As I resume the game, I find that my character wakes up to what must feel like some kind of earthquake to him, judging by the noticeable vibration around him.

Not only that, but Spike proves that even a baby dragon couldn’t sleep through such rattling, as I hear him ask, fully awake, “Mormon, what’s going on?”

My character automatically turns to him, and I answer, “I can’t say for sure. Let me have a look.” Then, following my commands, my character gets to his hands and knees and looks out the window above him. Through his eyes, I see, besides it clearly being morning, a herd of bison, lead by a calf, stampeding past. I say, “A herd of bison is running past us.”

Judging by my character’s involuntary movement, it’s evident that Spike has just jumped on his shoulder. A second later, the purple dragon says, “I think you mean buffalo.”

As my character turns to the dragon on his shoulder, all I can see through his eyes are Spike’s eyes set in purple. I answer, “They’re known as either American buffalo or bison.”

The purple dragon climbs down my character’s arm, then asks, “So, what’re we gonna do?”

I answer, “I’m thinking the best thing for us to do right now is stay where we are. For all we know, the train conductor and crew have dealt with this kind of thing before. And besides, we really don’t know how to respond, since all the bison are doing right now is stampeding. And, don’t we have a tree to take care of while we’re here?”

The implications of my question seem to dawn on the dragon, as he says, “Oh, that’s right. Bloomberg, Applejack’s tree.”

I respond, “Exactly. So, until something more urgent happens, I think we should stay here with Bloomberg.”

Then, the smile on Spike’s face turns to an expression of deep worry, and he asks, “B-but, what if it’s too late by then? What if we’re stuck here?”

Seeing that Spike looks like he’s about to start crying, I have my character reach out and stroke one side of his face while I say, “Even if that ends up being the case, we’ll be stuck together, and that’s how we’ll handle the situation.” And, considering that Spike himself isn’t programmed to know what’s going to happen, I consider myself justified in saying, “For all we know, the bison are just curious about us, and are just going to turn and run in a different direction once their curiosity is satisfied.”

Spike swallows hard, but he seems to relax a little when he says, “I hope you’re right, Mormon. I don’t wanna be stuck, lost out in the middle of the desert.”

I open my mouth to say something, but then I hear a crashing sound from further ahead in the train. It seems as though these Equestrian trains were designed to carry sounds from one car to another.

And, it seems that Spike heard it too, as he cries out in alarm and asks, “What was that?”

I answer, “I’ll go have a look.” And, automatically my character rises from his sleeping gear and goes to the front of the caboose. As he peers out of the window, I see, through his eyes, just the back of the next car. As my character turns back to Spike, I say, "You stay here. I’m gonna go out and have a closer look.” And, as per my instructions, my character then opens the door, takes the step outside, then closes the door behind him before Spike can follow. Then, as my character moves to the side to show me, through his eyes, what’s going on, I see a bison ram sideways into one of the passenger cars, which I know must be the one with the element bearers, as well as Lyra and Weed Whacker, in it.

I know Pinkie Pie’s having fun with being thrown around, even if the others aren’t.

But, then I’m sure I hear a voice shout out, “Wait, we must stop the plan! There’s more than just the tree in that red cave!”

I hear another voice call out, “No, we are too far in! We must get that red cave!”

I hear the first voice call out, “But, it also contains a monster!”

At this point, I decide to have my character go back inside the caboose. But, before he can make it back inside, I hear the second voice call out the question, “What kind of monster?” and the first voice answer back, “One that walks on its hind legs and fully covers itself with other creatures’ fur!”

Once my character is back inside the caboose with the door closed behind him, I hear Spike ask, “So, what’s going on?”

As my character turns to him, I answer, “We seem to be caught in a conspiracy to get Applejack’s tree.”

Presently, Spike cries out, “What!?” He then runs in circles, worriedly saying, “Oh no, what’ll we do, what’ll we do?”

By this time, I’m guessing Rainbow Dash is trying to apprehend and ask a question of the bison calf that, by now, is likely running along the roofs of the passenger cars right now, on his way here. I answer, “Spike, the first thing you need to do is calm down. You’re not going to be able to help anyone or anything by panicking.”

As Spike stops and looks at my character’s face, I can see tears start to stream from his eyes as he asks, “But, what’re we gonna do? Those bison, buffalo, whatever they are, are gonna take Bloomberg, and us with him.”

I state, “They do know I’m in here. They don’t know anything about you being in here.”

I watch, through my character’s eyes, for a moment while Spike evidently thinks about my last statement. His smile suggests to me that a thought is occurring to him, and he says, “That means I can go on ahead and warn Twilight and the others about what you said!”

Just then, I happen to see, through my character’s eyes, Rainbow Dash, from behind, sliding down a railroad crossing sign. I slowly say, “I think it’s too late for that now.”

As I have my character turn to the door of the caboose, I hear Spike ask, “What do you mean?”

My character looks out the window of the door and shows me, through his eyes, the bison calf going to work, quickly unlatching the caboose from the rest of the train. Considering the little bison calf’s focus, not to mention how easily she undoes the latch, I’m guessing this isn’t her first experience with it.

I don’t allow my character to look away from the door window as I answer, “The bison have what they came for, and a little extra. At least one of them knows there’s a monster in the caboose.”

I hear Spike ask, “W-what k-kind of m-monster?”

I answer, “According to one of the bison, one that walks on its hind legs and fully covers itself with other creatures’ fur.”

As I finally allow my character to look away from the window and at Spike again, I see the little dragon point a finger at him and say, “Wait, that sounds like you.”

I reply, “At least one of the bison did see me while I was having a look outside.”

Presently, Spike uses the finger he’d pointed at my character to scratch his chin before continuing, matter-of-factly, “But, you’re no monster.”

I respond, “Well, according to the bison, I am.” I then have my character turn to the door window again, just in time to see the faces of the remaining five element bearers, as well as Lyra and Weed Whacker, in the window of the car ahead of us. As I see, through my character’s eyes, the door to that car open up, I call out, “It’s alright! Just stay where you are! We’ll catch up, somehow!” But, I can only watch as I see Pinkie Pie and Lyra converse for a few seconds, then disappear from view along with Weed Whacker.

Then, a few seconds later, I hear a wheezing pop, followed by Pinkie’s voice saying, “Now, Mormon, what did you say?”

