Mitch POV<<<<<<

"Shit." I swore under my breath as I slowly made my way towards the Piper and Reks, hoping that the hobble I had with each step wasn't noticeable.

Odd...even with my legs magically healed they still feel a bit sore. Guess my magic isn't a fix all tool then. I thought with a grimace, approaching the two dogs as they were looking over the minecart they had been traveling in.

Or what was left of it anyway. Considering it was somehow lodged halfway into the ground with its back end visible (The wheels were still spinning and everything!) while the other half stayed buried under the snow, though the ground around it was charred slightly.

Noticing my stare, Piper gave me a sheepish smile as her tail curled around her legs.

"So...we might've wrecked the minecart on our way out of the cave." She admitted as she shook her head, her ears bent downwards behind her. "We were lucky enough to jump ship before it flew off the rails, and luckier still it didn't end crashing into the cavern walls mid-trip."

"Well, at least you guys are ok. Thats far more important than some minecart." I assured her as I found my eyes drawn behind the Captain. "Whoa...is that the Empire?"

Walking past Piper and her brother, who was currently looking over some of the coal from the cart with a frown, I couldn't help but be transfixed by what was in front of me.

About a half of a football field away down the hill we were on, the snow ended and what seemed to be quite huge circle of grass that held a city in the center of it, with what had to be some sort of tower in its center.

That place looks HUGE! But whats with the Eiffel tower thing in the middle?

"I cant believe it! we finally made it to the Empire!!!" Zephyr exclaimed, hovering next to me with a smile as we gawked at the kingdom below, mutually astounded by the raw beauty of the crystal shaped kingdom. "I saw pictures of this place thanks to the pamphlet I got from the mane school, but I never thought it would be this amazing!"

Turning back around, I noticed Piper had a smug grin on her face as she was watching us.

"So, you boys done gawking at the sights of the winter kingdom, or are we going to actually go down there and see it up close? We're gonna need to replace the supplies we lost in the cave and we can't do that here." She asked with a slight bark in her tone, though the shimmer in her eyes showed that she was messing with us.

"Of course we're going down there." I told her as something came to me as I noticed something interesting. "Wait... you mentioned winter, but this is the warmest I've been outside of the caves we've been in."

It was a good point to make. We were in in the north, surrounded by snow and I had a short sleeve on, yet it felt like a summers day in Florida.

What the hell!? Why couldn't Alaska had been like this?

Zephyr landed next to us, jerking his head slighty towards the shiny city below.

"From what I remember, whatever powers the city keeps the surrounding area as warm as spring...some kind of crystal thingy or somewhat." Zephyr shrugged, already disinterested in what he was talking about. "Never really bothered to learn more since it didn't involve the mane school I'm here for."

"What is this school your trying to go to, anyway? You've mentioned it a lot, but you never go into detail about it." Piper asked the pegasus beside me, earning a enthusiastic smile from Zephyr.

"I've got an in at the Crystal Cheveu, the hottest mane therapy school in the Empire!" Zephyr exclaimed joyfully as he got up on his hindlegs. "This is my chance to finally make it BIG in the world and spread my name and skills across the globe!"

Shaking my head slightly, I couldn't stop myself from chuckling at his exuberant state.

"Ya know, Zephyr. You don't seem like the type of guy who lives in cold places, why didn't you just find a mane school somewhere down south?" I asked the pegasus, earning a sigh from Zephyr as he fell on his haunches.

"Believe me, Mitch. I tried! But every other school couldn't accept my unique works of art over their 'required styles'!" He raised a hoof to his face, blocking his eyes from view as he turned away from us dramatically. "It's all so political!"

With a roll of her eyes and a shake of her head, Piper walked past us and started down the hill towards the city.

"You boys can keep talking about hair and fashion all day, but I'd rather go and find something to eat before Reks tries to eat our stallion fashonetta. " Piper stated over her shoulder just as Reks walked past us, pausing briefly to turn Zephyr and give him a wide toothy smile before following after his sister.

