Carousel Boutique
Rarity stretched as she got out of bed. She felt relieved that she was back in her nightgown.
"What a crazy day that was," she muttered to herself. "To think I was stark naked in front of Songbird Serenade, and then amongst however many other nude people at that club. And on top of that, I let Pinkie Pie and her friend paint my body!"
The doorbell rang, signaling her attention.
"Rarity?" Miss Hemline's voice called out. "I have a new outfit to be displayed in the window."
Rarity sighed before calling back. "At this early hour? Forgive me, Miss Hemline, but I haven't even had the time to get properly dressed."
"It's fine, feel free to check it out when you're ready."
Rarity was puzzled. The Prim Hemline she knew wasn't this lenient. She quickly put on her usual outfit before heading downstairs.
"Is everything alright Miss HemLINE?!" She quickly looked away as her employer was currently unclad from head to toe.
"Of course, Rarity," the woman replied with a casual smile.
"Wh-Where are your clothes?!"
"Clothes?" Prim chuckled a little. "Don't you remember? Clothes have been out of style for years."
"I-I-I beg your pardon?!?" Rarity ran to the window and peeked outside. Sure enough, everyone was naked. For a few seconds she just stared in utter shock. Then another thought occurred to her. "B-B-But what about this 'new outfit' of yours?"
"Of course, paints," Prim smiled as she pointed to a mannequin with a familiar pattern painted on it. The diamonds on its chest and rear was all too recognizable to Rarity.
"Did you... get this idea from my friend Pinkie Pie, perchance?" Rarity asked, almost dreading the answer.
"Of course she did, silly!" giggled Pinkie Pie as she suddenly bounced in, just as naked as Miss Hemline. "Why don't you take off all those stifling clothes?"
"You must be hot wearing those all the time," Prim smiled. "Why not embrace being naked?"
Rarity slumped into a chair, utterly confused at this turn of events.
"C'mon, Rares, give it a go for real!" Pinkie persisted. "Even the zebra thinks it's a good idea!"
"...The zebra?"
Pinkie pointed to a chair next to Rarity's, and as if things couldn't get any stranger, she saw a zebra seated in it, which immediately spoke to her.
"Your friend is correct, Kevin, my dear. Embrace this lifestyle, and the benefits will become clear!"
Green Hill Club
Rarity leapt up in bed, that last part of her dream snapping her awake. She noted that the bedroom she was in was not her own, but the one that was part of the cabin she was currently being allowed to use at the Green Hill Club. She groaned as she saw the ridiculous diamond pattern was still painted on her body. At the very least, it was a durable paint that had not rubbed off on the bed sheets. She then smelled breakfast being cooked. She nervously walked out to see Sweetie Belle and her friends preparing a meal for all four of them.
"Morning, Rarity!" said Sweetie Belle with a grin. "Nice paint job!"
"Yes, well, it's probably coming off today..." Rarity nervously sat down in one of the chairs, still feeling shaken by the dream.
Noticing that her big sister was still on edge, Sweetie spoke in a more comforting tone. "Sorry for the teasing, sis. Still not used to this, huh?"
"I'm afraid not..."
"Well, how about some breakfast?" Scootaloo offered.
"Ah, yes, thank you," Rarity replied, giving a polite smile at the offer. "What are we dining on this morning?" she added, her trademark impeccable manners starting to show again.
"Just waffles," Apple Bloom replied. "Since Sweetie tends to burn her meals."
"Hey!" scowled the girl in question.
"It's the truth, Sweetie," said Scootaloo matter-of-factly.
"And what about the others?" Rarity asked. "Where are they?"
"Rainbow Dash is playing volleyball with Fluttershy," muttered Scootaloo, somewhat upset that the attention of her idol was diverted from herself by her recent romance.
"Flutter and Emerald are still posing for the logo," Apple Bloom said.
"Pimpernel and Fuchsia's part is finished, though," added Sweetie, "so they're doing other stuff. Last I saw them, they were in the outdoor pool."
"And Twilight?" Rarity asked.
"She's chatting with the staff right now," said Scootaloo. "Something to do with Mayor Mare."
