The Big Man
An Always Friends, Always More Story
A Humanized Pony Fic By Duke Moon II
Inspired by “The Girls of My Life” by Wildcard25

Chapter 10 – School Clubbing

When I first met Spike Drake, I had a feeling that things were going to be...tense, to say the least. After I had disciplined Twilight and her friends for what had happened during lunchtime that day, Luna had informed me that Spike wanted to plead on the girl's behalf and how much they meant to him. As heartwarming as the story was, it wouldn’t have changed anything, though hearing how far Spike was willing to go for them...all I can say is that that’s what friends do. The only thing I could do when I met him face to face was to offer him my hand in friendship. It's a good thing Spike was willing to be civil, though I had a feeling he still wanted to plead the girl’s case.

Still, with Albert alerting me on what Spike did outside of school and his past history, plus the reputation he was getting as a delinquent, I knew I had to do my part in helping him fit in at CHS. I’m just glad his friends were doing their part, too.

Celestia de la Huerta
Famous Faces from Ponyville

Dressed up for school and with his book bag in hand, Spike headed downstairs for breakfast, smiling as he smelled the odor of homemade maple waffles. As soon as he made it into the dining room, he saw that his parents were already eating. What he didn’t expect though, was Twilight Sagan sitting at the table, eating breakfast with them. He also noted that she was wearing a purple blazer with a violet blouse underneath; slacks also matched the color of her blazer. Spike also noted that Twilight’s hair was done up in a bun and she was wearing her glasses. He blushed at this as he stared at her, a smile creeping up. He knew Twilight had something big planned and wanted to look her best, but she looked very attractive and he didn’t know what to say.

“Morning, son,” Michael greeted. “You got an early guest today.”

“Uh, oh right,” Spike stammered as he snapped out his stare. “Morning, Twilight. You look...professional today.”

“Well, we do have a big day ahead,” Twilight started. “The girls and I got to thinking that we should tour the annual club fair today at lunch. It’s a week-long event and all the school clubs are going to gather at the gym to try to sign up new members, from sports to the cultural arts. We think it’s a great way to improve your reputation among the student body.”

“Not that it needs improvement since my little Spike is such a sweetie,” Annabel said with a smile.

“Mom,” Spike said as he blushed.

“Still, Spike was not much for clubs in junior high since he wanted to keep a low profile,” Annabel added. “But I think it would be good for him to explore other interests or improve the ones he has.”

“I don’t think there was a harem club when I was in high school, so you are out of luck there,” Michael said, chuckling.

“Dad!” Spike shouted, blushing deeper.

“Aw, I’m just messing with you, boy,” Michael said with good nature. “Though if you want my advice, I’d say go for the baseball club. I hear they’re in a rebuilding period and are in need of some good players.”

“Not going to happen,” Spike shook his head. “I took a bean ball to the head from Applejack two years ago and I still have the nightmares.”

“You woke up with your head on a blonde’s lap,” Michael mentioned. “If you ask me, any guy would call that heaven.”

“Anyway,” Spike hastily changed the subject. “It’s just that...I don’t know. Me joining a club, Twilight?”

“Think of it as improving public relations, Spike,” Twilight assured. “The girls, your parents...we all know that you’re the sweetest person in the world that has a bit of an edge. I think the school needs to know that, too.”

“Twilight’s right,” Annabel agreed with a nod. “You can’t go around school thinking that everyone hates you because they have it in their mind that you're a danger to them. Besides, it’s good to gain more friends outside the girls and your boy buddies.”

Spike sighed as he became deep in thought. In junior high, he never really thought of joining any school clubs because there wasn’t anything that really called his attention. He was never very athletic, so he didn’t think of joining anything sports related and the closest he’s ever been interested in art was just doodling on his notebook. Also, as he recalled, there were no dance clubs where he went to school. Another thing he remembered about the clubs is that some of the leaders had a bad case of superiority complex and he did not want to be a target of the club alpha’s wrath. To Spike, there wasn’t really a point to joining clubs.

Spike felt more satisfied being a part of Twilight’s circle of friends and his own buddy circle. He didn’t feel like he needed to prove anything to them and knew they would always be there for him as he was always here for them. Of course, he did need to make up with the Harmony Hotties after what had happened between them and was glad they had wanted him back.

Still, if he were to at least try to fix his reputation at school, Spike needed to see if there was a club at school that would interest him. Plus, the girls would be helping him with this little adventure and he didn’t want to let them down by not trying.

With a resigned sigh, Spike responded, “Oh, alright. Not like I have much of a reputation to lose, so I’ll give it a shot.”

“That’s my boy!” Annabel cheered.

“You won’t regret it, Spike!” Twilight beamed. “The girls and I will help you along the way!”

“I’m sure you’ll do great son,” assured Michael. “Who knows? Maybe you’ll become a club alpha in a few days' time.”

Though he felt overwhelmed, Spike couldn’t help but smile that his family and Twilight felt confident that he would succeed in getting into a club at school. With that mind, he began to happily eat his breakfast with his heart full of joy.

A few hours passed and the lunch bell had rung. Spike had wasted no time at all when he headed out the classroom door and made his way toward the gym. At the gym's entrance, he spotted the girls waiting for him with Twilight greeting him a wave. Upon entering, Spike and the Hotties noticed that there were already club members stationed at their booths talking to people and signing them up. One thing Spike and the girls had immediately noticed was that there was a fighting ring and a table where three club members were attending to people who wanted to sign up. There were a lot of things to try out for, but Spike still felt nervous as he didn’t feel comfortable being a part of another group outside his friends.

“Girls, I don’t know…,” Spike said as he shook his head. “We haven’t even had lunch yet, and were jumping into this…”

“Oh, it’ll be fine, Spike,” Pinkie assured as he took out a flier with Spike’s picture on it. “In fact, a lot of clubs are expecting you to show up. I handed them these babies so they’ll know who to look for. It did take a bit of convincing and it was a tough sell for some of the club leaders.”

Spike took a look of the flier Pinkie possessed and it basically looked like something people used to get themselves voted for public office. The flier had Spike’s head with a star behind him with added glitter. The text below read “Spike Drake: He’s Your Man!” Spike sighed at this, knowing that whatever Pinkie told the club leaders, he would have to show that he wasn’t just there to try out.

“Don’t stress it too much, sugarcube,” Applejack said, placing her hand on Spike’s shoulder. “I’m sure you’ll do great wherever you’ll end up.”

“In fact, I got the first place in mind,” Rainbow said as she grabbed Spike’s wrist and dragged him to the boxing ring. She then called out to the club members sitting at ringside, “Yo, Ring Savvy! I got your newest champ in the making!”

“Rainbow, what the hell!?” Shouted Applejack as she followed Spike and Rainbow. “You know Spike doesn't have his heart in fighting!”

“Could have fooled me when he stood up to those losers the other day,” Rainbow smirked. “Besides, you taught Spike the ropes. He’ll be fine against a few scrubs.”

“Rainbow, this is crazy!” Twilight said as she got in the way of Rainbow.

“He could get hurt out there!” Fluttershy cried.

“I will not have my little Spikey-Wikey damaged!!” Rarity roared.

“Oh, for the love of the sun, Spike’s not a baby!” Rainbow snapped angrily at the girls.

“He certainly has the cheeks of one!” Pinkie said teasingly as she pinched Spike’s cheeks, much to the boy’s embarrassment.

“My point is Spike can take a hit and dish it out!” Rainbow started to explain. “I say this is the perfect way for Spike to show off his skills and get some positive street cred. Besides, I don’t think anyone in the boxing club could hit any harder than those gang members from the other day, so Spike has nothing to worry about.”

“I don’t know,” Spike muttered.

“It’ll only be a round Spike,” Rainbow assured as she slapped him on the back. “Worst they could say is no.”

As much as Spike wanted to agree that it would be that simple, he knew that fighting someone who, while tough and intimidating, had limited skills in fighting, taking on an opponent who had trained in the sport was far different. He remembered how much Applejack had pushed him when she trained him in boxing and while he could hold his own, he remembered that in a one on one fight with her, he could never land a single punch. In fact, whenever he sparred with her, he was mostly blocking her strikes and he remembered how much that hurt. The only saving grace he could think is that, as Rainbow pointed out, he can take a punch and still come back.

Against his better judgement, Spike managed to disengage himself from Rainbow and went to the table where members of the boxing club sat. This surprised the girls, though Rainbow smirked at Spike’s assertiveness.