"W-W-What? H-He wouldn't do that, right?" Zephyr asked in shock as I shook my head with a laugh and walked after the dog duo, hearing Zephyr wings start to flap erratically as he followed after us quickly.

"MITCH?! HE WAS JOKING, RIGHT?! MIIIIIIIITCH?!"

Meanwhile, At Canterlot Castle<<<<<<

"Sister, are you ready to depart?" A voice voice rang clear from the bedroom door as Celestia ears perked up, recognizing the voice immediately.

"Yes, Luna...just looking over some things Raven left for me." Celestia answered her sister as she flipped through the elegantly written pages that held her faithful assistants report.

Even a princess needs help occasionally, and without Raven, she wouldn't be where she is today, especially with how busy things have gotten lately for the two sisters.

The first three were all the normal noblepony complaints and documents to look over, but the last two pages were what interested the sun monarch the most.

One page held reports of a high amount of dark magic spikes reported up north nearby the Crystal Empire. Celestia had thought about sending Twilight and her friends to look into it, but decided not to after receiving an invitation from her niece to go up north for her first crystalling.

That thought sent a wave of giddiness down to Celestias old soul. Her own niece was not only married and with her first foal! (Though Celestia couldn't help but notice that her niece had withheld what type of pony the infant was from the letter, though perhaps the suprise of finding out will be worth the wait.) Not to mention they would be taking part in a celebration ritual that had been thought to be lost to Sombra long ago.

On the note of Sombra and darkness, Celestia looked couldn't help but frown, recalling the surge of magic she had felt in the mountains up north the previous day.

Whatever had gone off or been activated was powerful enough for her to sense all the way across Equestria, not to mention she had felt a second surge of that same magic...only this time it was closer to her niece's kingdom.

Shaking those thoughts from her mind with a royal smile, Celestia sped up her walk to a royal trot, eager to catch up with her sister who was no doubt waiting impatiently by the royal carriage for her arrival.

After all, her and Luna were going on a family trip up north anyway, and there was no reason to let something as vague as a couple dark magic spikes get to her on this joyous occasion.

Now, if only she could get that gnawing feeling out of her gut that something was going to go wrong.

Mitch POV, Back in the Empire<<<<<<

Entering the Empire, I had expected to get weird looks or panicking citizens as two dogs, a human, and a slighty unshaved pegasus roamed the streets, but none of the citizens seemed to care about our appearances. Hell, a couple of them even waved at Piper and Reks as they passed us by, greeting them warmly as we walked down the light blue crystal road

"Well, aren't you guys popular?" I stated as a couple of foals had decided to latch onto Rek's legs as we walked, though the big guy showed no discomfort from doing so and even seemed be enjoying it if his smile said anything about it.

Piper snickered at the sight of her brother becoming a ponymobile. "Well, We do tend to be the messengers for the Chief when delivering gifts or trade agreements with the princess." Piper answered as Zephyr turned to the Captain with wide eyes.

"You've met the princess!?!" He exclaimed as Piper nodded.

"Yup. She's not as big as the legends say alicorns are supposed to be though, which makes me wonder just how young she is." Piper said before pointing ahead to a building on the corner of the street. "There! We can get food at that cafe!"

The building itself didn't seem too impressive. It held the same crystal walls and flooring as the rest of the kingdoms building did, though it sported some nice looking circle tables outside its building with those big umbrellas in their centers.

"Finally! I'm starving!" Zephyr exclaimed as he zipped over to an open table while Piper and I followed, though Reks ended up lagging behind slightly due to having to pull his young passengers of his legs with a bit more effort than one would think.

"What can I get for you and your friends today, Captain?" A rather small mare asked us in a paper plain tone as soon as we sat down. She had grey fur that blended well with her faded violet mane that seemed to both droop at the sides and hang over her face, though the lackluster combination of color and style seemed to be a good combination for someone who wanted to blend with a crowd or not stand out.

