Five days had passed since the invasion of Canterlot. Antonius had used this time to intensify the princesses’ training.
He was really satisfied with Luna’s performance, but it dawned on him that Celestia just wasn’t a sword-fighter. Her performance was adequate, but that was as far as it went. Perhaps they should try other weapons besides swords?

He was pondering this as he fought her while Luna was watching. He had time to do so. He had just blocked a sweep and subsequently pushed Celestia’s sword aside, leaving her body open for an attack. She realized this and jumped backwards to reassume her stance.
Could be better, could be worse.

Now, they were interrupted as a guard came in:

“Princess Celestia, sorry to disturb, but a messenger just brought a message for you.”

Celestia stopped fighting, took the message and read it.

“Thank you,” she nodded towards the guard and he left.

“What is it, sister?” Luna asked.

“A note from Rapid Cure. He has important information, and he wants to tell me face-to-face. And secretly. He wants to meet me in a side road in the outskirts of Canterlot in 15 minutes.”

“Sounds like a trap,” Antonius stated.

“And why should Rapid Cure deceive us?” Celestia inquired.

“If he actually wrote this note. It was delivered by a messenger, after all.”

“Tony, he is doctor. He probably had a patient he had to take care off.”

“That still leaves open the question why he sent this message to you, and only you, instead of the three of us,” Luna pointed out.

“Well, I’ll find out once I get there and talk to him,” Celestia said.

“You are determined to go?” Antonius asked.

“Of course.”

“Very well. Give us the note and take your PDA with you. Should you not report in within half an hour, Luna and I will come to help you.”

“I don’t think that’s necessary. We are still in Canterlot, after all. But if you insist, we will do it your way.”

Celestia gave Luna the note, grabbed her PDA, checked it, said goodbye and left.

“I have a bad feeling about this,” Luna mumbled.

“Welcome to the club. I say we go to the hospital and check if Rapid Cure really sent this message. We have 29 minutes. Let me just get my armor.”

“Good idea.”

Celestia arrived at the entrance to the side road two minutes early. It was a bright, sunny day, the kind of day she loved. Usually, she did not have a lot of opportunities to just leave the palace and walk through the city, so she was grateful for this chance.

She looked around. Here, in the outskirts, nopony was on the streets, they were all busy on the markets and in the buildings in the center. Rapid Cure really had selected a good spot and time for a secret meeting.

Celestia took a look into the side road. No sunlight reached the ground of this road, it was dark. Somehow she could understand Antonius; it really looked like a trap.
But this was Canterlot, and she was an alicorn. Whatever surprise might await her in there, she was sure she would be able to handle it. She walked into the side road.

Antonius and Luna arrived at the hospital when the ‘meeting’ was supposed to take place. They walked up to the mare at the reception desk and Antonius said:

“Greetings. We need to talk to Doctor Rapid Cure as soon as possible.”

“Okay, please wait a second,” the mare said and left.

She was immediately replaced by a young stallion assuming her post.
It did not take long until she returned - with Rapid Cure.

“Hello, Princess Luna! Hello, Lord Varus!” he greeted with a smile,
“to what do I owe the honor of this visit?”

“Did you send a messenger with this note to my sister?” Luna asked, showing him the note.

“No,” Rapid Cure answered, a little confused,
“I usually deliver my notes myself, especially when there’s not much do do, like this morning. But… who would sent a note in my name?”

“Someone who has set up a trap. A trap that Celestia is walking right into,” Antonius grumbled and grabbed his bolter.

“Doctor Cure?” Celestia called,
“it’s me, Princess Celestia. I got your note. Are you here?”

No answer.
Celestia carefully walked further into the side road, scanning her surroundings. There was no sign of anypony being there. She took another step, then she heard somepony scream

“NOW!”

She knew that voice…
The next moment, she was hit by something and thrown off balance. She tried to stabilize herself, turned her head and saw… ponies? Yes, ponies. Unicorns, to be exact.

“What are you doing?” she asked in confusion,
“are you out of your mind?”

Another pony landed on her neck and brought her down on her knees.

“Quick!” the voice commanded.

Okay, enough was enough. She lit her horn, then she heard a ‘click’ and felt her magic fade away. She set eyes on her horn.
The good new was that now she knew where this darksteel splint had gone. The bad news was that it was on her horn.

