Over the next few days my wings finished unfurling, and the artificial ones were discontinued for service in my flame training. Today would be the day I attempted my escape; I just knew it!
I had guzzled down as much soda as possible before training, and my stomach began to rumble in protest at all the air stored inside it.
Soon, I thought, Soon we can get out of here.
The Voice began counting off, and I spied a weak spot in the drab, gray, wall.
“3, 2, 1… Begin!” the Voice hollered.
I took off like a comet. But I wasn’t aiming for a speed record this time. I made a beeline for the target closest to the crack, and then pulled a 90-degree turn to the left. Bracing myself against the metallic wall with my hooves, I let out a long, powerful blast of blue flame at the wall. A gaping, searing hole opened up in the sheet metal, and I leapt through, careful to avoid the cherry red sides.
At this point the Voice realized what I was doing. “After him! Open up the Anti Air batteries! Don’t let him ESCAPE!!!”
I looked behind me, searing a couple of griffons that had poked their heads from the hole. I squinted towards the bright noon sky, trying to get as high and far as possible. On the ramparts of the laboratory’s outer walls, I saw a rusty brown Pegasus pony grinning at me. The stallion was holding something akin to a telescope in his hand.
Ignoring him, I flew on, hoping to get as much distance as I could from the lab. A pair of turrets on the wall rotated towards me, spewing projectiles as I whizzed past automated guns.
I heard a loud bang followed by a wicked cackle. Then I felt myself slam onto the top of the south rampart. Four griffons pounced on me, holding and restraining me.
A bespectacled unicorn in a white lab coat appeared out of nowhere and proceeded to observe my struggles. Her expression almost blank, betraying little to no emotion. It was scary, quite frankly. The rusty brown equine following her was holding what I could now see was a marksman’s rifle. The coat-wearing unicorn laughed a grating, yet familiar laugh while she straightened her glasses.
“Clever foal. Unfortunately for YOU,” she paused a moment, smirking sadistically. “For every action, there is a consequence. Beaker, take his wings.”
One of the griffons paused, perplexed. “What do you mean, ma’am?”
“I mean take his wings. Rip them off.” She replied.
My hazel eyes widened in horror as the griffon reluctantly stepped closer to me. He grasped my leather wings firmly and yanked them sharply out of their sockets. The griffon gaped in horror at what’d he’d just done as blood eked from the rips in my back.
“Patch him up, and get him back in his cell,” the unicorn said. “He’ll be perfect for my personal project. Move the colt up to B sector.”
Just before I passed out from the pain, it clicked!
“You’re the Voice…” I groaned, blacking out.
I woke up on my metallic palette with white bandages wrapped around my midsection. There was a full-length mirror in my cell now. As I stirred I noticed that my formerly beautiful brown pelt was now a pale gray, nearly white. The only color left in my fur was red. There were crimson streaks on my body and in my mane. Not to mention that my pupils had elongated into draconic slits.
“You’ve gotta be kidding me…” I groaned.
I sat down on the palette, holding my head in my hooves.
That dreaded Voice spoke into my cell. “Yes. We’ve begun a new batch of tests on you. Unfortunately, our genome splicing has drained all the brown pigment from your coat. ‘Tis a shame, really,” she laughed wickedly at my plight.
I sighed, resigned to my fate, and awaited breakfast as well as a schedule of my new training regime. I was sure that SOMETHING would be changed after my little escape attempt.