//------------------------------// // 3 Evil Deeds // Story: Evil Always Finds a Way // by Malcho1234 //------------------------------// Plowton was a small village located between Appleloosa and Dodge Junction. It’s significance was so small that they didn’t even have a train station. The only notable things that happened in the past few decades were the sudden earthquake and strange weather patterns a week ago. Tonight, the village would experience another shocking event... Violet Blossom was an ordinary Earth pony mare. Her cutie mark was the same as her name, signifying her talent in growing up the flowers that were her namesake. And indeed, her entire back yard was taken up by flowerbeds where she grew up the tastiest violets in Plowton. They were her pride and joy, and her main source of income. As the last rays of Celestia’s sun shone over the garden the ground between two patches of flowers shifted before it was pushed up, not unlike a molehill. A molehill made by a mole bigger than a pony… Green light shone from the new hole in the ground before eight small figures jumped out. The eight Minions landed on their feet and looked around. Nobody had heard or seen their arrival. The Greens were sneaky and they took pride in that. As the moon rose the eight Greens moved to the fence that separated Violet’s garden from her neighbors. One by one they climbed over it, looking in disgust at the houses’ silhouettes. So idyllic… So boring… So happy… The Greens would love nothing more than to ransack the town, to burn and kill and pillage… But they couldn’t. The Overlord had ordered them to scout and take back as many books as they could carry without being discovered. Failure to comply with their Master’s orders brought punishments… Cruel, and unusual punishments… Of course, that didn’t mean that they couldn’t be destructive while sneaky… It would be too much to expect that of them, even if the Overlord had bothered to specifically order against that. The back door to Violet’s house slowly opened and a glowing yellow eye peeked through the crack. They didn’t even have to use their claws to pick the lock… These ponies were so trusting, they deserved what was going to happen to them. And so, one by one, the eight Minions sneaked into the small two-story house and began their search for what the Overlord needed… “Umm… What ees Mastah wanting ‘gain?” One of the Minions asked, scratching the back of its bald head with a claw. “Stoopid Mulch. Gnarl say Mastah wanteds us to find a libor… Liber… Umm…” The Green paused as he tried to remember the word. “A beeg house of booksies.” He finally said. “Oooh…” The other minion nodded in understanding and looked around. “What is booksies?” The other Green promptly facepalmed. And so the Minions began searching for “booksies”. It was a small miracle that Violet didn’t wake up as they ransacked the first floor of her house, making a mess of things. Their reasoning was that since the Overlord wanted books, then they were valuable. And people hid valuable things in many places… And so every place that could hold a book was thoroughly checked. The couches’ cushions were first thrown to the sides, to check under them, before they were sliced apart. A Green tried to climb up the fireplace, only to get stuck and flail around. Two others managed to pull it down, but not before one of them got kicked in the face, resulting in a shiner that sent the newly-freed Green into a laughing fit, which, of course, prompted a small scuffle. The leader of the group growled and smacked the two fighting Greens upside the head. “Quiet! We’s not s’posed to be heard!” He hissed. The other two had the (small) decency to look a bit sheepish. Slapping them again for good measure the Greens returned to their destruction-slash-searching. Finally one of them called out: “I found the booksies!” Seven pairs of yellow eyes looked at the Minion that called out before following his outstretched finger to a small shelf that held a dozen or so books. Quickly they gathered under it. Unfortunately the bookshelf was too high for the Minions to reach. Not that it stopped them from jumping up at it. After several failed attempts one of the smarter Minions decided to use a Green that had stumbled and fallen as a springboard. He managed to catch the top of the book with his claw before he fell down, sending him down onto his unfortunate brethren. The book hung on the edge for a second before it tumbled down, hitting the Green on the head and knocking it out cold. The rest of the Minions gathered to look at the book. One of them snorted with disgust. “Ugh, unicorn…” It gagged and reached out to try and pry the image of the unicorn from the cover. A slap made him pull his claw back. “Mastah won’t be happy if the booksy is damaged.” The group’s leader snarled before taking the book and putting it in a sack that he took from his waist. “Mastah will be pleased with dis… Now get the other booksies.” Now that they knew what to do the Minions helped each other to get to the rest of the books. Soon the sack was full and the shelf was empty. “Take the booksies to the Mastah.” The leader shoved the sack into the hands of another Green who gave a sloppy salute and ran through the back door to drop the sack into the Minion Gate. Normally the Minions would’ve called the task complete, since they