The Warden: Part 3, Dream of the Warden

When Luna restored the natural passage of time to the dream, her ears were immediately met by the sound of Celestia weeping quietly. Just as before, Luna's sister sat in the middle of the shaft of moonlight that was being let in through the hole in the ceiling, her head hung low and shimmering tears dripping from her cheeks.

Although the feeling of determination that was spawned from her conversation with Nightmare still resonated strongly within, Luna felt her heart sink low.

She was never the best at expressing it, but it pained her immensely to see her sister like this, even more so to understand the reason why.

“Luna… Why did this happen? Why did I treat you so poorly?”

Celestia’s voice held a frailty and a deep emotion that Luna had almost never heard from her before. Celestia was so good at being cheery and warm, as well as putting up a facade of happiness when she really wasn't.

Celestia raised her head, her mane and tail billowing gently in the breeze among the shards of broken glass and stone rubble.

Luna followed her gaze, and her eyes fell upon the two thrones, and the torn tapestry hanging immediately behind it.

She remembered it well. It once depicted her and Celestia flying around Equus, using the sun and moon to strike a celestial balance. But now it was torn right down the middle, an ironic display of how the sisters’ relationship had deteriorated.

Luna’s heart ached, and she began to feel tears welling up from within, a result of the deep, genuine sadness that had been brought about by the sight.

With all her heart, Luna wished that she had never allowed Nightmare Moon to do what she did.

Of course, temporarily and violently severing the connection with her sister paled in comparison with what Nightmare did to the Warden and his family.

The Princess of the Night sighed, barely suppressing her tears as she looked over at the Warden.

He remained more or less where he was before, watching Celestia with a stoic expression, as was expected. But his innermost feelings were still perceptible to Luna.

There was an odd mixture of emotions within him, behind those piercing emerald eyes.

There was anger, of course, but… It wasn't directed at her for once. There was also a sense of pity, and sadness as well, emotions that he seemed to have locked away deep in his soul.

Luna understood why, for she felt somewhat similarly about Celestia from time to time. She was the one who had inadvertently created a ripe opportunity for Nightmare Moon to arise, after all.

There was no denying it, for the Princess of the Sun knew it.

“I caused this.” Celestia sniffed, only confirming this fact. “Now you have succumbed, and I… I cannot bring you back.”

As Celestia hung her head in despair once again, Luna felt a slight heat build within her soul as she recalled everything that had been done to push her towards the breaking point.

Luna felt angry, remembering Celestia's vain need for attention and worship, her pettiness, her abuse of authority… But most of all, Luna was angry at Celestia’s manipulations and slights against her, done whenever she felt that Luna was getting more praise and adoration than she was…

Luna's nostrils flared slightly and her ears became pinned at the memories of how Celestia would shut her out of the limelight, how she would set her up for failure, and how she gaslighted Luna into thinking that she wasn’t meant to outshine her older sister…

And all to simply ensure that she remained the popular one.

Luna did nothing to deserve such treatment, and yet, she suffered because of Celestia’s past pride...

Then, the sound of heavy, metallic hoofsteps fell upon Luna’s ears, drawing her out of her thoughts.

The Warden was already looking through a battered doorway leading into a darkened corridor, and Celestia stopped crying almost immediately, knowing that she was no longer alone.

It was going to be the Warden’s past self, Luna already knew. Through her foggy memories of watching the world from within Nightmare, she vaguely recalled a scene much like this one…

In fact…

Luna glanced upwards at the ceiling, and sure enough, she could see something that did not belong among the darkened and splintered rafters high above. It was barely perceivable, but she knew what to look for: A miasma of purple mist, tucked away into a darkened corner.

It was Nightmare Moon, watching stealthily from above in her ethereal form. Thankfully, this was nothing more than a visage from the past, not Nightmare’s present self.

Still, Luna’s anger melted away as she began to remember what she was able to witness and retain of this impending encounter between Casemate and Celestia. She could only recall fragments, not quite being able to observe everything while she was trapped inside of Nightmare, which she attributed to Nightmare’s deliberate efforts to shut her away.

