I had to wonder what came first, a millinery corrupt enough to let a psychopath like Thorn in charge, or Thorn being able to spread her insanity so well that it corrupted the military. The fact the she had a bomb collar at the ready, and it was made by the Luna's government, told me that it was both.

Thorn had been able to bring a small army down here by teleporting her troops into Labs D directly, making the lock-down of the stable a fruitless effort. Meany of the navy ponies I saw at first had standard uniform on, but further into the less then friendly crowd, combat armor became a more common sight. What struck me was how much the armor didn't looked like military standard. The armor they had on looked well used, covers in scratches, dents, and some rust, but it was also painted over in loud colors, vulgar words, and kill count. I didn't look twice to check, but I thought I saw one armor adorn with bones.

Stepping through the organized chaos, I could feel the humming and pulsing now, not just hear it. It all made me anxious, as though some force was closing in around me.

"Hay stable pony, Lets have a quicky!" A pegusus mare in strip down combat armor walked in front of me. "I always get a bit antsy before a raid, and the blokes here like to bite back." She didn't blink once as she talked, giving me a good look at her eyes, the pupils seemingly a bit to small to be normal.

"Umm... sorry... but Thorn want's me..."

She hit me in the face with a hoof. "I said a quickly, not a damned marathon. Now get on your back!" she growled as she talked.

There was a laughter in the room that made my stomach churn. Laughter that suddenly cut off.

"Now, now, there will be time for that later, do understand that Petty Officer?" Thorns voice cut through the room. Every pony had stopped to salute.

The pegusus mare had jumped out of my way to saluted Thorn. "MAM YES MAM!"

"Then carry on, you to Slowtrot." I didn't look back, or make much of a sound. I just walked passed the group of insane navy ponies.

One big advantage for a stable if it were to ever come under attack was how easy it is to defend. The reason why Thorn's troops had not taken Healing Herbs was simply because every part of a stable was a bottle neck for the navy ponies. The long hallway to where Healing Herbs was had the body's of navy ponies and stable ponies littering the floor. Bullet casings chattered and sloshed under my hooves, and every few steps I had to step over a body.

Picking up a battle rifle, I check my inventory to find that I still had all the ammo I was given by Musket Ball. The ammo was called .308 JSP hand load, compared to the ammo in the navy pony which was just a normal .308. I also checked the ammo for my pistol, it was called .45 super hand load by the pipbuck. So I put the battle rifle into my holster, and slowly walked to what was now becoming a bright light.

"STAY BACK! OR.. OR WE WILL SHOOT!" The light that was glaring into the hallway hid the pony who was shouting. His voice was of an old stallion and had the thick accent of Prance.

"Don't shoot, look, he's one of us!" This time it was the voice of a not as elderly mare, with the same thick Prance accent.

"It's a trick Maple Curie, and you know it."

"Then why don't we ask the buck Hazel Becquerel! Unless you are willing to shoot him before finding out."

I cleared my through to get their attention. "Sorry to interrupt, but I need to talk with Healing Herbs. If I don't, Thorn is going to set off this bomb collar."I touched the collar with my pipbuck, making a clang sound.

There was some sound of whispering before the stallion spoke up. "Alright, but you leave that rifle with us." I pulled out the empty rifle, and slid it to them. "Okay, now just walk slowly, no sudden moves."

What had been blinding me was a bunch of floodlights attached to some spark battery. From all the broken glass littering the floor, the lights had been shot out a few times before. Hazel Becquerel was an old Earthpony stallion with an impressive beard, though didn't seem to have the same kind of confidence holding the rifle that Musket ball did. Maple Curie was a younger Earthpony mare, but much older then me, mare with a radiation suit on, covering all but her head. To the side was another Earthpony stallion who was bandaged up and on the floor, he looked to be around the same age as Maple.

"Is he ok?" I pointed with my hoof at the stallion on the floor. It was not the most pressing problem, but the other two looked beyond worried, and I though that showing a little concern would help them trust me. Well trust my more then having a the bomb collar on.

Hazel Becquerel looked to the stallion, and back to me. "Pie Curie? He will be fine. Took a bullet about an hour ago, I got him patch up and told him to get some sleep. His wife here has not shut up about it for the hole hour."

Maple then exchanged words with Hazel in the prance language. I didn't know what they were saying, but both sides sounded stressed. During their argument, I took the time to glance around more. The three of them were the only living ponies in this room at the end of the hall. A door in the room looked firmly closed, with two terminals on ether side.

