Lyra grinned wide. "That is so awesome!"
Twilight was still a little shocked. "Another princess this… this… needs a new list!" A third scroll floated over and the alicorn's will was stretching to handle operating three quills at once.
Moon Dancer caught a look at the new list. "You going to visit her? Oh, don't forget a welcome gift, and take Pinkie too, I am sure a party will be needed."
The pink party pony was suddenly present. "Someone say party?"
Laughter all around wound down the gathering, Twilight including a Pinkie Party on the list. "Spike! Take a letter!" The princess was quite excited.
"Okay!" The little dragon was suddenly right beside her, quill and scroll in his clever little claws.
"Dear Princess Celestia, it is great news that there is a new princess in Equestria and I would like to visit her and make her welcome. Would you please extend my invitation to Princess Fast Change to spend a day getting to know each other, culminating in a party."
Pinkie squealed at such a high pitch that most of the ponies present could barely hear it, but Spike clamped a hand to his ear.
"Your faithful student, Princess Twilight Sparkle." The little dragon scrambled to get his quill working again and finished the letter off. "If you could send it please Spike?"
Rolling the scroll up, Spike tossed it up before his head and blew a green flame over it, combusting the scroll in magical fire.
"There, I am sure we will get along perfectly!" The pronouncement got closed-eye grins from all present.
"I think Fast would love to make a new friend." Lyra seemed to be keeping something back, her eyes sparkling with a hidden motive that soon had her giggling.
Twilight and Moon both missed this, each thinking of the future.
"Well girls," Twilight stood up, "it has been wonderful but it is long past Spike's bedtime."
Moon Dancer frowned a little, suddenly remembering her sleeping arrangement problem. "Uh, Twilight, I hate to intrude but, would I be able to sleep here tonight?" She adjusted her glasses again, looking up hopefully at the alicorn and getting a warm smile back.
"Of course you can Moon Dancer, that is what friends are for!" A tight hug was shared by the two mares, their bonds of friendship having grown even closer.
"I need to go, can't sleep tonight, I have a party for two princesses to plan!" Pinkie was dashing for the door when Lyra called back.
"But Pinkie, what if Celestia and Luna come too?" The former teacher tilted her head and winked to Twilight, Sweetie, Moon, and Spike.
"Ohmygosh!" Pinkie seemed to bounce in place a moment and then, as far as anypony could notice, she vanished.
Moon was left blinking, her mouth opening to ask something when Twilight cut in. "Really, don't. The world just works a little differently around Pinkie."
Moon yawned as she woke up, the mare having slept amazingly well in one of the spare bedrooms in the castle. She was on the verge of contemplating a whole day without reading a single book when it hit her. Twilight's library would be a good place to start.
Getting out of her bed and quickly working a brush through her mane to take care of bed-frizz, she retrieved the gift-book for Twilight from her case and decided it was time to explore.
Leaving her room, adjusting her glasses, she picked a wall and started following it. As luck would have it that wall did indeed lead the way to the library and Moon had to bop herself on the head. Of course it would be simple to find a library in Twilight's home.
Slipping in, she found the alicorn already present, a small pile of books beside her as she was working on one of the lists. "Oh, Twilight, already hard at work?"
Moon Dancer walked over to her, reading the section of the list, spotting it talking about Fast Change.
"Of course, I got a message back from Princess Celestia that she would be delighted to host such an event." Moon could see some nerves showing in the way the mare was almost frantically writing her list. "I can't believe it, it's going to be a big event in the main ballroom of the castle in Canterlot." Even just mentioning it out loud had the mare's wings flare up in panic.
Moon reached a hoof over Twilight's withers in a hug. "Calm down Twilight, Pinkie will help with the planning. Today I was hoping we could go to the day spa. I need to look my best for the Crystal Empire and I bet you will too for this party."
Day spa, mane, tail, wing feathers...
The list grew.
"Come on then, I bet they would be able to get us a little something for breakfast too, we can get all done up and then see about some dresses. I need some new ones, and I am sure you will want to wear something wonderful for the party."
"Rarity! She can help with that!" Twilight added more to her list, quill seeming to work faster and faster as more ideas came. "Okay, that should take care of today, when were you going to head back, Moon?"
"Was thinking about tomorrow."
"Perfect!" Twilight rolled her list up, put a wing over Moon's back and there was a poof of purple magic.
"What the…" Moon Dancer was standing in front of the day spa, having arrived in another flash of magic.
"No time to explain!" Twilight was trying to herd her into the place, opening the door with her magic. "Aloe! Please, we have an emergency!"
The earth pony behind the counter lifted both hooves and clopped them twice. Almost half a dozen ponies appeared as if by magic, lifting Moon's pack off, taking away Twilight's list to the alicorn's shock and all-but carrying them through to the main area of the spa.
Aloe followed, bringing the list and examining it. "Oh yes, you were right to come, mares and gentle colts, we have a mission!"
Moon was handled, gently but firmly, onto a comfortable bed where a facial mask was applied in short order. Her vision was blocked suddenly by zucchini slices on her eyes but she could feel as one hoof was taken in a gentle grip and a hooficure file applied. The pampering began for the pair and it was so easy for each to just melt into the attention.
"My list…" Twilight made one attempt at rebellion.
