The bed was a lot lumpier than Apple Bloom remembered it being. At least she thought it was a bed she was currently resting on; in her sleep-fogged brain, she honestly didn't remember much of anything at the moment. Nor was she particularly in the mood to.
She rolled over in an effort to find a more comfortable spot in hopes of drifting back to sleep again for some much-wanted rest. But her efforts only went halfway, as her movement was hindered by something, and her new position was even more uncomfortable than previously.
The discomfort eventually proved to be greater than the desire for more sleep, motivating her to open her eyes, and survey her surroundings to see just what was the source of said discomfort.
Finding herself sleeping on top of Spike was definitely not what she'd expected to encounter. Yet here she was, doing just that.
She vaguely recalled the two of them staying up and reading comic books to untold hours of the night. She thought she remembered leaning against him at one point. But after that details got to be fuzzier than a wool sweater and she couldn't really remember much of anything.
Spike grunted beneath her as she tried to move off of him, doing his best to stretch and eventually open his eyes, coming face to face with her.
"Morning," he greeted absently without a second thought.
"Mornin'," she replied before completely climbing off of him. "Do ya remember wha' went on last night?"
"Not really. I was kinda focused on the "Antagonizer" comics," Spike replied as he -reluctantly- sat up and scratched at his side. "Did something happen last night?"
Apple Bloom shook her head, opting not to bring up their unusual sleeping positions if he wasn't going to.
Satisfied with the answer, or perhaps just opting not to press further, he shrugged and climbed off the bed to more properly stretch out and twist to limber himself up.
"Do you mind lending a hoof in the kitchen with getting breakfast ready? With as much food as we need this morning, I could use some help."
"Ah reckon Ah can do that," Apple Bloom agreed, more or less hopping off her side of the bed. "Are the rest o' Twilight's friends comin' over fer breakfast?"
"Probably not. But you and Applejack are going back to the farm today, right? She's gonna need a lot of food if she's going to get her fur back on," Spike replied.
"Oh. Right," Apple Bloom replied, immediately recalling what Twilight had told her and her friends the first time they'd made that discovery.
The full scope of the explanation was lost to her at the moment, but she remembered the gist of it being that such rapid regrowth of a pony's full fur coat required a lot of calories, carbohydrates, and a lot of other important nutrients to serve as a course of fuel. And not knowing what the proper amount of intake was... yeah, they were probably going to need a lot of food this morning.
"A'right then," she continued, "what's on the menu fer today?"
Waking up next to one of your best friends? That was more or less par for the course at a slumber party; one had to be prepared to encounter that from time to time.
Waking up next to one of your best friends when you were both bald as billiard balls? Not so much.
Waking up to actually snuggling with one of your best friends when you were both bald as billiard balls? Even less so.
But despite the unlikeliness of it all, that was exactly what Twilight encountered as she woke up to -reluctantly- greet the new day, and become aware of the fact that the two of them were currently holding each other in their forelegs.
Carefully, she tried to inch her way back in bed, hoping to unwind herself from the embrace without disturbing Applejack's own rest in the process. This was probably going to be an awkward situation to explain without the right context; context she couldn't provide since she didn't know what'd happened while they were both unconscious.
But despite those efforts at being careful, Applejack was beginning to stir regardless, and responded by tightening her hold, and pulling her closer to her in what could best be described as a firm hug. A very firm, very naked hug. The type that involved skin against skin, and everything!
The... irony of the situation, wasn't lost on her, even in her own state of tiredness/confusion. Under different circumstances, if they'd both entered this willingly, it was something she might've enjoyed very much. But instead they'd been brought together by mysterious circumstances, had no recollection of it, and all she could think about was trying to slip loose before Applejack could wake up and see them in this mess, which might lead to questions she couldn't possibly even hope to answer.
She could teleport out! That would work! Except... not really. Not with how firmly Applejack was holding onto her right now.
Like it or not, she was just going to have to face the consequences of whatever happened. And if Applejack was upset about it, then she was just going to have to accept that. And as those unfocused green eyes opened, accompanied by a squirm and a yawn, that time of reckoning was going to come much sooner rather than later.
"Um... morning, Applejack," she greeted as best she could.
"Mornin' Twilight," Applejack greeted in turn, before stretching in her current position. "Ya sleep well?"
"Quite well actually. You?" she asked.
"Prob'ly one o' the best night sleeps Ah've had in a long while," Applejack replied.
"Oh. That's good then," she stated, happy to hear at least that. "Just one thing; could you let me go, please?"
It was only then that Applejack seemed to take notice of the situation, slowly glancing up and down to verify for herself what was going on.
"Heh. Ah reckon we rolled over a couple o' times while sleepin'," she chuckled, before slowly retracting her forelegs and relinquishing her grip. "Sorry 'bout that, Twi'."
