Live. Die. Repeat. Live the life of a puppet, die in stupid and pointless ways, and repeat the process for all eternity. This was Daisy Pusher's fate, one of many Flux clones of the same random earth pony mare forced to serve the Goddess.
Daisy Pusher is a unique type of slave. Most of the time, she's free to wander, free to pretend to have a normal life. Then, abruptly, her mind is no longer her own. When her master calls, she has no choice but to obey. Her, and her fellow Flux clones.
A completely unassuming earth pony mare, she was perfectly suited to be a set of eyes and ears for the Goddess that would go unnoticed. If she was noticed... it didn't matter. When she dies, she simply reincarnates from a river of Taint near Maripony and picks up where she left off. She dies a lot.
Preparing a body for its final rest was a task I was all too familiar with. Just the body, mind you. The soul, my soul, would never rest.
With a shovel in my teeth, I gauged the depth of the hole I’d dug. It wasn’t quite six feet, but it didn’t have to be perfect. It was a far better grave than most wastelanders got. Hopping out was a bit of a struggle. I was never very athletic, which was unfortunate considering I was an earth pony. Physical prowess was the only gimmick we had, and I was lacking.
Dropping the dirty tool, I trotted a few steps to the grave’s future resident. The mare laid on her side, her eggshell coat battered with cuts, bruises, and a couple bullet holes. Her curly yellow mane was stained with dry blood running from a ghastly exit wound in her skull. There wasn’t any need to play detective. I knew exactly how she died.
My eyes fell to her cutie mark, a tombstone adorned with a bouquet of daisies. There were… stains on it. I guess those raiders enjoyed the spoils after the fact. After shuddering away my revulsion, I took solace in the fact I was already too dead to suffer through that.
That’s right, this corpse belonged to me. I definitely knew this one was mine, and not another Daisy Pusher roaming around. The river pumped one of us out each time we died, and made a brand new one once a year. Each of us only kept our own memories, though. We’re not a hivemind like those damned alicorns. Hate those things… There was no telling which of us was the real one, if any of us were. How many were there now? Close to two hundred, if I my sense of time wasn’t completely scuffed.
It took me a few day’s travel to get here from Splendid Valley, so the body had already started to rot. Ignoring the stench, I dragged it to the hole and dumped it. Given the circumstances, there wasn’t any need for a eulogy. I just picked the shovel up and started dumping dirt back where it came from.
In case it wasn’t obvious, this wasn’t my first time going through this. It’s been a while since I took the time to actually bury my previous body. Lately I’ve simply burned them, or left them to rot if they were somewhere too dangerous. This time, I guess I just didn’t have anything better to do. No nagging, foreign thoughts telling me to go somewhere or do something.
*****
Which… left me with nothing to do again. The raiders didn’t leave anything valuable behind, and all I managed to scavenge on my way here was a ratty denim jacket that was slightly too small, and a few cans of food. Apples and peaches, I assumed, based on what little remained of their labels. I never bothered carrying much water with me. Drinking from irradiated ponds and streams wasn’t an issue. Being a product of Flux and Taint had its benefits. Either that, or I never lived long enough to develop cancer or something.
I guess I should be thankful the Goddess has been staying out of my head. She’s really fucking annoying. Great and Powerful Asshole. There were a lot of deaths I could have avoided if she didn’t insist that I go where no sane pony would, just to take a look or grab some random prewar junk. Thank Celestia I wasn’t one of the poor Daisies she was trying to send through Canterlot’s Pink Cloud. How many of us had to turn into puddles before she realized we weren’t immune to it like her precious children?
Whatever, I’ll just head to a town. New Appleloosa was the closest, and maybe I could find an odd job to keep myself occupied. Old Appleloosa was just as close, but… fuck that. I’ve been both a slave and a slaver in the past, and hated both. I had no interest in repeating those mistakes.
Despite the grave I was trotting away from proving otherwise, I felt that the trip would be pretty safe. The area around both aforementioned towns was kept relatively free of raiders, thanks to guards and freelance do-gooders. Speaking of which, I inspected myself to make sure I didn’t look like a raider. That alone was enough to get shot, thanks to the ‘policy’ of a particular pegasus. My coat was pretty clean, I looked healthy, and I wasn’t wearing random scrap as armor… I should be fine.
*****
I still flinched when I heard the faint crack of twin rifles way off in the distance, on the other side of my destination. I could barely make out a dot that was probably a trade wagon. If a raider tried to jump a caravan that close to town, they had to be the dumbest moron in Equestria.
It took the better part of the day to reach the town gates, and I was greeted by a bizarre sight. A raider, the smallest excuse for a raider I’d ever seen, was being rushed to the town clinic. Since when does Calamity try to save somepony he’s shot? Unless… Oh, she had a Stable suit. And a PipBuck. She wasn’t a raider.
“Daisy!” A vaguely familiar voice called out to me through the commotion. “Back so soon? You just left!”
Shit, did another me pass through recently? I turned to the voice, and… Yeah, I didn’t know this stallion. This is one of those times I wish we were a hivemind.
“Figured you’d be halfway to Old Appleloosa by now.” The black-maned, purple unicorn began. “Wise up and realize that was a bad idea?”
“Uh, yeah,” I sheepishly replied. Whelp, that Daisy wasn’t going to last very long. Although, if she did live long enough for us to cross paths, it’d be nice to chat. If she was new, maybe I could give her some advice. Not that it would mean much if the Goddess was sending her to certain death.
The stallion put a hoof around me and kissed my cheek. Oh, okay then. Other me got around, it seems. “Well, I’m glad for it. I’d miss you.”
This was wrong, but… I let myself enjoy the affection. This poor bastard would probably not see his Daisy again any time soon, if ever. Though there was always the chance she’d come back here if she died, try to enjoy some semblance of a normal life before she got sent on another goosechase. It was something we all tried to do. I guess I was trying to right now.
“Nice jacket,” he smiled. “And where’d that cut on your lip go? That certainly healed fast.”
I stammered a little. “Y-Yeah, I found a potion. Look, can we… get something to eat and turn in for the day? I’m pretty worn out.”
The stranger cocked his head and raised a brow. “Already? You slept in pretty late this morning before you left.” He chuckled and smirked. “Though I guess you didn’t get that much rest.”
Naughty, naughty, other Daisy. Then again, looking this stud over, she certainly had good taste. Eh, but I was way too tired for that. Nothing wrong with cuddling, though.
*****
A couple of days went by, and I tried to find little tasks around town for meager amounts of caps. I noticed the other new guest talking to Railright, then she headed to Absolutely Everything. If she was fresh out of a Stable, Ditzy was going to give her a fright. Hmm, no screams… Maybe she was tougher than she looked. She did survive getting shot, after all.
I winced at a sudden and familiar ache in my mind. Oh, great, she was checking in. I found myself involuntarily trotting to the general store’s window to spy on the little gray unicorn, finding that Ditzy was taking her measurements. Getting some new duds? Certainly a good idea to wear something other than raider armor.
Why the Goddess would show interest in this pipsqueak wasn’t too hard to piece together. A healthy unicorn out of a Stable. She’d be hard-pressed to find a better potential candidate for Unity. Eh, it wouldn’t be my job to direct her to Maripony. If she was deemed worthy, an alicorn would be sent after her.
The ache went away, and I went to the bar to soothe the lingering throbbing. I hated being a puppet, but there was no escape from it. Not even suicide worked, for obvious reasons. All that would do is waste time.
I really needed enough caps to get out of here. The more I thought about it, the more I decided I did not want to be here if that other Daisy showed up. We’d end up having to explain ourselves to the locals, and I doubt they’d buy that we were twins. Not even twin ponies had perfectly identical cutie marks.
Prostitution crossed my mind, but that would probably piss off Moonlight, and make things difficult for my counterpart. I had learned the stallion’s name as subtly as possible from others in town. Selling myself would have been easy money, but oh well. Maybe a few drinks would spark an idea…
*****
Heading outside a little tipsy, I overheard Crane asking the newcomer to clear out a Stable. Fuck. That. I’m desperate for caps, but not that desperate.
It was a morbid thought, but maybe I could get paid to help with funeral services if she failed. The… original Daisy Pusher, to the best of my knowledge, worked at a mortuary before the war. Her life was one memory we all collectively shared, even if it was fuzzy. Making corpses presentable, building caskets, and digging holes were the talents we inherited from her. One would think, with the amount of death in the wasteland, that would make it easy for us to find work. Problem was, death was so common that ponies barely bothered with funerals.
Only pony I ever buried was me, and I did that for free. Well, assuming my corpse didn’t still have caps in her pockets. If I was killed by an animal or mutant, that was usually the case. If a pony or griffon killed me, I was usually stripped clean. I really have become jaded to dying, haven’t I? Unless the cause was particularly gruesome, I thought of it as nothing more than an annoying loss of time.
*****
After spending all afternoon looking for a job, I gave up as storm clouds rolled in. Sheesh, maybe the other me did go to those slavers voluntarily. There really wasn’t much work around. At least Moonlight was taking care of me, making sure I didn’t go hungry. His strong, warm body made it easy to sleep each night, keeping the nightmares at bay. I still felt pretty guilty being a homewrecker. Hopefully the other Daisy would only be mad at me, if she found out.
The ‘Stable Dweller’ as DJ Pon3 already took to calling her returned with Calamity sooner than I expected. Another pang in my skull had forced me to follow her to the bar. I would have anyway out of curiosity, you impatient bitch.
An unpreventable groan escaped me as my remark was punished with a much sharper psychic attack. Moonlight gave me a pat. “You alright?”
I shook myself and nodded. “Yeah, just a migraine. It’ll pass.”
