“Well.” Applejack chuckles as Celestia’s multicolored mane again flows like the water crashing against the sides of the tub. She takes a step toward the closed door. “Ah don’t suppose we want to give them their privacy?”

“Are you foaling me?” Rainbow immediately retorts with a leering grin. “We’d miss the best part!” She lifts into the air to get a better view of the smothering taking place, barely noticing when Applejack shakes her head good-naturedly and sits back down. The growing desire to drop her hoof lower is quickly quashed; it’s way better when she gets her stallion to do that! She’s far more interested in what’s going on between him and the Princess under the water, anyway. But right now the alicorn is too low on his body for anything frisky to be going on, just muzzle stuff. Well, and hands stuff, but that pretty much always happens so it doesn’t count.

Fluttershy has the same idea. She covertly creeps up and peeks over the edge, like she’s checking in on a pair of snails out of their shells and about to, well, cover each other in mucus. She holds the position when Celestia glances over - apparently pink is not a stealthy choice - and she meets the Princess’s gaze, beaming pure joy at the love they are sharing.

Twilight Sparkle watches as steam rises from the tub with a growing pang in her gut, feeling a bit of apprehension as things between her stallion and former mentor get... heated. It’s not that she doesn’t like the thought of Celestia finding pleasure during an otherwise tense situation. She’s happy the alicorn found somepony to love! Somehuman, whatever. It’s more that she sees the solar diarch as a sort of second dam. In some ways they were even closer than she is to Velvet (putting aside the fact that she and Celestia are in a herd), and certainly closer than her dahms. Like her sire Night Light’s lead mare, DeGree; it was always cordial, at a leg’s distance. Not that it’s too awkward for her now - she did conceive her fillies alongside her fellow Princesses. Actually, now that she thinks about it, she’s been present in one capacity or another when all the alicorn foals got conceived, something not even Doug can attest to.

“I’m going out,” Twilight announces to an otherwise occupied room. She rolls her eyes at Cadance, who is entirely too focused on her aunt. She’ll need to tease the Princess of Sex about it at some point. At least her brother has the decency to stare out the window, though she notes how his ears are swiveled for maximum reception. “I’ll tell Lunaris to prep the Priestess for an expeditious departure. Just in case.”

“Make sure we have enough foal powder,” Rarity asks absentmindedly, her focus on her sketch of Doug and Celestia. She has taken the liberty of fast-forwarding to the point where Luna joins in. “It will help with the sand.”

“Yeah, sure,” Twilight says with a roll of her eyes. She opens the door with her magic. There are spells for that sort of thing, and if Doug didn’t want to get so personal with each of them then-

Twilight comes to an abrupt halt as her mind registers the thick white limbs, the twisted stick casually resting against the floor, and the blackened armor adorned with twin teal lightning bolts. A sense of foreboding fills her as her eyes travel up, and up, past the Storm insignia to the fang-filled smile of the Storm King himself.

“Hey!” the tall storm creature greets amiably, bending down and turning himself sideways to squeeze through the door. He brushes past Twilight before she can react. “You don’t mind if I come in, do you?”

“You-” Twilight starts before her brain cuts off the rest of ‘can’t come in here’, because he clearly could and just did.

“What can we do ya for?” Applejack demands, her question considerably more pointed than when she asked the same of Sky Beak. For the hippogriff’s part he scowls while he backs up, joining Shining Armor at the window. The rest of the ponies show a bit more courage, bunching in clusters but standing resolute. Chrysalis regards the Storm King with a lazy look, unwilling to stand from her fortress of pillows. Luna growls as she slinks out of the water, a soft blue glow from her horn leaving all the water behind. Celestia stops her motion but does not look up, her face squarely aimed at Doug, who peeks out from beneath her mane and foreleg.

Raikou seemingly ignores Applejack’s question, taking in the entirety of the room’s contents with a swift scan. “You’re all here, huh? Goody. All four pony Princesses.” His grin curls higher, exposing more of his fangs. “Well, I knew that before. It’s amazing what you can hear through these walls!” He holds a hand to his ear as he raps the knuckles holding the Staff of Sacanas against the wall. It barely makes a noise.

