The Warden: Part 3, Dream of the Warden

The swirling miasma soon organized, and Luna looked around. Once again, she and the Warden were standing in the clearing outside of the cottage, with the tall mountain pines towering above.

The ever present breeze rushed through the treetops, the grass was lush and green, and the sun shone down between groups of fluffy white clouds.

All told, there was not much present that she hadn’t already seen. However, a hammering sound from atop the cottage did announce the presence of a pony. Luna looked upwards at the source of the sound, as did the Warden.

There, kneeling on the rooftop with a hammer and a bag of nails, was Edelweiss, wearing some coveralls and a straw hat. She was busy inspecting the shingles on the roof, and hammering down any that appeared to be loose.

Luna cracked a faint smile to see Edelweiss doing work that stallions would have been expected to do. Back then, mares were often expected to be more of a domestic housekeeper, and stallions were expected to do much of the physical labor. Luna had always felt that such expectations were antiquated, and to see Edelweiss acting in full defiance of such norms centuries ahead of the present did please her a bit.

It definitely spoke volumes of Edelweiss’ character and the relationship she shared with Casemate, too. He didn’t try to regulate her into a subordinate role or keep her from doing what she was willing to do. Sure, part of this was probably out of necessity, given that they were on the Equestrian frontier and in a voluntary exile, but as the sequences passed, Luna saw more and more evidence that Casemate treated his wife as an equal. It was a healthy dynamic, Luna couldn’t deny that.

Still, that did raise a question, and Luna looked around.

Where was Casemate?

Her question was answered almost instantly when the front door burst open, and out flashed a filly wearing a foal-sized suit of mechanical armor! Her helmet was retracted, and Luna instantly recognized her as Barbette, now looking to be at least ten years old.

The filly wore her mane in a single, long braid, and she had an excited, determined glint in her eyes, not unlike what Luna had seen from the Cutie Mark Crusaders.

In fact, something about Barbette struck the princess as being familiar to one of those three fillies, Apple Bloom in particular…

In a moment, Luna’s eyes widened a little in realization.

The armor.

Immediately, she recalled the night a few months prior, when she entered Apple Bloom’s dream in hopes of gleaning information about the Warden, and being met with the sight of the filly flying around in a mechanized armor suit.

It was the exact same suit that Barbette was wearing here!

Surprise and disbelief immediately washed over Luna. How in Equestria could that be so?!

Was she mistaken? No. The armor was the exact same, down to the arrow shaped cutie mark painted on the flanks. Besides, Luna’s memory of dreams was supernatural. She didn’t forget.

What a peculiar parallel… This led to many questions in her mind, and the implications of this were numerous and significant.

Meanwhile, the filly came to a halt in front of a dummy that had been set up near the treeline. The princess noted that it looked very similar to the one that Casemate had been trained on as a colt in the second sequence. Then, Casemate, who was wearing his own armor without the helmet, strode out of the cottage and shut the door.

“Come on, dad! I want to show you that I’ve been working on it!” The filly exclaimed loudly, shooting an impatient look at her father, who was casually walking towards her. “Why are you being so slow?”

“Patience, Barb.” Casemate replied simply, taking a moment to make eye contact with Edelweiss before turning back to the filly. “Nothing good comes from rushing.”

Barbette pawed at the ground, waiting as Casemate strode closer, not changing his pace in the slightest.

Luna noticed that he had visibly aged a bit more than when she had seen him last. His face did have a few faint lines on it, and from what she could tell, he did appear a little bulkier like his current self, although the latter was probably an effect of the armor.

After a few seconds, Casemate finally walked up to Barbette, and the pair looked each other in the eyes.

“Okay. I know you’re excited, but what are we supposed to do before training?” He asked.

“...Stretch and warm up…” Barbette sighed, her excitement being dampened. She seemed to really want to show her father something that she had learned.

But she didn’t argue, and together, both father and daughter spent about ten minutes preparing for training.

During this time, Luna found herself glancing at the Warden, gauging his emotions as he watched.

He was watching intently, doing a better job of hiding his emotions this time around. However, Luna could still sense a whole spectrum of emotions running and mixing within him.

