The Conversion Bureau: Waking From a Nightmare

Chapter 9: The PER (Part 1)

JP Morgan and Chase was a bank company, and much like other bank companies they took pride in their security. The exchange rate for bits to dollars was easy enough to hash out when the ponies had first arrived on Earth, and it was business as usual. Their main alternative within the Seattle area was Wells Fargo, but with mostly low interest rates and special deals for veterans Chase was ever so slightly in the lead.

It was on a morning like any other that a man in a heavy coat waltzed into the bank. A stallion compatriot was following the man; the horn atop his head signifying him as a unicorn.

As this man entered the lobby of the bank his coat opened to reveal a SPAS 12 shotgun. He grasped it in his hands, and just as the bank's residents started to panic, pulled the trigger.

Humans and ponies alike were screaming now, most of them making a mad dash for the door.

The unicorn's horn glowed and the door slammed shut before they could even hope to reach it. The man laughed and held his hands above his head, toting around the shotgun as if it were a toy, "Ladies and Gentlemen! We are here to liberate you! Anyone who is a pony may leave, all humans must remain. The equipment will arrive shortly, and we'll want to get started right away when it does!"

The ponies, looking confused, made their way closer to the door at the man's bequest. The human's were guided towards the teller's counters at the point of his shotgun.

"Now a lot of you may be wondering why we're here today! Well, let me tell you. We mean you no harm. We are, after all, here to help. We are the Ponification for Earth's Rebirth, and we want nothing more than to see fortune spread amongst those who have none."

As the doors opened, many ponies began to flock out, but one stayed. This one's example was followed by a few others.

The one who had originally stayed was an elderly looking stallion with a pair of square-rimmed glasses.

The man's pony partner turned to the elderly stallion and glared, "get outta here gramps, and take your fan club with you."

The elderly pony stepped forward, stomping down one of his forehooves, "I heard about you lot before I moved here."

The PER stallion smirked, "Oh yeah? What'd you hear old timer?"

"I heard you're a bunch of terrorists. Kidnapping folks and forcing them through conversion."

The stallion laughed and approached the elderly pony. His horn started to glow, and the elderly pony was lifted from the ground, a magical aura wrapped around his throat, "The musings of an idealist, huh? Well let me tell you how the real world works old timer. Either those idiots backed into the teller counter make the switch, or they DIE, like you're about to."

With a resounding snap the elderly pony fell to the ground, dead.

The screaming started anew.

It had been a few weeks since Dash started training me. When she wasn't hanging out with me or teaching me how to shoot crap she was out with her other friends, all of which I had barely any interaction with.

Twilight seemed to be the exception to that. We liked each other and made a habit out of chatting every now and again, but not nearly as much as I hung out with Dash. On a particular Monday morning was when it happened.

I was just getting into my ACUs and tying my boots off at my bed in the barracks when Dash came barreling through, knocking a few guys over as she approached me.

When she finally reached me I could see the worry in her eyes, "Get geared up."

"Wha..."

"Just do it Big Guy, I'll go grab a few others that I can trust with this, but be ready to go. I need you in the briefing room about five minutes ago."

Just like that she's gone.

It didn't take me long to gather up all my stuff. The LBE, the extra ammo magazines, my M4, my sidearm, and some night vision goggles.

As I made my way to the briefing room I could already hear Dash arguing with Twilight.

"... don't get why you have to..."

"You're right, you don't get it! That's why I'm the one that's doing this!"

"What's going on?" I asked as I approached the table.

Dash and Twilight weren't the only ones there. There was another unicorn mare that I didn't recognize, pale green with a lyre as her cutie mark. Towering above her was Wilcox, who waved at me as I entered.

Twilight sighed and shook her head, "This morning a bank in Seattle was taken hostage by members of the PER. They've killed a hostage and are planning on converting all the humans in the bank before they leave."

I raised an eyebrow, "Aren't the PER those crazy terrorist assholes? What are we doing sitting around? Shouldn't we be out there?"

Twilight gave me a flat look, "With all the Royal Guard and police surrounding the bank? It would go south, there's nothing we can do to help these people."

I could tell Dash was getting pissed. She reared up and planted her front hooves on the table, glaring daggers at Twilight, "Dammit Twilight! Bon Bon is in there! That hostage they killed was a PONY hostage. It doesn't matter to these people! They'll pull the trigger on anypony that gets in their way! This is our chance to send a message to the public! You've been waiting for this! Celestia can't stop word of mouth!"

Twilight looked unsure of herself after Dash said that.

I stepped forward, "Listen, we could go in quiet. How many assailants are there?"

Dash sighed, "Two."

"No," said Twilight, "How could you possibly go in quiet when they've surrounded the building?"

There was a moment of silence.

Then the mint green pony stepped forward, "I could teleport one of them."

"What about the the other?" asked Twilight.

