//------------------------------// // 68 - Visions // Story: From Dusk to Night // by KuroiTsubasaTenshi //------------------------------// Everything ached, as though something was individually compressing each muscle in my body. The pain sat somewhere between a days-old bruise and the desperate cry of nerves under direct attack. And yet, I found the whole thing oddly comforting—it was a sign of consciousness in what was otherwise nothing by darkness. Even my eyelids hurt, resisting me with every inch as I forced them open. At first I wasn’t sure if I’d actually been successful. Before me was little more than shapes in the shadows. Squinting, I could make out what appeared to be uneven chunks of rock. Where am I? With a groan, I rolled over. Opposite what was probably a wall was a lantern, grime covering all sides such that there was little danger of it blinding even my unadjusted eyes. Said lantern sat in the middle of an end table that appeared to have been assembled from half-rotted wood scraps. It was slanted so badly that I wondered when the inevitable oil fire was going to start. As the grogginess left my mind, I had to fight off the panic attack of a dozen questions. What happened? Were we attacked? Where? How? Where’s Night?! Is everyone in Ponyville safe? Struggling to get upright, I did come to one realization that tentatively defused some of the panic: I was not bound or gagged. Of course, as soon as the faint crunch of hooves on dirt reached my ears, I was back to full alert mode. Should I fight? Hide? Flee? My body decided ‘barely sit up’ was the answer. A pale purple pegasus, followed by a blue one, more or less materialized from the darkness. I relaxed a little as they came closer, though something still didn’t feel right. “Amethyst Vein? And… Bellerophon?” “It is good to see the recovery has not dulled your senses.” As Night’s voice carried Bellerophon’s thoughts, I felt that familiar chill slide down my spine. “Recovery?” I raised an eyebrow, fighting past the dread holding back my next question. “How long was I out? And what even happened?” “The dragon got ahold of you and threw you across the room.” Amethyst Vein looked away. “After the first week, we were afraid you wouldn’t make it. But, here we are, just a week after that. You really are as tough as some of my best.” I watched Amethyst Vein carefully. “What aren’t you telling me?” “What? Oh, it’s just some of the more complicated details. You shouldn’t worry about those until you’ve had more time to rest.” There were no giveaways in her body language, but something was still off. “Whatever it is, tell me. If I’m still going to be here a while, I don’t want to be left with nothing but speculation.” Bellerophon and Amethyst Vein exchanged glances before Bellerophon stepped up. “If you insist, I feel obligated to respect your wishes. Night Flurry, he is… no longer of this world. I am truly sorry.” “What?!” A surge of strength propelled me from my cot’s rickety wooden frame. I narrowed my eyes. “That’s impossible. He’s standing right there. Release your control. Now.” “I would if I could, but I speak the truth when I say that he is gone.” “How?! Why?!” Those were the first of a billion questions swirling through my mind. “My power as it was would have only saved him, so he… invoked all of it.” Bellerophon slumped. “He wanted to save everypony.” “No… But… That…” My thoughts were practically imploding on themselves. I pushed through the debris, which was like swimming through a vat of mud. “He didn’t save everyone. He said he wouldn’t be a hero! He promised!” The tears were coming full force now, intermingled with anger. Anger at my weakness, at Night for breaking his promise, at Bellerophon for being the catalyst of this whole disaster. As I struggled to focus, to stop myself from lunging at Bellerophon, a twinkle in the darkness caught my eye. They were like a cluster of stars, but forming something of a wave, dancing up and down. I wasn’t sure if it was because of my anger or the cavern air, but they were definitely there. With myself marginally back in control, I felt like I was suffocating, the weight of the news too much. “Air,” I rasped. “I need fresh air.” Amethyst Vein stared for a second, but quickly caught herself. “Of course. This way.” She led me through several winding passages, none of which I recognized. I shrugged it off. Olymponis was a big mountain. Ascending one more ramp, the trickling of water touched my ears. Sure enough, once we reached the top, there was a spring of sorts, though it was still mostly enclosed. There was a long cut in the ceiling above, as though someone had cleaved through it with a giant blade. The stars and moon peeked through, casting an ethereal look upon the underground lake. I took several deep breaths, finding the fresher air just enough to leave me a little calmer. “I hope this is enough.” Amethyst Vein gave me an apologetic look. “Going to the surface at night would be dangerous.” Walking up to the edge of the lake, I stared out at my reflection. Every hair on my body was a haggard mess. “Yeah. This is fine. Can I have a few moments?” “Sure. If you need anything, I’ll be waiting outside.” Amethyst Vein turned and trotted out. I tried to think back, to remember the final moments before I lost consciousness. I felt foggy, the whole of it refusing to come back. Then there was this nagging in the back of my mind. Hadn’t things been going well? Have I simply been dreaming this whole time? How long my thoughts lingered out on the lake, I couldn’t say. But, at some point, the crunching of hooves on dirt pulled my ears behind me. Turning, I found Bellerophon waiting. I sighed. “What is it?” “Night Flurry, he left a message before I… before I took over.” For just a few fleeting moment, it was almost as if Night’s voice were his own again. “You deserve so much, Dusky Down. To have a good, normal life, to go where you please without fear. To see the world and all the beautiful things in it. You just… you deserve to be happy.” Tears streamed down my cheeks. “But, without him, there’s one less beautiful thing in the world. Did he even stop to consider that? Did he really think I’d be happy with him gone?” “I am afraid I don’t have any answers for you.” “No, of course not.” “I am sorry.” As I