//------------------------------// // Chapter 27 - Five Orbs // Story: Quest For Harmony // by destinedjagold //------------------------------// Consciousness... So those weird jumping scenes are merely just dreams? Ugh... I feel kind of dizzy... I could hear voices... Familiar voices... "A-are you sure he's okay?" I heard Spike's worried voice. I kinda wanted to let him know that I'm just feeling mighty tired, but I found my body too darn tired to even just open my eyes, even for the tiniest bit...which is weird. I've never been this tired before... Why am...oh...right... I was slammed, and slammed, and slammed quite a lot... "He's gonna be fine, Spike," Applejack's voice replied. Somehow, her voice sounded...down? Anyway, I guess I'm still in Equestria then... I slowly gathered some breath and exhaled slowly. Okay, time to open my eyes. No need to make them worry for long. Ugh... Still tired. Another breath, and another. Okay, I'm good. I slowly opened my eyes, and I was greeted by a blurry ceiling. I blinked a few more times before I finally had a clear view of...the fields of flowers under the blanket of the moonlight? I quickly found myself in a sitting position, at the same spot where I sat the previous time I was here. I turned, but Luna wasn't there. She is not with me this time. She did told me that this was her dreams, and so, that would mean that she took my consciousness here once again but, why isn't she here? "Pri---er---Luna?" I called out, "are you here? Hello?" I looked around, but all I got was the calming and soothing evening air quietly flying pass me, making the flowers dance along with it. I was about to stand up when I suddenly noticed a white familiar orb lying on the grassy ground in front of me. I blinked in confusion. Where did that came from? I turned my head around, and sure enough, the other orbs where there as well, circled around me. I suddenly heard a crack, and immediately noticed all five orbs have cracks on them. It became worse, the cracks spreading around the orbs, and when it stopped, the orbs crumbled to tiny pieces of fragments and shards and dusts. Everything went quiet after that. I don't know what significance those orbs hold in this dream. I was about to let out a quiet sigh when smoke-like wisps flew up from each of the crumbled orbs. They flew and turned into a wispy cloud just above me. The wispy cloud radianted the colors of the rainbow, before I suddenly found myself blinded by a bright white light. I jumped, startled, and it brought me to wakefulness. I blinked a few more times to confirm that I was indeed staring at the back of the bus' wide chairs in front of my own...er...our own...? I felt hair on one of my cheeks. My senses around my body have finally came back to me, and I felt Claire's sleeping head leaned on my shoulder, and my head leaning on her head. And...we're kinda close to each other...er...very very close to each other. I felt the heat rising on my cheeks, and I wanted to push her away from me. I've never been this close to a girl before, but...I kinda like it. I smiled, which was completely against my will. Oh well... I suddenly heard her voice as she quietly murmured something in her sleep. I don't know why, but it made me feel...happy inside. Ugh... Sigh... Anyway, I'm still feeling quite tired, so I might as well take the best of my current position. I stared sideways at the glass window beside me, and sure enough, the bus was still heading back to Sun Ford: to home. I smiled, and this time, it was not against my will. Only less than an hour now, and I'm finally be back home. My smile vanished after a thunder roar quietly echoed from the sky. I slightly lifted my head to give myself a better view of the scene through the glass window. The gloomy black clouds have reached the island already? I didn't fall asleep even after the bus arrived at Sun Ford's bus station. I gently woke Claire up, and we then exited the bus after making sure we got all our belongings with us. --- Sun Ford is a little town surrounded by thick trees on the east, a very large mountain in the west, the road to the city in the south, and another road leading to another town in the north. The town contains wooden houses, where the people around the place are busy tying ropes on their roofs and houses, for safety measures. We often do this to save our houses from being blown away by a rampaging storm coming our way. I don't need to worry though. My family owns a few homes which is built with cement. With my umbrella, since it was starting to drizzle, Claire and I walked on the earthy and slightly muddy path towards home...er...my home. Claire walked really close to me, maybe to stay under the umbrella. I'm not quite sure, but I'm hoping that's the reason. She was turning her head around, observing the town's environment. "This is where you live?" She asked as she turned to me. I didn't turn to face her though. I kept my gaze ahead, since my home's already in view. "Eeyup," I replied. "It's quite lovely and peaceful," she said as she turned her head around. I wish I could share the same thought. This town's a bit cruel, in my early years at least, when I was still a student. Now that I'm working in the city, I haven't spent a lot of time around town to know if the town's people have changed or not. But seeing my younger brother laughing with his friends in front of a small snack bar made me feel that things haven't really changed all that much. Sigh... Claire noticed my expression, and turned her gaze to where mine was earlier before I looked ahead. "Is..." she turned back to me, "...something wrong, Jay?" I shook my head slightly. "Don't worry about it," for I don't want to give others my own problems. Why should I let them worry about my own problems, anyway? They have enough problems of their own to deal with. That is what I always tell myself. She frowned. I flashed her a weak smile. "Really though, don't worry about it." Finally, only a few more meters before I'd...we'd reach my home's brown wooden fences. Outside the house's door, on the two-step stairs, was my youngest brother, sitting comfortably, leaning his head on the railings, and busy browsing whatever on my mother's laptop. He looked up and smiled excitedly at me as I pushed the wooden gate open. "Hey ugly," my crazy li'l brother greeted as he closed the laptop and stood up. I grinned, "hey stupid." Yeah, we exchange insults as greetings. I kinda...was the one who started it, when I was still in high school. Claire looked at us with a confused look though. My brother must have noticed, for he chuckled. After we reached the stairs, I closed my umbrella, put it leaning on the railing, and hugged my brother. Damn, I really wanted to cry, but I don't think I'd want him to tease me all day. "You made me worried, y'know..." "I know... I'm sorry..." I quietly replied. We broke the hug, and introduced Claire and Kronz to one another. "Hey, bro," Kronz, my brother, excitedly went inside, sat on the chairs around the dining table, placed the laptop on the table, opened the laptop, and quickly started browsing whatever. I shrugged as I let Claire enter the house before I closed the door. "You really really need to start watching Season 3!" Claire and I took a seat beside him. I can't help but notice Claire's stupid yet cute grin. "You're a brony, too?" Claire asked, and she earned a bro-hoof, which she returned. I rolled my eyes, and they both chuckled. "You're a brony too, y'know." "Hahah," I said lamely, but I flashed a smile anyway. My brother played the first episode of Season Three of My Little Pony - Friendship is Magic.