(Overlord's POV)

This was it, my first real fight where I wouldn't just be able to swarm my minions at the enemy until it died. So far nothing has stood in my way, not even the fake Overlord of the arimaspi, and only chrysalis has gotten away from me. Sombra, a dark mage driven mad by his own power, functionally immortal, would be the only fight I couldn't win on my own. I really did need Twilight to find the Crystal Heart to stop him, I doubt that my corruption drain would even work on him and even if it did, he was mostly fog and would be able to pull away before I could drain him significantly.

I stepped out into the plaza, ponies scrambling left and right, to see said cloud of black fog moving toward me. Well, probably the castle, but I was in front of it so that counts. Sombra's glowing eyes locked onto me, the only one not running in fear. (Also the tallest thing in the square, but that doesn't really matter does it?)

I could feel the fear rolling off of him as he materialized a few feet in front of me, the magic he was made of affecting most living things and inspiring them to fear the being facing them. From what I could feel only creatures like older dragons could shrug off the effect, what with their magic resistance. Other creatures were at an even worse disadvantage, I could feel a feedback effect in the magic such that the stronger the opponent the more intense the effect, and without any magic resistance you would have to take the full brunt of the fear.

Considering most ponies didn't use magic resistant effects in combat, (Their bodies could absorb most magic, as opposed to rejecting the magic outright like dragons could) I could only think about how much resolve the princesses had to go head to head with him.

Luckily the corruption in my body acted as a kind of magical shield for both my mind and flesh... when I used it and got all spikey. Until then it just protected my head, and considering the look he was giving me I should pull out the spikes soon.

"And who might you be? Standing so bravely against me?" Sombra asked softly, the sound echoing from everywhere at once, even in my head.

"The Overlord, Nobody." I responded with a stronger voice than I expected, "And it's less bravery, and more that I was asked to stop you from taking your throne. I said yes, and I keep my word."

"Hmmm... You say you keep your word, but everyone has a breaking point..." He mused to himself, putting a hoof to his chin and glancing up, mockingly. "I wonder, when will you break? What could give pause to... heh... the Mighty Overlord?"

The last part was dripping with sarcasm and malice. I wanted to bring out the spikes right then and there, but I knew it would be better to hold back until it was clear I needed it. I mean, ponies freaked out at a zebra, imagine them seeing me with full spines and dark plate!

Not to mention that it would basically be me admitting that I was scared of Mr. Sombrero, and that would hurt my public image. Can't have that now can we?

Sombra gave me no more time to think as he shot a beam of dark magic at me, fading into a cloud of shadows again. I was able to dodge to the left but the beam was fast enough that it still clipped me, causing me to grunt in pain as part of my side was burned... and somehow frozen at the same time? It was different then a normal freezer burn, it was actually like I was both burned and frozen at the same time... Ouch.

In a moment my minions lept into action, blues rushing in to attack Sombra in his shadow form while browns charged in with them to act as flesh shields to any retaliation. Meanwhile the reds and greens pulled back, the reds to get to a place to pelt Sombra with fireballs and the greens to hide in wait for him to reform in order to jump onto and backstab him.

I hefted the Mace I had brought with me while stumbling back into a balanced stance, a blue darting up to try and heal me as I watched several minions be ripped apart from the inside out as dark crystals formed inside them. Sombra seemed to quickly realize the danger the blues presented to him as his attacks grew in force to destroy them, their only saving grace being the massive amount of browns constantly being called to replace the ones that died to protect them.

"Magic would be better to fight with at this point... Unfortunately thanks to the crystals buried in my shoulders it isn't an option." I thought as the blue on my side grunted in effort to undo the damage done to me. "That may also be a problem," I thought as I watched what looked like purple fog puffed out of my very much not healing wound, "If his attacks can't be healed by normal means then I'm going to have to change my tactics quite a bit, seeing as I can't tank his attacks so cleenl-"

"Novice."

I instinctively dodged to the right, startling and slightly hurting the blue working on me, just in time to avoid the massive black spike of crystal that shot out of the ground almost squering me.

"One must be aware of the whole battlefield to be effective against a superior opponent. It is clear that you either are a greenhorn in terms of combat, or have simply spent your time playing with worms in the dirt. In either case, it will spell your doom." Sombra commented, his eyes glaring at me from within the cloud of smoke.

"Any other sage advice for me? Or are you going to live up to the saturday morning villain stereotype and try to talk me to death?" I quipped back, much less confident than before.

"Yes, actually. You appear to be stuck in your head more than is healthy for current circumstance, and you get easily distracted." I rolled backward as crystal lances pierced the ground I was just standing on from above. "Though your instincts are quite sharp, so I suppose that counts for something. Not much, but something." He all but gleefully condescended to me.

Suddenly several large claw-like blades formed from the shadows and scythed through the browns and blues attacking them, either outright killing them or wounding them such that they couldn't continue to fight. Tall sharpened pikes of crystal burst from the ground, instantly slaughtering all of my reds and almost all my greens almost putting their bodies on display, the few who had managed to move away fast enough to avoid the death strike finding themselves out of position and unable to aid their Overlord. Large Purple and black plates of crystal closed over the pits minions had been spawning from, as well as covering a large area of the ground to prevent more pits from forming.

All of this happened at once, leaving me totally without backup, wounded, and off balance. "This looks like the time for it."

