Don't Forget The Musicby Les PonyChaptersChapter 1: Take A Look AroundChapter 2: Run Like HellChapter 3: What's Within My HeartChapter 4: White RoomChapter 5: AngelChapter 6: Hello HoorayLike Father, Like Son...Chapter 1: Take A Look AroundTake A Look Around This morning was no different from any other. I started coughing until I felt like I needed to throw up. With the huge amount of pollution in the atmosphere, it wasn’t a great day and age for being asthmatic. Even healthy people had trouble with the smog. I was lucky, I never needed serious treatment. My dad always said I inherited it from him. He claimed it never bothered him, since there wasn’t as much pollution when he was young. He told me how the environment started to go to waste after a big oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. The people in the green movement were the only ones who thought anything worse would come of it. That “movement” didn’t last long. During the panic of the 2012 doomsday such groups weakened, which allowed large corporations to overpower and crush them. With no environmental activists in the way, countries all over the world just kept on polluting. By the time my dad was in his late twenties, the sheer volume of chemicals polluting the water had made many beaches unstable. I was born on May 5, 2035 into a world straight out of one of my dad’s old post-apocalyptic thrillers. The growing pollution and scarcity of natural resources had scientists convinced that the Earth was dying, and that our population of 15 billion was just more than the planet could handle. I turned on the news while I ate my government-issued breakfast: cold cereal and freeze dried fruit. The stuff was utterly terrible. Ever since businesses realized they could make synthetic foods cheaper than real food, they’d been pumping out as much of it into the market as they could. On top of that, the soil and water became to toxic to grow food. The organic food’s industry tanked, and before the world knew it, synthetic crap was all there was to eat. I remember my mom had a garden when I was just a little kid. She grew the most delicious food I had ever tasted. The news was the same every morning: another disease turned pandemic, another animal extinction, another Conversion Bureau attacked by the Human Liberation Front (HLF). Death was everywhere. Smeared across every tenement wall. Crammed into every package of disgusting, government-issued food. It covered that damned city. I could hear it laughing in the streets and smell it on every square in of my apartment. No matter where I went, no matter what I did, I couldn’t escape it, couldn’t pry it’s cold, hard grip off my neck. I hated it. And so, like every other morning I sat around asking the same question to nobody in particular. “Should I get converted today?” Around five years ago a ‘bubble’ was discovered in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. When a government team was sent to investigate, they vanished without a trace. No scientist understood what it was, where it came from, or what was in it. Those questions were left unanswered until one fateful, world shaking event. On a quiet gloomy day, a creature emerged from it. It was an animal of unmatched majesty, unlike anything on Earth. She resembled a horse to some degree, but she had an almost heavenly glow to her coat. Her mane was impossibly vibrant; it was as though all the colors of a coral reef had come together into one swaying wave. She had a horn, as well as a pair of wings. A horn and wings! It was like some sort of mystical fairytale creature. But what surprised everyone the most – when she was confronted by humans, she spoke. She called herself Celestia, the ruler of Equestria. The press went to her faster than a heartbeat. Every news station made her their top story. Even in the face of the media, she gave off an god-like aura of confidence. She went straight to the world leaders and gave them a message. The result sent our already unstable world off into a spiral of absolute chaos. On a live worldwide broadcast she told humans about her land, Equestria. She told how the bubble was a link between our worlds. She knew our world was in dire trouble. For reasons even she didn’t know, the bubble was expanding at a rapid and steady rate. The more the bubble grew, the more of Earth was sucked into it, and the larger Equestria became. She understood that Earth would eventually be consumed by the ever expanding bubble, so she offered a solution. Since she had already known of Earth’s problems, she had her scientists working on a way to convert humans into ponies. They came up with something they thought would work, but they didn’t have any people to test it on. Needless to say, the idea that the Equestrians wanted to turn people into ponies horrified many people. Their anger was only fueled by those who willingly gave up their humanity to join the Equestrian race. And then came the HLF. It was an organization dedicated to taking a stand against the ponies, the “threats” as they called them. They believed that they could fight their way out of Earth’s problems. They were new age terrorists who thought they could fight their way out of Earth’s problems, and pushed back against the ponies’ attempts to convert humans throught any means necessary. Then again, some of their righteous acts of combat against the pony threat may have been exaggerated, considering that their endeavors weren’t what you would call successful. Try as they might, their bombing of conversion bureaus and of killing ponies never swayed the minds of the general public into thinking that the ponies were evil. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out that I was not a fan of the HLF. That’s one of the many things I hated about humanity; they thought every problem could be solved through war. It’s like if you’re playing poker, and when you find out you don’t have a good hand, you stab the opponent. I could have spent all day rattling off things I hated about the human race. But out of everything, I despised greed. It killed families, destroyed friendships, and corrupted minds. That’s one of the problems my mom said I had. I was too trusting. I always felt that there was some innate good in people. After what happened when Celestia first came through the bubble, it’s safe to say that being overly trusting isn’t a problem of mine anymore. When the bureaus finally opened up, there were floods of humans rushing into them to join Equestrian society. In the other visits Celestia made to Earth, she essentially made sales pitches about Equestria aimed at the millions of unsure people. I never paid much attention. I wasn’t one of the people against the ponies. I had friends who rushed off to be converted. They all knew how much I hated this world. They kept bugging me to get converted, saying that Equestria would be a perfect fit for me. Every time they tried to convince me, I would just brush them off. “Yeah, yeah. I’ll do it eventually.” Eventually took too long for them. My last friend, Ian, left about a month ago. I was alone for that long month. Leaving me to my thoughts has always been a bad thing. It’s not that I would do stupid stuff. I tended to get a bit obsessive and wild when I’m left to my own devices. Going over the same old ground. Philosophy, metaphysics, memories, and more. Everything I would think about was only to answer one simple question. The very same question I had asked myself every morning for a year. This particular morning I was in a rather melancholy mood. I had a terrible night of sleep. I couldn’t stop the battle in my head of good versus evil. There was a whole list of things I abhorred about humanity, yet at the same time, there were some things I just couldn’t give up. I was in love with Rock music, just like my dad had been. And not just any rock music, the music that inspired my dad. Rock from the sixties and seventies. There was just something so special that we could both see in it. Whether it be the way the lyrics could float on by, or if you just wanted to listen to something that kicked ass, there was something for you. Sure, there’s been music like that forever. What made rock so special is how it broke all the rules, how it came in a wide variety. Barely anything was bland or copied. You could hear the heart and soul put into the music, unlike the crap me and my dad both grew up to. If someone wanted to convert, they were told they could not bring any possessions with them. That was the problem area for me. If there was one thing I wanted to remember about my humanity, it was the music I cherished. I could never bring myself to do it. My twelve story apartment building was on the North Side of Chicago, on Belmont and Lincoln avenue. It also happened to be where they constructed one of the more recent bureaus. This bureau in particular was securely guarded and supposedly impenetrable. However, I still saw my fair share of violence and the likes done to the building. It’s was wonder it had not been razed to the ground. I guess that’s why the HLF called it the fortress. Or at least, that’s what I heard. Finishing my breakfast I stroll over to the dusty curtains and pull them open. A smoggy, thick sunlight hit my eyes, and I couldn’t help but recoil slightly. I looked down at the bureau, sighing, still not knowing what to do. My eyes studied the slate grey exterior. What went on behind those walls? When would I be inside that building? Would I ever decided to convert? Suddenly, my daydreaming was interrupted, as a loud bang sounded outside my door... Chapter 2: Run Like HellRun Like Hell! Before I had a chance to react to the noise, a bunch of men in what looked like old army uniforms busted through the door. Their entrance made me steam, and being the punk I was, I had a few words for the intruders. “What the hell are you doing in my apartment?!” What I failed to notice was the guns they were carrying by their sides. The man who seemed to be the leader of the group immediately pointed the barrel of his straight at my head. “You have two options. One: I blow your head off your neck. Two: You get the hell out of our way.” I noticed a patch on his arm in the shape of star with a fist embroidered in the middle of it: The symbol of the HLF. My brain couldn’t think of anything to counter his remark. My normally active mouth couldn’t come up with anything either. The only thing that came out of my mouth was a pathetic stutter. “I-I-I...” “We can and WILL make the choice for you...” The fear coursing through my veins kept my brain from making any decisions. “Wh-wh-what are you doing?” “If you don’t get out of here right now, I’ll personally paint this room with your blood!” My cognitive ability finally kicked back in. “I’ll leave, just don’t hurt me.” The thug lowered his gun and shoved me towards the door. As soon as I was through the doorframe, I ran. Where was I running? I didn’t know. I never knew my nerves could be that shaken. I ran down the hall and into the stairwell, where I heard more screams of terror and gunshots from below. I bolted up the stairs. If I were actually thinking I would have remembered that I was already on the top floor. I didn’t care; I was running like somebody was after me. I just needed somewhere to collect my thoughts and figure out what to do. I busted through the door onto the roof and slammed it shut behind me, leaning against it to keep any HLF members from getting me. “Stupid” wheeze“asthma!” It always acted up when I got any form exercise, whether it was working out, or running for my life. I stood with my hands on my knees panting until I caught my breath. I walked over to the gigantic AC unit and plopped down, using it as a back rest. I just sat there starring off into the distance, letting the adrenaline wear off and for my brain to start processing normally again. After sitting for a few minutes, I stood up and collected myself. “What the hell just happened?” I replayed the events of the past few minutes over and over again in my mind. Why is the HLF here? What do they want? I to a quick conclusion when the putrid smell of burning polycarbonate and synthetic wood came filtering up through the air. My fingers started trembling and my eyes watered as the realization came over me. “Oh my god. They’re burning down the building! All my stuff. The music, the guitars, the photo albums, my dad’s platinum slide! I’m gonna lose it all!” I then realized that I was on top of said burning building. My brain was thinking well enough to realize that I was in bad position. I rushed to the edge of the roof and peered over to see where the thick black smoke was billowing up from. It appeared to be coming from the second floor. I would have to plan my way around the flames, and quick, before they spread and engulfed the entire building. I shot back to the door I had come blasting through earlier, once more fearing for my life. My heart pounded, my legs ached, my lungs shrunk, and sweat rolled down my head as I descended the stairs to an uncertain fate. When I got to the fifth floor, smoke was rising through the stairwell. My only chance was the flight of stairs on the other side of the building. I pulled through the door and into the fifth floor hallway. When I finally got to the back stairwell, I could have jumped for joy that smoke wasn’t pouring out of its entrance. I resumed my descent into a fiery hell. By the time I got to the ground floor, the fire had engulfed the sole hallway to the exit. I stood there not knowing what to do. My lungs ached from the smoke and stress of fueling my body. I knew there was only one way out, but my every fiber in my body told me not to do it. In an act of pure stupidity, ignoring all rationality, I charged. “AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!!!!!” Like a warrior charging into battle, I ran through the flames in a dead sprint. I could see what was left of the doors in front of me, and the glorious yellow sky that lay outside of their boundary. Sadly, there was still another two hundred feet between me and freedom. The huge amounts of smoke I was sucking in with my rapid breaths were getting to me. I started slowing down, choking out. I had to get out of the inferno that surrounded me. My body said otherwise. My legs gave out, and I fell over gasping for air, unable to move any further. “So this is how it’s gonna end?” I took my last look down the tunnel of flames. Is something moving towards me? That was the last thing I thought before my eyes fluttered shut and I blacked out. *********************** I felt like I was floating through the darkest depths of space. The sound of silence surrounded me as I stared into vast emptiness. Thoughts rang out through my mind. “Where am I? Am I dead? Is this what death is like?” I recalled my last memory of being surrounded by smoke and fire in the hallway of my apartment building. “I must have died. There was nobody there to sa...” I interrupted myself as I remembered seeing something moving towards me just as I blacked out. There were noises beyond the clamor of my thoughts. They sounded like voices. Suddenly, I became aware of my body. I felt the cloud-like qualities of a mattress caressing my sides, the fire flowing through my lungs from