When I resume the game this time, I hear, as my character wakes up, the sound of muffled hoof-falls outside his door.

My character rises, walks to his door, and turns the door knob; and I hear a female grunt of curiosity.  I allow my character to open the door, but slowly so whoever is on the other side has a chance to move out of the way.

And, whoever it is does move; and I see, through my character’s eyes, that it’s my pale-green unicorn friend.  As I see her slow to a stop from a gallop, I say, “Hi, Lyra.”

The pale-green unicorn turns and smiles at my character, then says, “Hi, Mormon.  I don’t know if anypony else is up yet, I’m just headed to the kitchen.”

As my character leaves his bedroom, I hear another grunt of curiosity from the kitchen, followed by a pink head with darker pink, curly mane peering from the left of the entrance.  The pink angel pony, seeing the unicorn and the human coming, says, “Oh, hi, Lyra, Mormon.”

At the same time, Lyra and I say, “Hi, Pinkie.”

Then, I add, “So, is anyone else awake?”

The pink angel pony smiles as she closes her eyes and nods vigorously, then opens her eyes again as she says, “Derpy and Topsy Turvy are here waiting for you.”  She then tilts her head as she asks, “Uh, is Weed Whacker awake yet?”

From the opposite side of my character’s bedroom door from him, I hear the herbivorous dinosaur answer, “Yeah, I’m awake.  And, as soon as Mormon closes his door, I’ll join you in the kitchen.”

Automatically, my character reaches out and closes the door; and, as he focuses on the little dinosaur, I say, “Oh, sorry about that, Weed Whacker.”

She looks up at my character and says, “That’s alright.”  She then looks past my character and, I’m guessing, at Pinkie Pie, and asks, “So, has anyone harvested anything for breakfast yet?”

My character, as per my instructions, focuses on Pinkie Pie, who answers, “Uh, not yet.  We were just waiting for the rest of you to wake up.”  She then asks, “So, you ready to go?”

My character remains focused on the pink angel pony, so I can only hear Weed Whacker say, “I’m ready when everyone else is.”

Pinkie Pie then asks, “Lyra, are you ready?”

From my character’s perspective, I can only see the pale-green unicorn’s head from behind; so, I can only hear her say, “Sure, I’m ready.  What about Derpy and Topsy Turvy?”

From the kitchen, I hear the two voices say at the same time, “We’re ready when everypony else is ready.”

I state, at this point, “Well, since it seems that everyone’s ready, I say let’s get going.”

And, that’s when I see my gray pegasa friend move into the hallway, taking an evidently hovering position over Pinkie Pie’s head, and ask, “Uh, shouldn’t we get some breakfast first?”

I chuckle for a second or two before I say, “That’s what I meant, Ataahua.”

Perhaps laughter wasn’t the best response I could’ve given, at least not the best first response.

Ataahua slowly drops to the kitchen floor until she lands, then looks down and says, “I’m sorry, Mormon.”

I see, from the lower half of my character’s periphery, Lyra turn to my character with a worried look on her face, as I have my character circle around her and approach the gray pegasa.  When he's close enough, I have him kneel down on one knee and stroke the side of Ataahua's neck that I can see with his left hand, and I say, “No, I’m sorry.  I didn’t mean to make you feel bad.”

Just then, Pinkie Pie moves into the hallway next to Ataahua and, nuzzling the gray pegasa, says, “I think Mormon thought you were making a joke, that you wanted him to laugh.”

Now, Ataahua looks up at my character and, with a nervous chuckle, says, “Oh.”

Then, I have my character stand up again; and I say, “Let’s just go out and do some harvesting.”

I think I see Ataahua start to smile as she nods.

And, it’s Pinkie Pie who leads the way out of the kitchen, through the living room, and outside, with my character following behind the group to close doors.

Outside, my character and Pinkie Pie meet up in the orchard, where the pink angel pony chooses an apple tree, and my character chooses a peach tree to harvest some fruits.

All I hear from the pink angel pony, while my character chooses and harvests half a dozen peaches from the tree, is the sound of a thud, followed by leaves rustling and half a dozen more, lighter thuds.  And, when my character is finished harvesting the peaches, he turns around just in time for Diane to return control of Pinkie Pie back to Pinkamena.

It’s not until the pink angel pony has hung the fallen apples in her mane that she turns to my character, to me, and says, seeing my harvest, “Oh, I guess you’re ready then.  Let’s go back to the house.”

As I watch, through my character’s eyes, the pink angel pony hop over the fence, assisted by Diane’s wings, I vocalize agreement; and my character follows her over the fence and back to the house, where human and angel pony meet up with the rest of the ponies and the dinosaur, waiting to get back into the house.

Lyra opens the door with her magic, allowing everyone else to enter ahead of her, then she enters and closes the door behind her.

In the mean time, my character proceeds ahead of the group and opens the kitchen door, again allowing the rest of the group, including Lyra, to enter the kitchen ahead of him.  After that, he follows Lyra into the kitchen and closes the door behind him.

As it turns out, Ataahua and Topsy Turvy request a peach from my character to use in some of their muffins, to which I agree.

And, Lyra, on request, donates a kiwi fruit for the muffins.

Based on what I see, it seems that Ataahua, Topsy Turvy, and Pinkie Pie make two batches of muffins: one with the peach, and one with the kiwi fruit.

I, for one, have never had peach or kiwi fruit muffins; but I wouldn’t be opposed to trying such things, if for nothing more than the experience.

At any rate, while Ataahua, Topsy Turvy, and Pinkie Pie prepare the muffins; Lyra, Weed Whacker, and my character prepare the rest of the fruits and vegetables to be eaten raw.

Then, after the food is prepared and placed on a platter, my character carries the platter of food into the front room and places it on the coffee table; and the four ponies, the human, and the dinosaur combine forces in eating the prepared breakfast.  And, when the food has been eaten, as much as the group can eat, the remnants are cleaned up; and the group makes final preparations and heads out to and through the Everfree forest, and on their way back to Ponyville.

Once past the outskirts, it isn’t long before the group arrives at Sugar Cube Corner, where members of the group take the positions they had the previous day.

Seeing my character ready to get to work, Mr. Cake says, “Uh, Mormon, we’ve come up with an idea, and we could use your help with it.”

I smile and ask, “Yeah, what’s that?”

The orange earth stallion answers, “Cup and I have decided that pastries such as specialty cakes and elaborate pastries like that should go on the upper shelves, the ones that you can reach; while the rest of the pastries, such as loaves of bread and rolls, can go on the shelves that we can reach.  Does that sound good to you?”

I answer, “As long as I work here, sure, no problem.”

Mr. Cake smiles as he says, “Good.  Now, if you’ll take these loaves of bread down from the upper shelves and put them on the counter, Cup and Topsy Turvy will pass you the cakes and other pastries we want on those upper shelves.  And, we’ll put the bread you put on the counter into the shelves we can reach.”

I don’t have to vocally agree, my character starts working on the project immediately.  And, within a few minutes, shelves are stocked in an orderly manner with the different kinds of pastries.

And, in the mean time, I hear the voices of Pinkie Pie, Lyra, Weed Whacker, and Ataahua from the kitchen giving or receiving orders, although Ataahua seems to be receiving more orders than she’s giving.

Still, as time passes, an order comes in, an especially large order for rolls and cupcakes and doughnuts, to go to the Sisterhooves Social event, which is evidently held at Sweet Apple Acres.  And, considering the specifics of the event, my character is given charge of putting the ordered pastries on upper shelves above the counter, where it’ll be especially difficult for most ponies to reach.  And, when the order is filled, which takes maybe three or four hours, Pinkie Pie, Ataahua, and my character are put in charge of delivering the order to Sweet Apple Acres, while Lyra, Topsy Turvy, and Weed Whacker remain at the bakery to continue baking loaves of bread and other pastries.

By the time the two ponies and the human arrive, it seems that Rarity is at that first mud-hole, hesitating to take her first step into the waterlogged soil.

The good news seems to be that no one else has shown up to the event just yet.

After the group of three makes their delivery, I have my character approach the while unicorn; and I ask, “So, Rarity, how are things going so far?”

The purple-haired unicorn moans apprehensively and says, “I don’t know if I can go through with this.”

I see Pinkie Pie approach, and hear her ask, “Well, don’t you and Fluttershy go to the spa and have mud baths as part of your time there?”

Still nervous, Rarity answers, “Well, yes.”

Conclusively, Pinkie Pie says, “So, you can think of this as just another mud bath.”

Rarity stares at the mud as she asks, “Well, what if it’s cold in there?”

At this point, I state, “Well, it’s warm out here.  Maybe the sun’ll warm up the mud.”

Again the white unicorn emits a worried moan before asking, “W-what if I step into the mud, and I immediately have to use the outhouse?”

Now, Ataahua answers, “Well, then you’ll be keeping the mud-hole muddy.”

The gray pegasa’s answer elicits groans of disgust from the other two ponies.

Then, Rarity asks, “Well, what if, while I’m in there, somepony else falls in besides Applejack? What if I get hurt?”

I answer, “A valid concern.  But, this is your chance to let your little sister know how much you want to be her big sister.  You and Applejack have been preparing for this, haven’t you?”

At this point, I notice, or so I’m guessing, Diane opens her wings to fly Pinkie Pie to the other side of the mud hole.

In the mean time, Rarity answers, “Well, yes, of course I do.  How could I not want her back after that picture she made with me and her?”

Now, I hear Pinkie Pie say, “Rarity, if you’re that worried about being in the mud, then I’ll go in first.”  And, she puts her right front hoof into the mud.  Then, after a second or two, she says, “You know, the mud really isn’t that bad.  It’s actually kinda warm.”  She then pulls her hoof out again and, looking at her friend, says, “You try it now.”

