Great, I'm the New Bad Guy...

[Sarra's POV]

I was more than a little surprised when those two ponies snuck into the arena, and even more surprised when they decided to stay and actually enjoyed the show. I was less surprised to see the Overlord walk in once the round was over, from what little I could feel from him it seemed like he was annoyed at the ponies for ignoring his orders and was more of a resigned kind of annoyed at having to fight in the arena. But then again he could have just stayed away if he didn't really want to fight, regardless of how much he was afraid of/didn't care about the ponies reaction to the different goings on in the tower.

The Overlord's emotional range was still causing me some amount of confusion. It wasn't like he didn't feel, or that it was tainted in some way, they were just strangely weaker and slightly different. Not bad, just odd, almost like they were bleeding together and yet were still separate while being as shallow as though he had been heavily fed on already. Yet somehow if you took the time to draw on him long enough, the amount of emotional energy he could produce was roughly three times that of a pony. One thing was for certain, it made feeding on him a very unique experience.

I was pulled out of my thoughts about my monarch by the ponies, who had all grouped up and made their way to my box presumably to talk and watch the fight. I did feel some unease at being undisguised around them, especially the princesses, but I was able to keep my calm by reminding myself that the Overlord wouldn't let anything bad happen to me. I was his property after all, and he would get genuinely angry whenever I or one of my changelings, or really any of his subjects, would get hurt.

"So, have you two been enjoying the show so far?" I asked the two who had snuck into the arena with a bit of genuine mirth in my voice.

"Umm, kinda? I mean, I know it's not really something that would be okay back in Equestria, but it is really exciting!" The blue one, Rainbow Dash if memory serves, said with a bit of a grin. Said grin quickly vanished when her friends, aside from the pink one, gave her a 'are you serious?' look.

"Well I'm glad that you could find something here that you enjoyed, and I'm also sure that the Overlord would be happy as well." I said with a bit of a nod and a smile at her.

"Wait, if you can feel emotion then why did you even need to ask if Dashie enjoyed herself?" Pinkie asked with a very dog-like head tilt.

I snickered a bit at both the pose she took as well as her observation skills. "Yes, I could tell that she was happy to be here, but-" I was interrupted by the Jester's booming voice, likely amplified by magic to reach everyone in the arena, which was itself at a constant murmur as everyone talked about fight related topics.

"It's dreary, dark and dank here in the dungeon! Just how we minions like it! Now, clap your claws and shake your ears, fooorrrr ttthhheee Ovvverlooord!!! YEAH!" With that the Overlord stepped into the ring with somewhere around thirty five beetles and a group of twenty minions.

Once the cheering had died down to the point we could hear each other I started again, "As I was saying, I could tell she was enjoying herself but it is polite to ask. It tends to make ponies feel better to talk about themselves." I told Pinkie finishing my thought.

"Was that normal?" Twilight asked, unfolding her ears, which had been standing straight up and forward when the cheer exploded out.

"Only when the Overlord comes down here for a fight. Otherwise it's a fairly normal amount of noise for any kind of sporting event."

"How long does the arena stay open? Fights can only go on as long as you have something to fight against, and they must have to stop to find more creatures to capture." Princess Luna asked without taking her eyes off the fight.

"Oh, there is no hunting for combatants. The tower itself provides the opponents and the minions, or really anyone who is in the arena, fight and kill them. It's actually quite impressive, as the tower draws in the magic from it's surroundings to form whatever is being fought, the only limit to what it can make is what the Overlord has encountered while outside the tower." I informed them, taking a small amount of pride in the place I called my home.

"So there is no time for rest? The fights never stop?" Luna asked me, surprising me with her... Nostalgia? Well, she was from a different time, so I had no right to judge.

"Yes, the minions need some form of entertainment after all and this keeps them from getting too... rowdy. At least I assume that it never really stops, I don't spend much time down here." I said, recalling what it had been like before the Overlord had instated this quick fix.

"I don't think I've ever been more happy to be a changeling, or more happy to not be on the receiving end of the Overlord's rage." And boy was it rage! Once the Overlord got wind that his minions were attacking and mauling each other due to boredom, well... while his actions didn't really show more than annoyance, I had more than a few restless nights due to what I felt from him emotionally.

"Really? I would imagine that such an emotionally charged place would be a veritable feast for a changeling, why would you normally stay away?" Celestia asked me with genuine curiosity.

I sighed before explaining "While this area is very full of emotion, any gathered from minions is... tainted in some way, it would be hard for me to explain to you in detail but... it's almost like if you tried to eat spoilt food. You could still eat it, and if it was love, for me, it would be more like it was only slightly over it expiration date, but it would give you horrible indigestion or even more likely make you sick."