the smoke I had inhaled, the smokey taste in my mouth, and a dull pain throughout all my muscles. I wiggled my limbs to make sure that I wasn’t dreaming and that my body still existed. The voices around me stopped, as if they had noticed my stirring. I opened my eyes to a cold, grey ceiling. I let out a gurgling cough. “Where am I?” A voice beside me answered. “You’re in Conversion Bureau number 227 sweetie.” I sat up and looked to the source of the voice. I jumped in surprise at what I found, immediately wincing from the pain of moving. Sitting next to me was a snow white pony with a rose colored mane. I had never actually seen a pony up close, only the images of Celestia. Despite the pain, I reached out to feel her coat in a pure state of curiosity. My fingers felt like they were pushing their way through an endless field of velvet fibers. Her reaction surprised me. She just stood there and let me feel her coat like it was something completely normal. With a quick blush on my face, I retracted my hand. “Who are you?” “My name is Nurse Redheart. How are you feeling sweetie? We got you out of that building just in time. You were unconscious when you were brought in here.” I took in a deep breath, wincing from the pain searing through my lungs. “Who brought me here? When I passed out I thought I was as good as dead.” “Silver Star brought you here. He’s one of the newfoals. You’re very lucky he found you. You inhaled near fatal amounts of carbon monoxide.” The thought that I was near death made me feel numb all over. I collapsed back on to the bed. “It’s okay if you don’t want to talk now. Get some rest; I’ll check back up with you in the morning.” “In the morning? How long was I out?” “Well, when Silver brought you in here it was around ten thirty. You were out for about eight hours...” “Eight hours!?!?” “For the first two hours you were in here you were fighting to stay alive. Your skin wasn’t severely burned, but your lungs had taken quite a bit of damage. We were very worried about you. Luckily, we were able to get you stabilized after a couple hours. Your vitals were improving, but you weren’t awake. I figured it’d be best to let you wake up by yourself. Anyways, get some rest, your body needs it. If you’re uncomfortable during the night don’t be hesitant to page me.” “Thank you, Nurse Redheart.” I paused as I contemplated another question. “Why was I taken here and not a real hospital?” Realizing that was probably insulting I quickly added, “No offense to you and your staff, of course.” Like that would help... “None taken, sweetie. I was surprised as well when Silver rushed in here with a human on his back. He said human hospitals wouldn’t help. Something about too many people waiting for treatment and not being able to afford them. I didn’t argue since I saw what terrible condition you were in. Get some rest now, you need it. Good night, sweetie.” “Good night, nurse.” She turned off the lights and left. I lay there thinking about how my day had gone. How I had no home, no possessions, and how I nearly lost my life. I was completely clueless as to what I should do next. Then it hit me... “I guess tomorrow is the day...” Chapter 3: What's Within My HeartWhat's Within My Heart “Nooooooooooo!” I woke up with droplets of sweat tumbling over my forehead and into my ears. Another night, another haunting dream that leaves me restless in the morning. I shook it off like I did every morning that I wake up from that dream. I noticed the cubic room that I was in. I looked around frantically for the familiar surroundings of my room. The only things I saw were the dull, porous walls staring back at me. “Where am I?” Then everything came back to me. The HLF attack, the fire... I almost died... As I sat there with a growing dark cloud hovering over me, slowly recalling the events of the previous day, a particular white pony in a nurse’s cap trotted into my room. “I heard you yell. Is everything okay?” “Oh. Yeah. I just woke up from a bad dream. It’s no big deal.” “Well that was perfect timing, I was just coming to wake you up. I have to check your vitals to make sure you have recovered.” A puzzled look overtook my face. “I’ve only been here one night. How could I have recovered?” “One of the other nurses here is a unicorn. She placed a healing spell on you last night so you could heal.” I finally broke my morning trance and realized the fire coursing through my lungs was gone. I cautiously took in a deep breath, preparing myself for a surge of pain. It never came. My complexion immediately brightened with my new-found breathing ability. It felt great! As a matter of fact, breathing never seemed this pleasant or easy. Nurse Redheart saw me testing my newly refreshed lungs. “I take it your lungs feel better?” “They feel great! Better than they have in a long time.” “That’s very good to hear, sweetie. Now if you could lie on your back, I have a couple tests to run to make sure your lungs are fully healed.” Nurse Redheart performed various tests on me to find out if I was indeed in good health. I had never had so much medical attention in my life, with hospitals being so expensive. “It seems like your lungs have healed. That means you’re free to go, which brings up an important issue.” “What’s the problem?” “Technically, the bureau is not supposed to treat anyone who isn’t getting converted. But you were in such serious condition when you were brought in that no nurse in their right mind would throw you out.” “That is a problem.” “I know one solution. Although, I’m not sure what you might think about it.” I just sat there, my face as blank as a sheet of synthetic paper. She sensed my confusion. “You’re in a conversion bureau, sweetie. You can make an honest mare out of me if you decide to get converted.” My face turned beet red. Nurse Redheart eyes grew to the size of grapefruits, yet her pupils shrunk so they were no bigger than a pin. “Oh my! I... uh... um...” “It’s okay nurse. I know what you meant.” The worry lines on her face disappeared with my remark. “Well then, I’ll leave you be. Take your time figuring out what you want to do.” She trotted out of the room still wearing a blush on her cheeks. And with that, I was alone with my thoughts, much as I had been in the past month. They never brought me to a conclusion in isolation in my apartment. Then again, I never had to face the circumstances that I was facing at the moment. I had no home, no friends, no relatives, and no possessions. I had absolutely nothing to go to that could comfort me. The thought of being completely alone in the world made my eyes well up with tears. Even my own thoughts were of no help. I contemplated what Nurse Redheart said. I could get converted. What’s stopping me? I have nothing left here... That single realization caused me to break down into quiet sobs. I literally had nothing! If I left this city, there would be no evidence that I was ever here. I collapsed onto my back, with grief pulsing through my body and tears rolling down my cheeks. My blurry vision explored every little crevice in the ceiling until the tears from my eyes soaked in to the sheet beneath me. I don’t know how long I lay there. It was long enough for my tears to leave a salty residue on my cheeks. “This miserable world has nothing left for me!” I was finally able to answer the big question. Today is the day. With renewed vigor, I wiped off my face and got my lazy butt off the bed. I shook myself off and tried to hide the evidence of my crying. I walked out the door into a bright hallway. There were windows lining one side, and something just outside caught my attention. I glanced out, and my mouth dropped. Outside the windows, there was a lush garden full of the most beautiful flowers I had ever seen. There were vegetables of all kinds, reaching out of their mother Earth and stretching towards the sky. Aside from pictures, I had never actually seen this many plants in one place. In reality, there were hardly any places that were suitable for plant growth. The sight both baffled and amazed me. How could they grow all of this? The beauty! As I stood staring out the window with my mouth agape, until a cheerful pony trotted up beside me. “Excuse me, can I help you?” I turned to see a sea-foam green unicorn standing beside me. I looked at her, still slack-jawed and dumbfounded. Her mane was slightly lighter than her coat, aside from a streak of white on either side above the ear, and her tail was the same. Finally, on her flank there was a lyre. She bore a worried look. “Um, mister. Are you okay?” I finally shut the black hole that was my mouth and answered, stuttering to get something out. “Oh! U-uh... S-sorry about that.” I cleared my throat and regained my composure. “Yes, actually. I’m looking for the place to sign up for conversion.” She perked up immediately. “Perfect! My name is Lyra. I’m the receptionist. If you follow me this way, mister...” “You can call me Nathan.” “Nathan! Just follow me to my desk and I’ll get you checked in.” I followed the cheery unicorn down the hallway. I stared back at the garden through the window as we rounded a corner into a large lobby, and it disappeared behind us . I have to remember to ask someone about that amazing garden. I looked around the lobby. It reminded me of a doctor’s office from scenes I had seen in movies from my dad’s time. There were several ponies walking around to different hallways and rooms. This was the first time I had seen this many ponies in one place. Like the pictures of Celestia, the array of hues on each pony mystified and amazed me. There were a couple other humans sitting in some chairs along the wall. Like me, gazes were upon their faces as they watched the pastel ponies make their way around the lobby. In the center of the room there was a circular receptionist’s desk with a chair in the center. On it were several clipboards and pens neatly organized in a row with various papers clipped to them. Lyra used magic to open the door and sat down on her chair. Normally I would have been amazed by the display, but something was distracting me from it. What really caught my attention was that Lyra sat in her chair. “Wait. Why are you sitting? Don’t ponies usually curl up with their legs beneath them?” “I’ve always found it more comfortable sitting upright. My friend Bon Bon thinks I’m crazy, but that doesn’t stop me! Alrighty then. How old are you?” “Twenty. Why do you ask?” “Okay. We’re supposed to ask everyone their age since we’ve had some minors try to get converted without parental consent. I’m gonna need you to fill out this form and give it back to me when you are done.” Lyra surrounded one of the clipboards in her sky blue magical aura and whisked it over to me with a form clipped in it. I took it from her while it was suspended in midair. I felt a neat sensation when I reached into the field of magic. It felt like tiny sparks were jumping up my arm, yet like I was touching something of the utmost softness. With the clipboard in hand, I took a seat in one of the chairs along the wall. The form didn’t ask for much, just my name, date of birth, allergies and the reason for getting converted. That last question struck me particularly hard. I didn’t feel like diving into such personal matters, so I just answered “I’m sick of the human race”. While I was writing, I couldn’t help but think that this was like selling your soul to the Devil for supreme blues talent. Except in this case, it was signing my whole body and life away. I finished the form and handed it back to Lyra. “Excellent. Here’s how this is gonna work Nathan. You’re going to be taken into a conversion room and get converted. To warm you up to your new legs, you’ll then get a tour of the bureau. Finally you’ll be assigned assigned a room to stay in for your week here. During the week, you’ll be taking classes here to ready you for Equestrian life. When you are converted and have finished the prerequisite classes, you’ll be switched over to classes that will be appropriate to whatever type of pony you become: Earth, Pegasus, or Unicorn. After your week’s stay, you’ll be sent to Equestria! Any questions?” “How do I know what kind of pony I will become?” “There’s no way of knowing before hand. It’s determined by human genetics somehow, but that’s not my area of expertise. Any other questions?” “What’s the process like?” “It’s simple really. You go into one of the conversion rooms, take off all of your clothes, like down on a bed, and drink the conversion serum. You fall asleep almost immediately, and wake up a pony.” “That’s it?” “That’s it!” One thing I neglected to do while trapped in indecision was look up the process of getting ponified. Simple or not, I was nervous about going through with the actual conversion. “Does it hurt?” “I wouldn’t know personally since I’m from Equestria, but I’ve heard it is painless.” A wave of calm ran through my body. I never liked any procedures that involved any pain whatsoever. Especially if needless were involved. I avoided needles at any cost. “Thanks for the help Lyra.” “Not a problem. If you ever have any questions don’t hesitate to ask anypony. We’re all here to help your conversion be as smooth as possible. I’ll page Nurse Redheart to come get you.” Chapter 4: White RoomWhite Room Lyra’s horn lit up a transparent sea-foam green. The light that encompassed it rippled like water gently hovering in mid air. Describing her magic as magical would be a lousy way to put it, but that was the only way my mind could possibly describe the phenomenon. There were simply no Earthly things that resembled magic, which is what made it so mystifying and amusing. A pinging noise from the intercom speakers filled the room. The simple sound had the powerful effect of stopping all of the people and ponies in the lobby, and turning the room’s attention to the coming announcement. “Nurse Redheart to front desk. Nurse Redheart to front desk.” The magical waves surrounding Lyra’s horn vanished. “She should be here shortly.” A few seconds later, Nurse Redheart trotted into the lobby beaming with cheer. “Hello again, Nathan! I take it you’ve made your decision. Follow me and I’ll take you to a conversion room.” “Here’s his form, Nurse.” “Thank you, Lyra.” “Good luck, Nathan! See you on the other side!” We all shared the parting laugh as I followed Nurse Redheart back down the hallway I had come from a short time ago. On our way to the room we passed by the window that I could see the garden from. Once again I was caught up in its beauty, so much so that my other senses seemed to stop working. I failed to realize that Nurse Redheart had stopped trotting and was turning around to say something to me. I finally noticed when I ran straight into her right as she was turning to face me. I hit her broadside and collapsed like a card tower in a soft breeze and groaned in pain. “Gaah.” “Are you okay, Nathan?” I answered, shaking off my daze. “Yeah, I’ll be alright. I have a bit of a tendency to get distracted at inopportune times. Are you hurt?” “I’m quite alright, sweetie.” I was surprised by how she barely budged when I rammed into her, and that she was unhurt. I didn’t think such a small being could be so stable. “How is a pony your size so solid? I feel like I ran into a