Group Precipitation

by FanOfMostEverything

Beside Herself, by SaintAbsol

Yet again, Applejack found herself standing in Carousel Boutique.

The bell over the door was starting to become very familiar to her ears, as was Rarity's greeting in response; however, this time, the bell had been met only with silence.

Now, AJ could only look around in confusion, slightly unnerved at how quiet and empty it felt to not hear Rarity's voice as soon as she came in. A quick check of the sign on the door confirmed the boutique was open, supposedly, but the owner 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.

However, as she opened her mouth to call for Rarity once more, Applejack paused, tilting her head slightly as a sound reached her ear: voices.

It wasn't as easy as movies or books made it seem to follow faint voices to their source, but AJ managed it, the sounds becoming more distinct as she did. 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 quiet 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, a pair of pants that tightly hugged her curves, a spaded tail, a horned headband and a pitchfork to round 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..."

Author's Note:

Norm de Plume's As Horns and Halos Surround You is recommended reading for this snippet. And in general.

Comments

[WanderingPony]

Not only should As Horns and Halos Surround You be read for this segment, read it period. Clearly under-rated.

[SaintAbsol]

I should point out that I'm planning on turning this snippet into a full fic for the verse. Can't promise high quality, but just felt like mentioning it.

8504207
Yes, seriously, everyone go read that fic. It deserves so much more attention than it has.

[Papa Dragon]

Now im off to read the recommended reading. Cause that story sounds interesting.

[emanwe]

You were absolutely right about As Horns and Halos Surround You. That brought all the warm fuzzies, and I wish there was more of it!

[BenRG]

One of the problems that the folk of the Oversaturated universe are increasingly dealing with is the effect of narrative causality and belief magic has on their flights of fancy.

[FanOfMostEverything]

8519512
This may explain why so little of Equestrian fiction is actually fictional. More of it might have started that way, but given time...