//------------------------------// // Chapter 7: What Dreams May Come // Story: Through Crimson Eyes // by Level Dasher //------------------------------// “…Crimson? Crimson?” …Huh? “Wake up, buddy.” I opened my eyes. The dark grip was gone. Dad stood over me, nudging my shoulder. Wait… I must have been dreaming. That means I’m not— “It’s almost noon, buddy. Did you stay up after your mother and I went to sleep last night?” “Um, not really.” The dream was still stuck in my head. It took me a second to remember. “I think it just took me a little longer to get to sleep.” “Fair enough. I’ve had plenty of nights like that.” His voice suddenly took a serious tone. “Listen, buddy— I need to tell you something. Mom went home to take care of some things at the house. Before she left, the doctors came in and talked to us while you were asleep. They had the results of some of your tests. It seems that the chemo they’re giving you hasn’t been helping as much as they were hoping it would…” Oh no, not again! My eyes started watering. “Woah, buddy! What’s with the tears? You didn’t let me finish! They said that it has helped quite a bit, though. There are a few places in your body that have bad cells, and one of them has cleared up. But there are a few other places where the Ribucksimab hasn’t had much effect. They’re going to start you on another kind of chemo in a few days to see if it helps, but they want to give your body a break first.” Phew. For a minute I thought I was having déjà vu again; that’s a relief. Could this be the medicine’s doing? Despite the relief, I still couldn’t stop the tears. I looked up at Dad and hugged him as hard as I could. He hugged me back, and I could hear the confusion in his voice. “Is everything okay, bud? You looked a little freaked there.” I sniffed, then took a second to breathe. I just looked at him for a moment before I answered, “Dad, I…” I couldn’t say it. “You what? What’s the matter?” I buried my face in his chest and spoke just loudly enough that he could hear me, “I had a dream that I died. You were the last one I heard as I felt myself slip away.” I heard him draw in a sharp breath, then slowly let it out as he stroked my mane. “…Geez, Crimson. I’m so sorry. I can’t imagine how that—” I looked back up at him and cut him off, “NO! Don’t be sorry, please don’t be sorry.” I didn’t want to have more déjà vu, so I tried to stop it before it happened again. “You’re not a bad dad. I hope you don’t think that…” He looked at me with a slightly furrowed brow, but then he smiled. “I’m glad to hear that, Crimson.” He furrowed his brow again. “But… where did that come from?” “Oh… Well, one of the last things you said in my dream was that you were sorry for not being here for me, and that you felt like you were a bad father. I just want you to know I don’t feel that way at all.” Dad smiled and hugged me again. “Thank you, Crimson. I’m happy to hear you say that. I have to admit, I have felt that way on occasion. Now that I’m retiring, I can make up for lost time.” He tousled my mane, then put a hoof under my chin as he looked at me directly in the eyes. “I’m definitely here for you now.” Thank Luna for that. I’m gonna need him now. “It is unfortunate that your wife decided to return home. I would have liked to speak with her as well. I— Please rise, sir. A loyal subject such as yourself is certainly worthy of speaking with me as an equal.” About an hour after I woke up, I had a surprise visit. I had been expecting company, but not today, and definitely not Princess Luna. She seemed a bit stern this time, though. “Y-Y-Yes, Your Highness.” Dad stumbled to his hooves. He seemed stunned to get that kind of an invitation from the Princess. It was actually kind of amusing watching him fumble over himself, trying to keep his composure. “I apologize for arriving unannounced, but I wanted to speak with you about this now, Crimson. Your dream patterns have been rather… intriguing.” My eyes widened at that remark. “You saw that? Wait… that… that wasn’t actually you in my dream, was it?” The Princess shook her head. “No, it was not. That was your own projection of me. However, I was watching; to be honest, I am not certain exactly how to react to what I saw.” Had I insulted Princess Luna somehow? I felt a little uneasy. I wasn’t the only one— Dad’s face showed signs of unease as well. “It appears to me that you have misinterpreted exactly what I am and am not capable of, Crimson. Contrary to what happened in your dream, I cannot predict the future. Nor am I a messenger of the afterlife. While I am… honored that you seem to hold my position in such a high regard, you must understand that I do not possess that kind of power. Despite that, I am pleased at your mind’s portrayal of your parents and me. While I do not deserve the kind of regard your dream gave me, your parents most certainly do.” She turned to my father and