The council meeting had been over for a few hours. Celestia stood alone on the balcony of her chambers, which jutted out into the cool night air. The gentle breeze played with her mane, which shimmered silver in the moonlight. Her gaze was fixed on the moon and on the dark silhouette that marred its surface.

"I can sense how eager Twilight is to help me," she murmured softly to herself, her voice barely more than a whisper in the darkness. It sounded almost like a thought that had slipped from her lips, carried away by the wind. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, as if she were asking the air itself how she should proceed.

"But... why does it feel so wrong... why do I hesitate?" Her eyes drifted back to the moon, whose silver light was momentarily covered by a passing cloud. Her face lay in shadow, and her eyes, hard as polished steel, remained unyieldingly focused on the distant celestial body, as if she could find the answers she sought there.

"I’ve risked too much to allow myself doubts now," she murmured, her words sharper than she intended. "Twilight has become exactly what I hoped for: strong, curious, loyal. She trusts me…"

But in her heart, she felt again that painful stab she knew all too well. A fleeting pang of regret that gnawed at her resolve. "Maybe that's why it feels so wrong," she thought, standing still for a moment, her thoughts a chaotic jumble.

She gritted her teeth, forced herself to calm down, and squared her shoulders as if to shake off the weight of her doubts. "No. I can't afford to show weakness now. Twilight is strong, stronger than she knows. She must learn to recognize the dark magic, to understand it," her voice softened, almost pleading. "It is her destiny. I have chosen her for this."

Celestia opened her eyes, and suddenly the determination returned to her gaze. The moon broke through the clouds once more, casting its silver light over the world as if offering a silent affirmation of her thoughts. "It is time to show her what is truly at stake," she murmured, her eyes glinting in the moonlight.

With resolute steps, Celestia turned away from the balcony and began the walk to her student’s chambers. "There is no better time than now," she murmured, as if her words alone could sweep away her doubt. Her voice echoed softly through the corridor, and the clattering of her hooves sounded like a beating heart against the cool marble floors. As she passed a statue depicting herself in a maternal pose, with a gentle smile and kind eyes, she felt a strange pressure growing in her chest. It was as if the stone eyes were following her, filled with silent reproach.

Celestia's expression darkened, and her heart beat faster. "I have no choice," she hissed, feeling her anger rise within her, hot and burning. She paused briefly and cast a furious glance at the statue. "It’s not my fault the world is what it is!" Her voice rang through the hallway, sharper and louder than she had intended.

For a moment, it seemed as if the cold, empty eyes of the statue were indeed accusing her, like a silent witness to her doubts. A flicker of heat rose in Celestia, burning within her like a wild fire. "What do you want from me?!" she shouted, her voice echoed through the quiet hall, bouncing off the walls until it faded into a weak echo.

But the statue did not answer. With a frustrated snort, she stomped on the ground. The marble beneath her hooves cracked and splintered under the force of her fury. "Argh! You cannot judge me; I am the one who decides what is right and moral!" Her voice trembled.

Celestia felt her anger boiling inside her. At whom was she so angry? Her burning eyes locked onto the statue, but she only saw her own face reflected back at her.

With a deep breath, she forced herself to calm down, pushing the anger back into the deepest corners of her heart. "No," she whispered, her voice now steady but firm. "I am doing the right thing."

After a few minutes, she finally reached the door to Twilight’s chambers. She hesitated, her gaze fixed on the heavy, carved wood for a moment. At last, she raised a hoof and knocked softly on the door.

For a moment, there was silence. "Perhaps Twilight is already asleep," Celestia thought, her gaze lingering on the closed door. "Yes, that must be it... She must have gone to bed already. I will simply come back tomorrow..."

Her thoughts were abruptly interrupted when she heard the soft tapping of hooves from the other side of the door. Celestia held her breath as the hoofsteps approached. The door slowly creaked open, and a narrow shaft of light fell into the dark corridor. Twilight's sleepy figure appeared in the doorway, her disheveled mane falling in messy strands around her face. Her eyes, half-open and still clouded with sleep, blinked in surprise as she saw Celestia. "Empress?" Twilight asked, confused, her voice soft and still hoarse with fatigue. "What... what brings you here so late at night?"

