“And so then he said to me, ‘All of my gold? What are you, crazy?’. So that’s when I took some Reds and we burnt his sheep. That farmer never saw it coming, I can tell you that.” Ten said as he took a big swig from the ale they had plundered from Ponyville.

“Haha! That’s a good one!” Two applauded.

“Let me tell you about the time I rode a pig through the Master’s mistress collection. So I was walking around, when all of a sudden a pig shows up and I just feel the need to ride that sucker. And so, I slapped it on the arse and it went wild throughout the entire castle. And just that moment, one of the women the Master took from Spree comes out with some pork. Word of advice to you dimwits, don’t let a pig eat pork. That thing just charged and ran over three girls without stopping!” Seven recalled the events of that day. “Oh boy, that was a good day. Evil at its finest. The Master wasn’t exactly pleased though. He made me kiss that swine’s snout and then sleep with it. Wasn’t the funnest when it farted twenty times in a row, either.

He sat at a table with One, Two, Seven, Eight, and Nine. It was the lieutenants table, if one were to judge from the looks of it. They sat in a giant hall that was clearly the dining room. Just behind them was a giant table with three chairs. At the left turn sat Queen Chrysalis, the leader of the Changelings. She was drinking some wine but was gazing at the person in the middle, almost enchantingly. On the far opposite end at the right sat Gnarl, munching away at some chicken legs. It was fitting for the old imp, seeing as how he was the Overlord’s right hand man.

And where was the Overlord? He sat dead in the middle, in a giant black ebony chair that spikes and such jutted out of the sides. A hearth fire burned behind him, making orange glows emanate around his person. Whether that was purposeful, to induce fear into the others from this increased feeling of menace, or just a pure coincidence, no one would ever know.

The Overlord ate nothing. In fact, none of the others had seen the Overlord eat at all. Not even the lieutenants had. And very much in correspondence to this was the fact that Gnarl had yet to witness this sight as well. Did he just never have the need to feed? No, that was not the case, he had eaten on plenty occasions in his own room. He did, however, have a giant flagon in his right hand as he brought it up to his mask and let it seep through the cloth that covered his face underneath his helmet.

When he finished, he slammed the empty container down on the hard wood, causing the noise to echo throughout the entirely occupied eating room. Everyone, Minions, Diamond Dogs, and Changelings alike all turned heads to meet the noise, only to return to their business upon seeing it was their new leader.

Gnarl whistled, prompting Ten to fall out of his chair and landing on his rear end. He stumbled for a few good moments before regaining his sense of direction and waving at a few guards near a door. They nodded and went inside.

It was amazing how quickly the castle was coming along. As promised, the Diamond Dogs built a tunnel system for their underground home. And the Changelings had created a temporary hive. A moat was still in the making, but most of the walls were up and as one could see, the dining room was finished. The other places finished were the barracks, the living quarters of the higher leaders, the dungeon, and the Overlord’s private quarters, of course. It had yet to have towers constructed, but the effort was still overwhelming.

The lighting was pretty dark, though. There weren’t too many windows or openings in the walls as the Dark Tower had. Most of the light came from torches and fireplaces, and those were far and in between. Chandeliers were still in the making, so everyone had to make do with the flickering heat source.

The two guards reappeared, this time dragging chains along with them. Slowly and one by one, the slaves showed themselves as the entire room went wild with cheers, jeers, and the smacking of lips. Now, to anypony else, a regular pony of Equestria would release their bowels right there and then, perhaps even produce some liquified manure. But these ponies had been through much already.

Cut, whip, chaff, and other marks adorned their coats as they unwillingly trotted out of the dungeon. At the head, was none other than the Great and Powerful Trixie. She was not harmed in any sense, save for a tufted neck area from the grip of the Overlord. And, apart from the others, she was not wearing a muzzle. So she was good in that sense, right?

Ten took command of the prisoners as he led them to the Overlord’s table. With a kick and shout, Ten ordered the ponies to bow down. Cheerilee took an angry, exhausted, and somewhat fearful Diamond Tiara into her hold. Caramel along with Berry Punch and Carrot Top complied, bowing down without a peep. They had seen just what these evildoers were capable of.

But Lyra stood her ground. She had been dealt with bad guys before, after all, she and Bon-Bon got some catcalls from some shady colts in Ponyville. And a good share of them were the high and mighty type. She furrowed her brows in an attempt to intimidate the Overlord. Ten took notice of this and was about to hit her when he heard a chair scrape from behind him.

The Overlord stood up and looked into her very soul. Bravery was an admirable quality in his opinion. A good servant needed to be willing to do anything, including death, for his master. Now, the Minions were by all means fearless, save for the reluctance of fighting unicorns back in their world, but this ultimately stemmed from their nature and stupidity. His hands rose to his sides and he clapped.

