As I resume the game, the first thing I hear is the sound of a hoof pounding on wood; and, when I open my second game file, that sound is followed by Ataahua’s voice calling out, “Mormon, are you awake yet?”

My character rises from his bed and walks to the door.  When he opens it, there seems to be something preventing it from opening enough to allow him to leave, something that yelps in pain in Ataahua’s voice.

I order my character to stop trying to force the door open; and I ask, “Ataahua, is that you?” Then, after hearing a pained grunt of affirmation from the gray pegasa, I ask, “Are you alright?”

As per my orders, my character closes the door enough to allow Ataahua to move out of the way.  Then, once I’ve heard the hoof-falls away from the door stop, I allow my character to open the door again; and I can see, through my character’s eyes, the gray pegasa in the hallway, a sad look on her face, rubbing a forelimb from the shoulder down.

At first, as she looks at me, she whimpers, “Yeah, I’m alright.”  Then, she continues, “Pinkie Pie wanted me to come and get you, to let you know that she’s out in the orchard already.  She also said that I should tell you that she needs to get to Ponyville as soon as possible so she can get back to work at Sugar Cube Corner.”

Considering the door is sufficiently open that my character can walk through it, I have him do so, then close the door behind him; and I say, “Thanks, Ataahua.  I’ll go out and help her, then.”  And, with that, and with the gray pegasa leading the way, my character automatically follows, opening and closing doors for the two of them along the way.

It’s about the time that the human and the pegasa reach the orchard that Ataahua moves off toward the grain field.

In the mean time, my character climbs over the fence, then approaches a pear tree to harvest fruits from it.

From an apple tree nearby, I hear Diane Pie say, “I’ve just harvested the apples we’ll need.  I’ll gather them, and we’ll meet at the house.”

My character turns to the pink angel pony, showing me, through his eyes, that indeed Pinkie Pie has straight mane and tail, and her mane is over one side of her head and neck.

I say, “Go on ahead.  I’ll catch up to you.”

And, with that, my character proceeds with harvesting pears.  In fact, such a harvest doesn’t take very long; and soon my character has gathered enough pears for the group, and is carrying them in his arms back to the house.

By the time he gets there, Topsy Turvy is also there holding the door open, waiting for him to come inside.  And, the pink earth mare follows my character to the kitchen, where Lyra is holding the door open with her magic.

With Weed Whacker in the sink, cleaning the fruits and vegetables for the rest of the group, the preparation process takes only a few minutes, with a little extra time for Ataahua, Topsy Turvy, and Pinkie Pie to prepare and bake muffins to have with the rest of the fruit.  Then, when all is ready, the fruit and muffins are taken into the front room, where the group sits on the couches.

Ataahua raises a front hoof, volunteering to offer the prayer over the food.  And, she offers the prayer before I can agree to it, after which ponies, dinosaur, and human choose an item of food and start eating.

During the meal, different subjects are brought up, including Pinkie Pie’s behavior over the previous night’s Nightmare Night celebration, and what she learned about what she should and should not have done.  There’s also the green dragon, and the effects of him leaving.  Then, there are the lingering effects of Discord’s attack, and how long it could take to recover from it.  And, there’s also the topic of the previous night’s reading, and how Ataahua related it to bullies.  And, as breakfast ends and is cleaned up, there’s the question brought up about how long Topsy Turvy will have to take care of her father, how long he’ll remain a statue.

With the group of six ready to leave, they head out and to the front gate, and are soon on their way through the Everfree forest, and back to Ponyville again.

Once the group arrives at Sugar Cube Corner, it seems that the Cakes find themselves with an overabundance of workers.  While they agree that it’s important that Pinkie Pie be there, since she’s an employee, there’s one evident problem.  With Pinkie Pie filling the role of preparing batter, the only other jobs available are oven supervising, retrieving ingredients to help with preparing the batter, and setting up pots and pans to put the batter in to prepare for baking.  Mrs. Cake takes it on herself to place the completed pastries on the shelves, and Mr. Cake takes control of the cash register.  But, that apparently leaves three jobs for a total of five creatures.

Eventually, it’s decided that Lyra should take care of setting up the containers, Ataahua is chosen to retrieve ingredients, and Weed Whacker is chosen to supervise the oven.

I don’t mind the arrangement, considering that I may have something to do outside Sugar Cube Corner.

On the other hand, Topsy Turvy seems disappointed that she doesn’t have anything to do, that she can’t help Ataahua.

Well, considering that neither my character nor Topsy Turvy are needed at Sugar Cube Corner, I decide to have my character lead the pink earth mare outside, where, once he puts her on her hooves on the ground again, I say, “Well, I suppose we could find something to do elsewhere in town.”

I think I hear a note of skepticism in Topsy Turvy’s voice when she asks, “Really?  And, what do you suggest  we do now?”

I have my character start walking as I say, “I’m sure there are other ponies in town that could use our help.”

The pink earth mare groans, “Like, who?  Twilight has Spike to help her, and she’s a unicorn anyway; so, she probably won’t need our help.  Fluttershy’s so used to doing things on her own, I don’t think there’s anything we could do to help her.  Rainbow Dash spends her day either sleeping or moving clouds or kicking them apart.  And, I don’t have any experience bucking apples out of trees; so, I don’t think I’d be any help to Applejack.”

I state, “And, that just leaves Rarity.”

Topsy Turvy glares up at my character for a few seconds before saying, “I don’t make clothes.”

I respond, “We may not have to.  There may be other ways we can help her.”

The pink earth mare turns and looks at the bakery modeled after a gingerbread house, then turns back to my character and sighs, then says, “Well, we’ve got nothing better to do.”

Taking that as a plan, my character starts walking toward the cylindrical clothing store.

A few minutes later, the human and the earth pony arrive at Carousel Boutique.

As my character approaches the door to knock on it, I hear Topsy Turvy say, “Well, we’re here, and there’s nothing for us to do.  So, let’s go.”

My character turns to the pink earth mare, and I say, “We just got here.”

Before either of us can say anymore, from somewhere nearby, I hear Sweetie Belle’s voice call out, “Who’s there?”

Topsy Turvy and my character exchange looks, then run around the boutique to see what’s going on.  And, we arrive in time to see the white unicorn filly with a wooden tub of clothing and dirty water, and the unicorn filly in the process of scrubbing a sweater that looks, to me anyway, like a patchwork of solid colors and maybe a curved line or two.  And, I can’t help noticing the step ladder just next to the tub, opposite where Sweetie Belle is scrubbing the sweater.

Before human or earth pony can say anything, Sweetie Belle, seeing my character first, says, “Oh, hi, Mormon.  What’re you doing here?  Shouldn’t you be helping Pinkie Pie at Sugar Cube Corner?”

My character focuses on the unicorn filly, and I answer, “Well, with two extra friends I’ve made recently, it seems that I’m not needed as much there as I have been.  So, since I’m not needed there, I figured I could help elsewhere.”  I then ask, “Is there anything I, or maybe Topsy Turvy here, could help with?”

Sweetie Belle pauses long enough to huff and say, “Well, I don’t know.  I try to help my big sister, and I end up makin’ a big mess.  I made breakfast, but Rarity didn’t like it because she said it was all burned.  I tried to help make breakfast, but I couldn’t even put a piece of parsley on the plate without Rarity getting all nervous about it.”  She then sighs before resuming the scrubbing as she says, “Now I’m doing laundry.  I hope at least this way I’m helping my big sis.”

I state, “Yeah, about that sweater you’re cleaning?”

