"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