As I open the file of my second playthrough, I find myself wondering if I’m going to have as much fun observing circumstances in this video game as I’ve had watching the episodes “The Cutie Pox” and “May the Best Pet Win.”  Although, there is the fact that I’m going to need to help an angel pony with a guilty conscience.

As the game resumes, I find that my character seems to have awakened on his own.  I do hear sounds and voices coming from the hallway; but they seem a little more quiet, like they’re not directed at my character’s bedroom door.  So, I have my character rise from his bed and walk to his bedroom door and open it.  Then, after he steps into the hallway and closes his bedroom door, following the sound of the voices, he automatically turns to the end of the hallway, where the bedrooms of Lyra and Pinkie are located; and I can see, through his eyes, Lyra and Weed Whacker in front of Pinkie Pie’s bedroom door.

I then hear Lyra call out, “Pinkie, are you sure you’re alright in there?”

I ask, “Is there something wrong?”

Both the unicorn and the dinosaur jump and yelp in alarm at hearing my voice, then turn to face my character.

Then, as soon as she regains her composure, Weed Whacker answers, “We’re not sure.  Pinkie Pie hasn’t come out of her room yet.”

I ask, “Are you sure she’s in there?”

It’s Lyra who answers, “We can hear her crying in there.  Did something happen yesterday, or during the night?”

I answer, “Maybe I should go in and see if she’s alright.”

Lyra slowly nods, then uses her magic to pick up Weed Whacker and put her on her back, after which she backs up away from Pinkie’s bedroom door.

As my character approaches the door to the pink angel pony’s bedroom, I have him face the pale-green unicorn and the dinosaur; and I say, “You can go ahead and start harvesting food for breakfast.  I’ll go and see if Pinkie Pie’s alright.”

Again Lyra just nods, before ambling past my character, as soon as there’s room; and then, once she’s past, she gallops to the kitchen, opens the door to the front room, trots through it, then closes the kitchen door behind her.

As soon as I can see that the unicorn and the dinosaur have disappeared at least into the front room, I have my character turn to Pinkie’s bedroom door.

But, as I reach out to open it, the door seems to open on its own.  Then, my character looks down to see Pinkie Pie, evidently controlled by Pinkamena, on the other side of the door.

She steps aside to allow my character to enter, then closes the door behind him.  Then, as my character follows her, she ambles to her bed, jumps up onto it, then turns to my character and settles into a sphinx-style position.  She stammers, “I-I-I … I’m st-till w-w-worried that I … I w-won’t g-get a ch-chance to l-let the C-cakes know how s-s-sorry I am that I l-lied about eating those c-corn c-cakes.”  And, she sniffles and sobs.

I have my character reach out and stroke the pink angel pony’s mane, and I respond, “Now, remember what I said.  If making an appointment is the only way you can get the chance to let them know, then that’s what you’ll have to do.”  I watch the pink angel pony sniffle again, then I continue, “Maybe the opportunity won’t just be there all of a sudden, in which case you’ll have to look for it.  But, that doesn’t mean it’ll never come.  If you have to make your own opportunity, then that’s what you should do.  Just remember, I’ll be there with you.”

Now, Pinkie starts to smile as she asks, “You will?”

I nod and answer, “I will.”

At this point, the pink angel pony jumps into a standing position, then falls forward onto my character, who catches her and returns her hug.  In that position, she says, “Thank you, Mormon.”

After a few seconds, the angel pony and the human separate, after which I ask, “So, shall we go out and harvest some fruits from the orchard?”

Pinkie seems to force a chuckle as she answers, “Sure, let’s do that.”

I make sure that Pinkie’s on her bed before I have my character back away from her, rise to his feet, then walk to her bedroom door and open it.

In the mean time, the pink angel pony hops off of her bed and follows my character, trotting to the door, then through it as soon as there’s enough space for her.

My character then follows Pinkie out the door, then closes it behind him, then follows the pink angel pony to the kitchen door, where she opens the door for him, then trots to the front door.  Then, after closing the kitchen door behind him, he follows the pink angel pony to the front door, where she opens that one for them.  Then, once the two are outside, my character closes the front door behind them; and the two head out to, then into, the orchard.

Diane takes control of Pinkie Pie, then chooses an apple tree to buck apples from it.

