//------------------------------// // To Fight A Monster... // Story: The Mighty Warrior of Epicness // by shinigamisparda //------------------------------// That was certainly an impressive haul last night. Not only did I manage to recover my claw blades and my flail but I also got the four machine guns and two rocket launchers from my final form. I tried to transform into it, but no luck. Either I needed to recover all the weapons from my final form, or I needed to fill in the requirements for my previous two forms first. Knowing my luck, I’d guess the latter. And to keep my spirits up I actually found the direction of another weapon, and judging by the movement of the needle it was close. Not sure why the Compass didn’t pick it up before, maybe because it was a smaller number than the eight in Canterlot, but I decided to wait until the next day to head for it. After all, a man needs his sleep. And a full stomach. The next day when I woke up I ate some wild berries, had some water, and followed Jack’s Compass (which I had started calling it now) to a cave in the Everfree Forest, one that seemed oddly familiar. Shrugging off the feeling, I entered only to find a mountain of gemstones. Oh. Well that narrows it down. Soon enough I felt the temperature begin to rise, along with the humidity. I turned to see the very same green dragon from the “Owl’s Well That Ends Well” episode. “What are you doing in my cave?” he growled. Of course, the dragon’s intimidating appearance didn’t shake me a bit. Hard to be scared when I gave the Dragon King Crimsonwing a smack down. Admittedly I was at full power when I did it but he didn’t pose much of a challenge, and this guy could hardly be called an equal. Still, I wasn’t looking for a fight. Maybe he could actually be reasoned with. “Hail and fair met, noble dragon. So sorry for disturbing your home, however I have reason to believe an item that belongs to me is here. If I could simply retrieve it I will be on my way.” The dragon chuckled. “Something that belongs to you? Everything here belongs to me!” he declared, extending the spikes in his tail. So much for the gentle approach. Now with the “know your place” approach. “It would seem sir that you are no warrior, otherwise you would know the first rule of combat,” I stated simply before quickly swinging up the blunt end of my naginata and striking him in the chin with enough force to smash his head into the ceiling. He held there for a second before falling back to the ground. “Never underestimate your opponent.” The dragon shook himself out his stupor before turning and swinging his tail at me, which I blocked with one hand before grabbing one of the spikes and hurling him across the cavern into a wall. He growled as he stood up and inhaled sharply. In response I casted Shell on myself and simply stood there as he breathed fire on me. The effect was nothing compared to Celestia’s Sunfire magic. As I casually swatted away a few errant sparks he just stared in complete shock. “Wh-Who are you? What are you!?” “Oh? You don’t recognize me? I would have thought the dragons would have remembered, considering the mark I left on their history. Though maybe you were too young at the time. Perhaps you have heard of the mighty Gilgamesh?” I saw his eyes shrink to pinpricks in response. “N-No. Y-You c-can’t b-be. G-Gilgamesh the Dragon Smasher is a m-myth. A sp-pook story. You can’t be him!” I smirked and decided to play with him a bit more. “Ah yes, that was the title I had been given after defeating King Crimsonwing, wasn’t it? Honestly I was never fond of it. It sounded too… harsh. ‘The Mighty Gilgamesh’ will always do for me.” There was moment wait before he leaped at his horde and began shoving the gemstones at me. “TAKE IT! TAKE ALL OF IT! JUST DON’T HURT ME!” “Calm yourself, drake, I only seek what belongs to me. You may keep everything else.” He paused then relaxed a bit, dropping the gems in his claws. “W-What do you need, oh great one?” I decided to ignore the obvious attempt to appease me in favor of getting to the point. “There is an item, possibly more than one here, that belongs to me. It would be a weapon of some sort.” “B-But, I don’t have a-anything like that. Only gems.” “Are you sure?” I asked, my tone implying he was lying. “According to this it should be-“ I pulled out Jack’s Compass and saw something odd. I took a few steps in a few directions to confirm the oddity. “Right here. How odd. Unless…” I changed to hold the device vertically and saw what I expected. “Below. But how would I get to it?” “Oh! Um, I may know, your greatness,” the dragon said. “I’m listening.” He nodded nervously before stepping near the back of the cave. He touched a part of the wall, which then receded inward, causing a passageway to reveal itself. “This was already a part of this cave when I arrived. It was too small so I never really bothered with it,” he explained, looking at me nervously. It was the kind of look a child gave a parent when they were afraid they didn’t do