The City of Dreams

Spike was freaking out by the fourth day of Twilight's absence. He paced back and forth around the library followed by Owlicious, the brown barn owl that lived with Twilight and him. They had said that their trip would only have taken four days, two on the way to the site of the Enchantment, a day at the site maximum, and then they would have taken a train back on the forth. Simple, right? And if anything where to keep them there longer, then Twilight would have sent word, but she didn't. It wasn't like her to be tardy in anything, so that must mean that she never sent a letter to begin with; and that worried the little dragon more than anything.

"What if she's abandoned me?"Spike fretted as he chewed his claws.

"Who?" Owlicious said behind him.

Spike snapped the flying creature a venomous look, "Oh you know; Twilight, the one who lives with us, Purple with a horn sticking out of her noggin! Probably the only pony I can call family! Just that pony."

"Who," the owl noted.

"Oh come on, you can't have forgotten her this soon!" Spike said, but then began to worry again, "Or maybe it's just soon enough!" And soon Spike was rolling around on the ground bawling his eyes out at the thought that Twilight would just be a distant memory.

After about an hour or so, Spike had stopped his little melt down long enough to think things through to come to a conclusion on what the best course of action was. So Spike picked himself off the floor and did the only thing he know what to do; he began to write a letter.

Spike picked up his quill and found a still wet ink well to write with, Owlicious swooped in and dropped a piece of parchment. Moments later Spike was perched over a desk writing his letter.

'Dear Princess Celestia, this is your humble subject Spike the dragon.' Spike started off, thinking how to go about actually writing the letter; so many times he had been just penning them for Twilight and never really for himself. The memory of all the friendship reports just fueled his determination to find out what happened to his friend.

'I am writing this letter because my dearest Friend Twilight Sparkle has gone missing. Normally I would never trouble you for something like this, but Twilight went missing on a task that you gave her. Please, if there is anything that I could do to help her, then please tell me. I miss her. Your loyal subject; Spike the Dragon."

Once Spike was satisfied with the note he set it aflame with his green dragons breath, and it disintegrated into a cloud of smoke. It was soon whisked away out an open window into the night air and towards Canterlot. The note would then appear in front of the Princess at the other end.

Spike waited for a reply, but none seemed to come. And by the time an hour had passed Spike had just about given up hope. "It must be some sort of super top secret that she can't tell a dragon like me," Spike said a bit dejected at the prospect. Spike was about to go back to reorganizing the books for the tenth time that day when a scroll popped into existence above him and fell knocking into him.

Excited that he received a reply Spike unrolled it instantly, though what was inside puzzled him a bit. It was just a simple sentence, and read "Will you do anything?" followed by a yes and a no under it. Spike didn't really like where this was going, but he circled the "yes" anyways and sent the letter back.

A minute later another note fizzled before him again, this time it said something even more confusing.

"'Keep calm, and whatever you do don't panic.' Well that's some good advice I guess, but that doesn't really hel-" Spike was cut short as he soon was caught on fire. It was the similar green fire as the letters and he started to disappear. The young dragon only managed to get a partial yell out before he was gone completely. A distraught Owlicious hooted and flew circles around a now empty room.

Applejack just didn't feel right. It might have been the new body that she was currently stuck in, but that wasn't it really. It was her hat, or to be precise, the absence of her hat. When she and her friends had been flung to this world, her hat hadn't come along for the ride. It wasn't vital really, but it still felt as if a part of her had been taken, as if somepony had taken her tail; which was currently stuffed down her pants and felt mighty uncomfortable.

Once they had cleaned up after the sickeningly sweet breakfast, Rarity had made it a point that they should wear more comfortable clothing, instead of the ones that were first lent to them. And though Applejack did think it was a bit push'n their luck, she had to admit that having her tail stuffed down a trouser leg didn't seem right to her. Looking at Fluttershy and RD made her qualms look miniscule compared to them and their wings. Heck, while everypony else got some new threads, they still had to use their shirts as a band; though she knew that there was something about these lumps on their chests, they didn't seem like something to cover up or be embarrassed too much about, maybe it was a Human thing.