I allow my character to turn to the pink earth pony, and I say, “Pinkie, you were supposed to stay with the others. I was saying that we were going to catch up somehow.”

Pinkie Pie slowly rolls her eyes and says, “Oh!” as if it dawns on her. Then, she asks, “Also, you know what’s going on, don’t you?”

Before I can even think to answer, the door to the caboose opens, and the bison calf enters. Seeing the pink earth pony, the monster, and the purple dragon there in the car with the tree, she blinks, then closes the door behind her, then gallops to the bed with the tree in it, braces herself against it, then turns to the other three and says, “You’d better brace yourselves. It’s gonna get bumpy.”

In agreement, the three brace themselves against the back wall, with Pinkie Pie bracing herself against the door.

Seeing the three thus positioned, the bison calf growls, “No, I mean get down!”

Understanding what the bison calf means, I have my character collapse onto the floor of the caboose, and Spike follows my example.

On the other hand, Pinkie Pie immediately hops away from the door and starts doing some kind of popping and locking street dance.

As my character looks up at the dancing earth pony, well, I have to say she dances really well. But, I decide now is not the time for such an act; and I call out, “Pinkie Pie, that’s not what Little Strongheart means. She means she wants you on the floor of the caboose with the rest of us.”

Immediately the pink party pony stops dancing, then turns her head to my character and says, “Oh, really?”

But, before I can answer, the caboose suddenly lurches, causing Pinkie Pie to fall backwards into the door again. And, before anything can be done, the door opens, ejecting the pink earth pony outside.

My character manages to look behind him out the door to show me that one of the bison has caught her, and is moving off to the side, while others have managed to stop the caboose from going forward any further, and are now pushing it backwards.

Spike, evidently realizing that he’s in a car moving away from the rest of the train, jumps up on his feet, runs to the open door, and calls out, “Help!”

I call out, “Now, Spike, remember, I’m in the same predicament as you. We're in this together.”

But, the little purple dragon refuses to acknowledge what I said, or to turn and look at my character.

Then, I hear the bison calf say, “It’s alright now.” And, my character turns his attention to her as she adds, “You can stand up again.” And, sure enough, he’s no longer bracing against the bed containing the tree.

I have my character stand up again, then walk over to Spike, then grab him and pick him up.

At first the purple dragon starts, then he turns his head to see that I’m the one that grabbed him. Then, he turns the rest of himself around and buries his face in my character’s chest and cries, “Oh, Mormon, what’re we gonna do now?”

I have my character stroke Spike’s back as I answer, “The main thing we need to do right now is keep calm. I’m sure the bison have a good reason for what they’re doing.”

The bison calf turns away from the bed and tree and, focusing on my character, says, “Yes, we do. And, just so you know, we never intended to get you involved in this. We just wanted the tree.”

At this point, I decide to have my character sit down. Then, once he’s seated and leaning against the nearest wall adjacent to the one with the door, I have him focus on the bison calf, and I ask, “So, Little Strongheart, why do you want the tree?”

The bison calf sits canine-style and says, “It’s a long story. I’ll explain the whole thing to you when this red cave is stopped.” He then tilts his head as he asks, “Better question is how do you know my name?”

I answer, “I have a good source for my information.”

Little Strongheart’s next question is, “And, what are you doing on a train with a dragon and a bunch of ponies?”

I answer, “Those ponies are friends of mine, and so is Spike here.” And, I have my character indicate the purple dragon who’s still attached to him. I then continue, “We were helping one of the ponies, Applejack, deliver the tree to a cousin of hers in Appleoosa.”

Presently, the bison calf jumps to her hooves, lowers her head, and, pawing at the floor, snorts two or three times. Then, she calms down and says, “No, I promised I’d tell you when this red cave is stopped.” She then sits back down canine-style again.

Now, once again having seen this episode, that is the one on which this and the following day are based, I know why the bison want the apple tree. But, also as I’ve done before, I plan on asking questions and getting answers before I do anything further. Still, I’m also familiar with the bison wanting their stampeding grounds back. And, based on the story they tell in the episode, I have programmed these bison with their instinctive need for their grounds.

In the mean time, another lurch, this time not as great, suggests that the bison are slowing the caboose down again, preparing to stop it.

And, the purpose for them stopping is made clear when Little Strongheart says, “Ah, it looks like we’re almost there.” Then, she approaches the purple dragon in my character’s arms and says, “Again, I want you to know that I’m sorry you got involved in this.” He then nuzzles Spike before adding, “I hope you will forgive us. We mean you no harm.”

Spike turns to the bison calf and asks, “So, why did you kidnap me, then?”

Little Strongheart answers, “Like I said, we were after the tree. We didn’t know until I got in here that you were here.”

I say, “Just one question,” before asking, “If you’d known that there was a dragon in the caboose, would you have taken it with the tree?”

As the caboose comes to a stop, Little Strongheart inhales deeply, then exhales just as deeply, then answers, “That’ll be for Chief Thunderhooves to answer. If it had been up to me, no, we wouldn’t have taken this … ca-boose.” And, she pronounces the word “caboose” as though it’s new to her, which it most likely is.

Then, I hear a voice from the doorway call, “You can come out now!”

I have my character wait for Little Strongheart to go first, then follow behind her as the three inside the caboose exit. Then, when I see Pinkie Pie still riding on the back of the bison that caught her, I ask, “Pinkie Pie, are you alright?”

It’s only after my character has put Spike back down on his feet that I hear the pink earth pony answer, “Yeah, I’m fine.” Then, as my character turns his attention to her, she adds, “Say, that was fun. Could we do that again, huh, huh, huh?”

I answer, “I think we’ve got other concerns to take care of right now.”

Presently, Pinkie Pie asks, “Yeah, like, what happened to Dashy?”

I agree, “That’s true. He hit that railroad crossing sign chasing down Little Strongheart, …”

Before I can say more, I hear the voice of the bison calf say, “Oh, no.” Then, as my character’s attention is drawn to her, she continues, “I hope she isn’t hurt.”

I state, “I’m sure she’ll be fine. But, she will come looking for us.”

Pinkie Pie says, “Well, in that case, I’d better go looking for her.”

A now calmed-down Spike says, “Yeah, I’d better go, too.”

I say, “Well, if Pinkie Pie’s going, then I’d better go.”

Little Strongheart says, “Well, in that case, I’d better stay here and guard the tree until you get back.” She then points to some three or four of the adult bison and orders them to join the monster, the dragon, and the pony in search of their friend.