"Were are the other ponies? Where's Healing Herbs?"

Hazel stopped his argument with Maple to sigh. "She's on the other side of the door, but It's locked, and we've been leaf out here to die. There were others here with us, but the damn monsters shot them all when they treed to run for it."

"Can't we open the door?"

Hazel shook his head. "Not without the pipbuck of another member of the senor staff, I have one, am but one pony." He waved his 3100, in an annoyed manner. "How could they just leave us to die out here."

Damnit, so close, yet so far... or maybe not! "Would June's pipbuck work?"

"June's? You mean the lead pipbuck Developer? if you have it, then... oh my... not June." Hazel's face drooped.

This time I was the one to sigh, pulling out Junes pipbuck from my bag. "Thorn killed her on when she was escorting me out of the stable. I came down here to get a pony from the senor staff, some pony needs to take over the stable."

"I see, but with the navy in the way, I don't see how that is possible?"

I looked over at the door and tapped the bomb collar. "trust me, I don't see a way ether. But if there is a way out of this, It's in there." That is, I hoped that there was a way out in there.

'After all the evil was released into the world, the only thing left in the pithos was hope.'

June's Pipbuck pulled through for us, just like a skeleton key. The door to the hallway closed, trapping us inside, and we were hit by steam from all sides. Sanitation is what Maple called it. A jet of steam hit my flank, and I nearly hit the ceiling.

As we waited for the sanitation to pass, Hazel told me what his job here was. He oversaw most of the research into magical radiation, and how to protect from it and how to clean it. But it was Maple who was the backbone of the research team, not only being the one to first identify magical radiation, but also non-magical radiation. I asked to what non-magical radiation was, but most of the words they used to explain I didn't understand. What I did understand was that unlike magical radiation, non-magical radiation was much safer to work with, and had many potential application. She also stated that it was a brand new field of science, so the long term effects were still unknown unlike with magical radiation. For me, if it had the word radiation on it, I didn't want it near me.

The steam stopped, and the doors made a soft hiss before opening. The humming and pulsing that was already loud, now went up to eleven, along with the sould of cracking bolts of electricity. I had to shield my eyes from the overly lit up room, that was overly made worse from the electric bolts. What was wost of all was the smell that hit me like a wall. To put it the best as I can: take the smell of ocean side rot, mixed with sewage, chemical cleaner, and a hint days old burnt food. it was far worse then that. My stomach revolted, but their was nothing left in me to puke. The others did the same, dry heaving before regaining their composer.

The worst part of all this, was that I remember this room. It was what Phobetor showed me when we first met. Standing at the center was Healing Herbs, the pipbuck 2600 on her left leg, and she was glaring at me with burning gold eyes.

The four of us pushed ourselves in, and the door shut itself behind us.

Healing Herbs walked out from the center, putting on a cheer smile. up close she looked a bit taller then I remembered, and a bit darker. Phobetor was not fooling me, but I might as well play along until we found a way out of here.

Hazel said something to himself, and had the look of shear disgust on his face. Stepping forward, we all followed behind him.

Healing Herbs gave me a look of annoyance, then paned her eyes over to Hazel with a happier look before trotting over to him.. "Good to see your alive Hazel, I was worried." she looked over the four of us. "Where's Pine?"

"She's dead Herbs. You could have opened up the door at any time, but you left us out there! What in Tartarus is going on!" Hazel stomped his hoof on the ground, and it echoed for seconds.

Healing Herbs scrunched her face. "What IS going on, IS that were save the lives of every pony in equestria! No not just equestria, or just every pony, we will save so many more. Soon everything will return to how it sould have been, no war, no death, and not megaspells."

Hazel took a deep breath, which resulted in him coughing do to how foul the air was in here. "So you made this, it may not be my area of profession, but it doesn't take a megaspell expert to see what this it. What is it for Herbs? Bring back the dead, neutralizing all magic, or is it just a bigger megaspell bomb! I thought you were better then this."

Healing Herbs laughed. The laugh echoed and warped. "Better then this, this is why Stable-Tec took me in. They wanted their own megaspell and I didn't just do that, I did better!"

I looked around the room, it was like how I saw it in the dream. except there many unicorns standing around with their horns aglow, and the back half of a pony, it looked like the other half of the dead mare in the lobby.

Hazel and the other two had taken a step back. "what did you make Herbs."

