A book opened, depicting a fighting between six Ponies and a giant Pony made out of shadows, all while Princess Twilight narrated:
"Over a thousand years ago, the Pillars of Equestria fought a great evil known as the Pony of Shadows, but as the fight raged on and their strength grew weaker against the Pony of Shadows' nigh infinite stamina, they were forced to seal the beast, as well as themselves, in Limbo, unaware that this would only be a short term solution to a long term problem."
The book flipped its page, now showing the Elements of Harmony, Princess Twilight, Starlight Glimmer, the Pillars of Equestria, and the Pony of Shadows in the middle of Ponehenge.
"One day, in an odd display of recklessness, the Princess of Friendship unsealed the Pillars, and with them the Pony of Shadows, who planned to continue with its original, enigmatic plan."
Another page flip, this time showing everybody blasting at the Pony of Shadows, who was about to be sucked into a portal.
"Luckily, with everyone's teamwork, the Pony of Shadows was separated from its current host, and sent to another dimension, putting an end to their machinations in Equestria. However, this would eventually also be another short term solution to a long term problem."
Page flip number three, and now the Pony of Shadows just... smirked, while looking at the reader.
"For in the other world, the Pony of Shadows found another host, and with the Princess being the only one capable of traveling to the dimension, and yet none the wiser about what was happening, the Pony of Shadows continued its rampage across the dimension."
Page flip number four, and now, it depicted Twilight talking with Sunset and a certain yellow-coated, pink-maned Pony.
And no, it wasn't Fluttershy.
"With another dimension at stake, the Princess was visited by a pair of natives from the other dimension, who devised a plan to deal with the Pony of Shadows once and for all."
The final page flip showed the Pony of Shadows' visage inside a gem, glaring at the container that served as its prison.
"The plan was a success, and thus the Pony of Shadows was sealed once and for all, never to be released again."
And with that, the book was closed by the hoof of Princess Twilight, who quickly followed with a cheerful question:
"So, what do you think?"
Twilight promptly turned to the only other two creatures nearby: Starlight and Spike. And while the former looked satisfied with the result, the latter was a bit skeptical:
"Did you really need to make a book about it?"
"It's the first time Equestria has teamed up with another dimension, Spike!" Twilight replied, Starlight nodding in agreement. "Such a monumental event needs to be recorded!"
"But a book?" Spike shrugged. "I mean, how did you even managed to convince the princesses to let you write it?"
Twilight scratched the back of her head and smiled sheepishly. "Well, about that... the book's my punishment."
Spike tilted his head.
"After I told everything to the princesses, they told me that this was an event that needed to be an eternal reminder of what happens when we don't take care of our mistakes, so they had me write it."
Spike lowered his eyelids. "So, to punish you for being a small part of the whole fiasco... you had to write a book about it?"
"Yup."
"You, a legendary bookworm?"
"I was just as stunned as you are, but we can wonder about the princesses' thought process later," Twilight replied, waving her hoof while using her magic to levitate the book to a bookshelf. "For now, I'm gonna need you two to get ready. Sunset and Vignette are coming for a visit."
"What?!" the duo exclaimed in unison. "How do you know that?!"
"Sunset called me earlier and told me as such."
"And why did you wait until now to tell us?!" Starlight added.
"Because I was stuck writing the book I just showed you."
"Okay, but did she at least tell you why they were coming?" Spike asked. "I mean, last time they came, it was for a pretty big issue."
"Don't worry, Spike, it's nothing of that sort."
Starlight screamed and jumped into Spike's arms, dropping both of them to the ground as a certain Orange Unicorn and Yellow Pegasus walked into the room.
"Sorry for appearing out of the blue," Vignette blurted, scratching her head. "Sunset insisted it was better to tell you in person why we're here."
"It's okay, though pretty surprising regardless," Spike remarked as he stood up and dusted himself. "What brings you back to Equestria?"
"Well, I came here for flying lessons," Vignette answered with a shrug. "Sunset told me that, as a Pegasus, being able to fly is something essential, so, I thought it wouldn't hurt to give it a try."
"Okay, but, Spike and I aren't the best teachers when it comes to flying," Twilight replied, Spike nodding in agreement. "I know friends who're much better flyers than me."
"Yeah, but we've never met those friends," Sunset argued.
"Well, it's funny you mention that," Starlight said as she got back up. "Because her friends are here right now!"
"They are?"
"Yeah, Twilight asked us to come see something, I took the liberty to invite them!" Starlight chirped. "And they'll be... right here!"
Starlight pointed... at an empty hallway, with a familiar voice calling from the hallway right next to it:
"Pst, Starlight, you got the wrong hallway."
"Oh, sorry..." Starlight moved her hoof to the other hallway. "Right here!"
It was then that a group of colorful Ponies entered the room, with a pink one in particular gasping and bolting to Vignette as soon as she saw her.
"New friend!" she exclaimed while right in front of Vignette's face. "I need to know and catalogue everything about you right now!"
"That's Pinkie Pie," Twilight chuckled.
"Yeah, I know, her counterpart in my world is pretty similar," Vignette giggled. "Although, I don't know if she's exactly the same as the other one."
"What's your favorite color?! Do you prefer the ground or the sky?! Do you have any pets?! Mustard or mayonaisse?!"
"Nevermind, she's a carbon copy," Vignette giggled as she gently pushed Pinkie Pie away. "So, do any of you know how to fly?"
"Oh, that would be Rainbow Dash!" Pinkie Pie squeaked. "She's the best flyer in all of Equestria!"
"I mean, she said it, not me," the blue Pony with a rainbow mane spoke.
"Could you teach me how to fly?"
Rainbow Dash looked absolutely stunned at the statement, but she quickly gained a smile at the prospect of a challenge...
A little bit later, Rainbow Dash and Spike were working together to setup a course for Vignette's flying lessons, all while the Pegasus herself and Twilight's friends watched.
"So y'are the Pony who helped seal the Pony of Shadows?" Princess Twilight's Orange Pony friend asked, getting Vignette's attention.
"Well, I'm not really a Pony," Vignette smiled nervously. "I just turned into a Pony because I crossed the portal."
"Vignette here's what is called a "Human", and she's from the alternate world," Twilight explained. "As for what's a Human, Imagine a hairless yeti with more fingers and no claws."
"Alright, everypony! The course is set!"
Rainbow Dash flew down and landed right in front of Vignette, startling her.
"Are you ready to put your wings to the test?"
"Well, duh," Vignette replied as she got up. "That's why I'm here."
"That's the spirit!" Rainbow Dash walked to Vignette's side. "Now listen carefully, rookie!"
Everybody looked up to see a bunch of rings attached to large poles, forming a small circle that slowly went down.
"You'll start at that ring at the top: fly through it, and then go through the other rings while flying down until you land back here," Rainbow Dash spread her wings. "Let me show you what I mean!"
Rainbow Dash took to the skies, then dashed down the rings seamlessly until she landed right back where she began, flapping her wings one more time before landing with a confident smile.
"Now's your turn, rookie!"
Vignette frowned, and a second glance at the rings only made her more worried. But then she felt someone put their hoof on her shoulder, and she turned to see Sunset giving her a reassuring smile and nod.
Vignette returned the smile, and spread her wings before taking to the sky.
Once high enough, she flapped in place while scanning the course-
"We don't have all day, rookie!"
Or maybe not.
Vignette dived into the first ring, but once she flew through it, everything went downhill: she crashed on the very next pole, and she began bouncing from pole to pole, until eventually she crash landed right next to a stunned Rainbow Dash.
And the shock only grew when the poles tilted and collapsed, sending the rings flying elsewhere.
"Huh, well..." Rainbow Dash raised a hoof. "At least you flew through one of the rings?"
Vignette grumbled as her face hit the ground.
A couple more tries later, Sunset and Vignette began walking back to the portal while Twilight and her friends watched.
