Chapter 1
“Spike, I’m heading to bed now... you coming?” Rarity called from the top of the stairs.
Based on the sounds coming from the living room, Spike and Sweetie Belle were playing a board game, and it sounded like Sweetie Belle was winning. Rarity had just finished a rather large order for somepony new up in Canterlot, and she was supposed to ship it out within the week. Needless to say, working all day with only a few small breaks had left her terribly exhausted, and she wanted nothing more than to snuggle with her drakefriend.
“Yeah, I’ll be up in a couple of minutes!” she heard Spike yell back up.
“Alright then,” she replied before turning to walk to her bedroom. She pulled her favorite pajamas, a soft pink satin shirt with small white bows along the hem, out of the closet and used her magic to pull it over her head. Rarity loved the way it fell down around her; accentuating her curves in all the right places.
Spike walked through her bedroom door with a yawn, then closed it behind him. “Hey there, my love...” he cooed with a soft, caring smile as he stepped in for a quick smooch. “I tucked Sweetie Belle in bed for you so we can just hit the hay.”
Rarity leaned in for another quick kiss. “Thanks, dear,” she said with a yawn. She nuzzled his cheek and then playfully flicked his side with her tail. “Ready for bed? I’m pretty tired...”
“Yeah, that’s fine. Your little sis wore me out after beating me at Sorry four times in a row,” Spike said with a small chuckle. “I don’t know how she does it.” He followed her onto the bed, though he waited a few seconds for Rarity to get under the covers. Now that he had grown so big, he didn’t have to use a blanket at night; his body’s natural temperature kept him warm enough.
As soon as she got herself comfortable, Spike hopped onto the bed much like a cat would and laid down on top of her, just like he’d done for the past few weeks. Rarity rolled her eyes, slightly annoyed. She had tried hinting that she didn’t really like when he did that, but Spike never picked up on them. She lay still, waiting for Spike to fall asleep.
“Ugh... Spike...” Rarity pouted as she pushed the covers off of her. Spike lay sprawled across her belly and hind legs, pinning her to the bed. It was much too hot with him laying on top of her like this, and he always did it whenever he snoozed off. He didn’t do this anywhere else but in the bed, and it was starting to turn what should be a romantic act into something that she’d rather not do.
The sheets were always soaked through with her sweat in the mornings, and it was all because of Spike. She liked to keep it chilly in her room so she could wear her fancy pajamas to bed, mainly because she liked the way the fabric felt against her. They kept her warm on the cold nights and cool on the hot nights, but there was yet another reason why she wore them.
She knew Spike liked it, but it was getting to the point where she couldn’t wear them anymore—it was just darn hot. Rarity loved Spike dearly, and she knew that he felt the same about her, but it pained her greatly to even think about not showing affection in her favorite way.
Rarity felt Spike’s belly expand and contract over and over, showing that he was already sleeping deeply. She lifted her head from her pillow and saw that he had a small smile on his face. His front right leg started twitching in his sleep, and she heard him whisper her name in his sleep, bringing a smile to her face.
As she felt the first bead of sweat start to form on her brow, Rarity gently pulled her legs out from under Spike, stopping anytime that he twitched. Thankfully, she was able to extricate herself from under him in a couple of minutes, and she curled up in a ball in what little space she had left. She pressed her back up against Spike’s side and smiled as his warmth seeped into her body, gently lulling herself to sleep.
I love you, Spike, but... this has to change...
A pair of wet lips upon her cheek roused her from her slumber. She smiled and stretched, pushing the covers off of her. “Good morning, my love,” she heard Spike whisper in her ear, quickly followed by a small nuzzle. Rarity loved the way his smooth scales felt upon her fur; it was unlike anything else that she’d felt.
“Morning, dear,” she softly said, cracking an eye open. Spike stood over her with a soft smile on his face, his two front legs on either side of her head. Her back was sore once again from staying curled up in a ball for so long, but she knew the pain would fade away in a few hours, only to come back again the next time they fell asleep. A part of her wanted to speak up and say that she didn’t like the way that Spike snuggled with her, but another part of her felt that saying something like that would ruin his day and put a dent in their otherwise wonderful relationship. She had opened her lips to say something, but couldn’t close them quickly enough before Spike looked her way.
