The Conversion Bureau: Waking From a Nightmare

A/N: The new chapter for Parallel will be up shortly after I get this one going. Things in this will be different to an average CB fic, I'm putting my own spins on it, giving it my signature.

My name is Kyle Grey.

I'm twenty-four years old.

I'm writing this to caution future generations.

Trying to explain everything would take a long time, all I can tell you is my own story.

It came without warning.

I remember exactly where I was fifteen years ago when it all started. A new landmass appearing literally out of nowhere, and the energy of that landmass spreading out, consuming everything. I remember the riots, the people dying.

What I remember most is my parents getting cut down in a swath of gunfire.

Trying to understand the chaos that now plagued humanity was an exercise in futility.

The energy from the island was only the beginning.

Quarantines were set, entire towns vanished inside the energy field, people who refused to move or couldn't get away in time were cut down by the barrier and prevented from leaving by the military surrounding the area.

When a town was consumed the military would pack up and go somewhere else.

Scientists everywhere were in a mad rush to figure out a way to stop all of this, but nothing was found.

We thought we were living the worst of the nightmare, we were wrong.

Shortly after the riots in London started, THEY came.

Their appearances were deceiving, and their words were like honey to those of us in danger.

"Come to us, and we will help you."

Thousands flocked to the strange creatures from a new land.

Suddenly, the work to stop the barrier was ignored, and new work began, work on a serum.

A serum that would change us into one of them.

Hooves, a mane, a tail, four legs.

Taking this form would save us from the energy field...

At a price.

Kyonko802 Presents:

The Conversion Bureau: Waking From a Nightmare

Chapter 1: Rebellion

The city of Seattle was preparing.

Preparing for the energy field that would be there in two year's time. The field had already made it to eastern coast line, and there was no transportation to another place after the western coast. As soon as the states were consumed America was done, and I happened to be stuck there.

In those final days I was working in a local Conversion Bureau built at the edge of the city. Food had no taste, I garnered no joy from my job, and the ponies walking the streets were becoming more and more common.

I knew I faced a choice, at least they called it a choice.

Convert myself into an Equestrian citizen or suffer death from the energy field.

Every day the field grew closer, and every day was a day closer to my death.

The ponies would greet me on my way to work with smiles on their faces.

"Good morning."

"How are you doing?"

"Rough weather we're having, eh?"

The buildings were adorned with propaganda posters that might as well have been pulled right out of 1984. Pictures of the Great Princess Celestia, her subjects bowing before her in complete and utter awe, the sun rising behind her.

On the street corners ponies handed out fliers, "Visit your Conversion Bureau today."

None of it felt right.

None of it.

I had a simple job, writing down ID and Social Security Numbers as a way to keep track of a converter's identity.

Then there were the stories I heard.

Equestria was in the middle of an economic collapse.

Most of the ponies didn't talk about it, but I could hear it being whispered as they trotted to work, or in a back alley they thought was private.

No society was economically ready to take on an extra billion people in such a short time, so it was a given that they would take a hit.

I was just living out what little remained of my life.

I didn't like it, no one did.

The worst part was the pity.

They felt sorry for me, knowing I would either die or give up my humanity.

That was the worst part, because if it wasn't for that damn energy field...

We might have been able to coexist.

"Kyle, hey, Kyle."

I was pulled from my thoughts by the voice of my boss. The Conversion Bureau was a renovated hospital building, white walls and the smell of medicine and cleaner. I faced the waiting room behind a glass pane and a desk. The converters would hand me their information, I would take note of it, and then they would proceed down the right hand hallway.

"You alright?" I looked down below the desk and barely saw the brown mane of my boss.

"No," I said honestly.

Ever since he had been converted, he was... different.

"Anything I can do to help?"

"I don't think so, sorry."

He didn't question further, simply walked back from wherever he came.

Another mindless work day, I started to shuffle to the bus stop just outside the Bureau. The scenery at the edge of the city was at least nice. The ponies had taken great care and built gardens and trees that lined the streets. Traffic was at a minimum, and public transportation was at an all time high.

Most people and ponies walked, or took carriages and buses.

It was as I approached the bus stop at the edge of the street that I heard two female ponies from the bureau speaking in a hushed tone. I recognized them as the Equestrian natives that worked in the reeducation section of the building.