"Are you sure you don't wanna give it another go, rookie?!" Rainbow Dash called. "You were getting better and better with each course!"
"A.S.W.M.H.!" Vignette exclaimed, pointing at her head.
"Thanks for the offer, Rainbow Dash, but maybe another time," Sunset replied. "It was nice meeting you all! Come visit us anytime!"
The Ponies waved goodbye at the duo... except for Twilight, who scratched her chin and hummed as she got an idea.
Sunset and Vignette took a while to get to the house afterwards, but once they did, they headed in without missing a beat.
"I'm sorry, Sunset," Vignette sighed. "We had to cut our visit to Equestria short because I kept failing at the course."
"Hey, we came here so you could get flying lessons, and you did," Sunset argued. "You crashed harder than my relationship with Flash Sentry several times, but you still got some lessons. And sure, they didn't go well, but I'm certain you'll do better next time."
Vignette frowned. "You think so?"
"Of course," Sunset patted Vignette's back. "Now let's get back home so you can rest."
Sunset uncovered the portal, and the duo readied themselves before hopping right through it.
Once at the other side, Sunset stood normally, while Vignette looked like she was in the middle of neighing into battle.
"Oh hey, and you're not on all fours this time!" Sunset chirped. "This day's full of progress!"
"I guess so," Vignette sighed, grabbing her head as she sat down. "You mind if I stay here for a moment?"
"Yeah, sure, rest easy now, Vignette," Sunset replied before handing Vignette a remote. "Here, watch some TV while I go check a few things."
And with that done, Sunset went to her computer, leaving Vignette to turn on the TV...
Just in time to listen the worst news report ever:
"After several months of speculation and conspiracy theories, it has been confirmed that Equestrialand will reopen its doors in a week's time. It's believed that this time, the presence of Magic will be taken into account to not repeat the fiasco all over again, so all those interested in coming are heavily suggested not to worry. To paraphrase the owner of Equestrialand: everything is under control."
It didn't take long before the news spread like wildfire, to the point the Rainbooms had called for a meeting to discuss the matter at hand.
Most of them were currently at the Apple Family Barn, sitting on the living room while discussing the news.
"This has got to be either an elaborate hoax or cruel prank," Rainbow Dash stated, folding her arms. "I mean, I don't know how businesses work, but being struck by not only Magic, but terrible PR should've closed down Equestrialand for good!"
"And even if the PR was fine, Magic would ensure the place was always dangerous," Sunset added. "I mean, there are many safety precautions and plans, but I've yet to see one specifically made to deal with Magic."
"Well, maybe people have learned enough from all the previous times Magic turned everything upside down?" Fluttershy suggested with a shrug. "I mean, Camp Everfree, the cinema, Canterlot High, Equestrialand, none of those things were really kept under wraps, everybody found about what happened pretty quickly."
"Simple: people are either in denial or they just have trouble figuring out how to fight back against it," Sunset pointed out. "I mean, we had a very long, very arduous journey to try get to control our powers: the road to finding a way to safely prevent magical corruption would be even longer!"
"Say, where's Vignette?" Rarity asked while looking around. "I know she doesn't like magic, but I thought she'd be around to discuss Equestrialand?"
"She's been cooped up in her room since she got the news," Applejack answered sadly. "I'm gonna go check up on her."
Applejack stood up, bid farewell to the group, and walked upstairs and straight to Vignette's room. She knocked three times, but she didn't get a response.
Well, actually, the door slid open slowly. Guess Vignette didn't close it properly.
"Vignette?"
The sudden call of her name startled Vignette, who fell off her bed in shock.
"A-Applejack!" she stammered. "H-How did you get in?! And actually, why didn't you knock?"
"I did knock, actually, but you didn't answer," the farmer said as she walked inside. "As for how I got in, the door slid open after I knocked."
Vignette facepalmed over her carelessness, and remained silent as she got back on her bed, Applejack's sitting right by her side after closing the door properly.
"This whole "Equestrialand is back" thing messin' with your head?"
"I never thought that place would ever return after what happened..." Vignette frowned. "After what I did..."
"Vignette, you can't blame yourself over everythin' that happened there: Magic got your phone, and Magic tends t' make people go crazy."
"Even so, what I did isn't something you can just cover up or shrug off," Vignette faced Applejack. "Even if the lawyers had found a way to minimize the damage, there should've been no way Equestrialand would ever see the light of day again!"
Applejack raised an eyebrow, causing Vignette to shrink. "Or at least, that's what I think."
"Vignette, it's okay t' feel conflicted 'bout this," Applejack said, putting a hand on Vignette's shoulder. "Trust me when I say the Rainbooms all agree with you that this is very suspicious."
"But what do we do, then?" Vignette shrugged. "We can't tell the police about this, they've never been useful with these type of situations."
"Well, we gotta take this one step at a time," Applejack said, patting Vignette's back. "For now, the girls and I think we should check out the place. Apparently, it's in the exact same spot as last time."
Vignette raised an eyebrow. "I thought the original Equestrialand was dismantled?"
"I heard that too, so either it was dismantled and rebuilt, or it was never touched," Applejack smiled. "Eitherway, there's only one way to find out."
Vignette frowned. "Go and see it for ourselves, huh?"
Applejack nodded, and after a few seconds in silent thought, Vignette stood up.
"Alright, I'm gonna get dressed."
"Well, actually, I was gonna suggest you could stay here while the girls and I-"
"Applejack, this is Equestrialand we're talking about," Vignette looked at Applejack with determination. "If it has really come back, then I gotta see it with my own eyes."
Applejack smiled, and nodded in agreement.
"Ready when you are."
One change of clothes later, Vignette joined the Rainbooms and headed straight for the location of the fabled new Equestrialand.
And by a change of clothes, Vignette simply put on a hat and red-white stripped shirt.
"That's a pretty nice look you got there, Vignette," Rarity remarked. "I mean, I think it would've looked a bit better if you got the braids like last time we hung out-"
"I'm not heading to a fancy dinner or something, Rarity, I'm coming with you to the revived place of my nightmares," Vignette replied, tilting her hat down. "I just hope nobody recognizes me."
"Don't need to worry about that when there's nobody around," Rainbow Dash thought out loud, scanning the empty streets. "This place is practically deserted! I bet there'll be nobody around when we find the park!"
"Well," Sunset scratched her head. "One person might be there."
The Rainbooms quickly got their answer when they arrived at the close entrance to Equestrialand, and found a familiar Purple girl scanning the area with a small trinket.
Well, the Rainbooms recognized her: Vignette drew a complete blank upon seeing her.
"Hey, Twilight!"
The girl stopped her scanning and turned around, gaining a smile as the group approached her.
"Oh, hi guys. Hi Sunset," she replied before checking her trinket. "I've been scanning the area here like you asked, but I haven't gotten any magical readings whatsoever. I'm starting to think we'll need to wait until we can go inside to make some progress."
"I see. Thanks for the help, Twilight," Sunset replied.
"She came along with the rest of our friends back during the original Equestrialand opening?"
"I'm sorry, Sunset, but the only ones from the group who left an impression on me were Rarity, Flutterspy, and Rainbow Dab," Vignette replied, all while Rainbow Dash screamed in the background. "Everybody else, including you, I only met after the fact."
"Let me handle this, Sunset," Twilight said, taking a step towards Vignette before extending her hand. "Nice to meet you, name's Twilight Sparkle."
Vignette shook back with a smile. "Vignette Valencia."
And then Pinkie Pie screamed, causing everybody to run to her... only to see her squealing at a poster.
"PostCrush is gonna have a show to celebrate the reopening!"
"Wait, what?!"
Sunset pushed forward until she was at Pinkie's side, gasping and screaming once she verified the claim.
"Oh my goodness, I can't believe it!" she chirped. "We might have a chance to meet PostCrush again!"
