Once again, as I start the game, my character is awakened to knocking on his bedroom door.

Accompanying the knocking, I hear Lyra's voice call out, “Mormon, you need to come as fast as possible! Carrot Top and Berry Punch aren't in their room, and I can't find them anywhere!”

I have my character get out of his bed as I answer, “It's alright, Lyra! I let them go last night!”

I hear Lyra's voice call, “Oh! You might've let me know about that as soon as you did, so I wouldn't get worried about them!”

I answer, “Yeah, sorry about that!”

As my character gets ready to leave his room, I hear Lyra's voice call, “Oh, and by the way, Weed Whacker and Pinkie Pie are out getting fruits and vegetables for breakfast! I'll be out too, getting fruits from the vineyard!”

I answer, “Go on ahead!”

As I listen to the hoof-falls away from my character's bedroom door, I find that it doesn't take long for him to get ready. It's just a matter of checking his inventory to make sure he's ready, and heading to the door to leave.

By the time my character arrives in the kitchen, I find that Pinkie Pie's there putting the apples she harvested in the sink. Evidently, Diane managed to knock four of them out of the tree she chose.

I say, “Hi, Pinkie. I'm guessing things went well?”

The pink earth pony turns to my character, smiles, and says, “You betcha. Diane knows just how hard to kick a tree to get just the amount of apples she wants from it."

Just then, I notice the kitchen door open, and Weed Whacker comes in with her arms loaded with vegetables from the garden.

I have my character kneel down on one knee as I ask, “You need help with that?”

I can only hear Weed Whacker's muffled voice answer, “Please, Mormon, could you help me?”

I have my character stand up again and move around the herbivorous dinosaur so he's between her and the sink, then grab a handful of vegetables from the top and put them in the sink.

As my character grabs another handful of vegetables, I hear Weed Whacker say, “Oh, thank you, Mormon.”

I answer, “Glad I could be of service. I'm guessing Lyra usually helps you?”

The herbivorous dinosaur answers, “Yeah she does, but today she had to tell you about Carrot Top and Berry Punch first.” As my character grabs another handful of vegetables, Weed Whacker asks, “Uh, by the way, what happened to them?”

It's Pinkie Pie who answers, “Mormon let them go last night, with Vinyl's friends.”

Before anymore can be said on the matter, the kitchen door opens again; and Lyra enters with various fruits floating in the air, possessed by her magic.

The pale-green unicorn sees my character and says, “So, I guess that means everypony living here is going to Ponyville, then?”

I answer, “Pony, human, and dragon.”

Pinkie Pie demonstrates understanding of my joke by giggling at what I said, while Lyra stares at my character almost apologetically.

As my character grabs the last handful of vegetables from Weed Whacker, I say, “Well, let's get breakfast ready, so we can head to Ponyville. We need to visit the Cakes at the clinic and see how they're doing with their new foals. And, assuming Scootaloo's parents agree to let her join Applebloom and Sweetie Belle, we're going to have three guests here this evening.”

That's when Pinkie Pie says, “That's right, the Cutie Mark Crusaders said they wanted to spend the night here. Well, at least here they'll be outnumbered.”

As my character picks Weed Whacker up and puts her in the sink, I say, “Even one infant can be a handful for three adults. Just because there are more of us than there are of them doesn't mean all of us will be able to handle all of them. If anything, it'll be a learning experience for all of us.”

Pinkie Pie grunts with interest and says, “You may be right. I didn't think of that.”

Lyra, with her magic, places her harvest in the sink with Weed Whacker as she says, “Weed Whacker hasn't been a problem for us. How difficult can three school-aged foals be?”

At this point, I see Weed Whacker look at Lyra and glare. Based on the look she's giving the pale-green unicorn, I'd say she doesn't like being equated with young equines.

I say to the evidently offended dinosaur, “Now, calm down, Weed Whacker. I'm sure Lyra didn't mean anything by it.”

Weed Whacker simply snorts and looks away, then proceeds to turn the taps on in the sink and get ready to clean some fruits and vegetables.

Then, I hear Lyra ask, “Mormon, could you let me near the sink?”

I respond by having my character move aside so the pale-green unicorn can approach.

As soon as she has the chance, Lyra ambles forward, then props herself against the cabinet so she can see the herbivorous dinosaur in the sink, then says, “I'm sorry, Weed Whacker. Mormon was right. I didn't think comparing you to school-age foals was going to offend you. Will you forgive me?”

Somehow, as Weed Whacker turns around, she knocks the faucet so the stream of water from it is between her and Lyra's face. She steps forward through the stream, allowing the water to fall on her head, some of which bounces off her nose and splashes on Lyra's face. When the water's running down the herbivorous dinosaur's back, she turns and eyes the pale-green unicorn's face. Then, after a few seconds, Weed Whacker points her nose toward Lyra again, sighs, and says, “I know you didn't mean to offend me. So, I forgive you.”

Lyra smiles back at her and says, “Thank you, Weed Whacker. I'll be careful about what I say from now on.”

As Weed Whacker pushes the tap toward the fruits and vegetables again, she says, “I guess I shouldn't get so offended when I'm compared to the young of another species. After all, I am just a hatchling.” Then, she turns, grabs a carrot, and starts cleaning it off under the running water.

At this point, I say, “Well, let's consider that argument settled. We need to get ready so we can head to Ponyville. We have a busy day ahead of us.”

Lyra pushes away from the sink, then turns to my character and says, “Agreed.” At that point, she and Pinkie Pie take positions on opposite sides of the table from each other; and I proceed to take fruits and vegetables that Weed Whacker has washed and hand them to the two mares, who, with the drying cloths Pinkie Pie seems to have gotten from somewhere, dry them off.

When all the fruits and vegetables are ready, I have my character take Weed Whacker out of the sink and put her on the seat in front of him, then occupy the seat opposite the herbivorous dinosaur.

In the mean time, Pinkie Pie occupies the chair to my character's right; and Lyra occupies the chair to his left.

After the group eats the prepared food, they proceed out of the kitchen, with my character at the end of the line to close doors behind them, through the front room, out the front door, then to the front gate to head to Ponyville.

After an uneventful trip through the Everfree forest, the group arrives at the bridge to Fluttershy's house.

I hear Twilight Sparkle say, “This is going to make quite a letter to the princess. I was wrong about you. You certainly do know how to handle those girls.”

Pinkie Pie leads the group across the bridge to Fluttershy's house as I hear the yellow pegasa say, “No, I wouldn't go that far.”

Twilight Sparkle grunts in curiosity and asks, “How so?”

Fluttershy answers, “I assumed I'd be just as good with kids as I am with animals. Boy, was I wrong. I learned the hard way not to bite off more than I can chew.”

Twilight states, “You and Rarity both.”

Then, the yellow pegasa, noticing the party of four approaching her, says, “Oh, Pinkie Pie, Lyra, Weed Whacker, Mormon, nice to see you again.”

The four of us respond with similar remarks about how it's also nice to see her and Twilight.

The purple unicorn, turning to us, says, “Oh, I've been meaning to thank you again for helping me out in the forest. You and Fluttershy here.”

I respond, “I was glad to be of service.”

Then Pinkie Pie says, “Oh, I don't know if Fluttershy's told you about this, but we're going to see the Cakes' foals today. Do you wanna come along?”

Twilight grins and says, “Well, I'd be happy to. They had them already?”

Lyra answers, “Just yesterday. They were so busy at the clinic that we didn't get a chance to visit them then.”

Just then, I hear Rarity say, “Oh, Mormon, imagine meeting you here.”

As my character turns to focus on the white unicorn, I answer, “Nice to see you, too.”

Rarity continues, “I just delivered that order of dresses I was working on for most of the night. I must admit, if you hadn't come along, I might not have finished it. Thanks again.”

Fluttershy nods and asks, “Will you be coming with us to see the Cakes' foals?”

Rarity answers, “Oh, I wouldn't miss it for the world. But, right now, I need to take the girls back to Ponyville.” Then, she turns around and calls out, “Girls, get your things! Time to go!”

Just then, a giggling herd of three caped fillies runs past my character.

In an attempt to get the attention of the three Crusaders, Rarity calls out, “Girls … Girls! It's time … Girls! Your things! Girls, … it's time to …” It's clear to me that the white unicorn is getting more and more frustrated with the Cutie Mark Crusaders not paying attention to her, ultimately culminating in her almost roaring out, “Girls!”

Finally, Fluttershy steps forward and says, “Allow me.” Then, the yellow pegasa clears her throat and quietly says, “Girls?”

Immediately the trio stops, turns to Fluttershy, and lines up side-by-side in front of her.

Applebloom says, “Yes, Fluttershy?”

Scootaloo asks, “You called?”

Fluttershy nods and says, “Go and get your things. Rarity's here to see you home.”

Sweetie Belle nods and says, “Of course, Fluttershy. Right away.”

And, with that, the three run off into the yellow pegasa's cottage to collect their things.

I'm sure it's Applebloom I hear say, “Now, you can go home and get permission from your parents to go with us to Mormon's house tonight.”

As the yellow earth filly disappears into Fluttershy's cottage, a Rarity in shock asks, “How did you … how did you do that?”

I see, through my character's eyes, Fluttershy wink at Twilight before she says, “I guess I'm just as good with kids as I am with animals.”

The trio of fillies shout their thanks and farewells to Fluttershy, after which Rarity says, trotting away from the yellow pegasa, “Uh, speaking of which, I could use your help with Opal.”

Fluttershy answers, “Oh, of course. How about later today?”

How I managed to miss this I can only attribute to too much input as Rarity turns her side to face the group of six to show us the white Persian cat attached by her claws to the white unicorn's side. As the cat screeches and glares on, Rarity asks, “Uh, how about—now?”

I, for one, can't help sharing Rarity's grimace of pain.

On the other hand, Fluttershy and Twilight, who's just trotted up to her, giggle for a second or two, after which Fluttershy trots up to the white Persian and starts nuzzling her.

In a matter of seconds, Opalescence calms down enough that she lets go of her owner, then jumps onto Fluttershy's back.

Rarity smiles with relief and says, “Why, thank you, Fluttershy. I don't know what I did to get her so upset at me. She followed me all the way here and just grabbed on to me.”

The white Persian cat hisses at Rarity, then turns to my character and smiles a wide smile, which somehow reminds me of the Cheshire cat from Walt Disney's Alice in Wonderland.

On the other hand, Fluttershy turns to the smiling feline and says, “Now, Opalescence, you know better than to attack your owner that way. Remember, you should never bite the hoof that feeds you.”

I can't help commenting, “She didn't seem to have any problems with the hoof. She just got attached to Rarity's side.”

At my comment, Opalescence jumps off of Fluttershy's back, trots over to my character, and proceeds to purr and rub against his leg.

Rarity, seeing this, glares at my character, sputters a bit, then says, “Hey!”

I shrug and say, “I guess there's no accounting for animal magnetism.”

That causes Pinkie Pie, Lyra, and Weed Whacker to start giggling.

I allow them the moment, then say, “Well, I guess we should be heading for Ponyville, then.”

Pinkie Pie gasps and says, “That's right. We need to go to the clinic to visit the Cakes and their foals.”

Scootaloo, suddenly next to Rarity, says, “And, I need to go home and ask permission from my mom and dad.”

I turn to Rarity and ask, “Uh, by the way, did you see Applejack on your way in?”

Rarity answers, “No, I didn't. Why do you ask?”

I answer, “Nothing. She just said she'd be waiting for us when we came out of the forest.”

Twilight Sparkle proceeds to the bridge as she says, “Well, we'd better get going, then.”

