Thud! Thunk! Blam!
Mrs. Belle grimaced as she placed a blender into a box labelled 'Kitchen' and sighed. The loud noises coming from the floor above had been happening nonstop all that morning.
Screech! Dum! Ba-Doom!
She shook her head. That girl...sometimes she wondered if she was on a sugar rush. No doubt she was moving around heavy furniture. Mrs. Belle straightened up, her hands on her lower back, and stretched. She'd been packing since the crack of dawn, having skipped breakfast. The moving van would be there any moment so there really had been no time to spare. Looking around the small room she examined all the cardboard boxes stacked higher than her head.
"We're moving..."
Moving.
The word felt foreign on her tongue. Moving. She hadn't thought they'd ever do that! The Belles had been living in their old home ever since she and her husband got married nearly thirty years ago.
Wham! Cring!
Mrs. Belle groaned. She was starting to get a headache from all that ruckus.
"Sweetie Belle!"
The noise stopped. Before long, a petite girl with curly lavender hair and pale white skin appeared in the doorway of the kitchen. She wore a striped white and pink shirt with a darker pink button up shirt over it. Her skirt flowed down to her knees. The girl wore purple leggings underneath; they reached to her ankle and left her feet bare. Mrs. Belle rummaged around in a nearby box looking for Aspirin.
"Sweetie, can you keep all that noise down? I know you're excited and rushing to get your things packed, but all that banging isn't necessary!"
The 14 year old smiled sheepishly and twirled a lock of hair around on her index finger. "Sorry, mother. I just can't believe we're going to Canterlot!"
Mrs. Belle smiled as she wrapped her fingers around a small white bottle, thankful to have found the medication as well as smiling from what her youngest daughter said. "I know. Who knew we'd end up moving there?"
"Yeah, who knew! The city will be grand! There'll be tall buildings, great new foods, a movie theater, a big park, and even a skating rink!"
Sweetie Belle squealed in delight and hugged herself. "It's so much better than Trottingham!"
Mrs. Belle swallowed an Advil and raised an eyebrow. "Really? I thought you liked it here in this old town."
Sweetie Belle sighed. Trottingham was, as her mother said, an old town. And a small one at that. It was one of those places you'd have to squint at the map to find because its name was so small while the name 'Canterlot' looked so big; all in bold and right there. It was a quiet place filled with simple people. Sweetie Belle had grown up there all her life and had been content with Trottingham. But sometimes, you want to see something new.
"I do like it here. I really do. But Canterlot seems so...amazing! All the letters Rarity sent to us talking about the place...it just seems so awesome!"
"It'd be like an exciting adventure," Mrs. Belle said.
"Yeah!"
Sweetie Belle's mother chuckled. Leave it to Sweetie to make an adventure out of everything. "Alright. Go and finish packing. But this time, keep the noise down."
Making her way nimbly over packing boxes, various sheets of bubble wrap, and packing peanuts, the girl ran up to her room and resumed her previous activity.
"What's yer sister's name again?"
"Sweetie Belle, darling. Sweetie Belle."
Rarity bent over a pot full of beautiful flowers of reds, pinks, and purples. With a sharp eye, she arranged the flowers with care. Applejack glanced around. The day before, she had helped move the mannequins, mirrors, spools, sewing machine, vanity, and dress racks to a storage room to make space for the party that was to be today. The house was, no doubt, decorated with Pinkie's assortment of party supplies and a touch of Rarity's decor. Large, red bows were placed on the satin curtains that hung before every window. Sparkly streamers drooped from the ceiling, dipping low and intertwining to make an intricate web of color. An army of balloons manned every table, their base being a heavy weight that restricted them from flying off. And up above was a banner with calligraphic letters saying 'WELCOME TO CANTERLOT'.
Applejack tilted her head. With Rarity's flowers, bows, and banner clashing with Pinkie's streamers, balloons, and soon-to-come variety of baked goods topped with lots of frosting and sugary delight, she couldn't decided if the place looked a bit...wonky? It was a big space with an elegant feel to it, but the presence of colorful balloons and the like made it all, more or less, confusing. But, of course, she kept this to herself. Her opinion didn't need to be voiced.
