It's just Baldness

by Charlie_K

Twenty Three

The excitement and antics stemming from Pinkie's previous statement had died down by the time Spike had returned, both with his snack of choice and the research notes Twilight had requested. Allowing the three of them to more or less settle back down peacefully in front of the air conditioner, and simply enjoy the cool air blowing over them as they relaxed in their respective positions, left to their respective distractions.

However the relative peace in the room was soon broken by a rapping noise coming from the outside of one of the library windows, making the three of them look up.

"Were you expecting company?" Pinkie asked as she directed her attention to Twilight.

Twilight shook her head, already in the process of retrieving her necklace and slipping it on, implementing the illusion just before the window was opened from the outside.

Much to everyone's relief, it was Rainbow Dash slipping inside the room, and closing the window behind her, seemingly oblivious to their presence as she hovered. But if her haggard appearance was anything to go by, it was probably understandable.

"Rainbow Dash?"

The cyan pegasus let out a less than stellar squeak and immediately spun around to see them, looking far too worn out to really feel embarrassed at having been caught in the act.

"Uh, hi Twi'," she replied as the rubbed the back of her head uneasily. "Do you mind if I crash here for a bit? The heat's really starting to mess with my stomach and I need to cool off bad..."

"On the contrary, I'd recommend it," Twilight stated, before pulling off the necklace and letting the illusion drop once again. "Pull up a seat and enjoy the cool. You look like you could use it."

"Actually,Twi'," Rainbow Dash paused as she touched down, "I kinda think I might need to go all in on this one."

Twilight blinked in response. "All in?"

"All in," Rainbow Dash nodded and ran a foreleg down her barrel. "My coat feels way too hot after being out there for so long. I think I need to go without for a while..."

Twilight's immediate response was to sit up a little bit straighter and smile at Rainbow Dash's words. However the good mood she was experiencing, was immediately tempered as looked back over to Pinkie. Suddenly things were now more complicated, leaving her uncertain of how to proceed between two potentially different points, which looked like they were about to collide head on.

"Is... this going to be a problem?"

Rainbow Dash blinked, confused by the question.

"Why would it be a problem for me to go without my fur? It's what you're doing right now," she pointed out.

"I know, but," Twilight paused as she glanced back at Pinkie a second time, just as uneasily as the first time. How exactly should she proceed with this? Was it right to inform her? Was it wrong to broach a subject Pinkie hadn't given her permission to speak about?

"I'll... be okay," Pinkie finally stated in a very un-Pinkie-like manner that more or less warranted all of their attention.

"Alright, can somepony fill me in on what's going on around here? Anypony?" Rainbow Dash asked, both confused and slightly irritated at the lack of clarity, as she continued to feel like she was baking in her own skin.

With one last look, and a nod from Pinkie, Twilight turned back to her other friend to read her in on the situation for what it was.

"The thing is, Rainbow, Pinkie... sort of had some bad experiences with baldness when she was growing up. I've been trying to help her with that. But I don't know if she's up to dealing with two bald ponies simultaneously."

"... Oh..." Rainbow Dash replied slowly as she eased herself onto the ground, uncertain of how to proceed now. "Sorry to hear that, Pinks."

Pinkie simply shook her head in response.

"It's not your fault, Dashie. You didn't know, and Twilight didn't want to go behind my back and tell you something without checking with me first," she stated. "But it would be my fault if I put my comfort ahead of yours, and left you trapped in a fur coat you already said is too hot for the weather we're facing. So... I guess it's just time to kick this therapy up a notch," she added firmly.

"Alright then," Twilight replied slowly, not sure exactly what to make of the situation as it unfolded, and not wanting to jump too far ahead for anypony's comfort.

She honestly didn't know if Pinkie trying to force this matter was a good thing, or a bad thing. Granted, something like this would've needed to occur eventually, with the level of exposure growing. But was it too soon for this step to be taken? That was a question for which no answer could currently be presented.

Before she could move to bring Rainbow Dash with her to the bathroom, she stopped as a new idea suddenly popped into her head.

"Actually, Rainbow Dash, if you could wait for just two minutes, there's something I'd like to see about trying first. And possibly get an answer to one of Pinkie's questions in the process."