I add, “But, first, I'm guessing we're going to need to stop at a few places.”

Rarity states, “That's right. I need to drop Opalescence off at the Boutique.”

Twilight says, “I guess we also need to deliver these three fillies to their homes.”

Sweetie Belle squeaks, “Nah, we'll just wait in front of Scootaloo's house to see if her parents give her permission to come with us to go to Mormon's house.”

Then, the trio call out, “Cutie Mark Crusaders, sleepover at Mormon's house, yay!”

I state, “Well, let's get going, then.”

And, with that, the group of thirteen, including Opalescence, makes their way to the bridge, crosses it, then heads out of the forest to meet up with Applejack, and Rainbow Dash, at the opening facing town. From there, the group makes its way into Ponyville.

Just within the borders, Rarity turns to the yellow pegasa and asks, “Fluttershy, will you come with me?” Then, as Fluttershy agrees, Rarity turns to the rest of the group and says, “If the rest of you will head to the clinic, we'll catch up with you there.” And, with that, the white unicorn and the yellow pegasa head for Carousel Boutique, I'm guessing to drop off Opalescence.

In the mean time, Twilight also separates from the group. Turning to the now dwindling group, she says, “I need to deliver this letter to Spike so he can send it to Princess Celestia.” Then, she turns ahead of her and makes her way to the library.

Scootaloo looks up at my character and says, “Sweetie Belle, Applebloom and I better get going to my house, so I can ask my parents for permission. See you later.” And, with that, the three foals run off into town, giggling all the way.

With the group now reduced to six, my character, Pinkie Pie, Lyra, Weed whacker, Applejack and Rainbow Dash, I have my character lead the others to the clinic.

On the way there, Applejack says, “Ah'm sure lookin' forward to seein' the Cake's foals.”

Rainbow Dash says, “Me too. I didn't get a chance to see them yesterday because Mormon stopped me.”

Applejack glares at her blue pegasa friend and says, “Rainbow Dash, the foals weren't even born yet. Ya can't just barge in on a mare while she's a'foalin'.”

Rainbow Dash whines, “Yeah, but I just wanted to have a look at the foals.”

I respond, “And, you're gonna get that chance as soon as Twilight Sparkle, Fluttershy, and Rarity get here, along with the rest of us. I'm sure you can wait until then.”

Rainbow Dash's response is simply a groan of irritation.

No more is said among the group, which is just as well since they make it there just a few seconds later.

I make the decision to wait outside the clinic for the other three to arrive. And, the group doesn't have to wait long for Rarity and Fluttershy to be the first of the three to make it, and Twilight Sparkle to arrive not far behind.

The group of nine, lead by my character and Pinkie Pie, enters the clinic and makes their way to the front desk.

It's Pinkie Pie who says to the nurse pony at the front desk, “We're here to visit the Cakes and their foals.”

The white earth pony smiles and says, “Just wait here. I'll go and see how they're doing, and if they're allowed visitors.” And, with that, she backs out of the cubicle and heads into the clinic.

It doesn't take more than a few seconds before I hear Rainbow Dash behind my character say, “This is so awesome.”

I have my character turn to her, then I say, “Just be patient, Rainbow Dash. We still need permission to get in there.”

The smiling blue pegasa says, “I know. I'm just really excited right now.”

Well, at least she's keeping relatively quiet about it.

Before I can say as much, the nurse shows up with Mr. Cake and says, “Good news. You and your group have been given permission to enter and see the Cakes' two foals.”

Every pony, as well as Weed Whacker, cheers for joy over the announcement.

Instantly, the nurse shushes them and says, “Quiet down. Remember, this is a clinic. You don't want to make too much noise. We've got patients here that need their sleep.”

Immediately the cheers quiet down, and it's Fluttershy who says, “Sorry about that.”

As Mr. Cake makes his way to the hallway leading into the clinic, he says, “Follow me. I'll lead you to the nursery.”

For a clinic, the building has a main hall that twists and turns around quite a few rooms.

When the group finally arrives at the nursery, with seven ponies, one dinosaur and one human waiting out in a wide part of the hallway, Mr. Cake is allowed inside, where he makes his way in between two foals, each in their own bed.

Rainbow Dash, unable to contain her excitement anymore, flaps her wings and hovers over Fluttershy; while Pinkie Pie props herself up against the window. For that matter, so do the other ponies that aren't hovering.

On the other hand, to get a better view of the scene, Weed Whacker jumps off of Lyra and onto my character's shoulder. At least, that's what I'm assuming from the involuntary and momentary shutter of my character. Then, he turns and shows me, through his eyes, the little dinosaur indeed on his shoulder.

After a second or two of the group vocalizing their excitement, Applejack asks, “Can you believe the new babies are finally here?”

Twilight excitedly says, “Cup Cake and Carrot Cake must be so proud!”

Rarity says, “I wonder if it's going to be a filly or a colt.”

I state, “I'm thinking they're going to be one of each.”

At my comment, Applejack, Twilight, Rarity and Rainbow Dash look at me and simultaneously grunt in confusion and disbelief.

Before I can respond, Pinkie Pie says, “I wanna see the new baby ponies. I wanna see. Which ones are they?”

I don't say this aloud, but I'm finding it difficult to believe that, considering Mr. Cake is standing right over one of the foals, none of them is taking notice. I guess they're just too excited to think clearly.

Then, Mr. Cake pulls a blanket off of the first foal, who's wrapped in a blue blanket, and says, “Meet our son, Pound Cake.”

The little colt stretches and yawns and flaps his wings, then relaxes again.

In response, seven mares and one dinosaur simultaneously say, “Aw.”

Then, Mr. Cake turns to the cradle behind him and pulls the blanket off of a foal wrapped in a pink blanket, and continues, “And, our daughter, Pumpkin Cake.”

The little filly, like her brother, stretches and yawns. But, since it's clear she has no wings, but a horn instead, she has nothing to flap. Still, again like her brother, after yawning and stretching, she also relaxes.

At this point, Rarity turns to my character and says, “Mormon, how did you know that the Cakes were going to have two foals?”

I open my mouth to answer, but Pinkie Pie starts first, saying, “Oh, that's easy. Mr. Cake said that Doctor Horse said they were going to have twins.” Excitedly, she continues, “And you know what that means. Two, two, two times the fun. It's the greatest day ever!” And, before I can stop her, she runs into the nursery, produces a party hat and whistle from her mane, and calls out, “We need to celebrate your birthdays, babies!”

I lose track of what else she says, as I say, “Pinkie Pie, you're not supposed to be in there.” Of course, since I have the episode on which this is based, I can watch that if I want to catch the rest of what Pinkie Pie says.

In the mean time, it turns out that what I say is echoed by the nurse pony anyway, as she attempts to shush the excited pink earth pony. She adds, “The babies are trying to sleep.”

Pinkie Pie tries to say something, but the nurse pony shushes her. She tries again, with the same result. Finally, she sneaks in between the two cradles, puts a forelimb over each one, and starts quietly singing a “Happy Birthday” song.

That is, until the nurse pony glares at her, effectively silencing her.

At this point, I wonder aloud, “Do you think I should go in there and get Pinkie Pie out before she causes anymore trouble?”

The answer comes when the nurse grabs Pinkie by the scruff of the neck and drags her out of the nursery, then tosses her into the hallway.

As my character goes to collect the now disgraced party pony, I hear Applejack say, “Ah have a better question. How in thunderation is one of them twins a pegasus, and the other a unicorn?”

As my character scoops Pinkie Pie up and holds her the way a human would hold an infant and carries her back to the other element bearers, I hear Mr. Cake answer, “Easy. My great-great-great-great grandfather was a unicorn. And, Cup Cake's second cousin twice removed was a pegasus.” Then, evidently uncertain about his explanation, he asks, “Uh, that makes sense, right?”

I find myself humming with uncertainty.

And, I'm not entirely certain Rainbow Dash heard Mr. Cake's question when she says, “Ah, yeah.” She continues, “Just you wait. Once little Pound Cake gets his wings goin', he'll be all over the place.” And, to emphasize her point, she starts flying around the hallway.

Then, Twilight says, “And, be careful around Pumpkin Cake.”

Rarity adds, “Baby unicorns get strange magic surges that come and go.”

A suddenly uncertain Mr. Cake looks at each of his new foals.

Then, Pinkie Pie appears in between them with a cake and says, “Quick, make a wish and blow out your candles. Which is easy, because there are zero candles. You are zero years old after all.”

Presently, the nurse pony shushes the excited Pinkie Pie.

In the mean time, after showing me, through his eyes, that Pinkie Pie has managed to slip out of his arms, my character, as per my instructions, puts Weed Whacker on Lyra's back again, and, while I have him enter the nursery after the party pony, I say, “I think I'd better handle this problem personally.” Then, as a cake-bearded Pinkie Pie grunts questioningly, I have my character grab her by the scruff of her neck, hold her up between the foals, then move her over Pumpkin Cake, being careful not to let any of Pinkie Pie's cake crumbs fall on the little filly.

As the once more disgraced pink earth pony drops her cake and, like a cat in such a position, pulls her tail between her legs, she looks at me and innocently asks, “Mormon, what're you doing?”

I answer, “I'm taking care of a problem. And, for you, young lady, the party's over.”

With one keystroke I have my character hold her as he had before, like an infant. And, with another keystroke, I have him carry her out of the clinic, backtracking along the route he took to get to the nursery, all the time holding and watching the pink party pony so she won't be able to escape.

But, that doesn't mean she doesn't try. Reaching back toward her friends, she says, “But, what about Lyra and Weed Whacker?”

I answer, “I'm sure they'll come when they're ready.”

Then, Pinkie asks, “And, what about the rest of my friends? Are you gonna carry them out the same way?”

I answer, “They were behaving themselves.”

At this statement, Pinkie Pie pauses for a moment, then says, “I'm sorry. I was just so excited to see the Cakes' foals.”

I respond, “We'll continue this discussion outside.” Which is just as well, since the entrance to the hallway of the clinic, unblocked, isn't that far away.

In a matter of seconds, my character and Pinkie Pie are outside; at which point I have my character put Pinkie down, facing away from him.

When she turns to my character, she's frowning as she says, “I really am sorry, Mormon. I didn't think I was doing anything bad.”

I have my character sit next to her as I say, “The fact of the matter is you were going into a place where you shouldn't have been. The nursery is for infants, their parents, and the nurses that take care of the infants. And, as far as I can see, you don't qualify as any of those, even if you were acting like a child.”

Pinkie tries to speak, but ends up only stammering and sniffling.

In response, I have my character put a hand on her back, then I say, “Come here, Pinkie.”

Presently, Pinkie Pie jumps into my character's arms, puts her forelimbs, I assume, over his shoulders, rests her head on one of his shoulders, and sobs, “I'm so, so sorry, Mormon. I wasn't thinking when I went in there. Can you forgive me?”

I have my character rub the back of the pink earth pony's neck where he'd grabbed her, and I say, “Of course I forgive you. You are neither the first nor the only one who's done things without thinking first. If I hold those kinds of things against you, I might as well hold them against myself.” Then, after a momentary pause, I add, “Besides, I have a sneaking suspicion that I'm going to need your help in taking care of the Cutie Mark Crusaders. Since you're an earth pony, I'm thinking I could use your help in taking care of Applebloom.”

Pinkie Pie sobs a few more times, then, after taking a sharp, noisy breath, says, “So, can we go back inside now?”

I answer, “I don't think so. Not today.”

Pinkie Pie asks, “Not even to clean up the mess I made?”

