People coped with stress in different ways.
Some would take a quiet moment and get away from whatever was causing them trouble at the moment, seeking comfort in quiet and silence. Others had little rituals that they performed to find comfort and control in stressful situations, calming themselves with familiar actions and patterns. Still others used the stress to drive their performance, thriving under the pressure and doing better than they would have normally.
Rarity, however, had the bad habit of cracking under it.
It wasn't that she couldn't deal with stress, she did run a moderately successful business while also being a high school student who still did well in her classes after all. However, that also meant any extra stress had quite the head start on driving her over the edge.
“UGH!”
Rarity's scream drew a few stares as she sat against the base of the Wondercolt statue; her pencil slashed back and forth across her sketchpad, the basic design of another dress vanishing behind frustrated lines. Even when the point snapped off she didn't stop, continuing to drag it back and forth as she vented her anger.
Suddenly, a flash of gold appeared out of the corner of her eye and she felt a hand upon her upper arm.
“Okay,” Sunset said, kneeling down beside her friend. “I know you're the one with the reputation for dramatics, but this is the first time I've felt your emotions through the leylines. What's up?”
Rarity's hand finally stood, her body sagging as the metaphysical weight of her problem suddenly seemed all too real. “I don't want to talk about it...”
Sunset raised an eyebrow. “Rarity...”
“I'm serious, Sunset,” she interrupted. “I really can't afford to talk about this with anyone; with how often these conversations are overheard, it would only be a matter of time before rumors and gossip started spreading. To say nothing of how your followers would jump on the chance to know something more about one of your 'saints', or whatever they're calling us these days.”
“It is our sacred duty to learn all we can about our goddess and her chosen,” said a nearby bush.
Sunset's eye visibly twitched before she took a calming breath. “Okay, you have something of a point, as much as I wish you didn't.” She glanced toward the bush, muttering something under her breath about restraining orders, before turning back to Rarity. “But, seriously you can't just keep things like this to yourself, especially if it's getting the point it's starting to have metaphysical repercussions.”
Rarity sighed, resting her head against the cool marble of the statue behind her. “I know, Sunset, believe me. I would love to get a second opinion on this, or just have someone to talk about it with. It's just... this is a very personal issue, and I don't feel comfortable talking about it to anyone but myself.”
Sunset's hand came up to her chin, rubbing at it in thought. Her eyes strayed to the statue; or, rather, to the portal that was connected to it. “You know... I might be able to help you with that.”
Lately, Applejack had been finding more and more reasons to stop by Carousel Boutique.
She had always had a few reasons to stop by, Rarity had been her friend for a while after all, and her designs where always second to none. Now, however, she was here with enough regularity that a few people were starting to mistake her for an employee. She was spending almost as much time in the boutique as she was at school, even if it was just to ask Rarity if she needed any help.
However, as she entered the boutique this time, things were markedly different. The all too familiar bell overhead still jingled as the door opened, but she didn't hear Rarity call out with her stock greeting. Applejack blinked a few times, reaching back and opening the door so that it set off the bell again, and still got no response.
A quick check of the sign on the door confirmed the boutique was open, supposedly, but she should have been out by now. “Rares?” Applejack hesitantly called out, looking around the shop. “You around?” Her hands started to twitch, eyes darting left and right as her nerves started to get to her. “Pinkie and Dash didn't talk ya into a prank or nothin', did they?”
Still, no response.
“Hello? Anyone around here?” More silence, and she was starting to get a bit unnerved. Her hand started to stray toward the charm dangling from her wrist, a faint green glow starting to surround it, before she took a breath to calm herself down. “Easy there,” she said to herself. “Don't go jumpin' to the worst possible thing.”
She opened her mouth to call for Rarity once more, hoping third time was really the charm, then paused. It was faint, but she could hear something from relatively nearby: voices.
Applejack started to move through the boutique, trying to follow the sounds to where they were coming from. It wasn't nearly as easy as the movies made it seem, her own movements muffling the voices no matter what she did, but she was managing. Her search eventually lead her to the boutique's back room, and had her placing her ear against the door.
“-on't work,” that was Rarity's voice, she was sure of that much. “Not in the way you're suggesting, at least.”
“Come now,” that was... also Rarity's voice?
Applejack blinked in confusion; she could definitely say both voices had been Rarity's, but the second had been much haughtier than the first, like the times when Rarity had been at her worst and most selfish.
