I resume the game to the sound of pounding at the door to my character's bedroom. As my character sits up in his bed, I ask, “What's going on?”

I hear Lyra's voice answer back, “It looks like you'll get your chance to show that recorded event to Fluttershy sooner than you think. Twilight Sparkle is at your front door, and she says Fluttershy needs your help with something.”

My character has the presence of mind to grab the tablet and place it in a pocket in his clothing as I say, “Give me a moment! But, go ahead and let Twilight in!” It's highly unlikely that the future princess would have any idea of what her friend Pinkie Pie has done; there's a different reason for her presence. I finish my preparations, then go to the living room to meet my guest.

As soon as she sees my character, Twilight Sparkle says, “Hi. Fluttershy needs your help. There's a bad smell coming from the forest toward her house, and she needs your help to find out where it's coming from. Do you think you can help her?”

Having made this game, I know what I'll find; but I frequently find that the journey to the goal is just as enjoyable as, if not more so than, the goal itself. I ask, “You haven't been able to find the source?”

The purple unicorn bows her head, and I think I can see her cheeks reddening, as she answers, “Trust me, anypony that tries to go into the forest can only get so far before getting sick.”

That's something I can understand. The sight of blood and gore, especially in a picture, for me anyway, isn't all that disgusting. It's the smell that's the problem. I ask, “That bad?”

At first Twilight Sparkle only nods. Then she continues, “We think something must've died not too far inside the forest from Fluttershy's cottage.”

I ask, "How many have tried?"

The purple unicorn answers, "Fluttershy and I tried going into the forest. Rainbow Dash tried flying overhead, where she was safe from the smell, to see if she could find the source, but she couldn't see anything. She tried walking into the forest, then came back a few seconds later complaining about the smell."

My character looks at Lyra and Weed Whacker, and I can see in their faces that neither of them has had anything to eat yet. If I was going to investigate the offensive odor near Fluttershy's house, and if my friends were going to help me, now is as good a time as any to get it done. As my character's attention returns to Twilight Sparkle, I say, “Sure. I'd be happy to help out again. I just need to get a few things first.”

Twilight nods and says, "Well, you'd better hurry up and get those things."

As I have my character head for his work room, I say, "Not to worry. It shouldn't take very long." Then, once my character is inside the room, I have him search for and find a couple of citizen's band radios and a small spool of red wire filament.

As I expect, it doesn't take him long to find the items.

After that, I return to the front room. With the items in my character's inventory, I have him turn to my two friends, and I ask, “Do you want to come with me?”

The dinosaur and the pale-green unicorn look at each other, then back at my character, and Lyra answers, “Sure. We have other business with Fluttershy anyway. This way, we can take care of two objectives at once.”

I can understand that the saying about killing two birds with one stone probably wouldn't go over very well with Equestrian ponies, especially not in this situation. Best not to have my friends incriminate themselves with an old proverb. At any rate, my character opens the front door and allows the two ponies and the dinosaur to exit before following them and closes the door after the group. Then, he runs ahead of the group to open the gate, and then close it again once the ponies, the dinosaur, and he exit.

Outside the gate, the ponies and dinosaur wait for my character to lead the way, although Twilight Sparkle walks next to me. As we proceed along the path to Fluttershy's cottage, Twilight asks my character, “So, what's this business you have with Fluttershy?”

I answer, “It's nothing to be concerned with right now. It sounds like there's something more important that needs to be done first.”

The purple unicorn groans, but seems to accept my answer. Moving on to a different subject, she asks, “So, why's Lyra with you instead of Bon-Bon?”

Now it's Lyra's turn to groan.

I answer, “I think Lyra can explain it better than I can. I'll just say it's part of an order from Princesses Celestia and Luna.”

Twilight lingers for a moment so Lyra can catch up to her, allowing my character to take the lead.

Lyra gives her fellow unicorn no chance to ask the question, but says, “I … broke into Canterlot Castle and tried to get to that mirror so I could get into the human world. I was going to break the mirror so nopony could follow me.” I can hear the shame in her voice.

Twilight asks, “And, I'm guessing the human stopped you?”

It's all I can do to keep from laughing at the memory as I hear Lyra answer, “I have yet to figure out how he did it; but, just before I could get into the room with the mirror, I heard Mormon shout something I couldn't understand in my ear. I freaked out, and then it was all over.”

Then I hear Weed Whacker add, “Based on the smell coming from her, I think she also … “

Thinking the poor unicorn is ashamed enough, I call back, “Weed Whacker, she doesn't need to know about that!”

After a pause, I hear the dinosaur, now humbled, say, “You're right. I'm sorry, Lyra.”

I then hear Lyra say, “Thanks, Mormon.”

I can only guess that Twilight Sparkle thinks she's speaking quietly enough that I can't hear. And, I don't let on that I can hear her whisper to Lyra, “I don't need to know about what?”

I can also hear Lyra whisper, “Well, let's just say I was freaked out enough when Mormon shouted in my ear. Then, when the guards came in and surrounded me, I freaked out even more.”

I then hear Twilight whisper the question, “You mean you …?“ Then I hear what sounds like liquid splattering on rock, and I can only guess Twilight urinates as a demonstration.

I then hear Lyra sigh and whisper her answer, “That's right. I didn't even feel like it, then it was just scared out of me.” Then, under her breath, she says, “I was thrown in the dungeon for that, then one thing lead to another, and I ended up in Mormon's custody.”

Under her breath, like Lyra, Twilight says, “Princess Celestia doesn't hand over custody of a prisoner without giving the prisoner an assignment. What did she want you to do?”

Lyra answers, “Princess Celestia wants me to report to her what I learn about humans from my experiences with Mormon.”

Presently Twilight says, “So, what have you learned from Mormon so far?” I must say, it pleases me to hear the future princess address me by that name.

Lyra pauses for a moment before answering, “Well, like all humans, he's an omnivore. He's come to Ponyville to make friends with the ponies there. He cares about the ponies that live there, including me. And, he has made friends with many ponies already. But, he also has a mischievous side to him. When I went to the home of Vinyl and Octavia with Bon-Bon to play video games on Vinyl's computer, he played a trick on Vinyl and made her defecate in her chair. Then, when Vinyl was busy cleaning herself, he cleaned off the chair, then came back and cleaned up the mess on the floor as well. He seems to have a talent for making ponies make messes. But, at the same time, he's also more than willing to clean the messes up. He even took care of me when I became sick in his home.”

I must admit, I'm surprised at how much the pale-green pony has already learned about me. I know she knows more than what she said so far; but it's also clear to me that she wants to respect my privacy, and is holding back information she doesn't think Twilight Sparkle needs to know.

I hear the purple unicorn say, “What I've read about humans suggests that they, or most of them, wouldn't do that sort of thing to creatures that they don't own. Unless he thinks he owns you, your human is a unique specimen.”

I can't help answering, “Thanks.”

I have to wonder if Twilight Sparkle was startled by my response. She does seem to stifle a startled neigh before answering, “You're welcome.”

The rest of the trip to Fluttershy's cottage is filled with similar conversation as Twilight Sparkle divides her attention among a human, a fellow unicorn, and a herbivorous dinosaur. I'm pleased to hear that Lyra did send a letter to Celestia, her first report about what she learned about me. And, considering Lyra's report to Twilight didn't include my associations with, or my last recorded video of, Pinkie Pie, I really don't expect to hear the little dinosaur say that she's still waiting for my report to send to the princesses. But, by the time she gets the chance to mention it, or so I assume based on her grunt, we're close enough to Fluttershy's cottage that it's too late to say anything about it.

I am the one to announce that we're closing in on the timid pegasa's house. And, as soon as I make the announcement, Fluttershy peers from the front of her house and seems to try to shout something, although, in spite of me being able to hear Twilight Sparkle and Lyra conversing under their breaths, I seem to be unable to hear the yellow pegasa trying to call to us.

