Today was a special day in Ponyville. For today was a much-welcomed respite from the overwhelming, unyielding heat of the season. Heat that promised to only get worse before eventually getting better.
Granted the respite came in the form of a scheduled rainstorm, and it was currently pouring outside. That was undoubtedly going to make it more miserable once the rain stopped, as the humidity was going to get worse, but there was nothing to be done about that. But regardless of that unavoidable fact, it was still a temporary break from everypony being baked like they were a bunch of potatoes in an oven. Beggars couldn't be choosers, and they had to take what they were given, and just try to make the best of it.
Some ponies -particularly foals- were doing just that by spending time outside, jumping in rain puddles without a care in the world as they splashed about, laughing and giggling, and simply enjoying the fact that they weren't soaking in sweat.
As for Twilight, she was taking the opportunity to do some much-needed studying and research in the library, letting the constant sound of rain beating against the crystalline windows serve as background noise, occasionally intermixed with the low rumble of thunder sounding somewhere in the distance.
The sound of rain against the crystal palace was far different from what it had been against the Golden Oaks Library, and had taken time to get accustomed to when in these situations. But she has persevered through it all, and it had simply become just one more of those things. Now it was hardly even noticed, amounting to just white noise as she read along, and occasionally sipping at a nice cool drink.
With no pressing duties to be tended to, and the weather pretty much confirming that she wasn't going to be disturbed by anypony dropping by for one reason or another, right now presented the perfect opportunity to get some work done, rather than putting it off for some point later in the future.
The necklace Rarity had procured for her disguise hadn't seen use in a while now; certainly not after she'd learned about what Pinkie had gone through. But that didn't change the fact that there were still mysteries attached to it that needed to be addressed. And to address those mysteries, Twilight had needed to go back to the basics, and cross reference the spell books that had detailed how to attach an enchantment to an item, just to see if she'd missed anything.
She doubted that she'd ever be using the illusion spell again, at least in its current form. But she hadn't forgotten about Rainbow Dash's idea of using it for the purpose of Nightmare Night. If she could figure out where the problems of its use stemmed from, figure out if the migraines were linked to its long-term usage, then she could move onto seeing about expanding its usage. Once she figured out if there were complications from its use, she could then move onto seeing what other items an illusion could be bound to. And once she could do that... well Nightmare Night was certainly going to be a lot more interesting this time around. Looking like a griffon could certainly be fun! Or maybe even one of those weird looking creatures from the movies on the other side of the mirror! She'd just have to pick which one, and get the right references for it.
"Hmm," she mumbled to herself as she paused from her reading to suck at the straw currently occupying her drink, and also to note how much longer it would be before she'd need to refresh it.
But more than that, she'd paused to consider what she'd been reading about the proper application of the field, and how it compared to her own work. Turning her attention back to that, she began scanning the necklace that sat in front of her, to try and detect how her work might not have lined up with what was being laid out in the old tome.
The quality of the item the enchantment was bound to, at least according to the passage in the book, wasn't a determining factor in the adherence, meaning it should have no effect on the results that were had. That meant, at least in theory, even costume jewelry should work for putting Rainbow Dash's idea into motion.
Not that the necklace that Rarity had gotten her could be counted as costume jewelry; far from it actually. Based on what she'd gathered, it would more appropriately be called entry level jewelry. It was the real deal in terms of materials used, but it was a lower tier than what other, more expensive pieces would use. In short it was absolutely perfect for what it was intended for, and she loved the fact that Rarity had gotten it for her, all for the purpose of being put to use for something she enjoyed doing.
That was another reason she wanted to get this all figured out. Rarity had spent good money in her efforts at helping her. And while she hadn't put herself in debt in acquiring this particular piece, that didn't change anything.
"Hmm," she mumbled again, looking at the readings on the necklace, before turning back to the book again to reread a paragraph of the current passage, and double check what she was seeing. That didn't look right to her, but she could be wrong. "Maybe..."
Before she could get too far along in possibly tracking down an irregularity, her efforts were interrupted by a chime sounding throughout the room. That meant somepony was at the front door of the palace. Which in turn meant that somepony had actually gotten out in the rainstorm to come here.
"Now who could that be?" she asked herself, although it was an entirely rhetorical question as this point.
