As I resume the game, it seems that my character is awakened by scratching and pounding at his bedroom door, with intermittent shouts from Pinkie Pie calling for him to wake up.

As my character gets out of bed, I call out, “Yes, I'm awake, Pinkie! And it sounds like you've recovered from last night's mishaps with the apple trees!”

Pinkie Pie answers, “Thank you, Mormon! Oh, and by the way, we've already got breakfast ready! Come and join us when you're ready!” She sings the first and last sentences.

I answer, “Will do!”

Then, as I hear Pinkie Pie's hoof-falls away from the door, I have my character walk to it, open it up, and head into the hallway, closing the door behind him. From there on, he proceeds to the kitchen where indeed Pinkie Pie, Weed Whacker, Lyra, Octavia, and Vinyl Scratch are nibbling on pieces of apple, with more slices on a platter on the table.

As my character grabs a slice of apple, I say, “Well, I guess today's the big day for you, Trixie. How close are you to completing your theater?”

The blue unicorn, in plain sight of my character, and thus me, freezes for a second, then swallows hard (I not only see it, I also hear it.), before saying, “Well, uh, you know, I, uh, just need to finish the roof, then, uh, I just need to, uh, put it on top of the, uh, theater. After that, uh, I just need to test the, uh, hinges and make sure that, uh, you know, I can fold it and unfold it, uh, when I need to.”

I do believe this is the first time I've heard any pony generate static like that when he or she spoke. And, Trixie used so much of it, one might forget much of what she'd said.

I have my character kneel on one knee in front of the azure unicorn, then I ask, “Trixie, are you alright?”

The piece of apple which had been possessed by the blue aura of Trixie's magic loses that aura and falls to the floor as Trixie, starting to tremble, says, “I'll be leaving either today or early tomorrow, as soon as my new theater is finished, as soon as it's tested, and once I've given you the show I promised.”

In such a brief period of time, the once cheerful atmosphere in the kitchen has become almost morbid.

Pinkie Pie is the first to speak, and it seems all she can say is, “Oh, Trixie.”

I ask, “So, you've completed the puppets you were working on?”

Trixie sniffles, but it seems her mood picks up as the answers, “I didn't need your work room after all. Since Pinkie Pie spent the night on the couch, she said it was alright for me to make the puppets in her room. I have all the puppets I need to tell the story I want to tell.”

I state, “I look forward to seeing and hearing you tell the story.” Thinking about it, I ask, “So, what story do you plan on telling?”

I notice her smile fades a bit as she looks down and says, “I'd like that to be a surprise. I'll tell you it's one from the Book of Mormon.”

I say, “Well, it ought to be a good one, then.” I hear Trixie sniffle again, so I have my character hold out a hand and place a pointer finger under her chin and gently lift it upward, forcing her to look up at him, at me, as I say, “It's been a real honor having you here.”

The blue unicorn sobs, “Now, Mormon, I'm not leaving yet.” Then, she forces a chuckle.

At this point, I have my character open his arms as I say, “Ah, just come here.”

In response, Trixie jumps into his arms. As he closes them around her, she continues to sob as she says, “No pony has ever been as nice to me as you've been. Thank you, Mormon, thank you so much.”

Right now, Trixie's sobs are the only ones I hear. I don't know if any of the other ponies are crying right now, I don't know if Weed Whacker is crying right now. All I know is that it's at least one minute before Trixie finally regains her composure and pushes away from my character.

As my character lets her go, carefully guiding her to the ground, I hear Pinkie Pie say, “Well, we'd better get going. I don't want to be late for work.”

While my character is standing up, he looks around to show me that, while the other ponies, and for that matter Weed Whacker, now have frowns of sadness, none of them seem to have been crying.

I have my character grab a handful of the apple slices as I say, “Well, we'll see you when we get back.”

At this point, Lyra and Weed Whacker, who have been waiting near Pinkie Pie at the door, move aside as my character proceeds in that direction, opens the door, leads Pinkie Pie, Lyra, and Weed Whacker into the front room, closes the door behind them, then proceeds to the front door to follow the same procedure.

Once all are outside, I hear Pinkie Pie say, “You know what, I think I'm actually gonna miss Trixie when she leaves. Who would've thought, huh? When she first came to Ponyville, after she made fools of my friends, I didn't want to see her again.” As we arrive at the front gate, she, immediately behind my character, continues, “Then she started making up with Rarity, Applejack, and Rainbow Dash, and we've actually become friends. And, it's all because of you, Mormon. Now, she's gonna be putting on puppet shows instead of her magic act.”

You know what, I find myself feeling the same way about the blue unicorn. As my character lets the two ponies and dinosaur out of the gate, I say, “I was telling the truth when I said it was an honor having her here. And, I find myself looking forward to her coming back after she does leave. In the mean time, we do have her puppet show to look forward to. I wonder what story she'll be telling.” I'm being honest with that last statement. There are many stories told in the Book of Mormon, some of which I've seen animated, acted, or otherwise told. I really do look forward to the story that Trixie has chosen to tell with her puppets.

In the mean time, as we head into the Everfree forest, I hear Pinkie Pie say, more like growl, almost under her breath, “Oh, Celestia, no. it can't be … her.”

My character looks at the source of the voice to show me Pinkie Pie staring at a hoof-print that's evidently deeper than those a pony would make. I ask, “Her, who?” In the mean time, my character looks at the path behind, then ahead, to show me that there are more of the unusually profound hoof-prints.

Pinkie Pie, her voice thick with either suspicion or anger, says, “Never mind. Let's just keep going. If we move quietly enough, we shouldn't have to bother with her.”

I decide not to press the matter, although I already have a good idea of who Pinkie Pie is referring to.

It takes us more than an hour just to get through the forest, with Pinkie Pie more slowly leading the way, and not allowing me to get ahead of her. From there, it's another ten or so minutes before we get to Sugar Cube Corner.

That close to the doorway, my character looks ahead to show me an equine, at least, covered in a cloak, pawing at the ground. Recognizing the stripes on her legs, I say, “Oh, her. I know her. She's Ze—“

Before I can finish my statement, Pinkie Pie herds my character and Weed Whacker into the bakery, with Lyra following close behind.

Once my character stabilizes again, I finish, “cora.” This comes after the pink party pony has closed the door behind the group.

In the darkness, I hear Applejack's voice ask, “What do you mean, you know Zecora?”

Then, despite the darkness, I find myself only able to see, through my character's eyes, the eyes of Rainbow Dash as she asks, “How often do you meet her?”

I open my mouth to answer, but Pinkie Pie beats me to it as she almost whispers, “We don't have time for that now. Twilight's out there.”

I, and evidently Rainbow Dash, turn to the doorway to see that the top part is still open. Evidently Pinkie Pie didn't close all of the door.

I watch as Pinkie Pie insistently beckons the purple unicorn into Sugar Cube Corner, then closes the top part of the door, completely darkening the room.

I hear Twilight's voice ask, “So, why are we alone in the dark?”

I choose to ignore, for the moment, the evident reference to the video game and movie.

Just as well, since I hear Applejack's voice answer, “You're not alone in the dark, Twilight.”

Don't ask me how, because I can't explain it. All I know is somehow the room brightens just enough so I can make out the shapes of other ponies in the room, as well as the dinosaur.

When it's clear that Twilight has adjusted to the new level of light, she says, “So, what are we hiding from?”

Presently, I hear Spike ask, “Zombie ponies?” And, that's when I realize that the purple dragon is on Twilight Sparkle's back.

I then hear Pinkie Pie, her voice trembling, say, “Zombie ponies?”

I can't help chuckling a little, which seems justified when Twilight Sparkle says, “There's no such thing as zombie ponies.” Then, with honest curiosity in her voice, she asks, “So, what are we hiding from?”

I hear the curtains open from some point to the right of my character, next to the door where Pinkie Pie escorted my character and Weed Whacker in; and I hear Applejack answer, “From her.” It's then that I realize it was Applejack that opened the curtain.

As the other ponies, except for Twilight, crouch to hide from the view out the window, I have my character stand where he is and look out at the cloaked zebra.

From there, I notice Zecora now between Sugar Cube Corner and the house clearly opposite, standing there and clawing the ground some more. After a few seconds, she turns in the direction of the open window, causing all ponies except for Twilight to recoil from her glowing yellow eyes.

I finally notice Applebloom in the room as she says, “Zecora.”

Now, before I continue with the story, let me just say that I'm familiar with the episode on which this day, and the day following, are based, the episode called “Bridle Gossip.” having said that, just because I'm familiar with the episode and have based two consecutive days on it, that doesn't mean I immediately notice all the characters in a dark room.

Now, continuing with the story, the little filly's big sister, Applejack, says to her, “Applebloom, didn't Ah tell you not to never say that name?”

In response, Applebloom whines, “But, Applejack, … “

Before the little yellow filly can protest further, I hear Rarity say, “Look at that.”

All of us look out the window just in time to see Zecora pull the hood back from her head.

Rarity continues, “Those stripes! How out-of-fashion can she be!”