“Hey, everypony. LilPip here thought Red Eye was our leader!” Calamity’s sudden announcement was met with whooping laughter, which Moonlight joined.
Red Eye. I died in his fucking Pit once. Sure as shit didn’t go back for that body. At least my demise wasn’t as bad as the mare that went before me… Gutted and strangled with her own intestines. It was bad enough that even one of the Talon guards threw up. I was thankful to just get my skull caved in, nice and quick.
The sad Sweetie Belle song that filled the air when Apple Whiskey turned the radio on didn’t make my thoughts any brighter. The charismatic DJ thankfully replaced it soon.
He spoke about how the Stable Dweller took out the raiders of Ponyville. By herself. I am staying the fuck out of her way. Avoid dangerous ponies. That’s my motto. He also said another Stable pony went to Old Appleloosa. Clearly, not everypony follows my mantra.
*****
Word spread around town that the Stable Dweller and Calamity left to rescue slaves. I’d normally assume that they’d fail, but that little unicorn already surprised me. Other Daisy, if you’re still over there, keep your head down. I know death doesn’t mean much to us, but it still sucks.
In the meantime, I carried on as I had been the last week. Things started to turn around, as I found a job doing some carpentry work to buildings damaged by the recent storm. It felt good to finally have a decent amount of caps to my name. The following days were downright pleasant.
So, of course the Goddess had to ruin it.
The Great and Powerful Goddess demands that you travel to Old Appleloosa. NOW.
Fearing reprisal, I buried my angry, seditious thoughts deep. Sorry, Moonlight, it was fun.
I galloped out of town quickly, avoiding questions, following the railroad that led through the mountains. Alone. Again. At least I had a weapon now, a dinky pistol strapped to my chest so I could easily reach the grip with my teeth in a hurry. Unfortunately, I could only afford one magazine’s worth of ammunition.
Since I was being sent, my counterpart must have died. I… hope she goes back to New Appleloosa. If I were her, I would. Moonlight was a good stallion.
*****
I spent most of my journey staring at the railway planks, absentmindedly counting them. I’d only hurry if her majesty made me. At any rate, I was making good time. Already halfway up the mountain. Also… Is the railroad shaking?
Looking up… “HOLY SHIT!”
Leaping out of the runaway train’s path, I nearly sent myself off the cliff entirely. Just like the train. And… the Stable Dweller?
A breath sucked into my chest as I watched the little unicorn tumble through the air, followed by a relieved sigh as her pegasus companion scooped her out of it. She was a stranger, but I nevertheless did not enjoy seeing ponies die.
Should I follow her? I assumed she was why I was going to Old Appleloosa. …No update from the Goddess, so I guess not. Guess I’ll keep walking.
Walking, and throwing up. After the train’s detached caboose passed me at a much more reasonable speed than the rest of it, I started finding bodies. The worst was easily what was left of a griffon. There wasn’t enough of their body intact to determine gender. They had to have been hit by the train, dragged under the cars, and chopped up by the wheels. Shit, at least their death was probably instant. Fuck, that was almost me.
Part of me wanted to put them all to rest, but the nagging in my mind forced me to press on. I did stop long enough to scavenge caps, chems, and compatible ammo.
*****
Old Appleloosa eventually came into view, and it was a mess. It looked like a whole minefield had gone off all over, one building was completely demolished, and there was a blood-soaked train car where it clearly shouldn’t have been.
There were also a lot of slavers… and alicorns. Hopefully the latter would keep the former from giving me trouble. Wait a minute, if they were here, why the fuck was I!?
Do not doubt me!
The pain nearly doubled me over, then directed me to a pile of bodies. Sticking out of it, sure enough, was me.
Put her armor on.
There was a very noticeable shotgun blast in the chest piece, but okay. I guess I’m here to blend in with the slavers?
Getting dressed, the realization dawned on me. I’m going back to Fillydelphia, aren’t I?
My, aren’t you the perceptive one? Play your part. Be eyes and ears where my children cannot go. Red Eye grows suspicious of us. He will not suspect you.
Fine, whatever. At least I’m not going as a slave this time. At least, not as Red Eye’s…
***** ***** *****
Footnote: Flux clones don’t get levels.
Quest Perk Added: Thought You Died… +10 Health per 100 Karma; -10 Health per -100 Karma; Karma reset to 0
Alright, worst case scenario, the Stable Dweller left someone alive who’d recognize my face and wonder why I was suddenly not dead. If the carnage here and on the railway were any indicator, that was unlikely. Still, I felt it was best to flag down a patrolling alicorn and have them escort me to the other slavers.
A nasty excuse for a unicorn mare glared at me as I came into view. “What the… a survivor? Where the hell were you?”
I tapped my damaged breastplate. “I just woke up. Shotgun blast must have knocked me out.” A nod from my tall blue companion was all the confirmation the mare needed. As much as I didn’t like alicorns, I couldn’t say they weren’t team players.
“Shit, that’s lucky.” The slaver gestured me over. “Got a name?”
“Daisy.” I’d best be as vague as possible. My people gave up lying about our names a long time ago. It made it too hard to keep our stories straight if we crossed paths or traded places.
She looked around, then let out a grunt. “Well, Daisy, we best pack up and move. You just had a nice long nap, so you’re on the first shift pulling wagons.”
Damn it. “We don’t have slaves for that?”
My comment received an icy stare. “We would if you did your fucking job.”
It wasn’t my job. It was the other Daisy’s job.
No point trying to make that argument unless I was going for an insanity plea. Resigned, I found a wagon and hitched up. Sure enough, the caravan was headed in Fillydelphia’s direction, and that was a long trot.
*****
Not even raiders were dumb enough to give us trouble. The number of guns on our side were enough of a deterrent, let alone the winged, horned, magical mutant creatures accompanying us. Alicorns, admittedly, weren’t inherently bad. I didn’t hate them, I hated who they were extensions of. They’re just as much slaves as we Daisies are, just with far less personality.
Speaking of lacking personality, and being dumb enough to attack us, our caravan stumbled onto a horde of zombie ponies. I took no chances, barricading myself in a wagon and taking pot shots while those with big guns did the heavy lifting. I’ve been mauled to death by ghouls before. It is not something I intend to go through again.
Another type of creature I felt pity for. Slaves to their decayed minds. I briefly imagined the Goddess taking control of me and not letting go until my mind snapped… She’s done it to Daisies before, and they stayed that way even after respawning. We had a Stable near the river we kept those Daisies locked up in. Stable 108.
If Red Eye knew about it, I wouldn’t put it past him to try and domesticate them into laborers. Good thing there was no chance in hell the Goddess would ever allow him anywhere near Maripony. Not to mention, she’d never let him learn about her network of pony clone spies. The alicorns were obvious, you couldn’t miss them. But us? We could fade into the background.
The hard part was making sure there weren’t too many of us in the same area, which was increasingly difficult as the years went by and our ranks steadily increased. Considering my master’s interest in Red Eye, there was a non-zero chance that more than one of us were in Fillydelphia. Thank Celestia we weren’t griffons. With how organized Talon was, there’s no way we could pull that on them.
On cue, a squad of black-armored and heavily armed fliers met us as Equestria’s last bastion of industry came into view. They were not taking any chances, and I didn’t blame them. Steel Rangers were getting bold lately, Hellhounds have been more aggressive than usual, and a recent influx of raider slaves had turned Filly itself into a powder keg.
*****
The first time I entered these gates was a pretty damn terrifying experience. I was inside a wagon cage that time, not pulling one. Since the ones we had were empty, our reception was missing a particular black-feathered griffoness who loved to scare the shit out of newcomers. Even though I only saw it twice, when I first got here and right before I died in the Pit, Stern’s sadistic grin was something seared into my mind forever. What I wouldn’t give to see someone knock her down a peg… Maybe some alicorns could drag her to Maripony, put her in front of the Goddess in person, and see how big and tough she is then.
Wishful thinking… As if anypony would ever do anything about this place. This was the status quo, and I was going to be part of it until my master deemed otherwise.
After taking a deep, pollution-filled breath, I trotted to the mare in charge and asked where I was supposed to go.
“Oh, you?” She rubbed her chin. “Hazel could always use more guard ponies around flamer fuel production.”
Fucking amazing, giving slaves volatile fluids. What could possibly go wrong? “Sure.” After getting directions, I headed that way. Talons I passed seemed more high-strung than last time I was here, and while I wasn’t allowed too close to their bases, I could tell they were running a lot of coordinated drills. To varying degrees of success. I got a glimpse of a Talon almost blowing himself up with a flubbed grenade toss. Hey, he seemed familiar… Vomit-bird!
I quickly shoved away the urge to wave. Interacting with someone who had even the slightest chance of recognizing me as a dead former slave was a huge no-no. Picking up my pace, I found my post.
*****
“Daisy?” the caramel-coated earth stallion gawked at me. “Thought you transferred to the steel mill. Oh well, good to have you. Need as much security here as I can get.”
What is with these close calls lately? The Goddess is getting sloppy. “Yeah, uh, Hazel, they sent me back. Realized their mistake.”
Hazel chuckled. “Well, no lollygagging then. Best get to standing around looking mean.”
Oh, I was too cute to do that convincingly, but I'll do my best.
In truth, it took all I had to not look depressed. I was in these ponies hooves a few years ago, it was impossible not to empathize with these poor slaves. Nevertheless, I had to keep a close eye on them. A lot were raiders who’d know how to use the fuel against us if they got a chance. Burning to death was a very bad time, believe me.
Was there any cause of death I haven’t experienced? I should write a book. ‘Dumb Ways to Die in the Wasteland.’ Maybe sell it alongside Ditzy’s survival guide. It'd probably do well if I marketed it as a comedy.
