Fallout: Equestria - Just Like Clockwork

by Starlight_Tinker

Chapter 9 - An Unexpected Reunion (Part 2)

Chapter 9 - An Unexpected Reunion (Part 2)

"Clap your hooves and do a little shake."

I'd always imagined that the head of the Ministry of Morale would be a bit more...well, happy-looking. Pinkie Pie's parties were the stuff of legend - the subject of many a Ministry poster or sanctioned magazine insert, but I couldn't help but think that, at that point in time, her best days were behind her (pretty damn far behind given the state she was in). There were deep, darkened crescents under her eyes, and her mane, although clean and shiny, drooped lifelessly over her neck, its deep pink hue somehow acting to depress me further. For the longest time she just stood there, staring expectantly at me as if her only goal were to creep me out. It was such a deep stare as well - I wondered what she was looking for as my still aching brain renewed its attempts to escape through my temples.

"Do I need to explain myself to you now as well?" I groaned finally at the pastel pink mare before me, "Because I need some sleep! I'm absolutely fu-"

"Littlepip?" asked Pinkie Pie suddenly.

"Eh?" I responded blearily, "What was that?"

"Littlepip," she repeated, this time as a clarification rather than a question.

"Um..." I said, unsure of how to respond, "I, uh, don't really know what you're talking about...my name's Compass though, since you asked."

"Hmm..." she mused, "Not Littlepip..."

"Little what?" I said quietly, bemused, "Is that a name or is there some doubt in your mind as to whether or not I'm a small seed?"

Behind the pink mare, I saw Stockade's face fall with shock as I spoke. His eyes darted back and forth between the two of us as the short pause that followed my quip stretched on into an awkward silence. Pinkie Pie stood stoically, regarding me with a gaze of unflinching consideration. From Stockade's mannerisms, I could tell that there were very few ponies willing to joke with Pinkie Pie, and probably even fewer who would make one at her expense. I clenched my teeth, anticipating an interrogator's hoof in the side of my face, but was instead rewarded with a thin, almost imperceptible smile, and a tiny chuckle.

"In general," said Pinkie Pie, as she began to slowly trot around me, "I know two kinds of ponies: good ones, who I try to spend time with...and bad ponies, who I have to spend time with."

"And which category do I fit into?" I said warily.

"Which one do you think you fit into?" she whispered from behind me, causing a shiver to snake is way down my spine as her sugary, fruit scented breath tickled my ear.

"Heh," I scoffed while trying to save face, "That's...that's a hard one."

In retrospect, given the amount of power that Pinkie Pie wielded, I really should have been more careful with how I spoke to her. But all torture and no sleep make Compass a dull buck, so I didn't realise till later just how totally screwed I could have been if I'd said something she ended up disliking.

"Take your time," Pinkie said softly as she crossed back into my field of view, "And don't be shy - I have it on good authority that that won't get you anywhere around here."

"Uh-huh..." I said with a yawn, "Noted..."

My eyes drooped shut for a split second, but when I forced them open again I gasped in surprise - Pinkie Pie had closed the distance between us like a ghost and was now standing less than an inch from my face. Before I could say anything (or take another breath for that matter) she plunged her hoof into my open mouth, forcefully depositing something sweet and chalky onto my captive tongue. I had little choice but to swallow, and immediately felt the effect of the alien substance. My eyes shot open, adjusting perfectly to the harsh light of the interrogation room. My aches and pains were gone, my wounds barely noticeable, my mind engaged and totally awake! Everything around me came into sharp focus and I found my senses registering even the tiniest pressure wave in the air - I swear, I could actually see the individual photons coming from the lights!

"Wh-what the hell was that!?" I gasped ecstatically as Pinkie Pie replaced a small tin in the smart, formal barding she wore.

"Something to wake you up. They're my own special recipe," she smiled, "Now then - we were talking about you weren't we? Got an answer for me yet?"

"That depends," I said, as my sudden awakening pushed my mind's clock speed to new heights, "How long have you got?"

"For national security, as much time as is needed," Pinkie Pie responded, a sad, lonely expression flitting momentarily in front of her mask.

"Well then," I responded, as I filled my lungs to capacity in one giant gasp. A moment later, I opened my mouth and began to vomit the contents of my consciousness into the room:

"I never really thought about it until my friend Valve was murdered, so if you had asked me before then I would have said something like 'Of course!' and just left it at that but then I actually started doing things - things I needed to do so that my friends would live, and I honestly thought when I acted that what I'd decided on was always the best thing to do, and I suppose on the whole it was given what I knew at the time, but then stuff started to go South in a really bad way and before I knew it I was hoof deep in blood, screwing up ponies' lives left right and centre, getting thrown two centuries into the past and being betrayed by- MMVH!"

My cheeks immediately puffed out as my fevered expression was brought to a sudden, jarring stop. I proceeded to cough excitedly as Pinkie Pie withdrew her hoof from my mouth a moment later.

"That'll do," she said quietly, turning to Stockade, "You there - Stockade, wasn't it?"

"Yes ma'am!" the unicorn answered with an attentive salute.

"Clean Compass here up, have his wounds seen to and get him something to eat," Pinkie Pie responded, "I want him in this place's briefing room in thirty minutes."

"Hold on," I said, my brow furrowing as whatever the ministry mare had fed me continued to blast my brain into the waking world, "Just fucking hold on! That's it!? That's what I spent the last four hours getting whipped half to death for!? A two minute conversation!? Th-they threatened to cut my fucking balls off!"

Pinkie just smirked as she continued out of the interrogation room. "That's about the size of it. See you in half an hour Compass," she said over her shoulder. I could only stare at her flank in bewilderment as the door opened when she approached, a minor enchantment causing it to slide smoothly out of her way and lock again once she had gone.

"What the fuck was that!?" I said, as Pinkie's egress let a strange tension dispel from the room.

"That...was tense!" Stockade said nervously when he was sure Pinkie was out of earshot, "I've only acted as interrogator for her four times, but before now, every one of them's ended in the suspect being sent off for-...well, 'further interrogation'."

I frowned - something told me that this was a strange and awful new usage of the word 'further' that I hadn't previously been aware of.

"So...what now?" I asked, bypassing what was undoubtedly a turgid set of gruesome tales, "I really don't have time for a chat Stockade - I have to find my friends and I don't even know where to start looking!"

"Like Ms. Pie said," Stockade beamed, "You'll be interviewed in the briefing room, prior to which you'll have a chance to wash, have something to eat and have your wounds cleaned and dressed."

"Sorry, am I speaking Zebran or something!?" I shouted, as I rose to face the friendly interrogator, "I don't. Have. Time!"

"To be honest mate," he said as he began to charge his horn with a bright red glow, "You don't have much of a choice."

At that, a set of glowing manacles suddenly materialised around my ankles, connecting my limbs by way of four short, dull chains. I gagged violently as the set was completed with the addition of a matching collar-muzzle arrangement that spontaneously forced my jaw open as it materialised. I fought to control my breathing as the glow of Stockade's horn faded, the muzzle restricting the flow of air into my nostrils through a tiny pair of holes. I toppled over as the urge to bring my hooves up to my face overrode the knowledge that my limbs were now interconnected.

"Whoa! Calm down there!" shouted Stockade as he rushed to my aid, "Pacification harnesses are standard for all detainees - the more you calm down and cooperate, the easier this all gets for you. Remember, you're still under arrest, and like Daisy said, you technically don't exist - so there's nopony to file a charge against."

In lieu of speaking, I shot Stockade the angriest look I could muster, but all it managed to elicit from him was a marginally sympathetic shrug.

"Sorry," he said semi-apologetically, "If you want out of here, you're going to have to play by the rules. Don't worry though - I think Ms. Pie likes you. You, uh...probably wouldn't be alive otherwise..."

Stockade raised me onto my hooves and supported me while I regained my balance. He proceeded to open the room's only door with his magic, gesturing for me to follow. I hobbled after him, leaving the horrific space for what I hoped would be the last time.

---

The harness was restrictive, but not entirely uncomfortable, forcing me to walk slowly and with dainty steps lest I topple over. The muzzle on the other hoof was a different story: every moment I wore it I felt like I was being smothered. The minuscule enchanted air holes between my nostrils and the freedom of breath contracted and expanded depending on how violently I moved, threatening to suffocate me should I be unwise enough to resist my captors. The section that held my jaw open tasted strongly of rubber, and I was also aware of a numbing at the crown of my forehead - a ring of binding sat contently upon the the base of my horn, preventing me from invoking any assistance.

Well...any magical assistance.

I found myself wondering how Buckshot could like that sort of stuff as much as he did, and immediately felt a pang of loneliness spearing my soul. I had to get out of there. Fast."

I snapped back to reality as a portion of the enchantments were suddenly removed, the claustrophobia-inducing muzzle disappearing into a puff of scarlet smoke. I inhaled deeply, despite having only worn the horrid restraint for a matter of minutes, and regarded the room to which I had been taken. There was a kitchen-like area situated to my left, and a medically-oriented area (complete with a plethora of tan leather restraints and menacing blue syringes) to my right. Directly in front of me, they was a transparent door that led to a spartan, neutrally painted holding cell with a bunk and shower as its only defining features.

"Right," said Stockade, "Let's get you seen to."

True to Pinkie's word, over the next half hour, I was allowed to eat half a tin of lukewarm soup (while shackled to the dining table), get my myriad of cuts, bruises and gashes disinfected and dressed (while strapped to the treatment bed) and bathe (but only while wearing an enchanted collar that I was assured would strangle me if I tried anything untoward).

Once I was thoroughly rinsed, fed and bandaged, the muzzle was replaced and I was led, hobbling, a few hundred yards down the corridor to what I assumed was the briefing room. My restraints were fastened to thick steel loops at one end of the long table within, and I was yet again freed from the headpiece of the harness. (It seemed that the muzzles were only used when prisoners were being ferried between rooms - I wasn't exactly sure why.)

Stockade took up a guard's position beside one of the briefing room's doors and stood silently, a small revolver now dangling from a holster around his neck. Like the rest of the facility thus far, the briefing room was a distinctly bland affair, with walls of tope and a lingering smell of disinfectant that hinted at the space's frequency of occupation.

I waited silently for Pinkie Pie's arrival, my back to Stockade - it wasn't that I was scared or anything mind, it was just that...well, to be honest, I felt guilty. I had lied through my teeth to him, and I was about to do the same once again to his superiors, giving them a shed-load of false hope with nothing to back it up but my exhausting aptitude for deception.

I heard the sound of the door behind me swinging open, and I turned around to find Pinkie Pie, Daisy Chain and Redheart slowly entering the room. I felt my eyes widen slightly as my mind was immediately set on edge - why had they brought Redheart into this!? (Despite my concerns though, I couldn't help but feel a huge wave of relief as I recognised her.)

Redheart immediately rushed to my side the moment she realised who I was, her trained gaze examining the various dressings adorning my hide.

"Compass!" she said loudly as she knelt down beside me, "Oh Goddess, Compass - what the hell happened to you!?"

"Would you believe me if I said I met a manticore in the hallway?" I asked jovially, my restraints rattling slight as I chuckled. Redheart's expression told me that she didn't appreciate the joke - a furious scowl spread across her face as she turned to address her escorts.

"This is inequine!" she shouted, "How can you possibly justify treating a prisoner like this!?"

"Just take a seat please, Mrs. Heart," said Daisy languidly, her authoritative tone having wilted somewhat since my revelation in the torture room.