Twilight answers, “She's a zebra. Those stripes aren't a fashion statement.”

I finally decide to speak up and add to Twilight's statement, “Actually, those stripes are how zebras defend themselves.”

All ponies in the room gasp, except for Twilight and Applebloom. But, even those two are focused on my character now.

The yellow earth filly asks, incredulously, “How can she defend herself with stripes?”

I answer, “When a herd of zebras gets together, generally all a predator can see when looking at the herd are lines of black and white. The predator can't pick out an individual, gets discouraged, and moves on; so, the zebras are safe.”

That's when Applejack says, “Well, what about where she lives?”

Rainbow Dash says, “That's right. She lives in … “

Then all the ponies in the room, again save for Twilight Sparkle and Applebloom, ominously say in unison, “The Everfree forest.”

Again I say, “So, what? I have to travel through the Everfree forest to get from my house to Ponyville and back again. You ponies have done the same thing, and none of you is afraid of me.”

I'm surprised to find that it's Applejack who says, “Yeah, we know you're not a threat. But, Zecora is.”

Presently, Pinkie Pie adds, “And besides, you live on the edge of the forest. Zecora actually lives in the forest.”

From that point on, the other four of the element bearers start talking about how Zecora is scary, mysterious, and all sorts of other nonsense. It all concludes with Pinkie Pie singing her infamous Evil Enchantress song.

At this point, I have to laugh. Not just at the absurdity of the song, but especially at Applejack trembling, holding her younger sister, and particularly when the little yellow filly pushes away from her.

When Pinkie Pie finishes her number standing on the table (and I do mean standing) and panting, I have to wonder if part of the reason is because she hadn't fully recovered from her lesson in apple bucking yesterday afternoon.

Just like in the animated series, I detect no sincerity in Twilight's voice when she says, “Wow, catchy.”

And, just like in the animated series, Pinkie Pie drops to all fours, closes her eyes and smiles and waves a front hoof, then says, “It's a work in progress.” But, unlike the animated series, I have her jump off the table before she speaks. She doesn't just suddenly appear off the table.

I've regained my composure by this point.

In the mean time, Twilight asks about what Zecora's done that makes her such a threat.

I find myself putting one of my hands on my forehead and shaking my head as I hear two of the ponies talk about things that Zecora does, which really aren't that different from what I've seen ponies do. I can't say I blame Twilight for reacting with mock fear to what each of the ponies says. Then, they get to the subject of Zecora digging in the dirt.

At this point, before Twilight can react again in mock fear, I throw my hands in front of me and say, “Well, with the way you ponies treat her, is it any wonder that she's nervous?” I'm sure my character isn't doing the same thing as me, so the ponies, except perhaps for Pinkie Pie, have no idea what I'm doing.

In the mean time, all the ponies turn to my character, and Applejack says, “What?”

I continue, “Well, think about it. Every time she comes into town, every pony goes into hiding. So far, about the only friend she's had around here has been me.”

Next, Applebloom adds, “Yeah, maybe she's just tryin' to be neighborly.”

Twilight continues, “And, maybe she's not lurking in front of the stores. Maybe she just wants to do some shopping, you know, the kind that doesn't involve lurking?”

Again Applebloom tries to take sides with me, or at least my character, and Twilight. That is, until her big sister, Applejack, pushes her away, something about the matter being for the big ponies to discuss. I can't blame the little filly for going out to approach Zecora on her own.

I suppose, if I wanted, I could make a prequel expansion that would allow me to begin the game before my first visit to Ponyville, at the point when my character first arrives, builds a home where it is, just outside of the Everfree forest, and makes friends with Zecora. But, my game isn't based on Zecora, it's based on Pinkie Pie. So, I've constructed a sort of back story about how Zecora helped the gamer's character build his house, thus becoming friends with him or her. And, seeing as how the other ponies shunned the strange equine, it was Applebloom who got tools and building supplies for Zecora, and thus her friendship with the zebra. Thus, with this back story, the gamer starts out already with one friend in the game. Now, back to the present story.

As I watch the little yellow earth filly walk out the door, trying to prove she's as mature as the others in Sugar Cube Corner, I find myself wanting to have my character join her, if for no other reason than to get away from the bickering. The only things holding me back are that, considering how big he is, he'd most certainly draw attention as he made his way to the door, and he'd very likely injure the ponies that are continually moving between him and that doorway. I suppose I could use the “ki tahi au” pause, but somehow I figure doing that would be equivalent to informing the ponies and Weed Whacker that I'd be leaving anyway.

By the time they notice that Applebloom is gone, she has been for, I'd say, three or four minutes, plenty of time for her to follow Zecora out of town. No one has to say anything about the possibility that Applejack's little sister has followed Zecora into the Everfree forest, but still it's the first thing that the orange earth mare says when they realize her little sister has disappeared. And, while I can understand her concern for her little sister, I still find myself disliking their attitude toward Zecora. Still, Lyra, Weed Whacker, and my character follow the Mane Six into the forest, past my character's house, in search of the little yellow filly.

Nothing is said before we reach my character's house. When we're passing in front of it, though, that's when Pinkie Pie turns to me and says, “If any of us could've noticed Applejack's little sister leave, you should've.”

I answer, “I did notice, and I was wanting to join her.”

Like a flock of birds, all seven ponies stop. They then turn to my character and say, “What?”

While Weed Whacker also stops, I think she's too surprised to join the ponies in their question.

I continue, “It really wasn't that difficult for Applebloom to prove herself more mature than you were acting.”

Twilight Sparkle, after a second, says, “Mormon's right. And, I would've joined him too.”

As the group turns their attention to the purple unicorn, a worried Applejack asks, “Twilight, how can you say that?”

Twilight, approaching my character, answers, “While everypony else was talking about how evil Zecora was, Mormon and Applebloom were the only ones saying nice things about her. Mormon even referred to Zecora as a friend of his.”

Pinkie Pie angrily growls and says, “We don't have time for this. Let's just find Applebloom before Zecora does something to her.”

As the group again starts making their way slowly into the forest past my character's house, the purple unicorn groans and says, “Whatever,” before taking the lead once again.

No more is said until we get to the infamous part of the trail where a patch of poison joke has grown over the pathway. And, I seem to be the only one that notices an alternate, thinner walkway around the patch of blue plants. But, it seems that Lyra and Weed Whacker maintain position between my character and the alternate trail, so he's unable to follow it, at least without hurting his pony and dinosaur friends. And, that leaves my character with his only option being to follow the group straight ahead.

And, wouldn't you know it, Applebloom, following closely behind the zebra, is clearly visible on the other side of the patch of blue plants.

The seven ponies run right into the patch of poison joke, trying to get to Applejack's little sister, with my character following a little more slowly behind them, as Applejack calls out to her little sister.

Both Applebloom and Zecora turn to the group of ponies in the blue plants as Applejack demands that her little sister come back to her.

As the little yellow earth filly pauses, evidently unsure whether or not to go back to her big sister in the middle of the patch of blue plants, Zecora warns, “Beware, beware, ye pony folk. Those leaves of blue are not a joke.”

In the mean time, Applejack bounds forward and scoops her little sister over her head and onto her back as she says, “You keep yer mumbo-jumbo to yerself, ya hear?”

I again apply my hand to my forehead and groan as the rest of the group, still amongst the poison joke, taunt the zebra.

Not the least among the groan-worthy taunting is Pinkie Pie gratingly singing a line from her Evil Enchantress song.

And, in the mean time, my character has also wandered into the patch of blue-leafed plants.

As Zecora disappears into the distant fog, she continues to warn the ponies of their danger. And, I wouldn't be surprised if she's warning my character as well.

Before Applejack can start chewing out her little sister, I say, “Come on, let's get outta here. You can continue your bickering when you get back to Ponyville.” And, with that, my character proceeds to turn around and head out of the poison joke patch, followed by the ponies. And, Weed Whacker, just outside the patch, climbs back on Lyra's back as soon as the pale-green unicorn is out.

Evidently the ponies are taking me literally, as there is no conversation, in fact nothing said, until the group arrives at my character's house again, at which point I have my character stop while I say, “The rest of you can go back to Ponyville. Pinkie Pie, Lyra, Weed Whacker and I are staying here.” And, with that, my character proceeds to open the gate and enter, followed by the two ponies and the dinosaur.

The remaining six ponies say nothing as they continue on their way into the Everfree forest, on their way back to Ponyville.

I say nothing more, and neither do the other three, until the group has made its way into the house and to the kitchen. Once there, Pinkie Pie and Lyra take seats at the table opposite each other, while Weed Whacker takes the remaining seat closest to the fridge, opposite where I'm standing.

I have my character turn to Pinkie Pie as I say, “I guess I should've mentioned before we got to Ponyville that I am friends with Zecora. Maybe I should've mentioned it when you first saw the hoof-prints, before we continued into the Everfree forest.”

Presently, Pinkie Pie says, “How can you be friends with that creepy Zecora? Didn't you hear my song?” And, with that, she immediately starts her Evil Enchantress song again.

I put a hasty end to the performance by shouting, “Pinkamena, that's enough!”

