As I resume the game, I find my character awakened to knocking at his door. I have him rise and go to his door, to hear Pinkie Pie’s alarmed moan from the other side. Then, as my character opens his door, I see, through his eyes, the pink earth pony rolling onto her front, facing away from him. As she gets back up on her hooves, I ask, “Is there something I can help you with?”

Pinkie Pie doesn’t say anything at first. She trots into my character’s bedroom and, with the curl in her forehead, grabs the doorknob and, backing away, pulls the door closed. She then looks up at my character and says, “I started my fast when I got back to my room after talking to you. But, now I’m not sure if I should help harvest fruits and vegetables or not.”

I answer, “One thing about the fast is it’s not intended for public display. Just because you’re fasting doesn’t necessarily mean your behavior should change any, except for not eating and drinking. You can go ahead and help with what you’d normally do without letting others know you’re fasting. In fact, it’s best that way.”

Pinkie Pie tilts her head and asks, “So, I should go out and harvest apples then?”

I answer, “I see no reason why not.”

The pink earth pony straightens her head again and, smiling, says, “Okie dokie.” And, with that, she uses the curl in her forehead to open the door, then pushes her way through it.

My character follows her through the house and out the front door, closing doors behind him along the way.

In the orchard, Diane takes over Pinkie Pie, chooses a tree, and kicks four apples out of it. Then, Pinkamena takes control again, takes two of the apples, and jumps over the fence again, then trots back to the house.

In the mean time, my character collects the other two apples, then follows the pink earth pony back to the house. And, by the time he gets there, Lyra and Weed Whacker, with their harvests, have joined Pinkie Pie on the front porch.

As soon as my character has arrived, Pinkie Pie opens the door and leads the group through the front room into the kitchen.

My character follows the two ponies and the dinosaur, closing the front and kitchen doors in turn behind him.

In the kitchen, the preparation of the fruits and vegetables for breakfast proceeds as normal, except that Pinkie Pie, instead of eating with the human, the unicorn, and the dinosaur, produces a small paper bag and puts the fruits and vegetables for her in it.

As the pink earth pony, holding the bag in her mouth, trots through the kitchen door into the front room, a curious Lyra turns to my character and asks, “Is Pinkie Pie alright? I’ve never known her to do something like that.”

Before I can answer, Weed Whacker affirms, “Neither have I.”

Now that I have the chance, I answer, “She’s fine. She’ll eat when she’s ready to.”

With a carrot, possessed by her magic, hovering in front of her face, Lyra sighs and says, “I hope you’re right. Seeing her just put her food in a bag like that, it makes me nervous.”

I state, “Now, there’s nothing to worry about.”

No more is said among the group as each of the three eats the food in front of them. Then, after the cleanup, the three go into the front room where Pinkie Pie is.

I can’t help noticing Pinkie Pie looks worried as she tells Lyra and Weed Whacker, “If you two’ll wait here, Mormon and I have one more thing to talk about. Then the four of us will head for Ponyville again.” Then, before the unicorn and the dinosaur can respond, the pink earth pony grabs my character’s wrist in her curl and drags him to his work room.

I think I have a good idea about what Pinkie Pie’s going to ask me. So, once in front of his work room, I have my character open the door, then close it behind him after Pinkie Pie drags him inside.

And, I’m not surprised when she releases my character’s wrist and says, “Last night, when you talked about your experience with fasting, you said that you didn’t feel hungry. Well, you’re used to it. This is my first time. What if I start feeling hungry?”

I answer, “Well, it’s something you’ll just have to tolerate, either until it goes away, or until dinner.”

I see the pink earth pony’s eyes vibrate as she asks, “But, what if I can’t?”

I have my character reach out his hand and stroke Pinkie Pie’s mane as I say, “Don’t forget, I’ll be there to help you. You’re not alone in this.”

At this point, Pinkie falls into a canine-style sitting position, points a front hoof at my character, and says, “But, you’re not fasting." She then points the hoof at herself as she adds, "I am.”

I respond, “That doesn’t mean I can’t support you.”

At my response, the pink earth pony relaxes her hoof and, looking toward the ground, rubs her chin with the hoof for a second or two. Then she sighs heavily, then puts the hoof down again, looks up at my character, and says, “Alright. And, just to let you know, I’ve decided to dedicate this fast to helping Lyra write a ballad.”

I have my character reach for the doorknob as I say, “That sounds like a good cause. And, just to help you out, when you’re fasting for something, it requires you to take an active part in getting it done.”

Pinkie Pie nods and says, “I figured as much. You can go ahead and open the door now.”

