An Epic for Gilgamesh

by zaleacon

Episode 3: An Aria of Treble

Vinyl Scratch's eyes opened to the sound of a ringing doorbell. She sat up in her bed slowly and yawned, mentally cursing the creature that felt the need to ruin such a good and vivid dream. Although she knew just how late it was, with the clock on her wall showing that it was well-past eleven in the morning, it was still annoying that somepony would just decide to make her awaken after the monster's attack the prior evening. Granted, their building hadn't been one of the unlucky ones, but still.

Vinyl sauntered over to the door, attempting to smile as she cursed her roommate's healthier sleep schedule, with her already having left many hours before. She tore the door open, glaring at the unicorn stallion on the other side.

He was clad entirely in blue, a trademark outfit of a royal messenger, and wore a small smile. "You are Miss Vinyl Scratch, correct?" he asked. He continued without waiting for an answer, "I've been given a message for you. Yes. I have." He held up a scroll, and began to read: "'To the musicians Vinyl Scratch and Octavia Melody, I would like to request your presence at the Nightmare Night performance in one week. I realize how sudden this must appear, but my other choice decided to quit his position last night due to the… unforeseen circumstances. As such, I feel that you two would be the next best choices because of your prior work on this sort of matter. Please come to royal palace to give me your final verdict, and ask me any questions you see fit. My thanks to you both, Princess Luna.'" The messenger paused for a moment, and grimaced. "Ah, yes, there's a post-script: 'I would also like to see somepony capable of playing the piano, if possible; our old one has recently been replaced, and we would like to see it put to good use. Thank you both once more.'"

"Do you need me to repeat that?" the messenger asked, lowering the scroll. He blinked, and waved a hoof in front of Vinyl's face; her eyes were wide, and her mouth agape. "Um… Miss Scratch, are you feeling alright?"

Vinyl blinked once, and instantly came back to reality. "Oh, uh… no… no, I'm okay."

"Good," responded the messenger, smiling. "Good. I will relay the success of this back to the princess in that case. Yes. I will. Farewell, Miss Scratch, and congratulations. Do give my regards to your roommate." He turned and began to sprint down the path away from her house, running in the direction of the royal palace.

Vinyl simply stood in the doorway for several seconds, before she slowly closed it. She looked to both sides and when she was absolutely sure that nopony could hear her, let out a loud "Yes!"

---

-- An Epic for Gilgamesh --

-- Episode 3: An Aria of Treble --

-- Written By ZaleAcon --

---

Octavia Melody studied her roommate curiously, looking her over with no small amount of cautiousness. Vinyl was never one to spend money like she had on such a nice restaurant. Actually, she never was one for fancy eating places at all. "Too many rich snobs," she'd always say, right before pointing to her throat and gagging. She didn't even need to mention just how tight their funds were.

Octavia found her actions to be very childish, but that was mainly due to her friend having always been somewhat immature; on the day that they first met in high school, Vinyl had introduced herself by literally running straight into her in a very spacious and empty hallway.

Even then, Vinyl stood out like a sore hoof among the ponies surrounding them. Rather than eat her food slowly, she insisted on stuffing as much as she could possibly could into her mouth, instead of sipping her wine, she downed the entire glass like it was a shot, and – most irritating of all – she kept her sunglasses on. Indoors.

It wasn't even especially bright; the lighting in the eatery consisted entirely of small candles on the walls, and a single chandelier in the center of the circular ceiling, causing the walls to be slightly shadowed in some places. There weren't even any visible windows from where they were seated.

Octavia raised the pasta up to her mouth, continuing to watch as Vinyl continued to devour her food like a ravenous animal. Somehow the other ponies did not stop to stare, but she could clearly see that many of them were struggling. Hoping to keep it that way, Octavia cleared her throat, causing her roommate to stop her attack.

"What's the occasion for this? You've never been one to splurge." In fact, it could be said that Vinyl Scratch was one of the cheapest ponies out there – disregarding when she spent money on her own musical equipment, of course.

Vinyl grinned over at her, her cheeks still stuffed with food. "Unf!" she declared. "Unf un uh'prie!" She swallowed, coughed, and smiled again. "Uh… sorry, Tavi. 'It's a surprise!' That's what I meant to say."

Octavia rolled her eyes, and began to twist her fork in the pasta. "I'm sure that it is," she said grimly, "but what the surprise is is what I'm worried about…"

"Hey! Whaddaya mean by that?" Vinyl asked indignantly, although Octavia had to hand it to her that she managed to keep her voice down this time. "Trust me, this isn't gonna be like the Gala; it's gonna be completely awesome, I promise!"

Once again Octavia rolled her eyes. If she had a bit for every time her friend said something along those lines, she would be richer than half of the Canterlot elite.

"I just mean your schemes have almost always ended in disaster. The only one I can think of that didn't completely fail and cost us was the wedding last year. And even that was only because of the changelings' attack," she added, taking a sip of her wine.

