Chapter 1
Seasonal Employment
It was late in the morning on another fine day in Canterlot City. With the arrival of summer, school was out and children all across the city were thrilled to start the longest vacation of the year. While there were plenty of excellent places throughout the city for family activities, this particular summer was coming with the promise of a brand new theme park at the edge of town. With all kinds of thrilling rides and fun attractions, this new amusement park was sure to attract plenty of visitors once opening day finally arrived. But for a theme park to run successfully, it was going to need employees to operate all the rides and attractions, and with opening day fast approaching, word had spread all over the city about the large number of job openings that the park was desperate to fill as soon as possible.
Among the numerous people who were applying for jobs at the new theme park were Applejack and Rarity, two of the famous LEGO Team members known as the Equestria Girls. The two girls were sitting next to each other on a bench along Sunshine Plaza, and with concerned looks on their faces, their attention was focused directly on their phones in their hands.
Rarity worriedly glanced over at Applejack and asked, “Anything?”
Applejack shook her head and dejectedly responded, “Nothin’. You?”
Rarity also shook her head and shamefully responded, “Me neither.” She then let out a sigh of sadness.
The two girls were so focused on staring at their phones that neither of them noticed the rest of their friends approaching. The other five girls stood around the bench and looked down at their two friends, then glanced at each other in confusion.
Pinkie Pie smiled as she spoke up, “Somebody has some unspilled beans around here, and it’s not me, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Twilight Sparkle, or Sunset Shimmer!”
The other four friends smiled back at Pinkie as she mentioned their names, while Rarity and Applejack finally turned their attention up to their gathered friends.
“Oh, hey girls,” greeted Applejack. “Rarity and Ah are just waitin’ for a response. Ya see, we both applied for seasonal jobs at the new theme park.”
“Equestria Land?” asked Pinkie Pie. She then gasped in shock. “Wait… Will you get to go there for free?!”
“As employees of the park,” Rarity pointed out, “they shall be paying us to go there.”
Pinkie let out another gasped and started squealing unintelligibly.
Applejack chuckled as she picked up a fruit smoothie drink she had sitting next to her on the bench and handed it over to Pinkie. “Easy there, sugarcube,” she remarked.
Pinkie immediately took the offered drink and happily slurped it down.
Twilight suddenly spoke up, “Wait, don’t you two already have day jobs?”
“Work on the farm is a lil’ slow this time of year,” explained Applejack, “so with all this free time on mah hands, Ah decided to try doin’ somethin’ a lil’ different this summer.”
“And my summer inventory has already been completely filled in,” added Rarity, “so I too have suddenly found myself with little to occupy my time with.”
Applejack continued, “The two of us talked it over an’ we agreed to try workin’ side-by-side sellin’ caramel apples at the park.”
“Yes, that is indeed what we ultimately agreed upon,” acknowledged Rarity hesitantly. “It’s not that I’m nervous, but… Applejack, you’re perfect for the job, and, well, my résumé is… less apple-centric.”
Applejack chuckled and turned to Rarity. “We’ll be together,” she assured her friend. “Ah got a good feelin’.”
Rarity smiled back at Applejack, then turned her attention back down to her phone. She let out a disappointed huff and grumbled, “No missed calls while we were talking about caramel apples.” She smiled again at Applejack and suggested, “Shall we practice answering our phones and sounding calm?”
It was right at that moment that both Rarity’s and Applejack’s phones suddenly vibrated and made a faint buzz, which immediately startled both girls quite obviously.
Sunset chuckled and remarked, “That was about as calm as Pinkie Pie on Cake Day.”
Pinkie immediately grasped Sunset’s shoulders and exclaimed in panic, “Was it today?! Did I miss it?!”
Sunset calmly shoved Pinkie away, then turned back to the rest of her friends and quipped, “Need I say more?”
Twilight, Rainbow Dash, and Fluttershy couldn’t help but giggle at that.
Meanwhile, both Rarity and Applejack gasped in excitement. “One new email!” noted Rarity.
“It’s from the park!” noted Applejack.
