League of Minion-users Acting Vengeful

by LoHAV Collabs

Rating: teen
Tags: Gore, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Alternate Universe, Human, Other, Princess Luna, Original Character, King Sombra, Adventure, Princess Celestia, Crossover
Length: 14396

So, what could possibly happen if you were to provoke the ire of three beings that are more than capable of wreaking utter ruination? Completely nothing, that is, if you jump to another universe. But what if, you pissed them off by a lot?

The Summoner, a rather clumsy individual, but still retains much competence, should the need for combat arise. Deciding to head out to his personal fortress that he reconstructed from an ancient, abandoned castle, he wished to recline. Preferably, to gain some sleep.

However, his arrival to his fort brought purely dismay and anger from him. In the distance, he could see a tear in reality. The tear was much like the ones he uses to transport his minions, but, this one was foreign to him.

Then he could see them, an army of equines, dragons, gryphons, and a miscellany of other Equestrian inhabitants. But what kindled further in his mind was his ire as he saw none other than his ally, Chrysalis, the Queen of the changelings, being coerced into following the army.

The Summoner, although his forces were formidable, he lost. With the adverse army fleeing, he is left completely homeless and without the assistance of an ally... If you can consider Chrysalis an ally, anyways.

The Choten, leader of a small army of Equestrian natives, Lord of the Fire Civilization and the puppet master behind the Water Civilization, public enemy number one and all around good guy (to his friends) is not someone who you want to anger. But someone has angered him. Someone has dared to cross him. Someone managed to catch him off guard as he inspected a veil breach. But before he was able to catch the perpetrator, they fled through a portal in the air.

The Overlord. A dark and enigmatic man with multiple plans and unknown goals. An ancient evil that had faded to legend, only to return along with his Mistress. A man of few words, he is not someone to cross or take lightly. But someone did... Someone dared to enter his domain, to steal his most prized possession and then try to blackmail him with it...

As despair, and, or, unrivaled indignation and anger engulf the minds of our "heroes", a being, a rather familiar one, that is, decides to offer them something that they are unable to decline:

The chance to have their revenge.

Published 2014-08-08 18:10:01 UTC
Last updated 2015-01-04 08:49:19 UTC

Prologue: “Let’s Talk.”

Author's Note

Hello our dear readers. This is Malcho1234, once again taking the reigns for an A/N. As promised, this is the three-way collab between me, Trolleroids and JBGrim where we gather our Minion using and summoning character and throw them together for a crazy and epic story.

Emphasis on the crazy...

Greetings and Salutations, my dear readers. It is I JBGrim. I hope that those of you will enjoy this spinoff of three of the greatest fics (I swear they are making me type this at gun point) from the L.o.H.A.V. In all seriousness, on the behalf off Malcho1234, Trolleroids, and myself, I wish to thank you all for checking this fic out. Before we begin I would like to give a few words of warning to those who have read 'Rise of The Choten'. I will not be providing links to the Wiki page for new creatures, Choten will act slightly more ruthless, none of the ponies I have apprenticed to Choten will appear at this time, and finally this entire story will be considered non-canon. Any weapon, magics, skills and servants or pets Choten may gain will not necessarily appear in the main story.

One last thing. I am not responsible for any weird mood swings, cravings, sudden obsession with this fic, unusual occurrences of lost time or sudden sexual fetishes. If you suddenly show any of these symptoms, please contact your doctor immediately, because something is very wrong with you. Also, it's Trolleroids fault.

Prologue: “Let’s Talk.”

There, in the shady, ominous meeting room where none are aware of the location, three of the most formidable wielders of armies reclined in their respective chairs. One, who donned a pitch black robe and cloak, rested upon a simple, quaint wooden chair that was adequately comfortable. His right eye was glowing with a mysterious red aura.

The chair had runes carved on the surface of it, signifying that this was supposed to be his.

This particular individual was the Summoner. Or at least, that’s what the majority refer to him as. Few actually know his real identity. Not because he prefers to keep it clandestine, it's because none ask for his name.

Across the large meeting table, sitting on a chair that resembled a small throne (and that had too many spikes to be healthy) was a somewhat imposing figure. Black armor (again with too many sharp edges and spikes) covered his body from head to toe, with a red cloak on his back. The figure sat so still that one could say that there was nothing inside the armor… But the pair of ominously glowing red eyes disproved that theory.

Alright, seriously? What’s up with the red glowy-eyes? Is this some sort of trend among minion-users? Gah.

This vicious leader went by the name of the Overlord.

Sitting at the middle edge of the table was a man donned in a tasteful black suit. His chair was exactly what one would picture a rich businessman's was supposed to look like, large and comfortable. He wore a gauntlet with a particular allure to it; but this gauntlet was not for simply aesthetic purposes. This gauntlet called forth beings from a different world, much like the Summoner’s summoning grimoire.

On his head was a metallic blue helm with a large visor showing The Choten’s face, inscribed in the metal, just over his forehead, was a stylized wave.

As previously mentioned in his description, he goes by the name of The Choten.

Notice how all three of them have “the” at the beginning of their names, it's quite peculiar. Well, they are more like titles, but whatever.

They all stared at themselves for several seconds, yes, they simply shared blank expressions among them, well, at least The Choten did. The Overlord, due to his helmet, made it extremely difficult for one to discern his facial expression. Thus, he simply appeared to be giving death-glares at everyone. This unsettled the Summoner greatly.

Speaking of the Summoner, he tried his best not to appear uncomfortable; to which he failed miserably, as he shifted out of discomfort in his seat frequently.

Nonetheless, nobody could blame him. Considering the prowess of his two colleagues.

Seconds pass in silence within the meeting room… as these great warriors killed time by not doing anything at all. How unproductive of them.

And then those seconds shifted into several seconds, and then those several seconds transitioned into half a minute, and that half of a minute morphed into an entire minute.

Clearly unnecessary to point out, but it was obvious that this awkward silence was present in the meeting chamber due to the fact that they were all too uncomfortable being a part in this misfit of a band.

Finally, the one donning the black robes finally decided to shatter the unfavorably lengthy silence. Albeit, in an awkward manner.

“So,” He turns towards to the Overlord, “What’s up with your eyes? Uh, I mean I have a glowy right eye, but this seems confounding. Does everybody has this, or something?”

He glances towards The Choten, “Uh, although he doesn't have glowy eyes. At least, I don’t think so.”

Yes, what a great way to commence conversing with immensely powerful beings, the Summoner mentally cursed himself.

“Dark Magic.” Was the Overlord’s short reply. Sure, the guy could deliver elaborate speeches that shook the hearts of his opponents when he wanted to… When being the key word. He didn’t feel like speaking much now though. He preferred the others to do the talking… For now.

“Okay…” The Summoner replied, somewhat sheepishly. “So, um, what’s exactly the plan here? Are we simply going to find what’s-his-face and beat the living crap out of him?”

The Summoner added, “If so, then that is extremely reckless and I suggest highly against that.”

The other two participants of the meeting, The Choten and the Overlord, nodded slowly in agreement collectively. This reassured the Summoner greatly, considering that he managed to get two formidably powerful beings to agree with him.

Easing up slightly, the Summoner eyed at a small, charming cup placed on his side of the table, he then looked at the bottle placed not too far away from the cup, which presumably had the same contents of the cup. The bottle was vague, it had nothing to describe what was within it.

Nonetheless, the Summoner being lightly parched, he drank the liquid within the cup. Although he hesitated before actually drinking. The Summoner shrugged off the taste of the drink, he wasn't fond, nor disliked, the taste of it.

He then looked towards at the Overlord subtly. How the hell is he going to drink when he has that colossal helmet on? The Summoner thought to himself.

That question was answered as the Overlord lifted a huge mug of what the could only presume to be beer, if the foam was any indication, before he poked a finger in his helmet, where the mouth would be, and pulled down. A piece of cloth was seen for a few seconds before it was hidden by the mug as the Overlord greedily drank. Once he was finished he put the mug back down, rather loudly, and replaced the cloth around his mouth.

The Summoner had to restrain his jaw from dropping due to the rather absurd display of the Overlord. Why the hell is he donning armor in a meeting for? The Summoner mentally questioned. Well, I might as well ask.

“Um, Overlord, was it?” The Summoner spoke, causing the aforementioned being clad in armor to turn towards him.

The Summoner slightly paused due to sheer nervousness, the Overlord’s gaze is just pure debilitation to one's mental fortitude.

“Uh, why- why are you wearing armor right now, exactly?” The Summoner stammered as he asked.

“Convenience. Always prepared.” Was the Overlord’s reply.

The answer was questionably nonsensical, but the Summoner still nodded in acknowledgement, out of fear mostly.

The Choten examined his fellow summoner, the Summoner, his curiosity was piqued as he noticed the Summoner seemed to have one of his digit of his left hand missing. More specifically, his left pinkie is the one that is non-existent; a mere stump replacing it.

“Perhaps, if you do not mind, could you share the tale of how you lost your pinkie?” The Choten asked.