And another thing was the "jeans" that Will had lent them. They itched worse than a bad case of ticks in all the wrong places. Liza had explained that Will kept quite a few pairs of work clothes since they usually got covered in engine grease and oil often and that was most likely the reason why they were so itchy. At this revelation Rarity had nearly fainted knowing that she was wearing something incredibly filthy, though AJ didn't mind too much ah'bout that since she lived on a farm an' all.

Liza had taken the girls into her bedroom and opened a closet, "Alright, I know I don't have too much that can fit you, but we'll try and make do," she looked over to Rarity, "Rarity, didn't you say that you used to own a boutique?"

Rarity looked at her as if she had said that she was a simple nopony, "Yes darling, I own a boutique, but that's not all. I've made countless dresses; I've made fashion statements rise and fall with my needle; and I have even had the pleasure of making clothing for the ponies in Canterlot for nearly every occasion." She said proudly.

"Great, then you won't mind helping me modify some of my old clothes and shirts to fit your "uniqueness," there's some scissors, a needle, and thread if you need it to make the adjustments on the counter over there," Liza said as she shuffled though some dowers of her closet. Eventually she picked out something that suited each of the girl's tastes; Dash had wanted something that she could easily move in, Applejack something durable, Pinkie Pie something pink, and the list went on until each and every one of them had a set that they liked.

"Just one thing before I dig any further," Liza said eyeing everyone up; "you aren't wearing anything under those are you?"

"Um, no, not really. Are we supposed to?" Fluttershy asked from behind her ribbons of pink hair.

Liza face palmed, "Of course you don't, and I don't even have all of your sizes," she glared at Pinkie and a few others, taking a slight sting of jealousy. "We're going to have to hit the town aren't we?" she said to no one in particular.

From each of their sets, Rarity set about making them fit to the individual wearer, cutting holes and buttoned ports for wings and such, and hemming them so the fabric wouldn't tear. When all was said and done, they looked at themselves in the room's dressing mirror. Admiring their new look.

Dash was wearing a royal blue running t-shirt, light grey cargo shorts, and a sky blue hoodie. Fluttershy's choice was just a simple lemon yellow spring dress that Liza said that she only wore once. Rarity had browsed a human fashion magazine earlier on in the bedroom and had chosen something along the lines of one of the styles she saw. She wore a white cotton shirt with the sleeves cut off along with a black pencil skirt, and topped it off with a purple silk tie borrowed from a sleeping Will's bedroom. Twilight opted for a purple tinged polo with just a simple navy blue skirt and violet stockings. Pinkie Pie had asked for something in a bright pink, but Liza only had a white t-shirt that had the misfortune of sharing a wash with a pair of red socks once. It was the only pink thing she really had though and Pinkie instantly took it along with some frayed jeans. And when it came to AJ's turn she said that she was fine with the clothes she already had, to which Rarity refused out right and tried several different sets, but none seemed to work out for the farm girl. Finally Applejack relented and took a red plaid shirt to make her friend feel happy, but kept the working jeans.

Though everyone seemed content with their new threads, AJ was still bothered by the absence of something on her noggin, "Ah hate ta be a bother an' all, but do ya'll reckon that there might be a Stetson jus' layin' about? I had one of 'em back where ah came from," AJ asked Liza as she looked at her raided drawers and what she had left.

"No, at least I don't think so. You should check with Will when he wakes up from his nap, I'm sure there might be one poking around here somewhere though, this was a ranch at one point afterall," the others started to file out of the room to look around some more.

"Thank ya kindly, it's sort of a comfort thing n'all," AJ said following the rest out. The sun had come up and everyone wanted to get a look at the world outside, since the last time they were out there it had been pitch black night.

They all stood outside the front door and took in the vastness of the Nevada desert. It reminded Applejack of Appaloosa or the Badlands, but the mountains looked different. Liza pointed to a few of them, "That one there is Mt. Augusta, and that one in the far distance is New Pass Peak." Liza continued to tell the names of the local ridges and mountains, but the girls weren't totally interested. And with each foreign name it all sunk in a bit more that this wasn't Equestria and home.

"...and that one to the far South is Desatoya peak," Liza said proud that she had memorized each of their names. Then she saw the downcast looks on all of the girls and stopped once she realized what she was doing.