Curiously, the white unicorn filly tilts her head and asks, “Yeah, what about it?”

I answer, “If you’re going to hang that up to dry, you should hang it indoors.”

Innocently, Sweetie Belle asks, “Why?”

I answer, “Trust me on this.  You’ll be better off if you hang the sweater up to dry in the house.”

Evidently finished, the white unicorn filly takes the sweater in her mouth, then climbs the ladder and, using two clothes pins, hangs the sweater on the clothes line.  She then turns to my character and says, “My sister may live here, but this place is a clothing store, not a house.”

Then, Topsy Turvy asks, “Uh, don’t you have parents?  Where are they?”

Sweetie Belle turns around on the ladder and sits down human style, then once again sighs.  She then answers, “Yeah, they left on vacation.”  As though reluctantly reciting a poem or reading lazily from a script, she adds, “Seven days and six nights.”  Finally, she concludes, “They’re leaving me with my big sister until they come back.”

At this point, Topsy Turvy lowers her head and says, “Well, Mormon and I came here to help anypony that needed it.  But, if we’re not needed here, then there’s no reason for us to stay.”  She then looks up at my character and says, “Let’s go, Mormon.”  And, she turns and ambles away.

As my character starts to follow the pink earth mare, she turns to him again and asks, “Well, any other bright ideas?”

For some reason, the first thought that comes to my mind is the disc in my character’s inventory, the one he and Scout play with.  Thinking about it, I say, “Well, I do have a disc we can play with.”

Now, Topsy Turvy stops and asks, “What kind of disc?”

My character stops a step behind the pink earth mare, and I answer, “It’s a disc that I throw for Scout, and he brings it back to me.”

Hearing that, Topsy Turvy growls, “So, what, you’re gonna play with me like I’m a wooden dog now?”

I answer, “You don’t have to bring it back.  You could catch the disc and throw it back to me.”

Now, Topsy Turvy turns to my character completely and asks, “And, how am I supposed to do that without hands?”

At this point, Topsy Turvy’s reminding me of fan stories I’ve heard about Lyra.  I answer, “When Applejack throws another disc I made for her pet dog Winona, she holds the disc in her mouth, jumps and spins around, then releases the disc.  She gets really good distance that way.  Maybe you could do the same thing?”

Topsy Turvy scratches her chin in thought for a moment, then sighs and says, “Yeah, I guess it’s worth a shot.  I don’t have any better ideas for what we could do.”

Considering the matter settled at least for the moment, I point my character to the bridge; and I say, “So, let’s head over to the park.  We can play there.”  And, in the mean time, I have my character remove the disc from his inventory.

Topsy Turvy says nothing more, but the hoof-falls I hear from behind my character indicate she’s following him as he walks across the bridge into the park.

I must say, the park is remarkably clean considering the festival of the previous night.  Evidently, when the ponies are finished with any parties they throw, they get to work and tidy up and leave no evidence that there was a party.

At any rate, when the human and the earth pony get what I figure is a safe distance away from Carousel Boutique, I have my character stop and toss the disc ahead of him.

In response, Topsy Turvy shouts, “Hey, no fair!  I wasn’t ready!”  and gallops ahead to try to catch the disc.  And, she manages to do so, but only after it lands and rolls for a second or two.  Then, once she has the disc in her mouth, she jumps straight up in the air, then spins a hundred eighty degrees at the climax, and releases the disc in my character’s direction.  When she lands, she turns to my character again and calls out, “How’s that, Mormon?”

I have to hand it to Topsy Turvy.  She’s made a really accurate throw.

The disc glides right back to my character.  And, as he catches it, I call out, “Nicely done, Topsy Turvy!  Now, catch!”  And, I have my character toss the disc back to the pink earth mare.

Watching Topsy Turvy try to anticipate where the disc is likely to land, I find she reminds me of either Scout or Winona, as she jumps from one side to the other and back again, evidently deciding how she’ll be able to grab the disc.  Then, when the disc is, I’d say, maybe a foot away from her, she jumps up and catches the disc in her mouth, once again reminding me of a dog.  Then, once she lands, she jumps into the air again and spins three hundred sixty degrees this time, once again releasing the disc in the direction of my character.

But, it seems that the pink earth mare has a surprise for my character this time; as, when the disc is close enough for him to grab it out of the air, it suddenly stops, then jumps directly upward.

I have my character point into the air, and I say, “I guess I should’ve seen that one coming.”

I then hear Topsy Turvy start giggling.  And, when my character turns to look at his finger, I see the disc perfectly centered on the nail, and spinning like a top.  I have him toss the disc into the air, then catch the disc when it comes back down, then turn back to the still-laughing pink earth mare; and I say, “Good one.  I see playing games with you is going to be more fun and unpredictable than I thought.”

Now, I see Topsy Turvy laugh even harder as she rolls onto her back.

I decide to try a different tactic; and I have my character kneel on the ground on one knee, then curl his arm vertically to the ground, then uncurl it quickly and release the disc so it rolls toward Topsy Turvy.  Then, on release, I call out, “Here, try to catch this one!”

Presently, Topsy Turvy stops laughing and looks between her hind legs and grunts questioningly.  Seeing the disc rolling toward her, she immediately rolls onto her hooves toward the rolling disc, in its path in fact, and calls out, “Woah!”  And, she hops into the air to avoid the disc rolling into her.

I can’t help laughing at the display.

And, I can only guess she uses chaos magic she must’ve inherited from Discord to catch the disc and get it back to her.  She then grins devilishly at my character and says, “Oh, so that’s how it’s going to be, huh?” before somehow rolling the disc on the ground and back toward my character.

I’m not all that surprised at how rapidly the disc rolls toward my character.  But, I am surprised when the disc, maybe a foot from my character, suddenly rises up again and turns horizontal, then flies around him the way one might expect a flying saucer to.

For maybe a minute the disc dodges my character’s attempts to grab it out of the air.  It’s not until Topsy Turvy is overcome with her laughter that my character is finally able to catch the disc, which, for that minute, had a mind of its own.  Then, when my character throws the disc back to her, in such a way that it bounces off of the ground a few feet in front of her, I call out, “You’re full of all sorts of surprises.  Here, try this!”

But, this time, the pink earth mare is instantly ready for it.  She crouches down until the disc flies over her, then catches on her head.

The result is Topsy Turvy reminding me of scenes in movies where I’ve seen orientals wearing round, woven-reed hats that look like the disc on Topsy Turvy’s head.  After a second or two, she thrusts her head up again, tossing the disc in the air; then, when it lands, she grabs it in her mouth.

At this point, I applaud the pink earth mare for that display of talent.

But, instead of tossing the disc back to my character, Topsy Turvy gallops back to him, drops the disc at his feet, and says, “I just saw Sweetie Belle leave Carousel Boutique.  I wonder if something’s wrong.”

As my character turns to the cylinder-shaped clothing store, I’m sure I already know what’s going on.  After all, this day, and the one immediately following, are based on the episode, “Sisterhooves Social,” where Rarity and her little sister, Sweetie Belle, take part in a competition that, from what I understand, is designed to prove teamwork between two sisters.  And, Sweetie Belle, when the final race takes place, will think she’s racing alongside Applebloom’s sister, Applejack, until after the race when she discovers that Rarity took Applejack’s place early on, in the first mud hole.  But, that’ll come later.

Right now, all I can see that indicates where the white unicorn filly is is the top of her mane appearing to bounce just above the guard wall of the bridge.  And, she seems to be heading to the park, where Topsy Turvy and my character are.