“You really need to stop fretting over what everyone else would say,” the haughty Rarity voice continued. “What matters here most is what you want. And, after everything you've done, don't you deserve a little happiness?”
“Well, when you put it that way...”
“It's still selfish!”
Applejack nearly fell over in shock; that was a third voice that she could only call Rarity's, though this one was her when she was praising her friends or contemporaries. “What in the...” she muttered under her breath.
“There's more to consider in this situation than just your feelings,” the newest voice added. “It's all well and good to want to be happy, but never when that happiness comes at the expense of someone else's own.”
“Well, I suppose that's true too...”
“Nonsense,” the haughty voice scoffed, in exactly the same manner as Rarity. “You don't even know if what we're talking about would lead to that in the first place.”
“That's no reason to discount the idea,” the kindly voice countered, managing to sound annoyed as well as benevolent. "Especially given the... sensitivity of what we're discussing."
A groan followed this, as well as a soft 'thump'. “I thought you two were supposed to help with stumbling blocks like this, not make them worse.”
Okay, that tore it; Applejack pulled her ear away from the door and barely turned the handle before almost literally bursting into the room. “What in Tartarus is going on in here?”
She wasn't sure what she'd expected to see upon entering, but it wasn't what she saw now. Rarity was there, yes, but so were two more Rarities; both about doll sized and each seated on one of Rarity's shoulders.
One wore a simple, if rather elegant, gown similar to what one would have expected of a noblewoman in the ancient Roaman Empire. A pair of pure white wings were attached to her back by a harness of some sort, and headband held a halo on a wire over her head. A golden glow seemed to emanate from her as she stood there, staring wide-eyed at Applejack.
The other, however, was smirking at her. “Well then, isn't this quite the... interesting development.” This Rarity seemed to glow a faint red, with a devilish outfit to match the color. However, as AJ couldn't help but notice with a blush, her outfit seemed more themed after an adult-themed Nightmare Night party. She wore a shirt that exposed her midriff and a pair of pants that tightly hugged her curves. A spaded tail dangled behind her and a horned headband rested on her head. An actual pitchfork rounded out the ensemble.
Really, there was only one thing Applejack could say in response to this. “...what?”
Rarity gave a nervous giggle, nervously fiddling with one of her curls and unable to look directly at her friend. “W-well, you see... it's kind of a funny story, Applejack...”
To Rarity's credit, once she had started explaining herself, the stuttering nervousness slowly faded away.
She mentioned her current stumbling block (without mentioning what it was), as well her bringing it up to Sunset. However, after that, things started to go off the rails.
“They call themselves the 'Honorable Recorders Society',” Rarity explained. “According to what Sunset told me earlier, they're something between mental projections and their own entities. They're supposed to show up when you have trouble deciding what to do. In theory, at least.
“So, Sunset sent a message to Princess Twilight to arrange something to let me have a pair for the moment, and here we are.” Rarity said, glancing at the pair as they sat on one of her displays. “Sorry I didn't hear you come in, the conversation was rather... distracting.”
Applejack shrugged, still eyeing the small pair with a bit of trepidation. “That makes sense,” she drawled. “Or, as much sense as it can, Ah suppose. Still... what was so confusin' that ya had to get these two to help you out?”
Rarity's face flushed a red to rival Big Macintosh. “I... I would really rather not say.”
“Oh yes, you would,” the devilish Rarity grumbled, resting her head against her hand. “You'd love nothing more than to blurt it out right now.”
“That would only make things worse,” the angelic one countered, glaring at her counterpart. “You can't just go blurting out everything and anything that comes to might, especially not something like this!”
“You've been saying that since we started this conversation,” the devil groaned, now rubbing at the tiny gem in her forehead. “If you don't take a risk, then you might as well just live in a bubble!”
Rarity just shook her head, mimicking the devil's pose as she sat down in her chaise lounge. “As you can see, I'm no closer to an answer than when I asked Sunset.” She sighed despondently, then glanced toward Applejack. “Anyway, on to less personal matters. What brings you by today?”
“I, uh...” Applejack's mind had totally blanked as to why she had come over in the first place, what with the shock of seeing the two Recorders and the ensuing conversation. “That is...”
*POMF*
“Y'all could tell her the real reason,” spoke up a voice... her voice.
Applejack jumped a bit as a small cloud of black soot appeared on her left shoulder, revealing a tiny version of herself wearing a red shirt tied in a knot around her chest and a pair of red shorts that were nearly too short to be decent. A black hat with a pair of horns atop it accompanied her pitchfork as she sat there, smirking at the full sized version. “Seriously, ya know ya wanna.”