searched for my reply, the stars caught my eye again—but not the ones in the sky above. No, it was that line of stars again, highlighted by a thin, blue outline, dancing away into the darkness on the other side of the lake. Before I could open my mouth, to ask Bellerophon if he saw that, motes of pink and green leapt to life, drifting off the surface of the lake. Huh? That’s almost like… I turned and found myself looking at Night. We were seated behind a fake-old wooden table, every inch of its surface covered with junk food. Out in front of us, the lights of Lunar Lake streamed up toward the sky, splitting into fifths before tumbling back down to the water. His sappy expression melted into one of concern. “Dusky?” “Sorry.” I shook my head. “I was somewhere else, but I’m here with you now. And that’s all that matters.” Night gave me a confused look, but seemed to accept my answer. As we leaned in against each other, though, something didn’t quite feel right. Or at all, for that matter. I woke up. Between the dim light of the moon and that which managed to slip under the door, I could immediately tell I was in our room at the Lunar Lake Inn. The next thing I noticed, setting my mind ablaze, was that I couldn’t feel Night’s warmth because he was gone. Quickly throwing myself over the side of the bed, I assessed the situation. The bathroom light definitely wasn’t on. But, there also didn’t appear to be signs of a struggle. It wouldn’t have made sense, anyhow, seeing as how if they could have grabbed him without me noticing, they could have easily taken me, too. Still, as my eyes fell on the note, conspicuously left in the middle of the desk, and the fact that the door was now unchained, my mind couldn’t help but go bad places. I rushed over to the desk as quietly as I could. Annoyance bubbled up, propelled with gusto by my rapidly beating heart. Need some air. Please, don’t worry. I’ll be back. -Night Light I fought to calm myself. He couldn’t have known about my nightmare. In fact, if he had, I’m certain he would have stayed instead. Still, it did boil down to him wandering off in the middle of the night. Finding Night wasn’t difficult. Without a single cloud in the sky, unless he wanted to hover up there where everyone could see him, he’d likely seek out a roof. And what better place to start than the Lunar Lake Inn’s own large, spacious rooftop. He was situated at the edge closest to the lake. I couldn’t help but smile a little, to see just how quickly he’d taken to the lake. While he had expressed great wonder and awe in words, those little, unconscious decisions everyone makes, can say even more. Night let out a laugh, staring up at the moon. “I just…” I tilted my head, briefly entertaining the thought of seeing what would come of this. But, this was obviously some sort of private ritual of his. It would be rude to eavesdrop. “Night?” There was the distinct sound of something, probably a box, clapping shut, as he spun to face me. “I... um, Dusky... I... didn’t think I woke you.” “Are you okay?” I didn’t expect to see him so distressed, not after tonight. Then again, I wasn’t exactly free of concern. “I...  yes? I... no. I don’t know.” He slumped. “Don’t know?” I trotted over and nudged his chin with my wing. His eyes returned to the moon. “I needed... I don’t know. I needed s-some time, and... someone to talk with about…” I nudged him again until he looked my in the eye. “Talk about what, Night? Is something wrong?” “N-nothing wrong... I just…” Night wiped his hoof at the corners of his eyes. “I-I just worry about the things that I can’t talk to you about…” I frowned a little. While I was pretty certain I knew what he was thinking about, I felt bad that it was eating so much at him. I needed to give him a chance to get it out. “Like what?” “Like…” Night worked his jaw. “Night? Are you sure you’re alright?” He let out a laugh, his decision written all over him as he looked up at me. “Dusky?” “Yes?” “You know, from the moment I saw you, all I wanted was to be with you. To see you smile, and hear you laugh. I just wanted to make you happy, but I wasn’t able to tell you that. It was just chance that we met in the bar that night... maybe fate, but that doesn’t matter now. It set me on a path which changed my life. I couldn’t have walked that path alone, but you were there, and for some reason, you decided to help guide me. The more I learned about you, the more I longed to be with you, and not just in the good times. I want to stand with you in the hard times, to comfort you... to be your Night Light in the darkness.” I found myself smiling. Here it comes. “We’ve faced darkness. Time and again, we’ve seen the worst life has to throw at us, and we’ve overcome it. We’ve grown stronger. Together, there’s nothing we can't do. I love you. And I look into your eyes, and I know I’m the luckiest stallion in Equestria, because I can see that same love returned.” Night reached into his flight satchels, coming back with what was clearly a small jewelry box. “There is nothing that I could deny you. Nothing within my power to give that you cannot have. And nothing you could ask of me that would be too great a task. There is literally nothing in this world I could give you that says how deep my love is, and so all I can offer are shadows, trinkets that pale in comparison to what we have.” The box clicked open. Inside was a hairpin, lovingly carved into the shape of my cutie mark. A small black gem sat in the middle while the space between my gear’s teeth were filled by sapphires, forming a glistening blue ring of sorts. Night had spared neither effort, nor expense. “Dusky. Dusky, please, will you do me the honor... the privilege, of allowing me to spend the rest of my life with you.” Even though Night had already all but said it, he hesitated a few moments, having to push the traditional question up and out. “Dusky Down, will you marry me?” I was already ready. There was no need to think. “Yes. Yes, Night Light, I... yes!” It was funny to think about—that a nightmare of all things, had helped me cement my decision, to fully realize how much I value Night. Wrapping my hooves around him, I pulled him into a kiss, letting the moment linger for as long as we needed to. After all, we would never get another moment like this.