Dash growled in exasperation, "An air drop! I'll take Big Guy in, and Lyra can teleport Wilcox." Then she turned to Lyra, "Would you be okay with that Lyra? You won't be able to do anything after exhausting yourself like that."

"I don't care. As long as Bon Bon is safe that's all that matters to me."

"Would you be able to extract us too?"

"Yes."

Twilight let out a sigh, "Fine, but this will only work if you go in with the cover of night." She turned to me, "Are you sure you can handle this Kyle? You've only been training for a few weeks."

"I'll be fine."

"Alright. I could send anyone, but Rainbow trusts you, and so do I if I'm being honest. Make this count."

"It's the only shot we've got," said Dash.

As Twilight had suggested we went when the sun fell over the horizon. There had been no updates to the public media ever since the initial report, so we could only hope that the PER still didn't have access to their conversion equipment. We took a small civilian vehicle so as not to stand out, and as we approached the site of the bank the streets seemed to be getting emptier.

Finally we were within a few blocks. The four of us got out of the car.

We could see the sirens of the police cars, and the shine of the Royal Guard's armor.

"This is it," said Dash.

I grinned down at her, "You sure you can carry me with all this equipment?"

"I've carried heavier. Just grab onto my hooves and you'll be fine."

"Got it."

Dash started to float above me, and I looped my M4 around to my back before reaching up and grabbing a hold of her back hooves. With a lurch I was lifted from the ground, "Oof. You need to lay off the Twinkies Big Guy."

I couldn't do anything but laugh at that one.

I turned my head back and smirked, "Seeya in there Wilcox."

We made it up to the roof without incident. There was a small crowd gathered behind the police line, human and pony alike. They were probably all there to worry about their loved ones.

That was a good thing.

We wanted witnesses to what we were about to do.

Dash dropped me when we were a few feet above the ground, and her hooves hit next to me shortly after. We made our way to the roof door, which ended up being locked.

"Great," I grumbled.

"Don't worry, I brought breaching charges." She bent at an awkward position and grabbed on of said charges from her LBE with her teeth. She planted it on the door and stepped back before smacking a small detonator attached to her with her hoof.

With a loud crack the door was flung open, revealing countless stairs.

I sighed and shook my head, "Awesome."

"Time to start your workout regiment," she said with a giggle.

We began to slowly make our way downstairs. Luckily it was only a three story building, and by the time we got to the bottom we could hear someone screaming through the metal door.

"I don't give a fuck who stopped you! That equipment better be here or we're all dead! You hear me you little faggot?!"

I turned to Dash and raised an eyebrow, "Sounds like things aren't going according to plan. Let's get Wilcox in."

Dash nodded and keyed her radio with her hoof, "String this is Warhawk, prepping to breech, send in Giant."

Lyra's voice crackled over the radio in response, "Copy warhawk, sending."

Dash nodded up to me, "I'm not good at clearing rooms, just firefights, you and Wilcox can take point on this one since you can use the sights."

"Gotcha."

The next few moments were surreal.

Wilcox was teleported inside and took point at the door when Dash instructed him to. We all prepped our equipment minus Dash, who held a flashbang in her teeth.

I would be lying if I said I wasn't nervous.

Wilcox kicked the door open and stepped to the side, giving Dash room to flick her head, simultaneously pulling the pin and tossing the grenade into the room.

We all covered our eyes.

"Holy shit, it's a raid!"

BOOM!

Our ears still ringing, we stepped into the room to find the recoiling citizens, as well as the perpetrators, all affected by the flashbang.

I saw the man with the shotgun and moved my gun up on instinct, aiming at his chest.

Two trigger pulls and he was down.

A unicorn charged us with an angry roar, obviously the guy's partner.

He was put down by Wilcox.

The silence in the room after our weapons had been discharged seemed cathartic compared to the short chaos that had taken place before.

It all happened in less than a minute.

Two lives taken... just like that.

My hands started to shake as I put my M4 back onto safe and keyed my radio. "HQ this is Warhawk 2. Requesting evac."

An unfamiliar voice responded, "Copy Warhawk. Unicorns on standby for evac at exfil point alpha."

Then I saw him, the dead pony surrounded by several others of his kind. They all looked up at us one by one, and I heard the mutterings about the HLF start almost all at once.

Then a single pony approached us; a cream colored mare with a mane colored pink and blue, curled at the ends like toffee. Her cutie mark was three wrapped candies, and she was smiling at us, "Thank you," she said softly. "I work here at the bank, and when the Royal Guard wouldn't do anything I..."

My hands stopped shaking, "Your friend is worried about you. Bon Bon, right?"

Bon Bon looked shocked that I knew who she was, but before she could say anything the sirens outside started up.

"Drop your weapons and come out peacefully!"

The three of us were through the door and headed up to the rooftop before they could even finish that sentence.