The Lord of Ragnarok
Chapter 23: Mother
Temple of Celestia Sol - Pinkie's floor - Mannulus' P.O.V.
Discord looked at me. I had told him about the idea, and he had agreed that the idea wasn't difficult, and even though there were issues I had with Blackjack I would be the first to admit that she had been good for Clopmaniac. Discord rubbed his chin.
"So, you want me to bridge the gap between Blackjack's universe and our own. And on top of that you want to bring her mother back to life. Is that right?"
I nodded, "That's the gist of it. If I can retrieve a part of her, I can call her soul. Then I can put it into a body that I make here.
He sighed, "Well, you're not asking me to do it for you, and that's a relief. Why do you want her here?"
I looked at him, "Blackjack and Clopmaniac need family. They have each other, but they need someone that will be family."
He grinned, "I would have thought that you would ask for her little blue friend."
I gave a smile, "P21 is resting in his eternal place, and eventually Scotch Tape will join him. It'd be wrong to drag him away from there knowing that his daughter would eventually join him," I looked at him, "But in her universe Blackjack was never going to join her mother in the ever after. They would be separated for all of eternity. This way they can be together again."
He reached out, scratched his claws through the air, and I saw a portal open. Looking through it I saw a desolate wasteland. He stepped through with me. I instantly changed. I had been used to standing and walking on two legs, but now I was on four. My robes were gone, but my replaced eye was still there.
"Odd," I replied.
He laughed, "Not so, each universe has its own rules. You simply took the form this universe had for you. Now, let's see…"
The area looked familiar, although I had never seen it, but then I saw six armored ponies carrying bodies out. We waited, moved to where the bodies were taken, and he snapped his claws. The moment he did the ground broke open and a severed head came to the top.
I looked at the decaying head of Gin Rummy as Discord handed it to me. Taking it into my magic I opened myself to the astral plane. I moved through it, searching, and I found her, quietly crying.
"Gin Rummy?"
She looked at me, "Who... Does medical know you're out alone?" Her eyes went wide, "What the fuck did they do to you?!"
She looked pissed, "That's destruction of Stable Tec Property!"
Part of me wanted to point out that I wasn't property, but then again I had to understand the world she came from. Stable 99 was basically a rape factory. It was designed to work off of the misery of those inside of it. The status quo was exactly what was meant to keep it going. Not questioning, not thinking about it, just doing your job until you died. That was the point of her home until the Overmare had opened it up for Deus. I didn't hate her for it, because at the moment she didn't know better. I did understand that she would eventually come to understand, and when that happened she would most likely feel terrible about the things she had done.
I looked at her and then I rolled my eyes, "Do you want to see Go Fish?"
She shook her head, "Fishie? I can't find her... She's just gone."
I smiled, "I know, but if you want to you come with me I can take you to her."
She never nodded, "Please, take me to Fishie."
I pulled her to me, and then I looked at Discord once my eyes were open. Once again he opened the portal, and we stepped through. It closed behind me, and he groaned.
"Will you consider my request?"
I nodded, "You have my word. I will do what I can to give you your own body."
He smiled, and with that he and Pinkie began to change places again. I carried Gin Rummy's head to the lab, and I noticed that it had changed to be more shaped like we were. I placed it in a vat, began the process of forming the new body, and then I combined her soul to it.
It would take several days, I would be weak, but my gift would be ready.
Temple of Celestia Sol - Flesh Golem Lab - Five Days Later
Gin Rummy's P.O.V.
I sat up, my mind reeling at what had happened. Daisy had jumped me, her angry snarl had been more than enough to que me into the fact that something was wrong. Fishie had led that monster and his goons away. I could only hope that she was alright, but that didn't matter. Something had happened to the Overmare, not that she was still the Overmare. I had seen what she tried to do, and I followed the charter that was written down by the original Overmare and Card Trick. If the Overmare attempted to cause harm to the inhabitants of Stable 99, or if she willingly attempted to destroy the stable, which of course would cause harm to the inhabitants, then it was the duty of the head of Security to subdue the Overmare, take her place until a new Overmare could be birthed, or elected, and keep the stable running.
