Failure, Eternally Retold, Part Three: Morality

The stone door swung open as Kai pressed his hoof to it. He didn't have to push particularly hard, nor did he have to open the door all the way. He just needed enough of an opening for himself and his travelling companion to slip through. Open's eyes went wide at what he saw.

The door opened into a long hallway, as wide as a street, with carved stone pillars holding up the ceiling. Between every other pillar, there were chiseled out stone murals that depicted important historical events relating to this location. On either side of the hall, there were small hovels, some of them ramshackle and others upscale, with no regard for how close they were to each other. At the far end, the hall split in two and made its way out in opposite directions. To the left, there was a second large door, but to the right, the area was open and housed a few communal structures.

"This is the den of crime and depravity?" asked Open, looking around. "It's brighter in here than I thought it would be, too."

A few faces appeared in the stonework doorways, then disappeared as they saw the bleached coat Open was sporting. doors closed and locked as he approached. Kai ignored this and walked past the hovels, but it was very dispiriting to Open, who was trying to steady himself. He was only used to being hated by evil ponies, but these ones weren't brandishing weapons at him. They were hiding.

"I don't think I'm welcome here," admitted Open. "They don't seem all that friendly."

"That's likely because of your prior affiliation. I'm not the most socially aware, but I'm pretty sure they don't like being hunted down and slaughtered."

"I wasn't involved in that."

"Oh, no?" Kai stopped and turned to one of the stone murals, pointing to a unicorn that looked just like Open. He had skewered a young earth pony mare through the back with a spear as two fillies looked on in horror. "Then who's this?"

Open gently placed his hoof against the carved stone. "This is..." A realization washed over him, contorting his face into one ensconced in abject horror. He swallowed hard. "It's my dad."

The mural depicted several paladins, some well-known in the spire, and some that had died long ago, armed to the teeth, attacking primarily unarmed, unarmored civilians. A few of the resistance had knives and repurposed tools, but of the unarmored ponies fighting the paladins, the most well-equipped one had a pitchfork. This story had likely been modified for the retelling in the spire, with lots of propaganda to make it seem as if it were a righteous crusade. Bright eyes has said it took years for him to realize that this was wrong, but his son seemed more open to the idea.

"We're monsters," he muttered. "I can't believe this is how it really happened."

"It's probably a mix of both," answered Kai. "History being retold by both sides. The parts that don't change from both sides are likely the only believable parts; that is, your father came here with a group of paladins long ago and killed pretty much everyone. Neither side denies that." He turned and continued toward the back. "The world doesn't deal in black and white. Most conflicts are non-binary. It's all in different shades of grey."

Open fell back on his haunches. He felt sick to his stomach. He knew that coming here was going to fuck with his perception, but he wasn't prepared for this visual aid.

Noticing that he wasn't following, Kai turned back. "Always, hate and spite remain after a conflict. Always. You've somehow managed to always be on the winning side, likely because your distaste for others started the conflict in the first place. In magic research, we are wont to explore the various angles, and see things from every perspective we can. It leads to a better understanding, and breakthroughs when somepony comes up with a new way of looking at things that you hadn't considered. Perhaps you would benefit from looking at things from the perspective of your foe. You may find a better view and end the conflict without causing as much harm."

Kai reached down in front of Open, offering to help him to his hooves. He was overwhelmed by all that had happened tonight, and needed somepony to keep him from snapping back to what he had just left. And yet, seeing Kai's hoof in front of him, ready to help, he could only push it away. He didn't want to look back at this day and remember that he became a better person by relying on somepony he'd beaten half to death. It wouldn't be right. He would need to stand on his own four hooves.

They continued to the back, turning left at the end of the hallway. Every closed and locked door was hurtful to Open, and he was hanging his head pretty low at the end. As Kai pushed the large stone door open, they found themselves engulfed in a black mist. Open tried to light it up with his horn, but Kai stopped him. "We are in the home of darkness. If he wants us to see, then we shall."

With a tentative nod, Open followed Kai into the dark room. The door swung shut behind them, and the room grew silent. Open remembered calling out, but being unable to hear his voice. He stepped back, but could no longer feel the ground beneath him. There wasn't even so much as a smell to this place. He was completely and utterly alone in the dark.

He had no idea how long he floated there before some strange voice called out to him. It may have been seconds, minutes, hours, or even days. Floating in the black void had taken away his perception of time. "Though you do not look it, a part of you belongs here," said the voice. "I see a darkness within you; that infernal need to question authority figures, that uncanny desire to have your voice heard among the din, that ambitious thirst... You walk close to the sun, and as a result, your shadow is black as the night."

"Who are you?" called Open, finally able to hear his own words. "Show yourself!"

A wooden frame slipped into view, through which another unicorn could be seen. He had a light green coat with a dark green mane and tail, with little yellow streaks running through it. "In every darkness, there is a light. There is also a darkness in every light. You have been feeding your light and neglecting your darkness so completely that you have been blinded by it. You are unstable. I am here to fix that."