Dante's Ballad

Chapter 1

The summer morning provided fresh dewfall, great for running through when you don’t want to be caught, as it's not crunchy and loud where you step. The large gate was wet and slippery, so it was easy for me to slip through the bars. The bag on my back didn't hinder me from moving through the gate either. I wanted to blame the wetness on my checks on the rain, but I knew I couldn’t lie to myself like that.

The pavement wasn’t as wet as the grass in the yard and provided me with more traction, allowing me to run faster. I didn’t know where I was going, as all my relatives lived where I wanted to get away from the most, but I knew I was going somewhere.

I wiped my face as I ran, unwilling to show the denizens of the city that I was in pain, with the question I’d asked earlier still fresh in my mind. Where was I going? I looked up to see the usually tall and bustling buildings give way to smaller and less crowded ones.

“Where am I?” I asked no one. I stopped running and looked around to see a man with a cane walking down the side opposite of my own. I checked the street and crossed quickly to talk to the man.

“Excuse me,” I stopped the man by patting his back. “Where in London am I?” Before he answered, he glanced at my waist where my swords lay before quickly looking back up to my eyes.

“We’re nearby the Everfree Forest,” he replied.

“Thank you,” I replied. He hadn’t given me any new information but I’d work with what I had. “Which way is it?” He pointed towards the south, farther away from my home. “Thank you again,” I said. I turned and started running towards the forest.

I ran threw the streets and reached a road in which humans were stuck in a traffic just as bad as the cars in the street next to them. I tried to see above the crowd of people, but couldn’t as I was about a foot shorter than everyone around me. I tapped the shoulder of the person in front of me, seeking an answer. He turned around and looked at me, stopping just at my waist just like the other man did.

“What do you want, kid?” he said, annoyed. I was a bit peeved at his tone of voice, but I decided to keep that to myself.

“What is this long line for?” He looked at me in utter disbelief and shook his head.

“Why did you get on line without knowing what this was? It’s a line to enter Equestria.”

At the mention of Equestria, my heart beat harder than normal. This might be the chance to leave my parents and brother in the dust and start anew. I looked up at the man with a subtle glint of hope in my eyes.

“What do I need to go?”

“Do I need to tell you everything?” he said, his annoyed voice coming back. “You need to buy one. A two way is 30 euros.”

“Only thirty!?” I said excitedly. I took the man’s hand and shook it vigorously. “Thank you so much!”

“Eh, not so fast buddy. You’re not getting my spot in line, if that’s what you were thinking.” I laughed at my long overdue break in my life.

This was the longest, yet oddly the happiest, wait of my life. After 3 hours, the sun beamed down on my head and left a tingly feeling in my bones. Only the man in front of me was left to pay for his ticket. When he cleared himself up, he turned to me.

"We're on the same bus. See you," was all he said before passing the checkpoint and entering the forest. I looked past him in confusion, as I didn't know what he was talking about. Quite obviously, a bus was waiting on the other side of the checkpoint, waiting to take people across the forest.

I walked up and took my place in front of the line. The man looked at me and at my waist, falling into line with those before. He scribbled something down on the notepad in his hand.

"Do you have a permit for those weapons?" His question threw me off guard. The man didn't mention that I needed a weapons permit.

"Uh... no. Sorry," I replied.

"Do you have a passport then?" another alarming question, as the man didn't mention anything about a passport either. Although this seemed like common knowledge, I thought he'd tell me everything I needed.

"No, I... I am unprepared, to say the least, and I'm terribly sorry for wasting your time."

"Well, at least tell me your age and reason for entry." I crosses my arms, confident in my answers.

"I'm fourteen. My reason for travel?" I pretended to put on sunglasses. "Vacation!"

He wrote something down on a piece of paper, ripped it off, and handed it to me. It read:

ADMISSION DENIED.

I looked at him as he shook his head.

“Get rid of the weapons and get a passport and you’ll be able to pass,” I sighed slightly, believing that this whole thing was too good to be true. I turned to leave the line, the next person about to step up.

“Hold on,” said the guy who was in front of me. I thought he’d left to go to Equestria, but apparently he’d stayed behind. “Look, I’ve got a weapons permit and I’ll bet that he’ll have a passport the next time around-”

“Now, hold on, sir,” said the  ticket checker. “This is not a lax procedure and, as far as I can tell, you are not his legal guardian. Move along or I will call security.”

