Taking her break, Click Bait checked her phone, looking for any messages from her boss or any employees. More junk mail, nothing out of the ordinary. But wait; one text message, and from Vignette? What was it this time...
I'm going to be wandering around the park to make sure we aren't having any issues. Could you please check on Rarity to see how the parade preparations are going?
Click Bait thought for a second, pondering her options. Probably would be best to check on them, after all, this Light Parade was important. But wait a second... an opportunity was here. One that gave her a wonderfully, devious idea... With a semi-evil grin, she texted back to her boss.
Right away, boss. Be there in a jiffy.
She got off her butt and walked through the crowds of people towards the hangar bay sized buildings where the floats were currently being worked on and assembled.
Once inside, she could see all the engineers, costume designers, electricians, technicians, and many others working to get ready. A wide variety of parade floats were getting done, and she had to admit, she was surprised by the amount of progress that had been done. At least three of these floats were done and ready to launch. It was more than enough for what she had planned now...
Walking around the corner, she followed a trail of sudden smoke in the air. Not a lot, but it was a little puff. She saw a man trying to put out any potential flames on an actor's cowboy suit, with lots of lights visible on his outfit. And then her eyes caught sight of the mohawked designer that was hired... ranting in a pile of clothes.
"--WHY DO ALL THE WRETCHED THINGS HAPPEN TO ME!?" Rarity screamed, muffled into the clothing pile.
Click blinked in confusion, but smirked softly. This would be easier than she hoped.
"Miss Rarity?"
"I wasn't having a meltdown! Who said I was having a meltdown!?" Rarity shrieked. And she looked at Click with the most stressed out face. Her eyes were twitching and her teeth were grit, she almost looked like an angry animal who hadn't gotten their breakfast. "I AM NOT HAVING A MELTDOWN!!!"
Click blinked. "... Right. Rarity, I must ask, have you taken any breaks today?"
"No, I have not! I'm on a deadline, and I cannot disappoint!"
"You already are," Click mumbled with some deadpan. "Look, come, you're stressed out, you're overworked, I think you need to take a step back."
Click yanked Rarity by her shoulder, pulling her away from the working people. She waved her hand at them passively, as if to say 'just go back to it' or something of the like. She took Rarity inside the small office and closed the door. And without Rarity's knowledge, her fingers quietly clicked the locks.
"I suppose maybe I should take a break. I can't recall the last time I had something to--"
"--Vignette hired you to design the parade floats, correct?" Click interrupted, getting straight to the point.
"Well, yes--"
"--And what did she tell you, that this was all for the children, this is all for charity, and whatnot?"
"Um, well--"
"I thought so, yeah, whatever, you see... Vignette may not have said anything, but frankly she doesn't need to. She doesn't seem to grasp the idea of showing what really matters here," Click said, rolling her eyes around. "She's one of the most famous internet celebrities in existence, over millions of subscribers and followers... and yet all I get from her is that it's all about the people, it's all about the children and bleh. I don't know how she does it, but I can barely stand five minutes of these people."
The fashionista grew very uncomfortable as she spoke, and slowly tried to go to the door, not wanting to hear anymore. "Heh, heh heh, um... I'm not sure I'm comfortable hearing--"
"--And another thing!" Click said, stepping in front of the door to keep her from leaving. "I don't understand how she expects to draw in the crowds, because all of these designs you're pitching are so... so... eh."
Rarity heard glass shatter. "You, she, bu... bu..."
"Oh and by the way, I don't think your services are needed at this point, you can basically leave now. Or stay if you want to have fun in the park. A hundred dollars though," Click said, smirking at her.
Rarity's eyes were twitching even more. "This is outrageous! Vignette Valencia would have called me if she was upset--"
"--What makes you think she would?" Click asked. "You act like Vignette's one of the most understanding people, but I don't think you really understand the internet. Do you really think Canter Zoom 'directed' the Daring Do movie?"
"W... YES!"
