Fallout: Equestria - Pushing Daisies

Fallout: Equestria - Pushing Daisies

Chapter 3: Project Phoenix

***** ***** *****

The dull clang of a gavel shook me out of my stupor, dragging my attention away from the eerily pristine walls of the Trotson courthouse. I hesitantly turned my tear-stained gray eyes to the aging stallion presiding over my trial.

“This court finds the defendant, one Daisy Pusher, guilty of all charges of falsifying medical records, falsifying death certificates, aiding the desertion of enlisted military personnel, and sedition against the proud nation of Equestria.” The unicorn spoke plainly, calmly, clinically, as he destroyed my life. “The defendant will be offered a choice in their sentence. Twenty-five years of penal labor at the Shattered Hoof Correctional Facility, or ten years assisting the Ministry of Arcane Science with projects benefiting ponykind.”

Benefiting ponykind? All I wanted to do in the first place was help. I helped those ponies escape this awful war. If I hadn’t, I’d have surely been filing legitimate death certificates, and burying occupied coffins.

The Ministry of Arcane Science… If any Ministry had the best chance of actually ending this war, it was Twilight Sparkle’s. Years ago, I would have said it was Fluttershy’s Ministry of Peace, but the invention of Mega Spells made things worse than ever.

Also, it was a shorter sentence. Ten years versus twenty-five. If I spent twenty-five years in prison, I doubt I could ever go back to having a normal life. Ten years was bearable, and I’d actually be making a positive difference. Unlike at Shattered Hoof. The thought of digging up gemstones that would go on to help disintegrate zebras and griffons made my stomach churn.

“I… I choose to assist the Ministry.”

*****

My ride in the back of a Griffonchaser felt like hours. The chafing shackles around my hooves, and the itchy fabric of my orange jumpsuit made it impossible to sit comfortably. Looking out the small window, rolling hills and lush forests eventually became an arid desert. I recognized the location from a calendar in my office. Splendid Valley.

The officer escorting me informed me that my chances of actually meeting Twilight Sparkle were slim to none. Besides it making perfect sense to keep convicts away from a Ministry Mare, she was simply too busy. Apparently, I was also assigned to a different project than the one she was currently obsessing over. I didn’t get more details than that. At least, not from the officer.

A unicorn mare in a lab coat greeted us at the landing platform. She wasn’t young, but she also wasn’t old. Her frame was tall and thin, and she wore a professional expression. The mare’s coat was a faint, pale green, and her short, straight mane was violet. She had heterochromia, one eye being red, and the other blue, matching the color scheme of her cutie mark. The image on her flanks was of a strand of DNA splitting apart on one end.

“Welcome to Maripony.” Her voice was monotone, bored. “My name is Dr. Helix Splice. You will be spending the next decade with me, so we’d best get to know one another.”

I had to clear my throat before I could speak properly. “My name is Daisy Pusher.”

Something about my name must have been funny to her, because she let out an odd… not quite a laugh or chuckle, but it sounded amused. “Well, Daisy Pusher, I’m pleased to inform you that you are now part of Project Phoenix.”

*****

My first day was spent going through orientation. My daily schedule was laid out, sets of simple uniforms were given, and I was assigned a room. It was a very sterile, soulless room, but it was probably better than a prison cell. I even had my own bathroom, shower and everything. My ‘soap dropping’ fears vanished at the sight.

A new one, however, crept in. I hadn’t met or seen any other subjects. Or anypony, besides Helix and a couple nurses and guards. Project Phoenix seemed to be operating on a skeleton crew. I figured I’d be some kind of lab rat, but I didn’t think I’d be the only one. There were other rooms… All empty, though.

I did my best to bury these new, worrisome thoughts. Falling into the surprisingly soft bed, I realized how exhausted I was. Sleep fell over me mercifully quick.

*****

A single, loud tone played through a speaker in the upper corner of the room, jolting me awake. The illuminated clock affixed within the wall informed me that it was six in the morning. The schedule below informed me that I had thirty minutes to get cleaned, dressed, and ready for breakfast.

Breakfast was better than I expected. Cinnamon oatmeal and peaches, with a glass of orange juice. At home, I usually just downed a prepackaged smoothie before work. Funny, my captors were treating me better than I treated myself. Maybe I’d develop some good habits here.

