These are the Stories of the NLAC

Everything is going to be alright. Everything is going to be alright.'

The was the mantra currently going through his mind on repeat, and currently it was only thing actually keeping him from succumbing to a massive anxiety attack right on the spot where he stood. Coming here had been a horribly bad idea on his part, he was quite certain of that fact now!

It was a basic fact of life -right up there with needing oxygen to survive- that high schools were host to a great multitude of rumors floating about at any given time. And at any given point in time, they could be had at the low rate of a dime a dozen, if not a dime a gross. CHS was no different in that respect.

The thing about rumors, however, was that if one paid the proper amount of attention to not only the message, but also the source from which it originated, a great deal of factual information could be garnered. It was all about separating fact from fiction, and knowing who to go to for verification. In this case, the one to go to was the information broker known simply as Dinky. Despite her young age, she was a wealth of information to those that managed to pass her evaluation process.

From this meeting he'd garnered what amounted to five pieces of critical, need-to-know information; CHS was indeed host to a secret naturist club being operated within its grounds. Weekly meetings were held every Friday night. There was absolutely no sex at the parties. Each party had its own unique theme to make things interesting. And last but not least, this week's theme was anime.

Addendum. Six pieces of information. The sixth piece of information was that the theme applied only to anime series that spanned no more than 50 episodes. This was apparently to avoid too many party goers attending as shinigami, shinobi, pirates, half-demons, and martial arts-crazy aliens with color-changing, gravity-defying hair. Horror and hentai were also out for obvious reasons. Creativity was the name of the game at this party, apparently.

Once the information had been gathered, however, there was the question of just what to actually do with it?

Informing the school staff was one option. Although that could go... poorly. If the club was operating on school grounds, either the staff was already aware of such, and had no qualms with how it was being operated. Or the staff was ignorant of such occurring, and if such was the case, why exactly should he speak up when other students weren't? It really wasn't his place to be doing such anyway; the student body at CHS could look after itself, and speak up if they didn't like something.

He knew intellectually that this was the bystander effect in full swing. But he just couldn't bring himself to be motivated to do anything about it.

A second option was simply doing nothing whatsoever. Knowing that this club physically existed didn't obligate him to take any particular course of action, either one way or the other. It was really no different than knowing just how many lockers the school had built into its structure; it was knowledge now possessed, but knowledge didn't require acting upon it.

A third option was to actually make use of this newfound knowledge. He could attend the party being hosted this upcoming Friday night, and see what it was like for himself. But it was an option that truly didn't bode well with him. Attending a nudist party -more than likely- would involve being nude himself for whatever was going on. The very thought of it sat uneasily with him; he didn't have anywhere near enough self confidence to consider taking such a course of action, leaving himself exposed to anyone and everyone that would be present.

But at the same time, CHS was host to a wide number of students, with a wide number of variants in body types. It was statistically unfeasible that he was the only one among them who might possess body image insecurity issues. What was the statistical probability that the only students attending these parties were those who were lean, tone, and popular? Not very good, that was more or less for certain. If that was the case, Dinky would've likely pointed this fact to him when he'd been inquiring about details. The girl was a social butterfly, interacting with numerous groups of individuals. She wouldn't associate with one group to the point of excluding all others, it simply wasn't in her nature.

He dared not inquire for further details, lest he give the wrong idea. The less contact had on this particular matter, the better it was. The more questions asked, the less plausible deniability there was. It would be a better course of action to just disregard the whole notion as being ludicrous.

But that was easier said than done. The fact the party's theme was anime had him... curious as to just how those attending it would be able to pull it off. Anime was, by its very nature, heavily defined by visuals and designs; designs like the clothing selected for the characters involved. But at this party, there wouldn't be any clothing, so how were they going to actually make the theme work?

That thought, perhaps more than any other thought, was what festered in his mind throughout the days leading up to. The more he pondered the matter, the more he found himself giving more consideration to the idea of actually going to the party, and seeing how the theme was met. Curiosity was wrestling with insecurity, and slowly but surely, curiosity was dominating the fear of being seen by everyone present. He could honestly visualize said insecurity being put into a half nelson by curiosity, all the while wondering how a series like "Azure Strike Gunvolt" could be done without costumes equipped with glowing lights. Or if "Blue Comet SPT Layzner" was obscure enough to not be considered. And if someone there could successfully pull off "Bodacious Space Pirates" in the buff then that would certainly be something to see.

Curiosity had eventually managed to win out in the end. Although it had hardly been in the fashion of a brutal K.O. that had fans cheering in the stands. Rather it was more of a win on a technicality, with both sides too exhausted to keep fighting any longer, and curiosity having been declared the winner purely because of collapsing on time of insecurity and pinning it to the mat.

Still, curiosity had technically won in the end, leading him to where he was right now; in the middle of this NLAC party and one wrong move away from freaking the fuck out! Coming here had been a horrible idea! What was he thinking, showing up for a nudist party!?

Taking a deep breath, he focused on steadying his nerves, and began running his mantra at double speed.

The plan had been simple enough on Thursday. Just show up at the designated meeting place, stay as close to the back of the amassed crowd of people as possible, and don't do anything to draw any attention to himself. Easier said than done, but it was still his plan on how to go about doing it.

There was the added bonus of his rearward position letting him see for himself that a wide variety of body shapes and sizes were present in tonight's crowd. That did a lot to help ease his initial concerns. If they could be at ease with the idea of strutting around in nothing but their skin, then surely he could be as well.

Then there was the matter of the theme for the night's party, and how it would allow him to pull this whole operation off. Costumes were out, but masks were fair game. His mask in this case, worn as soon as he'd gotten to the crowd, was one for an Optimus Prime costume. Not strictly anime, but there were at least eight "Transformers" series that were indeed anime, and one would be hard pressed to find one that didn't have an Optimus Prime-type figure included in the Autobot lineup, even if he did go by the name of Convoy instead.

Much to his surprise, Miss Cheerilee and Vice Principal Luna had been present to give all the new arrivals a speech pertaining to conduct and such. At seeing them, he was glad he hadn't pursued the first option, as it would've just made him look foolish. If such high ranked members of the school staff were actually present for this, and apparently had no problem with the club operating on school grounds, raising the issue of concern simply wouldn't have been the proper course of action to undertake.

Once the initial introductions and briefing had been made, it was time for the rubber to meet the road, as the crowd shuffled its way inside to the assigned and designated changing rooms. He'd been among the very, very last to actually get undressed in an effort to minimize interaction and recognition by anyone. He was doing his best to remain calm, but despite that his entire body more or less one big white knuckle throughout it all. Imaging your fellow classmates naked was one thing, but no level of such was enough to actually amount to preparation for when that became a reality. If not for the mask he currently wore to hide his face, he doubted that he could've even come this far. The urge to flee was so, so very strong right now, even trying to convey Optimus Prime was proving ineffective.

He just had to step out and join the others, that was all. Just mingle for a bit, and evaluate the matter from there. It was simple enough in theory, although actual practice was another matter. The only thing he really had going for him as a source of comfort was the fact that he'd be hard to recognize. His hair and skin tone were both common enough for him to appear nondescript, and the lack of anything like tattoos, birthmarks, or noteworthy scars just served to further allow him to occupy and blend into the background. Plausible deniability was good, it was very good.

Stepping outside and joining the others, it was nearly enough to send him running back to the changing room to get dressed, and get the fuck out of there! His heart was threatening to punch its way out of his rib cage like Ripley Scott's chestburster, as he experienced enough anxiety terror to make the possibility of unwittingly getting physically aroused a total nonissue. He was scared stiff to the point of not actually being able to get stiff in the first place.

'Everything is going to be alright. Everything is going to be alright,' he continually repeated to himself, although at a much faster speed now, to the point he was almost mentally stammering. Even he wasn't believing his own bullshit, but he still had to try regardless.

He looked around at the others mingling, trying to distract himself from the full scope of his situation. He tried focusing on individual details pertaining to the night's theme, rather than the people they were attached to. Props, prosthetics, and body paint were all in play tonight, but very little in the way of actual masks. The fact that he'd gone with a mask to hide his face meant he would likely draw more attention to himself, which was very bad.

The next thing to be noticed was everyone themselves. They were all mingling freely, regardless of how they looked, or what social clique they might belong to outside of these walls. He honestly didn't think something like that could happen, but it really was. Nerds and popular kids were interacting in a friendly, casual manner, that he'd simply never seen occur before. Was it really because of this club, and the removal of artificial barriers that made such interactions possible? Was that what drew everyone to these gatherings?

Looking around again at everyone present, he couldn't help but admire the others. They had far, far more self confidence, than he himself could ever hope to possess. For them, being nude was apparently no big thing. But for him, it was anything but that. Insecurity had returned in full force, more powerful than ever and was currently berating both him and curiosity at the same time for even coming here. And as much as he didn't want to admit it, insecurity was raising a lot of good points.

He'd been here a grand total of five minutes. But in his current state, it felt like an interminable number of hours slowly crawling on by. His entire body was so tense, if someone had shoved a piece of coal up his ass, it'd be a diamond in less than two weeks. That was assuming they could actually get the coal up there to begin with. He was tense enough that somebody wouldn't be able to drag a needle out of his butt with a bulldozer. He could-

And this his mental track just stopped. The argument between insecurity and curiosity ground to a screeching halt as something caught his eye, although he wasn't entirely sure what he was seeing. He very nearly took off his mask, just to make sure he was seeing what he thought he was seeing, and that it wasn't something that'd gotten in his line of sight.

