The Chronicles of Daniel Ridge: The Age of Equestria

"Come here Daniel" I called to him from the living room. He peeked out from the bedroom, his little eyes worried, hesitant.

"Come on, Daniel. Mommy wants to see it."I said, beckoning him closer.

"But you'll hate it!" He whined, retreating a bit back into the safety of his room.  I giggled a little. Such a shy child.

"Don't be silly, Danny"  I replied, using my  pet name for him. He perked up a bit at this, coming out from behind the door-frame. But he still stood at a distance. His little hands held a book - small, but it was still a third his size.

"I'm sure it will be wonderful." I encouraged him, patting the seat beside me.  He looked as if he would change his mind, but he finally relented, walking over and climbing onto the sofa.

And then he read to me. The words were simple, his grammar full of mistakes, but it was colourful, full of young imagination and childish magic. But there was the beginnings of what I was looking for. What I had wished for, for many years. What I could no longer do, what I could no longer accomplish. Someday, he would help bring them to fruition.

When he was done, I stroked his head and smiled. He was my son, my student. My little ace, in a deck stacked against me. And I would play it soon.

Very soon.

***

Daniel slowly opened his eyes to the blinding light as he woke, the dew from the grass clinging to his face. He sat up, blinking sleepily. It took a minute for his mind to focus. He had always been like this, waking groggily every morning, his thoughts scattered. As he waited for his brain to settle back to it's proper rhythm, he looked about, taking in his surroundings.

He had awoken at the edge of a dense forest, it's  dense foliage giving it an ancient, gloomy look. The morning sun almost completely separated from the distant horizon, making the mountainous region across the valley look absurdly beautiful in comparison. The alpines were tipped with the familiar blanket of snow, the base a dark grey, and the valley he sat in was a vibrant green. A good a place as any to land, he thought to himself as he got up. He tried to stretch, but he felt the pack on his back tighten across his chest, bringing his mind back to his purpose.

He quickly took it off and opened it, checking the contents. Nothing was missing, and after another check with the second bag, he was sure that nothing had been lost in the travelling. He felt great, actually. He had thought that the trip would be more painful. Rather, he felt a strange lightness, a surge of energy he could not remember having previously. The feeling spread through him as he stretched again, and he felt readier to begin his search than he had been when he first touched the book.

The book! Daniel looked about to see if it had come with him, but it was nowhere to be found. Understandable, he realized, as it was still back in the library when his father had come through. There was no reason for it to be here this time. Instead, he looked about again for any sign of his dad.

Daniel wandered around a little in the meadow, never straying out of site from his original landing place. It was easy to distinguish. Nearby a large slab of shale had been pushed off the nearby mountainside and shattered, creating a jigsaw puzzle of jagged rock and rubble. He had never seen such a strange landmark, but he paid it little heed. Though he did thoroughly search the area and between the scattered boulders, there was no sign of his dad.

Daniel needed to find his father, but straying too far from  his starting point. was foolish. If his dad did land here, he would not have gone too far. But at the same time, Daniel wasn't comfortable setting his camp here. There was no water source in sight, and if a storm brewed, nothing would keep the tent from blowing away in the wind.

He could camp in the forest, but Daniel felt uneasy about it. There was something about it that made balk at the idea. No, he would have to search for a better location, someplace where he could stay near enough to come back to quickly.

Daniel pulled out his gps and turned it on, the green screen slowly brightening into a glowing green. The battery was full - to his relief - but though he walked around a little for a better location, he received no signal at all. Was there no connection here? Strange, the conditions were almost perfect. Daniel bit his lip in frustration. Now he had no clue as to his location. He really was in the middle of nowhere. He would have to trust that he could remember his way back. At least the rubble was easy to spot.

Daniel put his gps away and picked up the backpacks before heading east, towards the distant mountain range. He went slowly, searching the area tirelessly for clues, signs of humanity. Tracks, firepits, anything of remote interest. But the slowly descending hill of flowers and fresh grass were all he could find, untouched and wild.

It was a few hours later when Daniel found a water source. A small stream ran down the hillside and lead off a small cliff, which hung over an expanse of swamp below. He wasn't sure what to make of these drastically different locales. They felt out of place, disorderly. Like geography had taken a backseat and let baby brother nature go nuts at the wheel. He shook his head, scattering his thoughts, and walked down to the water.

