The dream completed its reformation, and Luna noticed that the environment was little different than before. They were still in Halterburg, but this time they were on the rooftop of a large building, several stories high.
Luna's mane and tail billowed gracefully in the breeze, and she looked at the scene around her. The rooftop offered an excellent view of the ancient city that they were in, with old structures by the hundreds surrounding them.
Up above, the sun was getting low on the horizon, lighting the west with a warm orange glow that faded away into a deep blue further away. A few clouds hung near the sun, being lit up with a spectrum of pink and purple by the evening light.
A few birds flew from here and there, and the wind blew gently, stirring the leaves on the decorative trees below. Along the streets beneath her, ponies bustled here and there, and the streetlights were beginning to flicker as the first hints of twilight began to show.
The princess was immediately reminded of her balcony in Canterlot, which felt very similar to this. Despite the scenery here being far less grand and regal than Canterlot's, it felt similar enough for Luna to feel a sense of familiarity and ease. It wasn't enough to soothe her shame and anxiety, but it did offer a bit of relief.
Her breathing slowed, and she closed her eyes for a moment, allowing the peaceful nature of this setting to do what it could to ease her troubled soul.
She opened her eyes a few seconds later, and looked to the Warden, who was standing a little to the side. He, too, remained silent, looking contemplative.
However, Luna felt that he wasn't trying to calm down, but was rather processing yet another scene that was familiar to him.
This couldn't be easy for him, to watch his life replayed like this. To see what he underwent, what he gained, what he would eventually lose…
It had to be hard… Unimaginably so.
Luna could hardly bear the notion of rewatching her own life, so she knew that he wasn't enjoying this either.
Which begged the question: Why?
Why did he have her do this?
Was he trying to make a point? Was he showing her what he had undergone in order to show her why he would or would not forgive her?
In the back of her mind, Nightmare Moon's suggestion that he was merely building up her hopes only to crush them echoed within. It seemed unlikely that he was that cruel, since she knew for a fact that he wasn't. Still, the nagging possibility was there.
Then, both she and the Warden heard a door open behind them, and they both turned simultaneously. A small wooden access door leading inside the building that they were on had been opened, and a filly's head poked out of the open passage.
It was Edelweiss, and she looked around, her eyes reflecting the evening light as she checked for any bystanders.
"Okay, this is it… Come on, Casey!" She beckoned, turning her head back as she walked out onto the roof.
Following closely behind her was Casemate, who also was looking all around, but with more wonder than Edelweiss, as if he had never been there before.
Luna couldn't help but feel some happiness arise upon hearing the filly refer to Casemate as 'Casey'. It stood in contrast to how serious he often was.
Yet, the colt didn't correct her, nor did he show any form of annoyance. He tolerated it at the very least, in spite of his no-nonsense demeanor. That tickled Luna a bit.
Still, the princess felt her feelings dampen upon sensing a great deal of sadness and heartache from the Warden. His eyes were fixed on Edelweiss, and his breathing had changed, becoming slightly more forced.
Luna felt her own heart ache. Although he was keeping a stoic demeanor, she understood that he missed her, dearly.
It felt even worse to be reminded that it was her failure that took Edelweiss away.
Luna shook her head, trying to bring herself back into the present. Right now, she was meant to observe what was unfolding before her, not dwell upon the suffering that Nightmare Moon had wrought.
The two foals shut the door, and side by side, they walked to the edge of the roof, and sat down on their haunches, with their hind legs dangling over the edge of the roof.
Luna couldn't help but notice that both foals looked a few inches taller than before, their legs having grown longer. She couldn't say for certain, but it looked as if they had aged at least a year since the previous event.
That would explain the familiarity required for the colt to tolerate being called Casey.
"See? I told you that this spot has a good view!" Edelweiss declared, motioning towards the urban panorama spread out before them.
Casemate nodded. "You weren't kidding." He said, his green eyes darting around as he took in the scene. "How'd you find this spot?"
"Oh, I found it." She said nonchalantly. "It definitely did not involve me breaking in because I was trying to steal valuable stuff that they were storing over here."
Casemate scoffed. "Riiiight… No crimes at all." He smirked, and looked at Edelweiss, showing that he was being lighthearted about that remark.
