1055 AD, January 25th

Twilight’s features twisted in disgust as she used her magic to pull the flap of skin back. The creature somehow managed to stink as bad on the inside as it did on the outside. She did the same song and dance for the other flap of skin and peered inside the corpse’s chest cavity, a notepad and pencil levitating close.

“The blood of the creature is blue, which suggests the presence of haemocyanin,” The pencil scratched down her words. “The head greatly resembles the anglerfish members of the teleost order, Lophiiformes. However, there is a noticeable lack of a lure. As for the body, it is roughly the equivalent to a healthy, earth pony stallion in both length and girth. The body is covered in thick, coarse hair follicles with an epidermis that is rough to the touch, but possesses little resistance against sharp objects. The wings bear striking similarity to that of the Chiroptera genus, or bat, but unlike a bat, the legs are well-developed with characteristics suggesting they are capable of not only supporting its body weight, but are the creature’s main method of manipulating-”

“Princess Twilight?”

Trailing off, Twilight oriented her head towards the basement stairs and called out, “I’m down here! Please try not to panic at the sight!” She turned back to the creature and began studying the organs.

Sure enough, she heard the clip-clop of the mayor trotting down and a sharp gasp. There was moment’s pause before the mayor descended more quickly and approached the table.

“Princess, what… are these things?”

Twilight shook her head. “I’m not sure yet. Bulk Biceps came to find me when he saw them fall out of the sky, already dead. I teleported them back here to avoid a panic. Bonbon was here not too long ago; a third creature had crashed through their ceiling.”

“Are they alright?”

“I believe so. Lyra managed to kill it. I sent Bonbon back to ask Lyra if she could teleport the creature here. And another thing, Mayor…” She gave a small smile. “Please just call me Twilight. I’m still… well, me despite my sudden coronation into princess-hood.”

“Of course, my apologies, Prin… Twilight,” Mayor Mare stepped closer and looked down at the corpse with a green face. “Bulk Biceps’ descriptions do little to steel my stomach.”

Twilight nodded, bringing the notepad in front of her so she could illustrate the innards as accurately as possible. “It is a most fascinating specimen.”

“That’s not quite the word I’d use.”

“Sorry, it’s just… Look at this thing – I’ve never seen anything like it in my books before. It’s so… unusual. It’s almost as if somepony just mashed a bunch of creatures together and…”

Slowly, Twilight lowered the notepad and looked up, glaring at nothing in particular.

Mayor Mare raised her brow questioningly. “Um… Twilight?”

“Discord…” Twilight growled.

“Yes?”

Both mares cried and jumped in fright as the draconequus stuck his head between them with a large smile. Busting out into laughter, he pulled back and held his sides.

“Oh, I never get tired of that! Your faces are priceless, you know?” He flicked away a tear with his talon and gestured to the flustered Twilight. “I know it’s because you got startled, but you really need to learn how to keep those wings down; somepony could get the wrong idea, if you catch my drift.”

Twilight’s glare melted into an expression of bewilderment. “What?”

Discord rolled his eyes. “No, you’re right – I should have known better than to think you could catch anyone’s drift,” He kicked back and floated in mid-air above the table, his hands behind his head. “So how are we all doing? Twilight, you still got that OCD? Mayor, you still dying your mane?”

“Discord, explain this thing now!” Twilight pointed at the cadaver.

“Oh, don’t ask me how I’m doing or anything. Heaven forbid I be shown any sort of hospitality at any place other than Shutterfly’s.”

“It’s Fluttershy and cut the act; I know you had something to do with this thing.”

With a sigh, Discord’s face melted and reformed in the back of his head to peer down at the body. “While I do admire a chaotic form, I’m afraid I can’t take credit for this.”

“Really? You expect us to believe you?”

“You don’t have any evidence to believe me…” He disappeared and reappeared beside Twilight wearing a blue suit and a spiky wig. “… but you also have no evidence suggesting this was my doing. Take that!”

“What else evidence do I need besides the thing laying on the table?”

Discord pointed at her. “Objection! It could have easily come from the Everfree forest. It’s been so long even I don’t know what sort of critters have sprung up over the centuries.”

Twilight frowned. “I… guess you have a point there,” Discord leapt into the air with a fist pump as confetti and streamers exploded behind him. “But I’m still not convinced,” The whole event was re-winded. He went back too far and had to fast-forward so he was completely up to speed. “These creatures show up and you just so happen to be here?”