Again Rarity moans apprehensively, then says, “Well, Pinkie, if you say so,” then takes steps to and into the mud.  She seems to prance a bit until she can get all four hooves into the mud.  Then, she says, looking at Pinkie Pie, then my character, “You know, you’re right.  The mud is quite nice.  It really isn't so—” Just then she emits something of a squeak; and I see her tail arch up, and hear the sound of a fountain of water.

From about where Pinkie Pie had been, I hear Ataahua, smiling, say, “There, you see?  Like I said, you’re keeping the mud moist.”

Rarity turns to the gray pegasa, and I can see her grimacing as she calls out, “Get me out, get me out, get me out!”

I have my character kneel on one knee, and I say, “I’m thinking it’s a little late for that now.  You’re going to have to get yourself fully submerged in there, and that’s going to have to include your tail.  And, it’s going to have to be in spite of the fact that you just wet yourself.”

Rarity looks at my character and gasps, then says, “Well, alright then.  But, I think I shall do more than 'wet myself' before the relay begins.”

I state, “Just remember why you’re in there, and you should be fine.”

Then, Pinkie Pie asks, “You didn’t eat anything before now, did you?”

As the white unicorn sinks into the mud so that all that can be seen of her is her tail and her head, she says, “I have eaten nothing for two or three hours.  Why do you ask?”

Pinkie Pie grimaces, then chuckles nervously and says, “Oh, nothing.”  Then, after another nervous chuckle, she waves her muddy front hoof to her friend and says, “Good luck, Rarity.”  And, Diane uses her wings to fly her over the mud hole again.

With the two ponies and the one human on the one side of the hole, Ataahua and I bid farewell to Rarity as well, then the group of three proceed out of Sweet Apple Acres, and back to Sugar Cube Corner.

When the three arrive, Pinkie Pie and Ataahua circle around to the alleyway where they can enter the kitchen directly, and my character enters through the front door.

As soon as my character steps through the door, I hear Mr. Cake say, “Usually deliveries don’t take that long, even to Sweet Apple Acres.  Were there any problems along the way?”

My character focuses on the orange earth stallion as he speaks.  Then, to answer his question, I say, “Nothing you need to worry about.  I just needed to provide some encouragement to one of the sisters.”

Mr. Cake smiles and says, “Well, knowing Pinkie Pie’s friends, I’m sure you were more than helpful.”

I smile back and say, “I hope so.”

It’s maybe an hour after that, of adding pastries to and removing them from shelves, before, as the last of the line of satisfied customers leaves, Mr. Cake approaches the window and turns the sign there around so that the side facing outward reads, “Closed.”  He then turns to my character and says, “We always attend the Sisterhooves Social, so we can watch Applejack and her sister Applebloom compete in that last race.  And, if we leave now, we can get there before the race starts.  So, for the rest of the day, we’re closing down.”  He then tilts his head as he asks, “Mormon, are you going to watch the race, too?”

I answer, “I’d welcome the opportunity to see what it’s all about.”

Then, from the kitchen, I hear Pinkie Pie say, “I usually go with the Cakes to see the race.  Do any of you want to come with?”

I then hear affirmative answers from Lyra, Weed Whacker, and Ataahua in turn.

After hearing them, I have my character turn to Topsy Turvy; and I ask, “Do you want to go with us?”

The pink earth mare looks up at my character and, with, I suppose, the best poker face that an Equestrian pony can muster, says, “I usually just went with Derpy, because she was my only friend.  But, now I have a lot more friends.”  She then smiles as she concludes, “So, I’d be happy to attend.”

I have my character focus on Mr. Cake, and I say, “Well, I guess it’s final then.  All of my friends are coming with to the Sisterhooves Social.”

In the mean time, I do notice that Mrs. Cake ascends the stairs, evidently to get the twins.

At the same time, Mr. Cake says, “Cup’ll go upstairs to get the twins.  When she comes back down, we’ll head over to Sweet Apple Acres.  We should make it just in time for the race.”

And, it’s just at the time when Pinkie Pie, Lyra, Weed Whacker, and Ataahua enter the front room from the kitchen.

Maybe a minute later, Mrs. Cake comes out of the room next to Pinkie Pie’s old room, foal carrier for two on her back with the two foals in it, one on each side, and descends the stairs, ready to head out.

As soon as the blue earth mare is safely past the bottom step, I hear Mr. Cake say, “Well, if we’re all ready, then let’s go.”  And, I hear the front door to the bakery open.

Mr. Cake and my character allow the mares and the herbivorous dinosaur to leave first, then Mr. Cake gestures for my character to leave ahead of him.  Once my character has done so, Mr. Cake follows close behind, then lingers long enough to close the door to the bakery.  Then, he leads the group out of town and on the way to Sweet Apple Acres.

When the group arrives, I notice stands set up on each side of the race track.  Evidently, between the delivery and my group arriving with the Cakes, the Apples must've been busy setting up the stands.

As the group of eight takes their places in the stands closest to the finish line, I notice that other ponies occupy other stands around the track, and around my character and friends.  And, the filly-mare pairs gather at the starting line.

Then, Mr. Cake notices something different, which he addresses immediately by asking, “Uh, why is Applejack pairin’ up with Rarity’s little sister?”

I know the answer, but I say instead, “It’s kind of a long story.  Suffice it to say it’s a sister thing.  Let’s just sit back and enjoy the race.”

I hear some uncertainty in Mr. Cake’s voice as he says, “Well, alright.”

Just then, I hear audio feedback, followed by Granny Smith shouting quietly, “Is this thing on?”

My character’s attention is drawn to the elderly earth mare, and I can’t help chuckling a little when I see that she’s been shouting into the large end of a funnel.  I can still hear her, though, as she leans over to Big MacIntosh and complains about it not working.  My guess is that the red earth stallion whispers to her that she’s been calling into the wrong end of it, which would make sense.  She then spins the thing around, calling it a “carn-fangled modern doohickey.”  Then, shouting into the small end, she says, “Now, this is what y’all been waitin’ fer, the Sister Soses, The Social Hooves, d’oh, dad-nabbit, you know, the big race!”

Whether it’s in the episode itself or this video game, I think Granny Smith’s little speech has to be the most entertaining thing about the event.

In the mean time, the elderly mare offers a brief description of the race, then says, “So, y’all head on out to the finish line, ye hear?”  And, it seems that Big MacIntosh informs her of a correction she needs to make, which she calls out, “The start line!  It’s what Ah sid.”

I have my character focus on the duo of Applejack and Sweetie Belle, and I can see Sweetie Belle say something to Applejack.  Although I can’t hear it in this game, from the animated series I know she’s saying, “That’s us.”

Then, I see Applebloom approach the unicorn filly and appear to threaten her, although I know she’s just reminding her friend that it’s just a one-day thing.

I hear, as my character is focused on the racers, Granny Smith call out, “On yer marks, git sit, d’oh!”  And, I don’t need to see it in the context of this video game to know that Granny Smith rocked her chair too close to the amplifier, and stuck her eye with it.

But, it’s enough to get the race started.

While the other racers leap over the mud hole, Sweetie Belle hops through it without sinking.

Applejack, evidently the last to get started and to get to the mud hole, stumbles into it.

Among the sympathetic cries from the audience, I hear Mr. Cake say, “Oh, that’s gonna cost ‘em some points.”

I’m sure I’m one of the few in the audience that knows that it’s Rarity, not Applejack, that emerges from the other side of the mud hole.  But, I still call out, “It’s alright!  You can still recover from it, Sweetie Belle, Applejack!”

And, it seems that my shout of encouragement is echoed by the other members of the audience in one form or another.

The next obstacle is hopping from one small, empty tub to another across five of them.  And, it seems that Berry Punch’s little sister can’t quite make it across that part of the course without tripping over one tub, sending it flying toward the audience.  Fortunately, it rolls harmlessly to the side of the stands.

In the mean time, Sweetie Belle and the mud-disguised Rarity have no such problems making it past those tubs.

Next is a stack of wooden boxes, which Sweetie Belle has a struggle with, but is helped by the mare she thinks is Applejack.

The fourth obstacle, the pies, proves to be no problem for the two sisters, who use literal leverage to toss their pies into the air, then catch them in their open mouths and swallow in one gulp, before heading off to the next obstacle.

Pushing a large bale of hay is another obstacle that proves to be no problem for the two sister unicorns to overcome, even without magic.

Next is the tub on stilts where Rarity tosses in the whole batch of grapes before tossing her sister in as well.

I have to say, I’m pleasantly surprised to see how well the little unicorn filly does, prancing the grapes into juice, which drains into a jar, which Rarity picks up and carries to the stool, after which Sweetie Belle runs ahead, past a pile of apples on a table.

I’m even more surprised to see Rarity jump on the end of the table opposite the apples, sending them flying toward her little sister, who catches them in a tub, even using one of her hips to keep a stray from escaping.

The two even cooperate to get a single egg from inside the chicken coop into a basket using their snouts.

After that, it’s a mad dash to the finish, which they just bounce along until they’re overtaken by Berry Punch and her little sister.  From then on, at top speed, the two pairs of sisters gallop toward the finish line.  And, the only thing that stops Sweetie Belle and Rarity from crossing the finish line ahead of Berry Punch and her little sister, or at all for that matter, is that the two unicorn sisters jump and slide just a little too soon.

As the two earth pony sisters are awarded first prize ribbons and carried off, Applebloom approaches Sweetie Belle and her mud-disguised sister and says, “Oh, so close.  Y-you almost won.”