This resulted in a big ‘what’ from every single body in the room, including Gnarl and Chrysalis. It wasn’t a grandeur clap, just a single subtle one. After he applauded her ballsy attitude, he went up to her and grabbed a nearby apple served in the mouth of a roasted pig, giving her the decorative fruit. She reluctantly took it as she backed away from him.

Gnarl sighed and understood his demeanor.

“It makes you look weak when you do that, Master.” He whispered.

“Why did he do that?” Chrysalis asked from the other side of the table.

“Her attitude, he doesn’t see much bravery in many. She stood her ground, despite knowing what he could do. The other time with that Rainbow one, that was just a pure dumb charge. This one, however, could’ve been roasted. And he’s commending that where it’s due.”

“Pretty chivalrous.” Chrysalis commented.

“Miss, you have no idea how wrong you are. This is the same Overlord who gave villagers back their much needed food, only to end up taking half of said village’s young women for servants.” Gnarl informed her of his past.

“What is this mockery?” A voice blurted out from the side. All eyes were on Trixie as she looked at the Overlord with indignity. “I can help you, monster, and I am so more deserving than this trash heap. Now then, if I tell you even more secrets, will you let me eat in peace?”

“What do you know?” Gnarl piped up from his far side.

“I know about the Elements of Harmony, and I know what they can do to you.” Trixie said as she pointed her hoof at the Overlord.

“I forgot about those...” Chrysalis remarked.

“And what are they?” Ten asked, raising a knife up to the mare’s neck.

“They are,” Trixie felt the dull end of the blade coming up her abdomen, then passed her neck. “Magic that nopony truly understands. Not even Trixie, herself, understands them. But they are powerful, even powerful enough to defeat Discord.”

The Overlord brought up his arm and the collective calming hum followed. Ten looked over and understood his order. “Fine,” He accepted as he sheathed his knife and walked back to his table.

Gnarl took the initiative and said, “Feed them.” Some Minions came over and tossed them some vegetables, allowing them to finally eat ever since their entanglement and capture in their hometown. Trixie was given looser chains, but was still treated as a slave nonetheless. But the Overlord remembered something because of Trixie’s words. Discord.

He took this moment to go to the special chamber in which the Minions had been deviously working at; the Magical Attuner. Like the wells or sacrificial structures that the Overlord used to heal himself or regain mana immediately by sacrificing Minions, this place was made just for those cases. This was, in fact, the first room that the Minions were tasked with building besides the castle itself.

The Overlord walked down the dimly lit hallway, which was also being brightened with moonlight, and looked for the giant metal door that led to the mystical room. It took some moments before a giant steel entrance stood in his way, a giant skull Minion emblazoned on its center. He pushed it open as it cranked and creaked with each passing inch. When it finally came to a stop, the Overlord stood inside of the dark room. Normally, guards would have been posted there but this night was a special occasion.

In the very middle was a giant well with a blue and red substance contorting in it. Just above that was Discord, unconscious and bound by two sets of ropes on a pot roast type handle. The Overlord walked up the granite steps, moving closer to the god of chaos. As he reached the top, the draconequus began to stir, slowly waking up.

The Overlord was within arm length, staring intently at his most prized prisoner, the one who had thought of this entire thing as a game.

“W....what’s going on...?” Discord asked as his eyes started to blink lazily in order to wake himself up. He tried to move but found that he was constricted. He also tried to use his magic but nothing worked. It didn’t take long for him to understand his situation, somepony had cast an anti-magic barrier on his location. He looked up and laughed upon seeing the Big Guy, himself.

The Overlord was glad he had Chrysalis and her best subjects cast that spell on Discord. That way, the abomination could not escape and was left within Evil’s clutches.

“So, pal, what brings you here to my humble abode?”

The Overlord just remained silent in response.

“Still not the talker, eh?” Discord retorted.

The Overlord stepped closer, his hand going for Discord’s head.

“What do you think you’re doing? You’re not planning on killing me are you?”

The Overlord’s hand firmly held its grip on the prisoner’s head. The cold steel gave the god of chaos a few shivers. He looked up to be met with two almost mocking red eyes.

“Whatever you think you’re doing, just qui-”

A small wave began to form between Discord and the Overlord’s hand. Discord felt himself being drained of something, he wasn’t sure what. But he was tiring with every passing moment. The Overlord himself was laughing with the deep and menacing voice of his.

“Stop!” Discord shouted.