With a flick of her magic, she conjured a magical viewing screen to let her see who was currently standing at the palace door.
"What the?"
She was seeing it, but she honestly wasn't believing it. Either her eyes were playing tricks on her, or it was Pinkie standing there.
Wasting no time in trying to make sense of everything, she immediately disregarded everything else, teleported her way to the castle's foyer, and all but yanked the doors off their hinges as she swung them open. Sure enough it was Pinkie standing there, currently looking soaked as she stood beneath the crystal awning.
"Pinkie?"
"H-hi, Twilight," Pinkie replied, her voice shaky as she spoke. "Can I... can I come in?"
"Of course," Twilight replied quickly and stepped aside to usher her friend inside, before shutting the doors behind them, and igniting her horn as she summoned a number of towels to her. "What're you doing out in this weather?" she asked as she immediately draped one of them over her friend's back.
"Getting rained on," Pinkie replied matter-of-factly as she found herself now being bombarded by numerous towels being vigorously worked against her body, as Twilight went about trying to dry her off. "Or at least I was up until I reached the awning."
"I can see that. The question is, why though? Why were you out there, getting rained on like that?" Twilight asked as she started swapping out drenched towels for fresh ones as she went about her efforts at getting Pinkie dry again. She knew that simply being out in the rain couldn't actually make somepony get sick with a cold, but that was beside the point right now. "And please, don't say anything relating to not having an umbrella," she added quickly.
"Oh," Pinkie replied, faltered a bit at hearing the last part. But she simply shrugged against the towel being worked over her withers before continuing. "I needed to talk to you. But I don't know how to do that about this, so I guess I just wasn't paying attention to what was going on."
Twilight frowned at hearing this, but ultimately said nothing about Pinkie's reasoning for being caught out in the rain. She'd leave that matter for another time. Right now she was just glad that Pinkie was up to talking with her, which was a stark difference from how she'd been the last time they'd talked almost a week ago.
"So what's "this" that has you out wandering around in the rain like you were?" she asked, mentally taking stock of how many more towels she'd need to get her friend dried to an adequate level.
Pinkie chewed at her bottom lip, mulling over what to say in response.
"Did... did you really stop going bald because of me?" she finally asked, her body tense as she spoke.
That made Twilight pause what she was doing, wondering if she'd been hearing right, or if her efforts at drying Pinkie off had managed to blur her words enough to make it sound like what she'd heard.
"Did Spike tell you that?" she finally asked. If he had, that would certainly explain where he'd disappeared to three days ago like he had. It would also explain why he'd been acting so... off... the past few days; like he was waiting for something to happen.
Pinkie shook her head in response. "No. Rarity and Applejack did."
Twilight frowned again at hearing this. The only way they could've known about that, was if Spike had talked to them, and then they talked to Pinkie in turn. But why would he do that? Why would they do that? Were they conspiring? And if so, to what end?
"Is it true?" Pinkie asked again. "Did you really stop? Because of me?"
"It's true. But it's not exactly like that," Twilight stated as she started working one of the towels over Pinkie's back at a slower, less frantic pace now. "I couldn't, in good conscience at least, continue on with my furless activities after learning about what experiences you've had with baldness in the past. It's something that I enjoyed doing, because I liked the way it felt, but after learning what I did, I couldn't enjoy it anymore; not when I knew what I did. It's not right for friends to do something that they know upsets others. So I just stopped. Given the choice, I'd much rather have my friends, than do something just because I enjoy it. You and the other girls are important to me, and I'd hate to lose any of you over something so trivial," she explained.
When this mess had all started, she knew there were a number of steps that could be taken in response. But out of them, she was not going to lay blame at anyone's hooves. Nor would she expect others to blame themselves. The only one really at fault here was herself, and...
Well maybe Pinkie's parents were also to blame, but that was beside the point right now! Right now the main point she was trying so hard to make, was that Pinkie shouldn't have to feel guilty over what was beyond her control.
"But you like doing it," Pinkie protested.
"I like having my friends better," Twilight replied. "Pinkie, you and the other girls are very important to me, and I wouldn't trade any of you for anything. I'd sooner give up every book in the library, than ever lose one of you."
