Season 0, Episode 0: Before The Beginning
Journey to Equestria
Season Zero
Season 0 | Episode 0
Before The Beginning
By: Justin Daniels
And so, our journey begins...
Many creatures have gathered around a bard in "The Bloated Eagle"; a tavern inside Gryphonia's capital city, "Skyhaven", listening to his countless adventures and stories that he heard from distant lands; stories of allies he met within his travels, and stories of the countless struggles and trials that they went through.
After finishing his latest story of Equestria's newest weapon, "The Elements of Harmony", a Minotaur walks up to the Pony bard, and asks, "Come on, Adventurous Spirit! Tell us something that's actually new!"
Adventurous's mouth formed a sly grin at that statement, before he shrugged his shoulders. "Well, my friend... I don't really know very much more stories that I could tell you right at the moment..." At that statement, the crowd groaned, before heading towards the entrance. Then Adventurous added, "... unless you'd like to hear about the Human and his Alicorn daughter!" Suddenly, all movement stopped at once, and in unison, the entire room turned towards the bard. They soon found seats around the stool the bard sat in, and nodded their heads; motioning for him to continue.
After clearing his throat, the bard began to tell them the story of the very creature that departed for Equestria earlier that morning...
It was early in the morning in Jackson, Mississippi. From the borders of the city, a humble little suburban neighborhood began to bloom with life. Children stood at the ends of their family's driveways, vehicles began to move in unison; leading up to traffic, and a few neighbors greeted each other with either a smile and wave, or a deadpanned stare, as the latter ones held a cup of coffee in their hands; and a few holding energy drinks.
Further out of the suburban area, a slightly taller house rose up three stories high. Its walls were white horizontally-aligned wooden paneling, and its triangular roof was made of black fiberglass shingles. Its windows were covered in white curtains, and its windowsills were painted white. Around the house was a man-made garden filled with red and yellow roses. In the front-right corner of the house, a pine tree stood up, with a rope swing hanging from the side of it. From the center of the yard, the concrete formed a path that led directly towards the front door.
In the master bedroom that sat in the third story of the house, a young couple lying in a white-sheeted bed with black railings, were sound asleep; a man with short brown hair that was neatly combed right to him; appearing left to a viewer's eyes, and a woman with red hair that, when fixed up, would form a ponytail that rose three inches high, before falling two feet down.
The two were cuddled together in their sleep, until the sound of an alarm started buzzing through the room; stirring the two from their peaceful slumber. Looking to his right, the man grumbled before tapping on the alarm's buttons; trying to find the right one, but failing at it. Finally, he reached down, and yanked the cord from the wall; silencing the sleep-killer.
After giving out a yawn, the man froze in place at the sound of weak laughter behind him. Turning around, he saw the woman lightly chuckling at him; her light crimson eyes focused on his dark blue-green eyes.
Then the man smiled at her, and joined her in the chuckle-fest. "Sorry... I've still gotta get used to this dang thing..." The man stated to the woman.
She shook her head, and then replied, "Well, I told you I should be the one who sleeps on that side of the bed, Justin."
Justin shook his head, and then replied with a chuckle, "Yeah? Well, I'm a man, Ruby... I'm naturally stubborn to the core." Then he wrapped her shoulders with his left arm, and continued. "Besides, you need your rest, dear... after all, we've got a new family member on the way!" As he said that, he gently placed his right hand on her bulging stomach; stifling a giggle from her.
Ruby looked at him, and said, "Thank you, Justin... for seeing her like a good father should... and not-" Before she could continue, Justin silenced her with a long, tender kiss. The kiss lasted a little over ten seconds before Justin broke it.
"Just because she was the result of a rapist... doesn't mean that he is her father. And as long as there's air in my lungs, I'll guard her like any good father would."
Ruby chuckled at him, before nodding her head. "And I'll protect her like any good mother would, too." Then she pulled Justin into another kiss, before the two of them stood up from the bed, and got dressed. "So, what would you like for breakfast this morning, Justin?" She asked, as she slipped her black dress over her white button-up shirt.
Justin, pulling his white t-shirt from his head to his blue jean-covered waist, replied, "Oh no you don't, dear! I'll take care of breakfast for the two of us this morning, and you take the day off."