Looking at the pink pony's face, one would think she'd been caught face-first in an explosion.

I continue, “You're acting just like Gilda.” I'm not sure if the dead griffon would've sung a song, but it did seem like Pinkie Pie's actions were reminding me of her.

In the mean time, the pink pony looks down at the table, and her ears, mane, and tail seem to melt as she starts sniffling.

At this point, I decide to tell the back story: “Ponyville wasn't the first place I went to when I first came here. I decided to make my home where it is now, just outside of what you ponies call the Everfree forest. Zecora helped me build my home here, and because of that we became friends. She even helped me make the furniture, and move in the heavier appliances. So, I think you'll understand that I have a lot of respect and appreciation for her. And, I don't appreciate you bad-mouthing her.”

As Pinkie Pie starts whimpering, I hear Lyra say, “I think I deserve that as much as Pinkie Pie. I didn't know Zecora was one of your friends. I didn't mean, we didn't mean, to hurt your feelings. Can you forgive us?”

I have my character turn to the pale-green unicorn, and I note that she's as close to tears as Pinkie Pie is. I then have him kneel on one knee and open his arms while I say, “Come here, and let me give you a hug.”

In response, the two ponies jump off their chairs and run into my character's open arms, gripping him, and each sobbing into her chosen shoulder.

At this point, I have my character close his arms around them.

After a minute or two, the two mares push away from my character.

As he lets them go, I have him stand up again while I say, “Well, with that in the past, it seems to me that there was one among us who was smart enough to avoid stepping into the patch of poison joke; isn't that right, Weed Whacker?”

The little herbivorous dinosaur scratches the back of her neck with a forelimb as she says, “Well, I learned my lesson before we met. I tried eating some of the blue leaves, and believe me, that proved to be a really bad idea. Had it not been for Celestia, I don't know what would've happened to me. After that, I got the chance to serve you and Lyra and Pinkie Pie. And, as much as that ended up being a good thing, as long as I can help it, I'll never get close to even one poison joke plant ever again.”

Pinkie Pie tilts her head and asks, “Poison joke?”

I answer, “Those blue plants we wandered into.”

The pink pony straightens her head again as she emits an elongated “Oh!”

Then, Lyra says, “Well, I, for one, know it's not good for eating. But, we didn't eat any of it, so we should be fine, right?”

I answer, “I'm not really sure about that. I've heard things about poison joke.”

The two ponies and the dinosaur ask in unison, “What have you heard?”

I answer, “I've heard there's a good reason why it's called 'poison joke.' I've heard the effects are as unique as the creature it infects. I can't give you details on what those effects are, or can be, but I'm sure we'll find out soon enough that the effects will be on us.” After a few seconds of silence, I continue, “What I can say is that the poison joke takes effect, or starts to take effect, in the morning. In the mean time, if I'm not mistaken, there's a unicorn outside that's getting ready to put on a puppet show for us.”

Presently, Pinkie Pie perks up and says, “That's right. We've gotta see it before she leaves.”

I state, “Well, as long as the matter with Zecora is settled, I see no reason why we couldn't go out there now and watch, especially if Trixie's theater is ready. If you want to follow me out there, I plan on at least seeing if she's ready for us.” And, with that, I have my character walk to the door between the kitchen and the front room, open it, and walk through.

As my character turns around to close the door, he shows me that the two ponies and Weed Whacker are following behind him; so, he allows them to go through before closing the door behind them. After that, he proceeds to the front door and opens it, then allows his three followers to proceed ahead of him, after which he follows them out and closes the front door behind him and them. Then, as he looks at the gate, I can see through his eyes Zecora standing on the other side, this time without her cape, evidently digging at the ground. So, while the two ponies and the dinosaur proceed to talk to Trixie, I have my character head to the front gate to talk to Zecora.

Once my character is maybe a step or two away from the zebra, still separated by the gate, I say, “Zecora, how are you doing?”

I can see, through my character's eyes, the sadness on Zecora's face as she looks at him and says, “Not well, for I can clearly see that ponies are still afraid of me.”

I have my character turn around to look at Trixie's stage. And, as he looks, I notice that, while the roof is complete, it still isn't in place. Not only that, but I don't see Vinyl or Octavia anywhere in visible range. I can only guess they're cowering behind the house.

I have my character turn back to Zecora before I say, “Yeah, I see what you mean. But, at least I seem to have gotten through to Pinkie Pie and Lyra. And, I can only guess that Trixie hasn't heard ponies say anything bad about you, at least not anything she chooses to believe.”

Zecora smiles as she says, “It could also mean she's on my side. Seeing me, she's chosen not to hide.”

Then, the reason why I came out comes back to me, and I say, “Oh, as soon as Trixie's theater is complete and tested, she's gonna put on a puppet show for us. If you want, you can stay and watch it with us. I'm sure Trixie won't mind another member in her audience.”

The zebra maintains her smile as she answers, “Thank you, but I must refuse.” Then, she frowns as she adds, “Our friendship I wish not to abuse.”

I pause for a moment before saying, “I'm sure you won't be overstaying your welcome. Trixie was also something of an outcast in Ponyville, although in her case it was for a good reason. But, I'm sure I've patched things up between her and at least some of the Ponyvillians. And, besides, this isn't Ponyville. Still, the decision is yours to make.”

Again Zecora smiles as she says, “And I'm grateful that you would hear my voice.” Then, this time her frown is one of sternness as she adds, “But, I have already made my choice.”

I say, “Well, in that case, it's been nice getting another visit from you. I hope to see you again some time.”

Zecora nods as she says, “It has been a pleasure visiting you. But, now I have things I must do.”

As I watch, though my character's eyes, the zebra head into the forest, I get the feeling she'd wanted to say something about my character having been in the patch of poison joke with the ponies. If that was part of her reason for visiting me after a week of absence, my invitation to a viewing of Trixie's puppet show may have distracted her from that. Still, considering that I'm familiar with the episode on which this and the following day are based, the episode called "Bridle Gossip," I can figure Zecora will have a solution ready for when the ponies and I come to her under the influence of the poison joke. In the mean time, I need to get to the reason for her coming here.

I have my character turn to Trixie and her theater to head in that direction. Once he's gotten there, I ask, “So, how are things going with your theater?”

Trixie answers, “Well, as you can see, all I need to do to complete it is get the roof on it. Unfortunately, Vinyl Scratch and Octavia are hiding behind your house, as you can see.” And, she points behind my character's house.

As my character turns to see what Trixie's talking about, I see the two musical ponies indeed huddled together behind the house, out of view of the front gate.

I have my character walk to them before I say, “You can come out now. Zecora's gone.”

The two rise and sigh with relief.

Then, pointing at my character, Octavia asks, “W-wait. How do you know Zecora's name?”

As the gray earth pony puts her hoof down, Vinyl sits canine-style as she also points to me with a front hoof and asks, “Does that mean … you're friends with her?”

As the white unicorn and the gray earth pony look at each other, I answer, “Yes, she is one of my friends. And, let me tell you something: She's nowhere near as bad as you think she is.”

I had their attention when I answered their question. But, now they look at each other again and shout, “Mormon's friends with Zecora!”

Then, from behind my character I hear a familiar voice groan. As my character turns to show me the source, I see and hear an angry Pinkie Pie march toward the two musical ponies as she says, “Yes, we've established that Mormon is friends with Zecora. Now, let's get past that.” She stops when she's almost touching noses with Vinyl as she says, “Now, Trixie needs your help getting the roof on top of her stage. Then, she's going to treat us to her first puppet show. Now, are you going to help her and Lyra, or are they going to have to get that roof up there by themselves?”

The white unicorn, head lowered, reminding me of a dog that's just lost its fight for dominance, trots past Pinkie Pie and toward the not-quite-complete theater to help Trixie and Lyra place the roof.

In the mean time, Pinkie Pie turns to Octavia, who takes a step back from her. The angry pink pony says, “I'm disappointed in you. Evil enchantress, you said. Evil dances, you said. Cooks ponies in a big, tasty stew? She's friends with Mormon!” With each sentence Pinkie Pie takes a step toward Octavia.

The gray mare, on the other hand, not wanting a confrontation with the furious pink pony, has been stumbling backward to keep some distance between the two of them, looking up at my character every once in a while as if to beg him to call off the pink fury. When Pinkie Pie seems to be finished talking, Octavia stammers, “I-I was j-just s-saying what others t-told m-me.”

Presently, Pinkie Pie snarls, “And, you didn't think to check to see if it was true or not?” Then, for a moment, Pinkie Pie pauses. When she speaks again, I hear her say, “Alright, I guess I could've found out for myself if what you'd told me was true. Hay, I should've gone to find out if all I'd heard was true. Then I would've known better than to make up that stupid song!”

She sounds sincere now. But, I figure the real test of her sincerity will come tomorrow, when the poison joke has placed on her tongue the curse of Daffy Duck.

In the mean time, she goes back to snarling, “Still, there's the fact that she's friends with Mormon. And, let me tell you something. No friend of Mormon is anywhere near as bad as everypony's been saying Zecora is!”