For the past three years, both she and Vinyl had been doing odd jobs to pay the rent on their apartment. Octavia would play her beloved cello for the elite members of Canterlot, while Vinyl worked at the local nightclub as a DJ. Even with the money they earned, the two could barely afford the place they lived due to the lack of a demand for their performances. So in order to pay for groceries and any extra amenities, the two took turns every week for part-time jobs to enable the other time to practice their craft. Occasionally the two would get a high-paying job, but the main purpose of that would be to give both of them a week to relax.

Even their apartment wasn't much to look at. The place was a box, thirty feet in length, width, and height, and smelled of old plaster, tin, and rust. It wasn't much, but it was home, and Octavia preferred it to living out on the streets of Canterlot.

Vinyl rolled her eyes, matching Octavia's sarcastic gesture with one of her own, and grinned. "Well, Tavi, I've got some good news for you." She leaned in close to her friend, causing her a desire to move in the opposite direction. "Today… I got a message from Princess Luna herself! Something about playing at the Nightmare Night party."

Octavia choked, coughing from sheer shock and the alcohol that blocked her windpipe. "Y-you're not seriously…?" she gasped, and coughed again. "I-I mean… really?!"

"Yep!" Vinyl nodded, her grin only having grown. "Looks like the princess's original choice cancelled last night after the… uh… well, you know…" She rubbed the side of her head with her hoof. "Yeah, but anyway, she thought we'd be good replacements for 'em."

Octavia set down her glass, turned her head downwards, and sighed. "So… we were the second choice?" she asked glumly. "I should have known just how unlikely such a thing would be…"

"Huh? Whaddaya mean by that, Tavi?" Vinyl sat back and looked over her face. "I mean, isn't it great news? C'mon, smile, won't'cha? Sheesh…"

"N-no! No, it's not that, it's…" Octavia sighed again, and looked away. "It's… I fully understand Princess Luna's logic behind it, but… Doesn't the idea of us being second-best dishearten you at all?"

Vinyl grinned. "Nope," she said, "because it's not like that matters, right? I mean, think about it: we're gonna be performing for the princess of the night! Again, I guess, but it's still pretty cool!"

Octavia resumed to spinning her fork in the pasta, and picked up her glass with her other hoof. Why did she have the feeling that the performance would end in disaster? Maybe it was simply a sort of coping mechanism, given their past track record. the changelings and Elements of Harmony had already been bad enough.

But the worst part was the small piece in the back of her mind that kept screaming at her, telling her just why it was that she felt such dread at the prospect of their performance.

"Besides," Vinyl added, "what's the worst that could happen, really? I mean, it isn't like the world's gonna end just because we're… T-Tavi? Are you okay?"

"Y-yes," she replied, purging the memories from her mind. No matter how hard she tried, however, Octavia could never completely forget them, no matter how much she wanted to. "Um… y-yeah, I'm completely fine. Please don't worry about it."

"Tavi, are you sure you're–?"

"I told you I'm fine!"

The entire restaurant seemed to have turned towards her in that moment, and Octavia flushed. "J-just, don't worry about it, okay? Nothing's wrong."

"Um… alright?" Vinyl cocked her head slightly. "Well, I… uh… Well, what do you think about the performance, then?"

Octavia grimaced and turned her head away. Under normal circumstances she would have no issues with the performance, but certain factors of the time around it did nothing to hinder her anxiety. However, just looking at the expectant and excited look on Vinyl's face completely crushed whatever resolve she'd held.

"I… Alright," she said after several seconds. "I'm not going to question it. Not now, at least, but just… Yes, such an opportunity doesn't come up very often, and–"

"Yes!" Vinyl flung her hooves into the air triumphantly, attracting the gazes of every single pony in the restaurant. "Awesome! Let's go tell the princess! Right now!" She stood up to leave, and looked as if she was ready to sprint out of the area.

"Wait! We still have to –" Octavia's protest fell on deaf ears, as the doors already swung back-and-forth in her friend's wake "– pay…"

The waiter stepped over to her, his face completely deadpan. "Miss, your bill."

Octavia took one look at the amount and slammed her head into the table, uttering out a loud groan.

---

"So, as you suspected, she seemed excited at the prospect," finished the messenger. "Of course, it's hard for me to blame her; I think I'd be the same in that regard. Yes. I would."

Luna nodded, smiling inwardly. "Indeed. Thank you, Glass. You may go now."

"Of course," Encrypted Glass said again, "and you are very much welcome for the message. Now, I believe it would be best if I head off. Yes. It would." He turned and began down the throne room's hallway, and through the massive set of doors that led out into the main area of the palace.

Celestia stared after him with an odd intrigue from her throne. "I wasn't aware you'd gained your own messenger, Luna," she remarked. "He seems pretty reliable."