The white filly's eyes glimmered a bit as she smiled as well, meeting his gaze for a second before looking back out at the city before them.
The pair sat quietly side by side for a minute, and Luna could see more early signs of a special bond forming between the two.
Then, after looking thoughtful for a second or two, Casemate spoke up.
"You know, I still don't really understand why you have to resort to stealing in order to survive." He said, turning his gaze back at Edelweiss.
"Huh? You know I don't have a family, right?" She asked, looking slightly confused. "There really isn't any other way for me to-"
"No, I know that." Casemate responded. "I meant I don't know what happened in order for you to be living out on the street."
Edelweiss blinked, and a flash of discomfort showed in her eyes.
"Oh. Yeah… I guess I haven't told you about all that yet, have I?"
The colt shook his head.
"Correct."
The filly looked out at the rooftops before them, and Luna could perceive that she was thinking.
"Well, to be fair, I don't think you've told me about your reasoning behind coming to Halterburg."
"Also correct." Casemate replied, being thrust into thought as he also looked out at the skyline.
For a few seconds, neither of the foals said anything, a moment of thoughtful silence having come to prevail for a time.
Then, Edelweiss spoke, her tone having become softer.
"How about we tell each other?"
Casemate looked at her, his brows having risen a bit.
"Really?" He asked. "I thought that you might not want to talk about your past."
The filly breathed deeply and quietly. "Well, I… I have to admit, it isn't an easy topic." She sighed. "But I kinda want to hear your background too."
"That's what I was afraid of…" Casemate sighed, his body language showing his unease.
This was not lost on Edelweiss, who adopted a firmer expression in her eyes.
"What if I told you about me first?" She asked. "If I tell you, will you tell me?"
Casemate seemed to hesitate for a moment, but soon gave a nod, sighing through his nose.
"Right." The filly said, seeing his response. "I guess I'll start off, then."
She seemed hesitant as well, and Luna saw that she was building the courage to speak about her past.
Her story cannot be a happy one, not if she had ended up on the street…
"I spent a lot of my life with my mother." She began, looking at her friend with her blue eyes. "We lived in the low district of town, not far from where I first saw you, actually."
Casemate nodded, his ears perked as he asked a question.
"Did you know your father?"
"No." Edelweiss said with a sigh. "My mother said that he died. She never told me who he was."
The colt nodded again, his gaze focused on Edelweiss as he listened intently to her. "It was just you and your mother, then?" He asked, his expression and tone indicating that he found this to be a similarity between them.
Edelweiss nodded, beginning to look saddened.
"Yeah. She worked hard to try and support both me and herself." Looking down at the street below, she shook her head. "I don't know how she did it, but she would go work for hours, or sometimes a few days at a time. But she always came back with enough money and food to keep us alive."
"You don't know what she did for a living?"
"No clue. She would always just call it 'work'. She would come home sometimes looking like she had been in a fight or something, but she always played it off. Looking back, I think she was shielding me from the true nature of her work, whatever it was…" She sighed. "But she always found money and food, so I guess that was all that mattered."
Casemate nodded, as if he were trying to deduce what her mother was doing. But he gave up after a moment, and spoke up.
"What happened next?" He asked, his tone having become softer. "Something must have happened for you to be living alone now."
The filly's ears drooped, and her countenance fell even further.
"... About two years ago, she left in the morning, promising to be back before sundown, like she did most of the time. But…"
Edelweiss took a trembling breath, trying to maintain her composure. Luna felt her heart ache for the filly. The princess had a suspicion where this was going, and it saddened her.
"But she never came back…" Edelweiss said, audibly struggling a little to get the words out, still looking down. "I waited for days, until the landlord kicked me out of our home, leaving me by myself…"
"What?" Casemate asked, his brows raising as his voice showed surprise. "What happened to her?"
Edelweiss shook her head slowly, looking up at Casemate from the sides of her eyes.
"I wish I knew…" She murmured, her voice having become a little raspier. "All I know is that she disappeared, and never came back."
The colt sighed in a quiet expression of disbelief.
"That's why you live without a home now?"
Edelweiss nodded after taking a moment to think.
"Basically, yes. I've found a few spots where I can go for shelter and to hide away, but beyond those, I do not have a permanent place to call home." She answered.
