History Fridge / TheConversionBureauTheOtherSideOfTheSpectrum

* [[ForWantOfANail Just what if someone else was sent to Canon!Equestria instead of Marcus?]] Of course, it could have someone just as levelheaded as him, such as Stephan. Or it could have been [[AxCrazy Kraber]]... good Lord, [[KillEmAll now ''that'']] [[RoaringRampageOfRevenge would be a bloodbath]].

* [[ForWantOfANail Just what if someone else was sent to Canon!Equestria instead of Marcus?]] Of course, it could have someone just as levelheaded as him, such as Stephan. Or it could have been [[AxCrazy Kraber]]... good Lord, I can see the bloodbath that would be.

--> '''All except Fluttershy''': "Stop the bats! Stop the bats! Make them go and not come back! Stop the bats! Stop the bats! Make them go and not come back! Stop the bats! Stop the bats! Make them go and not come back!." [[note]]Now replace the word "Bats" with Humans.[[/note]]

* This may be a bit of a stretch, but remember [[http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Quotes/TheConversionBureau that citation on the quotes page for ''The Conversion Bureau'']] which suggested that the world of TheDraka (itself often considered one of the few things worse than anything found in ''Warhammer40K'', horrific afterlife notwithstanding) would still be preferable to that of a typical TCB setting? Well, let's take this one step further by comparing it to the universe of PeterWatts's ''{{Blindsight}}'', possibly the most depressing science-fiction novel ever written. (The fact that the book opens with the dedication "If we are not in pain, we are not alive" says a lot about the author's worldview.) In a CosmicHorrorStory where a crew of transhuman astronauts are sent to make FirstContact with an alien vessel, you expect a message about humanity being ill-suited to survive in the black gulf of space, but here, it isn't for the reasons you'd think:

* According to [[spoiler: Canon!Discord, there are ''numerous'' Tireks across TheMultiverse, [[BadGuyWins some of whom are in total control of their worlds]] (the bag Queen Celestia uses is the only one that has been able to breach the fabric of reality)]]. Cue the OhCrap...

-->[[spoiler: "Exactly," Celestia nodded, shivering from the memory of what had happened to the other version of her precious student, and what that implied for the other Elements. Oh, it would either be a miracle or an unparalleled cruelty if their true personalities resurfaced completely sane! She struggled not to think about their adjustment back into society, if —no no, there was no if, there had to be a when — they managed to free them from her dark self's interests. She foresaw mass suicide, insanity-]]

* According to [[spoiler: Canon!Discord, there are ''numerous'' Tireks across TheMultiverse, some of whom are in total control of their worlds (the bag Queen Celestia uses is the only one that has been able to breach the fabric of reality).]] Cue the OhCrap...

** Jossed. [[spoiler: The "darkness" is just a huge field around Nightmare Moon and the Queen; the rest of the city is still in daytime.]]

** Briefly acknowledged in Chapter 23, where Marcus's nightmares include a vision of Lyra wearing the glass-eyed look and empty smile of the Converted.

* The mention of [[FantasticRacism Catseye]] (a pony who ''hates'' humans and shares views similar to the newfoals) brings up a horrifying realization. She's probably not the only speciesist pony out there...some of the ponies fighting against the humans and forcibly converting them may be doing this '''''of their own free will'''''.

** And with regards to the Newfoals'' inability to get cutie marks of their own, it's shown that they're {{Extreme Doormat}}s that are so completely drained of free will that Acevedo even wonders if they even possess any kind of higher brain functioning. Without those things, it's no wonder the Newfoals [[CreativeSterility wouldn't be able to make the realization]] that's needed to earn a cutie mark.

** Continuing from that line of thought, Newfoals don't have enough free will to refuse. So there's a long list of horribly depraved sex acts they could be made to do. Now consider the possibility for marital abuse, or even post-war prostitution Newfoals might be forced into given that Equestria is ''dreadfully'' underprepared to support a population of billions.

* [[HollywoodTactics Some of the Empire' tactics don't seem to make much sense]].

** Now that few people willingly go to them any longer, do the Conversion Bureaus left on Earth (that will be destroyed by the Barrier along with other man-made structures, unless they were built from Equestrian materials) have any other purpose than serving as the hub for portal stations?
** FridgeBrilliance kicks in if you assume that [[spoiler: the Bag of Tirek is deliberately encouraging harmful tactics to cut down on the number of native-born Equestrians who could be freed from their mind-control and turn against Queen Celestia]].

