The Conversion Bureau: Transhumanism

Chapters

Leonard Silva - Nephilum
Frank Walter - Laputan
Ellen Briggs - Gaian
Father Richard Edmond - Nephilum
Terrance Kimberly - Laputan
John Bradly - Gaian
Eleanor Maverick - Lantean

Leonard Silva - Nephilum

"Pull!"

With a KA-CHUNK! the ball shot out of the catapult into the air. Before it could descend, a white beam of light had fired at it from a hand that was glowing a similar white light. In an instant, the ball exploded into chunks of rubber. "Steer-rike!" the owner of the hand, Leonard called out.

"Nice shooting Leonard." Matthew, Leonard's brother, said as he stood next to the catapult.

"Thanks Matt. I've been practicing." Leonard responded.

"I noticed. That makes thirteen in a row." Matthew said, as he marked another line on a marker board, under the 'Hit' section.

Leonard smiled at the sight of the marker board. It was definitely an improvement from the last time he had done this. Last time, he had six hits, and seven misses when he got to thirteen launched balls from the catapult.

Leonard was a Nephilum.

But he wasn't always a Nephilum. He became a Nephilum on his twenty-seventh birthday in February. He had chosen to become a Nephilum because he had always wanted to use magic. Sure there was the option of becoming a Unicorn, but he didn't want to have to get used to having a new anatomy, which was why he chose to take one of the new versions of the potion, called the Transhuman Potions, that was recently released to the Conversion Bureaus. Leonard was amazed at how quickly Princess Twilight Sparkle was able to create those potions. He figured it would have taken decades before such a thing was made, but Princess Twilight Sparkle was able to make it in just eight years.

Of course, he was the only member of his family to actually take the potion. The rest had chosen the other option. "So, I heard that you and Karuna had booked a seat on the Mars Initiative." Leonard said.

Matthew looked on solemnly. "Yeah. We did." Matthew said somewhat soberly. "So did the rest of the family."

"I know." Leonard replied grimly. "Its too bad I can't go with you guys."

Leonard brought his hands close, and made a ball of energy hover in between them. "I may be able to use to magic now thanks to the Nephilum potion. But it came at a price." Leonard said. "I can no longer leave the planet, because my body is now depended upon the very energy that was slowly killing me up until months ago."

It was common knowledge that the biggest price one had to pay when taking the conversion potions of any version, was that they were now incapable of leaving the planet. As their bodies were now depended upon the very energies that were coming from the now awakened leylines under the surface of the Earth. "Yeah. That is too bad." Matthew said.

Leonard let out a snort in response. "You know what's even sadder?" He asked, as he dissipated the ball of energy. "Many people don't seem to get that the awakening of the leylines is a force of nature, and not the work of the Equestrians."

Matthew nodded in response. "Yeah, I heard about that. Many people were quick to blame the Equestrians for something that wasn't even their fault. Despite overwhelming evidence proving otherwise." A small snarl escaped Matthew's mouth. "Like those HLF yahoos."

"Tch. Don't remind me." Leonard said crossing his arms. "I've lost count the number of times I've had to put up with those lunatics after I became a Nephilum."

Leonard wasn't joking. After he had become a Nephilum, many members of the HLF had harassed him. From saying he was not a 'Real Human Being', to calling him a 'Soulless Shell'. For the most part, he didn't let it bother him, and he actually thanked them for their 'Wonderful Compliments'. "Of course, the HLF weren't the only ones who I've had to put with since I became a Nephilum." Leonard said.

Matthew placed his left hand on his hip. "Let me guess; The PER?" He asked his brother.

A low growl escaped Leonard's mouth in response. "Yep." Leonard replied. "The PER claim to know to situation 'better' than the HLF, but really, they're just as bad as the HLF are."

Leonard knew from experience just how bad the PER were. One day while he was at work, a number of PER members had ambushed him and tried to force him to drink the Unicorn potion to 'Complete' his transformation. Fortunately it had no effect on him, as he had already taken the Nephilum Potion, preventing him from turning into a pony. After that, he used his magic to pin them to the wall, and called the police. The PER members were arrested and were awaiting trial at the time Leonard and Matthew were at the park. "Are you sure you're okay?" Matthew asked. "Because from what I've heard you got hit pretty bad when you were attacked."

Leonard let out a groan in response. "I've told people this time and time again, it wasn't as bad as it looked." He said. "I took the time to learn some healing spells after I became a Nephilum in the event that something like that happened."

"I know that." Matthew replied. "But from what I hear, those spells are incomplete."

"They work well enough." Leonard said, as he got into his stance. "Pull!"

Matthew launched the catapult again, and Leonard shot a magical bolt at the ball. Leonard's aim was off by a hair, but he still hit the ball, causing it to explode. "Even so, I wouldn't risk using an incomplete spell with no way of knowing if it would work." Matthew said, marking another hit.

Leonard lightly chuckled at that. "Easy for you to say." The elder brother said, taking a drink. "You're the one whose going on a trip across space to the Red Planet."

It was Matthew's turn to chuckle. "Yeah. Its a risky venture, but they've worked out all of the kinks, so it should work." Matthew said.

"Almost hard to believe that it took the apocalypse to get the Mars Initiative off the ground isn't it?" Leonard asked. "Though I got to admit, I was amazed to hear that a large sum of the donations for Elon Musk's dream to come true came from Equestria."

"No kidding." Matthew said. "Really shows that Celestia truly is the benevolent ruler that the Equestrians say that she is."

"Tch. Tell that the HLF members who say that it was all just a publicity stunt." Leonard said, as he cleaned out his right ear with his pinky, remembering the time a couple of HLF members spent twenty minutes yelling at his face when he said that.

Leonard then pulled his pinky finger out, and flicked the ear wax away, before getting back into his stance. "Pull!"

