The day is finally here, I thought from the darkness of the former Overmare’s living quarters–soon to be the Overstallion’s–My living quarters, I just have to get through today and it will be official.

“The ceremony is about to begin,” came a mare’s voice followed by a knock on the door, “are you ready?”

“Yeah, be right out.” I called to the mare.

I got up from the bed and smoothed out the wrinkles in the suite I was wearing.  It itched uncomfortably on the right side and was a bit tight under my pipbuck, but I had to ignore it.  Once the induction ceremony was over I’d be fitted for an Overstallion’s barding.

I could look forward to that, might keep my mind off the pressure of the position I’m gaining.  The previous Overmare has some big hooves to fill. I thought before taking a step towards the door.

I swallowed hard and took a deep breath trying–and failing–to calm my nerves. I tapped the switch on the door with my magic and it opened to reveal a positively pink mare.  Pink mane, pink coat, pink eyes, everything about her was pink.  To be honest it kind of hurt my eyes to look at her, but Posey was the former Overmare’s assistant and so she was now mine with no way short of murder to change that.  I hoped I’d get used to the annoying amount of pink.

“Wow, Grissy, you do clean up well.” she said before going wide eyed, “I mean Gristle, no wait Overstallion.”

“Posey there is no need for formality, it’s not even official yet,” I said putting a hoof on her shoulder. “For Celestia’s sake we were on the same kindergarten class together, you were my buddy in the diving classes!”

Posey blushed at my contact–if it was physically possible for her to be pinker that is–and turned her head away shrugging off my hoof.

“Oh, um, yes, right, not official yet.” She sputtered.

“Though, if you are going to be my assistant, you can call me Gristle even after the title is official.” I told her.

“That is highly irregular,” She said returning to her regular pinkness, “Are you sure?”

“Yes, I’m sure, make it my first official act as Overstallion.” I said with a frank smile.

She turned pinker again at the jester and giggled.  It was a rather cute giggle.

“Though, not official yet, understood.” She stammered.

“On to the ceremony.” I said changing the subject.

“Yes,” Posey said regaining her composure, “Right this way Over–I mean–right this way Gristle.”

She begun to walk towards the stairs to the atrium and I followed shortly behind.  As we walked I listened to the ambient sound of the waves.  The thrashing sounded stronger than usual, but when Stable-Tech builds something, they build it to last. So it didn’t worry me that much.  Though as we passed the porthole windows that looked out on the ocean.  I took a moment to enjoy the view.  A school of irritated tunas swam nearby in an almost hypnotic pattern, summer was getting close and the migrations would begin, soon the tuna would travel to distant parts and with some luck this year we wouldn’t have another kraken lurking around.  Then a clump razor weed was pushed against the window by the current.  It caught me off guard and made me yelp in surprise.  Blushing slightly at the quizzical look I received from Posey, I continued to follow.

Finally we entered the atrium and I was assaulted by the sound of the Stable band.  They were playing some old world I could remember from my graduation.  It felt oddly fitting since I was graduating into one of the most powerful positions in any stable.  I entered the room and trotted down the aisle passed friends, family, and other fellow stable dwellers.  As I passed they either saluted or simply stood out of respect.  There were a few who scowled angrily, typically the other Overmare/Stallion candidates or their supporters who were pissed I had won and didn’t believe I was worthy of governing the stable.

I hoped to have the chance to prove them wrong, but a small pony in the corner of my mind kept reminding me of the stories of the Crazy Overmare Conch–the stable's second ever Overmare–and how she had gone crazy with power and had to be ‘relieved of her duty’–or as the more blunt ponies like to say ‘throw out of the airlock’.

As we reached the stage set up in the center of the room the music came to a close and I took my seat next to my mother and grandmother.  Posey sat at my other side.

“If you're father were here, he’d be so proud.” My mother whispered in my ear and kissed me on the cheek once I sat down.