"Most of the time, yes," Luna agreed, "but there have been a few minor… incidents, so to speak. He sometimes takes quite a bit longer than you would expect." She grinned. "But enough about that, Sister; I'm just glad that those two actually acc– er, that they obtained the message, rather."

Celestia raised an eyebrow. "You don't think they'll agree?"

Luna sighed, and turned away from her sister. She focused her gaze on a stained-glass window on the side of the chamber, focusing on the way the sun manipulated the colors. "After what occurred last night, I cannot be certain," she admitted. "Whatever that… creature… was, it appeared from nowhere, and seemed almost too delighted to cause destruction. Feral, even. And seeing as my other selection fled for his life, how can I be certain that the two magicians will not feel the same, and will not try to get away?"

"I see your point," Celestia said. She stepped over to Luna, and placed a hoof on her shoulder. "However, that being said, the ponies of Canterlot – of this area in general, now that I think about it – have dealt with dozens of monstrosities. Considering Discord's rampage, the changelings, Nightmare Moon, Twilight Sparkle," she added as an afterthought, and smiled mischievously, "they've already seen much in the way of danger. And given that so few of them have actually run away…"

"I suppose, but–"

The door to the throne room instantly burst open, as a guard ran in. "Princess… es," he said, suddenly noticing Luna, who waved rather good-naturedly, "two ponies are here to see you, claiming that you have invited them." He pulled a small card in front of his face. "'Vinyl Scratch' and 'Octavia Melody,' they called themselves."

Luna smiled. "Very well," she said, "send the two in here, will you not?"

The guard nodded, and stepped out through the door. Several seconds later, the two mares walked in, both seeming a strange mixture of excitement and fear, likely due to the opportunity they'd been given; while Luna had not seen either of them prior to the Grand Galloping Gala, she had heard of Octavia's excitement at being selected to play the music, and she knew Vinyl from the royal wedding. In fact, that had been a major deciding factor in their inclusion, as the two of them had gotten along swimmingly at the celebration.

"Welcome, both of you," said Luna, nodding to the two musicians. "I heard that you had received my message, but I didn't expect you so… suddenly." She wondered if Glass had passed them in the hallway, before deciding that it was unlikely; he always had the odd habit of vanishing.

Vinyl stepped forward, and raised the sunglasses so that they were propped on her horn. "Yeah, sorry about that. We didn't think it'd be so quick, but we decided that we'd –" she paused, likely for dramatic effect, and leaned in close. Meanwhile, Octavia simply rolled her eyes "– take you up on your offer!"

Luna's eyes widened in shock, and Celestia elbowed her. "It's just like I said; The ponies around this area are tougher than you think, Sister."

"I-I suppose so," Luna whispered back, still surprised at the answer. "Well, thank you both, but how did you come to this conclusion so quickly? At least, I would have expected several hours, but–"

Vinyl waved her hoof. "Eh, I've never really been one for all that stuff," she said, before lowering her sunglasses. "I like to get things over with quickly. Don't really like t'just sit still and think when I could be doing other things, y'know?"

"V-Vinyl!" Octavia gasped, appalled that her friend would act so casual in the presence of Luna and Celestia.

"Oh, c'mon, Tavi! You know I'm just kiddin' around!" Vinyl grinned, and playfully punched her in the shoulder. "Sheesh! You really need to lighten up a bit!"

"B… Not in the presence of royalty!"

Luna smiled to herself, reaffirming the reason that she like the two musicians so much – or Vinyl, at the very least; she was genuine, and did not feel the need to put on a fake accent or dress extremely fancily, nor was she demeaning towards anypony.

"Seriously, just lighten up, won't'cha? It won't kill you to be yourself, y'know!"

"M-maybe, but…" Octavia flushed, and looked away. "How we ended up talking about this in the middle of the princesses's throne room is something I will never understand…"

Celestia coughed. It wasn't especially loud, but it was enough to draw the attention of the two mares. "Well, I'm glad you came to your decision," she said, "but I believe that my sister has something that she wishes to share with you two."

Luna stepped forward, until she was directly in front of Vinyl and Octavia, and nodded. "Yes, anyway… I'm happy that the two of you managed to decide that you will be able to help with this endeavor. But I do have to ask… do you remember my… other request?"

Vinyl paused, and placed a hoof on her chin. Several seconds later, her eyes widened beneath the lenses of her glasses. "Oh, yeah! Something about a piano, right?"

Octavia blinked. "Wait, what's this about a piano?"

"You… didn't tell her?" Luna cocked her head and raised an eyebrow.

Vinyl shrugged. "Eh, it didn't seem overly important at the time. I mean, you did say that you'd 'like' it, right? Not that it was necessary or anything?"

Luna let out a deep sigh and met Celestia's eyes before she turned back to Vinyl and Octavia. "I suppose I should have clarified that, shouldn't I?" She breathed in, gritting her teeth at a certain piece of information being omitted from the message. "I'm sorry, but… I don't think that the correct information was given to all of you. Yes, I did say that I would have liked for there to be a piano player –" Luna silently cursed Glass for leaving such important information out "– but that was never just 'optional.'"

