Antonius went to his room and relieved the guard, who left with a nod.
Stormy was sleeping peacefully in her bed. Now that he thought about it, a nap would be a good idea, as well as a bath, shower or something like that, so that Rarity would shut up.

He opened the parcel he got from the fashionista and took a look at the pajamas:
The size was correct, and she had even imitated the color-scheme of the Ultramarines. The pajamas were blue - even the hue was perfect - and she had included golden decorative seams that looked like the rims of his pauldrons. The ultima and tactical arrow were embroidered on the shoulders, as were the wings on the chest.
Rarity had just omitted the skulls - and replaced them with... smilies?

At first, Antonius was stunned, seeing such desecration of... now hold on a second... no, this was no desecration at all, since that was not the sacred armor of his chapter, just pajamas.
He looked again at the pajama jacket, with its winged smiley, and a grin crept onto his features. It was absolutely unconventional, but, all told, Rarity had done a nice job, really.

Antonius locked the door, took the pajamas and went into the bathroom. Finding a suitable tub, he made use of it and donned the new clothes afterwards. While cleaning his armor, he noticed that he had to maintain it, as well as his bolter and chainsword, which was still missing a tooth, as soon as possible. Tomorrow.

He left the bathroom and found, much to his surprise, Luna waiting for him.

"Hello, Antonius," she greeted,
"I hope I do not disturb you... Oh, the pajamas suit you."

"Umm, thanks... No, you don't disturb me, but how did you get in here? I think I locked the door," Antonius answered.

"Well, such a lock is not really an obstacle for me. I would have knocked, but I did not want to wake up Stormy. Furthermore, what I have to tell you is important, so I choose to just enter your quarters."

"Okay, so, what do you want to tell me?"

Luna took a deep breath, then she told him:

"Antonius, we have found a possibility to safe your soul."

"Huh? Well... thanks, but my soul really does not need to be saved."

Luna looked a bit confused now.

"But... you told us that when you die, you will be judged by your emperor, and it is possible that your soul will be damned. We thought, if you prove worthy, we could turn you into a pony, and subsequently into an alicorn. That means immortality, no need to fear losing your soul anymore."

It was really astounding how such a great and kind offer could be purest heresy.

"No, Luna. I have to reject your offer. Changing my species would be treason."

"But you could avoid your emperor's judgement..."

"Yeah, and that would be treason and heresy. As a loyal son of Guilliman, I will not put myself above the Emperor and try to trick him. I will stand before him and accept his judgment with honor and dignity."

"And... if he thinks you have failed?"

"Then I have failed and I will deserve what I will get."

There was enough sadness in Luna's eyes now to make a whole battalion of the Imperial Guard cry.

"Luna, worrying about this is a waste of energy. I cannot and will not try to influence it."

Luna hung her head and said quietly:

"We thought that you would see it that way. Sorry, but I had to make you that suggestion."

Damned, she took their friendship really serious, she had become downright attached to him. Antonius knew he needed to cheer her up somehow.

"Hey, Luna, I don't think the Emperor will mind me fighting Chaos, even with... unusual means."

"I certainly hope so," Luna whispered, looking at him again,
"it's just so frustrating not being able to help."

Hmm, not enough. Perhaps another round of pony-style problem solving would help?
Antonius knelt down and said:

"How about a hug?"

Luna started smiling and came closer. While they hugged, her head on his shoulder, Antonius said calmly:

"Luna, you really do not need to help me, but perhaps I can help you."

"You want to help me? Where?" Luna asked a little confused.

"This afternoon I have seen a great insecurity in your eyes, right after that 'cuddly pony' joke."

Antonius could feel how Luna tensed up. She pushed herself a bit away from Antonius and their eyes locked. There it was again, this insecurity.

"I don't know what you mean. I'm fine. Oh, it's getting late. I'll better go now," she said hastily.

What? No.
Now that he had decided to help her, he would certainly pull this through. So, when she started to pull away, he asked:

"Denial?"

"What? No!" she replied, facing him again.

"I take that as a confirmation."