The two girls turned to each other and exclaimed simultaneously, “You open yours first!” Upon realizing they spoke at the same time, they both again excitedly exclaimed, “No, you open yours first!” They then shared a friendly laugh.
Once they had both calmed down a little, Applejack spoke up, “Okay, okay, same time.” They both held up their phones and held their free hand over the screen. “One, two—”
Rarity’s patience just couldn’t last long enough as she quickly tapped her screen. “Too late! I opened mine!” she remarked before she let out a squeal of excitement. She then began to actually read the email and her expression quickly fell. “Oh… they said I’m overqualified for caramel apple girl,” she stated dejectedly. But as she continued reading the email, she then gasped and excitedly added, “They want me to be lead parade costume designer!”
All of Rarity’s friends cheered for her.
“You haven’t even started and you already got promoted,” noted Twilight.
“That’s gotta be a record,” remarked Rainbow Dash.
While the others cheered for Rarity, Applejack checked her email, and her expression fell. “Ah didn’t get the job,” she pointed out in disappointment. She turned to Rarity and smiled as she spoke up, “But Ah’m really happy for ya, Rarity.”
Rarity immediately scoffed and dismissively said, “I’m sure there must be a mix-up, darling.”
Pinkie Pie quickly suggested, “Obviously, the internet mailman gave you the wrong letter.”
Twilight raised a hand and opened her mouth, but didn’t get a chance to speak before Pinkie continued.
“I know that’s not how the internet works,” admitted Pinkie, “but I’m trying to cheer you up.”
In an effort to assure Applejack, Twilight spoke up, “Technically, Rarity didn’t get the job, either, since she got a different job, so they’re probably about to send another email with your promotion.”
Just seconds later, Applejack’s phone buzzed and vibrated again. She gasped as she quickly checked the alert she received, then slumped as she groaned and muttered in disappointment, “Just a sale at Stinky Bottom’s Discount Hat Emporium.”
Rainbow Dash leaned over to look at the screen on the phone and cheerfully pointed out “Forty percent off!” When she noticed everyone glare at her, she awkwardly added, “But I guess that has nothing to do with what we’re talking about.” She chuckled in embarrassment and stepped back.
Rarity hesitantly tapped her hands together as she stated, “Well… I’m not going to accept it without you, obviously.” Now committed to her decision, she crossed her arms and let out a huff, the puff of air enough to slightly rotate Pinkie’s hair piece so that it now partially covered her face.
Applejack turned to Rarity in shock and exclaimed, “What?! You cannot let this opportunity pass you by, Rarity! Think of all those vision boards, the late-night sewin’! This has been your dream since… since practically kindy-garten, Ah’d imagine!”
Rarity giggled nervously and tapped her hands together again. “Preschool, actually,” she admitted quietly. She then firmly spoke up, “But that’s not the point. My mind is made up. We planned to spend the summer together, and… and even if it means looking elsewhere, that’s exactly what we’re going to do. Riiiiiiiight?” She then stared at Applejack with the most adorable begging face she could manage and blinked twice.
Applejack saw right through Rarity’s emotional mask and insisted, “You’re takin’ the job, an’ that’s final.”
“Okay, if you insist!” Rarity quickly replied before squealing excitedly. “I’m gonna be a costume designer for a parade!”
All of Rarity’s friends gathered together and gave her a group hug as they all said various words of encouragement and congratulations.
Once the group hug broke, Applejack assured her friends, “Well, don’t worry ‘bout me, y’all. Ah’m sure Ah can find some other hobby to keep me occupied. There’s much more to Canterlot City than some brand new theme park.”
Pinkie Pie finished the last of the smoothie she was holding and suggested, “Ooh! Maybe you could work at wherever they serve these delicious fruit smoothies!”
“Ah’m afraid they ain’t exactly hirin’ at this time,” Applejack pointed out, “but Ah’ll be sure to keep an eye on ‘em, just in case. Not like a seasonal job can be that hard to come by, right?”