Matthew launched the catapult another time. Leonard quickly conjured up a fireball this time, and launched it towards the ball. The fireball exploded upon impact with the target ball, but thankfully, the flames dissipated before they could start a fire on the grass. Back with Leonard, he closed his hand, and the fire was dispelled from his hand. When he opened his hand, Leonard saw that there were no burns on it this time. Leonard spent months trying to create a fire in his hand without burning himself, and just recently, he was finally able to do it. Others didn't take as long as Leonard did, while many were still trying. "Heh. No burns this time." Leonard said rather smugly.

Matthew chuckled at the sight as he marked another hit. "Kind of makes me want to take the potion myself." He said as he placed the cap on the marker. "But I have a wife and daughter that I need to take care of. So I can't take it if I'm gonna go to Mars."

"Indeed." Leonard said, as he took another drink. "I'm gonna miss you brother."

"And I will miss you." Matthew said. "And so will the rest of the family."

The two brothers then shook their hands together. The launch of the Mars Initiative was still a year away, but even so, they shook their hands like it was the last time they were going to be together. "Let's go get something to eat." Leonard.

"Lead the way, brother. Lead the way." Matthew said.

Frank Walter - Laputan

Picking up the comb from the counter, Frank held it underneath the faucet and turned on the water to get it wet. Once Frank felt that it was wet enough, he brought it up to his hair and began scrubbing it back. Being able to fly had it perks. One of those being that he was able to get to work faster than in his car since he didn't need to worry about traffic. Of course, he had to keep his hair short so that it wouldn't fly into his face. That was something Frank had found out the hard way when he became a Laputan.

Many people he knew had chosen to become either pegesi, gryphons, hippogriffs, or any other winged species from Equestria, but not Frank. Frank didn't like the idea of having to change his anatomy in order to fly to work. But that changed when the new Transhuman Potions were released not too long ago. One of the variants of the Transhuman Potion was called the Laputan Potion. The Laputan Potion gave the drinker the ability to fly, by allowing them to sprout energy wings from their back. Of course, the drinker could always dissipate the wings once they landed. And since the Laputan Potion didn't change the drinker's anatomy, Frank jumped at the chance to take it. Now, thanks to being a Laputan, Frank didn't need to drive through stupidly thick traffic in order to get to work. So he decided to sell his car after he took the potion, since he didn't need it anymore, giving him back quite a bit of money.

Once Frank felt that he was done combing his hair, he set the comb down, and grabbed the bottle of hair gel, and gave it a squeeze, releasing a dap of gel into his hand. After that Frank then lathered his hair with the gel, until it was straight. It took him quite a bit of time to get used to this particular ritual before heading to work, as Frank never needed to do this before he became a Laputan. Once he was done, Frank washed his hands of the excess gel, and dried them off with a towel. The last thing Frank did before leaving the bathroom was straighten his tie.

As he left the bathroom, he made his way to the kitchen, where his pregnant wife, Brenda, had just prepared his morning coffee, and was rubbing her abdomen. Brenda, like Frank was a Laputan, and had gotten pregnant before taking the potion. When they went to the conversion bureau to take the potion, they were assured that the potion would not cause Brenda any problems, and thankfully, that turned out to be right, as Brenda hadn't encountered any complications in her pregnancy. They also assured them that their child would be born a Laputan, as the potion would affect her unborn child as well. Frank was confident that when his child was born, he would teach them how to fly once they got old enough. "Morning honey." Frank said.

"Morning Frank." Brenda said as she stood up from the chair.

The happy couple walked up to each other, and gave a kiss, before Frank walked up to table to pick up his coffee. "Heading off to work early again?" Brenda asked.

"Yeah." Frank answered as he took a sip of his coffee. "Robert's no longer with us, as he was arrested not too long ago."

"Yeah I heard about that." Brenda replied. "Heard that he joined those HLF jerks."

"Yeah, unfortunately." Frank said as he took another sip. "Couldn't stand the fact that most of his coworkers are no longer human."

"That's too bad, really." Brenda said, as she sat back down. "Because he seemed like a really nice guy."

"He was." Frank said sadly, as he took another sip. "But when his fiancée and coworker, Martha, came to work as a Catfolk, Robert completely lost it."

Frank wasn't kidding. He still remembered the shouting and screaming that took place that day at work. Martha had told him before that she was going to the Conversion Bureau to become a Catfolk, or as the Equestrians called them, 'Abyssinians', Robert thought that she was kidding him, as he told her that he got her tickets to take part in the Mars Initiative. Martha was insistent that she didn't want to go to Mars, but Robert was completely serious about taking her to the red planet. Then that day came, when Martha came to work in her new body, and all hell broke loose. Robert was throwing stuff at Martha, telling her about how she 'Sold her Soul to a Mad Goddess', and how he was done putting up with work's 'Anti-Human BS'. It wasn't long before Robert joined the HLF, and upon joining the organization, the first thing he did was kill Martha.

Many members of the HLF had killed converters, and had bombed Bureaus, but the organization publicly insisted that those members were acting on their own, and not on behalf of the organization. Investigations all across the world would ultimately prove otherwise, as such things were actually part of their initiations.

"I still can't believe how coldly Robert said that Martha's death was her fault, and that he only did to 'Save Her'." Brenda said, as she rubbed her stomach.

"I can't believe it either, Brenda." Frank sighed. "I got the position that I wanted at work, but at what cost?"

Frank had always wanted to get Robert's position at work, but he had hoped he would get it by seeing Robert get a promotion, and not by seeing him get thrown into the slammer. Worse, Robert was just three days away from the promotion that he wanted before he quit when Martha became a Catfolk.

Before Frank could think about it any further, his watch started beeping, meaning that it was time to go to work. "Well Brenda, I guess that's my cue." Frank said as he finished his coffee.

The husband and wife shared a brief hug and a kiss as Frank set the coffee mug down, and picked up his suitcase. "Be careful on your way to work honey." Brenda said as Frank walked out the backdoor.

