Before I start the game, let me state that I was able to track down the bug that was causing the meteors to fly so randomly. I now have it programmed so that the meteors fly more-or-less parallel to each other, though at different speeds and for different lengths of time and different altitudes no closer than, say, a kilometer from the highest point of terrain. I played the game at the point in time when the meteor shower should show up, and it looks just fine now.

With that out of the way, as I start the game this time, I find my character waking up to knocking on his bedroom door, followed by Pinkie Pie calling out, “Mormy, you’re wanted at the front door!”

I have my character rise and walk to his bedroom door in time to hear Pinkie Pie moan as though she’s going to fall, followed by a light thud. As my character opens his door, I have him look downward in the direction of the kitchen. There, I can see, through his eyes, Pinkie Pie on her side on the floor, getting back up on her hooves.

She turns to my character as soon as she’s on all fours and says, “Fluttershy’s at the front door. She asked me, Lyra, and Weed Whacker if we’d seen an owl flying around last night, and none of us have.”

I conclude, “And, she wants to know if I saw an owl.”

Pinkie Pie nods her head vigorously and says, “That’s right.” She then turns toward the kitchen and says, “Let’s get going.” And, with that, she gallops to the kitchen and to the door there.

Let me state, as my character follows the pink earth pony through the house, that, in the context of the cartoon show, and the episode, “Owl’s Well That Ends Well,” I have seen the owl that’s no doubt in question. And, this is the last day based on that episode. But, in the context of this video game, I have yet to see the owl. And, as Pinkie Pie and my character arrive at the front door, it is in the context of the video game that I go by when Fluttershy asks me if I saw an owl flying around last night, and I answer that I haven’t and ask why she’s asking.

The yellow pegasa lowers her head, and her face melts into an expression of sadness, as she says, “Well, when I got home, I had trouble getting to sleep. So, I went outside, and I noticed a paper flying over my cottage. I saw an owl chase and catch it, then head back to Ponyville. I just wanted to know if anypony else saw it.”

I answer, “I’m sorry, I haven’t.” What I don’t say is that I expect to see the owl later today when Twilight shows off her new pet. At any rate, I continue, “My friends and I will be having breakfast as soon as we harvest it, and then we’ll be heading through the Everfree forest to town.”

Fluttershy turns away from the doorway and says, “I’ve eaten already. I just wanted to know if anypony else saw that owl.” As she points herself off of the porch, I hear her say under her breath, “I couldn’t have been the only one that saw the owl. Maybe Rainbow Dash saw it.” She then turns enough to see my character and Pinkie Pie at the door and says, “Thanks, Mormon, Pinkie Pie. I’ll see you in Ponyville.” And, with that, she flies off in the direction of her cottage.

A second or two after Fluttershy has disappeared from the view of my character, I hear Pinkie Pie say, “Now, Mormon, you know as well as I do that you did see the owl Fluttershy was talking about.”

I have my character close the door, then turn to Pinkie Pie; and I say, “In the cartoon show, yes. But, not in this video game.” I figure the fourth wall doesn’t matter that much when it comes to Pinkie Pie. I can talk to her about “My Little Pony Friendship is Magic” and “Hey, Batter!” without causing too much damage.

Speaking of which, Pinkie Pie looks down and to the right as she says, “Yeah, I suppose it’s alright to answer in the context of this game.”

I then ask, “Oh, by the way, Pinkie Pie, have you harvested any fruits from the orchard yet?”

The pink earth pony focuses on my character again and answers, “No, I haven’t. But, Lyra’s already in the vineyard, and Weed Whacker’s in the vegetable garden.”

I nod and suggest, “So, let’s go to the orchard and harvest some fruits, then.”

In response, Pinkie Pie smiles and says, “Okie dokie lokie.” And, before I can have my character do so, she opens the door, using the curl in her forehead, then leads the way to the orchard.

On the way there, I hear her ask, “Why didn’t we see an owl flying around?”

I answer, “Well, it was dark last night.”

Pinkie Pie turns her head so she can see me with one eye and ahead of her with the other, then says, “I know. But, it wasn’t that dark. Especially since Lyra lit up our picnic area with her horn.”

By this point, Pinkie Pie and my character have reached the fence to the orchard.

As Pinkie Pie hops over the fence and my character climbs over it, I suggest, “Well, we were rather focused on our picnic. And, if the owl had wanted us to know it was there, I’m sure it would’ve vocalized, or something.”

Pinkie Pie approaches a tree with yellow apples in it. But, before Pinkamena hands control over to Diane, she turns to my character, to me, and asks, “Are you sure an owl could hide itself so well?”

I answer, “I suppose it’s possible. It could be that owl knows better than we do how it could hide itself, or at least how to keep from being noticed.” I then have my character approach the pear tree and start harvesting fruits from it before I continue, “In at least one human culture, the owl is a symbol of knowledge and/or wisdom. And, I’m sure that, in the past, at least one owl has done something to earn that kind of a reputation.”

In the mean time, I hear a wooden thud and a rattling of leaves, then a few more lighter thuds, four I’d say, before I hear Pinkie Pie say, “I hadn’t thought about it that way. Do you think all predatory birds are that way?”

I have my character stop after he’s harvested four pears, and I answer, “I suppose that certain predatory birds symbolize knowledge or wisdom in different cultures. But, I’d also imagine that, based at least on size, some birds can hide themselves better than others.” And, by the time my character turns to look at Pinkie Pie again, based on her curly mane and tail, it's evident to me that Pinkamena is back in control again.

She turns and takes a few steps toward the fence, then turns to my character again and says, “Well, I’ve got all the apples Diane kicked out of the tree. Shall we head back to the house now?”

I smile as I answer, “Sure, let’s go.”

I then watch as the pink earth pony backs up a few steps, then bounces a couple times, then takes a bouncing leap over the fence. As she stops on the other side, she turns to my character again and says, “So, come on, Mormy.”

I only respond by having my character approach and climb over the fence again, carrying the four pears in his arms.

Now that both are out of the orchard, Pinkie Pie leads the way back to the house, where they find that Lyra and Weed Whacker are there waiting for them. And, once there, Pinkie Pie uses the curl in her forehead to open the door and allow the other three to enter.

Once the four of them are in the kitchen, it’s the normal process of cleaning and drying the fruits, then the four eating them, then cleaning up what wasn't eaten. Then, before the group heads out, I have my character take a few pens from my work room and put them in the pocket of his shirt. Then, I have him join the rest of the group as they leave his property, then head through the Everfree forest, and on into Ponyville again.

As the four are approaching Sugar Cube Corner, we notice Twilight Sparkle approaching the front door to enter.

Pinkie Pie turns to my character and asks, “Do you suppose she’s going to ask about me?”

I answer, “Could be. If that’s the case, we need to get there as soon as possible.”

Pinkie Pie only answers, “Agreed,” before galloping ahead to the back door of the gingerbread bakery, leaving the other three to run or gallop to keep up with her.

As the four enter through the back door, I hear Twilight’s voice ask, “… here?”

As my character, the last to enter, closes the door behind him, I hear Mrs. Cake’s voice answer, “You know, I think she may have just come in. You just wait right here, dearie.” And, about a second later, the blue earth mare enters the kitchen and sees the human, the two ponies, and the dinosaur. Seeing the pink earth mare, she focuses on her and says, “Oh, Pinkie Pie, there you are. Twilight was just asking about you.”

Pinkie bounces toward Mrs. Cake and says, “I guess I better talk to her, then.” And, she bounces past the blue earth mare, and into the main room of the bakery.

Mrs. Cake moves to the side to allow Pinkie Pie to pass, then enters the kitchen again and, looking at the remaining three, says, “You three may wanna wait and see. Twilight said something about wanting to show Pinkie Pie something. And, knowing Pinkie Pie, she’ll want you there to see it, too.”