Despite the subject matter that was being discussed, Pinkie couldn't help but smile warmly at Twilight's words, finding comfort in such a notion. She remembered how Twilight had surrendered her alicorn magic to Tirek in order to gain their safety. But to hear about how she'd go so far, simply for the sake of their comfort, just touched her deeply.
"Thank you," she replied and leaned in to hug Twilight.
Twilight simply smiled and returned the hug, not caring that Pinkie's fur was still damp.
"But that makes what I've got to say next really super hard to actually say," Pinkie continued.
Curious, Twilight pulled back to look at Pinkie.
"I've been giving this a lot of thought for three whole days, and I've come to a conclusion. But it's still not easy for me to say," Pinkie admitted.
"What is it?" Twilight asked, her curiosity growing at what had Pinkie acting so... unlike herself.
"Well I've been thinking on it and I... I don't want you to stop doing what you like doing; not on my account," Pinkie stated, sounding a lot like she was trying to quickly move through what she was saying. "If you wanted to stop on your own it'd be one thing, but it's not. Don't get me wrong, I really, really appreciate that you were willing to do that for me, but that's not what I want you to do. I'd be a really terrible friend if I asked another friend to stop doing what they liked doing just because it made me uncomfortable. Friendship is a two-way street, and you've gotta look both ways before crossing or you might get run over!"
Twilight blinked, her mind trying to process what she'd heard Pinkie say, and make sense of it all.
"Um, Pinkie? You didn't have to ask me to stop doing anything," she pointed out.
"I know that. But I'm still going to feel like I did ask you to do it, if I didn't speak up about it," Pinkie stated in turn. "Like I said, Twilight, I really appreciate you doing that for me. But I don't wanna feel like I made you stop doing something you like. I... I-I need to be the one that's considerate in all of this, not you. You... you shouldn't have to stop doing what you like, just because I can't deal with it! I-"
Pinkie quickly found herself silenced by Twilight's hoof being pressed up against her mouth.
"Alright," Twilight sighed as she used her free hoof to rub her head. "I think this situation requires ice cream. Does ice cream sound good?"
Pinkie nodded in response, mumbling around Twilight's hoof, although the gist of it was still understood; ice cream sounded very good right now.
"Mmm..."
With Pinkie dried, the mess cleaned up, and provisions procured, the two friends had reconvened in the library to pick up where they'd left off.
Or at least they would, as soon as Pinkie was done savoring the creamy goodness of ice cream imported from Canterlot; a sight that Twilight couldn't help but smile at.
"This is so good!" Pinkie stated as she eagerly dove into another spoonful.
"I'm glad you like it," Twilight replied, happy to see Pinkie's spirits brightened up, even if just temporarily. "This is actually the ice cream I was offering the other day after the... incident," she explained.
"Oh..." Pinkie replied uneasily, before getting another spoonful of ice cream and opting to focus on it as if it was the most fascinating thing in the world right now.
Twilight observed all this and just sighed to herself, nudging her own bowl away from her at realizing what she'd done. Suddenly she didn't feel like it anymore at making Pinkie uncomfortable again.
"Pinkie, I know you don't want to talk about this. But can I ask what Rarity and Applejack told you the other day? Did they... did they say something that made you feel uncomfortable about all of this? Maybe make you feel like you needed to do something as a result?"
Pinkie mumbled as she slowly shook her head, spoon still firmly held in her mouth as she did so.
"We talked about a lot of things, but nothing like that; not really anyway."
Twilight's brow furrowed, trying to make sense of what Pinkie was saying. "So what did you talk about?"
"Lots of things really. You. Me. How you like going bald. How you stopped doing it for my sake. What is it that I wanted out of all of this," Pinkie replied as she idly began to stir at what remained of her own ice cream. "Nopony's ever asked me that before. That's a lot of what I've been thinking about the past three days," she explained.
Now Twilight was intrigued. "Really? Well that's a very good place to be starting in all of this, Pinkie. What is it that you'd like? What do you want out of all this?"
"Honestly?" Pinkie asked, to which Twilight nodded. "I... I want my friends to be happy. Because if my friends are happy, that makes me happy. B-but in this case, it's not that simple. It all feels backwards and jumbled up and stuff. You're my friend, but if you do what makes you happy, it makes me unhappy. But if you know it makes me unhappy, it doesn't make you happy, so I don't know what I really want..."