When the room was quiet once more an elderly, grey, unicorn stallion got up from his seat on the other side of the stage and made his way to the podium.

“Fillies and Gentlecolts,” He began, “Though the passing of Gundhoof, our beloved Overmare, was tragic and sudden for all of us.  We can bring Stable 30 into a new age with the induction of our newest Overstallion.”

The crowd–excluding the aforementioned neigh sayers–cheered.

“Gristle, would you please step forward.” He said

At that I rose slowly from my seat and walked forward to the podium.  I looked out at the ponies in the crowd.  In the front row I noticed a group of four ponies dressed in overly elaborated robes, decorated with the few relics that yet remained of the dry world.  Apparently they formed some kind of council that was responsible, among other things, to choose a new Overmare after the old one is dead or declared incapable of ruling. This had been news for most ponies, Gundhoof had been Overmare for so long that when she died suddenly nopony knew exactly what to do since the tradition apparently was for the Overmare to come up with a list of successors for the council to choose from.   So with the sudden death–and lack of a list–they were forced to come open with the public and a kind of election was quickly created to choose a few eligible leaders, but the final decision still was from the council.

Nowadays the council consisted of Starfish, a retired earth pony stallion who used to run the Marine Biology lab, Gendarme, a unicorn mare who is the head of stable security, Chef Salad Greens, a unicorn who is the stable chef, Rigger Up, a  middle aged earth pony who was the head engineer, and Glossary, the stable's record keeper and council leader, was the stallion currently leading the ceremony.

Suddenly the whole room–no the whole stable shook.  I fell to the floor and the lights flickered.  A moment later the shaking subsided and I pushed myself up from the floor with Posey’s help.

“No need to worry, everypony, it’s just a minor earthquake, we can now proceed with the induction ceremony.” Glossary reassured the crowd, “These quakes are quite common this time of year as you all know.  The ponies need to look for structural damage and check key systems are dismissed."

A few ponies got up and exited in various directions at his words.  I then took my place next to him at the podium.

“Yes, Gristle, repeat after me,” Glossary began, “I–”

I just looked out at crowd and felt my voice catch in my thought.  My heart started pounding fast.  I attempted to imagine the audience naked–if only to make the event seem less formal.

“I,” I said horsely then, cleared my throat, “Gristle.”

“Do swear to uphold the laws of Stable 30.” he went on.

“Do swear to uphold the laws of Stable 30.” I repeated.

“And that I will make fair and just decisions in the interest and for the betterment of the stable.” the stallion went on.

“And that I will make fair and just decisions in the interest and for the betterment of the stable.” I repeated again.

“In the name of the Goddesses, Celestia and Luna.”

“In the name of the Goddesses, Celestia and Luna.”

“I hereby assume the role of Overstallion.”

“I hereby assume the role of Oversta–” I attempted to repeat, but was interrupted by another quake that was more violent than the last.

The atrium–and likely the entire stable–abruptly sloped downward towards the wall behind me.  On pure instinct I grabbed onto the podium for dear life.  I watched petrified as the Glossary was thrown off the stage and into the wall.  I reached out with my magic and attempted to hold the the chairs holding my mom, grandmother and Posey in place as the stable lurched abruptly and slopped even more.  My magic only slowed their their fall towards the back wall.  I heard them crash against the wall and I hoped they were alright, but couldn't bring myself to look.

The crowd began to panic and try to move as the collection of chair slid down the sloped floor to the stage.  Unicorn mothers and fathers grabbed their foals and pulled them from their chairs even as their own chips began to shift.  In a matter of seconds the chairs crashed into the stage launching any remaining ponies to the wall.  The stage buckled slightly under their combined force.  As the room became completely vertical.  I felt my hind hooves lift off the floor and dangle freely in the air.  It was at that point I screamed, but it just melded into the chorus of panicked shouts and terrified wales.