"The Mayor?" Rarity replied in astonishment. "Even she's here?"
"Yeah, turns out her natural hair color is pink!" Sweetie Belle laughed.
Apple Bloom nodded, also giggling. "And apparently she's been comin' here for the last few days."
"Is there anyone else?" Rarity asked.
"Well, Sour Sweet got here late last night."
"Really? What kept her from coming sooner?"
"Family stuff, I guess," Scootaloo shrugged.
"You mentioned that all of the Shadowbolts are members here, didn't you, Sweetie?" Rarity asked. "Are they all here today?"
"Well, almost... Sugarcoat said she had other things to take care of, whatever that means."
Meanwhile
Sugarcoat's house
Ever since the younger boy who lived next door to her had accidentally seen her sunbathing naked, Sugarcoat had been unable to resist deliberately leaving her curtains open so as to allow him more occasional glimpses. Today was no different as her unclothed body was in full view of her house's side window. Sure enough, his familiar face, with its white skin, green eyes and turquoise hair, soon peeked around a curtain. Sugarcoat smirked and did a provocative pose when she noticed. The boy blushed and quickly ducked back behind the curtain.
"Heh. He's so easy to tease, it's adorable," Sugarcoat grinned to herself. She stretched a little before walking out to the backyard for her daily sunbath. Lying down on her deckchair with a glass of fruit juice, she sighed as the warmth of the morning flowed through her skin. Then she heard the sound of sneezing from the garden next door.
"You can come over here if you want a closer look," she called out.
"Err... I think I'd better not," the boy's voice replied, and it sounded like he had a runny nose. He let out another sneeze, followed by a violent cough.
"You sick?"
Another cough. "Yeah... but my dad says it'll just go away by itself sooner or--" His words were interrupted by another sneeze.
Sugarcoat was now genuinely concerned. "You sound really bad, kid. Hasn't your dad given you any medicine to make you more comfortable?"
"He says I don't... need it, because colds are... temporary..." The boy's words continued to be obstructed by coughs.
"You need help." Sugarcoat headed back inside to throw on a tank top and gym shorts. Once fully dressed, she grabbed a bottle of ibuprofen from her bathroom cupboard, then slipped on some sandals in order to step outside. She headed straight for the front door of the boy's house and rang the bell. The sound of coughing grew louder before the boy opened the door. Now that she had a closer look at him, Sugarcoat could more clearly see his reddish nose and slightly bloodshot eyes.
"You look awful," said Sugarcoat, her eyes full of honest sympathy. "I've brought something to help you feel better."
"Come in," he said in a raspy whisper. "But be quiet, or you'll wake Dad." He coughed again, before adding, "He hates intruders."
"How come?"
"He's been that way since... since my mom died. He keeps saying he can take care of this house all by himself... I just try not to make it hard for him..."
"Does he even pay you much attention at all?" Sugarcoat asked, becoming increasingly worried.
After a short pause, the boy said, "No, now that you mention it..." Then he coughed again.
She quickly pulled him outside and towards her house.
"You need medical attention. Now."
"Dad... won't like this..." the boy replied between another two coughs.
"I don't care what he thinks," said Sugarcoat bluntly. "He should be taking better care of his son."
She laid him onto her living room couch, and went to prepare an ice pack.
"What's... that?" he asked weakly, pointing to the bottle she was still holding.
"Ibuprofen. A dose of this should ease your symptoms. I'll give you some once I've got an ice pack for your poor head."
Before long, she had given the boy the medicine and sat beside him holding the ice pack in place. She then decided to start up a conversation to distract him from his own illness.
"I've just realized that we've never told each other our names," she said. "Mine's Sugarcoat. Rather ironic, considering I tend to be blunt about telling people things."
The boy chuckled. "I'm Chalk Breeze."
"So... you always like looking at me?"
Chalk immediately started blushing. "I'm sorry, it's just... I've never forgotten when I first saw you in your garden, and--"
"It's fine, I didn't mind."
"You're... very beautiful," Chalk said, after taking a moment to find the right words.