Twilight listened thoughtfully as Pinkie did her best to explain the matter to her, opting to simply let her talk things through until they reached their natural conclusion. Although as it was being presented, she couldn't deny that it sounded quite jumbled.
"It certainly sounds like a classic literary dilemma that we find ourselves in," she said as she rubbed the sides of her head.
"A what now?" Pinkie asked.
"A premise in writing that holds somepony has to become unhappy for the purpose of making somepony else happy, or somepony has to remain unhappy to make somepony else happy as a result. I've read a number of stories where it was used to present a point of conflict in need of resolution," Twilight explained. "Although in most cases this is a false argument, used to make readers believe that the answer is either one or the other, when it's actually not. There are other, more viable solutions available, one simply has to try and find them, by looking beyond what they're presented."
"So you mean there's a third option to take?" Pinkie asked, a hint of hope present in her voice as she spoke.
"I don't really see why there wouldn't be. Not everything is an and/or situation," Twilight replied, before letting out a sigh. "The only thing is, whatever other options might be available, I'm not seeing them; not yet anyway. I'm sure they exist, but whatever they are, it's going to take time to find them."
"Oh..." Pinkie replied slowly, her optimism fading in light of Twilight's statement.
"I'm sorry, Pinkie," Twilight replied, hoping she hadn't gotten her friend's hope up for nothing. "I thought we were onto something for a second."
Pinkie shook her head at hearing this. "Don't be, Twilight, it's not your fault."
"I know. I just wish I knew what to do," Twilight stated and sighed again. She'd been willing to forgo her own nude state for the sake of Pinkie's comfort and well being. But from the sounds of things, even doing that might not be sufficient. There was no telling if Pinkie might conclude, consciously or otherwise, that she was doing it through an act of coercion rather than her own free will.
That might be a stretch, but with Pinkie being Pinkie, anything was possible.
"Couldn't you, I don't know, make it so that I didn't have to remember what happened while growing up? Isn't there some sort of spell for that?" Pinkie asked, figuring that if such was the case, they could resolve the matter easily.
Twilight quickly shook her head at the question. "Tampering with memories is never a good idea. There's too much potential for more harm to be done than good. There are also legal consequences for undertaking such a process," she explained.
"Oh..." Pinkie replied, knowing that such would never do.
For a while the two simply sat there in the library, neither party really knowing what to say, the silence between them only being broken by the subdued sound of rain and the occasional rumble of thunder in the distance.
Finally it was Pinkie who spoke up first.
"Twilight? Am I being silly about all this? Am I... am I making a big deal out of nothing about you... being bald?" she asked uneasily.
Twilight opened her mouth to respond, but closed it again in thought. It was a question she hadn't stopped to consider before, mainly because she'd never thought to consider such a possibility. Pinkie was certainly a silly pony; in fact it was one of her endearing qualities. But silly or not, she certainly wasn't stupid.
"I don't think you're being silly at all, Pinkie. What happened to you was a traumatic experience that occurred over a period of years, even if other ponies might not see it that way," she replied. She was certainly no psychologist, but based on what she knew, Pinkie's reaction had been perfectly normal. "I wish I'd known about this before I decided to go bald. We could've avoided this entire mess."
"I know. But you didn't, and we can't," Pinkie replied, sighing as she looked down at the floor. "Maybe I can just... I don't know, not be bothered by it? I mean, it's you and you're my friend, Twilight. Couldn't I just stop being upset if I tried hard enough?" she asked, her voice almost desperate as she spoke.
Twilight nearly told Pinkie that it didn't work that way. That traumatic experiences didn't have an on/off switch that could be flicked at will, and that they weren't something that somepony simply got over. But she stopped short of actually saying such. Instead she decided to go with an alternative, less depressing approach to answering the question, to avoid giving the idea that there was no hope to be had.
"To be perfectly honest, Pinkie, I really don't know. I don't know enough about post-traumatic stress disorder, to be able to give a definitive answer one way or another," she explained.
"Post what?" Pinkie asked.
