The Manehattan PonyCon

by Laura_Raptor

Chapter 1

"It's here! It's here!" Pinkie Pie cried with glee as she bounced down the streets of Ponyville. "Hey everypony, it's here!"

"What's here, Pinkie?" Twilight Sparkle asked as she and Spike approached Pinkie Pie, never sure what to expect from the ever energetic earth pony.

"It's here!" Pinkie yelled again. "The schedule for the Manehattan PonyCon, it's here!"

"What's the Manehattan PonyCon?" Twilight asked. She'd never heard of such a thing and her question seemed to rock Pinkie to her very core!

"You don't know?" Pinkie gasped. "It's only the best four days in Equestria that a pony could ask for, that's what!"

"Um…" Twilight and Spike mumbled in unison, still not sure what Pinkie was on about.

"Pinkie, are you on about PonyCon again?" Applejack said as she walked up to Pinkie, Twilight, and Spike. Rainbow Dash, hearing the commotion had followed Applejack and now Pinkie had to explain to three ponies and a dragon what PonyCon was and why it was such a big deal and why they all needed to go!

"Yes!" Pinkie cried. "And this year we need to go! It's going to be amazing, the biggest one ever!"

"Pinkie," Rainbow Dash sighed. "You say this every year and we just can't go. It's right when we're all too busy!"

"That's right," Applejack chimed in. "PonyCon is always the weekend before Cider Season starts and we need to get the farm ready! There's no way I can attend."

"And that's the same weekend that the town has a seasonal shower planned to get ready for the autumn harvest, they need me to bring in the storm clouds," Rainbow Dash said matter of factly.

"But they moved it!" Pinkie cheered, jumping in the air. "It's going to be the weekend before that! I already checked, everyone is free! Going to PonyCon! Going to PonyCon!" Pinkie bounced around group, cheering over and over as everyone looked at each other, unsure what to say.

"Okay, we're free, but what is PonyCon?" Twilight asked.

"It's the best!" Pinkie cheered. "Ponies from all over Equestria come and they dress up in costumes and talk about their favourite games, comics, toys, and more! Plus authors are there, and celebrities too! Plus there is a big dance and everyone has the best time! It's the best!"

"Authors?" Twilight asked, thinking about her favourite books. "I could see myself going to something like that."

"Don't Twilight!" Rainbow Dash scoffed. "It's for nerds and geeks!" Everypony rolled their eyes at Rainbow's put down of PonyCon attendees, but Pinkie didn't look discouraged.

"You might be interested, Rainbow," she said and handed Rainbow Dash the schedule.

"Nerd stuff, nerd stuff, nerd stuff," Rainbow said, barely glances at the pages and pushed the schedule back at Pinkie Pie.

"Look closer!" Pinkie said and shoved a very specific article up to Rainbow's nose.

"Daring Do and the Secret of Cactus Point will be released during PonyCon," Twilight read aloud, her eyes widening as she read. "There will be a Daring Do costume contest and the winner will receive the very first signed copy of the new book and a meet and greet with the author!" Rainbow just about flew out of her own skin at the thought of it. Ever since reading Daring Do and the Quest of the Sapphire Stone she had read all the books in the series repeatedly and now she had a chance to read the new book before anyone else and have it signed! And meet the author! "We have to go!" Rainbow yelled.

"That's two!" Pinkie said, looking at Applejack.

"Well, I could bring some samples from Sweet Apple Acres for the attendees. And I do like Daring Do too," Applejack said, not entirely convinced.

"What is all this racket?" Rarity asked as she and Fluttershy joined their group of friends. The pair had just left the spa and had heard all of Pinkie and Rainbow's hooting and hollering.

"Rarity!" Rainbow said, almost tackling the unicorn in her excitement. "I need your help! Please! Pretty please!"

"Yes?" Rarity asked, blinking her big eyes at her friend.

"I need you to make me a costume!" Rainbow said, begging her friend.

"Um, a costume?" Rarity asked, not sure if costume was up to snuff with her beautiful fashion creations.

"Please? No one can sew like you and with your skills and talent," Rainbow said, adding "and beauty," for good measure. "I need your help to win the Daring Do contest!"

"A contest you say?" Rarity said. "Well, it would be good for my name to be out there more. When is it?"

"At the PonyCon in Manehattan!" Pinkie said, bouncing around her group of friends.

"In Manehattan?" Rarity asked. "Why didn't you say so? Well count me in! Fluttershy too."

"Um, yes, okay," Fluttershy said. "I've always wanted to go."

"Really?" Pinkie gasped in excitement.

"Oh yes," Fluttershy said with a shy smile. "Rocket the Raccoon always makes an appearance and I've always wanted to meet the little guy."

"Darling, you do know that Rocket is only -" Rarity started, but Pinkie shoved a hoof in her mouth to shut her up. No sense letting Fluttershy down that her favourite superhero was just an actor. "Um, you do know that Rocket is only there for a couple of days," Rarity said, trying to cover her mistake.

"That's okay, I think Pinkie wants to go every day and I do too." Pinkie jumped in the air and cheered. All her friends wanted to come to PonyCon for the first time ever.

"There's so much to get ready!" Pinkie sang as she bounced around . "We'll need a hotel room, we can all share, and travel and oh my goodness, if anyone else is wearing a costume!"

"I'm sure I'll have time to make more than one," Rarity offered.

"Can you maybe make me a Rocket the Raccoon costume?" Fluttershy asked. "If it's not too much trouble."

"Of course not, darling," Rarity said, happy to help her best friend. "How about you Pinkie Pie, do you have something in mind?"

"Nightmare Moon! Nightmare Moon!" Pinkie cried as she danced around the group.

"That's three. Applejack, Twilight?" Rarity asked.

"I reckon I'm okay going as plain old Applejack," Applejack said.

"I'm okay too," Twilight said. "I just want to take everything in. Pinkie, do you mind if I borrow the schedule to plan what I want to do while we're there?"

"Of course not Twilight! I'm going to go book us a hotel room and get our tickets right now!"

"What about me?" Spike asked. No one had even mentioned him coming and he felt left out.

"Of course you're coming, Spike!" Pinkie cheered happily. "It wouldn't be fun without you!" Spike beamed at Pinkie, he was just as excited to go as she was.

"Do you want a costume too, Spikey-wikey?" Rarity asked him.

"Nah," he said, "that's girly stuff." Deep down though, he regretted the decision but didn't want to go back on it. There were so many cool costume ideas he had, but he didn't want Rarity to think he was childish or silly.

"Okay, so I'm going to book our hotel and get tickets," Pinkie said, still overexcited about the whole thing. "Twilight, you plan the events we're going to. Rarity, you make costumes. Applejack, you're in charge of food. Fluttershy and Rainbow can make sure to tell everyone we're going away and get pet sitters. Okay, let's go!" Pinkie ran off before anyone could disagree and everypony just shrugged their shoulders and went about the tasks they had been assigned.

"Well Spike," Twilight said as she went back to the library to plan the ponies' schedule of events. "I'm pretty excited about our first ever PonyCon. I can't wait to give the Princess my report on this one! And we only have a month to get ready, I better get started!"

Comments

[Path_of_cloud]

Cons are pretty fun and this is starting off on all the right notes. I feel for Spike, I decided against dressing up at my first con, and I regretted it. I actually got a pair of shades and just told people I was Dick Grayson on the second day, I have the right build and look that it was easy to pull off. Its a lot of fun.