But, it doesn't matter, as Twilight Sparkle, also noticing the yellow pegasa, gallops ahead of us to meet her. I hear her say, “So, he's here, and with some friends.”

As my character leads the unicorn and dinosaur over the bridge to Fluttershy's cottage, I can't help hearing both of them groan in distorted voices, as though they were covering their noses and/or mouths.

The yellow pegasa wanders toward me a few steps and asks, “Is Lyra studying you for some kind of project or something?”

I answer, “Something like that. She'll be living with me for a while. So, shall we get to that smell that's been troubling you?”

Fluttershy answers, “Oh, yes,” then squees. Approaching her back yard, she continues, “Neither I nor any of the animals here dares to get too close to it, because it smells so bad. I don't even dare go into my back yard any more because it stinks so much. If you could go into the woods and find out what's causing it, we'd all be very grateful.”

While Fluttershy is talking, I see the subtitles read, “You notice a strange smell in the air, almost as though something nearby has died.”

My character follows her to the edge of her backyard, where she stops. Presently she turns to me and says, “This is as far as I can go before I start smelling that bad smell. I don't know how well humans can tolerate bad smells, but I don't know anypony else that could help.”

My character is further away from the house than Fluttershy, and the subtitles haven't changed; although, I notice measurements showing up on the bottom of the screen: one bar showing the strength of the smell, and another bar showing evident distance between my character and the source of the smell. Wherever it is, my character is within a hundred feet of it. As he turns to Fluttershy, I say, “If you'll keep my friends here until I get back, I'll go on ahead.”

Fluttershy nods, and Lyra and Weed Whacker join her next to her house.

Before my character can move, though, he produces the two citizen's band radios and hands one of them to Weed Whacker. Then, after turning them on and testing them to see if they work and if they pick up each other's signal, my character makes his way into the forest to find out what could be causing such an offensive scent.

Not far in, my character pushes a button on the side of the communications device, and I ask, “Can you hear me now?”

It's Fluttershy's voice I hear answering, “We can hear you just fine.”

I answer back, “Good,” then continue, “So far, I'm not seeing anything that could be producing a bad smell. I'm gonna keep going.”

It's a few minutes of walking, maneuvering around and over trees and bushes, before my character comes to what looks like a small cabin sloppily put together, with what appears to be dried blood forming a trail from the base of the cabin. While my character holds the communications device to his mouth, I say, “Wait. I think I may have found something.” My character lowers the CB, approaches the strange box and looks inside, to show me what can only be the remains of a bear cub, based on the remaining fur in random tufts, the one visible round ear, and the nose, now just bone bare of skin and muscle. My character puts the citizen's band radio to his face again, and I say, “I believe I've found it, but I have some questions.”

Fluttershy's response comes in the form of a question: “What is it?”

I ask, “Is there a family of bears nearby that's missing a cub?”

It's a few more seconds before I get a response, and this time it's Twilight that answers. She asks, “Are you sure it's a bear cub you're seeing?”

I answer, “Not many creatures have these kinds of features, even in this one's condition.”

The next time I hear something from my citizen's band, it's the voice of Fluttershy whimpering and whining, Lyra's voice trying to console Fluttershy, and Weed Whacker's voice asking, “Do you think you can move the remains over here so we can be sure?”

I answer, “I'm not sure I should. It looks like someone or something tried to bury the remains in a box made of twigs and small branches. I'm not sure I should disturb it.” Then, after a pause, I add, “But, I think I can leave a small trail back to Fluttershy's cottage. I have a wire with me which I could tie to the nearest tree, then trace my steps back, using the wire to form the trail.”

My character produces the wire filament from the inside of his coat and ties one end of it to the last tree he passed before discovering the corpse. Then, he turns around and heads back to Fluttershy's cottage, making a trail above the ground with the filament.

Before my character can get very far from the corpse, I hear Fluttershy's voice, still whimpering, but strangely able to say, “I would've thought you'd use the wire to make a trail into the forest, and to the body you found.”

As my character continues to make his way back toward the yellow pegasa's cottage, I answer, “Yeah, I guess I could've done that. But, I'm here now, and, having found the body, I figure I might as well use the wire one way or another.”

It's not long before my character is back out of the forest, to the evident surprise of all the ponies there, as well as my new dinosaur friend. My character takes a few steps into Fluttershy's yard before setting the spool on the ground there, then approaching the group of three ponies and one dinosaur. Once my character has joined the group, I say, “If you really want the body retrieved, the wire will lead the way there. Maybe you can get help from a professional in forensics.”

Fluttershy, whose head has been lowered all this time, ears drooping, perks up somewhat and says, “Let's go inside,” before leading the way to the front door of her house. Once there, as I had at my house, she opens the door and holds it open for the rest of us to enter first, then follows us in and closes the door behind her.

After watching the yellow pegasa close the door, my character turns and focuses on a light-blue pegasa, one with mane and tail in colors of red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple, in that order from front to back for the mane, and bottom to top for the tail..

At the same time, and in the same tone of surprise, the blue pegasa says, “Human,” and I say, Rainbow Dash.”

I then hear Fluttershy's voice moving toward Rainbow Dash, passing my character in the mean time, as she says, “Rainbow Dash said something about a human that had given her dung from Gilda. I guess that was you.”

I answer, “I didn't exactly give it to her. I didn't get a chance to throw it away before Rainbow Dash could grab it from me. I never expected to scare a griffon that badly.”

Rainbow Dash says to me, “I couldn't scare her that bad.” Then, she turns to Fluttershy and asks, “So, did you find what was making that bad smell?”

Fluttershy motions to my character as she says, “Mormon found the body of a bear cub.”

Rainbow Dash nuzzles the yellow pegasa as she says, “I'm so sorry. Did you know the bear cub very well?”

Fluttershy answers, “Thanks. Unfortunately, I never heard anything about a missing cub. I'll have to ask about it.”

Just then, Lyra pipes up and says, “Mormon, don't you have something to show Fluttershy?”

Honestly, I would've hoped for a more private moment to show Fluttershy the video file of the events I'd recorded on my tablet, especially considering I know who Pinkie Pie's next victim is going to be. I'm uncertain if my character should produce the tablet. What if Rainbow Dash grabs it from him, then finds how to play videos, then watches the video herself? On the other hand, what if I never got another chance to show the video to Fluttershy? Taking these possibilities into consideration, I decide that Lyra chose the best time to remind me about the video, and I have my character produce the tablet and start preparing it to show the video to Fluttershy. And, since it seems inevitable now, I might as well show it to Rainbow Dash and Twilight Sparkle as well.

As my character produces the tablet, I say, “Yes, I do have something to show her; but, now I'm thinking that you two, Rainbow Dash and Twilight Sparkle, will have this chance see it as well.”

My character kneels down as the three ponies gather around him.

Just then, Rainbow Dash grabs the tablet out of my character's hands and flies out the door.

Twilight shouts, “Rainbow Dash! You get back here with that thing!”

If my character can't get the tablet back from Rainbow Dash, it'll lead to exactly the sort of thing I wanted to avoid. First of all, I know that at some point Rainbow Dash will be one of Pinkie Pie's victims. The video on that tablet will more likely than not be the catalyst, along with Rainbow Dash's attitude, that leads to her dying at the hands, or the hooves, of Pinkie Pie. While I doubt my character will be able to reach and stop the pegasa, I have to at least try. I turn to the other two ponies and say, “I'll see if I can get my tablet back from Rainbow Dash.” After that, my character heads out the door to try to follow the azure pegasa before she can watch the video.

The question is, how do I find her? That question could easily be answered if she was able to watch the video before I could stop her. And, as it turns out, the azure pegasa betrays herself as I hear her call out, “Pinkie, what are you doing to Derpy?” The voice is coming from a cloud nearly perfectly centered between Fluttershy's house and Ponyville's evident border.

As my character runs toward the cloud, I call out, “Rainbow Dash, I want my tablet back!”