A couple slaves made me nervous a few times, looking like they were about to get in a fight, but the approach of two more guards urged them to behave. The rest of my shift went smoothly, but I worried what would happen in the future if those slaves weren’t separated.
*****
Today thankfully was over, and I was finally allowed to get some rest. I followed Hazel to the nearest slaver barracks, which was the second floor of an apartment building. To my shock, I heard other guards mention showers. I was halfway out of my armor by the time I reached them, desperate for that sliver of civilization. Finally nude, I practically threw myself past the first open curtain. The shower I chose was not empty. I found myself muzzle to muzzle with a mirror.
“Shit!” The other Daisy’s eyes went wide before she reached behind me and snapped the curtain shut.
I stammered dumbly, struck by the odds. I knew there were others here, but this was a big city! Another me just happened to be in this shower!?
“Fuck…” she continued, quietening her voice. “That makes at least seven of us now. Five as slavers, two as slaves.
“What the fuck is the Goddess thinking?” My voice was a whisper as well. “The hell is going on? Is she trying to sneak an army of us in here?”
“How would I know!? She said she just wants more eyes and ears here!” Panic was betraying her volume control. I put a hoof over her muzzle.
“Look… Are the rooms here private or shared?” I needed to focus on our immediate problem.
She pondered. “It’s two to a room, but I somehow got my own. 13-B.”
That was lucky. “Alright, well, let’s clean up and head there one at a time. Then we’ll leave one at a time in the morning.”
“Can’t imagine we’ll be able to keep that up very long…” Other Daisy groaned. “I’ll use a different barracks tomorrow night. What’s your post?”
“Flamer fuel. You the one who transferred to the steel mill?”
“Yeah.” My counterpart smiled. “Say hi to Hazel for me.”
I nodded. Knowing where each other would be would help us avoid each other.
*****
Other Daisy entered 13-B just as I was getting cozy. She proceeded to ignore the empty bunk and join me in mine. We Daisies had a peculiar relationship with each other. We were the same person, but not. Our experiences shaped each of us into different people. Despite that, there were still things we all shared. For instance, loneliness. We shared a brief kiss, tightened our hooves around each other, and dozed off. We’d all gotten over the weirdness of such intimacy over a century ago. After all, no one could truly get us, except… us.
It honestly made me really depressed at times. Despite my best efforts, I’d outlive any normal pony I tried to have a relationship with. I’d lost a lot of lovers over the years, and it never got easier. The only long-term friendships any of us had managed were with ghouls, but it was especially heartbreaking when they eventually turned feral. Immortality is a curse, plain and simple. Anypony who seeks it just doesn’t understand that.
*****
The following weeks were tense. Raider slaves kept finding ways to cause trouble, the Talons grew more and more on-edge, and I kept having close calls with my doppelgangers. The only noteworthy bit of news from outside the city was that the operation at Shattered Hoof got taken over by an independent Talon faction, after the Stable Dweller apparently killed a fucking dragon. At this rate, she’ll go to war with the entire wasteland and somehow come out on top.
Today was not going to be a good day. I wanted to retch when Hazel said the Pit was being put on early, and I was very unhappy that he was dragging me to go watch. I. Did not. Enjoy seeing ponies die. I couldn’t stomach being around ponies who did.
Also, it would be really awkward if one of me was a combatant. There were at least two of us here as slaves, after all, so it wasn’t impossible. As I sat in the spectator stands, I quickly studied the cells on each end of the arena to confirm that thankfully wasn’t the case. However, the presence of a certain little gray unicorn made me choke. Sweet Celestia, she’s here to kill us all. I have to get out of this city.
Another surprising sight made me sad. The zebra slave, Xenith, was fighting today. Seeing her flooded my mind with the horrible treatment that led to her volunteering for the Pit. What the other slavers did to her… I couldn’t stop myself from throwing up when it happened, and I barely stopped myself now just thinking about it.
On second thought, Stable Dweller, please kill us all. My sisters and I can handle being collateral damage while you give the slavers what they deserve.
*****
When the fights started, I did my best to focus on anything else. Like, the sky. The constantly gray, cloud-covered sky, reddened by Fillydelphia's industrial waste. And… Is that a balefire phoenix?
“Finish it!” Stern’s familiar magnified words made me flinch, and I looked down in time to see Xenith snap the neck of a large stallion. Her next opponent was the Stable Dweller. I had no idea who to root for. A stupid, foalish prayer begged for both of them to somehow get out of this.
Instantly, the zebra had the unicorn on the ropes, getting in a couple of hard hits in. The Stable Dweller had to use telekinesis on herself to be light enough to dodge any finishing blows. Had she just been really resourceful and lucky this whole time?
Just when I thought Xenith had her, a band of magic wrapped around the zebra’s neck and tightened. I had to look away. Turns out, I also hated seeing zebras die.
“Kill! Kill! Kill!”
I hated this place so much.
“Finish it!”
Please, just get it over with…
“Finish it now!”
Blam!
The sharp eruption of Stern’s anti-machine rifle snapped my attention back to the arena, which… What the fuck? I couldn’t see anything! It was covered by floating sludge!
Stern kept firing, and was joined by other Talons and slaver guards. Which was supposed to include me, so I gripped my pistol and fired at anything but the faint green glow of a unicorn horn.
Against all odds, the unicorn escaped the caged arena and was galloping towards the FunFarm, all while telepathically holding Xenith. I didn’t want to chase after her, but I was afraid Stern would shoot me if I didn’t.
I wasn’t quick or nimble enough to keep up, which suited me just fine. By the time I reached the FunFarm, the fight had climbed its way onto the attached roller coaster. More Talons had joined the fray… Hey, it’s-
Blam!
Green magic had flipped the poor griffon’s own rifle on him and shot him in the throat, sending him tumbling to the ground.
Whelp... Alas, poor vomit-bird. I barely knew ye.
A griffoness went after him, while other Talons, including one with a rocket launcher, maintained the pursuit.
Being vertically challenged, there wasn’t much I could do except join a growing perimeter of guards around the FunFarm. Stable Dweller, if your plan was to escape, you went the wrong way.
My worry for her skyrocketed when I saw a massive creature fly in from the Crater. An alicorn supercharged with radiation dove into the FunFarm.
Before I could do anything, Stern landed beside me and shoved a claw in my face. “You!” She then pointed to two other slavers, and a few Talons. “You, you, and all of you. With me, now. We’ve got intruders at the SPP tower.”
*****
Being carried like a pet by someone I hated made my blood boil, but I guess it beat hoofing it. Stern practically tossed me at the control station’s entrance when we arrived.
“Get that fucking door open and get in there!” she barked at me while drawing her massive gun.
I took my frustration out on the door controls and rushed in as it slid open. Scanning the first room, pistol in my teeth, I saw nothing. “Clear!”
The Talons and other slavers followed me, doing their own sweep. We all cursed, knowing there was only one way forward. An elevator. Unlike most sensibly designed structures, this tower lacked stairs.
Stern’s orders were for the ponies to go first. Of course. We climbed in and pushed the only button. The doors closed, and the metal box carried us up to a certain trap.
I knew whatever was waiting for us was going to be bad. A Steel Ranger definitely met that criteria. I barely let out a whimper before a rocket soar past me and struck the back of the elevator, sending it into a freefall shortly after. The other two slavers died instantly, taking the brunt of the blast. I was launched forward into the room, and actually bounced off the Ranger, ending up crumpled in the corner.
I couldn’t move. My spine was broken. Further assessments of my condition would have to wait as a pair of stun grenades were tossed in from the empty shaft. There was no telling how the fight went down, but as the deafness and blindness subsided, I saw that all the Talons except Stern were dead. The Ranger had the Talon Captain pinned, a metal hoof pressed down on her back to cut off her breathing.
My own breathing had become extremely painful, and my pulse slowed to a crawl. I could only imagine how many pieces of shrapnel had ripped through my body as I noticed my blood pooling around me. I was fading faster and faster.
Just before Stern passed out, I used the last of my strength to stick my tongue out at her. Then I died.
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-”
A cacophony of gasping and gurgling escaped me as I broke the surface of the poisonous fluid, flailing my hooves until they found purchase on the riverbank. After dragging myself out of the stream of rainbow-colored muck, I began the unpleasant process of expelling more of it out of my mouth and nostrils. Immediately drowning upon respawn was a very real possibility. Daisies are not good swimmers. There were plenty of bones at the bottom of this river as proof.
This I.M.P. shit was supposed to be beneficial to flux clones, too. I couldn’t imagine how much it fucked up normal creatures. Scratch that, I could. I’ve seen it. It’s not pretty.
Sighing, I tried to push the memory I just went through out of my head. The death of the original Daisy… The one memory we all share. Fucking Helix… At least she died in the bombs, vaporized in Cloudsdale while visiting a wartime research summit. No doubt to brag about her big breakthrough.
One might wonder, how did she get away with murdering not only me, but every test subject before me? By lying, of course. The official story was that Daisy Pusher got a hold of a guard’s weapon and blew her own brains out. Her corpse was sent home, and buried in a Trotson cemetery. No one showed up for her funeral. No one cared. She didn’t matter. We don’t matter.
*****
Well… First thing’s first. Goddess? Hello? Got any orders for me?
No response.
…Any chance I could take a vacation? Those weeks in Fillydelphia really sucked.
By all means.
I blinked, having not expected that at all. There wasn’t even a hint of sarcasm.
Who are you, and what did you do with the Goddess?
Nothing. I’m just a part of her she tries to keep buried.
How… That doesn’t…
I fell back onto my haunches. I was talking to Twilight, not Trixie.
I need to tell you… You matter. You all matter. I can’t change what was done to you, but I promise to do everything I can to keep your lives from getting worse.
…Thank you.
