Out in the Cold: Life in Equestria (A Displaced Story)

Chapters

Let All Bear Witness [edited]
Out in the Cold [edited]
Unexpectedly Familiar
Handled with Care
Suspicions and Sorrows, Part 2: Two Sides to Every Story [edited]
Suspicions and Sorrows, Part I: Moonlit Summit

Let All Bear Witness [edited]

Chapter edited by Shadowgohstalex

"I guess out of all the things that could’ve happened that day, all the places we could’ve ended up, we actually got pretty lucky. It’s funny how hindsight reveals that kind of stuff to you. It seems like so long ago, a past life, even, that all of this could only have been in my wildest dreams..."

To most people, it was a normal Tuesday night. To the students of Alaska Bible College, however, it was a night for celebration. It was the end of the spring semester, which also meant that it was the end of the school year. Everyone had finished their finals and end-of-term papers had been turned in, with the end-of-year ceremony having been held that morning. All that was left now was the actual graduation ceremony.

Right now, most of the school was gathered on the roof of the small building. Professor Garland, ever watchful for possible student activities, had read in the news that a once-in-a-lifetime, near-perfect planetary alignment was supposed to take place tonight, and had invited the students to come watch it as a sort of end-of-year get together before everyone went their separate ways for the summer. Joel, the campus techy, had brought several large monitors and was streaming live news of the event while several high-powered telescopes had been dragged out of storage for those who would rather watch that way. Forty or so students and faculty (it’s a very small college) were gathered around portable fire pits that had been set up (away from the backup generators, obviously), exchanging jokes and stories and grilling burgers while drinking soda and juice from the ice chest. A few of the older students stood at the edge of the roof with their kids, looking at the night sky and pointing out various constellations. All in all, it was a very comfortable setting.

Well, almost. Palmer was a small outskirt town at the foot of the mountains, so wildlife coming close to town, especially moose, wasn't really all that uncommon. Recently, however, there had been reports of wolves wandering into the edges of town and coming onto peoples' property. This made everyone a bit uneasy, which led to President Ley asking the entire campus security force (which only consisted of five people, but it's better than nothing) to be present.

Bryce Hammonds, who was a part of that very committee, sat next to his friends Noah, Kasey, and Braden, also members of the security force, laughing and enjoying their burgers. Out of all of his friends, Bryce enjoyed the company of these three the most. Noah was a simple but honest man, Braden was a goof and a jokester, and Kasey usually had ten times more going on in his head than he expressed. Each of them, along with the final member AJ, who was at another fire pit roasting a hot dog, had a large machete hanging from their hip (except Kasey, who had his strapped across his back), a walkie talkie on their belt, and a small taser in their pocket. A couple of the teachers had small handguns on them, but since the campus security was only students, they couldn't have firearms.

"You guys ready for the summer?" Bryce asked.

Noah took a swig of his Mountain Dew. "Oooh yeah. Ten weeks living at camp, helpin' out on staff? Couldn't imagine a better way to spend the summer." he said in his laid back baritone. "Plus, my parents are sending my truck up from Minnesota, so I'll have a vehicle by the time next semester rolls around."

Braden nodded, stifling a belch before continuing. "It'll be good to go back to Indiana for a few months. I love it up here in Alaska, but I miss my folks."

"I am just looking forward to having a steady income from now on," Kasey added in his slower manner of speech. He had had trouble finding a job this year before he found out about a recently vacated internship at one of the local churches.

"What're your plans Bryce?" Braden asked as he casually tossed his plate into the flames.

Bryce let out a small sigh. "My family and I are going down to California to visit extended family. We haven't had a vacation in a long time, and Lord knows we need it. With the divorce still so fresh, I think it'll do my mom some good to be around the rest of her family, and it won't hurt for my sisters to get some distance as well." Then he chuckled. "After that, I don't really have any plans other than work. I think I'll try and get back into my swordplay classes and work on my novel. I've been so crazy busy this semester that I haven't had any free time to dedicate to either."

The others nodded. They had been helping Bryce through all of the drama his family had been through this year, but they were glad that he seemed to be doing well in spite of it.

There was a bit of an awkward silence after that. I mean, how do you respond to something like that? Finally, Noah made an attempt to break the silence.

"So Bryce, what kind of novel do you want to write?"

Bryce was thankful that he had changed the subject. He had answered this question before, but at least the awkwardness was gone now.

"Most of the stories I write are fantasy/adventure. I've tried to write other genres like sci-fi and suspense before, but it turns out I'm no good at them."

"Why do you say that?" Braden had started in on his third burger.

Bryce shrugged. "Just don't have the mindset or understanding for it. The principles of magic and the spirit of adventure have always just come naturally to me, but I only really understand basic physics and my writing is just a little too...juvenile, to be able to keep up any kind of suspense."

"Well yeah, but that's something that you can work on." Kasey argued.

"Yeah, and that's why I haven't really written anything for my novel in a couple years. I've been writing fanfics instead. Since it's not something I can really ever publish as a hard copy, and since the other site users usually give me feedback on how to improve my writing style, it's a perfect way to practice and improve."

Noah looked like he was about to say something, but then they heard the news reporter on one of Joel's monitors mention that the alignment was beginning.

Students and teachers alike began to gather around the monitors and various telescopes as the planets began to move closer and closer together. As they did so, Bryce watched through a telescope and could have sworn that the planets seemed to be starting to glow brighter, though he dismissed it as an illusion caused by the combined light of them all being in such close proximity. He wasn't much into astrology, but even he had to admit that it was a pretty spectacular sight.

"It's a shame Bob's missing this." He recognized the Australian accent and turned around to see Professor Linda Bates behind him. "He just left to get one of those disposable cameras since we forgot ours at home." She and her husband were a bit behind the times. They were very nice people though. They were both teachers at the school (she taught the teaching classes and he taught speech and art) and most of the students looked to them as relationship goals. They were in their mid sixties, but they still acted as if they were newlyweds. It really was quite adorable.

David, one of Bryce's classmates, walked over with his son Hunter on his shoulders. "Yeah, Vicki (his wife) couldn't make it either. She's got that virus that's going around."

Bryce and Mrs. Bates nodded. There were several students and faculty who couldn't come because they were either sick or had to take care of someone who was. It was just a simple 48-hour bug, but it was still vicious. Most of the school had had it by this point.

"Look!" Mari shouted as she pointed into the sky. The planets were glowing so brightly now that Bryce didn't even need the telescope anymore. As everyone collectively turned their gaze to the heavens, they watched in awestruck wonder as each glowing entity came closer and closer to the others in a captivating dance, until they all met in harmony, coming so close to one another that they seemed to merge into one massive star, easily outshining anything else in the sky.

Bryce smiled as he felt a few stray tears slip from his eye as he beheld the beauty before him. The "star" looked exactly like what he imagined the star of Bethlehem to have looked like, the star that came to rest over the stable where Jesus had been born. He had been through a lot this past year, from his dad's arrest to his release to him moving back in with their family and things starting to look up, then two months ago, when divorce papers had shown up on his mother's nightstand. He remembered how heartbroken his mother had been. He remembered sharing her tears and he and his three of his four sisters struggled to comfort her while trying to suppress their own feelings of hurt and betrayal. Poor Lucy was only five and didn't understand what was going on, but just kept asking "Where's daddy?"

His heart had broken that day, and he had since given up on things ever getting better. Now, however, looking at the bright light in the sky, he was reminded of that story, when a similar light appeared over a newborn child sleeping amongst the farm animals, signalling a light in a dark world, and for the first time in quite a while, he began to feel hope once again.

He was pulled out of his thoughts when President Ley whispered "Ladies and gentleman, we have just witnessed something that no one now living has ever seen before, nor will ever see again."

Professor Garland looked like he was about to add something to that sentiment, but he never got the chance. Suddenly, the "star" began flashing brighter and brighter, but something about its light seemed...unnatural. Before anyone had the chance to voice their questions about it, a large rumble, like an earthquake, shook the entire city. Bryce stumbled and tripped, falling near the edge of the building. As he rose to his knees, the rumbling intensified, and he noticed that the ground was covered in a writhing fog as far as the eye could see, like a thin, glowing blanket over everything.

"Um, guys--" FOOM!! A massive wave of what looked like liquid light burst forth from the fog around them, bathing the entire rooftop in a pure white light. The wall stretched fifty feet in the air and surrounded the entire building with no gaps in it. Then, to everybody's horror, it began to shrink, moving inward at a slow but steady clip. Students and faculty began panicking as Noah and Professor Garland, who were managing to stay semi-calm, were shouting and waving frantically for everyone to get inside quickly. Bryce snapped out of his petrified state and began running around the roof, shepherding others back towards the roof access hatch. Only he and Noah were left when the wave of light reached the building.