I have my character focus on the bison calf as I say, “And, by the way, I’m what’s known as a human.”

Then, as my character turns away from Little Strongheart to follow Pinkie Pie and Spike, I hear the bison calf say, “Human, human. Why does that sound familiar to me?”

Noting how long it seemed to take from the time the bison managed to capture the caboose until they managed to stop it again, and deciding the best course of action is to follow the railroad tracks back to the crossing sign, I call ahead to the pony and the dragon to follow the tracks to the sign that Rainbow Dash had run into to see if she’s still there, which I understand she most likely isn’t.

Once the group makes it to the railroad crossing sign, it’s made clear that the blue pegasa is no longer there. But, it’s Pinkie Pie that notices a trail leading from the sign off into the desert. So, the group follows the hoof-print trail to a cluster of rocks, where I happen to see Rainbow Dash evidently trying to hide among them, looking around ahead of her to see if there are any of the bison around.

Pinkie Pie, evidently thinking that Rainbow Dash is playing a game of hide and seek, or something similar, jumps in among the boulders and starts moving from one to another, sneaking up on the blue pegasa.

In the mean time, Spike and my character, as well as the bison following us, just casually walk toward them.

From behind the last boulder I saw Rainbow Dash hiding next to, in fact the one I can see her trying to hide behind, I hear her say, “Oh, I can’t wait to get my hands on that little buffalo.” She then winces and howls in evident pain and, rubbing her head with a front hoof, says, “Nobody tricks Rainbow Dash and gets away with it.”

And, wouldn’t you know it, that’s just when, without her realizing it, Pinkie Pie sneaks up on her, pausing in relatively open space so the blue pegasa doesn’t run into her. Then, as Rainbow Dash turns to look ahead of herself, Pinkie Pie says, “Boo.”

Startled, Rainbow Dash yelps and jumps backwards, in fact falling on her back. Then, she recognizes the source of the voice as she rolls over and says under her breath, “Pinkie Pie!”

The pink earth mare says, “Aww, you caught me.” She then looks toward my character and adds, “Looks like I tricked you and didn’t get away with it either.” She then turns back to her blue pegasa friend and, pointing at her, concludes, “You’re good.”

Presently, Rainbow Dash covers the pink earth pony’s muzzle with a hoof and shushes her before asking, “What do you think you’re doing?” With a worried look on her face, she adds, “We’ve gotta get outta here.” She then jumps to the other side of the rock and peers out from it.

Innocently, Pinkie Pie asks, “I do?” She then points to my character and asks, “But, what about Mormon over there?”

My guess is Rainbow Dash doesn’t hear Pinkie Pie’s last question as she almost growls, “You’re gonna blow my cover.”

Once again innocently, Pinkie Pie asks, “I am?” And, once again she points to my character and adds, “And, what about Mormon? He’s coming this way.”

But, Rainbow Dash is apparently neither looking nor listening. She just continues to peer past her rock, away from the group approaching her from behind, as she finally growls, “I’m trying to save Spike and Mormon.”

Presently, Pinkie Pie asks, “Oh my gosh, they’re missing? Then, why are they coming up behind us?”

By this time, the human, the dragon, and the small group of bison are close enough to the two ponies that my character, at least, could reach out and touch Rainbow Dash.

But, the still-unaware azure pegasa puts her front hooves against Pinkie Pie’s chest and continues, “And, the more of us there are out here, the more chances of us getting …” And, finally she turns and sees the other six behind her. She takes a step away from Pinkie Pie, allowing her front hooves to fall to the ground under her and catch her, as she puts a single word to her fears: “ … caught.”

As the blue pegasa forces a grin in spite of her otherwise worried expression, I have my character kneel on one knee and reach out and start stroking her on the side of the neck, and I say, “Hi, Rainbow Dash.”

I then hear a male voice next to my character say, “This winged, blue pony with mane and tail of many colors, you know her?”

My character turns to show me, through his eyes, the bison next to him. I answer, “She’s a friend of mine.”

Presently, Rainbow Dash pushes my character’s hand away and, almost under her breath, asks, “What’re you doing with these buffalo? Shouldn’t you be with Applejack’s tree? And, where’s Spike?”

Before I can address any of the blue pegasa’s questions, I hear Spike, from the side of my character opposite the bison, say, “I’m right here, Rainbow Dash.” Then, as the pegasa’s attention turns to him, he adds, “As it turns out, these buffalo, bison, whatever you wanna call ‘em, really respect dragons.” He then turns to the bison next to my character and says, “It’s alright. She’s cool.”

The bison steps back and says, “if you say so, bro.”

My character remains focused on the blue pegasa as I add, “If you’ll remember, I was riding in the caboose when the bison calf unlatched it from the rest of the train. They knew it was occupied by more than just the tree when I went out to see what was going on, but they didn’t let that stop them. I have yet to find out why they wanted the tree, and still want it, I’m guessing.”

The bison that’d spoken to me and Spike says, “We need to be getting back to that cab-oose now.” And, the way he says “caboose” suggests that, as it was to Little Strongheart, the word is unfamiliar to him.

I have my character stand up again, and I say, “He’s right. So, Rainbow Dash, if you’ll join us, we’ll head back to the caboose now, and hopefully we’ll get the story of why the bison wanted Applejack’s tree from the bison calf.”

Rainbow Dash rubs the back of her neck as she grumbles, “Not as if I have much of a choice in the matter.”

I state, “You can always fly off back to the railroad tracks and follow them on to Appleoosa, or back to Ponyville.”

Rainbow Dash continues to rub the back of her neck as she states, “The way my head’s feelin’ right now, I wouldn’t be able to think straight. I’m gonna have to walk.”

I ask, “So, shall we get goin’?”

Rainbow Dash drops the front hoof to the ground again, then lowers her head and sighs, then says, “Fine, whatever.”

Considering that as her affirmation, the bison take the lead; and the ponies, human and dragon follow them. And, it isn’t long before the group makes it back to the caboose.

Little Strongheart, seeing the group coming back, jumps over the latch and gallops toward my character, then stops about a yard away from him and says, “I hope you understand, but I think we should wait until we get to our camp before we answer your questions. I think Chief Thunderhooves can explain our situation better.”

Presently, I hear Rainbow Dash say, “Wait a minute, I know you.”