Once again, the obnoxious girl from Cloudsdale rolled her eyes. "You really have lost touch with reality, don't you? Know how people say to never meet your heroes? Well..." She pulled out her phone and her thumb pressed the camera option. She held it up to focus on Rarity with a devious grin, ready to take her picture. "You shouldn't have met her."
Rarity was confused, but she never got her chance to talk. The camera had flashed, and her entire body had vanished into thin air, being absorbed into the world inside her phone.
"Sorry Rarity. But I have better ideas for a parade. One that I know will have the true spirit of Canterlot," Click sneered, walking out of the office like nothing happened. And no one was around to witness Rarity's disappearance.
"Ah, ah... huh?" Rarity questioned, twirling her head all around. All around her was a great white void, with no clue as to where she was, or even if this void was place of existence. "What is this!? What is this dreadful place? WHAT CRUEL GODS HAVE I UPSET TO EARN THISSSSSS????"
She looked around, desperately trying to find something, anything that stood out. This couldn't be some empty void of nothingness, it couldn't have been! She wandered around, but stopped when she smacked her face... into a wall. She felt along the wall, desperately trying to see if there was anything to touch or grab. But when she felt her left side, she felt another wall.
"OH FOR SOLARIS'S SAKE!!! CLICK BAIT HAS TURNED ME INTO A MIMMMMEEEEE!" Rarity wailed, sliding down the wall and onto her behind. She felt like sobbing her eyes out, until she noticed something in front of her eyes. An unfamiliar girl was sitting across from her. Cream-white hair, baby-blue skin tone, but wearing a very fabulous outfit as far as her eyes were concerned.
"Trixie? Darling, is that you?"
The princess lifted her head. "H-How do you know my name?"
Rarity blinked. "... Because, you're Trixie. Ooh, what did you do to your hair, it looks fantastic!" Rarity soon caught herself. "Um, not that it wasn't fantastic before, it just, um."
Princess Trixie forced herself up onto her feet, and Rarity stopped talking. Words had failed her, as she looked in awe and disbelief at the figure in front of her. This stylish, this outfit, it screamed confidence. And this was being worn by Trixie? Trixie Lulamoon? The girl she always knew who just walked around with a dorky vest with pins of her favorite shows, or t-shirts with graphics of her favorite superheroes and stuff. And she was wearing this outfit? And that hair? That fluffy, lively hair, not held in a ponytail like she always had on was another questioning look.
"Wait a minute. Rarity?"
Rarity kept a foot back in a near-fighting stance. "Who are you and what have you done to Trixie?"
"Wh-ju--I am Trixie!"
"I saw Trixie with Adagio not too long ago, and I know that's not you, you imposter!"
The princess was confused, until she finally caught on. "Ohhh... Oh, I'm so sorry, I didn't say anything. Rarity, I'm Trixie's counterpart, I'm from an alternate dimension."
Rarity slowly lowered her defenses. "Wait, you..." her hands slapped her sides as she suddenly realized who she was. "You're the princess, aren't you?"
"Yes I am," Trixie nodded.
Rarity sighed. "I'm sorry darling, I thought you were an imposter. How did you even wind up here?"
"... I don't know!" The princess yelped, in a complete 180. "I was just minding my own business! I was waiting for Amethyst to come back, and I saw this bright flashing light in an alleyway, and then this scary girl acted like I'm dating Adagio, but I'm not--Adagio's my friend, I don't like her that way, and then the next thing I know, I get zapped here!"
"I just got zapped here as well," Rarity surmised. "That girl was Click Bait, she's the second-in-command to the head of the park. I don't understand why she would do this to us. I was just doing my job, and then she's acting like I'm not doing it right, and then she sends me here in this void!!! What cruel god have I upset to earn this!? This is... A COMPLETE DISASTER!!!" Rarity slowed herself down, trying not to overreact again. Though she was on the verge of panicking again. "Okay, let's not freak out, not freak out... I SAID LET'S NOT FREAK OUT!"
The dignitary stared at her with wide eyes and fear. "I'm not freaking out."
