“My ballsack is shrivelling up,” Rainbow Dash whined loudly.

“Will ya shut it already? Your own darned fault f’ not wearing warm pants,” Applejack retorted as she hoisted a blue box on her shoulders.

Several brown bottles clacked in the box as the duo stepped forward onto the school grounds, following their same routine. Rainbow Dash had opted for pizza, having purchased two cheese pizzas, much to the protest of a health-conscious Applejack. Slowly and steadily, they approached the bleachers of the football field. Upon reaching the edge, they spotted two faces they didn’t expect to see. Off on one end by the street, they saw none other than Spike with several things from the football team’s storage: a row of tires; several footballs and the kicking net; plus a football sled. Rainbow seemed genuinely amazed, slowly opening the pizza box to steal a slice while it was still warm.

For a few minutes, they watched Spike practise running techniques as well as the 40-yard dash before he unrolled a rope-ladder, stretching it across the ground as Spike started several ladder drills. Applejack motioned for Rainbow to step onto the bleachers before the captain froze, spotting the second face.

Up on the top seats of the bleachers sat Rarity. She had been almost impossible for Rainbow to see, given that part wasn’t well-lit. She gave Applejack a light shove and upon briefly glaring at the captain, Applejack followed Rainbow’s arm to where she pointed to spot the fashionista, oblivious to them as she watched Spike from a distance. It appeared the boy was completely unaware of the love of his life watching him. Not wanting to intrude on the scene, Rainbow turned away, grinning as she tugged Applejack after her.

“Where ’re we goin’?” Applejack whispered as the two left the field area.

“No way I’m ruining this lovely little scene. Plus, I can bug Spike about breaking into the school to train some more, or praise him, or invite him to watch us test out my dildo,” Rainbow whispered, giggling as she bit into a hot slice of pizza, exhaling heavily and letting out a quiet, restrained scream as the sauce burned her tongue.

“Ah wouldn’t blame ‘em if he tested his knuckles on yer shins,” Applejack quipped, prodding Rainbow’s shoulder blades as she hunched over to spit out the sauce.

“Ah, fu’ ‘im, fu’ ‘ou, I don’ nee’ no’ o’ ‘at,” Rainbow attempted to say.

“Hah, what was that?” Applejack asked as they approached a nearby shed that contained the track team’s equipment.

Wiping her mouth, Rainbow fidgeted with the passkey on the track team shed briefly. “I won’t be spitting out your piping hot sauce in a few minutes, though.” Rainbow laughed as Applejack shoved her into the shed.

“Can it. We’re only here ‘cause it’s warm,” the farmer made certain she knew that.

With that, the two enjoyed the alcohol they had while the fashionista kept her eyes pinned onto the boy that had captured her heart as he continued to push himself, oblivious to his spectator.

Forsaking the weight room, Spike opted to do his daily routines with mobile weights instead; strapped to his arms and legs, he moved about finding every little movement he made exhausting. From simply writing to walking without a slouch, Spike had felt the need to grow accustomed to the weights. To build himself up and continue what he was doing; amazing others, keeping the love of his life attracted to him, keeping Felix at arms length. Numerous times he saw the smaller boy around school, and ever since the game he couldn’t go through the halls without being praised or having to bump fists with others. Felix could never get close, and the bully constantly avoided Spike in the mornings; Spike was glad, otherwise he’d have to fight Felix with his weights.

Rarity continued to prod him to join the group in the cafeteria and he started to attend more, while Scootaloo was starting to get more frantic the more he declined her offers. Now and then, Scootaloo had managed to rope Spike in. At that particular lunch time, right off the bat, Spike found himself at a disadvantage.

“We were so fuckin’ badass at that game! So, I say, we should fuck, and be badass and fuckin’ amaze everybody with our badassry, and then, we should fuckin’ amaze them more by fuckin’ in front of them,” Scootaloo prattled on, devouring her small lunch between words as Spike listened, accustomed to the girl’s attitude by now.

“Can’t fuck, I’m with her,” Spike simply replied, grinning as he reminded himself for the 98th time since the day started, a mere week after their last game.

“Why do you say her like that?” Scootaloo asked with a cringe, tilting her head to the side. “You say it like you’re gonna jizz everytime ‘her’ is directed to Rarity.” Biting into a cracker, Spike briefly blushed. “I get it, I get it. But, I also bet she doesn’t have as nice tits as me. Wink wink, nudge nudge.”

Spike found himself unable to speak once more as the thoughts rushed through his mind. ‘Soft, round and perky flesh jiggling slightly as they’re released from the noir lace Coquette full-figure bra, those scalloped edges leaving slightly red imprints around the flesh. Good god, Spike, why the hell are you being so vivid?’

Gulping, Spike grunted as he lifted his weighted arm, bringing a spoon with rich homemade vanilla pudding stuffed with little bits of strawberry and a creamy texture to his mouth. Being still but a young boy, Spike obviously went for the pudding first before the less-exciting brandied pepper steak, much to the anger of Scootaloo. The pudding simply reminded him of Rarity far more than the steak did.

“Spike, seriously though, I’m really proud of you,” Scootaloo admitted, growing slightly quieter. Spike glanced over as he had to fight not to let his hands drop from the weight. Scootaloo turned her face to the right, hiding her expression. “Although I am a bit sad. Part of me seriously hoped that you’d go for me, but, yeah, I guess I’m not as awesome as someone like Rainbow Dash is.”

Defensively, Spike set his pudding down and set a hand on Scootaloo’s back, causing the girl to briefly turn towards him. “Scootaloo, you don’t have to be as awesome as she is, you have to be as awesome as you are. Plus, she’s kind of a huge bitch, no offense to your idol or anything.”

Scootaloo shook her head, gritting her teeth as she set her palm against her face, hiding her eyes.

“That won’t help me. Rainbow Dash is awesome, bitch or not—and she’s not, by the way. Rainbow Dash is a sports star and has awesome friends and is envied by many, I have to be as cool as she is, otherwise she’ll stop teaching me things,” Scootaloo said, her voice growing more anxious.

“Maybe so, but out of seven billion people, there has to be others who can teach you things. You don’t have to gun for the affection of one person, dedicating your whole life to appealing to her,” Spike explained, being careful not to let his heavyweight cause him to press his hand too hard into her back.

“Isn’t that what you did for Rarity?” Scootaloo asked critically, turning to face Spike with a glare in her eye.

Spike leaned back, gulping as he felt a pang of intimidation from what Scootaloo said. Turning away, Spike removed his hand from Scootaloo’s back, letting both weighted arms sit in his lap.

‘She’s right, that’s all I’ve been doing. It’s the whole reason I’m on the football team… just to impress some girl I’ve loved for a long time. And now that I have her, isn’t my goal achieved? Or should I strive for more? Maybe glory… a trophy, a ton of victories and recognition.’

The girl beside him let out a heavy sigh, groaning as she wiped her face. Spike looked away from her, glancing between his propped-up legs towards a patch of dirt next to the tree they sat beside.

“Come on, what kind of timing do you think that was? I start showing interest in you, I wanted you the moment I saw you. You were nice. You are nice, I wanted to let you experiment. I wanted to be yours, and educate you about this stuff... and suddenly, Rarity has interest in you?” Scootaloo grumbled in disbelief, shaking her head.