I get no response from the azure pegasa, at least nothing vocal. I can only watch through my character's eyes as, once he slows down and stops, the white cloud holding the azure pegasa changes to a shade of brown I wouldn't think possible from a manifestation of water vapor, then Rainbow Dash leans over the edge of the cloud and retches the contents of her stomach down on whatever is unfortunate enough to be there under her.

I call again, “May I have my tablet back?”

Rainbow Dash still says nothing. From what my character's perspective is showing me, her expression is a mixture of nausea and grief.

I call again, “I was hoping to show that to Fluttershy, after which we could discuss what to do next.”

Rainbow Dash still says nothing. I watch through my character's eyes as her grief and nausea turn to fury. As she turns her face into the cloud, I can only guess she's looking at the tablet again. Then, she turns back to my character, then throws the device at him. After a few seconds, she turns toward the center of Ponyville and flies off.

My character managed to catch the tablet as it fell toward him. As he heads toward Ponyville after the azure pegasa, I call, “Rainbow Dash, don't do anything rash!” My character runs into town, approximately in the same direction as Rainbow Dash, toward Sugar Cube Corner. He arrives in a few minutes, just in time to open the door and hear the azure pegasa demand the location of Pinkie Pie from Mr. Cake.

The frightened orange earth pony says, “I don't know. You've got to believe me. She hasn't been here since I dismissed her.”

Rainbow Dash had managed to get Mr. Cake onto his back and had held him in position with one front hoof. After realizing she won't get the information she wants from the orange earth stallion, she turns away, pushing Mr. Cake away with one hoof. She then turns to me and, snorting with every breath, says, “Unless you know where Pinkie Pie is, get out of my way.”

I answer, “I have a good idea of where she may be, but first we have some things to discuss.”

The azure pony, still snorting, marches toward my character, stomping each hoof with each step to add emphasis to her march, as she says, “She murdered Derpy. What's there to discuss?” Then, without warning, she jumps at my character.

As my character manages to catch the pegasa, I'm left to wonder what I can say to her. I cannot tell her what I know without breaking a promise I made. I could lead her to the factory and the basement inside, there's no promise keeping me from taking that action. But, the reason I wanted Fluttershy to see the video file, what Lyra called a “recorded event,” was that, while Fluttershy would most likely react to what she would see just the way Rainbow Dash did, I have to believe that she'd take a more rational approach to the situation than Rainbow Dash would likely take, in fact is taking now. But, since it was Rainbow Dash that saw the video first, I have to work with what I have available. And, hopefully I can convince her to come back with me so I can show the video to Fluttershy and convince her to talk to Pinkie Pie and get her to turn away from her destructive course. And, yes, I know I'm suddenly working against my plans. I still plan on losing this game, I just want to keep the damage to a minimum. And, I don't want my character to rebel against me again.

The azure pegasa, seeing that I've been silent for at least a minute now, speaks up and says, “Unless you're responsible for what she's done.” I can see through my character's eyes that something in her expression has changed.

I know that Pinkie Pie holds me responsible for what she's been doing. Should I tell Rainbow Dash about Gilda? Such an action would rob Pinkie Pie of the opportunity of surprising this friend of her's with the news. On the other hand, the news would likely give Rainbow Dash all the more incentive to go ahead on her own to face the party pony, which would be a huge mistake on her part. But, I do have to tell the holder of the element of loyalty something about her friend. I say, “Chances are you don't know anything about this, so I'll tell you about it.” As Rainbow Dash looks at me in fury, I continue, “When I first arrived in Ponyville, three stallion ponies tried to drive me off. I told them about an experience I had when, without my knowledge, I was served horse meat to eat.”

I hear a crash of metal behind me; evidently at least one of the Cakes heard what I said.

I choose to ignore the sound as I continue, “Pinkie Pie let me know later on that she had heard the story, and some time after that I let her know I intended to make friends with the ponies here, not meals of them.”

Rainbow Dash, calmer, says, “Fluttershy told me about how a human helped her lead a family of ducks through Ponyville. That was you, wasn't it?”

I answer, “That's right,” before continuing, “It seems that Pinkie Pie thinks she owes me something for misunderstanding me.”

Rainbow Dash pushes away from me, and I decide that my character should let her go. Once free, she lands calmly on the floor before saying, “I'm not sure I understand what that has to do with what I saw Pinkie Pie do to Derpy.”

As my character motions toward the door, I say, “Let's go back to Fluttershy's house. I'm thinking we should discuss this more there.”

Rainbow Dash turns to the origin of the crashing sound, and my character follows suit.

The two owners of the bakery are looking at us with expressions of worry and horror on their faces. I can see Mrs. Cake is on the verge of tears.

As Rainbow Dash and I focus on each other again, Rainbow Dash says, “You're right. Mr. and Mrs. Cake are scared enough. They don't need to hear any more. Let's go.” And, with that, Rainbow Dash moves past me through the door of the bakery.

My character follows her, and after a few minutes the human and pegasa are back at Fluttershy's cottage. There may be a chance that I can keep Rainbow Dash alive a while longer.

As we're making our approach to Fluttershy's cottage, Rainbow Dash turns to me and asks, “Are you sure it's a good idea for Fluttershy to see that event on your tablet?”

Some part of me likes the way the ponies are calling it an event. I answer, “I'm thinking it's necessary if I'm going to get her help in keeping Pinkie Pie from killing any more ponies. I have to hope that your pink friend is still salvageable.” At Fluttershy's front door my character prepares to knock, when the door opens, and Twilight appears to be preparing to leave, saying goodbye to Fluttershy.

The purple unicorn turns around just in time to see my character right in front of her, and freezes in place to avoid running into him. She exclaims, “Oh, Mormon! I didn't see you there.”

My character moves out of the way to allow Twilight Sparkle to pass as I say, “That's alright. I didn't expect you to be at the door.”

The purple unicorn nickers as she passes my character, then looks at Rainbow Dash and stops. She stares at the azure pegasa and asks, “Rainbow Dash, are you alright?”

As my character turns his attention to Rainbow Dash, I can see that she's trembling. The normally stoic pegasa looks like she could cry at the slightest provocation.

Rainbow Dash attempts to smile and squee, but the sound comes out low-toned and raspy, almost sounding like a frog croaking.

Now, Twilight Sparkle backs into Fluttershy's house again, saying, “Maybe I should stay. Something's troubling Rainbow Dash, and there's a reason why she and Mormon are here, I'm guessing.”

Fluttershy approaches Twilight Sparkle looking at my character, then, at her door, turns to Rainbow Dash, pauses, then backs into her home again the way Twilight Sparkle is doing, and, turning to me again, says, “Come on in. Is there something I can do to help?”

My character allows Rainbow Dash to enter first, then follows her in, as I answer, “I hope so.” Then, after my character closes the door behind him and Rainbow Dash, I continue, “I was hoping you'd see this first, and then you could give me advice on what to do next.”

Before I can say more, Lyra, who had been waiting for me to return, looks at Rainbow Dash and, seeing her trembling, says, “You've already watched the event.”

The announcement is evidently too much for the azure pegasa. Her legs give out from under her, so that she slides on them to the floor. After that, she buries her face between her front hooves and starts sobbing.

Lyra and Weed Whacker instantly walk to the fallen pegasa to try to comfort her.

Fluttershy, seeing this, turns to me and asks, “What is this event? What happened?”

Again my character produces the tablet, then pushes points on the screen to bring up the video and get it ready to play.

Before I can say anything about it, I hear Rainbow Dash cry, “Please, Human, Mormon, don't show that to Fluttershy. She won't be able to handle it.”

Then I hear Fluttershy's voice, trembling, ask, “W-well, can't you just t-tell me about what happened?”

As my character turns to the yellow pegasa, I answer, “I suppose I could, if I could find the words to describe it. It's about Pinkie Pie.”

Now I hear Twilight Sparkle's voice ask, “What about Pinkie Pie? Is she alright?”

I hear Rainbow Dash try to answer, but all she can do is stammer before she starts sobbing again.