I must admit, right now I feel like applauding Pinkie Pie. As she stomps off toward the theater, I have my character walk next to her as I ask, “Are you alright?”

Pinkie Pie's march toward the theater softens as she looks up at me and says, “Yeah, I'm fine. It's just that … I feel like everypony lied to me about Zecora.”

I can see, through my character's eyes, the expression on the pink earth pony's face, a mixture of anger and sadness. I answer, “It's easy to make wrong judgments of a creature that's a mystery to everyone. After all, when I first arrived in Ponyville, I was attacked by three stallions. I can understand that, at the time, all you ponies saw me as a human, and thought I was going to hurt you somehow. I had to prove that I wasn't out to hurt any of you. Since then, I've made friends with those three stallions.”

Pinkie Pie states, “You've made friends with a lot of us.”

I add, “Also, I appreciate what you said about my relationship with Zecora, that friends of mine aren't that bad.”

Pinkie Pie says, “Well, how could they be? You're a good human.”

If there's one thing I can appreciate about what Pinkie Pie said, it's the suggestion that I'm a good influence on my friends. I've certainly been trying to be one on her, and that's evidently been paying off. But, we arrived at the mobile theater a minute or so ago, and we've been standing there, talking to each other.

In the mean time, the unicorns have been magically and literally raising the roof of the theater, putting it in place, then securing it with nails. Judging by the sounds, I'm guessing it won't be long before the theater's ready for its test run.

Before I can open my mouth to say anything more, I hear Octavia's voice from behind my character say, “I guess I owe you an explanation.” As my character turns to focus on the gray earth pony, I can see through his eyes the sorrow in hers as she continues, “Like I said to Pinkie Pie, I was only repeating what I'd heard others say about Zecora. When I first came to Ponyville, it was on the day of one of Zecora's visits. The streets were empty, and it was Mayor Mare that called me into her home, saying she was trying to keep me safe from the strange horse that had wandered into town. She was the one that talked about Zecora being an enchantress, and the other stuff I told you about, Pinkie Pie. I believed her because she's older than me, and I figured she wouldn't lie. You feel betrayed? Well, I know how you feel; I feel the same way.

“I should've found out for myself if what I'd heard about Zecora was true. I had no idea she was a friend of yours, Mormon. Of course, at the time, I didn't even know you existed, much less that you're a good human. I'm sorry if I offended you, both of you. Can you forgive me?”

It's true what they say. What goes around comes around. I've evidently set the standard for repenting to others. I answer, “Yes, Octavia, I forgive you.”

Pinkie Pie, who had evidently also been listening to Octavia's explanation, is more energetic with her acceptance, jumping toward the gray earth pony and tackling her in a big hug as she answers, “Oh, of course I forgive you, Octy!”

While the pink pony's energetic approach doesn't completely knock Octavia over, it does knock her backward into the familiar canine sitting position. But, in that position, the gray mare hugs Pinkie Pie back, and the two weep into each other's shoulders and mane.

In the mean time, the lack of hammering from the roof of the theater suggests to me that work on the mobile theater is complete, at least for now.

As I have my character turn to look at the theater, I get confirmation as I hear Trixie say, “Well, that's all that needs to be done. And, I've been working on the puppets and the story I plan to tell with them. But, first I need to test this theater and see if I can get it to fold away like I need it to.”

Lyra, Vinyl, and my character back away from the theater as it, possessed by Trixie's blue magic, folds, almost like an accordion, into a compact space, joints becoming visible only for an instant as walls, roof and floor become zig-zagged to make the stage appear to almost shrink. When the stage has become as compact as it can, it then comes open again, expanding with the straightening of the joints until the theater is back to its original shape. And, I might add, its only the corners that don't have those folding joints.

With the successful folding and unfolding of the theater, I hear Trixie's voice say, “Well, I guess all that's left is for me to put on the show that I promised.”

I give it a moment's thought before I say, “Why don't we roll your theater out onto the front lawn? Considering the scripture readings have been there, I think it's only appropriate to have your first puppet show there, as well.”

My character, in the mean time, has turned his attention to the blue unicorn.

And, at this point, blue seems to be an appropriate color for her. She says no more, just nods as she uses her magic to pull her new stage into position on the front lawn. And, she's just hanging her head and frowning.

I choose not to pay too much attention to her, but turn my character's attention to the two earth ponies, who by now have separated and are watching the new theater fold again before moving into position on the front lawn of my character's house.

I ask, “Do you know where Weed Whacker is?”

Pinkie Pie answers, “I think she's still in the house.”

Then, I hear Weed Whacker's voice to my character's left say, “Actually, I'm right here.”

My character turns his attention to the source of the voice, and I see the little dinosaur looking up at him. I then have my character look at each of the ponies as I count heads to make sure all are present. When I see that all are outside, I state, “Well, it looks like we're all ready to watch Trixie's puppet show. So, shall we all gather around in front of the theater?”

I don't get a vocal response, but ponies and dinosaur move to the side of the lawn opposite the theater to watch the show that Trixie has planned for her small audience.

As the blue unicorn trots onto the stage, she says, “Welcome, welcome, one and all, to the first puppet show of Trixie the Storyteller!”

I have to say, I'm finding it pleasing to her that Trixie's no longer referring to herself as great and powerful. In fact, the title 'Trixie the Storyteller' has a nice ring to it, a lot better, in my opinion, than 'The Great and Powerful Trixie.'

In the mean time, the blue unicorn continues, “Tonight, I will be presenting to you the story of a family of humans from long ago, a story that took place a long time ago, in a land far far away.”

At this point, I have to wonder: When did Star Wars become part of My Little Pony?

Trixie continues, “It is a time when the home town of this family has fallen into great evil, when the people that lived in this town stopped believing in their God, and were worshiping false gods. During this time, a man named Lehi, called by his God, preached to his home town, warning them that they needed to repent or they would face destruction. But, when the people of his home town were ready to kill him for his preaching, God told him to leave his home and take his family with him. And, this is where our story begins, a few days after Lehi and his wife and children have left his home town, Jerusalem.”

I should mention at this point that the curtain from Trixie's original stage is part of this theater. And, it still does a good job covering the scenes behind it.

Trixie disappears from the stage, and immediately the curtain opens on a scene depicting a tent with a puppet depicting an old man, Lehi, sitting in front of it, out in a desolate desert. Surprisingly accurate, considering the chapters involved only mention a wilderness, not specifically a desolate desert. And then, a puppet depicting Nephi enters the scene. And, I do recognize the puppet depiction easily. And, I might add, the puppet's walking is surprisingly similar to how my character walks.

Evidently, Trixie's been paying attention to how my character moves. And, I might also add, Trixie is making these puppets move while evidently reading directly from the Book of Mormon.

As Trixie narrates, the puppets depict Lehi telling Nephi that he and his brothers need to return to Jerusalem to get the records on brass plates from Laban. The first scene closes with Nephi agreeing to go, and Lehi demonstrating approval of his youngest son's decision.

Trixie takes a minute to narrate the travels of the four brothers from their father's tent to Jerusalem, at which point the curtain opens again to a scene outside what appear to be the white brick walls of a castle. Four puppets depicting Laman, Lemuel, Sam and Nephi walk up to the walls, discuss who should go in first, then draw straws to decide who should go in, with Laman drawing the longest straw. And then the curtain closes on this second act.

At this point, I must say, I find myself surprised at how quickly and easily Trixie has been able to change scenes, especially with no evidence, none that I can sense, of activity behind the curtains.

After Trixie spends another minute, or nearly that amount of time, talking about Laman going to see Laban, the curtain opens again on a scene with a lot of shiny, yellow metal objects, or at least objects around one puppet that's facing the audience, while another puppet has his back to the audience. The puppet with his back to the audience requests the brass plates from the puppet facing the audience, and that puppet then glares at the other puppet and orders his men to pursue and kill the puppet that, to me anyway, clearly depicts Laman, calling him a thief, a robber. And thus the curtain closes on the third act.

Trixie takes about another minute to describe Laman running from Laban's forces back out of the city, at which point the curtain opens again on the scene of the four brothers at the walls of the city, where Laman reports the results of his meeting with Laban. Three of the brothers, evidently discouraged by the failure, decide they should go back without the records; but the fourth, Nephi, says that they should go back only when they've gotten the records from Laban. At that point, he starts offering a plan, at which point the curtain closes on this fourth act.

At this point, Trixie spends more than a minute describing the four brothers gathering their remaining possessions from their home, then heading back to Laban. The curtain then opens on the scene once again depicting Laban's treasury, where one puppet is facing the audience again, but this time there are not just one, but four puppets with their backs to the audience. The four brothers offer a huge treasure to Laban for the records, but he looks hungrily at the treasure, then orders his men to chase the four brothers away, forcing them to leave their treasure behind. And thus the curtain closes on the fifth act with Laban claiming the possessions of the four brothers.