“When I talked to her, it sounded more like she was tired of waiting for me to do something and took the initiative herself,” Spike responded defensively. “It’s because of me that she never piped up before.”

“Yet she just so happens when I do? Goddammit, Spike… I thought we could be something. Even if it didn’t last forever, I thought you and I could do something together, as friends with benefits or just a one-time fling. I wanted you to indulge in things and be able to, I dunno, practise with me. Let me get close to you and be someone invaluable.” Scootaloo’s gaze fell down as her voice shifted between aggression and distraught.

“Scootaloo, I’m sorry,” Spike muttered. “I just, I couldn’t say no to her. I’ve wanted to be with her for so long. I wanted to make her happy, and see her smile for years.” Spike looked at her face, just as her eyes stared daggers at him, her teeth clenching.

“I wanted to see you happy and make you smile, and although it wasn’t for years, I saw you and how lonely you always seemed to be and how you never got out. I invited you here, I wanted to get you up and social and I genuinely wanted to fucking do something good for someone!” Scootaloo cried out. Spike couldn’t respond, instead averting his gaze. Any argument he had faded. “It’s the sex, isn’t it?!” Spike’s eyes wandered back up to Scootaloo’s face, only to see her turned away from him, glancing into nowhere.

“Pardon?” Spike asked.

“I came on too strong. I was too much of a slut and forced you to touch me. I just,” she paused, gulping. “Sorry, Spike. I’m just being a raging thundercunt right now. I’m gonna go for today, but we’ll talk later at practice, alright?” Scootaloo muttered as she stood up.

“Scootaloo, wait!” Spike shouted as he jumped to his feet and grabbed her wrist.

Scootaloo turned her head, eyes locked on his hands before they slowly trailed up to meet Spike’s face. With a single tug, Spike let go and she sighed.

“Don’t, Spike. I need some time to think about what I’ve done,” she muttered solemnly. “Fuck... Rainbow Dash wouldn’t have this problem.”

“Scootaloo, you didn’t do anything wrong!” Spike reiterated. His next words came out jumbled as he attempted to speak before Scootaloo left. “A-and you aren’t Rainbow Dash, you’re Scootaloo. You don’t have to be her—”

Scootaloo turned around and gave Spike a single shove as she gritted her teeth. Spike softly impacted the tree, his eyes closing from the brief shock of pain that coursed through his back. Spike’s eyes fluttered open, his slitted pupils wide as he felt regret and confusion.

“Spike, shut up. I said we’ll talk another time, that means our talk this time is over.” Scootaloo turned and walked off at a fast pace.

Spike’s gaze remained on the back of her head as he registered the sad feeling that seemed to drip from the icy words. Regret and guilt flooded his mind as Spike began to contemplate what Scootaloo had, in fact, done for him. Scootaloo had invited him here and how does he repay her? Shacking up with someone first chance he gets. It was most likely too late that day to do anything, so he had hoped that practise would go over well. Spike groaned as he remembered the weights on his body had slowed his movements. His steak had fallen off his lap in his rush and he sighed. His pudding was intact, however. His lunch seemed like something elegant and expensive that Rarity would buy when in reality this was probably a very cheap dessert. Allowing his fantasy to continue, he slung his backpack over his shoulders and stumbled forward briefly before managing to stride normally. The weights were starting to make his limbs severely ache.

Spike leaned his heavy hands onto his trembling knees, and though his body was still, his heart raced and he desperately chased his breath. The weight training he had pushed himself into seemed like a worse idea every step, but he had worked so hard up to this point, he could not give up. Raising his head, he saw almost all of the others passing him in something so simple as a warm-up jog.

Was this really what he had trained for? To be left in the dust, like always? He grit his teeth, glaring down at his weak legs like they were cancerous. He hoped that Rarity wasn’t around to see his struggling, pitiful performance. There was no way she would want to stay with someone who couldn’t even complete a simple warm-up.

“Yo, spiney-’squeak,” Rainbow Dash’s voice abraded him like sand paper. “You’re going to need better stamina if you want to rock Rarity in bed, c’mon you pussy, c’mon, c’mon, c’mon!”

She slapped him hard across the back, and though it didn’t hurt, it made him teeter on his wobbly legs. He felt her grab his hand suddenly and yank him forward, almost causing him to fall flat on his face. With an irritated grunt, Spike forced his feet to keep moving, violently pulling his hand from hers and glaring at her. Since Spike’s legs were quite a bit longer than Rainbow Dash’s, he had no trouble catching up to her casual speed, and with a rough shove and a spur of determination, he passed her. As he ran, his heart began to swell, and not just because of the exhaustion. He was proud of himself, and entirely surprised that he could push himself past the point of breaking, past his limits. He felt like a new man.

Rainbow Dash jogged to a stop as she watched him take off so suddenly, making up his lost lead and then some. A smirk crossed her face, pleased at his progress. Perhaps he wasn’t just a lame wannabe after all. Rainbow jumped as someone slapped her own back, and she felt her own hand get yanked forcefully.

“C’mon, c’mon!” Applejack laughed at her and pulled her along until she found her own step again.

Spike raced past several of his team mates, making a lap ahead of them. His eyes watered from the exhaustion and the wind crashing so hard against his face, but his legs kept moving long past the time he lost feeling. As the warm-up came to an end, Spike found it quite difficult to slow himself back down. As he did, the mushy feeling in his legs caught up to him, and it became more of a challenge just to stand upright.

The next day Spike didn’t bother texting Scootaloo or trying to look for her; she hadn’t texted him all day until he fell asleep as they usually did. Instead, he kept himself occupied by texting other friends. He found Rarity texting far less than anybody else in his contacts, citing her job as the reason. He had gotten used to her apologizing often and Spike always said she didn’t have to. This came into play once more.

“Spike, I’m really sorry about last night,” Rarity started, turning her whole body towards the boy.

Spike shook his head, waving his hand as he took a sip from his drink. Gulping, he continued.

“Really, you don’t have to apologize,” Spike responded.

“Apologize for what? Did she leave you with blue balls?” Rainbow asked with a pouting frown, soliciting a slap from the farmer sitting next to her.

Rolling her eyes, Rarity shut out the comment while Spike’s mind lingered on it as the girl spoke. Rainbow and AJ hadn’t told the others, yet everyone assumed that it was common knowledge, although Spike and Rarity still never outright said it or held hands. As far as he knew, Spike was still just trying his hardest to woo Rarity.

“Yes I do. It’s not nice to fall asleep when someone is talking to you, exhausted or not,” she responded, opening a pudding similar to the one Spike had the previous day.

Spike fought back an urge to wince as he struggled to lift his own spoon to his mouth, letting her continue.

“I’ve just been rather swamped with my work lately; these clients from Cloudsdale are horrendous and horrible people, constantly telling me to rework my design into something that shows the stitching as if they know a thing about fashion and well I say that if they knew so much why didn’t they just ask someone else they can order around to do it or just do it themselves.” Taking a deep breath, Rarity closed her eyes and exhaled slowly as all eyes were on her. “But, the customer is always right, and they have paid me in advance. I finished last night and am awaiting their response.”

“I saw it and I thought it was beautiful,” Fluttershy complement, fixing her flowing hair to cover her eyes.

“Why thank you, Fluttershy, but alas, I have to conform to the customer’s needs and wants. I won’t make business if I keep defying the customers,” Rarity muttered, sighing dejectedly.

