Clothes Don't Always Make The Woman

Chapter 10

Rarity & Braeburn’s Suite, Cala Concha

In hindsight, I probably shouldn’t have guzzled down two, full-sized piña coladas with such gusto before nine o’clock in the morning. But I was distraught and on vacation, so I was far less concerned about what other people thought of my behavior while I was in public than under normal circumstances. That said, I felt a marvelous buzz from all of the rum~ Mind you, it wasn’t as if I was staggering around like an uncouth drunkard but I was definitely tipsy.

One stroll down the hallway later, I entered our suite with a greeting full of giggles. I burst into outright laughter when I spotted Braeburn sitting on a recliner, one leg crossed over the other, reading the newspaper and drinking a cup of coffee. I couldn’t help it! He looked EXACTLY like my father did during his morning routine. Braeburn shot me a quizzical look but didn’t say anything to me for a few moments. I think he was just politely waiting until I finished my laughing fit. Such a gentleman! All the more reason I loved him so dearly.

“Mornin’ Rares. Back from yer little adventure, Ah take it?”

At that very moment, my bladder decided to remind me just how much I’d drank earlier. “For the time being, anyway. It was an… interesting experience to say the least. Ah… pardon me, darling but I have to pee something fierce. I’ll be right back in a two shakes a lamb’s tail~”

I want to say that I walked towards the bathroom with the dignity and grace befitting a lady but that would be a lie. I practically scrambled to the toilet, squatted over the bowl, and let out a sigh of relief as my bladder emptied itself. Hopefully, Braeburn wasn’t paying close attention to the embarrassingly loud tinkling sounds coming from behind the bathroom door. Some things, even amongst couples, are sacred and must remain private. Potty time is one of those things.

After cleaning myself up, I pattered across the room and did a happy little twirl. Suffice to say, it was probably not my best idea. The mild sense of vertigo I felt from the alcohol was only compounded by the act and I very nearly fell flat on my face as a result. When I finally regained some of my composure, I offered Braeburn a sheepish grin. He put down the paper, got up out of the recliner, and placed his hands on my shoulders in order to keep me steady.

“Are ya feelin’ alright?”

I hiccupped. “Perfectly fine, darling. Never better!”

“You’re drunk right now. Ah can smell it on yer breath. How much booze did ya have, Rares? And why’d ya go and start drinkin’ so early in the day?”

I began playing with a few strands of his chest hair. “Two piña coladas. You know, the ones in those fancy tiki-head glasses. What? Why are you staring at me like that? I’m on vacation, damn it! I can do whatever I want. You’re not—HIC—my father. Learn to live a little, darling.”

Braeburn sighed. “Well, Ah guess there ain’t any harm in it. But I’ve never seen ya do somethin’ like this before. It worries me, is all. Are ya sure ya don’t wanna talk about what happened? Ah promise I’ll listen ta whatever’s on yer mind. Please, Rares. Ah just wanna help ya.”

I took hold of his cheeks and kissed him on the lips with every ounce of passion I had in me. Considering that I was slightly drunk, my inhibitions were considerably lower than usual. Braeburn’s response was a bit half-hearted at first, until I started playing with his tongue. Before long, we were both panting and I reached down to stroke his manhood. I made sure to rub his head in-between my fingers a few times because I knew just how sensitive it was.

I got down on my knees and eyed his now fully erect penis with hunger. I smiled and took hold of his ball sac, massaging it lovingly while I looked back up at him. It was quite apparent that he was enjoying my ministrations, but at the same time he seemed conflicted. Almost as if he thought I wasn’t aware of my own actions and felt guilty about going along with them. I leaned forward and kissed his shaft, then gently sucked on his balls. Mmm~ What a manly aroma! It was musky and smelled slightly of sweat mixed with cologne. I loved it.

After Braeburn’s penis twitched, I stopped sucking and ran my fingers through his pubic hair. “I may be a bit tipsy at the moment but I assure you there’s nothing to feel guilty about. I am fully aware of my own actions right now, darling. Just relax and let me take care of you~”

Braeburn’s cheeks reddened with an adorable blush. “Alright. If that’s what ya want, Rares. Just keep in mind what Ah said earlier, if ya still wanna talk.”

