Mammoth Journey
By: Strelet9
Dawn began creeping up on the sleepy little town of Ponyville. The sun's rays barely shown over the mountains. But, it gave off a pink-purple hue as the morning twilight slowly gave way to the brightness of the morning sun. This alpine glow could be seen for miles around. Truly, it's a sight to behold - granted, that every pony was awake enough to see it. But, nowhere was this view more spectacular, then in the rolling hills of Sweet Apple Acres.
At least, that's what Applejack thinks.
The country mare stood at the crest of the hill and gazed at the immense orchard that stretched across her family's farm. She can see the long rows of apple trees; all sporting very ripe apples of every size and color. To the young mare, it was as if the trees were begging to be bucked!
Applejack took a deep breath of the cool, dry air, let out a resounding "Eeeyah!" and charged down the hill towards the apple orchard. Galloping at full speed, she was able to pick the first tree she wanted to buck. Then, turning sharply to the left, Applejack came to a screeching halt at the nearest tree and gave it a good kick. That, alone, is enough to shake the apples off the tree and into the baskets that she and her brother, Big Mac, had set up the day before. Satisfied with the first batch, she quickly went to another tree and gave that a really good kick.
She repeated the same routine with several more trees; before breaking out into a sweat. Applejack checked the skies above her and noticed it is slowly getting brighter.
"Sun must be comin' up fast", she thought. It would be a matter of time before Granny Smith and the rest of the family wakes up and gets breakfast ready. Her stomach growled at the mere thought of food.
"Whew! Looks like Ah worked mahself up an appetite!" Applejack said, patting her belly.
The orange mare looked around the orchard for a bit. There were so many trees that needed to harvested. But, she knew didn't have enough time to buck all of them (her stomach wouldn't allow her to continue). But, then again, the sun itself was beginning to show, as it rose over the mountains. That meant she still have some time to finish the job.
"Ah! What the hay!" Applejack exclaimed. "Ah'll buck one more tree!"
Even though she's tired from all of the running, Applejack still had enough energy to walk up to the nearest tree and give it the bucking of a lifetime. She raised her hind legs, building up some tension in her muscles as she did so, and then released that energy in one mighty kick. After that, the country mare felt very proud of herself. But...something didn't feel right.
Instead of feeling the hard wood of the apple tree, her hoofs touched something soft. And, instead of hearing the hard knock that one usually hears when hitting wood, it felt as if she was pulverizing a flour bag.
"What in tarnation.." Applejack pondered as she slowly turned to see the "tree" she just smacked. It wasn't long before her suspicions were proved correct. Because, just then, the "tree" roared with a sound so defining, that it scared the poor mare out her skin!
"WAH!!!!"
She spun around quick and saw the largest beast she had ever seen! It stood at about three and a half meters tall and is covered from head to foot in brown fur. Its two massive tusks gleamed in the morning sun and it had a long, snakelike, snout in front of its face. And, most frightening of all, was that the roars and trumpeting made the creature sound more like a....
"E-e-e-elephant?!"
Applejack couldn't believe what she was seeing! She had seen an elephant only once; when she saw the circus for the first time as a filly. But, the ones she saw were hairless and well trained. This one's really...furry and had a very bad temper! For a brief second, she regretted giving its leg a good, hard kick. But, she didn't have time to think much about it. For, at that moment, the hairy beast flew into a rage! It wrapped its trunk around an nearby apple tree, pulled it out of the ground, and threw it at Applejack!
Luckily, the quick thinking mare was able to dodge the falling tree, as it landed on the ground with a mighty crash. Normally, she would face anything that threatened her head-on. But, after what she just saw, the only plan she could think of was to run! So, with that in mind, Applejack ran as fast as her legs can carry her.
She didn't stop for a second look. It was a wise choice, because the enraged, furry elephant was in the process of hurling another tree at the fleeing pony. But, this tree fell short of its target and, once again, Applejack is lucky to be alive. But, this was no time to celebrate. She had to find her family; And quick!
"Gotta...warn...everypony!"
