//------------------------------//
// Chapter 3: Opening 
// Story: The Shattered Rollercoaster Of Friendship 
// by FourShadow 
//------------------------------//

The day was finally here. Equestria Land was now open to the public, and the numbers were steadily growing for visitors and patrons looking for some fun. Many families and friends were already driving there for a day of non-stop fun, and with what the park advertised, they were betting on having a great time.

In two different cars, pulling up into the parking lot were the Dazzlings, Trixie, Lyra, and Bon Bon. One by one, they all got out of their cars, and had the biggest grins on their faces when they saw the park.

"We're finally here. So what are we waiting for? Come on, let's go inside!" Lyra said, yanking Bon Bon with her.

"You girls go on ahead, I just got to take care of my shoes real quick," Aria waved, leaning against the car. Shrugging, Adagio and Sonata just walked inside with Lyra and Bon Bon. After a quick tie up, Aria reached in the back, grabbing some extra sunscreen and applying it to her bare shoulders and exposed legs, no need for a sunburn here. No good it would do if she lost a shoe on a ride. 

"Aria?"

Aria turned her head to who was calling, and was greeted with a wonderful surprise. Flash Sentry was here, along with his little sister, Starry. Both of them were dressed for the summer, with the additions of sunglasses and hats. 

"Flash, hey!" 

"Hey Ari. You here for Equestria Land as well?"

"You bet. I love amusement parks," Aria then looked over to the little girl next to him. "Hey Starry, how are you doing?"

The little girl had the most adorable grin on her face. "I'm doing good." 

"That's good," she smiled back. "Say, as long as we're all out here... wanna go together?" 

"Please, can she come with us?" Starry asked, innocently. 

Flash chuckled. "I was going to say yes either way, Starry. Come on, let's get inside."

Smiling, Aria's hand intertwined with Flash's, and the couple walked together as they went straight for the gate.





Inside the park, guests were already having a splendid time. Plenty of rides, stalls, and things to do around the park. Guests were laughing with joy and excitement, cheers and screams all about, it was everywhere. 

"Alright girls, we're inside now. What do you all want to do first?" Adagio asked, clapping her hands together. 

"Daybreaker's Void Of Death?" Lyra suggested. "Appleloosa's Wild West Show? Sugarcube Everything? Dragon Lands Drag Racing?"

"Slow down, Lyra. I know you're excited and all--"

"--Of course I am!" Lyra squeed. "There's so much to do!" 

"How about we start things off with a little bit of spoooookiness?" Bon Bon emphasized, pointing at the Haunted House attraction.

"Oh, I dunno, I mean can't we just start with something else first?" Trixie asked.

"Come on, Trixie, I'm sure it's not that bad. Besides, it's just make believe, remember that. It's not like some Equestrian magic's on the loose again," Bon Bon said, reassuringly.

Their conversation was interrupted by a crowd of swarming fangirls running right past them, and heading straight to a familiar woman who was standing with her phone, ready to take any photos with the girls.

"Oh my gosh... is that--" Trixie gasped.

"I think it is!" Lyra squeaked with the biggest grin on her face.

"Who? Who is she?" Adagio asked.

Posing with the rest of the girls, Vignette snapped a few photos with them, making sure they were absolutely perfect, they had to be. They wanted to remember these forever.

"You don't know? Have you been living under a rock, it's Vignette Valencia!"

Adagio shrugged, unsure. 

"Big social media star?"

"You know I'm not that big into social media, Bon Bon. Besides, I really don't want to relive the great Hoofbook war of '06. What's so special about Vignette anyway?" 

"Well like Bon Bon said, she's a big social media star! She's got great hair, flawless skin, she has her own Hooftube channel with a lot of great videos, and..." Trixie stopped talking, looking at Adagio who was smirking at her, "What? Okay,  I'll admit, I kinda... admire her a bit."

"Oh do you?" Adagio teased, winking and sticking her tongue out at her. 

"She does have a lot great videos, plus she does a lot of work for raising money for charity organizations. And have you seen her photography?"