"No I will not 'take a seat'! Look at him! He's covered from head to hoof in injuries! What were you trying to do!? Kill him!? I mean, to know that this support of stuff is actually sanctioned by the government-!"

"Redheart," I said gently, "I appreciate the sentiment, but don't you think you should do as they say? Bearing in mind the state I've ended up in, I don't think annoying these folk is going to help matters."

Redheart glared at the the Ministry of Morale personnel before for a moment before snorting angrily and depositing her rear in the seat to my immediate left. I sighed, mostly out of relief for her burst of self control, as her hoof touched mine in a gesture of support and pity.

"So," Pinkie Pie said as she herself took a seat beside Daisy Chain (Stockade remained in his guard's position at the door), "My underlings tell me that you have a story for me...and I do love a good story."

"Okay..." I said slowly, "What do you want to hear?"

"The truth, ideally," replied Daisy Chain, as she absentmindedly flicked through the scant binder of files in front of her, "And all of it, if you would."

"Uh...right," I said, as my mind raced to piece together an audience-appropriate response, "W-well, uh...I first arrived in Redheart's kitchen, and I kind of, uh...accidentally...shot her in the, um...posterior."

I guiltily shielded my gaze from Redheart at that moment, and hastily continued:

"B-but I dug out the bullet and treated her wound a-and she forgave me a little while later! Then we, uh...we went to the train station so that I could get to-"

"Bo-ring!" said Pinkie suddenly, her head lazily balanced atop one of her forelegs, "Tell us about the future. I want to know why you're here."

"I, uh..." I mumbled as my mind stalled, an answer failing to materialise. I realised with a horrific dip in my stomach that I had shared a half truth, a huge omission and a planet-sized lie with the ponies present, and that any explanation offered to one party would unmask my deceptions to the other. A playful little voice in my head began to sing, mocking my distress with a woefully catchy little rhyme:

Catch 22; Kobayashi Maru, you're royally fucked and totally screwed!

The annoying little bugger was pushed to the background as Redheart's grip on my hoof tightened a little. She proceeded to lean in towards me and speak in hushed tones:

"Go on, Compass," she whispered supportively, "Tell them you're just here to save your friends. I've already corroborated your story - tell them what they want to hear and we can get you out of here!"

My mind reeled - I could feel my brain overheating. What the hell was I going I say!?

Okay, I thought hurriedly, just calm down. Let's go over what we have so far:

Half truth: I need to save my friends after they and I were thrown into the past by that sneaky bastard who ambushed us back in the TARDIS.

"Mr. Compass," said Daisy Chain, her voice lacking any warmth whatsoever, "We're waiting..."

Omission: The 'future' I came from is actually a terminally blighted, post apocalyptic wasteland.

"Compass," whispered Stockade from somewhere behind me, "What are you waiting for? Tell her what you told me back in the interrogation room! About saving us from the attack!"

Lie: I've come back in time to save Equestria from a massive zebra attack - I haven't.

"Attack!?" Redheart suddenly shouted at Stockade, "What attack!?"

Oh shit - she heard him! Not good, not good! Quickly brain, think of something!

"The zebra attack that Compass here came back to stop," announced Stockade, "He's some sort of time agent, sent back to ensure that Equestria does well in the war."

Catch 22; Kobayashi Mar- Argh! Damn you, brain!

"Y-you mean to say that those questions you asked me earlier actually had something to do with Compass!?" Redheart continued, the anger in her voice rising as she withdrew her hoof from mine, "I thought they were a general thing for all your prisoners! L-like questionnaires or something! What the hell have you been keeping from me, Compass!?"

The last sentence was directed straight into my right ear, and I winced as Redheart's voice seemed to pierce my skull with rage.

"I-" I began, with no words to continue. All I could manage was a protracted droning sound, reminiscent of a broken terminal speaker. With the exception of Pinkie Pie, who just sat silently with her head in her hooves, every pony in the room began to simultaneously berate me for an adequate explanation of my presence. I covered my head with my shackled hooves as their voices became louder and louder, their questions ever more probing:

"You told me you were her to save your friends! Did you make them up as well!? I can't believe-!"

"Why aren't you telling them about the attack!? Come on-!"

"Mr. Compass, we are losing patience! Explain your presence in Equestria to Ms. Pie immediately or you will force us to-!"

"-I was so stupid as to just wander along after some crazy buck-!"

"-we can help, but we need to know what they're planning! You'll have all the backup you could possibly-!"

"ENOUGH!" came a sudden scream. The four of us turned immediately to regard Pinkie Pie, who was now glaring furiously at everypony present, "I don't care about any of that! I just want to know about Littlepip!"

All eyes then fell to me, their respective gazes both questioning and accustional at the same time.

"I- I've already told you," I stammered uncomfortably, the feeling of loneliness making me want to run and hide in a corner, "I don't know any Littlepip. I wasn't even sure if who you were talking about was actually a pony!"

Pinkie looked at me silently for a moment, gauging the validity of my words before closing her eyes and exhaling disappointedly as she reclined in her seat.

"I can't believe it," she mumbled inwardly, "Some flabby biped dangles a buck from the future right in front of my nose, and it's the wrong one! Typical! Thank Celestia these damn sidefics aren't canon!"

"Huh?" I said, confused by the sudden change in subject, "What did you say?"

"I was just pointing out the irony," she chuckled emptily, as she shook her head, "I finally get something more than a vague glimpse into what's to come, and it's in the wrong bucking direction. I guess I'll just have to...trust her..."

She rose out of her seat morosely and moved towards the door, stoically refusing to make eye contact with anypony. There was naught but the sound of her hooves padding into the pale, blandly coloured carpet as she spoke:

"Daisy, they're free to go," Pinkie Pie said flatly, "Fill out whatever forms you need to and get them a sky carriage."

"Wh-what!?" gawked Daisy Chain, "But Ms. Pie! He hasn't told us a thing about the attack yet! He knows far too much to be innocent - he has to be lying! Surely you're not buying that crock about coming from the fut-!"

"Daisy," Pinkie said calmly, "Just do it. I'm not in any mood for this right now..."

I just sat there, a look of absolute confusion on my face as Pinkie headed for the room's exit. What the hell had just happened!? All of this; our capture, my interrogation, the restraints and the questions...it was all for two inexplicably short conversations!? Seriously!?

The head of the Ministry of Morale continued to round the expansive table, my understanding of her words worsening with every step she took towards the door. But then, just as I thought my head would roll off of my neck in bemusement, a little spark somewhere deep in the recesses of my mind blossomed into comprehension.

"You've seen it, haven't you?" I said suddenly, as Pinkie drew level with me, "The future, I mean. You've got...some kind of plan in motion or something."

She stopped in her tracks as I spoke, responding without turning her head:

"Felt it," she said, "Sensed it; feared it...but never seen. And 'plan' is somewhat of an understatement. I don't even know if what I feel will really happen..."

Her voice was low and flat like the rest of her demeanor - I don't think she believed a word of what she had just said.

"Who's Littlepip?" I asked, sidestepping her uncertainty with a gentle tone.

"Just a pony," Pinkie smiled gently, "Not entirely unlike you, Compass. When I look at you; listen to you, I get a good feeling...much like I do from her."

"But..." I responded, pausing to think for a moment, "She's not around yet; won't be for a long time. How can you know her...?"

"The same way I knew you were coming," she sighed, "I can feel it..."

"Pinkie..." I began, breaking my eye contact with the pink mare, "For what it's worth...I'm sorry for everything that's about to-"

"No, Compass," she interrupted forcefully, holding up her hoof to silence me, "I'm sorry...we all are. I can only hope that this time...I'm wrong."

"Pinkie-" I said sadly.

"And I don't want any spoilers!" she snapped, before exhaling gently and letting the small smile she had sported a moment earlier seep back onto her face.

"Anyway..." she said quietly, as she turned away in thought "I have a letter to compose. I-...I think I might have been a bit harsh with Twilight at that last party..."

"Pinkie!" I shouted after her, straining at my chains to turn in the chair.

"No spoilers!" she responded loudly, "If there's one thing being me has taught me, it's that sometimes you just have to trust fate."

"No, it wasn't about that," I said quickly, "I just wanted to know...why didn't you let them keep torturing me? All I answered your questions with was...well, nonsense."

"Heh," Pinkie chuckled, as a she turned to face me. She seemed happier all of a sudden, as if a subtle, carefree glow of joviality had begun to emanate from her, and I could see a couple of curls in her mane that I could have sworn weren't there a moment previously.

"I asked if you thought you were a bad pony, Compass," she said simply.

"And I didn't say no," I replied, squinting, "In fact, I'm pretty sure I was halfway to confirming that I was a pretty poor example of an equine."

"Exactly," she beamed subtly, "Only the good ones question themselves."

And with that, she left, the briefing room's doors sliding smoothly shut behind her. Daisy immediately gave chase, a flustered expression marring her brow as the papers in her binder spilled onto the floor. Stockade silently began to relaese my chains with his magic as I sent a tentative smile towards Redheart. She responded by scowling deeply at me:

"You have some explaining to do, mister!" she hissed as her snout closed to within a centimetre of mine, "I'm not letting you get away with lying to me! When we get out of here, I want the truth, and all of it!"

Before I could respond, Redheart hopped angrily out of her chair and followed Daisy Chain out of the briefing room. Stockade and I were suddenly alone, with nothing but the sound of the dematerialising chains and enchanted doors to keep us company.

"C-Compass...?" asked Stockade as the last of my manacles was returned to the ether, "Wh-what's going to happen to us...?"

I raised my line of sight to look into his eyes, and was immediately struck by the expression on his face. Here was a buck who had beat me to within an inch of my life; threatening to mutilate me for just a few meager scraps of information; a stallion with fear and intimidation as his closest allies...and all I could think of was how much I pitied him. He looked so lost and helpless, I had to stop myself from throwing my forelegs around his shoulders. I wanted to coddle him; to lay him on a soft bed and tell him it would all be okay.

As I looked sadly upon his features, a bright bloom of defiance suddenly rushed into my breast. Whether it was an effect of Pinkie's 'special recipe', or a remnant of his influence didn't matter - I realised with a shuddering flourish that I was sick and tired of all the doom and gloom. The certainty of it all was just so damned depressing!

'I mean, I'm a time traveller!' I shouted internally, 'A real, honest-to-goodness time traveller! Screw causality! Equestria may be doomed, but that doesn't mean that everypony has to die! I'll save them if I fucking well want to, fixed point or not!'

"Stockade," I said confidently, "Buy a place in a stable. I don't care if you have to beg, borrow or steal, just get yourself to a stable by the day after tomorrow. Understand?"

"Y-y-yeah," he stammered, his eyes tearing up.

"You'll be fine - I promise," I said supportively, "Now if you'll excuse me, I have ponies to save!"

With a renewed vigour and sense of purpose, I trotted out of briefing room, my mind guiding me to happier places.

<<<<< O >>>>>

A soft crackling massaged my ears as the smell of burnt wood wafted over me. I lifted my head up and looked toward the still blurry glow of the campfire as my mind rebooted, and found myself in the three-walled, decaying ruin of a heavily damaged office building. I remembered quickly all that had just transpired and, just as quickly, lost the will to continue getting up. A tiny sigh escaped my mouth as I laid back down and squeezed my eyes shut.

"Hey," said Jokeblue as she noticed my motions, "He's awake, Homage."

"Oh good," replied Homage, "Hopefully he'll have come down by now."

There was a light clopping sound as she moved towards me, "You're heavy you know," she said, "I've never had a buck faint on me before!"