** [[spoiler: It turns out that the StarfishAlien "scramblers" are intelligent without being sentient – human self-awareness is an evolutionary dead end, causing the zombie-like aliens to interpret concepts picked up from our broadcasts such as "identity", "empathy" and "compassion" as incomprehensible resource-wasting signals akin to a virus. In other words, this is a world where the polar opposite of ''Friendship is Magic'''s philosophy is true, humans are the abominations, and mechanistic lifeforms the norm in a cold, uncaring universe. Now, the scramblers sound a lot like Newfoals ("movin' and talkin' and playin' like it were alive'"), right? But get this – unlike Newfoals, the scramblers are at least thinking, independent beings. And even worse, it's heavily implied that the Newfoals do have some flicker of self left at the back of their minds, [[AndIMustScream constantly enduring the pain of their enslavement]]. In ''{{Blindsight}}'', two of the astronauts contemplate that mankind could be saved from extinction by engineering itself into non-sentience, before dismissing the idea ("But I guess that wouldn't be much of a win, would it? What's the difference between being dead, and just not knowing you're alive?"). Yet ponification is a FateWorseThanDeath]]. So, which universe would you rather live in?

** Now that sounds like something right out of a PeterWatts novel.

** [[spoiler: The Bag]] probably thought TCB!Lyra was weak/not powerful enough to use as a tool to carry its revenge out.

** And with regards to the newfoals' inability to get cutie mark of their own, it's shown that they're {{Extreme Doormat}}s that are so completely drained of free will that Acevedo even wonders if they even possess any kind of higher brain functioning. Without those things, it's no wonder the Newfoals [[CreativeSterility wouldn't be able to make the realization]] that's needed to earn a cutie mark.

* If Queen Celestia is killed, just what will happen to the newfoals? Will they be freed from the control? Or will they suddenly lose [[DrivenToSuicide their will to live]]?

** Continuing from that line of thought, Newfoals don't have enough free will to say no. So there's a long list of horribly depraved sex acts they could be made to do. Oh, the marital abuse that will ensue... or, continuing from that line of thought, the possible postwar prostitution newfoals might be forced into given that Equestria is ''dreadfully'' underprepared to support a population of billions.

** It gets even worse when you realize that his idea of a party cannon is [[http://img4.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20140203121057/mlp/images/7/7b/Cheese_on_top_of_cannon_S4E12.png something that is about the size of a house.]]
* May count more as Fridge TearJerker, but to expand on the previous example, think of the friends and relatives of the TCB!Mane Six who've not been mentioned so far — Twilight Velvet and Night Light, the extended Apple clan, Magnum and Pearl, Maud Pie and the rest of Pinkie's family, Prism Flash [[note]]the name of Rainbow's father in this fic[[/note]], Mr. and Mrs. Cake, et cetera. How do these people feel about their loved ones personally overseeing the destruction of a whole other species?
* Some of the native TCB!Equestrians are already considering using the potion on the other remaining sapient species of Equus once the Solar Empire has finished subjugating Earth. This is already a whole new level of nasty, but it gets even worse considering that the true reason for Queen Celestia's campaign to "perfect" the universes via ponification lies in [[spoiler: the machinations of the Bag of Tirek, which aims to enslave every living being to its maker's will. Although the ponies of TCB!Equestria have, indeed, nearly all been brainwashed, they are shown to still be capable of being freed from their mental chains, unlike the Newfoals who are bound by their very souls]]. With that in mind, as well as the Tyrant's plans to weaponize the Newfoals in the face of the growing resistance against her, how long will it be until she decides to turn the potion against ''the ponies themselves''?

* Some of the native TCB!Equestrians are already considering using the potion on the other remaining sentient species of Equus once the Solar Empire has finished subjugating Earth. This is already a whole new level of nasty, but it gets even worse considering that the true reason for Queen Celestia's campaign to "perfect" the universes via ponification lies in [[spoiler: the machinations of the Bag of Tirek, which aims to enslave every living being to its maker's will. Although the ponies of TCB!Equestria have, indeed, nearly all been brainwashed, they are shown to still be capable of being freed from their mental chains, unlike the Newfoals who are bound by their very souls]]. With that in mind, and given the Tyrant's plans to weaponize the Newfoals in the face of the growing resistance against her, how long until she decides to turn the potion against ''the ponies themselves''?