"Aw, thank you."
Then, clearly screwing up his courage, the boy asked "Would you mind... taking off your clothes now? I mean, we're safely in your home, right?"
"If that's what you want..." She pulled off her top and her shorts followed immediately after. She even undid her pigtails, letting her hair down and making it flow elegantly with a slight toss of her head. "You like what you see?"
Chalk simply smiled and nodded, his eyes running over the older girl's naked body. "So... you're a nudist, right?"
"Indeed, I am."
"That's so cool," the boy grinned. "I mean, I've read about people like you, when Dad wasn't looking, but I never thought I'd actually meet one."
"Oh, we're a LOT more common than you'd think," replied Sugarcoat with a wink. "Especially here in Canterlot."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, me and a lot of my friends are members of this club."
"O-Oh my..." Chalk blushed before coughing again.
"It's called the Green Hill Club, and it's not too long a drive from here," Sugarcoat continued. "Mind you, I didn't even expect to strip off the first time I went there..." She proceeded to tell Chalk about the seminal incident in which she was originally taken there as part of an attempt to put an end to the place, only to end up joining after her friend, Sour Sweet, inspired her and others to switch sides.
"Wow..." Chalk said in awe.
"Yeah, quite a memorable day," Sugarcoat smiled. "Of course, we're all very happy that we managed to save the club. And we've been joined by many more new faces ever since - including Skystar, believe it or not."
"Th-The Princess of the Sea?"
"Yep. Bet you'll never look at photos of her in magazines the same way again," replied Sugarcoat with a sly grin.
Chalk nodded before sneezing again.
"You look like you could use some tissues," Sugarcoat said. "Let me go upstairs and find you a box." As she left the room, Chalk couldn't take his eyes off her rear. She soon returned and pulled several tissues out of the box.
Chalk used one to blow his nose. "Thank you," he said, in a voice that sounded less stuffy.
"Get some rest, and you'll feel better soon."
For the next minute or two, Sugarcoat sat by Chalk in silence, gently stroking his cheek and hair until he fell asleep.
"He is kinda cute," she muttered to herself. "But I'm very worried about the neglect he seems to suffer from his father."
Green Hill Club dining hall
"So you don't know who this blackmailer is?" Luna asked Mayor Mare as she, Night Sky, Twilight, Olive and Luna sat at one of the tables.
"No," Mayor Mare sighed unhappily. "The notes are typed by computer and printed, so we can't even trace them via handwriting."
"Well, what do they want from you?" Night Sky asked.
"They obviously don't like nudists, because they want me to reject the bill to make Canterlot a nudist town. I mean, I knew some people were bound to object to the idea, but blackmailing me?!"
"Okay," said Twilight, trying to keep a level head, "since they were able to get pictures of you here, that means they must have also been here at the same time, or they could have gotten the pictures from someone else who was."
"Or seen me at home," Mayor Mare added.
"Oh, you've been going without clothes there too?" Olive asked.
"Haven't you been careful to keep your curtains and window blinds closed?" Rosie Peace added.
"I have been usually."
"Do you think Suri Polomare might be involved?" Twilight suggested.
"It wouldn't surprise me if she tried to give us more problems," Luna replied.
"Well, what do they want from you?" Night Sky asked.
"Nah, this feels more like Diamond Tiara's work," Apple Bloom stated, joining the conversation.
"You think Diamond's behind this?" Twilight asked. "How could she have gotten those photos?"
"I dunno yet, but blackmail's one of her prime tools when dealing with people she doesn't like."
"Hey, didn't Cinch also blackmail you, Twilight?" Luna asked the purple genius.
Rosie sighed unhappily. "It's absurd, the reasons people find to do these things to others."
"So we got three suspects with pretty good motives," Olive mused as Adagio brought a tray of drinks to their table.
"Well, well," the Dazzling leader grinned. "The Mayor of Canterlot herself. Does this mean you'll agree to let us all go around naked full-time?"
"Not until this blackmailer is stopped," Olive warned.
"Hey, mom!" Emerald called out as he and Flutter stepped into the dining hall. "Fleck finished it!"
