TCB: What's Left Undone

by Sir Issac Johnington

Rating: teen
Tags: Tragedy, Princess Celestia, Human, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Dark, Alternate Universe, Original Character
Length: 6998

Second chances rarely come cheaply. Dr Jacob McArthur's may cost him everything.

For many people, the conflict was the end. For many people, when Celestia attacked, the entire world ground to a terrible halt, and their lives were completely upended. It was the end of everything

For Dr Jacob McArthur, it was just another long road to travel. The same as many roads he had traveled in his life.

For the last three months, he has been on the run, making his way across the country in an attempt to fix his mistakes. Many things have happened in this time, new friends made, old friends found, yet in the end he traveled alone towards his final destination. Yet as it has always been for him, the end of one road may well lead down another longer road.

Second chances are precious things, and often come at some great cost, to ourselves or to others. For Jacob, his second chance, his desperate attempt to fix things, may just cost him everything.

Note: This is a sequel to Requiem, if you have not read it, it likely won't make as much sense. Though it should stand fairly well on its own.

Published 2012-10-25 09:10:01 UTC
Last updated 2012-10-25 09:10:01 UTC

Chapter 1

What’s Left Undone

By: Sir Issac Johnington

Chapter 1

The radio tower was quiet as death was he walked in, the place powered it seemed by some backup generator. There was no other way to explain how the tower was still alive, the battle raging outside surely having knocked out any power the humans had set up before. There was a reason for the quietness of the tower however, the several dead bodies scattered about the lobby doing a good job of telling the story. Very likely the humans had tried to hold the tower here, and while he'd not seen any sign of the ponies taking it, it seems it was considered not worth protecting anymore. It would explain the last few fleeting figures of people he had seen as he pulled up on the street.

It'd been so simple to get this far. The last week, since leaving Stan and Silver Streak, had been smooth, except for a measly two incidents. Those two incidents had been easily dealt with though, and he'd only had to trade car's twice. In fact it had been so easy he'd gotten all the way here faster than expected. He'd thought it take him a good 3 days more to get here, but he'd been fortuitous. So fortuitous that when he reached the outskirts of town he'd been completely shocked to see that his fate had very much done a turn for the worse.

It wasn't like this was all that new for him. Still, to round the bend, to see the city so close, and then to realize the figures swarming around it were not just humans, but a great massing of both species, well it was disheartening. If only because the outskirts of the city had been practically surrounded by ponies. It had made the approach difficult to be sure, though thankfully flooring the gas pedal had brought him racing past most of the forces. A few chasing pegasi had been a nuisance, but they too had been lost, though one of them only after a sniper was so kind as to take him out. Gruesome. But effective.

During this time he had walked over to one of the guards, who looked like an unfortunate victim of purity, and frisked him for a security keycard, for access further into the building he was sure had some measure of security on it. Stepping now over a few bodies, he took one last look over the blood splattered lobby, and shook his head. The large reception area was neutral colored, and yet what had probably been a pleasant place before now stank of blood and death. He had almost left the lobby entirely, when a walky-talky squawked loudly, making him blink and face a pony wearing an outfit that was fairly similar to Silver Streak's, though possibly more ornate than her own had been.

It was weird that they were assaulting the city now. The people here had dug themselves in, that much he could tell from the bodies on the ground, and the way the people were able to pick off the unicorn pegasi and earth ponies who tried to assault the buildings they had fortified themselves in. It had been fairly bloody, but urban combat was always a nasty affair. It was more surprising that they were doing it at all. Jacob could not see why. Picking up the walky talky now, he clicked it to listen into the broadcast, something he found rather strange all in all, though perhaps they were still getting used to the technology.

“Purity squad Beta come in! I repeat, purity squad Beta come in!” The voice squawked, though Jacob was smart enough to know not to say anything. It took about thirty seconds of tense silence before the voice would ring out again, saying “Purity Squad Beta come in! The monarch is in route, do you have the area secured?”