something well enough. “I see. I thank thee for thy aid, dragon,” I said as I approached. I saw him visibly sigh in relief. “Now before I go dragon, I… I’m sorry, I’ve been rather rude, haven’t I? What is your name?” “Um, it’s Everflame, sir.” “Everflame then. I thank you for having helped me in my quest. However, you did also impede it. Therefore…” I saw him gulp in response, shaking in fear as I let the sentence remain unfinished for dramatics’ sake. “I’m afraid I’ve decided that you are indebted to me. In the future I may ask for your assistance in some matter. I know not what now, but when I do request it, you will accept. Understand?” “Y-Yes sir.” “Oh, and if you have left when I intend to make good on my request, I will be quite… irked if we cross paths again. Do I make myself clear?” “C-Clear as the clearest sapphires, o-oh great one.” “Good. I bid thee good day then,” I said before walking inside the passage to find a descending staircase. I didn’t really intend to make him do anything for me, but it might be good to have a dragon in my debt for the future. Also, it was just fun to fuck with him. OH. MY. FUCKING. GOD. SO. MANY. STAIRS. It had to have been at least a half an hour since I started descending the hidden staircase before I finally reached the bottom. And most of it I spent running. Running! WHO THE HELL DESIGNED THIS PASSAGE, SOMBRA!? I sighed and looked around. The room was large, at least big enough to fit an entire house inside of, and in the center resting on a pedestal was- Oh you have got to be freaking kidding me. The Genji Shield. On the one hand, it was mine and I was glad to have it back. On the other, it wasn’t one of my weapons. I guess Celestia and Luna decided it was something worth storing away from me after I pulled a Captain America in one of our fights. The fact was, aside from its passive abilities, I barely used the thing, as using my naginata required two hands and I was more prone to dodging than taking a hit. Oh well. A gain is a gain. I calmly strolled over and removed the shield from the pedestal and clipped it to my back. I turned to head back out the way I came when a giant portal opened up directly in my path. “That’s as far as you go. You will not regain your full power! Prepare to die!” A creature pulled itself out of the Rift. It stood nearly twice the size of Everflame, walked on four clawed legs, and had two clawed arms. A long slender tail moved behind it and four curled horns protruded from its head, framing its white eyes. Its mouth possessed both fangs and tusks and it seemed to produce fire by just casually breathing. It’s shiny and leathery skin only emphasized its ridiculous muscles. But worse than all that, I recognized it, and not from Equestria. Holy shit, its Twintania. WHAT THE FUCK IS HE DOING HERE!? In my shock I barely registered that it was charging until the last moment, thankfully managing to dodge the beast. Ok. I think I might be in trouble. If I had my second or even my first transformation I might be able to do this, but that ain’t happening. The monster turned and unleashed the Snowstorm spell at me, which I countered with a combination of Wind Slash and Laser Barrage. Ok, I need some help. But who-? If I wasn’t in the middle of fighting I would’ve smacked myself for being so stupid. I pulled out the first token I could grab, a vial of blue liquid that swirled and pulsed causing the inside to resemble a double-helix. This should be interesting. I held the vial aloft. “Unstoppable pursuer, implacable hunter, hear me! I, The Mighty Gilgamesh, ronin of the multiverse, call upon thy ferocity and strength for aid! Answer my call and come to me, NEMESIS!” The vial glowed for a brief moment, then there was a bright flash and a large swirling vortex made up of a multitude of colors appeared near the ceiling of the large chamber. Shortly after, a massive figure fell through. He fell the short distance to the ground, landing with a loud bang that left a crater where he landed. He stood in a crouched position at first, but then he rose to his full height, a full head taller than me. In his right hand he clutched a large rocket launcher, the rest of his mutated body was covered by a long overcoat, save for his shoulders which were exposed. He scanned the immediate area, stopping when he saw me. Then came a voice, but not from his mouth, but rather what seemed to be straight from the mind. "Well, I have to say, you’re a sight for sore eyes. First actual human I’ve seen in...what has it been? 1200 years? 1300 years? The beast grunted. "Ah what does it matter...You are the one who summoned me?" "Yup. And in case you're wondering why," I began before pointing behind him. He turned and saw Twintania glaring at him. "Oh." "So yeah, really hoping that rocket launcher has unlimited ammo just like in the game." "So, another Displaced, is it?" the beast asked, flame leaping from its mouth with every word."Bah. No matter. I will destroy you both!" 