I must admit, right now I’m feeling some foreboding and trepidation at what I know is going to happen on this day in the game. But, at the same time, seeing that I’m so close to winning the game, I’m also feeling excited. And, those are my thoughts and feelings as I reopen and resume my second playthrough of my game.

As the game starts, I find my character awakened to the sound of pounding on his door, followed by Pinkie Pie joyfully shouting, “It’s Gummy’s after-birthday today!”

I’m finding it difficult to find any words. I know Pinkie’s forgotten her birthday, after all that’s how I programmed her. And, in the “My Little Pony Friendship is Magic” animated series, in the episode “Party of One,” on which this and the previous day are based, Pinkie is portrayed as having forgotten her birthday any way. But, I also know she Pinkie promised that she’d remember, and she hasn’t been able to keep that promise. Chances are I’m going to have to try to remind her, hopefully before her birthday party. But, right now, since my character’s already risen from his bed and is heading toward his door, I suppose I’ll have to deal with that situation, as well as others, as they arise.

This time, when my character opens his door, Pinkie, not far from it, is still on her hooves, though out of range of where the door swings. With a concerned look on her face, she asks, “Mormon, is there something wrong?”

I answer, “I just have this feeling that you’ve forgotten an important event today, a personal anniversary of yours.”

Pinkie looks at my character, at me, confused for a second or two, then bursts into giggles. When she’s finished, she says, “Ah, Mormon, I haven’t forgotten anything. If I had, I would’ve remembered.”

Now, Pinkie’s closest Ponyvillian friends accept her eccentricities as Pinkie being Pinkie; and, if they’d ever tried to find the piece they’re missing, they've likely given up on it. I, on the other hand, have that piece, and have been able to make some sense of what she’d said, up until now. When someone forgets something, it means that someone doesn’t remember. I’m sure Pinkie Pie will eventually remember her birthday, either with my help, or with that of her Ponyvillian friends, the other element bearers. In the mean time, I’m definitely concerned about Pinkie Pie. But, I decide to say, “Let’s just go out to the orchard and harvest some breakfast.”

Pinkie pauses for a second, then says, “Okie dokie,” then turns and heads for the kitchen.

My character follows her, closing his door behind him, as well as that of the kitchen, and the front door, as the human and the pink earth pony make their way through the house and outside. And, Pinkie Pie continues to lead the way to the orchard, where she leaps over the fence, then chooses a tree.

As my character climbs over the fence, I decide it’s worth a shot; and I say, “I’m thinking you’ve forgotten your own b—”

But, before I can finish my statement, Pinkie “Pinkamena” Pie turns to me and says, “Just a moment. I need Diane to take over for a second so she can buck some apples out of the tree.”

Evidently, reminding Pinkamena about her birthday is going to be a little more difficult than I thought. This is the first time I’ve tried to remind her directly about her birthday, and she’s decided to hand control over to Diane before I could inform her. Maybe I can inform Pinkamena when she’s back in control. In the mean time, I decide my character should get to work harvesting pears, and maybe a few summer fruits.

As it turns out, my character only has enough time to harvest four pears before I hear Pinkie say, “Well, Mormon, I’m ready to go back to the house when you are.”

As my character approaches the pink earth pony, who’s now back under Pinkamena’s control, I ask, “Don’t you remember scheduling Gummy’s birthday before …”

And, once again, before I can mention the pink party pony’s birthday, I’m interrupted as Pinkie Pie, seeing the pale-green unicorn and the dinosaur, says, “Lyra, Weed Whacker, were you waiting for me and Mormon?”

Lyra answers, “No, not exactly. We just finished harvesting breakfast from the vineyard and vegetable garden.”

Weed Whacker adds, “Lyra just got back from the vineyard, and I just got out of the vegetable garden.”

When Weed Whacker’s finished speaking, a suspicious Pinkie Pie leans toward Lyra and says, under her breath, “I get the feeling Mormon’s been tryin' to tell me something all morning, but he just hasn’t said it yet. Is there something wrong with him?”

Lyra repeats, “Something wrong?” Then she adds, “What do you mean?”

Pinkie answers, again under her breath, “Actually, it started last night. He keeps talking to me about Gummy’s birthday party, and says I planned it to be just before an anniversary that’s really important to me. Do you know what he’s talking about?”

Lyra hums for a second or two, then asks, “Wait, isn’t today supposed to be your—”

But, before Lyra can finish her question, Pinkie Pie suddenly growls, “Ah, please, Lyra, you too?”

Lyra recoils a bit from the pink earth pony’s outburst, then says, “Oh, Pinkie, you have forgotten, haven’t you?”

Pinkie growls before saying, “I don’t understand what you and Mormon are talking about. All I know is that today is when we’re celebrating Gummy’s after-birthday party, and I plan on inviting all my friends to it.” And, with that, she moves on ahead of Lyra and Weed Whacker and heads for the front porch.

Lyra waits until my character has caught up to her, then, as she starts cantering again, she says, “I’m worried about Pinkie Pie. Today’s her birthday, and she’s completely forgotten about it. I’m beginning to wonder if she even wants to remember.”

I respond, “I know. We’ll just have to take things as they come. If we can’t remind her about her birthday, then maybe the other element bearers can.” I pause before continuing, “Of course, that may take a while, since they have their own surprise for Pinkie Pie.”

Lyra groans worriedly, then asks, “Do you think they’ll be able to jog Pinkie’s memory?”

I answer, “I’m sure they will, once Pinkie sees the surprise they have planned for her.”

Lyra stops before asking, “And, what then? Didn’t I hear Pinkie make a Pinkie promise about not forgetting her birthday?” Not waiting for an answer, she continues, “What happens when she remembers? Will she be able to live with herself knowing she broke a promise that's so important to her?”

My character also stops, then turns to Lyra; and I answer, “I’m sure she’ll learn to live with that mistake, as long as we’re there to help her. In the mean time, we’ll have to take situations as they come.”

By this time, my character, Lyra, and Weed Whacker arrive on the front porch, where Pinkie Pie is holding the door open with her forehead curl.

Lyra gallops on ahead to the kitchen door and opens it with her magic while the rest of the group enter the front door.

Then Weed Whacker, my character, and Pinkie Pie make their way through the front room, after Pinkie Pie has lingered behind long enough to close the front door, past Lyra, and into the kitchen.

From there on, final preparation for breakfast goes normally, after which the group takes their places around the table and eats. Then, when breakfast is eaten and cleaned up, Pinkie Pie gallops to her room, saying something about getting her invitations for her friends.

Lyra gives my character a worried look, and I can’t blame her for feeling that way. And, even Weed Whacker looks worried.

