> Wild Card > by Cirrus Dash > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- > Prologue > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Remy Lebeau was always considered a strange kid. At birth, his father gave him up to an orphanage due to his red and black eyes, claiming he was the spawn if the Devil himself. When he was a couple years older, he was taken from the orphanage by a thief and taken to the Thieves Guild of New Orleans. The leader of the Guild, Jean Luc Lebeau, had taken him in as his own son and taught him to be a thief, naming him Remy. In school, he was ridiculed for his eyes, constantly called 'le Diable Blanc,' 'the White Devil'. When he was eight, he met the love of his life, Belladonna, the daughter of the Assassin’s Guild, the rival organization. His mutant abilities developed, like many other mutants, in adolescence, at around fifteen years old or so. But he kept them hidden, as to not attract attention to himself. Years later, they - him and Belladonna marry, but Bella’s brother, Julien, didn't like this at all. So challenged Remy to battle, but lost. Remy, having broken the rules of combat by using his mutant abilities, was forced to either die or leave in exile. In order to protect the love of his life, he exiled himself to try and control his abilities. Years pass and he met many people of different walks of life, and he earned the name of the Ragin’ Cajun. He feared he was growing too powerful, do he had a lobotomy done by a man called Mister Sinister, to stay in control. He ended up falling into the X-Men, after helping one James Howlette. He fell in love again with a member of the team, a young mutant named Rogue. Ah, she was a beauty, though she was literally untouchable. And he saved the world so many times he lost count. And now, here he was, laying in a pool of his own blood, slowly dying due to a Sentinal getting the drop on him. He was getting sloppy in his old age, tired red eyes staring up at the people above him. He smiled and chuckled, which turned into a coughing fit. Blood splattered across his chest and he groaned in irritation. He heard sniffling nearby, a familiar voice that he had heard before. And it broke his heart to hear her cry. “Don’ cry for me, mon cheri” he said in his now strained, gravelly voice to Rogue, who was kneeling by his side. He could see her wild, flaming hair with a white streak through it. “I will be fine, wherever it is I go” he said with a bloodstained smile. He shakily held her hand and kissed her gloved knuckles. “I love you, mon cheri…” he said, his last words as his eyes dimmed and his life left him. However, as it did, he heard a woman’s husky voice speak. “Oh, you’ll cause such delightful chaos~” she purred before chuckling. He would be mourned by the family in all but blood. But he was starting another grand adventure. ~~ Remy grunted as he opened his eyes, only for him quickly shut them as what can only be described as the lord of all headaches came over him. It was as if he had made a bet against Thor and Captain America on who could drink the most, and lost, the penalty being the world of all hangovers. He groaned and sat up, rubbing his face. And, just as quickly as the headache came, so too did his memories. Black and crimson eyes shot open as he realized that he wasn’t dead. The only thing that he felt was the headache. No aches, pains, nothing that came from old age. He quickly stood and looked at his body. Only for his jaw to drop at the sight of it. He was still bipedal, but he was covered in a thin layer of light beige fur, and a lean, powerfully muscled body. He quickly realized that his entire body was different. He was taller, more muscled, and he had what can only be described as the back legs of a horse, and feet of a human. On his hip was a tattoo of five playing cards, splayed out like a hand, a four of clubs, king of hearts, queen of spades, jack of diamonds and a black Ace. The designs of the cards were outlined in purple, and the cards themselves seemed to be coated in purple flame. He quickly moved to the directen of which he heard water and looked into the river. There he saw that his hair - no, it would be a mane now, wouldn’t it? - was long and hanging down to just past his shoulders. His face was elongated into a bit of a muzzle, and he looked like he was from…. what was that show that Rogue made him watch… My Little Pony, that’s it. He rubbed his eyes and sighed, standing to his full height. He had been involved with a lot of multiverses, so it wasn’t really a surprise when he woke up in one. But to have his entire body changed to that of a humanoid pony? That took the cake about the strange things