Now it was Pinkie's turn to be confused, first looking at Twilight and then back at Rainbow Dash as she tried to recall what the former was talking about.

"Yeah, I guess I can do that," Rainbow Dash replied, although she still moved closer to the air conditioner to help take some of the edge off the residual heat she was still feeling. "It's not really that I want to do the whole bare skin thing, but I also don't wanna get heatsick either. And who knows, maybe this time around it'll be better."

"That's the spirit," Spike chimed in.

"Alright," Twilight spoke again. "The last time Pinkie was over, she wondered if it was possible to cast the localized version of the spell without actually looking at the target. I haven't really had the opportunity to sort that out, since results on myself would be different from results on another pony. So now seems like a good as any to try it out and see if it can be done."

Hearing this, Pinkie sat up a bit straighter to pay better attention to whatever might be happening.

Rainbow Dash simply opted to remain standing, as Twilight turned her back on them, and her horn began to glow.

"For this experiment, I'm going to be focusing on the cutie mark on your left flank, and trying for a square shape of approximately the same size," she explained.

Three sets of eyes now rested on the aforementioned flank, as they waited for Twilight to do whatever it was she was attempting to do.

Seeing no immediate change, Spike retrieved the spray bottle he'd been using previously, reset it back to the mist setting where it rightly belonged, and sprayed down Rainbow Dash's flank. Before pulling the towel off his neck and wiping down her thigh like he would a dirty dish.

It was, admittedly, still kind of weird to see fur come off so easily, leaving behind nothing but bare skin with the only trace of it having been there in the first place being a now-stained towel, and a faint outline of a cutie mark. Whether or not he'd ever get used to seeing it, he couldn't say. But right now it was neither here nor there, as he had assistance duties to tend to.

"Well, Twilight, your aim was pretty much of point, but your mark was way off."

Hearing this, Twilight turned back around to see what Spike meant, and frowned at the sight. Instead of Rainbow Dash's cutie mark fur being gone, her entire left flank was currently bare, exposing the mottling underneath for everyone to see.

"Hmm. I guess it's not as precise as I'd hoped it could be," she replied. But for a first attempt without practice, could she really expect anything different. "Oh well, it was worth a try."

"Maybe next time, egghead. But if you could leave my wings unaffected, I'd appreciate it," Rainbow Dash stated.

"Oh! Right, I forgot that we discussed that! Of course, follow me and we'll get you all sorted out," Twilight replied and trotted out of the room, leading the cyan pegasus behind her.

"Spike?" Pinkie spoke up as they found themselves alone in the library. "Am I the only one who found that whole thing to be weird?"

"Nah. Watching a pony's fur wash off like nothing is always kinda weird," Spike admitted as he turned his attention back to her. "Watching it actually grow back in that fast isn't much better. But on the bright side, my claws are proving to be invaluable," he added as he flexed his digits before her.

Pinkie couldn't help but giggle at Spike's comment. It helped -slightly- take the edge off her nerves at the moment.

But all too soon her nerves reasserted themselves, as the full weight of the situation reminded her of its presence again. Two of her best friends were about to be bald as bowling balls, right in front of her, with every detail to them being easily seen. And she would be the only one present who still had her fur on.

It didn't help that the next few minutes passed by in silence, other than the whirring of the ad-hoc air conditioner doing its job. She wasn't sure just what to say right now, and Spike didn't seem inclined to speak up himself.

And then the silence was broken by the sound of flapping coming down the hallway as Rainbow Dash swooped back into the room and touched down in front of them again. Stripped completely of her fur, but with her flared wings still covered in their cyan feathers.

Try as she might, Pinkie couldn't help but flinch away at the sudden and overt display of baldness that'd all but been thrust right into her face in the sort of way that only Rainbow Dash could do. She had to forcibly clench her leg joints stiff to avoid running away right then and there.

"Oh yeah, that's a whole lot better," Rainbow Dash sighed happily as she proceeded to stretch like a cat, utterly oblivious to her own surroundings in the moment.

