//------------------------------// // Ponies, and pumpkins, and nipples, oh my! (Part 2) (edited) // Story: Nightmare Night, what a... sight! // by Charlie_K //------------------------------// "What a night," Scootaloo mumbled as she rubbed her temples. With the crisis averted, and the impromptu pumpkin run now concluded, Ponyville could get back to the more fun aspects of Nightmare Night while they still had the opportunity. Clean up tomorrow was going to be quite a messy hassle, but that was more or less always the case with Nightmare Night; this time around they just had the added task of dealing with smashed pumpkins all over the place, rather than in the designated target area. But that would be tended to tomorrow. Right now it was the time for fun. Or in the case of a few fillies and a certain young dragon, catching their breath and recovering from all the running about they'd done in an effort to catch and smash as many rogue pumpkins as possible. And of course the best place for doing that was by the refreshments table where they could suck down the available punch to quench their thirst. "Tell me about it," Apple Bloom replied, before more or less chugging her cup. "Twilight did a perdy good job o' salvagin' the night an' makin' it fun, but it still kinda sucked," she admitted. Not that being free to smash any pumpkin she could find with a 2x4 hadn't been enjoyable. But she, like most others, had spent more time running than smashing, and for all of their efforts there was no prize to be had at the end. Although there was talk about seeing if the pumpkin run could be turned into a proper and regular event, with more structure and actual prizes next year. If that was the case, then she wouldn't mind it so much. "Tell me about it, I didn't even get to participate," Spike muttered, having been tasked with helping Twilight with keeping everything running smoothly. "Ah'm never gonna get all the grass stains outta my costume from where Ah fell," she added. Scootaloo just shrugged. "You shouldn't have gone with such an easy to stain costume," she replied, "besides, you and Applejack aren't even superheros from the same comic series! Some sisters you turned out to be." "It's not mah fault Supermare's the only one who's strong enough fer me ta be," Apple Bloom retorted and shrugged dismissively. Scootaloo frowned at this. Apple Bloom was deliberately trying to draw her into a comic book war. She knew this, but she just couldn't resist taking the bait. "Ironhorse is way better than Supermare. He's got armor that can do anything! No matter the threat, he's always prepared!" she boasted, seeing it only appropriate as she was dressed as Ironhorse for the night's events. Apple Bloom snorted in amusement. "Always prepared, except fer a meeting with Supermare, that is. She could jus' use 'er heat vision ta heat up his armor until he had ta eject, then he'd be outta luck." Spike nodded in agreement, remembering that being in an early issue of the "Ironhorse" series, when Ironhorse had to fly into an active volcano, and the heat of the magma nearly cooking him alive in his armor. "Are you kidding? Ironhorse is a genius! He could just integrate a kryptoneight core into his armor, and then Supermare would be at his mercy!" Scootaloo stated. "Kryptoneight wouldn' produce the gigawatts per second that Ironhorse's armor needs ta function, ya goofball," Apple Bloom laughed. Scootaloo scowled, severely tempted to just tackle Apple Bloom to the ground and proceed to tickle her until she surrendered. But if she did, then she was signalling that she didn't have any other response to rely on. That left her with just frowning in response as she folded her arms over her chest. Sweetie Belle had said nothing the entire time, not wanting to get involved in this argument over which comic series was the better of the two, or which hero would triumph over the others. "Couldn't Ironhorse just integrate pieces of kryptoneight into his missiles? Or maybe as a focusing lens for his repulsors?" That question got the three of them turning to look and see Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon both approaching their current position. Despite the advancement that had been made in their friendship since getting their cutie marks, there were still areas where the two groups simply didn't get along together. It was... a work in progress as they learned how to stop taking shots at one another. Or at least make the shots taken all in good fun. Interestingly enough, it was Silver Spoon presenting the question as they approached. "If it can't power the armor itself, what about just using it to amplify the weapon systems in the armor?" she asked as they stepped closer. "... Huh," was all Scootaloo could say in response. "Tha's a good question," Apple Bloom admitted as she observed both them and their costumes. Diamond Tiara was taking the more classical approach to a costume and looked a lot like a mummy, all wrapped in bandages and such, while Silver Spoon was decked out in what looked like punk rock fashion; not something they'd come to associate with either one of them, making it really surprising. But then again, that was part of the fun of Nightmare Night. "Wha' brings ya two by?" she asked, a bit suspicious of what their intentions might be. "Well you two were going at it so loud, we thought a fight was brewing," Silver Spoon admitted. She was going to go on further, but she stopped when she saw Sweetie Belle's costume. Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and even Spike could be figured out, but she was different. "And just what're you supposed to be?" "I'm The Nerd," Sweetie Belle replied. "A nerd isn't a costume," Diamond Tiara stated. Her costume, if it could even be called that, looked like she was an office worker or something, with khaki cargo pants, a white button up shirt with a pocket protector full of pens, a pair of black-rimmed glasses... and some weird glove on her right hand. Definitely not a costume. "Not a nerd, The Nerd," Sweetie Belle emphasized, much to the confusion of the others present. "You know, the stallion that does reviews of the arcade games? Thinks "Super Mareio Brothers" is the best game ever created, always shouting swear words when he gets angry?" The four fillies present looked between themselves, hoping somepony would have a clue what Sweetie Belle was talking about. But none of them did, as they were each coming up blank. All they could do was shrug in response. Sweetie Belle just sighed in frustration and shook her head in response, before pushing the glasses back up into place. "He's right about his reviews a lot of times," Spike stated. "Although when you follow his reviews, you sometimes wanna try them for yourself because you think it's not as bad as he makes it out to be. Turns out it is." Silver Spoon just sighed and shook her head, before moving to procure herself a cup of punch. "So then. What's the group consensus on Princess Luna being here as she is?" she asked to change the subject. "Ta be honest wit' ya, Ah don' know what ta think," Apple Bloom replied as she shook her head. "It's weird seein' somepony walking around naked an' everypony not actin' like it's a big deal." "Tell me about it," Scootaloo agreed. She'd been confused since Princess Luna had showed up, and that confusion hadn't eased up since. "I get that she wanted to make us comfortable around her, but... I don't know," she concluded as she shook her head. Spike nodded. His experience with nude ponies was... limited. Very limited actually. There were a few times when he'd accidentally catch sight of Twilight coming out of the shower and not properly covered up, but that was seriously different from all this. Luna was in full view, Vinyl was flashing her tits, it was... it was kind of weird. "Rarity said Princess Luna told her it used to be really common back in the old days for everypony to be naked in public because nopony could afford clothes," Sweetie Belle commented. Diamond Tiara shuddered at hearing that. "I don't even wanna think about what that was like." "It was normal, because nopony knew any different then," Sweetie Belle pointed out, "It wouldn't be any weirder to them, than wearing clothes is to us." "Maybe," Silver Spoon replied, still not convinced. "It's still weird though. The idea of seeing everypony's private bits, and nopony reacting to it? I don't know how to process that," she stated. For a while there was nothing but silence amongst the two groups, surrounded by the noises of the festivities continuing on uninterrupted. Nopony really knew what to say, and all of them were really just waiting for somepony to break the silence. That somepony eventually turned out to be Diamond Tiara. "Do... do any of you think you'd actually do something like that? If it was normal, I mean?" she asked as she uneasily rubbed at her right arm. "What? Like going nude in public?" Sweetie Belle asked, to which Diamond Tiara nodded. "I don't know. Maybe? I mean, like you said, it'd be normal, so it's not like it would be an unusual thing to do. I guess for me it'd come down to the weather," she replied. "I..." Spike paused, "I'll get back to you on that one," he said, needing to think that over for a while before he could give an answer. Scootaloo shrugged uncertainly. "I'd kinda wanna wait and see first before doing something like that. But if I wasn't the only one doing it? Yeah, I... guess so." "Eh," Apple Bloom replied and shrugged in a disinterested manner. "It ain't that big o' deal. Ah mean, Ah'm already not wearin' underwear when Ah work on the farm, so-" Apple Bloom response was cut off as a fine mist of punch erupted from between Silver Spoon's lips in a spit take, followed by her coughing as Diamond Tiara immediately started patting at her back in reflex. "You what?!" the choking filly finally managed to get out. "You don't?" Sweetie Belle and Spike asked simultaneously, also genuinely surprised by that revelation. "Nope," Apple Bloom replied and shook her head. "Farm work is hard an' makes ya sweat somethin' fierce, an' wet underwear ain' no fun ta wear. So Ah jus' don' wear 'em." "You're making that up," Diamond Tiara accused. "Nope, serious," Apple Bloom replied. Scootaloo, who had been silent for most of the exchange, now found herself quite curious about the blue skirt that Apple Bloom was wearing for her costume, and what it might've concealed underneath. It was long enough, and loose enough that