"Jacquelyn, do you know when the others will be arriving?" Rarity asked while fussing over a bow.
Applejack smiled slightly at the use of the name. Ever since a few months before, the diva had been calling her that and had never stopped. Her new pet name would probably never leave her.
"Pinkie's on her way here with Rainbow Dash and Applebloom. They're bringin' the baked goods over. It should take about fifteen minutes."
Rarity nodded. "What about Fluttershy and Twilight?"
"Ah reckon they'll be here sooner than later."
Rarity stood up straight and took many steps back to observe the work she and Pinkie had done to make her home into a great place to party. She sighed, smiling contently as she looked at it all. Applejack stood next to her and glanced at Rarity's happy face. Even if she thought the clash of two different tastes in decor looked rather odd, she was glad Rarity found it nice.
"Just look at it, Jacquelyn!" Rarity said in a cheerful manner. "Do you think my family will like it?"
Applejack grinned and put an arm over her shoulder. "For sure, Rares."
"Oh, I hope so..."
"No doubt they will. You have a fine taste in decor. Ah'd say it's just as fine as you."
Rarity blushed lightly. "Oh, Jacquelyn, stop it."
"Ah'm just tellin' the truth, sugar cube."
Rarity giggled before turning to kiss Applejack on the cheek. The country girl chuckled and returned the affection and held it for a few seconds. But when she was moving back to end it, Rarity moved forward with another kiss.
"Ewwwwwwwwwwww!!!"
Both of them jumped back to see Rainbow Dash arrive with boxes of baked goods. She stood in the doorway and pretended to gag. Rarity crossed her arms and rolled her eyes. Applejack touched the brim of her hat and greeted her with a slight blush on her cheeks. "Hey there, Rainbow."
The said girl laughed as she put the boxes on the table. She combed her fingers through her crazy hair. "Scared you, didn't I! Hahahahaha!"
"Well you came in without us knowing," Rarity told her.
Applejack glanced at the boxed goods. "I thought y'all was comin' a little later."
"You know me. The speed demon! Gotta get here fast, you know," Rainbow Dash replied with a shrug. "Sorry for interrupting your quality time."
"N-No big deal."
Rarity was obviously still a little peeved by it but let the matter go. "Say, where's Pinkie and Applebloom?"
"What part of speed demon didn't you get? I pretty much zipped off. They'll be here. And speaking of being here, where's Scoots?"
Just then, a girl with wild purple hair came in dragging a scooter and hauling another two boxes. She had a big lopsided grin on her face. Her black hoodie and green cargo shorts were caked with a thin layer of dirt. Scraped up knees, worn out shoes, and a rusty scooter were all things she had. She was breathing heavily, clearly telling them that her journey there had not been a leisurely excursion. Her lavender eyes lit up when she saw the older girls there.
"H-H-Hi, guys!"
"Scootaloo! Why hello, darling!" Rarity greeted, fighting a grimace from looking at her current state of dirtiness. "You decided to help out Rainbow Dash, I presume?"
"Y-Yeah! I saw her whizzing by and(huff) I asked what she was doing. And then she gave me these boxes and...(woo! huff) said whoever got to the Carousel Boutique is the fastest racer in Canterlot!"
Applejack shook her head and smiled. "How typical of you, Rainbow." She took the boxes in exchange for an apple that Scootaloo graciously accepted. Rarity came over to her and smiled.
"Come, darling. Why don't we get you cleaned up."
Scootaloo bit into her apple. "Sure thing!"
Rarity cringed as she dragged her dirty scooter across the floor. "W-Why don't I take that...that..."
"Scooter."
"Yes...your scooter. Why don't I take that and just leave it by the front door?"
Scootaloo looked down at her transportation and then at Rarity as if deciding whether or not to trust her. She raised the handle to her, dirt falling off onto the floor. "Here ya go!"
Rarity nodded and took it delicately between her thumb and index finger. Scootaloo scurried toward the bathroom to clean up. Applejack laughed. "Here, Ah'll take care of this."
"Thank you, Jacquelyn." Rarity held her hands out in front of her like they were the most disgusting things in the world. She headed toward the kitchen sink. "Thank you."
