Chapters The Conversion Bureau: Rays of Starlight
Prologue - Across the Ether
The Conversion Bureau
In the magical land of Equestria, wild and powerful creatures still roamed the world. In spite of the turmoil, civilisation thrived, and all manner of beings made their home in the vast and vital land. Some lived in harmony, but it was a hard-won peace.
The world was once a plaything for Discord, the Spirit of Chaos, until he was confronted one day by Celestia and Luna. They were sisters, and alicorns both, gifted with extraordinary magical power. Even then, they could not withstand Discord's power alone. Knowing a fair fight was anything but, they fought him with the aid of six magical artefacts called the 'Elements of Harmony' and turned Discord to stone. Though other primal forces still fought and vied for power, the imprisonment of Discord brought about relative peace and gave the world a semblance of harmony.
Their peace was to be short-lived however, as the Rule of the Two Sisters was broken soon after. Through the machinations of King Sombra, a terrible jealousy was sewn in Luna's heart, driving her and Celestia apart. Eventually, Luna was consumed by the darkness that grew within her. Renaming herself 'Nightmare Moon', Luna declared herself the sole ruler of Equestria and tried to seize the throne, planning to bring forth eternal night. At the peak of her rebelling, she confronted Celestia in a magical duel that by all rights she would have won. However, in falling to darkness and contradicting Harmony, Luna had forsaken her right to wield the Elements, a right which passed solely to Celestia. Imbued with terrible strength, Celestia defeated Nightmare Moon and banished her in the moon for a millenium.
From those times of ancient myth, Celestia forged a new Age with the magic of Harmony and the teachings of Friendship. Celestia's rule had been long and fair, but she felt the burden of her actions grow only heavier through the centuries of her seemingly immortal life. A thousand years of peace was finally broken by the inevitable return of her old enemies. Without the Elements to aid her again, Celestia relied on Twilight Sparkle, her most faithful student, to rediscover the magic of Harmony. On the fateful eve of Nightmare Moon's return, Twilight Sparkle and five other mares became the new Bearers of the Elements and confronted Nightmare Moon.
This time, Nightmare Moon was not banished. Instead, Luna was freed from her darkness, and the two sisters were reunited at long last. That was not to be the only time the Elements were used however, as nary a year later Discord also escaped his stone prison and wrought havoc across the land. It was a hard-fought battle between the Elements and Discord, for the spirit of disharmony was a master of trickery and deception, but in the end the Elements sealed him in stone once more. His imprisonment brought order to Equestria once more, but his return was seen as an omen of titanic change looming on the horizon.
Only the Elements of Harmony and their rightful Bearers had the resolve and power to quell the rising chaos.
The Realm of Equestria, 1013 CE
Wandering the passages of the castle by moonlight, Luna searched for her sister, who had been strange and melancholy since the second imprisonment of Discord. In the crude stone passages of the original fortress that Canterlot once was, Luna found her sister in a room secluded deep within the fortress. Celestia had made her magic presence known to her sister, otherwise there was very little chance that she would have been found.
"Sister? What are you doing up here at this hour, and what in Equestria are you doing with that machine?" Luna asked, walking into the chamber. She still spoke in Old Equestrian, which Celestia still remembered well enough to process as more modern speech. The ancient walls were rough stone unlike the polished marble of Canterlot above, and in the centre of the room was a glowing podium. Upon it was a strange clockwork contraption, a jumbled heap of mechanical arms and floating spheres. It was dusty, but there were no signs of rust or wear on the mechanisms. The far side of the room had an ornately carved doorway with nothing but brick wall behind it, but written on the arch were inscriptions in a language Luna did not recognise.
"Our strength is slipping, Luna," said Celestia, not turning her head, "Our strength is slipping, and I cannot afford to rest again until I know our subjects are safe. The device you see before you is a 'Traveller's Key', a means to cross the boundary between realms. It was built in the ancient past with magical knowledge that has since been forgotten."
"I know what this machine is, but I am more concerned as to why you are using it. Do you seek to escape our world with this device?"
"No Luna," Celestia said with her head held high, "This age has quietened in the wake of the Elements of Harmony, but there are still many strange and evil things lurking in the darkness."
"You fear the Windigoes?" asked Luna, harking back to the dreadful time before even Equestria was united.
Celestia shook her head. "Nay sister, Equestria has only grown closer over the years, and the warmth in the hearts of our ponies is stronger than ever. I fear the beasts that will prey on that love."
Luna turned and looked at her sister with a puzzled expression. "The Changelings? They were but parasites the last I saw of them. Few and far between."
"We never knew we needed to be careful with our love, Luna. In the dark places of the world, they have grown in strength unchecked. A Queen has risen in their ranks and schemes as we speak. I was unaware of her until she grew careless one day and let her magical presence be known. She is strong Luna, and the only thing I could sense in her was hunger."
"What of the Elements? Surely such a fae creature as a changeling will be smote by their force."
"That may be so, but the Elements of Harmony still cannot aid us in mortal war. That is not in their nature."
"You also fear of our belligerent neighbours I suppose," said Luna, "Surely our numbers are not so few now? What happened to the Herd? Where are the warriors in Star Steel?"
"Times grew peaceful after the imprisonment of Nightmare Moon, Luna. Even the Royal Guards are a shadow of what they once were. Gryphon, zebra and dragon no longer pay the same respect to us, and the ambitious think we are weak."
"You cannot simply leave!”
Celestia's horn glowed as the spheres orbited above the pedestal before her. A rune shifted on the top of the stone table and the orbs rearranged themselves. The doorway shimmered and reality opened within its frame, showing stars neither of the sisters had seen before.
“I’m not abandoning you Luna,” Celestia said calmly, “I’m going to get help.”