Trixie narrates how the forces of Laban, who has now become a robber, a thief, chase the four brothers out of Jerusalem; and how they take shelter in a hole in a rock, and watch as Laban's men run past them. At this point, the curtain opens on the scene of the four brothers hiding in a hollowed-out rock, where two of the brothers turn on the other two, and one of them grabs a stick and starts beating one of the others with it. I must admit, I'm further surprised by the sudden appearance of a fifth puppet, evidently representing the angel that rescues the one brother, Nephi, from the beating his oldest brothers are giving him. And, after the angel tells them off for thus attacking their younger brother and disappears, the two older brothers again start bickering over how they're going to get the records from a man that can kill or command fifty men. That is, until Nephi says that they should try again, trusting that God will deliver them from Laman and his army of fifty, or even his army of tens of thousands. And thus the curtain closes on the sixth act.

Trixie narrates how Nephi enters the city alone, with no plans this time, before the curtain opens on a scene among buildings, and a street only wide enough for maybe two lines of people to walk either side-by-side or in opposite directions without touching each other.

Again, I find the depiction surprisingly accurate.

Nephi enters the scene from off one side of the stage, walks up a street, and is seemingly attacked by a man coming from a nearby alley. As the attacker collapses, Nephi recognizes him as Laban, draws out Laban's sword from the sheath, and studies it. Then, as Trixie narrates, Nephi reacts to a voice hat tells him to kill Laban. I must say, I find Trixie's depiction of the conversation between Nephi and the spirit, and Nephi's realization that he must kill Laban in order to get the records, really fascinating, as the puppets really do seem to have come to life in this scene. Finally, Nephi beheads Laban, then removes the armor from the now dead body and dresses himself in it. And, this is when the curtain closes on the seventh act.

Trixie narrates how Nephi, dressed in Laban's armor, approaches Laban's treasury to get the records, meeting one of Laban's servants along the way, and the curtain opens again on the scene of Laban's treasury. This eighth act, depicting Nephi ordering Laban's servant to get the records on the brass plates for him, is a short one, especially compared to the previous scenes, and ends with the two walking out of the treasury, with Laban's servant carrying the plates, wrapped in a leather covering. And, this is the last time the curtain is closed.

In the mean time, Trixie narrates the rest of the story, how this servant of Laban, known as Zoram, discovers who has been with him the whole time, how Nephi stops him from turning back to the city, then promises him his freedom if he'll go with him and his brothers, and how the group of five return to their father's tent in the wilderness.

Finally, Trixie reappears on the stage and says, “You may wonder why it is that Lehi's God ordered him to leave his home town, Jerusalem, travel for a few days, and then send his sons back for the necessary records, when he could've just as easily gotten them there in Jerusalem before leaving. Well, the reason for this is simple.

“Lehi's God knew his son Nephi would have to kill Laban in order to get the records. He knew Lehi's sons would have to trade away all their property for those records, and that Laban would steal it from them. If, with their property gone and Laban dead in the streets, Lehi and his family had left with the records, say, the next morning, this would have made the people of Jerusalem suspicious, and they would've pursued Lehi and his family and brought them back to Jerusalem, so that they wouldn't have been able to escape the captivity that would befall the city.

“With Lehi thus unable to escape the destruction of Jerusalem, there would be no Nephites and Lamanites in South America, none in any of the Americas. There would be no people for the Christ to visit there after His resurrection. And, finally, there would be no Book of Mormon. So, we see that the God that Lehi served knew what he was doing, what he was commanding his servants to do.

“I thank you for attending this performance, and I hope you enjoyed it.”

Whether I'm the first to applaud or not, it doesn't matter. Being the only human present, I'm the only one to applaud by clapping hands.

Actually, that's not true. Weed Whacker, following my example, also claps her hands.

The ponies applaud by stomping their front hooves.

The biggest surprise of the show, though, has to be two deep, loud voices roaring behind the audience.

The applause immediately stops, and the audience, my character included, turns around to see an Ursa Major and an Ursa Minor evidently roaring in approval of what they saw of the puppet show. In a few seconds, they stop roaring; then, in a surprisingly human gesture, the Ursa Major raises a front paw to her forehead, evidently saluting Trixie for her storytelling. After that, she and her Ursa Minor turn and head off back into the Everfree forest.

The audience then turns back to face the storytelling unicorn.

The show of approval has clearly had a profound effect on Trixie, who looks like she's almost ready to cry. She asks, “You really liked the show?”

I have my character turn to her as I answer, “It was excellent. I must admit, I didn't expect you to show that Lehi and his family were in a desert. You were right on the mark with that one. And, you really brought those puppets to life. You really know how to tell a story. And, you can honestly say that your show pleased an Ursa Major and an Ursa Minor.” At this point, my character is right next to the stage.

Presently, Trixie wraps her forelimbs around my character's neck in a hug as she sobs, “Oh, thank you so much, Mormon. I'm glad I could please you with that show.”

You know, I think it's then that it dawns on me that Trixie will be heading out soon. And, it also dawns on me how much, in the short time she's been here, a part of my life she's been. Suddenly, I find myself questioning whether I want her to leave.

And, that's when guests start arriving for the reading, starting with the three stallions. And, that's also when I realize we haven't prepared any snacks for them.

Noticing guests starting to arrive, Trixie separates from me and shakes away her emotions, then folds away her theater and moves it back behind the house, away from the front lawn.

In the mean time, Weed Whacker heads to the vegetable garden, Lyra to the vineyard, and Pinkie Pie to the orchard, each to gather fruits and vegetables for snacks for the guests.

In the mean time, my three stallion friends have been the first to arrive; and they are followed by Applejack and her family, consisting of her grandmother Granny Smith, her brother Big MacIntosh, and her little sister Applebloom. Next are the rest of the Mane Six along with Spike, then Snips and Snails and their parents, then Mr. and Mrs. Cake, and finally Bon-Bon, who closely follows the Cakes. And, not long after that, the two princesses, Luna and Celestia, appear approximately where Trixie's stage has been when she'd put on her puppet show for us.

The time it takes for guests to arrive is evidently approximately the time it takes for Weed Whacker, Lyra, and Pinkie Pie to gather what they need for snacks. And, they're joined in the house by Trixie and Emerald Hill as they prepare the snacks.

Everyone outside at present, except for my character, forms a circle on the lawn and settles into their positions, evidently getting ready for the reading.

It takes a few minutes, after the circle has formed, for the remaining five in the house to come out carrying the platter with the snacks. At that point, some of the ponies have to rise again and move aside so the five carrying the snack platter can get in and place it approximately in the center. After that, Trixie joins Stunts, Pinkie Pie joins the rest of the element bearers, Emerald Hill joins his friends, Lyra joins Bon-Bon, and Weed Whacker and my character take their positions approximately on the opposite side of the circle from the princesses.

With all settled into their positions, I say, “Now, I have an announcement to make.”

At once all attention is turned to my character, and all, except for Trixie, Weed Whacker, Lyra, Pinkie Pie, Octavia, and Vinyl Scratch, tilt their heads in the same direction in curiosity.

Before I continue, let me just say that I remember seeing something like this on an episode of Pokemon, when a flock of taillow, listening to Team Rocket, similarly tilted their heads. The effect of so many heads tilting at the same time and to the same degree was, for me anyway, the feeling that the world or the scene through the camera had tilted. I find I'm getting that same somewhat disorienting effect and feeling here and now.

On with the story, I continue, “Trixie completed her new mobile stage today, and had a successful test run of it. So, she'll be leaving soon, either tonight or tomorrow, meaning this will be the last time, at least for a while, that she'll be taking part in these readings. Because of this, I'd like to ask her to begin the reading this evening.”

The blue unicorn mare looks surprised for a moment, but nods in agreement. She sniffles, then inhales deeply and exhales slowly, before calmly reading, “And it shall come to pass, that if the Gentiles shall hearken unto the Lamb of God in that day that he shall manifest himself unto them in word, and also in power, in very deed, unto the taking away of their stumbling blocks—“

I have my character turn to the unicorn stallion next to her as I ask, “Stunts, will you read the next verse?”

He nods and reads, “And harden not their hearts against the Lamb of God, they shall be numbered among the seed of my father; yea, they shall be numbered among the house of Israel; and they shall be a blessed people upon the promised land forever; they shall be no more brought down into captivity; and the house of Israel shall no more be confounded.”

Next, Berry Ground reads, “And that great pit, which hath been digged for them by that great and abominable church, which was founded by the devil and his children, that he might lead away the souls of men down to hell—yea, that great pit which hath been digged for the destruction of men shall be filled by those who digged it, unto their utter destruction, saith the Lamb of God; not the destruction of the soul, save it be the casting of it into that hell which hath no end.”

Next is Emerald Hill, who reads, “For behold, this is according to the captivity of the devil, and also according to the justice of God, upon all those who will work wickedness and abomination before him.”

Weed Whacker reads, “And it came to pass that the angel spake unto me, Nephi, saying: Thou hast beheld that if the Gentiles repent it shall be well with them; and thou also knowest concerning the covenants of the Lord unto the house of Israel; and thou also hast heard that whoso repenteth not must perish.”

I read, “Therefore, wo be unto the Gentiles if it so be that they harden their hearts against the Lamb of God.”