Both foals went quiet for a minute following this heavy exchange. A small gust of wind rushed over the rooftop, sending their manes and tails waving in the air as Luna's thoughts began to dwell more heavily on the filly.
She could feel her heart aching for her, the weight of the fact that this undeserving filly was a homeless orphan pressing Luna's spirits down.
It was tragic, but there was a ray of sunshine in this bleak narrative. Edelweiss would end up overcoming her adversity eventually and become a wife and mother.
There was also the fact that her resilience was, once again, making itself known. The fact that a filly of her circumstance and age to willingly discuss such a subject was both impressive and hope-inspiring.
The silence continued for a while longer, then Casemate broke it.
"Would you like for me to tell you about my past now?" He asked. "You look like you could use a break."
Edelweiss smiled, despite the sadness evident in her eyes.
"Yeah, I'm a little curious to hear what your story is."
Casemate nodded, inhaling slowly as he prepared to tell his friend about his own past.
"You know about the Fortress family and the Wardens, right?" He asked, his tone lowered a bit.
Edelweiss nodded.
"You told me about who they were, yes." She answered. "And you told me about your grandfather Hightower, and how he was wrongfully exiled by Princess Celestia."
"I did." Casemate said. "But did I tell you about my father?"
The filly paused and tilted her head for a second, thinking before shaking her head.
"No."
The colt took a deeper breath, his body language showing a degree of reluctance.
"Well, his name is Bastion." He said, finally having built up the will to speak. "He willingly followed my grandfather into exile when he was a colt."
"Wait, didn't you have a grandmother?" She asked.
The colt nodded. "I did, but apparently she divorced my grandfather right before he got exiled. My father was so committed to fulfilling the duty of a Warden, that he decided to follow my grandfather, rather than remain in Equestria with his mother."
“Wow...” The filly murmured, waiting for him to continue.
"Anyway, like I told you before, my grandfather found that robot, and it helped him set up the Gatekeeper as well as a fully mechanized suit of armor. Together with my father, the two of them protected Equestria for over a decade."
Casemate fell silent for a second or two, and the filly spoke, sounding and looking genuinely interested.
"What happened next?"
"I don't know, really." The colt said. "One day, my grandfather just disappeared and never came back. My father didn't like talking about that."
"Why?" Edelweiss asked, sounding concerned.
"He always got angry when I asked him about it…" Casemate sighed. "But my aunt says it is probably because he thought that my grandfather abandoned him."
"What?" The filly asked in confusion. "But I thought you said that Hightower was a devoted Warden… Why would he just go and run away?"
"I don't know, and my aunt says that she knows that he would never have done such a thing without good reason." The colt said with a sigh. "But in any case, she said that it was one reason why my father ended up being the way he was…"
The filly nodded thoughtfully, still looking curious.
"How did he end up?" She asked, sounding a tad apprehensive.
Casemate looked at her with a gaze that showed that he was about to tell her something painful that he was going to entrust her with.
"He was always just so… Angry." He said, his jaw setting a little. "My aunt told me that he was taking out his frustrations on me over my grandfather leaving and my mother dying."
"You lost your mother too?" Edelweiss asked, her eyes widening in disbelief. "W-would you be okay with telling me what happened to your mother?"
Her blue eyes shimmered in the evening light, revealing an earnest desire to listen to her friend share more about himself.
Casemate nodded, blinking once or twice as he made eye contact and replied.
"She was murdered."
Edelweiss blinked once, and her ears immediately dropped.
"What?" She asked, sounding legitimately pained to learn that. She shifted a little closer to the colt, placing a hoof on his shoulder. "I'm so sorry, I didn't know…"
"It's fine." Casemate said, shrugging. "I was just a baby when it happened, I don't remember her at all."
"That doesn't make it any less painful though, right?"
"I don't know… Sometimes I wonder if I should feel worse about it, but I don't see the point. I'm here today, alive and loved. I guess there's no need to cry over what could have been…"
Edelweiss looked down for a moment, her brow furrowing in thought as her tail swished a bit.
"S-she wasn't killed by your father, was she?" She asked, looking apprehensive.
"She wasn't. It was some group of anarchists seeking to recruit my father in an effort to depose the princesses. He refused to join, and they killed her in retaliation."
