Through Crimson Eyes

by Level Dasher

Chapter 22: Encouragement

“I’ll give you two wheat for it.”

“B, I’ve got three cities on fields. I’m not giving you any lumber when I can get wheat easily with like, six different roll combinations. Besides, I’m taking longest road from you if it’s the last thing I do, and I need that lumber. Give it up; you’re not getting that settlement.”

The bare-headed colt sighed and stuck his tongue out at me with a smile. “Fine. Give me a dev card, Stripes.” Blackhawk hoofed in his three cards and took another one from Stripes. “I’m done. Go ahead and take my road, Crimson. As long as you don’t roll a seven.” A wicked grin passed over his lips as he shifted his IV.

“If you jinx me again, I’m gonna lose it!” I narrowed my eyes and pointed an accusatory hoof at him.

“Haha you gotta admit, Crimson, he’s been getting you every time!” Stripes laughed.

As I picked the dice up in my hooves, I felt a hoof on my shoulder. When I looked up, I saw a tall, dark figure with a smile on her face. “What a lovely way to spend time with your friends. The last board game I played did not end so well. In fact, I don’t recall it ending at all…”

“Princess Luna! It’s been so long! How’ve you been? It’s great to see you!” I stood up and turned to Blackhawk and Stripes as I said, “Hold on, guys. I’ll take my turn in a sec!”

Stripes groaned. “Well hurry up! You’ve gotta take longest road from this guy! Geez, you and your bathroom breaks…”

“Bathroom? What are you talking about?” I looked at Princess Luna, then back to the guys. “How are you not totally excited right now?”

Blackhawk leaned his head on a hoof. “Excited about what? That you’re gonna botch me up? Come on, dude; if you’re gonna take away my points, you may as well do it sooner rather than later. Hit the bathroom and come back.”

I got up and trotted to Princess Luna, who had backed away from the table. It confused me when I saw the tilted eyebrows and soft frown. “Princess, what’s going on here? Can’t they—” When I turned to look at Blackhawk and Stripes again, they weren’t there. They were just… gone. “Hey, where did they—”

“Do not worry yourself, Crimson. Your focus has shifted.”

“Huh?”

The Princess sighed. “I came to offer you my condolences, Crimson.”

“Condolences? For wha—”

As I looked back at the table that now had no occupants, that was when I remembered. I closed my eyes and hung my head. “Oh… yeah.” I sniffed and let a tear fall to the floor. Or at least, I thought it was a floor. Everything seemed to just be white now. Everything except me, the Princess, and that table. “Wait, does that mean I’m—”

“Dreaming. Yes, you are.” I looked at her, and my lower lip quivered. She smiled and said, “Don’t worry, you will be able to resume your game shortly. I will bring them back.”

I gasped. “YOU CAN BRING THEM BACK? Oh, Brick will be so happy! I—”

She cut me off. “Here, Crimson. I will bring them back here.” I looked up at her again. Her smile was gone, replaced by that frown. “Do you remember what I am, and am not capable of?” Her voice and face remained soft.

I hung my head once again. “Oh… yeah. Sorry.” The question that drove me to sleep returned, but it had already been answered. I looked up at her as I slowly lifted my eyes from the floor. Her expression showed no tension, no sign of anger or disappointment.

In fact, it was the opposite; I noticed a small smile creep onto Princess Luna’s face. “It’s alright, young one. I understand your excitement at those words. I am glad to see you still have selfless intentions. Consistently thinking about other ponies’ feelings before your own— you will be quite the stallion someday, provided you fight the good fight and do not give up hope. I can see you have been doing those two things quite well.”

I thought about that for a moment before my mind drifted back to the conversation I had with Starry and Tesla. Sure, I guess you could say I’m selfless. I might be fighting a good fight, but hope? I may have let that slip away…

“I… I don’t know about that, Princess.”

She raised a brow. “Oh? Why do you doubt yourself?”

“Well… I had hoped that my friends would get better.”

She dropped her brow and closed her eyes as she nodded. “Yes, I understand. Unsatisfied hope is an upsetting thing indeed. However, your hope for your own—”

“I’m not as confident in it anymore…” I shook my head as I thought about my conversation with Starry and Tesla. That image was stuck in my mind. “You should have seen her face.”

The Princess furrowed her brows. “Whose?”

I looked away from her as I responded, “Tesla. I don’t think I’ll ever get that picture out of my head.” When I looked back at her, the Princess’s expression still hadn’t changed. I didn’t really want to talk about it, but I thought if anypony would be willing to listen without judgement, it would be Princess Luna.

Then I remembered what the Princess said about me being selfless, and I began doubting that, too. “I had so much hope that Blackhawk and Stripes would be okay. They seemed to be doing alright, but then… everything went wrong. I was talking to Tesla and Starry, and I had a minute where my hope was just… gone. I thought it would be okay if I left, too. I said it out loud, right in front of my friends— my friends that care for me. I didn’t even think about how they’d feel if I said something like that.” I let out a deep sigh. “I found out pretty quick— Tess lost it. I’ve never seen her cry so much before. I didn’t know what to say after that. Princess, how selfless can I be if I’d be willing to leave my friends behind?”

The Princess shook her head. “Oh, Crimson. You are entitled to say such things in times of sadness. Ponies often say things they don’t mean, especially when they are upset. As long as you know, in your heart, that you do not truly feel what you said, you need not worry.” I took in those words and nodded. “So, Crimson, do you have any hope at all that you will survive this ordeal?”

“Of course! I can’t let my friends down! Starry and Tess care about me too much for me to give up. Blackhawk and Stripes… they didn’t make it, but it doesn’t mean I’m not gonna fight! I have to fight for them, too!”

Princess Luna smiled and put a hoof on my head. “That’s what I like to hear.”

Her hoof felt surprisingly soft, like it was wrapped in a pillow. I felt my head and realized my mane had grown back. I looked up at Princess Luna and asked, “How did—”

“That would be my doing, young one,” Princess Luna said with a chuckle. “I thought it might be nice for the time being. T’will be glorious when it grows back for real.”

I couldn’t help but laugh myself. “Woah! Cool! What else can you—”

“Well it’s about time you got back! What happened? Did you fall in?” I whipped around toward the table and found two colts sitting there— a slim Earth pony with a dark mohawk, and a bulkier Earth pony with a jet-black mane and a single white stripe running through it. Both of them waved to me. Neither had any attachments— no IVs, no poles, nothing.

“Heh heh, sorry. Be there in a sec!” I looked at the Princess and smiled as I hugged her leg. “Thank you.”

The Princess smiled back. “You are very welcome. Enjoy your lucidity for now, and rest easy, Crimson.”

I raised a brow at her. “Umm… what’s ‘lucidity’?”

Princess Luna chuckled, “It’s a fancy word that means you know you’re dreaming. You may not be able to do anything with it right now, but perhaps one of these days you’ll learn the tricks. For now, go on and play with your friends.”

I smiled at her again and nodded, then rushed back to the table and picked up the dice.

No seven, no seven, no seven, no seven…

Comments

[Dreams of Ponies]

Now that's how you do bittersweet, jeez. I don't know if Crimson playing with his friends in his dreams is a gift or a curse, really. I see Princess Luna is really trying to comfort Crimson, but there's only so much one Moonbutt can do...