Okay, here's the next chapter. No reviews yet, but that doesn't discourage me in the least.

Winry wandered out and looked around. The hot desert air was thick and humid. Winry felt her clothes sticking in uncomfortable places already. Den was panting by her side, stopping every once in awhile to try and shake sand out of the joints of his automail leg. Despite several dwellings the whole place appeared to be deserted. Not a single soul was in sight.

"I wonder if anyone lives here?" She said to herself. Den's ears perked up and he growled, his nose questing the air in front of him.

Winry looked questioningly at Den, and then looked where he was staring. An old man had emerged from one of the small dwellings and was staring at Winry. His skin was brown, wrinkled, and spotted in some places. He was bald except for a small strip of white hair on the top of his head and he sported a long beard and mustache. His clothes were simple and tattered and he walked with a slight bend to his back. Winry didn't know what to say so she just waited for the old man to approach her.

"Excuse me young lady, but where did you come from?"

Winry thought back to the cyclone and the way her house had been lifted from the ground, but decided he wouldn't believe her, so she simply said, "From Resembool."

"But that's all the way to the West! Are you an Alchemist?"

Winry shook her head, "No, I'm an automail mechanic."

"Automail?" The man looked confused. "I've never heard of such a thing."

"My dog has it." Winry said, indicating Den.

The old man examined the artificial limb and seemed impressed. "That's fine work young lady."

Winry blushed, always happy to accept a compliment from someone. Suddenly, she saw movement behind the old man and looked up. More people, most with the same brown skin and tattered clothes emerged from the dwellings looking nervous. Winry saw women holding babies, men holding makeshift weapons, and children grabbing desperately to their mother's skirts, looks of hopelessness and fear evident on their faces. The old man turned to them and said, "Don't be frightened! The young lady is no Alchemist."

The people sighed in relief and relaxed considerably. They came and introduced themselves to Winry, asking questions about her automail skills, where she came from, and how she survived the cyclone.

"I was in my house and the cyclone picked it up and the next thing I knew it had dropped me off here."

The crowd gasped as they heard this. The girl had arrived in a flying house? They took a few steps back, nervous again. The old man came forward and explained.

"Please excuse our suspicions young lady. We are Ishbalen refugees, forced to live in this makeshift camp in the desert to the East on the edge of Amestris. The military from Central, would be bounty hunters, and agitators have arrived countless time to make trouble for us. Not only that, but the Wicked Alchemist of the West's sister has plagued us with her wickedness for as long as anyone can remember."

Winry thought about this. She knew after the Ishbalen War many Ishbalens had fled to refugee camps to avoid aggression from the military and dissenters of the war alike. But she'd never heard about the Wicked Alchemist of the West or her sister. She knew there were deserts around the edges of Amestris too, so that was still logical.

"Alright, but I'm not an alchemist. And isn't there a lot of alchemists in Central and the other military headquarters?"

The old man looked surprised and said, "No young lady. There are only three known Alchemists in all of Amestris! One is the Wicked Alchemist of the West, the other is her sister, the Wicked Alchemist of the East, and the last is the Glorious Fuhrer of Amestris."

Winry was stunned. This obviously wasn't the Amestris she knew. What had happened inside that cyclone?

Before anything else could be said, a young girl who had been examining the house suddenly cried out, "Look!"

Everyone rushed over to the house and gasped at what they saw. A pair of legs with striped stockings was sticking out from under the house. The fringes of a gaudy looking dress were also visible. Sparkling on the leg's feet was a pair of blood red shoes. They were a deep, glowing red with a smooth candy shell look to them. Winry knew if she touched them they would feel warm, almost alive. The Ishbalens looked at the legs, then at each other. They all threw up their hands and laughed and cheered! Some danced, others ran up to shake Winry's hands, and the rest chanted, "She's dead! At last the Wicked Alchemist of the East is dead!"

