//------------------------------//
// Beyond the Bounds of Equestria. 
// Story: The Dragon King of Equestria 
// by Ausbrony 
//------------------------------//

Bahamut slowly opened one eye. It was… oddly quiet. Almost deafeningly so. He could hear his own heart thud in his ears, and when he tried to draw breath, he found none.

Well, good thing he didn’t have to actually breathe in his full power form. But…

His eyes widened when he saw the little purple blob float a few feet away. She did need to breathe, and once he reached out for her, he could feel her heart rate slowing. This was bad, very bad.

Whatever that armoured freak had done, Bahamut and Twilight now found themselves in a place that he hadn’t seen before… and Twilight was suffocating. The dragon wasn’t sure if this would work but…

He cast a Shell around them, before mixing Aero, a small amount of Water and some Thunder… creating a contained artificial atmosphere. It… actually seemed to work, but the Shell wouldn’t last forever, he had to get himself, or at least Twilight, out of here.

‘But… how?’ The dragon pondered. ‘I don’t know X-Zone… so I can’t just pop back… can I?’ 

He knew Auric could cross worlds, maybe… he had the same power?

Bahamut closed his eyes and… reached out, much like he did when sensing a fellow summon. Perhaps… Yes! He could feel a similar aura. Now if only he could…

With a further exertion of his power, a bright light engulfed the pair…





Gilgamesh huffed as he paused from his work, taking another sip of his Zebafrican red tea, thoroughly enjoying how it felt as it went down his throat.

“Something wrong?” came the voice from the desk across from him. He looked to Luna who had stopped her own paperwork to check on him.

“It’s just… do you think I was too hard on the kid?” he asked.

“Comet? Hardly. We both agreed he needed a straightening out,” she said in a matter-of-fact tone.

“Jeez, that actually sounds pretty harsh coming out of your mouth,” he joked. “But seriously, what we basically did was send him off to military school. At five. This is the kind of thing that would start a ‘run away from home’ plot in a lot of movies.

“Perhaps. But I think we would either be too hard or too soft with him. Besides, it’s not acceptable nor healthy for him to go picking fights with everyone he meets, especially when he thinks he can get away with it.”

Gilgamesh sighed. “Yeah, you’re right. I’m sure we made the right choice making Old Dog the one to teach him some discipline.” He chuckled. “I wish I could be there to see the kid’s face. I’m sure it would be an eye-opener for him to realize that after being able to one-hit-KO adult minotaurs that a sixty year old diamond dog could smack him around.”

“Now now, don’t take too much pleasure it the idea,” she jokingly chided.

“Oh really? Who was it that was practically jumping with joy now that one of the guards didn’t have to report another assault or property damage claim due to his little ‘sessions’?” Gilgamesh smirked back.

“Hush, you.”

They both laughed before going back to their work. Gilgamesh looked over the documents he needed to write or sign to help things go in the way he wanted. He looked at one and groaned again.

“What now?” Luna asked.

“Another petition from the griffons to fund research into automatic firearms. Damn it, they just won’t stop.”

“You can hardly blame them. They are the ones who came up with firearms in the first place, and I’m sure they got ideas after they saw your own guns.”

“Damn it, why can’t they just be satisfied with the sniper rifle and semi-auto weapons I let them develop. Stick to weapons that take actual skill to use. How many times do I have to tell them-?”

“‘When ending a life becomes easy, life begins to lose it’s value’,” Luna finished. “Like I haven’t heard that one before. You know, it’s somewhat hypocritical of you to say that, what with the powers that magic tomes can grant them.”

“Those have a barrier to entry, only the intelligent and the diligent can master the more destructive spells. Guns can be picked up by any old schmuck and still be just as effective.” Gilgamesh groaned again. “Damn it, I want them to advance, but not like this. Ugh, is this what Celestia felt like in the past? Like every decision she made could have devastating effects on the entire world?”

“Of course not. Only the Equestrians looked up to her like she was flawless goddess. You on the other hoof, have the entire world looking at you with those same star-struck eyes,” she replied with a smug grin.

“Ugh,” he groaned again. “Well, at least in my case there are three other immortals who I can share some of the burden with. Five if we’re right about Cadance and Twilight.”

Luna set down her pen and organized her papers before getting up from her seat. “How about we take a break?”

Gilgamesh looked to the clock on his desk. “Well, it is almost lunch. I suppose we can, right after I finish a few-”

Gilgamesh stopped as his eyes went wide.

“Something wrong?” Luna asked.

“I feel… I feel something com-”

No sooner had he said that, Gilgamesh grabbed Luna and leapt out of the way, before some big crashed through the ceiling, shattering the roof like a stone through glass as it slammed into the table where the pair had sat only seconds prior. Luna magicked up a shield, protecting the pair from dust and debris. And when it all finally settled, the strangest sight awaited them.

A tiny, wingless dragon in a large crater. It must have been no older than Spike when Twilight had first moved to Ponyville all those years ago. The drake was covered in midnight blue, almost black scales and his soft underbelly was more of a tan colour. A V-crested pair of horns adorned the top of its head and it was covered in countless injuries.

And Gilgamesh could also feel a lot of Void magic coming from it.

“This dragon… no doubt about it, he’s a Displaced,” he said.

“Are you sure?” Luna asked.

“Positive. He’s got way too much void magic to be anything else, and-” Gilgamesh stopped as he looked at his and Luna’s desks and the papers scattered all over the room. “SUNOVABITCH!”





Twilight groaned as she rolled over, her head was pounding and it felt like she’d been sleeping under the covers and nearly suffocated. She rubbed her eyes and slowly sat up, blinking slowly.

She noticed a few things. One, she wasn’t in bed, but in the middle of a street.

Two. her body was covered in small cuts and bruises.

And three… She had no idea how she got here. Looking around, she saw that wherever she was seemed… familiar.

Then upon seeing a gingerbread-like structure in the distance, it became obvious.

“I’m… in Ponyville?” she said aloud. “How did I get here?” And, why was she lying in a crater?

“Holy crap, is she alright?” she hear a voice ask.

Twilight looked up from her crate and was shocked to see a black creature that looked like a cross between a pony and a bug. It had two fangs, fly like wings, and eyes of turquoise with no pupils.

Twilight had never seen anything like it before. But, it wasn’t a pony, nor was it a gryphon or Diamond Dog… So, was it a—

“M-Monster!” Twilight yelped and scooted back, trying to draw on her summons, but her magic seemed to be nearly depleted. All she could manage was a few lazy sparks from her horn.

“Whoa, hey hold, on I’m not a… Wait, Twilight? Is that you?” the monster asked.

“H-How do you know my name? And… you can talk?” the tiny Twilight asked, fear washing off of her in waves.

The monster chuckled. “Well, I guess that settles it. No wings, filly, and never met a changeling before,” he said as he hovers into the crater, causing her to scoot back a bit more. “My name’s Buzz. And I know this might be a bit to take in, but you’re not in your Equestria anymore.”

“Not in my…” Twilight put her hooves to her head and groaned. “That… scary armored guy. He-he used a spell and…” She gasped and looked around. “Bahamut! My dragon friend! Where is he? Is he here!?”

“Sorry, but as far as I can tell, it’s just you here right now. But don’t worry, if he’s here, we’ll find him.”

“Buzz? What the hay is goin’ on there?” came a voice with a heavy southern drawl.

Twilight looked up and saw and orange earth pony mare with a blonde mane and tail, a stetson hat, and three red apple for a cutie mark.

“Wait a minute? Is that Twi?” she asked.

“Sort of. She’s not our Twilight,” Buzz replied.

“Well land sakes! You mean she’s-?”

“Yup. You know we gotta do, so could you get on that, Dear?”

“Not a problem, Darlin’. I’ll get there lickety split!” she said before galloping off.

“Huh?” Twilight listened to the weird exchange of words and blinked. “Why does everypony, and um, every… buggy? Know who I am?”

Buzz chuckled. “‘Everybuggy?’ That’s a new one. Anyway, I guess even if your timeline was similar you wouldn’t know at this point in your life.” He said before his horn glowed green. Twilight let out a yelp as she felt herself being levitated in the air before he let her down on his back. “Don’t worry, I won’t hurt you. But I think it would be best if we got you out of this hole in the ground.”

Before she could respond he took flight and got them the short distance out of the crater before landing on the ground. Twilight was surprised at the residents who were looking at her. Most were ponies, and a few were mules, but there were a few griffons, minotaurs, horses, diamond dogs, and even dragons too. All of them looked to her in utter shock and began to mumble amongst themselves. As she scanned her surroundings she also notice a massive crystal tree with a palace resting in it’s branches.

“What? There wasn’t a tree-house-castle in the town before,” Twilight blinked and looked up. “And… And where’s your shield!? The monsters will get inside the town!”

“‘Shield’? Well that settles it, things are certainly different in your world,” Buzz quipped. “Anyway, let’s get going. I’ll go slow in case you’re hurt, okay?” he said before trotting at a relaxed pace towards the crystal tree-palace.

“Um…” Twilight didn’t move. “M-Mommy says I shouldn’t talk or go with strangers…”

Buzz stopped and rolled his eyes for moment then turned to face her. “Ok then. My name’s Buzz. I’m a changeling and formerly a Brigadier General of the Global Equus Military. I was born in the Hive in the Badlands but now I live here in Ponyville. The mare you saw earlier is Applejack, my wife. She and her family has been taking care of Sweet Apple Acres long before I ever got here. We live with her Granny Smith, her little sister Apple Bloom, and our daughter, Pollen. She’s one of the first Flutter ponies to be born in this world. Applejack’s older brother, Big Macintosh, still works on the farm but he moved to live with his wife, Fluttershy, near the cottage by the Everfree Forest. They have one daughter named Apple Blossom.” He then smiled. “So, am I still a stranger?”

Twilight tapped her chin, closing her eyes and tilting her head slightly in thought. Then she opened them and held out a hoof. “My name is Twilight Sparkle. I’m one of the students of Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, and apprentice Summoner. I’m not married yet, so I don’t have any kids. Nice to meet you Mister Buzzy!”

“Heh. Nice to meet you. And I’d be very surprised, and a little disturbed, if you were married and had kids at your age. So, are you willing to follow me, miss not-stranger Twilight Sparkle?”