“I'm sure the night sky of a foreign world will be an excellent ally.” Luna deadpanned, a hint of exasperation in her tone, “You will not find anything simply sifting through stars.”
“I… You’re right,” Celestia bowed her head, “The lore that explained the Key was lost aeons ago. I’m clueless about how to use this.”
Luna approached her sister elder sister and nuzzled her. Celestia relaxed slightly, reassured by her presence. The two of them gazed through the gate again, at far off stars and worlds.
After a time, Luna spoke again. “So you are certain this is the best course of action?” she asked, hoping to find a hint of an alternative.
“Yes,” Celestia concluded.
Luna strode up to the pedestal. She stared at the arcane device for a moment, and closed her eyes. Her horn glowed with energy as she rearranged the protruding clockwork arms, and the rest of the machine whirred about like an orrery. Celestia simply watched the portal as it shifted through a myriad of images, billions upon billions of galaxies blinked past as Luna followed some grand pattern.
“Luna, what are you...”
“Hush!”
The gate showed a single galaxy, an elegantly spiralling mass of stars. Recalling motions she had memorised so many years ago, Luna shifted the gears slightly and the gateway’s view showed a progressively smaller part of this cosmos. As unseen observers, their perspective travelled vast distances, until only a single star could be seen, and then finally a planet in orbit around it.
“Here are your saviours, sister,” said Luna, “The way to this world was carved in stone on the moon. Tell me, was a Traveller imprisoned there before I was?”
“No, but if there was then I was not responsible for that. You memorised carvings on the moon? I thought the Nightmare was in control.”
“She may have controlled our… my body, but I was still aware. While she was busy resenting you, I became bored enough to study the scenery.”
“Did she know the importance of the carvings?”
“I cannot say for certain,” Luna looked at the world she has revealed, “But now we have the chance you wanted, what was your plan beyond finding a world with those who could help us?”
“Will I be able to use this gate from the other side?”
“Yes, but it seems I will have to hold it open. It does not seem tiring, but I would prefer if you do not delay.”
“Thank you, Luna. I just want to see what chance it is you’ve given me.”
“If the engravings on the lunar surface were anything to go by, these are the beings you are looking for,” said Luna, “Good luck.”
With that, Celestia darted through.
Planet Earth, 2091 CE
The portal rippled for a moment as she passed through it, and out into the great void of space. The ebb and flow of magic suddenly faded, and she realised this was probably a realm without magic. She looked at the green and blue planet below, taking in as much detail as she could with somewhat weakened magical sight.
She descended to the planet in ethereal form. As she drew close, she could see a vast expanse of stone and metal structures under a blanket of clouds and haze. She marvelled at the odd machines these beings used and the technology they had. This was after all a world of creatures without magic, presumably reliant on machinery and tenacity to survive. This world lay in a universe without gods or the promise of eternity.
But then she finally saw one of the inhabitants up close. She felt a sense of dread like she had never felt before.
Humans.
Luna had been only an infant when he came from across the realms. The “Traveller” Luna had spoken of was never imprisoned on the moon. Painful memories resurfaced as she stared at the creature before her. She would leave now, and never return to this realm, lest some great tragedy come to pass as a result of her brief visit. She flew back toward the portal as fast as she could. A few people that day reported seeing an aurora in the sky far from the magnetic poles.
She shot out of the gate like a bolt of lightning, and managed to stop before she hit the Key. Luna jumped at her sudden appearance before Celestia hurriedly spoke. “Close the portal, Luna! Quickly!”
“It sounds like you had a bad experience sister, what happened?” Luna asked as she severed her connection to the Key. Celestia’s eyes widened in genuine fear as she noticed the portal remained open.
“Close the gate Luna!” panic crept into Celestia's voice, “We must not interfere with this realm!”
“I have released my control, it should have closed without my magic to fuel it,” said Luna, taken aback by the fear in her sister’s voice and the strange behaviour of the portal.
Celestia aimed her horn at the machine and cast a bolt of fiery energy at it. The explosion did nothing to the device. A small arm rose out of the mass of moving gears and held out a small paper note, singed on one corner by Celestia's spell. Smoke wafted lazily and filled the sisters' nostrils with an acrid smell.
Celestia! I’m so glad that you’ve finally decided to use this marvellous travelling device, did Luna play her part by bringing you instructions for the Key? I’ll assume so, if you’ve found my note. A little convenient just to have inter-dimensional travel spelled out for you, don’t you think? Anyway, by the time you’ve done reading this, the next phase of this little prank of mine will activate. I'd say a storm of chaos is long overdue given how dreadfully boring your schedule is. As the old saying goes, "Chaos is the spice of life," right?
Toodles!
~Discord
The arms of the Key had shifted and rearranged themselves while Celestia read the note, and both the Royal Sisters were shocked when a beam of light was fired out of the Key, though the portal and directly at the planet. Neither Celestia nor Luna were knew much about this kind of magic, but it could not possibly end well for them.
Launching themselves after it, they overtook the beam of magic as it travelled down to the planet. Luna began to communicate with her sister through a telepathic spell. “What happened sister? The carvings made no mention of this occurring.”
“Discord has fooled us again, Luna. He left the carvings on the moon for you to find. I'll tell you the rest later.”
“To what end does this device act? What is this beam?”
“That planet though the gate is the home of Discord's people. As for the beam we should assume whatever it does it won’t be for our benefit.”
The sisters slammed hooves first into the ground as the beam drew ever nearer to the planet. They stood in the middle of grasslands just beyond the boundaries of a town.
“Will you help me raise a shield to stop it?”
“On three, let’s hope for our sake it works.”
The two alicorns hovered next to each other and created a bubble of magic on the surface of the planet, right where the beam would strike. Pooling their power to reinforce the their spell, a shimmering hemisphere of energy came into being just as the streak of energy approached.