The next day, Rarity went out to Equestria Land to meet with her new employer. The acceptance email had insisted that she only had to “be yourself, but better,” so while she stuck to her current standard outfit, she took great care to ensure her appearance was as flawless as possible for the vital first impressions.
Once Rarity arrived at the park, security pointed her towards the large hangar building near the backlot section of the property. Carrying her portfolio with her, she made it only just past the main park entrance when she encountered someone who seemed immediately thrilled to meet her.
“Ah, you must be Rarity,” greeted the woman with yellow skin and violet hair and wearing a brown cape. “Our new lead parade costume designer?”
“Oh! Yes, indeed,” confirmed Rarity with a smile and a nod. “I take it you’re the one who offered me this prestigious position?”
“You know it!” confirmed the woman as she and Rarity began walking side by side towards the hangar. “My name is Vignette Valencia, and to answer your first question, yes, I’m that ‘Vignette’, but no, I don’t think I’m better than you just because I have three million followers on Snapgab.”
Rarity stopped and muttered in shock, “You’re up to three million now?” She quickly shifted her attention back to more important matters and caught back up to Vignette as she spoke up, “I mean, yes, uh, yes, I-I am familiar with your online repertoire.”
“I have a good feeling about you, Rare,” noted Vignette confidently. “Oh, you have to let me call you ‘Rare’. It’s the perfect name for lead parade costume designer.” She opened the folder she was carrying and glanced at Rarity’s application page inside as she added dismissively, “Not a, um… caramel apple girl. I don’t even know why you applied for a job like that. Not with a Snapgab feed like yours.” As she spoke that final sentence, she closed her folder and pulled out her phone.
“Oh, uh, i-i-it was intended to be part of a joint venture with a friend of mine,” Rarity awkwardly explained. “Though I suppose it doesn’t matter anymore, seeing as her application was rejected.” When she noticed Vignette looking at her phone, she spoke up, “You’ve seen my Snapgab feed?”
By this time, the two of them arrived at the hanger and stopped walking. “Obviously, I looked you up,” explained Vignette. “Great pictures, by the way. That gingham and linen sundress caught my eye, and your follower count is im-press-ive. For someone whose business has yet to expand beyond a single location, of course, but I can already tell you’ve got magique inside.”
Rarity was so awestruck by Vignette’s words of praise that she fumbled over her words for a moment before she managed to ask, “Y-You can?”
“The light parade is going to be the most important event in the park on opening day,” continued Vignette. “We have over a hundred cast members, and you are gonna make them look perfect.”
Rarity let out a content sigh and politely responded, “Miss Valencia, I am very grateful for this opportunity of a lifetime. I cannot wait to get started.”
“Then let’s stop wasting time with idle chatting,” agreed Vignette. “Right this way, please.” She began walking towards the hanger, but after just a few steps, she suddenly stopped beside a round table and umbrella that was oddly surrounded by yellow caution tape. “Oh, and before I forget,” added Vignette, “don’t put anything on that table. Especially your phone. No reason, just a super-important rule I made up, ‘kay?”
Rarity smiled as she shrugged and remarked, “Eh, everyone has their quirks.” She then followed Vignette into the hangar, excited to begin her new temporary job.
Over a week had passed since Rarity accepted her new job at Equestria Land. While Rarity was hard at work creating all kinds of costume designs, the rest of her friends had continued with their typical day-to-day lives. For Applejack, this involved doing various chores around the farm with her family. Today, she was assisting Big Mac and Apple Bloom with making applesauce the traditional way, which involved simply stomping on apples in a large tub and having the sauce drain into a container.
As Applejack continued stomping the apples, she suddenly heard her phone ring. She pulled out her phone and smiled when she saw it was her friend Rarity calling, so she accepted the call and put the phone against the side of her head and spoke, “Hey, Rarity! Fancy hearin’ from you!”
“Applejack! Darling!” responded Rarity, just as pleased. She put her phone on speaker and set it down on the table she was sitting at so she could resume her work with a sewing machine as she continued speaking. “How’s work on the farm?”
