After every dragon was gathered around the lava lakes, they waited patiently for the gathering to commence. They murmured amongst themselves about what was going happen next since Spike asked them to wait at the lava lakes. Whatever it was, it felt important that they waited for Spike to arrive. Just then, Ember and Torch appeared. Only they weren't who they appeared to be. They had this black mist partially surround them and their eyes were inverted, making them a dark appearance. Then Ember spoke,

"Your King approaches!"

The confused crowd spoke amongst each other wondering what was going on. Whether it was the jewels that they eaten or the laziness that they were feeling from relaxing in the lakes was yet to be heard from. The next thing that happened, Spike appeared on top of a hill, ready to address the dragons in front of him.

"Greetings, my fellow dragons." Spike said in this dark voice.

They all looked upwards at Spike as he prepared to speak.

"I have come to offer a proposal to all of you."

Every dragon quieted down and listened to Spike.

"As you all know, we have been oppressed for many moons and forced to live here against our will by those loathsome creatures we already know as the ponies."

They all started to feel curious about what Spike was going to say next. They had no idea what he was scheming, but it seemed big if he was going to plan an invasion.

"We were conquered by the very creatures that invaded our lands, raided our homes, and stole our gems! For far too long have we been held down by the ponies! But no more. I have came across a power that will help us take back what had belonged to us. This power..."

Just then, shadows started to surround the dragons and they started to feel afraid of what would happen next. Suddenly, they were all swarmed by this darkness. They had no idea what it was doing to them, but they were panicking. Just then, the shadows cleared away. The dragons had no idea what was happening to them, but they felt something within starting to change them. It felt ugly yet somewhat pleasant as the dragons recovered from the shadows that surrounded them.

"This is but the first step in our mission for Equestria's domination. After you all make use of this new ability, I want you to spread this seed to your new allies. The Changelings, the Griffons, the Hippogriffs... every creature across the land of Equestria! After we have spread this newfound gift, we shall go to Canterlot and every other diseased location where the ponies reside... and obliterate them!" Spike shouted.

Every dragon was fascinated by his words as Spike continued to speak.

"And upon the ruin where we have wiped out these creatures, we will build upon a kingdom where ponies shall find no place among our kind! We will divide, we will conquer, and we will burn them all into ash! And to present you all with the proof of my loyalty!"

Slowly, dark shadows appeared behind Spike. Then suddenly, seven figures emerged out of the circles. All the dragons were shocked to see who these figures were. They were the Pillars that fought and held back the Pony of Shadows. They were dead and nailed on crucifixes. They would never have expected them, of all ponies, to be killed by the likes of Spike.

"How did you do that?" Garble shouted.

Spike looked down and saw Garble who didn't appear to believe him.

"How do we know these are the real Pillars? For all I know, they could just be duplicates so that you could keep us in line!"

Just then, Spike jumped down from the top and grabbed Garble by his neck.

"Do you doubt me?" Spike asked.

"Are those... really... the Pillars?" Garble asked, trying to break free from Spike's grip.

Instead of getting angry, Spike smirked and let Garble go.

"See for yourself." Spike said.

Garble got off the ground and climbed up to Spike's spot to identify if the Pillars were real or not. After getting closer, Garble looked at them and there were flies everywhere on the bodies. After touching them a couple times, he was shocked to see that they were actually dead.

"Sweet- You act- how did you do that?" Garble asked in a bewildered manner.

Spike simply smirked and said as he gave an evil chuckle,

"Let's just say I had a little help."

"Huh?" Garble asked.

Spike turned towards the dragons and said,

"Before we retake our lands, I want you all to spread the seed throughout the outer lands of Equestria. Tell them our plans. But if anybody chooses to defy us... you all know the procedure."

Having heard that, the dragons flew off to spread the word and the corruption that already infected their minds. After they left, Ember asked,

"So what do we do now, my king?"

"Now?"

"Yes, King Spike. We need to know what you plan to do next if we're going to retake the lands of Equestria." Torch said.

"Ah. Right now, we wait."

"Huh?" Ember asked.

"Do you have any objections, Dragon Lord Ember?"

"W-Well no sire, but wouldn't we need a plan of action if our invasion is to be successful against the entire forces of Equestria? We can't just go in blind and expect to win."

"She has a fair point, lad. If there's one thing that I know about my times against Flash Magnus, it's that pride is always the Achilles Heel. What is your plan?" Torch said.

After thinking over what Ember said, Spike said,

"You're right. We do need a plan. Right now, Princess Cadence and Shining Armor are in the Crystal Empire while Twilight and her friends could be away on their missions. The latter's defenses for Ponyville are so dense that a fly could get in with little effort. But right now, their defenses are at their lowest and it would give you a chance to sneak in undetected. The Elements of Harmony are somewhere inside the castle which can give you the ability to fight back with full force against any foe. If you steal them, Twilight and her friends won't have a chance in standing up to our new Kingdom. I will see to it you get in unharmed. And Ember?"

Ember and Torch turned towards Spike.

"I am no longer Spike. He died when this thing got caught onto me. From this day forward, I will be known as Shadow King Bahamut, or the Shadow King. Is that understood?"

"Yes, my liege." Ember and Torch said in unison as they kneeled.

"You two may go."

They got off the ground and left while Spike went inside the throne room to plan on what to do next. But little does he know is that he was being watched by Discord.

"Oh! This ought to be interesting." Discord said with glee as he went into the throne room.