If I kept walking that day and let them hide their secrets as they noticed my approach... everything would have been different.

Instead, I held back and eavesdropped on the conversation.

I don't know why I did it, nothing was prompting me to.

As far as I was concerned humanity was pretty much finished, and all I could do was sit back for the ride.

Until I heard the conversation that changed everything, at least.

"Did you hear there's been another attack?"

"Oh no. Where at this time?"

"Colorado. The Conversion Bureau was hit when the shift workers went home, completely obliterated."

"Terrorists?"

"There wasn't even a threat. The ponies that were working overtime disappeared, and the place was blown to bits."

"You're kidding, has there been a press release?'

"What would the Princess say? That's been the third attack this month, it seems like they're more organized than she thought."

"That's insane."

"They say... Twilight Sparkle was seen in Colorado three days before the attack."

The second pony lurched forward and covered her friend's mouth, "Shh, you shouldn't talk about that. You know what happened to the last pony that got overheard saying her name by the Royal Guard."

The friend batted the hoof away from her mouth and frowned, "I know, but I just... at first it all seemed fine but... I don't know how to put this."

"It all just feels wrong?" I asked loudly, approaching the bus stop with my hands in my pockets.

The ponies gasped and went completely silent. I suspected that if they were human I would have been able to see the blood drain from their faces.

The first pony started shaking slightly, "Y... you heard everything?"

It almost seemed like she was afraid of me. That was the standard, even if they felt sorry for us, it was just as easy to fear us. "Relax," I said, making my way towards them and sitting on the small bench. They moved slightly away from me as I continued, "Who's Twilight Sparkle?"

The second pony trotted away from the bus stop without a word, clearly wanting to avoid association with either of us. The friend she left behind frowned, "She... she was... once a very loved pony."

"Once?"

"We shouldn't be talking about this. You're name is Kyle right? I've seen you at the front desk."

"Yeah."

"I... I'm sorry. I wish there was another way to save your lives, I really do."

I was constantly reminded left and right that the ponies meant well, but how did that old saying go?

"The road to hell is paved with good intentions," I said softly.

The rest of the wait was silent, as was the ride back to my small apartment.

My apartment building was as cheap as one could get in Seattle. It was ground floor of the building, so it was easy to move all my stuff into it, but that was about the only advantage that came with it. Even the stairs and hallways snaking through the building were coated in some sort of grime that worried even me sometimes.

It was all I could afford given the meager salary that the bureau was paying me.

I would have given anything to have my old job back.

I was ready to relax as best I could, go to sleep, wake up, and do it all again the next day.

At least until I felt cold metal press against the back of my neck.

"If I were you, I wouldn't move."

The voice was female, I could tell that much, and I sure as hell didn't recognize it.

"That's kind of a given," I mumbled.

"You really don't care if you die, do you?"

I let out a harsh laugh, "What difference would that make? So I get offed a bit early."

"I saw you talking with those mares. Why is someone like you working at a Conversion Bureau?"

"Someone like me?"

"Human, and it looks like the way things are going doesn't really sit well with you."

"Gotta pay the bills somehow."

That was the only purpose I had left.

Bills.

Paycheck.

Work.

No friends, no family, no girl... nothing.

Whatever she was pressing into my neck, it dug a bit deeper, "So that's it? You just give up and let it happen then?"

I shrugged, "What difference does it make? I'm a dead man walking, everyone is."

"What if I told you there was another way?"

"Then I'd call you a liar with an extremely sexy voice."

"Wh... what's that even got to do with..."

"Listen Lady, I don't know who you are or what I've got to do with you, but if you're planning on killing me or something I'd like it if you stopped beating around the bush and did it."

"I'm not here to kill you. I'm here to kidnap you." This was said in the most matter-of-fact way possible.

"You're wha..."

I felt the pain surge through my body as God knows how many volts raced through my nervous system, locking everything up from the tips of my toes to my eyeballs.

I hit the floor with a dull thud and felt something sharp stab into my arm.

"You're gonna take a little nap. Don't worry, when you wake up you'll be safe."

Before the last of the world around me faded away, I caught a glimpse of purple.

Dreaming in any way, shape, or form with the world in the state it was... that was something to be proud of. I remember since the incident started I stopped being able to recall my dreams. This might seem like something childish, but I missed those dreams. Even before the incident I could hardly recall them, but I knew they were there, and every once in a while something that happened inside of them would stick with me.

