Twilight Sparkle calmly watches the exchange between the Storm King and his commander Tempest Shadow, her fellow Princesses at her side. She frowns, especially at the way he is eyeing her. Even she, cloistered as her brother might tease, knows that look. She sometimes wished more stallions looked at her like that. But not him! Eww!

“Do you think he knows we can read lips?” she asks, gagging like she just ate one of Applejack’s baked sours and Doug thought she liked it so she has to eat another or make her Friend feel bad.

“Almost certainly.” Celestia wistfully sighs with a forlorn shake of her head. She glances back as Doug and Shining Armor join them. She knows her stallion will not appreciate this, nor Twilight, but she has always been truthful with them. “He has always been brazen. That ardor, that passion… I must confess, I found his letters quite captivating.”

“Letter-s?” Doug asks, emphasizing the ‘s’ like a piece of scraping flint. Twilight turns to Celestia with a horrified look, eyes widened and mouth ajar.

“~Celestia and Raikou,” Cadance teases her aunt, though her focus is on Twilight. She plays up her smile, wagging her flanks and swishing her mane back and forth. “~Sittin’ in a tree.”

Shining Armor rubs against his sister’s opposite side as she tugs at her mane, as if blocking the sight could block the sing-song voice and the images it evokes. “~K-I-S-S-I-N-G!”

“I’m afraid we never progressed to that point,” Celestia states mirthfully, interrupting the song. It puts their fears to rest. Mostly. Though Shining Armor still winks at Twilight as he puts her in a headlock, rubbing at her mane.

“Oh, good,” Twilight says, slipping out and hip checking her brother, only to yelp when Chrysalis brusquely pushes her to the floor.

The changeling queen lost some of her bulk during the night, but still outmasses everypony present. “Oh,” she mutters as Twilight rubs her rump. A low growl escapes the ebony throat. “It’s him.” She glances at Celestia. “Did he say anything about me?”

“Not as of yet,” Celestia replies, intrigued at Chrysalis’ interest. “Why?”

“Hmph,” Chrysalis pouts, especially as the Storm King joins the throng of soldiers. He hadn’t acknowledged her existence. “Because there was a time when I thought we might move to the next stages of that song.” She rolls her eyes at Celestia’s raised eyebrow. “What? It’s not like it’s complicated. I’m attracted to power. He’s powerful. I’m sure you can put two and two together.”

Twilight mischievously grins as she gets up. “So you dated the Storm King, had designs on King Sombra, and now you’ve gotten yourself my brother.” She turns her grin on Shining Armor as Chrysalis nods along. “Is there something you’re not telling us, Shiny? Like how you’re secretly a bad colt?!”

Twilight’s horn flares as she starts tapping a quick beat against the floor. The sound of a ukulele fills the air as she nods along, in serious danger of making a foal of herself. “~Get yourself a… bad colt!”

“Hey, I could totally pull off an AJ!” He pokes Cadance as she tilts her head. “You know, McLank from the Fallback Fillies?”

“Not my Shiny,” Cadance retorts with quick swishes of her head, humming along to Twilight’s catchy tune. “Or you’ll be Shiny NoName!”

Chrysalis’ hoof joins in tapping a beat against the floor. She shakes her head and scowls. “You ponies, always bursting into song in random places at the drop of a hat. Who does-”

Chrysalis yelps as Rarity gallops past her, Applejack and Pinkie Pie at her flanks and Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy soaring overhead!

“~O-oh, Klugetown!” Rarity belts out as she leaps off the edge! She gracefully soars down, twisting and twirling just like she did at the Best Young Flyer competition and drawing just as many eyes as Celestia’s solar show. “~What you do to us?!”

The four alicorns, Shining Armor, Doug, and Chrysalis rush to watch the five plummet.

“~Such a full, teeming, me-tro-po-lus!”

Three parachutes open, brilliant canopies of sapphire and indigo, orange and red, and pink and blue, gently setting the three ponies down while Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy drop next to them. Her horn flares, neatly packing the parachutes away.

