Over the past day or two, I was attending a family reunion.  I don't regret attending the reunion, in fact I enjoyed it.  But, as I sit down, I must admit, I'm looking forward to getting back to playing "Hey, Batter."

One might think that, considering how much time I spent away from the game, I may have forgotten some of the things that have happened, and that I've done.  But, as I open the game and my second file, I find that I can remember everything from the last time I played.  And, my character awakes to the sound of knocking on his door, followed by Pinkie Pie calling out, “Mormon, it’s time to get up!  We need to get breakfast ready so we can go back to Ponyville!”

As my character rises from his bed, I hear Rainbow Dash’s voice call out, “And, don’t forget, we need to get to work building that flying machine for Tank!”

I answer back, “First thing’s first!  First we have breakfast!  Then, when we get to Ponyville, I’ll help you work on the flying machine for your new pet!”

In the mean time, my character leaves his bed and walks toward his bedroom door.  And, once there, he opens it to find that the pink angel pony and the azure pegasa aren't there anymore.  I can only guess that means Pinkie and Rainbow Dash are already on their way, Pinkie Pie to the orchard, and Rainbow Dash to wherever she's chosen to go.

My character heads through the kitchen, through the front room, and outside, closing the open doors behind him.  My guess is the pink angel pony and the azure pegasa were too impatient to wait and close the doors they’d opened.

At any rate, by the time my character gets to the orchard, Pinkie is being controlled by Diane; and she’s already chosen a tree for bucking apples.  In the mean time, while Pinkie “Diane” Pie prepares to buck apples from the tree she chose, my character climbs the fence and chooses the nectarine tree and proceeds to harvest fruits from it.

From the pink angel pony’s position I hear a thud, then leaves rustling, then a few more thuds. Then, I hear the emotionless voice of Diane say, “Mormon, I expect Rainbow Dash will be tested today.”

I know what Diane means.  After all, if I’m not mistaken, this day, as well as the following, are based on the episode, “The Mysterious Mare-Do-Well.”  But, at the same time, because I’ve programmed this game for those not familiar with My Little Pony Friendship is Magic, as well as the fact that I still like to play the part of such a gamer, I say, “Tested?”

Diane continues, “Rainbow Dash needs to remember humility, and she’ll be tested on how much about it she can remember.”

Again, I know what Diane means.  In the episode I just mentioned, Rainbow Dash rescues a few different ponies.  Then, as she gets more attention for her good deeds, I suspect she forgets the lesson her friend Rarity learned when she got her butterfly wings, then flew up to the sun during the Best Young Fliers’ Competition in Cloudsdale and got her wings burned away.  Something different will happen to Rainbow Dash, she won’t lose her wings.  But, she will be competing with a new, more mysterious hero in town.  And, she’ll eventually find out that the new hero is just her friends in disguise.  But, that’s for later.

For right now, I say, “I suppose part of that lesson is that I’ll have to be there to remind her that she wanted me to help her build the flying machine for her tortoise, and not be distracted by the attention she’s going to receive.”

I can only assume my pink angel pony friend nods, as my character is too occupied picking nectarines to give her his attention.  All I know is I hear her say, “If that is the role you must play, then so be it.  But, I won’t be surprised if she needs your help as much as the rest of us will.”  And, by the time my character has picked some eight or nine nectarines and can turn to her, Diane has returned control of Pinkie back to Pinkamena, and the curly-haired angel pony is taking the fallen apples and hanging them in her mane.

The pink, curly-haired angel pony, seeing my character looking at her, says, “I’m glad Diane trusts you as much as she does.”  Then, seeing that he’s picked as many nectarines as he has and is ready to go back to the house, she adds, “So, let’s go back.  I don’t know how much longer Rainbow Dash is going to wait.”  And, she bounces to and over the fence, then back to the house.

My character follows her, and meets up with the other ponies and the dinosaur waiting for them on the front porch.  Evidently even Weed Whacker was either earlier or just faster than my character and Pinkie Pie.

It’s Rainbow Dash who, seeing my character and Pinkie arrive on the front porch, opens the door and allows everyone to enter.

And, it’s my character who leads the group to the kitchen and opens the door there for them, then waits for everyone else to enter.  And, once the last of the group, Weed Whacker, has entered the house, and Rainbow Dash is following her in, I call out to her and remind her to close the door behind her, which she does rather begrudgingly.

Then, when Rainbow Dash has followed Weed Whacker into the kitchen, my character follows the rainbow-haired pegasa in, and closes the door behind him.

Rainbow Dash takes over my job of passing out fruits and vegetables that Weed Whacker cleans, and my character becomes one of those who prepares the plant products for breakfast, to be eaten raw.  Although, I still donate the extra nectarine to Pinkie Pie, Ataahua, and Topsy Turvy for the muffins.  I personally have never had muffins flavored with summer fruits, but I wouldn’t be against trying them.  As good as summer fruits are by themselves, they might just taste even better in such a pastry.

It takes maybe ten or twenty minutes for the breakfast to be prepared, after which the group takes the meal into the front room and joins forces in eating the fruits, vegetables, and muffins.  Then, when all have eaten their fill, they join forces in the cleanup, after which they leave my character’s house, with Rainbow Dash carrying Tank, and head through the Everfree forest, and on into Ponyville.

When the group arrives at Sugar Cube  Corner; Pinkie Pie, Ataahua, Lyra, and Weed Whacker head into the kitchen; while the rest of the group remains in the front room.

Mrs. Cake, seeing the azure pegasa, asks, “Rainbow Dash, what are you doing with Mormon?”

The rainbow-haired pegasa turns to her and answers, “I’m here because I need Mormon’s help making a flying machine for my new pet tortoise, Tank.”

The blue earth mare then turns to my character and asks, “Uh, this won’t interfere with your regular duties here, will it?”

I answer, “I hope it won’t be too much of an interference.  I have some ideas on what I can do to design such a machine.  I already have the measurements, but I may need to do a few other things to make sure the machine fits Tank comfortably.”

I then hear Mr. Cake say, “Well, if you need it, there’s always Pinkie’s old room upstairs.  You can turn that into a temporary work room.”

At the same time, after the orange earth stallion is finished speaking, as Rainbow Dash and my character turn to him, she and I say, “Thanks.”

I continue with, “I’m sure that’ll really help out.”

Mr. Cake smiles as he says, “If you need anything else, please feel free to ask.”

My character nods in agreement, and I think Rainbow Dash does as well.  Then, the human and the pegasa head up to Pinkie Pie’s old room.

Once inside, I have my character look around until I see a table where Tank can settle.

In the mean time, I hear an excited Rainbow Dash say, “Oh, I can’t wait until Tank can fly with me.”

I have my character retrieve the table, and I say, “That may take some time.  I’m thinking it’ll be a good idea to get some plaster or something so I can make a mold of Tank’s shell.”

Immediately after I finish talking, I hear Rainbow Dash say, “Oh, no.  Mold?  Where?  Where!?  I haven’t had Tank for one day, and he’s already dying?”

My character turns to the rainbow-haired pegasa to show me she’s in a panic checking her pet from his shell to his limbs.  When he’s brought the table to the position of Rainbow Dash and Tank, I have him put it down before I say to her, “It’s alright, it’s alright.”  When the azure pegasa looks up at my character, I continue, “I can understand how you misunderstood what I said.  I was just thinking out loud that, if I could get a better idea of the shape of Tank’s shell, I could get a better idea of where I could put the gears for the flying mechanism, the parts that’d be shielded from external elements.”

At first Rainbow Dash sighs with relief, relaxed now that she understands that Tank’s life isn’t in danger.  Then, a second later, she glares up at my character and says, “Mormon, that wasn’t funny.”

I nod and say, “I understand.  You’re not used to having a pet.  And, now that you have one, you want to take the best care of him that you can.  I didn’t mean to suggest that anything was wrong with him.  I was just making a suggestion as to how I could work on the idea I have for his flying machine, that’s all.”

At first, Rainbow Dash looks down at Tank, who looks back up at her and slowly smiles.  After a second or two, she looks back up at my character and opens her mouth.

But, before she can say anything, a scream is heard from outside.

If I didn’t know any better, I’d think it was Rainbow Dash that had screamed.  And, to complete the effect, the scream ends when Rainbow Dash closes her mouth.

The azure pegasa sets Tank on the table and looks and flies toward the window.  After looking outside for a moment, she turns back to my character and says, “Somepony needs my help.  I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

I respond, “You go on ahead.  I’ll stay here and start working on plans for the flying machine.”

Rainbow Dash nods to my character, then turns, opens the window, and flies out.

As my character starts making plans, drawing out possible gear-and-string scenarios to connect the strings and the propeller, after a few seconds, I hear cheering coming from outside.  My guess is that Rainbow Dash rescued a foal and carriage from rolling off a hill towards what I remember planning out to be Sweet Apple Acres, somewhere in an empty area.

I then hear her call out, “There’s something wrong with the baby!”

Evidently, that hill isn’t too far away from Sugar Cube Corner.

At any rate, a moment later, I hear her continue, “She’s not cheering for everypony’s favorite hero, Rainbow Dash!”

I don’t know if my character’s doing this, but I find myself groaning as I close my eyes and press the palm of one hand into my forehead.

It’s a few seconds later, after I’ve removed the hand from my forehead, opened my eyes, and looked to see that my character has continued the work while I was reacting to the azure pegasa’s lack of humility.  It seems that the last scenario he was working on hasn’t worked when applied to Tank’s shell.

It’s about the time that my character completes another hopeful design that Rainbow Dash flies through the window again and, seeing my character at work, asks, “So, how’s it coming along so far?”

I answer, “Well, so far, I’ve found a few ideas that don’t work.  I just need to find one that will.”

The rainbow-haired pegasa comes to a stop in the air next to the table, then lands, then says, “Well, if anypony can do it, you can, Mormon.”

I can’t help smiling as I say, “Thanks for the vote of confidence.”  I then pause for a moment before I continue, “I heard you outside.”

Rainbow Dash laughs nervously, scratches the back of her head with a front hoof, and says, “Yeah, my fans, ya know.”

Hearing the azure pegasa laugh again, I say, “Yeah.  ‘There’s something wrong with this baby. It’s not cheering for me.’”

The way Rainbow Dash opens her mouth, I think she’s going to try arguing with me some more.  But, after a few seconds of evidently not being able to find a counter-argument, she finally sighs and, a sad expression on her face, says, “Yeah, you’re probably right.  I guess I did get a little carried away out there.”  Then, looking at the plans my character is ready to try next on Tank, she asks, “So, do you think those’ll work?”