'Displaced?' What's he talking about? Oh, is that the name for guys like me? But wait, how does he know? Upon hearing Twitania, Nemesis began to growl, his eye glowing red as he stared down the beast. “STAAAARS!” “He sounds a little too confident for my tastes. Do you want him alive for any reason? I’m eager to make this bastard eat his words.” "Oh please, by all means, blow his ass to tiny little pieces. Also, love the battle cry, sends shivers down my spine even after all these years. And while you're here, let's set the mood." I activated the song spell and began playing Nemesis' theme from Marvel v Capcom 3. He turned to me and gave an expression that I guessed was surprise. "How did-?" "Talky later, fighty now. GILGAMESH!" I cried as I launched myself into air and at Twintania. I managed to get it off guard and use my Naginata to slam its head to the ground. Unfortunately it recovered sooner than I thought and smacked me with its head as it rose, sending me smashing into the ceiling. I hung there for a moment before falling down, where I could see his arm raised to slash at me. Oh crap. The sound of a jet filled the room, and after a bright flash and a loud explosion Twintania was sent stumbling backwards with a roar of pain before he could finish his attack, a fresh black spot staining his body right below the arm he had raised. On the other side of the room, Nemesis calmly pointed his rocket launcher up to the ceiling, thrusting it up and down. The weapon made a sound almost akin to a shotgun cycling its rounds as he levelled the launcher on his shoulder, taking aim again. “Forgetting someone aren’t we?” Nemesis had a grin on his face, or at least what could be assumed as a grin, as he let loose another rocket, the sound of a jet filling the room again as the rocket honed onto its target. The beast responded by casting Atomic Ray, firing a beam of fire at the B.O.W. while also blowing up the missile mid-air, and firing another at me as I stood up. I managed to leap out of the way and doge it. Nemesis wasn't so lucky and took the blast right in the chest, propelling him back into the wall. Stones fell on top of him, hiding him from view. The monster turned to me. "And now for-" "ROCKET PUNCH!" I shouted and nailed him in face with the two flying boxing gloves. I then dashed forwards and sliced at his front legs, drawing blood before jumping straight up and slamming my head into his chin. Before he could react I pushed off his chest and launched several yards away, well out of his arms' reach. "You only delay the inevitable! You have already seen me destroy one of you!" I smirked. "Oh really? 'Cause to me it doesn't look like you destroyed jack shit." He looked like he was about to respond, but what happened next drowned out any response he could have come up with. “STAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARS!” He made to turn around to face the voice that came from behind him, but something wrapped around his back leg and yanked hard to the side, causing him to lose his footing as he was thrown violently against a wall on the far side of the chamber, causing the room to shake a little. Nemesis was standing outside of the hole in the wall that Twintania had blasted him into, a tentacle quickly retracting itself into his hand. Aside from a burn mark on his overcoat and a pissed off expression though, he looked untouched. “Perks of being a mutated monster,” Nemesis spoke, his eye burning red. “I’m really hard to get rid of.” "Yeah, no shit man. I think only the Terminator is more infamous for being an unstoppable relentless killing machine." "ENOUGH OF THIS!" Twintania shouted before beginning to inhale. As it did the flames from inside its mouth began to change from red to bright blue. Oh shitmuffins. I quickly cast Shell on both myself and my ally before pulling the Genji Shield off my back. I promise never to think of you as useless again. "What was that? What's going on?" Nemesis asked. "Let's just say that durability of yours is about to be tested." I replied before crouching down and hiding my body behind the thankfully large shield. "MEGA FLARE!" My ears were instantly ringing as I felt myself hit with the force of a speeding bullet train, or maybe Celestia's fat flank if she managed to crash into me after performing a Sonic Rainboom. The explosion hurled me across the room faster than I could blink and I became imbedded into the wall. My body ached all over, but thankfully Shell seemed to do its job, and I didn't seem to be suffering any serious pain. As I slowly pulled myself out of the earthen wall I looked over to see that Nemesis was already out, a bit blackened and obviously hurt but still raring to go. Unfortunately, he dropped his rocket launcher. "DIE, YOU COCKROACHES!" I looked ahead to see Twintania charging like a bull, head lowered and headed right towards my mutated companion. "STAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARS!" He shouted and barreled forward. The the two met and, to my utter shock, stopped each other. After struggling for a moment