These are the Stories of the NLAC

Chapter 4: War of the Nudes

No one would've believed in the last years of the twentieth Century, that Equestrian Girl affairs were being watched from the timeless worlds of the internet. No one would've dreamed that we were being scrutinized as someone with a microscope that studies creatures that swarm and multiply in a drop of water. Few men even considered life outside the realm that was their own. And yet, across the gulf of computer screens, minds immeasurably crazier to ours regarded that earth with envious eyes. And slowly and surely they drew their plans...to strip us.

“Report,” Silver Shadow asked his friend Clutter.

“Unknown sir, readings at the moment are indeterminate.” Clutter responded.

“Okay then let’s run down with process of elimination, what is it not?” Silver asked.

“Simple Captain, it is not a comet, meteor, nor a probe of any kind. And while it has the size of a manned space craft, we cannot detect any life forms or any forms of propulsion.” Clutter answered.

Next to Clutter was the helmsmen, and Silver’s sister, Starshine spoke up. “So what we’re seeing is an emerald green rocket like UFO?” she said in her deadpan tone.

Clutter nodded, “Precisely.”

Sliver sighed, “Well that’s certainly interesting, can we get any closer?”

Clutter nodded again, “I believe it would be safe enough.”

“Helmsman, take us in closer please, one half impulse.” Silver ordered.

Starshine nodded and keyed in the commands. The van slowly moved forward towards the school to get a closer look at the arrivals for today’s party. Despite the trio roleplaying as their favorite Sci-Fi series Star Trek, they were not in outer space nor were they patrolling the sector around planet Earth. Still that didn’t them form having fun.

And tonight they were guaranteed to have fun. While none of them were nudists, they did have fun at the previous weeks party so coming back a second time was a guarantee. At present, the trio was in Starfleet uniforms, though they had planned to ditch them for a set of painted on uniforms. Silver was dressed in Command Gold, Clutter in Science Officer Blue, and Starshine in Tactical Red. In front of the van was a large coach bus that was close to unloading passengers.

According to the CMC, they were supposed to be guests for the party tonight, acting as invaders from the planet mars. So Clutter took it upon himself to “investigate” the arrivals.

“Clutter you’re sensors picking anything up now?” Silver asked.

Clutter shook his head, “Best I can get is several life forms, but readings are indeterminate.”

Starshine smiled, “Perhaps we should attend the party and check things out.”

“I’d advise caution there.” Clutter turned, “There might be dangers we do not yet understand there.”

“Dangerous missions are something every captain and crew must face.” Silver chuckled, “Perhaps we should get into the proper….attire for the night?”

With that, Starshine parked the van and the trio headed out for their part in the party tonight.

• Blake Skies

Sunset Shimmer adjusted the outfit she had Rarity make for this event. The party’s theme was sci-fi and Sunset volunteered with movie duties. Unsure what to show at the party, she turned to the most knowledgeable person in pop culture she knew, a young man by the name of Quibble Pants. He had suggested that they show the partygoers old cheesy science fiction movies and have the viewers mock the films.

“Oh, so like that one show with the guys watching bad movies?” She had asked.

“Exactly,” he replied. “And we can even dress up as the two villains who send the movies.”

Sunset chuckled as she stuck the two giant bone needles into her hair, leaving it in the style of a bun. She looked over her costume as Dr. Kinga Forrester from the new Mystery Science Theater 3000 season. Quibble Pants, meanwhile had styled the front of his hair into a curl, identifying himself as TV’s Son of TV’s Frank. For Sunset, the idea of wearing a costume at a nudist party seemed ridiculous but the costume is what helped identify the character. She took a deep breath before stepping out into the main room, heading towards the seating area where a large projector screen had been set up. Quibble Pants stood at the opposite end of where she was standing. Several guests, including Emerald Peace, Flutter Heart and Sandymane, were already sitting on the couches and chairs, waiting for the movie to start.

“Greetings, everyone,” Sunset began. “Our first bad flick tonight involves a giant radioactive dinosaur on a South Seas island.”

“Meatloaf?” Quibble joked.

“No, Godzilla,” Sunset sighed in frustration. “It also features a giant lobster and a tanker full of drawn butter.”

“It was a rock lobster!” Quibble added as Sunset began the movie.

“Prepare to enter the nightmare fueled world of Godzilla vs the Sea Monster!” Sunset switched on the projector and the movie began to play.