My character's attention turns from Fluttershy to Twilight Sparkle, and it's clear to me that both are thinking the same thing: that the party pony is dead, or nearly so. I answer, “It's best that you watch the event, then you can make your own determination.” At this point, my character moves to an empty spot on the floor and turns so the unicorn and the yellow pegasa can peer over his shoulder, then sits down. Then, once the two are looking over his shoulders at the tablet, my character pushes a spot on it, prompting the video to play.

As the video begins, I hear simultaneous gasps, and the observing ponies ask, synchronized, the same question: “What is Pinkie Pie doing with Derpy?” Then, as they see their friend carve the pictures from the gray pegasa's thighs, and she silently cries in pain; again they gasp, but don't cry out.

The image of the party pony cutting open Derpy's crotch is too much for Fluttershy, who turns away. But, she returns to watching the video just in time to see Pinkie Pie point the helpless gray pegasa's bladder out away from her and allow it to empty out. The last straw, it seems, is when Pinkie Pie, while removing the heart, gets splashed in the face and front with Derpy's blood.

My character pushes a spot on the screen so the video pauses as the two ponies move away from him, then I hear them gag and retch behind him. As they quiet down, I ask, “Are you ready to watch the rest of the event?”

I can hear Fluttershy trembling and sobbing to one side of me.

From my other side, I hear Twilight Sparkle ask, “Tell me, is Derpy alright, at least?”

I answer, “No. Pinkie Pie killed her.”

Other than the sounds of bawling coming from Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash, there's silence.

My character looks at the purple unicorn, and I can see her battling with her emotions, a battle that seems to be a stalemate at the moment. I also notice that Lyra and Weed Whacker have stopped trying to comfort Rainbow Dash.

Twilight Sparkle and my character continue to stare at each other for at least a minute, then the purple unicorn, a tear sliding down her face from her eye, squeaks out, “Why? Why would Pinkie Pie do that?”

My character turns to Rainbow Dash, but she reminds me of a child throwing a temper tantrum.

As he turns back to Twilight Sparkle, I answer, “She's holding me responsible for something I said to a trio of stallions. And, for some part of it I guess, I deserve it.”

I see Twilight Sparkle start to speak, but my character puts a hand on her muzzle to stop her.

I continue, “I've only told this story to a few others, but I think it's important for you to know, just in case you can help me.

“It started when I first arrived in Ponyville. The trio of stallions I mentioned tried to drive me off, and I told them the story of my experience with eating horse meat. Long story short, it was effective in stopping them from trying to drive me off any more, but Pinkie Pie also heard the story, and sought vengeance on me for what I said to them.

“Later on, I proved to her that I'm here to make friends with the ponies here, not meals of them. But, she thinks she has to balance things with me.”

My character then turns to Rainbow Dash again, and I say, “I'm sorry to have to tell you this, but your friend Gilda was actually Pinkie Pie's first victim.”

The azure pony pales to the point that, at least to me, she resembles a smaller version of Princess Celestia without the horn. She's nearly catatonic as she says, “Gilda, no.”

My character turns back to Twilight Sparkle as I continue, “I can't tell you exactly how I got the event with Derpy, suffice it to say I had an effective method for it. I have to believe, even now, that there's some way to derail her from this type of activity. I just don't know how. That's why I showed you this recorded event.”

By now a small stream on at least one side of the purple pony's face has been flowing. She looks down and, her voice trembling, answers, “I don't know if anything can be done now. After one pony kills another, there's generally nothing to save that pony. I don't even know if Pinkie Pie can be excused by you taking responsibility for starting her on that course. I just don't know.” Finally, like Rainbow Dash did, Twilight collapses and starts sobbing.

My character reaches out and strokes the purple unicorn's mane a few times before turning his attention to Fluttershy.

The yellow pegasa, seeing my character looking at her, says, “The Pinkie Pie I saw in that event was scarier than a full-grown dragon. Pinkie Pie is extremely stubborn. If you couldn't convince her that she isn't indebted to you, or that she chose the wrong way to try paying you back, or that her debt to is payed up, there's nothing any of us can do.” Then, once again sobbing, she cries, “Pinkie Pie, why? Why would you do that to another pony?”

Not the answer I'm looking for, but one I have to accept. Maybe it is too late for the pink earth pony. So, what now? What of the damage I've caused to these three ponies, exposing them to such awful imagery? I can't leave them like this.

Weed Whacker moves to comfort Fluttershy, leaving Twilight Sparkle for me to comfort. And, after a few minutes of hugging, stroking, and me requesting forgiveness for showing them the recorded event, the purple unicorn looks up at my character's face and says, “If only Pinkie Pie hadn't killed a pony.”

That's when Lyra says, “Well, considering how many ponies know about what Pinkie Pie has done, what do we do now?”

I think aloud, “If there is any way to stop Pinkie Pie from killing any more ponies, I've got to try it. Since none of you could think of anything, I have to fall back on methods I know will be ineffective.” And, with that, my character stands up and starts walking toward the door.

That's when I hear Fluttershy say, “Please, don't go. Your life could be in danger.”

My character turns to the yellow pegasa, and I say, “I doubt it. Suffice it to say she tried once and failed. There's no reason why she'd be successful this time.” Then, as my character turns to Lyra and Weed Whacker in turn, I say, “You two don't have to go with me. In fact, it's probably best if you don't. I'll be safe, but I can't guarantee the same for you if you follow me.”

My character exits the door. But, before he closes it, a thought occurs to me. I have my character turn to Fluttershy one more time, and I add, “You know what? Actually, I was wrong about not getting any good ideas from anyone here. It may be worth it to try to convince Pinkie Pie that she's taking the wrong approach to paying me back. Or, I could try convincing her that she's payed her debt to me. Thanks for the ideas.” And, with that, my character closes the door, then turns and heads for Ponyville and beyond, to the factory.

It seems to take half an hour to get to the factory where I know the basement is. When my character finally gets there, presently he looks up to show me the figure of what looks like a blue log with wings attached to it and leading a rainbow.

I groan as I realize that Rainbow Dash has followed my character here. I wait for her to land, then my character approaches her as I ask, “Rainbow Dash, what are you doing here?”

The blue pegasa U-turns to see me, then says, “I'm here to talk to Pinkie Pie. You know where her hiding place is, it's the only way you could record that event.”

My character stays where he is as I say, “Unless you can detract her from her present course, I suggest you leave the talking to me.”

Pointing a front hoof at my character, Rainbow Dash retorts, “You said you didn't have any ideas on how to do that.”

I state, “Evidently you weren't listening to the last thing I said before leaving Fluttershy's house. I said she had some good ideas, and I plan on trying them when I see Pinkie Pie next.”

Rainbow Dash turns away and says, “Yeah, I heard what you thought were good ideas. I just think that if those are your best options, then maybe I can do better.” Then she turns to me again, and for a few seconds my character and Rainbow Dash just stare at each other. Then, Rainbow Dash says, “Alright, you've got one last chance. But, if I don't see you leading Pinkie Pie out into the open, I'll find her and talk to her.”

I answer, “Agreed. But, I plan on showing her the recorded event that you, Twilight Sparkle, and Fluttershy saw. And, if I do fail to lead her out, I suggest you not let her know that you've seen that event. No need to put yourself in unnecessary danger.” As my character turns away from the blue pegasa, I hear her grunt in agreement. But, before I move toward the factory, I add, “And, I think it best that you turn and walk away from me. We don't want Pinkie Pie to think you followed me here.”

From behind my character I hear Rainbow Dash groan in disappointment, then hoof-falls that indicate she's obeying me.

It's just a matter of time before my character enters the factory, then the basement, where I expect Pinkie Pie to be. And, sure enough, the first thing I see when my character enters is the pink earth pony standing over a brick box, evidently cooking something.

The party pony turns half around toward me and says, “Whoever you are, close that door before … “

I don't give her a chance to finish as I ask, “What happened to your pinkie promise about not hurting Ataahua?” And, while I'm talking, my character's turning to see the gray pegasa, or what's left of her, still hanging limply from the cement bed on the wall.

