//------------------------------//
// Chapter 15: The Warden 
// Story: The Warden: Part 3, Dream of the Warden 
// by FortressLegacy 
//------------------------------//

When the dreamscape ceased to swirl, Luna saw that they were now in a cavernous chamber, surrounded by equipment and technology that were far ahead of their time. The space was quite vast, surrounded completely by stone, save for a portion of the ceiling which was accessible via a stairway, leading to what Luna presumed to be a trapdoor leading out.

Numerous computers, machining equipment, and other devices unidentifiable to Luna occupied the space, but none of these were nearly as prominent as the massive device at the center of it all. It appeared to be a massive column of metal, wires, and control panels, reaching from the floor to the ceiling of the chamber.

Near this colossal machine stood Bastion, Casemate, and Edelweiss. The latter was looking up at it in awe while Bastion explained it to her.

“That’s the Gatekeeper.” He said, still holding his deep tone. “It houses the capacium reactor that powers everything in here and harnesses cosmic energy to manipulate the barrier between our world and countless others.”

Edelweiss turned her gaze back down to look at her father in law with a stunned look. “Other… Worlds?” She asked, unable to summon other words at the moment.

Bastion nodded. “Yes, unbelievable as it is.”

“W-what are those other worlds like?”

“Oh, I’ve never been to any other worlds.” Bastion admitted. “In fact, I use the Gatekeeper to block connections from forming with other worlds. There’s no telling what dangers lurk on the other side.”

Edelweiss nodded, her expression showing that while she didn’t quite fully understand, she was still listening.

“What’s a reactor?”

“Well, the short answer is that it is a machine that extracts the cosmic energy from capacium.” Bastion summarizes. “It heats the capacium until it reaches a molten state, and captures the immense energy that is released as a result.”

Edelweiss nodded again, trying to grasp it all. Given how she was an orphan who was once living on the streets of Halterburg, her amazement was understandable.

Bastion paused, then continued.

“Of course, handling that sort of energy is no easy feat. It takes precision, complexity, and a lot of shielding to protect ourselves from the raw power being contained.”

Edelweiss’ eyes shot to the Gatekeeper, then back at Bastion. A look of concern crossed her face, and she backed away slightly from the device.

“…Is it dangerous?” She asked tentatively.

“Only if the energy breaches the containment.” Bastion assured. “It would take a phenomenal amount of force to cause enough damage to allow a leak to occur.”

“...What would happen if it did leak, though?”

“I don’t know for sure, since it hasn’t happened.” Bastion admitted. “But ARTIS has theorized that the energy would likely tear open portals to other worlds in an explosive manner, but only for a second or two.” Bastion explained, his tone turning grim. “There’s also the effects of such energy on the equine body, but what exactly they are is unknown, thankfully.”

“But… We’re safe here at the moment?”

Bastion nodded. “Yes, yes. As long as you don’t mess with the controls, you are perfectly safe.”

Edelweiss relaxed slightly, looking at Casemate then back at his father. She looked as if she wanted to ask more questions, but she seemed hesitant.

“You have more questions?” Bastion asked, having caught on.

“More than I should ask…” Edelweiss said with an apologetic smile. “I don’t want to be a bother and keep you down here all day.”

Bastion scoffed quietly, before speaking in his powerful voice.

“Well, if you are afraid of inconveniencing me, you can always ask ARTIS. He can go on for days.” He remarked, glancing upwards. “Isn’t that right, ARTIS?”

A pleasant, artificial male voice replied from seemingly every corner of the cavern. “Boredom and irritation are beyond my grasp, master Bastion. I can take Miss Edelweiss’ questions indefinitely.”

Edelweiss let out a single laugh that had bubbled up upon hearing the AI’s response.

“Then would you mind taking her questions for me for a little while?” Bastion asked.

“I can do that.” ARTIS replied. “Come along, Miss Edelweiss. I shall explain everything you wish to know to the best of my ability.”

Edelweiss seemed to be relieved to be able to ask questions freely, and she began to wander off, conversing with the AI as she gazed upon the rows of equipment and machines, leaving Bastion and Casemate standing together.