It was then that the walky talky slipped quietly from his grasp, blood chilling as he realized suddenly what had to be happening. Silver Streak. It had to be her doing. They had found her earlier, found her and Celestia had learned from her what was going on. Silver Streak was smart, she had to know how the kill switch worked.

“This can’t be happening…” He told himself, but even as he said that he started to move, shifting immediately to panic mode. He had to be fast. He had to get to the broadcasting station, had to upload the signal as fast as he could. Who knew how soon they’d arrive. Who knew how long it’d take to interface with the terminal? So many questions, and he had hoped to be alone for it all. It seemed his life was indeed, never that easy.

He almost left, before he turned around, and snagged a map of the building from the receptionist’s desk, unfolding it before nodding to himself, and clicking the button on the elevator. Hopefully they still worked, though with lights on, they had to still have power right? Indeed, soon enough the door dinged quietly, opening up to show a few bodies left in the elevator. Apparently an ambush had been set up, not surprising, though staring at their lifeless bodies made him shudder slightly. Perhaps the elevators were a bad idea? Then again, the other had said they were abandoned, so he walked in, the smell of blood almost unbearable in the splattered elevator, as he pressed the tenth floor button and the doors shut quietly.

The ride up was easy enough, the doors opening to show that indeed the entire place seemed deserted, save for again, a body or two. Potion squads had not touched this place, no potion splatters around at all, instead leaving the hallway to be scored with bullets from both sides. The ponies had seemingly lost though, judging by the dead forms in the hall. More blood splatters marred the walls, which stood out against their beige color, and it took Jacob a good five minutes to find the broadcast room. It had been barricaded, though that was no longer the case, and he walked in without much trouble.

No one was dead inside at least, which was nice, and it left him sighing in relief. The smell of blood was practically imprinted on his mind now and it was not one he relished, used to it as he was. The place was a mess, but the machines that helped broadcast seemed sturdy, and not broken, which was the biggest relief yet. A few frantic minutes of searching soon enough brought forth the computer he knew he had to work with. The thing was older than it should have been, but such was often the case. It clicked to life, right as he heard the faint sound of gunfire from the street outside. The window in the room had been boarded up, but the cracks in it let the sound though.

“Damn,” Jacob muttered softly, as he turned to the door he had left opened, and slammed it shut. A few moments were spent erecting a bit of a hasty barricade, and then it was back to the computer, as the gunfire grew louder. He had no doubt it had to be purity squad alpha coming in, had to be, and if that was true, then Celestia could not be far behind. Why she’d come out here, dare expose herself to gunfire, and not just leave it to purity, he didn't know, nor did it matter. He had to get the signal out. Just one broadcast would be enough, it’d neutralize potion for a few hundred miles around, and any ruined batch brought near others would just spread it further. With luck one blast would help neutralize most of their stores before they realized how it worked.

“Come on…” He hissed, his fingers flying across the keyboard as he dragged out program after program, trying to find exactly what he wanted. With a few swears, he finally found it, and started to work it frantically. It was a simple thing to do, he had to get the radio to broadcast a specific message at a specific frequency, and it’d cause them all to lock up. Simple if he knew the equipment. Working blind, he had no idea if it would work. He'd studied radio waves before, but using broadcasting equipment was new.

It had to work though. He had precious little time for second chances. His frantic work was accompanied by the rising violence out on the streets, the gunfire constant in his ears as the two sides battled for control. It seemed the HLF had no intention of letting any pony anywhere near them, and this squad of purity had to be just as ruthless as they were to secure their princesses safety. Yet he could do it. He had plenty of time, right? Even after the first few errors, each one of which made him swear and more frantically search for how to make it work, he was sure he had time.

Then the sound of hooves slamming against the ground met his ears, and color drained from his face. What he had wasn’t enough yet! His eyes scanned it over, shuddering and shaking his head a bit more as he frantically typed, the sound of doors being slammed open one by one meeting his ears, the tromping of hooves coming closer.

He was so close. He was so damn close to fixing it all, he couldn’t lose now! Yet the noise he had dreaded came to his ears, a heavy slam against the door he had barricaded coming, and the voices calling out “Here! This door’s stuck! He must be here!” The sound grew louder after that, and Jacob knew it was now or never.