Luna was silent, and Antonius thought about the fact that he actually had not really an idea what he was doing. He had never been trained in psychology - why should he had been? - and such situations were not included in the Codex, so all he could rely on were his human instincts. He continued:

"Listen, Luna. Even if you accidentally insult me, or if I get a joke wrong, I will still help you fight Chaos. I'm not that tender. No worries!"

"Huh? This is not about you helping us, it's about..."

"Yeah?"

"...our friendship."

"You think I would cancel it that easily?"

"I have seen your expression. You were... appalled..."

"Now hold on a second! I was not appalled! Just... well... dumbfounded. You are just better at repartee than me and reacted to my remark. That is no sufficient reason to cancel a friendship, or do you think me to be this disloyal?"

"No, of course not, it's just that... I do not want to lose a good friend, and I do not want you to lose one, either."

Hmm, that was actually quite nice, but Antonius was sure there was a deeper meaning behind it.

"You really don't like the idea of loosing friends, do you?" he asked.

"No," Luna answered,
"the feeling of loneliness is one of the worst feelings that exist. It can even drive you to..."

She did not finish the sentence. Antonius knew that he was close to uncovering the reason for her vulnerability, but his next words would be critical and had to be well-considered. He could either succeed, or mess up everything.
Damned. He really preferred war. Much more predictable than this here.
But back to the topic: When had she shown signs of this vulnerability? After that joke. And sooner, after his mentioning of the...

"Luna, what happened back then? One thousand years ago, before you fell?"

She looked at him.

"You already know that I betrayed my sister and tried to seize power."

"Yes, but what was your motive? How did this nightmare turn you into a traitor? I am your friend, Luna. You can tell me."

After a long - and quite uncomfortable - silence, she sighed and told him:

"Just as now, my sister ruled over the day and I ruled over the night back then. I saw our subjects play and enjoy my sister's day, but they shunned my night and just slept - despite the fact that I always put so much effort in the nights to make them beautiful.
As time went by, I started to get the idea that they did not only dislike my night, but also me. I could not stand that thought. I always knew that I was just second behind my sister, but that was too much. I thought they despised me, and I just wanted to be loved."

Huh? THAT was her weakness, her flaw? No greed for power or something like that? She just wanted to be loved? Blasted daemon filth, they could really turn anything against you...

Luna continued:

"And then, the nightmare came."

Oh, interesting: Antonius would get to know the MO of nightmare corruption! He listened carefully.

"At first, it was just a whisper, talking about the injustice that my sister was loved and I was hated, despite the fact that we both did everything we could for our ponies. The voice kept getting louder and more powerful the more ponies I saw sleeping during my night. It talked me into believing that it was all Celestia's fault, a scheme to ensure that she would always be our subject's favorite.
Then, one day, it asked me if I would not like to do something against that, if I would not like to give my sister what she deserved, and it offered me the power I needed to accomplish that."

Devious. Typical for Chaos.

Luna's voice had gotten sadder with every word, now, she was almost crying.

"I accepted. I was a fool, an idiot, a disloyal, stupid imbecile..."

Antonius pulled her closer into the hug, and she cried into his shoulder.

Okay, great, he had made her cry. Any other brilliant ideas? Or... was that, in fact, after all, a positive reaction? No matter what it was, he had to comfort her, so he started gently petting her back.

While he did so, and Luna slowly calmed down, he thought about his self-imposed mission to help her. He knew her 'flaw' now, and he knew why she was so afraid to lose a friend, but why was she also afraid that he would lose...

Oh damnit! She wanted to protect HIM? She really wanted to protect one of the Emperor's finest, a son of Guilliman, from falling to Chaos? Antonius had no idea what to say now, so he just kept his mouth shut and continued petting her.

"These memories are still haunting me," Luna whispered,
"I will never be able to get rid of that guilt. And I am afraid. Afraid that I might fall again, that another whisper manages to make use of my weakness, corrupt my mind and turn me into a monster again."

"That will NOT happen," Antonius said with a determination that surprised himself and stopped petting her.

Luna leaned back to lock eyes with him again.

"How can..." she started, but he interrupted her:

"You want to protect me from Chaos, am I right?"

"Well, yes..."