Seeing the filly approaching, I decide that my character and Topsy Turvy should wait where they are until she arrives.  And, it’s not until she’s gotten past the bridge that I can see she seems to be focused on the ground just in front of her; and she’s clearly not happy.

A few seconds later, when the white unicorn filly is maybe a foot or two away, Topsy Turvy takes a step toward her and asks, “What’s wrong?”

Sweetie Belle mumbles, “Rarity just chewed me out for ruining her ‘incredibly expensive, one-of-a-kind, crocheted, wool sweater.’”  She then sighs before continuing, “You were right.  I should’ve listened to you when you said I should hang it up indoors to dry."  She then finally looks up at my character as she concludes, "I mean, how was I supposed to know that wool shrinks when you hang it out in the sun?”

A thought occurs to me, and I have to chuckle a bit before I say, “I have to wonder if sheep ever run into that problem when they get wet, and then the sun comes out?”

It’s easy to tell when the mental image occurs to Topsy Turvy and Sweetie Belle, as they, in that order, start giggling about it.

When the laughter dies down, the unicorn filly sighs again before saying, “I’d just like to do something with my sister, help her in some way.”

Topsy Turvy nuzzles the unicorn filly and says, “Yeah, it doesn’t help when somepony tells you to do something, and never explains how to do it.”

Again Sweetie Belle sighs before mumbling, “Yeah, that’s true.”  Then, she looks up at my character and asks, “Say, do you think I could play with you and, … uh, …”

The pink earth mare seems instantly aware that the white unicorn filly is referring to her, as she says, “Topsy Turvy.”

Sweetie Belle nods to the pink earth mare before turning to my character again and saying, “Do you think I could play with you and Topsy Turvy for a while?”

Topsy Turvy and my character look at each other, then turn back to the white unicorn filly; and I say, “I suppose so, until your sister calls you back inside.”

Topsy Turvy asks, “Do you have a ball or something like that that we could play with?  Mormon has a disc that we’ve been throwing to each other, but I think that’s a little too big for you.”

I see the little filly smile as she answers, “You know, I do have a ball we could play with back at Mom and Dad’s house.”  Then, she starts drooping again as she adds, “The only problem is, since they’re on vacation, they locked the doors so I can’t get in.”

I agree, “That is a problem.”

Then, Sweetie Belle continues, “And, I doubt Opalescence’ll allow me, or anypony for that matter, to play with her ball of yarn.”

  Now, Topsy Turvy agrees, “Yeah, cats are pretty possessive when it comes to things like that.”

Presently, Sweetie Belle perks up again and asks, “So, how were you two playing with that disc?”

At this point, Topsy Turvy and my character turn and look at each other again, and I can see the smile on the pink earth mare’s face.  She then turns and gallops a few feet away, then stops, turns to my character, then seems to bow, reminding me of a dog waiting for his or her owner to throw a favorite toy.

My character then reaches down and picks up the disc, then stands up again and tosses it to Topsy Turvy.

Again the pink earth mare uses her chaos powers to control the disc, once it leaves my character’s hand, to guide it so it circles around her head, then disappears for a second or two, then reappears in her open mouth.

I’m not surprised to hear Sweetie Belle laugh at the display Topsy Turvy and my character put on.

Then Topsy Turvy jumps straight into the air, spins three hundred sixty degrees, and releases the disc back toward my character.

As my character reaches out ahead of him in anticipation of catching the disc, suddenly I’m aware of a change, both in my character’s posture, and in the position and velocity of the disc.  Suddenly my character’s holding the disc in his hand the way a human waiter would hold a platter of food, and on the disc is a pair of unicorn statues: one of Rarity, and one of Sweetie Belle.  And, the two are facing and looking at each other, and smiling.

The white unicorn filly laughs for a few more seconds, then asks, “May I see the disc?”

My character acts on his own and affirmatively, lowering the disc to Sweetie Belle’s eye level.

The unicorn filly coos in admiration, then says, “That’s so neat.”  Then, a thought evidently dawns on her, and she backs away and says, “Wait I just got an idea.”  She then turns and gallops back toward the bridge, saying, “Rarity’s gonna love this!”

I watch, through my character’s eyes, as Sweetie Belle gallops across the bridge, then back into Carousel Boutique; and I know what she’s gonna do.  And, while, in the episode, Sweetie Belle got the idea on her own, in this game, it was evidently Topsy Turvy that gave her the idea.  At this point, I expect she’ll make a picture of her and Rarity, similar to the statues that Topsy Turvy had on Scout’s disc, and enclose the picture in a frame of rare, baby-blue sapphires in the shape of a valentine.  I also know that it’ll anger Rarity at first, since she’s been saving the sapphires for clothing for a client; and once the deed is done, Rarity’ll have to go out and look for more sapphires.  But, she’ll look at the picture later on and realize what kind of present Sweetie Belle had made for her.  But, once again, that’s yet to come.

Right now, I have my character turn to Topsy Turvy; and I say, “I’m not altogether sure that was the right idea to give her.”

Evidently puzzled, the pink earth mare approaches my character and asks, “What?  Sweetie Belle wanted an idea for what she could do to help her sister, and I gave her one.  What’s wrong with that?”

I inhale, then exhale, then say, “Let’s just go back to Sugar Cube Corner.  Maybe we can find something else to do.”

I think I hear a shrug in the pink earth mare’s voice as she says, “Well, alright then.”

And, with that, and as I have my character put the disc back in his inventory, the human and the pink earth mare leave the park and head back to Sugar Cube Corner.

It’s not until the two have crossed the bridge again when I hear Topsy Turvy ask, “So, what’s wrong with the idea I gave Sweetie Belle?”

My character looks down and to his left side to show me, through his eyes, the pink earth mare looking up at him.  I have to pause in thought for a moment before I answer, “Well, I suppose the image of Rarity and Sweetie Belle smiling at each other wasn’t such a bad idea.  I’m just worried about what Sweetie Belle might add to that picture.”

Topsy Turvy tilts her head slightly as she asks, “And, what might that be?”

I answer, “With any luck, we won’t find out.  Let’s just head back to Sugar Cube Corner and see if we can help with anything there.”  And, I have my character look ahead of him.

I hear Topsy Turvy mumble something that sounds like halfhearted agreement, and nothing more is said by either the pink earth mare or me until she and my character arrive at Sugar Cube Corner.

As the human and the pink earth mare enter through the front door, I hear Mr. Cake say, “Oh, hi, Mormon, Topsy Turvy.  You came just in time.  As it turns out, we could use your help after all.”

My character automatically turns to the orange earth stallion as he speaks; and after he’s finished, I ask, “Oh?  What do you need help with?”

Mr. Cake answers, pointing with a front hoof, “As you can see, we have a lot of upper shelf space that we could use to hold more pastries.  Cup can put pastries on the shelves she can reach, but neither of us could use the upper shelves because we couldn’t reach that far up.  But, Mormon, I bet you could reach up there easily enough.  If you could put loaves of bread or other pastries on those upper shelves, then get them down again when we ask for them, then we’d have more to offer.  We could make use of the shelves up there, and we could satisfy more customers.”

I respond, “That sounds good for me, but what about Topsy Turvy?”

Mr. Cake continues to smile as he answers, “Well, while Cup’s taking care of the twins, Topsy Turvy could take her place putting pastries on the shelves that she can reach.”  He then turns to the pink earth mare and asks, “Do you think you could do that?”

Topsy Turvy looks up at my character, then back at Mr. Cake, then says, “I suppose so.  If it’s a way that I can help, then I’ll do it.”