In the mean time, my character chooses the peach tree to harvest fruits from, including an extra to donate to Ataahua for her muffins.  Then, when the fruits have been harvested, Diane hands control of Pinkie to Pinkamena, who gathers the bucked apples and hangs them in her mane.  The angel pony and the human leave the orchard, to meet up with Ataahua and Topsy Turvy, who have evidently just gotten back from harvesting oats in the grain field.

I take the opportunity to say, “I can understand that you ponies probably don’t eat wheat.  I don’t know if it’s good for you or not, but it is good for humans like myself.  So, if you want to make wheat muffins for me, then go right ahead.  There really isn’t a grain that isn’t good for humans, but wheat is especially good for humans like myself.”

In response, Topsy Turvy looks up at my character and says, “Well, if you want to harvest wheat for yourself, then go right ahead.  I’m just not sure that it’s such a good idea for us ponies to harvest it.  Like, what if some of the wheat got mixed in with the oats?  What if we can’t tell the difference?”

I hadn’t really thought about it that way, and I say as much to the pink, spiral-eyed earth mare.  But, at the same time, I didn’t program the ponies to be poisoned by the wheat, certainly not to the point that it’d kill them.  But, if the ponies are comfortable harvesting and consuming the oats and not the wheat, and if I really want my character to eat more wheat, then maybe it’s a matter I should have my character take into his own hands.

But, back on the front porch, it’s once again Pinkie Pie who opens the front door, allowing the human, the dinosaur, and the other ponies to enter; then follows them inside and closes the door behind her.

In the mean time, as soon as he’s inside, my character leads the group to the kitchen, where he opens the door and waits for the rest of the group to enter, then follows them in and closes the kitchen door behind him.

Once there, once again Pinkie Pie joins forces with Ataahua and Topsy Turvy to make muffins, as my character, Lyra, and Weed Whacker team up to prepare the rest of the fruits, minus the peach I donate and the kiwi fruit Lyra donates, to be eaten raw.  Then, when the breakfast is ready, my character carries the tray with the food into the front room, where the human, the dinosaur, and the ponies gather around the coffee table on the two couches, and eat the prepared breakfast.  Then, after that, they clean up the remnants, then head out to the front yard.

It’s about then that Pinkie Pie turns to my character and asks, “Uh, Mormon, shouldn’t you call Scout?  Remember, today’s the day for the weekly pet play date with our friends.”

Somehow, that fact had slipped my mind; so it’s a good thing Pinkie Pie was there to remind me.  After acknowledging that, I have my character turn to the timber wolf on his front porch, and I call out, “Come here, Scout!”

On hearing his name being called, Scout rises to a canine-style position, then to all fours, then, after wagging his tail for a second or two, jumps off of the porch and gallops toward my character.  But, he adjusts his course just off of the porch so that he gallops past my character and jumps over the fence.

Seeing the eager timber wolf waiting for him, I have my character open the gate for the ponies and the dinosaur; then, once they’re out, I have my character follow them, and close the door behind them.

And, it’s about this time that I notice Gummy attached by his mouth to Pinkie Pie’s tail.

But, there’s something else.

From behind my character, I hear Zecora say, “I greet you, my friend Mormon.  Your quest through the Everfree has begun?”

My character turns to face the zebra as she speaks.  When she’s done, I nod and answer, “That’s right.”  I then ask, “So, what brings you here?”

Zecora’s smile morphs into a look of worry as she says, “My Heart’s Desire has disappeared, and for Applebloom’s safety I fear.”

At this point, Ataahua trots toward the zebra and says, “I guess you haven’t heard.  Yesterday, Applebloom showed up in town with two cutie marks.  She has two special talents!”

Zecora’s look of worry deepens, and her voice goes up a few tones as she says, “Two talents? Then my fears have come to pass!  I must find the cure, and fast!”  And, with that, she turns back into the forest, in the direction of her hut, and gallops off.

After the zebra disappears back into the forest, I hear Ataahua ask, “What’s wrong?  Isn’t it a good thing that Applebloom has two cutie marks, and two talents?”

My character focuses on the gray pegasa as she speaks; and, when she’s done, I answer, “It’s kind of a long story.  Let’s just say that she’s gonna have a major burden to let go of.”

