Flash Sentry's EQG Chronicles

by Banshee531

Special: Rollercoaster of Friendship PT1

Author's Note:

Whelp, now we have the next special. Hope you enjoy it and feel free to make suggestions about how this special can be made different.

Equestria Land: The newest theme park to grace the land, with tons of rides, games and booths for the paying public to enjoy. It was still two weeks away from opening, but despite that, the place was full of activity as the workers prepared for the park opening. This included Vignette Valencia, the park's public relations officer, who was making sure the park was popular with her extensive knowledge of the local trends. But as she did this, she found she was up to date on trends so much that she kept changing her mind about what was hip and fly every fifteen minutes, the workers not going with her due to this.

Currently, she was talking to her designer about the outfits needed for the opening day parade. "B.Y.B.B," she said as she continued texting and snapping selfies. "Be yourself, but better." She turned to the woman she was berating, who was dressed in a white overcoat and shades. "Do you even have a philosophy?"

"G.W.I.Q," The woman replied after a moment of thinking. "Guess vhat. I qvit." With that, she spun around to march off. This made Vignette sigh and turned to the half dressed actors on one of the floats.

"I need a stress salad!" She ran over to a park table and plonked her butt down, staring at her phone as one of the actors placed a salad down. "Where am I gonna find a new costume designer for the light parade with only two weeks left?!" The performer smiled and was about to speak, but Vignette slapped her hand over his mouth. "I'm not promoting you." He grumbled at this and walked off as Vignette sighed before putting her phone down and turning to her salad. "If only I could put a filter on real life to make everything the way I want it."

Then, as if the universe was answering her desire, a cloud of purple energy flew down from the sky. It flew behind her back and then shot into her phone, causing the pink smiley face phone cover to turn to a purple grumpy face one. Vignette didn't notice this, instead just pointing her phone at her food, "Only way to feel better is getting ten thousand likes with the perfect salad pic." She took a picture, but as she hit the button, the phone's camera unleashed a light that enveloped the salad bowl.

In a flash, the salad vanished and Vignette's eyes went wide. She blinked at this, quickly glancing around to see if anyone else saw that, then focused back on the phone. She pressed a new button on the screen and the salad appeared in the phone's viewfinder...but it didn't return to the table.

She flicked her finger across the screen and when she did, the salad image changed to a different type of salad. She did it again and now found she was staring at a fruit salad, "Did somebody install a new app on my phone?" She pressed a button and the camera unleashed another light, which took shape and formed the fruit salad image currently on the phone. She slowly reached out and touched it, but her finger went straight through the image. It was like some kind of hologram, the sight making her grin, "Cause I like it!"

---

Summer vacation was in full swing, the many teens enjoying their time off from school the way most did, hanging out at the mall. This included Flash, the Rainbooms and some of their new friends. Fire Heart and Shining Soul hadn't been around for long, but they had quickly started making friends thanks to Flash and Twilight while also being made aware of the magic that each of the teens possessed.

Flash had invited them to hang out, the pair happily accepting the invitation. They had spent most of the morning at the arcade, racking up win after win on any game they found available. But now lunch had arrived, and they needed to stock up on food after the intense gaming they had just done. The only members of the friend group that hadn't been at the arcade were Rarity and Applejack, but when they reached the food court, they spotted the pair sitting together looking a little worried. Rarity had said something to Applejack, who took out her phone and sighed as she replied to whatever Rarity had said.

They then reached the table, some sitting down as Pinkie looked at the two before putting her hands on her hips. "Somebody has un-spilled beans at this table, and it's not me, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Twilight Sparkle, Flash Sentry, Fire Heart, Shining Soul or Sunset Shimmer!"

Applejack took a deep breath, "Rarity and I applied for summer jobs at the new theme park."

"Equestria Land?" Pinkie asked as she sat down, "Wait...will you get to go there for free?!"

"Actually," Applejack chuckled, "They pay us to go there." This caused Pinkie to let out a bunch of unintelligible squeals, the others chuckling at the sight, "We applied to work side-by-side as caramel apple girls."

"I don't think I could do that," Soul chimed in, "Being surrounded by so much delicious fruit and sweets? There's no way I'd be able to not sneak out some."

Heart nodded in agreement while the others just rolled their eyes. "Well," Rarity added, "It's not that I'm nervous, but...Applejack, you're perfect for the job. And, well, my résumé is less apple-centric."

Applejack laughed at this, "Eh, we'll be together. Ah got a good feelin'." Rarity slowly nodded, but then looked at her phone and huffed.

"No missed calls while we were talking about caramel apples. Shall we practice answering our phones and sounding calm?"

