//------------------------------// // 63 - Shipping Queen // Story: From Dusk to Night // by KuroiTsubasaTenshi //------------------------------// The rest of the ceremony went about as close to plan as I could have hoped. There was a moment where it almost seemed like Tailskid’s enthusiasm would get the best of him again, but at least the pendants would be much easier to recover from the stage floor than the beach. And while I was certain my anxiety would eventually be back in force, the love and joy radiating from Terra and Stalwart during that single kiss, that was confirmation enough that Tower Tracer and I had done our jobs well enough to reassure me for the rest of the day. Sure enough, as we filed down onto the beach for photos, my mind was going over the remaining schedule. Two hours combined for photos and the wedding party to disperse. Everyone other than Terra and Stalwart would need to change and come back here. When Tower Tracer and I had looked at the budget, we came to the conclusion that using a single venue and paying the hotel for a bit of help from the staff to repurpose it would be more efficient than renting two. This allowed us to meet the costs for the custom dinner and decorations without dipping into the slush fund. In the end, had we been more stingy, just our seven sets of hooves would have been enough. With my dress back on, I found a moment to breathe as the guests started filtering in again. In somewhere between five and ten minutes, I’d be fretting about the food and making sure the hotel staff are on the ball. For the moment, though, I got to watch Terra and Stalwart greet people as they came through. To be frank, the wedding was a fair bit larger than I would have initially expected. Terra was an only child and Stalwart had just one sister, and while all their parents and grandparents were still alive, breaking one-hundred attendees was still impressive. Seemed it was mostly the fault of Terra’s parents and their trade relationships. I had to wonder if I’d see a similar situation. Once everyone was seated, I found myself at the back door, constantly peeking out onto the hotel catwalk. Thankfully, they were right on time, alleviating some of my worry. The cart they brought was clearly not enough. However, they’d been kind enough to warn us of their procedure ahead of time. Each cart was transported in waves by pairs of staff, allowing the food to be quickly distributed while it was still fresh. Once the second cart was unloading, I allowed myself to return to the head table. --- As the supper came to an end, I found myself thinking more and more about the speeches. Tower Tracer was going first, but that did little, if anything, to make me feel less nervous. More than anything else I’d done, this had to be perfect. This was the culmination of the writer’s curse that had followed me the last couple weeks: late nights of fretting and editing with no feeling of tangible progress, almost as though I was going in circles. Even as I listened to Tower Tracer, I had to slap my mental hoof to stop myself from making more revisions. “Construction. Building from scratch. This has always been Stalwart’s calling—so much so, that when his very passion collapsed on him, he took it as a challenge. From a deficit, he reconstructed his life, his career and his love. Terrabona is much the same way and, like the various alloys, the two of them together are stronger than ever. It will be my honour to watch this couple as they one-hundred-and-ten percent their way through life.” With that, Tower Tracer held up his glass. Once the stomping of hooves died down, I made my way over to the stage, trading places with Tower Tracer. As I stepping up to the podium, a little nagging feeling wormed its way forward from the back of my mind. I slapped my mental hoof again and took a deep breath. “I’ve known Terra a long time and the big thing she’s always been about is matching. Just look at her store: it’s a whole business built around bringing people together with the things they need—even if it’s one of the more obscure things around. She’s even tried it with people. And while she can sometimes seem a little pushy, it’s only because she has a big heart.” I paused to smirk at Terra, who replied with something of a cross between a sheepish and amused grin. “I’ve wondered many a time, when she was going to find a match for herself, for that big heart of hers. Well, today, we can say, with certainty, that that was the day she met Stalwart. Congratulations, you two.” --- Tower Tracer returned to the podium as Terra’s parents departed, his eyes fixed right on Terra and Stalwart. “That concludes our speeches, which means it’s time for a slow dance. Get on up there, you two!” They exchanged wide grins before proceeding, their pace barely dampened by Stalwart’s back brace. The music chosen pushed the limits of “slow dance”, with the beat being unusually jaunty. They’d wanted something on the energetic side, but, between Stalwart’s brace and Terra’s oversized dress, there was a hard limit to what we could do. In the end, this was about the best compromise. I did have to admit, as the centerpiece of their reception, there was just something about the chemistry of a slightly slicker, smoother romantic dance that just worked. All eyes, even that of the foals, were on them until the song came to a close. “Wow. What a dance! Try not to burn up the floor before the rest of us get out there.” Tower Tracer chuckled. “Speaking of which, the dance floor is now open. Please join the parents of both Terra and Stalwart in celebrating their new union!” The parents giving up their right to an exclusive dance might have seemed strange to some people, but it was a clear strategic move. For the shyest in the crowd, an open dance floor with few people on it is a scary thing. But, between the parents and the more enthusiastic of the ceremony-goers, there might just be enough to coax the shy ones forward. For my part, I headed straight for Night. I gave him a bit of a curtsey and smiled. “Care for a dance?” “I thought you’d never ask, Dusky,” he said, that same clear enthusiasm from before washing over his face. “Some ponies need to show this wedding how it’s done.” I raised an eyebrow and giggled a little. It was always fun