That said, Luna realized that perhaps for the first time, she was going to be able to see the full context of this sequence, and why it was so significant to the Warden. Luna put away her remaining anger in favor of a questioning and observant behavior, and she watched in interest.

The hoofsteps grew closer, clunking on the stone floor and crunching the smaller chunks of debris as an electric green glow began to illuminate the dark corridor.

Then Casemate, fully clad in his mechanical, metal armor, strode through the door, calmly and deliberately walking towards the center of the room, where Celestia now stood, still facing away.

It was a striking scene, that much was certain. Casemate, wearing his shining, gleaming armor in the pale moonlight, with his green visors providing an eerie glow as he faced Celestia, who was also looking rather brilliant in the moonbeam in spite of her current dirtiness, her mane and tail billowing and sparkling in a captivating way.

There was a long silence, perhaps a minute or so. Then, Celestia spoke in a tone that sounded conflicted between mock irritation and sadness, still refusing to look at him while she tried her best to bury her true distress.

“Well? What is it?”

“I'm wondering why you aren't saving your kingdom.” Casemate replied bluntly.

Luna watched Celestia visibly flinch in surprise, and she turned around to face him, shock and even a bit of indignation showing in her purple eyes.

It had to have been yet another unpleasant shock to her system. First, Celestia had to deal with Nightmare Moon, and now one of her enemies had dropped by for a surprise visit when she was at her lowest.

They both stared at each other in somber silence, and Celestia’s gaze hardened.

“Why are you here?” She asked strongly, her past haughtiness resurfacing. “Have you come to mock me?”

Casemate shook his head. “No. But I am not here to provide words of comfort either.”

“Is that so?” Celestia retorted, looking down her snout at him. “I should have known that you would break our arrangement so soon.”

The mention of the arrangement caused Luna to pause and recollect what Celestia had told her about her prior defeat by the Warden. It was during their first meeting, the one that would have immediately followed the prior sequence that must have resulted in the arrangement; One that was essentially an accord to leave each other alone.

Despite the anger burning against her sister’s past deeds, Luna could understand why Celestia felt this way. After all, Casemate did just walk in on her unannounced.

“Hm.” Casemate grunted. “I would have thought that these were extenuating circumstances. The sun set less than an hour after it rose. Now it is noon, and it looks like midnight out there.”

Celestia’s face seemed to shift ever so slightly towards discomfort upon hearing the Warden’s observation. It was subtle, but not subtle enough to be hidden from Luna.

“I will be taking care of the situation shortly, Warden.” Celestia said, her tone and body language indicating increased unease as he began to probe the cause of the lengthened night. “I shall set things right. There is no need for your interference.”

Now the big question was why Celestia was trying to downplay the scenario. Most other ponies, specifically those who knew how Celestia behaved in the past, would have assumed that it was either out of a need to save face or deny Casemate the honor of saving Equestria from Nightmare Moon.

If it were a different scenario, Luna would have concluded as such. But this night marked a massive change not just for herself, but for her older sister as well.

There was a very real chance that Celestia was trying to protect Luna from Casemate. She didn’t know that he was any different from his father, unwilling to kill if it could be avoided.

Luna felt a sense of realization. She was witnessing the moment that Celestia’s behavior began to change for the better, and her true selflessness and genuine love for Luna was beginning to show.

Meanwhile, Casemate looked around at the devastated room, then at the Elements of Harmony laying on the floor. He gave an audible sigh, almost sounding like a disappointed father who had caught his child in a lie.

“Nothing you just said was true, was it?” He asked, putting his thoughts into words. “You are clearly distraught, and incapable of lying properly. Tell me the truth.”

This seemed to break the wall that Celestia had put up. She breathed in deeply and shakily, averting her gaze for the first time, finally dispelling her perceived control over the conversation.

“It's my sister. She…”

The words died in her throat as she inhaled sharply, shaking her head.