But as she said that, their phones beeped and dinged, causing them both to start screaming.

"That was about as calm as Pinkie Pie on Cake Day," Sunset giggled as Pinkie gasped.

"Was it today?! DID I MISS IT?!"

"No," Flash put a hand on her shoulder, "You're still good. Breath Pinkie." The girl slurped her fruit smoothie as Rarity and Applejack stared at their phones.

"One new e-mail!"

"It's from the park!" Applejack cheered before she and Rarity spoke in unison. "You open yours first! No, you open yours first!" This made them laugh, the others smiling as Applejack made the suggestion. "Okay, okay. Same time. One, two-"

"Too late!" Rarity announced, "I opened mine!" She let out an excited scream, but then red the email. "Oh. They said I'm overqualified for caramel apple girl." The others frowned at this, only for Rarity to gasp, looking like someone had just left a bunch of the latest fashion dresses in her room. "They want me to be lead parade costume designer!"

"Seriously?" Flash asked as the girls cheered for Rarity.

"You haven't even started, and you already got promoted!" Twilight added.

"That's gotta be a record." Rainbow commented.

"Ah didn't get the job." They all turned to Applejack, showing a half frown, half smile. "But ah'm really happy for you Rarity."

"Oh, pffft. There must be a mix-up, darling."

The others nodded as Pinkie spoke up. "Obviously, the internet mailman gave you the wrong letter." Twilight was about to say something, but Pinkie just patted Twilight's shoulder, "I know that's not how the internet works, but I'm trying to cheer you up."

"Technically," Twilight responded, "Rarity didn't get the job either since she got a different job. So, they're probably about to send another e-mail with your promotion."

"Yeah," Flash nodded, "You just wait. You're gonna be manager of apple products at the park. I bet they use so many apples there, they'll need an expert on it to help them use the apples to their best abilities."

Applejack raised an eyebrow at this, but then her phone buzzed and she gasped. She opened the email, only to let out a groan, "Just a sale at Stinky Bottom's Discount Hat Emporium."

Rainbow leaned over at this, "Forty percent off!" Applejack then glared at her, "Oh. Sorry...not helping."

"Well," Rarity poked her fingers together, "I'm not going to accept it without you, obviously. Pfft."

"What?!" Applejack yelped, "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 kindy-garten."

Rarity gulped, "Preschool, actually." She looked at the email again, everyone being able to tell she so wanted it. "But that's not the point. My mind is made up. We planned to spend the summer together, and... that's what we're going to do. Riiiiiiiight?"

She gave Applejack a pleading look, only for Applejack to cross her arms, "You're takin' the job, and that's final."

"Okay, if you insist!" Rarity let out an excited squeal as the others gathered around her to congratulate her. "I'm gonna be a costume designer!" They all cheered for her, Flash offering to buy them all celebratory fruit smoothies.

Hearing that, Applejack let out a nervous laugh. "All right. I probably shouldn'ta quit my old job this mornin', huh?"

"I'm sure they haven't replaced you already." But when they turned to a nearby fruit stand, they saw someone Applejack knew hadn't been working there before she quit. As Flash gave his order, Bulk Biceps turned to the many blends and tried to figure out how they worked, throwing a bunch of fruit into them before picking the blender up and shook it himself. This seemed to work, until the blender's lid flew off and sent the smoothies flying all over him.

Sunset and Applejack shared a glance, wondering if the fruit stand would beg her to come back.

---

Unfortunately, they didn't, and Applejack was stuck helping out on the farm over the summer. Rarity began working at Equestria Land the very next day, and over the next two weeks, her friends barely saw hide nor hair of her. She would occasionally call one of them whenever she had a spare moment, but she was basically silent.

As this happened, Flash and Heart were outside Flash's house with the teen's super car hoisted up on jacks. Flash was on a skateboard, working on something beneath the vehicle as Heart sat beside it, giving Springer a good scratch behind the ear. "You are a cute little guy," he told the pup. "Wish I had a dog like you." The beast let out a happy pant as Flash rolled out from under the car.

"Eighteen spanner." Heart looked over at Flash's toolbox and took out the tool before handing it over. And as Flash rolled back under the car, Twilight and Soul ran out of the house.

"Flash!"

"OW!" The teen groaned, Twilight's sudden calling of his name causing him to lift his head up. Flash moaned as he rolled out from under the car, holding his head. "What?!"

"I just got a call from Rarity!" Twilight replied, "She was able to get us VIP passes to Equestria Land's opening day!"

"Seriously?" Flash gasped, "That's awesome!"

Twilight nodded. "She got passes for us, our friends, Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom, and even ones for Heart and Soul."