I then hear Topsy Turvy ask, “If Zecora’s lost her heart’s desire, why is she so worried about Applebloom?  That’s sounding kind of suspicious to me.”

My character turns to the pink earth mare to hear her out, after which I answer, “The Heart’s Desire Zecora was talking about is a flower that grows in the Everfree forest.  I can’t give you any details right now; but, apparently she was going to use it for some purpose or other, and Applebloom evidently stole it from her.”

While I talk to Topsy Turvy, I see Ataahua amble up next to her.  When I’m finished with my answer, the gray pegasa asks, “So, what does this Heart’s Desire flower have to do with Applebloom getting two cutie marks?”

My character automatically focuses on Ataahua as she speaks.  When she’s done, I answer her, “My guess is she used the flower to get a cutie mark, not realizing that getting a mark under such circumstances came with side effects.”  Then, seeing the gray pegasa about to ask another question, I have my character raise a hand in front of her, palm facing her; and I conclude, “You’ll likely see for yourself what those side effects are when we get to Ponyville.  There’s even a name for the condition, which we’ll hear about when we get there.  But, we need to get there first.”

Ataahua simply nods in agreement and understanding, after which the gray pegasa and the pink earth mare turn and start following Pinkie Pie into the forest.

It isn’t long after entering the forest that the two ponies and the human catch up with the other pony, the timber wolf, and the dinosaur; and, from then on, it’s an uneventful half hour before the combined group exits the forest, then enters Ponyville.

Just a few steps into town, the group meets up with Twilight and Applejack.

The orange earth pony approaches my character and says, “Hi, Mormon.”  Then, in a voice rich with concern, she says, “We got a real problem a’brewin’.”

Not far past the two ponies, I see the yellow earth filly evidently holding Bon-Bon, Lilly Valley, and their little sisters, or so I assume, hostage tap-dancing around them while playing an accordion, and still spinning the hoop on her tail and balancing plates on sticks on her nose.  I respond, “I see what you mean.”  I then direct my character’s attention back to the purple unicorn and the orange earth pony, and I add, “Long story short, Zecora already knows; and she should be coming with the cure as soon as possible.”  I then focus my character’s attention on Topsy Turvy, Lyra, Ataahua, and Weed Whacker; and I say, “You four take Scout and Gummy to the park.  Pinkie Pie and I have some business to take care of at Sugar Cube Corner, after which we’ll catch up to you.”

The three ponies and the dinosaur, with concerned looks on their faces, simply nod in agreement.  Then, Ataahua takes Gummy while Lyra takes Scout; and the group of six, minus one human and one angel pony, head to the Ponyville park.

With the group now down to two, I hear Twilight ask, “Uh, Mormon, how does Zecora know about Applebloom’s cutie pox problem?”

I answer, “When my friends and I were leaving my house to head to town, Zecora met up with us and said something about one of her ingredients disappearing.  Then, Derpy told her that Applebloom had shown up in town with two cutie marks, and that seemed to confirm Zecora’s suspicions.  Suffice it to say that she’ll be here with the cure, like I said, as soon as she can be.”

A clearly worried Applejack asks, “So, what’ll we do in the mean time?  Ah tried to stop my little sis, and Ah couldn’t.  Ah’m really scared for her.”

As Applejack sniffles once, Twilight turns to her and answers, “Now, it’ll be alright.  Mormon told us that Zecora knows, and she’s coming with something that should help Applebloom.”

I respond, “That’s right.  But, in the mean time, Pinkie Pie and I have some business to take care of at Sugar Cube Corner.”

Twilight sighs, then says, “Alright, Mormon, Pinkie Pie, you go ahead and take care of whatever business you need to.  If we need you, we’ll let you know.”

In response, Pinkie says, “Thank you, Twily,” then turns back to my character and adds, “So, Mormon, let’s get going.”  And, she turns in the direction of the bakery and starts galloping.

I say no more, just allow my character to follow the pink angel pony to Sugar Cube Corner.

But, it seems that, when the angel pony and the human arrive and enter and look around, there's no one inside.

Pinkie Pie calls out, “Mrs. Cake?  Mr. Cake?  Are you in here?”