“We’ve got Movie Sign!” Emerald and Sandymane cried out in unison. Flutter looked dumbfounded as Emerald, Sandymane and the others began making jokes at the movie’s expense. When the movie reached the scene where Godzilla had reawakened, Emerald was grinning like a maniac. The scene continued to play as Godzilla began to play an impromptu game of volleyball with the giant lobster named Ebirah.

“And it’s a home run!” Sandymane called out as Ebirah smacked the large boulder into the sea. Godzilla roared and began to wade out into the sea.

“He should wait an hour before going for a swim,” Flutter spoke up a little. The other movie watchers clapped at her first joke. She smiled a little as the movie continued.

• markzilla6895

Winder Rider didn't consider herself to be a true nudist. She enjoyed when she could be nude while relaxing, but that wasn't the same as actually subscribing to the lifestyle; she just wasn't ready for that yet. Nor did she know if she would ever be.

All that aside, she really liked attending the weekly NLAC parties, and wished that she'd gotten started with them sooner, rather than waiting as long as she had before actually doing such. There was no telling how much fun she'd missed out on, skipping those first parties. It wasn't even apprehension over the prosthetic leg that kept her from showing up and participating, she'd just... never thought about doing it before.

The fact that the parties were all themed and unique just added to the fun of coming here each Friday night. And tonight's theme... tonight's theme had been the one she'd been waiting on!

The name of the game -and theme- tonight was science fiction, which meant that all related genres were fair game for use; including the cyberpunk genre which she'd been cheated out of the last time! Currently she was taking full advantage of that fact, her body adorned with numerous steel-colored prosthetics that not only complimented the titanium appendage, but further left her looking like a metal endoskeleton was just beneath the surface of her skin, and visible from where the outer covering had taken battle damage. And while her nerf guns weren't exactly phase plasma rifles in the 40 watt range, they were two that had long ago been painted and given a weathered, steam punkish design that was far removed from the bright neon colors they'd originally come on.

Looking all around her, she saw so many examples, from so many series that she recognized. Considering they had to be executed without the aid of clothing that many considered to be iconic, it led to some... very interesting results to be had and observed. Props, prosthetics, and body paint were the name of the game tonight.

She was so caught up in taking in the scenery, she didn't pay attention where she was going until she felt -and heard- something smack into her prosthetic leg.

"Hiya Strut!"

Shady. Her being here really wasn't a surprise; she'd been coming to these parties ever since the beginning. Although running into her in the manner they had was still unexpected.

Looking over at her, it was easy to get which sci-fi element she'd gone with, what with her entire left arm being covered in red and gold colored plates all to way up to her shoulder, and the circular glowing light currently adhered to her chest.

It was no real secret that Shady had a Downey crush, even if she couldn't actually see the movies he starred in. It was his snarky nature, his mastery of quips that had her captivated with him. So it really wasn't a surprise to see her going that route tonight.

"Hi Shady," she greeted in turn, "where'd you get the armor?"

"I borrowed it from Bolts for the party tonight. Now I owe him a favor for letting me do it," Shady replied. "Then I told him I needed some help getting the arc reactor glued onto my chest just right. So now he owes me a favor," he continued as the grinned cheekily.

Wind Rider snorted in amusement at the story. She always knew that Shady was no dummy, but it was still hilarious how she handled herself in these type of situations. She just wished she could've actually witnessed things unfolding, rather than hearing it being recounted to her.

"So what're you supposed to be? What's your gimmick for this evening?" Shady asked.

"T-800 model 101 that's taken a lot of damage to its outer skin covering," she replied.

"Huh. That's pretty cool. I guess even Skynet would realize the value of female infiltrators," Shady commented, before shrugging dismissively. "So, Strut, what's the lay of the land look like tonight? You're way better at recognizing pop culture references than I am."

Wind Rider chuckled as she looked around them. "Well let's see. I'm seeing examples of Star Trek, Star Wars, Farscape, I think Battle Star Galactica, Stargate, Guardians of the Galaxy, unless that green-skinned chick is with the Star Trek crowd, The Matrix... I think some Neighponese giant robot references that I don't recognize off the top of my head. Doctor Who-"

"Clockwork and Rinky Dink's sister, right?" Shady asked.

"Of course," Wind Rider replied. "We've got Godzilla, Green Lantern, Back to the Future, Avatar, Pacific Rim... got a wide assortment of various martians and other extra-terrestrial lifeforms for the whole "Mars invasion" idea. We've got-" she continued, but paused as her eyes fell on one party member in particular. "Ho... ly... crap..."

