Warming Up

By: Proteus-92

Chapter I: Body Heat

Winter had officially come to Ponyville. When Twilight Sparkle woke up that morning, she could see a thick blanket of snow covering the whole town through her window. Spike's basket was empty- no doubt he had awoken already to begin his chores. She trotted down to the kitchen- Spike was there, cooking something. "Good morning Twilight," he said. "Hope you're in the mood for pancakes."

She smiled. "What kind?"

"Daisy pancakes. Those ones are your favorite, right?"

"You know me so well." Spike finished a few minutes later, and the two began to eat not long after. Owlowiscious had flown south for the winter several weeks before; until Winter Wrap-Up in several months' time, Twilight and Spike would be completely alone in the library. She finished her pancakes, wiping her mouth. "Delicious as always, Spike," she said.

He smiled and blushed ever so slightly. "Thanks. …So Twilight, are you going out at all today?"

"As a matter of fact, I am." She picked up a book and dropped it into her bag, before slinging it over her shoulder. "While I'm out, could you start gathering all my research materials?"

"Sure. You need all those astronomy books, right?"

She wrapped her favorite scarf around her neck. "That's right. Don't worry if you can't gather everything together before I get back- I'll only be gone for a few minutes."

"Okay. I'll be waiting." Twilight stepped outside into the snow. As she made her way down the street, she could see ponies enjoying the new weather everywhere she looked. Twilight, however, had some business to be attending to- and in any case, Twilight had found snowy weather to be the perfect opportunity to stay at home and curl up with a good book and a hot cup of cocoa.

At that moment, a light blue pegasus dropped down in front of her from out of the sky. "Hey Twilight," Rainbow Dash said. "You headed to the town square? The Mayor's dividing everyone up into teams for the town's annual snowball fight."

"Sorry, but not this year, Rainbow. I was just going to give something back to Rarity, then I have to get back home and finish some research I was doing."

"Aw, but everypony's taken the day off! Everyone will be there! Can't it wait?"

"I wish it could, but it can't. I need to go, I'm sorry."

Rainbow sighed. "…Okay. I guess I'll see you around." She was just about to take off again, when she suddenly stopped. "Oh, that's right! Rarity wanted me to tell you that she finished that order you left her." She was about to take off again, when she stopped herself again. "One more thing- don't forget what I told you last week. This winter's gonna get real bad, so you might wanna get more than just a scarf from now on." She sped off; a few moments later, Twilight continued on her way.

A few minutes later, a small bell tinkled as Twilight entered the Carousel Boutique. "Rarity?" she called. "Rarity, are you still here?"

"Oh, Twilight darling," a voice replied. "I wasn't expecting any visitors." A white unicorn descended the stairs at the side of the boutique- Rarity.

"Sorry, I know you're closed, but I just wanted to return this." She removed the book from her bag.

"Oh, that's quite alright- just, set it on the counter." Twilight did as Rarity asked. "I take it you're here to pick up your order as well." Rarity grabbed a small bundle from a nearby shelf and gave it to Twilight. "If anything doesn't fit, be sure to bring it right back- Spike can't afford to take any chances in this weather."

"I will." As she put Spike's new winter clothes in her bag, Rarity asked, "So Twilight, will you be taking part in the town snowball fight?"

"Not this year, Rarity. I have some studies I have to keep up with. Why, are you?"

"Well, I like to think that I'm above such things, but I daresay that it's quite… fun. It's a shame you can't participate this year." As she left the boutique, the unicorn called after her, "Don't be a stranger!"

A few minutes later, she was back at the library; she stepped inside to see Spike gathering the last of her supplies together. "Hold on," he said, staggering under a massive stack of books. "I almost got the last of it!" By some miracle, he made it to the desk and set the books down on the floor. Wiping the sweat from his brow, he said, "Hey Twilight. Did you return Rarity's book?"

"I did. And I got something for you too." She took the package and gave it to him; he unwrapped it excitedly, only for his face to fall once he saw what was inside. "Clothes?" he asked.

"For you to wear outside in the snow. …Aren't you going to try them on? Rarity made them for you." At the mention of Rarity, he was dressed seemingly in the blink of an eye; when she turned to him, he was wearing a knit cap, a jacket, pants, and boots, all made in purple and green. "There should be some gloves in there too," she said. As he reached into the package to find him, she continued, "So, how does everything fit? Does it all fit okay?"