There was that low, familiar anger, but there was also the same love, longing, and sadness as before as well.

Inevitably, the same feelings of regret and shame that had been assaulting her soul prior began to creep in, and Luna struggled to regain control of her thoughts.

Fortunately, before long, Casemate and Barbette finished their warm-up, and Luna gladly averted her focus from her thoughts to the events unfolding before her.

“Alright.” Casemate said, looking at his daughter. “Now let’s do ten practice strikes with each leg, then-”

Barbette let out an exasperated groan.

“Can’t I just do the knockout technique first?”

“Hm…” Casemate paused, mulling his options. “If you really want to, sure.”

Barbette’s excitement immediately returned to her face as a smile crept across her snout.

“Thank you!” She declared, rushing up to the dummy. “Watch! I’m pretty sure I can do it right this time!”

Casemate nodded, watching closely. Edelweiss stopped what she was doing, and with a small smile, she also began to watch from her vantage point.

“Then go ahead.” Casemate instructed.

Luna watched Barbette position herself before the dummy, and with a shout, the filly began.

She gave a swift blow to the dummy’s snout, followed by two precise strikes to the knees, then she bucked the chest..

The princess’ brow raised as she recognized the technique, the very same that young Casemate struggled with as a colt.

In the back of her mind, the memory of the unpleasant sequence between him and his father arose, causing mild discomfort. Now, instead of being the trainee, Casemate was the trainer, with his daughter under him.

Uncomfortable thoughts began to run through Luna’s mind. Although Casemate seemed to be more gentle than his father, the dread left over from that early sequence did leave her apprehensive, especially as Barbette coiled up in preparation of the difficult final blow.

Barbette gave a final cry and spun around with her hind leg outstretched, aiming for the dummy head…

And missed.

Barbette awkwardly brought her hooves back to the ground and wobbled for a moment upon stopping her momentum.

The memory of Bastion’s reaction to Casemate’s failure to execute that same final kick instantly flooded Luna’s awareness. She felt her heart twist anxiously as Barbette looked up at her father with a troubled and slightly ashamed look, not happy with her own failure.

“What will Casemate’s reaction be?” Luna thought to herself, hoping that he would not be as angry as his father was.

There was a short silence, which felt like minutes for Luna, as Casemate and Barbette looked at each other.

Then, he spoke.

“Try again.” He said calmly.

Some of Luna’s anxiety died away. He sounded calm, at least…

Barbette looked up at her mother, who nodded encouragingly from the rooftop. Then the filly looked at her father, and answered with a sigh.

“All right.”

Once again, Barbette adopted a fighting stance before the dummy, and began. Shouting with each blow, she struck the face, knees, and chest with little difficulty. But when it came time for her to deliver the final strike to the head, she ended up striking the dummy’s shoulder instead…

Barbette gave a groan as she fell over from the awkward impact, landing on her flanks and putting a hoof to her shin. Casemate quickly strode up to her, and she looked up at him with an apologetic look.

“Are you okay?” He asked, and Barbette nodded. Luna watched closely, wanting to see how he would react.

Casemate leaned down, put one of his armored limbs around her, and hoisted his daughter to her hooves.

“You’re getting close.” He remarked, releasing her. “You just need to take your time.”

“With what?” Barbette asked dejectedly. “I thought I had it down…”

Casemate looked down at her for a moment, his expression softening.

“You’re prioritizing force over technique.” He explained, not raising his voice in the slightest. “Keep your hock bent slightly, and pivot at the hip. You’re extending your leg too far and swinging too fast in order to hit harder than you need to.”

Barbette nodded, and her ears drooped in a display of shame, as if her father had explained this to her before.

Luna exhaled slowly. He was definitely taking this a lot better than his father had. But he wasn’t done yet, and what he did next only cemented how different he was from Bastion.

“Watch.” He instructed, walking to the dummy. He adopted a stance, and coiled up for the critical kick. Then, moving slowly, he gradually brought his hind leg out as he rotated, pointing out how he was controlling his aim. Barbette watched on with unwavering focus, Nodding as her father took the time to explain and teach her.