"That's exactly what I thought! And the best part is that that's not all!" Pinkie added. "Look! There's also gonna be a fashion show, target practice, haunted houses, and so much more!"
Vignette stepped towards the publicity Pinkie Pie was talking about, but seeing them only made her feel suspicious.
"Whoever's the mastermind behind this revival is putting all of their eggs in one basket... and without including caramel apples, either."
"Well, that's an interesting business opportunity," Applejack said, getting to Vignette's side. "If I can manage to remodel the stand and get certain things ready, we could take the stand to the park and sell some caramel apples there."
"I bet you'd make a fortune that way!" Pinkie Pie chirped.
"Alright, everybody, let's focus," Sunset said, getting everybody's attention. "Unfortunately, Twilight hasn't found any readings here, and since we can't enter the park without being arrested, we're gonna have to wait until the park opens to verify it."
"But wouldn't it be too late by then?" Fluttershy asked.
"Perhaps, but it's the only option we got," Twilight sighed. "I'm gonna go home and see if I can upgrade my scanner."
"I'm gonna go home to train my fangirl scream!" Pinkie Pie said cheerfully.
And as the Rainbooms began to leave, Applejack put a hand on Vignette's shoulder and sighed, "Guess I should go get them apples ready too. You in, Vignette?"
She looked back at the closed entrance, and after a look of contemplation, she turned back to Applejack and nodded with a smile.
The duo left soon after, Vignette slightly anxious at the fact the answers to her questions would come sooner than latter.
Equestrialand opened its doors to the public once more, and among the crowd of people gathered outside to enter, the Rainbooms and Vignette watched the unlocked entrance with intrigue.
Though in Vignette's case, the intrigue was quickly overshadowed by her concern.
"Well, time t' get the cart rollin'!" Applejack stated. "Care t' gimme a hand, Vignette?"
"Oh, uh, r-right!"
The duo walked to the food stand Applejack had brought, and they worked together to pull it in as they and the Rainbooms entered the amusement park.
Vignette and Applejack kept pulling until they reached the middle of the park, or at least, it seemed like it. Nevertheless, they both stopped to catch their breath soon after.
"Okay, this spot's perfect!" Applejack chirped. "Thanks for your help, Vignette."
The woman just waved her hand and finished breathing in before reaching for the stand... only to be stopped by Applejack.
"What are you doing?"
"Um, getting ready to help you run the stand?"
"Actually, I think I'm good here, Vignette."
Vignette frowned. "You sure you don't need me?"
"Nah, I got it covered," Applejack lowered her eyelids. "You should probably go look around, try to have fun?"
Vignette folded her arms. "You know "try" is the keyword there, right?"
"Hey, it's better t' try and fail than never try at all," Applejack smiled. "I'll run the stand. You go see if you can have fun with the rest of the Rainbooms."
Right, now that she thought about it, this could be the perfect chance to try grow closer to Applejack's friends. That, and she never really got to experience the original Equestrialand as anything more than an employee.
So she nodded, bid farewell to Applejack, and began looking around. She inspected the available stands, games, and so on, quickly taking notice of how many more people were around than back in the original-
"VIGNETTE!!!"
She hummed and turned around, barely catching a glimpse of Pinkie Pie's face before they crashed into each other.
"Sorry! I didn't mean to crash into you! I was just trying to get your attention!" Pinkie Pie chirped as she and Vignette stood up. "Anyway, I saw you walking around and I was wondering if you'd like to see the park with me!"
Vignette scratched her cheek and hummed. "I guess it'd be less awkward if I had someone to walk with me."
"Yay! And I know just where to start!"
Pinkie Pie grabbed Vignette's hand and dragged her to a nearby food stand, but not just any food stand: one that had a particular object in display.
"Caramel apples?"
"Yup! And these apples were imported from Applejack's farm!" Pinkie Pie added cheerfully. "So Applejack won't really mind if you give them a shot!"
Then, before Vignette could say anything, Pinkie Pie paid for two caramel apples and handed one to Vignette.
The woman stared at the apple for a moment, then took a small bite out of it, all while Pinkie Pie looked at her with excitement.
"So?!"
"They're..." Vignette smiled. "Sweet. And tasty."
"Of course they are!" Pinkie Pie giggled as she took a big bite out of her own apple. "They're made out of the best apples in Other-Questria, and carefully created by the best caramel apple maker this side of Applejack!"
The brown-haired guy running the stand blushed and looked away.
"So, Pinkie," Vignette spoke. "Do you know where the other Rainbooms are?"
"Oh yeah, we split off to do our things, but I think I know where to find them," Pinkie Pie tilted her head. "Is there any Rainboom you'd like to see first?"
Vignette hummed, and gained a smile once she got an idea.
Next thing she knew, Vignette was following Pinkie Pie into a petting zoo, where none of the animals glared at her for once.
"A petting zoo? The original Equestrialand didn't have anything like this," Vignette remarked with a raised eyebrow. "How did the people behind the reopening get the idea?"
"Does it matter? It's here, and the animals are very petable!" Pinkie chirped. "And look! There's Fluttershy!"
Vignette looked forward, and her smile widened upon seeing Fluttershy sitting on a square of hay, surrounded by birds as she sang a little tune.
"Looks like she's having fun."
"Yeah, she is," Pinkie faced Vignette. "You wanna go pet a goat or something?"
"Nah, I just wanted to see what Fluttershy was doing. Besides, the animal kingdom doesn't really like me," Vignette winced slightly. "Anyway, where's Rainbow Dash?"
Pinkie tilted her head. "I thought you'd wanna see Rarity next?"
Vignette flinched, but quickly regained her composure. "L-Let's leave her for last."
"Well, if that's your choice," Pinkie Pie's smile soon returned. "Let's see what Rainbow Dash is doing, then."
With another quick trek through the park, Vignette and Pinkie Pie reached an arm wrestling arena, just in time to see Rainbow Dash not only beat a vastly bigger man than her, but throw him off the table as the audience cheered.
"Hmm, her small frame hides her real strength really well," Vignette remarked, taking another bite off her apple. "Remind me to never arm wrestle with her."
"Duly noted," Pinkie Pie giggled. "Anyway, let me guess, you wanna see Sunset and Twilight together, right?"
Vignette raised an eyebrow. "Why do you pair them up together like that?"
"Because whenever one of them goes somewhere, the other typically follows," Pinkie Pie shrugged. "If we go looking for one, we'll find them both."
Vignette hummed at the thought, then her eyes widened as she realized something.
"Actually, I think I might know where they are."
Pinkie Pie's curiosity rose. "Really? Where?"
Vignette grabbed Pinkie Pie's hand and dragged her to the game stands, Vignette scanning said stands until she reached the one she was looking for: a stand that had the simple "throw the ball" game, with a collection of stuffed dolls as prizes.
And just as she expected, Sunset and Twilight were there, the former raising her fist victoriously as she was handed one of the stuffed dolls, a sight that both amused and brought a smile to Vignette.
"Wow, you actually knew where they'd be!" Pinkie Pie chirped. "But how?"
"My cousins got on my case about a "bacon-haired" girl and a "purple girl with glasses" making a case at their game stand," Vignette chuckled. "Once I met them both in person, I quickly realized they were talking about them."
*DING!*
The duo walked to the source of the sound, and saw a line forming near a "test your strength" game, with Rarity walking away from the line with a pleased expression.
"Hi, Rarity!" Pinkie Pie shouted, waving her hand as high as she could.
"Hi, Pinkie Pie," the fashionista replied. "And Vignette? Are you two hanging out together?"
"Yup!" Pinkie Pie clung to Vignette's arm. "I saw Vignette walking all alone, and I decided to keep her company so she wouldn't feel lonely?"
"Really now?" Rarity put her hands on her hips and faced Vignette. "Well, if you wanted someone to keep you company, you could've just looked for me."