I answer, “I’m hoping so.  If not, maybe I’ll try wheels and strings or something like that.”

Rainbow Dash hums with interest for a moment before asking, “Aren’t you going to use strings to attach to Tank’s feet?  Didn’t you say something about his walking helping him fly?”

I answer, “I did.  I’m just having trouble figuring out how I’m going to get that to work.  Maybe I need to get him weighed, and work from there.”

Rainbow Dash asks, “Well, why would you need to do that?  Couldn’t you just make the machine, put it on Tank’s back, and just fool around with it until it works?”

I answer, “I suppose I could.  But, if I could make calculations based on weight and the necessary lift, it could save me some time.  Then, after that, if I need to make some adjustments, then I’ll make them.”

Again Rainbow Dash sighs, then ambles to the door and says, “Maybe the Cakes have some weighing machine that you can use.”  And, before I can reply, she opens the door and exits.  And, a minute or two later, she’s back with a lever-style scale, as well as some weights hanging from her mane.

Seeing the device, I have my character move Tank from the table so that Rainbow Dash can put the scale on it.  She then holds it down while my character puts Tank on one side, then removes the weights and starts putting them on the other side.

As the counter-weights start to balance the two sides of the scale, I notice the final measurement seems to suggest maybe six or seven of the weights that my character has been putting on the one side.

Then, I hear a groan come from the tortoise, and my character turns to see him acting … differently.  So, I ask, “Are you alright?”

Seemingly in response, the tortoise opens his mouth, then belches, then squirts a thick, pale-greenish liquid out of his mouth.

I don’t know if a real tortoise or turtle would be able to spout the way I have Tank doing.  If so, it might not be what everyone expects, to see a creature so slow as a tortoise projecting its vomit the way Tank is doing.  And, it happens maybe two or three times before Tank finally stops and slowly pulls his head back into his shell.

But, the product of the tortoise’s nausea has one effect that’s probably not so surprising.  Without that additional weight, Tank, on his side of the scale, rises just a little bit above the side with the weights.

My guess is Rainbow Dash was waiting until she was sure that Tank was finished before grabbing him off of the scale and hugging him, crying, “I’m so sorry, Tank!  I didn’t mean for you to get sick!”

In the mean time, without any weight to counter-balance, the scale tilts and spills some of the weights onto the floor.

Seeing this, I state, “Well, I think I have a good idea of how much Tank weighs, or at least weighed before he got sick.  So, any idea how much these things weigh?”

Rainbow Dash sobs, “D-don’t you think … you’ve d-done … enough to him already?”

I have my character grab one of the weights and hold it out to the azure pegasa, and I say, “I meant one of these things.”

The azure pegasa looks at my character and rapidly blinks for about a second before saying, “Oh.”  She then sighs vocally before answering, “I don’t know.  You’ll have to ask the Cakes.”

I have my character, who at this time had been kneeling on one knee, start to stand up again; and I respond, “Yeah, that’s probably a good idea.”

Then, once my character is standing, Rainbow Dash points to him with her free front hoof and says, “Wait, it looks like Tank threw up on you.”

My character automatically looks down at his shirt and slacks.  There seems to be nothing particularly shiny on his shirt, but there is a new stripe on one leg of his pants.  As he turns back to Rainbow Dash, I answer, “Yeah, I guess you’re right.”

The azure pegasa puts his pet tortoise on the floor, then looks at my character again and says, “I’ll go downstairs and get a few towels or something so we can clean up the mess.”  And, after gently and reassuringly tapping her pet’s shell, she goes back out through the door.

I prepare to remind her to ask about the weights; but I figure, as fast as she moves, it’s probably too late to mention it.  So, I have my character turn to her pet tortoise; and I see, through his eyes, that Tank is smiling unsteadily.  Since the ordeal with the scale is over with, I think he’ll have plenty of time to recover from his nausea.  I just wonder what the next step in making his flying machine should be.  And, there’s one more thing, come to think of it.

As I’m looking at Tank, I hear Rainbow Dash, next to my character, say, “Here’s a towel for you so you can clean off your … clothes.”  My character automatically turns to her, and I can see, through his eyes, the smile on the rainbow-haired pegasa as she laughs nervously.  Then, when my character takes the towel from her, she adds, as she strolls away from him, “Oh, and I asked the Cakes about those weights.  They each weigh a PBM.”

Now, in the animated series, at least in the episodes of the first five seasons, there’s no mention, that I’ve heard, of weight measurement that the ponies are known to use.  But, for this video game, I’ve tried to imagine how a pony might measure weight; and I've come up with my own idea.  As disgusting as this may sound, I’ve figured that the most reasonable measurement that an Equestrian pony might use would be their bowel movements, which could be really standard once a pony reached adulthood.  I also based this measurement on my experiences with Pinkie Pie, as she progressed from earth pony to complete alicorn, and how the size and mass of her bowel movements, as well as how much she ate, changed with her physical size.  Indeed, when she graduated to full alicorn, the weight of her bowel movements quadrupled, more or less; and I considered it a reasonable way that a pony might measure how much something might weigh.

When Pinkie Pie was fully mature, and before she became an alicorn, I’d say her bowel movements generally weighed maybe half a pound.  Then, after she earned her wings and her horn, her bowel movements weighed a little over two pounds.

This made it easy to decide what this kind of measurement system should be.  And, having nothing else to go on (no pun intended), I’ve decided to base the pony measurements accordingly:  a Pony Bowel Movement, or PBM, from Pinkie Pie, weighed an estimated half a pound, while an Alicorn Bowel Movement, or ABM, from her, weighed an estimated two pounds, or four PBMs.

Now, it took six or seven of those one-PBM weights to balance one side of the scale with Tank on the other side.  And, since one PBM is half a pound, the most reasonable conclusion is that Tank must weight between three and three and a half pounds.  And, as long as I can convert that to grams, or kilograms, it should give me a good idea of what I’ll need to produce a propeller that’ll allow Tank to, for all intents and purposes, crawl on air.  And, more than that, maybe I’ll be able to make a gear or two to connect to the propeller to make better use of the crawling animation I gave to tortoises.  Maybe I could make it a multi-level gear.

In the mean time, as I’m thinking of these things, Rainbow Dash and my character are busy cleaning up Tank’s vomit.

And Tank, in the mean time, is clearly recovering really well.

And, it’s about the time that the two are finished cleaning up that I hear Pinkie Pie’s voice at the door saying, “Mormon, Rainbow Dash, you may wanna come with me and the Cakes.  Ponyville’s senior ponies are gonna make a speech.”  As the pegasa and the human turn to the angel pony, she continues, “It’s just a few houses down, and they’ll be on a balcony.  And, Mayor Mare’s gonna be there, too.”

Rainbow Dash and my character turn to each other, and I say, “Well, let’s get going then.”  And, I have my character rise to a standing position again.

Then, as Rainbow Dash grabs the towels in her mouth and prepares to take them downstairs again, Pinkie Pie, evidently seeing the stain on my character’s pants, asks with a tone of worry in her voice, “Uh, Mormon, is everything alright up here?”

I answer, “Yeah.  There was just a little mishap getting Tank’s weight.”

Now, Pinkie sighs with relief before saying, “That’s good.  My tail twitched while I was downstairs, and I got worried that somepony up here had fallen.  I’m glad to hear everypony’s alright.”

Then, Rainbow Dash, after having taken the towels back downstairs, comes back up and, not noticing Pinkie’s twitching tail, says, “So, Mormon, if you’ll put Tank on my back, let’s get going to that speech.”

As I vocalize agreement, my character picks up the tortoise and puts him on the azure pegasa’s back.  Then, the pegasa, the angel pony, and the human leave the room, proceed down the stairs, and head to the front door, where they meet the Cakes, Lyra, Ataahua, Topsy Turvy, and Weed Whacker. Then, it’s just a few seconds’ walk to the home where three senior ponies are ambling around, evidently waiting for the fourth to come out.

I notice that Pinkie’s tail starts to vibrate a little more aggressively when the fourth senior pony, a lavender, bespectacled stallion with a smoking pipe emitting bubbles as a cutie mark, comes out on the balcony.

And, sure enough, I start to hear cracking noises coming from the balcony as the stallion reaches the guard railing.

As gasps and screams of alarm are heard among the gathering of ponies, Rainbow Dash turns to my character and asks, “Mormon, will you please take Tank?”

Once I agree and my character takes the tortoise from the rainbow-haired pegasa’s back, she rises into the air and says, “Never fear, your friendly neighborhood Rainbow Dash is here.”

And, this while the balcony starts to tilt forward.

It doesn’t surprise me that the azure pegasa arrives in time for the balcony to snap off from the rest of the building, nor that she’s able to lower the four senior ponies safely to the ground.  Also, after having seen it in the episode, I’m not surprised that Rainbow Dash, once again, starts to take advantage of the adulation she receives.  But, I’m not all that happy about it either.

After a few seconds of watching Rainbow Dash show off for the cheering ponies, I hear Twilight Sparkle say, “Call me silly, but I think this whole hero thing might be going to Rainbow Dash’s head.”

I can’t see if my character turns to face her, because I’ve got my face buried in my hands right now.

But, I do hear Pinkie Pie reply, “You may be right, silly.”

What gets me to uncover my face is when I hear one of the elderly ponies, the stallion, say, “I’m getting too old for this.”  And, I can’t help chuckling over that.

But, in the mean time, all I can see is Rainbow Dash in front of my character’s face, saying, “Well, Mormon, let’s get back to Sugar Cube Corner.  We still have that flying thing to make for Tank.”

For a split second, there’s instant silence.  Then, there’s the sound of galloping as the crowd heads off toward the bakery made of gingerbread.

My character also starts to make his way to the bakery, until Rainbow Dash stops him and says, “Wait, Mormon?”  Then, when my character stops and turns to her, she continues, “Uh, could we make a stop off at the library first?  I know it’s kinda out of our way, but I need to pick up something from there before we go back to Sugar Cube Corner.”

I know what, or in this case who, the azure pegasa’s after.  And, I consider refusing and demanding that she come with me.  But then, there’s something else to consider.

That crowd of ponies that saw Rainbow Dash rescue the elderly ponies on the balcony are most likely already there, and will likely be ready for her with cameras and other equipment to take notes on what she says and/or does.  And, while I know she’ll be heading to the library to get Spike to take notes on her words and actions, to write her biography, I also know it’ll delay her arrival at Sugar Cube Corner.