I laid my head against his thigh. “I truly appreciate the offer, dear. We can talk about what I experienced later, when I’ve had some time to collect my thoughts. For now, however, I simply wish to make love to my wonderful, caring, ever-attentive, boyfriend. Without further ado, let us proceed. I hope you’re ready for a good shagging!”

Braeburn merely nodded in agreement, but I wasted no time attacking my intended target. With my fingers wrapped firmly around the base of his shaft, I tilted his penis forward a bit until it lined up with my mouth. Just to tease him, I used the tip of my tongue to tickle his head, eliciting a whimper of pleasure from him in the process. Without warning, I took in as much of his prodigious girth as I could handle and began fellating him in earnest.

As payback for what he did earlier, I slid my hand in-between his legs and teased his anus with my fingertip a bit. I know it can be an extremely embarrassing act of intimacy for some couples, but I knew that it was pleasurable for men in particular, since their prostate is located near that area. It was basically the male equivalent of G-spot, as I understand. I was rewarded with a guttural groan and some heavy panting. Excellent~

Even without any verbal warning, I could tell that Braeburn was approaching his limit. Therefore, I increased my pace, and sucked as hard as I could to ensure that he experienced the most pleasure possible before his oncoming orgasm. Within moments, I heard him cry out my name and a few spurts of hot, sticky semen erupted into my mouth. You’d better believe I swallowed every last drop. Once I was certain that he finished cumming, I extracted his penis from my mouth with a slick pop. I couldn’t help but giggle when it twitched a few times afterward.

Braeburn collapsed onto the floor, legs spread apart. “Hot damn. Ah still don’t know how ya got so good at givin’ head. Seriously, that felt amazin’.”

I sat down in front of him Indian style and smiled. “A fair number of women’s magazines nowadays have articles regarding the most effective sex techniques. I like to think the techniques help in some way, but most of it is just being attentive to your partner’s reactions.”

He leaned forward to kiss me on the lips, despite the fact that I’d just swallowed his seed. “Well, keep up whatever it is that yer doin’, hun. Mercy… feels like mah balls have been sucked dry.”

Noticing that his penis was still quite erect, I took the opportunity to stroke it. “Really, now? You could’ve fooled me. Just look at how hard you still are~ How about round two? Are you up for it yet, darling? Because I’d love to stuff that thick, meaty cock of yours inside of me right now~”

Braeburn’s eyes widened when I used my fingers to pry apart my lips, revealing the glistening, salmon-pink flesh contained within. Just to drive him wild, I decided to masturbate for a while, even going so far as to rub my kitty along his leg. While I won’t deny that it felt good, I was mostly doing it to give him some time to recover some of his stamina. After I was nice and wet, I pinned Braeburn onto the floor and pressed my body up against his chest. Goodness! I could feel his hot, stiff erection pressing up against my belly. I pulled him into another kiss.

“Rares… Ah want ya so bad. Can ya please just—”

I placed my finger on his lips. “In due time, darling. I want to try something new. Just lay back, and lift your legs into the air. There we go, that’s it. I’ll take care of the rest.”

It pained me to make Braeburn wait, but I wanted to make sure that I wouldn’t hurt him (or myself for that matter) accidentally by being too eager. I couldn’t help but giggle at how embarrassed he was. A reasonable reaction, given that his current position left all of his unmentionables completely exposed and at my mercy. But at the same time, my heart swelled with joy, knowing that he trusted me so much. I caressed his cheek affectionately.

With some effort, I managed to stand up again, then squat onto my haunches. I gestured for Braeburn to loop his legs underneath my arms, so that we would be more stable once the love-making began in earnest. His manhood firmly in my grasp, I carefully lowered myself onto it and let it slide inside me, slowly, inch by inch. It took a fair amount of effort on my part to accommodate his girth comfortably, since he penetrated me so much deeper than normal. But I managed well enough. Once we were joined together, I smiled at him lovingly.