“I want to try out for the boxing team,” Spike declared.

The brown haired boy, who looked a bit older than Spike and more muscularly defined, looked up at Spike and narrowed his eyes. He then went to his pocket and took out a flier and inspected it before looking at Spike again. He got up and gave Spike a once over and had felt a bit of satisfaction that he towered over him. The boy smirked and folded his arms, chuckling.

“So...this is the kid who took on those losers from the other day,” the boy said as he leaned to Spike’s level. “Gotta say, I thought you’d looked more...tougher in person. You look like a grade schooler who lost his mommy and I think Pinkie Pie may have over sold you.”

As much as he felt reluctant to get into a fight, Spike also didn’t like being reminded of how small he was. He tried giving the boy an intimidating look, but the boy just laughed even harder, which got the other two members laughing alongside him.

“Hey, the boy wants to try out, Ring Savvy!” Rainbow yelled as she slammed her hands on the table. “Spike’s fighting fit and he can take any one of your scrubs, no problem! Besides, you guys finished dead last in last year’s boxing tournament so you guys are in desperate need of some new blood!”

“We’re not so desperate that we should take in a gang member, Dashie!” scoffed Ring Savvy.

“Ex-gang member, Savvy!” Rainbow corrected as she got into Ring Savvy’s face. “So are you going to let Spike try out or do I have to remind you again that I beat you in five seconds flat for making a pass at me?”

Ring Savvy growled at Rainbow, his pride taking a hit. As much as it pained him, he had to admit that the Boxing Club had seen better days as Rainbow reminded him. Ring sat down and signed Spike’s name on the chart. He then handed Spike protective gear and pointed him to the ring.

“You’ll have one round to prove yourself, runt!” Ring told Spike with authority. “You don’t make it past three minutes, then the club doesn't need you! So get ready and come out swinging! Go for it!”

Spike nodded as he put on the headgear, mouth guard and boxing gloves. He then made his way to the ring, going through the second rope. Spike walked to what he assumed was his corner of the ring and then began practicing his punches, remembering what Applejack had taught him. The speed of his punches increased and then he finished with an uppercut. This was earning Spike a cheer for Pinkie and Rainbow, to which he acknowledged with a wave and a smile. Of course, he did notice the worried looks from Twilight, Applejack, Rarity and Fluttershy, which made him feel worried in return, but tried to smile at them, nonetheless.

“You’ll see, Ring Savvy,” Rainbow said confidently. “He’ll beat the pants of any member you’ll throw at him.”

“We’ll see how he does against the captain,” Ring Savvy reminded.

“Wait, you’re not the captain anymore?” asked Rainbow, confused.

“A freshman came in on our practice session and talked smack about how the other schools can kick our asses,” Ring Savvy explained. “I told him if he could beat me in one round, he could have the position of captain. He knocked me out in 10 seconds.”

Ring’s explanation got Spike’s attention and before he could ask, someone smaller than him made his way to the ring. Unlike himself who just went through the ropes, the captain grabbed the top rope and leapt inside the ring. It only took a second for Spike to recognize who it was and panic started to set in. It was his friend, Pipsqueak. Dressed in trunks, boots and wearing boxing gloves and headgear, Pipsqueak looked ready for a fight. Spike’s eyes twitched as he started to shake.

Upon noticing Spike, Pipsqueak greeted, “Spike, you dog, you! Guess you want to show off for the ladies, huh? Good on you! Bring out that Super Macho Man in you!”

Spike could only let out a nervous chuckle as he put up his gloved fists. When he looked back at Twilight, Rarity and Fluttershy, he could see the worried look on their faces. Pinkie gave him an enthusiastic thumbs up, which didn’t make him feel any better. Spike then looked at Applejack hissing at Rainbow and showing her something on her phone, which made the Rainbow haired girl cringe. Rainbow looked up and gave Spike a forced smile with a thumbs up. He gulped as he turned his attention to Pipsqueak, who was practicing his jabs.

‘Maybe he’ll go easy on me,’ Spike thought hopefully.

Of course, Spike knew of his friend’s fighting prowess from back in Junior High. When he first met Pipsqueak, his little friend was already a great fighter, though he preferred to use his fists in the ring only. Still, from some of the fights he had attended, Spike knew that Pipsqueak fought a smart fight as he let his opponents come to him. He remembered how one opponent came out swinging and all it took was one strong punch to put him away. There were other times when Pipsqueak just toyed with his opponents to give them the illusion that they had a chance...with a smile that Spike could only describe as...sadistic.

One fight, which Spike recalled vividly and he assumed it was the fight Applejack was showing Rainbow, was where Pipsqueak showed a side he had never seen before. Spike had invited Applejack that day to see Pipsqueak fight and the farm girl had wanted to take notes. During the fight, Pip’s opponent, who was rather smug and prone to show off, had managed to knock him down and started to insult him. Unfortunately for the opponent, he said something about Pip’s mother and how she should have left him in the garbage. This set Pip off and proceeded to beat on the opponent and had to be restrained by the referee. Pip was lucky to only get disqualified, but the damage was done. It took Spike and Applejack some time to calm Pip down and even took him out for ice cream, assuring him that they are still friends.

Still, seeing Pip at his worst was something Spike wouldn’t forget. He didn’t want to admit it to his friend, but it scared him seeing how violent he could get. Granted he could hold his own, but Spike doubted he could match Pip, a seasoned boxer.

Spike didn’t have any more time to dwell on his situation as a referee came into the ring. He directed his attention to Pip, asking him if he was ready, to which Pip nodded. The ref then directed his attention to Spike and asked him if he was ready. Reluctantly, Spike nodded.

“Go!” the referee shouted, officially starting the round.

The match started with Spike and Pip circling around each other to see if they could spot an opening. From what Spike could remember from sparring with Applejack is that he had to be patient, but don’t let your opponent have time to think. Having this in mind, Spike approached Pip and threw some jabs his way. They all missed or were blocked. Spike waited another second and threw some more punches with the same result. Pip was moving fast and was smiling, which annoyed Spike. Of course, when Pip started to throw punches, Spike was able to dodge them, but barely. In desperation, Spike launched a hard straight strike and missed, to which Pip countered with an uppercut that staggered him into one of the neutral corners.

“Gotcha there, Drake!” Pip said with a smirk as he let out a flurry of punches.

“Keep your guard up, Spike!” shouted Applejack as she started banging her hand on the canvas. “Tire him out and let loose!”

As much as Spike wanted to take that advice, he started to feel the pain in his arms. While his defense was guarding his face and body, Pip was doing his job in trying to break through. All that was going through Spike’s was that if he didn’t act, then his defense would be broken eventually. The moment Pip hesitated, however, Spike let out of a strike, but missed. What happened next was Pip landing a fury of body blows followed by a very swift uppercut that landed him on the floor.

‘Geez...even with this gear...Pip still hits harder than Garble,’ Spike thought as he struggled to get up.

“You hit him too hard, Pip!!” cried Fluttershy.

“That was completely overboard!!” shouted an angry Twilight.

“Geez, ladies,” Pip said as he shook his head. “You act as if I’m killing the guy.”

“Get up, Spike!” barked Rainbow. “You’ve endured worse than this! Show that shrimp who’s boss!”

“Now that just hurts, skittles!” Pip shouted.

“You say that again to my face, Oliver Twist!” shouted Rainbow as she tried to get onto the ring, though Applejack was holding her back.

Spike managed to get up and shook his head in an effort to clear it. When the referee asked if he was okay, Spike simply nodded and the fight continued. This time, Spike went on the offensive as he attacked pip with a series of hard strikes. None of them landed and he was rewarded with Pip punching him the face. With his defenses weakening, Spike couldn’t dodge in time and felt a hard blow to the stomach, making double over in pain. He fell to his knees soon after.

“Spike, no!” Pinkie cried.

“Stop the fight!” Fluttershy panicked.

“Don’t you give up now, Drake!” shouted Rainbow.

Against his better judgement, Spike got up and assured the referee that he was fine. He felt dazed and frustrated that he couldn’t land a single punch. He charged at Pip and made like he was going to hit with a right punch but struck with a left strike, landing straight to his face. The punch was so hard that it staggered Pip into the ropes. Spike was surprised at this and was mentally jumping for joy for landing such a hard blow.

Unfortunately, this only got a smirk from Pip as he went on a furious attack, even feinting a few punches to surprise Spike. He was dazed and his defense was broken. He couldn’t keep up and he wasn’t even blocking anymore.