After that, my mind was silent. Tears streamed down my cheeks. I’d only ever spoken to her this way once or twice before, decades ago. I needed to hear that from her.
*****
It was time to figure out where I’d go. Either Appleloosas were bad options. One was a dead slaver town, and the other might have another Daisy living there. I was absolutely not going anywhere near Filly. Baltimare had too many Steel Rangers. The ponies of Arbu ate me once. Hoofington was worse than Fillydelphia. I can’t afford Tenpony. Friendship City was an option, but I’d have to go through manticore-infested Manehattan.
Dodge. I’ll go to Dodge. Like New Appleloosa, it was a quaint little hick town in the middle of nowhere. Good place to relax, and I’d probably have no trouble finding a handsome stud or pretty mare to shack up with. If nopony stops me, I’ll find work at the brothel. I was sterile and immune to most communicable diseases, so it was a kind of wasteland job I could easily do without much risk.
Before I got ahead of myself, I needed to get out of Splendid Valley. Safest way was to trot alongside the river, far from the hellhound tunnels. It only took getting eviscerated once for me to learn that lesson.
*****
A few hours into my trip, I had become more and more uncomfortable being naked. Maybe I could have stopped by 108 for a Stable suit, and maybe even a PipBuck so I’d have a radio to listen to… No, both of those would make me a glaring target. Also, the Caretaker might not appreciate me showing up just to take stuff. Visitors were expected to donate supplies.
The Caretaker was another Daisy, one who volunteered to take care of the Craisies. They weren’t hostile unless you weren’t one of us, so she was perfectly safe. If it weren’t for her, the poor things would starve to death and end up getting stuck in a cycle of drowning in the river.
I’d just have to get lucky and find something my size. Morbidly, I’d most likely have to peel clothes off a corpse. If I diverted to my most recent burial site, there were probably still some dead raiders to loot. I did manage to kill a few before they took me out. Some ratty strips of fabric would be better than nothing, and if I do decide to whore myself when I get to Dodge I can probably alter them into something skimpy.
It was also on the way, so I wouldn’t lose any time. Before long, I reached the blasted ruins of the Red Racer shop. Sure enough, pale, skeletal remains of ponies who helped kill me were waiting for me.
Lucky me, one was wearing a frilly skirt and cropped jacket under her junk armor. Perfect attire for a mare looking for easy, naughty caps. Once I got the smell out, anyway.
Looking around the shop for a source of water to wash my acquisition, I briefly contemplated grabbing one of the scooters for shits and giggles.
…Fuck it, you only live a thousand times. I deserved to have some innocent fun.
*****
Dodging trash and potholes, I scooted down the road. The breeze quickly dried my new clothes, and I occasionally let myself giggle like a filly anytime I went downhill for some serious speed. Once or twice I even caught some air, which elicited embarrassing yelps. Good thing no one was around.
A garbage bin falling out of an alley ahead of me brought me to a screeching halt. Was it a scavenger? A zombie? Worse?
There was no way it didn’t already know I was there, so… “Hello? Somepony there? I’m friendly!”
“Uh…” A young male voice began. “Not somepony.” A skinny griffon buck limped out of the alley. He couldn’t have been older than twenty.
His fur was dark brown while his feathers were a lighter shade. Tired, teal eyes gave me an odd expression as he saw the foal’s excuse for a vehicle I was standing on. I also noticed that his wings weren’t in good shape, as if they’d been broken and not healed correctly.
My heart went out for the poor bird. A flier losing their ability to fly had to be rough. “Are you okay? I have a little food to spare, if you need it. No meat, though.”
He approached me carefully as I sat down and dug a can out of a purse. As he got close enough for a better look, I froze up as I saw the dry blood on his black talons.
My new acquaintance noticed my change in demeanor and looked down. “Oh, that’s not… Please don’t run. It’s radhog blood. I haven’t had a chance to clean it. No water…”
As he spoke, I saw how dry his mouth was. I didn’t have clean water, but maybe we could find Rad-Away later. He eagerly took the scavenged canteen I offered and drank.
“S-Sorry…” He apologized, realizing he just drank all of it.
I waved a hoof, then offered it. “It’s fine… My name’s Daisy.”
My, hopefully, new friend took it in his claw and shook it. “Masque. It’s nice to meet you, Daisy.”
I smiled, noticing that the band of white across his eyes did look like a mask. “Likewise, Masque.”
*****
Lazily rolling on my scooter alongside the limping griffon, we slowly made our way to Dodge. It took little convincing to get him to join me. I asked him what happened to him, after noticing the faded scars and burns across his side and back.
Masque huffed. “Some dickhead Ranger took a pot shot at me with a flak cannon. Must have thought I was a Talon.” He scowled. “I have half a mind to go to Filly, join up, and-”
“Don’t.” My command caught him off guard. “Fillydelphia is a hellhole, Red Eye is full of shit, and Captain Stern won’t hesitate to throw your life away at the drop of a hat.” Assuming the latter was still alive. She was in quite a predicament when I last saw her.
“You sound like you have experience…” He dragged a talon in circles on the pavement. “It’s still a good-paying job, though. I can’t wander and scavenge forever. And I’m a griffon… Folk expect my kind to do that sort of work, so it’s hard to find anything else.”
I shook my head. “With your wings, no merc band would take you anyway.” A nuzzle to his shoulder seemed to comfort him a little. “You’ll find something in Dodge, I’m sure of it.”
Masque sighed and followed me as we continued on. “Well, what do you plan to do?”
“Prostitution.” My candidness made him double take. “What? It’s easy caps. Safe, too, if it’s done in a town.”
He cringed. “I could never… I mean, maybe if I was really desperate.”
“You’re not really desperate right now?” My point made him cringe harder. I tried to lighten the mood. “Hey, if we shared a corner we could share profits. Take care of each other.”
He didn’t seem to take it as a joke. To my surprise, he seemed to genuinely consider it. It wasn’t a bad idea, come to think of it. Despite his injuries, he was a looker. Either that, or he could be my security.
“I mean,” I tried to backpedal. “Let’s see what’s available when we get there.”
*****
It took another day’s travel. Camping out in a dumpster was made less unpleasant by my new friend’s soft feathers and comfortingly strong arms.
Finally reaching the town, which was little more than some retrofitted train cars around a saloon, we approached the gates. Guards gave Masque dirty looks, but gave us no trouble seeing we weren’t armed. What little caps we had went straight towards baths and meals, and clothes for the crippled griffon.
Knowing we’d need more caps soon, I took a spot outside the bar and gave fuck-me eyes to anypony who looked like they had some to spare. Masque kept an eye on me, which made me feel safer about it. It wasn’t long before a stud took me home and I earned my first paycheck.
Over the next few days, I earned more than I thought I would. Pretty young mares were evidently in short supply in this town. The owner of the saloon even offered me a room, saying I was bringing in more business. I graciously accepted. There were definitely worse ways to have a vacation from my master’s bidding.
Despite their initial mistrust of him, Masque managed to convince the town guard to hire him. He also accepted my invitation to live with me. Unlike the Goddess, I had no problems with griffons whatsoever. I took love and comfort wherever I could find it.
*****
News on the radio was disconcerting. Red Eye’s army had apparently surrounded Tenpony Tower. For what purpose, I couldn’t even begin to imagine. There were also reports of Talons burning down Everfree around the old castle, an action whose motivations escaped me even further. I guess that’s what all that flamer fuel was being produced for.
“Sounds like shit’s getting tense.” Masque took a sip of whiskey. “Glad you talked me out of heading that way.”
After accepting a sip from his bottle, I gave him a kiss on his cheek. “No problem. You’re too good to get mixed up in that crap.”
He fluttered his wings a little, which had been fixed as much as possible by a local unicorn. Despite the effort, he’d never be able to fly very fast or for very long ever again.
I leaned into him, and he gave me a tight hug.
That moment of happiness was sharply cut off by a sudden pain in my skull.
Return to Maripony! All of you! Now!
Masque caressed me worriedly. “Daisy? Are you alright?”
I couldn’t hold back a pathetic whimper. “No… I have to leave.” Damn her.
My feathered buckfriend looked flabbergasted. “Huh? Like, leave the bar? I can carry you to bed if you-”
A choked sob escaped me. “No, I have to leave town. I can’t explain why. I’m sorry.” I pulled myself out of his embrace and trotted out the door. He followed.
“What are you talking about?” Masque flew ahead of me and blocked my path. I resisted the Goddess’s command to knock him aside. Not that I had the strength to, anyway.
I tried to tell him the truth, but the pain made it impossible. “I… I can’t explain it. I physically can’t. Just… I don’t know how long I’ll be gone, but I promise to come back.” I broke into a gallop. He still followed.
“Whatever it is, I’m coming with you!” He had no idea what he was getting himself into, and the bitch wouldn’t let me tell him.
“No!” My enraged plea almost stopped him, but he persisted. Celestia fuck me sideways, this poor fool was in love.
I could only hope that whatever this was about didn’t get him killed.
Masque eventually gave up trying to get an explanation out of me, and I eventually gave up trying to convince him to go home. I really must have been the first good thing in his life in a while, considering how tightly he was clinging on. For better or worse, we were going to Maripony together.
A thought struck me. The Goddess said all of us had to go back. That was probably impossible for some of us, like those stuck in Fillydelphia as slaves. That also meant my friend would be in for a lot more confusion when we start encountering other Daisies. Something serious must be going on.
The griffon became increasingly concerned when he realized which way we were headed, especially when we started following the river of Taint.
“You’re going into Splendid Valley? Are you insane?” Wow. Is it just now sinking in, you twitterpated dumbass?
“Yeah.” I grunted. “It’s not too late for you to head back.”
Masque shook his head. “I’m invested now. I’ve got to know what’s going on.”