So, taking that into consideration, I decide to say, “Well, alright.  You can go ahead to the library, but I’m heading to Sugar Cube Corner.  Oh, and while you’re out, maybe you could get some supplies from the hardware store in town.”

Rainbow Dash, hearing my request, exhales, emitting a sound that’s part sigh, part groan, all exasperation.  Immediately after that, she says, “Fine, what do you need?”

I answer, “Well, I could use some plaster of Paris, if you could find some there.  That, or some cement, or maybe both.  And, I’ll need some high-quality string.  A roll of wool, I suppose, and a roll of metal string, if possible.  And, if they don’t have propellers there, then some wood for making a propeller.  On second thought, just get some wood for the propeller.  I’ll figure out how long it needs to be when I make my calculations.  If they have metal gears of different sizes, and some metal rods to hold them in place, then get, say, three each of the gears, and maybe ten rods.  If I need more, then we’ll know where to get them.  The gears’ll give me a good idea of what I have to work with.  You know what, I’ll likely need wood for more than just the propeller.  So, an extra block or two for the main part that’ll cover all the machinery, and for the part that’ll go between the machinery and Tank’s shell.  And, maybe a belt, something made of either leather or some kind of strong cloth.”

Whether it’s my order or the time that it’s taken for me to make it, it’s clearly taking a toll on the patience of the azure pegasa, who finally growls, “Is there anything else?”

I answer, “No, I think that’ll be all.”

Rainbow Dash growls out, “Good,” then turns and drifts off toward the library.

My character, on the other hand, resumes his march toward the bakery.  And, when he walks inside, he’s greeted by cheering.

I know who they’re expecting, but I decide to have some fun; so I say, “Uh, thanks.”

Then, when the crowd sees that the one they’re cheering for isn’t the one that entered, they collectively groan; and a member of the crowd, Berry Punch I think, asks, “Where’s Rainbow Dash?”

I answer, “I sent her to the hardware store to get some supplies.  She should be back soon enough.”

Then, Pinkie Pie approaches me and asks, “And, I’m guessing you’ll be waiting for her upstairs in my room?”

I answer, “That’s right.”

Pinkie Pie nods in understanding, then says, “Good.  When she comes, I’ll let her know you’re waiting for her.”

As my character proceeds to the pink angel pony’s room, I reply, “Good.”  And, once my character makes it up to her room, I have him close the door behind him.  Then, I have him set the tortoise back on the table; and I say, “Rainbow Dash should be back soon enough.  I guess you heard that I sent her to the hardware store in town to get the supplies I need for your flying machine.”

By the time I’m finished speaking, my character is kneeling on one knee in front of the tortoise.

And, when I’m finished speaking, Tank takes a step toward my character, puts a front foot on his hand, and slowly smiles.

I smile back and say, “I do hope she remembers everything I asked her to get.  Until I get all the supplies, about all I can do is make the calculations so that I can figure out how long the propellers need to be, what size of gears I need, and, ultimately, how big the machine needs to be.”  You know, come to think of it, I could make those calculations right now.  So, while I’m waiting for the azure pegasa to show up, that’s what I do.

Considering that I have Equestria’s gravitational acceleration equal to that of Earth’s, or approximately so, at least for Rainbow Dash’s pet, that gives me a good idea of where I can begin with the calculations.  And, I have the conversion equations between different measurements; so, I have no problems, once I find the conversions, in finding out the force gravity has on Tank.  So, after figuring out that it’s somewhere between just below thirteen and a half Newtons and a little over fifteen and a half, that gives me a good idea of where I can start in making a good, strong, wooden propeller, and how fast it’ll have to spin to get Tank at least hovering above the ground.

And, it’s about this time that I hear the bell downstairs ring, followed by Pinkie Pie calling out, “Mormon, Rainbow Dash’s here!”  And, I can only hope, at this point, that Pinkie Pie takes the opportunity to remind her azure pegasa friend that she’s needed upstairs.  Still, I decide to have my character head at least out of the room to see what Rainbow Dash is doing.

As soon as my character and the azure pegasa see each other, the pegasa flies up to my character and, scratching the back of her head with a front hoof, says, “Uh, Mormon, I did order those supplies you wanted me to.  But, they’re gonna be kinda expensive.”

I ask, “How expensive?”

Rainbow Dash answers, “The wood’s not a problem, and neither is the string, the plaster, or the cement.  The problem is the gears.  The smallest cost ten bits each, and they go up two bits with each bigger size.”

I can see the worry in the pegasa’s face.  But, I know I can easily cover whatever the price is, considering I’ve given my character infinite money.  So, I say, “I’ll go to the hardware store and pay for the supplies.  And, when I come back, I’m gonna need your help putting the flying machine together.”

Rainbow Dash looks relieved as she says, “Thanks, Mormon.”

As my character heads down the stairs, I say to the rainbow-haired pegasa, “In the mean time, you’re gonna have to stay here with Tank.”

Rainbow Dash follows my character down the stairs, nodding and saying, “Sure.  I’ll stay here with Tank and …”

At this point, I have my character stop and turn to the azure pegasa, who also stops before she can run into him.  I then add, “And remember, I’m here to help you build a flying machine for your pet tortoise.  I’ve worked out some of the measurements, and I’m still working on the plans.”

Frowning with her eyes, smiling with her mouth, and again scratching the back of her head with a front hoof, Rainbow Dash answers, “Uh, of course, Mormon.  Whatever you say.”  And, she chuckles nervously.

I allow my character to make his way to the other door before I stop him again, turn to the rainbow-haired pegasa, and say, “Now, this shouldn’t take very long.  And, like I said, when I get back, I’m going to need your help.”  I then allow my character to turn and head out for the hardware store.

But, before I can get far enough away from the bakery, I hear one of the foals, a filly, I think, say, “Uh, Rainbow Dash, could you tell the story about how you rescued me from the well?”

As my character continues on his way to the hardware store, I can figure that, from what I saw in the episode, there really isn’t that much to tell.  Of course, on the other hand, knowing Rainbow Dash, she’s going to want to keep the story interesting by adding as many flourishes to it as possible, very likely making it seem like an episode of some old spy show.  Chances are that it’ll keep her from keeping an eye on her pet tortoise, but it’ll also keep her occupied until I get back.

When my character gets to the hardware store, I find out that some twenty incremental sizes of gears are being sold there, which, by my calculations, means the price would come to seventeen hundred forty bits.  That, in addition to the ten rods, which each cost another ten bits, the small bags of plaster and cement, which each cost five bits, the three blocks of wood, each two bits, and the belt, two more bits, the full cost comes to eighteen hundred, fifty-eight bits.

I’m guessing that, whatever weather control pays in Ponyville, it wouldn’t pay enough to cover the price of all the items I requested.  And, while I’m sure Filthy Rich or perhaps another rich pony in town could cover the cost, so can my character.  So, I have him pay the price for the items, then gather them up and take them back to Sugar Cube Corner.

And, when my character gets there and enters, I hear Rainbow Dash say, “And then, I zoomed into the well.  I knew it’d be dark and dangerous, but I didn’t let that stop me.  Danger’s my middle name, after all:  Rainbow ‘Danger’ Dash.”

At this point, I have my character hold up a hand; and I call out, “Uh, Miss Danger, I’m here with the supplies for Tank’s flying machine.  And, I could really use your help putting them together.”

The azure pegasa drifts over to my character and, with something of a worried smile on her face, asks him, “Couldn’t it wait, I’m in the middle of a really epic story here.”

After having watched the episode so many times, both with and without Pinkie Pie, I decide to abbreviate it as I say, “Yeah, lemme guess.  You were swimming in a cloud when you heard a foal screaming for help.  So, you looked down and heard the cries coming from a well just under your cloud.  You dove into the well, found the filly, and fished her out of it.  Isn’t that pretty much what happened?”

Rainbow Dash seems deflated as she answers, “Well, yeah.  But, when I told the story, it was gonna be so much more, you know, epic.”

And, at the same time, I hear the snickering of three mares from nearby.  No doubt, they’re Applejack, Twilight, and Pinkie.

The azure pegasa glares at the trio, putting an end to the snickering.  She then turns her glare on my character and asks, “Hey, how did you know about that?  I didn’t see you there.”

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

Rainbow Dash retorts, "Well you should tell your ‘good source’ that whoever it is needs to make the story sound exciting.”

I respond, “Look, I get it, you like getting all that attention for the things you’ve done.  But, there’s a saying among us humans that I think you need to remember:  It’s nice to be important, but it’s more important to be nice."

At my statement, Rainbow Dash sputters for a few seconds before holding her front hooves out to my character and saying, “What?  What does that mean?”

I answer, “It means that as much as I understand your need to be the center of attention, there are more important things you need to be doing.  And, right now, one of those things is you need to help me put together the flying machine for your pet tortoise.”

At this point, the rainbow-haired pegasa stammers, “W-well, c-couldn’t you d-do the w-work on y-your own?”

I answer, “I suppose I could.  But, this is supposed to be your project, and I’m supposed to be the one helping you with it.”  I pause for a moment before I continue, “I appreciate you living with me.  But, the reason you’re doing that is so I can help you build a flying machine for Tank.  And, if I’m going to help you with that, then you have to take part in the process.”

For a few seconds more, Rainbow Dash stammers and sputters, trying to search for a response she thinks will satisfy me.  Then, she says, “I helped you take Tank’s measurements.  I ordered the components for you from the hardware store.”

I respond, “And, I appreciate that.  I’m sure Tank’ll appreciate it, too.  But, there’s more for you to do.  The next play date won’t be for a few more days.  And, if you want to be ready with your pet by then, you’re gonna have to help me out now.”

Just then, I see Scootaloo approach the azure pegasa.  She holds up a pencil and a note pad and asks, “Rainbow Dash, could I get your autograph?”

Presently, all the foals in the room cheer, then chant, “Autograph!  Autograph!”

Rainbow Dash quiets the cheering and chanting by calling out, “Just give me a moment, alright?”  She then turns to my character again and says, “Look, the longer we stay here arguing, the longer it’ll take to get the flying machine built.  You just start working on it, and I’ll get back to you when I’ve finished signing autographs.”  And, with that, she flies out the door, followed by all the colts and fillies that want her autograph, as well as the stallions and mares that want to take her picture.

But, my character is proven to not be completely alone in the bakery, as I hear Twilight’s voice say, “I agree with you.”  As my character turns to her, she continues, “Rainbow Dash should be helping you put the flying machine together, not going out and signing autographs.”

I respond, “That’s what I’ve been telling her, but she isn’t listening.  Right now, it seems that the best way for me to help her is to continue work on her pet’s flying machine, without her.”