"That's… That's still just horrible, Casemate… I don't know what I would do if I knew that my mother was killed…"
"You would either allow yourself to stagnate with grief, or you would move on." He said, his tone growing a bit more firm. "I wasn't given a choice, but I realize that was for the best."
Edelweiss took her hoof off of Casemate, still looking very much engaged in the exchange.
"That sounds harsh, but I guess I had no choice but to make do as well." She said in a reflective manner. "I had to move on, or else I wouldn't have survived."
The colt scoffed gently.
"At least nopony made that decision for you."
"Huh?"
"My father gave me no choice. In fact, I didn't have any kind of free choice, now that I think of it…"
The filly's ears twitched, weighing what she would say next upon hearing her friend say this.
"You don't have to answer if you don't want to, and I know that you don't like talking about him, but… How bad did it get?"
Casemate sighed, his ears finally dropping as he began to display hesitance to uncover this topic.
"It…"
His voice trailed off as he looked out towards the setting sun, and Luna could practically feel the fear, pain, and reluctance swirling within him.
"It was bad…" He said in a more subdued tone. "He was obsessed with making me into the next Warden. He would teach me and train me to exhaustion. Every. Single. Day."
His ears stiffened, gradually adopting a pinned position, revealing a rising anger as his tone became harsher.
"No breaks. If I got hurt or sick he would just keep me going, saying that a Warden does not have the luxury of rest. But worst of all, he would punish me for making mistakes!"
Casemate's body tensed, and his voice began to grow louder as his anger increased.
"All it would take was one misplaced step, a poorly aimed strike, and he would yell at me! He would tell me that mistakes get ponies killed, and that I needed to pay more attention!"
Edelweiss looked hurt on the colt's behalf, seeing just how much his mistreatment had affected him.
He went silent for a second or two, and he set his jaw, his anger hitting a fever pitch. Then, he uttered three words through his gritted teeth.
“I hate him.”
The filly's eyes widened, as if she had been caught by surprise by her friend's strong choice of words.
Casemate finally looked at her, the rage in his eyes still burning brightly. Edelweiss looked downwards in response, shuffling a little bit further away, perhaps intimidated by the look in his face.
However, this was not lost on the colt. Casemate's gaze softened, his ears relaxed, and he became less tense. He looked down and away as well, and took a single, heavy, heaving sigh.
Once again, only the sounds of the busy street below and the breeze stirring up the foals' manes and tails were heard, as the pair silently grappled with their thoughts.
"Sorry…"
Casemate's hesitant apology broke the silence between them.
"I wasn't mad at you."
Edelweiss exhaled silently in relief.
"I know…" She assured him, reestablishing eye contact. "Is that why you ran away and came here?"
Casemate nodded, exhaling slowly and silently.
"I got to the point where I just didn't want to be my father's successor any more. If being a Warden was all about being a warrior who has to exercise perfection at all costs, I didn't want to be one. Yet, my father seemed bent on molding me into his vision of what a Warden should be. I felt like I was being forced to become a vengeful killer, something that I didn't want to be, and I just knew that something was wrong with his perception of what a Warden was. I felt trapped, helpless, and alone."
Casemate stopped talking for a few moments, his voice and the quickened nature of his rant showing that his emotions were still stirring within him. But when he spoke next, the energy with which he had spoken previously had given way to a tone of reflection.
"But then I had a dream, and Princess Luna came to me…"
A look of surprise crossed Edelweiss' face.
"Princess Luna? She came to you in a dream too?!"
Her sudden interjection caused Casemate to blink once.
"Yes, actually. Why did you say it like that?" The colt asked, lowering one eyebrow.
Edelweiss realized that she had interrupted him again, and looked apologetically at him.
"Oh- Sorry. But I saw Princess Luna in a dream once too!" She waved a hoof at the colt, gesturing for him to continue. "Sorry, I interrupted again, please continue, I won't do it any more…"
Before the filly had finished her apology, Luna was already recalling the dream that she was referring to.
The princess felt her heart drop, for she now remembered perfectly well just how dark things got for Edelweiss, and how by visiting her dream, Luna became her last hope.
However, before she could dwell upon it much longer, Casemate resumed telling his story, and Luna forced her attention to focus back on him for the time being.
