Dash had to be careful to stop self-consciously covering herself with her hooves. If she was too obvious about being naked, the griffins might start getting suspicious. This probably meant she couldn't just mummify herself in another towel.
With a gulp, Dash realized this meant she was going to be on full display for the rest of the festivities until she could get to somewhere private. This made the long, boring speeches that were given afterwards scarier, and also more exciting; They Didn't Know. She was technically flashing all of them and They Didn't Know. It was scary and exciting both. It felt weird and bizarre. She felt both humiliated and proud.
It was still super-mega-awkward autographing naked pictures of herself all afternoon. Being the only one that knew they were naked pictures helped, but didn't make it any less awkward; especially Gilda's. Dash wondered if she was actually planning on using it for blackmail material, later, but then blackmail her with what? Everyone in Equestria already knew what she'd done, and besides, she'd beaten a record; that was something to be proud of; it was a trophy, not something to be ashamed of. Dash should be just as proud of her nudist uniform as she was of her Wonderbolt uniform.
Dash finally realized with a start, her Wonderbolt uniform was still hanging in her locker back in Ponyville. That meant she had to fly back home naked, too.
Unless she wanted to go clothes shopping here, but then she had no money on her, because she had no pockets or saddlebags. And even if she could try to capitalize on her fame, nothing the griffins made would be her size, anyway. And that's not even counting the problem of having to scour the town nude, which would only increase the odds of someone figuring it out. She could ask Gabby or Gilda, but then they were on the razor's edge of realizing it, anyway; if she asked one of them to get her something to cover herself with, they would know why right away.
It wasn't until the speech was over and it was time to take off again that Dash finally realized what she had to do, where she had to go. It was the closest, and also the least likely to get her spotted in her current state, and by the fewest ponies. Downside: It was also the most embarrassing place she could possibly be.
* * *
Spitfire's eyes were watering with the effort of trying, and failing, to hold in her constant snickers. Her hoof on her mouth helped somewhat, but not nearly enough. Her outspread orange wings shook lightly with each chuckle, "Crash, You're naked under all that, aren't you?"
"Yes, ma'am"
"I just needed to hear you say it. Oh, my." Spitfire gestured towards the door with the other hoof, "Could you … give me a minute?"
"It's okay, go ahead and laugh. I know I look ridiculous." Dash had re-cocooned herself with a towel from the showers, and had accidentally flashed Soarin while fetching it. How embarrassing. This was stupid. She should have flown back to Ponyville.
Spitfire wiped the tears out of her eyes, at last able to speak again, "Oh, not half as ridiculous as a certain photograph. I think I'm going to have it framed. Could you autograph if for me?" She pulled out a photo ready at hoof, trying to pretend to be stern. "You do realize that your recent … escapades do not look favorably on the Wonderbolts."
Dash protested "But that wasn't done as a Wonderbolt! I was … out of uniform..." Dash trailed off as Spitfire burst into a new avalanche of table-pounding laughter. Dash just had to bear it for a little longer, then she could send for her uniform, and just wear that for the next two weeks until her fur grew back in. Right?
"But here I'd already thought of the perfect punishment! You see, Maintenance couldn't find any trace of a Wonderbolts uniform in Ponyville. Perhaps someone galloped off with it? And the form-fitting Wonderbolt uniforms can't be churned out on an assembly line, they're made to exacting measurements; they're meant to be skin-tight, and unique to each Wonderbolt. Which means, given that we had no notice that you'd be... losing yours …" Spitfire grinned ear-to-ear, but actually managed not to break out into anymore snickers. "It will be one to two weeks before your new uniform arrives."
"No uniform for one week?!"
"Or two. Or somewhere in between."
"I need to train in the nude for at least a WEEK?!"
"Well, you could wear a cadet uniform if you want. It will at least cover your back, which I admit isn't much help at all. Oh, and if you go off campus, be aware the towels are Wonderbolt property."
"..."
"Oh, you might want to wait on that shower; I think Soarin is in there right now."
"I already know...." Dash deadpanned
"How would you … oh … OH- …. You've got to tell me about that!"
* * *
"Soarin … how long are you gonna be in there?"
"Um .. I've got a little problem. Every time I think of you standing out there all stupid sexy. It's very...um... arousing, if you get my drift."
"Oh.... OH! Well, um. Hmmm."
They were both silent for a minute.
Dash thought of something first, "How about we both close our eyes and not look at the other while we pass by. You can go to your bunk, dry off and get changed, and I can, er... shower."
* * *
Spitfire mused over the photograph in front of her. "Well, I've got to say, if you're you're lookin' half as good under that towel, as you do in this photo, I understand. Wow."
"Oh, come on..."
"I'm serious this time. I think they got your best side." A mild blush came to Spitfire's cheeks this time, betraying her bravado. "Oh, and 'Flash', I did arrange you to have the opposite training schedule to Soarin, if you want, so you're not on at the same time. Let the rest of us enjoy your hot flank."
Dash stopped. She'd been embarrassed this whole time over her exposed body, but here was someone saying she was … attractive? That was silly. Rarity was attractive. Fluttershy was attractive. Dash was just … Dash. Dash was sweaty and short and proportioned for flying, not … beauty.
But it occurred to Rainbow Dash that maybe … maybe not all of that was meant to be sarcastic. Rainbow had never described herself as beautiful before, and here was someone saying she was a beautiful mare? Rainbow would never describe herself as beautiful in a thousand years on the moon.
Rainbow said, "Are you serious? I thought I looked ridiculous."
"Well, you kinda do, but it really accentuates your gorgeous butt. It looks good on ya, Flash."
"Gorgeous?"
"Like a skintight Wonderbolts uniform, but more so; and I've seen enough of those to know. Now I'm waxing poetic. Get your gorgeous butt out of my office before I change my mind on the training schedule."
Rainbow walked out of that office with an entirely new perspective on her body, not as a source of embarrassment, but a source of pride.
Huh.
She threw the towel over one shoulder on her trip to return it to the showers, walking with a certain swagger. Her head was high and her walk returned to her familiar canter from its previous mope.
She, Rainbow Dash, was gorgeous.