Being a nudist, it turned out, had the ability to bring about unforeseen complications that Twilight never could've imagined being a possibility in need of contending with before; like whether she should hum, grin, or giggle as she dried herself off after a refreshing morning shower.
Granted it wasn't a major problem in need of addressing, but it was still annoying to not know what to do, as she imagined just how much time the lack of fur saved her every morning in getting ready for the day. There was no need for shampoos or conditioners to get cleaned, just simple soap and water. Even drying herself off took much less time than ever before. It was that prospect of saved time, and increased efficiency, that just about made her giddy over the possibilities it presented. It was making her drastically rethink her daily schedule, and look for other areas in which time could be saved.
But that could wait until after breakfast; she was just about starving right now!
"Morning, Twilight," Spike called as she stepped into the kitchen, finding him hard at work fixing their breakfast.
"Morning Spike," Twilight replied, before noticing that it wasn't pancakes being made today. Instead it was waffles! Spike almost never made waffles because of all the extra work that went into them! "What's the special occasion?"
"It's Saturday," Spike said and shrugged, before returning his attention to the waffle iron.
Twilight mulled over the answer given. Saturday was never a reason Spike considered valid for making waffles before. So what made this so special? She wanted to ask... but then again, maybe it was better if she didn't. Maybe Pinkie was planning something special for later on, and Spike needed to keep her preoccupied? It wouldn't be the first time she'd done something like that. With a shrug, she decided to just go with it, and see what happened.
"So what's on the docket for today?" Spike asked as, in a flurry, he went about preparing two plates of waffles topped with powdered sugar and fresh berries, the sight of which was practically making Twilight's mouth water with anticipation.
"Research," Twilight stated simply, "remember what Rainbow Dash said last week? About Rarity's necklace being useful for Nightmare Night?"
"Yeah," Spike replied, curious at what she was getting at.
"Well she might've been onto something. And not having anything important today, I'm going to go over a few old books, and see just what sort of medium an illusion spell can be bound to," she explained.
"Um... okay?" Spike replied, not really understanding what she was saying. "Why though?"
"Affordability. The necklace that Rarity got me is way too expensive to be relegated to a piece of literal costume jewelry. So I'm going to try and see if the illusion can be adequately bound to materials that are far more cost efficient," Twilight explained.
"Okay, cool," Spike replied and nodded, now understanding what she was saying. This sounded like something that would have a lot of potential. And unlike most experiments that got Twilight excited, even he could see the excitement factor that was present. "Sounds like a big day then. Better eat while it's still hot."
With nothing else to say on the matter the two took their place at the table, and proceeded to dive wholeheartedly into their breakfast.
And as one might expect from such gusto being utilized when eating, Twilight's face was a mess when she was done, the area around her mouth marked by bits of fruit and colored juices, which the traces of powdered sugar clung to. Spike couldn't help but laugh.
"Looks like you're gonna need another shower," he pointed out.
"Not necessarily," Twilight replied as she magically picked up a washcloth from the sink, working in a mix of soap and water from the tap, before bringing it over to wipe her face down, leaving herself clean as a whistle again. "It's so much easier this way."
"Yeah, no doubt," Spike replied, chuckling to himself at how Twilight could clean her face as easily as he could clean a plate. "Hey. Are you gonna need me today?"
"Not that I'm aware of. Why?" Twilight asked as she levitated the dishes over to the sink to soak them.
"Sweetie Belle's been trying to learn Rarity's gem locating spell herself, because she and the others have the idea that they can get treasure hunting cutie marks. Rarity wanted to know if I could keep an eye on them, just in case," Spike explained.
"Oh. No, go on ahead. I've got Rarity's necklace in case anypony comes by, I should be fine while you're out," Twilight replied. She'd much rather he kept an eye on Sweetie Belle and the other Crusaders, than feeling like he needed to spend his time around the palace looking after her. She could look after herself just fine, especially now, but the Crusaders... not so much.
"Besides that, it's an opportunity for free gemstones," Spike added.
Twilight just chuckled and shook her head. That sounded a lot like Spike.
Twilight took stock of her surroundings.
Library? Check.
Big cozy cushion to act as an insulator against the stout coolness of the crystal flooring? Check.
Bowl of snacks to munch on? Check.
Drink? Check.
Stack of books pertaining to magical theory? Check.
Rarity's necklace in case she had to hide her bald self? Double check.