I answer, “I'm sure the janitor or one of the nurses'll take care of that.”

Just then, I hear Lyra's voice ask, from behind my character, say, “Is everything alright between you and Pinkie Pie?”

My character turns to show me, through his eyes, the pale-green unicorn with Weed Whacker on her back. I answer, “We're fine. But, I'm thinking it's time for us to go back home.”

As my character puts the pink party pony back on the ground, Lyra asks, “And, what about the Cutie Mark Crusaders? Aren't we gonna wait for them?”

Then, again from behind my character, I hear a new male voice say, “That's right. If I'm gonna let a human take care of Scootaloo, I think I should at least know who's going to be taking care of her.”

And, again my character turns around, this time to show me, through his eyes, a somewhat dark tan stallion with a yellow spot over his rounded snout, and reddish-orange mane and tail. In his position, facing my character directly, I can't see his cutie mark. I say, “I'm guessing you're Scootaloo's father?”

The stallion nods and answers, “That's right. My name's Wind Walker.”

That name catches me completely off guard. A pony named for a story about an old Lamanite?

Wind Walker continues, taking a step closer to my character, “I seem to recognize you. Didn't you bring Trixie into town one last time, and have her put on that puppet show?”

I answer, “The puppet show was her idea. She showed it to me and the ponies and dragon living with me, and I really liked it. So, I thought she should show it to the ponies in Ponyville before she left. They seemed to like it, too.”

Wind Walker grunts in agreement, and says, “I was one of those in the audience that liked Trixie's puppet show. In fact, I was the one that asked about why Nephi had to kill Laban.” Taking a step back now, the tan stallion continues, “You've had a good influence on Trixie, as far as I can see, and Scootaloo speaks highly of you otherwise. So, I'll let her and her friends stay with you on one condition.”

I ask, “And, what would that be?”

Wind Walker answers, “I want to join in the reading this evening.”

I can't help smiling as I state, “Well, you're welcome to join in the reading anytime. Generally there's a group of ponies that leaves Ponyville and travels through the Everfree forest for the readings.” I then ask, “Is there anyone that lives near you that you know comes to my home to read?”

The tan stallion pauses for a moment in thought, then answers, “Towards the end of the day, I see Cold Hands and Warm Heart leaving their home with their sons Snips and Snails. Are they part of the group that goes to your home to read?”

I answer, “They are.”

Wind Walker smiles and says, “Then, in that case, I shall come with my wife and my daughter, and we shall take part in the next reading at your house.” And, before I can respond, he turns and walks off.

From next to my character, opposite Pinkie Pie, I hear Lyra say, “I guess that means you have another member of your reading group.”

My character turns to her, and I say, “I guess you're right. So, shall we head home, then?”

It looks like the pale-green unicorn is about to say something, until she turns and sees Pinkie Pie with cake crumbs on her front. Then, she says, looking up at my character, “Yeah, I guess that's a good idea. Let's get going.”

So, with agreement from Lyra, Pinkie Pie, and Weed Whacker, the group of four start to make their way away from the clinic and toward Ponyville's main street to head back to the Everfree forest.

As the quartet reaches the main street and turns to head out of town, I hear the voice of Applebloom ask, “So, how'd things go with you 'n' Scootaloo's dad?”

My character turns to the source of the voice to show me, through his eyes, the little yellow filly between Lyra and him. I answer, “We've made a deal. He'll allow her to stay with me if he can come to the reading tonight.”

Immediately she jumps into the air, kicks her hind hooves together, and shouts out, “Yahoo!” Then, when she lands, she says, “I'm goin' ta Carousel Boutique! Sweetie Belle's gotta hear 'bout this!” And, with that, she gallops off to the boutique, shouting, “Cutie Mark Crusaders, sleepover at Mormon's house! Yay!”

I can't help laughing to myself at the little earth filly's excitement.

Then, Lyra says, “I guess that's all the more reason to get home, so we can get things ready for the reading. And, it looks like you'll need to get out two more of those books.”

I answer, “Agreed.”

As the group leaves Ponyville and heads into the Everfree forest, the thought occurs to me that the Crusaders are likely going to be searching my home for ways to earn their cutie marks. Whether I can help them or not, maybe I can help them find a good reason for their search, or at least get to the reason why they want to earn their marks in the first place. I have nothing against them finding their own identities, whether its by a talent each of them has, or by something else that identifies each of them. I just want them to have a good reason for getting their cutie marks.

By the time the group of four reaches my character's home, it's still really early in the afternoon. And, not only does Pinkie Pie need to take a bath, my character also needs one, considering the crumbs from the party pony's mystery cake are not only on his shirt, but also on his face and who knows where else.

As soon as the group enters the house, Pinkie Pie goes to the nearest bathroom and starts her shower.

Lyra and Weed Whacker head to the room they share.

My character heads to his room and removes his clothes, then heads to the bathroom across from his room and takes his shower. And, afterwards, he returns to his room, takes out a fresh change of clothes, and puts them on. By the time he's back out, Pinkie Pie is also there, sitting at the kitchen table.

Considering how early it still is, I wonder to myself if I should go fishing again. Then again, while Pinkie Pie may be at least familiar with at least some of the details of human omnivory, it's highly unlikely that Weed Whacker is. So, I decide against it.

Then, Pinkie Pie suggests, “You know, since you still have a lot of time before the reading, you could take out that disc and go play fetch with Scout.”

You know, Pinkie Pie may have something there. I ask her, “So, would you like to join us?”

Pinkie Pie hums for a moment and looks as though she's thinking about something she doesn't like thinking about, or at least isn't sure about it, in the mean time rubbing her chin with a front hoof. Then, she says, “You know, Gummy and I haven't played together for a few days now. I suppose the four of us could have a play date, me with Gummy, and you with Scout.” Then, she puts the hoof down and smiles as though the idea just dawned on her, and says, “Okie dokie. You just wait here, and I'll get Gummy.”

I admit I hadn't really been thinking about Pinkie's pet alligator. But, if she wants to bring her along, then why not?”

As I wait with my character in the kitchen, I hear a door open in the hallway. Then, I hear Lyra's voice say, “Hi, Pinkie.”

I hear Pinkie respond, “Oh, hi, Lyra.”

I hear another door open, and Lyra ask, “What's going on?”

I hear Pinkie answer, “Mormon and I are gonna take our pets on a play date. Do you and Weed Whacker wanna come along?”

From Lyra's grunt, it sounds like she's interested. I hear her ask, “Where'll you be goin'?”

Then, I hear Pinkie answer, “You know, I'm not really sure. Very likely somewhere on Mormon's property, so it probably won't be too far away. He's gonna take his disc with him and play fetch with Scout.”

Now, the groan I hear from Lyra makes it sound as though she's disappointed.

I then hear Weed Whacker's voice ask, “What's going on?”

Lyra answers, “Mormon and Pinkie Pie are going out, probably somewhere else on his property, to play with their pets.”

Weed Whacker asks, “Is there something wrong with that?”

Lyra answers, “I'm just not sure what games can include three ponies, one dragon, one human, one lizard, and one timber wolf.”

Presently, Weed Whacker says, “The last play date we were on, it didn't matter if everyone was playing the same game, just as long as at least two were playing together. You gave me rides all over the park, and we had so much fun. Mormon and Scout had just as much fun when Mormon threw that disc and Scout ran and retrieved it, and Pinkie Pie and Gummy had as much fun with Gummy snapping at Pinkie's hair and legs.”

I hear Lyra grunt in interested affirmation. Then, a second later, she says, “You know, Weed Whacker, you're right about that. So, do you wanna go out for rides around Mormon's property?”

I can't help smiling as I hear Weed Whacker's excited answer, “Sure.” Evidently all six of us are going on a play date. As I once said, the more, the merrier.

As I hear hoof-falls toward the kitchen, my character turns to show me, through his eyes, the pale-green unicorn emerge from the hallway, followed closely behind by the herbivorous dinosaur. Is it my imagination, or has Weed Whacker grown some since the second day of this game? I have programmed her, and other creatures for that matter, including ponies, with that ability.

Lyra says, “Pinkie Pie just told me that you and her are gonna take your pets on a play date.”

I conclude, “And, you and Weed Whacker want to come with us, is that right?”

Lyra smiles and says, “That's right.”

Again I smile as I say, “You're quite welcome to.”

I can see, through my character's eyes, the gratitude in those of Lyra. But, before she can express it vocally, Pinkie Pie appears with Gummy in her mane and says, “So, let's get going.”

I check my character's inventory and find the blue disc still there. With that worked out, and with Pinkie Pie leading the way, I have my character follow her, behind Lyra and Weed Whacker, out of the kitchen, through and out the front room, closing doors behind him. Once the group is outside, I have my character produce the disc from his inventory to get Scout's attention, which works. Then, with the others following him, I have my character lead the way past the vineyard and vegetable garden, and on to the pond and the grassy area around it, tossing the disc ahead of him so Scout can run ahead, catch it, and bring it back.

Once the group arrives at the pond, the time is spent in this way: Pinkie Pie playing with Gummy, Lyra giving Weed Whacker rides around the back yard, and my character throwing the blue disc for Scout to catch it and bring it back. That is, until Pinkie Pie, I think, notices activity in the front yard and directs the attention of the rest of the group to it. And, from that point on, the play date is over. Time to go back to the front yard, gather fruits and vegetables for snacks, and otherwise prepare for the reading.

As the party of six makes it to the front yard, my character is met by Scootaloo, who says, “Mormon, mommy and daddy are here for the reading!”

Just behind him are Wind Walker and a pegasa. Wind Walker nuzzles the pegasa and says, “This is my wife, Sleeping Beauty.”

Well, why not? I suppose if Scootaloo's father's name can remind me of a book, her mother's name can remind me of a fairy tale. I say to them, “It's nice of you to come. I hope you enjoy the reading.”

Wind Walker rubs his daughter's mane with a front hoof as he says, “Scootaloo here's been reading from that book you gave her, and even read some of it to us. That's part of the reason why we're here. We want to understand what Scootaloo's been reading here.”

I say, “Well, I'm happy to have you here anyway. Now, I need to help get some snacks ready, and then I'll get you your own copies of the book.” And, with that, my character makes his way to the orchard, followed by Pinkie Pie.

In the mean time, I can only assume that Lyra is already in the vineyard, and Weed Whacker is already in the vegetable garden. I also notice a couple familiar earth ponies, Carrot Top and Berry Punch, heading to those places, evidently to help out: Carrot Top to the vegetable garden, and Berry Punch to the vineyard.

It only takes one kick from Diane to knock seven apples out of the tree, four of which Pinkamena collects in her mane, and the other three my character gathers up. Then, the pink earth pony and the human meet Weed Whacker, Lyra, Carrot Top, and Berry Punch on the front porch, where Pinkie Pie opens the door to allow the others to enter.

Once inside the house, I happen to see, from the edge of my character's periphery, a yellow earth filly with red mane following us. As my character focuses on her, I ask, “Applebloom, shouldn't you be outside with the others?”

Applebloom starts to frown as she says, “Aw, but my friends and Ah wanna help.”

My character then turns to show me, through his eyes, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo following close behind Applebloom. A thought occurs to me, and I say, “You know, maybe you can help. Just follow us into the kitchen, and we'll get things set up.”

My invitation is met with three smiling faces, and the three fillies follow my character and the other ponies and the dinosaur into the kitchen.

