Twilight Sparkle was reading books.
To an outsider, this may not have seemed out of the ordinary. In fact, to one who was only vaguely aware of her personality, this may have actually seemed rather normal.
However, Spike knew far better than anypony else that this was anything but ordinary. He knew her usual study habits to a t, knew her schedule down to the minute; he was, after all, her #1 Assistant.
So naturally, once he discovered Twilight's impromptu 2:00 AM reading session, he was instantly concerned. "Twilight, why're you up so late?"
She didn't even glance up from her book when she replied, "Applejack wanted me to research something in the morning, but I just couldn't wait!"
Phew, he thought. Glad it's not another 'Want-it Need-it' incident. Though something still seems off...
He stepped forward. "What exactly did she want you to research for her?"
"Oh, not much," she waved a hoof dismissively. "She just asked if I think aliens exist."
Ah, there it was. He face-palmed. "Twilight, this is ridiculous. You need to rest; you know how loopy you get when you obsess over this stuff!"
Her gaze finally left the book, even if only for a moment. "But it got me curious! I need to know, and I need to know now!"
Spike shook his head. "Top scientists have spent decades trying to figure this out; no offense, but what makes you think you can do it overnight on your own?"
She pshawed, "Because none of them were the Element of Magic, Spike."
"Ugh," he threw his hands up in defeat. "Whatever. Please just promise me you'll take a break soon."
"Uh-huh," she automatically responded, once again absorbed in her research. Spike, too tired to deal with this, trudged back upstairs to get some shut-eye.
The early rays of Celestia's sun came in through the window, stirring Spike from a fitful sleep. Despite desparately needing sleep, he couldn't stop worrying about Twilight. She'd always had a habit of going overboard, often to the detriment of her health. He rubbed the crust from his eyes, slowly opening them.
When he noticed Twilight standing two feet away from him, a manic smile on her face, he fell over in surprise.
"I think I've found something!" She exclaimed in a mixture of pride and insanity.
He blinked in surprise. "Really? What'd you –?"
Before he could even finish the sentence, she grabbed him with her magic and sat him on her back. "I've discovered an old spell written by Stephen Trotting. It was meant to allow glimpses of other worlds, but he was only powerful enough to get it looking as far as the next house over," she explained as she carried him into her study.
Spike rubbed his eyes, not exactly following. "Huh?"
"Don't you see, Spike?!" She excitedly booted him off her backside, and he was only just able to land on his feet. "I can cast the spell with the necessary power! Hold onto your scales; this is gonna get out of this world!"
Spike gagged at the pun, but nonetheless stepped back as she lit her horn. As she poured her energy into the spell, a cloud of pure magic began to materialize in front of them. The cloud started swirling around itself, parting in the middle as it reached out to the stars. Spike had to admit, this was rather impressive for a first try.
Finally, an image began to form. A lush forest came into focus, with tall trees and shrubbery not too dissimilar to those of the Whitetail Woods. However, Spike could tell that wasn't where the view was originating; the large castle he could see in the distance proved as much.
"Woah!" He gaped in awe. "Twilight, you did it!"
Despite the effort she was exerting, she still smiled.
But due to said strain, her eyes were screwed shut as she focused almost all of her effort into maintaining the spell. "Spike," she asked through clenched teeth, "Could you take some notes, please?"
"Oh, sure!" The little dragon quickly dashed over to Twilight's desk, retrieving a quill and parchment.
However, as he rushed back, he failed to notice a loose floorboard. Clipping it with his toes, Spike yelped as he tripped and tumbled straight into the spell.
What happened next was dramatic. The spell, having been disrupted by Spike, imploded in on itself. Twilight, caught in the brunt of the shock wave, was thrown unceremoniously into a bookcase, causing a cavalcade of tomes to bury her.
She dug herself out of the books, concern writ across her face. "Spike, are you okay?!"
Silence was the answer. Spike was nowhere to be seen.
"SPIKE!?"
An overall sensation of aching was what greeted the baby dragon as he woke. He sat up, eyes still closed, and muttered, "Ugh, what happened? I feel like I fell down a mountain..."
He tried to reach for his blanket to grab a couple more minutes of sleep, but strangely, it wasn't there.
Then the last few minutes came to the forefront of his mind, and his eyes flew open.
The forest from the vision now surrounded him. Birds chirped nearby, a distant river babbled, and a light wind blew towards the south.
Almost none of that concerned Spike as he shot to his feet. "Twilight?! TWILIGHT!?"
This couldn't be good.