he had seen in his life. Oh, this was gonna be tough… now, if only he could remember what happened in the show, and what events were currently happening. He sighed once more and turned on his heel, picking a direction and walking. Unbeknownst to him, he was being watched, a pair of eyes following him as he walked past a tree. The eyes vanished and reappeared feet away, watching him even further. And unbeknownst to the eyes, a large, very dense shadow was following the both of them, though the two had a couple things in common; they were disembodied, they were part of living things, and they were infatuated with the once old man, now a young man, now a stallion, but also humanoid? Faust, that's gonna get annoying... > Failed Thievery > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Remy looked around as he ran through the forest, wincing a bit as he stepped on rocks and such. He came out of the woods and saw a large red barn, with a clothesline beside it. He ran forwards, aiming to take a set of clothes so he could ward off the cold. As he pulled off the shirt, he was met was a large barrel chest. His eyes trailed up to meet dark green eyes. The perso- pony in front of him had dark red fur and short blond hair, chewing on a straw of hay. “Watcha doin there?” He asked in a deep voice, crossing thick arms over his chest. Remy chuckled nervously and tried to turn on some Louisianan charm. “Just… tryin’ ta ward off de cold, sir” he said. Normally it would work, but his voice cracked after not being used for so long. It sounded like he was a teenager again. Dammit… “Nice try,” the larger pony said, grabbing him by the back of the neck and carrying him to the barn. He tossed him in. “Ya gotta work for them there clothes” he said, closing the door for privacy. “Get dressed and we’ll talk about how you’ll earn your keep. You ain’t got a place to go, dontcha?” Remy sighed and got dressed, replying in a defeated tone. “No, sir…” he spoke, sliding on the shirt after the pants and lacing up the boots. He noticed the pants seemed to shimmer and change, the tattoo on his hips appearing in the exact same place on the pants. ~~ Remy opened the barn door with a soft grunt, looking at the taller stallion. “So, what’s my job gonna be?” He asked, wishing he had a cigarette at the moment. “You’re gonna meet my sister and she’ll teach you the ropes. We’re apple farmers, and our trees need to be picked. Good thing you came along, we could use an extra pair-a hands” he spoke, nodding to the large, white house, which was at least twenty feet from the barn. Remy moved forwards, making idle chatter with the farm pony. “What’s your name, sir?” He asked, his accent still as thick as it was the day he left New Orleans. He wondered what the Equestrian equivalent was. “Big Machintosh. Big Mac by everyone else” he rumbled, walking beside the mutant-turned-pony. “And yourself?” He asked, raising a brow. “What’s your story, stranger?” “Remy Lebeau. But you can call me Gambit” he said with a slightly exaggerated bow. He then snorted a laugh at the look Big Mac was giving him. “dey call me dat cause I’m good at gamblin’” he said, wishing he had his deck of cards. “I was born in New Orleans an-“ he was cut off by a female voice with a southern accent. “New Horseleans, ya mean,” He looked up and his jaw dropped at what can only be described as the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. She was tall, with a magnificent bust, and her entire body was shaped like an hourglass. She had light orange fur, emerald green eyes, and long blonde hair tied in a braid. She was wearing denim short shorts, cowgirl boots, a white tank-top with a red plaid shirt over it, the front tied together. She was every man’s dream girl, if she were a southerner. “Mah name’s Applejack. Good to meetcha, Mister Lebeau” she said as she shook his hand hard and fast. He bared through the pain, wincing the slightest bit. “Pleasure ta meet ya too. Tell me, where am I? And what year is it. Any events coming up I should know about?” He asked, before smiling sheepishly at the raised brows and looks of ‘are you insane, or just dumb’ on their faces. “I seem ta have amnesia. I only know my name and where I came from. And that I can do… t’ings…” he said, shifting his feet a bit. “What kinda things?” Asked Applejack, crossing her arms and raising a brow. “Got a pack-a cards that you don’ use?” he asked with a smirk. > Display of Power > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Remy sighed with a smile as he got used the feel of the deck of cards in his hands. They didn't have any on hand, so Applejack asked her sister if she could get her some cards. Applebloom and