The Summoner appeared to have been somewhat fazed by that question, he hesitated before answering, “Oh this?” He holds his left hand up to display the stump replacing his pinkie finger. “A… minor inconvenience with a colleague of mine.”

“Oh, do tell more details.” The Choten asked, curiosity kindled within him. “Your colleague, that bug, what’s her name again?” The Choten frowned in thought for a moment before the name came to him, “Ah yes, Chrysalis. That is her name, correct?”

The Summoner simply nodded.

“You didn’t slay her for this transgression?” The Overlord boomed his question.

The Summoner waved both of his hands rapidly, “No, of course not. Despite the obviously irreversible damage she has inflicted upon me, I chose not to murder her.”

“Oh? And why not? Surely you wanted retribution for the damage she inflicted upon you?” Choten inquired.

“Things would've been incredibly more difficult, had she died.” The Summoner said, which was complete nonsense, considering he simply didn’t have the brass to actually kill someone personally.

The Summoner appears to be troubled to a notably high degree, yes? Well that is due to all of them not carrying any weapons. Unfortunately, despite The Choten’s gauntlet not being considered a weapon, he could still easily stab it into his throat.

And of course, there was the Overlord. Needless to say, his armor appears to be dense enough that a single punch from his gauntlet could shatter and fracture a quantity of his bones. And the fact that there would be simply no possibility of him surviving a brawl, should tension break out.

And what does the Summoner have? An aesthetically alluring, but impractical black cloak and robe. He had no weapon he could use to utilize for self-defense, so basically, he is going to die should a conflict be ignited between the attendants of this meeting.

Why is he so distressed over the possibility of a skirmish between these two? Because he has heard a lot from these two. A lot. Okay, not really, it’s just that his fellow minion-users are exceedingly intimidating.

Deciding that they had danced around the matter at hand long enough, Choten decided to ask the million dollar question, ”So what has our common foe, this ‘Big Bad’ taken from you to warrant this council?” The Summoner grimaced slightly as the Choten spoke of the bastard, and the Overlord simply looked between the two.

“The Big Bad, that bastard.” The Summoner spoke bitterly, something that is unusual for him to do. “That bastard not only kidnapped my accomplice, Chrysalis, the mongrel also demolished my fort in a crimson inferno.”

“They stole something precious to me!” The Overlord responded with a growl as he slammed his fist on the table, the various glasses and bottles jumping a bit and almost falling over. There was a noticeable dent at the place where his fist impacted the table.

As The Overlord settled from his outburst Choten removed his helm to allow him to take a drink from his cup. Noticing the looks the other two sent him he gave an inward sigh as he tented his fingers, and addressed his ‘colleagues’.

“What this ‘Big Bad’ has taken from me is an item of immense value to me. It is irreplaceable, it is beyond any amount of gold or jewels in price. And at the same time worthless to everyone but me.” He took a moment to breathe. “Gentlemen, this ‘Big Bad’ has taken every memory of my life upon our world, Earth.”

I am certain at this point you are all aware of why this specific conglomerate of combatants is called the “League of Minion-users Acting Vengeful.”

The Summoner widened his eyes slightly due to surprise. “Well, at least he didn’t take my memories.”

With a raised brow, Choten addressed his fellow summoner, ”Indeed, and I am practically jumping with joy for you. How wonderful having all your memories must be.” He finished with a roll of his eyes and a sip.

The Summoner shrugged, “Hey, when he burned down my fort a lot of my belongings were obliterated, and I place much emphasis on a lot.”

The Summoner gulped down his drink entirely, he has grown rather fond of the taste. “In example, my entire cache of food, I was left starving for several days because of that mongrel.”

“Interesting,” The Choten began with a slow drawl. “You place more worth in how satisfied your stomach is in the present, than on your past.”

“That’s not all.” The Summoner stated, “He also incinerated my… um.” The Summoner pondered, he was uncertain what to say, considering that he didn’t really have anything of notable value in his former castle.

“Okay, fine.” The Summoner admitted, “So I did not suffer highly because of the Big Bad’s endeavors, still, I am pissed off to no end.”

“Understandable, but know this.” The Choten leans forward slightly and looks the Summoner in the eye, much to the Summoner's discomfort, “When we find him, and we will, it will not be you to deal the final blow, nor the tyrant. It will be me. And my vengeance will not be swift or merciful. This ‘Big Bad’ will suffer a fate worse than any that you could imagine. And if I sense the tiniest hint of weakness from you, well, I’ll leave that to the imagination.” His piece said The Choten sat back, enjoying another sip of his drink.

The Summoner felt a shiver running down his spine, Well, it seems that cooperating with these… individuals will be more difficult than I anticipated. He thought to himself.

The Summoner raised both of his hands defensively, “Hey, I don’t care if whoever is going to murder that bastard, but you do know that whoever this person is called the Big Bad, correct?”

With a raised brow The Choten replies, ”I have been using it to that effect, yes.”

The Summoner begins to fill his glass, “Well, I’m not certain about his combat prowess, but he sounds rather intimidating.” The Summoner finishes filling his cup and begins to take a sip, “I assume that he’s some over-powered bastard. You know, considering that the Big Bad dominates all of Equestria with an iron fist, or hoof. Hell, we haven’t even seen him yet, further more, I doubt that we could beat him by ourselves.”

“All I ask,” Choten began calmly, ”is for the finishing blow.”

The Summoner simply shrugged. “Whatever.”

“The kill will be mine.” The Overlord announced. “They shall pay with their flesh and life for daring to enter my domain. For daring to steal my most prized possession from me!”

“Then I suppose we shall simply have to wait and see who gets to him first, won’t we?”

The two leaders, one of demons and one of monsters, stared at each other for a moment, before turning their gaze away, both feeling the tiniest speck of respect for the other.

The Summoner retrieves something from his robes, it appears to be a simple, plain tome, but the capability of devastation that it can bring is immeasurable. Well, most of the time.

“So, I assume that you are already aware of how this book works, I simply chant something three times, and bam, instant army.” The Summoner spoke.

“But I still am perplexed of how your gauntlet functions, mind telling me?” The Summoner inquired.

Deciding that it couldn’t hurt to explain the basics to his temporary allies, The Choten replied, ”It is both simple and complicated at the same time, but to save time I will give you the basics. My tech-gauntlet utilizes mana like a battery in order power itself. When it has energy it has the capacity to open a tear in what is called ‘The Veil’ in order to drag a beast or beasts into this reality to obey me.”

“Less complex than I thought,” The Summoner muttered audibly.

“You would think so. But in order to actually summon something I must first know its species, and for an individual it’s name or title. Then there are the complications that arrive from the diplomatic side when I summon a kaiju that is not of Water.”

The Summoner struggled not to reference Pacific Rim, fortunately, he resisted the urge. “Huh. Intriguing.”

After a few more minutes of awkward, at least to the Summoner, silence, Choten decided to call it a night,“There is no need for this to continue this day, I am sure that we are all rather tired.” Choten stood from his chair, "So, with your consent gentlemen, I believe that we can call this first meeting to a close.”

The Summoner simply nodded while the Overlord simply rose from his chair and left. All three of them departing from the room through the large metallic door, all of them parting ways as they walked through the corridors of the rebel hideout.

The Summoner glanced at the hallway he was traversing through. The interior of this place was extremely dreary, no furniture within sight for as far as he could see, only a handful of stragglers that Sombra managed to rescue.

He sighed as he continued walking.

It didn’t take long for the Summoner to arrive at his designated chamber, thanks to the fact that he was already informed about where he was sleeping. He approached the alluring, but sturdy wooden door.

He turned the knob and opened the door. “Hm, honestly, I was expecting an inadequately furnished room.” The Summoner said aloud as he gazed at his living chamber.

There, suspended on the ceiling, was a chandelier and judging by the quality of the chandelier, he assumed that it was rather expensive. The marble tiles were polished to the point that it had a distinct luster. There were multiple cabinets placed on the corners of the room, the cabinets seemed to have been salvaged from a castle. And finally, a rather large bed.

He was both distressed and irritated by how much this room resembled his previous home.

He peered through the window which was conveniently positioned in a way that he could get a good view at Canterlot.

He noted that this Canterlot was much, much more grim. He could see the many caves within the mountain, those caves probably served as temporary housings for the several dragon-sentries stationed there.

He noticed several dots surrounding the city, most likely gryphons or pegasi which were coerced into guarding them. Why they are all flying constantly is an enigma to the Summoner as he is bewildered by that.

It was neither day or night, the Summoner concluded as he examined the sky above. High in the sky, glaring down upon the earth was the sun and the moon. From the sun stretching far to the west was a bright and glorious day, but from the moon eastward a night eternal reigned. In the thin space between the two was a everlasting twilight.

He then noticed the dense foliage and trees overwhelming Ponyville, the Everfree has long since claimed Ponyville as additional territory. The majority, if not all of the houses were all subdued by vines and flora.

Creatures lurk freely through the foliage-infested streets of Ponyville. He could hear the agonized shrieks of prey being devoured by predators. It was going to be difficult to be sleeping at a place like this, due to the constant, dying shrieks of the abundant wildlife.

