//------------------------------// // Eleven // Story: It's just Baldness // by Charlie_K //------------------------------// Rarity pushed her glasses back up onto her muzzle, trying not to get distracted from her current bit of work, which was proving to be a lot easier said than actually done right now. As with any occupation, one needed a wide range of skills to be competent at what they did for their career. Just as Applejack needed to know how to properly grow crops and not just harvest them, she herself needed to be proficient with the initial steps of giving an order form, before actually bringing it to life. And with such processes, that usually meant sitting down and drafting out a design that reflected the notes taken. But drafting only went so far when it came to bringing a creation to life. While it provided a visual confirmation for the notes currently tacked onto a propped up bulletin board beside her, and better helped her understand what was being asked of her services, it didn't change the fact that it was still a simple, two-dimensional representation of an idea, that would need to be translated into a three-dimensional creation. She was an artist, but an artist in fabrics rather than pencil and paper. Bringing a drawing to life like she could a dress simply wasn't a skill that she possessed. But then again being a graphic designer simply wasn't her passion. She mumbled, adjusting her glasses again, as she regarded what laid before her. The client who wanted this had been... particular about their wishes. Very particular. And while she was looking at quite a bit of funding for all her hard work, it still didn't change the fact that she felt like drafting it all out was going to take more time than she had to actually get the final project completed. "Perhaps I should've just gone with the prototype approach instead," she said to herself, not satisfied with the flow the curve of the flow in the skirt and how it just didn't look right on the flank. Granted there was a lot to keep track of on this one, but she was still more confident in her mastery over fabric than paper. She could levitate far more parts and components into place, than she could ever adequately draw out. The sound of the bell above the front door going off served to break what little concentration she'd managed to hold onto for this part of the project. And depending on what the current customer wanted, getting it back might prove to be an exercise in futility. "No rest for the wicked I suppose," she muttered as she levitated her glasses off, before making her way to the front of the boutique to greet whoever had set hoof into her shop. However she stopped from presenting her standard greeting of customers when she saw that it wasn't somepony browsing her wares, but rather Apple Bloom instead. No rest for the wicked was shaping up to be an accurate observation in this case, it appeared. "Oh, hello Apple Bloom," she greeted, going with the more casual and friendly approach, rather than the professional greeting used to grab new customers and hold their attention firmly. "Are you looking for Sweetie Belle?" "Actually, Rarity, Ah was hopin' Ah could talk wit' you instead," Apple Bloom replied. "Are ya busy right now?" In truth, Rarity really was busy with her current order, and the work necessary in fulfilling it. But there was something in the way that Apple Bloom spoke, that had her refraining from confirming this fact to the young filly. "What's this about?" she asked, deciding to feel out the situation more, before committing herself one way or another. "Er..." Apple Bloom paused uneasily, "about wha' happened at Twilight's the other day," she admitted. That had sealed the deal. That was the clincher for her. There was no way that she could, in good conscience, send Apple Bloom away under these circumstances, stating that she was simply too busy to speak with her about whatever was on her mind. Without a single word, Rarity had gone over to the front door, and hung up the sign letting others know that she was out to lunch. With that done so they wouldn't be disturbed, she signaled for Apple Bloom to follow her back to her inspiration room, so they could talk privately without being disturbed. "Now then, Apple Bloom, what seems to be on your mind?" she asked. "Well Ah was jus' wonderin'... are ya a nudist too? Like Twilight is?" Apple Bloom asked. Rarity was caught off guard by the question, not expecting Apple Bloom to ask that of all things. But off guard or not, she composed herself, before shaking her head in response. "No, sorry. Twilight's the only true nudist in our group of friends." "Oh..." Apple Bloom replied slowly, a hint of disappointment clearly evident in her voice. "Well darn. Ah was hopin' ya could answer a question Ah'm jus' not gettin' on mah own." "Well perhaps I still can, darling. Simply because I don't dabble in discarding my fur, doesn't mean that I'm entirely ignorant on the subject. I might not participate, but I've made an effort to learn more about the matter since it's important to Twilight," Rarity explained. Apple Bloom contemplated the thought a bit, mulling over what she wanted to do. But after said mulling, she realized that pretty much the only thing she could do was ask Rarity, and see what sort of answer she got. If nothing else she wouldn't be any worse for wear if that answer didn't help her out any. "Ah'm tryin' ta figure out what Twilight likes 'bout bein' a nudist. wha' does she get out of it, tha' makes it worth all the work she's gotta do fer