Then, from upstairs, I hear the voice of Mr. Cake call out, “We’re up here, Pinkie!  We’re just changin’ the twins’ diapers!”

Pinkie calls out, “I need to talk to you about something!”

I then hear Mr. Cake call out again, “If you’ll give us a few minutes, we’ll be done with the twins!  Then we can talk with you!”

Pinkie then calls out, “Alright!”  She then turns to my character, to me, and says, “I guess there’s nothing more for me to do than just wait.”  And, she turns to the front door and settles down canine-style.

In the mean time, as I have my character stroke Pinkie’s mane to calm her down, I hear female voices call out, “She’s Cursed,” “Hexed,” and “Enchanted,” then Spike’s voice say, “No, she’s not.  She just has some weird, mysterious disease with no known cure called cutie pox.”

Then, Pinkie and I watch as the towns ponies stampede off, crying out in panic.

Not long after that, I hear Zecora’s voice say, “I thought I had removed their fear the last time that I had visited here.  But, doors are barred, and shutters shut.  Guess I should’ve stayed inside my hut.”

I then hear Twilight say, “Zecora, Applebloom has cutie pox!  Mormon said you were coming with a cure.”

Then, I hear Applejack say, “And, magically, you’re here!  Is yer zebra sense a’tinglin’?”

I have to wonder if that isn’t a reference to Spiderman.

In the mean time, I hear Zecora answer, “My zebra sense did not bring me out.  It was a special flower that I needed about.  I thought I had enough to fix all the potions I had to mix.  But, after my visit from Applebloom, some had mysteriously left my room.”  She then approaches the yellow earth filly and asks, “Applebloom, what do you say?  Did this flower just walk away?”

Applebloom, who at this point is lifting a barbell with her tail, hesitates to answer.  Then, signified by a flash, another cutie mark appears on her, causing her to start washing the windows of a building just across the street from Sugar Cube Corner.

I see the zebra smile as she says, “A cutie pox cure I have for sooth, for healing power is within the seeds of truth.”

I then hear an excited Applejack say, “Well then, give ‘em to her, quick!”

Zecora, removing the seeds from a saddle basket with her tail and holding them over her head, replies, “These seeds must be planted in the ground; when, with the truth they’ll grow and mature, is found.”

At this point, I hear Pinkie Pie say, under her breath, “Oh, no.”

Under my breath, I say, “It’s alright, Pinkie.  I’m thinking the truth she’s after isn’t from you.”

I then hear Applejack say, “Then, let’s get to it!”  My character focuses out the window onto the orange earth mare as she knocks the seeds out of the zebra’s tail, digs a hole with one hoof, then covers the seeds after they fall into the hole.  Then, she says, “Alright, now they’re planted.  Now, somepony, tell the truth!”

At approximately the same time, I hear a door open from approximately behind my character, and Mr. Cake call out, “Now, Pinkie, what did you want to talk about?”

Then, it’s just a matter of seconds until Applebloom starts spinning out of control like a top; and Pinkie Pie makes it clear that she’s reached the end of the tolerance of her guilty conscience, as she cries out, “Yesterday, I told Mrs. Cake that I ate one corn cake, but I really ate three!”

From where I heard Mr. Cake’s voice, I now hear Mrs. Cake ask, “Pinkie?”

Then, the pink angel pony cries out, “Okay, six!  I ate six corn cakes!”

At this point, I’m sure I hear relief in Mrs. Cake’s voice when I hear her say, “It all makes sense now.”

Then, Pinkie bawls out, “Oh, make it stop, oh, make it stop!”

Now, I hear creaking coming from the balcony, then down the stairs, as Mrs. Cake’s voice says, “Pinkie Pie, you could’ve just told me that you ate those six corn cakes yesterday when I asked.  I wasn’t going to hold it against you, dearie.  I just wondered what had happened to them.”

And, that’s when the pink angel pony turns around and sees the blue earth mare approach her.  She sniffles and asks, “Really?”

As the yellow-orange stallion and the blue mare stop maybe a foot away from the pink angel pony, Mrs. Cake answers, “Of course, dearie.  We knew you’d make the corn cakes the best you could.  I guess we didn’t know just how irresistibly good you’d make them.”