She had to admit that this development surprised her. She had relied on her magic for handling this situation, but now, that option was gone. Well, she was still an alicorn and had more powers than just magic. She tried to stand up again and shake the ponies off, but something hit the back of her head. Another hit.

“She doesn’t black out!” one of the ponies shouted.

“Take the chloroform!” the voice shouted.

Yes, Celestia definitely knew that voice.

She managed to shake off one of the ponies and got back on her hooves. Then a piece of cloth was wrapped around her muzzle and she felt her strength fail.

“It’s working!” a pony shouted.

“Good! Catch her when she collapses, she mustn’t get hurt!”

Huh? What about not attacking her then?
Celestia passed out.

“There we are,” Antonius said as he entered the dark side road, his bolter ready to fire,
“this is the rendezvous point.”

“Unfortunately, we are the only ones here,” Luna replied,
“we are too late.”

She was right. After talking to Rapid Cure, they had tried to call Celestia and warn her, but she had not answered. Now, they were on site, and there was no sign of her.

“Al, can you tell us where Celestia’s PDA is?” Antonius voxed.

“No, unfortunately not,” Al answered,
“there is no positioning system active. The best way of action would be to use your auspex to find Celestia’s PDA. It is on standby, and I will reconfigure it to emit a signal you can track.”

So Antonius grabbed his auspex and scanned the area.

“I have a signal,” he stated.

As Celestia came back to consciousness, she felt like she had gotten under a chariot. She tried to move, but she couldn’t. She opened her eyes.

She was in some kind of basement, lying on a… couch? Well, that was not as bad as expected.
Just as bad as expected was that she was tied up with ropes - and even chains. She tried to free herself, but to no avail.

“Save your energy, Princess. Everything will be fine again soon,” the voice from the side road said.

Celestia craned her neck and saw:

“Cinch?”

It really was her, the former principal, and three other unicorns.

“Yes, your Majesty. Do not worry, you will be yourself again in a few minutes,” she said.

“I already am myself, Cinch. What profit do you expect from abducting me?”

“This is not just about a profit for me, but about a profit for all of ponykind! We will free you from the spell your devious sister and this alien have put on you!”

Uh-oh.

“Cinch,” Celestia said,
“I am under no spell, my sister is not devious, and Antonius Varus is… from another culture, but actually very helpful.”

“Of course you do not realize that you are under a spell. And that is the proof that you are under a spell!”

“What? That doesn’t make sense! As a former principal, you should really…”

“AND THAT IS ANOTHER PROOF!” Cinch shouted,
“you have to be under a spell to dismiss a loyal subject such as me!”

“Cinch, this is madness. Set me free, and I promise we will discuss your worries.”

“There is nothing to discuss, Princess. But of course we will set you free, right after we have gotten rid of the spell that Nightmare Moon and her ally put on you.”

“And how do you plan to do that, if I may ask?”

“We have found a spell that is capable of removing any form of mind control, hypnosis or suggestion.”

“This surely is a high-level spell?”

“It is.”

Celestia sighed:

“Then, how do you intend to cast it? Only a few ponies in Canterlot are capable of performing such magic, and I don’t see any of them here.”

“You are right, Princess, that’s why we are going to synchronize the magic of my three companions here.”

Celestia really hoped she had misheard.

“What?” she shouted,
“do you know how difficult it is to synchronize multiple unicorns in such a way, even if they are experts? And this spell targets the brain! Even if you manage to cast the spell, the tiniest flaw in the synchronization might burn my brain or kill me!”

Cinch nodded:

“I am aware of this risk, Princess. But it is better to die free than to live as a slave.”

Celestia stared at her.

“You are insane,” she whispered.

“Of course you think so. You are under a spell, after all.”

“The PDA is inside this house, in the basement,” Antonius told Luna,
“but there is only one pony there. Let’s hope it knows where Tia is. I’ll go straight for the PDA, you wait ten seconds, then you follow me.”

Having said that, he charged through the front door, shattering it in the process. Then, he jumped down the stairs to the basement and smashed another door. He had found the PDA, and an unicorn stallion holding it in his magical grasp. In the next moment, he jumped forward and grabbed the pony by the throat. He lifted it from the ground and asked:

“Where is Princess Celestia?”

“Oh, you would like to know that, wouldn’t you?” the stallion grinned.

“I’m not in the mood for your idiocy. You will tell me what I want to know.”

“I would not bet on it, alien.”

Now, Luna entered the room.

