//------------------------------//
// Getting In 
// Story: Fight Club: The Underground 
// by KaiTheDemon 
//------------------------------//


Early morning comes on a new day. The sun shines through Silver Lining's window, forcing him to wake up. "A new day... And hopefully the start of something new." The memory of last night strikes Silver, as it did the entire time he slept. While Silver rolls out of bed and walks into his bathroom to wash his face off, more thoughts of the Fight Club come to his mind. "I wonder when the next meet is.."

Silver walks into his living room and is met by knocking. "Who the hay would be here at this hour?" The silver coated stallion walks over and answers the door, and is greeting with a lunge from the visitor.

"Lightning Blitz! What in Celesita's name are you doing here?! And why are you on top of me?!" Lightning takes a moment and hops off of Silver. "Because you will never guess what is going to happen tonight!"

Silver showing no enthusiasm, walks into his kitchen and starts to make coffee. "Something with the club, right?" Lightning's hyper expression drops for a moment. "What's gotten you down? Well..." Lightning looks around the small one bedroom house. "Besides the fact you live in a closet."

Silver facehoofs and sighs. "Coffee?.. That is, if you really need it." Lightning chuckles. "No thanks. But as I was saying, tonight is going to be big!-" "As big as your ego?" This time it was Silver's turn to laugh, getting back at Lightning for his joke.

"Touche. Back to the point. Tonight the club is meeting again and having a very important fight tonight! All of the top guys in the club are fightning tonight, including the main event, the champion, Bronze. Is going to be fightning... ME!"

A stale silence sits in the room for about a minute while Silver pours himself a cup of coffee. "Is it for the championship?"  Lightning's jaw nearly drops to the floor at the response. "Wh-W-What?! That's all you can say?! It's not for the championship, but if I win I will surely get a chance to fight for it!"

Silver clears his throat, then sips on his coffee. "Is it even safe for you to fight two nights in a row?" "Of course it is! I mean, last night was cake. So it's not like I will be very fatigued."

"Shouldn't you be resting though? It is only seven in the morning." Lightning's hyper expression again drops at the lack of enthusiasm. "Well, maybe. But I can do that later. So you're definetly coming to the club tonight?" "Yes.. Speaking of the club, I have a question." Silver puts is cup down and turns around to face his friend. "Sure. Anything you need to know, I can tell ya!"

"Well, how does a pony get into the club as a fighter?" "Well that's- Wait.." Lightning starts to grow a grin that stretches from ear to ear. "You want to join as a fighter?!"

Silver just nods slowly, showing hesitation. "I can't believe you wanna be a fighter! I knew the club would suck you in!" "It's not just because I had a good time at the club... Hang on." Silver walks into his bedroom and pulls out the picture he looked at last night and walks back out into the living room and sits down.

"This stallion. I looked up to this stallion for my whole life. He used to be a fighter in his own right. And a damn good one at that." Lightning's mood calms as he sits next to his friend and looks at the picture with interest.

"Who is this?" Silver quickly takes the picture and puts it away, looking aggravated and sad at the same time. "That is just a stallion." "Just a stallion? He has to be more then that if you looked up to him. Besides, I think I've seen him somewhere before..."

"I doubt that. He... Passed away a few years ago." Silver's head drops, but then quickly lifts it up with fire in his eyes. "He always wanted to have a protogue. And even though he isn't here, I want to be that for him."

Lightning bounces up with the same energy he had when he got to the house. "That's great! I tell you what. Tonight at the club, I will introduce you to the club owner. He is the one you have to go through to get in. But I have to go and start warm ups for tonight! I will catch ya later."

As quick as he came in, he leaves before Silver could get a word in, leaving him there. "Ugh. I should expect this by now."

The day moves on, at about noon, Silver gets up and finally leaves his house and makes his way to the library where he is greeted by none other then Twilight Sparkle. "Hello Silver. What can I do for you?"

"Well, I was wondering if you had any books on fighting." Twilight looks at Silver with interest. "Well it's odd enough you're here since you don't really come here too much, but you need a book on fighting? What's it for?"

Silver starts exploring the library, sticking his nose in as many places as he can. "Well.. It's hard to explain." Twilight takes the initiative by using her magic to get four books on fighting down from higher shelves. "Well, I have these four. But you can tell me what you need them for!" Twilight gives a big smile to Silver.

"Well, I want to become a fighter." "Really? I imagine you as a lover, not a fighter." Silver shoots a blank look at Twilight. "Well, while that is true, I still want to do it." Twilight levitates the books out of Silver's reach. "There isn't any proffessional circuit around here though."

"You'd be surprised. Can I please have the books?" Silver thinks to himself before he jumps up to catch them, but Twilight keeps them out of reach. "I will give you the books if you tell me where the place is and when your first fight is."

Silver sighs. I can't tell her. But I need those books... He clears his throat and proceeds to talk. "I will take you there when my first fight comes up. Deal? The purple mare nods and levitates the books down and puts them in Silver's saddlebag.

"Deal. You better not leave me hanging!" "I won't! Thank you for the books. I will catch you later." Silver waves to Twilight as he walks out the door into town.

A few hours pass, the chilly evening air sets in with the sun going down, Silver has his head in the books he got from Twilight. "Could time go any slower?" Just as he starts nodding off, loud knocks hit his door, and once again, Lightning Blitz comes charging in.

"Silver! Even better news then earlier!" Pouncing back on his friend, Silver can only give Lightning the same flat, aggravated look from the morning. "I found out that if I win my fight tonight, I WILL fight for the championship next week!" Silver kicks Lightning off of him and gets up to go back to his book. "That's great news. Anything else?"

