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// Chapter 3: City in the desert 
// Story: My Little Pony: The New Rewrite Movie 
// by Arkogon 
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Some time later, the Mane Six travel through a vast desert. The blazing sun filled the sky over the deserts south of the badlands. The lack of clouds and the way the sand absorbed the heat turned it into a freaking oven. And as Twilight and the rest of her escapee friends trudged through it, they had found they hadn't eaten in over three days and had barely been able to sleep a wink. They were now regretting this hasty decision, all ready to collapse any moment. Their manes were a mess, their eyes had bags under them and if they didn't find drinkable water soon, their lips were gonna fall off.

"It's so hot out here" As Rarity wiped her brow.

"Yeah." Flash nodded while sweating. "Who knew it was gonna be hot when you’re in a place surrounded with sands."

The others were desperate for water, and Pinkie was going nuts from the heat. "There's sand in my...everything." She groaned as they continued to trudge over the large dunes whilst trying to not kick up any sand. "Heh...saving...Equestria..." She suddenly let out a demented laugh, then noticed something on the ground. "Oh! Look!" She picked up the skull of some kind of bird. "Maybe this little one knows which way to go!" She giggled as a bug crawled out of the skull and across her face. "What's that, friend?" She placed it next to her ear, "We're lost?" She let out another demented laugh before she started coughing, then fell face first into the sand.

"We could be going in... circles!" Spike pointed out. "Endless... sand. Nothin' for miles... but sand..." He picked something up. "And this rock." He let out a cough before raising his tail, revealing something stuck to it. "And this cactus..." He took a deep breath before falling forward, "And this roooooooooaaaaaad...." Like Pinkie, he seemed seconds away from fainting. "This rooooooad...."

But as he said that, Twilight's exhausted brain registered what he had just said. “Hmm? A road?" She looked down and saw a bunch of rocks sticking out of the sand in an organized fashion. "Where there's a road, there's a-" She stopped and gasped.

Those who hadn't fallen to the ground following her up the dune and also seeing it. Spike was surprised and Rainbow Dash cheered.

"What is that?" Applejack asked as Pinkie suddenly shot up out of the sand looking good as new.

“Oooh! A city!" She happily bounced on the spot. "We're doing it!"

And as the ponies walked into the city, they definitely decided this wasn't a place for ponies to be lost in the industrial city called Klugetown. There were a variety of creatures all around the place, many of which they had never seen before. But they all had an aura about them that screamed they would happily pluck their wings to sell as dusters without a second's thought. The city was filthy, the streets covered in large cracks and holes full of water while the building looked so run down that it was a miracle a light breeze didn't knock them over. Then Fluttershy spotted a bunch of cages filled with animals that did not look happy. She moaned before the birds started squawking loudly. She ran back to her friends, who had just stepped up to a large bipedal turtle creature lifting giant barrels onto a cart.

"Hi there!" Twilight called out as the turtle threw the barrel onto a stack of others. But all this did was make the barrels roll off the cart. "Ooh, I'm sorry. Here. Lemme help you with that." She started using her magic to lift the barrels up.

"Hey!" He yelled. "No magic around my merchandise!"

They all flinched at this, the group quickly walking away. "You know that he only said that after you finished helping because he didn't wanna pay you back, right?" Flash commented.

"I get the feeling this place isn't the kind of place ponies should be in." Spike said, believing the place is not friendly.

“It's not like we have much of a choice." Twilight responded. "There's no way we're gonna survive much longer without food and supplies, and this is the only place we'll get some anytime soon. So we just gotta stick together. Be careful who you talk to. And try to blend in."

But Pinkie immediately does just that by asking around about the Queen of the Hippos. "Can I have your attention please?! Can anypony take us to the Queen of the Hippos?!"

Then a pig creature spoke. "You want something? You gotta give something!"

"Well, how about a big warm hug from a grateful pony friend?” She said happily. “How about this comb that I've never used? A picture of my sister Maud? This breath mint? Seriously, buddy. Help me help you."

The pig creature blechs and leaves, just as she saw her friends run up. "Pinkie." Twilight barked. "You can't just take off! And you don't need to announce to every-"

"Relax, Twilight!” The pink pony cut her off. “I totally got this!"

But as she said that, an eight foot lizard creature stepped up. “How much for the giant gecko?" He said.

They got confused as Spike then asked, “Who you callin' a gecko?"