I began to gyrate my hips up and down in a thrusting motion. It was very similar to when one adopts a cowgirl position but more intense and required a fair bit more effort. I considered myself in pretty good shape but it was still a lot of work to keep up even a modest pace. Not that Braeburn seemed inclined to criticize me for it. His face was flushed (mine as well) and twisted into an expression of unadulterated bliss. At that moment, I felt like the queen of the amazons. Proud, confident, and sexy.

We continued on with our carnal dance for what felt like hours, and Braeburn gripped my ankles while I gyrated at an incrementally faster pace. By then, we were panting and moaning like a pair of animals in heat, lost in the throes of lust. The lewd smacking sound of our flesh as it made contact every time pervaded the room. I was glad that there weren’t many guests staying adjacent to ours, otherwise… I’d imagine we would have gotten a noise complaint.

Neither of us needed to say a word. We were both nearing our respective climax. I made sure to thrust Braeburn’s manhood into me as deeply as I could tolerate and grind my hips fervently whilst doing so. My efforts were rewarded when I heard him grunt and felt the heat of his seed fill my belly while an orgasm rippled throughout my entire body. I threw my head back and let out a throaty moan of my own, utterly satisfied in every way imaginable. We proceeded to collapse onto the floor in a sweaty, heaving pile of limbs.

I was just about to enjoy a post-coital snuggle session when I spotted Mother and Sweetie standing a few paces away. HOW LONG HAD THEY BEEN STANDING THERE?!! Seeing as how there was no point in denying what had just occurred, I felt my skin flush an even brighter shade of red than it already was. Sweetie blushed furiously and covered up her face with her hands. As for Mother… well, she looked slightly sheepish but otherwise unaffected. I proceeded to do what any proper lady would when confronted by such a scenario; I buried my face in Braeburn’s chest and pretended that they would disappear.

Mother rubbed the back of her neck and chuckled. “Wow. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anybody bump uglies quite like that. Gotta suggest that pose to your father sometime. I’m pretty extra sure he’d like it, even though it’s a wee bit compromising. Rare Bear, where’d you learn how—”

“MOTHER!!” I screeched.

“What? I’m just giving you a compliment, dear. You sure know how to please your man.”

I let out a frustrated huff. “That’s beside the point! How much did you see and why didn’t you say anything?! We could’ve—stopped for a while, you know.”

Mother laughed. “No offence, but I seriously doubt that either of you could have. I know I wouldn’t have either. Hoo wee! To answer your question: we didn’t want to be rude and interrupt your special sexy time. Come on, Rare Bear! Don’t look at me like that. The key to any healthy, lasting relationship is makin’ whoopee. Keep it interesting too, remember!”

Sweetie shuffled her feet and refused to make eye contact with me. “Sorry, Rarity.”

“Besides, it gave your baby sister a real-life demonstration of what sex between a loving couple is really like. The internet and books can only go so far, ya know.”

I wanted to curl up into a ball and die but settled on letting out an embarrassed squeak instead. “Alright. Let’s just… put what happened behind us and move on. If you don’t mind, Braeburn and I are going to freshen up for a bit. Then we can chat, ok?”

Only after we’d showered did it occur to me that the entire suite probably reeked of sweat and sex. Mother had enough wherewithal to realize it, so she’d already taken the liberty of squirting a few puffs of spring-breeze scented aerosol spray around the room. I suggested we talk out on the patio anyway because it would help us all get our minds off of what had just happened. And the fresh air was nice too. I leaned against the railing and sighed.

“I’m still not sure how the two of you managed to get into our suite.”

Sweetie let out an awkward chuckle. “Um… the door was unlocked, Rarity. We heard some weird noises and decided to check out what was going on and—hehe—well, you know. To be fair, we did try to get your attention but you guys just ignored us and kept going.”

I blushed and bit my lip. “I’m never going to live this down, am I?”

Mother looped her arm around Braeburn’s shoulder and mine, pulling us into a hug. “Don’t be so glum, Rare Bear. There are worse things. In fact, I’m happy for the two of you. Makes me feel better knowin’ that my daughter and her boyfriend have a strong, healthy relationship.”

“You could have just asked like a normal parent!”

