Spike's Dragon Code for Cuddling

Chapters

The Ancient Guide to a Noble Dragon's Code
Applejack
Fluttershy
Rainbow Dash
Pinkie Pie
Rarity
Starlight Glimmer
Twilight Sparkle
The Cuddle Party
Cutie Mark Crusaders
Royal Sisters
Fluttershy?
April Fools
Ember

The Ancient Guide to a Noble Dragon's Code

Within the Castle of Friendship, Spike was busily sweeping the foyer with a broom that was taller than him. It was a simple task made into a monumental one due to the sheer size of the area. While Spike was thankful that the Tree of Harmony gave him and Twilight a shiny, magical castle, was it too much to ask for self-cleaning floors?

To help keep his sanity as he went through with the mundane chore, Spike hummed the theme song for the Power Ponies, his favorite comic heroes. He had heard it during a comic convention that he attended a little while ago. He had also picked up several stacks of comics from that same convention, and he was still gleefully going through all of them.

Twilight had complained about the amount of bits he spent on all the super rare, limited-edition, and mint-condition comics, but Spike did not see what the big deal was. Twilight said he needed to read more, and there were definitely words to read in most of the pictures.

In fact, being able to continue his reading was why he had elected to stay home while Twilight was staying overnight in Canterlot to show Starlight her hometown. He could almost hear his comics calling for him from his room, promising him hours of thwarting villains and totally awesome fighting scenes, as he tried to finish his chore as soon as possible while making sure he did a good enough job to pass Twilight’s inevitable inspection.

THUNK

Spike jumped and yelped in a totally manly way, his broom clattering to the floor. Something had loudly hit the front doors and given the number of outrageous stuff that often rampaged down the streets of Ponyville, it probably was a good idea to run away. That said, he knew that ignoring whatever was on the other side of the door could also potentially lead to disaster.

Picking up the broom and brandishing it like a club with both claws, Spike warily made his way to the castle’s entrance and opened one of the double doors just a crack to peek outside. He let out a sigh of relief and tossed the broom away when all he saw outside was a dazed, gray pegasus on the ground with a mailmare cap on.

“Hey there, Derpy,” Spike greeted, pushing the doors wide open to step outside and check on the mare whose eyes were still spinning. “You alright?”

Derpy quickly shook her head, and her eyes focused on Spike. “Yeah, I’m fine, Spike. Thanks for the concern,” she greeted with a smile, only to fade when her left eye drifted to the side. “Uh, oops, my bad.”

Spike turned his head to see a muzzle-shaped indent on the other door and promptly waved his claw in a dismissive manner. “Eh, don’t worry about it. I’m sure something crazy will happen this Saturday, and we’ll have to replace the whole thing… again.”

“Things like that do happen almost every week.” Derpy nodded in agreement before getting up and reaching into her mailbag to pull out a clipboard with her mouth and present it to Spike. “Soon here pweaz.”

“For what?”

One of Derpy’s eyebrows cocked up, and she stepped to the side to reveal a huge crate that was sitting right behind her.

Spike facepalmed, wondering how in Equestria he managed to miss that package. The crate was as big as Derpy, and it was no wonder the mailmare had crashed into the door while lugging around that thing.

After Spike signed for the delivery, moved the crate inside with Derpy’s help, and bade goodbye to the mailmare, he inspected the crate to find out who sent the package. All he found was a small label saying that it was from Canterlot.

Since they received plenty of packages from Canterlot, Spike went ahead and used his claws to pry open the lid. His eyes narrowed into a bored, deadpan gaze when he looked inside.

“Books… Of course it’s books…” Spike grumbled, seeing that the crate was filled to the brim with literature instead of something nice like gems. Twilight must have forgotten to tell him that they were receiving another shipment of books from the Royal Canterlot Library.

Spike sighed, resigning to the fact that his comics had to wait a bit longer. While Twilight would want to go through all of the new books before they were sorted and shelved, he still had to unpack them all.

“Lexicon of Lofty Logarithms… Manuscript on Meddlesome Mold… Compendium of Convoluted Cyphers…” Spike rolled his eyes as he read out loud the titles of each book he extracted from the crate. As usual, there were only books about things that only Twilight would find interesting.

Eventually, Spike neared the bottom of the crate and the seemingly endless pile of books. He paused when he came upon a book that was far more old and tattered than the rest. Picking up the curious object, he was surprised to find that it was actually quite thin and there was nothing written on the exterior.

His interest piqued, Spike cracked open the book. A gasp escaped his mouth when he saw what was scrawled on the first page.

“The Ancient Guide to a Noble Dragon’s Code…” Spike muttered, barely believing the big bold words his bulging eyes were reading.

When Spike went to the Great Dragon Migration, he saw how different he was compared to other dragons, and he was glad for that fact. All of the young dragons seemed to be only interested at seeing who was bigger and tougher, and they cared little for anyone else but themselves. Refusing to be like those dumb, mean brutes, Spike had created his own dragon code, a set of honorable ideals that he did his best to uphold.

Remembering that he and Twilight could not find any book about dragons, it seemed a bit odd to suddenly find a book like this, but Spike shrugged it off and started to flip through the pages. He was eager to learn more about being a noble dragon.

Plus, this book was ancient, it even said so in its title, so it totally had to be the real deal.

Spike carefully scanned the pages, absorbing every single word. He was pleased to see that many of the book’s teachings aligned with his own code such as being polite and helpful. There was even a section about being indebted to anypony that saved a dragon’s life.

It did not take long before Spike was about to reach the end of the book. He was a bit disappointed that the book had not taught him anything really groundbreaking, but he reassured himself that it likely meant he was already on the right path to being a noble dragon. Slowly, he turned to the last page.

A quiet thud rang through the castle when the book dropped from Spike’s claws. His mouth was slightly agape with shock, and his eyes had shrunk into pinpricks as the words on the last page were etched into his memories.

With a gulp, he looked down at the same page, hoping that he had misread something or by some miracle, the words had somehow changed on their own, but his fears were confirmed as he read out loud the only words on the troubling page that made his heart stop.

“A noble dragon makes sure to cuddle with his closest friends.”

Spike gulped again. There was no further explanation or reasoning. Closing the book, he considered if he actually wanted to cuddle with his friends. While he had partaken in many hugs and nuzzles with his pony friends, even receiving a kiss or two on the cheek, he had never cuddled with any of them. It felt a bit too intimate to him, and male pride deemed that the act was above him. The awkward images of him cuddling with his friends were already filling his head and making him fidget uncomfortably.

He was tempted to just let the cuddling clause slide, but the more he thought about it, the more he convinced himself that this was something he had to do. He was not going to break his updated dragon code. There was no doubt that things were going to be weird and kind of embarrassing, but it was a small price to pay to be a noble dragon.

Taking a deep breath, Spike marched out of the castle. If the noble dragon code demanded that he cuddled with his friends, then he was going to give them the best cuddling they ever received.

Applejack

Spike wandered around the orchards of Sweet Apple Acres, searching for Applejack, his first cuddling target.

Besides Twilight, Applejack was the most familiar with his dragon code, mostly because he kept on going on and on about it when he clung to her, trying to repay her for saving him from a pack of timberwolves.

Hearing the familiar thumping of hooves bucking into trees, Spike followed the sounds until he found the mare he was looking for. Applejack did not notice him as she continued to buck the trees around her. Every tree she hit created a shower of apples that neatly dropped into the awaiting baskets that littered the ground.

Spike slowly approached the busy Applejack, his claws nervously tapping together as he waited for the right moment to make his presence known.

When Applejack took a moment to wipe her brow with a hoof, Spike gulped, gathering up his courage, before calling out, “H-hey, Applejack.”

Applejack turned to him with a big, welcoming smile. “Well, howdy there, Spike. What brings you all the way out here?”

And just like that, his courage fled the scene. “Well, I, uh, I wanted to, uh… I wanted to come visit you,” Spike replied with a sheepish grin.

“That’s awfully nice of you. You’re in luck too. Ah’m due for a break. Did you just come to talk, or did you have somethin’ in mind?” Applejack asked.

“Actually, I kind of did have something in mind but…” Spike’s gaze drifted to the ground as he fiddled his claws together.

“But what, Spike?” Applejack bent down a bit to bring herself closer to Spike’s height. “You feeling alright? You seem to be getting a bit red in the face.”

“Ack!” Spike flailed his arms and covered his face with them. “I’m fine! I’m fine!”

“You sure?” Applejack asked with a concerned frown.

“Y-yeah, it’s just…” Spike lowered his claws and took a deep breath. “Well, it’s something that I feel kind of weird talking to you about.”

“Aww, you can talk to me about anythin’. We’ve been friends long enough for me to know what you’re like, so you don’t have to worry about me thinkin’ somethin’ bad about you,” Applejack replied with a smile and a pat on Spike’s shoulder.

“R-right, friends… Good friends… Well, you see, um, you remember my dragon code, right?”

Applejack’s smile immediately vanished, and she turned a little with one hoof slightly raised. “Ah, uh, Ah do… Don’t tell me you want to serve me for life again or somethin’ like that again.” She winced a bit. “N-not that Ah didn’t appreciate your help but…”

Spike rolled his eyes as a small smile formed on his face. “Yeah, yeah, I know I kind of made a mess of things when I did that. Looking back, I think I was just too excited to think straight, and it didn’t help that I was not used to working around here.” His smile grew into a smirk. “Don’t worry, I’m not going to help you.”

Applejack chuckled, her body relaxing and not poising to run away anymore. “That’s mighty kind of you. So, what’s this about your dragon code then?”

“Right, um, I was doing a little research, and I found something noble dragons do for their close friends. I was hoping that you would let me do this, um, thing for you to show how much you mean to me.”

“Aww, shucks. Ah’m really flattered, Spike,” Applejack replied with a faint tinge of red gracing her cheeks. “Ah would say that you don’t have to do anythin’ for me, but Ah know how important your dragon code is to you. Just do be careful to not go overboard with it. So, what do you need to do?”

“I need to… Um…” Spike mumbled what he needed to do, but he had trailed off so much that even he did not hear the answer coming out of his mouth.

“Er, come again, Spike? Ah didn’t quite catch that,” Applejack stated, moving closer to the purple dragon.

Spike gulped, directing his gaze to the ground, before quietly answering. “I… I need to c-c-cuddle with you…” His cheeks felt hotter than his own dragon breath.

The silence that descended upon them was so prevalent that Spike practically heard a leaf land on the ground not too far away from them. He briefly glanced up from his feet to see that Applejack was staring at him with wide eyes.

“Um, you want to run that by me again, Spike?” Applejack eventually requested. “A-Ah could’ve sworn you said you wanted to cuddle with me.”

“I-I did…”

“Ah see…”

Sensing another moment of silence coming up, Spike cleared his throat. “Sorry, Applejack. I know it’s pretty weird. Even I’m kind of unsure about this. My dragon code is important to me, but I learned my lesson from last time. If you think it’s too much, I’m not going to force you to do anything that you’re uncomfortable with. I’ll just, uh, I’ll just let you be. Sorry for bothering you.”

“Now hold on there, Spike,” Applejack called out when Spike turned away. “You don’t have to go. Ah’m sorry for givin’ you the silent treatment. Ah was just knocked for a bit of a loop when you told me that you wanted to cuddle.”

“Yeah, I know what you mean,” Spike said with a nod. “I wasn’t too crazy about the idea when I found out about it, but the more I thought about it, the more I could see why this was something noble dragons do. You and the others are the best friends I could ever ask for. We hug all the time, but those only last a few seconds. Cuddling is something you can do to really show somepony you care about them, and I really care about you.”

Spike blinked several times. “Boy, that didn’t sound as cheesy in my head.”

Applejack chuckled a bit before she began to trot away. She cocked her head, motioning Spike to follow her. “Come on, it’ll be more comfortable for us at the barn, and nopony should bother us in there.”

Spike’s eyes popped wide open. “W-wait, so does that mean…”

“Yep. If your dragon code wants us to cuddle, then we’re goin’ to cuddle.”

“Alright!” Spike cheered as he ran after Applejack.

A short walk later, they ended up in front of one of the barns that was close to the Apple Family home.

“You head on inside, Spike,” Applejack said, moving toward a nearby water pump. “Ah just need a moment to clean myself a bit. Ah don’t think you want to be cuddlin’ a sweaty, smelly pony.”

Spike nodded and entered the barn door by himself. He quickly noted all the tools and equipment lying around. It was obvious that this structure was used more like a storage area.

He took a deep breath. This was it. He was going to cuddle with one of his friends. He was still kind of nervous about the whole thing, but there was no turning back now. What he was going to do was not only for the sake of his dragon code, but for friendship as well. And this was just his first cuddle of the day.

“Whew, Ah really needed that!” Applejack remarked, her loud voice making Spike jump a little when he was startled from his thoughts. She trotted past Spike to a corner of the barn where she rested on a pile of hay by laying on her side.

“Come on, Spike,” Applejack beckoned when she noticed that the dragon was still standing in the middle of the room, staring at her. “It’s comfier than it looks.”

“Uh, okay.” Spike moved toward the hay and hopped onto it. He sank just a tad into the makeshift bed and found that it was actually quite soft. “Wow, this is pretty comfy actually.”

Applejack chuckled. “Sure is. Ah sometimes come in here for a break when there’s too much goin’ on in the house. So, we goin’ to do this? Ah can’t be on break for too long, so if you don’t mind, Ah would like to get things movin’.”

“Oh, uh, right. Let me just…” Spike scootched over so that he was right next to Applejack. His eyes flicked up and down from the apple farmer’s face and her body, and he could feel his cheeks starting to burn up again. “Um…”

After a few moments of staring at each other, Applejack smiled and sat up. “Alright then, come here you.”

“Whoa!” Spike yelped when Applejack’s forehooves grabbed him by his sides before she fell back onto the hay. He was now lying flat on Applejack with their stomachs touching each other.

“Apple Bloom and Ah sometimes cuddle with each other whenever one of us is feelin’ down,” Applejack explained when she placed one of her forehooves on Spike’s back. “She likes it when we’re like this, and since you’re about the same size as her, Ah figure we could just do this.”

Spike nodded, shifting himself into a more comfortable position. Despite Applejack still being slightly damp, Spike felt warm, and the pony hair brushing against his body felt nice, like a soft brush going over his scales.

His trepidations were chased away as he relished in the snug position he was in. He would not have been so worried about cuddling with his friends if he knew this was going to be feel so good.

Realizing he had not done anything yet, Spike stretched his arms and hugged Applejack, and after a brief hesitation, he rested his head on the apple farmer’s chest and began to gently nuzzle his cheek into it.

He was pleased to hear a satisfied hum escape Applejack, and he felt the hoof on his back grip him just a little bit tighter.

Spike could feel the subtle, slow undulations of Applejack’s chest as she breathed. It was a soothing motion, and he never had been in such a comfortable position. It was far more preferable to any bed or basket he ever slept on. In fact, his eyes were starting to droop as his movements became more lazy and sluggish.

That is, until he was jarred awake when he felt Applejack twitch.

Spike opened his eyes. A bit curious, he glanced up at Applejack’s face, but all he saw were shut eyes. A quiet grunt escaped him when he was jostled around as Applejack’s body began to shift left and right.

“Whoa, Applejack!” Spike cried out, tightly gripping onto Applejack’s chest.

Applejack’s movements suddenly halted, and her eyes reopened to look at him. “Oh, uh, sorry about that, Spike.”

“It’s alright, but why were you moving so much?”

“It’s just my back. Got a stubborn itch that Ah was tryin’ to get it, but the darn thing won’t go away.”

“Turn around,” Spike directed, sliding off Applejack to her side.

“Beg pardon?” Applejack asked, shooting Spike one of her trademarked raised eyebrows..

“Let me get that your itch for you. We’re already cuddling, so what’s a little back scratch?” Spike got a chuckle from Applejack, and after the itchy pony turned onto her stomach, he started scratching Applejack’s back, making sure to be careful with his sharp claws.

“A bit higher… Higher… Ahh, that’s it.” Applejack let out a happy moan that made Spike giggle.

“That good, huh?”

“Very. It’s one of those spots that is pretty much impossible to reach. Thanks for gettin’ that, Spike.”

“Sure, no problem.” Spike took his claws off Applejack, his chest puffed out a little with pride.

“Um, Spike, if you, uh, don’t mind, could you keep goin’ at it?”Applejack asked.

“You’re itchy somewhere else?”

“Well, uh, no, not really. It’s just this feels so good. Those claws of yours really do the trick.”

Spike smirked. “Of course, Applejack.” He proceeded to scratch the rest of Applejack’s back, starting from the base of her neck and slowly moving down. He added some massage-like rubs every now and then, and judging by the satisfied hums that occasionally filled the barn, they were well-appreciated.

As his claws continued to work Applejack’s body, he marveled at the taut muscles he could feel. With her earth pony heritage and all the farm-work she did, Applejack was easily the strongest one in their group of friends, but she also cared a great deal for her friends and family. He really was lucky to count Applejack as one of his best friends.

“You’re gettin’ awfully close to my rump there, Spike,” Applejack suddenly stated while Spike was working the lower part of her back.

Spike’s eyes shot wide open, and he pulled back so suddenly, he fell backwards onto the hay. “S-sorry, Applejack! I didn’t mean to!”

Applejack chuckled heartily and got up. “Sorry, Spike, Ah couldn’t resist. You’re fine. Ah was just playin’, and Ah had to make sure you stopped.” She jumped off the hay pile and onto the barn floor. “As much as Ah liked this cuddle session with you, Ah’m goin’ to have to end it. Ah got to get back to work.”

“Oh, alright,” Spike said with some disappointment. That was quickly washed away after he hopped off the hay pile and was ensnared in a hug when Applejack wrapped a foreleg around his back.

“Ah had a really great time with you, Spike. Definitely one of the best cuddles Ah ever had, but don’t tell Apple Bloom. Don’t want her gettin’ jealous with you.”

Spike laughed and returned the gesture by squeezing Applejack’s other forehoof. “I had a really great time too, and things went a lot better than I thought.”

“Ah’m guessin’ you goin’ to try and give the same treatment to the others?” Applejack asked when they finished their hug. Receiving a nod from Spike, she continued, “Well, good luck with that, not that you need it. Maybe we can do somethin’ like this again when we both have more free time.”

“I would like that. I’ll see you around, Applejack.”

Feeling more energized and his spirits lifted, Spike left Sweet Apple Acres and headed towards his next cuddling session at Fluttershy’s home.

Fluttershy

Spike lively hummed the Power Pony theme song with a sizeable grin as he neared Fluttershy’s home.

His time with Applejack was a big success, and he felt that the bonds of their friendship had been strengthened, thanks to their cuddling session. His initial trepidations about cuddling were pretty much all gone now, and he figured that the upcoming times with the rest of his friends would be smooth sailing.

Waddling up the path up to Fluttershy’s door, he took a moment to look around to make sure the yellow pegasus was not already outside tending to an animal. All that he saw were animals either lazing about or playing on the lawn. Perfectly understandable since it was a nice day, and Spike hoped that he would make the day even nicer for himself and Fluttershy.

Spike knocked on the door, making sure it was not too loud so as not to startle the demure pegasus. Even though nothing happened within a few seconds of his knocking, he knew that this was typical of Fluttershy. He could almost see her worrying who was at the door before she went fussing around to make sure she was a good host.

After a few more moments, the door finally opened, but just a sliver with a cyan eye peeking out. “H-hello?”

“Hey, Fluttershy, it’s me,” Spike greeted, lazily waving at the eye.

The door promptly opened wide, revealing the rest of Fluttershy with a gentle smile. “Oh, hello, Spike. It’s nice to see you. How are you?”

“Doing great actually. I just came from Applejack’s place, and we had a awesome time together.”

“Oh?” Fluttershy tilted her head slightly. “What were you two doing?”

“Well, that’s why I’m here. Is it alright if I come in?”

Fluttershy gasped. “Oh dear, how rude of me. Of course you can. Come in and make yourself at home, Spike.”

“Thanks, Fluttershy.”

Spike walked inside with Fluttershy and paused when he saw a small, white figure out of the corner of his eye. Turning his head, he saw Angel, Fluttershy’s pet rabbit, sitting on the floor, eyeing him warily.

“Angel,” Spike greeted in an even voice and gave the rabbit a slow nod.

Angel returned the greeting with a slow nod, but he also pointed his paw at his eyes and then slowly stretched it out at Spike.

Spike resisted the urge to roll his eyes at the ‘I got my eyes on you’ gesture. Angel was quite the rude ball of fluff and was a bit on the violent side. While he encouraged and supported Fluttershy in various things, he also demanded many things from her for his picky palate.

However, after Spike sort of pet-sit him while Fluttershy and the the others were helping the Crystal Empire to get picked as the host city for the Equestria Games, the bunny had become more bearable around him… about half the time.

“So, Fluttershy, you remember my dragon code thing, right?” Spike asked, taking a seat on the living room’s green divan.

“Yes, I do. You were working for Applejack, but she tried to get you to stop by having us pretend she needed you to save her from timberwolves.” Fluttershy smiled sheepishly, occupying the space on the opposite side of the divan. “Er, sorry that I helped with the whole tricking you thing.”

“It’s alright. I wasn’t exactly doing a great job with her anyway. Things sure got crazy when the real ones showed up though.”

“Oh my, yes, that was scary. I’m so glad none of us got hurt.” Fluttershy frowned. “I just feel bad for those poor dears because they probably were just hungry. Maybe if we fed them something… Er, not that I wanted them to eat us… or anypony else… Um, sorry…”

Spike chuckled. Leave it to Fluttershy to sympathize with the vicious beasts that almost ate them. “Nothing to apologize for, Fluttershy. It’s just in your nature to care for animals, no matter what they are. Anyway, I brought this up because I was doing a little research on the noble dragon code, and it turns out that I need to, well, cuddle with you.”

Fluttershy’s eyes flew wide open, and red overcame her yellow face. “W-what? You want to cuddle with me?”

Spike chuckled nervously and scratched the back of his head. “Yeah… That’s what I was doing with Applejack earlier. The noble dragon code wants me to cuddle with all of my close friends. I think the noble dragon code wants me to do it as a way for me to show how much I appreciate all of you, as well as making us better friends.”

“Um, well, that all sounds really nice, Spike.” A flustered Fluttershy played with her hooves, and her eyes darted around the room. “I do think… Maybe we could just… Oh dear… Oh my…”

Spike sighed inwardly. So much for smooth sailing. He should have figured that cuddling was outside the reserved Fluttershy’s relatively small comfort zone.

Giving Fluttershy a soft smile, Spike said, “Look, Fluttershy, I was just offering. Applejack and I only did it when we talked it over, and we both agreed to it. You don’t have to do it if you don’t want to.”

“Oh, no, no, no, Spike. I didn’t mean to sound like I was turning you away.”

“So you do want to cuddle?”

“Well, um… Maybe… It’s just that…” Fluttershy let out a small sigh. “I cuddled with my animal friends plenty of times, but I never really did it with any pony or any dragon before. Do you think I’ll be good enough?”

Spike chuckled. “Well, I haven’t really cuddled much either, but I got the hang of it really quick with Applejack, and we ended up having a great time. You’ll be fine.”

“But what if I don’t do it right?”

“Um, well… Not sure how you can mess up cuddling.” Spike scratched his head, wondering what would count as a bad cuddle. “But it’s not like you’re going to do it alone. I’ll help you in any way I can.”

“I just don’t want to do something to mess up your noble dragon code. I know that it’s very important to you, and I don’t want to ruin things and be a bad friend.”

“Fluttershy, let me make this clear.” Spike stood up on the divan and put his arms on his hips. “You’re a great pony. You don’t have to worry that one thing, like a bad cuddle, will make me hate you or anything. Yes, my dragon code is important to me, but what’s more important is my friendship with you and the others.”

Fluttershy smiled. “Aww, that’s really sweet of you to say, Spike. Hearing that really helps a lot. If you’re absolutely sure that you wouldn’t mind me, then I guess I could try cuddling with you.”

Spike did a fist pump. “Alright!”

“But, uh, just one teensy-weensy little thing,” Fluttershy added with an apologetic smile. “I have to feed some of the animals right now. Would it be alright if you gave me a few minutes?”

“Sure.” Spike jumped off the chair. “In fact, why don’t I help you?”

“Oh, you don’t have to do that, Spike. I can handle it,” Fluttershy replied, sliding off her own seat to go into the kitchen.

Spike followed Fluttershy anyway. “But one of the main reasons I’m doing this cuddling thing is to show my appreciation for my friends, and what better way of doing that than by helping out? Come on, there’s gotta be something I can do.”

“Well, if you really want to…” Fluttershy opened one of the larger kitchen cabinets and pulled out a bag of bird seed that was about half the size of Spike. “Do you think you can carry this for me? It would save me a trip.”

“No problem!” Spike grabbed the bag and held it above him so he could also use his head. The bag sagged a bit in front of his eyes, but the use of both of his arms and his head made it easy to carry.

As Fluttershy packed various other food for the animals in a basket, Spike felt a soft kick to the back of his leg. He turned around and looked down to see Angel glaring up at him with his arms folded across his chest.

“Yes, Angel?” Spike asked.

Angel used his paw to make a slashing motion across his throat before he scampered out of the room.

“Uh…” Spike stared in the direction Angel ran, unsure of what just happened.

“Is something wrong, Spike?” Fluttershy asked.

“Uh, nothing. It’s nothing.” Spike turned back to Fluttershy and saw a now-full basket at her hooves. “Ready to go?”

Fluttershy smiled and nodded and then picked up the basket in her mouth.

Spike followed Fluttershy outside with the bird seed. She directed him toward the bird feeders, but they were quickly mobbed by other animals, and Fluttershy had to stop and tend to the hungry critters.

Spike chuckled as he watched the animals go up to Fluttershy without a hint of fear for the animal caretaker. Fluttershy, in turn, pulled out bowls of vegetables, slices of cheese, fish, and other tasty goodies from her basket. With the bag of bird seed still partially blocking Spike's field of vision and his mind wondering how in Equestria Fluttershy managed to fit all those things into her basket, he did not notice a looming shadow coming up right behind him.

Suddenly, Spike felt two large paws wrap around him and lift him high into the air. Dropping the bird seed, he wildly flailed all four of his limbs and started screaming. His panic only increased when the furry arms squeezed him against a wall of fur.

“Fluttershy, help!” Spike yelled at the top of his lungs.

Fluttershy’s attention quickly looked up, but instead of immediately rushing to his aid like Spike hoped, she only giggled. “Don’t worry, Spike, it’s just Harry.”

“H-H-Harry?” Spike turned his head and balked when he saw the face of a bear looking down at him. “Uh, h-hi.”

Harry replied with a smile and a greeting grunt.

Spike relaxed a bit now that he knew he was relatively safe. “So, uh, why did you pick me up, big guy?”

Harry let out several more grunts and moans.

Fluttershy giggled again. “Oh, Harry, that’s so like you.”

“What? What did he say?” Spike asked.

“He must have overheard us talking earlier because he thinks you’re giving out cuddles.”

Suddenly, Spike did not feel so safe. “Well, uh, that is to say, uh—Whoa!”

Spike’s eyes flew wide open when he was quickly turned around and was given a literal bear hug. Unable to see anything but bear fur, Spike tried to move into a better position, but all he could muster could barely register as a squirm in Harry’s iron grip.

“Can’t breathe…” Spike tried to shout, but his words were muffled by bulky brown bear blubber. He attempted to pound on Harry’s chest to get his attention, but all he managed were little taps and rubs that would only look like a massage to any bystanders.

Just as Spike was sure he was going to die a horribly huggy death, Harry pulled him away from his chest and gently set the dragon back down on the ground. Spike fell to his knees, heaving for fresh air and barely registering the pats to his head.

“Did you have fun with Spike, Harry?” Fluttershy asked, flying up to the bear.

Harry responded with a huge toothy smile and a happy grunt.

“Well, I’m glad you did. Now go on and enjoy your lunch.” Fluttershy pulled out a beehive dripping with honey from behind her back and gave it to Harry.

When Harry plodded off, Fluttershy turned her attention to Spike. “Sorry about that, Spike. Harry really is a big softie. He really likes those kind of things and sometimes gets a wee bit carried away.”

“No kidding,” Spike said with a groan. Getting back on his feet, he noticed that Angel was rolling around the grass, pointing and laughing at him.

“Dumb bunny,” Spike mumbled with a huff, making sure it was quiet enough so that Fluttershy could not hear.

After making sure all his bones were still intact and there was no internal bleeding, Spike helped Fluttershy finish feeding the rest of the animals, and they returned inside without another incident.

“So, is that everything?” Spike asked as they put the leftover bird seed and basket away.

“It is. I’m pretty much free until I have to feed the nocturnal animals tonight.”

“So does that mean we can…”

“Oh, right.” Fluttershy gave Spike a nervous smile and blushed slightly.

“You’re absolutely sure you want to do this, Fluttershy?” Spike asked, noting Fluttershy’s hesitance.

“Yes, I do. It’s just me being my usual nervous self. I really do need to try and get better when I’m around others, especially my friends. Just, uh, let’s make sure to take it nice and slow. Baby steps, please.”

“Baby steps with a baby dragon,” Spike pointed out with a grin. Even though he'd rather not be referred to as a baby, he could not pass up the little quip.

Fluttershy giggled and led him back to the divan. They both sat down, but this time, they were seated side by side. “So, um, what should I do?”

“Hmm…” Spike tapped his chin in thought. “Well, you said you cuddled with your animal friends before, so why don’t you pretend I’m an animal and do the same for me? There’s gotta be some that are around my size.”

“Alright then. I guess I should, um… Do you mind if I pick you up?”

Spike smiled and stretched his arms to the side as though he was about to hug her.

Fluttershy slowly reached over and gingerly picked Spike up by his armpits. She brought Spike closer, lightly pressing him against her chest, as she lay down on her side, taking the dragon with her.

“Whoa, this is actually really nice,” Spike remarked, feeling snug in Fluttershy’s gentle grip as the pegasus’s hooves moved behind his back to secure him in the embrace. “You’re a natural at this.”

“R-really? That’s good,” Fluttershy stated with a sigh of relief.

Spike’s eyes widened a bit, feeling Fluttershy’s entire body relaxing. “Wow, you really were nervous. You feeling better now?”

“Much better now that I know I can do this right. Um, I am doing this right… right?”

“Yes you are, Fluttershy. I told you, it’s easy,” Spike said with a grin. “So, what would your animal friends do while they’re like this?”

“Well, not much, but some of them do like to use their cute, little noses to snuggle into me.”

“Hmm…” Spike did not really think that was for him. He was more of a claws-on dragon. “Oh, I know. You mind letting go for a sec so that I can move?”

After Fluttershy silently nodded and removed her hooves from Spike’s back, he moved further up the divan so that he could be closer to the pegasus’s face. In his previous position, his arms could barely reach halfway around Fluttershy’s body. In his new position, however, he could easily get his claws around Fluttershy’s neck to rub the back of it.

Fluttershy giggled when Spike also started snuggling into her neck, causing the frills on top of his head to rub the underside of her chin. “That tickles, Spike.”

“Oh, uh, sorry,” Spike promptly apologized, halting his head movements.

“No, no, it’s alright. It’s actually kind of pleasant. You can keep on doing it, if you want to that is.”

“If you like it, then yeah,” Spike said. “I’m here to show my appreciation for you. This cuddling is supposed to make you feel good, so if there’s something you want me to do, just say it, alright?”

“Um, okay. Spike, if it’s alright with you, could you, um, keep snuggling like you were doing a moment ago?”

Spike chuckled and resumed moving. “Of course.”

“Thank you, Spike,” Fluttershy said with a warm smile and then placed her hooves around Spike again.

It was no wonder that animals liked to cuddle with Fluttershy. Her mother-like, caring nature offered a warm, safe haven within her hooves, and Spike was relishing the experience. In fact, he could feel a tingling sensation somewhere along his back. It felt a bit weird, but it was not unpleasant. Associating it as part of Fluttershy’s awesome hug, he paid little heed to it while he continued to return Fluttershy’s cuddles, even when the tingling slowly traveled up his back to his head.

“Um, Spike?” Fluttershy quietly uttered.

“Yeah?” Spike replied. His eyes had closed at some point to more thoroughly enjoy the touch of Fluttershy’s soft hair on his scales.

“We have a visitor.”

“Huh?” Spike opened his eyes to see Fluttershy was looking directly at him, or rather right above him.

Suddenly, a horrible visage with huge mandibles and eight red eyes filled his vision.

Spike let out a totally not girly shriek and instinctively pushed himself backwards in an attempt to get away from whatever monstrosity had descended upon him. Unfortunately, his retreat propelled him off the divan, and he promptly fell to the floor with a dull thud.

Spike groaned before he started to get up. “W-what was that?” Once he was back on his feet, he quickly looked around for the monster, but all he saw was Fluttershy sitting on her haunches with a spider roughly the size of a bird standing on her forehooves. “Wait, it was just a spider?”

“Spike, you remember Fuzzy Legs from last Nightmare Night, right?” Fluttershy asked.

“Oh, uh, yeah. That was a nice job you did back then, dude.”

Fuzzy Legs used one of its eight legs to salute Spike and then made a series of clicking sounds with its mandibles.

“Fuzzy Legs says thanks. He’s also sorry for scaring you,” Fluttershy translated.

“Scared?” Spike scoffed. “I wasn’t scared. Nope, totally wasn’t. I was just surprised. Yeah, that’s it.”

Fluttershy and Fuzzy Legs exchanged glances before Fluttershy said, “Actually, he must have overheard us as well because he wants to cuddle with you.”

“Seriously?” Spike asked with a deadpan face.

Fuzzy Legs nodded, which pretty much made his entire body bob up and down.

Spike sighed and facepalmed, muttering under his breath, “You start cuddling, and then suddenly everypony wants to cuddle with you…” He sighed again and stared back at Fuzzy Legs. “Alright then, let’s get it done.”

Fuzzy Legs waved two of its legs in the air like a happy cheer, and Fluttershy set him down on the nearby table.

“So I should just um… What am I supposed to do?” Spike asked.

Fuzzy Legs waved a leg in a beckoning motion for Spike to come even closer.

Spike stepped forward so that he was practically right next to the spider and look directly down at him.

Fuzzy Legs waved his leg once again.

Spike knelt down and leaned in so that his face was at the same height as the spider. He shivered when Fuzzy Legs charged forward and hugged his face, two legs on each of his cheeks while the other four kept it upright.