She rotated her hoof. "Oh nothing much. I just made a time traveling megaspell. With it I can just jump into the past, and prevent the war from even happening."

"Impossible!" Hazel looked confused and shocked.

Healing Herbs horn it up, and Hazel found himself behind us. "Not anymore. Oh time magic on it's own is limited, but open a portal to a different world, and another portal from that world to the past of ours, add some teleportation." She smiled. "Then you get honest to goddess working time travel."

The portals! I had forgotten about them. Emerald told me how Labs D had been working on them. If they can make portals here, then that was our hope!

"Impossible!" Hazel had taken a step foreword, looking Healing Herbs in the eye's "And your an idiot for even thinking that it was possible."

A golden glow enveloped Healing Herbs horn, and she grinned. Activated S.T.A.T. and time... Time flipped the fuck out! I could see Healing herbs move in five different ways, and Hazel become an unrecognizable blur. The Curie's were flying back, smashing into the coils, and bring shocked by the electricity. The tactical screen was not working, but when I concentrated, I could move my legs. The sensation was odd, like my enter body was asleep, as I pushed myself between Healing Herbs and Hazel.

Deactivating S.T.A.T. Hazel stumbled backward, and the golden glow on Herbs horn vanished. "That was new" I shook my head, trying to get the asleep feeling out of my neck. "Before any pony dose anything rash, may I make a suggestion?" No pony answered me, so I took it as a yes. "If you can make portals here, then can you make one to the overmares office?"

Healing Herbs scoffed. "yes, but what's the point in doing that?"

I had to think fast. Convincing Healing Herbs to do anything was going to be a problem... Except Phobetor was probably in charge. "To keep the stable safe. If Hazel take's control of the stable, then he can get rid of Thorn. With Thorn gone, you will have more time to test out the spell before saving the world with it." The translation was that, if Phobetor sent Hazel to help keep the stable safe, then she will have an easier time taking over the stable.

There was another pause. Healing herbs looked back at a large box like room on the wall. I guessed it was were all the controls were. "yes, that sounds right." she waved a hoof, and two ponies in the box moved about.

Hazel stumbled back to all fours. "You cant be serous!"

"Hazel just trust me. Go help the stable, theirs nothing you can do here. But you can do something up there."

At the center of the room the air itself seamed to tear. It opened up, and in it I could see Emerald Fields, and Cloud Bank. The too looked back at me in shock.

"You three just go!" Hazel and the others gave me a look resignation before walking to the portal. This was over all of our heads, but at least I knew why.

Turning on my Broadcaster I sighed. "Thorn has teleported her army into Labs D. I don't see a way to fix it, but with Hazel you all have a chance."

"The fuck is going on Slowtrot, and what about Healing herbs, and you? Oh I don't care, get over here now." Cloud Bank came in loud and clear.

"Sorry but I can't. Thorn put a bomb collar on me, said she'd let me go If I get Healing Herbs for her. Shes probably going to kill me no matter what happens." I turned the broadcaster off, and watched as the three others safely made their way through the portal. Turning to Healing Herbs, I gave her a little wave. "You can drop the act now Pobetor."

The portal closed with a snap, and the madmare look of Healing Herbs dropped to a neutral irritated look.

"I see that you remember... How much?"

I smiled. "everything"

She frowned. "Impossible, I took all that was important, even the memory's about me."

I laughed. "Your not as smart as you think you are. But then if you were, you would never have been beaten by Celestia and thrown into Tartrus!"

A wave of magic hit me, sending me sliding across the floor. "THOU WAS NEVER PRIVETED SUCH KNOWLEDGE!" her voice echoed for over five seconds before fading.

I struggled to get back up on all fours, but all the abuse was starting to catch up to me. I was a slightly overweight average pony, and now my muscles were starting to scream at me to give up. "Pipbucks are fascinating things. don't you think?"

Phobetor lifted me up in her magic. "Looks like I will just have to strip that knowledge from you again. But this time leave you with nothing."

The sound of a radio cracking, braking a tense stair I was having with Pobetor. "Oh hello Healing Herbs, or whatever you are calling yourself." It was Thorn, and she was talking thorough the bomb collar. "So you did make a megaspell chamber, Just like the O.I.A. thought. And Here I was worried it was going to be some pathetic teleportation spell. Glade that it's the former."

Pobetor dropped me. "The insolent one speak, have you forgotten my answer?"

