//------------------------------// // Project Firebrand // Story: The D.S.P.I. // by DungeonMiner //------------------------------// Alpha and Gamma were both taking some well-deserved time off. Both of them had been working hard to find any signs of the Crimson Covenant, and had mostly come up with nothing. Instead, the only thing they had come up with was the time Gamma ran into a lycan that was breaking parole and had to be restrained until Commander Spike could wade through that flood of paperwork. The dragon shook his head. “Why'd you make it so tough on yourself, Cinnamon?” he muttered. Cinnamon Toast was a nice pony by all accounts, ran a bakery in Northern Appleloosa. The now-bustling city enjoyed his cinnamon rolls, and he had no small number of friends there. The only issue is that he becomes a half-pony, half-coyote every month. Cinnamon was doing his best, to be fair, he took the proper precautions, sealed himself in the proper vault with the timed door provided to him by Department’s Lycan Aid Program, but it seemed the coyote in him was a little too smart for the door. Honestly, it was definitely one of the most interesting cases Spike had seen. He had seen a tiger, a bear, a boar, but never a coyote before. He and the eggheads in R&D still weren’t sure if the coyote was the background magic of the desert environment working on his lycanthropy, or if he was bitten by a very rare lycan and he was likewise a rare breed. Regardless, Cinnamon, who was already a smart pony, had become the most devious patient the Department had. The poor guy was nearly impossible to hold now, but took a bit too much confidence from the weakened bloodlust, and refused to move away from his bakery. Now, he seemed to be paying for it. So far there hadn’t been any casualties, but Spike was beginning to wonder if he shouldn’t be moved to a more secure location. His pen hovered over the check box, the one that could end Cinnamon’s normal life. He didn’t want to. He really didn’t, but if Cinnamon didn’t start finding a way to keep that door locked, then he was going to be some serious trouble. He sighed. “One more time, Cinnamon. That’s it.” A knock sounded on his door, and Spike looked up to see Velvet Storm enter the office. “Sir?” “Yes?” “The Bio program is ready.” Spike nodded, before he signed the papers in front of him. “It’s about time, call in Alpha and Gamma. They’re going to have time off anyway.” “Yes, sir.” ===ᐁ=== Alpha and Gamma Team were in the common room in fifteen minutes, standing at attention as they waited for the Commander to arrive. Silver, as team leader, stood two steps ahead of Alpha, while Chrome Shift, the unicorn in charge of Gamma, stood next to him. Both teams were both the perfect picture of discipline, and Spike approved as he approached. “Looking good, ponies. You just might make some decent soldiers yet.” They continued to stand at attention. “At ease,” Spike ordered, before he spoke again. “As some of you may or may not know, after the attack on our headquarters here, we were given permission by the Princess to activate some of our more experimental programs. Among these is what we’re calling ‘Project Firebrand’ where we have decided to fight Fire with Fire. “If that sounds like a bunch of poetic garbage to you, then there might be some hope for you,” Spike joked. “Project Firebrand has been thoroughly tested, so it is theoretically sound, however, Celestia did have some misgivings, and so wants me to make this perfectly clear to all of you before I accept volunteers. “What Project Firebrand hopes to achieve is the creation of more powerful soldiers through the use of DNA modification. As an example, if we were take the muscle density genes in a manticore, then you become stronger, and faster than you can possibly be, without becoming a massive monstrosity that makes Chestnut here look like filly in kindergarten,” Spike said, motioning to Alpha Team’s heavy. Chestnut smiled. “We have a few options to choose from, all gene sequences that we’ve isolated from various sources, including that of some of our enemies. They range anywhere from eyesight improvement, to the ability to transform into a bigger, badder you,” Spike told them, before he frowned. “Now there are a few problems. First and foremost is the time it’ll take for your original genetic material to flush out so that the new stuff can take over. The lifespan of cells ranges anywhere from four months to a year for blood, a little over a month for skin, to 25 to 35 years for bones, while brain cells last a lifetime. “We do have a solution, however, it will cut the time down, but it will still take a few months to get the transformation complete. There’s also the possibility of cancer, which is bound to happen when you mess with genetic code. And then the other problem that this program creates is that you will be rendered sterile. Personally, I don’t think it’s that big of a deal, since the chances that you guys are going to live long enough to actually have foals are pretty low, but, It’s another one of those things that you need to know.” The ponies nodded. “Now, I have some flyers with all the options and side effects, so you can read them over and make the informed decision that Celestia wants. If you agree, the whole team gets time off until you recover, so try and get a couple of you to join the program and be efficient with the department’s time. You have until the end of the week to make the decision. You’re dismissed, take a flyer on the way out.” ===ᐁ=== Silver re-read the flyer, not entirely sure if it was real or not. It wasn’t that he thought the program was fake or anything, but the cartoonish type in bright yellow colors that read like some kind of early-TV advertisement that made him wonder. “Amaze your friends as you turn invisible before their very eyes!