“~And we can always,” Rarity continues, beaming at the startled shopkeepers as they trot along the busy road, “~be generous! And share a frie-he-hen-dly smile!”

“You cannot be serious,” Chrysalis mutters as the alicorns bob and sway to the acapella echoing off the buildings.

“~Oh, don’t be so imperious,” Cadance grins, nudging Chrysalis’ side. When she turns and glares Shining Armor comes up on her other side.

“~It’s not that mysterious,” he sings, reaching across the changeling to grasp his wife’s hoof. Together they haul Chrysalis over the edge. She doesn’t resist, adopting a long-suffering expression she stole from Luna.

“Yes,” Chrysalis growls out, though she keeps to the beat. “~I’m quite delirious.”

Green and pink wings flare as Shining Armor’s horn lights, his shield safely setting him down. He drops, kissing the sandy road, then embraces it in a hug while Cadance rolls her eyes behind him.

Their expressions turn to shock as four heavily armored Storm Guards surround Chrysalis and level spears. Chrysalis growls, flaring her wings as she crouches defensively, but there is nowhere to retreat except up or a teleport to a just-as-unknown position. And the spiked, weighted nets in their off-hands makes that proposition much less enticing.

Before the situation can devolve further Rarity appears, bounding from one guard to another. She gently butts the bottom of their spears, and they lift them in confusion.

“~Is someone waspy? It’s okay!”

Chrysalis, just as surprised as the guards, cocks her head to the side. “Is that a bug joke?”

A bolt of light blue fabric levitates over, a gem to the merchant she plucked it from. Rarity trims and weaves on the move, grinning as she presents a bundle of woven flowers to each.

“~Surprise instead with a bouquet!”

The guards glance at each other before grunting, ignoring the flowers to keep the changeling corralled.

“~You have your orders,” Rarity concedes, nodding along understandingly. “So help me con-vey-”

She jumps up on one of them, embracing with one hoof while pointing down the ramshackle street to one of the few buildings that looks well taken care of: the combination Equestrian Embassy and location of the Council of Creatures.

“~This cha-ange-ling-g to-o her trial!”

The guards shrug, shoulder their spears and take the flowers from the light blue aura, pinning them inside their intimidating helmets. Rarity bows down courteously, backing up while dragging Chrysalis with her.

“Hey!” Chrysalis objects strenuously, though she continues backpedaling to safety.

Overhead, the Lunaris Priestess steadily makes its way to the embassy’s docking platform, a few brightly clad pegasi waving orange glowsticks that make them easy to spot even with the perpetual haze around the city. Their pace has picked up, overtaking the mares parading underneath.

Celestia wistfully stares down, the broad smile on her muzzle only widening. Twilight is too engrossed to notice, debating if or when there will be an opening where she can join her Friends, but also holding back because the other Princesses are doing the same.

“Ugh,” Luna groggily grunts, the least enthralled of all present except perhaps Doug. She watches the roof of the embassy and the gathering throng of creatures there. All the delegates of the major races are represented except one, and the Storm King is leaping and bounding across the buildings to get there before they do, using the staff as a pole. “We’re going to have to greet them.” She sighs, flicking a hoof through her waving mane. “We do despise getting the sand out of our coat.”

“But it shines so wondrously when you do,” Doug says with an encouraging smile and scratch to her ear and chin. Her eye roll is but a flash as she tilts her head toward his, exchanging a chaste kiss before turning back to the congregating creatures. He sighs at her lack of enthusiasm, saying, “Well, I’m going to go make sure Spike is up.”

“Thanks,” Twilight says distractedly.

Doug’s boots pound against the floor as he jogs the short distance to the captain’s cabin. He opens the door without knocking, only for a flurry of movement on the bed to draw his attention.

A red-faced Spike yanks the sheets up, a saccharine and forced grin at his ‘dad’. “H-hey!” he pants, waving one claw while the other grips the sheets like he is dangling out the window. He fakes a wide yawn. “Are we there yet?”