Applejack panted heavily as she neared the farmhouse, where her family was, at that very moment, coming out to see what the commotion was about. The tired country pony didn't stop running until she reached the porch; only collapsing as she came within inches of the porch steps. Seeing this, the Apple family quickly rushed to help her.
Big Mac is the first to come to her aid. The large, red stallion reached out and gently helped his sister back onto her hooves. Then, Granny Smith came and, after taking a quick look at her granddaughter, called out to the red-maned filly, her youngest granddaughter, who's standing next to her.
"Applebloom! Go inside an' geet some water!"
The little filly responded quickly and rushed into the house. Then, the old green pony put her hoof around Applejack, who was wheezing and sweating from every pore in her body. She can see the terrified look on her face and realized that she must have been through a lot. Never has she seen her granddaughter look so scared and exhausted since the the day she watched her parents pass away.
"Alright, hon.." Granny Smith said softly. "Just take deep breaths."
Applejack followed her grandmother's instructions and started to slow down her breathing. Already, she began to feel her pulse slowing down significantly. And, just when she felt her throat starting to dry, Applebloom had arrived with a cup of cold water. Immediately, she grabbed the cup with her hooves and drank its contents greedily.
After Applejack sipped the last drops, Granny Smith asked: "What in Celestia's name is goin' on?" Before she could respond, Applejack took a big gulp. Still out of breath, she tired to tell them what she saw.
"Big...*gasp*..hairy elephant...*cough*..in the..*gulp*...orchard."
The rest of the Apple family looked at each other. They were having hard time taking in what Applejack just said. They didn't doubt her honesty. But, this seems too fantastic to be true. An elephant? In Equestria?! True, they are some in the city zoos and circuses. But, there weren't any that roamed around here (especially, not a hairy one!)
But, before any of them could ask Applejack for more details, they heard the distinct trumpeting of an elephant from the orchard beyond. Now, they knew that Applejack is telling the truth. The entire family was shocked, except for Applebloom, who is particularly excited. "Holy cow!" She exclaimed. "There really is an elephant in our orchard!" The little filly knew she was going to have a lot of fun telling her friends and classmates about the big, hairy elephant that's on their farm.
But, the feeling of excitement was short lived. From a distance, the Apple family were horrified to see one of their prized apple trees fly high into air and come crashing back down to earth. As it did so, a resounding wail echoed across the valley. From what they can tell, the creature was mighty mad! At this rate, it could destroy their entire farm; no! Their entire livelihood! This is more than Granny Smith can take.
"BIG MAC!" She yelled as hard she could.
"Eeyep?"
"Go to th' barn an' geet as much rope as ya can!"
"Eeyep!" Big Mac acknowledged and galloped towards the barn.
Applejack was horrified!
"But Granny!" She protested. "Ya'll don't know what we're dealin' with here!"
Granny Smith glanced at her eldest granddaughter and sighed.
"Ah know, darlin'. But, we ain't got no choice: that critter has got to go!"
As the elderly pony walked towards barn, Applejack couldn't help but gazed at Ponyville, which was only a mile away from the farm. She thought about going into town and asking her friends for help. But, she knew that most of them weren't exactly morning ponies and trying to wake them up would be like trying to wrestle with a hog. Plus, she didn't want her friends to get hurt by that...thing. But, there's a bit of her stubborn pride at work here. As far as Applejack was concerned, this was a family affair and they will handle this, like any other problem they faced.
Still, Applejack was worried about the trouble this incident would cause, if it wasn't taken care of soon. The country pony could only look at the peaked roofs of the houses, which were still shrouded in the morning twilight, and sighed.
"Ah sure hope this doesn't wake up the rest o' the town."
Twilight Sparkle ,who resided in the town's library, was in the process of getting out of bed when she heard something bellowing from the direction of Applejack's farm. She rubbed her eyes and yawned with a vengeance. Saying Twilight was tired is an understatement. With her mind, as well as her hair, in complete disarray, the young unicorn began to regret taking a late night reading session.
"Ugh....What time is it?"
Using her magic, she levitates her alarm clock and checks the time. Right now, it's precisely 6:49am. Twilight groaned as she planted her face into her hooves. According to her, the plan was to sleep in until late morning. But, the disturbance at Sweet Apple Acres changed all that.