Considering I’m the one that made this game, and I’ve seen the episode on which this and the previous day are based, I know what Twilight is going to want to show her friends. In the context of the episode, I’ve seen it already. But, I have yet to see Twilight’s new pet owl in this video game, even though I did model, texture, and animate it for the game. Still, as usual, I see no reason why I should let the characters in this game know about that.

In the mean time, I hear the conversation between the two element bearers in the main room, Twilight saying that she wants to show Pinkie Pie her new assistant, and Pinkie Pie eagerly accepting and requesting that Lyra, Weed Whacker, and my character come and see the new assistant as well. Twilight agrees, and the conversation ends.

Then, as I hear the bell ringing from the main room, Pinkie Pie appears in the doorway and says, “Twily wants to show us her new assistant. You wanna come?”

I answer, “I’d be honored to.”

Lyra turns to Mrs. Cake, who has moved into the kitchen to allow Pinkie Pie to enter, and asks, “Are you sure about us leaving right now?”

The blue earth mare answers, “Yes, we’ll be fine while you’re meeting up with Twilight and her new assistant.”

At this answer, Lyra shrugs and says, “Well, if you’re sure,” then turns back to Pinkie Pie and says, “then, I’d welcome the chance to see Twilight’s new assistant.”

Presently, an eager Weed Whacker runs to Lyra and says, “Oh, I wanna go, I wanna go.”

I can’t help chuckling as I say, “We wouldn’t leave you behind.” Then, as Lyra uses her magic to lift the herbivorous dinosaur onto her back, I have my character focus on the blue earth mare; and I say, “We’ll be back as soon as we can.”

In response, Mrs. Cake, smiling, nods and says, “Yes, I know you will.”

Then, as the two ponies and the dinosaur head out the front door, I have my character head out the back door again; and he and the three others in the group meet in front of the bakery made of gingerbread.

In a matter of minutes, the group of four arrives at the library, where Twilight is surrounded by Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and Rarity, and has an owl on her back.

Seeing the group of four approaching, Twilight says, “Oh, Pinkie Pie, Lyra, Weed Whacker, Mormon, you’re here just in time.” Then, when each of the four have filled in spaces in the circle around her, the purple unicorn continues, “I’d like you all to meet my new junior assistant, Owlowiscious.”

I have my character turn away from the owl to focus his attention on an open window, evidently on a high floor of the library, where I can clearly see Spike reading a book. While, in the episode, the book is shown to have a picture of an owl on the front cover, I’ve never been sure if the picture means that the book is specifically about owls, or if it could be more generally about predatory birds, or about nocturnal creatures. For all I know, I could be a book of wise sayings from various ponies throughout Equestrian history.

After a second or two, Pinkie Pie attracts my character’s attention again as she says, “Oh, what a fantastical, fluff-alicious, feathery little friend! I’m foof!”

I’m never able to understand that last word Pinkie Pie says, so I can only make my best educated guess. Whatever it is, the other ponies, and Weed Whacker, laugh about it.

When the laughter settles down, Fluttershy says, “He’s just wonderful.”

Then, I hear Spike say, mockingly, “He’s just wonderful.” Then, as the attention of the group is centered on him, he adds, “Uh, yes, he is quite … the charmer.”

At this point, I’m finding it obvious that there are some feelings of envy from the purple dragon toward the owl.

Then, Rarity says, “And, Owlowiscious is such a star, I just had to make a little bow for you.”

As much based on the episode as on my memories of the previous night of this game, I’m sure those are nearly the exact same words Rarity said about Spike before presenting him with a bow tie. And, the one she’s giving Owlowiscious looks pretty much exactly like the one she gave Spike that previous night. All things considered, I don’t find it that surprising when Spike growls and snorts in anger and frustration and jumps back into the library from the window, slamming it closed.

As my character’s attention returns to the group, Applejack asks, “What’s he so saddle-sore about?”

Rainbow Dash answers, “He’s probably just jealous of Owlowiscious.”

Then, Fluttershy adds, “Maybe Spike feels threatened, or worried that Owlowiscious will replace him.”

At this point, I have my character approach the door to the library as I say, “Maybe I should go in and talk to him.” And, before the ponies or dinosaur can stop him, my character opens the door and enters.

Once inside, I have my character look for Spike. And, he finds him approaching the staircase, mumbling something about being replaced. I have my character approach the purple dragon, and I ask, “Spike, are you alright?”

The little purple dragon turns his glare on my character and angrily asks, “What do you think?” He then starts descending the stairs as he continues, “I’m bein’ replaced by a pile of feathers.”

I ask, “Have you ever considered that, with Owlowiscious being the new junior assistant, that’d make you the senior assistant?”

At my question Spike stops in his place, the fourth or fifth step from the bottom; and his expression morphs into one of surprise as he says, “You know, I hadn’t thought of that.” Then, as I hear the door open and close behind my character, I watch, through my character’s eyes, as Spike’s attention shifts to whoever it was that entered behind my character, and asks, “Twilight, is what Mormon just said true?”

Immediately my character turns around and focuses on the purple unicorn approaching what appears to be a wooden perch, as she asks in response, “What was that?”

I then hear Spike answer, “Mormon said that, if Owlowiscious is your new junior assistant, that makes me your senior assistant.”

As the owl jumps off of Twilight’s back and onto his perch, the purple unicorn rubs her chin with a front hoof and hums with interest. Then, she puts the hoof down again and answers, “You know, I think Mormon’s right. After all, I can’t very well have two junior assistants.” She then smiles and says, “Congratulations, Spike. You’ve just been promoted.”

I then have my character turn back to the purple dragon, and I continue, “I’m sure there are some jobs that Owlowiscious can do that you couldn’t, maybe some jobs the both of you can do that Owlowiscious can do better. Of course, on the other hand, there may be jobs that a baby dragon can do that an owl couldn’t, or jobs that a baby dragon could do better. As long as the two of you can learn to delegate the workload between the two of you, I’m sure the two of you can find a way to work together.”

At this point, Spike, looking confused, points to my character and asks, “Delegate the what now?”

Then, from behind my character, I hear Twilight answer, “He just means that if the two of you can divide the jobs between you based on which one can do the job best, the two of you should be just fine. And, who knows? Maybe there are jobs that the two of you can work together on to complete.”

Considering Twilight interpreted what I’d said so well, I see no reason to say anything more.

And, perhaps to add emphasis to Twilight’s statement, or to affirm it, Owlowiscious hoots a couple times.

Spike then confirms the clarity of the explanation by saying, “Oh, I see what you mean.”

Presently, I hear the front door slam open, then I hear Pinkie Pie say, “Mormon, we need to be getting back to Sugar Cube Corner now.”

Automatically my character’s attention turns to the pink earth pony, allowing me to hear her out. After that, I have him turn to Twilight; and I say, “I guess that means I’d better get going then.”

Twilight simply says, “I guess so.”

As I click on the door to have my character exit through it, I hear Spike say, “Thanks for helpin’ out, Mormon.”

As my character approaches the door, I have him turn to the purple dragon; and I say, “I”m glad I could help. I hope things to well between you and Owlowiscious.”

And, before my character closes the door, I hear Twilight say, “Goodbye.”

Then, as the human, the two ponies, and the dinosaur head to the bakery, Pinkie Pie asks, “So, Mormon, what did you help Spike with?”

I answer, “I just gave him a suggestion on what it would mean for Twilight to have another assistant.”

Pinkie Pie grunts “Oh,” then asks, “Do you think he’ll follow your advice?”

I answer, “I hope so. Whether he does or not is up to him.”

After that, the rest of the trip is occupied with the two ponies and Weed Whacker talking about Twilight’s new pet.