Mother leaned over and kissed my cheek. “Aww! Now, where’s the fun in that? I’ve got somethin’ to tease ya about now. And by golly, will I remind ya of it all the time. That’s a promise! Anywho… we swung by to let ya know that we’re heading home tomorrow.”

I looked at Braeburn and squeezed his hand. “Thanks for letting us know. I think… we’ll likely leave within a few days too. As nice as it is down here, I can’t keep my jewelry commissions on hold forever. That and Braeburn has his own business matters to attend to.”

Mother nodded emphatically. “That’s life for ya. We’re gonna throw a little family get-together first. Why don’t ya come join us? It’ll be fun!”

The party was a low-key affair. I declined to partake in any alcoholic beverages, but the virgin cocktails they served were still quite tasty. We danced on the beach, ate BBQ, played some volleyball and all around had a good time. After many hugs and kisses, we said our goodbyes and planned our trip back to Manehatten. I was a bit sad at the thought of having to wear clothing in public again but I tried not to let it get me down too much. I had bigger fish to fry, after all.

Two weeks had passed since we came back from Cala Concha. I had a steady stream of custom orders to keep me busy, so the loneliness I experienced from not being able to see Braeburn on a regular basis was not as intense as it could have been. Even so, I still had Extravagance to keep me company. And bless his heart, he remained at my side whenever I worked.

As for my powers? Well, I was able to work my craft with greater ease than ever before. Sometimes, I merely had to think of a design and my body would respond to it as if by mag—actually, let’s just forget I even said that. Cliché as it may have been, I was not about to start calling myself a Fairy Godmother or anything of the sort. Just plain, old, Rarity thank you!

Part of me knew that I’d been procrastinating. In the modern age of emails and instant text messages, it was practically effortless to get in touch with people. I finished up the necklace I was working on and picked up my phone. After flipping through my contacts, a certain, bacon-haired woman appeared at the bottom of the list. When was the last time I even spoke to Sunset?

I sighed and put down my phone. “How exactly does one bring up magical powers in a casual conversation? Sunset’s not stupid. She’ll know that I want something from her right away. Should I even bother with light topics or just get straight to the point?”

Trav whuffed and nudged my ankle with his snout.

“Alright! I get your point. I need to stop stalling and just call her.”

I took in a deep breath, closed my eyes, and counted to ten. Some liquid courage would have been much better at calming my nerves but I was still on the clock, unfortunately. With a flick of my finger, I tapped the icon that showed Sunset’s picture and waited for her to pick up. It rang about six times before I got an answer. When she finally spoke, Sunset almost sounded like she was half asleep. Oh great. Now, I’ve gone and made things even more awkward.

“Hmm. Rarity? Is that you?” Sunset asked.

“Hello, darling. It’s been a while since we last spoke, hasn’t it?”

“Yeah. How’s come you’re calling me?”

I twirled a strand of my hair. “Oh, you know. I felt like it was time we caught up with each other. I—erm—I hope I didn’t interrupt anything important on your end. Hehe.”

Sunset smacked her lips. “Nah. Not really. I just woke up from a nap. Rarity, I know you didn’t make the effort to call me just to shoot the shit. What’s going on?”

“I’m terribly sorry, Sunset. But you’re the only one I can turn to for this!”

Sunset let out a heavy sigh. “Don’t tell me; it’s magic related.”

“I’m afraid so, darling. It’s a rather long, and complicated story. One I’d rather talk about in person, if you don’t mind. Would it be possible for me to meet you somewhere?”

Sunset yawned and I heard something that sounded a lot like scratching. “Sure. I don’t mind. Can it wait a little while though? I’m not even dressed yet.”

“Certainly! Again, you have my gratitude. Out of all of my friends, you’re the only one I know of who’s familiar with magic and its workings. Just call me back when you’re ready. No rush~”

I hung up the phone and leaned back in my desk chair. “Just as I figured. She saw right through my ruse. But that’s Sunset Shimmer for you. The girl always did like to get straight to the point.”

Trav let out a tired whine and scampered over to his doggie bed. I kept one in my workshop just in case I decided to take him along at any point. Which, I will admit, I have done many times because he keeps me company throughout the day. I crouched in front of the bed and massaged the back of his head. An act of affection that he always enjoyed without fail. The canine equivalent of a smile spread across his lips and Trav slowly began to close his eyes.