Lyra reads, “For the time cometh, saith the Lamb of God, that I will work a great and a marvelous work among the children of men; a work which shall be everlasting, either on the one hand or on the other—either to the convincing of them unto peace and life eternal, or unto the deliverance of them to the hardness of their hearts and the blindness of their minds unto their being brought down into captivity, and also into destruction, both temporally and spiritually, according to the captivity of the devil, of which I have spoken.”

Bon-Bon reads, “And it came to pass that when the angel had spoken these words, he said unto me: Rememberest thou the covenants of the Father unto the house of Israel? I said unto him, Yea.”

The nearly-white-pink unicorn mare then reads, “And it came to pass that he said unto me: Look, and behold that great and abominable church, which is the mother of abominations, whose founder is the devil.”

Snails seems to have gone back to struggling as he reads, “And he said unto me: Behold there are save two churches only; the one is the church of the Lamb of God, and the other is the church of the devil; wherefore, whoso belongeth not to the church of the Lamb of God belongeth to that great church, which is the mother of abominations; and she is the whore of all the earth.” However, I think it's because his heroine, Trixie, will be leaving soon. Whatever the case is, he still doesn't give up until he finishes the verse.

And, I wouldn't be surprised if Snips struggles with his verse for the same reason Snails struggled with his verse. Snips reads, “And it came to pass that I looked and beheld the whore of all the earth, and she sat upon many waters; and she had dominion over all the earth, among all nations, kindreds, tongues, and people.” To my surprise, Snips doesn't struggle at all.

The blue-green unicorn stallion reads, “And it came to pass that I beheld the church of the Lamb of God, and its numbers were few, because of the wickedness and abominations of the whore who sat upon many waters; nevertheless, I beheld that the church of the Lamb, who were the saints of God, were also upon all the face of the earth; and their dominions upon the face of the earth were small, because of the wickedness of the great whore whom I saw.”

Big MacIntosh then reads, “And it came to pass that I beheld that the great mother of abominations did gather together multitudes upon the face of all the earth, among all the nations of the Gentiles, to fight against the Lamb of God.”

Granny Smith reads, “And it came to pass that I, Nephi, beheld the power of the Lamb of God, that it descended upon the saints of the church of the Lamb, and upon the covenant people of the Lord, who were scattered upon all the face of the earth; and they were armed with righteousness and with the power of God in great glory.”

Applebloom reads, “And it came to pass that I beheld that the wrath of God was poured out upon that great and abominable church, insomuch that there were wars and rumors of wars among all the nations and kindreds of the earth.”

Applejack reads, “And as there began to be wars and rumors of wars among all the nations which belonged to the mother of abominations, the angel spake unto me, saying: Behold, the wrath of God is upon the mother of harlots; and behold, thou seest all these things—“

Pinkie Pie reads, “And when the day cometh that the wrath of God is poured out upon the mother of harlots, which is the great and abominable church of all the earth, whose founder is the devil, then, at that day, the work of the Father shall commence, in preparing the way for the fulfilling of his covenants, which he hath made to his people who are of the house of Israel.”

Rarity seems to struggle as she reads, “And it came to pass that the angel spake unto me, saying: Look!”

Spike reads, “And I looked and beheld a man, and he was dressed in a white robe.”

Twilight Sparkle reads, “And the angel said unto me: Behold one of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.”

Fluttershy reads, “Behold, he shall see and write the remainder of these things; yea, and also many things which have been.”

Rainbow Dash reads, “And he shall also write concerning the end of the world.”

Princess Celestia reads, “Wherefore, the things which he shall write are just and true, and behold they are written in the book which thou beheld proceeding out of the mouth of the Jew; and at the time they proceeded out of the mouth of the Jew; or, at the time the book proceeded out of the mouth of the Jew; the things which were written were plain and pure, and most precious and easy to the understanding of all men.”

Princess Luna reads, “And behold, the things which this apostle of the Lamb shall write are many things which thou hast seen; and behold, the remainder shalt thou see.”

Vinyl Scratch reads, “But the things which thou shalt see hereafter thou shalt not write; for the Lord God hath ordained the apostle of the Lamb of God that he should write them.”

Octavia reads, “And also others who have been, to them hath he shown all things, and they have written them; and they are sealed up to come forth in their purity, according to the truth which is in the Lamb, in the own due time of the Lord, unto the house of Israel.”

Mrs. Cake reads, “And I, Nephi, heard and bear record, that the name of the apostle of the Lamb was John, according to the word of the angel.”

Mr. Cake reads, “And behold, I, Nephi, am forbidden that I should write the remainder of the things which I saw and heard; wherefore the things which I have written sufficeth me; and I have written but a small part of the things which I saw.”

At this point, Trixie rises and says, “Alright, we've been around the circle, and nopony has commented on what anypony's been reading. Now, yes, I'll be leaving soon. Since it's late, I'll likely be heading out tomorrow morning. But, that doesn't mean we have to just read tonight. If there's anything I've enjoyed about these reading experiences, it's listening to everypony commenting on what was read. Hay, I've heard Mormon testify of the truthfulness of what's in this book.

“Now, if nopony feels there is anything worth commenting on in these verses, then I won't complain anymore. But, I don't want any missed opportunities simply because I'll be leaving, and won't be back for maybe a month or more.” And, with that, she settles down again, looks into her book, and reads, “And I bear record that I saw the things which my father saw, and the angel of the Lord did make them known unto me.”

Stunts reads, “And now I make an end of speaking concerning the things which I saw while I was carried away in the Spirit; and if all the things which I saw are not written, the things which I have written are true. And thus it is, Amen.”

At this point, I look up and say, “Alright. I'm as much guilty of this as the rest of you, but so far the only comment that's been made is about how there've been no comments, in spite of some comment-worthy material. Maybe I should've waited until after the reading to bring up Trixie's leaving. But, that's in the past now. And, whether or not it's in Trixie's company, we should be doing more than just reading. I'm not saying that I don't appreciate that you clearly have positive feelings toward Trixie now, I'm just saying that we can demonstrate those positive feelings better than we are.

“We won't be rereading chapter fourteen, but let's move on to chapter fifteen. And, let's have some appropriate comments on what we're reading.”

I have my character turn to Berry Ground to invite him to read, when I hear Pinkie Pie say, “But, Trixie will be leaving soon.” As my character turns to her, she asks, “How can you expect us to think about what we're reading when we're thinking about that?”

After a second, I hear Trixie say, “That's right, I will be leaving soon.” As my character turns his attention to her, she continues, “And, if it helps, I've decided to wait until tomorrow morning to head out.”

I have my character look around the circle again as I begin, “Alright, let's save the goodbyes until after the reading.” I then turn my character's attention back to the blue unicorn as I say, “Considering how late it's gotten, Trixie, I'd say you've made a good decision.” I then turn my character's attention to the pink earth pony, and I say, “Pinkie Pie, you can think of this as Trixie's going-away party, a celebration of her time here with us reading these scriptures while she's still here.” Finally, I direct my character's attention to Berry Ground again as I ask, “Now, will you start with the first verse of chapter fifteen?”

My earth stallion friend nickers and nods before reading, “And it came to pass that after I, Nephi, had been carried away in the Spirit, and seen all these things, I returned to the tent of my father.” Looking up, he says, “I'm guessing he and his father are going to have much to talk about.”

I look up to offer approval, but Emerald Hill immediately starts reading, “And it came to pass that I beheld my brethren, and they were disputing one with another concerning the things which my father had spoken unto them.” He then turns to Berry Ground and says, “Whatever he's going to discuss with his father will likely have to wait.”

I decide to hold my peace and allow the reading to continue as Weed Whacker reads, “For he truly spake many great things unto them, which were hard to be understood, save a man should inquire of the Lord; and they being hard in their hearts, therefore they did not look unto the Lord as they ought.” At this point, she looks up at my character and says, “It sounds like Nephi was the only one among his brothers that prayed about it. Sam didn't understand either?”

I answer, “Evidently not. And, it's good to hear us not just reading, but also talking about what we're reading.” I then have my character look into his copy of the book as I read, “And now I, Nephi, was grieved because of the hardness of their hearts, and also, because of the things which I had seen, and knew they must unavoidably come to pass because of the great wickedness of the children of men.”

Next, Lyra reads, “And it came to pass that I was overcome because of my afflictions, for I considered that mine afflictions were great above all, because of the destruction of my people, for I had beheld their fall.” She looks up, inhales and exhales, then says, “I guess it would be difficult to watch an entire people be destroyed, especially if that people were one's own descendants.”

Bon-Bon reads, “And it came to pass that after I had received strength I spake unto my brethren, desiring to know of them the cause of their disputations.” She looks up and says, “Nephi talks about how he 'received strength.' Are visions like what he had really that tiring?”

I answer, “I've read various scriptures that talk about different prophets who, after having had their first experience with visions like the one Nephi had, were exhausted afterward. Evidently that's one of the properties of having a first vision from God. After that, my guess is those prophets adjusted as they had more visions from God. I haven't had such an experience, but I haven't asked for the experience either.