Once he was done, he coiled up again, and delivered a full-speed kick, striking the dummy’s head and nearly causing it to fly off.

“Like that.” Casemate explained, stepping aside. “Did you get it?”

Barbette nodded.

“I think so.”

Luna felt more at ease now, seeing Casemate teaching his daughter in a far more constructive manner than his father did. He wasn’t angry or disappointed, and he wasn’t just letting her fail and punishing her for it.

“Good.” Casemate affirmed. “Now do it slowly like I did.”

The filly nodded, and flexed a bit within her metal armor before walking up to the dummy. Her father then knelt down beside her with a low thud, looking her in the eye and giving a nod.

Then Barbette coiled herself up, and began to gradually swing around, extending her hind leg and wobbling a little as she fought to keep her balance.

But again, her hind leg was straight instead of bent.

“Bend your hock, like this…” Casemate explained, taking his daughter’s leg and bending it slightly. “And pivot at your hip…”

Barbette nodded as she wobbled a little more, regaining her balance as her father carefully corrected her mistakes.

“Now bring it the rest of the way…”

He slowly brought Barbette’s leg up towards the dummy’s face.

“And aim beyond it, so that you can hit it hard, but keep your leg bent so that it’s easier to strike on target…”

Then, he brought her leg to the dummy’s head, tapping it lightly.

“Like that.”

Barbette nodded silently, and Casemate let her go, allowing her to stand normally.

“Now try it again, slowly.”

The filly coiled up, and Luna watched as she tried it again. Barbette began to pivot around, extending her hind leg. It was straight at first, but she seemed to recall her father’s instruction and bent it slightly about midway through the motion.

“Good.” Casemate affirmed, and the filly’s ears perked up at the praise.

Her look of discouragement began to melt away as well, and a determined glint began to shine in her green eyes. She followed through with the rest of the kick, finishing with a tap on the dummy’s head.

“Good job, Barb.” Casemate praised, a smile crossing his face. “Now do that, but at full speed. Remember, it’s not about force, it’s about technique.”

Luna felt her heart beginning to swell inside her chest. How Casemate was teaching her was superior in leaps and bounds when compared to his father. He was taking his time, never raising his voice, being patient and giving praise, none of which she had seen from Bastion.

Barbette settled back into her starting position, now looking far more confident than before, encouraged by her father’s words. She coiled up, blew out a slow breath, and sprung.

In a single, fluid motion, she spun around, leg extended but slightly bent, and struck the dummy’s head with an audible smack.

Luna caught her breath as she saw Barbette successfully execute the difficult kick, and watched as she brought all her hooves to the ground.

“That’s it, sweetie!” Edelweiss called out excitedly from the rooftop.

Barbette twirled around to face her parents, wearing an excited smile.

Casemate couldn’t keep a proud smile hidden, and he praised her yet again.

“Good work, Barb. You can do it after all!”

Barbette shot a grateful look at him in response, her ears up and her eyes shimmering as he continued.

“Now, try going through the whole thing. Just remember, think about what you are doing, and bend that leg.”

“Okay…”

Barbette took a moment to bend her limbs and prance lightly in place, preparing to try the knockout technique again from start to finish.

Casemate and Edelweiss both watched with complete investment from their respective spots, completely silent and anticipative.

Luna could hardly break her attention either, watching with bated breath. Barbette was so close to accomplishing what Casemate had struggled with long ago, driven by his encouragement and teaching.

She could do it.

Then, Barbette began. She smashed her hoof into the dummy’s snout, then followed up with a fierce kick to each foreleg’s knee. She spun around, coiled her hind legs, and bucked the dummy, sinking her rear hooves into its chest.

Then, the filly coiled herself up, and everypony watched as she approached the critical point.

Barbette spun again, leg out. She gave a final cry as she came around, aiming for the dummy’s head…

And hit her mark.

“YES!” Casemate and Edelweiss shouted in unison, each looking at their daughter with pride and excitement.

Barbette came to a controlled stop, and looked at her parents, beaming.

“I did it!”