Speaking of which...
"What is going on over there?" Twilight wondered, as she got out of bed, and made her way towards the bedroom window. Even though she lived in the south end of town, Twilight could still hear the noises; loud and clear. Judging by the trumpeting, she able to deduce it as the sound of...
"An elephant?"
"That's strange." The inquisitive unicorn said. "Why is there an elephant in Ponyville?" At this point, Twilight could only think of two possibilities: either it came from the East (which is impossible) or the circus came to town early. Whatever the case may be, the fact is, there's a loose elephant at Sweet Apple Acres! Twilight's thoughts, immediately, turned towards Applejack and her family. The wayward creature somehow got into their orchard and it will, probably, eat their apples. And if the Apple family catches it...well, there's going be Tarterus to pay.
At that moment, Twilight decided to act. Turning away from the window, she made her way towards the stairs nearby. She had to make sure that the Apple family's okay. And, she had to make sure that Applejack doesn't do anything rash.
But, just as she's about to reach the stairs, Twilight hears a familiar moan. She looks down to see a small, purple scaled, dragon head, poking out of his little bed. The unicorn mare watched as her faithful assistant, Spike, snoring like...well, like a dragon. Although it was faint, she could hear him muttering something about dancing with Rarity. At first, Twilight wanted to take Spike with him to Sweet Apple Acres, but decided not to. The little drake needed some rest.
As she turn towards the stairs, she heard a strange, rumbling coming from the direction of Spike's bed. The unicorn turned around fast, just in time to see Spike let out a loud belch, which was followed by a large stream of green fire! After that, the fire quickly evaporated, leaving the room completely covered in smoke.
Immediately, Twilight made her way toward the bedroom window; all while coughing and stumbling through the thick cloud of smoke. As she opened it, the smoke quickly cleared the room, and Twilight was able to survey the damage. There were scorch marks on the floor and, annoyingly enough, on the tips of her bed sheets.
"Twilight! I'm so sorry!" Spike said, frantically. "You're not hurt, are you?"
"No, Spike, I'm fine". Twilight reassured him.
She glanced over at Spike. "What did you eat, last night?" She asked sternly.
The little dragon stared at the floor and, using his heels, rocked back and forth nervously. "Oh...nothing much". Spike sheepishly replied. "Just a small...smokey quartz crystal."
Twilight let out an exasperated sigh and hoof palmed her face.
"Spike! You know those crystals give you a stomach ache-"
She was prepared to lecture him further. But, something caught her eye. It was a rolled up piece of parchment, bound by a red ribbon, and stamped with the Royal Seal of Equestria.
This can only mean one thing.
Ignoring Spike, for a moment, she used her magic to pick up the scroll and opened it. As Twilight unrolled the document, she turned to the embarrassed little dragon.
"We'll continue our talk later. But, for now, no more smokey quartz crystals, understand?"
Spike nodded slowly, in reply. With that, Twilight proceeded to read the document. "Its a message from Princess Celestia." The enthusiastic unicorn said. "What a surprise!" Spike said, sarcastically. Ignoring her assistant's statement, Twilight started to read her royal mentor's message aloud.
"My dearest Twilight,
"Forgive me for waking you at an early hour. But, I must deliver this news to you and your friends. "
As she continued to read, her tone changed from excitement to concern.
"Something has awaken near South Peak and is making its way to Ponyville. As to the nature of this event, it is something that will come as a shock to you. Everything you have learned about, in history will be, forever, changed. In summary, what I'm trying to tell you is this..."
Twilight stopped reading aloud and began scanning the rest of the message. Suddenly, her eyes begin to grow wider, with astonishment. Then, her jaw dropped, as she finished read the rest of Celestia's letter. She was so shocked that the magic, from her horn, quickly faded and the parchment glided down to the floor. Her hooves began to shake and lip started to quiver, as she tried to form some words. At this point, even Spike began to worry.
"Uh...Twilight?" Spike said, nervously. "Are you okay?
There was a pause. Silence prevailed over the room. A silence, so absolute, that one can hear a pen drop. Twilight was still shaking all over; unable to response to what she just read. Spike, in turn, still waited for his friend to respond. Or, at the very least, say something. Finally, after what seemed to be an eternity, Twilight spoke.