When they get back to Sugar Cube Corner, Mrs. Cake is there to let them know who gets what jobs. And, thus informed, each gets to work on their job.

It’s not long after my character has put a loaf of bread in the oven that I hear Spike’s voice at the back door asking, “Pinkie Pie, are you there?”

I then hear Pinkie Pie answer, “Yeah, Spike. What do you want?”

I hear Spike answer, “I need a quill.”

I don’t need to hear anymore to know what’s going on. Apparently Twilight has broken her last quill, and Spike’s out looking for a new one. What Spike doesn’t know is that Owlowiscious has donated one of his feathers for a quill for the purple unicorn.

In the mean time, Pinkie Pie answers, “I swore I had one around here somewhere.”

I have my character turn to her, and I jokingly respond, “You know it’s not nice to swear.”

The pink earth pony giggles at my joke, then backs a little into the kitchen, searching her mane for something. She then produces what looks to me like a yellow pear and, handing it to Spike, says, “Here it is, a quince.”

The purple dragon looks at the fruit, then tosses it behind him out the doorway, and growls, “Not a quince, a quill.”

Pinkie Pie then starts searching her mane again as she says, “Right.” She then produces a small, brown bird with a black crown of feathers, including a single plume sticking up out of the top of its head, and, as it flies toward Spike, says, “A quail.”

Well, at least quail sounds like quill.

However, Spike, not satisfied, waves the bird away, then glares at the pink earth pony.

After that, Pinkie Pie produces and names a qüesadilla, a quilt, and a qüiche.

From what I’ve seen of a quesadilla, they’re not that difficult or time-consuming to make. And, perhaps a quiche isn’t that difficult or time-consuming to make either.

And, there's one more thing. I have to wonder, if Spike were to approach Twilight with a quesadilla, would she freak out about it? After all, in season five, in the episode Party Pooped, it's revealed that Twilight Sparkle is scared of quesadillas. Since Pinkie Pie is offering one to Spike, would this mean that she knows about Twilight's fear of them, and that Spike likely doesn't share that fear? Maybe I'll have to assume that my pink earth pony friend doesn't know, and I'll have to make up a back story for the purple unicorn explaining that. But, once again, I've gotten off topic.

In the mean time, the only two of the items he receives from the pink earth pony are the quilt and the quiche, and neither of them happily. Finally, glaring and growling in frustration, he says, “Not a quiche, a quill.”

Pinkie Pie lets her smile fade just a little as she says, “No, sorry, all outta quills.”

Spike looks down at the quiche and groans in disappointment, then takes the fork in the food and puts it in his mouth.

I guess that means he’s just disqualified himself from Ernest’s description of a real man.

I hear Pinkie Pie start to giggle as I say, “Well, I have a few pens if Twilight could use one.”

The purple dragon looks up at my character, still frowning, and asks, “A pen?”

I have my character remove one from his shirt pocket and hand it to him as I say, “It’s a human invention. It contains a well of ink inside of it.”

Spike whines, “But, Twilight already has plenty of ink. She just needs a quill to write with.” He then puts the fork back into the quiche and receives the pen. After studying it for a few seconds, he looks up at my character again and asks, “Can this thing write on parchment?”

In response, Pinkie Pie hums for a second, then says, “Let me see.” She then searches in her mane again and produces a tan square and hands it to my character, saying, “Here, try this.”

As my character receives the square from the pink earth pony, I’m left wondering how she managed to store so many items in her mane. But, then, once again, video game physics.

At any rate, I have my character take the pen from Spike and try to draw a circle on the parchment, to no effect. I then have him turn to the purple dragon and show him the failed attempt, and I say, “Sorry. I guess the surface was too oily.” I then have him put the pen back in his shirt pocket and hand the parchment back to Pinkie Pie as I add, “Pens work on the principle of friction. If the surface isn’t something the ball at the writing end of the pen can connect to, then it’s not going to be able write on it.”

At this point, Spike hands the quiche back to Pinkie Pie and, head hanging, says, “Well, Thanks for offering, anyway.”

As she watches the purple dragon wander away from the back door, Pinkie Pie emits a sympathetic “Aw,” then says, more happily, “You know, Fluttershy has lots of birds at her cottage. Maybe one of them could donate a feather for Twilight.”

At the pink earth pony’s last statement I can’t help chuckling to myself, remembering Fluttershy’s “flying feather” remark from a later season and episode.

That is, until Pinkie Pie turns to my character and, glaring, growls, “Mormon, I know what you’re thinking. So, stop it!”

I do stop chuckling. But, I can’t help smiling as I say, “Yeah, sorry about that.”

As the pink earth pony marches past my character, she says, under her breath, “No, you’re not.”

As she passes my character, and he continues to watch her, I can’t help noticing something: are those billows of smoke coming out of her ears? I decide to say, “I guess I’ll get back to work now.”

Eventually Pinkie Pie calms down, then cleans up the quesadilla mess on the floor of the kitchen.

After a few seconds, my character is given a cake to put in the oven.

As he’s placing it in there, Mrs. Cake says, “Now, this is a special cake to be delivered to the home of Octavia and Vinyl.”

Then, I hear Pinkie’s excited voice say, “Oh, that’s right!” As my character’s attention shifts to the pink earth pony, she continues, “If I’m not mistaken, it was five years ago today that the two of them moved in together. They celebrate that anniversary every year on this day.”

Well, that explains the importance of the cake. And, I find it interesting that it comes two days before the anniversary of Pinkie Pie’s birth. But, that’s just one more thing I decide to keep to myself.

In the mean time, the cake takes no more than ten minutes, I’d say, to bake, after which I have my character take it out of the oven and put it on the island. Then, after a few more minutes cooling time, I have him remove it from the pan, at which point Pinkie Pie takes over and covers the cake with frosting of a similar color to the cake. She also writes "Happy Anniversary" on the cake. Then, after that, she turns to my character and asks, “Uh, Mormon, could you deliver this to Vinyl and Octavia? This cake has given me an idea, and I want to discuss it with Mr. and Mrs. Cake.”

I nod and answer, “Sure, no problem.’

Pinkie Pie produces a box and slides the cake into it as she sings, “Thank you.”

With the pastry evidently ready for travel, I have my character take it and exit through the back door, then make his way to the residence of the two musician ponies.

The two ponies receive the cake graciously, and it’s Octavia that pays two bits for it.

My character stores the two coins away in his shirt pocket, among the pens, and starts heading back toward Sugar Cube Corner, when I notice Spike exiting the library, appearing distraught.

I decide to have my character approach the purple dragon; and, when he’s close enough, I ask, “Spike, what’s wrong?”

Spike doesn’t take his attention from the path a few inches in front of him as he says, “Aw, Twilight’s pet owl found a book I accidentally incinerated.” But, he does take the time to look up at my character as he adds, “You’d think she’d never seen a dragon sneeze before.”

I say, “You know, you could’ve brought it to her attention when it happened, instead of waiting until someone else found out and told her about it. Then, you wouldn’t have this problem now.” During this time, my character’s walking next to the hatchling dragon.

He looks back down again and says, “I’m tellin’ you, that bird set me up. He’s after my job! Well, if he thinks he can get it that way, I’ll show him. I can set him up, too.”

I state, “I really don’t think that’s going to help anything. Remember, Twilight knows you well, and she’ll likely know what you’re doing.” And, it’s about the time I finish talking that I hear a mouse squeak.

And, of course, so does Spike. And, it clearly gives the hatchling dragon an idea, as he says, “Aha, that’s it! Owl’s eat mice, right?”

I know, from the episode, what Spike’s planning on doing. But, at the very least, I can prove how committed he is to his plan. I say, “Spike, I really don’t think that’s such a good idea.”