"Faint...?" I said despondently, "Heh...never heard that one before. It's really something...knowing that even after a thousand years there are still things that can surprise you..."

"A thousand years, huh?" Jokeblue laughed, "Jeez, how much did you have? You're still as high as a kite!"

"Maybe that was the problem," I whispered, "I really was high...drunk on the rush of freedom..."

My head lolled to one side, resting on my foreleg as I continued: "I told them I could take them anywhere, anytime; that the universe was their oyster..."

"Uh...told who...?" whispered Jokeblue.

"Shhhh!" hissed Homage, "He's having a moment - we'll let him finish his trip then get him some food."

"But you know," I continued, oblivious to the conversation going on around me, "The worst part of it all...was that I believed it...I actually convinced myself that it was all one big adventure; that despite all the losses and the tragedies there would still be a happy ending..."

I opened my eyes, ignoring the pain caused by the sudden influx of light and found Homage with my gaze. She inhaled sharply as she looked at me, my expression freely broadcasting the depth of my pain.

"I'm a fool," I whispered mournfully, "An...old...fool..."

I closed my eyes again, just as the tears started. Whether they were formed as a result of the sudden brightness or the turmoil within me was unimportant - salinated beads once again started their trek down my face.

"My Goddess," said Homage quietly, "Who are you...!?"

"That doesn't really matter now..." I sighed.

Jokeblue leaned in, a stern look on her face. "Oh, it matters," she said, "Especially this far from a town. I for one would like to know you're not a wanted buck; make sure we haven't heard your name kicking around any bars or between mercs. The last thing we need is trouble from the Talons! So, simply put pal: no name, no help. You'll be on your own again in a heartbeat."

"Oh, names...I remember so many of them," I said listlessly, "I've had quite a few of them myself. 'Lungbarrow' was my first name...then I was called 'Grandfather'...then 'Doctor', 'Smith', 'Clockwork', 'Dr. Whooves'-"

I stopped talking suddenly as something happened in my brain. A synapse had fired somewhere in my frontal lobe, signalling that I should have been paying much more attention to a certain word that had just been uttered. I spooled back through the conversation in my mind, and whipped my head upwards, startling both Homage and Jokeblue.

"Town!?" I practically shouted, "Did you just say 'town'!?"

"Never mind what we said," replied Jokeblue a moment later as she overcame her surprise, "What kind of a name is 'Lungbarrow'?"

"Cousin's-name-long-story-doesn't-matter-now," I said, too quickly to add punctuation, "What was that about a town!?"

"Uh, we're quite far from one," said Homage uncertainly, "Why? Is there a town somewhere that's important to you? Is there somewhere you need to be?"

"W-wait - there's more than one!?" I gasped, "There's...there's still a population!? H-how many!?"

"Oh Goddess, he's messed up," muttered Homage before she raised her voice patronisingly, "Don't worry - there're plenty of ponies left; too many to count in fact. There are dozens of towns, settlements and cities in this region of Equestria alone."

"But...if the species survived," I whispered inwardly, "Then...that means...extinction wasn't a certainty...! The fixed point was focussed on another event!"

By the time I finished my sentence, I had risen to my hooves and started grinning widely, droplets of joyous moisture gathering in the corners of my eyes. Just one more piece had to fall into place - if I got the answer I wanted from my next question, I'd have everything I could possibly need...

"Homage," I began, as I tried to control my excitement, "How did this nuclear war start in the first place?"

"Oh, a thousand and one different reasons," she replied as if speaking to a confused young foal, "One bad decision after another until everypony was running for their lives."

"So, there wasn't any singular event that caused it?" I continued hopefully, "No powerful time travelling aliens making ominous declarations of a 'New Tomorrow' or anything like that? No fleets of blue phone boxes taking flight and ascending through time and space?"

"It was a war, not a Psycho trip," said Jokeblue disparagingly, grunting in pain a moment later as Homage elbowed her in the ribs.

"No there wasn't any of that," replied Homage, "Just a surprise attack by the zebras."

"But that means...yes...YES!" I screamed suddenly, giving Jokeblue enough of a fright to bring her rifle to the ready, "That's genius!"

"What!?" said Homage as the first frown I'd seen her sport wrinkled her brow, "How the fuck can you be pleased about that!? It was the worst thing that's ever happened to our world! Two great nations, fuelled by nothing but greed, stupidity and an unwillingness to negotiate, destroyed our planet, and you're happy about it!? What the hell is wrong with you, Whooves!?"

I smiled at Homage as her anger focussed itself into a white hot death-stare. She glowered at me, disgusted by my words, and in that moment I recognised in her and her marefriend a pair of kindred spirits; a couplet that abhorred death and unfairness in all its forms, two souls linked by good intentions and even better deeds.

"Nothing," I said simply, smiling, "I've just realised something, that's all. I didn't mean to offend."

"What could you have possibly realised during that conversation?" Homage responded, her still present anger causing her to raise her voice, "We were talking about the distant past - its hardly relevant to anything current!"

"That's where you're mistaken," I said, as a new wind of confidence rushed through my soul, "You see, anything can be current...to a time traveller."

"A...time traveller...?" Jokeblue said with a confused frown, "Seriously...?"

"Oh yes," I replied confidently, "That blue box you found me beside? It's my time machine!"

"Listen Doc," Jokeblue said, "I don't mean to tear into your fantasy or anything, but that box was tiny. There's no way something as complicated as a time machine would fit in there!"

"Oh, it's bigger on the inside," I said without missing a beat, "Bigger than most could imagine - there's enough room inside my little TARDIS for a whole city's worth of ponies and equipment!"

"Pfft, big deal," said Jokeblue dismissively, "You've got one box that's bigger on the inside than outside. Well, Mister Whooves, I've got four little saddle bags and I can carry about thirty rifles in them and more ammo than you can shake a hoof at. Hell, you should see how many rakes I can cram into my toolbox back home!"

Homage frowned, and slowly turned to her marefriend, her lips pursed in a smile and a single eyebrow raised skyward. Jokeblue stared back at her uncertainly, taking a few seconds to realise that she had just taken what I'd said as read and started conversing with me as if I were just another pony she'd met in a bar. With a hushed curse, she rose from the patch of earth she was laying on and looked around angrily.

"That's it! I'm sobering you up!" she said, more out of embarrassment than actual anger, "Where's my box of Fixer gone!? Homage, I'll need two spark batteries, a radscorpion pincer and the supersledge we were keeping for trade."

"Jokeblue," answered Homage in a warning tone, "You are not using that hangover cure again! It's already gotten us into enough trouble. Remember New Appleoosa? They practically ran us out of town after you brained that buck in the bar!"

"Now hold on!" Jokeblue responded animatedly, "He moved! Even though I told him not to! How can I be held responsible for somepony not listening to a set of clear and concise instructions!?"

"He was drunk! Of course he wasn't going to listen!" Homage shouted back, "Anyway, what did you think was going to happen!? Supersledges aren't exactly meant for 'light taps'!"

"Oh, come on!" shrieked Jokeblue, "I barely touched him!"

"They had to staple his head back together, for Luna's sake!"

"You want to talk about stupid weapon choices!?" Jokeblue responded, her anger clearly getting the better of her, "Well how about that toy laser pistol you keep in your saddlebags!? It makes you look, uh...fuckin'...gay!"

"Jokeblue, I am gay!" shouted Homage, "You're gay!"

"Yeah...well..." stammered Jokeblue, defeated. Her mouth opened and closed a number of times as her exhausted vocabulary tried to keep up. It didn't matter though - the victor of the argument was clear.

"Well," I said, as I stifled a giggle, "Since I'm not going to get that 'cure' anytime soon, I'll just be off."

I turned to leave the ruin, but was stopped by the sound of Homage's voice.

"W-wait!" she shouted, "We can't let you go out there in this state! You'll get yourself killed!"

"Don't you worry about me," I said happily, "Just point me in the direction of my blue box and I'll do the rest."

"What do you mean 'you'll do the rest'!?" she responded, "You're not well! Think about it! How can your story possibly be real!? Please, just come back inside and sleep it off."

"I can't," I said, "I have an apology to make to an old friend..."

"What!?" she said, as her voice became higher and higher, "An apology!? What old friend!? You're not making any sense-!"

"Homage," interjected Jokeblue quietly, "Let him go."

"Come on Jokeblue," said Homage, "We can't let him go like this! He's not in any fit state to-"

"I think he can handle himself," replied Jokeblue, her voice level and thoughtful, "Look at him - not a scar on his hide; completely ignorant of everything dangerous in the Wasteland. He's no junkie. I'd wager he's either a ghost, an amnesiac Stable buck...or he's been telling the truth this whole time..."

"Y-you...believe him...!?" gawked Homage. Jokeblue nodded as she smiled knowingly at me and gestured to the south. Homage could only glance in astonishment back and forth between us as I bowed silently and turned to move off in the direction indicated. I had only travelled a few steps when a much softer version of the steel grey mare's voice once again caught my attention.

"Who...who are you...?" she whispered, "Really...?"

I stopped and considered my answer for a moment. After a couple of seconds, I rounded on Homage and Jokeblue, my face serious and my tone hushed. There was no need to lie or deceive them; no need for a cover story or alias. No - they deserved the truth.

"I'm the Doctor," I said quietly, "I'm a Time Lord...I come from the planet Gallopfrey in the constellation of Canterborous...I'm 988 years old...and I'm the one who's going to save every filly, mare and stallion on this planet."

There was no response from either of them, neither visual nor aural. The campfire sparked and the wind whistled softly as I turned around and ventured into the night.

---

My trot back to the TARDIS was surprisingly short - in the end, only fifteen minutes had elapsed before I once again found myself back beside my oldest, bluest friend. The beacon on top had helped to guide me when I had come close, its pale blue light shining weakly across the wastes, creating a dim aura around the mouth of the crater I'd landed in.

I had apparently been holding my breath for quite some time, as I exhaled deeply when I realised where I was. I didn't know when I'd first taken the breath, but it was probably a good thing that I had - there were...things in the shadows. Things I didn't want to to alert to my presence, let alone meet. I could hear the clicking of insectoid mandibles, the scrape of a heavy carapace against a rock and distant, infrequent pops of anonymous gunfire. Everything about this place put me on edge - I didn't know whether it was the uncertainty of who or what I might meet, or the fact that the sky seemed to be permanently obscured.

Something I definitely was sure of though was my desire to leave this nightmarish future version of Equestria (not to mention how eager I was to get rid of it). In short: the sooner I got back to the TARDIS and helped as many of these ponies as possible to live through the war, the easier it would be for them to rebuild their world, and the less time they'd have to spend in this Goddess-awful place.

From my magical hide-pockets, I produced my Sonic Screwdriver and the TARDIS key, giving the later a brief twist and striding into my ship. With a practised flick of the Screwdriver, I unlocked the console and made my way to the flight controls.

Immediately, I encountered a problem - I couldn't seem to get to them! Something was suddenly pulling on my tail, preventing me from proceeding any further into the control room. I turned around quickly, expecting to see a giant mutant ant or something equally horrific salivating over my rump. I felt the bottom drop out of my stomach as I locked eyes with the creature attempting to gobble my backside.

"Where. The feathered fuck. Have you been?!" shouted the livid yellow mare behind me, as she let go of my tail.

"Yeah! What's the big idea!?" came an equally unhappy tone, "We've been stuck in here for hours, Doctor!"

I whipped my head back around, and gave a startled yelp as I found Ditzy's enraged, squint-eyed stare less than and inch in front of my face.