Pinkie Pie lets out a startled neigh, then turns to my character and says, “That was Diane that promised that, not me. And, how do you know that I killed Derpy?”

My character turns to Pinkie Pie, who is now walking toward him on her hind legs, again.

Lyra would want to see this if the party pony's front and face weren't still covered in Ataahua's blood, which by now has dried.

But, there's something else about this Pinkie Pie that troubles me. As my character produces the tablet, I say, “I have something to show you.” My character then pushes points on the tablet to bring up the video, then one final space to start the video playing, then hands the tablet to Pinkie Pie.

I watch as the pink earth pony views the moving picture of her butchering the gray pegasa alive, then drops the tablet and proceeds to search a nearby wall, evidently looking for the tiny camera I hid in there, though most likely not knowing that's what she's looking for.

I ask, “What do you think your friends would think of you if they saw you doing that to another pony?”

At the same time, Pinkie Pie is asking, “Where did you put it? Is it in the bricks? Or is it one of the bricks?”

I continue, “This has gone way beyond you paying back a debt to me. I never wanted this from you.”

Continuing to search the wall, the now crazed pink pony answers, “Oh, no, you just wanted to humiliate me in front of my friends. But, you're not gonna get away with it. You'll see. I'll get you back for this.”

I say, “Pinkie Pie, you've got to stop this. You're already guilty of murder. And, what, you're gonna make cupcakes out of Ataahua to hide her murder from the other ponies?”

Pinkie Pie turns to me, then jumps at me and says, “No, I'm not making cupcakes out of Derpy. She wouldn't want that. No, I'm making muffins.”

Under different circumstances, I might find this funny. Pinkie Pie is reminding me of an old woman from the nightmare of a girl in a movie. In some strange, twisted way, there is something respectful about how Pinkie's treating the gray pony's remains. On the other hand, this was a pony she'd promised not to harm, no matter if it was actually her, or her other identity Diane, who'd made the promise. In a way, she's admitted to breaking her promise.

But, I'm not here to get into an argument over details, nor to fight with her; I'm here to stop her from hurting, from murdering, any more of her fellow ponies. Still, seeing the pink earth pony this way, I must admit, I'm beginning to run out of hope for her.

Finally, I say, “I'm gonna give you one more chance to stop what you're doing, and then I'm calling law enforcement, and they can deal with you. All you have to do is walk out of here with me.”

The pink pony crawls up the closest of my character's legs, up his chest, until she can look directly into his eyes, then says, “Oh, I'm sure you'd like that. Get me out of the way, then you can take all the credit.”

Were it not for the clear evidence that this Pinkie Pie is computer-generated, her appearance might be troubling to me. And, if it were real, and it were me instead of my character, I'm sure the smell of blood on the party pony would be getting to me. But, since none of those is true, I can easily say, “Credit, for what? You think I wanted Ataahua dead? She was one of my friends. And, I thought you would be, too.”

Pinkie Pie growls, then kick-jumps off of my character, causing him to fall backward into the door. Once she lands, she turns to the brick box, walks toward it, and says, “Then, get the buck out of here. If you're not my friend, then leave me the buck alone.”

I watch through my character's eyes as the pink pony goes back to tending her Derpy-meat muffins. As my character stands up again and opens the door to leave, I say, “I'm sorry I couldn't help you.” Then, as he closes the door behind him and walks up the stairs again, I hear the sound of a thud behind him. My guess is Pinkie Pie tried to hit my character with one of her muffins.

As I'm leaving the factory, Rainbow Dash is right there at the door.

The azure pony asks, “So, what about Pinkie?”

As my character kneels down and wraps his arms around the pegasa in a hug, I answer, “Twilight may be right. It may be too late to do anything for Pinkie Pie now.” Then, as my character lets her go and stands up again, I can see through his eyes that the pegasa is once again on the verge of crying. I say, “Whatever you do, if you trust me, you won't go down there.”

Rainbow Dash tries to fly over my character, but is restrained by him grabbing her under her wings. As he tries to pull her back down in front of him, she cries, “But, I've got to do something. She's my friend. I can't just let her go like this.”

As my character battles the azure pegasa and her flapping wings, I answer, “Rainbow Dash, no. Trust me, it's not a good idea to approach her in her present frame of mind.”

Rainbow Dash continues to struggle as she says, “But, why? She's not angry with me, she's angry with you.”

I answer, “That's exactly right. And, I'm afraid that if you confront her right now, she'll turn on you her anger toward me. You could be her next victim.” The fact of the matter is, if Rainbow Dash does confront her friend, the azure pegasa will be Pinkie Pie's next victim. And, she won't be as kind to Rainbow Dash as she was to Derpy, to Ataahua.

Finally, the pegasa that's been struggling to get past my character ceases struggling and once again collapses, this time onto his shoulder, and starts sobbing.

As her wings fold, my character supports her under her hind legs with one arm and strokes her back and wings with his free hand, and I say, “I'm sorry. Let's go back to Fluttershy's house. I'll get Lyra and Weed Whacker, and the four of us will go back to my house, where you can stay for the night. Tomorrow, maybe we can head for Canterlot, and I can report Pinkie Pie to the proper authorities so they can deal with her. But, for now, let's get out of here.”

My character doesn't wait for the distraught pegasa to respond, just leaves the factory and makes his way back to Fluttershy's cottage.

Once there, I can see the sadness in the eyes of both Lyra and Weed Whacker as they look at me, holding Rainbow Dash in my arms.

Lyra says, “I'm sorry. Each of us could only handle one pony at a time. We couldn't keep Rainbow Dash from leaving.”

I answer, “That's alright. Lyra, Weed Whacker, if you'll come back with me, we'll be heading back home now.” Then, as my character turns to Twilight Sparkle and Fluttershy, I ask, “Will you two be alright?”

Twilight Sparkle, still sniffling and hiccuping, looks at Fluttershy, then at my character, and says, “I'm not sure. Fluttershy's really taking the news hard. I'm gonna have to stay with her for the night. Will you get Spike? He should be at the library right now. Just tell him to follow you to Fluttershy's cottage, and that I'm there with Fluttershy. I'll fill him in on what's happened when he arrives. Once you bring him here, you'll be free to return to your homes.”

Before I can agree, my character turns to look at Fluttershy. Believe me, as shocking as it is to see the holder of the element of laughter covered in blood and smiling that unnatural smile, even more haunting is Fluttershy's emotionless face, her eyes unblinking and staring straight ahead. Her mane is not as messy as one might expect from a pony in her condition, but it's clear the video has affected her more profoundly than it has any of her friends who have seen it. The best I can do right now, as I said before, is keep the damage from getting any worse. If I can keep Rainbow Dash from getting killed, hopefully that'll help the holder of the element of kindness.

As my character turns back to Twilight Sparkle, I say, “We'll head to the library now and get Spike. We'll be back as soon as possible.”

In a matter of minutes we're at the library, and my character knocks on the door.

From inside, I hear a little boy's voice call out, “Hold on a minute, I'm coming!” Then, in approximately a minute, the door to the library opens, and a small, youthful-looking purple dragon appears and asks, “Alright, who is it?” Then, seeing my character holding a now sleeping Rainbow Dash and accompanied by Lyra and Weed Whacker, asks, worry in his voice, “Is everything alright? Is Rainbow Dash alright? Where's Twilight?”

I answer, “It's kind of a long story. Twilight wants you to come with us to Fluttershy's cottage. She'll fill you in on the details when you get there. All you need to know right now is that she needs your help.”

I can see, through my character's eyes, the worry developing on the young dragon's face. I don't dare say it aloud, but Spike has every right to be worried. When I'm finished giving him his instructions, the young dragon salutes and says, “Just give me a few minutes. I just need a few supplies.” And, with that, he disappears. When he returns, he appears to be ready for some kind of journey, having what appears to be a round object wrapped in a cloth, supported by a stick which he holds over one shoulder. As he leaves the library, he says, “I'm ready to go.”