I have my character put Weed Whacker in the sink, then hand her the apples he gathered, as well as those that Pinkie Pie gives him from her mane; then, as Weed Whacker's receiving other fruits and vegetables from Lyra, who's accepting them from Berry Punch and Carrot Top, I have my character help Pinkie Pie get out the snack tray, then line up the Cutie Mark Crusaders behind Lyra, Berry Punch, and Carrot Top: Sweetie Belle behind Lyra, Applebloom behind Berry Punch, and Scootaloo behind Carrot Top. After that, I pass out knives to Lyra, Berry Punch, and Carrot Top and instruct them to pass the slices of fruit and vegetables to the fillies behind them so they can pass them to Pinkie Pie.

The machine has a few extra parts to it now, but they all work smoothly. Weed Whacker cleans the plant parts in the sink, then hands them to my character, who distributes them to Lyra, Berry Punch, or Carrot Top. They cut up the plant parts, then pass them to the filly behind each of them, who passes them to Pinkie Pie, who puts them on the snack tray.

When Weed Whacker has handed me the last item, a beet, I have my character hand it to Carrot Top to cut up, then remove Weed Whacker from the sink, then go into the front room to get two copies of the Book of Mormon from the closet, and finally go outside and deliver them to Wind Walker and Sleeping Beauty.

Not long after that, three earth ponies, assisted by the Cutie Mark Crusaders, come out with the snack tray and place it in the middle of the forming circle on the lawn, with Lyra and Weed Whacker following close behind.

One thing I can't help noticing, as my character takes his place in the circle, is that Zecora has, it seems, taken it on herself to take a position between Mayor Mare and him this time. I'm not sure if this means the zebra and the earth pony are in competition for a position next to my character, but it is something I'm finding difficult to ignore.

But, there's another unexpected thing that comes up. Fluttershy rises from her place in the circle, approaches my character, and says, “If it's alright with you, I'd like to stay here tonight and help you take care of Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, and Applebloom.”

I say, “I welcome the offer. But, I have to wonder, is there any particular reason why you're offering?”

The yellow pegasa rubs the back of her neck with a front hoof as she answers, “Well, I've had experience taking care of the Cutie Mark Crusaders, and I'm thinking you could use all the help you can get, if that's alright with you.”

I state, “Well, actually, I'm honored by the offer. Honestly, I haven't had any experience taking care of three fillies. And, I could use as much help as I could get. If you want to help me take care of them, then you're welcome to stay.”

A surprisingly eager Fluttershy smiles, nods, and says, “Oh, thank you, Mormon,” before going back to her place in the circle.

After Fluttershy is back in her place and Zecora and Mayor Mare have settled down, I ask, “Has anyone here brought Wind Walker and Sleeping Beauty up-to-date on what we've been reading so far?”

Scootaloo rises and says, “I've been telling mommy and daddy about what I've been reading. I've even been reading with 'em.”

I nod and say, “Well, in that case, I suppose the next thing to do is start reading. It begins in the Second Book of Nephi, chapter twenty-four.” I then direct my character's attention to Scootaloo's parents as I ask, “Wind Walker, Sleeping Beauty, would one of you like to read the first verse?”

The two pegasi flip through the pages until they get to the right one; then Wind Walker says, “I'll read the first verse.” He then looks down and reads, “For the Lord will have mercy on Jacob, and will yet choose Israel, and set them in their own land; and the strangers shall be joined with them, and they shall cleave to the house of Jacob.”

Sleeping Beauty then says, “I'll read the second verse,” before reading, “And the people shall take them and bring them to their place; yea, from far unto the ends of the earth; and they shall return to their lands of promise. And the house of Israel shall possess them, and the land of the Lord shall be for servants and handmaids; and they shall take them captives unto whom they were captives; and they shall rule over their oppressors.”

Scootaloo reads, “And it shall come to pass in that day that the Lord shall give thee rest, from thy sorrow, and from thy fear, and from the hard bondage wherein thou wast made to serve.”

Sweetie Belle reads, “And it shall come to pass in that day, that thou shalt take up this proverb against the king of Babylon, and say: How hath the oppressor ceased, the golden city ceased!”

Applebloom reads, “The Lord hath broken the staff of the wicked, the scepters of the rulers.”

Lyra reads, “He who smote the people in wrath with a continual stroke, he that ruled the nations in anger, is persecuted, and none hindereth.”

Weed Whacker reads, “The whole earth is at rest, and is quiet; they break forth into singing.”

I read, “Yea, the fir trees rejoice at thee, and also the cedars of Lebanon, saying: Since thou art laid down no feller is come up against us.”

Zecora reads, “Hell from beneath is moved for thee to meet thee at thy coming; it stirreth up the dead for thee, even all the chief ones of the earth; it hath raised up from their thrones all the kings of the nations.”

Mayor Mare reads, “All they shall speak and say unto thee: Art thou also become weak as we? Art thou become like unto us?”

Princess Luna reads, “Thy pomp is brought down to the grave; the noise of thy viols is not heard; the worm is spread under thee, and the worms cover thee.”

Princess Celestia reads, “How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! Art thou cut down to the ground, which did weaken the nations!”

Twilight Sparkle reads, “For thou hast said in thy heart: I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north;”

Spike reads, “I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the Most High.”

Rarity reads, “Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.”

Rainbow Dash reads, “They that see thee shall narrowly look upon thee, and shall consider thee, and shall say: Is this the man that made the earth to tremble, that did shake kingdoms?”

Fluttershy reads, “And made the world as a wilderness, and destroyed the cities thereof, and opened not the house of his prisoners?”

Applejack reads, “All the kings of the nations, yea, all of them, lie in glory, every one of them in his own house.”

Pinkie Pie reads, “But thou art cast out of thy grave like an abominable branch, and the remnant of those that are slain, thrust through with a sword, that go down to the stones of the pit; as a carcass trodden under feet.”

Granny Smith reads, “Thou shalt not be joined with them in burial, because thou hast destroyed thy land and slain thy people; the seed of evil-doers shall never be renowned.”

Big MacIntosh reads, “Prepare slaughter for his children for the iniquities of their fathers, that they do not rise, nor possess the land, nor fill the face of the world with cities.”

Hoity Toity's servant reads, “For I will rise up against them, saith the Lord of Hosts, and cut off from Babylon the name, and remnant, and son, and nephew, saith the Lord.”

Hoity Toity reads, “I will also make it a possession for the bittern, and pools of water; and I will sweep it with the besom of destruction, saith the Lord of Hosts.”

Berry Ground reads, “The Lord of Hosts hath sworn, saying: Surely as I have thought, so shall it come to pass; and as I have purposed, so shall it stand—”

Emerald Hill reads, “That I will bring the Assyrian in my land, and upon my mountains tread him under foot; then shall his yoke depart from off them, and his burden depart from off their shoulders.”

Stunts reads, “This is the purpose that is purposed upon the whole earth; and this is the hand that is stretched out upon all nations.”

Cold Hands reads, “For the Lord of Hosts hath purposed, and who shall disannul? And his hand is stretched out, and who shall turn it back?”

Snails reads, “In the year that king Ahaz died was this burden.”

Snips reads, “Rejoice not thou, whole Palestina, because the rod of him that smote thee is broken; for out of the serpent’s root shall come forth a cockatrice, and his fruit shall be a fiery flying serpent.”

Warm Heart reads, “And the firstborn of the poor shall feed, and the needy shall lie down in safety; and I will kill thy root with famine, and he shall slay thy remnant.”

Twist reads, “Howl, O gate; cry, O city; thou, whole Palestina, art dissolved; for there shall come from the north a smoke, and none shall be alone in his appointed times.”

Namby Pamby reads, “What shall then answer the messengers of the nations? That the Lord hath founded Zion, and the poor of his people shall trust in it.”

At this point, I have my character look up at the rest of the members of the circle; and I say, “And, that concludes the consecutive chapters of Nephi's excerpts of the Book of Isaiah. Nephi has written more, including an interesting description and explanation of what goes on in gatherings among his people.” I then have my character focus on the teacher pony, and I ask, “Cheerilee, will you read verse one of chapter twenty-five?”

Cheerilee nods, then looks down at her book and reads, “Now I, Nephi, do speak somewhat concerning the words which I have written, which have been spoken by the mouth of Isaiah. For behold, Isaiah spake many things which were hard for many of my people to understand; for they know not concerning the manner of prophesying among the Jews.”

Silver Spoon reads, “For I, Nephi, have not taught them many things concerning the manner of the Jews; for their works were works of darkness, and their doings were doings of abominations.”

Filthy Rich reads, “Wherefore, I write unto my people, unto all those that shall receive hereafter these things which I write, that they may know the judgments of God, that they come upon all nations, according to the word which he hath spoken.”

Diamond Tiara reads, “Wherefore, hearken, O my people, which are of the house of Israel, and give ear unto my words; for because the words of Isaiah are not plain unto you, nevertheless they are plain unto all those that are filled with the spirit of prophecy. But I give unto you a prophecy, according to the spirit which is in me; wherefore I shall prophesy according to the plainness which hath been with me from the time that I came out from Jerusalem with my father; for behold, my soul delighteth in plainness unto my people, that they may learn.”

Bon-Bon reads, “Yea, and my soul delighteth in the words of Isaiah, for I came out from Jerusalem, and mine eyes hath beheld the things of the Jews, and I know that the Jews do understand the things of the prophets, and there is none other people that understand the things which were spoken unto the Jews like unto them, save it be that they are taught after the manner of the things of the Jews.”

Colgate reads, “But behold, I, Nephi, have not taught my children after the manner of the Jews; but behold, I, of myself, have dwelt at Jerusalem, wherefore I know concerning the regions round about; and I have made mention unto my children concerning the judgments of God, which hath come to pass among the Jews, unto my children, according to all that which Isaiah hath spoken, and I do not write them.”

Octavia reads, “But behold, I proceed with mine own prophecy, according to my plainness; in the which I know that no man can err; nevertheless, in the days that the prophecies of Isaiah shall be fulfilled men shall know of a surety, at the times when they shall come to pass.”

Vinyl Scratch reads, “Wherefore, they are of worth unto the children of men, and he that supposeth that they are not, unto them will I speak particularly, and confine the words unto mine own people; for I know that they shall be of great worth unto them in the last days; for in that day shall they understand them; wherefore, for their good have I written them.”

Sweet Tones reads, “And as one generation hath been destroyed among the Jews because of iniquity, even so have they been destroyed from generation to generation according to their iniquities; and never hath any of them been destroyed save it were foretold them by the prophets of the Lord.”

Drum Roll reads, “Wherefore, it hath been told them concerning the destruction which should come upon them, immediately after my father left Jerusalem; nevertheless, they hardened their hearts; and according to my prophecy they have been destroyed, save it be those which are carried away captive into Babylon.”

Lotta Pipes reads, “And now this I speak because of the spirit which is in me. And notwithstanding they have been carried away they shall return again, and possess the land of Jerusalem; wherefore, they shall be restored again to the land of their inheritance.”

Berry Punch reads, “But, behold, they shall have wars, and rumors of wars; and when the day cometh that the Only Begotten of the Father, yea, even the Father of heaven and of earth, shall manifest himself unto them in the flesh, behold, they will reject him, because of their iniquities, and the hardness of their hearts, and the stiffness of their necks.”

Carrot Top reads, “Behold, they will crucify him; and after he is laid in a sepulchre for the space of three days he shall rise from the dead, with healing in his wings; and all those who shall believe on his name shall be saved in the kingdom of God. Wherefore, my soul delighteth to prophesy concerning him, for I have seen his day, and my heart doth magnify his holy name.”