"Strut, what're you seeing?" Shady asked as she tugged on her friend's arm. "C'mon, I know you, you don't talk like that without good reason. What's up?"

"Shady, this is one of those times when I really wish you had sight so you could see what I'm seeing," Wind Rider replied absently as she continued staring ahead of her. "And it makes me really glad I'm not a guy, otherwise I'd end up embarrassing myself..."

"What're you seeing?" Shady asked again as she tugged harder.

"I don't know who I'm looking at, but there's one girl here who went all out on the body paint. It's a mix of oily black, flat black, and charcoal gray, and she looks like one of H.R. Giger's illustrations that walked right out of his Necronomicon book. We're talking heavy, heavy details here. She must be really serious about this," Wind Rider stated, doing her best to try and make the matter understandable to her blind friend.

Despite not knowing just what was being said, Shady still whistled in response. If her friend was talking like that, it had to be significant.

"Is she hot?" she asked.

"Might as well be made of pure fire," Wind Rider elaborated. "Seriously, this is one of those cases where gender need not apply for consideration."

"Well then go over and talk to her, you big dummy," Shady insisted. "Unless of course you want me to call her on over," she added as she gripped her cane with her gloved hand and raised two fingers, preparing to loudly whistle and call over the mysterious girl that had caught her friend's attention.

Winder Rider quickly slung one of her nerf guns, and grabbed Shady's hand before she could embarrass the both of them. "You do that, and so help me, I swear I'll beat you to death with your own cane," she hissed, before letting her go. "Fine, fine. I'll go talk to her. I just hope she doesn't plant some hostile embryo in my chest..."

"Use a condom," Shady suggested.

"Oh, hush you," Wind Rider retorted, already walking off before Shady could offer up anymore of her off-brand humor to the matter.

Shady just grinned as her friend left in an exasperated huff. There would probably be payback later on, but such was the nature of their friendship at times. They were thick as thieves, but lacking a unifying issue to stand behind, they wouldn't hesitate to turn to each other for their own amusement.

The sound of fingers snapping from behind alerted her to the fact that someone had walked up on her. The sound of fingers being snapped four times in rapid succession informed her that it was Jabber Jaw who was currently standing there.

Being mute, communication between the two of them often required a third party to act as an interpreter since she couldn't make sense of the sign language used. But that was a small detail, and neither one of them let that get in the way of being friends.

"Hey there, Jabber Jaw! You having fun?" Shady asked.

One snap of the fingers. Yes.

"Always good. You participating with tonight's theme?"

One snap of the fingers.

"Cool. So what's yours anyway?" she asked. Even though it wasn't a yes/no question, she still got an answer as she felt something furry rubbed against her free hand.

She then felt Jabber Jaw leading her hand along whatever was being held out to her, bringing her into contact with the taller girl as her hand led around to her back, and to a belt around her waist.

"You a pony?" Shady asked, instantly recognizing the furry thing as being a costume tail.

Two snaps of the fingers, followed by her hand being brought up to what she could only assume was a ribbon choker necklace, affixed to a sizable jingle bell that lived up to its name as it was moved.

"You're a catgirl?" she asked.

One snap of the fingers.

"Oh, that's cute! Not exactly sure a catgirl is all that science fiction-y, but it's still cute," Shady stated and grinned.

Jabber Jaw proceeded to pet her on the head. Under different circumstances, Shady would take offense to such. But in this case, she really didn't mind. Although if given a choice in the matter, she would've preferred a hug more.

"So "Invaders from Mars" is the gimmick tonight, huh? I'm curious about how that's gonna work out. How about you?"

Shady had no idea how Jabber Jaw could drag out the snapping of her fingers, but she did. The slow snapping, which was like a person stretching out saying "yeah..." in a suspicious manner, combined with the pause between the question and response, immediately suggested something was up.

"Are you part of the invading party?" she asked.

One snap of the fingers.

"Oh..." Shady replied slowly. "I should try and make a break for it, shouldn't I?"

One snap of the fingers. And done in a way that made her feel like she was addressing a grinning shark.

"Yeah, I thought so. Bye," Shady replied and quickly pulled away. Unfortunately she wasn't quick enough, as Jabber had quickly wrapped her arms around her, pinning her arms to her sides in the process as she lifted her up off the ground.

Realistically she knew that she could easily break loose from his hold if she put up enough fight. But she also knew that it was all in the name of fun and games, and she wasn't actually going to be hurt. Plus she could feel Jabber's boobs pressing into her back, which kind of took the fight out of her. Or at least it did until Jabber actually started tickling her!