He didn't know where they'd gotten it, but one of the girls present for the party was actually carrying around a "Medarot" plushie. More specifically it was a life-sized "Medarot" plushie of Brass in her blue and ivory sailor fuku getup. He was more of a Peppercat fan himself as far as that series went, but even he would admit that was still pretty cute. Although he was pretty sure that even Brass would object to being carried around like she was currently, as it was hardly a comfortable looking position.

All of the sudden, without even realizing it, he'd made a very important discovery. He'd actually calmed down. He hadn't a clue how it'd actually happened, but he suddenly became aware of a lack of overwhelming tension in his body. He almost laughed at this discovery. He'd gone from white knuckling to mellowing out, all because of some girl carrying a plush robot tucked under her arm? It was... all kind of funny, really.

But his sudden relaxed state came to a crashing end as something else entered his line of sight. A blue-skinned girl with white hair was suddenly in very close proximity to him, looking right at him with a smile in her face, as she stood there with fake cat ears on her head, a tail/belt around her waist, and a big brass jingle bell hanging around her neck.

It was definitely an "Asobi ni Iku yo!" reference, but the sudden appearance of the girl had nearly made him jump out of his skin in surprise. The fact he hadn't screamed had been nothing less than a small miracle in itself. But he didn't really have time to contemplate that, as he was struggling to get his breathing under control again.

Despite his terror, the blue girl continued smiling all friendly like, and waved at him in an equally friendly manner. More out of ingrained behavior rather than conscious thought, he nervously waved back to her. that just seemed to make her smile more, as she began making various gestures with her hands. It took him a minute to figure out that it wasn't gestures, but rather sign language. He at least recognized it overall, but he didn't understand a word she was saying. Figuratively speaking of course.

His puzzlement must've been brutally apparent even through his mask, because she stopped in mid-sign to look at him curiously. A few more gestures were made that he didn't understand, before she turned around, put two fingers between her lips, and proceeded to whistle loudly. It sounded like some variation on the old "shave and a haircut" tune, but he wasn't sure. Nor was he sure what all that was about either.

Perhaps it was some sort of code, as another girl was approaching them from out of the crowd. A girl with a prosthetic leg, and way more self confidence in herself than he had in himself right now. At first he thought she was doing a reference to "Fullmetal Alchemist" but quickly realized that wasn't automail. No, she was going more for a "Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann" thing, looking like Yoko Littner with the skull hair clip, the scarf, and the big-assed rifle she was lugging around with her.

"What's up, Jay?" she asked.

The first girl was signing to her, while gesturing back in his direction, trying to communicate some matter that was completely escaping him.

"Oh," the second girl replied with a sense of understanding, before turning her attention to him. "My friend over here is trying to introduce herself, you can call her J.J. and wants to know if you're having fun here," she translated.

He looked between the two girls in uncertainty as he pondered the question, before slowly shaking his head. He really wasn't having any fun here, what with how terrified he was currently. He'd come here for the sole purpose of sating his curiosity and that was it. And now that he'd more or less completed that mission, he was terrified to hang around any longer than was absolutely necessary.

"Oh no? That's too bad," the second girl replied, before looking back at J.J. as she started signing something else. "Oh yeah, she wants to know if you can talk?"

Could he talk? Now he was getting really uncomfortable with all this. In truth he could speak, and speak quite well. But he couldn't do that here. If he spoke, it would mean his voice would be heard. If his voice was heard, there was the possibility it might be recognized. If his voice was recognized, plausible deniability would go right out the window. Again, he shook his head.

Lying and being dishonest were things he really hated to do. But he technically wasn't lying, since he couldn't talk while here at the party; doing so was far too much of a risk, and could ruin everything.

"Oh. Bummer," the second girl replied, much to J.J.'s annoyance, who began signing again. "What? Slow down, Jay, I can't understand you. What? No. No it's none of our business if he doesn't understand sign language."

With the two girls currently bickering with one another, this looked like the perfect opportunity to back out on the situation entirely. Just move nice and slow, backing up at a gradual pace that wouldn't alert them to his retreat, and then he'd be able to slink off into the background, and no one would ever be the wiser. He would be gone long before anyone noticed his absence, and he'd be forgotten about like he was a figment of their imagination.

"Why he's wearing a mask to the party doesn't matter, that's not any of our business either," the second girl stated, as J.J. signed in what he could only assume was protest.

He'd come to this party only because curiosity had proven stronger than insecurity in the matter. He'd wanted to know just how anime and nudism could be made to work together, when it seemed like such an unlikely combination with no hopes of actually working. Nudism didn't belong in anime outside of fanservice, and yet it was being made to work here just fine. It almost looked natural for people cosplaying as various anime characters to be strutting around in the buff, treating it like it was no big deal at all.

Now that he had his answer, and curiosity had been effectively sated, insecurity was once again building up strength, now that its opponent had been worn down, and was now delivering payback for its earlier. The brief period of calmness had long since passed, and all he wanted to do right now, more than anything else, was simply leave. His mission here at the NLAC party had been completed, and now it was time to engage his exit strategy. He would slowly move back until he could blend into the background of other students, slowly working his way further and further back towards the changing area, grab his clothes, get out of here, and be forgotten about as if he had never been here in the first place.

It was just a matter of actually doing that. In all of his planning for how things would proceed, he hadn't actually anticipated the possibility anyone paying any attention to him, much less actually talking to him. That significantly complicated the matter, and now he had to figure out how to compensate for such developments occurring.

Or... he could just stay for a while, and actually participate in the party.

He knew that it was an available option, it just wasn't a very good option. There was far, far too much that could go wrong if he did. The more people that were interacted with, the greater the risk of recognition. And once that occurred... the less said on that the better. Just the thought of the potential consequences made him internally shudder.

No. The best course of action was just to continue with the current approach of slowly but surely moving away from any cluster of activity unfolding, as he surreptitiously weaved his way into the assembled crowd of people, unassumingly working his way into the background where he would disappear as a result of being completely uninteresting. It was no big deal, it was something done millions of times a day, by millions of people in countless cities. It was no big loss if he wasn't here, even if the music was really good.

Or... he could just stay for a while, and actually participate in the party...

It was impossible not to notice the sheer number of bodies on display as he did his best not to bump into anyone during his course of travel. So many different bodies, so many varying types and structures, all being shown off without an apparent care in the world as to what someone else might think of them. So many imperfections, and so many minute degrees of variation on the standard form. These were real people, exposed for what they really were, and without a single care in the world over such a fact.

Each and every single person here, from Dinky, to Rumble, to Sunset Shimmer, all the way up the chain to Vice Principal Luna herself... all of them were demonstrating not only self confidence, but also security in their body image, to levels that he could never, ever hope to compete with. He held a great deal of respect for everyone with the courage to be here openly.

He respected them, but he couldn't be here with them. He just couldn't.

Without so much as a word spoken to anyone, he slipped his way through the assembled party goers. Without fanfare, or notice from anyone as to what was going on, he secured his clothing from the changing area. And without even so much as an aside glance from a single person present, he quietly slipped out the exit, disappearing just as he'd come.

Charlie_K

Kinder sat in her room glaring at the mirror. Forty two hours of hard work and dedication had all been for a waste. She had the perfect Sailor Scout cosplay costume ready, dyed her hair to match, and even went out of her way to buy the iris changing contacts to more match her character and it was all going to be for naught. Because she was no longer going to International Sailor Moon Day. Her entire friend base had dropped out either due to illness, work, family, or lack of interest. All those hours wasted for nothing.

If she wasn’t so angry at the universe, she might’ve been in tears. It would’ve been ironic too, as her favorite character was known for bawling her eyes out. Still even Usagi would’ve found ways around an inconvenience like this. So stiffening her anger, Kinder reached over to her phone and looked up if any parties were on today. After a few moments she spotted something that was happening at Canterlot High.

“The NLAC…?” she asked, “What’s that?”

A bit of digging later left Kinder blue in the face with anxiety and concern. The NLAC was a nudist club, on Canterlot High, and it was having an anime costume party tonight. On the one hand it was perfect, despite her not being able to go to the con her costume wasn’t going to waste. On the other, she’d had to curtail a lot of it because….she’d had to be completely naked. And she’d have to be naked in front of boys, and in front of potential classmates. Kinder wasn’t a prude or hard on the eyes, but the fact that she’d have to do this was near terrifying.

Then again, Sailor Moon never backed down from a problem why should she? Biting the bullet, Kinder put her full costume on, tied her hair into meatball pigtails, and headed out.

About an hour and a half later she was completely regretting her decision. There she was, save for the tiara, hairclip and meatball shields, gloves, and boots, naked with hundreds of others while walking around the school. The fact that everyone else was nude in some form or another was comforting yes but it did little to alleviate her terror. Still many had approached her about her costume for poses and questions so Kinder was finding ways to get her mind off the ordeal. It was just weird being in this state and seeing so many other so…casual.