Spike gulped down part of his jello, attempting to smile as his arms shook due to the odd weight. “Well, I guess life sucks in that way. Can’t do much about it, but I still think the final product looks presentable even if—”

An empty tin can impacted him in the back of the head, causing Spike to wince and the whole group to glance over at him. He briefly looked at the empty Coke can and slowly turned around to see Felix across the cafeteria, once again high-fiving his friends triumphantly. Spike inadvertently crushed his drink can in his hand, his whole arm shaking for a completely different reason as he grit his teeth. A gentle hand set itself on his shoulder and his anger and frustration vanished. Turning to the source, he saw Rarity giving him a small smile and he couldn’t help himself from loosening up, a small smile appearing on his face. Rainbow stared intently as she saw Spike’s sudden frustration diminish, grinning as she wrapped her arm around Applejack’s shoulder knowingly.

“Well, anyways,” Spike said, releasing his grip on the can which had been imprinted with his fingerprints.

Although grinning moments before, Rainbow’s eyes were glued on Felix across the room, the captain rubbing her chin as she attempted to process what was going on.

Time had seemed to blend for Spike, as days went by in the same exhausting manner. He would wake up, adorn all his terribly troublesome weights, go off to his mind-numbing education, continue to football practice or train on his own, and fall asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow. He tried his best to spend more time with Rarity, but she was very busy and so was he, getting into peak physical condition for her.

Spike stared out in front of him, but he wasn’t really looking at anything in particular. He really wanted to just sit down for a moment, but doing so in the middle of the field would look ridiculous. His eyes were half-lidded and glazed as images of himself flashed before his eyes: he would need to get bigger, he would need to be more skillful on the field, he would need to—

“Incoming!” the voice that called was a spell too late, as the football hit Spike in the kidney.

Spike blinked and looked down at the object as it bounced away; it had hardly hurt at all since he was carrying around his weighted vest under his uniform. He looked up as two boys ran towards him, and he almost envied their carefree nature. As they reached him, one plucked the ball up and the other came right over to Spike.

“Were you even watching?” Snips said in an annoyingly pouty voice, crossing his arms as Snails walked up behind him with the ball.

“Oh, right, yeah,” Spike tried to agree, nodding furiously.

“I don’t think he was,” Snails spoke slowly, frowning a bit.

“Come on, Spike! You said you’d help us out, so are you watching our catches or not?” Snips appeared to have a little tantrum about it.

“Sorry, you’re right,” Spike nodded as he took the ball from Snails. “You guys are doing fine, but this isn’t dodgeball. You can’t just catch a ball and get someone out, there are always going to be enemy players running right after you, and you have to protect the ball.”

“Hey,” a terribly breathy voice said from a short distance behind them, and they looked over to see the boy, Featherweight, running over. “Sorry I’m late, Apple Bloom moved me up another five pounds, and wouldn’t let me leave until I did enough sets.”

“That’s all right, Spike is just getting here too,” Snips laughed and Spike grunted at the accusation.

“Anyway,” Spike growled lowly as he cleared his throat. “For toughening up and the tackling stuff, Shining Armour is better to ask than I would be. But like I said, receiving isn’t just about the catch, it’s about what you do afterwards just as much.”

“How do we train for that, then?” Snails wondered curiously.

“Well, I don’t know how Rainbow would want you doing it,” Spike looked for said girl, only to find her talking to an irritated Applejack and throwing her arms all over the farmer. “But since there’s three of you, one could toss the ball while the other two fight to catch it, and the one who catches gets to throw next. Sound like a good game?”

“Sounds like you’re copping out on us,” Snips raised his eyebrow, and Spike nervously laughed.

“I don’t know what you want from me, I’m not that great at this stuff either, I’d say to ask Scootaloo for more about catching, if you want to know.” Spike frowned as he looked around for her.

“No way, she’s scary,” Snails put his hands up and shook them.

“Then go and practise already,” Spike flipped the ball through the air with a flick of his wrist, sending it toppling into Snail’s hands.

“Uh, right,” the others seemed to agree anyway, and ran back off to an emptier area of the field.

Spike sighed, the motion even hurting his chest a little to do. He removed his helmet at last, letting the somewhat cool fall air swish through his hair, the muggy feeling of confinement in a helmet blowing away with the wind. He had told himself to jog home after practice, but that had begun to sound like a worse and worse idea the lower the heavy sun sunk to the horizon. He heard the muffled sounds of cleats in grass before any greeting, but the hard steps told him of who was approaching him.

“There you are,” Pipsqueak said as he came up beside Spike, his own helmet tucked under his arm to reveal the glistening sweat on his forehead. “I feel like I haven’t seen you much at all lately, chap.”

“I never miss practice,” Spike argued simply, turning to face the taller boy.

“I s’pose not, eh,” he chuckled nervously and rubbed the back of his head with his gloved fingers. “Well, a few of us were going to get a bite to eat after practice, and I thought you might like to come along.”

“Me?” Spike blinked, surprised to have been invited at all. He hadn’t made himself very available to others lately, so it seemed weird they would want to hang out with him at all. “I don’t want to intrude.”

“Nonsense!” Pipsqueak almost shouted, slapping Spike on his back nearly hard enough to knock him over. “We want you there. Truly.”

Spike’s smile seemed to do the trick of confirming it. There wasn’t much of practice left anyway, and excited to go hang out with friends, for once, he quickly changed out of his uniform even if it ached to raise his arms. If he wasn’t going to get around to jogging after all that evening, he might as well keep his weights on. He waited just outside the change rooms for Pipsqueak, nervously checking his phone every few seconds to look busy. Finally, his friend emerged and dragged him off to the parking lot.

Pipsqueak had borrowed his mother’s four-door maroon hatchback, though it had been a long and trying negotiation, and helped Spike open the old door. Before taking off, Pipsqueak pulled up closer to the field and waited for a few others: namely Apple Bloom and Scootaloo. The pair emerged just a moment or so later, Pipsqueak having sent Apple Bloom a text about it. Though it was very awkward due to his large size, Pipsqueak leaned back and slipped his hand behind his seat, managing to grope his way to the inside door handle of the rear door before prying it open for the girls. Apple Bloom had grabbed the door and held it open wider, only for Scootaloo to race in first, no surprise there.

Spike said nothing out loud as Scootaloo climbed in, though he knew she should have at least greeted her. He could still feel a lingering tension between them after their minor disagreement earlier, but from the way Scootaloo was action, Spike imagined she either forgot about it or had a great poker face. There she was in the back seat, teasing and bothering Apple Bloom as she got into the car. Spike silently wondered if she had found something other than smoking to take her mind off of things.

Once everyone was in, Pipsqueak took them to a little diner just a few blocks away. It didn’t end up being just the four of them, as the three boys Spike had been helping earlier showed up in Featherweight’s car. Making the group total seven, they had to pull a few tables together so they could all fit, and the noise they produced was almost tangible.

“It never gets old!” Snips chortled loudly, slapping his hand on the table and laughing at his buddy.

“Until I knock those into your throat,” Scootaloo barked, reaching out and grabbing the two straws that Snails had stuck around his canine teeth to make him look like a walrus.

“Hey, give those back,” Snails whined as he tried to take them back, but Scootaloo was faster and more obnoxious about it, sticking her tongue out.