Rarity's mother reads, “And behold it shall come to pass that after the Messiah hath risen from the dead, and hath manifested himself unto his people, unto as many as will believe on his name, behold, Jerusalem shall be destroyed again; for wo unto them that fight against God and the people of his church.”

Rarity's father reads, “Wherefore, the Jews shall be scattered among all nations; yea, and also Babylon shall be destroyed; wherefore, the Jews shall be scattered by other nations.”

Wind Walker reads, “And after they have been scattered, and the Lord God hath scourged them by other nations for the space of many generations, yea, even down from generation to generation until they shall be persuaded to believe in Christ, the Son of God, and the atonement, which is infinite for all mankind—and when that day shall come that they shall believe in Christ, and worship the Father in his name, with pure hearts and clean hands, and look not forward any more for another Messiah, then, at that time, the day will come that it must needs be expedient that they should believe these things.”

Sleeping Beauty reads, “And the Lord will set his hand again the second time to restore his people from their lost and fallen state. Wherefore, he will proceed to do a marvelous work and a wonder among the children of men.”

Applebloom reads, “Wherefore, he shall bring forth his words unto them, which words shall judge them at the last day, for they shall be given them for the purpose of convincing them of the true Messiah, who was rejected by them; and unto the convincing of them that they need not look forward any more for a Messiah to come, for there should not any come, save it should be a false Messiah which should deceive the people; for there is save one Messiah spoken of by the prophets, and that Messiah is he who should be rejected of the Jews.”

Lyra reads, “For according to the words of the prophets, the Messiah cometh in six hundred years from the time that my father left Jerusalem; and according to the words of the prophets, and also the word of the angel of God, his name shall be Jesus Christ, the Son of God.”

At this point, I speak up and say, "This is the first prophesy in which the Christ is named before his birth. Later on, we'll read about how His mother is also named. And, considering this is for a people that has no chance of seeing the Christ while he's alive, not until his resurrection, it makes sense that such a people should get these kinds of details about Him." I then have my character turn to the herbivorous dinosaur next to him, and I say, "Weed Whacker, you can go ahead and read the next verse."

The little herbivorous dinosaur nods, then reads, “And now, my brethren, I have spoken plainly that ye cannot err. And as the Lord God liveth that brought Israel up out of the land of Egypt, and gave unto Moses power that he should heal the nations after they had been bitten by the poisonous serpents, if they would cast their eyes unto the serpent which he did raise up before them, and also gave him power that he should smite the rock and the water should come forth; yea, behold I say unto you, that as these things are true, and as the Lord God liveth, there is none other name given under heaven save it be this Jesus Christ, of which I have spoken, whereby man can be saved.”

I read, “Wherefore, for this cause hath the Lord God promised unto me that these things which I write shall be kept and preserved, and handed down unto my seed, from generation to generation, that the promise may be fulfilled unto Joseph, that his seed should never perish as long as the earth should stand.”

Zecora reads, “Wherefore, these things shall go from generation to generation as long as the earth shall stand; and they shall go according to the will and pleasure of God; and the nations who shall possess them shall be judged of them according to the words which are written.”

Mayor Mare reads, “For we labor diligently to write, to persuade our children, and also our brethren, to believe in Christ, and to be reconciled to God; for we know that it is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do.”

Princess Luna reads, “And, notwithstanding we believe in Christ, we keep the law of Moses, and look forward with steadfastness unto Christ, until the law shall be fulfilled.”

Princess Celestia reads, “For, for this end was the law given; wherefore the law hath become dead unto us, and we are made alive in Christ because of our faith; yet we keep the law because of the commandments.”

Twilight Sparkle reads, “And we talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, we prophesy of Christ, and we write according to our prophecies, that our children may know to what source they may look for a remission of their sins.”

Spike reads, “Wherefore, we speak concerning the law that our children may know the deadness of the law; and they, by knowing the deadness of the law, may look forward unto that life which is in Christ, and know for what end the law was given. And after the law is fulfilled in Christ, that they need not harden their hearts against him when the law ought to be done away.”

Rarity reads, “And now behold, my people, ye are a stiffnecked people; wherefore, I have spoken plainly unto you, that ye cannot misunderstand. And the words which I have spoken shall stand as a testimony against you; for they are sufficient to teach any man the right way; for the right way is to believe in Christ and deny him not; for by denying him ye also deny the prophets and the law.”

Rainbow Dash reads, “And now behold, I say unto you that the right way is to believe in Christ, and deny him not; and Christ is the Holy One of Israel; wherefore ye must bow down before him, and worship him with all your might, mind, and strength, and your whole soul; and if ye do this ye shall in nowise be cast out.”

Fluttershy reads, “And, inasmuch as it shall be expedient, ye must keep the performances and ordinances of God until the law shall be fulfilled which was given unto Moses.”

Applejack looks up and says, “Ah guess that means Ah start chapter twenty-six,” before looking down again and reading, “And after Christ shall have risen from the dead he shall show himself unto you, my children, and my beloved brethren; and the words which he shall speak unto you shall be the law which ye shall do.”

Pinkie Pie reads, “For behold, I say unto you that I have beheld that many generations shall pass away, and there shall be great wars and contentions among my people.”

Granny Smith reads, “And after the Messiah shall come there shall be signs given unto my people of his birth, and also of his death and resurrection; and great and terrible shall that day be unto the wicked, for they shall perish; and they perish because they cast out the prophets, and the saints, and stone them, and slay them; wherefore the cry of the blood of the saints shall ascend up to God from the ground against them.”

Big MacIntosh reads, “Wherefore, all those who are proud, and that do wickedly, the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the Lord of Hosts, for they shall be as stubble.”

Hoity Toity's servant reads, “And they that kill the prophets, and the saints, the depths of the earth shall swallow them up, saith the Lord of Hosts; and mountains shall cover them, and whirlwinds shall carry them away, and buildings shall fall upon them and crush them to pieces and grind them to powder.”

Hoity Toity reads, “And they shall be visited with thunderings, and lightnings, and earthquakes, and all manner of destructions, for the fire of the anger of the Lord shall be kindled against them, and they shall be as stubble, and the day that cometh shall consume them, saith the Lord of Hosts.”

Berry Ground reads, “O the pain, and the anguish of my soul for the loss of the slain of my people! For I, Nephi, have seen it, and it well nigh consumeth me before the presence of the Lord; but I must cry unto my God: Thy ways are just.”

Emerald Hill reads, “But behold, the righteous that hearken unto the words of the prophets, and destroy them not, but look forward unto Christ with steadfastness for the signs which are given, notwithstanding all persecution—behold, they are they which shall not perish.”

Stunts reads, “But the Son of Righteousness shall appear unto them; and he shall heal them, and they shall have peace with him, until three generations shall have passed away, and many of the fourth generation shall have passed away in righteousness.”

Cold Hands reads, “And when these things have passed away a speedy destruction cometh unto my people; for, notwithstanding the pains of my soul, I have seen it; wherefore, I know that it shall come to pass; and they sell themselves for naught; for, for the reward of their pride and their foolishness they shall reap destruction; for because they yield unto the devil and choose works of darkness rather than light, therefore they must go down to hell.”

Snails reads, “For the Spirit of the Lord will not always strive with man. And when the Spirit ceaseth to strive with man then cometh speedy destruction, and this grieveth my soul.”

Snips reads, “And as I spake concerning the convincing of the Jews, that Jesus is the very Christ, it must needs be that the Gentiles be convinced also that Jesus is the Christ, the Eternal God;”

Warm Heart reads, “And that he manifesteth himself unto all those who believe in him, by the power of the Holy Ghost; yea, unto every nation, kindred, tongue, and people, working mighty miracles, signs, and wonders, among the children of men according to their faith.”

Twist reads, “But behold, I prophesy unto you concerning the last days; concerning the days when the Lord God shall bring these things forth unto the children of men.”

Namby Pamby reads, “After my seed and the seed of my brethren shall have dwindled in unbelief, and shall have been smitten by the Gentiles; yea, after the Lord God shall have camped against them round about, and shall have laid siege against them with a mount, and raised forts against them; and after they shall have been brought down low in the dust, even that they are not, yet the words of the righteous shall be written, and the prayers of the faithful shall be heard, and all those who have dwindled in unbelief shall not be forgotten.”

Cheerilee reads, “For those who shall be destroyed shall speak unto them out of the ground, and their speech shall be low out of the dust, and their voice shall be as one that hath a familiar spirit; for the Lord God will give unto him power, that he may whisper concerning them, even as it were out of the ground; and their speech shall whisper out of the dust.”

Silver Spoon reads, “For thus saith the Lord God: They shall write the things which shall be done among them, and they shall be written and sealed up in a book, and those who have dwindled in unbelief shall not have them, for they seek to destroy the things of God.”

Filthy Rich reads, “Wherefore, as those who have been destroyed have been destroyed speedily; and the multitude of their terrible ones shall be as chaff that passeth away—yea, thus saith the Lord God: It shall be at an instant, suddenly—”

Diamond Tiara reads, “And it shall come to pass, that those who have dwindled in unbelief shall be smitten by the hand of the Gentiles.”

Bon-Bon reads, “And the Gentiles are lifted up in the pride of their eyes, and have stumbled, because of the greatness of their stumbling block, that they have built up many churches; nevertheless, they put down the power and miracles of God, and preach up unto themselves their own wisdom and their own learning, that they may get gain and grind upon the face of the poor.”

Colgate reads, “And there are many churches built up which cause envyings, and strifes, and malice.”

Octavia reads, “And there are also secret combinations, even as in times of old, according to the combinations of the devil, for he is the founder of all these things; yea, the founder of murder, and works of darkness; yea, and he leadeth them by the neck with a flaxen cord, until he bindeth them with his strong cords forever.”

Vinyl Scratch reads, “For behold, my beloved brethren, I say unto you that the Lord God worketh not in darkness.”

Sweet Tones reads, “He doeth not anything save it be for the benefit of the world; for he loveth the world, even that he layeth down his own life that he may draw all men unto him. Wherefore, he commandeth none that they shall not partake of his salvation.”

Drum Roll reads, “Behold, doth he cry unto any, saying: Depart from me? Behold, I say unto you, Nay; but he saith: Come unto me all ye ends of the earth, buy milk and honey, without money and without price.”

Lotta Pipes reads, “Behold, hath he commanded any that they should depart out of the synagogues, or out of the houses of worship? Behold, I say unto you, Nay.”

Rarity's mother reads, “Hath he commanded any that they should not partake of his salvation? Behold I say unto you, Nay; but he hath given it free for all men; and he hath commanded his people that they should persuade all men to repentance.”

Rarity's father reads, “Behold, hath the Lord commanded any that they should not partake of his goodness? Behold I say unto you, Nay; but all men are privileged the one like unto the other, and none are forbidden.”

Wind Walker reads, “He commandeth that there shall be no priestcrafts; for, behold, priestcrafts are that men preach and set themselves up for a light unto the world, that they may get gain and praise of the world; but they seek not the welfare of Zion.”

Sleeping Beauty reads, “Behold, the Lord hath forbidden this thing; wherefore, the Lord God hath given a commandment that all men should have charity, which charity is love. And except they should have charity they were nothing. Wherefore, if they should have charity they would not suffer the laborer in Zion to perish.”

Scootaloo reads, “But the laborer in Zion shall labor for Zion; for if they labor for money they shall perish.”

Sweetie Belle reads, “And again, the Lord God hath commanded that men should not murder; that they should not lie; that they should not steal; that they should not take the name of the Lord their God in vain; that they should not envy; that they should not have malice; that they should not contend one with another; that they should not commit whoredoms; and that they should do none of these things; for whoso doeth them shall perish.”