“Pip, stop it!” cried Twilight. “You’re going to-

Spike didn’t get to hear the rest as Pip’s final strike landed on his face. Everything went black after that.

Wow. He really took one to the face.

Can’t believe he’s still alive after that.

Is this really necessary?
Of course it is. How are we going to get any better if we don’t practice?

But just taking him like that…

What were they going to do? Cry over him?

Won’t they be mad?

Let them. the kid needs us now. Besides...I don’t think he’ll complain once he wakes up.

The voices, initially faint, were coming in clear as Spike began to wake.

Groaning with a headache that threatened to tear apart his skull, Spike eyes fluttered open and all he could see were the lights on the ceiling. His eyes adjusted and noticed that the ceiling looked different and could tell that he wasn’t in the gym anymore. Spike felt that his back was on a cushiony surface, so he wasn’t lying on the ring canvas. He also felt a chill going through his body and lifted his arms and rubbed his own shoulders to warm up. Spike then realized that something was wrong and his eyes widened. He sat up and noticed that he had been stripped of his clothes with the exception of his underwear...and in the nurses room.

Spike was about to ask what was going on but his words died when he saw that he was surrounded by girls who were about the age of his girl friends. They all wore blue nursing outfits and they all had eyes on him, each looking at him with concern. Spike became self conscious at the state he was in and made an attempt to cover himself up. Unfortunately, the girls took note that he was up and grabbed to restrain him to the cot. Spike struggled and protested, wanting to be let go and forgetting about his headache.

“Relax, kid,” A voice said. “We’re here to help, so don’t struggle.”

“I don’t like being kidnapped!” Shouted Spike angrily. “Let me go, or I’ll…”

Again, Spike’s words died as he saw the source of the voice. Like the other girls, she looked to be about the age of the Hotties and she was dressed in a white buttoned skirt that showed off her legs. Her light pink hair was tied up in a bun and her face, although looking pleasant, had a serious edge, one that said that she didn’t want to be questioned or argued with. She also had a stethoscope around her neck.

“My name is Edith Redheart, nurse in training,” the nurse in white introduced herself. “Are you going to be a good boy and lay still while we check your condition?”

Spike didn’t answer and Edith took that as a sign of compliance. She placed her hand on his forehead and he immediately started to shake. Spike sweated as his body temperature rose at the Edith’s touch. It didn’t help that when she removed her hand she placed her own forehead on his and felt her breath on his face. Spike felt a shiver when he felt the stethoscope on his chest. As if on cue, his heart started to beat fast when said instrument was over where the heart should be. After a moment, Edith placed her hands on Spike’s cheek and stared at him, making squirm to the touch. He couldn’t do anything but stare back as he was held captive by Edith’s eyes as well as the other nurses.

“Bruises on the face, your heartbeat is faster than normal and you have a high temperature,” Edith diagnosed as she kept her eyes on Spike. “I think that blow really did a number on you, kid. It’ll take more than pills to cure what ails you.”

“I’m fine, really,” Spike insisted, panicking.

“And that’s not all,” one of the other nurses pointed out, quite literally.

Spike, Edith and the other nurses directed their eyes to Spike’s crotch and saw that, indeed, there was a bulge in the boxers. While Edith remained professional, the other nurses were very fascinated by it and some of them began to giggle and blush at the sight. As for Spike, his panic levels rose as he struggled to break free.

With an even expression, Edith faced Spike, shook her head in disappointment and said, “Really, kid. Just because you're half naked and surrounded by attractive girls in uniform doesn’t mean you should lose control like this.”

Embarrassed, Spike looked away.

“Guess I'll calm you down,” Edith said as she gripped Spike’s shorts. “Don’t worry about making a mess. I’ll clean it up as soon as you're done.”

“No way!” Spike screamed in fear. “You’re not going to-

“Come now, kid,” Edith purred as she shushed Spike with a finger with the other girls giggling behind her. “I’m not going to let you walk around with that monster all day. You’ll just ache and crave release. Besides...what kind of man denies himself a bit of kink and pleasure?”

Spike was about to answer when there was a bang on the door. He sighed in relief as a frustrated Edith went to the door.

“We’re not done in here, girls!” Edith shouted at the door. “Trust us: he’s in good hands!”

“You girls are in so much trouble if you don’t open the damn door!” a voice shouted back.

Spike gave another sigh of relief as he recognized the voice. He also noticed that the rest of the nurses recognized the voice, too, as their faces etched in fear.

Edith slowly unlocked and opened the door. When she did, she saw a very angry Nurse Luna with her arms crossed. She could tell that she was really trying to hold in all her rage but she knew she was about to blow at any moment.

With a nervous chuckle, Edith said, “Nurse de la Huerta...um...we can expla-

“Get out!” Luna shouted angrily.

Edith and the rest of the nurses ran out the door, leaving only Luna and Spike.

With a heavy sigh, Luna looked to the side and said, “I’ll handle this, ladies.”

Spike could only assume that the ladies in question were his friends as Luna closed the door. Without giving it a second thought, he proceeded to put his clothes back on. Once that was done, Spike sat down on the cot and placed a hand on his head, relieved that the whole ordeal was over. Not a moment later, Luna sat next to him and placed a hand on his shoulder.

“Are you alright?” Luna asked tentatively.

“All things considered...yeah, marvelous,” Spike responded.

“Vultures, all of them,” Luna scoffed as she frowned. “I really should have screened every potential member for that club.”

Spike went silent as he really didn’t know what to say. The day had started with some promise as he really wanted to work on repairing his reputation. Instead, his friend knocked him out and he got kidnapped by nurses. Not only that, but the head of the Nurses Club wanted to get...friendly with him with the pretense of relieving him of his pain. It wasn’t a great start to his journey and he knew things were only going to get more difficult.

“You have a great circle of friends, Mr. Drake,” Luna began. “Had it not been for them…”

“I know,” Spike agreed with a smile. “My gallant knights in shining armor and I’m forever their prince in distress.”

“Who can take a few bumps, so you’re not completely helpless,” Luna reminded.

Spike only nodded as Luna got up and went to her cabinet, opening it and taking out a couple of headache pills for him, plus a bottle of water. The young man graciously took both placed the pills in mouth and downed them with the water.

“You’re friends are just outside, little lamb,” Luna said.

Spike didn’t need to be told twice as headed out the door. He was met by a fierce hug by Twilight and her friends joined along, each of them asking if he was alright.

“Girls, I’m fine,” Spike assured.

“Thank goodness,” Fluttershy sighed with relief.

“I swear, if those nurses had done anything to you…,” Rarity snarled.

“Nurses, ha!” Rainbow scoffed. “More like a bunch of whores dying of thirst!”

“I swear, when they’re done hiding…,” Applejack growled.

“Just let me load my party cannon with some cherry bombs,” Pinkie joined in.

“Girls, I’m fine, really,” Spike reiterated.

“Are you really?” asked Twilight.

“Yes,” Spike responded. “Listen, I just want to get back to class and call this day a loss. Then maybe lie down somewhere and think about tomorrow.”

“Hey, Spike,” a voice called out.

Spike and the girls turned to the source of the voice and the girls frowned angrily. It was Pip and he wore an awkward expression. The young man could understand why as the girls didn’t look very forgiving.

The one to respond first was Fluttershy as she confronted Pip by grabbing him by his collar.

“You hurt my puppy!!” cried Fluttershy. “What kind of a friend are you, you....”

“Fluttershy, stop!” Spike shouted.

Fluttershy let go of Pip, though she continued to stare at him angrily.

“Listen I just...well...sorry for what happened,” Pip said.

“Eh, don’t be,” Spike responded with a shrug. “Aside from a few bruises, I’m still alive.”

“And that was a good punch you gave me out there,” Pip complemented. “Though you really should have followed up and not leave yourself open like that. If it makes you feel any better, you did last the round when I knocked you out.”

“Don’t I feel like a winner,” Spike said sarcastically, rolling his eyes up.

“Wait, that’s it!?” Rainbow asked incredulously. “Shrimp boy knocks you out and everything is fine!?”

“I’m not going to be mad at my buddy for doing his job,” Spike answered.

After a few seconds, most of the girls agreed with Spike’s line of thinking. Rainbow was the exception as he frowned at Spike.

“You’re way too forgiving, short stuff,” Rainbow pointed out.

“Never healthy to hold a grudge, skittles,” Spike said.

All Rainbow could do was stick out her tongue at Spike while everyone laughed.