I sighed. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you.” Part of me really wished he’d knock me unconscious and drag me back to Dodge. Unfortunately, I was psychically blocked from asking him to.
*****
As predicted, the griffon froze when we saw another Daisy. She had on combat armor, a battle saddle adorned with assault carbines, and an assortment of scars. I did not envy whatever life she just came from.
Soldier Daisy’s gaze darted between Masque and I. “You’re not supposed to bring friends.”
“I couldn’t get him to stay home,” I explained honestly.
“What… What the fuck…” Masque slowly backed away from us both.
My eyes pleaded with him. “Please go back to Dodge.”
He took a deep breath and steadied himself. “No.”
I let out an agitated growl and stomped. “Why not!?”
“You saved me.” He whimpered. “I owe you, and I’m staying by your side.”
Both I and Soldier Daisy winced in pain. We had to keep moving. “Fine.”
*****
The closer we got, the more Daisies joined us. They all gave Masque suspicious looks. He stayed right at my side, probably so he didn’t lose track of me.
“That’s a weird looking Daisy,” one of us joked, trying to break the tension. It got some chuckles and a few eye rolls.
He had nothing to fear from any of us. It was the alicorns we were worried about. They took intruders deadly seriously. Thankfully, by the time we started seeing some in the air, Masque was well hidden in a sea of nearly one hundred Daisies. We’d never been gathered up like this before, and it made us all pretty nervous.
What we saw descend from the clouds above Maripony made half of us piss ourselves.
Allow me to introduce you to your future masters. The Grand Pegasus Enclave. Project Phoenix will make a fine gift to honor our new alliance.
“The Enclave!?” One of us shouted. “She’s giving us to the Enclave!?”
We started to panic in place, unable to flee. I turned to Masque. “You sure you don’t want to leave now?”
His beak was agape, and his eyes were as wide as the moon as he watched the massive airships. “What… Did you know about this!?”
I found myself suddenly able to explain. “No! The Goddess called us all here, but didn’t explain why.” My hooves were flung above me in rage. “Guess we know now! Fuck!”
We all expressed similar sentiments… Then the mood started to turn. We quietened as we started seeing alicorns, a lot of alicorns, fleeing Maripony in terror. A magical shield formed around the facility. The Enclave ships started to retreat. Something really bad was about to happen.
“Hey!” A Daisy at the edge of the crowd jumped up onto a boulder and tried to flag down a green alicorn. “What the fuck is happening!?”
Balefire bomb. Under Maripony.
*****
Those words silenced us as they rippled through our minds. I looked at the Goddess’s shield… She was going to try to contain the blast. She was not strong enough for that. We were all going to die.
Permanently.
A wail of terror from one of us broke the silence. Some began shouting every expletive they could imagine. More than a few just… laid down and accepted their fate.
I wanted to live. I wanted as many of us to live as possible. Stable 108.
“Stable 108!” I shouted over the commotion as best as I could. “Stable 108 is our only chance!”
After giving Masque a hard yank, I broke into a gallop. A lot of us followed me. I had no idea how much time we had. It could already be too late…
When I saw some purple alicorns, I began shouting at them, pleading for them to teleport us to the shelter. They ignored us.
They can’t do this. They can’t let us die. “You can’t let us die!”
One by one, they flew or blinked away.
Except one. She turned to us, her eyes filled with an emotion I’d never seen from these creatures. Mercy.
She swooped down to me. A dozen of us, including the griffon, huddled around her. In a surge of magic, we were saved.
*****
The instant we had our bearings, a couple of us rushed to the door controls to make sure it was sealed. The alicorn continued to make trips, bringing more of us to the Stable.
She had saved a little over fifty of us when we felt the world shake. That was it. Maripony, and Project Phoenix, were gone. The Goddess was gone. Our immortality was gone. This life was our last. For any Daisy still outside, it was already over.
The purple alicorn looked around at us with such grief in her eyes. “I’m so sorry.” She looked directly at me. “I couldn’t keep my promise.”
My gaze fell to her flank. She had a cutie mark. It was a pink and purple star, the one adorned on every Ministry of Arcane Science building.
“Twilight…” The word had barely escaped me when she blinked away for the last time.
The Goddess was gone. For the first time in two centuries, our minds were truly our own. We were free. We were free, and we were terrified. If we died now, that would be it. Our existence would be over. Simply leaving this Stable was too scary a thought for a lot of us. If anyone knew how unforgivably dangerous the wasteland was, it was Daisy Pusher.
Although, for the griffon among us, not even this Stable was safe. Masque and I stayed in the security office adjacent to the entryway while Soldier Daisy went to find the Caretaker and explain the situation. Meanwhile, I explained to my friend why he had to stay hidden away.
“Craisies?” The not-clever-at-all name didn’t inspire much fear in him.
“Yeah, that’s what we started calling them.” I stretched and adjusted my sitting position on the hard steel floor. “They still call themselves Daisy. In fact, that’s the only word they say. Incessantly. They never try to hurt us, but a resourceful unicorn managed to get in once, and… There wasn’t much left of him to bury. They even attacked an alicorn that was sent to check on them, and she barely got away with her life.”
Masque pressed himself a little tighter against the wall. “Oh… Well, what about the Caretaker?”
I chuckled a little. “Oh, she’s probably the most patient and selfless of any of us. She’s lived down here for over a century to watch over them. Mentally, they’re like newborn fillies, so they need a lot of care to keep alive.”
“Over a century?” He blinked. “Do you not age?”
With a shake of my head, I explained. “No, we do. Caretaker’s had to respawn a couple of times on purpose. Though, I… guess she can’t now. She hasn’t for a while, so she’s an old mare at this point.”
Masque took that line of thought to its logical conclusion. “Who will take care of the Craisies when she passes?”
“Honestly,” I sighed, “I think they should finally be put down. It was never an option before. Now it is. But… that’ll be up to her, or whoever decides to replace her.”
“That’s dark…” Masque fiddled with an old pencil. “So, you’re all clones? Of a mare who died before the bombs?”
I nodded.
“...Do you have souls?” Spirituality wasn’t something I generally expected from a griffon.
The question struck me. Thinking about it before, it never really mattered. Now… “That’s actually a matter of debate among us. Some believe we all have our own souls, others don’t. I belong to that other camp. I think the only one who really had a soul was the original, and it passed on when she was murdered. We’re just hollow copies.”
Masque’s claw reached out and held my cheek. “I don’t believe that for an instant. You’re too compassionate to not have a soul. Husks don’t help random starving strangers.”
I pressed my face into his affection. “I appreciate the thought, but I don’t know…”
“Well, I do.” He stated resolutely. “You have a soul. A good soul. And you’re going to get through this.”
*****
Our moment was interrupted by a rap on the door. Checking the small window, I saw it was the Caretaker and let the elderly mare in. Chronologically, she wasn’t much older than me, but her physical age still made me see her as a grandmother figure. Naturally, I gave her an appropriate hug.
She gave me a warm chuckle and looked over at Masque. “So, this is our stowaway? Handsome lad.”
My buckfriend blushed. I couldn’t imagine what he was thinking as he got a glimpse into our potential future together. The Caretaker has had this body for roughly sixty years, and she’s taken good care of it. It was nice to know I’d age like wine.
Hold up, Daisy, it’s a little early to start thinking like that. You’re still young.
“So, are the Crai-” I caught myself. She didn’t like us calling them that. “Are the other Daisies somewhere safe?”
Caretaker nodded. “I’ve got them corralled in sublevel three. That way all my new guests can use the residential section of sublevel two, at least for as long as it takes for the mess outside to blow over.”
Really, any of us could leave right now. Rads didn’t bother us. For the sake of my friend, however, the door needed to stay shut for a few days. Based on readings from radiation monitoring equipment, the Goddess’s efforts actually did a lot in reducing residual rads from the balefire bomb. Masque would have been stuck down here for years otherwise.
“Now that’s settled,” she stretched and headed out, “the hydroponics section won’t monitor itself. Don’t want any of you to starve on my watch.”
“Need any help?” Masque offered. “I don’t like to mooch.”
The elder smiled. “Well, aren’t you a gentlebuck? Sure, the work’s more suited to someone your age than it is to mine.” She huffed. “If I knew Phoenix was about to blow up…”
*****
108 was standard fare for a control Stable. It was meant for Maripony personnel, but they didn’t get enough warning to use it. Just as well. It wouldn’t have been right for ponies who made a career of experimenting on other ponies to coast through the apocalypse in an experiment-free Stable-Tec shelter.
I never understood the point of those wacky Stables. Scootaloo had some kind of obsession with not repeating past mistakes, but I think the problem was obvious. Our society wielded unfathomably destructive power before we were ready for it. It was that simple.
Since the road to Tarturus was paved with good intentions, nearly all of the experimental Stables fatally failed. All those ponies died for no good reason. I’m sure Scootaloo meant well, but…
“Daisy?” The muffled voice startled me. Turning towards the source, I saw that I had just passed the stairwell door to sublevel three. A pair of twitchy eyes watched me through the porthole.
“Daaaaiiiiisy.” The broken copy gave me a toothy grin.
I trotted up to the locked door, and placed a hoof on the window. My insane counterpart matched the gesture. Poor thing was blissfully ignorant of how horrible her situation was. This was something I’d never forgive the Goddess for. Bending the minds of her slaves until they snapped, then discarding them.
“Daisy!” she shouted cheerily, before stepping away and trotting down the stairs.
Turning around, I started on my way to the cafeteria to get something to eat before bed. I only made it a few steps before I heard a loud thud behind me.
“Daisy! Daisy! Daisy!” The Craisy was slamming herself against the door repeatedly. Blood started to stain the glass.