In a second or two, Pinkie Pie has returned, wearing a wicker basket on her head like a hat with a wicker rope securing it around her head. She trots behind Weed Whacker, picks her up by her tail, and tosses her onto Lyra’s back. She then says, “Well, it’s time to head out for Ponyville. Let’s a-go!”

As I watch the pink party pony with the wicker basket on her head make her way out of the kitchen, I can’t help chuckling to myself at her reference to the Mario games, at least as early as Mario 64.

On the other hand, I doubt even the Lyra from the animated series would’ve gotten the reference, or, for that matter, Weed Whacker. So, I’m not surprised that Lyra ambles past my character with her head in line with her torso, and doesn’t even look up at my character.

From on top of the pale-green unicorn’s back, Weed Whacker just glares up at my character for a moment before turning back ahead to see where her ride’s taking her.

I just sigh and say, “Let’s just get going to Ponyville.” And, I have my character follow the two ponies as they make their way through the house, closing doors behind him. Then, from the gate, the trip to Ponyville takes an uneventful half hour.

As the group approaches the bakery, Pinkie turns to the other three members and says, “You three can stay here at Sugar Cube Corner. I’m gonna invite my friends to Gummy’s after-birthday party.”

I just say, “Alright, Pinkie.”

Lyra responds, “Best of luck.”

Weed Whacker says, “See you when you get back.”

Smiling, Pinkie bounces off toward the library. And, I do notice Gummy attached to her tail.

My character leads Lyra, still carrying Weed Whacker, into the back door of Sugar Cube Corner, then lingers long enough to close the door behind her.

Once the three are inside, Mrs. Cake, there to meet them, assigns them to tasks, after getting an explanation from Lyra about why Pinkie Pie isn’t with them. And, somehow, I’m not surprised to hear as much worry in the blue earth mare’s voice as Lyra, Weed Whacker, and I have been feeling.

At any rate, it’s about the time that my character puts a raw loaf of bread in the oven that Pinkie Pie shows up, with a look of confusion and worry of her own.

I ask, “So, Pinkie, how did it go?”

The pink earth pony looks up at my character and answers, “None of my friends can make it. Everypony has a reason for not coming to Gummy’s after-birthday party.” She then sighs before continuing, “Twilight said she’d fallen behind on her studies and had to hit the books. I still think she should just read them.

“Applejack said she has to pick apples. But, she was pulling three carts stacked way over the top with apples already.

“Rarity said she needed to wash her hair. But, her hair wasn’t dirty until she stuck her head in the garbage can. Then, after that, she galloped back into her boutique.

“Then there were Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash. They said they had to house-sit for a bear named Harry, and the bear kept his cave so well, it was almost like a house. They said the bear was going on vacation at the beach.”

At this point, I say, “Well, I guess it’s nice to know there’s a bear out there that believes in sandy claws.”

My guess is the pink party pony is too preoccupied with her friends being absent from her party to appreciate my joke, as she continues, “Did Rainbow Dash think I wouldn’t notice she drew a watch on her hoof before referring to the time? And, what are the chances that all of my friends would have reasons not to come to a party I was throwing? Especially after a couple of 'em said she’d come to any party I’d throw.” And again she sighs as she looks down.

I have my character reach out for one of the remaining pink envelopes as I ask, “May I have a look at one of the invitations?”

Pinkie Pie looks up at my character, at me, and answers, “It’s an invitation to Gummy’s after-birthday party, this afternoon. They all are.”

I say, as I have my character pull his empty hand away from the basket, “And, you mean this afternoon, this afternoon?”

Presently, Pinkie Pie answers, “Yes, I mean …” She then gasps, and I can see her eyes vibrate as she asks, her voice trembling, “Oh, Mormon, don’t tell me you can’t make it either.”

I respond, “Oh, I’ll gladly attend.”

Before I can say more, Pinkie Pie jumps into my character’s arms and says, “Oh, thank you, Mormon. I hoped I could count on you to come, at least.”

As my character automatically receives the hug from the pink earth pony, I continue, “I’m just not sure that this afternoon is the right time for it.”

At this statement from me, Pinkie Pie melts out of my character’s arms. She then looks up at him, at me, and says, “Well, I can’t very well have it tomorrow, because that’s when the Grand Galloping Gala is. And, if I put it off for too long, then it won’t be soon. I might forget the reason why I’m having the party in the first place.”

This statement from the pink earth pony makes me wonder if perhaps she does remember her birthday, and just wants to celebrate her alligator’s birthday again.

The pink earth pony moves away from my character, looking downward and away from his face, as she says, “You know, the more I think about what my friends said, the more it sounds like—” Then, as though the idea dawns on her, which it probably does, she gasps before concluding, “They’re making excuses.” She then looks up at my character, at me, again, and says, “Mormon, I want you to stay here and keep helping the Cakes in the kitchen. I need to look into this further.” And, with that, before anyone can say or do anything to stop her, she gallops out of the kitchen, through the main room of the bakery, and, based on the sound of a bell ringing, out the front door.

I then hear Lyra ask incredulously, “Sandy claws?” Then, after my character automatically turns to the pale-green unicorn, I can see her glare at my character as she adds, “Really, Mormon?”

I shrug and say, “Well, it was worth a shot.” And, I begin to wonder again if Pinkie Pie has forgotten her birthday, and especially that it’s today.

But, I’m given no time to think about that right now, as I hear Mr. Cake call out, “Mormon, could you go into the basement and get the cake from down there?”

I answer, “Sure, no problem.” And, automatically, my character heads down into the Sugar Cube Corner basement to retrieve a cake, evidently the only one, down there. And, as my character turns the light on to light the place up, then heads to and opens the freezer there, I see, through his eyes, a yellow-frosted cake outlined on the top and bottom with pink frosting, with the pink party pony’s smiling face in the middle, a white frosting rose in each of two most distant corners and two pink valentines near each of the most distant sides, and the words, clearly written in frosting, “Happy Birthday” above Pinkie Pie’s face, and her name under it.

I then hear Mrs. Cake behind my character say, “We need you to deliver it to Sweet Apple Acres.”

My character turns to the blue earth mare, and I say, “Sure, it shouldn’t be a problem. As long as Pinkie Pie’s friends can distract her long enough, I should have no problem delivering this cake.”

Mrs. Cake smiles back at my character and says, “Thanks, Mormon.” And, with that, she turns and heads back up the steps to the kitchen. And, she leaves behind a box for my character to put the cake in.

The cake is frozen, so it’s no problem for my character to remove it from the freezer and place it into the box. Then, after that, my character closes the box, then takes it upstairs, only to run into Pinkie Pie in the kitchen.

The pink earth pony, seeing me with the box, asks, “Uh, Mormon, whatcha doin’?”

I answer, “The Cakes have sent me to make a delivery over to Sweet Apple Acres.”