In their little fight for the control of two measly little straws, Scootaloo accidentally bumped into Spike, knocking him almost right off his seat. He cringed as she adjusted himself, his body sore and stiff after being seated for so long already. Apple Bloom was on the other side of Scootaloo, and tipped her own chair back as she noticed this behaviour. While the girl between them stuck the straws between her fingers like clumsy chopsticks and tried to pick up some fries with them, Apple Bloom turned her attention to Spike.

“Heya, y’alright there?” Apple Bloom asked curiously, holding herself on the hind legs of her seat.

“Oh, yeah, I’m just a little tired is all,” Spike nervously brushed her off.

“Ah can imagine, growin’ that much muscle so quick-like?” Apple Bloom smiled warmly, her voice oddly gentle under the bickering and chatter of the others. “Ah know the feelin’, don’t worry though, it’ll get easier. Eat up, you’ll need it.”

“What’s with the whispering? You making a move on my man here?” Scootaloo leaned back between them. “You want him that bad, I guess we could share.”

“Now, now, Spike is off limits, aren’t you mate?” Pipsqueak chimed in with a sing-song voice. “He’s gone and got himself a lady friend.”

“Who told ya? Ah had t’ overhear ma sister talkin’ with Dash ‘bout it,” Apple Bloom complained with a pout.

“What? A girlfriend? I gotta get me one of those!” Snips bounced in his seat eagerly. “Is she hot?”

“Shuddup, Snips,” Apple Bloom spat, her usual temper returning. “Y’want a girl? Y’gotta quit stuffin’ yer face an’ follow ma trainin’ routines for once!”

“That sounds hard,” Snails groaned as he leaned over the table lazily.

“Tough titties!” Scootaloo kicked him from under the table, and he whined a pained sound while rubbing the sore spot.

“If all girls are anything like you, I think I’ll go stag,” Snips chirped rudely and broke into laughter, only to have Scootaloo reach over and shove his face into his poutine.

Spike smiled under the heat of his blush, nervous that they were all talking about his relationships like that. The weirdest part, was they sounded envious. Spike had never really been the object of envy before, and he had to admit it was flattering. He looked down at the hands clasped in his lap, noticing how awkward he looked compared to the rest of them. Forcibly changing that habit, he laid his hands out onto the table and got back into the conversation.

Rainbow angrily pushed her motorcycle down the street, having encountered an issue with the clutch and brake. It bothered her even more considering those were the issues it had been in the shop to fix, and still it was broken. As she walked, she spotted none other than Spike, jogging down the street in long-sleeve clothes once more. He seemed to be carrying something heavy on his back; either that or he was exhausted entirely. Rainbow watched as the boy approached her, expecting a ‘hello’ but he seemed to pass right by her. Then it clued into her that Spike couldn’t recognize her with the helmet on. She turned around and flipped the visor up on her face, calling out to him.

“Yo, fuckin’ pipsqueak,” Rainbow shouted loudly.

Confused, Spike slowed down, stumbling as he did and turned to face the girl. Stepping forward, he squinted his eyes before seeing several locks of Rainbow’s hair poking from the front of the helmet.

“Uh, hi… Rainbow?” he asked cautiously as he started panting heavily.

“Who else has a sexy figure like this?” Rainbow laughed, adjusting the zipper on her black leather jacket.

“R… Rarity?” he asked cautiously yet again, wondering if it had been a rhetorical question.

“Oh God, will you just bone her already? And film it so AJ and I can have a good laugh,” she added with a playful wink. Scoffing, Rainbow undid the zipper of her jacket, exposing a fraction of her modest cleavage as she undid several buttons. “Middle of fall and it’s hot as hell, fuck,” she muttered as she fought with her ensemble.

Shrugging, Spike still didn’t speak as Rainbow removed her helmet, setting it atop the back of the motorcycle seat.

“So, what’re you doing?” she asked invasively, leaning her motorcycle on the kickstand.

“Oh, just jogging,” he replied, wiping his brow as he was sweating profusely.

“Jogging, eh?... Well, for the past week, you’ve been struggling to so much as move. What, do you constantly cream your pants because you’re with Rarity now? At least it would explain why you’re so shaky and jittery,” Rainbow teased, shrugging as she sat on the edge of the seat.

“No, no, just training a lot more,” he responded honestly, continuing to jog on the spot before he relaxed even further while also keeping his arms bent. “Gotta get buff and whatnot.”

“Yeah, but you’ve been having trouble eating fucking pudding. As well as walking. Did you suddenly get cancer or something? You look even frailer than Scootaloo or me,” Rainbow said, frowning as she pondered it.

Sighing, Spike pulled his shirt up slightly, struggling with that as well. Rainbow chuckled in response. “Woah there, I don’t swing that way, bu—” Rainbow stopped herself as she saw what Spike was wearing. Underneath his shirt was a 60lb weighted vest as well as a weighted belt. She could only assume he also wore wrist and ankle weights, regardless of the potential threat. Her jaw hung a bit as she glanced at his body, realizing what he was doing. “Weights? You’ve been doing for that for the past week? Huh, I tried that once and damaged a tendon. How the hell are you still standing?” Rainbow asked, stepping forward as she gently tugged on the weighted vest and poked it harder.

“I dunno, male superiority?” Spike prodded, letting his shirt slide back down to it’s original place. Rainbow scoffed and rolled her eyes, but let him go on, “It’s only made me tired, I’ve never had any issues yet.”

“Well shit, you should take it easy. I mean, past week or two or something, you’ve gotta be a little larger than before, right?” Rainbow went on, stepping back and checking her bike’s kickstand.

“Actually, I’ve gotten significantly larger in muscle mass. I’m approaching Applejack’s physique, which scientifically seems impossible,” Spike said, shrugging.

“I call bullshit. There’s no way at all that’s possible... I think,” Rainbow responded as she straddled the seat of her motorcycle, attempting to balance as they conversed.

“It happened, believe it or not,” he continued with a few certain nods. “But regardless, I have a routine to finish.”

Rainbow gestured for him to go and Spike slowly spun around, jogging off in the other direction. Glancing back, she watched him head towards the general location of the Carousel Boutique. Grinning yet again, Rainbow stepped off the bike and continued to wheel it down the street.

“Okay, I’ll see you later, Rarity,” Spike said as he hit the end call icon on his phone.

Having removed his weights, Spike allowed himself a rest between then and the start of their next game. With a smile, he pocketed his phone as he strutted with a spring in his step. He rounded a corner, his world suddenly ringing with noise and lights flashing in his eyes as a significant crack sounded and a thudding pain rocketed through the back of his head. He hit the ground and let out a groan before feeling a foot impact him in the side of the ribcage. It didn’t truly hurt, merely having knocked the wind out of him.

Something tugged on his backpack’s handle, yanking him to his feet. His eyes focused faster than before and he saw Felix just as he thrust a fist forward, impacting Spike in the gut. He managed to stay his ground yet a foot to the back of his knee caused him to stumble into the wall next to him. Two sets of hands wrapped around both his arms, holding him up and Felix took this moment to punch him again. Spike brought his knee up and there was a slight crack sounding as Felix’s knuckles impacted Spike’s kneecap. The bully stumbled back as he grasped his wrist; nothing was broken, just a shock from cracking knuckles. Lifting both legs off the ground, Spike yanked on his arms; the boys holding him lost their balance and were on one foot while Spike yanking as well caused them to slam their faces into each other. Their grip being released, Spike found his arms free as he landed on the ground in a squatting position.