"But, there's something else to take into consideration. Nephi saw all of his descendants destroyed. As Lyra observed, that's going to be hard on anyone to see something like that.” I then have my character turn to the nearly-white-pink unicorn mare and say, “You may go ahead and read the next verse.”

She nods and reads, “And they said: Behold, we cannot understand the words which our father hath spoken concerning the natural branches of the olive tree, and also concerning the Gentiles.” Looking up, she tilts her head until she's finished saying, “You know, I'm not sure I understand that either.”

Snails reads, “And I said unto them: Have ye inquired of the Lord?” I can't help noticing the little orange unicorn stallion doesn't struggle at all with this verse.

Snips reads, “And they said unto me: We have not; for the Lord maketh no such thing known unto us.” He looks up and says, “You don't get an answer if you don't ask a question.”

The blue-green unicorn stallion smiles and says, “True enough,” before reading, “Behold, I said unto them: How is it that ye do not keep the commandments of the Lord? How is it that ye will perish, because of the hardness of your hearts?”

Presently, Big MacIntosh reads, “Do ye not remember the things which the Lord hath said?—If ye will not harden your hearts, and ask me in faith, believing that ye shall receive, with diligence in keeping my commandments, surely these things shall be made known unto you.”

Next, Granny Smith reads, “Behold, I say unto you, that the house of Israel was compared unto an olive tree, by the Spirit of the Lord, which was in our father; and behold are we not broken off from the house of Israel, and are we not a branch of the house of Israel?” Looking up, she says, “Ya know, somethin' 'bout that does make sense.”

Applebloom reads, “And now, the thing which our father meaneth concerning the grafting in of the natural branches through the fulness of the Gentiles, is, that in the latter days, when our seed shall have dwindled in unbelief, yea, for the space of many years, and many generations after the Messiah shall be manifested in body unto the children of men, then shall the fulness of the gospel of the Messiah come unto the Gentiles, and from the Gentiles unto the remnant of our seed—“ Looking up at the unicorn mare between Bon-Bon and Snails, she asks, “Does that answer yer question, Ma'am?”

The nearly-white-pink unicorn mare smiles and says, “You know, I believe it does.” She then looks down and, with her magic, starts turning pages as she says, “I should read this more often.”

Applejack chuckles and reads, “And at that day shall the remnant of our seed know that they are of the house of Israel, and that they are the covenant people of the Lord, and then shall they know and come to the knowledge of their forefathers, and also to the knowledge of the gospel of their Redeemer, which was ministered unto their fathers by him, wherefore, they shall come to the knowledge of their Redeemer and the very points of his doctrine, that they may know how to come unto him and be saved.”

Next, Pinkie Pie reads, “And then at that day will they not rejoice and give praise unto their everlasting God, their rock and their salvation? Yea, at that day, will they not receive the strength and nourishment from the true vine? Yea, will they not come unto the true fold of God?”

Rarity reads, “Behold, I say unto you, Yea; they shall be remembered again among the house of Israel; they shall be grafted in, being a natural branch of the olive tree, into the true olive tree.” She looks up and says, “I'm guessing this means they'll be returning to their origins, to their home?”

I answer, “That's certainly been happening in my time. Israel is a country again; and I know the Jews, at least, are heading back there.”

Spike gets a nod from my character before reading, “And this is what our father meaneth; and he meaneth that it will not come to pass until after they are scattered by the Gentiles; and he meaneth that it shall come by way of the Gentiles, that the Lord may show his power unto the Gentiles, for the very cause that he shall be rejected of the Jews, or of the house of Israel.”

Twilight Sparkle reads, “Wherefore, our father hath not spoken of our seed alone, but also of all the house of Israel, pointing to the covenant which should be fulfilled in the latter days; which covenant the Lord made to our father Abraham, saying: In thy seed shall all the kindreds of the earth be blessed.”

Fluttershy reads, “And it came to pass that I, Nephi, spake much unto them concerning these things; yea, I spake unto them concerning the restoration of the Jews in the latter days.”

Rainbow Dash reads, “And I did rehearse unto them the words of Isaiah, who spake concerning the restoration of the Jews, or of the house of Israel; and after they were restored they should no more be confounded, neither should they be scattered again. And it came to pass that I did speak many words unto my brethren, that they were pacified and did humble themselves before the Lord.”

At this point, I say, “Now, just to let you know, the Isaiah mentioned here is a prophet that lived in Israel centuries before the birth of the Christ. His writings are in the first testament, what is known as the Old Testament in a library of religious writings known as the Bible. We'll get into some of his writings later on, at the end of this First Book of Nephi, and later on in the Second Book of Nephi. They can be difficult to read because of Isaiah's style of writing; but, for those who understand what he's writing about, it can make for exciting reading as well.” I then have my character turn to Princess Celestia, and I say, “You can go ahead and read the next verse.”

She nods and reads, “And it came to pass that they did speak unto me again, saying: What meaneth this thing which our father saw in a dream? What meaneth the tree which he saw?” Looking up, she says, “Here, they're referring to the tree with the fruit Lehi enjoyed so much that he wanted to share it with everyone in his family. And, for the record, Nephi isn't the only one in the Book of Mormon who quotes Isaiah.”

Princess Luna reads, “And I said unto them: It was a representation of the tree of life.”

Vinyl Scratch reads, “And they said unto me: What meaneth the rod of iron which our father saw, that led to the tree?”

Octavia reads, “And I said unto them that it was the word of God, and whoso would hearken unto the word of God, and would hold fast unto it, they would never perish, neither could the temptations and the fiery darts of the adversary overpower them unto blindness, to lead them away to destruction.” Looking up, she says, “Nephi makes it pretty clear he knows what he's talking about.”

Mrs. Cake reads, “Wherefore, I, Nephi, did exhort them to give heed unto the word of the Lord; yea, I did exhort them with all the energies of my soul, and with all the faculty which I possessed, that they would give heed to the word of God and remember to keep his commandments always in all things.”

Mr. Cake reads, “And they said unto me: What meaneth the river of water which our father saw?”

Trixie reads, “And I said unto them that the water which my father saw was filthiness, and so much was his mind swallowed up in other things that he beheld not the filthiness of the water.” At this point, she looks up and asks, “How is that possible?”

I answer, “Humans have a limit as to how much input they can handle at one time. Lehi was likely so preoccupied with what all else he was seeing, what all was happening, in his dream that, while he was aware of the water, he might not have been able to get a clear image of its quality.”

At this point, Stunts reads, “And I said unto them that it was an awful gulf, which separated the wicked from the tree of life, and also from the saints of God.”

Berry Ground reads, “And I said unto them that it was a representation of that awful hell, which the angel said unto me was prepared for the wicked.”

Emerald Hill reads, “And I said unto them that our father also saw that the justice of God did also divide the wicked from the righteous; and the brightness thereof was like unto the brightness of a flaming fire, which ascendeth up unto God forever and ever, and hath no end.”

Weed Whacker reads, “And they said unto me: Doth this thing mean the torment of the body in the days of probation, or doth it mean the final state of the soul after the death of the temporal body, or doth it speak of the things which are temporal?”

I read, “And it came to pass that I said unto them that it was a representation of things both temporal and spiritual; for the day should come that they must be judged of their works, yea, even the works which were done by the temporal body in their days of probation.”

Lyra reads, “Wherefore, if they should die in their wickedness they must be cast off also, as to the things which are spiritual, which are pertaining to righteousness; wherefore, they must be brought to stand before God, to be judged of their works; and if their works have been filthiness they must needs be filthy; and if they be filthy it must needs be that they cannot dwell in the kingdom of God; if so, the kingdom of God must be filthy also.”

Bon-Bon reads, “But behold, I say unto you, the kingdom of God is not filthy, and there cannot any unclean thing enter into the kingdom of God; wherefore there must needs be a place of filthiness prepared for that which is filthy.” She then looks up, chuckles a few times, and says, “You know, if Filthy Rich were here right now, he'd really be taking offense to this.”

At this point, I can't help thinking Bon-Bon is probably right.

In the mean time, the almost-white-pink unicorn mare reads, “And there is a place prepared, yea, even that awful hell of which I have spoken, and the devil is the preparator of it; wherefore the final state of the souls of men is to dwell in the kingdom of God, or to be cast out because of that justice of which I have spoken.”

Finally, Snails reads, “Wherefore, the wicked are rejected from the righteous, and also from that tree of life, whose fruit is most precious and most desirable above all other fruits; yea, and it is the greatest of all the gifts of God. And thus I spake unto my brethren. Amen.”

I have my character close his book as I say, “Well, let's call the reading over for the present time. Tomorrow, we'll start with chapter sixteen, and see what happens from there.”

For a few seconds, not even Applejack's family, the newest members of the group, stand up. Even Princesses Celestia and Luna aren't rising.

Then, Snips and Snails rise and approach Trixie; and Snips says, “We're probably not going to see you when you leave tomorrow morning, so we just want to say goodbye to you now.” And, at that point, each occupy a shoulder of the blue unicorn mare, each one resting his head on his chosen shoulder, and start crying into it.