Any subtle indications of happiness that Bastion had as a result of interacting with Edelweiss faded away as he stood there, and Luna began to sense that Bastion had passed her off to ARTIS for a reason.

Both stallions watched Edelweiss eagerly examine the various machines and ask quickfire questions to the AI, and both adopted serious looks. The atmosphere between them had grown heavy, and a bit tense.

Finally, Bastion glanced sideways at Casemate. 

“She is a good mare, son. Willing to learn and to follow you wherever you go.” He murmured. “She’s similar to your mother, in those regards.”

Casemate looked at his father from the side of his eye, stone faced and tense. “Yes.” He replied bluntly, looking back towards his wife, barely acknowledging his father.

An uncomfortable silence fell over the pair, and Bastion’s face took on a remorseful expression.

Luna felt her heartstrings pull a little. She had felt angry towards Bastion earlier, but now she just felt sorrow for his plight. He was sorry for what he did, but his own son didn’t seem to want to have anything to do with him…

The older stallion sighed, and he looked uncomfortable.

“Casemate, I… Uh… I know you’re angry at me, for how I drove you into the ground.” He said hesitantly. “But just let me say that I am proud of you, even though I am not the reason for your successes.”

“That’s a first coming from you.” Casemate replied bitterly.

“I know, and I deserve your spite.” Bastion replied somberly. “That still doesn’t change the fact that you’ve become a better stallion than me, or that you are my son. I’m still going to be proud of what you have accomplished, no matter how you think.”

Casemate didn’t respond right away. His brow furrowed slightly in thought as he processed his father’s words.

“That fight on the rooftop…” Bastion continued, shaking his head. “I cannot describe the realizations that I felt when you put yourself on the line for her, showing complete selflessness, courage, and skill.”

Bastion looked at his son more earnestly, his partially missing ear in particular.

“You were willing to rip your ear off and potentially lose the fight in order to save her. That alone was reason enough for me to realize that you were perhaps better off away from me.”

This was met with a sideways glance from Casemate.

“What an understatement.”

Bastion's eyes met his son’s, and Luna saw that Casemate's remark had hurt him. His mouth was in a frown, and his expression was one of regret.

“I- Well, it's true, son.” Bastion said in a subdued manner. “I was trying so hard to mold you into what I considered a perfect warden, not really caring about your own well being in the process. Worst of all, you did nothing wrong. I got angry because of how your mother died, and took it out on you because I somehow thought that if I could turn you into what I thought I should have been, then maybe I could be at peace. It was a twisted way of thought.”

His chest momentarily swelled as he sighed heavily, and he shook his head. He put a hoof to his face, and rubbed his eyelids.

“There was no excuse for how I treated you, son. None.”

Casemate didn't say anything in reply upon hearing this, to Luna's relief. At least he didn't make a derogatory remark as before. In fact, he looked towards Edelweiss again, and while his face was still hardened, he was thinking.

Bastion followed his son’s gaze, and the pair stood silently, reflecting on the past.

“In any case,” the older stallion said; “in your time away, you have defied my perception of what a good warden should be, and I have discovered why I need to step down as warden.”

Casemate blinked and looked at him. Finally, his expression lost some of its harshness.

“What brought that about?” He asked. “That realization?”

“I touched on it in the message I sent to you in Halterburg.” Bastion explained. “It was a combination of things: It was partially because of me seeing you find your purpose, and an experience that I had recently.”

An odd look fell across Bastion's face as he said this, an expression of pain and remembrance.

“It drove the point home that I was a bad father, that I had become ruthless and violent, and that I was getting too old for this…” He shook his head. “I took lives in anger, son. I’ve killed ponies. Even though the circumstances were… Extraordinary and necessary, it brought my oath as a Warden of the Fortress bloodline into question.”

This evoked a questioning glance from Casemate, and Luna’s attention became more drawn to Bastion as well.

“You killed innocents?” Casemate asked in subdued disbelief, almost mirroring Luna’s own thoughts.

Bastion shook his head. “It’s complicated. They did nothing wrong besides follow the orders of their leader. Still, I could have spared them and still have succeeded in protecting the one whom I was guarding.”