The purple unicorn points out, “But, she should be helping you with that.”

Since I can only see Twilight Sparkle right now, I can only hear Pinkie Pie grunting in agreement.

Still, I correct, “Actually, I should be the one helping her.”  I then continue, “If you want to try to remind Rainbow Dash of that, then go ahead.  But, in the mean time, I have a machine to start building.”  And, my character, taking that as instruction, proceeds toward and up the stairs.

As he gets to the top of the stairs and proceeds into Pinkie’s old room, I hear Twilight say, “I have an idea, but I’m gonna need your help, everypony.  Let’s go to Carousel Boutique.  We’ll talk about it there.”  And, my character closes the door to Pinkie Pie’s room with Tank before Twilight, Pinkie Pie, and Applejack can leave the building.

My character leaves the supplies from the hardware store with Tank before heading downstairs again to get a paper container, or at least some paper, to take back upstairs with him, as well as some water, to prepare the plaster to make a cast of Tank’s shell.  Knowing that the extra weight of the cast is going to immobilize the tortoise for a short time, I still figure it’ll be better than trying to build the machine on the shell of the tortoise.

I decide to have my character cover enough of the tortoise’s shell that I figure I can sufficiently build the machine without it being too much of a problem.

But, I don’t realize, until it’s too late, that a problem arises when my character tries to make a mold of that part of Tank’s shell using the cement.  I guess I should’ve known the cement was going to be softer than the plaster.  Or, perhaps they’re equally hard.  Whichever the case is, when my character takes a mallet and pick to the plaster, both the plaster and the cement shatter, leaving quite a mess on the floor.  I’m left to wonder, should I use the cement for the cast, or will the cement crumble too easily?  Then again, I suppose I could cheat and make the mold of Tank’s shell in the modeling and animation program I used to make all the models in this game, or just use a duplicate of Tank for the job.

It’s about the time that I’m considering these options that I hear a scream from outside.  Temporarily abandoning work on Tank’s flying machine to find out what’s going on, my character hastily leaves the room, runs downstairs and out the door, then looks up to show me a popped hot-air balloon, with a mare in the basket, both rapidly falling.  I have my character find Rainbow Dash, and he shows me that the azure pegasa is still busy signing autographs.

As the mare cries for help, I hear Snips ask Rainbow Dash, “Uh, don’t you think you should go and help?”

The azure pegasa, evidently still occupied signing another filly’s notebook, says, “Yeah, yeah, I’ve got a good ten seconds to spare.  Just a couple more.”

There’s something wrong, I think, when a hero would rather sign a couple more autographs than go immediately to rescue someone in trouble.

But, before I can approach Rainbow Dash and remind her of her duty, she’s finished signing her autograph to the filly’s notebook, and finally decides to fly off toward the falling mare and balloon.

And, not far from where the rainbow-haired pegasa had been signing autographs, Spike is narrating as he writes about her present act of heroism.

Hearing what the little dragon is saying and writing, I almost feel like hiding my face in my hands again.  Especially when I see how casually Rainbow Dash is handling the situation.  She could demonstrate a little more caring, at least.

But, if I were to hide my face in my hands right now, I wouldn’t be able to see what I know to be one of her friends, covered completely in purple and dark blue clothing with, I suspect, glass goggles over her eyes, making her look, to me anyway, the way I might expect a changeling to look without holes and wings.  The costume comes complete with a hat that could cover a unicorn’s horn.  And, the cape she wears covers the possibility of wings.

At any rate, for a moment she stands on top of a house before leaping off, and onto another roof.  She does this a few more times, before leaping over the basket, grabbing the mare inside, jumping out of the other side of the basket, and landing safely, with the mare, on the ground.

In the mean time, the unsuspecting Rainbow Dash, having missed her chance to be the rescuer, ends up wrapped up in the balloon, which lands on and covers a tree.

The crowd that had been following Rainbow Dash turns its attention to this purple-and-dark-blue-clad pony and starts cheering as she helps the mare she rescued to her hooves.  Then, as members of the crowd wonder about the new heroine’s identity, their new heroine leaps away.

Then, the way one might expect any politician to do, Mayor Mare places herself where the new heroine had been and says, agreeing with the crowd, “That’s right, Ponyville has a new hero.  A mysterious mare that has done well by our fair city today.  I hereby dub this new hero, the Mysterious Mare-Do-Well!”

During the mayor’s speech, the mystery heroine stands for a moment on a hill, then leaps behind it, disappearing from view.

After the speech, as the crowd cheers around her, I hear Rainbow Dash, still wrapped up in the balloon, snarl, “Mare-Do-Well, huh?  Well, that mare would do well to stay out of my way.  Ponyville’s  got room for only one hero, and that hero is me!”  And, evidently not noticing the rope that’s both wrapped around a front hoof and under a rear one of hers, she tries to take a step, only to stumble and fall into a sphinx-style position.  She then groans and rests her head on the rope-attached front hoof.

At this point, I have my character approach the azure pegasa and start unwrapping the rope from her front hoof; and I say, “I’m thinking it’s time for you to be getting back to helping me with your pet’s flying machine.”

Rainbow Dash snarls up at my character while I speak, then pushes him away with her free front hoof and says, “I’m not in the mood right now, Mormon.”

As my character goes back to untangling her front hoof, I respond, “Now look, Rainbow Dash, I can understand that you’re upset right now.  But, the fact of the matter is that I need your help with Tank’s flying machine.”

And, it’s about this time, when my character manages to get the rope off of Rainbow Dash’s front hoof, that a carriage holding a group of tourists drives by; and I happen to notice the poor quality of the wooden bars in front of it as my character turns to see the vehicle, and the pony pulling it, drive by.

And, it’s about this time that I hear Rainbow Dash say, “Look, Mormon.”  My character turns his attention to the azure pegasa as she continues, “I appreciate that you freed me from the rope.  But, Tank’s flying machine is your department, not mine.”

And, it’s about that time that I hear a loud crack from the tourists’ carriage that just passed, and my character’s attention is once again drawn to the vehicle as it runs over the pony that’d been pulling it, and starts heading toward the infamous slope toward Sweet Apple Acres.

That’s the bad news.  The good news is the pony that had been pulling the carriage isn’t hurt.  He rises to all fours and calls out, “Somepony, anypony, stop that runaway carriage!”

Evidently, Rainbow Dash sees this as her chance.  Before my character can turn his attention to her, she says, “Besides, I’ve got some tourists to rescue.”  And, she immediately flies off.

The good news is that my character was able to free both of Rainbow Dash's hooves from the rope.  And, as he tosses the rope back onto the balloon, I can only hope that Rainbow Dash’ll take this rescue seriously, although I doubt she will.

I have my character rise and approach the stallion that had been pulling the carriage, and I say, when he’s close enough, “Let’s get going.  The carriage will be stopped by the time we get there.”

As my character, as per my instructions, passes the stallion, he asks, “But, how can you be so sure?”

My character focuses on him, and I answer, “Trust me, I know.”  And, my character turns back to look ahead of him as he walks.

Evidently uncertain, the stallion says, “Oh, alright,” and starts following my character.

I didn’t expect to get the flying machine project done in one day; but, at this rate, the construction stage might not even get started today.  But, at least I have some measurements and the components I need.

At any rate, by the time the human and the stallion arrive at the scene, the carriage is stopped at the edge of the cliff, the tourists have evacuated the vehicle, and Rainbow Dash is angrily marching back towards Ponyville.

As the stallion gallops toward the carriage and his apparent friends to see if they’re alright, I have my character turn his attention to the azure pegasa.  When the human and the pegasa are close enough, I have my character stop; and I ask, “Rainbow Dash, are you alright?”

The rainbow-haired pegasa stops as well, then turns to my character and groans, “Not as long as that Mare-Do-Well is around I’m not.”

I decide to have my character sit on the ground next to Rainbow Dash as I ask, “What happened?”  I know the answer; but, once again, I like to hear the story from the source.

In the mean time, Rainbow Dash follows suit, collapsing into a sphinx-style position as she answers, “I wanted to let them know that they’d be alright, but they insisted on me stopping the carriage first.  So, I tried.  But, it was going too fast, and I was knocked out of the way.  I’d never had that happen before.

“Then, that Mare-Do-Well came and stopped the carriage by jumping in front of it.  You can see how it all ended up.  But, … Mare-Do-Well is stronger than me?  How does that work?”

I decide to have my character stroke Rainbow Dash’s mane for a few seconds before I say, “Let’s head back to Sugar Cube Corner.  I still need your help with that flying machine for Tank.”

Then, as my character and the azure pegasa rise, I hear the stallion’s voice say, “Uh, before you head over there, could you help me?”  As my character turns to the stallion, he continues, “I need to get this carriage to someplace in town where it can be repaired.  And, maybe I can get some brakes on it, too.”

As my character gets into position to push the vehicle back up the hill, I answer, “Sure.”  I then have him focus on the rainbow-haired pegasa, and I call out, “Rainbow Dash, could you help me, help us?”

The azure pegasa looks at my character, then down again, and answers, “I don’t feel like it.”

My character starts pushing the carriage up the slope as I say, “We could use your help.”

Now, Rainbow Dash glares at my character as she says, “Look, I couldn’t stop that carriage from rolling off the cliff, that’s what Mare-Do-Well did.  So, what’s the point of pushin’ it back up the hill?”

By this point, my character, pushing the carriage, is as close to Rainbow Dash as he can get while still keeping to the path and continuing to push the carriage.  I ask, “So, that means you’re not going to help?”

Rainbow Dash watches my character pass her, then says, “I’m gonna head back to Sugar Cube Corner.  I’ll meet you there, and we can get to work on Tank’s flying thingy.”  And, with that, she proceeds to fly off toward the bakery.

The stallion that was leading the carriage, seeing the azure pegasa fly off, says, “It was nice of her to try to stop the carriage, even if she didn’t succeed.  I just wish she’d swallow her pride ’n’ help you out.”

As my character continues to push the carriage up the slope, I respond, “I agree.  The problem is she considers this new hero in town, Mare-Do-Well, her competition.  she’s addicted to the attention she’s been getting for her own acts of heroism; and now that a new hero’s getting the attention, Rainbow Dash is feeling the withdrawal.”

By this point, the carriage is just about to the top of the slope.

In the mean time, the stallion says, “Well, just because she don’t get the attention for her good deeds, that don’t mean she shouldn’t do ’em.”

