//------------------------------// // Chapter 2 // Story: Love's a Roller Coaster Ride // by The Lord Thunder //------------------------------// Las Pegasus: the city of entertainment. To some ponies, it was one big party; always bustling, always something to see or do. Starlight Glimmer found herself immediately dodging a crowd of earth ponies the moment she got off the hot air balloon. According to the map she’d looked at, the spot where she was supposed to meet Sunburst wasn’t far from the balloon station. Starlight looked about for a friendly landmark, then smiled. The giant sign “Corrals of Fun” stuck out above the tall surrounding buildings. Only a few blocks away. She trotted out of the station and down the street towards the amusement park, soon finding the entrance lot where she began searching for Sunburst. Starlight Glimmer couldn’t fight the smile as she spotted her old friend waiting for her in the middle of the lot. “Sunburst!” Sunburst turned towards the voice. Smiling back, he waved at Starlight. “Hey, Starlight!” Starlight galloped up to him and they embraced each other. “I miss you more and more every time we leave!” “I missed you too, Starlight.” Starlight let go of Sunburst and turned for the main entrance. “Ready to have some fun? This is gonna be so great! I’ve wanted to come here ever since I was a filly.” “I know!” Sunburst walked side by side with Starlight towards the admission gates. “We always used to talk about coming here when we foals, but we never had a chance since--” He stopped short on the words. “Never mind, no need to bring that up.” That reference did little to quiet Starlight’s enthusiasm. “That’s okay. We finally get to live our foalhood dream!” “Absolutely!” Sunburst trumpeted, seeming to feel better that Starlight hadn’t expressed any anger over their past. “I can’t wait.” The two paid for their admission bracelets at the front gate and trotted inside the huge park. There were the familiar sights and smells of a carnival: game booths, cotton candy stands, the aroma of pizza and funnel cake. There were foals holding balloons and prizes they’d won in the games, screams of excitement and ponies dizzy from the rides. Jumping up and down in fillyish delight, Starlight let out a squeal. “Ohmygosh, omygosh, omygosh I can’t believe I’m here, Sunburst! What ride should we go on first? Ooh, we got to try some of the games! I want some funnel cake. Let’s check out some of the gift shops, too.” “Starlight,” Sunburst sad flatly. “Breathe.” Starlight halted her bouncing and took a deep breath. “Sorry, I went into filly mode again. But I’ve been wanting to come here for years.” “So have I, but we’ve got all day. No reason to rush.” Starlight wore a grand smile as she glanced about, struggling to hold in her excitement. Then she pointed to the top of a huge roller coaster track that loomed prominently above the rest of the park. “Look at that roller coaster!” Starlight said. “Let’s go check it out.” The two weaved their way around crowds of ponies and the park’s complex walkways until they found the waiting line. Only when she was standing next to it did Starlight realize how massive the coaster really was as she craned her neck up. A nearby sign labelled the roller coaster as “The Plunge”, and Starlight could see why. The ride crawled up a steep incline towards the peak of the tracks, then a plummet of more than 300 feet at an 80 degree angle extracted screams from the ponies riding it. “Wow!” Starlight shouted, watching the cars blur past above them. “That certainly looks intense,” Sunburst mused as he adjusted his glasses. “The g-force must be incredible.” The coaster continued on the track at blinding speed until it came upon a loop, turning the ponies aboard upside down amidst a chorus of screams. “It goes upside down?!” Starlight nudged Sunburst on the shoulder pleadingly. “That’s it. Sunburst, we have to give that a try!” “You want to drag me--” Sunburst pointed at the speeding coaster, “--on that? You brought me here to assassinate me, didn’t you? Give me a heart attack, make it look like an accident.” “Those ponies looked like they were enjoying it. How bad can it be? It looks like fun!” Visibly trembling at the thought of it, Sunburst let out a defeated sigh. “Well, okay. But I’m only doing it for you.” Starlight galloped ahead to the waiting line, leaving Sunburst ambling behind in resignation. The coaster screeched to a halt at the loading area, allowing the ponies aboard to get off and the waiting riders to take their places. Each car had two side-by-side seats, Starlight noticed as she sat on the far one to make room for Sunburst. He swallowed a knot in his throat and stepped shaky-legged onto the loading dock. “You’ll probably want to take off your glasses, sir,” the ride operator said. “Oh, right. Right, right, right.” Sunburst removed his glasses with a telekinesis spell and placed them in a box designated for the safekeeping of loose articles. He sighed nervously as he took a seat next to Starlight. Starlight pulled down on the lapbar, the only thing that would keep her from being tossed from her seat. It made several clicks until it snapped firmly in place across her lap. Sunburst brought his bar down, then lifted up on it several times to be sure it was secure. “Yup. Locked down tight. Not going anywhere. Anywhere.” There was resignation in his voice. Of course, the lapbar would keep him safe, but it also meant he was stuck there until the ride stopped and the locks were released. He had no choice now but