Adagio shook her head, but looked down at the phone that Bon Bon passed to her, sharing the pictures. Shrugging, she looked down.

"So these are her photos?" Adagio used the arrow button to pass onto the next one with each one she looked at. "Okay, I'll admit, that's a nice shot of Eiffel Tower in Pearis... okay that's a nice desert... okay that's a nice shot of Trotkyo, how many of these does she make?"

"She's a professional photographer," Bon Bon added. "She's been to thousands of famous areas across the world, makes a lot of video content, she's a pretty cool person."

Adagio's eyes then looked back at Vignette, shaking hands, smiling, greeting a few of her fans just before going off on her own business. "... Huh."

Once her photo ops were done, she walked through them continuing to strut along as she examined the surroundings around her. Even though she was gonna stop every once in a while to take pictures with people, she still wanted to make sure everything was going according to plan. Only a few minor hiccups here and there. Reaching for her ear, she pressed a small button on a miniature com device which she kept planted in her ear to listen to security. 

"Security, any concerns so far?"

"None so far ma'am. A few children have been missing, but all have been found by their parents."

"Good. Let me know if anything changes," Vignette said, putting her hand away.

And it was that moment she was met with some squeeing fangirls in the form of Lyra, Bon Bon, and Trixie. Still keeping up a good attitude, she giggled and looked at the fans.

"Hey girls!"

"Oh my gosh, you're Vignette! We are some of your biggest fans!"

"Can we, um... take a picture with you?"

"Oh, I do not mind at all," Vignette smiled, giggling. 

The internet celebrity stood with the three girls, keeping her phone up so all four could be caught in the frame. And with everyone sharing happy expressions with their pearly whites, she pressed the button and snapped a perfect photo with all of them together. 

"Thanks!"

"Oh, it's no problem at all, anything to make my fans happy," Vignette replied.

"Hey! Vignette!"

The manager turned her head seeing her assistant walking towards her way. But when Trixie saw who it was, her face turned from happy to horrified, and then merged into angry. 

“Okay boss, I made sure that…" The woman coming up was someone that Adagio knew, and not in a good way. The spiteful glares the two girls exchanged was very mutual. Lyra, Bon Bon, and Trixie all exchanged glances and looked at the arrived girl. This 'assistant' had light blue skin, black hair, and dressed in a fancy jacket that was nothing but clean and smooth, and pants that hugged her skin so close that everyone within walking distance would be staring at her. "... well, well, well then. If it isn’t Adagio Dazzle,” Click snarled. 

“Hello Click,” Adagio snarled back.

Vignette was confused. “I’m sorry, do you two know each other?” 

“Yes, she was an old classmate in the last school we attended. Until she decided to make our lives miserable and ran us off,” Adagio sneered.

“You did not belong at that school and you should have known to stay out of my turf,” Click snapped, getting up in her face.

“Click.” Vignette said sternly, getting her to back off. She stood in front of Click, glared at her with 100% no joke, full on seriousness. “I do not care what grievances you have with this woman. As an employee of Equestria Land, and as my assistant, I expect you to be on your best behavior, and not antagonize visitors and consumers of the park. Scaring off customers won’t make money, now will it?”

Click growled quietly, but turned her head away.

“Will it?”

“… No ma’am.”

“Now then. I hope you do not act this way with everyone else here at the park. Do not harass them. Okay? If they follow the park’s rules and have fun, you leave them alone. Now then, I suggest you go take a 15-minute break and cool off.”

“… yes ma’am,” she said, indignantly as she stomped away.

Vignette turned around and looked at Adagio and her friends. “I’m very sorry about that, miss. I can promise you she will not be harassing you again, you just let me know. She’s been a pain in my rear for the past few days.”

“Then why keep her on? My personal experience states that she is an absolute nightmare," Adagio folded her arms.

“Because, even in spite of her… obnoxious behavior, she has been doing her job and making sure we stay on time. Now then, I hope you all are having a good time?"

"Absolutely miss, my friends and I are sure to enjoy this lovely park," Adagio said, politely. 