A foot still impacted his jaw, rolling Spike back as Felix’s weight landed atop Spike and he attempted to start repeatedly pounding on Spike’s face yet nobody was really expecting Spike to retaliate from that, let alone overpower anyone.

Regardless of Felix practically sitting on Spike’s stomach, the latter sat up, shoving Felix off him as Spike yanked a fist back to punch him. One of the others grabbed his arm and held it as Spike turned; the third boy punched Spike in the jaw, dislocating it yet Spike never seemed to falter, taking the hit in stride. Once more, Spike yanked his arm causing the boy holding his wrist to fall forward. Throwing himself to the side, Spike made sure the boy’s elbow, in his attempt to not slam his fist into the ground, impacted right on Felix’s nose.

Rolling away from the pileup, Spike stumbled to his feet just as tires screeched beside him. Standing up, he glanced to the side just as a car slid to a halt merely half a foot away from his leg. Spike didn’t react, glancing down at the car’s hood as he felt a bit of blood run down his nose onto the old, beat-up silver hood. He stumbled out of the way as the older man stepped out of the car to see what was going on, just for Spike to sniffle back a bit of blood in his dazed state, adjusting his backpack as his phone rang once more. Pulling it out, he saw the caller ID and smiled once more. Realigning his jaw manually, he winced briefly as the pain registered before he answered the call.

“Hey, Rarity, what’s up? Forget to say something?”

Spike sat in his room, tapping his desktop nervously with a pen as he sat in a full tuxedo, attempting to do his homework. The suit he wore was a charcoal gray herringbone two-button slim-fit tuxedo imported from a nation he couldn’t recall yet picked up in Canterlot. Being careful not to tear it as it was now going to be his until he outgrew it, he attempted to make sure that at least one button was done up without risking two. He was far more paranoid than he needed to be yet one thing always rung true in his mind: he had to be perfect for that night. The nervous feeling he felt had served to be his undoing upon telling his parents he had a date as well as asking quite possibly the stupidest question he could manage.

“Dad, how many buttons are on a two-button suit?”

Feeling his face flush from the memory, Spike grit his teeth as he set an elbow gently on the edge of the desk, tapping the button against his forehead as he clenched his eyes tightly.

“Fried oysters with spicy sauce, or maybe sausage stuffed pepper. For Rarity, I shouldn’t order for her but if I must, mussels and truffle fries would be good? No, she doesn’t like mussels… what about pork loin with apples, or is that too masculine? Soups, there’s always the option to order the hot soup or maybe the caesar, or perhaps romaine, or maybe arugula.” Biting the button of the pen, he found homework to be his second priority yet again. “For drinks… none of us can really drink, we’re underage, so wine is out of the question… is it? Or can we just pretend we’re overage? Lord knows Rarity could and my build could always—no, wait, that’s stupid. If anything, I’d order a craft beer to try and seem masculine but I’d have to keep face or my nervousness would get us kicked out of the Lunar Sun, and then Rainbow would laugh.”

“Sounds pretty heavy there,” a voice said from behind.

Freezing, Spike repressed a gulp as he processed the voice and turned around, eyes briefly locking onto a poster for Les Misérables, wondering if he should take her to see the play while it was still in Broadway. Clicking his tongue as his eyes slowly faced the figure he called his father, he swivelled the desk chair around, disposing of the pen on the desktop before twiddling his thumbs.

“I’d say you would pass for an adult. Although I probably shouldn’t condone it, I personally wouldn’t blame you for trying to order an alcoholic beverage. Fancy date with a fine young woman like Rarity would probably call for some sort of wine,” he said as he entered the room, closing the door. “Twilight told me all about her when she first met her, how she was born and raised in the wrong town. Shortly after that, Twilight wasn’t too mad that we moved from Canterlot.”

“I probably would have been on the Canterlot Wondercolts in that case,” Spike muttered, realizing who he’d be against.

“Fine team, but you came around,” the older man said as he sat on Spike’s bed.

‘I wouldn’t even be here if it wasn’t for—’ Stopping his thought process, Spike repressed ancient memories and saved face, unable to lock eyes with his father. “If you say so.”

A moment of silence occurred, the sun dipping down under the horizon as a watch somewhere in the room beeped, signalling the new hour. The older man took a deep sigh as he removed a set of reading glasses, tapping the end against his knee as he spoke.

“I know I haven’t been the best of fathers, and sometimes it may seem like I’m even favouring Twilight or Shining, but you’re my son too and it’s sort of amazing to see you like this. I remember the first time I ever saw Shining in a tuxedo. He looked like more of a man than I did.” Chuckling, Spike’s father looked up at him, the small movement of his head causing Spike to look to him. “Then again, you can only look so manly with a bowlcut.”

The duo shared a small chuckle as they both pictured the hairdo. Sniffing once, Spike’s father continued.

“I had always said you could talk to me about anything and you’d always say thanks for the offer. You did a few times and I’m glad yet you always handled things on your own, and if you didn’t, you never wanted help. You always wanted to be your own man. I wasn’t sure if that was because of my shortcomings or maybe even inadvertently favouriting Shining and Twilight, or if it was just because you wanted to be strong, but I always felt like you never needed me.”

“Of course I need you,” Spike responded, his voice quieter than he intended. “You’re the only one I knew as a father. I don’t even remember his voice, and I can barely picture his face. I always see you when I think of a father.” Gulping once, Spike stared dejectedly at his lap. “I just didn’t think you wanted to waste your time on a freaky iguana-eyed—”

“Stop right there.” The stern voice silenced Spike immediately as his father continued, seemingly glaring at him. “I’ve known you since you were just turning four. Even then, you already seemed so grown up and wise beyond your years. You managed to logically disprove of Santa Claus by then, which only served to help me accept you considering two years prior, Twilight scientifically disproved Santa’s existence. She made Shining cry when she told him.”

Once more, the duo laughed, the father more so being there to witness the scene and Spike’s body visibly loosened up.

“You’re my son, and I’ve always considered you my son. Even when I see your hair and eyes. You’ve been part of this family since you started school and I will never stop considering you my son.”

By that point, Spike had to fight back tears, attempting to keep face. His father chuckled in response as Spike nonchalantly wiped his eyes.

“Even now, you’re trying to be strong. I’m really proud of you, Spike, and I know it isn’t much, but I wanted you to have this,” the older man told him, standing up.

A gentle grasp on his wrist tugging caused Spike’s hand to extend outward and he glanced up as he saw 400 bits, adding to his 200 bits already saved for the date as well as the keys to the man’s car. It wasn’t the station wagon belonging to his mother, it was the keys belonging to his father’s Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren.

Not that they made it very apparent, besides perhaps his somewhat overly flashy father buying things like the car to keep up appearances, but Spike’s family were some of the wealthiest in town. The house was enormous and perfectly kept, their clothes were often new and tailored to fit right, and they got bonuses like the tip his father gave him on top of his allowance.

Spike’s eyes widened as he realized what it was and his other hand grabbed the tip of the key’s blade and held it up, watching the remote dangle as his father grinned.

“I never thought I’d actually get to drive it,” Spike muttered.

“Sure. Keep? No, but I could let you drive it, especially for a night like tonight,” his father said, patting Spike on the shoulders.

