The farm truck followed the small yellow hatchback down the dirt road to the gate of the farm. Rainbow had insisted that she ride in the bed of the truck once again so, as she put it, she could ‘feel the wind in my mane’. The Applejacks knew better than to refuse. They could hear her happily jumping around and seeing how far she could lean over the edge before pulling back and giggling. Applejack and her human counterpart turned to smile at each other.
“Ya know, Ah can kinda see how ya find her so cute,” Pony-AJ said quietly.
The other Applejack smiled, “Yeah?”
“But if you ever tell anybody that, Ah’ll buck ya where it hurts.”
Human-AJ smiled mischievously, “Sounds like fun. Ya plannin’ ta invite me back ta mah bed sometime?”
“What? No!” Applejack recoiled, “Ah didn’t mean ‘buck’ like that! Y’all have some serious issues. Maybe you should see a counselor, or somethin’.”
Her counterpart laughed, “Ah’m jus’ pullin’ your leg, sugarcube. No offense, but you’re not mah type.”
She breathed a sigh of relief, “Ya had me goin’ there for a minute.”
Applejack sat in silence for a minute contemplating what the human farmer had just said. She was about to ask her something when Rainbow Dash banged on the back of the truck cab.
“Go faster!”
The girls in the truck laughed as Human-AJ downshifted and gunned the engine. There was a sudden lurch as the truck pulled forward, the sound of the pistons pumping only barely louder than the sounds of their friend’s cries of delight. AJ let the truck coast as she pulled onto the highway offramp towards town.
“Ya know, it’s kinda weird…” started Pony-AJ.
“What is it, hun?”
“How ya say Ah’m not your type. You’d think that since Ah’m like you in so many ways, that Ah would be,” Human-AJ gave her a curious look, causing her to blush and quickly explain, “Ah’m not hittin’ on ya or anything, Ah’m jus’ curious. Ah’m not gonna date you, that’d be too weird. But if Ah would, why wouldn’t you? Ah mean, we’re both hard workin’, honest, dependable. And Dash’s jus’ the opposite…”
“First of all, Ah don’ think most people would go around datin’ themselves like that. You’d have ta be some kinda narcissist. Second, no offense sugarcube, but Ah just don’t get that spark with you. If y’all are like me, ya probably haven’t never dated before.”
“Nope.”
“But ya probably wouldn’t jus’ date anyone, either. Ya have ta feel somethin’ for them, somethin’ more than them jus’ bein’ good marriage material.”
“Yeah, Ah guess you’re right.”
They rode silently down the highway for a few moments, deep in thought. It was strange how the two of them were so similar, and yet so different. They had the same family, same friend, same home, same general personality. It seemed that the catalyst that had set in motion AJ’s crush on the human Rainbow Dash was simply observing her kissing someone else. Why wouldn’t that have happened in Equestria?
Well, she answered herself, whenever Rainbow Dash was around Lightning Dust, she had been in an inaccessible training camp in the clouds. In this world, they had been on the school sports team together. Wait, did that mean that her Rainbow Dash had… with Lightning Dust? Her insides shuddered unconciously. Would her Dash really do that? With Lightning Dust of all ponies? That boastful, uncaring, brash… Wait, why did she care? Why was she so upset about it? It didn’t concern her, right?
She tried to push the nagging feeling out of her mind, but as much as she tried, she couldn’t help but feel concern and slight panic at the thought of the possibility. She had to get her mind off it.
“So, uh, how’s the family takin’ us being there?” Pony-AJ asked, grasping at straws for ideas for a conversation to distract her mind.
“Oh, you know the Apples. They’re always happy ta help anyone in need, especially Granny Smith. And Ah don’ think there’s anything that can happen that’ll faze Big Macintosh shorta someone tryin' ta break down his door with an ax.”
“…and Applebloom?”
Human-AJ sighed, “She’s havin’ a little trouble adjustin’. It’s not your fault, sugarcube, she’s just bein’ a teenager, always so dang nab troublesome.”
“Teenager?” asked Applejack in genuine confusion, “What does that have ta do with anything?”
“Don’t ya have teenagers where y’all are from? Ya know - think they know everythin’, super emotional, think the world is unfair and out ta get ‘em? Well, most of 'em anyway.”
