Maximum Overlord

Welcome to the land of Equestria, a continent to be exact, consisting of various other territories, The Earthling lands to the West, the Dragonlands to the North, the Griffon territories to the East, and the Yakyakistan empire to the South, and in between them all, we have other minor territories, maybe not as big or imponent as the above-mentioned ones, but important nonetheless.

And what do they all have in common? Cities? Kingdoms? Guilds? Citizens?... well, yes, yes they do; But they also have a very important thing in common… MAGIC!!!

Yup, you heard me, MAGIC! There is no place in this world where you don’t find magic, for everyone is born with it inside them.

There are 9 types of Magic, Light, Air (Wind), fire, water, earth, Holy, Dark, and the rare Techno and lightning Magic.

And every magic class has its own abilities, and each ability has different levels and… and I think I’m getting a bit out of topic.

Magic has become the center of attention for everyone in this world, to the point that, the power of a kingdom is based solely on the fact of how many top-ranking mages and adventurers they have, even, how many of them are willing to join the army in times of social unrest and fight the greatest enemy… whoever it can be.

For the last couple of years, a minor rivalry had erupted between nations, competing to see which nation had the best of the best, and so, to avoid any major confrontations and blood spills, The young Princess Celine Solaris, founded the Canterlot International Academy for the Gifted and Talented or, as everyone calls it, Canterlot High.

Getting into the Academy is as hard as you can imagine, only 155 new students are allowed to join every year, and from those 155, only 80 graduate with full honors.

It may sound like a great idea, but… in retrospect, this academy brought even more separation between everyone, since, after a few years, it was noted that the admission rights favored earthlings, more than any other race; and sometimes, even between races

This prompted other nations and kingdoms to open their own Academies with the same idea.

And, now, there is this massive rivalry regarding which nation is the best at training their younger generations.

Things have gotten so out of hand, that now, rich families, prefer aborting or giving babies up for adoption when they don’t meet their magic expectations once they are born.

To make the problem even worse, many families go as far as having more than 4 kids before stopping the “Growth” of their families, just for the sake of the admiration of other noble families, or just to be accepted.

And as you can imagine, if they don’t work, the one who suffers isn’t the family, but the offspring… Many of them are tossed aside by their families and forgotten about when a more powerful sibling comes into the picture.

Some even decide to “end it all” or they turn to crime and bring hell upon their families and lands.

Even though some tensions have been subsidized in the last couple of years, things haven’t really changed much.

This brings us to the beginning of our journey, as we travel to the Northern land known as the Dragonlands.

BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP

Came the sound of the alarm clock as it yelled to awake the person sleeping in the room

“WAKE UP!!! YOU’LL BE LATE FOR CLASS!!” came an angry female voice

“MOM’S RIGHT BRO! TODAY IS THE LAST DAY, AT LEAST HAVE THE DECENCY OF SHOWING UP, EVEN THOUGH YOU HATE THAT PLACE SO MUCH!!” came a much younger female voice

“I’m already up… I just…” said a male voice

“NO EXCUSES MISTER!!! YOU ARE A DECKER! FAILURE OR NOT… NOW HURRY AND EAT YOUR BREAKFAST BEFORE IT GETS COLD!!!” said the older female voice.

“I’ll be done in a minute mom,” said the boy

“YOU BETTER BE, OR ELSE!!!!” said the mother

The boy sighed and walked over to the mirror to look at himself.

“Good morning, Spike, did you sleep well?... I’d lie if I said yes,” thought the kid as he finished getting dressed.

A FEW MINUTES LATER

Spike walked down into the kitchen where a man, not older than 35, a woman, of around the same age, and a younger girl, sat at the table.

“Glad to see you had the decency to join us, son,” said the man

“Good morning,” said Spike

“Yeah, yeah, good morning… so, you are finally a man now,” said his father

“No, I just graduated from school, now I have a year to study, work, and train to enter an Academy,” said Spike as he sat down and bit down on a piece of toast.