* Well, now its confirmed that [[spoiler: all of the TCB!Mane 6, the Royal Guards, and most of Equestria were brainwashed by the Queen]]. Assuming whether or not [[spoiler: Princess Celestia is able to free them from the Queen's control]], just [[DrivenToMadness how]] [[DrivenToSuicide will they]] [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone re]][[VillainousBreakdown act]] when they realize what they have done to the humans?

** Acknowledged in chapter 21:
-->[[spoiler: "Exactly," Celestia nodded, shivering from the memory of what had happened to the other version of her precious student, and what that implied for the other Elements. Oh, it would either be a miracle or an unparalleled cruelty if their true personalities resurfaced completely sane! She struggled not to think about their adjustment back into society, if - no no, there was no if, there had to be a when - they managed to free them from her dark self's interests. She foresaw mass suicide, insanity-]]

* {{Extreme Doormat}}s don't make for good parents, either, as ''Fanfic/TheConversionBureauConquerTheStars'' showed. Will the Newfoals' children be the same as them, and slowly turn Equestria into a non-functioning quasi-ZombieApocalypse scenario, where every pony is just a completely blind worshiper and slave of an [[MadGod insane goddess]]? ''Or''.... Will their kids be born normal and with the full range of emotions, and at the mercy of utterly inept parents that are unable to raise them with the right amount of care and discipline? It's hard to tell which is a worse prospect.
** To expand on the ''[[Fanfic/TheConversionBureauConquerTheStars Conquer The Stars]]'' example, here's what we're talking about - one of the protagonists, Firebird's parents are Newfoals, which made them total doormats who were unable to deal with their daughter's [[FieryRedhead fiery]] and sometimes [[AxCrazy violent]] personality, given that they lost their capacity for anger and their ability to be assertive. They also couldn't come to terms with her cutie mark (two swords crossed over a shield, which she earned by [[BullyHunter defending someone from a gang of bullies]]), and it's implied Firebird feels cheated out of being born a human, and carries a large chip on her shoulder because of this. ''This is a best-case scenario''... Think about how bad it could be for Equestria if the majority of the next generation are raised by PushoverParents who are so horribly inept, and unable to handle conflict or assert themselves, and just end up spoiling their children rotten. [[SpoiledBrat Spoiled children]] don't exactly develop well mentally. Neither do children with personalities that are far more forceful than their parents'.
* Oh, it's even worse than that: It's vaguely implied by Trixie in ''The Answer Part, 1'' that besides [[NightmareFuelStationAttendant ev]][[StepfordSmiler er]][[UncannyValley y]][[TranshumanTreachery th]][[CreepyChild in]][[BrainwashedAndCrazy g]] else we know about the Newfoals, there's [[UpToEleven something else wrong with them, on a deep fundamental level, that's somehow related to their inability to receive Cutie Marks]]... and '''it's spreading'''. Equestria may look unstoppable to the humans, but it's possible there's something dreadfully wrong with the native magic of the land, if Granny Smith's [[NightmareFuel nightmarish description]] of TCB Equestria in ''The Writes of Passage'' is of any indication. [[spoiler: Or could the lack of cutie marks be Celestia's (and the Bag of Tirek's) fault, thanks to her horrible brainwashing of all of Equestria? A Cutie Mark is supposed to be a representation of someone's true self and talents... and what could the MindRape do but suppress the ability of native Equestrians to be themselves?]]

* Also counts as InUniverse FridgeHorror: sometime after his fight with the Canon!Mane 6, Marcus realizes that if he did kill them, he would have continued his rampage, easily torn through other nearby towns, mistaking other ponies as their TCB counterparts and killed them as well. Even more, he would've gone straight to Canterlot and kill the Princesses, in his misguided attempt to avert the war! And in the process of it all, [[NiceJobBreakingItHero he could've thwarted]] what could have been humanity's last hope for survival.

* [[spoiler: The Bag of Tirek]] itself is a huge bundle of Fridge Horror. It contains horrific darkness and evil within it, and clearly [[spoiler: corrupted Queen Celestia into the xenocidal tyrant Marcus knows her as, as well as possibly brainwashed the rest of Equestria]], not to mention it also was an instrumental tool for the eradication of the TCB Universe's [[spoiler: changeling population]]. Even [[spoiler: Discord]] expresses a degree of fear and disgust for the evil power it contains (in his own words, he couldn't even put a dent in it), so much so that [[spoiler: he pulls an EnemyMine with the princesses to help them stop it.]] Just how powerful is that thing?! And moreover, could it even be sentient in some way, deliberately committing xenocide against the humans and the other species living in Equus? If so, it could be the biggest monster of the story!!