"Basically, in the dream, I was chained to my family's mark, trapped in a jail cell." He began, looking with earnestness at Edelweiss, who was watching and listening intently. "But then Princess Luna came, and told me that while my destiny was to become a Warden, it was drastically different from what my father had in mind."
The colt paused, looking down at his blank flank thoughtfully. "In which way, I still don't know." He sighed, shaking his head.
"So your father thought that the only way to protect Equestria is to kill all our enemies without mercy?”
"Yeah. His priority was to turn me into a weapon." Casemate responded, sounding a little uncomfortable saying so. "But Princess Luna told me that there was a much better way for me to become a Warden, and in order to do so, I needed to escape and come here to live with my relatives."
"And you did."
"I ran away, and came all the way here. The very first day I was here in Halterburg, I got lost trying to find my aunt's home, and I had that big fight with Sweeper."
"Yes. I was there, and I saw you for the very first time."
"Exactly. Later that afternoon, I found my aunt's home and she took me in. A few weeks later, she enrolled me in school, I caught you stalking me, and you know the rest."
The filly smirked upon hearing his choice of words, looking bemused.
"I was trailing you, not stalking."
Casemate snorted and rolled his eyes.
"Yeah yeah, sure."
The pair didn't say anything else for about a minute or so, enjoying the lighthearted feeling left by that bit of banter after having discussed the heavy subject of Casemate's upbringing.
But Luna could already guess that another heavy hearted moment was about to occur.
"So… You saw Princess Luna too?"
The colt's question broke the brief respite, and Edelweiss nodded.
"Yes, I did…" She said wistfully. "I don't know what I would have done without her…"
Casemate's ears twitched slightly when the wind picked up on the rooftop once again as he continued to listen.
"I guess my life hasn't been particularly cheery, either." She continued. "But I know for a fact that my mother loved me, at least. Things were always hard, but she always made enough to ensure that we both survived."
"At least you were loved." Casemate murmured in a matter of fact way. "I didn't have that luxury for much of my life until recently…"
Edelweiss smiled, but Luna perceived an underlying expression of pain hidden away within her face.
"Looking back, I know that I was fortunate for a time, but you would be surprised to learn just how much of a tendency I had to forget that…" Edelweiss gave a sigh, looking towards the setting sun. "I still don't really know why exactly I ended up where I did, where Princess Luna had to step in to save me from myself…"
This remark was met with a questioning glance from Casemate, who also appeared a bit concerned. A bit unusual coming from a colt who was still somewhat emotionally detached from others.
"Yourself?"
Edelweiss inhaled deeply, closing her eyes. "...Yes. I meant that."
"Well… How, exactly? What were you doing that posed a threat to yourself?"
"It was- I…" Edelweiss' voice trailed off as she struggled to find the words and courage to continue. "It was a few days after I had gotten kicked out into the street." She said in a far quieter manner than before, her ears sinking low.
Casemate looked at her in disbelief. It was not hard for Luna to feel what he was feeling for the filly.
The filly sighed shakily, and resumed.
"I was hungry, alone, and easy pickings for anypony who wanted to steal food or water from me… Sweeper included…"
She paused, the corners of her mouth curling downwards.
"I was confused and scared. But after a while, I guess they changed into something else: Sadness and anger."
She shook her head, shrugging as the first hints of tears began to form in her eyes.
"I- I don't really know why, but I just got so angry that this had happened. For some reason, I just began to hate everything and everypony. I blamed the ponies I saw, this city, and any higher power that dealt this lot to me… I convinced myself that everything was aligned against me, and that I couldn't do anything…"
Her voice cracked, and she wiped her eyes as she paused.
"It- It felt like there was no reason left to just… Live on. I was alone, nopony loved me, I was having to steal in order to survive, and there was no hope left. I wondered what it would be like if I just ended it, and let everything that was tormenting me to win…"
Luna's heart felt like it was breaking, listening to this filly pour her heart out to Casemate.
Edelweiss sniffed, her piercing blue eyes shimmering as the first tear fell.
"It was horrible, and I hated it…"
She sniffed again, looking away from Casemate and shutting her eyes. She tried to breathe more deeply and deliberately, trying to compose herself.