"I hope I didn’t wake you, Twilight," Celestia said with a warmth in her voice that she barely felt herself. She looked down at Twilight with a gentle smile. Her expression was reminiscent of the statue she had passed. "But there is something important I need to show you. Something that cannot wait until morning."

Twilight rubbed the sleep from her eyes and nodded eagerly, the unexpected visit from her mentor having dispelled the last remnants of tiredness. "Of course, Empress," she replied, her curiosity growing. "I am ready to learn whatever you wish to show me."

Celestia's smile became a little more genuine. "I’m glad to hear that, my student. Please, follow me." Her voice was soft, but behind the facade, there was a hint of seriousness that further piqued Twilight's curiosity.

Without hesitation, Twilight followed Celestia, walking by her side through the long, winding corridors of the palace. Her thoughts swirled as she pondered the significance of this nocturnal lesson. Where would her mentor take her? What could possibly be so important all of a sudden? Did it have something to do with the council meeting?

"Empress," Twilight began cautiously, trying to keep the uncertainty out of her voice, "does this lesson have anything to do with what you discussed at the council meeting today?" Her gaze wandered questioningly over to Celestia, searching for a hint of her mentor's mysterious intent.

"No, Twilight, at least not directly," Celestia said, sounding a little absent-minded. The usual warm melody in her tone was missing, replaced by a note of gravity that made Twilight pause for a moment. Celestia's gaze remained forward, as if she were focused on something unseen in the distance while trying to organize her thoughts.

After a while, Celestia led Twilight to a long, spiral staircase descending deep into the lower levels of the palace. The further they descended, the cooler the air became, and an icy chill blew against them. Twilight felt a shiver spread across her skin as a cold shudder ran down her spine. The palace’s marble gave way to rough stone. The corridor grew narrower, the walls seeming to swallow up the faint light of the torches.

At the bottom of the stairs, Celestia finally stopped before a massive steel door, its surface studded with rusty rivets and marked by time. The cold, metallic smell emanating from the door mixed with the damp air, and Twilight felt a mixture of nervousness and anticipation rise within her.

Celestia's voice cut through the silence like a sharp blade. "Behind this door lies the Canterlot Dungeon," she explained, her words heavy and piercing. "A dark, deep hole where I throw those criminals who must never see the light of day again. Only the worst of the worst find their final refuge down here."

With a powerful thrust of her magic, Celestia flung the heavy metal doors open. A deafening crash shattered the silence and echoed through the long, dark hallway beyond the gate. The reverberating sound seemed to make the shadows on the walls tremble, suggesting it had roused most of the prisoners from their uneasy sleep.

"Do not get too close to the cells along the walls," Celestia warned, her voice calm but insistent. "If a prisoner should touch you, just scream. Trust me, Twilight—as long as I am by your side, nothing can happen to you." A flickering glow emanated from her horn, casting Celestia's face in golden light, emphasizing her sharp features and the determination that flashed in her eyes.

Twilight felt uneasy; there was a sense of foreboding in her stomach. Why was Celestia leading her to such a dark place? She continued to follow her Empress through the grim corridor, occasionally glancing into the surrounding cells. Most were empty, filled only with darkness and silence. But in some, figures crouched in the shadows—ponies whose emaciated bodies reminded Twilight of the narrow alleys of her old home.

Occasionally, they passed a prisoner who dared to mutter an obscene remark, only to fall silent immediately under the first cold, piercing look from Celestia. Twilight felt the air grow heavier, as if with each step she was being pulled deeper into the darkness. A slight tremor went through her body, but she kept her head held high and continued to follow the Empress further into the unknown depths.

Eventually, Celestia stopped before one of the cells and pointed a hoof at a unicorn stallion who was chained inside. His pale blue coat looked wan in the dim light, and his red mane hung in stringy strands over his face. His limbs were spread wide and bound to the walls by heavy iron chains. A rough muzzle cut into his skin, preventing him from uttering a single word.

The stallion stared at the cold stone floor with a vacant, lifeless gaze, as if all the life had long since drained from him. Twilight's breath caught as she looked at the broken figure. A shiver ran down her spine, and for a moment, she felt nothing but cold dread.

"Star Gaze," came Celestia’s cold, cutting voice. "That is the name of the stallion you see before you."