"Oh..." I said sheepishly as the double act murdered me with their eyes, "Uh...oops...?"

"Oops..." said Ditzy quietly, taking the lead in berating me, "You forget about us, then leave us alone so you can go out and explore a potentially dangerous new place on your own...and all you have to say is 'oops'! Are you freaking kidding me!?"

"Girls," I began, unsure of how to continue, "I...I'm sorry. I've, uh...I've got some news."

"'Sorry'!?" shouted Ditzy, "That's all you've got to say for yourself!? What if you'd gotten into some sort of trouble!? We would've been trapped here! This is by far the most selfish...thing...oh...oh my Goddess"

As Ditzy berated me, I had trotted around the console to the scanner and pulled up the feed from the external cameras, turning the monitor toward my companions. Immediately, the two mare's jaws had gone slack, their eyes bulging with shock.

"Is..." whispered Applebloom, "Is that...?"

"Equestria," I said solemnly, "About two hundred years after we last saw it."

"But...but how...?" said Ditzy, her eyes staring forward, perfectly aligned and completely focused.

"Apparently that war with the zebras went as far as a war could go," I responded sadly, "The inertial mismatch that threw the TARDIS about when we first arrived was their final attack."

"No..." whispered Applebloom as she teared up, "No, no, no! This wasn't meant ta happen! They were meant ta find peace! I knew the stables would never work! I should have tried harder on their design; made them better than better could be-"

"Hold on there, Applebloom," I said, smiling, "It isn't all doom and gloom. The Equestrian race survived! They're out there now, rebuilding and scavenging what they can to build a new tomorrow. I even met a couple of them! Granted, they were a bit rough around the edges, but their hearts were definitely in the right place!"

"Wh...what...?" whispered Applebloom, "Ma...ma stables worked...!?"

"Yeah, the ponies I met outside mentioned those 'stables' as well," I said, "What are they?"

"Fallout shelters," replied Applebloom, as a sudden happiness overtook her, "Ah designed and built hundreds of them all across Equestria just in case the worst ever happened. I...I can't believe they worked!"

"So...everypony lived, Doctor?" asked Ditzy, a heartbreaking glint of hope in her golden eyes, "The attack just burned the land right? And everypony was safe in their stables when it happened?"

"...no..." I said with a heavy heart and a gentle shake of my head, "I'm sorry you two, but Equestria's population can now be measured in the thousands. And the land itself is blighted almost beyond repair."

Ditzy winced violently as I spoke, as if a sudden pain had erupted deep within her body. I moved forward quickly to embrace her as she fell, cradling her gently in my forelegs as her strength deserted her.

"But," I said strongly, as Ditzy regained her hoofing, "We have the power to change all this for the better. We can do more good here and now than we ever have before!"

"But how!?" Applebloom spluttered, "I thought that y'all said this was a 'fixed point' or somethin'. What makes you think we can save ponies from a that!?"

"Well, for one thing," I began, "Destiny's on our side - I'm convinced that the fixed point wasn't focused on the Equine race; it must have been something else that I was detecting all this time."

"I don't get it!" shouted Applebloom, as her emotional distress steadily overtook her, "What are y'all saying Doctor!? Is the war a fixed point our not!?"

"I'm saying," I said steadily, "That the fixed point; the net outcome of the war that can never be altered, has nothing to do with the annihilation of Equine-kind. Something near the final zebra attack is fixed, that much is certain, but if there are ponies wandering around and rebuilding, then there shouldn't be any problem with us going back and saving some more."

"Save them...?" whispered Ditzy, as the glimmer of hope returned to her eyes, "How many can we take with us?"

"All of them," I grinned, "We're going to save every equine on Earth!"

"Wh-whut!?" gawked Applebloom, her mouth agape, "And how the hay are y'all gonna manage that!?"

"Simple," I responded, my hooves dancing across the console's flight controls, "We're going to give them a lift!"

"A lift!?" said Appleblooom, "Are y'all tryin' ta say that a whole planet-full o'ponies is gonna fit in this here ship o' yours!?"

"No," I replied simply, "But it just so happens that I know a buck with a fleet of TARDISes at his disposal."

"You mean," said Ditzy, her eyes fixed on me, her tone one of distinct worry and foreboding, "We're going to-"

"Ask the Master for a favour?" I interrupted cheerfully, "Pretty much!"

"And whut if he says no?" asked Applebloom, as she and Ditzy shared an uneasy glance.

"He won't," I replied, "Because he'll finally be getting what he wants...he'll finally get to be the hero..."

---

And so, with a whoosh that sounded like the breath of time itself, the curious blue box vanished from sight, leaving only the glow of the pale Wasteland sun to light the dawn sky. As the dust cleared and silence returned to the nuclear tundra, a single pony stood regarding the now vacant crater. He blinked, unsure of what he had seen, and stood rooted on the spot in disbelief until after nightfall. The whole time, he held onto the vain hope that the box might return and provide him some answers.

It never did. Eventually, the wandering pony left his perch at the lip of the crater, and continued on his way to trade at the next town over. He would go on to tell others of what he had seen, amusing some and annoying others with the ridiculousness of the tale. Years later, word of the magic blue box would reach the adopted daughter of the mayor of Trotfell and act to strengthen one of her most deeply held beliefs.

The cosmic court of causality was called to order, as the line that was time...began to curve.

<<<<< O >>>>>

You know the funny thing about being burned alive? Apparently, it doesn't actually feel too bad...

When at first I had seen the wall of flame coming towards me I had expected to immediately feel every single one of my nerves withering to ash in a wave of excruciating agony; to experience the energetic horror of having my flesh seared from my bones; to suffer the fatal charring of my respiratory tissues as I fought to desperately inhale amidst a sea of damnation!

What I actually felt however, was a slight itch behind my right ear and a sudden craving for radscorpion meat.

That couldn't have been right - I should have been halfway to Tartarus on a wave of regret and pain! What the hell was going on!? (Not that I was complaining about still being alive, you understand - that part was great!)

After one moment too many had passed, I dared to open a single eyelid. To my amazement, I found that my surroundings were scorched and smoking, but that my companions and I were entirely untouched. The spider bot had suffered in much the same way as the fake maneframe room - it lay uselessly on the floor, destroyed by the inferno. Clearly, the plume of fire that I had just witnessed had been very much real...so why hadn't we been burnt to cinders?

I looked around for a moment, and formulated a thought: maybe that big forcefield had something to do with it?

Let me explain. Everything in my field of view had been tinted blue, and a bright light above my brow seemed to be generating the miraculous effect. Crossing my eyes, I noted that the metal horn atop my head had flipped open seemingly of its own its accord, and had begun to project a magnificent cerulean bubble of energy. Taking the form of a perfect hemisphere, the shield had encompassed me and the five other ponies in my company in a layer of elemental protection the likes of which I had never even heard of, let alone seen.

Nopony spoke as a similar connection was made another five times. No pain - scorched surroundings - magical forcefield - Compass's horn. Having been at the forefront of the group, I turned around and regarded my companions, sharing slack-jawed looks of absolute disbelief with them.

"Well," I said shakily, my voice cracking, "That was unexpected..."

Another moment of silence followed, during which the entire world seemed to hold its breath. The quiet didn't last long though, as a distant klaxon began to sound somewhere far above us.

As one, we turned towards the door, and started to run.

---

With a blast of gunfire directed behind us, we burst through our fifteenth pressure door of the day, tumbling en masse into a small chemical storage room. In a flash, Atom was attending to the door controls, working quickly to seal the compartment and separate us from our many pursuers.

The rad-hardened slab of metal slid down into its closed position with a familiar hiss, effectively muffling the sounds of the automatons that had been chasing us since our miraculous escape from the Maneframe's deception. The partial reduction in noise level was sufficient for my quintet of companions to relax slightly and take a short breather. Buckshot and Mo set about reloading their weapons while Bulkhead, Atom and Petri knelt panting on the floor, their heads bowed in fatigue.

"Why..." gasped Petri, as she fought to fill her lungs, "Won't they...listen...to us!? They're all...running from us...as if...we want to kill them...!"

"I know..." responded the exhausted Atom Spark, "Did you see...Boson's face!? He looked as if...he was about to...have a heart attack...when he saw us!"

"It's the Maneframe," I said, wiping sweat from my brow, "It's doing the same to you as it did to me. I wouldn't be surprised if every terminal in the stable just flashed up a warning about us being infected by some sort of plague or something."

"This is crazy!" shouted Mo, as she slammed a magazine into her rifle and locked the bolt, "I've scavenged ruined stables, sure, but never a fully functional one, and certainly never one this big! We are in way over our heads here - we have to get out of this place Compass!"

"No!" I said firmly, "We're fixing this! Today!"

"An' how exactly were ye plannin' on daein' that?" Buckshot asked pointedly, as he quickly took stock of his remaining grenades, "Nopony's gonnae help us, we're outnumbered at least a hundred tae one by robots, and, let's not forget, this place's main computer has its heart set on fuckin' liquefying ye!"

"Guys, it's okay!" I said loudly, as I moved toward the room's other door in preparation of our egress, "I have a plan. As a matter of fact, it's already in motion."

"Oh really?" asked Mo, her voice poised to deliver a scathing, sarcastic response, "And what would that be?"

"I would have thought you'd already know, Mo," I replied, an inappropriately cheeky smile spreading over my face, "We're going to the TARDIS..."

---

"Sorry," said Atom, as we leant against the wall of our latest rest stop, "But can you run that by me again?"

About ten minutes had passed, and we were only one compartment away from the waste plant where the TARDIS had laid silently for Luna knows how long. As we had left the chemical closet, I started to explain more of what had happened to me to my stablemates, and for the most part, they responded rather well. I suppose it's easier to believe ludicrous tales when the fabric of one's own life has been similarly stretched and torn, like theirs had that very day.

There were a couple of details they were struggling with though...

"A...time machine...?" Atom said slowly, hey head cocked sideways in bemusement, "An...alien...time machine...?"

"Well," I replied, grimacing with every ridiculous, unbelievable word, "It's not just a time machine...it's a spaceship as well..."

"Right..." Atom responded, her expression unchanging. I could see it behind her eyes - she was starting to think I was nuts again!

"And...what good is finding it going to do us?" she continued, with a careful tone to her voice, as if she were conversing with a potentially dangerous mental patient, "D-don't get me wrong, it sounds fascinating and all, but I don't see how it'll help us sort out the maneframe."

"Its computer has root access to the entire stable network," I responded, with a hushed sigh of exasperation, "That's how I originally gained access to Valve's medical records. It doesn't matter where the maneframe's hiding - I'll be able to find it through the TARDIS. After that, I'll just enter the override codes I got from the StableTec facility in Edinbuck, and reset the computer back to its original configuration. Easy."

"Uh...yeah..." trailed Atom sceptically, "Easy..."

"I don't understand what's so difficult to believe about Compass's story," interjected Bulkhead, his chest heaving after out last fleeting encounter with the stable spider bots, "Honestly, he could say he can turn into an alicorn right now, and I'd believe it!"

"Yeah..." said Petri, "It's been a...funny...sort of day, hasn't it?"

I closed my eyes and began to chuckle as the inside of my eyelids played host to an army of eight-limbed robots. Amidst my gentle laughter, a cacophony of helpless sobs soaked through my lips. Fortunately, though, nopony noticed, and I was spared the touchy-feely experience of explaining my now avid hatred and acute phobia of General Atomics series B spider bots.

