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The Conversion Bureau - The Return of the King

by Dan_s Comments

Chapter 16: 16) New Guardian, With Peanut Gallery

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The Conversion Bureau - The Return of the King
New Guardian, With Peanut Gallery by Dan's Comments
Disclaimer: My Little Pony is the property of Hasbro, Inc.
Godzilla is the property of Toho Company Ltd.


Cadence walked with the frightened colts and fillies who'd made the journey. She offered comfort that she could. She could feel their curiosity, dread and terror. But over it all, she could feel their love. They passed more masterpieces than existed in every museum in Equestria, yet they pressed on. Some stopped for a moment to gaze at a painting or sculpture, before bursting out with happy tears. Then they galloped a short distance to catch up with the herd. Their leader had eyes for nothing but his eventual goal. He cantered on, as if drawn by a path only he could see.

We destroyed all of this, Cadence thought, Why? What is so threatening about this? We've had 'mad artists' of our own. Couldn't Celestia have told that lie, and let us keep this?

Their leader slowed. He shied back. "I - I can't," he admitted.

Cadence looked at all the Newfoals who likewise seemed to have lost all their courage. Time for Cadence the Foalsitter! she thought and grabbed the leader by the scruff of the neck and dragged him, scrabbling hooves and all, into the room.

If the building was a temple to Human art, this was a holy of holies. Discord had made little homages to himself everywhere else. Signs indicating direction had Discord pointing, the bathrooms were labels with Discord, or Discord in a skirt. But here, he had touched nothing, as if realizing he was so outclassed, he didn't want to invite comparison. The very starkness of the room made the art stand out all the more. A few books in display cases, the sculptures were masterpieces each and every one. But the paintings, oh the paintings, Cadence thought, then fixed on one in particular, her jaw dropped, incidently dropping the terrified colt. He scrambled to join the cloud who sheltered in her wake and stared at the painting in religious awe.

Cadence approached, the Newfoals staying close behind her. "You knew?" she asked the oddly smiling woman in the painting, "You knew you'd win? We'd grind Humanity into dust and you'd make us you! You knew! You were what Celestia was so afraid of?"

Cadence fell over and laughed for the first time in months.
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Twilight recognized the Baltimare circle of mages. They were scattered among the huge crowd. Odd that Appleling, Fluttercorn, Pinkiecord and Rarity the Dragon are all accepted as part of the ceremony. 'To ensure the best of their friends carries over.' I want to tell them magic doesn't work this way, but I feel the power, she thought as the crowd sang a song together, even Godzilla was humming along.

She glanced at Fleetfoot who stood at her side, and Rainbow who lay quite a distance away. They both smiled. The pair had no misgivings or doubts. Twilight kept wondering if her sacrifice would spare Equestria, would somehow balance the scales between the two worlds. Am I good enough? she wondered, oddly it had been Discord who'd explained, 'None of these deeply flawed beings will demand you be perfect, except the idiots who never do anything themselves. And the humans have a tremendous ability to accept the apologies of the truly contrite. Accept their forgiveness, and their help. They also like a bit of weakness in their heros. Makes them 'more human." But can I really do what needs doing?

Fleetfoot nudged her, and pointed to her own ear.

Right, just listen to the song, feel it, like an Equestrian song, she thought and let the music take her away, and do what needed to be done.

It was the touch of Fleetfoot's mind that told her the spell was working. That awareness and Fleetfoot's boundless enthusiasm gave her confidence. She felt the touch of Rainbow's mind, and felt Rainbow's filly-like terror at messing this up. She felt both herself and Fleetfoot give Rainbow confidence. Rainbow relaxed, and let the magic do its work.
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Discord watched the goings on. He'd left the circle when he couldn't contain his giggles any longer. The humans had meshed Harmony and Chaos magic. And done it seamlessly, even made them complementary. He took a moment to consider and enjoy the absolute fit Celestia would have when she found out. But he realized there was someone else who would need to know.

He stood in the grove of the Tree of Harmony. He banished his encroaching Plunder Vines, he'd won, there was no need for trappings and scorecards. "Your champions have embraced Chaos magic, and managed not to reject yours. The plan to 'harmonize' the humans has failed and you, my old enemy, have failed utterly. You had sway for a thousand years. And this is what your champion of champions has wrought. You know what you must now give up."

The Tree agreed, then asked the question he'd hoped for.

"Oh, I am far stronger, and neither of the human avatars will allow their ascension," Discord replied.

The Tree then asked the final question Discord would have prayed for, had he believed in any power greater than his own. "Oh course," he assured the Tree, "Do you think I want to run the risk of becoming you?" He laughed.

He rolled up his arms and began his own spell. Knowing all attention would be drawn to the spell being cast on Newfoal Island. "And Equestrian will be nothing but a bad memory. Hello my Titans."
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The huge caterpillar burst out of the egg, and let out an aggrieved chirp. Even for so huge a creature, it sounded plaintive.

"You have to be a caterpillar first," Twilight told her, and heard Fleetfoot say the same.

"It is a normal process," Fleetfoot said, and Twilight said in chorus.

Godzilla let out a rumble, which Twilight was amazed she understood as 'It'll only be a few days in the cocoon.'

The sun rose above them, and Twilight some how knew Celestia looked down upon them, and was appalled.

She also knew what her mentor would do next. "Celestia will mass the guard, of both Equestrian and the Crystal Empire." Fleetfoot said the same.

Godzilla growled low again, 'What 30000 troops, against what you've seen here? It will take days to coordinate. Or she'll send them over in easily dealt with penny-packets.'

Twilight felt her very humanlike jaw drop.

Godzilla frowned at her and chuffed his response.

"There's no reason for that kind of language," Fleetfoot said, and Twilight repeated.

The answering growl was more eloquent. 'Amateurs study tactics, professionals study strategy, experts study logistics. Celestia is an amateur: 'if the troops win every battle, I win the war."

She looked at Fleetfoot and both 'realized' together he had a point.

"This two linked minds stuff is confusing," they said, and laughed.

Then Fleetfoot looked at one of the group of stallions who'd been hanging around since their transformation into butterfly-winged bipeds. The stallions had grins that made Twilight's knees knock, then Fleetfoot gave a smile of her own and approached the crowd.

"Fleetfoot, you wouldn't!" Twilight exclaimed, and Fleetfoot said it too.

"You know better," she said, as did Twilight, as Fleetfoot scratched under the chins of two of the stallions. "With no Spitfire around, you better believe it."

As Twilight said the words, she felt Fleetfoot's frustration at always being the odd mare out. She still shuddered at the thought even as she blushed.

"Well, come on," Fleetfoot urged, "Honey, you're going to be part of this, whether you're there or not." Twilight could barely manage the words she was stammering so hard.

"I was trying to save myself for somepony special," Twilight said, and heard from Fleetfoot.

"Magic powers linking all the web of life, remember? Why do you think I picked them?" Fleetfoot said, and Twilight repeated.

One of the mouth-watering, absolutely stunning, heart shattering, utterly adorable stallions turned to look at Twilight. Her knees shook, her eyes watered at how gorgeous he was, how soft and intelligent his eyes were, how his lean muscled body cried out to be held and to hold a mare, how his -

"I have a Master's Degree in Library Science, and a Bachelors in History and Ethnology," he said, "I'm working on a doctorate in Equestrian Studies and Magic Theory."

"That's why you're single, bro," the other stallion said.

"Not anymore," Twilight and Fleetfoot said, though with very different inflections.

Rainbow looked at Fluttercorn and Godzilla for help with spinning a cocoon.

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