Rarity wasn’t asleep. She swore she was not asleep, she was awake. She was just resting her eyes a little, and resting her head on Applejack’s very firm yet soft muscular arm, as the two sat on the single bench of the Crystal Empire train station waiting for an important train to arrive.
“Don’t get too excited, hon,” Applejack chuckled. “It’s just yer family, is all.”
“I’m not,” Rarity said sweetly. “I’m the exact proper amount of excited.”
Truth be told, Rarity was nervous. She loved her parents dearly, but they were very entrenched in the beliefs of the Slayers and, well… Rarity had loved Celestia too.
But for this one day, she wasn’t going to think about that. It was almost an inevitability that Rarity would have to sacrifice her relationships with her parents on the altar of doing right by the people of Equestria, dragons and ponies alike, but she was determined not to do it today.
She would allow herself one last day where her parents were just that; her family that she loved very dearly, and not bigoted monsters who she would have to fight with her entire soul.
Just one last day.
“Actually, I am perhaps unreasonably excited about one thing,” Rarity said and lifted her eyes open ever so slightly.
“And what’s that?” Applejack asked, moving her arm and putting it around Rarity.
“Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle immediately becoming the best of friends, of course!” Rarity pumped her fists and her eyes shone with stars, Applejack laughing into her hand. “Can’t you just see it, Applejack? They’re going to be an absolute POWER COUPLE!”
“Alright, hold yer horses there, Rarity,” Applejack rolled her eyes playfully and ruffled Rarity’s mane, but she would be eating her words when the she saw Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle walking arm-in-arm off the train, as Rarity was certain they were going to.
The train pulled into the station shortly after, and Rarity was standing right at the line, buzzing with anticipation to see her parents and her sister, and quite honestly to see Applejack’s family as well, who Rarity hadn't gotten to spend as much time with as she would have liked.
Rarity lit up as the doors opened and her parents departed the train, Applejack’s family getting off shortly thereafter, with Applejack taking the time to say hello to them of course as Rarity focused on her parents.
“Rarity!” her mother Pearl called out with her arms wide open, smushing Rarity into a hug before she could even react. “It’s so good to see you!”
“It’s good to see you t— OOMPH!” Rarity tried to respond with a polite greeting, before getting crushed by her dad, hugging both her and her mom both.
“RARITY!” Magnum cheered, hugging Rarity even tighter. “It’s been too long!”
“It’s only been a month or two? I think?” Rarity had no idea what time even was anymore. “Where’s Sweetie Belle?”
Rarity’s mother pointed over to Sweetie Belle standing on the platform, chatting away to who else but Apple Bloom, who by the way looked positively enraptured by whatever tale Sweetie was spinning. Rarity’s heart swelled with affection and pride, and she knew she would need to get a sterling silver platter for Applejack to eat her words off of.
As much as Rarity wanted to get caught up with her parents, and she very much did, there would be time for that in a moment. For now, Rarity thought it prudent to say hello to Granny Smith and Big Mac.
“Hello, Granny Smith! Hello, Big Mac!” Rarity said pleasantly as she approached them.
“Well, howdy, Rarity!” Granny Smith replied enthusiastically, grabbing Rarity’s hand and shaking it like it was some kind of contest. Big Mac settled for a polite wave, and Rarity blessed him for it. “Now, that’s odd.” Granny Smith pondered, finger over her chin as she looked Rarity up and down.
“What is?” Rarity asked curiously, looking over and around herself for the source of miss Smith’s confusion.
“You ain’t wearin’ any of yer Slayer gear,” Granny Smith noted, and indeed Rarity had dressed quite casually for this outing, though obviously she had other reasons to not be wearing the gear anymore; as in, she threw all away at Celestia’s hooves. “Or yer dragon fang necklace! That thing was a mighty fine trinket, I hope you didn’t lose it or nothin’!”
“No, nothing like that,” Rarity said with a nervous chuckle, fingers tracing the serpent scale that was hanging around her neck instead. To be entirely honest, Rarity couldn’t bring herself to part with the fang just yet. Maybe someday; it was an awfully grim thing to keep as a keepsake, but for the time being she didn’t feel ready to part with it. “I just wanted to dress casually for a personal meeting with family, that’s all.”
“C’mon now, Granny,” Applejack put her arm around her grandmother and pulled her into a rough side hug, “don’t go hasslin’ Rarity over her fashion. You know she puts a ton of effort into that stuff!”
“True, true,” Smith nodded contemplatively. “But back in my day, we wore our armor everywhere! We were proud of it!”
“Yeah well yer like a million years old,” Applejack chuckled and ruffled Granny Smith’s mane, getting a giggle out of Rarity and from Big Mac, “things change.”
“A million years old, sheesh, no respect at all I tell ya,” Granny Smith grumbled as she wandered off with Applejack and Big Mac in tow, the siblings turning back to wave at Rarity, who returned the gesture.
Rarity looked over to check on Sweetie Belle, who was still chattering away with Apple Bloom, which struck Rarity as odd. She looked back at the Apple family walking off into the distance, than back to Apple Bloom staying put, then at her parents, a bewildered expression on her face as she pointed to Apple Bloom.
“Oh, Apple Bloom’s gonna stick with us for the day,” Pearl said, batting a hand at Rarity and sweeping away her confusion.
“Yeah, we figured we didn’t wanna separate the kids cuz they were becoming such fast friends,” Magnum added with a laugh, “and we’re a little more prepared to handle hyperactive tykes than ol’ Granny Smith is.”
“I hope you don’t mind,” Pearl said, and Rarity chuckled.
“I don’t at all,” Rarity replied. “In fact, I’m sure I’ll be gushing over how adorable Sweetie’s new friendship is in no time.”
“Oh, and Rarity,” Magnum said, his brow furrowed and his tone uncharacteristically dour.
“Yes?” Rarity asked concernedly, tapping her hoof against the wooden platform and twiddling her fingers in front of her.
“We heard about what happened,” Magnum said somberly, Rarity’s mother looking surprised for a moment, before she too joined him in his melancholy.
“From Celestia,” Pearl added, a violent storm suddenly wreaking havoc in Rarity’s stomach.
“What did she tell you?” Rarity asked coldly.
“Not much,” Pearl shook her head and sighed. “Just that you left the Slayers of your own volition, and it wasn’t on good terms with Celestia.”
“None,” Magnum said firmly. “Her letter said that we deserved to know what had happened to you, but the details were between you and her, and that she felt it was right to protect your privacy.”
“I see,” Rarity hummed. That certainly sounded like what Celestia would say. “If it’s all the same, I would prefer to keep the details to myself.”
“That’s quite alright, dear,” Pearl said, and Magnum nodded heartily in agreement.
“I’m sorry to disappoint you,” Rarity said sadly, her heart breaking in two as she was starting to almost have a vision of the conversation that would end her relationship with them.
“Sweetheart, you could never disappoint us,” Pearl said affectionately, coming over to Rarity and wrapping her arms around her, Rarity burying herself in her mother’s hug.
“We’re proud of you for sticking to your guns,” Magnum added as he too joined the hug, “and doing what you think is right, no matter what that is.”
Rarity didn’t know how to take those sweet words, when she knew all too well the lie hidden within.
That kindness wouldn’t extend to dragons.
“Thank you,” Rarity said emptily, hiding her tears by burying herself further in her parents’ embrace. “Thank you.”