“Uh, Spike isn't for sale." Twilight said, trying to keep him away from the creature.

Then Another Creature. “I want that fancy purple hair!" Pointed at Rarity's mane. "I'll give ya two Atlantis gold for it!"

"Two Atlantis gold?!" She yelped, "It's worth more than that!"

Then all the creatures are bidding, wanting to buy them until someone leapt down in front of them. "Back up, everyone! Back it up!" Standing tall to reveal it was some kind of humanoid cat with orange fur and a red overcoat. "Y'all in some serious danger!" He stepped away from the ponies, looking absolutely terrified. "Now you didn't touch any of them, did you?" He pointed at the ponies, "Just look at all those colors! You think that's natural? They're infected with "pastelis coloritis!"

All the creatures gasped and backed away not wanting to touch them. "Now yah listen here fella, there ain't-" Applejack didn't get to finish as the cat stuffed the end of his tail in front of her mouth.

"Don't worry, don't worry..." He ran over to one of the shark creatures. "As long as you're not covered in purple splotches, you'll be fine." As he said that, he swung his tail around and the shark next to him got covered in the purple stuff. Somehow it didn't seem to notice, at least until the cat turned to him before jumping back. "Uh-oh."

The shark looked down and saw the purple splotches covering his body, the creature gasping. "What do I do?!"

"Enjoy your last moments and don't touch anyone." The cat chuckled. "Because parts will fall off." This was enough to terrify the shark and everyone else around him, the crowd suddenly vanishing in a cloud of kicked up dust. "Well, all right." Letting out a purr as he turned to the ponies.

“Wow! You're awesome!" Rainbow Dash said.

"And quite charming." Rarity giggled.

“Capper's the name." The cat brushed some dust off his coat before bowing. "Charming's my game." He turned to stare down an alleyway. "So...to the Hippos, then?"

He began to make his way down the alley, Pinkie laughing as she bounced after him. That was until Twilight jumped in front of her, holding up her wing to stop her. “I don't know if we should trust him."

“We could definitely use a friend out here!" Pinkie told her.

"You know what?" Capper placed a paw on their shoulders. "Little Cotton Candy Hair is right. And, if I do say so myself..."

Then he sings, "I'm The Friend You Need." Still, not gonna do the whole shocking song of this. You just have to go online on YouTube and search it up. Let's start at the end of it. Capper had finished his song and brought them to a large windmill he called home. They climbed up a large flight of stairs before arriving at an attic door, quickly pushing it open.

"Welcome, my little ponies, to my little manor." He leapt inside and the ponies stuck their heads through the trapdoor, allowing them to see inside the room. It was a small round room full of bookshelves and other items that looked like they were from another world entirely.

"Ooh!" Rarity hummed. "A sort of a roco-hobo-Bohemian hodgepodge."

"Apologies for the state of my litter box.” He said, and chuckled. “I wasn't expecting guests."

They glanced around at this, each being interested in certain items. "Ooh!" As Pinkie looked up at a bunch of bobbles hanging from the ceiling, "So many fun breakables!"

“Lookie, don't touchie." As Flash told her, as Rainbow and Applejack stared at a tea pot with ten spouts on it.

"Y'all sure y'all want the Hippos?" The orange cat asked, as Twilight began looking at the bookshelves.

"Yessirree!" Pinkie nodded, "The Queen of the Hippos!"

The cat smirked. “Not like the Queen of the Lions, or Tigers, or Bears?"

Fluttershy looked interested in those queens while Twilight glanced at Flash and thought of telling him now. "Flash...."

"Hmm?" He look at Twilight, as she has something to say.

"Can I speak with you, just a moment?" He nodded, as they both locked eyes together. And she's ready to say it. “Do you remember that last night we did together?"

"Of course, I remember." As he recalled their time. "We were at night with our friends. Pinkie invited us to her party. Then we danced for a while and went out just for a night. And then, return home." Then notice her blushed as he wonders what was in her mind. "Is there something that I didn't know?"

"Well, it's something.” She explained. “And I really want it to get off my chest."

"You can tell me if something's wrong." Before Twilight could say, she noticed something on a nearby bookshelf. "I'll tell you, later." As she left, leaving Flash confused. She looked at a book that looked rather out of place. The strangest thing was there was a drawing of a mountain on it, one which she also spotted a good distance out the window.