The beam collided with the barrier with a crack, but the shield held firm. Then, inexplicably, the barrier they had created swelled and grew in size, growing quickly to become much taller than either of the alicorns.
“Luna, stop,” said Celestia, now more puzzled than ever at their situation.
“I already have,” Luna replied, surprised at how their spell had turned out.
The glowing magic energy had caused their barrier spell to grow, that much was clear. When the stream of magic stopped, the two looked back at where the portal had been to discover it had closed.
“This cannot be,” said Luna, “Are we trapped?”
“I don’t know, but the bubble is continuing to grow, Luna. If we are cut off from Equestria, then that is for the best. Nothing is worth allowing an entire planet’s worth of humans enter our realm. Could that beam have been more than just energy?”
“A spell cast with machinery, how ingenious,” marvelled Luna, "So you say Discord was from this realm of humans?"
"Yes Luna, Discord was once like them. When he arrived in Equestria in the Dawning Age he found that he could wield godlike power there."
"And you believe that this is a common trait among humans?"
"I'm not sure. The tenuous balance of our world relies on no single entity wielding absolute magical power. Perhaps humans are able to ignore this limit by being able to use magic in the first place. In any case, that kind of postulating is useless to us now."
The two looked at the glowing orb that had continued to expand despite lacking any apparent power source. It was Luna who first noticed that the surface did not reflect their surroundings.
“Sister, look!” she pointed with a foreleg at the shield, “The sphere shows our realm on its surface.”
“So it does,” said Celestia as she walked up to the bubble. She tentatively moved her hoof toward it, expecting it to be stopped by the spell, but found she could move through it without any trouble. The surface rippled slightly, but nothing ill seemed to come from touching it.
She stepped forward into the sphere and found that her front half was now protruding out of another shield of a similar kind in Equestria, but inverted. They stood at the edge of the world, but there was no longer void beyond it. She looked around, taking in the familiar grassy landscape, before she looked up. The vast, apparently infinite wall of the shield extended off seemingly into the ether, dimming as she followed the glowing surface further out.
The barrier stretched around the whole of Equestria, like a great circular wall.
Luna’s front half joined Celestia’s through the barrier, and looked around, slightly frazzled and put out. “I’ll never be able to think with portals, sister.”
“Even I’m confused by this kind of geometry Luna, you’re not alone there.”
“I always thought Discord was from our realm, but you say he come from this planet?”
“It seems that there’s another Traveller’s Key there, or a something that allowed him to cross the divide between realms. I’m afraid that I’m going to have to change the shield so that they cannot pass through it.”
“This doesn’t bode well sister.”
“I’m afraid not. However, each of them could be capable of wielding the same godlike power as Discord, I dread to think of the consequences of granting it to them all would be.” Celestia’s horn glowed as the barrier changed slightly, preventing any human from crossing through. Discord had spoken of his world before his madness. He called his home “Earth”.
Luna’s wandering gaze was cut short by a thought, and she turned to look at Celestia. “Now sister, this might sound paranoid, but…”
“What is it Luna?”
“I have a sneaking suspicion that a crowd is forming to stare at the royal backsides.”
Author's Note
This is my first fic on the site, I welcome any criticism you have. In fact, I'd rather you tear this to pieces so I know how to improve.
The Conversion Bureau: Rays of Starlight
Fragment 1: Change - Chapter 1
They were everyone, representatives and people alike looking up expectantly at the balcony. 'Princess Celestia' would be making her address from there in mere moments. This was the first time an alien had ever spoken to an audience of humanity, and predictably they were excited. Many of the well-to-do guests had seats reserved at the front, while as many people as could physically fit on the street looked on.
Everyone had seen the first contact broadcast, and knew about the sphere that the Equestrians had come through. Time had passed since the cathartic cry that rang clearly across both realms: "We are not alone!" After the remarkably few differences between the species had been noted and cultures exchanged, came the ceremony. The 'official' welcome.
People everywhere watched the broadcast in real time over the hypernet, and every public screen that could be spared also captured the image and sent it, censor-free and with subtitles (in other languages where needed) to the most people ever to see the same broadcast in the history of mankind.
It was amazing, in fact practically impossible coincidence that the only language barrier was that these 'Equestrians' spoke English. Many gathered there did too, but it was still strange to think of something an alien speaking a human dialect by chance alone.
Celestia trotted purposefully to the front of the stage. A microphone waited for her, and a tiny pop was heard as it was turned on.
The bizarre aurora of her mane rippled and framed her body in glowing rainbow light.
"Fellow beings.," she began, to be welcomed by deafening applause. She smiled a genuine smile and stopped for a moment as the cheering died down.
"I am honoured; humbled to stand here today in your presence. As an outsider, I was astonished by what you are capable of achieving with technology. From what I've been told, somewhere on nine billion people are currently watching me speak from everywhere around this planet. If you had told me this was happening not so long ago, I would have dismissed such a thing as folly."
She paused for a moment before continuing, "You, mankind have shown me things I may never fully understand, and still only scarcely believe exist. Your machines are as mythical to me as I was to you, a true testament to your technical prowess.
When I first came here, I was surprised that there was a species that thrived so thoroughly in a world completely lacking magic. Now that I have met you, I can see the sheer tenacity and persistence of your kind. I can see that you exist the way you are because only your level of bravery and obstinate refusal to surrender would let you thrive."
A round of clapping followed this, after which she continued speaking. "It is to this nature of humanity that I must unfortunately bring bad news." A quiet settled on the crowd. If the first address by a different species was bad news, it was probably the extraordinary kind.
"It is to the nature of humanity to adapt to adversity that I must be the harbinger of poor tidings. The bubble-like 'Barrier' through which I reached your world is slowly expanding."
The audience went dead silent.