I ruffled his ears one final time and got back to work. Since the necklace was now complete, I moved onto drafting a sketch for a commission piece I received about two days ago. I should point out that I was open to most requests, save for those that I deemed inappropriate. Like personalized sex toys etc. As a naturist myself, I saw no issue with crafting jewelry that was intended to be worn on the genitals, just so long as the client understood that I did not perform the actual piercing. However, I did know a few professionals they could be referred to.

As fate would have it, my request came from none other than Fancy Pants. The premier men’s fashion mogul and all-around charitable chap. To put it bluntly: he had a ridiculous amount of wealth tied to his brand. I had no doubt that he’d worked hard for his fortune; he’d built his fashion empire from the ground up, after all. I conversed with him for a while at the Gala and he seemed very down to earth. Not pretentious at all. I made a mental note to try and get together with him again sometime and maybe even chat with his lovely wife as well.

In any case, his request was a surprisingly simple, if unusual one. He expressed his interest in commissioning a clitoral stud piece for his wife, Fleur De Lis. I can’t imagine it was going to be seen by many people, but then again, she was Prench. Their culture was well-known for being fond of casual nudity and nude recreation in general. I could certainly relate. However, I wasn’t very keen on the idea of having my own nubbin pierced. The thought of having the stud accidentally get caught on something, and causing a painful tear, made me shudder.

Funnily enough, Fancy Pants was quite candid in his email to me. I’d made it no secret that I was proud to be a naturist at the Gala, so I guess that fact alone made him feel more at ease talking to me. Or rather, that I was deemed trustworthy in his eyes because I’d boldly bared my body in front of high society and showed them that I didn’t have anything to hide. Ha~ Well, at least in the physical sense. Magical prowess was another matter entirely.

I couldn’t help but coo at how much he loved Fleur. Even though he may not have said it directly in the email, it was apparent by the way he described her and what he wanted the design to be. In short, the clitoral stud was made of rose gold and featured a sculpted rose with a pink diamond in the center. I giggled at the obvious symbolism. Yet, I recognized it as a romantic gesture.

Most jewelers would have had difficulty sculpting such a tiny, delicate thing out of a soft metal like gold, but I had the power of geomancy on my side. I took my sketch along with me down to the smelting station and pinned it along the wall. In one of the drawers, I kept a modest stock of different precious metals and gems for client orders. I picked up a small nugget of rose gold and placed it on the table while I envisioned what the finished product would look like.

Once I had a good grasp of the piece, I began to heat up the furnace. To that end, I didn’t spend a lot of effort trying to keep this area of the shop air conditioned because it was basically a waste of money. So yes, it was sweltering hot and I had to wear protective gear as well. However, as I was slipping on my apron, I felt a surge of mystic power course through my entire body.

I blinked owlishly when the furnace seemed a lot less sweltering than it had before. In fact, I barely felt any heat at all other than a dull, lukewarm sensation. If I had to compare it to anything, I’d say it was akin to taking a bath in tepid water. Curious, I took off my work glove and inched my bare hand closer and closer to the center of the furnace. I still felt very little heat despite the fact that my skin should have been blistering by this point. Lo and behold, when I pressed my finger against the surface, it didn’t hurt at all. How strange….

I took a good look at my hand and noticed that it appeared crystalline again. Yet, for all intents and purposes, it still behaved and felt like human skin. I put down the nugget and walked over to my tool rack to find a jeweling hammer. Not wanting to incur serious injury to myself, I tapped the hammer lightly against my palm (which normally would have hurt) and found that my skin resisted damage and pain. I put away the hammer and began to hyperventilate.

“This is insane! What other crazy abilities am I going to discover? UGH! Next thing you know, I’ll be able to shoot diamond spikes out of my body like a fabulous porcupine. Well, I’m glad that I got Sunset to meet with me at least. We’ll have plenty to talk about, I’m sure.”

