“Prince Consort!” Princess Luna reprimands with a distinct emphasis on the role he fills. She whirls, whipping her tail like a lash. The sharp crack against the air draws Doug away from the sneering unicorn, Tempest Shadow daring him to come at her with more than words. “You forget your place!”

“What!?” Doug exclaims, shocked at the rebuke. He stares, slack-jawed, at the cobalt alicorn interposing herself between him and Tempest Shadow. It takes him a moment to recover; when he does he sweeps his arm at the gloating Yak prince. “Did you not just hear the same speech I did? They think our foal, Celestia’s foal, is a threat! They want to remove that threat!”

Luna’s starry expanse of a mane flares up, glints of teal in her eyes. She steps forward, in his face, concealing the others from view. The tip of her horn rises above him, but she hates how she has to look up. She discards the notion that she should kick his leg out from under him to get him to kneel.

“This is neither the time nor place,” she cautions, her words low and fast, “for braggart displays of strength and rash declarations of war!”

“Then when is?!” Doug bellows, furious. He can feel his face heating up, and looks from pony to pony, trying to find support. Yet all of them are cowed with ears back and laying low to the floor. Even Rainbow Dash, the pony he most expected to share his stance, is on the ground, though with hooves from Rarity and Applejack not quite holding her down but resting reassuringly on her back. “After they’ve passed a death sentence?”

Luna growls as she bares her teeth, her rage cold as ice, but it isn’t enough to get Doug to yield. She snorts, then spins to face Alira. She announces, “We request a brief recess.”

“Granted,” Alira says dubiously. The Saddle Arabian mare waves a hoof at them with a certain urgency. “Standard rules.”

“Of course.” Luna trots two steps to the closest exit. She stops, her flank even with Doug, regarding him with an uncompromising stare. “Come with me,” she commands, her tone brooking no disagreement.

Doug doesn’t trust himself to reply, gritting his teeth as he follows at her side. The laughs and jeers from Gruff and Ember don’t help matters either, and it’s all he can do to make it out of the room without snapping at them.

“Leave us,” Luna orders the two guards standing at the entrance. The cloth-clad pony and purple-emblazoned storm guard nod curtly before walking ten paces away, watching with cautious curiosity. Luna’s horn flares; a bubble blurs everything around them, the loud thumps of the guards’ boots muffling under a continuous buzz. She takes a deep breath, working hard to calm the emotions raging inside her.

“This is ridiculous,” Doug rants, one hand indicating the door they just came through. “You expect me to stand there and listen to those… uninformed loons prattle on about how much of a danger everycreature is in because Celestia and you and Twilight and Cadance decided to do what every mare has the capacity and desire to do? She’s not going to go crazy and decide to destroy the world just because this attempt doesn’t work out! And they haven’t even proven that it won’t work out, or that something bad is going to happen! It’s just a blatant power play, trying to force whatever concessions they can out of Celestia and you and the others because they know we desire peace, that we won’t go to war, and they think that we’ll settle for whatever they ask! I’m not going to stand there and let them strong-arm us like we’re some sort of simpering cucks waiting to be played! It’s, it’s, unthinkable letting them get away with this!”

Luna stands there stoically, letting his damning words pass her like the wind in her ever-flowing mane. She waits for him to take a breath, huff at her silence, and cross his arms across his chest.

“Art thou finished?” she patiently asks, slipping a few archaic terms into her speech. “Or dost thou have more grievances to air?”

Doug snorts, turning his head away to stare at the blurry wall. But there is no exasperation in her voice, no taunting, and he knows she would be willing to listen if he did continue. “Not right now,” he spits out, some of his anger fading, though he keeps his arms defiantly crossed.

“To answer thy points in order,” Luna calmly states. “First; yes, we do expect thou to allow anycreature to make their point in the vain hope that they might impart some kernel of wisdom amidst the offal they spew.”

Doug utters a quick laugh through his nose, looking back at her.

“If thou cannot continue in that capacity?” Piercing blue eyes stare into his. “We shall release you from these proceedings. Perhaps with Rainbow Dash to keep thou both occupied, or any or even all of the Elements if thou desires. No record would be made of this transfer, and t’would not be held against you.”