I nod in agreement, then have my character open the door, at which point Pinkie Pie trots on ahead of him into the hallway.

From the hallway, I hear Lyra ask, “So, are you and Mormon going to take your pets with you to Ponyville? This is the day of the week when you and Mormon and your other friends bring their pets for your play dates.”

As my character leaves his work room, I hear Pinkie Pie gasp and say, “That’s right! I need to bring Gummy, and Mormon needs to bring Scout.”

My character closes the door behind him, then focuses on the pink earth pony; and I state, “So, I guess that means we wait here while you go get Gummy then.”

And, evidently taking my words as permission, Pinkie gallops through the front room, through the kitchen door, and, I assume, to her room.

In the mean time, Lyra approaches my character and asks, “Are you sure Pinkie Pie’s alright? I’ve never seen her behave this way, and it’s really starting to bother me.”

I have my character reach out and stroke the pale-green unicorn’s mane as I state, “You really have nothing to worry about. She’s fine. And, I hear she’s going to help you write a song.”

At this statement, Lyra perks up and says, “Really?”

I answer, “That’s what she told me.”

Lyra rubs her chin with a front hoof as she says, “I’ll have to thank her, then. If anypony can help me write a song, she can.”

And, it’s at that point when Pinkie Pie enters the front room, with Gummy attached to her tail.

Seeing the group ready to go, I have my character take a step toward the front door and open it again, allowing the two ponies and the dinosaur to exit ahead of him; after which my character exits and closes the door behind him. Then, the group follows a similar procedure at the front gate, where my character opens it and watches the ponies and dinosaur exit ahead of him. Then, remembering the pet play date that I expect to take place in the park, I have my character turn to the front porch of his house, where his, my, pet timber wolf is; and I call out, “Scout, come here boy!”

The timber wolf lifts his head up, opens his mouth in what I consider the biggest smile I’ve ever seen in a creature, then rises to all fours and gallops toward my character and friends, then jumps over the fence, landing just behind Weed Whacker.

Presently, the startled dinosaur jumps on to Lyra’s back.

I can’t help laughing to myself for a few seconds as I have my character go through the front gate, then close it behind him. With that done, I say, “Well, let’s go on ahead to Ponyville then.”

The only signs of agreement are that Scout, Pinkie Pie, and Lyra follow my character on their trip through the Everfree forest, while Weed Whacker rides on Lyra’s back, and Gummy remains attached to Pinkie Pie’s tail.

In Ponyville, the group heads for the park where they meet up with Applejack and her dog Winona, Fluttershy and her rabbit Angel, and Rarity and her cat Opalescence.

But, instead of playing with her alligator pet, Pinkie Pie settles into a sphinx-style sitting position next to Lyra and starts talking with her about experiences she had, either before she met my character, or living with him.

In the mean time, a puzzled Weed Whacker asks the pink earth pony, “Uh, Pinkie, shouldn’t you be playing with Gummy now?”

Pinkie Pie turns to her and says, “You can play with him for a while. Right now, I’m going to help Lyra write a song.”

Weed Whacker turns to look at the alligator, who immediately lets go of Pinkie Pie’s tail. She then turns back to Pinkie and says, “Uh, if you think it’s alright, I suppose I could play with your lizard for a while.” Then, as the hatchling alligator approaches her, Weed Whacker wonders aloud, “What games can I play with Gummy?”

While the herbivorous dinosaur ponders over her predicament, I have my character produce the disc from his inventory and toss it across the field, at which point Scout runs ahead to retrieve and return the disc.

Eventually, Gummy makes the first move, snapping at one of Weed Whacker’s legs.

At first Weed Whacker is alarmed by the hatchling alligator’s move, as is easily identified by her scream. Then, she realizes that it doesn’t hurt, and starts to enjoy Gummy grabbing her limbs and tail and even her head in his toothless mouth.

For the next hour or two, Pinkie Pie and Lyra settle on the experience of my first contact with the pale-green unicorn and start composing lyrics and music based on that experience, while ponies, human, and dinosaur play with pets.

It isn’t long into the third hour of play before I notice a colt appear, galloping across the open field. And, following him are two fillies, who I recognize as Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon. I have my character focus on the colt they’re evidently pursuing, and I recognize him as Namby Pamby. And, he seems to be carrying an apple and a carrot in his mouth.

The two fillies catch up to Namby Pamby and tackle him, causing him to let go of the fruit and vegetable, in favor of yelping in surprise, and perhaps in pain as well.