Spike simply watched the entire demonstration for a moment, before shaking his head. "You mind tucking away those wings, Dash?"

"Yeah, yeah," Rainbow Dash grumbled as she stood back up and retracted her wings. Only to flinch and drive them back out again as they made contact with her skin. "Okay... this is awkward..."

"Getting a little too turned on, are we?" Spike asked as he crossed his arms over his chest and smirked.

"No, you little pervert," Rainbow Dash snapped right back and gave a huff. "This is kinda embarrassing. My feathers are tickling me..."

Pinkie didn't necessarily want to be amused by her friend's plight, but in this case the plight was just a little too silly to not at least smirk in response to hearing.

Spike, ever the professional that he was, thought on it for a moment without comment, before scurrying his way over to the plastic tote filled with melting ice water and fresh towels to pluck one out, wring out the excess wetness with a degree of strength that few could match, and moved back over to Rainbow Dash, carefully draping it sideways over her back just behind where her wings sat.

"Try that."

Skeptically, Rainbow Dash slowly retracted and tucked in her wings once again.

"Much better," she replied and slouched a bit, able to relax without the downy feeling dancing against her sensitive skin. "This is gonna take some getting used to."

Spike simply gave an understanding nod in response. Outside of Twilight he was probably the most knowledgeable about this subject, including the mundane little details that could so easily get overlooked. Chief among them being just how sensitive bare skin could be.

Then again, said little detail had been responsible for so much laundry in the following days, it was kind of hard not to be familiar with it to same degree.

Honestly, who in their right mind would believe that the type of laundry detergent used could be such an issue in need of addressing?

Before the conversation could actually get going, it was effectively halted as Twilight popped back into the room via teleportation and a flash of purple light, and not looking too particularly happy.

"You could've waited for me before just taking off like that, Rainbow Dash," she pointed out.

"Yeah, by bad," Rainbow Dash admitted and rubbed the back of her head with her hoof. "Sorry, Twilight, I just really wanted to see what it felt like to fly around like this, since I got to keep my feathers this time."

Try as she might, Twilight couldn't really fault her friend there for wanting to experience something new.

"So what's it like?"

Surprisingly it was Pinkie who presented the question.

"Honestly? I never thought I'd say this, but like this it's actually kind of annoying to fly! The air's moving over my skin so fast it tickles and feels all weird and stuff!" Rainbow Dash stated and frowned. "I either need to get more used to this or cut it out entirely."

"The flying or the baldness?" Spike asked.

"Yes," Rainbow Dash replied.

Pinkie let out a snort of amusement at Rainbow Dash's statement. Which is turn got a smile out of Twilight, happy to see her friend wasn't beyond the point of laughter despite being in the presence of two bald ponies. Maybe their impromptu therapy sessions were actually doing some small bit of measurable good.

"Alright, I got out of my fur, so I wanna make the most of this whole cooling off session," Rainbow Dash stated and made her way over to where the air conditioner currently sat, eager to claim a spot in front of the premium cold air.

Wordlessly, the others quickly joined her in finding a comfortable spot to rest on the large cotton sheet that was spread out on the crystal floor to serve as a buffer/cushion between them and the crystal flooring.

Under normal circumstances, Pinkie basically cutting in line and plopping herself down in front of Rainbow Dash to hog the air current for herself would be grounds for objection and complaints.

But these weren't normal circumstances, so she was willing to let it slide this time around. Honestly, it was actually a bit more comfortable to have her friend serving as a buffer so she wasn't in the direct path of so much cold air for an extended period of time. Now that she was out of her fur, it was a different matter and needed to be addressed accordingly.

Regardless, it was still a whole lot better than being outside right now.

"How're you holding up, Pinkie?"

"I'll be alright..."

The conversation, and the fact Pinkie responded in a very not-Pinkie fashion, served to pique Rainbow Dash's curiosity.

"Does somepony wanna tell me what's going on here?" she asked as she lifted her head up. "I'm feeling left out of the loop here."

Twilight looked at Pinkie. Pinkie looked back at Twilight, before eventually giving a brief nod.