Where the hell did she come from? I thought as she passed out colorful menus to each one of us, each one adorned with pink and blue hearts that surrounded the many soup and sandwhich options on the menu.

"Reks and I will both take the usual, Jade." Piper answered the pony as she folded her paws together neatly on the table just as Reks finally managed to sit down on my right, looking quite giddy as he kept his gaze on the waitress. "What about you, Mitch?"

"Uhhh...." Skimming the menu, I found something that looked edible. "How about the Appleloosan chili bowl?"

Nodding her head, Jade turned to Zephyr, who had sat on my right and was face deep into the menu. "And for you, sir?"

Looking up from the menu, Zephyr gave a flirty grin and winked.

"I'll have the same thing as my friend Mitch." He said in what was a poor attempt at a masculine tone as he slapped my back with his wing, causing the mare rolled her eyes and grabbed the menus from us before walking off into the building next to us.

"So, did she write down our orders or does she have it memorized somehow?" I asked Piper, noticing the waitress didn't have any writing utensils with her earlier.

"Jade? Oh, she has great memory. It's half the reason this place does so well." Piper answered me as she motioned to the surrounding tables around us, each with about 5 seats around them. "You see, these tables could all be full, yet she would remember who ordered what from each seat."

"Damn, that's cool. What I wouldn't do to remember things that well. Hell, that would've made college a lot easier!" I joked as Zephyr tilted his head slightly as he turned to me.

"You went to college?" He asked me with a hint of disbelief in his voice.

Narrowing my eyes at him, I gave him the bird as I answered his question.

"Yes, I went to college. I was on my way back from graduating when I was brought here in the first place."

"What did you study?" Piper asked me while Reks crossed his arms and leaned back a little, seemingly getting comfortable as he awaited my response.

"I had originally wanted a major in economics...but halfway through my first semester I ended up going to a play at the behest of one of my buds back home." I scratched the back of my head with my normal hand as I looked back on that day. "I think the play was called Hamlet, and I enjoyed it so much I ended up switching majors to film production instead."

"Whoa...you have a film major? Does that mean you want to make movies?" Zephyr asked me with a big grin, now heavily invested in my story.

So invested in fact, that he failed to notice that the waitress had came back with our meals. Reks and Piper had gotten identical foot long subs, though the captains had more veggies on it while Reks' had more meat. Zephyr and my soups got placed in front of us alongside some reeeaaaally shiny silverware.

"Yeah, I planned on making a movie someday...if only I could find out which genre to cast." I said as I watched Zephyrs right hoof slowly lower into the steaming soup bowl as he kept his focus on me. Piper and Reks had noticed it as well, and the latter grabbed his sister's paw to keep her from pulling Zephyrs hoof out of the way of the bowl.

"Well, if your ever in need of a mane stylist for your actors, you've got a soon-to-be-certified mane styler in front of yo-AGH!!!" He went to state proudly before yelping like a child as he pulled his hoof out of the steaming bowl and started fanning it rapidly while blowing on it, all the while Reks and I nearly fell out of our seats with how hard we were laughing.

"C'mon, guys. That's not funny." Piper said with a frown as she grabbed a couple napkins off a nearby table and passed them to Zephyr, who immediately grabbed them and began wiping his hoof down while sending a glare straight at me.

"Not cool, dude. Why didn't you say anything?" He asked me as I calmed down and winced slightly at the angry stare I was receiving from the pegasus.

"And you! You know better than to let someone hurt themselves!" Piper exclaimed, slapping Reks upside the head as the dog whimpered slightly from the blow before deciding to eat his sandwich in silence.

"Alright...I'm sorry for not warning you about dipping your fragile hooves into the soup." I apologized as Reks snorted out a laugh and Piper face-pawed.

None the wiser to how I worded the apology, Zephyr gave me a weak smile as he finished wipping off his hoof.

"Thanks for apologizing, Mitch. That wasn't very-HEY!" Zephyr exclaimed before pointing his now dry hoof at me. "My hooves aren't fragile! They're just genetically delicate, is all!"