Glancing up, Spike stared, wowed at his father and couldn’t fight a grin. He attempted to speak, only to stutter in response.

“Don’t thank me, it’s making up for times I may have neglected you or have been unable to help. It’s really no trouble.”

With that, Spike’s father stepped outside of the room leaving Spike to bask in the realization of the trust planted onto him. In Twilight’s room, she heard the door open and close, realizing their chat must be done and looked to her open door. Her father strolled past her door, calm and grinning and seconds later she heard thumping before a black blur with green hair zipped by. Rapid thumping took its place as the stairs were seemingly cleared in a second and the front door opened and closed. She grinned before returning to her studies once more. Sitting himself down next to his wife, Spike’s father faced the TV, a big grin planted on his face. Glancing over, the mother studied him briefly.

“Smiley appears to have stopped by. What’s got you so grinny?” she asked, a smile appearing on her face. Before she could finish, an engine roared to life and her ears perked up, smile still on her face. “Oh, that sounds cleaner than before. Did you actually get the station wagon fi… Wait—” Standing up, she walked over to the window just as Twilight bolted down the stairs. The two women watched as Spike rolled out of the parking lot, revving the engine of the SLR McLaren before taking off down the street.

“You let him drive the Mercedes!? You didn’t even let Shining do that! Or me!” Twilight said, amazed as she looked back to her father.

“Spike also didn’t rear-end the same cop twenty minutes after getting his license like I distinctly remember two of my children doing,” he accused as he adjusted the volume on the TV.

“Oh, whatever,” Twilight admitted, swatting her hand at her father as she walked back upstairs.

“I also don’t remember being allowed to drive it,” Spike’s mother said as she slowly turned back to her husband, a subtle glare adorning her face.

He only shrugged in response, sheepishly grinning as she rolled her eyes, taking her spot next to him once more.

“Hey, come on, don’t be like that. I’m sure your boyfriend can’t match up to your standards.”

Rarity rolled her eyes, keeping them hidden behind Vogue Eyewear sunglasses as she examined the streets. Spike had sent her a text stating he’d arrive in under ten minutes yet she found herself wish it was one given her new company. Several boys, obvious college jocks, had decided to keep her company as she stood on the edge of the sidewalk outside Manehatten Milton Mall.

She wore a beige faux-leather coat, three of the five buttons done up from the bottom along with a deep red checkerboard scarf she had made along with a simple teddy legging covered by a crimson velvet heart skirt to cover it and crimson Butimba high heels to match. On her ears she wore white-gold hoops with lavender amethysts embedded. An orangey-red lipstick, Dangerous, was applied causing a brilliant contrast against her paler skin. Her violet hair was put into cascading curls, running down her shoulder.

It stands to be said that she stood out in the darker end of town. The three boys had approached her yet kept their distance. Various praises and compliments were thrown out, some true, some just relentless attempts at getting laid that Rarity ignored entirely. It wasn’t long before she she started begging any car that drove by was Spike. A beat up oldsmobile there, a Ferrari here; she wasn’t mad, but she was wishing he had sped up.

Unexpectedly, a Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren pulled up next to where she stood and at first, she couldn’t understand why until a dashing young boy in a spiffy tuxedo wearing Ray-Ban sunglasses stepped out, a massive grin on his face and a build only a football player could have (it was also larger than she remembered). Her mouth slowly opened up before her jaw dropped fully as she processed who it was. He casually strolled around the car, his fears and nervousness earlier gone entirely. His mere presence caused the boys hitting on Rarity to stop talking as they watched Spike not even acknowledge their presence. Rarity’s eyes were glued to Spike as he walked to the passenger-side door and with a swift motion, opened the door, the silver car limb opening upward.

“Wha-wha…?” was all Rarity could manage to say.

“I believe we have reservations at Per Se, m’lady,” Spike said, taking out Rarity’s hand as she shakily offered it to him.

“Y-yes, we do!” she agreed, unable to stop a large smile from appearing on her face.

She took a breath as she stepped into the passenger seat of the car, running her hands over the red leather interior of the car as she sat down on the seat, feeling her legs go weak as Spike closed the door. Taking this moment, she let out several giggles, squealing with glee as she ran her hands over the black and red interior. As Spike took his seat in the car, closing the door, Rarity reached over and latched her fingers onto his wrist as he set it down on the armrest. Curiously, he glanced over to see Rarity excitedly panting as she examined the interior of the car.

“Spike, darling, I don’t mean to be materialistic but this car is making you so attractive!” she praised, saying each word with little pause. “Your f-father’s, I take it?”

“Yep. He let me borrow it for the night,” Spike said triumphantly, adjusting a bowtie as the three boys watched the car.

Just to emphasize, he set his left foot on the brake and used his right to gently press down on the gas. The engine revved once and Rarity herself purred along with the car. Blindly, she gently buckled herself in, missing the buckle several times before finally clicking it. Spike was still in a state of disbelief and awe that he wasn’t able to process anything yet. Setting his foot on the brake, he shifted gears into drive and gently pulled into the road.

“Looking at the two of you, it’s hard to remember that you and Twilight are born in wealth,” Rarity recalled, amazed. Almost immediately, her eyes shifted to worry and panic as she faced Spike. “Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry, I meant—”

Spike held up his right hand, one finger pressed against her lips effectively silencing the girl. Rarity gulped once, feeling her cheeks flush briefly as she leaned back, resting against the seat.

“You weren’t wrong about both of us coming from wealth,” Spike muttered. “But never mind that. Point is, we don’t act like wealthy folk so I can see where your confusion comes from. But worry not, m’lady, for tonight we shall live like celebrities!” Spike punctuated his words with a hearty laugh at the end, winking at Rarity as he adjusted the sunglasses sitting on his face.

“W-well, I must say, Spike, I’m surprised; I never thought you could act like this. This new Spike is rather exciting and fresh,” Rarity said, calming down from her mild-high from earlier.

“Changes occur, and I can’t be that same loser that can’t even get rid of Fe—” Spike gulped briefly before remembering who was sitting next to him. “—lix. Whatever, I’m changing for the better. Plus, I can now bench press 180 pounds, no problem. The wonders of lifting.”

“Mmm, I thought you looked a little larger,” Rarity praised, dropping her voice to a sultry tone. “I must say, I would have been fine if you simply wanted to go to Max’s Diner for our date. I do wonder how you managed to get reservations at Per Se, of all places,” Rarity said, returning to her chipper attitude. “My more fancy clients rave about that place and most of them can’t even get a reservation!”

“My dad’s name is rather hefty,” Spike responded with a wink, his hands instinctively caressing the leather of the wheel.

Taking a sharp right, Spike and Rarity briefly leaned as the car realigned with the lane, the restaurant sign visible up ahead. The building itself was elegant enough and Rarity immediately found her excitement from moments ago resurging. The exterior was packed with expensive cars as well as the odd oldsmobile here and there. Driving past numerous Ferraris and Aston Martins the rich brought to Manehatten for some reason, Spike had driven up to the front where he was immediately greeted by a valet. Spike stepped out, taking in the area briefly before tossing the keys into the hands of the valet, remembering numerous films as his reasoning. He opened the door for Rarity, allowing her to step out and she took a sharp breath as she laid eyes on the elegant entrance to the restaurant. All the pleasantries he’d expected after seeing the films were met and he found himself escorting a wide-eyed Rarity whom could barely keep her composure to their table. Upon being seated, she let out a deep sigh of fascination.