As my character, with the help of the stallion, turns the carriage away from the top of the slope, I reply, “Agreed.”  And, my character only stops pushing the carriage when the stallion says that it should be fine where it is, although he still holds it in place.

The stallion then asks, “So, do you know of a repair shop in town?”

I answer, “I’m sorry, I don’t.”

The stallion sighs, then says, “Well, it was nice of you to help us as much as you did.  Thanks.”

I state, “If you and your friends need a place to stay for the night, you should get in contact with the mayor.  She’ll likely know where to find a good hotel here.  For that matter, she might even know where a good repair shop is.”

Then, as my character proceeds to release the carriage and walk away, the stallion calls out, “Thank you, uh, whatever you are!”

I have my character turn back and wave at him, then turn ahead of himself again as he continues to walk.  From there, it’s a walk of maybe a minute or two back to the bakery.

Once my character arrives back at Sugar Cube Corner and returns to Pinkie Pie’s room, I see, on the floor in front of Tank and his perch, Rainbow Dash sphinx-posed, mumbling about something.  My guess is she’s plotting her next action.

I ask, “So, are you ready to help me with Tank’s flying machine?”

The rainbow-haired pegasa looks up at my character and says, “You can go on ahead.  I really don’t feel like building anything right now.”

After watching Rainbow Dash look down in front of her again, I decide to have my character approach her and sit next to her, opposite Tank.  Then, when he’s seated, I have him stroke her mane; and I state, “It seems to me that you’ve forgotten something when it comes to acts of heroism.  There’s a time for words, and there’s a time for action.  And, in an emergency situation, action comes first. Then, when the emergency is passed and the time for words comes, you’ve got to choose them carefully.  As I said before, it’s nice to be important; but it’s more important to be nice.”

The azure pegasa, looking at her hooves, says, “Yeah, I suppose you’re right.  I should’ve tried to stop that carriage first.  Then, when I’d stopped it, then I could’ve talked to the tourists.”  She then looks up at my character and asks, “So, are they alright?”

I answer, “The last I saw of them, they were just fine.  The stallion that was drawing the carriage is likely looking for a repair shop for it, as well as a hotel where he and the tourists can spend the night.”

Now, I’m sure I see Rainbow Dash start to smile as she says, “Yeah, Mayor Mare will know where to find those places.”

Then, I hear rumbling up the stairs and Pinkie calling out, “The construction site!  Twitch-a-twitch!”

Rainbow Dash immediately goes on full alert, evidently knowing what the pink angel pony’s talking about.

As cliched as it may sound, having seen the episode, I know about the situation better than Rainbow Dash does.

In the mean time, Rainbow Dash leaps to her hooves and says, “I’m sorry, Mormon, but I have some construction ponies to rescue.  As soon as that’s over, I’ll get back to helping you with Tank’s flying thingy.”  She then gallops to the door, nearly running over a clearly surprised Pinkie.  She stops long enough to pat her angel pony friend on the head with a front hoof and say, “It’s alright, Pinkie. I’m on it,” before leaping off the elevated pathway, spreading her wings, and maneuvering her way out the bakery’s front door.

The last part I assume, I didn’t actually see it.

What I do see is Pinkie Pie watching her friend, then turning back to my character, to me, and, putting a front hoof to her chest, inhaling and exhaling in a sigh.  She then says, “Thank goodness.  I thought I was going to have to explain something.”  She then puts the hoof down and says, “Mormon, I’m gonna need your help putting on my hero suit.”

Clearly, the angel pony already knows, or at least suspects, that I know about her secret.

As she leaps to her bed and pulls out a suitcase, I ask, “What all do you need my help with?”

Pinkie, after pulling the suitcase out of its hiding place, swings her head so that the suitcase flies up on to the bed.  She then lets go of the handle and proceeds to open the container as she says, “I can get the suit and the mask on myself.  I just need your help with the cape, the hat, and the wing covers.”

I watch as the pink angel pony pulls out the suit and starts dressing in it, and my character retrieves the cape, as I say, “Sure, no problem.”  I’m not surprised to see that the outfit opens and closes from the top, along Pinkie’s back.  It likely works that way with the others who’ve chosen to play the role of Mare-Do-Well.

At any rate, as the pink party pony stretches in the costume to make sure it fits the best, she looks at my character, at me, and says, “Uh, maybe we should start with the wing covers.  The cape can go on after that.  Oh, and could you also help me button up this thing?”

As Pinkie rolls onto her hooves again, my character puts the cape on the bed and pulls out the covers for Pinkie’s wings; and I say, “Sure.”  Then, my character approaches the pink angel pony from the back and, resting the covers on a shoulder of his, proceeds to find and button up her costume, starting with the base of her twitching tail, and ending with just behind her neck.  He then pulls each wing cover from his shoulder and puts it on the wing closest to him, then circles around Pinkie again and puts the other cover on the other wing.  He then goes back to the bed to get the cape and the hat.

In the mean time, Pinkie Pie says, “I really appreciate you helping me with this.  It helps to have a human around that knows my secrets and is willing to help me.”

As my character fastens the cape in place and puts the hat on Pinkie’s head, I say, “I’m glad I can help.”  And, I’m sure I can see Pinkie’s tail twitch once or twice more while my character makes sure the costume is alright.

As my character steps back so I can make a final appraisal, Pinkie Pie says, “Thanks, Mormon.” Then, she adds, “Oh, and could you meet me at the construction site?”

I answer, “Sure, no problem.”

The pink angel pony asks, “You promise?”

I understand what Pinkie wants.  If I make a Maori promise, then time in the game will freeze; and I can get to the construction site at about the same time that Rainbow Dash does.  But, that’ll be fine.  Understanding that Pinkie wants me to be there, I answer, “Ki tahi au.”

Immediately, Pinkie freezes.

I have my character turn to Tank to see that he’s also frozen in place.  So, I have my character head downstairs and to the front door of the bakery, open it, go through, then head towards the site of the construction of a tall, rather unstable-looking building.  And, it’s when I see, through my character’s eyes, the building peering over the houses in town that I say, “Continue.”

Then, as the activity resumes in the game, I hear Rainbow Dash say, “Never fear, your friendly neighbor—” then yelp in alarm.  My guess is she’s just in time to see the disaster start to unfold.  And, she’s evidently already forgotten what I’d told her earlier, about action coming first in an emergency situation.  Of course, it might not have looked like an emergency to her until a bunch of wooden beams flew toward her.

As my character arrives on the scene, stopping just outside the disaster radius, I watch as the destabilized, far-from-complete building starts to fall apart.  As soon as my character spots the azure pegasa trying to maneuver around falling debris, I call out, “Rainbow Dash, remember what we talked about!  Action now, speech later!”

Continuing to maneuver through the rain of debris, Rainbow Dash answers back, “I’m, duh, a little, woah, busy—ooph!”

The bad news is she’s caught off guard by a beam that swings around and hits her in the chest.  The good news is my character is in the right place to catch her as she falls.

And, that’s when Pinkie shows up in her Mare-Do-Well costume, then proceeds to zig-zag through falling debris, then jumps on some barrels and rides them toward the collapsing building.  Maybe one or two yards from the structure, Pinkie hops off of the barrels and into the lowest level to rescue a yellow mare with white mane and tail.

In the mean time, with my character focused on the azure pegasa in his arms, I ask, “Rainbow Dash, are you alright?”

In response, the rainbow-haired pegasa groans and asks, “What happened?”

I answer, “A beam knocked you out of the air.”

Suddenly alert, Rainbow Dash looks around and shouts, “The worker ponies!  Are they alright?”

I answer, “They will be.  Mare-Do-Well is going in to help them.”  My guess is that time away from this game did me more good than I thought.  Knowing that it’s Pinkie in the costume, I still had the presence of mind to say that it was Mare-Do-Well instead of Pinkie Pie who was rescuing the workers.

In the mean time, Rainbow Dash growls, then shouts, “Let go of me!”  And, she flaps her wings to keep herself from falling before continuing, “There’s no way I’m gonna let some novice hero replace me.”  And, she flies into the rain of building parts to search for a worker pony to rescue.  And, she does manage to rescue one stallion from being flattened under a falling stack of bricks.

While the two mares don’t work together, nonetheless they manage to get all the worker ponies to safety in time for the building to finally collapse.

You know, come to think of it, I suppose I could’ve prevented the collapse of the building if I’d waited to unpause the game until my character was in place to catch the wooden beams before they hit the structure at its weakest point.  But, I suppose, if I’d done that, then the ponies constructing the building wouldn’t know about the weakness.  Fortunately, that knowledge didn’t come at the cost of any lives.

At any rate, after the collapse of the building, I hear Rainbow Dash say, “Well, Mare-Do-Well, or should I call you Mare-Do-Slow, you’re gonna have to do better to compete with me, ‘cause I move like lightning.”

At this point, it’s all I can do to keep from hiding my face in my hands again.  At times like this, if there’s one thing Rainbow Dash is really good at, it’s forgetting humility.

In the mean time, one of the stallions that was rescued by Pinkie says, “Actually, she saved all of us.  We owe her our lives.”

I watch, through my character’s eyes, as the smug smile on Rainbow Dash’s face quickly melts into a frown of humiliation before I have my character approach the stallion she rescued; and I say, “I’m thinking it’s time for you to rethink these plans.  There should be a way you can build this structure so it’ll be more stable than it was.  Maybe start with the lowest floor, make sure it’s complete and capable of holding the next floor, then move on to that next floor.”

The stallion sighs, then says, “These are the plans we were given, and this is what we have to work with.”  As he  rises to all fours again, he adds, “If you can think of a better, more economical way to get it done, I’m open to suggestions.”

In the mean time, a yellow mare with white mane, wearing a pink hard hat, a vest, and a tool belt similar to the stallions, approaches my character, holding a rolled-up parchment in her mouth, and hands the parchment to him.

When the stallion finishes speaking, my character unrolls the parchment and shows me the blueprints inside.

Sure and oddly enough, the plans, as shown, call for one room per floor, going straight up, and even goes so far as to instruct that the constructors build the floors as close to simultaneously as possible.

I have to wonder how the structure wasn’t continually vibrating with all the activity going on inside of it.  And, I say as much.

Actually, from what I saw of the episode, I wouldn’t be surprised if how I’ve had the instructions presented on the parchment were exactly how the instructions must’ve read.  That, or the constructor ponies must’ve interpreted them that way.

At any rate, the stallion I’m talking to responds, “Well, to tell you the truth, I’m surprised that it stood up for as long as it did.  It was vibrating, constantly; and we all knew it wouldn’t take much for the thing to collapse.  We’re just lucky that nopony was hurt or killed when it did.”