A little later, Spike found himself in the school’s art studio along with members of the Art Club. Fluttershy had suggested that Spike give the club a chance, even though he never really knew how to draw. He sat in front of a blank canvas with Twilight behind him and sitting right next to him was Fluttershy herself, painting a picture of her pet bunny Angel scarfing down a bowl of fruit while humming a tune. As he saw her painting away, Spike felt that he really didn’t belong in the club and groaned. Looking back at the blank canvas, he picked a brush and just stared at it. More than anything, he was afraid to make a fool of himself and seeing the club members painting at such a high level, it was looking like he was going to get laughed off the room.

“Last time I painted anything was in first grade,” Spike said, looking down.

“You’ll do fine,” Twilight assured as she placed her hand on Spike’s shoulder.

“It’s really not all that difficult,” Fluttershy said with a smile. “In fact, painting is something that relaxes me and after a hard week, I try to draw a picture of one of the animals from the shelter using only memory. Maybe you can paint something from memory, too.”

“I don’t know…,” Spike doubted.

“You can even draw that Ka-Blam girl you read so much about,” Fluttershy suggested.

“Lady Lightning,” Spike corrected, blushing. “Well, she is one of my favorites.”

“Along with Mistress Marvelous, Zapp, Millisecond, Radiance, Rager…,” Fluttershy listed off before trailing off, “Come to think of it, all your favorite superheroes are female.”

“I wonder about that,” Twilight said, eyeing Spike suspiciously.

Spike laughed nervously before facing the blank canvas again. Reluctantly, he dipped his brush into some black paint and started to draw. Though he had initially thought about painting a picture of Lady Lightning, Spike looked over at Fluttershy and decided to draw her instead. He imagined her in her house, taking care of her pets and had an idea of what to do. It would be a picture of her on her knees while a puppy ran happily up to her. He chuckled at this as Fluttershy would refer to him as her puppy, which if remembered correctly, was something that both embarrassed him and made him blush. As he drew, Spike had decided not to do any background work and concentrated on just drawing Fluttershy and a little puppy. He had become so engrossed with painting that he just went with the flow and didn’t think of anything else. Spike didn’t really care if it came out crude or not; just the fact that he was actually giving art a shot was making feel better about himself and felt a bit more relaxed.

“Spike, what are you doing!?” Twilight hissed.

Spike snapped out of it and got a good look at what he drew. Though it was crude and was just black painted brushstrokes, the picture was what he imagined. It was Fluttershy, on her knees with open arms as a puppy happily jumped up into a waiting embrace.

There was just one problem. Fluttershy was completely naked.

Spike heard a gasp as well a paint brush drop to the floor. He looked at Fluttershy, who had her mouth covered and looked very mortified as she blushed. He then heard Twilight growl, which made him turn around and saw the irate girl, arms folded and trying to contain her anger. Spike then looked around and soon as he could see the other club members get curious, he took the canvas off the easel and ran out the door.

“Spike Drake, get back here!” Twilight shouted angrily as she chased Spike.

With the other members asking questions about what had happened, Fluttershy was left speechless as she watched the door where Twilight and Spike had left from, a blush still prominent on her face.

The next day...

“Alright, you pukes!” the senior in the chef’s uniform bellowed. “My name is Golden Plate and I am your club leader! Throughout my high school tenure, I have won awards, trophies and medals for this school! You know what that means, you bunch of newbies!? That means I’m more than fit to lead you and maybe, just maybe, I can mold all you into something closely resembling a true chef! Now I know that’s a tall order, but I have my standards and I will not have my name dragged down!”

‘Isn’t he humble,’ Spike thought sarcastically.

Though he had looked forward to seeing what the Culinary Club was all about, Spike didn’t like how things were unfolding. At Pinkie’s suggestion, Spike headed towards the home economics room with Twilight accompanying him. The home economics room was the home of the culinary club who was currently looking for new members. When he and Twilight got there, Spike noticed that the potential members were a little hesitant and doubtful about joining. Before he could ask, a senior student came in, wearing a chef’s uniform. He was a brown haired boy, tall with an average build and a face that was scrunched up in disgust. He began ordering everyone to their cooking stations, to which everyone followed, although with some reluctance.

Though cooking was something Spike felt more comfortable with, he really didn’t like the attitude of Golden Plate, who he immediately identified as an alpha who really didn’t want to be questioned, just followed. He really wasn’t looking forward to this and judging from the looks of the other club hopefuls, they weren’t looking forward to this, either.

Before Golden Plate could continue, his attention was directed towards Spike. His eyes squinted and recognized him as the infamous freshman who went viral not long ago. He went to where Spike and Twilight were stationed at and gave the boy an inspection with a rather distasteful look on his face. This got Spike feeling awkward, which Golden Plate smirked at this since he felt empowered.

“Well, it looks like we have a superstar in our midst,” Golden Plate sneered mockingly. “Spike Drake, gang member, a boxing failure from what I heard and personal toy to six girls.”

Spike could only respond with a glare, but kept silent as he did not want to cause any trouble.

“Former gang member, Golden Plate,” Twilight corrected, frowning. “And I assure you that Spike Drake is very capable around the kitchen.”

“Twilight Sagan, you may be the Princess of Books…,” Golden Plate began, his expression remaining the same. “But here in this kitchen, I am king, I am boss, but most of all, I am chef and I will judge if your toy Spike here is club material.”

As much as he was trying to hold in his anger, Spike really wanted to throttle Golden Plate for being so rude to Twilight. Though his friend was unfazed, Spike felt the need to stand up for her.

“So, Spike Drake,” Golden Plate said as he turned his attention to Spike again. “Show me something. Show me and the rest of the club that you have what it takes to be a part of this.”

Feeling determined, Spike walked over to the pantry and got a few ingredients and set them up the table. He then went to the shelves and got some cupcake pans, though he made sure he counted the number of students present before settling on how many cupcake pans to use. After getting some more ingredients from the refrigerator and some more tools and bowls, Spike felt ready to make something to impress the club members, including the alpha cook. He also made sure to preheat the oven.

Judging from the ingredients that Spike placed on the table, Twilight knew what her friend had in mind. Seeing the flour bag, cocoa powder, assorted chilies, plus the eggs, red food coloring, spices and other things, Twilight could tell that Spike wanted to make his famous Time Bomb Cupcakes. She could, however, see that her friend will be missing the pork for the filling. Still, the ingredients for making the jelly were there, so the cupcakes won’t be totally incomplete. As soon as Spike was finished with the batter, he filled each of the trays with it and placed them into the already hot oven.

Spike wasn’t done, though. As the cupcakes cooked, he went on to make the filling as well as the frosting for the cupcakes. He spent the next few minutes mixing and tasting until he was satisfied with it. He then put the filling and the frosting in piping bags and as soon as he heard the ding from the oven, he took out the cupcakes and put them in the refrigerator to cool off. While he waited, Spike got an idea and went to the freezer to get a few boxes of ice cream. He opened the refrigerator again to grab more milk and maple syrup. Spike then got a few glasses, placed two of them on each station and went over to get the blender. He mixed the milk, ice cream and maple syrup and poured the shake into the students glasses, making more shakes to fill the others. As soon as he was done, he went to the fridge again and took out the cupcakes, satisfied that they were cooled down. He first got the piping bag that had the filling and inserted the said filling into each cupcake. He then finished off by topping the cupcakes with icing. He brushed off the sweat from his brow and let out a huge breath, thankful that he was done with the cooking. Finally, he went on to plating and gave each of the club members a cupcake and milkshakes.

Everyone, with exception of Golden Plate, was impressed with what Spike had done, though Twilight was beaming with pride. It wasn’t everyday that she got to see Spike work his kitchen magic and it was always a treat, so to speak, to see. This is something Spike could be a part of and could take the club to new heights...provided that Golden Plate would get off his high horse and give her friend a chance.

As for Golden Plate, he gritted his teeth as his eye twitched. Spike looked very impressive and had skills, looking efficient and feeling very proud of himself. Seeing that the other members were enjoying the cupcakes and shakes, he felt threatened. He needed to find a way to put Spike down a notch and exert his place as club leader. He smirked as an idea formed.

“Spectacular performance, newbie,” Golden Plate congratulated mockingly and sarcastically. “You made cupcakes and shakes. Good for you. You can do something anyone with no creativity can do.”

As much as he wanted to strangle Golden Plate, Spike remained patient, though he settled for glaring at him. Golden Plate just responded with an arrogant smirk.

