• Published 12th Apr 2014
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The Mighty Warrior of Epicness - shinigamisparda



A cosplayer is sent to Equestria as his outfit, Gilgamesh from Final Fantasy. Let his epic quest for fights and fun begin!

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Past Grievances and Alternate Anatomies

It had been almost two days since Celestia’s defeat by Gilgamesh. All of Equestria was in an uproar, especially Canterlot. The Elements of Harmony refused to go home, especially Twilight Sparkle who was practically having a nervous breakdown, not to mention a near crisis of faith that her mentor and Princess of the Sun even could be defeated. Luna had done what she could to calm the citizens, trying the gentle approach at first before finally unleashing her fury upon them, chastising them for having so little faith in her and Celestia. Though that got the populace to quiet, they were by no means at ease.

Thankfully, in addition to having the best doctors on hoof in Canterlot, Celestia’s constitution as an alicorn meant she healed quickly. By noon on the second day she was already healed enough to speak with visitors, much to the relief of Luna and Twilight. In fact, she looked so well that she almost appeared simply tired instead of having been bested in combat. She assured the Elements she would be well enough to continue ruling Equestria within a day or two and insisted that she and her friends go home. Afterward, she commanded her doctors to leave the room so she and Luna could speak privately.

“Any word on Gilgamesh?”

“None, dear sister. It is as though he has simply vanished. We had forgotten his teleport ability.” Luna looked down in shame. “It was Our fault this situation has become what it is. His weapon was within Our quarters. We should have been more attentive to-“

“Luna, enough. You can’t blame yourself.”

“But-“

“Luna, do not forget that Discord was able to escape due to my own short sightedness.”

Luna sighed before continuing. “The Guard wishes to know how to proceed.”

Celestia paused, considering her options. “Although I’d like to have him put away as soon as possible, having our armies standing around in the cities would likely cause more panic than spread a feeling of security.”

“If We may, sister. Gilgamesh has always prided himself of being a warrior and never attacked those who have not attacked him first, or the very least has never attacked others without first issuing a challenge. Even in the cases where young upstarts who were clearly outclassed challenged him he simply rendered them unconscious with the most minimal of damage.”

“What are you saying?”

“Though We too wish to see him recaptured, We fear more for the safety of our subjects. If we provide him with no opponents to face, he will fight no battles, and therefore there will be no damages to our cities and towns.”

Celestia pondered this for a moment, then sighed. “Though it is by no means an ideal situation it may be our best option. Have the Guard instruct the citizens as well as the police forces around Equestria to not engage Gilgamesh unless he shows outright aggression, and report all findings to us so we can keep tabs on him.”

“Of course, sister. Also, the ponies will wish to see you as soon as possible. We are doing our best, but We cannot placate them completely. Though We would prefer to see you fully healed, it may be best for you to make a public appearance as soon as you can walk, for their own piece of mind.”

“Right. I was thinking the same thing.” Celestia smiled warmly. “Thank you, Luna. You don’t know what it means to me to have you back. Not to mention having somepony to share the burden of governing the kingdom. I can’t imagine what I’d do if I was caught in this state without you to help me.”

“Think nothing of it, dear sister. We are happy to resume Our duties after one thousand years,” Luna responded with an equally warm smile.

“Um… there’s one last thing I’d like to ask you before you go, Luna, and please be honest with me.”

“Yes? Go ahead.”

Celestia hesitated, opening her mouth and closing it again a few times before asking. “Have I gotten fat?”

The room was dead silent. If there were crickets nearby they would’ve refused to chirp because even they would’ve felt too awkward to do anything.

“Oh dear! Look at the time! We must prepare to set the sun and raise the moon soon! Do not worry yourself, sister, We will take care of all of your duties, you just rest and recuperate! We will have the doctors return to monitor you as We leave! Ta-ta!”

And with that the Princess of the Night practically barreled outside before slamming the door. Celestia sighed before turning to look at her flank.

