Chronicles of an Unknown World - The Awakening

by Blue Blaze {COMET}

Chapter 5: Donations Due, Part 10

{*First-Person View, Main Character*}

Sensation.

The feeling we all experience, the touch, the odor, the soul, the emotion; they’re all a part of sensation. My thoughts turn towards sensation as I wake up, holding the blankets tighter while I pull my pillow over my head. I could smell the distinct scent of wood and paint along my scanning realization. My mind widens the scope to address the intense feeling of déjà vu: Something was not right. Memories flood back to me and I clench my body into a ball, groaning as I began to recall the past 24 hours of my life.

I woke up in a new, unfamiliar world. A world unlike my own, one filled with different colours, patterns, feelings, emotions and beings. I met Twilight Sparkle, a ‘pony’, as she called herself, as well as her five friends. Together, they pushed, harassed and helped my way through this experience in this place called Equestria. Last night, I went out on a task to help the purple unicorn gathered her friends. We found Rarity first, had supper at her place, and I got to help her cute little sister with her homework.

That’s right. Sweetie Belle.

She was having trouble with fractions, a concept completely unknown to her, yet familiar to me. I guided her and filled her road with hope and resolve. I taught her the basic elements of fractions and then some. I can remember the bright smile on her joyous face when she finally understood the process of making such a calculation. She was giggling, not being able to believe that she didn’t get it in the first place. I can recall her words so clearly.

“Ahhh! Now I get it, I get it! Wow, thank you so much Griffin! I-I finally understand! Thank you very very much! I don’t know what I would have done without your help! Thank you!”

I grumbled in bed, turning to lie on my back and smell the morning roses. Taking hold of the pillow across my face, I fling it to the side, kicking the blankets off me in the process. I found myself staring at the ceiling of the spare guest room Rarity kindly offered to us. Us being Twilight and I. Hearing disturbing familiar pattering, I look to my left at the side window. It. Was. Still. Raining. Just dandy. And here I honestly thought when I went to bed that the rain would have stopped by tomorrow, which of course is today. I frown, looking back at the top of the room.

I had no idea what time it was, but I was in no mood to sleep in. Twilight was planning to leave as soon as possible, so I knew that I had to get up before she got ticked off at my tardiness. Sitting up, I swung my legs off the end of the bed, wiped the remaining sleep out of my eyes and got up steadily. The sudden raise of elevation made me lose my sense of balance and refreshed my vision in a peculiar display of colours. I found my pants hanging on the nearby chair, put them on and found my shoes. Before leaving the room, I turned around and considered making the bed. After recalling that Rarity wouldn’t be back for a very, very long time, I didn’t have to lift a finger. I made sure that I hadn’t left anything behind (nothing to really keep track of, considering I only have one pair of clothes) and shut the door.

Walking down the hall, the echoes of my inner thoughts seemed to bounce down the hall. The sole question I had to ask myself was,

“What have I gotten myself into?”

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

{*Omniscient point of view, Carousel Boutique*}

“Rarity! You almost done yet?”

Twilight called down the hall to her white unicorn friend. Currently, the disciple of the princess was checking morning duties of her own, then double checking and double checking the double check of her first check. She shifted her haunches, making sure her saddlebags were secured with the elements tucked inside. A quill and parchment floated a foot away from her face, allowing space for her to look down the corridor for the lingering seamstress.

“I’m coming!” Rarity called back, rushing out of the hallway door. She hastily trotted over to Twi’s location with a plethora of bags, suitcases and other storage devices in magical tow. The dress designer never looked better for the weather, donning her matching set of a white rain hat, a white raincoat and sparkling polished rain boots. Eyelashes preened and eyeliner properly applied, she overdramatically entered the kitchen, a certain sway in her advance to portray her beauty a bit better.

“Rarity, I think that’s a bit too much stuff for this journey.” Twilight plainly stated, pointing at the dozen or so briefcases behind the fashionista.

“Nonsense! There is no such thing as too much when it comes to clothes! I need every type of dress, gown, skirt and shoe for every occasion! What if there was a flash dance on the road? Then I will be glad that I had brought my dance clothes for such a very occasion!” She flicked her hair, emphasizing her need for excess formal wear.