"Ah yes, our new logo," Rosie smiled. "All right, let's have a look."
Fleck Paint carefully opened the doors, carrying a large canvas with him. He propped it against a wall, allowing everyone to see his work. It featured the words "Green Hill Club", with the amusing slogan "Where You Leave Your Worries (And Clothes) Behind". Above that was an image of a hill covered in trees and bushes, upon which Flutter, Emerald, Fuchsia and Pimpernel - all naked, of course - could be seen from behind. The whole thing was painted in light shades of green, giving off a pleasant, welcoming vibe.
"It looks fantastic!" Rosie stood up and hugged the young artist, unknowingly allowing her breasts to press onto his face.
"Err... thank you, Miss Peace," Fleck replied in a muffled, nervous voice, desperately hoping that a certain awkward bodily reaction wouldn't occur. She quickly let go and eagerly ran over to get a closer look.
"Once we have copies made, you'll be seeing this all over the resort," she announced.
"Congratulations, Mr. Paint," smirked Adagio. "You're very talented. Let me know any time you'd like me to pose for you..."
"I-I'll think about it," Fleck blushed, still recovering from the hug.
Sugarcoat's house
Sugarcoat continued to gently stroke the sleeping Chalk's hair, when, glancing through a slight gap in a window's curtains, she noticed an unpleasantly familiar upper-class car parking outside just between their two houses.
"Suri Polomare..." she growled to herself. It seemed her classmate had some business next door at Chalk's house. Sneaking up to her window and peeking through the curtains, Sugarcoat watched the insufferable girl get out of the car after telling her chauffeur to wait. She then stepped straight up to the front door of Chalk's house and ring the doorbell. A couple of minutes passed before the door opened, revealing a grown-up version of Chalk, but much grumpier-looking. He also appeared to be slightly balding, and generally gave the impression that he had been stewing in bitterness over past misfortunes instead of trying to move on from them.
"Something I can do for you?" he asked Suri, clearly hoping she would go away quickly.
"Yes, I wanted to ask for your vote in ending the proposed clothing optional bill for the upcoming city council meeting."
Chalk's father grunted. "If you ask me, it won't get through anyway. Whoever got the idea ought to be in a loony bin."
Sugarcoat rolled her eyes as she knew he had just unknowingly insulted Fuchsia.
Suri simply smiled. "I see we understand each other, sir. Me and my colleagues want to stop this absurdity from becoming real, and with your support we can do that."
"Then I guess you've got it, miss," the man replied, "if it means I don't have to put up with bloody nudists all over my neighborhood."
She handed him the petition she was carrying. Sugarcoat unhappily watched as he signed the dotted line Suri pointed out for him. Unbeknownst to her, Chalk was slowly waking up.
"What is it, Sugarcoat?" he asked groggily. "What can you see out there?"
"That obnoxious girl I told you about, Suri Polomare," Sugarcoat replied. "She's just gotten your dad to sign an anti-nudism petition."
"That's terrible!" Chalk immediately sat up, almost immediately regretting it as he had a throbbing headache.
"Whoa, easy there," said Sugarcoat, hurrying over to him and gently helping him lie down again. "You're still sick, remember?"
"But he's going to notice I'm gone..." Chalk argued.
"I actually kind of doubt that," said Sugarcoat, "if he really doesn't pay much attention to you. Chalk, I'm sorry to say this... but I don't think he's been a good father to you."
"I have nowhere else to go though..."
That response made Sugarcoat pause in thought. Then she had a brainwave, which she divulged to Chalk.
"I'm going to call in authorities and alert them to the poor job he's done caring for you."
Chalk tried to protest. "No, no, Sugarcoat, I don't want you to get in trouble with him--"
"Chalk, it's my moral obligation to do it. I just can't turn a blind eye when it comes to bad parenting. HE'LL be the one in trouble, not me."
"O-Okay..."
And so Sugarcoat went straight to the nearest phone, in order to save Chalk Breeze from further suffering.
Green Hill Club
"You want to do a stakeout at my house?" Mayor Mare asked Sweetie Belle.
