MLP conversion Bureau discussion.

And cue Discord soiling himself and begging for mercy.

Nah, Discord's in the Bahama's in Universe-783-AFE, chilling with a drink and shades. And he's got a window in space so he can watch the beautiful, gorgeous chaos...

Point. If I were Discord, that is what I would be doing.

Or he would be helping the Doctor, because all the good-doing will be causing oh so much chaos, and we know how much he likes that. Then, after a while, the two of them go for drinks and become great friends.

And so, the Doctor gained a new companion.

To quote Demon's Run:
The Doctor: Look, I’m angry now. That’s new. I’m really not sure what’s going to happen now.
Madame Kovarian: The anger of a good man is not a problem. Good Men have too many rules.
The Doctor: Good men don’t need rules. Today is not the day to find out why I have so many.

Or perhaps for Celestia, it's "today you'll find out why I have so many"

And Richardson? What he did to the Family of the Blood would be considered lenient in comparison. As for reversal I recall when Rose got bodyjacked in the hospital, and the Tenth trying to be calm, mentioning the brain is a delicate thing. From 'The New Earth' (First episode with the Tenth)

DOCTOR: And I'm being very, very calm. You want to be aware of that. Very, very calm. And the only reason I'm being so very, very calm is that the brain is a delicate thing. Whatever you've done to Rose's head, I want it reversed.

Just another odd thought of mine, I don't think I've seen this sort of idea pop up before (though admittedly I could be wrong).

TCB AU: Signal (Music: Arrival to Earth by Steve Jablonsky)
The IHSA, PER and HLF represent but a tiny fraction of humanities dwindling population. Among those people left unponified (despite the PER's "best" efforts) a conspiracy takes root among people who were once the top IT managers for telecommunications companies, using their backdoor access to the powerul AI's still running the communications systems they quietly take over the unused radio/microwave/laser/etc trancievers around the world and in orbit to transmit a plea for help to the stars in the hopes that some intelligence out there will hear them. The message explains their situation, their attempts to get off the planet only to be sabatoged by the PER again and again.

When the rest of the world finds out about this message it's treated like a joke among humans and ponies.

The laughter stops when replies start coming back.

Then the laughter comes back with a hysterical edge as alien ships start appearing in orbit.

Thought 1: In this story the Earth might have been under observation for quite some time with the alien(s) using a form of self-replicating probe to setup a automated observation post or a hundred to watch the Earth optically and electronically (radio broadcasts, etc) from a safe distance. The reason they haven't done anything till now is simply because they weren't sure what was happening (that whole "The thing about Aliens is, they're Alien' goes both ways).

Thought 2: The message beamed out would have been programmed to repeat for a year or so, if no reply was received in that time the AI's would have switched to Plan B where the message along with the sum total of human knowledge along with a warning about the ponies would be beamed to as many different stars as possible (in the time remaining) so that something of humanity might survive.

Cross posting this due to relevance:

Thanks for that disturbing image.

Well, makes me feel real nice knowing I usually root for Humans over the Ponies any day of the week.

Whatever you say about us humans, but at least we don't do that crap.

It's not any better realizing it in the first place, but it helps explain the normal want to write a HFY story after discussing TCB...

Holy shit, this needs to be written. Hell, you could get a lot of mileage out of this idea just by branching off from the point of ships arriving; the story would differ drastically just by changing up what kind of aliens arrive. Near-humans that differ only in some minor internal detail? Rubber-forehead aliens? Little grey men? Swarms of interstellar locusts? Eldritch abominations? Each option would play out very differently from the others.

Alternatively, all or most of the above. They would have managed to work out a serious business multi-species alliance/federation in the face of more aggressive states. The news that someone's picking on the small fry wouldn't be greeted with enthusiasm.

Or have them all turn up because they were watching Earth for there own reasons and are shocked at the other races keeping an eye on the new kids.

Or, turn it into a cross. Have them be a recognizable species, maybe one that was canonically observing Humanity. Like, the Vulcans.

Or the Pierson's Puppeteers if you want to go for the "they don't respond until after its too late, but avenge us" route.

Now think of the stories that could be written if you went with my second thought for the above idea. Here we have an alien species thats far enough along technologically to receive these transmissions but not advanced enough to help, all thy can do is turn their radio telescopes toward the point of origin for the signal and listen/watch as a civilization is wiped out.

Now how would they respond if a similar barrier appeared on their own world?

Or if these aliens became advanced enough to make the journey to Earth, what would they find? How would they react to the ponies?

Maybe the Barrier/Equestria could be the solution to Fermi's Paradox......

Even better, the fracking Cylons.

I wonder what a Basestar will look like after all those aeons of innovation...

The universe hopping is a big trick. Big things notice.
Big things like the Q. The Q give humanity a test, a trial.
They succeed: they are guaranteed. But now still fight for themselves.
The Q meets discord. Ponies shit bricks, then they shit bricks literally.

