Note: This is based on the Conversion Bureau multiverse originally created by Blaze, although this universe I’m creating isn’t associated with the existing Universes. One key part of this story is the use of Machines called “Persona Gears” and “Mirage Machines”, giving the series a rare Mecha theme. I’m not really sure which side I’m taking up, but I’ll try NOT to make one side seem saintly and the other not so much... but Earth won’t be the same when this is all said and done... I hope...
Prelude: Black Gear
Date: April 14, 2112
Time: 22:10:10 BST
Location: ???
“Princess Celestia...” someone started writing on a sheet of paper, “The latest report on the Conversation of Humanity has gone well, despite setbacks from those extremists...” they wrote... “So far, in the European region, 50% of Humanity has become Ponified...” he noted from the last report... “but the damage caused by these Terrorists... we need more security to protect the precious Potion from them... as for the Black Gear, we are taking measures to bring it down with a secret weapon...” he wrote as he saw the bomb being transferred... “Once we detonate this thing on the Black Gear, we’ll show that pilot what happens to those HLF scum, their ‘punishment’ for the ultimate show of hubris and hiring of such a powerful Persona Gear... let us hope the HLF do not turn this new bomb against us...” he finished writing... “Your faithful servant...” he stopped writing for a moment... realizing if she knew who was writing it, Celestia could look him up and be in real trouble if she knew of his past... he needed a fake name quickly, to remove any suspicion of his contribution to the Rebellion years ago, where he, once a Griffon, spearheaded an attempt to end Celestia’s dominance on “The Other World”, and make the Griffons the dominant race...
But that was a long time ago, before the Impact Effect of 2089, when the House of Tudor took the English throne... and now, stuck in a different body, he plots his way to overthrow Celestia once again... but for now, he signed his name... a false name with a seemly innocent tone, but to him, has sentimental value...
“Henry Tudor XII”
Written down on the Scroll, he sent the message to Celestia via one of his trusted Persona Gears, the JUGM-63T Uriel, as it received the scroll. “Henry” knew only Persona Gears can fly past the Border unharmed, and with it, the ability to communicate between Earth and “The Other World” via traditional methods of communication. As for Uriel itself? It is an Unmanned Gear loyal to him, and him only, one of the 4 Archangel Gears that guard the Leader of the HLF, and a Sleeper for “Henry”, as not many members of the HLF knew the truth about the fact that Uriel has no need of a pilot, nor the fact that it’s supposed pilot “Marie” is really one of his Synthroids, human-like androids (or gyroid in the case of Marie) designed by him as spies for both sides.
On other matters, he looked towards a pilot with red hair and red eyes, her school uniform slightly outdated as she looked at her client... “So what do you want me to do this time?” she spoke as she wondered at this particular time... “My Gear is ready for whatever you need me for...”
“It’s time for the Black Gear to make a big mess of things...” he spoke to her... “At Midnight, Central European Standard Time, some pilots working for the HLF will be attacking Cortes Port Island, off of Spain to steal the new Weapon I have planned... take the Black Gear and make it look like the Gear is on the side of the PER this time, but don’t destroy the new Weapon, I want to give the HLF a bit of confidence, so my follow-up plan will crush it under them. Once their ‘Great Leader’ becomes a Pony, I will turn my attention to Celestia herself: I still believe I have something to settle with her, all these years...”
The girl nodded, as she puts on her helmet... “What about the White Gear, Izanagi?”
“Izanagi? Deal with him but do not destroy it... I will deal with that menacing White Gear myself...” he spoke... “Now go... we don’t have time to waste...”
“Right...” she nodded as she left to pilot the infamous Black Gear... as she starts to head out to Cortes Port Island...”
Date: April 15, 2112
Time: 01:05:21 CEST
Location: Conversion Bureau in Cortes Port Island
"Charges set... Persona Gear 'Izanagi' ready to activate..." a teen's voice spoke as he entered a white human-like machine, literally melding with it... "Where's Jiraiya?"
"Narukami, I got the device..." another teen spoke... "Jiraiya's ready to hit the Jump Jets and blow this popsicle stand..." he said, referring to the frog-like machine, with jets attached to make a (suppose) stealthy escape...