"No worries, Brenda." Frank replied as he reached into his pocket, and pulled out a Bluetooth that he then placed on his ear.

After that, Frank held his right arm out, causing his energy wings to sprout from his back. "I'm always careful." He said before taking off.

With a force of will, the energy wings on Frank's back began flapping, and the Laputan went flying into the air. In the past, whenever Frank would take flight, he would hold his right arm out in front of him, even calling out either 'Up, Up, and Away', or 'I'm Superman'. He grew out of that habit in a few weeks, as he quickly found it to be quite embarrassing in front of his family and coworkers.

As he flew towards the city to work, Frank made sure to keep an eye out for his surroundings. Becoming a Laputan had given him an enhanced sense of sight, and hearing, allowing him to spot and hear things that he normally wouldn't have when he was a human. As he neared the city, the first thing he saw was three groups of people in front of the Conversion Bureau he had went to become a Laputan. No doubt HLF and PER members protesting towards each other, with the police making sure things don't get out of hand. Though knowing human nature, it was likely going to happen real soon.

Regardless, Frank wasn't going to let something like that distract him on his way to work.

Flying closer to the city, he spotted many people flying in between the buildings. Most were either Pegesi or Gryphons, with some being Hippogriffs, Changelings, or Gargoyles, and a few of them being Dragons. Others were Laputans like himself, and he swore he could have seen a few Winged Buffalo and Reindeer somewhere in the mass of fliers in the city. Even so, Frank noted that the skyscraper where he worked at was coming within his eyesight. Many skyscrapers had landing pads installed on the sides so that their flying employees could get to their stations faster then entering the foyers on the ground. Calling into his Bluetooth, Frank asked for permission to land, which the flight control granted, telling him to be careful with his landing.

As Frank neared the landing pad, he straightened himself up so that he could land on his feet. Once his feet touched solid ground, Frank then held his right arm out again, and the energy wings on his back dissipated as he walked towards the entrance.

Ellen Briggs - Gaian

With a loud grunt, Ellen Briggs lifted up the crate from the ground. Up until a few months ago, Ellen wouldn't have dreamed being able to lift a crate as heavy as she had. That changed when Ellen went to the conversion bureau, and took the Gaian potion. Most took either the Laputan, or Nephilum variants of the Transhuman Potions, to either be able to fly or use magic respectively. Ellen however chose to become a Gaian, as she didn't see the appeal of flying, as she felt that being able to use magic was overrated. Technically Gaians also used magic, but it was more or less increasing one's physical strength and endurance. Gaians were described as having a 'Connection to the Earth', and that by tapping into this connection, one could temporally make themselves stronger than normal.

Even before taking the Gaian potion, Ellen always felt that she had a connection to the Earth, as she lived out in the country side away from urban areas, and would only come to town for work. To her, taking the Gaian potion helped to 'awaken' her connection to the Earth, and with it, she felt as if her full potential had been freed. Using this connection allowed her to lift the heavy crate that she had in her hands from where some idiot had left it behind, and placed it off the side where it was supposed to be. Wiping off the sweat off her forehead, Ellen looked at the clock that was hanging on the wall, and saw that her shift was just about done. "Thanks for moving the crate Ellen." her boss Lucian, a trans-Unicorn, said. "We'll take it from here. You've earned a rest."

"You're welcome. Catch ya later boss." Ellen said leaving the backroom.

As she made her way to the punch machine, Ellen past by some other employees, most of whom where 'converts' of different species. Once she clocked herself out, she went for her locker to put her name badge up, and made her way to her car in the parking lot out in the parking lot where she worked. Once she got to her car, she drove out of the parking lot, and made her way home.

Along the way, Ellen passed by the conversion bureau where she took the Gaian potion. Surprisingly, there weren't as many protesters there as there were the other day. If Ellen had to guess, there were probably about twenty or so protesters in total in front of the building. Whether it was because they were either arrested, or had just grown disillusioned to their cause, it didn't matter to Ellen. All that did matter to her, was that people just accepted that the times had changed. To Ellen, the HLF were lunatics who couldn't accept change, where as the PER were also lunatics, but went too far in accepting change. Ellen believed that people needed to accept change in their own ways, and not force people to accept change in their ways.

While Ellen was accepting of the change in times, change in her anatomy was another thing. When she heard the news about the awakening of the leylines, how the energies from the leylines was fatal to humans, and that the initial solution was for humans to change into a different species, Ellen was very hesitant to change herself. She would often drive up to the bureau, and would either step out of her car, and stand in front of the door, or stay in her car, and watch as people would go in, and come out a different species. She would sometimes do it for hours at time. It was only when the new potions that would allow people to not change their anatomies, did Ellen finally make her decision.

Of course, her family was not exactly happy with her decision to go to the conversion bureau, as they had hoped that she would go with them on the Mars Initiative. But Ellen refused, on her belief that she had a connection to the Earth, and that she didn't want to lose that connection. While her family was willing to respect her wishes, they still weren't happy with it.

Regardless, Ellen didn't need to focus on the past, and needed to focus on the present, as she drove past the bureau onward to her house. Ellen's house was a two-story building about a few miles out in the country side, alongside a few other houses. As she drove into the driveway, she noticed that her ex-boyfriend's car was present. That caught Ellen off guard, as her ex-boyfriend had told her that he was going onto the Mars Initiative months ago. She also noticed that the car was empty, meaning that he was in the house, causing Ellen to remember that she had forgotten to change her security passcode when she and her boyfriend broke up. Regardless, Ellen needed to ask what was he doing here.

Once she parked her car in the car port, and cut off the engine, Ellen walked up to her front, opened it, and as she suspected, there was her ex-boyfriend, Trevor Stanley, sitting on the couch watching the news about the Mars Initiative. "Trevor." Ellen called out.

"Elle." Trevor said, without taking his gaze off the TV.

Without taking her eyes off of Trevor, Ellen closed the door behind her. "What the hell are you doing here?" she asked.