“Are we going to that Castle?” Twilight pointed at the crystalline structure. “Is there a Princess there?”

“Indeed! Two of them, actually.”

“Two? Princess Celestia and Luna are here!?” with that in her mind, the filly started galloping towards the castle, eager to find her teachers.

“Whoa, slow down there, little filly!” Buzz said before grabbing Twilight in a levitation spell and placing her on his back again. “Sorry to dash your hopes, little Twilight, but it’s not either of them. Luna’s in Memorial and Celestia’s in Canterlot. We’ve got two other Princesses in the castle,” he explained before pausing in thought. “Although, I guess one of them is technically a Queen as well.”

“A Queen?” Twilight blinked. Celestia and Luna used to be Queens, but they found that the title of Princess was less intimidating in a world that was already intimidating enough. As such, the roles and King and Queen were abolished, leaving Prince and Princess as the highest point of authority. And good news, Canterlot was still here, maybe Bahamut was there too?

“Okay, let’s go to the castle then Mister Buzzy!”

“Alright then. Hang on tight!” he said before taking flight, hovering over Ponyville as they went.

Twilight gripped Buzz tightly, a little afraid but also exhilarated by getting to experience what was probably the closest she’d get to personal flight. Ponyville looked very much like how it was in her world, but aside from the diversity of creatures living in town she also noticed many more buildings, as well as some metal machines that seemed to be used for transportation, both of beings and items. Though a bit cured looking, they moved on their own, without any need for a pony to pull them, so they must be quite advanced.

Within a few minutes Twilight and Buzz landed in front of the crystal tree-palace. Not a moment later the door opened and three figures were in the doorway.

One was Buzz’s wife, Applejack. The next was another changeling, although this was was much taller, almost Luna’s height, and had a green mane and tail. In addition, her green eyes had slitted pupils.

But most surprising was a certain pony whose image made the filly’s eyes widen and her jaw drop. Standing in front of her was herself, a fully grown mare, a bit taller than the average pony, and most surprisingly an alicorn.

For a few moments, nothing was said. Then the tall changeling turned to the alicorn.

“Well, I never thought I’d get to see this. I thought I’d be limited to your baby pictures your mom showed me to get a look at you as an adorable little filly,” she teased with a smile.

“Shut up, you!” the alicorn Twilight shouted with blush and jabbed the taller being with her hoof.

“Huh?” Tiny Twilight climbed down from Buzz’s back and looked up at Princess Twilight. “‘Scuse me Mister Buzzy? How come she looks like me?”

Buzz smiled. “Remember how I said you weren’t our Twilight?” he asked. “Well, there you go.”

“Huh? But I’m Twilight Sparkle,” the little filly protested. She suddenly gasped and pointed at the alicorn. “She’s an imposter!”

Applejack giggled. “Ah’ll say, this is pretty entertainin’!”

“Not quite,” the alicorn replied. “I don’t suppose you know what multiverse theory is, do you?”

“Of course, Mister Auric is from another world,” Tiny Twi said and puffed out her furry chest. “But, you’re overlooking one thing that proves you’re an imposter!”

“Oh? And what’s that?”

“If you’re really me,” Ti-Twi pointed a hoof dramatically. “Then you wouldn’t have wings! Ergo, you’re a faker!”

“Hm, not bad, but it seems you’re a bit closed minded. But then again, I guess I was too. Nine years ago, I never thought I’d get wing either. Also, I never said I was you, specifically. Can you figure out what I mean?”

“Aw, Twilight, why don’t you just tell her?” the tall changeling asked.

“If she’s anything like the younger me, then she’ll be able to figure it out on her own.”

“So, you’re admitting you’re a fake?” Teeny Twi said smugly.

The older Twilight rolled her eyes. “Ok, let’s try this a different way. Do you know what this town is called?”

“Um, it looks like Ponyville,” Small Twi said and looked around. “But, Ponyville didn’t have a castle, or be without a Harmony Shield.”

“I see so then, can you think of any reason why this Ponyville doesn’t look like the one you remember?”

Filly Twilight gasped and put her hooves to her mouth. “You mean…?”

The princess nodded.

“That, this is a dream?”

The princess groaned while the others laughed.

“Just tell her Twi,” Applejack said.

“Only if she wants me to,” the Princess answered. “I think it’s better for her development if she learns for her-”

“You know she’s screwing with you, right?” Buzz interrupted.

“Huh?”

“Buzz and I can sense the mischievousness off of her,” the taller changeling said. “I think she put two and two together not long after she saw you.”

“What!? No way, that’s not-!” Princess Twilight began before she turned to see her younger counterpart giggling. “You were playing me!?”

“Aww, my first successful prank and Bahamut wasn’t here to see it,” Tiny Twi pouted once the giggles wore off. “And Mister Buzzy? You sure your name isn’t short for Buzzkill? I really had her going there.”

“Wow Twi, she got started on her snarky streak early,” Applejack quipped.

Princess Twilight groaned before smiling and shaking her head. “Well, that was fun I guess… Wait… Did you say Bahamut? As in ‘King of Dragons Bahamut’?” Twilight her younger counterpart, her expression turning serious.

“Mhm,” Tiny Twi nodded. “He’s my friend and teacher. We beat up bad monsters together, along with Sunset and Moondancer. But…” She put a hoof to her head a frowned. “A bad guy attacked, he was huuuuge and wore blue armor. And now…” She sniffed as her ears flattened against her head. “Now I don’t know where I am…”

Everyone else’s eyes widened.

“‘Blue armor’? Wait, did he also have a golden sword and incredible magical power?” Princess Twilight asked.

“I… think so?” Tiny Twi answered. “He showed up, saying… um, Void-something? Zone-something? There was a ‘whoosh’ like being sucked inside a giant vacuum cleaner… and then, I woke up here.”

“Did you get his name?” the tall changeling asked, concern in her voice.

Twilight nodded. “He said… his name was Exdeath.”

Everyone just stared still for a few moments, fear and utter shock on their faces.

“Is it… It couldn't be the same one, could it?” Buzz asked.

“Same, different, who cares? We gotta do something’!” Applejack declared.

“AJ, Spike and Rarity are still in town, right?” Princess Twilight asked.

“Yup, saw ‘em both a Carousel Boutique not twenty minutes ago.”

“Get him. I’ll write a letter to Princess Celestia. Nectar, you get one to Gilgamesh.”

“Right,” the tall changeling, Nectar, replied. “I’ll also send the message through the Hivemind about Bahamut. Mother can contact every changeling at once.”

“Good idea,” Princess Twilight then turned to Buzz. “Do mind taking care of her for a little while?”

“Not a problem,” Buzz replied.

“Thank you. Let’s go everyone!” she said before disappearing in a flash, teleporting away. Applejack galloped away and Nectar closed her eyes, seeming to focus on something. After about a few seconds she opened her eyes again before summoning a ring of green fire around herself that engulfed her form before dissipating, showing that she too had teleported away.

“Aww, I want to help,” Tiny Twi sighed. “If only my magic would recharge faster…”

“Just let us help with that. We’ve been preparing for this kind of thing for years now.”

“I guess, but Bahamut is my friend… even though he’s a massive butt that teases me all the time,” Twilight pouted, with looked insanely adorable. She dug deep into her well of magic as her horn came to life, a massive magic circle appearing under her.

“I summon you! Spirit of Wind. VALEFOR!”

From the magic circle, the winged beast appeared, hovering down to the ground to nuzzle Twilight gently.

“What. In. The. Hell.” Buzz asked, completely shocked.

“Valefor? Could you have a look around for Bahamut?” Twilight asked the massive monster, her whole body barely bigger than it’s head.

“Yes, my Mistress,” the bird-like creature nodded and took to the skies, soaring off into the distance.

“There, I can help too,” Tiny Twi nodded, looking very proud of herself.

“I’m uh… I’m gonna send a message through the hive mind. So everyone doesn’t panic when the see the giant bird monster flying around,” Buzz muttered.





Bahamut groaned as his head throbbed with pain. Whatever had just happened, he didn’t ever want to do that again. Pain sucks. Seriously, he felt like he’d just fallen from orbit and bounced a few times for good measure.

“Urrghhhh,” he groaned, putting claw to his head. “Fuck. My life. In the ass…”

“I’d rather not, thank you,” came a voice from next to him.

Bahamut opened his eyes slowly and turned towards the male voice, before unleashing a Firaga spell in it’s direction.

Which in his miniscule state, came out as a tiny firecracker and pinged harmlessly off of the target’s armour.

“Wow, really? You wake up in a nice soft bed instead of a prison cell and the first thing you do is attack the person who’s here to say hi?” the person asked in irritation.

“Urgh, where am I?” Bahamut groaned, rubbing his aching head. “And why do I feel I was just used as Cadenza’s punching bag for an hour?”

“You, my diminutive dragon, are currently residing in one of the guest rooms in Memorial Palace. If you don’t know where that is, I’m not surprised, as it probably doesn’t exist in your universe.”

“My…” Bahamut rubbed his eyes and sat up. “What do you mean diminutive?” he looked down to see himself in his measly 10% form. “Well… this is just bloody fantastic huh?”

“Maybe? Care to explain?”

Bahamut turned to the source of the voice… and that was not what he expected. A rather tall human in a suit of armour, and Bahamut could feel the power emanating from his. His instincts screamed at him that attacking this guy would be a very bad idea.

“A little filly… purple unicorn. You seen her?” Bahamut said when he saw that Twilight wasn’t here. “She’s likely unsure of where she is and is demanding books.”

“Oh, so your version of Twilight got brought along then? No big deal, we’ll probably find out where she is by the end of the day and get you two reunited within the week. Depending on where she is, of course.”

“He knows her name… wait, my version? Is this another world? Like the one Auric comes from?” Bahamut shook his head to clear the jumbled thoughts. “So, who might you be? Another Displaced?”

“Yup! If I may introduce myself, I am Gilgamesh, Prince of Equestria, Supreme Commander of the Global Equus Military, and High King of Equus. Also, sole member of the Interdimensional Awkward Tumbleweed Association. Who are you?”

Bahamut blinked slowly. Was… this guy for real?