The two fillies laugh at the plight of their prey, and Diamond Tiara gallops ahead and collects the apple and carrot in her own mouth. She then gallops back to Silver Spoon, who immediately hops off of Namby Pamby; and the two fillies gallop off back into the wooded area with their prize.

Namby Pamby stumbles to his hooves, then turns in the direction of the trees where Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon disappeared, calls their names, and demands, “Come back here with my lunch!” He even tries pursuing them for a few steps before he trips and falls. Then, in apparent defeat, he buries his face between his forelimbs and starts bawling.

I don’t see her because my character is focused on the crying colt; but, I do hear Pinkie Pie ask, “Uh, Mormon, what’s going on?”

My character automatically turns to the pink earth pony, and I answer, “Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon just stole Namby Pamby’s lunch from him.”

Presently, Pinkie Pie rises to all fours, turns in the direction where my character had been looking; and, seeing Namby Pamby, says, “That’s terrible. I’d better go see if he’s alright.” And, with that, she gallops off toward the colt.

From my character’s position I’m unable to hear very well what Pinkie Pie and Namby Pamby talk about. My best guess is that Pinkie Pie comforts the little colt, then encourages him to follow her to where she and Lyra and my character are. I watch the pink earth pony and the little colt approach, then Pinkie Pie give her breakfast to Namby Pamby and say, “You can have my food.”

Surprised, Namby Pamby asks, “Really!?”

Pinkie Pie nods and answers, “Sure, go ahead. You need it more than I do.”

I must say, I approve of the action I've just seen Pinkie Pie take.

And, as the little colt reaches into the bag and starts pulling out fruits and vegetables, he’s continually saying, “Thank you, Miss Pinkie Pie. Thank you so much.”

I get a good look at Pinkie Pie’s face as she turns to my character; and I can see that, while she looks like she may start crying any time, she’s also smiling. If anything, she’s clearly happy with the decision she made. As she turns back to Namby Pamby to supervise him while he eats, I wouldn’t be surprised if this experience is part of the report I expect to get from her this evening on her experience with the fast.

Then, I hear Scout growling nearby; and my character turns toward him to show me that Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon have apparently been following Pinkie Pie, and may be preparing to steal the food Namby Pamby is eating. But, clearly the first of their problems in getting to him is the timber wolf immediately in front of them.

I open my mouth to say something to the two fillies; but then Silver Spoon says, “Diamond Tiara, let’s just get out of here. We’ve already gotten what we wanted. If Pinkie Pie wants to give away her food and starve to death, let’s let her.”

Diamond Tiara turns to her gray earth pony friend, then back to the timber wolf and my character, then back to her friend, then says, “Alright, Silver Spoon, let’s just get outta here.” And, with that, and with the gray earth filly following her, she gallops off.

As I see my timber wolf friend start to pursue them, I call out, “Scout, let them go. I don’t think they’ll be bothering us anymore.”

Scout returns to my character and takes a position just behind Namby Pamby, sitting sphinx-style more or less between him and my character.

It takes a few minutes for Namby Pamby to eat the lunch Pinkie Pie gave him, after which he thanks her again, then rises and gallops off for the area where he and the two school bullies had come from.

With that now passed, Pinkie Pie returns to helping Lyra write her song.

In the mean time, Scout maintains his vigil, that is, until I take the disc and toss it again. Then, he runs and catches it, then returns with it in his mouth.

I’m not sure, as the hours pass, how far into their project Lyra and Pinkie Pie get. But, eventually the time comes when the play date ends, and it’s time for all involved in the date to return to their homes.

Pinkie Pie with Gummy attached to her tail, Lyra with Weed Whacker on her back, and my character with Scout leading the way leave Ponyville and head through the Everfree forest and back to his house.

When they get there, Scout takes his position on the front porch, while the rest of the group goes inside.

Once my character, the last to enter, closes the door behind him, Pinkie Pie approaches him and asks if she and I can talk in my room.

I agree, and my character follows her to his room.

Once there in my character’s bedroom, as he closes the door, Pinkie Pie gallops to and jumps onto his bed, then turns and settles into a sphinx-style sitting position. Then, when my character turns and approaches her, she says, “You know, when I started this fast, I was hoping for a good experience. And, I did have one. I wasn’t expecting to have to give my meal to a foal; but, when I did, I knew it was the right thing to do. I knew it when I saw Namby Pamby smiling and eating, and heard him thanking me.” She looks down and sighs, then looks up at my character again and says, “So, is it alright if I end my fast now?”

I have my character kneel on one knee in front of the pink earth pony, and I say, “That is your option. But, as I remember, you did Pinkie promise not to end your fast until dinner.”