"Then, it would only be fair if I did the same for you. Listen, Luna: As long as I draw breath, as long as a single drop of blood runs through my veins, I will protect you from Chaos! If Chaos or this nightmare should want to harm you again, they will have to go through me first. They will find that there is a loyal son of Guilliman in their path and THEY WILL NOT STAY MY WRATH!!!"

Hmm... These words would have been much more impressive if he had worn his armor and weapons and had not knelt on the ground in pajamas with a pony in his arms...

Well, it had obviously been enough, because now, there was a sparkling in Luna's eyes and she tightened the hug again, to the point Antonius had to call it a cuddle. He returned it.

Mission accomplished. He had helped Luna come to terms with her...
...damned, that pony was fluffy...
...weakness and overcome it. Now, he had to put his promise into practice.

"Tony," Luna suddenly said,
"oh, sorry, Antonius, of course..."

"I do not mind the abbreviation of my name, although I won't be able to return it in a sensible way. 'Luny' would be rather unfavorable."

She chuckled.

"Thank you. You know, what I told you just now, that about my fear, I have only told my sister until now. It is nice that I can also talk to you. So, Tony, about our 'agreement': if you should ever feel the need to talk to somepony, or if you just want somepony to keep you company, just come to me, no matter if day or night. I'll be there for you."

Wow, that sounded sappy. And it got better: he would return it!

"The same goes for you, Luna. I'll be there, my friend."

Throne, that was the single most 'un-Space Marine-y' thing he had ever said. Even considering his humanity and his friendships here this was definitely a new level of social interaction; their friendship had been upgraded to a... how should he call it? Close friendship? Cordial friendship? Stable friendship?
Ow. Pony and 'stable' friendship. That hurt.

They finally ended the hug/cuddle and Luna said:

"I'll leave now. There are duties to be done. Thank you again for everything. I'll see you tomorrow. Goodnight."

She left the room. Antonius still thought about their little meeting when he had a look at Stormy and went to bed.
He fell asleep pretty fast, but not for long.

His transhuman alertness woke him up about an hour later; there was movement in his quarters. He heard the quiet sound of hooves. Antonius opened his eyes and saw Stormy's head in front of him, a pleading expression on her face.

"Antonius," she said,
"sorry to wake you up, but I'm really hungry."

Great.

"No wonder, you missed dinner."

"Could we try to get something?"

"You can't wait until breakfast?"

Stormy's stomach growled audibly.

"Okay, I'll take that as a 'no'," Antonius deadpanned.

He got up and thought about donning his armor, but decided against it. The environment was not really dangerous and it would just waste time.

"So, where are the chances of finding something edible in this palace the greatest?" he thought aloud.

"The kitchen?" Stormy suggested.

"Hmm, of course. Good idea. Do you know where the kitchen is?"

"No."

"No problem, we'll ask someone. The Night Guard should be patrolling the palace now."

So Antonius and Stormy left their quarters on the not-that-epic quest of finding a snack for the little mare. They soon found a guard who directed them towards the kitchen. When they approached it, they heard voices and saw light. Someone was in there. Probably the night shift of the kitchen staff, that would be very convenient.

As they came closer, Antonius recognized the voices: Celestia, Luna, and a third voice that could be Cadance's.
What the hell were they doing there in the middle of the night? Well, the simplest solution was to have a look, so he peeked through the open door.
Really, there were the three princesses, sitting at a table, munching away on cake and talking merrily to each other. He knocked on the doorframe and said:

"Greetings, Princesses. I hope you have left something over, as Stormy needs a little snack."

"Not too little, please," Stormy added.

The princesses spun around and looked at the newcomers. Cadance started waving, swallowed her cake and said:

"Of course there's something left. Plenty. Please come in and join us!"

Antonius and Stormy accepted this invitation. Cadance quickly fetched plates and silverware for them and distributed the cake. Had she been a waitress before her 'alicornication'? She was downright eager to have them sit at the table.

Stormy immediately started eating. Antonius followed her example.

"So, this is part of you duties?" he asked Luna with a smile.

"Actually, this is my break. The patrol will start immediately hereafter," she responded.