Piper groaned and put her face into the table while her brother held his sides from how hard he was laughing.

"This is my life. Surrounded by three loud males who are the mental age of a pup." She muttered while I grabbed my spoon and took a short sip of what was in the bowl.

"Holy shit this is good!" I exclaimed as soon as my mouth was empty, immediately going for a bigger spoonful while Zephyr looked on in suprise.

"Is it that good?" He asked aloud before putting his spoon in his left wing tips and taking a spoonful himself. "It Ish goodhs!"

While Zephyr began to copy my speed-eating, Reks had already finished his sub and was currently occupied with pulling out several weapons from his chest and looking them over.

Things stayed like that for a couple minutes, nothing but quiet eating and the sounds of metal being moved around piercing the silence before Pipers chest began to glow blue.

Stopping mid-bite, I pointed my crystal finger at the captain.

"Your boobs are glowing." I said plainly, causing her to blink in suprise at the out of left field comment.

"Excuse me? Why in Tartarus are you staring at my-WAIT THEY ARE?!" She started off angry, but suddenly became excited as she reached into her tunic and pulled out a necklace with a blue gem attached that was giving off a gentle blue shine.

"Reks, give me my armour." She said quickly, causing her brother to leer at her as he did what he was told and pull the blue colored armour from his fur.

Ugh...am I glad thats his power and not mine. That looks sooo messed up. I shuddered in disgust as Piper put her armour and greaves on.

"What's the rush?" Zephyr asked Piper as she finished donning her armour and squeezed her brother in a big hug.

"This gem only goes off when my mate is nearby, and I haven't seen him in months!" She exclaimed before releasing her sibling (Who was currently attempting to regain oxygen in his lungs) and turning to me, her face suddenly serious. "Alright, I have to go and find my mate real quick, but after that I have to follow orders and head back to the tribe." She points at Reks first, then down the street behind her. "Reks is going to help you out with whatever the chief told you to do, but if it involves your core than your best bet is looking around near the castle for someone knowledgeable on the dark arts." She finished as I nodded my head, understanding her position but also a bit saddened to see the enthusiastic dog leave us.

"Thanks for the tip, and take care, Captain. Have fun with your man." I told her with a wink while she waved at us and jogged off down the path we had entered the city in. "So, what about you?" I asked the pegasus next to me, who was staring off into space with a frown on his face.

Realizing I was talking to him, Zephyr turned his gaze to me as he stood up from his chair.

"Well, I think I might follow in Pipers footsteps. I've got to go and register for the therapy school, and get ready for the classes I'll be taking." He answered as he fidgeted in place for a bit before extending his hoof as a soft smile graced his features. "Thanks, Mitch. Without you, I'm sure I'd be still locked up on that mountain looking for that stupid doorway."

"Don't give me too much credit, I'm sure Bertha would've lost her patience well before then." I told him as I shook his hoof with my hand. "Good luck in Mane school, delicate hooves."

Zephyr let out a snort as he began to hover off the ground. "Whatever you say, Dog boy."

With that, the pegasus took off over the rooftops and towards the castle area, though it looked like he veered left a bit before going out of sight.

Turning back to Reks, I couldn't help but notice how...alone I felt at that moment.

This whole time, I've had a group of people with me to talk to and hang out with...Now it's just me and a dog who doesn't talk.

Letting out a sigh, I went to say something to Reks but was interrupted as the waitress came back with a piece of paper in her right hoof.

"Whenever you're ready." She stated plainly before turning and walking off to another group of ponies that had sat nearby. Looking down at the paper, I almost felt my heart stop when I realized it was the check.

For fucks sake, they left the man from another world with the BILL?!

Author's Note

Writers block is an unforgiving bitch sometimes.

And with this chapter we begin the Crystal Empires very own story arc! There were a couple tells here and there hinting at later chapters and what will happen, so take that as you will.

Other than that, I'll see yall next time!