//------------------------------// // Epilogue // Story: The Lunar Chalice // by Spirals95 //------------------------------// Epilogue “So many boxes,” whimpered Midnight, wiping a bead of sweat off his forehead. Even with a half-off closing sale, Into the Mystic still had a ton of leftover inventory. Most of it was likely to not sell in the long run thanks to the rising popularity of Mindstones throughout the Crystal Empire, and Midnight hoped that his invention would soon captivate the rest of Equestria as well. For now, the unicorn was left stuck with dozens of cardboard boxes packed with his leftover items and personal belongings. “I hope Tech gets here soon with the moving company...” As if on cue, he heard a knock on the dusty old door of the shop. “There we go.” Midnight walked over to the door and opened it with his magic, finding his “uncle” standing in the doorway. “Oh... hi Arby,” he greeted him with a disappointed voice “Glad to see you too, Midnight,” Arbiter responded sarcastically, “who were you expecting, Techorse?” “Yes,” he answered honestly. The eyepatch wearing pegasus rolled his good eye, “I see. Do you have a moment?” Midnight took a wild stab at his uncle's point, “So let me guess, you're here to lecture me about something?” “It doesn't have to be a lecture,” he said dryly, “I wanted to let you know that we're all very proud of you. Despite not knowing the secret of our family, you were somehow able to peel away from the temptation of power. Something I was not able to resist...” His relative stepped outside and shut the door, “Well, I didn't get away. I saw the power Sombra promised me, and I jumped on it right away because of how mad I was with my father.” “I meant that despite having fallen to it, you were able to bring yourself back out,” clarified Arbiter, his good eye fixed on Midnight's guilty looks. “Arbiter... I didn't bring myself out. Techorse and his... I mean, my friends gave me a potion that helped snap me out of it,” admitted the unicorn, rubbing the back of his head with a hoof, “I would have probably ruled the Crystal Empire alongside King Sombra as a tyrant. Weren't you debriefed on all of that? I told Princess Luna the truth.” The pegasus laughed gently, “Yes, I was told everything, including the nature of potions created by the Lunar Chalice. Based on the princess's description, it would appear that you had more control over the matter than what you think.” He raised on eyebrow, “Huh?” Arbiter explained with a smirk, “Well you see... when Princess Luna first used the Lunar Chalice, she created a potion to turn her servants into 'ponies of the night'. But not all who drank were changed immediately. They had to want to change. Much like Luna wanted to become Nightmare Moon.” Midnight insisted on his self loathing, ears dropped down, “Arbiter, even if that's true, I'm still responsible for... what happened to my dad. Because of me, Twinken didn't even get to say goodbye. I also heard my mom patched things up with my dad before he came looking for me. I've ruined everypony's lives.” “I'd hate for you to spend the rest of your life thinking that way,” Arbiter sighed, looking around at the beautiful field surrounding the magic shop, “but what you choose to do in light of the week's events is up to you.” He turned around and left his nephew sitting there in front of his shop on the edge of crying. The stallion's black cape fluttered behind him as he walked, but he stopped to give one more piece of advice. “Ultimately, I want you to know that I forgive you. Your mother and brother forgive you. Your friends forgive you. The princesses forgive you, for Equestria's sake! Take all the time you need Midnight, but someday... you have to forgive yourself.” When Midnight looked up, Captain Arbiter had disappeared despite the lack of cover or sound of wings flapping in the air. He quietly moved back into his shop, closing the door. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught one item he had forgotten to pack resting on the counter. It was the small black journal. Midnight grabbed the book in his aura, and began to flip through the pages. In his writing, he recounted his entire adventure, from the excitement of joining up with his friends... to making it to Stargazer's peak, to meeting King Sombra, to his time spent being his son, and ultimately... his final entry where he expressed his thankfulness for his great friends who had redeemed him shortly after the funeral. There was one page left over in the small notebook, which Midnight knew he'd left empty having seen it a few days ago. But something in his heart encouraged him to turn the last page. He nearly dropped the book from what he saw. In his father's hoofwriting was a message on the last page which hadn't been there before! I love you, my wonderful son. Tears welled up in the unicorn's eyes as he read those precious words over and over again in the quiet of his shop. Then, there was another knock on the door, and he knew this time it was his friend with the moving company. After closing the book, Midnight Blaze put the journal, now a priceless treasure into a saddlebag and secured it at his side. While he trotted slowly for the door, he gave what he had seen one more peaceful thought. “I love you too...”