“Excuse me!” Twilight said as she got in front of Golden Plate, glaring. “I’ll have you know Spike has cooked for me and my friends in the past and those cupcakes are on the dessert menu at the Dragon Pub where it is a very popular treat! As you can see, the other members here truly like them and the shakes Spike made. I think his skills as a cook could benefit the club!”

“I hear that,” one member seconded, raising a half eaten cupcake.

Golden Plate shot a glare at all the members of the club. His fury was reaching its peak but then he decided to calm down, breathing in and out. He then smirked and went to the refrigerator and pulled out a tray that had three cheesecakes, all of them tiny. One was topped with a slice of strawberry with a layer of chocolate at bottom. Another had a strawberry swirl with a trophy shaped wafer and finally, one that had a very light sprinkle of cookie crumbles. Spike had to admit that the cheesecakes looked high class, but he had recalled that Rarity took him and Fluttershy to a very high class restaurant that served tiny portions of food. Spike had been initially disappointed in the portions, though he did admit that they were high on taste. He assumed that Golden Plate’s style was to please a higher class of palette.

“What you see here, Spike Drake, is art you can eat,” Golden Plate began to explain. “We here at the Culinary Club strive for a higher class of eats than your mom and pop restaurants. Pleasing to the eye as well as the tongue. What my goal is, Mr. Drake, is to instill a refinement that is sorely lacking in this school when it comes to food. Refinement that can only be found in high society where the rich have rich taste. My goal is to take this club to the zenith...beyond the heavens of cuisine. Go ahead, Mr. Drake. Taste high class and you will never be ordinary again.”

Spike could only raise an eyebrow at Golden Plate’s bravado. The only thing he could think of is how much ego this club leader has and how much of a high opinion he had on his food. Still, wanting to be the bigger man about, decided to give Golden Plate’s cheesecakes a go. He popped the cooking crumble cheesecake in his mouth, which made Golden Plate frown in disgust. As he tasted the cheesecake, Spike knew that something seemed a little off about the taste. In fact, there was little to no taste at all, like the club leader forgot a few ingredients to elevate this cheesecake. While he wasn’t much of a fan of tiny food, he did remember that tiny food could have explosive taste when done right.

“So, Mr. Drake,” Golden Plate began, smugly. “Now do you see that this club demands a higher quality of taste than your...cupcakes and milkshakes?”

Remaining silent, Spike weighed his options and what to say to Golden Plate. On one hand, the Culinary Club was something more his speed, but with Golden Plate as the leader, he could see himself butting heads and he didn’t want to cause any trouble. In the end, honesty won out and decided to let the leader know.

“Do you want my honest opinion or do I just lie to your face?” Spike asked.

Golden Plate’s face was full of rage as he chased both Spike and Twilight out of the room with a scream and a cupcake tray.

“That went well,” Spike said flatly, frowning as he walked alongside Twilight in the school halls.

“I can’t believe him!” Twilight raged. “That so-called culinary leader has no idea what he’s missing out on! Ooh, I’d like to...to...ugh!”

“Twilight, it’s okay,” Spike said, trying to calm down Twilight. “So the Culinary Club is a loss and frankly, I didn’t want to be around that Gilded Saucer or whatever his name is anyway.”

“Oh, very well,” Twilight sighed, calming down. “We still have some time for another club today, though you’ll have to get changed for it.”

“So what’s the next club?”

“Cheerleading.”

Spike could only look at Twilight oddly and wanted to make sure she was joking.

Out on the playing field, Spike observed the cheerleader squad doing various routines, which included staying in sync with the other members, practicing the basic pyramid and making running flips that practically looked like they were floating in midair. Spike was amazed at how agile the hopefuls were and it seemed that they had practiced for years. It also made Spike feel ill equipped as, while he wasn’t a slouch, athletically speaking, he wasn’t very limber.

What Spike did notice, however, was that the hopefuls were mixed, male and female. The girls were wearing a sleeveless light blue top with gold trim that contrasted with their baby blue knee high socks and a white skirt with three gold trims at the bottom. The boys wore light blue shirts with gold trim and baby blue pants. Spike had to admit that the uniforms did look good and very practical and form fitting.

‘Well, at least I don’t have to wear a skirt,’ thought Spike, relieved but still skeptical.

“I’d say everyone I see looks like a shoe-in,” Twilight commented as she saw the cheerleaders practice.

“I can dance alright with the right tune, but to pull those stunts off…,” Spike said, still having the feeling that he shouldn’t be there. “Who suggested this club again?”

“Pinkie,” Twilight said, which made Spike groan. “She said that you needed a little cheer after yesterday and talked to the cheer captains about you.”

“With her energy, I’m surprised Pinkie isn’t part of this club,” Spike commented.

“By Pinkie’s own words, they deemed her overqualified,” Twilight said.

Spike chuckled at that and could see Pinkie be the whole cheer squad as she probably had enough cheer and high energy to fill up many squads.

“Alright everyone, fall in!” the female cheer captain called out.

With that, Spike went to the center of the field with the other hopefuls. They all lined in formation and stood straight with the two cheer captains in front of them. The female captain, a brown haired woman with a short cut, wore the same uniform as the rest of girls, though hers was adorned with C on her top. She was statuesque and filled her uniform well and had what Spike could see as a look that was all business as she inspected the hopefuls. The male captain, who wore his black hair slicked back, wore the same as the rest of the boys, also having a C adorned on his shirt. He shared the same businesslike expression and looked to be taking this very seriously, his arms folded in a way that showed off his muscles. It felt like those two were ready to tear apart him and the other hopefuls in order to create the perfect team.

“Listen up!” the female captain yelled out. “My name is Spirit Streak, co-captain of the Wondercolt cheer squad! Beside me is Co-Captain, Rally Charge! We take our sport seriously and CHS will be represented by the best around! Anyone here who only wants to try out so they can score a boyfriend or girlfriend can show themselves out right now! We are more than just eye candy, so what I demand is discipline and heart!”

If Spike felt that he was out of place before then he felt more ill suited to join the squad. Just by Spirit Streak’s tone, it sounded like she wanted nothing less than perfection. He gulped, but stood straight. He was willing to give the squad a chance and maybe try to impress the captains.

Unfortunately for Spike, Rally Charge noticed his unease and went up to him. With a stern glare, he inspected him from head to toe. Rally Charge didn’t look very impressed with him and looked at him with disdain and disgust.

“Aren’t you a little short for this?” asked Rally Charge, scoffing.

Spike’s unease evaporated and glared at Rally Charge.

“What’s with the look, criminal? Rally Charge smirked, arms folded. “Yeah, I know about you and how you were a gang member. You think you’re hot stuff and want to score more girls by just joining the squad? Why don’t you buzz off? We don’t want your kind here.”

As much as he wanted to punch Rally, he settled for just glaring at him, his hands balled into fists.

“That’s enough, Rally!” Spirit Streak yelled out as she came up to where Spike and Rally were.

“I’m just rooting out some bad eggs,” Rally reasoned.

“Likely story,” Spirit Streak disagreed. She then turned around to see Spike and said, “Let’s take a good look at you.”

Spike’s unease returned when Spirit Streak began to give him a once over. He noted how close she was as she inspected him, walking around him. Spirit Streak raised one of Spike’s arms and used her hand to feel him and made a sound that meant she found something interesting. He tensed up when she used her hands to feel around his torso and spent a bit more time with her hands on his chest. Spike could hear Rally growl, meaning that he wasn’t liking this one bit. What shocked Spike the most was that Spirit was in front of him, on her knees and feeling up his legs. He stiffened and tried to calm down as Spirit’s hands were coming up very close to his groin.

“Um, you're a bit close,” Spike said, nervous.

“What, afraid that I’ll give you a boner, shortie?” Spirit asked bluntly.

“No, I just…,” Spike stammered.

“Listen, focus and I won't have a problem,” Spirit said as she rose up. She then came close to him and whispered, “Confidentially, I'd love to see yours since my boyfriend’s spirit won't rise for me anymore.”

Spike’s eyes widened at this as Rally Charge himself balled his fists and growled at him.

Not too far away, Twilight witnessed this, seeing how close Spirit Streak got with Spike. She glared at her and could see her friends nervous and suspected that the cheer co-captain may not have pure intentions.

“Okay, shortie,” Spirit Streak said as she moved away and took out her smartphone. “Let’s see something. Let’s see you move to the beat.”