“Well, you are turning 15 in 6 months, that makes you an adult,” said the woman

“And, with your grades, entering the International Academy of Commerce should be a piece of cake… heck, I’m willing to bet that they can’t wait to have you,” said the man

“If only,” said Spike in a sad tone

The man turned to look at the woman, and then back at his son.

“Listen, Silvio… I know that the world is wired in a very bad way… but, look at yourself, at your age, I barely even made it into the academy… you have outsmarted me completely, so, cheer up… not everyone is perfect,” said his father

“Your father’s right Silvio, you may not have the looks, or the body, or the strength, but you have the brains, and that is the most important weapon you could ever wish for,” said his mother

“Despite our family being ridiculed by the fact that I exist?” said Spike

His parents went silent

“The only reason we even have fame is because of Dad’s connections, Mom’s fame, and Barb’s popularity… I know it… I just wish I could contribute more to the family,” said Spike

“Oh! Please, get over yourself,” said the girl

“BARBARA EILEEN DECKER!!! I DON’T WANT THIS TYPE OF BEHAVIOR IN MY HOUSE!!! APOLOGIZE TO YOUR OLDER BROTHER!!!” said the man

“ARGH! FINE, sorry Spike,” said Barbara

Spike said nothing but shook his head.

At that point the maids left the room, leaving the family alone.

“Good acting, Barbara,” said the man

“Thanks, all of the years I’ve done this in public seem to be paying off,” said Barbara

“Yes… although I would like to avoid this silly routine from now on,” said the woman

“Grace… I know, you do, but, remember, it’s for Silvio’s own good,” said the man

“Bruce, this is getting dumber and dumber every time… when I married you, you promised that we wouldn’t be like the other nobles… and yet we have to act like if we hate our own child! What kind of twisted shit is this?” said Grace

“If we don’t act like this, Silvio will get hurt, even more, some nobles only care about appearance and rank, I want to leave Spike with a fighting chance… with this brilliant brain of his, I’m sure he can earn some respect and become the best heir to this house,” said Bruce

Grace gave him such a look, but sighed in defeat “Kids, get ready to leave, you’ll be late,” she said

“I’m all ready to leave mom, bye, bro,” said Barbara as she got off the table and ran out the front door.

“I swear, that girl has the same amount of energy as you,” said Bruce

“And your determination,” said Grace

‘I’m ready to leave, bye mom, bye dad,” said Spike as he walked out the door

“Bye son, take care,” said Bruce

“AND BE BACK BEFORE 8!!!!” screamed Grace as she waved goodbye.

A FEW SECONDS LATER

“SIGH… and here begins another day in the life of Silvio “Spike” Decker “The Failed child”...” he thought as he walked towards his school

“Well, today is the last day of junior hell… but tomorrow… HELL, really begins,” he thought as he entered the school grounds.

As soon as he did, everyone turned to look at him, it was all silent for a few seconds while he walked into the school building.

Meanwhile, some kids began to make fun of him by mimicking his walk behind his back, or whispering insults and unpleasantries at, and about, him with their friends

After a few more seconds, it seemed as he had disappeared from the face of the earth, since no one, seemed to look at him.

He made his way to his locker and there he found the usual sight

His locker was covered by various pieces of paper, which read things like “Failure”, “Unwanted child”, “weirdo”, “Why are you still alive”, “Your parents never wanted you” and “Please die, make us that favor”

But he ignored them and opened the locker, inside were even more papers, but Spike grabbed the remainder of his things and placed them in his backpack, leaving the locker with only the papers inside it.

“Not my problem anymore,” he thought as he closed his locker

As soon as he closed his locker’s door, he felt someone grab the back of his head and slam it straight into the locker.

“Oops, sorry, I didn’t see you there,” said a male voice as he and others began to laugh.