Applebloom reads, “For none of these iniquities come of the Lord; for he doeth that which is good among the children of men; and he doeth nothing save it be plain unto the children of men; and he inviteth them all to come unto him and partake of his goodness; and he denieth none that come unto him, black and white, bond and free, male and female; and he remembereth the heathen; and all are alike unto God, both Jew and Gentile.”

Lyra looks up and says, “I guess that means I start chapter twenty-seven.” And, before anyone can stop her, she looks down and reads, “But, behold, in the last days, or in the days of the Gentiles—yea, behold all the nations of the Gentiles and also the Jews, both those who shall come upon this land and those who shall be upon other lands, yea, even upon all the lands of the earth, behold, they will be drunken with iniquity and all manner of abominations—”

Weed Whacker reads, “And when that day shall come they shall be visited of the Lord of Hosts, with thunder and with earthquake, and with a great noise, and with storm, and with tempest, and with the flame of devouring fire.”

I read, “And all the nations that fight against Zion, and that distress her, shall be as a dream of a night vision; yea, it shall be unto them, even as unto a hungry man which dreameth, and behold he eateth but he awaketh and his soul is empty; or like unto a thirsty man which dreameth, and behold he drinketh but he awaketh and behold he is faint, and his soul hath appetite; yea, even so shall the multitude of all the nations be that fight against Mount Zion.”

Zecora reads, “For behold, all ye that doeth iniquity, stay yourselves and wonder, for ye shall cry out, and cry; yea, ye shall be drunken but not with wine, ye shall stagger but not with strong drink.”

Mayor Mare reads, “For behold, the Lord hath poured out upon you the spirit of deep sleep. For behold, ye have closed your eyes, and ye have rejected the prophets; and your rulers, and the seers hath he covered because of your iniquity.”

Princess Luna reads, “And it shall come to pass that the Lord God shall bring forth unto you the words of a book, and they shall be the words of them which have slumbered.”

Princess Celestia reads, “And behold the book shall be sealed; and in the book shall be a revelation from God, from the beginning of the world to the ending thereof.”

Twilight Sparkle reads, “Wherefore, because of the things which are sealed up, the things which are sealed shall not be delivered in the day of the wickedness and abominations of the people. Wherefore the book shall be kept from them.”

Spike reads, “But the book shall be delivered unto a man, and he shall deliver the words of the book, which are the words of those who have slumbered in the dust, and he shall deliver these words unto another;”

Rarity reads, “But the words which are sealed he shall not deliver, neither shall he deliver the book. For the book shall be sealed by the power of God, and the revelation which was sealed shall be kept in the book until the own due time of the Lord, that they may come forth; for behold, they reveal all things from the foundation of the world unto the end thereof.”

Rainbow Dash reads, “And the day cometh that the words of the book which were sealed shall be read upon the house tops; and they shall be read by the power of Christ; and all things shall be revealed unto the children of men which ever have been among the children of men, and which ever will be even unto the end of the earth.”

Fluttershy reads, “Wherefore, at that day when the book shall be delivered unto the man of whom I have spoken, the book shall be hid from the eyes of the world, that the eyes of none shall behold it save it be that three witnesses shall behold it, by the power of God, besides him to whom the book shall be delivered; and they shall testify to the truth of the book and the things therein.”

Applejack reads, “And there is none other which shall view it, save it be a few according to the will of God, to bear testimony of his word unto the children of men; for the Lord God hath said that the words of the faithful should speak as if it were from the dead.”

Pinkie Pie reads, “Wherefore, the Lord God will proceed to bring forth the words of the book; and in the mouth of as many witnesses as seemeth him good will he establish his word; and wo be unto him that rejecteth the word of God!”

Granny Smith reads, “But behold, it shall come to pass that the Lord God shall say unto him to whom he shall deliver the book: Take these words which are not sealed and deliver them to another, that he may show them unto the learned, saying: Read this, I pray thee. And the learned shall say: Bring hither the book, and I will read them.”

Big MacIntosh reads, “And now, because of the glory of the world and to get gain will they say this, and not for the glory of God.”

Hoity Toity's servant reads, “And the man shall say: I cannot bring the book, for it is sealed.”

Hoity Toity reads, “Then shall the learned say: I cannot read it.”

Berry Ground reads, “Wherefore it shall come to pass, that the Lord God will deliver again the book and the words thereof to him that is not learned; and the man that is not learned shall say: I am not learned.”

Emerald Hill reads, “Then shall the Lord God say unto him: The learned shall not read them, for they have rejected them, and I am able to do mine own work; wherefore thou shalt read the words which I shall give unto thee.”

Stunts reads, “Touch not the things which are sealed, for I will bring them forth in mine own due time; for I will show unto the children of men that I am able to do mine own work.”

Cold Hands reads, “Wherefore, when thou hast read the words which I have commanded thee, and obtained the witnesses which I have promised unto thee, then shalt thou seal up the book again, and hide it up unto me, that I may preserve the words which thou hast not read, until I shall see fit in mine own wisdom to reveal all things unto the children of men.”

Snails reads, “For behold, I am God; and I am a God of miracles; and I will show unto the world that I am the same yesterday, today, and forever; and I work not among the children of men save it be according to their faith.”

Snips reads, “And again it shall come to pass that the Lord shall say unto him that shall read the words that shall be delivered him:”

Warm Heart reads, “Forasmuch as this people draw near unto me with their mouth, and with their lips do honor me, but have removed their hearts far from me, and their fear towards me is taught by the precepts of men—”

Twist reads, “Therefore, I will proceed to do a marvelous work among this people, yea, a marvelous work and a wonder, for the wisdom of their wise and learned shall perish, and the understanding of their prudent shall be hid.”

Namby Pamby reads, “And wo unto them that seek deep to hide their counsel from the Lord! And their works are in the dark; and they say: Who seeth us, and who knoweth us? And they also say: Surely, your turning of things upside down shall be esteemed as the potter’s clay. But behold, I will show unto them, saith the Lord of Hosts, that I know all their works. For shall the work say of him that made it, he made me not? Or shall the thing framed say of him that framed it, he had no understanding?”

Cheerilee reads, “But behold, saith the Lord of Hosts: I will show unto the children of men that it is yet a very little while and Lebanon shall be turned into a fruitful field; and the fruitful field shall be esteemed as a forest.”

Silver Spoon reads, “And in that day shall the deaf hear the words of the book, and the eyes of the blind shall see out of obscurity and out of darkness.”

Filthy Rich reads, “And the meek also shall increase, and their joy shall be in the Lord, and the poor among men shall rejoice in the Holy One of Israel.”

Diamond Tiara reads, “For assuredly as the Lord liveth they shall see that the terrible one is brought to naught, and the scorner is consumed, and all that watch for iniquity are cut off;”

Bon-Bon reads, “And they that make a man an offender for a word, and lay a snare for him that reproveth in the gate, and turn aside the just for a thing of naught.”

Colgate reads, “Therefore, thus saith the Lord, who redeemed Abraham, concerning the house of Jacob: Jacob shall not now be ashamed, neither shall his face now wax pale.”

Octavia reads, “But when he seeth his children, the work of my hands, in the midst of him, they shall sanctify my name, and sanctify the Holy One of Jacob, and shall fear the God of Israel.”

Vinyl Scratch reads, “They also that erred in spirit shall come to understanding, and they that murmured shall learn doctrine.”

At this point, I'm looking at the heading of chapter twenty-eight, when I hear Octavia say, “I hope you don't mind, Mormon, but I think we should call it a night now. As much as I enjoy reading, I'm sure most of us need to be getting home now.”

My character looks up to show me, through his eyes, the gray earth mare as she speaks. When she's finished, I nod and say, “I'm thinking you have a point there. Now's as good a time as any to call an end to the reading.” I then have my character divide his attention among all the other members of the reading circle as I say, “I've enjoyed having you here, and I hope you've enjoyed being here. But, as Octavia said, it's time to call an end to the reading. Next time, I'm thinking we'll finish reading the Second Book of Nephi. Until then, please have a safe trip through the forest and back to your homes.”

The members of the circle rise and start talking amongst themselves.

Wind Walker and Sleeping Beauty approach my character, with Scootaloo following close behind them, and Wind Walker says, “This reading was indeed enjoyable. You can expect us to come tomorrow.”

I respond, “I'm glad you enjoyed it.”

Sleeping Beauty asks, “Is it alright if we keep the books you gave us?”

I answer, “You're quiet welcome to keep the books. And, you may read whatever you want in them. If you want to keep ahead in the reading, you can start with chapter twenty-eight of the Second Book of Nephi. If you want to read what's been read by everyone else in the circle, you can start with the first chapter of the First Book of Nephi. You may also find the introduction interesting. It includes the testimonies of eight witnesses who were allowed to handle the gold plates that were the original record, the testimonies of three witnesses who helped translate the Book of Mormon, and the testimony of Joseph Smith Junior, who received the record from God and translated it.”

Wind Walker nods and smiles, then says, “Thank you, Mormon.” He then turns to his daughter behind him and says, “Go on ahead, Scootaloo. You get to stay with your friends at Mormon's house tonight.”

The little orange pegasa looks up at her father and, smiling, says, “Thank you, daddy.” Then, she rides her scooter to the front porch of my character's house, where I happen to notice, through my character's eyes, Applebloom and Sweetie Belle are waiting for her already.

From behind my character, I hear Sleeping Beauty's voice say, “Take good care of our daughter, alright Mormon?”

My character turns to the pegasa, and I answer, “I'll be sure to take the best care I can.” Then, a thought occurs to me; and I ask, “Oh, by the way, will you be coming here, or shall I bring Scootaloo with me, her friends, Pinkie Pie, Lyra, and Weed Whacker when I get back to Ponyville tomorrow?”

The two pegasi exchange looks, then turn back to my character. It's Wind Walker who answers, “You bring her back to Ponyville with her friends and yours. We'll wait for you at the market place.”

I nod and say, “That sounds good to me. We'll see you then.”

As the two pegasi turn and walk toward the front gate, I hear the voice of Applejack from my character's right say, “Ah guess that means Ah'll be waitin' for my li'l sis in the market place, too?”

As my character turns to the orange earth mare, I answer, “I'm sure I'll know where to look for you. I'm guessing you'll have a stand set up, selling apples?”

Applejack answers, “Ah sure will. Ah hope Applebloom won't be too much trouble for y'all.”

I answer, “I'll have Pinkie Pie, Lyra, and Weed Whacker to help out. And, Fluttershy has also volunteered to help.”

Applejack says, “Ah hear she took good care of the Cutie Mark Crusaders last night.”

I state, “I heard the same thing.”

The orange earth mare smiles and says, “Well, if she could handle three fillies on her lonesome, Ah'm sure she can help you, Pinkie Pie, Lyra, and Weed Whacker take care of 'em.”

I respond, “I figure I can use all the help I can get. I, for one, don't have that much experience taking care of three fillies, especially of all different types. I'm hoping if I can assign one filly to each of the ponies staying with me, especially matching types; that should be a big help.” And, I can't help noticing, from the edge of my character's periphery, the pink party pony approaching the orange earth pony from behind.

Applejack evidently doesn't notice as she smiles again and says, “Well, best of luck to y'all. If you can handle Pinkie Pie, then three fillies shouldn't be that big of a problem.”

Then, Applejack starts as Pinkie Pie, who has stopped just behind her, growls, “Hey!”