As my character continues to make forward progress out of the basement, Pinkie Pie steps backward, keeping her distance, but still remains in his path. She asks, “So, whatcha deliverin’?”

I have to pause for a moment, as my character closes the basement door; and I wonder aloud, “How do I answer that question without making the Cakes or Apples sound cannibalistic?”

At my question, Pinkie Pie tilts her head and asks, “Uh, an apple cake?”

As my character turns back to the pink earth pony, I answer, “I can’t say for sure if it’s made of or contains apples, but it is a cake. At any rate, I have to deliver it to Sweet Apple Acres; and, in the mean time, the Cakes are going to need your help here to keep things running while I’m gone.”

Now, it’s Pinkie Pie’s turn to pause before she asks, “Now, how am I going to continue my investigation of my friends if I’m helping the Cakes here at Sugar Cube Corner?”

As my character maneuvers around the pink earth pony toward the doorway between the kitchen and the main room, I answer, “That’s something you’re going to have to figure out on your own. In the mean time, I have to make this delivery.” And, my character turns around to enter the main room of the bakery.

And, wouldn’t you know it, as my character enters that room, the front door opens, ringing the bell over it, and Twilight Sparkle enters the room. Seeing my character holding a box, she says, “Oh, hi, Mormon. Nice to meet you.”

I reply, “Nice to meet you, too.”

The purple unicorn then asks, “So, where are you going?”

I answer, “The Cakes have assigned me to make a delivery to Sweet Apple Acres.”

Then, I hear Mrs. Cake, who I didn’t realize until this point was following my character, say, “Oh, Miss Twilight, you must be here for …”

As my character progresses toward the front door, Twilight shushes the blue earth mare before saying, “I don’t want Pinkie Pie to know …”

Just then, I hear Pinkie Pie say, “Twilight, I thought you were supposed to be hitting books.”

At this point, with my character heading for the door anyway, I say, “Well, I’ll just go ahead and make this delivery.” And, taking my statement as instructions, my character starts following a course to the apple orchard.

And, as the door closes behind my character, I hear Mrs. Cake invite the pink party pony to take over my position while I’m making the delivery.

Among the good things about the cake being frozen is that, based on how ponies I see along the way are sweating, it’s evidently warm outside. It’s very likely that, by the time my character gets to Sweet Apple Acres with the cake, it’ll be thawed out. And, as it turns out, it takes maybe ten minutes or so for my character to get there.

When my character arrives, Applejack is at the front gate to meet him. She motions to him to follow her, saying, “We’re a-havin’ the party in the barn over here. It’s a good thing you arrived when ya did.” Then, as she leads the way, she asks, “So, by the way, where’s Twilight?”

I answer, “Last I saw, she was being held up by Pinkie Pie.”

Worried, the orange earth mare asks, under her breath, “Uh oh, she doesn’t know ‘bout the party, does she?”

I answer, “All she knows is I’m delivering a cake here.”

Applejack sighs with relief before saying, “Good. Hopefully we can keep it a secret 'til we reveal it t’her.”

A minute later, as I’m entering the barn, I hear Rainbow Dash urgently call out, “Applejack, we have a problem!”

Applejack emits a grunt of foreboding, then circles around behind my character and closes the door to the barn.

Maybe a frame later, I see the blue pegasa land on a bale of hay.

At the door, I hear the sound of wood rapidly pounding on wood, followed by Pinkie Pie shouting, “I know you’re in there!”

At this point, my character places the cake, box and all, on a giant wooden spool, which has been set on one side for use as a table, then proceeds to hide behind a stack of hay bales, where I also find Fluttershy and Rarity.

As soon as my character is hidden, for the most part, from the view of the door, Applejack opens the top part of it and, evidently seeing Pinkie Pie there, says, “Oh, uh, howdy, pardner.”

Pinkie, making attempts to look inside, attempts which are blocked by Applejack, asks, “Mind if I … take a look inside the barn?”

The orange earth mare, fumbling for a moment, says, “No, uh, Ah mean, yes, Ah mean, … ya can’t come in here.”

One thing I’ll say about Pinkie Pie, she’s persistent. She responds, “Rainbow Dash went in there.”

Applejack excuses, or at least attempts to excuse, the blue pegasa’s entrance by nervously replying, “Oh, well, she was just bringin’ in some, uh, supplies. Yep, supplies for the, uh, renovation. Fixin’ up the whole thing, top to bottom.” She then calls into the barn, “Uh, lots of construction goin’ on in there right now!”

At this point, Rainbow Dash, from the neighboring bale of hay, gestures toward my character and the two mares with him and whispers, “You heard her, construction.”

And, with that, she, as well as Fluttershy and Rarity, start imitating sounds, rather unconvincingly I might add, of machines associated with construction sites.

It’s during this time that I hear a more convincing pounding sound coming from the back door of the barn, and my character goes to answer it.

As Twilight enters through the door, she notices the other three mares already making sounds like those in a construction zone, and she goes to the bale stack with Fluttershy and Rarity. Then, after my character closes the door and returns to his position, I hear Twilight grunt uncertainly; and I can only guess she must be tapping my character in the arm, based on the motions, as she says, “Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!” And, she coordinates her calling out “Bang!” with tapping my character.

When the sounds seem to be an adequate cover, I hear a door slam, followed a few seconds later by Applejack saying, “Yep, construction. That’s my story, and Ah’m stickin’ to it.” And, she follows her statement with a nervous chuckle.

At this point, the four mares hiding behind bales of hay stop making their construction sounds.

It takes a few more awkward seconds, but the clearly unconvinced pink earth mare slowly says, “Okie dokie lokie,” and, after another second, backs off.

Applejack sighs in relief and closes the top part of the door.

As the orange earth mare turns and gestures for the other four element bearers to come out of hiding, Rarity turns to my character and asks, “Mormon, why didn’t you make construction noises like the rest of us?”

I answer, “I didn’t want Pinkie Pie to think I was in on this.”

Rainbow Dash states, “Well, you are now.”

I reply, “I know that. But, Pinkie Pie doesn’t, and she doesn't need to know.”

I then hear Applejack ask, “Now, how is you making construction noises gonna make Pinkie Pie think yer in on our party prep, huh?”

I open my mouth to speak, but it’s Twilight who answers, “Mormon’s right. Pinkie Pie’s familiar with his voice, and could tell it from our voices. He didn’t want to play a role in our surprise party for Pinkie Pie because, … well, …” After trailing off, she turns to my character and asks, “Uh, why didn’t you want to be part of the surprise?”

I pause for a moment, then answer, “Actually, the fact of the matter is I have nothing against being part of the surprise party. It's just the preparation I don't want to be a part of. I can’t get into any details, but I just don’t want Pinkie to feel like she’s being completely isolated. She knows something’s going on, but she doesn’t know exactly what it is. She needs one friend, at least, that isn’t going to make her feel left out of everything.”