At that point, I hear Mrs. Cake say, “Excellent.  It’s just about time for me to check on the twins anyway.  So, do you think you could take over for me in the mean time, Dearie?”

Something about the way Topsy Turvy grimaces suggests to me that she doesn’t like being called Dearie.  Still, she answers, “Sure.”

With that agreement from the pink earth mare, Mrs. Cake smiles as she trots to, then ascends, the stairs, then trots to the second door from them and opens it, then enters.

I can see that the shelves within the reach of Mr. or Mrs. Cake are already occupied.  All I can do is wait to be told when a pastry is ready for display.

And, in the mean time, Topsy Turvy takes the position that had been occupied by Mrs. Cake.

It isn’t long after that when a familiar-looking pony enters, a white unicorn mare with mane and tail of two shades of blue, wearing goggles.

Mr. Cake, recognizing her immediately, says, “Well, Vinyl Scratch, it’s nice to see you here.”

The white unicorn produces a pen and notebook with her magic, then writes something in the notebook, then passes it with her magic to the orange earth stallion.

Mr. Cake seems worried as he looks at what’s written in the notebook, but he seems to hide it well when he says, “Well, alright then.”  He then turns to the pink earth mare and asks, pointing something out to her, “Topsy Turvy, will you get a loaf of oat bread from that bottom shelf?”

Topsy Turvy follows the orange earth stallion’s forelimb to where he seems to be pointing, then turns back to him and says, “Yes, sir,” then grabs a loaf from the shelf.  Carrying it in her front hooves, she walks the loaf, much the way a human would if one had hooves instead of hands, to the counter next to Mr. Cake, where she sets it carefully next to him.

Mr. Cake, watching the pink earth mare return to her previous position, says, “Thanks, Topsy Turvy.”  He then turns back to Vinyl Scratch and says, “That’ll be two bits.”

The white unicorn nods, then produces two flat, gold-colored cylinders, then grabs the loaf of bread in her magic and quietly exits through the front door.

Once she’s left, Mr. Cake turns to my character and, with concern coloring his voice, asks, “Mormon, do you know what’s wrong with Vinyl?”

I answer, “It’s kind of a long story.  Simply put, her friends left a few days ago; and she’s taking it pretty hard.”

Mr. Cake offers a stretched out “Oh” of understanding before adding, “I hope she starts feeling better soon.”

Then, from close to the door to the kitchen, I hear Pinkie Pie ask, “You hope who starts feeling better?”

The orange earth stallion turns to the pink angel pony and answers, “Vinyl Scratch.  She just came in and asked for a loaf of oat bread.”

Pinkie Pie, who’s now sticking her head through the kitchen door, asks, “And, she wrote her order down, I’m guessing?”

Mr. Cake answers, “That’s right.”

Pinkie then says, “Vinyl promised she wouldn’t speak again until her friends come back.  They’re living in Canterlot right now.”

Mr. Cake concludes, “And, I’m guessing Vinyl’d rather mope around here in Ponyville than follow her friends?”

At this point, Topsy Turvy says, “My daddy wanted them to play music.  He even chose the instruments for them.  I don’t know if it was the music or the instruments they didn’t like.”

Pinkie adds, “Vinyl still has friends here in Ponyville, which is probably why she refuses to leave.  But her three band mates, the ones that Discord forced to play music, were the ones that left.  Vinyl chooses to stay here because of Octavia, who’s living with her, and because of her other friends here in town.”

Mr. Cake nods, then says, “Well, on the one hoof, it’s nice to know that not everypony was scared away by Discord’s attack.  In fact, most ponies that lived here before the attack stayed here after it.  On the other hoof, it’s sad that friends had to be split up because of what Discord did.”

At about this time, maybe two or three more customers come in.  and, I lose track of what all is said after that.  But, as it turns out, I do get a chance to put pastries on the upper shelves that the ponies are unable to reach.

Eventually, Mrs. Cake comes back from taking care of the twins; but, instead of replacing Topsy Turvy, the two earth mares join forces, Topsy Turvy placing pastries on the shelves within their reach, and Mrs. Cake retrieving them from their places and delivering them to customers.

Maybe two hours after Topsy Turvy and my character have started helping the Cakes, an angry-looking Rarity enters and requests a loaf of bread.  And, while she waits, she grumbles about how her little sister used up a bunch of rare and valuable gems for an art project of hers.

As my character retrieves a loaf from an upper shelf, I decide to say, “I’m sure she didn’t mean any harm by what she did.”

The white unicorn emits a sound that’s equal parts snort and groan before saying, “She had no business messing with those baby-blue sapphires.  She should’ve known that they were for something more important than her little art project.”

As my character places the loaf of bread on the counter in front of Rarity, I ask her, “Did you let her know beforehand what those gems were for?”

Rarity looks down at the loaf of bread and mumbles, “Well, no.”

I continue, “She was probably just wanting to do something nice for her big sister.  I’m sure she didn’t mean any harm by it.”

Presently, Rarity groans, “Oh, you don’t know the half of what Sweetie Belle has put me through today.  Do you know she had the nerve to clean my room?”

I think I hear a note of sarcasm from Topsy Turvy’s voice as she says, “Oh, she should go to jail for that.”

Rarity turns a glare on the pink earth mare and says, “This is no laughing matter.  It was my room, and she had no business going in there and disrupting my organized chaos.”

Now, Topsy Turvy snorts and says, “Organized chaos, huh?  I wonder what daddy’d think about that.”

Before Rarity can say anymore, I ask, “Don’t you think you’re being a little hard on your little sister?”

Now, the white unicorn turns her glare on my character as she says, “Ever since this morning, she’s turned Carousel Boutique into a disaster.  She turns breakfast into charcoal, she even burned orange juice.  Then, when all she had to do was put garnish on a plate, she couldn’t even do that without destroying the kitchen.  She washed my incredibly expensive, one-of-a-kind, designer-crocheted wool sweater and hung it in the sun!  I was hoping to wear it on a special occasion, and now I won’t be able to wear it at all!  And, that was just this morning.”

At this point, I wonder if I dare tell Rarity that I saw Sweetie Belle earlier doing laundry, including the sweater, and hanging the sweater on the line.

But, before I have time to offer a response, Rarity emits another snorting groan, then says, “Well, I hope she’s learned her lesson.  I told her to clean up the mess she made, and do something that doesn’t cause a big mess for me to clean up.”  Then, before anymore can be said, she leaves two gold-colored coins on the counter, takes the loaf of bread, and marches out of the front door.

The topic of conversation for a few minutes after that is Rarity and how she could’ve handled the matter with her little sister better.  That is, until the next customer comes in.  And, it seems a few minutes after that when my character looks out the front door as it opens; and I see Sweetie Belle ambling slowly past, head lowered and parallel to the ground.  And, based on what I’m seeing, once again she’s clearly not happy.

She’s not the only one out there, there are plenty of other ponies going about their own business.  And, at that point, my character’s told to place a small cake on the top shelf; so, he’s occupied with that.  But, my guess is she’s on her way to Sweet Apple Acres to talk to Applebloom and Applejack.  Knowing what’s coming, she’ll get the idea from them, or at least from Applebloom, to attend the Sisterhooves Social the game’s tomorrow, and try to enlist Rarity in the event.  And, the rift between the two sisters will just get a little bigger when Rarity will decide that the event is too messy, too uncouth, to attend.  But, once again, I’m getting ahead of the story.

When the last customer leaves, having purchased a package of oat rolls, the Cakes call an end to the day, dismissing my character and his friends as they close up shop.

