran behind the wooden counter, just beside him.
"This is your last warning man! You either back off or I'll shoot you! You hear?!" The man shouted, with a more serious and determined voice.
"Im sorry Dylan, but I won't stop. Plus, I've counted your bullets. You are out." Responded the pegasus in a calm voice.
This man is going to get converted. Not if I can stop it! Andrew thought with determination, not really thinking if the human would kill him afterwards. The wooden table was already a bit damaged with tiny holes from were tiny rays of light came in. Andrew impulsed himself with his legs and bursted upwards, breaking the counters weak wooden table as the other pegasus jumped towards his friend, intersecting with the gray pegasus.
Dylan's pistol was flying upwards as a gray pegasus had unexpectedly came out of the table and hit his extended arm when aiming. As that happened, he impulsed himself to his left to avoid getting hit.
Andrews back hit against the wall because of the force of the dark green coated pegasus with an orange mane.
Dylan
What the hell was that?! Quick, find some weapon fast! Dylan thought, as he quickly standed up and looked for some sort of weapon.
That rifle! He sprinted towards the Lee-Enfield and took it, but then he saw the bolt was seriously stuck, making it unable to shoot.
Dammit! He thought, as he tried to get the bolt unstuck.
He glanced at the two Pegasi fighting each other, the gray one strangulating his previous friend Paul with his arms around his neck. He kept staring at the scene while trying to unstuck the bolt, as it still had a bullet left.
What the hell is he doing?! Is that even possible?! Thought completely amazed and scared at the same time. It was the first time he had ever seen a pony attack one of his comrades.
Impossible. He thought. It just wasn't possible. An Equestrian attacking another Equestrian? It just made no sense whatsoever. But the gray pony kept on strangulating him, as Paul resisted trying to pull the other pony's arm off his neck with his hooves. Paul tried to speak with a look of fear and confusion in his eyes.
"-et of-! -nt bre-!" The dark green pegasus tried to shout.
"Don't worry! Im not killing you! Just leaving you unconscious! Ok?!" The gray pegasus told Paul, as Paul kept resisting until he finally lost consciousness.
The fuck? Dylan thought. Then, he got the bolt unstuck, leaving the rifle ready to shoot it's last round.
"There..." The strange pegasus said, as he took off his arms around Paul's neck, who fell unconscious to the ground. The pegasus was catching his breath with his eyes closed from what had just happened, resting his back against the wall. When he opened his eyes, he was met by Dylan aiming directly at him with the Lee-Enfield rifle.
What the hell is going on?! Why did he do that to him?! This makes no sense! Dylan thought, with a look of confusion and uncertainty.
Andrew
You fucked up real bad. Now you will most likely get shot. Andrew thought with a look of worry in his face.
"You...how...Why did you strangulate him?" The young man said while aiming. He was about 19 years old judging by his appearance. He was about as tall as when Andrew was human, about 1.75m with brown hair and brown eyes.
"Im...im not with them. I know this is very strange, but you h-have to believe me. Im apparently immune to the...um...Potion's mind change. It converted me in body, but im still human in mind. Im not on Celestia's side and...I s-saw you needed help." Andrew said in a nervous tone as he was intimidated by the loaded rifle aiming at him.
Please don't shoot me.
The young man kept aiming at him, puzzled. "Very unlikely. No one has ever resisted the Potion."
"I can't explain how it happened. I just d-did. I beg of you, don't s-shoot. I'll just go away. I won't follow yo-" He was interrupted.
"Shut up and let me think about this ok?" The man said in a serious tone, as along silence followed.
Just please, don't shoot me. Andrew thought.
"So you said you aren't obeying Celestia, right?"
"Yes. Changed in body, but not in mind." Andrew said more calmly. He saw how the man was thinking deeply about the situation.
"I have never seen or heard an Equestrian do such a thing." The man said. "I'll have to bring you to base, my superior will want to see this." The armed man said. Andrew just responded with a nod. "Walk." He commanded, as Andrew was being pointed with the rifle to exit the building. The man skipped the small remains of Potion on the ground that Paul had left.