Spike, meanwhile, cleaned the blood that was dripping from his nose

“Oh! Is the little piggy going to cry… here let's all cry with him… SQUEAL SQUEAL SQUEAL… HAHAHAHAHA!!!” said the same voice

“HEY!! WHAT IS GOING ON OVER THERE?!” came a female voice

“Oh no! It’s here… RUN!!!” said the voice

“Hey! Get back here!” yelled a male voice

“It’s ok guys… leave it,” said Spike

“Leave it! Spike, look at your nose!” said the male voice

“It’s not broken, it’ll stop bleeding soon,” said Spike

“Are you sure?” asked the girl

“Yeah,” said Spike

“Are you really just going to let Garble walk all over you like this?” asked the boy

“Thorax… even if I wanted to… you know I can’t defeat him,” said Spike

“Yeah, but…” said Thorax

“Dude, he isn’t worth your or Ember’s breath… let’s just go get our diplomas and get out of this hell hole,” said Spike as he began to walk down the hall.

A FEW METERS LATER

“So, Spike, Thorax, and I were planning to go and watch the new Avengers movie, wanna come?” asked Ember.

Spike was tempted to say something, but he never got the chance, since right as he turned the corner he smacked against someone.

“Ouch… sorry,” said Spike

“Sorry, isn’t going to cut it!” said the female voice, which Spike knew very well “I mean, look at this, you got me all dirty… I should make you lick the dirt off me… but even knowing that we share the same blood makes me feel like vomiting… and a word of advice for the 2 of you, hang out with people who are actually worth it, not failures like my unneeded older brother,” said Barbara as she walked away.

“Well, your sister seems as lovely as ever,” said Thorax as he helped Spike dust off

“The nerve on that little…” Ember began

“HEY! THAT’S MY SISTER!! And as mean and stuck up as she can be, I’m not going to let you insult her,” said Spike

“Man, brains, and heart, if only…” said Thorax

“It won’t happen,” said Spike

“Dude, you never know, maybe you’ll get some magic,” said Thorax

Spike was about to answer when a voice was heard over the loudspeaker

“ATTENTION GRADUATING CLASS, PLEASE MAKE YOUR WAY TO THE AUDITORIUM FOR THE CEREMONY, IT WILL BEGIN IN 5 MINUTES!!!”

“No time to talk, let’s go,” said Ember as she grabbed Thorax hand and ran towards the auditorium leaving Spike behind

“Don’t wait for me,” Spike thought sarcastically as he made his way towards the auditorium.

“... Erica Dandrige… Thomas Lennox… and now for the final member of our graduating class… Silvio Decker,” said the principal of the school with a little disgust in her voice.

Spike walked up to the stage, but only Ember, Thorax, and Pharynx clapped until they felt everyone’s eyes on them and decided to sit down.

The Principal handed Spike his diploma, stretching her hand as if Spike had a deadly disease or virus in his body… to the point that she even refused to shake his hand.

Spike walked back to his seat, but before he could reach it, he was tripped by none other than Garble.

“Mr. DARCY!!! THAT IS INEXCUSABLE!!! APOLOGIZE!!” said the principal, holding back her laughter and doing her best to keep a straight face.

“Sorry… loser,” said Garble as he and his lackeys laughed

Spike got off the floor and sat down, to hear the final speech

“... And therefore, you don’t know how proud I am to have been your principal… Now, go out into the world and make the most of it,” said the principal of the school as everyone throws their caps into the air, hugged and celebrated.

MINUTES LATER

“So, Spike, about our offer?” said Ember

“Hard pass,” said Spike

“But, I thought you liked the avengers?” said Ember

“And I do, but, I hate being the third wheel… so, go and have fun… but not too much,” said Spike

“Are you sure?” asked Thorax

“Positive, plus, I’d like to… be alone for a while,” said Spike

“Well, if you change your mind, just give us a call, and we can hang out,” said Thorax

“Sure… Although, that’s not going to happen,” said Spike

“Well, see you later… or tomorrow,” said Ember, as she and Thorax ran off to the cinema

Spike turned to look at Pharynx “What are you still doing here?” he asked

“Waiting on my bros, why? Wanna come hang?” said Pharynx

“Nah, I hate to impose,” said Spike

“Suit yourself,” said Pharynx as his friends came up and he left.

Spike was left all alone, so, he decided to head back home… change clothes, and go for a walk to his favorite place.