Pinkie Pie, Lyra, Weed Whacker, Ataahua, and Topsy Turvy all seem to be happy as the group makes its way through the Everfree forest to my character’s house.  Then, as soon as they're past the front gate, they get to work harvesting fruits, vegetables, and grains, which they make into snacks for them and others that’ll come for the reading.

The element bearers come in through the front gate, while Princesses Celestia and Luna appear in a flash of light in the front yard.

As the readers gather in a circle, I can’t help noticing that Rarity seems upset.  I have my character focus on her, and I ask, “Rarity, what’s wrong?”

The white unicorn seems surprised to hear me say her name, based on how she looks up at my character.  But, after she hears my question, she looks down again and says, “Oh, nothing you need to worry about.”

Based on what I remember from the episode, I know what the problem is.  I ask, “It’s about your little sister, isn’t it?”

Now, when Rarity looks up at my character, she seems surprised that I’d know that much about her and her problems.  She slowly rises to her hooves as she asks, “Might we have a moment in private?  I don’t want everypony to know about this.”

As my character rises to his feet, I say, “We could either go around to the back of the house, or we could go inside.”

Rarity backs out of the circle, then turns to my character’s house and says, “Let us go into your house.”

In evident agreement, my character backs out of the circle as well and leads the way to and onto the front porch, and to his front door.  He then opens the door and holds it open for Rarity, then follows her inside.  Then, as my character closes the door behind him, Rarity ambles to the nearest couch and jumps up onto it.

It’s only after my character takes a position on the opposite couch that I ask, “So, what’s wrong?”

I’m not sure if Rarity out-and-out loses the battle with her emotions, or just gives it up.  All I know is that she sniffles once or twice before breaking down and bawling.  And, something about this doesn’t strike me as her famous melodrama; it looks like genuine emotion.

After a few seconds, Rarity whimpers, “I was … so wrong about my … my little sister.”  She sobs before continuing, “The … the sweater she ruined, … well, it fits … Opal now.”

I must admit I feel like laughing right now.  But, I decide that now is not the time for that.

In the mean time, Rarity continues, “My room’s … so organized now … I got inspiration, … and now I have a new wardrobe line for … next fall.”

At this point, I say, “It sounds like what Sweetie Belle did wasn’t such a bad thing after all.”

Rarity continues, “Then, … then there was that picture.”  Again she sobs before continuing, “It was so … so beautiful.  All that time we spent fighting, … and she made that picture … for me.”  She sobs some more before concluding, “I went to apologize to Sweetie Belle … b-but I d-don’t think she w-wants to f-forgive … me.”  She then wails out, “Oh, Mormon, what have I done!?”

At this moment, the front door opens; and Applejack enters.  Kicking the door closed behind her as soon as she’s far enough inside, she says, “Uh, hi, Mormon.  Ah though Ah’d come in and check to see how things were a-goin’ with you and Rarity.”  She turns and sees her white unicorn friend sobbing on the couch, then approaches her and says, “Uh, Rarity, maybe Ah can help y’all.”

Still choked with emotion, Rarity’s voice is an octave or two higher as she looks up at her orange earth pony friend and asks, “But, … how?”

Applejack nuzzles her friend before saying, “Ah was a-thinkin’ we could discuss it after the readin’.  But, maybe we should discuss it now.”

Rarity starts to gain control of her emotions again as she asks, “Discuss … what?”

Applejack circles around the back of the couch that Rarity’s sitting on, then jumps up over the arm opposite Rarity, then trots over to her.  Draping her closest forelimb over the base of Rarity’s neck, she says, “Ah was there, and Ah heard Sweetie Belle say she didn’t wanna be yer sister no more.  Are ya sure you’d rather not get all dirty?  Even if it meant gettin’ yer sister back?”

Rarity leans against her orange earth pony friend and answers, “Oh, Applejack, I’d do anything to let Sweetie Belle know how sorry I am.  I’ll do anything to get her back.”

I think I see a smile on Applejack’s face as she pulls her forelimb back under her and says, “Well, then, Ah got jest the thang.”

Rarity asks, “Yes, what’s that?”

Applejack produces a poster from under her hat and shows it to Rarity, saying, “Tomorrow’s the Sisterhooves Social.  If’n Ah agree to be Sweetie Belle’s sister for the day, Ah think Ah could trick her into racin’ alongside y’all without her a-knowin’.”

Now, Rarity just grunts in equal parts curiosity and confusion.

On the other hand, I have a really good idea of what Applejack’s up to.  But, at the same time, I think it’s best to allow the orange earth mare to explain.

Applejack says, putting the poster back under her hat, “Ther’s a race, the last event, wher two sisters need to cooperate in order to win.  An’, it’s a combo of all sorts of thins.  The first obstacle is a mud puddle that ever’pony needs to jump over a’for they can move on to the next one.  If'n y'all hide in the puddle, when the race starts, Ah’ll fall inta it, then give y’all m’hat.  Then, you jump outta the puddle ‘n’ c’ntinue the race instead of me, alongside yer sis.  Do y’all think you can do that?”

Rarity pauses in thought for a second or two, then says, “I suppose so.  But, won’t Sweetie Belle be suspicious?  After all, I’m not the athlete you are.”

Applejack shrugs and answers, “Ah, shucks, as long as y'all keep covered in mud, and keep m’hat on yer head, she won’t suspect nothin’.”

Again Rarity pauses, but this time just long enough to sigh before saying, “Well, if it’s the only way I can get Sweetie Belle back, then I’ll do it.”  And, the way she says those last three words, she sounds determined.  I look forward to finding out how determined she is.

Applejack smiles more genuinely before elbowing Rarity in the shoulder and saying, “We’ll discuss the details after the readin’.  So, shall we go then?”

Rarity answers, “Yes, I’m ready for the reading.”

With that confirmation from the white unicorn, my character rises from the couch he’s sitting on, approaches the two ponies, being careful to avoid the coffee table, and picks up each of the two and sets them on all fours on the floor before heading to the front door.

Before the three can leave, though, I hear Rarity say, “Thank you, Applejack.  And, thank you, Mormon.”

At the same time Applejack says, “Yer welcome, Rarity,” and I say, “I’m glad I could be of service.”

My character then walks to the front door and opens it, then holds it open, allowing the white unicorn and the orange earth pony to leave ahead of him, then follows them out.

As the two ponies and one human return to their positions in the circle, I hear Princess Celestia ask, “Are all matters settled, then?”

Again at the same time, Applejack, Rarity and I answer affirmatively.

As ponies, dragons, and human turn to the right page in the Book of Mormon, I remember that Ataahua, next to my character, read first the last time.  So, I say, "I guess I read the first verse tonight."  Then, once my character finds the start of the twenty-second chapter of Mosiah, I read, "And now it came to pass that Ammon and king Limhi began to consult with the people how they should deliver themselves out of bondage; and even they did cause that all the people should gather themselves together; and this they did that they might have the voice of the people concerning the matter."

Topsy Turvy then reads, "And it came to pass that they could find no way to deliver themselves out of bondage, except it were to take their women and children, and their flocks, and their herds, and their tents, and depart into the wilderness; for the Lamanites being so numerous, it was impossible for the people of Limhi to contend with them, thinking to deliver themselves out of bondage by the sword."

Weed Whacker reads, "Now it came to pass that Gideon went forth and stood before the king, and said unto him: Now O king, thou hast hitherto hearkened unto my words many times when we have been contending with our brethren, the Lamanites."