Casemate nodded slowly, his look of consternation dying down.

“That’s why you decided that you were unworthy to continue being a Warden?” He asked his father.

“On top of treating you wrongly and getting too old for this sort of thing, yes.” Answered Bastion, sighing sadly. “I’ve run the family oath through the mud, and you have proven yourself worthy of taking up the title, as I have said.”

Both stallions fell silent for a little while, occasionally looking between each other and Edelweiss working her way around the chamber, still peppering the AI with questions.

Then, breaking the silence, Casemate turned and asked a question.

“Father, what are you planning on doing once you pass the title of Warden onto me?”

Bastion quietly pondered his son’s question, before answering.

“I will go away, live a solitary life away from everypony.” He answered. “I guess I’ll try to find some sort of peace with the time I have left.”

“You’re… Going to leave me and Edelweiss here?” Casemate asked, his tone rising slightly in surprise.

The older stallion merely nodded.

“I know you don’t want to be around me, and I have something I need to do.” He responded, looking thoughtful. “Between you, your lovely wife, and ARTIS, you all should be able to run things just fine.”

Casemate nodded slowly, realizing that his father was entirely willing to forfeit the title of Warden.

Indeed, it struck Luna as being quite mature, noble, and wise. Bastion truly must have had a change of heart.

“So,” The older stallion rumbled; “I think I have said everything that I need to say. Are you ready to take the oath, and become the Warden?”

Luna felt a jolt of surprise, and Casemate appeared as if he did as well.

“Wh- Now?” 

“Yes, now.”

Casemate fell silent for what felt like ten seconds or more, glancing away from his father as his mind visibly raced.

This was it, Luna knew it. Casemate was about to begin fulfilling his calling, his purpose. Despite his apparent surprise, Luna already knew what he was going to say. Every moment of success, failure, pain, and triumph that he had experienced was about to culminate to this moment.

Casemate was about to become the Warden.

As Casemate took a few moments to dwell upon this fact, Edelweiss strode up next to him, electing to witness this pivotal moment in her husband’s life.

Casemate glanced at his wife standing beside him, and his surprise melted away into a determined look.

“Yes. I am.” He replied, nodding confidently with power in his tone.

Bastion drew in some air with a deep breath, and Luna saw a sense of genuine pride in his eyes as he looked at his son and heard his answer. Gesturing to an elevated platform at one corner of the space, he spoke.

“Then let us not delay.” He declared, leading Casemate and Edelweiss towards the platform.

As they drew closer, Edelweiss looked excitedly at Casemate, smiling widely. It is plainly evident that she was thrilled to witness what was to come.

Even Casemate’s hardness faded somewhat, and he even cracked a smile when he saw her excitement. He had to be feeling a degree of excitement, relief, and nervousness all at the same time, dampening his anger.

When they reached the platform, Bastion directed Casemate to step up onto it, and he did so. He stopped at the center of the platform, and he turned to face his father and Edelweiss.

“Casemate Fortress,” Bastion began, his voice booming loudly and clearly within the space, his voice finally matching his imposing build. “Are you prepared to take the oath, and receive your armor, as each of your ancestors have done before, beginning with the first Warden; Fortress?”

“I am.” Casemate replied, without hesitation.

Bastion nodded, pressing a button on a console. When he did so, mechanical sounds filled the cavern as multiple robotic arms with various attachments arose from each corner of the platform. Casemate briefly looked at the mechanized limbs surrounding him, but otherwise did not flinch. Edelweiss blinked in awe, a flash of concern briefly showing in her expression before giving way to further excitement as Bastion continued.

“Casemate Fortress, do you swear to uphold justice for the wronged, protect the forgotten, and defend the ponies of Equestria from all threats within and without?”

“I do.”

When Casemate answered, the arms extended towards him, draping what appeared to be a shining, segmented metal gown over him. Then, a fifth arm came out of the floor from underneath him, drawing the metal bodysuit more tightly around his limbs and body, leaving only his hooves, tail, and head exposed.

Edelweiss marveled at the sight of her husband in this form fitting metal underlayer, and Luna felt herself enraptured as well, albeit more because of the flexible behavior of the thin metal suit than his appearance.