Trixie demonstrates she isn't unaffected by their demonstration, as she wraps her forelimbs around the two unicorn foals and starts weeping into them as well. Then, after a while, she says, “You know, maybe I can put on one last show before I leave.”

I answer, “Well, right now, it's getting pretty late. Maybe tomorrow you can go to Ponyville with me, and you can put on that puppet show you put on here.”

At my proposition Trixie looks at me and smiles uneasily and says, “As long as I'm allowed back in Ponyville.”

At this point, the Mane Six rise; and Rarity takes a step towards Trixie and says, “I would most certainly welcome another visit from you.”

Rainbow Dash asks, “What kind of puppet show is it?”

Pinkie Pie answers, “Oh, it's amazing! Do you remember that story about when Nephi had to kill Laban?”

Gasps come from various areas of the circle, mostly from Applejack's family.

In the mean time, Rainbow Dash turns to Pinkie Pie and answers, “I have read that chapter.”

Pinkie Pie continues, “Trixie talks about how Lehi started out in Jerusalem, then had to leave because God told him to, then sent his sons back to get the records from Laban. That's where the puppet show starts.” Pinkie Pie tells the story so fast, it's difficult to make out all she says. But, I recognize she's telling the story from chapters three and four of First Nephi.

By the time the pink earth pony is finished telling the story, Rainbow Dash is demonstrating signs of information overload, teetering in something of a dazed state.

As the rainbow-haired pegasa recovers from Pinkie Pie's telling of the story, the rest of the ponies rise, and Princess Celestia says, “It sounds like an interesting telling of the story. The ponies in Canterlot may want to see it.”

Princess Luna says, “This has been quite an eventful night. Now, my sister must lower the sun, and I must raise the moon.” And, with that, the two princesses disappear.

Applejack's family are the next to leave, exiting the gate.

They are followed by my three stallion friends, then the rest of the element bearers with Spike (and minus Pinkie Pie), and the Cakes, who are joined by Bon-Bon.

The blue-green unicorn stallion approaches me and says, “It's been a big help to my son, Snails, to have you encourage him in his reading. He's gotten a lot better at it because of you. And, it's been a long time coming, but we also want to thank you for healing our son, Snips.”

The nearly-white-pink unicorn mare walks up to the stallion and says, “We'd better be getting the foals back to home now. I'm sure Princess Luna will wait unto we're back in Ponyville before she raises the moon, but I'm also sure we don't have much time before Princess Celestia lowers the sun.”

The unicorn stallion nods in agreement, salutes my character goodbye, then, with Snips and Snails following him and his wife, proceeds through the gate, allowing the other three to go ahead of him, then using his magic to close the gate after him.

I hear Trixie sniffle rather harshly, then say, “I'm gonna miss those two foals.”

In the mean time, I can't help noticing the absence of the gray earth pony and the white unicorn. I know they couldn't have left with the group heading back to Ponyville, so they must still be in the yard.

As my character looks around, I notice the two musical mares near Trixie's mobile theater. I have my character approach them as I say, “The rest of you go back inside. I need to talk to Octavia and Vinyl.” Then, as Pinkie Pie, Lyra, and Weed Whacker head for the house, I approach the gray earth pony and the white unicorn.

The two don't seem to notice me coming, as I hear Octavia say, “I don't know, but, after my experience with withdrawal, I don't even want to look at another glass or bottle of wine for as long as I live.”

Vinyl says, “Helping Trixie build this stage helped me keep my mind off of not getting that hard apple cider, so I really didn't feel any withdrawal. So, what happens now that Trixie's leaving with this thing?”

Octavia shivers before saying, “I don't want to face those feelings again. I just don't know what to do to keep busy now.”

By this time, I'm maybe a foot away from them. I answer, “I have an idea.”

The two mares, evidently not expecting to hear me, stumble a bit before turning to my character and saying in unison, “Mormon, we didn't expect you to be there.” Something to that effect, anyway.

I answer, “That's alright. Anyway, like I said, I think I can help you. If you'll join me in the house, I have a song I'd like to share with you. Maybe the two of you can join forces and do your own rendition of it.”

The two mares look at each other, and I'm sure I see interest in their eyes. When they look back at my character, Vinyl says, “if it helps us keep busy, then sure. What do you have in mind?”

I answer, “Follow me into the house, and I'll play the song for you. After that, you can discuss it between the two of you, and decide how you want to treat the song.”

My character doesn't wait for an answer, just turns away from the two musical mares and starts walking back toward the front door.

One surprising thing is how, at least in this video game, hoof-falls can be heard on a surface that would normally absorb impact, and thus sound. But, thus it is that I can hear both Vinyl Scratch and Octavia following my character as the three circle around the house to the front porch, up the stairs, then through the front door my character opens.

Once inside, the three make their way to the kitchen, where my character produces a small electronic music box and opens it up, at which point a song plays, which I know as “Light Up the Land.” The music plays for about five minutes, after which I ask the two mares, “So, what do you think?”

As per my instructions, the two mares discuss the song between them, then turn to me; and it's Octavia who says, “It's going to take some time for us to put together an arrangement that we can agree on, one that we can both work with. But, we think we can get it to work. We're just thinking it'll take more than just the two of us. So, if we need help from, say, Lyra, Pinkie Pie, or Weed Whacker, do you think they'd help?”

I answer, “I can't speak for them, you'll have to ask them yourselves. But, as long as they're willing, I say sure. And, if you need help from any other ponies, any other friends, those coming to the reading will be another good group to ask for help.”

That seems to satisfy the two; and at that point they head out, with Weed Whacker and Lyra, to go harvest fruits and vegetables for dinner. When they return, the group joins forces to prepare them for the evening meal. Then, after the plant products are eaten, as much as can be, the rest is thrown away. After that, Lyra and I write our letters to the princesses, which Weed Whacker sends off, and all retire to their rooms.

Then, a thought occurs to me, an; I have my character leave his room and go to Pinkie Pie's room and knock on her door.

I hear the pink party pony call out, "Mormon?"

I answer, "Yes, Pinkie Pie."

I hear Pinkie's voice call out, "Come on in!"

Obediently I have my character open her door and enter, then close the door behind him. When he turns to face the pink earth pony, I notice Gummy on the floor next to her bed, while she's in her bed. I have my character approach her, and I say, "You know, I've just started thinking about something."

Pinkie Pie tilts her head in curiosity and asks, "What's that, Mormon?"

I answer, "Actually, it's about Gummy." I pause for a moment to see if Pinkie will offer a comment or ask me to continue. When she doesn't, I continue anyway, "As you may be aware, alligators are known for spending a lot of time in the water. And, alligators like Gummy may not be very picky about where that water is."

Pinkie Pie hums for a moment in thought, then says, "And, you're worried that he might get hurt if somepony finds him in, say, a bathtub or a toilet or a sink or something like that?"

I answer, "That's right."

Pinkie Pie asks, "So, do you have an idea on what can be done about it?"

I answer, "As a matter of fact, I do. And, I'm thinking Diane can help with that."

Pinkie asks, again tilting her head, "You think she could detect Gummy in a tub or a toilet or a sink in the house, and warn me about it so I can warn somepony who might not be aware?"

I answer, "That's right."

Pinkie continues, "And, once she does detect Gummy in such places, how's she going to let me know about it?"

I shrug and answer, "Oh, I don't know, maybe an achy shoulder?"

Pinkie looks down from her bed at the green alligator, then back up at my character, and her mane and tail straighten out, and her mane falls to one side of her head, indicating that Diane has taken control. In a flat voice, she says to my character, to me, "I'm sensing that your concern is as much for other ponies, and for yourself, as it is for Gummy. Very well. I will keep watch for Gummy, and will use your suggested signal to warn Pinkamena about the presence of Gummy where he might get hurt, where you or another creature might not know where he is." Just then, Pinkie's mane and tail curl again, and Pinkamena says, "You know, Mormon, it's nice of you to show such concern for Gummy, for everypony, like that. Thank you."

I answer, "You're welcome. That's all I had on my mind right now. I'll head back to my room now. Good night, Pinkie."

As my character stands up and walks to the door, I hear Pinkie Pie answer, "Good night, Mormon."

My character then returns to his room, makes preparations, and goes to bed.

As I save and close the game, I can't help thinking about how that patch of poison joke eight characters walked into is going to affect them. I already know how it's going to affect Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Rarity, and Twilight Sparkle. I may even have an idea about how it's going to affect my character. But, I'm not sure how the poison joke is going to affect Lyra. I guess I'll find out in the game's tomorrow. So, until then.

Author's Notes:

In the next chapter, the other one based on the episode "Bridle Gossip," as has already been suggested, Trixie puts on a final puppet show in Ponyville, then leaves. But, before that, Mormon, two of his friends, and the rest of the Mane Six have to deal with the effects of the Poison Joke. And, there's a surprise reveal in that chapter. This and more in Chapter Nine, Plant Humor.

The reading from the Book of Mormon will be chapters sixteen and seventeen.