“No, that’s not necessary,” Doug says, chastised. He does want to be a part of these proceedings, to be there for his mares, especially if this is what they have to suffer through. “I’ll watch my tongue. But don’t expect me to go along with something ridiculous.”

“Second,” Luna continues; a slight smile slowly grows as she notices Doug calming down. “Thou art speaking to the very pony who did, as thou stated so eloquently, ‘go crazy and decide to destroy the world’. We would contest that our intentions were to gain the acknowledgement and admiration of our little ponies rather than their destruction. But that is a moot point, as is the distinction that our bitterness was the result of years of neglect rather than a single instance of trauma.”

“A fair point,” Doug concedes with a heavy sigh, running a hand through his hair. How had he missed that obvious example? If that’s what the other creatures are worried about… Would a coalition of the others be able to neutralize Celestia?

“Third,” Luna says, relaxing slightly; her dressing-down is proceeding much smoother than she feared. “They are not trying to prove that something will happen. Merely to raise the possibility. Perhaps they will push for some sort of concessions. A trophy to take back to their people, proof this Council is not purely a farce for our benefit. What of it?”

“And when those concessions include giving up the foal?” Doug scowls at the idea. “What then?”

“Then we talk. We negotiate. We trust our Sister to make the right decision. She must appear to be neutral, to consider all creatures, and not overly favor the little ponies she holds so dear.” Luna matches his scowl. “We happen to agree that ‘Tia lets herself be pushed around too much. But what is our position in the Equestrian government?” She turns to regard him, her question not rhetorical.

Doug frowns, puzzled at the jump in topic. “You are one of the two Princesses who rules Equestria. Though I’m not sure what will happen with Cadance and Twilight.”

“We may be considered diarchs by the populace,” Luna states evenly, though she chafes at having to put into words the distinction that she is subordinate. “But we are Princess Celestia’s second-in-command. Her right-hoof mare. The decisions she makes, when she makes them, are final. We will do our best to see them through, despite our own reservations and misgivings.”

“You’ve always valued my input before,” Doug says, feeling the urge to cross his arms across his chest again. “That’s one of the reasons she likes me, because I would voice my objections to her.”

“True, as far as it goes,” Luna says. “But as we said before, there is a time and a place. As Equestrians, we stand as one. A harmonious, unified front. We might disagree, but we settle those disagreements behind closed doors. We do not show public irritation with Celestia, or any of the Princesses. And we have war as our last resort, not our opening salvo.”

Doug does recross his arms this time. “I’m not going to apologize for what I said. I stand by it.”

Luna nods curtly. “That is your choice, and the price of your pride will be measured in bushels of apples and carats of gems. But know that there is a procedure we follow. A topic will be brought up. They will make their oft-unreasonable demands. Celestia, or some other, will rebuff the most egregious and concede on others. You saw this happen with Chrysalis.”

“So that’s why Gruff gets away with making those blatantly false accusations.” Doug grimly shakes his head. “There has to be a better way.”

“There is,” Luna sighs. “But the Equestrian way is one they have refused to accept, time and again. They have their own pride and desire to… remain culturally distinct.”

Doug rubs at his head, trying to process all this. After a moment he asks, “What was that Alira said to you about standard rules?”

“These are closed meetings,” Luna answers easily. “The proceedings of which are to be released only in a curated form. It allows all to voice their any concern without fear of reprisal. As such, we are not to communicate to those outside in any way about anything that goes on without approval.”

“Like when Spike called Sweetie Belle,” Doug says with a touch of disbelief. He groans. “And they follow this?”

“They have had little reason not to.” Luna focuses a hard look at Doug. “Celestia, to my knowledge, has never broken that trust, and she would still hold to it even if the others routinely failed to follow the code of honor.”

“Yeah, I can do that,” Doug says flippantly. “Not like there’s anypony I would call.”

“Really?” Luna asks with a slight frown. “We would not underestimate your other two mares in the event a rescue attempt does need to be made, especially if they convinced Discord to assist.”

