//------------------------------//
// Chapter 12: Negotiations Were Short 
// Story: All Hail the Overlord 
// by TheAncientPolitzanian 
//------------------------------//

The Elements of Harmony, the leaders of the world, and their guards stood before the magic mirror to the alternate world. Fear was evident on the faces of the weaker members of the Elements (Fluttershy), while the faces of the elite guards were filled with righteous indignation. 

"Allow us to go first, ma'am," Shining Armor said, stepping next to Princess Celestia. "We will be sure that nothing will happen to you or the other leaders." 

Princess Celestia looked to her trusted general, then nodded. "Very well. Proceed." 





Lord-General Barxt sat down on a chair that had been taken from a nearby café, as he rested his head on his hoof, which was propped up on a table, which had also been taken from the same café. 

Barxt sighed. He and his men had been standing outside in the plaza for a couple hours now. Where were they? 

It was then that a ripple appeared on the mirror. 

Barxt rose from his seat as dozens of Changelings with Crossbows raised their weapons behind makeshift barricades. 

A single white stallion in purple armor stepped out. 

"FIRE!" Barxt yelled as he raised a hand crossbow. The bolts fired all at once and flew towards the stallion.

Through quick thinking, the pony raised a shield, which held as the bolts slammed into it, but it was covered in cracks and shattered the second the barrage had ended. 

A second creature exited the portal. It was a gryphon in silvery armor. The gryphon flung himself in front of the stallion and raised his shield, blocking a final bolt that had been fired by Barxt. 

"Calm yourselves. you senseless ruffians! We have come for the sole purpose of negotiating. Lower your arms if you have any sense of nobility, you curs!" the gryphon said, lowering his shield. The stallion looked to the gryphon, relief and gratitude evident on his face.

Barxt raised an 'eyebrow' at this revelation as his men began reloading their crossbows. "Hold your fire, men," he said as he raised his hoof into the air. 

His men looked to their leader, confused as can be. "I am sure our Lord would want to hear about this," he said. "Fibula! Go fetch our master!" 

"Yes, Lord General!" a female changeling said with a salute, before she took to the air towards the throne room.

Barxt looked back to the mirror as more and more creatures began walking out.





Overlord Thorax snored as he sat back in his throne. The changeling he was using as a foot rest did not seem to care and continued to lay there. 

That was when a female changeling flew in through a window, landing in the center of the room. Several Overlord's Guard stopped her, lowering their halberds towards her. 

"My Overlord!" the changeling shouted to the aleeping Thorax. The Overlord slowly opened an eye. 

"What?" the overlord replied tiredly. He yawned and stretched his back until there was a pop. He reached back and scratched his shoulder after he was done.

"Lord General Barxt sent me. Several creatures from the alternate world have emerged from the portal. He asked me to retrieve you so that you may hear what they have to say personally," the changeling said bowing. 

"Hmmph, this had better be rather interesting for Lord General Barxt to interrupt me in the middle of my nap." The Overlord said rising from his throne and walking forwards, flanked on either side by several of his guards. "Otherwise I might have to relive him of his new promotion." 

"Trust me my lord. This is going to be worth it," the changeling said with a bow, before she took off again through the same window. 

"Is it now?" the Overlord said, cocking his head to the side. He snapped his claws, causing Pharynx and Ember to land next to him. 





The Elements and the Leaders had followed the warriors through the portal. Currently the group was standing ready for anything.

Flare and Gallant stood in front of the group, shields faced towards the changelings with the Crossbows, who had not lowered them since they arrived. The Two were clearly worried that they would fire again. Shining was standing behind them, horn lit to raise a magical shield should the need arise. Behind them were Sea spray, Pharynx and Gowland, who had their weapons raised, ready for anything.

"Hey uhh…" Shining started as he looked over to Gallant. "Thanks for that." 

"What ever doth thou mean?" Gallant replied. "That selfless act was only what any other would do." 

"Here I was thinking that Gryphons were incapable of being selfless," Pharynx said with a chuckle, only to be elbowed in the side by Gowland, who was strong enough to almost knock him over.

"If you say so," Shining said, when he was interrupted by the sound of marching. The Changelings ahead of them lowed their crossbows and went about moving the barricades to provide a clear path for the marching feet of a regiment of Changelings in Black full plated armor. 

Walking at the head of the Army were three individuals who walked in a triangular shape. In the center was the Overlord and to his left was Pharynx, whom Shining and Pharynx had the displeasure of running into before, but to the Overlord's Left was a Dragoness in dark grey armor with blue scales and purple spines. 

"What the?" Ember said. "I am his lackey in this Universe!" Rage bellowed in her eyes, but she quickly calmed herself before she did anything rash.

The alternate Thorax walked up to the leader of the Changelings who were pointing Crossbows at them. "Barxt, care to explain to me why they are here?" He said, his voice much deeper and more refined then their Thorax. 

"They have come to us to... negotiate, my Overlord," Barxt replied.

The Overlord was quiet for a few seconds, before he burst into laughter, which was soon echoed by all the Changelings around. 