Ruby chuckled and rolled her eyes, before placing her hands on her waist. "Justin... I'm an accountant for a bank... I need to go to work for the two of us... after all, how else will we pay the bills?"
Justin shrugged his shoulders. "I could get a job, y'know... instead of cleaning the house, and all that."
Ruby shook her head. "Oh no you don't mister!" Then she walked up to him and placed her hands on his shoulders. "It's you who promised to watch over the baby while I do the work, so I want you to enjoy your freedom here." Then she pressed her lips on his in a kiss once more, silencing him before he could retort.
Then, once she broke from the kiss, she walked out of the room, and said, "Blueberry waffles it is, then!"
After staring at the door in silence, Justin sighed, before chuckling to himself. "Oh, Ruby... how in the world did I get an angel like you for a fiance?" With that, he walked out of the door, and into the hallway, where he followed Ruby into the first floor, where the kitchen and dining room was.
It was later on in the afternoon when Ruby and Justin met in a small bakery for lunch; the same bakery that they first met. The two of them sat in a small booth, and smiled at each other. "So, Ruby... how's work coming along?" Justin asked, as he placed his menu on the table; his mind set on what he wanted.
Ruby gave out a long sigh, before replying, "It's been quite eventful, to say the least... first, there was a couple who thought I was in charge of their electric bill, and then a small child asking me to tell the tooth fairy that he wanted one hundred dollars instead of twenty five cents."
Justin chuckled at that last statement, before commenting, "That kid must've been spoiled or something, huh?"
Ruby chuckled with him, and nodded her head. "Indeed, he was." Then she altered her voice to sound posh-like. "Would you care for more hundreds to go with your millions, sir?"
Justin's chuckle turned into laughter, before he cleared his throat, and replied in a posh tone, "Why yes, that would be lovely, my dear! Please, do put it next to the thousands and ten thousands. Much obliged!"
After the two of them had their fair share of laughs, Justin looked Ruby in the eyes, and said, "Well, the doctor said that the baby should be due in about a week... and for that, I've got a special gift waiting for you when you get to the house."
Ruby's smile widened, before she shook her head. "Oh, Justin... you didn't have to go and get me something just for that!"
Justin shrugged his shoulders, before replying, "Hey, at least it's something that I know you will love!"
Before their conversation could continue, the waiter appeared from the left side of the booth, and asked in a cheerful tone, "And what can I get for you two lovebirds?"
The two of them placed their orders, and throughout the rest of the break period, they ate their lunch, and spoke about their plans for the future.
As the sun was finally no longer in the sky, Justin finished vacuuming the house. He wiped the sweat from his forehead, and sighed a breath of relief. "Finally... I'm done!" Then he smiled at the box that hung halfway from the ceiling to the front door; a small black box that he would have behind him once she walks into the door; most likely going to question the string loosely dangling behind him. He smiled at the thought of her reaction.
Suddenly, his phone started to ring. He looked towards it, and tilted his head. "Strange... I don't normally receive calls at this time." He looked at the watch on his left hand, and sighed. "Gonna have to let it ring for now... she should be getting here any moment now."
A few moments after the phone stopped ringing, it gave him the alert that he received a new text message. Rolling his eyes, he decided, "I'll read it later."
Then a few more text messages popped up, which made him groan out of frustration. "Alright, already! Sheesh!" With an annoyed expression, he picked his phone up from the counter, and unlocked it.
As soon as he saw the messages, however, he knew something was up. "Turn on the TV." Justin read aloud, before turning towards the large plasma-screen TV that was attached to the wall of the living room just opposite of the kitchen. Quickly, he lifted the kitchen's remote, and pressed the power button. Once the TV was on, it showed the bank that Ruby worked at. The bottom of the screen said "SHOOTOUT IN DIAMOND BANK. ACCOUNTANT FOUND ASSAULTED BY 'CRAZY WILL'."
Just the sight of the word "Accountant" and "Crazy Will" made Justin's heart skip a beat, as his hands started to shake. "No..." He silently said, before turning towards his hiking boots, and shouting, "RUBY!" Then he quickly rushed towards his boots and slipped them on, grabbed the keys to his car from the counter, and bolted out of the door, headed towards the local hospital that the TV said she was rushed to.
From inside the waiting room, Justin held his forehead with his hands, and breathed heavily. He was still visibly shaken from the entire ordeal; his knees were fidgeting.