* See for miles with improved vision! Face your enemies with newfound bravery with armored skin! Talk to your Commander about Project Firebrand today! *not actual invisibility.” He shook his head. As for the actual program, it sounded fairly useful. The subdermal armor sounded useful, as did the internal camo option, but Silver was still on the fence about the whole infertility thing. Now, yes, chances were his little swimmers weren’t going to be put to use anytime soon, and as far as vasectomies go this was probably the least painful. Of course, there was also the “heightened risk of cancer,” that the Commander mentioned in passing. “Have you decided?” Silk asked as she sat next to him for lunch. Silver looked up at her, before he returned to his untouched meal. “Um...not really...I’m kinda on the fence about it. I mean, there is the whole cancer thing, not to mention the other side effects,” he said, referring to the long list of things that could happen to a gene-altered pony. Loss of sense of touch was pretty high up there, and linked directly to the subdermal armor that was oh-so-tempting. Becoming far-sighted was listed next to the eye improvements. And of course, was all the cancers. It was somewhat off-putting, if he had to admit. “What about you?” Silver asked. “Well,” she began. “I’m probably going to do it.” “Yeah?” Silver asked. “Well, it’s kind of a long story, but...well...I’m not going to lose anything if I go in,” she said, before she turned away. “Oh…” Silver said blinking. “It’s a birth defect,” she muttered. “It’s not…There isn’t some tragic backstory, I just...I just pulled the genetic short straw, okay?” “No, no, I understand,” Silver said quickly, trying his best to be delicate. “I...just...never would have guessed is all…” She nodded, and went back to her food. Silver hoped he missed a landmine before he quickly tried to change the subject. “So...what are you thinking about getting?” “Probably the vision enhancement,” she said. “The better I can aim, the better shots I can make. The better shots, the better I can keep you boneheads alive,” she added with a smile, as eager to change the topic as he was. “Anything else?” Silver asked. “Cause, personally, the subdermal armor sounds awesome. Can you imagine taking a flintlock round to the face and just walking that off?” “Yeah, but I don’t get shot at as much as you,” she told him. “Armor is much less important for me. But, the idea of the internal camouflage would certainly help.” “That I can see,” Silver said. “Although I suppose the point is that I can’t. But the medicated bone marrow idea does have me intrigued.” “What are you lovebirds up to?” a voice said, and they both looked up to see Mandible, staring at them with an eyebrow raised. Silver blushed. “Excuse me?” “You look like you're picking your dream house. What are you working on?” “We’re talking,” Silk began, her voice sounding more than a little annoyed, “about this Project Firebrand, and the possible options we can take with it.” “Yeah, I’m thinking about the medicated bone marrow and the subdermal armor,” Silver said. “It should help me stay alive.” “And I’m thinking about the internal camouflage and the vision enhancements,” Silk stated. “What about you,” Silver asked the changeling, “anything stand out to you?” “No,” he answered. “Why not?” Mandible stared at the two of them with a deadpan glare. And then his skin erupted into emerald flame. “I wonder why?” the now-pegasus answered, before he changed back. “I have all the tools I need. If you need more to do your job better that’s your problem.” “You’re all heart, Mandible,” Silver said. “No, that’s what I eat, not what I am,” Mandible said. “Unless you are what you eat,” Silk replied. “Cute.” ===ᐁ=== “So, you’re the Alpha volunteers?” Spike asked as he looked the three ponies over. Silver nodded. He was kind of surprised to see Sparky here. He hadn’t heard anything about the program from Sparky, and could have sworn that he had basically no interest in the idea, but nonetheless, he was here, in line. “Alright, then, just go ahead and tell me what you want, and we’ll get you set up,” Spike said. “What? No waiver?” Silver asked. Spike snorted. “As far as the world outside’s concerned, you’re already dead. You’d have to find a court that’ll take a dead stallion’s case, first. Let me know how that goes.” “Good to know,” Silk answered. “You’ll be fine,” Spike said, as he grabbed a clipboard. “Alright, Silver, what do you want?” “I’ll have the medicated bone marrow and the subdermal armor, sir,” Silver answered. “The stay alive pack,” Spike nodded. “Alright. Silk.” “Internal camouflage and vision enhancements,” she told him. “Good, good, better to hide, and better to shoot. Spark?” “Internal camo and dense muscles.” He answered. “An odd combination, but that’s what field tests are for,” Spike said, before he led them away to a new room where eight massive glass tubes waited for them. “So, here’s how this is going to work. You are going to be placed in one of these tubes, you will then have an anesthetic applied to you so that you don’t feel the six dozen needles that will inject your cells with the enzyme that will replace various sections of your DNA. “After that, we’ll fill the tube with a solution that’ll promote cell growth, and the dying cells will be replaced with new cells with this new DNA. While we wait for that, we keep you asleep, and keep you fed on an IV, and monitor you to make sure you don’t become a horribly mutated mess. Any questions?” “The chances of the horribly mutated mess?” Silver asked. “Well, the enzymes are magically guided, but it's hard to direct anything