"Ugh..." Spike groaned. The unexpected arrival of the message managed to toss him out of his bed and left his limbs entangled in his blanket. "What the...? Are you kidding me?"
Upon hearing the noise, Twilight immediately rose from her mattress. Her eyes widened as she noticed her friend on the floor, not to mention the letter lying beside him.
"Sorry, Spike!" she said. Her hooves threw the covers off herself, and she quickly hopped out of her bed and hurried to her friend's side. "I, uh... I wasn't expecting a reply. Not so soon. Honest!"
The dragon grumbled under his breath as he shook himself free from his blanket. Twilight bit her lip as an odd pain struck her chest again. Her forehoof stretched out, helping her friend get to his feet.
"Great..." Spike muttered. He let go of Twilight's hoof, gave a long yawn, and turned to glare at his friend. "Now you're gonna have a 'nighttime pen pal' or something?" He rolled his eyes. "Better make Owlowiscious carry your letters then..."
"No, Spike. It's not like that at all," Twilight said and looked away. Her lips trembled. "I'm very sorry about this. I just... I wanted to write that letter and..."
"Never mind..." Spike said with a sigh. He glanced at the letter on the floor. "So, what's it say? What's so 'urgent' that it had to come now?"
"Well, let me see..." Twilight replied. Her horn lit up, and the scroll floated up from the floor and unraveled before her face. She cleared her throat and read it out loud.
-----
Dear Twilight Sparkle,
Your letter has been received. I intend to respond as soon as possible, though at what length I cannot yet predict.
If it is convenient, please wait just a little longer.
Your friend,
Luna
-----
Spike let out another groan. "Fantastic... There's gonna be another message?"
Twilight winced at her friend's complaints. "I guess so," she replied. The scroll levitated away from her face and landed on her desk. The pain in her chest flared again. "Sorry," she said in a near-whisper.
"Meh, don't sweat it..." Spike said. He smirked and gave Twilight's shoulder a friendly bump with his fist. "It's not like this is the first time you had me stay up late, right?"
Twilight just hung her head in response. Spike gave a small chuckle. He then paused for a moment and stepped back, his eyes narrowing as he stared at her. "Hey. You look kinda... different," he added.
Twilight raised an eyebrow as she turned back to him. "What do you mean?"
"I don't know," Spike said. He scratched at his head, and his eyes kept scanning her up and down curiously. "It's like... you were mopey all day, but now you look... just sleepy, I guess. But you look better, is what I'm trying to say."
Twilight straightened a bit, and her face lit up. "Really?" she asked.
Spike nodded. "Yeah. Whatever was in that letter you had me send, I guess it helped."
"Let's hope so," Twilight muttered.
"That reminds me, what was in it anyway?"
Her friend gulped, and after a bit of hesitation, she proceeded to give Spike a short summary of her letter, or at least whatever she could recall about it. She was surprised to find just how little of a mark it left in her mind after it all poured out. It was akin to trying to remember what was in a trash bag that she had just thrown away. The relief of being rid of it was all that mattered to her at the time.
"Huh..." Spike said after she was done. "Heavy stuff. I think you better sit down with the others tomorrow." He rubbed his eyes and yawned again. "Or is it 'today' now? Anyway... got any more late night messages I gotta send right away?
"Uh..." Twilight's hooves shuffled awkwardly. "No, I don't think so, but—"
"Great," Spike said. "I'm going to bed then."
Twilight blinked. "Wait!" she blurted out. "Spike! Didn't you hear what the letter said? We need to stay awake until she replies."
Spike raised an eyebrow. "'We'?" he asked. "Don't you mean just you?"
"I..." Twilight's voice shook as she struggled to force the words out. "I don't want to... I'd rather not stay up alone. Not tonight."
Spike groaned and rolled his eyes again. Grumbling under his breath, he trudged across the room and sat down on the edge of Twilight's bed. His friend gave a painful sigh as she walked over and sat down next to him. She smiled and placed a reassuring hoof on his shoulder, to which he replied with a huff and crossed his arms.
For a while, the two of them just sat there in silence. Though Spike did not complain much even later on, Twilight decided to fetch some leftover chocolate and give it to him anyway. It brightened his mood somewhat, but it was not enough for very long.
"It's been over an hour now, Twilight," Spike said between huge yawns. His eyelids could barely stay open now. "Let's go to bed."
"Come on, Spike," Twilight said, though she herself had almost no strength left at this point. "Just a little longer. Please?"
Spike chuckled and shook his head. He hopped off the bed and walked back toward his own. "She's Princess Luna, Twilight," he said. "I'm sure she has better common sense than to send another letter tonight, so—"
He was cut off by a strong grumbling in his stomach. Spike's eyes widened, and his hands flew up to his mouth as he doubled over. Moments later, a large plume of green fire erupted from his mouth with a loud belch. It coalesced into a scroll in mid-air, which dropped to the floor next to the dragon as he lay there, gasping for breath.
"I... stand corrected..." he whimpered.