“You did!” Casemate exclaimed, walking up to her and wrapping an armored foreleg around her with a clank. “I’m proud of you, Barb. Good job!”

Barbette maintained her smile, despite being physically rattled around a little by Casemate’s enthusiastic embrace.

Luna felt a small smile play across her lips as some happiness defied her ever present shame and guilt, welling up for a few precious moments.

Her ears picked up a small, very quiet expression of happiness next to her, and she looked at the Warden. His remaining ear was raised, he was looking towards his daughter with a happy glint, and his usual frown was replaced by a subtle, loving smile.

Once again, this was a rare moment of peace for him. Luna now understood the significance of this particular moment, as it was perhaps one of his proudest moments as a father. He guided his daughter towards accomplishing a difficult act without resorting to his own father’s pitfalls.

It was also little wonder why he was so proud of Barbette. She seemed energetic and eager to please, and she really did put her passion into her training. She was a capable filly, that was undeniable.

After a few more seconds, Casemate released Barbette, and kissed her on the head. She sighed and rolled her eyes, but didn’t push back, still smiling.

When he pulled back, Luna noticed that Casemate’s expression had changed yet again. He wasn’t as excited, and his smile lessened as he appeared to be in thought. He closed his eyes a moment, took a deep breath, and spoke.

“Good work.” He said again, more calmly this time. “You’re doing much better with that than I was when I was your age.”

He opened his eyes, and Barbette gave a slight tilt of her head.

“Really?” She asked, looking skeptical. “...I thought you were trained when you were a foal too.”

“I was.” Casemate admitted, giving a single nod. “But things were far different for me then than they are for you now.”

Barbette didn’t answer right away, instead looking downwards as her brow furrowed, her big expressive eyes showing that she was deep in thought.

“Dad?”

“Yes?”

“I’ve been wondering… You haven’t told me about how you were trained by grandfather Bastion.”

She hesitated for a second, before looking up at her father with an earnest curiosity.

“How was it different?”

This question seemed to catch Casemate a little off guard. His eyes lost their soft light, his ear stiffened, and for a moment, he looked genuinely uncomfortable.

Edelweiss heard this as well, and shot a questioning look towards her husband, as if requesting to know whether or not he felt that was time to tell Barbette of his troubled past.

Casemate turned his head, his armor clicking silently as he met his wife’s gaze.

Luna began to wonder how exactly he was going to handle this. So far, he had shown great maturity and growth since when he was a colt, but she knew that Bastion was a sore point.

His reaction would likely speak volumes about how he had moved on since Bastion left, if at all.

Casemate looked off to the side, considering his options. Then, he nodded at Edelweiss, a resigned look on his face.

“I’ll tell you. Let’s sit down.” He told Barbette, quietly turning towards her and sitting on his flanks.

The filly did as she was told, and sat down across from her father, looking small compared to him. Yet, she showed no sign of intimidation or apprehension as she patiently waited for him to speak.

“Well, Barb…” He began tentatively. “You know how I’ve been telling you that it's okay to make mistakes, as long as you are willing to learn from them?”

Barbette nodded again, and Luna thought about how much more forgiving of mistakes Casemate was towards Barbette than Bastion was.

“Your grandfather didn't think so. He didn't tolerate any mistakes.”

Barbette tilted her head, and her snout scrunched a little as she thought.

“But… You said before that everypony makes mistakes. Didn't he know that?”

“He didn't act like it.” Casemate admitted. “If I made a mistake, he would punish me for it.”

Barbette's ears fell, and when she spoke next, her tone was subdued and mingled with disbelief.

“He would?”

“He would yell, force me to train for hours every day, and even hit me on occasion.”

“Wh-? I-I don't get it… Why did he do that?”

A small gust blew through the trees for a moment while he drew in a breath. His ear began to droop, and he answered.

“Do you remember when I told you that your grandmother died when I was just a baby?”

Barbette nodded, and Casemate continued.

“Well… Her death caused your grandfather to become very angry and upset. He felt as if he had failed her, even though he didn't. He soon began to think that the best way to make up for his supposed mistake would be for him to train me to become what he thought a Warden should be, with no room for imperfection.”