“Oh wow, Spike, I never thought once in my life would I be escorted on a date in a vehicle like that to a place like this by a man like you,” she said, removing her sunglasses to reveal her shimmering cyan eyes to Spike.

Spike gulped in response, constantly remind himself, ‘this is really happening!’ Giving a toothy grin, he opened up his menu with his eyes still fixated on Rarity who merely continued staring into his own. Raising an eyebrow, Spike opened his mouth.

“What will you be having, m’lady?” Spike asked, suddenly shifting his eyes towards the menu.

‘Is this too smooth!? No… it’s three smooth, which is more than too smooth.’ Wincing at his thoughts, Spike found himself once again lost on what to order. After a brief moment, his mind eventually selected a dish. Just as he did, Rarity realized what he meant. Her face flushed red briefly, the girl opening the menu and glancing down at the items.

“Oysters and pearls with red wine, the Château Sociando-Mallet to be specific. It’s been a while so, I figured I’d treat myself,” she said, closing the menu with a small grin.

“I’ll be treating you, miss Rarity,” Spike responded, closing the menu shortly after.

Just as he did, as luck would have it, a waiter stopped by and just as he opened his mouth to declare the soups of the day, Spike raised a finger, once again silencing the other.

“Per Se Cider with Elysian Fields Farm’s lamb along with salt-baked potato, just croutons and oysters and pearls with red wine,” Spike said, waving his finger every other word. “Oh, and a glass of water, too.”

The waiter smiled, nodded and left their table right after and Spike couldn’t stop a grin from appearing on his face. Slouching over briefly, he had to suppress a laugh, opting to chuckle quietly as Rarity had a wide smile.

“Oh my god, I was so surprised I held myself together,” Spike admitted, leaning back into the chair.

He glanced to the side which luckily had a window displaying lush trees just across the street; a nearby park which Spike made a mental note to visit. Rarity giggled as she removed her jacket, something Spike had to resist slapping himself for forgetting.

“One could almost think you’ve been doing this your whole life,” she told him, becoming more lax as she at first folded her arms before bringing a hand up, resting a finger on her bottom lip.

Spike removed his sunglasses and slipped one of the arms into his chest pocket, shrugging. “Well, I did extensively learn proper etiquette and how to act in places like this, given I was from Canterlot. Twilight knows how to but has never needed it and Shining practises it every day. Personally, I don’t mean to toot my own horn but I dare say that I could act every bit of a smug, prissy nobleman should the situation call for it.” Leaning back, Spike crossed his legs as he folded his hands on his lap as Rarity listened. “Main thing though, be in charge without being large.”

Rarity’s head tilted to the side and she raised an eyebrow. “Hmm?”

“Something that was drilled into my mind from—” He paused, shrugging his shoulders. “Before my years with Twilight.” Rarity maintained her face but Spike saw the brief flicker in the appearance. Not thinking of it, he continued. “Basically, it means know how to act like you’re the one everybody wants to know and serve without acting like you know you’re doing it. Think of being a king without being smug. You know you’re in charge, everybody knows you’re in charge, but you don’t throw it around arrogantly, that’s how you get yourself assassinated.”

“It’d be a shame if my king got assassinated,” Rarity responded.

For once, Spike’s composure cracked and he stuttered out a word. “W-what?”

The woman giggled, closing her eyes as she did before softly speaking, her eyes opening up halfway. “Even under this smooth, mature Spike, you’re still adorable and cute, like the boy I knew growing up.” Biting her lip, she glanced down and ran her fingers over the elegant silverware set next to the space where her plate would be. “Well, I suppose I’m lucky to have a combination of the two nearly opposite sides.”

“I’m lucky you so much as glanced my way,” Spike responded, his mind flashing back to the many times he wished to be the centre of her focus.

“I’m lucky no skanky little princess got their muddy little hands on you first… oh, food’s here,” Rarity said, shifting to sit upright.

“Oh, so it is,” Spike concurred after a quick glance around the room revealed a waiter heading towards his table.

The dishes were set on the table along with the drinks. Spike was yet again surprised that he managed to get away with ordering alcohol but revered in his victory as the two slowly began to eat their food. Spike gently sawed off a part of the lamb with his knife, chewing slowly as Rarity took a break from eating to talk.

“Well, I must say that watching the cheerleaders become a thing is quite exhilarating since I can finally make some more feminine uniforms for a school sports program. It’s always jerseys and jocks rather than skirts and girls. Not that I’m complaining, business is business, but I do miss what gave me prominence which was that one time four years ago when I was, well, fourteen when I caught the eyes of none other than Sapphire Shores, the Queen of Pop. I must say, creating the uniforms for her tour was what gave me such huge publicity and made me enough money in a month to afford the boutique for eight years.”

Pausing briefly, Rarity’s eyes lit up as her fingers gently lifted the glass of red wine up. She twisted her wrist, watching the liquids swish in the glass as Spike paused his chewing, just to watch as Rarity slowly moved the rim of the skinny glass towards her. Cyan eyes met green, causing Spike to accidentally swallow the chewed up lamb and he watched as her eyes stayed fixated on his as the lip of the glass pressed against her bottom lip. She tilted the glass’ base upwards and Spike felt his heart beat faster as he watched the liquid slowly pour into her mouth. Gently tilting it down, she gulped once and smiled at him.

“H-how is the wine?” Spike asked.

“Delicious,” she said, allowing her tongue to rub her top lip as she enunciated part of the word.

“I’m glad you like it,” Spike replied as he lifted his own glass to his lips. Tilting it back, his eyes slightly crossed to focus on the glass in his hand.

Dinner proceeded with several breaks to talk, mostly about school and work. Spike found himself unable to say he was getting full, opting to eat more to seem more masculine. Rarity ate half of her dish before she stopped. She wasn’t tipsy but she was definitely a bit more lax thanks to the wine. Upon being asked, Spike had confirmed to the waiter that the main course was done.

“And would you like desert?” he asked the pair.

Spike’s eyes shifted to Rarity’s as she looked up to the waiter, smiling as she nodded. “Spiced pumpkin ice cream for me.” Spike shrugged, glancing up to the waiter.

“Assortment of desserts, because I’ll never choose.”

“Very well,” the waiter said once more vanishing, this time with their meals.

“Chocolates, fruits, ice cream and candy, huh?” Rarity asked, winking.

“Stooop, I need this to fulfill my fantasy,” Spike said with a growing grin.

“Does said fantasy involve lil’ miss Rarity?” the woman in question asked.

Spike felt his cheeks heat up and he gulped, unable to focus his eyes on Rarity. He scratched the back of his head, just to complete the cliche image.

“W-well, uh, yeah. But I dunno if you’ll go for a chocolate fudge sundae ice cream house with sprinkles,” Spike said with a sheepish grin as he finally glanced over to Rarity.

“Haha, oh my gosh, Spike, that’s so adorable,” she teased, flicking her wrist at him.

“Three adorable?” Spike amended her statement thoughtlessly, rubbing his chin before he caught himself and noticed what he had just said.

“Three adorable?” Rarity asked, this time genuinely confused.

“N-nothing,” Spike said, averting his eyes to the window. “Ooh look, the sun’s almost down.”