Maybe I could start to find time in my schedule to take few laps around the palace each day…


My stomach grumbled.

Damn. Does time fly by that fast, or do I just get hungry that quickly?

Over the past day and a half I had eaten a few manticores, some fish, and the occasional cockatrice (my Genji Armor rendering Petrify spells useless). Being eight feet tall and incredibly physically fit left me with quite the appetite. I even managed to kill and eat a cragadile, but it was way too much meat and I didn’t have any way to preserve it.

Guess I’m not eating a Hydra anytime soon. Not unless I figure out how to smoke things. Mmmm, manticore jerky.

Admittedly I did feel a bit bad about eating them (aside from the cragadile), seeing as how Fluttershy was able to communicate with them in the show, but that was only because her special talent and not because they were sapient. Besides, I was not going to risk poisoning myself with a fruit or an herb that I didn’t know. I had that experience in the past once, and severe stomach pains and vomiting is not something I want to experience again, especially out in the wilderness.

It was then I noticed a howling sound coming from deeper in the forest.

Timberwolves, huh? Well there are easier ways of getting kindling… but not as much fun.

I headed in the direction of the plant-wolves but quickened my pace when I heard the unmistakable sound of hooves on dirt coming form that direction as well. It didn’t take me long to find a familiar striped and mohawk maned equine surrounded by about twenty of the magical wood predators. Her face showed not fear, but awareness, looking for her opening to escape. So I decided to give her one.

“GILGAMESH!” I shouted while dashing forward. All eyes turned to me as I took out five of them with one swing. The others immediately attacked while the zebra ducked behind a rock to observe. With barely any effort and only few punches, kicks, and swings of my naiginata, all the timberwolves lay in pieces.

“Haha! That’ll teach ya!” It was then I noticed the pieces begin to glow green as they began to gather together into one giant mass. Soon I was staring at a massive timberwolf, nearly twice my size, which then proceeded to let out an earth-shaking roar. “Oh yeah, forgot they could do that. However,” I raised a hand at the creature and smirked. “Missile.” The spell blew the creature to pieces, incinerating most of them. It soon regenerated itself, only this time it was barely the size of a chihuahua. I gave it a glare and it ran off, whimpering pathetically. With my victory surely secured I turned to face the zebra stepping out from behind the rock, her face both shocked and wary.

Hopefully she’ll be more willing to give me a chance.

I bowed as majestically as I could. “Are you harmed, fair maiden of the forest?”

She seemed especially surprised at my actions, but luckily it had the effect I wanted as she no longer looked at me in fear. “You aided me in my time of strife. I thank you sir, you saved my life.”

“Think nothing of it, my striped equine friend. Such a beast was child’s play for the mighty Gilgamesh!”

“Gilgamesh you say? I’ve heard that name. Could it be you are the same?” she asked, once again giving me a look of nervousness.

So even out here in the forest she’s heard.

“Yes, I am indeed the warrior that has wounded Princess Celestia. But I assure you I mean no harm. If you would permit me, I would explain myself. If not, I shall simply continue on and leave you be.”

Zecora mulled it over for moment before answering. “I understand what it is like to be misunderstood, too. Follow me to my home, and I shall listen to you.”

“Very well. Lead the way, fair shamaness.”

We traversed the forest in silence, and within the hour we arrived at the familiar tree hut. By crouching down and positioning myself just right I managed to squeeze inside.

“Please take a seat, and I shall get us something to eat.”

“Very well, but I should mention I can’t eat grass, hay, or flowers.”

She nodded and retreated further into her home.

Huh. I don’t remember it being this big in the show. Then again, there weren’t many scenes in here, and the ones that did all pretty much took place in front of her cauldron.

After a few moments, a familiar and extremely welcome smell hit my nostrils.

“Oh goodness. Could it be?” Along with balancing a basket of fruit on her back, Zecora returned carrying a teapot in her mouth. “Is that… zebafrican red tea?!” The zebra looked rather surprised at my enthusiasm, but simply nodded, setting everything down. “Oh does lady luck love me today!”