“Uh, okay, so what do I… Maybe I could just…” Spike used one of his claw digits to stroke Fuzzy Legs’s back, but carefully so as not to squish the arachnid.

Spike was not sure if this was what he was supposed to do, but judging by the happy chittering and delight in Fuzzy Leg’s eyes, he was doing something right. Or at least, he guessed that those were happy chittering and delighted eyes. Spiders were weird.

After an ample amount of awkward arachnid cuddling had passed, Fuzzy Legs dropped back on his eight legs and backed away from Spike’s face.

Spike’s ensuing sigh of relief nearly bowled the spider over. “Er, sorry, dude.”

Fuzzy Legs waved it off, saluted Spike again, and scurried away.

“That was really sweet of you, Spike. Fuzzy Legs really appreciated it,” Fluttershy said with a smile.

Spike rubbed the back of his head. “Yeah, well, can’t really say no to cuddling…” Even though I really wanted to, he added as an afterthought.

“But seriously, first Harry and now Fuzzy Legs?” Spike continued. “I spent more time with your animals than with you, and I’m not sure I have it in me to cuddle every one that comes up to me.”

Fluttershy sighed, a small frown appearing on her face while her head bowed. “I’m sorry, Spike. I know you just wanted to fulfil your noble dragon code by cuddling with me, but I keep letting things distract us. I guess I am messing things up for you.”

Spike waved his claws frantically in front of him. “No, no, no, I’m not blaming you, Fluttershy. I’m just a bit annoyed we keep getting interrupted. I mean, seriously, did every animal hear us talking earlier?”

“Well, I’m pretty sure they were all outside, but I suppose it’s possible that one of the critters stayed behind and has been spreading the news.”

Spike did not recall seeing any other animals earlier as well. It seemed like the only ones who were in the living room were him, Fluttershy, and—

Spike’s eyes widened for a second before narrowing down into a glare. He looked around and quickly zeroed in on a devilish ball of fluff who was peeking from behind a wall with a smirk on its face.

Angel…

Fluttershy turned her head to see what Spike was looking at, but Angel darted out of sight before she saw him. “What are you looking at, Spike?”

“Um… It’s nothing. Was just thinking about something,” Spike replied. Like how far I can punt that darn bunny.

“Oh, okay. Say, um, Spike, do you want to try one more time? We can do it in my room where we won’t be disturbed.”

“Really?” Spike was a bit surprised that Fluttershy was pushing for cuddling this time.

Fluttershy nodded, smiling. “It was really nice, and I would like to make sure you at least get a good cuddle.”

“Sure, that would be great! But, uh, why don’t you go up first? I’m going to get myself a drink of water really quick.”

“Alright, Spike. I’ll see you in a minute.”

Fluttershy trotted up the stairs, and as soon as Spike heard the door close, he said out loud, “Come on out, Angel. I know you’re there.”

Sure enough, the naughty rabbit hopped into the room, his smirk still present.

“I know it’s you that told Harry and Fuzzy Legs to cuddle with me,” Spike accused.

Angel’s smirk only grew wider.

“What’s your problem, Angel? I just want to cuddle with Fluttershy,” Spike asked with a frown.

Angel scowled and pointed a paw at him.

“Me? You have a problem with me? But I thought we were cool after the whole pet-sitting thing?”

Angel proceeded to gesture with his paws and even included an imitation of Fluttershy and a not so flattering version of Spike.

“What?! You think I’m bullying her into cuddling me?! I would never do that to Fluttershy.” Spike rolled his eyes as Angel replied with a flurry of movement. “Yes, I brought it up with her, but I didn’t make her do anything. I offered to let it go, but she wants to do this.”

Angel made a few more gestures with his paws, including a few rude ones, before turning his back to Spike with his arms across his chest.

“So you’re just looking out for her to make sure she doesn’t get hurt?” Spike paused for a moment and tapped his chin. “Oh, I think I get it now. Let me guess, you cuddle with Fluttershy a lot, don’t you?”

Angel’s head turned slightly towards him, showing an eyebrow that reached up to his tall ears.

“You’re jealous that Fluttershy wants to cuddle with me, aren’t you?” Spike said with a slowly growing smirk of his own.

There was a barely perceivable flinch from the bunny, but Spike had been watching closely and caught it.

Spike sighed. “Look, Angel, this cuddling thing is for my noble dragon code, and it’s very important to me. I would really appreciate it if you’ll just let me do this. I promise that I’m not trying to take your place or anything.

“Besides, do you really think Fluttershy is ever going to forget about you? You make her do all sorts of stuff for you, and you have to admit that you’re pretty demanding. And yet, she does it all for you with a smile. She loves you very much.”

Angel turned his head even more, both of his eyes staring at Spike with interest.

“I can understand that you want to protect her, but Fluttershy should be able to try new things if she wants to and without you going behind her back to sabotage things. She can’t do the same thing every day, and you want her to be happy, right?”

Angel’s posture sagged, and he nodded.

“So is it alright if I cuddle with Fluttershy? I’ll even make sure to not do it for too long if you want.”

Angel fully turned to Spike, staring at him with a scrutinizing glare, and after a few moments, he slowly nodded.

“Thanks, Angel,” Spike said with a smile.

Angel rolled his eyes and waved him off.

With the bunny’s blessing, Spike finally went up the stairs, towards Fluttershy’s room, and knocked on the door. “Hey, Fluttershy, it’s Spike.”

“Come on in, Spike.”

Spike entered the room to find Fluttershy sitting down on the bed

“Was everything alright?” Fluttershy asked. “You took a little longer than I thought. Um, not that I mind.”

“Yeah, sorry about that. Angel wanted to say hi to me.” Spike decided to save both Fluttershy and Angel some trouble.

Fluttershy smiled. “Oh, that’s so nice of him.”

“Yeah, heh… Nice…” Spike cleared his throat. “So, you all ready, Fluttershy?”

With a nod from Fluttershy, Spike closed the door, hopefully ensuring their privacy, and then climbed onto the bed so that they can pick up where they left off. As Spike moved to bring his arms to Fluttershy’s neck like before, he noticed that Fluttershy already had her hooves around him and was hugging him tightly.

“Wow, you really wanted to resume cuddling, didn’t you?” Spike remarked.

Fluttershy blushed and loosened her grip. “Oh, uh, sorry, Spike. Was I too fast?”

Spike chuckled. “I’m just amused that you’re a lot more eager than when we first started.”

“Well, you are a wonderful cuddler, Spike. It has been a whole different experience doing it with you than with my animal friends, in a good way of course.”

“So I take it you’re feeling more comfortable with the thought of cuddling with ponies?”

“Baby steps, Spike. I suppose I could try it out with one of our friends if the situation called for it. But um…” Fluttershy smiled down at Spike with a small blush. “I certainly would not mind doing this again with you, preferably without any interruptions.”

Spike nodded and patted Fluttershy’s neck. “Me too.”

“I also have to thank you for being so patient. I know it was a bit awkward for you with Harry and Fuzzy Legs, but you were so nice to them. You were also patient with me when I was worrying so much about messing things up. Cuddling with somepony other than my animal friends is so different, and I have to admit, sort of scary.”

“Well, I was kind of skeptical when I found out about this cuddling thing, but after I tried it out, I had the time of my life. In fact, I’m having another one right now with you. Sometimes you have to just get out and do something different. You can’t be too cautious and end up missing some great things.”

Fluttershy giggled, and she leaned forward to rub her muzzle on Spike’s nose. “Thank you, Spike. I’ll try to keep that in mind.”

Silence fell over them when neither of them had anything else to say, but that was more than fine for the both of them. It allowed them to concentrate on the more important things, like how pleasant and satisfying their cuddling was.

But of course, Spike encountered another bump in the road. When he shifted his position, he noted that the door was slightly ajar and a small head was peeking from behind it. “Angel?”

Fluttershy raised her head to look at her pet. “Angel? Is there something the matter?”

Angel stared at Spike and Fluttershy for a few moments before slowly shaking his head.

“Oh, so you were just checking on us?”

Angel nodded.

“Well, we’re doing fine. More than fine actually. Spike is such a gentledragon. Would it be alright if I spend a bit more time with him?”

Angel hesitated for a few moments, his head looking back and forth between Spike and Fluttershy, before he nodded.

Fluttershy smiled. “Thank you, Angel. I’ll be sure to come down and check on you before long.”

Angel gave the pegasus a small smile before turning away.

“Wait, Angel,” Spike called out, getting the bunny to look back at him. “Do you want to join us?”

Angel’s eyes widened, and he cocked his head.

“Are you sure, Spike?” Fluttershy asked.

“Yeah, he’s cool.” Spike gave Angel a smile and patted a spot between him and Fluttershy. “Come on, buddy.”

Angel quickly hopped across the room and onto the bed with a big smile. Spike and Fluttershy shifted around, allowing the bunny to nest inside a crevice between them before placing a hoof and claw over him.

Fluttershy closed her eyes and let out a happy sigh.

Spike smiled at Fluttershy before turning his attention to Angel. He chuckled to find Angel staring at him with a smile of his own and a raised eyebrow. He raised his fist toward the bunny, and shortly after, Angel tapped it with his paw in a fist bump.

With peace restored between them, Spike and Angel closed their eyes to enjoy their remaining time in cuddly bliss.

Spike might have had to do a bit more work than he had planned to at Fluttershy’s, along with some incidents he is going to do his best to scrub out of his memories, but it was certainly worth it to finally get in some quality cuddle time with Fluttershy… even if he did have to share it with Angel.

Rainbow Dash

Spike was merrily walking back to the main part of Ponyville from Fluttershy’s home. He was two for two on his cuddle conquest, and he hoped his streak would continue so that he could finish seeing the rest of his friends by the end of the day, leaving him with plenty of time to prepare for Twilight and Starlight’s return tomorrow.

Then again, it was only going to get harder from now on. For the most part, Applejack and Fluttershy were easy to cuddle with. The rest of his friends were going to be more difficult in one way or another.

Speaking of, Spike stopped walking, taking a moment to look up. Ever since he had left the castle, he had been scanning the skies for one of his more elusive friends.

Rainbow Dash was probably the hardest to locate among all of his friends due to her ability to fly and urge to not stay in one place for too long, unless she was napping. Even though Fluttershy could also fly, she preferred to stay on the ground and near her home and animals. Rainbow, however, spent almost all of her time in the air, and Spike did not have the ability to search every cloud for the prismatic pegasus. He looked for rainbow trails, clouds exploding, or deafening snores, but so far, there had been no signs of Rainbow.

Spike sighed and resumed his walk back to town.

After a while, as Spike was reaching the end of the grassy fields that separated Ponyville’s farms and the main town, he heard a faint whining sound. Stopping underneath a tree, he looked around for the source of the noise that was steadily growing louder. To his surprise, the growing racket sounded like a pony screaming, a scream that was vaguely familiar.

Then the tree exploded… sort of. Spike’s heart, as well as the rest of his body, leapt when something crashed into the branches above him. He barely had time to crouch and cover his head before it started to rain leaves and twigs.

When the haze of foliage cleared up, Spike looked up and saw a familiar groaning pegasus slumped over one of the bigger branches.

“Whoa, you okay there, Rainbow?” Spike shouted.

“Ow ow ow ow ow…” was all Rainbow replied with as she stirred and twitched, oblivious to Spike’s call.

“Rainbow, you alright?” Spike shouted again amongst Rainbow’s moans.

“Huh? What?” Rainbow’s gaze finally looked down at the dragon. “Oh, hey, Spike.”

“You need me to help or call somepony? That looked like a rough landing.”

“Na, it’s cool. It’s just a scratch. Give me a few minutes.”

Spike slowly nodded, keeping an eye on the pegasus. He watched as Rainbow began to stretch out her legs and limbs, only to wince when he heard the sound of bones popping.

“Ooh, I’m going to feel that tomorrow…” Rainbow moaned.

Another series of pops immediately followed.

“And that…”

Ever more pops and crackings filled the air.

“Those too…”

“Just a scratch, huh?” Spike remarked with a raised eyebrow.

Rainbow rolled her eyes. “Fine, a few scratches, but nothing that’s going to keep me down, so stop worrying.”

Rainbow stood up on the branch and then jumped off. As she flapped her wings a few times to slow her fall, she grunted a few times. When she landed next to Spike, she groaned and gingerly flexed her feathery appendages.

“You going to be okay?” Spike asked with a concerned frown.

“Yeah, I’ll be alright. Just need a little down time, and I’ll be back in the air in no time.”

“What were you doing that made you crash anyway?”

An eager grin appeared on Rainbow’s face. “Oh, I was just trying to perfect this new trick I’ve been working on. It’s where I fly around in a bunch of loops while spinning really fast and then I suddenly rocket off this way and then…” Rainbow sat down to continue explaining her trick by adding her hooves and even some helpful sound effects.

Tuning out the riveting details of Rainbow’s presentation, Spike merely nodded until the pegasus stopped talking and then asked, “So what went wrong?”

Rainbow let out a single nervous chuckle and rubbed the back of her head. “Well, I kind of lost track of how long I have been going at it, and I guess I was due for a break. One of my wings cramped up in the middle of the trick, and I lost control.”

“Yeah, that definitely sounds like you. At least your crash makes things easier for me. I was looking for you.”

“Oh? What’s up?”

“You remember my dragon code, right?”

“Sure do. It was pretty cool you were able to build that rock tower, but wasn’t it totally awesome when I knocked it down?!”

“So awesome! If you ever do it again, can I watch?”

Rainbow bit her lip. “Uh, yeah, if I ever do it again…”

“Cool, thanks! Anyway, getting back on track, I found some new stuff about the noble dragon code, and it wants me to do something for you.”

A big grin sprouted on Rainbow’s face. “Oh sweet, does this mean you’re going to follow me around and do whatever I say?! Because I got a bunch of chores that need to be done, like this funky smell in my—”

“Uh, no, sorry, none of that, Rainbow,” Spike interrupted. “What I want to do is cuddle with you.”

Rainbow blinked. “Cuddle with me?” She blinked several times more times before collapsing to the ground in laughter. “Bahahaha, that’s a good one, Spike!”

Spike rolled his eyes. With a sigh, he folded his arms across his chest and patiently watched the laughing pegasus rolling on the ground.

Rainbow’s chortling started to die down, but when she saw the deadpan expression Spike was giving her, her joy instantly evaporated. “Oh, you’re being serious. My bad.”

Spike shrugged. “It’s cool. To be honest, I pretty much expected a response like that. I know you don’t like sappy stuff the same way you don’t like doing that pampering stuff they do at the spa.”

“Right… Hate those spa stuff…” Rainbow replied, turning her head away.

“Are you blushing?” Spike asked curiously.

“N-no! I-it’s just from all the flying I just did!”

“Uh, okay?”

“Anyway… You really weren’t kidding about you cuddling me for some dragon code thing?”

Spike nodded. “It’s all true. I’m supposed to cuddle with my close friends. It lets me show my appreciation for how awesome all of you are by doing it in a way we would both enjoy.”

“Well, I guess that sounds cool and all, but you said it yourself, that sort of stuff isn’t really my thing,” Rainbow replied, rubbing the back of her neck with a hoof. “Sorry, dude.”

“You sure? I know it’s not really your thing, but it’s actually really awesome. Trust me. I was wary of it at first, but after trying it with Fluttershy and Applejack, it’s got to be one of the best things ever.”

“Fluttershy and Applejack, huh?” Rainbow took a moment to rub her chin in thought. “Ehh… Sorry, Spike, but my answer is still no. I got a reputation to keep.”

Spike gave a huge sigh of disappointment. “Well, it was worth a shot.”

“Maybe you can think of something else that we can do,” Rainbow suggested. She moved closer and used her forehoof to ruffle the spines on Spike’s head. “Thanks for understanding, Spike.”

With their close proximity, Spike’s eyes were soon drawn to Rainbow’s wings and noticed that they were twitching and fidgeting. “Hey, is something wrong with your wings?”

Rainbow sighed and slowly opened then closed her wings, wincing the entire time. “Yeah, they’re really sore. I guess it’s from my intense workout and the crash. I’m probably going to be grounded for the rest of the day, which is going to suck.”

“Then how about a wing massage instead of a cuddle?”

Rainbow gave him an unsure frown. “Uh, I’m not sure that’s a good idea. Wings are pretty sensitive, and you can actually make things worse if you don’t know what you’re doing.”

“I know that. That’s why I read up a bunch of stuff on wing care.”

“Wait? Really? Why would you do that? Getting a headstart for when you finally grow your own?”

Spike scoffed. “No… Of course not!” Receiving a raised eyebrow from Rainbow, he sighed. “Okay, maybe a little bit, but the main reason was because Twilight became an alicorn. Neither of us knew much about wing care, so we read up on it. I picked up some wing massage techniques when she was complaining about all the flight training you put her through.”

“What?! My training program was perfectly fine!”

“Says the pegasus who crashed from working on a trick too much,” Spike added with a grin.

Rainbow frowned, glaring at Spike for a few moments before letting out a huff. “Fine, you might have a point, but it’s not all of my fault. You got to admit that the egghead really needs to get out more.”

Spike chuckled. “No arguments here. So, how about that wing massage? A good one can probably get you up and flying a lot sooner.”

“Well, I guess that’s true… Alright fine. I’m still not sure if you can handle me, but I guess I’ll give you a chance.” Rainbow lowered her head so that her muzzle was close to Spike’s face, and she poked the dragon’s stomach with a forehoof. “And you’re not going to say a word about this to anypony, got it?”

After Spike agreed to keep their upcoming time together a secret and at Rainbow’s request, they walked to a larger tree in the distance and off the path.

Away from prying eyes, Rainbow sat on her haunches behind the tree. As she slowly unfurled her wings, she said, “Might as well get right to it. The faster we do this, the less likely somepony might stumble upon us.”

“Yeah, yeah, I’m on it.” Spike hurried to stand behind Rainbow. “You want to lay down? You’ll be more comfortable.”

“Na, I’m cool. Oh, and Spike?” Rainbow turned her head to look back at him and gave a small smile. “Thanks.”

Spike smiled back. “No problem, Rainbow.” He raised his claws towards Rainbow’s wings. “I’m going to start now, so go ahead and relax.”

After receiving a nod and watching Rainbow take a deep breath, Spike gently put both of his claws on Rainbow’s left wing and applied a small amount of pressure. He promptly felt Rainbow flinch, and it was accompanied by a grunt. Halting the massage, he asked, “You okay, Rainbow?”

“Yeah, it’s just the soreness. Nothing new. Keep going.”

Spike resumed the massage by slowly running his claws up and down the length of the wing, periodically squeezing lightly. Rainbow continued to twitch and groan, but as Spike worked out the tension and could feel the muscles start to relax, Rainbow’s noises of discomfort shifted to moans of contentment.

“Ohhhh maaaan… That’s the stuff…”

Spike snickered. He was both pleased and amused at the way Rainbow was turning into putty in his claws. “Still think I can’t give a wing massage?”

“Just shut up and keep rubbing,” Rainbow replied, which was shortly followed by another satisfied moan.

Spike continued working the length of Rainbow’s left wing with the same technique, adding small amounts of pressure over time. Bit by bit, he could feel his work loosen Rainbow’s muscles until it reached a point where there was no more he could do and moved on to the right wing.

And the cycle begin anew as Rainbow started with her grunts and flinches before they slowly descended into the incoherent noises of one satisfied pegasus.

Eventually, Spike finished working the right wing as well, leaving him with the last part of the massage. He moved one claw to each side of Rainbow’s back. Using the tips of each digit and making sure they would not scratch, he pressed down where the base of the wings merged with Rainbow’s body.

Rainbow let out a loud, elongated, and borderline-inappropriate moan before falling forward onto her stomach with a dopey smile on her face that ponies only used when they were in mindblowing bliss.

Spike had to restrain himself from not bursting out in laughter. He knew Twilight liked it when he did this technique, but her responses were nowhere near as dramatic as Rainbow’s. Kneeling down to compensate for the new position, he proceeded to knead and rub the last of Rainbow’s wing sores.

“There, all done,” Spike said after he finally finished with the massage and got back on his feet.

“Dude…” Rainbow flipped over on her back so that she could look at Spike, her blissful smile still present. “That… was… awesome… And those claws of yours… awesome… You’re awesome…”

“Twilight was right. We really need to get you a dictionary or thesaurus,” Spike replied, grinning over both his quip and the praise he received.

“Yeah, yeah, really funny.” Rainbow sat back up and looked back at her wings as she slowly moved and flexed them. “Man, my wings feel great! You’re awesome!”

Spike chuckled. “So I heard. What are you going to do now?”

“My wings are still a bit sore, but it’s loads better after you helped out. I’ll probably take it easy, maybe a nap, and then see if I’ll be better later and be able to squeeze in some more practice.”

“Well, good luck with that. I’ll leave you be and try out Pinkie and Rarity before the day is over.”

“Wait, anything I can do to help or something else you need?” Rainbow asked. “I kind of owe you for the awesome massage.”

Spike smiled and merely waved it off with a claw. “No worries. It was for my dragon code, even if we didn’t get to cuddle. I’ll catch you later, Rainbow.”

Spike started making his way back towards the path, but he was once again stopped by Rainbow crying out, “Wait, Spike!”

“Yeah, Rainbow?” Spike asked, turning his head back at the pegasus.

“Do you…” Rainbow sighed and looked away before continuing in a lower voice that Spike could barely hear. “Do you still want to cuddle?”

“Seriously?” Spike asked wide-eyed. “But I thought you said—”

“Yes, I know what I said, but I also know your dragon code thingy is important to you. Even after I turned you down, you still treated me to a great massage. I wouldn’t be much of a friend if I wasn’t willing to risk a bit of my coolness for my friends, especially after they just did me a solid.”

“Well, that would be great if we could cuddle,” Spike remarked, walking back to Rainbow with a slowly-growing smile on his face. “But are you sure you want to do this?”

“Of course I do,” Rainbow replied with a grin, only for it to fade a second later as she swiveled her head around. “But, uh, let’s just keep it short.”

Spike’s smile faded. Rainbow had good intentions, but she was still not really into the cuddling idea. She was just suggesting to cuddle out of obligation. While Spike would like to continue his cuddling streak, he also did not want to force his friend’s hoof.

“Look, Rainbow,” Spike said. “I know you’re still worried about ponies seeing you do sappy stuff, so don’t worry about cuddling. The wing massage was sort of like a cuddle, so that has got to be worth some points at least, right?”

“Some points is not all the points,” Rainbow pointed out with a frown. “You deserve the full deal.”

“Really, Rainbow, it’s alright. Besides, I have a feeling your cuddles wouldn’t be as great like Fluttershy's and Applejack's.”

Before Spike knew it, Rainbow was right in front of him and glaring down at him. Her eyes had shrunk into tiny balls, and her lips were pursed upwards in a very angry frown.

“What do you mean I wouldn’t be as great?!” Rainbow demanded.

“I, uh, er…” Spike nervously tapped his claws together, and his eyes frequently glanced at the ground. “What I meant was that it might be possible you wouldn’t be a good cuddler since you don’t really seem into it.”

“I’m awesome at everything, including cuddling!” Rainbow declared. “Well, okay, I can get Fluttershy being a better cuddler, but I’m definitely better than Applejack!”

“Um, well, I guess that’s a possibility,” Spike said, trying his best to scoot away without Rainbow noticing. “Even though Applejack has a lot of cuddling experience with Apple Bloom and—” He clapped a claw over his mouth when he realized he was just fanning the flames of Rainbow’s competitiveness.

“Oh yeah?! I’ll show you!” Rainbow quickly tossed Spike onto her back with her head and then rushed back to their spot behind the tree. “I’m going to cuddle you so hard! I’m going all cuddlepocalypse on your scaly butt! That’ll show you who's the best cuddler!”

Before Spike could protest, Rainbow bucked him off her, launching him straight up into the air. He yowled when gravity took over and started to pull him down. He closed his eyes, waiting for the moment he made a baby dragon-sized hole in the grass, but instead of slamming into the hard, unforgiving ground, his back landed on something soft.

“Huh? What?” Spike opened his eyes and looked around to see that he was now lying on Rainbow’s stomach, who had the upper half of her body lying against the tree. He moved to get up, but Rainbow’s forehooves quickly wrapped around his body, pressing him back into the soft pony coat and locking his arms to his sides.

“You’re not going anywhere until you get the best cuddling you ever received,” Rainbow explained. She shifted her hind legs to cover Spike’s legs, further trapping the dragon in her embrace. “Whether you like it or not.”

Spike gulped and nodded, resigning himself to whatever cuddly fate Rainbow had in store for him. He felt Rainbow’s grip tighten around his whole body. It was firm, but not uncomfortably so. Once his fears for the overzealous pegasus had faded away, he actually found the position he was in to be quite pleasant. With all four of Rainbow’s legs curled around him, he felt safe. Well, as safe as he would feel when he was being held by a hot-headed pegasus.

“You want me to do anything for you while we’re like this, Rainbow?” Spike asked.

“No, you’re being cuddled. You’re just going to lay there and take it.”

Spike shrugged and relaxed, allowing himself to sink deeper into Rainbow’s cuddle. He certainly had no complaints to be able to take a passive role this time around. Cuddling with his friends had been rewarding, but it had also been quite tiring.

He had to admit that he did not expect Rainbow’s cuddling prowess, given all the reluctance she had been exhibiting earlier. However, with how snug and comfortable he was in Rainbow’s hooves, he had to say the pegasus was certainly giving Fluttershy and Applejack a run for their bits.

And then Rainbow stepped up her game.

Spike let out a silent “Whoa” when Rainbow’s wings stretched out to her sides and converged on him. They could not completely cover him, but the parts the soft feathers could reach felt like they were draped by a warm blanket.

Between feeling the calming movements of Rainbow’s breathing upon his back and the cozy feathers and soft hair around the other parts of his body, Spike was finding it hard to describe how fantastic he was feeling, something that has been occurring quite often today.

Then again, a good cuddle was worth a thousand words. Or at least, that’s what his cuddle-addled brain was telling him at the moment.

Glancing up, Spike could see the stern, determined face that Rainbow was wearing earlier had melted away into a small, lazy smile, a sign that the pegasus was indeed enjoying their cuddle session.

“So, uh, sorry if I got a bit carried away earlier,” Rainbow finally spoke, breaking their cuddling silence.

“A bit?” Spike repeated with a chuckle. “I knew you were competitive, but I didn’t think it would extend to cuddling.”

“Hey, an awesome pony like me has to be good at all sorts of stuff.”

“Well, you certainly got me convinced that you’re an awesome cuddler. Sorry, that I assumed that you weren’t.”

Rainbow shrugged. “Eh, guess I can sort of see how you thought that. Just don’t forget I’m naturally awesome at everything, and we’ll call it even.”

Spike snorted with laughter. “Yeah, sure. I’ll try to keep that in mind.”

Rainbow moved one of her forehooves up to Spike’s head and gave him a noogie. “You better!”

“Alright, alright, I will!” Spike cried out as he squirmed and giggled.

After they settled back down and cuddled for a few more minutes, Spike checked the sun’s position and reluctantly noted that it was time for him to end his cuddle session with Rainbow. “Looks like I should be heading out now. I still got to try Pinkie and Rarity before I got to go home and get ready for Twilight and Starlight’s return.”

“Oh, right,” Rainbow replied, disappointment evident in her short reply. She paused for a few seconds before adding, “Gotta admit that this was pretty nice.”

“Told you cuddling was awesome.”

“Yeah, yeah…”

Spike smirked when he could practically hear the eye roll in Rainbow’s voice. When he tried to get up, he found that Rainbow’s hooves were still locked tightly around him. Looking up at Rainbow’s face with a raised eyebrow, he asked, “Uh, Rainbow, you mind letting me go?”

“Oh, uh, right. I guess I could, but, uh…” Rainbow blushed. “Could we maybe have five more minutes?”

Spike let out an amused sigh and then laid his head back on Rainbow. “Alright, five more minutes.”

It would be quite a bit more than five minutes before Rainbow finally let Spike go, along with yet another promise to not mention their activities together to anypony.

Pinkie Pie

Soon after Spike left Rainbow, he entered the main part of Ponyville and was now walking through the streets. He was still riding on the euphoria from his latest cuddles, and it showed. Anypony that happened to pass by Spike was treated to a hearty hello, and many noted the chipper mood of the jolly dragon.

With only two more of his friends left on today’s list of cuddlees, Spike wondered which one he should head to first. Pinkie or Rarity?

A thundering rumble boomed through the air, and Spike hastily looked left and right to identify the scary sound. All he saw were a couple of ponies, but for some reason, they all seemed to be staring at him with wide eyes. The rumble sounded again, but this time, Spike realized what it was, and he looked down at his grumbling stomach.

Cuddling was certainly amazing and all of that, but apparently, it also worked up quite the appetite. At least his hungry tummy answered his prior query on who to cuddle next.

After giving the nearby ponies a sheepish smile, Spike hurried over to Sugarcube Corner. There, he hoped to get a snack along with some cuddling with Pinkie.

It was not long before Spike arrived at the confection-covered shop, and he went right on in through the door. The familiar greeting bell rang above him, but it was quickly drowned out by a loud, lively “Hi, Spike!” by the pink poofy pony behind the counter.

“Hey, Pinkie!” Spike greeted, walking up to the counter. “Got any Spike Specials today?”

Spike Specials were pretty much an assortment of pastries with various gems added in. He greatly appreciated the fact that Pinkie and the Cakes would dedicate the time and effort to whip up a few every now and then. As beautiful as many of them looked, he was the only one who could actually eat them.

He recalled one time when Pinkie, who was always eager to nibble or inhale any sugary treat, tried out one of the gem-infused desserts. Turned out that even Pinkie’s seemingly-bottomless, iron stomach had its limits, and the noises that erupted from the bathroom shortly afterwards still haunted Spike’s nightmares to this day.

“Yep!” Pinkie bent down behind the counter and came back up with a plate carrying two cupcakes with chunks of gems sticking out of the frosting. “I wanted to try making a new kind of cupcake, but I couldn’t decide what kind of gem to use. There’s just so many colors! I spent all morning thinking what I could do. And then an amazing idea hit me, not literally of course, because that would hurt. Then again, do ideas even hurt? I mean, it’s all in our heads, but I think Twilight once said the stuff in our heads can be pretty scary, especially mine, but I—”

“You went and used all of the gems…” Spike said out loud, finishing Pinkie’s explanation before she veered even further off course. He was staring at the cupcakes with a strand of drool dripping out of his mouth. Pinkie’s creation was a smorgasboard of colors that would put any rainbow to shame, and that was just the display that could be seen on the surface. There was no telling what wonders lay within.

“Well, go ahead and try one, Spike.” Pinkie placed the plate on the counter and slid it toward Spike with her usual peppy grin. “It’s on the house!” Her mouth scrunched up in thought. “Or maybe I should say it’s on the bakery? But that doesn’t really make sense because we’re actually in the bakery, and the only thing they’re on is the plate. Maybe I should…”

Ignoring Pinkie’s spiel for the moment, Spike licked his lips and grabbed one of the cupcakes. He took a bite, taking out half the sweet in one go. His body shuddered as it tried to comprehend the sheer number of flavors that hit his taste buds, and every bite was its own unique, glorious experience.

Pinkie giggled as Spike hurriedly devoured the rest of the cupcake and immediately went for the second. Not a single crumb survived the dragon attack.

“Oh man, that was so good, Pinkie. I really needed that,” Spike remarked with a sigh of contentment and a pat on his now-full belly. “I’ve had such a busy day with some of our friends, I forgot to grab a bite.”

“Ooh, what were you doing with them? Pranking? Tap dancing? Spelunking?”

Spike chuckled. “Nope, cuddling. I went and cuddled with Applejack, Fluttershy, and R—er, and one more pony that does not want to be named.”

Pinkie’s eyes widened, and her pupils dilated. “Really? You were cuddling with our friends?”

“Yeah, it was for—”

Pinkie’s face was suddenly thrusted right in front of Spike’s. “Oh! Oh! Oh! Do I get super-duper awesome dragon cuddles too?!”

Spike blinked. In hindsight, he probably should have known that convincing Pinkie to cuddle with him would be pretty easy. After all, Pinkie was more of a hooves-on pony when it came to showing her friendliness. That and the fact that she had demonstrated time after time again that she did not really understand the meaning of “personal space”.

“Er, yeah, but don’t you also want to know why I went to cuddle with our friends?” Spike asked.

“Don’t care! You’re cuddling with me! That’s all I need to know!” Pinkie turned in the direction of the kitchen and bellowed, “Mrs. Cake! I’m taking a break to cuddle with Spike!”

“That’s fine, dear,” Mrs. Cake’s voice replied. “Just make sure you’re not too noisy like last time.”

“Wait, what?” Spike asked out loud.

Pinkie’s response was to use a hoof to scoop Spike up and throw him onto her back. Spike had to immediately cling to Pinkie’s neck when the perky pony literally hopped up the stairs, down the hallway, and into her room.

Spike yelped when he was bucked off Pinkie, straight into the air, and then promptly landed in Pinkie’s forehooves as she stood up.

Flashing an enormous grin to Spike that was wider than her usual ones, Pinkie cried out, “It’s cuddle time!”

Spike’s eyes shot wide open when he felt Pinkie’s hooves shift him slightly backwards. “Pinkie, don’t throoooow meeeee!”

Spike was sent flying through the air, his arms flailing and flapping wildly. He crashed into the bed… only to bounce straight back up into the air. He yelped several more times as he helplessly went up and down on the springy bed before finally losing enough momentum to allow him to plop face-first into the mattress.

Spike breathed a sigh of relief, although it was fully absorbed by the bed-sheets his face was buried in.

“Cannonball!”

Spike’s head shot right up just in time for his wide eyes to see a pink blur land next to him and promptly launch him high into the air once again. As gravity started to bring him down once again, he was starting to rue the bed Pinkie rigged to double as a trampoline. The pink mare was bouncy enough without it.

When he landed on his back, he found that he was resting on Pinkie’s stomach instead of the mattress with her hooves already entangling him and completely locking him in place.

Spike soon realized that he was in a similar cuddling position that Rainbow did with him. With how much he enjoyed his time with Rainbow, Spike relaxed into Pinkie’s embrace, content on allowing his pink friend to take the reins for the time being.

Unsurprisingly, Spike found Pinkie’s body to be a more cushy pillow than their other friends. Pinkie was able to consume far more food and sugar than the average pony, and yet all it gave her was the tiniest bit of pudge. It was one of the mysteries of Pinkie Pie, and a source of jealousy for many.