"Due to the nature of the magical field that exists in the realm of Equestria, it is impossible for a human to enter without unfortunate side effects. Work is being done to find a way to stop the Barrier, but until such a time as a solution is found, I must be truthful with you.
A human once came to Equestria. He arrived in an age now lost to myth and legend, yet he is indelibly written in our history. The human who came became a spirit of chaos, a power-mad lunatic god blessed with extraordinary power and cruelty. He filled some element that our cosmos was lacking and was transformed into the embodiment of chaos."
The crowd watched in stunned silence as Celestia continued.
"After an era of strife under the rule of chaos, the Elements of Harmony came into being: magical artefacts with the power to forge a balance between order and disorder. They turned him into stone, and our realm has sat completely static ever since.
The rumours you might have heard saying that we control our weather and seasons are true! This is simply a fact of nature in Equestria. Even the sun and moon will not move without our control, and I along with my sister Luna carry out that task."
People in the audience murmured to each other but Celestia pressed on.
"It is for this reason that I am reluctant to allow you to enter Equestria. I am no longer certain what effect magic will have on you, as when last one of you made the journey between the realms, mine was one of primordial magic.
As a result, teams of scientists from both our worlds and magic experts from my own will be collaborating to investigate a safe way for you to enter my realm. If that is done then we will share in each other's plenty. The main goal of the research will be to stop the expansion of the Barrier."
Quiet applause marked her words.
"And if we should succeed..."
Silence again.
"We will usher in a new age of mutual exploration and progress, and share in the glory of each other's worlds. We will combine our efforts to learn from each other and better ourselves, and most importantly humanity will join the enclave of sapient species that inhabit not only Equestria, but both our realms as a whole."
Raucous applause broke out, the people now knew why Celestia had denied them entry, but she had given them hope and doom in one fell swoop. Celestia walked back from the balcony as Ambassador Evans strode up to the microphone. The cheering respectfully petered out as he spoke, and it was said long after that if people did not remember Dr Thomas Evans' face, they could recognise his raspy baritone anywhere.
He looked like a man out of time, dressed in archaic formal clothing and brandishing a strange mane of facial hair.
"As our honoured guest Princess Celestia has just told us, the World Assembly and the nation of Equestria will be working together to uncover the nature of the Barrier. As of now, from all around the world we will be recruiting people from all occupations for this vast undertaking. Information on how you can help will be available from any Info-Kiosk, under the name 'Project Aether'. I thank you all for coming tonight."
Polite cheering ensued. The hypernet broadcast ceased.
"Help yourselves to the refreshments provided, we can wait until tomorrow to worry about the Barrier!"
The crowd milled about and Evans joined Celestia and Luna in the antechamber to the balcony. The two sisters reclined on flat lounges and Evans sat himself heavily down in an armchair, sighing in relief.
"So how well did you think that went, Celestia?" he asked, propping his head on his arm, tired from the preparations for the night. The princesses had asked for him to dispense with formality when they were off camera, and in return they could speak freely with each other.
"I can only hope your kind are truly like my own," said Celestia, "Project Aether calls humanity to action for its very survival, and I cannot think of a better motivation."
"Do you think you were right to tell them the whole story?" asked Luna, sipping curiously from a glass of champagne offered by the waiters.
"Despite what a thousand years in policy might have taught me Luna, yes, the whole story. These are a proud people. I feel that even one as subtle as I could not hide the truth from nine billion pairs of eyes."
"You'd be surprised," chuckled the doctor, who reclined in his chair, "But I agree that the backlash if we chose to hide anything here would be devastating."
Celestia levitated a glass of the wine to herself and Evans, and called for a toast. "To Project Aether then."
Luna and Evans raised their glasses in response and all three drank to the future.
Author's Note
If my illustrations are too big, let me know and I'll scale them down. As always, all feedback is welcome.
View Online
The Conversion Bureau: Rays of Starlight
Fragment 2: The Chronicle of Dawn - Chapter 1
It was a strange day. The sky was a grey blanket, the world was ending and anomalous tears in space-time threatened to consume you at any moment. It could have been worse though. Two friends walked through empty streets, more carefully than they were used to, thanks to the appearance of 'wormholes' in their city.
"We gotta keep it slow, man. We don't wanna run right into a hole."
"Well, the way I see it is that the longer we stay out here, the more likely it is we'll have one appear right on top of us anyway. The sooner we get out of this hotspot, the better."
"Yeah, I guess. We still wanna be able to see them if they're just in front of us."
"We've got two good pairs of eyes between us. Stay sharp and we'll be okay."
The pair of young men navigated the abandoned streets slowly, constantly alert to the signs of a wormhole as they walked. The part of town they were in had been evacuated nearly overnight. Living alone and sleeping odd hours meant they'd missed the main convoy to the next town away from the Barrier. Wormholes made conditions too dangerous for everyday life, as they could appear anywhere, with barely any warning.
Skyscrapers loomed on all sides, vast stone monoliths of a rapidly ending age. They were empty now, save for whatever people had no longer needed. Documents, stationery - the general detritus of bureaucracy, were abandoned in the face of survival. Their footsteps echoed, drawing attention to the fact that there were no other sounds to be heard when they stopped.
"Any word from the others?"
“Last thing I heard was that Pete’s been taken.”
“Damn.”
The two shared a moment of silence. They hadn’t known Pete that well, but he was a friend. That was worth more than anything these days
“What about everyone else?”
"I think they were gonna keep moving inland. Well, last I checked, that's what they were planning. Internet's been on the blink since the storm, so I haven't been in touch with them."
"I hope they made it out."
"Yeah, same. How far west do we have to go?"
"I checked some maps, if we follow the highway, it's around a hundred and thirty clicks to the next town."
"Oh jeez, that's gonna take a long time on foot. We're gonna have to find more supplies."