wall!” “Four legs makes a difference; you will find that out pretty soon. Here’s the room!” We entered room number 1010. Nurse Redheart flipped the lights on, momentarily blinding me. I felt like I was trapped inside a cloud. All I could see was white. White ceiling, white walls, and a white floor. The only thing that stood out was a single metal examination table in the center of the room. “Who spilled bleach in here?” “We have to keep the room easy to clean from some of the fluids that result of conversion.” My stomach groaned in protest at the word “fluids”. “What exactly comes out during conversion?” “Sometimes people have internal injuries that they don’t know about, and the conversion process heals the body of them.” I made a face at her remark. “You mean to tell me that getting converted heals me of illnesses?” “Oh yes! We’ve had people come through with cancer, tumors, or other horrendous diseases. When they go through conversion, the body expels any scarred or diseased tissue.” If one were to walk into the room at that particular moment, they would probably assume I was do stretching exercise for my jaw. “It cures cancer?!” “Indeed it does.” I remember my father telling me how he felt when his grandpa died of leukemia when he was little. He was sure that he would live to see a cure to cancer. Somehow, he never did. There have been new and effectice treatments for various cancers, but they’re all in short supply, and only the highest bidders can get them. No one has ever “cured” the disease in any meaningful way. “Okay Nathan, I’m going to need you to undress and sit on the table.” For the umpteenth time that day, I turned beet red. “Uh. Un-dress...” Nurse Redheart saw the anxiety bubbling off of my body. “I can get you a paper gown if you’d like.” “Yes, I’d like that very much.” “I’ll be right back then.” I wouldn’t say I was a person who was often nervous about my body. In intimate situations it hasn’t been a problem, but taking my clothes off in a completely casual manner has always been awkward for me. Awkward, like asking someone to think of an awkward situation that doesn’t involve nudity. She returned with a paper gown draped over her back. “Would it be alright if you step out of the room while I change?” “Of course, sweetie, but you better get used to not wearing clothes.” She trotted out of the room leaving me, pants halfway down my legs, pondering what she had just said. Ponies are naked. All the time... Out of all the things I contemplated about pony life, I never really thought about how ponies lack clothing. Maybe I’ll get used to it? I shrugged and reluctantly changed into the gown. “I’m ready, Nurse.” She trotted back into the room pushing a cart along with her. On is, there was a flask filled with a purple liquid, and one small paper cup. “Okay, Nathan. This is your basic conversion serum. All you have to do is drink all of it at once and lie back on the table. You’ll fall asleep almost instantly. Hop up on the table and I’ll pour you a cup.” That was another thing I never could comprehend. How do ponies do stuff without magic or hands? “How exactly are you going to pour it? You don’t have hands.” “It’s simple! I just use my mouth.” I watched her delicately clamp her jaw down on the flask and tip it over, slowly filling the cup with the serum. I took the cup from her as she put the serum back on the cart. I lifted the cup to my lips to drink the content of the cup, but paused. “Nurse Redheart. What happens while I’m asleep? Do I just pass out and wake up a pony?” “Nearly every person that comes through here says they have a dream. It’s different for every one but most seem to have something to do with being a pony in Equestria.” I nodded. “Well, I guess it’s my time then.” And with that, I gulped down the serum and lay back on the table. “Mmm... Tastes like grape...” Chapter 5: AngelAngel My eye were locked tight from the unknown surroundings. All I felt was the emptiness associated with falling into a void, which was a feeling I was all too familiar with. When I young, I always liked climbing things. My goal was always to get a better view of the area around me. I absolutely loved the feeling of being up higher than the rest of the land. The breeze in my hair, the blue sky surrounding me, the feeling of freedom I got from towering over the vast landscape. I was lucky to only have one accident. Unfortunately, that one time I fell was off the roof of my family’s house. The fall landed me in the hospital with broken ribs, wrists, and arm. The doctor told my mother I was lucky to have survived, but that the injuries rendered my bones too weak to climb anymore. I was six at the time. The first night in the hospital, I had a nightmare that I was falling down and empty void, which would always end with me slamming into the ground, waking me up. My crying woke many of the other patients around me. My mom had to hold and comfort me for nearly an hour just to calm me down. The worst part was that the nightmare kept happening; not frequently, but often enough to remind me how afraid I was of falling. I felt my facial muscles relax, allowing my eyes to open to the true horror I was in. On either end of me were limitless black voids that never seemed to change in size. It was my nightmare to a dime except that there were colors swirling in hypnotic patterns instead of complete black. These colors surrounded me on all sides and went off in either direction into the black oblivions like they were making a tunnel. They flowed in every direction, not knowing where they were going or why. Some of the color gradients reminded me of the soft, warm hues of a sunset; some were so violent and piercing they seemed to come right out of the wall towards me. I had never seen such beautiful mixtures of colors in my life. Beautiful colors or not, I was falling. Sweat formed on my brow as my breaths grew quick and short and my pulse quickened. Even though I there was no visible end to the tunnel, my hands shot up in panic to instinctually protect myself. However, instead of seeing my pasty white fingers, all I saw was a dark shade of yellow, almost like honey, covering my hand. Mouth agape, I slowly followed the new hue of my skin up my forearm, to my naked torso, down past my hips, and to the very tips of my toes. However, those thoughts escaped my mind as my eyes saw the fast approaching ground. Before I had time to react, I landed with a deep thud; my vision immediately went black. ========== My vision faded in. I was... running? The ground was passing by fast, but I certainly didn’t feel like I was running. I attempted to look down at my body, but my neck refused to budge. Instead of hearing the normal quarter note thump of my feet running, I heard clop noises in quick successions of sixteenth notes, three at a time then a rest. I’m... I’m galloping. I desperately wanted to stop and look at my new body, but my head and eyes remained unresponsive, as did the majority of my senses. It was as though I were observing the visions passing from my eyes to my brain from outside my being. All I could do was sit back and watch what passed through my field of vision. I was galloping through a field of vibrant green grass. I had never seen a green so full and pure. It looked soft and cool to the touch, but I couldn’t feel the sensation. It was like I didn’t fit in with the scene. Before I thought too deeply about it, I deep rumble joined the clopping of my hooves. Out of the corner of my vision I could see something joining me in my gallop. Buffalo? More and more buffalo poured into my field of vision, and from what I could tell by the sound, they were surrounding me. They didn’t stop getting closer. I panicked and tried vainly to change my course to not get run over, but right before I got trampled, they stopped. I realized, they were running with me! It was surreal. Not only was it amazing to see actual buffalo, I was running with them. The thundering of the hooves, the scenery rushing by, it was astounding to be apart of like it was fulfilling some instinctual need to be running with the pack. Yet it still didn’t feel completely natural to me, as if I didn’t fit in. In my observation of the scene around me, I had inadvertently spaced out and didn’t realize the buffalo in front of me were turning. By the time I realized why they turned, I was already flailing like a madman as I was falling into a gaping ravine. Once again, I slammed into the ground blacking out. ========== As I regained consciousness for the second time, I found myself... Nowhere... I was surrounded by endless black depths. My immediate reaction was to cringe in fear of falling through the color tunnel, but after a few seconds of nothing happening, I let out a hesitant sigh. I took a tabulation of all my senses. Gazing around the nothingness, as if expecting to find something I saw nothing but emptiness. It wasn’t dark, I could see my pony body perfectly. I was a warm shade of honey with a dark cherry tail hanging halfway down my legs. I wasn’t falling, or at least I didn’t feel like it, so I had to be on some form of ground. All I heard was my own breathing because of the lack of any other sounds. On the plus side, I wasn’t a smelly pony. My setting mystified me to say the least. This is definitely odd. “This is definitely odd.” What the hell?! “What the hell?!” I stood stunned, solid as a wall, as the voice echoed through the vast nihility. Something wasn’t right. I thought words, then heard them come out of nowhere around me, in my voice. I had to test it again. Hello? “Hello?” Echo! “Echo!” Piiiiiiiiigs innn spaaaaaace. “Piiiiiiiiigs innn spaaaaaace.” The booming echo of my voice reverberated through the space around me and into my very head. Where ever I was, I could hear my own thoughts. Alright. “Alright.” Think. Where can I be? “Think. Where can I be?” I paused, still not used to hearing my own thoughts reverberate around me. I strained to figure out where I was. Maybe the conversion went bad. Maybe I was dead, in limbo. If this was the “dream” everyone seemed to talk about, I felt like I was getting screwed. No matter how hard I though, I couldn’t come up with a conclusion where I was. The “place” made no sense, and it was starting to piss me off. Hmpf. I swear, I finally decide to get converted, and THIS is what I get. I’m dead and in limbo, hearing my own thoughts echo around me. A-HA! That’s it. I’m crazy, I’m not dead. The serum made me mad! How delightful. My anger welled as I ranted to myself, all the while my rants being amplified into my ears pushing the anger and volume further. What I failed to notice was my dark abyss of a room was slowly changing colors as I got more and more heated. ...SHIT FACED, HORSE COCK! As I finished swearing a blue streak at my luck the void around me lit up bright red as a beam shot out of my head in all directions. I looked up to see the energy being emitted from my head. It almost looked like the hazy skies of Earth, but red instead of the putrid shade of green. I must be a unicorn! With that possibility in mind, I attempted to control the beam emitting from my head. The problems was I had no clue how to do it, and my mind was starting to get foggy from the power it was putting out. I concentrated all my effort one last time to make the beam stop, but all for naught. The light seemed to be filling the room, which surprised me, as I assumed the space around me was infinite. Suddenly, the light and color around me shattered to reveal a bright blue sky, in which, I found myself falling. Again. This time however, I could see ground, and it was approaching fast. Oh god. There’s no way I’m surviving this one! The clouds rushed past me faster and faster as I rocketed towards the ground head first. I balled up in terror, my fear of heights taking control of my actions. I closed my eyes once I was close enough to pick out the individual leaves on the trees, preparing for impact. After several seconds of cringing, nothing happened. I still felt the air rushing past my face. Wait a minute. I don’t feel like i’m falling anymore... I opened my eyes, only to close and reopen them in disbelief of my situation I was flying. The feeling was unlike any other feeling I’ve had in my whole life. I could feel the wind whipping my mane around, the tiny finger-like wisps of wind that nestled each individual feather on the new appendages on my back. Each flap of my wings powered me forward, keeping me aloft for an ever increasing amount of time. I inhaled the air that supported me aloft, enjoying the unparalleled freshness. My lungs cheered in enjoyment. I gazed up in the sky, swooping into a climb as I did so. The sky was a clear blue; a color I have only seen on Earth in pictures from the olden days. There was no pollution thicken the sky and add its rancid smell and coloring. I exited the climb and looked over a vast field of daisies. The view from the height reminded me of when I would go on the roof of my house when I was younger. This time however, there was no smog to block the view. Yet there was so much more to actually flying. My feet were free of the ground, my body not bound by gravity’s pull, my soul free to roam wherever it pleased. The feeling of flight felt natural to me; I didn’t even think what I had to do to stay aloft. It felt like the sky was where I belonged. The testing of my newfound abilities had tired me to the point of exhaustion. The lactic acid that had built up on my virgin muscles began the scream for me to land. The thumps of my hooves hitting the ground rang out among the whispers of the wind through a field of wildflowers, the ground soft to the touch. My breaths came heavy and ragged. The flight, while tiring, was exhilarating for every inch of my body. I turned my head to observe my new apendages, which were folded up on my back. The silky yellow feathers were neatly nestled along the main structure that got thinner as it furthered from my torso. The protective oils of the feathers made their sunny color gleam in the bright light of the sun. Before I even thought about it, my wings unfurled themselves to their widest span. They truly were an extension of my body and mind. I marveled in the beauty of my wings. I felt whole with them, like I transformed into a complete being. No more limitations as to what direction I could go, no more gravity keeping me down. I was free. The earth and sky were mine to roam. I closed my eyes and started flapping slowly. More and more of my weight lifted off my legs as I quickened.the pace, gradually breaking free of gravity's constraints. The propulsion from my flapping flattened the grass beneath me as I lifted off the ground and ascended towards the heavens. I opened my eyes to look at the ground below me only to be blinded by a piercing, white light that surrounded me. Chapter 6: Hello HoorayHello Hooray “Nathan?” A sweet sounding voice rose me from my slumber. “Wha?” I opened my eyes to find BLINDING WHITE walls surrounding me, the pain forcing them to clamp shut again. The pain from the piercing color helped put my mind back in order. As I slowly opened my eyes to shield them from the blinding light, I wearily looked around at my surroundings, straining my brain to remember where I was. I was still in