He slipped the gloves on. "Yeah, everything fits just fine. But, uh… is this all really necessary?" he asked, tugging at the uncomfortable new clothes.

"It's for your own safety, Spike. Now if you hurry, you might make it in time for the town snowball fight."

"R-Really! I-I mean… are you sure? You don't need me to help you?"

"I'll be fine, Spike." She sat down at her desk. "Now go out and have some fun. I think you've earned it."

"Oh thank you Twilight! Thank you!" And before she could change her mind, Spike dashed out into the snow.

Twilight was still at her desk when Spike came back inside several hours later. "Hey Twilight," he said, taking off his clothes.

"Hey Spike," she replied, remaining firmly focused on the book in front of her. "Have fun out there?"

"Yeah. I would have stayed out longer, but I figured you'd probably need help with your research." He began to carry a large stack of books toward her desk.

"That's very considerate of you. But are you sure you want to start helping right away? Are you sure you don't need a few minutes to rest, maybe warm yourself up a little?"

"Nah, I'll be fine. Now, is this all the books you needed?"

"No, there's another stack over there." She pointed with her hoof.

"Right, I'll get them." Several hours passed- Twilight continued her studies, with Spike constantly moving back and forth to get her anything and everything that she needed. However, Spike was beginning to lose steam- he yawned loudly as he dropped one last book on the stack. "Getting tired, Spike?" Twilight asked.

He nodded. "Is it okay if I turn in for the night?"

"It's fine. I'll be down here for a few more hours."

"Okay Twilight." Spike headed off to bed. Twilight stayed downstairs, continuing to take notes. Eventually, she reached a satisfactory point to stop, put away her things, and followed Spike to their bedroom. She peered into Spike's basket- he was fast asleep there, curled up under his blanket. She always had to check on him before going to bed; she wouldn't be able to sleep soundly herself otherwise. Satisfied, she made her way to her bed, climbed in, and fell asleep not long after.

Much later, Twilight suddenly awoke. The first thing she noticed was that the room was freezing- Rainbow Dash hadn't been kidding when she said this winter would be bad. The next thing she noticed was a long series of strange stuttering sounds- she couldn't see their source, but from their direction they seemed to be coming from Spike's bed. Something suddenly popped into her head: Spike was a dragon. Dragons were reptiles. Reptiles had cold blood. And in cold weather, cold-blooded animals…

Twilight leapt out of bed without thinking. She didn't have to- not when her assistant, her best friend, her surrogate brother could be dying not ten feet away. She galloped to his basket- sure enough, he was curled up under his blanket, shivering violently. With all the noise she'd made, Twilight was surprised he hadn't woken up. She put her hoof on Spike's back and began to shake him. "Spike… Spike, wake up. Wake up."

Slowly- much more slowly that Twilight would have liked- Spike came to. "T-T-T-Twilight?" he stuttered. "W-W-What's g-goin' on?"

Though he was now awake, Twilight wasn't any less worried. "Just… come with me Spike. Everything will be fine, I promise." With care, she scooped up the small dragon and put him on her back. She shivered- he was cold as ice. Not wasting any more time, she trotted back to her bed.

Spike could hear the anxiety in her voice, but for some reason, he couldn't bring himself to full alertness- it was as though a cloud was hanging in his mind. The warmth of Twilight's back began to put him at ease however, and he relaxed. Twilight pulled back her blankets and put Spike onto the bed, before climbing in after him and pulling the blankets back over them both. Spike relaxed even more- the warmth felt absolutely wonderful against his cold body, like his entirety was being hugged. "Th… Thank…" was all Spike managed to say, before falling silent.

"Spike?" No response. She shook him. "Spike?" Still no response. "Oh no…" She put an ear to his chest, breathing a sigh of relief almost immediately- he was still breathing. He'd simply gone back to sleep. But she couldn't help but worry. She pulled his sleeping body against hers- he was warming up, but he was still so very cold. Ignoring her own discomfort, she held him tightly, and slowly, the coldness faded away.

At some point, in spite of her best efforts to avoid it, Twilight fell asleep as well.