Pinkie Pie flashed a smug smile. "I would've reached Vignette long before you did."
"I know, but still-"
"So, you tried the "test your strength" game?" Vignette blurted.
Rarity nodded. "I wanna see if using magic has helped me grow a little stronger. Not with super strength like Applejack, of course-"
*DING!*
"And speaking of Applejack..."
The trio turned... and Vignette's eyes widened upon seeing a girl who looked like Applejack, but with more notable musculature, a black shirt with a red jacket, ripped shorts, and brown boots. She also had a cowboy hat, which she tipped as she walked away from the game.
"There she goes, showing off again," Rarity sighed, folding her arms and rolling her eyes.
"I didn't know Applejack could be in two places at once!" Pinkie Pie spoke.
Vignette lowered her eyelids and released Pinkie Pie. "She can't..."
The woman walked to the Applejack and tipped the hat up, taking a good look at her face until she realized:
"You're the Applejack from Equestria!"
"And ye're ta visitor who came to ta castle earlier!" the Equestrian Applejack said with a bright smile. "Fancy finding ya 'ere! Ya need somethin'?"
"If you're here, then where are the rest of the Equestrian Rainbooms?"
Vignette had a hard time believe where she was right now: she was in the middle of the center of the new Equestrialand, standing between two groups: the Rainbooms... and their humanized Equestrian counterparts.
Though thankfully, the Equestrians had vastly different clothing from their counterparts: Princess Twilight had a blue shirt and Purple skirt and boots, Equestrian Pinkie Pie wore a red and white stripped, long-sleeved dress that made her look like a living candy cane, Equestrian Rarity sported a white fur dress, Equestrian Fluttershy wore a Green dress and lacked shoes, and Equestrian Rainbow Dab wore a black shirt-pants combo, with a golden collar.
"Whoa, so," Pinkie Pie tilted her head. "These are our counterparts from Equestria?"
"That seems t' be the case," Applejack remarked, taking a moment to inspect her Equestrian self. "But the more important question is, what are they doin' here?"
"We're on vacation," the Equestrian Rarity answered. "See, Equestria's been peaceful for so long, and Twilight has delegated most of the royal duties to her wotkers, so we figured it was about time to take a little rest from saving the world every few months."
"However, we've already traveled through most of Equestria, and Twilight struck us up with an idea!" Equestrian Rainbow Dash added. "See, when Sunset initially stole Twilight's crown, only Twilight got to visit this world, while we stayed behind."
"So, what better vacation than to have some fun in the other world for a day?" Princess Twilight asked. "Like Rainbow Dash said, neither she nor the girls ever saw this world, so it'd be like knocking two apples down an apple tree with one kick."
Vignette took a deep breath and rubbed her forehead, grumbling something while everybody looked at her with worry.
"You okay, Vignette?" Applejack asked.
"Yeah, I'm fine, just fine, perfectly fine," Vignette walked to a bench and sat down. "I just... need to lay down for a moment."
And as Vignette kept rubbing her forehead, Princess Twilight realized something and caught everyone's attention.
"Okay, maybe you guys should get to know each other. I'm gonna talk with Vignette."
"I'll come with you," Applejack stated.
"I appreciate the help, but I think I should be fine," Princess Twilight waved her hand. "I may not look like, but I got some pretty good communication skills."
Applejack raised an eyebrow, but quickly shook it off and went with the Rainbooms and their counterparts elsewhere, leaving Princess Twilight to approach Vignette.
"Mind if I sit down?"
Vignette glanced at the princess, then moved slightly to the side. Twilight took the offer and sat down.
"I take it our sudden arrival upset you?"
"It's just that this place gives me enough problems as is," Vignette turned to Twilight. "I don't wanna have to deal with a potential magic leak with you guys around!"
"I'm sorry to break it up to you," Princess Twilight sighed. "But there's a high chance there'll be a magic leak whether we stay here or not-"
"I.K.!" Vignette yelled, taking a deep breath before she lowered her head and added, "I know..."
Princess Twilight lowered her head and turned away from Vignette.
"I didn't mean to cause you or your friends any trouble. It's just that, now that peace reigns in Equestria, and I never gave my friends the chance to experience the other world, I thought it was only fair that they got the chance to see the human world just this once."
"I know, but still, you picked possibly the worst time to pay this world a visit," Vignette sighed. "I mean, it's already tough having to walk around a recreation of my greatest mistake, but to also have the Elements of Harmony visit this world... it's just too much!"
Princess Twilight tilted her head. "You know about the Elements of Harmony?"
"I took the liberty to ask Sunset and her friends about them," Vignette scratched her head. "I figured that if I was gonna live with a holder of one of those elements, then it couldn't hurt to learn more about them."
"I see..." Twilight lifted her head. "That's good to know..."
A short silence enveloped the pair, Twilight twiddling her fingers as she tried to think of something to talk about, all while Vignette looked at her with a dry expression.
"Well?"
"What?"
"I told you that I felt uneasy in this place," Vignette raised an eyebrow. "Aren't you gonna ask me why that's the case?"
"Oh yeah, now that you bring it up, that does sound like something that needs an explanation," Princess Twilight scratched her cheek. "So, what happened?"
Vignette lowered her eyelids and her head, taking a deep breath before explaining:
"I had been working at Equestrialand for a few months then, and when the big parade started, my phone and I had already been corrupted by magic... which led to the moment where I grew to fear it..."
Vignette bopped her head to the music blasting on her headphones, oblivious to everyone's discomfort at the parade going on. This continued until she heard a familiar voice... somehow:
"VIGNETTE!"
The woman took off her headphones, and once she looked up, her eyes glimmered with excitement at the sight of the Rainbooms flying in the air.
"My gosh, Rarity! Those outfits are incredible!" Vignette chirped. "When did you make them?!"
Rarity blushed slightly at the compliment, but she was quick to keep her priorities straight.
"Vignette, this has gone long enough!" she stated as she summoned an electric whip. "I'm putting an end to your magical mayhem right here, right now!"
"Okay, cool, but first, I gotta capture those amazing outfits!" Vignette took out her phone and tried to get the best shot at the Rainbooms. "If we can make copies of them, we could-"
Rarity swung her whip as soon as she got a clear look at the phone, and Vignette yelped in pain as both her hands and phone were struck.
Everybody gasped, and the Rainbooms flew down to check on Vignette.
"Hey, are you okay?"
Vignette took a deep breath and opened her eyes, gasping slightly at the sight of her palms with a long, blatant slash wound spread across it.
A sight that she kept looking as her pupils shrank...
And back in the present, Vignette looked at her palms again, which had healed enough to leave no scar behind.
"Wow, that sounds rough," Princess Twilight frowned. "I can only imagine what it must've felt like..."
"Yeah, I'm not exactly happy to be here, but at least there's a silver lining," Vignette smiled. "I got some new friends, found a new home... it could be worse, that's for sure."
Vignette caught her breath and shrugged. "Well, I think I've sat around long enough. I should start looking around the park again."
"Would you mind if I walked with you? I think it'd be the perfect chance to try become friends. Especially after our less-than-stellar first impression."
"... Sure, I don't mind," Vignette stood up. "But please, try to act as normal as possible. The last thing you wanna deal with is unwanted attention."
"Duly noted." Princess Twilight said as she got up and dusted herself. "Before we go, though, have you found anything suspicious about this place?"
"Well, for starters, there are no rigged games: every amusement park I've been to has had at least a few of them," Vignette scratched her chin. "It's one thing to revive Equestrialand, but to make sure it had no rigged games..."
"And have you found anything else?"
"... No."
"Well, in that case, the only thing we can do is look around for any other clues," Princess Twilight clasped her hands with a smile. "It'll be fun to be part of an investigation again!"
Vignette folded her arms. "Didn't you say you were for a vacation?"
"My friends are here for a vacation. And as much as I'd like to join them, if there's the potential threat of a magic leak, then I want to be there to stop it from causing havoc."
