Five ponies stood in the center of a large antechamber, each holding another's hoof to form a circle. Small rays of light pierced through cracks in the stone walls, the only sound the slight drip-drip of water on the rock. In the center of the ponies, a pedestal, and a single green book resting atop it. On the cover, The word "Terra", in large gold cursive.
After a small command from the leader, two horns grew bright in the dark room, washing the five in a mixture of blue and silver hues. A minute passed- then five minutes, ten minutes - an hour passed in complete silence. Throughout the spell each of them seemed to be struggling - their faces taught, muscles stiffened. A bead of sweat slid down one's left cheek.
A small wind that should not have been there gathered around them, blowing through and opening the book, the pages flapping until they suddenly stopped on a single page. It began to glow, until it was a blinding ball of magic - and then, just as suddenly, the magic disappeared.
Four of the ponies, exhausted, collapsed onto the floor, panting heavily. The leader remained standing, with only large breaths to show her effort, her silver horn dimming.
"Did it work?" an auburn mare said between gasps.
"Yes" The leader answered, trotting up to the book. "The link has been made. Now, we can have our champion."
"But Milady, how will we find them? They could appear anywhere in Equestria."
"You know of the legends, Ginger Snap. If such a creature were to arrive, we would come to know of it eventually."
"And if they're not willing?" a sea-blue unicorn said, adjusting his glasses.
"Then we kill them" The silver unicorn answered, then added with a giggle "Or you could make them willing, I'm sure. You do so love to experiment."
"Indeed, Milady." He bowed, a wicked grin playing on his lips. "I will prepare."
"Good. Tic, Tac, you will help him as always."
"Of course, your Majesty" two Pegatwins said in unison.
The silver mare turned back to the pedestal and smiled. Her time was coming. Soon, Equestria would be hers. And she knew just where to start her conquest.
Canterlot.
Daniel had been reading in silence at the counter when the shop door opened and his dad came in, the sound of the heavy rain pouring through the entrance for a moment as it shut behind him.
He was dripping wet, with a luggage sack rolling behind him, and a travel pack on his back. His long overcoat streamed droplets that drip-dropped on the hardwood floor, while his old army boots were coming apart at the seams, as if they resented his muddy socks, which sloshed as he walked over. And his favorite Canucks baseball cap, which Daniel swore was no longer a hat and more a piece of fabric the old man wrapped around his head every morning. And yet, even though he was such a mess, his dad's smile could not have been larger.
"Daniel!" He cried, pulling him into a bear hug "I'm so glad to see you again."
"Hey Dad" Daniel replied, returning the embrace "How was your flight?"
"The flight? Fine, fine" he said, shrugging "Customs was a bugger to get through, as usual. You know how it is with them."
"Considering what you brought last time, I think they are justified in being cautious."
"Hey, I told you that I didn't know about the snake, or that it was female, or that it was actually a mother that gave birth to live young."
"Yeah, well neither did they, until they opened the bag."
Daniel's dad was an anthropologist, and most of his time was spent travelling around the globe, discovering more and more evidence to prove the existence of an ancient civilization that thrived in chasms below the surface of the Earth. This left Daniel back at the house and run the small bookstore that occupied the first floor, "Ridge's Leatherbacks".
Though Daniel would often find himself lacking proper company, when his dad returned with all his discoveries and stories of the places he had been, the time alone had been worth it. As per the usual, his dad brought some souvenirs back this time as well.
"So other than a rolling rhombus of ripe reptiles, what else have you brought back?"
Daniel's Dad laughed and grinned mischievously "None of those rascals this time, but something even better."
Daniel cocked an eyebrow quizzically, but relented, offering his dad the only seat. He took it, letting the luggage fall to the floor with a thud, and swinging the backpack onto the desk. He opened it up and made a show of rummaging around in it, until Daniel could wait no longer.
"Dad, enough teasing - show me already."
"Alright, alright" he laughed, pulling out his hand and revealing his prized possession. Daniel reached out for it and his dad handed it gently over to him with a knowing smile. As Daniel took it, for a second he thought it glowed a little in his hands, but a quick glance at his father showed that the old man had seen nothing. Daniel looked back down at the treasure the anthropologist had procured.
It was a book. A large, heavy book, with rough leather bindings, like a crocodile's scales. The centuries it had survived through had taken a heavy toll upon it; spots of diluted greys and ink blotches, and strange scratches all over, as if something had clawed at it. The Title of the book shown dimly in the light - 'Equestria', in small, gold cursive.
Daniel turned it sideways to read the spine, and he gasped. In small, almost unreadable letters, was the name 'A. Ridge'. Daniel looked up at his dad in shock.
"Yes, I thought you might like that. Unfortunately it seems that no one has written in it, but the novelty of coincidence felt too tasty for me to leave it behind."
And it was true - flipping through the pages, there was no sign of use. Though there was inkstains on the cover, there was no indication of penmanship at all.