The warmth was the first thing Spike noticed as he woke up. He kept his eyes closed, snuggling into the warmth- he found it so very pleasant. However, his eyes shot open when he heard a soft sigh in response. At first, all he could see was purple- he looked up to see Twilight lying next to him, holding him tightly in her forelegs. He almost cried out, but he managed to stop himself- then, with care, he began to extract himself from her grip. He might not know why he was in Twilight's bed, but he did know that he had morning chores to get started on. Once free, he climbed down from her bed, resisted the urge to hop back in when his feet touched the cold floor, and headed downstairs to start breakfast.

The scent of Spike's cooking woke Twilight from her slumber a few minutes later. She headed downstairs to find him in the kitchen. "Hey Twilight," he said. "I'm almost done with breakfast- just give me a few more minutes."

Twilight waited patiently until Spike brought their food from the kitchen. They ate in silence for a few moments before Twilight said, "Spike, you and I need to have a talk."

Spike froze. He remained calm on the surface, but in his mind he was panicking. What would Twilight need to talk to him about? Had she found the collection of drawings he'd made of Rarity? Had she read his diary? Or worse, had she woken up in the night to find him… pleasuring himself? He was too terrified of these possibilities, and how Twilight might react to them, to give an answer.

She gave him a few moments to reply; when he didn't, she continued by asking, "Well, you're probably wondering why you woke up in my bed this morning, right?"

Spike breathed an internal sigh of relief- she didn't want to talk to him about… that. And as a matter of fact, he had been wondering about that all morning. "Uh, yeah. So, what happened?"

"Well, I don't think I have to tell you that winter's here. And because of that… I think that you should sleep in my bed at night. At least, until the end of winter."

He dropped his fork. "What? Y-You can't be serious."

"I am. You're a reptile, Spike- this kind of weather is dangerous to you. It could kill you. And I could never forgive myself if that happened."

"Well, I've been through plenty of winters before without any problems. Why's this one different?"

"Spike, we're not in Canterlot anymore. It didn't snow half as much as it does here, remember?"

"…Then what about last year?"

"I talked to Rainbow Dash yesterday- she said this winter's supposed to be much colder than the last one."

"But… what about your studies? You have to keep up with them."

"This is much more important. Princess Celestia would understand if I explained the situation to her."

"There's gotta be something else you can do. Can't we just buy a heater?"

"We don't have the money for that, Spike. And I really wish there was another way, but there isn't."

"You're a unicorn- can't you make a spell that can-"

"Spike, I'm not arguing with you about this anymore. Until winter's over, you're sleeping with me in my bed. That's final." Spike grumbled angrily. "Spike, I'm only doing this because I want to keep you safe. You understand that don't you?"

Spike relented. "I understand…"

"Good. Now bundle up- you have to go help Rarity today, remember?"

Night came. Spike lay under the covers of Twilight's bed- Twilight herself lay next to him, reading a heavy astronomy book. The library was dark, the only light coming from the glow of Twilight's horn. Spike couldn't help but be reminded of how he and Twilight used to live many years ago- when they had been younger, they slept in the same bed. Their favorite thing to do before going to sleep was to read- they'd lay in bed, side-by-side with a novel floating over them. Spike would read the boys' lines, Twilight the girls', and they'd alternate back and forth for everything else. Spike would always fall asleep before long as Twilight read- it had taken the two of them months to finish Harry Trotter and the Philosopher's Stone because of it. As the years passed though, Twilight and Spike grew bigger, and couldn't share the bed anymore. When they would reminisce about those days, she always told him how he cried when she said he had to sleep in the basket from then on.

As though reading his mind, Twilight asked, "It's just like old times, isn't it?"

Spike was taken aback for a moment, but he then replied. "Yeah."

"You remember what we used to do, right?"

"Of course."

"Do you… want to do it right now?"

"… I would like that."

Twilight closed her book and set it on her nightstand. She then climbed out of bed and walked to a nearby stack of books. "Spike," she began, "did you ever manage to finish the Harry Trotter books?"

He shook his head. "No, I never got to."

"How many of them did you finish?"

"Uh… I think I got about halfway through the fifth book."

"Alright." She returned a few moments later, with a large blue book in her mouth- on the spine was written Harry Trotter and the Order of the Phoenix. She climbed back into bed with him, asking, "Can you remember where you off, or should we start from the beginning?"

"Uh, can we start from the beginning, Twilight?"