Octavia turned pale. "But that's completely impossible!" she blurted out. As the others in the room looked at her in confusion, she flushed. "I-I'm sorry, Princess, but… the two of us are the only ones in our little music 'group.' Neither of us is talented enough to use an instrument such as the piano, and the only creatures who can are so sparse that the odds of them being able to assist us are extremely low."

"Yeah," Vinyl agreed, and she raised her sunglasses onto her horn once more. "I mean, yeah, I get that it's important and all, but there aren't a lotta griffins, or minotaurs, or dragons around this place." She scrunched up her nose, giving her the appearance of one who had just eaten a rotten toadstool. With hot sauce. "And the few that there are're just a buncha jerks, anyway!"

"I understand," Luna noted, and sighed again. "However, that being said, the usage of a piano is a necessity; it's a very old part of the ritual, a celebration that occurred over one millennia ago, and to not use it would be a travesty."

Vinyl raised up a hoof. "Uh, hang on. We need to talk about this."

The stepped over to the far side of the room, where Luna couldn't make out their voices under their hushed tones. Although she tried to listen in on what they were saying, not a single sound besides muffled whispers could be heard.

The two spoke for about two minutes before they disbanded their private meeting and walked back over to Luna and Celestia. "Very well," Octavia said, sounding exasperated, "we accept your terms, Princess; I cannot guarantee that whatever piano-player we find will be… um…"

"Good?" Luna offered.

"Yes. Quite," said Octavia. "But we will do what we can regarding this, so I'm sorry if there are any major complications."

Luna nodded and smiled. "Excellent. In that case, I would be happy to answer any questions you have."

Vinyl looked between the two princesses. "Alright, then, tell me this," she said. "Is there anypony in around here who would be able to give us a hoof… claw… whatever with this? That you know of, I mean," she hastily amended.

"Any help at all would be wonderful," Octavia said, although her eyes were somewhat narrow; dealing with Vinyl constantly, Luna surmised, was likely more difficult than she had expected.

She opened her mouth to her give an answer, only to be cut off immediately: "Of course," Celestia said, wearing a smile that could likely melt even the coldest of hearts. "In fact, I believe I'll send a message down to Ponyville even now. You two know Twilight Sparkle, correct?"

Vinyl rolled her eyes. "Course we do; her face is only literally everywhere." As if to prove her point, Vinyl pointed behind her to a stained-glass window depicting Twilight Sparkle's coronation. "So, uh… yeah, I think I've got a pretty good idea who she is."

"Excellent!" Celestia replied, already stepping back to the throne.

"That being said, Princess," Octavia added, "we know 'of' her, but we are not acquaintances with her, nor with her friends… And how is she meant to help us, anyway?"

"Allow me to say this much," Celestia noted, as she pulled a small piece of paper from a table next to the throne. "I know of a creature who could give you aid in this matter, but you'd have to travel down to Ponyville. Since you two seem so resolved, I'll just pen this letter now." She pulled a quill from the table, and began to write across the paper. "I'll ask Twilight to meet you down at the train station… along with her new 'friend.'"

Luna nodded to Vinyl and Octavia. "Thank you both for coming out here," she said, "and thank you both for accepting my conditions, too. Um… I understand the inconvenience of this, and I wish you luck in finding your newest musical ally."

"Oh, uh…" Vinyl eloquently stated, "thanks, Princess. Well, we'll see you when we get back! C'mon, Tavi!"

She grabbed Octavia's foreleg forcefully, and – ignoring her shouts of reluctance – literally dragged her friend out of the throne room as she sprinted back into the foyer.

"They're gonna need it," Luna added, and looked to Celestia, who barely managed to hold in her laughter. "I hope that loony swordsman doesn't cause them any more harm than good…"

Celestia grinned, and stepped over to her. "I'm absolutely certain that he won't," she noted. "Besides, it'll give him something to do that doesn't involve senseless domestic violence. Also" – she looked Luna square in the eye, her smile instantly becoming mischievous – "you really could use some acting lessons, Sister. 'A very old part of the ritual,' indeed."

"G… H-hey, that's…!"

"Oh, you know I'm only kidding." Celestia chuckled and she placed a hoof on Luna's shoulder. "Besides, I fully agree with your action here; I'd rather Gilgamesh be put to some use, rather than have him sit about Ponyville all day. Boredom can drive a pony to madness…"

Luna rolled her eyes. "I know," she said, her voice sharp. "I had to deal with that for a thousand years."

Celestia grimaced and looked away. "Yes. I… never meant–"

Luna waved a hoof, and pulled herself away from her. "No, don't worry about it," she said. "There are more important things to worry about, after all." She turned back to Celestia, and nodded. "Speaking of which… have you discovered anything new regarding that monster that attacked last night?"