“No, no!” I rushed the controls, bypassing the lock as quickly as I could. As the steel slid open, I wrapped myself around the thrashing, injured clone. “Stop! Stop it! You’re hurting yourself!” No one was around to hear the commotion. “Caretaker! Anypony! Help!”
The concussion she’d given herself started to take effect. “Dai…sy…”
After dragging her into the hall, I resealed the door. Once it was locked, I hoisted her onto my back and rushed her to medical. I told any Daisy I passed to find Caretaker and meet me there.
*****
A few of us who had medical knowledge joined us. It didn't take long to figure out that the Craisy had fractured her skull, rather badly. Normal healing potions would cause the bone fragments to set wrong and likely kill her. A super restoration potion would work, but we raided all of those decades ago.
To our shock, Caretaker was the first to suggest euthanasia. “It’s the merciful thing to do.”
Before any of us could object, she began fetching the necessary chemicals and a syringe. We kept our opinions to ourselves as she did the deed. I held the poor pony’s hoof as her life faded away. Another of us is gone, forever.
Soldier Daisy was among us, only recognizable due to her scars since she was out of her armor. It made sense she’d have at least basic medical knowledge. “We should do the same for the rest.”
I snapped at her. “Woah, hold on! Putting down somepony too injured to save is one thing. Slaughtering dozens just because… That’s something else.”
“Caretaker won’t be around forever.” She countered. “It’s the merciful thing to do.”
I spat. “No, it’s the convenient thing to do.”
She huffed. “They’re basically vegetables! What kind of life is that? The only reason it hasn’t been done yet is because it wasn’t an option.” She turned to the elder. “Isn’t that right?”
Caretaker sighed. “...It is. If it had been possible, I would have done it a long time ago.” She winced at our gasps. “I’d been thinking about it the last couple of days. My first idea was to overload the reactor once you all left, but that would be a waste of a perfectly good Stable. Some of you might want to keep living here, after all. So my other idea was to make a stop at the armory and do it the hard way…”
“I’ll do it.” Soldier Daisy volunteered, to the surprise of no one. “Let’s face it, you’re too frail and shaky at your age to make it clean.”
“We haven’t agreed-” I started, but she cut me off.
“It's the Caretaker's decision, and she’s decided.” She pondered a moment, and her tone became more pleading. “It would be easier with help.”
*****
There were twenty-six Craisies downstairs, and while they weren’t normally hostile to us, we didn’t know how they’d react to being attacked. Soldier Daisy had her own armor and weapons, but Caretaker and I got some Stable security armor out of the armory, and I equipped a riot shotgun battle saddle loaded with slugs. Slugs… We all knew how efficient they were for executions. This felt so wrong…
The first one was the hardest. “Daisy?” She looked up at us with such an innocent smile. Even the soldier hesitated a moment before putting a suppressed burst into her brainpan.
For the next few, I had to close my eyes as I bit down on the trigger. Just as we worried, those who witnessed the violence tried to defend themselves. “Daisy! Daaaiiiisy!” I hesitated less now that my life was potentially in danger, but killing them was still painful.
Once most were dead, the Caretaker led us to usual hiding places they liked to curl up in. I had to kill two who were sleeping, snuggled together.
I broke into ugly sobs when they stopped twitching.
*****
Soldier Daisy underestimated how stressful that task would be. Not taking any chances, she and Caretaker removed my weapons before taking me back upstairs. Masque wrapped himself around me when he saw the state I was in. Other Daisies had informed him of what we were doing.
“I… I can’t imagine…” He hugged me tighter. I cried into his chest.
Caretaker rubbed my shoulder. “It’s done now. They’re at rest.”
“No…” I refuted. “No they’re not. Not yet.”
She knew what I meant. We all knew what I meant.
When it was safe to open the Stable, we all went out with shovels and started digging.
I did something potentially stupid and grabbed a PipBuck before we left 108. I was already wearing Stable security armor, so I might as well complete the look. What I really wanted was the radio, which I kept on at low volume, waiting for any kind of news about what was going on.
Masque and I weren’t really sure what to do. Along with dozens of other Daisies, we were shuffling along the river out of Splendid Valley. Eventually we’d need to break off and pick a town to head towards. My first thought was Dodge, but a deep guilt urged me to go somewhere I really didn’t want to. Fillydelphia.
There were Daisies stuck there who might have no idea this is their last life. I couldn’t bear abandoning them to spend it as slaves. My griffon friend was the only one I’d told this to, since I didn’t want to risk more lives than we’d save.
*****
It really bothered me that DJ Pon3’s station was broadcasting Enclave music. If they were making moves, I needed to know where it was safe.
I stopped dead in my tracks when the DJ’s voice broke through. After turning up the volume, I sat down. Masque and several other Daisies sat around me.
“...that airborne plague callin’ themselves the Enclave brutally slaughtered Friendship City. The city’s gone, children…”
“...Here’s the good news: the ponies of the Equestrian Wasteland are standing up against them…”
“...Heroes all the way from Shattered Hoof to Hoofington have been holding the line against the nightmares from above…”
“...But the biggest strike against the Enclave has come from none other than our own beloved author of the Wasteland Survival Guide, Ditzy Doo. You all saw it…”
“...And I have a message for the black-armored soldiers who just burst into the station at the Shattered Hoof Ridge Tower: that thing you’re looking at with the glowing blue light? A little homebrewed surprise rigged to the spark battery from a weapon made by the motherfuckin’ stars! Farewell, you…”
Then, static.
The Enclave weren’t just making moves, they were mounting a full-scale invasion. The balefire bomb… It must have kicked a hornet’s nest.
One Daisy spoke about having friends in Friendship City, and galloped off in a panic. Many others had similar worries, heading off to their lives to see if what the Goddess dragged them away from was still there. One in particular was heading in New Appleloosa’s direction. Moonlight, please be there waiting for her.
As much as I wanted to go to Dodge, I had a mission. Besides… my new life was already standing right beside me.
After sharing a comforting nuzzle with Masque, we set out.
*****
To my surprise, the griffon started formulating a plan. If we could get our claws and hooves on slaver and Talon armor, getting in and out of Fillydelphia was doable. It depended on whether the Enclave made them too paranoid to accept outsiders, or utterly desperate to accept anyone.
Worst case scenario, the Enclave already hit them. Though, I think DJ Pon3 would have mentioned it if they had. They definitely would. Maybe… Maybe during an attack would be the best time to make a move. In that kind of chaos, they’d surely miss a random pony and griffon sneaking some slaves out.
My priority was my fellow Daisies, but I’ll absolutely free anypony else I can. I’ve spent enough time in Filly throughout my lives to know my way around. Enclave pegasi would surely keep the fighting mostly in the air where they had the advantage, so it was just a matter of staying low, or even underground. Filly has metro tunnels.
*****
Question was, where could we find Talon armor and slaver duds up for grabs?
“...Shattered Hoof, maybe?” Masque offered. “We know they just held off the Enclave, so they probably have casualties who won’t miss their gear.”
“Gawd’s Talons will miss it. Trust me.” I pondered. “Grimfeathers is all business, so I can probably make a deal if we explain ourselves. A PipBuck and pristine security armor seem like a good trade.”
The griffon looked at the wrist computer and nodded. They were very valuable. We could no doubt get quality guns and ammo on top of armor. That value also made anypony wearing one a target, and there were a lot of raider nests near Shattered Hoof.
*****
Or… there used to be. Considering all the ashes and scorch marks, this destruction had to be the Enclave’s doing. I guess they don’t discriminate what kind of ‘inferior surface vermin’ gets their wrath. Anypony with a weapon was probably labeled as a hostile combatant in this war of theirs. Though, we heard from passing travelers that they killed foals in Friendship City…
Sweet Celestia. ‘Lightbringer,’ kick their flanks.
On the bright side, we reached Gawdyna’s territory without incident. A patrol only questioned us a little, assuming we were refugees. Which, come to think of it, wasn’t inaccurate. We never got to speak with Grimfeathers herself, but I was perfectly fine with that. The next batch of questions we got were hard enough to answer without her scarousing presence distracting me.
“You want Talon armor, slaver gear, and guns?” The Talon quartermaster narrowed her eyes. “Why? What are you up to?”
I decided to be completely honest. “I have friends, family stuck in Fillydelphia. I want to sneak in and get them out before they get killed in a crossfire with the Enclave.”
She blinked, then turned to Masque. “What’s your stake in this?”
“Any friend of hers is a friend of mine.” That seemed to be good enough for her.
The griffoness was further surprised with what I offered as payment, and effectively let us choose whatever we wanted as trade. Nothing flashy, that’s for sure. Masque got himself some type of compact suppressed rifle. Quiet, while still having the punch to beat pegasus armor. I maintained the trend by getting a suppressed belt-fed gun in the same caliber on a battle saddle, as well as a military trench spade for melee. I may be weak for an earth pony, but I’m still stronger than the average unicorn. It was decided that we’d wait until we were closer to Filly to change our outfits.
Without any timetable on where or when the Enclave would be, we only stuck around long enough to get food and rest before moving on. It already took us a couple of days to get here, and it’ll take a couple more to reach Fillydelphia.
*****
Masque had also gotten himself a radio, a bulky military type built into a backpack. He scanned channel after channel, trying to eavesdrop on Red Eye’s forces. The news we got from Everfree was a surprise to be sure, but a welcome one. Red Eye was dead. Good fucking riddance.
Maybe that would make our task a lot easier. If I were any of Filly’s guards, I sure as hell wouldn’t stick around now that the big boss bit the dust.
We had to bolt into some trash for cover when something huge took that hope and banished it to the moon. A dragon. An enormous, ancient, cyber dragon. Flanked by several squads of Talons, it flew straight to Fillydelphia to bolster their forces. Fuck.
