The Warden: Part 3, Dream of the Warden

by FortressLegacy

Chapter 3: His Beginning

After a few seconds, Luna watched as the miasma took form, turning back into the same scene as before.

Every single tree was in its place, the clearing was still there, and the cottage was right where it was before.

Luna blinked once, then took a closer look. While the scene looked nearly identical as before, things did appear a bit different. The flowers and shrubs weren't in the same places as before, and a few of the trees did look somewhat smaller.

She stood there for a minute, silently taking in the scene, wondering what it was that the Warden was trying to show her. Clearly it had to be the earliest defining moment in his life, as it was the first such moment that she had come across.

Her eyes wandered off to the side, and she saw the Warden standing a short distance off. He too, was looking around, his green eyes taking in the scene. His brow fell a bit, but not in an angry fashion. Rather, it looked as if he were trying to identify what exactly this event was.

Luna could not help but feel a little bit of relief. For once, his focus was not on her. She didn't have to bear the weight of his glare or his anger, at least for a few seconds.

Then, a sudden, jarring mechanical howl reverberated through their surroundings, abruptly ending Luna's thoughts. Both she and the Warden looked up to the sky, where the sound was coming from. At first, neither of them saw it, but both knew what it was.

The Warden's armor in flight.

Then, a shining silver shape darted by, its glinting metal exterior visible between the treetops. It shortly disappeared beyond their view, the stark sound of the engines gradually diminishing as time passed.

Luna looked at the Warden, who had a completely different expression than he had before. Any and all evidence of anger and irritation had disappeared, replaced by one of surprise. Through his widened eyes, Luna could tell that he was in momentary disbelief at what he had just seen.

The Warden blinked and broke his gaze, now looking at the cottage. "Inside." He said, his voice a bit suppressed by his amazement. "He's going inside."

He began to trot forwards, his gait expressing a sense of urgency as he moved. Luna instinctively began to follow, her longer legs allowing her to effortlessly and gracefully keep pace with him as another question came to her mind.

Who was flying the armor? Clearly it wasn't the Warden, judging by his surprise. It had to be somepony whom he knew.

Soon, the Warden reached the front door, and paused. Luna strode up, stopping a short distance behind him. He remained where he was, not making any further movement forwards.

Luna sensed his unease. She felt it radiating off of him. Whoever it was, he seemed to be hesitant to see that pony.

He sighed quietly, his eyes beginning to show a determined glint as he pushed his unease away. Then, he lifted the latch on the door, opening it quietly but swiftly, revealing the interior.

It led into a moderately sized living space, with wooden walls, a wooden floor, and a wooden ceiling. Sunlight shone in through a window, and several doors lined the wall, presumably leading into several other rooms. There wasn't much by way of furnishings, which included a fireplace, a table, two chairs, and several dressers.

The Warden walked in, now showing little hesitation. Luna followed, her hooves thudding gently on the floor as she walked, her eyes glancing all around, taking in her surroundings.

It seemed very rustic, the lack of furnishings and quaint atmosphere creating an odd feeling of serenity.

"Well, this is sickeningly cozy."

Luna felt her heart stop.

She whipped her head around, and found the source of the voice. On the wall, there was a mirror that she hadn't noticed before, and looking at Luna through the reflection was a set of malicious eyes.

It was Nightmare Moon.

Luna nearly went into an all-out panic attack. What was she doing here?! Did the Warden hear her?!

She quickly turned her head towards the Warden, and thankfully, he didn't seem to be aware at all, soaking in his surroundings.

Nightmare Moon scoffed.

"Oh, please! We know he can't hear me. I am trapped inside of you, after all."

After a second of complete disbelief, Luna frantically thought of what to do. She knew that she couldn't keep her wits together with Nightmare trying to bother her.

The thought of smashing the mirror came to mind, but her better judgment forbade it. It would get the Warden's attention when Luna needed it the least. She remembered how she talked Nightmare down back at the castle, and wondered if rebuking her would do the trick again. But what if the Warden noticed that she was talking to a seemingly imaginary entity inside of a mirror? He would certainly doubt her mental stability, that was certain.

Then another option came to her. After making doubly sure that the Warden was not looking her way, she closed her eyes, and her horn began to glow. In a moment, she cast an alteration to the passage of time in the Warden's dream, bringing him and it to a standstill.

After opening her eyes, she saw the Warden standing perfectly frozen in time. Luna let out a sigh, relieved with the knowledge that he wouldn't be aware of the exchange between her and Nightmare.

She turned to the mirror once more, her relief giving way to apprehension. "What do you want?" She asked, her tone unsteady.

Nightmare Moon tilted her head. "Oh, nothing." The dark mare said innocently. "I suppose I just wanted to express my surprise at this new development. Surely you had no idea that he was going to do something quite like this, did you?"