"Of course, Spike." So, she opened the book on its first page, and began to read. It came back to them in a flash- after she finished her line, Spike began to read. They read for a good long while- eventually, she finished her turn. When Spike didn't start up right away, she said, "Spike? It's your turn." He didn't reply- she looked over to see that he had rolled onto his side, fast asleep. Twilight couldn't help but smile- it really was just like old times. If she did one last thing, it would have been a mirror image of how things had been all those years ago. She leaned over and kissed his forehead, whispering "Goodnight, Spike." With that, she set the book down, rolled onto her side, and fell asleep as well.

Several nights passed. Spike's grumblings subsided, and his and Twilight's nightly reading sessions integrated seamlessly into their daily routine. They would climb into bed, read for a while, Spike would fall asleep, and Twilight would kiss his forehead and wish him a good night before drifting off to sleep as well.

Twilight had said to Spike that this was only for his own good. However, she would have been lying if she said she hadn't missed this. She could tell Spike did as well, even if he wasn't willing to admit it. She thought that maybe after winter was over, she would ask him if he wanted to keep this new, not unwelcome addition to their routine.

Spike had once again fallen asleep while she had read. She kissed his forehead and wished him goodnight, before snuggling up to him and falling asleep as well. However, on this night, something different happened. Twilight was awoken by a very unusual sensation. At first, she thought little of it, simply believing it was Spike shifting in his sleep. But then, she felt his legs clamp down on her back. Now, she was confused- was he having a dream about riding her? All that confusion dissipated when she felt him grind his hips against her spine. She blushed- oh goodness, he was… he was… humping her!

Twilight wasn't sure if she wanted to laugh or cry.

She had read extensively on the biology, life cycle, and behavior of dragons after first hatching Spike, to the point where she could quote several books on the subjects almost verbatim. One of the books had said that dragons started puberty fairly early. Signs of that were apparent- Twilight was well aware of Spike's fixation of Rarity, knew about the numerous pictures of her he kept under the cushion in his basket, and had read more than a few naughty entries in his diary (she swore that it fell open on that page when she was gathering Spike's sheets for the laundry). Sometimes, when she woke up in the mornings before him, she would even see his small erection unashamedly standing tall as he slept. She certainly wouldn't judge him for any of that- she had her own share of diary entries, dreams, and daydreams that she wasn't exactly keen on sharing with others. She understood perfectly.

Her understanding did nothing to dampen her shock when she heard her own name leave Spike's mouth.

She lay still for a few moments, paralyzed with indecision as Spike continued to violate her back. Should she wake him up and embarrass him, or simply ignore it and let him… have his way with her? No, she had to stop him. If she was lucky, maybe he wouldn't even realize what had happened. She reached back her hoof and gently began to shake Spike. "Spike… Spike… wake up…"

Spike woke with a start. He looked up at her, down at himself, then back up at her. Before she could stop him, he suddenly scrambled to the edge of the bed. "I… I-I'm sorry!" he stammered.

"Spike? Twilight asked, inching closer to him. "Is everything alright?" He didn't reply. "Spike, what happened?" She was already fairly certain she knew the answer.

"I… don't want to talk about it."

"Are you sure? I won't get upset."

"No! Just- …forget about it."

"Alright, if you insist."

Twilight simply couldn't get the events of last night out of her head. Spike was growing up- she had been preparing for this for a long time. She wouldn't judge him because of his hormones any more than he would have if their situations had been reversed. But she was the last pony she expected Spike to have… those kinds of dreams about. She couldn't imagine what had been going through his head, partly because she really didn't want to, but also because she didn't think he thought of her that way. But if he did think of her like that, then that could-

"…Twilight, Twilight! Is something wrong?" Spike asked, worried.

Feeling a little embarrassed, she shook her head and said, "No, nothing's wrong. Now, what were you saying?"

"I asked you what supplies you needed from the writing store."

"Oh, that's right! Um, let me think…" In truth, Twilight didn't need anything- all she wanted was Spike out of the house, if only for a few minutes. "Right, I need a few new bottles of ink, a box of quills, and blank scrolls. Lots of them. Can you remember all that?"

"No problem." Spike hurriedly put on his winter clothes. "I'll be back as soon as I can." And with that, he stepped outside, pushing the door shut behind him.

