#techyocnitro

[techycatartist]

Here it is…the grand finale of my SFGAd AU designs (for now)! We have not one, but THREE designs for Nitro. Nitro is pretty…not-themed, but what if this wasn’t the case? What if Nitro was themed to the man of steel himself (and later, his evil clone)— Superman (and Bizarro)!

Before Nitro opened, speculation arose that the ride would be named “Superman: Krypton Coaster”. This turned out to be the name for SFFT’s B&M Floorless Coaster, but reports say that Nitro’s computer boot-up screen calls it “Superman Krypton Coaster” (or at least it did). If Nitro *was* themed to Superman, it’s likely that it would recieve a re-theme to Bizarro in the late 2000s, just like SFNE’s Intamin Megacoaster. Of course, this also means the two coasters would return to their original theme after a few years.

For these designs, I began with what’s essentially a palette-swap of Nitro’s usual outfit. It’s the most “traditional” superhero look, minus the hair standing in for a cape. The fun part came when it was time to “break” this look for Bizarro’s era, shifting the dominant color(s). She has grey gloves and hi-tops to mimic Bizarro’s craggy, grey skin. But when the Bizarro theme goes away, the design is “cleaned up”— she wears jeans and a jacket to hide the tears in her suit. The most challenging aspect was fitting all three designs on the page while giving them a pose that best reflected their personalities. I’m happy how it came out!

Tho speaking of personality, S: KC is the image of a “perfect” leader and isn’t far off from her canon personality. But when her coaster’s rethemed, a combination of factors means that she’s tired of being “perfect”— Bizarro uses her co-leader status to act out, eventually driving most people away. But returning to her original theme serves as a wake-up call— after apologizing to her peers, S: TR relinquishes her position until she feels deserving of the role.

As always, If you wanna hear more about my Great Adventure AUs, I have a whole document up on my Toyhouse page that talks about this design in more detail (and many others)!

[techycatartist]

Toro’s breaths were shaky and heavy, clutching his chest. His mind ran wild with thoughts of imminent dread, wondering if this would be his last day.

All Toro could do was lie on his bed as Toro’s mind held him like a prisoner.

Suddenly, his phone buzzed to life.

Toro didn’t pick up.

After a few more intermittent buzzes, a tune emitted from the phone’s speakers— someone was trying to call him.

Toro still didn’t pick up.

Eventually, whomever was trying to call him was directed to voicemail; it quickly became apparent that the caller took advantage of this.

“Hey Toro…It’s Nitro. I knew something was wrong the moment I realized you weren’t wating outside. I thought about knocking on the hatch to your apartment, but I don’t want to pressure you to respond. That’s why I was trying to contact you over the phone, to keep it between us; I won’t get the others involved unless you want me to. But I want to know if there’s anything I can do to help”.

Minutes would pass before Toro felt well enough to respond.

“You can speak to me in-person”, he texted.

“But tell the others to leave”.

Nitro looked up from her phone.

“You guys have to leave, for now. I’ll give the all-clear when he’s ready”.

The crowd of Coasterdroids dissipated from the area, leaving Nitro to wait inside Toro’s station.

“Have they left?”

“Yeah. I made sure of it”.

After a few seconds, Nitro heard the sound of a door unlocking.

As Nitro entered Toro’s apartment, she could tell immediately that he was tense.

“Something’s not right. We both know that. But I want to know what that is”, she said with empathy.

“You can tell me anything. You know that, right?”

Toro looked at Nitro with mild scorn, though the look was not directly because of her.

“I just want to help”.

Toro turned away from Nitro, pulling his cape over his shoulder.

Nitro waited.

“…I thought this is what I wanted. What I was waiting for ever since I realized the park was givng my coaster a second chance. Once my coaster began testing, I knew it was only a matter of time. Just yesterday, I was delighted to hear that an official re-opening date had been decided. It meant that everything would go back to normal; my coaster would be operating consistently again, the humans would love me again, and I would feel like myself again”.

“But…”

“I watched as employees began preparing my coaster for re-opening. They weren’t encountering any issues, and the weather is nice today. Nothing was wrong”.

“Yet I felt that there was— or more accurately, that something would be wrong in my immediate future. Something that the humans would notice. Something that the humans would tell their friends, or their audience in the case of those enthusiasts. Something that would make the humans doubt”.

“Something that would confirm that my coaster’s glory days are over. That the park shouldn’t have made the effort to repair it, or more alarmingly…that their repairs were insufficient”.