Presently, Pinkie Pie closes her eyes, tightly, then buries her face in her forelimbs, and says, “Oh, yeah, that’s right.” After a second or two, she looks up at my character again, eyes open, and says, “Thanks for reminding me, Mormon.”

I smile and answer, “I’m glad I could help.”

Then, Pinkie Pie rises to all fours again and says, “We need to go and get ready for the reading.”

I nod in agreement, then have my character stand up again and go to the door.

In the mean time, Pinkie Pie, as soon as her way is clear, jumps off my character’s bed and follows him to the door.

I have my character allow Pinkie to leave first, then follow behind her, closing his bedroom door behind him.

By the time the human and the earth pony are in the front room, it seems that Lyra and Weed Whacker have disappeared.

Pinkie Pie vocalizes my assumption, as she turns to my character and says, “Lyra and Weed Whacker must’ve gone out to the veggie garden and vineyard. Let’s go out to the orchard.”

I only nod in agreement, and Pinkie leads the way through the front room to the door, while my character follows behind her, closing doors along the way.

In the orchard, as usual, Pinkie “Diane” Pie chooses an apple tree and kicks it, and knocks some half a dozen apples out of it. Then, Pinkie “Pinkamena” Pie gathers three of the apples, while my character gathers the other three; and the human and the earth pony return to the front porch of the house, where they meet up with Lyra and Weed Whacker.

My character opens the door, and the two ponies and the dinosaur enter, at which point my character follows, closing the front door behind them.

This time, Pinkie chooses to cut the fruits and vegetables, using the curl in her forehead to hold the knife, while Lyra takes the sliced fruits and vegetables and arranges them on a small platter she produced from a cupboard. And, whereas Pinkie Pie’s arrangements tended to look like some type of crown, Lyra’s arrangement reminds me of a rounded hill or something like that. And, the group is once again ready just in time for guests to start arriving for the reading.

Again the two ponies and the dinosaur help get the platter out the door, while my character gets the TV tray to put in place for them to put the platter on.

The readers settle in the same positions around the circle they’ve been sitting in for the previous two days, making it easy for me to decide who should read next.

As soon as the readers in the group have shown that they've found the right page in their books, I have my character turn to the purple unicorn; and I ask, "Twilight Sparkle, will you read the first verse of chapter five?"

She nods in agreement, then looks down and reads, "And now, it came to pass that when king Benjamin had thus spoken to his people, he sent among them, desiring to know of his people if they believed the words which he had spoken unto them."

Spike then reads, "And they all cried with one voice, saying: Yea, we believe all the words which thou hast spoken unto us; and also, we know of their surety and truth, because of the Spirit of the Lord Omnipotent, which has wrought a mighty change in us, or in our hearts, that we have no more disposition to do evil, but to do good continually." He then looks up and wonders aloud, "When he says 'they cried with one voice,' does he mean they called out in unison, like, all at the same time?"

I answer, "I suppose that's one possibility. But, it's also possible that they all said the same thing, or at least had the same concept or concepts to communicate to King Benjamin."

Rarity reads, "And we, ourselves, also, through the infinite goodness of God, and the manifestations of his Spirit, have great views of that which is to come; and were it expedient, we could prophesy of all things."

Applejack reads, "And it is the faith which we have had on the things which our king has spoken unto us that has brought us to this great knowledge, whereby we do rejoice with such exceedingly great joy."

Fluttershy reads, "And we are willing to enter into a covenant with our God to do his will, and to be obedient to his commandments in all things that he shall command us, all the remainder of our days, that we may not bring upon ourselves a never-ending torment, as has been spoken by the angel, that we may not drink out of the cup of the wrath of God."

Lyra reads, "And now, these are the words which king Benjamin desired of them; and therefore he said unto them: Ye have spoken the words that I desired; and the covenant which ye have made is a righteous covenant."

I read, "And now, because of the covenant which ye have made ye shall be called the children of Christ, his sons, and his daughters; for behold, this day he hath spiritually begotten you; for ye say that your hearts are changed through faith on his name; therefore, ye are born of him and have become his sons and his daughters."

Weed Whacker reads, "And under this head ye are made free, and there is no other head whereby ye can be made free. There is no other name given whereby salvation cometh; therefore, I would that ye should take upon you the name of Christ, all you that have entered into the covenant with God that ye should be obedient unto the end of your lives."

Princess Luna reads, "And it shall come to pass that whosoever doeth this shall be found at the right hand of God, for he shall know the name by which he is called; for he shall be called by the name of Christ."