I’m sure anyone that plays this game, if they didn’t already know because of the episode, would be able to see in Spike’s eyes that he’s planning something really bad, as he turns to my character and says, “Why not? If I can make it look like Owlowiscious murdered a mouse and left its dead body on the floor of the library, then that bird’d know he can’t just go around pinning crimes on me.”

At this point, I have my character kneel on one knee and place a hand on the little dragon’s closest shoulder; and I say, “Trust me, Spike, this is not the way to get on Twilight’s good side. She’ll catch you in the act.”

Spike’s expression morphs into a glare as he asks, “And, what would you have me do, then, let it go?” And, he says the last three words mockingly.

I simply answer, “Exactly.”

Presently, Spike shoves my hand away and says, “Well, I can’t. I’ve got to let that flying quill factory know his place.” And, with that, he turns and marches off in the direction of Rarity’s clothing store.

Seeing how dedicated the little purple dragon is to his cause, I decide I’ve said enough; and I have my character return to Sugar Cube Corner.

As my character enters through the back door, I see Pinkie Pie approach my character as she asks, “So, did the delivery go well?”

I answer, “The delivery went just fine.” And, I have my character search in his pocket for the two bits to give to Mr. or Mrs. Cake.

Is that fear or concern I see in Pinkie’s expression now? She asks, “What happened?”

As my character finds the coins, I answer, “Well, after I delivered the cake to Octavia and Vinyl, I came across Spike as he was leaving the library. Apparently, Twilight found a book Spike had accidentally incinerated, and he thinks Owlowiscious set him up.”

Now, Pinkie’s face expresses shock, then sadness, I think, before she says, “And, he’s seeking revenge for it, I’m guessing.”

I answer, “He’s going to make it look like Owlowiscious killed a mouse and left it on the library floor.”

Pinkie asks, “You did warn him that his plan won’t work, didn’t you?”

I answer, “Yes, I did.”

At this point, Pinkie smiles as she says, “You know, Mormon, it’s nice to know you care so much about what happens to me and my friends.”

At the pink party pony’s comment, I smile as well as I say, “Thanks, Pinkie. I’m ready to go back to work now.”

Before I take my position at the oven, though, Pinkie Pie, seeing the coins in my character’s hand, says, “If you want, I’ll take those bits to Mr. Cake now.”

Deciding to accept the pink earth pony’s offer, I have my character hand the coins over to her as I say, “Thanks, Pinkie.” Then, as Pinkie Pie heads to the main room of the bakery, I have my character take his position in front of the oven.

When Pinkie returns from delivering the coins to Mr. Cake, she approaches my character and says, “Uh, Mormon, could you go back to your house? I’d like you to catch a fish from your pond, then bring it back here. I wanna see if I can bake it into a cake for Gummy’s birthday party tomorrow.”

At this point, I can’t help sensing something familiar about this. Still, I answer, “Sure, no problem,” and I have my character head out the back door again.

Before my character can get very far, Pinkie follows him out there. I know because I hear her say, “Oh, and you don’t need to worry. This isn’t going to be a repeat of the first game.” And, my character turns around just in time to see the back door to the bakery close.

I appreciate the pink earth pony addressing my concern that way. The fact of the matter is, after all the work I put into her, all the attention, I don’t expect her to take the fish I catch and process it the way she did two ponies and a griffon in the first game, one of those ponies being her friend Rainbow Dash. And, she’s shown me that she’s committed to following my plan to make her the best pony she can be. I have to wonder if she’s just going to process the meat of the fish, or at least try to, into a cake for her alligator pet. If that’s the case, she’ll most likely make one cake for Gummy, and another cake for her friends.

Thus are my thoughts as I have my character head out of Ponyville, to and through the Everfree forest, and to his house, to get his fishing gear and catch a fish from his pond. From there, it doesn’t take long for him to catch a fish, after which he, under my directions, guts it, then takes it, in a box, back to Sugar Cube Corner for Pinkie Pie to process it into a cake for Gummy for his birthday party the game’s tomorrow.

Again Pinkie Pie’s there at the back door to meet my character. Seeing the box, she turns around and says, “If you’ll follow me upstairs, I have a room set up where my closest friends and I would normally have our parties. We should be able to use that room to see if we can make that fish into a cake.”

I decide not to say anything, just have my character follow the pink earth pony through the kitchen, into the main room of the bakery, to the staircase, and to the door at the end of it. Then, after Pinkie Pie opens the door, my character automatically follows her through it, taking a moment to close the door behind him, then follows her up a spiraling staircase to a room that reminds me of a belfry, without the bell. There, I notice an oven and some cooking equipment waiting, even a bag of flour, some eggs, some milk, a small brick of butter, a bowl of sugar, and a small bottle of, I think, vanilla. My best guess is that, while I was gone fishing, or while my character was gone fishing, Pinkie Pie was busy here, first talking to the Cakes about her plan, then getting things set up for baking the unusual cake. And, considering all the equipment present, my guess is she wanted to respect the feelings of the Cakes and their customers, as well as other herbivores that work at or might buy food from Sugar Cube Corner. If I hadn’t designed the bakery this way, I might ask the question, how did Pinkie Pie get an oven up here, or did she have that here all along? And, as I have done thus far, I might attribute the process to video game physics again.

At any rate, Pinkie Pie and my character get to work, Pinkie Pie preparing the batter for the cake, and my character preparing the fish. And, the two of us agree that the meat of the fish is what’s important; so, I have my character skin and fillet the fish before mincing the meat and putting it in the batter that Pinkie Pie has ready for it. And, after thoroughly mixing the fish into the batter, she offers my character a spoonful to test taste it.

And, according to the message box at the bottom of the screen, the flavor of the fish is present, at least in the batter.

With my confirmation, Pinkie Pie proceeds to pour the batter into the cake pan she has prepared, then puts it into the oven. From then on, it’s maybe a matter of a half hour, or however long it takes to bake a minced-fish-meat cake. All I know is, after some time, another message box appears at the bottom of the screen, reading, “The scent of fish, mixed with vanilla, fills the air.”

And, while Pinkie Pie is tolerating the scent, still, it’s clear, as time passes, that it’s taking its toll on her.

At any rate, when the cake comes out, while there is evidence that the fish hasn’t completely mixed with the batter before baking, to me anyway, it still looks appetizing.

On the other hand, Pinkie Pie takes a whiff of the pie and immediately gags. As she gallops down the stairs again, it’s clear to me that the strength of her stomach has reached its limit. Whether or not she would’ve been able to tolerate pony or griffon meat, she’s made it clear that she can’t stomach baked fish, even mixed with oat flour, eggs, sugar, butter, and vanilla.

When the pink earth pony returns, she asks me to prepare and apply the frosting to the cake, which I agree to have my character do. She then heads back downstairs again, I assume, to rest for a bit and get a box.

In the mean time, my character mixes the rest of the ingredients together to make the icing, then paints the cake with it using an available rubber spatula. And, by the time he’s finished, the cake is hidden, at least visually, by the frosting. A message box informs me, though, that the scent of the fish, while not as strong, is still present, coming from the cake.

And, it’s about that time that Pinkie Pie shows up with the box.

As she shakily places it next to the cake, I ask, “Are you alright, Pinkie?”

The pink earth pony plops into a canine-style sitting position and says, “I will be. I just didn’t expect fish, oat flour, eggs, sugar, butter, and vanilla, all baked together, to smell like that.” And, when she says “that,” she points a front hoof at the cake.

I state, “If you need to go back downstairs, then go on ahead. I can finish taking care of the cake.” I then watch as Pinkie rises to all fours before I ask, “Do you think I should air out this room?”

I watch, through my character’s eyes, the look on Pinkie’s face morph into an expression of fear before she says, “And expose all of Ponyville to that smell? I don’t think so.” She then produces something that looks like a vase from her mane, opens it with her front hooves, then passes it to my character, saying, “Just set this up next to where the cake is. It should take care of the smell.” She then turns to and heads down the stairs again.