The Summoner glanced at an object placed on an adjacent table. He identified the object as a crossbow, a weapon he once utilized out of self-defense.

He sighed, Dammit, I know how to use this thing, but I can’t exactly say that I’m a marksman.

His examination of the weapon was derailed as he heard some sort of high-pitched sound being emitted outside of the hideout. Looking through the window, he saw what appears to be an earth pony. He almost dismissed the equine as another rebel, but horror struck him as he saw that he was wearing what seemed to be a militaristic uniform that was designed to be for operations that entailed versatility and mobility.

Thankfully, a lowly torch was lighting the vicinity of the suspicious individual, thus, the Summoner could discern the suspicious individual better.

He came to a conclusion; that earth pony was in fact a spy. And if this bastard discovers that this is the stronghold of the resisting fragments of Equestrian population, things will go downhill for him and his comrades.

He hesitated on what to decide, there were only two option available for him, really; seek out assistance from his fellow combatants, or confront the pony seeking intelligence by himself.

He decided to do the latter when the spy realized that he was spotted. Hastily, the spy vanished within the pitch black darkness of the forest.

Adrenaline rushing through his veins, the Summoner grabbed the crossbow, along with a quiver loaded with crossbow bolts, and promptly opened the window before jumping out of said window. He fell to the ground with a thud, but relatively uninjured.

Running towards the general direction of the spy, he retrieved his summoning book from his robes. Opening it to a blank page, he chanted. “Bastard. Bastard. Bastard.”

Perhaps it was luck, or perhaps fate, that had lead Choten to the one part of the so-called ‘hide out’ that he was certain none were aware of its existence, save perhaps their benefactor, along with the miscellany of Equestrians that avoided the wrath of the Big Bad. The door to the room nearly blended into the wall, the handle more of a button. But the room was spacious and would serve his needs.

“Come forth Argus, Vigilant Seer!” With the familiar summon command came the even more familiar reaction from his out stretched gauntlet. The five bladed tips flew from his hand and pierced reality before dragging the familiar gold spherical Light Creature to rest before him, smaller versions of itself floating around the now full room. Opening the door he waved his hands and the basket ball sized spheres flew out into and around the compound, cloaking as they did so.

“Lets see what there is to see, eh my friend?” As he spoke images began to appear all over Argus, showing various rooms and hall ways around the compound. After a moment, area outside the hideout began to show up as well. Choten began to cycle through the images, pausing once or twice in order to record a moment of interest. He pulled out a standard Water Civ. tablet and connected the creature to the device, allowing him to use the tablet to monitor what Argus sees and be alerted should a threat arise.

Satisfied that he would now be staying in the loop of any dealings going on around the base, Choten left the room and slowly made his way to his room, left hand casually in his pocket.

The Overlord descended down the stairs towards his quarters… Though to call them quarters was an understatement… He had commandeered a big cavern under the base and had used his time to repurpose it into a small base for himself. A heavily warded chamber served as his bedroom-slash-study, with a large bed and a small library contained inside, the shelves full of books on magic, tactics and other things he had interest in. A small armory was to the side, containing the weapons and armor he had chosen to bring in this world.

Another chamber contained a lab of sorts, a place where he could practice his (unfortunately not big) skills at crafting potions, spells and enchantments. He looked forward to seeing what he could do with this world’s magic…

Finally there was the Minion Burrow, which held the four mini-Hives. These smaller versions of the main Hives were his way of gaining new Minions while he was visiting another Dimension. They were inferior to the originals, of course, only capable of creating around a hundred Minions each before they expired… But it was that or bring a pre-selected group of Minions that couldn’t be replaced… Besides, the harvested Lifeforce needed to go somewhere.

The Overlord’s burning gaze swept over the chambers before he nodded to himself. Everything was like he left it… Good. And he had some free time… Perhaps it would be enough to learn a new spell or two? With that in mind he walked into his bedroom and browsed the shelves until he found a spellbook on Destruction magic. That would do nicely… Taking the book off the shelf he made his way to the desk and sat in the comfortable chair in front of it, its reinforced structure creaking under the combined weight of his body and armor. Removing his helmet and mouth wrap the Overlord made himself comfortable and immersed himself in the book...

The Summoner scanned his surroundings, cross-bow readied. The beings he had just summoned were also scanning through the myriad of overgrown shrubbery and trees. Much to the Summoner's inconvenience, the trees were so ancient that all of them grew to a considerably high length.

The silence was eerie, there was a silence that the Summoner found wrong. Usually, the cries of the wildlife would've been heard throughout the forest, but currently, the forest was devoid of any sound, save for the cold zephyrs breezing throughout the forest.

What did he summon exactly? To sate your curiosity, he had the fortune of summoning the reanimated corpses of fallen, colossal drakes. These undead dragons’ breath decay everything it touches, this is due to the extreme amounts of dark arcane energy condensed within them.

I dare you to name the game where these dragons originate from.

Despite their flesh being rotten to a degree that fleshy tears are visible, they are still extremely resilient, capable of enduring much damage before finally dying a second time. Their teeth, retaining their previous strength, are still possible of rending metal with ease.

Unfortunately, the Summoner only managed to call forth a total of twenty of them, due to the rarity of these fallen leviathans.

With the majority of the dragons hovering just above the forest in order to have a suitable vantage point over the plant-infested Ponyville, they scouted the area for their prey. Despite them no longer possessing the organs that gives them the capability of sight, they still possessed the ability of sight. Once again, dark magic.

The Summoner, with a torch he acquired from the hideout in one hand and the crossbow firmly grasped in his right hand, he searched, a pair of undead dragons following closely behind him for personal defense purposes.

The Summoner muttered, shaking slightly due to his inexperience in combat, “Right, right, I’ve… dealt with worse. ”The Summoner said to himself in an attempt to calm himself down. “Dammit, I should’ve requested for help.”

The Summoner listened carefully, trying to hear anything that signifies the spy’s presence; a footstep, the sound of a twig snapping, the rustling of a shrub. Anything, really.

Nothing. He heard completely nothing, save for the occasional leaf hitting the ground with a nearly inaudible thud.

These leaves are scattered throughout the entire forest, if something moved, it is unavoidable for them to not step on these leaves, thus, they'll be potentially exposed.

Save for the bellow of a dragon just a short distance away from the Summoner. Of course, he slightly recoiled at the sudden, loud sound but he quickly regained his composure.

He was reassured, that roar probably meant that the spy was detected. But, he couldn’t ease up now for he did not confront the spy. Not yet, anyways.

With determination, he approached the location of where the roar originated from, his two undead, flying servants trailing closely behind him. Of course, he didn’t take his time to get there, he sprinted as fast as his legs could allow him to.

The Overlord was deeply immersed in the book when the roar penetrated the rocky walls surrounding the cavern and reached his ears. Looking up he scowled. That sounded like a dragon…

And a dragon’s roar was never a good thing, especially if it wasn't under his control…

Placing a bookmark in the book he closed it, showing great care. Then with a practiced motion he wrapped the cloth around his mouth and placed his helmet, making sure his face was completely covered in darkness before exiting his room. Very few beings had ever seen him without his armor (read: only Gnarl, Nightmare Moon and a few other Minions) and he was intent on keeping it that way.

Running past the armory the Overlord grabbed the first weapon - a greatsword that was aptly named The Scorcher. The entrails of the unlucky dragon that was used to forge it lit up, heating the weapon as its wielder ran up the stairs. What happened? Was the base under attack?

He was going to find out soon...

As he walked towards his room, a mighty roar caught the master of Waters attention. Pausing mid stride long enough to check the source through his Stalker Sphere patrol, the unnatural blonde smirked before continuing his walk, a new destination in mind.

"It appears that the game has already begun,” Choten said with a smirk.”Perfect."

The Summoner grew a determined smirk at what he saw, not too far from him away was the spy being cornered by three of the Summoner’s undead servants. Emerging out of the foliage, the Summoner closed in the distance of his soon to be captive.

The spy hadn't noticed the presence of the Summoner just yet, so, the Summoner examined him further. The spy appeared to be equine, more specifically, an earth pony. The spy donned a dark cloak with red outlines with some sort of light armor plating below the cloak.

It was hard to tell, but the spy’s eyes seemed to be glowing a bluish aura. This lead the Summoner of the assumption that he was perhaps under the influence of a mind-control spell. Finally, the pony took notice of the Summoner as he looked towards him with a spiteful face.

“So, who are you supposed to be?” The Summoner asked, crossbow aimed at the possible spy. “You don’t appear to be aligned with the rebels, and judging by your uniform, I assume you’re a spy for this Big Bad individual, yes?”

“I do not know who you are, cretin.” The pony bitterly said. “But our king will deal with you, and he will not be merciful.”

The Summoner looks back at the forest, he could see two figures approaching him, further examination reveals that these two figures are his allies.

“Well, I don’t really care in regards to that.” The Summoner said, his tone’s malice growing in intensity. “But we need some assistance, more specifically, we need to learn a way to infiltrate your king’s little castle located in Canterlot.” The Summoner stated.