In the mean time, Sweetie Belle nuzzles her sister, still disguised in mud, and says, “Thank you, Applejack.  You’re amazing.  I don’t even care that we didn’t win.”  She then hops and grabs onto her sister’s neck in a hug as she continues, “This was so much fun!”  Then, she looks up to see that she knocked the mare’s hat off, revealing a white horn.  Emitting a puzzled squeak for a moment, she lets go of the one she thought was Applejack, then ambles behind her and rubs the mud from the mare’s left hip to reveal her cutie mark of three blue diamond shapes.  Turning to see the mare's head once again, she asks, uncertainly, “Rarity?”

The white unicorn, who’d had her eyes closed at the time, opens them again and shakes the mud off of her, completely revealing herself.

Her big sister finally revealed, Sweetie Belle pauses for a moment before asking, “Wait, where’s Applejack?”

And, that’s when the orange earth mare, as covered in mud as Rarity had been, emerges from the mud hole and gasps for breath for a moment.

Incredulous, Sweetie Belle says, “I don’t get it.”

Then, as Applejack proceeds to explain the situation to the white unicorn filly, I have my character turn to the orange earth stallion next to him; and I say, “I’m goin’ down to visit with Applejack, Rarity, and their little sisters.”

My character doesn’t wait for a response, but I still hear Mr. Cake say, “Go right ahead.”

I don’t think my character’s walk, even in the game’s time, is more than a few seconds.

Sweetie Belle, turning to see my character next to her, asks, “Mormon, did you know about this?”

I answer, “Well, as a matter of fact, I was there when Applejack told Rarity about her plan to get you and your big sister back together.”

The little white unicorn filly starts to tear up as she looks at each of the others and says, “You all … did this … for me?”

Rarity approaches her little sister and answers, “Us … I did it for us.”  Then, as Sweetie Belle nuzzles her, she adds, “You see, we are apple pie.”

Sweetie Belle, not understanding the metaphor, moves away from her big sister and grunts in uncertain curiosity.

In response, Rarity laughs nervously and says, “I’ll explain later.  For now, I think we deserve a celebration.”

At this point, I say, “Well, I’m happy to see that the two of you are back together.”  I then have my character focus on Applejack, and I add, “And, it looks like your plan worked out pretty well.”

The orange earth mare chuckles nervously as she responds, “Well, it helps when the two yer a-helpin’ wanna get back t’gether.”

I then set my character’s focus back to Rarity.

But, before I can say what I want to say, I hear Pinkie Pie call out, “So, let’s have a party!”

Rarity then emits a few more nervous chuckles before she says, “Well, as long as it’s a party for two.”

The pink party pony turns and ambles away from the group, evidently disappointed.

I have my character focus on and follow after Pinkie Pie.  When he catches up to her, I say, “Now, Pinkie, it’s alright.  I think they appreciate your sentiments, they just want to celebrate together, just the two of 'em.”

Since Pinkie’s looking ahead, I can only hear her say, “I know.  I just wanted to be part of their celebration, that’s all.”

By this point, all the pony spectators have cleared out of the stands.

Thinking about the race, I say, “You know, I wonder: do you think any of your sisters would take part in this race with you?”

Pinkie answers, “I don’t know.  Marble’s shy, and this race is too public for her.”  She then turns toward my character, and I can see her start to smile as she continues, “Limestone might join me in the race.  She’s been happy and pleasant since we were foals.  And, I’m sure Maud’d be happy to be part of the race, too.”  Then she frowns again as she concludes, “And, that’s the problem.  Three sisters, and I’d want to invite two, if not all, of ‘em to join me.”

I agree, “That would be a problem in a race that requires a team of no more than two.  And, as for me, well, it looks like this race is designed for ponies, not humans.”

Just then, from behind my character, I hear Berry Punch say, “Uh, Mormon, I’d like to have a word with you.”

My character stops and turns and focuses on the red-purple earth mare, and I ask, “Yes, Berry?”

I see her smile up at my character as she says, “I just wanted to thank you for helping me a few weeks back.”  She then glances down at her little sister, then looks back up at my character, then, tearing up, says, “If I needed any reason to avoid going back to that tavern, it’s my little sister.  I don’t ever wanna disappoint her.  So, thanks for helping me avoid getting into a bad habit.”

I reply, “I’m glad I could help.  And, congratulations on winning the race.”

Berry Punch nods and says, “Thanks again.”  She then turns and trots off, with her little sister keeping up with her.

I then hear Pinkie Pie ask, “So, what do we do now?”

My character focuses on the pink angel pony, showing me that she’s smiling now; and I answer, “I don’t have anything specifically scheduled right now.  Is there anything you wanna do?”

Pinkie looks up at the sky and says, “Well, it’s still early for the scripture reading.”  Then, looking at my character, at me, again, she says, “Maybe we could play with our pets for a while, just you and me.”

At that point, something comes to my mind; and I say, “You know, there is another possibility.”

The pink angel pony tilts her head and asks, “Yeah?  What’s that?”

I answer, “A few days ago, Ataahua volunteered to teach you a few more lessons on flight.”

Pinkie Pie straightens her head again and says, “Oh, that’s right.”

I ask, “Don’t you think you should give her that chance?”

The pink party pony hums in uncertainty, then tilts her head again and asks, “You mean right here, or back at your home?”

I begin my answer slowly, “For the things Ataahua wants to teach you, maybe the park would be the best place to go.”

At this point, from behind my character, I hear the voice of the gray pegasa as she asks, “Well, whether it’s at your home, in the park, or here at Sweet Apple Acres, what I wanna teach Pinkie Pie I could best start to teach her up in the clouds.  That way, she’d be least likely to get hurt.”

As I hear Ataahua’s voice, my character turns to her so I can see her while she speaks.  Then, when she’s done, I have my character turn back to Pinkie Pie; and I ask, “So, what do you think?”

The pink angel pony stops moving altogether, which evidently worries Ataahua.

My guess is Pinkamena and Diane are consulting with each other.

When the pink party pony starts talking again, she says, “Well, if it’s alright with you, Mormon, I’d like to go back to your house with you to have the lesson.  Then, when the lesson’s over, we can go back there, and we’ll know where to find you.”

I nod and say, “Well, in that case, you’ll need to get Lyra, Weed Whacker, and Topsy Turvy so we can head back that way.”

Then, from behind my character, I hear Lyra’s voice say, “No problem.  We’re right here.”

Automatically my character turns and focuses on the pale-green unicorn; and I can see that, indeed, she, Weed Whacker, and Topsy Turvy are there.

At about that time, I see Mr. Cake come into my character’s vision and say, “Well, in that case, you six go on ahead, and the rest of us will go back to Sugar Cube Corner.  We have some planning to do for tomorrow, as well as getting the twins back to bed.”

After hearing the orange stallion out, the group says their goodbyes; and the Cakes begin their journey back to Ponyville, back to Sugar Cube Corner.

My character and his group follows the family until they leave Sweet Apple Acres, at which point the Cakes turn toward Ponyville; and my character and his friends follow the trail around Ponyville and on into the Everfree forest.

After a half hour, the group arrives at my character’s house, where my character opens the front gate, allowing the ponies and dinosaur to enter ahead of him.  Then, after that, as soon as my character has followed the ponies and dinosaur through the front gate, he closes it behind him.

At that point, I have him focus on his audience; and I say, “Now, Ataahua is going to teach Pinkie Pie the first lesson she wants to teach her.  Do the rest of you want to stay out here and watch, or are there other things you’d rather do?”

As Ataahua and Pinkie Pie take their places next to each other, Weed Whacker, Topsy Turvy, and Lyra look at each other, evidently uncertain about how to respond.

Seeing their uncertainty, I add, “If you’d rather go back inside, or go pick fruits or vegetables or grains, or anything besides watching Pinkie Pie and Topsy Turvy, I won’t hold it against you.  I just want to know what you’d like to do.”

At this point, Lyra steps forward and, evidently eager, says, “Actually, I have some questions that maybe you could answer.  Do you think you could do that while Derpy’s teaching Pinkie Pie?”

I pause for about a second before answering, “Well, I’d be happy to answer your questions the best I can.”  I then have my character focus on Topsy Turvy and Weed Whacker, and I ask, “And, what about you two?”

Now, Topsy Turvy steps forward and says, “Well, if it’s all the same to you, I wanna stay out here and keep an eye on Derpy.  She’s my friend, after all, and I don’t want her to get hurt, or get Pinkie hurt.”

I restate, “So, you want to stay out here?”

The spiral-eyed mare nods and grunts in affirmation.

I then have my character focus on Weed Whacker, and I ask, “And, what about you?”

The herbivorous dinosaur looks around, then turns back to my character and says, “Well, I don’t have any questions that need answering, but I would like to keep a lookout for Derpy and Pinkie Pie.”

I state, “I guess that means you’re going to be sticking with Topsy Turvy, then?”

Smiling, Weed Whacker nods and says, “Sure.”

I say, “Well, in that case, while Weed Whacker and Topsy Turvy watch out for Pinkie and Ataahua, Ataahua can give Pinkie her first lesson; and Lyra and I will head out to the pond out back, so I can answer her questions.”

After cheers of agreement, Pinkie Pie and Ataahua fly off into the sky; Topsy Turvy and Weed Whacker settle down in the front yard to observe them; and Lyra follows my character to the pond.

Once the human and the unicorn arrive, Lyra settles into a sphinx-style position under a tree, while my character sits down next to her.

I have my character focus on the pale-green unicorn, and I ask, “So, what questions do you have for me?”

Lyra turns to my character and says, “I’ve been wondering about this Stockholm Syndrome you talked about last night, when you talked about how the Lamanite females that the priests of Noah had stolen and married, how they could willingly defend those priests that had abducted them.”

