It's Just A Bit of Baldness

by Charlie_K

That less awkward moment after the misunderstanding has passed

"Twilight, do you mind if I ask you something?"

There were times when the awkwardness from Rarity's unintended discovery had felt palpable; often more so to herself than to Twilight. Despite having every justified reason to keep uncomfortable, and embarrassed about what had occurred today, she was taking everything so casually, and shown no outward signs of unease with being caught furless.

It had been an awkward period of time since the initial discovery, that couldn't be denied. But that awkwardness had eventually dissolved on the wake of a far more casual, and comfortable atmosphere settling in, thanks on no small part to Twilight's understanding, and willingness to address the issue openly. That had helped alleviate a great deal of tension.

And now that shift in atmosphere was being marked over two bowls of sweet imported ice cream from the palace's freezer.

"Go ahead," Twilight replied as she paused to readjust the grip she had on her spoon, just inches away from a scoop that was soaked in chocolate syrup.

"I know that it's really none of my business, and I'm not asking you to name names or anything, darling, but I'm curious. Do... any of the others know that you're a nudist?" Rarity asked.

Twilight shook her head. "No, none of them know about it. They've had no reason to ask, and I've had no reason, or desire, to make it a known fact. It's not exactly the sort of thing you just work into the conversation with somepony."

"Oh," Rarity replied. She could respect that decision. But then something that Twilight had said caught her attention. "Wait. When you said none of them, does that also include Spike?" she asked. Twilight nodded. "Not even Spike knows? But how is that possible? Didn't he accompany you when you went to Sunset Shimmer's?"

"No he didn't," Twilight replied, shaking her head again. "He was having fun with the Cutie Mark Crusaders that day, so I just went through on my own. He has no idea about it, as I haven't been doing it when he's around. I don't know how he'd respond to it if he saw me nude without warning," she explained.

"But I thought you said on hot nights you... well I just assumed that, seeing as Spike lives with you that it would've... come up at some point."

"No," Twilight replied and shook her head again, "when Spike's around I keep my fur on. When its really hot, I use a localized variant of the spell and remove the hair from the underside of my barrel, and just lay on the floor on my stomach. It's not as efficient, but it's better than nothing," she explained.

"Oh..." Rarity replied. That certainly made some sense. She paused and took another bite of her ice cream, savoring the taste, before speaking again. "So all this time, you've been keeping it to yourself," she elaborated.

"Pretty much," Twilight replied and nodded, before returning to her attention to her own ice cream. "But it's alright. Like I said, it's not an aspect of myself that I consider to be defining in terms of quality. If I can't go nude as often as I might like, it's really not a big deal."

"Yes, darling, I know. You keep saying that," Rarity replied as she idly stirred the melting portions of her ice cream. "Regardless of that fact. Hearing you describe what's involved with actually going about it, certainly makes it sound like it's a big deal. I mean, the amount of effort you apparently need to go through, not only to ensure your schedule is clear, but also to ensure that the rest of us don't accidentally stumble across your idea of relaxation... it sounds like an awfully significant amount of responsibility that you need to whither all by yourself," she explained and idly sucked the mushy concoction off of her spoon before continuing. "Be honest, dear, doesn't it all seem just a bit harrowing, knowing that you effort could be undone by one of us not being thoughtful enough to knock on the door before coming in?"

"I never said that it was easy, just that it wasn't a big deal," Twilight clarified, before taking another bite of her ice cream. "That said, however, it is an issue I've had to be mindful of whenever I want to dispense with my fur on a hot day. Not just when it comes to my friends, but anyone in Ponyville that might come by for whatever reason. I've gotten a little more in tuned with things since I first started, so I have a bit more of an idea of what to expect. But still, there are times when I don't quite feel safe enough with the idea to proceed," she explained, before taking a bigger scoop of ice cream, and let out a satisfied sigh as the taste met her tongue. "Why do you ask?"

"Might I speak freely, darling?" Rarity asked.

"Of course," Twilight replied and nodded.

"I know that my understanding of everything on this matter is limited, but speaking as one friend to another at recognizing the difficulty they're having... I think the others should be made aware of this development in what interests you. If for no other reason, than the simple fact that their being aware may make things a little easier on yourself. Being your friends, we should be looking at how we can help you; not simply what you can do for us. And if there are little things that we can be doing to help you out, like being able to keep Spike preoccupied, or knowing when it might be best to avoid the palace for a while, then I think it's something that should be discussed," Rarity explained.

"Oh," Twilight said, uncertain of how exactly to respond to what Rarity had said. She wasn't sure what she'd expected when Rarity asked about speaking freely, but that certainly wasn't it. That had come out of nowhere, like a brick straight to the face.

"I know that you have your reasons for not wanting to, Twilight, and I'm certainly not saying that your concerns aren't valid. But as your friend, I just can't help but feel like you might be making things more difficult for yourself than they need to be. We've all needed help at one point or another, sometimes with something we consider to be potentially embarrassing. It's really not all that different now," Rarity continued, laying out how she saw the situation from her own perspective. "With all that we've been through, from slumber parties, all the way to the number of times we've saved Equestria, I doubt this one little thing would be sufficient to quake the bonds we've forged," she pointed out.

Twilight wanted to offer a rebuttal, but found that she couldn't. What Rarity had said was playing about in her mind, and she had to admit that there was some sense to her words. Some of her -possibly irrational- fears weren't exactly standing up to the same level of scrutiny they originally had in light of Rarity's words. The others were her friends, and they had done a lot of things together; more than most had done in the same amount of time.

