Spike awoke to find Twilight seated across her bed reading a book, turning a page with her nose.
"Good morning, Twilight," he said, yawning, erecting himself in his little bed.
"Hey, Spike," his foster mother replied.
"Whatcha doin'?"
"Reading."
"Oh." Spike scratched his backside. "Whatcha reading?"
"Just a book about Starswirl the Bearded."
"Oh." Spike fell backwards onto his pillow and turned over in his bed. "In that case, maybe I'll just-" He pretended to snore.
"You really should get up now, Spike. It's unhealthy to lie in bed all day. You could get bed sores."
"Don't blame me," Spike uttered from under the blanket. "It's not my fault."
"Oh?" Twilight closed her book. "Well who's fault is it, then?"
Spike groaned. "Rainbow Dash's."
"Rainbow Dash? What would she have to do with anything?"
Spike yanked his sky-blue blanket off of himself and eyed Twilight.
"Last night, me, Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle were hanging out with Rainbow Dash, Applejack and Rarity, you know, just having a good time, when it gets really late. So Rainbow Dash starts telling us this story about this thing called the Slender Mare."
"The Slender Mare?" Twilight mumbled.
"Scared the scales out of me. I was so frightened, I ran straight home, hoping to be able to sleep in my own bed last night, and I couldn't. It took me forever to fall asleep...I didn't think I ever would."
"Is that why you were at the door way past bedtime - and woke me up to let you in?"
"That's exactly why," Spike answered calmly, crossing his arms. "Sorry about that - again."
Twilight grimaced. "That's it - no more sleepovers with Rainbow Dash for you, Spike."
"No problem," Spike slouched over in his bed and tried to go back to sleep.