"Yeah. The city does extend west around a third of the distance though. There should be plenty of food and other supplies in the buildings."
"Priority one is heading west then."
"Yep."
No one knew exactly what the wormholes were. It was commonly believed that they were a symptom of Emergence, a consequence of the Barrier having grown so large. Anything that entered a wormhole vanished without a trace. Neither thaumaticist nor physicist could explain the phenomena, and no attempt to see what was in the wormholes had yet been successful. As far as the world was concerned, they were a one-way ticket to oblivion. It was no different than any other ignoble end. You were just gone.
"We should have hit the road while we could still drive."
"No, really?,” one of them deadpanned, “I wasn't gonna be the first to say it."
"I know, I know... Just my damn hindsight kicking me where it hurts."
"We just gotta stay focussed. If we're careful and lucky, we can make it out of here."
Their plan was to head west, and keep going until they reached the antipodal point from Emergence. This would eventually put them on the ocean, but they hoped there’d be ships waiting for them on the western coast. It had taken the Barrier practically reaching their doorsteps to get them moving, but now they knew just how close it was. Once they made it far enough away on foot, they could find a vehicle and make the journey across the open desert, probably with a solar car.
The main issue with vehicular transport were the wormholes. If you were travelling too fast, by the time you’d noticed one you couldn’t avoid it. The build-up of thaumic energy seemed to cause them, so getting away from the Barrier was their number one goal. WorldGov were trying their best to find a solution, but in the meantime they would help with moving people. Much to everyone’s chagrin, the equestrians were as unaffected by wormholes as they were by the Barrier. The equestrians who remained on Earth took it upon themselves to help out now more than ever. After all, they’d lost friends and family to the wormholes too.
“If we get to the city limits before sundown, we should stay the night in the houses anyway. That’ll be our last chance to stock up on water.”
“Right. In the meantime, if the wormholes aren’t somehow worse on our way out of town, we should reach this camping store by midday.”
“Alright then, let’s keep go- Get back!”
Some dust had risen from the ground and a faint breeze could be felt by both of the travellers, causing them to freeze in place. Once fully formed, the wormholes could be spotted by the way light distorted as it passed through them. If one was only just appearing however, it was a different story. The only warning you’d get was a slight breeze toward where it was opening, then a full blown wormhole would open in seconds.
It might have just been the wind, but there was no guarantee of that. They stood still for another moment, and the wind quickly died down. It was just naturally occurring breeze.
“Fuckin’ hell, I wasn’t scared of the wind before. This is crazy.”
“I’d rather be on edge than in a wormhole. Come on, let’s keep going.”
The two went on, weaving through the anomalous areas, heading ever westwards. It was tense, but they were doing alright. It was when they reached the river which bisected the city that they realised they were in trouble.
“Are there any other crossings?”
“The only one I can see from here is a railway, a few kilometres... northwest. Do you recognise its towers from here?”
“Ah yeah, I know the crossing. I’m gonna guess that the bridge to the east isn’t gonna be any nicer than this.”
“Probably not.”
They looked down the pedestrian bridge in spanning the wide body of water between them and their route. It was a hot day, but the way the air shimmered down the length of the bridge was far too much than any reasonable amount of heat would make. There had to be anomalies on it, and there was limited room to manoeuvre past them. Their progress was already slow, and having to take a detour would mean spending more time, maybe even another day, in the city.
“The only other possibility I can see is that motorboat tied to the jetty down there, but I don’t see that working out so well either.”
“Hmm, yeah. Even if we went across slowly, we’d have trouble slowing down and avoiding wormholes. We also have no idea if its engine is working, or if it has fuel.”
“As much as more time in the city is a risk, I don’t know if we can cross this bridge safely. I reckon we’d have better odds with the railway bridge, it’s further from the Barrier.”
“Well, let’s go.”
Following the roads beside the river, they made their way to the crossing. The eeriness of how deserted the city was had begun to set in. This was once a metropolis, bustling with life any hour of the day. Since they’d set out, they hadn’t seen or heard from anyone. It was just the two friends, the anomalies and the road.
One of them spotted something odd, just to the side of the path. Its distinctive colour and shape caught his eye as they went past.
“Hold up, take a look at this,” he said, pointing at what appeared to be a handgun.
“Where the hell did that come from?”
“Police, I guess. No one else is permitted to carry around here.”
“They would never just leave it there, something must have happened.”
“Yeah… a wormhole maybe?”
“I guess. If there was one here, there isn’t any more.”
Cautiously, they approached the weapon and picked it up. It was heavy, and its metal parts were quite hot from sitting in the sunlight.
“No doubt about it, this is the WorldGov police issue pistol. My brother used to show me his gear when he wasn’t busy on duty.”
“Not much trouble in the smaller cities I guess.”
“More than you’d expect, actually. The safety’s off, let me just… fix that. There must have been a serious altercation of some kind.”
“Maybe people were getting violent in a panic to leave.”
“I dunno, this seems awfully strange, even given our own circumstances. The magazine isn’t full either, whatever that implies.”
A quick investigation of their surroundings does nothing to shed more light on what had occurred. The two looked around, puzzled.
“I can’t find any casings.”
“Same. If there was a wormhole it might have sucked them up, we’d never know.”
“True. We live in some strange times.”
The two of them stared at their newly acquired weapon for a few moments more.
“Well, I guess we should take this with us. The least we can do is hand it over the next time we come across civilisation.”
“Yeah, you should hold onto it. You seem to have more experience with them than I do.”
Continuing on, they made it to the crossing while the sun turned the bitumen roads into hotplates. It was scorching, and roughly midday by the time they reached the railway crossing. Getting across on foot meant using the rails themselves in some places, but there were significantly less wormholes here than on the other bridge. They could cross.