“It was then that I felt a pain building in my chest. I tried powering through it at first. That’s what I always do. But it became…too much. It all became “too much”…”.

Toro’s voice trailed off. He hung his head down in shame.

“I ran away”.

Toro felt that he had said enough. Although he and Nitro had been friends for seventeen years, he couldn’t help but to expect her disappointment.

“You’re not a coward for feeling this way, Toro”.

Toro picked his head up.

“…what?”

“It’s normal to be scared. We’re surrounded by humans who are scared every day”.

“That’s different”.

“Is it?”

“Yes, because they don’t have to worry about ruining their reputation for rest of time and wasting their last shot at life. All because something that’s not even their fault!”

Toro turned around, his frustration clear.

“I’ve dealt with the negative comments thrown at me all my life just fine! I always have!”

Toro’s hair ignited.

“THIS KIND OF FEAR IS BENEATH ME! A BULL NEVER RUNS AWAY AND HIDES!”

“Toro, please—“

“I’M BETTER THAN THAT”!

“No, you aren’t— NOBODY IS!”

Toro was shocked to hear Nitro yell back at him.

“Nobody’s fearless, Toro. It’s impossible— and more importantly, it’s unhealthy to hold yourself up to that standard”.

Toro let out a snort.

“I know you promised to take care of yourself, Toro. Don’t do this. If not for us…for you”.

Toro remembered why he made that promise.

His hair extinguished.

Toro let out a sigh.

“I…thought…I was better than that….”

“But you shouldn’t have to feel that way”.

“I just…I’ve never reacted like that. I thought that level of dread was something I’d never reach. Then again… I never thought the last two seasons would play out like they did”.

Toro sat down. Nitro followed shortly after.

“Nitro, I want to admit something. Promise you won’t tell?”

“I promise”.

Toro hesitated to speak.

“I…”

His throat became dry.

“I’m not…I’m not the person I thought I was anymore. Neither is my coaster”.

“…and…”, Toro’s voice wavered.

“…I don’t like what I’ve become”.

Toro didn’t want to break down in front of Nitro, steadying his breathing.

“But you want to be better, right?”

Toro looked at her.

“I do”.

“Is that not a good thing?”

“…It’s better than someone who uses themselves as an excuse to be horrible to others”.

“Exactly”.

Toro looked down at his leg. Although it was covered, he could picture that scar in great detail.

“Nothing will ever be the same going forward, will it?”

“It won’t”.

Toro looked back at Nitro.

“I woke up today knowing that my coaster was ready to operate. As I wait for that first train to run, I hopefor the best….or at least I was hoping for the best”.

“We all are, Toro”.

“But the truth is….I’m scared. I’m terrifed. This might be my coaster’s last day of operation”.

“It might not be”.

“But how do I know for sure? How will I know? How will I know my coaster will be safe?”

“You won’t”.

Toro fell silent.

“I won’t. Nobody will”.

Toro turned his body away from Nitro.

“The future isn’t set in stone— if you think too much about it, about what’ll happen in the long-term, you’ll drive yourself crazy”.

“So what should I do?”

“Take it one day at a time”.

Toro looked back at her.

“It’s better to celebrate little accomplishments then to worry about reaching a single big one”.

“…like my coaster being ready to re-open”.

“Yeah”.

Toro turned back around.

“I’ve been working on myself ever since April. I’m not satisfied with myself just yet, but that’s okay. I’ll get there one day, even if won’t know untill it’s that day. Untill then, I’m going to enjoy my life— no matter what obstacles are thrown my way, I’ll overcome them eventually. If I can’t do it on my own, that’s okay. I have friends and family who will help me, and I will always be greatful for their support”.

Nitro smiles.

“I’m not invincible….but I don’t need to be”.

Toro breathes a sigh of relief.

“You know, it’s almost time for the humans to send the first train of the season. I don’t think you want to miss that, right?”

Toro thinks about it.

“Well…I’m still a bit worried”.

Toro stands up.

“….but that’s okay”.

Toro and Nitro exit the station, returing to the group of Coasterdroids eagerly awaiting Toro’s return— now joined by a cluster of humans.

“You are all clear and out of here!”

The first train rolls out of the station, carrying a crowd of humans happily cheering at the ride experince to come.

Toro cheers with them, alongside his fellow Coasterdroids.