With a shrug and a sigh, Spike began to dance once the music track played. At first, he began simple with a few steps to get into the rhythm. As he got more in tune with the beat, Spike started to perform more moves, going into break-dancing. He started to perform gremlin spins, then flares that in seconds turned into windmills in one continuous motion. Spike then performed some hand and elbow hops and managed to do some flips, though the landing was a bit rough as he fell on his butt, earning a laugh at his expense from the other hopefuls. He continued performing, undeterred from his mishap and switched to a form of dancing that emphasized more hip movement.This earned whistles from the female cheerleaders and an interested look from Spirit Streak, though Rally Charge tried to look unimpressed.

“So you’re flexible,” Spirit Streak said with a smile. “But I noticed you have some muscle, shortie. Think you can handle some extra weight?”

Spike stood as he saw Spirit run a distance away from him. Seconds later, Spirit was running towards him and a moment later, began performing flips until she jumped up, performing a few somersaults. Spike looked up and could see that she was coming down on him and instinctively raised arms. He managed to catch Spirit though he was a bit wobbly in handling her, grabbing onto her feet. Spike breathed a sigh of relief until Spirit whistled.

“Hey, I need one more!” Spirit called out to the rest of the hopefuls.

One male and one female cheerleader nodded as they went in. The male stood a few feet from where Spike and Spirit at the ready. The female cheerleader took a running start, performed a few flips, jumped and with the help of the male cheerleader, managed to elevate herself on top of Spirit, standing on her hands. This earned a round of applause from hopefuls as the cheerleader on top fell into the arms of the male cheerleader and seconds later, Spirit fell into Spike’s arms.

“Nice catch, shortie,” Spirit complemented.

“Spike,” Spike corrected.

“Sure that’s not your name for your boner?” Spirit asked slyly as she patted Spike's face.

Spike only responded with a blush, which earned a chuckle from Spirit and a scowl from Rally Charge. Twilight could only give Spirit a suspicious glare.

“Now how about a few running flips?” Spirit requested.

Feeling a bit more confident, Spike did as he was told as he performed a few basic flips and tumbles. While they didn’t have the fluid motion as the others who were trying out, Spike felt that he had the basics down, though his falls could have used a little work. The other hopefuls were getting more impressed, though the males felt that they had a bit more competition.

‘Could use some more seasoning, but I like a project,’ Spirit thought as she observed Spike with a smirk. ‘He’s good looking for a freshman, too. Though with all his girlfriends, it might be tough to get personal with him.’

Rally Charge noticed the look Spirit Streak was giving Spike and he was ready to burst in anger. He thought better of it and was beginning to march off the field when he spotted a stray soccer ball. He smirked as he gave the ball a slight kick. The ball rolled until it was Spike’s way.

Twilight noticed the ball and the trajectory Spike was moving and was horrified.

“Spike, watch out!” Twilight shouted.

It was too late. Spike’s feet landed on the ball and in one slip, crashed to the ground, face first. The rest of the cheerleaders surrounded him to see if he was okay.

Rally Charge laughed at this until Spirit Streak slapped him across the face, scowling at him.

“What the hell was that!?” shouted Spirit angrily.

“What did I do?” Rally Charge asked, scowling.

“Oh, don’t give me that, Rally! You’re really intent on being the only boy in this squad!?”

“Says the one who opens her thighs to every male member who is interested!”

“Oh, so you’re allowed to drop your pants for every girl who asks!?”

Twilight barreled her way through Spirit and Rally and was in the process of going through the crowd that was surrounding Spike. She panicked and hoped that Spike wasn’t badly injured. Once she got through, however, Twilight saw that Spike was being tended by two female cheerleaders, one that had scarlet hair with a gamboge stripe and another with long cyan hair with a cerulean stripe. While she was glad that Spike was okay, though dazed, she saw how close the two cheerleaders were and her eye twitched when she saw their bosoms sandwiching his arms.

“Are you okay?” the cyan haired girl asked.

“Does it hurt anywhere else?” asked the scarlet haired girl.

“I’m fine,” Spike groaned, his head spinning.

“We’ll take you to the infirmary,” the scarlet haired said.

“We can take good care of you there,” the cyan girl affirmed with a nod.

“Excuse me!!” Twilight bellowed, catching the cheerleaders off guard.

Twilight had her arms folded and was giving the two cheerleaders a scowl, causing them to separate themselves from Spike. Spike looked up to Twilight and tried to give the girl a smile, assuring her that he was fine.

“Hey, Twilight,” Spike greeted. “Guess I’m not cut out for-

Spike was cut off when Twilight picked him up and dragged him away from the squad. Before she totally left the field, he looked at Rally with a glare that more or less promised great pain, which put Rally on the spot.

“Oh, you messed with the wrong boy, Dismal Charge!” Twilight seethed, dragging Spike away.

Rally Charge frowned and Spirit Streak slapped him so hard that he fell to the ground.

The end of the school day had come, but it wasn’t over for Spike just yet. Reluctantly, he followed Twilight and Rarity to the theater as they had set up a tryout for the Drama Club. By this point, Spike had just wanted to go home, do his homework and sleep off his headache from hours before and just forget his failures until the next day. But he didn’t want to give up and disappoint Twilight and definitely not disappoint Rarity since it was her that suggested going to the drama club and giving it a try...even if he didn’t know the first thing about acting.

‘Hopefully, I’ll do well enough to get a ‘will get back to you’ from the members,’ Spike thought rather hopelessly.

Entering the school theater, Spike, Twilight and Rarity noticed that the club members were already rehearsing their parts on stage and there was a bedroom setting with a few props setup. They proceeded to sit at the front of the stage where they found themselves next to the girl who appeared to be a year older than Spike. She had green hair, though hers was lighter than Spike’s and she wore a red beret on her head. She also wore a black top with matching black gloves. She also wore a red skirt with white trim. In her hand was a megaphone and was currently giving direction to one of the students.

“Melody Waters,” Rarity greeted.

“Rarity,” Melody responded, turning her head to greet Rarity. “We missed you at the Summer’s End Festival a few days back. The group was praising the costumes you made for our interpretation of Vigilantes: The Musical.”

“Oh I had a previous engagement that night,” Rarity said apologetically. “Though I heard some rather...mixed reviews about the show.”

“Aw, critics,” Melody said rolling, her eyes up. “Just because I made a violent comic book story into a musical…”

“Anyway, I brought someone to add to your usual cast,” Rarity said as she turned to Spike. “Meet Spike Drake. He can dance, do aerial feats and can sing like an angel.”

“Well, I don’t sing that much,” Spike laughed bashfully.

“Don’t be so modest, darling,” Rarity purred as she placed her hand on Spike’s cheek. “You have many talents that are desperate to be displayed.”

“I’ll be the judge of that,” Melody said as she got up from her seat. She motioned Spike to get and said, “Let’s get a good look at you.”

Spike complied and felt on the spot yet again. He was relieved that this Melody was at least looking professionally at him. She raised an eyebrow, deep in thought and continued to inspect Spike.

“Shatner or Ed Wood?” asked Melody.

Spike gave Melody a confused look.

“Shatner or Ed Wood?” Melody repeated. “I need to know your acting ability so I can have something to work with.

Spike frowned at Melody, feeling another blow to his pride.

“You have got to be kidding me!” an indignant voice shouted, getting everyone’s attention.

A boy came onto the stage, gripping a script in one hand as he stomped. He was short haired light blonde dressed in a blue vest and white button shirt with grey pants. He didn’t look pleased as he glared at Melody and stood before her with hands on his hips.

“I just read the script, director,” the boy said with an angry tone. “I just have to ask, why in hell am I killed off at the beginning!? I should be male lead on this and you know that!”

“Listen, Shine Bright,” Melody began, pinching her nose. “I gave that role to Vanity Blue because I promised him the male lead in our next production. Besides, I think he can carry the lead for this one play.”

“Vanity is going to bomb this one up,” Shine Bright warned. “The man’s clumsy, nervous and should stay a bit player in this production.”

“And I think he deserves a shot!” shouted melody. “You don’t like that then there’s the door!”

“You'll regret this!” Shine yelled as he walked off the stage, throwing the script down.

After hearing the door slam seconds later, Melody groaned. She shrugged at the other club members who had worried looks in their eyes. Melody then looked at Spike and sighed as she grabbed the script. She handed it to him, paying no mind to the confused look he was giving her.

“Trial by fire, Drake,” Melody said. “You’re trying out for Paul Hunt, the jilted husband. Read your lines while I prep the scene.”

