Merri and I returned to the hotel as the sun set over the ocean. We'd found a little cove, blocked from view of the hotels and tourists, and worked out through some simple sparring. Now, tired and soaked with sweat, the walk back along the shore was a good cooldown.
I shuffled aimlessly as the elevator climbed, and my thoughts turned to Dusky once again. I needed to ask her, Terra and Mahogany's planned party. I took a deep breath as the elevator opened to our floor.
Merri leaned into my ear as we started to walk. "You need me to wait while you knock?"
"Err, w-what?" I tilted my head towards her.
"You've been quiet. You get like that when you're trying to think of what to say. And there's only one pony you think that hard about what to say something to." She gave a meaningful glance down the hall, grinning.
The hall didn't stretch on nearly long enough. I slowed my pace to a halt. "Well... I... it's a lot to ask."
She rolled her eyes. "Pffft. Not as much as you might think. Go on. Knock. I won't even listen in, alright?"
"Well... I was going to anyways... but... if you're not standing there, I um... might be a little less nervous." I returned a shaky smile, knowing Merri meant the best.
Her horn glowed, and she slipped towards the door to her room. With one final nod and a wide smile, she mouthed. "Just do it!" and closed the door slowly.
I took a deep breath, and knocked at Dusky's door once again. "Um... Dusky? You in there?"
The hallway silence weighed upon me. It'd be just my luck that she wouldn't be back in yet. I gave the door another knock.
Unexpectedly, her voice came from behind me. "Oh, hi, Night. Did you need something?"
I turned slowly and froze. Dusky shone as she neared, a thin sheen of water clinging to her coat. "I... um, wh-whoa..." Once again, I was struck by just how beautiful she was.
"I, um... y-yeah! Hey, Dusky. I was, um... downstairs, looking at all the stuff and, um... well, I had... we had this idea." I sighed, frantically trying to pull myself together.
She smiled glancing over me. "Oh? Find something interesting?"
"Kind of? It, um... Mahogany and Terra, and—" I blinked as I noticed Starshadow standing just behind Dusky, "—a-and Merri and Starshadow, of course! Well um... they want to do a little get-together. Just... all of us, there to hang out. So... I, um... I wanted to ask you."
She glanced back at Starshadow and giggled. "That sounds like fun. Count me in."
My relief was palpable. "Ok! Um... Terra said she'd get a private room, and, um... Mahogany said he had drinks taken care of... so... they said I just needed to be sure to bring you."
She grinned. "How thoughtful. Do you want to go out and get some food before we meet up with them?"
"Err... d-do I? I mean, yeah! Sure! Mahogany had mentioned drinks, but nothing to eat. A quick bite would probably be for the best if we'll be spending the night in the bar. Did, um... you have anywhere in mind?"
She shook her head. "I haven't really looked around town yet."
I frowned. I should have thought of that, but I was planning to look around tomorrow when I went searching for a gift box. "I... I haven't, either. I guess we'll just have to find somewhere close. Wherever you'd prefer."
Her expression grew dark a moment, like she was thinking through a difficult problem, then broke back into a smile. "I'll find us somewhere nice. We can head out a little earlier, before we meet everyone at the bar."
Merri's head peeked back out from the door. "Did somepony say 'Bar'? Count me in!"
Starshadow glanced at Merri with a barely concealed grin. "If you heard that, then you know we were invited, Sister."
"Right! Perfect! We'll see ya then!" Merri disappeared back into her room as rapidly as she'd appeared.
I blinked. "She, um... said she wasn't going to listen in..."
Star shook her head. "Sister sometimes has difficulty with her word. We shall see you both later."
Dusky waved her off. "Have a good night, Star. I'm going to shower off and get ready for bed."
I was suddenly aware of just how terrible I must have looked, covered in sand and sweat as I was. "Um... yeah. Me too.."
Starshadow opened the door to her room and was answered by a muffled oof.
Merri tried to sound innocent from inside the room. "What? He said he'd be more nervous if I was standing there listening in! What?!"
Starshadow sighed, "Come, Merriweather. Leave them be for tonight."
"Fiiiine! I already learned what I needed to know, anyway~." She shot me a wink as Starshadow closed the door behind them.
I shifted slightly and brought my eyes up to meet Dusky's. "A-alright, then. See you tomorrow?"
“Yeah.” Dusky opened her hotel room and stepped inside, turning her head back. "I'll come get you once I'm ready."
"Then... i-it's a date."
She grinned as she closed the door. "So it is."