"Oh, but there was one odd page I found in the back - had some sort of black square on it - here, let me show you." Daniel's dad took the book back and scanned quickly through until he stopped at a page.
"Ah yes, here it -" and he stopped midsentence. Neither moved or spoke. For though there was a rectangle on the page, it was not black.
The rectangle shimmered in the light, like evening light playing on the lapping waves of a quiet lake. Inside of it, to both of their unfiltered shock and awe, was an image - but at the same time, not an image.
It was like a video - inside the rectangle there was a picture of a clearing in a forest; then the rectangle would shimmer, and the image of a small pond took its place. Then it would shimmer again, and another image was shown, and then after that another. It seemed to cycle through an infinite amount of landscapes, never the same, and yet every one of them similar.
Daniel gulped slightly and glanced up at his dad, who had also glanced at him.
"Dad, what-"
"I don't know, Daniel. It wasn't like this before" his dad raised a hand to his lips in wonder.
"What do you mean?"
"It was just as I said - black, like someone drenched the page with ink. I had thought it odd that the other pages had shown no damage, but I didn't imagine anything like this..." as he said this, Daniel's dad reached out, nearing the strange image.
"Wait, dad, you shouldn't touch-"
But it was too late. As soon as his fingers touched the image, the old man began to glow. As the glow surrounded him, his body seemed to shimmer just like the images in the book.
"Dad!" Daniel reached out to grab him, but his hands passed through him - he was like a mirage, like he wasn't real. Daniel's dad looked at him in horror, but he managed to say a few words , though they were warped in different pitches.
"I love you" and with that, his father vanished, his body collapsing into little lights that fell like golden sand that dimmed out into nothingness on the floor.
Daniel's mind was racing. Only minutes ago the father he had known for twenty years had disappeared before his eyes. He could only stare blankly at the book on the floor in the moments after the incident, but now he had to decide his next step.
His father wasn't dead . It was the only conclusion he could accept, the only one he would ever accept. But if so... where was he?
He picked up the book gingerly, taking care not to touch the strange image. It still shimmered and rippled in the soft light. Was his father inside the book?
Daniel watched the images with growing distress. If he was there, it did not show, for although the images changed one by one, he could not see any indication of movement within them. Daniel had tried earlier to call his dad's cell phone, but it never connected, though he tried many times.
Daniel put the book on the countertop and sat on the stool with a heavy thud. Should he follow?
Neither of them knew anything about the world inside the book. From what he had seen of it so far, it looked like Earth. Maybe it was a teleportation device that dropped his dad in the middle of the woods somewhere. Maybe his dad had just been dropped only a few miles away, and if he had been able to find a road, hitchhiked. He might already be on the way back. But what if he had been dropped in the middle of nowhere?
He hadn't brought any supplies. What if, by not chasing after him, his dad starved, or gotten bitten by a viper, like those from his luggage? Daniel shook his head. No, that wasn't going to happen. He wouldn't let it happen.
He had to get ready. A lot of time had already passed since then, and knowing his dad, he probably hadn't eaten on the flight back home. He was probably starving. And it was getting late - he would need shelter.
Daniel grabbed his dad's bag off the table. His dad may have been caught unprepared, but he wouldn't. He would have everything they would need. Everything would be fine, he told himself as he ran up the stairs. He would save his dad.
An hour later Daniel ran back down the stairs with an expedition pack filled with gear, and the bag his dad brought back. He had everything he needed for a long hike, with enough dry-food to keep both of them fed for a week.
The other backpack was full of technical stuff, and the gear his dad would need for himself - a gps, portable fishing rod, binoculars, first aid kit, etc. Carrying them both was hard, but worth it. If they were going to be out in the wilderness for a long time, then they would both thank him for his insight.
Daniel slung the two bags beside the counter and headed over to the front door. He pulled out his key and locked the door, then set the alarm system. He didn't want to come home to find the place robbed. As he headed back to the counter, he stopped, and looked around the room.
This may be the last time he saw this room. He had grown up in this little store, and as the memories of the past flooded over him, he felt his anxiety coming back. There was so many questions, so many things that could go wrong, so many mysteries. The weight of his decision sat heavily on his shoulders. But he was determined, and after one last look around the store, he headed to the counter.
The book still lay where he last saw it. Picking it up, he closed it, and looked it over once again, if only to give him more drive. It was this book that had taken his father from him. He told himself that as soon as the two of them got back, he would burn the fucking thing. As he turned it up and over, he noticed on the back cover a strange symbol, painted with gold. He paid it little attention.
He set the book down on the counter once more and opened it to the page in question. The image still shone, forever changing, forever shimmering in that strange, rippling movement. He stretched, flexed, cracked his knuckles. He slung his bag onto his back and slung the other over a shoulder. It was time.
Daniel slowly reached out to the image, hesitating as his hand drew nearer. A small voice in the back of his head told him to stop, to come up with something else. But he had already begun, and when his fingertips touched the rectangle, he knew it had started.