Automatically, my character turns his attention away from the bison calf and to Rainbow Dash, who is pointing a front hoof at the bison calf.

As my character turns his attention back to Little Strongheart, she emphatically says, “You?”

Rainbow Dash then draws my character’s attention to her again as she asks, “You’re being held prisoner by these … things?”

I answer, “More or less,” before suggesting, “Look, let’s just follow them to their camp and hear them out. I’m sure they have a good explanation for what they’re doing. And, maybe we can help.”

Rainbow Dash angrily snorts for a few seconds, then sighs and says, looking away from my character, “Fine, let’s just go.”

I then have my character turn to the bison calf, and I say, “Well, Little Strongheart, lead the way.”

As the bison calf nods and moves to the lead position, all but four bison follow her away from the caboose.

In the mean time, I hear Rainbow Dash grumble under her breath, “I can’t believe Mormon is so easily brainwashed by these buffalo.”

I then hear Pinkie Pie, in a loud whisper, respond, “He’s not being brainwashed. He knows something. He just wants them to say it, and he wants us to hear it. And, I wouldn’t be surprised if he has a question or two for them. And, by the way, he calls them bison.”

I hear Rainbow Dash whisper, “Whatever. The first chance I get, I’m gettin’ outta here, and I’m takin’ you, Mormon, and Spike with me.”

I then hear Pinkie Pie whisper, “What?”

I then hear a thud close behind my character, followed immediately by Rainbow Dash moaning a little too dramatically for me to believe or take seriously, but still enough to stop the forward progress of the group.

Once all have stopped, I have my character turn to the blue pegasa to see her holding and complaining about her head.

Not long after that, I hear and see Little Strongheart from the opposite side of one of the bison approach and ask, “Is everything alright with your winged friend?”

I have my character approach Rainbow Dash and pick her up while I say, “It’s alright. I’ll take care of her.”

The blue pegasa, in surprise, asks, “What?” She then starts to struggle as she asks, “Mormon, what’re you doin’?”

As my character gets a firmer grip on the struggling pegasa, covering her wings with the arm not supporting her under her legs, the bison calf nods and says, “Alright, then.” She then disappears past the bison she’d appeared from, and a second or two later the march resumes.

I then hear Rainbow Dash call me by name, which causes my character to automatically look down at her. She then asks, “What did you do that for? I was trying to give us a chance to escape.”

I answer, “These bison have a story to tell, and I think we should listen.” Then, my character starts to look forward again as I add, “And besides, Pinkie Pie’s right. I do have a question or two for them. And beyond that, I thought you had too much of a headache to think of an escape plan.”

I hear Rainbow Dash growl for a second or two, then stop suddenly. My character looks down at her again to show me, through his eyes, her grimace. Evidently she’s had another jolt of pain through her head. And, it’s enough to prevent any further conversation or complaining from then on until the group arrives at the bison encampment.

Once there, as the rest of the bison disperse among the tepees, Little Strongheart approaches my character and asks, “Have you had anything to eat yet?”

Spike answers, “I haven’t, and neither has Mormon.”

Pinkie Pie adds, “Rainbow Dash and I haven’t had anything to eat, neither.”

The bison calf says, “Well, in that case,” then turns around and, using a front hoof, whistles, then calls out, “The clothed monster and his friends need some food!”

I can’t help chuckling. I don’t know that I’ll ever get used to being referred to as a “clothed monster.”

And, it seems that Pinkie Pie might simply not like the reference, as she says, “Mormon’s a human.”

I have my character turn to her as I say, “It’s alright, Pinkie. I’m guessing humans have been absent from Equestria for so long, most creatures may not have even heard of them.”

Then, Little Strongheart turns to my character again and says, “In the mean time, we need to find a place for you to set your winged pony friend down.” She then turns toward one of the tepees, away from my character again, and says, “Follow me. I’ll lead you to our campfire.”

I decide not to say anything, just follow the bison calf to the campfire, which, not surprisingly, is in the middle of the camp, surrounded by the tepees of the bison.

By the time the group has arrived, the sun has just started to set.

Two bison, which I’m guessing are female based on their lack of horns, are setting up a leather blanket and a pillow a few feet away from the campfire. And, by the time my friends and my character arrive, they’ve finished; and seeing us, they back away, then turn and gallop off.

Little Strongheart approaches the basic bed, then points to it, turns to my character again, and says, “You can put your winged pony friend on this bed. Then, you can take care of her, or we can, whichever you prefer.”

As my character approaches the bed, I have him turn to the bison calf; and I say, “Thanks, Little Strongheart.”

Then, as I have my character put Rainbow Dash on the bed, Little Strongheart comments, “You seem to know much about me, about us.”

Presently, Pinkie Pie responds, “That’s because he’s seen all of us on a cartoon show.”

Equal parts confused and curious, the bison calf turns to her, tilts her head, and grunts.

As Rainbow Dash moans, I state, “Let’s just say that I have a good source for my information.”

I have my character focus on the blue pegasa, so I can only hear Little Strongheart say, “Oh.” I’m guessing she probably still doesn’t fully understand.

At any rate, as Rainbow Dash starts to wake up again, I get a good look, through my character’s eyes, at her forehead, and notice there doesn’t seem to be any bruising. I can only guess that’s because of her facial fur. But, I still have my character massage her gently on her forehead, between her eyes, which clearly makes her feel better.

For the time my character massages the blue pegasa, she stops moving altogether. Then, when he pulls his hand away from her, she shakes her head, then touches it with a forelimb where my character had touched her, then moves her hoof away and looks at it. Then, she looks up at my character and asks, somewhat sleepily, “You healed me, didn’t you?”

I answer, “That’s right.”

Rainbow Dash then puts the hoof down and looks around her, then back at my character, and asks, “Where are we?”

I answer, “We’re in the camp of the bison.”

Presently, the blue pegasa jumps up onto all fours and, looking around, says, “We need to get outta here. We need to get Bloomberg to Appleoosa.”

I now have my character put a hand on the alert blue pegasa, and I say, “First thing’s first.” As she focuses on my character again, I continue, “First, we need to listen to what the bison have to say. Then, like I said before, I have some questions for them. Then, after we can make an informed decision, then we’ll act.”

I then hear Little Strongheart say, “But, before that,” and my character turns his attention to the bison calf as she continues, “You need to eat something.”

And, it’s then that I notice three female bison behind her, each with a bowl in her mouth.