Regardless, walking around exchanging pleasantries wasn’t the only activity at the school. The CMC had set up a wide range of events and activities from playing arcade games straight from Neighpon as well as a few carnival games. One of which was catching candy fish in a pool made of jello. The particulars of how it was created aside it had become a popular attraction, so Kinder decided to assist in whatever way possible. Thankfully she wasn’t alone. Much to her surprise she wasn’t the only one with aspirations of “dressing up” as a Sailor Scout as the rest of the original seshi had their nudist cosplayers present as well. And while Kinder knew none of them, she put that behind her to play her part.

But as she stood there, a cold breeze brushed her sending a chill down her spine. This wasn’t the first time tonight that it had happened but for Kinder it was the final time. Pulling her best impression of Usagi, she turned around and stomped her foot.

“Urgh come on guys it’s been twenty minutes! You’re supposed to replace me now!” she grumbled. Much to her frustration, none of the other scouts responded, “Urgh no fair.”

Now annoyed, Kinder turned back to her gong banging. Things could’ve been better all things considered, then again this was better than sitting at home doing nothing. But as she looked around she could see other ‘cosplayers’ hanging a merry old time either play fighting, enjoying party games, or just mingling. And here she was, simply banging a small gong. That being said it did tell people what was going on here so she couldn’t be too upset. Thankfully there were no monsters for the sailor scouts to fight….this time.

• Blake Skies

Joypad Burst was more than ready to get naked and party. Her father, ruiner of all things, had barged into her room and forced her to go to the mall to fill out job applications, She had been mere moments from auditioning for ChpS3T, the elite major league gaming team of her dreams. Joining them would’ve been a job! It meant she’d be paid, she could move into the team’s house, and most of all, be away from him. Not only that, but she barely had enough time to grab her phone, backpack and clothes before landing on the front stoop.

It wasn’t like she had great chances of being hired anyway. One, she knew she terrible at retail, and two, her outfit was only black hot pants, a matching micro midriff halter top, and nothing else. It was meant for the party, not filling out a dozen applications. And while she was proud of her leg-length red and white streaked mohawk and controller grey body, she hated the way the store managers tried to put her down for it. When the really bad ones asked something like, “Is that what you plan to work in?” She’d turn it around and say, “You’re absolutely right. I shouldn’t be wearing this at all.” Then teased a finger over her belt or tugged at her top. It was an idle threat, but their expressions were priceless.

Now she was nude, partying, and could end the night on a positive note. She started by avoiding the arcades, she had to take her mind off ChpS3T, and headed for the Japanese festival booths. It was a right decision. There was food, mochi ice cream, and even that little fish game everyone knew was rigged but still fun to play. She thought she’d seen it all and went out back to cool down and enjoy some last minute snacks. Crunching on some pocky, she spotted a media trailer parked in the parking lot and a lone person sitting out front reading on their tablet.

Curious, Joypad ambled up. The sign over the trailer claimed it was promoting the “next generation in virtual reality gaming.” She sighed and was about to walk away when she noticed the promotion was for tonight only and wouldn’t be made available to the public for years. That was odd, to say the least.

“Okay, I’ll bite, how’s this the ‘next generation in VR?’” She asked.

The attendant put down her tablet and dove into the sales pitch. “Oh, this isn’t just any VR game, it’s true immersion. Like nothing before. The only drawback is that you have to be naked to play, which is why we’re here. We’re working it out, but for now--” She started to mumble and looked embarrassed. Her expression changed as she thought about something. She looked down at her tablet. “You know.” She trailed off again, as her fingers danced over the surface, then she snapped an enthusiastic look to Joypad. “You want to try it? Everyone had to sign up a week in advance, but there’s been some cancellations.”

“What? Oh, um,” Joypad couldn’t think of anything to say but, “okay.”

The woman smiled and asked for her phone. Joypad hesitated, but decided it was worth the risk and handed it over. The woman downloaded an app while she took down Joypad’s contact information. After it was done, she opened the app and made some adjustments. Then handed the phone back to Joypad. The app made a ding as Joypad took it. “There, you’re in line. Come back as quick as you can when the phone vibrates.”

Joypad looked at it. There were some robot anime characters that she recognized from a show in her father’s collection. She thought she’d watched it with him but couldn’t remember. Robots were cool and she realized the more she thought about it, the more she wanted to try it. She flipped over to her encyclopedia app and called up the series as she headed back to the school building.

“See you soon.” The attendant called after her.

The series was called Bubblegum Crisis 2040, a late 1990s remake of an older cyberpunk series by the same name, only the earlier version didn’t have the “2040” part. Both series followed the same plot: in a postmodern age, four girls fought malfunctioning robots produced by an evil megacorporation, while wearing form fitting body armor. Joypad corrected her previous assumption that the characters were robots and read on. What annoyed her was that she couldn’t figure out why it was called “Bubblegum Crisis” and any attempt to launch the app came up with an error message, “No スーツ detected. Please connect.”

So engrossed in her study, she almost dropped her phone when it started vibrating. A new message appeared “Knight Sabers. Rogue boomer. Report to HQ.” From reading the article and vaguely remembering the show, she knew the team of girls had been codenamed “Knight Sabers” and the malfunctioning robots were called “boomers.” Joypad gave up trying to reason why anything was named anything and raced back.

She reached the trailer only slightly out of breath and promised herself to up her workout routine. Most top gamers worked out and she didn’t want to let herself or her future teammates down. The woman from before opened the door and led her inside. The trailer was cramped with a mix of men and women wearing lab coats all sitting at terminals. In the middle of the trailer was a circular platform with a railing. One of the labcoats noticed her and waved her over.

“Hello, are you,” he swiveled in his chair to check a tablet, “Joypad?” He had a calm professional voice and didn’t make any mention of her nudity or the way she looked. It reassured Joypad that this was a good place.

“Um, Yes, that’s me.” She confirmed.

“Good.” He said, then looked apologetic. “Since you didn’t sign up early. You’re going to have to fill out some paperwork.” The tech gave her a quick safety briefing and she answered a few questions about motion sickness and other possible ailments, then signed a waiver.

When that was done, he tapped on his tablet and her phone vibrated. He noticed and said “Ah, good. May I see that? It will be your view screen. The helmet has special lenses to make images appear 3D and should cover your whole field of view. All you have to do is move naturally. Understand?” Joypad wasn’t sure she did but nodded anyway and handed it to him. He took it and led her to the platform. He helped her get over the railing and had her stand in the middle. He picked up a blocky object from a pile nearby and she saw it was vaguely helmet-shaped. It had a cradle in the front she assumed was for her phone. Straps like a bike helmet’s dangled from the bottom. Her thoughts must have been mirrored on her face because he added. “It’s a prototype, the finished model will be much more streamlined and lighter.” He plopped her phone into the cradle and closed it. Joypad heard the familiar charging ding and gave a small prayer of thanks, her battery was low.

He and some other staff members then helped her put on plastic gloves that ran to her elbows and step into knee high boots. They placed some odd looking shoulder pads on her too. She made a mental note that keeping her midsection exposed while wearing stuff felt awkward. There’s nudity, and then there’s not being fully covered. After all was secure, the helmet went on. A cool blue light flickered on as the app activated. She was guided through setup and calibration screens until everything checked out. During the process, she noticed her phone looked better and clearer than she remembered and, as the tech said, the screen encompassed her entire field of vision.

After everything was set, there was a pause and then Bubblegum Crisis 2040 appeared with a subscript that read “the VR experience. Ver. 1.0.00.2” It seemed to hover in a field of white and had no pixelation or any other signs of low resolution. The tech’s voice clicked on over the helmet’s headphones.

“Okay, Can you hear me?” He asked. It was crystal clear.

“Yup.” She responded.

“Good, we’re starting the simulation, please follow the instructions.” His voice clicked off. Almost immediately, the image on the screen disappeared and Joypad found herself standing in a room. It was so sudden she had to take a moment to orient herself. The graphics were downright gorgeous. There was a slight hint of cell shading that kept it from falling into the uncanny valley; otherwise, she would’ve sworn she was no longer in the trailer.

The room appeared to be a small reception area and like many in science fiction films or games was bland, tan, and tasteless. She looked down and noticed she was naked here too, but was quickly distracted by how her virtual arms laglessly followed her real life ones. A ding broke her awe as a door opened on the far side. A woman walked out and came up to her.

Joypad was again struck by the realism. The woman wore a white business suit with a skirt and had long grey hair, but her facial features were young. The name ‘Sylia’ floated above her head. She had a concerned expression. “I’m glad you got my message. We haven’t seen this type of boomer before and it’s already caused a lot of damage.” She paused and looked Joypad up and down. Joypad felt like she was back in the mall. She knew this was a video game character, an animated character no less, but she still braced for what was coming.

“It’s good to see you haven’t put on your speedsuit. These new hard suit don’t require one. Some of the others were a little self-conscious about the nudity requirement, but you don’t seem to be. And why should you with body like yours.” Sylia smiled. “Follow me. You’ve got to see this.” She laughed as they walked towards a corridor.

Joypad was stunned. Did the program know she was actually naked and had it made a pass or was that part of this Sylia’s personality? She had no idea and was kind of disturbed by the quick emotional shift. Thinking about it distracted her enough to not realize she was actually walking to keep up with Sylia. Walking! She almost fell over herself as it dawned on her, and to run to catch up. As she rounded a corner, she was confronted by a garish blocky white robot on a hanger. It’s hollow upper half was suspended above a matching bottom half. It looked nothing like the sleek and stylish armor of the show.