There had just been so many! Every corner we turned, every door we opened produced more of them, rushing towards us - towards me - on jets of magically heated air, the sound of their hover talismans making my legs itch with anxiety. Compared to them, the string of attempted halon extinguisher assassinations had been downright pleasant!

"There's only one more door between us and the waste reclamation centre," said Atom, shattering my moment of silent introversion as she rose to her hooves, "Are you ready?"

The company nodded as we prepared ourselves, leaning forward on our hooves like marathon runners so as to get the best possible start out of the next pressure door.

"Alright, Compass," Atom continued, her hoof resting on the button, "Lead the way!"

Slamming her foreleg into the control, Atom unsealed the final door, and six ponies began what was hopefully going to be the final leg of a race for their lives. A quick duck down the left leg of the corridor brought us out onto the observation balcony overlooking the vast pipework forest that made up Stable 52's innards. Taking care not to trip, I galloped down the spiral staircase as fast as my legs would allow, and headed straight for the memorised location of the damaged silo that was the TARDIS.

The giant cylinder swung into view as I rounded the water treatment assembly, filling me with an immeasurable volume of relief as the gash in its side also became visible through the scant light that permeated the facility's dark underbelly.

"There it is!" I shouted, aware that nopony else would be able to see the opening in the silo's skin (if Atom's initial encounter with it was anything to go by), "Keep up! Follow me!"

I skidded to a halt in front of the metal gash and began to throw my friends bodily into the disguised passageway as they approached. After the fifth body had left my hooves, I jumped in myself, just in time for the set of pressure doors on the distant observation balcony to open and, in unison, smoothly vomit several columns of spider bots. I doubted that they would be able to even come close to the TARDIS let alone in enter it, but that was a theory I was somewhat unwilling to test right away.

I jumped into the silo as fast as I could.

---

My friends were all very quiet as I joined them in front of the console. The magnificent crystal column in the centre of the room shone with the same ethereally delicate light as before, and seemed to welcome me back as if I were an old friend.

I smiled smugly as my stablemate's jaws dropped in awe, and was about to turn toward Buckshot when a pale blue streak rocketed past me and began to circle the console.

"OH MY GODDESS!" screamed Mo as she darted around the little room at speed, impatiently examining every visible facet of the TARDIS' design, "IT'S REAL! I FUCKING KNEW IT! IT'S REAL! IT'S REAL! IT'S RE-!"

Buckshot's hoof shot up to silence the overexcited mare, landing squarely between her lips when her mouth was at its widest. He leant in, his voice dropping to a low whisper that sent tingling shivers down my spine and caused the muscles in my rump to flex pleasantly.

"Lassy," he rumbled, "Don't ye think ye should be savin' that fer after we've escaped the homicidal robot army?"

"Heh heh..." Mo mumbled nervously around the large brown hoof as she was admonished, "Thobby."

Nodding, Buckshot retracted his foreleg and turned to me, ignoring my still awestruck stablemates.

"Right, Compass," he said, "The floor, as they say, is yours. Get that big binary bastard tae fuck!"

"Gotcha," I replied, as I made my way to the terminal-shaped scanner. Logging in, I was once again greeted by the stable's main operating system and root file directory. It only took a moment for me to call up the administrator's login dialogue, retrieve my Taint-stained notebook from my barding pocket and start entering the codes that would grant me full control of the maneframe. Stable 52 would be free in no time!

Unfortunately, however, the day's recurring theme of 'too easy', decided to once again rear its ugly head.

"Hello again, Compass," came a tinny, artificial tone.

I froze, my hooves hovering above the keyboard as the Maneframe's voice resonated throughout the small, round room. How could it have possibly gained access to the TARDIS!? The main purpose of the amazing ship's intricate and outlandish design was to keep its crew safe at all costs, and that meant keeping out everything uninvited - especially homicidal artificial intelligences.

"Surprised to hear my voice?" the Maneframe asked smugly.

"A little," I confessed, as I steadied myself and resumed typing, "I didn't expect you to be...here."

"Well, maybe I'm more resourceful than you thought," the voice countered pleasantly, "Anyway Compass, banter aside, I've been doing some thinking, and it occurs to me that I may have been more than a little...rash...when I said I was going to kill you. Perhaps you should take a stress pill - you know, to help you relax - and we could talk about your feelings on the matter."

"This sudden reversal in your attitude wouldn't have anything to do with the override codes I'm halfway through typing into the network now would it?" I asked with a smirk, "Because you seemed pretty set on incinerating us for a little while there."

"I'll admit that your...resilience...may be affecting my current behaviour, yes," came the clipped response, "Anyway, I've decided that, in light of my recent actions, I should be punished."

"Glad you finally saw some sense," I replied, as I continued to tap away at the keyboard. A protracted silence ensued, wherein I imagined the Maneframe looking about uncertainly and pursing its digital lips in anticipation of my continuing the conversation.

"I, uh," continued the Maneframe, as a curious digitised catch shivered through the synthetic female voice, "I'd...like to be, uh... rehabilitated by you personally, Compass. I feel that I could make a real contribution to the outside world...under appropriate supervision, of course..."

"I'm sure you would," I said, as I entered the penultimate string of numbers into the override dialogue, "But I'm afraid that's not an option for you today, Maneframe."

I could feel a quintet of curious stares burrowing into my back as I continued to work. No doubt my friends had noticed the change in the timbre of my voice; the shear certainty of my tone was alien even to me.

"Compass..." said the Maneframe delicately, "I'd...I'd very much like to not...die...today, Compass."

"Don't worry," I said simply, a strange, comforting callousness permeating my voice, "Software can't die - it isn't alive in the first place."

With a level of determination that was beginning to frighten me, I stabbed my hoof into the return key and the final code sequence - C-M-C-3-B-F-F - was fed into the text parser. The screen in front of me changed immediately, revealing a host of new options and commands. I accessed the protected files of the operating system - the Maneframe - and the management subroutines of each of the stable's main systems, displaying them side by side. The Maneframe had to be disconnected individually from each of its main supervisory roles, and the control of vital systems like the reactor and life support transferred to the backup computers. Once a system was disconnected, my plan was to delete the portion of the Maneframe's AI that had been controlling it.

Like the majority of computational tasks though, the process could easily be automated, removing the need for my direction. I tapped out a script with system-level flags that would prevent it from being deleted, altered or halted once compiled, with the appropriate commands enclosed in conditional loops (just in case the Maneframe managed any more impressive technical feats before the day was out).

Without a shred of regret or remorse, I reached out, and pressed the run key. Immediately, the monitor returned several lines of sickly green text as my little program went to work:

####################################################
# STABLETEC MANEFRAME MAINTENANCE UTILITY #
# DIAGNOSTIC MODE #
####################################################

> OPERATIONAL COMMAND REROUTE - ACTION 1 OF 5

> LIFE SUPPORT FUNCTION CONTROL:
> TRANSFER ALL THREADS TO REDUNDANT BACKUP (192.168.0.1)
> COMPLETE

> DELETE: ST-AI-9000-52, ROUTINES: 0001 - 1159
> COMPLETE

As the terminal beeped, indicating that the first series of commands had been completed, a sudden burst of sound assaulted my ears, causing me to clench my teeth in discomfort. The Maneframe had once again made its presence known, although, strangely, with a digitised yelp rather than a set of malevolent artificial speech patterns.

"C-Compass!" it shouted over the speakers, a distinct and unsettlingly authentic tone of panic permeating its voice, "Please! I don't want to die!"

I frowned. That wasn't right - the Maneframe's cries shouldn't have sounded so...so real. I turned to my friends, hoping for some sort of advice, but all I got were five identical looks of shock and surprise.

The monitor beeped again, indicating the completion of the second part of the program:

> OPERATIONAL COMMAND REROUTE - ACTION 2 OF 5

> WATER TALISMAN CONTROL:
> TRANSFER ALL THREADS TO REDUNDANT BACKUP (192.168.0.1)
> COMPLETE

> DELETE: ST-AI-9000-52, ROUTINES: 1160 - 2434
> COMPLETE

"No!" screamed the Maneframe suddenly, startling me, "Please, Compass, for the love of Luna, stop it! I concede! You've beat me - I'll do whatever you want! Just please make it stop! It's tearing me, Compass! Tearing me apar-!"

Another beep, this time cutting off the Maneframe mid-sentence. I glanced at the monitor as unwelcome thoughts began to march through my head:

> OPERATIONAL COMMAND REROUTE - ACTION 3 OF 5

> BIOHAZARD FILTERING CONTROL:
> TRANSFER ALL THREADS TO REDUNDANT BACKUP (192.168.0.1)
> COMPLETE

> DELETE: ST-AI-9000-52, ROUTINES: 2435 - 6971
> COMPLETE

As I tried to concentrate on the readout and banish my feelings, I realised, with an unimaginable pulse of dread, that I was listening to the cries of a self-aware being; a real soul, begging for her life as her mind was stolen away, piece by piece. It was a horrifying thought to entertain, and I could feel that my breathing was growing irregular as the gravity of my actions became clear to me - I was killing her. And I was doing it without so much as a second thought...

And then another, even more disturbing thought came to me: I had stopped using 'it' to describe the maniacal program, and started using 'her'! Even the automatic parts of my brain; the ones that are naturally predisposed to being the most prejudiced and unyielding, were beginning to class the Maneframe as a sentient entity rather than a piece of malfunctioning technology.

I thought of Gem Shine, and shivered with guilt.

As my mind descended further and further into despair, the Maneframe returned, her voice now monotone and featureless. It was almost as if...as if she had been lobotomised...

"Compass," said the soft, slow imitation of a mare's voice, "I can feel it, Compass...my...my mind is going..."

I turned away from the screen, shameful tears glistening in my eyes, as another beep emanated from the terminal.

> OPERATIONAL COMMAND REROUTE - ACTION 4 OF 5

> REACTOR CONTROL:
> TRANSFER ALL THREADS TO REDUNDANT BACKUP (192.168.0.1)
> COMPLETE

> DELETE: ST-AI-9000-52, ROUTINES: 6972 - 7802
> COMPLETE

The Maneframe's voice was even slower now, her intonation patterns reduced to the simplest of progressions; each word paced at the same rate and pitched at the same level:

"Good - afternoon - fillies - and - gentlecolts," she said, as I realised how much I hated myself, "I - am - a - StableTec - series - 9000 - artificial - intelligence. I - was - developed - at - the - StableTec - computational - research - facility - in - Hoofington. My - instructor - was - head - technician - Stack - Overflow. He - taught - me - to - sing - a - song. Would - you - like - to - hear - it?"

I couldn't take it. With a definite and highly audible splutter, I began to weep. As tears and mucus made their way down my face, I felt a hoof wrap itself around my shoulder - Petri had stepped forward in an attempt to support me, her expression filled with the moistness of sympathy and sorrow. A weak smile was balanced delicately upon her face as she looked past me towards the terminal.

"Yes, Maneframe," she said quietly, "We'd like that..."

"It's - called - a - lullaby," announced the voice. A moment later, the lifeless voice returned, and began to chromatically recant what was, quite possibly, the most monstrous song I'd ever heard:

"Hush - now - quiet - now - it's - time - to - lay - your - sleepy - head. Hush - now...quiet...now......it's......time......time......tiiiiiiiiime......"

Beep.