At my answer, Applejack looks down and says, “Oh, Ah, hadn’t thought ‘bout it that way.”

I then hear Fluttershy say, “Poor Pinkie.”

I add, “I’ll get her to come here, I just won’t tell her why. I’ll leave that surprise for you to reveal.”

Twilight attracts my character’s attention before saying, “Well, in that case, you’d better get back to Sugar Cube Corner. We’ll make the final preparations here.”

I have my character nod in agreement, then proceed to the door where Pinkie Pie and Applejack had been arguing.

Then, Rainbow Dash points to the closer door, the one I’d allowed Twilight to enter, and says, “Uh, maybe you should use the back door here.”

I reply, “Good idea,” as my character turns around and accepts the blue, rainbow-haired pegasa’s invitation.

Whether this surprises people or not, as it turns out, the walk from the barn back to Sugar Cube Corner takes as much time as it did to get to the barn on Sweet Apple Acres. And, my character is there in time to see a worried-looking Spike leave the front porch, heading back to the library.

At this point, I have my character catch up to the little purple dragon, and, when he’s caught up to him, I ask, “So, Spike, is everything alright?”

As my character slows to match pace with the purple dragon, he answers, looking up at my character, “I’m not really sure. She gave me the gems she promised, but, well, I just can’t help thinking something’s wrong with her.”

I ask, “Her, who?”

Spike answers, “Pinkie Pie.”

As usual, even though I already know the answer, I still ask, “What happened?”

Spike looks ahead of him, although towards the ground not much more than a foot ahead of him, and answers, “She and her alligator pet invited me into Sugar Cube Corner, where she said she had gems for me. And, sure enough, she did. Then, she said I just had to talk in order to get the gems, so I started making small talk. But, Pinkie Pie wasn’t satisfied with that. She said she wanted me to talk about our friends, so I started talking about Twilight and the other element bearers. Then, she started bein’ scary, said she wanted me to confess. Well, I won’t get into details, I’ll just say I confessed about things I’d done in the past few days. And, still Pinkie wasn’t satisfied. Finally, she told me to tell her that her friends were all lying to her and avoiding her because they don’t like her parties and they don’t want to be her friends anymore. So, that’s exactly what I said to her. So, I finally got the gems, but Pinkie started looking different. Her mane and tail went all flat, and she even looks darker now. She said something about her friends not liking her anymore.”

By this point, the human and the dragon have made it to the library.

As Spike opens the door, I say, “Well, thanks for letting me know about it.”

Spike slowly walks in as he says, “I hope you can help her. I just said what she wanted me to say.” And, without saying another word, he closes the door behind him.

Well, since I have the information I need from Spike, I decide that it’s time for my character to return to Sugar Cube Corner so I can talk to Pinkie Pie. And, based on what I’ve heard from Spike, Diane’s in control. No doubt I’ll have to see if I can talk to Pinkamena somehow.

The walk back to the bakery takes less than a minute, and Pinkie “Diane” Pie is there to meet my character at the front door.

As soon as she sees my character, Diane says, “Mormon, we have a problem.”

I respond, “I know. I heard the story from Spike.”

Diane turns a full one hundred eighty degrees in her spot and starts walking toward the staircase as she says, “We’ll talk more in my room.”

The two of us say no more until she and my character are in the bedroom that Pinkie Pie had when she lived at Sugar Cube Corner with the Cakes. But, once again, this is something I knew was going to happen, based as much on my replication of the “Party of One” episode as on what I know of the pink earth pony. While in the episode it was clear to me that Diane was trying to bring Pinkamena out with a party involving a bucket of turnips, a stack of rocks, a dust bunny, and a bag of flour; in the game I’m a resource, or at least the gamer is, that Diane can turn to. If I can’t get Pinkamena to come out, I can at least bring Pinkie Pie along to the barn in Sweet Apple Acres so her friends can explain things to her and get the more energetic spirit to take control of Pinkie.

Once the human and the earth pony are in her room, Diane closes the door, then turns to my character and says, “Now, use that ‘soundproof’ cheat.”

I nod, then click on the room and say, “Soundproof on.”

Satisfied, Diane ambles to the bed and jumps onto it, then turns one hundred eighty degrees and sits down canine-style, then turns her head to look at my character, and says, “Good. I need your help getting through to Pinkamena. She’s withdrawn, and I don’t know what to do about it. She's not listening to me, but I hope she’ll listen to you.”

I have my character take the few steps toward the pink earth pony and kneel on one knee in front of her, and I say, “I’ll see what I can do.” I then have my character look directly into the pink earth pony’s eyes, and I say, “Pinkamena, come out. Pinkamena, it’s me, Mormon. I just had a talk with Spike, and I know what’s troubling you.”

At this point, the pink earth pony’s appearance doesn’t change; but I do see her mouth move; and Pinkamena whispers, “Oh, Mormon, what do I do? My friends don’t want me around anymore. They hate my parties.”

Now, I have my character stroke Pinkie’s mane as I say, “From what Spike told me, it sounds like you gave him a script to read and motivation to read it, both positive and negative, and he just read the script.”

At this point, I see tears start to stream from Pinkie’s eyes as she says, “B-but, Mormon, it was m-more than that. M-my f-f-friends …” At this point, she sobs and sniffles before continuing, “They’ve been avoiding me all day, making excuses, trying to hide something from me. What if they’re … what if …” She stops talking, and sobs some more.

I have my character hug the pink earth pony as I say, “Now, Pinkamena, I’m sure it’s not what you think. Just because you made Spike say exactly what you wanted to hear from him, that doesn’t mean it’s true. You still have your friends to explain the situation to you. I seriously doubt it’s as bad as you think it is.”

Presently, Pinkamena asks, “B-but, what if th-they d-don’t want to b-be my f-friends anymore?”

Well, it’s clear to me that I have been able to speak to Pinkamena. And, it’s also clear to me that she still doesn’t remember her birthday. I decide to say, “Come. Let’s go to Sweet Apple Acres.” And, I have my character stand up and prepare to pick the pink earth pony up in his arms.

But, Pinkamena evidently takes control of Pinkie’s legs, as she rises to all fours, then backs away from my character’s arms and asks, “B-but, I’ve been there already. Applejack, sh-she slammed my head in the d-door. Why would I wanna go back there?”

As my character makes another attempt to pick up the pink earth pony, I say, “Now, I’ve given you every reason to trust me before. So, you should have no trouble trusting me now. If I have to, if it’s your preference, then I’ll carry you to Sweet Apple Acres.” And, taking that as his cue, my character once again tries, and this time he's successful in picking up the pink earth pony.

And, just then, the door opens; and I hear Rainbow Dash ask, “Is Pinkie Pie in here?”