He again let his mind water as he refilled his bottle and took a moment to relax his aching shoulders. He dropped the two bags to the ground and squatted down with his bottle. If he was to camp, the swamp would be his best choice. While it did not give him ready access to his landing point, it provided the water and shelter he would need, if he had to stay for the night. And seeing that his dad had been the one who taught him how to survive out in the bush, he would be thinking on a similar vein.  Or stream.

Daniel's thoughts  were interrupted when he heard a loud, deep growl. He froze, his hand still tucked into the stream, the lid of the water bottle bouncing off his wrist as the water threw it airborne over and over. The growl came again, and Daniel looked up slowly.

Up the stream, a lion mother was staring him down, her two cubs hiding meekly behind her broad shoulders. She was much larger than any lioness he had seen before. Her frame was as large as a rhinoceros, and as Daniel silently got up, he could see that her head cleared his own by inches. He glanced up - two long, curling horns jutted out from the sides of her head.

Daniel had little time to wonder on this strange aspect. He had clearly frightened the trio, and as the mother growled again, he knew that she was not willing to share her territory. Daniel took a small step back, preparing to flee.

This set her off, and with a blood-curdling roar it charged, its massive paws cutting through the water like knife's edge.

Daniel bolted down the stream, dropping the water bottle in the process. He had very little time to think, to prepare. He didn't stop, or turn around - he just ran, ran as fast as he could. He didn't need to see to know that she was steadily gaining on him. The thought of his own mutilated body sprung into his head, and it spurred him to new efforts.

Daniel's rampaging heart almost froze solid when he reached the cliff. In his haste he had run in the worst possible direction, effectively trapping himself between a rock and a hard place. Or a rocky cliff and two set of claws accompanied by a terrifying maw.  There was no way out now. The lioness had caught up to him and was now sauntering forward, as if relishing in its victory. Daniel took a moment to glance over the cliff. He guess that the fall wasn't any more than 12 feet, but the hill below it that lead into the swamp was full of debris. If he landed on any of the heavier branches or rocks, he would be dead for sure.

But he had no options left. In a brief moment of clarity he cursed himself for leaving the bear-banger in his bag. The lion mother was barely a foot away, its muscles tensing, claws extending out into the dirt. Just as it swung a vicious swipe at him, Daniel jumped backwards off the cliff.

As he fell he felt one of the lion's claws rip at his chest sending him somersaulting in the air. He almost cried out in pain as the nail dug through his flesh and ripped open his shirt. When he hit the ground seconds later, the force of the impact drove the air out of him, and then couldn't cry out even if he wanted to. He tumbled in a heap, sending twigs and pebbles flying. He felt a rock strike his hips and again his body flipped through the air, finally landing face-first in the murky waters of the swamp.

Daniel struggled through the water, flailing vaguely for the surface. He didn't know where to swim, not daring to open his eyes. He felt the embrace of fatigue snaking into his conscious, and his mind screamed for relief. Then suddenly, he felt his hand the bottom, and he turned around, launching himself desperately upwards.

He broke through the surface violently, gasping greedily for breath. He could barely process his own motions as he swam for the shore, and as he tried to stand up along the muddy banks, he slipped repeatedly, covering himself in mud. He tried to pull himself back up after the third slip, but his exhaustion overwhelmed him. He lay there, the tendrils of sleep quickly engulfing him, and his final thought was of his father, and the book that started it all.

***

I was looking for something. There was something I needed, desperately needed. But I couldn't remember what I was looking for. There was this unbearable heat, and I coughed violently, my eyes tearing up. Something was burning. I couldn't tell what it was that was burning, but I knew it was something I needed. I tried to run to it, but I felt a hand wrap around my waist from behind and pulled me close. It whispered gently of safety and assurance, but I still cried into his shoulder. We left it behind, what I desperately needed. But I still could not remember what it was.

***

Daniel heard voices on the edges of his conscious, and he slowly woke. He opened his eyes to find himself gazing at an unfamiliar ceiling. A small blanket had been draped over him, and he could feel his feet dangling over the end of the little bed he laid in. His chest throbbed and he groaned, sitting up in the bed. This had been the second time he had been knocked out. Neither had been pleasant. Daniel rubbed his eyes.