---
I spent the next morning attempting to keep myself together. I felt my heart fluttering at the infinite possibilities of what tonight might bring, while my mind raced through a list of all the things that could go wrong.
Mahogany came up behind me. "What you should do is get out of here for awhile. Go walk the town."
I wrinkled my nose, guessing how his day was planned out. "Like find a bar?"
He grinned wide. "Aw c'mon, Flurry! It's the ocean! I'm gonna go swim. May as well make use of this fake vacation."
My thoughts drifted towards the ocean. It had been so impressive yesterday, though I still needed to prepare for tonight. "Well, I need to find a box for um... a gift."
"Oh? Standard shipping box? Did you pack it yourself or do you require packing peanuts? Bubble wrap? Delivery receipt? Total'll come to twenty five bits, please." He gave me the biggest, most forced grin I've ever seen.
"Err... I was thinking a gift box." I carefully brought out the sand dollar and grinned awkwardly. "Just... to give this."
He blinked.
"Oh. Right. Beach. I can't even get away from it here." He glanced at the shell and nodded. "Yeah, fine. A nice velvet-lined box, and maybe a card. Classy."
I smiled, picturing it in my mind. Still, there were Terra’s warnings to consider. "But um, not fancy?"
Mahogany laughed. "Nah, not fancy at all. Classy is totally different. You want classy. And you, Night Flurry, are the classiest."
Classy. I could do classy. "Alright then, classy it is."
---
I found a box without much issue, a little wooden one, lined with a simple blue velvet lining that would cushion the sand dollar. The ponies running the store looked at me strangely when I'd picked it out without anything to put in it.
It was difficult to believe there wasn't a suit shop anywhere along the shopping area. All I could find was shops for sun hats and bathing suits, for the ponies who enjoyed wearing some kind of fashion on the beach. There was nowhere I could be fitted for something ‘classy’ at all.
I'd wrapped up the gift box in a simple wrapping paper, then slipped into the bathroom, cleaning up as best I could. I'd never been one to worry about how I looked before, but I needed to be sure I at least looked presentable. An untangled mane, fresh coat, brushed teeth.
The anticipation in the air felt different than ever before. A nervous excitement that spun through my mind, keeping all my fears at bay. Despite that, I still jumped when I heard the knock at the door.
I opened the door, wholly unable to keep the grin from my face.
There she stood, wearing her scarf, of course. The color seemed faded, but that only made her mane stand out all the more, the hair hanging loose and unbound with a tiny flower set onto a hair band.
"H-hi, Dusky!" I had to stop myself from cringing at my stutter. So strange that I wanted to make a good first impression, when we’d already known each other for months.
"Hi, Night." She smiled warmly. "Ready to eat?"
I nodded quickly. "A-absolutely!"
She turned, motioning with a hoof to the elevator. “Let’s get going, then.”
With a glance back at me, she lead the way.
I hiked up my flight satchel, making sure the gift box was secured, then followed. "S-so, um, you found someplace to eat?"
She pressed the button and nodded. "I think I found someplace fairly simple, hopefully that's alright with you."
"Y-yeah. Simple is good. Whatever sounds good to you." We stepped into the elevator and headed down.
"I'd prefer not to pay a small fortune for Canterlot portions." She looked back and grinned. "I found someplace a little homelier."
In short order, we arrived at a pleasant looking pasta restaurant adorned with neat little lanterns around the border of their windows and door. Stepping inside, Dusky raised a wing, holding up two primaries to the pony behind a small table. "For two, please."
Inside, a large common room surrounded a central fireplace, with rounded tables covered in striped table cloths, and cushions set upon the ground. It all looked far more inviting than anything else around the hotel. The server took our drink orders, then moved off, leaving us together in the low lantern light and the reflection of the flickering flames.
I took a deep breath. "I... you... Dusky. You, um... you look good tonight. Y-your mane, that is. It's... nice."
My cheeks burned as a I fumbled for a menu.
"Thanks, Night." I felt her eyes on me. "You're looking pretty good, yourself."
As if I wasn't red enough, but I managed to push out a laugh. "I... I barely did anything. But, thank you."
The waitress returned with our drinks, a water for Dusky, and a kettle of hot water and tea for myself. We placed our orders, and as I poured the water over the leaves, the scent of the chamomile helped me relax.
I glanced at the fire place, then back to Dusky. She was watching me with a faint smile on her face. "This is nice."
Dusky nodded, shifting in place. "Just being in here makes me feel like I'm relaxing on a sofa."