I ask, “Well, what would you like to know?”

Lyra answers by asking, “Well, do you have experience with that?”

I answer, “I must admit, I don’t.  I’ve never been in a hostage situation, neither as hostage, or as abductor.  At best, I’ve seen fictional stories of people in such a situation.”

The pale-green unicorn, at this point, tilts her head skeptically and says, “Your best is you’ve seen fictional stories.”  Then, after I grunt in affirmation, she asks, “So, how can you know anything about this Stockholm Syndrome, and how it affects people, if you’ve never had personal experience with it?”

I answer, “Like I said, I don’t know, not specifically.  But, being a human, I can at least theorize on how I might act in such a situation, and what might cause me to sympathize with possible captors, and even fight for them.”

Now, Lyra’s skepticism melts away and is replaced by curiosity as she asks, “So, what do you think would have to happen for you to sympathize with your captors?”

I answer, “Well, I’d have to find something in common with them, maybe an experience that at least one of them has had that parallels one of my own experiences.  I’m a returned missionary, and I’ve had a lot of good experiences as a missionary.  If I could find something good in one of my captors, then that might lead me to want to stay with them in order to see if I could find more good in them, maybe lead them to release me without the need for violence, or for further violence if there’s already been some.”

Lyra then asks, “Is that the same with all humans?”

I answer, “Considering it's called a syndrome, I'm thinking probably not.  In some cases, it could be a question of justice for the captors.  Shared experiences, perfectly or imperfectly paralleled, could lead to sympathy on the part of the hostages.  And, if the captors display a good side toward their hostages, who knows?  The hostages, as I theoretically might, could want to see more of that, search for more good in their captors, and seek out ways to save them.”

At this point, Lyra scratches the back of one ear with a rear hoof as she says, “I don’t understand.”

I ask, “Well, what about you?  What if you were in a hostage situation?  What do you think would have to happen in order for you to sympathize with your captors, and even fight for them?”

Lyra stops scratching and looks up at my character and answers, “Well, I don’t know.  I don’t think I even want to know.”

I pause for a moment, then say, “Well, let’s try a hypothetical situation.”

At this point, Lyra seems to get a little nervous as she says, “Uh, well, alright.”

I then say, “Let’s say your at the library, looking for a musical score.  And, there are other ponies in the room with you.”

The pale-green unicorn points at my character and asks, “Are you there with me?”

I answer, “No, but you’re not alone.”  Then, as I get an “Okay” from Lyra, I continue, “Then, the Royal Guard comes in, and you hear one of them telling Twilight that there’s a dangerous unicorn stallion on the loose there.”

Lyra says, “Well, in that case, I’d start backing away from the doorway.  I must be there in an adjacent room, if I can hear the royal guard talking to Twilight, and it has to be that room behind the main room.  Anyway, I wouldn’t want to impede the royal guard trying to capture a criminal, so I'd back away from that doorway.”

I continue, “Twilight agrees to the search, and the royal guard divide up and start looking through each room in the library.  Then, they enter the room with you and other ponies, including a unicorn stallion that’s on your opposite side from the royal guard pony.”

The pale-green unicorn says, “Well, since I don’t know which unicorn stallion is dangerous, the first thing I’d wanna do is move away from the one that’s so close to me.”

In order to try to ease her apparent fears, I have my character stroke the side of Lyra’s neck closest to him; and I say, “Now, remember, this is only hypothetical.  It isn’t really happening.”  Then, when I see her calm down, I continue, “The stallion you’re moving away from grabs you with his magic and keeps you between him and the royal guard.”  I see Lyra getting more nervous; but, to her credit, she isn’t jumping up and galloping away.  I continue, “He threatens to use you as a shield if the royal guard tries to attack, and to kill you if the royal guard doesn’t let him go.”

Lyra moans in fear before saying, “If the stallion’s keeping me from moving, then there’s really nothing I can do, except maybe beg for my life.”  She then rises to all fours again and says, “I don’t wanna do this anymore.”  And, with that, she turns toward the front yard and starts galloping in that direction.

I call out, “Now, it’s alright!”  Then, when the pale-green unicorn stops and turns to my character, I add, “Remember, it’s just a hypothetical situation.”

Presently, Lyra shakes her head and says, “No.”  She then stops shaking her head and continues, “I know what you’re trying to do.  I’ve never been a hostage, and I don’t ever wanna be a hostage, and I don’t wanna know what Stockholm Syndrome would be like for ponies, and especially not for me.  So, just leave me alone.”  And, again she turns and gallops toward the front yard.

I had hoped to put Lyra in a theoretical hostage situation to get an idea about how a pony, an Equestrian pony, might react to a captor that he or she could sympathize with.  Could I get her to the point that she would take sides with her captor?  I know enough about Lyra that I could give her such a captor, I’m sure.  And, that’s what I was working toward.  But, it looks like I’m going to have to wait and see if I can run the experiment at a later time.  Still, I got it started.

And, that’s what I think about as my character stands up again and starts making his way back to the front yard.

As my character approaches his house, I hear Lyra whimpering, and Weed Whacker talking to her.  Through my character’s eyes, I can’t see them, or Topsy Turvy, yet; neither can I make out what Weed Whacker is saying, since her voice is bouncing off of too many objects.  It isn’t until my character gets past a corner of the house when I see Lyra, Weed Whacker, and Topsy Turvy, and I hear the herbivorous dinosaur say, “… and, I think Mormon understands that you’re uncomfortable with the idea of sympathizing with one that captures you.  I know I understand.  But, at the same time, you were the one that asked about Stockholm Syndrome, and Mormon just wanted to know if you ponies are as capable of it as humans are.”

I don’t mean to, but at the same time I’m not surprised that I startle the pale-green unicorn when I say, “That’s right.”

After cutting short a scream of alarm and fear, Lyra turns and looks at my character, then says, “Uh, h-hi, Mormon.”

As soon as my character is close enough to her, I have him kneel on one knee next to her; then I say, “I wasn’t intending to make you feel uncomfortable.  I was just trying to answer your question.  And, I figured that the best way to do that was to see if I could set up a scenario that might allow you to sympathize with someone that might capture you.”

Lyra turns to face my character more directly, then props herself up on one of his legs, looks up at him, and says, “I know.  I just didn’t think that answering my question meant I’d be put in a situation like that, even a hypothetical one.”

I have my character start stroking Lyra’s mane, and I ask, “So, do you still want me to answer your question?”

For a moment I see the pale-green unicorn tremble, then sigh, then finally say, “I guess so.  Do you think you could do it without putting me in that kind of position?”

I answer by asking, “Well, I don’t know, can you think of another way?”

Lyra looks down for a second or two, then looks up at my character again and answers, “No, I guess not.”

I continue, “But, I’m guessing, from your response, that it is possible for a pony to sympathize with one that would capture him or her?”

Lyra emits a snort that almost sounds like a laugh, after which she says, “I hadn’t thought about it, but you’re probably right.  If a part of me didn’t believe that I could sympathize with somepony that was holding me hostage, then I wouldn’t have reacted the way I did.”  She then takes a step back, removing her forelimb from my character’s leg, then moves past him back toward the pond, and says, “Well, I guess I’m ready to get the rest of my answer now.”

As my character rises and follows the unicorn, I find I can’t help smiling.  Evidently, not only is Lyra willing to get her question fully answered, she’s also willing to get it one-on-one with me.

As the human and the unicorn head back to the pond, I hear Weed Whacker call out, “Get your answer willingly, Lyra!”

When the two are back at the pond, my character sits down under a nearby tree; and Lyra settles into a sphinx-style position in front of him.

The pale-green unicorn then says, “Now, I seem to remember you had me in a helpless position, under the control of a male unicorn who was using me as a shield against a royal guard pony.”  And, she shivers once.

I answer, “That sounds about right.”  Then, I continue, “Since the royal guard pony doesn’t want anyone to get hurt, he backs out of the room, then orders the others to back away and provide a way from that room in the library to the outside.”

Lyra says, “Since I still can’t do anything, I have no choice but to go with him.”

I continue, “The stallion, still holding you hostage and not trusting the guard, backs out slowly, through the front room of the library, then out the front door.  Then, once the two of you are outside, the stallion uses a teleportation spell that takes the two of you into an old, abandoned cave.  He takes you to a part of the cave that has a prison door at its opening, throws you inside, and closes the door so you can’t get out.”

Lyra shivers, then says, “My first instinct would be to use a teleportation spell of my own so I could get out of that cell, out of that cave.”

I continue, “The stallion seems to have taken precautions against that, as every teleportation spell you try to use either dissipates before you can use it, or causes you to teleport back into your cell.”

Lyra seems to have quite the active imagination, as, at this point, she doesn’t say anything, just starts whimpering.

I continue, “The stallion then says, ‘I’m sorry.  I can’t believe I had to take a hostage.  I guess they were right after all.  What was I thinking, believing that Lyra mare?  All her crazy talk about humans existing?  Look at where it’s gotten me.’”

Now, Lyra stops whimpering and rises to a canine-style position, then, tapping a front hoof on her chest, says, “Wait, I’m Lyra.  You mean you also believe that humans still exist?”

I continue, “The stallion turns and looks at you more closely, then looks away, closes his eyes, puts a front hoof between them, shakes his head, and says, 'Ugh, this is just perfect.  Not only do I have to take a hostage, the hostage I take just happens to be Lyra.  Can this get any worse?’  Then, he puts the hoof down again, opens his eyes, and starts ambling away.”

Now, Lyra holds out a front hoof and says, “Wait!  Humans do still exist, and I can prove it!  I live with a human!”