"Alien abduction! Alien abduction!" she laughed as she tried desperately to squirm and wriggle free.

Meanwhile, while the two chuckle heads she often associated with were demonstrating significant goofiness, Wind Rider was making her way over to her quarry, the Giger Girl. Not that she was exactly into girls, but she certainly didn't have anything against them from time to time; especially when the presentation that was actually being presented was... she wanted to growl like a tiger to express that particular point.

Such matters of consideration, however, came to an immediate halt as a certain party-goer she recognized entered the picture, and approached said Giger Girl first. Sandalwood. His theme wasn't ringing any bells with her, but that was well beside the point now. Even her own being too slow to approach this mysterious stranger first wasn't the part bugging her the most; that was just how things went. No, it was an entirely different matter that had her cold foot being being superseded by boiling blood.

"Why you son of a bitch!" she stated, her approach now taking on a more meaningful one.

Reacting as if that was his name, Sandalwood turned around to face her as she approached. "Wind Rider? What's going on?"

"Don't play dumb with me, Sandalwood, I know you're dating Misty Meadows. So what're you doing here, flirting with someone else when your girlfriend is absent?" she asked in a very hostile tone. "You'd better have a damn good reason for two-timing like that..."

"Wind Rider..."

This time it was said Giger Girl speaking up, in a soft voice with just enough of an accent for there to be an exotic allure in her words. Or at least that would've been the case, had Wind Rider not actually recognized that voice.

"Misty?" she asked in disbelief, while at the same time looking the other girl over more carefully. "Wow! I never thought I'd see you at one of these parties."

It was no secret to her friends that Misty was very sensitive about her body, especially with how close to borderline she was on the whole BMI thing. That, combined with several food allergies that limited her dietary options, made her weight -and the lack thereof- a sensitive topic to discuss.

"Neither did I," Misty admitted uneasily. "But then I decided to, how do you say it, accessorize?"

Looking over Misty better now that she was closer, Wind Rider could see what she was referring to. The body paint currently being worn, had been applied in a manner that actually served to compliment her skinny frame, with highlights in key areas that served to better define the supposed bio-mechanical nature of the presentation. Whoever the artist was that had applied said highlights and touches had certainly known what they were doing in getting the maximum effect. Some would've needed prosthetic touches to achieve such a look, depending on what their frame was like, but Misty managed to pull it off without such.

"Oh..." Wind Rider replied slowly, uncertain of what else to really say. This whole situation was already way awkward enough. "Well, you look good!"

"Thank you," Misty replied, "and thank you for being so concerned. It was all very... what is that word? Chivalrous?"

"I don't know, I guess that's it?" Sandalwood replied, just as lost for a response as Misty was currently. Really, he was just glad Wind Rider hadn't taken things further before the truth had gotten out. That could've been really ugly.

"Well, you know, just being a good friend and all," Wind Rider replied absently with an uneasy chuckle. "I'll just be going now," she muttered, already in the process of formulating her escape plan. If she went back to her other friends now, and explained the situation to them, she was fairly certain that she'd never hear the end of it. The hostile embryo would've been preferable to that.

• Charlie_K

Padawan Bluestem read the paper taped to the large wooden doors of the school and looked at his master. Their robes fluttered in the warm summer night’s breeze.

“Master, do you believe they’re here?” Bluestem asked as he lowered his hood.

Master Key remained silent for a time then nodded. “What do your feelings tell you, young padawan?”

Bluestem had to stifle a giggle, Key was only one year older than he was, but in a way Key was the master in more ways than one. He was a nudist and had been trying to get Bluestem into the lifestyle ever since they met. He was also the one who wrote the play they were enacting tonight. So, out of respect for his friend, he stayed in character.

“I feel a disturbance, Master.” Bluestem said.

“As do I, padawan. Our enemies are cunning, but the Force is with us. Let us to go this ‘student union.’”

On the way, Bluestem was shocked to see so many naked students strolling around. Some were dressed in revealing costumes that he recognized from various science fiction shows and, in a way, it felt a lot like the Cantina scene in the first Star Wars movie. A few more steps and Bluestem could see the reception desk.

“How may I help you two, gentleman?” A grey skinned girl with blonde hair asked, sitting behind a desk.

“We are here for the party. Can you assist us?” Master Key asked.