"Are you doing this regularly?"

"Whenever we have the opportunity," Celestia answered,
"finding time for this during the day is difficult, but at night, it's easier."

"Well, once we have shifted a few of your responsibilities over to your ministers, it should become easier even at day," Antonius opined.

"Yeah, if you can find a big enough crowbar to separate this workaholic from her duties," Cadance quipped.

"Hey, I am not a workaholic! I just take my duties seriously!" Celestia defended herself.

"Of course, all great leaders know how very important it is to review the flower arranging of... what ceremony was that?" Luna remarked.

Celestia remained silent and stuffed another piece of cake into her mouth. The silence lasted a few seconds, until Antonius asked:

"You really review flower arranging?"

Celestia's head hit the table and Luna and Cadance chuckled.

Before anything else could happen, Stormy yawned and declared:

"I've had enough. Thank you. I think I'll just..."

She yawned again and fell asleep again.

"He-he, eating and sleeping. Wouldn't it be nice to be that young again?" Cadance asked.

"Don't give me ideas, niece," Celestia grumbled.

"Oh, I've seen the photos! You really were an adorable filly!" Luna added.

Antonius was a bit at a loss. They were clearly goofing around, but there were no stable alliances. It was more a 'free-for-all'.

In the meantime, Luna had put Stormy's plate away and was taking care of the little filly.

"Can I help you?" Antonius asked.

"No, thank you," Luna answered.

"You know," Cadance started with a smile,
"you two are actually a nice couple."

Antonius almost swallowed his fork.

"Nice couple? We? I don't think so," he coughed.

"Of course you are," Cadance continued, her smile growing,
"and with Stormy here, you'd be a unusual but very nice little family."

Family? Was that a joke or a threat?

Before he could answer, Cadance continued:

"You two could even marry. That would make you a prince, by the way. Of course there is the problem with the different physiology, but I'm sure there's a way to overcome that."

Damnit, that definitely went too far, even if it wasn't meant serious.

"Would you please refrain from THAT kind of jokes?" Antonius asked more than a bit irritated, staring at Cadence,
"I would really like to know why the jokes of you alicorns have a tendency to drift off into THAT subject area."

"Oh, that's easy to explain," Cadance told him nonchalantly,
"we cannot make this kind of jokes in the presence of our subjects, because they are, well, our subjects. It would just be inappropriate. You are more of an equal.
Furthermore, we are seen as... sort of... ideal of beauty, not to speak of that demigoddess stuff. And we have... how shall I phrase it... quite an effect on normal ponies, especially stallions.
So, simply put, we are making that kind of jokes with you because we see you as a friend and you can also easily stand them, as aunt Luna accidentally found out. Perhaps I overdid it a bit, as there is there's a little bit bottled up due to a lack of opportunity. Usually, there are only the three of us, and such jokes are just too weird among relatives."

"Umm... So, all told, you mean to say that this is some sort of positive sign after all?" Antonius asked.

"Of course it is," Celestia answered,
"take my attitude towards you for example: At first, I was concerned because of the danger to our subjects you represented, but then, after Hope, I followed my sister's advice and started seeing you as a friend.
And now I have to admit, it is actually really nice to have you around, also for another reason: While I love my little ponies, how they treat me can admittedly be a bit exhausting. Everything I say is the ideal solution, everything I do is perfect.
But I am just a fallible pony, and that is exactly how you treated me. You did not care that I was the 'Princess of the Sun', you treated me just like a normal pony."

"I floored you..."

"Tough love!" Cadance blurted out, then she added
"sorry, I could not resist."

"Well," Celestia continued with a reproachful glance at Cadance,
"that's why we would like to just be ourselves around you without the need to ponder every word we say. I can assure you, we have no malevolent intentions, and if you want us to do otherwise, you just have to tell us."

Antonius took a deep breath. Weird. On the one hand, he was not too comfortable with those jokes, on the other hand, it wasn't dangerous at all and he could do them a favor, the goofing around was probably even good for their friendships. Well, he was already so deep in the 'helping aliens'-abyss that this would not really make it worse.