it could easily conceal the outline of any underwear she might be wearing, so it was hard to tell what was there... or what wasn't. She even found herself thinking about trying to catch a peek, just to sate her curiosity as to whether or not her friend was going commando. "Sweetie Belle, is she for real?" Silver Spoon asked. Sweetie Belle, in response, poked Apple Bloom in her bicep. "She feels real to me." Silver Spoon groaned, not sure whether Sweetie Belle had misunderstood what she was asking, or if she was simply playing a game with them. Either way, she didn't like it. "No, you nerd, I'm asking if you know if Apple Bloom really doesn't wear underwear," she stated in clarification. "Oh," Sweetie Belle replied, before giving a shrug. "I don't know. It's never come up before now." Scootaloo just shook her head before she could be asked, because she didn't really want to give too much thought to the question. There were just certain thoughts that she didn't want to be having about one of her best friends. "Am I interrupting something?" At hearing the voice behind them, all six of them turned around and saw Luna approaching them, sans the pumpkin innards and such from earlier, looking freshly showered and cleaned, and still just as nude as before. That was more than enough to distract all of them from what they'd been discussing just a moment ago. "It sounded like a rather serious discussion you five were having," Luna added as she made for the punch bowl to get herself a drink. "Actually, not really," Apple Bloom replied, "we were jus' discussin' underwear." "Ah," Luna replied, before sipping at her punch. "With regard to such clothing, I prefer boxers myself." As soon as the words left her mouth, the five were staring at her as if she'd just told them her moon was made of a solid piece of cheddar cheese, in a mix of confusion and disbelief. Had she unknowingly committed yet another social faux pas? "Boxers?" Diamond Tiara asked as she finally found her voice again? Luna nodded. "I find that they are quite comfortable to wear." "But aren't boxers for stallions?" Silver Spoon asked. At this, Luna found it impossible to suppress giving a cheeky, mildly embarrassed grin at the filly's question. "Um... perhaps?" "Oh there's got to be an interesting story behind that," Spike stated and grinned. "Perhaps there is," Luna replied cryptically, before downing the rest of her punch. "But that is a story I will tell later. Right now I would like to rejoin the festivities after refreshing. Rarity was kind enough to allow me to shower at the boutique after my unfortunate incident with the last pumpkin. I swear that she has more bathing care products than both myself and my sister together..." Her statement had the effect of bringing a bout of amused giggles from the group of fillies. But then again that had been the intention all along. "If you will excuse me, I am sure there are a great many ponies waiting," she stated before turning to leave. "Um, Princess," Silver Spoon spoke up, her voice clearly uneasy as she did. And as she saw that she had Luna's attention once again, she started to speak once more. "Was everypony really naked back in the founding of Equestria? Even in public, around others?" Luna nodded. "There were exceptions to the rule, of course, but for the most part that was certainly the case." "So... what was it like, seeing everypony's private bits out in the open?" Silver Spoon asked hesitantly. Luna's brow furrowed at the question she was being presented. "It would appear the history books of today leave something to be desired. At the time there was no unified currency in use. There were no bits to be had for several..." she started to explain. But the looks on their faces told her that something was wrong. "We are not discussing currency, are we?" "Nope," Sweetie Belle replied simply, "bits as in private anatomy parts," she clarified. "Oh," Luna replied slowly as the understanding sank in. "You must understand, the context of social nudity was different back then as a matter of necessity. Yes you could see each other's "bits" as you put it, but it was not the same as them being put on display for the purpose of being stared at. It was not treated as something that was obscene or shameful, when it was widespread and encompassed most, if not all the population at the time," she explained as best the could. But even she realized that it must've been a difficult subject for these young fillies to wrap their heads around. "Huh," was all Apple Bloom had to say in response. "Ah guess that was a lot o' boobs out in the open then." "The proper term is breasts, young Apple Bloom," Luna pointed out, "however even I will admit that "boobs" is more fun to say." The statement had been delivered with a grin, which brought another bout of giggling from the fillies, as well as a nod of agreement from Spike. "Are there any other questions you would like to ask before I depart?" "Actually..." Scootaloo spoke up slowly, "I do. But it's not exactly polite..." "Oh?" Luna asked, to which Scootaloo nodded uneasily. Now she was really curious as to what the filly had to say, and how it compared to some of the things she'd heard since her arrival. "I will not judge," she assured her as she leaned down to bring herself closer to Scootaloo's height, and signaled for her to approach before resting her hands on her knees. Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and the others watched as Scootaloo cautiously stepped forward, before leaning in to whisper whatever her question was into Luna's ear. Their ears flicked as they tried to hear whatever was being said, but despite the short distance between them, Scootaloo was whispering far too quietly for them to hear. Instead they had to settle for watching Luna's facial expressions change as she listened. That fact alone made them really curious to find out what was being said. "Oh..." Luna replied slowly as she stood back up. "Yes, I can see how that may be judged as impolite. But nevertheless it is still a very good question. May I answer it aloud for the benefit of your friends?" Scootaloo looked back at the others, before hesitantly nodding and stepping away backwards. "Yes, at the time there were stallions, and even colts, who did experience, ah... displays of physical arousal when out and about in public," she admitted as discreetly as she could, noting the blush that followed for all of them as she spoke. "But it was not something that was done on purpose. It was a physical reaction as involuntary as a muscle spasm; not something that was done in a provocative manner. "Nor was it considered a provocative act in and of itself should it just randomly happen. If it occurred, and could not be dealt with appropriately, it was polite to try and not draw attention to it; just as it was polite to try and ignore it if was encountered. To do otherwise would be as rude as making fun of somepony for suffering from a sprain," she explained. Silence followed. But whether it was out of shock, embarrassment, or merely trying to comprehend the given answer, she really wasn't sure what motivated it. "Are there any other questions?" she asked tentatively. The only answer received were heads being shaken. "Alright then. I will be taking my leave now. Have a good Nightmare Night, young ones," she said, before finally walking away. Leaving the six of them standing in awkward silence by the refreshments table. "So," Diamond Tiara finally spoke up, "so... what were we talking about again?" For the second -and likely not the last- time this evening, Rarity found it necessary to sit down, and rub at her right fetlock to abate the soreness that was developing from the resulting hot spots from the legging of her costume. She was most certainly going to get back at Rainbow Dash for this, she just wasn't sure how yet. It had to be something sufficient enough to let the prismatic pegasus know that she was displeased, while not going so far as to motivate retaliation some point in the form of a prank war; she would undoubtedly enlist Pinkie for backup on such a matter, and she'd be doomed in such a scenario. Revenge would be hers, to some degree or another, she just had to select the right method for that first. But first, Twilight. Her friend was swiftly approaching the table she was sitting at. She knew from experience that talk of payback wouldn't go over well. Best to save it for later. "Well, darling, I'd say your pumpkin run idea was-" "A smashing success, right?" Twilight asked before Rarity could finish. "You wouldn't believe how much mileage that joke has gotten tonight already," she sighed as she sat down on one of the available benches to rest her hooves. "Nevertheless the point remains, it was quite the success. The menace had been dealt with, the perpetrator apprehended, everypony had a good time, and we may have a new event for next Nightmare Night," Rarity pointed out. "Well a few things will have to be ironed out first, but maybe," Twilight replied. Once all the excitement had calmed down, her mind had started going to work on formulating how to make the pumpkin run a successful Nightmare Night event that could be employed regularly. Already she was coming up with some revisions and refinements to what had been thrown together, that would allow things to go much smoother. Rarity simply nodded politely in acknowledgement, deciding not to get into a discussion about the various ins and outs of what would go into setting up an organized event; especially if Twilight was involved with that organization. She dearly loved her friend, but she was simply in no mood for highly technical discussions tonight. Fortunately it looked like that wouldn't be the case, as she spotted Luna out and about, who she waved to. Luna waved back in response to acknowledge being seen, before making her way over to the table. "Many thanks to you for the use of your facilities, Rarity, it feels good to not have my fur sticky any longer," she stated as she approached and sat down with the others. "Although perhaps I should have waited longer before stepping back outside. The difference in temperature is quite jarring," she added. "Yes. Not to be rude, but I certainly can see that; your dark fur really isn't doing much to conceal those facts," Rarity replied and nodded. "Would you care for something to wear?" "In truth I would very much appreciate a hooded sweatshirt and a pair of socks right now. But I do not wish to