“I’m sorry if it’s a little cold at first. I’m told they warm up quickly.” Sylia said and motioned to Joypad to climb in.

With no other option, Joypad hesitantly stepped in and felt a little coolness run up her legs to her knees. The top half lowered once she was situated. A heads up display appeared and gave her a selection of different suits. Only one, the “fighter” class, was available. The only customization option was its color, so she went with her favorite, grey with red and white accents, of course. When she was done, she pushed the virtual “OK” button and was surprised to feel a little resistance against her fingertip. Next the suit asked for a passphrase to create a “mind link.” When she asked what that was, an electronic voice told her that it would help meld her with the liquid metal sections of the suit and allow her to form them into weapons based on need.

She took a second to think, then said, “I’m a nudist. Nudity makes me stronger, faster.” She heard a gushing noise and felt the grey goo cover her head before she saw it. It quickly blocked out her vision and crept down her body. It was all she could do not to squirm.

After it had fully covered her, she felt it tighten around her and a popup told her it was ready. The room reappeared and an overlay directed her to the “launch tube.” She felt lighter somehow as she followed the guide to a cramped looking elevator. Before she stepped in, she saw herself in a nearby mirror. The blocky suit had been transformed into something aquatic, fluid, and what she’d later call “gracefully powerful.” Another thing that caught her attention was just how transparent and form fitting the midsection was. She looked down and saw the cover over her torso was virtually see-through. She knew fighting like that should scare her but instead gave her a rush of adrenaline and eagerly entered the tube.

The door sealed shut and running lights going up flashed on. “Knight Saber. Get ready to launch!” Sylia’s voice commanded. “Launch!” There wasn’t a countdown, just the feeling of gravity on her shoulders and knees as lights sped by at an ever quickening pace. Then she was out and flying over a vast city.

There was no rendering, nothing had to come into focus or buffer, it all felt like she thought it should, if she was there. She had a few moments to admire the view before she realized she was falling towards a rooftop and had no clue what to do. A popup told her to jump as a countdown timer began. It was running out at a frightening fast rate. “This was a quick-time event,” she told herself. “I’m not really falling.” Even though it felt like it. She cleared her mind and braced for the moment. When the timer hit zero she jumped and felt herself rocket back into the air. She saw smoke a few blocks away and she got ready for her next jump.

During the next two jumps Joypad was run through a tutorial. She could form weapons just by saying their name. Thinking of them didn’t have any effect, much to her disappointment. By the time she landed where the smoke was coming from she felt ready to take on anything. She couldn’t have been more wrong.

On one end of the street was a police barricade and on the other was something out of a nightmare. The “boomer” wasn’t a humanoid robot like she’d seen on her phone, but a five story tall lump of organic-metallic flesh that had fused with the surrounding buildings and anything else nearby. At its top was a squarish skeleton-like head that screamed as police opened fire. Sylia’s voice sounded frantic, almost hysterical, as it crackled over the headset and all but drowned out the noise around her. “Stop dawdling and kill it already! Forget the police. We’ve located the core. Destroy it now!” A green marker appeared on the monster. Of course, it was behind the thing’s head. A hail of gunfire ricocheted around Joypad as the comm shut off. “Are they firing at me? I’m trying to help!” She yelled as she ran towards the monster.

Tentacles sprouted from its base and shot towards her. She barely had time to dodge as they careened past. A cop car exploded and there were shouts of surprise and panic behind her. More tentacles appeared. She used an arm cannon to shoot them but it wasn’t enough. The remaining few wrapped around her arms and legs and pulled in. She swore she’d never watch tentacle anime the same ever again and called up a sword.

Confidence washed over her as she fell into her gaming groove. All of her life stressors became targets she gleefully obliterated. Her homework was slashed to ribbons right before she demolished a large group of tentacles that represented the store managers. Thinking of their disapproval reminded her why she started being a nudist and what she’d learned. It fueled her warpath.

She’d started going nude to take back control of her life from her father, and she mostly achieved it. The first time she went undressed around him ended in a yelling match. She bluffed and said it was for self expression. He called her on it and said it was childish and if she wanted to act that way, then she could stay naked until she grew up. So she did. She went naked with her friends, other family, even when his friends visited, and any other chance she got. It was unexpected, but both quickly realized she was right and Joypad went to work learning out just how and why.

What continued her drive to be a nudist was what she discovered about society and women. She immediately cut down her wardrobe to what she liked, not the latest trends. She examined her friendships and nurtured those that were healthy, and stopped those that weren’t. She made mistakes but found what made her happy and gave her life meaning. It caused her focus on video games as a career instead of a hobby. Knowing what happiness was for her made her search for more. It had led to the NLAC and now she was naked and fighting virtual robotic horrors and knew she’d found another thing that made her happy. Every grueling step of it.

Sweat rolled down her body and matted her hair, and she was breathing hard as she reached the top. Her thoughts were solely aimed on winning. She ignored her aching muscles and hacked down some stray bug bots. With a burst from her boosters, she shot to the robot’s head. Her HUD showed the core was just under it’s cranium at the same time it warned her that her battery was critically low and her hard suit couldn’t take much more damage.

“Oh, of course!” She yelled, more out of defiance than desperation and readied a knuckle bomb punch. She knew she should think of something like ChpS3T, her father, or the future, to push on, but all she could focus on was ending it. She drove her punch deep into it’s brain. The monster’s insides were as disgusting and squishy as she’d feared and she welcomed it.

Her fingers grazed something solid. She grabbed it and yanked it out with all the energy she had left. The heart-sized blob gave a satisfying pop as she squeezed it. Black gunk spewed everywhere. She could feel her suit absorb its energy and saw the battery recharge. The robotic hell under her screamed and fire burst from its eyes. She tossed the fleshy sack aside and jumped towards the roof of a nearby building. Time to go. Her boosters kicked on and rocketed her into the sky. The monster collapsed in a fiery blaze below as another hail of gunfire rang out, but she no longer cared. She’d won.

Sylia’s voice came over her headphones. “Congratultions. Mission success.” It faded out along with the screen. Joypad suddenly felt heavy and had a sense of solid ground beneath her. A scoreboard popped up with a rundown of her achievements and bonuses. She scored an “A-.”

The helmet loosened. She grasped for the railing as soon as it was off. Her whole body ached and she felt drained. Sweat dripped off her nose, fingers, breasts, and ran down her legs as she hunched over. She felt hands grasp the shoulder pads and help remove the gloves. They helped her step out of the boots. Hands led her to a place to sit and gave her a water bottle she drank from until she felt sick. Then she focused on catching her breath.

Slowly she felt herself regain her senses and noticed a sharply dressed woman sitting next to her. “Well, that was quite the display.” Her words were direct, but her tone was calm and she was smiling. “From the look of it, you enjoyed that?”

Joypad found it difficult to talk, or do anything, but listen and nod, so she did.

“Good. Let’s not waste time. I want to offer you a job. Your scores were impressive and we could use your skills. You game?” She gave Joypad a stare that felt like a challenge. It was a challenge.

The decision wasn’t hard. Even in her exhausted state she knew this was better than any application she’d filled out that night. Possibly better than working for ChpS3T. Forget her father. She took another drink of water and rasped out, “Challenge Accepted!”

• Clickety_Clack

A short series of knocks on Rainbow Dash’s front door announced her guest’s arrival for the evening sooner than expected. Dressed in her soccer shorts and a white t-shirt with red sleeves, Dash slid down the banister and landed just short of thethreshold, pulling it open and greeting Scootaloo with a loving hug. Despite her outward rejection of emotional displays — “Mushy Stuff”, as she called it — she made an exception when showing how much her surrogate sister meant to her.

“Hey there, Scoots! Glad you could make it!” Dashsaid. “You ready for an awesome night of epic action and excitement?”

“I sure am, big sis!” Scootaloo squeaked. Tonight's evening wasn't warm, but she had still dressed lightly; a simple get up of green cargo shorts, red shirt and sandals. This was undoubtedly done on purpose, as the second Dash shut door, she had gotten naked.

“Woah there, squirt,” Dash remarked. “Best keep your gear nearby. I’m not expecting guests, but you never know who could stop by.”

Scootaloo blushed a little. “Oh yeah, sorry,” she replied. “Guess I am getting a little carried away. Where do you want me to put them?”

“There’s a basket next to the sofa. Just leave ‘em there.”

“’Kay!” With a hop, skip and a jump, Scootaloo bounded into the living room, the curtains already drawn to preserve her privacy. “Say, Rainbow Dash?”

“Yeah?” Dash replied, sitting down next to her.

“Aren’t you gonna get naked as well? I know you’ve only been to a couple of parties, but I figured there’s no need to stay dressed, with us being alone and all.”

Dash thought about the subject, something that she didn’t often do. Her parents had never been the strictest of moral guardians, but it was standard for them to insist on being dressed around the house. She’d never given the idea much consideration, but in the presence of Scootaloo — who could be described no other way besides relaxed in her own skin — there was little reason not to.

“Huh, why not?” she replied, pulling off her shirt, shorts and underwear, dropping them behind the sofa. Straight away she felt a sense of relief wash over her, the warm air of the heated room settling soft against her skin. “Now on to the more important question. What do ya feel like watchin’ first?”