She chuckled at that as she retrieved two cups from her cupboard. “What an interesting fellow you’ve turned out to be. I have never seen such excitement over tea.” She gingerly poured the red liquid into the two cups before pushing one over to me.

“Then it seems you’ve never met one with a true appreciation for these wonderful herbal concoctions! How they warm the body, refresh the mind, and reinvigorate the soul!”

“I must admit, you are quite a surprise. How does one like you nearly bring Celestia’s demise?”

“Ah, I should explain, shouldn’t I? But first, tea,” I said before removing my face guard and taking a slow sip of the hot liquid.

Oh yeah. That’s the good shit.

“First I should clarify that not once did I ever seek to end Celestia’s life, or those of her sister and the other Elements. I merely sought a glorious battle with her, just like we had done in our bouts more than a millennium ago. Alas, though she fought valiantly, the Celestia I fought two days ago was not the same as whom I clashed with in the past. She has grown weak in my absence, and can hardly offer even a fraction of the challenge she once posed me. It would seem in her quest for peace she neglected other venues.”

“You are upset with her peace? Do you not like for wars to cease?”

“War, yes. Though war may bring about heroes history often glosses over those who have been crushed in these scuffles. So many names and dreams lost to time like so much dust. As the saying goes ‘Anyone who truly wants to go to war has truly never been there before.’ But battle is different.” I took another sip of the tea and sighed in bliss before I continued. “Battle need not be to death. And more importantly, battle is, as I see, an equalizer, and window to the soul. In the heat of the fight so much fluff is stripped from importance. Wealth, gender, species, age, all is burnt away aside from what is important to victory. Skill, strategy, strength, speed, and other attributes of the like are all that is important. And one’s personality comes through as well. Are they a kindhearted soul who seeks to claim victory as painlessly as possible? Are they one who seeks to crush all that stands before them? It is this view I hold, and it is for this belief that I clashed with the mighty Princess of the Sun.” I sighed despondently. “If only she saw it the same way.”

“I see that you have such reverence for the fight. But for what reason this has come about I wish to come to light.”

I paused. I hadn’t told anyone, any species of who I was, who I used to be or where I was from. I didn’t really feel it was important. I had pretty much cut myself off from my previous life. Sure, I had lost things I enjoyed, and other things I felt were important, but as far as I was concerned I gained so much more in return.

Still, it might feel good to get some of those feelings off my chest.

“Zecora, imagine if you will a world where there is no magic, or at the very least if there is it so well hidden it might as well not exist. Also imagine that every creature from this world, Equus, either doesn’t exist or at the very least doesn’t speak and aren't sapient, except for one. That is the kind of world I hail from. It is a world where the kind of things that are commonplace here in Equus are but fanciful machinations. I was torn from this world and sent to Equus more than a millennium and a half ago, in a form and with powers that were not my own. Although I am unable to return, the truth is I no longer care to. I have left that part of my life behind.”

“You do not care? Is there truly nothing for you there?” she asked, her warm yet analytical expression changing to one of confusion.

I grunted. “In that world I was but a slave to other’s wills, with few respites and decisions to call my own. I was but another cog in the machine of a society that did not care for me, a victim to a life of monotony and despair. Though that is not life all over my former homeworld, it was life for me. The world I lived in was one I was glad to leave. To quote a… speaker I often listened to, ‘It’s boring, it’s tedious, it’s dominated by morons, nobody can fly and all the dinosaurs are dead.’ But here, in Equus, I have freedom, and more importantly I have the power to pursue the path I wish. Why would I ever wish to return and give that up?”

The hut was quiet for a moment. I took another sip of the tea, which unfortunately had cooled considerably since my last sampling.

Damn it. I just had to put myself in bad mood. I need some sort of distraction, anything to get my mind off of-

And then, just like that, it came.

Gilgamesh, I am Xante, Baron of the Frozen Wastelands, First among Liches, Lord of the Undead, and Fabulous Rainbow Magician… AND I COULD REALLY USE SOME HELP RIGHT NOW!