send mixed signals to the others present, and lead them to believe that something has changed simply because I am covering up," Luna admitted as she rubbed at her arms. "I appreciate your concern, but I will be alright. Once I rejoin the festivities and get moving again, the chill of the fall air will be abated by the enjoyment to be had." "So long as you're certain," Rarity replied and nodded, "I'd hate for you to catch cold out here due to the party." "Actually it's been scientifically proven that being out in the cold doesn't cause you to get sick. While it does lower the effectiveness of the immune system, it doesn't have a mechanism that actually causes somepony to get sick, as opposed to staying inside where it's warm," Twilight pointed out. Once again, Rarity decided to just politely nod in acknowledgement of Twilight's statement, and not get into anything that could lead to further discussion about the topic. That was best reserved for another day, when there was nothing else better to do. Although that certainly did explain why a cold compress seemed to help whenever Sweetie Belle managed to get into poison ivy. Luna, however, hadn't shown the same restraint, and now she and Twilight were both discussing commonly held misconceptions about health and wellness. It was enough to make her want to politely excuse herself before the whole thing got taken too far. Or at least it would've been, if not for turning around to see Vinyl Scratch approaching their table with a tray of food in hand, her glowstick still dangling from her neck as it rested between her breasts. "You classy mares mind if I sit wit' ya for a bit?" "Not at all, Vinyl, pull up a seat and make yourself comfortable," Rarity replied, grateful for the timely interruption to all the science-type discussion that would've been taking place otherwise. If it meant stopping Twilight from going into lecture mode, she'd readily welcome the eccentric DJ to their table. "Thanks! I'm famished, and I hate eating around my turntable; that's really sensitive equipment to be getting crumbs in," Vinyl replied before plopping herself down on the first available free spot, before turning her attention to her sandwich, letting out a contented moan in the process as she bit into it. It was basic courtesy and politeness that kept the other three from engaging Vinyl in discussion as she ate. Although as the last traces of her sandwich were wolfed down, that courtesy evaporated as she became fair game. "Miss Scratch?" Luna asked, being the first of the trio to speak up. "Just Vinyl," the DJ replied as she pushed her empty tray back. "Very well then, Just Vinyl," Luna replied, earning a smirk in response. "I do not mean to pry into what is ultimately your business, but might I ask why you decided to strip shortly after my arrival?" "Well, you see, Princess-" "Please, for tonight it is just Luna." "Well, you see, Just Luna," Vinyl started again with a small smirk at returning the joke, "you were kinda drawin' a lot of attention by showin' up all butt naked an' such, and it wasn't the sort of attention that somepony in your position and standing should be getting paid. So I just figured I'd run interception for ya; I'm an entertainer so I'm more used ta fans givin' me lewd looks an' such," she explained. "Oh," Luna replied, uncertain of just what to say in response to hearing that. She needed to reevaluate her thoughts on the DJ after hearing such. "Well... thank you for your consideration." "Yeah. Only problem is it didn't really work out since my assets don't exactly measure up to yours," Vinyl replied and looked down at her chest to emphasize her point, much as she'd used the glowstick to try and emphasize her breasts. Rarity mentally cringed at Vinyl making the same comparison she had earlier. She hadn't said that out loud, had she? "Nonetheless, it was a gesture that I appreciate you making as you did," Luna replied. "You may not have achieved your desired results, but the end results were still satisfactory regardless." "Quite right. Everypony has calmed down and settled in for the night's festivities once again," Rarity added with a nod. "Yeah, I'd say that was Luna's theatric karaoke more than anything me and my girls managed to do," Vinyl replied. "Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining. I like the svelte look I've got going on. It's just that not everypony appreciates being trim. Now my roommate, she's got a nice set of fun bags to her, those would've attracted the crowd a lot better than these pancakes!" she stated as she rubbed her arms. Luna wasn't quite sure how to respond to Vinyl's statement. Between the self depreciation of her own body, to whatever these "fun bags" were, to her discussing her roommate when she was absent, it was all very confusing to her. But regardless of such details, what stuck with her was the fact that Vinyl had been trying to help her out of her social faux pas in her own unique way. It was hard not to appreciate that. "Anyways. Thanks for the seat and the talk, but I've gotta get back to my turntable before my discs get cold," Vinyl stated as she stood up. "Oh? But what about you? Aren't you cold like that, dear?" Rarity asked. "Naw, I always keep my nipples