Mr. Cake adds, smiling, “If you’d told Cup the truth, like she said, we wouldn’t have held it against you.”  His smile then fades as he adds, “But, now that we know that you lied to us, well, …”

Mrs. Cake sighs before slowly continuing, “We’re not sure that we can trust you.”

The pink angel pony clearly feels the sting of the news from her female boss.  She takes a moment to look down and sniffle, then says, “I’m so sorry, Mr. and Mrs. Cake.  I still want you to trust me.”  She then looks up at them again and asks, “What can I do to make it up to you?”

I see Pinkie’s ears perk up again as Mrs. Cake starts to answer, “Well, you replaced the corn cakes you ate.  That was a good start.”  I then watch Pinkie’s ears tilt to a right angle from where they’d been when she hears Mr. Cake say, “But, for a while, anyway, I’m afraid you’re going to need supervision, until we know for sure that we can trust you again.”

The stallion then looks up at my character and asks, “Mormon, where’s Lyra?”

I answer, “She’s at the park with Weed Whacker, Topsy Turvy, Derpy Hooves, and Pinkie’s and my pets, Gummy and Scout.”

After hearing my answer, Mr. Cake says, “Then, when you’re at the park, I want you to tell Lyra that she’s going to be keeping an eye on Pinkie Pie for the next week.  After that, I want her to give me a report on Pinkie Pie’s behavior.  Pinkie’s future as an employee here will depend on her report.  Is that understood?”

I answer, “Yes, sir.”  I then pause for a moment before I ask, “Should I tell her to be honest in her report?”

Mr. Cake answers, “If you think it’s necessary, then do that.”  He then turns back to Pinkie Pie and says, “You’ve been a good employee up until now.  I hope you’ll prove to be that again.”  And, with that, he and Mrs. Cake turn and canter toward the kitchen.

After the two earth ponies disappear into the kitchen, I hear Pinkie Pie sniffle, then sob, before she turns to my character and says, “Oh, Mormon, what have I done?”

I have my character reach out and start stroking Pinkie’s mane again as I answer, “Well, you’ve taken the first step toward getting their trust back.  Mr. Cake said you’ve been a good employee, and he wants you to keep working here.”

Pinkie stammers, “B-but, what if … what if I make another m-mistake?”

I answer, “That’s why you have friends, to support you and help you so you don’t make those kinds of mistakes again.  I’m sure that the Cakes have made their share of mistakes in their time, which is why they were willing to overlook your mistake in lying to them.  They’re good employers, and they see you as a good employee.  You just need to prove them right.”  I then have my character open his arms to the pink angel pony, and I say, “Now, come here.”

The pink angel pony, tears streaming from her eyes, hops up into the arms of my character and hugs him around his neck.

My character responds by catching her in his arms and hugging her in return.

After a few seconds, the two separate; and I ask, “So, shall we go to the park now?”

Pinkie’s laugh sounds kind of forced to me as she answers, “Sure.”

As the pink angel pony and the human exit the bakery through the front door, they’re just in time to see Applebloom and her two friends gallop off excitedly back toward the Everfree forest.

I know what happened, but I still decide to ask, “I’m guessing everything turned out alright?”

I hear Applejack chuckle before she says, “Yeah.  As it turns out, the truth that made the seeds sprout was that Applebloom got her cutie marks by brewin’ up a potion.  When the sprout grew and blossomed, she ett it and was cured.  She’s fine now, ‘n’ thinks she’s a-gonna get a cutie mark in potion makin’.”

I find myself smiling as I say, “Well, it’s good to hear she’s back to normal.”

Then, Pinkie Pie asks, “So, what about the pet play date?  Are you two comin’?”

Presently, Applejack closes her eyes and plants a front hoof between them, then, shaking her head, says, “Ah plum forgot all 'bout it.”  She then stops shaking her head, drops the front hoof below her, and opens her eyes as she says, “If you’ll meet me at the park, Ah’ll go back to Sweet Apple Acres ’n’ git Winona.”  And, with that, she gallops off toward her family ranch.

Once the orange earth mare disappears around a corner, I hear Twilight say, “Well, I guess if I’m gonna join in, I’d better get Owlowiscious.”  She then turns to the library as she says, “I’ll meet you at the park,” and gallops off toward her Ponyville home.