Casemate looked down at himself for a moment, and Luna could see that he was in awe. He flexed around briefly, watching the metal segments shift with his movements with little resistance.

Then Bastion continued, and Casemate’s full attention was drawn back to his father.

“Do you swear to uphold the values of your predecessors, to uphold honor and the value of ponish lives?”

“I do.”

Upon this, the arms began to affix thicker armor plates to attachment points on the underlayer. The sounds of metal meeting metal and the sight of sparks occasionally flying from where the armor was being assembled made for an eye-catching sight as Casemate’s armor began to take the shape that Luna knew.

Deep down, her awe was waning as the sight of his armor began to awaken memories of his attack on Canterlot. For a second or two, Luna’s mind replayed moments of that traumatic day, specifically when he shot Celestia…

Luna shook her head sharply in an attempt to clear her mind. She had to focus on the dream, not her memories.

Soon, the last of the plates were affixed, and the arms withdrew to reveal Casemate in shining, bulky armor, with only his head exposed now. 

“Do you swear to pass on what you have learned to a successor, and to continue the Fortress bloodline?”

This time, Casemate faltered. He blinked once or twice, before looking questioningly at Edelweiss. It appeared to Luna as if he and Edelweiss hadn’t considered children yet, and he wasn’t willing to answer for his wife immediately.

Yet again, another indicator of the close relationship they held. He was willing to stop then and there, if Edelweiss did not wish to bear a successor.

But then, after taking a moment to realize what her husband was silently asking, she smiled approvingly and nodded enthusiastically.

This caused Luna’s heart to warm back up with happiness for a moment. Edelweiss was not only unwilling to hold him back from becoming a Warden, but she seemed very willing to do whatever it took for him to fulfill his purpose.

Exhaling with relief, Casemate smiled gratefully at his wife before turning back towards his father with a serious look.

“I do.”

Then, the arms lowered a metal pack of some kind onto his back, affixing it with a click and a hiss. Two triangular metal wings lay folded on each side of the pack, stored at his sides not unlike how a pegasus or alicorn would fold theirs.

A whirring sound then slowly grew within the pack, and several components on his suit began to light up, as they received power for the first time.

“Lastly…” Bastion declared, the expression of pride in his eyes growing more evident as he gazed upon his son; “Do you swear to protect through sacrifice, and if the need arises, lay down your life to save another?”

Casemate drew in a deep breath, and shifted his weight in anticipation of giving his reply.

“I do.”

All but one of the arms retracted at this, and the last arm pulled out the final piece of the armor: The helmet.

Bastion stepped up onto the platform, and instead of placing the helmet on Casemate, the arm took it to Bastion, who gently took it in his foreleg.

“Then I deem you ready to take up the role you were always destined to take, Casemate.” Bastion declared, holding the helmet above his son, before lowering it onto his head. 

As it came down upon Casemate’s head, the helmet clicked when it connected with the rest of the armor. The mask then clamped down over Casemate’s face, and the helmet’s visors began to glow in their green hue.

“I declare you the Warden, Casemate Fortress.” Bastion said, stepping back. “May you be a better Warden then I ever was.”

Edelweiss’ eyes shone as she beheld Casemate in his armor. He was fully encased in layers of shimmering, shiny metal, standing tall and giving off a commanding and regal aura. Truly a magnificent sight.

But all Luna felt was more flashbacks. It was becoming increasingly difficult to focus on the sequence, as her association of the armor with the near-death of her sister blurred her focus.

For a moment, she recalled that day, how the Warden managed to best Celestia in battle and left her bleeding out on the ground. She remembered holding Celestia as her older sister fell into unconsciousness, and thinking for sure that she would never awake again.

It was the darkest moment that she had ever had, thinking that her sister was gone…

“Ah, thinking about that day, are we?” The malicious voice of Nightmare Moon asked in the recesses of Luna’s mind. “If you hadn’t given in and allowed me to take us over, the Warden wouldn’t have had any reason to hate us, and Celestia wouldn’t have nearly died at his hooves. That was all on you, Luna.”