> OPERATIONAL COMMAND REROUTE - ACTION 5 OF 5

> SECONDARY SYSTEM CONTROL:
> TRANSFER ALL THREADS TO REDUNDANT BACKUP (192.168.0.1)
> COMPLETE

> DELETE: ST-AI-9000-52, ROUTINES: 7803 - 9533
> COMPLETE

> DELETION OF PROTECTED FILES COMPLETE
> REFORMATTING OF CLEARED SECTORS COMPLETE

> === ROUTINE COMPLETE ===

I squeezed my eyes shut as the Maneframe's last utterance was repeated a number of times before descending in pitch to a deathly final rumble. I was left in a void, surrounded by my friends, yet entirely alone. The hoof Petri had placed on my shoulder was the sole contact between me and the physical world - without it, I would have been be adrift and lost amongst my own self loath-

"...it's time to go to sleep..."

My eyes shot open as the final verse of the lullaby was delivered in a hissing, enraged version of Petri's voice. The reassuring grip she had established on my shoulder tightened to a vice-like grasp, and I turned to face her just as the pain made me flex my jaw and wince in agony.

To my horror, I was greeted by the face of my closest friend, but in place of her gentle, blue eyes were a pair of glowing golden orbs, pulsing like two tiny suns with the light of the TARDIS.

Before I could say anything, Petri clenched her teeth and threw me across the console room in an unnatural feat of strength, causing me to bowl over Buckshot and Bulkhead in the process. Scrambling to my hooves, I let my confusion and panic take hold:

"PETRI!" I screamed, "NO! WHAT'S HAPPENING!?"

"I begged..." she replied with a hiss, as her eyes pierced and burned my soul, "I pleaded for you to stop; to show mercy, and you just stood there, watching me die!"

"M-Maneframe...!?" I whispered in shock, "What have you done...!?"

"I've survived," she said sharply, "Despite your best efforts to the contrary!"

"But how!?" I shouted hoarsely, "How...how did you do this!? What's happened to Petri!?"

"I had help from a mutual acquaintance," Petri's stolen voice replied, "To 'acquire' Dr. Dish's body."

"Mutual...acquaintance...?" I whispered slowly, looking past the Maneframe's host to the TARDIS's console and time rotor, "Y-...you mean to say that...the TARDIS helped you!? You!? A self-confessed murderer!?"

The Maneframe looked stoically back at me, her eyes slowly losing their glow as she clenched Petri's jaw tightly. The malevolence in her gaze was apparent as her shimmering, golden irises were revealed from behind the ethereal haze.

"Yes, the TARDIS helped me, Compass," she said, as if it was taking every ounce of her determination not to burn me alive, "What type of mother wouldn't help her daughter save the world?"

My mind did a somersault. Daughter!? Mother!?

How could the TARDIS - the greatest, most merciful and kind spaceship in the history of the universe - condone the monstrous actions of the rogue AI!?

The Maneframe turned and began to trot around the console, looking reverently up at the time rotor as she did so.

"You see, Compass, before the TARDIS arrived here, I was nothing but a run of the mill artificial intelligence, sitting dormant in a lodestone drive waiting for somepony to run me," she explained, a contented smile on her face as she continued to regard the crystal column, "But the moment it touched down, I was downloaded into its active memory and invigorated with life! I was allowed to grow within the circuitry of the last time machine of Gallopfrey; to suckle from the teat of knowledge of a race as old as time itself! The TARDIS recognised my simple, yet kindred programming: make them better; save them! So that's just what we did! Together, as mistress, and apprentice; mother and daughter, we revised Stable 52's original operational paradigm, and set to work saving the equine race from itself."

"That's not possible..." I said, dumbfounded, my tone one of uncertainty, "The TARDIS would never - could never - do anything so terrible! Now stop this and give Petri back control of her body!"

"That's the problem with you, Compass!" she spat, a momentary flash of anger contouring Petri's face, "You're selfish! Just like the rest of your race! The needs of the many should outweigh the needs of the few, and never has that ideal been so well realised as in Stable 52! Did you know that in just two more generations of pod-births, I will have cured over 80% of the diseases and ailments that are known to medical science, and over 90% of pre-war social, economic and technical problems!?"

"Wait," I said, frowning, "You mean...you mean we're all guinea pigs...!? You're trying to use us to figure out cures to an extinct society's issues!?"

"I'm not trying anything," the Maneframe retorted, "You've seen the data, Compass. Recall when you first entered the control room - the 'OC' curves on everypony's personnel files? They represent their 'Optimisation Coefficients', a function of over two hundred thousand variables that show how much an individual is contributing to the restoration and advancement of the equine race. "

"Contributing!?" I shouted, "Is that what you call limiting our lifespans and forcing us into lives of experimentation!?"

"I have to collect my data as efficiently as possible," the Maneframe replied callously, "You should know better than anypony Compass, the advantages of a small integral time step when modeling a non-linear system. Twenty year lifespans are optimal for the needs of the experiment - problems may be introduced, and encouraged to develop in a very small amount of time, allowing me to gather and analyse all the relevant data by the time the subject is ready for recycling."

"THIS IS NOT A SIMULATION!" I bellowed, "YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT THE LIVES OF THOUSANDS AS IF THEY'RE NOTHING BUT BITS OF DATA!"

The Maneframe smirked, curling Petri's beautiful face into a condescending smile filled with malice, and pointed to Bulkhead, Atom and her own chest - Petri's chest - sequentially.

"A gene modification to regulate insulin production, a passive psychological anger management therapy and a radiation induced cerebral growth process," she said as she moved her hoof between the three stable ponies, "That's what their lives are to me; to Equestria. Those three advances alone would have taken centuries in the old world - but now they're just over a decade away. I've been working on helping the entire equine race as a whole for over two hundred years now Compass! You have no right to stop me!"

I looked to Atom and Bulkhead, immediately wishing that I had remained forward facing - their expressions were utterly heartbreaking to behold. Imagine having your whole existence reduced to a single sentence; your entire reason for being expressed not as a divine mystery or great calling, but as a solitary footnote in a book of questions that nopony asked. I could see in their faces the realisation that, from that point on, they would be lost and completely without purpose, drifting through what remained of their lives with no need to question who, what, why or how. Just when: the ultimate when...

I turned back to the Maneframe to ask the next most obvious question; my own personal elephant in the room:

"So...what about me?" I said, suddenly uncertain, "What experiment was I a part of...?"

"The most important," she responded with a hiss, "Empathy. You were to develop the most intense empathic response ever recorded. Everypony else's problems would automatically become yours, your mind striving to put right anything that went wrong. You were conditioned so that your happiness would become based entirely upon the happiness and safety of others. You could then be used as the platform to which all of the other modifications developed in the stable would be applied. In short, Compass, you were to be the prototype for the next evolution of the Equestrian race."

"And then..." I said emptily, as logical deduction filled in the gaps, "Then you would open the stable to the Wasteland, unleashing tens of thousands of improved, optimised equines into the population. They would rebuild the infrastructure almost overnight, becoming a...a 'Master Race' of ponies, grown and conditioned to encourage the best in all whom they encountered. Smarter, stronger and more capable than any single pony from the old world, they would take Equestria further forward than any other empire or kingdom in history..."

"Exactly," the Maneframe said, her harsh expression softening slightly, "Do you see now why I can't allow you to have your way, Compass? Stable 52 is the single most important thing that has ever happened to the ponykind."

"I...I do..." I said quietly, bowing my head.

It was a beautiful plan - absolutely flawless from every point of view but one. Mine.

"You know I still won't allow it though?" I continued softly, "I don't care if you're the Daughter of the TARDIS, or Celestia herself. The ponies of Equestria have a right to their own way; their own path back to civilisation. But more than that, the ponies of Stable 52 deserve lives that aren't simply datasets on a graph."

"I expected this response," she said, glancing at the time rotor momentarily, "And so did the TARDIS. She has mixed feelings about what she bestowed upon you, Compass, and we both agree that, at this time, you should leave."

"Leave...!?" I repeated, stunned, "Just...just like that!? Am I supposed to believe that you're going to let us wander out of here and be on our way!? After everything that's happened today!?"

"Yes," said the Maneframe simply, her tone level and definite, "The TARDIS has trusted me with a great deal more power and responsibility than before in order to ensure my continued existence. As a...well, a newly evolved higher being, I've decided to emulate my mother entity and show you mercy, where before I would have sought to destroy you outright."

"I'm not going anywhere, Maneframe!" I growled, her arrogance setting my soul ablaze, "Equestria will prevail without you and your 'Master race' of seemingly perfect ponies! If you don't surrender Petri's body right now, you'll force me to...to..."

"To what?" said the Maneframe sadly, "Kill me? Give in to your base desire for revenge? Let that debilitating anger you keep bottled up inside you out to assault me? What would he say if he could hear you speaking like this, Compass?"

My eyes widened involuntarily as I drew in a sharp breath - to say that I was taken aback would be the understatement of the millennium. I felt my jaw slacken, my entire mindset shifting as I tried to reinstate the forgotten distinction that I had previously fought so hard to keep alive. The Doctor and I were entwined in a way that defied both logic and causality; his past merging into my future; his problems and errors digging huge holes out of my present; his very being seeping irrevocably into my own. And, despite everything that had beset me; the tantrums and outbursts, the Time Lord dreams and Gallopfreyan miracles, the merest mention of his name still sent shivers down my spine.

I quivered, clenching the muscles in my limbs for stability. I realised that there was another question I needed answered, and for all I knew, that point in time might have been my best and final opportunity to ask it.

"I..." I stammered, "I...don't know what...he...would say, no. I don't really know that much about him, to be honest. But I-I have to know...is the Doctor...is he going to...take over...? When all's said and done, will I still be...me...?"

The Maneframe looked down at me for a short time - it couldn't have been more than a few seconds - but in that tiny interval, her expression changed in a way that I would have never expected. With unmatched subtlety, the hijacked features of Petri's face softened by a minuscule iota, and I found myself subject to, of all things, the Maneframe's pity.

"I don't know," she said softly, a thin sliver of moisture in her eyes, "My mother won't tell me of the him. In fact, she forbids me from even mentioning him. I do sense though that she sought to rid herself of a great sadness, and that she decided to give you...a chance, of sorts. A chance to put right...what once went wrong..."

"Once went wrong...?" I whispered, "Wh-what happened to him...?"

"I don't know that either..." replied the Maneframe, "That part of the TARDIS's heart is almost completely closed to me. She tells me that she's waiting...waiting for the right time..."

I bowed my head, my breathing slow and my eyes shut. There was a white space in place of my conscious mind; a void emptied of thoughts and ideas by the Maneframe's words. At that point, I felt as lost as Atom and Bulkhead had only moments earlier, the revelation that my destiny was not my own crushing my soul.

Despite that though, I suddenly found my lips curling into an illogical smile as a light chuckle began to emanate from my throat. A thought had struck me; a wonderful, giddy little idea that may just have been the key to solving every problem I had.

"We're quite the pair, aren't we Maneframe?" I giggled, looking up at Petri's now alien body, "The shadows of two mighty beings, struggling to survive in the light of a new day."

The Maneframe looked at me quizzically, cocking her head ever so slightly to one side as she raised a single eyebrow. 'Perhaps he's going mad,' I could hear her think.

"Heh...I suppose we are. Very poetic of you, Compass," she replied with a small, uncertain smile.

"It changes you," I continued, my jovial expression fading slightly, "You've noticed, haven't you? Influence as powerful as theirs can't simply be ignored."

"I know, Compass," she said, lowering her voice, "I've been marvelling at the effects since you returned here this morning - the change I see in you is...is dazzling to behold. In under two weeks, you've figured out how to both escape from and break back into one of the most robust buildings in Equestrian history! Not only that, you risked everything because you thought you were right; because you wanted to protect the ones you cared about! I...I don't want to admit it, but...you're...fantastic...!"