The train returns to it’s station, ready to accommodate another set of guests.

“Give it up for the first cycle!”

Nitro and the rest of Toro’s peers cheer for him. Toro bows, then looks up.

“What, no roses?”

They laugh with Toro.

“Y’know, there’s something I didn’t tell you back at the apartment…”

Toro spots something off in the distance— he’s beaming.

“They’re here…!”

Toro runs off towards the entrance to an alternate path to Frontier Adventures.

“TORO”!

“PRIMOS!”

Toro is pulled into a group hug by Colossos, Balder, and T-Express.

“You didn’t think we’d miss the re-opening?!”

“Nitro sent the news over yesterday— I jumped on the soonest flight I could!”

“I’m so happy to see you again!”

“I’m happy too— it’s been too long!”

Toro rarely got to see his cousins in-person, much less so all three at once— but an occasion like this was the perfect time for a Prefab reunion.

Toro called out to Nitro; “Thank you!”

“You’re welcome”, she called back.

While the rest of the day didn’t go perfectly operations-wise, things were an overall sucess. The Coasterdroids of Great Adventure would celebrate with a grand feast— not only for the re-opening, but for Toro’s birthday.

It was perhaps the best birthday celebration he’s ever had.

As the ride ops sent out one last train for the day, Toro couldn’t help but watch— not out of worry to what could happen, but just to appreciate what had been done.

“Despite everything, today was a triumph”.

[techycatartist]

Coastermaynia 2023 Day 27- Nitro (Formal) @coastermaynia

The first of two submissions I have for this year’s Coastermaynia— today’s prompt features Great Adventure’s B&M Hypercoaster, Nitro. Though Nitro has had a blue/yellow/magenta color scheme for over two decades, the park is evidently preparing for a repaint— Nitro’s 3 existing trains (and a newly-purchased foruth train) spot a light blue/dark blue/grey/black color scheme. Given this change (but wanting to wait for the coaster itself to be repainted before attempting a redesign), I wanted to depict Nitro in an outfit with this new color scheme. Although she has always loved the old colors, Nitro looks forward to the coaster’s visual refresh.

Nitro is an optimistic “social butterfly”, beloved by Coasterdroids in and outside her park. Acting as Great Adventure’s “co-leader”, Nitro is devoted to those she cares about and allows them to voice their viewpoints. Despite her responsibilities, Nitro doesn’t let them consume her; she loves being the life of a party.

[techycatartist]

Toro was met with perhaps the most visceral-sounding sobbing he’d ever heard in his life.

“I’m here, Tee. I’ll wait until you're ready to speak”.

T-Express, aka “Tee”, usually let Toro know when they wanted to call, as the differing time zones ensured that there would only be a few hours where both parties were awake.

But as much as T-Express’ cries warned Toro of its catalyst, he had no idea what to expect. Toro knew that their coaster was being actively worked on, so it was unlikely— yet not impossible— that he was going to learn of T-Express’ permanent closure. There was nothing (as far as he knew) to suggest that Everland as a whole was struggling financially; they wouldn’t have initiated T-Express’ refurbishment if they couldn’t afford to.

Coughs emitted from Toro’s phone speaker, followed by the sound of Rolling X-Train’s voice.

“Aniyo…”

“You can call me back later. It’s okay”.

Tee’s voice became more distant as they conversed with Rolling X-Train, leaving Toro to resume speculating.

“Tee’s been close to RXT since the day they opened— and it seems like with every passing year, we have less and less Arrows around”, he thought.

Toro had initially received the call as he was conversing with some of his neighbors, wisely deciding that the privacy of his bedroom was a better place to be.

“Don’t know how ride closures are handled over there, but the people in charge over here aren’t always the best about it…”

Just by the tone of their voice, Toro knew that Rolling X-Train was trying to soothe T-Express.

“Maybe this is about…No. Wouldn’t make sense for Tee to be so distraught. Unless…”

Toro mulled over the possibilities, as it was the only way he could keep himself from getting swept up in the emotions of it all.

“Keep it together, Toro. The last thing Tee needs is to feel like they’re burdening someone…”

Just as the ten-minute mark had passed, Toro heard T-Express pick their phone up.

“Tee?”

Shaky breaths emitted from his phone’s speaker.

“What’s wrong?”

“…RMC is here”.

Toro flung his phone onto his bed, sparing his phone from potentially being crushed beyond repair.

The one possibility he didn’t consider.