hard enough to cut glass; 'cuz you never know when you might need to do that," Vinyl replied. Twilight's wasn't really sure how to respond. Was Vinyl being serious, or sarcastic? Her tone of voice certainly gave no indication one way or the other. In the end her response wasn't vocal, but instead involved standing up, and unbuttoning her costume dress jacket, freeing up her wings in the process, before holding the garment out to the topless unicorn. "Here." "Hey, cool," Vinyl replied and took the offered up jacket and slipped into it without missing a beat. "Thanks, Princess." "No problem at all," Twilight replied and waved dismissively. Honestly, she was just glad that she'd even had the suit jacket to actually offer up, and had foregone the wing holes. "Anyway I've gotta get back ta work. We've got something special for the guest of honor all the way from Trottingham and we need to get it ready," Vinyl stated. "Oi, Vinyl! Over here!" a voice out in the crowd called. "Sorry, ladies, but duty calls. Catch ya later," was all Vinyl had to say before bidding a hasty exit, leaving the three behind in relative silent. "Well now, that was... a most interesting conversation to have," Luna muttered, unable to think of anything else to say on the matter. Anything that might be considered polite anyway. "Vinyl tends to be... unique... in how she conducts herself," was all Rarity could offer up. Her own interactions with the DJ had been limited, leaving her with little information to reliably draw on right now. "Well unique is certainly not a bad thing," Luna replied. Despite the mare's... unusual nature in how she carried herself, the conversation had made her feel better, knowing that she was willing to go that far to help out another pony. She was truly among friends, even when she didn't realize it. "Princess Luna?" And speaking of friends... She turned to regard the one addressing her and saw Pipsqueak standing present. Just looking at him she could tell that his efforts at valiance were failing him as the night wore on. He looked tired and slouched as he stood, no longer trying to keep his oversized plywood sword aloft, but rather letting it rest against the ground to save on his arm. She was honestly surprised he hadn't thrown his shoulder out in his pumpkin smashing efforts, considering how much exertion he had to put into his swings. "And what is my brave young knight up to now?" she asked him. "Well others are getting their pictures taken, and I was wondering if we could possibly get one taken together as well," Pipsqueak explained, vaguely gesturing with his free hand in the direction of the aforementioned activity. Luna opened her mouth to respond, only to close it again as she caught sight of the curious looks her friends were giving her; as if they were waiting to hear what she had to say. "Under normal circumstances I would say yes. But I believe it would be best if I speak with your parents first. They may not appreciate my being nude in a picture with you," she explained. "Oh," Pipsqueak replied, "well, couldn't you put something on for the picture?" he asked. That made her pause in thought. She then realized that Pipsqueak wasn't asking for a nude picture of her, as much as he was simply asking for a picture while she just happened to be nude at the time of his asking. And while that might not seem like a great difference, it most certainly was to her. He was more interested in a picture with one he considered to be a friend, than he was in how she presented herself. "Yes, that can certainly be done. Although I will still speak with your parents first, and see what they have to say on the matter," she explained as she reached out and tussled his mane, causing him to giggle as he backed up and tried to grab at her hand. "I may be in need of your services again shortly, Rarity," she continued as she turned to regard her other friends at the table. "Something tells me you might," Rarity agreed and nodded, mentally running through the list of clothing that was available at the boutique, and what of it would suit Luna properly. Luna nodded as she stood up from the table, before turning to face Pipsqueak. "Let us go find your parents, and see how they wish to proceed with this." It was hard for Twilight and Rarity to not smile at Pipsqueak's enthusiasm at the prospect of Luna meeting his parents. Twilight honestly wouldn't be surprised if Pipsqueak tried to lead her along by her hand in an effort to make the meeting occur faster. It was all kind of cute really. "Alright. I think I'm going to get back to the festivities now. There's a lot I want to get done before midnight," she said as she stood up from the table. "Before you go, darling, could I speak to you about something first?" Rarity asked. "Of course," Twilight replied and sat back down again. "What's up?" "It's about Princess Luna. Or rather what she's been doing since her arrival in Ponyville," Rarity began slowly. "Oh? What about it? Have you noticed anypony acting... improper about it?" Twilight asked curiously. Rarity shook her head. "Not since she first showed up, no; quite the opposite actually. Everypony is acting like tonight is no different from any other Nightmare Night; it's easy to forget