ONE HOUR LATER

Spike walked through the trails of the Magnesium park, number 12, to be exact, this was the only trail that let up to Spike's favorite thinking/hiding place.

After a few more minutes of walking, Spike finally made it to the end of the trail, and proceeded to sit inside one of the benches inside an old canopy and look at the view.

Spike grabbed his phone and began to play some music

"Why is the world like this?... What does anyone gain from this?... I'd really like to know… Everyone is so desperate to fit in, to please everybody else, to be rich, famous, and powerful… and yet, we all feel so empty… I wish this world was a little different, where everyone would like everyone for who they really are, no need for all this selfishness and jealousy… it hasn't accomplished anything so far, only more division… at first, it was your raze, then the color of your skin… and now, the amount of magic you possess." Thought Spike as he listened to the song

"Heh, I can't blame my parents for acting this way… I mean, what would you do if you had a son, who has only 10 magic points… even ants have more magic than me!!!... and then you have my sister, she is the saving grace of this family, 320 magic points, and a Paladin, she is a rare one, she has more magic power than Mom and Dad together, and 5 times their stamina… and then, there is me… 14, 4’4”, overweight, and whose only abilities are being smart, and being good in music and video games, " thought Spike

“Man, this magic ranking system is so fucked up… people consider you strong if you have over 100 points, if you have anything between 99 and 75, you are considered good, 74 to 40, you are average, anything less… well… you better look for a job in something that doesn’t require magic,” thought Spike

“And then we have those titles they give you… 40 -74, you are a mage, 75 - 99, you are a Sorcerer or Wizard or Witch, over 100, you get the titles of Holy wizard/witch, Warlock, Paladin, Celestial mage, Demon Lord or Overlord… but that last one has been given since 20 years ago… I’d do anything to be at least a mage… that way I could earn my family some extra respect, and make them proud… I could even gain some acknowledgment as the next head of the Decker family… but there is no quick way to increase your magic points… at least, no one has found a way to do so yet…” thought Spike as he looked at the view

“Even if I could… do I really want things to change?... I mean, I know that mom and dad love me… they haven’t disowned me and thrown me to the street… yet… Barbara… she’s smart, she knows the world we live in, she knows she has to play the game to fit in… plus I know she doesn’t hate me, I mean, she tends to grab my underwear and sniff it… I don’t know why, but every time I’m taking a bath, or I’m not home, she is usually doing that or making a mess in my room… ok, I have to admit it’s creepy… but, I wouldn’t change her for anything… And then I have my friends, Thorax, Pharynx, and Ember...At first, we all used to hang out… well, I’ve known Ember seens we were little, our parents are really close friends… and I have to admit, I used to have a crush on her… but then she introduced me to Thorax, and I found out about the Marriage situation between the 2… I was heartbroken, but… Now that I think of it, I’ve seen them genuinely fall in love over this past few years… and Thorax became my best friend… and then there is Pharynx… we don’t really count as best friends, but, we hang out… I’m his backup friend, if none of his other friends are available I’m his last resort… but that rarely happens… anyway… “

“Why was I born like this… according to what the doctors said, I’m still the weakest magic-user in the whole world… EVEN A FUCKING ANT COULD DEFEAT ME!!!!... SIGH… What is my purpose in this world?... why was I born for… to be a laughing stock for everyone? What a cruel destiny,” thought Spike as he got up and walked over to the edge.

“I wonder… I jumped from here… will I be able to fly? Even though I don’t have the necessary magic points for that? It’s a beautiful thought… hope,” thought Spike as he looked up to the sky.

BEEP BEEP BEEP

Spike reached into his pocket and grabbed his phone

“Bro, where are you? Nevermind, you have to hurry back home, there is a massive storm coming, and mom doesn’t want you to get sick,” read Barbara’s text

“A storm? In mid-April… that’s weird,” thought Spike as he put the phone back in his pocket and began his descent.

A FEW MINUTES LATER

Spike was halfway down the path, his mind going back to his previous thoughts over and over again, but his train of thought was interrupted when he heard some footsteps coming towards him.

He froze in fear when he realized who it was.