“Well,” the dragon snorted as he rose to his full height, all two and a half feet of it. “I am Bahamut! King of ALL Dragons and the most powerful Eidolon in existence. You may be a king, but I am a GOD!” He puffed a little smoke from his nose for good measure.

“A God, huh? Been awhile since I’ve killed someone who claimed that title,” Gilgamesh said nonchalantly. “And you said Eidolon? Doesn’t that make you the Final Fantasy IX version?”

“The… what?” bahamut tilted his head. “Then hell is a ‘Final Fantasy’?”

Gilgamesh tilted his head in confusion. “How… How could you possibly know who Bahamut is and not know what Final Fantasy is?”

“I know Bahamut because I am Bahamut,” the tiny dragon snorted. “Look, I have… problems with my memory. A friend said I might be something collectively called a ‘Displaced’ but… I dunno. I can’t remember anything from before the alicorns sealed me away for a millennia and change.”

“Ah, memory loss. I’ve met a few Displaced that had that problem. So, I’m not your first Displaced meeting, huh? Who’ve you met?”

Bahamut wondered if he should mention it. Auric had said there were others that… weren’t so kind. Alex was proof of that. “A friend, we’ll leave it that that until I can trust you,” Bahamut replied truthfully.

“Fair enough. So, how’d you get here? Considering you came smashing through my office and almost crushing me and my wife and were separated from your friend, it sounds like you didn’t intend to come here.”

“Ahh, sorry… was anyone hurt?” Bahamut asked. So that explained the pain in his back. Falling on buildings hurt.

“Nope. Luna and I are fine.”

Bahamut paused. He said he and his wife… then said Luna was fine…

“You… You're married… To MOONBUTT!?”

“Hm… Judging from that nickname I’d guess you don’t have the best relationship with your Luna.”

“Ehhh, you know. I like to annoy her, she wants to execute me… You know, a nice healthy relationship,” Bahamut shrugged. He hoped they were okay though. “I need to get home though. Lest that Exdeath freak hurt anypony I actually care about.”

Gilgamesh’s eyes widened before his eyes turned to a piercing gaze. “Did you say Exdeath?” he asked in a terrifyingly serious tone.

“Yeah, that armoured freak hit me with X-Zone, it’s how Twi and I wound up here,” Bahamut replied with a frown. “Well, we landed in the Void, but I was able to drag us to the nearest world somehow. Don’t ask me how, i have no idea. I think I was running on pure instinct at the time.”

Gilgamesh just stared for minute before getting up. “Get out of bed, we’re going to find your friend,” he ordered before stomping out of the room.

“Who crapped in his cornflakes?” Bahamut asked no-one in particular as he got up and waddled after him. Being short sucked!

Gilgamesh was already way down the hall before he turned back to see Bahamut was struggling to catch up.

“Damn, you slow.”

“Go. To. Hell…” Bahamut gasped as he had to take six steps for a single of Gilgy’s. “Wait til I’m in my true form… I’ll kick your freaking ass.”

“Oh for the love of Faust,” Gilgamesh muttered before picking up Bahamut and setting him down on his shoulder. “There. For next twenty minutes, you’re a parrot.”

Bahamut deadpanned so hard, an entire world on pan exploded. The genocide would be remembered for generations to come.

“Alright Polly, tell me everything I need to know about your world and your version of Exdeath,” Gilgamesh ordered as he stomped down the hall.

“Well, I don’t know anything about Exdeath, aside from his name and the fact he can use spatial magicks,” Bahamut said from atop the warrior’s pauldron. “He has a partner, some long-winded pretty boy named Alex. Apparently he can use the power of Psynergy and has the strength of a Golden Sun. He even blew up the world he lived on...”

Gilgamesh stopped for moment before facepalming. “Oh fucking shit, you’re dealing with him too? Well, good thing you ended up on this universe,” he said before stomping back down the hall.

“Okay…” Bahamut blinked. Even people on other planets in another plane of freaking existence knew more than him about his own world. How the hell was this fair? “What do you mean by that?”

“Simple. I’m gonna grab who I can spare, we’re going to head into your universe. We’ll give the the two of them one chance to surrender, which I’m almost certain they’ll refuse, and then we’ll kill the sons of bitches.”

“That… might not be a good idea,” Bahamut said. “All that power in one place could awaken something I want to keep asleep for the time being. My girls aren’t ready to face him yet.”

Gilgamesh stopped again. “Okay… but I still don’t feel right about letting you both go back without offering some kind of help. Any ideas?”

“Just help me find Twilight, and a way back to my world,” Bahamut said.

“Seriously? Nothing else? No no new abilities? Weapons? Even some info?”

“Well, I’ll not say no to any of that,” Bahamut replied, almost falling off as Gilgamesh rounded a corner. “So, how do you know Exdeath and Alex?”

“I’ve played the games that both of them are from. But in the case of Exdeath specifically, this world has fought and killed him before. I kinda doubt yours is the same one, but that doesn’t mean I’m taking him any less seriously.”

“Great,” Bahamut groaned. “So, what kind of freaks am I up against?”

“Both of them near immortals. In his story, Alex manipulated both the heroes and villains so he could acquire the unlimited power of the Golden Sun, which which would grant him the ability to use all kinds of Psyenergy, give him infinite and unrivaled power, and make him completely and truly immortal. However, due to someone else taking some precautions, he ended up instead getting almost unlimited power and near immortality.”

“Yeah, I wonder about this guy,” Bahamut sighed. “He said he was different, that he did obtain the Sun. And then destroyed his world right after. I have no idea what Exdeath wants though.”

“If his motivation is the same, to rule the world with power and fear, annihilating all who would oppose him. Exdeath is extremely powerful and literally made of evil. As in he was created when a bunch of horrible beings who were sealed inside a tree over the centuries, and then eventually the tree itself became sentient.”

“Wait a minute… Are we seriously fighting a fucking tree?” Bahamut asked.

“Yeah, which is actually important. See, Exdeath is near immortal as well, but for a different reason. Namely that he can regenerate so long as he isn’t completely destroyed. Even if so much as a splinter of him is left he can come back.”

“Urrrgh, why do I get the pain in the ass villains?” Bahamut groaned. “And where are we going anyway?”

“Need to let someone know that Luna and I are heading out,” he answered before turning the down another hallway. “Ah, here we are,” he said before coming to a pair of wooden double doors before grabbing the handle and opening the door.

"Ultros Grand Bureaucrat's Offiiiiiiiiiiiice!" 

Bahamut blinked, he could almost see the idiocy wafting out of here. And that song…

“What?” was all the dragon could say.

“FAUST DAMN IT, I TOLD YOU, NO UNSCHEDULED VISITS DURING MY LUNCH BREAK!” a voice boomed from adjoining room before the door burst open. “WHY CAN’T YOU SO-CALLED ‘NOBLES’ GET IT THROUGH YOUR DAMN-!? Oh, it’s you, Muscle-Head. What do you want?”

Bahamut stared at the creature in front of him. It was a giant purple octopus, about the size of chariot, with red eyes and sharp teeth. And that wasn’t strange enough… it was wearing a yellow tie and a pair of reading glasses.

And the sudden yell startled him into casting Fire again. And again, it was embarrassingly weak…

It did set the paperwork on his desk on fire though.

“GAAAAAH! PUT IT OUT! PUT IT OUT!” the octopus screamed before his secretary, a lime green unicorn, casted a spell that caused water to appear in mid-air and douse the flames. As the steam dispersed, the papers were now shown to be burnt and soggy.

The octopus just stared like a deer in the headlights.

“No. No! NO! NOOOOOOOOOOOO! I WAS ALMOST DONE! I HAD MAYBE ONLY AN HOUR LEFT OF WORK!” he screamed and began to cry. He then turned to Bahamut, his eyes shooting daggers. “I’M GONNA KILL THAT SCALY PARROT!”

“Bring it on you over-sized appetiser!” Bahamut grinned, showing off his little fangs.

“Just so you know, the octopus can use magic,” Gilgamesh warned.

“Just so you know, I love calamari~” Bahamut retorted. “Also, he shouldn’t scream like a moron at someone walking into his clearly open office. You don’t want anyone? Lock the damned door.”

“Who is this disrespectful little shit!?” the Ultros shouted. “Let me tell you something, iguana, I run this damn city! If it wasn’t for me King Steroid over there wouldn’t get anything done! I’m not called the Grand Bureaucrat for nothing, gekko!”

“Gekko? I am BAHAMUT! The DRAGON GOD-KING OF EQUESTRIA!” the pint-sized drake yelled.

“Not here you’re not, runt! Right now you’re the God-King of only two things, Jack and Shit! And Jack left!”

“Oh, so you got time to watch Army of Darkness,” Gilgamesh commented.

“Yeah, but I like Evil Dead 2 better.”

“Everyone likes Evil Dead 2 better.”

“...What’s Evil Dead?” Bahamut blinked.

“Seriously?” the Ultros asked.

“He doesn’t remember anything from his past life,” Gilgamesh explained.

“Ah. So… can I beat him up?”

“No, but you can have the rest of the day off.”

“YES!”

“Just so long as you stick around long enough to let everyone know that Luna and I are going to be leaving for a bit. We need to go look for a certain pony who arrived at the same time as this guy.”

“Ugh… fine. Just make sure to get back before five, okay? I need time to get ready for my date tonight.”

“You have a date?” Bahamut asked with the most incredulous tone and looked at Gilgamesh. “He has a date!? Is she blind?”

“Nope. Just weird and kinky as hell,” Gilgamesh replied. “Actually, she’s his marefriend. They’ve been going steady for eight years now. They’re practically married.”

“Pinks loves the tentacles,” Ultros boasted with a grin, causing the secretary to force herself not to heave.

“...I’m going to pretend I didn’t hear that.” Bahamut’s face turned a little green. “Let’s… let’s just go.” He was so done with this universe.

“Alright, alright. Looks like you’ve had enough mind breaking for today,” Gilgamesh said. “See ya later, Slimeball.”

“Hurry back, Muscle-Head,” Ultros replied and went back to work.

“Okay, so just need to grab Luna and we’ll go,” Gilgamesh said as he walked down the hall. “What else can you tell me about your world?”