Trevor then took his eyes off the TV, and looked at Ellen. "You know how I said that I was gonna go on the Mars Initiative?" he asked.

Ellen crossed her arms, her expression not changing. "Yes." She answered. "Why do you ask?"

Trevor then got up from the couch, and walked toward the back of the piece of furniture. Once he was there, he kneeled down... And Ellen immediately took notice that green lines started glowing around his arms, his muscles had grown, and with a grunt, Trevor lifted up the couch above his head. "I've changed my mind." Trevor said as he put the couch down. "I'm not going to Mars."

Ellen was shocked at what she just saw. When they were dating, Trevor had told about how it was always his dream to go into space since he was a kid. Maybe even go to Mars one day. When the Mars Initiative was announced, Trevor had jumped at the opportunity to join them. Like her family, Trevor wasn't happy when Ellen took the potion to become a Gaian, as it meant that she couldn't leave the planet, as her body was now dependent upon the very magical energy that was once slowly killing her. They were surprisingly civil in their break up after that, and they kept in touch afterwards. Still, it came as a shock that Trevor had just given up his dream to Ellen. "You're... a Gaian?" Ellen asked.

"Yeah." Trevor said as the lines on his arms dissipated, and his muscles shrunk. "After thinking about for a while, I came to realize that going to Mars won't be worth it, if I can't be with the woman I love."

Ellen wasn't sure what to think. While she was happy that this meant that she and Trevor could get back together, but at the same time, this also meant that Trevor wasn't going to be able to fulfill his dream of going into space. "You do know what this means, right?" Ellen asked.

Trevor nodded rather solemnly. "Yeah." He answered. "It means that I can no longer go to Mars, or even leave the planet for that matter." Trevor said as he walked away from the couch towards Ellen.

Trevor came to a stop when he was about a few feet away from Ellen, and he put his hands in his pockets. Ellen meanwhile, looked down at the floor. Pursing her lips, Ellen decided to ask the question. "So... I take it this means you want to get back together?"

Trevor kicked the floor. "If you want to." He answered. "I know this is quite a difficult decision. And to be honest, I'm not entirely sure that I've made the right one."

"Nothing's ever that simple." Ellen replied. "I will admit, this has caught me completely off guard, and to be honest, I don't know if we should get back together."

"I know that you prefer to move on from the past, Elle." Trevor spoke up, leaning on the wall. "But I was kind of hoping that, maybe just this once, you'd be willing to go back."

Trevor was right that Ellen preferred to move on from the past. She was quick to move on from the death of her grandmother, due to magic poisoning. While she and her grandmother were incredibly close, she, unlike her mother, had moved on from it within a week. She also wasn't one to dwell on past mistakes, and she always felt that becoming a Gaian wasn't one, but now that she just witnessed that her ex-boyfriend become a Gaian as well, at the cost of his dream, she began to think that maybe it was a mistake. Regardless, Ellen needed time to process this. "Maybe in a few more days Trevor." Ellen said. "While yes, I am willing to get back with you, I think maybe we need to give each other space before we do."

Trevor gave a light nod in response. "I understand, Elle." he said as he straightened himself up.

Ellen moved out of the way as Trevor walked towards the door to leave. Upon opening the door, Trevor turned around to look at Ellen. "Remember where we had our first date?" He asked.

"Yeah. I remember." Ellen answered.

"In how many days do you want to meet there?" Trevor asked.

"I'd say about..." Ellen looked at the roof for a few seconds before answering. "Three days."

"Alright. Three days." Trevor said as he walked out the door. "See you there."

And with that, Trevor closed the door and left the house, while Ellen smiled.

Father Richard Edmond - Nephilum

The wound closed beneath the soft blue light that came from Richard's hand.

While he was initially hesitant to take the Transhuman Potion, he felt that he could do more if he had the ability to use magic. Most people who became Nephilum chose to use their magic for mundane purposes. Others went to either join the military or law enforcement upon becoming Nephilum. Then there were people like Richard, who chose to use magic to heal other people. Most of them were doctors who worked at hospitals. Father Richard Edmond meanwhile, was a priest at the local Catholic Church. He felt that by becoming a Nephilum, he could do more in the Good Lord's name by using his magic to heal people. Following his announcement that he became a Nephilum, many people came to him for healing.

This however, was not one of those times.

The HLF had just recently attempted to bomb the Conversion Bureau where he had become a Nephilum. The vehicle that was speeding towards the building however had exploded before it could reach it. Whatever the reason didn't matter to Robert, all that did matter was that he helped as many people as he could. "I've managed to close up the wound on your leg, Allen." Richard told his patient. "But I'm afraid that your leg bone was damaged in the blast, and I wasn't able to fix it. I'm sorry."

"That's okay Father." Allen, a man he knew from church, said. "As long as I'm still alive to see my family, that's all that matters."

"Get some rest, Allen." Richard said. "You're gonna need it when the paramedics arrive."

"I will Father Richard. God Bless You." Allen said as he laid down.

Richard then stood up from where he was to look around the parking lot for more people to treat. Richard had been on his way to mass when he saw the explosion. Despite knowing full well that he wasn't going to make it, Richard decided that these people needed his help. Many of them had been waiting for their appointments, while others were just finished with their appointments. Fortunately for Richard, he wasn't the only one healing people with magic. There were other Nephilums as well as Unicorns helping out as well.

Moving on to a nearby woman, Richard used his magic to heal her hands which had been hit by shrapnel from the explosion. He carefully removed the shrapnel from her hands, as he simultaneously closed the wounds. Once he was done, the woman thanked him, and Richard moved onto the next person who was nearby. This man had gotten a head wound, and while Richard knew he wouldn't be able to fix his eye, he was able to at least close the wound, and remove the shrapnel. Being able to do two things at once was an advantage when it came to magic. Richard spent the next ten minutes working along side his fellow Nephilum, and Unicorns, to save as many people as possible when the paramedics arrived, along with the police and firemen.