“Naw, not really. Foals grow into adults pretty quick-like, at least for ponies. Ah really don’ know what y’all are talkin’ about.”
“Well, when humans go between being a kid and bein’ a full grown adult, they go through all this emotional stuff. They get all ornery and they think the end of the world’s happenin’ ta them every day, but they can’t grasp that they ain’t seen nothin’ of the world yet,” she sighed, “We all go through it at some point or another. Don’t let her get ya down, AJ. She’ll come around eventually. Jus’ try ta be nice and don’t let’r get your goat. Ah’ll try ta talk ta her.”
“Thanks, Applejack.”
“Don’t mention it. What’re friends for?”
After a few moments, they had pulled up in front of the Carousel Boutique. It looked quite different than the one AJ was used to in Ponyville. This one was built into the massive storefront that lined the street a few blocks down from the high school. The storefront window was completely filled with mannequins of humans wearing various dresses and other outfits that had undoubtedly been made by Rarity herself. Applejack took this time to thank the powers that be that the pony Rarity was far, far away right now, lest she bore them with various details of stitching and form with disturbing exuberance. Craning her neck as she stepped out of the truck, she was unable to catch any sight of the occupant within, the windows being too obscured by displays. Human-AJ and Rainbow Dash soon followed suit.
“You should’ve been back here with me, AJ!” elated Dash as she grabbed her shoulder, “That long smooth stretch of road…”
“The highway.”
“Right, the highway thingy - man, we were going so fast down that, I thought I was going to blow right out the back! Do you think I can operate the driving circle next time, Unpony Applejack?”
“Sorry, sugarcube, but Ah’m afraid drivin’s for humans only. Not that Ah don’t trust ya with heavy, fast moving machinery, but…” she stopped when she noticed the crestfallen look on Rainbow’s face, so she changed tack, “Hey, maybe later Ah’ll let ya drive the tractor when we get back. It’s plenty big and loud.”
“Whoa, I bet its fast. Right?”
“…Sure. Next ta a snail.”
“Awesome!”
Human-AJ had grasped on the door handle of the boutique, but had absentmindedly frozen as she was talking to Rainbow Dash. She turned to open the door, but apparently thought better of it, turning toward her counterpart with a sheepish look on her face.
“Ah don’t mean ta be rude or anything, AJ, but Ah don’t think it’d be best ta jus’ waltz inta Rarity’s shop with the two of us like this. She’s a bit of a… drama queen, ya know?”
Applejack thought for a minute before nodding and letting Human-AJ and Rainbow Dash enter as she waited in the frosty autumn air outside.
A gentle chime rang out as Rainbow Dash and the human Applejack entered the Carousel Boutique. They looked around at the ornate dresses lining the walls, the humble carpeting and the changing stalls outlined in lace fabric.
“Welcome to the Carousel Boutique, where everything is unique, chic, and magnifique!” called a familiar voice from the door leading to the backroom, “I’ll be right with you, darling.”
The two girls waited patiently, sitting on a bench as Rainbow Dash looked on with mild amusement at the displays of dresses on the walls. Within a minute, Rarity entered the showroom and smiled upon seeing her friends. She wore a long purple dress and a cream blouse, her hair done in its usual style and a modest pattering of makeup upon her face.
“Applejack, Rainbow Dash! And what might be the cause of this pleasant surprise?”
“Howdy, Rarity! Well, ya see, we were jus’ lookin’ for a little bit of help, wondering if ya’ve seen…”
“Rainbow, darling!” exclaimed Rarity, her eyes bugging slightly, “What ever happened to your ensemble? If I didn’t know better I’d say…”
She stopped, her mouth hanging open as she stared at Rainbow Dash. Her eyes gazed over the t-shirt with the overly-stretched chest area, the navy blue sweat pants that were currently being worn backwards, and the red apple decorated flip-flops that currently adorned her feet. She shifted her gaze poignantly toward Applejack, currently at an unusual loss for words.
“I… uh… did…” Rarity started, before contenting to gawk with open mouth at the pair of them.
“Uhm, you alright?” asked Rainbow Dash, looking over to Applejack for reassurance.
“Why are you wearing her clothes?” asked Rarity hesitantly, as if unsure if she wanted to hear the answer.
“I stayed over at her house last night.”