I volunteer to help with the cleanup, and the construction of the first floor, which the ponies agree to.  And, with my character’s help, the cleanup is completed in a short time; and the first floor is built stable and ready for another floor on top of it a few minutes afterwards.

The walls of that first floor are even built with supports inside them for greater stability.

In the mean time, I can only guess that Rainbow Dash returns to Sugar Cube Corner to sulk or something, and Pinkie Pie either goes back there, to my character’s house, or to Carousel Boutique to take off her costume.  I lose track of all else until my character’s role in the building’s construction is done, the worker ponies assure my character that they can handle the job from that point on, and I can go back to the town bakery.

And, by the time my character returns, Pinkie Pie is out of her costume; and he heads upstairs to show me that Rainbow Dash is sitting human-style, forelimbs folded, evidently waiting for him.  And, the sun’s starting to set.

At any rate, the first thing the azure pegasa does when my character enters the room is start complaining about how I’ve done little or nothing in building her pet’s flying machine.

I can only guess that, while I was helping at the construction site, either the game itself or the Cakes came in and cleaned up the mess I’d had to leave behind.  I respond, “We really don’t have time for you to complain right now, especially if we want to get back to my house before the sun completely sets.  But, if you really wanna complain, then let me respond by saying that I could’ve used your help here.  I was hoping to make a separate model of Tank’s shell to work with, but that failed miserably.”

Then, I hear Pinkie Pie behind my character say, “Mormy, Dashy, it’s closing time.  You should better take Tank and whatever you need downstairs and outside before the Cakes close up.”

I keep my character focused on the rainbow-haired pegasa while Pinkie speaks.  Then, afterwards, I state, “Pinkie’s right.  If you’ll take Tank, I’ll take the supplies.”

Rainbow Dash emits a groaning sigh, then says, “Oh, alright.”  She then uses her wings to get herself into all-fours position, allowing my character to put her pet on her back.

My character then gathers up the supplies and puts them in the bag to carry with him out of the bakery.

Outside, my character, along with Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, Ataahua, Topsy Turvy, Lyra, and Weed Whacker, head out of Ponyville again, to and through the Everfree forest, and back to my character’s house.

There, Rainbow Dash takes her pet to her room, while my character takes the supplies to his work room.

In the mean time, the four other ponies and the dinosaur head outside to the orchard, vineyard, vegetable garden, and grain field and start harvesting food for snacks for the reading.  Or, that’s what I assume.  When my character comes out of his work room, he meets Rainbow Dash coming out of her room; and, when the two enter the front room, no one else seems to be in the house.

I suggest to Rainbow Dash that we head out to assist with the harvest, and she agrees, begrudgingly.  So, the human and the azure pegasa head out and to the orchard to join Pinkie Pie in harvesting fruits.

Pinkie Pie harvests apples, my character harvests plums, and Rainbow Dash harvests pears.

Back on the front porch with the rest of the group, my character opens the door to allow the others to enter, then closes the door behind him when the last to enter, Weed Whacker, goes in before him.

In the mean time, it’s Lyra who leads the group through the front room to the kitchen door, which she holds open to allow the others, followed by my character, to enter.  Then, she follows my character in, closing the door behind her.

Inside, it’s pretty much business as more-or-less usual.  Weed Whacker is in the sink cleaning the food items; Rainbow Dash distributes them; Pinkie, Ataahua, and Topsy Turvy make muffins with contributions from my character and Lyra; and those two prepare the rest of the food for raw snacks for the reading.  And, as though planned, which wouldn’t surprise me, there’s a knock on the door just as the snacks are ready.

While Rainbow Dash, Ataahua and Lyra join forces to take the tray of snacks outside, Pinkie Pie proceeds to go outside to greet guests.

In the mean time, I send my character to his work room again to get the TV tray to hold the snack tray.

The guests, once greeted, gather around where my character places the TV tray, and where Rainbow Dash, Ataahua and Lyra place the snack tray on top of it; and each member of the group starts to produce their copies of the Book of Mormon and start flipping through the pages to the one of the next book.

As my character produces his copy, I say, "Tonight, we start reading from the Book of Alma."  I then have my character turn to the azure pegasa, and I ask, "Rainbow Dash, will you start with the first verse?"

The rainbow-haired pegasa smiles at my character and nods, then looks down into her book and reads, "Now it came to pass that in the first year of the reign of the judges over the people of Nephi, from this time forward, king Mosiah having gone the way of all the earth, having warred a good warfare, walking uprightly before God, leaving none to reign in his stead; nevertheless he had established laws, and they were acknowledged by the people; therefore they were obliged to abide by the laws which he had made."

Pinkie Pie then reads, "And it came to pass that in the first year of the reign of Alma in the judgment-seat, there was a man brought before him to be judged, a man who was large, and was noted for his much strength."

Twilight Sparkle reads, "And he had gone about among the people, preaching to them that which he termed to be the word of God, bearing down against the church; declaring unto the people that every priest and teacher ought to become popular; and they ought not to labor with their hands, but that they ought to be supported by the people."  She then looks up, toward my character, and says, "You know what, Mormon, this mindset that this man's suggesting sounds a lot like your definition of priestcraft."

As my character focuses on her, I answer, "That's what it is.  We'll find out later on what this man's name is, but I have to wonder about something.  It's been my experience that it's possible to know the definition of a concept without knowing that such a concept has a label.  I have to wonder if that was the case with this man.  Did he know that what he was preaching was called 'priestcraft?'"

Spike reads, "And he also testified unto the people that all mankind should be saved at the last day, and that they need not fear nor tremble, but that they might lift up their heads and rejoice; for the Lord had created all men, and had also redeemed all men; and, in the end, all men should have eternal life."  He then looks up and says, "Well, if everypony's gonna have eternal life, then what's the point of living?  And, why all the difficulty then?  And, that's another thing.  This man's preaching that priests and teachers shouldn't support themselves, but be supported by the people, and become popular.  If he's selling these people salvation, then telling them they already have it, isn't he saying that they don't need to give him any money, that they shouldn't give him any money?"

You know, I'm really starting to like Spike right now.

Rarity reads, "And it came to pass that he did teach these things so much that many did believe on his words, even so many that they began to support him and give him money."  She then starts giggling, and continues to laugh for a few seconds.  After maybe two minutes, when she can finally speak again, she says, "Of all the silly things I've heard, this has to top it all.  These people are giving this man money for what he says they already have."  And, she laughs some more.

I can't help smiling as I say, "I know what you mean.  But, people are like that.  They get sold on an idea, and pay money for it even when they don't need to.  It's part of their nature, and something humans need to beware of."

Applejack reads, "And he began to be lifted up in the pride of his heart, and to wear very costly apparel, yea, and even began to establish a church after the manner of his preaching."

Fluttershy reads, "And it came to pass as he was going, to preach to those who believed on his word, he met a man who belonged to the church of God, yea, even one of their teachers; and he began to contend with him sharply, that he might lead away the people of the church; but the man withstood him, admonishing him with the words of God."  She then looks up, and I can see her trembling as she says, "Th-this m-man who's p-preaching p-priestcraft and s-selling people wh-what h-he says th-they already have, I d-don't like h-him."

Lyra reads, "Now the name of the man was Gideon; and it was he who was an instrument in the hands of God in delivering the people of Limhi out of bondage."  She then looks up and says, "I seem to remember Gideon being King Noah's main enemy.  I'm guessing he's not the one preaching priestcraft."

As my character focuses on her, I reply, "That's correct.  Like I said, the name of the man preaching priestcraft will be revealed soon enough."

Ataahua reads, "Now, because Gideon withstood him with the words of God he was wroth with Gideon, and drew his sword and began to smite him.  Now Gideon being stricken with many years, therefore he was not able to withstand his blows, therefore he was slain by the sword."

I read, "And the man who slew him was taken by the people of the church, and was brought before Alma, to be judged according to the crimes which he had committed."

Topsy Turvy reads, "And it came to pass that he stood before Alma and pled for himself with much boldness."

Weed Whacker reads, "But Alma said unto him: Behold, this is the first time that priestcraft has been introduced among this people.  And behold, thou art not only guilty of priestcraft, but hast endeavored to enforce it by the sword; and were priestcraft to be enforced among this people it would prove their entire destruction."

Princess Luna reads, "And thou hast shed the blood of a righteous man, yea, a man who has done much good among this people; and were we to spare thee his blood would come upon us for vengeance."

Princess Celestia reads, "Therefore thou art condemned to die, according to the law which has been given us by Mosiah, our last king; and it has been acknowledged by this people; therefore this people must abide by the law."

Rainbow Dash reads, "And it came to pass that they took him; and his name was Nehor; and they carried him upon the top of the hill Manti, and there he was caused, or rather did acknowledge, between the heavens and the earth, that what he had taught to the people was contrary to the word of God; and there he suffered an ignominious death."  She then looks up and asks, "What does 'ignominious' mean?"

It's the daytime alicorn that answers, "It means 'disgraceful,' 'shameful.'"

Rainbow Dash simply says, "Oh," before continuing, "I'm guessing that the name of this man who preached priestcraft and enforced it with violence, his name was Nehor?"

I open my mouth to answer, but Princess Celestia beats me to it.  She answers, "That's right."

Seeing that her azure pegasa friend is satisfied with the answers she got, Pinkie Pie reads, "Nevertheless, this did not put an end to the spreading of priestcraft through the land; for there were many who loved the vain things of the world, and they went forth preaching false doctrines; and this they did for the sake of riches and honor."

At this point, I speak up and say, "We'll find out later what kind of a legacy Nehor will leave with the Nephites.  And, it's not a pretty one.  But, for now, let's continue the reading."

Twilight Sparkle reads, "Nevertheless, they durst not lie, if it were known, for fear of the law, for liars were punished; therefore they pretended to preach according to their belief; and now the law could have no power on any man for his belief."

Spike reads, "And they durst not steal, for fear of the law, for such were punished; neither durst they rob, nor murder, for he that murdered was punished unto death."

Rarity reads, "But it came to pass that whosoever did not belong to the church of God began to persecute those that did belong to the church of God, and had taken upon them the name of Christ."

Applejack reads, "Yea, they did persecute them, and afflict them with all manner of words, and this because of their humility; because they were not proud in their own eyes, and because they did impart the word of God, one with another, without money and without price."  She then looks up and says, "Now, Ah'm a'havin' trouble with this.  Sellin' the word of God for money?  That don't sound right to me."

