Rarity and Rainbow Dash’s midnight trek through the snowy hills behind Windsoar was filled with trepidation. Rarity’s mind raced at a thousand miles an hour fretting over whether she was making the right decision in confronting the sea serpent on her own with Rainbow, instead of working together with Blueblood and Wind Rider.
Sea serpents were related to dragons, after all. And while a sea serpent didn’t carry quite the same level of threat, they were still incredibly dangerous, and Rarity’s idea to try and gently convince it to leave the village might have proved to be fatally disastrous.
Or at least, that’s what Rarity thought until she was actually face to face with the creature, standing on a cliff peak overlooking a lake where the creature was temporarily making its home. It hadn't paid any mind to Rarity and Rainbow as they approached, but once it had—
“Oh, visitors,” it said softly with a cheerful woman’s voice. “I hardly ever get guests in this neck of the woods! Would you like some tea?”
“Uh, no. Thank you,” Rarity said perplexedly, staring up at a giant serpentine monster with slick silvery-beige scales whose hair was coiffed in a fluffy teal mane that elegantly curled down her back and around her shoulders, though her ruby red eyes were by far her most striking feature.
Rarity looked over to Rainbow to gauge her mood, and Rainbow was staring slack-jawed, head tilted up at the serpent with one eye twitching.
“This is the sea serpent?” Rainbow whispered.
“It— it has to be, right?” Rarity replied, completely at a loss.
She wasn’t sure what to expect from the sea serpent, and she was trying to keep her mind open to the possibility it might not be hostile, but she certainly wasn’t expecting it to be so… dainty. Or polite, for that matter.
Or… or…
…
Or hot.
“So, um, excuse me!” Rarity cleared her throat and spoke loud enough for the large beast to hear her clearly, and it— or rather, she, turned to Rarity and hummed, putting her head down at eye level with Rarity, the serpent resting her chin on her hands and smiling sweetly.
“Yes? How can I help you, miss pony?” she said.
“You are-” Rarity paused to properly compose herself “-you aren’t afraid of us, are you? You know why we’re here, don’t you?”
“Oh, of course I was afraid of you!” the serpent laughed and batted her claw. “But you don’t get to live long in Equestria if you can’t get a good read on some pony quickly, and I could tell from a mile away that you two weren’t looking to pick a fight.”
“Well, the jury’s still out on that,” Rarity said drolly. “It really depends on whether you can answer some questions for me.”
“Certainly,” the serpent giggled, and Rarity didn’t much appreciate the heat stinging her ears and cheeks. “I abhor violence, and love entertaining guests, so getting to avoid a fight and have some lovely teatime conversation? Count me in.”
“Rarity,” Rainbow said, her eyes wide and her mouth still hanging slightly open, “this gal’s like, totally harmless huh?”
“Of course I am!” the serpent sighed, melodramatically holding a hand over her heart. “I couldn’t hurt a fly, that’s why I’m on the move so often. It’s so hard to find a nice lake with some peace and quiet in these parts though, especially during the winter.”
“Then exactly why are you disrupting the nearby village?” Rarity asked. “You’ve been causing tidal waves on their shores, and disrupting their flow of fish that they use as food supply, apparently for weeks!”
“Oh dear, I was afraid of that,” the serpent pouted. “I didn’t catch on that the villagers were mad for the first week or two I was here, and then I tried to adjust to be less of a nuisance, but I guess it hasn’t been working out, huh?”
“You mean to tell me,” Rarity exhaled sharply, her eyes drawn for a second to the fog of her breath, “that you’ve been bothering the village by accident?”
“Of course!” the serpent said, sounding distraught and bowing her head pleadingly. “I never meant to do any ponies any harm, I’m just looking for a nice lake to settle down.”
“Why Equestria?” Rarity arched an eyebrow, arms crossed. Nothing about this woman struck Rarity as insincere exactly, but something still wasn’t adding up and Rarity couldn’t quite put her finger on what it was.
“Equestria is my home,” the serpent said, her voice chillingly serious. A glint flashed across her glittering red eyes. “It’s the home of the one I love, who I will always love, and I will let her strike me down before I even consider leaving her.”
“Rarity,” Rainbow said sternly, needling Rarity in the ribs. “What’re you thinking?”
“Give us a moment?” Rarity asked the sea serpent politely, and she gingerly nodded, her sunny disposition returning near effortlessly.