"You know you girls are extremely lucky," Liza said after a moment, they all turned to the blonde girl in the wheelchair, "if no one had found you I'd bet that you wouldn't be breathing; July in Nevada can kill anyone who isn't cautious and unprotected. You would have fried out in that sun."

The girls looked up, and they had to admit that it was starting to broil outside. "And there are a lot of people out there that would have done terrible things to you girls had they found you instead, like the Cartels, Creepy ass truckers, and you may have even found yourselves in a government lab being dissected as on account of you being inter-dimensional beings and such," each of these sounded like horrible things, and nopony wanted to have their innards plucked out of them.

"But you made a lucky break I guess, and I guess I should be lucky since I met all of you odd balls," Liza turned and gave them her biggest smile yet. They all returned the grin, happy to have made some new friends as well.

Liza then started to sniff the air, she looked around and found the source of the odor, "When was the last time you girls had a bath anyways?"

Will was having the same dream again. The same dream that had haunted him for four years. Normally, the dream would be considered a nightmare, but by now he didn't mind so much anymore, Will could at least see his Dad in it.

It was four years ago at one of the Reno Air Races, it was the day that the Unlimited Class was up for its turn of the spot light. The sun was bright overhead and the sky was clear without a trace of cloud in sight, not a wisp. It had been a happy occasion as crowds had lined the seats and filled along the fenced parameter, all cheering for the sight of the Air Racers going into the skies. The air was filled with the smell of oil, diesel, and roasted food coming from the stands. Crackling and sputtering engines worked out in the pits as their crews desperately tried to make deadlines for their craft to be air worthy. But above all these sensations, there was excitement in the air as this race would determine the champion of this year's Unlimited Class.

Will was eighteen at the time, but he had been working with his father for two years already, and knew the ins and outs of every aircraft on the show. He was in the pit helping make the final preparations for his Dad's own plane, a modified P-51 Mustang named the Yellow Hornet. The plane was a sight to behold, it had a shortened wingspan and a slightly enlarged engine block; but what made it stand out was the shimmering golden hornet paint job covering the craft so much that it made it look like a tiger. The Father and Son pair was proud of their creation; for not only had they managed to create a plane that could top 800 kph, but it also did it on a pure bio-fuel mixture.

Will stood back and wiped the sweat from his forehead, "All done," he said with relief. A tall figure approached next to him, he had short cropped platinum blonde hair and sported a trimmed goatee. He wore a racing flight suit with the name Eric Hartmann printed on above its left breast pocket. He looked from the plane to his son and placed a hand on Will shoulder, "Good work son," the man said with pride.

"Hey! I helped out too you know!" A sixteen year old Liza came charging from where she had been working, "I developed that bio-fuel, so without me you would never get off the ground!" She huffed at the lack of praise as she stood between them.

"Oh, how could I forget my second little prodigy?" Eric said as he swooped in and lifted his daughter up in the air. Liza giggled like a kid as her dad bristled her with his goatee.

An announcer said over several loudspeakers that it was nearly time to start, "Well then you two, wish me luck!" Their dad said for the last time to their faces as he jumped up into the cockpit and was towed out from under their work pit and onto the apron with the others.

The race had gone exactly like they hoped and their dad was in the lead and it looked like he was going to win the race; that was, until the final lap. From where Will stood he instantly knew that something was wrong as a cloud of smoke started to billow from the Yellow Hornet's engine and a dark grey contrail formed behind it.

A mayday came over the radio as Will's and Liza's dad reported that he had lost control of the plane and was losing altitude. The Hornet started a steep dive for the apron and something exploded behind the propeller as fire enveloped the fuselage. Will could only stand there in shock and terror as the burning craft sped towards him and his sister.

Then, over the headset he was wearing he heard his father's last words, "Goodbye son, take care of your sister for me will you?" The words were calm and rang with resignation that the speaker was going to meet his doom.

"Dad! No!" Will cried. And then the aircraft crashed right before him and his Sister sending him flying, the last thing in the nightmare was the sound of his sister wailing in pain as blackness took hold of him.