My character follows the pink earth pony’s instructions, then places the cake in the box. After that, I’m not sure if my character should leave the cake where it is, then bring it with him on the way back home, or just leave it in that room for the party tomorrow. I guess I’ll find out soon enough.

At the bottom of the spiral staircase, my character runs into Twilight Sparkle, who has a worried expression on her face. I ask her, “What’s wrong?” And, I notice Owlowiscious on her back.

The purple unicorn answers, “It’s Spike. He isn’t in the library. I can’t find him anywhere.” And, while she speaks, I notice her trotting rapidly in her place.

At this point, I may not be sure exactly where he is, but I do have a good idea of where Spike is headed. I say, “Now, calm down. I’ll be happy to help you search for clues as to where he is and why he’s not at the library.”

At my declaration, Twilight sniffles heavily, then says, “Thanks, Mormon. I could use all the help I can get.” She then turns one hundred eighty degrees in her spot, then focuses on my character now behind her and says, “Let’s get going.” And, with that, she gallops toward, then down, the stairs, and to the front door.

And, in the mean time, my character follows her, running with her out of the bakery and to the library.

Once there, the purple unicorn opens the door with her magic, takes a step inside, and, pointing to the mess on the floor, says, “That’s where he tried to make it look like Owlowiscious killed a mouse.”

I notice the purple stuffed mouse with lime-green tail and ears, button eyes, stiff string whiskers, and the open faded-blue patch on its back. Around the mouse is some of its stuffing, as well as ketchup on and around it, with his footprints leading to, then away from, the crime scene.

While the prints will likely lead to where Spike is at present, what interests me is the open blue book on the steps on the opposite side of the library. I have my character follow Twilight into the library, then move past her, around the mess on the floor, and to the book.

In the mean time, Twilight makes it clear to me that she sees where my character is headed, as she says, “Oh, that’s the book I’d asked Spike to get for me last night, The Astronomical Astronomer's Guide to All Things Astronomy. Owlowiscious found it where it should be, but with all the pages burned.”

I have my character close the book as I say, “I noticed Spike earlier today, coming out of the library, after I delivered a cake to Vinyl and Octavia. He said something about Owlowiscious setting him up.” I then notice that the front cover has a covering of gray, except for in the center, where it looks like a small, draconian hand had rubbed some of it away.

From behind my character, I hear Twilight say, “Spike said something about sneezing.”

I respond, “I’m not surprised. This book is covered with dust, except for where it looks like Spike rubbed it away.”

I hear Twilight say, “Let me see,” then hear galloping toward my character. At about the time the sound stops next to him, at about the base of the steps, I also notice, on the edge of my character’s periphery, Owlowiscious coming in for a landing right next to him, on the other side.

I have my character turn his attention to the owl, and I ask, “You noticed this too, didn’t you? What looks like a reptilian hand must’ve tried rubbing away the dust?”

Owlowiscious nods and hoots, then leans forward somewhat and points a feather from one of his wings at the cover, turning so that the feather follows the print on the cover, and hoots a couple more times.

I then hear Twilight directly under my character’s head say, “You’re right.” As my character automatically turns his attention to the purple unicorn, she continues, “With all that dust, if he was trying to rub it away, …” She trails off, and for a few seconds is silent. Then, she gasps and says, “He was telling the truth when he suggested he’d sneezed.”

Owlowiscious simply hoots twice more.

Then, Twilight continues, “And, I didn’t believe him. I accused him of lying.”

I open my mouth to mention that Spike had suggested that someone had borrowed the book. Then, I decide against it. First of all, there’s no need to let Twilight know that I know that much about him. Also, Spike may already be in enough trouble. No need to justify suspicions, and add to the trouble the little dragon is already in.

Just as well, since Twilight then says, “But, why didn’t he just tell me about this? Why did he lie to me?”

I answer, “He was probably scared about how you might react.”

The purple unicorn turns to my character, and I can see the worry in her face as she asks, “But, what could I have done that would’ve scared him?”

And, wouldn’t you know it, the first thing that comes to my mind is the instance when, a couple weeks ago, Twilight had burst into flames. It was that day when she’d decided to make a deep study of Pinkie Pie’s Pinkie sense, and I’d been there to keep her safe. Diane’s communications to Pinkamena had led the two of them, as well as Applejack, to Froggy Bottom Bog to rescue Fluttershy from a doozy, or so they thought. As it turned out, the doozy was not the hydra that’d chased the group, including my character, Lyra, Weed Whacker, and Spike, across a series of pillars to safety on an opposing cliff over a swamp, but Twilight finally believing in the Pinkie sense. But, just before that, Twilight’s temper had flared up to the extent that she’d burst into flames, reminding me of a small, very young rapidash.

The questions that cross my mind don’t include whether or not Spike was there at the time, because I know he was. My questions are, did I program him with a memory that’d go back that far? What kind of an effect would witnessing such a thing have had on Spike? Would the baby dragon have been scared of his pony mother bursting into flames again?

I’m sure there are other examples. But, before I can think of more than this one, I hear Twilight ask, “Where did he go?”

Then, I hear the flapping of wings, and an owl hoot a couple times. As my character turns his attention to the origin of the hooting, I see, through his eyes, Owlowiscious point with one of his wing feathers to the trail of ketchup footprints leading to the mess on the floor, then out the door. And, as he points to each footprint, he hoots once.

Twilight doesn’t say anything, just goes ahead and follows the trail out the door and into the street, with my character and Owlowiscious following her.

Outside, I’m sure I’m not the only one that notices the trail heading out of Ponyville and toward the Everfree forest.

I have my character turn to Twilight, and I can clearly see the look of worry on her face. I say, “If Spike’s headed into the Everfree forest, then there’s something you need to know. Just yesterday, I had a visit from a dragon that most recently moved into a cave there. He’s a friend of the dragon Princess Celestia wanted us to chase out of a mountain weeks ago, the one that was going to sleep for a thousand years, and cover Ponyville, at least, in a cloud of smoke for that time if he’d stayed.”

Presently, Twilight shouts, “I need to rescue Spike!” She then turns to her owl assistant and calls out, “Come on, Owlowiscious! We need to get going!” She then gallops a few paces, her new pet following her, then stops and turns to my character and says, “Thanks, Mormon, you’ve been a real help. I won’t be able to make it to the reading tonight.”

I reply, “That’s alright, Twilight. Like you said, you need to go rescue Spike. I understand, and I’m sure everyone else will, too.”

Twilight just nods, then turns and allows enough time for Owlowiscious to land on her back, then gallops off toward the Everfree forest again.

Seeing that my service to the purple unicorn is over for the present, I have my character return to Sugar Cube Corner to continue helping Pinkie Pie there.

As my character arrives, I notice the pink earth pony just outside the front door. She approaches and says, “Hi, Mormon. Is everything alright with Twily?”

I answer, “She’s headed into the Everfree forest with Owlowiscious to find and rescue Spike from the dragon that’s living there.”

Pinkie Pie restates, “The dragon you made friends with yesterday.” Then, after I grunt in affirmation, she adds, “She’ll rescue Spike, no problem. But, that means she’ll miss the reading tonight.”

I state, “That’s alright. Right now, the safety of her senior assistant takes precedence over the reading. I’m sure she’ll be there tomorrow.”

Pinkie nods and says, “Yeah, I know you’re right. I’ll just miss her this time, that’s all.”

Then, the thought crosses my mind, and I ask, “Oh, one thing. What about that cake?”