Twilight wanted to turn her gaze to her teacher, but her eyes remained fixed on the bowed figure of the unicorn, unable to look away. The sight of this tormented being captivated her, sending her thoughts into a wild whirl. "What... what did he do to end up here?" she finally asked in a trembling voice that was little more than a whisper.

Celestia waited a moment, allowing the silence to hang over the room like a heavy shroud. Twilight felt the air around her grow denser as she waited for an answer.

"The worst crime in all of Equestria," Celestia finally said, her voice soft but biting. "Star Gaze practiced dark magic." The words left her lips with a palpable hint of disgust, as if even speaking of the deed contaminated her.

Twilight forced herself to look away from the broken figure of the stallion. It took effort, as if she were waking from a dark enchantment. "Celestia," she began, her voice full of confusion and uncertainty, "I... I don't understand."

Celestia let her gaze rest on Twilight, her eyes inscrutable for a moment, as if weighing how much she should reveal. "Dark magic is more than just a collection of dangerous, forbidden spells," she explained slowly, her voice sounded urgent and serious. "It is an abomination that devours the soul and consumes everything that is pure and good. Star Gaze thought he could use these powers without paying the price." She paused, her words like a test directed at Twilight. "But no one remains untouched. No one."

Twilight felt a cold shiver run down her spine. Celestia’s words echoed in her mind, but she could not silence the doubts in her heart. "But..." she dared to say, her voice barely more than a whisper, "what if he… what if he did it for a good reason?" She felt Celestia's gaze sharpen like a knife cutting through the darkness, and she swallowed hard. "Sometimes...," she added softly, "you can do the wrong thing for the right reasons, can't you?"

Celestia directed her gaze back to Star Gaze, her eyes burning with hidden emotions. "Star Gaze lost his family in a tragic accident," she began, her voice cold and distant, as if delivering a verdict. "Driven by his pain and despair, he turned to necromancy—the most vile of all dark arts. He tried to bring the dead back, but what he created were not resurrected souls. They were deformed creatures, lifeless husks that brought nothing but disaster." Celestia's mouth twisted as if tasting something bitter. "He defied natural laws, Twilight. He wanted to break them just to soothe his own grief, without regard for the consequences."

Twilight felt her stomach clench, but she could not tear her gaze away from Celestia. "He endangered innocent lives," Celestia continued, her voice growing harder. "The beings he created roamed the city, driven by madness and hunger. Several ponies were injured, some even killed, before we managed to bring the situation under control." She paused, her eyes narrow and gleaming. "Star Gaze is not a victim, Twilight. He is a monster, willing to destroy everything just to reclaim his lost world. Eleven ponies lost their lives because of his selfishness. Such creatures must never see the light of day again."

Twilight felt a growing unease within her. She looked again at the broken figure of the stallion in the cell, staring into his empty eyes. He was already dead, she realized. Dead inside. "But…" she began hesitantly, "he doesn’t seem like a monster to me. Maybe he was just desperate and blinded by grief."

Celestia stepped closer to Twilight, her voice growing deeper, more intense. "Compassion is a valuable virtue, Twilight, but in this world, it can be easily exploited. There are things that simply cannot be excused, no matter how desperate one is." Her eyes flashed, and for a moment, it seemed as if something unspoken lay hidden in her gaze. "You must learn to recognize evil and know when no path to redemption remains. Because if you hesitate…" she paused and let the words fall into the silence, "…it might be too late."

"I want you to understand the true nature of dark magic, Twilight," Celestia said, her voice now calmer, almost gentle, yet a keen sharpness glittered in her eyes. "I will show you how to defend yourself against it." Her horn began to glow with an intense golden light, the energy within pulsing and filling the room with a flickering brilliance. "So that you may learn to fight the shadows rather than be consumed by them."

Slowly, Celestia inclined her horn, and the golden glow spread like liquid light throughout the room, the magic swelling in its intensity. "Open your mind, Twilight," she whispered, her words carried through the charged air, "and see with your own eyes what happens when one surrenders to the shadows."

Twilight felt the world around her blur, colors fading as everything was cloaked in a suffocating darkness. Suddenly, she found herself in a new place: a small village at the edge of a dark forest, shrouded in the deepest night. The moon stood high in the sky, its light casting long, ghostly shadows over the ruined buildings. Flames licked hungrily at thatched roofs, and thick, black plumes of smoke rose into the starry night. The panicked screams and desperate howls of the villagers reached her ears as the village around her sank into rubble and ash.