As suddenly as the stable had began tilting it began to right itself.  I stopped screaming when my hooves were firmly on the floor again.  Feeling it was relatively safe, I looked back at the wall for my family and Posey.  I nearly lost my breakfast at the sight.  At least twelve fellow stable dwellers were impaled a mangled pile of chairs.  Among the impaled was my mother.  I regretted looking, the image would be seared into my memory.  A chair leg stabbing though her eye socket.

I felt the assent of the stable to increase in speed.

We are moving up! I thought in a surprised panic tuning away from my mother's corpse.

I tried to answer my mental question by moving to a hallway with portholes.  A task that was easier said than done as it was rather difficult to stand or move with the inertia of my body being pushed down as the stable rose through the water.  

For what seemed like ages I slowly pushed myself across the atrium to the hallway along the left side.  As I had suspected the stable was rising to the ocean’s surface.

I guess Stable-Tech didn’t account for erosion when they built this stable on an undersea cliff. I thought bitterly at their lack of foresight. But didn't they think of everything?  Hmm, maybe it wasn't erosion.

Finally we broke the surface of the water.  The abruptness of the stop in motion threw me to the ground once more.

Looks like Stable 30 just became the HMS Stable 30, I joked to myself.

My humor was short lived, however, when I got up and took another look out the window and saw the reason the stable had set sail.  We had surfaced amidst dark and heavy clouds that roared with loud thunder.  The only light came from the occasional flashes of lightning on the distance.  Rain hit us with enough force to give you bruises.  Winds so fierce that it could flay the skin off a pony and waves so big that they could even dwarf Stable 30.

***  ***  ***

Footnotes:

Gristle: Level 5–0% to next level

Strength – 7

Perception – 7

Endurance – 3

Charisma – 7

Intelligence – 8

Agility – 4

Luck – 4

Tagged Skills:

Medicine

Science

Speech

Traits:

Overmare/stallion - You now hold one of the most powerful roles of any resident of a stable.  With great power comes great responsibility. Charisma +2, Perception +1, and Strength +1 and unique dialogue options with members of your Stable.  This trait is however useless outside your Stable and you lose its effects if you leave.

Spells:

Telekineses (Rank 2) – you can lift objects twice your weight for an extended period of time.

Equipment:

Delta Mark II Pipbuck – a modified pipbuck prototype used by all the Overmares/stallions of Stable 30, modeled from the Delta pipbucks designed for the Shadowbolts.  It is thinner and lighter than the ordinary pipbuck, while still containing the same basic spell matrix with all the spells of other pipbucks.  It has a built in broadcaster that can remotely access the stable's PA system as well as some military broadcast channels.  It also contains a partial override code for many Stable-Tech operating systems allowing for better ease in hacking (25 less science skill needed for hacking).

Posey: Level 10 (this character does not level up)

Strength – 3

Perception – 6

Endurance – 6

Charisma – 7

Intelligence – 9

Agility – 7

Luck – 2

Tagged Skills:

Science

Speech

Sneak

Traits:

Overmare/stallion's Assistant – You are the Overmare/stallion's right hoof pony.  You can carry his/her authority if need be.  +2 Charisma and unique dialogue options with members of your stable.  This trait works well with if a member of your party has the Overmare/stallion trait. Like Overmare/stallion, this trait is useless outside your stable and you loose all effects if you leave.

Positively Pink – You have a very vibrant pink on pink on pink color pallet.  This gives off an aura of comfort and kindness to everypony you interact with.  Speech checks require 10 points less for you.  Your bright color scheme unfortunately is not an advantage in battle.  Enemies are 25% more likely to hit you and you also get -5 to sneak unless you are wearing full body armor.

Equipment:

Pipbuck 3000 – Standard pipbuck given to all residents of a stable.

New Quest:

Bon Voyage – survive the brunt of the storm. Next Chapter: Chapter 1: Bon Voyage Estimated time remaining: 16 Minutes