Stern, Celestia damn you. You’re going to throw all your people’s lives away in a stupid last stand instead of retreating, aren’t you? Bitch.
At least this development gave us an easy story to get in with. We’d just say we were stragglers from the Cathedral.
*****
The gate guards were far too concerned with the skies to question us too thoroughly. Masque was told to report to someone named ‘Heidi’ and I was ignored. I couldn’t help but recognize one of the guards, and couldn’t believe it.
Vomit-bird! Damn, if he survived getting shot in the throat, I had hope he’d make it through this.
Once again, I resisted the urge to wave. Completely ignoring orders, confident no one would follow up on us, we snaked our way through buildings and tunnels. This was a big city, it would take a while to reach where the slaves were being corralled. We didn’t have a while.
“Thunderhead!” A voice on the radio cried out. “Thunderhead, and at least a dozen raptors!”
The Enclave was not fucking around. They must be throwing almost everything they have at Filly. The sky above us became chaos, a flurry of griffons, pegasi, lasers, artillery, and massive airships. The biggest threat to us was all the debris raining into the streets, or the possibility of a building or tunnel collapsing on top of us.
A squad of pegasi unfortunately spotted us and opened fire. Masque dove behind a steel dumpster, and I behind a pile of concrete. My friend wasn’t a particularly good shot, and despite two centuries of experience, neither was I. At least my weapon was fully automatic. Accuracy by volume of fire, right?
“Leave us alone!” I shouted as I opened up. It took about twenty-something rounds, but I took out two of the black flying demons.
Masque finally nailed the third, but their corpse kept firing their weapon as they tumbled. Their shots dislodged an ice cream shop sign, which landed on my friend.
He let out a pained squawk as he collapsed, and I rushed over and bucked the hunk of metal off of him with strength I didn’t know I had.
“Masque! Can you move?” Please don’t have a broken spine, please don’t have a broken spine…
He groaned as he wobbly stood up, then shrieked and fell again the moment he tried to move his wings. They were broken again, worse than they had been when we met. “I… I’ll be alright. We need to move.”
*****
“Daisy!” I started shouting as we reached some slave pens. “Daisy Pusher!” My eyes scanned frantically for a yellow curly mane. “Has anypony seen a slave who looks like me?”
A shy voice spoke up. “I think she died…”
Another countered. “No, I saw her this morning. You’re thinking of that other Daisy.”
“Oh, right,” a third joined. “I think her group is a few blocks north.”
“Thank you!” I started that way, then stopped and turned around. “Stay safe, all of you. You’ll get through this.”
I moved as fast as my injured companion could, and searched the dead in the street for any potions that could help him. All I found were for basic healing. If we used that, he’d be crippled forever.
When we reached the next slave pens, I spotted the other Daisy almost immediately. She was in rough shape. Bruised, scarred, skinny… She reminded me of the corpse I buried those weeks ago, but she was breathing. I could save her. I had to save her.
We wrapped our hooves around each other, ignoring the gawking stares. The two of us must have been the cherry on top of this insane excuse for a day.
“You… Do you know?” I asked.
Her confused expression answered before she did. “Know what?”
Time to rip off the bandage. “The Goddess is dead. Project Phoenix was destroyed with her. This is it.”
If she wasn’t scared before, she was now. “F-Fuck…” Tears welled up in her eyes. “The other… She threw herself off a building a couple days ago, thinking she’d…”
I almost threw up. That was my worst fear, that one of the Daisies here would try to use Phoenix as an escape route, not knowing…
“How do we get out?” It was a good question.
I turned to Masque. “If I give you a potion, could you fly us across the moat?”
The griffon looked apprehensively at the swirling magic liquid I offered. He knew what drinking it would do to him in the long run. “I think so. It’s not too far a distance.” My friend hesitated a while longer, then drank.
*****
It would take until we reached the city’s edge for the healing fluid to take effect, so we got moving. A few other slaves dared to follow us. Being a larger group was going to make it harder to go unnoticed…
Pink lasers and green plasma struck around us.
“Fuck off you murderers!” I returned fire along with Masque. Even a couple slaves grabbed weapons off the street and helped. We kept the other Daisy behind us. I was willing to die to give her a chance. The wasteland was never that kind.
A bolt of hot magic clipped my ear, and struck the mare behind me. I barely caught the terror in her eyes before she turned to ash.
“You fuckers!” Masque blew away the last two pegasi, and mag dumped the corpse of the one who killed the Daisy we came here to save.
My will to fight left me. I collapsed into her ashes, desperately trying to scoop them up in my hooves.
Retrieving the empty potion bottle, and my spade, I gathered as much of her remains as possible. The least I can do now is put her to rest.
I hugged the bottle of ashes to my chest. I couldn’t save her. All I ever wanted to do was help, and I fuck up every time. The original Daisy couldn’t save those deserters because they died in the bombs anyway. We couldn’t save the Craisies, just euthanize them. I couldn’t save this Daisy, who spent her last life as a Fillydelphian slave. Now, even Masque was going to be crippled his entire life for nothing, assuming we even lived that long.
No… No, there were still slaves with us I could help. Who I could save.
After my friend gave me the strongest hug his injuries would allow, we pressed on, towards the wall. The main gate wasn’t an option. More and more slaves started taking to the streets, away from the bulk of the fighting.
Our group became a small army, gunning down any feathered pony who tried to attack us. We would not let them take any others.
I couldn’t help but notice the dragon wasn’t in the sky anymore, and someone on the radio claimed that Stern had been killed. Finally.
However, that left very little to defy the Enclave’s airships. They’d steamroll the whole city, regardless of how much infantry they lost. It would take a miracle…
*****
Ask, and you shall receive.
When the massive shockwave ripped through the streets, I thought it was another balefire bomb. The air was washed in a bright green glow that engulfed the entire city. Yet, it didn’t burn. If anything, I felt a comforting warmth. From above.
The sun. I could see the sun, and the beautiful blue sky surrounding it. I’d seen it in the original Daisy’s memories, but never with my own eyes. Those fuzzy memories couldn’t even begin to compare. My heart swelled with hope.
It had a very different effect on the Enclave. I practically leaped out of my skin when a Raptor crashed down the street, completely disabled. Nearly all the airships suffered the same fate.
Word also spread about a hole blown into the wall ahead of us. Our way out. The radio continued on about newcomers joining the fray. Gawd’s Talons, the new Applejack’s Rangers, and even alicorns were here to help.
Them, and a giant fucking laser from the sky. Time to get the fuck out of here.
*****
By the time we reached our exit, the Enclave was in full retreat, the slaves were escaping en masse, and the Talons were regrouping under Gawdyna.
Making a power play, Grimfeathers? I guess with Stern dead, someone has to be in charge.
Masque ferried as many of us as he could across the moat before the pain was too much for him. Friendly Talons stepped in to help.
My friend nuzzled me. “So, what now?”
I looked around. “These ponies need somewhere safe to go. Somewhere with food and medicine.”
“Yeah,” he muttered, “I wouldn’t mind seeing a doctor.”
DJ Pon3 said Tenpony was taking in refugees, and Manehattan was as close as anywhere else. I announced our destination to the crowd, and we were off.
*****
Food and water had to be carefully rationed between all of us, and the mood began to dim as gray clouds once again hung overhead. Whatever brought the sun was a localized event. A steady thumping of glass against my flank was a constant reminder that I failed my mission. The faces of freed ponies around me was a constant reminder that I succeeded at another. I helped.
Masque and I shed our disguises at the first small town we encountered, and sold them for food. The dinky assortment of shacks couldn’t accommodate us all, but the locals helped pitch tents so we could at least stay the night. The griffon kept his arms around me as we slept. We woke up to clear skies.
According to DJ Pon3, the Lightbringer was responsible. That little unicorn really was incredible. If I ever see her again, I’m giving her a kiss. Maybe more, if she’s up for it.
When we reached Manehattan's ruins, we put our rested eyes to work looking out for raiders or bloodwings. After everything, I could not allow the wasteland to take away our victory. A climb up to the tramway, a trot along the rails, and an explanation at the gate later, and we had made it. Inside the lavish walls of Tenpony Tower, we were finally safe.
*****
I rushed Masque to the clinic, where our fears were confirmed. His injury, along with improper healing and sudden stress, would result in permanent damage. He hadn’t been able to fly at all since the potion wore off, and now we know he never will again. After any superficial injuries were taken care of, I wrapped my hooves around him. It was his turn to cry.
Every slave he defended and carried over that moat made sure to give him their thanks. I could see in his eyes, for the first time in his life, he felt like he mattered. That he made a difference. I felt it, too. After a few moments, we couldn’t stop the tears from falling. Tears of joy.
After a few days, once everything calmed down, I had one more stop I wanted to make. After that, Masque and I agreed to go back to Dodge and settle down, for real. Have a life together. A normal life. It’s what every Daisy wanted.
First, I had a pilgrimage to make. One many Daisies had, but I hadn’t. Trotson.
For the nights spent in Tenpony, Masque and I had to share a small room. That was not a problem, at all, whatsoever. For our neighbors' sake, we did our best to be quiet. We were certainly in high spirits when we departed.
We had held onto our weapons, but prices at the tower were too high to buy more ammo. We did get some basic barding. Hopefully we wouldn’t have much trouble reaching Trotson. A couple of Talons volunteered to escort us out of Manehattan, which we appreciated. After that, we were on our own.
*****
The trip was thankfully quiet aside from the occasional mutant animal, or short stops in small settlements. All standard fare for the wasteland. In one such stop, Masque nearly pulled his rifle on an injured pegasus mare. I stopped him when I saw she wasn't armed. In fact, she was selling her Enclave gear in exchange for medical care.