“Oh,” Rarity’s eyes continued to stay wide open, and her lips were stuck in the position of the ‘O’ sound she had just uttered. Applejack finally realized the implications of her peculiar actions, although she had not the presence of mind at the moment to do more than let blood rise to her cheeks. Rarity recovered slightly more quickly and delicately tried to phrase the question on her mind.
“So uhm, darling? Did you… did you sleep in her bed?”
“Oh yeah,” Rainbow smiled, innocently unaware of the implications that arose from this statement, “It wasn’t as comfortable as my usual bed, but at least it was warm.”
“Uh-huh. Well, I’m very happy for you two, and I’m sure…”
“Now wait just a gosh-durned minute!” demanded Human-AJ suddenly, recovering, “It wasn’t like that, she stayed in the guest room. And…”
“W-wait a minute!” sputtered out Rainbow as she realized what Rarity was insinuating, “You think that I… whoa whoa whoa. This is Rainbow Dash we’re talking about, remember? Coolest mare in Equestria? There’s no way I’m going around dating a human!”
“Uhm, what?” Rarity asked stupidly, momentarily forgetting her usual genteel vernacular.
“Let me explain,” answered Applejack, placing a hand over Dash’s mouth to halt her response, “This is gonna get a little weird.”
“Believe me, darling, we’ve already passed through that territory.”
“Alrighty then, Ah’ll keep this short. Remember when Twilight came through that portal thing?” Rarity nodded. “Well, she also said that there’s copies of all of us in that pony world. Well…”
“Don’t tell me,” Rarity stated in shock, “She’s not the real Rainbow Dash.”
“Oh, she’s real alright,” Applejack said with a smile as she poked Rainbow in the stomach, eliciting an annoyed ‘Hey!’, “She’s just not the Rainbow Dash you know and love.” Rarity scoffed slightly. “Speaking of which, go get ‘er, Dash.”
Rainbow Dash let out a barely audible grumble at being ordered around as she shuffled off to fetch the other AJ. Rarity stood immobile in the same stance she had been, stuck somewhere between doubt and shock. Applejack smirked; it wasn’t often that Rarity was left at a loss for words. Within moments, Rainbow returned with the pony Applejack, thereby confirming to Rarity that she had gone completely insane. The corners of her mouth turned up into an unsettling grin the likes of which would have made Tardy-Twilight envious.
“Hello there, Applejack. You know Applejack, I presume? Wonderful, now I simply have to go out in public naked, start flying, and telekinetically sew all my dresses together and all my nightmares will be complete!”
“Uh, nice ta meet you too,” responded Pony-AJ, casting an inquisitive glance at her companions.
“Do ya need a moment?” inquired Human-AJ with concern as Rarity’s eyes glazed over.
“No, darling, I’ll be fine. I just… I need to do something familiar to let my mind adjust,” she turned toward Rainbow and smiled, “Let’s get you some decent attire, dear.”
She grabbed her by the arm and escorted her forcefully into a changing stall. Rainbow looked back at her companions, imploring them for help. If this Rarity was anything like her Rarity, then this was not going to be awesome. Or cool. Or radical.
“Jus’ try ta be frugal, will ya?” Human-AJ asked, knowing frugal was not an accurate descriptor of Rarity, “Ah’ve only got about forty dollars Ah can spend.”
“Nonsense, darling,” she called back from beyond the curtain, “This will of course be gratis. It’s only suiting to show such otherworldly guests some classic human generosity.”
“Hey!” cried Rainbow as the shirt she was wearing was purposefully tossed out of the changing stall, followed shortly by the rest of her outerwear.
“Oh my,” the Applejacks heard Rarity say softly, “You’re, uh, wearing Applejack’s underwear, too. Let me take care of that for you.”
She quickly exited the stall, pulling the curtain closed behind her. She cast a curious glance at the two AJ’s, and opened her mouth as if to ask which one of them gave Dash their underwear and why. She seemed to suddenly realize that perhaps she’d rather not know the answer, and proceeded into the back corner of the store without a comment. She carefully made a selection of a full set of black lingerie suitable for an evening gown, including garter belt and sheer stockings. Human-AJ opened her mouth hesitantly.