Clearing her throat, Rarity threw on a fake smile. “What time is it?” She rolled onto her side, making Spike slide off of the bed.
“Early enough to snuggle some more,” Spike said with a smile. “That is, if you’re up for it.”
Rarity giggled nervously, then stretched her sore back. “Maybe tonight, Spike. I have some errands I have to run, and I’d like to get those out of the way as soon as possible.” The silence dragged on for a bit as Spike stared at her. “Is something the matter?” she asked nervously.
“What’s wrong?” he asked, sitting on the edge of the bed. He looked directly at her as if he was staring directly into her soul.
“Er... n-nothing!” she stammered, pulling the sheets up to her neck.
“Come on, Rarity, I can tell when something is wrong.” Spike slid closer to her and placed a claw on one of her hind legs. “You know you can tell me anything, so what’s up?”
“I... I...” Rarity looked around, trying to figure a way out of her predicament. “It’s, um... Oh, alright...” She felt Spike rub her leg reassuringly. “I... I don’t like the way we snuggle at night.” Spike froze, then pulled his claw back. “You just smother me so much that I start sweating. I mean, it gets so hot at night that it feels like I’m in the sauna down at the spa.” She failed to look up at Spike. “That’s why I’m always curled up next to you...”
“I see,” Spike said. They stayed silent for several seconds,as if waiting for the other to speak again. Finally, he broke the silence with a sigh. “O-okay, uh...” he choked out, his tone flat and unemotional. “I have to get some things done today as well, so I guess I’ll see you later.” He didn’t look at her as he stood up.
“Spike, wait!” Rarity called out after him, raising a hoof. Spike didn’t respond as he walked from her bedroom, slamming the door behind him. “Spike...” she whispered, her lower lip trembling. “Oh... what did I just do?”
She heard the front door slam shut a few moments later, knocking a picture off of the wall to her right. The glass shattered upon impact, making her roll her eyes. She lit her horn, picked up the picture that fell from the frame, and nearly dropped it when she saw it.
It was the picture that they’d taken on their first real date. They’d gone to Baltimare to spend the day with each other, away from the stresses and worries back home, and to make a long story short, they had had a blast.
Rarity felt tears well up in her eyes as her eyes ran over the picture, then she clutched it to her chest in a hug. She’d taken the picture with her magic at night along the river, the name of which Rarity couldn’t remember at the moment. Fireflies had lit up behind them, the city providing a stunning backdrop. Rarity remembered the moment the picture had been taken, and she had timed the camera to snap a picture just right. She also remembered practicing the timing of it back home just to ensure that she got the perfect picture.
As the tears began to fall, Rarity looked at the picture again. She giggled at the sight of Spike’s surprised face, for she had unexpectedly kissed him on the cheek at the very same moment that she’d taken the picture. A part of her wondered if she should have lied and not said anything about the issue at hoof, but the other part of her told her it was the right thing to do.
Relationships built on a lie always failed.
Rarity slid out of bed and set the picture on her nightstand. She quickly got ready for the rest of the day, cleaned up the broken glass, and grabbed her bag of bits. She kept herself busy throughout the morning and into the middle of the afternoon by window shopping, knowing that Spike would find her eventually to make up.
He always did whenever they had a little fight.
But, as the afternoon turned to night, Spike never showed up, leaving her with a sick feeling in her stomach. As worry started to fill her heart, she dropped her bags off back at her home, then trotted over to Twilight’s castle, wondering where Spike had been the entire time. After running a hoof through her mane to ensure that it looked proper, she rose the same hoof to knock on the door when it suddenly opened.
Her drakefriend stood in the doorway, blocking her from entering. He looked rather surprised to see her there, standing in the dark with a raised hoof. Rarity opened her mouth to say something, anything, but before she could, Spike sighed and simply walked away from her without saying a word.