Luna exhaled impatiently, but couldn't disagree. Indeed, she hadn't expected him to not immediately shoot her hopes down.

"No.”

Nightmare Moon frowned. "That's it? Just 'no'? Surely you have given it more thought than that."

Luna's brow lowered, and she did her best to throw up a stoic demeanor, not completely succeeding. “Stop wasting our time. Why are you bothering me again?”

"My, how rude." Nightmare Moon retorted. "At least tell me you know where this is going."

"What do you mean?"

The reflection scoffed. "Oh, come now. You know he's only doing this to crush you at the end."

Luna felt pangs of fear course through her. This prospect had occurred to her, but she had managed to put it to the back of her mind. She remained silent for a moment, and shook her head.

"He would have just told me outright if he wasn't going to forgive me." She pointed out. "By doing this, he's showing that there's a chance."

"Or… He's just building up your hopes just to watch them burn in a spectacular fashion." Nightmare Moon replied, giving a toothy grin. "I should know. It was something that we would have done when I was in control. I can only imagine how delicious the sensation of doing so would be…"

Luna winced. Her darker side had made a valid point. Was the Warden merely building her hopes to make her suffer more? Once again, doubts began to creep into her head. Was Nightmare Moon right?

Slowly, the reflection's gaze sharpened as if it had realized something.

"Ah, so you do know…" She said with a gleeful undertone. "Your silence is telling, Luna. You know that he is toying with you…"

Luna felt the familiar sensation of despair suffocate her hopes as Nightmare Moon's words sank in.

But then, she remembered what the Warden had said to her mere minutes ago.

"Yet he admitted to understanding that we are not one and the same." Luna said, her tone having shifted away from despair and more towards hopefulness. "I know for a fact that the Warden is not one to mince words. He had a purpose behind it."

"So you elect to remain in your ignorant fantasy of redemption, then?" Nightmare Moon asked coldly, any mirth in her expression having given way to annoyance once again.

Luna glared back. "It is no fantasy, and I will not turn back. Not now."

"Fine." The reflection snarled, scowling and baring her sharp teeth. "But don't say I didn't warn you."

Luna blinked, and when she opened her eyes, she found her own reflection looking back at her. Nightmare Moon had left yet again.

But for how long?

This question rattled around in Luna's mind as her horn began to glow. In a moment, she restored the passage of time to what it was before, hoping that the Warden hadn't noticed anything amiss.

As time continued to flow normally, the Warden carried on as he was before, looking at his surroundings with awe.

Luna felt a small amount of relief, her heartbeats growing slower. At least he hadn't noticed her conversation with her darker self.

But this relief was shortly replaced by a sense of doom. Was he really going through all of this just to crush her at the end? That would have seemed inevitable, if not for the fact that he had admitted that he knew that Luna and Nightmare Moon were not the same.

Of course, that guaranteed nothing.

Her dreary thoughts didn't last long, thankfully, for they were interrupted by a distinct thump from beneath the floor. She glanced down, and noticed that there was a trap door.

Somepony was coming.

The Warden noticed as well, also directing his gaze to the door. In his eyes, Luna noticed an expression that she hadn't seen from him before.

It was very short lived, but for a split second, she saw fear.

A shiver ran down the length of Luna's back. For a pony like the Warden to feel fear, it must really frighten him…

He backed away a step or two, shooting a glance at Luna. Instinctively, she felt the urge to try and soothe his unease.

"Do not fear," She explained, "the ponies within your dream cannot see nor hear us."

The Warden shook his head. "It isn't that..." He said in a low tone, looking away from her.

Luna felt a bit confused. Was he afraid of seeing whoever that pony was? It would explain his unease.

Then, the trap door swung open, and a stallion climbed up onto the floor.

He was a large, brown stallion, with a silver mane and tail that almost shimmered in the sunlight as he clambered up. His eyes were a dull blue color, and his cutie mark was of a section of castle wall, complete with stone blocks and parapet.

He was very imposing, larger than the Warden, even. He wasn't the largest pony she had ever seen, but still taller and far bigger than she was.

Her focus then wandered to the Warden, whose expression had changed yet again. His eyes were fixed on the stallion, and showed no small degree of disbelief.

Once he was out of the doorway, the stallion hurriedly shut the trap door and immediately rushed to one of the doors leading into a side room.

Luna felt an urge to follow him, and she did so. The Warden followed closely behind her, having broken out of his stupor.

When the stallion made it to the door, he paused and took a deep breath, as if he were nervous about something too. Luna looked on curiously, wondering what was troubling him. He closed his eyes for a moment and took another breath, speaking to himself quietly as if he were trying to encourage himself to proceed.