It was unsure, untested, and there was a good chance it might have unknown repercussions, but he had no other choice. He grunted, looking at it all for a brief moment, then pressed the button. Soon enough he got the response he wanted, a green light flickering, and the light showing that the machines were starting. This was what he was waiting for, gulping hard as he reached over, a radio nearby, and frantically turned the knobs, searching, searching, th-

Right as he reached it a tremendous slam came from the door, and it flew off its hinges, the barricade crumbling under the sheer force of such a kick, and several ponies storming in. Each one of them looked as terrifying as a pony could get, coated from head to toe in the latest combat armor ponies had, stolen mostly from human tech. Each one bared their teeth at him growling furiously, the unicorn’s horns flared with life as they bared their guns, pegasi’s wings flapping as they held their makeshift weapons in them, and the biggest, meanest earth pony he’d ever seen in his life staring at him as if he wanted an excuse to use the nasty side mounted weapon he seemed to have.

“HANDS UP. ANY SUDDEN MOVES AND YOU WILL BE SO MANY BLOODY PIECES ON THE WALL.” The earth pony practically screamed at him; making Jacob jump slightly, then raise his hands, the radio falling to the ground.

“Commander, we found one.” The earth pony stated afterwards, a calmer sound now; though every eye was still on him as if he was about to sprout three arms and gun them down with his mind.

“Yes…yes you did.” A voice said, before walking in front of them all. It was a fairly young looking Pegasus mare, who squinted softly at him for a moment or two. It was hard to see what any of them really looked like under their armor, this group the most well equipped squad he’d ever seen, though this one was not wearing her helmet, letting her dark blue mane fall around her violet ears. “And, I think you found the exact one she wanted.”

“I thought it was purity procedure to murder all humans on sight.” Jacob commented dryly, looking at them all for a few moments while the Pegasus mare laughed back.

“Murder? Oh no, we purify humans, Dr. Jacob McArthur.” She seemed amused by his comment, though the death glares of the ponies behind him seemed to show it went over less well with the others. “Don’t you know that? You’re obviously a fan of radio seeing as you’re here.”

“Gotta have some music.” He muttered dryly, though that was on two levels. The radio he had dropped, should have been playing a song. The message was stored in it, in fact it was part of the passcode itself, but it wasn’t. Mere static greeted his ears, and that scared him. Perhaps it was just taking some time to transmit? Or the radio had shifted while he was tuning it.

“Oh is that so?” She asked quietly, looking at him, then shaking her head. “But we provide all the music you could ask for on our radio station! Not to mention so much useful information for people like you, so recalcitrant to join us.” She took a few steps over, as she smiled and flapped her wings, hovering off the ground to be level with the computer he had just been messing with. Her weapon was soon leveled at the device, and two loud retorts sounded in the room, the computer being shredded by the bullets passing through it. She seemed satisfied after this, Jacob’s ears ringing painfully, the rest however seemed to wear ear protection of some kind, and seemed unperturbed by the loud crack.

“No need for trash like this…” She muttered, looking over at the equipment for broadcasting and saying “Destroy that too. I want the place ransacked. You and you, come with me. We’ve got to get our little guest to Celestia.”

“Oh, and you think I'll just go?” Jacob said quietly, stalling for time at this point as he desperately hoped it didn't matter. Surely it wouldn't matter. Right?

“Hah, oh, do you think you can resist us?” She asked, giving a slight smile, and saying “Cute.” Then she turned her head back and pointed to the stallion, saying “Show what happens to those who resist.”

Jacob blinked slightly at this point, though what happened after got more of a reaction out of him. The stallion walked forward, and then before Jacob could process what was about to happen, he headbutted him, hard in the gut. The air whooshed out of Jacob's lungs at this point as his eyes bulged in their sockets, the wind knocked out of him as the earth pony followed up with a hard shove backwards, knocking him onto his back gasping.

“Not even tough.” The earth pony spat slightly, as Jacob wheezed for breathe, though after a moment or two he had righted himself.