Nemesis growled and, with obvious effort, lifted the massive beast over his head before hurling it across the room. Good cripes! I mean, sure, I'm even stronger at full power, but still! Dude is a beast! Is this what it feels like to watch me work? With one last grunt of effort I pulled myself from the wall and landed on the ground. I picked up the Genji Shield and clipped it to my back before picking up my Naginata. Things weren't going badly for us, but I decided to end this now. It worked in the game, so hopefully it'll work here. "ZANTETSUKEN!" I shouted before slicing the air at my opponent, sending out a blade of energy. It met and then passed through him. He didn't move for a moment, and then he began to slide apart, being cut vertically. Before falling to the floor his body began to dissolve with a rumbling noise before it faded to nothing. "Looks like he just couldn't keep himself together! Haha! Heh... Wow that was lame even for my bad pun standards." I saw Nemesis pick up his rocket launcher before turning to me. "Your jokes are bad and you should feel bad. Also, what the hell was that? Why did you call me if you could've done that to him?" "Actually, Zantetsuken is a one-hit-kill move that either works or doesn't. Twintania isn't vulnerable to moves like that until after using Mega Flare for the first time. Speaking of, you ok? That's one of the most destructively powerful spells in the entire series." He looked over himself briefly before looking back up at me. “Nothing I won’t recover from, I think. It hurt like hell, but it’ll heal.” He shifted his gaze to the shield on my back. “So that’s what this was about then? That thing must’ve been pretty important if it was being guarded by something like that.” "Well, it's important to me, one of the many items and weapons I've been trying to get to regain my full power. As for what he was doing here, I'm not sure. I mean, he seemed to want to kill me and keep me from regaining my former strength, but I've no idea where he came from. He's the first thing I've seen here that wasn't native to Equus. I mean, think I would've noticed a Final Fantasy villain on the show." “Losing your weapons eh? I know that feeling, Sunbutt and Moony Mare locked me away in stone for a thousand years for ‘seeking to bring Equestria to its knees’.” He said the last part with heavy sarcasm. "Oh, believe me, I know what that's like. She thinks I'm trying to start up a world war when really all I want is a good fight." “She can’t see past her own goddamn muzzle. If it wasn’t enough that she made me lose a thousand years of my life in a stone prison, either her and her sister or the ponies I’m hunting down broke into my secret bunker in the Everfree and took all my weapons!” He growled under his breath. “Not that I won’t find them eventually, it’s just really annoying to have to deal with, especially when one of the ponies who may have done it are ponies that you’re trying to help.” He grunted, turning to look at where Twintania had faded away. “As for what he was doing here, I have a theory. Much as in back in my Equestria, once I arrived it didn’t take long for Ellura to take root.” He said the name ‘Ellura’ with hatred in his voice. ""Ellura"? That some kinda perfume?" He chuckled at that for a moment before turning serious again. “Afraid not. Think of them like a pony Umbrella. They took blood that I’d lost in my battle with Sunbutt and Moony Mare, and began to play with it. It wasn’t too long after that, they developed a ‘cure’ for the virus I was accidentally spreading around. There IS no cure for the T-virus.” Nemesis began to growl. “After that, they took the sample they’d gotten from me and distributed it across Equestria in the name of ‘scientific discovery’ when in reality all they’re doing is turning innocent ponies into bloodthirsty monsters with no soul, all in the name of ‘science.’” I was too stunned to respond to that. His dimension actually had a pony version of Umbrella. That's beyond bad. Nemesis shook his head and turned to face me again. “What I mean by all of that is maybe your presence here affected something? I know it did in mine, and I keep wondering to myself every day what it’d be like if I’d never shown up.” Then he heard the last part of what I said and his eye narrowed. “...show? What show?” I just stood there for a minute trying to process everything he said. "Ok, let's start with more lighthearted part of this: does the name 'My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic' mean anything to you?" He stood still for a moment, mulling the question over before his eye widened and he looked at me. “...Oh you’ve gotta be shitting me.” He put a hand over his face, releasing a sigh. “I mean, I wasn’t a brony hater or anything but...really?! That’s what this is?!” I couldn't help it, I burst out laughing. "Are you serious!? You had no idea what you're dealing with!? I mean, I can understand if you never watched the show but how could you be completely unfamiliar with any of