We returned as heroes, and the dragon found out that there were other large ponies around. None of them were quite on his scale, but large enough to not feel alone, and get some socialization in. As they worked to build a primitive hut for him to dwell in, the rest of us got some needed showers.
We didn't get much time off. We were called in the next day with dire news. Contact had been made with the west, including California and the northern parts of Mexico, and the latter was troubling. It seemed the ponies of South America were engaged in a full-scale genocide. Conversion or destruction, there were no other option for the ponies there. Entire countries had become human free. Compared to that, even New York seemed a pathetically minor issue of civil rights.
Cindy had an idea. "We should contact Luna and see if she can't let us talk to the princess of South America."
This required explaining who Luna was, as the officers were quite confused at the new name drop. "She's, to make it simple, a leader of the original ponies on their original world and she's been trying to find a solution to this whole thing with limited results." My words were mildly helpful at least.
The female pointed at pen at me. "That would have been useful information to have earlier. Can you contact her at any time? Can you put her in contact with us?"
I shrugged at that, "We talk telepathically through dreams, which sounds insane to start, so I have no idea how to get her to talk to other people. I could ask?"
"Do that. Now. You're dismissed."
Ugh, sent to my room. Even as a princess I wasn't immune to being grounded it seemed. I chuckled at my plight and returned to my quarters with Sandra and Dusk at my sides. They snuggled in against me as I settled to try to get to sleep. Dusk suggested, "If you got some of her magic, you should try dream-talking too. Try getting into our dreams."
As valid idea as any, or so I figured. When trying to get to sleep, it came swiftly, and I found myself in a perfectly black void. Cindy stood next to me in her own tauroid body. She moved up and kissed me, hands wrapping around my upper torso as she pulled me into a rather passionate hug. "It feels so nice to be able to touch you instead just touching myself."
I wasn't entirely sure how to react to any of that, outside the obvious physical ways. I hugged her back briefly. "Uh, so which do you want to try first?"
"It was Dusk's idea!" She pointed into the dark. "Go ahead."
I concentrated on Dusk, and the void ceased being the void. Instead I saw Dusk sitting upright in front of a gathering of ponies. Each one seemed to take turns walking up to him and nuzzling his enhanced anatomy. "You are so wise and virile, we are lucky to have you." Most were mares, but not all, and he gave them equal attention with soft pets and soothing words. It was a basic power trip dream, though it seemed fairly harmless as they went.
Cindy snorted with an amused expression before reaching into the vision and pulling Dusk free abruptly. Dusk came aware with a squeak. "Huh? Cindy?" He turned in her grasp to see me. "Will! You did it!"
Cindy put Dusk down, letting him rush over to sit beside me while she conjured up Sandra's dream. She was a human there, watching TV, and enjoying time before everything went pony. I shook my head. "Leave her. It feels cruel to interrupt that."
The point had been made, dream magic was part of our bag of tricks. Thinking of Luna wasn't quite enough, barely making an impression in the void. Cindy sat down beside me, opposite of Dusk, and touched her horn to mine, and together we pierced the veil between worlds, revealing Luna taking a bath.
She noticed the intrusion almost immediately and looked towards us. "Oh! I didn't know you could do that. One moment." She drew down a curtain over the vision, giving her privacy, until she stepped out around it and joined us in the void. "I gather this is something important, or are you simply testing a new ability?"
Dusk pointed off in a direction. "Ponies are taking over South America." At Luna's blank look, he added, "One of our continents. They're killing or converting all the humans there. We think we have America, uh, a country, locked down."
Luna leaned in towards Dusk. "Who are you, if I may ask? You look almost normal. Are there many others like you?"
Cindy flashed a grin. "He's a friend of ours. We brought him along, and yes, a lot of ponies are mostly normal."
Luna clopped her hooves together. "Praised be harmony. As for this 'Southern America', there is little I could do to directly aid."
I raised a hand. "Not so fast. You're in contact with all the, uh, 'princesses', right?"
Luna nodded. "To an extent. Only a few willingly come to see me, like yourself. Most seem to avoid me."
Dusk tilted his head. "Wait, did you find any answers yet?"
Luna frowned at Dusk's interruption, but then brightened. "Ah, yes! Thank you for reminding me. Princess Twilight Sparkle surmised that the void taint could be expended, freeing a pony from its effects."
I sighed at that. "We found that one out on our own, anything else?"
Luna swiveled an ear. "Have you? Well that's good. I'll pass the word on to the others." She squinted at Dusk, staring at him a long moment, then looking up at me, then Cindy. "Why is he free but you two are still infected?"
Cindy moved between me and Luna with a frown. "Anything else?"
Luna waved a hoof, shoving Cindy aside effortlessly. "You can't challenge me here. Tell me and be truthful."