Vignette smiled and nodded.
"Now you're talking my language. Alright, let's take a look around."
And so, the pair began walking deeper into the amusement park, keeping their eyes peeled for any potential clue as to what was really going on...
Back where we left off, Vignette and Princess Twilight walked side by side, checking the surrounding stands at Equestrialand.
"So, what's Spike doing, by the way?" Vignette asked. "I noticed he didn't come with you and your friends."
"He stayed behind to help Starlight recover from her last visit here," Princess Twilight scratched her head. "She hasn't yet absorbed everything that happened."
"I guess I can see where she's coming from," Vignette shrugged. "I was very freaked out when I first went to Equestria. The fact I was basically naked and on all fours..."
"Let's not think about that," Princess Twilight waved her hand. "For now, let's keep looking around. Maybe we'll find a clue as to what's going on here."
"Or just have some fun showing you all the games and entertainment exclusive to the Human world."
"Eh..."
Vignette raised an eyebrow. "What's that "Eh..." supposed to mean?"
"I mean, don't get me wrong, Vignette, this world and Equestria share many differences that makes them both unique," Princess Twilight scratched her head. "But there are just many things in both worlds that stay the same, no matter what."
"Wait, are you implying Equestria has the same games and entertainment as the human world?"
"Most of them, yeah, but not all of them."
Vignette smiled. "Well, how about we go see which games in here are exactly the same as in Equestria?"
"Hmm... now that you mention it, both dimensions have similar things, but they're not supposed to be copies of each other. Therefore, if we check the games, and fail to find any that's unique to this dimension, we could take that as a sign that there's something more going on behind the scenes."
Vignette blinked twice. "Sure, let's assume that's the first thing that came to my mind-"
"Then what are we waiting for?!" Princess Twilight grabbed Vignette's hand. "Let's go!"
The princess dragged Vignette with her... or at least tried to: Vignette stood in place as she kept her arm in place. The princess tried to pull Vignette towards her, but no matter what she did, the woman stayed in place.
By contrast, when Vignette pulled her arm back, the princess was sent sliding forward, barely catching herself before she hit the ground.
"Hmm, from the looks of it, your arm strength isn't as strong as the average human," Vignette remarked. "And since you're from Equestria, where everybody's a Pony, maybe you have greater leg strength compared to humans?"
"One theory at a time, Vignette," Princess Twilight sighed. "Anyway, since I can't drag you, how about you lead the way?"
"Sure, we don't need to take a long trek anyway."
"We don't?"
Vignette pointed at a peculiar stand: one where a girl sat on top of a chair with a bullseye next to it, suspended on a pool of water.
"Well, I can tell you that we got that game on Equestria," Princess Twilight said as she and Vignette walked towards the pool. "They usually have a line of ponies waiting to play it, though."
"Hey, was this game just setup?" Vignette asked.
"No, I set it up over an hour ago," the person on the chair sighed. "But nobody even bats an eye at it."
Vignette hummed... and got an idea.
"Swap places with me, please."
The person raised an eyebrow, but shrugged and obliged, hopping off the chair while Vignette got on it.
And as soon as she sat down, a massive line formed in front of her, stunning everybody speechless...
If there was any positive about the situation, it was that Vignette wouldn't need to take a bath when she got home. The dunking gave her over a dozen baths for free.
"How... did you know that would happen?" Princess Twilight asked as Vignette shook off the water like a dog. "I mean, why would changing the person being dunked change anything?"
"It's simple, really: the point of the game is to dunk people in water," Vignette squeezed her hair dry, and shook it, causing it to take its original form. "And it's a lot more enticing when the person being dunked is someone people dislike."
Twilight frowned sympathetically. "Vignette-"
"But that's besides the point, let's keep going: this right here is... I don't really know what it's called, but you get on the cars and then try to ram into other people's cars."
Princess Twilight lowered her eyelids. "Yeah, we got that in Equestria too."
"Dang it!"
"But let's play a round anyway."
"Huh?"
"I wanna test a theory I got from the last game."
So, the princess and the vignette paid for a go at the cars, and as soon as they both sat on their seats, every other person began ramming themselves at Vignette's car, the woman barely having a time to breath before yet another car rammed into her.
After another game, Princess Twilight and Vignette sat at the ferris wheel, the latter overlooking all of the new Equestrialand while the former compiled all the information she had gathered this far.
"Okay, Vignette, I think I got something: what's the one thing all the games we've played before have in common?"
"They're all present in Equestria too?"
"Yeah, but besides that, every time you specifically play the game, everybody's attention is turned to you, and they start attacking you: everybody forming a line to dunk you in the water, every car ramming into yours repeatedly, you see where I'm going with this?"
"Yeah..."
Princess Twilight raised an eyebrow. "What are you looking at?"
The humanized pony turned to the window, and was completely entranced by what she saw: a clear view of Equestrialand, with a look at all the games, people playing the games, and even the city of Other-Questria in the horizon.
"Wow..."
"Yeah, sights like these have to be seen to be believed," Vignette sighed. "They're quite a spectacle, aren't they?"
Twilight smiled. "Yeah... they are..."
Vignette glanced at the princess' smile, and a hint of guilt appeared on her face as she spoke:
"Your Highness, there's something I'd like to ask you... about the Pony of Shadows."
Twilight's smile faltered. "What is it?"
"It... doesn't leave behind a piece of itself whenever it uses a host, right?"
Twilight's eyes widened, and she diverted her stare back to the window.
"Yeah, I figured you'd be speechless. Sorry I bring it up, but I honestly have been worried about that thing ever since it was sealed. The idea that even if it's sealed, that it could still have a presence on this world sends shivers down my spine faster than-"
"A rollercoaster!"
Vignette blinked twice. "Odd analogy, but Y.D.Y."
"No, Vignette! The rollercoaster!"
The woman turned to the side, and saw the massive rollercoaster at the edges of the park.
"Yeah, I can see it, what about it? I mean, I can tell you it's smaller than the previous one, but-"
"Vignette, the rollercoaster might be the final piece we need! I mean, every other game we played, people had the option to attack you!"
Vignette's eyes widened. "But in a rollercoaster there's no such option, people just sit down for a joy ride."
"If something happens or people attack you when you get on it, that confirms that there's something more going on here!"
"Something that's targetting me specifically!"
The princess and the woman high-fived while exclaiming in unison:
"That's it!"
Once the ferris wheel was done with, Vignette and the princess got in the line to wait for their turn, with the Rainbooms and their Equestrian counterparts standing nearby.
"Man, this stinks," Equestrian Rainbow Dash pouted. "Why do we have to wait here while Twilight and the rookie get to have fun?"
"Twilight already explained it, Rainbow Dash," Sunset said. "They're gonna test a theory, and if something happens that endangers people, we need to get ready to save as many of them as possible."
"I got that part," Applejack frowned. "But who's gonna help Vignette and the princess?"
"Twilight's a tough cookie t' crack," Equestrian Applejack said, patting her human self's back. "She'll save 'erself and Vignette ta first chance she gets!"
"I hope so..."
And so, Vignette and Twilight's turn came, and they got on the rollercoaster alongside several other people, a fact that worried the duo.
"We should've requested a ride just for ourselves," Twilight grimaced. "With all these other people here-"
"It's too late to change our minds, I'm afraid," Vignette grabbed the car's handle tightly. "Now we just gotta hope for the best."
And with those words spoken, the rollercoaster began to move. And for the first part of the ride, with the vehicle going up and up slowly but surely, nothing seemed out of the ordinary...
But then, Vignette and the princess heard something underneath then...
Something that the Rainbooms got to witness from below.
"Hey, are those screws..." Fluttershy shivered. "Coming loose?"
Sunset cracked her knuckles, a magical aura surrounding her. "Everybody get ready, this could get rough."