Then he opened his eyes, and slowly, quietly, opened the door. He peeked in cautiously, seeming to try and make as little sound as possible.

Despite his size, Luna was still tall enough to peer over his back, and she looked into the room.

It was about half the size of the living space, and it was darker inside, the only window having been covered by drapes. To one side lay a moderately sized bed, and Luna could make out a pony lying in it, covered up by several blankets. The resting pony was facing away, however, and Luna was unable to discern anything more. The Warden stepped up beside her, also peering over the stallion's back to see inside.

"Love?" The stallion whispered, his tone gently asking for some sort of response.

The pony in bed stirred, seeming to have heard him. "Hmm?"

Upon hearing this, Luna heard the Warden exhale in shock. She glanced at him, and saw that his eyes were wide.

She didn't blame him. It didn't take much reasoning to realize that these ponies in the projection were his parents. A perfectly reasonable reaction, although it did feel odd to see the Warden not be angry.

The pony in the bed turned to face the stallion, and Luna saw that it was a mare. She was dark blue in color, with a deep red mane. She opened her eyes, breathing with a small amount of difficulty, seeming to be quite tired. Once she saw the stallion though, her eyes widened, and her tired expression was replaced by one of excitement and adoration.

"Love?" She asked excitedly, her eyes shimmering in the dim light.

The stallion smiled, and opened the door enough to allow him to walk in. He strode in, his heavy hoofsteps thudding quietly as he made his way to the bed.

As he did so, the quiet atmosphere was broken by a brief cry of a newborn foal coming from the bed.

The stallion froze, his smile fading as his eyes widened in realization. However, the mare merely smiled sweetly.

"You missed it."

The stallion's face went from shocked to angry for a split second.

"Ah- I… I see…" He said, now looking away as if he were ashamed. "I- I'm sorr-"

"Oh hush, love." She mare said quietly, still smiling. "You have a duty to uphold, we both know that…"

"I know." He said with a huff. "But if I had acted a little earlier, I would have been here in time for-"

The mare shook her head.

"It's done, love. Those fanatics needed to be stopped, and you rose to the task like you always do. That's why-"

"That's why you love me…" The stallion said, nodding his head with a slight smile. "I know…"

The two fell silent, looking into each other's eyes in a way that Luna knew that only two ponies who were truly in love could do.

The mare shuffled around a bit in the bed, moving a small pile of blankets sitting next to her for her partner to see. She lifted it up, and the stallion went into a stunned silence. Luna understood why, for she had to take a moment to assure herself that she was seeing what she was seeing.

Inside the bundle of blankets was a newborn foal, blue in color with a gray mane.

There was no doubt in Luna's mind; it was the Warden.

She felt a peculiar sensation upon realizing this. He looked adorable as an infant, and her heart warmed slightly.

The Warden looked on as well, looking amazed.

The mother grinned eagerly. "It's a colt."

The father simply stood there for a moment, processing it all. Then, he kneeled down next to the bed, and carefully took the infant into his strong forelegs.

Both parents looked down at their new son, remaining silent for a few minutes. Then, the stallion looked at his wife and spoke.

"So, his name is going to be what we agreed upon, right?"

The mare nodded. "Yes. His name is Casemate."

The stallion smiled, clearly pleased. "Good. He shall carry on his ancestors' legacy."

The mare's happy expression faded, and she began to look worried. "Only if he has to, right?"

The stallion's own smile turned into a frown.

"When he was to." He corrected. "If there's one thing I know, it's that Equestria is never truly safe."

Luna felt some anger radiate off of the Warden as the stallion spoke. What did he hold against him?

The mare sighed.

"I… I know. It's just- I know that you've never really known how to live during times of peace or even know what it is like to be properly loved by both your parents… I want to make sure we both will give him the life that you didn't have."

The stallion sighed, shaking his head. "That is wishful thinking. We have Princess Celestia to thank for that."

"But we can try." The mare said firmly. "We can at least try to allow our son to live in peace instead of constant, unending conflict."

The stallion shook his head once more, exhaling in an exasperated way.

"I- We can't-"

The mare extended a hoof, gently brushing his cheek.

"We can try. You know that."

The stallion's brow lowered for a moment, then he relaxed, admitting defeat.

"We will try." He murmured.

Luna heard the Warden exhale deeply upon hearing this. She looked sideways at him, and saw several emotions on his face. She could feel a sense of heartache, as if he were wondering how things could have turned out differently for him.

Luna dwelled on this for a moment. Did this mean that he didn't actually want to become the Warden?

Just then, the child gave a quiet groan, and both parents smiled. The mother shook her head. "Look at us, arguing when our little Casemate needs tending to."

The father nodded once, and carefully handed the child back to her.