“Wha...”
*POOF*
“Don'cha do it, Sugarcube.” Applejack turned to see the matching angel to the devil on her other shoulder. This one in a pair of blue jeans and a small version of Aj's favorite work shirt, as well as the wing harness and matching halo attached to her white hat. “Ya know how it'd go.”
“Ain't ya supposed to be all about Honesty and that hooey?” her devil self asked with a roll of her eyes. “Seems to me it's 'bout time ya practiced some o' that.”
“There's such a thing as being 'too honest',” her angel countered right back. “Sometimes, it's best to not say anythin' at all.”
“Hold it!” Applejack grabbed both of the tiny beings off her shoulders and looked at them. “What in the hay are you two doin' here in the first place? Ah don't recall askin' fer ya.”
“That ain't how it works, Sugarcube,” her angel self explained calmly. “You needed us, and we came.”
Applejack blinked, then looked at Rarity, only to find her openly gaping at what she saw.
“Let go o' us,” the devil snapped, struggling in AJ's grip and trying to get her pitchfork free. “'Fore Ah show ya what this thing can do!”
As much as she felt it was a bad idea, she did release the pair, letting them seemingly float back up to her shoulders. “Ah'm gonna talk to Sunset 'bout this...” she said, looking toward Rarity once more. “Sorry 'bout leavin' so suddenly, Rares.”
Rarity hesitated for only half a second, but soon waved her off. “It's fine, Applejack,” she said with a halfhearted smile. “We... can't very well just stand around talking about nothing.”
“Uh...” Applejack's gaze moved away from Rarity. “E-eeyep...”
“UGH!”
Both girls started as their respective devils gave out frustrated screams.
“You've gotta be kiddin' me!” AJ's shouted, nearly snapping her fork in rage.
“I mean, seriously!” Rarity's agreed. “You both can not be this dense!”
“Watch it, Missy.” Applejack narrowed her eyes at her friend's devil.
“Indeed,” Rarity's angel said with a harsh glare. “Applejack is not 'dense'.”
“Ah would be willin' to debate that.” Now it was Applejack and her angel's turn to glare, her devil matching them both. “How else can ya explain not seein' what's right in front o' yer face!?”
“What are-?”
“Ya know exactly what Ah mean!” the devil cut her off with a shout.
“You both do!” Rarity's devil added. “Notice how your Consciences have barely spoken up to refute the things we're saying? Even they can't think of a good argument anymore!”
Instinctively, both girls turned to look at the two angels that represented either of them.
Rarity's angel nervously fiddled with her halo, not looking her human in the eyes. “There... does seem to be enough evidence to say it may be worth a try,” she finally said.
“...might be time to come clean, Sugarcube,” Applejack's added.
Applejack's hand clenched as she still faced away from Rarity, before she gulped and took a breath to steel herself. “It's the truth,” she reminded herself. “Just let it out.”She closed her eyes, and just let her mouth do the rest.
“Ah like ya, Rarity... like really like ya. Ah know we butt heads a lot, and don' agree on too much but... Ah still like ya. Ah like yer passion fer all this, and how ya can take a quick glance at darn near anything and come up with ideas for clothes that even Ah think are somethin' special. Ah like how yer so generous to others when everyone else Ah've seen like ya is selfish, and how... how beautiful ya are. Even all the times ya say ya look terrible, ya still manage to look beautiful.”
Applejack squeezed her eyes shut, already imagining the look of shock and disgust that had to be on Rarity's face. “Ah know Ah'm just some country bumpkin, and ya can probably have any guy or gal you want, but... there, Ah said it.” Applejack waited a moment longer, the angel on her right shoulder patting her gently while the devil was looking at something behind her. “Ah'll just get goin', sorry 'bout... everythin'.”
Her emotional fortitude meant that Applejack wouldn't cry, despite the almost certainly ruined friendship. Her vision blurred a bit, but that was easily blinked away as she reached for the door.
However, as she started to turn the handle, a magical aura surrounded it and held it still.
“Applejack,” spoke Rarity. “If you recall, I had something to confess as well.”
She didn't dare turn around, even as she felt a bit of hope starting to grow in her chest.