Rarity blushed harshly, realizing she was the only one screaming. "Sorry. But darling, there has to be someone out there who knows we're gone, shouldn't there?"
"Amethyst does. Ohhhhh... I hope she isn't mad," the princess whimpered.
"Darling, I'm sure it'll be alright, she'll find a way to find us," Rarity said softly, pulling the princess in a hug, rubbing her back. "There there."
"Thanks," the princess frowned, hugging her back.
"She'll find us, I'm sure of it. We won't be stuck in this void forever," Rarity reassured. After a moment of silence, the two of them looked around their void of a containment, and Trixie just laid her back against the wall that was right behind her. She sighed, wondering if Amethyst even was looking for her.
The two of them were silent for a moment, and they sat against the wall, waiting. And waiting. They wouldn't know how long it would be until they got out of here.
Rarity however could smell the strange breath coming from Trixie's mouth when she let out another sigh. "Trixie, your breath smells like peanut butter, what did you eat?"
"... Salted peanuts? ... I was hungry," Princess Trixie blushed, her head sinking.
After some time in the arcades, Flash, Aria, and Starry wandered through the restaurant row looking for a place to eat. There was a variety of choices to pick from, but none of them knew which to go for.
“How about this one?” Flash suggested, pointing to the western themed restaurant with a flaming logo that was shouting ‘Wild Wings!'
"Fine by me. Starry, what do you think?"
The little girl looked at the sign for a second, and gave a resounding nod. She wasn't particularly picky where they'd eat, as long as they'd serve good food.
"Yes please," she asked.
The trio walked to the restaurant, and just like outside, the inside was ablaze with the western theming. Old-timey pictures on the wall, cow skulls mounted on a few corners, old wheels from wagons, barrels, a few makeshift tumbleweeds and bushels to recreate the environment, and even the waitstaff had a bit of that motif, mainly with the hats and the jackets. Luckily it wasn't super hot inside the building so they couldn't be sweltering.
And thankfully this restaurant was not packed to the point where the trio was going to be stuck outside forever. Together, they followed a waitress to their table, a small booth against a wall with a nice warm light above their heads. Flash and Aria sat across from each other, while Starry just slid in next to him. And luckily there was a coloring sheet and crayons to keep Starry occupied while they waited for the waitress to come back around.
"Thanks for the company again," Flash said, graciously.
"Babe, I'm happy to spend time with you. I'm just glad I caught you when I did," Aria reassured. "How have you been doing, I'm sorry, I forgot to ask..." she asked, rather bashfully, rubbing the back of her head.
"I'm doing okay thank you. I did get my grades back, two As and two Bs. How about you?"
"Eh, usual. As and Bs, not shocking anymore. I know Adagio keeps telling me to keep studying, but seriously, I've taken these kind of classes for years, I'm not learning anything new," Aria rolled her eyes. "Though I'll say this; I'm glad the teachers at CHS are more understanding and can take a joke."
"Bad luck with teachers in the past?"
"Lot of them. Most of the teachers we've had usually have sticks up their butts, and can't take a joke."
"Why do people put sticks up their butts?"
That out of nowhere question from Starry was enough to nearly make Aria burst out laughing. Thankfully, she kept it reduced to a heavy snicker and expression that showed she was trying hard not to smile, but failing badly.
"Um, kiddo, that's an expression. No one literally puts a stick up someone's... ehh," Aria tried to explain, without laughing. "It basically means someone who's grouchy or grumpy or not happy... huh, sounds kinda like me," she realized.
"Aria, you're fine," Flash said, trying to reassure his girlfriend.
"Nah, I'm a bit of a grouch sometimes. I dunno, I keep letting little things get to me," Aria answered. "So, um, Starry you and Flash been to a place like this before?"
The little girl shrugged. "Eh, not many. Most of them are too loud."
"Loud noises bother you?"
Starry nodded.
"I get it, kiddo. Believe me, I'm not happy with loud noises either. Well, except when it's your brother playing music," Aria winked.
