THE EXPO
By Conquest (Tyler H)
Please excuse any mistypes or any in corrections. I don’t watch MLP anymore; I only ever got up to ep. 12 of the 2nd season anyways. So please enjoy, any things you pick up on that don’t match, leave a comment PLEASE. Thanks! :)
Chapter 1
It was a busy day at Apple Acres, Big Mac was busy hauling big loads of delicious juicy apples through the countless trees that made the orchids, Applejack was bucking trees, harvesting the sweet fruit and wearing herself out, and all the others were hard at work collecting the famous apples for dear old Granny Smith.
“Gee whiz! This is gettin’ tough don’tcha say? I wonder what Twi is doin’ right now, probably reading some old fancy book on the stars ‘n’ such. She’s so keen on magic and that.” Exasperated the tired mare, she stared at the apples she had freed from their shackles of stems that once held them safely above the glossy grass with thoughts of magnificent pies and juices they would become.
Slumped on the base of the trunk of a large apple tree, the tired mare stared into the beautiful meadows that were her own personal heaven. She couldn’t be bothered with magic or astronomy; it was the simple things that got her going.
“All right, that’s about enough dilly dallying for today miss!” She gathered up her apples as Big Mac made his way back. “Ok Mac, we got about 22 in this bunch, heck, that’s a pretty darn good haul wouldn’t you say!” Big mac nodded with a great big smile as the mare loaded them into the basket. As Big Mac got ready to take off to the other ponies, Applejack looked up at the tree. Right at the very top bough there was one single apple as big her hoof. “WAIT, MAC!”
She bucked the tree for a good minute, but it just hung there, in solace. Safe from the hind hoofs of the frantic pony below. Big Mac stopped and turned to see the little mare struggling with her lone apple and he slowly cantered back. As she saw him return, she explained the situation. He brushed through the leaves and twigs she had loosened from the tree and looked at the trunk.
“Hey Mac, I’m too short, can you get it for me?”
He approached the tree, and punched it with his right hoof. The power of the single blow flung the apple off its branch and it flew into the basket
He nodded, smiled and left to attend to the others.
Applejack was left in astonishment. She smiled as he made his way back to the other ponies that needed him. She moved on to the next tree, and did what she does best, gathering apples. She wondered what everyone else was up to again;
“Rarity would be fussing about some silly new outfit, obsessing on one small thing, getting all worked up even though it’s probably beautiful. Boy, she is a funny one... And I know Fluttershy would be attending to her little furry friends, but then again she might be babysittin’. Pinkie Pie will be cookin’ some delicious cupcakes, messin’ her kitchen up, and I bet that Rainbow Dash is up to some kinda race that’ll shut them stupid boys up.”
The tired mare finished up gathering her apples and headed to the homestead.
She was satisfied with her work; she had definitely earned a rest. It was late afternoon, and the sun was on the horizon as she sat in a chair on the porch where Granny Smith would be sitting. She was watching the beautiful sunset as she slowly ate a big juicy apple she herself had picked. It was a very busy day today, and she was wearing thin as the day came to an end. She gradually drifted into slumber, she couldn’t stay awake for one moment longer, and her eyelids were 100 pounds it seemed.
~~~
Chapter 2: A rude awakening…
“Applejack! Wake up sleepy head! You’re so silly! You can’t go to sleep YEEEET. Come on!”
The sleeping mare jumped up to a crazed pony. “Oh come on Pinkie what is it, I was just sleeping!”
The hyperactive mare giggled profusely and got herself seated.
“You didn’t forget did you Applejack?”
Applejack looked up at the pink mare with a look of horror.
“Oh no, this isn’t happening!” She got up and ran inside and got some pies and other apple confections in an absolute panic. “Oh Applejack you’re so funny, how could you forget the Expo?”
The expo that Pinkie Pie was talking about was the natural confections expo, an epic hall, filled with sweets, cakes, pies and other assorted tasty treats made from nothing but good things like flour fruit and milk, the old way. Apple Acres has attended the Expo since Granny Smith was a small Filly, and their cakes were always winners. There used to be judging but now it’s just people coming through the stalls and buying goodies, which is equally as good.
Applejack had forgotten.
Applejack was in a driven frenzy, gallanting about like a mad mare getting things ready. “Well that sure explains Granny Smith not being around. But how could I have forgotten!” Applejack was about to meltdown.
“Applejack you really are in a funny mood today! You dint even see the note she left! Ooh you have to get in tune!” Pinkie Pie laughed as her usual delightfully positive self, and Applejack paused. “What… note…?”
Pinkie Pie smiled a big smile ear to ear, and held out a little piece of paper and Applejack took it and read what it had to say.
‘Dearest Applejack,
You were fast asleep and we didn’t want to wake you, Mac and I have left for the expo, we’re sorry we left you here, but I’m sure if you wake up in time you can come see us! I hope you get this note and we’ll see you later kiddo.
Love, Granny Smith.’
She absorbed what was in the note, the distinctive apple fragrance left behind, the perfume that her grandmother loved so much, yep, it was Granny Smith.
Applejack looked at Pinkie Pie expressionless. “You’re kidding me Pinkie. I just pulled the house apart trying to get ready, wait, when did you get this!?”
Pinkie thought for a moment, looking into the ceiling. “Ah! I remember! It was on the door!!!”
Applejack sighed deep and shuffled to her room and got changed from the harvest clothes into something more appropriate for the expo. She locked up and looked at the moon slowly rising, seemingly with all the time it could desire.