Letting myself sink into the cushion as well, I chuckled. "Not fancy at all. We should tell Terra about this place."
She giggled. "Yeah. Finally, a place where we can get her to eat without being on the verge of a heart attack."
I glanced down, pulling my flight satchel closer. "I... I, um... I wanted to do something else for you. I mean... it's our first d-date. So..." I lifted the box up, and slid it towards her.
"You got me a present?" She raised an eyebrow, taking it carefully.
"Its um... its nothing special. Just, something I found." I swallowed the lump in my throat as she unwrapped the package.
Her tone wasn't accusatory, but tinted with what sounded almost disappointed. "Still, you shouldn't have."
I lowered my ears.
"I know... just... it made me think of you." I glanced up as she opened the box. "I found it on the beach. And, that was a first. The beach, and ocean. The world. It's something beautiful, and there's so much I haven't seen. That's just a little piece of it. So... I wanted to share it with you. As... as a thank you."
Dusky was quiet as I stared at the table. At last, her voice cut through our silence. "It's very pretty. Thank you, Night."
"L-like I said... just something I found." I looked up a bit sheepishly. "I mean, it's probably nothing to you. I'm sure you've been to beaches before."
"I have." She nodded slowly, as she carefully lifted the sand dollar. "But every beach is different. And everyone sees them differently."
I tilted my head. "Oh? Really? Well, what was it like for you? This beach. Or... or the first beach you ever saw?"
Surprisingly, she shrank down a little in her seat. "Well, I was just a foal, so I don't remember much, but I think it involved a lot of splashing."
I blinked, the image of a young Dusky, splashing carelessly in the water. I couldn't help but laugh at how absurd it seemed. "It's hard to picture you like that, just... an over-excited filly."
"I guess that’s just how curious, young people do it." She smirked, sounding almost nostalgic. "Just try it out and see what happens."
This was something I hadn't quite seen in her before. A wonderful curiosity, which surely explained some of her desire to travel. I smiled at her as the waitress returned with our meals, linguine with grilled vegetables for me, a bowl of penne for Dusky.
As we began to eat, Dusky poked about her own bowl of pasta, nibbling slowly at first. Oddly, I thought of that bit of curiosity in her. It’s right there, just below the surface in the smallest little ways.
She was about to raise another noodle to her mouth when instead she glanced at me. "So, tell me a bit more about yourself, Night. Besides your Dad, I don't know much about your family. What are they like?"
I swallowed my pasta and stopped. "My... family? Well... I mean, you met my Dad. He's fine. So's my Mom." My ears lowered back. "And... my sisters are... complicated."
She tilted her head. "How so?"
"Well... I was the youngest, and the only colt. And... kind of a waste." I frowned, lost for a moment before I shook it off. "I mean... Sun was already moved out when I was born. Mint was always my friend, but once she joined the Guard, I barely saw her... and Diamond and Spring didn't want me around."
"They didn't?"
"Well, that's what I thought. But... that night. When you got," I paused, not wanting to start up here, and knowing how vivid those memories were. "I-injured... Spring was there. She said they all missed me."
Dusky smiled. "Aw, I guess that's the thing about family. Even if they're rough on you at times, they still love you."
"Y-yeah... I suppose... I kinda miss them too. I didn't realize it until I saw Spring again." I gave a weak smile. "But, I don't know if I can ever open that door again."
"Well, why not? You said Spring came looking for you, right?" She considered a moment, aimlessly poking at her pasta. "What about Mint? You said you two were always friends."
Mint had always been the most painful part of my decision to leave the family. "I made a promise to her... the day she left to join the Guard. One day, I promised I'd join her, and we'd fight side by side."
I shrugged. Dusky knew how that ended.
She chewed a moment, watching me. "Do you think she holds that against you? You know your father doesn't."
That gave me pause as well. "I... don't know. Maybe someday..."
She nodded. "I'm sure you will. You're stronger than you think."
She said that like it was obvious.
I chewed thoughtfully on my linguine. Warm food to warm the soul, my mother had said. My eyes moved to Dusky, and slowly, I felt my mouth turn back to a smile.
"Dusky... I, um... I'm glad that I met you."
Her own smile grew as well. "Likewise, Night Light."
We sat in the golden light of the fireplace and enjoyed dinner before preparing to head out to meet our friends. The waning sunlight filtering down, casting everything in a low red and orange, and the scent of seawater pervaded the air. The sounds of the city about to kick off its nightlife surrounded us, but it was all drowned out by the wonder of that moment, and the mare who’d chosen to share it with me.