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Chapter 4: To The Tannery

Twilight Sparkle stepped out of the old lady's front door and barely escaped being knocked over by donkeys carrying heavy loads.

"Be careful!" Twilight Sparkle warned the others. Once the donkeys had passed, the Mane 6 spilled into the alleyway. Everything looked ancient, so different to the land they came from. They hadn't expected it to be so busy. The sights and sounds around them made Pinkie Pie excited. Her hopping got higher at all the vibrant swirls of colour. Pinkie Pie threw her head back, cleared her throat and burst out singing, "This is so much fun!"

All of a sudden, a shout of "Balak! Balak!" (Look out! Look out!) interrupted her song.

"Who interrupted my song?" asked Pinkie Pie.

Turning around, they saw a whole bunch of animals being herded towards them. The strange sight and shout reminded them they were here on business and time was running out.

The Mane 6 regained their self-control and headed off stumbling over the uneven cobble stoned streets to find the Tannery. The alleys were full of bustling crowds. There was colourful material, clothes and leather good on display everywhere and beggars were sitting with outstretched hands.

There were little workshops with craftsmen at their trade. In front of tiny shops were piles of vegetables and fruit they had never seen before. There were beautiful women doing their daily shopping, bartering with shopkeepers for the best prices. All along the way, there were groups chatting, children running around laughing, animals being herded and cats hunting for meals.

It was hard not to get distracted by all the activity in Fez's mysterious labyrinth. Every turn brought them into another fascinating alleyway. Finally, after a couple of hours, they found a steep, narrow stairway leading to a shop filled with colourful leather goods. Rarity rushed up the stairs without a second thought and started grabbing as many things as she could. For her this was what life was all about, shopping!

"Rarity!" shouted Twilight Sparkle, "Stop! Put it back. We can't take it with us. Remember what Zecora said. We will not be able to travel through the portal if we take anything other than the ingredients we came to get."

Disappointed and angry, Rarity stormed out of a door opposite the entrance. She stopped at the sight. She was on a balcony high above the street. Below her was a rainbow of colours. The Tannery! She called her friends and pointed at the skilled tanners crouching and balancing over the enormous vats. These vats were filled with dyes in shades of bright saffron, poppy, indigo and black.

"This is it!" exclaimed Apple Jack excitedly. "Finally, we have found it."

"This is the place Zecora told us about. The ingredients must be here. All we need to do is get down there and find them." said Twilight Sparkle, already rushing for stairs leading down to the Tannery.

TBC

I don't own any of the MLP characters...