Fluttershy reads, "Now there was a strict law among the people of the church, that there should not any man, belonging to the church, arise and persecute those that did not belong to the church, and that there should be no persecution among themselves."  She then looks up and says, "Now, that sounds like a good law to me."

Lyra reads, "Nevertheless, there were many among them who began to be proud, and began to contend warmly with their adversaries, even unto blows; yea, they would smite one another with their fists."

Ataahua reads, "Now this was in the second year of the reign of Alma, and it was a cause of much affliction to the church; yea, it was the cause of much trial with the church."

I read, "For the hearts of many were hardened, and their names were blotted out, that they were remembered no more among the people of God.  And also many withdrew themselves from among them."

Topsy Turvy reads, "Now this was a great trial to those that did stand fast in the faith; nevertheless, they were steadfast and immovable in keeping the commandments of God, and they bore with patience the persecution which was heaped upon them."

Weed Whacker reads, "And when the priests left their labor to impart the word of God unto the people, the people also left their labors to hear the word of God.  And when the priest had imparted unto them the word of God they all returned again diligently unto their labors; and the priest, not esteeming himself above his hearers, for the preacher was no better than the hearer, neither was the teacher any better than the learner; and thus they were all equal, and they did all labor, every man according to his strength."  She then looks up at my character and says, "You know what, Mormon, this sounds like your definition of humility."

As my character turns to the herbivorous dinosaur, I reply, "It's true, I believe that equality is the spirit of true humility."

Princess Luna reads, "And they did impart of their substance, every man according to that which he had, to the poor, and the needy, and the sick, and the afflicted; and they did not wear costly apparel, yet they were neat and comely."

Princess Celestia reads, "And thus they did establish the affairs of the church; and thus they began to have continual peace again, notwithstanding all their persecutions."

Rainbow Dash reads, "And now, because of the steadiness of the church they began to be exceedingly rich, having abundance of all things whatsoever they stood in need—an abundance of flocks and herds, and fatlings of every kind, and also abundance of grain, and of gold, and of silver, and of precious things, and abundance of silk and fine-twined linen, and all manner of good homely cloth."

Pinkie Pie reads, "And thus, in their prosperous circumstances, they did not send away any who were naked, or that were hungry, or that were athirst, or that were sick, or that had not been nourished; and they did not set their hearts upon riches; therefore they were liberal to all, both old and young, both bond and free, both male and female, whether out of the church or in the church, having no respect to persons as to those who stood in need."  She then turns to her white unicorn friend and says, "You know what, Rarity, this sounds a lot like you."

Twilight Sparkle reads, "And thus they did prosper and become far more wealthy than those who did not belong to their church."

Spike reads, "For those who did not belong to their church did indulge themselves in sorceries, and in idolatry or idleness, and in babblings, and in envyings and strife; wearing costly apparel; being lifted up in the pride of their own eyes; persecuting, lying, thieving, robbing, committing whoredoms, and murdering, and all manner of wickedness; nevertheless, the law was put in force upon all those who did transgress it, inasmuch as it was possible."

Rarity reads, "And it came to pass that by thus exercising the law upon them, every man suffering according to that which he had done, they became more still, and durst not commit any wickedness if it were known; therefore, there was much peace among the people of Nephi until the fifth year of the reign of the judges."

At this point, I have my character stand up; and I say, "And, that's the end of the first chapter of Alma.  Tomorrow, we'll start off by reading the second chapter, and continue from there as necessary.  But, until then, I thank you for coming; and I hope you who are heading to your homes have a safe trip there."

Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie go to the front gate to say farewell to their friends Twilight, Rarity, Fluttershy, Applejack, and Spike; while Ataahua, Topsy Turvy, and Weed Whacker take the snack tray to the house; and my character follows those three with the TV tray.

Lyra’s already there at the front door to let the four enter, and waits for them to come back out again.

And, by the time the snack and TV trays have been put away and the four are back on the front porch, so are Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash.  I don’t doubt that the other four element bearers and Spike are on their way back to Ponyville.

At any rate, with the group gathered on the front porch, Princess Celestia asks, “So, how many of you will be joining Mormon and Topsy Turvy at Canterlot Castle to watch Topsy Turvy take care of her father’s statue?”

I’m not at all surprised to hear each member of the group, even Rainbow Dash, volunteer for the trip.

Seeing everyone volunteer, the daytime princess smiles as she says, “Well, in that case, come and join me and my sister on the front lawn.  We’ll teleport when everypony is ready.”

In agreement, the group gathers on the front lawn around the two alicorns, who immediately bow their heads and close their eyes; and their horns start to glow and sparkle.

One frame later, the group is on the lawn near the entrance to the hedge maze, in front of Discord’s statue.

As Princess Luna trots toward the castle to get Grounds Keeper, Princess Celestia trots toward the entrance to the hedge maze and asks, “Mormon, will you come with me?”

As my character proceeds to follow the white alicorn, I answer, “Yes, ma’am.”  And, my character follows her into the hedge maze until she stops just past the first turn.

She then turns to my character and asks, “So, have you learned anything new about Lyra?”

I answer, “Actually, not today, no.”  Seeing her tilt her head curiously, I add, “The fact of the matter is I’ve been focused on Rainbow

Dash and her pet, Tank.”

I must say, I’m surprised to see Princess Celestia settle into a sphinx-style position before she says, “I see.”  Then, she asks, “So, what have you learned about Rainbow Dash?”

I answer, “Well, I’ve known, since joining her in Cloudsdale a week or so ago, that she has an ego.  But, lately, she seems to be letting her ego get the better of her.  Unlike in Cloudsdale, where her ego was getting her discouraged, now she seems to be getting too prideful.  In Ponyville, because of her recent successes rescuing her fellow ponies, she’s been seen as something of a superhero, and has gotten a lot of attention because of it.  And, she’s been enjoying that attention, probably a little too much.

“Her friends have been taking measures to try to help her remember humility; but, from what I can tell, she’s addicted to the attention she’s been getting, and she’s not willing to give that up easily.”

Now, the daytime princess rises to a canine-style position and asks, “And, how do you feel about the measures her friends are taking?”

I answer, “They’re dressing up in identical superhero costumes; and they seem to be competing with Rainbow Dash, or, that is, Rainbow Dash is competing with them, not knowing it’s them, to minimize casualties caused by disasters.  Most recently, Pinkie Pie, dressed in her costume, rescued the majority of worker ponies from a collapsing building.  Rainbow Dash managed to rescue one of the workers, but they all gave credit to the new hero, who they’ve named Mysterious Mare-Do-Well.

“At any rate, while I can appreciate what they’re trying to do, I just hope they don’t go too far with it.  While they’re drawing the attention away from Rainbow Dash, I just hope they remember why they’re doing what they’re doing.”

The daytime alicorn nods as she says, “I see.”  She then points to my character with a front hoof and asks, “And, how do you think they might go too far with reminding Rainbow Dash about humility?”

I pause for a moment to watch the white princess put her front hoof down again before I answer, “Well, I know that one of the things that Rainbow Dash has been doing is encouraging louder cheers from the ponies in town.  When she rescued a foal in a carriage from riding off of a cliff, she said there was something wrong with it because it wasn’t cheering for her.  In my book, that qualifies as bragging.

“I have to wonder if her friends, the other element bearers, in the process of reminding Rainbow Dash to be humble, may do some bragging of their own.  I can understand why they would choose to do that, showing their friend that not everyone appreciates her making her accomplishments out to be more than they are.  I just hope they keep whatever bragging they might do to a minimum.”

Princess Celestia rises to all fours again before saying, “I believe I can understand your concerns.  Once somepony starts something, it can be difficult to tell when it needs to stop.”  She then asks, “Do you think I should warn Twilight and her friends about it?”

I answer, “Honestly, I don’t know.  But, if you do choose to warn them, it should go to Twilight, Rarity, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, and Applejack.  They’re the ones wearing the disguises, and trying to help Rainbow Dash.”

Princess Celestia nods in agreement, or perhaps affirmation.  I’m having trouble telling for sure which it is.  For all I know, it could be both.  Either way, she adds, “It sounds to me like you also want to help Rainbow Dash.”

I answer, “I do want to help her, and I also want to help her friends help her.  And, at the same time, I want to make sure, in the process of everyone getting help, that no one gets hurt.”

Again the white princess surprises me by turning completely away from my character as she sighs, then says, “Well, there are times when it requires getting hurt in order to get help, and to learn an important lesson.”

I ask, “So, your advice is to let Twilight and the other element bearers brag and hurt Rainbow Dash in order to help her?”

Princess Celestia answers, “If that’s what she needs in order to get help, then that’s what should be done.”

I snort with surprise before I say, “You know, I didn’t think that part of giving these reports would include getting advice on how to act in a situation.”

The white alicorn turns completely to my character again and smiles as she says, “Sometimes that is a part of it.  When one of my little ponies, who needs to make a report to me, comes with evident questions about a situation, as you have done, I need to advise him or her on what to do.  I’ve found that it’s part of being a leader.”  She then asks, “So, is there anything else you would like to add to your report?”

I don’t know if my character smiles back.  All I know is I do as I answer, “No, I think that’s all. Thanks for the advice, by the way.”

The daytime princess nods and answers, “You’re welcome.  Now, let’s go back.”

I only nod in agreement as my character watches the white princess pass in front of her, then follows her back out of the hedge maze.

By the time the human and the white alicorn return to Discord’s statue, again Topsy Turvy is halfway through cleaning it, him, and about halfway through her song.  It takes a few more minutes for her to finish cleaning the statue, and about another minute for her to finish her song and wish for her father to be freed from the statue again.

Afterwards, while Princess Luna and Grounds Keeper take the cleaning equipment back to the castle, Princess Celestia, once her sister and the elder earth stallion are out of range, closes her eyes and bows her head; and her horn starts to glow and sparkle again.

Then, one frame later, the group is back on my character’s front lawn.

The others back away and say goodbye to the daytime princess, who promptly nods and disappears.

After that, the group goes to work, heading into their fields to harvest food for dinner.

I don’t know if I should be surprised or not that Pinkie is silent during the harvest of the fruits in the orchard.  All I know is I’m not.

At any rate, after the harvest, the group gathers on the front porch, where my character opens the door and waits for the ponies and dinosaur to enter.

And, it’s Ataahua who leads the group to the kitchen door, and waits for them, including my character, to enter.

In the mean time, my character waits for the last in line, Weed Whacker, to enter, before following her in and closing the door behind him.

And, after my character enters the kitchen, Lyra follows him in, closing the kitchen door behind her.