Luna’s heart fell, and she closed her eyes. Once again, Nightmare’s words had hit her exactly where she wanted them to. Ultimately, all this was her fault, Luna knew this. She was to blame for her own trauma, and she couldn’t deny that-

“Princess, are you aware that the sequence is over?”

The Warden’s firm voice shook Luna from her guilt-driven thoughts, and she snapped her head up, looking all around. Indeed, the dreamscape around them had faded, indicating that the event had indeed run its course.

“Oh. Y-yes, you are correct.” Luna stuttered, collecting her thoughts. Internally, she felt thankful that the Warden had managed to draw her out of the self-deprecating thoughts instigated by Nightmare Moon. “My apologies, Warden. I was-” Luna’s voice trailed off, as she fought to keep the dark thoughts from returning.

The Warden nodded and sighed slowly, indicating that he understood what she had meant.

“Did you miss much of the sequence?” He asked with less of a harsh tone.

Luna’s ears drooped anxiously. She hoped that she hadn’t allowed Nightmare to distract her long enough to miss something important.

“I saw everything up to how your father swore you in as a Warden.” She replied truthfully.

“Then you didn’t miss much.”

Luna nodded, feeling relieved. At least Nightmare hadn’t succeeded in sabotaging her efforts to gain forgiveness yet.

However, as the Warden’s life played out before her eyes, Luna realized that her darker personality’s words were gradually having a greater effect. This was the first time that Nightmare had succeeded in making her completely space out. If she had done so in the middle of a sequence, and the Warden noticed, would he have taken it as calmly as he did here?

The princess shook her head slightly. She had to get a grip on herself if she was to have even a sliver of a chance at forgiveness. Nightmare Moon knew that if he forgave her, Luna would be able to maintain dominance over herself. That was why Nightmare was fighting to keep Luna unfocused and doubtful, and her efforts were certainly only going to grow more frequent.

Luna sighed, rallying her resolve once more. She had to persist.

As she gathered her thoughts, she took a moment to reflect on what she had witnessed. She recalled how Bastion opened up to Casemate, confessing that he knew what he did was very wrong, and admitting that Casemate was a better fit as a Warden than he was.

It felt nice to see Bastion openly admit that he was wrong and finally give his son the praise he deserved, after punishing him for his imperfection. It meant that Bastion was growing, and despite his flaws, he seemed to be showing his best self. He even voiced approval of Edelweiss, which was also a nice thing to hear.

On that subject, Edelweiss’ character was becoming increasingly clear, as her love for Casemate and acceptance of Bastion was plain to see. In fact, her kindness and willingness to treat Bastion as family seemed to lift his spirits. Even Casemate seemed to soften somewhat because of her.

But not entirely. Although he was willing to listen to what his father had to say and speak to him not so coldly, he still didn’t seem comfortable around Bastion.

The fact that the Warden’s remorse remained only increased the uncertainty around whether or not his younger self would actually forgive him. Of course, Luna still couldn’t say for sure if that was the reason behind his regrets, but as she watched the interaction between Casemate and his father unfold, she did feel like the odds of closure between them were slipping away.

Still, despite the looming uncertainty, there was the fact that finally, after many years, Casemate finally made it. He had become the Warden, as he was always destined to be, after years of struggling and turmoil.

Luna had felt a sense of triumph and joy upon seeing all of Casemate’s tribulations climax to this peak, but such feelings had been tainted by the memories of what he had done in that armor.

She shook her head, clearing her thoughts in an effort to prevent herself from entering a guilt-fuelled spiral again.

She had to focus.

“Ready for the next one?”

The Warden nodded.

“Do it.”

There was a hint of hesitance in his voice, and his internal remorse was now mingling with anticipation.

The unpleasant feeling spread to Luna, and she understood that the next sequence would likely answer her questions about his regrets.

As she cast her magic and the dreamscape began to shift, her mind raced. She knew that they were beginning to reach towards a pivotal period in the Warden’s life, and the likelihood of him forgiving her would finally become more clear.

Either Casemate would forgive his father, and Luna would have the assurance that he had the capability to forgive after all, or he wouldn’t, and she would have to hope for a miracle…