Vacation for Three Please

by Blues Rider

6: A Couple of Equestria Lands

"O.M.God! If it isn't my favourite couple Rarijack!" A voice sang from around the corner. "How are you!" And with that, Applejack and Rarity received two enthusiastic french kisses accompanied with the sound 'Muwah, muwah.' Vignette Valencia had seemingly jumped around the corner of the hook-a-duck stand in an attempt to take shelter from the falling rain. An enthusiastic being wearing some kind of trendy crop top and jean short-shorts with a fabric tasseled poncho.

Now she looked away from Rarity and Applejack and appeared to be ferociously fiddling with her phone. Which was just as well because the following speech gave Applejack and Rarity a chance to look to Sunset Shimmer for help or advice, or both. Sunset's green eyes replied with a 'just roll with it' look.

"I'm so glad I bumped into you guys. I was just thinking to myself what kind of story I could post today and then it started to rain, so I was thinking 'hashtag: Rainhair' or something but then I decided that was lame so I jumped around here and here you are my favourite fashion designer and my favourite fashion designers girlfriend.... Wait... FFDG... hmmm maybe, maybe. Anyway you didn't tell me you'd be here!" She chirped. It was like she didn't need to breath as long as she was talking.

"Oh well darling, I had a free day at the fashion convention panel so..." Rarity improvised, not being allowed to finish.

"So you came here! O.M.G. I have it: hashtag: Couple Tuesday. That'll work." Vignette seemed to sing her way through her sentences. "Can you two give a kiss in the background of my selfie guys." It wasn't really a question. Her confidence and overwhelmingly friendly nature put Applejack and Rarity into a really awkward position where they felt absolutely obliged to do what she asked.

They looked concerned to Sunset, who looked concerned and sorrowfully back at them as she urged them to do as Vignette asked. As Vignette fiddled with her phone once more, Applejack looked to Rainbow apologetically and Rarity pondered the knowledge that doing this might be necessary to keep their true identities hidden from this stranger.

---

Day two of the holiday and so far, everything other than the trip to the beach had gone rather tragically. Although for Rarity, Rainbow Dash and Applejack, this was just like any other holiday they had recently.

It had actually been an okay morning. Sunset had fed them breakfast in the form of cornflakes and milk. Rainbow spilt milk down her pyjamas but it wasn't anything they couldn't laugh about. A beautiful red, orange and yellow sunrise accompanied their trip down to Canterlot High school and the mood was good. However when they reached the concrete statue which housed the portal to Equestria, their moods changed.

To Sunset's surprise, when they tested the portal face, it refused to open for her. This had only ever happened before Twilight had managed to open it permanently. Despite her concern, she pretended nothing was wrong. Rarity was in a fragile state of sorts and she didn't want to alert her guests. So with a confident smile, she turned to the group and said:
"This happens sometimes, there's just a calibration error. I'll go get my diary and send Twilight a message to see what she can do. Sorry guys."

"You mean we have to walk back to the apartment?" Rainbow whined exasperated. Applejack gave her a loving nudge.

"Afraid so. Come on, this way." Sunset chirped. And with that Sunset led the way back to the apartment. But she was concerned. In-fact, she was potentially terrified.

Sunset picked up her diary. A leather-bound book fronted with a mix of hers and Twilight's cutie-marks. She had no idea if it would even send a message. She had to steady the pen in her hand as she wrote, shaking from the nerves. She made it brief.

Having written out a plea to Twilight, she confidently closed the book and replaced it on her bookshelf.

"It can take her a couple of hours to reply, she doesn't always get them instantly." She said knowing it might not work. "But I did have a trip to a roller-coaster park planned for you guys today. We could still go, it would help keep your minds off of things?"

"Ain't there anythin' you can do?" Applejack asked concerned.

"Well we don't really have magic here. But if Twilight doesn't come back with a response, then I'll gather my friends and we'll see if we can use our geodes to come up with some kind of solution."

The three holidayers seemed to settle for Sunset's resolution to the problem. So with that, they left their bags in the apartment and followed Sunset down the stairs to her car.

While entering the vehicle, Rainbow perked up a thought. "Hey Sunset. Um, why didn't you just drive to the statue?"

It was a valid question and one to which Sunset didn't quite have an answer. She supposed that every time she had ever gone down to the portal, she had always walked. Besides that, it was only a five minute walk so it wasn't like the trip was a long one.

Having pondered the question for far too long, the moment had been and passed. So Sunset started up the engine with Rarity and Rainbow nattering away in the back seats, and headed out towards Equestria Land.

They parked up and Sunset collected their tickets from the booth at the gate. Now the fun could begin.

They stopped at a stand containing stacked tin cans and prizes hanging from the ceiling. Fluffy bunnies and buckets of candyfloss. "Awww com'on we have to win something for Pinkie!" Rainbow exclaimed excited. Sunset tore off a handful of play tickets that came with entrance to the park and Rainbow made two well aimed shots.

Equestria land was not so busy today. School term had started only a matter of weeks ago and so the only people here were either students who could afford to take the day off, or young kids in pushchairs being carted around by their parents or childminders. So there was plenty of time to make it onto all the big rides.

The three pony-girls had been amazed at the scale of the theme park and the wonders that the technology allowed. They compared it to Las Pegasus but without people constantly conning them. Which Sunset thought might have been a bit of an oversight seeing as the first time she came here she was conned by Flim and Flam for well over an hour. Maybe Equestria didn't have Flim and Flam, it was a generally more magical place.

"You know Sunset, maybe I could get used to this!" Rarity beamed, with a rather cheery smile as Rainbow knocked over a stack of tin cans. Of course she gave a victory cheer that could be heard halfway across the quiet park. Everyone else just laughed.