the conversion room number 1010. I just got converted... As soon as that through processed through my head I snapped my attention down to my... “HOOVES!” If only I could have seen the look on my face. I suspect it was somewhere around that of a five year old boy riding a bike without training wheels for the first time, or in layman's terms, I was smiling like an idiot. “Congratulations, Nathan! You’re a pegasus!” “Wow, I am?!” As I excitedly spoke, my attention went to a new feeling on my back. I turned to face two honey colored spectacles of flight. They looked just like the ones in the dream. I gave them a test flap to make sure they were real. “Hold on there Nathan, lets get you walking first.” I warily looked at my hooves and then at the ground. “Well, here goes nothing.” When I initially said that, I never mean it literally. Unfortunately, my legs never got that memo. I hit the ground with a solid thud. “Are you okay, Nathan?” The fall left me with my head spinning and a sore jaw. “Guuuuuuuh.” As I shook off the pain, my mane whipped me in the face making me wince as my eyes lit up fiery red. I cringed as I answered Nurse Redheart. “I’ll be fine once I stop inflicting pain on myself.” “Oh it’s normal, sweetie. This happens to plenty of newfoals right after their conversion. Now let’s get you standing! Now slowly put your front legs directly underneath your body, then when they feel stable, bring your back legs up and slowly transfer some of your weight on them.” I furrowed my brow as I glanced at the floor, to my hooves, then to Nurse Redheart. She wore a smile that could make a cat take a bath. “Alright...” I brought my front hooves underneath my body, shaking as I transferred weight onto them. I held my breath as I put my rear legs in place and pushed up. “Am-Am I doing it?” “Yes you are Nathan. You’re standing!” I snapped open my eyes. “Ha! I did it. I’m standing!” “Now we just have to get you to walk.” The smile left my face as quick as a cat leaving a bath. “Uh... How do I do that?” Nurse Redheart furrowed her brow. “Hm... Well, Nathan, many ponies have said it sort of comes naturally.” “So... I should just try and walk?” “I guess that’s the best advice I can give you. Just put one hoof in front of the other.” Okay. Just like she said, one foot-er, hoof in front of the... Before I could finish my thought, I found myself paying a visit to my old friend the floor. “Ugh...” “Oh, keep trying, honey. You’ll get it!” This time, I was able to stand up easier, clumsy nonetheless however. All right! You can do this! I closed my eyes and gritted my teeth as I took a step forward with my front right hoof. My back, left hoof followed. Then the front, left, and the rear, right. I was doing it. I never actually thought of how a pony patterns their hoof steps. Like Nurse Redheart said, it just seemed to happen with no thought. My eyelids flew open, stars beaming out of my eyes. “Ha! I’m getting it.” “Very good, Nathan. Lets keep you cantering to the front desk and see how far you can get before falling.” I didn’t think I could make it all the way back to the lobby without crashing, especially since I liked to get distracted by the fabulous garden on the way. Low and behold I made my way there with only a couple close calls. It felt as if the nerves in my hooves were making more connections with my brain, furthering the process of making me whole. Nurse Redheart had trotted ahead of me, as she saw I was getting the hang of using my new appendages. By the time I wobbled into the lobby, Nurse Redheart had a chance to round up a small welcoming committee that consisted of Lyra, herself, and a few of other pony staff members I had yet to meet. The elated faces of the ponies greeting me brought a newfound warmth into my body. They must have been used to the routine of people walking in as humans, and walking out ponies, yet their delight for me still seemed authentic. The seafoam unicorn sitting behind the desk counter was the first one to speak up to me. “Congratulations Nathan! How does it feel to be a pony?” Unlike my father, I was never good at answering questions in front of a crowd, even if it was only a few people. “I-er-uh...” All I could manage was a dumbfounded stare at my unicorn friend. “He’s speechless everypony!” And with that, my reception disbanded leaving me, Nurse Redheart, and Lyra at the circular front desk. “So how do you feel?” The eager unicorn’s eyes beckoned to me for an answer. “Well. I feel. Different, to say the least.” My broken answer was interrupted by the hospital cap adorned pony who I had run into earlier. “Here’s his files Lyra. They’re all filled out for now, except for the name.” “Thank you Nurse!” “I’ll be seeing you later Nathan for a checkup to make sure you’re getting used to your new body.” Lyra and I watched Nurse Redheart trot off down the leftmost of three hallways exiting the lobby. “So what’ll it be?” “What?” “Your name, Nathan! What do you want to name yourself?” “I’m not really sure. I guess I didn’t expect I’d have to use a different name right away.” “Oh it’s alright, you don’t have to come up with one right now. Whenever you do come up with one, just find me and I’ll put it on your record!” “Will do.” I stood there, my small grin sagging as the speechless seconds ticked by. Lyra merrily looked back at me as the air thickened around us. “So... What do I do now?” “Well, since all you’ve seen is the infirmary, lobby, and conversion room, I can arrange a tour of the bureau to get you familiarized with the place you’ll be calling home for a week.” “That sounds nice.” “Now we just have to find somepony to show you around the building.” As if on cue, a cream colored mare with a deep ocean blue mane, with a cotton candy pink stripe down the center, and three pieces of candy on her flank, trotted into the room. She was walking around with her head held high like she didn’t have a care in the world humming a pleasant little tune. “Bon Bon, what perfect timing! I need you to give our new patient here a tour of the facilities and show him to his room.” Bon Bon smiled and looked at me. “With pleasure! And who exactly might I be giving a tour to today?” “My name is Nathan.” “Well Nathan, we’re very glad to have you here. If you’ll follow me, I’ll show you the ins and outs of the bureau. At the moment we’re in the lobby. This is the center of the building, so you’ll likely be going through here a few times a day.” Lyra interjected: “Don’t forget to say hi! It gets boring being at a desk all day.” Bon Bon chuckled. “Don’t mind her; she just doesn’t know how to stay still for more than a minute.” “You didn’t complain about that the time we were on the beach by ourselves and...” The next sensation Lyra experienced was the taste of Bon Bon’s hoof in her mouth. Lyra nervously looked over to Bon Bon. Her pupils had dilated, her normally cream face had turned the color of a tomato and she looked like steam was about to shoot out of her ears. “I told you never to talk about those things at work Not a word! Understand?” Hoof in mouth, Lyra nodded, her head sweating from the anger radiating off Bon Bon. Then, as if nothing had happened, Bon Bon’s pupils returned to normal size, face changed back to it’s original color and she removed her hoof from Lyra’s mouth all while wearing the happy-go-lucky smile she wore earlier. She picked up right where she left off. “The hallway behind the desk leads to the infirmary and conversion rooms, the hallway to the right leads to the common areas, classrooms, and gym, and the hallway to the left leads to the sleeping quarters and the library. If you follow me, I’ll start you off with the commons.” I bid a quick farewell to Lyra and followed Bon Bon down the hallway. “First thing we have here is a little meeting center. You can chat with people and ponies here.” There were several people and ponies lounging around on the couches watching tv, talking to others. “And here we have the classrooms where you’ll be learning about all things Equestria. When you finish the required classes here, if you are a Unicorn, you’re transferred down the hall to other classrooms. If you become an Earth pony, you go to the garden. Since you’re a pegasus, you’ll transferred to the gymnasium at the end of the hallway past the dining hall.” That was my chance to ask about the breathtaking garden. “How can you grow so many luscious plants there?” “It’s all the work of the Earth ponies. Some people get dejected when they find out they don’t have a horn or wings, but what they don’t know is that every Earth pony has a magic that connects them with the land and allows them to grown plants like nopony else. Some of the food used in the kitchen is grown there, speaking of which, here we are.” While paying attention to Bon Bon, I ceased to pay attention to where we were wandering. As I looked around the various people and ponies in the lunchroom, my observation was cut short. EERRRRRRRRR! With the events that had already transpired in this young day, I neglected to get any breakfast. “Seems like this is a good place to be.” “Well, it is breakfast time, and I haven’t eaten yet. We’ll resume our little tour after we eat.” I gazed around the lunch room more. It seemed like the typical cafeteria style. Grab a tray, jump in line, get your food, and find a place to eat at one of the tables that stretched halfway across the room. I jumped in line eager to get some breakfast. The smells circulating around the room enchanted my nose. Their fingers reached out from behind the counter and grabbed a hold of my nose and lured me towards their source. “What would ya like stranger?” I jumped in surprise. My mind had wandered too far into thoughts of eating the delectable treats. I looked up from the food and standing behind the counter was a pony with a light brown coat. His mane, which was cut short and almost entirely covered by a tall white chef’s hat, was several shades darker than his coat. Upon his flank was what appeared to be a frying pan. “Hello. I’m new here, what do you recommend?” “New, eh?” He turned around and faced the kitchen. “Hey Potts! We got another newcomer! Lets show ‘em what we can do!” “Be out in a sec!” Out from the kitchen popped a pony who looked exactly the same as the first, except he had a deep pot on his flank. The one with the pans faced me again. “Welcome to Conversion Bureau number two twenty seven! My name is Pahns, and this is Potts” “We’re twins!” “And the chefs for this humble bureau.” “We’re a dynamic duo that can whip up anything from almond butter...” “To zucchini stuffing!” I stared at the twins ponies with a contorted face. Their back and forth talking really got me off my bearings. “Wait. So who is who again? “I’m Potts.” “I’m Pahns.” “I have a pot for a cutie mark.” “And I have a pan.” Cutie mark... I’ll have to ask Bon Bon to explain that one to me. “Right... I guess that’s pretty obvious.” “Not a problem sir.” “Happens to the best of us.” It’s gonna take a long time to get used to this... “Now what do you want us to make?” “We’ll make anything you want!” “Your first meal must be special!” “Anything?” “Absolutely...” “...anything.” Sigh... As fun and energetic as they seemed, the back and forth twin thing was getting to me. It was blocking my ability to think straight. What’s something that I always enjoy? I thought back through my life. Food had never been an important part of my life. I loved my Mom’s garden grown food, but I didn’t remember much of that because I was so young when it stopped producing. Then it hit me like a virus hitting a Microsoft operating system. “Deep dish pizza!!!” I practically shouted that out to the whole lunchroom. But if there was one thing I remembered about food, it was Lou Malnati’s deep dish pizza. They went out of business around 2030, before I was born, along with most other restaurants that depended on organic foods. My dad always told me how he had fond memories of his grandmother bringing some home for him to eat after school. He loved it throughout his life. When they were going out of business, they made one final enormous batch of pizzas to be frozen. My dad was smart enough to save a lot of his royalties from Rising Sons, so he bought one hundred frozen pizzas. Whenever he told me this, I always laughed, but he was dead serious. We would eat a pizza, we would devote a whole day to the pizza. My dad was able to figure out how to prepare the pizza to the way he said they came when they were fresh from the oven. I loved it. The gooey cheese practically dripping off the sides. The aroma drowning me in a sensation of warmth and pleasure. Some of my friends called us crazy, but we just knew how to have a good time. I quickly realized how loud I’d been and shrunk in place to try to hide from the staring eyes. “Um, yeah. I’d like you guys to make me a deep dish pizza.” “A pizza it is!” “We’ll tell you when it’s done.” With that, they disappeared back into the kitchen. I stood there contemplating how to pass the time. I didn’t know anyone in the room except Bon Bon who was sitting across the room delicately eating what looked to be a sandwich with hay as the filler. As I glanced around the rest of the room I saw a hoof waving in what looked to be my direction. Its owner belonged to a pony whose mane was almost a snowy white, and his coat had a silvery sheen reminiscent of the bumpers of my dad’s old collector cars. His fluorescent yellow eyes were looking excitedly at me. Me? Author’s Notes: Credit to Lithe for coming up with the names of the cooks. Yay Lithe! Have some imagery! Image done by Nettles Like Father, Like Son...Alarm Clock “Stupid alarm clock!” I awoke to the same noise, day in and day out, for the past year to the same question. “Is today the day?” I opened my eyes to be greeted by the dismal sight that was my apartment. Clothes lying on the floor, my dad’s old CD collection scattered around the ancient player, all being lit by the brown light seeping through dusty curtains. The only thing kept orderly was my guitar collection. Relics, from a time when music was actually made with instruments. Most of them were my dad’s back when he played in a band. You may have heard of them, ‘The Rising Sons’. My dad was the lead guitarist, Cooper Kase. They were one of the last bands who played real instruments. One of the last few bands who believed in making music with soul, passion, and the human touch. I remember him telling me stories about when he was young how his dad always played him music from his generation. He often talked about how he felt he was born forty years too late. He loved that music so much, he ended up playing it. His band got so famous they nearly led a revival in it. Sadly though, it was too late. All any business cared was about profit. By programming computers to make music, record companies wouldn’t have to split any profit with humans. My dad raised me on the same music and principals. I loved the music just as much as he did. By the time I was born, hardly anyone actually made guitars anymore. He had always been investigative in how things worked. He learned how to make the guitars and the parts himself. He even taught me. That is where I come in. Nathan Kase. A rock and roll kid born seventy years too late. Like father, like son...
