Nemesis and Antithesis [actually timed to noon or so]

[badassfreakingoverlord]

[Atop the highest tower in his castle, the Overlord stands, a deep blue figure against the bright blue sky. The smirk on his face speaks of nothing but confidence and self-satisfaction.]

Hey, Equestria. Look up.

[No sooner does he pronounce those words then the leading edge of a black disc surges across the sun high above, devouring its light in increasing gulps. Within seconds of its appearance, the great blackness eclipses the sun entirely. Darkness falls across the land like a shroud.]

[Mercifully, the eclipse only lasts a few seconds before the sun peeks around the corner of whatever is blocking its light. As quickly as it came, the black disc fades, relinquishing to the star its rightful place in the sky. Whatever it was, it can no longer be seen thanks to the solar brightness.]

[On the scroll, the Overlord's smirk has only grown wider.]

That one I call Nemesis. It's a planet I've brought in, with the fortunate property that it's just the right size to eclipse the sun for Equestria from where I've dropped it. You'll see its counterpart, Antithesis, tonight, when it blocks the moonlight from you all for a little while.

[Zetta casually polishes one hoof on the fur of his chest with an abstract amusement, letting that sink in.] Oh, I'm sure you're not impressed by a short eclipse each day... but I don't expect you to be. It'll take me a couple of weeks to get these things tidally locked, so they block the sun and the moon both, rise to set. So you might want to spend the next couple of days enjoying this whole 'light' thing. Pretty soon it'll just be a fading memory... and Equestria will be plunged into eternal darkness. No sun, no moon, and no hope.

Unless your Princesses cede rulership of the land to me.

Hey, it's better than eternal darkness, right? [Zetta smiles in false encouragement, making a 'come on' gesture with one hoof.] Of course if you doubt I'm serious, then I'm sure you could just do your best to take care of the crops and the animals and the weather and all that crap despite the diminishing sun. I figure you can keep it all together just fine if none of you waster your effort attacking me. At least, until eternal darkness falls.

Two weeks, Princesses. This world as a Netherworld is better than this world as a dead world.

Comments

[marearcana]

I'm sure you already know my answer.

[Wings spread, juuuust in case he can't tell who this is he is speaking to.]

[badassfreakingoverlord]

[Of course he can tell! How long has he spent here? Also, he has a status screen!]

Your answer has nothing to do with it. It's in Celestia and Luna's laps now.

[marearcana]

Oh, so I don't count to you, either?

I guess what I was going to tell you earlier is a given now, because at this point who isn't watching you?

[badassfreakingoverlord]

You're not a ruler of this land. Ruling is more than the wings, it's the authority, the effort. You don't control the day and the night, and you don't give the orders around here. So you're not the one I need to kick out of office to take over.

[marearcana]

It's not as if you'd let me keep it, though.

[badassfreakingoverlord]

Hey, if you stepped up, you'd have the same choice as they do. Maybe you ought to be glad you haven't meddled in the ruling here.

[marearcana]

Yet you conveniently omitted my sister-in-law just now. The Crystal Empire may be far away from Equestria, but they're going to be affected by what you're doing just as badly as the rest of it.

So it's something between you and Celestia and Luna, isn't it?!

[badassfreakingoverlord]

She doesn't control the freaking sun and moon! Why are you overcomplicating this?!

[marearcana]

Oh no, your terrifying ultimatum has caused me to forget something you said in the last thirty seconds.

[Naturally, this is said as sardonically as possible.]

[It seems as if she may now be Just Messing With You.]

[badassfreakingoverlord]

The one has nothing to do with the other! Being a glorified bureaucratic flunky in some backwater Empire has nothing to do with controlling the fundamental forces of the entire world!

[marearcana]

[It seems as if Twilight has actually gotten an idea.]

Not on the surface, no. But she and I both do, and while it's not nearly as obvious or essential for survival... well. You probably don't want to listen right now, but I'd be happy to explain why I think that it's maybe even more important.

[For now, though, she will stop replying.]

[badassfreakingoverlord]

Not for the purposes of conquest of this world, and its transformation into a Netherworld. Which is really all I care about.

[Not that he knows she doesn't intent to reply. But in the end, he understood the purpose of the Magics of Love and Friendship in pony society... and they meant nothing to his conquest.]