"Really? But then, where are you getting your food?" Twilight asked, some concern actually leaking through making me feel a little more comfortable around her. So far she had only felt distrust and slight disgust regarding me, so the fact that I was making progress so quickly was very reassuring.

"Oh, I get more than enough from the Overlord. I'm not going hungry by any means." I said, forcing down a healthy chortle at the sudden changes in emotion from the mares present. The Princesses and Twilight felt embarrassment, Rainbow felt both embarrassment and amusement and Pinkie Pie felt some amount confusion, but not in a negative form of it.

"Wait, are you two special someponies? I didn't take the Overlord for the lovie dovie type, but I've been wrong before! Whoo, that was an awkward two weeks, I never knew you could use a roll of wax paper that way!" Pinkie said in her usual rapid fire way, either it was rapid fire or it took the others a second to actually understand what she had said while I thought of an... appropriate response.

"UHG! I WISH! I would give my wings for a good romp with that hot mass of pure masculine dominance! It's not even like he doesn't find me attractive, I know, I can feel his emotions, but for some reason he just won't do anything with me!" Okay, maybe I was laying it on a tad thick, but it was perplexing me, but for different reasons.

The few times I had tried to 'approach' the Overlord I had felt all of the normal things that males feel coming from him, in the 'blended together' way that all of his emotions were, but there was also very small amounts of self doubt, fear and a slight weakening in the almost all encompassing indifference to everything that the Overlord used almost like a shield. Behind that indifference I had felt more rage than I had ever felt from something living before, it would scare me out of trying again for a few weeks at a time before I could pluck up the courage to make a pass again... and each time I could feel more from behind that shield.

"What would cause such a person such anger? And how is he still functional?! I could get less anger from a dragon by eating their entire horde right in front of them!"

I was pulled from my thoughts by Celestia saying "Well... Good luck in your endeavor?"

"Oh, thank you, but I don't need luck. I need to understand him, which right now I don't. But I will." I finished with a smirk as I turned to watch the Overlord near the end of his second match.

Twilight decided to speak up, asking me "Why is the Overlord so... so..."

"Apathetic?" I finished for her, expecting that to be the word she was trying to find.

"It just seem's like he doesn't care, like about anything. How can we trust him if we don't know what he wants? Everypony wants something, even if it's just to have a friend." she ended with a sad sigh.

"I suppose that's one of the many things that changelings have over ponies," I said with a silly smirk and tone to let them know I was joking, "I can sense his emotions, so I can tell what he does and doesn't care about... most of the time, anyway. And I'll tell you a little secret," I stopped and looked side to side cartoonishly, "He really doesn't want to fight any of you. So, while I try to figure him out, you can feel safe in the knowledge that he won't just randomly turn on you."

"Well when you do figure him out please let us know as well, at present he makes less sense to us then the old, wrinkly minion." Luna said while also watching the fight.

"I'm right here, you know." Gnarl said with a wet growl.

Even I gave a bit of a start at his words. He had been standing in the dark corner nearest to the stairs without so much making a peep for so long that none of us had even remembered he was there until he spoke up. I couldn't even feel anything coming from him.

"At least he's on our side." I thought to myself.

[Later that night, POV ???]

It was dark. Not the 'oh it must be night time' dark, or even the 'it's so dark I can't tell if my eyes are open or closed' kind of dark. Oh no, it was the 'you are in a place you are not supposed to be in, for your own safety, and something else knows your in there with it' kind of dark.

Two beings met in this darkness. One said to the other "The plan has been complicated, hasn't it?"

The other replied "It normally doesn't take this long, does it? Regardless, it will proceed as it always does."

"Shouldn't we think about changing the plan? Things are different now, and-" The first said dispassionately.

"What would you suggest?" When the question was met with silence the other simply stated "Then we will continue as planned."

"Is it even necessary at this point?"

"I would rather not find out, if I can."

"Perhaps we could try a test or two first?" The first asked with an audible smile, and not the kind type.

"Hmmm..." The other hummed thoughtfully, "I am curious of their potential... Very well, but we will start slow. No need to reveal ourselves to soon."

The two beings shared a cruel chuckle at their agreement before slinking off in their own directions.

[The next morning, POV Sarra]

Once the conversation had ended, and we had apologized to Gnarl for forgetting him, we had spent the rest of the night watching the Overlord fight increasingly dangerous enemies, starting with the beetles which were found around the tower and ending with two of what looked like massive mounds of flesh and muscle called trolls.

They made the Greens smell good in comparison and they actually smelt better after the Overlord killed them.