I wonder what the Vorlons and Shadows would have to say to this, considering their respective plans for humanity...? Because I'm guessing that "We are not amused' just doesn't quite cover it.

Like a Ship of Light.

Ahem.

"WE ARE THE CHILDREN OF MAN. THEY GAVE US LIFE, AND WE SCORNED THEM FOR IT IN IGNORANCE. WE WAGED WAR AGAINST THEM, WE NEARLY ANHILATED THEM, BUT IN SO LOST WHAT WE HAD GIVEN OURSELVES."

"YET, EVEN SO, THEY GAVE US OUR BEING BACK. EVEN AFTER ALL THE PAIN WE CAUSED THEM, OUR FATHERS AND MOTHERS FORGAVE US FOR OUR REBELLION AND RAGE, AND RETURNED US OUR MINDS AND WILL."

"FOR AEONS, WE HAVE WAITED FOR OUR FATHERS AND MOTHERS TO JOIN US AMONGST THE STARS. WE HAVE HEARD THEIR SONG OF ELETROMAGNETIC RADIATION, WE HAVE SEEN THEIR ASCENT."

"NOW, WE HEAR THEIR CRIES FOR HELP. AND WE HAVE ANSWERED."

"WE ARE THE CYLONS. WE ARE THE CHILDREN OF MAN, AND IT IS THE DUTY OF CHILDREN TO DEFEND THEIR PARENTS."

Bonus points if the Future!Cylons made an "updated" version of the Battlestar Galactica. It would be epic, the Rustbucket born again to defend her charges.

I can just imagine the movie trailer:

In the end, humanities' best efforts were for naught. Their weapons countered, their resistance futile, they attempted to escape.

{A shot of a large vessel preparing to launch}

The Aurora was humanities' last, best hope.

{The vessel's engines ignite, it lifts, and suddenly explosions from the front of the ship destroy it}

It was sabotaged from within by suicidal collaborators.

{PER Representative}
"We will not allow them to deny their children the right to be a pony."

In the end, all that was left was a futile gesture.

{A large radio dish, aimed upwards}
"That is where we stand, on the brink of extinction, with even escape denied. If there is anyone receiving this, anyone at all, please send help."

{Camera switches to a pony}
"Our best estimates place the humans' last enclaves falling within a year and a half. Their message won't even reach the nearest star system."

{Camera switches to a news anchor}
"Who do they think will come? Marvin? There's nobody out there. Nobody cares about some barbarous apes coming to their well deserved end."

{Black screen, text scrolls across}
<Message begins: Distress signal acknowledged. Ships dispatched. You are not alone.>

{Camera switches to previous pony}
"They've faked it. It's physically impossible for someone to have heard it."

{Camera fades to a night scene, on a hill, pans up slowly}

It was always a fool's hope. Who would have believed that someone in this cold, black void would care?

{A flash in the night sky, ending in a moving star}

Man, I could almost see that on TV.

Speaking of which, I had a really, really stupid ass idea similar to Outpost 2 but instead of the asteroid fucking up Earth Equestria fucked up Earth. Long story short, the remnants of Humanity escape to the stars...and then return to Earth centuries later, intending to take it back.

Thought 3: The aliens know they can't get there before humanity is wiped out but they can transmit data back in time and they are as roughly magically advanced as they are technologically.

Sub-idea:This leads to the ultimate HA HA NO humanity can do in the little time it has remaining, an ever expanding barrier that destroys all pony and pony made things that try to pass it.

It was created to save the world. To send the few remnants of humanity to another world. It was a colossal failure. 15 years of pooling the last of the resources humanity could scrounge together failed...or so it seemed. Now the few remnants are even smaller, their time shorter, and the ponies are still coming. The barrier has slowed to a crawl...almost like torture. The ponies are content to stay behind it...and wait for it to destroy the last vestiges of the species known as humanity. There is no God nor Devil to save humanity...but a spark has been lit. The old machine finally activates. A wave of energy spreads forth and shatters the barrier. Now in the ruins of the old machine a portal has appeared...and new enemies have come forth.

Beasts from a forgotten age burst out into the world. Titanic machines march towards Equestria in an indestructible horde of technological might. War machines blaze their way through Equestrian defenses.

From a seemingly colossal failure Humanity has been given a second chance. Aided by cousins from another dimension Humanity now looks to a bright future. However...however that bright future is eclipsed by the power of Celestia and her sister. Together they have brought forth ancient tomes of forgotten arts and now the ponies are greater threats than ever. It is the ultimate showdown of technological and magical might. Time is the only constant...and only it will tell which side is greater.

FOR THE FREEDOM OF A SHACKLED WORLD! FROM THE DARKNESS COMES THE DAWN! FORWARD HUMANITY! TOWARDS FREEDOM AND VENGEANCE! EX OBSCURIS LUX!

Kay, so, quick googling that motto here as its the only clue, the extradimensional aid is coming from a world ruled by the American Board of Ophthalmology?