Will woke to find a curious face hovering over him. He yelped and fell out of bed along with a curse. Craning his neck Will saw that it was just one of the girls who had entered his room. From his memory he found her name, "Rainbow Dash, was it? Who gave you permission to go in here?"

The rainbow haired girl tilted her head and looked down at him, "Your Sister did, it's nearly night," she said and her wings fluttered behind her, will noticed that she was wearing some proper clothes and thanked Liza once again in his mind, "you've been out cold for ten hours, though I can relate to that since I enjoy a good nap once in a while to recharge myself."

"Yeah yeah, I'll be right up. I just need to have a shower first and shave," Will said as he waved her off.

Though Dash didn't leave quite yet, she looked at him with a touch of concern in her pink eyes, "You seemed like you were having more than just a nap."

Will rubbed his eye sockets with his palm and swept them back though his short blonde hair, "Yeah, it was just a bad dream. And let's leave it at that," Will wasn't about to tell them something like that yet.

"Well, Liza went and ordered pizza, and if you don't get ready soon I think I might just eat your share," Rainbow said with a mischievous grin on her face and left the room with Will still on the floor.

"No one eats my share of the pizza, and I mean no one!" Will hollered after her.

Twilight was looking over the pamphlet of the local pizzeria in her hands; see was shocked to find that they had meat on the menu! It meant that these Humans ate meat, and a fear started to grow in her that they might just get eaten too. But Liza had assured them that they wouldn't be eaten, she went on to explain that humans were omnivores and could eat lots of different things; but meat wasn't necessary, and no one at ponies.

"B-but how can you simply eat those poor little creatures!? How do you think that they feel about this?" Twilight asked angrily, Fluttershy had since returned to her pillow fort and was currently sobbing for the poor critters.

"Well, like I said before I don't. But I think there might be a little misunderstanding here, you said that you were originally ponies right?" Liza asked feeling slightly pressured from the sudden small crisis.

"Yes, we were ponies once," Twilight said feeling a bit disgusted at the menu she was holding.

"Well, since you obviously are intelligent creatures no one will eat you; but do other creatures share the same sentience?" Liza asked trying to picture how their world worked.

"Eyep, some of ma' friends are cows, sheep, an' hogs. They're all smart as a whip, an' they have hopes an' dreams too. Ah'm disgusted tha' anypony woul' even think about eat'n them," Applejack said as she tried to comfort Fluttershy.

"Well then, there's our problem; on this world only Humans have sentience, everything else just runs on instincts and are nothing more than pure animals," Liza stated.

"Well, just because something might not be as smart as you, doesn't mean that it belongs on the table," Twilight reasoned.

"That's a fair point; but when you eat your hay or carrots do you think about the life that you just ate?"

"Well...no, not really," Twilight shrugged, and knew where this was going.

"And how would you feel if a race of sentient celery sticks popped into your world?" Twilight saw the reasoning, and had to admit that it would be awkward, much like right now.

Liza rolled to the door as the pizza would be there any minute now, "Ah, don't beat yourselves up too much, that's a perfectly normal reaction I guess. And honestly, I can understand and respect that. Human's are also omnivores for the sake of survival, but in this day and age survival isn't really a huge concern anymore."

The doorbell rang and Liza opened it to find a lanky Latino teen sporting a funny triangular Pizza hat and red shirt with the name "Lucha Lary's Famous Pizza" in stenciled yellow across it. "Hey Liza, here's your order," the delivery boy said in a friendly tone.

"Thanks Daniel," Liza said handing him some money for the stack of boxes.

"Ah, de nada; also, the boss used his special extra hot sauce on Will's mild jalapeño, in payback for that time he buzzed the shop and nearly gave the boss a heart attack," Daniel exchanged a mischievous laugh with Liza and left for his car.

Liza shut the door and brought the red boxes over to the table. The girls followed, interested in seeing what horrors lay beneath the cardboard. Liza pried them open and let them bask in the cheesy golden goodness that lay before them. They looked in awe at the perfect pizzas and Liza swept an arm under her and bowed as if introducing royalty, "Ladies, let me introduce you to Lucha Lary's World Famous Pizza."