Spike panicked as she looked back at Twilight and Rarity for any advice. They gave him a thumbs up, which surprisingly didn’t make him feel any better.

“Alright people!” Melody bellowed as she clapped. “We got a newbie trying out so I want everyone in their places! Move it, move it!”

Some time later, Spike was on stage with a script in hand. Across him was a red headed girl dressed in a black slip dress that hugged her figure and accentuated her curves, sitting on the bed. Earlier, Melody filled him in on what he was trying out for, which is that of a jilted husband who was extremely jealous of his wife’s promiscuous ways. According to the script, Spike’s character, Paul Hunt, gets killed off early in the play, thus setting off the events of the story where the wife, Jane, tries to cover up her crime with the help from a man she was having an affair with. From reading the rest of the script, Spike found that the Paul character is a real jerk to his wife and can be very hostile. That’s not to say that the wife was a peach either since she does take every opportunity to tell him how much of a lower life form he is. Spike found the play to be unsettling to him and he was reluctant to play his part, but decided to move forward.

“Okay, Spike,” Melody called out on her megaphone. “I know you’re new to this, so read off the script. Oh, and the leading lady, Velvet Star, she knows the part by heart, so worry about yourself if you start flubbing.”

“And I hope you can at least get through the scene without tripping over yourself,” Velvet said, sticking her nose up.

“Thanks for the vote of confidence,” Spike muttered.

“Now Spike, you have to come off as angry,” Melody instructed. “You just found out that your wife has been cheating on you with the next door neighbor and you want answers. There’s a prop gun in the drawer, so use it when you’re threatening Velvet.”

Spike nodded, though he still felt unsure.

“Alright then,” Melody said as she took her seat beside Twilight and Rarity. “And...go!”

“What do you want, Paul?” Velvet scoffed in disdain. “I would have thought you’d be at happy hour with the boys, reminiscing on wasted life.”

With a bit of hesitation, Spike read off the script, trying to sound angry, “Yeah, you’re funny. That’s funny coming from someone who opens her legs for the neighbor.”

“And just where did you hear that!?” snapped Velvet.

“Who do you think, Jane!?” shouted Spike. “The guy practically bragged about it when I went over to pick up the lawnmower he borrowed from me! What did he want from you, huh!? What were you offering in exchange for that gaping, overused hole of yours!?”

“Oh, don’t play the innocent party here, Paul!” Velvet sneered maliciously. “The only reason you get any clout in that company you’re working with is because that whore of a boss opens her legs for you! Face it, you’re just a fuck toy!”

“And you’re just a desperate slut still playing homecoming queen!” Spike shouted.

Watching from the front row seats, Twilight and Rarity were impressed with the level of acting Spike was displaying. It was clear to them that, even though he was reading from the script, did have potential for the club. Spike was showing real emotion and they assumed he was using his frustrations over what had happened with the past to convey his feelings. The acting was getting better and Rarity, along Twilight, were really engaged in watching it.

“Kid’s got potential,” Melody whispered. “Of course, I can’t have him read off the script all the time. It’ll look silly.”

“Oh, you’ll see, Melody,” Rarity assured. “Just look at him...a true star in the making.”

“He is sure handling himself well,” Twilight commented.

“Was there ever any doubt?” Rarity said, sure of herself.

“I’ll be the judge of that, ladies,” Melody spoke.

“...at least I still have my looks, you hasbeen!” screamed Velvet. “I thought I hit the jackpot by marrying a quarterback, but no! You had to go and bust your knee and destroy your career! I could have had it all, Paul, and you had to screw it up!”

“You know what, why don’t we just end it!?" Spike yelled. "You clearly have it made with the neighbor and my boss has a better pussy than you ever had!”

“Oh I dare you to leave me, Paul,” scoffed Velvet. “Go ahead and leave. Just so you know that you will never have another woman like me. I’m the best you ever had and you know that.”

Something in the words that Velvet spoke triggered something inside Spike. He was speechless, spooked as he stared at the Velvet’s mocking face. Spike kept silent as he took the words in with Velvet’s began to sneer at him as she came close, laughing in his face. It was that laughter that awakened a memory of not long ago. When Spike blinked, Velvet’s visage had morphed from a red headed actress to that of a white haired girl with a black streak and malevolent red eyes. The laughter didn’t stop as she looked cruelly at him. Spike shut his eyes, trying to make the image go away, but the laughter continued. He didn’t want to open them ever again but the laughter wouldn’t let him have any peace. It made him feel small and added to his failures of yesterday and today, frustrated and angry.

“And just what are you prospects, hmm?” Velvet asked, keeping her sneer up. “Let’s see...maybe that librarian at the local school or maybe that seamstress who always has something to confess at the church. Or how about that hippie who lives in the forest or that drunken party animal with the bad jokes. How about that woman with the failing market or that track star who can’t run anymore? Oh, wait, I remember. You threw them away for your chance at making it with the homecoming queen! You didn’t just throw them away, you spat them into the garbage! Face it, Paul! No one loves you like did and I hope-

“Shut up!” Spike screamed. “Shut the fuck up!”

There was a deafening silence surrounding the theater. Twilight and Rarity were shocked that such anger came out of Spike’s lips and he looked like he just wanted to throttle Velvet. While Rarity looked strangely at Spike, Twilight looked very frightened as Spike’s expression contorted and looked murderous. Melody looked very intrigued at the proceedings and Velvet looked scared as she was taken aback.

“You think you have me all figured out, don’t you!?” Spike raged on. “Do you have any idea what I lost!? I lost my friends because I wanted to be my own man and you...you had your fun because you enjoyed seeing me at my lowest! You manipulated me, jerked me around and you have the nerve to smile at me while doing it!? I could have had something with any of them! They all loved me and I fucking threw it all back in their faces! For you! If I had known....damn it, Delilah! I fucking hope you burn in hell after I-

Spike didn’t get to finish as Velvet fainted, her body crashing onto the stage. Again, there was silence. Spike shut his eyes and realized what had happened. It terrified him to the core, his heart beating fast. He looked over to where Twilight and Rarity were sitting and saw the horrified expressions on their faces. Spike started to tremble and ran off the stage, tears starting to form in his eyes.

“That was totally off script,” Melody said, pinching the bridge of her nose. “Good, but totally off script. Spike got the name wrong and Velvet was supposed to faint after she killed him. I swear, these actors just want to do their own thing.”

Twilight, not wanting to leave Spike alone, ran after him with Rarity not far behind.

It had been a blur for Spike on the way home. He kept on running, frustrated and angry at what had been happening the past few days, from his run in with Blueblood to the opening of an old wound he had wanted to remain closed forever. The only thing he wanted to do was go home and forget what had happened and hope that Drama Club’s actress was going to be fine. When he finally reached home, he swung the door open, ran up to his room and slammed the door shut and locked it. He leaned on the door and paid no mind to what his mother and father were saying and remained silent. He gave no answer as they knocked on the door. Eventually, the knocks stopped and was left alone. Spike slid down and sat on the floor, covering his head with his arms. He shook, remembering how he blew up on Velvet and was trying to vanish the image he saw in the theater.

“Go away,” Spike muttered.

There was another knock on the door. This one was more insistent, but Spike didn’t move. Another knock and Spike gave a frustrated groan and stood up, angrily facing the door.

“Leave me alone!” Spike shouted.

“Yeah, not going to happen,” a familiar spoke from the other side of the door..

“Rainbow,” Spike said, snapping him out of his funk.

“Yeah, me,” Rainbow responded. “Me and everybody. Open the door, Spike.”

“You forgot your book bag,” another voice sounded, though Spike could tell it was Pinkie.

“And Twilight told us what happened at the theater,” Applejack said.

“Let us in, Spike,” Fluttershy pleaded. “We just want to help.”

“And we’re not leaving until we do,” Twilight stated.

“So, there,” Rarity finished.

Seeing that the girls were not going to leave, Spike sighed and opened the door. The girls all filed in, looking at him with concern and worry. Some of them remained standing but the others, namely Twilight, Rainbow and Rarity, sat on the bed. Spike turned around and saw that his parents were standing at the doorway, also looking concerned for him. He gave them a look of assurance, but he felt unsure since what had happened was still fresh in his mind. He closed the door and faced his friends. As much as he wanted to be alone, Spike knew that they wouldn’t leave him if they felt that they could help. He closed his eyes and went to bed, sitting besides Twilight as he leaned his head forward.

After some hesitation and an awkward silence, Spike finally spoke, “I really screwed up, didn’t I?”