Winry felt a little sick. She'd never killed anyone before, directly or indirectly. She knew it wasn't really her fault, but she couldn't help but feel responsible for this. The old man looked at her face wrought with despair and touched her on the shoulder. "Don't worry about it young lady. She was an evil woman who ruled the areas to the East despotically."

Winry was about to answer, but was interrupted by a voice.

"Well, what's going on here?"

The Ishbalens all stopped celebrating as they heard this new voice. A woman was standing by the door to Winry's house, a hood covering her face and a cape shrouding her features. She walked over to the side of the house and looked down at the legs sticking out from under the house.

"So the vain fool is finally dead then?"

The woman pulled down her hood to reveal her black braids tied tight to her head. She smiled at Winry and said, "And if I'm not mistaken you are responsible for this?"

Winry nodded and said, "But it was an accident! The cyclone picked up my house and dropped it here! I wasn't steering it or anything!"

The woman laughed and said, "I know, but I wouldn't worry about it. By the time the Alchemist of the West finds out, you'll be well on your way out of here."

Winry suddenly recognized this woman!

"You're Izumi Curtis! Ed and Al's teacher!"

Izumi frowned and said, "Yes, my name is Izumi but how do you know that?"

"We've met before! Don't you remember?"

"We've never met before and I've certainly never taught anyone anything. What would I have to teach?"

"Alchemy of course!"

"Only three people in Amestris can perform Alchemy and I'm certainly not one of them!"

Winry was confused all over again. She knew this woman was Izumi, by her actions, hair, and voice, everything about her was Izumi. But she didn't recognize Winry at all, and they had met several times.

"I'm so confused." Winry said, sitting on the ground.

Izumi sat next to and picked up a nearby stick. "Let me explain a few things to you and maybe you'll understand better."

She sketched a large oval in the sand and drew an X through the whole thing. She marked the East, South, West, North, and Central City on the map and began to explain the geography.

"This is the country of Amestris where we currently are. This area," She tapped the center. "is Central City where the ruler of Amestris, the Fuhrer, resides. The current Fuhrer is much different from previous Fuhrers and has lasted longer than any of the other Fuhrers throughout the history of this country. While past Fuhrers have ruled over Amestris collectively, the current Fuhrer divided Amestris equally into four areas. We are currently in the East, the bread basket of Amestris, the center of Agriculture. The entire area was ruled over by Etnad before you killed her. Her sister rules the area to the West. Both of the sisters have long since seceded from Amestris and rule their areas as separate countries. With Etnad dead, her sister will try to take the lands to the East as her own to strengthen her campaign against the Fuhrer, while the Fuhrer will strive to regain the lands as his own. The South is largely uninhabited with swamps and bogs, hardly suitable for living, so a small Senate rules there under the Fuhrer. The North, the technological nerve center of Amestris, where our cars, trains, and other devices are largely manufactured, is run by an unknown monarch appointed by the Fuhrer. No one has ever seen him and he sends orders out by slips of paper passed through a small hole in a screen. As soon as you exit the desert, a road made of yellow brick runs through most of Amestris, a universal highway of sorts. This desert is only a small portion of the East, the rest being arable farmland. The Ishbalens were relocated here after the war and have been under the cruel influence of Etnad since. And that is a brief history of Amestris. Do you have any questions?"

Winry had thousands, but knew they would be useless. Somehow, that cyclone had picked her up and dropped her in another world, one that was similar to Amestris, yet significantly different. People, places, and landmarks were the same, but they played different roles than in the world Winry knew. She shook her head and said, "I need to find my way home. Can you help me?"

Izumi scuffed out the map and said, "You'll have to visit the Fuhrer. He's the only one who could be any help, being an Alchemist. If you follow the Yellow Brick Road you should find him within a few days. But if you're going to see the Fuhrer, you must change your clothes. They won't let you near him wearing oil stained coveralls."