"This popsicle stand" happens to be yet another Conversion Bureau, situated on the Artificial Landmass off of Spain's wreaked coastline. The mission, sent to them by the Human Liberation Front's European branch, was to steal a Superweapon off of the Bureau's grounds, that, supposedly in the hands of their Persona Gears, would "Blast through a Mirage Machine's armor, and Ponify the pilot within" at least in theory. Not willing to take chances with such a terrible weapon, the HLF sent several pilots to both steal the weapon and make sure the PER pilots do not recognize the weapon is stolen, or to know the existence of Izanagi and Jiraiya for that matter.
Of course the idea of putting charges all over critical parts of the Bureau? Not exactly Narukami's idea... but then again, the Euro-Branch prefers to leave behind their calling cards in the form of "leveling the Bureau".
Why has he taken this job to steal potential Weapons of Mass Destruction? Why has Narukami and his unlikely team chosen this route?
The small town of Inaba, far away from Cortes Port Island, found itself at a crossroads, with the rise of Mirage Machines used in construction, the Newfoals settling on Inaba, and the Persona Gears serving as the town's guardians... However, sentiment for the HLF efforts in 2110 has divided the town into two: On one side, Humans unwilling to tolerate Ponies, mostly influenced by Propaganda published by the HLF, and other Humans that simply want to co-exist with Ponies, though some were influenced by the PER. Narukami's return has put him and his friends, the few able to manifest and pilot their Persona Gears, in the middle and chose to become a small band of pilots, wandering the world to see just what lies beyond their small town...
Their missions have tested their resolve, as they both fought PER and HLF pilots alike in their many battles, blown up their share of Conversion Bureaus, and even were there when they witnessed the effects of this "Potion" on humans, while some of the PER that were there laughed as they now are one step closer to their final goal: The elimination of Humanity from Earth and to bring a new age...
... and now, in 2112, Narukami is here, working for the Euro-branch of the HLF, ready to deliver the PER a major bloody nose... while Izanagi charged up it's boosters, and ready to detonate the charges...
But then, things went wrong... as he noticed on his radar several Signatures on his end... "Hey Hanamura! We'd been set-up! Hit the jets and go!" he yelled as Izanagi is ready to take on the newcomers...
The guardians sent to stop the group were piloting older model Mirage Machines, as their Enyo Mk109s were armed only to stop Mirage Machines, and not Persona Gears, while Izanagi started flying at them, it's Katana slicing one of the Enyos in two, with the others focusing their Machine guns to try to damage the white Persona Gear...
Up on where the Superweapon was placed, Jiraiya started to fly around, dodging gunfire as PER Copters started taking potshots at the thief that has their trump card.
"Careful, aim for the Gear, if that device goes off before we can refine it, we could be in real trouble!" one of the PER pilots said... "Wing 2, Wing 3, check for the other Gear, support the guys below!"
"Roger..." both pilots spoke up as their copters flew over to the front, where the only thing that was there, were the wreckages of the Enyos, and still standing, somewhat unharmed, the White Gear that has been giving them hell since the New Year’s Incident of 2112: Izanagi...
"Is this all the PER have? Copters and old Mirage Machines?" Narukami thought, as more radar signatures appeared...
... including one particular Gear that both the HLF and PER want... a humanoid machine in all Black... with shields shaped like coffins floating around it... it's pilot is calm but takes out it's rapier, ready to strike at the White Gear...
"So that's Izanagi, the White Gear that's given the PER hell for the last 4 months..." the pilot spoke in an overly cute voice... "How about it God... let's see you overcome THIS form of Death!" she spoke, knowing the myth of Izanagi from her time on the run from both sides...
"The Black Gear..." Narukami spoke as his Gear preps his Katana for battle against the mysterious Black Gear that appears... looks like he won't blow the lid off of THIS Bureau until it's dealt with, as he keeps the Detonator on it's hand, ready to fight the Black Gear... "Bring it..."
Both the Black Gear and Izanagi start flying at each other, blades at the ready as the two Mechs collide with each other as the two engage in a clash of Blades, determined to win the day, while the copters locked their Missiles at both Gears, willing to take out both of them in several salvos, though most of the missiles landed off from their intended destinations, due to the speed the two Gears were going. However, whatever interference the copters were able to give, came to a crashing end, as a Red gear used some form of Fire to incinerate the fuel stored within them, blowing up a good part of the air support, as the pilots struggle with making a controlled landing, though it was too late for those pilots as the chain reaction caused them to explode, despite the new alloy protecting them.