Princess Luna reads, "And now O king, if thou hast not found me to be an unprofitable servant, or if thou hast hitherto listened to my words in any degree, and they have been of service to thee, even so I desire that thou wouldst listen to my words at this time, and I will be thy servant and deliver this people out of bondage."

Princess Celestia reads, "And the king granted unto him that he might speak. And Gideon said unto him:"

Rainbow Dash reads, "Behold the back pass, through the back wall, on the back side of the city.  The Lamanites, or the guards of the Lamanites, by night are drunken; therefore let us send a proclamation among all this people that they gather together their flocks and herds, that they may drive them into the wilderness by night."

Pinkie Pie reads, "And I will go according to thy command and pay the last tribute of wine to the Lamanites, and they will be drunken; and we will pass through the secret pass on the left of their camp when they are drunken and asleep."

Twilight Sparkle reads, "Thus we will depart with our women and our children, our flocks, and our herds into the wilderness; and we will travel around the land of Shilom."  She then looks up and says, "A good plan.  Ponies that are intoxicated to the point that they can't focus aren't easy to wake up.  And, I assume it's the same way with humans.  Still, it'd be a good idea for King Limhi and his people to be careful, once the Lamanites are intoxicated, not to wake them up."

Spike reads, "And it came to pass that the king hearkened unto the words of Gideon."

Rarity reads, "And king Limhi caused that his people should gather their flocks together; and he sent the tribute of wine to the Lamanites; and he also sent more wine, as a present unto them; and they did drink freely of the wine which king Limhi did send unto them."

Applejack reads, "And it came to pass that the people of king Limhi did depart by night into the wilderness with their flocks and their herds, and they went round about the land of Shilom in the wilderness, and bent their course towards the land of Zarahemla, being led by Ammon and his brethren."

Fluttershy reads, "And they had taken all their gold, and silver, and their precious things, which they could carry, and also their provisions with them, into the wilderness; and they pursued their journey."

Lyra reads, "And after being many days in the wilderness they arrived in the land of Zarahemla, and joined Mosiah’s people, and became his subjects."  She then looks up and says, "I guess they were careful, like Twilight suggested."

Ataahua reads, "And it came to pass that Mosiah received them with joy; and he also received their records, and also the records which had been found by the people of Limhi."

I read, "And now it came to pass when the Lamanites had found that the people of Limhi had departed out of the land by night, that they sent an army into the wilderness to pursue them;"

Topsy Turvy reads, "And after they had pursued them two days, they could no longer follow their tracks; therefore they were lost in the wilderness."  She then looks up and says, "I'm going to assume it was the Lamanites that were lost in the wilderness."

As my character turns to the pink earth mare, I state, "It could simply mean that the trail they were following was no longer traceable.  But, it does seem more likely that Mormon was referring to the Lamanite army."  I then have my character look around the circle, and I ask, "Well, since we've come to the end of this chapter, we've each had a chance to read at least one verse.  So, do you want to call an end to the reading right now, or shall we read one more chapter?"

At first, all the other members of the reading circle talk at once, making it difficult to determine any decision.

Then, Princess Celestia rises and says, "Alright, my little ponies.  If everypony talks at once, nopony will know what the final decision is.  So, why not vote on it?"  Not waiting for an answer, she turns to Topsy Turvy and asks, "What say you?"

The pink earth mare rises and answers, "I say we read one more chapter."  And, after that, she settles back down into a sphinx-style position.

Continuing the pattern of the reading, Princess Celestia requests a vote from each of the readers.

The first three ponies, including Princess Luna, all agree to read one more chapter, as does Princess Celestia.  In fact, it seems that the only one of the readers around the circle that votes to end the reading until tomorrow night is Spike.

After Ataahua votes to read one more chapter, and before Princess Celestia can ask for my vote, I have my character stand up; and I say, "Almost everyone has voted in favor of reading one more chapter, and I also vote in favor of it."  I then have my character turn to my dinosaur friend, and I ask, "Will you start with verse one?"

As my character, as well as the ponies on all fours, settle down again, Weed Whacker nods in agreement, then looks down and reads, "Now Alma, having been warned of the Lord that the armies of king Noah would come upon them, and having made it known to his people, therefore they gathered together their flocks, and took of their grain, and departed into the wilderness before the armies of king Noah."

Princess Luna reads, "And the Lord did strengthen them, that the people of king Noah could not overtake them to destroy them."

Princess Celestia reads, "And they fled eight days’ journey into the wilderness."

Rainbow Dash reads, "And they came to a land, yea, even a very beautiful and pleasant land, a land of pure water."

Pinkie Pie reads, "And they pitched their tents, and began to till the ground, and began to build buildings; yea, they were industrious, and did labor exceedingly."

Twilight Sparkle reads, "And the people were desirous that Alma should be their king, for he was beloved by his people."  She then sighs before looking up and saying, "I'm beginning to wonder if they've forgotten what it was like to be ruled by King Noah."

Spike reads, "But he said unto them: Behold, it is not expedient that we should have a king; for thus saith the Lord: Ye shall not esteem one flesh above another, or one man shall not think himself above another; therefore I say unto you it is not expedient that ye should have a king."

Rarity reads, "Nevertheless, if it were possible that ye could always have just men to be your kings it would be well for you to have a king."

Applejack reads, "But remember the iniquity of king Noah and his priests; and I myself was caught in a snare, and did many things which were abominable in the sight of the Lord, which caused me sore repentance;"  She then looks up and says, "Well, at least one of 'em remembers."

Fluttershy reads, "Nevertheless, after much tribulation, the Lord did hear my cries, and did answer my prayers, and has made me an instrument in his hands in bringing so many of you to a knowledge of his truth."

Lyra reads, "Nevertheless, in this I do not glory, for I am unworthy to glory of myself."

Ataahua reads, "And now I say unto you, ye have been oppressed by king Noah, and have been in bondage to him and his priests, and have been brought into iniquity by them; therefore ye were bound with the bands of iniquity."  She then looks up and asks, "Did they really forget, like Twilight suggested, or do they want to go back into that situation?"

At this point, I answer, "From this perspective, it's a little difficult to determine their mentality.  It could be that they were hoping that Alma would be a good king, or at least a better one than Noah was.  Throughout human history, at least, there are examples of people that proved to be good kings, and people that proved to be bad kings.  The thing about all the responsibility falling on one creature is that, well, that creature is responsible for everything bad that happens, as well as everything good.  And, unfortunately, it seems that the bad things tend to outweigh the good, or at least are more frequently remembered.  Not to mention that it's very difficult to get rid of a bad king."  I then read, "And now as ye have been delivered by the power of God out of these bonds; yea, even out of the hands of king Noah and his people, and also from the bonds of iniquity, even so I desire that ye should stand fast in this liberty wherewith ye have been made free, and that ye trust no man to be a king over you."

Topsy Turvy reads, "And also trust no one to be your teacher nor your minister, except he be a man of God, walking in his ways and keeping his commandments."

Weed Whacker reads, "Thus did Alma teach his people, that every man should love his neighbor as himself, that there should be no contention among them."

Princess Luna reads, "And now, Alma was their high priest, he being the founder of their church."

Princess Celestia reads, "And it came to pass that none received authority to preach or to teach except it were by him from God.  Therefore he consecrated all their priests and all their teachers; and none were consecrated except they were just men."

Rainbow Dash reads, "Therefore they did watch over their people, and did nourish them with things pertaining to righteousness."

Pinkie Pie reads, "And it came to pass that they began to prosper exceedingly in the land; and they called the land Helam."

Twilight Sparkle reads, "And it came to pass that they did multiply and prosper exceedingly in the land of Helam; and they built a city, which they called the city of Helam."