her friends, trying to find their cutie marks, went overboard and practically bout out the entire store of their packs of cards. Needless to say, Remy was glad. He shuffled them, twirled them in his hands, getting a feel of their weight and the material they were made of. They were perfect. He did another bout of shuffling, this one being a bit more showy as he let the cards flutter from one hand to the other, mixing as they fell at different speeds. He looked up and saw Applejack, Big Mac, a smaller green mare that he recognised as Granny Smith, and the Cutie Mark Crusaders, all of them watching with rapt attention. "Just so ya know, dis ain't any fancy tricks or stuffs like dat. Dis is all me" he said. "Got it?" he asked, to which they nodded. He smirked. "Good" he said as he started taking control of the cards, making the designs become outlined in purple lines, and the cards themselves become surrounded by what seemed to be purple flame. They flew in intricate circles around him while he moved his hands a bit, fingers moving as if he were drumming them on a tabletop. He then grabbed one in between his index and middle finger before flicking his hand forwards, it flying far and quicker than a card should. It impacted onto an old, worn down barn that the Apples didn't use anymore, the card slicing clean through a dead tree. The card imbedded itself into the wall, where the purple slowly died down. "So you can throw cards, like, extra fast and far?" Applebloom asked. "And do fancy tricks?" asked Applejack, a brow raised. "Just look. Trust me when I say ya don' wanna miss dis" Remy said as he nodded to the barn. Right as they looked, the glow had fully diminished. And as soon as it did, the barn had exploded into nothing but splinters as purple flames was sent to the sky, effectively ridding the farm of the old building. To say the least, the Apples were both shocked and slightly grateful that the barn was destroyed. "How did you do that?" asked Big Mac. "Ya don't have a horn ta do magic" "Ain't no magic 'ere, Mista Mac. Just an ability of mine. I'm what is called a Mutant back where I'm from. Now, don' tell no pony, as I'm sure dat dey will have de same reaction to me as my old home did, dat being fear and ridicule. Just let dem believe dat I'm sent from God or sometin'" he said with a shrug as he made the cards, which were still moving around him like they were planets and he were a sun, fly back into his hand before he put them back in their box. "Now den, when can I get started?" > New Friends > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Remy hummed softly as he looked himself in the mirror. He had asked Rarity, one of the many beautiful ladies in this new world of his, to make an outfit similar to how it was back on Earth. So, he had just about half a million different variations of the same trench coat, slacks, combat boots and fingerless gloves. He decided to forgo the skintight headwear he used to wear, as it would be very uncomfortable with his new equine features. Currently he was helping Applejack - even though he was told by them that he was good on his payment, and could go find a new job... two years ago. Yeah, he loved this job - with the apple trees, knocking down the apples into baskets with a single punch. Yeah, two years ago he had gotten bruises as lesser injuries, to dislocated shoulders and even broken arms in extreme cases. He looked up when he heard Applejack holler out a "YEE-HAW!!" before running at a tree, turning around and kicking it with her powerful legs. The apples fell down like a waterfall of green and red. He smiled and leaned against the tree he had just punched. When Applejack calmed down a bit, a slight sheen of sweat over her coat. She held out her hand as he sent a water bottle to her, which was encased with his purple power. During the two years of being in Equestria, he had gotten his powers under a lot better control than it was on Earth, to the point that he can choose wether or not they explode. It took so many packs of cards, so he just decided to buy all of the cards every couple months. His left ear twitched as he heard a pair of new voices speaking, something about a celebration of some sorts. He shrugged and watched, grabbing a cigarette from his pocket and lighting it by exploding a bit of the tobacco inside, another trick he learned. He watched as a young woman, obviously a city girl, walked up with a younger man who seemed... reptilian. He watched as the new duo tried to introduce themselves, only to be stopped by Applejack's friendliness, shaking the purple mare's hand rapidly with barely restrained strength. Even after Applejack stopped shaking it, her