As we leave the library, Spike pauses for a moment to close the door, then catches up with us, matching stride with Weed Whacker. As we proceed toward Fluttershy's house, I hear Spike ask my dinosaur friend, “So, what's your name?”

The herbivorous dinosaur answers, “I'm Weed Whacker.” Then, she adds, “And, your name is Spike?”

The purple dragon answers, “That's right. I guess Twilight must've told you that. So, why are you with a human?”

Weed Whacker answers, “Mormon and I are taking care of Lyra. She got herself into some trouble, and Princesses Celestia and Luna decided Mormon should take care of her, and that way she could learn more about humans. I'm sort of the messenger between the Princesses and Lyra and Mormon.”

I hear excitement in Spike's voice as he says, “I'm the same way.” More calmly, he continues, “Actually, I just send and receive messages between Twilight and Princess Celestia, but I guess they could reach Princess Luna if they needed to. I have gotten messages that weren't specifically for Twilight, even messages directly to me.”

Weed Whacker grunts in interest and agreement, then says, “I haven't been a messenger long enough to send and receive messages for more than just the Princesses and Lyra and Mormon. Maybe some day I'll get a message specifically for me, the way you have. So, how do you send and receive messages?”

I hear Spike answer, “I send messages with my green flames. I receive scrolls in my stomach, which I have to cough out.”

As much as I need the comic relief right now, I'm thinking I shouldn't be laughing at what Spike said. So, I stifle the laugh I feel coming.

In the mean time, I hear Weed Whacker say, “I have to bite down on scrolls to send them. Scrolls from either or both of the princesses just appear in my mouth, and I deliver them personally to either Lyra or Mormon.”

The conversation between the two reptilians continues relating to their jobs or their charges until we arrive once again at Fluttershy's house.

Once my character knocks, the doorknob glows with a purple aura and turns, allowing the door to open.

As it does, I can see through my character's eyes that Fluttershy has been moved, either by her own power or by Twilight's magic, to her couch; and Twilight has been keeping a vigil over her.

At the moment, she's looking at us. Seeing her faithful dragon friend, she says, “Spike, come on in.”

The purple dragon enters, but I decide that my character should follow him in.

My character, once inside, puts the sleeping Rainbow Dash on the ground as the door seems to close automatically behind him. My guess is that it closes either through the influence of unicorn magic, or by the force of Spike or Weed Whacker. Either way, my character makes his way to Fluttershy as I say, “I'm thinking I should say a few words to Fluttershy before I head back home with Lyra, Rainbow Dash, and Weed Whacker.”

Twilight Sparkle says nothing, just nods.

As my character strokes the yellow pegasa's pink mane, I say, “I'm sorry you had to see that event. I just didn't know any other way to get your help. I can see now that it was best that at least some of your friends were here to watch it with you, so they could be there to support you. I only hope that, after this, I can earn your trust, and perhaps your friendship.” I pause for a moment before continuing, “You did have some good ideas on how I could approach Pinkie Pie. I wish I could say honestly that they worked. But, as it turns out, I guess Pinkie Pie was too far gone, is too far gone. If I knew I could get your advice without showing you that event, I would've done it that way. But, thank you for the advice you gave me. It was worth a shot, if nothing else.”

I don't think there's one of us who isn't surprised when the yellow pegasa lifts her head up to look at my character. She moves the closest forelimb to push my character's hand downward, moving it approximately between her front hooves, then says, “I'm happy to hear that you took some of my advice, even if it didn't prove helpful to you. Knowing that you would turn to us, Pinkie Pie's friends, for advice on how to help her means a lot to me, to all of us. And, I do forgive you for showing me that event. You only did it so you could get help for Pinkie Pie. Thank you for thinking of us in your quest to help her.” And, with that, she, with the help of her wings, approaches my character and gives him a hug, which he reciprocates. After a minute, they separate, and Fluttershy says, “Now, if I'm not mistaken, you, Lyra, your dragon friend, and Rainbow Dash are headed to your home to spend the night. You don't need to worry about me anymore. I'll be fine.”

As my character backs away from her, I say, “I hope so. The rest of your friends need you as much now as you need them.” My character then turns to Twilight Sparkle as I add, “I just hope you can find another pony to hold the element of laughter now that Pinkie Pie is no longer worthy to hold it.”

As my character stands up, I hear Twilight Sparkle say, “You know, that's something I hadn't thought about. Can the elements of harmony be passed to others? And, if so, how will I know who should hold that element next?" She inhales slowly and deeply, then exhales just as slowly and deeply, before concluding, "I have a lot to think about now.”

As my character moves toward Rainbow Dash and proceeds to pick her up, I answer, “The next time you send a letter to Princess Celestia, you might want to ask her about that. Maybe she or Princess Luna will have some advice. Who knows but that they've dealt with this kind of situation before? But, in the mean time, it seems to me that you just need to worry about finding the next pony to hold the element of laughter.”

I notice, through the edge of my character's periphery, Twilight Sparkle nodding as she says, “You've got a point. And, thanks to Pinkie Pie, we have one less option. Everypony in Ponyville is friends with Pinkie Pie. That could be a good place to start looking. And, if Princess Celestia or her sister have any ideas, that could help. Thanks for the advice.”

My character opens the door, then holds it open for Lyra and Weed Whacker to exit, then, before my character closes it, I say, “I'm happy I could help. See you later?” And, before I can get an answer, my character closes the door and catches up with the unicorn and dinosaur who have already made their way to the main pathway.

As we make our way to my character's house, the group of four is silent, save for moans that come every now and then from Rainbow Dash, something about wanting to rescue Pinkie Pie. Once we arrive at and enter my character's house, my character carefully places Rainbow Dash on one of the couches, the one kind of facing the door, at which point I say, “Lyra, Weed Whacker, if you'll stay here with Rainbow Dash, I'll go out and get us some food.” Again, not waiting for an answer, my character exits through the front door, heading first to the orchard to harvest a few apples.

As my character is heading toward the orchard, he pauses; and I notice a change in the level of light near him. I ask, “Princess Celestia, is that you?”

As my character turns to see the source of the light, and I indeed see the white alicorn, she answers, “Were you able to contact Pinkie Pie?”

My character resumes walking toward the orchard, and, after a momentary pause, I answer, “I was, and what I saw wasn't good.”

The white alicorn lowers her head, and there seems to be a momentary drop in the level of light from her. She asks, “Who, w-who w-was her victim th-this time?”

I have to admit, the daytime princess's trembling and stammering is making me uneasy. Still, I answer, “It was Derpy.”

In addition to now intensified trembling, I now hear gasping coming from Princess Celestia's position, and, as my character turns to look at her, the white alicorn seems to be in shock at the news. I can still see her face, but I can't see her lips move; I attribute that to her vibrating so much. I can only hear her say, “Derpy, no.”

I state, “I understand. She was one of my friends, too.”

Princess Celestia focuses on my character and says, “No, I don't believe you do understand. She's not just a friend, not just a companion to Doctor Whooves. She was next in line to hold one the elements of harmony, specifically the element of kindness, when Fluttershy no longer could.” She looks away from my character as she continues, “I'm aware of what you showed to her, and to Twilight Sparkle, the same video that Rainbow Dash saw.”

Now, I'm surprised to hear the white alicorn call the recorded event a video. I would call it that, but all the ponies I met that saw or heard of it, that heard it, would call it a recorded event. I have to wonder if Princess Celestia has a gift much like what Pinkie Pie had. It would make sense. If Princess Celestia is, in fact, a Goddess, it is conceivable that she would have all gifts, and could give them to other ponies, including Pinkie Pie. For that matter, she could also take them away.

The white alicorn talks again, snapping me from my thoughts, as she says, “I understand why you showed them the video, but you may not be aware of the damage it caused. I appreciate that you tried to heal the damage, but I doubt it'll be enough.”

Before she can continue, I say, “I left her with your student, Twilight Sparkle.”