The colt looked uncertain of what to do. He looked around, and his face betrayed the debate raging in his mind.
Already, Luna was silently telling him to comfort her. To be honest, she really wanted Casemate to show the gentleness and love that he was capable of giving, and at the very least be a comfort to his first true friend.
Then, Luna's heart skipped a bit when she saw Casemate scoot a little closer to Edelweiss. He swished his tail, causing it to brush against hers.
They remained side by side for a few seconds, and Casemate didn't do anything else, still indecisive.
Edelweiss looked up at him.
"S-sorry…" She croaked. "I kn- know I said that I was going to explain, but-"
At that moment, Casemate gained an expression of determination, as if he knew what he had to do.
He lifted his foreleg, and despite looking a bit uncertain of what he was doing, he draped it across her shoulders.
A jolt of happiness shot through Luna. He actually was showing sympathy towards another pony for the first time, in addition to initiating physical contact!
For any average foal, it would have been only natural, but for a colt who had grown up not understanding the power and comfort that physical contact possessed, it had to have been a mighty leap.
It wasn't much, but it was significant enough. Edelweiss blinked, and despite her sadness, she began to smile a little. She looked Casemate in the eye, and she began to recover.
"Sorry…" She murmured after sniffing and breathing in deeply. "I just don't like thinking about my darkest time."
"Uh… Look, you don't have to- Well, you know."
Edelweiss' ears lifted a bit, and she shook her head.
"No, I made a deal. Besides…" She said, looking earnest. "Telling you about where I've been isn't going to hurt me any more than it already has. Especially if I'm telling a friend…"
As she finished saying this, she gathered her composure and was ready to resume telling her story. Once again, it struck Luna that the filly's resilience warranted her cutie mark. But even if she didn't possess such a mark, her ability to face her own trauma was remarkable, especially for a filly her age.
"So, yeah…" Edelweiss said, resuming her tale. "I got super upset with the world and I kind of wanted to end myself."
She sighed quietly, losing her smile.
"Then I had that dream. I dreamt that I was on the edge of a cliff. Behind me, there was the world and everypony in it, representing what I had come to feel anger towards for leaving me to fend for myself… In front of me, there was the cliff, and it was so high, I couldn't see the bottom. I- I remember just standing there, seriously thinking if I should just walk off and rid myself of my perceived burdens."
Casemate listened intently, his brow furrowed slightly in thought as he took it in. Still, he kept his foreleg on Edelweiss.
"Then, Princess Luna showed up." She continued. "She looked so sad to see me like that. At first, she didn't say anything, as if she already knew who I was and what I was going through. I remember that she just went right up to me and hugged me tight…"
The filly sniffed again, and her voice began to tremble.
"She didn't even say anything, but I already knew that I had it all wrong. I needed somepony to care, somepony to show me that my anger against the world was misplaced, and that I wasn't alone. I just… I just cried and let her hold me for what felt like hours…"
As the filly explained her experience to Casemate, Luna felt her eyes moisten as she recalled this instance clear as day. More than once, Luna had swayed ponies from suicide in their dreams. Out of all of the dreams that she interceded in, those were the ones that stuck out to her the most.
The look on Casemate's face as he listened also spoke volumes. He was learning about what Princess Luna did, and that she also helped other ponies within their dreams as well. The colt's admiration for her had to have been increasing by the second.
Meanwhile, Edelweiss continued. "After a while, she showed me my mother."
She paused, breathing in.
"My mother… She always told me to forgive. That it was never worth holding on to anger or resentment…"
Edelweiss shook her head, looking out at the setting sun with watery eyes.
"Looking back, she always was graceful and kind. She made it a point to tell me that life isn't worth living in anger. I never truly forgot, but I definitely lost sight of her wisdom. Princess Luna, she knew that I needed a reminder that holding on to the anger that I had was only causing more pain…"
This remark caused Luna's ears to stiffen as her mind processed it. What the filly just said, it felt uncannily relevant as to why the princess was there to begin with.
For the first time in several minutes, she glanced at the Warden.
His gaze was fixed on Edelweiss, and Luna could see that the filly's words were not lost on him either. It was subtle, but his expression showed a look of realization, as if he were rediscovering something important to him. His sadness and yearning had even faded somewhat.