"AWESOME!" Heart cheered, "I've always wanted to go to a theme park!"

"You've never been to one?" Flash asked, the twins shaking their heads. "Well then, we're gonna make sure you get to have the full theme park experience." The twins smiled at this as Flash and Twilight nodded, promising that they would make sure these two got the full experience.

---

The day of Equestria Land's opening had arrived, the teen all reaching the entrance at around the same time. As soon as they were in, Scootaloo, Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle ran off to go have fun on their own. Heart and Soul chose to stick with the older kids, not sure what to do first given their limited theme park experience.

"Equestria Land opening day!" Pinkie cheered as she saw the many rollercoasters, a ferris wheel and even a haunted house. "What should we do first? Appleloosa Wild West Stunt Show? Nightmare Moon's Haunted Castle? Sugarcube Everything?!"

"Now, hang on." Applejack stopped her before she could run off, "Ah got the sense Rarity's overwhelmed, which is understandable. Ah mean, she's all alone here without any of her friends. Which is why ah wouldn'ta taken the job, but that's just me. Uh, point is, we're here to support Rarity."

As she said that, a loud bunch of screams filled the air, and they all turned to see several girls rush over to a woman. Photo Finish had even appeared, and was taking a picture.

"Huh?" Applejack scratched her head. "Uh...which character is that?"

"It's not a character, silly!" Pinkie giggled, "That's Vignette Valencia! She's famous on Snapgab, which you'd know if you actually logged in once in a while." She handed Applejack her phone, "You're missing my 'One Cupcake Every Day' series."

"She posts a lot of pictures of her Welsh corgi named Yas Queen." Fluttershy continued.

"And she's friends with, like, every awesome athlete in the world!" Rainbow added, Applejack turning to Flash and Twilight.

"Don't look at me," the techie replied, "I only follow bots that post interesting science facts."

"Never really been into Snapgab," Flash responded, "What's the point of trying to impress a bunch of people you're probably never gonna meet?"

"Ah agree." Applejack grumbled as she looked through the many images on Vignette's site. "These are her pictures?" She asked, staring at one image of her laid out on the beach. ""Chillin' sandy style? U no how I do? I came, I saw, I vintaged?" She shrugged before turning to another picture, seeing something that confused her. "Okay, somebody tell me why this picture has twenty thousand likes."

She then noticed it was actually a video and played it. In it, Vignette was laid out on her bed with her hair covering half her face. "Hashtag, bangs," she whispered almost seductively.

"Uh, I don't know." She turned to the others, "Spendin' all that time just to look good in a picture ain't my idea of fun."

"There you are!" They turned to see Rarity, who waved at them as she walked up.

"Here comes the lead parade costume designer!" Applejack cheered, stepping up to hug Rarity.

"Guilty as charged!" She giggled and pulled back.

"So?" Applejack looked sheepish, "You've been here solo without your best friends all this time. How can we help?"

"Hold that thought," Rarity spun around and yelled, "Vignette! Over here!"

"You know Vignette Valencia?" Applejack asked, going wide-eyed.

"Pfft. Do I know her?" Rarity turned to Vignette and the pair did that weird kiss kiss on the cheek thing that Flash never understood. "Why, she's my best friend at the park!" Flash heard Applejack gasp, the cowgirl looking like someone had just stuck a knife through her chest.

"Selfie!" Vignette cheered, reaching for her phone but stopping. "Oh, but can we use your phone? Mine's been acting super-weird lately. Thanks. You're the best!" The pair took the picture, completely oblivious to Applejack's look of horror followed by the frown she gave them.

As she let out a low growl, Rarity turned to her friends. "Everyone, this is Vignette Valencia. She runs P.R. for the park, and she's my boss."

"I told you not to use the 'B' word," Vignette grumbled while looking up from her phone. "I'm your...friend..." She looked back at her phone, "Who gets to boss you around!" Rarity let out a nervous laugh, gesturing to the others to do the same. They, minus Applejack, did so for several seconds.

"I don't get it," Pinkie let out as Applejack rolled her eyes and Rarity stepped up to the line of friends.

"Heh. So, this is Sunset Shimmer, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Twilight Sparkle, Flash Sentry, Fire Heart, Shining Soul and Fluttershy." She stopped and smiled, only to hear a cough coming from behind her. "Oh!" Rarity spun around, "And Applejack. Sorry, you were standing a...I-I didn't see you." She looked back at Vignette, who was more focused on her phone at the moment. "They're my best friends. So...I thought you'd like to meet them." Vignette let out another uninterested hum as she kept typing away at her phone. "Uhhhh, fun fact...uh, we perform together in a band called the Rainbooms."