“She finally cracked.” The Warden said, finishing her sentence. “There was no way she was going to tolerate your treatment of her for much longer.”

Ouch.

Casemate was never one to mince words when it came to calling out the shortcomings of the royal sisters, but Luna knew that one in particular had to have hurt Celestia, given that for a brief moment, the Princess of the Sun clenched her jaw and tensed up

But as the bitter truth set in, Celestia gave a deep, heaving sigh, admitting that he was correct.

After allowing his words to process, Casemate continued. “I see you've brought the Elements of Harmony out.” He remarked, looking down at the six gemstones laying scattered on the floor, beside the mechanism that once housed them. “Yet, your sister is now at large and is still a major danger to Equestria.”

This pointed observation found its mark.

“I- I did confront her!” Celestia retorted defensively. “I pulled out the Elements of Harmony and tried to stop her! But…”

Her voice faded away momentarily, and she drew in a breath, the transition from anger and indignation to sadness and shame finally reaching completion.

“Well, she- I- I could not bring myself to do it.”

Luna felt a pang go through her heart as she heard this admission. She remembered how Celestia had tried to banish her to the moon moments after Nightmare Moon first manifested, an hour or two before this very sequence. She vaguely recalled Celestia ultimately failing to do so during this first attempt, but not much else. However, not long after Luna’s return a few years prior, Celestia fill in some of the gaps, including this reason why she did not banish her in their first confrontation.

“Do what? Kill her?” Casemate asked pointedly, jolting Luna out of her thoughts.

Celestia’s jaw opened slightly as she was left legitimately speechless for a second.

“What?! No! Why would I try to kill my own sister?”

“Perhaps because she is now threatening the lives of all in Equestria.” Casemate replied coldly.

“I- No, no, no! She might have fallen, but she is still my sister.” Celestia said frantically. “Killing her is out of the question!”

Luna’s heart hurt once again to hear Celestia’s genuinely pained tone. In spite of how much wrong that she had done, Celestia’s drive to love and protect was beginning to take hold. She loved Luna, even then…

“With these, I have the ability to banish her without causing her harm.” Celestia continued, motioning to the scattered Elements of Harmony. “This is the only way I can fix this.”

Luna understood all too well that this was true. By sending her to the moon, Celestia gave her plenty of time to reflect and think, away from the threat posed by the Warden…

Casemate only shook his head slightly.

“But you could not bring yourself to do even that, could you?” He asked, his tone direct.

Celestia only nodded once, averting her gaze.

“You do realize that if you don't resolve this, I will have to step in and deal with her in my own way, right?” Casemate asked, his tone turning more solemn.

“I forbid you from doing such a thing.” Celestia immediately retorted, audibly shaken now.

“Princess, surely you realize that Equestria's fate lies in the balance?”

Celestia did not reply right away. She instead turned around to face the two vacant thrones, deeply lost in her turmoil and thought.

The silence was deafening for Luna, who knew that many thoughts were ringing loud within her sister’s mind.

Eventually Celestia responded, quietly and softly.

“Yes.”

“Then why hesitate and allow her to escape?” Casemate asked, his relentless, pointed questioning finally pushing Celestia to her breaking point.

“Because this is my fault!” Celestia cried out, the remains of her facade and pride giving way to the torrent of emotions and guilt that had been building up for far too long. “I did this to her! I held her down, I kept her from getting the respect and love of her subjects that she deserved, because I let my pride overcome me!”

Luna’s eyes began to feel the familiar sensation of tears welling up as Celestia reached what was perhaps the biggest moment of growth that she had ever experienced.

“If there is a pony who deserves to be punished, it is me, not my dear sister!” Celestia continued, her voice beginning to crack.

A tear fell down Luna’s cheek, as her heartache increased. She thought back to a few minutes prior, when she was feeling angry at Celestia’s prior manipulations and pettiness. A deep wave of shame crossed her soul as this moment brutally drove the fact home that from this moment on, Celestia knew that what she had done was very, very wrong. She blamed herself for Luna’s fall, understandably.