“Depends what you’ve got,” Scootaloo said, eyeing the tall shelves that were packed to the brim with DVDs and old VHS tapes. “I want something awesome for tonight!”

“Well, you sure are in the right place, Scoots.” Dash chuckled, that description encompassing much of her collection. Rubbing her chin, she took a moment to ponder what would impress Scootaloothe most. “I think I have just the thing! Do ya ever watch much Anime, Scoots?”

“You mean those gruesome cartoons from Japan?” Scootaloo asked with a look of morbid curiosity on her face.

“Something like that,” Dash said, her mind conjuring images of the more risqué shows she had watched during her alone time.

“I’ve heard about ‘em through Dinkie and a few others, but I haven’t really watched any.”

“Well, you’re in luck! Everything I’ve got will be beneath the TV. Twilight sorted everything into alphabetical order last time she was over, and I gotta say, I don’t have the heart to ruin it! I swear, that girl is obsessed with organising stuff.”

“Yep, sounds like Twilight alright,” Scootaloo chuckled and crawled over to the anime box. “I never would’ve guessed her Equestrian counterpart was a Princess, what with the weight of so many responsibilities. I guess it goes to show even normal people can do amazing stuff!”

Rainbow Dash hung on her sister’s last words, getting an impression of the kind of anime that would be perfect for her. “Hey, Scoots, do you dig giant robots?”

“What kind of question is that?” Scootaloo scoffed. “Of course, I do! What kind of kid doesn’t?”

“In that case, look for an anime starting with the letter ‘g’. It has a big drill on the side of the box, ya can’t miss it.”

Tracing her finger over the dividers denoting each section, Scootaloo found what she was looking for. “Goo-ren lar-gen?”

“Gurren Lagann! That’s the one!”

“Does it have tons of gore in it?”

“Nah, only a little,” Dash said with a reassuring tone, noticing Scootaloo’s discomfort. “Why, are ya chicken about a little blood or something?”

“I am NOT chicken!” Scootaloo huffed, stamping her feet. “You could show me the bloodiest anime you’ve got, and I’d be just fine with it all!”

“Haha, don’t worry about it, squirt!” Dash laughed with a sly smirk. “I’m only teasin’ ya. Besides, if your parents found out about some of the stuff I’ve watched, they’d throw a fit!”

Scootaloo blushed, having missed the obvious sarcasm in Dash’s voice before. “Can we just get on with the show already?”

“Yeah, yeah, we’re getting to that, Scoots. I’ve got the remote, so just put in the first movie disc and I’ll go make us some popcorn! I’ve seen this movie, like, a dozen times, so I know you’re gonna love it!”

The title screen came on, the blaring rock music immediately grabbing Scootaloo’s attention. She tilted her head back and forth – an involuntary action did as an expression of her curiosity. Five minutes later, Dash returned with the popcorn, smiling as she saw Scootaloo’s gaze fixated on the giant mechanical bull’s head, along with the scantily clad girl wielding a gigantic rifle who dropped through the roof in a blaze of glory. Though Scootaloo was young, she was still old enough to recognise such a weapon as an obvious phallic symbol; a fact that made Dash snicker every time.

“So how is a scrawny little guy like Simon gonna to take on a huge evil robot like that?” Scootaloo asked.

“Oh, just wait and see,” was all Dash said in response.

Then it happened. The core drill lighting up, the gunman bursting through the surface, the little mole-rat thing popping out of Yoko’s cleavage. One look at Scootaloo’s eyes going wide in amazement made it obvious to Dash that she was hooked.

The minutes ticked by, the events escalating with it. With every new revelation of the giant robot’s power, the inspiring motivational speeches sending chills down Scootaloo’s spine, her grin just grew wider - to the point where Rainbow Dash almost wondered if it would end up stuck like that!

The next four hours passed by in a flash, gripping Scootaloo and Rainbow Dash along for the ride on the emotional roller coaster that was the twin movies, Gurren-Henn and Lagann-Henn, with Dash only getting up to put Tank back in his enclosure. Neither Dash nor her parents could figure out how he kept getting out by himself, but thankfully he never got far. By the time it was all over, Scootaloo felt an incredible sense of wonder, the likes of which no movie had ever made her experience before.

“So, Scoots. What do ya make of it?” Dash asked, though she needn’t have, as the intensity of Scootaloo's hug was all the answer she needed.

“That. Was. INCREDIBLE! Thank you so much, Rainbow Dash! I never thought someone like Simon would be hero material, but he became so awesome ‘cause of his bro, and how Kamina never left his heart, and how much everyone got a moment to kick butt, and how it was really sad but really happy at the same time and…”

“Woah there, settle down, squirt!” Dash interjected, peeling Scootaloo off from around her waist. “You’re kinda crushing me.”

“Oh, sorry,” Scootaloo blushed, giggling awkwardly. “I just never knew cartoons could be so awesome!”

“That’s anime for you,” replied Dash, a statement which brought up a particularly relevant memory to the subject at hand. “Say, didn’t Sweetie Belle say she wanted to make this month’s NLAC party with an anime theme? I’m sure I overheard Rarity mentioning it at some point.”

“Oh yeah, she did, didn’t she?” Scootaloo had forgotten about the party from the hype of a sleepover with Dash, but now that the topic was brought up, a big, brilliant idea popped into her head. “Rainbow Dash! Would you like to come to this party? We could make costumes of Simon and Kamina, only we’d be wearing nothing but their coats and accessories. It would be the best party ever!”

To this request, Rainbow Dash couldn’t say no even if she wanted to. The way Scootaloo’s face lit up like a Hearth’s Warming tree was just far too cute, even for a person who liked to act they rejected cuteness wherever possible.

“I don’t see why not,” Dash answered, much to the delighted cheers of Scootaloo. “I’ll bring the references to Rarity after you head home tomorrow. I’m sure it'll be a breeze for her to recreate the designs.”

“Yay!” exclaimed Scootaloo. “I’ll also ask if Button Mash has spare parts to fashion into a core drill. Oh, man, I can’t wait for the party now! We are gonna make such an impression on everybody!”

“Yeah, yeah, I know we will. But for tonight, how about we play a few card games until bed time?”

“But it’s only ten o’clock!” Scootaloo protested. “Can’t we find one more anime film to watch or something?”

“Aw, heck, why not?” Dash said. “But tomorrow I’d better be rested enough for band practice. There’s no way I’m going to a party and not play a few jams with Vinyl Scratch on stage!”

“You got it, sis!” Scootaloo agreed with a short salute. “Tomorrow morning, you’ll be fresh as a daisy!”

*******

Several weeks later, the date of the party arrived. Rainbow Dash had noticed the growing level of attachment to this franchise Scootaloo had gained since, coming as a modest surprise. She had expected her to enjoy it, but not to be absorbed in the whole thing! Thankfully, she was keeping up with her schoolwork, allowing Dash to breathe a sigh of relief.

The last thing she needed was to be weighed down by the Scootaloo's peersblaming her for taking over her life with a Japanese cartoon. In fact, Scootaloo had been doing better in some subjects than usual. While it wasn’t an intended effect, Rainbow Dash took pride in inspiring her little sister in such a dramatic way!

Now it was time for the big reveal of their costumes. Both Dash and Scootaloo were thrilled at Rarity surpassing their already grand expectations, not least due to the detailed replication of the show's colour scheme. Scootaloo felt it a shame that Rarity wouldn’t be here to appreciate her achievement, but they respected each other’s boundaries, so there was never any pressure for her to join. The satisfied faces of her friends were all the evidence she needed to prove her hard work paid off.

Ahead of most other attendees, Dash and Scootaloo met up with Sweetie Belle, Applebloom and Cheerilie outside the changing rooms. They had already changed into their partial costumes for the night's proceedings—some consisting more of body paint than actual cloth—all strategically placed for their characters to be recognisable while showing off their skin.

Once Dash and Scootaloo had disrobed and stored away their regular clothes, they donned their respective costumes and strode out of the changing rooms; their closest friends being the first to witness their outfits. Rainbow Dash took on the likeness of Kamina, the swirling red cape held together with golden laces paired with the sharp angled, red tinted sunglasses. She had even paid to get a custom replica of Kamina's katana; an item which she had promised to unveil its full glory on stage.

Next to her, Scootaloo presented herself with the iconic blue-and-red-trimmed jacket of Simon, paired with red goggles perched upon her head and a replica core drill hanging around her neck. Together, they struck the dramatic (and some would say, cheesy) pose which would shatter all doubts about who they were replicating.

"Ours is the drill that will pierce the heavens!" Dash announced first.

"Just who the hell do you think we are?!" Scootaloo finished, presented with such dramatic flair, it wouldn't have surprised Sweetie Belle to see a large explosion randomly burst out from behind them – though she was thankful such a thing didn't happen, given what a mess it would've made.

"Wow, Scootaloo," Sweetie giggled. "I knew you'd gotten into that giant robot show, but your enthusiasm is something else entirely!"

"Think I got Simon's likeness down?" Scootaloo asked with a small blush.

"Ah haven't even watched the show, and ah know exactly who you're supposed to look like," said Applebloom, looking Scootaloo over with admiration. "Giant robots have never been mah thing, but you've gotta show me what it's like sometime."