“Of course, more out-of-towners, I see. We’ve been getting a lot of you tonight. Are you on the list?” She asked with a strange lilt in her voice. “What are your names?”

They gave their names. “And we are on the list.” Master Key followed with a slight wave of his hand.

Bluestem didn't know if the receptionist saw the gesture. What he did know was that they had been confirmed the week before, but still, the little bit of in-character action made him feel good.

“You are on the list.” The receptionist said, her voice losing a little bit of the pep it had before.

“And we can go have fun?” Master Key asked with another wave and grin.

“You can have fun.” The receptionist responded her voice was even more monotone than before. Bluestem started to wonder how much of it was an act. It had to be, right? “Dressings rooms for men on the right.”

“We can keep our belts on?”

“You can keep your belts on.”

“We can go.”

She finally lost it and let out a laugh. “Get going you two and don’t have too much fun.” She grinned.

“Thank you.” Both said with a smile of their own.

She motioned them through. Bluestem asked if Key had planned it, which he, of course, denied. Bluestem sighed and followed his master down the steps towards the changing areas.

Bluestem blushed as he saw Key remove his robe and stand naked before him. They had always been clothed during rehearsals. Bluestem had seem him naked in the showers but this was, different.

“Um, could you, turn around?” Bluestem asked.

Key sighed and turned around. “I’m going to see you away.” But he continued to look away.

Bluestem gulped. This was it. He thought of removing a band-aid. With a gasp, he slide the robe down. He felt the air over his body. Like Key, he had decided to wear nothing underneath except his lightsaber utility belt and shoes. No way to chicken out.

Key turned back and said. “There now, it wasn’t that hard. You doing fine. Let’s hang these up and get going.

Bluestem wasn’t done. If he was going to do this, he’d go as far as possible. He blushed as he sat down on a bench and took off his shoes. He heard Master Key chuckle as he went to hang up his robe on a nearby hook.

“Now, focus. Our foes are already here. Remember the plan” Key walked the length of the room with a purposeful stride. “We find them and stop them. They’ve infiltrated this party in hopes that nudity will make those weak against their evil intent.”

Bluestem nodded with a frown.

Master Key continued. “And our hope is that nudity will weaken their dark power and allow us to beat them, if not capture them.”

“Sounds good. Let’s go!” Bluestem said as he hung up his robe.

“Not so fast. Let’s search together. They might not be expecting that. If we catch them on their own, they’ll be no match. Follow me.” Master Key said, adjusting his utility belt. His lightsaber bounced off his bronze colored thigh.

“Right!” Bluestem affirmed as he checked his own belt. A thrill ran through him as he felt his own lightsaber bump against his hip. Now, finally, they were here and performing what they had worked so hard to make.

Strangely, being nude made him feel more confident. Was it because he felt like he was hiding under the robe? It couldn’t be, could it? It was just a play and everyone was naked too. People couldn’t actually feel better about themselves or more self-confident when they were wearing nothing, could they? No, he was just getting into character. He cleared his mind and focused on what they had rehearsed.

Bluestem followed his master out of the changing room. He was so focused on trying to remember what came next that he forgot what actually did and it almost missed hearing the tell-tale angry bee-hum of a Sith's lightsaber as it slashed towards him.

With reflexes that surprised even him, he brought up his own lightsaber in a block that deflected the attack. He fell into a defensive stance.

“You’re being held back. Join me and free yourself.” The blue Sith laughed. She turned and raced off in the opposite direction.

The line had been ad-libbed, but her trying to draw him away from Master Key was part of the act to help announce the final battle and get more involved. He took a second to look behind him. Master Key was already facing off against the Sith Lord, Orange Striker, an orange-skinned student and the master of the Sith that attacked him.

Bluestem’s attacker had been none other than Blood Rose, formerly Padawan Blue Rose, his sister, both in the play and in real life. She had blue skin like he did, but had grey and red lines painted down her body. That too wasn’t part of the play and he wondered where she’d got painted. He’d have to ask when this was over. He retracted the lightsaber blade and clipped it to his belt and took off after her.

Their story was that they had been padawans together. Training in the great temple. She always kept him on his toes because she was better than him. However, she had been obsessed with gaining more power in the Force and her journey had lead her down a dark path. Bluestem was suppose to kill her, but he knew she could be brought back to the light side.

The hallways were crowded with students. Bluestem saw costumes from shows like Doctor Who, Battlestar Galactica, Star Trek, and even some random cyberpunk get ups. At the far end a red blade lit up, but didn’t seem to get many people’s attention. What Blood Rose shouted did.