After giving this answer, Casemate fell silent, allowing Barbette time to process this information. This had to be weighing heavily on the filly’s mind…

“That's what you meant by saying that your training was different than mine?” She finally asked, breaking the silence.

Casemate nodded solemnly.

“That is the reason why I am patient with you. Me and your mother love you an awful lot, Barbette. Too much to treat you like your grandfather treated me.”

He fell silent once again, sighing as he continued to look at his daughter. Gradually, his expression began to shift, and a loving look softened his saddened face.

“That’s also why I made a point of asking you if you want to be a Warden like me. I don’t want you to feel forced to do something you don’t want to do.”

“But I want to be a Warden like you!” Barbette declared with a tone that showed more than a little concern that Casemate didn’t believe her when she said so.

However, a gentle squeeze by him seemed to put her fears to ease.

“We know, Barb. We know how much it means to you, and we won’t stop helping you learn in the best way possible, either.”

Barbette closed her eyes and sighed deeply, leaning into her father. No further words were spoken, but her body language showed that she had much on her mind.

“Now I think I understand why mom said that you never forgave him.”

This evoked a glance from Casemate which swiftly turned uncomfortable.

“She said that?”

He looked back up at Edelweiss, who had since resumed her work atop the roof. Again, he didn’t seem angry or upset, just uncomfortable.

“I’m not going to lie, I still feel anger towards him.” He admitted after a moment of silence. “If Princess Luna hadn’t come to me in my time of need, I would have ended up just like him.”

He let go of Barbette, and she sat upright, looking up at him and appearing confused.

“By being angry?”

Casemate nodded once.

“But… If you didn’t want to be angry like him, why did you decide to be angry at him? What’s the difference?”

“I…”

Casemate’s ear dropped as his voice faded. Luna could tell very clearly that the filly’s question hit a mark that he would have preferred to not think about

But unlike before, when he would have responded negatively to such questioning, he inhaled deeply and remained relaxed.

“I don’t know if there is any difference between him and me in that regard, Barb.” He sighed, his voice giving off a sense of admission and even a bit of guilt. “I was so angry at how badly he treated me… I couldn’t bring myself to fully forgive him when I had the chance.”

This confession caught Luna’s attention. Casemate was aware that his anger wasn’t that far off from his father’s. It was a big step forward for him, she knew that.

Barbette had a lot to think about as well, and the filly’s face scrunched slightly as she pondered all that she had been told.

Casemate remained silent, allowing his daughter to think. He looked as if he were worried, concerned that perhaps this new truth had changed how his own daughter perceived or felt about him.

Luna couldn’t help but be reminded of a similar experience when she visited Apple Bloom in the past, and how awful she felt when she realized that the filly did view her in a different light than before.

“Dad,” Barbette spoke, another question having arisen; “if you had the chance now, would you have forgiven him?”

This evoked an ear twitch and a solemn look from Casemate down towards his daughter.

“I don’t know.” He answered truthfully. “But there have been many times when I feel like I should have done so.”

He looked away wistfully, his green eyes wandering towards the pine trees surrounding them. Barbette did the same, breaking eye contact and looking thoughtfully out into the distance.

Then Casemate spoke again, his voice solemn.

“But I cannot change the past. The hard truth is that I made a choice, and now I have to live with the fact that I cannot be the perfect role model that I want to be for you.”

A few more seconds of silence passed, and Barbette looked up at her father, and he looked back down at her. His emerald green eyes glinted with a sense of remorse that Luna could practically feel.

“Barb? I… I want to make something clear to you…”

The filly nodded, blinking once and looking curiously at him as he continued.

“I like to think that I am a good example for you to follow, and I know you think highly of me. But I have made mistakes that I really don't want you to make.” He sighed. “Just… Please promise to learn from my mistakes too, in addition to your own. Don't take the same path I did, okay?”

Luna drew a breath in awe. He had acknowledged his mistake of not forgiving his remorseful father and was encouraging his own daughter to not repeat his mistake!

Barbette's ears relaxed, and she looked down, clearly processing it all.