Rarity and Rainbow walked down to the base of the cliff— though Rarity supposed it may have been more of a hill? Didn’t matter— the pair stood there in silence for a moment.
“She really seems harmless, doesn’t she?” Rarity broke the silence with a sentence that fell out of her mouth like a dropped serving of spaghetti plopping onto the kitchen floor.
“Like, ehhh,” Rainbow shrugged helplessly, “I don’t even know what to say. Like I was hoping that she wouldn’t be hostile, and I’m still surprised by how docile she seems.”
“It is utterly unlike anything I expected, that’s for certain,” Rarity sighed, dragging her hand down her face. “Quite frankly, I’m having a hard time believing it, but I feel that may just be my paranoia talking. I wish Coloratura were here, she’d know what this woman’s deal is for sure.”
“Same, but I guess that’d make things too easy,” Rainbow laughed. “For what it’s worth, my gut says she’s legit. But I trust your judgment no matter what.”
“Yes, well,” Rarity smiled fondly at Rainbow Dash, who grinned eagerly back at her, “you flatter me, but my judgment is that I trust your gut.”
Rainbow beamed with pride and flared out her wings, holding her fist up for Rarity to bump hers into it, which Rarity happily did.
And with their meeting adjourned, the pair returned to the cliff peak to discuss with the serpent herself.
“Ms. sea serpent,” Rarity said to get her attention.
“You may call me Rain Shine,” the serpent batted her eyelashes at Rarity, who suddenly found a whole swarm of butterflies in her stomach.
“I’m afraid we’re going to need you to leave this lake,” Rarity said calmly, feeling quite chuffed with herself that she managed to regain her composure. “If you continue to cause trouble for the villagers, even accidentally, you will attract attention from the Slayers. Such as us.
“My partner and I believe your claims that you don’t wish to do any harm, and we’re offering you one chance to leave peacefully, but I’m afraid the other pair of Slayers in town, who have already been contracted to confront you, won’t be as merciful.”
“So I should probably leave right away, huh,” the serpent groaned, tapping her finger on the cliff peak.
“I’m afraid so,” Rarity said, and she hated herself for feeling a tinge of sympathy for the creature, and yet that reaction irked her; why was she upset with herself? Was she not showing the serpent mercy because she believed that she deserved it? Perhaps old habits just die hard.
“Oh poo,” the serpent hung her head and sighed. “Oh well, I guess it just wasn’t meant to be this time.”
“I’m sure you’ll find a place you can be happy,” Rainbow chimed in, and Rarity was surprised by the warmth in her smile. “Someplace where the Slayers won’t try to pick on you.”
“You know what, you’re right!” the serpent said proudly, showing a gleaming smile of shimmering fangs. “I may be roughing it right now, but every stormy cloud has a silver lining! When one door closes, a window opens!”
“That’s right!” Rainbow beamed and pumped her fist.
“Thank you, kind mares!” the serpent flashed another dazzling smile, and Rarity found herself warmly smiling back at her.
“You’re most welcome,” Rarity said softly, almost under her breath.
“Oh, but wait! I’ve got a little something for you!” Rain Shine gently pinched herself and procured two silvery scales, which she held out to Rarity and Rainbow Dash before dropping them in pair’s outstretched hands, the scales fitting neatly in their palms. “Those scales are pretty valuable!
“Plus, I know you two are sticking your neck out for me, since if the other Slayers find out you’re letting me go, they won’t be happy. Those will help convince them that you defeated me! And plus-” the serpent pointed at the dragon fang hanging off Rarity’s neck “-I can see you like jewelry!”
Rarity traced her fingers across the dragon fang while staring at the scale in her palm, and it almost sickened her what an obvious contrast the two items were.
“Well, I suppose I had better be off!” Rain Shine said. “To greener pastures! For all of us!”
“See you around!” Rainbow Dash waved as the serpent prepared to depart.
“Oh! One last thing!” Rain Shine called out, surprising Rarity with her urgency and causing Rarity’s guard to come up. “Will you two grace me with your names?”
“I’m Rainbow Dash!” Rainbow didn’t waste a second, proudly pointing a thumb at herself as she exclaimed her answer.
“And I’m Rarity,” Rarity said softly, still mesmerized by the scale in her hand. “Thank you for this, Rain Shine.” Rarity held the serpent’s scale up for her to see. “I am very glad that we met today.”