One of them sets a bowl in front of my character, one in front of Rainbow Dash, and one in front of Pinkie Pie.

The pink earth pony immediately plants her face in her bowl of green mush and starts chomping away.

On the other hand, Rainbow Dash sniffs at her bowl, then pulls a face and groans in disgust.

As my character sniffs at the bowl in front of him, a message box appears at the bottom of the screen, reading, “The scent of corn.”

Presently, I say, “Hmm, cornmeal.” And, I have my character take a hand, push it into the mush, pull it out, and start eating the cornmeal that has stuck to his hand.

In the mean time, Rainbow Dash pushes her bowl away, then turns and trots to the side of one of the tepees, then starts peering past it. As she looks in each direction, she says, “I don’t know why Mormon trusts these buffalo, but I don’t. I say we turn tail and bail once they …” But, she’s evidently interrupted by the sounds of Pinkie Pie enjoying her meal. At least, that’s what I get from watching her, through my character’s eyes, turn and focus on her friend.

In the mean time, I happen to notice that Little Strongheart is holding a bowl of stones in his mouth.

As Pinkie Pie looks up again from her now-empty bowl, her face covered in the cornmeal, she asks, “Before we’re finished eating? Are you loco in the coco?”

I happen to catch, on the edge of my character’s vision, Little Strongheart approach Spike with the bowl full of stones, which are the color of Rainbow Dash’s fur. But, while the bison calf approaches Spike, I state, “I agree with Pinkie Pie on this one. We’re guests of the bison, and we have yet to hear them out. And, I have yet to ask them my questions.”

As the bison calf sets the bowl of stones next to Spike, Pinkie Pie asks, “Can I have more of that mushy stuff, uh, cornmeal as Mormon called it?”

Little Strongheart answers the pink earth pony, “Certainly.” She then pushes the bowl of stones toward Spike and asks, “And, Mr. Spike, you like gemstones, yes?”

The purple dragon looks hungrily at the contents of the bowl, hums with anticipation, and says, “Turquoise.” He then dumps the contents of the bowl into his mouth and munches away at the stones. Then, after a few seconds, when he can speak again, he says, “I know you’ve already met my human friend, Mormon, as well as Pinkie Pie, the one with the, uh, cornmeal, all over her face. And, the pony searching for a way out is Rainbow Dash.”

The blue pegasa, evidently having been named, turns to the purple dragon and snorts. She then focuses on Little Strongheart and growls, trotting toward her, “But, I suppose I could stay a little longer. Just long enough to settle things between me and this little brat.”

At this point, I have my character stick his cornmeal-covered hand out in front of the blue pegasa, and I say, “Now, Rainbow Dash, calm down. Remember, we’re their guests.”

Rainbow Dash glares at my character and says, “Don’t touch me.”

I respond, “Don’t force me to.”

The blue pegasa only stops when she sees the hand I’ve had my character stick out in front of her. It seems that, while she doesn’t care too much about physical appearance, she also doesn’t even want to be associated with the cornmeal the bison eat and have offered to her. She stares at the messy hand, then at its owner, and asks, “How can you eat that stuff?”

I open my mouth to answer, but Pinkie Pie beats me to it, giggling before she says, “I think you already know the answer to that one, Dashie.”

Then, I hear Little Strongheart’s voice approach and say, “Please, forgive us for what happened on the train.” As my character turns to the bison calf, she continues, “We didn’t mean for anyone to be hurt.”

From the edge of my character’s periphery, I can see Rainbow Dash glaring at Little Strongheart as she rolls her eyes and says, “Yeah, right.” She then trots past my character, brushing her tail against my character’s hand.

I have him hold out his other hand in front of the blue pegasa as I say, “Now, let’s hear Little Strongheart out.”

The bison calf says, “Thanks, Mormon,” then continues, “We only wanted the tree. The settler ponies have taken over the land and have planted an orchard all over it. Because of their thoughtlessness, we can no longer run over our traditional stampeding grounds.”

While Little Strongheart talks, Pinkie Pie approaches Rainbow Dash, and the two share a confused look. When the bison calf is finished, they turn to her and communicate their confusion in a grunt.

In the episode, it’s Spike who suggests a meeting with the alpha bison. In this game, I, the gamer, beat Spike to it, having my character focus on the bison calf and saying, “Maybe it’s time for you to go get Chief Thunderhooves. He should give us a better idea of what your side of the story is, and he could even answer a few of my questions.”

Little Strongheart sighs, then says, “Alright. I’ll be right back with our chief. In the mean time, stay here and enjoy your food.”

As the bison calf wanders off past Spike, Rainbow Dash approaches my character and, under her breath, says, “I think we’ve already stayed here too long. it’s getting dark, and we should be getting to Appleoosa. Everypony’s gonna be worried about us.”

I respond, “You’re right, it is getting dark. And, this is unfamiliar territory. Do you know how far away the train tracks are? Sure we could get to Appleoosa if we could follow those tracks, but do we have much of a chance of finding them in the dark? I say we stay here and listen to what the bison have to say. They’ve been hospitable so far, and I’m sure they’ll allow us to sleep among them for the night, then they’ll lead us to Appleoosa in the morning. But, we need to hear their side of this story first.”

Rainbow Dash growls for a few seconds, then grumbles, “Oh, alright. But, you’d better be right about this.”

I respond, “Trust me, I am.”

And, it takes a little more than the time of the conversation between me and Rainbow Dash took for Little Strongheart to show up with Chief Thunderhooves, who says, “Little Strongheart here tells me that she couldn’t communicate to you our situation. She also said that you, who are called Mormon, have some questions for me. So, let me tell you our story.

“You see, we have a long and winding stampeding trail we have run upon for many generations. My father stampeded upon these grounds, and his father before him, and his father before him, …”

Chief Thunderhooves repeats the phrase, “and his father before him,” maybe six to eight times more before Little Strongheart states, “I think they got the idea, Chief.”

The dark gray bison snorts, then continues, “It is a sacred tradition to run the path every year. But, this year, these settler ponies, these … Apple-loosens!”

He then snorts a few more times in evident anger before Little Strongheart sticks a front hoof in his closest nostril and says, “They planted apple trees all over it without asking our permission.”

At this point, I hear Pinkie Pie say, “Well, that’s not nice, right Rainbow Dash?”