I can see that Lyra’s starting to sympathize with her imaginary captor, although she seems so deep in the role play that she doesn’t seem to realize it just yet.  I decide to continue, “The stallion turns back to you, then produces a key and uses it to open the door to your cell.  Then, once the door’s open, he tosses the key aside and says, ‘Go, get outta here.  You’re free to go.  Believing that humans exist isn’t worth it if I have to take somepony hostage in order to be free myself.’”

Now, Lyra rises to all fours and, pointing to the imaginary stallion, pleads, “No, you don’t understand.  You’re right.  Humans do exist!"  She then taps herself on the chest again as she continues, "I can show you the human I live with."  She then concludes by putting the hoof down and calling out, "You’re not alone in your belief!”

At this point, I decide to put an end to the lesson by saying, “There, you see?  In a very short time, not only are you sympathizing with your captor, you’re also willing to side with him.”

Lyra starts to snap out of the role play, and seems surprised as she says, “You’re right.  I was willing to join forces with that stallion.”

I ask, “What did he do to make you feel that way toward him?”

Lyra pauses for a second or two in thought, then says, “Well, first he said he agreed with me about humans existing.  Then, when he found out it was me he was holding hostage, he showed he was regretting it, he even opened the door to my cell and let me go.  He said it wasn’t worth believing in humans if it meant that somepony else had to lose their freedom so he could have his.  He showed that he wasn’t the dangerous pony the royal guard was saying he was.”  She pauses for another second or two to return to a canine-style position before pointing to my character and asking, “Do you think something like that could happen to you?”

As I watch Lyra put her front hoof down again, I find it’s now my turn to pause for a second or two in thought before I answer, “You know, it just might, and maybe even as fast as it happened to you, if not faster.  If the circumstances were just right; if I had a captor who was more shaky in his beliefs than I am in mine, but had similar ones; if that captor demonstrated remorse for holding me captive, enough that he or she would let me go free; then I might sympathize with him or her, I might even be willing to fight on his or her side.  It’s something to be aware of.  On the one hand, a captor may have a good side, and may feel that he or she has no choice but to take a hostage.  On the other hand, whoever it is is still infringing on another creature’s freedom in order to retain his or her own.”

At this point, the pale-green unicorn grunts with interest before asking, “So, is it wrong to side with somepony who’s not letting you have your freedom, even if he or she demonstrates a good side?”

I answer, “That’s a good question.  And, when I have a good, solid answer for you, I’ll share it with you.”

At first, Lyra seems to melt.  Then, she looks up at my character again and asks, “Do you think the scenario that you put me into was similar to the one the priests of Noah did to the Lamanite mares they stole?”

Again I pause for a moment to think about the story.  When I choose to speak again, I answer, “I’m sure there were commonalities among them besides them being the descendants of Lehi.  As is recorded in the chapter, Noah’s priests were too ashamed to go back to their families; and, if for no other reason than to satisfy their own urges, that was probably the best idea they could come up with.  Could the daughters of the Lamanites come to sympathize with them?  Maybe, maybe not.  Could they find enough in common, enough of a reason to sympathize with them, that they’d even fight for the ones that had stolen them?  Probably.  I couldn’t say for sure, since I wasn’t there at the time.  For all I know, there were other circumstances that made the daughters of the Lamanites sympathetic to the priests of Noah, if such was the case.  It may have been that, after abducting them at that pool, the priests treated those Lamanite women really well.”

Just then, I see, through my character’s eyes, Ataahua come in for a landing, followed by Pinkie Pie, just to the side of the house.  And, both look really good.

My character automatically stands up, and he and Lyra approach the pegasa and the angel pony.

And, as they do, Topsy Turvy and Weed Whacker approach from the front yard as well.

I ask, “So, Ataahua, how did it go?”

The gray pegasa turns to my character and says, “I think it went really good.  Pinkie learned really fast how to move around clouds, and I think she even enjoyed it.”

Pinkie Pie replies, “Oh, yeah!  It was so much fun!”

I state, “Well, I’m glad to hear you enjoyed it.”

Before I can say anything more, Lyra asks, “So, should we get to harvesting what we need for snacks for the reading?”

The other ponies and the dinosaur cheer in affirmation, then separate to the different areas.

My character follows Pinkie Pie into the orchard.  And, when the two get there and choose trees to harvest from, I hear Pinkie Pie, specifically Diane, ask, “So, what did you talk about with Lyra?”

I answer, “We discussed the Stockholm Syndrome, and how it could affect humans and ponies, how humans and ponies could be susceptible to it.”

My character chooses fruits from the peach tree he’s chosen as I hear a thud from behind him, followed by rustling and a few more thuds.

Then, I hear Diane say, “It is difficult for me to imagine a situation in which I would sympathize with somepony that would steal my freedom from me, even fight on the same side as that somepony.”

My character picks a few more peaches, then I have him turn to the pink angel pony, and I say, “I came up with the perfect circumstances that made Lyra sympathetic to a hypothetical captor.  I suppose I could do the same thing for you.”

As she gathers the fallen apples and puts them in her mane, Diane says, “You know us better than anypony else.  And, I know that you want what’s best for us.”  Then, circling the tree to collect a few more apples, she adds, “I may not be able to easily picture such a scenario, but that doesn’t mean I believe it’s impossible for me to be part of such a thing.  It could happen to me, it could happen to you, it could happen to anypony.  And, knowing and acknowledging that something could happen is the first step toward knowing what to do about it.  If you want to show me how it could happen to me, then I’d be willing to find out, so I could learn how to deal with such a situation.”

I find myself smiling as I say, “After dinner tonight, you could come to my room; and I’ll see if I can set up a hypothetical situation that’d give you an idea of what Stockholm Syndrome might be like for you.”

Diane, before turning control of Pinkie Pie over to Pinkamena, simply says, “Agreed.”  Then, after the pink angel pony’s mane and tail burst into curls, she proceeds to bounce to and over the fence, then toward the house.

My character follows close behind her, walking to the fence, then climbing over it.

The group of six meet at the house, where Pinkie uses the curl in her forehead to open the front door and allow the rest of the group to enter, then follows them inside, closing the front door behind her.

My character, in the mean time, leads the group to the kitchen door, where he opens it and holds it open for the rest of the five to enter, after which he follows them into the kitchen and closes the door behind him.

With the group of six in the kitchen, Ataahua, Topsy Turvy, and Pinkie Pie join forces to make muffins using a few fruits that Lyra donates; and Lyra, Weed Whacker, and my character clean and prepare the rest of the fruits for the reading.

It’s happened so frequently now that I have to wonder if it hasn’t been planned that the other element bearers arrive and knock on the door just after the snacks have been prepared and placed on the snack tray.

Seeing that the snacks are ready, Pinkie Pie gallops out of the kitchen, stopping long enough to open the door, then gallops to the front door to greet guests.

In the mean time, the other three ponies join forces to take the tray out of the kitchen, through the front room, outside, and onto the front lawn, while my character retrieves the TV tray from his work room to support the snack tray above the lawn outside.

Surprising that I’ve forgotten that until now, and the trays have still managed to find their way back to their places inside the house.

At any rate, after providing the TV tray, then going back inside to close the open doors, my character goes back outside and takes his position in the circle.

And, I can only assume it's during this time that the alicorn sisters show up in the front yard and join the reading circle.

Before the reading begins, I have my character stand up; and I say, "Now, chapter twenty-four of the Book of Mosiah is twenty-five verses, and the twenty-fifth chapter is twenty-four verses.  So, I'm thinking that, since there are fourteen of us, and chapter twenty-four won't have enough verses for each of us to have read at least two by its end, we should also read chapter twenty-five."

Conversations around the circle immediately after my proposal seem to suggest that everyone agrees with it.

Finally, I hear Princess Celestia say, "I believe we're all in agreement on this."  As my character focuses on the daytime princess, she continues, "If you want those two chapters read, then let's go ahead and do that."

I nod and say, "Very well, then."  I then have my character sit down again and turn to my pink, spiral-eyed friend; and I ask, "Topsy Turvy, will you read the first verse of chapter twenty-four?"

The pink earth mare smiles as she nods, then looks down into her book, turns to the right page, then reads, "And it came to pass that Amulon did gain favor in the eyes of the king of the Lamanites; therefore, the king of the Lamanites granted unto him and his brethren that they should be appointed teachers over his people, yea, even over the people who were in the land of Shemlon, and in the land of Shilom, and in the land of Amulon."  She then looks up and says, "I guess that's no surprise.  If, as Mormon suggests, Amulon and the other priests of Noah had gotten their Lamanite wives to sympathize with them and argue for them; and if the Lamanites weren't willing to hurt other Lamanites, even those who were arguing for their enemies; then, depending on their arguments, the most obvious next step would've been for them to make those priests their own, and make them teachers and rulers of them, at least one step below their king."

By the time Topsy Turvy is finished reading the first verse, ponies and dragons alike have all turned to the right page.

The next is Weed Whacker, who reads, "For the Lamanites had taken possession of all these lands; therefore, the king of the Lamanites had appointed kings over all these lands."

Princess Luna then reads, "And now the name of the king of the Lamanites was Laman, being called after the name of his father; and therefore he was called king Laman.  And he was king over a numerous people."  She then looks up and says, "A bit obvious, I suppose.  But, after all, based on the records thus far, the Lamanites were a lazy people."

Princess Celestia reads, "And he appointed teachers of the brethren of Amulon in every land which was possessed by his people; and thus the language of Nephi began to be taught among all the people of the Lamanites."

Rainbow Dash reads, "And they were a people friendly one with another; nevertheless they knew not God; neither did the brethren of Amulon teach them anything concerning the Lord their God, neither the law of Moses; nor did they teach them the words of Abinadi;"  She then looks up and says, "I'm guessing that this 'people friendly one with another' was the Lamanites.  And, it fits in with what Mormon said about 'em."