It was the twilight hour now, when all the animals would be finding their way to their warm nests protected by their sweet mothers and fathers, brothers and sisters. Equestria was good for that. Pinkie Pie and Applejack walked to the little barn to a cart which had 2 seats on the top and a little tray for transporting things.
“Applejack, are you kidding me!! Were actually going to ride that to the expo!?” asked the jumping Pinkie Pie with such glee that no magic could contain. “Yes, yes we are Pinkie.” said Applejack bluntly. She couldn’t keep up with the easily excited pony before her. She prepared the cows for the cart and they were on their way to the expo in no time at all.
After numerous outbursts of stories, laughter, babbling and happiness, Applejack just about couldn’t take it. She was rolling her eyes as she saw a small cluster of sparks fill the sky, in beautiful red flashes.
“Pinkie Pie, look, it’s the expo!”
Pinkie Pie looked up. Her jaw dropped to her seat. Her face lit up like the sun in utmost cheer.
“It’s magnificent!” let out the pink mare.
A clap of bright fireworks lit up the sky above them in every colour they could have imagined, in shapes of horse shoes, apples and butterflies.
It was a sight to be remembered.
~~~~
Chapter 2: The search
As Applejack reached the narrow cobbled road to the entrance, she wondered what was going to be on display from Granny Smith “She could have made a brand new recipe like last year!”
Pinkie Pie was preoccupied with the celestial display of fireworks of the Wonderbolts whizzing past at incredible speeds. She was in heaven.
The cart came to a gradual halt, and the two ponies jumped out and headed through the entrance at the hall. Two big gold gates stood open before them, and after that, a breeze of delicious smelling cakes and sorts, all the flavours at once!
Pinkie Pie ran for the nearest sample stand and snatched up as much strawberry shortcakes as she could, then on to pear tarts, and then a stand with fruity ice creams, and then a cake stall sampling apple pie! It was all too much for the little pony!
“Applejack, I thought you weren’t coming!” exclaimed an excited unicorn.
“Twi, what’re you doin’ here, is Spike with you?”
“Right here Applejack.” pointed out the little dragon.
“Heya Spike, what’ve y’all been up to today?” asked Applejack.
Pinkie Pie burst into the crowd in a rain of crumbs and berries, “Hey guys! What’s going down?”
Every pony except Pinkie Pie broke out into laughter.
“What is it?” the laughter slowly dwindled “You got a little, cake there”
Twilight pointed to her innocent friend’s chin and she wiped off a large blob of icing from her mouth.
“Thanks Twi!” excited the pony.
It was very busy, however a few ponies they knew hadn’t been seen yet, Rarity, Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash.
“Where are the others?” asked Applejack.
“Well we haven’t seen them yet, I mean we’ve only seen this hall, there’s still the outdoor garden and the second hall to go.”
As they clopped over to the doorway to the outdoor garden, Applejack kept a keen eye out for Granny Smith and Big Mac, but she couldn’t see them through the thick of the crowd.
“Hey Applejack!” screamed a voice from overhead.
“Hey Rainbow Dash!” yelled Applejack.
As the crowd welcomed the flying pony as she ungracefully slammed into the ground, a reassuring laugh let the ponies know that she was alright.
“Nice landing there Dash!” chuckled Pinkie, followed by a howl of laughter from Twilight and Spike.
“You right Pinkie?” giggled Applejack as she extended a helping hoof.
“It is not funny! Jeez Louise, you guys…” huffed the embarrassed winged pony. She propped herself up and walked through the corridor with the ponies, still looking for Granny Smith. They approached the outside garden and it was beautiful. There were pink water fountains, hedges in the shapes of the princesses, there were even giant candy floss ponies.
Amongst the crowd was a little apple stand, the sign read “Apple Acres: Pies Cakes and Everything else!” Applejack smiled “There guys, over there!” yelled the now galloping mare.
They followed her to the small wooden stand, with Big Mac offering samples of Granny’s most famous apple pie, and Granny Smith was busy with a large crowd of ponies from Canterlot.
“Granny Smith!” howled Applejack. “Ah, you made it!” replied the struggling old mare.
“Here, let me help you.” Offered Twilight, she was always ready to help. Applejack was talking to her grandmother while Twilight used her magic selling her magnificent confections. Cakes, tarts and pies were flying around at a rapid rate of knots.
Twilight was having a ball, making much faster money with the use of her magical skills than Granny Smith was. Applejack was finishing up her conversation with the rickety old mare just as a slow siren went off.
Twilight stopped, and the whole arena of the expo stopped in conjunction with the alarming noise.
The Wonderbolts got into their formation and looked up in the sky, as they were searching, a whoosh of air was heard, followed by a line of thick smoke a filly wide, followed by another, and another.
“What is going on!?” Shrieked the scared Fluttershy.
“Whatever it is, it isn’t good.” Observed Twilight.
There were 2 bakers’ dozen of the black smoke trails flowing like liquid through the sky above them. Like a bunch of wasps with strings tied to their tails. They were flying through the sky in patterns, and they soon split out of the formation and made for the expo hall and garden.
“EVERYPONY, RUN!!!” Exclaimed Spitfire.
The black plumes of smoke smashed through the statues on the roof of the expo hall and began to wreak their havoc upon the whole expo. The crowd split into every direction, and the little group that were left for dead at the small apple hut were thinking what WAS going on. It was time to act fast…
TO BE CONTINUED IN THE NEXT CHAPTERS...