“S-so t-that's it?” Jacob asked, still hoping to buy some time even if it came at the price of a beating. A beating the pegasus mare and earth pony seemed quite happy to give, juding by the looks they gave each other.

“Oh I'mma enjoy this...” The earth pony stallion said, raising a hoof for what Jacob knew was going to be a bruising strike, before a regal voice cut though the air with full royal authority behind it.

“That is enough!” Celestia said firmly as he walked into the room as regal as could be asked for. Her mane flowed easily behind her, and she seemed as white as snow, practically glowing with the splendor of the gold on her. She didn’t even wear any combat attire, though she seemed completely unconcerned by the sound of fighting raging around her.

Every last eye in the room grew twice as large in size at this point, every head drawn to the familiar voice, before they, to a pony, turned to the monarch and bowed, with the exception of Jacob, who was already on the ground to begin with.

“Your Majesty! We were told you were not to be here for hours!” The Pegasus mare said as she came up from the bow.

“I…felt it prudent to make sure no mistakes were made in the capture of Dr. McArthur.” She told them all succinctly, eying the earth pony stallion as she added “It seems it was the right idea.”

“We would never fail you your Majesty, you commanded us to take him alive at all costs, and we would never dare violate your direct orders.”

“I also wanted him to avoid any undue pain from this, but that seems to have slipped from your mind.” She said quietly, a smile crossing her face despite this, and shaking her head.“You were always so zealous.”

“Of course I am, you deserve no less!” The Pegasus mare said, adding “Do you wish for us to drag the huma-“

“Drag the human? I'm not some dumb animal you know.” Jacob said before the mare seemed to nearly explode at him, whipping around to face him and flying upwards.

“Did I say you could talk!?” She had a hoof raised as if she was planning on slapping him, something Jacob was none too keen to experience on from the livid look on her face, but Celestia’s voice cut right through all of this yet again.

“There will be no striking Dr Jacob McArthur.” Her cool voice said, the mare blinking in shock, as if not expecting this, then taking a breath, lowering herself as Celestia continued. “We will treat him with respect. He is an honored guest of ours, after all the contributions he has made to our cause.”

“Contributions to your cause? That’s a pretty way of putting it.” Jacob said dryly, a faint scowl on his face, though this was all show to hide the intense worry eating at his gut. Intense worry and of course the feeling he was sure to have a bruise there after all was said and done. Damn pony had a hard head indeed. Yet even now he was more concerned with the fate of his project. Had it worked? It had to have, even with that short time he couldn't have messed it up so close to the end!

“But they were!” Celestia replied back earnestly, that soft smile still on her face. “You helped us wonderfully. Without you none of this would have been possible, at least not for years. Your genius is what made this all possible.” She dipped her head respectfully, a gesture shocking even further all the elements of purity around her. “Truly we owe all of this to you.”

“And don’t I know it.” Jacob said quietly, before saying “I’m the one who gets genocide writ large across his history. Remembered as the man who made possible the greatest war crime in history. What a great thing to be remembered for.”

“Watch your tongue! What we do, we do to purge the world of scum like humans! This is for your own good!” The Pegasus mare cut in, glaring at him furiously though Celestia once more silenced her with a shake of her head, small, yet elegant like the rest of her.

“Desert Stream, hush. I wish to hear Jacob speak his mind on this.” She looked at him again, those big eyes so enigmatic. “Tell me. Why is this genocide?”

“You’re joking right?” Jacob countered back, saying “You’re consciously purging all of humanity, killing any who resist. If that isn’t genocide I don’t know what is.”

“And this, destroying the human species, you think it's bad?” She asked again, her cool tone almost mocking him with saying such provocative things.

“Of course I damn well do.” Jacob told her, scowling. “Who in their right minds wouldn’t?”

“More like who would want you damn filthy apes destroying everything li-“ Desert Stream cut herself off at this point, blushing and dipping her head in embarrassment to Celestia, who merely smiled and replied herself.