“Mmm, indeed it is, Spike,” she agreed, devilishly grinning at Spike.

Shortly after, dessert was served. For this part, none of the duo talked, hungrily devouring the ice cream and sweets in pairs. Spike found himself sacrificing all of his chocolate to Rarity and, at one point, feed one to Rarity. He was wondering if she’d suck on his finger to complete the fantasy but alas, nothing happened. Once more, he found the waiter taking their plates away. Food was paid for and he waited by the entrance for Rarity to finish “powdering her nose”. Glancing around the area, he observed the people dining, part of him attempting to understand the life behind most of these folk before a voice called out.

“Yoo hoo, I’m ready to leave, Spikey-wikey,” Rarity called out as she approached the lobby.

Spike held out his arm and Rarity took it without pause. He grinned as he contemplated the evening. ‘This was perfect. Absolutely perfect. Except Felix earlier, but totally perfect.’

Handing his ticket to the valet, he took a deep breath, exhaling slowly. He faced Rarity, the two of them opting to leave their glasses off as they stared into the others’ eyes. It was cut short as the Mercedes pulled up, the valet stepping out without much surprise. Spike expected this since he probably has to park these kind of cars all the time. He tipped the waiter $20 as he returned the keys, causing Spike to wonder why turning the motor off. Quickly, he opened the door and watched as Rarity once more lit up with excitement upon being seated in the luxurious car.

Spike took a breath of air as he closed the door, glancing at the surroundings. Facing the car, he stepped around and got into the drivers side, taking in the grand interior as Rarity just had. After a brief moment of appreciation, he put the keys into the ignition, turning it on and Rarity got to listen to the engine roar to life. She shifted her body as she took it in, once again purring with the engine.

“Again, not to be materialistic, but,” she started, letting Spike fill in the rest.

“I’m your boytoy, be as materialistic as you want,” Spike said, winking at Rarity.

“Oh, hush you, you’ll make me want to kidnap you.”

The two shared a laugh and once more, Spike found himself pulling into the boutique’s parking which only consisted of four spots. Stepping out, he rounded the car and opened the door, taking Rarity’s hand as she stepped out of the vehicle. Her heels clacked against the pavement as Spike escorted her to her front door. She twisted the key, unlocking the knob before opening the fancy door. Rarity stepped in and turned around, staring directly at Spike.

“Thank you for tonight, Spikey. It was magnificent,” she said, setting her coat on the rack next to the door along with her house key.

“Don’t mention it, thank you for giving me this opportunity,” Spike responded.

The two giggled before calming down, staring at each other silently. Spike examined every part of Rarity’s face, etching her appearance into his mind. ‘She’s dressed like this… for me,’ he thought.

Suddenly, Rarity’s hand gripped his dress shirt just under his bowtie and yanked him inside the house. He heard the door close behind him, presumably Rarity’s doing before behind pushed against the door. Two hands slid up his chest as Rarity stood on her toes, pressing her lips into Spike’s. The motion shocked him briefly before he closed his eyes, his hands wrapping around her body. He could feel how thin the outfit was and his heart raced even more as he took it in. Rarity’s hands came off his chest and wrapped around his wrists, yet Spike immediately denied what was happening.

‘No. This isn’t happening. This is fantasy only. There is no way this can possibly be happening.’ His mind was reeling with the thoughts, only to go blank and his breathing to start occurring erratically when it did happen.

Rarity’s gentle fingers moved his hands, causing his fingers to rest just on her plump, round, soft rear. Her fingers were removed from his wrists and once more she went to caressing his chest as the two kissed. His fingers took a quick, gentle squeeze of the tender flesh and he felt his mind go light as he registered his fingers sinking into the flesh. He repeated this several times before his hands started sliding, squeezing at her plump cheeks. He experimented, pressing them together before something else caught him entirely off guard.

A gentle moan escaped into his mouth and Rarity’s lips slightly parted, causing Spike to pause along with her. Their eyes opened halfway as Rarity leaned back briefly before Spike leaned towards her, locking their open lips together. Their tongues met and Spike’s mind was beyond denial. If there was any indication the football team was worth it, this was it. His tongue pressed against Rarity’s as Spike’s hands slid down far enough that he could pull on Rarity’s rear. She moaned yet again as their tongues swivelled around each other. Spike could faintly taste whatever Rarity used to sweeten her breath, he could think at the moment to recall what it would be. With a quick motion, Spike spun the two of them around and pressed Rarity’s upper back into the door.

He hunched over and ran his hands upwards, slowly over her rear as he pressed into them, getting a feel for the flesh before running them up her back. His fingers glided over her spine, causing Rarity’s breaths to come in short intervals. He parted from her lips and before Rarity or even he could register it, Spike moved down and pressed his lips against her neck, suckling on a spot that was far easier to cover up with a strap. Rarity gasped lightly, squeezing her arms around Spike as he licked and sucked at her neck, causing her to bend her fingers, pressing the tips into Spike’s back.

“S-Spike, oh my g-god,” she breathed her words, her voice raspy and high-pitched.

Just as Spike found himself satisfied with where he was suckling, Rarity’s hands moved to his chest and gently pushed. Obliging, Spike leaned back, glancing back down at Rarity’s neck which now had a dark spot where he left his mark. Staring into her eyes, the two were panting heavily, face an inch from each other.

“T-that was supposed to be my thanks to you for tonight,” Rarity said, gulping before returning to her panting.

“It turned into my thanks for you for giving me a shot,” Spike retorted with a low, sultry voice.

“You should t-thank me more o-often then, dear,” Rarity told him, giggling.

Leaning forward, Rarity planted a kiss on Spike’s cheek, pressing in. Spike felt a more sweet, innocent pleasure rush forward from that kiss as he rubbed his scalp.

“Well, I should be leaving then,” Spike said, stepping back.

“O-of course.” Rarity stepped away from the door, opening it as she hid one hand behind her back.

Spike stepped out, adjusting his jacket before stopping next to the driver side door. Turning around, he blew a kiss towards Rarity causing the girl to giggle in response.

“Good night, Spikey-wikey,” she said, waving her hand.

“Sleep well, m’lady,” Spike replied, giving an exaggerated bow.

Her door closed, Spike’s opened and he sat himself in the car before buckling in and putting the vehicle in reverse. Backing into the empty road, he drove down the street back towards his home. Pulling into the driveway, he glanced at the clock to see it was merely 9:50. Parking in the garage, Spike retrieved the keys and left the vehicle, making sure the gray door closed. He made his way towards the front door and stepped in, to have Shining Armour, Twilight and his mother waiting for him merely a foot away. He stared awkwardly at the grinning trio while his father was fixated on the TV.

“How did it go?” the three asked in unison.

Spike’s dropped jaw closed as he rolled his eyes, leaning against the doorframe as he tossed the keys towards his father on the couch whom caught them without looking.

“It was a’ight.”

Author's Notes:

All riiiiight, so here's an interesting chapter, deferring from the norm of Spike earning numbers. It's also a bunch of little scenes instead of our normal ramblings, so I hope you like the slight change in style. Also, this chapter was almost entirely written by Arby Works (save around 2000 words or so)...
BUT WORRY NOT I return with a vengeance next chapter, already having over 11,000 words in the works. So... LOOK OUT.
~~Also, some news::~~
The rating of this fanfiction is set to change over the next chapter or so, due to... more mature themes.