“Does he know where Cellie is?” she inquired.

“Look who we have here - Nightmare Moon,” the stallion spat.

Luna narrowed her eyes.

“Oh, I will become your nightmare if you refuse to tell us where my sister is,” she hissed.

“You can’t make me. In a few minutes, your sister will be herself again and you will be punished!”

“What is this madpony talking about?” Luna asked.

“I assume it is the delusion of a fanatic,” Antonius said bluntly.

“Call me whatever you want, alien,” the pony said,
“we will win in the end!”

“You do realize that I have my hand around your throat?”

“Okay, kill me. I still won’t tell you where the princess is.”

Antonius turned to Luna:

“What a nitwit. But we must get him to talk. And fast.”

“But how?” Luna asked,
“if we had time, I could search his mind for the answer, but that takes too long now.”

Antonius took a breath, then he said:

“I could almost certainly make him talk.”

He could see it in Luna’s eyes. She knew what he was talking about. She was horrified by the notion, but she nodded.

“Then, Antonius,” she said,
“I want you to…”

“DO NOT SAY IT!” Antonius interrupted her.

Luna looked confused, but he explained himself:

“We are about to commit an act of barbarity here. You will not give me such an order. What I will do now, I will do of my own accord.”

Antonius turned to the pony in his grasp:

“This is your last chance, xeno scum. Tell me where Celestia is.”

“No! What do you want to do? Torture me? You would only confirm what I think of you!” the pony said with a smug smile.

Antonius moved the pony a little closer to his helmet and hissed:

“But it will still hurt. A lot.”

The pony’s smug smile vanished.

Now Antonius punched the stallion in the face.

“Where is Celestia?” he asked coldly.

“I won’t tell you!” the pony screamed.

Antonius punched him again with increased strength, asked his question and did not get a satisfying answer.
They repeated this process a few times, until a punch caused an audible ‘crack’. If Antonius did not change his methods, he would probably stab fragments of the pony’s facial bones through its brain. Not too good for an interrogation.

“Congratulations,” Antonius said darkly,
“you are quite resilient to blunt trauma.”

Then, he grabbed his chainsword.

“Use your sword. Kill me. I won’t say anything,” the stallion wheezed.

“You will,” Antonius said, activated the sword and held it between the pony’s hind legs,
“unless you want me to test if I can use my weapon as a high-speed gelding machine.”

To call the stallion’s expression ‘greatly perturbed’ would have been an understatement.
Antonius set the sword’s teeth spinning and slowly started raising it. It cut the pony’s fur, then it started drawing blood.

“AAHHH! Okay! I’ll talk! You win, I’ll talk!” the stallion screamed.

“About time,” Antonius said and stopped the sword’s teeth.

The stallion told them everything he knew, from his companions’ hiding place to their plans.

“Thank you for your cooperation,” Antonius said coldly.

“You could have made this easier for us - and for yourself,” Luna grumbled,
“now, we must make haste and rescue my sister from those maniacs before they kill her!”

“Maniacs…” the stallion hissed, then he spat a mixture of spit and blood in Luna’s face and turned to Antonius:

“Too bad I only had enough spit for one of you. Now let me down, alien.”

Antonius glared at the pony in his grasp. He had restrained himself until now, but this traitor did not deserve any kind of mercy.

“You want me to let you down?” he asked and pulled his sword’s trigger, making the weapon roar furiously,
“okay.”

According to his face, the stallion had realized that he was doomed now. Antonius released the grasp around his neck, and the pony fell into the chainsword. The creature was cut in half, the two pieces falling to the ground, sending drops of blood flying everywhere, even on Luna’s fur and face.

“Yikes,” she mumbled.

“Let his blood wash away his spit,” Antonius said,
“now get Celestia’s PDA and let’s get moving.”

Luna quickly used some magic to clean herself and Antonius; she couldn’t run around like that - and she couldn’t let him run around Canterlot bloodied like that.

As they were leaving the house, she carefully asked:

“Tony?”

“If you want to rebuke me for what I’ve done, I have a piece of advice for you: don’t,” he said.

“I did not want to.”

“Good. I am not really a supporter of torture, I leave this to the enemies of mankind. I am a warrior, you know, a guardian! When I fight, even if my enemies are inferior to me, they at least have a chance to fight back, and the kills are quick and precise. Torture, on the other hand - you don’t need courage to do such a thing, and it also is not honorable. Sadly, it was something else: necessary.”