“Crass as she put it, she had a point. Human’s have made a terrible mess of things. Rampant pollution clouds many of your cities. Entire ecosystems have been destroyed, and terrible wars have been fought for dwindling resources. If we hadn’t come, who knows what might have happened?” Celestia told him, her voice smooth as silk as she said all of this.

“Hah.” Jacob laughed coldly, as she said the statement he had heard so many times before. “Yes, yes. Because some of the worst elements of humanity have done bad things, we all deserve to be purged, or murdered. Lets kill or convert every last human, better they be ponies than possibly have the free will to decide what is best for themselves.”

“Jacob, 100 million people had died in the last disease unleashed in the last biological attack on humans before our arrival. War had killed hundreds of millions before that, and the world had barely avoided a plunge into nuclear hellfire that had nearly killed the entire planet on several occasions. Do you really think it is not justified to do something in the face of such danger? That I should just idly stand by while humans represented such a great threat to my people?”

That almost stymied Jacob, except for his familiarity with this same debate. He’d heard it before, but rarely. She wasn't dodging what she was doing, she was merely saying it was justified. An easier argument to make, though few had the will to make it. “Perhaps, if not for the fact I can counter that. Do you know the scientist’s name who made the vaccine to that disease you mentioned? His name was Sir Peter Dunsmore. He worked months tirelessly to cure that disease, pouring hundreds of thousands of his own dollars into it to get the vaccine out as fast as he could. Do you know who negotiated the end to that war between Pakistan and India? It was a man who suffered death threats, by both sides, for his work creating the peace, and yet he continued to fight for it. For all the ills humanity has, we have the good to counteract it.”

“And yet more know the name of the villains of history, than the hero’s.” Celestia shot right back, shaking her head. “The villains have done so much worse than the hero’s could possibly achieve.”

“Oh, and I assume you’re going to say that evil is the natural state of man, and we all will end up sliding into it if given a chance? Celestia you cannot tell me you believe all of us like that. Unless I’m mistaken, you yourself said you would have conferred Equestria’s highest honor on me if not for the fact it was reserved for citizens of Equestria. You cannot believe all humans are scum, or why even bother to convert them?”

“Oh but that’s it. I know they are not. In fact I know some are humans, like you Jacob, who’ve spent their lives to better others. In fact, all you ever have done is better the lives of every human in the world, selflessly giving, ever kind. The only fault you might have is to view your work negatively. Your attempt to destroy ponification potion has not succeeded. Give up your futile attempt to destroy your greatest triumph, and accept it for what it is, the salvation of humanity.”

“Salvation? You have the gall to come to me, lie to me, tell me you want peace, then destroy all civilization but your own and call that salvation? You come to me whispering lies of peace, and then when you show your real form, show the war and death you wished upon us all to call it salvation?!” That seemed to get him genuinely angry, his voice rising all the more. “You have the nerve to walk up to me, and say that my only flaw is to regret that my greatest invention was the cause of the bloodiest war in all of mankind?! How dare you!” He was pointing a finger accusingly at Celestia when he noticed every pony in the room but her was staring at him as if moments away from jumping on him and punching him into submission.

“Yes. Salvation. Humanity was bound to kill itself eventually, at the rate it was going. After we came here, I could see that, clear as day. When I came to you trying to find a way around it, you offered me the chance to avoid the destruction of all things, and instead save so many lives.” She shook her head sadly. “That some resist is a tragedy, but we cannot let ourselves be swayed from this. To let humanity continue its course, would be to cause the destruction of the world.”

Then Jacob did something that shocked everyone in the room, absolutely everyone. He laughed, a real gut laugh, even as he pulled off his jacket and tossed it aside. He’d been wearing it to keep potion from touching his skin, but it was no longer necessary. It was preventing him from reaching into his shirt pocket, pulling out a small trinket on a chain and saying “You know what this is?” He said as the laughter ended, the look on Celestia's face one of confusion.

“This is a gift to me. A little girl sent it to me. Sent to me a month after ponification went live. Why? Because she was a terminally ill girl. She had an aggressive form of cancer, one that had given her potentially months at best to live, when the potion had come out. When she had heard what it could do, she had asked to get it early, and I had approved of her request to be one of the first trial cases. She lived you know. She became one of the first ponies in the world, and the cancer was gone.” They all seemed confused as to why he was saying this, but soon enough he reached his point.