Pinkie Pie reads, "But they taught them that they should keep their record, and that they might write one to another."  She then looks up and, after a grunt of interest, says, "I'm guessing that Laman and Lemuel and those with them hadn't bothered to teach their children to read or write.  And, now, Amulon and the other priests of Noah are teaching them those things.  This could either be a very good thing, or a very bad thing."

Twilight Sparkle reads, "And thus the Lamanites began to increase in riches, and began to trade one with another and wax great, and began to be a cunning and a wise people, as to the wisdom of the world, yea, a very cunning people, delighting in all manner of wickedness and plunder, except it were among their own brethren."  Now, it's Twilight's turn to grunt with interest before saying, "I have to wonder, then.  The Lamanites must not have been entirely evil if they weren't attacking other Lamanites."

Spike reads, "And now it came to pass that Amulon began to exercise authority over Alma and his brethren, and began to persecute him, and cause that his children should persecute their children."

Rarity reads, "For Amulon knew Alma, that he had been one of the king’s priests, and that it was he that believed the words of Abinadi and was driven out before the king, and therefore he was wroth with him; for he was subject to king Laman, yet he exercised authority over them, and put tasks upon them, and put task-masters over them."

Applejack reads, "And it came to pass that so great were their afflictions that they began to cry mightily to God."

Fluttershy reads, "And Amulon commanded them that they should stop their cries; and he put guards over them to watch them, that whosoever should be found calling upon God should be put to death."  She then looks up and says, "Order everypony that prays to be killed?  This Amulon sounds even worse than the Lamanites."

At this point, I state, "That's often the way it is.  The more someone learns about how to do things right, if he or she turns against that, he or she knows that there's more that he or she can do wrong.  It's not unlike climbing.  The higher one climbs, the farther one can fall."

Lyra reads, "And Alma and his people did not raise their voices to the Lord their God, but did pour out their hearts to him; and he did know the thoughts of their hearts."  She then looks up and says, "I'm guessing that means that they stopped praying aloud, and kept their prayers inside them.  And, just because their prayers weren't vocal, that didn't mean that they weren't heard."

Ataahua reads, "And it came to pass that the voice of the Lord came to them in their afflictions, saying: Lift up your heads and be of good comfort, for I know of the covenant which ye have made unto me; and I will covenant with my people and deliver them out of bondage."

I read, "And I will also ease the burdens which are put upon your shoulders, that even you cannot feel them upon your backs, even while you are in bondage; and this will I do that ye may stand as witnesses for me hereafter, and that ye may know of a surety that I, the Lord God, do visit my people in their afflictions."

At this point, I hear Ataahua ask, "Now, why did God just ease their burdens?  Couldn't He just take them and move them back into Nephite territory?"

As my character focuses on the gray pegasa, I answer, "I suppose He could, but that's not what he did.  You see, God isn't there to give us an easy life.  There are things we can learn from difficulties, helpful lessons we can gain from them.  And, you'll see soon enough how the people of Alma were benefited by this."

Presently, Topsy Turvy reads, "And now it came to pass that the burdens which were laid upon Alma and his brethren were made light; yea, the Lord did strengthen them that they could bear up their burdens with ease, and they did submit cheerfully and with patience to all the will of the Lord."  She then looks up and, with a grunt of interest, says, "They submitted cheerfully.  Does that mean they were happy with their situation?"

My character turns to the pink earth mare, and I answer, "I don't know that they were necessarily happy with their situation.  Remember, they were in bondage.  I'm guessing that, if they were happy with anything, it was that God had answered their prayers with the blessing he had promised them."

Weed Whacker reads, "And it came to pass that so great was their faith and their patience that the voice of the Lord came unto them again, saying: Be of good comfort, for on the morrow I will deliver you out of bondage."

Princess Luna reads, "And he said unto Alma: Thou shalt go before this people, and I will go with thee and deliver this people out of bondage."

Princess Celestia reads, "Now it came to pass that Alma and his people in the night-time gathered their flocks together, and also of their grain; yea, even all the night-time were they gathering their flocks together."

Rainbow Dash reads, "And in the morning the Lord caused a deep sleep to come upon the Lamanites, yea, and all their task-masters were in a profound sleep."  She then looks up and says, "You know, this kinda sounds like what Limhi had done before, except that Limhi got all the Lamanites drunk."

Then, Princess Celestia says, "And, there's one more thing."  As my character focuses on the daytime princess, she continues, "Mormon, you've mentioned before how God tests His people.  I'm guessing He was testing Alma and his people by allowing them to be taken prisoner and become slaves.  And, considering that they chose to rely on God, and, for all intents and purposes were happy in His service, they must've passed this test; and being free from bondage must've been their reward."

I nod to Princess Celestia and say, "I wouldn't be surprised if that was the case."

Pinkie Pie reads, "And Alma and his people departed into the wilderness; and when they had traveled all day they pitched their tents in a valley, and they called the valley Alma, because he led their way in the wilderness."

Twilight Sparkle reads, "Yea, and in the valley of Alma they poured out their thanks to God because he had been merciful unto them, and eased their burdens, and had delivered them out of bondage; for they were in bondage, and none could deliver them except it were the Lord their God."

Spike reads, "And they gave thanks to God, yea, all their men and all their women and all their children that could speak lifted their voices in the praises of their God."

Rarity reads, "And now the Lord said unto Alma: Haste thee and get thou and this people out of this land, for the Lamanites have awakened and do pursue thee; therefore get thee out of this land, and I will stop the Lamanites in this valley that they come no further in pursuit of this people."  She then looks up and says, "There is a time and a place for everything, and within enemy boundaries is neither the time nor place for celebration.  Alma and his followers could celebrate once they were back in Nephite territory."

Applejack reads, "And it came to pass that they departed out of the valley, and took their journey into the wilderness."

Fluttershy reads, "And after they had been in the wilderness twelve days they arrived in the land of Zarahemla; and king Mosiah did also receive them with joy."  She then turns to Ataahua and says, "Well, Derpy, it looks like, for all intents and purposes, God did pick them up and put them back in Nephite territory.  They just needed to take and pass a test first."

Lyra then looks up and says, "I guess that means I get to start chapter twenty-five."  She then looks down and reads, "And now king Mosiah caused that all the people should be gathered together."

Ataahua reads, "Now there were not so many of the children of Nephi, or so many of those who were descendants of Nephi, as there were of the people of Zarahemla, who was a descendant of Mulek, and those who came with him into the wilderness."

I read, "And there were not so many of the people of Nephi and of the people of Zarahemla as there were of the Lamanites; yea, they were not half so numerous."

Topsy Turvy reads, "And now all the people of Nephi were assembled together, and also all the people of Zarahemla, and they were gathered together in two bodies."  She then looks up and says, "So, there were two groups: the people of Nephi, and the people of Zarahemla.  And, they were separate from each other."

Weed Whacker reads, "And it came to pass that Mosiah did read, and caused to be read, the records of Zeniff to his people; yea, he read the records of the people of Zeniff, from the time they left the land of Zarahemla until they returned again."

Princess Luna reads, "And he also read the account of Alma and his brethren, and all their afflictions, from the time they left the land of Zarahemla until the time they returned again."

Princess Celestia reads, "And now, when Mosiah had made an end of reading the records, his people who tarried in the land were struck with wonder and amazement."

Rainbow Dash reads, "For they knew not what to think; for when they beheld those that had been delivered out of bondage they were filled with exceedingly great joy."

Pinkie Pie reads, "And again, when they thought of their brethren who had been slain by the Lamanites they were filled with sorrow, and even shed many tears of sorrow."

Twilight Sparkle reads, "And again, when they thought of the immediate goodness of God, and his power in delivering Alma and his brethren out of the hands of the Lamanites and of bondage, they did raise their voices and give thanks to God."

Spike reads, "And again, when they thought upon the Lamanites, who were their brethren, of their sinful and polluted state, they were filled with pain and anguish for the welfare of their souls."  He then looks up and says, "Sounds like it was quite the emotional roller-coaster ride.  No wonder they didn't know what to feel."

Rarity reads, "And it came to pass that those who were the children of Amulon and his brethren, who had taken to wife the daughters of the Lamanites, were displeased with the conduct of their fathers, and they would no longer be called by the names of their fathers, therefore they took upon themselves the name of Nephi, that they might be called the children of Nephi and be numbered among those who were called Nephites."  She then looks up again and says, "Now, that's a bad situation, when your own foals don't want to acknowledge you as their parents.  Still, considering what their fathers had done, it's not all that surprising."

Applejack reads, "And now all the people of Zarahemla were numbered with the Nephites, and this because the kingdom had been conferred upon none but those who were descendants of Nephi."

Fluttershy reads, "And now it came to pass that when Mosiah had made an end of speaking and reading to the people, he desired that Alma should also speak to the people."

Lyra reads, "And Alma did speak unto them, when they were assembled together in large bodies, and he went from one body to another, preaching unto the people repentance and faith on the Lord."

Ataahua reads, "And he did exhort the people of Limhi and his brethren, all those that had been delivered out of bondage, that they should remember that it was the Lord that did deliver them."

I read, "And it came to pass that after Alma had taught the people many things, and had made an end of speaking to them, that king Limhi was desirous that he might be baptized; and all his people were desirous that they might be baptized also."

Topsy Turvy reads, "Therefore, Alma did go forth into the water and did baptize them; yea, he did baptize them after the manner he did his brethren in the waters of Mormon; yea, and as many as he did baptize did belong to the church of God; and this because of their belief on the words of Alma."