Eventually their waiter came by and took their orders, allowing them to sit and talk some more. Aria looked around at the decor some more, eyeing some of the western decor. "Hmm."
"Whatcha thinking about?"
"Eh. Admittedly western mood's not my biggest taste, but I'm happier just having it as a theme than to be living in it. Trust me, you would not wanna live in it," Aria pointed. Flash didn't question it, knowing the experiences of living on this planet Aria had. Starry however was curious.
"How come?"
Aria's eyes drooped. On one hand, she didn't want to give her secret away, and she certainly didn't want to scar this little girl. But on the other, she couldn't lie to her, and she couldn't just ignore her question.
"Wellll...." Aria droned. "I don't want to get into too explicit detail because I don't want to scare you, but the Wild West isn't a super grand time to be in like the movies portray them as. Anything that isn't you, basically wanted to hurt you. Outlaws, angry drunk people, hungry animals, diseases, major and minor injuries, the weather... it was honestly really dangerous. You'd have to take your life into your hands just going to the bathroom."
Starry wasn't showing signs of being scared, in fact, she seemed genuinely understanding. So she just gave a small nod, and stopped asking, having all the information she needed to know.
"Sooooo..." Aria tittered, trying to find another way to press a topic of interest.
"Wanna hit the karaoke stage after this?"
"YES."
After their lunch, Vignette and Sonata wandered around the park some more, looking to see what else they could do. Vignette did stop a few times to accept requests to do selfies with others, something Sonata didn't understand the point of, but found it cute anyway.
"Why do you do that?"
"Do what?"
"Take pictures like that and raise two fingers?"
"Well, I.. haven't you ever taken photos before?"
"Yeah, but I only do that if I'm putting bunny ears behind my sister's head," Sonata giggled. "She always hates that."
I shouldn't be surprised she's innocent in the knowledge of selfies. Heaven knows the amount of disturbing selfies taken on the web.
"Wait, so you've never used a cellular phone like this?" Vignette asked.
"Well... no," Sonata admitted. "Buuuut I know how to use a landline! And a rotary! Though we did have those big white phones with antennas back in the 8--uhhh I mean uh, like the ones from the 80s and 90s," she said quickly catching herself.
Vignette blinked, tilting her head slightly. "Hmm... I see. Well, anyways, these phones aren't as complicated as you may think, they're fairly easy,."
Vignette moved close to Sonata, letting her get a good look at the phone in her hand. "Now, let me just show you the basics." Her finger pressed the center button on the bottom of the device. "This will turn on the screen, let you check the time and any main messages will show up here if you missed them."
Sonata nodded.
"And this switch here," Vignette said, moving it to the side to show her, "If you have it set like this, your phone will be set on vibrate so no noise will bother you if you're busy doing something. But if you have it off, your phone will go off like any normal phone. Just make sure you have your ringtone something appropriate, you do not need to be playing something that is, how do we say... very adult."
Sonata gave her a deadpan expression, "I'm 18! What could be so--"
"--Moving on!"
Vignette entered in a passcode, allowing Sonata to look at all of the various options and apps that were visible on her phone. Sonata of course, was in awe at the sight of so many apps and pretty pictures in front of her.
"Oooh... I didn't know you could squeeze so much in that tiny little phone," Sonata said.
Vignette giggled. "The wonders of technology. Now most of these apps aren't too important, but there are a few important ones here and there," she said, swiping over to the main menu. "You have normal ones like the app store, a newsfeed, television, etc."
"Always did love seeing the unnecessary fearmongering!" Sonata squeaked like a child.
"... buuuuuut, most of the time I like spending my time either checking my mail or photographs."
She pressed the photo button, showing her archive of various pictures to Sonata; mostly ones she had recently been taken, showing the progress of some of the amusement park rides and machines that were being built at the time the picture was taken. Backing out, she swiped down to the phone icon, showing a list of several phone numbers underneath names; presumably family and employees.
"Oooh," Sonata awed, gazing some more.