The rest of the day was a lot of sitting around and letting Helix run tests. Most of it was typical of a doctor’s visit. Height, weight, blood pressure, et cetera. Taking samples came next. Blood and urine samples were harmless, if not a little embarrassing. Bone marrow samples fucking sucked. My foreleg was going to be sore all week, and I was told the doctor would need such a sample on a weekly basis. Maybe how I’m treated here won’t be so great after all.

The day ended with sitting in a chair with a weird, crown-like device on my head for an hour. Some type of compact MRI, maybe? My brain waves had something to do with this project? I didn’t feel comfortable asking the doctor any questions, and I was sure it was all classified anyway.

Project Phoenix… Phoenix… A magical bird known for bringing itself back from death. Maybe they were developing a new super healing spell or potion? One that could save ponies too far gone for current methods to help? They couldn’t actually be working on necromancy, could they? No, I highly doubt that’s a line Twilight Sparkle would cross.

*****

The following weeks were more of the same. Weeks, then months. A healthy diet and regular exercise schedule kept me fit at least, and Helix occasionally broke the monotony with a night of games or movies.

Every now and then I’d catch her mumbling about her research, and about me.

“Daisy’s Flux-compatibility is far more promising than previous subjects…”

“Samples from the Impelled Metamorphosis Potion have yielded surprisingly beneficial results. This could be a game-changer for Phoenix…”

It all went right over my head. My knowledge of chemistry began and ended with formaldehyde.

*****

Six years into my sentence, my regular schedule was abruptly interrupted. Dr. Helix trotted into the cafeteria as I ate breakfast, her mane frazzled. She had a big smile on her face, the first genuine emotion I’d ever seen from her. It looked creepy on her.

“I’ve made a huge breakthrough!” The giddiness in her voice was equally off-putting. “I believe today is going to be a huge milestone for Project Phoenix. Finish up and come with me at once. It’s time to finally confirm the results of our research.”

The two guards accompanying her compelled me to hasten my consumption of oatmeal. To my confusion, they even put me in shackles afterwards, linking them to their own harnesses so I had no chance of escape.

“You know I won’t run off, right?” I asked in exasperation. “I mean, we’re in the middle of a desert. Where would I even go?”

“Hush,” a guard stallion commanded.

“It’s all just a standard precaution,” Dr. Helix assured.

My worry only grew when we went right past the usual labs and down a flight of stairs, stopping only for Helix to retrieve a locked case. We soon approached a dual-lock security door, which Helix and one of the guards opened with matching keycards. Beyond it was a rather industrial-looking hallway. I couldn’t help but notice automated turrets folded into the ceiling.

We passed a window into a larger room containing… some kind of tree? It had strange pods hanging from the branches, and all manner of tubes and wires snaked from it to various machines. On either end of the sloped depression it rested in were large floodgates. The guards urged me forward before I could study any further.

The room I was brought to was akin to a large shower stall, the floor slightly angled towards a central drain. There were shackle mounts attached to the floor and ceiling. A gurney sat in the corner. A pressure hose was attached to the wall.

Dr. Helix made her way to a steel table and set down the case. The guards pulled me to the room’s center and hooked me up to the shackles, forcing me in a standing posture with my forehooves above my head. I started to panic.

“W-What’s going on?” I begged for an explanation. Nothing about this looked good. It all looked bad. It all looked very, very bad.

I heard the click of the mystery case open. Helix turned towards me, her body obscuring its contents. “Project Phoenix. You and I are going to save so many ponies. After past failures, I was becoming disheartened… You renewed my hope. All the tests, all the research… I’ve double and triple-checked everything. I considered every variation and permutation. You’re a perfect match. You will be a success. But…” Her horn glowed, and the contents of the case floated in front of her.

A gun. A gun. Why the fuck did she have a gun!?

She stepped forward and placed a hoof on my chest as I hyperventilated. “There’s only one way to know for sure.”

“W-wait… You can’t…” My whimpers were ignored as she opened the single-shot weapon and loaded a slug.

I yanked on my shackles, thrashing as much as I could as she closed the breach and pressed the muzzle to my skull. “I know this will work.” Her eerie grin spread across her face once more. “See you soon.”

She can’t do this. “You can’t do this! You can’t-”

Blam!

***** ***** *****