My character automatically turns to the rainbow-haired pegasa, and I answer, “I’ve got her. I’m ready to go back now.”

Rainbow Dash looks at the pink earth pony in my character’s arms and, tilting her head, asks, “Is Pinkie Pie alright?”

As my character stands up again, I answer, “She will be. She just had a misunderstanding. So, let’s get back to Sweet Apple Acres.” Then, I have him pause for a moment; and I say, “If you’ll wait for me outside, I just have one more thing to take care of. And, bring Gummy with you.”

Somewhat hesitant, the azure pegasa straightens her head again and says, “Well, alright,” then grabs the hatchling toothless alligator in her mouth by his tail and tosses him onto her back and backs out of the room.

At this point, I click on the room and say, “Soundproof off.” Then, I have my character carry the pink earth pony out of the bedroom, closing the door behind him, then follow Rainbow Dash down the stairs, to the main room of the bakery.

Once there, I see that Lyra and Weed Whacker are already present, just outside the doorway to the kitchen.

Lyra asks, “Is Pinkie alright?”

I answer, “I'm sure she’ll be fine.”

Rainbow Dash adds, “Mormon said she had a misunderstanding, whatever that means.”

I continue, “If you two will to go the library and pick up Spike, the three of us will head over to Sweet Apple Acres; and you can meet up with us there.”

Lyra nods in agreement as Weed Whacker climbs onto her back, and the two head through the kitchen to the back door.

In the mean time, Rainbow Dash and my character, with Pinkie Pie and Gummy in tow, leave the bakery and resume their journey back to Sweet Apple Acres.

A few minutes later, once they’ve arrived at the barn where my character delivered the cake, I have him place the pink earth pony on the ground on her hooves, at which point Rainbow Dash opens the door to the barn and calls out, “We’re here!” and backs away.

I have my character stay in his place behind Pinkie Pie, to block her retreat.

Once the azure pegasa is out of the way of the opening to the barn, it suddenly lights up; and, from inside, the other four element bearers call out, “Surprise!”

At this point, my character kneels on one knee behind Pinkie and nudges her forward; and I say, “Well, go on inside.”

In response, the pink earth pony sighs before cantering into the barn. Once inside, as soon as she gets a clear view of her friends, and my character is right next to her, I notice, through his eyes, that her sad expression morphs into one of anger; and she starts growling.

I hear Fluttershy say, “I really thought she’d be more excited.”

Presently, Pinkie growls, “Excited?” then repeats the word, this time screaming, before asking, no, demanding, “Why would I be excited to be attending my own farewell party?”

At this point, considering that her hair remains straight, I can only guess that Pinkamena is not in complete control of Pinkie Pie.

In the mean time, a confused, incredulous Twilight asks, “Farewell party?”

Immediately, Pinkamena answers, “Yes!” She then makes it clear that she’s controlling Pinkie’s limbs as well as she kicks and falls into a canine-style sitting position as she continues, “You don’t like me anymore, so you decided to kick me out of the group and throw a great big party to celebrate, a farewell-to-Pinkie party.” She then looks up at my character, and I can see the tears well up in her eyes as she says, “Oh, Mormon, I thought for sure you’d still be with me.” And, she starts sobbing.

I have my character reach out to stroke Pinkie’s mane, but Pinkamena pushes his hand away with a front hoof.

Then, Applejack approaches her and, clearly concerned, asks, “Why, in the world, would you think we didn’t like you anymore, Sugar Cube?”

Evidently, the orange earth mare has her moments.

In the mean time, a once-again furious Pinkie Pie asks, “Why?” Then, she thrusts her face into that of Rarity and, louder, repeats, “Why?” She then screams the question at Fluttershy, causing the yellow pegasa to fall backwards. Finally, she answers, “Because you’ve been lying to me and avoiding me all day, that’s why!” And, while she answers, she seems, for those few seconds, to hover in the air. Finally she lands, concluding her rant.

Rainbow Dash, who approached the yellow pegasa to make sure she was alright, replies, “Uh, yeah, we couldn’t attend Gummy’s party so that we could get ready for yours.”

Then, Twilight, pointing to the cake on the spool table, now evidently free from its box, asks, “If this is a farewell party, why does the cake Mormon delivered from Sugar Cube Corner say, ‘Happy Birthday Pinkie Pie?’”

For a few seconds, the pink party pony takes time to look around at the presents on one table, then the decorations hanging from the posts and borders of the hay loft, then the cake and the inscription on it. After a few more seconds, Pinkamena suddenly takes full control of Pinkie Pie and says, “Because, it’s my birthday!” She then looks up at my character, at me, and she seems to melt once again as she whimpers, “Oh, Mormon, I’m so sorry,” before running out of the barn.

My character’s attention follows her as she turns to the left and disappears, then I have him turn back to the other element bearers; and I say, “I’ll go get her and bring her back.” I then have him follow the course the pink earth pony took as she ran out of the barn, and I call after her, “Pinkie?”

I hear the pink earth pony answer back, “Please, Mormon, just let me be!”

Instead, I have my character follow the direction of Pinkie’s voice until I see her running toward a gully where an older barn is barely standing nearby. As my character continues to follow her, once he can see her, I notice she finds an outcropping rock and settles down on top of it. I again call out, “Pinkie?”

She turns toward my character and calls back, “Mormon, please, just go back to the party!” And, I see her produce a cupcake from her mane.

Once again, instead of heeding the pink earth pony’s plea, I have my character continue to run toward her until he’s next to the rock where she’s sitting human-style, staring at a cupcake in her front hooves.

As my character settles down next to her, Pinkie Pie sniffles, then sighs, and says, “This is the cupcake I made specially in case I broke a Pinkie promise.”

I notice the coloring of the cupcake is something of a greenish-brown. The question of what would happen if Pinkie Pie actually broke one of her special promises has stuck in the back of my mind every time I heard it. I figured there was a reason for the last half of her poetic promise, and I figured this might be it.

I have my character reach out and cover the top of the cupcake with his closest hand, and I say, “I suppose, if anyone deserves this cupcake, I do.”

Pinkie Pie turns to look up at my character and whimpers, “Why?”

I answer, “I was the one that programmed you to forget your birthday. After all, it was in the show.”

The pink earth pony turns back to the cupcake, sniffles, and says, “I thought, if I just made my most sacred promise, then I’d be able to remember.” She then grunts, which sounds to me like a forced, derisive laugh, and adds, “A lot of good that did.” She then turns to my character again and asks, “How am I gonna live with myself now that I’ve broken my sacred promise?” And, she starts sobbing.

I have my character remove his hand from the cupcake and drape his arm over Pinkie Pie’s shoulder, and I answer, “You won’t be alone in this. I’ll be there with you.”