"Post-traumatic stress disorder," Twilight repeated, "it's a condition that causes ponies to flash back to a traumatic event they experienced, and they relive the trauma like it's happening to them all over again," she explained. Although in truth that was largely an oversimplification of what the condition really was.
Maybe a trip through the mirror was in order sometime. From what she'd seen, the subject was known about over there, whereas here it wasn't. If there were any answers to be found, it would be there. But for now, she'd have to manage on her own.
"So what's that mean for us?" Pinkie asked.
"What it means is that I probably shouldn't have started all of this. Maybe baldness is an equestrian taboo for good reason," Twilight replied and let out a sigh of annoyance, more at her own feeling of uselessness than anything else. "Stopping entirely would probably be a very good idea at this point."
"What if I don't want you to stop?"
That question made Twilight stop what she was doing, and look at Pinkie in confusion at what she was saying. That confusion might've been painfully evident, as Pinkie was already speaking again before she could even open her mouth to ask what she meant.
"One friend shouldn't be asking another to stop what they're doing, simply because they're uncomfortable with it. That's not how friendships work. I really appreciate that you were willing to stop for me, but I should be the one thinking about how I can help you out. We should be thinking about how to help each other out!" Pinkie stated, practically bouncing off of the couch she'd claimed as her own as she spoke.
Twilight found herself caught off guard by Pinkie's words, and the tone behind them. There was a certain passion in them as she spoke, and it left her feeling that it would be best to be quiet and listen to what her friend had to say.
"You're my friend, Twilight. This is important to you, so it's important to me too. That should be enough, shouldn't it? It being important to me, because it's important to you, should be enough to let me get past this, right?" she asked.
At this, Twilight was at a loss for words. She knew that when Pinkie set her mind to something, there was little use in trying to sway her from her goal, especially when that goal involved helping a friend. But so help her, she honestly didn't know if that resolve was enough to sustain her in this particular case. Was it even possible to forcefully suppress a traumatic reaction through force of will alone? She knew Pinkie had a knack for the impossible, but could the same be done here?
"I suppose it's possible. But the only way to really find out, is for me to go bald, and see if you can look at me without hyperventilating," she pointed out. After letting that fact sink in for a moment, she continued. "Do you really feel up to doing that?"
Pinkie chewed on her bottom lip uncertainly at the question being presented to her. Did she really feel up to doing this? Could she change her mind, and simply walk away?
"I..." she started uneasily. But then she stopped, and her gaze hardened into a look of determination. "You know what? Yes! My Grammy Pie always told me I had to face my fears, so let's do this!" she stated, her voice firm with conviction as she spoke.
"Well... alright then," Twilight replied uncertainly, wondering if this was indeed the best course of action available to them, or if trying to postpone the matter would cause more harm than good.
But as she stepped off the sofa she'd been sitting on, a thought came to her.
"You know, Pinkie, I think that I might have an idea..."
"I'm doing this for Twilight. I'm doing this for Twilight. I'm doing this for Twilight."
That was the mantra currently running through Pinkie's head as Twilight led her through the halls of the palace towards their destination. And right now it was the only thing currently allowing her to stand her ground, and not call it quits while she had the opportunity.
Twilight's idea had been to show her what the process of shedding her fur involved, reasoning that if she knew more about it, it would allow her to better evaluate how she felt about it all. It made sense during the explanation phase, and she'd agreed to it because of that fact, but now as they made their way towards a bathroom with an included shower, she couldn't help but wonder if this wasn't such a good idea after all.
She was vaguely aware of the fact that Twilight was talking to her as they walked along, but for the life of her she wasn't able to tell what was being said. Her efforts at staying focused on the task at hoof was more or less rendering everything else as background noise fit to be tuned out. Right now the only thing she was really hearing was her mantra, and the various noises her body was making.
"Alright. Here we are."
The sound of Twilight's announcement had been soft spoken, but had cut through the fog of her mind like a knife through a moist piece of cake, snapping her out of her own thoughts, and bringing her back to her present surroundings.
"S-so what does all of this involve again?" she asked as she followed Twilight into the bathroom.
"In simple terms, application of a basic medical spell, generally used for treating lice infestations and other related maladies," Twilight explained as she walked over towards the shower to get ready. "It works by breaking down the molecular bonds of fur and feathers all the way back to the skin, allowing everything to be washed away. Afterwards the counter-spell can be used to grow it all back, generally in the span of just a few minutes."