While Luna watched the Warden process it all, Edelweiss kept speaking.
"Once she was done reminding me of what my mother always told me, Princess Luna went and explained what I was going through in a way that I could understand…" She murmured. "I didn't know who to blame for my mother just disappearing, nor who to blame for me having to fend for myself. So I just blamed the world, then my anger and fear began to warp the way I saw things. I convinced myself that everything and everypony was against me, and that there was nothing I could do to change that."
Edelweiss gave a single, heaving sigh.
"I will never forget what she told me following that. She said that I was a special filly, and that to give up would be a tragedy. But not just for me. Princess Luna said that somepony would need me soon, and that for their sake as well as my own, I needed to forgive the world, let go of my anger, be resilient, and carry on."
In contrast to the sadness she was displaying earlier, Edelweiss smiled as she continued to look at Casemate.
"Right then and there, I swore to Princess Luna that I forgave whatever or whoever took my mother, and that I would never end myself, but rather that I would carry on."
She chuckled quietly, and looked down at her cutie mark, the edelweiss flower.
"I woke up immediately following this, and there was my mark." She said, motioning towards it before looking back out at the lowering sun. "I knew beyond a doubt what my purpose was, and Princess Luna helped me get there."
Casemate nodded slowly in understanding, looking thoughtfully at his friend.
"So Princess Luna pretty much enabled you to earn your mark." He stated.
"She did." Edelweiss responded, looking down at Casemate's blank flank. "But you still don't have yours…"
"No…" Casemate said with a sigh. "And it bothers me."
"But… Didn't Princess Luna tell you that you would find your true calling here?" She asked.
Casemate gave a heavy sigh that betrayed the worry within him. "Yes. But I still don't know how to be a better Warden, and I still don't have my mark, even after a full year."
He paused for a moment, and Luna could practically feel the anxiety building within him.
"Finding a way to be a Warden and getting my mark have got to be connected in some way. Princess Luna told me that I would find it here, but I can't seem to find it!" He said with mild frustration, throwing his forelegs up.
"Well, I guess you can eliminate utterly crushing Equestria's foes, at least." Edelweiss said in an optimistic way.
“Well, yeah. But the thing is, Wardens are warriors. That's the way it's always been." He exclaimed in an exasperated manner. "We're meant to fight Equestria's foes! I mean, my grandfather and my father both had cutie marks which denoted them as warriors, and both of them earned theirs at a younger age than me. I just know I am meant to be a Warden, meant to fight. Princess Luna told me!"
He waved his front hooves around again, expressing his frustration.
"That being said, what am I doing wrong? I know what a Warden is. My ancestors got their marks early on, showing that their purpose was to protect Equestria. If I am meant to be a Warden, shouldn't I already have my mark?"
Edelweiss looked on attentively, while the colt slumped his shoulders and calmed down.
"I don't know… I just can't make sense of it. I know that I am not bound to be what my father wishes, but it just makes me annoyed to think that I still haven't found out what I am supposed to be." Casemate murmured, looking at Edelweiss somberly.
The filly blinked a few times, her blue eyes shining in the dimming evening light as she looked at her friend, thinking up a response.
"Well, maybe a Warden is meant to do more than just fight."
Casemate's ears perked.
"Huh?"
"Wardens are meant to fight Equestria's foes, right?" Edelweiss asked.
"...Yes?"
"Well… Why? Why do they fight?"
This thought provoking question caused Casemate to visibly ponder this.
"To protect Equestria?"
Edelweiss nodded, smiling. "Correct! If you don't mind my saying, Casey, but you were talking quite a bit about how Wardens fight. I guess that's true, but I think your father lost sight of what a Warden's true reason for fighting is: to protect."
She fell silent, glancing down, inhaling as she prepared to make her final remark.
"Maybe the Warden you are meant to be is just as much a protector of ponies, if not more than a fighter of enemies…"
Luna felt a wave of emotion shoot through the Warden, who was still alongside her. Indeed, this remark was quite profound for a filly, and very much true, as Luna knew from the beginning.
The Warden's purpose was deeper than being a fighter. It was to fight for those whom he was defending.
The significance of this moment suddenly became clear to Luna, and her shimmering turquoise eyes widened.
This was the moment that Casemate found out what he was meant to be.