Daniel felt a strange tingling on his skin first, then a light tugging in the pit of his stomach, like someone had grabbed him by the waist to pull him in. The sensations grew in intensity rapidly, until he skin felt like it was burning, and the tugging became a falling sensation in his solar plexus. His skin and clothes getting brighter and brighter.
Daniel felt panic set in with the rest of the sensations as his mind succumbed, but he knew it was too late. In the last moment before he felt his consciousness click out, he felt the floor give out beneath him, and both his body and mind fell into darkness.
Marcus groaned as he slowly woke up. Only moments ago he had been marveling at the ancient text he had brought home to his son Daniel. He had touched the strange image he had discovered within it.
He remembered the sensation, the horrified look on his son's face, and almost puked. His head was spinning dangerously, and as he tried to pick himself up, he cried out. He knew this feeling . When he landed, he must have broken his arm. He grimaced - it was going to be a bitch to move around with. Using his good arm he got up and surveyed his surroundings.
Around him were walls of stone, the smooth rock forming a dome above him, where a large crack lightning-bolted up through layers of sediment. Through the crack a small trickle of sunlight came through to illuminate the antechamber. A small onyx-black door at its far end also shed some light through its barred window.
As he made to move to it, he noticed a glint from come from below his feet. As he looked down, he gasped.
Marcus was standing on a large mural painting; More than that, though, he realized, it was a gear. A massive metal gear ten feet in radius. It seemed to connect to another gear just below the base of the back-wall, where he saw a myriad of large mechanics. As he studied them with a distracted interest, a clacking sound startled him from behind.
Behind the door, Marcus saw someone rush away. Marcus ran over to the door. "Wait! Hold on, let me out of here!" Marcus he shouted. He tried to open it, only to find it locked.
The stranger made no indication of hearing, their steps clacking strangely into the distance. It sounded oddly hollow, and as the sound receded, he swore he heard a second pair of footsteps - was their someone with them? He shouted again, but when there was no reply, he sighed, and backed away from the door.
His lifeline to freedom gone, Marcus turned back to the mural-covered gear.
It was a beautiful painting. On one side of the painting, a mob of men stood with open books, books that, Marcus realized with surprise, had the same black rectangle as he had first seen when he found the blasted text. They seemed to be raising both book and hand in praise towards the centre of the painting.
On the other side, a herd of horses - but they were strange - many had wings, or horns, and were a palette of colors from the brightest of yellows to the darkest of purples, with strange markings on their flanks, each unique to every horse.
In the middle of the painting, A great void of stars seemed to separate the two factions, where five men stood with their own books open and raised in a circle. Their books, however, had bright glowing rectangles. Within their circle, two mares circled each other in a constant, flowing chase.
The two mares were clearly unlike the others, as were the five men. One was bright pink, with a flowing mane of light blue-green and magenta hues. On her flank was a symbol of the sun in all its blazing glory. The other was a dark navy blue, with a lighter blue mane. On her flank was a light-grey crescent moon. Both had wings and horns, and were wearing jewellery.
And in the centre of it all, a strange symbol was indented into the heavy gear, painted gold.
The mural was clearly important, but in what way? Marcus realized that the mural was somehow related to his work, but in all his years of research, he had never seen any depictions of horses at all. The civilization he was studying came from great underground catacombs. Horses could not have survived there for any great length of time. So what were they?
As he pondered over the significance of the mural, he was once again startled by the clacking of the stranger's steps. There was another pair of steps this time - or was it two more? He couldn't be sure, but when Marcus stepped towards the door hopefully, a voice shouted out, stopping him.
"Back away from the door, prisoner!" a voice shouted. Marcus couldn't make out a face or shape through the bars - He relented, however, when the voice shouted again, louder this time.
He watched impatiently as the stranger fiddled with a set of keys before he unlocked it. The heavy door swung out, and someone stepped into the room. Or trotted, he realized, gasping as many pieces clicked into place and other questions darted up like flies inside his head.
The silver-haired mare shone brightly in the light. She was only just short of his height, with a horn that stretched out from beneath her bangs. Her pure white mane was flowing gently, though there was no wind. And on her flank was the symbol from the mural, emblazoned in the same glowing gold.
Her emerald green eyes looked him up and down, and to his surprise she smiled. And then, to his greater surprise, she spoke, in perfect English.
"Welcome" she bowed slightly to him, her smiling growing wider.
"Welcome to Equestria"
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, some place 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?
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 back-seat 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 a 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.
Author's Note
So after shadowing a bunch of stories on this site I've decided to try my own hand at some pony fiction. This is an idea I've been fiddling around with for a while now and this is my first attempt at putting it to pen (or in this case, key). Let me know your thoughts so far - and don't hold back! I take critiques well. I'm both excited and nervous to start this endeavour but I hope your support will help push me to continue.