Andrew advanced out the building into the street with the man aiming behind him. He was guided to a police car with some splashed Potion on the closed trunk.
"Get in." The man commanded. Andrew advanced to the back passenger door, he opened the door with his mouth and got inside.
The man came and closed the door, then opened the driver's door and pushed a button. Andrew heard how the two doors at his sides locked.
Now your life is in their hands. Possibly a bandit group, I'll be damned... He thought, as he had a look of worry in his face.
The man gave a last look at Andrew and headed back into the gas station, while Andrew looked at him.
What is he do-
Bang!
Andrew jumped at the sound and took cover.
The hell?! He peaked and saw the man walking out the station. The man took out a key and went to the drivers door which was already open. He placed the rifle on the seat next to him and closed the door, then got the key inside and turned it. The car engine turned on, Andrew could see the gasoline meter was half full. The man looked sad and angry at the same time. Andrew, being sufficiently intimidated by the whole situation, just laid on the two seats and thought about what was going to happen to him. He felt the car move, then turned towards the direction he was already headed to.
About 15 minutes had passed since they took off, all in silence with a conflicted man driving and a worried gray pegasus locked inside on the back.
"So...what's your story?" Dylan said.
The Conversion Bureau: Force of Will
The Human Liberation Front
This story is set in a sci-fi version of The Conversion Bureau: Ten Rounds Universe created by Defoloce.
The sun was beginning to set as the police car drove forwards the long road with it's headlights on.
"-then thats when I knew I had to go. So I took the car and drove as far as I could. I had plenty of gas, but I began to run out. To my luck, I had found a gas station at a distance. I arrived and saw the interior of the gas station you found me in. Let me tell you, it had been a complete war zone in there. Rounds shot near windows, dry splashes of blood and Potion, left clothes of the converted, broken windows... Well, you were there so you know what I mean. I honestly don't think they made it, I guess there was about 2 or 3 dozen ponies involved in the assault judging by the scene."
"Yeah, even though I was there, I didn't really pay attention because of the hurry." Dylan said as he drove. "My friend Paul began to chase me when he got converted outside a clinic. We were sent to scavenge medical supplies for our base. He was covering the outside of the clinic with his sniper to take down any possible Equestrian intruders. He would advise me of possible Potion patrols by our radios. Then those fucking horses got him. I heard everything by the radio, how he called for help while the shock devices stunned him, then silence. I knew it was over for him, he had been converted." Dylan explained.
"God dammit Paul..." Dylan spoke that last statement in a low voice.
"I'm sorry about your friend." Andrew said.
"We had agreed on taking each other down if one of us got converted. I kept my promise." Dylan responded, as he glanced at the rear mirror at the pegasus.
"I still can't believe it. So you aren't a follower of Celestia? You don't want humanity to be converted? You are one weird pony. How could you resist the Potion's mind effect?"
"It's hard to describe. My whole mind screamed me to let go and join the herd, but I somehow resisted the impulse. When I opened my eyes I had been converted, but I felt no change in my attitude or opinion whatsoever."
"My superior has to know about this. This is huge." Dylan said, as the car fell silent.
"So...where are we heading?" Andrew asked, as Dylan glanced at the rear mirror.
"We are headed to a HLF camp just beside the coast, we should get there in less than an hour by now." Dylan answered. Andrew's ears rose at the mentioning of the Human Liberation Front. He had heard of them before over on the news, they were the ones against the Conversion Bureaus and bombed them. Andrew disliked their methods, as those bombings killed both humans and ponies in each operation. They were looked at as terrorists by the media.
"They won't shoot me, right?" Andrew asked nervously. A moment of silence followed.
"I'll try to explain them. But for good measure, don't peak on the windows much and keep your eyes inside the car." Dylan said, as silence followed.
"And how does it feel? You know, to be an equine?" Dylan asked.
"Strange, but it feels comfortable, hard to describe. It's almost as if I was born into it. I don't know how to fly though. Also, your sense of taste gets fucked and makes grass taste good. I know, pretty bizarre." Andrew answered. Dylan gave a chuckle.