"Unfortunately, there've been no new breakthroughs," Celestia replied, and she sighed exasperatedly. "The scientists are looking into it even now, but nothing new has come up. Not even what its shell was formed of."

"Curious," Luna murmured. "Perhaps it is merely some new species?"

"I thought of that, but no creatures like it have been noticed anywhere else in Equestria lately." Celestia placed a hoof on her chin. "Or anywhere else in the world, for that matter," she added. "The griffins haven't noticed anything like it, the zebras have nothing to add in the matter… no matter whom I've asked, the response is always the same. I even sent them fragments of the shell to make sure, but they haven't found anything."

"Nothing at all?" Luna pressed.

Celestia shook her head and stepped up to one of the windows so that her back was to her. "No, there's been absolutely no progress into this. I suppose that I can understand, since it was only last night, yet… I'm not entirely sure."

"Curious," Luna repeated. "Maybe it's for the best, though… given what that monstrosity did to Canterlot in one evening, can you even imagine what could occur in the case that more of them exist?"

"And that's what worries me. I cannot say for certain, but something about this entire ordeal seems immensely… strange. There were reports of that creature's eyes shifting in color, and of its demeanor changing several times throughout the night. And that isn't even getting into what could have happened if Gilgamesh hadn't showed up." Celestia shuddered.

Luna nodded and joined her by the window. "And though I may not hold him in the highest regard, I can agree with that statement completely," she said, although she felt somewhat disgusted to admit it; while she had yet to actually meet the swordsman, Twilight's description of him from the night prior – or what Celestia had divulged, at the very least – did nothing but cause the bile to rise in her throat. "However, that being said," she added, "it will do you no good to obsess over this matter."

"I know that," Celestia murmured, "but I still can't help but worry about it."

Luna sighed. "Allow the researchers to worry about what happened last night," she said. "They'll find an answer soon enough, I'm sure. There are more important matters for you to worry about, after all. Gilgamesh for one."

Luna grimaced and turned away. "My apologies, Sister," she said, "but I've much that I need to do right now. If there are any further complications, feel free to ask me for any aid. I would say Discord as well, but… we both know how he can be."

"Right. Thank you, Luna. I'll call on you if there are any future… complications." Celestia nodded. "Oh, and also… if you gain any further insight into this matter, please don't hesitate to tell me."

"Of course." Luna stepped over to the doors leading out of the throne room, and looked back. "Like I said, Celestia, it won't do you any favors to worry about this so much. I understand your worries, but I'd rather not have you burn yourself out due to this. The Equestrians need a strong leader, now more than ever."

With those last words spoken, Luna threw open the doors with a mighty, overdramatic flourish and stepped away from the throne room, leaving Celestia alone with her thoughts.

---

Gilgamesh felt miserable. He had been awoken early and literally pushed to the train station by a certain overzealous winged unicorn, in spite of him having a difficult time standing with his back straight. Even a warrior of his caliber needed rest in order to be at his peak, after all, and the equines were doing nothing to allow him that small amount of refuge away from them and their constantly-attacked town.

"Guh…" Gilgamesh groaned. He gave in to his feral urges and sat down on a nearby bench, ignoring the creatures that took in his impressive frame and giant muscles as they walked passed.

The winged unicorn looked over at a nearby clock before she hung her head, and began to rub her temples with her hooves. "Where are they…?" she murmured quietly, her voice sharp. "They should've been here seven minutes ago…"

Gilgamesh groaned again, louder this time, before rubbing his forehead with one of his hands. "I cannot believe that you would drag a creature such as I out of that most grand of rests solely in order to make me sit still for so long. Moisturizer, I am quite ashamed of your brashness."

"Twilight," she snapped, "and what do you mean 'most grand of rests'? You were asleep until twelve, and you would've kept sleeping even longer than that!"

"Given last night's events, can you truly blame me for desiring a chance to rest longer? I did not see you fighting that thing – oh wait, yes I did, and I had to save your life!"

Twilight slammed her head into a nearby column, likely as a self-punishment for questioning his reasoning. "Ugh… I give up," she muttered. "When this whole thing's done, I really hope that–" The rest of her speech was incomprehensible due to her voice lowering in volume, although Gilgamesh heard her for roughly two minutes before he could her voice became louder: "And by doing that, at least nothing'll ever bother Ponyville again."

Gilgamesh yawned and sat back, knowing that her speech was meant for her ears only. "Yes, although any future attackers shall be met with my mighty trident!" He paused, and stroked his chin. "At least until I can return home, of course."

Twilight looked over at him. "Return home? You mean you're not from Ponyville?"

Gilgamesh let out a single laugh at that. "No! Nay, I have never set foot into your town until only recently. If anything, I am not even from this dimension!" He stood up, and moved onto the bench in order to appear taller. "You see, I come from a different land entirely – one of magic–"

"We have magic," Twilight pointed out.