Poor Tony. He needed a cuddle when this was over. Perhaps it was a strange thing to do, given the situation, but Luna was sure it was necessary, too.

She wondered what her sister would say. Well, they were saving her life. Despite everything, she should be grateful for that.

When they finally arrived at their destination, Antonius said:

“Okay, just like last time. I go in, you wait ten seconds and follow.”

“Tony,” Luna answered and he looked at her,
“you will not be the only one taking the responsibility for the acts committed during my sister’s rescue. I will now give you an order, and do not try to stop me: Rescue Celestia, no matter the cost!”

Antonius nodded and turned to the door.

“There is still time to stop your plan,” Celestia said urgently.

The three companions of Cinch had tried to synchronize their magic for several minutes now, but it was clear to Celestia that they were inadequate for this task. If they casted the spell on her now, she could say goodbye to her brain - and her life.

“Cinch, could you please silence her?” one of the ponies asked,
“this is hard enough without her continuously bothering us.”

Of course, blame you inadequacy on her!

Cinch rummaged through a chest and pulled out a scarf.

“That should do,” she said and walked up to Celestia.

“Don’t…” was everything Celestia could say before she wrapped the scarf around her muzzle.

“So, no more distractions!” Cinch said contently.

Celestia was somewhere between fury and fear. She was lying there, helpless, waiting for some insane morons to recklessly - or as they would call it ‘accidentally’ - kill her.
She closed her eyes.

How much time had passed since she had been abducted? Where was Luna? Where was Tony? Wasn’t this a situation he had been trained for? Rescuing somepony?
They may have had their dissensions, but seriously, if he showed up now, she would kiss his boots… or any part he wanted to have kissed, damnit!

Suddenly, she heard a crack and opened her eyes again.

“The front door!” Cinch screamed in panic,
“quick! Barricade the door!”

The ponies ceased their attempts to synchronize their magic and started pushing everything they could find in front of the door.
From outside the door, she heard a

“Stop!”,

but it was drowned out by the roar of a chainsword.
Antonius was here.

“Hold the door!” Cinch screamed.

Two of the unicorns braced their hooves agains the rubble in front of the door. Celestia could see the fear in their faces, and the third pony plopped down and whimpered:

“So close to success…”

Now, Antonius entered the room, but he did not come through the door. He burst through the wall next to the door, sending bricks and pieces of cement flying, the roaring chainsword in his hand.
Before those flying pieces of the wall had reached the ground, he had already lashed out at the two ponies next to him, decapitating them with a mighty swing of his sword. Celestia felt blood hit her, but she had no time to think about that.

Without a pause, Antonius jumped forward and impaled the third, crying unicorn. Then he put his boot on the ponies’ chest and pulled the sword out, dispensing entrails on the floor.
Then he turned to Cinch.

“You,” he stated.

“Yes, me,” Cinch said, trying to maintain her composure,
“I had almost been successful! I had almost been able to free Princess Celestia from your dark spell! But I failed. How did you find this place? Well, it doesn’t matter. My failure doesn’t matter, either! There are more of us! And we will never stop fighting you!”

“I guess you mean that nitwit who had Celestia’s equipment?” Antonius asked coldly.

“What have you done to him?” Cinch spat.

“He shortly suffered from a severe case of split personality.”

“Murderer!”

“Traitor!” Antonius retorted and closed in on Cinch. She tried to back off, but there was nowhere to go.

“You will never enslave us!” she spat.

“Of course I won’t, you moron!” Antonius replied.

Cinch seemed to be confused by this statement. Perhaps there was still hope for her? Celestia hoped so. Perhaps she would see the truth and realize her mistakes…
Or not. Antonius slashed her chest with his roaring sword. Her eyes went wide, and she collapsed on the ground, a stertorous, dying heap of pony. Was that a part of her lung that hung out? Celestia closed her eyes again.

“Rewarded as a traitor deserves,” Antonius grumbled.

Celestia opened her eyes and saw him walking up to her, smeared with blood, with red glowing eyes embedded in an unmoving face mask. He knelt down and removed the scarf from her muzzle.

“Are you okay?” he asked.

She was, thanks to him. But the carnage he had caused… and what was that with the ‘split personality’? She knew that incredible atrocities had been committed today - while trying to save her. Perhaps she did not like his methods, but he had indeed saved her life. She had to be grateful for that.

