From Dusk to Night

by KuroiTsubasaTenshi


67 - Timeless Beauty

Flying in to Lunar Lake was significantly less impressive than Canterlot. Even now, years and years after my filly self’s first impression of the town, I still thought as much. The smaller, yet still flavourful, buildings simply couldn’t keep up with the in-your-face level of Canterlot’s spires. That’s why, knowing the inner character of the city, I had us land and take the road from about one-hundred feet out.

Down here, the nondescript roofing transformed, almost as though we’d stepped through a portal to the past. The architecture was old, almost alien. The wooden structures were roughly cut, in a way that screamed, “Hastily put together.” The benches, sign posts and lamps were likewise, with the flagstone path being somewhat uneven. It was like time had never changed from almost one-thousand years ago, though that was, in fact, the trick. Everything here was deceptively modern underneath, with all the conveniences and resilience of today. All this appearance was carefully curated by those whose parents had lived here for generations, with many of the individual components likely being replaced or refurbished dozens of times.

It was an interesting approach and I appreciated the ability to essentially step into history. Yet, I couldn’t help but wonder if it was necessary, my mind drifting back to Ostfriesen. Perhaps my perspective had been skewed by being there for the first time, but they seemed to be similar, despite their differing approaches. That is, Ostfriesen was itself like a piece of history without taking particular pains to preserve things exactly as they were. Theirs was an evolution that had stuck quite heavily to its roots. That old aesthetic had been carried forward, perhaps out of respect. I couldn’t help but ponder what Lunar Lake might be like if it they’d taken that approach.

I shook off my reverie. While a fun mental exercise, there was little point in getting distracted by ‘what if?’s when there was something so beautiful right in front of us.

“Well, it, um, certainly looks old?” Night said, peering past all the tourist ponies as he took the city in. Speaking of which, I supposed that was one point that could never be satisfactorily resolved: no matter how authentic they worked to make it look, the tourists themselves—especially the ones in the flower t-shirts—dampened the effect.

I giggled. “That’s part of the experience.”

“It does feel like a really big museum.” A smile crept up his lips. “Is that why you find Lunar Lake special?”

“Kind of. But this is more of a prelude to the real show.” I flashed him a grin. “And no, I’m not telling.”

His eyes fell on one of the nearby houses. “Well, I look forward to the surprise.”

“Sorry to say you’ll have to wait a bit longer. The show isn’t until tonight. Besides, we still have to check into the hotel.”

Night grinned, colour flooding his face as he replied. “That’s fine. More time, with, um, a beautiful mare for me.”

“Flatterer.” I met his smile with a smirk.

The hotel, simply known as The Lunar Lake Inn, was an attraction all its own. Due to the city’s aversion of overly tall buildings, the hotel had found itself a special solution: two side expansions that made it perhaps the longest non-palace structure I’d ever seen. Even then, that wasn’t enough.

“Cross-grounds taxis?” Night asked, peering at the sign in front of the hotel and the moon-emblazoned coaches at the ready.

I giggled. “Tourism is big here. But, due to their authenticity rule, they can’t build up. So, they decided to build sideways, which has led to this rather unique situation.”

Flourishing a little, I motioned to the additional buildings on either side of the main hotel.

“W-wow.” Night craned his neck as he gazed down the street.

“We shouldn’t need it, though. I booked us in early enough that they should give us a room in the main building.” I started toward the door.

“Oh.” Night cast one last curious glance over the coaches before following.

Sure enough, they gave us a room in the main building on the second floor. Unfortunately, it was a room facing the street, rather than the lake, but that was to be expected. Those rooms were much more expensive and I wasn’t willing to put down the bits for that—not when I could take those bits and get us a first-rate seat at the lake proper.

Still, despite the lesser view, the room itself took pains toward authenticity. While I could tell, upon closer scrutinization, that the pictures on the wall were prints, the stylization was good enough that, at a glance, that bouquet of flowers and portrait of Chancellor Puddinghead really could pass for paintings.

The beds were also a fake imperfect wood, the kind that was staged to give that rough, old-time appearance, but a discreetly placed layer of lacquer removed the threat of splinters. The spread and pillows seemed to have no such fakeness to it, but that was something they could completely get away with without introducing health hazards.

“So, what do you think?” I asked.

“They’re really serious about this, aren’t they?” Night looked from the bed to the pictures.

“Of course. Tourism is their livelihood and quaint is what sells.”

Night glanced out the window and it was there, framed by two heavy, green curtains, that a smile crept up his lips. “They, um, need to work on their clouds, then.”

“Oh?” I followed his gaze, where a pair of pegasi were working to position a series of white clouds.

And just as surely as the smile, blush crept into his cheeks as he spoke, “Too many weather workers. They should drift freely.”

I giggled. “You can take it up with management the next time we go down.”

---

The whole idea was dumb. Walking a blindfolded pony down to the lake during the busy time of night would require more than a bit of care. But I wanted to introduce Night to it the same way I'd been—or as closely as I could, anyway. I had neither the size nor the inclination to stand over Night and block his view with my barrel and wing like my father.

I put on my best reassuring smile as I held the blindfold up. “I just want you to get the full experience. Part of that is the surprise.”

I almost wished he would have protested a bit, though I’m not entirely sure why. It certainly wouldn’t have made my idea less awkward. Pushing away the thoughts of second-guessing, I worked to secure the blindfold as comfortably as possible.

Uncertain about how this felt for Night, I pressed my nose into his mane. “You’ll have to let me guide you there.”