She had laughed at me, commanded Daisy to attack, and I had tried to keep the large mare from doing anything… Instead she had attacked me, punching and kicking, breaking bones, causing my Pipbuck to sing out its one lone song about how much damage I was taking, and all I could do was try and get Vigilance up to fire at her, but she slammed her Pipbuck down on my horn. I felt her hoof smash down on my throat, her teeth grasping my mane, and that little psychotic bitch coming at me with a carving knife.
"Too bad for you, not replacing me, traitor!" she said.
I had felt the sharp pain of the knife digging in, and then there was nothing afterward.
The fact that I was alive, actually alive, was beyond surprising. I tried to get up only to feel tired. I felt as if my entire body was made of lead. I slowly moved my head, which took time to do, and I could see that the room I was in wasn't medical in the Stable. It looked… Well, the history text books had pictures like this from the palace in Canterlot. Could that be where I was? Was I on the outside of the stable? Did Fishie come back and save me? If she did then I hope that she stopped that little psychopath. Security saves ponies, and sometimes in order to save a pony meant to have to put them down.
It was something that I had hoped Fishie wouldn't ever have to learn, but if I was alive, and she was the one that saved me, then it was obvious that she did learn that lesson. There's so many times that I wish I could have explained things better to her. But the way I was taught was the way my mother had taught her, and that was the way her mother had taught her, going all of the way back to Card Trick. Since I wasn't in the stable I had to wonder if everything I had learned, the way of life I grew up with, if all of that would simply change.
Had it changed for Fishie? Had she adapted to this world, and if she had, did it mean she couldn't go back to the Stable. Did it mean the same for me? Did I even want to? The easy answer was no. I didn't want to return because my daughter was out here. But even that answer wasn't the whole truth. There were good ponies in Stable 99. Rivets wasn't a bad pony. A possible trouble maker to be sure, but not a bad pony. There were ponies worth saving in Stable 99, and while I didn't like the idea of overthrowing the Overmare it was something that needed to be done.
But at the same time, I wasn't sure if things could ever go back to how they were. The Overmare exposed us to a world that was beyond our understanding. On top of that we had learned that the outside wasn't deadly. At least it wasn't if my Fishie had returned to help me. I closed my eyes for a moment. Would she be able to stop the Overmare? Despite the fact that Fishie really never enjoyed working Security I knew that she had the safety of the other ponies in mind. So, when presented with a situation where the Overmare was going to let us be killed, I could see her standing up against her.
I had no doubt that Rivets would help. I believed that our head maintenance mare would be one of the first to stand against the Overmare and her tyranny. But would she want to let things change? If I was having a hard time grasping the idea of change then there was no doubt that Rivets would be far worse. She wouldn't want change. She would want a Stable that was returned to the same status quo. The sole difference being that she would want her maintenance crew to be at the top of the pecking order.
The desire wasn't a bad one. She wanted what she felt was justly deserved. But the charter for Stable 99 stated clearly who needed to take the Overmare's place. It wasn't a job that I wanted. I didn't want to lead Stable 99. It wasn't because I didn't feel like I had the ability, but simply put I knew that we couldn't continue on as we were. The Stable was breaking down more and more each year. Eventually something was going to go, and when it did the entire stable would suffer for it.
I opened my eyes, and slowly I tried to sit up again. It was painstaking, and I felt light headed, but slowly I was sitting up straight. I brought a foreleg up to my face only to see a claw! I'm not too macho of a mare to deny that I screamed. I'm certainly not too full of my own bravado to admit that I nearly lost control of my bladder. I raised my other foreleg and saw more of the same. I screamed again, and the door opened. Standing there was a stallion. One of his eyes had been removed, changed out with a green emerald. There were burn marks all over his neck, on some of his face, and down what I could see of his arms. From what it looked like the burns, which resembled some strange language, covered most, if not all, of his body.
His face looked damaged as well. More than just the eye. Part of his muzzle was sunken in, almost as if something had ripped a portion of his muzzle off. Memories of stories that I heard in school about monsters that used to roam the darker parts of Equestria, Manticores, Timberwolves, and other foul beasts came to mind. As I studied him I wondered who could do this to property.