Upon their arrival, the paramedics thanked everybody who was helping out in the parking lot, and relieved them. The police meanwhile, surrounded the vehicle that had the bomb in it, while the firemen dosed the flaming wreckage. As the paramedics gathered up whatever injured people they could find, Richard made his way to his car. He checked his watch, and found that by the time he got there, mass was most likely going to be over, but he figured he might as well get there anyway.

The drive to the church took a little bit longer than usual because of the bombing, and by the time he got there, the parking lot was almost empty save for a few cars. His fellow churchmen were standing outside of the main door when he parked. After turning off his car, and stepping out, they all walked up to him while he walked up to them. "We heard about the bombing, Father." One of the priests, a young man named Harold, said. "Did you-"

"Yes son." Richard said before Harold could finish. "I did. It was also why I wasn't able to make it."

"I see." Harold said.

"Were you able to save any lives?" The nun named Emily asked.

"Not as many as I wanted, but yes, I was able to save some lives before the paramedics arrived." Richard replied.

That came as a relief to his fellows. "That's good to hear, but we have to ask." The other priest, Jacob, paused before finishing. "Did you run into any of those... HLF people there?"

Richard closed his eyes for a brief moment, remembering the times some HLF members berated him for his decision to become a Nephilum. They told him straight up that he didn't deserve to call himself a 'Man of God', believing that what he did went completely against the will of the Good Lord. Richard was not a man to mince words, and told them that they had no right to tell him such things when they were responsible for the deaths of many people who chose to convert to a new species. "No, I didn't thankfully." Richard answered, opening his eyes. "I feel that I've dealt with them too many times already, Jacob."

"So have we, Father." Harold said. "Those people tried to stir up a storm during today's mass."

"We had to finish mass early, because without your guidance, we wouldn't have been able to stop a fight if it broke out." Emily said, solemnly.

"That's alright, Emily." Richard said, putting his hand on Emily's shoulder. "So long as nobody got hurt, you three did the right thing."

Harold, Jacob, and Emily bowed in respect. "Thank you Father." Jacob said. "By the way, your wife is inside. No doubt she’ll want to have a few words with you.”

Richard gave a nod in response. "Thank you for letting me know Jacob." he said. "You all head home now. I'm going to need some time alone with my wife."

"Sure thing, Father Richard. And God Bless You." Jacob said, as he and the other two made their way to their cars.

Richard meanwhile entered the church. Upon entering, he spotted his wife praying in front of the alter. Richard's wife was a Pure-Blooded Pegasus, named Wind Dancer, who had immigrated from Equestria a few years after what became known as 'The Event'. She was originally part of an exchange program that had to be cut short when it was discovered that the high concentrations of magic in Equestria was poisonous to humans. While many had been happy that Richard had found love, others were not so when they found out that it was with a Pegasus. Harold, Jacob, and Emily were the only members of the Church who supported his love for Wind Dancer. The others left for other churches in disgust for Richard's so-called 'Bestiality'. Regardless, Richard felt that it was the will of the Good Lord that his love would be with Wind Dancer. "You're late." Wind Dancer said without looking behind her.

"I know." Richard replied. "I won't lie Wind Dancer. But I feel that I had to do something for those people who were injured in the attack."

Wind Dancer raised her head to look up at the cross. "As long as you saved lives, I can forgive you for not showing up." She said. "But still, it was incredibly risky, as the HLF have been known to gun people down after bombing a bureau." The mare added as she turned her head around to face Richard.

Richard shuddered at the thought, as he knelt down next to Wind Dancer. "I know that, Wind Dancer." He replied, as he began his prayer.

Recently, when the 'Transhuman Potion' was announced, the HLF had started been getting bolder on their attacks on the Bureaus. Word was that Princess Twilight Sparkle had thought, that with the announcement of the 'Transhuman Potion', that it would lessen the opposition towards the Bureaus. While many had jumped at the chance to be able to use magic, without changing their bodies, there was still opposition towards the Bureaus. In fact, the 'Transhuman Potion' had actually caused the organization to split. There were those who were willing to become Nephilum, Gaian, or Laputan, only to use their magic against non-humans, and then there were those who said that those who took the 'Transhuman Potion' were not truly human. "Its a tragedy really." Richard spoke. "It saddens me that even with the world as we know it nearing its end, we are still divided by our petty differences."

"And even when a solution is offered to them, they reject it." Wind Dancer said. "It pains me to know how stubborn people from both sides can be."

"Indeed." Richard replied.

For a few more minutes, Richard and Wind Dancer remained in front of the alter, praying for the lives lost in the attack earlier that. Upon finishing, the couple stood up from where they were and made to leave the church. Before reaching the exit, Wind Dancer perked up. "Oh, that's right. I just remembered something." She said as she walked off to the side.

Richard, meanwhile, watched her enter the storage room where they kept the Bibles. A second later, the mare stepped out with a staff in her hoofs. "I went to the Enchantress the day after you became a Nephilum." Wind Dancer said, as she walked up to Richard.

Intrigued, Richard took the staff out of his wife's hoofs, and examined it. "You got this for me?" He asked.

"Yes Richard. I did." Wind Dancer answered. "It took the Enchantress a few months, but she was able to get the materials needed to make the staff, and inscribe the right enchantments on it to make you a better healer."

Richard looked at Wind Dancer, his previous sadness being replaced with happiness. "I can't imagine this thing must have been cheap." He said as he tapped the tip of the staff.

"It wasn't." Wind Dancer replied. "Had to spend about two months worth of rent in order to get the Enchantress to make the staff to the specifications I gave her."

Before she could react, Richard had gave Wind Dancer a hug. For a brief moment, the mare was shocked, as Richard rarely ever hugged her. "Thank you, my love." Richard said.

A second later, Wind Dancer returned the hug. "You're welcome." She said.

