Applejack dashed up and jumped over to help Rarity up back on to the bench.
Rarity took some deep breaths in and out while she took in the information and tried to quell her nerves. Applejack took her seat again, and looked around to see Rainbow collecting her quesadillas on a tray.
Rarity was shaking, her hands tried to steady one-another unsuccessfully. "Oh my, my, I-I..." She struggled to get her words out as she started to recover. She took a deep breath again. "I... Please forget what I said." She finally managed to get out.
"Already forgotten." Applejack whispered comfortingly. "But that's mah girlfriend comin' back over there so Ah think there might be some things we need to talk about." Applejack made some assumptions that seemed a little odd to her.
"Hey Rarity, you done shopping already or you just finished your first round!" Rainbow exclaimed, nearing the table. Then she noticed Rarity shaking, hands clasped together. "I told you shopping would give you nightmares didn't I!" She jested to her friend in a rather lousy attempt to comfort her with humour. It had no effect.
"Hey what's up Rare?" She finally asked, taking her place next to Applejack. The smell of hot melted cheese overpowered the flowery aroma of the shopping mall.
Applejack gave a little cough. "This is Rarity." She left a pause for dramatic effect. Which was a mistake because Rainbow instantly chimed in.
"I know this is Rarity, but what's the matter?"
"This is Rarity from THIS world." Applejack explained.
Having gathered herself together a little Rarity managed to look up and give a weak wave to greet Rainbow. Rainbow's eyes widened as she understood.
"Ooooohhh I see. Hi I'm Rainbow Dash, Official Lieutenant in the Equestrian Wonderbolts flying squadron." She said with cheer and a grin. "Nice to meet you." Rainbow examined Rarity and Applejack, their awkward expressions suggesting something else was happening that she didn't yet know about. "What's going on?"
Applejack tried to think of a way of explaining the situation. Luckily, Rarity managed to snap herself back into reality.
"I'm so sorry, lovely to meet you. I'm just. I'm afraid I wasn't aware that anyone would be coming over from Equestria. It's a bit of a shock. Is everything okay over there?"
"Weeeeellll, aside from constantly being mobbed on the street because you know the Princess, we've had a pretty relaxed four or five years." Rainbow joked in her non-nonchalant manner.
"We're actually here for a holiday." Applejack followed up. "To get away from the hustle and bustle. It was Rarity.. Other Rarity's idea, so Sunset invited us all over. Ah'm surprised she didn't tell ya'll about us though."
"I wasn't actually supposed to be here this week. I was at a fashion conference out of town, but I forgot a few items so I came back for the day. I suppose Sunset just didn't think I was worth telling...?" She looked up at the other two but quickly moved the conversation on. "So you're here for a holiday, how's it going?"
"It's awesome! We're not known here so we can just wander around and nopony... Sorry. Nobody knows us. Like at the beach, just sunbathing was great. I got like a fully chillaxed nap." Rainbow replied. Rarity considered how lucky she might feel to have a life like that.
"Ah'm curious, where are maself and Rainbow at the moment, in your world?" Applejack asked.
"Oh, well Rainbow has just moved back into town for her new coaching job. I believe she started yesterday. We all went round hers last week for a flat warming party. And well, we, I mean, well Applejack and I live together." She looked to Applejack but only to try gauge Rainbow's reaction out the corner of her eye. Rainbow didn't seem too phased. "At the moment she's preparing the cider press at Big Mac's house."
"Well Ah s'ppose me an apple's ain't never gunna change." Applejack joked. She wore a friendly grin and Rarity couldn't help share an awkward smile too.
"Woah, woah, woah. So YOU and Applejack are living together? How's that working out for yah?" Rainbow remarked. Applejack rolled her eyes. She figured the only way to get Rarity's hints through Rainbow's oblivious nature was her usual straight and honest approach.
"They're lovers Rainbow honey."
"Oooooohhhhhh" Was Rainbow's reply. For a second she relaxed, then her face bore a frown of confusion. She had been wearing her long rainbow hair in a pony tail and now she swished it over her shoulder with her right hand. She ran her fingers through it for a moment, letting the soothing sensation aid her in relaxation as she considered this new information.
One story above the food-court; an elated Rarity and amused Sunset exited their third clothes shop of the day. They stood on the walkway of the shopping mall, evaluating Rarity's choices. They could continue down the long corridor of the second floor, or they could go up and then along the corridor of the third floor. But the moment Sunset noticed Rarity on the ground floor, neither of these options were possibilities any longer.
Sunset grabbed Rarity's arm and pulled her back into the store they had just exited. Rarity managed to just about clutch the handles of her shopping bag to stop herself dropping it.
