After Canterlot was occupied by the armies, the creatures took the survivors and kept them chained up until Spike decided what to do with them. The soldiers went onto the walls and kept guard for any ponies that would dare to come back into Canterlot. But everywhere that Spike walked, every creature bowed in his presence as he moved around, looking at the ruin he wrought upon his former home. Just then, he heard a voice.

"Sire!" the voice shouted.

Spike turned and saw the same Hippogriff that told him about Occupation of Canterlot.

"What is it?" Spike asked.

"We have found him." the Hippogriff answered.

"Is he with you?"

"He is currently being watched over by the guards and captains as a precaution."

"I see. Where is he?"

"Inside the castle, Your Highness. Shall we accompany you?"

"No. I will see to this myself."

"Yes, Your Highness." the Hippogriff said as he bowed.

Spike moved onward towards the castle. As he walked, he saw ponies that were being bound in chains and held down. When the ponies got a good look, they were shocked to see it was Spike. One of the captains that helped with holding down the ponies, came over to Spike and asked,

"Your Divinity, we have so many ponies here. We could make use of them as labor, but I fear that if we keep them alive, they could organize a rebellion and potentially overtake us. What should we do?"

Spike looked down at the pony who was held down, then he turned towards the captain.

"Keep them in their chains. I will tell you when the time is right. Relay that order to all the captains in charge of pony captivity." Spike commanded before walking away.

"Your wish is my command, Your Majesty..." the captain said, bowing before turning towards the pony with a twisted smile.

After leaving the captain to his duties, Spike continued to walk. He looked at the ruin that surrounded him. All the damage that his army had dealt to Canterlot had become but a catalyst of his ascension to power. Just then, a manticore came over to Spike and pushed himself against the king. Purring as it rubbed its body against it, Spike knelt down and stroked its mane in an affectionate manner, hugging it as he did. Afterwards, he moved towards the castle with the manticore following suit along with the other. Ten minutes later, he made it towards the castle where Gilda and Garble were waiting. Along with a familiar face he hadn't seen in a long time.

"What?! You?! You were the pony's pet dragon!" the voice shouted.

Spike simply chuckled and said,

"It's certainly been a long time... Tirek."

He was looking at an anorexic Tirek who was held down in chains. He was held by multiple dragons and griffons to make sure that he couldn't break free from their captivity.

"What do you want, dragon? It seems that you've succeeded in your endeavors with conquering Canterlot. What could you possibly want with me?!" Tirek shouted.

The soldiers held him down in a brutal manner while the manticores growled at Tirek.

"Watch your tongue, Centaur!" one griffon shouted as he held Tirek down.

"He is our savior! So make your words wiser!" a dragon yelled.

Spike stopped them and said,

"You two will only speak when you are permitted in my presence. The next time you speak out, I will see to it that you are severely punished."

"Our apologies, Your Majesty."

"Let him up." Spike commanded.

They did as he told them and let Tirek up.

"What do you want?" Tirek asked.

"I want you to be the commander of my army. The ponies have all been driven back to the Crystal Empire and they don't have a ghost of a chance in defeating us, but they are unpredictable and wise, so with your strategy and ruthlessness as my commander, we can defeat them with little effort. If you join us, you can bask in unlimited reward. I will give you whatever you want." Spike explained.

The proposition intrigued Tirek, but he had suspicions.

"What are the conditions of this position?" the centaur asked.

"To swear absolute loyalty to me without question. And to see that I have insurance of your loyalty..."

Spike charged towards Tirek, making the latter try to back away from the dragon. But it was too late as the former touched the latter's chest and two serpents came out of his right arm, biting the centaur. Tirek's eyes started to flash as bugs started to burrow inside his body. He screamed as he tried to escape, but it was fruitless. Spike let him go, making Tirek fall on the ground from the impact. But when he came to, he was back in his muscular form. He looked at Spike and kneeled to the ground.

"So what is your wish, Your Highness?" the now corrupted centaur asked.

"Issue a command to my soldiers." Spike simply instructed.

Tirek looked towards a captive pony being held by two hippogriffs. He gave him a devilish grin and said,

"Kill him."

The hippogriffs followed his command and started killing the pony in a brutal manner.

"Kill every single prisoner! We have no use for them." Tirek commanded.

The soldiers saluted him and killed him before going outside to tell every creature to kill the prisoners.

***

Sometime later, there was a gathering inside the castle. They were all sitting down in their chairs. From the regal decorations to the sparkling details, everything was set in order and ceremoniously prepared. There was a crown and the blood stone scepter set in the front. From the way things looked, it appeared to be some form of coronation. A coronation for their king, Spike. They were all whispering amongst themselves about what was going to happen next. Just then, the nobles appeared, causing them to quiet down. Next, Tirek comes in the front and says,

"The king approaches!"

Everybody stands up and wait for Spike to approach. In the next few moments, Spike appeared and he was wearing ceremonious robes made from the finest silk in all of Equestria. Ember clears her throat and comes to the front.

"My fellow subjects, today is a glorious day. For many years, we have been divided. We have been discriminated, shunned, oppressed, and thrown away by those we thought to be our allies! But today, we came together as one as we drove away the scum that held us back for so long. We fought, we pillaged, and we gained back whatever pride we thought to have lost when we were discarded by the ones we thought to have trusted! And today, we grace our lord and savior who brought us together and showed us the error of our ways! Today, we welcome our new king, the Shadow King Bahamut, with open arms!"

Spike knelt down as a hippogriff priest went to get the crown and the blood stone scepter from the pillow. Bringing it forward, another hippogriff priest grabbed them from the pillows and went forward to Spike. But before he could proceed to crown the dragon, Spike got up and crowned himself as well as grab the scepter. Many were shocked by this, but they were too drunk in their religious atmosphere to even care. They all knelt down in reverence to Spike as he raised the scepter.

"Long live the king!" the hippogriff shouted.

"Long live the king! Long live the king! Long live the king..."

Everybody chanted Long live the king as they rose up from their kneeling positions. In mad divine worship, the priests dipped their fingers in the corruptive ooze and flung it around like it was a church gathering. Spike looked on in fierce happiness as he felt everything around was coming to order.