As expected, Spike found himself being lulled into a state of tranquility in the hooves of one of his friends. With how warm and snug he felt, it was not long before his eyes started to droop as he slowly drifted off to sleep. Pinkie’s cuddling was quite amazing, almost breathtaking in fact.

A few seconds later, Spike’s eyes shot wide open when he realized that his breath was literally being taken away.

“P-Pinkie… can’t… breathe…” Spike gasped. He had not realized Pinkie’s grip on him had been slowly tightening over time until it had reached the point where he could not get any precious air.

Desperately squirming around in his cuddly prison, he managed to wriggle one of his hands free to feebly slap one of Pinkie’s legs. To Spike’s immense relief, Pinkie soon got the message and let him go.

“Oops, guess I got a teensy-weensy bit carried away,” Pinkie apologized with a sheepish smile as Spike slid off of her and gasped for air. “My bad.”

A teensy-weensy bit? Despite his entire body heaving, Spike’s eye twitched. Harry’s bearhug was nothing compared to the Pinkie Hug he just received. In his desire for cuddles, he had forgotten one of Ponyville’s most important rules: Don’t underestimate Pinkie Pie.

Taking a deep breath, both to compose himself and refill his oxygen levels, Spike said, “It’s alright, Pinkie. I’m fine.”

“That’s good. So, uh, that doesn’t mean it’s the end of cuddle time, right?”

Spike glanced up and saw the hopeful pout on Pinkie’s face. He sighed and gave her a small smile. “Of course we can keep on cuddling. Just be more careful, alright?”

Pinkie perked right back up. “Okie dokie lokie! And sorry about that, Spike. I was just super-duper excited to finally be able to cuddle again. I tried to do it with Gummy, but he always does it wrong and the ensuing conversation is always sooo awkward,” she explained, throwing up her hooves in the air. “I also tried asking other ponies, but it seems like nopony is interested. All I usually get are funny looks and the occasional pony running away and screaming.”

“Uh, gee, I wonder why…” Spike replied with a slow nod. “So, uh, do you want to try again now?”

Pinkie nodded fervently, and she quickly reached for Spike. “Sure do!”

“Wait!” Spike cried out, and Pinkie’s hooves stopped inches away from his face. “Um, could I maybe pick how we cuddle?”

“Sure, Spike! Whatever you want!” Pinkie chirped.

“Alright then, well, um…” Spike scratched his head. He was still wary of Pinkie’s exuberance, so he would rather remain on the cautious side. After a few seconds, he came up with a new position he wanted to try. “Hey, Pinkie, could you lay on your stomach?”

Pinkie nodded and did as she was told, tucking her hind legs to her sides and folding her forearms across her chest as she lowered herself onto the mattress.

Spike climbed up onto his friend’s back and straddled his legs at the base of Pinkie’s neck. He leaned forward and began using his claws to rub Pinkie’s neck.

“There, how’s that?” Spike asked.

“Ooh, that does feel good. But what am I supposed to do?” Pinkie asked, turning her head slightly towards Spike.

“That’s the beauty of it. You just get to sit and relax while I give you the time of your life.”

“Uh, okay then… I guess…” Pinkie replied before turning her head to look straight ahead.

Hearing Pinkie’s uncertainty, Spike got right to work to try and change her mind. After all, Applejack and Rainbow both loved it when he used his claws so that meant Pinkie should too.

Using the experience from his previous cuddling sessions, he massaged and kneaded Pinkie, stroking up and down her neck and even reaching forward to tend to her front. Even though he did not hear any satisfied moans and sighs, he kept at it. As he started to work his way up to Pinkie’s head, he was able to marvel the wonders of Pinkie’s poofy mane as his fingers ran through her hair.

Pinkie’s mane, like Pinkie herself, was a bit of an oddity. Every time he parted or dug into the hair, it would bounce back into place as soon as he removed his claw, as though he had never touched it. The weirdest thing was that Pinkie was somehow able to store objects within it. Making his way through Pinkie’s mane, he found a flashlight, a chew toy for Gummy, and a few bits.

“Oh sweet, a gem!” Spike cheered as he felt the familiar object and extracted it from the depths of Pinkie’s mane. Despite it having a few strands of pink hair on it, he promptly popped the gem into his mouth. To his surprise, he tasted hints of cotton candy.

As he chewed on his discovery, he leaned forward to see Pinkie’s face. He was disappointed to find Pinkie was just looking forward with a tiny frown. “Hey, Pinkie, what’s wrong? Don’t you like this?”

“Huh?” Pinkie’s head turned so that she could fully look at Spike and flash him a smile. “Oh no, you’re doing a great job, Spike.”

“Then why doesn’t it look like you’re enjoying it?”

“Well… you’re cuddling me, which is nice and all, but I’m not actually cuddling either so…”

Spike just sat there, staring at Pinkie. After a few moments, he facepalmed and groaned. “Sorry, Pinkie. I thought you would like this, but I should have figured that you wouldn’t be the type to just sit back. You want to be a part of the fun.”

“I sure do!” Pinkie chirped. “So, got a different position you want to try?”

“Hmm, let me think,” Spike replied as he jumped back onto the bed. Pinkie sat up on her haunches and stared at him with rapt attention. “Okay, first, just lie down on your side.”

“Like this?” Pinkie tipped over her entire body onto the bed, landing with a heavy thwump. Her hooves were still in the same position they were in when she had been seated on her haunches a moment ago.

“Uh, right. Now, just let me…” Spike lay down next to Pinkie and moved closer to her head so that he could get his arms around Pinkie’s neck, just like he had done for Fluttershy. “Okay, I’m all set, but, uh, just remember to not squeeze me too hard again.”

“Yay! Cuddle time, take three!” Pinkie cheered, and in a flash, her forehooves wrapped around Spike.

Spike had a brief moment of panic at Pinkie’s enthusiasm, but he calmed down when it looked like Pinkie had heeded his warning. Pinkie’s grip was still tight, but not bone-crushingly so like last time.

Spike reciprocated Pinkie’s affection by squeezing her right back with his arms, even if it paled in comparison to the eccentric pony’s strength. His efforts seemed to be appreciated regardless as Pinkie shifted around so that she could bring her head down to Spike’s face.

“You’re so cuddle-wuddly, Spike,” Pinkie said as she mashed their cheeks together and began rubbing them up and down. “Thanks for staying and keeping the cuddle party going. I really appreciate it.”

Spike smiled. “Well, that’s what I wanted to do. I’m cuddling with all of my friends to show my appreciation for them, so I’m glad that you’re enjoying it now.”

“I sure am! Cuddles are the best!” Pinkie cheered as she pressed them together even more.

“They sure are! I just started trying it out today, and I’m loving it!”

“That’s great! Oh, I know, we should totally throw a cuddle party! We can invite everypony!”

Spike chuckled. While a town-wide cuddle did sound intriguing, he doubted that many ponies would attend that kind of party for a myriad of reasons. Still, he kept his mouth shut. That would be future Spike’s worry. Present Spike wanted to enjoy cuddle time now.

Pinkie continued to nuzzle their cheeks together, and she began to happily hum a lively tune, a sign that she was indeed having a good time. As more time passed, Pinkie began to bob and rock her body to the beat of her humming, and since Spike was in her grasp, he was taken along for the ride.

While finding it a bit odd, Spike merely shrugged it off. After all, it was not like he found it uncomfortable or bothersome in any way. Leave it to Pinkie to find a way to inject some liveliness to a quiet, easygoing activity. And Spike was perfectly fine with that.

After a while, Spike winced a bit. Pinkie had been at his cheeks non-stop, and she showed no signs of stopping. He was not gasping for air or feeling any pain, but Pinkie’s vigorous cuddling was rapidly wearing out his cheek muscles. He tried moving himself, but he was trapped in Pinkie’s hold, and any distance he managed to create was instantly closed.

Spike opened his mouth to get Pinkie to stop, but he stopped when he turned a little and caught sight of Pinkie’s huge smile. Closing his mouth, he decided that his cheeks could survive some more cuddling. The warm sensation of watching a pony he cared about have a pleasant time more than made up for the tiny discomfort.

That is, until Pinkie’s rocking became more and more vigorous until they lost control, and Spike cried out when he was suddenly splayed on his back with a pink pony on top of him.

“Pinkie!” Spike yelled into Pinkie’s hairs as he once again found himself desperately slapping the pink pony because his life depended on it. He was sure that something broke this time because he could hear ringing in his head.

“Aww, breaktime is over…” Pinkie said out loud, disappointment clearly ringing in her voice.

Spike gasped for air when Pinkie crawled off him and the bed. The ringing in his head grew more clearer and louder, but it only lasted a few seconds before it completely stopped.

Turning his head, he saw that Pinkie was backing away from an alarm clock on a nearby nightstand. He was pretty sure there was not an alarm clock there before, let alone one that Pinkie had somehow found the time to set up to tell her when it was the end of her break. Then again, a bunch of stuff went down as soon as he had set foot in Pinkie’s room and parts of it were blurry, although that might be because of the occasional lack of oxygen.

“Well, I've got to head back down,” Pinkie said while she trotted to the door. “Are you going to be heading out as well, Spike?”

Spike remained lying on the bed. “I think I’m just going to take a small break here, if you don’t mind.”

“Sure! No problemo! And thank you so much for the cuddles! It was super-riffic! Hope you had a great time too!”

Spike replied by sticking a hand straight in the air with a thumbs up. He let his arm lazily flop back down onto the mattress when he heard the door open and close and then followed by the sounds of departing hoofsteps.

Cuddling with Pinkie was intense. There were a few instances where things were too much for him, but they were overshadowed by the moments where he did enjoy Pinkie’s company. He would not be opposed to having another cuddle session with Pinkie, especially now that he knew what to expect, but it was probably a good idea to keep it in small doses. For now though, Spike was glad that he was able to have some time to rest.

Suddenly, the door swung open, slamming into the wall with a loud crash that nearly startled Spike off the bed.

“Oh, Spike… Guess who was able to get another break and is ready for more cuddles?!”

Spike let out a heavy sigh. “Oh horseapples…”

Rarity

It was almost time for Celestia to lower the sun and allow Luna to take over the sky when Carousel Boutique, Rarity’s home, came into Spike’s view.

His time with Pinkie had taken longer than he thought it would, but it had been worth it. Despite Pinkie’s cuddling being tiring and even a bit scary, he still had a pretty good time. To top it all off, Pinkie treated him to another round of desserts before he left, refueling his energy for his last cuddle of the day.

Walking up to Carousel Boutique, Spike reached forward to open the front door, only to stop right before his claw touched the doorknob. Spike bit his lip, and he had to close his eyes and take a deep breath when he could feel his heart start to race. While Rarity had told him and their friends many times that they do not have to knock on the door to visit her, there was another reason for his hesitation.

When he first came to Ponyville and met Rarity, he had fallen madly in love with her. Rarity was both beautiful and the epitome of elegance. After he and Twilight became friends with Rarity, he gravitated toward her, always ready to dote on her.

As time passed and he grew more mature, his overzealous adoration for Rarity had died down. He still had a crush on Rarity and would certainly leap at the chance to date her if the opportunity ever presented itself, but the unicorn was no longer the sole focus of his love life. It remained to be seen whether Rarity, somepony else, or even somedragon would be the one for him, but that was a story for some other time.

Now though, now was time for cuddling, or at least that was what Spike hoped to do. Still standing on Rarity’s doorstep, rocking on his heels with apprehension, Spike was debating if he was going to do this. Despite the four successful cuddles he had today, his crush for Rarity did raise the stakes, and even though he knew his friend would never scorn him, the very thought of cuddling with her was intimidating. He wanted to cuddle with Rarity, but at the same time, he did not want to.

Eventually, Spike took a deep breath and placed his claw on the doorknob. He reminded himself that this cuddling crusade was not about him or his crush. He was supposed to be cuddling his friends for their benefit and to show his appreciation for them. He was certainly capable of putting aside any thoughts of romance for at least one day, especially when it meant being a good friend.

Pushing the door open and walking right in, Spike saw no sign of Rarity in the showroom, but he did see a small stack of sizeable boxes in the corner that were not usually there. Seeing that the flap of the top box was open, his curiosity got the better of him, and a quick peek revealed an assortment of neatly-folded dresses, all of Rarity’s design.

“Rarity? Are you home?” Spike called out. “It’s Spike.”

“Oh, Spike, I’m working in my room,” Rarity promptly answered. “Come right on up!”

Spike took the invitation and walked up the stairs, hearing the soft hum of a sewing machine as he approached Rarity’s room. When he stepped into the room, he could feel his heart flutter at the sight of the beautiful unicorn, but he quickly quelled those feelings. Today was not the day for that kind of stuff.

Rarity was busily running another dress through the sewing machine on a work desk, and she called out, “Just give me one minute, Spike.” without taking her eyes off her work.

Spike nodded and took the time to examine the room. Scraps and strips of fabric, thread, and other dressmaking materials were strewn everywhere. While the place was a mess, he knew Rarity well enough to know that the fashionista preferred her workspace like that while she was working. To her, it was organized chaos. Furthermore, on Rarity’s bed and on every single ponyquin were more completed dresses, similar to the ones Spike saw in the box downstairs.

As promised, Rarity finished her current task before long, turned off her sewing machine, and turned to Spike with a small smile. “Hello there, Spike.”

Spike cringed inwardly when he finally got a good look at Rarity. He could see dark circles forming under Rarity’s eyes, even from behind her red-orange reading glasses. He also noticed her mane, while still fabulous, was slightly limper and less lustrous than usual.

“Gee, Rarity, have you been working all day?” Spike asked with concern.

“And all of last night,” Rarity added with a weary sigh, but her small smile remained. “Sassy Saddles is doing a wonderful job up in Canterlot, but perhaps maybe a bit too wonderful. She has sold so much recently that she needed an early shipment from me.”

“Well, it’s good to know business is booming for you, but please don’t push yourself too hard. I and the rest of our friends wouldn’t want you to get sick or hurt.”

Rarity chuckled lightly. “Thank you, Spike. I very much appreciate your concern. Don’t fret, I know how to watch myself, and I did make sure to at least get in a few hours of sleep. The good news is that I should be able to send out the shipment tomorrow morning.” Her smile faded a little. “Although, it is still going to be a while before I do get it all done. I suppose I’ll be burning the midnight oil tonight.”

Spike was already worried for the exhausted Rarity’s health, and his concern only grew when Rarity yawned.

“So was there something you need, Spike?” Rarity asked.

“Oh right, I, uh, I wanted to…” Spike paused. Even though he would like to finish the day and honor the noble dragon code by cuddling with Rarity, he could not bring himself to do it. Rarity had to finish her work, which meant that she could not afford the time to stop and cuddle with him.

Then again, this whole cuddling thing was to show how grateful he was for his friends, and there was certainly another way he could do it with Rarity.

With a smile, Spike answered, “I came to check how you are doing. Now that I know that you’re so busy, I would like to help.”

Rarity’s false eyelashes rose up. “Oh, Spike, that’s generous of you, but you don’t have to do that. I’ll be fine.”

“Rarity, it’s alright. I don’t have anything to do at home since Twilight and Starlight are out, and I think helping out a good friend is much better than reading comics.”

“But still, it is quite late, and you must be tired from whatever you are doing all day.”

Spike folded his arms across his chest. “I could say the same for you, but I think you’re actually worse off. I bet that you haven’t really eaten yet either.”

“As a matter of fact, I did. Sweetie Belle must have informed Applejack what I was doing when she and her friends were at Sweet Apple Acres. Applejack was kind enough to bring me some of Granny Smiths’s apple turnovers. She even offered to get Sweetie Belle home safely to our parents. I really need to treat that mare to a nice spa day.”

Spike breathed a sigh of relief. “That’s good, but you still look like you’re about to fall asleep at a moment’s notice. Have you checked yourself in the mirror?”

Rarity whimpered and briefly played with her mane. “I have, and I do admit that you have a point.” She sighed. “But the fact remains that I have to do this out of necessity. You, however, have a choice.”

“And I am choosing to help you because making sure my friends are alright is a necessity for me,” Spike replied with a tone of finality. “Come on, Rarity, you know I’m not going to take no for an answer, so if you don’t want me going home too late, I suggest we get started right now.”

Rarity’s mouth opened, but no words came out, and she closed it soon afterwards. After a moment, she opened it again. “I see… And is there anything else you plan to do with me while you’re here?”

Spike shook his head. “Nope, I only want to help you.” He bowed toward Rarity. “Spike is at your service.”

Rarity trotted over to Spike with a smile. She gave him a one-hoof hug and planted a chaste kiss on the dragon’s forehead. “You are such a gentledragon, Spike Wikey. Thank you for being such a good friend.”

Spike hugged back by squeezing Rarity’s other foreleg. “You’re a good friend too, Rarity, and I’m happy to help.”

“Very well then, I will accept your valuable help, Spikey Wikey. Shall we get started?” Rarity asked, ending their embrace to look at her laden work desk. “The sooner we finish, the sooner we can enjoy a good night’s sleep.”

With a flick of her magic, Rarity turned her sewing machine back on and began directing Spike as they got right to work. Although Spike was not well-versed in the art of the dress, he had assisted Rarity enough to find all sorts of ways to help the dressmaker out. Folding clothes, fetching materials, cleaning messes, and even cutting out simple designs were some of the tasks that he performed.

Like Rarity predicted, they worked well into the night, practically non-stop, but eventually, they made it. It was not terribly late by the time they finished, but it was still past Spike’s usual bedtime. While exhausted, Spike was happy that he had helped out a friend.

“Oh my, thank you so much for all of your help, Spike,” Rarity gratefully said as she and the dragon sealed the last box and stacked it with the rest downstairs. “You saved me a great deal of time, time that I intend to spend on a restful sleep. Goodness knows my complexion needs it.”

“No problem, Rarity.” Spike replied before a huge yawn escaped him. “Okay, maybe that took a bit out of me, but I’m glad that we got everything done. I’ll see you later, Rarity.”

“Wait, you’re leaving?” Rarity asked right as Spike turned toward the door. “Isn’t there something I can do for you as thanks?”

“It’s alright, Rarity. Like I said, I wanted to help you. I didn’t do it expecting anything in return.”

“While I do admire the sentiment, I also don’t want to let a good deed go unrewarded, especially from my dear Spikey Wikey. Perhaps some way I can show how much I appreciate you as a good friend.”

Spike tilted his head slightly at Rarity’s wording. Was she alluding to what he thought it was? The offer was tempting, but after thinking about it, he shrugged it off and gave his friend a smile. “I’m fine, Rarity. I don’t want to keep you up. You should go rest. Your smile is reward enough.”

Spike headed back to the door, his chest slightly puffed out with pride and a massive grin across his face as he silently congratulated himself on his suave words. However, once again, he was stopped before he could reach the door by Rarity’s call.

“Spike, I do have one more thing I would like to discuss with you. Would you mind staying a little longer?”

Spike turned back around and nodded. “Sure, Rarity. What would you like to talk about?”

Rarity trotted over to her red fainting couch, or as Spike had learned after many corrections from the high-class unicorn, her chaise lounge. She sat down on it and patted a spot right next to her. “Please sit down, darling.”

Spike obeyed and rushed over to sit next to her. As soon as he did, he was swept up in a hug by Rarity.

“You really are a gentledragon, Spike. Putting aside your plans to help out a lady. Such nobility must be rewarded. Would you like to cuddle with me, darling?”

All traces of Spike’s weariness were scattered as his eyes flew wide open. “W-what?! You want to do what with me?!”

Rarity giggled. “Do you want to cuddle with me? I was hinting at that earlier, but I suppose I was being a bit too subtle. You see, darling, I know you came here to try and cuddle with me.”

“H-how?” Spike asked, his jaw agape.

A mischievous grin was present on Rarity’s face while she used her hoof to shut Spike’s mouth. “Now, now, Spike, it’s rude to let your mouth hang like that. As for your question, Applejack delivered more than a few delicious pastries when she came over. She told me about your cuddly agenda in the name of your noble dragon code. That’s why you came here, isn’t it?”

Spike chuckled nervously and looked down. “Y-yeah, but when I saw how tired and busy you were, I figured it would be better if I helped out instead. This cuddling thing is supposed to show my appreciation for you and the others for being such good friends, but I think saving you some time and effort is just as good.”

“Well, consider me very well appreciated. You went above and beyond what was needed. Now, it’s my turn to do something to show my appreciation for my noble dragon.”

“Are you sure though?” Spike asked with concern. “You’ve been working really hard. You should really get some rest.”

“Oh, I think I have more than enough stamina to enjoy a good cuddle, and I must admit that I am quite curious what it is like to cuddle my Spike Wikey.” Rarity stuck out her bottom lip ever so slightly in a dainty pout and then fluttered her elegant eyelashes. “You wouldn’t turn down such a small request from a lady, would you, darling?”

Spike could feel his heart beat earnestly, and he slowly nodded. “If you’re sure, then how could I say no?”

“Wonderful, I do think this is something we will both enjoy greatly.” Rarity picked Spike up and then rested her back on the incline of the chair. She set Spike onto her chest and wrapped her hooves around her cuddly dragon’s back.

Spike gasped softly, feeling Rarity’s hair brush his scales. While he knew Rarity might be a tad obsessed with all the special shampoos and sprays she used, he certainly did not mind the silky smooth hairs they left behind. He nuzzled deeply into the luxurious hairs and even caught a few whiffs of Rarity’s aroma, an elegant blend of perfume and fragrant shampoos.

“Are you feeling comfortable there, Spikey Wikey?” Rarity asked while she slowly stroked the dragon’s back.

“Very much so.” Spike gingerly ran his fingers along Rarity’s chest, making sure he did not muss up the perfectly-combed hairs. “Feels so soft… Definitely the softest among our friends…”

“Well, I would hope so. I do make sure that I take the utmost care of myself. Speaking of our friends, have you had much success in cuddling with the rest?”

Spike flipped over onto his back so he could tilt his head up to look at Rarity. “Yep! Besides Applejack, it wasn’t too much trouble getting Fluttershy…” He paused for half a second. “And, uh, Pinkie to cuddle with me. Actually, Pinkie was sort of the one who asked me to cuddle.”

“You forgot to mention Rainbow Dash, darling.”

Spike flinched. “Well, that’s because… Uh… I didn’t—”

“She made you promise not to tell anypony,” Rarity said with an amused grin.

“Well, she, uh… Yeah… Yeah, she did.” Spike let out an amused snort. “What, did Rainbow also tell you or something?”

“She didn’t have to. Some time after Applejack left, Rainbow just happened to fly by my open window. Naturally, being the daredevil she is, she created a small gust and blew around some of my work. Thankfully, she had the decency to apologize and help clean up. That was when I told what Applejack relayed to me and then I asked her if you got to her yet.” Rarity giggled. “The dear’s red face told me everything.”

Rarity’s hooves moved to drape over Spike’s shoulders and link together, locking the dragon in another embrace. “So with Twilight and Starlight in Canterlot, that means I’m the last pony for you to cuddle tonight.”

“Well, you know what they say. Save the best for last.”

“Indeed they do, and I fully intend to make that true, especially after you were so gallant and rescued me from another long, restless night. To be honest, I was prepared to take a short break to fulfill your cuddling need, but I’m glad that I accepted your help instead.”

Rarity brushed her muzzle on Spike’s scalp and planted a quick kiss on the forehead. “It means we don’t have any worries to dampen the mood. We could stay like this all night if we wanted to.”

Spike chuckled. “Well, maybe not all night. I do have to get back home. Actually, as much as I hate to say it, I really should be going soon.”

Rarity hummed. “While I suppose that is true, might I suggest an alternative?”

“Uh, okay, sure. What is it?”

“You should sleep here tonight. That way, we would be able to cuddle all night. We could even fall asleep together if we are daring enough to try it."

Spike’s eyes widened, and he looked up at Rarity’s face. “W-what? Really?”

“Mhmm. I wouldn’t want you walking home alone this late at night.” Rarity paused as she watched Spike try to stifle a yawn. “Even more so with you being so sleepy.”

“I’ll be fine,” Spike mumbled, even though the idea was enticing. All the sugar from Pinkie had worn off. “I wouldn’t want to be a bother.”

“You wouldn’t be a bother at all. Besides, this isn’t the first time you slept here after you generously gave your time to help me.” Rarity’s mouth formed into a small frown. “Although, I guess this time is quite different since you usually take Sweetie Belle’s bed or the couch. Oh dear, I guess I am more tired than I thought I was. What I’m asking for is quite unorthodox.”

“Or maybe that's just the power of cuddles," Spike added with a chuckle. "Don't worry, I’m not offended or anything. It’s just two friends having some extra cuddle time, right?”

“Two best friends, and yes, we would be pretty much cuddling until we sleep. This is the first time I really held my Spikey Wikey in my hooves like this, and I must say it is a divine experience. I certainly would not mind making the moment last longer."

“I can definitely agree to that.” The more Spike thought about it, the more he wanted to stay. Being warm and comfy in Rarity’s hooves was definitely sounding a lot better than a cold trudge home in the dark just to sleep in a bed by himself.

"You're free to choose whatever you like, Spike. I just want you to be comfortable."

“You know what? I would be happy to stay if you’ll have me,” Spike announced after a few more moments of thought. “Thank you for the offer, Rarity.”

Rarity gave Spike a gentle squeeze. “I’m glad to hear that. I’m also going to prepare a delicious breakfast for you in the morning. Twilight and Starlight don’t get back until the afternoon, so you’ll still have plenty of time for you to get back to the castle and get things ready. If you want, I would be more than happy to assist you with that as well.”

“Sounds good to me.”

Spike shifted himself so that his stomach was lying on Rarity’s chest again. Even though his arms could not completely encircle the unicorn, Spike stretched them and laid them on Rarity, hugging and holding her. Rarity responded in kind by moving herself into a more relaxed lying position so that they could lean their heads into each other.

Now completely nestled into each other in a blissful, soothing cuddle, both of them closed their eyes to enjoy the company of their companion and warm embrace. However, that calm was soon broken by a simultaneous yawn from the both of them. They looked at each other before giggling.

“I guess we should head off to bed,” Rarity suggested, her eyes still shut.

“Yeah, I guess so,” Spike replied quietly. His eyes also remained closed.

A few moments passed, but neither of them moved a muscle.

“We’re not getting up from here, are we?” Spike asked.

Rarity let out a titter. “The outlook does not look promising.”

“It’s not like it’s a bad thing though, right?”

There was a brief pause before Rarity answered, “No… Not at all, Spike Wikey…”

Spike opened his eyes when he heard the faint hum of Rarity’s magic. A nearby cabinet opened, and a violet silk blanket floated out, bathed in Rarity’s light-blue aura, before heading toward them and wrapping them in a snuggly cocoon with only their heads sticking out.

“Do you need a pillow, Spike?”

Spike rested his head on Rarity’s chest and nuzzled his cheek into it. “You’re far better than any pillow.”

“Such high praise,” Rarity said with a laugh.

Rarity’s magic closed the cabinet before moving onto the light switch and flicking it off, plunging the room into darkness save for the trickles of moonlight that made it through the curtained windows.

Even though this was the most intimate position he had ever found himself in with Rarity, Spike was at peace. There were no worries or temptations of romance to complicate his thoughts. Future Spike would pick those up for him, but for now, it was, as Rarity said, just two best friends having some cuddle time.

“Good night, Rarity.”

“Good night, Spikey Wikey.”

Starlight Glimmer

When Spike awoke the following morning, he was fully rejuvenated and ready to tackle whatever challenge the new day might bring. That is, if he had not been so tempted to remain in the blissful embrace of Rarity’s hooves and warm blanket. Sadly, responsibilities and reason won out, and he coaxed Rarity awake.

As promised, Rarity served Spike a hearty breakfast of piping hot pancakes for the both of them. She even prepared Spike’s batch with gems thrown into the mix. Before long, Spike finished breakfast and parted ways with Rarity, turning down the mare’s help and insisting that she used the time to make sure the work they accomplished was properly shipped.

Spike headed straight back for home. With pretty much all of his chores finished before he started his cuddling crusade, he could afford to spend some time lazing about. However, he intended to make sure the castle was all spic and span for Twilight and Starlight’s return.

One of the main things still left to do was cleaning up the delivery of books that arrived yesterday. When he stepped through the door, the crate and stacks of books were lying right in the middle of the foyer, right where he had left them.

Spike’s eyes instantly locked onto The Ancient Guide to a Noble Dragon’s Code which he had reverently placed on top of several books on the edge of the pile. It stood out among the common rabble as though it was some holy artifact. And to Spike, for all intents and purposes, that book really was a holy artifact.

Spike gingerly picked up the sacred tome, careful to not even breathe on it. Although he was a bit skeptical when he had first read it, he was now wondering why he had ever doubted the teachings in the book, in particular, one cuddly directive. In just one day, he bonded with his friends, felt some of the most amazing sensations, and even had a changed outlook on life.

Spike securely tucked the book under an arm and took it to his bedroom. Although he had read the book cover to cover several times yesterday, he wanted to review it again in hopes of gleaning some more wisdom from the ancient book. Unfortunately, he had to first finish cleaning the other books, so he placed his reading material on his bed and returned to the foyer.

It did not take long for him to transfer the rest of the books to the main library room, stacking them on the tables so they were ready for Twilight to sort through when she got back. He also pushed the empty crate to a nearby storage room in case they planned to reuse it because recycling was cool.

As Spike clapped his claws together to brush away any debris, he surveyed the foyer, and a small frown formed on his face. Patches of dirt and dust, mostly left from the book delivery, littered the floor. He also never did finish cleaning the foyer before embarking on his cuddly quest. Even the broom he was using before Derpy arrived was lying nearby.

Spike picked up the broom and began cleaning the foyer to ensure that there would not be a nagging Twilight in the immediate future. It did not take long before muscle memory and autonomy took over, allowing his mind to wander toward a certain objective.

There was no doubt that yesterday was one of the best days of his life. He had cuddled with five of his closest friends, all more or less extending open invitations to repeat the enjoyable embrace they shared.

That left Twilight and Starlight Glimmer. If he succeeded in cuddling with the two mares he lived with, he would have fulfilled the noble dragon code, proving that he was a better dragon. Of course, this was not a one time thing, and the code would require constant vigilance, which meant that he would have to keep on cuddling with all of his friends. He foresaw a lot more cuddling in his future.

Spike let out a happy sigh. The things he did to be a noble dragon.

As he continued to clean, he wracked his brain for ideas on how to talk to Twilight and Starlight to get them to cuddle with him. He was so wrapped up in his cleaning and cuddle plotting that he almost did not hear the front door open.

“Hey, Spike, we’re back!” Twilight greeted. Her eyes promptly scanned the foyer and then to the broom in Spike’s hands. “Wow, the place looks great. I’m glad you didn’t stay in your room all day reading your comics.”

“Don’t you do that everyday with your books?” Spike asked with a smirk as he set aside the broom.

Twilight rolled her eyes. “Har har, really funny. But really, thanks for taking care of the place. Did you have fun staying home by yourself?”

“Actually, I went out and visited all of our friends yesterday.”

“Oh, that’s so nice of you,” Twilight said with a proud smile. “What did you do with them?”

Spike snickered. “A lot, actually, but I’ll tell you about it later. Before I forget, your shipment came in yesterday.”

Twilight cocked her head. “Shipment? I wasn’t expecting anything. What was it?”

“Just a bunch of books from Canterlot.”

“Books from Canterlot?” Twilight’s eyes sparkled with delight, and a massive smile grew on her face. “The Royal Canterlot Library must want us to store some of its books! Where are they?!”

“Er, in the library,” Spike replied, pointing in the direction with his finger. “They’re all ready for you to look at.”

Twilight rushed away at a speed that would make Rainbow jealous. “Ooh, I can’t wait to see what they sent us! Come on, Spike, we got books to sort!”

Spike shook his head in amusement. “Yeah, yeah, I’ll be there in a minute.” He turned back toward the door. “So, Starlight, how…” He trailed off when he saw no sign of the unicorn. A quick look around revealed that Starlight had snuck past him and was heading for the stairs leading up to her room.

“Hey, Starlight!” Spike called out and ran toward the unicorn.

Starlight froze and then slowly turned her head toward Spike with a barely-perceivable smile. “Hey, Spike.”

“You didn’t say hi or anything,” Spike remarked with a small frown. “What’s up with that?”

Starlight sighed. “Sorry, it’s just that you and Twilight were talking, so I thought I would just leave you two be.”

“Ah, yeah, I guess I didn’t say hi to you right away either, so I guess that’s kind of my bad. Sorry, Starlight.”

Starlight shook her head. “No need to apologize, Spike.”

“So, how was your visit to Canterlot?” Spike asked with a smile.

“Oh, it was…” Starlight’s gaze drifted to the side. “nice…”

Spike’s smile dropped. He heard that tone in the word nice from Fluttershy plenty of times. “Is something wrong, Starlight? You didn’t have fun in Canterlot?”

“Nothing is wrong, Spike. It’s just… I’m tired, that’s all.”

“You sure? Is there anything I can do?”

Starlight smiled softly. “I’ll be fine. I’m just going to go lie down in my room. Thanks, Spike.”

“Um, okay, see ya,” Spike said, watching the unicorn go up the stairs. He thought about following after Starlight, just to make sure she was alright, but he decided to let her rest instead. When Starlight left his sight, he headed back to the library to help Twilight.

As soon as Spike entered the library, he had to duck as a book wrapped in Twilight’s magic sailed over his head. “Hey, watch it!”

“Sorry, Spike,” Twilight apologized, even though her eyes were focused on several books floating in front of her. “I didn’t see you come in.”

“By the way you’re eyeing those books, pretty sure you wouldn’t have noticed if I came in with Pinkie’s party cannon,” Spike replied with a huff before grabbing a couple of books to assist with the sorting.

“Yeah, yeah, I know. It’s just that these books… I can’t wait to read them after we get them sorted!” Twilight gleefully explained as she used her magic to insert a couple of books into a shelf. “Everything that was delivered are on these tables, right?”

“Right.” Spike nodded and then paused. “Oh wait, there’s actually one book in my room I was planning to read later.”

Twilight shot Spike a disapproving frown. “Spike, you know you can’t just take a book away before we properly catalogue it. It could throw off the whole system.”

Spike held up his claws defensively. “Sorry, Twilight. I was planning to read it again before you got back, but I got caught up in cleaning. Besides, it’s just one book. It’s not that big of a deal, and we can easily fix it.”

Twilight’s frown remained for a moment before she sighed. Using her magic, she brought a roll of parchment and quill in front of her. “I guess it’s alright if it’s just one book, but I still need to mark it down. I’ll just need all the information on it. What’s the title of the book?”