she's nude until you catch sight of her again. It's all just..." she paused as she tried to think of the right word to say. "So different." Twilight nodded in response. She certainly understood what Rarity was talking about, what with how Luna's nudity seemed in contrast with what was the usual response to somepony being naked in a less than private manner. But she felt that it was Luna's sincere desire to make them feel at ease around her, that was making the difference in it all. She had shown up with pure intentions, and with a little assistance had made it all work out quite well. "... I'm actually thinking about participating as well," Rarity continued, quieter than previously. It took Twilight a moment to understand what Rarity was actually saying. And once she did her eyes went wide with surprise. "Participating? As in you going nude in public?" she asked. Rarity slowly nodded in confirmation. "Wow! I-I never thought that I'd hear you actually consider something like that." "Before Luna's appearance, neither did I. But seeing how things have turned out, it's hard not to at least contemplate such. Everypony present is conducting themselves quite well despite the circumstance, things are progressing as smoothly as any Nightmare Night can be expected to. It's... it's somewhat tempting to test the waters out and see what comes of it; see if it's something that catches on if another pony is willing to try," Rarity explained as best she could. "I was hoping that discussing the matter would make it easier to explain my reasoning behind it. But it appears that isn't the case..." "Oh," was all Twilight could really think to say at the moment. "So this is something you want to do?" "Not so much as wanting as simply being willing to try it out. Perhaps it's like jumping into a swimming pool in the summer; once the initial shock it over, it's really not so bad," Rarity contemplated. "At least I'd be in good company, so it wouldn't just be me doing it for sake of it." "That's true," Twilight noted. Princess Luna had gotten the ball rolling with her arrival, Vinyl had nudged it along further, and there was really no way of knowing just what might happen if a few others will willing to add further. They might just be standing at the edge of a new Nightmare Night tradition. "Well if you do, you know you'll have our support," she stated, regardless of whatever that support might entail. "I know, darling, and I appreciate that fact a great deal," Rarity replied as she reached over and patted her hand. She would wait and see if Luna would be in need of her services -which was all but guaranteed really- before proceeding with her plans. If she waited longer than that, she might wind up thinking more about what she was doing, about what could go wrong, and wind up chickening out of doing it as a result. And while there wasn't necessarily anything wrong with refraining, it simply wouldn't do. Beyond such facts, she wanted out of this blasted costume that Rainbow Dash had selected for her. A bit of social embarrassment would be an acceptable price to pay for not having her fetlocks rubbed raw by hard plastic, and her bosom being uncomfortably constrained by such a tacky mail brassier. "Oh dear," Twilight mumbled as she rubbed her chin. "I just thought of something." "What's that, darling?" Rarity asked, curious as to what had caught Twilight's attention. "Well it's just that, if Spike sees you he might, er, he might... ugh there's no way to be polite about this," Twilight groaned. "Polite about what?" Rarity asked. Twilight let out a sigh, before looking to Rarity. "If Spike sees you nude in public, his dick may snap off its hinges," she mumbled, just loud enough to be audible. Rarity hadn't expected to hear such a statement being made. The unexpectedness of it had left her both blushing, and giggling in response to it all. "Yes, that could certainly be a problem," she replied with mirth in her voice. It was one of the worst kept secrets in Ponyville that the young drake had a crush on her. One would be hard-pressed to find a pony who didn't actually know about it. And catching sight of her in a less than dressed state might be more than he could take if it were suddenly just sprung on him like that. "Could I trouble you to let him know about what I'm planning? Just so he's not caught completely entirely by surprise and can actually prepare himself?" "I can do that," Twilight replied and nodded, before standing back up again. "I guess we'll be seeing you shortly?" "Unless something unexpected comes up, yes," Rarity stated as she stood up as well. "Wish me luck." "Good luck, but hopefully you won't be needing it," Twilight replied, feeling a bit anxious herself over how things might be proceeding once Rarity did what she was thinking about doing. "Yes. Let's hope so," Rarity quietly agreed. She knew full well that there was the potential for things to go wrong. But she also knew that there was the potential for things to go quite right as well. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. And with everything they'd been through together, all the dangerous missions they'd been on together, she sincerely doubted that a little nudity on her part would be that bad. Right?