"Pinkie's parents used to shave her and her sisters during the hot season, so they wouldn't have to deal with infestations of fleas, ticks or lice," Twilight explained, "with an old-fashioned straight razor. Needless to say the procedure wasn't as smooth as my own."

Pinkie's only contribution was a physical shudder as she squeezed her eyes shut.

"Wow," was all Rainbow Dash had to offer up at the moment as she let the news sink in. "That... that sucks. I'm sorry to hear that."

"You didn't know," Pinkie replied as she kept her head low. "It was a long time ago, and Twilight's been doing her best to help me. It's still not something I'd ever wanna do myself, though."

"And it's not something we'd ever make you do," Twilight assured her as she reached over to rest a hoof on her withers. "The only one who'll be going bald around here is me. Well, except for Rainbow Dash and Applejack, of course."

"Eh, mainly just Applejack," Rainbow Dash spoke up, before momentarily adjusting her position. "Don't get me wrong. Twi', I'm alright with doing this, but it's not really my thing. Really, I'm just doing this so I can cool off fast. And even then, only because it's so easy. If I had to go through all the hassle Pinkie did while growing up, I wouldn't be touching this with a ten foot pole."

"Wait, really?" Pinkie asked, her curiosity now presently piqued by this revelation. "You don't like going bald?"

"I mean, it's not all that bad, but it's certainly not my favorite thing in the world to do," Rainbow Dash replied, before giving a grunt as she rolled over onto her back in order to scratch as itch on her back against the sheet. "And I'm really not looking forward to getting my fur grown back in either. That itches and hurts like nopony's business."

Pinkie gave an involuntary shudder and vigorously nodded in agreement, as more unpleasant memories began to force their way to the surface.

"Well then, Rainbow Dash, you're in luck," Twilight spoke up, a hint of excitement creeping into her voice as she pushed herself up. "I'm happy to announce I've made significant breakthroughs in my research on the matter. I've learned that when used in conjunction with a basic analgesic spell, the pain and discomfort that comes from the rapid regrowth of fur is reduced to a far more tolerable level, rendering it little more than a mild annoyance to experience."

Rainbow Dash slowly blinked and looked up at hearing this.

"... You have to go up the butt?"

Spike had tried not to laugh in response, even going so far as to clamp both hands over his mouth to keep his lips pinched shut as he desperately snorted in amusement. But the urge was far too strong to resist and he'd been reduced to a laughing mess in short order.

Pinkie's dam had burst right along with Spike's, possibly triggered by his, as she rolled over onto her back and grasped her stomach as she desperately tried to breathe.

Twilight scowled at her friends, annoyed by the sheer amount of immaturity they were currently displaying. However her own resolve crumbled not two seconds later, reducing her to nothing but a fit of giggles as she tried some measure of professionalism.

"What? What's so funny?" Rainbow Dash asked, hopelessly confused by what was going on.

"That's not what that word means!" Twilight managed to get out, all the while trying to get herself back under control. "I know it sounds like that, but it's entirely unrelated. It's a topical application spell that numbs the surface of the skin, all the way down to the nerve endings. You feel almost nothing as your fur grows back in."

"So no butt stuff then?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"No butt stuff," Twilight confirmed and shook her head.

"Huh," Rainbow Dash replied, uncertain of what else she could say in response. "Well that's good to know then; on both counts."

This was definitely going to require some reevaluation on her part. Maybe reserve judgement on the whole thing until she actually experienced the whole thing, now that she knew it was supposedly improved over the last time.

Pinkie nodded in agreement with the assessment, but otherwise remained silent on the matter.

"It certainly helps with the process. Unfortunately it also complicates what I'm trying to do currently," Twilight replied and let out a short huff. "The more steps involved, the more difficulty with making everything go off without a hitch."

"Tell me about it," Spike commented, knowing full well just how true that was.

"So what exactly are you working on?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Ah, basically I'm trying to figure out a way to make the spells directly accessible to anypony who might care to use them," Twilight explained, before giving her friend's a brief overview of the slumber party she and Applejack had over the weekend.

More specifically, she filled them in on Apple Bloom's questions and observations about what the whole process had involved, and how it had caused her to begin rethinking things, which had led to where she was presently with this new idea.

