Bedtime Story

     It was only one day until Nightmare Night. Twilight Sparkle's costume was still at Carousel Boutique. Rarity had offered to sew the costume for her. Twilight, being a bit busier than usual, accepted the offer. She still had time to go out in her costume, whatever it'd be. Rarity had decided to surprise her.

     To sustain her enthusiasm, she'd decided to read a horror story. It was not something she usually did, as she wasn't a big fan of horror, but Twilight decided to make the exception.

     It was short, only about fifty pages divided into four or five parts. Twilight cherished the rapid pounding in her heart as she read, admiring the writer's ability yet again to capture her mind and put thoughts into it.

     That was a thing she loved about reading. Twilight's material was pretty balanced between fiction and non-fiction. Either way, she was in a world other than her own, experiencing somepony else's adventure and emotions. Twilight liked that. Sometimes she just needed to get away from Equestria.

     Once she closed the book, Twilight trotted downstairs, looking for the spot where she had taken it from in the bookshelves coating the walls. She was constantly trying to keep the library organized, but she had an odd habit of putting books away in a rush and they ended up all in the wrong places. Twilight was trying to break that habit.

     Before Twilight lifted herself up with her wings to put the book on the correct shelf, which was near the top, Spike entered the library. He watched as Twilight slowly wedged the book between to others, then set herself down and turn.

     "You looked careful," Spike remarked, closing the door.

     "I'm just trying to be a bit more organized," Twilight explained, closing her wings.

     "Is that possible for you?" Spike muttered.

     Twilight rolled her eyes, half amused, half annoyed, then asked, "Where were you, anyway?"

     "Didn't I tell you before I left?" Spike began ascending the stairs.

     Twilight thought for a second. While she was reading, Spike had told her he was going to see if any quills at Quills and Sofas, which had been out of stock before, had come in yet. Judging by a full bag he'd slung over his shoulder, Twilight could guess they had.

     "Oh, yeah." She levitated the bag over to herself. "I'll put these away. You can go upstairs."

     That night, while in bed, Twilight didn't expect herself to be paranoid.

     Falling asleep was a hard thing for her in the first place, but reading a horror story only two hours before bed, after not reading one for a long time was not her best idea.

     The shadows seemed longer, the darkness seemed deeper, and the night was the most silent that Twilight could remember. Every time she closed her eyes, if any noise sounded in her ears, she'd flinch and open them again.

     Twilight couldn't remember falling asleep, but she must've eventually, because she was woken awake by a soft tugging of her hind leg. Irritated, she pulled it away.

     But it was tugged again, a bit harsher. She pulled it away again and whispered, "Spike, stop, it's not funny."

     The next tug was pretty harsh. Twilight shook off the grip again, more violently.

     When her leg was pulled again, Twilight threw her covers off her and sat up. "Spike, what in the hay do you--"

     She stopped. Spike wasn't in her room, nor was the basket he slept in.

     In fact, now that Twilight looked around, the whole room was void of any furniture but her bed.

     "Spike?" Twilight glanced around, her heart pounding in her ears. "Are you in here?"

     She got no reply except for a gust of wind coming in through her window.

     But she'd left her window closed when she went to right. That's how things were so quiet. She didn't have the wind blowing around in her room. She knew better than that.

     Twilight shut the window with her magic, then lay down. She would go back to sleep if the furniture were still in her room. She didn't want to get out of bed. Twilight wasn't feeling too safe anymore, but her bed was the safest place she could be under the circumstances.

     The grip came back, but it didn't pull. Instead, what was gripping her hind leg was gripping it tight. Too tight. It closed in tighter every second. Twilight tried to shake it off, but it was too strong. It would probably cut her circulation. Her heart pounded harder and louder now.

     Suddenly, unexpectedly, the grip yanked Twilight, forcing her and her blanket off her bed, pounding onto the floor. The dark blue cover slipped off of her, as she began to feel colder by the second.

     "Who are you?" Twilight tried to shout, but her intense horror only let it out as a squeak. She tried a forcefield, but her lack of focus made her spell fail. The darkness was closing in on her, and just as it was millineters away...

     She was suddenly laying on the floor, her eyes shut tight, being shaken awake. "Twilight?"

     "Spike?" Twilight raised her head, opening her eyes, then glanced around. Her furniture was back, and her blanket, though messy, was still on her bed, which she was no longer in front of but beside.

     "How did you not wake up when you fell off your bed?" Spike asked.

     "I was sleeping?" Twilight immediately realized how stupid the question was. It was obviously just a bad dream, what she'd just experienced. Otherwise, how would her furniture and Spike spontaneously return?

     Spike got out of the way as she stood up and began straightening out her covers. "Are you okay?"

     Twilight's heart, even though she knew full well the nightmare was over, was still pounding furiously. Her muscles were still tense and chilled. She didn't know if she still wanted to go out the next night. She didn't even know if she could fall asleep again. "Yeah, I'm fine. You should probably get some sleep if you want to go out tomorrow."

     As Spike nodded and headed back to his basket, Twilight had finished fixing her covers and was sliding her body under them. She thought about whether or not she'd be able to go out for Nightmare Night after that nightmare. She probably couldn't face it.

Of course I can. Rarity spent her valuable time making my costume. My friends are going to have fun, and Spike'll need me to escort him. I can't just let one dream ruin all that.

     She wouldn't be able to fall asleep again easily, but she smiled a little at the thought of Nightmare Night.

     All it was was a bad dream. It wouldn't change her plans at all.