“You’re more than willing to cooperate, correct?” The Summoner asked, moving towards the spy, crossbow still aimed at his forehead.

In response, the spy simply snarled at the Summoner.

“Hm, it seems that you’re not willing after all,” The Summoner said before shooting the spy in the right front leg, causing him to wince and fall to the ground.

“Perhaps a bit of persuasion will suffice?” The Summoner said to the pony who was still cursing on the ground due to the sheer pain.

The Summoner muttered to himself in realization on what he just did, “Okay, that may have been uncalled for.”

The interior of the interrogation room was dreary, depressing, disquieting, but out of all of those things, nothing could describe the horror that was in the middle of the room; the Overlord. He stared at the spy who was now stripped of his armor and now bounded by a chain linked to a lock placed on his left foreleg. Said chain was bounded on the wall.

The pony’s face was that of unfaltering determination, but despite that, it was merely a facade, for he was almost broken by the Overlord’s unblinking gaze.

The Overlord approached the pony with a slow, menacing gait. Each footstep was like the falling of an executioner’s axe, heralding the spy’s doom.

“It will be best not to talk too quickly.” The Overlord boomed. “I haven’t had the chance to have fun in a thousand years.”

The pony tried to be defiant, spitting in the Overlord’s direction. The glob of saliva didn’t even reach the human’s boots, much to his amusement.

“Resistance…” He chuckled. “How pitiful.” Raising his left hand in the air the Overlord balled it into a fist. Evil energies gathered in it, sparks floating in the air. The light in the room dimmed, overwhelmed by the darkness. “Soon you will learn. Resistance… Is…” The Overlord pointed his hand at the sweating and hyperventilating pony, his fingers stretched towards it like a claw.

“Futile…”

The pony’s screams were heard well outside the Dungeons as the Overlord’s Evil Presence racked his body, causing unimaginable pain as the Overlord laughed…

...Meanwhile Just Outside the Interrogation Chamber…

There, just beside the door that lead to the interrogation room, are the two summoners. Both of them sitting down casually on a rather comfortable couch.

Aforementioned couches were most likely salvaged from the inner parts of Ponyville which was overtaken by the restless Everfree forest as vines were apparent on the couches, along with some moss.

“Are you certain that we should leave the interrogation to… him?” The Summoner asked out of concern to his fellow... summoner. "I don't really trust people who always wear battle armor, have glowy red eyes, and barely talk to be designated the role of the interrogator."

The Choten had t resist the urge to facepalm, "You have a glowing red eye too, imbecile." The Choten pointed out. “Besides, what are you concerned about?” The Choten asked, taking a bite out of a fruit he was offered by a random rebel-pony. “He promised not to murder him, correct?”

“Yes, he promised to refrain from killing him, that is true.” The Summoner admitted, taking a bite out of a similar fruit the Choten had. “But that does not mean he’s not going to torture him until his face is bloodied to a point where he can’t be recognized anymore.”

“Says the man that shot an arrow through his front leg.” The Choten pointed out, casually taking a bite out of the fruit.

“Good point.” The Summoner stated. “I’m not really sure why I did that in the first place, I just thought it would’ve been much more convenient with him not being able to flee."

"And it's called a bolt, not an arrow." The Summoner corrected, to which the Choten simply shrugged in response.

Suddenly, a piercing shriek of agony emanated from the interior of the interrogation room, this caused the beings within the vicinity, the Summoner, a few rebels, to flinch. The Choten was not even perturbed by the constant screaming.

“So, what’s the point of interrogating someone who is under a mind control spell?” The Summoner questioned, clearly uncomfortable to be sitting near the source of the traumatizing screams.

The Choten sighed. “Did you not pay attention to our employer? He stated that it was a mere influence spell, not a complete mind control. Apparently mind control spells are too demanding.” The Choten elaborated.

“Oh, right.” The Summoner responded.

The two of them did not converse further, as there was no topic to be discussed between them, so they silently ate the food that they were given. The Summoner wasn’t certain on how to describe the fruit. To him, however, the fruit was somewhat spicy.

The sound of occasional, loud scream resounding from within the interrogation chamber concerned the Summoner greatly, but it did not even appear that The Choten was concerned in the slightest.

"It appears our armored comrade is enjoying himself." The Choten replied with little to no concern laced within his voice.

The Summoner almost took another bite out of the fruit when another scream, that was louder than usual, caused him to pause abruptly, "How am I suppose to just simply ignore the screams of anguish?" He asked.

The Choten sighed. "I thought you ravaged entire towns, killed many by your own hand. And yet you can't disregard the screaming?" The Choten questioned with an arched eyebrow. "I thought you would've grown accustomed to it by now."

The Summoner glared at the Choten, "I'm not some crazed, remorseless being who relish in the art of genocide-"

The Choten interrupted, "Says the man who committed genocide at least a few times."

Before the Summoner could respond, the screams ended. Nothing happened for a minute or two before the door slammed open, the Overlord walking out of the interrogation chamber. After closing the door in the same manner the armored human turned towards his comrades.

“I’m sick of cliches…” The Overlord announced. “It appears that Canterlot Castle resides on a major weak spot. A series of caverns that pierce through the mountain. Our… guest… was more than glad to draw me a map of them, with several good entrances and exits…” The Overlord raised his hand, showing them a scroll. A flick of his wrist unrolled it, showing them the map.

"Tch, what a coarsely crafted map, I can barely decipher it." The Summoner pointed out. "I'm surprised that it isn't stained with blood, you know, considering the screaming."

“Yes, it is quite amazing that you managed to accomplish your goal and kept yourself clean,” Choten said with a voice brimming with sarcasm. Turning to face the giant in steal, he inquired, ”The prisoner is in one peice, yes?”

“Yes… His nervous system was a bit… Damaged…” The Overlord stated. It had been hard to hold back with the Evil Presence but he managed to do it, cancelling the dark energies before the Enthrallment stage could begin. “And yes, the prisoner is in one piece. But that does not mean that he isn’t broken.”

Accepting his answer with a nod, the Choten addressed his fellow humans, “Then I will take care of our ‘guest’. I shall be back shortly.” As he walked into the interrogation room, he couldn't help but say, “Try not to make a mess of the place.”

As Choten walked out of the room The Summoner noticed the lack of blood stains on the Overlord, "Hm, you're not stained with blood either, something that I was anticipating." The Summoner spoke, "Wait, you didn't even bring a weapon with you in the chamber."

"So, how did you exactly interrogate him?" The Summoner asked nervously.

Instead of replying the Overlord decided to show them. He held his fist up, once again channeling his evil magic. The light from the torches that were sent on the wall seemed to be sucked in the gathering energy as lightning cracked around his digits, this included the Summoner's luminous right eye as well, as the Summoner grew uncomfortable.

The Overlord held the spell for a few seconds before releasing it. Everything returned to normal, though there was an obvious taint in the air that lingered for a few more seconds.

“Does that answer your question, Summoner?” He asked.

The Summoner, somewhat in awe on what he just saw, replied, "Indeed it does."

The prisoner laid on the ground, panting in pain and covered in sweet. He laid in a puddle of his own piss, the pain from his exposure to the Overlord's spell having caused his bowls to loosen.

“No more,” he begged as he heard the door open, his voice hoarse from his constant screaming,” I can’t take any more pain. Please, I told you everything I know!”

“I’m sure you did.” The prisoner looked up to see a very different creature from the one that tortured him standing in the doorway, small blue squid-like creatures floating around his helmeted head. “And we don’t have any more that need to be answered, at least, not from one so low on the totem pole as you.”

“Then if you don’t need me, why are you here?” A look of fear crossed his glowing eyes, “You’re here to kill me, aren't you?”

The Choten smirked at the cowering earth pony, “Kill you? And risk exposure to your king when you fail to report back, I think not.”

“Then you're just going to let me go?” The pony asked hopefully, thoughts of the rewards his master would give him for the location of the rebels filling his scarred mind. “I promise not to tell anyone where you're located, honest! Just please let me go, please.”

Choten gave the prisoner a small smirk, “Alright then.”

The prisoners eyes widened, “Really? You won’t regret this, I . . .” He paused as he noticed one of the squid like creatures approaching him, “What is this? Whats going on!”

“Don’t worry, Mister Silver. You won’t remember the pain." He said coldly, before adding as an after thought, "Or any of this, for that matter.”

Silver only had a moment to widen his eyes in shock before the creature attached itself to his forehead, paralyzing him and stealing any memory of the rebels, or of finding anything of note in the Everfree.

Choten smirked before turning to a blank wall and using his gauntlet to rip open a breach in the veil, before having the other Cyber Viruses attach to the still frozen pony and lift him into the air. With the prisoner floating at his side he walked through the jagged edged portal, closing it behind him.

Choten found himself walking through a lush meadow with a bright sun in the sky and a gentle breeze. Oh, and a herd of giant monsters that resembled rhinos to the left, a meditating carrot-man on a rock to the right, and a giant of stone walking right over him.