The heavy, metallic scent of blood hung in the air, mingled with the acrid stench of soot and burning wood. Everywhere, lifeless bodies lay in the dirt, their faces twisted in a final expression of pain. In the midst of the chaos stood a single pony—a dark, menacing figure moving silently and smoothly, like a shadow, over the burning ruins. A cold shiver ran through Twilight as she sensed that this figure wielded an eerie and powerful magic. Something inside her screamed that she should turn away, yet she could not look away.

"This being," Celestia began softly, but with piercing sharpness, "was once very close to me. A soul I loved and trusted." Her voice was cool and almost emotionless as the dark figure suddenly broke into a rapid sprint. She charged toward a terrified soldier in golden armor who froze for just a moment before his eyes widened with panic. Blue magic flickered like living flames around her black horn, and in a sudden, merciless sweep, a magical blade formed, severing his head cleanly from his body. The look of pure terror remained frozen in his dead eyes as his body collapsed to the ground.

"But the darkness consumed her, turning her into something I could hardly recognize," Celestia continued, her words cutting through the air like a knife. The dark figure laughed—a hollow, cold laugh that echoed in the night—and her eyes glowed a toxic green as she pounced on the next soldiers, who frantically raised their shields and tried to defend themselves against the unstoppable force.

Twilight could not look away as the figure sent a wave of magical energy crashing into the soldiers with ruthless precision. The earth trembled as the magic struck, and the screams of those hit rang through the night. "She has killed dozens of ponies in the most gruesome ways, torn families apart—all because of the dark magic that entered her heart," Celestia continued, her voice filled with sorrow. "The darkness turned her into a monster that knows nothing but destruction."

Before Twilight's eyes, the figure bent over a wounded soldier, a bitter, mocking smile on her lips. Then she opened her mouth and, without hesitation, bit off his ear, chewing slowly, savoring, as blood dripped from her lips. Twilight felt her heart beat faster, a cold shiver running down her back. "And the worst part?" Celestia’s voice now sounded broken, as if fighting back tears. "She was once so close to me... But the darkness has taken her from me forever."

The vision shattered like glass, and the burning ruins and battling soldiers dissolved. Twilight found herself back in the dark dungeon, her thoughts a swirling vortex of images and emotions. She looked over at Celestia, whose face was hard to read in the fading light. "Do you see what dark magic can do to a being?" Celestia whispered, her voice soft but urgent. "It corrupts even the purest hearts and leaves nothing but misery."

Twilight finally collapsed onto the cold stone floor, her legs giving way beneath her as she broke down in tears, crying as if to scream all the fear and confusion out of her. "Please, Celestia," she pleaded, her voice choked with sobs. She didn't even know exactly what she was asking for—only that she could no longer bear this overwhelming fear.

Celestia sat beside her, a calm and warm authority in the cold, gloomy dungeon. With gentle strength, she drew Twilight into an embrace, holding her tightly at her side. "Do not fear, my student," Celestia murmured softly, her voice as gentle as a promise. "I am with you, and before my light, no shadow, however deep, can stand."

With tear-filled eyes, Twilight looked up at Celestia, her vision blurred by tears. Celestia smiled gently down at her, a smile that was both comforting and strong. "I promise you, Twilight," she said firmly, but lovingly, "I will make you strong. Strong enough that the shadows will fear you."

Twilight felt her fear gradually give way to a burning resolve. She wiped the tears from her cheeks and met Celestia's gaze, her eyes now full of determination. "Yes," she whispered, "I will learn, I will become strong... and I will make you proud." In that moment, she swore to herself to do everything she could to meet her mentor's expectations, despite the doubts that lay deep within her.

She buried her head in Celestia's warm, protective coat, breathing in the familiar scent and feeling the comforting warmth envelop her. She clung more tightly to the embrace, as if it were the only anchor in a world that had suddenly become so dark and threatening. Celestia placed a wing over her back.

Twilight never wanted to let go, never wanted to leave this hug. Here, she felt safe and protected, far away from the shadows she so deeply feared.

Author's Note

And here is the next chapter. Very gloomy today. Don't worry, the next chapters will be much more cheerful. I hope you enjoyed the whole thing anyway.

Don't forget to comment your thoughts, I'm always happy to see what you think about it.