The rollercoaster slowed down as it reached the top... and once it did, several bolts flew off, the people screaming as their handles suddenly lifted, and they began to lose balance.
"W.T.T., the handles lifted?!" Vignette exclaimed.
"That's not all!" Princess Twilight added, looking back. "The rollercoaster's coming apart!"
And eventually, some people fell off, just as the rollercoaster began to speed down the disassembling mountain of metal.
"Now!"
The Rainbooms and their counterparts quickly got to work: the Fluttershies and Rainbow Dashes sprouted wings and caught people, the Rarities generated crystal shields to soften their falls, and the Applejacks, Pinkie Pies, and Sunset and Sci-Twi ran as fast as they could to the coaster, the former pairs summoning a trampoline while the latter two exclaimed:
"You gotta jump!"
"On a speeding vehicle!?" Princess Twilight exclaimed. "Are you crazy?!"
But before she could listen the reasons why this was so crazy, Vignette grabbed Princess Twilight's waist, lifted her with slight difficulty, and threw her at the trampoline, the car speeding as soon as the princess hit the ground.
"Vignette!"
The woman fell back on her seat as the car speed up, and when it encountered a rising spot, it went too fast and flew off the tracks, which kept disassembling as Vignette was thrown out of the car.
The Rainbow Dashes quickly began to fly towards the woman... until they saw something.
A faint light covering Vignette's body as she screamed, and a pair of appendages sprouting on her back.
Wings.
Without realizing it, Vignette began gliding, still screaming as she crash landed on a popcorn stand nearby.
"Hey, you just saw that, didn't you?" Rainbow Dash asked, her Equestrian counterpart quickly replying, "I saw something, that's for sure."
The winged humanoids flew to Vignette's crash spot, but when they arrived, Vignette was back to normal: no sign of wings anywhere.
"Ugh, my head," the woman groaned. "Oh hi, Rainbow... which one is Dash and which one is Dab again?"
"Dang it, the crash didn't hit her hard enough," Rainbow Dash groaned.
"Dude!"
"I'm sorry, okay?! I was just really hoping she'd forget that stupid nickname! Let's just help her get up already-"
"No, it's fine, I'm fine," Vignette said as she stood up. "Thanks for saving me."
Rainbow Dash raised an eyebrow. "What are you talking about?"
"You mean you don't remember what you just did?"
"Throw Her Highness off the car, right?"
The Dashes exchanged raised eyebrows before Vignette bolted past them, quickly heading back to the rollercoaster to find the Rainbooms tending to the people they just saved.
"Is everybody okay?!" Vignette exclaimed as she ran to Sunset's side.
"Yeah, we managed to get everybody out before the rollercoaster collapsed!" Sunset stated as she faced Vignette. "And besides a little shock at what happened, nobody seems to be hurt."
"But it's rather strange, don't you think?" the Equestrian Pinkie Pie remarked. "Why would the rollercoaster just suddenly collapse?"
Vignette looked back at the mess of rubble and metal that used to be the rollercoaster, and as the princess walked to her side, she came to a conclusion:
Vignette sat on a table, tapping it with her finger while rubbing her forehead. The Rainbooms, both human and Equestrian versions, sat nearby, looking at the woman with worry.
"Okay, s-so, t-t-there's no way to deny it," she spoke. "One way or another... t-this place wants me d-dead..."
"Calm down, Vignette," Princess Twilight said. "I know that what happened must've been... shocking, but it's okay now-"
"Just because it's okay now doesn't mean things won't go south!" Vignette snapped. "As for calming down, I'm sorry, but have you ever had a freaking amusement park out for your blood!?"
The Princess scratched her chin and hummed as she looked at the skin, almost as if she thought the question was serious.
"THAT WAS A RHETORICAL QUESTION!"
"I know this is probably really stressful for you, Vignette, but the day's still young!" Applejack said. "How 'bout we check our options? What can we do to fix this?"
"I mean, the easiest solution would be to just leave the park, but..." Vignette winced and stood up. "Actually, yeah, why don't we just leave?!"
Vignette bolted to the exit, but once she got there, she saw it was closed. And no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't move the bars.
"Come on, you stupid things, give me freedom!"
"Vignette, calm down! You're not gonna get anywhere like that!" Applejack exclaimed as she reached the woman. "In this case, we need t' get physical!"
Applejack summoned the power of her geode, which she had all this time, obviously. Then, once she was fully charged up, she threw a punch... and the bars seemingly absorbed the impact.
"What the?!"
Vignette looked back at the bars, then gently hit the bars. And just like before, they seemingly absorbed the impact.
"Hey you two! Stop doing that!"
The group turned around, and saw a pair of familiar, to the Rainbooms and Vignette anyway, faces:
"Flim and Flam?!" Vignette exclaimed. "W-What are you guys doing here?!"
"We were hired by the person who recreated Equestrialand from scratch," Flim explained. "We sent you a message about it, didn't you read it?"
Vignette took out her phone, and once she checked her messages, she pinched her forehead and muttered some gibberish.
"Wait a minute, you met the person in charge of this place?" Sci-Twi asked, getting the duo's attention. "Well, who are they? How can we meet them? 'Cause we got a few complaints-"
"Sorry, kid, but we're not allowed to disclose any information about our boss: it's part of the contract," Flam answered. "We could tell them about your complaints, though, so, what exactly's your problem-?"
"I WAS SHOT OUT OF A FU-" Vignette yelled, pausing to catch her breath before adding through gritted teeth. "-freaking rollercoaster..."
"Yeah, a rollercoaster that's not even in one piece anymore," Rarity said before pointing at the remains of the rollercoaster. "It was totaled after Vignette rode it with our friend."
The twins looked at the busted remains of the rollercoaster, and hummed while scratching their chins.
"That does seem like quite the problem."
"Luckily, we know how to fix them!"
"Then please do!" Vignette snapped. "And do it now!"
Next thing Vignette knew, she was sitting back with the Rainbooms at the table, now wearing a shirt and hat that read "Don't let me play!" with bold letters.
"I officially hate this place."
"So, we obviously got to talk about what we saw with the bars," Applejack said.
"I agree," Princess Twilight folded her arms. "They were definitely enchanted: I've never seen bars absorb attacks like those before."
"But why would they be enchanted?" Fluttershy asked. "In fact, why would the exit be closed like that?"
"It's the opening day," Vignette rolled her eyes. "Perhaps they want to force people to play all of their games, only to pay them to say nice things about them once they're let go. Typical business strategy."
Rarity frowned at Vignette, and got an idea.
"Vignette, darling, would you like to share an ice cream with me?"
"I'll share anything with you as long as I get to take my mind off this stupid shirt and hat."
"Perfect!" Rarity clasped her hands. "Then let's go. We'll be back in a few minutes, girls."
"Take all the time you need," Applejack said. "Somethin' tells me Vignette's gonna need it."
And with that, Vignette and Rarity stood up and left the table, the rest of the Rainbooms waving goodbye as they left.
And once they were gone, one of the Pinkie Pies chimed:
"So, who wants to go check out that eating contest we saw?"
. . .
Once they got their ice cream, Rarity and Vignette sat on a bench and ate them... well, Rarity did, Vignette was busy glaring her ice cream to death.
"Vignette, you know you're supposed to eat the ice cream, right?" Rarity asked. "I know you're angry-"
"I'm not just angry, Rarity, I'm..."
Rarity raised an eyebrow. "You're?"
"... Frustrated! I wanted to leave Equestrialand behind me! I wanted to move on with my life from this fiasco! But no, here I am, invited to a recreation of the place of that incident, which I can't leave, even after I nearly died thanks to the rollercoaster, and now my pants are eating my ice cream! STOP DOING THAT, PANTS!"
Vignette munched down her ice cream while Rarity took a deep breath and said:
"I'm sorry."
Vignette finished her ice cream just as she turned to the teenager.