it?" she asked. Now it was Rarity's turn to pause, uncertain of just how to proceed, and left with little choice but to mull over the matter in thought, in search of an answer to the question. "I'm sorry, Apple Bloom, but I'm afraid that's a question I simply can't answer. I can't speak for Twilight on this matter," she eventually replied and shook her head. Although her inability to answer wasn't due to it being improper, but rather a lack of understanding on her own part. She'd presented this question herself back when she'd discovered Twilight's latest interest, but try as she might, she was still without an understanding of what exactly it was that Twilight enjoyed so much about nudism, that she willingly tolerated all of the difficulties involved with it. "But then again that's not necessarily a bad thing..." "Huh? Say wha' now?" Apple Bloom asked, confused by that last bit. "Think about it for a moment, Apple Bloom. You don't need to go into details, but aren't there some activities that you enjoy doing by yourself? Even if your friends don't care for them, or perhaps don't understand what you enjoy about them?" Rarity asked. "Well o' course," Apple Bloom replied quickly. But not quite quick enough to keep Rarity from continuing. "And do you ever feel the need to justify these activities to your friends, because they need to believe it's worthwhile to warrant your interest in what you enjoy doing?" "Um... n-no?" Apple Bloom replied uncertainly, not entirely certain she was following what Rarity was saying at this point. It was all starting to sound a little confusing to her. Rarity nodded. "It's the same premise for Twilight in this case. For whatever reason, she enjoys going without her fur in the privacy of her own home, and it's not necessary for us to understand her reasons in order for her to enjoy it. It would be nice to understand, of course, but it's not necessary. As Twilight's friend, there's only two things I really need to know about this; is she happy? And is she safe? So long as she's enjoying herself, she's not hurting herself, and nopony else is being hurt in the process, then that's all that truly matters. Anything else is just... window dressing I suppose; desirable but not entirely necessary." Apple Bloom contemplated Rarity's words of explanation. She had to admit that a lot of what had been said sort of made a lot of sense. There were still parts that she didn't get, but it did make things a lot easier to find out that she didn't have to understand why somepony liked doing what they did in order to support them doing it. However... "That still doesn' answer mah question though," she pointed out. Rarity's advice might've helped, but she was still left with the same question she faced earlier; what was it about nudism that Twilight liked so much? "Hmm, perhaps not. But it was the best I could do on such short notice," Rarity admitted and gave a shrug. "If you want to know more, I'm afraid you'll just have to ask Twilight herself. Just approach the subject cautiously, however, as it's quite rude to make demands of somepony to justify why they like something you might not understand," she advised. Apple Bloom nodded, knowing that Rarity's use of "you" didn't specifically mean her. But that was neither here nor there, as she understood what Rarity was getting at; what one liked doing didn't have to be justified to others, because their opinions didn't invalidate the enjoyment achieved. Or something like that. But before she could thank Rarity and take her leave, another thought popped into her head. And this one was practically demanding to be addressed in a prompt manner. "Wha'd ya mean when ya said Twilight was the only true nudist? Are there fake nudists er somethin'?" she asked. "Well..." Rarity paused, not quite sure how to proceed since Applejack had never discussed this particular scenario with her. Not knowing the level of information Apple Bloom possessed, she decided to proceed cautiously. "Well it's not so much a matter of being a fake as... well... to be honest I really don't know what the point of distinction is when one is embracing the culture, as opposed to simply trying it out for themselves. It's... it's rather complicated," she explained as best she could. "Ya got that right," Apple Bloom replied and nodded. Complicated was pretty much an understatement when it came to all this. Before she could ask anymore questions, they both heard the sound of the boutique's front door being roughly forced open, and the sound of feet quickly running across the flooring. Curiosity and concern had them looking at one another, before both going to investigate together, only to find Spike looking about frantically as he tried to catch his breath. "Spike?" Rarity asked, bringing his attention to them, and a look of relief washing over his face in the process. "Rarity," he panted, "I think we've got a problem with Twilight." "Oh no," Rarity replied, trying not to be overcome with worry over the statement. "What's wrong? Is she hurt?" Spike frantically shook his head, before forcing himself to suck down a deep, sizable breath to explain the situation to them. +++ Another day in Ponyville, another day in sweltering humidity. Being a dragon, Spike could take the heat that the summer brought with it. But even that didn't make him resilient to the moisture in the air that just magnified the misery exponentially. It was days like this that made him prefer Princess Luna's nights all the more; it was still unpleasant, but at least the sun wasn't beating down