"I take it that you've discovered that you are not where you were any longer."
I studied him for a moment and then nodded.
"Good, there is quite a bit to tell, but it's not my place to tell everything. Suffice it to say that you have been resurrected," he said.
I looked at him, "F… Go Fish didn't save me?"
He shook his head, "No, she didn't. I'm not sure what happened to you in your stable, but she didn't make it back in time to save you. Instead I ventured to your home, recovered part of you, and brought your soul back. In essence I have returned you to life."
I sat shocked. He was talking about Necromancy as simply as if it was breathing to him. I closed my eyes, "By the laws of Stable-Tec, and the laws of Equestria, I am to inform you that performing Necromancy is a criminal act worthy of banishment. As head security mare of Stable 99 it is my duty to see you captured, bound, and brought before a suitable authority figure. You are welcomed to contact a lawyer if you choose to represent your interests."
He sighed, looked away, and then grinned, "Luna, would you come here for a moment?"
I watched as Princess Luna, in the flesh, walked into the room. Her beauty was far more than the pictures in the text books shown. She gave me a smile, and then looked at him, "Beloved?"
He grinned at her, "Luna, as Princess of Equestria, do you find my use of Necromancy worthy of banishment?"
She balked at his question, and then looked at me. I could see some understanding cross her features and she grinned, "No, as Princess of Equestria, and your bride, I find that your use of Necromancy is in the best interest of every pony, citizen of Equestria or not. Furthermore, I revoke the law stating that Necromancy is punishable by banishment. Although, if you feel the need to be punished, I will gladly tie you up, and ride you long and hard until you feel that your debt is repaid."
I sat there, my mouth hanging open like the pictures of trout that I had seen in the same text books that taught me about biology, and I felt floored. There was simply no way that Princess Luna was married, and not to a dark sorcerer like this. She kissed him, walked into the room, and then looked at me. I felt her gently touch my face, and I couldn't help but feel overwhelmed. This was Princess Luna, Princess of the night, and soul leader of Equestria. She gently looked into my eyes.
"This is not the same world you were in before. I do not know what my husband's thoughts are concerning bringing you here, but I know to trust his judgements. My advice is to simply let go of your former biases. Have an open mind, and accept that the world is different than you expected it to be."
With that I watched as she walked away from me. Princess Luna touched me, told me that she forgave this stallion, and she treated him like an equal. The Princess treated this stallion like he wasn't property. There was something so very wrong with this. A stallion's job was simple. Make a mare feel good, give a filly, or a colt if one was needed, and then eat, sleep, and repeat. They were medical equipment. This flew in the face of everything that I knew. I was a huge departure from what I knew was right, but then the stable did end up being woefully unprepared for what the Overmare had done.
Maybe, just maybe, there wasn't a single right answer. If that was true, then it would mean that things that happened in the stable to cause the males to become breeding equipment shouldn't have turned out that way. Maybe it really shouldn't have. Perhaps, a stallion should have become the overmare, or overstallion, although the thought alone was more than enough to make shiver at the huge change that would have been.
He walked toward me, offered a hand, and I took it. I could feel power from him. Not untapped, untrained, and pent up power like some of the males in the que sometimes had, but actual power. He was obviously well trained in the magic he had, and he gave me the faintest smile.
"Things are different here. And this is not the world you knew. It's not your stable, or even Equestria, but instead it is a whole new world, and this world is a place that you can make a decent home," he said as he helped me to stand, "Come, let us get you dressed, and then we will take you to Blackjack."
I studied him for a moment, "Go Fish is here?"
He nodded, "She is, and I am very sure that she is going to be very surprised to see you."
Temple of Celestia Sol - Cafeteria - Blackjack's P.O.V.
Saving those girls, killing those goblins, and setting things right felt good. It wasn't like I was really an executioner, but those goblins had gone far past a line, and in truth they weren't much better than monsters I had killed in Hoofington. In the end we had been paid for finding the runaway, the other adventurers, retrieving the armor of the dead male adventurers, and then destroying the horde of goblins.