at that size. But our tests came out with a 98% chance of success, so…” “Uh…” “You’ll probably be fine,” Spike said, before directed them back to the tubes. “Pick a tube, it’ll be your home for a month, so choose wisely.” “Well,” Silver whispered to Silk, “that explains the cleansing he made us go through…” She looked back at him, unamused. Well, you have to strike out eventually… They each picked a tube, and mentally prepared themselves, as IV drips were inserted into their legs, and breathing tubes were attached around their faces. They lay down in the back of the angled tubes, their backs against the cold glass, before one of the nurses came around with a needle, and carefully injected them with the magically-activated anesthetic. “Sleep well, guys,” Spike said as he watched the tubes close and the ponies fall unconscious. “I’ll see you on the other side.” ===ᐁ=== Weeks went by. Spike paced down the room, back and forth, as the clear, green liquid held the five ponies aloft in their tubes. Only two ponies from Gamma decided to join Project Firebrand, but that was fine by Spike. The only major issue was all the work Phi was now stuck with. Back up the room, checking clipboards, data points, and monitors as he watched the ponies’ vital signs. All signs were clear. No unforeseen mutations. Everything was fine. He checked his clipboards again. “You’re caring again.” A voice in the back of his head whispered. Of course he cared. This was a seven million bit investment, the culmination of fifteen years of research. This might even be the key to getting soldiers to retire without leaving in a coffin. “No, you are caring about the ponies.” Spike double checked a print out of the latest data set. “You know what happens when you care about your ponies.” Of course he knew. You don't live for more than two hundred years and not learn that ponies die. No matter what you do, and how much you love them, they are going to roll over and croak. “They’ll be lucky if that's all that happens.” This was also technically true. He had watched friends beg for death before the end, weeping as their dreams were ripped away before their eyes. “So why care? Why do you keep doing this​to yourself, Spike? It'll only end in pain.” It will. He knew it would. “How long, then? How long until the Department has the new Silver Dust rifle? Or the Silk Star jet pack?” He paused to look up at the five ponies, all floating in the green fluid that was slowly changing them into something new. They reminded him of Her. Appearing so blissful, yet trapped in a crystalline prison. Silently sleeping as the world moved on without them. Silver bobbed in the solution. Well, it's probably the ponies’ fault that he cares too much. The whole species was too dang charismatic for their own good. ===ᐁ=== Silver slowly became aware of the strangest sensation. There was a strange pressure on him, and yet despite that, he felt like he was floating. A second later he became aware of the fact that he had just now made a conscious thought. He slowly cracked open an eye, only to slam it shut as a liquid flooded into his eye and burned the whole way. That really woke him up. He grunted and rubbed his eyes with his fetlocks, swirling in the thick fluid that surrounded him. He tried to open his eyes again, this time, ready for the burning, and was only met with a blurry view of his own reflection. He reached out and pushed, feeling cold glass at his hooves and back as he pressed against the tube. He was starving. The realization hit him like a sack of bricks, and his stomach roared in hunger. He tapped the glass, just to try and communicate with the world outside his tube. He felt the liquid shake as a tap sounded back. And then he felt the suction. He felt his tail being gently pulled downward, and watched as the top of the tube began to fill with air. His head broke the surface, and he could see out of the glass. Spike stared back at him from the outside, and waved. The tube emptied shortly, and it popped open to let the ponies of alpha team slide out. The Department’s nurses moved quickly, removing breathing tubes and IVs to free the ponies. “Good morning, ponies. Did ya have a nice nap?” Spike asked. Silk sat up, and blinked as she looked around. “Oh...wow…” she muttered. “What do you see, Silk?” Spike asked. “The...colors...they’re...wow…” Spike smirked. “Well, you and Sparky here will both be receiving some training over the next month so you can stretch your new muscles. For now, though, why don’t the three of you go eat. It’s been a month, and an IV can only do so much.” ===ᐁ=== “So…” Chestnut began as he watched the three returned ponies. “How was the gene manipulation?” Silver, Silk, and Sparky didn’t answer. They were too busy shoving food into their mouths as fast as possible. Any decorum they even pretended to have was out the window as they ate plate after plate after plate of food. Fruit, vegetables, grains, anything and everything that could fit into their mouths went down the hatch. The team waited for answer. They got none. And Spike just smiled and shook his head as he watched. “Crazy kids,” he muttered. “Heh, listen to me, I’m sounding like an old man.” “Vell you are one, Kommandant Shpike,” Butter said as she walked up next to him. “I don’t remember asking for that opinion.” “No, but you did ask for zee report. Zee sholdiers of zee Crystal Empire have been performing vell. Zere are no signs of any Covenant acktivity, but zey are keeping zeir eyes open.” “Good,” Spike said. “Phi will be happy for the break.” Butter Streusel and Spike both stared out over the cafeteria, as their soldiers ate their last month’s worth of rations in one go. “I hope they do well,” Spike said. “I hope so too, Herr Shpike."