They kept the embrace for a few seconds before separating. "Let's go home. I imagine the foals must be waiting for us." Richard said, standing up, and walking towards his car.

"Right behind you." Wind Dancer said as she walked right next to him.

Terrance Kimberly - Laputan

A soft breeze blew across her hair as Kimberly laid down on top of a cloud.

She currently wasn't in the best of moods right now. Kimberly knew what was going to happen when she told her parents she had went to the conversion bureau to become a Laputan, but even so, it did nothing to lighten her mood. If anything it only made her mood even worse. Her parents pretty much blew a gasket at her announcement. They had wanted her to go with them on the Mars Initiative, but she refused. Despite her parents trying to convince her otherwise, as far as Kimberly was concerned, the Mars Initiative was nothing more than a pipe dream at best, and a humongous scam at worse. She had heard the news about how Princess Celestia had donated resources towards the Mars Initiative, but to Kimberly, she should have spent those resources on making human technology compatible for non-humans.

Kimberly had been studying astronomy for her whole life, and unlike that fool Elon Musk, she understood that going to Mars was far too much of a risk to take. She wanted to march up to Elon, and tell him straight up to his face that he needs to give up on his dream, and face the reality that humanity must change their bodies in order to survive the awakening of the leylines. She wasn't as fanatical as the PER or the Transhuman faction of the HLF, because she ultimately knew, and accepted that there are some people who, no matter how much evidence you try to present to them, they cannot be convinced to change their minds to accept facts, and Elon Musk was one of those people.

She tried for months to educate people on why Elon Musk's dream was impossible to achieve, but few took her seriously. A large portion of the world population had such faith in the success of the Mars Initiative, that ultimately Kimberly was forced to accept that hundreds of thousands of people had pretty much signed their own death warrants, unwilling to face reality. "Enjoying the view Terry?" She heard a familiar voice ask her.

Kimberly frowned upon hearing that voice. "You know I prefer to be called Kimberly, right Goliath?" She asked as she sat up from the cloud, and turned to the source of the voice, a pure blooded gargoyle named Goliath hovering just above the cloud.

Goliath had immigrated from Equestria many years ago. During that time, he had met and befriended Kimberly after she helped him settle in. Despite rumors to the contrary, Goliath and Kimberly's relationship never went past anything beyond friends, especially since Goliath was already married, and Kimberly was in a relationship with another woman. "I know. I just wanted to check up on you, to see if you were alright." Goliath said as he landed on the cloud that Kimberly was on.

"Tch. Unfortunately, I'm not." Kimberly said as she crossed her arms, and laid back down on the cloud.

Goliath meanwhile, sat down cross legged on another few feet away from her. "I heard that you got into a fight with your parents." Goliath said. "Is that true?"

Kimberly closed her eyes, and squeezed her hands on her arms as bolts of electricity danced across her. "My parents were never the sharpest tools in the shed, but I never thought they would be this stupid." She said with venom in her voice. "I thought they would wisen up. I thought they were smarter than this. I thought they weren't so gullible."

As Kimberly spoke, the bolts of electricity began to intensify. "I simply cannot believe they were so foolish enough to fall for the big scam that is 'the Mars Initiative'!" She shouted, as she sat up, and with a snap of her fingers, shot a bolt of lightning from her left hand.

Goliath recoiled from the sight. Kimberly was normally very calm when he was talking about things, so seeing her literally snap came as a shock to Goliath. "Honestly. It baffles me with how so many people believe that the 'Mars Initiative' will save humanity, when in reality, it will destroy humanity." She said, as she laid back down on the cloud. "The Conversion Bureau will be what saves humanity, and not some childish dream of a scammer."

"Yes, I know you've tried to explain to people why going to Mars is a terrible idea." Goliath said. "You've already told me many times over."

Kimberly let out a sigh. "I know. But I guess it doesn't matter now." She turned her head to face Goliath. "The so-called launch day is about a year away from now. And I've heard that most of the 'ships' that make up the 'first wave' are nearing completion."

"Hmm." Goliath hummed as he nodded his head.

For a few short minutes, the two just stayed on their clouds, not bothering to speak up. "So that's where that bolt came from." A new voice said.

That helped to lighten up Kimberly's mood. "I was wondering when you would show up." She said as she turned her head to face her girlfriend, Veronica Osborne.

As Veronica fluttered her energy wings to land on the cloud, Kimberly stood up, and walked up to her lover to give her a kiss. "I guess I'll leave you two alone for now." Goliath said, as he took off from his cloud. "Catch you two later."

"See ya Goliath." Veronica called out to him.

As Veronica waved out to Goliath, Kimberly cupped her cheek. "So what brings you to Cloud Nine, Verri?" She asked.

Veronica held onto Kimberly's arm as she looked into her lover's eyes. "I just wanted to make sure you were alright. What with what happened with your parents and all." Veronica answered.

That statement caused Kimberly's smile to disappear, and she removed her hand from Veronica's cheek. "I guess, wanting people to wisen up is just too much to ask for I'm afraid." Kimberly said as she walked away from Veronica to sit on the edge of the cloud.

"I know that you want people to research about the difficulties that the Mars Initiatives will face when it launches, but really though." Veronica said as she sat down next to Kimberly. "Its rude to tell people to 'wisen up'."

Kimberly glared at Veronica. "Is it really being rude when what you're trying to tell people is the truth?" She snarled.

"The problem is Kimmy, is that people want hope." Veronica replied, not raising her voice. "Further more, the way you've been trying to tell people about this whole thing is quite off putting."

Kimberly snapped her fingers again, causing a few sparks to flare up in front of her. "You know, normally I'm really calm about this, but because this has been happening for months now, I've pretty much lost my patience about the Mars Initiative." She said rather bluntly.

"Yeah, I noticed." Veronica said. "Like how I noticed how disrespectful you were towards Tomas when he announced to everyone at work that he was going on the Mars Initiative."