Applejack spoke in a forced pleasant tone, “Fantastic! Ah could not be happier! Just makin’ foot-stompin’ applesauce the old-fashioned way with mah family!”
“Less chatter, more splatter!” complained Granny Smith, who sat in a rocking chair next to the large tub. “Besides, you was the one who complained ‘bout not havin’ much to do ‘round here lately.”
Applejack groaned and grumbled under hear breath, “Me an’ mah big mouth…”
Rarity didn’t seem to hear that last part before she said contently, “Oh, good. I’m so happy for you.”
“An’ Ah’m happy for you an’ your new job, too,” replied Applejack.
“Oh, yes, well,” responded Rarity with a nervous laugh, “it’s certainly a big job.”
In the workroom of the hangar, Rarity had just finished sewing a yellow sheet of cloth and set it aside, only for one assistant to rush in and drop off a roll of purple cloth right next to her desk, As soon as she had picked up that new roll, another assistant suddenly rushed in and dropped off a roll of orange cloth. With no time to complain — not to mention not wanting one of her best friends to hear about any of her issues — she immediately went to work on the purple cloth.
“Ah’m sure ya won’t slip up,” assured Applejack over the phone. Ironically, it was right at that moment when she suddenly slipped on the applesauce, but was quickly able to regain her balance.
Rarity flipped through her numerous pages of sketches as she nervously responded, “Well, I-I was calling because, well, you see, it’s not that I’m…” She let out a nervous giggle as she carelessly flung away page after page all over the place before eventually finding the sketch she was looking for. “…nervous or anything silly like that, but I-I-I was wondering if…” With no free space on the table, she set down her sketches atop a nearby pile of fabric, then turned her attention away from it just before the stack slid off the table and scattered all over the floor. “…if you and the girls wanted to come on opening night to see the parade.” She finished in a pleasant sing-song tone, “V.I.P. passes! You can cut the lines!”
“You bet your britches, missy!” answered Applejack excitedly. “Ah wouldn’t miss your big night for the world! Whoa!” She once again suddenly slipped in the applesauce, but this time failed to keep her balance and fell over backwards into the tub between Apple Bloom and Big Mac, both of whom looked down at her in concern.
“Applejack?” asked Rarity over the phone. “Darling? Hello?”
As Granny Smith tossed a towel to her, Applejack held her now messy phone back up to her ear and responded, “Ah’m fine. Just a lil’ mishap. Ah’d better hang up so Ah can clean this up.”
Rarity glanced over to where she left her sketches, only to discover they were now scattered all over the floor. “Uh, same here, darling,” she spoke to her phone as she picked it up. “See you and the others in a couple days!” She ended the call and pocketed her phone, then began the tedious effort of regathering all of her scattered sketches.
Rarity hastily gathered most of her sketches back together into a sloppy stack and was just about to even it out when she saw the rest of her sketches being offered to her. She glanced up and smiled to see who had offered her that helping hand. “Oh! Thank you, Miss Valencia,” she said as she took back the rest of her sketches.
“Please, just call me Vignette,” insisted Vignette with a smile. “We’re supposed to be working on friendly terms, after all. It’s why I even bothered to help you out with that little paper incident.”
“Yes, I suppose that’s true,” acknowledged Rarity as she began to even out the messy stack of papers.
“Anyway,” continued Vignette slyly, “correct me if I’m wrong, but did I happen to overhear you offering some V.I.P. passes?”
Rarity immediately gasped in shock and dropped her sketches on the floor again. She quickly turned to Vignette and fearfully responded, “Oh! Uh, t-t-terribly sorry for my faux pas. I should’ve known better than to utilize a privilege that is beyond my employment status.”
“Oh, you didn’t do anything wrong,” assured Vignette. “To be fair, a person in your position would be allowed to hand out a strict limit of five V.I.P. passes.”
Rarity initially smiled upon hearing she wasn’t going to be in trouble, but her expression fell when she realized she wouldn’t have quite enough for all of her close friends.
“But for you in particular,” Vignette quickly added, “I’ll throw in an extra so you can invite all of your friends.”