"Okay," he said with a nod,
"be yourselves. Just do not get carried away. This is already dangerously close to Slaanesh territory. Though I guess you are protected by this veil, as soon as Chaos returns, you really should focus and ban such thoughts from your minds."

"Why is that? And what is this 'Sla-something'?" Cadance asked.

Okay, time for a 'know your enemy'-lesson.

"Especially since you are psykers, such thoughts will attract Slaanesh, the Chaos god, respectively goddess of lust and perversion. The creature's daemons would be around you like bees round a honeypot."

"That doesn't sound pleasant..."

"Good."

"Even if we're just joking?"

"A thought could be enough to attract their attention. Once they know where you are, you are doomed, as they will be curious for your lifeform. New things to play with. They will use you desires to corrupt you, further expanding their influence. Atrocities you don't even dare to think of will be done to you, and you will do the same to everyone around you. Believe me, once this happens, killing you would not only be necessary, but also mercy."

"Oh dear. Do they attack you the same way?"

"They try from time to time, but we prevail."

"How do you achieve this? Is there a trick? Can you teach us how to do that? How can you keep them from making use of your desires?"

"Simple: We do not have such desires."

"Huh? Every living being has such a desire, and... sorry to be so blunt, but I think almost everypony... umm... appreciates a little... contact?"

"Nice way to phrase it. As I said, we do not."

"How is that possible?"

Damned. The answer to that question was a piece of information usually not discussed in public. Well, this little meeting was not exactly 'public', and he had to admit that it was a valid question, so he answered:

"When we are transformed into Space Marines, our reproduction system is deactivated. So, we do not suffer from dangerous and weakening desires."

Cadance paled.

"Y..You are... gelded?" she stammered.

"No, he is not," Luna blundered out.

The other two princesses stared at her.

"I mean... umm..." Luna said slowly and started blushing

Should Antonius intervene? Or should he just sit back and see what happened?
He waited - for now.

"Umm... sorry, little sister, but, may I ask how close you two already are?" Celestia asked cautiously.

"Not that close! It was an accident!" Luna shouted.

Hmm, if it went on like this, they would wake up Stormy. Time to do some explaining.

"It was actually my fault, and I am NOT gelded. At least not in the way you obviously seem to think," Antonius said and summarized what had happened that afternoon at Rarity's boutique.

"Now that I think about it," Cadance smiled,
"a cat would probably be a great pet!"

"Come on, niece," Celestia said, stifling a smile of her own,
"let's have mercy with Antonius and Luna. Such things can happen."

"And keep it to yourself!" Luna urged.

"Oh, that really would be a shame. I bet Shining would love to hear that, especially the part where you started blushing and stammering..." Cadance smirked.

Luna glared at her and Antonius found a part of the story that did not fit:

"Apropos Shining, how can you be his marefriend? Aren't there... problems?"

"Well, Antonius," Cadance explained,
"ponies can 'get used' to us, if we are careful and take our time. One part is deconstructing our 'godlike' image. Shining knows me well enough by now, since Canterlot Academy, to be exact. He knows that I am just a normal pony and I can be pretty much myself when I'm with him."

"And why is there something 'bottled up', then?"

"Well... umm..."

"Because she was curious if you really could stand her jokes," Luna deadpanned.

"Okay, I have to admit that," Cadance said, then she continued with a growing smile:
"I just do not know our new friend as well as you do, Luna."

"There is no love between the two of us, niece!" Luna hissed.

"Oh, of course there is," Cadance stated,
"namely 'Philia', the love between friends.
Keep in mind that this is quite different from 'Eros', the romantic love, that has however nothing to do with the... umm... 'physical action', at least not directly. While it is possible that 'Philia' my evolve to 'Eros', this is not necessary.
It can also evolve to 'Storge', making you like brother and sister, or just stay 'Philia', which is also great, since no type of love is 'better' then the other.
Also, there may be an 'Agape'-component, which would be an unconditional caring for each other and could be fuelled by emotions as well as be a decision."

Cadance ended her lecture and everyone (awake) stared at her, gobsmacked.

"What?" she asked,
"do you think being the Princess of Love just means shipping ponies all day? This position also requires actual scientific knowledge."