“Well, let’s see. A thousand years ago, I was summoned by Discord to fight the princesses. I um… well I wasn’t of my own mind and obliterated the town they were in. But, they used the Elements of Harmony to seal Discord, and by extension, me, away.”

“Ah, so the typical ‘sealed in stone for a thousand years’ scenario. Yeah, I went through that one, too. Well, 1,500 years, technically.”

“Ouch,” Bahamut winced. “Well in any case, after that happened, either through Discord or because of my arrival, monsters started plaguing Equestria. It got rough from what I can tell, as pony magic has very little effect on them. Then, some eight hundred years or so ago, Starswirl the Bearded got the idea to create massive barriers that cover the towns and cities. And they’re powered by the Elements of Harmony.”

“Wait… so basically, your world runs on the logic of ‘towns are havens and outside are random encounters’?”

“Kinda? Not really random since you know that death awaits you outside,” Bahamut sighed. “But for some reason, my brand of magic works especially well on them. So… after a thousand years, a trio of fillies released me from my bonds somehow. So, I granted them the power to fight. The power of the Warriors of Light.”

“Oh, so let me guess, they have eight levels of white and black magic to use?”

“Well, Sunset Shimmer’s the Black Mage, she’s currently learning level two artes,” bahamut replied. “Same for Moondancer’s White Magic. Twilight well… she’s a summoner. Aside from me, she also has Ifrit and Valefor to call upon.”

“Ah, so functioning something along the lines of FF III then. And did you say Sunset Shimmer and Moondancer? I’m surprised to see those three hanging together. I mean, at that young age. So, is it just those three?”

“Well there’s also Cadenza,” Bahamut mused and smirked. “She’s quite the adept Dragoon, for a pegasus anyway.”

“Okay, if we’ve got Dragoons, then we’re definitely in at least in the third game’s job system. And did you say ‘Cadenza’? Not ‘Cadance’? Or ‘Princess Cadance’?”

“Cadenza is no princess,’ Bahamut actually shuddered. “And do not call her Cadance to her face, that is just begging for an asskicking from her.”

“‘Ass kicking’? So your Cadance is a bit—?”

“Don’t!” Bahamut clapped a claw over his mouth. “She’ll hear you and then we’ll be dead.”

Gilgamesh moved his claw away. “We’re not even in the same universe, and you’re still afraid of her?” He smirked and then moved his hand in a whipping motion. “Whapish!”

“Go jump off a big bridge,” Bahamut muttered.

“Heh! Looks like those memories of your past life are in there somewhere, otherwise you would’ve never made that reference. So, if I’ve got this right, Twi, Sunset, and and Moony are fillies and Cadance is teen?”

“Young adult, I don’t know her exact age, old enough to be a colossal pervert,” Bahamut said, choosing to ignore the reference comment. “Also got a little fanfilly in Rainbow Dash, and her adorable friend Fluttershy…” The dragon sighed and looked down. “I… hope they’re okay…”

“Don’t worry, I’ll get you back as soon as we can. And you’ll want to keep your eye on those two, they’re likely to become very important in the future. Perhaps very soon. Also, there should be an earth pony named Applejack in Ponyville you should give attention to, as well as a unicorn named Rarity, and another earth pony named Pinkie Pie. She probably not be living in Ponyville yet. She’s likely still on her family rock farm.”

“Ooohkay, why these fillies specifically?” Bahamut asked.

“Because in many timelines, they, along with Twilight, are the six bearers of the Elements of Harmony. And even if that doesn’t happen to be the case here, I’m wouldn’t be surprised if they ended up being the bearers of some other job classes. If I had to guess, Rainbow will likely be a Thief or a Ninja, Fluttershy a Beastmaster, a Bard, or a Geomancer, Applejack a Knight or a Viking, Rarity a… Dancer, maybe, and Pinkie Pie… shit, I dunno, a Blue Mage? Maybe? She’ll be pretty crazy.”

“Hmm, well I’ll keep it in mind,” Bahamut nodded. “The future is still unknown.”

“Indeed. From what you said, it sounds like your dimension never had a Nightmare Moon.”

“...What’s a Nightmare Moon?”

“Basically, one thousand years ago, Luna got jealous that the ponies wouldn’t appreciate the night she made and that Celestia got all the credit for it. That jealousy would eventually cause her to be overwhelmed with dark magic, transforming into Nightmare Moon, and using her power to make sure the sun didn’t rise. Celestia was forced to use the Elements of Harmony to banish her to the moon for one thousand years. When she came back to begin her reign again Twilight and her new friends used the Elements of Harmony to purify her back into Luna.”

Bahamut paused for a moment, organising his thoughts as Gilgamesh passed through a door. “So, let me get this straight. Luna gets all jealous and angsty, throws a hissy fit because daddy didn’t love her and Celestia, in all her great wisdom, gives her a thousand year time out in the naughty corner?”

“There was no ‘daddy’ to get attention from, and I fully realize how ridiculous it sounds. Nevertheless, if you wish to keep all your limbs, you will hold your tongue,” came a voice right next to him.

Bahamut yelped in surprise, but luckily he didn’t cast Fire this time.

Instead, Luna found her horn encased in ice.

“What is it with people and scaring me today!?” the tiny drake complained.

“Apparently you’re easily startled,” Gilgamesh answered. “Might want to work on that.”

Luna’s eye was twitching. “Dearest husband, could you please set the offending reptile on the ground so that I may repeatedly maim him?”

“Luna, you know what we said about releasing your rage in constructive ways.”

“Come now, I’ll make sure not to kill him… Just that he’ll wish I did.”

“Luna.”

“How about I take his tail? He doesn’t really need that, does he?”

“Bahamut, help me out here, I can only talk her down so far on my own.”

“Eh,” Bahamut shrugged. “I’m used to her threatening me with death. Oh, but bear in mind that I’m ‘Soul-Bonded’ with Twilight Sparkle. So if you kill me, she’ll die too.”

“... How much pain will she feel?” she asked.

“Luna!” Gilgamesh chided.

“As I said, I’m used to it,” Bahamut chuckled and looked at her ice-coated horn. “Well hey, at least you’re frosty on the outside now too.”

Luna just glared at him for a few moments… Then grabbed him with a levitation spell and hurled him into the wall with enough force to imbed his head in the marble.

“... You’re paying for that,” Gilgamesh quipped.

“Fine.”





In Ponyville, Twilight collapsed to the ground, clutching her head in pain. Wherever Bahamut was, he was in trouble. She had to find him!





Bahamut just dangled from the wall, clearly stuck.

“...ow.”

“Deserved it,” Luna insisted. “Now let’s-”

Just then an alarm bell rang out.

“Oh, what now!?” Gilgamesh groaned as he pulled Bahamut from the wall and sprinted towards the balcony, Luna hot on his heels. When they arrived they saw a giant bird-like creature with sharp talons approaching the city. “Wait a minute… isn’t that-?”

“Valefor?” Bahamut blinked. ‘Of course, we can sense each other, but my senses are dulled in this form, and all the ambient magic here masked it further.’

“Ahh, about time I found you Master Bahamut,” the bird said as she landed on the balcony, the railing bending under the weight. “Mistress Twilight is very worried about you.”

“Oh right, you said she was a summoner,” Gilgamesh muttered. “Well, this makes things easier. Where is exactly is the little filly?” he asked the Eidolon.

“A town called Ponyville, tis where we battled those undead back home,” she replied. Bahamut sighed in relief.

“Hmm, I wonder what’s faster, her coming here? Or us to her?”

“Depends. Are you willing to take a seconds long trip through the void to make it there, or would you rather ride on the back of an awesome bird spirit?” Gilgamesh asked.

“My time in this plane is nearly expired,” Valefor nodded. “Please return the master to Mistress Twilight.” And with that, the bird vanished in a trail of sparkling light.

“Huh. Well, decision was made for us. Luna, do you mind?”

“Just a moment,” she said before disappearing in a flash of magic. About twenty seconds later, she reappeared. “I’ve informed the guard. Information should spread through the whole city within the hour.”

“Perfect,” Gilgamesh replied before a naginata appeared in his hand. He then used it to cut a hole in reality itself. “In you go,” he said before casually tossing Bahamut in, not giving him a chance to process what was happening before Luna and Gilgamesh jumped in themselves.





Twilight felt Valefor return to her and smiled when she was informed that Bahamut was located.

“Mister Buzzy!” she exclaimed, the bug still worried about the sudden head pain she’d experienced a moment ago. “Bahamut was found. He’s coming here now.”

“Well that’s great-” Buzz began only to be cut off as a hole opened up in the air behind him. A certain dragon fell out, landing butt first on his horn.

There was a loud yell… and a certain bug that had a bolt of lightning hit his behind.

“Ohh, that… looked painful, you okay Mister Buzzy?” Ti-Twi called out.

“I’ve, unfortunately, suffered much worse,” he groaned as he stood back up. “Now, who’s flank did I end up stabbing?”

“That would be mine!” a dangerous growl from under him said. He glanced down to see a rather irate dragonling.

“Whups! Sorry!” Buzz apologized, quickly hopping off of the young drake.

“BAHAMUT!” Twilight yelled and tackle-hugged the dragon, who was already winded from the fall.

“Can’t… breathe…” Bahamut groaned. “Tell Luna… she’s… a butthead…”

“‘Butthead?’ Really? That’s the best you can come up with?” Buzz asked, unleashing his own destruction upon the planet of pans.

Twilight released him and Bahamut inhaled loudly and coughed. “You try being witty while Starswirl here strangles you to death.”

“My. Name. Is. TWILIGHT!” she yelled at him, before rubbing her head.

“Yeah yeah,” Bahamut smirked and pet her mane. “Glad you’re okay Twiley. I was worried about you.”

“Mmm, I’m fine, mostly thanks to Mister Buzzy here.”

“Mister Buzzy?” bahamut quirked an eyebrow.

“Hi there. Please don’t zap me again,” Buzz waved. Bahamut blinked and shrugged.

“Eh, sorry. You weren’t the first… everyone in the bloody plane is determined to jump scare or injure me at least once.”