"Better magic!" Gilgamesh declared. "The ability to control fire, ice, and lightning! The power to poison, blind, and petrify your foes with ease! The skills to heal damage with a single incantation, to silence your foes until their tongues shrivel in their mouths, to make them so enraged that their only acts are those of a behemoth…" He rubbed his palms together. "And that is but the tip of the metaphorical iceberg!

"My world," Gilgamesh continued, completely blocking Twilight's next statement with his filibuster, "contains monsters beyond your wildest dreams and nightmares, some of which can be bent to the will of specific people! There are caverns, castles, bridges, more castles, towers…"

Twilight grimaced. "So… your world isn't very different from ours at all," she stated. "The best magic-users can raise the sun and the moon, we have monsters all over the place, and lots of –" she coughed and deepened her voice "– 'caverns, castles, bridges, and towers'" – she reverted back to her normal pitch – "too."

Gilgamesh smirked. "Ah, but my world has certain qualities that are far more dangerous than anything you could even begin to imagine." He jumped down from the bench, and spread his arms. "For one, several types of magic. For another, castles made out of corpses, and for a third, a maniacal warlock who seeks the power to rule everything."

Twilight blinked. "Wait, what were those last two?"

"Oh, pay them no mind," Gilgamesh said. "After all, I am certain that Exdeath has long since been bested by Bartz and his allies – if they can beat me, they can definitely beat him! Why, I'll bet that they're sitting in their homes right now, celebrating!"

"Wh… Hold on a second." Twilight raised up her right foreleg and raised an eyebrow. "Who's Exdeath? Who's Bartz? Actually, now that I think about it… who the hay are you?"

"A story for another time," Gilgamesh responded. "For now, allow me to say that I am simply a warrior from my world. Anything else isn't really that necessary."

"It… kind of is," Twilight protested. "It feels like you're only giving me half of the story… if even that."

Gilgamesh placed two of his hands on his hips and raised the other six into the air. "Well, in that case, I will give you a small crash course." He breathed in deep. "Bartz is my greatest rival; the two of us have clashed numerous times in the past several weeks – once upon the so-called 'Big Bridge,' once on the ocean, and once in Exdeath's castle. Yea, we have crossed blades several times, myself and his team! They are all grand fighters, for certain."

"And 'Exdeath'?"

"A warlock of terrible power," Gilgamesh replied.

Twilight blinked. "That's it?"

"That is all that matters, at any rate," Gilgamesh said. "As I said, any other information would be unnecessary right now, as I've no doubt that Bartz, Lenna, Faris, and Krile have put an end to him and his evil!"

Twilight studied him for several seconds before sighing. "You know what? Never mind."

Several seconds after those words left her mouth, the sound of an engine permeated the air, followed by a large train pulling into the station. It stopped at what Gilgamesh presumed to be a fixed point, before the doors on the side opened.

Equines emerged from the various exits – some with wings, some with horns, and some with neither – who walked out onto the platform before going on their merry way. Some greeted others who had been waiting, while others simply stepped down into the town. However, two of them behaved differently.

One of them was a unicorn with a white coat, an electric-blue mane, and a pair of sunglasses on its face, while the other seemed to be just a normal equine. They stepped up to Gilgamesh and Twilight, and the latter sighed. "I'm very sorry, Princess," she said. "Vinyl here had to go and hold up the line for ten minutes longer than necessary."

"H-hey!" the other protested, "it was an emergency!"

"The fact that the ice cream stand was having a sale does not count as an 'emergency'!"

Twilight looked between the two and sighed. "You're Vinyl Scratch and Octavia Melody, right?"

"Sure am!" said the unicorn. "Though my fans call me 'DJ Pon-3,' 'cause my skills at the records are three times as good as anypony else's!"

Octavia pressed a hoof to her forehead and groaned. "Excellent. Because we needed to make an even worse impression on them…"

"Whaddaya mean by that, Tavi?"

"Never mind."

Twilight looked between the two of them. "So… uh…" she said, evidently at a loss for words, "Celestia told me that you two wanted to speak with Gilgamesh about music?"

Vinyl grinned. "Yep! So… let's take a look-see!" She instantly jumped over to Gilgamesh, raised up her sunglasses, and began to look over his body with extreme interest. "Huh, eight hands? Wow, that's perfect!"

"Perfect for… what, now?" Gilgamesh asked. He had no problem with the attention that he was receiving – after all, his strength was immense, and so his popularity should have been directly proportional to it – but something in her voice thoroughly piqued his interest.

"Duh! Isn't it obvious?"

"Vinyl!" snapped Octavia, who looked up to Gilgamesh apologetically. "Please forgive her. She's a bit… well… childish."

"Hey!" Vinyl protested.

Octavia pressed a hoof to her forehead and muttered something under her breath. "As I was saying," she continued, "Princess Luna tasked us with discovering a creature with the capabilities of playing a piano for the Nightmare Night concert coming up in a week. I know that this may be sudden – and that you do not even know us, for that matter – but would you be willing to fill the role?"