"I remember not hearing a no. Miss Healing Herbs, your talents are wasted here, If you'd just come with me, you will have anything you ever wanted."

"I want to strip every secret from your mind, and leaving but a husk."

Laughter cackled from the collar. "So that's it then, I will enjoy seeing you be raped repeatedly as we extricate everything about megaspelss from your head."

"enough of this." Wave of magic hit me again, the bomb collar was cut from my neck, and sent flying. It exploded with a pop. "And now for you, one can never have enough drones."

I hit S.T.A.T.'s and time freaked out again, but this time something was different. Next to Healing Herbs was a mare who looked like a female version of myself. "It's time Slowtrot" It was Fragment.

"Time for what? Fragment, what is it time for?"

She lifted her hoof and rotated it. Her movement looked like braking glass that reformed onto itself, making the leg shimmer. "You know what. It's the only thing you can do to stop her. Well, probably not the only thing. But ask yourself this. How smart are you, and how much time do you have to come up with a better solution?"

"I have plenty of time right now."

Everything shifted, and I was back in the whorehouse. June was on the ground, and Thorn with a gun to her head. "It's true that you have time to think, but what action can you take with that time." It shifted again to the security. A line of bullets were going through Under Brush's back legs, the bullets coming from the griffins minnigun. "Time in S.T.A.T. is not real time." Another shift and I was back in the lobby, looking at myself shooting the battle rifle at leo's back. "When you have more real time, you have more options." Everything returned to the megaspell chamber, but now I was standing in front of Healing Herbs.

"So I have to stop Phobetor, but how?"

Fragment put her hoof into my bag. "You remember the tale of nightmare moon. How Luna become possessed and had to be banished to the moon. Now imagine a new Nightmare moon, one who is hidden from the light, and with access to the future of Equestria." Checkoffs Promise was placed in front of me, floating just before face.

"Could I just brake the magaspell chamber?"

"Can you doge a wave of magic?"

"I could knock her out."

"She's already asleep."

"FUCK THIS, FUCK YOU!"

"And in the end you will do it."

I could not let Phobetor roam free, of which she needed Healing Herbs body to do it. I could not let Thorn gain knowledge of megaspells, of which she needed Healing Herbs to do it.

I wanted to say that my gut churned, that I it was the hardest thing to do in the world. That I hesitated just a second befor shooting. Nut I was in S.T.A.T.'s and after taking the gun in my mouth, I selected to shoot it, twice. Right into Healing Herbs heart.

*Bang* *Bang*

I put Checkoffs Promise back into my bag, and looked back at Photabor. Two golden eyes looked at me with shock, and then the gold was gone. The minty green eyes of Healing Herbs blinked, filling up with tears. She fell to the ground.

"I did it again didn't I. I... I messed everything up. I always mess everything up."

I sat down next to her, her berthing slowly become shallow, blood dripping from her mouth and chest. I didn't know what to say, or do. So I just sat there, and let her talk.

"It was all my fault. I suggested that.. that if one unicorn can heal with a spell. Then five can make a bigger spell. We made the strongest healing spell to ever exist... and look at what happened." she coughed up blood. "I... I only wanted... to.. help." Her breathing now had a gargling sound to it, and tears soaked her coat. "Please... don't let her take it... she will kill so many..."

I took a deep breath, and looked her in the eyes. She looked back at me. "Don't worry, I will not let have this. It's a promise." Healing Herbs closed her eyes, and simply stopped breathing. She she had died, and now... now I was crying.

Getting back onto my hooves, I galloped over to the control box. Pushing the ponies inside out of the way, I looked over the control board, as froze. How the fuck do I work this!

A hoof puled me to the side, and I found myself staring at a corpse... a fucking walking corps! Part of it's face was missing, and blood stained it's stable barding red. It's voice gargled, and made sounds until it formed words. "I will not... let a simpleton... best me!" It was Phobetor, she was controlling the dead pony. So I struck it hard with my hoof, and navy bucked the other as it came from behind. Knocking both of them out of the box.

I couldn't just randomly flip switches, and hope for the best. But I knew nothing about nothing about megaspell chambers... But I did know a bunch a smart ponies.

I swiched on the broadcaster. "How do I make a megaspell chamber explode, but without the explosion?"

Cloud Banks voice came up "You mean an imposition? Wait, what are you doing down there?"