(Sombra's POV)

I coalesced into my physical form, grinning with cruelty swerling in my mind at my broken opponent, lost with no army, no magic and no hope of victory. The already overcast and dark sky grew darker still, and the structures and roads had already darkened a full two shades! Truly, crushing the hope of an enemy was such a satisfying-

Strangely, the world around me exploded.

The crystals I had cultivated to stop the annoying little pests the 'Overlord' had sent to (Pffft) 'harm' me were almost all cracked or crumbling in some way, almost like something was...

"Ah, I get it now."

The 'Overlord' stood from the centerpoint of the explosion, his form... changed. Before he had possessed dark power, but it was of such small substance... I had thought him only a dabbler of the dark arts. I ~~was almost afraid~~ needed to reevaluate his strength compared to mine, as it was now clear that this 'Nobody' was as much a master of darkness as I.

I took in his new form, much unchanged from before, although his plate had darkened to an almost purple-black, tall, sharp spines stood from most of the joints of his armor and across his shoulders, and ~~I realized to my shock~~ a magic radiated from him, almost as heatwaves... a damnable magic that only the darkest and cruelest of beings even knew of.

I ~~steadied myself~~ glared at my enemy as he rolled his now crystal free shoulders. "I was wondering why your magic felt so strange to me, I thought it was some kind of paralel to my own or something, but no... it was just a more 'pure' form of magic! How... simple to remove it." he mirthfully commented to himself, his voice darker and booming, more graiting and gravley.

The kind of voice a master of demons would have.

I decided against ~~giving him an opportunity~~ listening to him prattle on and flashed forward to strike at him directly. Forming a blade from my arm to cut his ugly head from his miserable body I swung true... and grunted in ~~quiet terror~~ frustration as he didn't even catch the blade, simply allowing his armor and corrupt magic to guard his stupid neck.

I was just able to dart away as a clawed gauntlet grasped at me, changing my arm into a club like appendage and dashing in to strike at the back of his knee, and then with a spin to build momentum, I jumped to deliver a blow that would cripple a crystal pony, using the force of the attack to propel myself a safe distance away.

"Ahhh, now this is more like it. None of that pesky fear arua messing with me, my full defences, my magic flowing through me again. You never really get to appreciate something like that until it's gone, do you?" The Overlord said, completely unphased by attacks that could have killed trained knights several times over.

"What kind of monster are you?" I ~~accidentally let slip~~ softly questioned.

"Heh, when I know the answer to that, I'll let you know. So far, I just know that I keep my promises."

I ~~felt fear~~, ~~needed to flee~~, ~~desperately tried not to fall to panic~~ considered my options. I could flee for a time to come up with a greater strategy, continue to beat at my demonic opponent and hope to wear down his defences from afar, perhaps if I took a hostage-

"Oh no."

The room containing the crystal heart had been opened! One of my few weaknesses was now in the... hooves... of...

"He planned this!" I thought as true and firey panic raced through my veins, "He never meant to defeat me in open combat, only to stall me as his comrades searched for the one object that could really destroy me!!!"

I shifted into my shade form and attempted to fly up, only turning enough to see a baby dragon holding the crystal heart practically diving to the lower balconies, where that perlessent unicorn and that simpering alicorn were waiting, ready to use the heart!

Before I could move more than a foot, I felt a presence grip me, holding me in place. Twisting I saw it was The Overlord, "FOOL! YOU WILL BE HARMED BY THIS JUST AS MUCH AS I!!" I roared at him, panic, fear and rage marring my once ominus and intimidating voice.

"Yes. But the thing is, I have a feeling it won't kill me. Pain sucks, but is temporary, death, as you'll soon find, is quite permanent." The Overlord condescendingly told me.

My only solace as the baby dragon placed the heart into its pedestal and the light burned me away, was that mine was not the only voice crying out in pain as I slipped away, into whatever fate awaited me.

(Fluttershy's POV)

I was so scared.

Nothing really new there, I am aware of my cowardly nature, but what was new was the source of the fear. When Spike placed the crystal heart on its pedestal a beautiful light filled the whole Empire, all the shadows were chased away and a sense of love and warmth filled me and, I assume, everypony else.

I was so glad now that Sombra was gone, having watched in mute horror with the others as he slaughtered minions by the hundreds, though it didn't help my feelings on the Overlord to see him 'transform' as Dash put it. He just looked so... violently evil... I was still willing to give him a chance and all! But still...

I had been so relieved when the light had filled me, but then I heard the screaming.

It had sounded like... like... like it was a worse pain than the worst pain I could think of, like the light was ripping and tearing at whatever was screamings' soul. Twilight had teleported down to us, and hearing the scream teleported all of us down to the Overlord.

It looked like he was on fire. What remained of Sombra was crumbling to ash in a pile at his feet, but his armor was cherry red, veins of white criss-crossing each plate, where the armor was thinner it had fallen away as slag revealing charred skin that much like his armor was criss-crossed with lines of red heat.

"We need to get him out of that armor!" I heard Cadence yell commandingly. The smell of burnt flesh that hung in the air grew worse as Cadence, Twilight and Shining teleported the armor off of the unmoving Overlord... I couldn't move, couldn't breath, we were supposed to take care ofhimandnowhemightbedieingand- "somepony get a medic, a doctor, anything!" Cadence barked again.

Suddenly, I felt a chill.

"Muhuhuheh. Felling a little under the weather are we?"

Author's Note

Muhuhuhahahah!