As the first corner of the school met with the wave, the top of the wave bowed inwards on all sides, cascading towards their heads as the light began to pour itself over the building. The two of them quickly ran towards the hatch. They had barely enough time to throw themselves down the hole, Bryce grabbing the door on his way down and slamming it shut right as he felt the force of the light crashing down on top of it. He threw the bolt into the lock position, then scurried down the ladder and regrouped with the others as the earth continued to shake and the sound of the wave cascading over the roof filled the hall. As they all gathered together in panicked prayer, the light through the windows intensified, then flashed brighter than a thousand suns with a sound like a mountain splitting in two before they collectively lost consciousness.

Author's Note

Hey everypony,

Okay, so there's the beginning of my first fanfic on this site. I know it doesn't have any MLP in it just yet, but don't worry, it will very soon. This is a displaced story, after all, and I wanted to give a glimpse into the human characters' lives before thrusting them into the MLP universe.

And yes, I set this at a Bible College. The characters in this story are actually my friends and myself, and Alaska Bible College is where we all met and attend, so it just felt right to put it in there. This will be the only chapter to really reference Christianity, I promise. If you don't like it, then you don't have to read it.

Other than that, let me know what you guys think! I really enjoyed writing this, and I'm really looking forward to where it's going to go, so I hope you enjoyed reading it! Any questions, comments, or concerns are welcome along with any other constructive criticism or feedback, just please don't hate on the story. If you don't like it, again, you don't have to read it. I am currently looking for an editor, though, so if you're willing to do so or have any recommendations for who to ask, I would greatly appreciate it.

Thanks guys!
~Moon Guard

Out in the Cold [edited]

Chapter edited by Shadowgohstalex

"When I woke up, the first thing I remember feeling was despair and unrest. Something was...wrong. The balance of nature had been upset. I didn't pay it much attention, though, because the next thing I felt was the cold..."

Bob Bates sat in his car, on his way back to the college after making a quick store run. The Ausie and his wife had forgotten their camera at home, and since neither of them had one of those fancy smartphones with the cameras in them, he had went out and bought a disposable one, along with a bottle of peach tea to surprise his wife with. He glanced up through his windshield and saw that the planets were starting to align. Realizing, with a little bit of sadness that he couldn't share the moment with his wife, that he wouldn't be able to make it back to the school in time, he pulled over, away from any streetlamps, and snapped a few pictures as the alignment merged the planets into a single, bright star. Satisfied that he had at least gotten a few pictures of the event itself, he smiled as he got back into his car. As he approached the intersection to the school, though, a great and sudden earthquake threw Bob's body against his door before a terrible BOOM! echoed through the valley, seeming to come from...

"Oh no." With no more regard for traffic or his own safety, he threw the car into gear and screamed toward the college as slithering tendrils of fog rose out of the ground all around him. Careening into the parking lot, he saw a large pillar of light surrounding the entire building and slowly constricting around it. Throwing caution to the wind, he yelled at the top of his lungs and charged toward the light, only to slam into it, struggle for a few seconds, and then be thrown back into the side of his car. He sat there for a few moments, dazed, before shaking his head and rising unsteadily to his feet with a small cut across his face. He may have been old, but at least he wasn't frail, or that impact probably would have killed him. As it was, he could feel a few cracked ribs.

None of that mattered, though. All that mattered was getting to his wife. So as the light poured itself over the building, he stumbled towards it once more. When he was three feet away, a bright flash and the terrible sound of the earth being rent apart knocked him on his back. As the spots cleared from his vision, the sound of sirens reached his ears, and he got to his knees and scrambled forward. The light was gone, but the entire area was filled with smoke and a few fires burned in the grass. He reached the spot where the light had been, and the May breeze blew the smoke away, revealing a large crater where the school should have been.

Bob felt his heart skip a few beats as tears welled up in his eyes. He didn't know what had just happened. One moment the school was there, the next there was some sort of light, and then it was all...gone? As the sirens grew louder and the flashing lights pulled into the parking lot behind him, Bob began to heave and sob, rivers pouring out of his eyes and onto the pavement as his heart shattered. He turned his face toward the heavens and let out a great cry of agony.

"LINDA!!!"

*******

Noah awoke to something cold hitting him in the face. Only a few minutes had passed since he had lost consciousness, though he was unaware of this fact. He stirred slightly, cracking his eyes open slightly and letting out a groan as the pain in his head made itself known. Pushing himself onto his elbows, he turned his head towards the source of the cold. Apparently, the violent quaking of the school had thrown him into one of the glass doors, which was now cracked and propped open by his bulky frame. Outside, however, was what really surprised him. Last he checked, it was the middle of May. If that was the case, he wondered, then why was there a blizzard raging outside? There was at least four feet of snow on the ground, and about a foot inside the doorway he was laying in.

Even in his hazy state, his survival instincts kicked in, letting him know that he would not survive another bout of unconsciousness in that doorway, so he began to move. Fighting to stay awake, he dragged himself out of the doorway and used his foot to clear as much snow away as he could, just enough for the door to close almost all the way. Trying to get further away from the door, his hand brushed against denim, and he was able to drag himself over to the person's torso, before collapsing again as darkness enveloped him once more.

*******

The sound of Kasey's alarm going off interrupted the lull of Bryce's slumber, signaling that it was 7:30. His roommate was a metalhead, and his morning alarm reflected that fact. The sound used to cause him to scare awake and instantly reach for the dagger under his pillow thinking he was under attack (seriously, it sounded like things breaking), but now it usually just suddenly brought him to the edge of awareness. This morning, something entirely different caused Bryce to suddenly jerk his eyes open.

"C-c-c-cold!!"

Indeed, as his eyes adjusted, protesting to the sudden light exposure, he realized that there was a pile of snow running from the open front door, across his right arm, neck, and shoulders, and tapering off toward the stairs on his other side. And, of course, his body heat had caused some of the snow to melt down his back, soaking his shirt, which was now frozen stiff.

Wait, this isn't my room. Where am I? Bryce's mind started to process that things weren't as they should be, then the events of last night came rushing back to him.

"Crap!" he moaned. "The others!"

He tried to get up, realizing that some of the others may be hurt and need help, but two things hindered him. First: he was extremely susceptible to the cold, especially snow, and his body and joints were frozen stiff from prolonged exposure, which made moving difficult. Second: there was a person--likely Noah, judging by the size of them--collapsed on top of him, which also made it difficult to move, though their combined body heat was probably responsible for keeping the both of them alive through the cold night. And yes, he could tell that Noah was alive; he was snoring.

Perfect. "Noah." His voice no longer sounded hoarse, but was still pretty weak. "Noah!" he managed a decent volume this time, and the sleeping giant's snoring paused, but promptly resumed a second or two later. Bryce let out a huff, or at least he tried to. It was a little difficult with something so large on top of you. He lay there for a few moments, considering his options. He could try to push Noah off of him, but the stiffness and soreness of his body would stunt whatever strength he could muster. He could try and kick him, but given the position they were in, that would take more flexibility than he had. Yelling also yielded no significant results, even as his voice returned to him, though he did manage to keep interrupting the snoring pattern.

Out of ideas, he laid his head back on the cold tile, having decided to just wait until the beast woke up on its own. He stretched out his arms to try and work the stiffness out of them a bit, when his hand brushed up against something that Noah's arm had blocked from his eyesight. Probing it with his fingers, Bryce recognized the feel of the trigger instantly, and a wicked smile crossed his face as he realized how he was going to get out of this little predicament. He had found his taser, which must have fallen out of his pocket, and from where he was, he had a pretty good shot at Noah's forearm.

Bryce carefully removed the distance cartridge, as he may still need that later, and there really wasn't any need to fire a twenty-foot cable across a distance of six inches. He suppressed the trigger and listened to the crackling current, partially to test the stun gun to see if it still worked, but mostly in anticipation of how much he was going to enjoy this.

"Sorry man. We'll laugh about this later, right?" He unleashed a three-second burst into Noah's forearm. His friend suddenly shouted and starting flopping around, crushing Bryce even more, causing him to "accidentally" release another burst into Noah's leg. That turned out to be all the encouragement he needed, as he quickly rolled off of Bryce's legs, shooting him a confused look when he stopped flopping around.

"Sorry," Bryce laughed. "But it was the only way I could think of to get you off of me." Standing up, he took off his shirt and tossed it down the stairwell. Once he started moving around, the thing would go from cold and frozen to cold and wet, which would cling to him and sap his body heat. In the end, he'd be warmer without it. He rolled his neck and shoulders, releasing chunks of ice from his skin and letting them shatter on the ground before turning back to Noah, who was recovered from the shock enough to be able to stand. "Come on. we have to help the others."

Understand dawned in Noah's eyes as he, too, remembered the events of last night. "You go downstairs and around the hall, see if anyone sought shelter there. I'll start working on the crowd upstairs. Send anyone you find downstairs to the student lounge; it's go the most room to accommodate people." Bryce nodded and headed down the short flight of stairs to the student lounge, hearing Noah pull the door shut above him. He was actually surprised to find a few people downstairs. He thought most everybody had all been upstairs when they lost consciousness, but apparently a few of them had sought shelter elsewhere in the school. He woke up the five students in the lounge and checked them for injuries, thankfully finding nothing more severe than bruising or sprained joints; a few gashes here and there, but nothing that would need stitches, and thankfully, nothing broken. No one had hypothermia, either. Apparently the backup generators had kicked on during the night.