Twilight was finally alone. Almost as soon as the door closed, she rushed up to the bedroom, lifted up the blankets of Spike's bed, and slowly lifted his journal out. She simply stared at the cover for several moments, unsure if she should really do this. This was invading Spike's privacy- if he ever found out what she had done, there was no telling what he might do. She might even lose him. "Forever!" Pinkie Pie's voice added on in her mind. But she had to know. She just had to. And with that, she opened the diary, and began to read.

Unsurprisingly, she opened up to an entry talking about Rarity. She briefly skimmed through it before turning the page to another entry. Another entry on Rarity- she skimmed through, noting that Spike was rather… imaginative. She flipped to another entry. To her surprise, this one wasn't about Rarity- rather, it was about Fluttershy. She flipped through entry after entry. There seemed to be several for every mare in Ponyville: Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Mrs. Cake, the spa twins, Vinyl Scratch, the Mayor, Colgate, Ditzy Doo, Lyra, Bon Bon, the Cutie Mark Crusaders… but there was not a single entry about her.

Disappointed, she closed the diary and put it back on his bed. She was just about to pull the blanket over it when she spotted something- a small notebook, wedged between the cushion and the side of the basket. With care, she lifted it up with magic- the cover was well-worn and the pages were yellowed with age. It was clear that this notebook was much older than the first. She opened it- to her shock, she opened to an entry talking about her. She flipped to another one. And another. And another. But no matter what page she flipped to, what entry she read, it would always talk about her.

She could hardly believe what she was seeing. It was a journal, dedicated to her… and her alone.

She flipped to a random entry in the journal. She was surprised- if Spike had been imaginative in the previous journal, he was going all out in this one. And she was surprised to see just how romantic he was at heart. But looking more closely, Twilight could see that the journal wasn't entirely about her; intermixed with various romantic and… sexual scenarios were entries that left his feelings bare: Anger at himself for being unable to express his attraction to her, fear that she would reject his affections or worse become upset because of them, embarrassment from being attracted to pony rather than a dragon…

Twilight had to sit down- she had no idea that Spike had such a strong maelstrom of emotion swirling around inside of him. How long had he been holding these feelings inside of him? She flipped to the beginning- judging from the childlike, almost illegible scrawling she found there, it may have been for as long as they had known each other. As she read, trembling, she eventually came across what appeared to be a letter, addressed directly to her. She read:

Dear Twilight,

If you're reading this, then you probably already know about how I feel about you. I really, really wanted to tell you some of this, but I've just been too scared. I thought maybe you'd be angry with me. I even thought you might throw me out if I ever told you how I feel about you. I know it's not natural for me to have feelings about you the way I do, but I just can't help it. You must think I'm some kind of sick freak and that I need help. But I can't help it. If you could see yourself the way I see you, maybe you'd understand. If you could see just how strong and smart and beautiful and amazing you really are, maybe you'd understand.

I love you. I love you so much that it hurts. And I wish that just once, I could tell you that. But I'm too afraid. And I know it's selfish of me to want more than what I have now. I'm sorry. You must think-

She couldn't go on. She shut the journal, tears flowing freely down her face. "No Spike…" she began, as though her words would somehow change what had been written. "I'd… I'd never be angry with you. Not over this." How could she not have seen this sooner? There must have been signs, signs that she somehow overlooked, however much she didn't want to admit it.

Suddenly, the door creaked downstairs. "Twilight, I'm back!" she heard Spike call. "Twilight? Twilight, where'd you go?"

Twilight quickly stuffed the journal back into its original position. "I… I'm up here Spike!" She quickly wiped her tears away and climbed down to the first floor. As she walked over to him, he asked, "What were you doing up there, Twilight?"

"I was… taking my telescope inside! I don't want the snow to ruin it."

He bought it. "Okay. Anyway, I got the supplies you wanted." He handed a large bag to Twilight.

"Thanks Spike." She set the supplies down on a nearby table. "Spike, could you come here? There's something I need to tell you."

Spike swallowed hard, and followed her. "Okay, what is it?"

As soon as he came close, Twilight lifted herself up and wrapped her forelegs around him in a tight hug. "Spike… I love you."

He blushed slightly. "Uh, what's this all about?"

"I just wanted to let you know. I know I don't tell you very often- well, actually, I hardly ever tell you anymore… but I just wanted to say that I love you."

"Uh… thanks." Come on, he thought to himself. Just say it. It's only four words: I love you too. You can do it. But in spite of how badly he wanted to, Spike just couldn't bring himself to say those four small words. She held him for several long moments; eventually though, he said, "…Twilight? I think we should get started on your studies."