Princess Celestia reads, "And now it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall not take upon him the name of Christ must be called by some other name; therefore, he findeth himself on the left hand of God."

Rainbow Dash reads, "And I would that ye should remember also, that this is the name that I said I should give unto you that never should be blotted out, except it be through transgression; therefore, take heed that ye do not transgress, that the name be not blotted out of your hearts."

Pinkie Pie reads, "I say unto you, I would that ye should remember to retain the name written always in your hearts, that ye are not found on the left hand of God, but that ye hear and know the voice by which ye shall be called, and also, the name by which he shall call you."

Twilight Sparkle reads, "For how knoweth a man the master whom he has not served, and who is a stranger unto him, and is far from the thoughts and intents of his heart?"

Spike reads, "And again, doth a man take an ass which belongeth to his neighbor, and keep him? I say unto you, Nay; he will not even suffer that he shall feed among his flocks, but will drive him away, and cast him out. I say unto you, that even so shall it be among you if ye know not the name by which ye are called."

Rarity reads, "Therefore, I would that ye should be steadfast and immovable, always abounding in good works, that Christ, the Lord God Omnipotent, may seal you his, that you may be brought to heaven, that ye may have everlasting salvation and eternal life, through the wisdom, and power, and justice, and mercy of him who created all things, in heaven and in earth, who is God above all. Amen."

Applejack then looks up and says, "Ah s'pose that means Ah get to start readin' chapter six." She then looks down again and reads, "And now, king Benjamin thought it was expedient, after having finished speaking to the people, that he should take the names of all those who had entered into a covenant with God to keep his commandments."

Fluttershy reads, "And it came to pass that there was not one soul, except it were little children, but who had entered into the covenant and had taken upon them the name of Christ."

Lyra reads, "And again, it came to pass that when king Benjamin had made an end of all these things, and had consecrated his son Mosiah to be a ruler and a king over his people, and had given him all the charges concerning the kingdom, and also had appointed priests to teach the people, that thereby they might hear and know the commandments of God, and to stir them up in remembrance of the oath which they had made, he dismissed the multitude, and they returned, every one, according to their families, to their own houses."

I read, "And Mosiah began to reign in his father’s stead. And he began to reign in the thirtieth year of his age, making in the whole, about four hundred and seventy-six years from the time that Lehi left Jerusalem."

Weed Whacker reads, "And king Benjamin lived three years and he died."

At this point, Spike speaks up again and says, "I'm assuming that Mormon means that King Benjamin lived three years after this before he died."

Princess Luna turns to the purple dragon and says, "That does make sense." She then looks down at her book and reads, "And it came to pass that king Mosiah did walk in the ways of the Lord, and did observe his judgments and his statutes, and did keep his commandments in all things whatsoever he commanded him."

Princess Celestia reads, "And king Mosiah did cause his people that they should till the earth. And he also, himself, did till the earth, that thereby he might not become burdensome to his people, that he might do according to that which his father had done in all things. And there was no contention among all his people for the space of three years." She then looks up and says, "The best kind of leader is the one that leads by example."

At this point, before Rainbow Dash can mention the seventh chapter, I have my character stand up; and I say, "Now, let me just mention that there's something of an odd situation here. I'm aware that, while everyone here has had a chance to read at least one verse, there are only two who haven't had a chance to read two verses. Chapter seven has thirty-three verses in it. So, my question right now is, do you want to end the reading with chapter six for tonight, or do you want to read chapter seven tonight as well, and we can read, or at least start with, chapter eight tomorrow?"

There seems to be a debate that lasts for a few seconds, that is until I hear Pinkie Pie loudly suggest, "Let's go ahead and read chapter seven!" Then, there seems to be general agreement.

So, as my character sits down again, Rainbow Dash reads, "And now, it came to pass that after king Mosiah had had continual peace for the space of three years, he was desirous to know concerning the people who went up to dwell in the land of Lehi-Nephi, or in the city of Lehi-Nephi; for his people had heard nothing from them from the time they left the land of Zarahemla; therefore, they wearied him with their teasings." She then looks up and says, "I'm guessing the people had been making jokes about this group that had disappeared. That, or they were frequently asking questions about them. Whatever the case was, King Mosiah was getting tired of it."

Pinkie Pie then reads, "And it came to pass that king Mosiah granted that sixteen of their strong men might go up to the land of Lehi-Nephi, to inquire concerning their brethren."

Twilight Sparkle reads, "And it came to pass that on the morrow they started to go up, having with them one Ammon, he being a strong and mighty man, and a descendant of Zarahemla; and he was also their leader."