Everything was good to go for a morning of fine studying. With a smile she climbed on her pillow, made herself comfortable, and picked up a book to dive into her research.
"What the?"
Or at least that was her intent. Unfortunately it wasn't an option, as what was written in the books made no sense. Not because it was too difficult a theory to wrap her head around, but because the contents made no sense from a basic language perspective. It was nothing but nonsensical scribbling, like a foal had tried to write something while having no comprehension of how the alphabet even worked.
As she flipped her way through the book, she realized that all the pages were the same way. There wasn't a single coherent word to be found anywhere!
"What's going on here?" she finally asked.
"It is common knowledge that written words are not coherent in a dream."
Twilight instantly recognized that voice. Turning around she saw Princess Luna sitting comfortably on the library's sofa.
"Oh. Hello, Princess," Twilight replied in greeting, "what brings you by?"
"Business, as per usual," Luna replied as she stepped off the sofa, "although it is unusual that I recognize that a dream has become a nightmare, before the one afflicted does," she continued.
"I..." Twilight paused, "I don't understand?"
"Twilight Sparkle," Luna spoke, "you are bald."
"I know," Twilight replied and nodded casually, "I still don't understand though. What unrealized nightmare are you talking about?"
Luna blinked, confused by this. "You... are bald," she repeated slowly.
Twilight was about to reply, when what Luna was saying dawned on her. She was left not knowing whether to giggle, or to sigh in response. Either way, this was probably going to be awkward.
"Well actually, Princess, this really isn't that much of a nightmare," she stated.
"Perhaps it may not seem like much, as there are no indecipherable horrors leaping out all around you; no piles of burning books. But not all nightmares are so over the top. Some of them are far more subtle to contend with," Luna explained as she stepped closer. "Perhaps you have never experienced it firsthoof, Twilight Sparkle, but to be rendered bald is not what most ponies would regard as a pleasurable experience. How you came to dream about it in the first place, I do not know. But fear not, it will soon be over."
Twilight sighed to herself, concluding that this was going to be and awkward conversation; more so than the conversation she'd had with Rarity. But awkward or not, it was something that was going to have to be done. And if Luna was going to regard her baldness as a nightmare, she might be seeing her far more often, and that might lead to some undesired questions.
"Actually, Princess, I don't consider this a nightmare; other than the fact that I can't read anything. The truth is," she paused and took a breath, "I'm a nudist."
Luna blinked in response, confused by the statement, and what relevance it had. "What is a nudist?"
"Well... as best I can explain it, in a society where the norm is everyone wearing clothing while going about their daily lives, a nudist is an individual who opts instead to go about their lives just like everyone else, only sans clothing," Twilight explained.
"Do you mean like most Ponyvillians compared to Canterlotian ponies?" Luna asked.
Twilight would admit, she hadn't thought of that comparison before. She knew that a lot of the ponies in Canterlot liked to wear clothing to show off their status, but she'd never seen the practicality in doing that. That was probably why she hadn't considered the absence of superfluous clothing all that unusual when she'd moved to Ponyville.
"Well it's something like that, but not quite. Socially there's nothing wrong with going without clothing. But on the other side of the mirror, where Sunset Shimmer is, it's a completely different story. Over there it's socially expected for everyone to wear clothing, especially in a public setting. Different moral values of different societies and all," Twilight explained, to which Luna nodded in understanding. "With ponies it's a different story. There's nothing wrong with us not wearing clothing, so the closest proper comparison that could be made is a pony opting to go without their fur while going about their daily routine."
"You do not say," Luna mumbled in response. "The fact that you possess such knowledge is not a surprise to me; you have always been a studious pony. What I do not understand, however, is how you came to the decision to participate in this... behavior. What motivated you?" she asked, really not able to understand it.
"Well..." Twilight paused and thought, "if I had to narrow it down to something specific, I'd say it was finding out that I could actually do it. I found some spells pertaining to fur growth in an old medical book, one thing sort of led to another, and I wound up discovering that I... actually liked it," she admitted uneasily.
"You... liked it?" Luna asked curiously, not really getting it. Twilight's nod did nothing to help on the matter. "There used to be a time when a pony being rendered bald was punishment for committing certain legal transgressions, intended to shame them for their actions, and motivate them to not do so again. How exactly did a form of punishment shift to become regarded as pleasurable?"