Gilgamesh stared at her for several seconds, before he was finally able to speak. "A warrior such as myself, playing an instrument? Absurd! After all, how am I to hone my blade if I am too busy playing your little tunes?" He folded all eight of his arms. "I cannot, that is the answer!"

"B… Gilgamesh!" Twilight hissed. "These two came all the way out here in order to ask you for help, and you're just going to–?!"

"No, it doesn't matter," Octavia said, raising a hoof. "It was worth the effort, I suppose, but I should have expected this outcome." She nodded to her friend. "Alright, Vinyl, we may as well search the town to see if anypony would be willing to help us."

As she turned to walk away, however, Vinyl said, "Hold on a sec. Y'know, pianos are actually really tough instruments to learn to play. I guess I can understand why you wouldn't wanna try; I mean, it'd probably be too tough for you to get."

Gilgamesh felt a vein throb in his head. "What do you mean by that?!"

"Well, it's just that pianos are really, really complex instruments. Maybe too complex for even a tough guy like you!" Vinyl smirked. "Course, if you wanna prove me wrong…"

Another vein throbbed in Gilgamesh's head. "You would dare question my abilities?! I bet I could play songs unimaginable to even you both!"

Vinyl's smirk grew and she lowered her sunglasses. "Okay, then… why don't'cha prove it? I mean, what've you gotta lose, right? But… I get that you're too busy swinging around that pitchfork to play, so I guess I'll just have to regard you as an amateur."

Gilgamesh felt the world around him fade to white. Everything around him froze in time as those words slammed into him like the train that now was stopped. "Gh… I…" he sputtered, attempting to keep himself calm. "H-how dare you say that about me! I-I'll have you know that I am an expert when it comes to the piano!"

"Really?" Vinyl asked. "In that case, why don't'cha prove it to us? I mean, just 'cause you say you're good at something doesn't mean you actually are, right? So –" she leaned in close to Gilgamesh "– why don't you perform at Nightmare Night? It's just one song, a solo, so it shouldn't be too hard for an expert like you."

Octavia stepped over to her. "Vinyl, are you sure that's a go–"

"I shall do just that!" Gilgamesh declared. "Tell me of this Night of Nightmares, and I shall perform with my most grand of piano abilities for all of you who would desire to listen!" He stood tall, and placed his hands on his waist. "Indeed, I shall play!"

Vinyl grinned. "Perfect! The performance is nine days from today. Oh," she added, "and no stepping out, got it? Pinkie Pie promise?"

"There shall be no quitting," replied Gilgamesh. He copied Vinyl's gestures and words, following through the most sacred blood pact of the 'Pinkie Pie promise.'

Come to think of it, wasn't Pinkie Pie the mare who gave him such vivid nightmares? No, it must have been a coincidence.

"Great, great!" Vinyl said, pulling her sunglasses up again. "Okay, Tavi! Let's get outta here and leave Gilgamesh to his own business!"

Octavia sighed. "If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to ask. Here" – she handed him a piece of paper –"this is our address, as well as any other means of contacting us in the case of you having any issues with this performance. Thank you very much for all of the help, Gilgamesh."

"There is not a single problem!" he replied. "I shan't step away from the plate, now that you have touched my emotions! No, I shall give you your assistance, and play this most grand of concerts!"

"Perfect! Thanks again," Vinyl replied. "I'll see ya around if you have any questions. Or, y'know, just wanna hang out or something." She literally grabbed Octavia and started to drag her back towards the train. "C'mon, Tavi! Let's get back to Canterlot and tell the princesses the good news!"

"Wh… Vinyl…!" Octavia's protests fell on deaf – or at least not-listening – ears, as she pulled onto the train after mere minutes of having been off it.

Twilight turned to Gilgamesh after the two had vanished, and placed a hoof on her chin. "Huh. I didn't know you could play the piano."

"I… er… can't," he admitted.

Twilight blinked. "Wait… you lied?"

"No!" Gilgamesh replied indignantly. "I most certainly did not lie, I just… did not tell the whole truth!"

"And what exactly does that mean?" Twilight's eyes narrowed.

Gilgamesh turned away in attempt to avoid the somewhat-terrifying-when-angered equine. "I assure you that I can play such an instrument with simplicity!" He paused, and rubbed the side of his head. "Er… with adequate practice, of course. But I still can, and shall!"

"Hang on just a second," Twilight said, and she stepped over to where Gilgamesh could see her. "Wait, did you just let Vinyl Scratch psychologically manipulate you? Into playing a piano?"

"Oh, come now!" Gilgamesh said dismissively. "I assure you that I was in complete control of my emotions in that instant; neither of the two equines 'manipulated' me in any manner, psychologically or otherwise! What kind of creature do you take me for?" He scoffed and began to step away. "Now, if you don't mind, I am off to learn the art of playing the piano."