Spike reads, "Nevertheless the Lord seeth fit to chasten his people; yea, he trieth their patience and their faith."  He then looks up and says, "I'm guessing that means that things didn't always go well for Alma and his people."

Rarity reads, "Nevertheless—whosoever putteth his trust in him the same shall be lifted up at the last day. Yea, and thus it was with this people."  She then looks up and asks, "Didn't Mormon say something about nopony going through life without difficulties?"

Applejack reads, "For behold, I will show unto you that they were brought into bondage, and none could deliver them but the Lord their God, yea, even the God of Abraham and Isaac and of Jacob."

Fluttershy reads, "And it came to pass that he did deliver them, and he did show forth his mighty power unto them, and great were their rejoicings."

Lyra reads, "For behold, it came to pass that while they were in the land of Helam, yea, in the city of Helam, while tilling the land round about, behold an army of the Lamanites was in the borders of the land."

Ataahua reads, "Now it came to pass that the brethren of Alma fled from their fields, and gathered themselves together in the city of Helam; and they were much frightened because of the appearance of the Lamanites."

I read, "But Alma went forth and stood among them, and exhorted them that they should not be frightened, but that they should remember the Lord their God and he would deliver them."

Topsy Turvy reads, "Therefore they hushed their fears, and began to cry unto the Lord that he would soften the hearts of the Lamanites, that they would spare them, and their wives, and their children."

Weed Whacker reads, "And it came to pass that the Lord did soften the hearts of the Lamanites.  And Alma and his brethren went forth and delivered themselves up into their hands; and the Lamanites took possession of the land of Helam."

Princess Luna reads, "Now the armies of the Lamanites, which had followed after the people of king Limhi, had been lost in the wilderness for many days."  She then looks up and says, "Evidently it was the Lamanite army that was lost in the wilderness."

Princess Celestia reads, "And behold, they had found those priests of king Noah, in a place which they called Amulon; and they had begun to possess the land of Amulon and had begun to till the ground."

Rainbow Dash reads, "Now the name of the leader of those priests was Amulon."

Pinkie Pie reads, "And it came to pass that Amulon did plead with the Lamanites; and he also sent forth their wives, who were the daughters of the Lamanites, to plead with their brethren, that they should not destroy their husbands."  She then looks up and says, "Now, they didn't go willingly, did they?  After all, they were kidnapped by Amulon and the other priests."

I answer, "Well, If they did go willingly, it's not the only instance that I've heard of in human history.

"In fact, the most remembered instance is of a city in a country humans called Sweden, a city called Stockholm.  It was either the city, or a group of people in that city, who were taken hostage.  Then, over a period of time, the people that were taken hostage grew to sympathize with their captors, and even fought on their side, against those who came to rescue them.  And, this being the example most remembered of this type of situation, instances of people being abducted, then sympathizing and siding with their captors, are known as the Stockholm syndrome."

After emitting a grunt of interest, Twilight Sparkle reads, "And the Lamanites had compassion on Amulon and his brethren, and did not destroy them, because of their wives."  She then looks up and says, "If this Stockholm syndrome had anything to do with it, I'd imagine the Lamanites probably didn't want to hurt females of their own kind either.  After all, they apparently did have a good side to them."

Spike reads, "And Amulon and his brethren did join the Lamanites, and they were traveling in the wilderness in search of the land of Nephi when they discovered the land of Helam, which was possessed by Alma and his brethren."

Rarity reads, "And it came to pass that the Lamanites promised unto Alma and his brethren, that if they would show them the way which led to the land of Nephi that they would grant unto them their lives and their liberty."  She then looks up and says, "I'd imagine this'd leave Alma and his people with quite the conundrum.  After all, would they know if Limhi and his people had left that place or not?"

I answer, "If the Lamanites had informed Alma and his people that they'd been lost in the wilderness pursuing Limhi and his people, then yes, they would know."

Applejack reads, "But after Alma had shown them the way that led to the land of Nephi the Lamanites would not keep their promise; but they set guards round about the land of Helam, over Alma and his brethren."  She then looks up and says, "Probably because they didn't wanna take the chance of Alma and his people gittin' 'way."

Fluttershy reads, "And the remainder of them went to the land of Nephi; and a part of them returned to the land of Helam, and also brought with them the wives and the children of the guards who had been left in the land."

Lyra reads, "And the king of the Lamanites had granted unto Amulon that he should be a king and a ruler over his people, who were in the land of Helam; nevertheless he should have no power to do anything contrary to the will of the king of the Lamanites."  She then looks up and says, "I guess we'll see how long that lasts."

I respond, "Indeed."  I then have my character stand up, and I say, "And, with that, let's call an end to the reading for tonight.  Next time, we'll begin the reading with chapter twenty-four of the Book of Mosiah, and see how things go from there.  In the mean time, those of you who are returning to your homes, I hope you return to them safely."

After hearing my announcement, the element bearers reclaim their books and gather together, along with Spike, who climbs onto and rides on Twilight’s back.

At the front gate, Pinkie Pie exchanges farewells with each of her friends, then closes the gate behind them.

In the mean time, Princess Luna asks, “How many of you would join Topsy Turvy and Mormon in traveling to Canterlot Castle so that Topsy Turvy may take care of her father?”

Again Ataahua, Lyra, and Weed Whacker volunteer, as does Pinkie Pie when she returns to my character’s side after closing the gate.

Seeing that all are willing to join the pink earth mare and the human in visiting Canterlot Castle once again, the two princesses together bow their heads, and their horns start to glow and sparkle.

One frame later, the group of eight are in front of Discord’s statue; and Luna trots off to the castle to get Grounds Keeper and the equipment and other items necessary for Topsy Turvy to clean the Discord statue.

In the mean time, Princess Celestia turns to my character and asks, “Will you come with me into the labyrinth so you can give me your report?”

I nod and vocalize agreement, and my character follows the white alicorn into the hedge maze.

When the human and the alicorn have gone far enough into the maze that both are hidden from view of the others, Princess Celestia stops, then turns to my character and asks, “So, how has progress been going with Lyra?”

Seeing the white princess stop, my character also stops.  Then, after hearing her question, I answer, “I’m not all that sure.  You see, today, well, at first, the only ones that didn’t have employment at Sugar Cube Corner were me and Topsy Turvy.  So, we decided to see if we could help someone else in town.”

The white princess grunts in interest(?) and asks, “And, how did that turn out?”

I answer, “Pretty good, as far as I could tell.  We went to Carousel Boutique to see if we could help with anything there, and we found Sweetie Belle trying to do something nice for her big sister, which, at that time, was doing the laundry.  But, it seems that Rarity wasn’t being very cooperative, and was finding fault with everything her little sister was doing.  When we found Sweetie Belle, she was washing a sweater made of wool.  I warned her that she needed to hang the sweater indoors, but she didn’t listen.  And, in the mean time, Topsy Turvy and I went to the park and played with a disc that was normally Scout’s toy.”

The white princess taps her chin with a front hoof as she says, “Considering Rarity’s temperament during the reading, my guess is things between her and her little sister, Sweetie Belle, haven’t been going well, and that she’s willing to make things better between them."  She then stops tapping her chin as she adds, "But, my interest right now is in how the disc-throwing game between you and Topsy Turvy went.”

I reply, “Well, I, for one, found it a lot of fun, and I’m sure Topsy Turvy also enjoyed it.  It was just three or four rounds, but we had lots of fun throwing the disc to each other.  There were times when Topsy Turvy had me catching the disc in some really creative ways, and there was one time when she had the disc in random locations around me so, until she was laughing so hard she couldn’t keep it up anymore, I couldn’t catch the disc.”