"You ate grass? Are you serious?"
"I was hungry!"
"And do you think you are still able to eat meat?." Dylan said smiling.
"If grass tasted good, I think it may have affected my taste of meat too. I'll be damned if it did." Andrew said, then a small lapse of silence ensued.
"And how well is the HLF keeping up? Are we winning?" Andrew asked. He was guessing the answer.
Dylan was thinking about it. "Well, not really. We do have our ups and downs, but things get more difficult with time. In regular attacks, for each 20 ponies taken down, a man is converted. We have good soldiers, but we are vastly outnumbered. My superior, Michael, keeps telling us they are making progress over on Alpha City, some sort of super weapon. He gave no details, but it gives us hope."
"Alpha City? What's that?" Andrew asked. He had never heard about that place.
Dylan glanced at him by the rear mirror. "I'm afraid I can't tell you. Not yet at least. Look, I'm almost sure you are saying the truth about being a human immune to the Potion. Michael will know what to do. I doubt he'll kill you since you are clearly very different from the rest. Like, you never spoke that bullshit propaganda during the whole trip, you strangulated a pony unconscious, did no effort to attack me, you gave a very detailed story of how it all happened, and you are not resisting being taken to a HLF base. I have never seen or heard any pony do such things. So don't worry, just be yourself and don't wander around. Your presence will put everyone kinda nervous, plus, you got dried up Potion on your arms from Paul, even more reason to be alert. So just do what we tell you and you should be fine."
They'll think I may be a spy. Great. Andrew thought. He now looked out the window, as it was beginning to get dark and the clouds looked red from the sun setting. He then saw how the dead grass begin to diminish to be replaced by more remains of sand.
"We're here." Dylan said, as Andrew looked forwards and saw a few distant lights. Dylan turned the car right and followed a small dirt road mixed with sand.
Looks like a campfire. Andrew thought, as the car got closer to the lights. Andrew began to get nervous and got his head down, hiding from the windows.
Dylan glanced at the rear mirror. "I really don't recommend you doing that, you'll look suspicious. Just let yourself be seen but don't look outside too much."
"Right, ok." Andrew responded, while taking in a few breaths. Stay calm, you are on their side.
After about 30 seconds they had arrived to the camp. The place had 4 big tents with lights inside and a few crates beside them. One big camp fire in the center of the 4 tents, with seats and people talking and moving from one place to the other. There were about 25 people in total. A couple of them had assault rifles and wore a gray uniform unlike the others, most possibly being guards. What caught Andrew's attention the most was the ship behind one of the tents. A about 3 meters tall, long metallic cylinder-like ship with a flat bottom that was about 10 meters in length, with a few small rectangular tinted windows. It had a scratched metallic look with a number "11" painted blue on its door seen at it's side, and the front was like the nose of an aircraft. All windows tinted black so nothing could see from the outside. It had a huge thruster on the back. The ship was parked with a few metallic legs that came out by the sides.
"This will be interesting." Dylan said, as the car arrived near the camp with two guards approaching. Dylan noticed how Andrew was breathing deeply, he then turned his head to the back seat.
"Relax, I'll take care of it. You won't get shot." Dylan said, as the pegasus nodded looking down. Dylan took off his seatbelt and left the car.
"Dylan Cohen, we were waiting for you. Come, come, did you find the supplies?" Asked one of the guards, with his assault rifle lowered. The guard was about 30 years old judging by the voice. Dylan approached the guard and began to talk, at one point the guard's face looked down. He had told him about Paul.
"You got a prisoner in there? Eh kid?" Said the other guard, as he pointed the gun towards the window with it's flashlight.
"Leave him alone man. I need Michael to see this. He appears to be an immune." Dylan defended.
"An immune?" The guard stopped aiming, with a sound of curiosity in his voice.
"I need to show this to Micheal. Please tell everyone to not shoot him, he may be of value to us." Dylan said.
Value? Andrew thought.
