//------------------------------// // Chapter VI: Applejack // Story: A Secret Admirer 2: How to Cuddle Your Dragon // by 1jckuhn //------------------------------// THE NEXT MORNING, 9:02 A.M. Rainbow let out a yawn as she stretched and opened her eyes. She rubbed her eyes and smiled. That was a probably the best night of sleep she had in a while. She looked down to see her little drakefriend stil snoozing and still flush against her body. She began to gingerly rub the top of his head in an attempt to wake him up. She knew Applejack would be here any minute to pick him up for her day with him. "Come on, handsome," she whispered into his ear. "It's time to wake up. Applejack will be here any moment." Spike let out a groan and he stretched. His eyes popped open and the green irises met with Rainbow Dash's magenta ones. "Good morning, sunshine," she smirked. "I take it you slept well?" "Yes, I did," Spike said with a yawn. "How about you?" "Yep," Rainbow said. "It was even better because I was with you." Spike blushed, "Flatterer." "You think you're blushing now?" Rainbow Dash smirked. "Just wait until you see this." Before Spike knew what was happening, he was pinned down by Rainbow Dash and his face was smothered in another 30 second round of kisses. She pulled away to see the result and felt throughly satisfied seeing Spike blush ten times deeper than he was before. "Howdy, y'all," came the thick southern accent of Applejack as she walked in the door. "Hey, AJ," Rainbow smirked as she flew over to the Apple Farmer and hoofbumbed her. "Enjoy your time with Spike. That Dragon is the best cuddler I've ever seen." Spike's blush only deepend, but slightly. "See ya Spike," Rainbow said, blowing him a kiss. "Love you." "Love you too, Dashie," Spike said, blowing her a kiss in return. Once Rainbow was gone, Applejack smiled as she walked toward her drakefriend. "This is gonna be better than joinin' a rodeo," she chuckled. "Glad you're excited," Spike smiled. "You up for a little breakfast, Jackie? I'm feeling hungry." "Same here, Spike" Applejack blushed at his nickname for her. They headed down to the kitchen to make breakfast and start their day together. LATER THAT NIGHT, 9:09 P.M. Applejack and Spike were resting on the couch together as they basked in the silence of the night. The day for them was absolutely great. They had baked apple pies together, they had played a few board games, at Spike's suggestion, Apple Bloom joined in, and they also told each other about how much they loved one another. They couldn't have asked for the day to turn out any better. Applejack had seen Spike grow more and more tired within the last ten minutes. He now looked like he had pulled an all-nighter. However, before Spike could even think of ask her to transport him upstairs, the Apple farmer had already thought ahead and was transporting the tired teen to the bathroom to brush his teeth. Spike smiled as he listened to the rhythmic beating of hooves meeting the ground. At last, the Earth Pony and Dragon reached the bathroom and Applejack had Spike lean against her as he brushed his teeth. Spike smiled as her felt her soft fur against his smooth scales. There was something strangley satisfying being in close contact with his marefriends. He felt safe and secure in their grasp and he felt calm and at ease as he held them close to him. Before Applejack even realized it, Spike had finished brushing his teeth and they were already going to Spike's bedroom to call it a night. Applejack opened the door and trotted into Spike's bedroom. The lights were out and she had to feel around in the dark until she made into Spike's bed. She gently set Spike down on his bed, took off her trademark, stetson hat, placed on a nearby dresser, took out the braids on her mane and tail and allowed her silky, smooth, perfect, blonde mane fall free, and slid into bed with him. Spike wiggled into the covers and barely had time to get settled in the blankets when Applejack wrapped his small body in her strong grasp and pressed him flush against her abdomen. Rather than embracing him tightly, however, she gripped him with every ounce of strength she had. To Spike, the tighter the grip, the better the experience was for him. He nuzzled into her soft chest fur and took in her scent. Being an apple farmer gave Applejack the obvious scent of apples. He sighed as he settled down. He felt so tired. He felt even better when he felt Applejack's unbraided mane come in contact with his sides and back and how her unbraided tail came in contact with his unbandaged leg and tail. Now completely surrounded by the southern pony, Spike felt warm and cozy as Applejack pulled the covers up even further on top of them both. "Thanks, Jackie," Spike said in a soft tone. "You're welcome, Sugarcube," Applejack whispered. "You deserve this after you've been my friend and helping me for so long." Spike blushed, "Aww, it's nothing. I like helping you because I don't want any kind of reward like this. All I want out of the deal is spending time with you and seeing you happy. I really don't care if you reward me, because you do it without even trying with your smile and happiness." Applejack blushed a moderate shade of pink. Spike was always the smooth talker without even realizing it. "Well," Applejack spoke softly into his ear. "Even if you don't want a reward aside from my happiness, I refuse to let all your good deeds go without some kind of repayment. You've been by my side for as long as I remember and you've always been there for me more times than I can count. Now that we're more than friends, I've realized that I've ignored you from time to time and I absolutley cannot, in good conscience, let that slide any more. You're too pure for this world, Spike. It's no wonder you have more than one girl who loves you. You're an angel in disguise, a savior anyone would be blessed to have known, and a lover any girl would only dream of. Fortunately, I got to be one of the many girls who gets to be with you." Spike was now blushing redder than Applejack's cutie mark. "Thanks, Jackie," he whispered. Applejack pulled Spike's head out of her chest and looked him right in the eye. "No, Spike," she said. "Thank you. Thank you for being the sweetest Dragon ever." She surprised Spike by capturing his lips in a tender, passionate kiss. Spike was surprised but melted into the lip-lock. Time was nothing to either of them as they kissed. They broke away and looked into each other's eyes lovingly. Emerald Eyes locked on with another pair of Emerald Eyes. Their moment was interrupted when they both let out yawns. "Ready to go to bed?" Applejack asked. "Yeah," Spike said. They both regained their original cuddling positions with Spike's face being smothered once again into Applejack's soft, and now ruffled, chest fur and now both Dragon and Pony waited for fatigue to inevitably overtake both their bodies. Applejack, however, wanted to provide Spike with one last gift before he went to sleep. She began to hum a lullaby right in his ear and Spike was loving every second of it. He was already beyond tired, but with Applejack's extra body heat spreading thoughout every inch of his small frame, her soft, silky fur, mane, and tail surrounding him, the slow, quiet, steady drum of her heartbeat, and, now, her angelic voice turbocharging the efforts to put him to bed for the night. "Goodnight, Jackie," Spike groaned out as his eyes fully closed. "Love you." "Sweet dreams, Sugarcube," Applejack whispered back. "I love you too." Applejack closed her eyes and waited for her drowsiness to finally put her to sleep. She heard soft snores coming from Spike and that seemed to relax her even further. "I can see why the other gals like this so much," Applejack though as she let out a yawn. "It is like a personal, little lullaby. She smiled happily with her toughts as the last of her consciousness dissapeared and she finally joined the slumber beside her drakefriend, dreaming of all the fun things they'd do the next time they'd have a day together.