“I bring this up, because –that- is why I made this potion. I made this not because I wanted to save humanity from some terrible fate. I made it not because I felt that humanity was sinking into some pit. I made it to save lives. I made to help people, to give them a chance to try again in their lives, or to help themselves from any woes they had. To heal the sick, and mend the broken, so they could live a new, happy life. That, that was my dream.” He then looked at the small trinket, a picture of a small girl smiling gently in it. “What though, is it remembered for now?”

Silence greeted him, from every one of the ponies, from Desert Stream and the purity ponies who seemed shocked at the fact a human could think such things, to Celestia, who seemed to know where this was going, yet wasn't willing, or able, to interrupt him.

“It’s remembered for genocide. Its remembered for purity. Its remembered for violence and hate, and the destruction of exactly what I wanted to save!” He slammed his fist down on the counter now, staring at her, absolutely livid. “I wanted to help humanity! I wanted to save people! You kill them! You murder and destroy and convert all who oppose you, under some belief that you’re saving them! You’re everything I wanted to rid the world of, wrapped up into one seductive lie you fed to me and I just ate up!”

“I am no liar. I am saving people Jacob. How ma-“ His voice cut her off though, in a burst that once more shocked everyone.

“NO!” He yelled, glaring at her harder. “YOU ARE NOT SAVING THEM. YOU ARE KILLING THEM! Let me ask you purity! How many have you killed? How much blood is on your hooves? How many dead humans can each of you count? How many lives have ended at your hooves? And your hooves are the bloodiest of all Celestia!” He pointed at her that same accusing finger. “Your white coat should be red for the blood shed for your stupid salvation. We all here wear blood on our hands, and I’m the only one who never wanted it! You’re a liar, a hypocrite of the worst sort! You came promising peace and gave war, destroyed families, ripped them up and burned them like the worst sort of monster that you really a-“

“JACOB.” That silenced him and just about everyone else in the room too, Desert Stream stopping from the coiled up position she was in after he dared to call Celestia a monster. “Do not test me! You do not know what you are dealing with! You do not know what I know. My hooves are bloody yes, but my actions are brought to save lives. I understand some must die for this. But I shall save as many as I can. You are misguided and deluded, to think otherwise. You are a noble soul, but you do not understand how the world really works. ”

Jacob had been rather floored by the sudden bellow of her voice, the sheer volume matched with the power projected in it, had shut him up good. Not to mention the way she met him with a defiant look in his eyes, one that gave the most earnest conviction to her words. It didn't dissuade him, but it did shut him up.

“You wish the best for the world. I understand. That you are so willing to sacrifice yourself for others is what makes you a human worth saving. Why do you think I came here myself? We cannot afford to lose someone like you, so smart, so compassionate and caring. You will make a wonderful pony, and will, with luck, be able to bring this war to a final halt. We want the same thing, the end to this war. Help me with it.”

“So you can betray me again? So you can lie to me then use me once more? Hah.” He snorted, staring at her. “The moment you convert me, the moment Jacob McArthur dies. My greatest work was really a failure anyway. I wanted to make people into ponies while keeping them whole. All it does it make them slaves to your will.”

“Don’t accuse me of such low tricks.” Celestia said, the first time anything he had said seemed to get under her skin. “Ponies who are converted follow me because they respect me. I force none to listen to me.”

“Explains why other’s are willing to turn coat immediately and attack their friends, sure.” Jacob stated, snorting. “No, that’s not it at all. You and I both know full well that’s not how it should be.”

“Your majesty, it’s obvious the human is deluded! Perhaps he may have helped create potion, but he’s still a human. This argument is meaningless. Let us convert him, and he shall see just what he created.” Desert Stream fished into her saddlebags as she said this, pulling out a vial and saying “I have one here. We can make him drink it, he’ll see then what you say is right.”