Princess Celestia asks, “And, what happened to end that game?”

I answer, “Well, Sweetie Belle came out again, discouraged because her last act of service at that time had turned into another disaster.  So, Topsy Turvy made small statues on the disc and gave her an idea of what she could do as another act of kindness toward her big sister.  Then, when Sweetie Belle went back to Carousel Boutique, I decided that Topsy Turvy and I should go back to Sugar Cube Corner and see if there was something we could do there.  I wasn’t sure about the idea that Topsy Turvy gave Sweetie Belle, and I told her about my concern.

“At any rate, as it turns out, the Cakes did have things for me and Topsy Turvy to do at Sugar Cube Corner for the rest of the day.  My job was to put pastries on the upper shelves when they were ready, and to take them down again as customers requested them.  And, Topsy Turvy assisted Mrs. Cake in putting pastries on the shelves in their reach, or to retrieve them at customers ‘ requests.  And, that’s pretty much what we did for the rest of the day.”

Now, the white alicorn restates, “So, I’m guessing, then, that you’ve made some progress with Topsy Turvy, then?”

I answer, “Well, if playing games with and working alongside her qualifies, then, yes, I have.”

Then, the daytime princess states, “I wouldn’t be surprised if you’ve had an indirect influence on both Lyra and Derpy Hooves through Pinkie Pie.”

At this announcement, I say, “Well, that’s very kind of you to say.  Thank you.”

The daytime alicorn welcomes my gratitude with a nod, then canters past my character, saying, “Now, let’s join the rest of the group.  When I’m back inside the castle, I’ll document your report.”

I stop my character from following Princess Celestia as I say, “Sounds good.  But, one thing before we go back.”

The white alicorn stops, turns to my character, and asks, “Yes, what’s that?”

I answer by asking, “Should I return the clipboard and the writing equipment to you?”

The daytime alicorn shakes her head and smiles as she answers, “No, you go ahead and keep it.”  And, with that, she continues on her way out of the hedge maze.

At this point, I allow my character to follow the white princess out of the maze; and I say, “Well, then, thanks.”

By the time the human and the daytime alicorn have rejoined the group of now nine, Topsy Turvy is halfway through cleaning her statued father, and about halfway through her song.  Along with the other seven, my character stands there, watching the pink earth mare clean the statue of Discord and sing, and once again she finishes cleaning the statue before she finishes singing.

When Topsy Turvy is finished singing, and once again vocalizes her wish that her father not remain a statue for another thousand years, as Luna and Grounds Keeper are dismissed to return to the castle, Princess Celestia leans toward my character and asks, “Why does Topsy Turvy sing that song while cleaning Discord?”

I answer, “It was Pinkie Pie’s idea to teach her that song.  And, considering the theme, who am I to question it?  And, besides, what if Discord were to be released from his statue some day?  Wouldn’t it be a good idea for him to have a sense of what a true friend is before that?”

The daytime princess grunts in equal parts of interest and agreement before saying, “I hadn’t really thought about it that way.  That is a good idea.  And, maybe I will have him released some day, as long as somepony is available to reform him.  Do you have any ideas?”

I pause strategically for a moment, then say, “When he was first released from his statue a few days ago, the only one of the element bearers he had to physically touch to turn her was Fluttershy.”

Now, after grunting strictly and clearly with interest, Princess Celestia concludes, “And, you think that Fluttershy would be the best choice to reform Discord.”

I reply, “It does make sense to me.”

Next, the daytime princess asks, “And, why not you, Pinkie Pie, and Topsy Turvy?”

I answer, “First of all, there’s the reason I already mentioned.  And, I told Discord that the one he touched physically would touch him in return some day.

“Second of all, there’s also the fact that I’m not all that sure Discord’s willing to reclaim Topsy Turvy just yet.  Topsy Turvy, after all, tried to get herself killed in order to release her father.  And, as for me and Pinkie Pie, well, while I have earned his respect enough that he might just defend me if he gets the chance, I’m not sure if I should push that anywhere.  And, I think Discord’s going to need kindness rather than laughter to reform him.”

The daytime princess grunts in uncertain agreement before saying, “I value your opinion, and I’ll take it into consideration.  I’m just not sure that my little ponies are ready for Discord to return just yet.  I’m not sure that I’m ready for him to return.  But, when I am, and when I’m sure my little ponies are, I might just decide to take you up on your advice.”

And, at this point, the nighttime princess returns, alone.

Seeing her sister coming, Princess Celestia approaches her and says, “I have a report to document.  You go ahead and return Mormon and his friends to his home.”  Then, as Luna nods in agreement, the daytime alicorn returns to the castle.

Once she’s close enough, and the group of six have gathered around her, the nighttime alicorn closes her eyes, and her horn starts to glow and sparkle again.  And, one frame later, the group of seven are back at my character’s house, on his front lawn.

As the ponies and the dinosaur head back to the house, Luna bids my character good night before disappearing.

It’s about that time that Pinkie Pie remembers and reminds everyone else that they need to gather ingredients for dinner.  And, with that, the group disperses to different fields to gather food for dinner.  And, when the group has come back together on the front porch, it’s Lyra who uses her magic to open the front door and allow the rest of the group to enter, then closes the door after she’s entered.  And, it’s Topsy Turvy who opens the kitchen door for everyone else to enter, then, like Lyra, closes it after she’s entered.

In the kitchen, the group separates into two of three, so that one, composed of Ataahua, Topsy Turvy, and Pinkie Pie, prepare and make muffins of some of the berries that Lyra donates; and the rest prepare the rest of the fruit to be eaten raw.

Then, when the food is prepared, the six gather in the front room and eat.  Then, after that, the group disperses to their separate rooms.

Before my character can go to bed, though, I hear a knock at his door, followed by Pinkie Pie’s voice asking, “Mormon, can I come in?”

As my character approaches the door, I answer, “Sure, Pinkie, just a minute.”

And, once my character opens the door wide enough, the pink angel pony trots in, then, with the assistance of her wings, hops up onto my character’s bed, then turns around and settles into a sphinx-style position.

As my character closes the door, then approaches the pink angel pony, I ask, “So, Pinkie, is everything alright?”

The pink party pony looks down and sighs before saying, “I’m just worried about Rarity.”

I state, “I think I understand.  She wasn’t exactly in the best mood when she asked me for advice.”

Pinkie then looks up at my character, at me, and asks, “Do you think she’ll be able to patch things up with her sister, following Applejack’s plan?”

I answer, “Rarity already knows what she did wrong, and she’s willing to make it right again. It’ll all be up to Sweetie Belle whether she accepts her older sister’s efforts or not; but, personally, I’m sure that, when Sweetie Belle sees how far her older sister’s willing to go to make things right between them, she’ll accept it and get back together with her.”

Pinkie starts to smile as she says, “I hope you’re right, Mormon.”

I ask, “So, is there anything else you wanted to talk to me about?”

Pinkie Pie rises to all fours again and answers, “No.  Thanks, Mormon.”  And, with that, she hops off my character’s bed again and canters to the door.

Automatically, my character rises to his feet and walks with the pink angel pony to the door and opens it for her, then closes it again once she’s in the hallway.  Then, after that, he goes to bed.

As far as I can tell, I’ve written as much as I can think to write.  So, until the game’s tomorrow, I save and quit. Next Chapter: Chapter 5: Mud in Her Eye Estimated time remaining: 5 Hours, 23 Minutes