on them. But that was still a good 12 hours or so away from coming to pass, leaving him to suffer during the interim. "Hot," he groaned to anyone that would listen to him, but ultimately not having the strength to care whether or not he was heard as he laid all splayed out on the library's floor. "It's too early for it to be this bad..." "I know, Spike, I know," Twilight replied from where she rested, sounding just as miserable as she spoke. Spike, who was currently laying flat on his back on the crystal floor of the library, glanced over in Twilight's direction. He couldn't tell if she was more or less miserable than he was, considering the differences in their respective species. Plus the illusion charm was probably obscuring some of the more subtle cues to her condition. But at least she'd managed to get it working to the point where it no longer gave her a horrible headache. "Although in truth the only reason we're noticing the heat so much, is because of how much humidity is in the air at the moment, serving to intensify it. Few ponies realize it, but there are easily several gallons worth of moisture in the air in any given home," she went on to explain. "That much? Wow," Spike replied, surprised to hear that. He was tempted to make a fish joke, but knew that Twilight would feel the need to correct him about the physical impracticalities and impossibilities present in his statement, and ultimately decided against it. "So can't you just, I don't know, take it out of the air?" he asked. Twilight rubbed her chin in thought as she considered Spike's question. "Well there are certain spells that can achieve such, but to use them we'd have to close up the palace. Otherwise the humidity outside would just come inside, and we'd lose considerable ground. But if we did that, we'd lose whatever breeze we're currently getting from the outside as well," she explained. "So it's a no win situation either way," Spike elaborated, seeing how this was going to play out. "More or less," Twilight admitted and nodded. Spike just sighed, idly wondering which option was the lesser of two evils to deal with as he flopped back down on the library's floor. He tilted his head back, and observed Twilight laying on what had affectionately come to be referred to as her nest. It was a mess of cotton sheets, pillows, and foam padding that supposedly didn't retain body heat, and provided more comfort than simply laying on the crystal flooring. He didn't really understand how it worked, just that it did. But then again he didn't care much if he laid on the bare floor or not; something about dragon instinct or something like that. "Cold shower?" he asked, figuring it was as good as any suggestion when it came to cooling off, even temporarily. "Oh yes please!" Twilight stated eagerly and stood up, not even hesitating in closing the book she'd been reading just a moment before. The last time the two of them had shared a shower, the water had been a simple 20 degrees lower than the ambient temperature. It had been comfortable and relaxing to experience, without being too extreme. This time around the water was set considerably lower, and as such was considerably more brisk to experience. Brisk like jumping into a recently filled swimming pool. It was positively cold and induced a desire to squeal loudly and get right out of the way. But the sensation was brief as they settled in, and allowed their bodies to get acclimated to the temperature, to the point that it was no longer unpleasant to experience. "Oh yes, that's much better," Twilight said with a contented sigh as she leaned back against the tub, letting the water just beat against her. "Totally," Spike agreed, finding the cold water to be both relaxing and exhilarating at the same time. "Hey, Twilight, could we get a wading pool?" "A wading pool? What for, Spike?" Twilight asked as she sat up to look at him. "Well if we had one in the palace, we wouldn't have to run the shower anytime we got hot. We could just fill it up and leave it, and just take a dip whenever we felt like it," he explained. "Hm. That's actually not a bad idea. It would certainly save water in the long run," Twilight noted as she began running over what would be involved with doing such. "It might be worth looking into." "Yeah," Spike agreed and nodded as he stepped back closer to the edge of the tub. "And besides that, it'd be easier to do this!" he said as he swept his hands along the bottom of the tub, catching as much water as he could and flinging it in Twilight's direction. Twilight flinched and shielded herself with her forelegs as best she could against the impromptu assault, acting on instinct rather than conscious thought. Growing up she and Spike had been involved in these water wars a lot when bathing, although never in a shower before. With a smirk, she returned the favor as best she could, flinging what scant water she could gather back at him. The scene quickly devolved into a wet mess, the two of them laughing as they carried out, all thoughts on the heat of the day being abandoned in the name of good old fun being had. "I surrender, I surrender!" Twilight giggled, recognizing that Spike had the clear tactical advantage over her, what with being perched near the drain where all the water would naturally flow. "That was a lot of fun, Spike. Thanks." "Hey, no problem," Spike replied. He didn't know where the silly thought of a water war had come from, but it had certainly been enjoyable enough. But right now all he wanted to do was sit down like Twilight was, and