I hate moving, I thought as I tried to shut the box in front of me. But at least this will be the last one for a long time.
I pulled the flaps to the box shut, grabbing blindly for the packing tape I had just set down. I didn't have too many boxes, and most of them were clothes. There were a few odds and ends; an old coffee mug with a chipped handle, the wooden box I kept the leftover shards of my Song in, and a small plastic tub that I kept hidden from everyone. I smiled as I picked it up, opening it to reveal the treasures I had kept inside.
There were a trio of rock candy necklaces, one from each of Pinkie's sisters. Thought the one from Limestone was certainly the smallest, it did mean a fairly large amount in terms of acceptance. Maud's was much like the woman herself, plain and straightforward with colors arranged in the sequential pattern as they appeared on the color wheel.
Marble's had surprised me much as the young woman had. The rocks themselves were not overly large, but they held a hue that made them appear almost like they were gemstones. I remember her giving me those small bits of sugar.
"Well, looks like tomorrow's the day," Marble whispered as she tied her shoe. "Nervous?"
I shook my head. "Not nervous so much as terrified." I ran my hands through my hair. "I mean, dating and all is one thing, but weddings are big deals and so many things can go wrong, and I can think of so many things that might make Pinkie decide not to. But hey, no bid deal or anything."
Sonata glanced at me as she put the cap back on the water bottle she had just drank from. "Calm down, Ari," she said with a shushing motion. "Between Rarity and I, we've got this in the bag!"
"There's also a high likelihood that Pinkie would marry you even if everything did go wrong," Maud said dispassionately, checking the GPS once again. "We need to go another five hundred yards east."
"Which way is east?" I asked.
The terse lady pointed, then picked up Boulder and tucked him into her shirt pocket.
We were out hiking in the backwoods of Pinkie's family farm, letting Pinkie and Limestone suss out the fine details of the ceremony while I bonded with my soon to be sisters-in-law. At least, that was the official excuse. It was really so I wouldn't blow my top at Limestone due to the stress of the upcoming wedding and the woman's seeming crusade against me. Even with the proffered gift of a rock candy necklace a few months prior, she still took no break from occasionally making snide remarks at my expense.
I sighed and trudged on, following Maud and Sonata as they trailblazed ahead. Marble hung back for a moment.
"I know Limestone hasn't been any nicer to you, despite the rock candy," she said almost apologietically.
"It almost seems like she's upped the ante just to spite it," I grumbled.
Marble fumbled around in her pocket and pulled out what I had thought were precious stones on a simple string.
"Here," she said, holding it out. "I wan't you to have this. I made a set for Big Mac last night and it's not that hard to make two at the same time."
I took the string of crystalized sugar and looked at it. She had a few other colors mixed in, but promient were pinks, reds, and dark blues, colors that seemed to suit the two of us.
"Thanks, Marble," I said. "I think that makes this a full set, now, doesn't it?"
"Mmm-hmm," she murmured, a huge smile on her face.
"Come on, you two!" Sonata called from ahead. "You gotta see this!"
I picked up my pace to find myself looking at a flat plateau overlooking the entirety of the Everfree forest far below. A simple pavillion had been erected there and there were already chairs in place, tied down in case of wind gusts.
I couldn't take my eyes off the view below. In just a few days, I'd be standing here trading vows with Pinkie with this verdant backdrop to accent it.
It was enough to make Sonata tear up a little. But not me. I'm still a fierce Siren, a predator and a force to be reckoned with.
Ah, who am I kidding? I had a few tears in my eyes as well.
"Last box?" Twilight asked as she stepped inside. "Pinkie just gave me the house keys so we can move your stuff in while she finished up that catering event."
"I tend to travel light," I said as I put the candy necklace back inside along with some dried flowers and some photos from Pinkie and my first few dates. "Makes moving on easier."
"Well, take it from me," the woman said, resting a hand on her hip. "You're going to have to adapt to a lot of different habits living with another person. Sunset made me commit to a bedtime so I wouldn't be up all night reading and taking notes. Can you imagine that, me still with a curfew!"
We shared a laugh at that as I shut the last box and hefted it on my hip.
"I think I might have to set the rules, personally," I said. "Pinkie hasn't really slowed down much since I met her."
"Would she still be Pinkie if she had, though?" the bookworm asked.
"No," I said, smiling.
"And I wouldn't want her to, either."