Author's Note: Laziness and staggering amounts of lines I have planned for the Good Overlord has led me to take the action of no longer using blue text for his dialogue. Or actually using colored text for any others. Sorry, but it gets pretty annoying. Anyhow, the story is- actually, let me surprise you with that. Have fun, next chapter will be.....very promising. Hehehehehe.
Shadows, few and many, sparse and close, big and tall, they all surrounded the forest of the Everfree. For all of them were taking a watchful look as to a conflicting, tall, bipedal creature in front of a giant flame enshrouding what used to be somepony’s home. Some of these shadows were the forest, others small woodland animals, and few were of larger creatures. But most, yes most of these shadows, belonged to something else. Many of these somethings, with yellow eyes and slitted, black pupils, all grinning as if it were an enjoying show.
The figure before the flame clenched his fists, wondering just what had happened. He had surely switched places with his damned other, the part of him that had been occupying his body for who knows how long. It was a bleak and dreary realm, that imprisonment, that subconscious. And all of that time, the Good Overlord had yearned to get out. Day after day, months after months; and soon, time was lost to him, forever beyond his reach.
The mind had created some sort of split world, where he was no longer a merciful man, but a wrathful demon who swore to kill those who had caused his life to become a living spiral. A hellhole in itself, absent of a beginning and end. No origin, no threshold, or breach, just an ever-expanding landmass that continued to bear the seeds of poverty and famine. And he was stuck without an exit. So, he worked to bring this world to that of a beautiful and bountiful one. And that had finally succeeded. That is, until he saw a mirage of what he thought to be his body, floating in the middle of Mental Spree with the limbs of different creatures grasping it. One belonged to a lion, another an eagle. Then there was a goat's leg, among other varying assortments.
Curiosity gaining the upper hand, he stepped through and it was but a moment's daze before he realized he was in an ethereal form, alongside his child self. But between them, was a being like the Overlord. And indeed, it was the Overlord. But, it was also him, the Eighth Hero. Formerly a bringer of justice, his body had been bent to the will of avarice and ambition. And he gained no pleasure in seeing such a corrupted form. So he did what any other sensible man would do, he retook his former self. And he imprisoned his Evil self into the catacombs of his mind.
Then how, just how did the Evil break out? Only one explanation could be reasoned at this moment; it had grown immensely, both in power and in size. And that gave the Eighth Hero all the more reason to quicken his pace of action. He needed to befriend the equines so that they could assist him in eliminating this Evil splinter part. So, seeing that heat had no longer resided in his palms, he apologized in a hushed voice to whosoever had owned the now smoldering home. The home, from his short visit, looked very traditional and old, a family value. It wasn't unlike his own home, his lodging with his parents. If his predictions proved true, he had just incinerated, albeit unintentionally, a very esteemed establishment. He showed and remorse, but the Hero knew his counterpart, the Overlord, wasn't.
The Eighth Hero suddenly flipped around, realizing the watchful eyes on his encounter and performance. He had lingered too long, it wouldn't be long before the Minions came crashing down on him. He pretended not to notice the hundreds of eyes in the tree line, heading towards the town to which the home's road led to.
As he walked, the wind's gentle breeze drifted through the forest, causing its leaves to flutter and dance to the quiet tune's direction. Leaves bristled against one another, all in correspondence with the small little imps running stealthily in pursuit of their Master, or better yet, their target.
The Overlord, the real one who had been ruling all of these years, was back in his prison that was his subconscious. It was disappointing, but worth the effort of escaping. Even if it was for but a moment, he was able to break through and return to his living embodiment. And this meant two things. One, he would be able to escape with more efforts and added vigor. Two, he could learn and destroy whatever plan his 'Good' self was planning. The Overlord laughed, his voice echoing throughout his containment, as he looked off into the dark void. And he moved forward.
Moments before at Castle Overlord
“Gnarl, Gnarl! Get up you ragged pile of bones, what are you doing?”
Gnarl batted his eyelids in an attempt to clear his currently distorted vision. A few towering black figures obscured his sense of sight. After shaking his cranium a few times, light passed through and he was able to see that some of the lieutenants had found him unconscious.
“Wh-what happened? Last I remember, the Mas.....Ten!” Gnarl suddenly yelled. “Assemble a tracking group. Have them follow the Master, or actually, the impostor, while you ready the forces to follow him to whence he goes.”
“Impostor? What are you talking about?” Ten asked, looking at the others for help and promptly receiving unknowing shrugs in return.
“Just go! You’ll all find soon enough, hurry before he escapes.” Gnarl commanded.
“Fine, fine,” Ten said while skulking to the barracks. “You miserable pile of sh- Omph!” Ten fell to the ground as he gazed upon what, or more so, who he had crashed into.
“Having a bit of trouble, are we?”
“Eh, screw off, cheese holes.” Ten insulted as he was followed by the others to the barracks.
Chrysalis narrowed her eyes, trying to kill the Minions with her death glare. Regretfully, it didn’t work so she turned her attention back to the Overlord’s right hand imp. “Something important, I presume?” Knowing every fault, every detail, and overall, having the ability to turn friends into enemies were her first priorities. In this case, she was working both with and against the Overlord.