Once he finished downstairs, he did a really fast run-through of the library, which was an absolute mess, but housed no students, then headed down the school's only hallway, starting at the offices. The school was set up in a giant circle. From a bird's-eye view, you would see the main offices upstairs on the left with the student lounge situated directly below them. The rest of the school was on a floor that was a half-level in between the other two, with the main entrance (where Bryce and Noah had woken up ), storage, and chapel on the bottom, two classrooms, the dining room, kitchen, and bathrooms in the right hallway, and the secondary offices and back entry on the top, with the large library sprouting off the top left corner. Going through the hallway, he found Olivia, Professor Garland's four-year-old daughter, asleep on her small cot in her mother's office (Mrs. Garland was the school cook) completely unharmed, Betsy Olson and Cate Garland together in the dining room, and Trevor had apparently been playing the piano in the chapel, because Bryce found him bleeding onto the keys from a gash in his forehead.

Crap. That one might actually need stitches. Hopefully they had medical supplies somewhere. With Cate and Betsy's help, and with a sleepy Olivia resting on one hip, he was able to half help, half drag Trevor down to the student lounge, where Noah and the others were all crowded rather tightly.

Bryce set Trevor down against a wall and returned Olivia to her mother's arms, then headed over to Noah, who was gathering the rest of the security team. It seems that he had sent each of them on their own assignment.

"Alright guys. What've we got?" he asked.

"Some broken windows in the dining room and classroom 1, and sections of collapsed roof in the chapel and library," AJ reported in his subtle Floridian drawl.

"A bunch of canned food and dry goods in Shannon's office, and some fresh fruits and vegetables and frozen meat in the kitchen that's still good," Kasey added.

"Braden?"

"We've actually got some pretty good supplies," Braden started. "I looked in the storage room and in the dungeon (a small storage/maintenance area a level below the lounge made from stone and wood, hence, "dungeon"). I came up with a large stash of blankets, several coats, boots, and other random winter gear, some shovels, a large first-aid kit, and surprisingly, several large gas cans. Oh, also found some skis and snowboards, if anyone's interested."

Bryce perked up. "Braden, you said you found a large first aid kit. Do you think it has sutures in it?"

"Pretty sure it does."

Noah turned to him in concern. "What'd you find Bryce?"

"Not much. Found Olivia, Cate, and Betsy all pretty much unharmed, but Trevor was bleeding all over the piano when I found him."

Noah pursed his lips. "Do you know how to do stitches?"

Shaking his head, Bryce replied with a no, then a thought occurred to him. "I think Damien does, though. He's got military training, fireman training, and he's in nursing school."

Noah's eyes widened slightly before he regained his composure and nodded. "Alright, that'll work. Here's the plan."

Author's Note

Hey everypony!

I am so so so sorry this ended up being so boring. I really thought I was going to be able to fit more in this chapter, but it was getting too long to go where I wanted it to go. I swear that things will pick up in the next chapter! Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye! :pinkiehappy:

Other than that, please let me know what you think. Feedback and constructive criticism are always welcome.

Thanks guys!
~Moon Guard

Unexpectedly Familiar

"There was something different in the air. It seemed crisper, richer, more nourishing. There was more to it than that, though. It seemed as if the very atmosphere was alive..."

About two hours later, things were starting to look up a little bit. Bryce and Damien had moved the sick and injured into the main classroom, where Damien had immediately set to work bandaging sprains, cleaning and stitching gashes, and setting a few broken bones. Bryce himself had a small cut on his forehead that had been cleaned and dressed. Noah was also there, having refueled the generators and rerouted all of the heat to the downstairs and sick bay, as well as salvaged the other two fire pits. There were now two fire pits downstairs and one in the sick bay. Two large blankets were now draped over one of the stairwells, and the other had been barricaded off with tables and cardboard in an attempt to keep the heat in and the cold out. Several stacks of books sat in both rooms to serve as fire starters and a little bit of entertainment, and Kasey and AJ were now outside chopping down some wood to keep the fires going, having finished blocking off any entrances other than the front door, where Bryce now stood watch in his freshly dried shirt, along with a scavenged coat and pair of boots.

Noah walked up beside him, having just finished helping in the med bay. "How's everything going?"

Bryce shrugged, fingering Midnight, the black knife on his belt, which had been given to him by his grandfather before he passed. "Pretty well, all things considered. Sick bay's all set up and you and Damien have pretty much taken care of everything there, the generators are working, downstairs is warm and actually kind of cozy, and Jonathan's rationing food while President Ley leads a Bible study to try and keep everything calm. All in all, I think we're doing about as well as can be expected."

"There's just one thing left, then."

"Figure out where we are and what the crap's going on."

They both stood there gazing out the window, wondering what lay beyond the snow and trees, if anything.

"For now," Noah broke the silence. "Let's just try and get the lay of the land. Maybe there's a settlement nearby where we can ask for help."

Bryce nodded. "I'll go. I'll grab Braden and we'll head south--make our way downhill. With any luck, maybe there's a town or something at the base of the mountain."

Noah gave him a look. "How do you know we're on a mountain?"

"Just by looking out this window." Bryce gestured to the window in front of them. "There's a few telltale signs. The sparse forest of tall, thin trees, the amount of snow, the slope of the ground, and the height of the horizon tells me that we're at a higher elevation." He turned to face his friend with a smirk on his face. "I'm an author; I recognize a cliche setting when I see one."

Noah just chuckled. "Alright, go ahead, but stay alert, and be back before it gets dark. We still don't know what's out there."

Bryce nodded and went to grab Braden. Soon the two of them were grabbing their tasers, machetes, and talkies and heading out the door. Once they were out the door, Braden stopped and looked questioningly at Bryce.

"Are you sure we should be going downhill?" he asked as his scraggly brown hair and beard blew in his face with the wind. "Wouldn't it be a better idea to try to get to the top so we can get a better view of the area?"

Bryce stopped to consider this, letting out a quiet "hmm" before a heart-stopping roar echoed down from somewhere near the top of the mountain, and the two locked eyes with each other.

"Downhill it is." they agreed in unison.

And so it was that the two of them set off, carefully making their way down the side of the mountain, blazing a trail through the snow in companionable silence. After a few minutes, Braden broke the silence.

"The air feels different."

"Probably just thinner since we're so high up."

Braden shook his head firmly. "That's not it. It feels...richer, more vibrant. Alive, even."

Bryce scratched his chin in thought. "That reminds me of The Chronicles of Narnia. C.S. Lewis wrote that the air in Narnia was filled with magic. It allowed the humans to get stronger faster."

Braden turned to him with fear now apparent in his eyes. "Wait, do you think that's what happened? Was that what that light was? Are we in another world?!"

Bryce wanted to say no, of course not, that would be absurd; but just then, they came upon a drop that had a view of the valley below, which, to their surprise, had absolutely no snow in it. Their eyes were drawn to a large, sprawling settlement near the base of the mountains shaped like a snowflake and with a large, tower-like castle in the middle, the entire scene sparkling like glass in the sunshine.

It was a sight Bryce, unfortunately, recognized.

"Braden, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but yes, it's looking more and more like that may be the case. We need to get back to the others, but don't mention the whole 'other world' thing to anyone until I have a chance to talk to the professors. I don't want to start a panic."

"So you know where we are then?"

"I think I do."

*******

Noah greeted them as they walked through the door, shivering and stomping the snow off their boots and pants.

"You're back earlier than I expected." he stated curiously.

Braden took off his mustard yellow hat and sunglasses as their bodies warmed up. "We have two good news, two bad news. How do you want it?"

Noah gave him a flat look. "Just give it to me."

Braden started holding up fingers for each piece of news. "Bad news: there's something big and scary toward the top of the mountain. Good news: looks like there's a pretty big city at the foot of the mountain. Good news: Bryce says he thinks he knows where we are now. And bad news: he won't tell."

Noah's eyebrows shot up, obviously surprised that Bryce was withholding such a large and important piece of information. Bryce decided to explain himself before Noah had a chance to ask.

"Trust me, it's easier this way. If I told you, you wouldn't believe me; it'd be better if you found out on your own. For now, suffice it to know that we are somehow, seemingly, in a world other than our own. I don't know how or why, but what I do know is that I am familiar with both the world and its inhabitants." he stated flatly.

Noah crossed his arms, obviously not happy about being spoken to in such a way by one of his closest friends and most trusted officer, but he was, once again, interrupted before he could say anything.

"That makes you our lead man, then." The three of them turned to the stairwell to see Professor Garland coming through the makeshift curtains. Apparently, he had heard every word. He got to the top of the stairs and grasped Bryce's shoulders. "You have the know-how to get around in this 'new world,' so for now, that makes you our leader. You think you can handle that?"