‘Just another day in the Nature Civilization,’ The Choten thought to himself as he walked a short distance through the meadow, ignoring the various creatures around him. Once he walked a satisfactory distance he once again opened a veil breach, and stepped back into the ‘real world’. He found himself standing at the edge of the Everfree closest to Canterlot. Satisfied that he was far enough from the base, he recalled the Cyber Viruses and quickly stepped back into the Creature realm, closing the portal just as the spy awoke.

...Sometime later, our heroes gathered within the planning room...

The location where tactics and other miscellaneous things regarding operations was a simple, moderately large room. It was located in the most upper sector of the hideout, thus, it gave a rather good view of the entire region of the Everfree.

There, in the middle of the room was a large, metal table. The table hinted of old age, considering the rust on the arms. Nonetheless, it was the only table available for use within the room. Set on the aforementioned table was the coarsely created map detailing the interior of the Crystal Caverns.

Gathered around the table is our three heroes. They have recently transitioned to their planning phase, subsequently to the sudden disappearance of the prisoner.

“Hm, this route seems to be the most safe, there are relatively no sentries stationed here.” The Summoner stated, inspecting the map.

The Summoner shook his head, “Gah, it’ll take more time for us to pass through there in comparison to this one.” He said, pointing at a route adjacent to the previously mentioned path. “This one would make a great escape route, should we clear it of the adverse fighters.”

“But there is simply too many guards for us to successfully bypass, hence, the Big Bad would be alarmed as soon as we confront them.” The Choten added.

“Alright, those are our two main entries, stealthy and loud.” The Summoner commented. “Alright, let’s see if there are any other viable routes.”

“This one...” The Overlord jabbed his finger at the map, pointing at one particular route.

“Hm, it’s less lengthy than the stealth route, but still heavily guarded.” The Summoner spoke, “But, it seems that there’s no need for us to use sheer force, seeing that there’s a measly amount of guards here.”

“I suggest that we go with the stealth route.” The Summoner advised, “We don’t want our presence here to be acknowledged by the Big Bad.”

“Right, so everyone agrees?” The Summoner inquired, all two of his accomplices nodding in unison, signifying that they approve of the plan.

“I suppose the plan is. . . satisfactory, for now.” Choten remarked, he was not a fan of the plan, seeing as the chance for failure was high, extremely so, but he was unable to come up with a better plan based on the amount of data he had available.

“The plan will suffice.” The Overlord remarked. If he had more time and resources he could probably think of a better plan, but right now? Impossible.

At least it was not a frontal assault. With their current situation it would be a disaster.

“Remember, the stealth route is closer to our opposition’s military installments, opposing reinforcements will be sent with extreme succession, should one of them sound the alarm.” The Summoner elaborated.

“Okay, what else is there to explain?" The Summoner muttered audibly to himself.

“Alright, so, should things go awry, my dragons will bring them death devoid of any compassion or remorse upon them.” The Summoner stated. “Try your best to avoid detection, otherwise… Well, I suppose the need to explain is unnecessary.”

“My Greens will do their best.” The Overlord boomed.

“Once we reach the exit of the caverns, the castle should be relatively near, all we have to do is reach this Big Bad mongrel’s little castle outer walls, locate the statues, and we get the hell out of there.”

“I will be hanging back with my hex-platform, for the extraction.” Choten said his part.

“Alright, did everybody get that? I’ll do a repeat of what I just said just in case.” The Summoner stated. “We enter the caverns, you know the deal, avoid the guards, get to the petrified Sisters that are sitting somewhere just outside the castle, and escape.”

“I suppose we might as well go and get those fools from their prison, though I almost feel like I could forgive ‘Big Bad’ for his transgressions due to the irony alone.”

“Indeed it is. But it remains to be seen if this Equestria’s Sisters are anything like the ones from our Equestrias’. Until then I shall reserve judgement. However…” The Overlord leaned forward. “I shall not forgive our enemy. They will die.”

The Summoner sighed, he knew all too well of how much they had a grudge against the two alicorns, as they were wanted dead or alive, but preferably dead in their respective dimensions, after all, the Summoner as well has a bounty on his head back in his Equestria.

“I am aware… of our mutual distaste towards those two alicorns, but,” The Summoner pointed at the Choten, “Let’s do this for your memories,” The Summoner placed both of his hands on his chest, “Let’s do this for my fortress that was rendered into ashes,” Finally, the Summoner pointed at the Overlord. “Let’s do for… whatever he took from you.”

His two allies simply stared at him, not uttering a single word. The Summoner face-palmed, “Alright, alright. I get it, I’m not really that exceptional when it comes to motivational-related things.” The Summoner admitted.

“But hey, I’m just trying to say, the sooner we get this over with, the faster we get to beat the crap out of that Big Bad bastard.”

His two colleagues nodded.

The Summoner spoke, “Alright, this is, what I can accurately describe as, a plan so horrid that it makes the aftermath of a party… with a bunch of hobos who were intoxicated look more appealing.”

“But then there’s no turning back now, I think.” The Summoner stated, “We will be going along with the stealth tactic.” The Summoner added, I suggest that all of you prepare. I doubt that this operation will be forgiving, I suggest that you arm yourselves well.”

And with that, the Summoner departed from the conference room, his two comrades shortly leaving the room as well.

There, reclining upon a luxurious sofa, was the Summoner. Within his grasp, a plain, unremarkable bottle. The bottle however, contained extremely flammable liquids. Beside the Summoner was a quaint oak table.

The Summoner, grasped within his left hand was a lighter. A lighter that he received from his employer. He flicked the lighter on and off. He glanced between the two items in both of his hands.

Hm, the fact that I could set ablaze my surroundings with ease makes me extremely giddy. The Summoner thought, Gah, I’ll save the infernos for later.

How did the Summoner managed to produce a rather large quantity of these firebombs? Simple, with a number of refugees who would contribute anything to the endeavor of liberating their land, crafting such a simple tool in such large quantities would be effortless.

The problematic issue was the fact that they only possessed just enough resources to craft a measly number of five. Despite being of such low numerical value, these explosives would be more than enough to devastate whole armies, or nullify the effectiveness of chokepoints.

With total disregard to the physical integrity of the castle, the Summoner casually lobbed the bottle filled with ignitable liquid towards the table beside him. One might say that was extremely hazardous, one would be correct. But the Summoner is renowned to be reckless.

Rising from the scarlet red sofa, the Summoner glanced around the myriad of weaponry organized around him.

To the left of him were the basic weapons, spears, daggers, swords and a miscellany of similar bladed weapons. To the right of him were the tools he probably most excels, bows and crossbows. Along with a sizable amount of ammunition that were scavenged, or hand-crafted placed along side the ranged weaponry.

In front of him, however, was something unique, and was exclusively given to him. Recumbent on a wooden table in front of him was a dagger. It was a distinctive weapon, instead of a blade, it possessed a unicorn’s horn. A black horn with a tint of orange on the top.

It was Sombra’s horn.

The dagger was completely unorthodox. Yes, instead of fulfilling the role of stabbing, or slashing, it’s purpose is to unchain trembling amounts of dark magic. The corrupted magic of the King Sombra, to be exact.

The magic within the horn is still potent. Despite of the years of aging. Additionally, it has been since enhanced by the rebel mages, making it additionally more suitable for combat usages.

How did the knife itself operate, exactly?

Well, that was beyond the Summoner. The Summoner was aware that it was imbued with dark magic of the former tyrant, Sombra. But he was not instructed on how to unleash said dark magic.

Perhaps slashing away will work? The Summoner thought. With that assumption on his mind, he swung the knife. Nothing too particularly notable happened, save for sparks of dark magic being emitted as the knife was swung.

No, I suppose that won’t work- The Summoner suddenly spotted some sort of switch placed just placed on the grip of the knife. Oh, how did I not see that before?

Cautiously, the Summoner pressed the lever. Promptly, the “blade” of the knight began permeating a transparent dark aura around it. The aura faded as the Summoner released the pressure on the lever.

The Summoner assumed that whatever the switch is connected to, he presumed that it activated some sort of mechanism integrated within the knife’s interior that connects some sort of magical amplifier to the horn.

How innovating. The Summoner thought. I wonder… The Summoner glanced at the window, eying at a fruit on a tree in the distance.

He approached the window and proceeded to open it, taking his aim, the Summoner pressed the lever, the familiar aura encompassing the knife once more. This time, the aura grew in more intensity, gradually increasing in color as the Summoner held the trigger longer.

Finally, after ample enough time to rev up the dark magic stored within the knife, the Summoner released the lever.

A beam of shadowy black energy was released from the tip of the blade. Of course, the bolt of dark arcane magic missed its intended target and instead inflicted collateral damage on the nearby branches.

Several branches were fallen due that the beam was so condensed that it released such a devastating, piercing beam of magic.

“Dammit,” the Summoner cursed. Adjusting his aim, he concentrated the knife’s integral dark magic once more and fired.

This time, the fruit completely vanished from its stem as the same dark beam passed through it, disintegrating it entirely.