But Celestia didn’t deserve Luna’s anger, not anymore…

Yes, Luna knew beforehand, since Celestia apologized to her shortly after Nightmare Moon’s defeat by Twilight and her friends, and it moved her deeply. She knew that Celestia was truly sorry, and she could see the results of Celestia’s genuine change of heart. Celestia was benevolent when she returned, as well as wise, kind, humble, and even motherly… All things that Luna never could have expected from her older sister, given her past behavior.

That was a major reason why Luna still loved Celestia. Although she was still having difficulties publicly owning up to her mistakes, Celestia did learn and change.

As if mirroring Luna’s own sadness, Celestia gave a trembling sigh as a few tears of her own fell, glistening in the pale moonlight.

“But now I have to choose between banishing her or allowing you to kill her.” She murmured, her heartbreak clearly audible in her voice. “Surely you can understand my hesitance?”

Luna sniffed and wiped her nose, trying to focus on what Casemate would say in response. This was an important crossroads for him, that much was very clear.

He had been driven into a corner by her fall to Nightmare Moon. The stakes were far too high for him to not consider taking drastic and permanent measures.

But Luna was still alive, which meant that despite the situation, he still found another way, something that Bastion would have never done.

“I do.” He answered with a nod, his voice softening. “Plus, it seems as if you have finally come to grips with the folly of your ways.”

A faint sense of relief and happiness dulled Luna’s sadness when Casemate made the choice that she was hoping he would.

“However, your admittance to being at fault is not enough to stop Nightmare Moon.” He added, his remark causing Luna to pause.

Did he just… Say that Celestia was at fault for Nightmare Moon?

Luna understood why he could think that was the case, given how she was treated by Celestia in the years leading up to this point. But Luna felt as if most of the blame rested on herself, rather than her older sister.

Regardless, the thing that stood out to her was the fact that, at least in his own words, Casemate seemed to believe that Celestia was the one largely at fault, not Luna…

She glanced sideways at the Warden, and her thoughts began to center around him as he watched the scene.

The thought that he didn’t entirely blame her for succumbing to Nightmare was a bit comforting.

Of course, the attack at Canterlot suggested that mindset had likely changed.

Luna felt the small sense of hope that had just arisen sink away as she shifted her focus back on Celestia. Still, the idea that he didn’t fully blame her at one point did resonate within her.

“I know.” Celestia said, shaking her head and answering Casemate’s question. “But I'm not certain I can bring this to an end.”

“I have far too much at stake to sit idly by as Nightmare Moon threatens the future of all ponykind.” Casemate said, stepping forward. “If you want to save Equestria and your sister, you are going to have to use the Elements of Harmony on her.”

Celestia nodded, her gaze having fallen in defeat. Casemate had been telling her truth after harsh truth, and she had finally let down her stubbornness.

“If I seek her out and banish her, will you please not hurt her?” Asked Celestia, her voice softer than it ever was before.

Casemate remained silent, and Luna could practically see him thinking beneath the armor. What he would say here would likely determine not just Luna’s fate, but how exactly the relationship between the Wardens and Celestia would go from this point onwards. All could be well, if he just found it in his heart to be compassionate, and make the right choice.

Then, after a long, thoughtful silence, he finally spoke.

“As long as you find her before the time at which the sun would normally rise tomorrow morning, I will not hunt her down.” He answered firmly.

Again, Luna felt a small sense of hope and even admiration. Not only was he taking a chance on Celestia in order to save Luna, but he was being understanding and giving Celestia another chance to set things right, something that his father certainly would never have done.

In a way, she owed her restoration back to her true self to his choice to give Celestia a second chance…

In doing so, he saved her.

As this full realization dawned on Luna, she felt her heart jolt as the ramifications of Casemate’s choice sunk in.

Her turquoise eyes widened in disbelief, and she looked at the Warden standing a short distance away. He appeared the same way as before, blue fur, solid build, solemn, stoic expression…

But Luna was seeing him in a whole new light, and as her thoughts and emotions raced, time slowed to a crawl.