In the kitchen, the cleaning of the fruits and vegetables works out the same way it did the previous night.  And, after the food is prepared and blessed, the group joins forces eating it, then cleans up whatever isn’t eaten.

Before my character can close the door after entering his room, I hear Pinkie Pie ask, “Mormon, can I come in for a few minutes?”

It takes my character focusing on the pink angel pony before I can answer, “Sure, come on in.”  Then, as I watch Pinkie enter, then bounce to, then onto, his bed, I ask, “So, what can I help you with?”

Pinkie turns a hundred eighty degrees, then settles into a sphinx-style position.  As my character approaches her and kneels on one knee, she answers, “It’s about that character, Nehor, that we read about tonight.”

I nod in understanding as I say, “Fluttershy mentioned she didn’t like him.”

Pinkie sighs before saying, “She probably feels some kind of strange connection to him.  But, that’s not what I wanted to talk about.”

Encouragingly, I ask, “So, is there something bothering you about him?”

Pinkie simply nods before answering, “You said something about him leaving a legacy on the Nephites.  Would you be referring to the desolation of Nehors mentioned later on in the Book of Alma?”

I answer, “That’s right.  The people of Ammonihah are described as being of the ‘profession of Nehor,’ which would mean that priestcraft was part of their everyday life.  And, when Alma and Amulek preached to them, they either cast out or killed all those that believed them.  After that, the two were thrown in prison and mistreated for a week, from what I understand, after which point, after praying to God, they were delivered when the prison collapsed and killed everyone in it except them. Then, a year after they left, which was shortly after God told them to leave, …”

Pinkie holds a hoof out to my character before continuing, “The Lamanites came and destroyed the city, didn’t leave anypony alive there.  Based on what’s written in the Book of Mormon, the dead bodies were ‘heaped up on the earth.’  The smell was so bad that nopony went to reclaim the city for years.  And, because priestcraft, which Nehor had taught while he was alive, was so rampant in the city, they called it the desolation of Nehors.”

At this point, I say, “You know, I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s a desolation of Nehors coming in my time.  Priestcraft is pretty rampant in my world.  I doubt it’ll happen exactly the way it did in Alma’s time, but I can’t help thinking that it will happen, and perhaps on an even broader scale.”

Pinkie looks down and sighs, then looks up at my character again and says, “Well, let’s hope it doesn’t happen too close to where you live, right Mormon?”

I can’t help smiling as I answer, “Agreed.”

Now, I find that Princess Celestia isn’t the only one that surprises me as Pinkie Pie rises to all fours, then rears up on her hind legs.  Before my character can react, the pink angel pony then collapses on him, wrapping her forelimbs around his neck in a hug, which he returns.

After a few seconds, the two separate; and Pinkie Pie says, “I hope things’ll go alright for you.”  She then rises to all fours and poses as though to jump off of my character’s bed.  But, before she does, she rises again and says, “Oh, and one more thing.”  She pauses for another moment before saying, “If the thought of us bragging bothers you so much, I’ll tell you what I’ll do.  I promise that I won’t do any bragging.”  She then goes through the actions as she says, “Cross my heart and hope to fly,”  and she giggles before she concludes, “Stick a cupcake in my eye.”

I chuckle a bit myself as I have my character stroke the pink angel pony’s mane, and I say, “Thanks, Pinkie.  I appreciate it.”

After wagging her tail, not unlike a dog, Pinkie hops off of the bed and starts trotting toward the door.

My character rises to his feet and follows her, until she stops about midway between the door and my character’s bed.

At that point, I ask, “Pinkie, is there something wrong?”

The pink angel pony turns a hundred eighty degrees toward my character, collapses into a canine-style position, and says, “You know what, there is one more thing.  I’ve been wondering about this for a while now.”  She then inhales deeply, then exhales slowly, then asks, “Is there a particular reason why you’re here?”

I pause for a second before I answer, “I don’t understand.  What do you mean?”

I notice Pinkie’s voice starts to shake as she answers, “For a thousand years there haven’t been any humans in Equestria.  And then, you show up.  Is there a reason why you’re here, now?  And, why are you the only one here?  There must be more to you being here than just to make friends with ponies, to let us know that humans still exist.”

Part of this first extension of this game is the addition of the objective to get a changeling, a queen if possible, and to take that changeling back to my character’s home among the other humans.  I even have a back story, a reason for it, which I tell Pinkie about at this point:  “Over a thousand years ago, when there were so many humans alive here, sorcery and witchcraft were really prevalent among them.  Stories of Pegasus and unicorns were of such great interest to people that they wanted to produce living examples of them.  According to records where I come from, they were successful in creating a species of lion with the wings of a bat and a scorpion’s tail, a combined tiger-goat-snake creature, some multi-headed dogs, and the creature you know as Discord the draconequus.  Those are just some of the creatures that humans were able to make by seeking more control than they should have over genetics, and they proved to be far more dangerous than people expected.

“One of the more benign creatures that was created was a type of arthropod, a type of wasp.  People, as it turns out, were able to reorganize the wasp’s genetics so that it had only four legs, grew its stinger on its head like a horn, and thrived most on positive human emotions.  A healthy specimen had a pale-green color, not unlike that of Lyra.  And, best of all, or so the records read, the wasp took on an equine shape, which made it all the more friendly toward humans.”

I think I can see equal parts interest and fear on Pinkie’s face as she says, “Oh, I see.”

I continue, “These equine wasps, as they were called, became very popular as pets because they fed on positive human emotions, and because they resembled horses.  Then, when they demonstrated that they could bend light around them to make themselves look even more like horses, or ponies, they became even more popular.  They were the humans' first step toward creating a living, horse-like creature with both wings and a horn.”

Pinkie settles into a sphinx-style position before asking, “So, what happened to them?”

I continue, “Humans continued to experiment with equine DNA, and especially that of ponies.  And, there they had their first success with producing a living equine with a horn and wings.  From what we know based on the records, they weren’t successful in making equines with just a horn or with just wings before they were destroyed.  But, in the mean time, these winged, horned ponies began to compete with the equine wasps.  And, the equine wasps didn’t like that.  So, they fought back.”

At this point, Pinkie rises to all fours and, pointing a front hoof at my character, says, “Now, wait a minute.  If I understand, these equine wasps were easier to take care of because they fed on positive human emotions.”  Then, seeing my character nod, she continues, “But, well, ponies eat oats, carrots, apples, and other plants.  So, it’s more difficult to take care of a pony than an equine wasp.”  She waits for my character to nod to her again before asking, “So, why would the wasps get so defensive about the niche they were filling?  What, did humans prefer ponies over equine wasps?”

I pause for a second before answering, “Equine wasps were still wasps; and, as friendly as they proved to be toward humans, there was still the fear that the wasps would sting them.  And, while there was also the possibility of being hurt by a pony, as well as the fact that the equine wasps were far easier to take care of, still, many people preferred to take on the challenge of caring for a pony, one that symbolized two mythological creatures at the same time.

“In the mean time, it seems that the wasps weren’t willing to let go of their monopoly over human attention, and went to war over the ponies because of it; and the humans were stuck in the middle of the conflict.

“Discord, as well as the other creatures that humans had created, got loose and joined sides with the equine wasps.  And, according to reports, there were two of those horned and winged ponies, a white one and a dark-blue one, that lead the ponies against the equine wasps and their allies.  And, before the war ended, almost all of the humans were destroyed.  Kind of funny, isn’t it?  With all their technology, when it came down to it, they couldn’t keep up with their biological creations.  And, their creations survive to this day.  Some of them, a small group of foals, were even dropped off near the last known human settlement.”

I notice it takes, or seems to take, a few seconds for Pinkie to process all the information I gave her.  When she’s done, she says, “So, you’re here to get one of those ‘equine wasps’?”

I answer, “That’s right.  If I can get a queen, then it’ll be all the better.  But, even if I can only get a worker or a drone, that'll be enough.”

Now, I notice Pinkie’s eyes start to vibrate as she says, “And, … and after you … get an equine wasp, … then you’re going … home?”

I answer, “That’s the plan.”

At this point, Pinkie’s mane and tail seem to start to deflate as she looks down, then collapses into a canine-style position, then a sphinx-style position, then starts to whimper.

I decide to have my character reach out and stroke her mane as I say, “Now, chances are that it may take a while before that happens.”

Pinkie looks up at my character, at me; and I can see her start to glare as she says, “But, it isn’t fair.  We’re friends now.  Why would you come here just to find a bug to take back with you?”

I have my character continue stroking Pinkie’s mane as I answer, “You aren’t the only friend I’ve made here, and I’m glad I made so many friends.  I know, now, that it’s not just the ponies that we were given to care for that survived all these years, and I consider that knowledge a valuable gift.  Not only that, but being able to take care of you, seeing you develop wings the way you did, it lets me know that you must’ve been descended from the ponies that humans created, that had both a horn and wings.  Why else would you be able to sprout wings the way you did?”  I then proceed to have my character pick up the pink angel pony as I say, “Now, come here.”

I notice, as my character proceeds to hug Pinkie, that, based on the message box that only appears after a few seconds, it takes that long for the pink angel pony to reciprocate.  And, it lasts for a few more seconds before Pinkie pushes away and says, “So, I guess, somewhere along the way, ponies were able to be born with just a horn, or just wings, or neither, after all.”  And, she half-heartedly chuckles.

I only smile as I reply, “Evidently so.”

Pinkie rests her head on my character’s chest again for a second before saying, “Well, I guess that’s all.  I should better be getting back to my room.  We need to get some sleep for tomorrow.”

My character puts the pink angel pony back on the ground, then stands up again and moves toward the door.

In the mean time, I say, “Yeah, good idea.”  Then, as my character opens his door, I say to Pinkie, who ambles past him, “Good night, Pinkie.”

The pink angel pony pauses in the doorway, and only turns and smiles up at me in response.  After that, she ambles into the hallway, then waits for my character to close his door before she, I assume, continues on to her room.

As my character returns to his bed and goes to sleep, I find I can’t help thinking of what’s going to happen to Rainbow Dash in the game’s tomorrow.  Also, I really am surprised to get advice from Princess Celestia on the matter of Rainbow Dash’s friends helping her by hurting her.  Was that really Princess Celestia’s advice, or did it come from another source?  Thinking about the episode, noting that Rainbow Dash was emotionally hurt by her friends bragging about Mare-Do-Well instead of her, and noting her reaction to the praises they were giving the new heroine, not to mention how it all turned out, maybe it was better that way?  I guess I’ll find out tomorrow.