“The Ancient Guide to a Noble Dragon’s Code,” Spike immediately replied.

Twilight peered at Spike over the top of her parchment. “Say what?”

“The Ancient Guide to a Noble Dragon’s Code.”

Twilight’s brow furrowed. “What kind of book calls itself ancient?”

“But it does look all ancient and stuff.”

“That’s not what…” Twilight took a deep breath. “Never mind. So this book has information on the dragon code?”

“Yep! It has a lot of neat stuff in it.”

“But I thought the dragon code was something you made up.”

“Well, yeah, but I guess somepony found out there was an official one.”

“But there has not been any known ponies that have been able to study dragons except for us. Even then, we’re running away and hiding from them more than half the time. Who wrote the book?”

Spike shrugged. “Dunno. I couldn’t really find a name or anything.”

“I see… Spike, could you go grab this book? I really think I need to take a look at it.”

“Sure, I’ll be right back,” Spike said with a nod. He hurried out of the library, up the stairs, down the hall, and into his room. After he grabbed the book and proceeded through the hall, he paused in front of the closed door to Starlight’s room.

Concerned about his friend’s behavior earlier, Spike knocked on the door. “Hey, Starlight, you feeling better?”

A few seconds passed before Starlight replied, “I’m fine.”

Spike waited a moment for any further response, but got none. “Um, okay then. Just wanted to check up on you.”

Spike resumed walking, glancing back at Starlight’s door as he went down the stairs. When he arrived back at the library, he held up the book to Twilight, who was still sorting through the other books. “Here’s the book, Twilight.”

“Thanks, Spike.” Twilight grabbed the book in her magic and began inspecting the cover.

“Hey, Twilight, is something wrong with Starlight?” Spike asked. “She seems kind of off. She’s like all quiet.”

Twilight sighed and nodded, putting the book down on a table. “I think something is bothering her, but she won’t talk to me about it.”

“Did something happen in Canterlot?”

“Seems like it. She seemed to be having a good time at first with our visit, but I noticed her change around the time I took her to see Canterlot Castle. While we were there, Celestia wanted to talk to me about some things in private, so Starlight took a brief tour of the place with an attendant. When we met up again, that’s when I noticed her being all gloomy. I tried asking her if there’s anything wrong, but she just smiles and insists that she’s fine.”

“Yeah, she pretty much did the same with me when I tried to talk to her earlier.”

“I planned to talk to her again later tonight so that she could have some time to rest. I just hope she’s not bottling up whatever is bothering her.”

Spike tapped his chin in thought. “Could I try talking to her again? Maybe she’ll feel more comfortable opening up to me.”

“What makes you say that?” Twilight asked. Her tone implied she was genuinely curious instead of her being offended.

“Well, you are kind of her mentor…”

Twilight cocked her head. “So? That should mean she could come to me with any of her problems.”

“Just like how you always went to Celestia with all of your problems?” Spike asked with a raised eyebrow.

“That’s…” Twilight’s mouth opened and closed several times, producing no sounds. She eventually let out a heavy sigh and nodded. “Okay, I guess you got a point there. I suppose I did do a few crazy things trying to be the perfect student for Celestia.”

“Like the Smarty Pants incident?” Spike pointed out with a smirk.

Twilight shot Spike an angry glare. “We shall not speak of the Smarty Pants incident!”

Spike snickered. “Gotcha. So, should I go talk to Starlight now?”

Twilight nodded. “Sure, just don’t push her too hard. I do hope you’ll be able to help her. I’ll just be here checking out your book. Good luck, Spike.”

Spike saluted Twilight before scampering back to Starlight’s room. He had a mission to help his friend get better. If talking was not going to be enough, he still had a trump card up his sleeves.

Once again stopping in front of Starlight’s door, Spike took a deep breath and knocked. “Hey, Starlight, it’s Spike again. Can I come in?”

Spike thought he caught the sound of a sigh before hearing, “You don’t have to worry about me, Spike. I’m fine.”

“Come on, Starlight, Twilight and I know that something is on your mind. We’re only going to keep checking up on you unless you let me in and have a little talk. Please?”

There was a brief pause before Spike heard a soft “Okay”. Opening the door, he saw that Starlight was laying on her stomach in bed, her attention focused on the dragon as he entered the room.

“Hey, Starlight.”

“Hey.”

There was a brief silence and then Spike cleared his throat. “So, um, how are you feeling?”

Starlight rolled her eyes. “Look, Spike, I appreciate the concern, but like I said, I’m fine.”

Spike frowned. “That’s what you keep saying, but that’s not what Twilight and I are seeing. You’ve been avoiding us. Something’s obviously bothering you, and we just want to help.” He walked over and climbed up onto the bed to sit next to Starlight. “Come on, talk to us, Starlight. We’re really worried about you.”

“I’m…” Starlight blinked when Spike huffed at her. She turned her head away. “Okay, maybe there is something, but it’s nothing worth bringing up.”

“If it’s bothering you, then it’s definitely worth bringing up. You know I’m going to keep pestering you until you fess up now. I’m positive I can even get Twilight to join me.”

Starlight’s eyes flicked back and forth between Spike and her bed. Eventually, she let out a sigh. “Fiiine… I’m just thinking about the whole timeline mess I put us through.”

“This again? Starlight, you know I, Twilight, and the others forgive you for that.”

“I know, I know, and I’m really grateful that all of you are giving me a second chance. That’s not what’s bothering me though. It’s… well… I just wish I knew how important Twilight and the others were to Equestria before I tried to ruin their lives. It would have saved us all a lot of trouble. When I first saw them, I didn’t know who they were at all.” Starlight let out a hollow chuckle. “I guess I was too busy brainwashing and ruling an entire village in the middle of nowhere to keep up with the news.”

“At least you know what they did now, right?”

“I do, yes. You and the others told me all about your amazing adventures, but at the same time…” Starlight twirled a forehoof in a circle. “Well, it’s like they were just stories. Hearing about something is not the same as actually experiencing it. It didn’t help that you all treated them as though they were all just a weekly thing. I didn’t really get or feel the importance of your actions.”

Starlight sighed and shook her head. “Until now. When Twilight went to discuss things with Celestia, they left me with a guide to give me a tour of the place. It was kind of neat to see the castle, but to be honest, I didn’t really find it that interesting.”

“Maybe because you live in one already,” Spike mentioned with a smile. That got a chuckle from Starlight. It was brief, but Spike was glad that it brought a bit of mirth to Starlight’s gloom.

“You’re probably right with that. Anyway, at the end of the tour, I was brought to this giant room, and what I saw left me speechless. There were huge stained glass windows, almost as tall as a house, and many of them were depictions of Twilight and the others.”

“Oh, that room. Yeah, Celestia pretty much had a window made every time they saved Equestria.”

“That’s… That’s just it though. I’m not saying I thought you guys were lying, but it’s one thing to hear a story and another to see monuments, actual physical proof, of what you all did. The guide was really thorough in giving me all the details of every window.” Starlight bowed her head. “It just… It just put into perspective how important all of you are… And how I almost ruined all of that…”

Spike moved closer to place a comforting claw on his friend’s forehoof. “Starlight…”

Starlight placed her other forehoof on top of Spike’s claw. She remained silent as she listlessly stared down at the bed.

Spike felt sorry for Starlight. The unicorn did have some anger issues and was prone to taking things to the extreme, but from what he had seen and heard, those things stemmed from loneliness. She had lost her best friend when she was at a vulnerable age, and that loneliness remained in her as she grew up, twisting her view of the world.

After Starlight saw the error of her ways, she had been doing her best to become a better pony. It’s true that Starlight had put all of Equestria in danger, but Spike could see the guilt and regret in the unicorn’s eyes, as well as the desire to not repeat her mistakes. That made Starlight alright in his books.

The problem was that while he and the others had forgiven the unicorn, Starlight still had not quite forgiven herself.

“Hey, Starlight, I told you about the time I got greedy during one of my birthdays, right?” Spike asked.

Starlight looked up at him with a raised eyebrow. “Um, yeah. Your dragon greed made you grow really big and you kind of went on a rampage.”

Spike slowly nodded. “Yeah… Not my proudest moment… Anyway, while it wasn’t too bad, I still ended up demolishing a few buildings. When I changed back and saw the damage I caused, I felt horrible. I wanted to lock myself at home and never come out in case I did something like that again.

“But that didn’t happen. With the support of Twilight and the others, I decided I couldn’t just sit around and sulk. Sure, there were a few ponies that were pretty mad, but after some time, they forgot about it, especially since I went around and helped fix the stuff I broke and then some. Also, to make sure I don’t let greed overcome me again, I do my best to be generous instead. And guess what? There hasn’t been a giant purple dragon wrecking Ponyville since.”

Starlight sighed. “That’s nice and all, Spike, and I get what you’re trying to say, but I think what I did was a bit more serious.”

“But the principle is the same. Just because we made mistakes, doesn’t mean we’re doomed to repeat them. I know you don’t want to do any more evil stuff, so keep doing what you’re doing now: Learning about friendship, fixing your mistakes, and becoming a better pony.”

“I am, Spike. Believe me, I am. It’s just incidents like these make me wonder if I really am going to make up for all the things I did. I dug myself a pretty deep hole.”

“That’s why you’re not supposed to do it alone. You've got me, Twilight, and the others all ready to help you, but we can’t do that if you sulk in your room. I’m glad I didn’t do that when I messed up, otherwise, I wouldn’t be here lecturing you.” Spike emphasized the point by wagging a finger at Starlight.

Starlight chuckled and rubbed the spines on Spike’s head with her hoof. “Yeah, yeah, I hear you. I’ll try to keep what you said in mind.” She gave Spike a genuine smile. “Thanks for talking to me, Spike.”

“No problem. So, you feeling better now?”

Starlight shrugged. “Kind of. I still feel guilty for what I did, but after talking to you, it does feel like some weight has been lifted off of me. Feels nice though. I’ve been out of it ever since I saw all those windows at the castle.”

“Speaking of, you saw mine, right?” Spike asked with a grin.

Starlight laughed. “Yes, I did, oh Spike the Brave and Glorious, but to be honest, I think the two-story crystal statue in the Crystal Empire is better, not to mention the adoring fans you have there.”

Spike smirked and coolly brushed the top of his head with one claw before placing both of his claws on his hips. “Yeah, I am a pretty big deal.”

Starlight poked Spike’s stomach. “And I thought Rainbow had a big ego.”

Spike giggled from the poke and dropped his pose. “So, you want to head back downstairs?”

“In a bit. Don’t worry, I won’t be holing myself up in here all day. Promise. I just need a little more time to get over this slump I’m in.”

Spike nodded and jumped off the bed. Heading toward the door, he said, “Alright then, I’ll see you…” He paused when an idea came to mind, and he swiftly turned back toward Starlight. “Actually, I think I know just the thing to cheer you up. We should cuddle!”

Starlight blinked several times before she uttered a flat “What?”

“I’m serious! I spent most of yesterday cuddling with our friends, and we all loved it! I guarantee you’ll feel all better after we cuddle.”

Starlight was still staring at Spike with wide eyes. “So, uh, this is news to me. Do you always go around and cuddle with your friends?”

“Er, actually no. Yesterday was the first time I cuddled with everypony. I found out I had to do it because of my dragon code.”

“Your dragon code?”

“Oh, right, you don’t know about that. It’s basically a bunch of rules to help me become a better dragon, kind of like how you’re trying to be a better pony. I just recently found out that the dragon code wanted me to cuddle with my closest friends, and well, that includes you, if you’re willing to try it.”

Starlight’s eyes widened. “You… You really consider me a close friend like the others?”

“Well, yeah. You’re smart and talented, kind of like Twilight but without the book obsession. You’re also a nice pony now that you’re over the being evil thing.”

Starlight blushed. “Th-thanks, Spike. That really means a lot... “ She closed her eyes for a moment to take a steadying breath. “Alright then, let’s cuddle.”

Spike leapt back onto the bed. “Awesome!”

“So, how are we going to do this?” Starlight asked. “You’re the cuddle expert here.”

With all the various positions he was in yesterday, it took only a second for Spike to pick one. Pointing at the bed’s pillow, he directed, “Just lie on your side and let me do the rest. Don’t worry, I got this.”

Starlight let out an amused snort, but she did as she was told. She shifted up the bed and then laid her head onto the pillow.

Spike crawled up toward Starlight, also lying on his side. He wrapped his arms around Starlight’s neck. Starlight, in turn, reached out with her hooves, one around Spike’s body, and the other around his head. They pressed further into each other as scales mixed with hairs.

“This is… This is actually really nice,” Starlight stated, resting her chin on Spike’s head. “I can see why you said this will help me feel better.”

“Told you,” Spike replied. “Cuddling can fix anything.” He was pretty sure that was accurate, given the cuddle-filled day he had yesterday.

Starlight chuckled softly, sending a pleasant vibration through the connected Spike. “But really, I don’t think I held anypony like this for a long time.” There was a pause and then a sigh. “Yeah, definitely not for a long time… Not since Sunburst moved away when he got his cutie mark…”

Spike felt Starlight’s clutch on him grow tighter. Using his claw, Spike gently stroked Starlight’s neck. “Hey, it’s alright. I’m not going anywhere, and neither are the others.”

“I… I know… Thanks, Spike.”

Spike could imagine Starlight's worries start to dissipate as the unicorn’s tense body gradually relaxed. He could even feel Starlight’s nervously-beating heart slow down into a calm, sedated pace. The grip Starlight had on him also loosened, but only slightly. She still held onto him possessively, but with how pleasant the embrace was, Spike did not mind it at all.

Slowly, Spike’s hand glided up Starlight’s neck to play with her mane. He had to admit that he used to prefer Starlight’s old manestyle, but after some time, the new one she wore now really grew on him. He also supposed it was for the best. A new manestyle for a pony trying to change herself for the better.

At some point, Spike and Starlight had closed their eyes as they relaxed into each other’s embrace. However, their peace did not last long as both Spike and Starlight’s eyes shot wide open when there was a knock on the door, interrupting their blissful rest.

They looked at each other before Spike said, “Uh, I guess that’s Twilight checking up on us.”

“Yeah, I guess it is,” Starlight replied, slowly and reluctantly letting Spike go. “Such a shame too. I was really enjoying this.”

Spike chuckled. “I knew you would. Don’t worry, we can pick this up again anytime you want. I’m only a few doors down from you.”

“I’ll be sure to hold you to that,” Starlight remarked with a grin.

They both got out of the bed before Starlight opened the door with her magic, revealing Twilight with a frown on her face and The Ancient Guide to a Noble Dragon’s Code floating right beside her.

“Spike, we need to talk.”

Author's Note

Sorry, that this took a few extra days to get out. I had out of town relatives keeping me busy all of last week. Unfortunately, the next chapter is also going to take extra time to complete for two reasons.

The first being that I have some appointments that I have to attend and deal with.

The second reason... Well...

Twilight Sparkle

Spike looked back and forth between Twilight and The Ancient Guide to a Noble Dragon’s Code floating right beside the alicorn. He recognized the frown on Twilight’s face. It was not her “The world is ending” frown, nor was it the more ominous “I’m going to be tardy.” No, it was much worse. It was the “Spike, you’re in trouble” frown.

“Um, what’s up, Twilight?” Spike asked.

“Spike, I know what you have been doing, and I must say…” Twilight’s frown faded, and her attention switched to Starlight, who had gotten off the bed and trotted toward them. “Oh, Starlight, you’re looking better. How are you?”

“I’m fine now, for real this time. Thanks for asking,” Starlight responded with a smile. “I know I’ve been pretty out of it the whole day, and I’m sorry for worrying you.”

“I’m just glad that you’re feeling well now. What happened, if you don’t mind me asking?”

“Just me still holding onto the past. I’ll tell you more about it later.” Starlight ruffled the top of Spike’s head. “Just know that this guy helped me out of my funk. Spike here really went all out to cheer me up.”

Spike giggled and playfully nudged Starlight’s hoof away. “No problem, Starlight. Always happy to help a friend.”

“Um, does that mean you two, um… cuddled?” Twilight asked.

“Uh, yeah?” Spike replied. “How did you know?”

Twilight shook the floating book that was still held in her magic.

“Oh, right…”

“I also know that you cuddled with all of our friends.”

Spike’s eyes widened. “W-what? How did you find that out?”

“Pinkie told me.”

Spike blinked. “Pinkie? She was here? I didn’t even hear the front door or anything.”

Twilight rolled her eyes. “You know her. It’s Pinkie being Pinkie. She somehow got in without even using the door. Anyway, she told me how you cuddled with her, and apparently, all of our friends are talking about your times with them as well. The main reason she came over was to drop off invitations to a special party that you inspired, Spike.”

“What kind of special party?”

Twilight sighed and buried her face into her hoof. “It’s… Here, just see for yourselves.” Two envelopes wrapped in her magic floated into the room and toward Spike and Starlight.

Spike grabbed one of them and opened it, releasing a burst of confetti straight into the air. He pulled out the invitation and grinned when he saw the words written in many different colors.

“Oh, cool! She’s actually doing the cuddle party!” Spike cheered. “Glad she also listened to me and is keeping it inside our circle of friends.”

“Not sure what’s going to at a cuddle party, but I want to go,” Starlight said, reading her own invitation.

“You guys, this is serious,” Twilight interjected. “I don’t know if this is a good idea.”

Spike stared at Twilight with a raised eyebrow. “Twilight, do you not like cuddling or something?”

“I’m not against cuddling.”

“Sounds like you’re against cuddling,” Starlight chimed in.

“I’m not against cuddling!” Twilight shouted. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath in, and exhaled as she stretched out her hoof like Cadance taught her. “Look, I’m just concerned that this situation is getting out of hoof.”

“Out of hoof?” Spike frowned and folded his arms across his chest. “Twilight, we’re just cuddling with our friends. It’s not like we’re doing anything bad.”

“I know, but it’s just that I've read about the various reason ponies cuddle. To some ponies, cuddling could even be seen as a romantic gesture. I just don’t want anypony accidentally rushing into anything and then end up regretting it.”

Spike had to resist the urge to facepalm. “Sheesh, Twilight, I know I’m a baby dragon, but I’m not actually a baby. I already knew that cuddling could be considered a bit lovey dovey, but I made sure to talk things over with all of our friends before we actually did. We all knew what we were getting into. Don’t you trust me?”

“Of course I do, Spike, I was just…” Twilight sighed. “Spike, I’m sorry that I made you feel like that, but I’m just really worried about this cuddling thing.” She brought the book forward. “This all started because of this dragon code book, right?”

Spike nodded and recited the verse ingrained in his head. “A noble dragon makes sure to cuddle with his closest friends.”

“Well, you see, um… Look, Spike I know you really took this book to heart, but after I looked through it, I’m afraid that there’s an approximately ninety-eight percent chance that this book is a fake.”

Spike’s heart dropped. “F-fake? What… What do you mean?”

“It’s the author of the book.”

“Author? But I didn’t find anypony’s name on it.”

Twilight set the book down on the nearby desk and flipped it open. A magnifying glass appeared over the book with a burst of magenta light as Twilight pointed at a corner with her hoof.

Looking at where Twilight’s hoof was, Spike did find something written in the corner. It was both tiny and faint, which would explain why he missed it before.

“Written by Dr D. Sico,” Spike said out loud, reading the miniscule text. His brows furrowed. “Dr D. Sico? What kind of name is that? And isn’t sicko supposed to have a 'k' in it?”

“Perhaps this will answer your questions.” Twilight shot a thin beam of her magenta magic at the name in the book.

Spike watched as the letters slowly moved by themselves, rearranging into a different word. When they stopped moving, Spike let out a loud groan when he saw what was left behind. “Discord…”

“Discord is that weird draconequus that likes to hang around Fluttershy, right?” Starlight asked.

Twilight nodded. “And a notorious jokester. I’m sorry, Spike, but it looks like Discord was the one who sent all those books, and he put this so-called dragon code book in as a prank.”

“S-so all that cuddling I did was for nothing?” Spike asked, his whole body drooping with disappointment.

Starlight patted Spike on the shoulder. “I wouldn’t say it was for nothing. I was really feeling down in the dumps just a few moments ago. Talking with you helped, but the cuddling was what made me so grateful to have you as a friend. It showed me that you really cared about me, not to mention how pleasant it felt. And from the looks of it, you also were enjoying yourself. You had a good time, right?”

“Yeah…”

“If it’s any consolation, Pinkie was literally singing how great of a cuddler you were,” Twilight chimed in, patting Spike’s other shoulder. “And from the sound of things, the rest of our friends also greatly appreciate their times with you. While I don’t know what Discord is up to, it does look like you did some good despite his deception.”

Spike thought about all he did yesterday. While almost all of his visits to his friends had a rocky start, they all ended with an incredibly gratifying cuddle session. The gloom he was feeling was dispelled when he remembered the warmth of his friends’ smiles. The best part was that he did indeed feel closer to each one of his friends. Prank or not, Spike was really glad that he cuddled with his friends.

“Yeah, I did do good. Didn’t I?” Spike said, a grin growing on his face. “All the cuddlings were awesome, and I do feel like I understand all of our friends better.”

A quiet growl made everypony turn in the direction of the noise, which just so happened to be Starlight’s belly.

Starlight blushed. “Uh, I guess I did not really eat enough while I was feeling down. I’m just going to head for the kitchen, if you two don’t mind.”

“Sure, Starlight,” Twilight replied with a nod. “Spike and I are going to figure out what to do with this Discord matter.”

“Alright then, let me know how that turns out,” Starlight said as she proceeded toward the door. “Oh, and Spike? Put me down for another cuddle session after dinner.”

“Starlight!” Twilight cried out.

Starlight snickered and exited the room, but not before shooting a wink back at Spike after Twilight turned her back toward the unicorn.

Stifling a chuckle, Spike asked, “So, what should we do with Discord?”

“I suppose we could go talk to Fluttershy. She knows him better than any of us and can help us figure out what to do with him. At the very least, she can tell us where he is.”

“Right.” Spike glanced at the book, and he noticed something was off. He moved closer and saw that there was another faint scrawl on the opposite corner. He grabbed the magnifying glass and inspected his discovery.

“What is it, Spike?” Twilight asked.

“Just looking at the other little thing that’s on this page.”

“Other little thing? But there was only…” Twilight moved behind Spike to also look through the magnifying glass. “Turn to page seven? That wasn’t there before. It must be another one of Discord’s—Wait, Spike, don’t!”

Spike needed to find out what Discord was trying to do with him, and he flipped to page seven before Twilight could stop him. Again, he found another note. “Turn to page thirteen.”

As Spike proceeded without her consent again, Twilight sighed. “I have a bad feeling about this. Be careful, Spike.”

Spike, once again, found another note. “Turn to page two hundred fifty-six… What the? This book doesn’t even have half that many pages!”

The direction on the page disappeared, as though an eraser was used on it, and a new instruction appeared in its place.

“Well, that’s not suspicious at all,” Spike said dryly when he and Twilight witnessed the correction. “It wants us to turn to the last page.”

“Discord is probably doing this for a cheap laugh and trying to waste our time. If there’s nothing after this, we’re leaving for Fluttershy’s.”

Spike nodded and went to the last page. He immediately backed away when he found a picture and shielded his eyes. “Eww! Eww! Eww! What is Discord… How is he… Eeewww!”

“D-Discord!” Twilight cried out, her face all red and her eye twitching.

The Discord standing in the picture started moving, and he started rolling around on the paper as though in laughter. A speech bubble appeared above him with the words “Ha! Ha! Ha!” in them.

Twilight growled and picked up the book in her magic. She held it high up in the air and violently shook it until a miniature Discord fell onto the ground with a splat.

Still as flat as paper and the same size he was in the picture, Discord flew up to Twilight and Spike with a smug smile. “And that is why you really need to stop reading so many dusty old books, my dear Twilight. You never know what you may find.”

“Discord, what are you up to?” Twilight demanded with a glare that promised many rainbow lasers in the near future.

Discord stuck his tail into his mouth and began to blow, inflating himself until he was back to his usual size and three-dimensional self. “Why, whatever do you mean?” he asked innocently.

“You sent me a fake book about the noble dragon code!” Spike shouted, giving his own glare at Discord along with pointing an accusatory finger at the draconequus.

“But is it really fake?” Discord asked. He held up a finger, and the book appeared on his fingertip and began spinning. “From what I have seen, there is no actual dragon code, and the one you have been using is of your own making.”

“Even if there’s no official dragon code, the one Spike made for himself is very important to him,” said Twilight. “You shouldn’t treat it as a joke.”

“Who said I did?” Discord asked, condescendingly patting Twilight on the head with a claw. The same claw popped off his arm and continued to pat Twilight by itself when Discord turned to Spike and added, “If I did my spy-er, research right, everything I wrote is more or less stuff you already did, correct?”

Spike slowly nodded, remembering what he had read. “I guess…”

“See? I was just helping out by putting it all in a nice book. No harm done, and I wrote a riveting masterpiece. Would you like an autograph?” The patting claw plucked a feather from Twilight’s wing, eliciting a yelp from the alicorn, and floated back to Discord. He opened the book, and using Twilight’s feather as a quill, he scribbled something with wild strokes onto the page. When he was done, he flipped the book over, revealing a crude caricature drawing of himself.

“Yeah… No thanks…”

Discord scoffed and threw the book over his shoulder. “No appreciation for the arts these days.”

“What I want to know is what’s up with that cuddling thing you added?” Spike asked. “I definitely didn’t have that in my dragon code before.”

“Ah, yes, you see every now and then, it feels like there’s a period of several months where there’s no adventures or anything exciting going on. It feels like a hiatus or something like that.” Discord paused and scratched his head. “Or is it more like several weeks? I don’t know, I lose track of time so much, I’m thinking of getting a leash so that it would stop flying away from me.”

Twilight loudly cleared her throat.

“Do you need a cough drop, Twilight dear?” Discord asked, extending an open claw. A small box of candy that were making coughing sounds appeared in his claw with a pop.

“No,” Twilight replied, pushing the coughing drops away. “We need you to tell us why you tricked Spike into cuddling with all of our friends.”

“Oh, right. Well, to put things simply, I was bored.”

Twilight and Spike shot Discord deadpan stares. “You were bored…” Twilight repeated in a flat tone.

“Yep.”

“And how was me cuddling supposed to entertain you?” Spike asked.

“It was a harmless little experiment. I wanted to see what would happen if all of you stepped out of your comfort zones.” There was a flash, and Discord was now sitting on a lawn chair with a bag of popcorn in his claw. “And I must say that you put on quite the show, Spikey Wikey.”

Spike shuddered as he imagined Discord spying on him while he was cuddling with his friends. “Dude, that’s creepy.”

“Creepy?” Discord threw away the popcorn and kicked away his chair. He stood up with his claws on where his hips probably were. “And what’s so creepy about doing a good deed for my friends? Fluttershy said I should try and do more nice things for all of you, and that’s what I did. Granted, all I did was give you a little nudge, and you did all the work for me, but it was still fun watching you get into all sorts of shenanigans just for the sake of cuddling.”

“Discord, I don’t think you understand the gravity of the situation here,” Twilight pointed out.

“Gravity?” Discord groaned. “Yeah, gravity and I don’t get along. Always trying to tell me what to do, not to mention being a huge downer.”

Twilight let out a huge sigh of exasperation. “No, what I mean is that while cuddling might seem harmless, it can send the wrong message. Some ponies might mistake it as a sign of love! It could have caused so much trouble!”

“Ah, love,” Discord sang with a dreamy sigh. “Just thinking about all the chaos it causes makes me feel all tingly inside. And to think, I may have managed to hook up our little Spikey Wikey with six new marefriends. Maybe I should take Princess Heartbutt’s job instead.”

Discord snapped his fingers and he was now sporting a pair of pink wings on his back, a tiara on his head, a mane with the same style and color as Princess Cadance, and he was now wearing a pink shirt that said “Discord is best princess.”

“Discord, I’m serious,” Twilight growled as Discord chucked his attire out the window. “You could have caused a big fight between our friends. You are very lucky that there were no accidents or misunderstandings when Spike was out yesterday.”

“Oh, give the boy some credit, Twilight.” Discord pinched Spike’s cheeks. “Our little Spikey Wikey knows how to care for himself. Nothing went wrong, and even if something did happen, I’m sure all of you, being the goody-four-horseshoes you all are, would be able to solve the problem and come out as better friends in the end. The way I see it, no matter what happened, the experience would make you all better friends.”

“So this prank was in the name of friendship?” Twilight said, her eyebrow rising with skepticism.

“Why don’t we ask Spike here?” Discord grinned. “Spike, do you think that persuading you to cuddle was a good thing?”

Spike fidgeted under the gazes of a purple alicorn and a draconequus. “Well… as much as I hate to admit it, Discord is kind of right. I really do feel like I’m closer with all of our friends. Also, cuddling feels so awesome.”

“See? See? See?” Discord chanted with a big grin as he poked Twilight’s cheek with each word.

Twilight sighed and slapped Discord’s claw away. “Fine, I suppose it was a harmless enough prank, and some good did come out of it. I’m still telling Fluttershy though.”

“Oh, don’t worry about that. I’ll do it myself. In fact, I’ll be doing that really soon since it’s almost tea time with dear Fluttershy. She’ll probably congratulate me on a job well done. Maybe she’ll bake me some of those scrumptious cookies as a reward.” Discord reached out with a claw, and a doorknob appeared out of thin air. He turned the doorknob, opening a door that also suddenly appeared. He waved goodbye to Twilight and Spike with a “Ta-ta!” before walking through the door and slamming it shut, leaving no trace of him or the door.

“Well, that just happened,” Twilight stated in a weary voice.

“Yep…” Spike replied. He was still processing Discord’s explanation. One important question did come to mind though. “Twilight, do you still think I shouldn’t cuddle?”

“I never said you couldn’t. I just thought you should be more careful, but it’s clear to me now that you are being responsible with it. I’m guessing that you’re planning to cuddle with our friends again?”

Spike chuckled nervously. “Um, maybe?”

Twilight smiled and gave Spike a one-hoofed hug. “I trust you, Spike. Just promise me you’ll keep being cautious and that you won’t go overboard.”

“Of course.” Spike returned the gesture with a brief hug on Twilight’s foreleg. “And thanks for looking out for me, even if you were being a bit overprotective.”

Twilight chuckled. “I sometimes forget that even though you’re a baby dragon, you’re also a growing baby dragon.”

“So… about Pinkie’s cuddle party…”

“Yeah, yeah, you can go.”

“I was actually wondering about you.”

“Oh, um…” A small bit of red appeared on Twilight’s cheeks. “I’ll think about it. This all still seems pretty odd to me, but if it’s for friendship, I might give it a try. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to my room for a bit. It’s been a long day, and I could use a breather.”

“Sure, see you later, Twilight.”

Once Twilight departed, Spike picked up Discord’s book and began thumbing through it. Despite being fake, the book did push him to have all sorts of memorable moments with his friends and discover the wonders of cuddling.

When Spike found the page Discord had drawn his autograph, he found that the drawing was gone and was instead replaced by a short message.

“You know you want to do it.”

Spike sighed. Despite the vague sentence, he knew exactly what it meant. Spike knew that Discord was crafty enough to already predict what was going to be on his mind.

He wanted to cuddle with Twilight.

Even though the reason he started cuddling was just a prank, Spike did not feel any regrets cuddling with his friends. In fact, he was more than willing to do more of it in the near future. However, he had cuddled with six of his close friends, but the closest one of all still had not experienced the wonders of cuddling.

Spike looked in the direction of his best friend Twilight’s room. It was obvious that Twilight was kind of nervous about the whole prospect, but at least she did not flat out reject it. Just like when they took their first hoofsteps into Ponyville, Twilight just needed to step out of her comfort zone to try something new, and Spike was just the dragon to help her with that, especially with Pinkie’s cuddle party coming up.

Spike would also be lying if he denied that he really wanted to cuddle with Twilight.

After taking a deep breath, Spike walked over to Twilight’s room and knocked on the door. “Hey, Twilight, could I talk to you?”

“Sure, Spike,” Twilight replied, and the door opened with her magic.

Spike walked in to find, unsurprisingly, Twilight reading a book on her bed.

Setting the book aside and sitting up on her haunches, Twilight looked up at her visitor. “What do you need to talk about, Spike?”

“About you going to Pinkie’s cuddle party,” Spike replied as he climbed up onto the bed to sit next to Twilight.

“What’s wrong? I already said that I would think about it.”

“I know, but I want to make sure you do go. You’re going to be the only one not there if you don’t.”

“You really think everypony else will go?”

“After what we been through yesterday, yes. All of our friends pretty much said they would be more than glad to do it again, and you should’ve seen the happy looks on everypony’s faces when I left them. I’m telling you, Twilight, cuddling is the best. I don’t know why you’re being so reluctant about it.”

“I’m just being cautious. I mean, this whole thing started because Discord pranked you.”

“But after talking with him, we know that he wasn’t really planning something bad or anything. Plus, we also established that I handled the situation very well.”

Twilight chuckled. “Yes, you are a responsible dragon, Spike, and yes, it did seem like Discord doesn’t mean us any harm.” She sighed and looked away. “To be honest, Spike, I would like to see what all the fuss is about. I just… I just guess that I’m nervous. Knowing that Discord started this series of events, harmless or not, is certainly not helping. Also, despite how well you interacted with our friends, I still can’t help but constantly think of all the possible social and intimate implications cuddling has.”

“So in other words, you’re thinking too much…” Spike flatly pointed out.

Twilight huffed. “Like I said, I’m just trying to be cautious.”

“Come on, Twilight, it’s nothing dangerous, and it’s not like you’re going to mess up anything with our friends. We’re used to your antics.”

Twilight rolled her eyes. “Gee, thanks, Spike…”

“I’m serious, Twilight. There’s nothing for you to worry about. Cuddling will help you relax.”

Twilight tilted her head. “Why are you so insistent on getting me to cuddle?”

“Because I really would hate for you to be left out of all the fun. And well… the other reason is because I really would like to cuddle with you again.”

“Again? What do you mean? I don’t recall cuddling you or anypony lately.”

“When we were young, don’t you remember?”

Twilight blinked several times, her eyes never leaving Spike. “Yes… Yes, I do. When it was just you and me whenever we stayed at the castle for one of Celestia’s lessons…”

Spike slowly nodded. “The big castle with all the grown-ups was kind of intimidating to us back then, but our cuddling times made it all better. All the cuddling I have been doing recently reminded me of those good times, and I miss that.”