I sat there for a moment, trying to process everything I heard. After about two seconds, one thought prevailed.

That’s a long ass fucking title.

I stood up and headed for the door to the hut.

“Pardon me, my armored friend, but is our time together at an end?”

I turned to face Zecora with a smile as I opened the door and stepped outside.

“Fear not, my striped companion, for I shall soon return for thy company and thy marvelous tea. However, duty calls as I must aid one like myself.”

I cut a hole in the fabric of the universe above my head with my naginata before crouching down.

“GILGAMESH, AWAY!” I shouted and launched myself into The Rift, the path closing behind me.

Now, let me explain something about traveling The Rift to you all: I don’t know if its the same for everyone, but for me it was kind of like swimming through molasses, just without the movement restrictions, and it's kind of like being so empty that somehow that emptiness itself seems to have substance. And let’s not even mention the creatures that would make H.P. Lovecraft blush.

My initial jump got me to go several feet before I came to a grinding halt. Seeing my initial momentum gone I decided to try swimming through the great nothingness towards my destination. Although there was no real “up” or “down” here there was “towards” and “away” from things. After about ten seconds of doing the breaststroke and seeing that I’d only managed to move about an inch I decided to just throw caution to the non-existent wind and stand on top of my naginata like a surfboard. Seeing as how it was what brought me to my new dimension in the first place it of course worked like gangbusters and I made it to my destination in seconds.

As soon as I exited The Rift I shouted ”Do not fear, for Gilgamesh-! Wait…”

It was then I realized I was in the air and plummeting towards a snowy mountain.

”OH DEAR GOD WHY!?” I managed to scream before creating a massive hole in the layered powdery snow.


It was about twenty minutes before I returned, thankfully exiting the portal on the ground this time. I had returned right where I left and knocked on the zebra’s door.

It’s only polite, after all.

She opened the door and, much to my surprised, looked pleased to see me.

“Gilgamesh, you have come back! Would you like to once again join me for a snack?”

“Of course, provided that I may once again partake of your wondrous tea as well.”

I followed her inside and for a while we just shot the shit, getting to learn a little bit about each other’s intricacies. I will admit, although I enjoy my fighting lifestyle, moments like this are a nice break to have every so often. I ate some wild berries that she had picked and some apples she had received from a friend (gee, I wonder who those could’ve been from?) as we talked. I was surprised to learn that Nightmare Night was coming up and though she had been invited to come she had wondered if she should. That obviously meant that the “Luna Eclipsed” episode was coming, which she played a large role in, but that fact that she was considering not going caught me by surprise. Of course, I convinced her to go, stating that if she had a friend willing to come out into the Everfree to give her gifts then obviously she would be welcomed.

Before I knew it I yawned, it seemed that several hours had passed, and although the forest was always dark I could tell the sun was beginning to set.

“Well, it seems I must be off,” I said I headed towards the door.

“Leave, but why? Surely you notice the darkening sky?”

“Indeed, which is why I intend to leave. Though I have enjoyed our time together it would be rude of me to overstay my welcome. And you need not worry for me, I can and have handled everything this forest can threaten me with.”

“Why not spend the night with me, instead of risking yourself in Everfree?”

I smirked. “Miss Zecora, are you trying to seduce me?” Her face flushed red and, for the first time all day, she was completely speechless. I laughed. “I merely jest, my striped friend! I wouldn’t want to impose, but if you’re quite alright with it, then I accept.”

That night I slept not in a dark empty castle but in a hut warm with, dare I say it, friendship. Zecora had offered me a cot but I refused as I had rather gotten used to sleeping on the ground and I often found pillows and beds to be far too fluffy for me. As I closed my eyes, my mind began to drift.