With the copters out of the way, the Red Gear attempted to join in the fight between the Black Gear and Izanagi though the Black Gear's pilot has seen the newcomer coming, and sets one of the floating Coffins to stop the Red Gear in its tracks...
"Sorry but my fight is with the White Gear..." the pilot spoke... "So why don't you stay out of it... Magarudyne Shield!" she spoke as the coffin glows a dark shade of green, ready to throw the Red Gear out of the fight as a blast sent it flying off-course, colliding it with some of the towers giving the Bureau its power source from the Mainland...
"Amagi, what happened!" the pilot of Jiraiya spoke as he landed the jets next to the Red Gear, prototype weapon in hand... "What kind of machine is that anyways!" he yelled as he saw the Black Gear engaging Izanagi...
"The Black Gear... took a good bite out of Konohana Sakuya's armor, I don't think we're able to continue the way that guy's going... I'll get Narukami to blow the stand before we get Shirogane to drive out of here!" the pilot of the Red Gear spoke... "Hey Shirogane, we've seen enough, the Black Gear's get all of us killed!"
"Alright..." the driver, named Shirogane spoke as the trailer moved to where Jiraiya is, with Konohana Sakuya somewhat of a wreck, but still operational... "Load up the weapon carefully, last thing we need is the thing going off and we finding ourselves in big trouble in the morning news."
"Dude? You kidding me? Having the balls to even steal the thing is big enough trouble as is!" Hanamura spoke as he sent a message to Narukami... "Hey Partner, that's enough, tell him we're blowing the stand!"
"Oh? Enough already?" the Black Gear's pilot spoke through her transmitter at the same frequency as the one Hanamura set it to... "I was just here to scout out Izanagi... not blow the Gear up..."
"Too bad..." Narukami spoke as Izanagi threw the Black Gear towards the Bureau... "My orders didn't say anything about dealing with you..." he spoke as Izanagi's right hand was raised, as if detonating the Charges... only for nothing to happen...
"Forgetting something?" The Black Gear's pilot smiled as she was now holding the Detonator... "Well, at least my Client isn't pro-PER, how about we call this place leveled..." she giggled, detonating the charges while the Coffin shields were facing the building to block the blast... "... and this fight a draw." she smiled as not only Izanagi was loaded onto the Trailer, but the Black Gear hits the jump jets on the Gear, making its escape as the Bureau is blown sky-high, the many charges going off to bring the place down as planned...
As the Trailer drove itself onto the bridge that connects Cortes Island to Mainland Spain, Shirogane can only notice the damage left behind by the Gears... then she looked at the other pilots as they left their Gears... "Can't we just go one operation without wrecking everything else and the target?" she asked...
"Sorry Shirogane... but you know our luck, we try to blow up the target, everyone comes trying to murder us" Narukami spoke... "... and leave a big mess for the workers to clean up... no wonder Kirijou Industries is seemly on top: We're doing most of the wreaking and they release the new models to try to keep up!"
"Shame the Black Gear eluded capture... again..." Amagi spoke, as her Gear took a big hit... "Too bad, I was going to grill the pilot for what she's done..."
"It's not your fault, no one is able to predict the Black Gear..." Shirogane replied... "I mean, every time the Gear appears, who knows what she'll do... well, what's done is done, the Bureau is gone and we got their Prototype thing... whatever this is... hey Hanamura, you got anything else pertaining to it..."
"Far as I know? We'll be at this for quite awhile..." Hanamura spoke as he looked at all the servers that somehow Jiraiya managed to take before the charges were set... "I didn't know where the data is pertaining to the Prototype weapon so I simply decided to 'screw this' and grab all their Databases..."
"At least the HLF'll pay a nice fee for all of this..." Narukami spoke... "How far to the drop-off point..."
"Fifty miles... just need to take the scenic route to make sure the PER don't follow us..." Shirogane recalled... as they agree to take a more roundabout route when they make their getaway, to shake off anyone that may follow them to the drop-off spot, as a direct route can lead to a worse firefight and disaster... "How much damage did the Black Gear did this time?"
"Well, Konohana did take a hard hit from one of its Shields, and well, besides knocking her to the Power Pole, it was limited to fighting Izanagi." Hanamura spoke... "Other then that we're surprised she didn't do worse..."