Bryce thought about it for a second, a little shocked at the suggestion, but realizing that the logic was sound. He was the only one who knew where they were or what to expect, aside from the three present Olson kids, but they only knew about half of what he did. But did he really have the capability to lead so many people? Sure, he was on the security committee, and he had served three semesters on the student council, but this was something else entirely. He would be taking responsibility for the entire group's survival. Yeah, that's what it came down to. They didn't have very much food, and no resources for hunting. Was he really willing to take that all on his shoulders?

Well, he didn't really have much choice, did he? He stood up straighter and puffed up his chest. "I'll do the best I can."

"Well then, leader," Braden was casually leaning against the window, "What do you think we should do."

Bryce thought back to every fantasy story he had read and what he knew of medieval customs, as well as what little he knew about the customs of the land before speaking. "A peace party. I think that's the best plan. Peace parties are typically made of three, so I'll go with two others under a white flag to the edge of the city and request a peaceful audience with the leaders."

"Who will you take with you?" Noah wondered.

Bryce stopped to think about his options. Dave Ley was the president of the college, and was therefore the leader by authority once Bryce was done, so he was the obvious first choice. As for the second choice, there were a few options. Noah was a natural leader and a born peacemaker whose skills would prove useful, but the students would be better off with him here at the school to lead them and protect them in case of emergency. Ben Olson would have picked up a few things about the area from his kids, but not really enough to make him of any use, especially when there was one more option who would likely have a more open mind and be more personable during negotiations. And so...

Bryce turned to Professor Garland. "Jonathan, would you and Dave accompany me? Of all the professors, you are the most connected with the students and other staff, and I feel that that would be helpful during negotiations. And Dave is the president of the college, so by rights, he's the real leader of this group."

Jonathan smiled at the praise. "I'd be happy to. I'll go get Dave, you get to work on that flag."

Jonathan's upbeat attitude caused Bryce to smile as well. "Alright. I'll do what I can to fill you in on the way."

They got everything they needed, and as the three of them headed out the door, Bryce stopped to tell Noah to expect them back no later than tomorrow night before heading to the ridge he and Braden had stopped at earlier, gesturing to the sparkling scene in the valley below.

"That, gentleman, is the Crystal Empire, the northernmost piece of Equestria."

*******

When he heard that the kingdom in the valley was called the Crystal Empire, Jonathan had assumed it to be a metaphor, or that maybe their primary trade goods were crystals, but he did not expect that the entire place would be made out of crystals. Nevertheless, as they approached the edge of the territory, not only could they see the facets of the buildings reflecting in the distance, but two large purple crystals rose out of the ground like guard towers. In fact, that may very well be what they were, because as they attempted to pass between them...

"HALT!"

The voice rang out with clear authority, and the three of them stopped and waited for whoever had spoken to show themselves.

"WE'VE NEVER SEEN YOUR KIND BEFORE. WHO ARE YOU AND WHAT IS YOUR BUSINESS IN THE CRYSTAL EMPIRE?" This voice was different from the first.

Bryce cleared his throat and stepped forward, waving their improvised flag a little as he did so.

"My name is Bryce Hammonds." he shouted. "These with me are my friends David Ley and Jonathan Garland, and we come under the white flag of peace. We are what's called humans, a race not native to this land. We, and a group of others, were brought here against our will and have no way of our own to return to our own land."

A short pause, then "WHAT IS YOUR BUSINESS IN THE CRYSTAL EMPIRE?"

Bryce closed his eyes and breathed a deep breath, obviously thinking about his next words carefully. Then he opened his eyes and stood with a confidence Jonathan had only seen him display since that morning."

"We seek an audience with Princess Mi Amore Cadenza and Prince Shining Armor to discuss the fate of our people in this land!"

Author's Note

Hey everypony!

Alright, so we're finally seeing some MLP! I do apologize that it took so long to get here, but the ponies are here and they are here to stay!

As usual, please let me know what you think in the comments! Feedback and constructive criticism are always welcome!

Thanks guys!
~Moon Guard

Handled with Care

"There were some who were...less than happy with the arrangements that had been made, but most were in agreement that things had turned out for the best..."

"We seek an audience with Princess Mi Amore Cadenza and Prince Shining Armor to discuss the fate of our people in this land!" Bryce's voice rang out clear as crystal (pun intended), and a brief silence followed before the voice from the tower replied.

"REMAIN WHERE YOU ARE! WE WILL COME DOWN AND MEET YOU!"

The three of them remained still as they heard the sounds of something descending a stairwell and exiting through a door before the guards appeared before them.

Now, Bryce had warned them beforehand that the local inhabitants weren't human, but Jonathan didn't think anything could have prepared him for the sight now before him. Approaching them from the base of each tower, clad in crystalline armor and crystalline swords at their sides, were two small horses. No, not horses. Ponies. Though they were a bit bigger than your average pony, standing about six feet from their hooves to the tops of the plumes on their helmets. What's more, they were also made from crystal. Seriously, was there anything about this place that wasn't crystal? The one on the left was made of yellow crystals and had a black tail, as well as a horn protruding from his forehead, while the one on the right, who was slightly larger than his comrade, had purple crystals and a green tail and wings sprouting from his armor. At first, the five of them all stood there in silence, each party sizing up the other, before the unicorn finally broke the silence.

"Greetings, humans. I am Commander Golden Spear. This here is Lieutenant Diamond Hoof. Which of you is the spokesman for your party?"

Bryce bowed his head in respect, prompting Dave and Jonathan to do the same. "Greetings, Commander. My name, as you know, is Bryce Hammonds. Currently, I am the primary spokesman for both our party and the rest of our group on the mountain, though each of us present hold a level of authority to speak."

Golden Spear returned the nod. "In the interest of time, I'll get right to business. The princess is away right now, but I will be happy to speak to Prince Armor and see about a private audience, but on two conditions. The first is that you will need to wait here, as your species has never been seen in Equestria, I would risk a panic by bringing you into the city. The second is that you will need to hand over any and all weapons you have with you to Lieutenant Diamond Hoof."

At this point, Dave spoke up. "We would be more than happy to meet your requests, Commander." His voice was gentle, like an old and wise father (probably because that's exactly what he was). Nodding his recognition, Golden Spear then turned and nodded to Diamond Hoof, who unfurled his beautiful crystal wings and, despite the laws of physics, took off, gliding up to the tower and returning with a large box cradled in his forehooves. The two older members of the company removed their handguns, making sure to unload them to avoid accidental discharge, and Bryce removed his machete, knife, and taser. The pony guards eyed the more advanced weapons a bit suspiciously, but made no comment. Suddenly, Golden Spear's horn glowed with an orange aura, and an identical aura surrounded the box's lid, slamming it closed before jumping to the key, which turned, locking the box, then floated into a small pouch on the Commander's armor. As Diamond Hoof flew back up to the tower with the box, Golden Spear's horn glowed once more, and a small group of items appeared with a flash, startling Dave and Jonathan, though Bryce seemed unfazed. The orange aura took hold of a quill and paper, dipped the quill in a vial of ink, and began writing. When the letter was finished, it rolled up and floated over to Diamond Hoof, who took it in his mouth and flew off towards the palace at the center of the empire.

Once he was gone, the quill and inkwell poofed out of existence and the four of them sat in silence, awaiting a response.

*******

A short time later, Lieutenant Diamond Hoof returned on foot. Well, hoof rather. He was accompanied by another individual. The first thing Dave noticed was that, unlike the two ponies they had already met, this fellow seemed to be flesh and blood rather than crystal, with white fur under his strangely purple armor, which was adorned with some sort of star crest, and a shaggy blue mane with a horn seemingly made of bone interrupting its locks; he was a unicorn, the, like Commander Spear. As he approached the group, Bryce bowed to him, and Dave and Jonathan followed suit. The white unicorn returned the gesture, bending one of his forelegs slightly before rising and addressing them.

"Greetings, and welcome to the Crystal Empire. My name is Shining Armor. My wife and I rule and protect the Empire. I must admit, I never expected to see humans here."

"You've seen humans before?" Jonathan asked.

Shining Armor shook his head, his mane bouncing as he did so. "Not me personally, but my sister has, though not in this world. My knowledge of humans is limited, but I do know that you can't find them anywhere on the face of Equis. Tell me, how did you get here?"

"You may want to sit down." Bryce stated flatly. "It's a long story."

Four of the six present seated themselves in the grass beside the path, though Golden Spear and Diamond Hoof elected to remain standing next to the prince. Bryce started by making introductions and telling the ponies a bit about who they were and where they came from, then described the events leading up to their arrival, starting from the barbecue, then moving through the alignment, wall of light, and waking up in the mountains. He explained that none of them had any idea why what happened did, or how it pulled them from their world to Equis, which was apparently the name of the planet they were now on. Shining Armor was silent through the entire story, but muttered a thought to himself when Bryce had finished.