Kimberly squeezed her hands again on her arms. Of all the things for her girlfriend had to remind her of, it had to be that. Tomas was her employer at work, and when he announced that he was going to step down, and let Kimberly take over... Well, what she did afterwards made her almost lose her job. Tomas had taught her everything that she needed to know at work, so naturally she looked up to him as a mentor, and when he announced that he was going to partake in the Mars Initiative, she panicked. She tried to get him to change his mind, but he made his decision quite clear: he and his family were going to Mars, and there was nothing she could do to change his mind.

Kimberly loosened her grip and let out a sigh. "I'm sorry." She said looking down and placing her hands on the cloud. "I guess some things just can't be helped."

Veronica reached out to hold Kimberly's hand. "I know that Kimmy." She said trying to reassure her. "I know."

As the two looked down at the Earth from their cloud, Kimberly interlocked her fingers into Veronica's. Together, the two watched the beautiful sunset in a way they never thought was possible before becoming Laputans. A moment later, Kimberly moved in closer to Veronica, allowing the latter to rest her head on the former's shoulder. "Want to go out for dinner, Verri?" Kimberly asked.

"Sure. Why not?" Veronica asked, as she and Kimberly stood up. "If it'll get your mind off of the Mars Initiative."

As the two sprouted their wings from their backs, Kimberly let out a chuckle. "It already has." Kimberly replied.

With that, the two stepped off from the cloud, and with a flap of their wings, began flying back down towards the ground.

John Bradly - Gaian

John steadied himself, as he hid the bushes, waiting for his quarry.

John Bradly was a hunter, and his father always told him that as a hunter, he had a connection to the Earth in a way that no person in the world could understand. In the past, John always took his father's saying as a metaphor, but after becoming a Gaian, he found that there was truth in his father's words. Becoming a Gaian allowed John to sense the vibrations in the ground that came from animals walking the land. It took him a few months, but he was able to read the intensity of the vibrations to determine how far away the quarry was from his vantage point, allowing him to determine when and where it would arrive within his firing range.

Many other hunters decried him for 'cheating', sating that 'real hunters' rely on instinct rather than magic to hunt their quarry. John didn't care much for their words, as unlike the detractors, he never hunted for sport, and spent his entire life hunting to provide for his family.

Reading the vibrations in the ground, John steadied his breathing, and aimed his Winchester rifle to where he sensed his quarry would be.

A few seconds later, much to John's disappointment, it wasn't a deer like he had hoped. Rather it was a trans-deer. He could tell, because the eyes looked more human than deer, and it was wearing a vest. A vest that had the PETA logo on it. John felt himself tempted to shoot it anyway, as he had numerous run in with PETA on many of his hunting trips, even before the Conversion Bureaus opened up. But John had no intentions of going to jail, so using whatever self-control he had, he kept himself from pulling the trigger.

A low growl came from his throat as John lowered his weapon. One way or another, he had to get that douchebag out of his way, so that he could find his quarry. John quickly remembered that there was another way that Gaians had a connection to the Earth, and placed his hand on a nearby tree. John's hand began emitting a green light a moment later, as he began 'issuing a command' to the tree. Not a moment too soon, the Tree's branches began moving. The PETA member spotted what was happening, and tried to make a break for it, but he was too slow, as the branches ensnared around him and hoisted him up from the ground, taking care to close his mouth along the way to keep him from calling for help.

With that particular distraction out of the way, John went back to looking for his quarry, and sensed another animal approaching the area.

This time, it actually was a deer, as its eyes were completely black, and it wasn't wearing any clothes. Smiling, John aimed his Winchester at his quarry, remembering to aim for the deer's center of body mass. He waited for a few seconds to steady his breath as John watched the wild deer graze at the grass. Letting out a breath that he had been holding, John pulled the trigger of his Winchester, the recoil of the rifle sending out a shockwave throughout his body, as the bullet spun out of the barrel, and struck right where he was aiming at the wild deer, killing it instantly.

Smiling, John pulled the lever of his Winchester, tossing the bullet out of the rifle, which John quickly caught before it could land on the ground.

Standing up from where he was, John made his way towards his prize, making sure to look up at the captured PETA member as he did. "I don't know who you are, and I sure as hell couldn't care less." John started. "But you PETA folks really need to learn to stay the hell out something that is none of your goddamned business."

The PETA member continued to struggle against the branches, muffling something at John that he couldn't understand. "Call me a murderer, or whatever you want. But you need to accept that hunting has been a part of human civilization since before we even had civilization." John said as he now stood over his quarry. "I have a wife and two kids who I need to feed. And I'm not gonna let crazy lunatics like you get in my way."

John then crouched down on the ground, and hoisted the dead deer over his shoulders. As he had been doing this his whole life, John didn't need to use his connection to the Earth to carry it. Before he left, he spared the PETA one final glance. "Stop struggling already. You have no chance of getting out of those tree branches." He said. "I told the tree to keep you up there for about an hour or so, while I get out of here with my prize. Now if you don't mind, I have a family to feed."

And with that, John made his way back to his truck. As he had been hunting in this forest for years, John knew his way around. "Good day, sir."

Eleanor Maverick - Lantean

She swam across the reef as the sun hang over the sky.

Eleanor had always loved visiting the reef that was right off the coast of her hometown. Before, she would always remain near the surface, or hold her breath down long enough to catch a few glimpses of the reef. She loved looking at the natural beauty of the various species of coral, fish, and the like living in the reef. As much as she wanted to get closer, and spend more time by the reed, she always had to limit her visits to the reef as she hated wearing scuba equipment.

Eleanor had at one point considered taking the seapony or merpony conversion potions, but she didn’t feel comfortable of having to adapt to a change in her anatomy, and she very much would have liked to be able to return to the surface whenever she felt like it.

That all changed when the Transhuman Potion became available.