With a staunchly malicious grin, the Summoner took the knife and placed it within a sheath that he was given, along with the knife, placed on his belt.

Exiting his specifically given armory, he chuckled audibly. He knew exactly what to do with this newly acquired weapon.

Commit fruit-genocide.

With little ceremony, The Choten barge into his private quarters. He walked past his oak writing desk, stalked past the tasteful table with a small bowl of fruit and tea set upon it, and ignored the lavish bed, to make his way to a simple door situated at the far end of his room. Opening it, he walked into what would commonly be called an armory, though this one held only three objects.

The first was a mannequin head upon which his Helm of Ultimate Technology usually rested. Next to it was a weapons rack holding his only sword, the Sword of Fiery Cataclysm. It’s a garish weapon, looking like it was meant to be hung on a wall rather than see battle. However, any doubt about it’s battle capability disappeared when he picked it up and it caught fire. Choten was quick to extinguish his sword, placing it in the scabbard he had specially made for it on his side.

The last item he picked up was a small, seemingly flat, aqua square. The same white veins that covered his gauntlet also covered the square, so what it was capable was known only to The Choten.

It’s a shame I was unable to bring my soldiers here, but I need them to hold the fort back in my Equestria. He thought dejectedly. But at least I can summon a small army if need be. But I doubt I will need more than three creatures in any given fight here. Besides, Mr. Boss Man did say I was mostly here to ensure those two buffoons doesn’t accidentally kill someone important.

The Overlord strode in the cavern and walked directly to the mini-Hives. The four semi-organic and highly magical artifacts looked to be exact copies of the originals, only smaller. A magically-sensitive person would recognize the difference in power as well…

For a minute the Overlord stood silent and motionless as he thought of how many and what kind of troops to summon. Since this was a stealth mission he would have to take more Greens… Perhaps double the number of the others? He would have to take some Browns as well, in case more direct fighting was needed… The Reds for ranged support… He didn’t need that many of them… And of course, Blues to counter any Magic and to resurrect any troops he lost…

Making his mind the armored human raised his left hand in the air. The jewel on its back flashed brightly, the mini-Hives flashing dully in response. Minions started climbing out through various orifices, their shouts of joy echoing in the cavern.

A minute later the Overlord’s force was assembled in front of him. Ten Greens, eight Browns, five Reds and five Blues. Twenty-eight of his best Minions, more than enough to go through any enemy they faced for such a mission… Especially if you take the Overlord himself in account…

Turning around the armored human strode out of his personal lair and into the shared one, the Minions obediently following behind him.

It was time for their first foray in this world...

Standing there motionless on a cliff overlooking Canterlot, was the Overlord. His gaze was impassive, not showing a hint of emotion… And yet, it was so intimidating that it could potentially paralyze an unlucky sod in fear.

He gazed at the city. Once a vibrant, populated settlement, it was now reduced to a militaristic-esque fortification. Many of the buildings were altered to be much more reinforced, their aesthetic appeal, once being the envy of nations across the lands, now tossed away like garbage.

There were watchtowers installed throughout the region of the city, on the several towers were what appeared to be spotlights. No doubt for the purpose for alleviating the difficulty of detecting threats during skirmishes with low visibility.

There were several caves gaping on the mountain the city was suspended on. If the spy’s elaboration of the purpose of these caves were correct, they house the dragons of this Big Bad individuals.

He heard footsteps originating behind him. His allies, the Choten and the Summoner, if he was to guess. Slowly, he glanced towards the direction behind him, his assumption was a factual one, as he both saw his two comrades conversing with one another while walking upwards the hill he is standing on.

“So, we are executing the stealth stratagem, correct?” The Summoner asked, to which the Choten replied with a simple nod. They all stopped just a few feet away from the Overlord.

“Gentlemen, our employer has bestowed me the responsibility of distributing these to all of you.” The Choten announced, retrieving what seemed to be flare guns from a bag he brought along with him.

The Summoner examined the flare gun with moderate intrigue. “Huh, are these things loaded-” his inquiry however, was answered when he pulled the trigger of the flare gun. He flinched slightly at the unexpected discharge of the weapon.

The flare gun discharged with a sharp hissing sound, the projectile that was shot out of the flare gun struck the ground below, igniting the overgrown grass on aforementioned ground. The alarmingly spreading fire crackled before being extinguished by a stomp from the Choten.

“You could have just compromised our presence, you fool!” The Choten scolded the Summoner, the Choten barely resisting the urge to murder him via strangulation. All the while, the Overlord just shook his head slowly… It took a lot to make a cool and charismatic curmudgeon and an evil being who showed little to no emotion both look angry and/or disappointed at you...

“Well, at least that gave me my answer.” The Summoner responded. Both of his hands raised defensively.

“And perhaps spelled our deaths.” Choten coldly replied, eyeing the dragons peeking their heads out of their caves. And if I must add, those dragons are glancing at our ‘heroes’ rather ravenously.

The Long Awaited Secound Chapter

Author's Note

This chapter, which has been sitting for god knows how long, has been posted by none other than JBGrim. Love it, hate it, throw it off a cliff, I don't care but I just felt that you should have it. No further updates are currently planned. Sorry.

The Long Awaited Secound Chapter

“Alright, they’re approaching our location, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that the alarm has been raised.” The Summoner said, his head poking out of the cover of a large tree. “Who knows, they might just think that we’re just… animals, or whatever.”

The Choten, who was also hiding behind a tree, grimaced at the rather idiotic optimism the Summoner is blurting out. “What kind of animal resembles a human?”

“What if they haven’t seen a human yet?” The Summoner retorted. “They can easily mistake us for just the local wildlife, and besides, I don’t think they caught a good glimpse at us just yet.”

The Choten found it hard to believe, but this confounding imbecile had a valid point. Shrugging, he tightened his grasp on the handle of his blade. Despite the glaring lack of range, this blade can easily fell a dragon, should he manage to get within range of said dragon, of course.

“We could’ve easily gone undetected, had it not been for your damned stupidity.” The Choten grumbled. However, the Summoner simply smirked in response.

“We’re not detected just yet.” The Summoner stated, “And remember, to make an omelette, you gotta break some eggs.”

The Choten simply rolled his eyes at the Summoner’s response.

The distance between them and the dragons were closing in, the volume of the sound of beating wings increasing confirmed this. Tension gradually rose as time marches on for the three heroes.

“So, do we have a plan, or anything?” The Summoner inquired, hesitation and worry knotted in his voice, “All I have this cool knife,” the Summoner unsheathed his knife, displaying it to his comrades.

“You have that excessively large sword,” the Summoner pointed at the unwieldy weapon the Choten was using, “and the walking suit of armor has… whatever the hell that thing is.”

“These wyrms shall be dealt with.” The Overlord stated with a voice that could send haunting chills into even the most veteran and steeled of warriors. “They shall be rendered to nothing but decaying flesh soon enough.” His left hand made a small motion, dismissing the Minions. They would only die in this battle… His right hand reached to his back and grasped the long handle that was protruding over his shoulder. With a flourish he whipped his hand to the side. A hidden mechanism, or maybe magic, activated and the jagged metal blade whipped out, forming a scythe that the Overlord grasped in a two-handed grip.

The Summoner peeked from his cover, careful to avoid being seen by the colossal drakes. However, he was forced to retract back into the full cover of the tree to avoid being seen as the dragons had already landed at the clearing just ahead of them.

The dragons landed with an audible thudding sound. Shortly enough, they began their search for whatever had caught their slit eyes. The three heroes noticed that the temperature of their vicinity rose dramatically due to the dragons’ breath.

Alright, there’s three of them- The Choten thought to himself, but his train of thought was derailed as he heard the sickening sound of flesh being seared, causing him to recoil slightly due to the suddenness.

Swiftly checking to see what just exactly happened, he saw, laying on the ground motionless, a fallen drake. And what appears to be a sizable gaping hole present on its neck region. Just a few feet away from aforementioned dragon stood the Summoner, his knife emitting a thick blackish haze.

Did his knife do that? The Choten thought in disbelief. That idiot didn’t even mention the aspects of that knife!

The Overlord observed one of the dragons. The creature had separated from the others in search of their prey, making itself an ideal target. With a roar the massive human charged, his scythe trailing behind him.

The dragon heard the roar and turned around, bellowing a challenge of its own. Its open mouth unleashed a torrent of flames hot enough to scorch the earth. The Overlord didn’t pause, he just raised his weapon over his head and cut downwards. The flames parted, barely heating his armor.

The dragon barely had time to look surprised as the human leaped in the air. Then the creature’s eyes crossed, staring at the jagged black blade embedded deep between them.

With a single motion the Overlord pulled the weapon free and rested it on his shoulder. The blood that was dripping down and onto his armor didn’t bother him in the slightest… It only added to his badass overlord image.

After giving the corpse one last look of contempt he turned around and made his way back to his allies.

While all of this was happening, the dragon that was adjacent to the Choten looked in a confused manner around his surroundings. The sounds of his brethren’s roars perturbed him. The Choten took notice of this and readied his blade.