Then the door to Ruby's room opened, and a nurse quickly walked towards him; a saddened expression on her face. "Mr. Daniels?" She asked, causing Justin to jump out of his seat, and walk towards the room; only to be stopped by the nurse's outstretched hand. "The baby was able to survive... but unfortunately, the mother is under cardiac arrest. We were able to sustain blood flow, but it's only a temporary treatment... she may not even make it another ten minutes..."
At those words, Justin's eyes closed; his tears breaking through the barriers like a stream flowing through a river. His shoulders shook at each heartbroken moan that escaped his mouth. Then, he looked up at the sound of a baby crying inside the room. Quickly, he walked into the room, and eyed his fiance in her deathbed. As he looked at her, his eyes couldn't stop tearing up, as Ruby's were unable to open.
He walked up to her, and gently placed his right hand under her left hand, and gently squeezed it; causing her eyes to slowly open, and her mouth to form a small smile.
"Hey, beautiful..." Justin weakly said, before looking away from her eyes, and at her hand, instead. "I... I'm..." Then he wept, "I'm sorry, Ruby... I've failed you... I've... I've failed my family..."
He stopped his whining when he felt her grip on him intensify. Looking up at her eyes again, he saw her smile hasn't faltered, and her head was weakly shaking "no". Then she mouthed, "I love you, Justin. You are strong... be strong for our daughter... take care of her... and... and..." Before she could finish her sentence, her eyes slowly closed once more, before the monitor on her left; right beside Justin's left shoulder, went from a slow pulsing beep to a long, flat beep; her pulse in his hand was no more.
His eyes closed, and his head fell onto her now flat stomach; his cries could be heard from across the hallway, where a few doctors and nurses gathered around with sad expressions. One of them was about to say something; only to be stopped by the nurse next to him; who shook her head.
After five minutes of crying, Justin just sat there emotionless; lost and confused on where to go from there. He then pulled the small box from his right pocket, and stared at it for a moment, before placing it on his fiance's chest. He then looked at his left; towards the crying baby in the crib on the other end of the room.
Slowly, he walked towards it, and looked down at the crying baby; a small infant girl with her mother's eyes wandering around; confused and unaware of the drama around her. When her crimson eyes focused on Justin, however, her crying stopped at once, as the two of them stared at each other for a long, silent moment. Then, the baby smiled at him, and held her arms towards him; making the noises a happy infant would make, like constant whines of excitement, mild chuckles, and a few coughs.
Justin's saddened frown slowly turned into a weak smile, as he reached his hands into the crib, and slowly lifted the baby up. "Hey, honey... it's nice to meet you." Then he tickled the baby's belly; causing her to chuckle again, as her arms and legs flailed around.
Then Justin looked her in the eyes, and said, "I promise... I will guard you with my life... and I will never let anyone, or anything, ever harm you... Ruby."
Four years have passed since the death of his fiance, and the birth of his daughter. Justin's face was covered in stubble, but he still managed to smile, as he sat there on the table; going through a newspaper; drinking a small cup of soda. All over the house, a little girl with red hair tied in small pigtails ran around the living room; pretending to be a magician; even wearing a dark purple cape to show it.
She looked up at Justin, and grinned mischievously, before waving her "magic wand" around, and saying, "Hocus Pocus!"
Then Justin's eyes widened, and at once, he dropped his newspaper, and grabbed onto his chest. "Oh, no! Ruby the Magician cast a spell on me!" He then grinned menacingly at her, before adding, "Looks like someone is about to face the Tickle Monster, now!" At that statement, Ruby screamed and ran, as Justin followed her with his arms stretched out, and before they knew it, she was pinned on the couch, being assaulted by her father's fingers in tickles from below her arms, and across her ribs. Even at the age of four, her arms and legs still flailed out and about.
"Okay, Daddy! You win! You win!" Ruby said between giggles. This made Justin chuckle, as he ended the tickle-fest.
Then he gently patted her forehead, and said, "Perhaps next time, I should call the 'Hug Monster' on you."
Ruby shook her head, and then replied, "No! Not the Hug Monster!"
With another menacing grin, Justin quickly caught her in a hug, and then lifted her up; shaking her around, and making her scream and giggle.