"I wonder if this has anything to do with the Crystal Mirror." He seemed to be speaking more to himself than anyone else.

Bryce shook his head. "Not likely."

Shining seemed surprised that Bryce knew what he was talking about. "You said you didn't have any idea what could have brought you here. How, then, do you know about the mirror, or that it's not responsible?"

"One question at a time. First, I know about the mirror because, in our world, this entire reality," he made a wide gesture around them, "is portrayed in a television show and series of movies designed to teach our young about friendship. I don't know how they were able to know that there was another world filled with talking ponies, or how they knew about events going on here, but one of the movies addressed the Crystal Mirror and the parallel world on the other side, so that's how I know about it. Second, I know it's not responsible because we're not from that world. If we were, it stands to reason that we would have turned into ponies, seeing as ponies transform into humans when they cross the portal."

Shining Armor nodded as if this all made sense to him, though Dave was fairly lost. When Bryce had mentioned a TV show, Dave had guessed pretty easily which show he was talking about, though neither he nor his kids had ever watched My Little Pony. He always thought it was a bit pointless, something super sappy only for the girliest of little girls to giggle at. At this point, though, he was really glad that Bryce had.

"Well," the pony prince continued, "I suppose we should get to the negotiations then."

Negotiations didn't take long, since they really didn't know much, and Shining Armor seemed to be a lower-level prince under higher authority, so he couldn't authorize much. When negotiations ended, arrangements had been made for a private, guard-operated train to take them to a small town outside the nation's capitol, a place called Ponyville, where they would be met by four other princesses and hopefully get more answers. In the meantime, they would be supplied with tents to get the out of the blizzards of the frozen north, as well as food and other supplies, but they couldn't go inside the city.

"The emotional state of the Crystal Empire is reflected all over Equestria." Shining Armor had explained. "It's part of its magic. If I let you into the city, the citizens may grow uneasy and fearful, which would then spread across the country. I simply can't risk that."

The only drawback to the arrangements made was that they had to give up any and all weapons, though Commander Golden Spear had assured them that a small number of guards would remain near their camp to keep them safe, and Shining Armor told them that the other royalty may decide to return their weapons to them at a later time.

*******

"Absolutely not!"

The three of them had returned to the mountain before the sun began to set and explained everything that had happened, minus the fact that the world was filled with multicolored talking ponies. Bryce still firmly believed that that was something everyone should find out through experience. After all, there was really no good way of breaking that to everybody, and even with Dave and Jonathan backing him, he wasn't sure everyone would believe him.

Anyway, everyone was fine and dandy with the arrangements until they mentioned having to give up their weapons. That made several individuals unhappy, though one was definitely more vocal than the others.

"I refuse to to go defenseless in an unfamiliar place with only the word of strangers!" AJ yelled at the top of his lungs, before finishing with "I'm keeping mine!"

Bryce pinched the bridge of his nose. AJ had been going on like this for nearly fifteen minutes now. Honestly, it was quite childish. Noah and Braden hadn't liked it either, but Braden disarmed at the request of Jonathan, and Noah had done so because he realized that peaceful negotiations with the locals were hinging on them not posing a threat. AJ, however, had refused, quite adamantly, and waas now waving his machete around, threatening anyone who came anywhere near him. Everyone else in the building was ready to go before it got too dark, and they were all starting to reach their limit with his attitude.

Bryce let out a long breath before running his hands through his blonde hair and looking back up at AJ. "AJ, please--"

"No! Absolutely not!"

"But--"

"I refuse!"

That was it. Bryce had been pushed past his limit, and his gaze changed from exasperated to enraged."That's it. You want to keep your knives? Fine! But you will be the only one left on this God-forsaken mountain! The rest of us are willing to set aside our own personal wants in order to get answers and possibly get home, but by all means, if you want to be selfish, go ahead! If you want to keep your stupid machete and your stupid taser and your stupid knives then BE MY GUEST! But if you do, you will be left behind. We will move on without you."

When Bryce finished his rant, his friend Ceili came up and put a gentle hand on his shoulder. Losing his temper like that was not something he did often, nor was it something he was proud of, and only a few currently present had seen him like that before. So as he looked around at the slack-jawed faces of his peers, the fire in his eyes sputtered out, and he let out a tired sigh.

"I'm sorry guys," he apologized as he bent down to grab his backpack, which contained what few possessions he had left. "Come on everyone. We need to get there before nightfall." With that, he shuffled out the door and into the snow, followed by all but AJ, who simply stood there, confused by the sudden turn of events.

Author's Note

Hey everypony!

So, I've been getting kind of annoyed at how long it's taking for me to get anywhere in this story, and the subsequent boring chapters that result from it. I promise, I'm not doing it on purpose, I just didn't realize how much build up this story needed. In an effort to fix this, I'm trying to cut back on the amount of descriptive detail I apply, and I'm starting to exclude non-essential dialogue, like with negotiations and such, where the conversations take a long time.

I realize that not everypony has long portions of time to dedicate to reading long chapters, so I'm trying to keep my chapters to around 2,500 words each. I may, however, start writing longer chapters for a few chapters in interest of getting to the meat of the story faster. Please bear with me. I promise the things are starting to pick up speed. We saw Shining Armor in this chapter, and we'll be seeing many more familiar faces in the next, including the royal sisters and a certain draconequus :twilightsmile:

As usual, please leave any feedback or concerns or even plot suggestions in the comments. Constructive criticism is always appreciated!

Thanks guys!
~Moon Guard

Suspicions and Sorrows, Part 2: Two Sides to Every Story [edited]

Chapter edited by Shadowgohstalex

"His tale was different than ours, and yet, it was so similar. Finally, we may be getting some answers..."

Sunburst glanced around the street, trying to get his bearings. He hadn’t been to Canterlot since he left Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns, and the city had changed quite a bit since then. Levitating a map of the city in front of him, he recognized where he was and soon found himself passing through the palace gates, nodding to the guards as they checked his documents.

About a month ago, an invitation had arrived at his home to come to the palace and observe the planetary alignment that was taking place tonight. When he reached the top of the main spire, where a temporary observation deck was set up, he found that his old friend Starlight Glimmer was there with her teacher, Princess Twilight Sparkle. Princess Luna had yet to arrive, but the sun wasn’t quite finished setting yet, so that was to be expected. At the sound of his hoofsteps on the balcony, Starlight turned towards him.

“Sunburst! You’re here!” She trotted over to him and gave him a warm hug before sneaking a quick peck on his cheek.

Sunburst let out a nervous chuckle and started fidgeting with his glasses, a furious red glow apparent through his coat. Normally, he wouldn’t be so embarrassed by her affection, but Twilight Sparkle was watching them, and the princess’s gaze made him a bit fidgety. “It’s good to see you too, Starlight,” he finally said.

Princess Luna arrived within the hour, along with Princesses Celestia and Cadence. It turns out, the three had been sharing a meal downstairs. With their arrival, everypony was now present. Twilight let out a happy little squeak.

“This is so exciting!” She said as she started clapping her hooves together while Sunburst walked around the balcony, taking a look at the equipment she had set up. “Just think of all that we can learn from this! These alignments only happen once every few generations, and we’re getting to see it!”

Celestia smiled at her student’s typical enthusiasm for learning. “It certainly is a rare treat. Even Luna and I have only seen a few planetary alignments in our lifetimes. They are a strange and wonderful thing, and full of magic that we don’t understand yet.”

Luna nodded, gazing into the vast expanse of the stars as she picked up where her sister had left off. “Indeed. Many scholars and wizards who have witnessed such a spectacle have sought to understand it, even the great Starswirl the Bearded, and each have contributed some portion of knowledge, yet the magic produced when the planets align is something that eludes our comprehending.”

“And tonight, we’ll be able to contribute our own findings to that knowledge!” Twilight finished. “IT’S SO EXCITING!!”

Sunburst continued surveying the equipment on the observation deck. "You certainly have an impressive setup, Princess Twilight. I dare say that, with all this data, we'll be able to contribute more knowledge than anyone ever before!"

"Look everypony!" Princess Cadence spoke up. "It's starting!"

All conversation ceased as the six present turned their gaze skyward. The planets were coming closer and closer together, glowing brighter as they neared one another. When their lights met, the earth shook. It wasn't a major earthquake, in fact it was mild enough that no damage was caused, but it still caused them to lose their balance for a moment. The instant she regained her bearings, Twilight flew over to one of her monitors and read the data with a shocked expression.

"This is incredible! Equis's magic field has already doubled in power!"

"Look!" Starlight shouted, pointing a hoof at the ground far below. "What is that?"

Everypony leaned over the railing to see a glowing, writhing fog now blanketed the ground and was expanding in every direction.

Sunburst let out a low whistle. "The Terra Meridiem."

"What does that mean?"

"The Terra Meridiem is Equis's natural magic field. Normally, it's impossible to see without the proper enchantments, but during a planetary alignment, it becomes visible to everypony all over the planet."