He stepped down from the platform with the stance of the most confident of warriors, back straight, eyes set, and arms still at his side, leaving Twilight alone.

She stared after him for several seconds and shook her head, before following suit. "This can only end well," she muttered.

---

"I can't believe you just did that," Octavia deadpanned. She and Vinyl were seated on the train, on their way back to Canterlot after a short and somewhat-expensive ride.

"Did what?" asked Vinyl.

Octavia sighed and leaned back in her seat. "What you said to Gilgamesh, of course! You realize that what you just did could be considered illegal, right?"

Vinyl rolled her eyes. "What are you talkin' about? I mean, we're gonna give him a cut of the money, too!"

"That's not what's important," snapped Octavia. "You played on his emotions to your own gain, and locked him into a contract which he has no way of escaping! That's slavery, Vinyl! You could get in massive trouble for that!"

"Listen, Tavi: I know that you're the one here with the legal degree, but think about it." Vinyl pulled the sunglasses off of her head and grimaced. "He chose to help us of his own free will." Octavia opened her mouth to protest. "Yeah, yeah, I know what you're gonna say: 'But you made him, Vinyl!' And you're right, kinda, but that's just how it goes, right? I just prodded him a bit, and what happened next was his own choice."

Octavia sighed and shook her head. "Even so, I don't want to see you get into any unnecessary trouble, alright? Besides, how can we even be sure that he'd be able to play the piano at all? All we know is that he has eight arms."

Vinyl grinned. "Eh, don't worry about it. I'm careful. Besides, what's the worst that can happen? Gilgamesh has a bit of difficulty? He can play any song he wants. Doesn't have to be some overly-complex piece, so he could just play some scales and walk away." She leaned back in the seat and closed her eyes. "So, yeah, don't worry about it. I mean, I'm sure he's got some musical ability. And if not, we can always lend him a hoof, y'know?"

"I suppose." Somehow, Octavia highly doubted Vinyl's argument. Why did she get the feeling that Gilgamesh was not the kind of creature to merely play something so simple.

"Regardless of that, just be more careful with that kind of thing in the future," she added. "The last thing that I want is to have to bail you out of prison." Funds were tight enough as it was.

Vinyl stretched, although her eyes were still closed. "You worry way too much, Tavi. Just relax sometime, alright? It's all gonna be just fine."

Octavia grit her teeth silently, but said nothing. No words were necessary, after all, and the deadline that rapidly approached her would do nothing to make anything "fine." If anything, it only made it worse.

---

Gilgamesh stared at the instrument in front of him with immense confusion. Across its frame were several white rectangular-prisms, as well as other, smaller shapes of black. Despite him finally being inside of a home of his own – courtesy of the "princesses," as Twilight had called them – he felt no more at ease than he had sleeping in the open, and the massive monstrosity did nothing to quell that suspicion.

"So," he remarked, pulling out the book that Twilight had given him (The Key to Playing Pianos: Notes Included), "which of these is the so-called 'middle-C'?"

He studied the pages, perusing over them before coming to a vague understanding. He placed two hands upon the mighty behemoth's wooden hide, and pressed down on the indicated notes. Gilgamesh was rewarded for his efforts with a sound that only vaguely resembled music.

Once more, he pressed the note, although he moved once more afterwords. He continued to follow the indicated symbols until he had once more reached the 'C' note, but one frame of music-length higher. Intrigued by the sounds made, he decided to play the thing once more, but much faster.

What occurred could barely be described as "music."

Gilgamesh slammed his head into the top of the piano, sending papers flying in every direction. It was going to be a long night.

Author's Note:

After several weeks, this chapter has finally been completed. I'm going to try to make all future chapters not take this long, but I can't make any promises. Honestly, up until this week, my schedule was so absurd that I barely had any time to write; most of the work was done this week, and probably more than half of this chapter was written on today and Saturday alone. Also, there were so many music puns that I could have used for the title that it took me awhile to decide.

With this chapter, we are introduced to two of our major secondary characters, although the roles that they both play will not be evident for some time.

Now, due to there being only one response to last week's question, I've decided that I'm going to do the following with all future chapters: If a chapter has more than twenty-thousand words, then I will cut it in half. If it has less, then I'll just leave it as-is. Also, all "episodes" in this way will be cut in half, as well (Episode X Part 1/Episode X Part 2, for example). There are probably going to be very few chapters that hit this point, so may not even happen during the story.

Honestly, thank you to everyone who has waited so patiently for this, and I hope that I can get the next chapter out in a reasonable amount of time!

Comments

[Tatsurou]

Damn, Vinyl is good at that. Poor Gilgamesh. His Will Save score is negative.

[deathblade]

I expected a link to the piano lessons of FF5 even since I read the description of the fic.

[SonicANIMEfan2013]

A long night it will be for Gilgamesh.. but at least his piano skills leveled up

[Mother3Forever]