The one possibility he didn’t want to consider.

Toro frantically switched on “speaker mode”, feeling an ever-so-familiar tingle in his scalp.

“Here for what?”

“For….for….m-m….me”.

The last part of Tee’s response sounded muffled, like someone had covered their mouth.

Toro sank to the floor, hands clutching at his head.

“What are they doing?”

“What…?”

“What. are. they. DOING. TO. YOU?”

Everland’s initial notice only mentioned a “suspension” of T-Express’ operations, not that it would be closing permanently. “It can’t be I-Box”, Toro thought. “They wouldn’t”.

“They are putting new track on.“

“And it’s steel?”

“…y-yes”.

“What does it look like?

“It is…it is steel. It looks like steel…!”

“You need to be more specific”.

“It is…bare. Unpolished. Dull. They didn’t paint it”.

It clicked in Toro’s head.

“That’s 208 RetraK”.

Toro slowly climbed onto his bed; he had narrowly managed to avoid flying into a state of (literal) burning rage.

“I’m not getting I-Box?”

“No.”

“But…why? Isn’t that what RMC makes?”

“They only use I-Box for full conversions”.

“Ah. So I’m not becoming an RMC”.

Toro bit his tongue, trying to think of a statement that was…less harsh than what he was actually feeling.

“Your…your coaster’s layout is not changing”.

“I will just have new track on my first drop and two hills following. But it will feel the same!”

“NO”, Toro blurted out.

There was a pause.

“…What do you mean? If I am not getting I-Box, nothing will change, like you just said”.

“Steel track doesn’t run like Prefab track, Tee”.

“I figured so. But if it runs the same course, with the same movements…it doesn’t erase what came before”.

Toro was lucky that they couldn’t see his face.

“In that regard, my status remains as an Intamin Prefabricated Wooden Coaster”.

“…”

“…I’m still a Prefab, right?”

“…”

“…Toro?”

“…”

T-Express began to cry once more; “You’re right…how can I call myself a Prefab now? I am a disgrace…!” After a few seconds of sobbing, the call ended.

Toro laid upon his bed, emotionally paralyzed.

“This was never supposed to happen”, he thought. “We were doing “steel coaster” things way before RMC decided to take the easy way out. Prefabs don’t need to become “better”, and the only reason why we’re having issues is because of human laziness”.

“Tee was running just fine with Prefab track, and if there really were any issues, Intamin would’ve fixed their coaster like they did with Colossos and Balder”.

“If Intamin wasn’t interested in making any more prefabs, then why are we still listed on their website?”

“Regardless of where we were built, we became a favorite among park guests…even as the years went on”.

“After all, I’m still the best coaster at this park”.

Toro was interrupted by a rapid burst of knocking; he turned away from the sound.

“Toro, this is Ka. I am concerned about your absence. Have you finished conversing with T-Express?”

“…”

“Going by your silence, I will assume so. If you aren’t going to permit my entrance inside, can you let me know what has happened”?

“T-Express is getting RMC’s 208 RetraK”, Toro answered bitterly.

“…I see”.

There was a pause.

“I may not know them well, but I believe that T-Express wanted Intamin to retrack their coaster as much as you wanted it to happen. Unfortunately, these kinds of decisions are simply out of our hands”.

“So I’m just supposed to be complacent with whatever shitty deal I’m given?”

“I’m not saying you have to agree with what Everland is doing, but-”

“What happens when Great Adventure decides to do the same for my coaster? You know they’re just itchin’ to save some cash…”

“You say this as if it’s an inevitability”.

“Because it is”.

“You don’t know that. Yes, there is a possibility that Great Adventure will elect to apply 208 RetraK on your coaster. But this is the only park that engineers its own Intamin Prefab track— they may not see a reason to look for outside help”.

“They’re only doing it because they thought they had no choice, Ka. Now that it’s been proven that 208 RetraK works on Prefabs, they can just slap some steel on me and call it a day”.

“Isn’t this preferable to T-Express undergoing a full I-Box conversion? From what I understand, a majority of the ride will remain wooden— and 208 RetraK was designed to retain the same ride experience”.

Toro swung open the door, with only the sounds of his hooves allowing Ka to back away.