Princess Celestia answers, “And, she assured my student that she'd be fine. Twilight Sparkle left, but Fluttershy's still really hurting. And, when a female creature in pain is left to her own devices, … “ The white alicorn trails off.

Perhaps you wouldn't expect me to interpret the silence, to know what the white princess doesn't want to say, but I do understand. I ask, not bothering to finish her statement, “So, why bring this to me? I'm taking care of Rainbow Dash right now. Why don't you go to Fluttershy? Or, why not go to your student, and send her back to Fluttershy's cottage?”

Before Princess Celestia can answer, I hear a crashing sound from my character's house. As my character turns to the house, I see a straight rainbow leading from the doorway outward. Just then, I near Rainbow Dash's voice from the roof say, “Tell your dragon friend I'm really sorry for hurting her. I just need one chance to talk to Pinkie Pie.” Once my character turns to and sees the azure pony, she continues, “Once I've had my chance, then I'll come back. I just can't let Pinkie Pie go without a fight.” And, with that, she flies off in the direction of the factory.

As my character and the white alicorn turn to each other again, she says anyway the words she really doesn't need to say: “You appear to be free for the moment.”

My character runs toward the house, and I say, “This is not good.” When my character enters the house, I can see through his eyes the blue dinosaur leaning against Lyra, looking downward, blood dripping from her nose. She's moaning, but looks as though she'll be fine.

The pale-green unicorn growls, “If Weed Whacker weren't here, …”

I conclude, “You wouldn't be here either. Is she alright?”

Lyra continues, “The first thing Rainbow Dash is gonna do when she gets back is repair your door. Then, she's gonna help me take care of Weed Whacker.”

I find it pleasing that Lyra is so bonded to the little dinosaur. It bodes well for her in case I can't take care of them any longer. It also means I could probably leave them alone to go after Rainbow Dash, or to see if I can check up on Fluttershy.

From behind my character, I hear the white alicorn say, “You have an ability that not even I have. You can freeze time, so that you can cover great distances in no time. Unicorns, although with limits, and alicorns, can teleport from one place to another. But, we need to focus. You don't.”

Her argument doesn't make a lot of sense to me, but something else occurs to me. Could Princess Celestia be coming to me because I'm the only one that can stop Fluttershy from seriously hurting or killing herself? Generally, that's what most video games are all about, jobs that only the player's character can do. Whatever the case may be, I have a choice. I can either stop Rainbow Dash or rescue Fluttershy. And, considering how effective I've been at trying to prevent Rainbow Dash from confronting Pinkie Pie, it seems that the better choice is to rescue Fluttershy. So, as my character turns to the white alicorn, I say, “Alright. I'll see if I can help Fluttershy.”

Princess Celestia picks up her right hoof and places it on my character's left shoulder as she asks, “Do you promise?”

I answer, “Ki tahi au,” and immediately everything freezes. That is, everything except my character, who proceeds toward Fluttershy's house again. Once he arrives and looks into the window, I can see through his eyes Fluttershy hovering over what appears to be a knife. When my character enters through the door, it's clear that it is a knife propped up with the blade sticking up. And, Fluttershy is directly over it. And, noting that her wings are still unfurled and evidently still in the attitude of keeping her in the air, it's clear that she hasn't fully committed herself to the evident act of suicide.

My character takes a position in clear view of the hovering yellow pegasa, just inches from her nose, and I say, “Continue.”

I admit, if I had seen some creature appear out of nowhere just inches from my nose, it would've likely set off my fight-or-flight response. So, I'm not surprised that Fluttershy, seeing my character that close to her all of a sudden, shrieks and flies backward away from him.

I ask, “Are you alright?”

The frightened pegasa stammers, “W-where the h-hay did you c-come from, all of a s-sudden?”

I answer, “I heard you weren't coping very well, and I thought I'd stop by to check on you.”

Fluttershy, now clearly furious with me, says, “So, you invade my home? How did you get in here, anyway? Aren't you supposed to be at your home right now?”

During the yellow pegasa's tirade, my character kneels down and picks the knife up by the handle. He stands up again, and, when Fluttershy is finished and the knife is visible between the two of them, I say, “I can see I was just in time.”

The anger in Fluttershy's face melts into despair. She says, “I was hoping I could have some time alone so I could … “

As my character lowers the knife, I ask, “Didn't I say your friends need you now more than ever? How are you going to help them if you're dead?”

I, through my character's eyes, can only watch Fluttershy's face contort and tighten as all the emotions she's evidently been suppressing surface all at once. In a matter of seconds, she whimpers, sobs, then starts bawling, all while still managing to hover in place.

My character drops the knife on the ground, then approaches the grieving pegasa and wraps one arm over her back across her shoulders, and the other under her hind legs, trapping the fur of her tail between his arm and her backside.

I say, “Maybe it'd be best if you spend the night at my home. I already have Lyra and my dinosaur friend Weed Whacker spending the night there. What's one more?”

The yellow pegasa doesn't seem to even hear what I said. She just cries out, “I'm just so scared! I've never seen Pinkie Pie like that! How could she do that to another pony? What happened to her?”

As my character heads toward the door, I say, “I'm taking you to my house. It's best not to leave you alone right now.” And, with that, my character leaves Fluttershy's house, then heads back to his own home.

Back at my character's home, I can see a defensive Rainbow Dash facing off against an angry Lyra.

As my character enters the gate, I hear Rainbow Dash say, “I said I'd be back, and I am. I really am sorry for hurting your dragon friend.”

Lyra retorts, “There's more to it than that. What about the door you destroyed?”

Rainbow Dash rubs her head and says, “Yeah, I'll be paying for that in more ways than one. That door was obviously made of hardwood.”

Lyra proceeds to growl at the azure pegasa, until I call out, “Lyra, back off! Now's not the time for revenge.”

Rainbow Dash whips around, and both ponies focus on my character and the yellow pegasa he's carrying.

Now Rainbow Dash growls as she asks, “What did you do to Fluttershy?”

I answer, “I stopped her from killing herself. I need to bring her inside, now.”

Rainbow Dash's anger turns to surprise as she moves out of my character's way.

Lyra, seeing my character moving ahead to the doorway, moves aside to allow him to enter.

As my character passes her, I ask, “Lyra, could you go out and get some food for all of us?”

I don't hear her answer, at least not vocally. I do hear hoof-falls as she runs out the door to collect the food, as per my request.

In the mean time, as my character carefully places the yellow pegasa on the couch, Rainbow Dash is suddenly next to him asking, “Is she going to be alright? Fluttershy, are you going to be alright?”

I answer, “She's going to need someone, some pony, to keep an eye on her. That event I had her watch hit her harder than I realized.”

The azure pegasa pushes my character on his side and cries, “Didn't I warn you not to show her that event? I know you needed her help, but couldn't you have found another way?”

As my character attempts to get back up, I answer, “As far as I knew, I didn't have another option. If I'd been aware of another way to get her help, I would've used that way. But, as it is, I'm glad to see you've come back.”

Rainbow Dash starts to smile as she says, “My element is loyalty, after all, and you've proven yourself worthy of my respect.” Then, her smile fades as she says, “So, I did go and see Pinkie Pie.”

My character takes this as an opportunity to get into a sitting position next to the azure pegasa as I ask, “And, how did things go?”

Rainbow Dash answers, “I'm not really sure. I tried to start a conversation with her, but I was doing all the talking. Then I brought up Derpy, and mentioned that I knew she killed her.”

I ask, “And, then what happened?”

Rainbow Dash sits down, looks down, and draws circles in the rug with her right hoof as she answers, “I don't know how to describe it. She glared at me, growled, then said something about not being able to get a Pinkie promise out of you.” The azure pegasa then rubs her chest with her right hoof as she continues, “She pushed me against the wall and first asked quietly, then loudly, if you told me about it.”

I want to ask how she answered, but I figure she'll tell me anyway. In the mean time, my character strokes the pegasa's rainbow-colored mane.