As my character and Pinkie Pie focus on each other, it’s Pinkie Pie who says, “I guess we’d better be heading for the park then.”  And, she gives me no chance to agree, but starts her own gallop toward the park, with my character running to catch up with her.

At the park, it seems that Scout is relaxing, while Gummy is snapping at Weed Whacker’s arms, legs, tail, and even her head.

In the mean time, Fluttershy is there with her white rabbit Angel, and Rarity is there with her white Persian cat Opalescence.

As the two arrivals join the group, I have my character approach the pale-green unicorn; and I say, “Lyra, it seems that you have a new temporary job at Sugar Cube Corner.”

Curious, Lyra asks, “What job is that?”

Presently, Pinkie Pie approaches her and says, “Well, there’s something you need to know before Mormon tells you about your new job.”

Lyra now sounds suspicious as she asks, “And, what’s that?”

Pinkie Pie, at this point about a foot away from the pale-green unicorn, sits down canine-style as she answers, “Well, if you’ll remember when we made those corn cakes yesterday, and I ate six of ‘em, I told Mrs. Cake I’d only eaten one.  I don’t know why I lied, I didn’t mean to.  But, today I told ‘em the truth about what had happened.  I think they’ve forgiven me, but they want you to supervise me to make sure I can be trusted again.”

Lyra responds by approaching and hugging the pink angel pony, then saying, “If it means I can help you get back on the Cakes’ good side, then sure, I’ll supervise you.”

Pinkie sniffles as she hugs Lyra in return, and asks, “And, you’ll be honest in your report?”

Lyra answers, “Well, of course.”  She then asks, “So, how long do I have to supervise you?”

At this point, Pinkie pulls away and says, “It’ll have to be a week, at least.  Hopefully just a week.”

It’s about this time that Twilight arrives, with her owl pet on her back.  Evidently seeing the conversation between Pinkie and Lyra, she approaches and asks, “is everything alright here?”

Pinkie turns to her purple unicorn friend and answers, “Everything’s fine.”  Then, seeing the owl on Twilight’s back, she asks, “So, I'm guessing you’re ready for the pet play date?”

Twilight answers, “I am once Applejack gets here.”

It’s at this time that Rarity approaches and says, “Well, if we’re going to have our pet play date, then we cannot have it so close to Carousel Boutique.  What if Mormon or Applejack should accidentally toss one of their discs over the stream so that it hits and breaks one of my windows?  Or what if Owlowiscious should fly into one of them and break it?”

Pinkie makes it clear that she takes offense, as she growls, “Hey!  Mormon’s more careful than that!”

Twilight adds, “And, Owlowiscious is agile and smart enough that he won’t damage anypony’s property.”

At this point, I decide to say, “Nonetheless, I think Rarity may have a point.  We are pretty close to the border of the park here, and there is the possibility that someone’s property could get damaged if something goes wrong.  Maybe there’s someplace further into the park where we could go and play with our pets and avoid such a possibility.”

And, it’s about the time that I finish speaking that I hear the orange earth pony say, “Well, Ah’m here.”  Then, as the attentions of the other ponies and the human turn to her, Applejack asks, “Uh, is ther’ somethin’ wrong?”

I answer, “Rarity brought up a valid concern.  If we start playing here, there’s a major possibility that someone’s property could get damaged.”

Without hesitation, Applejack says, “No problem.  Ah know a place further in the park where we c’n play without a-botherin’ anypony else.  It’s in the middle of the park, around a tree.”  She then takes a few paces forward, evidently toward the center of the park, and says, “Jes follow me.”  And, she then looks straight ahead of herself and gallops off.

Taking that as their cue, the other ponies, the dragons, and the human, as well as their pets, move to keep up with the orange earth pony.

After about a minute of running through the woods, the group emerges; and I can clearly see, through my character’s eyes, a tree in the middle of the clearing.

Presently, Scout and Winona gallop ahead of the group; and Owlowiscious flies off of Twilight’s back to either keep up with or lead the two canids.

Opalescence, Angel and Gummy also join in the race to the tree.

Owlowiscious is the first to arrive, followed by Winona and Scout.  Angel and a surprisingly agile Gummy are close behind them, followed by Opalescence.  And, it becomes clear that the tree already has an occupant, as, once the rest of the group arrives, reuniting pets with their owners, Rainbow Dash floats down from the tree, followed by Opalescence, who climbs down the tree and onto Rarity’s back.