“Wait up,” one said, and pointed to something above them, “Look up there.”
There was something colourful in the sky, just around cloud level. It was quite a distance away, but they couldn't hear engines and it appeared to be completely stationary in the sky.
“That can’t be a bird.”
“A pegasus?”
“Yeah, must be.”
“Well, we’re not the only ones out here then.”
“I wonder why they’re here though, maybe searching for survivors like us.”
“Yeah, maybe.”
View Online
The Conversion Bureau: Rays of Starlight
Fragment 2: The Chronicle of Dawn - Chapter 2
The distant pegasus remained motionless, presumably asleep on the lazy clouds overhead. They were pointlessly far to call out to, so the travellers decided it was best to simply continue with their journey. Slowly but surely, they negotiated the railway as they crossed the broad river that blocked their path. The trains had kept running for as long as they could, until an incident with a wormhole claimed hundreds as a train passed through one. The thought that trains had passed along here recently reassured the two of the soundness of the bridge.
After any risk of falling had passed, the two gathered their wits and courage at the end of the bridge. Looking up at where they’d seen the pegasus, it was clear that the mysterious sleeper had since vanished, apparently having taken flight while they were focussed on the task at hand. Even as they noticed this however, the pegasus reappeared, swooping in from between some buildings up ahead.
He was a light blue pegasus stallion with a grey mane, and the image of a boulder wreathed in blue flames on his haunches. Like most of his kind, he was slender of build but had a frame that suggested wiry strength. He flapped his wings to remain hovering in midair as he greeted the travellers.
“Hello there! You guys trying to get out of the city?”
The two humans looked at each other briefly before answering, “Yeah, we’re on our way out of here. You just enjoying the peace and quiet?”
The pegasus landed as he replied, “Oh, right, you probably saw me napping up there,” he grinned sheepishly, “I’ve been trying to keep an eye out for stragglers, like you guys. The main convoy of refugees is a fair distance ahead of you, but they’re moving slowly because of their numbers.”
“Oh, okay. Thanks for the info.”
The stallion bowed and spoke again, this time in a more serious tone, “The main reason I held you up is because there’s a large number of wormholes in a strange pocket just west of here.”
“Hmm, okay. There must be a high concentration of magic energy,” said one of the travellers, a worried expression crossing his features, “Go on.”
“You can sort of see it over the fence just there, come and have a look,” said the pegasus, who gestured to a fence, visible just ahead.
“We’ll take your word for it,” the other traveller piped up, “Is there another way?”
The pegasus appeared pensive for a moment and tapped his chin with a hoof. “If you head two blocks south, you’ll miss the worst of it. From there you can keep going straight west as the crow flies and you’ll be outta here.”
The pair looked down the road that would take them south. Indeed, the next two blocks had been barricaded off to the west, probably in an effort to stop people rather than wormholes. One of the young men spoke up, “Well, thanks for the warning. We’d best be off so we can cover as much ground as possible.”
“No problem!” the pegasus replied, “The name’s Comet, by the way.”
“Nice to meet you, Comet. You’re the first other soul we’ve seen in quite a while.”
“Well, if anyone else comes by this way, I’ll be waiting around here to give directions to them tool. Good luck to the both of you,” said the pegasus as he took flight and promptly disappeared between the buildings. The two travellers looked at each other and saw wariness on their features.
“What was that all about?”
“I don’t know, but I just wanna check something,” said one of the travellers as he walked up to the wall that Comet had indicated.
“He said that way was blocked by wormholes.”
“Yes, yes he did,” said the traveller, “Which is why I’m confused by the utter lack of wormholes this way.”
“Oh hell, what?”
“The way is completely clear.”
“Why would he lie to us?” asked the other traveller as his friend climbed down from the fence, ”He was above the area, he would have seen it.”
“He must be trying to make us take that road to the south.”
“I don’t wanna assume the worst, but this has to be some elaborate setup for an ambush.”
“I was thinking the same thing,” replied the other, and they both stopped for a moment to consider their situation, “I don’t see what else it could be. Let’s just think about this.”
“Right. Why would a pegasus be trying to lure us into an ambush, and why here? I can only think of one reason that makes sense.”
“Oh?”
“With all these abandoned buildings, they couldn’t be holding us up because they want to rob us. They must be after us, not what we’re carrying.”
“Shit, you’re right. I don’t think either of us are being targeted as individuals, so… PER?”
“Must be.”
“Wait, if he was PER why not throw potion at us straight up?”
“Maybe… he couldn’t be sure he’d get both of us. I mean, he doesn’t know if we’re armed. If he’s shot, or otherwise killed, they lose one of their own.”
“So he’s just a lookout I suppose. If he’s not acting alone, then why not jump us here?”
“I dunno, too many places to run I guess.”
“We’ve gotta think this through carefully before we get moving again. Then again, if they’re waiting for us down that other street, they’ll come for us if we dawdle.”
“Okay, we decide quickly then. We can’t head south. If we just keep heading straight west, that pegasus is bound to see us from above.”
The traveller squinted, putting his mind to recalling the surroundings. “I know this part of the city fairly well, there’s an underground busway nearby. We head through there, then try to stay out of sight.”
“Alright, then that’s our way out of here.”
Heading through the streets and into the dark tunnel, they use some recently acquired torches to light their way. Though scarce, there were wormholes in the busway, making their journey through the darkness all the more hazardous. It was as dark as pitch, and the sound of their footsteps seemed to be amplified by the tunnel. It was slow going now more than ever, as checking and carefully avoiding the wormholes in the dark was no easy task.
The lack of light made keeping track of time and distance difficult. To them, it began to feel like they’d spent many hours in the darkness. Though they were sure that they’d picked the right way, the tunnel just kept on going. It felt like an eternity to them, but they eventually saw sunlight. The angle of the light suggested that no small sum of time had passed, but not as much as they’d feared.