Finally, after a short moment of hugging, a series of knocks could be heard from the front door. This caused Justin to sigh, and gently place Ruby on the couch. "Sorry, honey... I gotta go. Be nice for Misses Hudson, okay?"
Ruby nodded her head, and then replied, "Yes sir. Have a good day at work, Daddy!"
Justin smiled, and then nodded his head. "Thank you, honey... and you have a good day in school!"
With that, he walked up to the front door, and answered it; expecting to see the private tutor that he hired for Ruby's education. What he didn't expect, however, was to see an elderly man with white hair, and a bald scalp. He wore a pair of large square glasses, and a light gray suit with a white shirt below the jacket, and a pair of black dress shoes.
Justin raised an eyebrow, and then asked, "Wait... who are you?"
The man replied, "Hello, I am Jacob Wilson. Is this the Daniels residence?"
Justin nodded his head, and looked at the clipboard tucked behind Jacob's left arm.
Jacob then lifted the clipboard, and said, "Congratulations on your new house, Mr. Daniels! The movers should be on their way to help you with the furniture, and-"
"Wait, WHAT?!" Justin shouted, before looking behind his back, and at Ruby, who stood behind the couch, confused on what was going on.
Then Justin smiled at her and motioned for her to wait "one moment", before stepping outside the front door, and closing it behind him. Giving the lawyer a death glare, Justin asked, "Okay... I don't know what you're talking about, so I think you might have the wrong address, Jacob."
Jacob cleared his throat and straightened his glasses, before staring at the signature on the paper that rested on the clipboard. "Well... if your name isn't 'Justin Daniels', then please let me know, and I'll check again once he does make it here... but according to the other papers you've signed, the signature on your receipt for selling this house is, without a doubt, a perfect match!"
Justin quickly snatched the clipboard from the lawyer, and looked it over, before he gasped. "Someone forged my name! You have to do something!"
The lawyer shrugged his shoulders before taking his clipboard back. "I'm afraid there's nothing else I can do... but maybe if you sold some of your possessions in there, it could help pay for another nice house!"
Justin shook his head and stepped closer towards the lawyer; his death glare not even slightly lowering. "The stuff in that house belonged to my fiance before she died... if you think that I'd let that happen, then you better have a good reason for me to do so."
The lawyer sighed, before saying, "Well, there's already someone who wants to move into this house, so unless you'd like them to have your stuff, you'll have to find somewhere else to put it... but according to the records of your paychecks, you won't be able to afford the next stack of bills that are on their way... you will have to sell most of your stuff, unless you want to end up homeless... and without a proper house, you know what that means for your daughter... don't you?"
Justin's fists began to ball up, as the thoughts of a social worker taking Ruby away from him began to play in his mind. Then he cracked his knuckles, and said to the lawyer, "You're a sick bastard... and I hope you die an agonizing death. Oh, and if you so much as mention that one to somebody, I'll know who the snitch was... and if they take Ruby away from me, then I won't have anything else to lose... so I won't hesitate to butcher your sorry a-"
As Justin continued whispering the threats to Jacob, Ruby slowly opened the door, and asked, "Daddy? Are you okay?"
Justin stopped whispering at Jacob and looked back at Ruby. Then he looked back at Jacob, and asked, "You see what you did? You took her home away! I hope you rot." Then he turned towards Ruby, and weakly smiled. "Hey, Ruby... we... we might have to move somewhere else, now... this man took our house away."
Ruby's eyes widened at that statement. "W-WHAT?! But... y-you can stop him, right?!"
Justin sighed, and then shook his head. "I'm sorry, Ruby... there's nothing I can do, now... but find a new home for us."
Ruby's eyes filled with tears, before she ran up to Justin, and wrapped her arms around his shoulders, and cried in his chest, while he embraced her, and gently placed his chin on her scalp; kissing it a few times. "Don't worry, Ruby... I'll make things work out for us, still... I'll make things better... I promise."
It was Ruby's eighth birthday; November 12, 2025. Justin's beard was now a centimeter long in length; he hasn't shaved in one week, since he lost his eighth job that year. All eight jobs were part-time, and were meant for him to do while he searched for a full-time job. His daughter, Ruby, was at school, since it was a Wednesday.
He sat in the worn-down chair in the apartment room that he and Ruby lived in; ash gray walls, floor, and ceiling made of burnt wood; nothing too interesting to look at. The couch in the living room was old, patchy, and contained a few loose springs on the arms.