The two corpses were getting up, and were now being joined by others. I pulled out Checkoffs Promise and fired five shots at them, but it didn't do much, so I put the gun back in my bag.

"Well I'm trying to keep an ancient Nightmare from escaping from Tarturs. And trying to keep and insane admiral from gaining access to a megaspell chamber. The salutation for both happens to be the same thing."

There was the sound of a scuffle from the other side. Emerald Fields spoke up. "This is insane Slowtrot, Just get Healing Herbs to open a portal agen, and get out of there!"

"She's dead, now tell me how to do this implosion thing or I start flipping switches" Closing the little door to the box didn't help much to stop the zombies.

"I will see you suffer! Suffer as I strangle all light from the world!"

"What the fuck was that!"

"Emerald meet Phobetor, one pissed off nightmare controlling a bunch of dead bodys!" I bucked another zombie, but now they were packing into each other, so the one I hit just dangled there. "So some help!"

"Shit, I have no fucking clue... Wait! That might work. You still have Junes pipbuck right, if you can plug it into a tuerminal, I sould be able to control of it from here."

Looking over the control pannal, It had the ports I needed. One of the zombies got in, so I entered S.T.A.T.'s time was still messed up, but the tactical options were working normally now. With luck, the options to pull out, and attach the pipbuck was there. So with the persuasion of a unicorn, I plugged the pipbuck in.

The Zombies were now getting too close for comfort, so I ran over then and out of the box, and hit the floor. My body still hurt like fuck all over. Luckily the zombies were slow, so even limping, I was able to put some distance between me and them.

"It's in, Just don't tell me I have to get back into the box. It's full of moving corpses."

"What did you say, no, never mind that. Your fine, I sould be able to adjust the controls from here. You need to grab the 2600, and use it's teleportation spell. I'm sending a signal to it, so just activate the spell and you will teleport right into the overmare office." The pulsing of the room became far more faster, and the humming died down. I didn't know what it meant, but I had to guess it was Emerald at work.

I felt a sudden pull, looking over I saw some random junk be pulled to the center of the room. Shaking it off, I pushed myself over to Healing Herbs body. The 2600 had loosen it's grip on her leg, and was off. I tried to turn it on, but nothing would work. "Fuck!"

"What's wrong?"

"I think I have to put the 2600, fucking protective programming!"

"You will suffer greatly!"

"Oh shut... FUCK!"

Two black claw reached out from the center of the room, and began to push open a black hole in the floor. Now the pull to the center of the room was even stronger, pulling even some of the zombies in.

"What's going on"

I pulled the 2600 off of Healing Herbs body, and slipped it onto my right leg, and pushed down the lock.

"You better do that imposition thing soon, because host or no host, Phobetor is braking out of Tartarus right now!" I saw Healing Herbs pipbuck 3100 clamped onto her barding. Fingering it be useful once I was back in the overmares office, took it and threw it into my bag.

My vision blurred for a second, and a sharp pain went throughout my right leg, and moved through my body. The asshole of a pipbuck was back on.

Suddenly the pull to the center became much stronger, and I started to slide. The corpses were all now were being dragged to the center of the room. The containers of rainbow liquid cracked, and some burst. Pushing myself back to the control box, I used it to get myself stable, and started to sift through the programs.

The pulsing had become so fast that it was now just another humming, and the electric bolts were now just a solid chain. With a bang, the door to the hallway bust open, and one of Thorns troops jumped in, only to slide on the ground, and into the hole. The suction had became so strong, and blood and trash were being sucked in like a vacuum.

"Slowtrot, get out of there! Where ever the portal is sending everything, it's about to send everything back!"

"Just a moment, I need to send something before I go." Getting up, I plugging in the 2600 into the terminal. Selecting the files that Phobetor stole from the overmares office, I uploaded them to the terminal. "I just put some files out, do you see them?"

"Yes, but some of it looks corrupted. Just get out of their now!"

"Right, I'm activating the teleportation spell!"

Emerging from the black hole was the head of a massive black dragon, one of its golden eyes were as big as myself. She opened her massive maw, and slowly moved towards me. The inside of her mouth looked like a endless abyss of darkness. I literally pissed myself.

Hitting S.T.A.T.'s one last time, everything stopped. Selecting the teleportation spell, It latched onto a signal Emerald that I could only guess was what Emerald had set. I pressed enter.

"Not without me!" Black hooves wrapped around my neck, and everything faded to darkness!

Footnote:

Quest Complete: End of Time.

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