just let the steady stream of water wash over him. So with that thought in mind he crawled over to where Twilight rested, and leaned up against her so they could both enjoy the stream, much as had been done when she first informed him about her secret. "What the?" But before he could actually relax, he noticed that something behind him felt... off. Something that had to do with Twilight. Pushing himself back up he faced her, and started running his hands along her stomach, and noticing the strange texture it had about it. It was fur. Wet fur to be precise. Twilight wasn't bald anymore. "Spike, stop that, it tickles," Twilight protested and squirmed. "What's this about?" "You've got your fur on!" he noted, feeling the wet, coarse hairs brushing against his scaly fingers as he ran them along her skin. "Are we going somewhere today?" he asked. Twilight shook her head in response. "We don't have any scheduled trips today if that's what you're asking." "Well... then why've you got your fur on in this heat, if we're not going anywhere? Isn't that the only time you really let it grow back out?" Spike asked. "Normally that's the case. But I've decided to stop doing that," Twilight replied. "What?" Spike squawked in disbelief. "You decided to stop being a nudist? Just like that? But you said you liked the feeling of not having your fur on! What gives?" "Nothing "gives," Spike, I simply decided to stop, that's all," Twilight replied simply. Spike frowned in response. "Don't lie to me, Twilight. You don't make snap decisions without weighing over everything first. If you decided to stop being a nudist, then you must have had a good reason for it," he pointed out. "And don't try and tell me that I shouldn't worry because it doesn't affect me. Because there's still that undecided matter of whether or not I qualify as a nudist too, so it certainly does affect me. Now what gives?" For a moment, Twilight was silent, but the look on her face spoke volumes. She knew that she'd been cornered, and couldn't wiggle her way free. That left her with no choice but to respond. "Pinkie... had some bad experiences with baldness while growing up on the rock farm. That's why she freaked out and ran like she did. Apparently seeing me standing there nude just conjured them up and reminded her of her own unpleasant experiences," she finally explained. Spike was momentarily at a loss for words at hearing Twilight's explanation. He hadn't expected that. "Oh..." he finally found himself saying in response. To which Twilight nodded. He'd never stopped to consider that what they'd been doing this whole time was harmful, or even traumatizing; why would he even have reason to think or even believe something like that? "Poor Pinkie." Twilight nodded in agreement, no words being offered up in turn. "So is she coming over today, and you want her to be comfortable, or something?" he asked. Twilight shook her head. "No, nothing like that. I simply decided that what enjoyment I got out of being a nudist, wasn't worth the loss of the friendship that I have with Pinkie. I'd rather give it up than lose a friend because of it," she explained. "Part of being a nudist, is being considerate of others; if they're uncomfortable with you not wearing anything, then you have the decency to cover up for their sake. Even if it's in your own home." "So you talked this over with Pinkie? Did she ask you to stop doing what you like, because she doesn't like it?" Spike asked. "No, Spike, Pinkie didn't ask me to do anything. I didn't want to put her in the position of having to ask since the subject matter makes her uncomfortable. So rather than waiting for her to broach the subject, I decided the best course of action would be to simply take the initiative myself," Twilight explained. "It's no big loss, really. It's not like I had a long term plan in mind. It's just... one of those things." +++ "... and that's pretty much what happened," Spike said as he concluded his recounting of events to Rarity. The only part he really regretted, was that by the time all the smart sounding rebuttals to Twilight's plan had come to mind, it was already way too late to offer them up. "I waited a couple of hours before coming to find you, to make sure Twilight didn't get suspicious about my leaving," he added. Rarity, silently and patiently, listened as Spike explained the situation to her, all the while trying to keep a neutral expression as he did. Although that was much easier said than done in this situation. It was only once he had finished, did she finally speak up. "I'm sorry, Spike, but it sounds like Twilight has come to a conclusion on what she wishes to do. I don't really think it's our place to question her," she pointed out. "But she didn't make it herself, she let what she thinks Pinkie wants of her, make the decision for her! I mean, she didn't ask Pinkie first to check, she just assumed that it was the best thing to do!" Spike protested. He'd expected Rarity to immediately jump on this, but instead he was being met with dismissal; like she didn't even want to get involved. He couldn't accept that being the case; not after everything they'd been through. "I mean, even if that was what Pinkie wanted in the first place, shouldn't she still have to be considerate to Twilight, and think about what she wants to do with herself?" Rarity wouldn't deny that Spike had a number of good points to make. If Twilight was acting of of some misguided sense of loyalty, then an intervention was certainly warranted. The two of them had been working hard