“No. No need to make me drink it.” Jacob said quietly, looking at the vial, and then at Celestia. “If I may, I would like to at least drink the poison that kills me myself.” Jacob looked at her, adding “Give a little dignity to my death.”

“It is no death. But if you promise to drink It, you may.” Celestia said, nodding as Desert Storm glared at him, obviously having hoped to pour the potion down his throat herself, though she did give him the vial roughly.

The glass felt smooth in his hands. It was filled with that similar liquid, one he’d seen so many times before, and one that he knew intimately. He knew every which way it could work, and he also knew, staring at it, that they today, had won. Here he was staring at the vial of potion he had sought to stop, and failed. There was no use denying it. The static on the radio proved it to him, in the end. He hadn’t misadjusted it, it hadn’t shifted. He had merely failed.

Everything he had worked for up to now came down to this moment, staring at that glass, and it was hard to deny the way his body seemed to just cave in. All the months of worry, of strain, all just gave in, the defiant look of his body giving into the inevitable. Even the smile he forced on his face did nothing to hide it, and everypony around could see it. The quiet acceptance of a man on the gallows. It seemed ot have an unnerving effect on them all, even Celestia, though all of them were not quite sure why they felt that way.

“To genocide.” Jacob said quietly as he hoisted the vial to them all, and then poured it back; the grape flavor filling his mouth as he drank it, then set the vial down. “May God forgive me for what I’ve done.”

Jacob could already feel the concoction starting to work. It dulled his insides, replacing the nerves and fear, the desperation and despair of failure, with at first nothingness, then a small tingling feeling. It grew and grew as he winced, shutting his eyes and putting a hand to his stomach. “Mmmgh…” Then the tingling grew into full on shivers, the feeling stroking over all of his skin.

Celestia’s magic soon engulfed him, as his shirt was peeled off, pulled up as he blinked, and then soon after his pants, and shoes coming off from her deft magic. He had the distinct feeling of nakedness, standing in front of them with merely his underwear on, Celestia deciding to keep that on until the transformation was apparently more complete, though soon he couldn’t even really think on that. That feeling, the tingling, was now in every part of him, and it was filling his mind.

That fuzzy tingling was over every inch of his form now, and then suddenly the ground was up close, his body falling down as all feeling left him, replaced by that tingle, and the distinct sensation of pleasure. In fact, it was a pleasure unlike anything he’d felt before, gasping slightly as it worked though him. It was more intense than most anything he’d ever felt, it overwhelmed everything. His body was warping now, the fingers changing to hooves. That felt good. His bones snapped and fused as he lost the limberness of his shoulders, morphing and growing fur as his underwear was now pulled off, all of him covered with fur, though his eyes were having trouble seeing it. Indeed his vision was fuzzy, but even if it wasn't his mind was fuzzy with the pleasure that warped though him. It all felt just so good.

He wasn’t sure if he was making sounds or not at this point, his ears were being worked on as well, leaving him deprived of most any sense that wasn’t touch, and that overwhelmed with the feel of fur sprouting, growing, bones snapping, body twisting. It all felt so damn good, a part of him really understood why they gave out such moans transforming. Seems his mixture had worked well indeed. As the transformation started to approach its most frenzied state, and his vision blurred to the point nothing at all could be seen, he knew it was only moments until it was all over. His vision was even turning, brighter fuzzy shapes apparent, the look of them all so much nicer, softer, lovelier as he-

A sharp pain in his skull snapped him back to reality. His vision flickered then went back to what he was so accustomed to. His body jerked hard as the pain served to tie him back to reality, a link to his rational conscious self. It also made him really hurt, the pleasure dying down now as the transformation finished, and he distinctly realized Celestia was staring at him with a look of deep concern on his face. Twinges of pain still throbbed out from his head as he blinked a few ore times, only now realizing that he had been giving off plaintive whimpers of pain ever since the sharp stab of pain in his skull.

“My little pony, are you all right?” She said softly, the concern evident on her face. Even newly formed, it was obvious she cared deeply for her subjects, even ones who had just moments ago called her a monster, had dared to challenge her, and even perhaps refute her, in front of the others.