Even though I wanted to have a good cry and eat a tub full of Rocky Road ice cream, there was still work to be done. Instead of freaking out, I simply used my nervous energy and poured it into the stud. I pictured a blooming rose and placed my hands upon the nugget of gold. Without even heating the thing up, it transformed into an exact copy of what I’d pictured in my mind.

The gem too, responded to my will effortlessly. It floated over to the rose and practically fused with the metal simply because I told it to. I turned the piece around a few times, trying to find any flaws or imperfections but I couldn’t find any. Given how everything was turning out so far, I may not even need to maintain a furnace or any tools in the future. Well, I could still make pieces the traditional way if I so desired but it was more to keep up appearances. One can’t very well explain away how a jewelry shop has no tools or furnace to craft said products.

I carried the stud with me back up to the office and wrapped it in a velvet box. At a later time, I would invite Fancy Pants over to the shop so that he could see how his commission turned out. And, by the way, he offered to pay me an extraordinarily generous amount of money for the piece, regardless of how little material was required to craft it. If business continued to be as brisk as it has been in the past few months, then I would become a wealthy woman too.

Not that huge profits were the most important thing to me. Don’t get me wrong; I love fine wine and dining as much as any lady, but I wasn’t the type of person who sought and collected material possessions. In particular, clothing came to mind. But you knew that already~ Speaking of clothing, I was sorely tempted to ditch my current outfit and continue to work in the nude (now that I technically did not require protective gear anymore) but I don’t imagine my customers would find that level of casual attire very professional. Such is life, I suppose.

One of the best things about owning your own business is that you could set the hours of operation to suit your needs. Personal or professional. I took a picture of Fleur’s stud and attached the image to an email that I eventually sent off to Fancy Pants. Much to my surprise, he responded almost instantaneously and commended me for my fine craftsmanship.

That said, I checked the clock on my computer and realized that it was nearly two-thirty in the afternoon. I’d been in the office since six o’clock in the morning, so I felt like calling it a day wasn’t too unreasonable. After a quick response, thanking him for his business, I turned off my computer and started cleaning up the shop. It was at this point that Trav finally stirred from his slumber. He clambered out of his doggie bed, yawned, and licked the back of my leg.

“Did you sleep well, darling?”

Trav smacked his chops and looked up at me with those adorable, pudgy eyes. I imagine he wanted to sit in my lap. If we were at home, I would have obliged his request.

“I’ll take that as a yes. Terribly sorry, Extravagance. But mommy can’t hold you right now. I’m too busy trying to clean up the shop. However, we can walk around the park if you like.”

He whuffed once in response and began wagging his tail.

“There’s a good boy! Don’t worry; I’ll be finished soon.”

After a brisk walk through the park, I dropped Trav off at Coco’s apartment. I wasn’t a big fan of leaving her to take care of my beloved furry buddy on such short notice but I didn’t want to complicate matters with Sunset by bringing a dog along. I swore to Coco that I would make it up to her by taking her out for a fancy dinner, just the two of us, at some point. She merely laughed it off and said that it was fun having Trav visit every so often. Once I gave him a quick kiss goodbye, I whipped out my phone and called Sunset again. This time, she picked up immediately.

“Hey, Rarity. Sorry that I didn’t call you back in a punctual manner. I—uh—lost track of time. I hope that’s not too much of a problem.”

I chuckled. “No, it’s quite alright. I had to finish up a commission and walk Extravagance around the park. He needs to exercise every once and a while or else he tends to gain weight. I can’t have my fabulous doggy turn into an obese slob!”

Sunset laughed. “For sure! So—um—how do you want to do this? I don’t exactly live close to Manehatten. Plus, my bike’s getting worked on right now. Can’t really drive at the moment.”

“That’s fine. I’ll just swing by your place to chat if you don’t mind.”

My phone beeped as Sunset sent over directions to her abode. “Here’s the thing, Rarity. Flash is living with me now so… yeah. We went out to dinner one night and well, things just sort of clicked between us again, I guess. Just don’t be surprised if he’s here is all I’m saying.”

“Are you two serious? I mean, as far as your relationship goes.”

Somehow, I could tell Sunset was blushing. “Yeah. I think we’ll get married soon. Babies are a totally different story, but I can see myself being his wife. It’s… nice.”