Sunset pulled her around to a corner lined with two shelves of denim jeans. The low lighting in the store shone beams of illumination onto the clothing racks but left pockets of darkness between the isles. Beneath this darkness, Sunset explained her fear.
"I just saw you, I mean, your double, from here, talking to Applejack and Rainbow Dash!"
"Oh but darling, why is that a bad thing?" The Rarity from Equestria questioned.
"Because people around here know you, especially in these shops, and you don't have a twin. If they see two of you in a public place, who knows what might happen." She whispered hastily. "There's no way to explain this to anyone outside my friends, maybe my old school colleagues. Even people who know about magic, most don't know about Equestria and the portal, and they shouldn't. Can you imagine what might happen?"
Sunset bought her hands up to her head and started stroking from her cheeks to her temples. "Come on, think Sunset, think." She wondered if human Applejack had managed to let human Rarity know that pony Rarity, Applejack and Rainbow Dash were coming to visit from Equestria. She wondered why Rarity wasn't at her fashion conference.
Rarity understood.
"Okay, I've got it. You go to my car, here take my keys." In her urgent manner Sunset had to fumble about her pockets, but eventually she pulled a set of keys from out her jacket pocket. "Press that button there to open it and wait for me there. Do you remember where I parked it?" Sunset thrust the keys gently into Rarity's free hand and indicated the 'open' button on the fob.
Unfortunately Rarity shook her head. "I'm sorry darling, this place is all so new to me, I have no idea where we came from." Sunset's hopeful eyes filled with understanding as she lightly removed the keys from Rarity's palm. She took a deep breath. "Isn't there anything else we can do?"
Sunset looked around, suddenly she got an idea what just might work enough.
Rarity let the escalator glide her down towards the food court. She had her hair now tied in a bun and she felt it pulling back her fringe. As a consequence, she held her head high. However the bun wasn't visible to anyone else, for Sunset had conveniently covered her face with a large, drooping sunhat and a pair of large dark sunglasses.
She followed Sunset off the moving staircase and towards their table. As they approached Rarity noticed Applejack point towards them and she caught her first glance at her doppelganger. It was only a brief glance. Her blue eyes passed by them with a flash of anger, shortly covered by her swishing purple hair as she turned back to Applejack. Rarity and Sunset were suddenly very curious to find out what had been going on.
"Umm hey guys..." Sunset opened the conversation. "What's going on?"
"Well YOUR Rarity was just telling us how she wasn't told we were visiting." Rainbow quickly responded challengingly.
The three at the table waited for a response. "Wait, Applejack didn't tell you?" Was what they got. That seemed a little unsatisfactory.
"'An' what kind of getup are you sportin' there Rarity?" Applejack asked, a little disgusted at her high-and-mighty posture and accessories. Both Rarity's looked up at Applejack. Then Equestria Rarity looked away. Human Rarity turned around to get a look at her counterpart. She hadn't realised that the figure hiding behind the large hat and glasses was her doppelganger.
She took in the sight of her white skin and shopping bags. Then she looked at her clothes.
"Are those... my clothes?" She asked hesitantly.
"Applejack gave them to me, she told me you said it was okay?" Sunset replied cautiously.
"Well she hasn't told me." Rarity whispered. The other Rarity turned to Sunset with an apologetically guilty look. Rarity turned back and saw this too. "Oh, oh no it's fine darling, you look great in them. I just wish she had told me."
The group stayed silent for a second, trying to digest all the information. Rainbow reached for a warm quesadilla on her plate. She chewed loudly.
"Okay, look. We can't have two Rarity's hanging about in one place. I need to take you guys home. I'm sorry about dinner but I'll cook something when we get back to mine." There seemed to be a slow agreement to Sunset's conclusion. "Rarity you're welcome to join us."
"Oh no, um, thank you, but no. I need to head home this evening and sort some things out." She started to gather her things together. "But it was lovely to meet you, maybe we can meet for lunch tomorrow under less... unexpected circumstances." She offered.
"What about your fashion conference?" Sunset asked worried.
"Oh that's okay, I'm not needed anywhere till tomorrow evening and it's only a three hour trip. We'll see shall we? I'll text you."
"You promise?" Sunset replied.
"Yeah I promise."
"Okay, well have a good evening then." Sunset farewell'd.
Rarity smiled and shook her head as she gathered up her items. "Oh I don't think that will happen." At that she departed for the west exit, the opposite way to Sunset's car. The four girls watched upon her sorrowfully.
"Come on." Sunset urged. "Let's get back to the house."
With that, they made their way back to the car.
The mall had lost its magic sparkle now, and the air didn't smell so fresh.