Then, after a moment, the three ponies froze in place and faded away, signaling to Luna that she had reached the end of the first event.

Now it was just her and him.

The Warden sighed deeply, and Luna could sense some deep emotions within him.

"...Are you alright?" She asked, sounding genuinely concerned. She understood that revisiting past moments could have a profound effect on ponies.

The Warden nodded, looking at her.

"I am." He replied, sounding like he was deep in thought. "I just never thought I would see her again…"

Luna could sense a feeling of longing and pain within the Warden, and she immediately understood why, her years of experience with helping ponies in need of counseling telling her that he had lost his mother at some point. A surge of empathy arose within her soul for him. Her nature was compelling her to dive deeper, and try to offer comfort.

She paused for a moment. Was this a good idea? She evaluated her reasoning behind this urge. Was she trying to sway him into forgiving her? To do so would seem superficial, at least to him.

But as she thought, the more she recognized that it wasn't her need for forgiveness behind it, but her heart. She was never one to leave ponies hurting without offering some guidance, or in the very least, comfort.

Forgiveness or not, she wanted to help in any way she could. It was the least she could do, after what Nightmare Moon did…

"Do you have any memory of her?" She asked quietly, finally working up the courage to speak.

The Warden shot a questioning look up at Luna, his brow lowering a bit. "What is it to you?" He asked plainly, seeming to be cautious and suspicious.

This made Luna flinch. He clearly was still distrustful of her. Of course, that was understandable.

"I… I thought that you wanted me to understand your story better…" She murmured, looking at him with drooped ears. "I cannot think of any other reason why you would wish for me to witness your defining moments…"

The Warden’s gaze softened ever so slightly upon hearing her reply, and he looked away with a forced sigh.

"...Yes… You would be correct…" He responded with a quiet tone.

Luna felt some of the tension leave her body as he confirmed it.

But this raised a question: Why?

If he was trying to show her his story, was he trying to give her some context to what his choice would be? Did he already make up his mind to forgive her, or not?

The Warden continued to speak, snapping the princess out of her thoughts.

"I don't remember much of her." He said somberly. "Just photographs and what little my father would tell me of her."

Anger seemed to radiate from the Warden when he mentioned his father, and Luna noticed. Just like earlier, he seemed to harbor anger against him. She decided to not ask about his father quite yet. Besides, she already knew who he was.

He was Bastion, son of Hightower the hero. She recalled meeting him when he was but a teen, over a thousand years prior, before Hightower's banishment by her Celestia.

She recalled that he was somewhat hot tempered, but like his father, possessed a very strong sense of duty and responsibility. He had always held a close bond with his father, striving to be a worthy son to the greatest war hero in recorded history. Bastion was always closer to Hightower than his mother, that much was certain. After his mother divorced from Hightower, Bastion always seemed to stick close to his father.

Perhaps that was why he voluntarily went into exile with him.

Her thoughts began to wander back to his mother, straying from Bastion.

"She really seemed to love you." Luna said with an earnest expression on her face.

The Warden simply nodded in reply, remaining silent as he looked away.

In her heart, Luna could feel his pain. Her curiosity grew, as did the need to try and offer some comfort. She inhaled quietly, and spoke again.

"May I ask what happened to her?"

"She was killed." The Warden replied. "I wasn't even a year old."

Even though she had guessed that his mother had died, Luna felt her heart break a bit.

"Killed?" She asked, her eyes widening as her voice revealed the shock within. "I am so sorry, I did not know…"

The Warden shook his head, and began to explain.

"One night, a group of ponies came to the cottage and took us by surprise. They captured us, seeking to force us to join their cause, whatever it was. My father broke free and managed to rescue me but he couldn't save my mother." He said, looking downwards. "Sometimes I wonder how differently things would have turned out if she had survived, if she were able to keep my father's intentions for me in check…"

Luna recalled the disagreement between his parents, how his father wanted him to become a warrior protecting Equestria and how his mother wanted him to know a life of peace instead.

What if the Warden never took up the mantle of his ancestors?

It was a most provocative question, Luna understood that. Her thoughts swirled in her mind, centering around this revelation.

After a few seconds of silence, the Warden spoke.

"Let's move on to the next one." He said firmly.

Luna shook off her thoughts and nodded.

"Of course."

The princess' horn began to glow, and the environment around them faded into a dark mist once more. As she prepared the next sequence, she pondered the takeaways from this moment.

The Warden did have loving parents, but his childhood was clearly anything but happy, if his answers were true. He no longer had his mother, and Luna had no idea what his father had done. Clearly, he had done something that caused the Warden to harbor resentment.

Luna felt anxious. Whatever it was, she felt as if she were going to find out in the next memory.