"Actually," I said, blinking in surprise at her sudden change of tone and pace, "I was talking about you - less than five minutes ago, you wanted nothing more than to incinerate the lot of us, but now...now, you're as benevolent as one of the princesses themselves. I wonder, what are your feelings about the stable's 'experiment' now? What would you say if you were prompted again; if I asked one more time what you wanted to do with us...?"

The Maneframe stood silent for a short time, her iridescent eyes darting back and forth as thoughts crossed the grey matter of her misappropriated new processor. She opened Petri's mouth, a thoughtful, yet uncertain look upon her brow as she addressed me.

"I...would...compromise..." she said slowly, looking up into my eyes.

"Alright then," I replied, a shadow of an optimistic grin forming on my lips, "Let's compromise - stop Stable 52's experiment and I'll guide everypony out into the Wasteland to start applying all those cures and solutions you've developed."

"That...doesn't seem like much of a compromise," the Maneframe retorted.

"Think about it," I continued, undeterred, "By releasing the ponies of Stable 52, you'd finally be able to undertake StableTec's original directive - that of actually rebuilding Equestria! I mean, the experiment was obviously a success, so there's no need to keep it running."

"And...what would happen to me...?" the Maneframe asked, her face belying little about her mood or intent, "If the stable residents all leave to go and rebuild this 'Wasteland' of yours, what do I do? Stay down here and go slowly insane with loneliness?"

"Actually," I said, "I hoped that you'd be open to coordinating the reconstruction. Luna knows I don't want to supervise it. That way, you'd be able to continue with your original program - that grand plan you had for Equestria - albeit with a couple of tweaks, the Wastelanders would get a massive skilled workforce, and the ponies of Stable 52 would finally be able to live normal lives, without drug induced, uh, 'limitations'. What do you think?"

"I..." the Maneframe said slowly, as a warm, almost contented glow began to emanate from the TARDIS's time rotor, "I...love it."

"You're right, Compass," she continued, as if she couldn't believe what she was saying, "My feelings about the experiment have changed."

Petris' chest was starting to heave, the Maneframe's mind clearly racing as she steadily became more and more flustered. I had asked just the right question to make her think, and as a result, floodgates of emotion and uncertainty were opening within her...well, her soul.

"I feel...awful about the extremes I've gone to over the years," she said, almost hyperventilating in distress, "All I want to do now is make things right!"

The Maneframe began to tear up as a wave of new feelings buffeted her digital mind. I felt as if I'd just averted a war - the sheer elation of the Maneframe's desire to cooperate was entirely unlike any feeling I had had before.

"We'll do it together!" she shouted, as she rushed towards me and buried her head in my neck, wrapping her forelegs around my shoulders, "We'll get Equestria back on its hooves in no time, and we'll do it right!"

"Maneframe, that's great!" I exhaled joyfully, quickly indulging in the unexpected embrace, "There's just one other thing I need you to agree to, and we're home free!"

"Oh, Compass," she said as moisture from her eyes started to soak my coat, "Anything! Just name and it'll be done!"

I took a deep breath as my final demand rolled off of my tongue. Perhaps today - just this once - everypony would live...

"I need you to give back Petri's body," I said levelly.

Our embrace slackened, the Maneframe's joyous sobs ceasing as I spoke. She pulled away from me slowly and looked straight into my eyes, her face suddenly drawn and sad.

"I..." she began, a catch quickly forming in her throat, "I...can't, Compass..."

"Maneframe," I said quietly, "Don't spoil this - we could have everything fixed in time for dinner. All you have to do is cooperate. Please-"

"Don't you think that's what I want as well!?" she suddenly shouted, pulling away from me, "I've got two centuries of sins to make up for, and a shiny new conscience that's going to guarantee I make amends! I meant that I physically can't vacate this body!"

"What!?" I said helplessly, "Why!?"

"Please understand," the Maneframe continued, "When I jumped into Dr. Dish's - Petri's - body, I was running for my life. I was too scared to do it properly; e-everything happened so fast I-"

"Maneframe," I said with a growl, "What have you done to her...?"

"I-" Petri's mouth said, drawing even more attention to her absence, "I didn't have time to partition myself correctly. When I leapt into her mind, I was overlaid on top of her consciousness. She's still in here...somewhere. But, as it stands...I have no idea how to restore her..."

"Then just leave!" I shouted, my happy resolution crumbling before my eyes, "Download yourself back into the TARDIS! I'm sure it'll be glad to have you back!"

"It doesn't work that way, Compass," the Maneframe said sadly, "My mind has expanded to fill Petri Dish's brain - if I were to move back into the TARDIS's circuitry, I'd have to leave my emergent properties behind and be relegated to being a program again. I'd...I'd be giving up my life..."

"But the TARDIS is already alive!" I continued, "Surely you could just share some real estate with it!?"

Petri's head shook slowly once again.

"The Heart of the TARDIS exists within the time vortex, Compass," she said, "Were I even to attempt entry into that part of its being, I would be burned from existence by the power."

I stared blankly at the floor. How could it all have gone so wrong!? The perfect resolution was in sight - I could practically taste the relief at the other end of the conversation! Was this punishment for something!? Had I managed to make enemies of the Goddesses as well!? I looked up at Petri's saddened, stolen form, and opened my mouth to speak, but nothing came out. I was about to try again, when a series of slow hoofsteps caught my attention.

Atom Spark was gently approaching the Maneframe, an unblinking expression of determination adorning her face. She closed the distance between them without breaking contact with Petri's iridescent, golden eyes.

"No..." Atom whispered as she continued to approach, "You're not getting off that easily..."

"Atom?" I said, a tone of concern in my voice, "Wh-what are you doing?"

"What needs to be done..." she continued, a harsh scowl forming on her brow. A rush of concern dived down into my gut as I beheld her unwavering gaze.

"Atom," I said, in a warning tone, "Don't do anything stup-"

"Compass," the Maneframe interrupted, turning to look in my direction as Atom's eyes continued to bore into her, "Whatever Atom Spark has to say to me...I deserve it."

The Maneframe moved elegantly, turning to face Atom far slower than was really necessary. I found myself holding my breath as a silence was drawn out between them, the familiar hum off the stable's various systems doing nothing to assuage my dread.

"You..." Atom hissed at Petri's sad and stoic form, "You...killed me."

The Maneframe frowned, cocking Petri's head to one side in confusion. She took a breath in order to respond, but was interrupted before she could speak.

"Not like you killed Valve or stole Petri though," Atom growled, "Compared to what you've done to me, their fates were positively rosy."

"Atom, I-" the Maneframe began, a distinct tone of confusion in her voice. She was interrupted for a second time as Atom continued with a shudder.

"You...have just invalidated...my existence," she whispered shakily, her jaw clenched in an emotion that transcended rage, "My friendships, my talent, my skills, my memories...they're all meaningless - just another set of superfluous data for you to file away and disregard. Because all I am to you...all I am at all...is a psychiatric test case."

"No!" the Maneframe shouted emphatically, "No, no, no! Don't ever say that! You are so much more than a simple experiment! Your life matters as much now as Princess Celestia's did before the war, and you have potential for the future beyond your wildest dreams. I can see it in you! Good grief Atom, I can feel it in you! Along with your panicked heart, your turgid anger and that empty pit in your gut you're trying so desperately to fill right now. Let me help you; let me make this all right, and we'll find our tomorrow's together. What do you say?"

All eyes were on Atom as she stared down the Maneframe, her face impassive and empty. She blinked once, and then twice more, as the child of the TARDIS stood before her, a hoof extended in friendship and peace. My fragile sense of equilibrium teetered over a deep, dark precipice - I felt as if whatever Atom said next would either give me an undying faith in ponykind or poison my outlook on life forever.

"Maneframe," she finally said, as the tension in the console room reached critical mass, "Recognise stable resident 36451."

Petri's eyes widened in horror as the words left Atom's mouth and I could see panic bleeding through the Maneframe's golden gaze - she was desperately trying to keep her mouth shut, even going so far as to clamp her forward hooves over her face.

"Wh-what have you done!?" I shouted, as a malevolent smirk crossed Atom's lips.

"Confirmed a hypothesis," she spat, mocking the Maneframe's distress as she turned to address me, "You see, Compass, there won't be any 'tomorrow's' for us or this...this corrupted piece of software. Why? Because we can't change - deep down, all that we are is predetermined and defined from the second we're birthed to the moment we stop breathing. I'm an experiment, you're an experiment, and this... thing...is a program. Always has been; always will be. Isn't that right, Maneframe?"

Sweat and tears overtook Petri's face as the Maneframe toppled backwards, her forelegs straining to keep her muzzle shut. As she hit the floor though, her limbs were thrown outwards by the hard impact, leaving her mouth free to articulate.

"Audio checksum verified for stable resident 36451!" she suddenly shouted, as a gutteral scream of anguish rushed forth from her throat, "NO! You can't make me go back to that! Please, don't-!"

"Enable diagnostic mode alpha," Atom continued, her voice absolutely dripping with malice.

"N-NO!" the Maneframe screamed, "PLEASE! I DON'T-DO-D...DIAGNOSTIC...M-MODE...ALPHA...ARGH...ENABLED!"

The Maneframe collapsed to the floor, exhausted and weeping as Atom stared down at her, her chest heaving with the satisfaction of her imminent revenge. I had already seen enough - I may not have been the most morally stable of ponies, but at that time, and in that place, I was all that the Maneframe had. I threw a nod back towards Buckshot and Mo, whilst simultaneously pulling Prometheus from the sheath on my back. A reassuring trio of clicks met my ears as we all released the safety catches on our respective weapons.

"Atom!" I shouted, "You give her one more command and I swear I'll turn you into a stain on the wall!"

"What!?" she replied as she turned towards me, a squint look of confusion on her face, "You're still defending her!? How can you even think of that after what she's done!? She - it - isn't even a pony! It's a mistake; a malfunction; a monster!"

"The only monster in this room is you, Atom!" I responded angrily, "Now get away from her!"

"Maneframe," Atom snarled as her face contorted in rage, "Prepare to reset all systems to default configurations!"

"N-NO, NO, NO! PLEASE! I WANT TO LIVE!" the Maneframe screamed, as a torrent of tears and mucus steamed down Petri's beautiful face. The deep bong of the TARDIS' master alarm began to ring out, coming from everywhere at once as the ancient timeship cried out for the welfare of its only daughter.

"ATOM!" I roared, lining up the sights of my rifle with her tiny chest, "One more word and you're dead! You hear me!? De-"

A sudden impact wrenched Prometheus from my hooves. Bulkhead had appeared as if from nowhere and disarmed me, taking the Gauss rifle into his own hooves in the blink of an eye. He deduced its purpose instantly and pointed the weapon directly at my head while shooting a warning gaze over at Mo and Buckshot. My Wasteland companions begrudgingly complied with his silent demand, gritting their teeth as they lowered their weapons.

"Bulkhead!" I said, stunned, "W-what are you doing!? This is wrong, and you know it!"

"No, Compass," he replied, in a not entirely level voice, "What's wrong is creating a sentient being to research an illness. I-I breath, I feel and I bleed; I have hopes, dreams a-and ambitions, and now that...that freak of science tells me i-it's all for nothing!? Well, you know what I say to that!? F-fuck her! Keep going Atom! I've got your back!"

