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.”