"R-Right. Sorry." She let go of him. She then made her way to her research material and began flipping through a large book. "What chapter were we on again?"

"I think it was Chapter 14: The Life Cycle of Stars."

"Thank you, Spike."

"Anytime."

Night had come again. Spike was fast asleep. Twilight was not. She sat up in her bed, trying her hardest to build up the resolve she needed for what she was about to do. She loved Spike dearly, but it hadn't been in a romantic sense. It wasn't because he was a dragon, or even because he was a baby dragon- more than anything else, it was because she saw him as her little brother. But despite her own aversions, it was clear that Spike didn't feel the same way about her- and from what she had read in his journal, he'd been harboring those feelings for her long before he really understood them. Twilight shook her head- she had to do this. Though his journal had given her an idea, she couldn't possibly imagine the loneliness Spike must have felt for all those years.

She promised that Spike would never feel that way again.

Spike was sprawled on her mattress snoring- she couldn't help but notice how cute he looked as he slept. It made things that much easier. She took a deep breath- it was now, or never. Slowly, she leaned herself down and kissed Spike… on the lips. She pulled away after a moment, and her heart melted as the corners of Spike's mouth turned up in a smile. Before she could stop herself, she bent down again, pulling Spike into a much deeper kiss. Her tongue probed around his small mouth; it had a rather sharp mineral aftertaste, but right now she didn't mind it in the least. Twilight had a long list of things she wanted to do in her life- kissing a dragon hadn't been one of them, but if she'd known it would have been like this, she would have added it on sooner.

Meanwhile, Spike was having a most wonderful dream- Twilight had swept him off his feet and was kissing him. He had plenty of dreams like this, but this one was so much better! It felt so real, he could hardly believe it. But suddenly, his eyes opened. He breathed a disappointed sigh now that the dream was over but… but the sensation remained. He blinked, confused- the darkness above him faded, revealing he was face to face with… Twilight. Wait a minute… Twilight was kissing him! Now he was confused. He tried to pull back, but she was firmly pressed down on him- he brought up his hands, trying in vain to push Twilight away.

Twilight was suddenly brought out of her musings by several muffled cries and something pushing against her muzzle. She opened her eyes- Spike's eyes were wide open, staring directly into hers, as he flailed and struggled to push Twilight away. She hadn't planned on waking him up, but if she played her cards right, then maybe… just maybe, things would turn out okay. She closed her eyes, and deepened her kiss. His struggling slowed before ultimately coming to a stop, and his panicked cries became low, almost pitiful moans of pleasure.

Twilight finally broke the kiss, leaving Spike gasping for breath. As he tried to make his heart settle down, he rested his arm over his eyes and said out loud, "This has to be a dream."

"Would you feel better if I said it wasn't?" she asked, her voice dropping into what she hoped was a seductive tone.

He locked eyes with her again; when he did, Twilight wondered why she'd never noticed just how cute he was until now. "What? But Twilight, I thought-"

She silenced him by resting a hoof over his mouth. "Shhhh. Just relax, Spike." She stroked her face with her hoof- he was just so cute that she couldn't stop herself… not that she really wanted to. "This is all about you. If there's anything you want from me? Well, your wish is my command."

"Anything?" Spike's eyes grew wide again, and it took all of Twilight's willpower to keep from taking him right then and there. "Well, if it's okay with you, could we… well… can you… um, kiss me again?"

Twilight smiled. "If that's what you'd like." She bent down and kissed Spike again. He kissed back, his small tongue dancing awkwardly around her much larger one. He felt like the luckiest dragon in the whole world and nothing could change that, even if this turned out to only be a dream. Here he was, with the pony he'd wanted for so long, kissing him! It wasn't as good as he had imagined it- it was better. It was more than he ever could have asked for. But before long, he could feel his eyelids begin to droop; he would fall asleep any minute now. He pulled away.

Twilight couldn't help but feel a bit disappointed. "Is there something wrong Spike?"

"No, everything's fine. It's just… can we hold off until tomorrow?"

"Of course."

"And, uh… could we… cuddle?"

She wrapped her forelegs around him and pulled him close. "Anything you want, Spike." He snuggled against her, perfectly content, before falling asleep almost immediately. Twilight joined him not long after.