“Bluestem! Surrender or die.”

“Blue Rose, sister, why fight? Come back to the light. This isn’t who you are!” Bluestem shouted back activating his own lightsaber.

By now the crowd seemed to get that something was happening and cleared a path between the two. Their chatting dying down as they watched to see what would happen next.

“The name is Blood Rose!” She shouted and raced down the hallway.

“I don’t want to do this!” Bluestem raised his own lightsaber and ran towards her.

Their blades clashed and whirled as they fought up and down the hallway. Bluestem and Rose had practiced this fight at home in their backyard and he felt really good about it. Although, he hadn’t realized how narrow the hallway would be and had a few close calls with bystanders. No one got hurt. The crowd soon realized this was a show and started to whoop and cheer as the two combatants fought.

Finally, Blood Rose Force pushed Bluestem back causing him to fall and slide on the cool tile floor. It took him a bit to get back on his feet.

“Pathetic as ever. You cling to old traditions and morality. Give in to your feelings. Be who you are meant to be!” Blood Rose said and raced off down the hallway.

Bluestem watched her go. After she was gone he announced the final battle would be in the gym and then he raced off after her.

Their next fight was out in sport fields behind the school. Master Key and Orange Striker would be in the library or the cafeteria by now.

He fought Blood Rose, but for some reason he felt different. It wasn’t the kind of different he felt between rehearsing and performing. In fact he felt better than he normally did while performing. It took him awhile before he finally hit on what was nagging him. It was her lines, more specifically what they could be saying.

Their fight wasn’t about the dark and light side at all but about clothing and nudity. Key had always said clothing held people back. That it was based in outdated morality and traditions, but Bluestem had only half listened. As he fought with his sister and reflected on the lines he started to notice something different about her.

True they hadn’t practiced nude before. Their house wasn’t open to it, but he had seen his sister naked and seeing her again wasn’t anything special. However, sharing this moment with her made him feel more proud to be her brother than ever before. She wasn’t the “little sister” who kept getting on his nerves, nor “the pest” that kept following him and his friends around, but a person all her own. Was nudity really affecting him like that?

Somewhere in the back of his mind he could hear Key’s voice whisper that it was. He tried to push it down but it persisted. With each blow and counterblow it told him that being naked had forced him to look at himself and accept who he was. That he wasn’t a student or the labels that he wore, but a person all the same and now he was seeing the same in her. With effort he quelched the voice and focused on the ending blows and lines.

“Sister, why did you turn away from the light? Why can’t you understand that it’s wrong? Come back to me.” Bluestem cried.

“No. The dark side is freedom. It allows me to be the true me. You’re forcing yourself to be blind.” She screamed, but Bluestem to could see the conflict in her eyes. She faltered and tripped just as they practiced.

“You know that’s not true. Come to the light, sister. You know you still can.”

“Stop confusing me!” She “kicked” Bluestem in the gut and ran away.

Bluestem picked himself up and let everyone know that in a few minutes they would be in the gym for the final climatic battle. Instead of running off like last time, he walked away, mindlessly clipping his lightsaber to his belt and pondered the latest lines.

Did being naked really change how he saw himself and his sister? Did it make him free? It was so confusing. A breeze cooled his sweaty body and he let out a sigh of pleasure. He had to admit, being nude did have some benefits but this would be it, right? He saw a clock and started running.

The gym was larger than Bluestem imagined it would be and it was way more crowded too. He wondered if they would have enough room. He made his way to the DJ booth where they were suppose to gather.

Orange, Key, and Rose were already there. Key handed him a headset so their lines could be heard while they fought.

“What kept you?” Orange asked.

“Just enjoying the party.” Bluestem said as he clipped it to his ear and adjusted the mic. It was wireless and didn’t didn’t have a belt box like the old models did.

“Yeah, well, you can do that later. Everyone ready?” Key asked. Everyone nodded and did a sound check.

They took their places. In the middle of one of the dance songs “Duel of the Fates” by John Williams broke in and everyone stopped. Some had questioning looks while other cheered.

Bluestem activated his lightsaber and made his way to the middle of the gym where an opening was being made for them to fight. He could see the others advancing from their positions.

“You’ve fallen into our trap. You’re being corrupted as we speak. Continue your journey towards the dark side.” Lord Orange Striker shouted, his voice booming through the speakers.

“Nudity is a pure connection to the Force and your evil ways will never cloud that! It is you who have lost.” Master Key yelled back.