"Well technically it hasn't. Being bald isn't something noted for being popular, or socially acceptable. If anything it's regarded even less favorably than it used to be," Twilight explained, muttering the last part in the process.
"I do not understand. If it is not something socially acceptable, then what is it that you like about it so much, that you willingly participate in such?" Luna asked, not understanding anything about what she was hearing.
"The fact that it's comfortable," Twilight stated simply as she straightened herself up more. "I just don't know of any other way to explain it that would make sense, I'm afraid that's the best I can do. It just feels good when your fur's not there, trapping in the summer heat anymore, or absorbing the stink from you marinating in your own sweat. If I feel like I'm getting overheated, I can just stick my head under the faucet, or drape a wet towel around my neck, rather than having to suffer through it. It makes these hot summer days almost bearable, and if what Rainbow Dash said is right, there's not going to be a shortage of hot days for a long while."
"I see. That certainly makes at least a little sense," Luna commented, unsure of what else to say. "Then being a nudist is a defense against excessive heat?"
Twilight shook her head. "No, it's not quite that simple. Although that's definitely an added bonus. It's... it's like I said earlier, being a nudist is simply about not bothering with clothes when going about your daily life. Granted it loses something in the translation from one species to another, but... I just like it. That's all I can really say. It's not one of those things that can be explained, it has to be experienced to truly understand it," she admitted.
She'd been lucky until now that her friends had been understanding enough of what details she could offer up to them. After the matter with Rarity, she thought she'd already faced her toughest critic. But now she wasn't entirely sure.
For a while Luna said nothing as she simply sat there, her expression unreadable. That part made Twilight feel nervous about this whole interaction.
"Princess?"
"I am... merely trying to wrap my head around all of this. It is a most unusual concept to consider," Luna replied. "You say that being a nudist is simply being without clothing or fur while going about your daily routine. Does that mean you run errands, sans fur?" she asked.
Twilight shook her head in response. "I'm not at that point yet. It's just something I do around the house when I'm not needed for anything," she clarified. "To be honest I don't think that I'd ever be comfortable with strolling nude through the Ponyville marketplace. Being a nudist isn't about flaunting yourself, even if everything is being seen regardless."
"This is all quite complicated," Luna stated in response and rubbed her head, feeling one of her sister's trademark headaches coming on.
Twilight nodded. "It took a long time to get everything as straight as I have. And even then, it's just my understanding of the concept. There could be aspects I'm missing out on," she explained, certain that Luna would understand what that could be like. "It gets even more complicated when your studies start making you question everything around you," she continued.
"How do you mean?" Luna asked.
Twilight paused to think over the question, and how to explain her situation and experiences in an understandable manner. "Well... in the other world, everyone goes around clothed, because it's wrong to be nude in public. But in our world, it's considered acceptable for everypony to be nude in public, but not if they're bald. And I'm really starting to question why that is. Why is it alright for ponies to walk around without a stitch of clothing on, when our private bits are just one errant tail flick away from being seen by anypony in the area, but it's not alright for them to walk around bald in the same setting? What's the real difference between the two?"
It wasn't something she'd devoted an excessive amount of time pondering over, but it was certainly something that had been given thought; more so after Rainbow Dash's explanation to Applejack about not being self conscious with being seen nude. Ever since then, it'd been hard to not give the matter at least some thought.
"I..." Luna started to say, only to stop and pause, rubbing her chin as she tried to think. "I will admit, I do not know the answer to that. But now that you have presented the question for consideration, I cannot help questioning it myself."
Twilight nodded in agreement. It was certainly an interesting question to contemplate, but it was utterly infuriating when she had no one to realistically bounce it off of, and get their opinion. Here it had just sort of slipped into the conversation on its own, partly due to Luna's curiosity. But she highly doubted the same could come from a conversation with Rarity; as supportive as her friend had been lately, she really didn't want to push her generosity, by possibly making her anymore uncomfortable than she already was.
"Have you considered speaking with my sister? Perhaps she may hold the answer that you seek?" Luna suggested.
"No!" Twilight stated quickly. Far too quickly. Thinking better of it, she cleared her throat before speaking again, calmer and slower. "What I mean is, no I haven't. I haven't even approached all of my friends about this yet. A few of them know, but that's about the extent of it. This isn't exactly the sort of thing that comes up in polite conversation. I-I don't even know how I'd go about bringing this up to Princess Celestia of all ponies. She might take it the wrong way if I even tried. She might want to know what brought the question up, and I'd have to tell her, and who knows what might happen then."
