Chapter Text
The Light World was ironically dark when he arrived. And, unlike the clearly defined lines and edges of his home, he could see nothing in this dark.
All his other senses were overwhelmed. There were so many smells- a musty one from the closet he'd tumbled out of, of fresh rain wafting through an open window, and dirt. He could hear the soft chirps of birds outside.
"C'mon, Ralsei. You gotta stand up," Susie urged. She and Kris helped him to his feet.
"Sorry," he apologized. With passing time, he was starting to be able to see more. A checkered tile floor, cotton-white walls, and a square tiled ceiling. "Where… where are we?"
"The school," Kris mumbled. They let him go to walk down the hallway. He leaned against Susie instead.
"You good, dude?"
"I believe so." He was intact. That was more than some others could say. Yet, the ground seemed to sway beneath him and the walls loomed ominously, seeming to twist the further he looked up. "…Just dizzy, I think."
"Yeah, that happens the first few times," she snorted, "just don't throw up on me, 'kay?"
He laughed. "I'll try not to."
Kris crept back towards them. "Seems fine," they declare, "everyone is still asleep."
"Good." Susie nudged him lightly. "Are you gonna fall if I walk away?"
"No, no. I should be okay," he asserted. She stepped away and he managed to keep upright.
"Guess we better go home. huh?"
Kris nodded.
Ralsei trailed behind the two of them. The hallway was strangely quiet now that he was used to it. Every step they took loudly echoed, but his especially. Whenever he put his hoof down, it was deafening. The floor was cold beneath him. Green lockers, posters of varying age, and a rusty water cooler (was that a water cooler? It didn't look like one).
Kris pushed the door open. The land is in a slight twilight, the sun rising somewhere in the distance. Everything was in a soft blue hue. Susie and Kris walk outside.
He hesitated at the door. The two of them turned back once they realized he wasn't behind them.
"Ralsei, are you gonna, like, dissolve in sunlight or something?" Susie asked. He thought it was meant to be a joke.
"I don't know," he answered nervously.
"He won't," Kris asserted.
"Do you need me to push you or something?" Susie offered.
"No, I'm okay, thank you."
"Well, if you don't do it yourself I might have to."
"Don't." Kris walked back up the steps to offer their hand to him.
"Come on, its okay. Its not gonna hurt you, Rals. I promise." Kris laughed kindly. They extended their hand to him, shadow covering half of it like a glove. The light bearing down, slowly taking over more of their skin.
He put his hoof in their hand. Each step back they take, he stepped forward. They do this until he is fully outside the safety of the old school building.
The air is cold– actually cold. Not cold in the sense the Dark World was, a cold that made him shiver.
"Wasn't so bad, right?" Susie smiled. She shrugged off her tattered flannel to offer it to him. He politely declined.
The sky was changing quickly. What was a dark purple had already become a lavender with pink. Somewhere on the horizon, there's a bright orb that hurts his eyes to look at.
"We've gotta go," Kris directed. They started heading down the street. He didn't move.
"What do I do now?" He asked quietly.
"Now? We told you, man, we're going home." Susie said.
He shook his head. "But this isn't my home. I don't have one."
"Yeah, that's why we're going to Kris's house." He looked over to them in surprise. They look away.
"Will that be okay?" Before they can answer him, Susie does.
"Their mom lets everyone in there. She let me stay, no questions asked. Plus, you're such a nerd, she's gonna love you." He kept waiting for Kris's reply. They stuff their hands in their pockets.
"…She won't mind."
"See?" She took off running. With a wave, she motioned them to follow her. "Kris leaves their window open, we don't even need to use the door!"
He had to tear his gaze away from the sky so he wouldn't be left behind, sprinting down the street as well.