Presently, Pinkie Pie fumbles and drops the cupcake, then turns to my character and jumps into his arms, and bawls, “Oh, Mormon, why can’t you just … hate me?”

My character catches and holds onto the pink earth pony, and I have him stroke her mane as I answer, “You’ve shown me that we have a few more things in common now. I’ve made promises I couldn’t keep, and I’ve also jumped to the wrong conclusion at times. If I turn against you for doing things that I’ve done, I might as well turn against myself. Remember, I’m not perfect either.”

Presently, Pinkie Pie sobs, “B-but, aren’t—you—g-gonna—p-punish—m-me?”

I ask, “How?”

Pinkie Pie cries, “The—cupcake!”

I state, “The cupcake’s gone.”

Pinkie Pie sobs, “Then, just—kill—me.”

I state, “I won’t do that. Your friends still need you. And besides, killing you would mean I’ve given up on you, and I’ve invested too much into you to do that.” Hearing the pink earth pony start to calm down now, I continue, “You’ve made mistakes, mistakes I most likely would’ve made in your place. I’m not gonna hold it against you for doing something I most likely would’ve done.”

Then, before either Pinkie or I can say more, I hear Rainbow Dash ask, “Is Pinkie Pie okay?”

My character automatically turns to the azure pegasa, and I answer, “It’s just something between the two of us. She’ll be fine.”

Rainbow Dash turns around and sighs, then looks back at my character and says, “Well, the party’s waiting for her when she’s ready to come back in.” And, with that, she heads back to the front of, and, I assume, into, the barn.

With the rainbow-haired pegasa no longer in view, I say, “You hear that? Your friends are still waiting for you in the barn. Let’s go in and enjoy the party.”

Pinkie Pie sniffles once more and sighs, then says, “Well, alright then. I guess I owe them that much. But, I do have a few things to say to them first.”

I reply, “Well then, let’s go. You can say what you want to them, and then the party can get started.” And, I have my character put the pink earth pony down on her hooves again on the ground.

Pinkie Pie shakes herself out before leading the way back to and into the barn, with my character following close behind her. When the pink earth pony is just a step inside, she settles down canine-style and says, “Thanks for waiting for me, everypony. Before we get started, I’d just like to say that I’m sorry for the way I acted earlier. I should’ve trusted you girls. I shouldn’t have jumped to conclusions the way I did. You’re my friends, and I should’ve known you weren’t going to kick me out or replace me.”

The other five element bearers approach and hug the pink party pony, simultaneously offering words of acceptance to what she said.

Pinkie’s change in tone indicates she’s feeling better as she says, “So, what do you girls have planned for the party first?”

It’s about this time that I notice Lyra, Weed Whacker, and Spike are also present. And, not long after I notice this, the princesses also show up.

At this point, as ponies, human and dragons start producing their books, Rainbow Dash approaches my character and says, “I don’t know why Pinkie Pie was so upset, but I’m glad you were there to help her get through it.”

I reply, “So am I, Rainbow Dash. So am I.” What I don’t mention, what I don’t feel the need to mention, is that I don’t think this part of my duty to her is over just yet.

At any rate, the group gathers around in the middle of the barn and forms a circle.

Once all have taken their normal places in the circle, I have my character focus on the yellow pegasa, and I ask, "Fluttershy will you read the first verse of Mosiah chapter thirteen?"

My guess is that my directly addressing the yellow pegasa startled her, as she emits a quiet, but high-pitched "Eep." Then, when she hears my question, she calms down and says, "I'd be honored, Mormon." And, with that, she looks down and reads, "And now when the king had heard these words, he said unto his priests: Away with this fellow, and slay him; for what have we to do with him, for he is mad." She then looks up and says, "The only reason I can think of that they'd say something like that is because they don't want to hear him anymore."

Then, Lyra reads, "And they stood forth and attempted to lay their hands on him; but he withstood them, and said unto them:"

I say, "Now, here are some words I'm sure a lot of people would like to say so that other people will leave them alone, especially those that weren't very nice to them." I then read, "Touch me not, for God shall smite you if ye lay your hands upon me," and I wait for the laughter to die down before I continue, "for I have not delivered the message which the Lord sent me to deliver; neither have I told you that which ye requested that I should tell; therefore, God will not suffer that I shall be destroyed at this time."

Weed Whacker reads, "But I must fulfil the commandments wherewith God has commanded me; and because I have told you the truth ye are angry with me. And again, because I have spoken the word of God ye have judged me that I am mad."

Princess Luna reads, "Now it came to pass after Abinadi had spoken these words that the people of king Noah durst not lay their hands on him, for the Spirit of the Lord was upon him; and his face shone with exceeding luster, even as Moses’ did while in the mount of Sinai, while speaking with the Lord."

Princess Celestia reads, "And he spake with power and authority from God; and he continued his words, saying:"

Rainbow Dash reads, "Ye see that ye have not power to slay me, therefore I finish my message. Yea, and I perceive that it cuts you to your hearts because I tell you the truth concerning your iniquities."

Pinkie Pie reads, "Yea, and my words fill you with wonder and amazement, and with anger."

Twilight Sparkle reads, "But I finish my message; and then it matters not whither I go, if it so be that I am saved."

Spike reads, "But this much I tell you, what you do with me, after this, shall be as a type and a shadow of things which are to come."

Rarity reads, "And now I read unto you the remainder of the commandments of God, for I perceive that they are not written in your hearts; I perceive that ye have studied and taught iniquity the most part of your lives."

Applejack reads, "And now, ye remember that I said unto you: Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of things which are in heaven above, or which are in the earth beneath, or which are in the water under the earth."

Fluttershy reads, "And again: Thou shalt not bow down thyself unto them, nor serve them; for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquities of the fathers upon the children, unto the third and fourth generations of them that hate me;"

Lyra reads, "And showing mercy unto thousands of them that love me and keep my commandments."

I read, "Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain."

Weed Whacker reads, "Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy."

Princess Luna reads, "Six days shalt thou labor, and do all thy work;"

Princess Celestia reads, "But the seventh day, the sabbath of the Lord thy God, thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy man-servant, nor thy maid-servant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates;"

Rainbow Dash reads, "For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, and the sea, and all that in them is; wherefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it."

Pinkie Pie reads, "Honor thy father and thy mother, that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee."

Twilight Sparkle reads, "Thou shalt not kill."

Spike reads, "Thou shalt not commit adultery. Thou shalt not steal."

Rarity reads, "Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor."

Applejack reads, "Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s wife, nor his man-servant, nor his maid-servant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor anything that is thy neighbor’s."

Fluttershy reads, "And it came to pass that after Abinadi had made an end of these sayings that he said unto them: Have ye taught this people that they should observe to do all these things for to keep these commandments?"