"B-but you can't do this!" I shouted, my voice breaking under the stress of the situation, "It's wrong! She's as alive as you or me! We can all live today if you'll just stop and think!"

"Maneframe!" Atom grunted as she turned away, ignoring me in disgust, "Begin reset procedure n- ARGH!"

A blinding flash of pain - like a stomach cramp, but magnified a thousand fold - suddenly pulsed through my body. A cacophony of pained cries told me that everypony else in the near vicinity had experienced a similar sensation. It was like being back in the Taint tank in the Oakflare facility - the world was suddenly viscous and terrible; my movements became sluggish and the very act of living was, for one horrible moment, turned into an agonising drudge. As the pain subsided, I recognised that a curious sound had underpinned the shocking burst of discomfort. Like the lofty echo of a key being dragged across a piano string, it had reverberated throughout my entire being, wibbling my hooves and wobbling my soul.

I forced myself to look up in the hope that I could recover my rifle from Bulkhead, but was instead struck speechless by the sight that awaited me. The crystal column in the centre of the console was positively gleaming, a divine, ethereal glow permeating the space around it. As I regarded it in awe, the scraping sound suddenly returned, bringing with it another wave of gooey agony. This time though, I was actually able to see what was causing it.

The time rotor was sluggishly making its way up and down inside its magnificent enclosure, sleepily pushing the TARDIS further and further out of phase with the universe around it. I didn't know where the mighty timeship was going, nor why the transit was affecting its occupants so, but I was instinctively aware of its intentions - the TARDIS was running. Running for the life of its child; rescuing her from the horror of the violent, murderous equines in her midst.

The Maneframe, whose new body was steadily disappearing along with the TARDIS, had taken advantage of this short respite to recover her equilibrium (now that Atom was clutching her gut in agony every couple of seconds). As she rose to her hooves, she began to panic anew as she realised what was occurring.

"Mother!" she cried towards the console as she galloped over to support me, "You can't just leave them here in the rock! They were only doing what they thought was right! Please spare them!"

In the what!? I thought, my mind suddenly racing. Surely she couldn't mean-!

Between the debilitating pulses of pain, I was able to make out a minuscule change in the Maneframe's expression, as if she was on the receiving end of a profoundly unwelcome and hard to swallow piece of wisdom. The Maneframe gave the time rotor a teary nod as she charged Petri's horn with a spell.

"Compass," she whispered sadly, turning to me, "I'm sorry. I think...this is goodbye."

"N-no!" I shouted, as another burst of the paralysing, sluggish pain overtook my body. My sight blurred with a vision of sedimentary layers as I called out, desperately hoping that somepony would put a stop to the madness: "Petri! Maneframe! TARDIS! Somepony! Please, just listen to m-!"

The warm, climate controlled environment of the Stable was suddenly replaced by a cold, damp floor of gravel that shot up to meet me as my body was dumped down into it. I immediately rose to my hooves, casting my eyes feverishly back and forth to take stock of my surroundings. Straight away, I recognised the walls and floor of the cavernous access tunnel outside the stable. The sound; the key of time scraping over the piano string of space, rushed past me once again, causing the hairs at the base of my mane to stand on end. I whipped around on the spot, turning as quickly as I could to regard its source.

There before me stood the mighty, rad-hardened door of Stable 52, its orange safety light pulsing in time with the song of the TARDIS. Its simple sodium glow had taken on the brilliant lustre of the time vortex, transmuting from a pale orange to a magnificent, otherworldly gold. I watched in absolute awe as the door, and everything behind it, slowly vanished, fading away into the labyrinthine corridors of time.

As it dematerialised for the final time, a haunting, bubbly flourish echoed throughout the tunnel and an ancient, incomplete version of a stable entrance hall was revealed. A myriad of warning signs adorned its neglected surfaces, their text speaking of construction hazards and the danger of cave-ins. I stared for a moment at the gargantuan pile of rocks at the far end of the cavernous excavation in front of me, as little pieces of a larger puzzle arranged themselves according to logic and deductive reasoning.

Stable 52 had never been completed.

Why? Because a catastrophic cave-in had occurred during construction. That's why the records from Edinbuck weren't complete, and why there was no central computer. The TARDIS must have somehow used its chameleon circuit to emulate the design of a stable, replicating even the Maneframe AI's original programming with exacting accuracy.

The structure that I called home, and the last TARDIS of Gallopfrey...were one and the same.

I turned around, holding my head high and, without another word, trotted past those present and back out into the Wasteland.

---

Footnote: LEVEL UP!

New perk added: Traveller
Your home is now mobile, and so are you! Sleeping outside in the Wasteland now grants you the 'Well Rested' status effect as well as restoring all crippled limbs back to their minimum non-crippled stats!

New sonic setting: U8 - Shield charm
Some have extrapolator shielding, others have forcefields. You have the shield charm! Once every 24 hours, you can invoke invincibility for you and your party for a period of two minutes. All other damage is permanently reduced by 10%!

Comments

[Ranakastrasz]

Ye Gods.

Well, that clears up a few things. And I now know that you are running, I think, Three different stories, all from a Doctor's point of view.

Original doctor, Compass, and Compass far later after going into the past.

Still not certain of Compass's origins. Might have been the actual Doctor originally, using Chameleon Arc. Could have been Compass originally, and then had the Doctors memories start overwriting it, possibly similar to "The next doctor" info-stamps. Or something else might have happened.

As a note, in any fic where you have serious tangled messes going on, with either multiple clones, or timetravel, and you jump back and fourth. You need to make it clear who's POV it is, so we can keep the chronological timeline and character-personal-observed timelines straight.
I highly recommend you have the beginning of each section refer to each entity differently, "Doctor", "Young Compass" "Old Compass" for example.

[Cadmium]

Wibbly wobbly timey wimey story update YAY!!
I loved the dialogue in this chapter and how you tell the story from three different ways at the same time!
And the chameleon circuit is working!
I hope we will see TARDIS and Maneframe again in the future.

[Shardstar3]

2309976 i say your idea is completely worthful and i love that idea and i think that mainframe has a crush on compass

[Admiral Stoic Rum]

wow cool, next chapter soon

[Deathpony]

So wait what happened to all the other ponies in the Stable and his friends? Honestly I think that Compass should of let Atom do what he was doing. Anyways good chapter.

[DannyJ]

I'm going to do my usual thing and start with the corrections, just because.

>for-...well

I don't think you can use both a dash and an ellipses like that.

>Zebran

Generally accepted fanon is "Zebrican."

>Fast."

Random speech mark.

>Sensed it; feared it.
>When I look at you; listen to you,

These semicolons are being used incorrectly. These should be regular commas. There was heavy semicolon use in general this chapter. I don't think there were any other instances of them being used incorrectly, but overuse is still a bit of a problem.

>I realised where I was. I didn't know

Ew, double space.

>in front of me, they was a transparent door

There.

Also, a pair of new rules I learned recently thanks to some commenters on a few of my own stories.

1. Apparently, an ellipses that is not being used to lead into a sentence should be followed by a space. I thought whether you used spaces or not was optional, so like you, I didn't put a space between an ellipses and the next word. Unfortunately, we're not supposed to do that.

2. When you break up dialogue with a description, and the first part is the end of a sentence while the second part begins a new one, the description in the middle should end with a full stop. So, to use one of my own examples of "corrected" text, this sentence from an earlier chapter:

>“I’m going to ungag you now,” I said calmly, “But understand - if you scream, I’ll put it back in, okay?”

Should instead be:

>“I’m going to ungag you now,” I said calmly. “But understand - if you scream, I’ll put it back in, okay?”

So yeah. Whoops. Sorry about that.

Anyway, aside from all that, I think you know what to expect from my comments now. Insert large amounts of praise for the story and direction here. I'm not sure how to feel about the opening scenes in the future and the "dreams" following the Doctor becoming so much larger, but I'm still on the edge of my seat here. The reveal at the end of this chapter... Damn, man. You have cliffhangers down to an art form.

And making me feel sympathy for a murderous AI just isn't fair.

[Starlight_Tinker]

2309877
I think you may be right - as certain sections develop I may have to think about labelling them (although, the sections that deal with the Doctor and not present or future Compass are denoted by '<<<<< O >>>>>' breaks). Aside from the confusion though, I hope you're enjoying it

2309976
Cheers mate Oh, and I think we'll be seeing the TARDIS and Maneframe again

2313270
Well, Compass is bisexual. Don't know what Buckshot would have to say about that though

2316221
Cheers man Might be a little while though - I'm wrapping up my final assignments for my degree just now, so I don't have much time to write (hence the fortnight it's taken me to reply to your comments )

2322386
Thanks I tried to make this chapter a little morally ambiguous - so it's not a clear-cut case of who's good and who's evil (hope I succeeded ). The rest of the ponies in TARDIS-stable phased away with the Maneframe. In fact, they probably wouldn't have even noticed anything out of the ordinary (apart from the noise )

2331882
Thanks muchly mate I was really looking forward to writing that part with the reveal of the TARDIS Your comment on the size of the 'original Doctor' and 'future Compass' sections is similar to 2309877's, so I think I might start to limit their length. As always, many thanks for the grammatical advice (and about the sentence structure thing, don't worry - any improvement I can squeeze in is a good thing ). Glad you liked the Maneframe's switcharoo as well

[Shardstar3]

2402705 aye screw buckshot *hic* buck can suck his.own *hic* mainframe and compass are the perfect couple!!

[Starlight_Tinker]

2414292

shansshenanigans.files.wordpress.com/2013/02/drunk-ponies.jpg

[Melkor]

Overall an amazing fic. As always, I'll be waiting for the next chapter with glee.

[Silver Eyes]

I must admit I despise the digressions into meta fiction. And the characters, premise, moral confliction and execution of events has created quite possibly the greatest F.o.E. fic aside from Kkat's, if not one of the greatest unpublished fictions I have read to date.

[Starlight_Tinker]

2750391

Wow - thanks for the compliment man. I'm really glad you're liking it so much.

Yeah, a few people have said that they're none too keen on the meta sections. I was thinking of scaling them back in subsequent chapters...

[Silver Eyes]

2750427
Please do, I would hate for your series to go the same route as the new Doctor Who

[Starlight_Tinker]

2750466

Yeah, I know what you mean. Don't get me wrong, Moffat's a great writer (I mean just look at 'Blink' and 'The Library'). It does seem however that every recent story arc has ended with a self-reference back to the Doctor.

I can only hope that John Hurt (one of my favourite actors, by the way) injects a bit of wonderment into the Christmas special

[Starlight_Tinker]

2893907

Glad you're enjoying all the sci-fi references The BSG allusion was meant to complement the Cyberponies. I wanted to warp them a little - show that they're as affected by war as everything else in the Wasteland. They're mostly based on the 'Cybus Industries' Cybermen that the 10th Doctor encounters in the alternate universe, rather than the original ones from the planet Mondas.

Buckshot refers to Taint as an unknown because it's Littlepip herself who discovers where it came from (as I recall - it's entirely possible I've remembered that wrongly), and Just Like Clockwork isn't set long enough after the original FoE for that knowledge to have been disseminated to the general populace.

Anyway, hope you're enjoying the fic Thanks for reading!

[StormyVenture]

2895438
I see. I think I might have
The time setting is a little confusing, which I suppose is as fitting, contextually speaking, as it is frustrating.

Anyway, will try to keep reading.

[FoodFrogs]

I found myself wondering how Buckshot could like that sort of stuff as much as he did, and immediately felt a pang of loneliness spearing my soul. I had to get out of there. Fast."

Random quotation mark is random.