“Spike…” A small smile blossomed on Twilight’s face. “Things were a bit simpler back then, huh?”

“Yep. And that’s one of the main reasons I want to cuddle with you. To remember those good, old days, as well as showing you how much I appreciate you being my best friend for all these years.”

Twilight opened her mouth and then closed it. After a moment, she uttered, “Okay…”

“Okay what?”

“Okay, I’ll cuddle with you,” Twilight said with a smile.

“Really?!” Spike cried out happily.

“Yes. I almost forgotten how we used to cuddle, and like you, I would love to rekindle those memories. You’re also right about me not wanting to be left out if all my friends are going to start cuddling more. I admit, I’m still a little bit nervous, but who else better to help me ease back into cuddling than the dragon I used to cuddle with.” Twilight leaned forward and wrapped her forehooves around Spike in a hug. “Most of all, I want to show you my own appreciation for being both my best friend and my number one assistant.”

“Thanks, Twilight,” Spike replied, moving his claws to circle around Twilight’s neck.

Never letting go of each other, the two of them moved to lie on their sides. Spike snuggled closer to Twilight, burying his nose into the base of Twilight’s neck.

He was doing it. He was actually cuddling with Twilight. Feeling Twilight’s hooves gently move to lock themselves behind his back, Spike sighed blissfully as they were pressed together. Slowly running a claw around the parts of Twilight’s back he could reach, Spike did his best to soothingly stroke Twilight. While Twilight was slightly bigger than their friends, thanks to her alicorn physique, it only meant that there was more for Spike to cuddle.

Even though they had plenty of bonding moments over the years, Spike never felt closer to Twilight like he did right now.

“This really does feel amazing,” Twilight said as she unfolded one of her wings and draped it over Spike like a warm blanket. “Why did we stop doing this?”

“We grew up,” Spike replied. “As we got older, we found other ways to cope with things. You also started spending more and more time with studying and research, which meant that I also needed to assist you more.”

Twilight sighed and tightened her hold on Spike. “Another thing I neglected before we moved to Ponyville. I’m sorry, Spike.”

“It’s not your fault, Twilight. I didn’t do much to keep us going either. I even thought cuddling was too girly for me before this whole cuddling episode.”

“Well, I’m glad that you wanted to revive the tradition.” Twilight gently brushed the top of Spike’s head with her muzzle, her soft breaths lightly tickling the dragon. “With all the crazy stuff we go through, we need something like this to unwind and remember how much we mean to each other.”

Spike chuckled. “My thoughts exactly.”

Spike sighed happily, a big smile plastered on his face. He was cuddling with Twilight, which meant that he had finally cuddled with all of his friends. He had accomplished his cuddling crusade.

“Spike?”

“Hmm?”

“Let’s not let so many years pass before our next cuddle.”

“Sounds good to me… Does this mean you’re more open to cuddling now?”

“Mhmm.”

“Open enough to cuddle with our friends?”

Twilight giggled. “You’re going to drag me along regardless of what I say at this point, aren’t you?”

“Well, now that you mention it…”

“Har har… Anyway, to answer your question, yes, I’ll join you.”

“Awesome, you won’t regret it, Twilight.”

“I’m sure I won’t. But until then, I think I might need a few more practice sessions before I’m ready.”

“I would be more than happy to help with that.”

The Cuddle Party

It had been about a week since Spike discovered that Discord was behind the whole cuddling episode. All of his friends displayed varying degrees of annoyance at Discord’s prank, but they all had absolutely no regrets about their time with Spike.

On the day of Pinkie’s cuddle party, Spike and his friends had gathered outside of a large room in the Castle of Friendship. It was a room that Pinkie frequently used for their parties ever since Twilight and Spike moved into their bigger home.

The only pony not present was Pinkie herself, but judging by the clattering and some familiar giggling coming from the other side of the door, she was hard at work setting up the party.

“Hey, Pinkie, we’re all here! Can we come in?” Twilight asked, knocking on the door.

“Just a minute!” Pinkie replied in a sing-song voice.

“So any idea what Pinkie's got planned?” Rainbow asked.

Spike shrugged. “No idea. She did not give us any details.”

“But surely one of you must have seen something,” Rarity pointed out, glancing between Twilight, Starlight, and Spike. “I mean, she has been setting up the party right here where you all live.”

Twilight sighed. “Yes, that’s true, but you know how she is. Every time I saw her either enter or exit this room, she was empty-hooved. I have no idea what’s in there.”

“I tried to sneak a peek at what Pinkie was doing but she caught me… multiple times…” Starlight confessed. “I had to give up when she made me Pinkie Promise to stop. I’m curious though, what happens if I do happen to break one of those promises?”

“You don’t want to know…” Rainbow replied with a shudder. “Trust me.”

Starlight slowly blinked. “Noted…”

“Ah gotta say, as much as Ah enjoy everythin’ that happened, it still feels kind of odd that Discord was the one who started all of this,” said Applejack.

“Well, even if it was a bit mean of him to trick Spike, he was just trying to help us,” Fluttershy added. “And if it makes you feel any better, he, uh, kind of apologized.”

Spike’s eyebrow went up. “Did he? Did he really, Fluttershy?”

“Sort of? Maybe?” Fluttershy replied with an uneasy grin. It fell a second later, and she sighed. “No… Not really…”

“Don’t worry, Fluttershy, I don’t think any of us are really angry at him. It was a harmless enough prank, and we all had a lot of fun.”

“Yeah, yeah, that’s great and all, but aren’t you all getting tired of waiting?” Rainbow complained. “I wish Pinkie would hurry up.”

“That eager for some cuddlin’, Rainbow?” Applejack asked with a grin.

“N-no!” Rainbow retorted, a bit of red creeping up on her cheeks. “I-I just want to see what the fuss is all about.”

“Rainbow, darling, we all know you enjoy cuddling as much as the rest of us,” Rarity remarked. “There’s no need to be shy.”

“Shy? Me? No way!” Seeing the skeptical looks her friends were giving her, Rainbow sighed. “Okay, I guess I admit that cuddling can be kind of cool, but it’s not like I’m that into it.”

“Really?” Spike smirked. “It didn’t seem that way last night when you came in through my window and—”

A few chuckles were heard when Rainbow stuffed a hoof into Spike’s mouth.

Everypony’s eyes widened when Pinkie’s clattering suddenly grew exponentially. The sounds of jackhammers, giant saws, hammers, and many other heavy tools filled the whole castle. They only had time to share an uneasy glance before the cacophony disappeared as fast as it came, leaving them in silence.

A few moments later, the door opened, revealing Pinkie with a huge, toothy, grin. “Okay, all done! Come on in!”

Another round of skeptical looks passed through everypony’s faces before they all shrugged and proceeded into the room.

A table laden with cakes, cookies, cupcakes, and a smorgasbord of other sweets, a given in all of Pinkie’s parties, was set up on one side of the room. Above them, there were streamers and balloons, but they were overshadowed by the enormous banner with the words “Cuddle Party!” and a crude crayon drawing of all them in a big hug.

Despite all the decorations and food, everypony’s attention was drawn to what occupied the center of the room. A huge, square enclosure was built with its walls almost as tall as Spike. It was like a ball pit, except instead of balls, it was filled with pillows and cushions.

“Pinkie, what is that?” Twilight asked, pointing a hoof at the construction.

“I call it… The Cuddle Pit!” Pinkie cheered happily, standing up on her hind legs to raise her forehooves in the air. An eruption of confetti somehow went off behind her.

“Okay, but what are we supposed to do with it?”

“To cuddle on, of course! When I was planning this party, I was trying to figure out what was the best way for everypony to get enough cuddles. At first, I thought maybe we could take turns so that everypony would eventually cuddle with each pony at least once, but then I thought why settle for one pony at a time? Why not have all the cuddles?!”

“Whoa…” Spike uttered, gazing at the Cuddle Pit in wonderment. He was already imagining all the cuddly possibilities he could get into.

“Come on, what’s everypony waiting for?” Pinkie asked. “Ooh, I know how to get things started!”

Before Spike knew it, Pinkie picked him up with her forehooves. A chill went through him when he realized what was going to happen.

“Not again!” Spike cried out before he was thrown high into the air and landed on his back right in the center of the Cuddle Pit. Before he could get back up, his eyes bulged wide open when he heard Pinkie’s cheers and saw that the pink pony was falling straight down at him from the air with her hooves stretched out.

Spike’s world was flooded with pink when Pinkie body-slammed into him, however, to his surprise, he hardly felt any pain. He did, however, feel Pinkie’s hooves snake around him, as well as the rubbing of his friend’s cheek all over his head. Sandwiched between Pinkie’s body and the cushions, Spike could hardly move and had to accept his cuddling.

“Um, are you alright, Spike?” Spike could hear Fluttershy ask from somewhere above Pinkie.

Spike tried to reply, but his mouth was muffled by Pinkie’s body. With some squirming, he managed to slide one of his arms out from underneath Pinkie and raised it into the air with a thumbs up.

“Come on, Pinkie, give Spike some air,” Applejack’s voice came from nearby. “Besides, you don’t want to be hoggin’ him all to yourself, right?”

“Oops, you’re right. Guess I got a bit too excited,” Pinkie replied. She kept her hooves around Spike when she rolled around until their positions were switched with Spike now on top and able to breathe fresh air again.

Now lying on Pinkie’s stomach, Spike swiveled his head around to find that the rest of his friends had jumped into the Cuddle Pit after Pinkie broke the ice. Starlight was sitting close by, an amused grin crossing her face. Twilight and Rarity were also nearby and looking in his direction as they lay side by side on their stomachs, while Fluttershy and Rainbow were hovering right above them, observing the whole scene.

Applejack, who was sitting on her haunches right next to Spike and Pinkie and had removed her hat, chuckled. “You two don’t mind if I get in on that action, do you?”

“Not at all, Applejack,” Spike replied.

“Oh, I know the perfect way! Here, you take Spikey Wikey!” Pinkie chirped. She picked up Spike and practically shoved him into Applejack’s hooves.

“Uh, okay?” Applejack replied as her forehooves circled to Spike’s front, holding him close to her chest.

Spike had to admit that it felt a bit weird that he was being passed around like a doll, but he shrugged it off since it was pretty much just Pinkie being Pinkie. He was also curious to see what it was going to be like to cuddle with more than one pony at the same time.

Pinkie reached forward with her forehooves to wrap around Applejack’s body, pulling them together with Spike still in between them.

Spike’s arms flailed while he was squished between his friends, but the oxygen deprivation only lasted a second before Applejack and Pinkie lay on their sides, easing their hold on him.

“Oh, Ah see what you’re tryin’ to do, Pinkie,” said Applejack.

Spike patiently waited while Applejack and Pinkie adjusted themselves, their hooves never letting him go. When they were done moving around, Spike was still in between them, but this time it was a warm and comfortable embrace.

Applejack was still clutching onto Spike with both of her forehooves, while her chin rested on his head. Pinkie, in turn, had her chin on Applejack’s head with her hooves around her orange friend’s back. Nestled in between the two ponies, Spike instinctively moved his arms to Pinkie’s sides, hugging her with his limited reach.

Spike quickly concluded that this cuddle was by far the best one ever. Before, when he was only cuddling with one pony, parts of him would always be missing out on the sensation. Even though some of his friends were able to ease that issue with their wings, the feel of snuggling into a warm body could not be matched.

Now, he was surrounded by warmth and the soft hairs of his friends, completely encapsulated in snuggly bliss. The happy sighs and murmurs of contentment he could hear from his other friends were a nice bonus.

Pinkie let out a giggle every now and then as Spike let his claws roam up and down Pinkie’s sides, and she would frequently rub her hind legs against Spike’s. Applejack was content with just lying in Pinkie’s hold with a dragon in her own hooves, her only movements being the occasional brush with her muzzle on Pinkie’s neck or Spike’s head.

Spike was enjoying the double cuddle until he heard the sound of wings flapping. Turning his head, he saw that Rainbow Dash was flying above him. She was trying to look nonchalant, but her frequent glances at Applejack and Pinkie told another story.

“Somethin’ you need, sugarcube?” Applejack asked when she also noticed their visitor.

“Oh, uh, yeah,” Rainbow replied. “I was wondering if maybe Spike would like to join Fluttershy and I for a while. I, er, Fluttershy wants to cuddle with him.”

Spike and Applejack shared a knowing glance, while Pinkie gasped.

“Fluttershy wants some cuddle time with Spike?” Pinkie immediately separated herself from the cuddling, sat Spike up, and pushed him in Rainbow’s direction. “Of course she can! Go, Spike! You must go to her!”

“Right, if that’s what Fluttershy wants…” Spike smirked at Rainbow. “Then that’s what she’ll get.”

“Sweet!” Rainbow pumped a hoof with excitement, but her eyes widened slightly, and she hid her forehooves behind her back. “Er, I mean, that’s cool of you, Spike. Come on, we don’t want to keep her waiting.”

After a wave goodbye to his former cuddle-mates, Spike walked a few steps over to where Fluttershy was lying on her stomach. “Hey, Fluttershy, I heard you wanted to spend some time with me.”

“I did?” Fluttershy’s gaze looked up at the flying Rainbow for a moment before quickly moving back to Spike. “O-Oh, right, I did.”

Spike rolled his eyes and swiftly turned around to see that Rainbow was frantically waving a hoof back and forth across her throat to silence Fluttershy. When the pegasus realized she was caught, she put her hooves behind her back and smiled sheepishly.

“Rainbow, you know you don’t have to keep on playing it cool,” said Spike. “We already know you like to cuddle.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Rainbow protested, looking away with red on her cheeks. Seeing the flat stare Spike was giving her, she groaned. “Fiiine… Yes, I do like to cuddle. I just don’t want it to make it so… obvious. You know, with me being a Wonderbolt and all, I don’t want it to look like I’m getting soft or slacking.”

“I get that, but there’s nothing wrong with enjoying yourself. I’m positive that the other Wonderbolts let themselves go every now and then. Like what about that Soarin dude? Doesn’t he like to eat pies?”

“Yeah, I remember the one time the Wonderbolt Academy served pie in the cafeteria,” Rainbow said with a chuckle. “Spitfire had to literally drag him out.”

“See?”

Rainbow nodded. “Yeah, yeah, I get you. I guess I shouldn’t worry too much about cuddling. I’ll try to ease up on my worries. Anyway, it’s not like I have a major problem with it.”

“Well, I don’t know about that. Sneaking into my room last night was—” Spike was cut off when a yellow wing gently batted him in the face.

“Why don’t we get to cuddling?” Fluttershy suggested.

Nudging away Fluttershy’s wing, Spike withheld his snickering and simply smiled. He sat down next to Fluttershy, receiving a nuzzle on the cheek from the pegasus. Before he knew it, Rainbow had also lain down on her stomach on his other side, and once again, Spike found himself in between two mares.

“So, got anything in mind?” Spike asked his friends.

Rainbow responded by pushing Spike onto his stomach. She then moved her forehoof across Spike’s back and down his side, pulling him closer to herself. A second later, Fluttershy did the same with her forehoof, crossing over Rainbow’s hoof and resting on Spike’s other side. Both pegasi spread their wings and draped them over each other, also covering the dragon in between them.

With a veil of velvety feathers completely covering his body, Spike was tempted to take back his earlier thinking about wings, but he could not argue against the fantastic, fuzzy feeling he was getting from Rainbow’s and Fluttershy’s bodies and hooves surrounding him.

Rainbow and Fluttershy then lowered their heads onto the cushions, nuzzling into Spike’s cheeks. With his arms stuck to his sides, Spike could not do much except return the nuzzles with his head. Judging by the happy hums coming from either side of him, his cuddling companions did not mind.

After a while in the pegasi embrace, Spike could feel movement, and he cracked open an eye. To his amusement, he found that Pinkie had flopped herself onto Rainbow’s back, hooking her hooves around the pegasus’s neck and burying her muzzle into the prismatic mane.

“Uh, Pinkie, what are you doing?” Rainbow asked.

“Cuddling,” Pinkie answered simply.

“Oh, uh, hello, Applejack,” Fluttershy greeted, making Spike turn his head.

Applejack had lay down next to Fluttershy and snuggled into the pegasus’s side. “Hey, sugarcube. Sorry about intrudin’ on ya’ll, but Pinkie here wanted to join in.”

“Yep!” Pinkie chirped. “The more the merrier!”

“You three don’t mind, do you?”

As Fluttershy and Rainbow welcomed the additions to their cuddling, Spike asked, “What about the others? How are they doing?”

“You mean Twilight, Rarity, and Starlight?” Applejack motioned with her head to somewhere behind Spike. “The three of them look like they’re doin’ just fine.”

Locked in place between the two pegasus, Spike could not turn his head to check on the other half of his group of friends. As much as he would like to continue relaxing in the growing pile of cuddly ponies, he wanted to check up on Twilight.

While Twilight had gotten over her cuddling trepidations over the past few days, she had only practiced with Spike. He wanted to make sure she was doing fine now that she had to cuddle with somepony else.

“Hey, would it be alright if I go check on the others?” Spike asked.

All four ponies nodded, and Rainbow and Fluttershy lifted their wings while they scooched away from Spike so that he could crawl out of their hold on him.

Spike walked around his friends as they converged on each other to fill in the gap he left in the cuddle circle. Turning his attention in the direction Applejack pointed out, Spike marched toward the nearby Twilight, Rarity, and Starlight.

All three magic users were on their stomachs with Twilight relaxing in the middle. Twilight had her eyes closed and a smile of contentment clear on her face while Rarity and Starlight nuzzled Twilight’s neck. As Spike approached them, Rarity noticed him first and greeted him with a smile.

“Hello, Spikey Wikey, having fun?” Rarity asked.

“Fun is an understatement. This is the best thing ever!” Spike replied.

Starlight giggled. “I’ll have to agree with you on that.”

“Did you need something, Spike?” Twilight asked.

“Well, I wanted to check how you three were doing. Well, mostly you, Twilight, in case you were still nervous about cuddling.”

Twilight chuckled. “Thanks for checking up on me, Spike, but don’t worry. Those sessions with you helped prepare me for this. Rarity and Starlight have also been very understanding.”

“She made us read a pamphlet before we did anything,” Starlight stated with a deadpan face. Her horn lit up and said pamphlet rose into the air from behind them.

“Nothing wrong with making sure everypony is clear on where we all stand before and after cuddling,” Twilight informed.

Resisting the urge to facepalm, Spike said, “Well, at least you’re cuddling, and that’s what’s important. Looks like you three are doing alright, so I should head back to the others.”

As Spike turned around, he felt the familiar tingling of magic encompassing his entire body. A mix of teal, magenta, and turquoise magic lifted him up and backwards through the air and onto Twilight’s hooves.

“What’s the rush, Spikey Wikey?” Rarity asked.

“Yeah, you already cuddled with the others. Let us have you for a while,” Starlight stated.

“We just want to spend some time with the dragon that helped all of us,” Twilight explained.

Spike shrugged and nodded. “Sure, I don’t mind. It wouldn’t be right if I didn’t make sure I spent some time with every pony anyway.”

“Great! Now, we’ll just…” Twilight trailed off as her eyes glanced at all her companions. “Hmm, how are we going to do this?”

Rarity leaned over to whisper into her fellow unicorn’s ear, and after a moment, Starlight nodded.

“What are you two planning?” Twilight asked.

“You just let Starlight and I take the lead,” Rarity replied as she and Starlight lit up their horns.

Spike was again lifted into the air with magic and was deposited onto Twilight with his back resting against the alicorn’s neck. Once Spike was situated, Rarity moved back and shifted her body so that she could lay her head right on the dragon’s stomach. Starlight rested her head where Spike’s head was laying on Twilight’s neck.

Sighing happily, Spike laid back. With his weight supported on Twilight’s neck and with plenty of legroom on the alicorn’s back, Twilight made for a really comfy chair.

Spike ran one of his claws through Rarity’s mane, enjoying the feeling of the luxurious locks while eliciting coos of satisfaction from the unicorn when he scratched her head. His other claw reached over to stroke Starlight’s back, earning him even more sounds of a pleased mare.

Other than the brief pause when he had to cover his extremely red face when Rarity snuck in a quick, chaste kiss on his cheek, Spike was once again lulled into a blissful state somewhere between sleep and consciousness.

Spike was eventually brought back into reality when he heard the sounds of movement once again. Sitting up, he saw that the rest of his friends were approaching his group with Pinkie in the lead. No words were needed as nods and smiles were exchanged, and everypony shifted their positions to accommodate each other.

When everypony was settled, Spike found himself cradled deep into Twilight’s embrace with the alicorn’s hooves wrapped around him, clutching him tightly to her chest. Starlight was right behind Twilight, nestling into Twilight’s back as she shared nuzzles with Fluttershy. To Spike’s other side, his back was brushing against Applejack’s side. Applejack was quietly chatting with Rarity, who was propped up next to Applejack, and Rainbow, who had a wing around Rarity. Pinkie was splayed out on Applejack, Rainbow, and Rarity, earning her a few glances as she rolled back and forth on their backs.

“Thanks for helping me come to this party, Spike,” Twilight whispered into the dragon’s ear. “I am having a lot of fun.”

“Glad to do it. You’re always stressed with your studies, and all the princess duties you have now aren’t helping. When I felt how great cuddling was, I knew I had to get you into it.”

“I guess you’re going to be doing a lot of cuddling from now on, huh?”

“That’s a given.”

Twilight chuckled. “Figures. Guess you’ll be busy. Do you want me to help you make a cuddling schedule?”

“Twilight…”

“Fine… Just remember to save time for me, alright?”

Spike moved his arms to hug Twilight’s muzzle. “Always.”

As Spike settled into the center of the cuddling circle, he vowed to keep on cuddling with his friends. And maybe not just the friends that were near him. There were other friends that could maybe use a cuddle, and if the opportunity presented itself, he could be the dragon to help them with that.

But for now though, Spike wanted to enjoy the rest of the cuddling party. With a yawn, Spike let himself sink into the cuddly embraces of his friends.

“Yep, cuddling is awesome,” Spike murmured to himself before he slipped into one of the most restful sleeps of his entire life.

Author's Note

And so, Spike's Dragon Code for Cuddling is complete, and yet, it's not complete. As hinted, Spike will be cuddling with more characters, so keep an eye out for bonus chapters that will pop up every now and then.

Cutie Mark Crusaders

Author's Note

Yay, the first bonus cuddling!

Also, I forgot to mention it at the end of the main story, but I need to give a shout out to jeffh4 and docontra for sending me in fixes and edits for every chapter.

Cutie Mark Crusaders

Spike was struggling to stay awake, his eyelids getting heavier and heavier. His mind felt like it was being covered by a warm, fuzzy blanket, probably because of the warm, fuzzy cuddle he was in right now.

“Don’t you fall asleep on me now, sugarcube,” came Applejack’s voice, followed by a brush of the same pony’s muzzle on Spike’s head. “It’s about time for us to head out.”

Spike mumbled an incoherent, quiet protest, feeling a twinge of disappointment since his cuddle session with Applejack was over. Still, he was a noble dragon, and he knew Applejack was right. With a yawn and a stretch of his limbs, Spike fully opened up his eyes, seeing that he and Applejack were still resting on the pile of hay tucked away in the corner of one of Sweet Apple Acres’s barns.

“Glad you’re finally up, sleepy head,” Applejack greeted Spike with a grin.

Spike rolled his eyes. “Yeah, yeah, but can you blame me for almost dozing off?”

Applejack chuckled and shook her head. “Ah suppose not. Cuddlin’ sure is relaxin’. Ah nearly nodded off myself. Good thing Ah didn’t because Apple Bloom is goin’ to be home any minute now. Granny Smith and Ah are goin’ to teach her some family recipes.”

Spike immediately perked up. “Oooh, that sounds great. With all the delicious stuff your family makes, having more ponies being able to cook is important.”

Applejack chuckled again. “Well, thanks for the compliment. Ah’ll be sure to try and save you some grub for the next time you’re over. Now, if you don’t mind, Ah need to go and make sure everythin’ is set in the kitchen.”

After Spike and Applejack left the barn and said their goodbyes, Spike started making his way back home. While he had his usual, huge smile plastered on his face, an aftereffect from all of his cuddling sessions, he was waddling faster than usual. The thought of the scrumptious Apple Family food made him pretty hungry, and there was a bag of gems in his room calling his name.

Spike was in such a rush to fill his belly that he did not even notice that he passed a bush with a magenta ribbon poking out of its top.

“Mmm… This is the life…”

“You said it, Rainbow.”

“Thanks for coming all the way out here, Spike. Nothing like a good cuddle to wind down after some awesome flying.”

“No problem,” Spike murmured, pressing himself into Rainbow’s side as they lay in the shade of one of the tall trees in White Tail Woods.

After a few moments of blissful cuddling passed, Rainbow let out a huge sigh. “As much as I want to stay like this, I think I should get going. A bunch of farms ordered a quick shower, so I have to go round up some clouds if I don’t want a mob of ponies on my case tomorrow.”

“Yeah, I understand,” Spike replied as they pulled away from each other and got up. “So, did you get enough cuddling for today, or do I have to make sure my window is unlocked tonight?”

“It was one time!” Rainbow shouted, her wings bristling. “When are you going to stop bringing that up?”

“When I no longer find it amusing,” Spike answered with a cheeky grin.

Rainbow rolled her eyes and then lunged at Spike, putting him in a headlock and giving him a noogie. “You’re so lucky that you’re a good cuddler.”

It only took a few minutes for them to make their way out of White Tail Woods. While Rainbow was not as paranoid as before about keeping their cuddling a secret, she still preferred to be away from any prying eyes.

While Spike watched the flying Rainbow rapidly grow smaller and smaller in the sky, he heard the snapping of a twig behind him. He let out a yelp that might or might not have been more high-pitched than he would have liked and immediately looked behind him. He caught a glimpse of something that was orange and purple dart behind a tree, but it was so fast and brief that he wondered if it was just his imagination.

“Hello? Is anypony there?” Spike called out, his eyes combing the area. After a few moments of nothing, he shrugged and turned right back around.

He assumed that it was the wind or some critter that made the noise, but as he started making his way back home, he could not help but have a nagging feeling that he was being watched.

“Oh, thank you so much for your valuable assistance, Spikey Wikey.”

“No problem, Rarity. Always glad to help you out.”

“Well, since I finished my work early, I do have some free time now. I wonder what I should do with it…” Rarity flashed Spike a coy grin and nodded her head toward the stairs leading up to the second floor of the boutique.

Knowing exactly what Rarity was implying and certainly wanting it himself, Spike nodded enthusiastically. He promptly followed his friend upstairs, but just as Rarity put her hoof on the doorknob to her room, they heard the bell of the front door ring.

“Rarity!” a shrill voice suddenly filled the boutique, making Spike and Rarity wince.

“Sweetie Belle, a lady does not announce her entrance by shouting,” Rarity lectured, heading right back down to greet the filly now standing in the middle of the showroom.

“Oops, sorry…” Sweetie Belle apologized. Her gaze locked onto Spike, who had moved from the stairs to stand next to Rarity. “Oh, hi, Spike,” she said in an even tone.

“Er, hey, Sweetie Belle,” Spike replied with a wave. He was a bit confused with the unenthusiastic greeting. As far as he knew, he and Sweetie were good friends, and he was pretty sure he did not do anything to upset the filly.

“Was there something you need?” Rarity asked.

“Yep!” Sweetie chirped, turning her full attention back to her sister. “I got an art project I need to do, and I was hoping I could get some stuff from you. Also, if you have the time, maybe we could do it together?” She punctuated that last part by pursing out her lips and looking up at Rarity with huge, shimmering, pleading eyes.

“Of course, darling. I would be glad to help, just as long as you’re careful to not make a mess.”

“Yay! You’re the best, Rarity!”

While Sweetie Belle was hopping up and down with joy, Rarity gave Spike an apologetic smile. Spike, in turn, smiled back and waved it off, wordlessly letting Rarity know it was alright.

“Well, I guess I should leave you two alone,” Spike said as he headed for the door. “Hope you two have fun.”

“Feel free to drop by anytime, Spike,” Rarity said. “And thank you again for your help.”

With one last wave to the unicorns, Spike exited the building and started walking down the path. He took a glance back at the boutique, but he stopped in his tracks when he saw that Sweetie Belle was watching him from the window with a blank face.

He hesitantly waved back at the filly, but all he got was a slow nod before Sweetie moved out of sight.

Spike did not know what was going on, but as much as he wanted to talk to Sweetie, he did not want to interrupt her sister time with Rarity. He just had to hope he would be able to get some answers the next time he saw the filly.

The next day, Spike found himself walking through Sweet Apple Acres. However, instead of looking for Applejack for another round of cuddling, he was heading toward the Cutie Mark Crusader Clubhouse.

He had received a note from the fillies asking him to come to their hangout. There was no explanation why they wanted to see him, and with Sweetie Belle’s odd behavior from the other day still lingering on his mind, he suspected this was not just a simple visit.

Still, he knew the three fillies well enough, and it was not like the Crusaders caused that much trouble.

Spike stopped walking for a moment when a shiver ran down his spine and memories of tree sap ran through his mind. Maybe he should be worried a bit.

After pushing aside his worries of possible incarceration or explosions, Spike pushed on forward, eventually arriving at the clubhouse. With a knock on the door, he called out, “Hey, it’s Spike.”

“Come in, Spike,” Apple Bloom’s voice responded. “We’ve been expecting you.”

“Uh, I would hope so. You sent me a note asking me to come here.”

There was a slight pause before Apple Bloom said, “Just get in here.”

Spike opened the door, but to his surprise, he only saw Apple Bloom standing behind the podium the Crusaders used during their meetings. Walking straight forward, he greeted, “Uh, hey, Apple Bloom. Where are—”

The sound of the door shutting behind him made him turn around. He saw that Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo had been standing in the corners to the side of the entrance.

“H-hey, girls, what’s going on?” Spike asked slowly, squirming uncomfortably under the gaze of the three fillies.

“Spike, you got some explainin’ to do,” Apple Bloom stated.

“About what?”

“What have you been doing with our sisters?”

“Uh, you’re going to have to be even more specific.”

“You’ve been spendin’ a lot more time with them.”

“So? They’re my friends.”

“We mean a lot more alone time,” Scootaloo clarified.

Spike blinked. “Alone time?”

“Just the other day, I saw you sneaking out of one of the barns with Applejack,” Apple Bloom stated.

“And I saw you and Rainbow coming out of White Tail Woods,” Scootaloo added.

“And you were over at Rarity’s place when I came over,” Sweetie Belle finished.

“To be fair, I’ve been visiting Rarity a lot for a long time,” Spike said in his defense.

“Er, yeah, I guess that’s true,” Sweetie conceded before raising her voice. “But I know you’re up to something!”

Spike sighed. He now knew what the fillies were talking about, and he could not blame them to be concerned about their sisters. After all, neither he nor his friends had really been telling anypony about their cuddling sessions, even if Pinkie was still pushing for a town-wide cuddle party. He actually would have found this misunderstanding amusing if the fillies were not glaring at him.

“Look, girls, you don’t have to worry. I know you’re all just looking out for your sisters, but everything’s alright. This is all just a big misunderstanding.”

“Then what is it?” Apple Bloom demanded.

A tinge of red spread on Spike’s cheeks. “Well, to be honest, it’s a bit awkward to explain, but I assure you it’s nothing bad or anything. We have just been keeping things quiet because we aren’t sure how ponies would react if they found out about us.”

“So it’s true. You are dating one of them,” said Scootaloo.

Spike’s eyes shot wide open. “W-what? You’re all thinking I’m dating one of your sisters?”

“Well, yeah,” Apple Bloom replied with a nod.

“Unless you’re actually trying to date all three of our sisters!” Sweetie accused.

“Th-three?!” Spike sputtered.

“Yeah, like some love triangle!” Sweetie’s face scrunched up in thought. “Or would it be a love square since there’s four of you?”

“Uh, I’m not sure, but it doesn’t matter because I’m not dating anypony,” Spike replied.

“Oh… You sure?”

Spike shot Sweetie a flat stare. “Yes, I’m sure. Where did you get the idea I’m dating anyway?”

“Well, you have been sneaking around with them a lot,” Apple Bloom pointed out.

“You all seem to have like super happy grins whenever you’re done with whatever you’re doing,” Scootaloo continued.

“And those kind of stuff matches up with the ponies I read about,” Sweetie chimed in.

“What ponies?” Spike asked.

“From the books Rarity keeps under her bed. The ponies in there always seem to be running off so that they can kiss and hug and other stuff I’m not so sure about.”

“Oh…” Spike made a mental note to tell Rarity to relocate her romance novel stash. “Well, I guess I can see how it may kind of look like I’m dating somepony, but that’s not the case. You see, I’m just cuddling with your sisters.”

There was a moment of silence when all three fillies slowly blinked, their mouths slightly agape.

“Say what now?” Apple Bloom eventually blurted.

Spike gave a sheepish laugh and scratched his head. “Um, yeah. I recently started cuddling with your sisters as well as the rest of our friends.”

“Uh, okay… Then why all the sneaking around?” Sweetie asked.

“Because cuddling is serious business.”

“You gotta be kidding me…” Scootaloo said with an incredulous face.

“It is! Cuddling is great when you’re someplace nice and quiet without anypony to disturb you, so that’s part of the reason we try to be discreet. We’re also being careful with it since some ponies might get the wrong idea if they happen to see us. You should have seen Twilight when she first found out about it.”

“But all that trouble to just cuddle?”

“Hey, cuddling is awesome,” Spike said with a tone of finality. “When you’re cuddling, it’s like nothing else in the world matters except for the amazing feelings running throughout your whole body. You feel good. The pony you’re with feels good. Everypony wins. Our friends and I are all much happier since we started doing it, and I think all the cuddling has changed us all for the better.”

The Crusaders glanced at each other, mumbling to each other and shrugging.

“Ah guess you might have a point, Spike,” Apple Bloom admitted after a few seconds. “Ah remember when Ah used to cuddle with Applejack, and even though I forget how it feels, Ah know Ah really liked it. Ah also noticed that she’s been able to do get more work done around the farm before she calls it for the day.”

Sweetie Belle nodded. “Rarity did mention she’s been feeling more inspired recently as well. She’s having an easier time finishing her orders. I like it because she’s been able to spend more time with me whenever I visit her.”

“Same with Rainbow, now that I think about it,” Scootaloo added. “Her flying seems to be even more awesome than usual. She’s also been kind of huggy, which is a bit weird, but I’m not against it at all.”