“Does this scare you?” Gilgamesh asked, suddenly right next to him. He got a response in the form of a particular piece of his lower anatomy being encased in a block of ice. “R-R-R-Really?” Gilgamesh asked as his teeth chattered. Then his body was suddenly engulfed in flames for a moment before they dispersed, showing the ice had almost instantly melted. “Ah, mundane utility at it’s finest.”

Buzz immediately seized up, standing at attention before pressing his hoof to his chest in salute. “Supreme Commander, sir! Wh-What are you doing here?”

“Throwing me like a softball through time/space gates,” Bahamut replied, showing he was still the master of deadpan, single-handedly obliterating the pan world. The survivors would need seven artifacts to continue.

“Ignore the peanut gallery,” Luna said as she stepped out of the portal in the air, having already cated a barrier spell around her in case she accidentally startled Bahamut again. “We are looking for a filly Twilight Sparkle from another… Oh, well hello there,” she greeted, having noticed Ti-Twi.

Twilight looked up, tears brimming in her eyes before she hugged Luna’s leg. “Princess Luna!” she cried.

Luna couldn’t help but smile and patted her back with her other hoof. “Oh my. Seeing you like this, I can understand why my sister treated you like her own daughter. You are just so adorable!”

“Luna, please!” said Princess Twilight as she came down the stairs, a slight blush on her face.

“I’m sorry, but I just couldn’t help myself!” Luna replied before picking up the filly. “Oh, you are just so cute, yes you are!”

“Princess Luna, please, I’m ten!” the tiny filly complained, squirming in her strong grasp. This was so embarrassing. Bahamut just chuckled, watching the show.

“You could’ve fooled me! You’re just too adorable to be that old!”

“Ok, Luna, give it a rest. Imagine how jealous Comet and Nebula would be to see you fawning over another filly,” Gilgamesh chided.

“Comet has been a trouble-maker since he could speak, and Nebula is far too serious for her own good.” Luna sighed. “Honestly, I’m happy with her intelligence and responsibility, but her personality… it’s like I gave birth to a grad-school intellectual snob.”

“Wow, I had no idea you had such family woes, Lulu,” came a voice from above. Everyone looked up to see a mismatched creature lounging upside down on a replica of Rarity’s old drama couch as he ate marbles from a grape vine. “You should send her over to Canterlot. Flux and I will get her to loosen up and have some fun.”

“P-Princess?” Twilight hid behind Luna’s leg. “W-W-Who’s that!?”

Luna rolled her eyes. “What are you doing here, Discord? Abandoning the few duties my sister has seen fit to entrust you with?”

“Discord?” Twilight whispered. Wasn’t… wasn’t he the one that tried to take over Equestria a thousand years ago? The one that hurt Bahamut and the Princesses?

Oh no! What if he was here to hurt them again? No! Twilight Sparkle wasn’t going to let that happen!!

“I WON’T LET YOU HURT THEM AGAIN!” Twilight suddenly yelled, Luna moving back as a massive, crimson-hued magic circle appeared under the filly.

“What are you-!?” Princess Twilight began, panicked at her younger self’s change in behavior, only to realize why. Oh, that’s, right. This is before he’s had a chance at reformation. “Twilight, wait, he’s not-!”

“I summon you! IFRIT!” the filly called as the ground exploded, and she was tossed into the air, coming to rest on the shoulder of the massive hell demon. He set her down gently and she rubbed his head, before he turned to Discord and unleashed his signature attack, Hellfire.

The explosion annihilated the roof of the palace bursting open a hole in the ceiling and unleashing a shockwave through all of Ponyville.

“Well, that was rude,” Discord commented from behind Ifrit. The Eidolon prepared to attack again while Discord raised his paw. “Dude, chill,” he said before snapping it. In a flash Ifrit was now sitting on a couch, wearing sunglasses and listening to smooth jazz.

“I...WHAT!?” Twilight looked at the very strange position her summon spirit was in. “I… just… HUH!?”

“I’m sorry, Mistress… I… I’m… oh man, I am soooooooooooo chill right now,” Ifrit said, clearly becoming more relaxed by the second.

“Ifrit… just… just return,” Twilight sighed as the summon vanished in a shower of sparkles. “I don’t even…”

“Gilgamesh,” Bahamut said quietly. “That is your worlds Discord yes… else I might get a little violent.”

“DING DING DING!” Give the kid a prize!” Discord cheered before appearing next to Bahamut giving him a lollipop before pulling a party hat over his head.

“...Can I still kill him?” Bahamut replied, before eating the lollipop. What? It was good okay?

“Discord, what are you doing here?” Gilgamesh asked.

“Oh, I just felt an unusually high amount of chaos in the area, and I just had to check it out! And would you look at that, a little filly meeting a possible future self as well as another one of your superpowered cosplayers! It‘s been so long since one of them showed up here! In fact, why don’t we get everyone together and celebrate!” he exclaimed before raising his claw.

“Discord, wait!” Princess Twilight called out before he snapped. In a flash, eleven bodies of various sizes and shaped appeared and fell to the ground, all groaning.

“Ugh… What the hay happened?” Applejack asked.

“Discord, what is the meaning of this?” Celestia asked in a disappointed tone.

“Oh, just organizing a get-together in honor of our new guests!” he replied.

“Oh! I love new guests!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed before rushing over to Bahamut. “HiI’mPinkiePieandIwanttowelcomeyoutoourversionofEquusswhoareyouandwhatareyoudoinghereanddoyouwantacupcake!?”

“...wut?” Bahamut blinked and looked at Twilight. “Hey, can you do something about this? I’m sick of being short.”

“Huh, how did you…?” Twilight held the Garnet on her necklace and nodded. With a flash of light, the dragon grew taller, now able to look Luna in the eye. His tail was longer and though he lacked wings still, his musculature was more defined.

“Ahh, much better,” Bahamut stretched and looked down, before picking Pinkie up and put her under his arm. “To answer little mare. My name is Bahamut, I’m here by accident and I suppose a cupcake wouldn’t go amiss.”

“Here you go!” she said as she reached into her mane, pulled out a confection and stuffed it into his mouth. “Now hold me above your head so I can pretend to be an airplane!” Bahamut rolled his eyes, but did just that as Pinkie made airplane noises.

“Oh, look at the filly Twilight!” Cadance squeed as she hopped over and hugged the filly. “Oh, it’s been so long since I’ve seen her like this!”

“I’m right, here, thank you,” Princess Twilight called out in annoyance.

“Sunshine Sunshine, ladybugs awake! Clap your hooves and do a little shake! Um, what’s wrong, Twilight?” Cadance asked, noticing the younger version of her sister in law wasn’t going through the motions.

“Bahamut…” Twilight took a step back, looking uneasy. “Cadenza’s freakin’ me the heck out. She’s being all nice and… unshouty. And she’s shaking her butt at me, is this stranger danger? Do I need an adult?”

“‘Cadenza’? I haven’t gone by that name since I got out of elementary school. Are you sure you’re ok, Twilight?”

“Yeah, are you alright Twily? Why didn’t you do the dance she taught you?” a white-coated and blue-maned unicorn stallion asked.

Twilight took a step back, who was this pony?

“She, didn’t teach me any dance,” Twilight said with a shake of her head. “She did mention one dance… but you need a pole for some reason. I dunno. Grownups are weird sometimes.”

Everyone in the room went quiet and stared. Even Discord looked shocked. Then everyone immediately turned to Bahamut for clarification.

“Our Cadenza is… not as cutesy as this one appears to be,” Bahamut said with a light chuckle. “In fact, she might just tear my head off for calling her cute.”

Everyone just continued to stare until another changeling spoke up, looking very similar to Nectar but obviously taller and older. “Jeez Shining Armor, you sure lucked out with this version of Cadance. So much for Princess of Love.”

“So… who are you?” Twilight asked, looking up at Shining Armor. “And how do you know my… oh right, cause I’m a Princess here for some reason. I guess everypony would know.”

Once again the room went silent. “Um… Wh-What do you mean?” Shining asked, sounding a bit shaken.

“Yeah,” Princess Twilight added. “You don’t recognize Shining Armor? Our big brother?”

Tiny Twi blinked and tilted her head. “Our what? I don’t have a brother, big or otherwise. Mommy and Daddy only ever had me.”

“Oh… So… I don’t… exist where you’re from?” Shining Armor asked, looking a bit deflated. “I… I guess I never considered that possibility.”

“W-Well, you’ve got me, right?” a purple and green dragon asked. “Gotta have someone take care of your checklists for you!”

“Huh? Who are…” Twilight looked closer, something about his colouration seemed… familiar. “Are you… Spike?”

“Yup! Surprised to see me so big?”

“Yeah,” Twilight nodded, still used to seeing a dragon that was only a few weeks old. “Checklists huh? Well, as long as you can handle Sunny and Moonie’s too.”

“Sunset Shimmer and Moondancer,” Bahamut clarified. “Those three are my students, and best friends.”

“Wait, Sunset? Really? I mean, I could guess someone as adorkable as Moondancer already being friends with her, but Sunset as well? Did you all bond in a study session or something?” Gilgamesh asked.

“Okay, I’m getting bored,” Discord butt in. “I brought you all in for chaos, not for comparing notes. Hey Bahamut? Twilight?” He then hovered over to Celestia and wrapped his tail around her midsection as his arm around her neck. “Celestia and I are married and already have a kid. Please give me the appropriate reaction to that.”

Bahamut stared at the pair… particularly Celestia.

“Eh… I didn’t like her anyway,” the dragon shrugged.

“YOU’RE MARRIED!? TO DISCORD!?!?!?” Twilight’s reaction was far more explosive. “The princess is married to a bad guy. Does that make her a villain too? Should I stop them before they take over Equestria? Wait, Celestia already rules Equestria? So, would I be committing treason? Was that his plan all along?” One could almost see the steam rise from her head as her brain burnt out.

“Well, at least I got one of them to react the way I wanted,” Discord commented, pouting slightly.

“Dissy, please,” Celestia chided.

“Luckily, I have a backup plan! Shiny, doing good in the relationship department, I see! Gonna have to get you an Emperor-sized bed so you can have both of them, am I right?”