"I didn't mean to strike you the way I did back then. I... I only wanted to break your phone, not hurt your hands."
Vignette took a deep breath and lowered her head. "It's okay, Rarity, I know you didn't mean it. And besides, I did need a reality check."
"I still feel like I should do something to make it up," Rarity turned to Vignette and frowned. "Is there something I can do."
Vignette avoided eye contact... and in doing so, she caught a glimpse of something interesting: an "employees-only" door that both Flim and Flam went through.
"Actually, there is one thing you can do."
Rarity smiled. "What is it?"
Vignette turned back to Rarity, sporting a serious expression.
"I want you to come with into the "employees-only" section."
The Rainbooms stood nearby as both Pinkie Pies entered the hot dog eating contest, and began eating hot dogs like there was no tomorrow, the audience cheering while barely reacting to two identical girls eating so much food.
"Ya know, it's kinda weird," Equestrian Applejack remarked. "Ah thought people'd, ya know, react t' seein' two 'xact same girls eatin' together."
"Yeah, come to think of it," Equestrian Rarity looked around. "We're here with our counterparts out in the open, and nobody seems to notice."
"To be fair, it wasn't that long ago that the Pony of Shadows madness happened," Rainbow Dash shrugged. "Maybe they just try to ignore the weird stuff to cope."
Princess Twilight scratched her chin and hummed, which her counterpart quickly noticed.
"Is something wrong, Your Highness?"
"I could swear I've seen that kind of magic before," Princess Twilight remarked. "Some kind of powerful magic caster used it before..."
And then, she got an idea...
"Oh no..."
Meanwhile, back with Rarity and Vignette, the duo managed to enter the "employees-only" door and walked through the hallways, hiding from the security cameras to the best of their ability.
"Vignette, what I'm gonna ask is a little bit... personal," Rarity sighed once the duo hid again. "But what were you thinking when it happened?"
"When what happened?"
"The whole "sent to the sky by a speeding rollercoaster" thing."
Vignette flinched, then shook her head. "W.T.H. Rarity!"
"I don't know what that means, but I assume you're angry-"
"Of course I'm angry!"
Once the cameras looked away, the duo went to the next hiding spot: Rarity quickly dashing there while Vignette rolled into a ball, and crashed on the wall.
"It's just that it was so sudden, and I'm honestly a little concerned at the fact you don't act like anything happened."
"Can we talk about this later?" Vignette groaned as she stood up. "Preferrably when we're not at risk of being found?"
"Alright."
And so, the duo kept following Flim and Flam, who eventually lead them into a door... that they walked past.
However, the glow coming from the door caught their attention, and exchanging looks and nods, they immediately went through it.
What they saw inside stunned them: a large room with several pedestals, and each pedestal was not only connected to a larger machine, but they had geodes floating on top of them, emitting colores glows.
"This is a treasure room of geodes!" Rarity exclaimed, taking a closer look at the collection of gems around her. "Who knows how many powers are residing inside these gems!"
"All that really matters is that we find out which one we should take," Vignette stated. "If what I think is correct, one of these geodes should be giving the bars the power to absorb attacks."
And so, the pair began looking at the geodes, some catching their attention more than others: one that allowed
And one that seemingly allowed the user to manipulate omnipresence.
Naturally, Vignette was quick to grab that one...
And as soon as it was out of its place, the alarms blared.
"Vignette, what did you do?!" Rarity exclaimed.
"I'm sorry, I didn't think the alarms would go off!"
"You're stealing a magical artifact!" Rarity responded. "Of course the alarms are gonna go off! Help me find a way to turn them off-"
"That won't be necessary."
And with the snap of a finger, the alarms stopped blaring, and the source of the voice revealed themselves to be rather... familiar to Vignette.
"Raspberry Magenta?!" Vignette exclaimed in disbelief.
"You know this woman, Vignette?" Rarity asked.
"We used to work together back in the original Equestrialand," Vignette explained as she glanced at the fashionista. "In fact, she was the original designer before you applied for the job."
"And I stand by my statement that you're the worst boss ever," Magenta replied, before flashing a cocky smile. "But truth be told, I'm not really Raspberry Magenta. I am, in fact..."
The woman grabbed her face, and spun around for a moment before stopping, revealing her true self to be...
"Principal Cinch!"
Rarity gasped in shock and disbelief, while Vignette could only go "whaaa?" with a half-hearted tilt of her head, Rarity soon joining her confusion once the shock wore off.
"Yup, it was me all along!" Cinch folded her arms with a smug smirk. "I bet you were totally caught off-guard!"
"I mean, I was, but more because of how this came right out of nowhere," Vignette scratched her head. "I mean, are you the Principal Cinch of this world, or the one from Equestria?"
Cinch raised an eyebrow. "What's Equestria?"
"Well, there's one question cleared up," Vignette folded her arms and narrowed her eyes. "Here's another one: what's the meaning of this!?"
"It's simple, really: after the Friendship Games-"
"The what now?"
Rarity put a hand on Vignette's shoulder. "Long story."
"I came to realize the catastrophic damage that magic could do: and of course, it only became more and more evident as I learned what could happen if it fell on the wrong hands," Cinch spoke as she walked down, arms folded behind her back. "A teenager who can erase memories, a pair of musicians who repeat time, a pair of energy-sucking interdimensional entities, and those were just three times. I haven't even mention what the Rainbooms are capable of!"
"Okay, but what does that have to do with Equestrialand?" Vignette asked bluntly. "If you got a beef with magic, why would that convince you to bring back Equestrialand? Assuming you're the one who brought it back-"
"I was, and indeed, the biggest issue with magic is that nobody takes it seriously. Even with the internet, nobody seems to realize how dangerous magic can be," Cinch smirked. "So, with all these geodes, I'll use magic to corrupt the park, and once everybody's attacked by magic, they won't be able to ignore it anymore! And when everybody fears magic-"
Vignette grabbed the geode she snatched and wrapped her arm around Rarity before it glowed, teleporting them both out of there.
Cinch looked stunned at what happened, but quickly regained her composure.
"I see... so that's the kind of game you want to play, Vignette Valencia..."
. . .
Back with the Rainbooms, the Pinkie Pies pouted at having a tie in the hot dog contest, holding a trophy with both hands with a sad expression.
"That's the saddest I've ever seen Pinkie Pie be," Equestrian Rarity remarked. "I don't think I like it."
"We haven't seen our Pinkie Pie this sad either," Sci-Twi remarked. "We should do something to cheer them up."
And suddenly, Rarity and Vignette appeared next to the Rainbooms, prompting both Pinkie Pies to hug them.
"Yay! Vignette and Rarity are back!" they chirped in unison.
"It's nice to see you too, but now's not the time for this!" Vignette exclaimed, gently pushing Pinkie Pie out of the way. "We gotta get out of here before things get weird!"
"Things get weird?" Rainbow Dash asked. "Weird how?"
Vignette got ready to explain, but as soon as she opened her mouth, a giant pillar of darkness emerged, morphing into a hand as it took Vignette to the skies, until it engulfed her.
Soon after, the ground cracked, and from it burst out a giant shadowy humanoid in the shape of a woman.
The Rainbooms' jaws dropped as the park visitors ran away in fear, and the humanoid's face opened, flashing a sadistic grin as she looked at the Twilights.
"We meet again... Twilight Sparkle..."
Sci-Twi raised an eyebrow, pondering how the woman knew her name, but a closer look led her to connect the dots...
Vignette slowly recovered consciousness only to find herself in the middle of a black void, with the only other person there being the one responsible for her current predicament.
The woman known as Principal Cinch.
"Where the heck am I?!"
"This, Vignette, is the interior of the magical construct I created," Cinch explained before looking at the woman with narrow eyes. "The same construct that will put an end to the Rainbooms, and you, once and for all!"
