Early the next morning, Zecora was trotting through town, wearing her usual dark cloak (a necessity this time of year as protection from the various dangers in the Everfree Forest) when she saw two ponies also wearing dark cloaks, walking quickly and leaning against walls, almost as if they wished to not be seen.
Zecora frowned. “They wear, like me, a long black smock. I wonder if I am being mocked...”
But that idea disappeared when she saw them walk as stealthily as possible (which wasn't very stealthy at all, to be perfectly honest) into the Carousel Boutique.
“Ah,” Zecora said, “now I understand. They wish to wear more than just something bland.” She paused again and then giggled. “Oh, Zecora, you crazy cow, I think you insulted yourself just now.” Suddenly satisfied with her morning, she continued walking towards her destination.
* * *
Inside the boutique, Lyra and Bon Bon pulled off the cloaks.
“Oh, thank Celestia,” Bon Bon said, fanning herself with a hoof. “I was sweating to death in there.”
“Well, it is summer,” Rarity said, now casting a slightly distasteful look at the cloak on the ground. “But that's neither here nor there. It's time for step two.”
“What's step two?” Lyra wanted to know.
“It's where I call in a few favors. I've already picked up the new invitations. Now, I need a few of my friends but first—Where are you getting your wedding dresses designed?”
“Uh... We were kindof hoping you'd do it?” Lyra said hesitantly, “But since you're doing so much for us now I don't know if we should force that on you as well...” Her voice trailed off as Rarity turned and walked quickly into one of her many back inspiration rooms and shut the door firmly behind her.
Bon Bon frowned. “Lyra, look what you did. You scared her off.”
“I didn't mean to!” Lyra protested, but any further defense was cut off as they heard the sound of excited squealing from behind the closed door. Soon, Rarity reemerged, looking as poised as ever.
“Very well, I suppose I could fit such a thing into my tight schedule. Now, to make sure there actually is a wedding, I'll need to call in the, as they say, 'big guns'.”
Bon Bon felt that same chill run up her spine that she got whenever Lyra suggested an idea, and silently hoped that Rarity wasn't completely insane.
* * *
“Oh, Rainbow Dash?” Rarity called.
Rainbow poked her head over the side of the cloud and blearily rubbed her eyes. “What?” she asked through a yawn.
“How would you like to be given a two-hours free pass out of any modeling assignment? Valid at any time.”
Rainbow's yawn stopped abruptly and her eyes widened ever so slightly. “I'm listening...”
* * *
“All right. Rainbow's here. Now what?” Bon Bon asked.
“Now we need Pinkie Pie,” Rarity answered.
“Then why are you here and not at Sugarcube Corner?” Bon Bon demanded.
Rarity lowered her voice conspiratorially. “Because Pinkie Pie doesn't follow normal rules, darling.”
Lyra looked confused and looked towards Rainbow Dash for clarification, but the pegasus merely nodded her assent.
“Watch this.” Rarity took a step back and raised her voice. “Oh, what a shame!” she wailed, bringing a hoof up and resting it on her forehead melodramatically. “Oh, what an awful situation I have found myself in! Oh, if only Pinkie Pie were here! She would know what to do to set this whole thing right!”
“Why are you talking like that? You look fine!”
Both Lyra and Bon Bon jumped as Pinkie Pie popped her head out of one of the many trunks in the room.
Bon Bon raised a shaky hoof and pointed. “But how did... but she...”
Pinkie misinterpreted their confusion at her means of appearance as confusion as to how she had known to come so quickly, and gave them a large wink as she climbed out. “I'm like Super Stallion. I know when I'm needed.”
* * *
Rainbow Dash raised a hoof and knocked on the door. It soon opened, revealing an earth pony mare.
“Hello, random citizen,” Rainbow Dash said cheerfully.
Berry Punch's expression flattened. “I suppose I've been called worse,” she mumbled. Then she looked over, noticed Bon Bon next to Rainbow Dash, and her eyes narrowed. She seemed about to slam the door, but Rainbow Dash continued, as if not noticing her reaction.
“Recently, you may have received a wedding invitation of a rather questionable nature.”
“Oh, you don't say,” Berry growled sarcastically. “That was the most awkward conversation I've had with Pinchy since she asked what estrus was.” She raised a hoof accusingly at Bon Bon, as if ready to rip her a new one, but Rainbow Dash continued on.
“This was, of course, not intentional.”
Berry grumbled something under her breath. Bon Bon caught something about places she could shove that invitation, and wasn't sure if she should be aroused or disturbed.
“See, Pinkie Pie and I were trying to set up a good prank, and swapped the real invitation for a joke one. We didn't realize that it was the one going to the printing shop, though, and so you and the rest of the town ended up being unintentionally pranked.” Rainbow reached into her saddlebag and pulled out another rolled paper. “This is the real invitation you should have gotten. As you can see, no costumes or anything like that happening here. The only theme here is a happy, family-friendly wedding with plenty of food and everypony is invited.”
Berry Punch's eyes stayed narrowed as she grabbed the paper and unrolled it, but as she looked over it, her expression softened. “That's... sweet,” she said softly, taking in the picture of the two mares in front of the sunset.
“Yeah," Rainbow said. "We're really sorry about that and we've surely learned our lesson.”
Bon Bon was amazed that she had managed to say that with a straight face.
Berry Punch considered this answer, but then her eyes narrowed again. “How did you know they were sending an invitation, anyway?”
Rainbow brushed a hoof off on her chest and examined it nonchalantly. “A true master pranksteress never reveals her secrets.”
Berry nodded, suspicious of that answer, but she knew she wouldn't get another.
“Welp,” Rainbow said, turning to leave, “we've got the rest of the town to get to, so we'd better get a move on. Have a nice day, random citizen!”
Shaking her head, Berry shut the door.
Rainbow nudged Bon Bon as they walked down to the next house. “See? That wasn't so bad.”
“I'm sure...”
“Oh, look on the bright side. One down, only another hundred or so to go!”
Bon Bon sighed. “Fine...”
Rainbow paused as she lifted a hoof up to knock on the next door. “You know, I wonder how Pinkie Pie would answer that question.”
* * *
“At least, that's what we thought at first, but since Twilight had forgotten to bring the oatmeal, we ended up using barley instead and that can give you some massive farts but that's not important right now since Rarity decided that silk would be less than ideal to replace the cotton trim on his dress and so she borrowed some material from Davenport but he accidentally...”
“Never mind! Thanks for the invitation! I gotta go!” And Shoeshine slammed her door shut.
Lyra looked at Pinkie Pie. “Are you doing that on purpose?”
“Doing what?” Pinkie asked innocently as she turned and bounced happily down the porch stairs.
“You know,” Lyra said. “Making really long, rambling answers that mean nothing so ponies get fed up and don't ask about how you 'knew' about the invitations?”
Pinkie shrugged. “I have no idea what you're talking about. Next house!”
* * *
And as long and as hard as it was, Rarity's plan actually seemed to work. By the end of the day, Lyra and Bon Bon had received more compliments than they had ever dreamed of receiving, and after the 'explanation', met with more smiles than frowns. Pinkie and Rainbow Dash had been absolved of any wrongdoing, and it had been chalked up to 'another harmless prank' and would soon be forgotten entirely.
As the two mares returned to Bon Bon's house, they walked side by side, with their tails entwined. Ponyville was a strange place, to be sure; but it was warm, welcoming, friendly, and most of all, it was home.