"Huh."

Now it was Pinkie's turn for the short, non-definite answer in response.

"You know, I never thought about it like that before. But now that it's out there, I can't really un-think it," Rainbow Dash stated and scratched at the side of her head. "Yeah, I guess I could see that being the case."

Twilight nodded. "Which is why I'm trying to figure out a way to make the entire process more accessible -and more pleasant- should anypony ever want to try it for themselves," she explained. "Not that I actually foresee that becoming a thing, though."

"You don't?" Rainbow Dash asked.

Twilight shook her head in response.

"When I first set out to experiment with the concept of nudism adapted over to Equestrian terms, it was just sort of an experiment during a period where I didn't have anything scheduled, spurred on by curiosity from browsing old medical journals and finding an old spell contained within. I never thought it'd be something that I'd actually enjoy doing. And I never even dared imagine it'd be something that others would be supportive of. Honestly, if Rarity hadn't caught me in the act that one day, and been as supportive as she was, none of you would even know about it; not even Spike."

"Why not me?" Spike asked, now finding himself relevant to the conversation.

"It was... well it just felt like too awkward of a subject to broach in a deliberate manner. In hindsight, I think it all happening accidentally like it did was for the best. It sort of pushed me out of my comfort zone and made me realize it would all be alright and work out."

Spike shrugged in response, figuring it was a good enough explanation to go with, before returning his attention to his snack.

"Don't get me wrong," she continued as she turned her attention back to Pinkie and Rainbow Dash, "I'm glad most of my friends know and are supportive. And I really appreciate that you and Applejack are at least willing to try it out for yourselves. But I honestly don't see this as ever being more than a niche interest at best, occupied largely by myself. And even if anypony did take an interest in it, I honestly don't foresee that interest lasting through the winter for them, if even that far."

Pinkie scowled in response, as there was no way a frown could be strong enough for what she was feeling in the aftermath of Twilight's words.

Nopony should ever have to find themselves being left alone, no matter what their interests might be, regardless of how weird or benign they might be. And the way she had so easily resigned herself to the possibility of being alone didn't sit right with her at all.

Without so much as even a word, she got up from her spot in the direct path of the cold air, moved over to Twilight's side, and proceeded to pull her into a tight hug without so much as even a second thought about her bald state.

"Pinkie?"

"I'll join the Bowling Ball Club if you want me to, Twilight. I'll be bald right along with you, so you don't have to be all alone with what you like," Pinkie replied in a very un-Pinkie-like manner. "Just... please, please, please don't ever call it anything related to shaving. Just do that for me, and I think I'll be alright."

Three sets of eyes were now currently in Pinkie in the wake of her statement, none of them quite certain just how to respond to what they'd heard for themselves.

Finally Twilight replied in the only way she knew how, which involved returning the hug she currently found herself in.

"I really appreciate that offer, Pinkie, but you really don't have to do that for my sake. I'm not sad about the fact I'm the only one who's really interested in this," she assured her.

"You're not?" Pinkie asked as she pulled back to look at her friend.

Again, Twilight shook her head in response.

"Being a nudist is something that I enjoy, but it's not like my cutie mark; it's not a defining aspect of who I am. Think of it like how you organize the store room at Sugarcube Corner; you're pretty much the only pony who can effortlessly navigate and know where every single ingredient is, in accordance to color gradient, use-by date, and frequency of use. Does it make you sad that other ponies don't do it the same way that you do?"

"Well no, that'd just be silly if it did. I..." Pinkie started, only to slowly close her mouth halfway through. "I think I see your point now, Twilight."

"That's good," Twilight replied and disengaged the hug. "I still appreciate the offer. But if you ever did want to go bald, it should be because it's something you honestly want to do, not because you think it's something I want you to do."

"I think I can do that," Pinkie replied and nodded. "I mean... I don't know about the whole going bald part of doing that. I just don't. But the other part, about doing something because I want to, I can totally manage that. That's as easy as organizing a party for a new arrival in Ponyville."

Watching the entire thing unfold, Rainbow Dash, not wanting to be left out of the whole support thing -and honestly not wanting to be quite in the direct path of the air conditioner- got up and moved to Twilight's other side to hug her as well.