"Oh," Pinkie replied as she nodded to show that she was listening. "S-so it's not dangerous or anything? It doesn't melt your skin if you use it wrong?"
Twilight quickly shook her head as she turned back to look at Pinkie. "Skin is far too dense for the spell to work on. Believe me, Pinkie, I wouldn't have even experimented with the spell if I'd thought something like that could happen. Nor would it be in the "Neigh England Journal of Medicine" if it could cause such harm to some unfortunate pony," she explained.
"O-oh," Pinkie replied again at having another one of her points of protests so easily disassembled. "Alright then..."
She was expecting Twilight to just hop into the shower, and work whatever magic she was going to work. But that didn't exactly happen. Instead Twilight walked over to where she currently stood, and proceeded to hug her. Now she was more confused than she had been. Not that she wasn't liking the hug or anything like that, but she was still confused.
"I know this isn't easy for you, Pinkie. That's why I really appreciate everything you're doing," Twilight explained.
"W-well that's just what friends do for each other," Pinkie offered up as best she could, uncertain of what else to really say in this situation.
"I know. But I still appreciate it all the same," Twilight replied. "So are you ready?"
"As ready as I'm ever going to be," Pinkie said and sighed. She knew that she still had the option of calling this all off and just leaving if she really, really wanted to. And she did want to. But she wanted Twilight happy more.
Right now she really just wanted to get this over with, like pulling off a bandage.
"Alright then. If you say so," Twilight replied as she disengaged from the hug.
With nothing else to say, Pinkie watched as Twilight walked back over to the shower and climbed in, her horn flaring to life as the shower came on, and proceeded to drench her. At first nothing was happening other than Twilight's fur being drenched under the steady pulse of the shower head. But that was only temporary, as soon it started to look like she was completely melting away; like she was washing paint right off of herself, and leaving nothing behind but a blank canvas.
It had all happened so fast, Pinkie wasn't entirely certain that she'd seen what she had. It actually took her a moment for her brain to catch up, and put it all together. Twilight had just completely washed all of her fur and feathers right off as if it was all nothing at all, leaving her totally bald from head to tail, with only her horn and hooves left to show what color she had been originally.
There had been no straight razor, no shaving cream, no sitting perfectly still for what felt like hours, and absolutely no shaving nicks involved whatsoever. Instead it'd involved magic, running water, and what must've been a minute and a half of time and effort. It literally took longer to explain what would be involved with the process, than it had to actually carry out the process.
The results had been the exact same, but the process involved in actually getting there had been as different as night and day. It didn't look like there was any hassle involved at all. The fact that Twilight was currently bald wasn't lost on her, but the way in which she'd gotten there... she was simultaneously uncomfortable and amazed. It was all way, way unlike anything she'd been expecting to actually happen, leaving her uncertain of just what to think once everything was said and done.
"And that's more or less it," Twilight concluded as the shower was shut off.
Pinkie was instantly snapped out of her thoughts at the sound of Twilight speaking, leaving her aware of the fact that her friend was currently dripping wet, before levitating the two towels off the rack, and was now patting herself dry where she stood.
"Wow..." she replied almost breathlessly, uncertain of what else she could really say right now.
"Are you okay? Is it all too much?" Twilight asked her.
"I... I don't know," Pinkie replied and shook her head. This whole thing had really thrown her, and now even she didn't know where she stood. She'd gone from being horrified, to being uncomfortable and confused. Confused to the point that numerous thoughts were repeating themselves without rhyme or reason, almost like a record player was skipping as the record went around. "Maybe?"
"Do I need to put my fur back on?" Twilight asked as her horn began glowing again in anticipation.
Pinkie shook her head in response, trying to find the words that would adequately explain the matter, but ultimately she found nothing that would do that. "I'll be okay," she mumbled.
"Alright. If you say so," Twilight replied as her horn dimmed, before she stepped out of the shower and into full view.
Pinkie could feel her heart beating faster, and her muscles starting to tense up as Twilight stepped out of the shower. Everything was starting to get so very real now. Realer than real. And here she was, caught in the middle of it. One of her best friends was standing in front of her, bald as a bowling ball in her own words, which was one of the things she feared most of all.