Winry frowned at that remark but went inside to change. She quickly grabbed the first thing in her closet which was a blue checked dress and white pinafore her grandmother had bought her as a present. She obviously had no taste in clothes, but Winry decided it didn't matter who saw her in this place, because as soon as she got home no one would know she had been wearing it. She took off the slightly oily bandana and tied her hair into pigtails so her hair wouldn't fall into her face. It was going to be a long trek in the desert that much was certain. She splashed some water on her face in the kitchen before heading back outside. She was surprised to see a strange woman standing there holding what appeared to be a broomstick. She was wearing a bright red dress and cape with a pointed red hat, wide brimmed with a crown like a cone. She had short black hair and was currently talking to Izumi. Winry stopped on the porch of her house and listened.

"So I see my crystal ball didn't lie. There lays my sister crushed under a house! I suppose you're here to re-annex the areas of the East for the Fuhrer then?"

Izumi stared coldly back and said, "I don't know what you're talking about. The Fuhrer holds no sway over me!"

The woman in red laughed in a clear voice.

"How droll! Fine then, I'll just take the shoes and be on my way."

The woman turned around and Winry saw her face clearly for the first time. There was no mistaking that face. It was Dante. She glanced at Winry, smiling sweetly, before heading around the side of the house. Winry and Izumi followed her. The Ishbalens had disappeared, no doubt hiding in their tents and other shelters while Dante was here. When they got to where the legs were sticking out, they found Dante frantically searching for something. A wild look was in her eyes as her hands moved smoothly under the house, feeling for something and coming up short. She stood up and marched up to Izumi.

"Where are they?"

Izumi's face was the picture of innocence. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Where are the shoes? The Blood Red Slippers! Where are they?"

Izumi shrugged and said, "Perhaps you should check that girl's feet."

Winry was surprised when she saw Izumi pointing at her. She looked down and was shocked to see those smooth red shoes on her feet. They glinted divinely in the desert heat.

"Whoah hey, I didn't ask for these!"

Dante stomped up to her and grabbed her face, bringing it close to hers.

"I believe you're wearing my shoes you little brat! Hand them over or you'll live to regret it!"

Den barked fiercely at Dante who merely gave him a withering look. Den immediately cowered, tail between his legs. Winry, angry that this woman would be so cruel, pushed her back and said, "I don't think so! They're my shoes now!"

Dante looked shocked, then angry. She clapped her hands and said, "So be it then!"

Before Dante could place her hands anywhere Izumi quickly said, "It doesn't matter what you do, those shoes won't come off."

Dante glared at Izumi and said, "More of your handiwork?"

Izumi glared back and said, "I'm no Alchemist."

Dante narrowed her eyes and said, "I don't know what you're playing at, but I'll be back. Those shoes will be mine yet!" She looked at Winry and said, "I'll get you my pretty! And your little dog too!"

Dante then placed her hands on the broom, red electricity jumping over it until it floated in the air. Dante mounted it and flew off towards the West. Winry bent down and felt the shoes. They felt just as smooth as they looked. Izumi walked over to her and said, "That was Dante the Wicked Alchemist of the West. Besides the Fuhrer she's the only one who can perform Alchemy."

Winry noticed Izumi was pronouncing alchemy and alchemist with capital letters. Alchemy was much different here, almost like magic. She glanced down at the legs and was surprised to see them curl over onto themselves in a roll before pulling under the house altogether. She quickly looked back at Izumi who was pointing towards the area where Dante flew off.

"The Yellow Brick Road passes right by Central City so make sure you don't go past it. Beyond Central is Dante's territory. She has Seven Winged Sins in her employ, so make sure you don't go too far. She's very evil and very powerful."

Winry nodded and started walking away. She turned around and said, "Thank you for everything Izumi!"

Izumi smiled and said, "Good luck little girl."

Winry stood up straight and walked off. She was prepared for the desert walk come what may or hell to pay.

Ending Note: Review, but don't flame.