"I have your list, princess, do not fear, I am following it to the letter." Aloe's words were an instant comfort and broke any further arguments Twilight had.
The pair were well cared for, their hooves getting first treatment, then while a mare carefully cleaned and oiled Twilight's feathers, a unicorn stallion moved up beside Moon Dancer. "Your mane needs some attention." It wasn't a question, even Moon knew it was a little out of control. "With the length, I can either style it to keep it from dropping to your eyes, or I can trim it."
"Mmm," Moon was too relaxed, she had to fight to pay enough attention to the disembodied voice, "cut it, please." She turned, rolling back onto her belly and tucking hooves under her while her mane was gripped gently in the unicorn's magic. A fine comb began to run through it.
"You keep it quite natural, would you like it cut to a style? I hear an angled fringe is very 'in' at the moment."
Moon Dancer was too relaxed to do much more than agree with the stallion as he worked. His scissors clipped very carefully and even as one of the circles of zucchini fell, she saw that he was quite young looking. A slight blush entered her cheeks before his magic returned the slice back into place.
"It is short notice, but I am sure Rarity will have something she can do for us." Twilight was on her belly too, left wing spread out, each of her primary feathers getting individual attention by a pegasi mare with amazingly deft hooves and mouth.
"Two dresses in half a day?" Moon was shocked. "Could that really be done?"
"Rarity is the pony to do it, if it can. All we need to do is tell her what the event is and she will conjure up fabulous things. Just you see!"
Moon's mane to her tail was worked on and styled, then finally her horn was given a gentle cleaning first, then a polishing that left it shining. Her facial mask was removed and she was sent to the bath to relax while Twilight was still being attended to. The young stallion with a pair of scissors cutting a strand of mane on his flank, was hard at work making sure the princess' mane and tail were just perfect.
Moon Dancer had drifted off a little, but woke as Twilight entered the water beside her. The alicorn's mane was pinned up, rollers in some places and flat paper in others.
"This place really lives up to its reputation." Moon reached out with her magic, plucking a little sandwich from a plate set nearby.
"I wonder if my brother and Cadance will be there?" Twilight seemed distracted now, but happily so. "Oh it would be amazing if all the princesses were together for this."
The warm, mineral-rich water soothed muscles and left each mare feeling much better for their time in it.
"Okay fillies." Aloe was advancing on the bath with Twilight's list firmly under control. "You will be received by Rarity shortly. She has been informed of the gravity of your event."
Her list followed, Twilight felt quite at ease.
It was easy to loose time in the warm waters but Rarity's voice called out. "Are the darlings through here?" She was escorted through by Aloe herself. "Oh my, Aloe dear, you have outdone yourself, all your ponies are to be congratulated and I simply must have these two so I can start on their dresses."
The conspiracy against Twilight and Moon was carried out with the most tender of care and adhered to the list so well that neither could really fight it. They were escorted from the pool, carefully dried off and passed off to Rarity.
"I have Slow already preparing material, such a darling stallion. It will be such a shame to have you leave." Twilight missed the verbal cue, but Moon didn't. "Come now girls, to the boutique!"
Led by the white-coated unicorn, Twilight and Moon grinned to each other. Twilight had her list back and Moon Dancer her pack.
It was a short trot to Rarity's Carousel Boutique and they were ushered inside. "Twilight, I have your measurements already, this lovely mare, however, we lack."
There was a changeling present, Slow Perfection of course. He had a tape measure around his neck and brightened at the new arrivals. "Miss Rarity, are these the mares we are creating for today?"
At Rarity's nod his form melted into a duplicate of Moon Dancer, although everypony could see that their cutie mark was that of a cute changeling.
"That's amazing… wait, what do you mean 'leave'?" Moon was distracted by merely his ability to perfectly recreate… well, her.
"My dear," the changeling-Moon-Dancer quickly whipped the tape measure out and started measuring himself, "this is just part of the full service we have to offer."
Rarity was grinning from ear to ear as she examined the real Moon Dancer. "Simply put darling, we cannot provide enough food for the dear here in Ponyville. Now, I am thinking we are going to need to match your colors, but not too perfectly. I love what you have done with your mane darling, was that Neat Cut's work?"
Moon was still caught by surprise at having a double of herself present and just nodded.
"He really does simply amazing work." Rarity sighed deeply and held up a hoof between her and Moon, tilting her head and giving a nod. "Okay, I have it. Now for you Twilight."
Slow Perfection, as Moon Dancer, had finished taking measurements and caught the notes that Rarity lofted over to him, setting the notes down and gathering some prominent and expensive-looking fabric.
"I think white, pure white. I have some amazing pearls that will add hints of color and really bring out your own striking shades. A princess simply must look her best at such an occasion."
Rarity kept on, more notes going down on a clean pad as she checked over Twilight's measurements anyway.
Twilight suddenly grinned. "You are, of course, invited." She looked to Rarity, the white unicorn lighting up, somehow displaying even more excitement than performing her work already did. "Slow, you are invited as well of course, I am sure you would both want to show off your creations."
Rarity seemed to float over to Twilight and hug her. "Darling, I would be delighted, but that means we need to make four dresses now!"
Somehow, despite knowing that Slow was a stallion, neither of the two customers thought to question that.