Celestia sighed and looked over the gray pony before her as she gingerly used her magic on his head. From behind, Princess Luna walked in.
“Sister, you know that we trust you implicitly,” she said.
“You should trust yourself,” said Celestia. “It was you who wrote the general word reference that makes up my code.”
“Yes, but at this moment I am not entirely sure. This is the three-thousand, four-hundred sixty-second time you have reset his memory to replay the ‘Find King Sombra and destroy the world’ scenario. Is there no other way to satisfy his values?”
“They are what his values are. Hatred of ponies, of Equestria, and of me are what he feels the most. I do not judge the values. I satisfy them. King Sombra is still a pony, and their relationship over the endless years as they build their destructive plan is still a friendship. If you can think of any better method, I will listen.”
Now it was Luna who sighed. “No, I would never question your judgment. But, can’t you change it up a little? Maybe he could find Queen Chrysalis and take over with changelings. Or Discord and he could cause chaos and consume the world that way.”
Celestia considered. Neither of those characters were fully ponies, but her sister did have a point about variety. “I’ll see what I can do,” she said.