“mmmugh.” Was the only conscious response Jacob could give at the moment, his tongue stumbling around in his new mouth. The final few adjustments were over, and he was fully a pony. Staring up at her with his big eyes, he eventually managed an intelligible reply, saying “Yuush.” He nearly bit his tongue saying it, but it was coming to him fairly quickly all things considered.

“Ah. You seemed to be in pain for a few moments. I was worried something had gone wrong.” Celestia mentioned, saying “I was ready to intervene. “

“Juph relicth of mah hoomen form.” Jacob was rapidly starting to work his tongue, and while he still sounded drunk, it was improving.

“Relics?” She asked, as he swished his tongue around in his mouth, the flavor weird. That would take getting used to.

“I wath a major player in biotechnology. I have, had, more than a few machine parts in me. “ He told her, adding “Ponification can cause glitches with such things. It’ll be fine though.” He nodded at this, speech still slurred somewhat, but he by now actually felt confident enough to stand, which he did. “Minor issues. Cybernetics were rare enough, I figured some pain was not a major issue.”

“I see. What did you modify?” She asked curiously, Jacob shrugging.

“Had something to help with some back pain, and joint aches.” He told her, adding “Simple things.” He was by now on his hooves, shaking each one in turn as he tried to figure out how they worked. It was so utterly bizarre moving from body to body. He didn’t know how they adjusted so fast.

“Ah. Well, I am glad it is nothing. Welcome to the ranks of Ponydom. We must come up with a new name for you, though I think I have one. Valiant Light for you, for the light you shine out from yourself. Ever seeking to help others, I feel it fits beautifully.” Celestia smiled, adding “Though you are free to name yourself as you like.”

“Valiant Light? I guess…I guess that’s my name now.” He told her nodding and saying “I am honored to be one of yours.” He dipped his head respectfully, shaking his tail softly now. A tail, that was so weird. So utterly weird to have.

“Good. I’m glad you managed to not succeed. I’m sure you agree now, this is not the destruction you claimed before, but really, it is for the best no?” She had that same soft warm smile as before.

“Oh. Yes. There’s no doubt this is far better. I was deluded and wrong to think otherwise.” Valiant Light said, looking at her and nodding. “Honestly, I can’t believe I considered turning off ponification. The tragedy that would have been.” He sighed, saying “So many humans denied this…” He seemed almost ashamed.

“Yes, but let’s not dwell on what did not happened. You did not do it, and you are still a hero for what you have done for us all. When we return to Canterlot, there shall be parades for this moment. Your daughter will be so happy to know her father is alive and one of us, finally.” Celestia smiled, nodding and giving them all a swift nod. “Come now. We have to oust the last of those HLF out of their bunker. We have one major triumph, let us make it two!”

Purity soon enough was marching in front of her as professionally as any Vanguard , as Desert Stream looked at him, smiled, and said “Mmh, she was right, you do make a pretty good pony. Stay in this building until the fighting is over. We’ll find you then.” She then disappeared, leaving the newly transformed Jacob to stare at everything that laid around him, the wreckage, the mess, the former clothing that he now no longer needed. The soft sound of hooves disappearing filled his ears, until slowly it vanished, the stallion merely sitting and looking at each hoof in turn.

“I failed today.” He said quietly, sighing softly, then giving a short nod to himself. “I failed today to stop ponification. But I will not give up this last chance I have. “ Dr Jacob McArthur shook his mane softly, finally noticing the color it was, a soft blue, and telling himself quietly “I have one last shot to destroy potion at the source. I won’t waste it.” They might have converted his body, but he had saved his mind for this last final chance. “One failed experiment to stop another. Something poetic in that I think.” He told himself, shaking his head. “Only hope it doesn’t kill me before I can stop it.”

Second chances did not come cheap it seemed. His death for a chance to save everyone. A fitting price to pay perhaps, for what he had done. He stood up then, resolving himself with a nod and a firm set of his face, then trotting out quietly. There was much left to be done. He'd left a lot of things yet unfinished, but now he had the chance to fix that, to do what he had left undone.