“I’ll have you know that I came here on an errand for my dear friend, Flyshutter.”

“Fluttershy.”

“Her ‘darling bunny, Angel’ is sick and she asked if I could drop by and pick up a book on remedies,” Those particular words associated with the animal were said in a perfect imitation of Fluttershy’s voice. “Personally, I would have just preferred to let him tough it out, as animals should, but then she had to go and get all mopey and weepy and look at me with those big blue eyes. Then she used her Stare on me when I laughed in her face.”

“I thought that didn’t work on you.”

“Well, as Flutterfly-”

“Fluttershy.”

“-would tell you, she can’t control when she uses it. When she tried it at the time you all released me, it didn’t click,” He reached up and flicked a switch on his head, turning his eyes off. He flicked them back on. “But then her bratty bunny was in peril and suddenly she’s shooting death rays from her eyes that were being diluted into waves of sheer malice by the water in the air. Not to say I was frightened, of course, but when she kept at it for five whole minutes I started getting veeeery uncomfortable. Heck, I would have gone to one of Celestia’s speeches if it meant getting out of there,” He kicked back and started backstroking through the air. “Hence, lo and behold – Discord is in the treehouse and ready to rock it all night, or at least until he gets a book on remedies.”

Twilight looked at Mayor Mare, who had remained silent the entire time. The older mare shrugged, watching Discord with a mixture of fear and annoyance.

“Let’s say I believe you,” Twilight said. “If you didn’t create this thing, then where did it come from?”

“I’m afraid that even I can’t answer that,” With a flash of light, a bowl of ice cream appeared on his belly. The spoon floated up by itself and deposited a large amount into his maw. “Mmm, that’sh good. The Everfree forest is beyond my control; it’s even older than me. And I’m pretty old even though my flawless skin and dashing looks say otherwise. Maybe these bat-fish decided to wander out and see the sights.”

Mayor Mare cleared her throat. “But why now? And why are they dead?”

“Beats me,” The spoon floated up with no ice cream and he ate in one big bite. “Why did I suddenly come back after a thousand years? Why did Chrysalis decide to invade Canterlot after a thousand years? Why did old Sombrero and the Crystal Empire come back after a thousand years? It’s almost as if Luna’s very presence is upsetting the balance of everything. I mean, I’m fine with upsetting balances and everything, but only when I’m the one doing it. Otherwise it’s like someone’s stealing your job, you know?” He extended his jaw and ate the rest of the ice cream, bowl and all. “As for their untimely deaths, maybe some pegasus decided they didn’t like the way they looked.”

“I saw Rainbow Dash gathering some clouds for the storm earlier.” Mayor Mare said with a furrowed brow.

Twilight felt her heart jump in worry. “You don’t think…?”

“I wouldn’t get so worked up over it,” Discord floated above her head. “She’s a rather brutish mare, isn’t she? And take it from someone with personal experience: a pegasus is very hard to hurt when they’re up in the air. Well, at least until I take away the wings.” Seeing the horrified looks, Discord raised his hands in defence. “Hey, I put trampolines under them.”

Before anything else could be said, there was a series of loud thumps and exclamations of pain. Three pairs of eyes turned to the stairs, watching as a lime green mare bounced down, a creature similar to the one on the table in her magical grasp.

Fortunately, Lyra was prevented from hitting the basement floor by a shroud of lavender light encasing every part of her body save for her horn, of course. Twilight was well-versed in the consequences of mixing magic with somepony she didn’t know well.

“Hey, Twilight!” Lyra waved. She was apparently unbothered by the fact she had just bumped her head several times. “I got one of these creatures for you to study! Bonbon’s mad that there’s a stain on the carpet, too.”

“Thank you, Lyra,” Twilight levitated the mare around until she was back on her hooves. “Could you put it with the other one on the floor?”

“Whoa, what the heck happened to this one?” Lyra trotted forwards and placed the body near the other. She then glanced up at the hovering draconequus. “Hey.”

Discord nodded. “Hey.”

“I haven’t had the opportunity to study the body and find out the cause of decapitation, but I have a few ideas. These creatures are capable of flight and if they did encounter pegasi, then they most likely died of electrocution.”

“Electrocution?” Mayor Mare echoed with a hint of confusion.