"I guess..." she slowly replied.

"I'm not saying that it's something that has to be done, that's simply not my call. I just think that it may be for the best if it is done," Rarity explained. "And please, darling, don't yet again say that it's no big deal," she added.

Twilight paused, uncertain of what to say in light of this. Now she was the one with a lot of questions.

"Rarity, I get that you want to help and all, but why exactly is this so important to you?" she finally asked, deciding to get to the heart of the matter. She'd been listening to Rarity explain things as she saw them, but for all of her words, there really wasn't that much being said. It was like she was trying to delicately approach a controversial subject of discussion, but with far too much tact. If she didn't speak up, they might be going back and forth about this for hours before getting anywhere. And if she didn't start getting some definite answers, she might have to press for them. "And please, be specific. Even if it means being blunt," she added.

"Oh. Very well then," Rarity replied and cleared her throat. "Besides the fact that we're your friends, there's also something you said earlier, about the crystal flooring being cool to lay on. I just can't help but think that, should that information get out, and if this summer is truly as ghastly as Rainbow Dash thinks it may be, we may all be spending more time in the palace than we originally considered. And if that's the case, then it's going to be very inconsiderate to you, with us all loitering about for our own comfort, and not realizing that we're keeping you from being comfortable as well. Them knowing would be as much for their sakes as it would be yours, darling," she explained.

"Hmm," Twilight mumbled as she rubbed her chin with her hoof. She would admit, that wasn't something she'd actually given much consideration to. But perhaps she should. She certainly wasn't going to deny her friends access to the palace, and hog it all to herself. "That is a good point," she finally agreed and nodded. It may ultimately prove necessary to let the others know about this. But the question was how?

"Do you have any suggestions for how to go about letting them know about this? Something that can be done in a controlled manner without causing a commotion or panic?"

Rarity wasn't certain if Twilight was exaggerating or not with her evaluation that the news would cause a panic among her friends. She liked to think she had a fairly good idea of the character of the others, and could anticipate how they might respond. But this was brand new territory. Knowing what she did, Pinkie may insist on throwing a party to celebrate Twilight's new found interests, seeking to validate what made her happy. Fluttershy might become flustered, and possibly even faint if she should see Twilight nude. Applejack and Rainbow Dash... she had no idea what the more rough and tumble members of their little group might do.

"Not at the moment," Rarity replied. She really hadn't thought that Twilight would actually agree; at least not without more effort on her part. But then she thought on the question as hoof, and came to a conclusion. "Actually... I think I know just where to start. Something simple, and can be done right now without much in the way of fuss," she stated.

"Really? What's that?" Twilight asked, curiosity piqued.

"Drop the illusion, darling. You've been wearing it all this time for my sake, and leaving yourself without your magic simply to make me comfortable. Big deal or no, I really shouldn't have asked you to do such; especially when it came to ice cream. And, seeing as how this is my idea, I think it only fair that I be the first to fully come to grip with the facts of everything," she explained, calmly and confidently.

Twilight considered what Rarity had to say. It was true, they all had to start somewhere in whatever they did. And it wasn't like Rarity hadn't already seen her with her fur off, so she knew what she was in for. So without further delay she stood up from where she sat, and cancelled out the illusion spell, freeing up her magic once again in the process.

Rarity did her best to not flinch as Twilight's disguise disappeared. She'd known that she'd been nude the entire time, but visual confirmation did a lot for hammering home the facts, and leaving no doubt that it was the truth. There was the natural urge to avert her gaze out of politeness, but that was at odds with the need to be polite by -paradoxically- not looking away. It was all very confusing, leaving her ultimately settling for focusing her attention on Twilight's eyes.

Or at least that's where she tried to keep her focus. Despite her efforts, it was hard not to notice the rest of Twilight.

And that notice soon led to observations about her friend; such as how she stood, and carried herself. She had noted earlier how Twilight's posture suggested a sense of security with herself, and that fact still remained even now. She didn't stand in a tense manner like she was trying to bolster her nerve, and overcome some sense of unease. Nor was she displaying any of the physical signs of a model who was proud of their display. She just stood in a relaxed, everyday manner, like this was nothing out of the ordinary to her; like she had seen her standing countless other times when she wore her fur. That was the part that just made it seem so... surreal in a way.

But then again surrealism wasn't necessarily a bad thing. It was just... different. Different enough that she couldn't figure out anything to say.

"Is everything alright?" Twilight asked.

"I'm just... really not certain of what to say, darling," Rarity replied. She didn't want to come off as being rude; not that she intended to be rude or anything. But trying not to be rude had the unnatural tendency of causing the exact opposite to occur.

"Maybe there's nothing that needs to be said," Twilight suggested.

"Perhaps not. But I don't particularly like leaving the matter unaddressed. It simply doesn't feel right," Rarity commented, mentally racking her brain as she tried to figure out what to say, if anything.

Maybe if she could come up with something to say, this wouldn't feel quite so awkward.

"... More ice cream?" Twilight asked.

"Yes, please."

Comments

[Unit_ZER0]

Just one question: If Twilight is trying to emulate the way she looked/felt while in the human world while at Sunset's apartment, wouldn't she keep her mane and tail, and only remove her body fur?

[Charlie_K]

6698924
Possibly. But at this point in the story, Twilight is still new to the whole thing, and hasn't had time to properly consider everything. That's what the sequel is for.