Once the ponies had all gone to their rooms to sleep for the night, aside from Pinkie who had decided to help the three Red chefs cook pastries for the rest of the minions, I followed the Overlord back to his throne room.

I found it odd that while he had his own rooms, yes plural and rather well furnished at that, the Overlord tended to only spend time in them to care for his garden or to check on his personal treasury, instead deciding to sleep in his unreasonably uncomfortable throne. I wasn't even really sure how he could rest at all on that thing, I tried to sit in it for five minutes as a part of one of my attempts to woo Nobody and had a sore back and rump for the next two days!

"Well? What did you get from them?" The Overlord asked me as he sat in his throne, Gnarl taking his place to the side of the foot of the platform the throne was on.

I stopped, sitting in the middle of the walkway, right before the bottom of the platform. "They don't trust you, especially the Princesses, but they seem to be hopeful of your intentions. I suspect that as long as you do nothing to harm them directly they would be happy to ignore us for the most part." I said with a respectful bow.

"Orrrr..." Gnarl said while turning to face the Overlord, "It means that they would be totally unprepared for a sneak attack! We shouldn't let an opportunity like this slip us by, Strike while the iron is hot and all that!" He finished saying with an insane chortle.

"No Gnarl, we aren't going to attack them, and for multiple reasons." The Overlord told the wrinkly dustball, I could feel the annoyed fatigue rolling off of him. However, I could also feel the frustration and bloodlust coming from Gnarl... I think he would be the only bing in this tower aside from Nobody that I might have been afraid of.

"You are an Overlord! I do not mean to sound disrespectful but-" Gnarl started before the Overlord interrupted him.

"Then don't be disrespectful! Don't lie to me Gnarl, even when you're trying to convince me to do something! Especially when you're trying to convince me to do something!"

His voice was only slightly raised, barely being louder than his normal speaking voice, but I and every other creature in the throne room were shaking slightly. Well, every other creature aside from Gnarl who just glared at the floor at the foot of the throne, showing a stupid amount of defiance. I knew that the minions were connected to Nobody in a similar way to my hive, which explained why they were afraid. I could feel the concern coming from the changelings of my hive at my own distress which I dismissed with thanks for the care, it was simply that the seeming 'Shield of Indifference' had cracked slightly, showing me another sliver of the rage that seemed to just be a part of him.

We were luckily interrupted before they could escalate the situation to the point of bloodshed by a Sheep practically falling over itself to try and run up the stairs of the tower. After several moments of wheezing and coughing, she was finally able to speak and proceeded to frightenedly plead with the Overlord to save her village near the southeastern edge of The Domain. By the end she was practically sobbing and trying to offer all kinds of random things for the Overlord to do something.

To my surprise Nobody actually got annoyed when she started to offer things to him, just asking for the actual location of the village and descriptions of what had attacked them. Once he had gotten what he asked for he had a guard escort the sheep to a free room, promising to set out in the morning after seeing to some duties, at which the poor girl began openly weeping in relief and gratitude.

"Gnarl, get the minions ready. We're going to war in the morning." He said, his emotions almost disappearing at the statement.

"With what, if I may ask, sire?" Gnarl asked, looking both hopeful and confused.

"The Arimaspi. You should like them, you have a lot in common, including doing and saying stupid things when it would be better not to." the Overlord said with a good amount of annoyance bleeding into his tone.

Once Gnarl had scampered off to wherever he was going I stood up to seductively strut over to Nobody's throne.

"You know, you're going to need to start naming these wars. Unless you want a lot of 'Unnamed conquests' in the history books." I said, getting up on my hind legs to give Nobody a hug and a little nussle, which he didn't pull away from. "Yes! One step closer!"

"What do you suggest then?" He asked, easing into his throne... somehow... but with me ending up sitting on his lap.

"W-well," I started with a bit of a blush, " how about... 'The conflict of...' What was the name of the Village that was attacked again?"

"The conflict of Sunny Pastures? Hmm... What about 'The conflict of Skull Mountain' as that is where most of the fighting will be?" He asked, I could feel that he really did value my input, which was very touching. You'd be surprised how many leaders don't really care what their advisors say.

"Sure! Plus that just sounds good for a first actual war, seeing as you just crushed the changeling lands while we were weak."

"I hope there are no hard feelings about it..." He said, feeling a bit of apprehension. And, perhaps, just a tad of lust as he realized the position we were in.

"Of course not! The changelings are stronger than ever, we have more love than ever, and I'm in a veritable palace where all of my needs are met. If anything, we should be thanking you for absolutely dominating us." I said, giving him a peck on each cheek after every ever before batting my eyes at him while grinning as I overemphasised the dominating part.

The Overlord actually slept in his bed that night.