Twilight shook her head in response. "It's alright. I just didn't want you to wake up and think we, er, did something we shouldn't have."
"Somethin' like what, Sugarcube? Can nudists not hug one another er somethin'?" Applejack asked.
"Oh no, nothing like that; not even close," Twilight replied, while weighing just how to proceed, now that she'd started on this whole mess. "It's just... I was worried you might think that we..."
"Oh," Applejack replied slowly, Twilight's current uneasy state doing far more to convey what she was trying to say, than she could comfortably put into words. She could only shake her head dismissively at this point. "Well, Ah'm glad ya cleared that up fer me. Ah wouldn' wanna be part o' something where Ah can't hug one o' mah friends whenever the notion strikes."
At that, Twilight honestly couldn't help but smile, filled with an overwhelming sense of happiness from Applejack's words.
"I wouldn't want that either," she stated. She then proceeded to slide in, and re-initiaite the hug they'd previously been sharing.
Applejack responded with a wordless sound that resembled contentment as she settled into and returned the hug, holding her friend close.
"So this is what skin-on-skin feels like," she noted, unable to not notice the sensations that were currently being experienced as limbs slid over limbs and other body parts. "This feels kinda funny,"
"A little bit," Twilight admitted. "It felt different on the other side of the portal. I think. I guess it's because humans are conditioned to experiencing sensations on their bare skin. Over here, not so much."
"Ah reckon Ah'll take yer word for it; makes as much sense as anything so far," Applejack replied and shrugged, before disengaging the hug and pulling herself back. "Ya up for some breakfast?"
Twilight nodded and slowly pushed herself up on the bed. "I could definitely go for something to eat. I'm going to need to grow my fur back out later today, and I definitely don't want to do that on an empty stomach."
Applejack shook her head, vividly recalling how she'd felt in the aftermath of her own experience relating to such. Honestly, she couldn't remember a time when she'd felt worse; both like she was starving and barely able to stand on her shaky legs. Had it not been for a quick snack/small meal provided immediately afterward, she probably wouldn't have been able to return to work that day.
The fact Twilight had apparently figured out a way to make it all work for her, just went to show how serious she was about all this, and how dedicated she was to making it work.
"Sounds like a plan then."
"Just... one thing first, please?" Twilight asked. "Last night you said you'd share your thoughts. I was just wondering if now's a good time?"
"Well, Ah don' see why not. No sense keepin' ya in suspense an' all," Applejack agreed, now that she'd been reminded of that particular point. "Like Ah said last night, it was like an evenin' with the family, even if Ah didn' have mah fur on the whole time. There was good food, fun, friends, an' it felt nice being able to come in outta the heat outside. But... Ah jus' don' know if going without mah fur is somethin' Ah'd really like to do mahself. Sorry, Twi'."
"Oh..."
To her credit, Twilight hadn't flinched at Applejack's words. Not visibly at least.
She'd known from the very outset that her interests were niche at best, and that any of her friends could've been opposed to them. She'd known that not everypony would be able to appreciate what she was doing, even if they were polite in their lack of acceptance or appreciation.
She'd known it, but she still thought she would've been more prepared to hear confirmation of such than she just had been. Hearing Applejack's words after everything they'd shared last night, everything that'd been experienced... well that'd hurt more than she'd anticipated it might.
"But Ah only tried it fer one night, so Ah might have ta do it a bit more ta make up mah mind proper," Applejack continued and shrugged. "Maybe around next Saturday?"
The drastic change in mood had been so sudden, Twilight honestly wasn't sure how to respond. At the moment she wasn't entirely certain she'd even heard just right. She had to stop and think to determine if she'd actually heard right.
Again. Applejack wanted to do this again.
Applejack, her friend, actually wanted to come over and spend time with her again, while they were both naked, and she wanted to do it next week!
She practically flew forward as she threw her forelegs around Applejack, pulling her into a tight hug as her body practically surged with positive energy at her words.
"Of course! Of course! Saturday night, or any night you want to!"
Applejack simply smiled warmly and patted Twilight's back with her foreleg. "Ah guess it's a date then. Now, let's see 'bout some breakfast."
A loud POP sounded from the frying pan as it sizzled, sending Apple Bloom dropping down close to the floor. She knew from experience just how treacherous/dangerous hay bacon could be to cook, and how painful it was to have hot grease splatter when it was least expected.
"Maybe I should take over on the bacon," Spike suggested and scooted over to the frying pan. "You take the eggs, I'll take care of this. The grease won't bother me nearly as much."
"Thanks," Apple Bloom replied and picked herself up from the floor, grateful for the opportunity to work on something a little less hazardous. "Ah reckon those scales come in perdy nice for stuff like this."