“I’m sorry Rarity, but I’m not carrying all that baggage, Sweetie’s not gonna carry all that baggage and I highly doubt that Griffin will even consider it. Besides, It’ll only slow us down if you have to keep lugging all that stuff and keep track of it at the same time! Unless you have some kind of carriage, you’re gonna have to leave it behind.”

“Come on Twilight, be reasonable! I have enough in here for all of us! So if you ever want a simple dress to go out in or if Pinkie wants some more pink to wear I’ve got it all here! Can’t I just keep a bag or two?”

“Once again, I’m sorry, but no means no. We can only take the bear essentials with us, and that means food, water and a tent or two. I’ve already got some of our supplies, but you need to pull some of our weight in consumables, not fashion.”

“Aww…” Rarity groaned. She began dragging her hooves back to her closet when a squeaky voice called out from the other side of the kitchen.

“Rarity, are we leaving now?”

Both mares turned their heads to Sweetie Belle, standing uncertainly at the bottom of the stairs. An indescribable emotion in her eyes, she looked at her bigger sister for answers.

“Yes, we’re leaving quite soon, dear. I have all your clothes packed already. Have you gotten any toys and belonging packed in your bag just like I asked?”

“Yes, they’re up in my room.”

“Do me one more thing and go bring your bag downstairs. Me and Twilight have just a few things to work out, so wait a little bit longer, ok?”

“Ok.” She replied, traces of weariness in her voice. As Rarity was turning to go back to her tasks, one more question hung in the air. “Where are we going?”

Rarity flinched at her sister’s question. “I’ll tell you once we get on the road.”

“Ok.”

Sweetie stared at the steps almost her size and began climbing up. She spotted a pair of large white feet as glanced up to see Griffin, slightly surprised at almost stepping on her. He got out of her way before she continued trudging. The room was entirely silence, save for the rain and the sound of Sweetie ascending. The human read the filly’s face, recognizing the hint of negativity in the scene around him. He met eyes with the other two ponies, all sharing looks of concern with one another. As soon as Griffin was sure she was out of earshot, he stepped down the stairs and struck up a conversation.

“Did I come down at a bad time?”

“No, not at all dear, not at all…” Rarity began, looking along the floor for something amiss. “I’ll be taking my leave for the time being, unpacking my belongings and whatnot. If you need me, you know where to find me, right Twilight?”

“Yeah.” Twilight replied, her voice softer than normal. The white unicorn levitated her items back off the floor and traveled down the hall. Once the sound of a door closing rang out, Griffin turned his eyes away from the fleeing sibling and looked towards answers.

“Twilight, what happened?”

She hesitated, pretending to triple check her double check-list before answering. “Nothing. Nothing big. Rarity’s just gotta deal with big sister issues, that’s all.” She turned her back towards him, trying to avoid the subject.

However, Griffin wasn’t going to have any of that. “Please Twilight, tell me what really happened. Tell me all of what happened. Please?”

The stressed librarian sighed before gathering her thoughts. “Last night, after you went to bed, Rarity had to go to Sweetie Belle’s room to talk about moving out. Unfortunately, she waited too long and picked a bad time to tell Sweetie: while she was asleep. During the time I was still awake, however I still heard the entire thing.” Twilight swiveled her head to meet her converser. “After Sweetie woke up, Rarity began to explain that they both needed to go out for a ‘vacation’ for a little while, and that they would be returning to Ponyville for quite some time. Every time Sweetie asked a question, Rarity dodged with the vaguest answer you could give. It was painfully obvious to pick up the pain in her voice, and I think Sweetie figured out something was wrong.”

Twilight turned to the kitchen window and observed the drops of water spreading down the canvas before continuing. “She tried her absolute best to hide her feelings, but those kinds of feelings you just can’t hide properly, especially to loved ones. It didn’t help that Rarity wasn’t answering any of Sweetie’s questions except for ‘we need to go out tomorrow’, but I don’t blame her. She tried her best, and she did it before it was too late. If Sweetie was told to today and not yesterday I think the stress would have broken her little heart. Still…”

Twilight’s eyes once again met the boy’s. “She is so sad. She and her big sister. It’s like a domino effect: I got moody, then Rarity got moody, and now Sweetie got moody. It shouldn’t be this way. All this sadness, all this pain; it shouldn’t have to come to this. I don’t know why it does, but it shouldn’t.”

The true emotions of Twilight Sparkle reached Griffin.

“And I feel like it’s all my fault.”