"Otherwise..." Shirogane spoke... "Once we get rid of this, we'll try to lay low, knowing what happened, they'll be pretty steamed..."
"Yea..." Narukami replied... "I'd like to see the news about our little stunt..."
Their "Little Stunt" however, would be one that would change the world... the true Mission has begun...
Term List:
"Border of Madness": The barrier field surrounding Equestria, subject of many theories by the scientific community, the term given is the name the surviving Pilots gave to the very Barrier that stands between Mankind and the precious Nagaium needed to power the Photon Drives modern Mirage Machines run on (as well as the mysterious Persona Gears). While it stands undisturbed, there are some known facts: The barrier itself seems to be a living 'being' (in a loose sense of the term); that this very Barrier is capable of literally disintegrating Diesel Engines of older Mirage Machine models, while leaving the Persona Gears unharmed, and that any weapons brought along with it, including ammo, are also disintegrated to dust; Another fact is that besides the fact that Persona Gears can fly through the barrier unharmed, anyone native to the "Other World" can fly through it unharmed, while any Human outside of his Persona Gear or Mirage Machine would be suffering from Radiation Sickness.
"Border of Madness" Incident: The initial exploration of Equestria with the Mirage Machines, gone catastrophic wrong. Countless pilots lost their lives though the Magical Radiation exposure of the place, as the Barrier itself eats away at the Mirage Machine's Diesel engines (fuel and all), as well as any weapons brought with them in case of hostels. The pilots that did survive the initial Border also find themselves suffering from irradiation at a degree not seen since the Hiroshima bombings. The number of survivors are reduced to a mere 1/100th of the original group, though the discovery of Nagaium changed the fuel sources of the Mirage Machines.
Human Liberation Front: One of the Reactionary Factions established in 2095, this group of Human pilots and scientists fight against Celestia's madness and crusade against all of Humanity. Their Mirage Machines are older models, some even powered by Diesel Engines, while their Persona Gears tend to be themed around the myths that they try to cling to, such as the CHAR-53 Thor, the HNGM-61 Prometheus, and the TWER-48 Cu Chulainn.
Impact Effect: The sudden appearance of Equestria and related worlds in the year 2089, and the related incident known as "The Border of Madness", with the loss of many lives exploring Equestria. Additional lives are lost due to flooding of the coastal region at the Atlantic Ocean, with Artificial Landmass Projects set out to reclaim what was lost when Equestria appeared.
Mirage Machine: Invented in the year 2050, as a response to the discovery of Tominite in 2032 and the Persona Gear Lucifer in 2029, these machines revolutionized the Construction industry though early Machines run on standard Diesel engines, and are quite Polluting at first. In 2090, the discovery of Photon Energy (though refining the mineral "Nagaium", found in Equestria itself during the "Border of Madness" incident) revolutionized the Mirage Machine, giving it a cleaner source of fuel. As of 2112, many Mirage Machines are manufactured for human use, though there are some models pilotable by "beings of the Other World"
Nagaium: A mineral found in Equestria, this mineral is the core of the Photon Drive found in the newer Mirage Machines and Persona Gears. This Greenish mineral resembles that of an Emerald, though it has a Magical radiation that only Diamond Dogs are able to handle without the disastrous side effects of the mineral's radiation (a popular theory that the race's ability to put up with Nagaium's radiation created the familiar race known to Equestria). This mineral, discovered during the "Border of Madness" incident, is named such in honor of Go Nagai, one of Anime's revolutionaries.
"Other World": A term used to describe what lies behind the Boundary, where Celestia and her ponies come from, as well as the Diamond Dogs who mine Nagaium and other minerals, the proud Dragons, the Griffons and other exotic races.
Persona Gear: Mysterious machinery created by an unknown force, yet built on the same Tominite as of the Mirage Machines (or at least a similar mineral), designed originally for Ponies (or at least ancestors of the modern Pony), with a few models designed for Diamond Dog and Dragon use discovered after the Impact Effect. One in particular "Lucifer" is framework to which the Mirage Machines come from. Persona Gears, unlike early Mirage Machines, run on a Photon Drive, and, at least until the SEBEC incident, are originally meant for the many non-human races of the "Other World". How a Persona Gear is created is in fact one of the greater mysteries, but those of the Velvet room are not willing to talk about it...