"B-b-b-ut, h-how can this be?! I-i-i-its impossible!"
"What?" Spike asked. "What it is?!"
But Twilight, oblivious to everything around her, continued to stutter frantically.
"B-but, there are...They're supposed to be...How can-"
Spike ran over to Twilight and grabbed her, by the shoulders. "Twilight!" He shouted. "What's going on?!" He began to shake her, violently. It was then, that the little drake began to fear the worst.
"Is it Changlings? Monsters?! Dragons?! ZOMBIES?!!!"
Amidst the shaking, Twilight managed to come to her senses. Not only that, she was also feeling nauseous from all the rapid movement she was receiving from her little dragon friend. By then, Twilight had enough of that. "Spike!" She shouted. "Get a grip!" She managed to move her front hooves up to Spike's chest and shove him away. That was all it took to break the little dragon of his paranoia. Still a little shaken, Spike began to calm down.
After taking a few deep breaths, Spike turned to Twilight.
"Sorry about that." He said, with a huff. "Its just that, well, you looked so...scared. And I thought-"
Twilight swooped in and gave her little friend a hug.
"I'm sorry I made you worry, Spike." She apologized. "I was just so shocked by the Princess Celestia's message, that I panicked."
"Speaking of which?" Spike remarked. "What was it, about that message, that got you got you all worked up?"
Twilight let go of her little friend, took a deep breath, and began to explain.
"Spike? Do you remember what I taught you about natural history?" She asked.
The little dragon frowned. "You mean, the most boring subject in the world?" He responded, in a deadpan tone. Twilight rolled her eyes, upon hearing her assistant's 'answer.' "Spike! This is serious!" She groaned.
Spike sighed heavily. As much as he hated hearing another one of Twilight's lectures about natural history, he chose not to protest any further and allow his brainiac unicorn friend to proceed. "I remember...a little bit." Spike said, with some hesitance. (Truth be told, he slept through most of her lectures). "Well then, do you remember some of the extinct pachyderm races?" Twilight asked.
"Uhmm..." Spike scratched his head, as he tried to piece together what he did know. But, to no avail. Twilight, tried of Spike's lack of focus, but still willing to help him, let out a soft sigh. "It means 'elephant'" She explained.
"Ohhh!" Spike exclaimed. There was a short pause. Then, he asked: "What about them?"
"Well," Twilight replied. "Princess Celestia wrote about a race of elephants moving up from the south. The most amazing thing about this is that, these elephants have been extinct for almost a thousand years. She said she'll come by later on, today, to explain everything." A wave of excitement came over Spike. "That's cool!" He exclaimed. "But, how can something that's been dead, for so long, just come back to life?" He remarked, with some confusion.
"That's what I want to know." Twilight said. "Anyway, the Princess said that they'll be here, at Ponyville, within the hour, and told me get everypony-"
Twilight was mid-sentence when she, suddenly, had a shocking realization! In all the excitement of receiving Celestia's letter, she had completely forgotten about the commotion that she heard from afar, at Sweet Apple Acres! She gasped, as a sense of dread came over her. "Uh, Twilight?" Spike said, now beginning to panic, himself. "What's going on?"
"APPLEJACK!" Twilight shouted. "I completely forgot about Applejack!" Without hesitation, she bolted down the stairs and, quickly, made her way to the door. "Wait!" Spike shouted, from the top of the stairs. "What's wrong with Applejack?!" The worried purple unicorn threw open the front door and shouted back to Spike. " I have to hurry! She is in terrible danger!" After rushing outside, she used her magic to slam the door so hard, it knocked several books off the shelves. Leaving a confused and frustrated little dragon to clean up the mess.
It was still early morning. A symphony of elephant roars and trumpeting could be heard for miles around. The few ponies, that were awake, gazed out their windows and doors, to see what was going on at Sweet Apple Acres. Some were curious, but afraid, to find out what's making all that noise. Others were frustrated at the fact that, this ruckus, whatever it is, just woke them up at the crack of dawn and they prayed to Celestia that it would stop soon, so they can get back to sleep.