"Err, heh-heh... Scootaloo's idea, not mine," said Sweetie sheepishly.
"It's the best way to find whoever is blackmailing you," Scootaloo interjected.
"I usually disapprove of children spying on people's homes," said Olive to the Mayor, "but in this case, I think we could use these girls' help. Catch our enemy by surprise, so to speak."
"Actually, I was thinking maybe the adults could do it?" Scootaloo chuckled nervously. "My parents would kill me if I stayed out too late."
"So all we'd need are volunteers," said Twilight.
"I'll do it," Luna raised her hand.
"Me too," said Night Sky, stepping forward so that she stood next to her friend. "It'll be like old times, eh, Luna? The two of us, on an adventure..."
"Sure," the vice principal smiled, not noticing the blush on her friend's face.
"Thank you so much for agreeing to help," smiled the Mayor. "Hopefully we can catch this blackmailer and alleviate the situation with that bill."
Back at Sugarcoat's house
"You're burning up, Chalk," Sugarcoat noted as she took her neighbor's temperature.
The boy groaned. "I hope I don't have to wait too long before this darn cold goes away..."
Sugarcoat blushed. "I may have an idea that could help..."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, the heat might leave your body more easily without... without clothes in the way." She awaited his reaction with baited breath.
"Y-You want me to get... naked?" Chalk tried to contain his shared feelings of embarrassment and excitement.
"Not all the way, if you don't want to," Sugarcoat assured him. "I mean, you could leave your underwear on..."
To her surprise, Chalk shook his head. "I've seen all of you many times. It would only be fair if I went all the way now, right?" And without another second to wait, he stood up and his clothes came flying off, landing on the pile of Sugarcoat's shorts and top. Finally, after stepping out of his underwear, he sat back down as naked as she was. His blush was obvious, but he tried to fight the urge to grab a cushion and cover himself with it.
"It's okay, I felt the same the first time," she gently patted his shoulder.
"I... I know I'm a bit scrawny..." Chalk replied with a nervous smile.
"It doesn't matter what shape your body is," Sugarcoat assured him, stroking his cheek again. "Nudism is all about accepting ourselves and each other." The feeling of her softly touching his cheek was too much for Chalk to bear, and on impulse, he quickly placed his lips over hers. Ever since he first met her in the nude, feelings about the girl - despite being about two years younger than her - had bubbled irrevocably inside him, and now that he had felt her gentle touch while they were both completely naked, he could hide them no more. However, as fate would have it, the door opened.
"I'm home, roomie!" A girl's voice called out.
Of course, Chalk's eyes immediately went almost as wide as dinner plates. "Who's that?!" he hissed, absolutely terrified.
"Relax, it's just my roommate. I'm staying with her since my parents live abroad."
"Relax?!? I'm friggin' naked!"
"So am I," Sugarcoat stated calmly.
"Having a boy over already, Sugar?" Her roommate said from the dining room. "Didn't think you were ready to start dating!"
Now Sugarcoat began to blush, considering what she and Chalk had just been doing. "Err, actually it's the boy who lives next door. He's sick, and I've been looking after him."
"And him being in the nude is to help him feel better?" Now the girl was clearly teasing her.
Sugarcoat and Chalk turned to see a girl with light grey skin, dark indigo hair and moderately purple eyes smirking at them from the living room doorway. Unlike both of them, she was fully dressed in a dark grey top and short silvery skirt.
"Ooh, and he's so young," the girl teased. "Going all cougar on him, are we?"
"I'm only two years younger!" Chalk blushed as the girl began to disrobe herself.
"But then, I don't blame you, Sugarcoat," the roommate continued. "I've often given younger boys kisses, just to see their adorable reactions."
"Knock it off, Coloratura," Sugarcoat sighed.
"C-Coloratura?" Chalk went even more red. "A-As in Countess Coloratura?!" She was a popular singer whose songs he had often heard on the radio, or being sung by girls at his school.
"The very same!" Sugarcoat's roommate declared proudly as she tossed the last of her clothes onto the pile.