“I can pay double for my ticket,” I said trying to convince him. In response to my claim, he raised an eyebrow.

“Is that a bribe? I don’t appreciate that and I believe you know that that is quite illegal,” his words were true and disappointing. The man looked at him then back at me. He mouthed a quick sorry before turning and walking away.

I was a little peeved at the man for his lack of leniency, but took it back as I remembered it was his job. If he let everyone through without the proper criteria, it would be a catastrophe.

Just then, I had an idea. I went to a secluded building where I was sure that no one would see me, slipped a hand into my pack, and brought out a cloak. I draped myself inside of it and threw the hood over my head.I watched as the pattern on the collar lit up and concealed my body.

My father visited Equestria on multiple occasions, each time bringing something new and exciting from there. I'd just alleviated it from his possessions.

I snuck back up to the front of the line, eager to get on the bus before its departure. Reaching my destination, I simply snuck past the guard by sneaking under the bar that let people pass, and headed towards the bus.

As I walked onto the bus, I spotted the man who's been in front of me before. I sat down in the seat next to him before removing the hood of my cloak and revealing myself.

"Hi," I said, startling him. "Nice to see you on this bus."

"D-did you get a passport?" He looked at my waist. "And a weapons permit?"

“Can you keep a secret?” he nodded his head slightly. “I didn’t necessarily get on this bus legally,” at that, he painted a smirk onto his face.

"I'm Daniel," he extended his hand. "And you?"

"I'm Dante," I shook his hand like before. "I'm going to Equestria to get away from my life for a while. What about you?”

“I’m going to join back up with the DAOC,” he said proudly. “Do you know what that is?” I shook my head.

“No clue.”

“DAOC stands for the Division Against Organized Crime,” he said slowly. “We protect the city of Canterlot and the surrounding areas from any major danger they might face,” He smiled profoundly. “I’d say I’m pretty gifted.

“But you didn’t even raise an eyebrow when I told you I’d slipped onto the bus,” I wanted my next words to come out carefully. “Do you disobey the law as well?” He scratched his chin and looked up to the ceiling of the bus.

“I guess so,” his said. His answer was little weird for and apparent “officer of the law”, but I guess everyone has sin to pull down.

After a few minutes, the bus started and moved forward. The ride started having an effect on me, making me sleepy. I gently rested my head on the back of the seat and closed my eyes.

I awoke to a rhythmic tapping on my shoulder. I opened my eyes and looked at the person tapping me.

"Rise and shine, Dante," he said, tapping me on my shoulder slightly. “We’re in Equestria now.” I raised my body from it’s slumped position on the seat and strained to look out of the window. I saw a bunch of buses lined up and people and equestrians getting off, most carrying some manner of bag. I got up myself, my neck a little stiff, and walked off the bus behind Daniel. Once off the bus, he opened his arms and turned towards me.

“So? What do you think of the royal city?” his arms fell to his side. “Where is your first tourist spot?” I did some pondering before answering.

“I guess I’ll go to the castle,” I stretched my legs out and raised my arms into the air. “Do they provide tours or something?”

“I don’t know…” he said, rubbing his head. “I think so. Don’t take my word for it, though.”

“Thanks anyway. I guess I’ll see you around then?”

“Definitely.” he said turning away before turning back. “Uh, and if you see anyone who looks like they’re from the law, keep out of their way. They’re not as lenient as I.”

“Okay, will do,” finally turning around for the first time, I looked at the landscape of the city. It looked busy enough, certainly better than London nowadays. I’d already decided to head off to the castle, but wasn’t sure which was more important: Getting there to avoid a clash with the women Daniel had mentioned, or to intake all my surroundings.

I’d decided on the latter and turned right into a woman wearing a blue uniform and a clipboard in her hand. Next to her was another woman in a similar outfit, no clipboard but a very apparent pistol at her hip and what seemed to be a rapier on the adjacent side.

It didn’t even take me a second to realize that I was screwed. The woman with the clipboard had glasses on and the board blocking most of her face,( and the other had on a scarf, weird for a summer day.

“So,” said the one with the clipboard. “Want to explain why you have two shiny swords for such a young boy?” I contemplated her question, then decided to answer with one of my own.

“Are you from the DAOC?” my question didn’t seem to phase her, but she did stop writing to push up her glasses.

“Yes, and what of it?” I jumped up and down a few times before answering.

“I just wanted to say, no hard feelings,” I turned around, and bolted.