One variant of the Transhuman Potion was the Lantean Potion. The Lantean Potion allowed people to remain human, while simultaneously giving them the ability to swim faster and even breathe underwater. Upon hearing about the Lantean Potion, Eleanor wasted no time in driving to the nearby Conversion Bureau, and taking the Lantean Potion.

Months have passed since the day Eleanor became a Lantean, and she couldn’t have been any happier. “Don’t even think about it Riptide. I know you’re trying to sneak up behind me.” Eleanor said, without even looking behind her.

A chuckle could be heard from behind her as a merpony named Riptide swam right up to her. “You seem to be getting good at reading your sonar aren’t you Eleanor?” He asked.

Eleanor giggled in response, as she rested uopn a stone along the edge of the reef. Sonar was another trait that Lanteans were given when they took the potion. It took Eleanor a while, but she was able to get used to being able to see things in three hundred and sixty degrees while underwater. Riptide had a hoof in that of course, but most of it was done on her own. “Its gotten easier for me to spot things while I’m underwater.” She said. “Saved my life a couple of times.”

She wasn’t kidding. Eleanor had a few close calls with some sharks every now and then, but thanks to becoming a Lantean, she was able to outmaneuver and even outswim some of the overgrown predatory fish. “Well that’s good to hear, Eleanor.” Riptide replied, as he rested upon the rock right next to Eleanor.

Eleanor had met Riptide well over a year before she became a Lantean. She had spotted him while she was making a visit to the reef. For several months afterwards, they had gotten to know each other, and even became friends. Riptide had taken a job to the nearby offshore oil platform, helping to maintain the underwater pumps from rust, barnacles, and other hazards. He offered her a job with him after becoming a Lantean, but Eleanor turned it down, as she was afraid of the dark. “I’ve heard about Bonnie, Eleanor.” Riptide said breaking the silence.

Eleanor stared down at the ocean floor. Of all the things she didn’t want to talk about, this was the one thing that she most certainly didn’t want to talk about. “If you’ve heard about her, then you should know that this is something that I don’t want to talk about.” She replied rather bluntly.

“I’m aware of that Eleanor.” Riptide said. “I know what it’s like, to have a loved one break up with you.”

Eleanor knew what Riptide was talking about. He was once married to a merpony mare named Seabreeze. But when Riptide had taken the job at the nearby oil platform, Seabreeze had filed for divorce. Eleanor had never met with Seabreeze, but from what Riptide had told her, she probably wouldn’t have wanted to meet her, as Seabreeze was a PER sympathizer. “Perhaps.” Eleanor stated. “There maybe similarities between you and me Riptide, but they’re not the same.”

Riptide stared down at his hooves and closed his eyes. “I know.” He said. “I’m fully aware that your ex-girlfriend was an HLF sympathizer.”

Eleanor’s response was to blow out bubbles from her nose. “Sympathizer nothing. She’s a full fledged member now.” She snarled.

Riptide felt the water around them go cold. Of course, the ocean always was cold, but Eleanor’s response made it feel like it had gotten colder. Riptide could hardly believe what he had just heard. If there was one thing that Riptide knew about the HLF, it was that there was only one way to become a full fledged member. “Does that mean?” Riptide asked.

“Yes, Riptide. It does.” Eleanor answered not a split second later. “There’s blood on her hands.”

Riptide’s face was a mixture of horror and disbelief. He had met with Bonnie a few times when he visited the surface. Though she always came as rather off putting, he never thought that she would
go that far. In fact, she seemed rather polite all things considered. And to hear that she had actually killed someone, had shaken pretty much everything that he thought he knew about Bonnie. “By the great ocean, I can’t believe it!” Riptide called out.

“I can hardly believe it myself, Riptide.” Eleanor said.

Eleanor had known Bonnie for years. They had been dating since they met in their sophomore year in high school, about a year before Equestria appeared on Earth. When the Conversion Bureaus had opened, Bonnie made it no secret that she opposed the idea of taking the potion to survive the awakening of the leylines. Sometime later, Bonnie had started hanging out with some members of the HLF, and had even invited Eleanor to join them. A few times, Eleanor did go with her, but she stopped going when she had bare witness to the HLF’s initiation.

They had kidnapped a number of people who had all taken the conversion potion, and a group of new members proceeded to beat them senselessly to death, and Bonnie was among them.

It was at that point, that Eleanor realized that the girl she loved was too far gone to be saved. During the initiation, Eleanor had slipped away from the building, and drove off back home. During the drive, Bonnie had called her, but Eleanor wasted no time in telling her that she wanted nothing to do with her anymore, and that they were over.

It conveniently happened the day before the Transhuman Potion became available.

Regardless, Eleanor did not regret her decision to become a Lantean. What she did regret was that she wasn’t able to save her girlfriend in time. “So what are you going to do now?” Riptide had asked, pulling Eleanor out of her thoughts.

Eleanor laid her back down on the rock, and stared off to the surface of the ocean. “I’ve heard that they’ve started construction of an underwater city far off the east coast.” She answered. “I’m going to be moving there in a couple of weeks so that I could get as far away from this town as possible.”

“I see.” Riptide replied seldomly. “Well, I guess that means we won’t be meeting each other again then?”

Eleanor nodded her head as she sat back up. “Yeah. It does.” She answered. “I’ll miss you Riptide.”

“And I’ll miss you, Eleanor.” Riptide said.

A second later, Eleanor and Riptide embraced each other in a hug. As they held each other for the last time, Eleanor looked up at the sky, and saw that the sun was about to set. A moment later she and Riptide let go, and lifted themselves off the rock. “Well, it’s getting late. I better get back to the rig, since my shift starts real soon.” Riptide said.

“And I need to go finish packing my bags.” Eleanor said as she ‘hovered’ above the seabed. “Good-Bye Riptide.” She said as she swam back to the coast.

“Good-Bye Eleanor.” Riptide replied as he swam in the opposite direction.