“It’s okay, Spike,” Twilight spoke softly, placing her hand on Spike’s shoulder.

“I just...after what went through to get you girls back, I…,” Spike started, but trailed off as he was trying to find the right words. “I thought she would never pop up like that. I guess I can never forget what she did to me...and to you girls.”

“Boy, I would love to strangle her,” Rainbow growled grimly. “She did us all wrong and she nearly broke us.”

“Get in line, sugarcube,” Applejack frowned. “I would love nothing more than to make her pay for what she did.”

“I just never thought you would speak that horrid girl’s name again,” Rarity said as she shook her head.

“That horrible smile Delilah gave us when she took Spike away from us,” Fluttershy recalled, shivering. “It was just....sadistic joy. She was loving every second she saw us pain.”

“You should have seen her when she dumped me,” Spike spoke, still shaking. “Hearing how Velvet talked just brought it all back. What she said and in that tone...you know what was the worst part?

“What?” Twilight inquired.

“All those things I said...I wanted to say to her,” Spike admitted. “Thing is, I was out of it and how mean I was to all you girls, I...I just believed what she said and I ran away. Then I joined a gang and came back home. I...just wanted for things to go back to the way they were and forget Delilah ever existed, but I can’t have that part, can I? She made me believe you girls couldn’t love me the way she said she loved me.”

“Well, that meanie was wrong, Spike,” Pinkie assured. She then gave Spike a big smile.“As far as I’m concerned, she failed big time. You came back to us and we’re whole again.”

“That’s right,” Twilight affirmed. “We’re together again and nothing is going to break this group again, got it.”

A smile formed on Spike’s lips as he lifted his head up. He could see that the girls were looking at him with relief as they smiled back. With all that had happened the past few days, he was glad there was something to smile about, despite not being able accomplish what he had set out to do. He felt assured that these girls still cared and in the end, it was all that mattered.

“Sorry I let you down,” Spike spoke with sigh.

“Aw, those dopey clubs don’t know what they’re passing up on,” Rainbow scoffed. She then smirked and added, “Though you did prove that you can be very big perv, Spike. I didn’t know you could draw nudes. Can I be your next model?”

Spike could only look away and blush.

“And you really need a watch where you throw those things away,” Fluttershy fidgeted. “I had to get that picture out of the nearby garbage and store it at my house. Who knows what would have happened if someone else got to it.”

“I’m really sorry about that,” Spike apologized as she placed his hand on his face.

“The point is that you had your mishaps, Spike,” Applejack said. “But that don’t mean you should throw in the towel just yet.”

“Will help you fix your reputation, darling,” Rarity assured. “I just know you can be the big man...if not the big man on campus then, well...”

“What are you saying, Rarity?” asked Spike.

“I think what she’s saying is that you, Spike Drake, are our big man,” Twilight clarified.

Spike practically beamed as all the girls smiled at him. They were such adoring smiles that a rather dopey smile formed on his face. He really couldn’t describe the love he was feeling and how they wanted to be there for him. He knew there were other ways that his reputation could be fixed and knew that he would need a lot of help, but he was glad that wasn’t going to be alone on this. Spike then gave Twilight a hug, which she returned. Then the others joined in to reassure that he could do anything for them.

The moment was interrupted when Spike’s door opened.

“Is everything okay in…,” Annabel began before she saw the state her son and the girls were in. She gave them all of them a half lidded, suspicious look that made them feel awkward and said, “Well then...I’m guessing everything worked out.”

“Yeah, it did,” Spike confirmed, sounding embarrassed.

“I’m just glad you have enough condoms for your activities,” Annabel pointed out.

“Mom!!” Spike shouted, mortified.

The girls just laughed, though Spike wanted to crawl into under bed and hide his embarrassment.

The next day at lunch time, Spike and the girls were sitting under a tree near the school building. They had set up a picnic blanket with three food baskets in the middle. Spike, Twilight, Rarity and Fluttershy were sitting around the baskets while Applejack and Rainbow were relaxing with their backs up against the tree trunk and a drink in hand with Pinkie hanging off the branch with her legs, humming a tune as she ate a sandwich. Spike was happily munching on one of his muffins while handing one to Twilight, though she was reluctant to take it as Fluttershy and Rarity gossiped and laughed. It seemed that everything was going well. They were enjoying the peace.

“You know, I was thinking,” Rainbow began. “I think I know a club Spike might be suited for.”

“Rainbow, not now,” Twilight groaned.

“Just hear me out,” Rainbow insisted. “It’s very exclusive, doesn’t have a lot of members and it’s fairly new. Well, not exactly, the members have been together for years and their talents are known schoolwide.”

“Not only that, but they are the friendliest bunch of girls anyone can ever ask for,” Pinkie added. “I hear they even have buttons ready.”

“Really now,” Rarity said, knowingly intrigued. “And this club...what are the benefits of joining up? Are the perks worth it?”

“Good company and good times,” Rainbow answered. “Though they can be crazy at times. Even the club president has some trouble keeping them in line. She could need an assistant for that.”

Spike was curious at what Rainbow was getting at. It didn’t take him long to get what she was saying and smiled. He looked at Twilight and noted that she was having trouble keeping a straight face, even though she was trying to look like she was thinking about it. He decided to let them keep going to see where this was headed.

“Yep, it’s a lot of responsibility,” Applejack said as she took another sip of her drink.

“But I believe Spike is up for it,” Fluttershy nodded happily.

“Oh, alright, girls, I’ll bite,” Spike said, his curiosity getting to him. “Does the club have a name or are they just figuring it out?”

“Oh, it has a name, Spike,” Twilight answered. “It’s called...let’s see...the Harmony Seven Harem Club.”

Spike could only laugh joyfully at this. His father said, rather jokingly, that there should have been a harem club at school for him to join and now the club just formed for just that. While he knew that the girls were just having fun, it filled his heart with joy that he had been a part of something special for years and now...well he was glad that they now had a club to call their own.

“Well, the...H7H is a club that is very much involved with what happens in the school,” Rarity mentioned. “Spike...do you think you can meet the standards of such an exclusive club and handle any responsibility that may come your way?”

“You know what...I think I can,” Spike responded.

“Then it’s official,” Pinkie announced as she flipped from the tree branch, went over to Spike and placed a button on his shirt. “Spike Drake...welcome to the Harmony Seven Harem Club.”

Spike took a look at the button, which was simple in design with the letters H7H in the middle and the words “Amicitia est magicae” on top and at the bottom was the word “Harmonia” at the bottom.

“Words in latin,” Twilight observed.

“Thought I class it up a bit,” Pinkie said.

“Thanks, girls,” Spike beamed.

“Hey, Spike!” a voice called out.

Spike and the girls turned around and saw that Pipsqueak was running up to them. What they also noticed was that the club leaders from the past few days were not far behind and now they were curious as to what this was all about. Pipsqueak was the first to get there and the others arrived seconds later.

“Spike, the club and I were talking,” Pipsqueak began. “I convinced them that you have some potential and with the right training, you can be one of our top boxers in the club.”

“He has the potential to be a great cheerleader, small fry!” Spirit countered, glaring at Pipsqueak. “Besides, being surrounded by the most beautiful girls in school is a great benefit then working out with sweaty men all the time.”

“And, since the other club members let me know about your potential, then I think the Culinary Club suits you better,” Golden Plate said.

“Acting is your calling, kid!” Melody shouted. “Wine, women and song! All could be yours!”

The club leaders began to argue amongst each other. The H7H looked at each other in confusion, but they were otherwise glad that Spike was getting these offers, even though Spike had experienced hardships with these clubs. Still, the clubs were at each other’s throats and were ignoring them.

There was a whistle that got the club leaders to stop. The whistle came from Twilight as she clapped her hands in order for them to come to order.

“Alright, everyone,” Twilight announced. “One at a time. We’ll hear your cases and we’ll see where Spike should join up. The Harmony Seven Harem Club has their standards and we take the safety and happiness of our members seriously, so make a compelling case and we’ll think about your offers.”

Though their lunchtime was interrupted, the newly formed H7H Club enjoyed the rest of the lunch hearing out what the rest of the clubs had to offer.

Author's Note

Another chapter in the books and Spike joined a club after all. Next up, Celestia interviews Spike and Twilight and her friends will doing time in detention. See you guys in next time in...Celestia's Breakfast Cereal Podcast!

Anyway, props to Wilcard25 and Mechazilla88 again for pre-reading and editing duties. Until next time!