“Spi- Spike!” she called out after him, but he ignored her. Nothing more could have hurt right now; being ignored by the one she loved was something that she absolutely hated. Having her special someone literally turn their back on you drove a spike of cold ice into her heart. She took a few steps forward, hesitant to run after him, but as he started to disappear into the night, she decided to catch up to him to try and talk things through. However, just as she took the first step, a field of purple magic gently stopped her.
“Rarity, I think it would be best if you gave him a little more alone time,” Twilight said from behind her.
Rarity sniffled and lowered her trembling hoof. She so desperately wanted to talk to Spike, especially after not seeing him for the entire day. She had a bad feeling that she might have ruined her relationship with him, but there was nothing that she could do. Tears threatening to fall, Rarity turned around to face her friend, only to feel her a soft feathery wing lay across her back.
“Come inside, Rarity,” Twilight said with a soft smile. “I think we need to have a little talk...”
“Oh... okay,” Rarity said, her voice weak. She followed Twilight inside, wishing she had something to wipe her eyes with. Not a word was spoken between the two of them as they made their way up the many staircases in the castle, and as they climbed higher and higher, a sinking feeling grew in the pit of Rarity’s stomach.
As they neared the top, Rarity couldn’t bear the suspense anymore. “He asked you to tell me that he’s breaking up with me, isn’t he?” she sobbed, collapsing on the floor. The tears flowed freely down her face; she didn’t bother to hide those. When Twilight didn’t immediately respond, she feared the worst.
“Wh... what?” Twilight pulled her wing back. “What makes you think that?”
Rarity didn’t bother wiping away her tears. “Whe... when I saw him just now, he didn’t say anything to me-he-hee...”
“Well, that’s because of the—”
“The fight we had this morning, I know!” Rarity looked up at Twilight, her lower lip trembling. “I told him that he’s been smothering me at night; it’s like a furnace is lying on top of me! Because of that, I haven’t been getting enough sleep, and since he takes up most of the bed, I have to curl up in a ball, and on top of that, I—”
She was cut off by a purple hoof on her lips. “Rarity, I know... Spike told me everything,” Twilight said, her voice soft and reassuring. She lowered her hoof and laid down next to her, laying her wing over her back again. “Listen...” Twilight looked away and placed a hoof on Rarity’s. “You really hurt him this morning. Snuggling is one of the only ways that he likes to show affection, and when you told him that you hated how he does it, that kinda stole his mojo...”
“What’s a mojo?” Rarity asked, cocking her head to the side.
“Uh...” Twilight giggled nervously. “I think he was referring to his confidence, or something like that.” A few moments of silence passed between them. “Come on, let’s move over to the couch. I’ll make us some tea, and then we can talk about Spike.”
Rarity nodded and stood up, her legs still feeling like jelly. She walked across the room and hopped up on the couch while Twilight went to go make their drinks.
After a few minutes passed, Twilight returned with a pair of cups in her grasp. “Here you go...” she said as she levitated one of them into Rarity’s grasp. Rarity accepted it with a smile and slid over to give Twilight some room.
“So... he wants to break up with me... right?” Rarity asked dejectedly. Her eyes lay flat on her head and her shoulders couldn’t have drooped any lower if she had wanted them to.
“No, he—”
“Then why didn’t he talk to me?! He ignored me! Do you have any idea how much that hurts?” Twilight stayed silent, so Rarity took the opportunity to take a sip of tea to calm her nerves. “I knew I shouldn’t have said anything about it...”
“Well, I liked that you told him the truth, but you didn’t really plan that out, did you?”
“Twilight, I literally had just woken up. My back was sore, I was still tired from working so long yesterday, and Spike had tried smothering me again for what felt like the millionth ti—”
“Rarity.”