Deciding not to waste time with summoning a creature, and receiving a rush of adrenaline from his ring to allow him to move faster than normal, Choten ran at the distracted drake, igniting his sword as he ran. He timed it just right, as the drake had turned its head towards the side to gaze upon its fallen brethren. Choten insured that was the last thing it ever saw as he loped off its head, searing the cut flesh and preventing any blood from falling.

‘It’s a damn good thing I was able to catch it off gaurd,’ The Choten thought to himself as he de-flamed his sword and patted down his suit, ‘There is no way I could of killed that thing as easily by myself if it was paying attention.’ As it was his ring lowered his adrenaline and calmed The Choten’s mind, allowing him to calmly walk back towards his companions, looking for all the world like he hadn’t just beheaded a dragon.

As the final dragons corpse settled, the forest was relatively quiet once more. Though, if you could ignore the ravenous flies swarming the drakes’ carcasses. Slowly, the three comrades regrouped.

“Well, that was somewhat… exciting. Life-threatening, but exciting.” The Summoner spoke, trying to get rid of the blood staining his hands. The Overlord walked next to him, the blade of his scythe dripping some blood on the robed human’s shoulder.

Flinching, the Summoner side-stepped out of his way of the scarlet liquid’s path. “Well, that was uncalled for.”

“Uncalled for? Your idiocy may have seen the end of our lives!” The Choten spat out, furious at his fellow summoners idiocy, his ring was practically burning his finger as it worked to keep him calm.

“All of that is irrelevant now. We’ve survived, and the mission is still not compromised.” The Summoner said in a reassuring tone.

“Irrelevant? We may as well have sent the ‘Big Bad’ a letter telling him we’re here!” The Choten all but shouted.

The Overlord spectated their little bout of verbal duelling. Despite the volley of berating words the Choten directed at the Summoner, it had little to no effect. His words are meaningless to the robed human.

He contemplated. It would be wise to resume the mission, but it would be hilarious if they end up killing themselves. And it would also minimize the risk of any attempts of backstabbing...

Hm…As much as he would love to see that occur, the mission would be impossible to accomplish with only him alone as the participant.

With a tremor-causing voice, he demanded, “We do not have the time for this. Either we continue the mission, or we have to replan. And we might never have the chance to attain justice for what that mongrel has done to us.”

“Fine.” They both simultaneously said with a huff.

The Overlord doubted that he would work with those two after they achieved their task in this world… He even doubted they would survive.

A little walk to the outskirts of the entrance of the Crystal Cavern later…

The distance the three heroes had to travel was fortunately not too lengthy, otherwise, the Summoner would’ve collapsed due to fatigue by now.

The air harbored a lingering residue of twisted magic. Most likely from the amount of dark arcane spells being practiced within Canterlot.

Anybody that had the ability to perceive this magical presence in the air would be alarmed. The air was heavily polluted with traces of magic.

“Do you feel that?” The Summoner asked. “The breeze around the city is infused with some sort of magic…”

“The magic taints the very air around us.” The Overlord replied, noting the fact that his (current) ally was capable of feeling the sinister magic emanating around them.

“I’ll take your word on it.” While he could sense the magical energies associated with the Veil and kaiju, Choten was unable to feel the magic his comrades described. Even his helm was useless in this situation.

“Well, I suppose I’ll proceed and provide ourselves with reconnaissance of the area from here.” The Summoner stated.

He peeked out of the bush on the hill that he and his companions are utilizing as a makeshift vantage point. He marveled at the leviathan of a door that was on the side of the base of the mountain.

He considered the colossal door a bit problematic. The door appears to have been crafted with very resilient wood, and he doubted that he and his allies could simply just raze it to the ground without causing some sort of huge concussive noise, or what-not.

Scouting the entrance just above an adjacent hill, spoke the Summoner from an overgrown bush, “I see a large wooden gate with metallic adornments. No doubt that’s the entrance. We’re going to have to find an alternate entry point if we want to succeed in this mission with stealth.”

Scanning the location further, the Summoner took note of four idle gryphon guards. The Summoner scoffed, This will be all too easy. The Summoner thought to himself with malicious intent.

He took note of the terrain, the overgrowth reached this place as well. Several bushes were present. Convenient, he could avoid the sentries’ line of sight by concealing himself in the presumably rash-inducing leaves of the shrubbery.

The Summoner turned back, facing his comrades once more. “Alright, the gate is, without a doubt, impervious to destruction. Well, we might be able to destroy it, but I assume that we’d just make a huge commotion. So I recommend that we locate an alternative for our entrance.”

‘Like killing three dragon sentries?’ Choten thought.

The Summoner added with a sigh, “That deems to be difficult. Considering that you aren’t exactly nimble, nor stealthy, in that behemoth of a suit.” The Summoner looked at the Overlord.

The Summoner then proceeded to glance at The Choten, “Oh, and you’ll probably just compromise yourself due to the luster of the head-accessory you’re donning.” The Choten shot a bemused glare at the Summoner to indicate his annoyance.

The Summoner once more turned to the direction of the entrance with a sigh, “The only remaining member of our little party, also known as me, however, is capable of succeeding in locating in an alternate entrance point via stealthy means!”

The Choten rolled his eyes and the Overlord simply glared at him, completely stationary. Though, for clarification, the Overlord did that since the beginning of the conversation.

“There’s about four of them over there. I can easily snake by their perception, considering they probably aren’t anticipating me.”

They both nodded, prompting the Summoner to continue, “The terrain is advantageous for my endeavors, the bushes will provide concealment for me. That’s one good thing, I guess.”

The Summoner faced his seemingly mute comrades once more, “So, wish me luck, I guess-” Suddenly, a wave of morbidly grim ire and unearthly mischief washed over the Summoner’s mind.

The glow of the right eye of the Summoner flickered from the usual scarlet red to a more eerie purple for a split second.

“Oh no.” The Summoner muttered audibly to himself, “Not now, no.” The Summoner proceeded to grasp his head in a fashion that made him appear to be insane. He then began chanting “no” for a few seconds.

“You seem distressed.” The Choten noted. “What’s happening to you, exactly? And should we be concerned?”

The Summoner glared at him, “Oh, you should really be concerned-” The Summoner was interrupted as his right eye’s glow was replaced by a purple glow entirely. He was silent for a second as he closed his eyes.

He opened his eyes once more, a grin signifying unspeakable intent adorning his face. The now possessed Summoner uttered not a single word, deciding to simply slowly descend from the hill and into the foliage, knife grasped in his hand.

The Choten blinked, he was unsure what just happened, “Mind telling me what just happened?” He directed that query to his heavily-armored ally standing beside him.

The Overlord didn’t even bother facing him as he answered, “His book. I will need to test it to be sure, but I assume that the object has some sort of feedback. The magic in the air increased the potency of that feedback, influencing the book’s owner… The Summoner…”

“I see.” The Choten said. Although his question sated with an answer, he was still unsure if he should really care. “So, should we prevent him from getting himself killed?” ‘And possibly losing a meat shield incase things go south inside.’

“It is too late to stop him now.” The Overlord spoke. “His bloodlust can not be sated in any other way.” The Overlord added.

“Bloodlust?” The Choten questioned.

“His eyes. I know that look well. Those eyes show a desire to see everything that is breathing mangled and bloodied… This Summoner is not the one we know. This one does not abhor violence. He relishes in it.”

“Seems like an improvement.” Sitting on a large rock not to far away, The Choten turned towards the Netherworld master, “Want to play twenty questions?”

Back to the Summoner…

Similar to a serpent, the Summoner prowled just beyond the leafy shroud of flora, stalking his four quarries. His chilling grin might be capable enough to strike a trance-esque state into whoever that gazes due to how disturbingly grim it is.

The Summoner would’ve been spotted due to the luminescence of his right eye. This, however, was resolved by closing aforementioned eye.

He inched closer to one that was just outside the edge of the shrubs, pressuring the trigger on his knife, he waited for a mere two seconds or so before lunging at his prey, swinging his knife at the base of the gryphon’s neck.

Due to the dark magic amplifying the blade of the knife, the knife cleanly severed the head of the gryphon. He stabbed the body of the gryphon in swift succession, and grabbed it into the bushes in order to avoid compromising his presence.

With an inaudible eerie chuckle, he repetitively jabbed the motionless corpse of the body. Jets of blood being emitted violently with each puncture.

Slightly wheezing, he stopped his impractical stabbing. He licked his lips, the taste of blood was almost as satisfying than killing the bastard. It felt as if it was intoxicating. In pursuit of more bloodshed, he progressed his way to the next gryphon who he plans on victimizing.

Back to our two other heroes…

“Huh, that one’s head came off.” The Choten said in intrigue, “Heads don’t just simply detach from the body, and I find it hard to believe that the imbecile managed to do that without alerting anybody.”

The Overlord just stood silent, his burning eyes focused on the Summoner.