"We'll figure something out, egghead. That's what friends are for."

"I know," Twilight replied and returned the new hug she found herself in.

As she did, Rainbow Dash squirmed at the touch and quickly pulled back.

"No offense, Twilight, but if it's alright I think I'll do the whole support thing without any touching involved. The whole bare skin thing feels kinda weird to be on the receiving end of," she stated.

"It can be that way at times. But I still appreciate the offer," Twilight replied as she sat herself back down. "That's one of the reasons I don't really foresee nudism becoming a widespread trend in Equestria. The problems I'm having with making this idea work, might ultimately wind up being for nothing."

"Maybe," Rainbow Dash acknowledged, before shrugging the matter off. "I know you kinda explained it, but what exactly are you trying to do? I mean, how're you trying to do it?"

She knew going in that asking Twilight to explain something sciency was risky. But what else were friends for, if not taking one for the team to help another pony out?

"Well, basically I'm trying to set up a simple, concise system, that would allow anypony to use these spells on their own, should they have any interest in it for themselves. Which sounds simple in theory, but when actually put into practice it's proving to be anything but," Twilight huffed.

"So let's start with what we know so far. The spells would have to be made accessible to anypony in the palace who might want to use them. But due to the mess involved with the molecular bond of fur breaking down, they would need to be limited to a bathroom. But there's a lot of bathrooms in the palace, and finding a way to have the spells on standby in each and every one of them simply isn't viable. There also needs to be a way for the spell to be deliberately selected for use, rather than it being used accidentally. So there needs to be an on/off feature, almost like a light switch. Along with a way of actually powering them. I suppose the bathroom closest to the foyer could be designated as a sort of undressing room, and all efforts could be focused there. But it still brings us back to the question of how to make everything work exactly."

As Twilight spoke, sounding as if she was simply talking to herself out loud, Pinkie looked behind her friend over to Rainbow Dash, who did the same back at her. There was a shared glance between the two of them, as they acknowledged that the best thing they could do right now was simply let Twilight talk rather than interrupt.

"Originally it was best to use the regrowth spell in the shower, because the flowing water helped mitigate some of the discomfort involved. But because of the integration of the analgesic spell, that's no longer an issue. But it would still be best for both spells to be found side-by-side, should somepony attempt it and find they don't like it; much more convenient that way. That would require some method of being able to actually select which spell is used," she continued.

"Yeah," Rainbow Dash agreed and nodded. "It'd probably be pretty bad if somepony wound up using the removal spell twice in a row without realizing it."

"Actually, not as bad as you might think," Twilight replied, her tone slowly sounding calmer as she spoke. "The removal spell doesn't work on bare skin. Even if it were cast multiple times in succession, it would just fizzle out. The spell simply isn't intended to do anything besides that. I... sort of tried it out on myself, back when I was first experimenting with being a nudist in Equestria. I didn't really like the way my skin looked, and I may or may not have tried to... ratchet up the power that went into casting the spell in hopes of cleaning up some of my mottling. Needless to say, it didn't work out," she admitted sheepishly.

"Huh," Rainbow Dash replied and rubbed at the side of her head, carefully so as to not cause herself anymore discomfort than necessary. "So what would happen if a pony cast the regrowth spell twice in a row? Would they come out extra fluffy?"

"No, nothing like that," Twilight replied and shook her head again. "The regrowth spell actually works in tandem with the removal spell. It doesn't affect fur that's already there."

"If you don't mind, Twilight, I'll take point on this one. No offense, but I don't think Pinkie and Dash want the full explanation," Spike spoke up, now that his snack was finished.

"Spoilsport," Twilight sighed, but ultimately relented. "Fine. Go ahead, Spike."

Nodding, Spike got up and made his way to the front of them so they wouldn't have to look back at him as he spoke. It also gave him a great excuse to be in the direct path of that sweet cold air current.