“Lightning,” Twilight replied. “A pegasus’ main method of attacking is to utilize storm clouds and send bolts of lightning at the opposition. Failing that they get to a great distance and ram the attacker at high speeds.”

“Pegasuseses are rather single-minded in combat,” Discord commented as he played with a paddle ball. The ball was replaced with an apple that smelt distinctly like a lime. “Forty-three, forty-four, forty-five…”

“The plural is pegasi,” Twilight retorted through clenched teeth. “You’re an entity eons of years old; grammar should be trivial.”

“It is – I just like messing with you.”

“I believe we’re getting off-topic here,” Mayor Mare said. “Discord, are you telling us you honestly had no part in this?”

The paddle pop disappeared in a flash of light and the draconequus tilted to stand and mark an ‘X’ on his chest. “Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my e- owie! It’s even worse when you have claws!”

“So if he had no part in this then they must have come from the Everfree forest; it’s the only place where such creatures can form and it’s very close to Ponyville. As for why they choose now to stray from their home is still unknown,” Mayor Mare thought for a moment. “Perhaps Zecora would know?”

Twilight lit up. “Of course! Zecora knows almost everything about the Everfree forest,” She glanced back to the dissected body. “But I still have so much to learn about this creature…”

“I’ll make the trip,” The mayor said. “I know the path.”

“An authority figure that actually does something?” Discord slapped his head. “Mama mia! I must be hearing things.”

Ignoring the draconequus pulling a cone of cotton candy from his ear, Twilight gave the mayor a concerned look. “Are you sure about this? If these creatures have chosen now to come out, then there might be more.”

“I can take care of myself,” Mayor Mare assured the young alicorn with a gentle smile. “I’m an earth pony and I used to help build many of the infrastructures in Ponyville when I was your age.”

“You go, mayor!” Lyra whooped as she gleefully took some cotton candy courtesy of Discord.

“If you’re really sure, then I appreciate the help. If Zecora knows anything, then please come tell me. As for you Discord…” She turned to him while he was in the process of trying to complete a ship in a bottle. “I need you to go and warn my friends of what’s happening and to get ready in case we have to use the Elements of Harmony again.”

“Moi?” Discord tossed the bottle over his shoulder carelessly, folding his arms crossly even as it exploded into purple flames. “Help you? After I was so viciously slandered and accused? You must have lost your marbles.”

Twilight didn’t react to marbles suddenly spilling out of her ears and ignored the strange sensation. “If you’re truly reformed, then you’ll help me find out the reason behind these creatures’ appearances before they hurt anypony else. May I remind you that Fluttershy lives near the Everfree forest?”

He flinched at that retort, but quickly recovered. “I don’t know. My feelings are still tender.”

Twilight sighed. “Look… I’m sorry I accused you. I should know better than to jump to conclusions. I would very much appreciate it if you took the time to warn my… our friends.”

“Hmm… nah.”

“Come on, Discord.” Lyra said. “Be cool.”

“You do make a valid point there, Bipedal Joe,” Discord snapped his fingers and he was suddenly sitting down on an upside-down table, slipping on a pair of white gloves. He patted the space behind him. “Hop up and I’ll drop you off at wherever it is you live.”

“Sweet!” Lyra climbed up, still munching on her candy.

“Arrevi derci, Pinky and the Brain!” Discord pulled an invisible string and there was a loud choo-choo followed by the sound of an engine as he rode the table up to the ceiling.

“Wait, Discord, don’t-”

CRASH!

Twilight lowered her hoof with a sigh as she gazed at the hole in the library’s floor. No doubt there would also be a hole in the second floor and the roof.

“Huh…” Mayor Mare frowned in thought. “Why didn’t he give me a ride? Did I forget to put on deodorant again?”

“That’s what you got from that?” Twilight said dryly.

“Hey, Twi’, there’s a hole in the floor!”

“I noticed, Spike.”

“Whoa, what’s that thing? It’s really ugly! And I can smell it from here!”

“Spike, take a letter…”

As soon as the doors opened and Doctor Stable trotted out, Rainbow Dash and Flitter mobbed him with questions.

“How is she?”

“Is she gonna be okay?”

“She’s not going to die, right?”

“How bad was it?”

“Is she poisoned?”

The stallion calmly held up a hoof and waited until they were silent. “She’s going to be fine.”

Flitter and Rainbow Dash sagged in relief, the former letting out a breathless laugh of exuberance.

“Thank Celestia…” Flitter said. “Oh and you, Stable. Thank you so much!”

“The wound wasn’t as bad as it looked, but it’s still a good thing you got her here so quickly,” He looked at the two of them with a questioning glance. “Speaking of which, how did she get such an injury? It looks like an animal attack.”

“We were gathering the clouds for the storm today when these flying monsters came outta nowhere and started attacking us,” Rainbow Dash replied. “I told Cinnamon to go get help since she’s not exactly the greatest fighter, but then-”

“It’s my fault; I saw it going after her, but I couldn’t do anything.” Flitter cast a solemn gaze to the floor.

“It was not your fault! Hay, it’s because of you she’s still alive.”

Flitter shook her head. “But if I was just a little more alert…”

“Excuse me, but what monsters?” Doctor Stable asked.

Rainbow Dash spread her wings. “They had these babies, but like a bat’s or… or those ponies that hang around Luna. They had freaky glowing eyes and these sharp claws, too. And a tail! It was too dark to make anything else out though.”

Stable rubbed his chin in thought. “Can’t say I’ve ever heard of anything like that. We’ll have to keep Cinnamon in so we can monitor her; make sure she didn’t catch anything. Don’t worry – she’s in good hooves.”

Flitter still looked down. Rainbow Dash reached out with a wing. “Hey, you heard him – she’s gonna be-”

Stable’s expression suddenly went awkward and his nostrils twitched. “Ah… ah… ah-choo!”

Somehow, a draconequus more than twice his size came out of his nose amidst a spray of streamers and chocolate kisses.

“There you are! I’ve had to give half of Ponyville the sniffles… and probably a few panic attacks looking for you.”

Rainbow Dash immediately spread her wings and pawed at the ground. “Discord, you-”

“Yes, yes – threaten, threaten, complain, moan, accuse, yadda, yadda, yadda.” Discord rolled his eyes and made a talking gesture with his hand. “Listen up, a few unwelcome guests have invaded Ponyville and now they’re kaput: you have anything to do with it?”

“Yeah…” Rainbow Dash narrowed her eyes suspiciously.

“Thought so. Anyway Bookworm’s got the bodies in her basement and she’s cutting them up and cooking them.”

“Wh-what?” Flitter shrieked.

“Mother Faust, do you have any idea where you’ve been?!” Stable levitated a box of tissues and blew his nose furiously. “I have a surgery scheduled for tomorrow; I can’t afford to be coughing up lanterns or whatever affliction you cast on ponies.”

Discord paused. “Or studying them… can’t remember. Anyway, she told me to warn you to be ready in case you have to use the Elements of Unfair Punishments. So… you’re warned!”

He threw his arms into the air with a cheesy smile as a banner unrolled from the ceiling with the words ‘It’s a warning!’ written across in bright blue cake frosting.

“You-”

“Before you ask, I had nothing to do with this.”

“Yo-”

“I Pinkie Promised.”

“Y-”

“Onwards to the Element of Theatrics!”

He struck a pose and looked towards the ceiling. The floor shattered as he rapidly descended before inexplicably repairing itself. The banner rolled back up and disappeared with a pop.

The occupants of the room stared at each other silently.

“What just happened?” Flitter glanced at the cyan pegasus. “What just happened?”

“Why does everything bad happen to Ponyville only?!” Stable cried. “How come Fillydelphia and Manehatten never have to deal with ancient gods, parasprite infestations and Cerberus? ‘You’ll love it in Ponyville, Stable. It’s nice and quiet!’ Well, I fell for that hook line and sinker, huh? Thanks, Rustic Hooves – you’re a great co-worker!”

He exhaled. Flitter and Rainbow Dash looked at each other and back to him.

Rainbow Dash rubbed the back of her neck. “Uh… you okay there?”

Stable nodded and cleared his throat. “Never better.”

“And that’s the whole story,” Mayor Mare took a sip from the strange smelling, but very tasty brew Zecora had made. “Twilight’s studying the creatures and we’ve ruled out Discord; the only other thing to suspect is the Everfree Forest.”

Zecora nodded. “These woods are where dangerous beasts reside, but I’m afraid I have not encountered anything like the creatures you describe. It is possible they come from a place where the air is thick with fear and dread; the heart of the forest is likely, it is a place where even I do not tread.”

“But if that’s the case then why have they decided to come out now?”

“A question that’s answer you may not yet find, for who knows what goes on in such a creature’s mind. Perhaps too far from their dwelling they flew; all of this could be a fluke.”

“I suppose that’s a possibility,” Mayor Mare looked at her reflection as it wavered in the dark-green brew. “Still, I can’t shake this feeling I have. It’s like pins and needles with a hint of chills.”

“A common reaction to being in this forest; one eventually-” Zecora suddenly looked towards her window, ears perked.

“Zecora?”

“Listen closely, Mayor Mare; do you hear what is out there?”

The ageing mare listened hard. After a few moments she shook her head. “I can’t hear anything.”

“They say silence is golden…” Zecora rose and trotted towards the door. “… but in this forest, it is a very bad omen.”

Not wanting to be left alone with a leering tribal mask – even if Zecora did say it meant ‘wipe your hooves before entering’ – Mayor Mare placed her cup on the table and followed the zebra as she went outside.

Now that Zecora mentioned it, it was quiet. On the way to her hut there had been a symphony of chirps and cries of various animals and insects. Now, though, it was completely still. The silence was louder than anything she’d ever heard, and she’d been near Pinkie Pie’s party cannon more often than not.

Zecora was standing near a pond, gazing out at nothing in particular. She was completely still except for the twitching of her ears.

“Zecora?” Mayor Mare approached the pond, glancing to and fro nervously. Something was definitely not right.

“Shh…”

A moment, two moments, three moments passed.

The mayor jumped when wide blue eyes turned to her. “Do you hear? Something draws near.”

Before the mayor could ask for clarification, the sounds of snapping twigs and foliage being brushed aside reached her ears, becoming louder with every passing second until she could clearly make out snorts and snuffles and heavy breaths. She backed up, frightened.

“What in Celestia…?”

From the other side of the pond, a huge shape broke through thick foliage. In the light provided by Zecora’s hut filtering through the window and open door, Mayor Mare could make out distinct and small details.

It was in the shape of a bear and covered in thick strands of black hair; only its face, paws and the end of its tail was bare, showing grey skin covered in cuts and sores. Three legs sprouted from its body on each side; they were thick and ended in paws tipped with black claws which looked capable of easily rending flesh. A tail – four times as long as her body – grew into a curve so it swung dangerously over its back, the end tipped with nasty-looking pincers. The face resembled a bear’s close enough that the only differences were its glowing white eyes and how its muzzle split open into four flaps lined with needle sharp teeth.

It was only marginally smaller than the bear she had seen hang around Fluttershy’s, so naturally she was terrified.

“I implore you; do as I do,” Mayor Mare looked over at Zecora. She was standing straight and still and her expression was determined. “It may be the same as any beast; make one sudden move and you are its feast.”

‘And what if it isn’t like any beast?’

Nevertheless, Mayor Mare gulped and willed herself to remain rooted on the spot.

The large creature snuffled and swung its head from side to side, the mouth flaps coming together and separating again with sickening noises. With a particularly loud snort, it promptly entered the pond and walked across, the water barely covering its knees. It dipped its muzzle in and took a long drink before submerging its entire head, pulling it back out a moment later to shake wildly. Water splashed everywhere and it gave what sounded like a content growl.

Mayor Mare felt sweat run down her brow.

The creature snorted once more and suddenly turned its gaze towards them. It panted heavily before its flaps spread open and a long purple tongue slithered out.

A split second later, it charged.

“Forget what I said; move or you are dead!”

Mayor Mare spun on her hooves and ran along the path to Ponyville, Zecora sprinting right next to her. She heard the creature let out a bone-shaking roar and felt more than heard its steps as it gave chase.

‘Oh, what did father say to do when chased by a strange animal from the Everfree forest?’

“Run like a motherfucker!”

‘Thanks, dad…’

She risked a look back.

Ponies could escape wild bear attacks mostly because of their small size and speed, allowing them to easily weave between obstacles like trees and shrubs. However, they were on a clear path and despite their head-start the creature was keeping up, its six paws pounding against the dirt. If it caught up to them, then…

“What do we do?” She cried over the sounds of the creature’s roars.

“I’m afraid we are stuck in a rut; my brews for self-defence are still in my hut,” Zecora ducked under a low-hanging branch without a pause in her gait. “I hate to bring such a beast into Ponyville, but a hundred ponies will fare better than we two will.”

Mayor Mare nodded with a slight pant. She was far from old, but she had been in Ponyville longer than most of its inhabitants, and in all honesty she had not gotten much exercise.

‘I knew that third helping of brownies would come back to bite me in the flank!’

They ran and ran for what felt like an eternity. Eventually, the exit came within sight. The ground beneath them quickly became muddy; the clear skies of the Everfree forest were beginning to give way to Ponyville’s own scheduled weather. They burst out of the forest entirely and began heading towards civilization.

Zecora’s hoof hit a large patch of mud and her leg skidded sideways. She struggled to maintain balance, but inevitably lost the battle and tumbled head over hooves, mud flying up in her wake. She came to a halt when she hit a tree and groaned in confusion.

Mayor Mare halted, her blood running cold. “Zecora!”

The creature ignored the ageing mare in favour of the helpless zebra, mouth-flaps opening wide as drool seeped from its coiling tongue.

Zecora tried to rise, but the creature was already upon her, one meaty paw coming down on her midsection to hold her while the long tail arched over its back and the pincers extended to-

“Hold it right there!”

A yellow and pink blur rushed past Mayor Mare and stopped right in front of the beast, hovering in place.

“Who do you think you are attacking Zecora like this?!”

Fluttershy’s penetrating gaze was directed at the creature, but the mayor still shuddered as the paralyzing power of those teal eyes washed over her. The beast released Zecora and backed away immediately upon seeing those eyes and wailed in terror, puffing itself up in a futile attempt to intimidate.

“If you think you can just come around here eating ponies and zebras and get away with it, then you’ve got another thing coming!” Fluttershy floated forwards, getting right in the beast’s face. “Now you turn around and march straight back and think about what you’ve done! You do not – I repeat – you do NOT hurt my friends!”

The creature gave a keening cry and swiftly raced back into the Everfree as if Tartarus itself was on its tail. Once it disappeared into the dark recesses of the forest, Fluttershy raced over to Zecora, her eyes losing any trace of terrible fury and instead filling with concern and kindness.

“Oh, Zecora, are you alright? Did that mean critter hurt you?”

“I am dizzy, but alright, my dear Fluttershy,” Zecora reassured the yellow pegasus with a smile. “It is fortunate that you live so close by. A second later and I would have been food; so please accept my eternal gratitude.”

“And mine,” Mayor Mare grinned as she joined them on shaky legs. “When I saw Zecora trip and that thing raise its paw I thought she was done for. I wouldn’t have made it in time to help her… although I probably couldn’t have done much against it anyway.”

“I’m just glad my Stare worked on that… um… it looked like a bear, but… goodness, that mouth and tail…” Fluttershy’s eyes went wide and fearful as she glanced back at the forest. “What if it comes back? It might hurt my animal friends!”

“Away from the Everfree I think we should stay; I have had enough excitement for one day.”

“Agreed. Between those flying creatures and that thing I think I should call a town meeting to warn the public,” Mayor Mare inhaled deeply, trembling from the adrenaline rush. “If the animals from the Everfree are coming out, then the town needs to be prepared in case of another attack.”

“Um… wh-what flying creatures?”

“You need to move away from the forest; it’s too dangerous to be so close,” The mayor paused in thought. “Discord lives with you, right? Can he help?”

“I’m sure he can, but I asked him to get a book from Twilight; poor Angel’s so sick.”

“Twilight asked him to warn the Element bearers. When he comes by, ask him to help you move away from the forest. I really hate to leave you, but…”

“I will stay and help her pack until the Spirit of Chaos comes back.” Zecora said.

Mayor Mare nodded. “Thank you. If you can tell her what I’ve told you that’d be great. I’ll see you two later.”

The mayor turned and began trotting at a brisk pace towards Ponyville. Things were heating up and the bad feeling in the pit of her stomach was beginning to worsen.

‘Mother Faust, was Ponyville constructed on an ancient buffalo burial ground or something?’

Author's Notes:

Note 1: Twilight did a science. Mayor Mare's father was a wise stallion. Doctor Stable needs a vacation. Lyra's still scared of peeled potatoes.

Note 2: Just a reminder that this story ignores the plot events of Season 4; the Elements of Harmony are still in their possession and Discord planted the wrong seeds.