The orange earth mare looks behind her and, seeing the pink earth pony glaring at her, says, “Oh, Pinkie Pie, Ah didn't hear ya approachin'.”

From the left of my character, just out of his periphery, I hear Rarity's voice say, “Now, Pinkie Pie, I'm sure Applejack didn't mean anything by it.”

My character just takes a small step back and to his left to get the white unicorn in his view.

In the mean time, Pinkie Pie says, “Yeah, I know.”

I then say, “So, Rarity, I'm guessing you have some advice for me about taking care of your little sister?”

Then, again from just outside my character's periphery, I hear Fluttershy's voice say, “Oh, I'm sure you don't need to worry about
Sweetie Belle. I'm sure that with my help Mormon'll be able to handle her.” And, the yellow pegasa comes in for a landing at a right angle to Rarity and Applejack.

Rarity turns and watches Fluttershy land, then says to her, “I still don't know how you were able to handle all three of the Cutie Mark Crusaders. Why Sweetie Belle is just more than I can handle. I can't imagine what the three of them would've done to my boutique.”

I can't help laughing as I say, “Well, I guess it's my turn to find out how much of a handful the three fillies are going to be. But, like I said before, I have Pinkie Pie, Lyra, Weed Whacker, and Fluttershy to help me out. If anything, this'll give me experience taking care of foals.”

Applejack nods and says, “Well, Ah guess we oughta be goin' then. See y'all tomorrow, then?”

I nod and say to Applejack, “See you tomorrow.” I then have my character focus on Rarity, and I say, “And, I'll see you tomorrow as well. Shall I drop Sweetie Belle off at Carousel Boutique then?”

Rarity turns to see the three caped Crusaders on my character's front porch, then turns back to my character and says, “Knowing Sweetie Belle, she'll stay with her friends until you drop them off at the market place. So, I guess I'll be waiting for you there.”

I nod and say, “Very well, then. When we get back to Ponyville tomorrow, we'll head to the market place to drop off Applebloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo.”

Applejack and Rarity say no more, at least not to my character, as they make their way to the front gate and wait in line to exit.

I must say, I'm surprised that the parents of Rarity and Sweetie Belle don't approach me. By the time I notice them, they're already outside the gate, waiting for Rarity.

Once the front yard is empty and the group headed for Ponyville have disappeared on the trail through the forest, I turn to find that the Cutie Mark Crusaders have been joined by Lyra and Weed Whacker on the front porch. My character, followed by Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy, makes his way to the front porch and past the small herd, who move to the right to allow him to pass.

Then, as my character opens the door, the trio of fillies shouts out, “Cutie Mark Crusaders, sleepover at Mormon's house, yay!” and immediately gallop through the front door and start exploring the front room.

My character holds the door open long enough for Pinkie Pie, Lyra, Fluttershy, and Weed Whacker to enter as well, then enters himself and closes the door behind him.

With all safely inside, I decide it's best to have the one with the most experience call the trio of fillies to attention. So, I have my character turn to the yellow pegasa, and I say, “Fluttershy, if you will?”

Fluttershy looks up at my character for a moment, then says, “Oh, yes, of course.” Then, she looks ahead of her and says, “Now, ladies, if you'll come forward, please.”

Immediately, and in this order, Applebloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo pretty much appear in front of Fluttershy, and Sweetie Belle asks, “Yes, Fluttershy?”

I say to the yellow pegasa, “Thanks.” Then, I say to the three fillies, “Now, I'm thinking it'll be most helpful to me that I assign each of you to an adult for the time you're here.”

Presently the trio respond by groaning in childish disappointment.

I continue, “Now, first of all, …”

Before I can say more, Pinkie Pie excitedly calls out, “Oh, oh, I get to take care of Applebloom!”

I state, “That is what I had in mind.”

Applebloom doesn't say anything, just looks down and ambles toward Pinkie Pie.

The pink party pony looks at her and says, “Aw, don't be like that. We're gonna have all sorts of fun together.”

I continue, “Fluttershy, I want you to take care of Scootaloo.”

At this point, I hear a giggle from Pinkie Pie as she says, “Mormon, you just sounded like Zecora.”

I can't argue that I did rhyme like my zebra friend.

As I see the orange pegasa filly take her position next to Fluttershy, I hear Lyra say, “I guess that means I take care of Sweetie Belle.”

I turn to the pale-green unicorn and answer, “That's right.” Then, as the white unicorn filly takes her position next to Lyra, I say, “Now, the next order of business is dinner. Guests aren't required to help us gather food in the vegetable garden, vineyard, and orchard; but, if you three want to volunteer, you're welcome to do so.”

At this point, I hear Applebloom say, “Ah've see'd Mormon and Pinkie Pie in the orchard a'buckin' apples outta one of his trees. Mormon said Pinkie Pie focuses so hard on apple buckin' she can't keep her hair curly. It falls flat.”

At this statement from the earth filly, the other two crusaders start giggling; and Applebloom joins in.

After a second or two, I say, “Alright, if you want to help me, Pinkie Pie, Lyra, and Weed Whacker, here's how it works. Pinkie Pie and I harvest fruits from the orchard, Lyra harvests fruits from the vineyard, and Weed Whacker harvests vegetables from the garden.” And, at that, I turn and open the front door again.

From a certain spot behind my character, I hear the trio of fillies speaking just above a whisper.

Scootaloo says, “Uh, I don't know about this. It sounds kinda boring.”

Sweetie Belle says, “Yeah, gathering food isn't my favorite thing either. But, if it's the only way we're gonna get something to eat, then I say we go for it.”

Applebloom says, “Well, buckin' apples ain't so bad. Whoever's a'gonna help Weed Whacker harvest the veggies is a'gonna have the hardest time of it. But, she'll likely be doin' all the work, so it shouldn't be all that bad. So, whatcha say, girls?”

A second later, I hear the trio call out, “Cutie Mark Crusaders harvesters, yay!”

I can't help chuckling to myself as the trio of fillies runs past my character out the door and down the porch.

As the three mares and the dinosaur join the fillies, and my character follows behind them, I hear Applebloom say, pointing to the orchard, “Alright. The orchard's that away.” Then, she uses the front hoof to scratch under her chin as she asks, “But, where's the vineyard, and where's the veggie garden?”

I answer, “Lyra knows where the vineyard is, and Weed Whacker knows where the vegetable garden is. You get to choose who you'll follow where.”

I hear Sweetie Belle say, “Well, I guess I'll follow Lyra to the vineyard.”

Applebloom says, “Ah'll follow Mormon and Pinkie Pie to the orchard.”

Scootaloo concludes, “And, I'll follow Weed Whacker to the veggie garden.”

Presently, as the trio split up and join their chosen groups, Fluttershy says, “Oh, I don't know about this. Shouldn't we all stay together?”

I answer her, “If you want, Fluttershy, you can stay in between the orchard, vineyard, and vegetable garden, and keep an eye on everyone.”

Fluttershy responds, “Oh, I don't know. It's dark, and I don't think I'll be able to see everypony.”

After a moment of thought, I say, “Well, Applebloom and Sweetie Belle will have an adult with them while they're harvesting fruits. You could be the adult with Scootaloo while she's harvesting vegetables with Weed Whacker. And, if you get worried about the rest of us, you can always call. Does that sound good to you?”

After a brief pause, Fluttershy answers, “I suppose so.”

I add, “Chances are it won't take any of us long to finish harvesting once we get started, especially with the help of the Cutie Mark Crusaders. Pinkie Pie and I usually just choose one tree to harvest from at a time, and then it's just enough for our group for the one meal. That generally takes just a few minutes. And, that seems to be the same for Lyra and Weed Whacker.”

Fluttershy responds, “Well, alright then, if you're sure it won't be a problem.”

I state, “It hasn't been so far.”

An excited Applebloom gallops toward the orchard saying, “Well, then, what're we waitn' for? Let's get goin'! Cutie Mark Crusaders harvesters, yay!”

Pinkie Pie follows Applebloom, and I say to Fluttershy, “Like I said, this shouldn't take more than a few minutes. Just call if you need anything.” And, with that, I have my character follow the two earth ponies to the orchard.

Whatever Lyra says to Fluttershy seems to be muffled so I don't hear it very well. But, based on what I observe, she follows her statement by heading to the vineyard.

I'm not surprised by the need of my character to help Applebloom over the fence when he gets to the orchard. And, once the three are in the orchard and Pinkie Pie, now under the control of Diane, chooses a tree to harvest from, I hear Applebloom say, “Ah bet Ah can buck all the apples outta this tree b'fore Pinkie Pie can buck all the apples outta her tree.”

Presently, I say to the little yellow filly, “Now, hold on a moment.” Then, when it's evident I've gotten her attention, I continue, “We're not here to harvest all the apples out of all the trees. Around here, like I said to Fluttershy, we just get enough fruits for one meal for everyone that lives here.”

Applebloom focuses on my character and asks, “But, why not buck all the apples outta all the trees?”

I pause for a moment in thought before I ask, “Do you, Big MacIntosh and Applejack buck all the apples out of all the trees in your orchard in one day?”

Applebloom laughs and answers, “Ah'm sure you've see'd all the trees we have on Sweet Apple Acres. It'd take us a week to buck all them apples outta all them trees. We only buck 'em all when it's the end of the season.”

I state, “It wouldn't take that long to harvest all the fruit from this orchard, since it isn't as large as yours in Sweet Apple Acres. But, it is just enough for the needs of me and those that live in my house with me. We don't need so much fruit for one meal, so we just take what we need. If we harvested all the fruit, it'd most likely go bad before we could use it all.”

Applebloom asks, “Well, what about the end of the season?”

I answer, “Before about three weeks ago, it was always just me living here. Zecora would come by for a visit, and I'd share some fruit with her; but, again, it was adequate for my needs, sometimes a little more than adequate. Then, when winter came, well, I had other means to survive. And, I never had to make a business of raising fruit trees to sell their fruit to anyone else. I still don't need to do that.”

Just then, before I can say anymore, I hear a sound like a thud, then what sound like six or seven smaller thuds, indicating that Pinkie “Diane” Pie has started the harvest.

A few seconds later, I hear Pinkie Pie call out, “Time to gather the apples!”

With my character still focused on the little yellow filly, I say, “You heard Pinkie Pie. It's time to gather the apples she kicked out of the tree. Let's go ahead and do that.”

I think Applebloom rears up on her hind legs and kicks with her front ones as she says, “Alright, let's git gatherin'!”

I'm not sure if Applebloom sees where she's going, especially when I hear a soft thud and a grunt, followed by another soft thud.

Then I hear Pinkie Pie ask, “Applebloom, are you alright?”

I then hear Applebloom grumble, “Yeah, Ah'm alright.”

I say, “Well, let's get these apples gathered up, and we'll head back to the house.”

My character gathers three apples, and the two earth ponies gather the rest, after which we head back to the house. And, not surprising to me, my character carries Applebloom over the fence again, while Pinkie, back under the control of Pinkamena, just bounces over the fence.

By the time the two earth ponies and the human get back to the front porch, the other five are already there.

My character opens the door and allows the ponies and dinosaur to enter, then follows them in and closes the door behind them.

The three fillies check their own hips, then each others' all asking the same question: “Did we get our cutie marks yet?” And, from what I see through my character's eyes anyway, the answer to that question is no. And, when the three realize that, they simultaneously groan in disappointment.

I can't help chuckling as I say, “Let's go to the kitchen and get the fruits and veggies ready to eat. Then, we'll bring 'em back here to the front room.”

The three now distraught fillies grumble in unison, “Ah, alright.”