“Miss Zecora, are you trying to seduce me?” I can’t believe I actually said that. I mean, I know it was hilarious and she didn’t really take offense, but still. After all, its not like I’m into equines. Well, except maybe Luna, but its not like that’ll happen. Though, I did kiss- No, bad thoughts! Stay out! What am I thinking? I mean, she’s not even like that other Luna with her powerful gaze, slim legs, hourglass figure and ample- GAH! NO STOP! Think of something else! Like the apples Zecora gave you, they were tasty right? Tastier than any other apples you’ve ever had, just like almost like every food here… Huh, I wonder what Zecora looks like in their- NO!


Needless to say, I didn’t sleep that great that night. Before I left Zecora’s hut she gave me a list of what was and wasn’t edible in the Everfree Forest so I wouldn’t have to worry about eating something that would hurt me. I had decided to spend the day trying to find them for later meals and also just to help me find their normal growing locations and time flew by faster than I thought. I realized how much time had passed when I heard and felt a massive explosion from the direction of Ponyville. I hopped up to the canopy of the forest and saw a rainbow mushroom cloud in the direction of what must be Sweet Apple Acres. One thought entered my head as a delightfully evil smile spread across my face.

“Lesson Zero.” The perfect time to do some trolling. And to make use of that spell Xante gave me.


Twilight was exhausted, but the truth was she had nopony to blame but herself. She couldn’t believe she had used the “Want-It, Need-It” spell on Mr. Smartypants just so she could create a problem to fix. And by Celestia did she have a problem to fix by the end of it all.

“Ugh, I really need to apologize to everypony. And it really is everypony. Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, Big Macintosh… I think I need to make a li-”

She stopped herself, remembering one of her quirks that had contributed her… episode.

“Hey, its not like it’ll be a big problem, right? It won’t be big a complicated list, it’ll just be a small list! And I’ll only check it once!... Okay, maybe twice.”

Twilight snuck past Spike’s bed and the snoring dragon within, and carefully opened the door with her magic, inching it open just enough for her to get into the main lobby. After she closed it she turned to head downstairs to get some supplies when she saw the last thing she expected to see.

“’Sup?”

Standing right in front of her on the ground floor was Gilgamesh, just standing there with his weapon, a naginata if she remembered correctly, like it was completely normal. Before she could say anything music inexplicably started playing, a song that sounded like something that might come out of a DJ’s turntable. The warrior then proceeded to dance in a manner that would’ve looked normal if Pinkie Pie had done it. Twilight could only stare in confusion, and soon the display ended.

“See ya,” he said before cutting open a hole below him and jumping in, disappearing into some kind of spatial void. Twilight continued to stare for a moment more.

“And I’m hallucinating. Yup, I need to get some sleep.”

She quickly turned back to her room and proceeded to get under the covers.


Twilight woke to a wonderful aroma coming from downstairs, telling her it was going to be a good day. She opened her eyes to find a rare sight: Spike was up before her. Twilight quickly made her bed, brushed her mane and tail, and then headed downstairs. She was about to greet Spike in the kitchen when she heard him humming a disturbingly familiar song. It was only after a minute or two that he noticed her presence.

“Oh, hey Twilight! Wow, you sure got up late, huh? I thought I’d make you some pancakes after yesterday’s-“

“Spike, what were you humming?”

“Huh? Oh, um. I dunno. I Just kinda started humming it this morning. It’s really catchy.”

“But where did you hear it?”

“Uh… I don’t really know. Why?”

“Because… Because it sounds like the song that-“ Twilight stopped as her eyes widened. She began to hyperventilate as her body began shaking and her mane and tail began to become frayed…


A tall figure stood near the edge of the Everfree Forest. He had been waiting a many hours for something to happen. Soon an ear-piercing scream rang out through all of Ponyville. The figure smiled and pumped his fist in victory.

Author's Note:

HO.LY. CRAP.

167 likes, 241 favorites. I. I don't. I can't.

You're amazing. You're all amazing. I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter despite the mood change near the middle. Also, Zecora is tough to write, sue me. Also, really tired right now. If I made any mistakes, don't be afraid to point them out.

Goodnight. Or good morning. Whatever.