“Just about to meet the delegates,” Doug says from the doorway. He regrets not knocking, but only slightly. He forces his face to soften, not that he was glaring before, offering Spike a knowing smile. “Everything okay?”

“Uh,” Spike grunts, awkwardly scratching the frills along his neck before gulping and hiding those claws under the sheet. He sighs, downcast, and stares at the floor. “Just thinking about, um, Sweetie Belle.”

“I bet she misses you, too,” Doug says, slowly approaching. Spike pulls his claws out from under the sheet as he scooches to the side, though it is still bunched up in his lap. Doug sits down, hands clasped as he hunches over, though he still towers above Spike. “And. If there’s anything you want or need to talk about, I’m here.” He reaches over to scratch at Spike’s head spines, the dragon cautiously grinning up at him. “Although, I don’t know if now is the best time. We’ve got a lot of luggage to move, dignitaries to meet. And, if you’re Chrysalis, hell to pay.”

Spike giggles at that last one, stripping the sheets off and dropping to the floor. “A-and who better to help than your trusty dragon friend, right?” He flexes his arms with a grin, scales shifting as tiny lumps of muscles bulge. “Ohh, yeah. I’ve been helping Sweetie Belle move Rarity’s luggage around. Can you tell?”

“Hey,” Doug says with a chuckle, getting up as well. They both head to the door. “Keep that up and she might make you her permanent assistant in charge of moving Rarity’s luggage around!”

“You think so?” Spike’s eyes brighten, his claws playing against each other as his grin turns greedy. He breaks out of it with a worried gulp and glance upward. “Hey, um… Please don’t tell Twilight. Okay?” He quivers. “Or Sweetie Belle.”

“I doubt it’ll come up,” Doug says, smiling yet serious. He bends down, and Spike stops. “But I think they would both appreciate more, hmm, productive uses of your time instead of just thinking about them, right?” He looks outside the porthole. “Like something that reminded you of her, or that you want her to have.”

“Heh,” Spike says with another awkward scratch of his neck. “Y-yeah, I guess that’s right.” He shudders.

“Then we only need to speak of this if you want to,” Doug says as he stands.

The two arrive just as the airship stops next to the docking platform. Doug gets his first good look at the two half-circles of the Council of Creatures waiting on them. In the front row must be the other five members of the Squad of Six: an eight-foot red and gold dragon of the Dragon Lands; a massive orange-maned yak looking especially grumpy in the desert heat; a griffon with dark gray head and wings and a lighter gray body accompanied by a pink-headed, fez-topped gray griffon; a brawny minotaur with excessively large hands, standing nearly as tall as the dragon and twice as wide; and the Storm King himself.

Behind them, and drawing less attention, are the rest of the delegates from the surrounding smaller countries and city states. Three ponies from the Realm of Clouds, a pegasus, earth pony, and unicorn; a zebra wearing gold jewelry and a sweeping mohawk of a mane; a tall, lanky black Abbyssinian cat; and a pale blue hippogriff who stays as far away as he can from the Storm King.

A gangplank is laid for the two landbound creatures, Lunaris staying aboard the ship. The three alicorns take flight, easily gliding the short distance to the awaiting delegates.

“Her Highnesses, Princess Celestia,” one of the embassy ponies announces in a booming voice, “Princess Luna, and Princess Twilight Sparkle of Equestria.”

From the side of the embassy fly Princess Cadance and Queen Chrysalis, horns alight and levitating Applejack, Rarity, and Pinkie Pie, the latter thrilled to again be soaring through the air. Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and Shining Armor land on their own power next to Doug and Spike while Cadance and Chrysalis join the other alicorns.

“Her Highness, Princess Cadance,” the embassy pony continues stately, then pauses. He looks decidedly uncomfortable about announcing the changeling. “And Queen Chrysalis.”

“Finally!” the fez-wearing griffon shouts, scratching two deep furrows with a loud scrape of his talons. “Let’s get the execution underway!”

Next Chapter: Ch. 11 - Warlord's Reach, Part Three Estimated time remaining: 30 Hours, 30 Minutes