Weed Whacker reads, "And it came to pass that king Mosiah granted unto Alma that he might establish churches throughout all the land of Zarahemla; and gave him power to ordain priests and teachers over every church."

Princess Luna reads, "Now this was done because there were so many people that they could not all be governed by one teacher; neither could they all hear the word of God in one assembly;"  Then, after grunting with interest, she turns to my character and asks, "Mormon, is this usually the case?  Where you're from, are there so many humans that they need to be divided up like that, and taught in smaller groups?"

This is one question I'm not really sure how to answer.  In reality, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is large enough and sufficiently spread out that it's divided into wards and branches and stakes, with bishops and branch presidents to lead them, as well as a prophet to lead the entire church with authority and guidance from God.  In this game, though, my character comes from a distant land, where humans are slowly, but surely, recovering in numbers from Discord's attack so many years earlier.  But, there is similar leadership there.

Finally, I decide to say, "Well, it's taken us humans quite some time to recover; but there's still a lot more for us to do.  We do have leaders, religious leaders, where I come from; and we're organized much like this.  Will we ever get back to where we were before Discord's attack?  Maybe, maybe not, depending on how you'd chose to look at it.  If you want to look at us based on quality of life, based on what we were before Discord's attack that long ago, we're probably better now than we were then.  As far as quantity goes, we're still a small group; but quality comes first."

Princess Celestia reads, "Therefore they did assemble themselves together in different bodies, being called churches; every church having their priests and their teachers, and every priest preaching the word according as it was delivered to him by the mouth of Alma."

Rainbow Dash reads, "And thus, notwithstanding there being many churches they were all one church, yea, even the church of God; for there was nothing preached in all the churches except it were repentance and faith in God."

Pinkie Pie reads, "And now there were seven churches in the land of Zarahemla.  And it came to pass that whosoever were desirous to take upon them the name of Christ, or of God, they did join the churches of God;"

Twilight Sparkle reads, "And they were called the people of God.  And the Lord did pour out his Spirit upon them, and they were blessed, and prospered in the land."

At this point, I have my character stand up; and I say, "And, let's call an end to the reading for now.  We'll pick up where we left off tomorrow.  But, in the mean time, thanks for coming to the reading; and, for those of you who are heading back to your homes, I hope you have a safe trip."

As I speak, the ponies and dragons stand up; and when I wish them a safe trip to their homes, they nod to me.  Then, Pinkie Pie, Lyra, Weed Whacker, Ataahua and Topsy Turvy gather on the front porch of my character’s house (Ataahua, Lyra, and Topsy Turvy carrying the trays), the two sister princesses wait just off of the porch; and Spike and the rest of the element bearers, aside from Pinkie Pie, gather at the front gate.

I start inputting instructions for my character to head to the gate to allow the ponies and dragon gathering there to exit; but then Pinkie Pie leaps from the front porch, gallops to the front gate, and opens it, then bids farewell to each of her friends as they exit.

Seeing that the pink angel pony has volunteered for the position, I decide to delete the instructions and have my character head to the front porch to wait for her to come back.  And, that doesn’t take much more than a minute.

When Pinkie Pie returns, Princess Celestia turns to the group and asks, “How many of you want to join Mormon and Topsy Turvy in Canterlot while Topsy Turvy takes care of her father?”

From the staggered shouts of “I’ll go,” it seems that the other four are willing.

The three ponies holding the trays even drop them on the porch to free themselves for the trip.

So, Princess Celestia smiles; and she and her sister close their eyes; and their horns start to glow and sparkle.

One frame later, the group of eight are in front of Discord’s statue, and Princess Luna then proceeds toward the castle to get Grounds Keeper.

In the mean time, Princess Celestia turns to my character and asks, “Will you follow me into the labyrinth?”

Knowing that it’s time for me to give the daytime princess my report, I say, “Yes, ma’am,” and instruct my character to follow her into the hedge maze.

Once the white alicorn and the human are far enough into the maze that they’re hidden from view of the rest of the group, Princess Celestia turns to my character and asks, “So, how have things been going with Pinkie Pie?”

I answer, “Pretty well, I think.  This afternoon, she got her first lesson from Ataahua, and it looks like she did really well with it.”

While I can’t see the daytime princess smile, I can hear it in her voice as she says, “That’s good to hear.”  She then asks, “And, what about Lyra?  What have you learned today about unicorns from her?”

I answer, “Well, if Lyra's any indication, they don’t like hostage situations, not even hypothetical ones.”

Now, I hear suspicion in the daytime alicorn’s voice as she slowly asks, “Hypothetical hostage situations?”

I continue, “You’ll remember, in last night’s scripture reading, the subject came up about Stockholm Syndrome; and how it might’ve played a role in the Lamanite women being willing advocates for the priests of Noah that had kidnapped them?”  Taking what sounds to me like a grunt of affirmation at its face value, I continue, “Well, I decided to try an experiment on Lyra, and I came up with a scenario where she might sympathize with a stallion that would take her hostage.”

I think I hear the suspicion in Princess Celestia’s voice deepen, and maybe turn to anger, as she asks, “And, what happened then?”

I answer, “Well, at first she ran off, saying that she didn’t want to know more about Stockholm Syndrome after all.  Then, I guess after talking to Weed Whacker and Topsy Turvy, she came back and decided it wouldn’t be such a bad thing after all.  So, I went far enough through the scenario that I did get her sympathetic with her captor, even wanting to fight alongside him.”

I think I hear the daytime alicorn start to calm down as she asks, “You did end the scenario before Lyra actually started fighting, didn’t you?”

I answer, “Yes, I did.  And, now Lyra has a really good understanding of what Stockholm Syndrome is, at least the best I could give her.”

I hear a sigh from the white princess, followed by her saying, “I don’t like seeing or hearing about any of my little ponies scared, even if it’s for a good reason.  But, as long as Lyra has been unharmed from learning a worthwhile lesson from your example, I suppose it’s alright.  Just, be careful next time.”  She then pauses for a moment before asking, “Has anypony else taken an interest in having a Stockholm-syndrome scenario?”

I answer, “Pinkie Pie has.  And, I promised her one.  It’ll likely come after dinner this evening.”

Again I hear Princess Celestia sigh, then say, “What about Derpy?”

I answer, “No, she hasn’t shown any interest in such a scenario.”

For once, I hear the daytime princess chuckle before she says, “Well, that’s good to hear.  But I actually meant, have you learned anything new about pegasi from her?”

I answer, “Oh.  Well, no, not really, other than that Ataahua, anyway, was more than willing to give Pinkie Pie her first lesson in flight, something about moving around obstacles.”  I then ask, “Are all pegasi such willing teachers?”

I think I hear a smile in the daytime princess’s voice as she answers, “There are a few that aren’t confident in their ability to teach non-pegasi how to fly, there are even pegasi that don’t know how to fly.  You have been fortunate, you and Pinkie, to have found pegasi that were willing and eager to teach Pinkie how to fly.”  She then asks, “So, what have you been doing at Sugar Cube Corner lately?”

I think it curious that the daytime princess would ask me that question.  Still, I see no reason why I shouldn’t answer, “Actually, I’ve been relegated to putting pastries, evidently the more valuable ones, on upper shelves; and Topsy Turvy helps Mrs. Cake put pastries on the shelves that the two of them can reach.”

Princess Celestia says, “It sounds like you’re kept busy there.”  Then, after I offer a grunt of agreement, she asks, “Is there anything else you’d like to give a report on?”

At this point, the situation between Rarity and her little sister Sweetie Belle comes to mind; so I answer, “Well, yesterday, I became involved in a matter between Rarity and her little sister.  It seems that their parents headed off on vacation, and left Sweetie Belle with Rarity.  The two sisters didn’t get along very well, and even separated for a while.  It seems that every time Sweetie Belle tried to do something nice for her big sister, Rarity always found something wrong with it.  Then, later on, Rarity realized that things that her sister did worked out better than she’d expected.  And, things really came to a head when Rarity found her little sister’s picture which she’d drawn and lined in a valentine shape with rare gems.  After that, Rarity wanted to get back with her little sister; but Sweetie Belle wasn’t so willing.

“Well, today, based on a plan that Applejack came up with for them, Rarity went to hide in a puddle of mud, although she needed a little encouragement to get into that mud puddle.  I attended the race she was going to take part in later on; and, as planned, Applejack jumped into the mud puddle; and Rarity came out covered in mud.  Well, long story short, while they didn’t win the race, Rarity and Sweetie Belle did get back to being on good terms again.  So, things worked out for them.

“I’m guessing, by now, that you’ve already gotten a letter about the incident?”

I hear Princess Celestia answer, “I have, but it’s good to hear another point of view of it. Thanks for providing it.”  I then hear hoof-falls, as well as her voice saying, “Let’s go back to Discord’s statue.”

I wait for the hoof-falls to pass by my character before allowing him to follow the white princess out of the hedge maze.  Then, once outside the maze, the human and the white alicorn join the rest of the group watching Topsy Turvy take care of her father and sing.

After she’s done, and has wished that her father not be a statue for another thousand years, Grounds Keeper gathers up the cleaning supplies and takes them back to the castle, while the two princesses nod and close their eyes, and their horns start to glow and sparkle.

In the next frame, the group of eight are back on the front lawn of my character’s house.

The white princess then says, “We shall return to the castle now so I can document your report.”  And, with that, and before anyone can say anything more to her, she and her sister disappear.

I have my character lead the group to the front door, pick up the trays, and open the front door to allow the ponies and dinosaur to enter.  Then, once all are inside and my character has closed the door behind him, I have him take the TV tray back to the work room, while the three ponies that had been carrying the trays onto the porch take the snack tray to the kitchen.  By the time my character’s back in the front room, the ponies that were carrying the tray are just entering as well.