“Did you have to kill them all?” Celestia heard herself scream.

That had not been grateful. She wondered what had gotten into her.
Then she looked at the carnage around her, and at Cinch who had just finished dying. All of that had gotten into her.

“I knew it was a mistake…” Antonius started.

Huh? He really saw killing those ponies as a mistake? Perhaps…

“… I should never have removed that scarf,” Antonius finished flatly.

Celestia just stared at him.

Now Luna entered the room. She looked relieved as she saw her and asked:

“Sister! Are you alright?”

“She is, she is,” Antonius sighed, then he picked her up like a doll and started cutting the ropes and ripping apart the chains that were wrapped around her body. Last, he removed the splint that had suppressed her magic.
When she was free again, Celestia took another look at the mess around her and said:

“Let us leave this place.”

“Agreed,” Antonius said,
“you return to the palace, I will go to the hospital and tell Rapid Cure who has used his name.”

“Okay, Tony,” Luna agreed and quickly cleaned his armor with her magic,
“see you later.”

Luna was happy to have her sister back, but she knew that something was wrong. Something between Celestia and Antonius.
Of course, she was not particularly happy with his methods, but as Antonius had said it: they had been necessary.

Now, they were back at the palace and Celestia was taking a shower to get rid of the blood she had been stained with - a quick magical cleaning would have been sufficient in Luna's opinion. Yeah, Celestia could be a little picky from time to time.

As she came out of the shower, Luna said:

“Feeling better now, sister?”

“Yeah,” Celestia answered,
“I’m really not used to having blood on my fur. That’s probably one of the advantages of armor.”

Luna rolled her eyes:

“Of course, this is the main reason for using armor.”

“Oh, Luna,” Celestia sighed,
“so much blood spilled. It would have been enough to break down the door and shout ‘stop!’ or something, but no, he killed them all.”

“They have been trying to kill you, sister. He saved your life. Of course, he did it his way, and he was thoroughly successful.”

“At the expense of lives.”

“Oh, stop criticizing him. I do not criticize him, although by saving you he has basically cost me the title of queen,” Luna grinned.

“Are the teams on the way to clean up the mess he has made?” Celestia asked, ignoring the joke.

“Yes. But do not try to change topic. What is you problem with Antonius?”

“His propensity for violence! How can you stay so calm after he killed six ponies?”

“Simple: I gave him an order to do so.”

Celestia stared at her:

“You did what?”

“I ordered him to rescue you, no matter the cost!”

“Do you realize what you have done?”

Luna stared her sister directly in the eyes.

“Oh, I know, sister, I know too well. Antonius and I have both committed acts of barbarity because we did not want to take the chance of you getting hurt. We caused harm and death. All to liberate you before those insane traitors could murder you. If you want to hate us for that, feel free to do so.”

Celestia did not move for a few seconds, shocked by her sister’s bluntness, then she hugged Luna.

“I don’t hate you, Luna,” she whispered,
“I never could. And I don’t hate Antonius, either. I know he is doing what he thinks is necessary, it’s just that his ways are often so different from our own. I really dislike killing, and I think no civilized creature should see killing as a means to solve problems.”

“I am not fond of killing, either, and I think even Antonius is not really fond of it. As you said, he just does what he thinks is necessary.”

“But his judgement in that regard is rather poor.”

“From your point of view. From his? That is another question.”

As Antonius arrived at the hospital, Rapid cure just left the building, carrying a cardboard box in his magical grasp.

“Hello, Doctor. I just wanted to see you. Princess Celestia is fine and I can assure you the ponies who misused your name won’t repeat their mistake. Now please excuse my curiosity, but what’s the deal with this cardboard box?”

Rapid Cure took a look at the box and answered:

“Oh, well, I guess it is one of the standard features when being fired.”

“Fired?”

“Yep. Blamed me for loosing the splint.”

“Why would they blame you? Does this hospital not have some sort of security?”

“It does.”

“Then, it is their fault, isn’t it?”

“Yeah, but nopony from security ran to you and the princesses and damaged the hospital’s reputation that way.”

“So, the loss of the splint is just an excuse?” Antonius asked.

“As far as I can judge, yes.”

Great. The hospital’s administration really fired a capable doctor because they were more worried about their reputation than anything else. Even worse: They fired Moonlight’s doctor.

“Shall I talk to them?” Antonius offered.