"Oh, you know I will!" By how elated Scootaloo was at the prospect of showing Applebloom this anime, her attitude likened it to passing down a family heirloom.

"Alright, squirt," Dash said. "I've gotta run and start doin' sound checks for tonight's performance. Catch you after the show, 'k?"

"No problem, Aniki!" Scootaloo replied with a salute.

No matter how many times she referred to Rainbow Dash with that term, it never failed to make Dash chuckle. Although she was unlikely to say it aloud to anyone besides Scootaloo, her surrogate sister's endearing enthusiasm always warmed her heart - not least due to how strongly it mimicked her own. She knew that with an attitude like that, Scootaloo was going to go far in wherever life would take her.

******

Bowling had always been one of the most popular activities within the NLAC. No matter what the occasion, the students would race to form large teams and get as many games in as they could during the allotted time. Vapour Trail, by contrast, was not as enthusiastic as others would be.

One look at her made it obvious why. She was a small, frail girl with pale white skin and fluffy green hair; a body built more for the dexterity and flexibility required for soccer than lifting heavy objects. During the NLAC parties she had attended prior, Vapour always kept herself mingling among the biggest crowds, keeping herself out of the limelight and chatting only to her small circle of friends she was comfortable opening up to.

Letting out a disgruntled sigh, Vapour picked a ball at random, dragging it across the floor until she reached the alley, barely to lift the thing, but she persisted. The voice of Sky Stinger, her best friend, echoed in her mind. “You’ve gotta be tough to compete against Rainbow Dash’s team!” he had said. “Facing against an opponent like her? It’s no easy task! She’ll wipe the floor with ya if you’re not careful.”

While his words had been harsh, Vapour couldn’t deny that there was an element of truth within them. Rainbow Dash was one of the best Soccer players Canterlot High had ever seen, so if she wanted to support her team, then she was going to need to build herself up to be stronger and faster than ever before. Pulling the bowling ball up with all her might, Vapour bent her elbows, widened her stance and looked straight down the alley. She had to get this right. Sky Stinger and all her teammates were depending upon it.

With a hefty shove, Vapour threw the ball, watching it bounce down the alley with tense anticipation. The ball travelled in a straight line for most of its travel, until right towards the end, it veered off to the left, scraping past a pin with barely enough force to make it wobble. “Darn it!” She exclaimed.

She turned back to get another ball, only to find her way blocked by Scootaloo – standing with her legs far apart and her arms held across her chest. “Nice costume!” She exclaimed with a wide, cheesy grin spread across her face, pulling up her goggles.

Vapour looked down across herself, blushing a little. “Th-thanks,” her voice was meek. She had almost forgotten that she was wearing a minimalist costume: a pair of bat wings strapped across her back, furry scarf and a pair of red bobbles – one for her nose, one for the little antenna on her head. “I know the Moogle isn’t anime per se, but I figured since the game it’s from is Japanese, I’d still blend in.”

“Doesn’t bother me one bit!” Scootaloo said with dramatic enthusiasm. “But more importantly, it looks like you’re struggling with bowling techniques. Want me to show you how it’s done?”

“Well…” Vapour hesitated, though the decision to accept help was a no-brainer. “I guess if you don’t mind, then sure.”

This is my chance! Scootaloo thought to herself. So long as I have this drill, I can do anything to help struggling club members! I’ll lead by example, just like Simon would. Grabbing a ball at random, Scootaloo pulled it free from the rack, only to find that she, too, was struggling with the weight.

“Are you sure you’re okay with this?” Vapour asked. “I appreciate the help, but you don’t have to do all this.”

“Don’t you worry,” Scootaloo insisted, trying to fight against the struggle. “I got this in the bag! Now, watch and learn; the weight of the ball is super important. The heavier the ball, the steadier it will be on the path you throw it.”

Flinging the ball, no more than half an inch forward, Scootaloo held her hand to her ear, expecting to hear the pins fall at any moment. After thirty seconds of waiting, no such sound came.

“Um, Scootaloo,” Vapour said, tapping Scootaloo on the shoulder. “I think you missed.”

Scootaloo stared down the alley. There must have been some mistake. She thought to herself. I can’t have failed this easily! I’ve just gotta give it another try. That’s what Simon would do. Keep going at it until you get it right!

“Scootaloo? Are you alright?” Vapour asked, giving Scootaloo a concerned look. While she was normally one of the more extroverted members among the club founders, something felt a little off today. Vapour opened her mouth to question this, but promptly shut it again. The thought of causing a scene filled her with too much anxiety to say any more.

“Don’t you worry, Vapour Trail!” Scootaloo proclaimed out loud. By now, Vapour was certain that Scootaloo was forcing herself to maintain this excessive persona. “I’m sure that ball was just damaged. Here, let me grab another one.”

As before, the tiny amount of force Scootaloo could apply to her throw meant the ball didn’t reach a quarter of the alley's length before rolling into the gutter. Wordlessly, Scootaloo grabbed yet another ball, heavier than the last. The results didn't change, all the while Vapour Trail stared on in confusion at what she was trying to achieve.

“One… more… try…” Scootaloo heaved, her body wearing down from each successive attempt. “I… can… do this!”

“I think that’s enough, Scootaloo,” Vapour said, her wispy voice underlining her concern with unmistakable clarity. Even her natural shyness had its limits, and watching someone hurt themselves trying to be nice was a line she refused to cross. “Thanks for your help, but I think I can take it from here.”

“Huh?” Scootaloo looked up at Vapour, the realisation that she was making a mess of her attempted bowling lesson taking a moment to click. But when it did, Scootalo’s face blushed bright red. “Oh, hey, look at the time! I’d… better go help Sweetie Belle set up pancake games again, bye!”

With that excuse out of the way, Scootaloo ran from the bowling alley, leaving Vapour Trail scratching her head, befuddled at the nonsense she had just heard. Shrugging her shoulders, Vapour turned her attention back to bowling – searching among the rack for a ball that wasn’t quite as heavy as the others she and Scootaloo had attempted to throw. She surprised herself with the result.

******

“Come on, come on, almost there…” Rumble Ready muttered to himself, furiously pounding the arcade machine's buttons, desperate to achieve the holy grail of video games that was a score in excess of one million-points. Alas, forty thousand remained his personal best, one blast of an enemy space ship ending his game with the all too familiar mockery of Game Over! Try again.

“Dang it!” Rumble exclaimed, stamping his foot in frustration. He had been at this game for nearly an hour now, yet he couldn’t get past the fifteenth stage.

Do you wish to play again? The game asked in its monotone, robotic voice.

“You know I will!” Cracking his knuckles, Rumble wiggled his fingers and pulled up his belt. It was the only piece of clothing he wore over his light grey skin, the monkey-tail it held in place combining with his spiky-black hair creating the perfect Kid Goku costume. If Goku had no problem being naked around others, then neither would Rumble!

Grabbing the joystick once more, Rumble readied himself to fight through the virtual alien armada again. His index finger hovered over the start button, when a familiar squeaky voice caught his attention.

“Hey Rumble! Waddya playing?” asked Scootaloo, curiously peering over his shoulder.

“Oh, hey,” Rumble said. “I’m playing Galactic Invaders IV. Button Mash told me his dad once got over a million points on this game, so if anyone’s gonna beat a score like that, it’s gonna be me!”

“That is so cool!” Scootaloo replied in amazement. “I think I’ve seen this before. It’s allot like that time Simon blasted through all those space ships with a giant robot drills the size of a galaxy!”

Rumble paused for a moment, blinking in confusion at the description of the admittedly rather awesome sounding battle. “So, I’m guessin’ that’s who you’re dressed up as? This ‘Simon’ guy?”

“You know it!” Scootaloo stated proudly, clutching her core drill pedant and striking Simon's signature pose. “This is the drill that will pierce the heavens! With the power of the spiral, nothing’s impossible!”

“Nothing’s impossible, you say?” Rumble rubbed his hand over his chin, carefully considering Scootaloo’s last statement. “Well, since nothin’s impossible with this, spiral-whatsit, how about a game on vs mode? Who knows, maybe you will be the one who gets the million-point mark first.”

Scootaloo’s hands were already planted on one arcade controller, noticing how the prospect of a challenge relit the fire in Rumble’s eyes. “Oh, it is on!”

“It most certainly is!” Hammering the start button, Rumble began the game. Right out of the gate he demonstrated his level of skill, his thumbs reflexing with cat-like agility to the ever-increasing density of the alien battle fleet – the digit counter soaring ever higher in a firework of lasers and exploding pixels.

Scootaloo, by contrast, struggled to keep up. She was certainly no slouch, having spent many a summer evening honing her gaming skills against Button Mash. But Rumble? He was on another level, both literally and metaphorically. My Spiral power has gotta kick in for something like this! She thought to herself, frantically jamming the joystick from left to right and back again.

But Rumble was still ahead, his momentum gaining with each ship downed. Scootaloo fared no better at the first boss, its giant crab-like claws blocking anything she could throw at it. Mere minutes after the game began, Scootaloo’s ship went down; crushed in the pincers of a giant robotic crustacean.

“Yes!” Rumble proclaimed, a bright neon ‘You win!’ message flashing repeatedly under a score if forty-four thousand. “Good game, Scoots. Wanna try-”

“Again!” Scootaloo snapped, cracking her fist down on the start button before Rumble could finish. I’m gonna get it this time for sure! Just gotta believe in myself. I’ve got this!