"Alright it's like this. Some of the games we've found have a mechanic called a "save point" that basically lets you bookmark your progress before going on, and if you don't like how you progressed a certain way, you can reset back to where you saved and try again. Basically, the way Twilight explained it to me, the removal spell scans your furred state and applies a magical save point onto your skin. The regrowth spell more or less reads, loads, and erases this save point when it grows your fur back in, returning you back to how you were previously. That means it won't be any shorter or longer than it was to begin with."

Their friends probably wouldn't understand the concept of video games and how they worked, and honestly that was a whole 'nother undertaking in itself. But that didn't mean certain aspects of them couldn't be referenced in a manner they would understand. And having sat through the long explanation once before, he had a pretty good idea of how to boil it down and concise it all in a way that still got the main points across.

"Wait. So that means no shortcuts? No longcuts?" Pinkie asked. "Twilight couldn't use the spell to make her mane grow out to be as long as Rarity's?"

Twilight shook her head in response.

"Not that I'd ever actually want that much mane to manage, but even if I did, the only way to get there would be to let it grow out to that length," she explained. "Unfortunately it also means the regrowth spell can't put back what the removal spell didn't already remove. For example, if I developed mange for whatever reason, and tried to use the spells to fix it, I'd still have the same bald spots I did before."

"So, wait a second. You mean I couldn't use the spells to get over my annual molts on the same day and be done with it?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"I'm afraid not," Twilight replied and shook her head. "Even if you tried using the removal spell beforehoof, once the regrowth spell was used, your feathers would still be in the same condition they were, and would still need to come out to allow for new growth. It would ultimately be an exercise in futility to even try."

"Well crud," Rainbow Dash sighed and crossed her forelegs over her barrel in annoyance. "There goes that idea, I guess," she huffed out, much to the amusement of her friends.

"So what we know is that the spells are safe to use, can't melt the skin, and can't make a pony look like a sheep in need of shearing unless they already looked that way before, and can't restore what wasn't already there to begin with," Pinkie suddenly spoke up in a rather business-like manner. "So that means we just need to figure out a way to make the spells usable by ponies who aren't Twilight. That basically boils down to devising a method to deliver the spells, and power them too."

"... Essentially, yes," Twilight replied and slowly nodded. "I have to say, Pinkie, I'm really surprised. You're taking this whole discussion a lot better than I thought you would."

"That's because we're discussing how to help out a friend, silly. Or, multiple friends if Dashie and Applejack are involved in this. I might not like the specific subject we're discussing, but the general topic is still how to help out a friend," Pinkie pointed out.

Twilight had to admit, Pinkie's idea of a solution was certainly a creative one for working around her own discomfort without directly addressing it.

"So how do we make it so a non-unicorn can actually use a unicorn-based spell?" Rainbow Dash asked. "We've all done some pretty impossible stuff, from me using the Sonic Rainboom, to all of us beating Tirek and restoring magic to Equestria. But I don't know how we can do something like what we were just talking about."

"I'm sure we'll find a way, eventually," Twilight replied as she tried to remain optimistic sounding, "I was just hoping to have it all figured out before Applejack comes over Saturday night for another slumber party. I wanted to surprise her with the new refined process."

"Well we've still got a few days before Saturday night comes around," Spike pointed out. "If we all put our heads together, maybe we can come up with something by then."

"Maybe," Twilight reluctantly agreed. She didn't want to give up on the hope of making it work. But with the lack of progress her notes detailed currently, she could probably be excused for having doubts about what was possible in a short amount of time.

Honestly, right at the moment, even defeating Starlight Glimmer and freeing her village from her control seemed easier than this in comparison.

But she owed it to Applejack to at least try and make it work. She'd been so supportive of her endeavors since finding out about them. She really couldn't call herself the Princess of Friendship if she didn't make every effort to help out her friends as they helped her out.

"Well then, if we're going to get this figured out before Saturday night, let's get started. I didn't get to be Princess Celestia's prized student by backing down from a magic-related mystery, simply because it was difficult."

Author's Note:

I hate how long it takes to get these chapters out. There's just no excuse for that kind of incompetence on my part. This was supposed to be a fun little distraction from my main story, but it's proving to be a lot more involved than I originally thought it could be.

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[Clopian26]

Update woo hoo

[pony-yo]