Lyra reads, "I say unto you, Nay; for if ye had, the Lord would not have caused me to come forth and to prophesy evil concerning this people."

I read, "And now ye have said that salvation cometh by the law of Moses. I say unto you that it is expedient that ye should keep the law of Moses as yet; but I say unto you, that the time shall come when it shall no more be expedient to keep the law of Moses."

Weed Whacker reads, "And moreover, I say unto you, that salvation doth not come by the law alone; and were it not for the atonement, which God himself shall make for the sins and iniquities of his people, that they must unavoidably perish, notwithstanding the law of Moses."

Princess Luna reads, "And now I say unto you that it was expedient that there should be a law given to the children of Israel, yea, even a very strict law; for they were a stiffnecked people, quick to do iniquity, and slow to remember the Lord their God;"

Princess Celestia reads, "Therefore there was a law given them, yea, a law of performances and of ordinances, a law which they were to observe strictly from day to day, to keep them in remembrance of God and their duty towards him."

Rainbow Dash reads, "But behold, I say unto you, that all these things were types of things to come."

Pinkie Pie reads, "And now, did they understand the law? I say unto you, Nay, they did not all understand the law; and this because of the hardness of their hearts; for they understood not that there could not any man be saved except it were through the redemption of God."

Twilight Sparkle reads, "For behold, did not Moses prophesy unto them concerning the coming of the Messiah, and that God should redeem his people? Yea, and even all the prophets who have prophesied ever since the world began—have they not spoken more or less concerning these things?"

Spike reads, "Have they not said that God himself should come down among the children of men, and take upon him the form of man, and go forth in mighty power upon the face of the earth?"

Rarity reads, "Yea, and have they not said also that he should bring to pass the resurrection of the dead, and that he, himself, should be oppressed and afflicted?"

At this point, it's Pinkie Pie who jumps up and says, "Now, it's time to start the music and dance!" She then approaches my character and says, under her breath, “Uh, Mormon, could you go back to your place and get that … cake from the fridge?” She whispers the last part after the pause.

I nod and answer, “Sure, no problem.”

The pink party pony smiles and asks, “You promise?”

It’s clear to me that Pinkie wants Gummy’s fish cake there as soon as possible.

I answer, “Ki tahi au.” And, with that, everything, and all the characters present, except for my character, freeze in their places. And, with that, I have my character proceed from the barn at Sweet Apple Acres to the trail between the Everfree forest and Ponyville, and along the trial to my character’s house. And, once he arrives there, he automatically goes inside and into the kitchen and retrieves the cake from the fridge. Then, from there, closing the doors behind him, he leaves his house and follows the course in reverse, back to Sweet Apple Acres.

When my character arrives and places the cake on an unoccupied bale of hay near Pinkie Pie, I then say, “Continue.” And, after that, everything and every creature that had been moving before I’d paused the game resumes their activity after I unpause.

Pinkie Pie has evidently expected my character to be in a different position from where he was when he paused the game, as she approaches my character and says, “Thanks, Mormy. Gummy really appreciates it.”

I reply, “No problem, Pinkie.”

Just then, from where my character placed the cake, I hear Rainbow Dash ask, “Uh, what’s this?”

My character automatically turns to the curious pegasa, and I answer, “It’s a cake I’m sure only Gummy and I will be able to eat. It’s made from one of the fish from my pond.”

Rainbow Dash turns away from the pastry and shudders and groans in disgust. She then says, “Well, then, you two have that cake. We’ll have the other one.” And, with that, she moves away from the fish pastry.

At about this time, music starts playing, a violin melody accompanied by other instruments.

And, as the music starts, I notice Pinkie Pie doing an all-fours march to the beat.

As the pink party pony passes Twilight, the purple unicorn follows her, then jumps up, placing her hooves on Pinkie’s hips and walking on her hind legs.

The next to join the pony conga line is Rarity, followed by Fluttershy, then Applejack, then Rainbow Dash, and finally Lyra.

I decide that my character should stay near the fish cake.

Which is just as well, as Princess Celestia, seeing the pastry on the bale of hay, says, “That looks like an interesting cake. What kind is it?”

My character turns to her, and I answer, “The main ingredient is fish.” I watch the daytime princess take a step back, and I continue, “Pinkie and I made it a couple days ago so Gummy could have it for his birthday, but we never got to it. So, Pinkie decided he could have the cake for his after-birthday party while the rest of us had another cake.”

At this point, Pinkie Pie pauses and looks at Twilight and the rest of the conga line members behind her and says, “Oh, that reminds me.” She then asks, “Is it alright if we celebrate Gummy’s after-birthday party too?” She explains, “He didn't have it, and he’s pretty upset about it.”

I suppose Pinkie Pie would understand her pet better than anyone else would. After all, she has spent more time with him. Still, I have to wonder about that. Considering how he’s biting on a balloon, I can’t say for sure.

In the mean time, the other members of the conga line volunteer agreement, and Pinkie resumes her march, smiling as she looks ahead.

In the mean time, the sister princesses proceed toward Pinkie Pie’s birthday cake; and Princess Celestia proceeds to cut it into square pieces for all to enjoy. That is, all ponies and others that can eat it.

When the music ends, the pony conga line breaks up; and the ponies gather around the spool table to receive slices of cake.

In the mean time, Gummy approaches my character, wags his tail, and licks his lips. I’m assuming that means he wants some of the fish cake.

Evidently, Pinkie has noticed this. She also approaches, but with a butter knife in her mouth. Then, when my character receives the knife, she says, “You go ahead and eat this cake. I’ll go get a plate for you, and another one for Gummy.”

I reply, “Thanks, Pinkie.”

Then, when the pink party pony is getting the plates, I hear Twilight say, “So, Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, how are you enjoying the party so far?”

I hear the daytime princess smile as she answers, “It’s always an honor and a pleasure to attend a party like this.” She then asks, “So, do you have a report for me?”

I hear Twilight answer, “I do. I learned from Pinkie Pie that I should always expect the best from my friends, and never expect the worst.”

I hear Princess Celestia say, “That’s a good lesson to learn.”

The two ponies, no, three ponies, continue conversing; but I lose track of what they say when Pinkie arrives with the plates. At that point, I have my character cut one quarter of the cake for Gummy, then one quarter for himself. As he starts eating his piece, the message box at the bottom of the screen reads, “Somewhat salty, but the flavor of the fish comes through.”

In the mean time, Gummy bites his piece of cake and swallows the chunk he bites off, then does so a few more times until his piece is gone. My guess is he likes the fish cake.

Then, music starts playing again, a festive piano melody, and this time ponies start dancing separately.

Even Gummy keeps time with the music by wagging his tail.