This time around, Scootaloo did marginally better, although she still found herself outclassed by Rumble. The first boss rose and fell, only to herald the destruction of her ship shortly thereafter – overwhelmed by the sharp increase in enemy waves.

“Again!” Scootaloo clenched her fists tight, displaying but a fraction of the frustration boiling up within her.

“No offence Scootaloo, but I think it’s time to take a break,” Rumble said, having been around gaming circles long enough to recognise the early signs of tilting.

“No! I can do better than this, I know it!”

“If you say so.” Rumble shrugged his shoulders, briefly considering going easy on Scootaloo and allowing her the satisfaction she so badly craved. Rumble dismissed this idea once the new game started up. Scootaloo wasn’t stupid. There was no way he could lose on purpose and avoid her noticing.

So, the two continued to battle, round after round, with Scootaloo’s performance getting increasingly erratic as time went on. By this point, she had stopped making eye contact with Rumble, instead locking her eyes on the screen, starting each new game on reflex. By the tenth round, the score disparity got so wide that, even if Scootaloo could survive the second boss battle, there would be no hope in catching up.

When the familiar ring of Game Over echoed out from the speakers, Rumble stepped back and stretched his limbs. “Well, it was nice playing with ya, Scoots, but I am one-hundred percent done with this game for now. I don’t think my thumbs can take another round! Who knows? Next time you may even be able to beat me, if you practice enough.”

Just as quickly as she had appeared, Scootaloo was gone. Scratching his head, Rumble wondered if she had been taking lessons from Pinkie Pie in getting the jump on people. Shrugging his shoulders, Rumble turned his attention back to the arcade machine, looking over the scores from the last round.

One more game couldn’t hurt, could it?

**********

Inside a changing room cubicle, Scootaloo sat on the bench, curled up with her arms wrapped around her legs. She had thrown off her costume, leaving it in a small pile on the floor. I’m not fit to cosplay as Simon, she thought to herself. She had tried a plethora of different activities at the club tonight, each one an attempt to show others how they could overcome any challenge through the power of self-motivation.

And yet each time, no matter how much effort she put into it all, she failed. She tried over and over at every task, refusing to let herself give in. Vapor Trail’s bowling, Rumble Ready’s arcade game, even table soccer against Applebloom had turned up with nothing! What the hell is wrong with me? The words echoed through her mind, the weight of her emotions increasing with each repetition. I guess it’s hardly surprising. Of course, mantras like ‘believe in yourself’ never work outside of anime. I was such a fool to believe otherwise.

Scootaloo pulled her legs in tighter, burying her face in her palms. How had it all come to this? She was never a person who struggled with confidence before. She just did what she did. The biggest challenge she had faced over the last year was supporting the NLAC, which hadn’t been a challenging task. Beyond that, she had a pretty easy life. Most other kids her age had a much harder time adjusting to the naturist lifestyle. She recalled the first time she had stripped naked in front of Sweetie Belle and Applebloom, her mind racing with all the potential outcomes for what was, under normal circumstances, a socially unacceptable action.

And the grand result? Nothing. The world didn’t end, she didn’t become a social outcast – quite the opposite. Social nudity had increased her circle of friends. By now, being naked around others had become second nature to her, given the right environment, of course. This fact brought up a question in Scootaloo’s mind. Why wasn’t it enough? She had helped inspire countless Canterlot High students to become naturists, at least during the NLAC party days. So why did it all ring so hollow?

Looking back to her costume, Scootaloo’s thoughts drifted back to that of Kamina and Simon. She supposed Rainbow Dash wasn’t all that different from Kamina. Headstrong to a fault, equal parts passionate and proficient at both sports and music. Scootaloo wondered for a moment if Dash ever encountered her problem? If she was honest, she doubted it. Rainbow Dash had magic on her side, stemming from her expression of loyalty. How could someone like that ever have a crisis of self-determination? Dash was the perfect fit for Kamina.

What about me? Scootaloo wondered. Am I even capable of being someone like Simon? He was amazing and I’m just… not. There was something about that last thought which, as much as it appeared to reflect reality, didn’t ring true about her comparison with Simon. In fact, there was a fundamental truth about the character which she was missing. While Kamnina had always been the brash and bombastic boaster, that wasn’t Simon. While he had grown to fill his big brother’s shoes, it had taken quite some time and a dramatic trial by fire to do so. Could it be that Scootaloo just needed to grow more, both physically and emotionally?

“Ugh,” Scootaloo groaned. Her head was starting to throb from all the conflicting emotions swirling around inside her. Perhaps she was overthinking this. The entire basis for her self-analysis was a Japanese anime, after all. Even so, she supposed it could be considered a positive quality of hers; wanting to inspire others the same way this anime inspired her. Was that so wrong?

Scootaloo’s argument with herself could have easily gone on for longer, but the sound of loose guitar strums brought her attention back to the outside world. She didn't know how long she had been hiding away, but seeing as nobody else had returned to get dressed, she figured that the party was far from over.

Listening carefully to the disjointed array of guitar notes, Scootaloo realised that there was only one person, out of all NLAC members, who played an instrument with that specific tone. It had to be Rainbow Dash, even if her jams weren't up to her usual standard of play. Scootaloo knew next to nothing about playing musical instruments, but she had heard Rainbow Dash performing enough time to know when something was off.

Leaving her costume on the floor, Scootaloo peered out from behind the curtain to see Rainbow Dash, leaning against the wall and picking at her guitar strings in short, sharp bursts, cursing beneath her breath each time she stopped.

“No, no! This isn’t right! Gah, I’ve gotta do better than this.” Dash grumbled.

“Dash?” Scootaloo asked, pulling back the curtain to face her directly.

“Oh, hey, squirt,” Dash replied, strumming the same chord repeatedly. “Didn’t expect to see you back here. What happened to your costume?”

“I…” Scootaloo hesitated, wondering if there was any point in dumping her problems on Rainbow Dash. The two were close, closer than most, but that didn’t stop Scootaloo from wondering if her worries would be taken seriously.

“Scootaloo? Is something the matter?” Dash asked as she stopped playing, recognising the nervous twitches Scootaloo got when she was struggling with something emotionally. “What’s up, bud?”

“Oh! I-It’s nothing. Nothing important,” Scootaloo lied, unable to stop her feet from twisting on the spot.

“Come on, Scootaloo,” Dash retorted, pulling her guitar over her head and leaning it against the wall behind her. “I can tell you’re lying. I may not be great at dealing with emotional stuff, but I’m always good to listen when something's biting at my friends. So, what’s the problem?”

With a long, exasperated sigh, Scootloo slumped down on the floor next to Dash guitar. “You asked where my costume was, and well, the reason I took it off is part of the problem.”

“What? You mean there’s something wrong with being a nudist version of Simon?” Dash asked, sitting down next to her surrogate sister.

“No, it’s not that,” Scootaloo’s voice dropped into a monotoned ramble, too emotionally exhausted to express anything more. “I just don’t deserve to pretend I’m like Simon. I’m nothing like him. He has so much spiral power inside him—believing so strongly in himself—that he can over-come any challenge, inspiring the best in everyone around him. And me? I just can’t. Try as I might, every challenge I’ve faced tonight, I failed at. Can’t even give others promising ideas on how to be better at their task.”

“Scootaloo, not everyone can be like Simon-”

“I know that!” Scootaloo snapped, her voice cracking as she interrupted Rainbow Dash. “I know it’s all just an anime and all that stuff. I know Spiral Power isn’t really a thing, that’s not the point. I just felt so inspired by Simon, y’know? Like if I keep myself going at a task, even when I think I’m at my limit, I’ll be helpful to others, for a change. I’m a fraud! A phoney! A faker!”

“And being a big part of the NLAC’s founding doesn’t do much for ya, I’m guessing?”

Scootaloo nodded. “Right. I guess I’m starting to feel like a fifth wheel. Sweetie Belle did most of the legwork in getting the club started. I was just one of the first members.”

Picking up her guitar again and placing it in her lap, Rainbow Dash began to play a riff that had become familiar to Scootaloo especially; Sky Blue Days, the opening theme to Gurren Lagann. “Say, Scoots, do ya remember what Kamina said to Yoko shortly before he died?”

“What didn’t he say? You’re gonna have to be more specific than that.”

“Y'know all that big, over-blown self-confidence? It was mostly an act. It was to help Simon keep going and become the man he knew he could be. That’s why Kamina has that awesome motto. ‘Believe in yourself. Not the Simon that I believe in; believe in the Simon who believes in you!”

Scootaloo couldn’t help but giggle at the mention of the ridiculous motto, though she had to admit that, in a weird way, it did make sense. Wrapping her arm around Scootaloo, Dash continued. “While Simon was digging their way out of the underground village, Kamina was totally scared on the inside. But he trusted Simon with everything he had, so in the end, Simon overcame everything.”

“Of course! I remember now!” Scootaloo’s face lit up as she recalled everything Simon had gone through, still coming out triumphant despite the seemingly insurmountable power his enemies held. “But I still don’t know how I can motivate people when there’s nothing I’m good at.”