it!? It's inescapable on the net!" To my surprise, he started laughing too. If a deep-throated harsh grating sound could be called ‘laughter’ anyways. “You know, most people in my position might be pretty upset upon learning that they’ve been locked away for a thousand years in a dimension that’s based off of a show about cartoon ponies, but honestly, after being through the shit I’ve been through, I’m not really surprised. As for never hearing about it, to be perfectly honest it never really interested me. Looking back, I can’t even believe I didn’t recognize those six mares who were with the princesses sooner! They were everywhere!” He shook his head. “I’ll worry about it later….if what you say is true though, and this dimension is based off of a cartoon show...do events that occur here follow the show?” "Well, in my dimension they do, at least so far. Then again, I haven't been getting too involved in everything here. Despite me beating Celestia into submission she still showed up at what would've been the end of the second season's third episode to fix a mess that Twilight caused. Oh, Twilight is the purple unicorn, by the way. Full name Twilight Sparkle." “Yeah, I had a run-in with her already. I was trying to find some information on Ellura, the old castle library was out of date, so I had to sneak into the library in Ponyville, which I guess she lives in. She caught me hiding in her closet and thought I was going to…” He shuddered. “...I don’t really want to talk about it.” "Pfft! What, did she have some embarrassing role play items in there? Don't tell me she's into BDSM or some kinky shit like that, because if so I think I might die laughing!" “I have no idea, I don’t want to know, but I could’ve sworn I saw a collar or something in there...just...ugh…” I couldn't help it, I collapsed as I roared with laughter, banging my fist on the ground. "OH GOD, LEAVE IT TO NERDY ONES TO BE THE FREAKY ONES! HAHAHAHAHA!" I kept laughing for a few moments before I remembered the more serious part of this conversation and pulled myself together. "Sorry, I needed that. But on to more pressing matters." I calmed myself and looked to him with a serious expression. "This Ellura, are they really as big and powerful as Umbrella was?" He nodded, looking grim. “Discord and I spent the first 200 years of my time there building weaponry and sabotaging their operations before Celestia imprisoned me. I can only imagine that they’ve grown since then, though Celestia seems to think that they’re bloody guardian angels.” He growled again. "Great. Leave it to her royal stubbornness to be blind. This isn't the first time I've heard of it happening." I sighed, trying decide where to start. "Ok, first things first, major events that happened on the show. I'm assuming Discord was recently restored?" Nemesis nodded again. “He was, he got imprisoned again recently though. He was actually the one who gave me my launcher back.” He held his launcher up as he mentioned it. "Alright then. Well, there's a lot of stuff to cover, so I'll try to be brief..." About thirty minutes later I had told him everything about the show that might be important. I of course mentioned Chrysalis and the Changelings (whose very existence surprised him and made him worry about what Ellura might do with them), Sombra (who apparently was enough of a threat to make them stop chasing Nemesis for a while), Twilight becoming an alicorn (which hilariously he flinched at), as well as the Plunder Seeds (making him actually worry about Zecora. Guess she's the most open minded no matter what dimension you're in). I even mentioned "Equestria Girls", after explaining that it might not even happen. I also mentioned other events that might be important like Spike's greed-induced growth spurt, the Dragon Migration, the Mirror Pool, and of course Discord's reformation. I honestly don't know what shocked him more, that Celestia ordered him let out or that Fluttershy was the one to reform him. "And um... Gah, I know I'm forgetting something... Aw fuck it, it's not coming to me." Nemesis stood there, trying to process it all. “That’s a lot of info to take in. I don’t suppose you’ve got any suggestions on who I should and should not respond to when summoned in the multiverse?” "Ah, right, multiverse and the other Displaced! That was next. Ok, aside from you I've only met two, but I've got info on more. First is, and I hope I'm remembering this right, Xante, Baron of the Fozen Wasteland, First Among Liches, Lord of the Dead, and Fabulos Rainbow Magician. I think I got that right." Nemesis tried to hide a snicker. “That’s a really long title.” "Yeah, that's what I said. Anyway, pretty powerful mage and lich, uses mostly ice magic and 'Rainbow Magic', which is powerful despite how ridiculous that sounds." “Hey, if there’s anything I’ve learned since coming to Equestria it’s one simple rule, DO NOT fuck with rainbows. Sonic Rainboom, the Elements of Harmony shoot a goddamn rainbow beam that does some weird mind freak shit to your