Rainbow Dash looks up at me and thanks me, then looks down again and continues, once again drawing the circles, “I said you didn't exactly tell me. When she asked, no demanded, that I explain, I told her about that moving picture thing of yours and how I saw the event on that.” The azure pegasa sniffles, then continues, “I expected her to hit me, but instead she let me go. She started ranting about you finding a loophole in your promise. I've never known Pinkie Pie to be so scary. I asked her why she'd do that to another pony, but she didn't answer me.” Again the rainbow-haired pegasa sniffles, but she can't prevent a sob and a tear from escaping, before she continues, “You know, she reminded me of another friend I had, but she was more cruel. If I didn't know better, I'd say it was Gilda, except more angry than she was at that party, when I rubbed her droppings in her head feathers.” At this point, she falls sideways onto my character's lap and once again starts sobbing.

My character looks up at Fluttershy, and I say, as she looks at me, “You see, you have a friend here that needs your help. You're not the only pony that's having a hard time.”

The yellow pegasa looks down at her azure friend, then back up at my character, then proceeds to jump over her friend off the couch without using her wings, then U-turns and approaches and starts to nuzzle Rainbow Dash.

Through her sobs, I hear the grief-stricken Rainbow Dash cry out for Gilda's forgiveness.

Fluttershy turns to my character and says, “How selfish I've been, wanting to kill myself because I thought I was the only one suffering. Thank you, human. I needed this.” And, with that, she positions herself and Rainbow Dash so they can hug. It's Fluttershy who initiates the hug, while Rainbow Dash reciprocates, and the two sob into each other's shoulders.

And, that's when Lyra comes in, supporting an assortment of fruits and vegetables with her magic. She looks at the two pegasae hugging and crying, then at me, then somehow manages to crawl under the coffee table to get to the kitchen, most likely to clean the plant parts in the sink.

Since there seems to be nothing more I can do for the two pegasae, my character stands up and walks behind the closest couch to open the door for Lyra as she enters the kitchen.

Before I can say anything, Lyra says, “You seem to have a way with ponies.”

While I'm not entirely sure what she means by that, I decide to treat her remark with optimism. As my character joins the pale-green unicorn, I answer, “I seem to remember something about a burden shared being a burned reduced. They may not be grieving over exactly the same thing, but at least they're supporting each other. And that, I think, is a step in the right direction.”

My character reaches out to turn on the sink, but a pale-green aura possesses the taps and faucet, and soon, outside of my character's control, the water is just the right temperature for cleaning Lyra's harvest.

As she uses her magic to slide a chair next to me and climbs onto it, she says, “There's more to you humans than producing things without the need for magic. With all the trouble you've caused, you've also shown me strengths I haven't seen in many ponies. Before I encountered you, all I knew about humans was fingers, upright walking, and amazing inventions. Who would've thought I'd see something even more amazing watching a human work through problems I couldn't work through?”

As my character rinses a carrot under the water, I answer, “Not all humans are the same. Some humans are better at dealing with pressure, with adversity, than others. Some of us learn that we're better than we think at dealing with problems. Others choose to hide from them, and never learn what their greatest strengths are. But, that's what life is all about. We learn what our greatest strengths are and to overcome our problems, or we never grow, and end up worse off than we were before. Life isn't meant to be easy, but what makes it fair is that it's hard for everyone.”

I hear Lyra laugh, then say, “I'm not altogether sure why Princess Celestia wanted you to have custody of me, but I'm finding I couldn't be in better company.”

A thought has occurred to me. I ask, “Oh, by the way, where's Weed Whacker?”

Lyra pauses, then answers, “She's in my bed. Princess Celestia put her broken bones back together with her magic, then placed her in my bed, as per my request.”

I notice that Lyra has cleaned more items than I have. In fact, that means the meal is nearly ready.

My character grabs one more item, an apple, and rinses it under the running water, as I say, “It's good to hear she'll be alright then. Does that mean she'll be able to eat something?”

Lyra pauses again, then says, “I hope so. I've learned quite a lot from and about you today. I'll have quite a letter to write to Princess Celestia this time.”

I comment, “I'm thinking I'll have something to write to her as well. Maybe not so much about what I've learned about unicorns, but what I've learned about pegasi. One thing I wonder about, though. Does the letter I write to her have to include all I've learned about unicorns, or you specifically, up to the time of the letter?”

Lyra answers, “That's something you'll have to ask Princess Celestia. But, somehow, I doubt it. If I were to write to Princess Celestia all I've learned about humans to date, or, all I thought I knew, well, for one thing, I'd be writing for hours, if not days. And, the Princess'd be receiving a book, not just a letter.” Then, after sighing with relief after cleaning all the fruits and vegetables I hadn't cleaned, she asks me, “So, what've you learned about pegasi?”

I answer, “I've learned that they can be really elusive and unpredictable. I left Rainbow Dash inside the house, and she destroyed my front door. I left Fluttershy with Twilight Sparkle, and she nearly killed herself after convincing Twilight that she was fine. While I find earth ponies possessed of the most potential, I've seen superlatives in pegasi and unicorns as well. They all seem to be worth further study.”

Lyra teleports herself next to the chair she'd been standing on, then uses her magic to slide the chair back in its place, before saying, “Well, thanks, I think. At any rate, the food's ready to eat. I'll inform everypony.”

My character nods in agreement, and Lyra proceeds out of the kitchen to inform the pegasae, then back through the kitchen to the hallway and to her bedroom to inform Weed Whacker.

I'm pleased to see the two pegasae, now smiling, proceed to take their places at the table. But, I'm even more pleased to see Weed Whacker come into the kitchen and take a chair next to Rainbow Dash, who proceeds to request forgiveness of the little dinosaur.

This leaves one place for either my character or Lyra. This, in turn, leads to a strange argument about who should get that place at the table, strange because we argue that the other should have the place. Eventually, everyone agrees to move the meal into the living room, so that everyone can have a place to sit.

With that argument settled, we enjoy the meal and each others company forming a circle in the front room. After that, it's agreed that the pegasae get Weed Whacker's room for the time being, and Weed Whacker and Lyra sleep in Lyra's room. With all arrangements made, the group of five retire to their assigned rooms, and Lyra and I write our letters to the Princesses.

I've never asked Lyra what she'd write about me. As far as I'm concerned, what she reports to the Princesses about what she learned from me is most likely none of my business; she'll inform me if she feels it's necessary.

As for myself, one thing I include in my letter is the question of one or both of the princesses having advice for Twilight Sparkle on who should hold the element of laughter now that Pinkie Pie is no longer worthy. Other than that, I write about what I've learned about pegasi from Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy, which seems to me more than I learned about unicorns from Lyra. Once I've completed my letter, I hand it to Weed Whacker, who immediately sends it off, after which it's time for my character to go to bed. I'll save and end the game now, and continue later after a short break.

Author's Notes:

How many of us would be forgiving if we were assaulted the way Weed Whacker was by Rainbow Dash? Considering the little dinosaur has chosen to sit next to her at the table, it seems that the Weed Whacker is willing to forgive and put the incident behind her.

You know, come to think of it, what if the elements of harmony could be passed to other ponies? Is that even a possibility in the My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic cannon?

The next two chapters after this one will be the longest in the story, and will feature quotes from the Book of Mormon. So, if you don't think scriptures, either Latter-Day Saint or otherwise, should be involved, then it's best that you read no further than this. For that matter, you may not want to even bother with the next volume, Success; the Book of Mormon will play an even greater role in that volume. For those who do or would like to see scriptures involved, please feel free to read through chapters seven and eight as they're published. And, for that matter, look forward to the release of the second volume.

Specifically in chapter seven, Cupcakes with a Dash of Rainbow, this is indeed the chapter where Rainbow Dash is killed. But, it is not the end of the story. Pinkie Pie must, and will, face retribution for her murders. And, as for scriptural references, the first verse in the Book of Mormon is quoted, while reading in the rest of the chapter is just referenced.