“Easy enough.” He smiled broadly. “You know I trust you.”

“Good. Now, just step forward and follow my lead.” I slipped a wing across his back, stepping extra slowly until he got the hang of the rhythm. I’d chosen a route that should theoretically be easy: through the open spaces of the lobby and down the wider main sidewalks of Lunar Lake, minimizing the amount of side-to-side steering I’d have to do. Still, I worried about the unexpected—particularly any kind of detour.

Thankfully, the hotel was no issue, with the few people in our path being kind enough to get out of the way, though they did give us some curious glances. As we passed the front desk, there was a moment where I swear the clerk’s expression changed to a knowing grin.

I found the situation much the same when we entered the street. While there were quite a few people milling about in the moonlight, the lack of urgency seemed to leave them more than willing to accommodate my shenanigans. There were, of course, some moving with more purpose, but predictably, they were also headed down to the lake.

As the gate came into sight, the crowd grew thicker. I pulled Night closer. “Just a little further.”

The usher gave me an amused look as she took our tickets, but otherwise didn’t comment on the blindfold as she led us down to the waterfront. The dock and its accompanying furniture carried the same raw wooden stylization as our hotel beds, though only the tables got the lacquer treatment.

Really, if it weren’t for the lake itself, the whole thing might look a little tacky. Regardless, there we were, with an old-timey table, a couple firm cushions and a dinner menu. “Okay, you can take it off now.”

I grinned, watching him take off the blindfold, blink, then fix his eyes on me. I wanted to roll my own, just a little, but instead motioned out toward the lake, where the full moon caressed it. Translucent ribbons of various colours danced up toward the sky, some trying to catch the moon, while others fell back to the earth. Either way, they dissipated, only to be replaced by yet another set.

Once upon a time, a young filly, fed up with the stuffiness of the old-timeyness of the rest of the city, opened her eyes to see this.

Night let out a laugh, pure mirth in his eyes as he gazed upon the lake. “It… it’s amazing.”

“I’m glad you think so.” The few nerves I’d felt were gone now, and I giggled as I nudged him toward the table.

He followed me, albeit slowly, his eyes taken by the siren call of the lake. “I… do. I absolutely do. I had no idea there was a place like this in Equestria. I had no idea there was a place like this anywhere!”

I motioned out to the lake and found myself instinctively tracing one of the strands as I talked. “This only happens when a full moon touches the water. No one has been able to explain why, but some of the older legends claim it was a gift from Princess Luna herself. One thing I do know is that out of all the times I’ve been here, the lights have never been the same twice.”

“Amazing… just… amazing.” He was almost too cute when he was in awe like that. I leaned in to steal a peck, but he turned to meet me. When we parted, he continued. “But it still doesn’t compare…”

“Compare to what?” I knew the answer—the past had made the pattern clear. Not that I could fully disagree, though. I’d be a fool not to recognize I had some looks going for me. However, here, beside what was quite possibly a wonder of the world, the comparison felt beyond exaggeration.

“To you.”

And there it was. “You really believe that?”

“Of course I do… you’re beautiful. Your coat, your wings, your mane… your smile. Your eyes…”

Still unsure what to make of it, I found myself shifting in my seat and an embarrassed laugh escaped my lips. “To be honest, you talk me up so much, sometimes I wonder if I’m the mare you think I am.”

Night shrunk a little. “A-am I coming across too hard? I mean… I don’t mean to embarrass you.... I mean, I used to think you were perfect… and that’s a bit too far. But… you really are beautiful… the good and the bad.”

I leaned in, pressing against his neck. “Well, that’s good. I’m not perfect. I think that you can see that is a good sign of how far we’ve come. Even if you get carried away by your romantic side.”

“Well, I’m far from perfect, too, after all. When we started dating, you… you would say things about me that I didn’t think were true. I guess it’s that same feeling… just… ‘how can she see me in that way?’”

“You didn’t put enough stock in yourself.”

“I didn’t… but I guess, it feels like you don’t put enough in yourself either. I… it may seem silly but… I’m…” Colour filled his cheeks. “I’m very attracted to you… I mean… ph-physically. You’re so beautiful.”

It was one of those pivotal moments, where Night had laid himself bare. He deserved an equally honest response. I’m not much for gushing, myself, but that’s not the only way to express sentiment. I leaned in again, wrapping my hooves around him. “I… thank you, Night. I feel the same way about you.”

As he reciprocated, I felt him release a long breath. “That’s almost too good to believe. No matter what you look like, Dusky, once I got to know you, I fell in love with you for you. And you’re so beautiful to me because I love you.”

It was always funny, no matter how many times I’d thought of it: never did I think a life full of trouble and weirdness would lead me here. “That’s more than I could hope for. I love you too, Night Light.”

There was a flash of inspiration in Night’s eyes. He reached back toward his flight satchel—the one he wasn’t wearing. His smile fell a bit.

“Everything alright?” There was only one thing that really fit and just the thought of it threw me. I’d suspected for some time, of course, but I can’t say if I would have been ready to answer.

“Yeah… yeah. Just… thinking of something else. Sorry.”

“Well, handsome, we’re missing a one-of-a-kind show, and haven’t even touched our food.” I stole a quick nuzzle, to which Night smiled sheepishly.

“I… suppose I can watch you any time, but I can never see this show again, can I?”

I glanced back at the lake, where the lights had formed something of an ethereal pinwheel. “You’ll never see another show like it.”

As we settled in against each other, there was little more a couple could ask for.