"This must be your first exposure to this kind of technology. I've never heard of any teenager who wouldn't be into their phones," Vignette admitted, looking back at Sonata.
"Well, uh... my older sister kinda has some rules, mostly to protect us from well... strangers. We've kinda met some nasty people," Sonata admitted, twiddling her fingers.
"Oh dear. I hope nothing too serious?"
"Nowadays, not really. Although I keep wondering why people keep calling us and saying that we owe the Internal Revenue Service money, we've always taken care of that. Or their insistence on us listening to their lord and saviors, it's weird," she said, rubbing the back of her head.
"People can be like that sometimes. But that is a charm with having this kind of phone," she said, showing a list of unanswered numbers. "If it's a number I don't recognize, most of the time I let them go to voicemail, it's typically telemarketing or scammers who aren't even trying."
"... Huh," Sonata said, unsure of what to say to that.
"Just be leery of who calls you. Anyways, is there anyplace you would like to go to?"
"Sure! Come on, I always wanted to try this ride!"
Sonata led Vignette further through the park, keen on going on the next coolest ride she saw.
While everyone was having fun, there was one particular person who wasn't; Amethyst Star. She was running through the park, desperately trying to find Princess Trixie. She only left her for a few minutes, how could she have gotten lost? She didn't seem the type to just not move away when she was lost, where the heck could she have gone?
Amethyst ran by the snack corners, no sign of her. Not even Vinyl and Octavia saw her come back around their area. Amethyst just let out an audible groan and kept on running. She ran by a few of the rides, wondering if she had gone onto any of them. She didn't spot her near any of the rollercoasters, or any of the thrill-rides like the circular carts, or the drop towers. She even stopped by a carousel, wondering if maybe the sheer weirdness of seeing wooden horses mounted in between sticks would be enough to paralyze her in fear and confusion would be the key. But she wasn't around there either.
Amethyst, nearly running out of breath, stopped at a nearby bench to sit. She panted heavily, trying to keep herself together.
"Come on, Princess... what is wrong with you!?" She ranted to herself. "How could you just leave like that, you don't know anything about this world! Agh!" She held her face in her hands, trying to keep herself together. And after taking a second, she looked in front of her, and jumped back on her feet. She paced back and forth, trying to think.
"Okay, just think, if I were the princess of Friendship, where would I go... wait, what am I thinking, I don't even know her that well! Agh! She's not Trixie!" She yelled to herself. "Okay, okay, no, keep it together girl..." She pawed at her face, trying to snap herself back to her senses. "You can find her. She's not that hard to find, she's around here somewhere. You can find her, and keep her in your sight."
And so, she continued to run through the park, making people around her wonder what the heck was up with her.
Elsewhere, Click Bait continued to advise and provide instructions for the rest of the parade floats via Vignette's instructions. It took a lot of convincing for them to listen (provided the fact that Vignette was their boss and they were told to only get orders directly from her) but Click managed to sway them around and get them to listen to her. Construction continued to go underway, and the designers and actors were able to keep up the steady work-flow.
"Come on people, chop chop, we don't have all day."
"Boss, we've got three hours, we're nearly completed, let's take a quick break, I haven't even gotten lunch yet," one of the employees requested.
"Okay, let me ask you this, how much is she paying you for?"
"A lot--"
"--Yeah, I don't care. Finish the float," she threatened nonchalantly. She just casually got close to him and whispered in his ear. "And I'd suggest keeping your shirt tucked you disgusting pig. Fix the stupid stage."
She just patted his back and rather casually walked away, leaving him feeling disgusted and a bit ticked off. He was going to have a few words with Vignette wherever she was, that's for sure.
Click then gazed at her phone, noting the time. It would only be a few hours before the parade would have to start. She thought things over, wondering if and when Vignette would find out about what she had done. No matter. Rarity wasn't necessary anyway. Besides, her boss would love seeing the new designs for the parade floats. And if she didn't, well... one more photo for the archive wouldn't hurt in the mind of Click Bait.