"Like you wouldn't believe," Spike stated, a sense of pride in his voice as he flipped the sizzling strips of hay bacon over in the pan without issue. "Twilight learned that lesson the hard way. Rule number one of being a nudist: Never fry hay bacon."
Apple Bloom winced in response, getting the idea all too well. If grease burnt through her coat as bad as it did, she didn't want to think about how bad it burnt bare, sensitive skin. "Wha's rule number two then?"
"Never fry hay bacon!"
The two turned at the sound of the voice, to see Twilight and Applejack walking side by side into the kitchen, still as bald as they were the night before.
"It really is that serious; to warrant being mentioned twice," Twilight continued, grimacing as she did.
"Morning you two," Spike greeted, before returning his attention to breakfast in order to avoid burning anything. "Sleep well?"
"Like a baby," Applejack replied, before sniffing at the growing aroma in the kitchen, and giving a moan of approval through her closed mouth. Whatever was cooking right now smelled a lot like a traditional Apple Family Sunday Morning breakfast.
With how everything had gone, she really hadn't expected it today, but she certainly wasn't going to complain or object.
"Better break out yer appetite, sugarcube, you're gonna need it," she added in Twilight's direction.
"Oh, don't worry about me, Applejack, I'm sure I'm up to it," Twilight assured her.
Scrambles eggs and hay bacon. Rye sausage, hash browns, and toast.
If this was the standard breakfast at Sweet Apple Acres on a Sunday morning, then Twilight now understood why Applejack had warned her. In fact, as she sat at the kitchen table, leaning back on her chair and trying not to groan, she understood it quite well.
"I take it back," she sighed and lost the battle to not groan. "I stand, er sit, corrected."
It'd all been so very good. But at the same time so very much. Her eyes had been bigger than her stomach, and her senses of taste and smell had sold her out without so much as a second thought. Leaving her to muster her way through her share of the goods; a task she'd eventually completed, but not with ease.
She was certain she'd be regretting it later on. But right now, it felt worth it.
Over where Applejack sat and ate, she was showing no signs of any difficulty or discomfort. But then again, she supposed that was to be expected from somepony who was accustomed to eating such a feast. To the contrary, she looked quite content.
"Ya keep eatin' like that an we'll fatten ya up yet, sugarcube," she commented and grinned.
"Ugh. I'm already full enough, I feel like I could regrow my coat two or three times before burning off all of that, even though I know that's not really the case," Twilight replied as she leaned back against the chair again. "I probably won't be needing lunch today."
"More for us then," Spike replied and shrugged.
"Well, maybe fer you anyway, Spike," Applejack stated, before turning back to Twilight. "It's been real fun an' all, Twi', an' Ah'm glad ya let me try this out. But we jus' can't stay. Sooner or later Apple Bloom an' Ah need ta be gettin' back ta the farm; there's errands we need ta run an' such."
"Oh... Right..." Twilight replied slowly, her stuffed feeling temporarily being forgotten about.
Ever since her very first sleepover, she knew things had to conclude eventually; her friends would have to return home sooner or later, even if she wanted them to stay. She also knew they would eventually be back for more fun and games at some point. But knowing that, didn't make the conclusion any less unpleasant to experience.
"I should probably be thanking you instead, Applejack. I really appreciate that you wanted to give this a try, and of your own volition rather than out of simply being asked. That... that honestly means a lot to me," she explained.
"No trouble at all, Twi', tha's jus' what friends do fer one another," Applejack replied as she reached over to rub her foreleg. "Besides, Ah can't rightly tell others Ah'm a'right wit' ya doin' it if Ah don' at leas' try it for mahself."
"I guess you're right," Twilight replied and slowly smiled as she returned the gesture. "So, do you want to get ready now?"
"Well..." Applejack paused in thought, "Ah don' feel right just eatin' an' runnin' off like that. Ah'll help with gettin' the dishes done up, an' see where things go from there, 'kay?" she suggested.
Twilight almost objected to the idea of Applejack helping with the work, but managed to stop herself before she spoke up. If Applejack wanted to use assisting with the cleanup as a reason for keeping her fur off for a bit longer, who was she to go and poke holes in her reasoning.
"Sure. I'd like that. It'd only be fair, seeing as how Spike and Apple Bloom did the cooking," she replied and slowly pushed herself up from her chair. "I'll wash, you dry."
As the two older ponies set about cleaning up things from this morning's breakfast, Apple Bloom leaned over to tap Spike on the shoulder to get his attention.
"Did somethin' happen wit' those two las' night that we missed out on?" she asked in a whispered tone, once she was sure they were out of earshot.
Spike looked over in their direction as they stood at the sink, doing their best to share the task of cleanup. He didn't really see anything that was out of place; at least no more out of place than when it was he and Twilight doing the same thing.
"I dunno," he whispered right back and eventually shrugged. "Must've gotten a really good night's sleep, I guess."