“Goodness, no!” Rapid Cure exclaimed,
“I’m fed up with this fancy-schmancy self-proclaimed ‘Canterlot elite’!
I’m an old country doctor, I want to return to a more rural area with a more down-to earth population. The only problem is that I don’t want to move too far from Moonlight and her family. I’m the only pony who has experience with her kind of wound, and I’m their family doctor, after all.”

Well, there was a nicely obvious solution for that problem.

“Ponyville,” Antonius stated,
“there is a hospital, too.”

“Yeah, but that doesn’t mean that they will hire me.”

“We don’t know until we ask them. Meet me at the palace gates in an hour. We’ll take the Speeder to Ponyville.”

“I heard about that thing. Is it really safe?”

“Hasn’t exploded yet,” Antonius grinned.

“Then let’s hope it stays that way,” Rapid Cure grinned back.

They said goodbye and Antonius entered the hospital to return the splint. For a moment, he thought about keeping it as a reinsurance, but thought otherwise. It was not his property, and he would not steal it. So he walked up the the reception desk and said:

“Greetings. I’m here to return the horn splint that got stolen.”

The mare behind the counter looked at him with a startled expression, then she told him to wait and vanished.
A few minutes later, a pony in a business suit walked up to him and greeted:

“Good day, Lord Varus. There seems to be a misunderstanding. Our hospital never lost a horn splint.”

Antonius raised an eyebrow:

“You are kidding, hmm?”

“Of course not! Never has anything been stolen from this hospital! And we are going to sue anypony who says otherwise!”

Oh, damnit. What a moron.

“You are from the hospital’s administration, aren’t you?” Antonius deadpanned.

“Yes, I am,” the pony answered,
“and I can assure you that we did not lose this splint you are talking about.”

“This splint?” Antonius asked and help it up.

“Yes! This splint! This is the splint we definitely did not lose! It must be yours!”

Antonius raised an eyebrow:

“So, if you say it’s mine, I can keep it, right?”

“Of course! Now, goodbye! Have a nice day with that splint that definitely was yours all along!”

Antonius turned around and left. Having to deal with that much stupid had brought him close to a headache, but he was now the rightful owner of a splint capable of suppressing magic. That wasn’t bad, after all.

Luna nervously waited for Antonius at the entrance to the palace. When she saw him coming, she waved and said:

“Hello, Tony. Celestia wants to talk to you in her private chambers.”

“Joy,” he answered flatly.

“Oh, come on, do not be grumpy,” Luna tried to cheer him up,
“I think she wants to thank you for saving her life.”

In fact, Luna knew that Celestia wanted to do that. What troubled her was the fact that this was not everything her sister wanted to do.

When they entered the room, Celestia was already waiting for them and gestured them to sit down. Once they sat, she started:

“Tony, let me than you for saving my life. I was in grave danger and you made sure that I wasn’t harmed. Again, thank you.”

So far, so good. Part number two would be less pleasant.

Celestia continued:

“But we really have to talk about your methods. Killing ponies is unacceptable. I understand that you are from a society where killing each other is seen as rather normal, but here in Equestria we are civilized and favor peace and nonviolence. We do not kill, we talk things out, and we believe that every creature has a right to live.”

Oh, damnit. She wondered if Antonius would see that as an insult of humanity. His face betrayed no emotion as he answered:

“Well, you say killing is nothing special in the Imperium of Mankind, and you are not wrong. Now, let me tell you who we kill and why, excluding acts of direct self-defense:
We kill xenos and daemons, because they want to wipe us out, enslave us, or worse.
We also kill human traitors for much the same reasons.
Now, allow me to ask you a few questions to clarify things.”

“Of course.”

“According to your morale code, every creature has a right to live?”

“Yes.”

“And they all have an equal right to live?”

“Exactly!”

Something in Antonius’ expression told Luna that he would strike now. She was proven right as he said:

“But when I killed those Changelings a few days ago you were not as annoyed as you are now, were you?”

Celestia looked startled for a second, then she answered:

“Well, no.”

Antonius continued:

“But now that I have I have killed ponies who were traitors, just as evil and dangerous as the Changelings, you make a fuss. Right?”