"Wait a second, you are the 'Princess of Love'?" Antonius asked slightly confused.

"I am," Cadance said proudly,
"I am able to rekindle love where this precious feeling is in danger of vanishing!"

"Well... I don't think we will be able to utilize this for our fight against Chaos. Despite that, you should probably get the same basic melee-training as Celestia. Agreed?"

"Sure. He-he, Shining will be jealous!"

Oh, Antonius could almost pity that stallion.

"Hmm, perhaps I should train him, too..." he thought aloud.

"So that we can fight Chaos together!" Cadance stated.

"No, so that he can stand his ground against you," Antonius deadpanned.

Celestia and Luna started laughing and Cadance looked stunned.

"I'm not that terrible. I don't think Shining needs help," she said.

"Really? His marefriend is a alicorn - ideal of beauty - demigoddess who can inflict love to others. The poor guy needs every bit of help he can get."

Cadance's face was hilarious. It took her a while until she said:

"We really should have thought of the possibility that Antonius could join in on our goofing off, and that he might get the upper hoof. I have no idea what to say now."

"'Silence is golden', as the saying goes," Antonius remarked.

"Ahem, could my aunts perhaps help me a little bit?"

They shook their heads.

"No," Celestia said,
"not necessary. You're losing fine."

"Huh? Who is losing what? What's so funny?" a tired voice asked.

Stormy was awake again.

"I think we better call our little assembly here finished," Celestia opined,
"Stormy needs her sleep - and she's not the only one."

"Right, and I should start the patrol," Luna said.

"I will accompany Antonius and Stormy to their quarters," Cadance declared.

"Then goodnight, see you all tomorrow," Celestia said after an almost unnoticeable moment of hesitation.

Antonius noticed it, but had no idea why. They had just gotten along exceptionally well.

Cadance picked up Stormy and put her on her back, then she and Antonius left for the Space Marine's quarters. She had formed a little hollow with her wings in which Stormy almost immediately fell asleep again.

"I can remember Twilight doing the same," Cadance said with a smile,
"although she was older and larger than Stormy is - and I was younger and smaller. Well, it worked back then and it still works now."

"Right, you were Twilight's foal-sitter. Is it normal for a princess to do this?"

"In a way. Aunt Celestia sometimes takes a pupil of the School for Gifted Unicorns as her personal student. She becomes the foals teacher, mentor and also a kind of surrogate mother. As for me, I just like dealing with foals.
Back then I was young enough that I could do that without somepony thinking that I took her as my personal student like Celestia. Today, that is impossible. Well, I have to admit, it also was a perfect opportunity to get to know Shining better."

"So it was a solution for two problems."

"Sort of. I really like to remember those times. Twilight was such an adorable little filly. Have you seen photos of her yet?"

"No, but I think I can imagine. Your species has a tendency to be cute and adorable, especially the infants."

Cadance laughed.

"I have never heard somepony say something like that in such a matter-of-fact tone. But seriously, do you really think us to be cute and adorable?"

Damnit.

"This question is hard to answer," Antonius stated.

"Why is that?" Cadance asked.

"It is a polar question with no right answers. 'No' would be impolite, 'yes' would be creepy."

Cadance laughed again:

"Don't worry, just tell me honestly what you think."

"As far as is humanly possible to tell, your species fulfills all requirements to be called 'cute' and 'adorable', especially since you fit the small child pattern pretty well."

"That was the most complicates 'yes' I have ever heard."

Thankfully, they arrived at Antonius' quarters now. That fact did not stop Cadance, though.

"Ah, here we are. I'll put Stormy to bed," she said and entered the room.

Antonius followed wordlessly. He thought about his new 'guest' and realized that there was something she had said he had not been able to understand. So when the filly was tucked in, he asked her:

"Cadance, you said you are not 'shipping ponies all day'. I suppose you do not pack them into parcels and dispatch them?"

"Oh, no," Cadance laughed quietly,
"here, 'shipping' means to evaluate and simulate potential couples. Once you know the individual character traits, you can calculate their chances for a 'happily ever after'."

Antonius stared at her.