Celestia nodded in approval. "Every planet has its own magic field, and when the planets align, their respective fields combine their power, and this in turn amplifies the magic of every living thing. At least, that's what we think."

Twilight continued checking monitors and adjusting various instruments. "Starswirl the Bearded theorized that if the planets ever came into a completely perfect alignment, their magic fields would become completely synchronized, though we have no clue as to what the ramifications of that would be."

Suddenly, all of their horns ignited simultaneously. The glow spread from their horns and worked its way down until all six of them were glowing from horn to hoof. They became blindingly bright for a few moments, but when the glow faded, Sunburst couldn't believe his eyes. For starters, each of them was slightly larger, with more defined characteristics. Starlight's and Sunburst's manes were floating around like gravity had ceased to exist, though not quite like the princesses, as they were still made of hair. Luna, Cadence, and Twilight were each now as tall as Celestia and Twilight and Cadence even had the magical flowing manes and tails, but it was Twilight who drew the eye. Not only had she taken on the same build and cosmic mane as Celestia, but she also seemed to have similar features as whenever she and her friends used their rainbow magic. She had streaks of yellow in her mane with the purple and pink, and her feathers were tri-colored, deepening from lavender to magenta to violet as you neared the tips of her majestic wings. While Sunburst's and Starlight's coats glowed with the magic overcharge, and Celestia, Luna, and Cadence pulsed with cosmic energy, Twilight Sparkle literally radiated power, violet waves of raw magic cascading off her flank and shock waves rippling out from her hoof steps. Sunburst could only imagine the combined power she and her friends could muster right now, had they all been here.

Luna was the first to recover from her shock. "It appears that we now know the effect these alignments have on ponies."

"What do you mean?" Twilight asked, apparently oblivious to herself.

"Twilight! Look at you!" Starlight seemed unnaturally excited. As the princess turned to study herself, understanding seemed to dawn on her face. Celestia walked over and draped a wing over her former student's shoulder, though it was a bit more difficult now that they were the same height.

"It seems that the increase in power in Equis's magic field amplifies the magic in ponies, as well as awakening any dormant magic they may have," Sunburst explained, understanding where the princess was going. “Judging by these readings, as well as the magic my horn is sensing, all of our powers are amplified, but it doesn’t stop there. The alignment has also unlocked dormant abilities that we may not have had before. I can feel in my own body the ability to perform every spell I know, even though I wasn’t able to before. Starlight’s inherent ability for magic has been increased, putting her likely on par with Starswirl, and the three other alicorns are basically gods for the duration of the alignment. You’re not like the other alicorns, though. Their magic is all on the surface, but you have some magic in you that’s normally dormant and inactive, not to mention the fact that, while the other princesses have special talents controlling the day, night, and love, your special talent is magic itself. The alignment has amplified your raw talent for magic, your alicorn magic, and the friendship magic the Tree of Harmony infused in you and your friends, all at once!”

Twilight’s eyes widened at the idea. To think that she had so much magic potential, just resting inside her like a sleeping manticore. She’d have to test that more later and see if she could figure out a way to tap into it on her own. It also occurred to her that her friends had probably undergone a similar transformation as the magic of the Elements was suddenly awoken in each of them. Oh, how she wished she had brought them with her! There were so many tests she could have run!

Celestia came over and seemed to get lost gazing into Twilight’s mane, a smile playing at her lips. “In this state, I would venture to say that you are the most powerful pony in Equestria; even more powerful than Luna and myself.”

Twilight’s awestruck face instantly tightened into an expression of sheer panic at the suggestion of being better than the princesses in any way, shape, or form. However, she never got the chance to start ranting, because right then, something caught all of their eyes. Turning upwards, they saw that the “star” created by the planets’ combined light pulsing strangely, its glow becoming a little stronger with each beat. The ground unexpectedly shook once more, this time causing the entire tower to sway like a cat-tail in the wind.

“What was that?” Cadence asked when the shaking calmed down a little.

Twilight rushed over to one of her monitors and stared at it with a slack-jawed expression. “This can’t be right! According to these readings, the Terra Meridiem just tripled in power from its already doubled state! Not only that, but it’s starting to destabilize, which shouldn’t happen until the end of the alignment, which isn’t for another six minutes, which means that something is very wrong!”

Either by fate or by total coincidence, the instant she finished her sentence, a geyser of light erupted behind her. Rushing to the railing, they immediately recoiled as another column shot up in front of them, seemingly coming from the glowing fog below them. Within a matter of seconds, another erupted at the base of the mountain, then another over the train tracks, then another, and another, and another, until there was no more gap. Each eruption of light began before the previous one ended, now with multiple erupting at a time, getting more and more powerful.

“I don’t know why this is happening!” Twilight practically screamed over the roar of the constant barrage as tears welled up in her eyes. The magic in her mane was going wild with the surrounding instability.

“The system’s overloading!” Sunburst replied.

Another, this time significantly louder sound drew their attention to the north. Far against the horizon, past the Crystal Empire, the brightest light of all had erupted in the mountains, stretching far into the heavens and lighting up the sky like a nuclear strike. Even from here, Sunburst could feel the magical radiation it was giving off, clear as day, but there was something...foreign about it. Twilight must have sensed it, too, because her mane was going absolutely nuts! As he watched, though, his face went slack. Twilight’s body was pulsing with radiance and glowing brighter by the second, the waves of energy coming off he flanks now one continuous current with white hot tendrils of electrified magic arcing every which way, like a really intense plasma ball. Her eyes were glowing white, but what concerned him most was the fact that her horn was beginning to fire off various spells at random, the same way it had during her entrance exam to Celestia’s school. The magic overload was too much for her, even in this more powerful state, and she was becoming unstable herself. If she didn’t find a way to release all that energy soon--

His thoughts were cut off when Twilight let out an agonizing scream, and a crackling wave of raw magic exploded from her horn with enough force that everypony was nearly thrown from the balcony and all of her instruments were overloaded on the spot. As the wave passed over him, surging out in every direction, Sunburst dropped to the ground, his mind and body overpowered by the shock as he slipped quickly into unconsciousness.

Author's Note

Hey everypony!

First of all, I do apologize that this took so long to get out. I've actually had the chapter finished and edited for several days now, but I don't have internet at my house, so I haven't been able to paste and upload it. From now on, I'm going to try to have something new on my page at least once roughly ever two weeks, though I'm hitting a bit of a block with this story and I'm having trouble getting it from point A to point B. Additionally, I will be taking up co-authorship of a new story fairly soon, so I won't be putting my time into this story explicitly.

On a brighter note, I have an editor now! Thank you to Shadowgohstalex for going through my chapters and helping me smooth over the wrinkles. He has edited almost everything I've published up to this point, and I will be uploading those versions shortly.

As usual, questions, comments, and suggestions are always welcome, and constructive criticism is encouraged. Let me know how I'm doing and what you guys think!

Thanks guys!
Moon Guard

Suspicions and Sorrows, Part I: Moonlit Summit

"The next several days were a roller coaster of emotions. There were ups, there were downs, but mostly, there was confusion..."

It was shortly after nightfall when the party reached the camp that had been set up near the guard towers for them. As the guards intercepted them in order to confiscate their weapons, a wave of confusion could be heard rippling through the crowd of humans. Noah leaned forward and whispered over Bryce's shoulder: "You could have told us that we were in ponyland!"

"You wouldn't have believed me." Bryce deadpanned. "And it's called Equestria."

It only took about fifteen minutes for the unicorn guards to search everyone and remove anything that could be used as a weapon, though most of the students got a little squeamish under their magic. After that, everyone filed into their tents for the night. AJ showed up an hour later; apparently preferring to give up his weapons rather than stay on the mountain alone, though the realization of the magic talking ponies brought on another string of profanities, which didn't stop until Golden Spear placed a sleep spell on him and carried him into one of the tents.

In the morning, a chef pony named Flaming Cauldron had cooked them a breakfast, and every meal after, that consisted of boiled oats with honey, crystal berries, orange and apple juices, bread, cheese, yogurt, and, much to the surprised pleasure of many, mutton chops. When approached by the more curious students about the last option, Flaming simply stated that ponies weren't the only species on the face of the planet, and some species ate meat, so they were used to the concept and had little difficulty adjusting to the humans' omnivorous diet. They passed the time by roughhousing in the fields, gathering into Bible studies, and reading some books from the local library (luckily Equish was very close to English). A few even began conversing with and befriending the guards; Bryce became fairly close to Diamond Hoof, and found that the usually quiet pegasus actually loved to talk about Equestrian history, and the two of them, along with the Olson kids (who watched My Little Pony but were rather behind), comparing notes on what they knew from the show. Turns out, all of it actually happened, and then some. Diamond was astonished at their knowledge, and helped fill in some of the gaps, though he said that Bryce's description of the most recent episodes were pretty much spot-on with recent Equestrian events.