He waits for a beat, gets no reaction, then turns to Applejack with a cheeky grin. He crouches down so they are eye to eye. “Would you believe I’m here to talk?”

Applejack regards him with a long stare and an equally drawn out, “Do Ah have to answer that?”

Raikou laughs, a single clipped-short note. “I knew I liked you for a reason!” He ruffles Applejack’s hat as he stands, leaving the earth pony scowling as she adjusts her Stetson.

Long strides take him to the edge of the tub; the rest of the ponies return stony looks he walks past. Fluttershy hastily slips to the side as Celestia pulls herself away from Doug, the two reclining on the far side. A hoof brushes her mane out of her eyes, a single stroke all it takes to restore flowing perfection. Doug folds his arms with a hard frown, a sharp contrast to Celestia’s genial smile.

“This isn’t the liveliest party I’ve been invited to,” the Storm King says in a dull deadpan as his tall, lanky form slips next to the tub, swirling the frothy water with one hand. He studies the closed window, as if debating whether to open it and let the frou-frou scents air out. “It just needs a little shock to jolt some life into it!”

“Invited?” Princess Celestia disputes, tilting her head to the side as the corners of her smile twist upward. “If one listens to the Abyssinian King and Queen, you have a habit of inviting yourself into places you don’t belong.”

“This storm knows no bounds!” Teal eyes gleam, short fangs bared in a wide grin. “Isn’t it glorious? The southern realms, from the Stormy Realms to Mount Aris, united under teal and steel.”

Celestia raises an eyebrow. “And now you are setting your sights north?”

The Storm King laughs, setting the ponies on edge. “As expected! You know my intentions.” His open hand splays out and exposes his armored chest. Four obsidian orbs dangle from a bandoleer at his waist amid a number of closed pouches. “It’s not like I’ve concealed them. That lust for power! Have you tried using it?” His grin widens. “Really letting go. Just to see what you can do!”

“I dare not.” Celestia takes a deep breath, a hoof traveling to her chest before pushing away, exhaling with a calming, steady gust that sends the water rippling in rapid waves. “The end result the last time was the Badlands.”

“A shame,” the Storm King says with a curtailed shake of his head. He doesn’t appear remorseful at all. “Why, with that kind of power available to me?” He spins the staff, morphing into a dance that whirls faster and faster, a dizzying display of dexterity and mastery.

The ponies tense and crouch, preparing for some sort of action. Eyes narrow and muzzles scowl, but the spins and potential to get thwacked by the staff or worse keep any from approaching. The other alicorns glance back and forth, contemplating some sort of preemptive action, but they too hold fast.

“You seem to have taken a liking to the ‘Storm in a Box’.” Celestia offers an unflinching smile as he comes to an abrupt halt, the glowing crystal tip of the staff a hoofbreadth from her muzzle. She gingerly pushes it to the side, away from the wide-eyed Doug. The casual motion keeps Luna from charging in, but even a glance from Celestia does not get the cobalt alicorn to relax. Celestia adds with a note of sympathy, “But I understand the distinction between borrowing another’s expertise and accomplishing something with your own power.”

“Exactly!” Raikou examines the staff in his hand with a critical eye, and it leaves him wanting. “But conquest isn’t the only way to expand. It just happens to be the easiest way to get your hoof through the wall.” He sighs, the staff dropping to his side. “My admittedly brutal tactics cut short their suffering. None dare resist, especially knowing what happens to rebellions, from the leaders down to the soldiers. Decimate’s a fun word, ya know?”

“Is that a threat?” Luna demands, cold as ice, with bared teeth and glints of Nightmare Moon’s teal in her eyes.

Raikou takes the Staff of Sacanas, planting it in front of him, yet gently enough to not activate it. He stares at it for a long moment, still focusing on it as he speaks.

“I’m gonna be honest with you. You like that, right? One of your Tenets of Harmony.” He flashes a smile, and it curls a little higher at Celestia’s nod before he returns to a grim stare. “I’ve had my eye on Equestria for a while now. Preposterous, right?” He laughs, dark and brooding, the only one in the room to do so. “Only two ways I could possibly take and hold it. One, attack so many spots you couldn’t defend them all. You’d be too tied up to retaliate, and I’d hope you surrender to save your ponies before I run out of troops.” He focuses on Chrysalis with a respectful nod. “That was your plan.”