“I would not call it ‘a fuss’, it’s just that…”

“Despite our admittedly violent methods, mankind still basically judges creatures by their actions. That is why we kill human traitors.
You seem to judge creatures only by their species; in your opinion, a creature can't deserve death just because it's a pony, even if it is a despicable traitor.
You pretend to follow a higher morality, but according to your own definition of morality, which I’ve understood quite well, your own morality is actually inferior to that of mankind, so do not dare to lecture me, hypocrite!
Whenever I kill, the creature I kill deserves death! Traitors deserve death, no matter if they are humans or ponies! And I bring it to them, as this is the duty the eternal Emperor placed on me, the honor he bestowed upon me.
It would be wise of you to adapt the moral code of mankind, for your approach will only leave you vulnerable and endanger your species. Sometimes, ponies will have to be killed. This may be a hard decision for you, but it is a decision a leader has to make from time to time.”

Oh. Dear.
Luna had never heard anypony rebuke Celestia this severely. This could not end well.

“Do not dare to criticize my leadership! Our society blossoms for ten millennia now because of they way I lead it!”

“The fact that you got steamrolled twice in the last week alone certainly speaks volumes about your ability to prepare your species for the dangerous times that are about to come.”

Damn. Celestia’s face was red with anger. If looks could kill, Antonius would be in serious trouble. He was rather calm himself, as if he had just stated something obvious - which actually made everything worse.

Luna desperately wished she would be able to find the right words to diffuse the situation, perhaps a logical flaw in Antonius statements. She was not able to find obvious ones at that moment.

Celestia took a deep breath and said:

“Peacefulness is never easy, but always worth pursuing.”

“Only if the circumstances allow for it,” Antonius stated.

“Always.”

“Then you will peacefully meet your doom.”

A few seconds of silence, then Celestia sighed:

“You are incorrigible.”

“Because I am right. And because I care for your ponies, for your sister, and for you,” Antonius replied.

That took Celestia by surprise.

“You mean, this was your version of ‘tough love’?”

“My version of ‘honest friendship’. Seriously, Tia, you MUST understand that the times of peace are at an end. Your forbearance and mercy really have the potential to doom your entire species, now that the stakes are as high as they are.”

Celestia sighed again.

“Still, even if they were well intentioned, I don’t think I will be able to easily forgive you the words you said.”

Antonius shrugged:

“Well, that's your decision. I still think you should be harder on traitors than on your friends who want only your best, though.”

Celestia stared at him for a second, then she got up and left the room, leaving Luna and Antonius behind in her own quarters.
Luna took a look at Antonius and saw a content smile.

“You enjoyed that, did you not?” she asked.

“You bet your fluffy little butt I did,” he answered.

If Luna was completely honest, she had to admit that a part of her had also enjoyed it, but she knew better than to let this part control her actions.

“It was not wise,” she stated.

“Maybe, but insulting mankind wasn’t wise, either. Rebuking Celestia was necessary.”

“I think we have had enough necessities for today.”

“I concur. I will take Rapid Cure to Ponyville now, then I will visit Zecora and give her her vox.”

“Good idea. Get a little distance between the two of you. I will go and see if Celestia is alright.”

Antonius left and Luna started looking for her sister. She found her in the throne room absorbed in a scroll.

“Hello, sister,” Luna greeted.

“I’m not in the mood for a conversation,” Celestia replied.

“Oh, of course you are, you just do not know yet,” Luna said and walked up to her.

Celestia put down her scroll.

“You heard what he said. You don’t agree with him, do you?”

“He exaggerated a little, but if you are completely honest, you will have to admit that he at least had a point.”

“I certainly won’t give up my love of peace.”

“Nopony wants you to do that. He just wanted to say that ponies who become traitors should not be under your protection anymore.”

“They should be put before the courts, not killed.”

“If they had not been busy killing you, maybe Antonius would have taken the time to do that.”

“You are really okay with him killing ponies?”

“If it is the only way to save the life of my big sister with certainty… yes, I am.”

Celestia sighed.

“It’s not that I don’t understand his motivations,” she said,
“but it’s still hard for me to handle the fact that he mercilessly killed ponies. And…”

“And?” Luna probed.

“What he said about the Changelings… I realized that he is not entirely wrong. I value the lives of ponies higher than the lives of Changelings. He is also right when he says that this is morally questionable. Every life should matter equally. I’m really not following my own moral code! Doesn’t that make me a bad pony?”