My character automatically turns to the pink earth pony to show me, through his eyes, that Rainbow Dash is sitting strangely human-style now, her forelimbs folded in front of her.

I have my character turn back to the senior bison, and I ask, “Just out of curiosity, did anyone of you bother to inform the settler ponies about your stampeding grounds?”

Chief Thunderhooves responds by snorting in growing fury, then retorting, “And why should we do that? Those are our stampeding grounds, and they are sacred to us!”

I respond, “Well, in that case, the Appleoosans can’t be held responsible for planting an orchard on ground they didn’t know was sacred now, can they?”

As the alpha bison snorts a few more times, I hear Pinkie Pie say, “Uh, Mormon, I really don’t think you should be making them any more angry than they already are.”

Presently, Chief Thunderhooves roars out, “Do you display your sacred items to everyone you see?”

I answer, “Displaying something sacred to someone else isn’t the same as informing that someone that something you’re pointing out is sacred to you.” I then watch as Chief Thunderhooves relaxes, evidently sensing his error, before I continue, “It may be of interest for you to know that I’ve observed that there are things that ponies hold sacred. And, not only that, but there are things that I myself hold sacred.”

Presently, Pinkie Pie says, “That’s right. Mormon has this record of a people that lived in the Americas some six … hundred … years …” My character turns his attention to the pink earth pony as she trails off, and I watch, through his eyes, as she forces a smile and a laugh in an effort to hide her disgrace, then says, “Uh, go ahead, Mormon.” She then turns away form my character and lowers her head.

I say to her, “It’s alright, Pinkie. I would’ve brought up the Book of Mormon anyway, but thank you for your assistance.”

As the pink earth pony turns back to my character, I can see, through his eyes, the tears falling from hers. She doesn’t respond, other than sniffling and nodding.

I then have my character turn his attention back to Chief Thunderhooves, and I continue, “Anyway, my point is that if you’d informed the settlers about the situation as soon as you saw them, then at least they could’ve made an informed decision. I can’t speak for them what that decision would’ve been; but I can tell you that if, after they’d heard your side of the story, they’d still chosen to build their orchard on your stampeding grounds without your permission, then you’d be perfectly justified in your anger. But, what’s done is done. Still, I’m sure there’s some kind of an agreement that can be reached between you and the settler ponies.”

As I finish speaking, Little Strongheart steps between Chief Thunderhooves and the campfire and says to my character, “And, what’re we supposed to in the mean time, huh? Is it fair that we’re stuck here because the settlers planted their trees on our sacred stampeding grounds?”

While I’m opening my mouth to answer, suddenly Rainbow Dash is between my character and the campfire, wings flared out, saying to the bison calf, “No, it isn’t. I say we go and talk to some apple-pickin’ Appleoosans.”

I decide to add to the blue pegasa’s answer, “But, I think we need to get some sleep, first. It’s been a long day; and I don’t know about anyone else, but I could use some rest.” Then, after Rainbow Dash turns to me, then with a begrudging attitude canters off, I continue, “I’ll be honored to mediate between you and the Appleoosans. And, I wouldn’t be surprised if a unicorn friend of mine, of ours, Twilight Sparkle, has also agreed to mediate on the part of the Appleoosans. And, assuming it’s her, I should be able to get the settlers’ side of this story, and together we can hopefully come to a reasonable, informed agreement on the matter.”

At my statement, Chief Thunderhooves hums in interest, then asks, “Tell me, is this Twilight Sparkle one of the Appleoosans?”

I answer, “No, she and I, as well as others, including Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, and Spike here, came with an orange earth pony known as Applejack to help deliver a tree to a cousin of hers that’s currently living in Appleoosa right now.”

At my mention of the cousin of Applejack living in Appleoosa, suddenly the alpha bison stomps and snorts, then says, “You mean to tell me that you and your friends are in league with the Apple-loosens?”

I restate, “We’re just here to make a delivery. This is the first we’ve heard of this conflict between you and the settlers.” Not true of me personally, but true of the group of four as a whole.

At any rate, twice more Chief Thunderhooves snorts, then finally relaxes and says, “Very well. If you and this Twilight Sparkle can come to an agreement that both sides will be happy with, then we will abide by it.” And, with that, he turns away from the campfire and marches off.

Before following the elder bison, Little Strongheart smiles at my character and, I suppose, gives the closest thing to a thumbs up that a hoofed creature like her can offer.

As I watch, through my character’s eyes, the elder bison and the calf wander away from the campfire, I hear Rainbow Dash ask, “Do you really think you and Twilight can settle this argument between the buffalo and the Appleoosans?”

My character automatically focuses on the azure pegasa, and I say, “Assuming she’s heard the settlers’ side of the story, I think it’s at least worth a shot. Right now, this situation needs two calm minds working together on a solution, and I think Twilight and I qualify for that. And, if we can get representatives from each side, one to speak for the bison and one to speak for the settlers, along with a couple mediators, that should help things even further.”

Just then, I hear the voice of Chief Thunderhooves on the opposite side of the campfire from my character ask, “Oh, and about this record that your pink pony friend talked about. Can you explain it for me?”

My character focuses on the senior bison, opposite the campfire again from him, while he speaks, then turns to my pink earth pony friend, and I ask her, “So, Pinkie Pie, would you like to do the honors?”

Instantly, the pink earth pony perks up, then, to the amusement of her audience, bounces around in a circle and says, “Oh, yes-yes-yes-yes-yes!” at the rate of one bounce per yes. When she’s finished, she turns to Chief Thunderhooves, clears her throat, and says, “You see, it’s called the Book of Mormon, and it’s about a group of humans that started out as two families that came from the Middle East, from Jerusalem, six hundred years before the Christ was born. They were guided by their God to what Mormon, here, knows as South America, where they divided into the Nephites and the Lamanites. The record mainly follows the Nephites through their times of being good and bad until more than four hundred years after the Christ was born, a few decades after most of the Nephites were destroyed by the Lamanites, and only one Nephite, called Moroni, is left.” She then turns to my character, to me, and asks, “Is that good, Mormon?”

I answer, “That was excellent, Pinkie.” I then ask, “Oh, and also, did you bring copies of the book with you?”

Pinkie nods vigorously, then says, “I sure did.” She then starts producing copies of the book from seemingly nowhere.

I have my character turn to the alpha bison, and I ask, “Is there anyone among you who knows how to read?”