Chapter 1: Take A Look AroundTake A Look Around This morning was no different from any other. I started coughing until I felt like I needed to throw up. With the huge amount of pollution in the atmosphere, it wasn’t a great day and age for being asthmatic. Even healthy people had trouble with the smog. I was lucky, I never needed serious treatment. My dad always said I inherited it from him. He claimed it never bothered him, since there wasn’t as much pollution when he was young. He told me how the environment started to go to waste after a big oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. The people in the green movement were the only ones who thought anything worse would come of it. That “movement” didn’t last long. During the panic of the 2012 doomsday such groups weakened, which allowed large corporations to overpower and crush them. With no environmental activists in the way, countries all over the world just kept on polluting. By the time my dad was in his late twenties, the sheer volume of chemicals polluting the water had made many beaches unstable. I was born on May 5, 2035 into a world straight out of one of my dad’s old post-apocalyptic thrillers. The growing pollution and scarcity of natural resources had scientists convinced that the Earth was dying, and that our population of 15 billion was just more than the planet could handle. I turned on the news while I ate my government-issued breakfast: cold cereal and freeze dried fruit. The stuff was utterly terrible. Ever since businesses realized they could make synthetic foods cheaper than real food, they’d been pumping out as much of it into the market as they could. On top of that, the soil and water became to toxic to grow food. The organic food’s industry tanked, and before the world knew it, synthetic crap was all there was to eat. I remember my mom had a garden when I was just a little kid. She grew the most delicious food I had ever tasted. The news was the same every morning: another disease turned pandemic, another animal extinction, another Conversion Bureau attacked by the Human Liberation Front (HLF). Death was everywhere. Smeared across every tenement wall. Crammed into every package of disgusting, government-issued food. It covered that damned city. I could hear it laughing in the streets and smell it on every square in of my apartment. No matter where I went, no matter what I did, I couldn’t escape it, couldn’t pry it’s cold, hard grip off my neck. I hated it. And so, like every other morning I sat around asking the same question to nobody in particular. “Should I get converted today?” Around five years ago a ‘bubble’ was discovered in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. When a government team was sent to investigate, they vanished without a trace. No scientist understood what it was, where it came from, or what was in it. Those questions were left unanswered until one fateful, world shaking event. On a quiet gloomy day, a creature emerged from it. It was an animal of unmatched majesty, unlike anything on Earth. She resembled a horse to some degree, but she had an almost heavenly glow to her coat. Her mane was impossibly vibrant; it was as though all the colors of a coral reef had come together into one swaying wave. She had a horn, as well as a pair of wings. A horn and wings! It was like some sort of mystical fairytale creature. But what surprised everyone the most – when she was confronted by humans, she spoke. She called herself Celestia, the ruler of Equestria. The press went to her faster than a heartbeat. Every news station made her their top story. Even in the face of the media, she gave off an god-like aura of confidence. She went straight to the world leaders and gave them a message. The result sent our already unstable world off into a spiral of absolute chaos. On a live worldwide broadcast she told humans about her land, Equestria. She told how the bubble was a link between our worlds. She knew our world was in dire trouble. For reasons even she didn’t know, the bubble was expanding at a rapid and steady rate. The more the bubble grew, the more of Earth was sucked into it, and the larger Equestria became. She understood that Earth would eventually be consumed by the ever expanding bubble, so she offered a solution. Since she had already known of Earth’s problems, she had her scientists working on a way to convert humans into ponies. They came up with something they thought would work, but they didn’t have any people to test it on. Needless to say, the idea that the Equestrians wanted to turn people into ponies horrified many people. Their anger was only fueled by those who willingly gave up their humanity to join the Equestrian race. And then came the HLF. It was an organization dedicated to taking a stand against the ponies, the “threats” as they called them. They believed that they could fight their way out of Earth’s problems. They were new age terrorists who thought they could fight their way out of Earth’s problems, and pushed back against the ponies’ attempts to convert humans throught any means necessary. Then again, some of their righteous acts of combat against the pony threat may have been exaggerated, considering that their endeavors weren’t what you would call successful. Try as they might, their bombing of conversion bureaus and of killing ponies never swayed the minds of the general public into thinking that the ponies were evil. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out that I was not a fan of the HLF. That’s one of the many things I hated about humanity; they thought every problem could be solved through war. It’s like if you’re playing poker, and when you find out you don’t have a good hand, you stab the opponent. I could have spent all day rattling off things I hated about the human race. But out of everything, I despised greed. It killed families, destroyed friendships, and corrupted minds. That’s one of the problems my mom said I had. I was too trusting. I always felt that there was some innate good in people. After what happened when Celestia first came through the bubble, it’s safe to say that being overly trusting isn’t a problem of mine anymore. When the bureaus finally opened up, there were floods of humans rushing into them to join Equestrian society. In the other visits Celestia made to Earth, she essentially made sales pitches about Equestria aimed at the millions of unsure people. I never paid much attention. I wasn’t one of the people against the ponies. I had friends who rushed off to be converted. They all knew how much I hated this world. They kept bugging me to get converted, saying that Equestria would be a perfect fit for me. Every time they tried to convince me, I would just brush them off. “Yeah, yeah. I’ll do it eventually.” Eventually took too long for them. My last friend, Ian, left about a month ago. I was alone for that long month. Leaving me to my thoughts has always been a bad thing. It’s not that I would do stupid stuff. I tended to get a bit obsessive and wild when I’m left to my own devices. Going over the same old ground. Philosophy, metaphysics, memories, and more. Everything I would think about was only to answer one simple question. The very same question I had asked myself every morning for a year. This particular morning I was in a rather melancholy mood. I had a terrible night of sleep. I couldn’t stop the battle in my head of good versus evil. There was a whole list of things I abhorred about humanity, yet at the same time, there were some things I just couldn’t give up. I was in love with Rock music, just like my dad had been. And not just any rock music, the music that inspired my dad. Rock from the sixties and seventies. There was just something so special that we could both see in it. Whether it be the way the lyrics could float on by, or if you just wanted to listen to something that kicked ass, there was something for you. Sure, there’s been music like that forever. What made rock so special is how it broke all the rules, how it came in a wide variety. Barely anything was bland or copied. You could hear the heart and soul put into the music, unlike the crap me and my dad both grew up to. If someone wanted to convert, they were told they could not bring any possessions with them. That was the problem area for me. If there was one thing I wanted to remember about my humanity, it was the music I cherished. I could never bring myself to do it. My twelve story apartment building was on the North Side of Chicago, on Belmont and Lincoln avenue. It also happened to be where they constructed one of the more recent bureaus. This bureau in particular was securely guarded and supposedly impenetrable. However, I still saw my fair share of violence and the likes done to the building. It’s was wonder it had not been razed to the ground. I guess that’s why the HLF called it the fortress. Or at least, that’s what I heard. Finishing my breakfast I stroll over to the dusty curtains and pull them open. A smoggy, thick sunlight hit my eyes, and I couldn’t help but recoil slightly. I looked down at the bureau, sighing, still not knowing what to do. My eyes studied the slate grey exterior. What went on behind those walls? When would I be inside that building? Would I ever decided to convert? Suddenly, my daydreaming was interrupted, as a loud bang sounded outside my door...
Chapter 2: Run Like HellRun Like Hell! Before I had a chance to react to the noise, a bunch of men in what looked like old army uniforms busted through the door. Their entrance made me steam, and being the punk I was, I had a few words for the intruders. “What the hell are you doing in my apartment?!” What I failed to notice was the guns they were carrying by their sides. The man who seemed to be the leader of the group immediately pointed the barrel of his straight at my head. “You have two options. One: I blow your head off your neck. Two: You get the hell out of our way.” I noticed a patch on his arm in the shape of star with a fist embroidered in the middle of it: The symbol of the HLF. My brain couldn’t think of anything to counter his remark. My normally active mouth couldn’t come up with anything either. The only thing that came out of my mouth was a pathetic stutter. “I-I-I...” “We can and WILL make the choice for you...” The fear coursing through my veins kept my brain from making any decisions. “Wh-wh-what are you doing?” “If you don’t get out of here right now, I’ll personally paint this room with your blood!” My cognitive ability finally kicked back in. “I’ll leave, just don’t hurt me.” The thug lowered his gun and shoved me towards the door. As soon as I was through the doorframe, I ran. Where was I running? I didn’t know. I never knew my nerves could be that shaken. I ran down the hall and into the stairwell, where I heard more screams of terror and gunshots from below. I bolted up the stairs. If I were actually thinking I would have remembered that I was already on the top floor. I didn’t care; I was running like somebody was after me. I just needed somewhere to collect my thoughts and figure out what to do. I busted through the door onto the roof and slammed it shut behind me, leaning against it to keep any HLF members from getting me. “Stupid” wheeze“asthma!” It always acted up when I got any form exercise, whether it was working out, or running for my life. I stood with my hands on my knees panting until I caught my breath. I walked over to the gigantic AC unit and plopped down, using it as a back rest. I just sat there starring off into the distance, letting the adrenaline wear off and for my brain to start processing normally again. After sitting for a few minutes, I stood up and collected myself. “What the hell just happened?” I replayed the events of the past few minutes over and over again in my mind. Why is the HLF here? What do they want? I to a quick conclusion when the putrid smell of burning polycarbonate and synthetic wood came filtering up through the air. My fingers started trembling and my eyes watered as the realization came over me. “Oh my god. They’re burning down the building! All my stuff. The music, the guitars, the photo albums, my dad’s platinum slide! I’m gonna lose it all!” I then realized that I was on top of said burning building. My brain was thinking well enough to realize that I was in bad position. I rushed to the edge of the roof and peered over to see where the thick black smoke was billowing up from. It appeared to be coming from the second floor. I would have to plan my way around the flames, and quick, before they spread and engulfed the entire building. I shot back to the door I had come blasting through earlier, once more fearing for my life. My heart pounded, my legs ached, my lungs shrunk, and sweat rolled down my head as I descended the stairs to an uncertain fate. When I got to the fifth floor, smoke was rising through the stairwell. My only chance was the flight of stairs on the other side of the building. I pulled through the door and into the fifth floor hallway. When I finally got to the back stairwell, I could have jumped for joy that smoke wasn’t pouring out of its entrance. I resumed my descent into a fiery hell. By the time I got to the ground floor, the fire had engulfed the sole hallway to the exit. I stood there not knowing what to do. My lungs ached from the smoke and stress of fueling my body. I knew there was only one way out, but my every fiber in my body told me not to do it. In an act of pure stupidity, ignoring all rationality, I charged. “AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!!!!!” Like a warrior charging into battle, I ran through the flames in a dead sprint. I could see what was left of the doors in front of me, and the glorious yellow sky that lay outside of their boundary. Sadly, there was still another two hundred feet between me and freedom. The huge amounts of smoke I was sucking in with my rapid breaths were getting to me. I started slowing down, choking out. I had to get out of the inferno that surrounded me. My body said otherwise. My legs gave out, and I fell over gasping for air, unable to move any further. “So this is how it’s gonna end?” I took my last look down the tunnel of flames. Is something moving towards me? That was the last thing I thought before my eyes fluttered shut and I blacked out. *********************** I felt like I was floating through the darkest depths of space. The sound of silence surrounded me as I stared into vast emptiness. Thoughts rang out through my mind. “Where am I? Am I dead? Is this what death is like?” I recalled my last memory of being surrounded by smoke and fire in the hallway of my apartment building. “I must have died. There was nobody there to sa...” I interrupted myself as I remembered seeing something moving towards me just as I blacked out. There were noises beyond the clamor of my thoughts. They sounded like voices. Suddenly, I became aware of my body. I felt the cloud-like qualities of a mattress caressing my sides, the fire flowing through my lungs from the smoke I had inhaled, the smokey taste in my mouth, and a dull pain throughout all my muscles. I wiggled my limbs to make sure that I wasn’t dreaming and that my body still existed. The voices around me stopped, as if they had noticed my stirring. I opened my eyes to a cold, grey ceiling. I let out a gurgling cough. “Where am I?” A voice beside me answered. “You’re in Conversion Bureau number 227 sweetie.” I sat up and looked to the source of the voice. I jumped in surprise at what I found, immediately wincing from the pain of moving. Sitting next to me was a snow white pony with a rose colored mane. I had never actually seen a pony up close, only the images of Celestia. Despite the pain, I reached out to feel her coat in a pure state of curiosity. My fingers felt like they were pushing their way through an endless field of velvet fibers. Her reaction surprised me. She just stood there and let me feel her coat like it was something completely normal. With a quick blush on my face, I retracted my hand. “Who are you?” “My name is Nurse Redheart. How are you feeling sweetie? We got you out of that building just in time. You were unconscious when you were brought in here.” I took in a deep breath, wincing from the pain searing through my lungs. “Who brought me here? When I passed out I thought I was as good as dead.” “Silver Star brought you here. He’s one of the newfoals. You’re very lucky he found you. You inhaled near fatal amounts of carbon monoxide.” The thought that I was near death made me feel numb all over. I collapsed back on to the bed. “It’s okay if you don’t want to talk now. Get some rest; I’ll check back up with you in the morning.” “In the morning? How long was I out?” “Well, when Silver brought you in here it was around ten thirty. You were out for about eight hours...” “Eight hours!?!?” “For the first two hours you were in here you were fighting to stay alive. Your skin wasn’t severely burned, but your lungs had taken quite a bit of damage. We were very worried about you. Luckily, we were able to get you stabilized after a couple hours. Your vitals were improving, but you weren’t awake. I figured it’d be best to let you wake up by yourself. Anyways, get some rest, your body needs it. If you’re uncomfortable during the night don’t be hesitant to page me.” “Thank you, Nurse Redheart.” I paused as I contemplated another question. “Why was I taken here and not a real hospital?” Realizing that was probably insulting I quickly added, “No offense to you and your staff, of course.” Like that would help... “None taken, sweetie. I was surprised as well when Silver rushed in here with a human on his back. He said human hospitals wouldn’t help. Something about too many people waiting for treatment and not being able to afford them. I didn’t argue since I saw what terrible condition you were in. Get some rest now, you need it. Good night, sweetie.” “Good night, nurse.” She turned off the lights and left. I lay there thinking about how my day had gone. How I had no home, no possessions, and how I nearly lost my life. I was completely clueless as to what I should do next. Then it hit me... “I guess tomorrow is the day...”