"Where am I?" He mumbled to no one in particular.

"Why, you're in Ponyville Silly!"

Daniel froze. At the end of the bed was the strangest thing he ever seen. Six little pastel ponies stood in a small group, and they seemed just as surprised as he was. They were rather small, for ponies. They all had similar builds, but none of them were alike. Each had a coat and mane of the wildest colors imaginable. Some of them even had a spiraling horn coming out of their heads, and others seemed to be flying in the air, their small wings flapping rhythmically from their sides.

One of them  came closer and raised a hoof. He turned to study her. She had a lilac coat and a purple mane with lighter highlights. A small horn grew out from her cropped bangs that almost hid her violet eyes.

"Hello?" She said hesitantly.

"You can talk?" Daniel said, gasping "In English?"

"You speak Equestrian?" She heaved a sigh of relief "That's good, this'll be much easier then."

The purple pony cleared her throat and then smiled at him brightly, pointing  a hoof at herself.

"My name is Twilight Sparkle. These," She swept her hoof behind her , stopping at each pony "are my friends Applejack, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and-" She stopped suddenly and looked around, confused.

"Where's Pinkie Pie?"

Daniel practically fell out of the bed when a pony jumped out of the blankets and stood over him, giggling at his reaction.

"Hi!" She said, her face coming in close "I'm Pinkie Pie!"

Daniel took a moment while his heart slowed to study her. She was a pink pony, as he had guessed, with a puffy cerise mane, and blue eyes full of energy and curiosity.

"What's your name?" She asked, bouncing a little on the bed.

Daniel didn't answer, instead gently pushing the excited pony off the bed before putting his head in his hands. He was still trying to understand what the hell was going on. He thought back. He had fallen into the swamp after narrowly escaping the lioness. Except it hadn't been a lion, had it? It had horns too, different horns than the ones that some of these ponies had, but horns nonetheless. And it had been huge. No lion could have ever grown that large. And now, Daniel was sitting in a little bed talking to pastel ponies that were responding, even asking him questions. Surely he would have heard of sentient ponies before.

With dawning horror, Daniel looked back up at the group.

"Where am I?" he asked, his  heart pounding heavily.

"Well, like Pinkie said earlier, we're in my house in Ponyvi-" Daniel cut off Twilight's response.

"And where is this Ponyville located?"

"In Equestria, of course. Why?" She asked innocently.

Daniel felt his face go white and his heart almost stop in his chest. He wasn't just lost in his hometown, or in a different country, or even a continent. Daniel was lost in a different world, the world that resided within the pages of the mysterious book.

For a moment of brief cynicism Daniel couldn't help but think about how proud Dorothy and Toto would have been.

"Are you okay?" Twilight asked, stepping closer.

He looked back up, sighing "I'm alright, just trying to get over how unlucky this is, even for me."

"Actually you're pretty lucky, mister!" Pinkie said, laughing.

"You see, we were all down at the swamp helping Fluttershy count frogs and splashing each other and having fun when suddenly Spike was like ohmigod guys come look at this and we followed him and we found you and you were all covered in mud and bleeding and unconscious and we were all like what should we do and twilight decided we should bring you back to her house and help clean you up and then you woke up and now we're talking!"

Daniel barely registered half of the torrential tidal wave of words she had spoken.

"What did she say?"

"She said we found you collapsed in the swamp, Sugahcube."

Daniel looked over to the voice curiously. The pony - Applejack, he recalled, had a bright orange coat and a blonde mane that had been tied into a ponytail at the very end. Light freckles dotted her cheeks and above her green eyes, a cowboy hat was perched atop her head.

"What were you doing down there, anyways?" she asked.

Was that a southern drawl? he wondered.

Daniel quickly related the story with the lion-creature to them and was surprised to find they knew what it was.

"You got away from an angry manticore? You must be pretty fast on those weird hooves of yours." A pony nodded slowly, as if he passed some sort of test. The Pegasus named Rainbow Dash had a bright blue coat and a wind-swept rainbow mane. Her red eyes were framed within a rather tomboyish face.

"Why were you up there, though? Most ponies know to stay clear of that place."

Daniel was about to explain when another wave of pain coursed through his chest, making him wince and clutch his chest.

