Sequins

Rarity and Pinkie stepped off the train, carrying their bags with Rarity's magic, Pinkie bouncing ahead and leading the pair. "I'm so excited! I can't believe that our little girl already has her own boutique! She certainly does take after you, doesn't she Rarity?" Pinkie said, practically buzzing in excitement. Rarity looked up at her from the sidewalk, smiling gently.

"Yes, I suppose she does." Rarity replied, feeling pleased that her daughter was as interested in the world of fashion as herself. Pinkie beamed even wider.

"And her shop is right by the train station, too! I bet she gets a lot of tourists in there. I wonder what she sells most? Her business sure did get a boost when she and Fleur became friends, didn't it? I can't wait to see Pop! We'll make candy necklaces and go shopping and..." Pinkie rambled on and on as Rarity tuned her out, something that she had become very good at after years of marriage to the bright pink party pony. She focused instead on carrying the luggage and her own worries. She couldn't help but wonder how their interaction would go after so much time apart. What would she say? What if her mothering instincts took over, and she embarrassed her daughter in front of a customer? What if Pop's tourettes kicked in, and she panicked over it, something Pop had always dreaded?

"I hope everything goes well..." Rarity murmured to herself. Pinkie looked behind her, and although Rarity didn't see it, her bounces were just a little lower for the rest of their walk.

Party Pop polished the front window of her store carefully. Since her parents were coming to visit the shop for the first time, she wanted everything to be perfect. She lifted the cloth gently and looked at her handiwork. The window was crystal clean now, perfectly showcasing the mannequins in the window, displaying her most popular items. Inside, each rack, shelf, counter, and display was organized and displayed in the best way possible. She sighed in relief, and looked up at her sign, which had been custom-made by her mother's cousin, Applejack, back in Ponyville. She thought back to her hometown, and how she hadn't been there in a long, long time, and wondered how her old friends were doing. "I suppose my parents will be able to tell me how things are going back home." She said to herself.

Just then, she heard a familiar voice behind her, calling out to her. "Pop! We're here!" Her mother, Pinkie Pie, nearly squealed in excitement as she ran up to her at breakneck speed. She pounced onto her daugher, hugging her tight as Pop jumped and twitched slightly from the startle.

"Pinkie! You've frightened her, and now her tourette's is acting up!" Rarity, her other mom, shouted. Pop sighed and looked up at her, dusting herself off.

"Well, hi to you too, mom." she grumbled, annoyed that she was already babying her. Rarity suddenly realized that she had embarrassed her daughter already and blushed.

"Oh, sorry, dear. I keep forgetting how much you hate having it pointed out. It's been a while, I guess."

"It's ok, mom." Pop replied, a little less irritated. after all, it had been a while since she had seen her parents. Maybe her mother really had forgotten. "Anyway, it's really great to see you both again!" Pop said, perking up right away. Rarity smiled, musing on how Pinkie had rubbed off on her daugher a little. Pop lead her parents into the store, smiling as they admired the interior. "It's not much, but it's what I've got." she said modestly.

"Are you kidding me? This is AMAZING!!!" Pinkie said, practically teleporting around the room as she examined everything. Rarity giggled, amused at her wife's reaction to the space.

"Well, if you like this, just wait until you see what I've got tucked away in the back!" Pop said, beaming in a similar way to her mother.

She led them to the design studio, and showed them her saddle. "Well, what do you think? Fleur even said she would model it for me!" Pop said, bouncing in place a little. Pinkie hopped right up to it, even more excited that Rarity had ever thought possible.

"WOW! I've never seen anything like it!" She exclaimed, obviously impressed. Rarity smiled as she looked at it, but inside, she couldn't help being a little envious of the beautiful saddle. It was slimming, sparkly, showcased a mare's curves... It was perfect! Rarity couldn't help but wonder why she hadn't come up with it already. Could her daughter simply be better at fashion design than her? She had always been proud of her daughter for being so talented at something she herself loved so much, but now she felt more like a competitor than a mentor. The rest of their visit that day went without a hitch, but Rarity couldn't properly enjoy any of it. All she could think about was that beautiful, groundbreaking garment in her daughter's back room. As she and Pinkie walked to their hotel after their brief visit for the day, Pinkie chirped "Wasn't that fun? And Pop's new design is just amazing! Didn't you like it, Rarity?"

"Yes... Yes, I did." Rarity said, unable to think of anything else.