“Because this is how it STARTS. At first, it’s only on a “high-stress area”, but then people start liking how smooth it is, and then the execs think about how “better” the coaster would be if it were all-steel. Just like that, we now have another RMC Hybrid. It happened to Rattler, it happened to Riverside Cyclone, it happened to Georgia Cyclone, it even happened to Lighting Rod! Hell, Boulder Dash and Predator are getting more Titan Track with each passing season”.

“If Everland was truly interested in converting T-Express, don’t you think they would’ve made that decision already?”.

“Well maybe they should have, instead of pussyfooting around the fact that they don’t value T-Express and just want to chase the newest trends. It’s not like I’d feel any worse than I do now…”

“I think you’re still valuable, Toro. We all do”.

Toro looked away from Ka, sighing deeply.

“You know, out of all the Coasterdroids here— I thought you’d be the most understanding”.

“What do you mean?”

“Don’t play dumb, Ka. You know Zamperla’s gonna show themselves here sooner than later”.

With just the name of a company, Toro had dealt a blow to Ka’s confidence.

“When they tear out your hydraulics, construct a spike of facsimile track and slap their fancy new “lighting” trains on, will you even be able to consider yourself an Intamin Accelerator?”

“…”

“That’s what I thought. Stop trying to act all high-and-mighty with me; you’re due for a “reimagining” sooner than later. But at least your track will remain all-steel…”

“Would you rather have your coaster demolished, Toro?”

Ka had captured Toro’s full attention, eyes locked on each other.

“Answer me. Would you prefer to die?”

“…What do you think?”

Silence filled the air.

Ka took a deep breath.

“I know you aren’t completely against RMC, Toro”.

“Oh, aren’t I? It’s not like I want to kick the shit out of every human who says I’m “too rough” now, because only someone who merely dislikes RMC would—“

“You wouldn’t have wished for Rolling Thunder to be converted”.

Toro’s eyes widened.

“I couldn’t forget about that”.

“I…I was too overwhelmed with grief. I never wanted RMC to fix his coaster when Thunder was alive”.

“But you still thought about it. You still said it”.

“…”

Toro broke his eye contact.

“TT2 may not be an Intamin Accelerator, but I still care about them— they’re my sibling, first and foremost. I think you should do the same for T-Express”.

“…”

Toro turned around, throwing himself onto his bed.

“I understand if you wish to sleep on this, but I trust that you will make the right decision”.

“Don’t expect me to show up at breakfast tomorrow”.

“Why not?”

JD leapt onto the table, slamming his phone on the surface.

“THAT’S 208 RETRAK, BABY! I WIN, I WIN!”

He threw his head back, cackling.

“THIS IS THE BEST DAY OF MY LIFE!!!”

JD stomped around, hooting and hollering with glee.

“If you have to celebrate, I advise that you do so elsewhere”, Ka insinuated. “I would prefer not to have hoofprints in my breakfast ”.

“Yeah, I could…except you didn’t consider the fact that INTAMIN PREFABS ARE RMC-ABLE!”

Ka groaned in frustration— a sentiment that was echoed by most of those seated with him.

Toro laid on his back, staring up at the ceiling; music from a Spanish radio station played faintly in his ears.

Suddenly, the music was cut off by a familiar ringtone. Toro decided to let the call go through.

“You there?”

“Haven’t left”.

“Is it ok if I come in? Didn’t feel right to show up unannounced”.

“…Sure”.

Nitro was greeted with half-lidded eyes.

“I know what’s happening to T-Express”.

“Let me guess…JD told everyone?”

“Yeah”.

Toro balled his left hand into a fist, pressing it up against his forehead.

“Trust me, we were all annoyed with him”.

“Yeah, I know…but to even think about how he reacted gives me a headache”.

“Well, that might be from the lack of sleep”.

Toro blinked slowly, serving to reinforce Nitro’s point.

“I’m not going to judge you for feeling this way, Toro. I don’t think I’ll ever fully understand how RMC has affected wooden coasters like you”.

“…Thanks”.

“Is there anything you want to talk about?”

“No, No…I already had my talk with Ka”.

“Okay”.

Toro looked down at the floor.

“What’s in the bag?”

“Oh! Well, it’s not going to magically solve this problem, but I think you’ll feel a bit better after you see…” Nitro reveals the gift she’s brought. “This!”

Toro examines the plush, taking it from Nitro. It’s a light-brown brown bull with cream-colored horns and brown hooves, wearing a navy blue bandanna adorned with the NJ Transit logo.

“…Is this Ricardo?”

“Yep!”