"No one really recognizes her offstage," said Sugarcoat. "It's because of all that makeup and the crazy hairstyles and costumes she gets given to perform in."
"Well, the next costume is gonna be even crazier," Coloratura playfully leaned on her roommate's shoulder. "Body paints!"
Finding himself not only naked with two girls, but one of them being a pop singer who was now talking about the idea of performing in nothing but paint, Chalk could not stop a certain bodily reaction from occurring.
"Ooh, even the way it rises is cute!" Coloratura giggled as Chalk grabbed a cushion to cover himself.
"Don't tease him," Sugarcoat scolded. "He's new to this whole thing."
"I do hope you don't mind sharing him," Coloratura grinned, running her fingers down one of the boy's arms. Chalk blushed as Sugarcoat rolled her eyes.
"How about some sunbathing?" She suggested, hoping to calm him down a little. "The sun could help with the cold."
"G-G-Go outside?" Chalk stuttered. "Like this?!"
"Nobody can see us, and we've got a third chair," Coloratura gently nudged him towards the backyard. And so Chalk Breeze found himself stepping outside without a stitch of clothing. The feeling of the outdoor air and the patio beneath his bare feet, along with the effects of his cold, made him feel quite vulnerable. He saw Coloratura setting up another lawn chair. Sugarcoat had already made herself comfortable in one of the two chairs that were already there, placing her glasses on a small table beside it.
"Don't forget sunblock!" Her roommate said. Sugarcoat sighed. She knew that the sight of her running her hands all over herself would make it even harder for Chalk to stay calm, but she couldn't let her skin get burned. Grabbing the sunscreen bottle, she began to apply it to her body. Sure enough, as her hands rubbed the cream onto her arms, legs, shoulders, stomach and breasts, Chalk began to look fidgety. He tried to distract himself by watching a butterfly going between the garden's flowers.
"Hey, how bout I get you?" Coloratura asked him, a sincere tone in her voice. Sugarcoat gave her a stern look, but before either she or Chalk could speak, the pop star was already applying cream to her hands and beginning to rub it into the younger boy's back. Chalk was surprised at her gentle touch as she rubbed his back.
"Can you get your front?" She asked.
"Oh, err, yeah," Chalk replied. He let her squirt more of the cream onto his hands, and he applied it to his chest and downwards from there. Once he had completely covered himself, he nervously sat down in the spare chair. He did his best not to stare as Coloratura covered herself with the sunblock, though she caught him looking as she got the cream between her toes and gave him a cheeky wink.
"Y'know, you look kinda familiar," Coloratura said as she sat in her own chair.
"What do you mean?" Chalk asked. "We've never met before - though I certainly knew about you."
"You kinda look like my jerk of a manager." Upon seeing Chalk's face fall a bit, she reassured him. "Don't worry, you're totally different where it counts."
"Now that you mention it," Sugarcoat replied. "He kinda does look like Svengallop."
That statement made Chalk remember something. "I... I heard him talking on the phone once, and he mentioned that his name was Sven..."
Coloratura's face fell at this revelation. "So... you really are his son?"
"I... I don't know. Dad's never told me much about his work. Is your manager going bald?"
"Actually, he has curly vermilion hair. And he wears glasses."
"He sorta looked like that a few months ago..."
A thought occurred to Sugarcoat. "Do you think... Svengallop might be altering his appearance when working, like you do, Coloratura? I mean, his hair could easily be a wig or something, right?"
"It's possible."
"So... how exactly does your manager make things rough for you?" Chalk ventured to ask Coloratura.
"You mean how he did. I fired him after learning he abused my fans into doing stuff for him."
"If your manager is my dad," Chalk reasoned, "that might explain why he's become more bad-tempered recently." Before they could discuss it further, there was a loud banging on the front door. "H-He's here!"
"Don't worry, Chalk," Sugarcoat assured him. "Whatever happens, we'll protect you."
The door banged again, this time with much more force.
"Wait here," said Sugarcoat to her two guests. "I'm going to get us something to wear." As she made her way upstairs to her bathroom cupboard, she heard a voice from the front door.