I squealed with excitement. “Oh, how marvelous! I’m so happy for you, Sunset.”

“Thanks.”

“Alright then. I’ll drive over as soon as I can. Ta-ta, darling~”

“See ya later.” Sunset responded then hung up.

The distance between Manehatten and Canterlot wasn’t particularly far but it was significant enough to take me around an hour to arrive. I was half expecting Sunset to be living in an apartment, but she’d directed me towards a quaint little ranch house in the suburbs. It was unclear to me who actually owned the home but I suppose it didn’t matter if they were both living in it. I knocked on the door and Sunset answered it wearing only a black bath robe covered in orange flames. Oh, and a pair of fuzzy slippers too. Casual chic perhaps?

Sunset scratched her stomach and yawned. “Sorry about the getup. This is my day off and I didn’t get much sleep last night. Didn’t really feel like getting dressed, ya know?”

“I completely understand, dear. You’re talking to a life-long naturist, after all.”

Sunset shuffled over to the pantry and poured herself a cup of coffee. “Huh. I forgot about that. To be honest, I tend to walk around the house naked most of the time if nobody else is around too. Except Flash, of course. He’s used to it by now. It’s—ah—a pony thing, I guess. When I was growing up in Equestria, I only wore clothing on formal occasions.”

“I always wondered why Princess Twilight was so confused when they caught her streaking on school grounds. That must have been when she originally came through the portal, correct?”

Sunset sat down at the table and nodded. “Mhmm. I had a similar experience when I first came through the portal. Although it was during the dead of night in summertime. I snuck around the park for a little while and figured out that humans wore clothing in public. I wound up nabbing a tracksuit and sneakers from one of those donation bins. Fun times.”

“Would you consider yourself a naturist, then?”

Sunset took a sip of her coffee. “I guess so? I feel a lot more relaxed when I’m nude.”

“That’s to be expected. I’m much the same way.”

Sunset leaned back and sighed. “If you don’t mind, let’s get down to brass tacks.”

“Erm—sorry, darling. I know you’re not a big fan of small talk.”

Sunset shrugged. “Small talk is fine every once and awhile, but we’ve got WAY more important things to talk about than our wardrobe preferences. Let me ask you this: what sort of things have you noticed? Magic wise. Did you start getting new powers or something?”

“It all started during my vacation. I found some sort of large, magical opal in an underwater cave. When I touched it, the gem fused with my geode and became… part of me, I think. For the life of me, I can’t even fathom why such a thing would happen in the first place.”

Sunset whistled. “Damn. This is a hell of a lot more serious than I thought. What happened afterwards? Did you notice anything different about yourself?”

“As a matter of fact, while I was creating some jewelry, I realized that my skin could turn semi-translucent… like a crystal and became resistant to heat, damage, and pain. There’s also the ease with which I can manipulate metal and minerals at will. Should I be concerned?”

Sunset scrunched her lips together. “I’m sorry, Rarity. But this kind of magic is near alicorn level. Way outta my area of expertise. You might have to ask Princess Twilight about it.”

“What are you suggesting? That I write to her in your journal?”

Sunset shook her head. “No, you’d have to see the princess directly for something like this. I know that it’s a pain in the ass, but you don’t exactly have any other options here in the human world. If you want, I could tag along as your guide. When you go through the portal, I mean.”

“You can’t be serious!” I yelled.

Sunset twiddled her fingers. “Again, I apologize for the bombshell but I don’t want your powers to get out of control. Just look at what happened to me. I transformed into a literal she-demon, Rarity! We stand a much better chance of understanding what exactly is going on with your body and what this new magic is capable of if we go to Equestria. Simple as that.”

I let out a dejected sigh. “Very well then. I suppose I have no other choice. How long do you think we’ll be gone for?”

“Who knows? There’s also the time dilation between dimensions to consider.”

I frowned. “Can’t I at least let everyone know what’s going on? Within reason, of course. I’m not just going to blurt out that I have magical superpowers. That would be a disaster.”

“Take all the time you need, Rarity. Oh, and you can just shack with us until it’s time to leave. I’ve got a spare set of clothes, towels, and a guest room if you wanna use it.”