"Uhh...sure. Just get that dry Potion on him cleaned up, we don't wanna take any chances."
"Understood." Dylan said, as the guard headed back to camp, leaving the other guard there to make sure everything went ok. Dylan headed back to the car, then opened the back passenger's door while the guard aimed at the pegasus in case he tried anything.
"Follow me, you need to get that Potion off." Dylan said, as they headed to the shore. Andrew was going to take a bath.
Michael
Michael sighed as he looked at his map over the camp table. The map showed their location as well as the nearby cities at a few kilometers of distance. He had sent two soldiers over to a clinic up at north to scavenge as much medical supplies and tools as possible.
What is taking them so long? They should have arrived hours ago. Michael thought, as he considered the possibility of a failed mission yet again by Potion Patrols or even worse, Purity. If a group of humans standed out and successfully counter-attacked Potion patrols frequently, they were dealt with by the feared Purity patrols. They would "Purify" humans by killing them, using lethal weaponry. Purity patrols were very rare as they weren't meant to be used frequently, as they tried to be-friend humans by Potion patrols which were much more numerous than Purity.
A guard stepped inside the tent with his rifle lowered. "The scavenging squad arrived, sir. We lost one of them, the sniper." The guard spoke, as Michael sighed. It's the third one this week...
"Also, Dylan got ourselves a pony. He claims it's an immune." The guard said.
"An immune? Please explain yourself." Michael said in a confused serious tone.
"He gave me no details sir, but he said he would come here to talk to you in person. They are at the shore, the pony is getting cleaned from some dry Potion." The guard said.
Michael did not know what to think. An immune? There has never been a case like this before. The Potion has always been effective. Plus, he said a pony was immune, what does that mean?
"Ok, I'll wait here then. Keep an eye on it ok? Ponies aren't stupid, it could be a spy." The commander said, as the guard looked slightly shocked at the realization.
"Good point, I'll make sure to keep an eye on, sir." The guard spoke, as left the tent. Micheal stayed there, confused at the mentioning of an "immune pony".
Andrew
"Cold!" Andrew exclaimed, as he submerged into the water. He could feel his wings shut tightly, as he was scrubbing his gray coated arms so that the dry Potion would come off. Dylan and the guard were at the shore, with a flashlight pointing at him ensuring he would not escape. It was nighttime now, with the sky full of stars now visible thanks to the lack of light pollution.
Alright, it came off. Man this is cold! Andrew said while he swam back to the shore, all while shivering from the cold.
"Done?" Asked Dylan.
"Y-y-yes. I-I'm freezing" Andrew responded, as his teeth chattered.
"Ok, follow me. We are taking you to Micheal." Dylan said, as they all walked back to the camp. Andrew was still shivering from the cold water and the wind. They advanced towards the camp while the pegasus walked between the two humans. When they got close enough, the campfire light was able to make them visible. Humans got very alert when they saw them, as they stood off their way. "What is that thing doing here?!", "A prisoner?", "You disgust me.", "You murderer! This is our land!" Some commented, as they looked at the pegasus with disgust and hate. Andrew's ears dropped at the accusations, as he tried his best to make no eye contact while staring at the ground and followed Dylan. They soon got into Michael's tent, then everyone got back to their business.
Michael was sitting with his desk, two guards beside him.
"Here they are sir." The guard spoke.
"Thanks, you may leave." Michael said, as the guard that escorted them left. A few seconds of silence ensued while Michael stared at the pony. Michael then gave his attention to Dylan.
"Why did you bring him here? We can't afford much food for prisoners, and he doesn't look like a squad commander to extract information. Clark told me you said he was an immune?" Michael said, as Dylan prepared to speak.
"Indeed sir. I found him-" Dylan got interrupted.
"An immune? What do you mean by that soldier?" Michael said in a serious tone.
"The Potion...it converted him in body, but not in mind. He has told me he isn't on Celestia's side. He told me the whole story during my way back to base, and he acts in no way like an Equestrian. He saved me from being converted by Paul..."
"Paul..." Michael said in a low voice.