“Well, well, well, what do we have here, if it isn’t Mr. Snorts himself,” said Garble as he and his 2 lackeys laughed

“Yes. yes, very mature, Garble, but I don’t have time for your immaturities, there is a storm coming, and I have to head home, I don’t want to make my mother worried,” said Spike as he attempted to walk past them.

Just as he was about to pass next to Garble, he stopped him by putting his hand in his belly and shoving him to the floor.

“Who said anything about you leaving this place?” said Garble sarcastically as he and his lackeys formed a human barrier.

“I did, I don’t have time for this, and if I were you, I’d do the same, unless you want the storm to drown the few neurons you have left,” said Spike as he got up

“Oh, you want to be a wise guy, huh?... well, you picked the wrong person for that,” said Grable as he used his wind magic to send Spike flying up the trail to where he had been earlier.

Spike landed so hard on the ground that he even left a trail behind him.

“People like you are only good for one thing, and that is, to amuse us, important people,” said Garble as he walked up to where Spike has fallen

Spike got up, with some extra effort, fighting through the pain.

“Ah, excellent, we have a fighter,” said Garble as he used his magic again, but this time to body slam Spike into the ground so hard, he left an outline of his body.

“I’ve had enough of this,” thought Spike as he got up again, while blood dripped from his injuries.

“You want some more?” said Garble with a sadistic smile plastered on his face.

“To… be honest… I’d prefer for you to open your eyes… you’re a fraud… you only pick on those weaker than you, the ones you know are not going to fight back or are easy to beat… you think so highly of yourself just because you have wind magic, and you are over 100 magic point mark… yet you are terrified shitless by Ember… every time you see her, you run away from her like a little bitch,” said Spike

Garble looked at him in a menacing way

‘You know, I don’t know what type of life you have at home, but I’m assuming that you’re pampered like a baby by your parents, I mean, between you and your little sister, you’re stronger… unfortunately, you aren’t as smart,” said Spike

This made Garble’s lackeys chuckle making him turn and glare at them.

“You’re just a bully and a coward… If everyone with a high level of magic is like you… then I’m glad to be weak,” said Spike with a smile

Garble looked at Spike and then began to clap in a sarcastic way

“What a touching monologue… but I’m not afraid of Ember, I can have her and give her, anyway I want… as for you…” said Garble as he got into a fighting stance “WIND X!!!” he screamed causing a strong gust of wind to appear out of nowhere, hit Spike in the chest and sent him flying over the edge.

“DUDE!!! WHAT DID YOU DO?” said one of the lackeys as they went over to the edge to see Spike free fall

“I made our raze, and the world… a favor,” he said as he walked away

WITH SPIKE

Spike free fell for what seemed like an eternity, the world had slowed down, giving him more and more time to realize what was about to happen.

“Well, at least, I don’t have to suffer anymore,” he thought as he closed his eyes and waited for the impact.

But then, when Spike was ready to assume he was dead, he felt as his body went through a liquid, he even had trouble breathing, this caused him to open his eyes and realize that he had fallen inside a river, the water level higher than usual, probably due to the storm heading into town.

The current dragged Spike for a few miles until he was able to fight the current and get out of the water.

He was out of breath, but at least he was alive.

“Well, it could’ve been worst,” thought Spike

Just as he said that the skies opened and it started to rain hard.

“ARE YOU KIDDING ME RIGHT NOW!!!” he screamed

Once he sat up, he noticed that the water level was rising fast.

“I better find higher ground, and call for help… if my phone wasn’t destroyed,” said Spike as he held the broken damped phone in his hand.

“Well, new plan, get to higher ground, and find a dry place to wait out the storm,” said Spike as he started to climb the rocks… but he didn’t consider the thought that they were going to be slippery, causing him to fall back down and get winded.

“Ok… take 2,” said Spike as he got up and began climbing

30 MINUTES LATER

After battling against the rain, wind and slippery rocks, Spike finally made it to a small patch of land which led to a small cave, big enough for Spike to fit in.