“Sugarcube? Ah don’t think those're the best ones ta pick out. Ah doubt this Rainbow’d be likin’ that style too much.”
“Definitely not,” assured her counterpart.
Rarity sighed with exasperation, “But how is she supposed to look dazzling in one of my creations without proper stockings?”
“Ah don’t think y’all should be goin’ for a dress straight off. Try givin’ her what our Dash’d like.”
“Yeah, sounds good,” called Rainbow’s voice from the changing stall, trying and failing to sound nonchalant.
“What is her obsession with that girl?” whispered Human-AJ to her companion.
“Ah don’ rightly know. It’s like the first thing she asked Twilight as soon as she got back. Maybe she thinks she’s finally found someone who’ll understand her, Ah don’ know.”
Rarity in the meantime was going through a rack of underwear when she suddenly stopped, brow furrowed.
“Rainbow, darling, What is you bust size, by the way?”
“Huh?”
“The size of your chest, dear.”
“I don’t know. Small, I guess?”
“That’s not what I’m looking for. There should be a tape measure in the changing room with you. Be a dear and measure yourself, please.”
“Uh, ok.”
Rarity waited patiently as they heard shuffling sounds in the changing stall. After what was entirely too long, Rainbow called out her findings.
“Sixty-six!”
“Excuse me?”
“I said sixty-six little line thingies.”
Rarity cried out in exasperation, “Don’t you know how to measure your bust?!”
“Ponies don’t have boobs, sugarcube,” reminded Human-AJ delicately.
“Uh, fine. One of you go help her.”
The reaction of the two Applejacks couldn’t have been more different. One of them shouted “Alright!” with a smile on her face, while the other shouted “No way” with equal volume yet tinged with nervousness. They looked at each other, toward the dressing stall, and then back at Rarity.
“You have ta do it,” implored Pony-AJ, “Please?”
Rarity sighed, “If you insist. This is probably just a dream anyway, right?”
She strode up to the curtain, and with a deep breath, deftly pulled it aside and entered. Human-AJ craned her neck to see what there was to see beyond the curtain, but was held back by her pony counterpart. Rarity emitted a yell, presumably from seeing her longtime friend completely naked, but was quick to re-enter the showroom. She closed her eyes and shuddered as she shook her hands rapidly as if to throw off some invisible contamination.
“34 A,” she said with an attempted smile that turned out to be more like the grin of a madman. She quickly retrieved a pair of blue panties with matching bra that were embroidered with a streak of rainbow colored lightning striking down from a cloud. She tossed them over the curtain, apparently unwilling to see again the sight that would haunt her nightmares tonight. Human-AJ couldn’t help but crack a smile.
“Anyhow, we didn’t really come here ta get Rainbow a makeover,” said Applejack, trying to break the uncomfortable mood in the room, “We actually wanted ta ask you a question.”
“Ask away, darling,” responded Rarity distractedly as she shifted through various pants hanging from the wall.
“Have ya ever seen a Twilight here? Besides the one that came through the portal that one time, Ah mean.”
“Hmm… no, I’m afraid to say that I have not. Although,” she said as she picked out a t-shirt, “I do remember Pinkie Pie mentioning something about a Twilight Sparkle once. Perhaps you should inquire with her?”
The two Applejacks looked at each other, “Whelp, Ah guess we know where we’re goin’ next.”
Rarity went over to hand the clothes she picked out to Rainbow through the curtain – a pair of designer jeans, a band shirt, a rainbow colored belt and a pair of sneakers. Within a minute, she was dressed and back out into the show room. Pony-AJ gawked subtly. Rarity sure did know her stuff; Rainbow looked ten times better than she had in those other clothes.
“Ah must say,” said Human-AJ slyly, “Ah think Rainbow’d approve. Ya look just like her now. Good job, Rares.”
“Oh, please, it was nothing,” Rarity said, waving her hand, although nobody missed the smug smile on her face, “Now I just need to pick out a proper purse to match, and after that maybe the other Applejack would be inclined to…”
“Uh, actually Ah think we should get goin’. Time restraints and all that.”
Rarity couldn’t hide her disappointed look, “Maybe another time then?”
“Don’t worry,” called Applejack as they exited the store, “Ah’m sure we’ll be seein’ ya again.”
“And thanks for the clothes, human-Rarity-woman!”