to see him get like this. “Oh?” When he nodded, I led the way out to the floor. I let Night have the lead to start. He was so eager—and besides, while my dress wasn’t nearly as cumbersome as Terra’s, the non-aerodynamic layers flapping this way and that around my flank took some getting used to. About halfway, he started deferring to me, which was no problem now that I had a feel for the dress. The grin on his face grew as the upbeat song continued, and never left as face as the music finished. He laughed as we moved on to the next song and I met his with a giggle of my own. This one was a little slower, though not exactly a slow dance. Nonetheless, we gravitated a bit closer. “See? We’ve got this.” He laughed again. “It’s not exactly a competition.” “But if it were, we could win it all.” His grin turned a little devious. “Maybe.” I playfully rolled my eyes. “I’m just glad you’re having a good time.” Night nodded. “I... I love weddings. So full of love and laughter and, um, cake. Went to a few as a colt. Sun’s and Mint’s.” “They’re very nice.” My mind flashed back over the last month and some change. “Though, with the amount of work that went into planning it all, I should hope so.” Night nudged me, then glanced over at the head table. Terra laughed as she nuzzled up against Stalwart’s neck. With a grin to match my own, Night said, “I’d say you succeeded for the pony whom it matters the most to.” I nodded, speaking to Night as much as myself, “Definitely a success.” I don’t know if he noticed my introspection or he was simply being Night, but he nuzzled up against me, smiling almost sheepishly. “The ceremony was beautiful. And you look stunning in the dress.” Glancing back at my flank, I said, “It’s a little bit much for my tastes.” He craned his head, getting a good look. “Maybe. Then, I think maybe it’s just you who’s stunning.” It was my turn to blush, and give in to the urge to steal a peck on his cheek. I followed up with a smirk. “Flatterer.” His reply was a big, sappy grin. As the next song began, with an overly hyper tempo, I eyed my dress again. “I don’t think I can keep up with that in this dress. Let’s sit out a few.” We returned to Night’s table, settling down to lean against each other as we watched the others trying to bust a move: some more successfully than others. Merri swaggered away from the head table, becoming a bit of a spectacle as she dragged Even Caulking and Airy Plenum behind her. Even Caulking seemed a bit less than eager, shaking his head before slipping out and backing away. Airy Plenum grinned, perfectly fine with the turn of events. However, Merri apparently didn’t think he was enthusiastic enough, grabbing him with her magic as he fell a few steps behind. Night stared blankly. “I, um, hope she goes easy on them.” “I’m sure she’ll be fine.” I let out a giggle. “Not sure she’s who I’m worried about.” His eyes lingered on them. As I settled, my mind started to turn again. There wasn’t a whole lot left to tonight’s plan. Cleaning up was going to be a big job, though something pretty simple overall. After that, we’d just have to ship anything Terra and Stalwart wanted to save back to Ponyville. From there, well, I guess my summer trip would begin—which brought a couple new worries. I glanced at Night. “Are you sure you’re comfortable coming along on my trip?” He nodded. “I’ve got everything you recommended all packed up back home. Once I can pick it all up, I’ll be all set.” “Ahem,” Star said, stepping into view on my left. “How long will the two of you be gone?” “Just about a month.” I looked up at her, pondering my second worry. “Not too long, then. Good. I hope you both enjoy your journey. We shall miss you both.” Star smiled a little sadly. “I’m counting on you and Merri to watch over things. To look after everyone.” My eyes drifted toward Terra and Stalwart. Star followed my gaze. “We will keep an eye on things. Don't let that worry you.” “I’m sure everything will be fine. And if you need it, you know how to reach my sister, right? My dad?” Night let out a bit of a sigh. I wished he didn’t have to worry. “We shall reach out to your family only if necessary.” Star gave us a confident smile. “But I agree with Night Flurry, everything will be fine. You just enjoy your trip.” A whistle pulled everyone’s attention to the head table. As the music faded away, Tower Tracer called out, “Will every single mare please take the dance floor. Our lovely bride, Mrs. Terrabona, will now be throwing the bouquet. Good luck, ladies!” I smiled a little as I rose from my seat. I could think more about the trip later. “I suppose I should go give it a try.” Colour filled Night’s face. “I, err, oh? You… you want to try to catch the bouquet?” I let out a giggle. “I don’t see why not. Coming, Star?” Star glanced out at the floor, where Merri appeared to have picked a patch of floor, standing over it like a soccer goalie. “I believe I shall pass. It is best if I do not compete with my sister over these types of things.” “Suit yourself,” I said before trotting out to the floor, right next to Merri. “Getting a little serious, aren’t you?” “And you aren’t?” Merri laughed. “Or is Night getting red in the face just a coincidence~?” “Well, he might be reading a bit into this.” I smirked. At that, Merri turned, stared straight at Night and waggled her eyebrows. He shrunk down a little. I felt bad, but I also had to suppress a laugh of my own. “Everypony ready?” Terra called, the bouquet floating above her. When everyone let out a cheer, she spun, making less of a traditional lob and more of a javelin throw. And it was heading straight for me. Reflexively, I slipped to the side, raising a wing, catching the bouquet underneath it. I raised an eyebrow at Terra, who merely smirked back. Shaking my head, I let out a bit of a sigh. However, it was her wedding. If she felt the need to indulge her matchmaking urges, I supposed I could overlook it. Almost in unison, Terra’s and my gazes turned to Night, who was getting redder by the moment. The look in his eyes was rather apologetic. All I could do was give him a bit of a nod, though: I was next up on the podium—perhaps we could embarrass someone else, though I suspected that, without Terra doing the tossing, the garter would involve far less shenanigans.