Toro gave the plush a light squeeze; “It’s…cute, I guess”.

“Thought it would be funny, y’know…because he’s a bull from New Jersey, and you’re a bull from New Jersey”.

“Pretty sure Ricardo’s not the only bull living in this state, but sure. Consider me amused”.

“That’s what I was hoping for!”

“So what else is inside?”

“Well…”

Nitro fully unzipped the bag.

“I wasn’t the only one who bought you a Ricardo plush”.

Toro looked down at the cluster of plushies, then at her.

“I had no idea until I saw all the boxes from NJ Transit, honestly!”

“Maybe I can keep an extra one for display purposes, but…what do you expect me to do with all of these?”

“There’s always eBay”.

“You think they’ll be enough people out there who want one?”

“I can think of someone who’d appreciate a gift from their cousin…”

Toro turned his gaze back at the plush.

“T-Express At Everland— Updated P.O.V 2024”

Toro highlighted the video’s URL, pasting it into the text-message box. For him, It was the morning of April 5th.

“Saw this being shared by enthusiasts. I wanted to view it so I can better judge what the 208 is doing”.

A speech bubble containing an ellipsis pulsed as Toro awaited Tee’s response.

“What do you think of it?”

“Actually”.

“Don’t answer here. I will call you”.

Toro left his phone on the nightstand, switching to “speaker” mode just before he answered.

“Hello, Tee”.

“Hi”.

There was a pause.

“I never thanked you for the plush, so…thanks! He lives on my desk now.”

“You’re welcome”.

“I wish I could say more, but there is the matter at hand. Toro…What do you think of my coaster?”

“Well…It’s good to see that they’ve kept the original rolling stock. RMC has made 208 Retrak’s universality a selling point”.

“I did wonder if I’d have to say goodbye to my trains…it is good to be wrong”.

“I can still hear the airtime going over the first two hills”.

“It’s a different tune now, like a thunderstorm surrounding the area”.

“So if it’s doing that, it should feel like intense ejector”.

“Oh yes, it does! I gave it a test ride today. No changes on that front. But…you were right about it no longer feeling like a Prefab”.

Toro picked up his phone from the nightstand.

“With only a bit having steel track, I could easily compare the difference. As smooth as RMC’s 208 is, I like the “edge” of wooden prefabricated track. Everything afterwards is just as it was before the closure. It’s nice. It feels like me. Like how it should—“

“I’m sorry”.

“What?”.

“You don’t have to downplay your feelings about the retrack, Tee. I was wrong to push my bias on to you”.

“…I was just so worried…”

“Don’t be. There’s not much value I’d get out of being angry at you”.

“So I can say with confidence that I like the track?

“Of course”.

“Then…I like 208 Retrak! I like RMC as a whole! I am very happy that they are giving Gyeongju World a new coaster; Humans will adore them as much as we will! I am a fan of RMC and Intamin!”

Toro smiled.

“But… I must ask. Do you see me as an Intamin Prefab?”

Toro gave it some thought, wracking his brain to come up with the best response.

“Well…what do you think?”

“Hm?”

“I want to know if you think you’re an Intamin Prefab”.

Toro heard T-Express take a deep breath.

“Yes. I am an Intamin Prefab”.

[techycatartist]

(NOTE: This story follows-up on some events from “Red-Tagged”. I suggest you head over to my Toyhouse & read that first, as it provides more context).

“…your coaster has a mechanical issue and suddenly everyone assumes it’s headed for the scrapyard! My goodness, these humans are so overreactive…”

For nearly a month, Ka’s coaster had been down. While his coaster was infamous for its unreliability, the issue at hand was more than the usual “technical difficulties”. Fortunately, the park had spares on site for what needed to be fixed; Ka was ready to open in time for the 4th of July weekend, typically a crowd-heavy time for Great Adventure.

Ka decided to hibernate in his charging station during this time— a common practice for Coasterdroids whose coaster is undergoing mechanical repairs or enhancements. In the interm, Nitro served as the park’s sole leader, though her status as co-leader meant that she was used to the responsibilities.

“They sure are reactive— but that just makes it fun to watch them get launched up that top hat, right?”

“It is quite amusing”.

The familiar “whistle” of Ka’s launch sounded off, accompanied by the collective shout of a train full of riders.

“Well, it’s great to have you back, Ka— you and your coaster”.

“I’m grateful as well. I assume your leadership skills were sufficient in keeping everyone well, right?”