“See?” Spike said with a smirk. “Cuddling really is the best.”

“Quick, Crusaders, huddle up!” Apple Bloom announced. As the other two fillies ran over to her, she added, “Could you give us a few minutes, Spike?”

“Er, sure,” Spike replied. He watched as the Crusaders formed a circle, stood up on their hind legs, and rested their forelegs on each other's shoulders, allowing them to put their heads together.

Frantic whispering filled the clubhouse, and Spike patiently twiddled his claws as he waited. He guessed that the fillies were planning to do something with him, or at least that was what it seemed like, judging by how often one of the fillies would raise her head and look at him.

“Oh, Spike…” all three fillies suddenly crooned in a sing-song voice as they suddenly broke the huddle to form a line in front of the dragon.

Spike’s dragon senses were tingling, warning him of the impending danger. He knew that glint in their eyes. It was the same glint that the Crusaders often had when they used to try and get their cutie marks.

He started to slowly back towards the door. To his horror, each step he retreated, the fillies would advance closer to him. “Um, you know what? I got… stuff… important stuff to do back at the castle, so I think I’mjustgoingtorunnowbye!”

Spike whipped around to dash for the door, but he was only able to make three steps before he succumbed to the attack. A bloodcurdling yell of “Cutie Mark Crusader Cuddlers! Yay!” rang through Sweet Apple Acres, and Spike was tackled to the floor by the three fillies.

Before Spike was able to move, the Crusaders scrambled to both hold him down and commence their vicious cuddling. Apple Bloom and Scootaloo latched onto his sides, locking his arms in place, while Sweetie Belle lay on top of him, preventing him from getting up. All three of them had their forehooves wrapped around Spike’s neck as they surrounded his head with their snuggling cheeks.

“Gee, you could have just asked,” Spike grumbled.

“Where’s the fun in that?” Scootaloo asked with a giggle.

Despite being slightly roughed up and completely immobilized, Spike had to admit he was not having a bad time.

Cuddling with the Crusaders was a whole different world than the cuddling he had been exposed to with his usual friends. Instead of being much bigger, the fillies were pretty much the same size as him. His entire body was completely smothered by the pleasantly warm bodies of the ponies, and his legs were covered by the intertwining tails and hind legs of the Crusader Cuddlers. It was a group effort, but it felt like every single inch of him was being cuddled.

Even with Sweetie resting right on top of him, he could easily support her without any discomfort or pain. He could not say the same when Pinkie tried the same position with him… multiple times.

Spike was not expecting cuddles when he came to the clubhouse, but he was certainly glad that he was ambushed. Things might have been a bit rocky at the start, but he and the fillies had now settled down into a relaxing cuddle.

Suddenly, the clubhouse door opened.

“Hey, girls. Ah thought you all could use a snack and…” Applejack trotted in with a plate of apple fritters, and she stopped when she saw four pairs of wide eyes staring at her from the cuddle pile on the floor.

“Uh, hey, Applejack,” Spike greeted sheepishly. He tried to wave, but Apple Bloom and Scootaloo still held his arms in place.

“Spike,” Applejack replied with a nod.

“I-I can explain. You see—”

“Let me guess. The Crusaders found out about our cuddling and they wanted to try it out with you.”

“Uh, more or less, yeah,” Spike replied as he and the Crusaders all nodded.

Applejack chuckled and set the apple fritters down on a nearby table. “Yeah, Ah suppose it was only a matter of time. We’re all goin’ to have to talk.”

“Aww, do we have to stop now?” Apple Bloom asked. She and the other fillies tightened their hold on Spike.

“Nah, we can do it later. Ah’m sure Rarity and Rainbow would also like to put in their two bits. For now though, have fun with Spike, girls.”

“We will!” all three fillies chirped before Applejack left, closing the door behind.

“I’m not leaving here for a long time, are I?” Spike asked.

“Nope!” the three fillies replied with giggles.

Spike let out a sigh of amusement. “That’s fine with me.”

It was not until the sun began to set and Applejack had to come back to the clubhouse and literally pry the fillies off of him before Spike was finally able to get up and leave. Walking home with a big ‘I have just been cuddled’ look on his face, Spike was already making plans to visit the Cutie Mark Crusader Clubhouse more often in the future.

Royal Sisters

“Ack, not so tight, Spike! Let go of my neck! I can hardly breathe!”

“I will when we’re back on solid ground!”

Twilight flashed a frown at Spike, who was riding on her back, before directing her attention forward again. They were flying over the tall spires that dotted the city of Canterlot, aiming for the royal castle where they were invited to. Once Twilight made it to the castle’s outer walls, she began her descent toward one of the inner courtyards.

“Land!” Spike shouted with immense relief as he unbuckled the seatbelt strapping himself to his alicorn ride. Before Twilight even touched the ground, he jumped off of his steed and lowered his head to the earth. A quiet clunk made him pause before he sat up, quickly took off the hoofball helmet he was wearing, and then knelt back down to kiss the ground.

“Is that really necessary, Spike?” Twilight’s chiding voice reached Spike’s ears. “My flying is perfectly fine now. There’s no need to make a scene. Sometimes I wonder if you’re hanging around Rarity a bit too much.”

“Hey, I still have nightmares about when you first got your wings,” Spike replied as he finished worshipping the ground and got up. “I’m just glad that I've got some tough scales.”

Twilight merely rolled her eyes as a pair of royal guards, clad in their golden armor, marched up to her and Spike.

“Greetings, Princess Twilight, Sir Spike!” both guards said with a salute. One of them continued to say, “Princess Celestia is waiting for you in her study. Would you like us to escort you there?”

Twilight shook her head and gave the guards a friendly smile. “That’s alright. I know the way. Thank you both for your help,” she replied after grabbing Spike in her magic and placing him onto her back.

Due to their countless visits to the castle in the past, it did not take long before Twilight and Spike arrived at Celestia’s personal study. After knocking on the door and receiving a “Come in” from an all too familiar voice, Twilight opened the door with her magic and proceeded inside with Spike.

“Twilight, Spike, it’s so good to see you two. Thank you for coming,” Celestia greeted the pair with her gentle, motherly smile. She was standing to the side, busying herself with a tea set on a cart. “I just finished brewing the tea. To be honest, I wasn’t expecting you so soon, but one of my guards told me that they spotted you flying here, giving me some time to prepare.”

“Yeah, Twilight just couldn’t wait for a train when she received your letter,” Spike informed. He hopped off of Twilight’s back and seated himself on one of the comfy cushions that were laid out in the center of the room. “You know how she is when it comes to Star Swirl.”

Twilight blushed slightly as she took a seat next to Spike. “Well, it’s not every day that I get a chance to look at some newly-discovered works from Star Swirl the Bearded, plus I’m glad that I get the chance to visit you, Celestia.”

“Both of you are always welcome here,” Celestia said while she walked over to her visitors with her magic holding a tray carrying their tea. “You don’t need to wait for an invitation or for me to ask a favor like today to visit.”

“I know, I know. I just don’t want to disturb you in case you’re busy.”

Celestia placed the tray in the middle of the cushions and smiled. “I’m never too busy to see you, Twilight.”

Twilight’s blush grew more pronounced, and she smiled before hiding her face behind the offered teacup.

The three of them proceeded to enjoy their tea together. Along with the tea, there were a plate of sugar cookies, another plate containing a selection of cake slices, and even a small bowl of sapphires for Spike. For a while, they passed the time by exchanging news and small talk, happy just to spend time with each other. It was not until they were almost out of refreshments before Celestia set her teacup down, marking a shift in their conversation.

“I suppose it’s time I told you more about why I asked you two here,” Celestia stated. “I would like to ask one more thing before we move on though. I’m curious to know why Starlight Glimmer did not join us. I thought she was also interested in Star Swirl’s works.”

“She… Well…” Twilight paused. “She felt that she has had enough of Star Swirl for a long time, given her last, uh, use of one of his spells.”

“Ah…” Celestia nodded slowly and sighed. “Some things from the past are indeed hard to move on from. I have certainly found myself in the same situation more than a few times. I do hope that Starlight will be able to overcome her worries.”

“Starlight will be fine. I, Spike, and the rest of our friends are all supporting her.”

“That’s good to hear. And I assume she will be fine living in the Castle of Friendship by herself while you’re here?”

“Starlight is a grown mare. She can take care of herself, and I trust her.” Twilight chuckled lightly. “It’s not like she’s going to have some sort of wild party while I’m gone.”

Spike kept silent by stuffing his mouth full of sapphires. He had happened to glance back at the Castle of Friendship as he flew away with Twilight, and he noticed that Starlight was opening the castle doors for Pinkie so that she could roll in her party cannon and a cart full of cakes. He chose to keep that information to himself, partly because he wanted to let the others have their fun, and partly because it was material he could use against them in the future. Nothing like a little blackmail between good friends.

“Anyway, back to what I asked you here for, Twilight,” Celestia began again. “Maretonia recently donated a collection of books to the Royal Library, and among them were several works written by none other than Star Swirl the Bearded. Given your knowledge of him and his magic, I would like you to review Star Swirl’s books and help decide what we should do with them.”

Twilight cocked her head. “What do you mean? Shouldn’t they be archived in the Royal Library so others can view his work?”

“Maybe because they might contain spells that could change other ponies’ destinies, rewrite the past, or other fun stuff like that?” Spike pointed out.

Twilight blinked. “Oh… Right…”

“Spike is correct. Star Swirl experimented with many dangerous spells, so it is important that these new works are examined carefully so that we know how to properly deal with them. That’s where you come in, Twilight,” Celestia explained.

Twilight got up on her hooves with a confident smile and her chin held up high. “Don’t worry, Celestia, I won’t let you down! I’ll get started right away!”

Celestia used her magic to ring a bell that was resting on a nearby desk. A few seconds later, the door opened and a royal guard walked in.

“You called, Princess Celestia?” the guard asked with a salute.

Celestia nodded. “Could you show Twilight where we put the Maretonian shipment?”

“Certainly,” the guard complied with a bow. “Right this way, Princess Twilight.”

“Thank you,” Twilight replied to the guard, trotting over to the door. “Come on, Spike! There’s work to be done and lots of notes to take!”

“Yay…” Spike lifelessly uttered in a tone as though he was heading for his own execution.

“Actually, I would like Spike to stay here. I want to ask him to do something for me as well, if he is willing,” Celestia stated.

Twilight’s eyes bulged. “Oh my goodness, I almost forgot you mentioning that in your letter! I’m so sorry!”

“It’s alright, Twilight. I know that you’re excited to learn something new about Star Swirl. Go on ahead. Spike will be in good hooves, and I’ll be sure to check on you later.”

“R-right…” Twilight breathed a sigh of relief. “I’ll just be on my way then and leave you two be. I’ll see you both later!”

After waving goodbye as Twilight left with the guard, Spike looked back to Celestia, feeling a bit nervous. While he had done more than a few tasks for Celestia before, it had always been with Twilight. As far as he could recall, this was the first time Celestia wanted him to do something by himself. Taking a deep breath, he asked, “So, what’s up, Celestia? What can I do for you?”

“Well, it has to do with your recent discovery,” Celestia explained.

Spike cocked his head. “Recent discovery?”

“Twilight has sent me a few letters telling me about your little dragon code incident and its aftermath.”

“Oh.” Spike paused and blinked. “Oh…” Another pause and his eyes widened. “Oh…”

“I must say that she was very descriptive when she wrote about those events.”

Spike could feel his face heat up, and he was having trouble looking Celestia in the eye. “I-I see…” He cleared his throat to help regain some composure. “S-so, um, wild guess here, does this mean you want to me to cuddle?”

“If it would not be too much trouble.”

“O-of course not.” Spike took another deep breath, stood up straight, and put his hands on his hips. “I would be happy to cuddle with you, Celestia.”

Celestia smirked. “Oh, not with me, Spike.”

Spike visibly deflated and blinked. “Wait, what?”

“I would like you to try and cuddle with my sister instead.”

“You mean Luna? Uh, yeah, I can do that. Just curious though, why are you asking me on her behalf?"

Celestia sighed. “Because Luna has been working hard with all of her royal duties, no doubt as a way to make up for her past. And unlike me, who just goes to sleep during the night, Luna spends many hours patrolling the dreamscape and consoling ponies. While I am proud of her diligence, it also makes me worry for her.

"That’s why I am asking for your help. Given what I heard about your exploits, you spending some time with Luna would help relieve some of her stress.”

“Well, you can count on me, Celestia!” Spike proclaimed. “I’ll do whatever it takes to cuddle with your sister!” He paused and some of the confidence drained out of him. “Wow, that kind of sounds creepy.”

Celestia giggled before leaning forward to nuzzle Spike’s cheek. “Thank you, Spike.”

With his cuddling mission given, Spike was led through the castle’s halls again. It took more than a few minutes, partly due to Celestia stopping to pleasantly greet everypony they passed on the way, but they eventually arrived at an ornate door emblazoned with Luna’s cutie mark of the moon.

“This is Luna’s bedroom,” Celestia explained. “When she’s not in a meeting or doing her rounds, she’s in here, busy with paperwork. Do you need me to go in with you to help explain things?”

“Hmm…” Spike rubbed his chin in thought. “Actually, I think it might be better if I do it alone. We don’t want it to look like you’re telling her to cuddle with me.”

Celestia nodded. “A valid point, and I trust your expertise on this matter. I leave my sister in your hands, Spike. Good luck.” She gave Spike one last nuzzle before turning back the way they came.

Taking a deep breath, Spike knocked on the door. “Uh, Luna? It’s me, Spike.” A second later, he heard the faint sound of magic right as the door opened. Taking that as a welcome, he went right on in.

Luna’s room was like stepping into another world. True to her title of Princess of the Night, Luna had decorated her room with varying shades of dark-blue and hints of black, and with the dim lighting, it felt like it was already nighttime, despite the sun still shining through the curtained windows. The four corners of the room had curious light fixtures that resembled trees except they had lights at the end of their branches instead of leaves. Dominating the center of the room was a large replica of a white crescent moon affixed to a stand designed to look like clouds. The inside of the moon was carved out to fit a bed that was large enough to fit three or four alicorns.

“Spike, it is a pleasure to see you,” Luna greeted from the side, ending Spike’s sightseeing. He turned to see Luna, a soft smile on her face while she sat in front of a work desk. “I should thank you and Twilight for coming to help us. Forgive me for not being able to help welcome you both. I got caught up with my work, but I did plan to see you two after I finished this batch of forms.”

“Uh, no problem. Celestia did say you were busy.” Spike glanced at the stack of papers on the desk that was taller than him.

“So what brings you to my room? Is there something you need to help analyze Star Swirl’s work?”

“Actually, I, uh, came to see you. Twilight’s the one who knows all about Star Swirl, so she doesn’t really need my help. I thought it would be cool if I could see you and maybe hang out.”

Luna’s smile widened. “Spike, I am flattered that you wish to spend time with me.” She sighed and glanced over at the papers on her desk. “Unfortunately, I still have quite a bit of work left to do. My apologies, Spike, but I am afraid I would not make for good company at the moment.”

“Then why not just take a break, Luna? I’m sure those forms don’t need to be taken care of right this instant.”

“While I suppose that is technically correct, I see no reason to put off my work if I can help it. Matters are resolved quicker, and it also means I get to move on to the next task.” Luna paused upon seeing Spike’s shoulders sag and a forlorn frown crossing the dragon’s face. “Well, you did come all the way from Ponyville, and I suppose a short break is not out of the question.”

“Yes!” Spike cheered, his fists raised in the air in triumph.

Luna giggled. “Did you have something in mind for us?”

“I sure do!” Spike took a deep breath and fiddled with his fingers nervously. “Okay, now this might sound a bit weird, but, uh, would you like to… I don’t know… maybe cuddle with me?”

Luna’s eyebrow rose. “You wish to cuddle with me? And may I ask why you are suggesting such an activity?” she queried with an amused tone.

“Well, cuddling is just really awesome. When you’re doing it, it feels like the world melts away and all you can feel is the warmth and closeness of the pony you are with. It feels super good, and I guarantee that you’ll like it. I should know. I’ve been doing it a lot recently, and I mean a lot.”

Luna chuckled. “Ah yes, my sister told me about your recent activities. You seem to have quite the following. Does this mean I am just another pony in your cuddly conquest?”

Spike let out a nervous laugh. “Yeah, I guess it does sort of look like I’m going through a list of ponies to cuddle. But in all seriousness, I cuddle to help my friends feel better, and that includes you. After hearing how much you do for everypony, I figured it was time somepony did something for you.”

Luna got up to walk up to Spike and give him a one-hoofed hug. “Thank you, Spike. I am so happy to have friends like you.” She let Spike go and nodded. “Very well, I would be honored to cuddle with you, Spike. It has been so long since I indulged in the art of cuddling, and I am happy to have a noble dragon like you to do it with.”

“You won’t regret it,” Spike replied, mentally fistpumping that his cuddling persuasion skills were getting better while Luna took off her ornate shoes and led Spike to her moon bed.

When Spike and Luna climbed onto the bed, Spike promptly crawled over to Luna, only to pause when the alicorn raised a hoof.

“There is one thing before we start, Spike,” Luna informed. “While I am glad that we are doing this, I still have a work schedule to maintain. Is it alright if we restrict our cuddling time to about ten minutes?” She waved her hoof at the opposite wall where a small, wooden pendulum clock was hanging.

“Ten minutes? That’s it?” Spike asked incredulously.

“My apologies, Spike, but I do have a lot on my hooves at the moment. I would have cleared my schedule if I knew you wished to spend time with me. Tell you what; I would be glad to have a makeup session some other day when I am more free.”

Spike sighed. “I guess that’s fine… But don’t be afraid to ask for more today if you feel like it.”

“Duly noted.” Luna used her magic to take off her peytral and crown, setting them on a nearby nightstand. Scooping up Spike in her forehooves with a grin, she then lay on her side, resting her head on a pillow and with Spike still in her hooves. “Now, let the cuddling commence.”

Cuddling with Luna was a whole new experience for Spike. The most notable difference was that Luna was larger than his other friends. With his arms hugging Luna’s neck, his legs barely reached the middle of the alicorn’s belly. Despite the size difference, Spike quickly adjusted to his cuddling position and rested his head on close to the crook of Luna’s neck.

As Spike gently rubbed Luna’s neck with one claw, his attention shifted toward the alicorn’s mane. Even when lying on the bed, the mane continued to undulate, as though caught in a constant breeze. Reaching forward with a claw, he stroked the ethereal mane.

While he had felt Luna’s mane before, those were only just brief touches and were nothing compared to how his claw was submerged in the supernatural hair. A cool feeling wrapped around his claw, akin to when one takes a refreshing dip into a pool during a hot day. His claw also felt a constant, pleasant tingle, probably due to the magic that resided within in the mane. As he continued to stroke Luna’s mane, he marveled at how easily his claw glided through it, almost feeling like he was moving through liquid instead of strands of hair.

Judging by how Luna rested her chin on Spike’s head while humming happily after only a minute of his ministrations, she had swiftly taken to Spike’s cuddles and was thoroughly enjoying it. Spike had to admit that even though he could look past the crown to see Luna as a friend, there was a bit of a thrill knowing that his cuddling was being well-received by another princess.

Eventually, Spike’s gaze caught the clock on the wall. With a heavy sigh, he tapped Luna’s foreleg which was still wrapped around him. “Luna, it’s been ten minutes.”

Luna’s head backed away, a frown present on her face. “Is it already? It feels like we had just started.”

“Well, we could stay like this if you want.”

“No, no, I really should be getting back to work…” Despite her words, Luna remained where she was, her grip on Spike not loosening.

“Uh, Luna?”

“But I suppose another five minutes could not hurt, right?”

Spike grinned. “Whatever works for you, Luna.”

Luna responded by nuzzling into the top of Spike’s head, sighing with contentment. However, the extra five minutes disappeared in a flash.

“Luna, it—”

“Five more minutes.”

Like before, five more minutes came and gone.

“Luna.”

“F-five more.”

“…”

“Do not give me that look.”

“…”

“Fine, ten more minutes!”

After another ten minutes passed, Spike knew that he had to speak up.

“Luna…”

“Just give us—”

“Luna, just take the day off or something. You know you want it. Besides, all these interruptions are making it difficult to really enjoy our cuddling.”

Luna was silent for a few seconds before she sighed and tightened her grip on Spike. “I have been acting a tad foolish, haven’t I? This is far more enjoyable than I had anticipated. I had forgotten what it was like. I suppose my work can wait for one more night. Confound you and your cuddling ways, Spike.”

Spike and Luna stayed in their cuddly embrace for a few hours, relishing in the warmth and comfort they offered each other. That all came to a screeching halt when a knock on the door made them pull apart and sit upright in a flash. However, they both let out an audible sigh of relief when the door opened to reveal Celestia.

“Oh, it’s just you,” Luna remarked.

“Yes, just me,” Celestia dryly repeated, smiling softly. “I just wanted to check up on you two. I take it that the both of you are having a pleasant time?”

Luna nodded. “Spike has been showing me the wonders of cuddling. Thank you, sister, for asking him to spend time with me.”

Celestia’s eyes widened slightly while Spike had a more noticeable response when he cried out, “You knew?!”

Luna giggled. “I heard somepony talking outside my door earlier, so I used a listening charm to see who it was. Imagine my surprise when I overheard my sister arranging a playdate for me with a dragon.”

“So you were just playing along?” Spike asked.

Luna nodded. “I only heard that you were going to spend some time with me, and I did not want to turn you away without at least greeting you. I must say that I did not expect a cuddling, but I certainly do not regret what has transpired.”

The faintest tinge of red had graced Celestia’s cheeks. “Forgive me, Luna. I was just hoping Spike could help you relax, even if just for a few moments. You’re always working, so I often worry that you’re pushing yourself too hard.”

“Tia, thank you for the concern, but I am fine. It is not like a little paperwork is going to do me any harm.”

Spike pointed at the tall stack of papers on the work desk. “Uh, a little?”

Luna rolled her eyes. “Regardless, it is not like anypony is complaining.”

“Actually, they are, Luna,” Celestia explained. “Some of the officials are saying that they have nothing to do because you’re taking all of their work.”

Luna blinked. “I… I was not aware of that.”

“Working hard is good and all, but you have to know when you’re taking on too much,” said Spike. “Everypony needs time for themselves to rest and relax. You can’t do everything by yourself. Remember the Tantabus incident?”

Luna’s eyes shifted back and forth between her work desk, Celestia’s stern face, and Spike’s worried gaze. After a few moments, she sighed heavily. “I suppose I have been overdoing things a tad.”

Celestia nodded. “We have plenty of capable ponies working in the castle who would be happy to help you, sister. It would ease my worries if you delegate some of your work to them.”

“I shall, sister. I guess that I am still worried that I might be a burden on others.”

Spike patted Luna’s side and gave her a comforting smile. “You’re totally not a burden, Luna. You do all sorts of awesome stuff for Equestria.”

Celestia trotted over to the bed to nuzzle Luna. “Spike is right. There are so many ponies that are thankful for what you do, and the last thing they want to hear is that you’re exhausting yourself from working too much.”

Luna nuzzled Celestia back while also petting Spike’s head. “Thank you both. I guess I should figure out what I am going to do with my free time now.”

“You could try more cuddling?” Spike offered.

Luna’s eyes widened. “Now, that is a very compelling idea. I demand that we celebrate my new free time with more cuddles, posthaste!”

Spike did not resist when Luna picked him up once again in her forehooves and clutched him tightly to her chest. Even though he felt like he was being treated as a stuffed animal, he was more than okay with his current position.

Celestia giggled. “Very well then. I shall leave you two and check up on Twilight again. She has been making excellent progress.” She headed for the door, but she was startled when it was suddenly slammed shut by a familiar dark-blue aura. “Luna?”

“You know, you are a bit of a hypocrite, sister,” Luna stated with a coy smile. “You say that I work too much, but you are guilty of the same crime.”

Celestia frowned. “What? I do not spend all day in my study doing paperwork.”

“While that may be true, there are many other tasks that you do. Meeting ambassadors, giving lectures at your school for gifted unicorns, making appearances at many events, to name a few. You always did prefer a more hooves-on approach.”

“Your point, Luna?”

“If I am going to be reducing my workload, you should also take some time off. Like you said, there are plenty of ponies that are capable of fulfilling some of your duties.” Luna’s smug tone faded, and she smiled warmly. “I would very much like to enjoy my free time with my sister.”

Celestia’s eyes widened, and after a moment, a wide smile sprouted across her face. “You drive a hard bargain, Luna, but perhaps I can rearrange my schedule to meet your demands.” Her horn glowed, and a quill hastily scribbled something on a blank piece of parchment before disappearing in a flash of light. “Done.”

“Splendid, and for our first activity together, we shall all cuddle together.” Luna glanced down at Spike. “If that is alright with you, Spike.”

“Cuddling with two princesses?” Spike smirked. “Can’t really get better than that.”

Having reached a common cuddling consensus, Celestia trotted back to the moon bed, using her magic to remove her crown, peytral, and shoes on the way. Celestia then hopped onto the bed, joining Luna as they lay on their sides. Facing each other, they placed Spike between them and interlocked their forehooves around him.

“Huzzah, the cuddling has been doubled!” Luna cheered.

Celestia leaned forward so that she could place her chin on top of Luna’s head. In turn, Luna rested her own head on Spike’s once again, the three of them forming a sort of cuddling totem pole with their heads.

Spike noticed that the tip of Celestia’s mane happened to have fallen close to one of his claws. Unable to resist, he reached over and began fondling the mane. Like Luna’s, Celestia’s mane buzzed with magic, and Spike’s claw waded through it as though it was water. Unsurprisingly, Spike felt warmth surrounding his claw, a contrast to the coolness of Luna’s mane.

Celestia’s hairs felt so smooth and silky when she rubbed against Spike. Spike realized that Luna’s hairs were of a similar texture, and he began to wonder if their soft hairs were a result of their alicorn magic or having access to haircare products that would make even Rarity jealous.

Spike nuzzled into Celestia’s chest. He remembered that during his younger years, he would sometimes get the opportunity to be cuddled and cradled by Celestia during some of Twilight’s lessons. In a way, Celestia was kind of like his third mother, behind Twilight’s own mother and Twilight herself. While he weaned himself out of those embraces as he grew, his recent cuddling agenda made him realize how much he missed those times. Judging by how tightly Celestia seemed to hold onto him, she had similar thoughts.

Sandwiched between two alicorns, Spike was in bliss. He loved being surrounded by the cuddly bodies of ponies, and the soft hairs brushing his sides sent warmth and fuzzy feelings throughout his entire body. Both alicorns held onto him tightly, smothering Spike with snuggles. Spike responded by hooking his arms under the alicorns’ forehooves, hugging them closer to his body. To top it all off, both alicorns extended a wing and draped them over each other as well as the dragon between them, forming a feathery blanket for Spike.

A few hours of cuddling bliss later, the trio of cuddlers were interrupted by a soft thump. Spike, Luna, and Celestia raised their heads to find that Twilight was peeking from behind the other end of the bed.

“H-hi,” Twilight greeted with a sheepish smile. When the bed’s inhabitants continued to silently stare at her, she added, “Um, I finished going through Star Swirl’s stuff, and the guards said you all were here. Since I don’t have anything else to do now…” She looked expectantly at the trio with wide eyes.

Spike, Luna, and Celestia glanced at each other, smiled, and then nodded to Twilight.

Twilight let out a delighted squee before she hastily hopped onto the bed. Celestia and Luna raised their wings so that Twilight could rest on top of their joined bodies before draping them over the latecomer.

With another pair of alicorn hooves wrapping around him and seeing that they were all starting to doze off from all the pleasant cuddling, Spike had a feeling that he and Twilight were going to be staying in Canterlot a bit longer than they had estimated.

And that was perfectly alright with him.

Fluttershy?

Author's Note

So not only does Fluttershy get a second chapter featuring her, she also now holds the two longest chapters in this fic. Furthermore, she is in the cover image. I guess I can't resist Fluttershy either.

PS: For those who have been keeping up with the cuddles before this chapter was posted, I also added a bit to Celestia's part of the cuddling in the 'Royal Sisters' chapter because it was kind of lacking.

Fluttershy?

Contrary to what some ponies might think, Spike was actually a pretty nimble dragon. After all, he had plenty of practice with all the running and hiding he had to do. Growing up with Twilight was a literal minefield with all the volatile magic and explosive science experiments the former unicorn performed regularly.

Moving to Ponyville only further put his fleeing-for-his-life abilities to the test. From simple misunderstandings that spiraled out of control to dealing with power-hungry villains that threatened the entire world, he and his friends seemed to attract trouble on an almost weekly basis.

However, today was not one of those kinds of days. Spike was running for an entirely different reason. Tucked safely in the backpack strapped to his back was a new comic, and he only had to complete one more errand before he could go home and enjoy his purchase within the comforts of his room.

When Spike made it to Sweet Apple Acres, he quickly found Applejack, the mare he was looking for, hauling a wagon full of apples toward one of the barns.

“Hey, Applejack!” Spike called out, waving his hand and rushing toward the mare.

Applejack turned toward her caller and smiled. “Howdy, Spike. Just you today?”

“Yep, Twilight and Starlight are busy doing some magic stuff.”

“Well, what can Ah do for you?” Applejack’s smile shrunk. “But, um, just to let you know, Ah’m pretty busy today, so Ah can’t really spare the time for any of our sessions.”

Spike chuckled. “Not today, Applejack. I’m just here to grab a few apples to take home.”

Applejack tilted her head at the wagon behind her. “No problem. I got a whole bunch right here. How many you need?”

“Half a dozen, please. That should be enough for the three of us.”

Applejack unhooked herself from the wagon and quickly picked out the requested apples, setting them in a pile in front of the dragon. “There you go, Spike. Ah’ll just put it on your tab.”

“Thanks, Applejack!” Spike took his comic out of his backpack and set it delicately to the side before he began stuffing the apples into his bag.

“What you got there, Spike?” Applejack asked, staring at the comic.

“Oh, nothing.” Spike picked up the comic in one hand and held it triumphantly above his head. “Just the newest issue of the Power Ponies!”

“Power Ponies?” Applejack’s eyes widened, and she slowly backed away. “Isn’t that the same comic that we all got sucked into?”

“Don’t worry. This is just a plain, old comic. Uh, not that I’m saying the Power Ponies are plain or old because they’re not and are totally awesome.” Spike quickly finished packing, placing his comic on top of the apples. Putting on his backpack again, he started walking away and waved goodbye. “Thanks again, Applejack! Say hi to your family for me!”

“Er, wait, Spike,” Applejack said, prompting Spike to turn right back to her. “Just wonderin’, do you have anythin’ else to do today?”

“Other than going home and reading my comic, no,” Spike replied. “What’s up?”

“Well, if it’s not too much trouble, could you do an apple delivery for me? Cider season is comin’ up, and Ah got a bunch of stuff to do. Whole family does actually, otherwise Ah would’ve asked one of them to do it instead.”

“Um…” Spike glanced away and nervously squeezed the straps of his backpack. In all honesty, he really wanted to head home so that he could start reading his comic. He had been waiting all month for the comic to come out. However, he also felt guilty for even thinking of leaving a friend in need, especially since they were asking for a simple favor.

“Who would I be delivering to?” Spike asked.

“Fluttershy,” Applejack answered. “She told me she was going to pick up a bunch of apples today, but one of her bird friends came by with a note from her a little while ago. Turns out that she got to take care of a bunch of injured critters. She still says she really needs those apples, but since Ah’m so busy, it’s gonna be really tough for me to get them to her.”

That settled it for Spike. He would be helping not one, but two of his friends. Surely he could spare a few more minutes, and it was not like his Power Ponies comic was going anywhere.

Taking a small breath, Spike nodded and smiled. “I would be happy to help.”

Applejack replied with an even bigger smile. “Thanks, Spike! Just wait right here for a sec.” She trotted into the farmhouse, and after a moment, she came back with a paper bag almost as big as Spike’s backpack.

“Whoa, Fluttershy usually orders this many apples at once?” Spike asked, peering into the bag. There were probably around two dozen apples inside it.

“Every now and then. Ah think she started doing this not too long ago.” Applejack shrugged. “Ah figure that she probably needs them to feed some hungry animals.”

Spike nodded. “Yeah, that’s probably it.”

With a little help from Applejack, Spike managed to squeeze Fluttershy’s apples into his backpack while making sure his comic was not squished.

“Thanks, Spike, Ah owe ya, and Ah’m sure Fluttershy will feel the same way when you see her!” Applejack called out as Spike walked away.

Spike’s trip to Fluttershy’s place was slow. He was already weighed down by his heavy apple load, but there were further delays as he tried his best to keep his backpack steady to prevent any of the apples from jostling around and possibly damaging his comic in some way. He was thankful that Shining Armor had taught him so many different ways to care for his comics, including buying plastic sleeves to protect them.

When Fluttershy’s place came into view, Spike was exhausted. At least he was almost done with his task, and it would not be long before he can delve into his comic. He walked right up to the door and knocked.

A moment later, he heard Fluttershy quietly ask “H-hello? Who’s there?” from the other side of the door. Her voice was barely audible, but Spike had plenty of practice to tune his ears to Fluttershy-speak.

“Hey, Fluttershy. It’s just Spike. Applejack is busy, so I’m delivering your apples for her.”

“Oh, Spike!” Fluttershy promptly replied, her volume and enthusiasm perking right up. “Thank you so much. I can’t open the door for you at the moment, but it’s unlocked, so please, come right in.”

Receiving permission, Spike opened the door and walked forward.

“But just watch out for—”

“Whoa!”

As soon as Spike stepped inside Fluttershy’s place, he tripped on something that was lying right in front of the door and fell forward. As his face gave a sudden up-close greeting to the wooden floorboards, he felt and heard the apples tumble out of his backpack.

“Oh my goodness, Spike! Are you alright?”

Still facedown, Spike groaned, but he briefly raised one of his hands to give a thumbs up before letting it slump back to the floor. “Just peachy…”

For some reason, a hissing sound began filling the room.

“Now, now, Fluffy, it was just an accident, and you kind of did leave that part of you right in front of the door. I’m sure Spike is sorry for tripping over you. No need to throw a hissy fit.”

Sufficiently recovered from his fall, Spike slowly pushed himself off the floor. “Yeah, I should’ve watched where I was going. Sorry,” He lifted his head to address the animal but froze when he saw what it was. “F-F-Fluffy?”

Fluffy did not live up to his namesake. In fact, Fluffy was not fluffy at all.