“Well, beggars can’t be choosers,” he thought as he entered the small cave

“It’s a bit cramped, but I can move around… good thing I’m not claustrophobic… AAAAAAAH!” was the last thing he said before breaking the back wall of the cave and falling into a dark abyss.

Sometime LATER

Spike opened his eyes, he could see the light coming from the hole he fell through

“Another free fall?! What is it with me and falling so much… not to mention, it seems pretty high up, about 50 ft. How the hell I’m I even alive?” he thought as he felt around and noticed that he was in some sort of pond

“Ok… now what?” he thought as he got out of the pond, and looking around the room

All of a sudden, a bright light appeared behind him, making him jump and hide behind a big boulder

After a few seconds, Spike gathered enough courage to look over the edge of the boulder

Once he did, he was in awe, before him, was a massive room, it seemed like an old abandoned temple of sorts.

The oddest thing about it was that in the middle of it, right where the beam of light was emanating from was an altar.

Spike, gathering some extra courage, decided to walk towards it, being very careful of where he stepped.

5 MINUTES LATER

Spike finally made it to the altar

“Well, it’s never a bad idea to be cautious,” he thought as he looked at the altar.

The altar was about 10 centimeters shorter than Spike, so he was able to see the details of the altar.

But what caught his attention was the fact that there were 9 crystals, red, blue, green, yellow, and brown placed with such precision around a Grey, purple, and Onyx black crystal which at the same time formed a sort of triangle around a transparent crystal.

For whatever reason, Spike had the urge to place his hand on the altar, and as soon as he did he felt a jolt of power, pass through his body.

The jolt was so strong, it caused him to pass out.

SPIKE’S MIND

“Where… where am I?” he said

“Examination in progress, please, hold still for a few more seconds,” said a female robotic voice

“Examination?” asked Spike but there was no response

5 seconds later, the same voice said

“Examination completed, subject accepted, proceeding to phase 2,”

“Phase 2?” asked Spike

“Tell me? What do you want? What do you believe in? What are you worth?” said the voice

But Spike couldn’t answer, he was tongue-tied

“Answers confirmed… processed… accepted! Initiating phase 3… welcome, Oh powerful one,” said the voice

“What?” said Spike but before he could continue, he felt another jolt of power, and he blacked out again.

Sometime LATER

“Oh… Oh, my head… is this what it feels like to be hungover? Cause if it is, I ain’t drinking in my life… YAWN… OUCH!!! WHAT THE?” said Spike as he punched something.

He looked around and noticed that he was in his room “When… When did I get back?... did I dream all that?” he asked but then he looked at his clothes in the hamper and so that they were ripped off.

He decided to get up and get dressed, but that’s when he noticed something… odd,

“Was my furniture always this small? And when did my clothes shrink?!!!”

He decided to head to the bathroom and wash his face, maybe he's still seeing things, but…

“OUCH!!!” He said as he banged his head against the frame of the door

“Now what?... don’t tell me… Barbara was in here practicing magic again… Oh! I’m going to kill her!” he said as he bent over and walked up to the sink in the bathroom.

But before he could splash some warm water in his face, Spike looked at himself in the mirror, and what he saw scared him.

“WHO ARE YOU?!!” he said as his reflection mimicked “Barbara, this better be one of your pranks,” he said

But then, Spike looked down and noticed his body, he was much taller and had lost a lot of weight

Confused, he sprayed water on his face, but once he recovered his vision, nothing had changed.

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!” he screamed

At that same second, his mom, dad, and sister kicked the door to his room down and took up battle positions

"SON!? WHAT'S WRONG?... Spike?" Said Bruce, as his, Grace, and Barbara's eyesight landed on Spike.

Their eyes open so wide they nearly popped out, and their jaws almost hit the floor.

"What… what happened to me?" He said

"HANNAH!!!" screamed Bruce

"Yes, Master Bruce?" Said the voice of the maid

"Call Dr. Peterborough and Lord Dandridge, tell them to get their asses here as soon as possible," said Bruce

"Right away, sir," said Hannah

"And… tell Ms. Charlotte to come too… we might be needing new clothes," he finished