“We shall see, Jedi!” Lord Orange Striker said and raised his lightsaber.

Bluestem tensed and looked over at Rose. She was ready too. The red blade came down the battle started.

Four lightsabers battled against each other in an all out brawl. At times Bluestem was back-to-back with Key while at others he was defending himself against both Sith at once. He twirled into different stances to block and counter with what seemed like impossible timing. In reality, this had been their most practiced fight.

Again, Bluestem felt something come over him. Only this time it was more. He didn’t feel worn out like he was used to. Tried to deny it had anything to do with being nude, but deep down he knew the truth. As he accepted it, he felt a wave of peace wash over him.

Then Lord Striker shoved his lightsaber through Key’s chest, well, under the armpit.

“Noooooooo!” Bluestem shouted as his master crumbled to the ground. The battle was nearly over and for a moment Bluestem was glad, it had been a grueling performance but on the other hand he didn’t feel quite ready for it to be over.

“You master is dead. Submit to the dark side or share his fate!” Lord Orange Striker said while brandishing his blade at Bluestem. Blood Rose moved aside.

“I’ll never join you!” Bluestem said.

“Just like your sister. In the end you will beg for the dark just as she did. Give in.”

“Never!” Bluestem charged Orange Striker.

Just before he reached him Blood Rose intercepted him. They exchanged blows only this time it felt less like an act and more like he was really fighting for his sister, for nudity, and for things he didn’t quite understand.

“Blue Rose, this isn’t who you are. Come back to me. Remember the Jedi you really are.” Bluestem said as he blocked her attack.

“Forget her! She’s dead. It only took her awhile to realize it.” She shot back.

“That’s not who you are. Fight it!” They exchanged a few more blows. “I love you.”

It was in the script for her to pause and fight with her conflicting feelings and she did, but she wasn’t suppose to have any lines. “It won’t be like before, will it?”

Bluestem nodded. “No, I guess it won’t be. I’m okay, you?”

“Yeah.” It was barely a whisper but the mic caught it and it echoed around the gym.

Back on script, Blood Rose glared at Bluestem, screamed in frustration, and then lunged for Lord Orange Striker.

Bluestem moved in next to her and together they impaled the Sith lord just as the music ended.

The gym erupted in applause and cheers. Bluestem helped Orange to his feet while Key got up on his own. Together they high-fived and patted each other on the back. The DJ announced who they were, their drama club, and a thank you to all who stayed to watch.

The regular dance music started back up and the cheers and applause died down. Bluestem knew he should be happy as he smiled and waved but he felt confused and lost. In the back of his mind he knew the script wasn’t about Star Wars but about his refusal to accept nudity and he had to talk to Key about that, but first he needed to set things straight with his sister.

He caught Rose by one of the gym doors. She had a questioning look as he came up to her but went with him into the hall.

“Sis, thank you for being apart of this. It was a lot of work and, and I can’t believe we’re here naked.”

“I know, right? Thank you for this. I wasn’t sure about the nudity, but once I learned I got to beat you up, I was in.” She smiled but looked away.

“I guess I haven’t been the best of brothers.” He chuckled then tried to regain control of himself. “Did you mean what you said, you know, back there?”

“Yeah. I guess I did.” She said then paused. “I’ve never felt this okay with myself before. And to be honest, I know I’m not ready for it to end.”

Bluestem could see the struggle in her eyes to admit that and he struggled to find the words while he sorted out his own feelings. “Me either. And not just here. Would you be okay trying this at home? Talking to Mom and Dad?”

Rose blushed before answering. “Yeah?”

“Yeah. Okay.” Bluestem said feeling like a weight had been lifted.

They gave each other a quick brother-sister hug, things would be different but better. They pushed the door to the gym open and rejoined the party.

• Clickety-clack

Here is what The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy has this to say about “Nudists”. Nudism is a lifestyle based around at some point in human history that no one covered up at all. Some say it is because of some woman saying a snake told her to eat a mind-bending fruit and said to her boyfriend to try it, this is regarded by most nudists as “A very bad move”.

The important thing to know about nudists is that they see an extreme difference to sex and simple nudity. If you are going to a social gathering of nudists, you would have a better time picking up a date in a temple of celibate hermaphroditic monks from the planet of Xynix 6. Especially one that is a club at a public High School like Canterlot High.