“Alright,” one whispered, “Let’s stop here for a sec, keep it down. They might know the area as well as we do. After all, they’ve gone to the trouble of laying traps in it.”
“You think they’re be waiting for us just outside?”
“They might be. They could also be following the tunnel to this way.”
“Well, either way, we can’t wait here. If they were following us, they’ll force us into the open. If they’re waiting outside, we’d have to deal with them anyway.”
“Then we gotta keep moving. You keep eyes on the left and ahead, I’ll watch the right and above.”
“Alright, on zero,” he said, and readied himself to move quickly, ”Three, two, one, zero.”
The light blinded them as they stepped out of the tunnel, with the harsh brightness no more welcoming than the dark busway. Their eyes quickly adjusted as they scanned their surroundings, blinking. The part of the city was in the same state as the rest of it, and mostly intact. They quickly found their bearings and made their way to the nearest set of storefronts. As they moved however, they noticed something overhead.
“Ah shit, that pegasus is right above us.”
“Fuck, okay, we gotta book it. You might wanna get that pistol ready.”
They ran until they reached the street-level canopies and stopped outside a café, pausing to assess their situation.
“I have no idea if he’s seen us. If he has, I don’t think we can lose him.”
“He’s bound to have spotted us if he was watching the tunnel exit. I’m out of ideas.”
“Same, let’s just keep moving.”
Continuing down the street, they’re more on edge than they’d ever been, watching out not only for anomalies, but now also potential enemies. Even as they began to wonder if the pegasus had really seen them, they turned a corner and came face-to-face with an earth pony. They both quickly backed up a few steps out of surprise, leaving the two humans out on the road. Along with the earth pony, a unicorn was just down the street but heading towards them, and Comet quickly bore down on them from above.
View Online
The Conversion Bureau: Rays of Starlight
Fragment 2: The Chronicle of Dawn - Chapter 3
Comet dropped to the ground behind the two humans, while the earth pony stood before them. This earth pony was quite tall, and had a grey coat with a short, silver mane to match. After a brief silence, he spoke. His voice was deep, but melodic. “Are you two gentlemen alright?” he asked, concern clear on his muzzle, “Comet here said the two of you had gone missing. We deduced that you’d have gone this way and wanted to make sure you were both safe.”
The humans had taken up ready stances, and looked quickly between the ponies and their surroundings. “We thank you for your concern, but we’re fine,” one said, before he leaned over to his friend and whispered, “Be ready."
Comet spoke up from behind them. One turned to look, while the other kept an eye on the other two ponies. “What the hay were you two thinking? It’s pitch black down there, you could easily have walked into an anomaly.”
“Like my friend here just said, we’re fine. You three needn’t bother yourselves with us.”
Nobody moved or spoke for a good few seconds. Eventually, the earth pony spoke up. “Look, you guys can get pulled into wormholes, but we can’t. It’s our responsibility to ensure you make it out of the city safely.” The stallion locked eyes with the human as they attempted to read each other’s expression.
“I get the feeling you don’t mean helping us head west,” said one of the travellers, “But in case you do mean to let us pass, you should keep an eye out for people who actually need your help.”
“You do need our help,” said the purple unicorn mare, raising her voice so as to be heard from down the street, “It’s for your own good. The longer you stay on this side of the Barrier, the more chance you have of vanishing forever.”
“So you are Crusaders?”
“Well yes, but I’m not a fanatic, if that’s what you’re thinking,” the unicorn replied, slowly edging toward the humans, “The wormholes… they’re the only reason I joined. In any other case, I’d respect your choice. Your chances are just too slim.”
“That is not your call to make!”
“We have the ability to make it, and we have good reason to.”
“Come on, if you’re really only here because you’re worried we’ll get eaten by a wormhole, then you picked a poor spot to stick us up. The road clears up further west.”
“You think that improves your odds?”
“I know it does. If we keep heading west, we’ll be safe. Let us pass.”
“We can’t do that,” replied the unicorn, “What use is it being human if you’re just going to disappear into some forsaken void through a wormhole?”
“I’ve made that perfectly clear that we’d rather take that chance!”
The unicorn mare stopped approaching as a look of shock crossed her features. She squinted, closely scrutinising one of the travellers.
“Dave?”
Silence.
“How do you know my name?”
“Lavender, what’s going on?” asked Comet, trying to see what was happening down the street.
“How do you know my name?” Dave growled, causing the mare to back up slightly.
“You don’t remember me?” the unicorn asked, her speech taking on a shaky tone, “You don’t recognise my voice?”
“Oh no, Elena? Is that you?”
“Y-yes. Well, I used to be Elena,” she said, lowering her head, “My name is Lavender now.”
“Lavender, don’t do this.”
“Please, I just want to help you, Dave. Come with us to Equestria,” she begged, “Just come with us. If you stay here, you might never have that chance.”
“I know you just want to help,” Dave replied in a hushed tone, “You’re selfless, but you’re mistaken. Elena... Lavender, when there’s nowhere left to go, I’ll find you. There’s still hope for Earth and I’ll stay until there isn’t. When there’s nowhere left to go, I’ll convert and find you. We’ve made it this far, we’ll make it all the way.”
Lavender paused, as she mulled over Dave’s words. “I… I believe you,” she replied.
“Lavender, we can’t just let them go!” exclaimed Comet.
“I didn’t say we were gonna just send them on their way.”
“You considered it.” stated the earth pony.
“I…” Lavender’s sentence hung unfinished.
“She’s not up to it, Sparks,” said Comet, “We have to do this.”
Sparks, as he was apparently called, grimaced as he pondered Lavender’s hesitation. “You’re right, she knows this one too well. I’ll handle this.”