“And on top of that, I’ve been rather stressed from all of the—”
“Rarity!” Twilight squeezed her friend’s hoof to break her from her rambling. “You want to know what he told me before you came in?” Rarity sniffled and nodded. Twilight let a smile slip on her face as she leaned in close to whisper in her ear, “He told me that dragons like to sleep on their treasures.” She sat back with a sly smile on her face, patiently waiting for Rarity’s response.
“I... I... what?” Rarity asked dumbly. “So you mean...”
“That he loves you very much, yes,” Twilight said, finishing Rarity’s sentence. “I told him that you’d meet him back at your place and that I would fill you in on the detai—”
“Okaythankyousomuchbye!” Rarity said so fast she wasn’t sure that Twilight understood her. She laid the teacup down on the coffee table in front of them and darted down the stairs. She knew what she had to do, and she wouldn’t sleep until her relationship with Spike was back on solid ground.
“Spike! Spike, where are you?” Rarity called out as she ran inside the front door of her home, her chest heaving up and down from sprinting all the way back.
“Up here,” came his voice from her bedroom.
Rarity trotted upstairs with a hopeful heart and pushed her cracked bedroom door open to find Spike sitting on the edge of her bed. She hesitantly paused with a hoof raised, ready to step inside. They locked eyes, and for a couple moments, Rarity thought that he wasn’t going to do anything, but much to her relief, he cracked a small smile at her and patted the bed beside him.
Feeling a bit of the stress slip away, she bit her lower lip and slowly walked inside her bedroom. She shut the bedroom door with a flick of her horn and hopped up on the bed, sitting a few inches away from Spike. Usually, this would be the part where she’d cuddle up to him, but she felt like it wouldn’t be proper right now.
Much to her surprise, she felt Spike wrap an arm around her. Relief flowed through her; her stress melted away like butter on a hot summer day. She scooted up to him and laid her head on his shoulder, smiling when he scratched her behind her ears just like she liked.
After a minute of simply sitting there in silence, she cleared her throat. “I’m so sorry,” she whispered. “I didn’t know how much snuggling like that means to you, and—”
“Shhh... my precious little diamond,” Spike whispered, laying his head on top of hers. “It’s alright. I’m sorry I overreacted this morning...” Rarity snuggled a bit closer to him, then nuzzled his neck. “I didn’t know that I was literally smothering you at night; why didn’t you say something about it earlier?”
“I... I didn’t want, well... all of this to happen.”
Spike chuckled. “Yeah, I can see why... So...” he trailed off with a small smile, letting go of her.
“What?”
“I still wanna snuggle with you, but I think it’s quite obvious that you don’t quite like the way we’ve done it in the past, so how would you like to snuggle?”
Rarity was taken aback; she was not expecting this in the slightest. “Well...” An excited smile grew on her face as she stood up. “Here, lay on your side and get under the covers. And when I lay next to you, I want you to hold me close with your arm.” She used her horn to flick off the lights and waited for Spike to follow her commands, then slid under the covers next to him. Rarity lay on her side, her back facing his belly, then slid up against him. She laid her head on the pillows, just under his head. A moment later, Spike reached over her and tugged the sheets up, then pulled her closer.
Rarity hummed in satisfaction. This was exactly what she wanted, and she was more than happy that they had resolved their little problem so easily. Feeling a cold draft against her lower back, she scooted her rear end up against his belly and sighed in content.
“Hey... Rares?” Spike asked, his voice soft.
“Mhm?” she replied, struggling to stay awake. The warmth from his soft belly scales threatened to send her into the most blissful of dreams, and she had a feeling that she would sleep like a rock.
“I know I don’t say it often, but I... I love you,” he whispered into her ear moments before he kissed her cheek.
Rarity rolled over onto her other side and snuggled up against him, sliding her head into the crook of his neck. She smiled in content when he laid his arm around her back, pulling her closer. Her fore legs were pinned against her chest, but she didn’t mind. “I love you, too...” she mumbled back. “And Spike?”
“Hm?”
“If you want, we can cuddle the way you like when we wake up in the morning... that sound good?” She felt him tighten his grasp on her briefly, then heard a soft chuckle escape his lips.
“That sounds great, dear...”