Luckily enough, that is what one Chocolate Mint, a literature teacher at that school, does every week at to help a fellow teacher, Cheerilee. He has also made the precaution to bring a towel. Nudists and galactic Hitchhikers can agree that a towel is about the most massively useful thing in the Universe.

Partly it has great practical value—you can wrap it around you for warmth as you bound across the cold moons of Jaglan Beta; you can lie on it on the brilliant marble‐sanded beaches of Santraginus V, inhaling the heady sea vapors; you can sleep under it beneath the stars which shine so redly on the desert world of Kakrafoon; use it to sail a mini raft down the slow heavy river Moth; wet it for use in hand‐to‐hand‐combat; wrap it round your head to ward off noxious fumes or to avoid the gaze of the Ravenous Bugblatter Beast of Traal (a mind-bogglingly stupid animal, it assumes that if you can't see it, it can't see you—daft as a bush, but very ravenous); you can wave your towel in emergencies as a distress signal, and of course dry yourself off with it if it still seems to be clean enough.

Every week before a NLAC club begins, Mint will stop by at the Teacher’s Lounge to get a drink from the vending machine, the Sirius Cybernetics Nutrimatic Drinks Dispenser, a cup of his favorite drink to relax which is warm hot chocolate. Mint pushes the button and the cup is ready, he takes a drink and as usual ever since the school installed it, it tastes terrible. He spits it out into a wastebasket next to him.

The way the Nutrimatic Drinks Dispenser works is very interesting. When the ‘Serve’ button is pressed it makes an instant, but highly-detailed examination of the subject’s taste buds, a spectroscopic analysis of the subject’s metabolism, and then sends tiny experimental signals down the neural pathways to the taste centers of the subject’s brain, to see what is likely to be well received. However, no one knows quite why it does this, because it then invariably delivers a cup-full of liquid that is almost, but not quiet, entirely unlike tea.

Mint groans, “I mean what is the point?”

The Dispenser responded, “Nutrition and Pleasurable Sense Data. Share and Enjoy!”

“Listen, it tastes terrible.” Mint throws the cup away in annoyance.

The machine didn’t listen to him, “If you enjoyed your drink, why not share it with your friends?”

Mint gave it a ‘are you kidding’ look, “because if I did share it, I would lose them. Do you know what I’m saying? That drink- “

The machine interrupted him “That drink was individually tailored to your personal requirements of nutrition and pleasure.”

Mint rolled his eyes “so I’m a masochist on a diet, am I?”

“Please Share and Enj- “

“Shut up and listen, all I want is a cup of hot chocolate. Understand?”

“Yes”

“and do you know why I want a cup of hot chocolate?”

“Please wait.” The machine made beeps and bops and Mint took a few steps back from it worried it might blow up. “Computing” it said a moment later.

Mint raised an eyebrow “What are you doing?”

“Calculating why you want cocoa powder in heated water.”

“Because I like it and it helps me relax.”

The machine made a beep “Stated reason does not compute with program facts.”

Mint didn’t understand “What?”

A deep voice joined in “You heard her.”

Mint looked around the room, “Who said that?”

“Me,” a vent in a high point on one of the teacher lounge walls, “I’m the new Ventilation System, remember? You complained about me yesterday.”

“Yes because you made my classroom smell like a perfume department.”

“I’m programed for scented air; you love it because it’s fresh”

Mint got angrier as he sat in a chair “I like it when it smells like a pine forest and not reminding me when I went to the store with my mom and every employee invading my safe space.”

The chair suddenly vibrated, “What’s going on now?” Mint yelled in surprised.

“Please calm down,” said the chair “Your stress and nerves are melting away.”

Mint got out of the chair, “JUST STOP!!! ALL OF YOU JUST STOP!!!”

Some smooth music started playing and it just made Mint angrier, “AND STOP WHOEVER IS PLAYING THAT!!!!”

There was a long silence until the Dispenser spoke “Still computing why you want cocoa powder in heated water.”

Mint took a deep breath, “Alright, when I need to relax I don’t need music, a massage chair, or nice smelling air. I just sit back and enjoy some hot chocolate.”

“Then why did you built us?” All the machines say in unison.

“I didn’t build you.” Mint said in confusion

“But you are an organic lifeform” The Ventilation said.

“This is ridiculous” Mint said in defeat, it was getting closer to the time the NLAC party started and he needed to be there for Cheerilee. The door opened by itself and Mint looked at in in surprise, “What?”

“Enjoy your day, Lit Teacher Chocolate Mint!” said a voice.

Mint groaned.

• Gojirafan101