The only active pony in Ponyvile was Twilight herself. And she was racing through the empty streets, as fast as she could! To her, this was a race against time. For all she knew, the Apple family could be hurt...or worse. The panicking unicorn wanted to kick herself for not acting on this, sooner. If only she wasn't distracted by that letter from Princess Celestia. If only she went straight to Sweet Apple Acres, when she had the chance. If only...
Suddenly, she ran into something!
"OUFF!"
The impact was so hard that it knock Twilight onto to the ground! Dazed, but not terribly hurt, she slowly got herself back on her hooves and checked to see who, or what, hit her. It didn't take her long to find a similarly dazed yellow pegasus, also in the process of recovering from the shock. When she realized who it was, Twilight let out a surprised gasp!
"Oh my gosh! Fluttershy!" Quickly, she came to her friend's aid. "Are you alright?"
The young pegasus dusted her yellow coat with her wings. Then, she turned to Twilight and nodded. "Oh, yes, I'm alright." She replied softly.
"I'm sooo sorry" Twilight said, apologetically. But Fluttershy waived her fore-hoof, dismissively. "Oh, please, Twilight. You don't need to worry. I'm quite fine, really."
Twilight let out a sigh of relief. She was thankful that her friend wasn't seriously hurt. But then, she became curious.
"What brings you here, Fluttershy?" The puzzled unicorn asked.
"Oh, uhm.." Fluttershy replied, timidly. " I, uh, woke up early to feed the chickens, as I always do. And, uhm, I heard this noise; a very scary noise...and I thought it sounded familiar. So, uh, I flew here to take a closer look."
Twilight raised an eye brow. "Really?" She said, surprised. "I was just on my way to Sweet Apple Acres to check out the noise, myself." She went on to tell Fluttershy about Princess Celestia's letter and of the news that it carried. The more she described the details of the letter, the more frantic she became; which made Fluttershy a little bit uneasy.
After she finished her story, Fluttershy gasped. " S-s-something like that? At Sweet Apple Acres?!" A sense of dread came over the timid pegesus. "Then, that means..."
"Applejack is in danger!" Twilight said, cutting her off mid-sentence. "Now, come on! We need to get there before-"
"THE CIRCUS IS COMINNNNG!!!"
Out of nowhere, a hyperactive pink earth pony pops in, between the two worried souls; blowing party horns and shooting confetti from a miniature cannon! Both Twilight and Fluttershy fell back, screaming out of shock! As they, frantically, gasped for air, the joyful pink mare hopped around with excitement.
"Isn't this exciting?! Are you excited? 'Cause I'm excited! I've never been so excited! Well, except for that one time, when the Chocolate Statue Exhibit came into town. But, really, nothing in the whole wide world can top off a circus! With all those acrobats, monkeys, soda, popcorn, cotton candy.." Her mouth began to water. "Hmmmmm...cotton candy.." She said in daze.
Twilight was not amused. "Pinkie! What are you doing?!" She yelled. Pinkie Pie snapped herself out of her trance, looked over at Twilight and giggled. " Why, spreading the good news, of course!" She said cheerfully. "And, what might that be?" Fluttershy asked. Pinkie responded by gently patting her head. "Silly Fluttershy!" She cooed. "That the 'Dingling Brothers Circus', the greatest show in all of Equestria is coming to Ponyville!!" She proclaimed, as she shot off more rounds of confetti from her cannon!
"Aaaaand, how did you come to that conclusion?" Twilight asked, skeptically.
Pinkie tapped her chin lightly and explained:
"Well, I was in my bed, dreaming about prancing chocolate bunnies. They asked me if they wanted to play with me. And, I was like, 'heck yeah!' Because, hey, I always wanted to play with chocolate bunnies; its my life long dream! Anyway, we were playing, when, all of the sudden, a giant pink elephant came waddling by and was, like, 'Can I play with you too?' And, I was like, 'Double heck yeah!" Because, hey, I always wanted to play with a pink elephant! I mean, how cool is that! Then, it let out this really noise...and that's when I woke up." Her hair deflated a little. "I was a little bit bummed out that it was all a dream." But, then, she began to perk up again. "But, then, I heard that noise again. And I was, like, 'Hey! That sound's for real! And it sounds like an elephant!' Then, I started wondering what an elephant would be doing all the way in Ponyville? But, then, I thought there's only one place where elephants come from. And that place is..."