Pinkie’s face seems to melt into an expression of disgust as she says, “Yeah, about that.” She then answers, “If you’ll bring it downstairs, the Cakes are about ready to close up for the day. Lyra can use her magic to help you take it with us back to your house.” She then tilts her head, and her expression lightens as she asks, “Do you have a place where we can store the cake until tomorrow?”

I answer, “I do have the refrigerator.”

Pinkie Pie hums in thoughtful interest for a moment, then says, “You know, that should work out just fine. From what I’ve seen, we don’t use it very often, so it’s pretty much empty.” Presently, she smiles and says, “Okie dokie lokie. We’ll keep the cake in your fridge, and we’ll have the party at your house. Is that alright?”

I smile as I say, “Sure, no problem.” And, in my thoughts, I add, just so long as Pinkie Pie remembers her birthday is the day immediately after that.

Just then, the front door opens behind Pinkie Pie; and Mr. and Mrs. Cake, with their twins in their foal-carrying saddle, come out.

Pinkie Pie turns to the orange stallion and asks, “Mr. Cake, is it alright if Mormon here goes inside to get something real quick?”

Smiling, Mr. Cake answers, “Sure, Pinkie. We can wait for another minute or two.”

Taking that as his cue, my character goes inside and heads for the staircase on the other side of the main room.

On his way there, I can’t help noticing, from the edge of his periphery, that the kitchen seems to be empty. My guess is that Lyra and Weed Whacker most likely exited while Pinkie and the Cakes were talking, and are most likely with them right now.

In the mean time, my character ascends the staircase, goes to the door at the end of the balcony hallway, opens the door, heads up the spiral staircase to the room up there, retrieves the cake, then heads back down, closing the door he’d opened on his way there. He then returns the way he came to the front door, with Mr. Cake holding the door open for him. And, sure enough, as soon as he’s out the door, I notice, through his eyes, Lyra and Weed Whacker have joined the group.

Before I can say anything to the Cakes, Pinkie Pie says, “Thank you, Mr. Cake, for waiting until Mormon got the cake for Gummy’s birthday party tomorrow.”

Mr. Cake nods and says, “No problem, Pinkie.”

I lose track of the rest of the conversation as the Cakes close down Sugar Cube Corner and head to Town Hall, and my character’s group heads to and through the Everfree forest, and on to my character’s house.

Once we arrive, my character's first action is to store the fish cake away in the fridge, after which he joins Pinkie Pie in harvesting fruit from the orchard. Then, after that, the group of four reunites on the front porch; and my character opens the front door to allow them to enter. He then lingers long enough to close the front door behind him, while Pinkie leads the rest of the group to the kitchen door, which she holds open until my character catches up and enters, after which she closes the door behind her.

After that, once the fruits and vegetables are in the sink, once again it’s Weed Whacker in the sink cleaning them off, then handing them to my character, who hands them to Lyra to cut up then hand to Pinkie Pie, who places them on a platter for the reading this evening. And, while I do hear rain during this time of preparation, when my character looks out the nearest window, I don’t notice any evidence of rain. I can only guess that it’s isolated to approximately where Spike is. I have to wonder if that’s Twilight’s doing.

In the mean time, once again, as if timed, there’s a knock at the door once the last of the snacks has been placed.

Pinkie moves on ahead to greet guests, Lyra and Weed Whacker handle the platter, and my character handles the tray where the platter will be placed.

With all but Twilight and Spike in attendance, it’s Pinkie Pie that informs the rest of the group about why the purple unicorn and her dragon assistant aren’t going to be able to attend the reading this time.

The eight ponies, one dinosaur, and one human that form the circle around the snack tray seat themselves, save for Twilight and Spike, where they’ve normally been for the past few days.

I turn to the white unicorn and ask, "Rarity, will you read verse one of Mosiah chapter ten?"

Rarity nods and smiles and answers, "I would be most honored, Mormon," then looks down into her book and reads, "And it came to pass that we again began to establish the kingdom and we again began to possess the land in peace. And I caused that there should be weapons of war made of every kind, that thereby I might have weapons for my people against the time the Lamanites should come up again to war against my people." She then looks up and says, "I suppose the logic would be that once somepony does something, he or she will do that thing again. And, I suppose it does make sense."

Applejack then reads, "And I set guards round about the land, that the Lamanites might not come upon us again unawares and destroy us; and thus I did guard my people and my flocks, and keep them from falling into the hands of our enemies."

Fluttershy reads, "And it came to pass that we did inherit the land of our fathers for many years, yea, for the space of twenty and two years."

Lyra reads, "And I did cause that the men should till the ground, and raise all manner of grain and all manner of fruit of every kind."

I read, "And I did cause that the women should spin, and toil, and work, and work all manner of fine linen, yea, and cloth of every kind, that we might clothe our nakedness; and thus we did prosper in the land—thus we did have continual peace in the land for the space of twenty and two years."

Weed Whacker reads, "And it came to pass that king Laman died, and his son began to reign in his stead. And he began to stir his people up in rebellion against my people; therefore they began to prepare for war, and to come up to battle against my people." She then grunts and says, "King Laman learned his lesson, but I guess his son had to try at least once."

Princess Luna reads, "But I had sent my spies out round about the land of Shemlon, that I might discover their preparations, that I might guard against them, that they might not come upon my people and destroy them."

Princess Celestia reads, "And it came to pass that they came up upon the north of the land of Shilom, with their numerous hosts, men armed with bows, and with arrows, and with swords, and with cimeters, and with stones, and with slings; and they had their heads shaved that they were naked; and they were girded with a leathern girdle about their loins." She then grunts before asking, "Did they want to get themselves killed?"

I answer, "Like Weed Whacker suggested, apparently king Laman's son had yet to learn his lesson. Maybe he thought that just their numbers'd be enough to overcome the defenses Zeniff and his people had set up."

Rainbow Dash reads, "And it came to pass that I caused that the women and children of my people should be hid in the wilderness; and I also caused that all my old men that could bear arms, and also all my young men that were able to bear arms, should gather themselves together to go to battle against the Lamanites; and I did place them in their ranks, every man according to his age."

Pinkie Pie reads, "And it came to pass that we did go up to battle against the Lamanites; and I, even I, in my old age, did go up to battle against the Lamanites. And it came to pass that we did go up in the strength of the Lord to battle."

Rarity reads, "Now, the Lamanites knew nothing concerning the Lord, nor the strength of the Lord, therefore they depended upon their own strength. Yet they were a strong people, as to the strength of men."

Applejack reads, "They were a wild, and ferocious, and a blood-thirsty people, believing in the tradition of their fathers, which is this—Believing that they were driven out of the land of Jerusalem because of the iniquities of their fathers, and that they were wronged in the wilderness by their brethren, and they were also wronged while crossing the sea;"

Fluttershy reads, "And again, that they were wronged while in the land of their first inheritance, after they had crossed the sea, and all this because that Nephi was more faithful in keeping the commandments of the Lord—therefore he was favored of the Lord, for the Lord heard his prayers and answered them, and he took the lead of their journey in the wilderness."

Lyra reads, "And his brethren were wroth with him because they understood not the dealings of the Lord; they were also wroth with him upon the waters because they hardened their hearts against the Lord."

I read, "And again, they were wroth with him when they had arrived in the promised land, because they said that he had taken the ruling of the people out of their hands; and they sought to kill him."

Weed Whacker reads, "And again, they were wroth with him because he departed into the wilderness as the Lord had commanded him, and took the records which were engraven on the plates of brass, for they said that he robbed them."

Princess Luna reads, "And thus they have taught their children that they should hate them, and that they should murder them, and that they should rob and plunder them, and do all they could to destroy them; therefore they have an eternal hatred towards the children of Nephi." She then looks up and says, "So, they go out and attack Zeniff and his people, exposing all of themselves except their ... loins? Something about that doesn't make sense to me."