Chapter 3: What's Within My HeartWhat's Within My Heart “Nooooooooooo!” I woke up with droplets of sweat tumbling over my forehead and into my ears. Another night, another haunting dream that leaves me restless in the morning. I shook it off like I did every morning that I wake up from that dream. I noticed the cubic room that I was in. I looked around frantically for the familiar surroundings of my room. The only things I saw were the dull, porous walls staring back at me. “Where am I?” Then everything came back to me. The HLF attack, the fire... I almost died... As I sat there with a growing dark cloud hovering over me, slowly recalling the events of the previous day, a particular white pony in a nurse’s cap trotted into my room. “I heard you yell. Is everything okay?” “Oh. Yeah. I just woke up from a bad dream. It’s no big deal.” “Well that was perfect timing, I was just coming to wake you up. I have to check your vitals to make sure you have recovered.” A puzzled look overtook my face. “I’ve only been here one night. How could I have recovered?” “One of the other nurses here is a unicorn. She placed a healing spell on you last night so you could heal.” I finally broke my morning trance and realized the fire coursing through my lungs was gone. I cautiously took in a deep breath, preparing myself for a surge of pain. It never came. My complexion immediately brightened with my new-found breathing ability. It felt great! As a matter of fact, breathing never seemed this pleasant or easy. Nurse Redheart saw me testing my newly refreshed lungs. “I take it your lungs feel better?” “They feel great! Better than they have in a long time.” “That’s very good to hear, sweetie. Now if you could lie on your back, I have a couple tests to run to make sure your lungs are fully healed.” Nurse Redheart performed various tests on me to find out if I was indeed in good health. I had never had so much medical attention in my life, with hospitals being so expensive. “It seems like your lungs have healed. That means you’re free to go, which brings up an important issue.” “What’s the problem?” “Technically, the bureau is not supposed to treat anyone who isn’t getting converted. But you were in such serious condition when you were brought in that no nurse in their right mind would throw you out.” “That is a problem.” “I know one solution. Although, I’m not sure what you might think about it.” I just sat there, my face as blank as a sheet of synthetic paper. She sensed my confusion. “You’re in a conversion bureau, sweetie. You can make an honest mare out of me if you decide to get converted.” My face turned beet red. Nurse Redheart eyes grew to the size of grapefruits, yet her pupils shrunk so they were no bigger than a pin. “Oh my! I... uh... um...” “It’s okay nurse. I know what you meant.” The worry lines on her face disappeared with my remark. “Well then, I’ll leave you be. Take your time figuring out what you want to do.” She trotted out of the room still wearing a blush on her cheeks. And with that, I was alone with my thoughts, much as I had been in the past month. They never brought me to a conclusion in isolation in my apartment. Then again, I never had to face the circumstances that I was facing at the moment. I had no home, no friends, no relatives, and no possessions. I had absolutely nothing to go to that could comfort me. The thought of being completely alone in the world made my eyes well up with tears. Even my own thoughts were of no help. I contemplated what Nurse Redheart said. I could get converted. What’s stopping me? I have nothing left here... That single realization caused me to break down into quiet sobs. I literally had nothing! If I left this city, there would be no evidence that I was ever here. I collapsed onto my back, with grief pulsing through my body and tears rolling down my cheeks. My blurry vision explored every little crevice in the ceiling until the tears from my eyes soaked in to the sheet beneath me. I don’t know how long I lay there. It was long enough for my tears to leave a salty residue on my cheeks. “This miserable world has nothing left for me!” I was finally able to answer the big question. Today is the day. With renewed vigor, I wiped off my face and got my lazy butt off the bed. I shook myself off and tried to hide the evidence of my crying. I walked out the door into a bright hallway. There were windows lining one side, and something just outside caught my attention. I glanced out, and my mouth dropped. Outside the windows, there was a lush garden full of the most beautiful flowers I had ever seen. There were vegetables of all kinds, reaching out of their mother Earth and stretching towards the sky. Aside from pictures, I had never actually seen this many plants in one place. In reality, there were hardly any places that were suitable for plant growth. The sight both baffled and amazed me. How could they grow all of this? The beauty! As I stood staring out the window with my mouth agape, until a cheerful pony trotted up beside me. “Excuse me, can I help you?” I turned to see a sea-foam green unicorn standing beside me. I looked at her, still slack-jawed and dumbfounded. Her mane was slightly lighter than her coat, aside from a streak of white on either side above the ear, and her tail was the same. Finally, on her flank there was a lyre. She bore a worried look. “Um, mister. Are you okay?” I finally shut the black hole that was my mouth and answered, stuttering to get something out. “Oh! U-uh... S-sorry about that.” I cleared my throat and regained my composure. “Yes, actually. I’m looking for the place to sign up for conversion.” She perked up immediately. “Perfect! My name is Lyra. I’m the receptionist. If you follow me this way, mister...” “You can call me Nathan.” “Nathan! Just follow me to my desk and I’ll get you checked in.” I followed the cheery unicorn down the hallway. I stared back at the garden through the window as we rounded a corner into a large lobby, and it disappeared behind us . I have to remember to ask someone about that amazing garden. I looked around the lobby. It reminded me of a doctor’s office from scenes I had seen in movies from my dad’s time. There were several ponies walking around to different hallways and rooms. This was the first time I had seen this many ponies in one place. Like the pictures of Celestia, the array of hues on each pony mystified and amazed me. There were a couple other humans sitting in some chairs along the wall. Like me, gazes were upon their faces as they watched the pastel ponies make their way around the lobby. In the center of the room there was a circular receptionist’s desk with a chair in the center. On it were several clipboards and pens neatly organized in a row with various papers clipped to them. Lyra used magic to open the door and sat down on her chair. Normally I would have been amazed by the display, but something was distracting me from it. What really caught my attention was that Lyra sat in her chair. “Wait. Why are you sitting? Don’t ponies usually curl up with their legs beneath them?” “I’ve always found it more comfortable sitting upright. My friend Bon Bon thinks I’m crazy, but that doesn’t stop me! Alrighty then. How old are you?” “Twenty. Why do you ask?” “Okay. We’re supposed to ask everyone their age since we’ve had some minors try to get converted without parental consent. I’m gonna need you to fill out this form and give it back to me when you are done.” Lyra surrounded one of the clipboards in her sky blue magical aura and whisked it over to me with a form clipped in it. I took it from her while it was suspended in midair. I felt a neat sensation when I reached into the field of magic. It felt like tiny sparks were jumping up my arm, yet like I was touching something of the utmost softness. With the clipboard in hand, I took a seat in one of the chairs along the wall. The form didn’t ask for much, just my name, date of birth, allergies and the reason for getting converted. That last question struck me particularly hard. I didn’t feel like diving into such personal matters, so I just answered “I’m sick of the human race”. While I was writing, I couldn’t help but think that this was like selling your soul to the Devil for supreme blues talent. Except in this case, it was signing my whole body and life away. I finished the form and handed it back to Lyra. “Excellent. Here’s how this is gonna work Nathan. You’re going to be taken into a conversion room and get converted. To warm you up to your new legs, you’ll then get a tour of the bureau. Finally you’ll be assigned assigned a room to stay in for your week here. During the week, you’ll be taking classes here to ready you for Equestrian life. When you are converted and have finished the prerequisite classes, you’ll be switched over to classes that will be appropriate to whatever type of pony you become: Earth, Pegasus, or Unicorn. After your week’s stay, you’ll be sent to Equestria! Any questions?” “How do I know what kind of pony I will become?” “There’s no way of knowing before hand. It’s determined by human genetics somehow, but that’s not my area of expertise. Any other questions?” “What’s the process like?” “It’s simple really. You go into one of the conversion rooms, take off all of your clothes, like down on a bed, and drink the conversion serum. You fall asleep almost immediately, and wake up a pony.” “That’s it?” “That’s it!” One thing I neglected to do while trapped in indecision was look up the process of getting ponified. Simple or not, I was nervous about going through with the actual conversion. “Does it hurt?” “I wouldn’t know personally since I’m from Equestria, but I’ve heard it is painless.” A wave of calm ran through my body. I never liked any procedures that involved any pain whatsoever. Especially if needless were involved. I avoided needles at any cost. “Thanks for the help Lyra.” “Not a problem. If you ever have any questions don’t hesitate to ask anypony. We’re all here to help your conversion be as smooth as possible. I’ll page Nurse Redheart to come get you.”