“Oh no, it devolved into chaos without you”.

Ka gave Nitro a concerned look.

“Nah, just messing with ya! Though Toro and JD still hate each other, but I don’t think anyone can get those two to get along”.

“Hah, I wouldn’t even assign that task to myself!”

Ka spent some time catching up on what had happened at the park— most notably, the fact that El Toro’s coaster had re-opened.

“Good to see your coaster back in operation, Toro. How long has it been?”

“Almost two weeks”.

“How are you feeling?”

“Better. Things haven’t been perfect, but it beats being SBNO. I’m working towards a version of me that I can be proud of, despite how things have changed”.

“I’m similarly relived to find my coaster operating again, though perhaps I can follow your lead on a journey towards self-acceptance…”

As for matters outside of the park, Ka recieved some long-awaited good news; “Hey, check this out”! Nitro turned her phone towards Ka— on screen was an article regarding Knott’s Berry Farm, a park with it’s own Intamin Accelerator. Within a few seconds of glancing at the article, Ka was beaming.

“Xcelerator, set to reopen this summer! This is wonderful! I’ll be sure to arrange a visit to Knotts once I know the day”.

“Took that park long enough to say something, am I right?”

“The humans weren’t the only ones wondering about Xcel, that’s for sure….”

Once the park had closed for the day, Ka decided to retreat to his apartment. In hearing the news about Xcelerator, he decided to converse with another one of his cousins— Storm Runner.

“I saw the post today about your coaster re-opening, how was it?”

“Fashionably late, apparently”.

“Hah, that’s being an Intamin for ya!”

“But I’m not the only one re-opening…Xcelerator is scheduled to re-open sometime in the next few months!”

“Oh my god…Finally! I’ve missed them so much. I thought—“

There was a pause. Storm Runner’s voice cracked.

“I thought I’d never get to see them alive again…”

Another pause.

“I really needed to hear that, Ka. Things have been…tough…around here”.

Ka knew what Storm Runner was referring to, even without them saying a word.

“How have they been?”

“Well, they still don’t know about their past…or more accurately, that their past life was Wildcat’s. They have wondered why their memories are so fuzzy…but we just go along with it. Fill in the blanks for them. Smile and nod when they talk about a false memory”.

“…You know they’re going to figure it out eventually, Storm Runner”.

“Yeah, but…we don’t want to burden Wildcat’s Revenge with that. At least, not now. They’re pretty happy and sure of themselves, even if they don’t understand things like why Wild Mouse won’t look them in the eye”.

“I’m just worried that this “facade-keeping” will backfire. I highly sugest you tell them the truth sooner than later”.

“We will, Ka. We will. Eventually”.

Ka isn’t entirely convinced, but decides not to press further.

“You know, I have something to tell you, Ka”.

“Hm?”

“But it’s about Dragster”.

Ka felt his throat tighten.

“Tell me”.

“A few days ago, a shipment arrived at Cedar Point. A shipment of roller coaster track. Of course, Dragster’s parkmates wanted to investigate. Didn’t take long for them to locate a box with a label on it”.

There’s a pause.

“It’s Zamperla”.

Ka let out a sigh, partially out of relief that he had an answer.

“I had a feeling that would be the case”.

“Like, I get it. Cedar Fair doesn’t like working with Intamin. But to hand our cousin off to a manufacturer who doesn’t have the best reputation, or even that much experience in the world of coasters….”

“I’ll admit…it’s not an ideal scenario. But…”

“But what?”

“Intamin wasn’t always known for building large-scale coasters— and not all of their coasters are looked upon favorably. To discredit Zamperla for a similar reason would be short-sighted”.

“Yeah, but…it just feels wrong, you know?”

“I understand”.

There’s a pause.

“But even if Intamin was responsible for the refurbishment…I’d still be worried”.

Storm Runner listens quietly.

“I just…I wonder if this was the right decision. Was it not possible to keep Dragster as is? Will they remember who I am? Who they were? ”

Ka’s breathing becomes shaky.

“Is this actually going to help them?”

He tries to steady his breaths.

“Ka? You still there?”

Moments pass.

“Ka?”

“I’m still here”.

There’s a pause.

“I can only hope that I’ll get my sibling back”.

“I’m hoping with ya, Ka”.

Even after the call ends (and Storm Runner reassures Ka that they’ll support him through everything), Ka fears that he’s already lost Dragster to the sands of time.