smiled. Dad looked taken aback. “I do not doubt they would have done exactly that.” Dad’s gaze switched between Princess Luna and myself, then focused on me. “Wha… what exactly did we do? What’s going on in that brain of yours, buddy?” I wasn’t sure how to describe it to him, but Princess Luna managed quite nicely. She stepped forward and explained, “An unfortunate fact that I have come to accept is that death is commonly associated with darkness, which is understandably associated with the night. I believe Crimson’s mind cast me in the role of the angel of death. With this representation in mind, you and your wife believed I had come to take Crimson away, so you both stood against me. A noble act indeed. To quote your projection of me, Crimson, truly the ideal parents for any colt or filly.” The Princess looked out the window, then back to me. “I must return to Canterlot, I am afraid. However, before I depart, I want to be certain: Crimson, do you understand what I have told you?” I took a minute to think before I spoke. I wanted to make sure I had put everything together correctly. I thought about what the Princess had just said, as well as what I already knew, or at least thought I knew. “Well, I think you’re saying that even though you have certain powers as the Princess of the Night, your power isn’t limitless. You do have the power to enter and manipulate dreams, but you don’t have any power over life and death. Is that right?” The Princess nodded. “Those are the basics, yes. I have a feeling that you will be able to figure out any details I may not have covered on your own. However, I have one more question for you.” “What’s that, Princess?” “Do you understand why I needed to have this conversation with you?” I thought for a moment. “Umm… to be honest, no.” “You will soon enough.” Then, with a silent nod, she was gone in a blinding flash of light. Not a moment later, the door swung open and three ponies entered the room. “What in Equestria was that light?” I heard my mother as she came in first, followed by an amethyst-colored pegasus with a long, teal mane. A magenta unicorn with a curly purple mane and a big green bow brought up the rear. I face-hoofed and shook my head, but I couldn’t help but smile. “Mom, honestly, sometimes you have the worst timing…” “What? What did I miss?” Dad alternated looking at my mother and the spot the Princess had just disappeared from a few times, then finally settled on Mom. He stumbled over his words, clearly still stunned at what he had just witnessed. “Harmony… th-that was Princess Luna. You just missed her.” Three mouths went agape. “The PRINCESS?” “The PRINCESS?” Mom put a hoof to her forehead. “Of course I would choose the day the Princess makes an appearance to go home. What else is new?” Mom chuckled. At least she appreciated the humor in it. Then she turned around and saw the two wide-eyed, gaping mares behind her. “Oh, that’s right! You two don’t know about that, do you?” The shaking of heads followed that question. “Crimson, I think you’re better qualified to explain.” I nodded. “Yeah, probably. But first— hi Amy! Hi Rose!” I waved at them with a wide, slightly sarcastic smile, hoping to snap them out of their… trance. Amethyst Wonder and Rosebud are friends I met in the hospital years ago. They’re a few years older than me, but they’ve both had heart transplants, too. Rosebud actually had a second one a few months ago, and Amethyst had to get a kidney from her brother. We’ve all had it pretty rough. Both of them had moved to Connecticolt, but they came back to Ponyville for medical stuff, so we cross paths every so often. The doctors knew them better here. They told me they were both coming to town for checkups tomorrow and said they’d stop in. “What are you guys doing here?” I asked them. “I thought you weren’t coming until tomorrow!” “That was the original plan,” Amethyst said, “but we thought that we might be kind of tired after all the tests and stuff we’re doing tomorrow, so we decided to come early and see you when we’re at a hundred percent. My dad still lives in town, so we’re staying with him. Figured it wouldn’t be a problem.” She shrugged and turned to Rosebud, who nodded in agreement. “Cool! Would’ve been cooler if you guys had gotten here like, three minutes ago, though. You missed a chance to meet the coolest princess ever!” Rose let out a harsh sigh and gave Amy a push. “I told you to get off the phone with Gear! That conversation about who the 15th Doctor is gonna be was totally unnecessary! And you know he’s only humoring you when you go on those rants, anyway.” “Oh, hush. You know how I get. That’s one of the things that makes him a good coltfriend— dealing with my insatiable geekiness.” Amy giggled, and Rose rolled her eyes, her bow flopping as she shook her head. I sighed and shook my own head with a smile. Mares… “So why was the Princess here?” Amy asked. Here we go…