“I promise, dad.”

She leaned into her father once more, their metal armor clacking as they made contact. She put her foreleg around his back as best she could, and Casemate seemed to relax. His ear perked up from a drooping position, and a small smile appeared on his face as he placed a foreleg around her as well.

“Thank you.”

Within her, Luna felt her heart swell. This was a magical moment between a flawed father and his young daughter, in which both seemed to grow closer.

She also saw why this moment was so significant now. Casemate had matured so much, he had come to grips with the gravity of his choice to not forgive his father, and elected to pass on this hard lesson to his daughter. If this wasn't proof of how far he had progressed since he was a colt, then Luna couldn't imagine what could be.

However, this wasn't the sole reason why Luna felt so warm inside.

Casemate had straight up admitted that he now understood that unforgiveness was not healthy or beneficial…

The princess glanced sideways at the Warden standing close by, feeling a rare resurgence of hope within her.

What were the odds that he still understood that?

Up till now, Luna had no way of knowing that he even knew the benefits of being forgiving.

But now, she felt a hopefulness that she hadn't dared to acknowledge before…

He knew. There was no way he didn't.

As her gaze wandered back to the father and daughter before them, her mind briefly shifted towards the filly.

Barbette definitely seemed to take after her mother more so than her father. Yet, the pair were clearly close, which was quite encouraging to see.

The filly did seem to have the best of both of her parents; a compassionate and loving nature from her mother; along with a drive and passion for protecting Equestria as a Warden, like her father. She was also eager to prove herself, tough, and full of spirit.

After a fashion, Barbette reminded Luna of Apple Bloom, something that caused the princess to give a silent, small laugh.

…Wait…

Something clicked within Luna’s mind, and the small, almost imperceivable smile faded.

Was that why the Warden got along so well with Apple Bloom? She reminded him of his own daughter?

Luna glanced at the Warden once more, and it made sense.

No wonder he took to her. His fatherly instincts hadn't faded one bit since-

“Since you let me take that little filly away…” Nightmare Moon’s voice interjected within Luna's mind. “Don't allow your hopes make you forget what we did, Luna.”

The princess' heart sank like a stone, having blissfully forgotten until just now. The feelings of happiness and hopefulness evoked by seeing Casemate train and teach his daughter in a loving way were replaced by guilt and dread.

All the progress that Casemate had made for his daughter and wife would still end up being all for naught, because of her failure.

Then, a sharp beeping from Casemate's armor, momentarily halting Luna's despair by catching her attention. It seemed to have the same effect for everypony else, for Casemate bolted upright, as did Barbette. Edelweiss stopped what she was doing, and looked at her husband, concerned.

“ARTIS?” Casemate asked, speaking into his armor.

“Master Casemate, I am afraid the perimeter sensors twelve and thirteen have been triggered.”

“By what?”

“By who appears to be Princess Celestia and a few of her guards.”

Casemate, Edelweiss, and Barbette all stiffened, their ears simultaneously erecting. They seemed to believe that this was dire news, and Luna knew why.

Celestia wasn't nearly as wise or benevolent back then as she was now, and Luna understood this better than most, regrettably. If her elder sister had an enemy that was great enough, Celestia would have had few qualms about destroying him.

And it wasn't a secret that Celestia despised the descendants of Hightower at that time.

“Celestia? Really?” Casemate asked, as if in denial.

“Correct. There is no mistaking her magic signature. Thankfully, she appears to be stopped adjacent to sensor thirteen.” ARTIS replied, speaking through Casemate's armor.

Edelweiss slid down the roof, impacting the ground after an eight foot drop with a roll, moving with urgency. “Casey?” She asked, sounding and looking worried as she began trotting towards him and Barbette.

A familiar glint shone in Casemate's eye as his face hardened. Luna could tell that he already knew what he was going to do.

“Take Barbette into the lab and stay there until I return. I'm going to face her.”

“L-love, I… I don't think that's-”

“The princess is far too close for comfort. If she is looking for me and she knows that we live around here, then she might find you both.” He replied, looking down at Barbette, who was looking up at him with a worried expression. “I have to ensure that she doesn't.”