Luna listened as Twilight explained the situation as best she could. The dedication she had to keeping Celestia happy with her positive performance in all duties she was assigned was commendable, but she sincerely doubted that her own sister would react as negatively as Twilight feared would be the case. Celestia was many things, but she was certainly not unreasonable. That knowledge, combined with the degree of hero worship that her friend apparently possessed, made her want to wrap her forelegs around the younger mare, and pull her into a comforting hug, and assure her that everything would be alright. The only thing that stopped her from doing that, was the uncertainty of whether or not Twilight might consider such a touch inappropriate under the given circumstances.
"You... you don't have to tell her about this... do you?"
That question made Luna snap out of her thoughts, and bring her back to their current situation.
"Fear not, Twilight Sparkle. As guardian of the dream realm, I am duty bound to respect the sanctity of a pony's dreams. I would be remiss in my duties, if I violated their privacy through common gossip. If you do not wish for Celestia to know of your... interests... then I shall respect those wishes," she stated.
"Thank you," Twilight replied and slouched as she relaxed. "That means a lot to me. I don't know if I'd ever be ready to bring something like that up in conversation."
"That said," Luna spoke up, causing Twilight to freeze in place, "I could approach Celestia, and present the question, and the notion, as if it were my own. It would most certainly not be the first time I have spoken with her about a strange or unusual concept that has arisen during my reintegration into the modern world. It would hardly strike her as all that surprising if it were to come from me."
Twilight moved to say something, but stopped and shut her mouth as Luna's words registered in her mind. She honestly couldn't believe that such an offer was being made so freely. Even Rarity wouldn't offer something like that, nor could she blame her if she didn't.
"You... you'd actually do that for me, Princess?" she asked.
"If you would like me to do such," Luna replied with a nod. "Beyond being a fellow princess, you are also a friend, Twilight Sparkle. I cannot say that I properly understand what being a nudist is about, but it is apparently important to you, and that is enough for me, for the time being," she explained.
Twilight smiled, touched by Luna's offer of assistance. "I appreciate that, Princess, I really do. It's just... could we hold off on that for a while? I'm still in the process of letting my friends know about all of this as the opportunity presents itself. I know you said that you'd present the idea as your own, I just..." she paused, not sure of what to say.
"It is alright, Twilight Sparkle, I understand what you are trying to say. I shall wait until you are ready to proceed," Luna stated.
"Thank you," Twilight repeated again and moved to hug Luna to show her appreciation. However she stopped when she realized just what she was about to do. "Uh..."
Luna shook her head in response and smiled. "You need not seek out permission, my friend. Most certainly not from me," she explained as she sat up and opened held out her forelegs.
Twilight didn't need to be told twice. With just a small pause in order to nod in understanding, she moved in and threw her forelegs around Luna, thankful to be able to return the hug. Her fur felt so soft, and silky, and even warm in a comfortable fashion, serving as motivation to simply settle in against her, much as she would with a good friend.
"Oh my," Luna stated, "is your skin this soft in the real world as well?" she asked.
"More or less," Twilight replied, having an inkling of what was going to develop, based on previous experience with her friends. The fact that she could feel Luna's fur brushing against her only gave credence to that inkling.
"Most fascinating," Luna mumbled to herself, shifting slightly in the process. "By chance could you tell me more about all of this?" she asked.
Twilight suspected that Luna's sudden interest in learning more about nudity had less to do with her own curiosity, and was more about having some diversionary tactics that would allow her to continue feeling how soft her skin was. She couldn't prove it as being the case, but there was really no reason to suspect it as not being a possibility.
If that really was the case, she didn't mind. To each their own. She more or less already had Luna's support in this entire ordeal. The least she could do in response was play along.
"Do we have enough time?" she asked.
"Much like other matters pertaining to dreams, time is all relative, Twilight Sparkle. There is ample opportunity to discuss this matter to whatever extent you are comfortable with," Luna pointed out. "And if I am to broach my sister on the subject, it would be best if I knew as much about it as possible," she added.
Twilight nodded, knowing that Luna was right. If she truly wanted to be her proxy, then she deserved to know just what she might be getting herself into.
"Alright then. Lesson number one..."