She took a very deep breath.
"The Dingling Brothers and Hay Bailey Circus! The Greatest Show in Equestia!!" For a grand finale, Pinkie capped out with a big, happy grin!
At this point, both Twilight and Fluttershy didn't know what to think. Fluttershy was befuddled by her hyperactive friend's explanation and was trying to figure out how to respond. Twilight, however, was even more aggravated than ever. All that nonsensical exposition was giving her a headache. Rubbing her forehead with her hoof, she tired to shake off the pain and, also, tried to come up with a way to tell Pinkie that her "logic" was all wrong; in a friendly manner, of course.
After a short silence, Fluttershy spoke. "Well...uh..that was an....interesting story." She said coyly. Pinkie smiled brightly. "I can't hardly wait! I need to tell everypony!" The ecstatic pink earth pony galloped as fast she could; determined to spread the joyous news! Little did she know that Twilight was using her magic to levitate her off the ground and draw her back. By the time she realize this, she was back where she started: staring at her two friends.
Pinkie was confused. "Hey Twiley. What's going on?" She asked. Twilight sighed softly. She knew she had to tell Pinkie the truth. She may be hurt by it. Her happy moment will be ruined and it pained the young unicorn to see Pinkie Pie unhappy. But, as her friend, she had to set the record straight. "I'm sorry Pinkie." Twilight said, softly. "But, I don't think the circus is coming. Heck, the circus doesn't come until later this summer."
Pinkie's pink mane began to deflate. "But, the elephant noises-" She whimpered.
"Are coming from Sweet Apple Acres." Fluttershy replied. "I'm sorry."
The now demoralized pink pony let a soft sigh. " Phooey...and, here, I thought I was going to see the circus." She sighed once more. "Oh well, there's always next-"
Suddenly, Pinkie's mind clicked!
"Wait a minute!" She asked Twilight. "Did you say there's an elephant at Sweet Apple Acres?"
"Uhhhhh, yeah." Twilight said with a confused look on her face.
Pinkie Pie patted her chin and pondered. "Then, that means: either the Apple family got themselves a pet elephant..."
"Very unlikely." Twilight muttered.
Pinkie continued to ponder. "Or maybe....." Then, she gasped! "APPLEJACK'S IN DANGER!!!" She shouted.
Twilight performed a face-hoof. "That's what we've been trying to tell you-"
Within a flash, she was face-to-face with a panic-stricken pink pony! They're so close that Twilight could, particularly, feel Pinkie's anxiety coming out of her eye balls. Taken by surprise, she tried to gain some breathing space. But, Pinkie placed her hooves onto her cheeks.
"No more talky-talk, Twiley! We must save our friend!"
"Now, Pinkie..." Fluttershy whispered, trying to calm her down. But, this was in vain. Because, just then, Pinkie turned towards the direction of "Sweet Apple Acres" and yelled out, at the top of her lungs:
"DON'T WORRY, AJ! THE CALVARY'S COMING!!!!!!"
Then, she sped off, like a bolt of lighting, down the cobblestone streets towards Applejack's farm; leaving a cloud of dust behind her. As dust settled, both Twilight and Fluttershy were left surprised and confused. But, Twilight shook her head and ran after Pinkie Pie.
"Pinkie!" She called out, in a vain attempt to slow her down. "Wait for us"
Soon, Twilight galloped with great haste towards "Sweet Apple Acres", with Fluttershy following behind.
Watching them from afar, a young, white unicorn mare glared menacingly toward the road. Vibrating from her tired, baggy, eyes was a mixture of anger and fatigue; otherwise known, as a "non-morning pony" face. She didn't care if she was wearing a fluffy pink bathrobe and had pink hair curlers, crowning her mane and tail. She didn't even care if she looked "unladylike" in public. All she knew was that, there was a distrubing ruckus coming from the other side of town. And she knew, exactly, where it was coming from.
"Applejack..." She hissed, through her clinched teeth