arms still followed the movement. He thought her name was Twilight something-or-other, and she explained that she was here to check on the banquet for the celebration. He chuckled and shook his head as the two got the Apple Family Greeting, complete with most of the Apple Family being introduced and their talents with food shown. He sat down beside everyone as lunch started, making idle conversation. To the Apples, he was family in all but blood, and he was happy that he had a family in this world, just as he had in the last; large, loud, dysfunctional and perfect, all at the same time. When Applejack forgot to introduce himself, he cleared his throat with a raised brow, but a grin splitting his face. "Ah, did ya forget abou' me, petite mignon?" he said with a chuckle, which grew harder when she rolled her eyes. "Ah almost forgot, this is Remy Lebeau, though he likes to go by Gambit," she said with a faux exasperated tone, though her wide smile betrayed her. He stood and took a low bow, bending at the waist with his right arm bent in against his belly, and his left arm behind him in a flourish. "Nice ta meetcha, Miss Twilight. I hope dat we can get along" "Um... nice to meet you too..." she said, a brow raised as she looked him up and down. She seemed that she didn't want to make any friends. Too bad for her, this town will chew her up and spit her out in that regard. And maybe she would be all the better for it. He didn't know, but he was certain of one thing. He would love every second of it. > Summer Sun Celebration > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Remy stood aside, playing with one of his cards as he waited for the Summer Sun Celebration to start. He was standing off to the side of the curtain, as he was called upon by Mayor Mare to be Princess Celestia's bodyguard during the Celebration. He listened idly as he played with the card, rolling it between his fingers as he did. When the curtains pulled back, he saw that the place where Celestia was supposed to be standing was empty. He blinked and scowled a bit, tightening his grip on his card, his mutation flaring up as the card seemed to catch fire, burning with light purple flame as he got ready for anything. When Rarity told the crowd that Celestia wasn't there - and Pinky saying that she was good - he saw purple mist, much darker than his flames, gathering up as Rarity gathered with the rest of the ponies down below. He stood in wait, staying quiet as he waited for whoever took his charge. And there, standing tall and proud in dark purple armor that was plated across her body, sharp angles on the chestplate, boots, and armor and a helmet that looked almost like she was the embodiment of evil - not really, as he had met the Devil himself, as well as Mister Sinister, who was worse than Mephistopheles - and she cackled. After a confrontation between the newcomer Twilight and the now named Nightmare Moon, the ancient pony cackled once more, her horn shining in what he assumed was either an attack or transport spell. Not willing to see which, Gambit threw the card in his hand at the ground in front of the crowd and willed it to explode in a way that it didn't harm anyone else. With a struggle, he grit his teeth and took control of the rubble, forming it into a shield as Nightmare Moon's magic grew to its climax. And she vanished, leaving no trace of her behind. The extra-dimensional stallion collapsed as his control over the rubble vanished, blood dripping from his muzzle as he panted hard. The rubble fell harmlessly against the ground, seemingly avoiding everypony as it did. He was honestly shocked that he did that, and was feeling a massive migraine, but he pushed through, stumbling to his feet and leaving the hall. He saw the five ponies he had grown to care for as a family and the newcomer rush to the library, the bookworm running hard and fast ahead of them. When he got there, he was just about bowled over by the lavender unicorn. He jumped back right as she forced herself to slow to a stop. Before she could say anything, he told her that he was going with her, leaving no room for argument. ~~ Minutes later, they were speed walking through the Everfree Forest, Remy's crimson and black eyes darting back and forth as he took everything in. Rarity, bless her heart, was complaining about how humid it was, how her heels were ruined, and the insects. And Murphy's law seemed to exist here, 'cause as soon as she complained about how bright it was, the light was consumed by the trees overhead. Remy, who stood far taller than most of the six women he was with, simply kept walking as he dug into his pocket for a match, hoping that he could find