As if to cement this fact, Casemate's eyes also widened in realization. He didn't say anything, but it was clear that this made something click within his mind. He glanced back at the filly, and for a quick moment, a genuine smile did seem to appear on his face. The two foals sat there side by side, looking at each other in silence.
During this respite from the conversation, Luna went into thought, thinking about what she had witnessed.
What she saw was far deeper than just an explanation of the pair's past misfortunes. It was an honest outpouring of struggles, heartbreaks, and recoveries.
For Casemate, she knew that it was a big step forward for him to be so vulnerable to a pony who wasn't his relative. For that matter, Luna was still unsure if he had truly admitted everything that he just told Edelweiss to his aunt. His anger, the inner workings of his soul, she didn't see him admit this to his aunt.
In any case, knowing how devoid of love his earlier life seemed, his courage and willingness to show unconditional affection by way of listening, willingly receiving affection, and even initiating an act of comfort by putting one of his forelegs around Edelweiss was remarkable.
It seemed that Luna's lesson from his dream and his time spent with his relatives had definitely had a positive effect on the colt. But it would have been shortsighted for her to simply assume that his relationship with Edelweiss had nothing to do with it.
Clearly, the two had become good friends even before this conversation took place, and now there was no doubt that they were even closer. That, combined with the understanding that the pair would eventually marry each other led Luna to believe that Casemate was so vulnerable towards her because he was being drawn to her.
In regards to Edelweiss, her admissions were also evidence of a great deal of courage. Luna remembered visiting her in the dream which she had just described to Casemate, and the princess knew just how poorly things had gone for her then.
Edelweiss grew up not knowing who her father was, and she had no closure as to what really happened to her mother. In any case, she was left to fend for herself on the streets, vulnerable to bullies like Sweeper and never truly certain if she would survive another day.
Luna sighed as her heart felt heavy.
No wonder the filly got to such a dark place…
But, she did save Edelweiss from herself.
In spite of the heavy nature of her thoughts, Luna felt a slight warmth within her heart. All it took was for her to remind the filly of the lessons she had learned, what her life's purpose was, and why it was so important that she overcome her irrational resentment against the world and carry on.
All it took was for the filly to forgive.
…
Forgive…
…
Something about that word struck Luna as being uncanny.
After all, she came to the Warden seeking his forgiveness, and now he was having her replay the most pivotal moments from his life.
Yet again, as it had several times before, a small question rattled around her mind.
Why?
Was it to show Luna what he had been through?
Or…
Or was it to show himself what he had been through?
…
Luna's eyes widened in awe, and she audibly caught her breath.
She hadn't considered that.
But now, it seemed to make some sense.
What if the Warden was legitimately trying to reach a decision, and he felt the need to go back and remind himself of what he had learned in the past?
Slowly, the princess turned her head towards the Warden, who was looking out beyond his younger self and Edelweiss, towards the lowering sun, which was beginning to disappear behind the rooftops, bathing the sky in warm, red light.
The wind gusted a little, and his short silver mane and tail rustled a little, while Luna's far larger mane and tail billowed and waved, reflecting the setting sun's light with glistening red sparkles.
He too, seemed to be deep in thought.
For a moment, Luna wanted to ask him what was running through his mind, to see if he truly was doing all this more for himself than for her.
But a sense of caution urged her to not speak up just yet.
This was just as well, for the Warden blinked and turned to the princess, a serious expression on his face.
Luna flinched internally, wondering what he was going to say or do.
"Get ready." He said in a low tone. "Things are about to get ugly."
Luna felt the unpleasant shock of apprehension pierce her soul at this ominous warning.
"Wh- What?" She asked, her voice tainted with worry.
Before the Warden could reply, the door that Casemate and Edelweiss went through to access the roof suddenly burst open, and the foals jumped, twirling around to face it, expressions of surprise and fear in their eyes.
"Well, ain't this an 'eartwarmin' sight!" Said a familiar voice, as a large orange colt emerged from the doorway.
Luna gasped in fear for Casemate and Edelweiss as the orange colt closed the door behind him, smiling ominously at the pair with barely repressed rage.
It was Sweeper, and he was holding a sharp, shining knife in his hoof.
"Too bad Sweeper's gonna gut ya both!"