“Pfff,” Doug snorts, shaking his head. “What’s the likelihood of that happening?”

“Indeed,” Luna agrees with a smirk. She looks adorable, no trace of the cold rage from before.

It’s enough to get Doug to smile and draw close to her, looping an arm around her neck and hugging her tight. “I’m sorry if I jeopardized anything here. I didn’t mean to.”

“We understand,” Luna says softly. She dutifully wraps a foreleg around his waist. “And we are sorry if we have put a strain on our… friendship. Yet it is the responsibility of the second-in-command to administer such admonishments. This keeps the lead mare relatively free of perceived partiality and able to adjudicate without favoritism.” She pulls back slightly to better regard him. “Though we have not observed such action within your herd. Perhaps it is a mere artifact of the past.”

“Well, there’s not a lot they disagree on.” Doug shrugs, Luna returning to nestling against his chest. “You know,” he remarks, sighing at the realization. “I think this is the longest conversation we’ve had.”

“Perhaps,” Luna concedes as a blurry, hulking figure approaches. She pulls away, harder this time, Doug letting her go with only minor complaint. “But now is not the time to rectify such a grave error.”

Luna cancels her concealment, the hazy bubble around them fading. Raikou stands there, the Staff of Sacanas strapped to his back with the crystal tip peeking out. His broad grin gives the distinct impression that he listened to their entire conversation.

“Yes?” Luna demands, unamused.

“Your time is almost up,” the Storm King says conversationally, inspecting one of his two-fingered hands. He idly flicks off a bit of grit. “But I have to say, I’m impressed with how you dealt with the strife.” He watches Luna closely for any reaction, spotting none. “And got your… fiery tempered stallion back in line.” He flashes Doug a cheeky smile. “If you’re interested in a change of pace? We’re always looking for talent, and there’s plenty of opportunity for advancement! In fact, there might be a second-in-command position opening up very soon! That’ll really shake up the ranks, so if there’s a spot you want - logistics officer, henchman holding wrench, maybe even captain - we can make it happen.”

Doug eyes the tall storm creature cautiously. “I’ll keep that in mind,” he says diplomatically. “But I have the feeling I’ll be swamped soon enough.” He nods courteously, preparing to go back inside with Luna.

“We offer free daycare,” Raikou offers. Doug stops in his tracks, a hand stroking his chin as he considers. Luna turns her head to stare questioningly at him, a little miffed. Raikou flashes his fangs, each perfectly white and gleaming. “And have I mentioned our dental plan?”

“I’m flattered by the offer,” Doug says firmly. “But I fear I must decline.”

“Hey, hey,” Raikou says quickly, walking up and embracing the human in a crushing one-arm hug. “Let’s not be too hasty! Are you worried you’re not qualified? We can train you up on the job!” His other arm sweeps wide. “Have you ever wanted to see the world? What’ll it take to get you on board?”

Luna intercedes with a rough snort. “He is not interested in anything you have to offer.”

“Ouch,” Raikou says, though he doesn’t appear to be affected by the rejection at all. He turns to Luna. “Hey, I get it. It must be tough, for your Sister to not even leave a shadow for you to walk in. I mean, she practically glows just standing there! Not that you’re bad yourself. But I know I wouldn’t be content giving up on any idea of advancement.”

Luna growls at his barely concealed assertion of her Sister’s dominance.

Before she can say anything Raikou continues, “But remember that second-in-command spot opening up?” He winks at Luna before opening the door and slipping inside.

Luna stares at the ajar door. Turbulent thoughts course through her mind; it is tempting, far more than she would like to admit. Yet not everypony can occupy the top spot, and her belly is proof she is advancing with her Sister. And she wouldn’t even be at the top spot under the Storm King! Even if it might be more visible than working during the night.

“You’re not seriously considering that, are you?” Doug asks.

“We find the offer wanting,” Luna replies as the two reenter the auditorium.

Next Chapter: Ch. 40 - The Red Nightmare, Part Five Estimated time remaining: 25 Hours, 41 Minutes