Masque wasn’t sure she deserved help. For all we knew, she was one of the foal-killers who attacked Friendship City. I pointed out we wouldn’t know anything if we didn’t talk to her. He didn’t want to. I felt like giving her a chance.
A hoof and an introduction were offered to the gurney-bound pegasus. “My name’s Daisy Pusher.”
She apprehensively took it, staring at the machine gun strapped to my side. “Chancer Dice.” Not exactly a name that inspires trust. Then again, plenty could be said about my name.
She was a pretty mare, though I had to imagine what her gold, white, and black mane would look like if it weren’t cut short. Her coat was pale green, and her cutie mark was a pair of snake eyes dice on top of a joker playing card, next to a trio of golden bits. There was one thing about her that made my skin crawl. Heterochromia, one eye red, one eye blue, matching the dice on her flank. Exactly like Helix. Combined with her coat color…
That last place Helix Splice had been was Cloudsdale. If she had a relationship with a pegasus, she never mentioned it. The odds of meeting a direct descendant of hers, randomly in the wasteland, was astronomical, but the last few weeks taught me that anything was possible.
“Your eyes…” I started. “Does that run in your family?”
She seemed taken aback by the odd question. “Uh, yeah, why?”
I shook my head. No need to go down that rabbit hole. She’d think I was insane if I tried to explain it to her. “No reason, just curious.”
Masque finally spoke up. “Were you involved with Cauterize?”
Fear entered Chancer’s eyes. “I… technically, yes. I was on the crew of the Raptor Cirrus. It got taken down by that cyber dragon over Fillydelphia.”
We both scowled at her. She shrank away from us.
“I was just a mechanic!” She pleaded. “I barely got out of that battle alive and didn’t hurt anyone! I didn’t even have a weapon!”
My expression softened. Masque’s didn’t. “You were still part of it. Do you have any idea how many innocent people you fuckers murdered? Hundreds.”
“I was just a mechanic…” She whimpered. “This was the last year of my tour. I didn’t enlist expecting to invade the surface. I just wanted full citizenship. I wouldn’t have if I knew.”
“Masque…” I put a hoof on his chest. “How close were you to joining the Talons in Fillydelphia?”
The anger in his eyes vanished, replaced by guilt. “Oh…”
Glass houses, Masque. Glass houses.
I changed the subject. “Once you’re healed, do you plan to stay here?”
Chancer seemed unsure. “This place seems okay. It’s nothing like the propaganda told us. Though I doubt there’s much work…”
“Come with us, then.” They both looked shocked at my suggestion. “I’m making a stop at Trotson for personal matters, then we’re settling down at Dodge. It’s a growing town, so I’m sure you’ll find something. It’s pretty out of the way, close to the Badlands, so I doubt anypony there has immediate issues with pegasi.”
She tilted her head in thought. “Dodge doesn’t ring any bells, so I doubt it was a target. Little towns were pretty much ignored.” She frowned. “Unless we were told they were raider camps.”
At this point, I knew about New Appleloosa, and had already sent several prayers to the Princesses that Moonlight was okay. I swerved the conversation away from going down that path again. “Well, when you’re feeling better, meet us at the bar.”
*****
Masque was expectedly not pleased with my new choice of traveling companion. I promptly reminded him how far a little compassion towards a stranger can go. That holding onto hate wasn’t going to help Equestria heal any faster. He fell silent.
Either way, she wasn’t trusted with a gun, not that we could afford one for her. Though, with supervision, we let her do some maintenance work on ours. She definitely was a mechanic. They looked like they just rolled out of the factory when she was done with them.
The griffon steadily became more and more agitated as Chancer glided above us. She grew increasingly confused as to why Masque wasn’t flying. Before she could voice her question, I gave her a look that told her to keep it to herself. When she landed, and took a better look at his wings, she figured it out on her own.
To pass the time, I asked about her family.
“Can’t say I was ever very close to them.” Her eyes became sad. “My parents were aboard the Victorious, the Thunderhead that was destroyed by that balefire bomb. The last time I saw them was years ago.”
The incident that started all this. I wasn’t sure if the Enclave was even a target, or just had really unlucky timing.
Again, I didn’t want to go down this path, but my curiosity was eating at me. “Does the name Helix Splice mean anything to you?”
Chancer rounded on me. “Where did… Yeah, I’m her great-great-great-whatever granddaughter. She was a scientist before the bombs. How do you know about her?”
“...Have you ever heard of Project Phoenix?”
*****
At the end of my story, Chancer was left stunned. It was the first time Masque had heard all of it, too, but it mostly just saddened him.
“I can’t believe… She just murdered you? For an experiment?” Chancer was horrified by her ancestor’s deeds.
“She murdered Daisy Pusher. I’m not her. I’m just a copy.” I noticed Masque’s glare. “You know what I mean.”
“That’s why you’re going to Trotson?” She questioned. “To visit her grave and pay respects?”
I nodded, and glanced at my bottle of ashes. “That, and to lay a friend to rest.”
With that, Trotson’s skyline appeared on the horizon. We’re almost there.
*****
There used to be two very dangerous things in this city. Steel Rangers, and Assault-Mare combat robots. Something wiped out both a couple years ago. Rumors as to what ranged from an entire battalion of Talons, to a lone, cybernetic, half-dragon-half-hellhound with machine guns for arms. Whatever it was, the last Daisy to come here said it was long gone.
All that was left were easily avoidable pockets of raiders and low-tier mutant animals. We didn’t even have to go too far into the city to reach the cemetery. The small, quaint little cemetery with less than twenty graves in it, tucked behind a chapel.
Daisy wasn’t hard to find. I almost laughed when I saw that, against all odds, hers was the only grave with a patch of daisies sprouting from it. Cutie mark magic is wild.
My companions stayed silent as I knelt down and picked one of the little white flowers, and tucked it into the bottle. “You’re not forgotten. None of you are.”
At the foot of the grave, I dug a hole about three feet deep and just wide enough for the makeshift urn. Returning the soil from whence it came, I patted it down and stepped back.
Chancer stepped forward next. “I’m sorry,” is all she uttered. Masque opted to simply bow respectfully.
Business at the Dodge saloon was a little slow today, just a couple patrons lounging around while I scrubbed tables. The owner had gone away to visit family in New Appleloosa, leaving me to run the place until he got back. Upon me asking, he agreed to check on Moonlight and his wife and see how they were doing. An occasional sip of Sparkle Cola mixed with Aqua Pura did a little to alleviate my boredom.
I didn’t really need the radioactive water, like ghouls do, but it does put a pep in my step. After that cure-all mega spell got set off by the Elements, I got really sick until I drank a gallon of the stuff. That got me hooked. It was an expensive habit, though, so I was trying to kick it. Besides, like I said, ghouls need it more.
To remove the temptation, I gave the rest of the bottle to the rotting stallion half-dozing in a booth. He gave me a toothless smile and thanked me before his corroded horn floated the beverage to his perpetually chapped lips.
Just as I returned to the bar, a trio of tired NCR guards meandered through the swinging doors. Finally, something to do.
“Just wrap up watch duty?” I smiled. “What’ll you have, troopers? Usual?”
The eldest of the griffons yawned and nodded. Three hard ciders, coming up. I counted bits as a fourth joined, leaned over the bar, and pecked my cheek.
The familiar face wearing simple farm clothes ordered a whiskey. “Slow day?”
Masque smiled as I returned the kiss. “Yeah, but I managed.” I noticed the letters tucked into his shirt. “Something came in the mail?”
He nodded and gave them to me. “One’s from a Sunburn address, no name, and the other’s from Chancer.” Sunburn? I don’t know anypony there.
I read the one from Chancer first, eager to hear from her. She only stayed in Dodge a few months before signing up with a group called the Gun Runners, to build and fix up firearms for a living.
Her letter had nothing out of the ordinary, just talking about work, friends, and her son. I enjoyed hearing about it, nonetheless, and would write back soon.
“Does ‘Lita’ still give her shit?” Masque asked.
A snort escaped me. “You must not read these yourself very often. ‘Lita’ gives everyone shit.”
Chancer’s first letter to us almost eight years ago did have us worried, since it revealed a few of the Gun Runners were former Fillydelphian Talons. However, by all accounts, they worked out their differences. No bad blood.
Next, the mystery letter. A few words in, and I knew who it was from. Soldier Daisy. I hadn’t heard anything from her since 108, didn’t even know if she was alive or not. She apparently joined the NCR, and had just finished her second tour with them before settling down in Sunburn. Now she’s a manager at their solar plant.
The letter went on to complain a little about the locals, like how the town doctor was a complete klutz. It wasn’t all bad though. An old mule mare was apparently a combination shrink/mechanic who was a treat to talk to. She also praised one of the solar plant employees for having an exceptional work ethic despite having a bad leg.
After I gave the letters back to my husband, he fluttered his gimp wings a little. “How long until Spiked Cider gets back, anyway? The kids miss you.”
“A few days, at most.” I rolled my eyes. “The orphanage is just a few buildings down, it’s not like I’m on another planet. I’ve been checking on them before and after every shift. Besides, the Followers do most of the work these days.”
He chuckled. “Well, they don’t call any of the Followers mom. That title is reserved for you.”
Masque nuzzled me as I blushed. The war with the Enclave destroyed a lot of families, left a lot of foals and griffawns with no place to go. I did what I could.
As odd as it was, my cutie mark is what inspired me. I decided to look at it as something other than a symbol of death. Instead, I saw the flowers in front of a tombstone as something beautiful blossoming from tragedy.
In a way, that applied to the whole wasteland. There’d been a lot of hard knocks over the last two centuries, and I had personally gotten hit by quite a few of them, but things were really turning around. It’s probably been said already, and it was cheesy, but…