In a way, he was her savior.

There was a very real chance that if he hadn’t granted Celestia another chance to banish her that night, he could done the only logical thing to do, which would have been to track Nightmare Moon down and destroy her, along with Luna.

But he didn’t. Why?

Was it his experiences with Edelweiss and Barbette, who taught him to be more forgiving and kind?

Was it the need to avoid following in the hoofsteps of his father that motivated him to do so?

Perhaps, but what was the catalyst that initiated the biggest change in his life, which in turn led to his growth leading to this crucial point?

It was Luna.

Things had gone full circle.

Luna blinked as it all came together.

It all started so long ago, in that dream when Casemate was a struggling colt, desperate to escape the fate being presented to him by Bastion. Luna gave him hope, showed him that a better destiny awaited him, and enabled him to act.

She was why he escaped his father.

She was why he went to Halterburg to live with his aunt.

She was why he met Edelweiss.

She was why he found his purpose.

She was why he married the love of his life.

She was why he became the Warden.

She was why he fathered a filly he loved.

And Luna was why he found it in his heart to try and save her.

…

Casemate wasn’t just being compassionate to Celestia, he was trying to save Luna, who was his own savior, in a way…

It was Luna’s own love and compassion that enabled him to make an unthinkable choice: To approach Celestia; his greatest foe, and give her another chance to save Luna.

He owed everything good in his life to Luna, and now, she realized that everything good in her life post-Nightmare Moon was owed to him.

…

She shook her head slightly, her thoughts shifting to a new question.

How did she not realize this before?

Of course, Nightmare Moon had likely tampered with her ability to remember. It didn’t help that Celestia had never told her…

Why?

In the meantime, the sequence continued onwards, and Celestia’s whole expression softened, as did her gaze. For the first time, her eyes glimmered with hope and gratitude, in stark contrast to the utter disdain that she had held against Casemate just a few minutes earlier.

“Thank you.” She said quietly, drawing Luna out of her stupor.

The Warden nodded in a silent reply, acknowledging her thanks. Then, he spoke.

“Furthermore, if you succeed, can we put our feud behind us? It is pointless.”

Luna felt her heart swell a bit further to see him offer an olive branch. Casemate had come so far, far enough to make an effort to compromise with his rival and offer peace.

Celestia seemed stunned that he had just suggested that. He was offering to put an end to generations of bad blood between his ancestors and the throne, seemingly out of the blue.

But Celestia’s rationality prevailed.

“Of course.” She answered softly.

Casemate gave a single, swift nod.

“Good.”

Celestia did not respond, and Casemate seemed to sense that the exchange was over. He turned away, his armor clicking and clacking as he began to stride towards the door, his green visors illuminating the space ahead of him.

Celestia watched him walk away, standing silently in the moonlight. Her eyes still showed an immense amount of sadness, but she did carry herself a little higher than before.

Still, she looked very uncertain, and Luna felt it like a kick to the gut. Celestia knew that she had another chance to save Luna and Equestria, but she still didn’t seem convinced that she could do it.

Before Casemate made it to the threshold, he paused, as if sensing her deep unease. He stood for a moment, frozen in place, thinking.

Then, he gave a deep, quiet sigh, as if telling himself that he needed to offer more support.

He turned his face towards Celestia, and his next words were not what Luna was expecting.

“You have the strength to follow through with this, Celestia.” He assured her, his tone having softened more than it ever had since he first walked in.

This time, Luna felt her heart jump. Did he really say that?

He really did just take his newfound compassion another step further, and encouraged Celestia, his former enemy!

And it worked. There was no doubt that his words were exactly what Celestia needed to hear.

“You… Think so?” Celestia asked hesitantly.

“I know so.” Casemate replied. “Luna is the only family you have, and you will go above and beyond to protect her.”

Casemate placed a hoof on his chest with a clunk, conveying his earnesty despite having his face obscured.