If she could somehow manage to turn or coerce his forces against each other, she could take control and destroy the Overlord and the Alicorns in one fell swoop. All she needed was an opportunity.
“Nothing that concerns you.” Gnarl quipped as he took his cane and started to walk to the barracks.
“Oh, but it does. I am your ally, so I should know everything, correct?” She reasoned.
“Wrong, you’re a resource. As much as I care to say, the Master has no need of you. The only advantage of having allies is to use them as auxiliary forces. We could take on this, ‘Equestria’, of yours with the bare might of Minions and the Master alone. So remember that lest you ask him, yourself.” He had no time or temper to deal with this at the moment.
“Oh,” Chrysalis’ horn glowed a dark green as Gnarl got swept up against the wall. “I understand. Just pure strategy.” She grinned as she used her magic to take a look into the Minion’s mind. “I completely understand.”
“Okay you whelps, chase down the Master and bring him back. It’s as simple as that, understood?” Ten asked.
“I don’t think they actually do,” One guessed.
“Eh, you only live onc-“ Two got smacked in the face by Nine upon saying that hated line.
“Never again.” Nine hissed.
“Shut it, you idiots! Anyway, do you other idiots understand the plan?”
“Yeah, yeah!” A Blue responded.
“Master!” A Green followed.
“I wish the Overlord had trained more Minions, it’s pathetic to speak to children.” Seven complained.
“How about we name them? They look like new spawns anyway.” Eight suggested.
“Fair enough, let’s see if they make it far enough for us to remember their names. I say the Blue one here is Freezey and the Green is Stinks, because he smells like manure wrapped in human baby piss along with a pint of unicorn seed” Ten concluded.
“That’s....one way of doing things..” Nine complimented.
“Okay, Freezey, Stinks,” He addressed the two properly. “Take your other Minions and follow the Master’s scent. Do not let him leave your sight.”
Freezey proceeded to stick his hand in his nose and Stinks, in an attempt to salute, somehow ended up punching Freezey in the face.
“Newborns,” The lieutenants said as they facepalmed.
Flames, cinders, ashes, and smoke all littered the Eighth Hero’s sense of smell as he cantered into the scorched town. It was once a humble place, much like his hometown. But that all changed, it was destroyed, devastated, and would eventually be forgotten as the ashes crumbled away one by one. Homes were ravaged, gardens salted, and places were memories were previously kept in high esteem, annihilated. And worst of all, these peaceful ponies were killed, something of which they probably had yet to experience. Something that ruined their innocence. It only meant one thing for the Hero; he needed to rid the world of his Evil. So, with a mental contemplation and apology to the former occupants of this town, he looked to a singed sign nearby that pointed towards the castle named, 'Canterlot'.
“Follow the Master!” Stinks ordered, tripping over some vines in the Everfree Forest.
“Yes, yes! Go!” Freezey added as their group of pursuers, which were composed of Blues and Greens, moved hastily along the green maze. They witnessed their Master stop for a few moments in the town, then he headed towards the large castle in the mountain off in the distance. And wherever he’d go, they’d follow.
“You think we can’t take this, you weaklings?! We’ve suffered more than you’d ever know!”
“Talk already!” Cadence shouted as she bucked the imp in the face with some power. His head slinked back for a second before realigning itself.
“Whoa there, don’t wanna kill the guy, do ya?” A griffin asked from the sidelines, enjoying the sight before him, which was an enraged Princess taking her anger out on two foreign prisoners.
“They know where Shining is!” Cadence screamed. She was practically fuming.
“Hey, Three, did that hurt as much as when Rollie got your hand?” Four asked, laughing and coughing as Cadence punched him in the gut.
Three spit out some blood, then grinned with blood-stained teeth. “This wench couldn’t hurt me even if she tried. I’ve seen beetles better than her.” The two Minion lieutenants laughed as they both got socked in the face by a newcomer.
“Thou shall hold thy tongue!”
Gnarl, along with the lieutenants, all stood on a stand in full armor as Queen Chrysalis hovered above them. Before them were giant masses and embodiments of sweat, armor, and weapons. And every being in this field heaved and panted with each passing second. They had just been gathered, in full equipment no less, for a mandatory meeting.
“Minions, Diamond Dogs, and Changelings alike, we gather in a large force today because the ponies have mocked us all long enough. Today, we show them who is truly the strongest and most fit to rule. Today, we show them why Evil will always find a way. This day, we bring to them the true power of the Overlord, of the Master, of Evil! This day,” Gnarl stepped towards the microphone device that Chrysalis had given him prior. “WE TAKE CANTERLOT!”
Shouts, screams, and laughter filled the air as hundreds of helmets were thrown into the air. The armies all converged on a single path, heading straight for the Equestrian capital, marching in unison as their sheer numbers stomped and trampled the dirt path. Drums boomed and horns called as the Invasion of Canterlot was at hand.