Persona Gear "Lucifer": The first known Persona Gear on Earth, named "DEVI-96 Lucifer", was found in Russian territory in 2029, on top of the train station that served as the final destination of those that defy the Stalinist regime of old. Studied in an effort between Russians and Japanese, the design of Lucifer became the basis of the Mirage Machines. Due to it's many Black Box technologies (many of which written on a top secret document), it is studied even after Impact Effect, to find the answers to these mysterious machines.
Photon Drive: One of the de-classified Black Box Techs, found in all Persona Gears as well as newer Mirage Machines, this revolutionary engine was to be installed in 2099, years after the "Border of Madness" incident, and use of the mysterious Nagaium found within Equestrian lands beyond the Border. While specifics about the Photon Drive are a guarded secret, and that the Photon Drives on the Mirage Machines are not quite as good as a Persona Gear's
Ponification for the Earth’s Rebirth: Another Reactionary Faction, established in 2100 as a rival group to the Human Liberation Front, this group weaponizes Potion to be used to forcefully transform Mankind into Ponies, as well as fighting off other "Other World" groups interested in Earth. Due to their recent appearance in the conflict, their Mirage Machines are newer models running on cleaner Photon Drives, and although they have fewer Persona Gears then the HLF, they are accepting anyone willing to sacrifice their humanity for their cause.
SEBEC Incident: The 2052 Incident involving the Mirage Machine manufacture SEBEC, who attempted to create Synthetic Persona Gears, based on stolen research data, in a charge to corner the market on Mirage Machines. Exposed for corruption by a group of teens who discovered Persona Gears of their own, they eventually destroy the Synthetic Gear "XXXX-00 Pandora", preventing a major catastrophic end of the world due to the Black Box technology involved in Pandora's creation.
Synthetic Gear: An attempt to replicate Persona Gear "Lucifer", SEBEC attempts to create several of these monsters on their quest to become God through the power of the Persona Gear. Only two such machines were in existence: XXXX-00 Pandora (an unmanned Persona Gear), and XXXX-01 Nyarlathotep (piloted). Both were destroyed by Naoya and his team during the SEBEC Incident.
The Conversation Bureau: An organization by Celestia's hand, created to offer Mankind a chance to become Ponified, and thus able to pilot a Persona Gear (according to her, though it turns out she disregarded the existence of the fact that Diamond Dogs and Dragons can pilot Persona Gears, despite evidence of the contrary during the "Border of Madness" incident), as well as to "live a better life". However, for groups opposing this Ponification process? It is considered a complete abomination and mockery of what the Japanese has been working on solving the mystery of the Persona Gears, and in fact there are Human-use version of the Persona Gears in existence. Sadly, what's done is done and now the cards are on the table for the fate of Man...
The Tokyo Treaty: A Japanese-based treaty, after discovering the terror of the Persona Gears in action in the year of 2052 in the SEBEC incident, the treaty limits the trade on Persona Gears, and all related Black Box Technologies, in an attempt to avoid a World War III scenario due to the sheer power of the Persona Gear and their independence of Diesel fuel. In addition, each year since its inception (2055), all nations with "Persona power" report on the number of active and inactive Persona Gears in a special meeting, rarely inducting new members to the Persona group (within various reasons). As of April 2112, Japan, France, the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, Egypt, Russia, Israel and China are nations with known usage of Persona Gears, with most of the Middle East applying for membership due to the discovery of other Gears within their borders.
"The Velvet Room": A mysterious, extra-dimensional, area, where, according to Naoya's account of the place, one supposedly can create true Persona Gears. This room is attended to by Igor and his assistants in the creation and archiving of Persona Gears, but since the ratification of the Tokyo Treaty in place by the Japanese due to the power of such machines, no one has ever asked just what exactly creates a Persona Gear, or what exactly are the Black Box Technologies that surround individual Gears.
Tominite: A man-made version of the armor found on the Persona Gears (and in fact used in maintenance of these weapons), its composition a guarded secret among the Japanese (who created the first Mirage Machine), though it is known for it's unnatural durability, and seemly lightweight despite the denseness of the material. Since its discovery in 2032, this material is found in not just the Mirage Machines, but also in Tank and Copter armor for its lightweightness, as well as in Civilian vehicles, making them even tougher and speedier. This material is named after the creator of the Gundam Franchise, Yoshiyuki Tomino.