Princess Celestia reads, "For this very cause has king Laman, by his cunning, and lying craftiness, and his fair promises, deceived me, that I have brought this my people up into this land, that they may destroy them; yea, and we have suffered these many years in the land."

Rainbow Dash reads, "And now I, Zeniff, after having told all these things unto my people concerning the Lamanites, I did stimulate them to go to battle with their might, putting their trust in the Lord; therefore, we did contend with them, face to face."

Pinkie Pie reads, "And it came to pass that we did drive them again out of our land; and we slew them with a great slaughter, even so many that we did not number them." She then looks up and says, "Kinda makes sense, considering how badly the Lamanites defended themselves."

Rarity reads, "And it came to pass that we returned again to our own land, and my people again began to tend their flocks, and to till their ground."

Applejack reads, "And now I, being old, did confer the kingdom upon one of my sons; therefore, I say no more. And may the Lord bless my people. Amen."

At this point, I prepare to have my character close his book and look up.

But, before I can enter the commands, Fluttershy reads, "And now it came to pass that Zeniff conferred the kingdom upon Noah, one of his sons; therefore Noah began to reign in his stead; and he did not walk in the ways of his father." She then says, "That can't be good."

Lyra reads, "For behold, he did not keep the commandments of God, but he did walk after the desires of his own heart. And he had many wives and concubines. And he did cause his people to commit sin, and do that which was abominable in the sight of the Lord. Yea, and they did commit whoredoms and all manner of wickedness." She then turns to Fluttershy and says, "Definitely not good."

I decide to go ahead and read, "And he laid a tax of one fifth part of all they possessed, a fifth part of their gold and of their silver, and a fifth part of their ziff, and of their copper, and of their brass and their iron; and a fifth part of their fatlings; and also a fifth part of all their grain." At this point, I look up and say, "I'm guessing ziff is some type of metal. I don't know of any description for it, so I have no idea what it is."

Weed Whacker reads, "And all this did he take to support himself, and his wives and his concubines; and also his priests, and their wives and their concubines; thus he had changed the affairs of the kingdom."

Princess Luna reads, "For he put down all the priests that had been consecrated by his father, and consecrated new ones in their stead, such as were lifted up in the pride of their hearts."

Princess Celestia reads, "Yea, and thus they were supported in their laziness, and in their idolatry, and in their whoredoms, by the taxes which king Noah had put upon his people; thus did the people labor exceedingly to support iniquity."

Rainbow Dash reads, "Yea, and they also became idolatrous, because they were deceived by the vain and flattering words of the king and priests; for they did speak flattering things unto them."

Pinkie Pie reads, "And it came to pass that king Noah built many elegant and spacious buildings; and he ornamented them with fine work of wood, and of all manner of precious things, of gold, and of silver, and of iron, and of brass, and of ziff, and of copper;"

Rarity reads, "And he also built him a spacious palace, and a throne in the midst thereof, all of which was of fine wood and was ornamented with gold and silver and with precious things."

Applejack reads, "And he also caused that his workmen should work all manner of fine work within the walls of the temple, of fine wood, and of copper, and of brass."

Fluttershy reads, "And the seats which were set apart for the high priests, which were above all the other seats, he did ornament with pure gold; and he caused a breastwork to be built before them, that they might rest their bodies and their arms upon while they should speak lying and vain words to his people."

Lyra reads, "And it came to pass that he built a tower near the temple; yea, a very high tower, even so high that he could stand upon the top thereof and overlook the land of Shilom, and also the land of Shemlon, which was possessed by the Lamanites; and he could even look over all the land round about."

I read, "And it came to pass that he caused many buildings to be built in the land Shilom; and he caused a great tower to be built on the hill north of the land Shilom, which had been a resort for the children of Nephi at the time they fled out of the land; and thus he did do with the riches which he obtained by the taxation of his people."

Weed Whacker reads, "And it came to pass that he placed his heart upon his riches, and he spent his time in riotous living with his wives and his concubines; and so did also his priests spend their time with harlots."

Princess Luna reads, "And it came to pass that he planted vineyards round about in the land; and he built wine-presses, and made wine in abundance; and therefore he became a wine-bibber, and also his people."

Princess Celestia reads, "And it came to pass that the Lamanites began to come in upon his people, upon small numbers, and to slay them in their fields, and while they were tending their flocks."

Rainbow Dash reads, "And king Noah sent guards round about the land to keep them off; but he did not send a sufficient number, and the Lamanites came upon them and killed them, and drove many of their flocks out of the land; thus the Lamanites began to destroy them, and to exercise their hatred upon them." She then looks up and says, "Sounds like this king Noah underestimated the strength of the Lamanites, or overestimated the strength of his guards, or both."

Pinkie Pie reads, "And it came to pass that king Noah sent his armies against them, and they were driven back, or they drove them back for a time; therefore, they returned rejoicing in their spoil."

Rarity reads, "And now, because of this great victory they were lifted up in the pride of their hearts; they did boast in their own strength, saying that their fifty could stand against thousands of the Lamanites; and thus they did boast, and did delight in blood, and the shedding of the blood of their brethren, and this because of the wickedness of their king and priests." She then emits a grunt of foreboding before saying, "Whenever somepony starts to think highly of himself or herself, and forgets why he or she was successful, that's when things start to go wrong for that somepony."

Applejack reads, "And it came to pass that there was a man among them whose name was Abinadi; and he went forth among them, and began to prophesy, saying: Behold, thus saith the Lord, and thus hath he commanded me, saying, Go forth, and say unto this people, thus saith the Lord—Wo be unto this people, for I have seen their abominations, and their wickedness, and their whoredoms; and except they repent I will visit them in mine anger." She then looks up and says, "Just the right time for somepony to warn 'em that they ain't doin' good."

Fluttershy reads, "And except they repent and turn to the Lord their God, behold, I will deliver them into the hands of their enemies; yea, and they shall be brought into bondage; and they shall be afflicted by the hand of their enemies."

Lyra reads, "And it shall come to pass that they shall know that I am the Lord their God, and am a jealous God, visiting the iniquities of my people."

I read, "And it shall come to pass that except this people repent and turn unto the Lord their God, they shall be brought into bondage; and none shall deliver them, except it be the Lord the Almighty God."

Weed Whacker reads, "Yea, and it shall come to pass that when they shall cry unto me I will be slow to hear their cries; yea, and I will suffer them that they be smitten by their enemies."

Princess Luna reads, "And except they repent in sackcloth and ashes, and cry mightily to the Lord their God, I will not hear their prayers, neither will I deliver them out of their afflictions; and thus saith the Lord, and thus hath he commanded me."

It’s about this time that two deep, loud roars are heard from the forest, roars that vibrate the ground, or so I’m guessing based on the vibrations of my character’s perspective, and alarm Weed Whacker.

For a few seconds no one reads; that is, until I say, “Well, we’ve gotten this far in the chapter, and there isn’t a whole lot left of it. Let’s finish the chapter, and we’ll call it a night.”

Princess Celestia reads, "Now it came to pass that when Abinadi had spoken these words unto them they were wroth with him, and sought to take away his life; but the Lord delivered him out of their hands."

Rainbow Dash reads, "Now when king Noah had heard of the words which Abinadi had spoken unto the people, he was also wroth; and he said: Who is Abinadi, that I and my people should be judged of him, or who is the Lord, that shall bring upon my people such great affliction?" She then looks up and says, "Wow, he forgot everything his dad taught him."

Pinkie Pie reads, "I command you to bring Abinadi hither, that I may slay him, for he has said these things that he might stir up my people to anger one with another, and to raise contentions among my people; therefore I will slay him." She then looks up and asks, "Isn't king Noah being a little harsh? After all, Abinadi's just warning him and his people that they've gotten off track. He's not trying to turn them against each other."