** Addressed in Chapter 15: War March and Past Sins, [[spoiler:the human converts' souls are shattered and bound in chains to Queen Celestia's will. There is no cure for this either; only [[MercyKill death will make their souls whole again and set them free]]. Which means that after the war, soldiers — and possibly even civilians pressed into service — will be forced to kill newfoals en masse.]] The [[HeroicBSOD aft]][[MyGodWhatHaveIDone er]][[{{Tearjerker}} ma]][[DrivenToSuicide th]] will '''not''' be pretty.
* For those who've seen ''Film/PacificRim'' - remember how Guillermo Del Toro actually [[RealityEnsues addressed the societal implications]] of what happens if much of the world (i.e in the film's case, coastal regions at the Pacific Ocean) becomes uninhabitable? For example, simple things like bread are seen as a luxury, people are willing to work dangerous jobs for food rations, and there's an implied social divide between the wealthy and the rest of society with the rich getting special treatment in the wake of the monster attacks. Now, think about it in the context of this story - the barrier has wiped out Europe and is near Maine. ''Just how much of the world is uninhabitable or unable to produce food and other commodities''? How would all the WarRefugees survive in the Americas, the Pacific, and Australia (and anywhere else the barrier hasn't reached)? How malnourished are the survivors? What effect would this have on the economy? Is there even an economy? How do people actually produce basic necessities to live? Dear God, being a refugee on this Earth must suck worse than almost any period in recent history...
** With such food shortages being noted, just how far would some people go for [[ImAHumanitarian a decent meal]], or maybe some are even trying to make a meal out of fresh newfoals?

* Related to the above example - remember the state of South Africa at the end of ''Fanfic/TheConversionBureauNotAlone''? How the whole country is in total disarray over much of the population being displaced by the barrier's expansion and suffered a staggering loss of infrastructure, as well as [[InferredHolocaust possibly collapsing economically]] after the war? And how it's rapidly [[DayOfTheJackboot turning into a fascist hellhole]] because of these factors, along with the rampant paranoia and distrust of the ponies left behind on Earth? Well, apply that to this story - the barrier has wiped out Europe and sections of Africa and Asia. There are also some areas that were nuked (Washington DC and North Korea). Even if Earth and Canon!Equestria win in the end, just how will humanity, civilization and society in general recover from the war? No matter what, humanity can probably only hope for a very BittersweetEnding PyrrhicVictory at best.
* It's very clear [[MadOracle Bon Bon]] is ''very'' [[BreakTheCutie badly]] [[DrivenToMadness mentally]] scarred and traumatized from her ordeal. Will she ever be able to recover, or will she just be a gibberish spouting emotional wreck MadOracle for the rest of her life?

* It's not elaborated on, but Marcus mentions that ponies living in parts of Earth consumed by the Barrier are "Equestriaforming" the environment. Also, Acevedo wonders (but never gets an answer) what happens to animals touched by the barrier. How many animal and plant species are doomed by what happens behind the barrier, and just ''how'' are they doomed? Do they simply die off if they're unable to adapt, or undergo quasi-conversion of their own?

** {{Jossed}} - [[spoiler: Megan ''did'' go to Dream Valley, but she (along with Danny and Molly) swore to never speak of it.]]

* In ''Literature/WorldWarZ'', there was the character, Terry Knox, one of the astronauts who chose to stay in the International Space Station in order to help keep communication satellites in orbit and maintain them. The situation on TCB!Earth is not too different, with humanity at war against a xenocidal tyrant who wants to turn everyone into something that acts almost exactly like a zombie. With military forces still fighting below, ''[[ButWhatAboutTheAstronauts someone]]'' [[ButWhatAboutTheAstronauts has to keep the communications satellites working]]. So if the barrier were to engulf the world [[spoiler: or the nukes at the Yellowstone volcano go off]], those astronauts would be ''the last living humans in the universe'' and not for very long, since they would die slowly from radiation exposure and lack of supplies.

* An [[MagicAIsMagicA explicit feature]] of transformation magic in the setting, regardless of intent, is that permanent transformation of one creature into another is impossible unless the transformee's soul is "bound in chains." While it's safe to say ponification potion wasn't involved in this particular instance, how is it that [[spoiler: The Doctor]] is still himself despite turning into a pony?