"Indeed sir. Then, he strangulated him unconscious. He never spoke a word of propaganda and his general attitude is very...human-like. I couldn't believe such a thing was possible, but then I thought he could come of use to us. A spy or something. A human mind in a pony form, something like that can't be killed on sight, so I took him here to you."
Michael gave his attention back to the pony. "Is that true? You really are human?" He said.
"I-I know it's hard to believe. I couldn't believe it myself...later from being covered in Potion. I really a-am human, and no, I'm not on Celestia's side." Andrew said, he was feeling very nervous. He calmed himself and continued.
"I was converted by force by a Potion patrol. I was all alone in my apartment building. I-I almost made it, but at the end I got cornered and shot. I told myself to not join the enemy. I'm-I'm not an Equestrian, but a human. I won't deny I was...tempted to join them during my conversion, but at the end I-I rejected it. I want to help in any way possible, sir." Andrew gulped.
A few moments passed in silence, until Michael spoke up, looking at Dylan. "Did you tell him anything? Any information? He may be a spy you know. Using a new tactic, such as acting out..."
Yep...they think I'm a spy...great...
"...as an "immune". You need to be careful. We need to be careful." Michael said.
"I...you're right sir. And yes, I did speak to him about the mission I was sent to, and I did mention...home. But not details." Dylan said, as another gap of silence ensued. Michael had a troubled face, thinking deeply about the situation.
Now what? Did they believe you? Andrew took a deep breath. Please, at least consider I might be saying the tru-
"Ok, I'm calling base to inform them about this." Michael gave his attention to the pegasus. "If what you are saying is truth...that you truly are one of us. Then you need to be taken to a safer place, as someone like you could be of great use to the Human Liberation Front. If you are one of them however, you're good as dead right now." He said, as he gave a menacing look at that last sentence. "Now if you excuse me..." He stood up and headed to a small metallic table with thick, scratched metal suitcase. "I'll get talking with the HQ. Dylan, get the pony tied up, he can't be trusted, not yet at least. You are in charge of him for now, understood?" Michael said, as he sat behind the small metallic table and opened the suitcase. Andrew gulped at that statement.
"Understood sir." Dylan said, as he and Andrew walked out the tent.
Dylan and Andrew walked past the others, as one of the guards leaving the tent announced everyone to stay calm and to not interact with the pony.
"I'm sorry, ok? I'm just following orders. You seem very human to me, but one can never be too sure these days." Dylan said, as they approached one of the tents made for the members.
"It's fine." Andrew sighed "I know I'm human, and at one point it should be proven. It's good to know the HLF is cautious." Andrew said, as they entered the tent. Dylan turned on a camp light on the ground to illuminate the place, all filled with about 10 sleeping bags laying on the ground and a small box next to the camp light.
"I'll get the rope now. Let's see here..." Dylan said as he took a rope out.
"Sorry man." Dylan said, binding the pegasus legs and wings, making him unable to fly or move once he finished.
"Yeah, it's ok. Whatever to get away from Celestia."
Dylan finished tying him, as he turned off the camp light and headed into a sleeping bag. "Well, if you really are human, you'll be fine. If you are actually a spy, believe me, you will die. Anyway, I'm tired unlike most people here. Too much action for a day." Dylan said, as he prepared to sleep. The tent was semi-open, letting a bit of light from the campfire to get in, with few shadows of people walking from one place to another. A guard's shadow with a rifle was seen at the side of the entrance. The night was now tranquil, with the sound of the wood burning, crickets, and very few people walking and a few talking.
"Andrew?"
"Mmhm?"
"You...really are human aren't you?"
Silence ensued.
"Yes, I am. I hate Celestia for what she's doing. I'll do what I can for humanity using this form. Probably a spy or something."
"Yeah, that tyrant. I...I think I trust you. That whole trip conversation is enough for me." Dylan said as he yawned. "You got yourself an ally, heh...Goodnight friend."
"Goodnight." Andrew said.
It's been years since I last had a friend... Andrew thought, as he fell asleep with a smile.