weren’t out to kill anything. But they were the first ones on the surface for a thousand years, and so they wanted to stretch their legs a bit… And besides, if they brought in more books they would surely be rewarded, right? And so the Minions set on, silently wreaking havoc as they infiltrated house after house. Here they would defecate in a flower bush, there they would steal some instruments and bits or rip at some clothes that were hung to dry… Occasionally one would run back to the Minion Gate and drop a sack of loot into the Minion Gate. They kept this up for hours, until they all felt a tug on their mind, not unlike the tugging of a leash. Their Master was calling them back. Taking the last of the loot from the house (a nice set of kitchen knifes that could easily be repurposed into weapons), the Greens made their way back to the Minion Gate. As they passed a clothesline a certain Minion that went by the name of Putrid paused. His large yellow eyes stopped on a nice yellow sundress that somehow remained intact after the Minions’ rampage. Reaching up he plucked it from the clothesline. Holding it in one claw Putrid ran the other over the fabric in a manner that made it want to say the words “My precious”... Fortunately the Green resisted the temptation and stashed the dress away before hurrying into the Minion Gate. An hour later the first resident of Plowton woke up and discovered what the Minions had done. Her screams woke up the neighbors, starting a chain reaction that would amuse young foals for generations to come… Assuming anyone was left to tell them, of course. Back in the throne room Gnarl, as the only intelligent Minion, had the unfortunate task of sorting through the books that the Greens acquired. Why unfortunate? “Agh! My eyes! How can such a monstrosity be allowed to exist?” That was why. Right now Gnarl was looking at a children’s coloring book. His eyes had the misfortune of gazing upon a bright pink-colored pony… And this wasn’t the first time he had witnessed something so repulsive. A lot of the books were illustrated with pictures of ponies happily doing everyday stuff as if Evil didn’t exist there… As if it wasn’t around to make their lives miserable… It was a small consolation that they would soon be back outside, wreaking havoc upon the unfortunate ponies. The Tower was nearly fully repaired, with the Forge operational and Netherstone lifts once more floating around, providing easier access to the different levels. The Minions were arming themselves with new weapons and pieces of armor… Though Gnarl knew that they would put on whatever else they found as soon as possible… He still remembered his times when he was a young Minion… Oh the things he put on his head… In the meantime, the Overlord was leaning over a table that the Minions had brought in for him. Several books were opened in front of him. He was finishing browsing through a history book before he tossed it on the far side of the table. The only relevant thing he found was that Equestria had been at peace for centuries… Looking through the other books he reached out and grabbed one that instead of a title had a unicorn’s head on the front cover. The title was on the first page: Equestrian Myths and Legends. Now that would be useful… A thousand years in slumber could make anyone into a legend… And so he began to read… A couple of minutes later the Overlord’s roar echoed through the throne room as the book was hurled through the air, landing a few meters away from Gnarl. The Minion looked at the armored figure before hobbling to the object of his ire. Picking it up he flipped through the pages until he found the stories that his Master had just read. “Oh my…” He said as he looked upon the two stories… The Mare in the Moon and The Overlord. He could see what ired his Lord so much… Neither of the stories was true. Luna turning into Nightmare Moon because she grew resentful and bitter? Hah! And the Overlord’s legend… That made the old Minion spit to the side. “That wench! She dared twist the truth like that?” Gnarl growled. The book claimed that the Overlord was defeated by Celestia, that his evil Empire was destroyed and that his slaves were freed by her… Lies. Gnarl could still remember that day... The greatsword sliced through the air, only to be blocked by a crossed pair of golden shortswords. The pony that was wielding the swords, a white unicorn stallion by the name Sharp Blade, grunted as the force of the impact caused a strain on his magic. ”Give up, blackguard! Thou shalt not prevail!” The pony growled. He actually looked a bit intimidating, clad in the golden and purple armor of a Captain of the Guard and wielding his weapons of choice… Unfortunately, he was fighting against a creature that had killed hundreds without mercy. A being that faced off dragons without flinching. The Overlord didn’t reply as he pushed his enemy’s swords away and tried to strike him down. The unicorn sidestepped the slash and retaliated with a series of jabs. The human took a few of them with his armor as he stepped back, out of the weapon’s reach. The two combatants began to circle each other, using the lull in their duel to take a breather. All around them Minions and traitorous Lunar Guard were fighting against the Solar Guard and the members of the Lunar Guard who resisted the corruption. The