But the process that had rendered her bald, was as far removed from her own bad memories while growing up as physically possible. Compared to what she'd gone through while growing up, what Twilight had just done was like washing off a mess of body paint. Or something like that.
"I'll be okay," she repeated, "I just... need some time to get used to all this."
"Of course," Twilight replied and nodded eagerly. "That's perfectly understandable. Going without my fur certainly wasn't a concept that I got behind overnight."
"Wait, it wasn't?" Pinkie asked, honestly surprised to hear that.
Twilight shook her head. "It was something that required a lot of thought on my part, to determine if it was really something that I wanted to do, and if it was worth all the work that was involved. This was in addition to the fact that I didn't have Spike and Rarity helping me at the time, so I was pretty much on my own when I was first getting started out," she explained.
"Oh wow," Pinkie replied, finding that she was even more surprised now than than she had been before. Her mind was now swimming with all of this new information, and she couldn't help but wonder if she was going to need an inner tube at some point in all of this. "I didn't know that."
"Well it's not generally a topic that's discussed openly; not under most circumstances anyway," Twilight admitted and shrugged. "To be honest, if Rarity hadn't accidentally discovered everything that was going on, I don't know where I'd be right now in all-"
And then Twilight stopped talking. She just stood there, bald and with a peculiar look crossing her face. Pinkie had seen that look before, and knew it was generally associated with a particular thought crossing Twilight's mind. Although what that thought might be, she really didn't know - reading other pony's thoughts without their consent was a very impolite thing to do.
"You know what? I just thought of something. Be honest with me, Pinkie, you're not comfortable looking at me like this, are you?" Twilight asked her.
Pinkie wanted to immediately deny the question, but she couldn't do that. Twilight had asked her to be honest with her, and it would be wrong to lie under such circumstances, even if it was to be nice. That was something she simply couldn't bring herself to do.
"Honestly? No, I'm not," she replied and shook her head as her ears drooped. She wasn't terrified like she had been the first time around, but that didn't mean she was at ease with what was going on. If Twilight had excused her, she wouldn't have thought twice about leaving just like that.
"I didn't think so. That's more or less to be expected under circumstances like these. What you went through was a traumatic experience, and trauma doesn't simply go away just because somepony wants it to. But I do have an idea that might help at least a little bit," Twilight stated. "You didn't get a say in what went on when you were being shaved while you were growing up, so let's change that. When you're around while I'm bald, we'll do whatever you want to do. How's that sound?"
Pinkie blinked at hearing this. "What I want to do?"
Twilight nodded eagerly in confirmation. "So long as it's something that can actually be done inside the palace. That way you have an actual say in what's going on."
Pinkie needed to stop and think about what she was being presented. The implications of what Twilight was suggesting were... numerous. A pony less trustworthy than herself might take advantage of such an open-ended presentation, and seriously push the envelope of what would be considered appropriate under the guise of what was being offered. Twilight was figuratively placing herself in her hooves right now.
But then again, maybe Twilight was actually aware of what she was offering, but had done so regardless, because she knew she could trust her to not take advantage of the situation if given the opportunity. That... that actually said a lot right there, about how far Twilight was willing to go to make things better for her.
"And you think this will work?" she asked.
"To be perfectly honest? I really don't know," Twilight admitted. "But it's the only thing that's really coming to mind right now, that I can think of. It might work, or it might not. But I'm really not seeing what might be lost from trying such an approach. If it doesn't work out, we can always figure something else out later on."
Once again, Pinkie remained silent in thought as she contemplated what was being suggested. Twilight was the smarter one of them, even if she wouldn't say such to the rest of them. She suggested this, so obviously she must've believed that some good could come from it. They could sit around and discuss this all week if they wanted, but ultimately the only way they were really going to figure anything out, was if they actually tried it, and saw what happened as a result. And to do that, she needed to take the first step.
"Alright then," she finally replied. She was willing to give Twilight's idea a try, and see what came of it. If her having a say in things really made a difference in it all, then she was all for that. Especially if it was something that could both her and Twilight happy. That was what was really important in all of this. "Let's do this."