I used to wonder what friendship could be... [Visual, open.]

[badassfreakingoverlord]

[So yeah. There's a familiar unicorn popping up on the scrolls, except, uh, he's not a unicorn any more. There's a couple of wings poking out from behind that massive fire mane.]

...As my first decree as Overlord of Equestria, apparently, I hereby, uh, politely request you all go light on the Princess jokes.

[...maybe he actually totally legitimately earned those wings, if he's asking like that.]

Comments

[badassfreakingoverlord]

[Can you blame him for forgetting that fact?]

[At the question, Zetta stops his fidgeting, lowering his head as the memory returns, crystal-clear and still traumatic.]

The idiots took a shot that was meant for me.

[sailorlaughter]

[Of course not. It DOES usually happen that way.]

Oh.

...but they're okay now, right?

[badassfreakingoverlord]

Yeah... they will be. They're healing, they're not in any danger. It just hurt them, way more than it should have.

[Way more than they should have gotten hurt for his sake, he means. Even now, the Overlord is nothing but bitter regret with no small measure of guilt.]

[sailorlaughter]

That's great! Are they ready for visitors? I'm sure there's a TON of ponies who want to come see them, if they find out they're hurt!

[badassfreakingoverlord]

That's up to them. Twilight's been up and around, Melissa's doing all right, Rarity's been a bit slower... but then again she isn't really in a hurry to leave either. I'm sure they'd like to see you.

[sailorlaughter]

Neat! I'll have to drop by sometime - OH! Nononowait! We have to have your party out there so Rarity can be there too!

[badassfreakingoverlord]

Yeah, I'd rather put off any parties till they're well enough to attend. Especially since the changelings won't leave me alone about getting their Queen to get better.

[sailorlaughter]

Alright, whenever! You just have to have one SOMETIME, you know?

[badassfreakingoverlord]

[The Overlord sighs.]

Doesn't feel right to celebrate something I only got because a bunch of people got hurt to get me it.

[sailorlaughter]

Oh...I guess I know what you mean.

But everything turned out okay in the end! Right?

[badassfreakingoverlord]

They were hurt. Because of me.

I'm not sure I can ever call that okay.

[And yet the main difference between alicorn Zetta and the Zetta of a month or two before is only that the winged version of the demon-pony could admit that out loud.]

[sailorlaughter]

I don't think they'd want you to keep beating yourself up forever, y'know? They did what they wanted to do, and they got hurt because Tirek was going around hurting people in the first place!

[Pinkie slides off Zetta's back for a proper conversation.]

Have you talked to them?

[badassfreakingoverlord]

[Aww, he actually hadn't minded that so much.]

Sure, but not about that! They'd probably say the same thing you did. But I'm not going to let myself forget so easily... I'm too new to this whole 'friendship' thing to let myself off the hook too easily.

[sailorlaughter]

You know it wasn't REALLY your fault, right?

[badassfreakingoverlord]

...Says who? Who determines that?

[sailorlaughter]

Liiiiiike everybody?

[badassfreakingoverlord]

That's not how it works! Some things are absolute!

[sailorlaughter]

What do you mean by that? Tirek hurt them, so it's Tirek's fault! He shouldn'tve been trying to hurt YOU either!

[badassfreakingoverlord]

Some things are in the nature of creatures. Birds fly, ponies love friendship, Tirek was a jackass. Uh, the bad kind, not the cousin-to-ponies kind. Blaming them for following their nature is pointless.

[sailorlaughter]

So what, he was just ALWAYS going to be evil? He could've done something else if he wanted.

[badassfreakingoverlord]

Oh yeah? Are you going to tell me you'd stop being friends with everyone and being probably insane just because you wanted?