* In [[VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoV Micheal, Trevor, Franklin, and Lester]]'s first appearance, they mention that they are being paid by the PHL to fight with them. With all the resources going to the war effort (and as a result, the production of consumer products such as electronics and new sports cars stop), just what are they planning to use that money for?
** Presumably? Maybe they're GenreSavvy enough to know someone might just pull a miracle out of their ass to destroy the barrier and defeat TCB Equestria after all and are simply investing.

** And with regards to the newfoals' inability to get Cutie Marks of their own, it's shown that they're {{Extreme Doormat}}s that are so completely drained of free will that Acevedo even wonders if they even possess any kind of higher brain functioning. Without those things, it's no wonder the newfoals [[CreativeSterility wouldn't be able to make the realization]] that's needed to earn a Cutie Mark.

-->[[spoiler: “Exactly,” Celestia nodded, shivering from the memory of what had happened to the other version of her precious student, and what that implied for the other Elements. Oh, it would either be a miracle or an unparalleled cruelty if their true personalities resurfaced completely sane! She struggled not to think about their adjustment back into society, if-no no, there was no if, there had to be a when-they managed to free them from her dark self’s interests. She foresaw mass suicide, insanity-]]

* For those who've seen Film/PacificRim - remember how Guillermo Del Toro actually [[RealityEnsues addressed the societal implications]] of what happens if much of the world (i.e in the film's case, coastal regions at the Pacific Ocean) becomes uninhabitable? For example, simple things like bread are seen as a luxury, people are willing to work dangerous jobs for food rations, and there's an implied social divide between the wealthy and the rest of society with the rich getting special treatment in the wake of the monster attacks. Now, think about it in the context of this story - the barrier has wiped out Europe and is near Maine. ''Just how much of the world is uninhabitable or unable to produce food and other commodities''? How would all the WarRefugees survive in the Americas and its surrounding islands? How malnourished are the survivors? What effect would this have on the economy? Is there even an economy? How do people actually produce basic necessities to live? Dear God, being a refugee on this Earth must suck worse than almost any period in recent history...

** Jossed. [[spoiler: The "darkness" is just a huge field around Nightmare Moon and the Queen, the rest of the city is still in daytime.]]

* In ''Literature/WorldWarZ'', there was the character, Terry Knox, one of the astronauts who chose to stay in the International Space Station in order to help keep communication satellites in orbit and maintain them. The situation on TCB!Earth is not too different, with a barrier consuming half of the world and a xenocidal tyrant who wants to turn humanity into something that acts almost exactly like a zombie. With military forces still fighting below, ''[[ButWhatAboutTheAstronauts someone]]'' [[ButWhatAboutTheAstronauts has to keep the communications satellites working]]. So if the barrier were to engulf the world [[spoiler: or the nukes at the Yellowstone volcano go off]], those astronauts would be ''the last living humans in the universe'' and would die slowly from radiation poisoning and lack of supplies.

* If the potion works via contact with the skin then why are there no mentions of Humans wearing HazmatSuits? Surely if they worked such suits would have been mass produced for every last man, woman, and child.

* TCB!Twilight Sparkle was married to Stalwart Heart, Marcus' ponified brother. TCB!Rainbow Dash is also rumored to be in a relationship with Lightning Dust. [[spoiler: And now it's known that not a one of the Elements of Harmony has had any control over their actions in a long, long time. Rainbow Dash is watching herself having sex with a pony she hates. Twilight was forced to live out encounters with her newfoal "husband," while knowing [[BodyHorror what]] [[TestedOnHumans it took]] [[ANaziByAnyOtherName to personally create]] the potion that turned Jacob Renee into a perpetually smiling doormat that sings her praises everyday. The dark personalities implanted in their minds have ruled the girls' bodies, actions and words for years, [[QuestionableConsent thus just about every sexual encounter any of the TCB!Mane Six have had is completely without consent]]. A minimum of two of the TCB!Mane Six have been regularly subject to rape]].

* TCB!Pinkie Pie uses her party planing expertise to lure large crowds of Humans together to be potioned en masse. If Pinkie Pie is using her partying for evil, then God knows what [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS4E12PinkiePride Cheese Sandwich]] is doing with his party planning skills [[spoiler: assuming he has been brainwashed by the Queen]].
** It gets even worse if you realize that his idea of a party cannon is [[http://img4.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20140203121057/mlp/images/7/7b/Cheese_on_top_of_cannon_S4E12.png something that is about the size of a house.]]