"You really do that?" he asked.

"Yes."

"You are sometimes really bored, aren't you?"

"Hey, it's part of my duties... or a hobby at least."

"Well, be that as it may, be so kind and exclude me from your 'calculations'."

"No problem, I don't have enough data about you anyway..."

Thank the Emperor.

Cadance smiled and continued:

"...yet..."

Crap.

"... I have to say, though, that you and Luna seem to go well together."

Damnit. She could not help doing it.

"We are friends," Antonius said sternly,
"and that is weird enough. Nothing more. Restrain your fantasy, Cadance."

Cadance still smiled, not the least bit faced by his tone.

"She is a nice pony to be friends with, isn't she?"

ARGH! She was starting to unnerve him.

"Affirmative," he said slowly, then he stopped short:
"Why the hell am I talking to you about that at all? There is, in fact, nothing to talk about! And it is not really of your concern, either!"

"Well, actually, it is exactly my area of expertise. But if you don't want to talk about it, it is okay."

She turned around and was about to leave Antonius' quarters, but when she had just passed the door, she turned around again and said with a smile:

"Oh, if you need some advice, just come to me. I'll be glad to help you! Goodnight!"

Before Antonius could say anything, she was gone. What a strange creature. He would call her annoying if she wasn't that nice at the same time.

The 'Princess of Love'. Weird. What was next? A 'Princess of Friendship'?
He stopped pondering this and went to bed.

Antonius had barely fallen asleep as his transhuman alertness woke him up again. Stormy was looking over the edge of his bed.

"Antonius?"

"Hmm?"

"May I sleep in your bed?"

"Is something wrong with your bed?"

"No, but... I need somepony to cuddle..."

Well, well, his idea with the pajamas to increase his own 'fluffiness' finally seemed to pay off.

"Okay," he said.

Stormy jumped onto the bed and crawled under the blanket. Antonius could feel tiny hooves on his side as she climbed up onto his chest. Good thing he wasn't ticklish.
A moment later, Stormy's head appeared again from under the blanket as she got comfortable right on his sternum. He instinctively covered her with a hand and stroked her a few times. She sighed contently, nuzzled into his pajamas and closed her eyes.

Unfortunately, while Stormy soon was asleep again, Antonius was kept awake by his alertness. He just could not sleep without his armor and with a filly on his chest.

Well, his surroundings did not pose any threat. Perhaps he could turn off his alertness?
He started meditating and, to his own surprise, it worked and he fell asleep.

When he awoke again at dawn, Stormy was still peacefully sleeping on his chest and under his hand, curled up into a ball. A smile crept onto his features. That little filly was too adorable!

"Good morning, Antonius, it is good that you are awake."

WHAT THE...???

Antonius turned his head and saw Celestia sitting at a respectful distance on a carpet.

"You alicorns really don't have a sense for privacy, now do you?" he asked with some surprise.

"I'm sorry. At first, I wanted to talk to you right after our nightly snack, but Cadance was faster than me. So, I decided to come here now. Normally, I would have waited outside and knocked, but I did not want Luna to see me."

"Aha. And why is that so, if I may ask?"

"You know what happened to my sister, what she did."

"I do."

"There are some ponies who still hold a grudge against her because of this."

"Really? I don't remember a single pony treating her disrespectfully."

"They would not dare doing something that obvious. It's more subtle. Perhaps you have noticed some ponies who were... more aloof towards her than others?"

Antonius thought about that.

"Yeah," he finally said,
"when we first met the survivors of Hope, most ponies came closer as they saw Luna. Some didn't."

"Exactly. When she first visited Ponyville, it almost was a disaster. Well, the timing was probably not very good.
Thankfully, Twilight helped her to mingle with Ponyville's citizens, so it was a happy end, after all.
Without Twilight's help, Luna would probably have been rejected - out of fear. Sometimes I am afraid my sister might think I also hold some kind of grudge against her and do not trust her. I want to show her that this is not the case."

"What do you want to do? And, since you are here, what part am I supposed to play?"

"I want to prove that I trust her completely. You can help me with that.
Listen, Antonius, this is my plan..."