“What? I-I have no idea what you’re-!” he began only only to be cut off by a loud clicking sound. He turned to see that one of his forelegs had been tied to Cadance with a fuzzy pink pair of handcuffs, and his other foreleg had the same tied to Chrysalis.

Everyone else just stared at the three of them, looking shocked.

“Oh… Oh my,” Fluttershy gasped.

“SHINING!?” Princess Twilight screeched.

“MOTHER!” Nectar shouted. “HOW DARE YOU TRY TO STEAL SHINING ARMOR AWAY FROM CADANCE!”

“Oh, how scandalous!” a white unicorn with a purple mane and tail exclaimed, looking positively ecstatic to have gotten some juicy gossip despite her supposed disapproval.

“Jeez, Shining Armor. Not enough for you to have one of the most attractive mares on the planet?” Rainbow Dash berated, but also looking rather impressed.

“I-I-I-I-It’s not what you think!” Chrysalis exclaimed, her face flushing green.

“WOO HOO! ‘CONGRATULATIONS ON MAKING A HAREM’ PARTY!” Pinkie shouted in joy.

“Wh-Why do all assume it was me!? M-Maybe it was one of their ideas!” Shining defended himself.

“Was it?” Gilgamesh asked.

“YES!... I mean… oops.”

Everyone stopped and then looked to Chrysalis.

“Why do you all look at me!?” she asked, clearly offended.

“Because the only other one it could be is—” Celestia began before stopping. She turned to face Cadance, who had an unexpectedly nervous look on her face. “—No. I don’t believe it.”

“Um… Surprise?” Cadance said sheepishly.

“…Maybe you aren’t too different from Cadenza,” Bahamut quipped and smirked.

“What’s a harem?” Twilight asked innocently. “And why do they have hoofcuffs on?” She gasped and looked at Luna, seemingly the only pony she trusted in the room. “Did they do something wrong? Is Cadenza in trouble for shaking her butt at me!?”

Bahamut wasn’t gonna touch that question.

“Well, you see, when a mare and stallion find out they have too much libido for a normal relationship-” Discord began.

“Stop right there, or I swear you’re going to the sun for a time out!” Celestia warned.

“I feel like an eighteenth wheel here,” Buzz muttered.

“Aww, I’m still your friend Mister Buzzy,” Tiny Twilight giggled. “You’re like… the only ‘not-weird’ grownup here.”

“Weird is relative, I can assure you on that,” he replied. “So… we’ve got both of the off-worlders together. Do we start making plans about what to do about their universes’ Exdeath?” he asked, catching everyone’s attention.

“Simple, get me back so I can Mega Flare his face,” Bahamut growled, slamming his fist into his palm. “Provided he hasn’t sent another Archfiend after us.”

“I didn’t like the zombie one,” Tiny Twi shivered. “That was scary…”

“‘Zombie one’? Was his name Scarmiglione?” Gilgamesh asked?

“Yeah, that’s the one,” Bahamut nodded. “Fighting him sucked, until a little rainbow filly punched him at mach ten.”

“Interesting. Who else have you fought?”

“Some wind user named…” Bahamut scratched his head.

“Barbariccia,” Twilight reminded him.

“Yeah, her,” Bahamut nodded. “According to Auric, there’s two more… ah crap,” he just realised he’d dropped Auric’s name. Ah well, they seemed mostly trustworthy.

“Oh shit, Auric!? As in ‘Auric Fulcrum!?’ Hot damn, it’s been… well, for me it’s been almost forty years since I last saw him!” Gilgamesh exclaimed. “Man, if you really couldn’t have asked for someone better to give you a hand.”

“Yeah? You know him?” Bahamut asked, folding his arms after finally putting Pinkie down. “Well, guess that makes this a lot easier then.”

“Are we going home?” Twilight asked.

“Looks like it,” Bahamut nodded and finally noticed Princess Twilight. “Oh hey, it’s grown up Starswirl. Well, at least you stayed cute…”

“‘Starswirl?’” Princess Twilight asked.

“GAH!” Tiny Twilight yelled. “He’s a butthead! He calls me that ALL. THE. TIME!!”

“Cause you remind me so much of him,” Bahamut chuckled and ruffled her mane. “Also, I’m trying not to notice that Cadenza is a freaking alicorn here. That… that just plain terrifies me.”

“Wait, I’m still a pegasus in your world?” Cadance asked, having finally gotten the hoofcuffs off of both her partners.

“And the differences keep piling up,” Gilgamesh quipped. “Anyway, some info for you. The last two Archfiends are Cagnazzo and Rubicante, water and fire, respectively. Cagnazzo has been known to magically disguise himself as other people, while Rubicante is actually an honorable warrior and prefers to fight fair. He is, however, the most powerful of the four.”

“Wonderful,” Bahamut sighed. “I hate shapeshifters, they’re a real pest…”

“Ahem!” Buzz, Nectar, and Chrysalis said at the same time.

“What?” Bahamut blinked and looked at the trio.

All three of them were engulfed in green flames for a moment. A moment later, Buzz looked like a red earth pony stallion with a blonde mane and tail, Nectar looked like Princess Cadance, and Chrysalis looked like Celestia. All three were glaring at him.

“Huh… shapeshifters… that are also bugs…” Bahamut smirked slightly. “My point still stands then~”

All three of them changed back. “Asshole,” the three changelings, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Princess Twilight, Shining Armor, and Cadance all said simultaneously.

“Poopy head,” Pinkie Pie added.

Bahamut just shrugged.

“Please forgive him… he’s a butthead,” Twilight said, bowing her head apologetically before looking up with those adorable round eyes.

All of them seized up except Discord, who put on a pair of shades, and Gilgamesh.

“Thank goodness I’ve built up an immunity,” Gilgamesh muttered. “Anyway, back to the Archfiends. Cagnazzo is weak to ice, but an attack where he gathers up water around him before unleashing the spell Tidal Wave. If you hit him a with a thunder spell when he’s charging up it’ll not only cause extra damage but cancel the spell, so keep an eye out. As for Rubicante, if he’s like his original counterpart he’ll fully heal all of his opponents before he starts the battle. Like I said, he’s an honorable warrior. However, although he’s weak to ice and water, his cloak actually absorbs those elements. It’s a bit counterintuitive, but attack him with fire spells when he’s cloaked, and use ice and water when he’s uncloaked. There’s some more nuance to the fights, but for the most part that’s the gist of how to beat them.”

“Alright, thanks for the heads up,” Bahamut said. “I suppose it’s better than just going out with pure power… though that’s worked so far.”

“Bahamut is super strong!” Tiny Twi agreed.

Gilgamesh chuckled. That soon lead into giggling, then outright boisterous laughter. Soon, everyone in the room aside from Bahamut and Ti Twi was laughing.

“W-What’s so funny?” Twilight sniffled and stomped a tiny indignant hoof. “Bahamut saved me and there others from a bunch of monsters. He helped Rainbow Dash recover from a terrible injury and… and… I won’t let you pick on him!!”

All the laughing stopped, some of them looking a bit ashamed.

“Sorry, Twilight. We didn’t mean it as an insult,” Fluttershy apologized.

“Yeah, all of those sound like pretty good things, especially coming from a meanie pants like him,” Pinkie added.

“It’s just that we’ve learned, sometimes the hard way, that anyone who thinks they’ll win because they’re the strongest is pretty much doomed if they go against a real warrior,” Rainbow Dash finished.

“So, what determines a real warrior then?” Bahamut questioned, also noting that a grown up Dashie was pretty cute. Damned ponies and their natural Adorableness stat. “Sometimes even the best of tactics are useless in the face of overwhelming power.”

“Is that what you think?” Gilgamesh asked. “Would you like to test that?” he said with a sinister grin.

Bahamut frowned. “You… want to fight me?”

“If you’re up to it. From what you’ve said it sounds like the only time you’ve ever been at full power was a thousand years ago. Considering their history with you, I wouldn’t be surprised if your Celestia and Luna made sure Twilight didn’t let you have your full power. Maybe you could both use the experience.”

“I’d…” Bahamut paused. Would it be possible? Could twilight’s body even handle summoning his full might?

“I… Princess Celestia said I shouldn’t…” Twilight stammered. “I… shouldn’t disobey her…”

“Hey Twi, she’s just like you back when we first met,” Applejack commented to the Princess.

“Yeah. I remember that whole ‘I must please the Princess at all times no matter what’ phase you went through,” Rainbow added.

“Well, little Twilight, let me ask you this: Why did Princess Celestia say you shouldn’t let Bahamut have his full power?” Gilgamesh asked.

“Because,” Bahamut interjected. “Releasing my full power might trigger Discord into escaping his stone seal. And we have enough trouble to deal with, without that lunatic running around… eh, no offense to this version.”

“Oh please, don’t mind me, do go on,” Discord replied, summoning himself a noblewoman’s dress, makeup, and an extravagant fan, blushing and batting his eyelashes. “Flattery will get you everywhere.” Celestia brought her hood to her mouth to suppress a giggle.

“Yeah… not touching that,” Bahamut commented and turned back to Gilgamesh. “I might pass. Not because of that, but because you look like the type that doesn’t hold back. And Twilight here gets hurt if I take too much damage.”

“No,” Twilight exclaimed, much to Bahamut’s surprise. “Let’s do it. They have a point, and that armoured guy seems dangerous. We… should accept their offer for some training.”

“You… sure?” Bahamut scratched his chin. “Hmm, any of you hornheads know healing magic?”

“Of course!” Princess Twilight replied.

“They’re not the only ones,” Fluttershy replied. “I’ve still got plenty of Cure tomes back at home.

“Good,” Bahamut nodded. “Then I’m leaving you in charge of looking after Twilight’s health.” He narrowed his eyes and sparks danced along his claws. “I’m trusting you with this. Don’t screw it up.”

“I promise she will not die nor sustain any permanent damage,” Gilgamesh vowed with a bow.

Bahamut snorted, but nodded none the less. “You’d better…” He looked around. “Shall we take this outside?”

“In a snap?” Discord answered, teleporting them all to an open plain. “But before this fight starts, I think we need to inform everyone else about what’s going on, right Tia?”

“My, actually being responsible for once? Are you sure you’re the same Draconequus I married?” she teased.

“I have my moments. Also, I think you all should make sure your family members and subjects know you’re ok.”