Chapter 4: White RoomWhite Room Lyra’s horn lit up a transparent sea-foam green. The light that encompassed it rippled like water gently hovering in mid air. Describing her magic as magical would be a lousy way to put it, but that was the only way my mind could possibly describe the phenomenon. There were simply no Earthly things that resembled magic, which is what made it so mystifying and amusing. A pinging noise from the intercom speakers filled the room. The simple sound had the powerful effect of stopping all of the people and ponies in the lobby, and turning the room’s attention to the coming announcement. “Nurse Redheart to front desk. Nurse Redheart to front desk.” The magical waves surrounding Lyra’s horn vanished. “She should be here shortly.” A few seconds later, Nurse Redheart trotted into the lobby beaming with cheer. “Hello again, Nathan! I take it you’ve made your decision. Follow me and I’ll take you to a conversion room.” “Here’s his form, Nurse.” “Thank you, Lyra.” “Good luck, Nathan! See you on the other side!” We all shared the parting laugh as I followed Nurse Redheart back down the hallway I had come from a short time ago. On our way to the room we passed by the window that I could see the garden from. Once again I was caught up in its beauty, so much so that my other senses seemed to stop working. I failed to realize that Nurse Redheart had stopped trotting and was turning around to say something to me. I finally noticed when I ran straight into her right as she was turning to face me. I hit her broadside and collapsed like a card tower in a soft breeze and groaned in pain. “Gaah.” “Are you okay, Nathan?” I answered, shaking off my daze. “Yeah, I’ll be alright. I have a bit of a tendency to get distracted at inopportune times. Are you hurt?” “I’m quite alright, sweetie.” I was surprised by how she barely budged when I rammed into her, and that she was unhurt. I didn’t think such a small being could be so stable. “How is a pony your size so solid? I feel like I ran into a wall!” “Four legs makes a difference; you will find that out pretty soon. Here’s the room!” We entered room number 1010. Nurse Redheart flipped the lights on, momentarily blinding me. I felt like I was trapped inside a cloud. All I could see was white. White ceiling, white walls, and a white floor. The only thing that stood out was a single metal examination table in the center of the room. “Who spilled bleach in here?” “We have to keep the room easy to clean from some of the fluids that result of conversion.” My stomach groaned in protest at the word “fluids”. “What exactly comes out during conversion?” “Sometimes people have internal injuries that they don’t know about, and the conversion process heals the body of them.” I made a face at her remark. “You mean to tell me that getting converted heals me of illnesses?” “Oh yes! We’ve had people come through with cancer, tumors, or other horrendous diseases. When they go through conversion, the body expels any scarred or diseased tissue.” If one were to walk into the room at that particular moment, they would probably assume I was do stretching exercise for my jaw. “It cures cancer?!” “Indeed it does.” I remember my father telling me how he felt when his grandpa died of leukemia when he was little. He was sure that he would live to see a cure to cancer. Somehow, he never did. There have been new and effectice treatments for various cancers, but they’re all in short supply, and only the highest bidders can get them. No one has ever “cured” the disease in any meaningful way. “Okay Nathan, I’m going to need you to undress and sit on the table.” For the umpteenth time that day, I turned beet red. “Uh. Un-dress...” Nurse Redheart saw the anxiety bubbling off of my body. “I can get you a paper gown if you’d like.” “Yes, I’d like that very much.” “I’ll be right back then.” I wouldn’t say I was a person who was often nervous about my body. In intimate situations it hasn’t been a problem, but taking my clothes off in a completely casual manner has always been awkward for me. Awkward, like asking someone to think of an awkward situation that doesn’t involve nudity. She returned with a paper gown draped over her back. “Would it be alright if you step out of the room while I change?” “Of course, sweetie, but you better get used to not wearing clothes.” She trotted out of the room leaving me, pants halfway down my legs, pondering what she had just said. Ponies are naked. All the time... Out of all the things I contemplated about pony life, I never really thought about how ponies lack clothing. Maybe I’ll get used to it? I shrugged and reluctantly changed into the gown. “I’m ready, Nurse.” She trotted back into the room pushing a cart along with her. On is, there was a flask filled with a purple liquid, and one small paper cup. “Okay, Nathan. This is your basic conversion serum. All you have to do is drink all of it at once and lie back on the table. You’ll fall asleep almost instantly. Hop up on the table and I’ll pour you a cup.” That was another thing I never could comprehend. How do ponies do stuff without magic or hands? “How exactly are you going to pour it? You don’t have hands.” “It’s simple! I just use my mouth.” I watched her delicately clamp her jaw down on the flask and tip it over, slowly filling the cup with the serum. I took the cup from her as she put the serum back on the cart. I lifted the cup to my lips to drink the content of the cup, but paused. “Nurse Redheart. What happens while I’m asleep? Do I just pass out and wake up a pony?” “Nearly every person that comes through here says they have a dream. It’s different for every one but most seem to have something to do with being a pony in Equestria.” I nodded. “Well, I guess it’s my time then.” And with that, I gulped down the serum and lay back on the table. “Mmm... Tastes like grape...”
Chapter 5: AngelAngel My eye were locked tight from the unknown surroundings. All I felt was the emptiness associated with falling into a void, which was a feeling I was all too familiar with. When I young, I always liked climbing things. My goal was always to get a better view of the area around me. I absolutely loved the feeling of being up higher than the rest of the land. The breeze in my hair, the blue sky surrounding me, the feeling of freedom I got from towering over the vast landscape. I was lucky to only have one accident. Unfortunately, that one time I fell was off the roof of my family’s house. The fall landed me in the hospital with broken ribs, wrists, and arm. The doctor told my mother I was lucky to have survived, but that the injuries rendered my bones too weak to climb anymore. I was six at the time. The first night in the hospital, I had a nightmare that I was falling down and empty void, which would always end with me slamming into the ground, waking me up. My crying woke many of the other patients around me. My mom had to hold and comfort me for nearly an hour just to calm me down. The worst part was that the nightmare kept happening; not frequently, but often enough to remind me how afraid I was of falling. I felt my facial muscles relax, allowing my eyes to open to the true horror I was in. On either end of me were limitless black voids that never seemed to change in size. It was my nightmare to a dime except that there were colors swirling in hypnotic patterns instead of complete black. These colors surrounded me on all sides and went off in either direction into the black oblivions like they were making a tunnel. They flowed in every direction, not knowing where they were going or why. Some of the color gradients reminded me of the soft, warm hues of a sunset; some were so violent and piercing they seemed to come right out of the wall towards me. I had never seen such beautiful mixtures of colors in my life. Beautiful colors or not, I was falling. Sweat formed on my brow as my breaths grew quick and short and my pulse quickened. Even though I there was no visible end to the tunnel, my hands shot up in panic to instinctually protect myself. However, instead of seeing my pasty white fingers, all I saw was a dark shade of yellow, almost like honey, covering my hand. Mouth agape, I slowly followed the new hue of my skin up my forearm, to my naked torso, down past my hips, and to the very tips of my toes. However, those thoughts escaped my mind as my eyes saw the fast approaching ground. Before I had time to react, I landed with a deep thud; my vision immediately went black. ========== My vision faded in. I was... running? The ground was passing by fast, but I certainly didn’t feel like I was running. I attempted to look down at my body, but my neck refused to budge. Instead of hearing the normal quarter note thump of my feet running, I heard clop noises in quick successions of sixteenth notes, three at a time then a rest. I’m... I’m galloping. I desperately wanted to stop and look at my new body, but my head and eyes remained unresponsive, as did the majority of my senses. It was as though I were observing the visions passing from my eyes to my brain from outside my being. All I could do was sit back and watch what passed through my field of vision. I was galloping through a field of vibrant green grass. I had never seen a green so full and pure. It looked soft and cool to the touch, but I couldn’t feel the sensation. It was like I didn’t fit in with the scene. Before I thought too deeply about it, I deep rumble joined the clopping of my hooves. Out of the corner of my vision I could see something joining me in my gallop. Buffalo? More and more buffalo poured into my field of vision, and from what I could tell by the sound, they were surrounding me. They didn’t stop getting closer. I panicked and tried vainly to change my course to not get run over, but right before I got trampled, they stopped. I realized, they were running with me! It was surreal. Not only was it amazing to see actual buffalo, I was running with them. The thundering of the hooves, the scenery rushing by, it was astounding to be apart of like it was fulfilling some instinctual need to be running with the pack. Yet it still didn’t feel completely natural to me, as if I didn’t fit in. In my observation of the scene around me, I had inadvertently spaced out and didn’t realize the buffalo in front of me were turning. By the time I realized why they turned, I was already flailing like a madman as I was falling into a gaping ravine. Once again, I slammed into the ground blacking out. ========== As I regained consciousness for the second time, I found myself... Nowhere... I was surrounded by endless black depths. My immediate reaction was to cringe in fear of falling through the color tunnel, but after a few seconds of nothing happening, I let out a hesitant sigh. I took a tabulation of all my senses. Gazing around the nothingness, as if expecting to find something I saw nothing but emptiness. It wasn’t dark, I could see my pony body perfectly. I was a warm shade of honey with a dark cherry tail hanging halfway down my legs. I wasn’t falling, or at least I didn’t feel like it, so I had to be on some form of ground. All I heard was my own breathing because of the lack of any other sounds. On the plus side, I wasn’t a smelly pony. My setting mystified me to say the least. This is definitely odd. “This is definitely odd.” What the hell?! “What the hell?!” I stood stunned, solid as a wall, as the voice echoed through the vast nihility. Something wasn’t right. I thought words, then heard them come out of nowhere around me, in my voice. I had to test it again. Hello? “Hello?” Echo! “Echo!” Piiiiiiiiigs innn spaaaaaace. “Piiiiiiiiigs innn spaaaaaace.” The booming echo of my voice reverberated through the space around me and into my very head. Where ever I was, I could hear my own thoughts. Alright. “Alright.” Think. Where can I be? “Think. Where can I be?” I paused, still not used to hearing my own thoughts reverberate around me. I strained to figure out where I was. Maybe the conversion went bad. Maybe I was dead, in limbo. If this was the “dream” everyone seemed to talk about, I felt like I was getting screwed. No matter how hard I though, I couldn’t come up with a conclusion where I was. The “place” made no sense, and it was starting to piss me off. Hmpf. I swear, I finally decide to get converted, and THIS is what I get. I’m dead and in limbo, hearing my own thoughts echo around me. A-HA! That’s it. I’m crazy, I’m not dead. The serum made me mad! How delightful. My anger welled as I ranted to myself, all the while my rants being amplified into my ears pushing the anger and volume further. What I failed to notice was my dark abyss of a room was slowly changing colors as I got more and more heated. ...SHIT FACED, HORSE COCK! As I finished swearing a blue streak at my luck the void around me lit up bright red as a beam shot out of my head in all directions. I looked up to see the energy being emitted from my head. It almost looked like the hazy skies of Earth, but red instead of the putrid shade of green. I must be a unicorn! With that possibility in mind, I attempted to control the beam emitting from my head. The problems was I had no clue how to do it, and my mind was starting to get foggy from the power it was putting out. I concentrated all my effort one last time to make the beam stop, but all for naught. The light seemed to be filling the room, which surprised me, as I assumed the space around me was infinite. Suddenly, the light and color around me shattered to reveal a bright blue sky, in which, I found myself falling. Again. This time however, I could see ground, and it was approaching fast. Oh god. There’s no way I’m surviving this one! The clouds rushed past me faster and faster as I rocketed towards the ground head first. I balled up in terror, my fear of heights taking control of my actions. I closed my eyes once I was close enough to pick out the individual leaves on the trees, preparing for impact. After several seconds of cringing, nothing happened. I still felt the air rushing past my face. Wait a minute. I don’t feel like i’m falling anymore... I opened my eyes, only to close and reopen them in disbelief of my situation I was flying. The feeling was unlike any other feeling I’ve had in my whole life. I could feel the wind whipping my mane around, the tiny finger-like wisps of wind that nestled each individual feather on the new appendages on my back. Each flap of my wings powered me forward, keeping me aloft for an ever increasing amount of time. I inhaled the air that supported me aloft, enjoying the unparalleled freshness. My lungs cheered in enjoyment. I gazed up in the sky, swooping into a climb as I did so. The sky was a clear blue; a color I have only seen on Earth in pictures from the olden days. There was no pollution thicken the sky and add its rancid smell and coloring. I exited the climb and looked over a vast field of daisies. The view from the height reminded me of when I would go on the roof of my house when I was younger. This time however, there was no smog to block the view. Yet there was so much more to actually flying. My feet were free of the ground, my body not bound by gravity’s pull, my soul free to roam wherever it pleased. The feeling of flight felt natural to me; I didn’t even think what I had to do to stay aloft. It felt like the sky was where I belonged. The testing of my newfound abilities had tired me to the point of exhaustion. The lactic acid that had built up on my virgin muscles began the scream for me to land. The thumps of my hooves hitting the ground rang out among the whispers of the wind through a field of wildflowers, the ground soft to the touch. My breaths came heavy and ragged. The flight, while tiring, was exhilarating for every inch of my body. I turned my head to observe my new apendages, which were folded up on my back. The silky yellow feathers were neatly nestled along the main structure that got thinner as it furthered from my torso. The protective oils of the feathers made their sunny color gleam in the bright light of the sun. Before I even thought about it, my wings unfurled themselves to their widest span. They truly were an extension of my body and mind. I marveled in the beauty of my wings. I felt whole with them, like I transformed into a complete being. No more limitations as to what direction I could go, no more gravity keeping me down. I was free. The earth and sky were mine to roam. I closed my eyes and started flapping slowly. More and more of my weight lifted off my legs as I quickened.the pace, gradually breaking free of gravity's constraints. The propulsion from my flapping flattened the grass beneath me as I lifted off the ground and ascended towards the heavens. I opened my eyes to look at the ground below me only to be blinded by a piercing, white light that surrounded me.