“Well, isn’t that just a perfectly impeccable reply?” The Choten half-mocked. “Well, I’ll go ahead and see if I can find anything of use. It’s more productive than waiting for that moron to slip up,” The Choten said as he slowly stepped out of view, into some sort of disclosed area behind the hill.

Back to the Summoner…

As if mimicking a predator of remarkable prowess, the Summoner moved through the leaves of the bushes as stealthily as he could. And he closed the distance between him and his next target without making a single noise.

Contrary to the previous sentence, he actually did make a noise-- He tripped on a vine that was inconveniently placed ahead of him. He fell to the cold dirt with an audible thud.

Just because he has been possessed by wicked magic forces doesn’t mean that the Summoner’s reckless and clumsy tendencies get erased.

Brushing off the dust from his pitch-black rose, he accidentally opened his right eye, alluring the nearby sentry’s attention.

“Huh? What was that light?” The defending gryphon muttered to himself, audible enough for the Summoner to be alarmed.

Heart beat quickening, the Summoner concealed himself in one of the moderately large trees, knife held firmly in his hand.

The gryphon inspected the area where he had detected the ominous purple light. His head darted left to right, still, he was unable to find whatever that was the origin for such a mysterious light.

Investigating further, he moved closer to the unassuming tree. The gryphon’s steps were audible to the Summoner, and all that was entailed for the kill was for him to strike when the poor avian being was adjacent to him. All the Summoner needed to do was listen closely.

The gryphon didn’t have a time to react as a knife was plunged into his neck, stepping out of the tree revealed his assailant, and soon to be killer. His murderer grew a sickening smirk as he watched him.

The gryphon attempted to scream, but he could not, as the blood, and the knife, of course, was obstructing him from doing so. The knife was removed from his throat with a swift motion from the Summoner.

The gryphon collapsed on the ground, still bleeding profusely from his obviously fatal wound. He looked up, and what he saw made him cringe. Or at least, that’s what he would’ve done, should he have not been dying on the ground.

The Summoner licked the flat part of his bloodied knife, savoring the crimson liquid that was apparently invigorating to him.

The gryphon struggled, but to no fruition as his vision blacked out. Needless to say, the gryphon was clearly deceased now.

The Summoner’s eyes wandered to the last two remaining guards. He noticed that the guards were aligned perfectly; a single, adequately-amplified bolt from his knife could eliminate them both with little to no effort on his part.

The Summoner’s twisted mind wondered, No, that won’t simply suffice. I want to make them suffer. Then he conjured a questionably unethical solution to that conundrum.

Though, his rationality got the best over his psychopathic narcosis. He couldn’t risk killing the two of them one by one, he would undoubtedly get spotted by one of them.

With an annoyed moan, he pressured the trigger with his finger, directing the knife’s blade at the two unsuspecting gryphons. The knife trembled with power before a stream of jet black magic emanated from it.

The beam struck the two gryphons in succession, they were both felled as their heads were no longer existent. A scorched, bloody stump phantoming their heads.

The currently deranged Summoner sighed, those two kills were boring, dull. He wanted to be entertained. Shaking his head slowly in disappointment, he smirked; it was amusing nonetheless.

Suddenly, the radiant purple glow died from his right eye, reverting back to the former scarlet red. The Summoner stood, eyes widened in horror in what he just did.

Shivering, he searched for an entrance. The flavor of blood lingering in his tongue, making him grimace.

“Oh come on,” The Summoner said, spitting out the vicious liquid, “Why the hell do I always do that whenever I become insane?”

Sane-Summoner did not favor the coppery taste that blood possessed, contrary to the more mentally questionable Summoner. No, that was an understatement, sane-Summoner was disgusted by it.

“Ugh.” The Summoner said while trembling, spitting out another drop of blood from his mouth. “Now then, what was I doing? Ah yes, attempting to find an entrance.”

With The Choten…

As soon as he was sure he was out of sight of both The Overlord and the gates, The Choten quickly pulled out his data-pad. Quickly putting in the forty-seven character password, he just as quickly pulled up his security feed.

Once again making sure that he was truly alone, he ordered the Stalker Sphere closest to his employer to activate its holographic properties, allowing a tiny Choten to appear before his boss.

“Choten.” The boss acknowledged, sticking to his beloved shadows. “How fares the mission?”

“Poorly. The fool Summoner alerted three dragon sentries, and has just been off to kill four griffon guards. At this rate we will be noticed within half an hour. ”Removing his helm he pinched the bridge of his nose, “I’m surprised the entire army isn’t pouring down on us now. With all the detection spells around the place.” He replaced the helm. “Must he make it back alive? I’m sure I can convince Overlord to help me insure the he has an . . . accident. I’m positive the two of us will be more than enough for your cause.”

“No. For this I need all three of you, for now. Bring me Celestia and Luna, then I may reevaluate his usefulness.” The Boss leaned forward, just enough for the Stalker Sphere, and by proxy The Choten, to see his gleaming red eyes, “Just remember that this mission can not fail.”

“Of course, sir.”

Back with Overlord…

Meanwhile, the Overlord had decided to busy himself with studying the magic that saturated the atmosphere. He couldn’t do anything else anyway… He could only be stealthy if he was possessing a Green Minion, an experience he didn’t want to experience too often.

Closing his eyes the dark magic user opened his senses. The foul feeling of the magic in the air became more pronounced, tinted with nuances that would have allowed him to distinguish between the spells that were used if he knew them…

Actually… He recognized a few of them… He was sure that the sickly green tint came from a Necromantic spell… And there was a lot of sickly green in the magic. That translated as a lot of it being used, which, usually, translated as: “There’s a shitton of zombies here!”

Opening his eyes the Overlord grinned under the wrap that covered his mouth. He was starting to like this Equestria...

Back to the Summoner…

The Summoner stabbed a visible crack on the stony wall. Dirt, pebble, and dust flew out of the crack as the Summoner repetitiously jabbed away at it.

“Hm, this might make as a suitable improvised entry point.” He said aloud to himself. “Perhaps now is the time to confirm that?” He pondered. What could he possibly use to demolish this vulnerable area of the wall?

The answer came in the form of a knife and a maddened grin from the Summoner. Channeling the dark powers within the knife, he placed the blade’s tip directly on the shattering wall. With a release of the trigger, a rather thundering noise emanated around the vicinity.

The wall slowly crumbled, stones fell one by one slowly. Dust enveloped everything nearby, forcing the Summoner to retreat a few feet away from the collapsing wall.

A smile of victory grew on the Summoner, “Well, that resolves the issue…”

He peeked inside the newly formed entrance, it was eerily dark, but it wasn’t completely pitch-black that visibility was non-existent within these caves. He anticipated a bit of opposition arriving to inspect the sudden noise, but there was none.

Smiling contently, he began to walk his way back to his allies, humming a small tune of a song he previously listened to.

All of a sudden, much to his dismay and horror, he felt the familiar waves of darkness wash away at his mind. “No, no! How? This isn’t supposed to happen too soon!”

He struggled to let his sanity remain uncorrupted. “Dammit… It’s the screwed up air that I’m breathing, isn’t it?”

His eye flickered from red to purple, and vice-versa several times. It continued to flicker for a few more seconds until it finally stabilized with the purple glow.

“Heh… I will carry on… with the mission.” The now sanity-tainted Summoner stammered to himself as tried to recover from the sudden shift of personalities.

“Hmph. I don’t need this petty ‘morality’ anyways.” The Summoner chuckled as he began to walk towards his teammates. “Ha. It’s morality is overrated anyways.”

Sometime later, the Summoner managed to encounter a currently concentrated Overlord…

The Summoner looked at the unmoving metal-cladded behemoth with uncertainty. The usual two radiating orbs that served as eyes for the Overlord were not present, leading the Summoner to believe that he was either closing his eyes… Or he left his armor standing, for some reason.

Bemused, the Summoner approached the still suit of armor. He raised his index finger, and slowly, he poked it.

No response.

Somewhat frustrated, he poked on the metallic surface of the armor further. Suddenly, two spherical glows appeared within the helmet as the Overlord opened his eyes.

“Oh, so you are there.” The Summoner said.

“It would be wise to refrain from disturbing me when I am doing something, Summoner.” The Overlord boomed.

The Summoner shrugged with an infuriating smile, “Heh. I’ll try to keep note of that for future scenarios,” he stated in a sarcastic tone. He continued, “Anyways, I manage to find a vulnerable spot on the cave walls, thus, I proceeded to blow open an entrance for us.”

“Good.” The Overlord replied. “I assume that no guards heard you?”

“Eh, I don’t think so,” The Summoner said dismissively. “Anyways, where’s the hippy?”

“He left.” Was the Overlord’s laconic reply.

“Great! We can proceed with the mission without the nuisance of his-” The Summoner paused as he grimaced at the Choten emerging out of the foliage. “Ugh, speak of the devil, he appears.”

“Indeed. And remember, it is always best to watch yourself when dealing with one.” The Choten sent the summoner a look that promised pain. Clearly he had heard the hippy remark.

“Well, I suppose we have nothing better to do other than to continue with our given task.” The Summoner said, leading the way to the makeshift entrance.