"Don't let me EVER tell you that you never do anything for me," the Overlord said, wiping a tear from his flaming eye, "because this is the best laugh I have had in years." 

The Leaders and Elements clearly looked uncomfortable as the Overlord laughed.  

The Overlord then turned and began walking towards the Leaders and elements. 

"Now then," the Overlord said as he walked, "what is it you vermin would like to negotiate?"

That is when the 6 warriors raised their weapons and stood in between the Overlord and their leaders. "Not another step," Seaspray said, pointing his rapier at the Overlord. 

The Overlord cocked his head to the side in confusion. Then he stepped back and turned to the Alternate Pharynx. "Come." he said with a side nod of his head.

The Alternate Pharynx flew forwards and landed next to his master. 

"Now then. What do you want to do to the warriors who stood against me?" The Overlord said leaning down so that he was eye level with his brother. 

"I want to tear to tear them to pieces!" The Alternate Pharynx screamed, loud enough to wake the dead.

The Warriors, especially Pharynx and Shining, took a couple steps back. 

The Overlord's hoof suddenly burst into fire, and he lowered it onto the Alternate Pharynx's head, causing fire to surge across the alternate Pharynx's body. "Good boy!" Thorax said while rubbing Pharynx's head like a dog. 

Thorax was particularly disturbed by this. He was treating his own brother like an attack dog. 

"Go play." The Overlord said with a smile. The Alternate Pharynx suddenly laughed, before he pounced towards Seaspray who tried his best to block him, but it was too little to late. Seaspray was kicked in the head and thrown away like a rag doll. 

The Alternate Pharynx giggled like a mad man before charging after Seaspray, who had been kicked down the street, like an empty can. 

The Other warriors could only look on in shock before the Overlord's horn and antlers glowed and they were picked up in blood red auras, and tossed down the street after the Alternate Pharynx. 





Thorax looked on in panic as his brother and the others were forced to engage with the rabid alternate form of Pharynx. "Stop! What are you doing!" Thorax yelled in fear. He was about to run after his brother, but he was blocked by Changelings in black plate armor, who lowered halberds as they surrounded the Elements and leaders. 

"If you want him to stop," The Overlord said, as the Alternate Pharynx punched Shining in the face hard enough to send him into the floor with a broken nose, "you had better make these negotiations go by quick."

The Overlord began to lean back as a changeling rushed forwards and transformed into a throne, which the Overlord sat down in. 

"Pull up a chair." the Overlord said, as several changelings transformed into chairs, around one who had turned into a table in front of The Overlord. There were 16 chairs, enough for the Elements and all the leaders. 

The Elements who were in too much a panic to remember to use the elements quickly took their seats. Thorax was next, followed by the other leaders. 

"My, your version of me is a wimp," the Overlord said, locking eyes with Thorax. As he said that, the Alternate Pharynx caught a charging Gowland by the horns, bringing him to a screetching halt. The Alternate Pharynx quickly kneed Gowland in the face, flinging him away. 

"So, what is it you want?" The Overlord said with a smile. 

The Alternate Celestia quickly rose from her seat and slammed her hooves onto the table, causing the table to flinch. "I want you out of my Equestria and I want my sister returned to me!" she shouted at the Overlord, louder than even the Royal Voice. 

"Hey!" The Overlord shouted in reply. "Careful, this table is a valuable servant." 

"Did the mean old Alicorn hurt you?" The Overlord said in a gentle voice as he rubbed the table. He then rose from his throne. 

"Let's put it to a vote, shall we?" The Overlord said. "Who here says Celestia is the Ruler of Equestria?" 

The Elements and other leaders quickly raised their hooves or hands as Seaspray screamed in pain as the Alternate Pharynx broke one of his legs with a punch.

"I count 15 votes in your favor." The Overlord said. "Who says I am the rightful ruler of Equestria?" 

The Alternate Ember and all of the changelings nearby shouted "All hail the Overlord!" in reply. 

"Hmmm.." The Overlord slowly said as the real Pharynx was used as a club to bash Flare onto the ground. "1... 2... 3... that's too many votes on my side to count. I think it is safe to say that I win. I love Democracy." 

The other leaders and Elements couldn't say anything in reply. "Besides I can't give you Luna back even if I wanted to." The Overlord laughed. 

"W... Why?" Celestia stammered out. 

"Show her!" The Overlord said as he smiled. 

A changeling transformed into Luna before, that changeling was beheaded by one of the Overlord's guard's halberds. 

"Tough luck I must say." The Overlord said with a smile. "She didn't even scream." He turned back and looked to the beheaded Luna as she turned back into a changeling. 

Suddenly the Overlord was struck directly in the face by a golden bolt of energy. This caused him to be flung backwards, snapping the back off the throne he was in, killing the changeling who had transformed into it, and sending him down the street that was behind him. 

The Overlord used his claws to dig into the pavement, stopping him before he flew to far away. The Overlord had his head down, but he raised it with a face of pure rage. 

Back at the table, and equally as Angry, was the Alternate Celestia, who had transformed back into her evil self. The Others gasped. This was not good.