Chapter 6: Hello HoorayHello Hooray “Nathan?” A sweet sounding voice rose me from my slumber. “Wha?” I opened my eyes to find BLINDING WHITE walls surrounding me, the pain forcing them to clamp shut again. The pain from the piercing color helped put my mind back in order. As I slowly opened my eyes to shield them from the blinding light, I wearily looked around at my surroundings, straining my brain to remember where I was. I was still in the conversion room number 1010. I just got converted... As soon as that through processed through my head I snapped my attention down to my... “HOOVES!” If only I could have seen the look on my face. I suspect it was somewhere around that of a five year old boy riding a bike without training wheels for the first time, or in layman's terms, I was smiling like an idiot. “Congratulations, Nathan! You’re a pegasus!” “Wow, I am?!” As I excitedly spoke, my attention went to a new feeling on my back. I turned to face two honey colored spectacles of flight. They looked just like the ones in the dream. I gave them a test flap to make sure they were real. “Hold on there Nathan, lets get you walking first.” I warily looked at my hooves and then at the ground. “Well, here goes nothing.” When I initially said that, I never mean it literally. Unfortunately, my legs never got that memo. I hit the ground with a solid thud. “Are you okay, Nathan?” The fall left me with my head spinning and a sore jaw. “Guuuuuuuh.” As I shook off the pain, my mane whipped me in the face making me wince as my eyes lit up fiery red. I cringed as I answered Nurse Redheart. “I’ll be fine once I stop inflicting pain on myself.” “Oh it’s normal, sweetie. This happens to plenty of newfoals right after their conversion. Now let’s get you standing! Now slowly put your front legs directly underneath your body, then when they feel stable, bring your back legs up and slowly transfer some of your weight on them.” I furrowed my brow as I glanced at the floor, to my hooves, then to Nurse Redheart. She wore a smile that could make a cat take a bath. “Alright...” I brought my front hooves underneath my body, shaking as I transferred weight onto them. I held my breath as I put my rear legs in place and pushed up. “Am-Am I doing it?” “Yes you are Nathan. You’re standing!” I snapped open my eyes. “Ha! I did it. I’m standing!” “Now we just have to get you to walk.” The smile left my face as quick as a cat leaving a bath. “Uh... How do I do that?” Nurse Redheart furrowed her brow. “Hm... Well, Nathan, many ponies have said it sort of comes naturally.” “So... I should just try and walk?” “I guess that’s the best advice I can give you. Just put one hoof in front of the other.” Okay. Just like she said, one foot-er, hoof in front of the... Before I could finish my thought, I found myself paying a visit to my old friend the floor. “Ugh...” “Oh, keep trying, honey. You’ll get it!” This time, I was able to stand up easier, clumsy nonetheless however. All right! You can do this! I closed my eyes and gritted my teeth as I took a step forward with my front right hoof. My back, left hoof followed. Then the front, left, and the rear, right. I was doing it. I never actually thought of how a pony patterns their hoof steps. Like Nurse Redheart said, it just seemed to happen with no thought. My eyelids flew open, stars beaming out of my eyes. “Ha! I’m getting it.” “Very good, Nathan. Lets keep you cantering to the front desk and see how far you can get before falling.” I didn’t think I could make it all the way back to the lobby without crashing, especially since I liked to get distracted by the fabulous garden on the way. Low and behold I made my way there with only a couple close calls. It felt as if the nerves in my hooves were making more connections with my brain, furthering the process of making me whole. Nurse Redheart had trotted ahead of me, as she saw I was getting the hang of using my new appendages. By the time I wobbled into the lobby, Nurse Redheart had a chance to round up a small welcoming committee that consisted of Lyra, herself, and a few of other pony staff members I had yet to meet. The elated faces of the ponies greeting me brought a newfound warmth into my body. They must have been used to the routine of people walking in as humans, and walking out ponies, yet their delight for me still seemed authentic. The seafoam unicorn sitting behind the desk counter was the first one to speak up to me. “Congratulations Nathan! How does it feel to be a pony?” Unlike my father, I was never good at answering questions in front of a crowd, even if it was only a few people. “I-er-uh...” All I could manage was a dumbfounded stare at my unicorn friend. “He’s speechless everypony!” And with that, my reception disbanded leaving me, Nurse Redheart, and Lyra at the circular front desk. “So how do you feel?” The eager unicorn’s eyes beckoned to me for an answer. “Well. I feel. Different, to say the least.” My broken answer was interrupted by the hospital cap adorned pony who I had run into earlier. “Here’s his files Lyra. They’re all filled out for now, except for the name.” “Thank you Nurse!” “I’ll be seeing you later Nathan for a checkup to make sure you’re getting used to your new body.” Lyra and I watched Nurse Redheart trot off down the leftmost of three hallways exiting the lobby. “So what’ll it be?” “What?” “Your name, Nathan! What do you want to name yourself?” “I’m not really sure. I guess I didn’t expect I’d have to use a different name right away.” “Oh it’s alright, you don’t have to come up with one right now. Whenever you do come up with one, just find me and I’ll put it on your record!” “Will do.” I stood there, my small grin sagging as the speechless seconds ticked by. Lyra merrily looked back at me as the air thickened around us. “So... What do I do now?” “Well, since all you’ve seen is the infirmary, lobby, and conversion room, I can arrange a tour of the bureau to get you familiarized with the place you’ll be calling home for a week.” “That sounds nice.” “Now we just have to find somepony to show you around the building.” As if on cue, a cream colored mare with a deep ocean blue mane, with a cotton candy pink stripe down the center, and three pieces of candy on her flank, trotted into the room. She was walking around with her head held high like she didn’t have a care in the world humming a pleasant little tune. “Bon Bon, what perfect timing! I need you to give our new patient here a tour of the facilities and show him to his room.” Bon Bon smiled and looked at me. “With pleasure! And who exactly might I be giving a tour to today?” “My name is Nathan.” “Well Nathan, we’re very glad to have you here. If you’ll follow me, I’ll show you the ins and outs of the bureau. At the moment we’re in the lobby. This is the center of the building, so you’ll likely be going through here a few times a day.” Lyra interjected: “Don’t forget to say hi! It gets boring being at a desk all day.” Bon Bon chuckled. “Don’t mind her; she just doesn’t know how to stay still for more than a minute.” “You didn’t complain about that the time we were on the beach by ourselves and...” The next sensation Lyra experienced was the taste of Bon Bon’s hoof in her mouth. Lyra nervously looked over to Bon Bon. Her pupils had dilated, her normally cream face had turned the color of a tomato and she looked like steam was about to shoot out of her ears. “I told you never to talk about those things at work Not a word! Understand?” Hoof in mouth, Lyra nodded, her head sweating from the anger radiating off Bon Bon. Then, as if nothing had happened, Bon Bon’s pupils returned to normal size, face changed back to it’s original color and she removed her hoof from Lyra’s mouth all while wearing the happy-go-lucky smile she wore earlier. She picked up right where she left off. “The hallway behind the desk leads to the infirmary and conversion rooms, the hallway to the right leads to the common areas, classrooms, and gym, and the hallway to the left leads to the sleeping quarters and the library. If you follow me, I’ll start you off with the commons.” I bid a quick farewell to Lyra and followed Bon Bon down the hallway. “First thing we have here is a little meeting center. You can chat with people and ponies here.” There were several people and ponies lounging around on the couches watching tv, talking to others. “And here we have the classrooms where you’ll be learning about all things Equestria. When you finish the required classes here, if you are a Unicorn, you’re transferred down the hall to other classrooms. If you become an Earth pony, you go to the garden. Since you’re a pegasus, you’ll transferred to the gymnasium at the end of the hallway past the dining hall.” That was my chance to ask about the breathtaking garden. “How can you grow so many luscious plants there?” “It’s all the work of the Earth ponies. Some people get dejected when they find out they don’t have a horn or wings, but what they don’t know is that every Earth pony has a magic that connects them with the land and allows them to grown plants like nopony else. Some of the food used in the kitchen is grown there, speaking of which, here we are.” While paying attention to Bon Bon, I ceased to pay attention to where we were wandering. As I looked around the various people and ponies in the lunchroom, my observation was cut short. EERRRRRRRRR! With the events that had already transpired in this young day, I neglected to get any breakfast. “Seems like this is a good place to be.” “Well, it is breakfast time, and I haven’t eaten yet. We’ll resume our little tour after we eat.” I gazed around the lunch room more. It seemed like the typical cafeteria style. Grab a tray, jump in line, get your food, and find a place to eat at one of the tables that stretched halfway across the room. I jumped in line eager to get some breakfast. The smells circulating around the room enchanted my nose. Their fingers reached out from behind the counter and grabbed a hold of my nose and lured me towards their source. “What would ya like stranger?” I jumped in surprise. My mind had wandered too far into thoughts of eating the delectable treats. I looked up from the food and standing behind the counter was a pony with a light brown coat. His mane, which was cut short and almost entirely covered by a tall white chef’s hat, was several shades darker than his coat. Upon his flank was what appeared to be a frying pan. “Hello. I’m new here, what do you recommend?” “New, eh?” He turned around and faced the kitchen. “Hey Potts! We got another newcomer! Lets show ‘em what we can do!” “Be out in a sec!” Out from the kitchen popped a pony who looked exactly the same as the first, except he had a deep pot on his flank. The one with the pans faced me again. “Welcome to Conversion Bureau number two twenty seven! My name is Pahns, and this is Potts” “We’re twins!” “And the chefs for this humble bureau.” “We’re a dynamic duo that can whip up anything from almond butter...” “To zucchini stuffing!” I stared at the twins ponies with a contorted face. Their back and forth talking really got me off my bearings. “Wait. So who is who again? “I’m Potts.” “I’m Pahns.” “I have a pot for a cutie mark.” “And I have a pan.” Cutie mark... I’ll have to ask Bon Bon to explain that one to me. “Right... I guess that’s pretty obvious.” “Not a problem sir.” “Happens to the best of us.” It’s gonna take a long time to get used to this... “Now what do you want us to make?” “We’ll make anything you want!” “Your first meal must be special!” “Anything?” “Absolutely...” “...anything.” Sigh... As fun and energetic as they seemed, the back and forth twin thing was getting to me. It was blocking my ability to think straight. What’s something that I always enjoy? I thought back through my life. Food had never been an important part of my life. I loved my Mom’s garden grown food, but I didn’t remember much of that because I was so young when it stopped producing. Then it hit me like a virus hitting a Microsoft operating system. “Deep dish pizza!!!” I practically shouted that out to the whole lunchroom. But if there was one thing I remembered about food, it was Lou Malnati’s deep dish pizza. They went out of business around 2030, before I was born, along with most other restaurants that depended on organic foods. My dad always told me how he had fond memories of his grandmother bringing some home for him to eat after school. He loved it throughout his life. When they were going out of business, they made one final enormous batch of pizzas to be frozen. My dad was smart enough to save a lot of his royalties from Rising Sons, so he bought one hundred frozen pizzas. Whenever he told me this, I always laughed, but he was dead serious. We would eat a pizza, we would devote a whole day to the pizza. My dad was able to figure out how to prepare the pizza to the way he said they came when they were fresh from the oven. I loved it. The gooey cheese practically dripping off the sides. The aroma drowning me in a sensation of warmth and pleasure. Some of my friends called us crazy, but we just knew how to have a good time. I quickly realized how loud I’d been and shrunk in place to try to hide from the staring eyes. “Um, yeah. I’d like you guys to make me a deep dish pizza.” “A pizza it is!” “We’ll tell you when it’s done.” With that, they disappeared back into the kitchen. I stood there contemplating how to pass the time. I didn’t know anyone in the room except Bon Bon who was sitting across the room delicately eating what looked to be a sandwich with hay as the filler. As I glanced around the rest of the room I saw a hoof waving in what looked to be my direction. Its owner belonged to a pony whose mane was almost a snowy white, and his coat had a silvery sheen reminiscent of the bumpers of my dad’s old collector cars. His fluorescent yellow eyes were looking excitedly at me. Me? Author’s Notes: Credit to Lithe for coming up with the names of the cooks. Yay Lithe! Have some imagery! Image done by Nettles
Like Father, Like Son...Alarm Clock “Stupid alarm clock!” I awoke to the same noise, day in and day out, for the past year to the same question. “Is today the day?” I opened my eyes to be greeted by the dismal sight that was my apartment. Clothes lying on the floor, my dad’s old CD collection scattered around the ancient player, all being lit by the brown light seeping through dusty curtains. The only thing kept orderly was my guitar collection. Relics, from a time when music was actually made with instruments. Most of them were my dad’s back when he played in a band. You may have heard of them, ‘The Rising Sons’. My dad was the lead guitarist, Cooper Kase. They were one of the last bands who played real instruments. One of the last few bands who believed in making music with soul, passion, and the human touch. I remember him telling me stories about when he was young how his dad always played him music from his generation. He often talked about how he felt he was born forty years too late. He loved that music so much, he ended up playing it. His band got so famous they nearly led a revival in it. Sadly though, it was too late. All any business cared was about profit. By programming computers to make music, record companies wouldn’t have to split any profit with humans. My dad raised me on the same music and principals. I loved the music just as much as he did. By the time I was born, hardly anyone actually made guitars anymore. He had always been investigative in how things worked. He learned how to make the guitars and the parts himself. He even taught me. That is where I come in. Nathan Kase. A rock and roll kid born seventy years too late. Like father, like son...