Spike reads, "And now, they knew not the course they should travel in the wilderness to go up to the land of Lehi-Nephi; therefore they wandered many days in the wilderness, even forty days did they wander." The little purple dragon then looks up, shrugs, and says, "I guess they didn't have any good trails to follow. It must've been years since the group had left, and the trail they followed was overgrown with weeds and stuff."

Rarity reads, "And when they had wandered forty days they came to a hill, which is north of the land of Shilom, and there they pitched their tents."

Applejack reads, "And Ammon took three of his brethren, and their names were Amaleki, Helem, and Hem, and they went down into the land of Nephi."

Fluttershy reads, "And behold, they met the king of the people who were in the land of Nephi, and in the land of Shilom; and they were surrounded by the king’s guard, and were taken, and were bound, and were committed to prison." She then looks up and says, "I'm sure these people living in the land of Shilom had their reasons for taking Ammon and the three that were with him and throwing them in jail. But, still, it wasn't very nice of them."

Lyra reads, "And it came to pass when they had been in prison two days they were again brought before the king, and their bands were loosed; and they stood before the king, and were permitted, or rather commanded, that they should answer the questions which he should ask them."

I read, "And he said unto them: Behold, I am Limhi, the son of Noah, who was the son of Zeniff, who came up out of the land of Zarahemla to inherit this land, which was the land of their fathers, who was made a king by the voice of the people."

Weed Whacker reads, "And now, I desire to know the cause whereby ye were so bold as to come near the walls of the city, when I, myself, was with my guards without the gate?"

Princess Luna reads, "And now, for this cause have I suffered that ye should be preserved, that I might inquire of you, or else I should have caused that my guards should have put you to death. Ye are permitted to speak."

Princess Celestia reads, "And now, when Ammon saw that he was permitted to speak, he went forth and bowed himself before the king; and rising again he said: O king, I am very thankful before God this day that I am yet alive, and am permitted to speak; and I will endeavor to speak with boldness;"

Rainbow Dash reads, "For I am assured that if ye had known me ye would not have suffered that I should have worn these bands. For I am Ammon, and am a descendant of Zarahemla, and have come up out of the land of Zarahemla to inquire concerning our brethren, whom Zeniff brought up out of that land."

Pinkie Pie reads, "And now, it came to pass that after Limhi had heard the words of Ammon, he was exceedingly glad, and said: Now, I know of a surety that my brethren who were in the land of Zarahemla are yet alive. And now, I will rejoice; and on the morrow I will cause that my people shall rejoice also."

Twilight Sparkle reads, "For behold, we are in bondage to the Lamanites, and are taxed with a tax which is grievous to be borne. And now, behold, our brethren will deliver us out of our bondage, or out of the hands of the Lamanites, and we will be their slaves; for it is better that we be slaves to the Nephites than to pay tribute to the king of the Lamanites." She then looks up and wonders aloud, "Did Limhi really think he and his people were going to be slaves to the Nephites? From what I've read about Ammon up to this point, he doesn't seem like the type to make slaves of anypony."

Spike answers, "I don't think so either." He then reads, "And now, king Limhi commanded his guards that they should no more bind Ammon nor his brethren, but caused that they should go to the hill which was north of Shilom, and bring their brethren into the city, that thereby they might eat, and drink, and rest themselves from the labors of their journey; for they had suffered many things; they had suffered hunger, thirst, and fatigue." He then looks up and says, "Well, it's good that that was cleared up."

Rarity reads, "And now, it came to pass on the morrow that king Limhi sent a proclamation among all his people, that thereby they might gather themselves together to the temple, to hear the words which he should speak unto them."

Applejack reads, "And it came to pass that when they had gathered themselves together that he spake unto them in this wise, saying: O ye, my people, lift up your heads and be comforted; for behold, the time is at hand, or is not far distant, when we shall no longer be in subjection to our enemies, notwithstanding our many strugglings, which have been in vain; yet I trust there remaineth an effectual struggle to be made." She then looks up, tilts her head, and wonders aloud, "What the hay does 'effectual' mean?"

Pinkie Pie answers, "Simply put, Limhi is saying that there are still some tough times ahead for him and his people before they can escape from their troubles with the Lamanites."

Fluttershy reads, "Therefore, lift up your heads, and rejoice, and put your trust in God, in that God who was the God of Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob; and also, that God who brought the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt, and caused that they should walk through the Red Sea on dry ground, and fed them with manna that they might not perish in the wilderness; and many more things did he do for them."