sky was full of pegasi who fought each other. From time to time one would fall down, dead or about to die when he or she impacted the unforgiving ground. Towering behind Sharp Blade was the Castle of the Royal Pony Sisters. The once majestic structure bore the scars of the sieges that the Overlord laid upon it. And now it was suffering even more damage as wayward spells impacted it, blowing off masonry. And finally, above the battlefield, fought the two sisters… Celestia and Luna… Or, as she was known now, Nightmare Moon, the Overlord’s Mistress. Both the Overlord and Sharp Blade were aware of all this happening. And both were more or less indifferent to it… They had a score to settle, a grudge that began ever since the Overlord made his presence known in Equestria. They both knew that only one of them would walk from this battlefield alive… As if by an unseen signal the two warriors lunged forward, resuming their duel. The Overlord led with an outstretched left hand, shooting a Fireball at the unicorn. Blade batted it away with one of his swords. However, before he could bring it back to properly defend against his opponent it was batted out of his magical grasp. The unicorn had no time to retrieve it as he was forced on the defensive. Blow after blow was deflected. Sweat poured from under the stallion’s helmet as he backpedalled, struggling to keep the Overlord’s sword away from him. Battlefield awareness was something vital in any fight. Especially when the battlefield could change… Sharp Blade was an excellent warrior and commander, but even he could fall prey to the changes in scenery… Like the Pegasus’ corpse that he tripped over. The Overlord immediately saw his chance and closed in with a mighty overhead blow. Blade raised his sword to block the strike, pushing against the human’s blade. He never saw the armored boot that hit him in the face… The purple helmet flew through the air, landing several meters from where the stallion himself landed. Raising his head from the ground Blade shook it, his short-cropped sapphire-blue mane sending sweat flying everywhere. A shadow loomed over the pony. Looking up he barely managed to grasp a nearby sword in his magical aura and lift it in front of him to block the first strike from the Overlord’s most feared spell - the Evil Presence. Evil power clashed into the sword in the form of lightning, stray sparks shooting out everywhere. Blade grit his teeth as he tried to hold under the onslaught. The Overlord was amused… This pony continued to defy him to the very end… Holding his fist up he channeled his evil energies. The light in the air seemed to move away, as if frightened and repulsed by the darkness. Then he released it into a strong blast of dark magic that blew the sword away. Now defenseless, Blade was subjected to the full force of his Evil Presence. The unicorn’s screams rose over the din of the battle as the dark energies coursed through his body, causing unimaginable pain. The pony writhed under the spell, screaming his lungs out. The overlord stepped closer, adding more power to the spell. Blade could feel his memories being stripped off one by one… Gritting his teeth he tried to fight it… This was why the Evil Presence was so feared - it had three stages. First stage caused unimaginable pain to the target. The second stage stripped off their memories before filling the husk with nothing but devotion to the Overlord, turning them into his slave… The last memories flashed in front of Sharp Blade’s eyes. His wife and children… A smile came onto the unicorn’s face as he recalled how he sent them to Canterlot. The memory was destroyed, leaving behind the empty husk that was once Sharp Blade... Then there was only devotion to his Master… And then there was nothing... The Overlord watched as the unicorn’s flesh dissolved, leaving behind an empty suit of armor. The third stage of the Evil Presence spell was death… The Dark energy overcharging the victim’s body, dissolving it into nothing. Some ponies called it a mercy killing… But it wasn’t. For the Evil Presence spell didn’t just destroy the mind and body… It also destroyed the soul, as the Overlord discovered after a series of dark and depraved experiments. Still, it was death on a battlefield, a worthy one for a foe like Sharp Blade. “Ah, finally! That unicorn was getting on my nerves with his talking… It was about time he was destroyed.” Gnarl’s voice sounded in the Overlord’s ears. The wizened Minion had been watching the battle from the Netherworld Tower, clearly enjoying himself. But then again, what Minion wouldn’t enjoy fighting and slaughtering? “Now that the annoying bug is squashed we can get back to- What?” Gnarl’s exclamation came just as a bright multicolored light washed over the battlefield. Both Minions and non-brainwashed Guards looked up at the light show. The Overlord looked up as well, his burning eyes trying to locate the source. As he squinted he could see it. That blasted bitch, Celestia, was glowing. No… It wasn’t her… The light came from six jewels that floated around her… “The Elements of Harmony.” The Overlord could hear the old Minion spitting, as well as a muted groan that probably came from the cleaning staff. “What is Sunbutt doing..?” Gnarl’s question was answered soon enough as a bright beam shot out from Celestia straight at Nightmare