“I am a father and a husband, and I would do the same to protect my family.”

Casemate remained where he stood for a moment. Then he faced away once more, and with his rhythmic, metal hoofsteps, he walked out the way he came, leaving the scene.

While he walked away into the darkness, Luna’s mind revolved around one word that he had spoken:

Family.

That word immediately shattered any and all feelings of warmth and positivity in Luna’s heart as the hard reminder of what Nightmare Moon was about to do caused her insides to twist.

A maelstrom of thoughts barraged her as this final quote landed upon her ears, and the reality of the oncoming, cruel twist suddenly made it so much worse…

Luna saved him, and in turn, he ultimately saved her…

But Luna allowed Nightmare Moon to stab him in the back in the worst way possible, taking all that she gave him.

She froze, paralyzed by this realization. All of a sudden, she understood why Celestia hadn’t made any mention of his choice to not immediately destroy Nightmare.

Celestia was sparing her from the guilt that she was only just now realizing.

Her heart was already wrecked because of the knowledge of what Nightmare did, and her guilt was already nigh unbearable.

But this?

This context outright shattered her soul.

After all Casemate did for her, she enabled Nightmare to take his family…

“N-No…” She uttered softly, her ears low and her eyes moistening.

She understood now.

She allowed Nightmare to do much more than just destroy a family. She betrayed Casemate, without even realizing it.

Luna drew a quavering breath, realizing her wings were shaking as well. She clamped them tightly against her slender body, trying to bring her emotions back under control.

But she felt sick to her stomach, and her insides felt like they had fallen into a pit.

This was worse. Far worse than she had ever imagined.

While she grappled with the full context of the Warden’s tragedy, Celestia spoke one last time, drawing her gaze.

“Oh, dear, dear sister…” Celestia whispered quietly, turning to the split tapestry behind the thrones. “I know what I must do. I will find you, and I will banish you. That way, no harm will befall you, and I can start making amends for what I have done. But most importantly, I will be able to see you again some day…”

Celestia sniffed and began to cry once more, and Luna felt her own tears surge up yet again as the sequence drew to a close.

It was so ironic. While this moment was Celestia’s crucial moment of change that would ultimately lead to her transformation from tyrant to gentle leader, the moment of Luna’s worst failure was fast approaching. While Celestia’s moment ended on a hopeful note, Luna felt a bleakness unlike any other.

Any hope of him forgiving her was now pretty much nonexistent, and the next sequence was going to be the one she dreaded.

Luna breathed deeply and forcefully, closing her eyes as she felt an onslaught of paralyzing fear and guilt overwhelm her.

More so than any time before, her fear was on the very cusp of convincing her to abandon the dream.

Luna had come so far. She was so close to the end! She had to prove Nightmare wrong, no matter how afraid she was of reopening her most traumatic memories.

But thoughts alone were not going to be enough to compel her to follow through. Her heart felt like it was going to burst out of her chest as the panic attack fully set in, and her soul cried out in desperation for relief from the oncoming anguish.

Out of desperation, she began to repeat a phrase in her mind, trying hard to find the strength to continue.

“I must do it, I must do it, I must do it, I must-”

She was unaware that she was murmuring these words out loud.

But she did become aware when the Warden’s deep voice fell upon her ears.

“I don’t want to see it again, either.”

Luna’s ears twitched, and her watery eyes opened as she looked at him.

He was not looking directly at her, facing forwards like he had been for much of the sequence. But his tone was… Very different.

It wasn't laced with anger or mingled with the blunt, rough undertone that he often used with her, although she could sense that he was trying to come across as such.

But beneath the stoicism, she heard a hint of understanding mixed with sadness.

This came as a shock, enough of a shock for her to break from her descent into fear.

“What?” Luna sniffed, her tone showing no small amount of disbelief.

The Warden sighed through his nose, and for the first time, the sadness that he had been holding in was allowed to surface. His face relaxed, his ear fell, and his head lowered, as did his gaze.