Lyra reads, "And again, that same God has brought our fathers out of the land of Jerusalem, and has kept and preserved his people even until now; and behold, it is because of our iniquities and abominations that he has brought us into bondage."

I read, "And ye all are witnesses this day, that Zeniff, who was made king over this people, he being over-zealous to inherit the land of his fathers, therefore being deceived by the cunning and craftiness of king Laman, who having entered into a treaty with king Zeniff, and having yielded up into his hands the possessions of a part of the land, or even the city of Lehi-Nephi, and the city of Shilom; and the land round about—" At this point, I add, "Evidently, Ammon and his party had found what they were looking for."

Weed Whacker reads. "And all this he did, for the sole purpose of bringing this people into subjection or into bondage. And behold, we at this time do pay tribute to the king of the Lamanites, to the amount of one half of our corn, and our barley, and even all our grain of every kind, and one half of the increase of our flocks and our herds; and even one half of all we have or possess the king of the Lamanites doth exact of us, or our lives."

Princess Luna reads. "And now, is not this grievous to be borne? And is not this, our affliction, great? Now behold, how great reason we have to mourn."

Princess Celestia reads, "Yea, I say unto you, great are the reasons which we have to mourn; for behold how many of our brethren have been slain, and their blood has been spilt in vain, and all because of iniquity."

Rainbow Dash reads, "For if this people had not fallen into transgression the Lord would not have suffered that this great evil should come upon them. But behold, they would not hearken unto his words; but there arose contentions among them, even so much that they did shed blood among themselves."

Pinkie Pie reads, "And a prophet of the Lord have they slain; yea, a chosen man of God, who told them of their wickedness and abominations, and prophesied of many things which are to come, yea, even the coming of Christ."

Twilight Sparkle reads, "And because he said unto them that Christ was the God, the Father of all things, and said that he should take upon him the image of man, and it should be the image after which man was created in the beginning; or in other words, he said that man was created after the image of God, and that God should come down among the children of men, and take upon him flesh and blood, and go forth upon the face of the earth—"

Spike reads, "And now, because he said this, they did put him to death; and many more things did they do which brought down the wrath of God upon them. Therefore, who wondereth that they are in bondage, and that they are smitten with sore afflictions?"

Rarity reads, "For behold, the Lord hath said: I will not succor my people in the day of their transgression; but I will hedge up their ways that they prosper not; and their doings shall be as a stumbling block before them."

Applejack reads, "And again, he saith: If my people shall sow filthiness they shall reap the chaff thereof in the whirlwind; and the effect thereof is poison."

Fluttershy reads, "And again he saith: If my people shall sow filthiness they shall reap the east wind, which bringeth immediate destruction."

Lyra reads, "And now, behold, the promise of the Lord is fulfilled, and ye are smitten and afflicted."

I read, "But if ye will turn to the Lord with full purpose of heart, and put your trust in him, and serve him with all diligence of mind, if ye do this, he will, according to his own will and pleasure, deliver you out of bondage." I then have my character stand up again, and I say, "And, that concludes the reading for this evening. I hope you enjoyed it. Thank you for coming, and I hope you have a safe trip to your homes."

As ponies and dragons rise and the circle breaks up, Princess Celestia approaches my character and says, “I’ve noticed that Pinkie Pie is the only one that hasn’t eaten anything before or during the reading.” She then tilts her head and asks, “Is she alright?”

I can see, through my character’s eyes, the worry in those of the daytime princess. I answer, “I can assure you she’s fine. I’m sure she’ll explain her reasons for not eating when she’s ready, most likely in a report to you.”

Princess Celestia’s worried look doesn’t change as she straightens her head and says, “I hope you’re right.” Then, she joins her sister, and the two disappear.

In the mean time, Lyra, Weed Whacker, and Pinkie Pie eventually filter out of the group and gather on the front porch, while the other six line up at the front gate, ready to leave.

I have my character go to the front gate and open it, allowing the five ponies and one dragon to exit through it, then close the gate behind the last to leave, Applejack. Then, after the group of six disappears into the forest, I have my character turn and head back to the front porch.

Pinkie Pie opens the front door with the curl in her forehead, then leads the group inside.

My character, the last to enter, closes the door behind him; then I hear Pinkie Pie say, “If the rest of you will wait here, I’ll be back in a minute or two.” My character then turns to show me, through his eyes, the pink earth pony disappear through the kitchen door.

I then hear Lyra say, “Mormon, I’m as worried about Pinkie Pie as Princess Celestia is. Are you sure there’s nothing wrong with her?”