To be honest the money was a nice bonus, but it wasn't something that I would have charged for regardless. I would have done it for free. I would have done it to make sure that those girls were free, and that they weren't forced to be the broodmares for those things. Never again, I would never allow something like that happen ever again. What was happening there was different, but at the same time very similar to what happened in Stable 99 with the stallions.
But regardless, at the end of the day we had gotten what came out to six hundred Ruples, which was their currency, between the two of us. The coins they had paid us in were a collection of silver, gold, and copper. We had asked Claudia to split it equally, which she did, and I had kept my bag with me. Sure, I didn't mind buying some whiskey, maybe purchase a new weapon, but really there wasn't that much that I really wanted. I took a bite of the apple pie that Pinkie Pie had brought down for us. Which, I was still trying to wrap my mind around the fact that the Ministry Mares were here.
As I took a bite I looked up and my eyes widened. Walking into the cafeteria, wearing her security barding, was mom. I slowly stood, my eyes never leaving her, and then before I could even really grasp what I was doing I hugged her close. I didn't cry like a filly, and anypony that said otherwise was a lying bitch. I felt her arms around me, and together we stood there. A moment later she pushed back from me.
"So, Go Fish, this is where you got off to?" she asked.
I laughed, "Oh Mom, haha, not at the beginning, if you want to come over here I'll tell you all about it. Well, most of it," I said before I looked at Mannulus, "Just a second though."
I walked toward him, "Thanks," I said.
He gave me a nod, "I believe in rewarding those that deserve it. While I do not agree with you and Clopmaniac all of the time I do agree that you were both in the right to stop me from laying waste to all of the Theocracy. For that reason, if no other, you deserve this."
With that he left, and I watched one of the more mysterious stallions I had ever known. I swear, if he was bent more toward males he and P21 would have gotten on like a house on fire. They might have regardless, and I would be fine with them being friends if that was all they could be. I then turned toward mom and I gave her a smile. She walked with me over to the table, and I introduced her to Clopmaniac. She took a seat, and I could see that she was still getting used to this new form. I wasn't sure how Mannulus had done it, but at the moment I didn't care. I had my mom back with me.
"So, Go Fish, what happened to you?"
I sighed, took a drink of the ale that the cooks provided me with, and then I asked for another one. When they brought it out, I handed it to Mom. She took a look at me, and I shook my head.
"Trust me, you're gonna need that."
Then I began telling her what happened from the point that Deuce chased me from the stable onward. I talked about meeting Glory, I filled her in on the conspiracies that had taken place two hundred years before, and then I filled her in everything except for the stable. I wanted to keep from thinking about it. When I came to the Fluttershy medical center, and I let her know what happened, she touched my hand.
"Fishie, what you did was hard, and there wasn't a right answer. I would like to think that there would be a way to help those foals, but from what you just told me it's likely that they were beyond help," she sighed, "To be trapped like that, kept in that moment, and never have any peace, it would be beyond horrible. You gave them peace, and that was better than leaving them to suffer all over again."
I sighed as I drank the last of my ale, "It didn't make it any better, and I still feel that I should have done something more."
I knew that she understood that I wasn't talking about everything. I might have really matured outside of the stable, but she was still my mom, and she obviously knew me well enough. She touched my shoulder, "I'm proud of you Fishie. You've become a fine Security Mare."
I gave her a grin, and then I saw Mom lean toward me, but instead of a hug she gave me a light rap on the head.
"But honestly there was at least seven times in what you've told me that you should have had better sense! What did I teach you about assessing your enemies?" she asked.
"Mom…" I started before she shook her head.
"Lighthooves, honestly, you felt he was no good. What did I say about a gut feeling?"
I looked at the table, "Listen to your gut because it's usually right."
She nodded, "I wish that I would have been there with you. You needed somepony that wasn't swayed by them already to help you look around."
I laughed, it was security lessons all over again. Thankfully she didn't ask about the stable, and I'm glad because I wasn't sure that I really wanted to talk about it. I wasn't sure that I could feel right about talking about it.