For a few seconds, there is grumbling among the bison. Then, Chief Thunderhooves sighs and answers, “Unfortunately, no, none of us knows how to read.”

I state, “That’s perfectly fine. The four of us will read aloud to you.”

The voices I hear from the bison border on cheering.

In addition, or perhaps confirmation, Chief Thunderhooves says, “Well, then, we’ll be honored to listen to you read.”

I voice approval with one word: “Excellent.” I then have my character focus on Rainbow Dash, and I ask, “Will you give a brief description of what we’ve been reading up until now?” Then, before the blue pegasa can answer, I say, “I’ve been reading with ponies in Ponyville for a few weeks now, and, while we haven’t gotten through the majority of the Book of Mormon, we have read through the first seven of the fifteen books that compose it. And, tonight, we’ll be reading the first chapter in the eighth book, the Book of Mosiah, if that’s alright with you.”

Chief Thunderhooves nods and says, “Wherever you choose to read in the book is fine with us, just as long as we get a chance to listen to it.”

Presently Rainbow Dash offers a word of gratitude, then describes events as she remembers them, from the stories of Lehi’s family as described in the first two Books of Nephi to the topics of discussion in the Book of Omni, then gives a brief description of the contents of the Words of Mormon, which, as I mentioned, is something of an introduction to the rest of the record.

When the blue pegasa is finished, I turn to the purple dragon; and, once Pinkie Pie passes him a copy of the Book of Mormon, I ask, “Spike, will you start with the first verse of chapter one of Mosiah?”

Then, as my character produces his own copy of the book from his inventory, and Pinkie Pie produces her own and passes another to Rainbow Dash, Spike nods, then flips through the pages of his own copy, then finally starts reading, “And now there was no more contention in all the land of Zarahemla, among all the people who belonged to king Benjamin, so that king Benjamin had continual peace all the remainder of his days.”

Pinkie Pie seems to have opened her copy to the right page, as she, once Spike has finished reading, reads, “And it came to pass that he had three sons; and he called their names Mosiah, and Helorum, and Helaman. And he caused that they should be taught in all the language of his fathers, that thereby they might become men of understanding; and that they might know concerning the prophecies which had been spoken by the mouths of their fathers, which were delivered them by the hand of the Lord.”

Then, Rainbow Dash reads, “And he also taught them concerning the records which were engraven on the plates of brass, saying: My sons, I would that ye should remember that were it not for these plates, which contain these records and these commandments, we must have suffered in ignorance, even at this present time, not knowing the mysteries of God.”

I read, “For it were not possible that our father, Lehi, could have remembered all these things, to have taught them to his children, except it were for the help of these plates; for he having been taught in the language of the Egyptians therefore he could read these engravings, and teach them to his children, that thereby they could teach them to their children, and so fulfilling the commandments of God, even down to this present time.”

Spike reads, “I say unto you, my sons, were it not for these things, which have been kept and preserved by the hand of God, that we might read and understand of his mysteries, and have his commandments always before our eyes, that even our fathers would have dwindled in unbelief, and we should have been like unto our brethren, the Lamanites, who know nothing concerning these things, or even do not believe them when they are taught them, because of the traditions of their fathers, which are not correct.”

Pinkie Pie reads, “O my sons, I would that ye should remember that these sayings are true, and also that these records are true. And behold, also the plates of Nephi, which contain the records and the sayings of our fathers from the time they left Jerusalem until now, and they are true; and we can know of their surety because we have them before our eyes.”

Rainbow Dash reads, “And now, my sons, I would that ye should remember to search them diligently, that ye may profit thereby; and I would that ye should keep the commandments of God, that ye may prosper in the land according to the promises which the Lord made unto our fathers.”

I read, “And many more things did king Benjamin teach his sons, which are not written in this book.”

Spike reads, “And it came to pass that after king Benjamin had made an end of teaching his sons, that he waxed old, and he saw that he must very soon go the way of all the earth; therefore, he thought it expedient that he should confer the kingdom upon one of his sons.”

Pinkie Pie reads, “Therefore, he had Mosiah brought before him; and these are the words which he spake unto him, saying: My son, I would that ye should make a proclamation throughout all this land among all this people, or the people of Zarahemla, and the people of Mosiah who dwell in the land, that thereby they may be gathered together; for on the morrow I shall proclaim unto this my people out of mine own mouth that thou art a king and a ruler over this people, whom the Lord our God hath given us.”

Rainbow Dash reads, “And moreover, I shall give this people a name, that thereby they may be distinguished above all the people which the Lord God hath brought out of the land of Jerusalem; and this I do because they have been a diligent people in keeping the commandments of the Lord.”

I read, “And I give unto them a name that never shall be blotted out, except it be through transgression.”

Spike reads, “Yea, and moreover I say unto you, that if this highly favored people of the Lord should fall into transgression, and become a wicked and an adulterous people, that the Lord will deliver them up, that thereby they become weak like unto their brethren; and he will no more preserve them by his matchless and marvelous power, as he has hitherto preserved our fathers.”

Pinkie Pie reads, “For I say unto you, that if he had not extended his arm in the preservation of our fathers they must have fallen into the hands of the Lamanites, and become victims to their hatred.”

Rainbow Dash reads, “And it came to pass that after king Benjamin had made an end of these sayings to his son, that he gave him charge concerning all the affairs of the kingdom.”

I read, “And moreover, he also gave him charge concerning the records which were engraven on the plates of brass; and also the plates of Nephi; and also, the sword of Laban, and the ball or director, which led our fathers through the wilderness, which was prepared by the hand of the Lord that thereby they might be led, every one according to the heed and diligence which they gave unto him.”

Spike reads, “Therefore, as they were unfaithful they did not prosper nor progress in their journey, but were driven back, and incurred the displeasure of God upon them; and therefore they were smitten with famine and sore afflictions, to stir them up in remembrance of their duty.”

And, last of all, Pinkie Pie reads, “And now, it came to pass that Mosiah went and did as his father had commanded him, and proclaimed unto all the people who were in the land of Zarahemla that thereby they might gather themselves together, to go up to the temple to hear the words which his father should speak unto them.”

As two ponies, one dragon and one human close their books, the alpha bison asks, “And, that’s all?”

My character turns to Chief Thunderhooves, and I answer, “For the first chapter of the Book of Mosiah, yes. I do plan on the next reading covering chapter two, but, with this small group, this one chapter is enough for now. So, did you like what you heard?”