“One of many,” Chrysalis admits. In fact, the potential for her to implement that particular plan was the impetus for Celestia to negotiate with her at all. Celestia’s muzzle remains still, as if carved from stone, carefully concealing her reaction to his ruthless plan of action. Chrysalis tilts her head to the side slightly. “Are you claiming this is not your own plan?”

“Stop me if I’m wrong or if I go too far. But you have three other alicorns and a host of soldiers who can be as big and bad as any dragon.” Raikou forlornly shakes his head at the now unattainable possibility. “That frees you up to roast cities. Or armies. I’d put my best strategist on it, but I wouldn’t expect much.”

Celestia’s eyes widen almost imperceptibly at his assessment of their response. Spot on, but their defensive strategy is no secret, and he was likely listening in. No, what surprises her is his read on Chrysalis; she had not considered employing the changelings as defenders, and it is likely the Chief Architect wishes for their involvement to be a trump card hidden under a wing. A glance at Chrysalis confirms this, the changeling nodding back.

“Unacceptable.” Raikou shakes his head, frowning at the water but not really focusing on anything. His words are quieter, musing to himself. “Unless I had… Ugh, I’m not as good at this as my commander. Maybe? Yeah.” He nods to himself, smiling, but it’s subdued. “If I had everycreature else on my side, I could probably do it. Yeah, that’d be enough to overwhelm even the changelings on your side.”

The ponies trade nervous glances as Sky Beak blanches; the unasked question passes among them: does he not know the other creatures’ plan? Is he merely playing them for foals? They edge closer to preemptive action, but then what?

“Changelings do not go down that easily,” Chrysalis states. Her eyes narrow at his leering gaze. “On the battlefield, you torpid husk.”

Chrysalis is expecting many things - a return insult, a challenge, even a sneer, but not the way he points one finger on each hand at her and winks.

“But against five quite capable leaders? Each an army all by themselves?” Raikou shrugs nonchalantly. “It makes the second plan harder, too, but not by much. Get all of you together, distract you somehow and launch a decapitating strike. Not literally, of course; I still need to move the sun and moon somehow!”

His grin does little to soften his proposed actions, and Celestia cannot hide her glance at the Staff of Sacanas.

The Storm King notices. “Oh, this?” He raises the staff slightly, grinning like a pony holding pocket princesses.

Celestia merely meets his gaze. She isn’t sure if she could react in time to him slamming it down. But he has had many opportunities to do so. She tenses, the shudder sending ripples through the water. Doug wraps an arm around her, doing his best to comfort her, but it gives her little solace.

“I drew up plans long before I had this little beauty. But honestly?” He weighs the Staff in his hand, bobbing it up and down. “Even if I had the power to create a storm to suit my name, and could shift the heavens?” He sighs. “I’d get bored with it after a day. Never able to sleep past the sunrise, beholden to the clock! And there’s nocreature I’d entrust with that kind of power.”

“It is a heavy burden,” Celestia commiserates.

“I’d have to be worried about somecreature stealing it. Or taking it by force. Or, if you’re holding it, just letting the power out whenever you feel like it.” Raikou’s lips pull back in an unvarnished grimace. “Nah. I think I’d prefer the real thing.” He gestures at Celestia, nodding with a smirking leer.

“Me?” Celestia says, taken aback. Her hoof presses against her chest. “I’m flattered, really, but...”

“You?” The Storm King laughs, a single breathy snort that matches his wide grin at her lack of understanding. “Not you! One letter turning me down was enough, thanks. That and you’re already taken. And I promised Shining Armor I wouldn’t hit on any of the mares.” He winks at her regardless, and delights in the comprehension slowly dawning on her face. “I’m talking about her.”

A single finger points directly at Celestia’s belly.

Next Chapter: Ch. 45 - Pugilist, Part Four Estimated time remaining: 24 Hours, 50 Minutes