That statement seemed to get a raise out of Vignette, the woman looking up. "Rainbooms? Why is that familiar?" She looked back at her phone and typed away, "A hundred thousand followers? Focused consumer-centric demographic, too? Does your curated content consistently aggregate across multiple platforms?"

The Rainbooms shared glances, Flash grabbing the twins and pulling them away so they weren't mistaken for members of the band.

"We sing songs together!" Pinkie announced, making Vignette gasp.

"I am going to turn you into the centerpiece of tonight's light parade!"

"Uh..." Rainbow gulped, "The Rainbooms?"

But then, Vignette ran up and placed a finger on her lips. "Shhh...Are you ready?" She put an arm around her, "B.Y.B.B. Be yourself, but better!" She marched around them, "That's been my power phrase since I started my first company. A middle school girl selling artisanal handmade mascara." She wrapped an arm around Applejack and Fluttershy as she mimicked the kids from her middle school, "But isn't that just melted crayons?" She walked away. "Hey, neighsayers gonna neigh. But I say B.Y.B.B."

"Did you get any of that?" Heart asked his sister.

"Maybe every...fifth word," Soul scratched her head as Fluttershy shivered.

"Um...how many people will be watching us?"

"All of them!" Vignette announced. "What do you say?" She gave them all a hopeful smile, turning to Flash and the twins.

"Don't look at me. I'm part of a completely different band. Ever hear of the Royal Knights?" Vignette shook her head. "Eh, just wait. We're getting a CD coming out soon. We'll be an even bigger hit then the Rainbooms."

"Well, right now the Rainbooms are trending," Vignette smirked. "So, what do you say?" The girls all shared a glance, Sunset being the one to speak up.

"Well, if it's gonna help out Rarity..." The others, minus Applejack, agreed with Applejack huffing as Vignette brought up their social medias.

"Like, like, like, like, like, like. Upload and post it, ladies. This'll trend for sure! I'll at you later with the exact deets. B.Y.B.B, Rare. V, out."

She then walked off, Flash and the twins staring at the sight before turning to Rarity, "How can someone older than me make me feel so old?"

"I know. She's amazing, right?"

"She sure is...somethin'," Applejack growled as Twilight stepped up.

"Logistical question: How're we supposed to get our instruments?"

"Pfft, kuh!" Rarity waved her off, "Vignette will handle everything."

Applejack then raised her hand, "Ah got a question, too. When yah said she's yer 'best friend at the park', did you mean 'best friend, comma, at the park?"

"Did I say that?" Rarity asked before smiling. "Listen, tonight's a huge opportunity. And not just for me now, but for all of us!"

"Except us," Flash pointed out as Rainbow looked stoked.

"Let's go see the park!" She cheered as she ran over to Pinkie.

As this happened, Rarity turned to Applejack. "Honestly, I don't know why you're giving me your frowny eyebrows."

Applejack sighed, "It's nothin'." Rarity bit her lip at this, only to shake her head.

"Very well. Anyways, I hope you all uh...enjoy the park." She began to walk off, "I'm gonna be super-busy preparing for tonight. Let's meet in the staging area for sound check and run-throughs. I have three minutes' break at four o'clock, and I can give you two of them. B.Y.B.B.!" She let out a tiny laugh, "Rare, out!"

With that, she ran off as Rainbow stepped over to a still huffing Applejack, "Well, looks like Rarity doesn't need us as much as you thought. So..."

"Should we practice for the parade?" Fluttershy chimed in, "It's a little..." She hid behind her hair, "...daunting, isn't it?"

Rainbow then wrapped her arms around her and Pinkie's necks. "We know every song by heart. Wouldn't you rather go have some fun?" They all cheered and began to walk to the first section of rides, Applejack being the only one to stay where she was. After a few moments, the farm girl sighed and followed, knowing they wanted to have as much fun as possible. But as they wanted it to become a day they would never forget...

Little did they know just how unforgettable this day would truly be.

Comments

[SuperSonicHeroes]

Wow, another special already. I admit that Rollercoaster of Friendship wasn't one of the best ones but it still had some fun moments throughout. It is looking good so far.

[SpikeSmolder fan]

Really liking the beginning of this special & already there are sparks between AJ & Rarity, looking forward to the next chapter!

[Kayceejr91]

I'm guessing/ hoping that Rogue and or Soarin will make an appearance here.

[Myzor king of war]

maybe have Vignette Valencia take an interest in Flash.

[Godslittleprincess]

I wasn't a fan of this special. Vignette Valencia was just so annoying as a character.