They maintained this routine for a about three days before the private train could be arranged. To absolutely nobody's surprise, it was made of crystal. Having come in the back way to the Crystal Empire, they were shepherded around the outskirts of the city until they reached the station and boarded, swiftly departing before any civilians could get too curious. The train was manned by the same Crystal Empire guards who had guarded their camp, which made several of the group happy, as they would get to talk to their new friends a bit longer. Given the fact that they hadn't been home in four days and there was still nobody who really knew what was going on, Bryce smiled at the fact that some of them could still enjoy the world around them and find a reason to laugh or smile.

Once they were a little ways past the Crystal Empire territory, Braden came and sat in the empty seat next to Bryce. "So, where are we headed?"

Bryce blinked, caught off-guard by the question. He forgot that many of his friends had been only doing as they were instructed and still didn't know what the plans were.

Well, it's an eight hour ride. I guess now's as good a time as any. He cleared his throat and regained his composure. "After Jonathan, Dave, and I went to talk with the Crystal Empire royalty, Prince Shining Armor said that we couldn't stay there. On thing you should know about this world is that it's filled to the brim with magic; it's in everything, from the air to the dirt." He paused to gather his thoughts for a second when he looked up and realized that all eyes were on him. Again, Bryce was stunned. Had he really not told any of them anything he had found out? He took a deep breath and decided to switch tactics.

"You know what? Let's try this." For the next three hours, Bryce talked about almost everything he knew about Equestria. He talked about the founding of Equestria after the wendigos brought a harsh winter to the old lands. He talked about the rise of Discord and how the Royal Sisters came from a faraway land to stop him, and how that's how they came to reign. He talked about all the old legends: Tirek and Scorpan, Starswirl the Bearded, the Sirens, King Sombra and the Crystal Empire, the Elements of Harmony, and Nightmare Moon. He taught them basic geography and how this new world worked: how the sun and moon were raised and lowered by the unicorns first and the Royal Sisters later, how the the pegasi controlled the weather and were responsible for the change of the seasons while the earth ponies tended to the fields, then moving on to the diarchy, what an alicorn is, the numerous princesses, and their responsibilities. He explained the concept of a cutie mark, what it was, and why it was so important. Near the end, he moved to the show, first starting with an introduction of the characters before moving on to major events, starting with Twilight Sparkle meeting her friends and ending with the Changeling revolution, putting particular emphasis on key points such as how Twilight Sparkle and her friends came to be the bearers of the Elements of Harmony and defeated Nightmare Moon to return Princess Luna to the throne, the reformation of Discord (mostly), Princess Cadence and Shining Armor taking charge of the Crystal Empire, Twilight's ascension to alicornhood and her new position as the Princess of Friendship, the return of the Elements to the Tree of Harmony and how Twilight and her friends became infused with their magic, the friendship map and its purpose, Starlight Glimmer, the Gauntlet of Fire, and dethroning Queen Chrysalis. Finally, as they entered into the fourth hour of their journey, he circled back to Braden's original question, explaining their current situation and where they were headed.

"Shining Armor may be the prince of the Crystal Empire, but he doesn't have the authority to decide anything for us, so he sent a letter to Princess Celestia in Canterlot to arrange an audience with the four princesses on our behalf. They agreed to meet with us, but not inside the capitol since they don't want to risk a panic. We can't stay in the Crystal Empire for the same reason, since the Empire's magic would reflect the citizens' unease across the entire nation. So the princesses made arrangements outside of Ponyville--"

"Where the Mane 6 live?" Drew interrupted. It was the first time anyone other than Bryce had spoken since he had started his story. He had specifically asked that they saved their questions until he was finished.

"Yes," he answered, then thought to himself for a moment. "Though I probably wouldn't call them that in front of them. That's a term that was coined in our world, not here. Anyway, since Ponyville is where Twilight Sparkle and her friends live, they're pretty used to seeing some weird stuff, so that's where we're least likely to cause a panic. Also, we won't actually be in Ponyville. Not too far into the Everfree Forest is the Castle of the Two Sisters, where Celestia and Luna ruled before Nightmare Moon was banished. After that, Celestia moved her castle to Canterlot, and the Castle has sat pretty much abandoned since then. The only ponies who really go there anymore are Twilight and her friends, who use it as a glorified clubhouse of sorts. That's where we'll be meeting with the princesses."

Sensing that Bryce had come to the conclusion of his tale, people started raising their hands to ask questions. The first was AJ. "So what are we meeting with them for?"

Bryce sighed, not from annoyance, but more from exhaustion. Being the guy with the answers was taxing. "The four princesses combined posses the greatest understanding of magic in all of Equestria or the surrounding lands, rivaled only by a wizard named Sunburst in the Crystal Empire. Hopefully, they'll be able to understand and explain what happened to bring us here. Then they can figure out how to get us back home and make arrangements for us until they're able to send us back." What he didn't tell them were his doubts. What if they can't send us back?

Bryce spent the next two hours doing his best to answer everyone's questions. His friends asked questions about everything, though, not surprisingly, a good number of their questions were about the different types of magic and he mechanics involved. What did surprise him was the fact that, once Bryce had finished answering the majority of the questions, AJ and Braden actually started having heated debates about the magic he had explained, spending a good twenty minutes debating the practicality of Starlight Glimmer using a time-travel spell to take revenge on a group of ponies who everyone knew had saved the world multiple times rather than use something that wouldn't doom the past as well as the future. After that, they managed to suck Bryce, Ben Olson, and Joel into a debate on the theological magical mechanics and applications of a cutie mark. Seriously, Bryce did not expect this from the two of them, but he enjoyed it nonetheless.

*******

With just over an hour left in their journey, the train approached a very tall mountain with a large city built into the south side. The students all hung their heads out the train windows to get a glimpse at the city while the teachers tried to keep them from falling out.

Braden let out a low whistle. "It looks like Minas Tirith from The Lord of the Rings."

"Yeah," Bryce whispered in awe. "It kind of does. It's beautiful, even from here. Bigger than I imagined though."

AJ turned to him. "Do you know what city that is?"

Nodding, Bryce took in the sight until they entered a tunnel in the bottom of the mountain and took a sharp turn southward. "That was Canterlot. Next stop: Ponyville."

*******

The train puled into the station with an echoing SCREEEEE! As the group of humans gathered their meager possessions--most of them only having a backpack's contents to their name--Golden Spear and Diamond Hoof wished them luck and Flaming Cauldron handed Jonathan a bag of extra food before the engines let out a loud hiss and the train departed for the Crystal Empire once more, leaving them all a bit baffled on the platform.

"Well, now what?" Ceili asked.

Bryce shook his head and was about to say that he had no clue, when a voice from behind them cut him off.

"I believe this is where I come in."

Some in the group jumped a little, and they all turned to see a new pony coming up the steps to the platform, flanked on either side by royal guards. Unlike the ponies they had seen so far, these ponies had coats of fur rather than crystal. The guards were both unicorns, one gray and one blue, and sported shiny golden armor with the crest of a blue star across their chests. The mare in the middle had a pale brown coat and a light gray mane and tail, deep blue eyes behind a pair of half-frame spectacles, a white collar with a green ascot, and a cutie mark showing a ribbon-bound scroll.

"Greetings, humans," she said, trying to sound formal as she held out a hoof, but coming off more as a cheesy alien character. "Welcome to Ponyville. My name is Learned Mare, and I am the mayor of this town. Princess Celestia has sent me to escort you to the castle, where she, and the other princesses, will be meeting with you."

Bryce stepped forward, having been nominated as the designated spokesperson of the group on the train. He extended his hand, grasping the mayor's hoof and shaking it. "It's an honor to meet you, Madame Mayor. I think i can say on behalf of my entire group that we're excited to be here. We've all heard a lot about Ponyville. We are, however, eager to meet the Princesses and hopefully find some answers."

"Well then, follow me." She turned and led them off the platform and away from town, two more unicorn guards meeting them and grabbing the box of weapons in their magic before taking their place at the back of the group. As they came to the edge of the woods, she turned slightly and told them "Please be careful from here on. The Everfree Forest is an unnatural place, and is filled with many dangers. If you see or hear anything, please, let us know. That's what the guards are here for." She then turned back toward the path and continued to lead them deeper into the forest.

*******

They continued walking for about fifteen minutes. The trip wasn't a silent one per se, as people and ponies alike still whispered amongst both themselves and each other, but it was definitely a fairly quiet one. Nobody, or pony, wanted to alert any nearby creatures of their presence and risk getting attacked. Finally, they crossed a rope bridge that looked like it had been recently rebuilt and came to the ruins of an ancient castle. Actually, "ruins" probably wasn't the best word to describe it. It had probably been ruins at one point, but, like the rope bridge, it looked recently repaired. The broken and collapsed portions had been put back in place and the walls had been cleared of any dirt or vines. Actually, it looked quite beautiful, and the inside was no different. In addition to the two celestial thrones shown in the show, two others had been erected, one bearing the image of the Crystal Heart and the other a purple star. A large, rounded table had also been set up in the middle of the hall over the lush red carpet, surrounded by large chairs with plush cushions. What drew everybody's eye, however, were the ponies.

