//------------------------------// // Prologue: The Overlord Comes // Story: All Hail the Overlord // by TheAncientPolitzanian //------------------------------// Celestia and Luna stood in their armor as they gazed at the door, their weapons clutched in their magic. Celestia's armor was a shining, golden display, featuring rich decorations and precious gems galore. In her magical grasp was a long spear that was just as flashy, if not more so. Luna, on the other hoof, focused on use rather than décor. Her own armor was silver in color and covered her from head to hoof, leaving only enough space to reveal her horn, eyes and wings. She held a sword, emblazoned only with a single milky white moonstone at its pommel. They were flanked by a large contingent of both Day and Night Guards, who were holding their weapons nervously and sweating profusely. The room was choked with fear. Celestia swallowed a lump in her throat as she looked over to her sister who was as calm and stoic as ever. She had to wonder how she was capable of it. Less than a year ago, the two had almost destroyed the reality they lived in, but now they were the last line of defense between a cold, unfeeling, and bloodthirsty tyrant, and the throne. The universe was a cruel mistress and the irony was not lost on her. She was awakened from her thoughts by the stomping of hooves just beyond the door to the throne room. This was it. The final battle for their world. She took a defensive position and looked over to see her sister had as well. "This is it, guards!" she shouted, readying not just them, but herself. "Do not falter, do not relent. The changeling you are about to meet is nothing like Queen Chrysalis. He will give no mercy and expect none in return. Be prepared for—" A fiery explosion blew the door to pieces before she could finish. The debris smashed through several lines of guards and destroyed several busts of King Sombra and the Royal Sisters, coming to a sliding stop at the hooves of the princesses. Standing in the smoldering doorway was a changeling equal in height to Celestia. His body below his neck was clad in dark grey, segmented armor, with a dark red cape flowing in an invisible wind. His head and above was clearly visible, revealing his crimson chitin. On his head rested a black crown with a blood red gem embedded in the center, just above his forehead. Two grey, mandible-like horns emerged from the top of his head like those of deer. The hooves of his armor had five spikes emerging from them, clearly modelled after the claws of a dragon. They were incredibly sharp and looked like they could disembowel a pony without even trying. Light red fire blazed in his eyes as he glared at them. To his left was Sombra, his eyes glowing green, as purple smoke flowed out of them, like always. To his right was a changeling that resembled the tall one, only shorter in stature, alongside lacking a crown and cape. Behind the three of them was a massive swarm of crimson changelings, all of them with flaming light red eyes. There were hundreds, if not thousands, all staring down at the ramshackle force of less than fifty Royal Guards before them. The Changeling Lord slowly walked forward, Sombra and the changeling to his right following him. "My my my. What might we have here?" the changeling lord said, his voice incredibly sophisticated and calm. "A small resistance to my conquest? I must say, this is utterly embarrassing. I was expecting the battle for Canterlot to last days and nights, but it's like you pathetic ponies have completely given up. We practically walked into this city." Celestia frowned at the sheer disregard for her and her people this creature had shown. While it was true that the Changeling Lord had managed to overwhelm her countries defenses and fight a brutal war of attrition against her people, she was still more powerful than him. How dare he brush her off? No. That was her previous life talking. She was a kind and compassionate ruler like her predecessor. The beasts in front of her, the vile Changeling and Sombra, she knew would only bring ruin to Equestria. "Oh, where are my manners?" The changeling placed his clawed hoof on his chest. "I am Overlord Thorax. Ruler of Changelingkind, and by the looks of the battle that is about to commence, the ruler of Equestria as well." He removed the hoof from his chest and began walking forward. His metal claws clanged against the stone tiles of the throne room. "Contrary to that little peptalk of yours, I am not entirely without mercy, Princess. Surrender this country, this castle, and your subjects to me, and you and your sister may yet live," he said as he closed in on the Princesses, walking over the wounded and dead guards caught by the debris he had launched during his dramatic entrance. "Overlord Thorax." Luna stepped forwards, staring Overlord Thorax right in the eyes. "You are clearly outmatched. No matter how powerful you and your followers might be, there is no way you can deal with the two Princesses of Equestria." Thorax didn't flinch when the fully armored face of Luna was thrust an inch away from his. He smiled and laughed, revealing a mouth full of sharp teeth and two long, wicked upper fangs. "Why, I need not fight you. If you or your sister strike me with so much as the weakest magic beam in the history of this pathetic nation, my subjects will swarm into this room and rip both of you apart, bit by bit, until the two of you are nothing more than bad memories and stains upon the floor," Thorax said with a smile. Luna frowned beneath her armor and lifted her blade into the air. She attempted to bring it down upon Thorax's head, only for her strike to be blocked by a Zweihander held up by a dark red aura. Thorax's antlers and horn glowed the same red color, revealing the sword to be his. "Disappointing, but not unexpected," Thorax said, as he brought his hoof back and 'backhanded' Luna across the face with an audible clang — the sound of their armors striking each other — sending her flying across the room. She landed on the ground and rolled a couple feet before stopping. She did not rise again. Their princess felled by a single blow, the Night Guard panicked and broke ranks. The Day Guard followed suit in a massive rout, leaving Celestia alone to face down the Mad Lord. Thorax looked at her, his smile widening. "I'm going to give you a 60-second head start." Celestia was struck by fear. She too ran. She would go to the one place she knew she could find help. In the meantime, Thorax walked forward, smiling as he took a seat, to the cheering of his changeling army. "Hear me my warriors! My Hive! The Age of the Pony ends now, once and for all! The Age of the Changeling shall begin! And as long as I draw breath, it shall reign!" he shouted, which only heightened the thunderous applause of his people. The only creature not cheering was Sombra. All he could do was look on with regret. Was this truly what the future held for him?