“I am afraid too. But I need to see it again…”

Luna could not help but stare for a few seconds, not quite able to bring herself to believe that she was seeing and hearing him correctly.

Was he being genuine?

The princess paused to feel his emotions, enabling her to focus on him, rather than herself.

To her slight surprise, he wasn’t angry like he was before. Yes, the anger was still present, but it felt unfocused, as if he were unable to find a direction for it. There was also no small amount of sadness and apprehension which clashed with the directionless anger, which resulted in an inner turmoil that Luna could easily perceive.

He was conflicted on how to feel.

This stuck out to Luna. Previously, his anger had been clearly directed at her. After her failure to contain Nightmare, which resulted in a loss that even she could barely comprehend, it was only natural that he would feel rage toward her.

But something had changed. The anger that she sensed within him wasn’t directed mainly at her, unlike before.

Did this mean…?

Luna didn’t dare bring her hopes up, not after the crushing realization that she had wronged him after he had spared her.

But still, the fact remained that he was clearly unsure of how to feel, in stark contrast to earlier.

Something else stuck out to Luna as well; his choice of words.

He said he needed to see it again.

Luna's thoughts drifted back to that rooftop in Halterburg, many sequences ago, when Casemate and Edelweiss were foals, opening up to each other.

She recalled that moment when a thought occurred to her that made her question the Warden's true purpose behind having her replay all these critical moments from his life. At first, Luna thought that the only possible reason was to show her firsthoof all that he had undergone leading up to the tragedy.

But when the theme of forgiveness arose again and again, Luna began to wonder if he was doing this for his own clarity, rather than her own.

Of course, she did not dare bring it up before, but now there was no reason to.

He confirmed it, and he was being genuine.

Casemate was many things, but Luna knew he was not a liar. If that wasn't enough, then the look in his eyes and the deep feeling of helplessness within him only left room for the truth.

Was he being vulnerable? To her?

As this possibility began to register in her mind, the immense dread and fear within her began to wane.

Her eyes remained locked with his, and as a few more seconds passed, Luna finally seemed to grasp it.

He was doing this for himself! He was seeking clarity, perhaps to better prepare to make the decision on whether or not to forgive her!

He was not doing this to torment her, even if she felt as if she deserved it!

Within her chest, Luna felt her heart flutter as a wave of assurance washed over her. The Warden, while angry, was not a monster. He wasn't playing with her, nor was he going out of his way to crush her.

No. Just like his younger self, he was genuinely good. A kind soul who had lost his way after Luna failed him in the worst possible way, but managed to keep his head above the mire of hatred and rage that threatened to forever warp his heart.

And he was depending on her ability to manipulate the dream realm to gain enough clairvoyance to make a choice.

He needed her, and she was not going to fail him again.

Luna finally blinked and broke eye contact, turning aside as she wiped her tears away.

She was still afraid. She was not ready to face her failure again.

But in spite of the crushing weight of her past and her deepest fears, that same flicker of hope that had managed to persist all this time reignited.

If he was still trying to make a decision, then there was still a chance he would do the unimaginable, and forgive her. And now that she had been reminded that he was depending on her to do so, her heart began to smolder with determination once more, defying the darkness.

On top of that, Celesta, Twilight and her friends, Cadence, and all of Equestria were depending on her ability to defy Nightmare Moon.

Yes, Luna was terrified and feeling crushed. But she had too many reasons to not allow her guilt to rule her actions.

She had to do it, no matter how hard it was going to be.

For her friends, for Celestia, for herself…

And for Casemate.

Luna said nothing as her horn began to glow, and she took a trembling breath as a single tear fell down her cheek.

She looked at the Warden, and she saw something else that she had never seen from him before…

A look of gratitude.

He was not likely to admit it, but that look on his face was unmistakable.

As the dreamscape began to shift, for a brief moment, Luna felt a semblance of peace in her heart.

Even if the outcome was still unknown, and even if what she was about to watch would cause her shame and guilt to explode in intensity…

She knew that she was doing the right thing, and that was what mattered most.