"Well, you girls have a good time now, I'll be sure to share those photos on Snapgab!" She winked at her friends. And so she walked away, continuing to do her job. But before she even continued further, she looked back at Adagio and her friends, all sharing happy smiles as they continued to walk. 

At first she smiled that they were happy, but it slowly dwindled into a frown. They were so happy, and she should have been happy that they were happy. After all, she herself wanted Equestria Land to be a success, and she was happy that the park seemed to start so far so good. But there was that returning feeling, that feeling that always hurt her stomach. That emptiness inside to see everyone so happy with friends.

Friends. A word she heard many times, but sadly was not something she had really associated herself with. Not with any, and not one herself. Forcing herself to smile again, she walked away to continue to monitor the situation. She'd definitely need to check in with Rarity on the progress as well.

"Um, wait. Girls? Wasn't Sonata with us? Where'd she go?" Lyra asked, looking around.

"Sonata will be fine, I'm sure she just went off to look for tacos or something," Adagio said nonchalantly. "She may be naive, but she can take care of herself. ... Sometimes. ... I'm pretty sure she'll be fine." 

"Hopefully," Bon Bon said, admittedly worried for how she would be doing. "Actually, okay, now where did Aria go?"

"Oh I saw her walk the other way, she was with Flash and his little sister," Trixie explained.

"Oh, never mind," Bon Bon shrugged off.

"... Okay, hold on," Adagio stopped, halting the group. She was scrunching her face, clearly upset. "Okay, let's just recap. Aria's with her boyfriend, Vinyl and Octavia are at their jobs, Sonata's wandered off on her own (please, for Luna's sake do not get lost), did I miss anyone?" 

The girls looked around for a second.

"Where's Amethyst?"





Outside of the amusement park, a single girl was pacing back in forth in front of Canterlot High which had been closed for the summer. Sporting a pair of tennis shoes, white socks, and a beautiful light teal summer dress, held together at the waist by a belt with a graphic of three diamonds as a buckle. Underneath the dress however, she had a pair of shorts and a tank top, just in case. She had plans to go to Equestria Land but she wanted to be prepared in the case that her dress might have gotten ripped or ruined in some way.

But before she could even do that, she had to stay outside of the Wondercolt statue and wait for someone. You see, Adagio had accidentally left her journal behind in her locker by accident, which Amethyst went to grab just before everyone had left school for the break. What Adagio didn't realize was that she had a message sent to her... from Princess Trixie. The princess had written a letter, saying that she was planning on coming over to the human world to visit. But since she was already gone with the others to Equestria Land by now, there was only one thing for her to do; be a good friend and pick up the Equestrian ambassador when she arrived.

Luckily waiting wasn't so painful. It was a nice day, plenty of shade to be under, and she had a few snacks to nibble on so she wouldn't go hungry. And with the extra addition of channeling her magic through a small boombox, she could get music coming through to dance to. 

Soon enough, the portal started to glow, and open up like ripples on open waters. A hand pushed itself out, and a teenage girl's body was seen flopping out, faceplanting into the ground. 

"Oof. Ow..." 

"Hey Princess! Good to see you!"

"Huh? Oh, Amethyst, hey! Is, is that you?" the Princess asked, looking up to see a familiar face. 

"Yep, that's me. Adagio's not here right now, and she accidentally left her journal, so I thought I'd get it for her... and then I saw the message that you were coming through, so I'd thought I'd be here when you get here."

"Oh, uh, thanks! I really appreciate it."

"No problem. Though I gotta say, I wasn't expecting you to come, I thought you would have had more important princess stuff to do."

"Actually, I don't. My friends suggested I take a day off, I've been pretty stressful lately, and I honestly had nothing else to do, so I thought maybe I could take a day and visit this world once again, for real this time," she explained, looking up. "Um... why are you so tall?"

The keytar player blinked. "Do you not remember the last time you came through?"

"No, it's been a while. I don't even... wait a minute."

She moved up a bit, and her eyes shifted down to her hooves... only there was no hooves. She had hands! 

"Wha... ah... Aah... AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!!!"

Out of instinct, Amethyst cupped her ears from the screaming. 