I ask, “So, shall we go out and gather food for dinner?”

Pinkie Pie’s as enthusiastic as ever with her affirmative answer; and, while the rest of the group don’t quite match Pinkie’s enthusiasm, they’re still clearly willing.

With the answer to that question evident, I have my character go and open the front door to allow the ponies and dinosaur to exit, then follow them out, and close the door behind him.

Weed Whacker, once she’s close enough, separates from the group to enter the vegetable garden; Lyra heads to the vineyard; Ataahua and Topsy Turvy head to the grain field; and Pinkie Pie and my character head to the orchard.

Once there, while Pinkie Pie, under the control of Diane, chooses a tree and bucks apples from it, my character chooses the nectarine tree to harvest fruits from.  And, by the time the human and the angel pony are ready to leave the orchard, each have harvested six of the fruits that they’ve chosen.  And, Pinkie Pie is back under Pinkamena’s control.

The human and the angel pony arrive back at the front porch, and have to wait for no more than a minute before the rest of the group arrives as well.  And, it’s Pinkie who opens the front door, using the curl in her forehead, and allows the other three ponies, as well as the dinosaur and the human, to enter, then follows them inside and closes the door behind her.

In the mean time, my character moves ahead of the group and opens the kitchen door for them, then waits for the ponies and dinosaur to enter, including Pinkie Pie, then follows them inside and closes the door behind him.

Once again, it’s a matter of Pinkie, Ataahua, and Topsy Turvy preparing the oats, as well as a few fruits that Lyra donates, and making muffins from them, while the rest of the group prepares the remaining fruits and the vegetables to be eaten raw.  Then, once the meal is ready, my character carries it into the front room and sets it on the coffee table; and the group joins forces in eating the prepared meal.  And, once it’s eaten, and the remnants cleaned up; the group separates and heads to their rooms.

That is, almost everyone in the group.

I’m really not surprised when my character shows me, through his eyes, that while Lyra and Weed Whacker head to their room, Pinkie Pie follows my character into his.  She then trots over and hops onto his bed, then turns a hundred eighty degrees to face him, then settles into a sphinx-style position.  Then, Pinkamena passes control over to Diane, who she says, “Well, my sister and I are ready for that Stockholm Syndrome scenario you promised us.”

As I watch the pink angel pony’s mane uncurl and fall to one side of her head, I find myself having to gather my thoughts for a few seconds, during which time my character approaches her and kneels on one knee on Pinkie’s right side.  Knowing how much Diane cares for Pinkamena, her twin sister, I could give her a captor with a sibling in trouble, so she’d want to help her.  In fact, a situation like that seems like a really good one.  The only problem is the setup for the scenario.  Where should it begin?  Should I use a griffin?  A pegasus?  Maybe a rogue alicorn?  Considering how respected alicorns are among ponies, using a rogue alicorn in the scenario would likely be a bad idea.  Maybe a dragon?  Well, why not?  After all, the green dragon I met showed evidence of caring for the red one.  It just might work.

By the time I’ve come up with what I think would be the best scenario, my character has already gotten to the edge of the bed, and is kneeling just off of it on one knee next to Pinkie “Diane” Pie.

In fact, my guess is my character has been sitting in front of the pink, straight-haired angel pony for at least a minute, as I hear her say, “I’m ready for the scenario when you are.”

At that point, I decide to start with, “Well, let’s begin at Sugar Cube Corner.  We’re working at our assigned tasks, when we hear a loud thud outside, followed by a dragon’s roar.”

Presently, Pinkamena takes control of Pinkie and asks, “What’s a dragon doing in Ponyville?”

I continue, “A few more thuds that get louder and heavier suggest that the dragon’s heading toward Sugar Cube Corner.  Then, the bakery seems to implode as huge claws break through walls and windows.  Then, the building, except for the foundation, flies off, revealing a green dragon, who roars again, then reaches down and grabs you with the hand that isn’t holding the building.”

While I tell the story, Pinkie rises to a canine-style position and, wide-eyed, starts trembling and whimpering, and her ears fold back against her head.  When I’m finished, she asks, “Why?  Why would a dragon want me?”

I continue, “The dragon puts Sugar Cube Corner back on its foundation, although crooked, then flies off.”

Now, Pinkie Pie cries, “I’m so scared, I think I’m gonna wet myself!”

I continue, “A wet hand or arm doesn’t matter to the dragon, or at least it doesn’t seem to.  He continues flying until he reaches a cave.  As he marches into the cave, you happen to notice a nest made of gems, with maybe two or three dragon hatchlings inside it.”

Presently, Pinkie Pie stops trembling and whimpering and, instead, smiles and says, “Uh, maybe we should make this a female dragon.  I just can’t imagine a male dragon caring for young.”

I decide to agree with Pinkie, as I say, “Alright then, the he dragon’s a she.”

Still smiling, Pinkie points at my character with a front hoof and says, “Thank you.”  She then puts the hoof down under her again and goes back to trembling.  She cries out, “She wants to feed me to her ba-ha-ha-by-he-hes!”

At this point, I’m having all sorts of trouble keeping from laughing.  It takes me a few seconds before I can continue, “What you don’t see until the green dragon puts you down is that there’s another dragon, a blue one, apparently guarding the nest.  The blue dragon wakes up for a moment, looks at you, then apparently goes back to sleep.”

Now, Pinkie cries, “I’m gonna be killed by dragons with a sweet too-hoo-hoo-hooth!”

Pinkie Pie’s making it really difficult for me to keep from bursting into laughter right now.  Still, after a few more seconds, I continue, “The green dragon that brought you in points to the blue dragon and says, ‘This is my sister.  She needs to go out and feed, but she refuses to leave her nest and allow me to take over for her.  She hasn’t eaten for a while, and I worry that she may starve.”

Presently, Pinkie’s mane straightens and falls to one side of her head, indicating that Diane has just taken over.  Not only that, but one that doesn’t know Pinkie as well as I do might think, from the evidence that all emotion drains from her face while her mane and tail uncurl, that her curly mane and tail are the source of her emotions.

Diane says, “I would ask the green dragon, 'So, what do you want me to do about it?'”

I continue, “The green dragon answers, ‘I want you to convince my sister to leave her nest and let me guard her hatchlings, so she can get something to eat.’”

Diane says, “I would ask the green dragon, 'Does your sister not trust you with her hatchlings?'”

I continue, “The green dragon answers, ‘My sister trusts no one with her hatchlings.’”

Diane says, “I would ask the green dragon, 'Could you not bring her food?'”

I continue, “The green dragon answers, ‘Dragons gather food for themselves.  My sister knows better than I do what kind of gems she likes best.’”

Diane sighs, then says, “I need to have a better look at the blue dragon.”

I continue, “A look at the blue dragon shows you that most, if not all, of her ribs are visible, as well as several bones showing through her neck and tail.  Also, her wings are almost transparent.”

Diane says, “I would say to the blue dragon, ‘You are not healthy.  You must recover your health before you can care for your hatchlings.’”

I continue, “The blue dragon says, ‘My hatchlings are all that matter.’”

Diane says, “I would say to the blue dragon, ‘You cannot take care of your hatchlings if you are dead.  You need to get food.’”

I continue, “The blue dragon says, ‘I have obtained food, and given it to my hatchlings.’”

Diane says, “Your dedication to the next generation is commendable.  But, you need to take care of yourself as well.  Your sister can take care of your hatchlings after you are dead, but how will your hatchlings remember you?  Will they remember you?”  She then focuses on my character, on me, and says, “This is an effective scenario.  I feel an attachment to both dragons.”

I ask, “If at that moment, a rescue team were to approach the cave where those dragons are, how would you react?”

Diane pauses for a moment before answering, “I would want to stay either until I've convinced the blue dragon to find food for herself, until I’ve convinced the green dragon to find food for her, or until the blue dragon dies.”

I ask, “And, if the team were insistent on rescuing you?”

Diane very vehemently answers, “I would still want to stay.  I would fight to stay until I no longer needed to.”  She then sighs and says, “I would have that Stockhlm Syndrome then.  Thank you for the scenario.”

As Diane returns control of Pinkie to Pinkamena, as indicated by Pinkie's mane and tail curling again, my character rises from his kneeling position and walks to the door; and I say, “There are times when the best way to get around a situation is to go through it.”

Pinkie jumps off of my character’s bed and trots toward the door.  But, as my character opens it, she stops and asks, “What about the blue dragon?  Could Diane have convinced her to leave her nest to her sister and find food for herself?”

I answer, “That’s a good question.  What do you think?”

Pinkie rubs her chin with a front hoof as she hums in thought before saying, “Her ribs and bones were visible through her skin, and her wings were almost transparent.  It sounds like she was really close to dying.  If my sister’d been able to convince the blue dragon before she died, she might just die before even getting out of the cave.  But, Diane probably would have bought our freedom that way.”

I say, “Well, if that’s all, then it’s time for you to be going back to your room.”

Pinkie smiles and says, “You’re right, Mormy.  See you tomorrow.”  And, with that, she trots out the door, then waits for my character to close it again.  And, from what I hear of her hoof-falls, she trots to her room.

After that, my character goes to bed and to sleep.

As I save and close the game, I’m left thinking about the possible scenarios where I might be susceptible to Stockholm Syndrome.  While I hope I never get into a hostage situation, I can’t ignore the possibility that, if I ever do become a hostage, under the right circumstances, I could also sympathize with my captor or captors, and even end up fighting on his, her, or their side.  But, now is not the time to worry about that.  For now, I save the game and close it until the next time I have time to play. Next Chapter: Chapter 6: Bowling Strike-out Estimated time remaining: 4 Hours, 15 Minutes