“Shit. Joe, get ready,” said Dave, while he watched Sparks’ actions.
“Dave, what’s he doing?” Joe asked, whispering, “Comet seems to be waiting for a signal.”
Dave’s hand went to his weapon as Sparks reached inside his saddlebags with his muzzle. Seeing a capsule in the earth pony’s mouth, Dave pushed Joe and then jumped the other way. Sparks had been fast, but not fast enough to catch them off-guard. A purple, egg-shaped capsule burst on the ground, splattering it with potion.
The sharp crack of a gunshot caused everyone to freeze. It was a warning shot, but it was still close enough to give everyone pause. “Reach for another and the next bullet is for you,” said Dave, keeping the weapon trained on Sparks.
“You didn’t tell me they were armed!” Sparks yelled at his winged comrade.
“I had no idea they had weapons!” replied Comet, “They didn’t draw them when I approached.”
“We’re reasonable people,” said Dave, trying to speak as calmly as he could, ”Unfortunately, you’ve put us in a bad situation.”
“Reasonable!” exclaimed Sparks, “If you were reasonable, you’d already be through the Barrier.”
“He can be unreasonable, if you’d prefer,” said Joe, “I’m sure unreasonable people with guns aren’t going to react poorly to threats.”
Sparks kept his mouth shut.
“Let’s take it easy,” said Dave, “Nobody moves, no magic.”
“What now,” asked Joe, “Should we try and move?”
“I guess so,” whispered Dave, “Have your flashlight ready to blind Lavender if she tries something. She could make this very difficult for us.”
“And the others?”
“It looks like Sparks is the only one with potion,” said Dave, seeing a lack of saddlebags on the other two, “I’m prepared to shoot if they try anything.”
Lavender spoke up as the two humans quietly conversed. “Dave, I’m sorry. We have to do this.”
“Lavender, we just want be on our way. Don’t make this worse for all of us.”
“Sparks is right,” she said, “We can’t just let you go. I have a responsibility to my fellow Crusaders, and to Equestria.”
“I made you a promise, Lavender. I intend to keep it.”
“You won’t have to,” she said, her expression hardening, “Comet, you know the drill.”
“Ready when you are.”
“Shit. Joseph, now!”
The moment came. Each side sprung into action, the possibilities and risks being calculated even as they moved. A shimmering light built up around Lavender’s horn, as Comet leapt at Joe with a beat of his wings. Dave lined up a shot at Sparks, while the earth pony reached for another capsule.
Lavender had the handgun in her telekinetic grip, but before Sparks had readied another dose of potion, she was interrupted. Joe’s flashlight shone brightly enough in her eyes to make her flinch involuntarily. Lavender’s grip on the handgun faltered as she lost focus, but only for a moment. With no time for Joe to brace himself, Comet tackled him hard, bringing both of them crashing onto the hard street below.
The unicorn redoubled her efforts, trying to pull the weapon from Dave, who struggled as he started to lose grip on his firearm. A trigger was pulled. A second sharp crack was heard as the gun flew out of Dave’s grip. Lavender crumpled to the ground like a ragdoll, dead on the spot.
“Lavender, no!” yelled Sparks, grief in his voice, “Human filth! Murderers! May Celestia have mercy on your souls!”
Sparks slammed his hoof down on the firearm. The now-disarmed human carefully circled the stallion, keeping him unable to fetch more potion without lowering his guard. Meanwhile, Comet and Joe fought desperately on the ground. Neither were skilled fighters, but in the blind rage of combat, each found unknown strength and turned it into violence.
Amidst the hurricane of frantic blows, Joe fought to roll himself away from the potion that still coated the road beside him. The glittering purple liquid was perilously close, and both of them knew it. Eventually throwing the pegasus off, Joe leapt to his feet, a bruised and bloody mirror of Comet, who also rose to his hooves shakily. The pegasus stepped into the potion, coating his hooves in the substance as he turned to face Dave.
Joe’s face stung, and could taste blood as he looked up and saw what Comet was planning. He yelled, the words half-formed and indistinct. Dave spun on his heels, saw the pegasus jump at him, and rolled to the side in an attempt to dodge. He vanished, as if he’d stepped behind a perfect painting of the buildings and street behind him. A faint breeze ruffled the coats of the equestrians as they stopped, stunned by the man’s sudden disappearance.
The brief shock passed, and the two equestrians moved with purpose toward Joe. Unable to run past them without risking contact with potion, his only route was the building behind him. As he ran inside the clearly looted shop, Comet flew up and out of view while Sparks followed him into the building.
Potion splashed on the wall behind him as he all but sprinted up the stairs. Sore and shaken, he thundered upwards through the building with the earth pony in pursuit. There was nothing here he could use as a weapon. In a split-second decision, he settled for throwing a small vase at Sparks as he rounded a corner, causing him to stop as the human furthered his lead.
Joe emerged back into the bright sun as he stepped onto the rooftop of the building. Comet narrowly missed him in an attempt to surprise him from above as Sparks also trotted out onto the roof. “Nowhere left to run,” said Sparks, “Time to accept your fate.” Joe simply kept backing away from his pursuers, looking around desperately for a way out.
“I don’t know if you’ve noticed,” Joe began, “But most of us humans aren't very good at that.”
He climbed up to the edge of the rooftop and saw the street several storeys down. “Joseph, don’t you dare,” said Sparks, “Just think for a moment. Is this really worth it?”
Joe paused for a moment, standing on the precipice. With a final whisper of, “Maybe,” he threw himself backwards off the building. As the young man fell, he saw that Comet had jumped after him, but the pegasus pointlessly was far away. Had he missed? He’d know in a few moments. The last thing he saw was the sun peeking through behind the clouds before he vanished into the same wormhole as his friend.