"I know you're there, boy!" Chalk's father yelled. He sounded ready to actually beat up his son. Sugarcoat could not help bristling with anger as she heard it, but she refrained from answering yet and continued to the cupboard, grabbing three bathrobes and taking them back downstairs.
"Here," she said. "Just get behind us both now, Chalk."
With their bodies thus covered, they made their way to the front door, and Sugarcoat opened it.
"Hello, Mr. Breeze," she said, mimicking Sour's false sweet tone.
"It was you who called THEM, wasn't it?" the man growled. He pointed at a team of uniformed officers who had their car parked outside his house.
"So what if I did? You clearly have a lot of unpleasantness, so I wouldn't be surprised that you beat your son."
"How dare you?!" the man snarled.
Sugarcoat did not back down. "You're certainly neglecting him at the very least. I've just had to give him much-needed treatment for a cold - something you apparently never thought to do."
"It's a blooming COLD! They go away by themselves, and they're hardly ever fatal!"
"But they still cause discomfort and suffering. A proper parent would do all they could to make it easier for their child to endure."
At the same time, Coloratura was inspecting the man's face.
"Svengallop - so it IS you!"
"C-Countess Coloratura?" The man's aggressiveness all but vanished when he realized his former client was heading out to talk to the police.
"Oh, err... hello, ma'am," said one officer a bit sheepishly, considering that she wore only a bathrobe.
"You here about him?" She pointed at Svengallop.
"Yes, but he keeps saying he's done nothing wrong and his neighbor kidnapped his son."
"Well, I can give you a couple more reasons not to believe him."
The officer got out his notebook, ready to write down what she told him.
"He used to be my agent," Coloratura began to style her hair in a ponytail.
The officer was utterly surprised. "That hairstyle... I swear, you look almost exactly like--"
"Countess Coloratura," Sugarcoat finished for him.
"Indeed, for I am she!" The idol struck a pose.
"So you are!" Svengallop spluttered, before he realized what he said.
"And I'm sure you're aware of what Svengallop has done."
"Yes... we've heard of the incident that got him fired from your service." The other officers' eyes turned sternly on the man in question.
"I think we have good enough reason to put him in custody."
"Don't forget to charge him for mistreating his son," Sugarcoat added.
At this point a female officer noticed Chalk still hiding behind the door. "Is that the boy in there with you?"
"Yes, madam."
"If we could have him testify to his father's actions, that would be a big help."
Svengallop was now so swollen with anger and wounded pride that when his son stepped outside, he did the worst thing possible for himself. He lunged forward, grabbed Chalk roughly by the ear and with one smack to the face, knocked the poor boy to the ground.
"RESTRAIN HIM!" shouted the female officer, and two of her cohorts immediately pounced on the wretched former manager and put him in cuffs.
"Are you okay, Chalk?" Sugarcoat asked.
Chalk was sobbing slightly and rubbing his sore cheek, but he nodded.
"Don't worry, son," the female officer assured him. "We'll keep him as far away from you as possible now."
"Th-Thank you..."
"Does he have any next of kin to take him in?" the officer asked Sugarcoat and Coloratura.
"He told me his mother's been dead for a while," said Sugarcoat sadly, "and we don't know of anyone else."
"He could stay with us until a suitable guardian can be found." Coloratura offered.
The officers agreed, and they all spent the next few minutes arranging details. Svengallop was then driven away to custody, and not wanting to look at him again, Chalk eagerly followed the girls back into their house.
"Th-Thanks," he quickly hugged them both.
"Come on," said Sugarcoat kindly. "Let's go get something for your poor face."
"Thank you..."
"Sorry you had to see that," Coloratura patted his head.
"And that we failed to stop your father from hurting you like that," Sugarcoat added.
"It's all right..." the boy replied, wiping away a tear. "I'm with you girls now. I feel safe."
"You know we can't legally take care of you, right?"
"But who can? I mean, like you said, I don't have any other close family members."
"Hey, how about Flutter Heart and her parents?" Coloratura suggested.
"Really?" Sugarcoat asked. "You think they'd be willing to take him in?"