It took Luna a few seconds to come up with an answer:

“You are not a bad pony, but we are not living in some kind of perfect little fantasy world. This is reality, and sometimes, things happen that force us to act in ways we are not fond of. I am - for example - certainly not fond of killing ponies, but I accepted that the circumstances made it necessary to end their lives. Antonius is just quicker to come to this conclusion.”

“Too quick?”

“I do not think so. This was the first time he actually used lethal force against a pony, but by far not the first time a pony annoyed him. Ask you nephew. He is still alive, after all. Neither did he kill Cinch the first time he met her.
He just draws a red line when our species is endangered, and the loss of you would have been a devastating blow. So he did not take any risks. I cannot blame him for that.”

“Maybe you are right. Maybe I should just accept what he has done. Still, I think that our friendship has been quite a bit damaged by this whole incident.”

“Do not worry,” Luna grinned and ran her hoof through her forelock,
“as long as he is smitten with me…”

They started laughing.

Antonius had just dropped Rapid Cure off at his flat in Canterlot. The hospital in Ponyville had accepted his application and a house he could live in had also been found.

Now, Antonius returned the Land Speeder to the hangar and went to his room. Once there, he stowed the splint away and changed into his civil clothes. Then he grabbed his PDA and Al appeared on the device.

“Antonius, do you have a moment?” he asked.

“Sure,” Antonius answered.

“I feel compelled to tell you that your actions of today violate my moral code.”

“Great, another fan. Would you have known a better way to save Celestia? You didn’t tell me at least.”

“Well, your options were quite limited. I don’t want to harangue you, I just want to tell you that your behavior was morally dubious.”

“Thank you for this information,” Antonius grumbled.

Later that day, he met with Luna and Celestia for dinner. It was a quiet meal, far from the rather chatty ones they usually had, but as it was over, a servant brought a bottle of wine and three glasses. Celestia unstopped the bottle and said:

“Now, Antonius, let me thank you for saving my life. I know, we had our differences today, but by sharing this wine I want to prove my appreciation of you and our friendship.”

Oh, an attempt at reconciliation! Antonius joined in and replied:

“Thank you, Tia. I appreciate you and our friendship, too.”

Celestia poured wine into the glasses and distributed them.

“Here’s to our friendship!” she said and took a sip.

Antonius and Luna also raised their glasses. After that, Celestia looked at her glass for a while, deep in thought, then she mumbled:

“No, this isn’t right,”
and turned to Antonius:
“Antonius, would you mind if it took me a few days to come to terms with today’s events? I really appreciate you and our friendship, but celebrating and drinking wine somehow seems dishonest to me at the moment. Also, please don’t call me ‘Tia’ until I’m better.”

“As you wish, Celestia,” Antonius answered.

Celestia nodded, got up and left the room.

“Hmm… that could have gone better,” Luna mumbled, gazing after her sister.

“Could have gone, worse, too,” Antonius said.

Now Luna picked up her glass and the bottle of wine.

“Well, since my sister is gone, let us go to my quarters,” she suggested,
“it is more cozy there.”

“Right on your heels.”

They got comfortable in front of Luna’s fireplace and she said:

“Okay, first things first. Since my sister made no move, I have to.”

Then she hugged Antonius and added:

“Thank you for saving Celestia. Without reservations.”

“You’re welcome,” Antonius replied, patting her back,
“preventing traitors from causing harm is one of my primary duties, after all.”

She ended the hug and asked:

“Now, may I be so curious as to ask what Rapid Cure wanted to do in Ponyville?”

“He wanted to find a job,” Antonius told her.

“Huh? I thought he already had one.”

“Yeah, he HAD one. Past tense. He got fired today. Officially for losing the splint. Actually for damaging the hospital’s reputation by telling us that the splint was stolen.”

“No way!”

“It gets better. Now, the hospital administration insists that they never lost a splint.”

“Huh? So they fired him for losing a splint that officially never was lost?”

“Yes. Don’t think about it too hard, that will only result in a headache. The doctor has found a new job in the hospital in Ponyville and a house to live in, so everything is fine again.”

“Well, that is the main thing… but wait, what happened to this splint? Who has it now?”

Antonius raised his arm and waved.

“You?” Luna inquired, then she started grinning and continued:
“You are not going to use it on poor, unsuspecting princesses of the night, are you?”

“No, I’m going to keep it just in case of an emergency.”

“According to the size of the splint, you try to prepare for my sister or me going crazy?”

“Luna, I try to prepare for EVERYTHING.”