“Oh yeah, you did kind of foalnap us, didn’t you?” Chrysalis stated, unleashing her own reign of terror upon the many pans, causing mass destruction after their populations had finally begun to recover.

“Yeah, well teleport us quick! I want to be back to see Gilgamesh wipe the floor with him!” Rainbow exclaimed.

“Wow, my little fanfilly has soo much confidence in me,” Bahamut said flatly. The world of pans was silent. Not a single one remained after the absolute genocide.

“Hey, I’m not your Rainbow,” she said before she and everyone aside from Luna, both Twilights, Nectar, and Pinkie Pie disappeared in a flash.

“So, got a song request, or should I choose?” Gilgamesh asked.

“I… wat?” Bahamut blinked. “What, are you a bard class?”

“No no, I just a spell that lets me play music. It’s pretty nice for setting the tone or just if I want a jam. Observe,” he said before a guitar riff began to play, Gilgamesh playing air guitar along with the music.

“That… is a really weird spell,” Bahamut replied. “Maybe for a Bard, it’d be more useful, but why play music during battle? That sounds incredibly distracting.”

“If it distracts you, that just means it one more edge I have in battle.”

Bahamut clicked his tongue and tried casting Silence on him, curious to see if it would work.

“Oh, did you try to cast a spell on me? Sorry, but I’m completely immune to all ailments.”

“Tch! That’d be right,” Bahamut muttered. “Any other ridiculous advantages you have that you’d like to point out?”

Gilgamesh smirked. “Reveal my hand before the game even starts? What kind of fool do you take me for? Although, there is one power that I think I’ll show off before we start. Henshin.” A bright flash radiated from Gilgamesh. When it receded Gilgamesh was covered in a new set of armor, had four extra arms, and was almost twice as he was before. “I’m going to be using my final form against you. Don’t dissapoint me too much, God-King of Dragons.”

“You…” Bahamut stared up at the massive warrior. “Have got to be kidding me…”

At that moment everyone returned, with one extra in tow.

“Sup Gilgy? Discord said you needed someone to set the tone for an epic battle?” the white unicorn mare with a blue mane and pink sunglasses asked.

“Vinyl, great ta see ya! Yeah, that’d be great. Make sure to get some distance, ok?”

“No problem.” With a snap Discord teleported everyone except Tiny Twi, Gilgamesh and Bahamut away. In the distance, about twenty miles away was a row of bleachers and a two giant stereo sets.

“So then, whenever you’re ready, Twilight,” Gilgamesh said.

Twilight nodded and looked at Bahamut. The dragon couldn’t believe he was about to do this. He returned the nod and Twilight released the dragon’s power. A dark egg-shaped sphere surrounded him… before it started to crack and light spilled forth, then his true form was revealed. He let loose a mighty roar, one that sent shockwaves out from around him, they very ground trembling.

“...Five.”

Gilgamesh smiled. “What do you know? I might actually have to try to beat you. Now, first rule of any fight: Cover your weaknesses. If I’m not mistaken, I could beat you right now in one move.”

“Oh? Confident are we?” Bahamut snorted. “Let’s see how—”

“Indeed. Like this,” Gilgamesh said, summoning a machine gun. He then aimed and fired… At Twilight.

The filly screamed in terror at the bullets landed around her. Thankfully it was just a quick burst and it wasn’t intended to hit her.

“Understand now? The fastest way to beat you would just be to kill her. What use is all your power against that?”

The dragon clenched a fist. He was right… he knew he was right.

It didn’t stop the unfathomable rage inside of him though. How dare he attack Twilight!!

“HOW DARE YOU!! FIRAJA!” The dragon bellowed, the fourth level Fire spell detonated, the immense heat from the incinerating flames could be felt, even at the back of the stands.

“I’m impressed,” came a voice from within the flames, revealing an only slightly blackened Gilgamesh. “I actually felt that.”

“I…” Bahamut blinked. Okay, he knew it wasn’t going to be easy but… He roared as his wings flared and the scales inside started to glow. “Then, try my Impulse on for size!” Dozens of vector-changing lasers razed the battlefield.

“Not bad,” came a voice from behind. Bahamut turned to be struck in the face by three right hooks at once. The force actually snapped his head back and stumble back a few steps. He turned back and saw Gilgamesh flying via a pair of red dragon wings. “Let’s see what else you got.”

“Stopga!” The dragon growled, massive clocks appearing as he attempted to stop time itself for Gilgamesh.

“Oh, so sorry. I’m immune to that too. Now the real question is are you? TOKE WO TOMARE!”

The next thing Bahamut knew he was on his back, his head throbbing and a sharp pain along his chest. He looked down and saw two slash marks across his chest making an “X” shape. He looked up and saw Gilgamesh hold a blue lighting-shaped sword in one hand.

“I knew you were arrogant, but I didn’t realize how much. Is this all the great God-King of Dragons can do? Cast some debuff spells and some AOE magic attacks? I have soldiers in my own armies who can do the same and better, and they’re not even immortal.”

“Craaaap, this is gettin’ intense!” Vinyl cheered as she fixed up her sound system and started the new song she’d been working on.

“...Four…” the dragon rumbled as he got up. “You okay Twi?”

“I-I’m fine,” she panted, holding a hoof to her burning chest. “Give him what for!”

“As you wish,” the dragon smirked, before unleashing a punch, the force behind it equal to a few full-speed trains! Amazingly, Gilgamesh just stayed still and took the hit straight on. However, instead of sending him flying, Bahamut found himself picked up by his arm and slammed into the ground on his back.

“If you’re really familiar with all the classes you can give others, than you should know about the Monk and Master classes. Did you think that just because you were big you had no need of martial arts training?” Gilgamesh chided.

Bahamut grunted as he was slammed into the ground. “I lack human form, nor can I use skills of physical classes,” the dragon said as he rolled over. He swung out with his tail, catching Gilgamesh in the leg. However, the blow did nothing, catching against his body. “Wh-What!?”

“Oh it hurts so much to see your confidence shatter. You know what, I’m feeling generous so I’ll tell you what just happened. You see, I have the ability to absorb energy. All kinds of energy, magical, electrical, you name it. That’s why your Firaja spell barely did anything, I absorbed most of it.”

“What the hell does that have to do with this?” Bahamut asked as he backed up.

“Like I said, I can absorb all kinds of energy. Including kinetic energy.” He then appeared right in front of Bahamut’s chest in a burst of speed. “And more importantly, whatever I absorb, I can unleash.” Gilgamesh extended one hand and touched Bahamut’s chest. A moment later the dragon was hit with what felt like a freight train slamming into him, knocking the wind out of his lungs and sending him flying several yards. “Of course there’s a limit to how much I can absorb without release before I have negative effects. Would you like to test that? Or do you want a handicap?”

Twilight coughed as she felt that blow, doubling over as she fought the urge to vomit. Gilgamesh was… he was so powerful.

“T-Three…” the dragon groaned as he slowly got up.

“Bahamut!’ Twilight called, an idea forming. “He said he can absorb energy… he never said he could absorb different kind simultaneously.”

Bahamut grinned. “Triple!” he uttered, casting the spell that could let him Multicast. “Now! Firaga, Blizzaga, Thundaga!”

The three spells took shape, all aimed at the armoured warrior. They shot forwards and struck Gilgamesh at the same time. Unfortunately, it seemed Gilgamesh could absorb more than one kind of energy at once. However, doing so seemed to strain his concentration, and causing him some pain, leaving an opening.

“Two…” The dragon focused his mana, building it to powerful levels. “Let my power dance in light and sing in shadow…” he uttered as a sphere started to form above Gilgamesh’s head.

“ULTIMA!!” 

The attack slammed into Gilgamesh, unleashing a giant explosion that was easily felt back by the stand, to the point that Shining Armor and Cadance had to put up barrier to protect them from the shockwave. As the smoke cleared Gilgames was standing in a crater, obviously damaged but still with plenty of energy to go.

He chuckled. “That the best you got?”

Bahamut smirked as he landed on all fours. His mouth opened as it vented excess energy and his smile widened.

“...One!”

Twilight yelped and turned to the others. Particularly the alicorns as she ran towards them. “Shield. Barrier. Use them. USE THEM ALL!!!”

“You say overwhelming power isn’t enough… well let’s see then,” Bahamut growled as a light built up in his chest and moved up his throat. “My ultimate skill,”

“MEGAFLARE!!!”

The resulting blast was one of the most powerful things that this world had ever felt. Miles of land was destroyed, and the heat glassed the ground it didn’t destroy. After about a minute a flash came and everyone returned, Discord having decided to teleport them all to the other side of the planet rather than risk a barrier breaking.

Bahamut looked at the mile long trench he’d blasted in the ground and winced. He’d.. not meant to put his full power into that. “Um… Gilgy… you dead?”

“Oh, don’t worry about me,” came a voice. As the smoke cleared Gilgamesh was standing there looking completely smug as a blue aura covered his body. “I’m perfectly fine.”

Bahamut couldn’t believe his eyes. He hadn’t suffered any additional damage. He looked no worse for wear than after taking the Ultima blast.

“Wha… How-!?”

“I should mentioned I know almost every spell from the Final Fantasy series. Including Perfect Defense. For about five minutes I’m completely Invulnerable to all kinds of damage.” He then raised a hand and Bahamut. “By the way, I know it won’t be as powerful as yours, but I’d like to thank you for letting me finally see Megaflare. Allow me to… return it.”

Bahamut’s eyes widened as he saw his ultimate attack coming right back at him. Sure it was maybe only half the power of what he unleashed, but it was still Megaflare.

The light washed over him, Bahamut focusing all his power left into defensive magicks. If he was lucky, Twilight wouldn’t feel too much of this if he soaked up the damage.

When the blast faded, the dragon fell to the ground. Power fled his body, reducing him to the adolescent form he took. He was breathing heavily, but still conscious at least.

“D-Dammit…” he muttered.