More energy left the pony mocker’s body as it travelled up to his temple and into the Overlord’s hand. Discord looked upon his attacker, gasping at the sight. The Overlord’s body was starting to emit a red glow. It was as if he were sucking all of the magic out of him. Discord struggled but the pain and exertion were being multiplied exponentially.

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!”

Four shadowed groups moved across the valley and into the entrance of the somewhat mediocrely built fort in the middle of nowhere. So far, their stealth and invisibility spells were working. They had managed to pass a large group of Changelings, some bumbling Diamond Dog guards, and a ravenous horde of weird creatures that Celestia and Luna detailed greatly back in Canterlot. So far, everything was okay.

Now that they were in the safe zone, they undid their energy-consuming magic and took a few breathers.

“Okay we-” Shining Armor was cut short by a shout from behind them.

“Intruders!!!!” A voice called out.

“Okay, charge ponies. No holding back, use all your powers and find anypony who’s been taken captive! You ten,” Shining Armor called out to a group of stallion guards. “Follow me. Everpony else, stay in groups.”

The four groups of city guards all moved in different directions. It wasn’t long before they were met with the fortress’s defenders, all of whom were either unarmored laborers or Diamond Dogs. The sounds of battle filled the hallway and the kills started to pile up. Shining Armor and his group of soldiers all moved along a single hallway, using magical flames, bucking, or flight to defeat and kill any in their way. Dozens of Minions laid on the ground, their skulls broken apart or their bodies singed beyond recognition.

Finally, they reached the end and pushed open a set of wooden doors. And what was before them caused them to almost want to retreat. There were dozens of Elite Changeling, Diamond Dog, and Minion guards, all eating as Queen Chrysalis and Gnarl sat at the end. Queen Chrysalis waved and smiled at Shining Armor, out of arrogance of course.

Gnarl finally jumped onto his table and shouted, “Lieutenants, Dogs, Changelings, the first one to bring me all of their heads gets a triple portioned meal!”

Now, it didn’t take even a second for them to charge madly at the group of ponies. Everyone in that dining room was evil, and very much so, were almost always hungry. So, without hesitation, Ten and the rest of the other Elite imps charged, swords, maces, shields, and hammers at the ready. The Diamond Dogs charged straight on with their tongues hanging out of their mouth. But Chrysalis’ people stayed, strategically planning for an opportunity to strike.

Shining Armor’s usual feel of bravado started to wither away but he felt a hoof on his shoulder. He turned and was met with courageous smiled from the other Captains. They had blood on them, some from their own wounds but the rest came from their vanquished foes. Behind them, their soldiers stood, most in fit form while a few unfortunate others were barely hanging on.

“We lost a few good guards on the way here, but we made it.” One of the Captains barked.

“I’m not sure we can handle this.” Shining Armor examined the room.

“We’ll handle this. Go and find their leader.”

Shining Armor was about to stop them when all of the others charged, leaving the Captain of Canterlot and his chosen stallions alone in the back. The clash that came between the meeting of the four races ended up in an uproar of bloodshed. Ponies, Diamond Dogs, and Changelings alike all died off one by one. The Minions, however, were still living. And why them? Because they had been through Hell and back and none of this mindless drivel would kill them, but that didn’t mean they were invincible. A normal buck that would kill any other imp only damaged them, mainly because of the strong extra reinforced armor that Gnarl had gifted them when they all returned without their Master from the burning realm.

These lieutenants happily killed the guards, all working as a team. And they cackled evilly all the while. Shining Armor and his group charged for Queen Chrysalis, but stopped upon seeing prisoners being chained up. Putting his duty first, the Captain of Canterlot whistled to a group Pegasi and ordered them to evacuate the civilians.

“Thank you!” An orange maned mare said.

“It’s my duty, miss. Just go, take everypony else and go!”

The Pegasi nodded and carried off all of the civilians, including a certain cerulean blue magician.

Now that the captured residents of Ponyville were left unharmed, Shining turned back to Chrysalis.

“You! This is over, all over!”

“Yes, it is.” Chrysalis grinned smugly.

“Today is the day when you and your kind, along with this other scum all fail to the power and unity of ponykind. Prepare, this is your last!” Shining Armor charged when something stopped him. The castle began to shake and soon the ground followed. Everyone in the room stumbled over each other before the shaking came to a stop.

The guards rebalanced themselves and set their sights on the Changeling Queen when a sudden blinding burst of light protruded from a nearby doorway. The doorway slammed open as a new shade of red light replaced the previous white one. All of the eyes in the room turned to the dark red hued figure standing in the pitch black abyss. Two extremely glowing red eyes floated near the top of the archway. A hand rose out of the black, a metal hand following. Red mist surrounded the appendage as a booming voice followed.

"Submit!"