“F-Fluttershy, i-is that a king cobra?” Spike asked, pointing a shaky claw at the dark-gray snake. It was glaring right at him as the upper-half of its body rested on a pile of pillows and blankets.

Fluttershy nodded.

“And aren’t they venomous?”

“Well, yes, but Fluffy here is really careful. I’m actually a bit surprised you knew that off the top off your head.”

“Yeah, well, you know how Twilight is scared of snakes. She made me read up on them in a ‘Know thy enemy’ sort of thing.”

“Aww, snakes aren’t enemies. They’re so adorable. Isn’t that right, Fluffy?” Fluttershy gently stroked Fluffy’s head, getting a happy hiss from the snake. “Would you like to pet him, Spike?”

“No thanks,” Spike replied immediately, making sure to keep his distance from the snake.

“There’s no need to be afraid of him. He’s friendly once you get to know him, and he doesn’t bite.” Fluttershy paused. “Well, most of the time…”

“Yeah… I’m good, Fluttershy. Really. Besides, I, um…” Spike’s eyes darted around for an excuse, and he saw the apples that spilled out of his backpack littering the floor. “I need to clean up the mess I made.”

“Oh, uh, right. Let me help.”

Even though the apples were scattered all around the room, the two of them made quick work of picking them all up.

“Thank you so much for delivering the apples for me, Spike,” Fluttershy said as she put away her apples in the kitchen. “I was starting to get worried that they weren’t coming today.”

“Had a hankering for apples?" Spike asked with a teasing grin as he packed the apples he purchased into his backpack.

“Oh, um, yes. Something like that…”

“Still, it is quite a lot of apples for just you. I’m guessing some are for the animals?”

“Uh, yes? Er, I mean, right!” Fluttershy coughed lightly. “Um, anyway, I’m really grateful that you made a special trip just for me. I hope it wasn’t too much trouble. I would’ve picked up the apples myself, but I’ve been busy tending to a bunch of animals that came in today. The good news is that almost all of them have been taken care of and have already gone home. Fluffy here is my last patient.”

Spike sneaked a wary glance at Fluffy, one of many that he cast at the snake while he was here. Fortunately, Fluffy seemed to have drifted off into a nap while they were cleaning up. “Well, glad to hear you got everything under control. And you don’t have to worry. I’m always happy to help out a friend.”

“Well, I do have to check Fluffy’s fangs next. Would you like to hold open his mouth for me?”

Spike’s eyes bulged. “You know, actually, I should really get home,” he hastily blurted out, quickly putting on his backpack and rushing toward the door. “Don’t want Twilight and Starlight to make a mess while I’m gone. I’ll see you some other time, Fluttershy. Bye!”

Spike beat a hasty retreat from Fluttershy’s place, not wanting anymore interactions with Fluffy. While he did not share Twilight’s fear of snakes, being around one of the largest venomous snakes would make anypony nervous. Anypony that was not Fluttershy, that is.

Eager to see what adventures awaited his favorite heroes, Spike was able to run all the way back home. But as he approached the castle, his run slowed down to a stop. He sensed something. Something that he knew full well what it was, and it filled him with dread and despair.

“Here we go again…” he said with a groan before opening the castle’s front doors. He did not even get to step inside before Twilight and Starlight both teleported right in front of him with a burst of light.

“Hi, Spike,” Twilight and Starlight greeted. They both had wide smiles that were the epitome of sweetness and innocence.

Spike merely shot them a flat gaze and looked behind the not-so-innocent ponies.

The castle was in such a huge mess, it would put Discord to shame. Scorch marks were all over the walls, one of the hallway carpets was singed on one end and soaking wet on the other, and some sort of purple goo was leaking out of a nearby room with its doors magically welded shut.

And that was only the stuff he could see as his castlemates tried to move in front of his line of sight.

“So how many spells went wrong?” Spike asked in a deadpan tone.

“Just one,” Starlight replied, along with a nervous chuckle.

An explosion could be heard from somewhere else in the castle, and smoke started to leak into the room.

“Maybe two.”

The welded-shut door suddenly burst open and huge, purple tentacles started flailing out.

“Or ten…”

Resisting the urge to facepalm hard enough to knock himself out, Spike instead let out a sigh. “I’ll go get the broom…”

“Sorry for all of the extra work, Spike,” Twilight apologized as she scrubbed away a burn mark on the wall.

“It’s alright,” said Spike as he mopped up the last of the purple slime left in the room. “All of this is pretty much an occupational hazard for living with you and your craziness.”

Twilight rolled her eyes. “Har har…”

“Not to mention that you got Starlight now. Seriously, it’s like the messes are twice as big and twice as often with her around.”

“I heard that!” Starlight’s voice came from the hallway.

“I wanted you to!” Spike yelled back before snickering to himself.

“In all seriousness though, thanks for helping us clean up, Spike,” Twilight said with a smile. “I know you’ve been busy with chores all day.”

“No kidding. I’m exhausted,” Spike muttered. It had been a couple of hours since they had banished all of the eldritch abominations and more importantly, started cleaning up the mess and damages to the castle.

Spike yelped when his mop was suddenly ripped from his hands by a magenta glow. He turned to frown at Twilight, who was now holding the mop beside her. “Hey!”

“Why don’t you go ahead and rest?" Twilight suggested. “Starlight and I can finish things up from here.”

Spike blinked. “Really? You sure?”

“Yep! In fact, don’t worry about your chores tomorrow either. You could use a break.”

“Alright! Thanks, Twilight!”

Spike gleefully rushed out of the room, past an amused Starlight, and up the stairs toward his room. Once he was inside his room, he grabbed his backpack that was lying on the floor and plopped himself in bed. After everything that had happened today, he was finally going to get the chance to read his comic.

Spike’s huge smile evaporated when his hand went into the backpack and felt nothing. He had dumped the apples in the kitchen before he started cleaning, so his comic should have been the only thing remaining. When he peered inside the backpack, his fears were confirmed. His Power Ponies comic was missing.

Just barely holding back the dire need to get down on his knees and scream “NOOOOO!” at the top of his lungs, Spike desperately tried to think back to where he might have lost his comic.

He had brought his bag to his room so that it would not get in the way during the castle cleaning, and just before that, he had dumped the apples in the kitchen. Now that he thought about it, he did not check to see if his comic was present, likely due to the fact that he was a little distracted by the mess Twilight and Starlight made.

Spike hurried to the kitchen, hoping that his comic was there. He scanned all the countertops and floor, but found nothing. He proceeded to open every single cabinet, cupboard, drawer, cookie jar, and anything else that opens. Still, his search turned up empty. Well, he did find the secret stash of gems Twilight kept as treats for him, but sneaking a few of them into his mouth did little to make him feel better.

Mentally retracing his steps even further, Spike soon let out a groan when it became obvious that his comic must be at Fluttershy’s. His comic must have spilled out of his backpack, along with the apples, when he tripped, and he had neglected to check his belongings because of his hasty retreat from Fluffy.

Twilight was right. Snakes were evil.

Spike debated if he should run over to Fluttershy’s to try and get his comic back. On the one hoof, he could wait until tomorrow to pick up his comic. On the other hoof, he really wanted to read his comic as soon as possible. He also had a feeling that Twilight would not like him going out so late, but in contrast, he really wanted to read his comic as soon as possible.

It did not take long for Spike to convince himself to go and retrieve his comic. The moon had risen, but most ponies, hopefully including Fluttershy, should still be awake at this hour. Twilight and Starlight were still busy with their mess, so it would be easy to sneak out. He also doubted there was going to be any danger because Twilight and Starlight’s shenanigans likely already filled this week’s quota for craziness. If everything went according to plan, he would be back before anypony even suspected he was gone.

Just as he had hoped, Spike was able to sneak out of the castle without any trouble, and his trip to Fluttershy’s was also unimpeded. However, when he arrived at his destination, he let out a groan of disappointment at what he saw. There were no lights coming from any of Fluttershy’s windows, meaning that the pegasus was likely asleep.

Moving up to the living room window, Spike peered inside, clinging to the faint hope that Fluttershy was still awake. There was just enough moonlight to get a glimpse of the room. Most notably, he saw that the blankets and pillows Fluffy was resting on earlier were now all gone, which hopefully meant that the cobra had been able to go home.

As Spike continued to slowly scan the living room, he gasped when he spotted his comic. It was lying on the coffee table on the opposite side of the room, probably found and placed there by Fluttershy sometime after he had left.

Despite his find, Spike bit his lip. He could see his prize right there, just beyond his grasp, but with Fluttershy already asleep, he was not sure if he wanted to wake his friend for such a seemingly trivial thing.

Glancing at Fluttershy’s door, Spike wondered if he could maybe just go right inside and quickly grab his comic himself. He would not disturb Fluttershy, and he knew that the caretaker usually kept her door unlocked in case an animal in need was looking for her.

As he internally debated with himself, Spike returned his sights to his comic. His eyes grew wide as stare turned into a longing gaze for his precious possession. The moonlight was hitting the comic just right, making it look like one of those shiny treasures mounted on a pedestal in the Daring Do books. It almost felt like it was calling him.

That did it for Spike. Taking a deep breath, he crept over to the door, intent on getting his comic. Going into Fluttershy’s place without permission was an invasion of his friend’s privacy, but he rationalized that he was only here to retrieve his property. He was not going to touch or even look at Fluttershy’s stuff. He would be in and out within a couple of seconds. Nopony would have to know.

The door creaked as Spike opened it, causing him to wince. In reality, the creaking was actually not that loud, but to him, it was louder than Rarity’s screams from when Sweetie Belle accidentally switched all of her maroon cloth for burgundy. He stood still for a moment, ready to bolt in case Fluttershy heard him, but when he did not hear anything, he continued into the living room.

With his sights set on the comic, Spike cautiously made his way toward it. He froze when his foot accidentally kicked something on the floor. Glancing down, his brows furrowed with confusion when he saw an unusual object.

It was an apple, but it had shriveled up into a dry husk, as though all of its juices had been sucked out. Poking at the discarded apple, he turned it around to reveal two small holes.

Spike gasped and then quickly clamped his hands over his mouth when he heard a rustling followed by a moan from somewhere upstairs. In fact, he was pretty sure the noises were coming from Fluttershy’s room. His first instincts were to run, but he stopped himself. Something about that weird apple told him something odd was going on. There was even a possibility that Fluttershy was in some sort of trouble. He knew that he would regret it for the rest of his life if something happened to Fluttershy just because he did not try to at least check to make sure she was okay.

Tiptoeing toward Fluttershy’s room, Spike found a second shriveled apple on the stairs and another one right before Fluttershy’s door.

Hearing more noises from Fluttershy’s room confirmed his suspicions, and Spike held his breath as he nudged open the door ever so slightly. Peeking inside, he quickly located Fluttershy, who was sitting on her bed and with her back turned to the door. She appeared to be eating something from her forehoof.

Spike let out a quiet sigh, relieved to see that his friend was safe. Apparently, Fluttershy was just having a late-night snack, nothing more. However, it also meant that his chances of getting caught had risen, and he knew that he was definitely pushing his luck the longer he stayed. He really needed to grab his comic and get out of here.

But just as he was about to turn around, Spike froze when he saw Fluttershy toss something to the side. What landed on the floor was another apple husk. Before Spike could begin to process what was going on, Fluttershy stretched her wings.

Except they were not exactly her wings. Instead of the feathers of a pegasus, Fluttershy’s wings were of skin and membrane, just like a bat.

Spike then started to notice other differences as he looked over Fluttershy’s features again. Her ears were more pointed and had a tuft of hair on its tip, her mane and tail were slightly unkempt and wild, and her entire body seemed to be a shade darker than usual.

Spike gasped when he finally remembered where he saw this kind of Fluttershy before.

Unfortunately, his gasp must have been a bit too loud because Fluttershy swiftly turned around, glared at him with red eyes that almost glowed, and bared her teeth, showing off two sharp fangs.

Caught in the act, Spike did the only thing he could think of.

“Flutterbat!” Spike screamed at the top of his lungs and bolted for the exit. He barely made it to the stairs before he heard Fluttershy slam her door open.

He let out a yelp and rushed down the stairs. Racing toward the door, he barely noticed a shadow rapidly growing under him in the moonlight. Instinct took over and he ducked. A rush of wind swept over him as Fluttershy flew right where his head had been. Not even sparing a glance, he immediately got up and hurried outside, making sure to slam the door behind him.

“Got to… get to… Twilight,” Spike told himself between huffs, sprinting down the path away from Fluttershy’s place as fast as he can. “She’ll know… how to… fix this…”

“Spike!” came Fluttershy’s cry.

Spike flinched, but kept on running. The normally-demure and gentle voice of Fluttershy was now deeper and rougher. And from the sound of it, Fluttershy was not too far behind.

Spike tried to run even faster, but he only made it a few more steps before hooves wrapped around his waist and immediately lifted him up into the air. He tried to squirm out of Fluttershy’s grasp, but the bat-pegasus’s hold did not budge. With nothing left in his arsenal, he screamed as he was carried toward a nearby tree.

Spike’s screams were cut off when Fluttershy flipped him around and squished him against her chest. While he tried to push away, he felt a sudden sense of vertigo as Fluttershy grasped a tree branch with her tail and swung them around until they hung upside down.

Leathery wings soon enclosed around his back, further cutting off any chances of escape from the feral Fluttershy. Even if he did manage to escape her hold, it was quite a drop to the hard ground.

He was trapped.

Shutting his eyes, Spike could not help but whimper. This was the end for him. Any moment now, Fluttershy was going to bite him and turn him into some sort of vampire dragon. There were so many gems he had yet to try as well as so many comics he wanted to read.

But nothing happened.

After a few moments, Spike’s whimpering quieted down, and he could hear that Fluttershy was humming one of her lullabies. Feeling himself calm down a bit along with some rekindled hope, he slowly opened up one eye. He looked up—or was it down since they were upside down—and saw Fluttershy staring right back at him with a soft smile.

Even though he still felt a bit of fear at Fluttershy’s red eyes, Spike could see nothing but kindness. This was not some monster. This was his friend.

“F-Fluttershy?” Spike uttered.

“Mm-hmm,” Fluttershy replied with a small nod.

“So it’s really you?”

“Mm-hmm,” Fluttershy repeated.

“So you’re in total control?”

“Mm-hmm,” Fluttershy replied once more. This time, she also asked, “Do you promise to not run away again until we at least talk?”

“Oh, uh, sure.”

Fluttershy held Spike tight as her tail released the tree branch. She carried Spike back down to the ground in a slow glide, gently dropping him to his feet.

“Sorry for being rough on you,” Fluttershy apologized as she sat down on her haunches in front of Spike. “I had to stop you from running away and telling everypony about me.”

“It’s alright.” Spike sheepishly rubbed the back of his head. “I guess it was kind of hard to get my attention with all the screaming and panicking…”

“First things first, what were you doing in my house?”

Spike sheepishly chuckled, putting his hands behind his back and grinding his foot into the dirt. “Heh, heh… Yeah, about that… You see, when I dropped off your apples, I accidentally left my Power Ponies comic behind.”

Fluttershy nodded knowingly. “Ah, yes. I found that underneath the blankets and pillows after Fluffy went home. I was going to ask you about it tomorrow.”

“I didn’t realize it was missing until just a little while ago, and, well, I’ve been waiting so long for it. I really wanted to read it, so I rushed back to your place. When I got there, I thought you were asleep since all the lights were out. But when I saw that my comic was left on the table…” Spike nervously cleared his throat. “Yeah, I’ll admit that my priorities were a bit out of place at the time. Going into your house uninvited was very wrong of me, and I’m really, really, really sorry for that.”

“So why did you go upstairs?”

“I was just going to just run in, grab my comic, and then leave. Nothing else, honest! But that changed when I saw one of the apples that you, uh, ate. Between that and hearing some noises from your room, I thought something weird was going on, and I wanted to make sure you were okay. That’s when you saw me and then we did the whole chase thing…”

Spike sighed. “Fluttershy, again, I’m really sorry. Whatever my reasons were, I invaded your privacy, and you have every right to be mad with me. I promise that I’ll do whatever it takes to make it up to you.” He sighed again and bowed his head in shame. “I just hope that I didn’t betray your trust so much that you don’t want to be friends anymore…”

Unable to look Fluttershy in the eye, Spike awaited his friend’s judgment. There were a few moments of tense silence, and Spike fidgeted uncomfortably, imagining the intense glare Fluttershy must be giving him. When Spike heard hoofsteps come closer to him, he kept his head low, but he was surprised when he was soon enveloped in a full-body hug.

“It’s alright, Spike. I forgive you,” Fluttershy assured. “I know that you would never do anything to intentionally hurt me. We all make mistakes.”

Looking up, Spike saw Fluttershy’s soft smile, void of any trace of anger or annoyance. He could not help but smile back. “Gee, thanks, Fluttershy. And I’m serious about making it up to you. If you need anything, just let me know, and I’ll get right on it.”

“You did deliver my apples.”

Spike scoffed lightly. “Well, yeah, but that’s nothing compared to this. It’s gotta be something big.”

Fluttershy hummed in thought. “I’ll keep that in mind then.”

“So, uh, now that we got that out of the way…” Spike tapped his chin with his finger, searching for the right words to his question. “Um, if you don’t mind me asking…”

“Why am I Flutterbat?” Fluttershy offered with a knowing smile.

“Uh, yeah.”

“Some time after the whole fruit bat incident at Sweet Apple Acres, I felt something within me building up. I didn’t know what was happening and did not know what to do, so it overwhelmed me shortly afterwards. Next thing I knew, I was Flutterbat again, except this time, I was fully aware of everything. I guess Twilight wasn’t able to completely remove my, er, battiness.

“Naturally, I was afraid at first. I was about to go to Twilight for help, but I was stopped by a family of bats who needed my help. Turns out that they felt more comfortable with me since I looked a bit more like them. That’s when I started to see the upside to being Flutterbat.” She spread her wings majestically and glanced at them. “Besides being able to help the nocturnal animals better, my flying has improved, and I even feel stronger and more confident.”

Spike nodded. He did notice that Fluttershy was more forward, and she spoke with more confidence. “So then are you able to switch back and forth? Because you were definitely a pegasus in the afternoon.”

“Not directly.” Fluttershy folded her wings back to her sides and turned her attention back to Spike. “The transformation only lasts one night, and every now and then, I get the same feeling and just go with it. I can resist it if I want to, but I usually just delay it until I have a night free. Oh, and stock up on apples.”

“That explains why you needed a bunch today. So you’re in complete control and totally fine with all of this?”

Fluttershy nodded. “Call it a guilty pleasure that I can indulge in every now and then.”

“Does anypony else know about this?”

“Just Discord, and that’s only because he unexpectedly popped into my home, like he usually does. Speaking of which, Spike, I do enjoy being Flutterbat, and I assure you that I’m not hurting or stealing from anypony. It would mean a lot to me if you kept this a secret. You said you wanted to make it up to me for going into my home uninvited, and I’m calling in that favor.”

Spike smiled, walked up to Fluttershy, and patted her foreleg in a reassuring manner. “Don’t worry, Fluttershy. You don’t have to use that favor on this. You might look different now, but you’re still the same, kind friend that I know on the inside. If you want to keep on having some harmless fun, then I’m not going to stop you. Your secret is safe with me.”

Fluttershy promptly glomped Spike, almost knocking him to the ground. “Thank you so much, Spike! I was so worried that you would go tell Twilight who would then try to cure me. I wish there was something that I could do for you.”

Spike chuckled. “It’s alright, Fluttershy. I’m the one who owes you.”

“You do, don’t you…” Fluttershy backed off and grinned at Spike. “Actually, there’s something I really want to try.”

Before Spike could ask what was on the pegasus’s mind, Fluttershy snatched him up and carried him to the tree from before. He soon found himself hanging upside down in Fluttershy’s hooves once again.

“Uh, what’s going on?” Spike asked. He felt a twinge of fear while he looked at the ground above him.

“Oh, I think you’ll figure it out soon enough,” Fluttershy said as all four of her hooves shifted to securely wrap around Spike. Pressing her chin into the top of Spike’s head, she let out a hum of contentment as her wings folded around the both of them.

It did not take long for Spike to realize what was going on. “Wait, you want to cuddle, er, upside down cuddle?”

“Mm-hmm…”

Spike blinked and then grinned. “Sounds good to me!”

Now that he was not scared, he could enjoy the feel of Fluttershy again. He happily sighed and buried his face into the crook of Fluttershy’s neck. Despite her wild appearance, Fluttershy’s hairs were still as soft as ever.

Flutterbat’s cuddling technique was totally different than normal Fluttershy. She was more forward, rubbing and caressing Spike as her hooves moved all over him. She even playfully nipped the frills on the side of his head with her fangs. Spike was enjoying the hooves-on treatment, especially since it sort of doubled as a massage that soothed the weariness he accumulated over the hectic day.

The main difference in their cuddle, beside the whole upside down shtick, were Fluttershy’s wings. Spike was completely wrapped up them, enclosed in a cocoon of warmth. While not as soft as a pegasus’s wings, Spike felt more safe and protected within the enclosure. It felt like the world had been shut away, and there was nothing but the two of them and their cuddles.

It was a whole new experience, and even though Spike knew Fluttershy had a tight hold on him, he felt a bit of a thrill at the unique, precarious cuddling position he was in. Hanging from the branch, they gently swayed back and forth like a pendulum. It was calming, almost hypnotic, and it was not long before Spike was having a hard time keeping his eyes open.

All too soon, Fluttershy slowly unfurled her wings, and Spike groaned in disappointment when she glided them both back down to the ground. He actually shivered as his body adjusted from the confines of Fluttershy’s wings to the cool night air.

“Sorry that we could not cuddle that long,” Fluttershy apologized. “Hanging upside down for too long is not good for you.”

“Well, it was nice while it lasted,” Spike replied. “Gotta say that was a really cool way to cuddle.”

“It was, and I’m glad that I had the chance to try it out.”

“Maybe the next time you feel Flutterbat coming up, we could do something like that again?”

Fluttershy smiled. “I would like that, Spike.”

Given how late it was, Fluttershy insisted that she fly Spike home. With how much he did today, Spike made no objection.

Fortunately, nopony was wandering the streets at this hour, and between the cover of night and her increased flying capabilities, they were able to move across town undetected. Dropping off Spike at the beginning of the path leading up to the castle, Fluttershy gave the dragon one more hug before she flew off into the night.

Despite the hiccups that occurred today, Spike had a great time, and he still had time to finally start reading his Power Ponies comic before he went to sleep.

Spike strode up the path toward the castle, only to freeze right in front of the door. He looked down at his hands. His empty, comicless hands.

“Aw, horseapples…”

April Fools

Spike enjoyed hanging out with all of his friends, and he cherished their time together greatly. That being said, every now and then, Spike needed a bit of time to himself, like today.

Twilight and Starlight had a spa session with Rarity and Fluttershy, so Spike had elected to stay home and catch up on his comics.

Lounging in a beanbag chair with a Power Ponies comic in one hand and another hand reaching into a bowl of gems, Spike was all set for a day of relaxation.

“You won’t get away with this, Mane-iac,” Spike read Masked Matter-Horn’s lines out loud. A piece of amethyst was sticking out of his mouth as he sucked on it like a lollipop. “We got a secret weapon this time! We got…” He hastily turned the page. “A conga line!”

The amethyst fell out of Spike’s wide mouth. “Wait, what?”

Spike quickly sat up, gripping the comic with both of his hands and hastily flipping the page. Sure enough, Spike saw that the Power Ponies were now on their hind legs with their forehooves on each others' flanks. Masked Matter-Horn was in the lead, leading the Power Ponies’ conga line as they strutted around the Mane-iac and her henchponies.

“What the hay is going on?!” Spike muttered, the next pages revealing that the Mane-iac and her henchponies had joined the conga line.

A few pages later, the entire city of Maretropolis seemed to have joined the conga line that spanned at least several city blocks. Ponies that were not in the conga line followed alongside the train of ponies and were shaking what seemed to be cotton candy maracas. Many ponies were also donning all sorts of stuff on their heads ranging from simple party hats to scuba diver helmets. With all the festivities and action going on, it was hard to make out what exactly was going on. It was chaos.

As Spike stared in disbelief at the bizarre scene, his eyes suddenly narrowed when he spotted something, or rather somepony, that stood out.

“Discord!” Spike yelled at the draconequus figure that was hiding away in the back of the conga line.

The comic book promptly leapt out of Spike’s hands and landed on the floor with its pages still open. There was a flash of light, and Discord emerged out of the pages, spinning around while he shook a pair of cotton candy maracas in his hands.

“Why hello there, Spikey Wikey,” Discord greeted, bending over backwards to shove his upside-down face uncomfortably close to Spike.

“You ruined my comic, Discord!” Spike immediately blamed.

“Ruined? Don’t you mean improved?” Discord stood back up and gave another shake of his maracas. “Your Power Ponies always end up winning the day, so I thought I could spice things up a bit.”

“But I like the Power Ponies just the way they are! Change them back!”

“And why would I want to do that?”

“Because I’m the dungeon master for our next Ogres and Oubliettes session.”

“So?”

Spike grinned evilly. “So it would be a shame if Captain Wuzz stumbled upon a pack of rust monsters all by himself.”

Discord’s smirk was wiped clean off his face. After slapping a new, frowning mouth on his face, he let out a huge gasp. “You wouldn’t!”

Spike folded his arms across his chest and looked up at Discord. “Oh, I would.”

“But I just got my daggers enchanted!”

“I’m sure they will make a great snack.”

“But… But…” Seeing that Spike was refusing to budge, Discord sighed and snapped his fingers, causing the Power Ponies comic to flash briefly. “There, your precious comic is back to the way it was.”

Spike picked up his comic. Quickly flipping through the pages, he was happy to see that there was no more conga line. “Thanks for fixing it… even though you were the one who messed it up.”

Discord plucked the comic from Spike’s hands and flung it aside.

“Hey!”

“Fun time is over. Time to get down to business.”

Spike’s eyebrow rose. “Business? What business?”

“You remember Smooze, right?”

Spike stare flattened. “Big green blob that you brought to the last Grand Galloping Gala that almost drowned everypony in its ooze? Yeah, the name sort of rings a bell,” he said with so much sarcasm that would make Twilight proud.

“And one of my good friends!” Discord promptly added.

“Right… So what about him?”

Discord reached around his back with one hand. When his hand came back into view, it was holding a glass jar with a green blob inside it.

Spike’s eyes widened. “Whoa? Is that really him?” At the Grand Galloping Gala, Smooze was roughly the size of Celestia, excluding the period of time when he grew so big that he flooded the whole ballroom. Now, he was the size of Discord’s hand with a tiny, red bow to go along with his reduced stature.

“Indeed it is! Now don’t be rude, Spike. At least say hello to him.”

“Uh, right, sorry.” Spike waved at the miniature slime. “Hey there, Smooze.”

Smooze returned a smile of his own while he bobbed up and down.

“So why is he like this?”

“To make it easier to travel around with him, of course!” Discord answered. “After that whole shindig at the Grand Galloping Gala, I’ve started hanging out with old Smoozie here. I take him to all sorts of places so that we can check out the sights and engage in all sorts of wild fun!” Discord cupped the jar in two hands and brought it up to his face so that he could rub it with his cheek. “Isn’t that right, Smoozie?”

In response, Smooze kissed the glass where Discord’s cheek was.

“Well, glad that you’re making friends. So you just brought Smoozie here to intro—er, reintroduce him to me?”

“Oh, it goes beyond that, my little dragon. You get the honor of hanging out with our pal Smoozie!” Discord proclaimed. With a snap of his fingers, a banner unfurled above him that depicted a crude drawing of Spike and Smooze holding hands, or rather hand and gooey appendage.

Spike blinked. “Say what?”

“You see, Smooze and I were going to spend time together today, but old sunbutt Celestia has asked me to do a job for her. She’s making me go to the somewhere and do the thingy that might or might not mess with the fabric of reality and blah blah blah…” At some point, a sock puppet that looked like Celestia had popped onto Discord’s free hand as he continuously moved its mouth.

Discord took off the sock Celestia and tossed it aside, where it began crawling away on its own. “Anyway, I would have asked Fluttershy to spend time with Smooze in my place, but she’s off on her spa day. Since we’re O&O buddies, you were naturally my second pick.”

Spike scratched the back of his head. “I don’t know, Discord…”

“Need I also remind you that I helped you get into the whole cuddling thing?”

“To be fair, you actually tricked me into it.”

“It’s all about the results.”

Spike sighed. “Look, Discord, I’m just not sure if I’m right for the job. I know that Smooze gets bigger when he eats shiny things, and if you haven’t noticed, this whole castle is made of crystal. I guess I could take him outside, but there’s plenty of stuff out there for him to eat as well. What’s stopping him from making another Grand Galloping Gala incident?”

“Don’t worry about that. Smooze has a lovely suit that he is trying to squeeze into, so he is watching his weight. He shouldn’t be snacking on anything while he’s with you.”

“Uh, really?”

Discord held up the bottle while Smooze made a nodding motion with its whole body.

“Well, I guess that makes things a lot easier. Maybe I could…” Spike paused. “Wait, how long are you going to be gone?”

“Not long. I am the master of chaos and a professional. Do I look like the type of draconequus who would lollygag and get sidetracked?”

“Yes… Yes you do,” Spike flatly answered right away.

“And you would be right!” Discord gleefully pulled out a map that completely hid him from view. “Oooh, I can go there, and there, and there, and can’t miss that, and—”

Spike loudly cleared his throat and shot a glare where Discord was hiding behind the map.

Discord’s head peeked over the top of the map with a bored look. “Party pooper,” he uttered before receding back behind the map. “Oh very well then, I guess I can cut out the side stuff. Let’s see… I guess I could skip that… Go through there… Blow that up… Go down here…” The center of the map opened up like a door as Discord walked through it. “I should be gone for around an hour. Two hours tops.”

“Oh, that’s not too long,” Spike remarked with a nod. “I guess I should be able to watch over Smooze during that time.”

“Splendid!” Discord tossed the jar at Spike, who barely caught it in his hands before it shattered on the floor. “Make sure to take good care of him!”

“I will.”

“Then I’ll see you two later!” With a snap of his fingers, Discord was now wearing a brown aviator jacket with flight goggles on his head. At the same time, the large map rapidly folded itself into a paper airplane.

Getting into his paper aircraft, Discord waved goodbye as the plane took off and somehow squeezed through the window that was smaller than him. “Too doo loo!”

With Discord gone, Spike raised the glass jar to his face and smiled at his guest. “Well then, Smooze, I guess we’re going to be buddies for a bit, huh?”

Smooze bobbed up and down excitedly.

Discord suddenly popped into existence right in front of Spike. “Oh, I forgot one more thing.” He snatched the jar from Spike’s hands, unscrewed the lid, and flipped it over, dropping Smooze onto the floor. “Smooze also needs to stretch his slimy appendages.”

Spike’s eyes bulged as Smooze started to rapidly grow. “W-wait, Discord! I didn’t sign up for this!”

Discord grinned, and his parting words right before he disappeared again chilled Spike right to the core. “No backsies!”

Spike hastily retreated to the wall, keeping a wary eye on Smooze. It did not take long for Smooze to become the same size he was at the Grand Galloping Gala, and Spike was thankful the growth stopped there. He was still worried about the presence of normal-sized Smooze, but at least the castle was not being flooded by green slime.

And that was when Smooze’s attention turned to the bowl of gems on the floor that Spike had been snacking on earlier. With Smooze standing right between him and the gems, Spike watched in horror as the blob inched closer to the bowl and looked down at it. Spike was just about to run out the door when he saw Smooze nudge the bowl away instead.

“Guess Discord was at least right about your diet, huh?” Spike said with a relieved sigh. He promptly clapped a hand over his mouth. “Er, not that I’m saying anything about your weight or anything because you look great… really great. In fact, you’re in terrific shape, or at least, that’s what I assume. I honestly don’t know what a great shape is for an amorphous blob…”

The Smooze stared at Spike, its upper body cocking slightly to the side as though he was saying “What?”

Spike facepalmed. “Yeah, I’m not sure where I was going with that either. Anyway, how about we figure out what we can do for fun while you’re here?”

Smooze immediately perked up with a wide smile.

“But, uh, let’s go to another room. This place is kind of cramped,” Spike urged, hurrying to the door and beckoning Smooze to follow him. It was true that Smooze’s bigger size did make the room a bit cramped, but Spike mainly wanted to keep his stuff slime-free. Even as they moved out of his room, Spike grimaced at the slime trail Smooze left behind.

Spike led Smooze to the entry foyer. He figured that there would be plenty of room for them to do whatever they came up with, and there were not many stuff lying around that could be broken or slimed. As a bonus, if things started to go south, the exit was right there.

‘So, uh, I’m not sure what interests you have,” Spike said to his guest. “Do you have anything in mind? I’ll do whatever you want to do.”

Smooze nodded and moved toward Spike.

“H-hey, getting a bit close there, big guy,” Spike warned, slowly backing away. Seeing that Smooze was still coming at him, Spike whipped around and tried to run.

Spike barely made it a few steps before slime enveloped his back, and he let out a yelp when he was pulled backwards. Ooze crawled across his scales, making him shudder as he was drawn into Smooze.

By the time Spike noticed that he was no longer sinking into Smooze, his entire backside was inside the slime. His ends of his arms and legs were also submerged, barely able to move them. He was trapped in Smooze.

“Come on, Smooze, this isn’t funny,” Spike said with annoyance as he continued to try and struggle out of his gooey prison. Given how he saw Smooze act at the Grand Galloping Gala, he was not too worried. He knew that Smooze was not malicious, and he was also somewhat sure that Discord would not purposely put him in any real danger. “You can let me go now.”

Smooze responded by growing two thick tentacles on its sides and gently lay them across the dragon’s front. The tentacles slid up and down Spike’s belly in a slow, gentle manner.

It took a few moments before something clicked in Spike’s mind. “Wait, are you hugging me?” He could feel Smooze nod in response. “Huh… Well, I guess that’s alright. Just be careful, okay?”

Despite the precarious situation he was in, Spike had to admit that he was not in any actual discomfort. Smooze’s slime was actually around room temperature and it did not stick to his scales. It almost felt like floating in water, except with thicker liquid.

I knew Smooze was pretty handsy, but I never would’ve guessed he’s a hugger, Spike thought as he relaxed into Smooze’s embrace. Wait, is the word handsy or hoovsy? Maybe slimsy for him?

As Spike thought about his vocabulary, he did not notice that he was sinking even further into Smooze until slime began to creep over his vision.