"Who are they?" Chalk asked, wanting to know about the people he might end up living with.
"They're these super nice people that live a little down the street."
"In fact," Sugarcoat added, "they're friends of mine at the Green Hill Club."
"Y-Y-You mean... I'll be living in a nudist family?"
"Nothing wrong with that, right?" said Coloratura with a cheeky grin. Chalk quickly shook his head before discarding his bathrobe.
"You know," Sugarcoat remarked to Coloratura as she removed her own robe, "it can be surprising how quickly new people get into this."
"Best thing to wear is nothing at all!" Coloratura laughed as she tossed her robe away. Once Sugarcoat had applied some soothing lotion to Chalk's cheek, the three of them spent the next hour playing a game of Scrabble to take their minds off the drama they had just been through. As Chalk began to spell out his next word, his stomach began to growl.
"Ah, somebody's hungry," Sugarcoat smirked. Then her own stomach did the same.
"Make that two somebodies," the boy replied with a grin.
"How about we go out to dinner then?" Coloratura suggested.
Chalk beamed at hearing that. He missed being taken out to restaurants, as his mother used to do all the time when she was alive.
"There's a new restaurant I wanna try out."
"It's not that obnoxiously cheerful place with the clown head on the roof, is it?" asked Sugarcoat, frowning a bit.
"You know me too well."
Soon
The Anxious Clown Restaurant
"Hello, welcome to the Anxious Clown, where everyone has a good time whether they like or not," the familiar pink girl greeted the trio as they sat down. "I'm Pinkie, your waitress tonight."
"Figures she'd work at this place," Sugarcoat muttered.
"I see we got a group of lovebirds dining out tonight," Pinkie giggled.
"Wha--?! What makes you think that?" Sugarcoat asked, more in alarm at how perceptive Pinkie really was than in denial. Coloratura, on the other hand, just grinned and pulled Chalk close to her with one arm.
"Can I get you any drinks to start off with?"
"Pineapple juice for me, please," said Chalk, blushing at how Pinkie regarded both Sugarcoat and Coloratura as his new girlfriends.
"Just a cola for me," Sugarcoat stated.
"And a banana milkshake for me," Coloratura smiled.
"Okizzay!" Pinkie replied, jotting down their requests and zipping away.
"Strange girl," Chalk remarked.
"You get used to her," both girls said in unison.
Of course, the three of them were once again fully dressed in order to come to the restaurant. To do otherwise would doubtlessly have started some kind of incident.
"So what are you gonna get?" Coloratura asked her new boyfriend.
"They do cheeseburgers here, right?" the boy replied. "I'd like one of those."
"The Cheer-Up Cheeseburgers?" Pinkie asked, carrying their drinks. "An excellent choice. The pickles, mustard and ketchup form a smiley face that is sure to lift your spirits!"
"Of course it is," Sugarcoat sighed.
Pinkie leaned in closely. "Don't get the Surprising Chicken Salad, " she whispered.
"I'm... not very fond of salads," Sugarcoat replied.
"Well, what would you like?"
Both Sugarcoat and Coloratura ended up asking for hotdogs with fries.
"Coming right up!"
When their food was served, Chalk chuckled to see that the ketchup and mustard had been squirted on in the shape of a smiley face.
"Feeling a little better?" Sugarcoat asked. Chalk just held the burger up beside his face, grinning to imitate it, before taking his first bite. "I'll take that as a yes."
Coloratura giggled. "Your cold seems to be getting less severe as well."
"Well, you helped..." Lowering his voice, Chalk whispered to them both. "To be honest, I'm only really uncomfortable from having to wear clothes again."
"Well, that may change soon," Sugarcoat smirked.
"What do you mean?"
"We're petitioning to make Canterlot clothing optional," Coloratura explained.
"Y-Y-You mean... everyone will be... well, you know... all the time?!"
"If they want to. And if we can get it through."
"Whoa..."
"Just have to take care of something first, according to a text I got from Sour," Sugarcoat said.
"What's that, then?" Chalk asked.
"She said it was top secret," the Crystal Prep girl shrugged.