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

"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.