Pinkie Pie, who's already at the kitchen door, peers from behind the couch closest to her and says, “Aw, don't be like that. Come on. Let's get these fruits and veggies cleaned up, and then we can eat.”

The Cutie Mark Crusaders don't say anymore, just follow the three adult ponies, the human, and the dinosaur into the kitchen.

During this time, I've noticed that Scootaloo has been holding the vegetables on her back, or at least vegetables that were long enough to be draped across it.

In the kitchen, the system is the same as that used to prepare the snacks, except that the three fillies carry each clean fruit or vegetable into the front room, assisted by an adult. None of the fruits or vegetables are cut up.

When the group is back in the front room, and each member has selected a fruit or vegetable to eat, I decide to ask the trio of fillies, “So, why is it so important that you get your cutie marks?”

It's Sweetie Belle who, after chewing and swallowing her mouthful of carrot, answers, “Well, we're the only ones who don't have ours yet.”

I state, “So, you just want yours because everyone else has one, is that it?”

Scootaloo, with a mouth full of apple, answers, “Well, yeah.”

I ask, “And, if everyone else were jumping off the tallest bridge, would you be interested in that?”

The three stop for a moment and look at each other, then start laughing.

After a second or two, Applebloom turns to my character and answers, “Course not. Just 'cause ever'pony else is a'doin' it don't mean we should be interested.”

At this point, I state, “I don't want to discourage you from getting your cutie marks, I just want to be sure you're searching for them for the right reasons. I just wonder, what if your cutie marks aren't tied to a particular talent? Or, what if your cutie marks are attached to an activity you don't like?” After a pause to note that the three fillies are focused on my character, I continue, “Now, I can understand the need to find what makes each of you what you are, what identifies you from any other pony, besides your names. Humans also search for their own identities, some for their whole lives. And, more often than not, as we humans live our lives, that identity comes a piece at a time. For you ponies, on the other hand, your identities come in an instant, and are manifested in a picture on your hips. And, once you find that identifying mark, you only lose it when you lose either your magic or your life. I don't know if it works the same way for you ponies as it does for us humans; but when we die, we get that life back when we're resurrected. I do know that you can get your cutie marks back when you get your magic back.

“I do look forward to seeing you get your cutie marks, and find out what makes each of you what you are. And, I'm thinking, I'm hoping, you'll find your identifiers when you find out what you enjoy most. And, don't be surprised if each of you gets a different mark from the others, and at a different time. But, if I might offer some advice, just because one of you gets your cutie mark at a different time from the others, don't kick her out of the group. She can still help you, even if she already has her cutie mark, maybe because she has her cutie mark. And, the same goes for a classmate that already has his or her cutie mark. Don't separate from him or her just because of that. Just because that classmate has their cutie mark doesn't mean he or she can't help you find yours.”

For a few seconds there is silence, except for the sound of munching on fruits and vegetables.

Then, Applebloom asks, “Didn't you say once that humans see cutie marks as tattoos or brands, and actions speak louder to them than cutie marks?”

I answer, “I did say that once, yes.”

The curious earth filly asks, “So, what're you really good at?”

I pause for a moment to smile, then say, “I happen to be good at all sorts of things, some things that you may not understand.”

It's Sweetie Belle who squeaks, “Like what?”

Again I smile before I say, “Well, in general, if math is a major part it, then I'm likely to be good at it.”

Again Sweetie Belle asks, “Like what?”

I hum for a moment in thought, then I say, “Well, I have a talent for music. I'm good at singing, and I've found I'm good at playing different kinds of musical instruments.”

Scootaloo seems in shock as she says, “Music … and math … ?” Then, she shakes herself out, then sticks her tongue out and groans in disgust.

I have my character focus on the little orange pegasa, and I say, “You may be surprised. Math is a lot of fun, or at least it can be.”

Under her breath, Scootaloo grumbles, “Yeah, I'll believe that when I see it.”

I laugh for a second or two before I say, “I understand. Not everyone's talented at everything. I'm good at math-related subjects, and not-so-good at athletics. There are things that I'm good at, and other things I'm not.” I then have my character divide his attention among the three fillies as I continue, “And, I'm sure the same thing is true for all three of you. There may be some things that Sweetie Belle is good at, that the rest of you aren't. And, I'm sure the same can be said about Applebloom and Scootaloo. I do look forward to seeing you find out what you're good at. Just don't be surprised when one of you proves good at something that the rest of you may not be good at.”

The three look at each other, then back at my character again, and together say, “Yeah, whatever.” And, they continue eating.

For the rest of dinner the ponies talk amongst themselves about other things; but the conversations are simultaneous, so that making anything out on any given subject is rendered pretty much impossible.

After dinner, the ponies, the dinosaur, and the human join forces to clean up. Then, with Lyra and Weed Whacker guarding the front door, the Cutie Mark Crusaders are allowed to play in the front room for a while.

During this time, Pinkie Pie grabs my character's hand in her mane and drags him into the kitchen. There, she guides him to a chair and, after letting him go, occupies the chair on the opposite side of the table from him. Once seated, she focuses on my character and asks, “Mormon, do you remember when you mentioned something about meetings among the Nephites?”

I answer, “Yeah, what about it?”

Pinkie Pie continues, “One thing that stuck out to me was that one verse, 'And we speak of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, and we prophesy of Christ, and we write according to our prophecies, that our children may know to whom they may turn for a remission of their sins.'” After a brief pause, she asks, “Was that what you meant when you talked about those meetings among the Nephites?”

I answer, “That was what I was referring to, yes. Although, come to think of it, I suppose things like that may not have been specific to church gatherings. Did you have anything specific to ask about that?”

Pinkie Pie shakes her head and answers, “No, I was just wondering.”

I have to wonder if that was really all she had to ask about. Before I can ask, though, Fluttershy enters the kitchen and, seeing my character and her pink earth pony friend at the table, asks, “Mormon, Pinkie Pie, is there a bedroom available for me and Scootaloo to spend the night?”

I answer, “On one side of the hallway leading from the front room, the first door on the right in fact, is a bedroom. There are also two bedrooms at the end of that hallway. You can choose from one of them.”

Fluttershy smiles and says, “Oh, thank you.” Then, she asks, “Also, are there any bathrooms along that hallway?”

I answer, “The first door on the left along that hallway leads to my work room. The second door leads to the bathroom, which is right across the hallway from a closet, which should have clean towels and other things for the bathroom.”

Again Fluttershy smiles, but she also nods as she says, “Oh, thank you, Mormon.”

I ask, “Have the Cutie Mark Crusaders worn themselves out yet?”

Fluttershy giggles for a second before answering, “No, not yet. They are fillies, after all. And, like all foals their age, they have lots and lots of energy.”

I state, “Well, I'm sure that at least one more of us needs to be in the front room helping Lyra and Weed Whacker keep the Crusaders in line.”

Fluttershy's smiling face morphs into an expression of surprise, and she puts a front hoof to her mouth as she says, “Oh, you're right. I'm sorry, Mormon.”

Before the yellow pegasa disappears through the door, I respond, “That's alright, Fluttershy. You had some good, important questions to ask.” Then, as Fluttershy disappears through the door, I have my character turn to Pinkie Pie; and I say, “I think we should get in there and help, too.”

Pinkie Pie jumps off of her chair and responds, “You're right, Mormon. Let's get going.”

The human and pink earth pony enter the room just in time for my character to catch an airborne Scootaloo before she can make an accidental entrance into the kitchen, one that would likely have at least damaged the door.

For another hour the three adult ponies, the three fillies, the human and the dinosaur play a few games. Then, the groups separate, Applebloom following Pinkie Pie, Sweetie Belle following Lyra and Weed Whacker, and Scootaloo following Fluttershy as they head to their rooms.

Fluttershy and Scootaloo occupy the first bedroom on the right side of the hallway connected to the front room, a room that had been occupied by Octavia and Vinyl Scratch first, then by Carrot Top and Berry Punch.

As the remaining five follow my character into the kitchen, Lyra says, “You know, Mormon, here Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy and I have charge of each of the three fillies, and you don’t have charge over anypony.”

I have my character step aside to allow the five others to pass, and I say, “One of the jobs of a leader is to delegate responsibility to others.”

Lyra turns to my character and says, “So, you delegate the responsibility of each of the three fillies to us, and you don’t have to make any decisions.”

I respond, “I did make the decision to hand over responsibility of each of the fillies to the pony I thought could handle it best.”

Lyra tilts her head and asks, “And so you put me in charge of Sweetie Belle?”

Sweetie Belle seems hurt as she asks, “Is there something wrong with me?”

I have my character turn to the little white unicorn filly, and I answer, “I’m sure Lyra didn’t mean it that way.” I then have him turn back to Lyra as I answer, “I’m thinking you know more about taking care of unicorns, especially unicorn foals, than I do. I have had experience taking care of you, but you’re an adult. And, like I said, you have responsibility over Sweetie Belle because I’m sure you can handle it best.”

The look Lyra gives me suggests that she’s looking for a way to change my mind. After a few seconds I can only guess she finds none, as she turns away from my character and says, “Fine. I’ll take care of Sweetie Belle.”

As the pale-green unicorn follows Sweetie Belle and the two earth ponies down the hall from the kitchen, I open my mouth to say something, only for Pinkie Pie to beat me to it. She even says what I was going to say: “And, you’ll have Weed Whacker to help you. If you need help, you can always ask Mormon, or me, or Fluttershy.”

As Pinkie Pie opens the door to her room to allow Applebloom to enter ahead of her, I hear Sweetie Belle whine, “You don’t like me, do you, Lyra.”

The pale-green unicorn uses some of her magic to pick up the little white unicorn filly, then more of her magic to open the door to her own bedroom, as she says, “Now, I didn’t mean it that way, Sweetie Belle.”

As the two unicorns and the herbivorous dinosaur disappear through the bedroom door, I hear Sweetie Belle sob, “Yes, you did.”

It’s clear to me, from what I’ve heard just now, that, of the three ponies given responsibility over one of the Cutie Mark Crusaders, Lyra’s going to have the most difficult time with Sweetie Belle. That is, unless she changes her attitude.

After my character enters his room, and when he’s ready to write the letter to the princesses, that’s the first thing I have him write about. After that, I talk about how things have turned out with Twilight visiting Fluttershy in the morning, then my character, the element bearers and Weed Whacker visiting the clinic to get their first looks at the Cakes’ twin foals, and how I had to discipline Pinkie Pie for going into the nursery where she shouldn’t have been.

I also add how I delegated responsibility for taking care of each of the Cutie Mark Crusaders, who are spending the night with me and the others living with me, among three adult ponies: Applebloom to Pinkie Pie, Sweetie Belle to Lyra, and Scootaloo to Fluttershy, who asked to help me out.

After concluding and signing the letter, I deliver it to Weed Whacker, who sends it off. And, I can't help noticing that Sweetie Belle has calmed down by then. After that, my character returns to his room and goes to bed.

You know, I wonder if I should’ve mentioned the impromptu pet play date I had with Pinkie Pie and Lyra. I suppose it isn’t all that important. What matters is that I’ve delivered my report to the princesses. And, thus I conclude my character's day and evening by saving and closing the game until the next time I play.

Author's Notes:

The next chapter will be based on the episode, "Show Stoppers." Applebloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo are returned to their families, and, toward the end of the day, Mormon, Lyra, Weed Whacker, and Pinkie Pie attend the talent show put on by the foals at the school.

This and more in Chapter 19, "A Number on the Music."

The chapters read will be the Second Book of Nephi, 28 through 33.