At this point, Princess Celestia says, "Unfortunately, that's the way somepony thinks that prefers to do his or her own thing, and not the right thing. When somepony warns him or her, that somepony feels threatened, and will do whatever he or she can to get rid of that threat."

Rarity reads, "Now the eyes of the people were blinded; therefore they hardened their hearts against the words of Abinadi, and they sought from that time forward to take him. And king Noah hardened his heart against the word of the Lord, and he did not repent of his evil doings."

This time, before Applejack can start reading, I say, "And, I think that should be all for tonight."

But, before I can say more, the green dragon lands just outside my character’s property with a thunderous, literally ground-shaking thud, points his head toward the sky, and roars, spewing fire upward.

Instinctively, Weed Whacker jumps behind my character and starts screaming.

I have my character focus on Lyra, and I say, “You take Weed Whacker and go back inside.” Before she can answer, I then have my character turn to the pink earth pony; and I continue, “Pinkie Pie, you follow Lyra and Weed Whacker into the house.” I then have my character turn to the two alicorns, and I conclude, “I think it’s best if you teleport everyone else back to Ponyville. I’ll stay here and find out what’s wrong with the green dragon.” The fact of the matter is I’m sure I already know why the green dragon is upset.

In the mean time, Princess Celestia says, “Very well then. You just be careful.” And, with that, she and her sister and four of the element bearers disappear.

When my character is the only one in the front yard, I have him approach the green dragon; and I ask, “What’s wrong?”

In response, the green dragon glares down at my character and answers, “A purple hatchling invaded my cave. I found him … eating my gems!” He takes a moment to roar into the sky again before continuing, “And, I would’ve killed him too, if I hadn’t been distracted by an owl!”

At this point, I ask, “So, why are you here?”

The dragon continues, “The hatchling’s rescuer was a purple unicorn pony. Yesterday afternoon, I observed you reading with ponies, and I thought you might know about the purple one with the hatchling. If I hadn’t been trapped by a bunch of trees, I would’ve gotten both the unicorn and the hatchling invader.”

I see nothing wrong with admitting it when I say, “I am familiar with the hatchling and the unicorn you’re talking about.” I then continue, “From what I understand, you were just indirectly involved in a misunderstanding between the hatchling and the unicorn. Suffice it to say the two have cleared up their misunderstanding by now, so it’s unlikely your cave will be invaded by the hatchling again.”

The green dragon hears me out, then grumbles for a bit before saying, “I hope you’re right. There’s just one thing about him that bothers me.”

I ask, “And, what’s that?”

The green dragon asks, “Why is he still so young, so small? I sensed he’s been living for a few years now. But, there he was eating my gems, and he hadn’t grown even then. What happened to his greed?”

I pause for a moment before answering, “I’m guessing his pony mother, the purple unicorn, is probably keeping that in check.”

The green dragon, evidently focusing on one particular thing I said, lowers his head to approximately my character’s level and asks, “His pony mother? The purple unicorn has been raising him?”

I answer, “That’s right.”

The dragon then raises himself up to his previous stance and states, “Well, that explains it. If a pony raises a dragon from the time he or she hatches, and gives him or her enough to keep him or her alive and puts limits on what he or she receives, that dragon will likely stay a hatchling for many years. But, it takes only a little extra for a dragon’s greed to be activated.” He then inhales and exhales before concluding, “I shall return to my cave now, although I may visit again. Just be sure that the hatchling keeps away from my cave from now on.” And, with that, he flies off.

As I watch the green dragon fly over my character’s house, assisted by my character remaining focused on him until he disappears back into the forest, I find myself remembering the red dragon that Fluttershy had humbled, then convinced to move out of the mountain above Ponyville. Indeed, she had humbled a dragon. But, I have to wonder how many ponies have ever calmed one that was raging, especially the way I just did.

In the mean time, after the dragon has disappeared back into the forest, my character automatically heads into his house, where Weed Whacker’s sobbing pulls me out of my thoughts.

At that point, I have my character approach the little herbivorous dinosaur; and I say, “It’s alright now. The green dragon is back in the forest again.”

Weed Whacker jumps into my character’s arms, buries her face in his shoulder, and cries, “Good. I hope he stays there.”

I answer, “I’m sure he will for tonight. But, I also wouldn’t be surprised if he pays us a visit again some day.”

Angrily, Weed Whacker cries, “Why? Why can’t he just stay in the forest forever?”

I have my character stroke her neck as I answer, “The green dragon and I are friends. I don’t know if he’ll visit me frequently, but I’m sure it won’t be to hurt me or any of my friends.” Weed Whacker looks up at my character at this point as I continue, “He came here because Spike had invaded his cave and eaten some of his gems. I assured him Spike won’t be doing that anymore. And, I’m sure he won’t.”

Weed Whacker whimpers, “So, Spike is fine then?”

I answer, “I’m sure he is. When we visit Ponyville tomorrow, you’ll see. I suppose we could visit the library, and you’ll see for yourself that Spike is still alive and well.”

From behind my character, I hear Lyra ask, “Speaking of alive and well, shouldn’t we go out and harvest fruits and vegetables for dinner now?”

I answer, “That’s right. And, we also need to bring in the platter and tray from the reading.” I then ask, “Weed Whacker, do you want to go out and harvest vegetables, or would you prefer to stay inside?”

Weed Whacker turns toward the door, then back to my character, then says, “I think I’ll stay inside this time. I’m still too scared to go outside.”

At the herbivorous dinosaur’s answer, I state, “I guess that means I harvest vegetables again tonight.”

I then hear Pinkie Pie say, “And, I harvest fruits in the orchard.”

As my character places Weed Whacker on the couch, I hear Lyra say, “So, with that settled, let’s go on ahead.”

With the little herbivorous dinosaur reclined on the couch, I have my character stand up and follow the two ponies outside, where my character heads to the vegetable garden, Lyra to the vineyard, and Pinkie Pie to the orchard. And, after harvesting fruits and vegetables, the three reunite on the front porch, although Lyra diverges for a moment to collect the platter and the tray from the lawn.

Thinking about it, I’m guessing perhaps Pinkie Pie and/or Lyra, maybe even Weed Whacker, were the ones that collected the tray and platter over the past few days.

At any rate, Weed Whacker does join in the preparation of the fruits and vegetables, then in eating them. Then, the four retire to their rooms.

Knowing Pinkie Pie, in preparation for tomorrow, she’s undoubtedly preparing invitations for the other element bearers to come to Gummy’s birthday party tomorrow.

In the mean time, I have my character write to the princesses about how the arrival of a new assistant for Twilight affected Spike, at least until I suggested that he was going to be the senior assistant while Owlowiscious, Twilight’s new pet owl, was going to be the junior. I also have my character write about how I was able to show how Spike had damaged a book Twilight’d been looking for, and finally how I managed to calm down the dragon that payed me a visit this evening. After that, I have my character sign and roll up the letter, then deliver it to Weed Whacker, who bites on it, sending it to the princesses. After that, my character automatically returns to his room and goes to bed.

If there’s anything I can add, anything I feel I should add, it’s just that, as much as I plan on reminding Pinkie Pie about the event immediately following tomorrow, I still expect her to forget. But, I also expect a situation similar to what I’ve been in. So, until the game’s tomorrow, I save and close the game.

Author's Notes:

The next chapter follows Mormon and Pinkie Pie as they make preparations to celebrate the anniversary of the hatching of Pinkie Pie's pet alligator, Gummy. But, at the beginning of this chapter, Pinkie Pie senses a concern in her human friend, a concern that causes her to make a Pinkie promise that he knows she won't be able to keep. Thus starts a two day adventure, beginning with Chapter 31, Gummy's Birthday.

The reading for that chapter will be the Book of Mosiah, Chapter 12.