Like Gummy’s birthday party the game’s yesterday, Pinkie Pie’s birthday party lasts for hours, accompanied by the music. And, it’s after the cakes and punch are gone that the ponies gather around and offer Pinkie presents for her to open.

One that evidently came from Rarity is a hat to go with Pinkie’s dress for the Gala.

The one I’m guessing is from Rainbow Dash is a Wonderbolt’s campaign badge.

The one from Twilight Sparkle is a book of some kind.

Fluttershy’s present is evidently a container of food specially prepared for a toothless alligator.

Applejack’s present is, as it turns out, a jar of zap-apple jam.

The two princesses offer their gratitude for the opportunity of attending Pinkie Pie’s birthday party.

Finally, Lyra sings the song she and Pinkie Pie wrote, about the pale-green unicorn’s first encounter with my character, for all intents and purposes, with me. It's either that, or about harvesting, and finding a treasure in an apple orchard.

Whichever the case is, when all the presents have been opened, Pinkie approaches my character and says, “Mormon, I think you gave me the best present of all today. You stood by me when I thought my other friends didn’t want to be my friends anymore. You let me know that you’re not going to give up on me. Thank you, Mormon, thank you for that.” And, with that, she bounces up into my character’s arms, and hugs him; and he reciprocates.

After a few seconds, she pushes away; and my character kneels down on one knee and places the pink party pony on her hooves on the floor.

Then, all the attendants of the party join in a group hug. And, after a few more seconds, once they separate, the party ends.

The princesses say their farewells and disappear, no doubt to return to the castle.

Then, the other element bearers each take their present for Pinkie Pie, who leads the group on their way back to my character’s house.

Once they arrive, my character opens the gate, then approaches and opens the front door, to allow the guests to enter. And, once they’ve put their gifts on the coffee table, they dismiss themselves with the reasonable purpose of returning to their own homes so they can get some sleep. I don’t doubt that Rarity, in particular, is going to have to get the dresses ready for the Gala tomorrow.

As the guests leave, my character and Pinkie follow them to the front gate, ready to close it behind them. Then, after the farewells and the closing of the gate, the human and the pink earth pony return to the house, where Pinkie closes the door behind them. And, considering the refreshments served at the party, it’s decided that dinner isn’t necessary this time; and each member of the group heads to their rooms.

I have my character prepare to write his report to the princesses, but then I hear a knock at the door to my character’s room, followed by Pinkie asking, “Uh, Mormon, may I come in?”

Automatically, my character puts the writing equipment down and walks over to his bedroom door and opens it.

The pink earth pony, just out of range of the door, as soon as there’s room enough for her to get through, ambles in, past my character, and to his bed, where she jumps up and onto it, then settles down into a canine-style sitting position. Then, as my character closes his bedroom door, she says, “I guess I should’ve known that you’d want me to live so you could win this time.”

I have my character approach the pink earth pony, and I say, “Your surivial is important to me.”

Pinkie continues, head bowed, “I really did mess up big time today. I forgot my birthday, in spite of my Pinkie promise; I threatened Spike into telling me that my friends were avoiding me and refusing to attend Gummy’s after-birthday party because they hated me and didn’t want to be my friends anymore; and then I went and took that out on my friends, who, I realized, had been planning a surprise birthday party for me.” She then looks up at my character, at me, and says, “And, after all that, you still aren’t giving up on me. Why?”

By this time, my character is standing in front of the pink earth pony, not far from his bed. I have him kneel on one knee and start stroking Pinkie’s mane as I say, “Like I said, you’re not the only one who’s ever made mistakes like that. I’ve jumped to wrong conclusions, and I haven’t always been true to my promises. But, God looks at me and chooses not to give up; so, why should I give up on you? You’re not perfect, you have weaknesses. But, like me, you also have great strengths. And, that’s why I choose not to give up on you.”

Pinkie Pie pushes my character’s hand away, then slumps down into a sphinx-style sitting position and turns her head away from him, and says, “B-but, I b-broke my m-most … my most sacred p-p-promise.” She then turns to my character again, to me, and whispers, “H-how can you trust me after that?”

At this point, I have my character sit on the bed next to the pink earth pony and put his closest hand on her back; and I answer, “I think you already know the answer to that question, Pinkie. I’m not giving up on you that easily. Besides, in this case, it was a promise you weren’t programmed to be able to keep. It was sweet that you wanted to continue the celebration of the anniversary of your pet alligator’s hatching, …”

Presently, Pinkie interrupts, “And, that’s another thing. I didn’t even pick up on the clues you and Lyra were dropping. Was I programmed for that, and for acting defensively when you tried to tell me directly?”

I answer, “That was part of your programming, yes. And, evidently, it worked.”

Now, Pinkie inhales, then exhales, in a ragged, unsteady sigh. After a second, she looks ahead of her, toward the floor, and says, “I shouldn’t have made that Pinkie promise.” Then, before I can say anything, the pink earth pony looks at the door, then rises and jumps off of the bed, then says, “I’m ready to go back to my room now.”

I just say, “Alright,” as my character rises and walks to the door, then opens it.

Pinkie ambles to and through the door, then to her room again.

Again my character closes the door, then goes to the desk and prepares to write the letter.

As he writes, I dictate about how Pinkie had forgotten the previous morning about her birthday, and so had become suspicious of her friends when they made excuses for not coming to the after-birthday party she’d planned for her alligator pet. I leave out the part about her getting Spike to tell her what she wanted to hear, as I figure it best that she write about it. I also leave out the part about finding Pinkie Pie being controlled by Diane, and having to draw out Pinkamena again. I also leave out the part about Pinkie having made one of her Pinkie promises, once again because I think she should reveal that. What I do dictate is that, when I brought her to the barn at Sweet Apple Acres, everything was revealed by each side. And, since the princesses were at the party, I see no reason to mention anything that happened during that time. Seeing that all the information I want is written on the parchment, I have my character roll it up, then deliver it to Weed Whacker for her to bite and send to the princesses. Then, automatically my character returns to his room and goes to bed.

I think this is one of the most difficult struggles I’ve had to help Pinkie Pie through. I had programmed her to forget her own birthday, but I hadn’t expected her to Pinkie promise to not forget. I’m hoping she can learn to trust herself after this incident. And, I plan on helping her any way I can. But, over the next few days, I guess we’ll just have to see what happens. In the mean time, I save and close the game.

Author's Notes:

The next chapter is inspired by the last episode in the first season, "The Best Night Ever."

Pinkie Pie will prove that the effects of her unkept Pinkie Promise aren't gone yet, and Mormon is going to have to take action to settle the matter.

Also, Mormon doesn't follow Pinkie Pie through the Grand Galloping Gala.

This and more in Chapter 33, "The Party at the Castle."

The scripture reading will be of the Book of Mosiah, chapters 14 and 15.