head, shit’s dangerous.” ""Sonic Rainboom?' Did Rainbow Dash hit you with that?" “Not exactly. Saw it while I was stuck in stone, heard about what it was called through word of mouth. May be ridiculous, but I wouldn’t want to get hit with it.” "No shit. Anyway, Xante, from what I could tell, seemed a pretty swell guy. Called me to give him a hand, and although he couldn't help me much he did give me a spell that basically allows me to be a living iPod." “Is that what that was? I didn’t play too much of Marvel vs. Capcom 3, but damn I loved that theme! If I ever figure out a way to cast magic of my own, I’ll call him up myself.” "Actually he just wrote a magic ward that implanted itself in my armor. I just have to think it and it works. Anyway, guy's a bit goofy but seems pretty dependable for the most part. Oh, and he's apparently not from Earth." "Wait, what?" "Yup. Don't know if he was telling the truth, but apparently he's from a place called Ranria, if I remember correctly, and he was sent to Equestria from Earth during a visit. Once again, not sure whether to believe him or not. Oh, also, his Equestria is anthro." "Anthro? Wait, you don't mean-?" "Yup. Met the Princesses there. They still had the muzzles, the horns, the coats, the cutie marks, the wings and the tails but they had clothes, two arms, two great luscious legs and two stonking great ti- GAH! OH FOR CHRIST'S SAKE AM I REALLY SO BLUEBALLED AFTER SIXTEEN HUNDRED YEARS THAT I'M WILLING TO FUCK ANYTHING WITH TITS!?" I grabbed Naginata and began banging myself in the head. "GET OUT! GET OUT!" “Oh god that is just...that...UGH! UNCANNY VALLEY! UNCANNY VALLEY!” He continued to rant this for a while before he finally calmed himself down. “I saw a few people when I looked into the multiverse, you wouldn’t happen to know anything about a Displaced who’s been turned into a pony would you?” "Hm? I don't know anyone who's become a pony. I don't suppose you could tell me more?" “Well from the glimpse of him that I saw from the multiverse, he was apparently a powerful alchemist before he...changed his form, for lack of better words. I didn’t see enough to figure out what world the dimension was based off of.” I stood shocked for moment as I processed what he said. "Oh my god, Auric's a pony now!?" “Auric?” "Right, right. Ok, Auric Fulcrum, master of Psyenergy and Alchemy. Golden Sun universe, if you ever played that game." “Hah, Golden Sun? I loved that game!” "You too, huh? Anyway, guy showed up in his Equestria as Dullahan. Once he got out of his imprisonment he formed a town of Adepts that been wronged by Celestia. Basically made it his mission to shove Sunbutt's mistakes back in her face. Apparently he absorbed the Golden Sun, all of it not most of it like Alex, and tore apart the Wise One bit by atomic bit when he threatened to take over Equestria." “I always did hate that guy, but trying to take over Equestria? Damn.” He was quiet a moment more, pondering over everything I said before speaking again, “I also saw Ghost Rider, I don’t know if you’ve met him yet but I don’t think he’s a bad character exactly. While we’re on that subject though, is there anyone whose summons I shouldn’t answer?” "Right, right. Sorry. Just trying to make sure you're as prepared as possible. Ok, after absorbing the Golden Sun Auric and Dullahan split so now both are around that Equestria. Last I heard Dullahan was working on making clones of himself to send to aid of other Displaced. They're definitely guys you'll want to be friends with." Nemesis nodded. "Ok, he also told me about the others. Nocturne is some sort of demon lord who gives others aid for a price. Don't know what that price is. Also you'll need a mirror to summon him. Then there's Typhon, Heir of Breath, who Auric described as 'God-Tiered', and coming from someone who's literally immortal that must mean something. And then there's the ones you need to watch out for. Auric called them the 'Triad of Madness'. First there's Alice, front American McGee's version of Wonderland. Next from Silent Hill we have-" "Pyramid Head." "Yeah, that's-!" I paused when I noticed the tone of his voice. "Oh my god, you met him." “I did.” Nemesis tone sounded distant, as if he was remembering something. “He didn’t talk much, beyond saying that I had sinned and attacked me straight away. All I have to say about him is, if you meet him…” Nemesis tone became serious. “DO NOT touch his sword. I was enough of a fool to grab it and try to kill him with it, and I basically saw everyone I ever knew burn before my eyes. Everything became a monster, and…” He shuddered. “...SOMETHING spoke to me. I don’t know what it was just...be careful.” "I guess if anyone could survive the invincible hunter of the survival horror genre it would be the other invincible hunter of the survival horror genre. Anyway, last is Jack of Blades with his Sword of Ages... I don't know what he's from. I'm sorry." “Fable, if I’m not mistaken.” Nemesis spoke. “I never played much of the game itself but my