The Ballad of Xyclone

Ponyville, Equestria, midnight

It is midnight in Equestria. A shady figure in a cloak makes its way towards Twilight's library. When the figure reaches the library, it knocks on the door. Twilight quickly opens the door. She had been reading every book she had to try and find out more about the humans and was wide awake.

"Who are you?" she asks the figure.

The figure removes its hood and reveals herself to be Bon-Bon, Lyra's best friend and roommate. "I need your help," she says.

"With what?" asks Twilight.

"The stranger," Bon-Bon says. "The so-called 'human'."

"Say no more," Twilight says, letting Bon-Bon in. The light of the portal still shines brightly in Twilight's library. "So, how do you know this Skyler character?" She asks Bon-Bon.

"Lyra brought him to our house, claiming that he was a human, some type of creature she's been obsessing over since we were fillies. You know, most of the time I wouldn't mind this obsession of hers. It's one of the things that are special about her. It's why I love her. But sometimes, it's just too much."

"Like this time," Twilight interjects.

"Yeah. A-And now this strange Skyler character comes along, claiming he's from 'another world'...I'm just worried for Lyra is all, worried about what would happen to her. I love her like a sister. We've been friends since our fillyhood."

"Well, Princess Celestia advised me to keep a close eye on him. I really do hope he's telling the truth like everypony thinks he's been doing, but I personally don't think he is. That's all Equestria needs: another serious problem on our hooves."

"What do you mean, 'another serious problem'?" Bon-Bon asks Twilight.

"Well, yesterday morning, in Canterlot, the princess woke me and my assistant Spike up in lieu of some type of 'emergency meeting'. When we got to her, the look on her face was that of pure terror."

"Princess Celestia, terrified?" Bon-Bon laughs. "I'll believe that when I see it!"

"Well, believe it or not, I sense that something horrible is soon to happen. Anyway, you say you need my help confirming the identity of this Skyler guy. Well, just before you arrived, I was about to go to Princess Luna and ask her to enter Skyler's dreams and see what she can find. She and Celestia already searched his room on the other side but didn't find anything incriminating or suspicious, but I'm still unsure."

"Okay," Bon-Bon says, "Let's do this!"

Shortly after midnight, the three princesses (Luna, Twilight, and Celestia) and Bon-Bon meet up at Rarity's Boutique in Sweetie Belle's room for the operation.

"So, do you think you can do it?" Twilight asks Princess Luna.

"I can try," Luna replies.

"Please don't hurt him, Princess," worries Rarity.

"I'll try." Luna's eyes begin shining bright with white light.

"Please be careful, sister," Princess Celestia warns her. "We don't know what his foreign mind holds."

"SILENCE!" booms the Princess of the Night. "I need to concentrate!"

Skyler, in his human form, walks through the center of Ponyville. There is something walking next to him. It's some sort of prehistoric reptile.

"I'm telling you, Veloci, you're gonna love her! She's such a goofball!" Skyler says.

"I disappear for nearly a decade, and this is what you're fascinated with now?" The reptilian creature says. "Magical colorful talking mini-horses? Jeez, you humans just keep getting weirder and weirder." The reptilian creature walks in front of Skyler, revealing himself to be a velociraptor, a well-known prehistoric dinosaur.

"W-Wait," says Luna. "I-Is that—?"

"Who? Who is it?!" inquiries Twilight.

The duo arrives at Lyra and Bon-Bon's house.

"Can you introduce me to her already before I change my mind and eat her?"

"God, you can never be patient, can you, Veloci?"

"I just want to get this over with so I can have some lunch. I'm freaking starving over here!"

"You're always hungry! You haven't changed a bit since you left!" Skyler looks down. "You know, I miss you. It's been a hard eight years." A tear rolls down his cheek.

Veloci puts a claw on his shoulder. "Well, I'm here now aren't I?"

Rarity looks down at Skyler sleeping. She smiles when she spots an elated grin spread across the stallion's face.

Skyler smiles. He then knocks on the door. "Lyra! Are you there? I want you to meet someone!"

Lyra opens the door. "Oh, hi, Skyler! And who is—AAH!" she screams when she sees Veloci. "S-Skyler," she says, hiding behind the door, only the top of her head peering out, "W-What is that thing?!"

"Hey!" calls out Veloci, "I find that offensive!"

"This," Skyler says, "Is my best friend Veloci. He's a dinosaur!"

"A d-d-dinosaur?" trembles Lyra.

"Velociraptor, to be exact," says Veloci. "Don't worry, I don't bite...well, actually, I *do** bite...a lot. But I'll make an exception since you're Skyler's friend!"*

"O-Oh...well...n-nice t-to m-m-meet y-you, V-V-Veloci," says Lyra, still trembling in fear.

"By Odin's Beard!" exclaims Princess Luna, "That looks like..."

"WHO?!" panics Twilight, "WHO DOES WHO LOOK LIKE?!"

"It looks like...The Scaly One!" cries Luna.

"Oh, dear..." trembles Princess Celestia.

"NO! NOT THE SCALY ONE!!" cries Twilight. "Uh...one question: WHO THE HAY IS THE SCALY ONE?!"

"The Scaly One is an evil creature that is half-pony, half-lizard," Luna speaks, still enveloped in her dream-entering state. "My sister and I first discovered this monster a few months ago. Because of his razor-sharp teeth, we thought he was a changeling. So we banished him to the unknown. We didn't know whether or not he survived. It appears that Skyler was once great friends with this menace when the both of them were in another form."

"I've heard enough," calls Celestia. "Quick, sister, we must go to Canterlot. We shall return in the morning so we can..." She glares down at Skyler, who is still sleeping soundly. "'Discuss' these matters when he wakes up." Celestia and Luna both glide off into the night, leaving Twilight, Rarity, and Bon-Bon in disbelief.

"You can go on back to bed, Rarity, but keep a watchful eye on Skyler," Twilight tells Rarity. She nods, concerned. "Come on—I'm sorry, what's your name again?" Twilight then asks Bon-Bon.

"Bon-Bon," she answers.

"Come on, Bon-Bon, we'll get together everypony who was there when Skyler came to Equestria and rendezvous here in the morning when Skyler wakes up."

"You got it," Bon-Bon replies, heading back to her and Lyra's cottage.