My character automatically focuses on the pale-green unicorn, and I answer, “Yes, I’m sure. Just give her enough time to come back out again, and she’ll join us in harvesting food for dinner, and she’ll also join us in eating.”

Lyra looks down at the floor immediately in front of her and sighs, then says, “I’ve never had a reason to doubt you before.” She then looks up at my character again and adds, “I hope I don’t get that reason now.”

I see, through my character’s eyes, Weed Whacker look up at him and open her mouth; but, before she can say anything, the kitchen door opens; and Pinkie Pie comes back into the front room.

Smiling, the pink earth pony says, “Well, it looks like everypony’s ready. Let’s go get some food!” And, with that, she proceeds toward the front door.

The pale-green unicorn and the dinosaur watch Pinkie Pie as she passes between them, then start to follow her once she’s a few inches ahead of them.

Yet, I can’t help noticing that, from what I can see of Lyra’s face, she still looks worried. As my character steps aside and allows Pinkie Pie to open the front door with her curl, I have my character wait for the two ponies and the dinosaur to go ahead of him before he follows them.

In the orchard, Pinkie “Diane” Pie chooses a tree and kicks it, knocking four apples out of it.

In the mean time, I decide to have my character pick a few summer fruits from the peach and apricot trees.

When Pinkie “Pinkamena” Pie has gathered the apples in her mane, she jumps over the fence and gallops back to the porch, while my character follows behind her, to join up with her, Lyra, and Weed Whacker.

I have my character open the door for the ponies and dinosaur to enter ahead of him, then close the door after he’s entered. Then, he automatically goes ahead of the ponies and dinosaur and opens the kitchen door for them, allowing them to enter first before following them and closing the door behind him again.

From there, it’s pretty much business as usual. Weed Whacker, in the sink, cleans the fruits and vegetables, which my character hands to Pinkie Pie and Lyra to dry off and place in the middle of the table. When all the fruits and vegetables are cleaned, the two ponies, the dinosaur, and the human take their places around the table and eat the meal they’ve gathered.

It’s clear to me, watching Lyra and Weed Whacker as they watch Pinkie Pie eat, that they’re relieved to see her eating again. I wonder if I should mention to them why Pinkie Pie was neither eating nor drinking anything until now.

But, it seems I’m not the only one that’s noticed the attention Lyra and Weed Whacker have been giving their pink friend. Pinkie Pie, evidently noticing them, puts down the apple she’s been eating and says, looking at the apple, “I’m guessing you’re wondering why I haven’t been eating today.” She watches the unicorn and the dinosaur nod, then says, looking and pointing at my character, “Mormon here introduced me to an idea last night, called fasting, and I thought I’d try it out.” I then see her smile as she continues, “I can’t say how well it worked, I can just say that it has. I’ve been able to help you, Lyra, write your song, and I got a really good feeling when I gave my food to Namby Pamby after Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon stole his from him. I know that was the right thing to do." She then turns to my character, to me, and says, "Thanks, Mormon.”

I nod and answer, “I’m glad I could help.”

Pinkie then divides her attention between Lyra and Weed Whacker as she says, “After dinner, if you want, I’ll explain it to you the way Mormon explained it to me, and maybe some day you’ll want to try it.”

I can’t help noticing the doubtful looks the unicorn and the dinosaur are giving each other. Evidently, neither of the two is sure they want to try this fasting thing Pinkie Pie mentioned for any period of time.

After dinner, each of the four goes to his or her room, and I have my character write his letter to the princess. I don’t have my character write that Pinkie Pie was fasting, I leave that up to Pinkie Pie to decide if she wants to mention it or not. I do mention, though, that she helped Lyra write a song, and that she gave a meal to a foal that had his stolen from him by a couple of school bullies. Again, whatever emotions Pinkie Pie felt during that time I leave up to her to write about. I leave such information out of my letter. At any rate, I have my character sign and roll up the letter, after which he delivers it to Weed Whacker to send to the princesses. Then, he returns to his room and goes to bed.

Once again, I can think of no more to write about this game day. So, I save and close the game, looking forward to the next time I play.

Actually, there is one thing I think I should mention. The next few game days will be episode-based days, the first four of which will each be two days based on an episode. After that, well, we shall see what I get from what I’ve invested in Pinkie Pie up to that point. But, I can wait for that.

Author's Notes:

In the next chapter, the first based on the episode "Owl's Well that Ends Well," Mormon, Pinkie Pie, and their friends prepare to watch a meteor shower on a hillside. And, of course, there are other things in store in Chapter 29, Comet-ology.

The reading will be in the book of Mosiah, chapters eight and nine.