“Oh, thank goodness,” muttered Rarity with a huge sigh of relief. With the weight of a perceived disaster off her shoulders, she was able to think again and soon raised an eyebrow as she realized something. “Wait, how did you know I have six friends to whom I intended to offer V.I.P. passes?”
Vignette pulled out her phone and smugly explained, “I decided to delve a little deeper into your social media accounts, and let’s just say you should’ve seen the look on my face when I discovered you also happen to be one of the Equestria Girls, the LEGO Team’s special squad of seven girls who have saved the Lego World from all kinds of crazy evil. I kid you not, that was a real OMG moment for me, and let me tell you, that’s become a very rare achievement as of late.”
“Oh?” asked Rarity, intrigued by Vignette’s excitement.
“Just think of it: The greatest team of heroes in our time, all coming together to be part of the prestigious opening day of Equestria Land,” continued Vignette. She then gasped and excitedly added, “Equestria Girls in Equestria Land! That kind of publicity just wrote itself!” She quickly texted a note into her phone.
“I take it you welcome my request to invite my friends?” asked Rarity.
“Absolutely!” confirmed Vignette excitedly. “Kids idolize heroes, and with the rep you girls have built, those kids are sure to be thrilled to have this incredible opportunity to meet you in the plastic!” She speed-dialed a number on her phone as she began to walk away. “I’ll get our ad team to put together this new ad campaign overnight. You just make sure your friends actually show up on opening day.”
Rarity let out a sigh of relief and quietly remarked, “That worked out quite nicely.” She turned back to her worktable and quickly lost her content feelings as she saw over a dozen rolls of fabric were now piled beside the table and her sketches were once again scattered all over the floor. She let out a sigh of sadness and began to pick up all of those sheets of paper yet again.
A few minutes later, Vignette finished her call with the advertising department and hung up just as she walked out the door from the hangar. She was just about to put away her phone when she suddenly stopped and glanced back at the security guard posted beside the door.
The guard was asleep, sitting on the ground with his back against the wall. He had light nougat skin and wore the park’s security uniform of navy blue pants, white shirt with long sleeves, black tie, and navy blue cap over his black hair. Labeled on the front of his shirt was a name tag that read “C. Doodle”.
Vignette huffed and grumbled, “Is some competent security too much to ask for around here?” She glanced down at her phone, up at the sleeping guard, then back down to her phone. “I wonder…”
Vignette brought up the camera app and held her phone out at the snoring security guard. She took a picture and, just like with the salad bowl less than two weeks ago, the guard immediately transformed into a holographic image and then quickly vanished. She looked down at the picture of the sleeping security guard on her phone, then swiped the image aside to a picture of that same guard standing up and alert and wearing black pants, a red coat, and a tall black hat. She then swiped that picture up and a hologram of that alert and redressed security guard suddenly appeared exactly where the original sleeping one had been. He stood perfectly still, practically as stiff as a statue, with an unblinking gaze that stared straight ahead.
“Much better,” said Vignette with satisfaction. She turned and began to walk away, but then stopped and turned back to the hologram of the security guard in a royal sentry uniform. She tapped her hand against her chin and muttered thoughtfully, “Hmm… Doesn’t seem quite real enough…”
Vignette held up her phone again and returned to the picture matching the hologram standing in front of her. She swiped down to discover a wide range of additional features, including a section identified as “animation options”. She made a few quick setting adjustments and then tapped the final button to “accept changes”. As soon as those new settings were entered, the hologram guard suddenly turned right and began steadily marching alongside the wall of the hangar. Once he reached the end of the wall, he made a swift about-face and continued marching, then repeated the process once he reached the other end of the wall. As he marched, he moved so precisely and consistently that he appeared to behave more like an animatronic than a living minifig. He never spoke, never grunted, never made any noise at all, not even the plastic clacking of his footsteps that one would normally expect to hear.
“Now that’s more like it!” said Vignette with approval. Now that she felt more confident with that particular security guard, she turned and walked away to take care of more important matters.