At that time though? At that time all I could see was the darkness. Fifteen long years without a single dream, my parents ripped away from me and the world changing around me.

There was no rest, and there was no reprieve.

Not from what was coming.

And dreaming in the other sense of the word?

Completely out of the question with death creeping up on my entire species little by little.

But that time...

I didn't know if it was under the influence of whatever drug she had given to me, but I dreamt of a beautiful woman.

I couldn't see her face, but I knew she was beautiful because she spoke to me.

"Kyle."

Just my name, nothing greater than that...

But when she reached out with a hand, I didn't hesitate to take it.

She didn't lead me anywhere, we just stood there and enjoyed the warmth of each others' company. I wanted to do something, but I couldn't quite put my finger on it, so I just stood there.

Stood there enjoying the moment.

Moments like these never happened anymore.

"I think he's coming to."

"Alright, make sure the binds are tight, we're the first thing he's gonna see and we don't want him to freak out on us."

I felt something tighten around my wrists and ankles, and my eyes snapped open.

"Kyle Grey?"

I saw them the second my eyes opened. Colts on either side of me, both Earth ponies dressed in little lab coats.

I started to struggle against the bindings, "What the fuck are you doing?! Let me go!"

"Mr. Grey calm down, please, we're not going to hurt you!"

"Fuck you!"

White walls, bound like an animal to a gurney, surrounded by ponies.

Those three facts alone were enough to tell me what was going on.

"What are you two doing? I gave you your orders!"

I recognized that voice.

My struggles ceased, and I began to actually take in the environment around me. I was indeed strapped down to a gurney, but there was no IV drip, and none of the equipment required for a conversion. I was in a small white room.

I strained my head to look at where the voice had come from, the door, and saw another pony, this one a purple unicorn. Her mane was a bit haggled, and was a dark purple with two streaks running through it, a lighter purple and a magenta respectively. Her tail waved back and forth, and I could see the agitation in her eyes.

"But Twilight... we were just following..."

"Procedure, yes I know. I am also clearly aware that I'M the one that made the checklist for bringing in new recruits, you don't need to remind me."

The colts looked at each other as if they had no idea what was happening, this was clearly not normal behavior for 'Twilight'.

One of the colts turned to her, "But I don't..."

Twilight glared at him, "This one is different, he doesn't need to be screened."

"But..."

"I spoke with him personally. There's no trace of the conversion drug, his eyes weren't dilated when I brought him in, and best of all, he HATES the Bureau."

The colts looked unsure of themselves, but after a moment relented and left the room without a word.

Twilight's horn glowed, and the binds tightening me to the gurney were loosened, "Where am I?"

Twilight smiled and scuffed the ground with her hoof, "Well, I kind of kidnapped you, I'd like to uh... apologize for that."

I sat up and gave her a flat stare, "Apologize?"

She grinned sheepishly and looked to the side, "Yeah. I wish we'd have had more time to talk so I could explain, but I was already messing up my own checklist, and I didn't want to break procedure THAT much, especially with how many ponies there are in that apartment building."

"And why am I here, exactly?"

"Well, I would like to say I chose you purely because you have potential, but that's not the reason. I do need your help though."

"My help with what?"

"Stealing research."

"... Excuse me?"

"I told you back in the apartment there was another way. What if I said we were on the verge of an amazing scientific discovery right under Princess Celestia's nose?"

"I'd still say you were lying."

Twilight frowned, "I understand your mistrust, I really do Mr. Grey, but you know that building a lot better than we do."

"The building I work in..."

"Yes."

"So you need me to help you plan an attack."

Twilight stomped on the ground with her hooves and glared daggers at me, "NO! By Equestria no! We haven't been attacking anyone, we've only defended ourselves, and Celestia, she... she..." I saw tears building in her eyes, "We are doing what's necessary, but we can't recruit everyone, somepony is going to get left behind."

"That sounds familiar."

Twilight bit her bottom lip and looked away, "I know it does. Those 'attacks' you see on the news, that's Celestia's clean up process."

"Weren't you her student? I heard those two mares talking about it."

"She's... not the same Princess I once knew."

"Alright, say I wanted to help you, what then?"

Twilight gave a sad smile, "Then I'd say 'Welcome to the Human Liberation Front.'"