Minutes Earlier…

As soon as Luna left his dream, Casemate felt as if a weight had been lifted. A relatively small weight, at least.

He closed his eyes and filled his lungs with a deep inhalation. He held the air inside for several seconds, before releasing it in an unsteady breath. As he exhaled, he felt some of the emotional and mental strain that had been building within him release, causing him to shudder silently.

It was done.

He looked out into the darkness of his dream, surrounded by nothing more than silence.

Some ponies would have been unsettled by such nothingness, but he found it peaceful.

It was rare for him to even feel a vague semblance of true, silent serenity anymore. After all he had been through, after all he had witnessed, after all he had fought, after all he had lost… He had come to appreciate the peace that came with isolation. Without anypony to drain his willingness to share his time or his thoughts, he was free to reflect on a better, happier time.

But while he could feel calmer than usual by doing so, it was still nothing more than a shadow of the happiness he once had. Like the ponies he loved, actual inner peace was nothing but a memory.

He sighed wistfully, shaking his head as his heart yearned for all he had lost.

It never came naturally to him. Since he was a colt, he lived life underscored by inner unrest, resentment, and anger. He was a little over fifty years old now, and he had spent no more than twelve in a state of fulfillment, following his marriage and the birth of Barb.

Yes, he spent over a decade actually happy and mostly at peace with himself, but looking back, it felt like nothing more than a blink, a flash in a life marked with darkness, bitterness, anger, and grief.

He had always been met with injustice after injustice, and he knew he had every reason to be angry, especially after what Luna allowed to occur.

Even thinking of her name made his blood start to boil, and his undamaged ear became pinned to his head.

While he knew that Luna wasn’t the one who pulled the metaphorical trigger, he felt- No, he knew that if she wasn’t so weak, it would not have happened. He had good reason to hold on to his anger and rage, she said so herself. Anypony would agree.

…

Almost anypony.

…

His angry thoughts paused momentarily, before a feeling of regret dampened the heat inside.

How could he think that way when Edelweiss stood against it?

Even after she poured out her tale of how her own bitterness almost became her undoing, and how hard she tried to help him move on from his past, how could he just revert to his default?

Casemate felt a familiar tightness in his throat as his thoughts dwelled upon the mare he loved.

He saw and felt what peace and fulfillment was like in a life without bitterness and suffering because of her. For a few fleeting years, he was happy…

He could practically see her face again… That pure, white fur, warm and soft… Her flowing, curling golden mane and tail… Those sapphire eyes that just drew his attention, sparkling and full of adoration… The mare that he belonged to in body and soul, the only mare he could ever love like that…

He hated disappointing her. She deserved better, at least in his eyes.

So after letting his anger decide to withhold forgiveness from his father, he vowed to never let her down again, a promise that he doubled down on when Barbette came along.

When she was born, it was like a switch had been flipped within him. He had become a father, and it was up to him to be everything that Bastion should have been. He needed to be better, not just for his wife, but for the good of the child, so that she didn’t have to suffer like he did.

Where Edel had instilled the reasoning why he needed to let go of his anger, it was Barb who drove the point home. If he was uncompassionate to another again, Edelweiss would be disappointed, sure. But even worse, Barbette would see it and would risk taking after his poor example.

He couldn’t allow that to happen, at any cost. He loved her far too much.

He envisioned the bluish-gray filly, her precious green eyes and her wavy silver mane and tail as well… She was so innocent compared to him, and yet, she was a part of him. She was so full of life and a commitment to duty, he couldn’t bear the thought of her falling into anger and resentment like himself.

…

And so he was torn between holding his anger, and letting go.

Even after all Luna did, even with all the reasons he had to withhold his forgiveness, and even with his tendency to hold resentment, he couldn’t bring himself to refuse outright when the princess first asked.

He knew it wasn’t what they would have wanted.

But he couldn’t forgive the princess either.

He didn’t know what to do. Either do the natural thing and remain angry, or make the unthinkable but better choice, and forgive her.

He realized he needed to look back into his past, and with Luna present, he knew she could facilitate that.

In spite of all his anger, deep down in his heart, he remembered what his wife and child stood for. They probably would have forgiven her. Who was to say that he couldn’t?

So he gave Luna a chance, or rather, gave himself a chance to look back and choose what he would do.

…

But no amount of reflection could change the harsh reality of his circumstances, would it?

Edelweiss and Barbette were gone, and Luna bore much of the blame. No debate.

Yet again, rage boiled in Casemate’s heart.

Princess Luna… She let them be taken. She decided to give up at the worst possible time, and his family bore the cost!

His jaw tightened, and he clenched his eyes shut as he gave a low, guttural growl.

For a few seconds, he fell back into his anger and bitterness, as he often did.

It was beyond unjust, what was done to them. Sure, Luna was sorry now, but what good was a late apology? For him, it changed little, if anything at all. His wife and child were still going to be gone. Without them, he was still going to be broken, angry, and hopeless.

Casemate shook his head, snorting angrily.

Why even bother forgiving her? All her sorrow and shame was no less than she deserved. Her negligence led to the demise of an innocent mare and her foal.

She broke him, and she destroyed them. Luna needed to feel each and every ounce of sorrow and suffering she had until the end of her days.

That was why even after seeing all Edelweiss did to teach him compassion, and seeing how far forgiveness went towards creating a brighter future, he still said no.

There was no way to restore things to how they once were. His anger remained, unlike his loved ones.

That was his justification, and he was set to die on that hill.

…

But as the seconds passed, his anger began to fade. There was one nagging doubt that kept him from being fully accepting of his choice.

What Luna said before she walked out… She said that there was still a pony who looked up to him.

He knew right away who she was referring to.

A filly who reminded him of a time when he had a sense of fulfillment, when he still had Edelweiss and Barbette to protect, foster, and love as his own. A filly who had reawakened a set of fatherly instincts that he had thought was long dead.

If Luna was telling the truth, which she always did, then this filly was looking up to him. Like it or not, he was a role model again, for a filly who reminded him of Barbette, after a fashion.

She was very young, brimming with potential and spirit. She was also genuinely good at heart, which was proven time and again while he was bringing her back to her home…

Although this wasn’t enough for him to forgive Luna, he did feel a bit unsure of his choice. As his anger faded and he opened his eyes, he felt worry within.

In the deepest recesses of his broken heart, he hoped above all else that he wasn’t leading Apple Bloom down a path similar to his own.

He was not sure how he could live with himself if he did.

Author's Note

Thus ends Part 3. Things didn't turn out how you probably hoped, and things did end on a bleak note.

But in case you haven't figured out yet, the tale of the Warden is not over. He still has to find out how his choice will affect Apple Bloom.

Of course, Luna has to contend with the Tantabus as well, which as we all likely know, doesn't quite remain within her control.

So stay tuned for the next few months, as Part 4: Reckoning of the Warden, will be on its way soon.

Cheers,
FL