“Scoots, you know that’s not true,” Dash replied with a twinkle in her eye, implying that she perhaps knew a little more about Scootaloo than she did herself. “I’ve seen you pull off some sick stunts on your Scooter, and you are one-hundred percent fantastic on the Soccer Pitch! Even if you can’t do that exact kind of stuff indoors, I know you're smart enough to figure out something similar. And hey, who ever said you needed a special talent to inspire people anyway?”

Scootaloo took a few seconds to reply, pondering that thought through a review of the day’s events so far. “Now that you mention it, I didn’t do all that bad against Rumble Ready on the arcade game. Perhaps I could keep practicing with him?”

“That’s the spirit!” Dash exclaimed, giving Scootaloo a thumb up. “And you know what? You’ve already inspired one extra person today!”

“Oh?” Scootaloo was quick to ask. “Who? Tell me!”

“Me!” Dash pointed her extended thumb to herself. “The guitar licks you heard me playing before? I was getting some serious artistic block trying to come up with fresh jams for the performance. But now? Now I know exactly what I want to play. And it’s all thanks to you, Scoots!”

Throwing her arms around Rainbow Dash, Scootaloo hugged her tight. “Thank you so much, Aniki!”

“Hehe, anytime, squirt,” Dash chuckled, ruffling Scootaloo’s hair. “Now how about ya get your costume back on, while I go set up for the big performance tonight!”

“On it!” Skipping back into the changing room cubical, Scootaloo could hardly wait to get back to Rumble and show what she could achieve with her new-found confidence.

***********

Despite his earlier battle with Scootaloo giving him a serious case of gamer’s thumb, Rumble Ready continued to force his way through the game, pushing his score up higher and higher with each new run – yet still he still could not reach that illusive one-million-point score.

He had on several occasions considered stopping, yet those same games with Scootaloo had sparked something inside of him. Something that would not let him stop until he reached his goal, despite the irritation he felt in his reddened fingertips. “Oh, come on!” he exclaimed, having reached seventy-thousand points before dying for what felt like the hundredth time that day.

By now, Rumble had to admit that he had long passed the point of feeling worn out. His eyes were watering from staring so long, and his feet were practically begging to have the weight taken off them. He was close to breaking point, and if he didn’t reach his goal soon, he had no idea how long it would be until he’d be ready to try again.

That was when Rainbow Dash stepped on stage, a bombastic cheer from the party goers echoing throughout the club. The music that greeted Rumble’s ears next was a powerful guitar riff and turntable beat combination, with lyrics that sent a shiver down his spine.

Ask if you can hear the sound

Of my voice through the cold hard ground

I lost it while searching for you

I screamed into the dark

If the world we're living in

Has a single soul that you love?

If it holds a shred of meaning

Well, then it's worth every fight

The song also heralded the return of Scootaloo. “Hey, Rumble!” She said in a much calmer voice than before. “Sorry if I got too obsessive during our game before. I was acting like a major jerk and a sore loser.”

“Nah, it’s no big deal,” Rumble replied. “To be honest with ya, I’m getting a little frustrated at this game myself. I’m so close to getting that ultimate score, but I always seem to fall short. At this rate, it’s not lookin’ likely that I’ll ever get there.”

“Come on, Rumble, don’t say that!” Scootaloo exclaimed, slamming one fist onto her bare chest and pointing the other to the ceiling. “As the great Kamina always says, believe in yourself! Not in the Rumble that I believe in, or the Rumble you believe in, either. Believe in the me who believes in you!”

“…That made absolutely no sense,” Rumble replied after a brief pause, his mouth hanging open at such a cheesy proclamation, until both he and Scootaloo burst out laughing. “But I think you knew that already!”

“Hahaha, yeah, I guess it is a bit ridiculous,” Scootaloo agreed, wiping a tear from her eye. “But hey, it’s still pretty motivational if you think about it! So, what’s say we have one more game together? Even if we don’t get the highest score ever, we still had an amazing time blasting aliens, didn’t we?”

“You know what? That’s a great point! Come to think of it, I remember there being a co-op mode as well as a versus mode, so why don’t we try that together, as Space Fighter Buddies?”

“Space Fighter Buddies, huh? I like that idea! You’re on!”

And so, the two began the game again, this time combining their strengths instead of pitting them against one other. All the while, Rainbow Dash finished off her epic guitar solo with the chorus to the song once again:

And when all that we know comes to push and shove

Then we will pierce the heavens!

The colours we see are new to you and me

When we see the sky

As we began to run

So, we can finally feel the sun

Finally, you and I feel so alive

I feel your beating heart

If you believe in me

We'll find where we were meant to be

Now who cares about tomorrow

If today we are free?

My answer is always "Yes"

That I will always be with you

Congratulations, you win! New high score! The game announced as the song ended, both Scootaloo and Rumble jumping for joy. Their final score: one-million, forty-five-thousand, six-hundred and thirteen points.

-Mystic_Mind

“Ed found him!” Ed shouted from her spot on the floor.

“I still don't understand what kind of high school student gets a thirty-two million wu-long bounty.” Jet black said as he looked at Ed’s computer screen.

“I don't care how he got that bounty just so long as we don't have to eat shiitake mushrooms ever again.” Spike said with a shudder.

Jet set Ed's computer on the table to read about their bounty while Ed played with ein.

“Huh, says here that he regularly attends meetings at some club called the natural living appreciation club, or NLAC for short.” Jet read off of the bounty wanted page. “There's not much information available about this club, apparently they have nudist parties on Fridays.”

“Well I'm not going I'd look like a weirdo.” Spike announced.

“I can't go either I'm older than you are. What about fey?” Jet asked.

“I'm not going us girls have modesty.” fey said despite the fact she barely had any clothing on already.

“What's a nudist?” Ed asked as she sat up rolling ein off her chest in the process.

“A nudist is someone that goes around without their clothes on.” Jet explained.

“That sounds fun Ed wants to try!” Ed shouted as she began to take her clothes off.

“No, Ed wait until we get to earth!”

***

After a short bout of wrestling and some persuading they finally convinced Ed to keep her clothes on, at least for the trip to earth. The rest of the Bebop crew dropped Ed and ein off outside the school before returning to orbit. Ed skipped up to the entrance of the NLAC building carrying ein on her shoulders and casually walked right on in.

“ooh, lookit all the naked people ein.” Ed said to the little Corgi while holding him out at arm's length. Not paying attention where she was walking Ed walked into the back of ms. Cheerilee.

“Oh, hello I'm ms. Cheerilee is this your first time attending an NLAC party?” Ms. Cheerilee asked noticing Ed's still dressed state.

“Oh, Ed forgot!” Ed quickly began to take off her loose fitting shirt and small form fitting shorts.

“It's alright the changing rooms are right over ther-ACK!” Ms. Cheerilee got hit in the face with a tee shirt that Ed threw off, she pulled the tee shirt off her face in time to see Ed run off to join the party.

“That was a girl?” Ms. Cheerilee said to herself confused.

***
By now Ed had forgotten she had gone there to catch a bounty and was now just enjoying the party, fortunately with her darker skin and bright red hair she blended in with the rest of the students at canterlot high school. Ed wandered aimlessly around trying various activities at the party.

“Ooh, they have a pool!” Ed immediately threw ein into the pool and jumped in afterwards. Ein started to doggie paddle while Ed played in the water, she hadn't been swimming for a long time and noticed that swimming naked felt pretty good.
Suddenly Ed was lifted out of the water on pinky pies shoulders.

“Hello! I'm pinky pie I never met you before, I know because I know everyone who are you? Are having fun at this happyrific party?” Pinky pie shouted barely breathing between words.

“And I'm Edward Wong hau pepelu tivrusky the fourth and that's ein.” Ed gestured to the side where ein was now trying to climb out of the pool but couldn't quite make it.

“Pleased to meet you.”Ed said with a regal accent before bursting out laughing and falling backwards off of pinky pies shoulders and back into the water.

“Ah! I know let's go get some yumtastic treats from the buffet, I made them myself.” pinky pie said while wiggling her eyebrows.

“Why that sounds delightful.” Ed dove underwater and resurfaced under Ein lifting him out of the water with her head and both girls climbed out of the pool and headed of to the buffet.

***

Ed and pinky pie were eating cake with milk, Ed was sitting on the floor holding her cup with her feet and even got some dog treats from Fluttershy for Ein.

“How long are you and your cute little doggie gonna keep attending canterlot high?” Pinky pie asked.

“Ed’s just visiting for tonight on a super secret mission from beyond the stars.” Ed said with a deep voice while waving her arms.

“Okayyy, oh hey meet my friend Grey Ash.” Pinky pie said hoping to change the subject and pulled the first person she saw over to where they were sitting, which happened to be a boy with pale grey skin and hair that looked familiar to Ed.

“Um, hel-”

“STINKY GAS”

“Wait what?”

Ed pulled a pair of squirt guns out of the bag next to her and squeezed the triggers releasing a noxious cloud of green gas, which when it cleared Ed, Ein, and Grey Ash were all gone.

***

“Well I'm surprised Ed actually managed to bring somebody back with her” Jet black said incredulously.

“Yeah, it would've been nice if she brought back the bounty instead of the damn kid on the school web page” Spike said without looking up from his cigarette.

Ed went floating by naked in zero gravity back on board the Bebop.

“Ed! Put your clothes back on!” Spike yelled with his eyes closed.

Ah hahahaha!

-doomguy666