one. He sighed as he didn't, putting the cigarette that was between his lips away. While he could light the cigarette with his mutation, he didn't want to risk it with how his power seemed to be growing. And he didn't have a Mister Sinister in Equis to take out the part of his brain like he did in his past life. He watched as everything seemed to crumble. While worry built inside of him, he pushed it aside, as he had been on collapsing buildings, cliffs and so much more back on Earth, so he slid and rolled skillfully down the cliffside till he and the rest were safe. He saw that Twilight was holding onto a root, and kept quiet when Applejack showed how honest she was when she told the scholar to trust her and let go. Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash helped her down. Twilight smiled at them and thanked them. Remy smirked and walked, leading the way. ~~ They soon arrived at their destination, the Castle of the Sisters. Along the way, Remy and the six mares had been through a lot of troubles. And each girl helped. To be honest, Remy felt like he was useless as he stood aside, unable to help in fear of harming the ones he cared about. The is why he went to Mister Sinister back in his old life. The reason why he was willing to get partially lobotomized, in order to limit the power output that he had. He was too strong and... it scared him. When they finally walked in through the broken stone arch of the entrance hall, Remy tensed. Something felt off. He looked around quickly, trying to find what the cause was. He noticed out of the corner of his eye Twilight running towards what looked like necklaces, which were being slowly covered by the same dark purple mist that Nightmare Moon had formed from. He reached out to stop her, but she, the mist and the necklaces vanished. He growled and slammed his fist against a pillar, angry that he couldn't prevent her from doing something reckless. He blinked though when he saw the flashing of lights high above, in one of the broken towers. He watched as the lights brightened and dulled in a rhythm, followed by the sounds of magical discharge. He was about to go to them, when they teleported down by the broken thrones, Twilight having the necklaces in her magic grasp. Her horn sparked and a bolt of magic shot to them, only for them to shatter on impact. Nightmare Moon, seeing, what Remy could assume were relics of some type, shatter, she smirked before cackling out a laugh. "Now, my little ponies," she said with a fanged smirk. "since the Elements of Harmony are gone, eternal night will reign, forever!" she bellowed, before charging up her magic to irradiate the six mares in front of her. Remy tackled her and held her in a Nelson hold, leaving her open for an attack. "Now, Twilight!" he shouted, seeing the fractals of the 'Elements' float up around the six mares, and he closed his eyes, willing to sacrifice himself in order to protect all of Equestria from Nightmare Moon's reign. Through his closed eyes, he saw flashes of rainbow lights and the screaming of Nightmare Moon as she struggled in his hold. And as quickly it happened, it stopped. And Remy faltered, panting a bit as he and the person he was holding slumped down onto the ground. He was recovering, panting softly as he faintly heard the voices of seven people, eventually it becoming eight due to another woman's voice. Grunting softly, Remy tapped the boulder on top of his back, as he had used his body to shield the person in his arms. The boulder was wrapped in his purple flames and slowly lifted in the air, gritting his teeth as he slowly but surely freed him and his charge. After what seemed like hours, when it was really barely a minute and a half, he finally freed the two of them. Panting, he slowly stood, seeing what seemed like a teen woman in his arms, her coat a very dark blue, almost black, with modest features, yet a very powerful, muscled body. He carried her in a bridal hold, to where the eight voices are. His vision was blurry and each step sent pain through his body, but he powered through it to make sure the teen girl was alright. He smiled at them and spoke. "Hello, all. Y'must be Princess Celestia. Heard 'bout you, all good tings, promise" he said, making sure there wasn't any shaking in his voice. The eight mares looked at him as he sat down and leaned back against a pillar, the teen he protected in his arms, hearing them asking question. He looked down when he felt her stir and was surprised when he saw the familiar reptilian eyes looking up at him, the irises being a blue grey that was enchanting. He was surprised by her words, as were the other eight mares. "Master...? What's going on?"