"Oh, are you all right?" a quiet voice asked worriedly.

Daniel looked up to find one of the other Pegasi coming nearer, looking concerned. Fluttershy had a bright yellow coat with a flowing pink mane and a soft face.

"Do I need to change the wrapping?"

"No, it's fine. You've done wonderfully. I'm just sore, is all." He said, smiling assuredly. The small pony blushed shyly.

"Well, you should get some more rest, um..." Twilight's voice trailed off.

"Daniel" he finished for her "My name's Daniel. But I can't. I have to go find my dad."

"Your dad?"

"Yeah. That's why I'm here. I'm looking for my dad." Daniel recounted the rest of the story to them. The library, the book, his father's disappearance, and Daniel's own jump into the pages. While the ponies were trying to wrap their heads around the tale, Daniel, slide to the edge of the bed.

"That's why I can't stay here. I have to go."

He started to stand up, ready to leave, when a lancing pain shot up his chest, his cut screaming in protest. He hurriedly sat back down. As he regained his breath, he saw patches of red appear on the dressing.

"Well you're not going anywhere like that, Darling"

Daniel regarded the pony in frustration. Rarity, the other unicorn, had a white coat and an indigo mane that had been combed neatly into curling tufts. Between her blue eyes the white horn on her head shone faintly in the light.

"You should rest and recuperate, dear. You're in no condition to go scurrying about. Besides, it is growing late, and I highly doubt you will find much in the dark."

Daniel turned to the window in surprise. Rarity was right - the sun had  set, and a clear night sky had spread its canvas of stars already . Had it been that long? Daniel could barely believe how quickly it had ended.

"We wanted to bring you to the Ponyville Hospital and get you properly treated," Twilight said, bowing her head contritely "but we didn't want to scare the other ponies."

Daniel laid back in the bed, sighing in defeat.

"So what happens now?"

"Well," Twilight looked to the girls "now we need to decide where you're going to stay. Give us a minute?"

Daniel could only nod. As they rallied by the stairs across the room, Daniel cursed his luck once more. His dad was still out there somewhere, and Daniel was stuck here, with no way to search for him. If Daniel had ended up like this on the first day, just how much trouble had his father gotten into? He knew that his dad was resourceful, but he was also rash. This was a different world. Would he still be able to take care of himself?

Daniel came out of his reverie as the ponies came back to him.

"We've decided that you should stay here, with me." Twilight said.

"It's just too dangerous to move you right now, and if anypony saw you, there would be a scene. But everyone's agreed to come by when they can to help you heal."

"How long do you think it'll take?" Daniel asked.

"I don't know" Fluttershy said quietly "Usually I just let my patients stay with me until they're better."

"Well, as soon as I've recovered enough, I'm leaving." he said with finality.

The ponies looked at each other worriedly but said nothing.

"For now though, rest! You need your beauty sleep. Or healing sleep. Something of that sort." Rarity wheeled a hoof in the air, looking for a good metaphor. She gave up quickly.

"I'll be around in the morning with breakfast, so I expect you to be up by then!"

Daniel cocked an eyebrow. Was she chiding him? His mouth broke out into a smile.

"Yes, ma'am"

Rarity blushed a little at his reply.

"Good. Don't make me wait."

Rarity turned and headed for the door before stopping to turn back to the others.

"Come now, let him have his privacy! And for Celestia's sake Pinkie, please get out of the blankets now."

Daniel started as the blankets rolled open again and the pink pony came out. How did she do that?!?

As the girls left one by one with trailing goodbyes, Twilight came back to the bed.

"Well then, I guess since my bed's  been taken over, I'll have to take the guest one for tonight."

Daniel sat up in alarm "This is your bed? I'm sorry, you can have it ba-"

"Don't worry about it, Daniel. I'll just have to take it back tomorrow." She giggled, and Daniel chuckled a little too.

Twilight walked about the room blowing the candles out until they were in relative darkness.  He heard the rustle of sheets and a small sigh across the room, and he realized that they would be sharing the room together.

"Night Daniel"

Daniel could only grunt in reply. So much had happened that day, and as he lay in the dark, he finally felt the rush of the day's fatigue hit him. As he let sleep come over him, he realized vaguely that this was just the beginning.