Within the stove inside of the kitchen, a cake baked. The cake, of course, was supposed to be Ruby's birthday cake, but there was only so much a broken family could do, so it was, without a doubt, a very small one.
Justin sighed and stared at the newspaper for a few more minutes; trying to find any new job openings available. After the few minutes of searching came to yet another jobless conclusion, he groaned out of frustration, before slamming the paper on the table. Then he held onto his forehead out of frustration, until the timer to the stove started buzzing; telling him that Ruby's cake was done.
After sitting there and listening to the alarm, he weakly smiled. "At least I can spend more time with Ruby on her birthday." Then he stood back up, and walked towards the stove.
Once he got the cake out of the stove and topped it with strawberry frosting and a few sliced strawberries, he gently placed it on the center of the table, and added a number "8" candle on the center; lit up, and ready for Ruby to blow out.
Then he walked up to the couch, and carefully sat down on it; picking up the remote to an old, colorless TV, and flicking it on. On the channel that was on, he hummed to himself; pondering what Ruby's favorite channel was. "Ah... right." After pressing the number combination in, he sat the remote down, and stood back up, before the show's theme song even started.
"Do you know you are my very best friend?" The song ended, while Justin walked into the kitchen, and began going through the stuff in the refrigerator.
"Let's see... expired milk... flat soda from a week ago... ah! An unopened can of soda!" With a weak smile, Justin reached into the box inside the fridge, and pulled it out, before groaning. "Last one... well, there's always water for me." Then he looked around, and picked an old soda can out from the trash can, and washed it out. Then he filled it with water, and placed both cans on the table; the opened one where he always sat, and the unopened one where Ruby always sat.
Finally, after another few minutes, Justin heard the front door open, followed by Ruby calling out, "Daddy! I'm home!"
Justin smiled and stood back up, waving at his daughter. "Hey, honey! Happy Birthday!" Then he walked up to her, and picked her up; giving her a tight hug, while she giggled.
"Daddy, quit it! I'm eight years old, now! I'm not a baby anymore!"
Justin chuckled along with his giggling daughter, and then shook his head. "No, I guess you aren't, huh? Well, guess what? You're still my daughter, so you'd better get comfortable with it!" Then he gently placed her on the couch, and tickled her again; much to her annoyance and entertainment.
"Daddy! No fair!" She continued, as she continued to laugh hysterically. Finally, she said, "Alright, alright! You win!" This signaled Justin to end the tickling, and lift her back onto her feet.
Then he motioned for her to follow his left hand, which was pointed towards the cake. With a wide smile, Ruby said, "Strawberries?! Thank you, Daddy!"
Justin chuckled, before brushing her pigtails, which grew one foot longer since she was four. Then he said, "Don't thank me yet, honey... you still have to make a wish!"
Ruby nodded her head, and then followed him up to her cake. Then she tilted her head, lost in thought, as she continued to wonder what to wish for. As she thought, her attention turned towards the TV, where a rainbow-colored pony mare with wings sitting in a cloud next to a Gryphon laughed at a pink mare who was bouncing on a trampoline, and said, "Pinkie Pie... you are so random!" Then, a thought came up to Ruby's mind.
After closing her eyes, she blew the candle out, and smiled, while Justin clapped his hands. "Alright! Now, we just need to... hold on, I forgot the knife!" Justin walked back into the Kitchen, and started going through the drawer. As he did, however, the power to the entire house started to flicker on and off. With a confused expression, Justin looked around, and asked, "Ruby, what's going on in there? Are you okay?!"
The next thing he heard was a loud bang, followed by Ruby's screaming. With a loud gasp, Justin gripped his kitchen knife and rushed into the living room, only for his eyes to widen at the massive light that appeared from the center of the living room, with an unknown force dragging Ruby in it. She was holding onto the couch for dear life, but even that wasn't doing anything to help her in her situation. "DADDY! HELP ME!" She cried out, as Justin threw the knife behind his back and ran as fast as he could towards his daughter.
"RUBY! HOLD ON, DON'T LET GO!" Justin shouted, as he jumped up to catch her weakening grip. As soon as he caught her hands, her strength couldn't handle any more. As soon as she let go, she and Justin both flew into the light, and in the matter of seconds, everything went dark.
To Be Continued...