“Wait, don’t—Ack!”

Spike’s world was filled with green when he was pushed into the center of Smooze. He started to frantically struggle out of fear that he would drown, but he stopped when he realized that he was somehow able to breathe inside the slime. He was even more surprised when he realized that the ooze was not going into his mouth or nose. Smooze’s slime either was magical, or it had some sort of air-giving chemicals in it. Either way, it was weird.

“Hello?” Spike uttered, testing to see if he could also talk. His voice sounded heavily muffled in his ears, but apparently Smooze heard him when he hunched over to look at his captive. “You know, you could have at least let me know what you were doing.”

Smooze gave Spike a sheepish smile, and he hunched slightly in a sheepish manner.

“Well, at least I’m safe in here, right?”

Smooze nodded.

“And this is like some sort of Smoozy hug from you?”

A second nod from Smooze.

“And you’re going to keep me here until you had your fill?”

Smooze nodded once again.

Spike tried to shrug, but it was difficult to move inside the slime. “Well, I guess I did say I would do whatever you want to do, so go ahead.”

Smooze made a happy gurgling sound.

Spike relaxed while his body slowly bobbed up and down in the goo. He guessed that Smooze did not really get many hugs, and his cuddling spree had taught him the importance of hugging.

Spike blinked. Wait, is this actually a cuddling? It is, isn’t it?

Relaxing even more, Spike allowed Smooze to have his way with him. It was not as if he was uncomfortable. In fact, it was pretty pleasant being stuck in Smooze. Weird, but enjoyable. He was sitting in a relatively comfortable temperature, and there was no unpleasant sticky sensation on his scales.

Sure, his movements were sluggish, and there were a few odd feelings since he was being cuddled in places that probably should not be cuddled, but for the most part, Spike was having a good enough time.

More notably, the slime constantly shifted all around him. He felt like his entire body was being caressed and rubbed all at the same time. It was a bit of an overload on his senses, but he definitely could feel a pleasant tingle reverberating through him.

Spike was unsure how much time had passed, but Smooze had remained in the entry foyer the entire time, content on giving Spike his slimy cuddling. Eventually, Spike heard hoofsteps coming from the other side of the front doors, and shortly afterwards, the doors opened to reveal Twilight and Starlight.

“Spike?!” Twilight cried out when she laid eyes on her assistant.

“Uh, hey, girls,” Spike greeted, his hand slowly moving up in the goo as he tried to wave. “I’m actually fine in here.”

“I’ll save you, Spike!” Starlight proclaimed, clearly not able to hear Spike through Smooze. Her horn glowed while it readied a spell.

“No, wait, Smooze is resistant to magic,” Twilight informed, placing a hoof on Starlight’s shoulder.

Starlight’s horn stopped glowing. “Smooze? What’s a Smooze?”

“Discord’s friend.” Twilight sighed. “Look, he’s not actually dangerous. More like a messy houseguest. Still, we have to get Spike out of there. I’ll go get Fluttershy. She might know what to do.”

“No need there, Twilight,” Spike heard Discord’s voice right before something clamped down on his head. With one powerful tug, he was lifted upwards and backwards, breaking free of Smooze and left hanging in the air.

After taking a gulp of fresh, slime-free air, Spike’s eyes glanced up to see that a plunger was stuck to his head. The plunger was attached to a fishing pole which was being held by a grinning Discord. Looking over his body, he was surprised to see that he only had a few splotches of slime on him that were easily brushed away.

“So Spike, did you have fun cuddling with Smooze?” Discord asked, making the plunger and fishing pole disappear in a flash of light and dropping Spike to his feet.

Spike glanced at Smooze, and he received a wave from a slimy appendage. He smiled. “It was actually pretty nice. Different, but nice.”

Discord nodded happily. “Good! I’ve been telling Smooze here all about your fondness of cuddling. Now, I admit that I might have embellished things a bit, but Smooze was really taken with the idea. In fact, he wanted to try it out himself.”

“Yeah, I saw and felt that,” Spike dryly replied. “Why not just tell me you were setting me up with a cuddling date? It would’ve made things less awkward.”

Discord’s grin grew even wider. “And where would the fun in that be? Especially when it’s—Drum roll, please.” A second Discord popped up behind him, giving the requested drum roll on a drum set. After a few seconds of anticipation, the main Discord yelled out, “April Fools!”

Spike, Twilight, and Starlight all stared deadpan at the draconequus as a shower of confetti rained down.

“Discord, it’s March thirty-first,” Starlight pointed out, her deadpan face still remaining.

Discord blinked. He pulled out a calculator with one hand and started punching numbers with his other hand. He also counted fingers on a third hand that grew out of his side that had dozens of fingers on it, while a fourth hand was writing stuff down on a floating clipboard. After a few moments of calculating, all of Discord’s props and extra arms disappeared.

“My bad,” Discord uttered, smirking unapologetically.

Spike, Twilight, and Starlight all rolled their eyes.

“Well, now that Smooze has had his fun and Fluttershy is done with her spa, I do believe it’s time for tea!” Discord teleported in front of the door and held it open. “Come along, Smooze!”

Spike sighed as Discord exited the castle with Smooze. “Well, at least Discord won’t be pranking me tomorrow.”

Discord suddenly appeared in front of Spike and patted his head. “Oh, don’t you worry, Spikey Wikey. I already have a new idea waiting for you tomorrow. Ta-ta!” And then Discord was gone again.

“Twilight?”

“Yes, Spike?”

“Can we turn Discord back into a statue?”

Author's Note

A bit of a silly idea for April Fools.

PS: Did you know that mini-Smooze was in 'What About Discord?'? I didn't until I looked him up on the wiki a week ago.

Ember

“Mmm… That feels so good, Spike…”“Geeze, Starlight, you should’ve come to me sooner.”

“I’ve just been so busy helping Trixie learn some new spells. I’m so glad I finally have some time alone with you.”

“Me too. Now, relax and let me do my job.”

“Mmph. That’s the spot…”

“I’m going to go a bit harder, you ready?”

“Give me all you got, Spike!”

Spike quietly laughed and did as he was told, filling Starlight’s room with the moans of its owner. Shifting his position on the bed and straddling his legs over Starlight, he pressed his hands into the Starlight’s back and continued massaging the mare’s tense muscles.

Applejack had told the others about Spike sometimes giving her a massage during their cuddle sessions. It did not take long for Spike’s other friends to become curious and request Spike to do the same for them from time to time. While Spike’s massage skills could not compare to the ponies at the Ponyville Spa, his friends all agreed that there was something unique about his hands that more than made up the difference in technique.

Spike was delighted that he had another way to help his friends relax and give them more pleasure, such as right now. Starlight had missed several cuddle sessions in a row, and the both of them had full intentions to catch up on their neglected needs.

“Princess Twilight! Princess Twilight! Help!” somepony suddenly started yelling from somewhere within the castle, causing Spike and Starlight to sit up and look toward the door.

“Well, so much for our session,” Spike lamented, hastily leaping off the bed and running toward the door. “Come on, Starlight! Somepony needs our help!”

“Or, you know, we could maybe ignore them and keep on cuddling,” Starlight suggested.

Spike spun around back to his friend. He frowned when he saw that Starlight had not budged from her bed. “Starlight…”

“What? I was really enjoying our time together. I bet whoever is out there doesn’t even have a real emergency.”

“Help! Ponyville is under attack!” the distressed pony yelled.

“See?” Starlight uttered weakly with an uneasy smile.

Spike narrowed his eyes and folded his arms across the chest.

Starlight sighed loudly. “Yeah, yeah, I’m going,” she grumbled, finally getting out of bed and dragging herself toward the door.

Spike and Starlight followed the cries of help to the castle entryway to find an earth pony mare scampering around the hallway, her eyes nervously searching around.

“Roseluck?” Spike called out, quickly recognizing the mare.

“Spike! Starlight!” Roseluck galloped up to the pair, her eyes wide with fear. “Where’s Princess Twilight?!”

“She’s off on a friendship mission,” Starlight informed.

“What?! That’s horrible! Ponyville is under attack by a dragon!”

“It is?!” Spike yelped.

Spike and Starlight rushed over to the castle’s front doors. Starlight flung the doors wide open with her magic, and they immediately began looking around to assess the damages.

Monster attacks usually meant ponies would be running around screaming, and dragons tended to breathe fire, so scorching infernos raging across town as smoke darkened the sky was to be expected. However, all Spike saw was clear, blue skies with not a single trace of fire or terrified ponies. Well, except for the whimpering Roseluck behind them.

“Uh, Roseluck, Ponyville doesn’t seem to be under attack,” Starlight pointed out, turning to the other pony with a raised eyebrow. “Are you sure there’s a dragon?”

“Yes, I definitely saw it!” Roseluck protested.

Starlight took another look outside. “Well, I don’t see one, and they’re pretty hard to miss. I mean, they’re supposed to be huge, right?” She glanced down at Spike. “Uh, present company excluded.”

“Gee, thanks, Starlight,” Spike flatly replied.

“Well, it wasn’t a big dragon,” Roseluck informed. “It looked to be around Princess Celestia’s height.”

“Really? Well, that makes it a lot easier to handle,” Starlight remarked.

“I’d still be careful. Who knows what that dragon is planning.”

“Just wondering, what exactly has this dragon done?” Spike asked.

“Um… Well…” Roseluck shifted uncomfortably. “I’m not exactly sure…”

“But you said it was attacking Ponyville…”“It is!” Roseluck bit her lip. “Er, at least I think it is…”

“Has this dragon actually caused any damage?”

“Um, n-no, not really… At least, none that I have seen…”

Starlight groaned and planted her hoof in her face. “Roseluck, no offense, but you and your friends have a tendency to overreact. Is it possible that you’re mistaking this dragon for something else?”

“But I did see a dragon, Starlight, I swear!” Roseluck cried out.

“Okay, okay, how about you just tell us how you first saw this dragon?” Spike suggested.

“Well, when I was working at my flower shop, I heard some weird noise, like metal clinking together. When I looked around, I barely missed seeing the dragon rush into an alley. When it became clear that nopony else noticed it, I decided to try following it.”

“Wow, that’s actually really brave of you, Roseluck,” Spike complimented.

“Thanks, Spike, but to be honest, I was scared out of my wits. Still, I didn’t want it to cause any trouble in Ponyville, and I figured that I could easily call for help if something happened. Unfortunately, I only was able to tail the dragon for a few moments before losing sight of it. I can confirm that it was definitely sneaking around and doing its best to avoid ponies. Doesn’t that sound suspicious?”

“I guess,” Starlight conceded. “But maybe it’s just trying to pass through Ponyville without raising a fuss?”

Roseluck vehemently shook her head. “That dragon is definitely up to no good! Why else would it be wearing gold-colored battle armor?! It even had a scepter in its evil claws that had a large, red crystal on top of it.”

Wait a minute, this dragon is starting to sound really familiar, Spike thought.

“Alright, I guess you did see a dragon, Roseluck,” Starlight admitted. “However, since this dragon hasn’t done anything, I rather not do anything to provoke it. For all we know, it could just be passing by.”

“S-so, you’re not going to do anything?” Roseluck asked, her mouth hanging open in shock.

“We’ll keep an eye out. Hopefully, it will leave Ponyville by itself, but if it does start acting up, we’ll put a stop to it.”

“No! You can’t just wait for the dragon to make the first move! Who knows what it would do?! I already sent Lily and Daisy to round up the rest of your friends so that you all can hunt down that dragon!”

“We’ll see who hunts who!” a new voice bellowed right before a large figure landed right outside the front door.

It really is her… Spike’s suspicions were confirmed when he saw that the new figure was the same dragon he knew. He could not mistake the dragon’s light-blue scales, even when most of them were hidden behind the same gold armor that it had worn when they had met. He also recognized the scepter the other dragon was holding, which happened to be almost as tall as its wielder.

The armored dragon advanced toward Roseluck. “Alright, pony, I—”

“D-d-d-dragon!” Roseluck shrieked before flopping onto her side and passing out.

The dragon’s red eyes blinked from within its helmet’s eye slits. “Uhh… What just happened?”

“Roseluck is, um, easily frightened,” Starlight answered.

“Yeah, I kind of noticed.”

Starlight stepped toward the dragon. “As for me, my name is Starlight Glimmer, and—”

“The horror! The horror!” Roseluck suddenly shouted, only to faint once again.

Spike, Starlight, and the dragon stared at Roseluck’s motionless body. When it looked like there was not going to be any more outbursts from the seemingly-unconscious mare, they turned their attention back at each other.

Starlight cleared her throat. “So, as I was saying, I’m Starlight Glimmer, and I would like to welcome you to Ponyville. You seem to be a friendly dragon, and I would be happy to show you around, if you want. However, if you are here to cause trouble…”

Starlight tried to straighten up to make herself taller, but she came up almost a head shorter than the dragon. Despite the height difference, Starlight confidently continued, “You’re going to have to answer to me.”

“Uh huh, yeah, sure, whatever,” the dragon replied in a bored tone before shifting its attention toward Spike.

“Hey, Ember,” Spike cheerfully greeted.

“Hey, Spike,” Ember replied in a friendly tone.

“Ember?” Starlight looked down at Spike in surprise. She paused for a moment and then gasped. “Wait, you mean Princess Ember? The dragon friend you made in the Dragon Lands?”

“Technically, it’s Dragon Lord Ember now,” Ember corrected as she laid down her scepter for a moment and placed her hands on her helmet. She lifted the helmet off her head, taking a deep breath of air and letting it out as a sigh of relief.

“Yep, she’s the one.” Spike nodded once and then stiffened up as his eyes flew wide open. “Oh, right!”

Spike rushed up to Ember and bowed deeply. “Greetings, Dragon Lord Ember.”

Ember got down on one knee and nudged Spike back into a standing position with her hands.

“Spike, you of all dragons should not have to bow to me,” Ember stated. She grabbed the scepter with both of her hands and raised it up to Spike’s face. “After all, you were the one who willingly gave me the Bloodstone Scepter. Besides, you’re my friend, and friends don’t bow to each other.”

Ember paused. “Uh, they don’t, right?”

Starlight snickered. “Yes, you’re right. It was one of the first lessons Twilight taught me when I…” She glanced away and coughed. “You know what? Nevermind about me. Let’s talk about you, Ember, like what brings you here to Ponyville?”

Ember shrugged and stood back up, tucking her helmet underneath one of her arms. “Nothing important. I might be Dragon Lord, but I need a break now and then as well. Since Spike is the only real friend I know, I figured I could try spending some time where he lived.”

“So you’re just here for a friendly visit…” Starlight’s gaze lowered to Ember’s chest for a second and then went right back to the dragon’s face. “While decked out in armor…”

Ember flatly stared at Starlight. “And what would you wear if you were traveling to a land that you have never been to before and whose inhabitants would react to you like her?” She pointed at the passed out Roseluck.

Starlight laughed nervously. “Good point…”

“So was that why you were sneaking around Ponyville?” Spike asked.

“Yep. I know ponies tend to be afraid of dragons, and I didn’t want to cause trouble. I was kind of hoping to see you, Twilight, or Rarity on the way here so that one of you could vouch for me.”

“Sorry, I’ve been in the castle all day, doing…” Spike’s gaze flicked to Starlight for a split second. “stuff… As for Twilight and Rarity, they’re out of town on a friendship mission together.”“Figures… The two ponies that I do know happen to be gone right when I visit because of a… friendship mission? What is that?”

“In a nutshell, helping ponies with friendship-related problems.”

“Uh huh…”

“If you want to see them, they will probably be back after another day or so.”

“Well, I do plan to stay here for a couple of days so that should work out fine.”

“Sorry to interrupt, but should we maybe do something about her?” Starlight asked, pointing at Roseluck.

“She’s still alive, right?” Ember flipped her scepter around and used its tip to poke Roseluck a few times.

“Yes, she’s still alive, Ember, and please stop poking the passed-out pony.”

“Wait, didn’t Roseluck say that Lily and Daisy were going to round up our friends?” Spike reminded. “I bet that they’re also telling anypony they see that a dragon is in town, and knowing them…”

Starlight facehoofed. “They’re going to cause a panic.”

“Are all ponies this easily scared?” Ember asked.

“Not really,” Spike replied. “You just happened to get spotted by the most antsy ones in town.”

“Lucky me…”

“Not to worry, I’ll just find Lily or Daisy and explain the situation to them. I should also return Roseluck so that they can see that she’s safe and sound.” Starlight glanced at the unconscious Roseluck again. “Well, mostlysound.”

“And what should we do?” Spike asked.

“Just stay here with Ember until I come back, and try to keep her out of sight. I want to make sure that other ponies don’t have the wrong idea about her before we let anypony else see her.”

Ember shrugged. “Sounds good to me. I could do with some rest after the trip anyway.”

Starlight lifted up Roseluck in her magic and headed toward the door with the motionless mare floating behind her. “Then, I’ll see you two later.”

Spike closed the doors behind Starlight, hoping that the unicorn can settle things without any trouble. The last thing he wanted was for Ember to be harassed by misguided ponies,

“So, anything you want to do, Ember?” Spike asked, turning to his dragon friend.

Ember nodded. “Yeah, I could really go for some grub. I’m starving after all that traveling.”

“Sure, and I got the perfect thing for you. Come on.”

Spike led Ember toward the kitchen, but he had them stop at a nearby hallway closet and asked if Ember wanted to store her gear in the room. Ember eagerly agreed, swiftly removing the rest of her armor and then stashing it in the closet. She did keep the Bloodstone Scepter with her, stating that she was supposed to hold onto it as much as possible.

When they arrived at the kitchen, Spike had Ember sit down on one of the stools in front of the counter that occupied the middle of the room while he went straight for the refrigerator.

Although there were plenty of ingredients that Spike could use to make something really quick, he knew exactly what he wanted to serve Ember before he even opened the refrigerator. After a bit of digging, Spike emerged with a plate that held a cupcake and placed it in front of Ember.

“What is this?” Ember asked, curiously eyeing the blue-frosted cupcake with sapphires sticking out of it. “I can see sapphires, but what’s all this other stuff?”

“It’s a blue sapphire cupcake. One of my friends works in a bakery, and the ponies there invented this recipe for my first birthday in Ponyville. It quickly became one of my favorite desserts.”

“Uh huh… So what’s a cupcake?”

“Right, I forgot that the Dragon Lands don’t have stuff like this. It’s like, um, a sweet, dessert thingy… Uh, you know, it’s hard to describe, but I promise you it tastes good, Ember. Just try it. Oh, but make sure to also remove the paper wrapping on the bottom.”

Ember propped the Bloodstone Scepter up against the side of the counter and picked up the cupcake. She eyed it carefully before peeling the paper off, a task made easy with her claws. After staring at the confection for a few more seconds, she shrugged and took a bite. Her eyes shot wide open a second later.

“Spike, this is the best thing I’ve ever eaten,” Ember proclaimed before devouring the rest of the dessert, much to Spike’s amusement.

“Got anymore, Spike?” Ember asked as she licked her claws after demolishing the cupcake.

Spike shook his head. “Sorry, that was the last one.”

Ember froze with one claw still in her mouth. Her hand dropping back to her side, she frowned. “Dude, even I know taking the last of anything is bad. Tell me that you didn’t give me that cupcake just because I’m the Dragon Lord.”

Spike chuckled. “No, I wanted you to have it because you’re my friend. Besides, I can get more whenever I want, whereas this was your first time. It was worth it just to see you enjoy it.” He smirked and pointed toward his nose. “Especially since you got some frosting left on your muzzle.”

“What?” Ember brought her hand to her muzzle and then stared at the frosting that was left on her claws. She groaned, and a faint shade of red tinged her cheeks.

Spike snickered and tossed a towel to Ember, who quickly wiped away the cupcake remains.

“Anyway, if you’re still hungry, I could either try cooking up something really quick, or you could have some gems I got stashed in my room,” Spike suggested when Ember was clean.

“Some gems sounds good,” Ember answered, throwing the towel to the side.

“My room it is then.”

Again, Spike led Ember through the castle, going through the hallways and up the stairs to the second floor. During their little journey, he noticed that Ember had slowed down to take in the sights of the castle, and so he slowed down his pace as well to walk side by side with his friend.

“This place is really cool,” Ember remarked, her gaze slowly panning around. “Don’t think I’ve ever seen so much crystal, let alone a castle made up of one.”

“Yeah, it’s a pretty sweet place,” Spike cheerfully agreed.

“Speaking of sweet, did you ever try eating a part of the castle?”

Spike almost tripped upon Ember’s inquiry, but he quickly regained his balance and kept silent. Even though he tried to pretend he did not hear the question and kept his gaze focused straight ahead, he knew that his behavior clearly gave Ember her answer. He could sense the devilish smirk his dragon friend was giving him.

“You did, didn’t you?”

“Um, let’s just say the taste is not worth the lectures I could get from Twilight,” Spike admitted, earning himself a few snickers from Ember.

When they arrived in his room, Spike went straight for the bookcase that was carved into the wall. Reaching into the back of the bookcase, he pulled out a small box filled with gems that he obtained during his last gem excavation with Rarity.

“Alright, Ember, I got a nice selection here. I got rubies, topazes, emeralds, and…” Spike trailed off when he turned around to find that Ember had set the Bloodstone scepter to the side and was now lying in his bed. Since the bed was made for his size, Ember’s feet slightly stuck out from the edge of the bed.

“Uh, sorry, Spike,” Ember apologized with a sheepish smile when she noticed Spike staring at her. “I couldn’t help it. Your bed looked nice, and I had to try it out.” She let out a happy sigh as she stretched. “Gotta say, I’m not disappointed at all. I can see why some of the other dragons are obsessed with taking pillows from ponies.”

Spike chuckled. “Well then I’ll be sure to pack you a few pillows for when you go back to the Dragon Lands.”

“I’ll hold you to that.”

“Gem?” Spike asked, walking over to Ember with the box in his hands.

“Actually, I think I’m good for now. Thanks anyway, Spike,” Ember replied. As Spike put the gems away, she sat back up, and her eyes began combing the room. “In all honesty, I actually wanted to see what your room was like. It’s not what I expected… which is kind of what I expected, if you get what I mean.”

“Um, not really.”

“It’s just that other dragons fill their living space with as much stuff as they can get, especially when it comes to gems and other valuables. You, however, are different. You kept things pretty simple. All you got are some books, toys, and furniture. Considering the kind of dragon you are, I should’ve known your place would be different.”

“So you’re saying that I’m not a normal dragon?” Spike asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Yes, but in a good way, and look at what that has gotten you. You live peacefully with ponies, get to eat delicious food, a huge, crystal castle is your home, have a comfortable bed to sleep in…” Ember smiled softly at Spike. “Most of all, you got a bunch of friends who would follow you into the Dragon Lands to help you out. You wouldn’t have all that if you weren’t different, so don’t be a normal dragon, Spike. You’ve got a good thing going on here.”

“Wow, thanks, Ember,” Spike said gratefully. “Truth be told, I get a nagging thought every now and then that makes me wonder if I’m weird for acting more like a pony than a dragon. You telling me all of that really does help put me at ease. I guess I shouldn’t have to worry if I’m being a norma dragon if the Dragon Lord says I’m alright.”

“Heh, well, I’m not exactly like other Dragon Lords as well. I’ve seen how much working together can accomplish when we went through the Gauntlet of Fire. I’ve been doing a lot of thinking since you left the Dragon Lands, and I have to say that I’m starting to buy the whole friendship thing.”

“So does that mean you want to try spreading friendship to other dragons?” Spike asked hopefully.

“It’s a possibility. I am the Dragon Lord, after all. Granted, I’m not expecting anything big. While dragons might follow my orders, they can be very stubborn as well. Still, if I can at least get dragons interested in the idea of working together, I’ll call that a success.”

“I knew I made the right choice by giving you the Bloodstone Scepter,” Spike cheered. “You’re gonna do great, Ember!”

“Yeah, well, it’s going to take a lot of work. You should’ve seen the look on my dad’s face when I tried to settle an argument between two dragons by talking to them instead of telling them to just duke it out. I’m going to have to ease them into accepting friendship. That’s actually the other reason I came here. I was hoping to learn a bit more about friendship.”

Spike nodded. “You can count on me, as well as Twilight, when she gets back. I’m sure that she’ll be thrilled to hear what you’re trying to do, and the both of us will do all we can to help you out.”

“Sounds good, but for now though…” Ember put her hands behind her head and lay back down on the bed. “I just want to relax. That trip really got me beat.”

As Spike stared at the dragoness laying in his bed, an idea popped into his mind. “Hey, Ember, why don’t we try a little friendship thing right now?”

“Does it require a lot of work?” Ember asked without sitting up.

“Nope, and you don’t even have to get out of bed.”

“Alright, I’ll bite. What is it?”

“Cuddling.”

Ember sat upright in an instant, staring at Spike with wide eyes and pink tinging her cheeks. “W-what?”

“Cuddling, it’s like hugging but—”

“I know what cuddling is!” Ember interrupted loudly.

Spike reeled back from the outburst. “Er, sorry, Ember, I just assumed since you didn’t know what hugging was…”

“I-I knew what hugging was.” Ember turned her gaze to the side, showing that her cheeks were more red than blue. “You just happened to give me my first one, so I was caught off-guard.”

Spike blinked. “I gave you your first hug? Uh, wow. I didn’t mess up anything, did I?”

Ember let out an amused snort, her blush slowly fading from her face. “No, you didn’t, Spike. You should know that other dragons aren’t into that sort of thing. It’s not like hugs are that special, although, I’m actually kind of happy that you were my first… in a weird sort of way.”

Spike chuckled nervously. “Heh, well, that’s good.”

“Cuddles, on the other hand… Isn’t that a bit, uh, much?”

“I thought so too, at first, but after thinking about it, it’s just another way of showing that you care about your friends. I do agree that cuddling may be a bit much in some ways, so that’s why I only do it with my closest friends.”

“Closest friends? So does that mean you count me as one too?”

“Of course I do!” Spike replied immediately with conviction.

Ember smiled softly. “Spike, I’m flattered, but isn’t it a bit premature to call me such a close friend? After all, we hardly spent a day together before today.”

“We worked together to overcome a series of deadly traps, you fought off Garble for me and my other friends, and I gave up being Dragon Lord to you. You think close friends don’t do those sort of things for each other?”

Ember chuckled. “Good point.”

“So, do you want to try cuddling? I’m confident that you’ll like it. I do it all the time with my friends, and we all love it so much.”

“Alright, alright, you win, Spike. I guess after all the things we did, it would be a bit silly to be afraid of trying some cuddling. I had my first hug with you, seems fitting that my first cuddle will be with you as well. Plus, I have a feeling that I won’t get the chance to try cuddling when I head back to the Dragon Lands.”

“Sounds good to me! So, how do you want to do this?”

Ember glanced around the bed, and a mischievous smirk soon appeared. She grabbed the pillow, propping it up on the backboard. She then splayed out her wings and rested her back on the pillow, allowing herself to comfortably sit upright.

“Come on, Spike, let’s get this over with,” Ember said in a teasing voice, patting a spot on the bed next to her.

Spike hastily moved toward his new cuddle partner and climbed onto the bed, but when he got close to Ember, the dragoness suddenly picked him up by the armpits and raised him up to her eye level with a giggle.

“H-hey!” Spike yelped, squirming in Ember’s grasp.

“Relax, dude.” Ember’s smirk grew even more. “Or should I say little dude? You’re still as light as I remembered when I carried you during the Gauntlet of Fire.”

Spike groaned. “Ember…” he whined.

“Just playing around, Spike. There’s just something about you that makes me feel like I could let loose a bit.” Ember brought Spike closer, hugging the smaller dragon to her chest and wrapping her arms around his back.

Spike mourned the fact that his arms were too short to circle around Ember and had to settle with moving his arms to Ember’s sides. Good thing the cozy, cuddling position he was swept in swiftly chased away the sour thought.

“This is nice,” Ember cooed, giving Spike a little squeeze.

“Told you. Cuddling is the best.”

“It really is. I’m going to be honest, Spike. I really liked the hug we shared before, and I was hoping to get at least another one during my visit here.”

“Guess I took it a step further by asking you to cuddle, huh?”

“You sure did, and I’m glad you did. Just, um, don’t tell anyone. I still have an image to keep as Dragon Lord.”

Spike giggled. “Whatever you say, my lord.”

Cuddling with Ember was much different than doing it with all of his pony friends. While his pony friends were all soft and squishy, sometimes reminding him of marshmallows, Ember’s scales were a hard contrast. There were no hairs to tickle him, and Ember’s scales delightfully rubbed against his own. Spike was having a hard time deciding which one he preferred, so he settled with saying that he liked both. After all, variety is the spice of life.

Spike slowly slid his hand along his friend’s sides, admiring Ember’s body. While Ember was smaller than other dragons, she had a lithe, graceful figure that Spike found more appealing than the other dragons. Although, he might be a bit biased since Ember was also more closer to his size. He also knew that despite Ember’s smaller stature, the dragoness was strong, as evidenced when she wrestled with Garble and even threw him away like a ragdoll.

Ember was also noticeably much warmer than his pony friends, her body heat fueled by the internal fire that burned inside all dragons. The pleasant warmth they shared with each other felt divine, even more so than the rare lava bath he got to treat himself to.

After some time of enjoying each other, Spike felt Ember start shifting around. Before he could ask if there was something wrong, he felt something brush his tail. He turned his head to find that Ember was maneuvering her own tail to come from his right side. Ember’s tail snaked to Spike’s back and made a single coil around the middle of Spike’s tail.

Spike had experienced similar treatments from Applejack and Pinkie, but their tails consisted of hairs and acted more like a blanket. Ember’s tail was strong and dexterous, firmly holding onto Spike like another mini-hug. While Spike’s tail was not as long, he did manage to curl it to drape over Ember’s.

A shiver ran down Spike’s spine when he felt one of Ember’s hands move up and began stroking his head. Some of his pony friends had done the same for him during their cuddling, but hooves were no match for the magic of fingers. After letting his friends enjoy his fingers, it was nice to receive the same treatment himself.

Feeling Ember’s hands run from the top of his head and down his back made him coo in delight. Looking up at Ember, he saw his friend staring right back at him with a peaceful smile on her face. He held back a giggle when he saw the faint blush on Ember’s cheeks, a sight that he found rather adorable.

With a happy sigh, Spike buried his face into the crook of Ember’s neck, allowing his friend easier access to his body.

After a while, Spike noticed that Ember had stopped stroking him. A sudden sound that suspiciously sounded like a snore made him glance up to see that Ember’s eyes were closed, and her head had drooped slightly to the side. Bringing himself back to reality, he also realized that the grip the dragoness had on him had slackened.

“Ember?” Spike whispered. “Are you asleep?”

The silence Spike got in return answered his question.

Guess she really was tired from the trip, Spike thought. He was playing with the idea of staying with Ember and taking a nap with her, but a “Pssst” made him turn his head.

Spike saw Starlight waving at him from right outside his door. Curious to see if Starlight managed to calm everypony down, he started to carefully extricate himself from Ember’s hold.

Ember was, evidently, quite the heavy sleeper, but that did not mean it was easy for Spike to free himself. Untangling his tail from Ember’s slack tail took only a few moments. The hard parts was getting out of her hold. Even though Ember did not wake up when Spike peeled her arms off him, she would instinctively grab Spike before he could escape, returning them to their sleepy cuddles.

Spike shot a flat gaze at Starlight when the mare giggled and made no move to help.

It took a few tries, but Spike eventually escaped without waking the sleeping dragon. Quietly, he made his way over to Starlight in the hallway, making sure to close the door behind him.

“So, how did it go?” Spike asked.

“All clear,” Starlight said with a nod. “Lily and Daisy were actually on their way here with our friends when I found them, but I managed to explain everything to them. Our friends are now spreading the word that they don’t have to worry about Ember. Unsurprisingly, Pinkie is also setting up a ‘Welcome to Ponyville’ party for Ember tonight.”

“Of course she is,” Spike remarked. “I’ll let Ember know when she wakes up. A party will be a great chance for her to learn more about ponies, as well as letting the ponies see she’s a good dragon.”

“Mmm hmm…” Starlight’s gaze flicked toward the closed door and then back down to Spike. “So… I see you wasted no time in getting Ember into your bed… That’s quite naughty of you, Spike.”

Spike felt his cheeks heat up. “W-we’re just cuddling!”

“Oh, I know.” Starlight’s horn started glowing, and a photograph suddenly popped into existence beside her, floating in her magic.

Spike’s eyes widened. “You took a picture of us cuddling?!”

“I couldn’t help it! You two looked so cute!” Starlight grinned mischievously. “I bet everypony at the party would love to see this.”

Spike gasped. “You wouldn’t!”

“Maybe, maybe not…”

Spike glared at Starlight. “If you do, we’re never going to cuddle again.”

Starlight’s grin crumbled instantly. “Hey, now. Don’t even joke about that.”

“Then give me the picture, Starlight,” Spike demanded, reaching out with the palm of his hand.

“You’re no fun,” Starlight grumbled. With a sigh, she floated the picture into Spike’s hand.

“Thank you, Starlight.” Spike quickly rolled up the picture and wondered what he should do with the incriminating evidence. Setting it on fire quickly leapt to the front of his mind.

“You know, before you do anything to that picture, I think a certain dragoness might like to keep it as a memento,” Starlight nonchalantly commented. “Just saying…”

Spike blinked. Slowly, he unraveled the picture and took another look at the picture. It was still embarrassing because Ember was holding onto him like a stuffed animal, but this time, he also noted the blissful smiles they both were sporting. He had to admit, they did look cute together.

“Yeah, I guess she would like this,” Spike conceded, still looking at the picture with a smile. “Thanks for the picture, Starlight.”

“No problem. I got another copy in my room anyway.”

“Wait, you what?!”

Starlight’s evil grin returned. “You can pick it up the next time we cuddle!” she proclaimed before trotting away.

Spike watched Starlight head to her room with a bemused smile. Shaking his head, he reentered his own room, finding the still-snoozing Ember right where he left her.

Spike placed the picture at the base of the bed so that it would be within easy reach when Ember woke up and crawled back up onto the bed. He slowly maneuvered himself back into the cuddling position he had previously been in, but as soon as his leg brushed his cuddle partner, Ember’s arms promptly wrapped around him again, resuming their clutch on him.

Chuckling softly, Spike hugged Ember and placed his head back in the crook of her neck. He was rewarded with a hum of contentment from Ember.

Letting out a yawn, Spike soon found himself drifting off to sleep in the arms of the Dragon Lord, and more importantly, his dragon friend.