Wow! That's a lot of ponies!

Before Bryce could recover from his shock and start making introductions (since he recognized everypony present, minus the guards), a voice above them called "They're here!" and a violet blur of hooves and feathers landed in front of them, sending everybody a little off-balance.

"Good evening!" the alicorn said. "My name is--"

A pink blur suddenly rushed out of absolutely nowhere and knocked the first first pony. Bryce only had time to get a very quick glimpse at their curly mane and shining blue eyes before they started to speak.

"Hi there! So you're the humans I heard about huh? Wow! That's so cool! You all look so funny! Not that that's a bad thing though in fact I think funny is a good thing or else I probably wouldn't have gotten the Element of Laughter would I? That doesn't matter though here let me introduce you to everyone! I'm Pinkie Pie! This is Twilight, that's Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, Princess Cadence, Applejack, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Spike, over here is--"

"PINKIE!" the alicorn shouted, now back on her hooves.

"Whaaaaat?" Disappointment was evident in Pinkie Pie's voice that she hadn't gotten to finish.

"You're going to scare them!" The now familiar aura of a unicorn's magic surrounded the bubbly pink pony and carried her of to the other end of the room. The alicorn then turned to the group, allowing them to get a better look at her. She stood almost five feet tall with a light purple coat and deeper purple mane and tail, which were curled up at the end with an accent curl under her ear. She wore gold slippers, a gold neckpiece, anda gold tiara with five pink gems that matched the highlight in her mane. "I apologize for Pinkie Pie," she said. "She's easily excitable, and has way too much energy. Allow me to formally introduce myself. My name is Princess Twilight Sparkle." As three other alicorns trotted up next to her, she introduced them as well. "This here is Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, and Princess Cadence." She waved a hoof at each one, respectively.

Bryce shook off his Pinkie-induced shock and quickly lowered himself into a deep bow, as did everybody else. When they righted themselves, he began his end of the introductions. "It's a true honor to meet you, Your Highnesses. My name is Bryce Hammonds, and I'm the primary spokesman for our group. On my right is Dave Ley, and on m left is Jonathan Garland, two of the leaders of our group."

Princess Celestia offered them a slight bow and a warm smile. "Welcome to Equestria, Mr. Hammonds. It is a pleasure to have you here, even if the circumstances of your arrival are a little...unconventional."

"We should begin as soon as possible," Princess Luna stated flatly while still managing to be polite. "Please, choose a hooffull of individuals to speak on behalf of your group and the rest may observe from the balcony." She then flew over to her seat at the table, which actually wasn't her throne, and waited. Twilight sighed and turned wearily back to them.

"As much as I hate to rush things, but Princess Luna has a point. There's no use in delaying." With that, she, too, took her leave, along with the other two princesses and the mayor, as the group of humans formed into a little huddle to figure out who would be their spokespeople. They wanted to keep it to a decently small number; just because there were a large number of ponies didn't mean there needed to be an equal number of people. Bryce was quickly volunteered by everyone present, which he was beginning to get used to, along with Jonathan and Dave. The others selected were Noah and Brandon Evans. Together the six of them took their seats at the table, along with most of the ponies, leaving guards stationed along the walls and the rest of their group on the second-floor balcony overlooking the main hall. Once everyone was seated, Celestia stood to he full height and spread wings, soliciting silence throughout the hall.

The meeting had begun.

"Greetings, ponies and humans alike. On behalf of the kingdom of Equestria, I would like to welcome our guests to our fair land and extend a hoof in friendship."

Dave stood and bowed to her. "As president of Alaska Bible College, I accept your offer of friendship and extend our gratitude for your hospitality."

Celestia smiled and offered Dave a bow in return. "To start this summit, why don't we all introduce ourselves. I am Celestia, Princess of the Sun, Guardian of the Day, and High Princess of Equestria."

To her right, Luna stood. "I am Luna, Princess of the Moon and Guardian of the Night."

Continuing right "My name is Twilight Sparkle. I am the Princess of Friendship and the Element of Magic."

"Starlight Glimmer, protege to the Princess of Friendship."

"...oh, um, I'm...Flutershy, and, um...I'm the Element of Kindness."

"I am Rarity, the Element of Generosity!"

"My name is Sunburst, and I'm Equestria's leading researcher of theoretical magic."

Halfway through the ponies, they came to the five humans. Brandon was first, and he made a good first impression, standing to his full height (around 6'5") and introducing himself in a loud, clear voice. "My name is Brandon Evans. I am the Student Body President at Alaska Bible College." The rest of them followed his example.

"Good evening! My name is Jonathan Garland. I'm a teacher and Student Activities Director over at Alaska Bible College."

"My name is David Ley, and I am..." Dave hesitated for a second, glancing at Brandon, who had already introduced himself as a president at the college, before looking at Celestia and getting an idea. "I am the High President at Alaska Bible College."

Bryce chuckled at Dave's new title, though he had to admit that it did get the point across. "My name is Bryce Hammonds. I'm the primary spokesman for Alaska Bible College and the resident 'Equestrian expert,' so to speak." At everypony's confused looks, he added: "I'm the one out of our group who knows the most about Equestria." Everyone seemed to understand this time, and they continued around the circle.

"Hello everybody, my name is Noah Holland, and I'm the Head of Security at Alaska Bible College."

Back to the ponies. "I'm Lyra Heartstrings, and I'm the foremost expert on human mythology." This seemed to puzzle all the humans present, but they moved on anyway, on to a certain...oh boy.

"Hi everypony! I'm Pinkie Pie! I'm the Element of Laughter and a super duper party pony who throws the BESTEST PARTIES!!!" An explosion of confetti erupted around her as she threw her hooves into the air, then collapsed into a fit of giggles at absolutely nothing.

"That was surprisingly painless." Bryce muttered to himself.

"I'm RAINBOW DASH!! Fastest flier in Equestria and the Element of Loyalty! Don't you punks forget it!"

The next pony glared at Rainbow Dash for a second before standing and introducing herself with a heavy country drawl, tipping her Stetson slightly. "Name's Applejack, and ah'm the Element a' Honesty."

"My name is Learned Mare. I am the current Mayor of Ponyville."

Bryce looked around the table. Eighteen people and ponies were now standing (or flying in the case of a certain blue pegasus); five humans, thirteen ponies. Hopefully, this summit would yield some answers for everyone involved.

They all returned to their seats as a small purple and green dragon, who Bryce recognized instantly as spike, brought in a platter of drinks and cupcakes. As everyone grabbed a napkin and took the refreshments, Princess Luna addressed everyone. "Just to clarify, the purpose of this summit is focused on the humans. We need to do what we can to find out how they got here, if we can send them back to their own world, and make arrangements for them in Equestria until such a time as they are able to go home, should they choose."

"If I may, Princess," Noah spoke up as Luna finished. "What do you mean, 'should we choose'?"

"What my sister is saying," Celestia intervened, "Is that we are a very open society. Should we find a way to send you home but some of you wish to stay, you are more than welcome to."

This caused some hushed whispers among the humans in the balcony, while Lyra seemed to brighten at the idea.

"We are grateful for your most generous offer, Your Highnesses," Dave replied, "However, maybe we should come back to that idea later and continue with the summit?"

"I agree," Twilight nodded, setting down her cupcake and turning towards Bryce. "Bryce, was it? You mentioned that you were the primary spokespo--er, spokesman--for you group. Would you mind telling us how you all came got to Equestria?"

And so, Bryce relayed the tale once more, sparing no details. He started by telling them about the planetary alignment and Jonathan's idea to have a rooftop barbecue, then moved on and explained about the strange, pulsing glow as the planets aligned, the earthquake, the flowing fog, and ending with the wall of light erupting, collapsing on top of them, and flashing brighter before they all lost consciousness. He then moved to events that had happened after their arrival: the blizzard, treating the wounded, negotiations with Shining Armor and the confiscation of their weapons, staying at the camps, and ending his tale with him explaining what he knew of Equestrian history during the train ride. Throughout his entire explanation, nobody interrupted him or took their attention off of him. Even Pinkie Pie was uncharacteristically still, though Twilight and Sunburst both had several papers and quills flying about them taking notes as he spoke. When he finished, Celestia nodded and spoke up once more.

"A fascinating tale, Bryce, though it saddens me that you were all so violently taken from everything and everypony you knew. Perhaps, if we share what happened here in Equestria that day, we may yet find some answers." At this statement, Twilight looked up with a panicked look on her face before asking Sunburst to share what happened in her stead, then summoning a fresh set of papers and quills with a different colored ink. Apparently, she wanted to take more notes for comparison purposes.

And so, having a great sigh, Sunburst stood and ignited his horn, eyes flashing as he began his story.