friend was a huge fan of it, he wouldn’t shut up about it actually.” "Ah, that would explain it. I never played any if those games, though I meant to eventually. Ok, now that we've got that out of the way, on to the more personal issue." "Personal?" I took a deep breath to calm myself before I walked over to him and placed my hand on his shoulder. I could tell he saw the rage in my eyes. "Nemesis, your goals and intentions are noble, more so than my own. I have my own tasks to complete, but if you truly require my aid I will come running. The idea of an Umbrella corporation in any Equestria troubles me greatly. I usually have a strict no kill rule when it comes to the sentient races of Equus, but if you call me I will be more than willing to help you put those monsters six feet under. And I'm not talking about the B.O.W.'s." Nemesis nodded. “I have no remorse, no mercy for them. Not anymore. In the past, I abstained from killing to avoid stooping to their level but…” He paused. “I’ve been gone for a thousand years, if they’ve gotten as powerful as I can imagine in that time, and a thousand year’s worth of innocent blood is on their hooves, I doubt I will have anything holding me back anymore. The only thing I’m really afraid of in letting that happen is… well, myself.” He tapped his head with two fingers. “I can still hear him. The real Nemesis that is. Do you know what Nemesis is like without something to focus on? A monster. He kills everything. And, I notice sometimes, especially when I kill B.O.W.s...well…” Nemesis frowned. “...It’s harder to control, sometimes.” So he's fighting from the inside as well. He really is a better man than me. "I'm afraid I can't help you with that problem, but I think I can still help you. Hold out your hands." He hesitated for a moment before extending his hands to me, not dropping his rocket launcher. I clasped them both and focused my essence around them, making a few adjustments. In a flash, two fingerless gauntlets appeared on his hands, colored black to match is trenchcoat. Hey, I'm better at this than I thought. "These are Genji Gloves. They will provide defense from physical and magical attacks and render you immune to Toad and Paralyze status ailments. I also added some alterations, like the fingerless parts and holes for your tentacles. They are also my summoning token. Most importantly, I also made it so it reduces your likeliness to infect others with the T-Virus. It's not perfect, if you impale someone with those tendrils it'll likely infect them, but at least you won't have to worry about touching anyone." Nemesis stared down at his new gloves for a moment before speaking. “I...I don’t know what to say. I wish I had something to give in return, but all I have is my launcher, and I kind of need it to be able to talk to you.” He chuckled a bit. “But in all sincerity, thank you. This is the kindest thing anyone has done for me in a long time.” I smiled. It felt good to know I did something undeniably kind. "Just promise to take down Ellura in any an every form and we're golden. However, you won't be able to do it without help. You've already befriended Zecora, which will go great for your credibility. If you manage to get three little fillies, Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle on your side that'll help as well. They're sisters, or practically in the pegasus' case, to three of the Elements. And don't forget Spike either. That'll go great for convincing the Mane 6 and if you can win them over then I'm sure Celestia and Luna will at least listen to you. Remember, Umbrella's greatest weapon wasn't the B.O.W.'s, it was their credibility and money. If you get the Sisters on your side they're as good as spent." “Sweetie Belle? I recognize that name, she was with two other fillies when I was freed from my statuesque prison. I imagine those are the three you’re talking about, I’ll keep an eye out for them again, though I may...kinda, sorta, unintentionally yelled at them when I first got out…” He trailed off. “Kinda hard to communicate when you can only say one word…” I groaned. "Heh, well I guess it all can't go smoothly. Speaking of, I need to figure out how to send you back... Oh, there's an idea!" I pulled out the vial again. "Ahem. Nemesis, I hereby decree our contract complete." As I spoke those words a portal opened behind him. "Well, guess that did it. Best of luck, Nemmy. May the winds of freedom carry your wings." Nemesis glanced back behind him, then turned to me and did a half bow. “It has been a pleasure, great warrior Gilgamesh. If you need my help again,” he motioned to the vial I held in my hand. “Don’t hesitate to ask. Hunt well.” And with that, he turned, walking into the ever brightening portal. There was a blinding flash, and I was alone once more. I smiled as I walked towards the exit when I remembered something. Oh fuck, I forgot to tell him about Nightmare Night and Trixie with the Alicorn Amulet! I knew I forgot something! I groaned and facepalmed. I hope he'll be ok.