to endure. “Attention, fillies and gentlecolts,” came the voice of the unicorn operating the ride. “We would like to take this time to remind you that, for safety reasons, this roller coaster blocks all outside magic to keep from interfering with the operation of the ride. Please keep your legs, horns, wings and hooves inside the car at all times and remain seated until the ride comes to a complete stop. Now, get ready to take The Plunge!” There was a loud hiss, a jolt, and the coaster crawled to a start. “Here we go!” Starlight trumpeted. Her heart raced in anticipation. “This is gonna be great!” “Oh boy. How did I let you talk me into this?” Sunburst asked. “We just got here and the first thing you want to do is go on their highest and fastest roller coaster.” "Might as well start big, huh?" Up the 55 degree incline they went, up and up and up with every moment building the tension, all the while Sunburst sat there shaking. Probably calculating how much every foot in elevation would add to the speed on the way down, Starlight figured. A full minute later, they were still rising but finally nearing the top. “Wow!” Starlight shouted. “Las Pegasus is already in the clouds, so you can probably see all of Equestria from here!” To look up that high was one thing, but the view from three hundred feet was incredible; the trees looked like toy models and the ponies on the ground were like ants. Starlight could see a grand view of Equestria’s lush green countryside well beyond the towering hotels of Las Pegasus. Sweat gleaming on his forehead, Sunburst glanced about in a panic, seemingly looking for a last minute escape. “I changed my mind. Starlight, teleport me off this thing. Please.” “Too late. These seats block all outside magic, remember?” Sunburst’s chest began to heave. “Oh gosh. Oh gosh. I’m not… I’m not ready for this.” “Well, you’d better get ready quick. We’re almost there!” The coaster reached the top the incline and suddenly they plunged, three hundred feet high and falling fast. “Woo-hooooo!” Starlight screamed as she held her forelegs in the air. The rush was unlike anything she had ever felt in her life. The sinking feeling in her stomach at the sudden change of pressure, the wind in her face, the speed, the ground rushing up at her until they made a sharp upward shift at the next incline. “That was great!” Starlight looked over at Sunburst, who had his hoof clamped over his mouth, his face a sickly shade of green. “Sunburst, are you okay? Oh, here comes another drop!” Starlight held her forelegs above her head again, unable to suppress another scream of delight at the sudden rush, while Sunburst looked like he might lose his breakfast at any moment. The coaster barreled on down the track in a mad rush of clack-clacking power as it neared the loop. Starlight licked her lips in anticipation. “Here it comes. Hang on, Sunburst!” They went uphill and, in almost an instant, Starlight became acutely aware of the pull of gravity and found herself staring at the ground as she squealed a third time above Sunburst screaming for his life. In another instant, they went back upright and continued on down the track. A hairpin turn practically threw Sunburst against Starlight, then another turn in the opposite direction smashed Starlight against Sunburst. Slowing to a crawl, the coaster inched its way back, seemingly exhausted from its efforts. It stopped with a jolt, the bars lifting as the usher urged them toward the exit dock to make way for the next group of waiting ponies. “It’s over,” Sunburst breathed out as he worked to find his balance . “Thank Celestia. Get me out of this thing.” Starlight stepped out onto the exit dock. “That. Was. Awesome!” she shouted, holding one hoof to the air for emphasis. “Let’s do it--” “Never again,” Sunburst interrupted as he retrieved his glasses and set them back on the bridge of his nose. “Never, ever again.” Starlight flattened her ears at a twinge of guilt when she noticed Sunburst’s legs were still quivering. Already things were starting to go south. “I’m sorry, Sunburst! If I knew you were going to hate it that much, I wouldn’t have talked you into it.” Sunburst sighed. “No, that’s okay. I did it for you, after all. Just don’t expect me to do that again. I know you liked it, though, so if you want to go on it a second time, I can just wait here.” Giggling, Starlight gave Sunburst a wink and a playful push. “You’re not getting away from me that easy. Let’s go find something a little less intense we’ll both enjoy.” *** Trixie Lulamoon allowed herself a satisfied sigh as she parked her wagon in Corrals of Fun‘s concert grounds. Las Pegasus always turned out a good crowd, and her show tomorrow night was sure to be no exception. She unhitched herself from the wagon and stretched her aching legs. Trixie’d been pulling that thing since the crack of dawn and the long journey took its toll after pulling such a heavy load. A nap could cure that after she checked in with the park office. The managers were really finicky about unauthorized parking, even from scheduled entertainers. She remembered the earful she’d gotten from the manager when she’d forgot to check in one time. Something about trespassing and the police. Pulling the wagon all the way to Corrals of Fun worked up an appetite, Trixie’s grumbling stomach reminded her. She could have a little something for brunch after checking in. There wasn’t any sense in putting off getting that important piece of business done. Trixie yawned and headed for the park’s main office.