together at assisting Twilight in enjoying her newfound interest. Whether it was emotional support, running interference, or something else to be helpful, they were there and providing it as best they could. They'd known since the beginning of their introduction that Twilight didn't have a definitive game plan in mind for what she wanted to do in the long term, and was mostly playing it by ear. They knew that she could simply choose to stop at any given time, and that would simply be the end of it. But if such a decision were made on Twilight's part, she was expecting something different in the way of confirmation. A conversation about what she was planning or something. This... this just pulled the rug out from under her hooves, leaving her stunned and largely uncertain. She very much wanted to respect Twilight's wishes on the matter... but she also desperately wanted to meddle, and make sure that the decision was being made for the right reasons. Friendship was fine, guilt was not. "Well then, it sounds like the cutie map is behind schedule," she muttered to herself. One of their friends was in need of help, and she'd be remiss if she simply stood by. "It looks like we have work to do." "Can Ah help?" Both Rarity and Spike turned to look at Apple Bloom, who'd been standing off to the side the entire time, more or less forgotten about until now. "Can she?" Spike asked as he looked at Rarity again. "I'm not certain," Rarity replied, trying to think of what -if anything- the young filly would be able to do. And just like that, a thought came to her. "Tell me, Apple Bloom, is your sister working the market today?" "She sure is," Apple Bloom replied and nodded quickly. "Do ya wan' me ta go an' get 'er?" "Yes, that would work. But please be discrete when you do, alright? Can you do that?" Rarity asked her. "Ah can try. But wha' should Ah tell 'er so she'll know wha's goin' on?" Apple Bloom asked. Rarity paused only a moment before responding. "Tell her that she's needed at the boutique, and we have a situation with a lavender jaybird. She should understand what that means." "On it," Apple Bloom replied, offering up a quick salute before heading back out the front door. "So what's the game plan?" Spike asked once they were alone. "I don't know yet, Spike. We'll have to play it by ear," was all Rarity had to say. When Apple Bloom had found her in the market, and brought news of what was up, Applejack realized that she had little choice but to put her little sister in charge of the stall, and make her way to Rarity's boutique to get the full rundown on just what was up. The explanation she got wasn't anything close to what she was expecting to hear. And by the time Rarity and Spike had finished explaining the situation to her, she couldn't help but feel like she had more questions than answers. When they'd approached her about assisting with whatever problems might arise from Twilight revealing to the others that she was a nudist, she'd envisioned a few scenarios that she might be dealing with. But this wasn't among them. "Wow. Jus'... jus' wow!" was all she had to say in response to it all. "Ah honestly wasn' expectin' that." "None of us were," Rarity confirmed. "A'right then," Applejack replied after a moment to try and gather her thought. "So that happened. Question is wha' do we do now?" "To be perfectly honest, I'm really not certain myself," Rarity admitted. Of all the scenarios she'd envisioned being an issue, this simply wasn't one of them. "But I believe we should start by trying to talk with Pinkie on the matter, and figure out where she stands. It's entirely possible that what she wants isn't what Twilight believes she wants, and we can resolve the situation with ease," she suggested. "And what if this is what Pinkie wants?" Spike asked. "Then we sit down with Pinkie and discuss the matter like rational adults until we arrive at an acceptable conclusion. We explain it to her, we listen to what she has to say, and we hope that her desire to make others happy, is stronger than her discomfort. But what we absolutely don't do, is try and force her to accept what Twilight is doing. There will be no yelling, no bullying, no coercion of any sort. We talk to her rationally, and try to help walk her through this if she's willing to listen," Rarity stated. She was willing to do a lot to help Twilight, but not if it meant hurting others. Not that she actually suspected anypony would try and hurt Pinkie. She just wanted to clarify the matter, that was all. "And if that doesn' work?" Applejack asked. Rarity sighed, wishing that the two of them would just stop asking for contingencies. She understood that they might wish to have some idea of how to proceed, but she'd only thought this out so far. "Well then we talk to Twilight instead, and try to convince her that she doesn't have to stop what she likes doing, simply because Pinkie doesn't like it. It's her life to live, and sometimes she simply needs to put her hoof down and stop worrying about what others want," she stated. Before either one of them had the chance to ask what they were going to do if that failed, which she was certain they would, she was already talking again. "If that doesn't work, we sit them both down and talk to them at the same time, and hope that something works out. And if all else fails, I'm going to seriously contemplate grabbing the both of them by their ears, and locking them in a room together until they can sort out their differences together, and come to a decision on just what they're going to do..."