“Do you understand now?” Gilgamesh asked as he stepped in front him. “I didn’t use half of what I had available to beat you. I can make my skin harder than any metal. I can literally punch magic into oblivion. I can stop time, clone myself, control gravity, manipulate shadows, more things than you can possibly be prepared for. But all of it would be pointless without my most useful and dangerous weapon.” He then pointed to his head. “This right here. This is most useful tool of any real warrior. From the start I goaded you into unleashing the most powerful attacks you had. I made sure your anger clouded your judgment, that your frustration that your attacks weren’t working would make you want to use bigger and more destructive attacks. I let you know how one of my techniques worked, made you believe it was my trump card, and let you think you found a way to beat it. And then, when you gave it everything you could, I’d pull the rug right out from under you. Despite all your power, as far as being a strategist is concerned, you’re barely a rookie. And I played you like a fiddle every step of the way.”

Bahamut sat there, annoying with himself… annoyed with Gilgamesh… annoyed with his own damnable weakness.

“So…” the dragon said quietly. “How do I fix it…?”

“You’re strong, Bahamut, and so you’ve thought like a strong being. And that’s the problem. You need to think like a weakling. Stop trying to overpower your opponents, and instead cripple them. Take away every advantage they have, give yourself every advantage you can, make them feel trapped, and when they’re overcome with grief and doubt, go for the kill. There is no such thing as fighting dirty, there are no cheap shots, and there are no rules. The battle isn’t over until someone dies, so never be afraid to flee and try again later. Think like a weakling, Bahamut. That is how you’ll win.”

“I guess… I need to train myself… as well as those fillies,” the dragon admitted as Discord warped back and the ponies got to see the destruction that the battle had wrought. Tiny Twilight looked extremely weary, like she’d just run a marathon.

“You did good there Twilight,” Gilgamesh said. “Though it didn’t work it was good that you came up with an idea. I know a lot of summoners who just sit back and hope their summon spirit wins without any guidance. Keep that proactive approach, and compensate for this numbskull’s lack of forethought.”

“Will do Mister Gilgy Sir!” she said, saluting wearily.

Gilgamesh nodded and raised his hand at her before casting a Curaja spell. Twilight was feeling much better after that and Bahamut’s pain ebbed away a bit as well.

“Now, are you sure you don’t want any of us coming along to help you deal with Exdeath and Alex?” Gilgamesh asked the dragon.

“No, the risk of Discord breaking out before we’re ready is too great… besides,” the dragon stood up, casting healing magicks on himself as well. “If we start leaning on others when something gets tough, then we’ll get too dependant.”

“True enough. Still, allow us to send some tools to make things a bit easier for you.” He then turned to Luna. “Honey, could you get a set of elite armor for a pegasus?”

“Are you sure?” Luna asked. “I’m all for helping them as well, but we can’t just go hoofing those out to whomever.”

“We can spare one.”

“Alright then,” she replied before disappearing in a flash of teleportation.

“Fluttershy, did you bring the any Cure tomes?”

“Yes I did. I made sure to bring a few, just in case,” she replied, pulling a heavy tome with a white cover out of her saddle bag.

“Did you happen to bring a language tome as well?”

“Oh, no. I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine. Twilight?”

Both Twilight’s turned and looked at him. “Yes?” they replied in unison.

Gilgamesh groaned. “Princess Twilight.”

“Daddy calls me his little Princess,” Tiny Twi said with a wide smile. Bahamut silently approved of her newfound trolling powers.

Gilgamesh rolled his eyes. “Twi, go get a language tome and all the support tomes.”

“Check,” she replied disappearing in her own teleportation flash just as Luna reappeared.

“Here we go. Anything else?” Luna asked.

“Nah, I can handle the rest myself,” he said pulling out a notepad and pen before he began scribbling in it. As he did Twilight returned with three tomes, one grey, one green, and one orange. Gilgamesh finished writing in the notepad before pulling out a letter. “Let’s see…” he pondered for a minute before writing down on the paper. After a few minutes he placed the letter in an envelope and sealed it with wax. He then pulled out two cassette tapes and a cassette player. Finally, he held both hands out in front of him and created six pink ribbons out of thin air.

“...What the heck is all this?” Bahamut blinked as Tiny Twilight’s eyes widened and she beamed brightly.

“BOOKS!” she cheered, gathering up all the tomes and went to open the first to start reading. “Books! Books! Books~”

…

…

“WHAT!?” Twi shrieked. “I… I can’t read…” She made a noise not unlike a pouting puppy. “Books?”

“Not yet you can’t,” he said before picking up the grey one. “These are all written in an ancient and powerful magic language, these words themselves having power. This tome here contains the information on how to read and write it. Once you study enough it will ‘click’ in your mind and you’ll be able to read and write these words as if you had been taught them all your life. Another Displaced we met long ago helped us by creating these tomes. Because of how it works, any creature can cast these spells no matter how much magic they have, so long as they have the knowledge and skill.” He picked up the white one. “This one will let you cast Cure, Revive, and Esuna spells.” He picked up the green one. “This will let you cast defensive spells like Protect, Shell, Wall, Reflect, and Regen.” He then grabbed the orange one. “And this will let you cast buffing spells like Saber and Haste. All very basic but very necessary spells that you and your friends will probably learn later, but can help you now. Also, since they run off their own magic, if a non-mage class can use them. However, since they use their own magic, you’ll need to write a new tome when it runs out.”

“Hmm, well Moondancer is our resident White Mage-in training,” Bahamut noted. “Still, they’ll be useful for non-magic users… Provided we can actually get home that is.”

“You will. The rest will be explained in the letter,” Gilgamesh replied.

“Oh! Can I add something?” Discord asked, then snapped and created a small box covered with polka-dots, not waiting for a response. “Here you go!” he said, giving it to Tiny Twilight.

“Um… Mommy says I shouldn’t accept presents from strange grownups,” Twilight pointed out.

Discord groaned while everyone else chuckled.

“You’re so innocent and naive it’s almost unbearable,” he complained. “Look, just take it. It’s something that you can use if you’re ever in a pinch,” he explained before handing it over to her.

“‘A pinch?’” she asked as she began to open it.

“Ah ah ah!” Discord warned before pressing his claw on it and keeping it closed. “Something to use in your darkest hour, when it looks like you’ve got no hope. Careful though, it only works once.”

“I’ll hang on to that,” Bahamut said, taking the strange package. “Sorry, but my current track record with you isn’t the greatest.”

“Fair enough. But just to let you know, I made so that only she can open it.”

“Aw, look at you being helpful for once,” Celestia teased.

“I have my moments,” he replied proudly.

“Also, it might be best let you know what you could be up against in the future,” Gilgamesh began. “Believe me, even without Exdeath, Alex, and those monsters in your world, Discord is far from the only thing you have to worry about.”

“Figures,” Bahamut sighed. “I know the princesses had to deal with some crap while i was sealed away. Well whatever, we’ll deal with those as they come.” He set the box down with the rest of the items. “Still… i wonder how we’re going to get…”

And as he said that, a rippling portal appeared.

“...home?” Bahamut blinked. “This uh… seems oddly convenient.”

“Of course it is, the writers decide it was time for this crossover to be over,” Gilgamesh said.

Bahamut and Twilight both blinked “... What?”

“Nothing. Anyway, anything the rest of you want to say?”

Chrysalis cleared her throat. “Um, I don’t know exactly how this might work considering the changes, but keep an eye out for your version of the changelings, will you? In some versions of Equestria we’re just starving and pushed into conflict, others we want revenge against the ponies, and some version of us are unfortunately outright evil. Also, we may or may not even exist in your universe so play it by ear, I believe is how the expression goes.”

“Noted,” Bahamut said, before the portal shimmered and somepony stepped out, a pink pegasus mare in blue and a silver, draconic-shaped armour.

“I FUCKING swear!” Cadenza yelled. “If this is the wrong SUNDAMNED world again, I will nail Celestia’s teats to the floor with her fucking teeth!!”

Everyone just stared at the new arrival for a few moments.

“Dear Faust, I’m a bitch!” Cadance commented.
`
Cadenza looked at her alicorn doppelganger and raised an eyebrow. “Dear fucking Faust. I’m a little filly’s toy…” Then she spied Tiny Twi, squeed, and scooped her up into a hug.

“Can’t… breathe… bleh!” Twilight groaned.

“Well, not a complete bitch,” Shining Armor added.

Cadenza looked up and her eyes widened. She set Twilight down and sauntered over to him. “Well now~” she purred, dragging her sweet-scented tail under his nose. “How about you and me spend some quality time later~ I’m very good with a spear~”

“Excuse me!?” Cadance and Chrysalis both asked, glaring at Cadenza with enough hatred that they hoped to melt her face off.

Cadenza eyed up Princess Cadance. “Well, I suppose you can play too. It’s not much different to masturbation I suppose…”

Both of their jaws dropped.

“This. Is. GOLD!” Discord squeed.

“I totally picked the right song for you,” Gilgamesh muttered.

“Sorry, you may be another version of my wife, but you are not my type,” Shining Armor replied, trying to look serious despite his beet-red face. “Now if you could take your Twilight back to her parents and let them know she’s ok, I would appreciate it.”

“Psht, you’re no fun at all,” Cadenza huffed and turned. “Bahamut! Where are you!”

The dragon was slowly creeping away with Twilight under his arm, and the items under the other. He flinched when he heard her voice.

“Crapcrapcrap!” he started to run, but Cadenza was faster. She glided over to him and landed in front of him, saying some things the others couldn’t quite hear. But… so far the drake seemed to be keeping his ability to live.

“Okay, this has become awkward enough. Say hi to Auric for me!” Gilgamesh called before summoning up a blast of wind that forced them into the portal which closed after them. “Jeez that was awkward.”

“Clones.”

Everyone turned to Shining Armor who seemed to be lost in thought.

“Magic clones,” he whispered.

Cadance’s face flushed with embarrassment and anger. “SHINING ARMOR! YOU CAN’T SERIOUSLY BE THINKING OF-!”

“I’m fine with it,” Chrysalis interrupted.

“Wh-What!?” Cadance asked.

“And I know you are too,” she added with a sultry gaze.

Cadance’s face flushed even redder before turning away. “Yeah, I guess…” she muttered.

“And speaking of embarrassing things in the bedroom, I’ve got a date! Later!” Pinkie exclaimed before dashing off.

“End of scene and fade to black,” Gilgamesh announced to you. Yes, you.