Around midnight, Tirek and his men assembled themselves within a hideout cave five miles from the Everfree Forest. They also took with them new recruits such as Lightning Dust, the FlimFlam brothers, Gilda, and more. Tirek stood on a rocky podium while Clawbreak stood on his right side. “This meeting is now in session! Greetings to all of you here and a special welcome to our new recruits of our revolution!” Tirek greeted, extending his hand to the newbies.

“Hey, aren’t you Lord Tirek who sought for the magic of those ponies with your brother Scorpan?” a teenage dragon asked.

“Indeed, I am. Pitifully, my worthless brother was too weak-minded to pursue what was supposed to be truly ours. Thus, he is dead to me. I shall be the one to initiate what we should have started!” Tirek declared.

After the gargoyle goons applauded him, Gilda flew up to him with a scowl. “Listen here, muscle head, I only joined to take my revenge on those eye-candy ponies. If you think I should bow to you, forget it! I take orders from nobody!”

Tirek had to resist the urge to drain her magic and tear her head off for the insult and defiance, but he knew that it would do no good for their cause. Thus, he let it slide and smirked right at Gilda. “Make no mistake, young griffon, I have not gathered you as a warlord or as a conquerer but as a liaison for you and your new comrades.” clarified Tirek.

“Now, with all doubt removed, let us bring your assembled number to account, shall we?” Tirek said before nodding to Clawbreak.

Complying with the silent command, he opened a list of the names of the new recruits they brought together. “The names of the new members of our soon-to-be winning team are as follows...” began Clawbreak.

“Lightning Dust.”

“Here.” she raised her hoof.

“Gilda.”

“(Sigh) Here.” the griffon rolled her eyes.

“Garble.”

“Here!” he waved.

“Flim and Flam.”

“Present!! Can’t join with these splendid folks here without my good brother of mine!” Flim said.

“Likewise, good brother!” Flam smiled.

“(Groan) Idiots...Trixie Lulamoon.”

“Welcome, everypony! Make way for the Great and Powerful Trixie!!” the magician introduced, throwing smoke bombs on the ground for dramatic display.

“Hold on...where is that pegasus who brought me here? He said he would come back in two hours!” Lightning said.

“Sorry, I’m late! Here I am!” the male pegasus said as he suddenly flew inside the cave and landed on the left side of Tirek. A green flame enveloped him and turned him to his true form. “I pray that I didn’t miss anything or interrupt anything, my master.”

“A CHANGELING?! HERE?!” Lightning yelled in shock.

“Precisely! No longer bound by my idiotic mother with a false sense of patriotism. I have personally brought you here since you, along with your new associates, have great potential in bringing true justice to ALL of Equestria!” Clavicle declared.

“Wait...you want us to help you to—?” Garble asked, puzzled.

“Yes...Equestria is full of self-corrupting influences that warrants its thorough purging and reformation. As you can see, all the magic of Equestria rightfully belongs to me; for I was destined to rule this land with a stronger will and power that none has ever done before. My father was a pathetic weakling, a wrench, a failure who neglected my desires and needs and foolishly fell prey to the hollow sins of Celestia, Luna, and all of these puny ponies!” Tirek passionately spoke. The whole squad listened attentively to his speech.

“Those fools have oppressed the gullible and vulnerable for centuries. Thousands of even non-ponies have fallen to the erroneous ‘moral’ codes of these princesses. It is high time that we overthrow the established order of Equestria and raise up a new order...a new kingdom!” Tirek bellowed, raising his muscular arms.

The villains shouted cries of war and of joy. Tirek evilly smiled at the joyous reception of his message. “Now then, let’s finish this with our new allies. I ask that you all come forward.” he commanded. They obeyed and went forward before him.

“Gilda, Trixie Lulamoon, Garble, Lightning Dust, and the FlimFlam brothers, as your authorized facilitator of this revolution, I shall ask you one thing and one thing only: Do you swear to strictly follow the plans and orders that we shall give you in fulfillment of our destiny and mission and to maintain your unwavering loyalty to our cause, understanding the dire consequences should you ever consider betraying us to our foes?” Tirek commandingly asked.

The recruits had a moment to think of their next decision. They somewhat shuddered at the thought of having to help initiate what could be a bloody war that could both ravage and rattle their entire civilization for a long time. However, the other part of them had a dying thirst for revenge and domination. As they thought about what tortures imaginable they could possibly do to those who defeated and humiliated them, they sinisterly grinned to each other.

They respectively nodded to each other and then to Tirek. “We do!” they swore simultaneously. The other villains heartily cheered in the background while Tirek, Clawbreak, and Clavicle smiled in satisfaction.

“Wise decision, my new allies. Gargoyles, welcome our new revolutionaries!” Tirek announced, provoking an uproarious welcome from the gargoyles.

“Now, rest yourselves for the night. We have much to do tomorrow, for tomorrow evening is the time when all of Equestria will be ours for the taking!” Tirek finished.

As they prepared to settle for the night, the red centaur looked towards the forest in a distance. “I sure hope that Bane is doing fine. Too bad he couldn’t make it to the meeting tonight. Fortunately, his help will be a seal for our success.” Tirek said.

Clawbreak and Clavicle looked somewhat concerned before facing each other. “I do wonder what he does in his leisure. Anything he does could be a bit suspicious.” said the changeling.

“Indeed. Oh, and what’s with that mask? Does he even have a face? I can’t imagine what he looks like.” Clawbreak agreed.

“Hmmmm, do you think he is hiding something from us? If that’s the case, then I’m going to that forest and have a talk with him—find out what’s going on.” Clavicle decided as he flew off.

“Wait for me! I want to skin more animals while you’re at it!” the hybrid yelled, running after him.

Author's Note

Trixie and Garble are now involved as well. Their motives and desires will be explained later as the story progresses. Here is your answer, THERDSTORYWHISPERER. Thanks for the idea!