The sun peaked through the clouds and they enjoyed a number of high speed rides. Even Rainbow was more than happy to experience the rides, which made Sunset chuckle. "Rainbow in this world is frightened of Rollercoaster's. Don't tell her I said that, it's a secret."

"No Way!" Rainbow replied. "Roller coasters are great. You know, I went on the biggest roller coaster in Equestria just before it closed down." She boasted.

"You know, Ah never expected to find an 'Equestria Land' to actually exist in a world not ruled by ponies." Applejack pondered as they made their way between the last roller coaster and the next one. The clouds had sewn themselves together darkening the day.

"It's all a little coincidental I suppose. I don't know whether it's connected to the magic we share, or if people or ponies have passed through the portal in the past. But for whatever reason a lot of similarities appear here." Sunset agreed. They continued to make their way across the until the weather finally turned to rain. Then they ran and took shelter bellow the porticoes of a hook-a-duck stand, which was the nearest shelter they could find. It was just as well. Moments later the rain intensified each raindrop booming as it landed on the roof.

---

And that's how they ended up in this situation.

"YeeeeEEEEeeeEEEEEssssss." The tuneful Vignette yodelled. "This is the perfect filter." She lifted the phone in-front of her. Applejack and Rarity could see themselves in the screen of the phone as Vignette angled it to get herself in the photo too. "Okay guys, if you can do like you did in the last one, a little closer."

The moment happened so fast neither party knew what was going on. They knew they had to keep up appearances. They knew their counter-parts had done this all before. But at the same time they were completely nervous about this, Rarity for her insecurity and Applejack for Rainbow. Vignette spoke so fast it seemed to overload their minds with information. Vignette counted down to her snap, Rarity felt her heart racing as she targeted Applejack's lips, Applejack Grabbed Rarity's waist, and the pair gave a very quick kiss for the photo. A loud 'click' went off to the right of them.

"Peeeeerrfeeeect!" Vignette sang once again, lowering the phone. "I have to run guys, but Rarity call me. We need to have another catch up."

"Oh of course I will!" Rarity sang back awkwardly. She felt the imprint of Applejack lingering upon her lips.

"See you Eeeevveeer!"

Rarity didn't know what that meant but she assumed it meant 'bye'. Mostly because it was like 'see you later' but also because Vignette gave her and Applejack a big hug goodbye before trotting... running off, huddling her phone beneath her fashion statement poncho which would have been more practical if it was a rain poncho.

"Rainbow Ah..." Applejack turned to her lover but it was too late.

"Save it Applejack. I'm going home." And with that Rainbow ran out towards the car. Sunset turned and ran after her. Within moments they were drenched but that didn't stop either party running through the downpour. This left Rarity and Applejack. Time seemed to return to their lives as they took in what they had done.

"That was a mistake." Applejack stated bluntly.

"Tell yourself that." Rarity replied, throwing her comment back at her.

"Ah'm so sorreh..." Applejack started with an apology but wasn't sure where to start.

"Applejack, darling, it's okay. I'm okay, I may have even learnt something." Rarity teased.

"An what might that be?" Applejack inquired curiously and cautiously.

"I'm not so attracted to you as I was afraid I might be." Rarity smiled. She had gained a level of confidence in herself about her sexuality. She felt more certain than ever. Although it wouldn't be long before the feeling of loneliness and the realisation she still didn't have a clue where to start a relationship would set in. "Though I am afraid for you and Rainbow. We had better check on her. I don't believe 'keeping up appearances' is necessarily the strongest argument for kissing someone else in-front of your girlfriend."

Applejack was filled with dread as Rarity replied with those words. The gloomy sky darkened the mood even more. Applejack peered through the rain in an attempt to spot the direction Rainbow had gone, but she was already out of sight.

---

When Twilight Sparkle - Princess of Equestria - Finally arrived at her old castle, she was greeted with loud gasps of relief, and one big hug from her old student; Starlight Glimmer.

She didn't want to be here. There was a practical side to that, she had a lot of work to get done and royal duties were important. But it was the emotional reason that gave her the feeling of gut wrenching dread, a sickness of nerves and fear of the unknown.

Trixie lead the way as they cantered through the castle halls and down the stairs. She explained everything she had seen, or attempted to. Then they came to the basement library and Twilight stopped still so fast that she slid across the crystal flooring. Until this point, there was a chance that what she was told was untrue. Until she finally observed the mirror with its rainbow vale, it had only ever existed within her imagination. It could have been a joke, or it may have rectified the problem itself without her intervention.

Unfortunately for Twilight, that was not the case.

The mirror stood before her and now the reality was set in for Twilight. If she couldn't rectify this, her friends would be stuck in another dimension forever.

Somewhere in the distance behind her, a familiar voice called her name. Twilight felt light headed and dizzy. She closed her eyes, and took a deep breath in, letting the situation set in. Then she let out a long, controlled and calming breath, allowing the situation to focus her mind and motivate her. As she did so, the far away voice got closer and closer until eventually it sounded as if it was right behind her.

"Twilight!" Starlight called, tapping Twilight on her shoulder.

Twilight opened her eyes and looked to her left. Indeed Starlight was right beside her, concerned.

"Princess what do we do?"

Twilight turned to her right, and of course, Trixie stood only a few feet away, worried.

Twilight looked back to the mirror, fluffed up her wings and took one more determined breath.

"First we figure out what caused this, then we save our friends." She decreed confidently.

Comments

[Ninjadeadbeard]

I think there’s a description missing somewhere. What happened to the mirror?

[Blues Rider]

10058417
Ah, check the side story, at the end of Chapter 5 and beginning of 5.5 :)

There's a whole chapter to divulge the side story planned out as we approach the closing chapters.