"Princess, it's fine!"

"I'm, I'm... I don't even know what I am!" The princess panicked. "The rest of me looks so weird!" Breathing slowly, she threw her arms out to catch herself, now on all fours much like a horse, much to the slight amusement to Amethyst Star. "What..." she began slowly, "What does the rest of me look like!?"

"... Like my best friend? Though, I'm not gonna lie, I love that outfit, you look great!" Amethyst complimented.

"My outfit!?" Looking down, she could see as clear as day she was completely dressed. "I didn't get dressed up before I left!"

"Maybe it's some mirror logic?" Amethyst hypothesized. "Come on, lemme help you up."

She offered a hand, and helped the diplomat get back on her feet nice and easy like. Although the princess's legs were still wobbling and shaking from this new sensation. But standing on two legs was a bit much and she nearly fell, luckily saved by Amy swooping in to catch her. 

And after helping her get back up, Amethyst took a second to look at Princess Trixie's outfit. Dark blue heeled boots, skintight leggings underneath a pair of dark blue shorts, held together by a belt buckle with a wand and crescent moon. And to top it off, a white T-shirt underneath a cool jacket with stars all over.

"I gotcha. It's okay."

The princess blushed a little. "So, um," she looked at her hands. "These are--"

"Hands. Those are hands."

Princess Trixie looked down at her feet. "A-And what about the rest of my--" 

"Feet! That's your feet. Humans walk on two legs."

The princess was dumbfounded. "So it's not pronounced 'hooman', it's hue... man?" 

"Yes."

"Oh. Okay," her legs were still wobbling. "This feels so weird..."

"I believe you. Look, I'll help you out. Since Adagio and the others aren't here... actually, wait, I remembered! They're all heading over to Equestria Land!"

"What!?" 

Amethyst giggled. "Not Equestria, Equestria Land. It's a new amusement park that just opened up, everyone's heading over there. Why don't I take you with me, we could have fun!"

The princess squeaked. "That sounds fun! But, wait, what if people recognize me? I mean there is already a me here in this world, what happens if they see both me and the other... me?"

Amethyst tapped her shoe on the ground, hand rubbing her chin. And then she snapped her fingers, "How about this? Since you already look like Trixie, and we don't have a budget to run hundreds of dollars of makeup over you to try and make you look like someone else, what if we just tell people you're her twin sister from out of town? No one will suspect, and your secret is kept safe and secure."

"Great!" She clapped her hands. "... So where is this park?"

"I have the directions. Just follow me, I'll drive us there."

"Okay!" 

The princess stretched her legs, ready to follow her human friend... only to start walking on the ground on all fours like a horse. 

"Wait wait wait wait, no, no, stop! No! Not that!" Amethyst ran over and helped her back up. "That's gonna get a lot of unnecessary attention, trust me."

"Heh, sorry..." the princess blushed.

"Don't worry, you'll get used to it," Amethyst patted. "Come on, I'll drive us there."

Carefully, with one foot after the other, Princess Trixie followed Amethyst to where she parked, just along the curb. A nice spacious station wagon with wood paneling off the side which her father allowed to use for the day. 

"Come on, shotgun seat!"

The princess moved to the side, looking down at the handle. Tilting her head, she looked down at her own hands, wondering how she was going to pry it open. But hey, she had fingers. Maybe she just needed to grip it?

Slowly, she reached for the handle, and pulled on it, opening up the car door.

"There you go, you got it! Now just climb in."

One foot after the other, the princess slowly pulled herself into the shotgun seat, finally inside the car. Reaching over, she managed to pull the door back, closing it.

"See there you go! Hands aren't so hard to work with, now are they?" Amethyst smiled. She yanked the seatbelts on, and luckily the Princess was able to find hers just fine. "So, you ready to see one of many forms of entertainment this planet has to offer?"

The princess giggled. "Sure!" 

"Alright, let's get going!"

Turning on the engine, she pulled the car off the curb and went back onto the street. Now it was time to go to Equestria Land! With musical accompaniment of course. 

Your love
keeps liftin' me higher...