“I have to admit, I've always been a bit... jealous of you, for lack of a better word.” Her footsteps could be heard as she walked closer. “Even if you don't put nearly as much effort into it, you still have a natural beauty that people would kill for. There's also your work ethic; I may be prone to bursts of creativity and inspiration, but you're someone who can work for hours on end without pause or complaint. You also hold a type of confidence that, frankly, I can't ever emulate; it doesn't matter what the world thinks of you, you'll still hold yourself high and continue to do what you've always done.”
Applejack almost jumped when she felt Rarity's hand touch her upper arm. “And, if there's one person in all the world I know I can depend on to tell me the truth when I need it most, it's you.”
Finally taking her hand off the doorknob, Applejack slowly turned around. Rarity was close to her, very close to her, letting Applejack look right into the fashionista's eyes. “Ah... Ah...”
“Please, Applejack,” Rarity said with a smirk. “We've been dancing around this for quite some time now. Let's not prolong things any longer.”
Though she was left blinking for a moment, a matching smirk slowly spread out across Applejack's face. “Sure thing, Sugarcube.” She wrapped her arms around Rarity, all but lifted her up with her earth aspect strength, and planted what both of them could agree was a long overdue kiss right on the other girl's lips.
Applejack's angel and devil vanished with a puff of white smoke and black soot respectively, joining Rarity's on the display case.
“Well, I suppose that's a weight off their shoulders at least,” Rarity's angel said, smiling softly at the new couple.
“Eeyep,” Applejack's drawled, her hand resting atop her fellow conscience's. “Guess we'll be seein' each other a bit more.”
“Mine!” Rarity's devil all but tackled AJ's, the latter managing to catch her and grip her tightly as they both smirked.
“Ah'm gonna have a lotta fun with you,” she breathed out.
“Oh, I can imagine.”
Sunset groaned, rubbing at her head as she sat inside her apartment. She should really see about finding some sort divine headache medicine, or making one if it didn't exist, it probably would have made her job just a tiny bit less stressful. Especially since it seemed that she couldn't even do something for her friends without it resulting in some backlash for her.
“So... let me get this straight,” she said, her hand slowly dragging down her face. “This wasn't a temporary thing?”
Her eyes locked on the tiny versions of Princess Twilight Sparkle as she appeared in this world. One was in a full suit, mauve in color, with a wing harness and halo helping to denote her as the princess's Conscience. and was rapidly thumbing through a (comparatively) large tome with a slightly frantic look on her face. “I'm sorry,” she said, “but... the rules on this are pretty clear. The Honorable Recorders Society is, well, honor-bound to help those who would benefit from our presence, and there's a fair number of those who would in this world.”
“Just be glad you're not under our purview.” Twilight's Temptation, wearing a mulberry lab coat that hugged her body in ways that made Sunset feel rather conflicted. She was wagging the scroll she had read out to announce that there was going to be a branch of their society opening up in this world at Sunset. “A being like you... even I'm scared of what sort of Temptation you would require.”
Sunset found herself repressing a shudder as the image of an all too familiar raging she-demon flashed in her mind. “I'm not going to argue that point.” She shook her head with a tired sigh, then rested her chin in her hand as she looked at the pair. “Guess I should prepare another world-wide announcement to let them know about you guys.”
“Actually,” Twilight's Conscience spoke up. “You probably won't need to do that. You and the other girls can perceive us because of the large amount of Equestrian Magic in each of you, but you're the exception to the norm here. Barring something like you making us visible, or an extremely altered mental state, we'd likely just be working on a subconscious level at most.”
Sunset mulled the information over in her mind, before shrugging. “Okay, I suppose I can live with that. Having one less thing to worry about is always a good thing these days. I'll still probably see about finding people who can see you, though; if nothing else, I can offer assurance that they aren't crazy.”
“I'm sure that's debatable,” Twilight's Temptation muttered. “Given what Twilight's seen of this place, I really doubt there's an ounce of sanity in the population.”
Sunset frowned at the pair. “Don't you two have to be getting back to the princess?”
The two 'Honorable Recorders' looked at each other, before the Temptation vanished in a puff of black smoke. “Sorry about this,” Twilight's Conscience said, bowing her head a bit as the tome vanished. “We didn't mean to give you more work.” And, with that, she vanished into white smoke herself.
Sunset just sighed once more, before reaching her awareness out around the universe. This was going to be an interesting explanation for the ones who were going to need it.
Author's Note
So... I wrote a snippet for Group Precipitation that was based on this same concept, then decided to expand on it. So... here you go.
Honestly, I'm just glad I finally got to write something for my OTP; Rarijack for the win.