"Wait, what are you talking about?" Vignette scratched her head. "You were the one who rebuilt Equestrialand off the ground, and now... you're just gonna destroy it?"
"I rebuilt and reopened Equestrialand so that I could get you, Vignette, and your dumb little friends to come here," Cinch folded her arms. "Once within my grasp, I could beat you and your friends to the ground, and get revenge for the humilliation both of you put me through!"
"Wha... bu... I..." Vignette scratched her head and pulled her head. "T... T.M.N.S.!"
Cinch raised an eyebrow.
"This Makes No Sense!" Vignette yelled. "Why would you put so much effort bringing something like Equestrialand back, only to turn into a giant monster and wreck everything anyway!?"
"Please, Vignette, the complexity of my plan is so grand that a feeble mind like yours couldn't possibly comprehend it," Cinch smugly answered. "Besides, you teleported everybody who bothered you to a white room elsewhere. You're the last person who should be calling me out on poorly made evil plans."
"Perhaps you're right on both ends, but there's one thing I certainly know," Vignette took out her geode. "And that's that I'm not going through this again!"
Vignette teleported herself out of the black void, leaving a confused Cinch behind.
Meanwhile, back at the park, both sets of Rainbooms, and Sunset Shimmer, threw everything they could at the giant monstrous mass of magic, which had stopped attacking to look around in confusion.
"What's going on?" Fluttershy asked. "Why did it just suddenly stop?"
She got her answer soon after when Vignette materialized slightly above the ground, and fell flat on her face.
"Okay, I explicitly thought to be taken to the ground," Vignette growled at the geode. "What's your excuse?!"
"Vignette!" Rarity exclaimed as she and some of the Rainbooms ran to her side. "Are you okay?! How did you get out?!"
Vignette showed her geode. "This thing helped. But anyway, we don't have time to waste; we need to leave. Now!"
"But, what about Cinch?"
"Let her vent and destroy this stupid place," Vignette responded. "That's pretty much all her plan was about anyway, and I, for one, am NOT dealing with this again!"
Vignette clenched the geode and tried to use it... only for sparks to come out of it and do nothing else.
"What?!"
Vignette tried again, and got the same results.
"Come on, you were working so well before! Why are you messing up now?!"
"Isn't it obvious, Vignette?"
The woman barely got enough time to flinch before she was grabbed by Cinch's monster hand, causing her to drop the geode.
"The geodes that absorb magic, which have surrounded this park, also work on geode magic! Call me out on my flimsy evil plan all you want, but I made sure to prepare just in case you used the geodes against me!"
Vignette could only grit her teeth as the beast opened her mouth, revealing Cinch herself acting as its tongue.
"And believe me, Vignette," Cinch narrowed her eyes. "I'll make sure you never humilliate me again!"
An arm emerged from the magic mass and tried to grab and drag Vignette back inside, the woman doing all she could to resist.
"Vignette!"
She turned around... and a shiver went down her spine, seeing a familiar lighting lasso on Rarity's hand, which she got ready to throw before sparks crackled around it.
Rarity noticed, and removed the sparks before throwing it at Vignette.
"Catch!"
Once the lasso got close enough, Vignette grabbed it with hesitation and gripped it as hard as she could as Rarity pulled her back.
"Oh no, you don't!"
Cinch's monster began pulling harder, with Vignette finding herself in the middle of a pulling contest between monster and Rainboom. Vignette gritted her teeth as she held the lasso with as much strength as she could muster...
And then, something happened.
Vignette was bathed in yellow light, and like before, a pair of pegasus wings sprouted from her back, spreading with enough force to destroy the arm and hand holding her, as well as Rarity's lasso.
"Whoa," was all Rarity could say.
"It happened again!" Rainbow Dash added.
"Vignette's first sudden transformation against overwhelming odds!" Pinkie Pie chirped. "We need to commemorate this! SOMEBODY GIVE ME A CAMERA!"
As for Cinch, she stood agape as Vignette turned around, glared at her then lunged at the woman, causing her to flinch and close her eyes...
But she wasn't hurt.
In fact, when she opened her eyes, she saw she was perfectly fine... and missing a certain geode.
She turned to Vignette just in time to not only see her holding the geode, but then smash it on the ground, causing the giant magic monster of Cinch to dissipate and leave her to the mercy of the Rainbooms.
"Alright, Cinch, time to talk," Sci-Twi stated. "How do we undo the lockdown?"
A few hours later, things had calmed down: Cinch was arrested, those trapped at Equestrialand were unhurt, and the Rainbooms were bidding their farewells.
"Well, guess we can't even take a vacation in another world without trouble following us," Equestrian Rainbow Dash chuckled. "Sorry about that."
"It's okay, you couldn't have known this would happen," Rainbow Dash replied, waving her hand in a dismissive manner. "And besides, look at the bright side: you didn't have to take out the monster this time."
Applejack folded her arms and frowned as she looked elsewhere. "You say that like it was a good thing."
Vignette sat on a bench next to the closed Equestrialand park, a look of melancholy on her face.
She didn't sit alone for long, though, since Applejack promptly sat next to her and put a hand on her shoulder.
"I can't help but wonder... is Equestrialand ever going to come back?" Vignette shrugged. "Genuinely, I mean, and not as some kind of cover for a magical plot."
"Well, I can't give you an answer to that, Vignette," Applejack said before patting the woman's back. "All I can really give you is the silver lining: the magical plot this was a cover of, has been stopped. And nobody got hurt."
Vignette smiled. "Yeah... you're right... say, are days usually this random for you, or was today the exception?"
Applejack giggled. "It's normally this random, yes."
"Hmm... I see," Vignette snickered. "I can't wait to see what happens next."
Then, she looked at the geode in her hand, and clenched her fist.
"But first," Vignette turned to Sunset. "I think we can both agree we gotta pay another visit to Equestria, Sunset."
Sunset nodded. "I'm gonna get the portal ready."
Vignette nodded, and everybody stood up and began to walk away, with Vignette stopping to approach Rarity.
"I'm sorry that you had to grab my whip in order to escape Cinch's magical monster body, it was the only thing I could think of," Rarity said. "Do your hands hurt?"
Vignette looked at her palms, and took a deep breath. "A little... but I think I can handle it. Thanks for the help."
"It's no problem, darling," Rarity smiled. "Anytime."
Vignette nodded, and she and Rarity shared a fist bump before they kept walking, with only one more loose end left to tie.
Once Vignette and Sunset went to Equestria with the Rainbooms, they quickly gathered the geodes and put them all in a safe place...
All but one of them.
"Okay, this is the last geode," Vignette said. "It has the power to teleport the user anywhere, so yeah, I think it should be sealed."
Vignette showed the geode to Princess Twilight. The ruler of Equestria stared at it for a while, then handed it to Vignette.
"I'd like you to keep this."
"I-I can't do that, Your Highness! I'm not worthy-"
"Darling, are you kidding me?" Equestrian Rarity remarked. "You helped stop a magical monster from destroying the park, and uncovered the evil plot of that detestable woman!"
"Yeah, that's twice you've stopped a magical problem!" Equestrian Rainbow Dash added. "I mean, one time, you can rest easy knowing you survived, but twice? At that point, you need something more than bragging rights!"
Vignette looked at geode for a bit, then sighed as she pocketed it... somewhere.
"I guess I can keep it for safety, but there's no way I'm using it again."
"That's fine too," Twilight nodded. "Just... think of this as proof that you've achieved something incredible."
Twilight ruffled Vignette's hair.
"You did pretty great."
Vignette fixed her hair, then nodded with a smile.
"Thanks, Your Highness. Good luck ruling Equestria."
Twilight nodded, and she and the rest of the Equestrian Rainbooms waved goodbye.
And once they were gone, Spike walked into the room and asked:
"Hey girls, what did I miss?"
The mares laughed, and Princess Twilight walked to her faithful assistant:
