When Cranky Doodle Donkey's plans for a quiet, peaceful birthday go awry courtesy of one pink party pony, he is forced to confront the unfortunate reality of his old age.
The old mare comes in every night to eat and stare out the window. She doesn't say much. Probably because she's deaf. The nights are long, but her silence is longer. So is the patience of the two ponies who serve her. Inspired by Hemingway.
Twilight, reduced to bashing her head against a table to ease the feeling of literary inadequacy over an unwritable essay, turns to Spike for some more practical advice on finishing her essay--and why she should write it in the first place.
Fluttershy’s parents are concerned. Her brother is hysterical. Her neighbors are confused. But Fluttershy is insistent. She needs to find her own way into the air. The wings on her back aren't enough to make her fly. She needs something more.
Celestia has a disturbing revelation about the limits of alicorn mortality. With time suddenly turned against her, she must embark on a journey to find the source of her unrest: an ancient memory drawing her inexorably to a forest that time forgot.
When tragedy strikes the heart of the Ponyville pet scene, a sleep-deprived Stygian is forced to answer a dangerous question: How far would you go to help a friend in need?
To a ground-bound pony, a cloud is a collection of rain that hasn’t fallen yet. To Rainbow Dash, it's so much more. It's a place to nap, a launchpad into her mind, and depending on the company, a point of grievous contention.