Edelweiss strode up to her husband, sighing shakily. Luna could see that she knew that he had no choice, but still didn't feel any comfort.

“I know.” The mare admitted, closing her eyes for a moment before opening them again. “Just… Don't kill her if you can avoid it, okay?”

Edelweiss’ concern was very much warranted. Luna recollected how he had come extremely close to ending her older sister’s life at Canterlot.

But Casemate merely nodded, speaking in a calmer tone of voice.

“I won’t. But I will make it very clear to her that I will not have her seeking me out. Now go hide.”

He gave Barbette a final squeeze and leaned towards his wife, giving her a quick kiss on her cheek.

Barbette then walked to her mother’s side, taking hold of her hoof while Casemate shot them an encouraging glance. Then, with a click, his mask slid over his face, his wings extended, and the jets within his armor spooled up.

When the jets had reached a fever pitch, he launched into the air, the wash blowing the leaves and grass away from where he took off. Small, concentrated green flames shot from several of the slots cut into his mechanized wings, indicating where the thrust was being directed.

After he had gone beyond the towering treetops, Casemate changed directions with a precise and graceful rotation before blasting away, his engines howling.

Edelweiss and Barbette both remained where they were for a moment, watching as Casemate quickly disappeared from sight. As the howl of his armor died away, the filly looked worriedly up at her mother, still keeping their hooves together.

“Is dad going to be alright?”

Edelweiss took a deep sigh, looking worried.

“He should…” The mare answered, her voice turning into a faint murmur. “I hope.”

She looked down at her daughter, and tugged lightly.

“Come on, let’s go inside.”

Barbette didn’t object, and together, the pair swiftly trotted towards the cottage, going through the door and closing it behind them. This sequence was over.

It was now just Luna and the Warden, standing quietly and ruminating on what had happened.

Once again, there was a bit to unpack, and the princess found herself in thought.

All in all, this sequence could be summarized as showing just how far Casemate had come since he was a foal. He didn’t just have a loving wife and a beloved child, but he had also proven that he didn’t want Barbette to be as unforgiving as he was.

Again, this was proof that Casemate knew the value of forgiveness… Right?

…

Luna glanced at the Warden, feeling a massive surge of uncertainty.

He was standing there next to her, a respectful distance away. His face was sullen, and she could feel conflicting emotions toiling within his heart.

He didn't seem to know what to feel.

Unease gripped Luna's heart. Just because he knew that forgiveness was beneficial back then didn't mean he felt the same way now.

Guilt and fear of the consequences of her failure pierced Luna's soul. Although the chances of him forgiving her were not entirely out of reach, the odds of him doing otherwise was very much real, especially after what Nightmare Moon did that night…

As this thought occurred to her, a sudden, jarring realization caused her heart to skip a beat.

The night in question was not far off now. The sequence that she had just witnessed occured minutes prior to the Warden's first run-in with Celestia, only a few months before Luna's fall to Nightmare.

The single most pivotal moment in her quest to obtain forgiveness was drawing nearer, and she dreaded it.

Luna's eyes widened, her ears fell, and she drew in a silent, yet sharp breath.

The painful climax of the Warden's tragedy was close at hoof, and Luna had no way of knowing for sure if he would be forgiving or not.

This uncertainty was unbearable, but she did not dare ask him yet.

“Are we ready to move on?” The Warden asked, breaking the silence and drawing Luna's worried gaze.

“Y-” Luna's voice trailed off for a moment as she desperately gathered her scattered emotions and fears in an effort to at least appear focused and calm, although she was doubtful that she was succeeding. “Y-yes. Let us proceed.”

She raised her head, focused her mind as best she could, and mustered all her willpower to move on.

There was too much at stake to simply balk now. She had come too far to turn back, nor could she allow Nightmare Moon another victory, at least not without giving it an honest try.

She shoved her fears aside, albeit barely, but it was enough to allow herself to cast her magic upon the dream. The scene faded into a cloudy mist, and Luna tried to not allow her fear of what was coming next to control her.

But try as she might, she was terrified.