"Really? That's all you have to say?" Silver chuckles. "That really is good. And as good as you seem, I'm sure there will be a new champ next week!" Lightning smiles at the words new champ.

"Well, unless you come up and knock me back down!" Lightning nudges Silver and laughs. "Well, if I follow what I've read, I might get up there sooner then you think!" Lightning falls over in laughter. "You can't learn how to fight from a book! What are you, an egghead?!"

Silver quickly takles Lightning to prove a point. "See? Being an egghead can have it's perks. Taking advantage when your opponent is stunned." Lightning shoves Silver off of him. "Stunned? I was laughing!"

"Stunned, laughing, whatever you want to call it. It still worked." Lightning chuckles for a moment. "It was a pretty good move. Once you get your opponent down, they are pretty much out."

Once you get your opponent down, they are pretty much out. Those words sunk into Silver's mind, making a mental note of it for the future. "So, what time should we head to the club?" Silver asks, looking over at the clock.

"Actually, we can head over now. We just can't enter until the sun is down. Getting there early will give you the chance to meet the owner." Lightning declares headed toward the door.

Silver follows and goes out the door into the evening air. "You know, I imagine the owner is some big, strong, intimidating looking stallion. Is he?" Lightning bursts into laughter and quickly stops. "Steel Spirit? Pfft, hell no. He is like... A teddy bear. Yeah, let's go with that." "Well thanks for making him sound so much better!"

"What do you expect as better?!" "You know, somepony not with Steel in their name." Lightning facehoofs and sighs. "Really now? REALLY?!" "What?! You know how I am!" "Yeah, nothing but a pu-" Silver wacks Lightning in the back of the head. "Ow! What was that for?!"

"For what you were about to say!" "Oh quit whining."

The two continue to bicker back and forth while they await the sunset. The air grows chillier when the sun finally sets, and the streetlights come on throughout Ponyville. The two find the hidden door to the club, and begin their desent down into the main arena where there are very few ponies walking around inside.

"How did these ponies get in here already?" Silver asks while he looks around at the few ponies already here. "Those are staff. They have their own entrance somewhere else in Ponyville. Hey, there is the man of the hour!"

Lightning walks over to a slightly large, grey colored, older stallion with a short and spiked brown colored mane. "Hey boss!" "Well if it isn't my star of the night as usual! How are you today Lightning?" The stallion waves off another pony whom he was talking to.

"Well, I'm hyped up as normal, but this early visit isn't about me. Boss, meet Silver Lining!" Lightning steps out of the way so that Silver and the Stallion can shake hooves.

"Hello Silver, I am Steel Spirit. Is this your first time here?" Silver clears his throat before speaking. "No, sir. This is actually my second time here. And I've come to discuss something with you."

"Anything you need, I'm the stallion to look for. What can I do for you?" "Well-" Lightning quickly interrupts Silver to take initiative. "Silver here wants to join as a fighter! You see, there is this older stallion who was a fighter and-" Lightning is interuppted by Silver's hoof hitting him in the head again. "Ow! Bastard, stop that!" "I apologize sir." Silver gives an awkward, apologetic smile.

"No worries. So you wanna be a fighter eh? I'd ask you what makes you want to fight, but I think I got it figured out." Steel Spirit winks at Silver and starts to walk in the other direction. "Follow me you two."

The two nod and follow Steel Spirit into a room near the back of the arena, where there is a nice office, many different championship belts hang from the wall, and even a old Iron Pony trophy sits on Steel Spirit's desk. The three sit down to begin a meeting of sorts.

"Alright, so you want to be a fighter. Well, there are a few things you need to know, and you need to sign something as well." Steel Spirit says in a proffessional manner, looking at his desk at a few papers he is sorting out.

"Anything you need sir." "Well first off, I trust you know that nothing that goes on in the club, leaves the club right?" "Yes sir." Silver starts growing nervous after Steel asks the question. "The club cannot be held liable for any injuries you may suffer while fighting on in the club. But, anytime you fight, you will always get paid. And winning will pay you a royalty." Lightning shifts in his seat and tenses up like he wants to say something.

"Don't say a word Lightning. I know how much you like to talk. Now, I don't need you to sign many papers." Lightning leans forward. "What?!" Lightning stands straight up out of his chair and leans over the desk.

"Don't ask questions. I have my reasons. We can't keep everything on file. So some things have to be excluded." "Including his signing papers?!" Steel stomps his front hooves on the desk. "Lightning enough! I have reasons, I assure you. Everything I need will be on file. A few signatures are nothing."

"Uhm, sir, what about bringing other ponies to the club?" Silver is deep in hs chair by now after the yelling that just ensued. "As long as they know what happens in the club, stays in the club, then anypony can come."

"Thank you sir." Silver rises up in the chair some, finally relaxing. "Alright, now that that's done, all I need you to sign is this paper right here." Steel pulls out a piece of paper from a drawer in the desk, and pushes it across the desk, as well as a pen.

Silver after a moment of hesitation, grabs the pen in his mouth and reads the paper carefully before signing it. "What is thi-" Lightning shoves Silver to get him to sign it without any questions, and he does so.

Steel grows a big grin on his face and pulls the paper back. "Very good. Whelp gentlecolts, are we done here? Both Silver and Lightning nod and right as they get up to leave, they are met by a mare. The same white mare that was announcing the fights last night.

"May I lead you two to the main lobby?" "Sure!" Lightning quickly reacts while Silver stands and stares at the mare. Beautiful. He thinks to himself as they are led out of the office.

Steel Spirit spins around in his chair and looks up at the wall at a picture of himself in his younger years as a fighter. "Things are going to get very interesting. Very interesting indeed."