The bison chief answers, “It was an interesting story, and I’m guessing there is more to come.” Without waiting for an answer, he continues, “I have been in the position of Mosiah. My father, before he died, conferred on me the position of chief of this tribe. His father, before him, before he died, conferred the position on my father, and his father before him, and his father before him, and his father before him, and his father before him, and his father before him, and—”

I can see Little Strongheart approaching, evidently to stop her chief before he can get lost in his train of thought. And, that just gives me all the more incentive to have my character put a hand up while I say, “And, I’m guessing that means you come from a long line of chiefs over your tribe.”

Chief Thunderhooves responds, “Yes,” and nods to reinforce his response.

At this point, Little Strongheart approaches my character and says, “Thank you, Mormon, for stopping Chief Thunderhooves. We respect him, but, if he isn’t stopped, he forgets what he was talking about, and repeats that phrase over and over again. I haven’t seen it myself, but I have heard stories of the chief repeating ‘and his father before him’ all night, and still repeating those same words the next morning.”

I state, “I understand. When a phrase is repeated over and over again, it’s easy to fall into a rhythm or pattern. Then, it can be difficult to get out of that rhythm or pattern again. And, at that point, it helps to have some assistance.”

A heavy, somewhat rumbling snort draws my character’s attention from the bison calf to the chief, who says, “It is late, and we all need sleep. But, we shall arise early in the morning so that you and your friends may travel to Appleoosa.”

Little Strongheart, whose attention was also drawn to the chief, approaches him and says, “If it’s alright with you, I’d like to go with Mormon and his friends. I can lead them to the settlers’ town, and maybe I can represent us when Mormon talks to his other friends there.”

I think I actually see Chief Thunderhooves smile as he says to the bison calf, “Very well, then. You may go with your, our, new friends.”

The bison calf nods to her chief and thanks him, then turns to my character and says, “Now, if you’ll follow me, some of the other bison have provided a tepee for you and your friends to stay.”

I find myself pleasantly surprised to hear Spike say, “Uh, I wouldn’t want to inconvenience anypony here.”

Little Strongheart turns to the purple dragon and says, “Aw, you won’t be inconveniencing any ponies, or any buffalo for that matter. We welcome guests to stay among us for as long as they want or need to.” And, with that, he turns and continues on to a particular tepee with an open door.

Inside, I notice a smaller campfire set up in the middle, and my character’s bedding, it seems, has been brought from the caboose to the inside of the tepee, and set up so that it points either toward or away from the campfire, depending on how one would choose to look at it. The pillow is on the end opposite the fire. Also radiating from the campfire are three other sleeping mats, one on one side of my bedding, and two on the other side, evidently the smaller one right next to my bedding for Spike. I’m guessing the bison expect the ponies to protect the human and the dragon. Whether that’ll prove to be necessary or not will be seen soon enough.

In the mean time, as each of the four takes their positions, Pinkie Pie on the mat opposite me from Spike, and Rainbow Dash on the remaining mat, the blue pegasa asks, “Mormon, do you really think you can settle things between the buffalo and the settlers without violence?"

I answer, “I can’t imagine why not. Or, I’d prefer not to.” I listen to Pinkie Pie giggle for a few seconds, then I continue, “The settlers clearly didn’t know they were planting their orchard on ground the bison considered sacred. Once they’re informed of that, then they can decide on what to do next.”

At this point, I hear Pinkie Pie say, “I hope you’re right, Mormy. I wouldn’t want any fighting to break out.”

I then hear Rainbow Dash ask, “Mormy? Who’s Mormy?”

Pinkie Pie answers, “That’s my nickname for Mormon.”

At this point, Spike growls, “Let’s just get some sleep, alright?”

As my character crawls feet-first into his covers, I answer, “Sure. Goodnight, Spike. Goodnight, Pinkie Pie. Goodnight, Rainbow Dash.”

I then hear Pinkie Pie reply, “Goodnight, Mormon. Goodnight, Spike. Goodnight, Rainbow Dash.”

Now, as my character closes his eyes, I hear Rainbow Dash say, “Goodnight, Pinkie Pie. Goodnight, Spike. Goodnight, Mormon.”

Then, my character’s eyes open again in response to Spike roaring out, “Will you guys be quiet already? I’m trying to get some sleep over here!”

My character focuses on the angry baby dragon, and I say, “Now, Spike, calm down. Would it hurt for you to say goodnight to the rest of us?”

Spike asks in reply, “And risk hearing Pinkie Pie say, ‘Goodnight, Spike. Goodnight, Mormon. Goodnight, Rainbow Dash,' and it continuing among the three of you all night? No thanks. I just wanna get some sleep so we can go back to Twilight and the others and put this whole thing behind us.”

I state, “Now, things with the bison haven’t been that bad.”

At the same time, I hear Rainbow Dash say, “Goodnight, Spike.”

I then see Spike turn to the blue pegasa and growl, “Don’t. Start. Rainbow.”

Rainbow Dash simply says, “Alright, Spike. Goodnight.”

I add, “Spike’s right. Let’s get some sleep tonight, and tomorrow we’ll head to Appleoosa.” I do consider saying “goodnight” to the three of them again, maybe in a different order this time; but, for Spike’s sake, I decide against it. I just save and close the game.

I’ll say one thing for this game I’ve designed. it’s been good practice talking with the characters in the game for when I talk to real people. I do find that the way I talk to the characters in the game is reflecting on how I communicate with people in reality. If others who play this game get the same kind of effect I’m getting from it, then this game is most certainly worth making.

I didn’t get a chance to even write a letter to the princesses, much less send it. Perhaps on the game’s tomorrow I’ll get a chance to do that. Whether it’ll be the first thing I do when my character gets to Appleoosa, or it’s a letter covering both this day and the following, I’m guessing my character’s definitely going to be doing some writing tomorrow. In the mean time, this is Mormon, signing off.

Author's Notes:

In the next chapter, Mormon, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, and Spike reunite with Twilight Sparkle, Rarity, Applejack, Fluttershy, Lyra, and Weed Whacker. But, Mormon and Twilight aren't the only ones vying for the position of mediators. Who will Little Strongheart and Braeburn choose to mediate between the settlers and the bison? The answer to this question and more will be revealed in Chapter 23, "The Complaint and the Settlement."

The reading will be Mosiah Chapter 2, and, while excluding the princesses, will include some of the settlers.