No matter how many times Rainbow Dash blinked, she couldn't spot the Las Pegasus she knew from postcards. She and her friends trotted down the Main Strip. Everywhere the mare looked, all she saw was pavement and steel. Occasionally they'd stroll past a large courtyard flanked with palm trees and fountains, but for the most part it was asphalt, asphalt, and more asphalt.
If anything attracted Rainbow's eyes, it was the copious amount of tourist traps. Countless shopping centers and plazas had been squeezed between the towering hotels, and every window was brightly colored with slot machine and playing card motifs. The further the group progressed into the downtown area, the more pristine and shiny the buildingfaces. Here, the sidewalks were clean, and a relatively pleasant smell wafted from the hotel entrances.
In the hot desert sun, taxis and shuttles pulled by swift ponies whizzed by. Every so often, Rainbow would witness a flock of pegasi drawing a passenger cart skyward. These transports followed the tall central tower of the Las Pegasus skyline, spiraling their way upwards until they reached the bottom gray cloudbeds of the upper city. There, tiny slivers of the cloudstone had been opened, allowing transports to enter and exit. Rainbow never studied up on the architecture of Upper Las Pegasus; she could only guess that solid concrete platforms hovered up there through the assistance of helium, magic, and other things that... she was at a loss to speculate at that moment.
"Say, what's that over there?" Caramel asked, pointing at what looked like a glass arch covering a space between moderately high hotels.
"Mmmm... that?" Bon Bon blinked. "Say... isn't that—?"
"That's Freemane Street," Vinyl droned.
"That's Freemane Street?!" Caramel beamed, ears twitching. "Ohmigosh! Ohmigosh! I... I-I had no idea they covered it up!"
"About two decades ago," Vinyl said. "They have these mana-powered projectors that broadcast all sorts of interesting images and light-shows across the ceiling. At night, they close the street to traffic and allow visitors to trot around freedly. They call it the 'Freemane Street Experience.'"
"Cooooooooool..." Caramel cooed.
"What in Tartarus is so big about Freemane Street?" Lyra muttered.
"Why... it's only what got Las Pegasus started!" Bon Bon exclaimed.
"Lower Las Pegasus," Vinyl corrected.
"Meh. Big whoop," Lyra droned.
"Lyra, I'm surprised at you!" Bon Bon smiled. "A mare as cultured as you would have a greater respect for urban history, wouldn't you think?"
"I'm a musician, Bon-Squared," Lyra said. "And as far as history goes, I know for a fact that a ton of classic singers and instrumentalists died in mysterious zeppelin crashes destined for this town." She snorted. "In ways that have absolutely nothing to do with the mob, I'm sure."
"That tower," Caramel said, pointing at the tower in the center of town. "That leads to Upper Las Pegasus, isn't it?"
"That's right!" Bon Bon grinned. "And Upper LP is where all of the really snazzy sights of this town is!"
"How are we gonna get up there?" Rainbow Dash asked. "I mean... pffft... I could go up there anytime, obviously. But do we have to grab a winged taxi for the rest of you girls?"
"Not tonight," Vinyl calmly said. "I have a session to perform at. Tomorrow is the earliest we can venture above the clouds."
"Eeeeeeeee!" Caramel hopped besides Bon Bon, smiling from ear to ear. "I can't wait!"
"Just where's the hotel anyways?" Rainbow asked. "Where we're staying, I mean."
"Funny you should ask." Vinyl pointed across the immediate intersection. "There she is... Equestria's capital for the underground gothic underground techno scene."
The other ponies squinted to see.
"'Mortuana?'" Lyra remarked.
"Uh huh."
Lyra huffed. "What kind of sucky name is that?"
"One that makes more money than you'll ever see."
"Meh. I can sleep in a coffin tonight if I have to." Lyra pointed across the street. "Come on, gals. Bring out your dead."