Moon. The corrupted mare’s scream brought a feeling that the Overlord experienced rarely if ever… Dread… There was a bright flash that blinded everybody for a few moments. When the Overlord’s vision returned he looked up at the two sisters… Only to find one. Celestia floated in the air, flapping her wings to keep herself airborne. And Nightmare… Nightmare was nowhere to be seen. The Overlord stuck his sword in the ground, leaning against it to. His Nightmare… His precious Nightmare… She was gone… He felt numb… He felt dread and despair… And then he felt the all-encompassing, burning rage. His hands gripped the hilt of his sword tightly, the armor rattling a bit as his body shook in anger. “No!” The Overlord roared and threw his left hand out, sending a ball of fire at Celestia. Unfortunately she was too far away and the fireball missed her completely. But it still served as a signal for the battle to start anew, the ponies and Minions once again going at each other. The human paid no attention to them as he stalked towards the Castle, where the white Alicorn was gliding to land. Ponies tried to stop them, but he either sicced the Minions on them or used his magic to kill them. “Sire!” He didn’t have the patience nor the time to fight them. “Sire, listen to me!” He only had one goal now. “Sire!” He was going to kill Celestia and avenge… “SIRE!” Gnarl’s shout caused the Overlord to hiss in pain as it echoed inside his ears. “What, Gnarl?” He growled. “Mistress Nightmare isn’t dead!” That made the Overlord pause mid-stride. She wasn’t dead? “Where is she?” He asked. “Look up, Sire.” The Overlord’s burning gaze lifted up, looking at where the Sun and the Moon stood. At first he didn’t see anything unusual. Then… Then he saw a familiar visage in the Moon. “If I am correct she has been imprisoned, Sire.” Gnarl continued. “You must remember, the Elements do not kill. They couldn’t kill that thing Discord, they would certainly leave Nightmare alive. No, sire. She has been imprisoned in the Moon.” “For how long?” The Overlord immediately asked. “I am not sure, Master. It could be months, years, decades… But my money is on centuries. As much as it pains me to admit it, the Elements are powerful, and even Nightmare’s magic will need a lot of time to erode the walls of her prison.” That calmed the Overlord down… Not by much, but now he could think clearly. “Then I shall kill Celestia and await for Nightmare’s return.” With that the human continued walking towards the castle. “Master, no!” Gnarl stopped him again. “It will not work favorably for you.” “Explain!” “Sire, as you know, your subjects will need food. Your Minions need food. And we can not grow food without the sun. As much as it would please me to see Sunbutt dead, she is needed to the rotation of the Day and Night. Unless you have another Alicorn on hand, Sire?” “Then I shall corrupt her.” It was a simple solution. And everyone knew that simple solutions were the best. “I wouldn’t advise that, Sire. Nightmare would not be happy if she returned and found you with Sunbutt. And, as I pointed out, we do not know how long will she be imprisoned. Would you like to spend the centuries waiting for her, with her sister there every day to remind you?” As much as the Overlord didn’t want to admit it, Gnarl was right. The Minion was too wise sometimes… “And there is no guarantee that you will live that long.” Gnarl continued. “What would you advise then?” “Retreat.” That word rendered the human speechless. Retreat? That was something that others do, not the Overlord. “In all my years, all my battles, I have fought to the end. I have yet to be defeated. And now you wish me to retreat?” He growled menacingly. “It is the only option, Sire. Retreat, and we shall plan of a course of action.” With another growl the Overlord raised his left hand. The command jewel on its back flashed. The sound of a horn reverberated over the battlefield. All Minions paused their fighting before turning tail, running back towards the Minion Gates. The Overlord sent one last hate-filled look towards the castle before turning around, walking into the Netherworld Gate. With a flash of light he disappeared, leaving behind only the brainwashed Lunar Guard… And so the bitch had taken the Overlord’s tactical retreat and twisted it into a victory… Well, it was, but it wasn't as glorious as the tale told. No, the Overlord just returned to the Netherworld tower, crafted his plan to slumber until Nightmare was freed and then enacted it. As for his slaves… Well, the Minions went to bed with full stomachs. And his former Empire on the surface was destroyed, either from the passage of time or by the sunbitch. “There is a benefit in this situation, Master.” Gnarl said, hobbling to the table and putting the book back on it. “The ponies think of us as a fairy tale. This will only make their fear of you much more satisfying.” The Overlord looked at the Minion. He was right… A flash of color drew the Overlord’s eyes to the side. Turning his head he could only blink at the sight. It was a Minion… A Green Minion, wearing a yellow sundress… Both the Overlord and Gnarl stared at him as he happily made his way to one of the side passages. “Gnarl…” “I saw it too, Sire.” Life in the Netherworld Tower was getting back to normal… As normal as it could be with the Minions, that is.