Smiling at the blue pegasa, Rarity says, “Please, sincerest apologies if our pets were bothering you.”  She then turns to her cat again and says, in a voice one might expect her to use on a child, “Please say you’re sorry, Opal.”

The white Persian cat simply hisses and turns away in response.

Rarity smiles weakly at Rainbow Dash again and says, “She’s sorry.”

Evidently puzzled, the blue pegasa points at each member of the group with a front hoof and asks, “What’re you all doing out here?”

Applejack gallops a little past Rainbow Dash, then stops to produce a red disc from her hat as she answers, “Well, we always round up our critters for a regular old pet play date in this park every week.”  In the episode, the event is called a "pony pet play date."  But, since it includes a human with a pet, the play date is clearly for more than just ponies.

At any rate, an uncertain Rainbow Dash asks, “Uh, you do?”

I answer, “It’s not usually this far in; but yes, we come here to the park.”

Fluttershy adds, “I thought you knew.  You didn’t know?”  She then starts drawing circles in the grass under her with a front hoof as she asks, “She didn’t know?”

I slowly answer, “Well, like I said, this is the first time we've come this far into the park to have a pet play date.”  I then ask, “Uh, Rainbow Dash, do you have a pet?”

The azure pegasa scratches the back of her head with a front hoof and, smiling weakly, answers, “Uh, no, I don’t.”

And, it’s at this point that Lyra steps forward and says, “Well, you’re not the only one here without a pet.  I don’t have one, Derpy doesn’t have a pet, Topsy Turvy doesn’t have a pet, and neither does Weed Whacker.”

Rainbow Dash approaches the pale-green unicorn and asks, “So, why do you come here?”

Lyra answers, “Well, first of all, I live with Mormon.  So, I either stay at his house, or I come with him.  And, my choice is to come with him.”

The blue pegasa continues, “And, what do you do for these pet play dates?”

I notice Lyra hesitates before answering, “I just give Weed Whacker rides around the park.”

Ataahua then approaches Rainbow Dash and says, “I started giving Pinkie Pie lessons in flying just a few days ago.  I’m gonna give her another lesson hopefully today.”

Having followed her gray pegasa friend, Topsy Turvy approaches Rainbow Dash and says, “I’d be happy to take care of Pinkie Pie’s pet while Derpy here gives her another lesson in flying.”

The blue pegasa flies toward my character and restates, “So, while not everypony has a pet, everypony does have something to do for this play date, is that right?”

I answer, “That pretty much covers it, yes.”

I then hear Applejack say, “Now, if’n y’all’ll excuse us,” then tosses her disc for Winona to catch and retrieve.

I, on the other hand, can’t help noticing the look on Rainbow Dash’s face.

After a few seconds, the blue pegasa cries out, “Hey, now wait a minute!”  Now, having gotten the attention of her friends back, she continues, “Just because I don’t have a pet now doesn’t mean I never want a pet.”

With uncharacteristic enthusiasm, Fluttershy turns to her fellow pegasa and says, “Really?  Uh, you really want a pet?”  After that, I lose track of what the yellow pegasa says; as her buzzing around Rainbow Dash is so surprising I can’t help laughing about it.  But, that’s fine.  If I want to try to figure out what she says, I can always go back to the episode “May the Best Pet Win,” on which the rest of this day, as well as all of the following day, are based.

As the yellow pegasa carries the blue one off, saying something about her new pet being her best friend forever, I hear Twilight say, “Well, I guess the play date for Fluttershy’s over.”  Then, once my character turns back to her, she continues, “So, does everypony else here want to continue the play date?”

in the frame immediately following Twillight’s question, Pinkie’s right there nose-to-nose with her purple unicorn friend.  She starts bouncing as she says, “Yeah, let’s do it, let’s do it!”

And, while Applejack and Rarity don’t seem to show their pink angel pony friend’s level of enthusiasm, they still demonstrate that they’re willing to continue the date.

It’s only after my character has produced the blue disc for Scout and thrown it for him the first time that I hear Lyra say, “You know, as much as I like giving you rides, Weedy, I’d sure like to have my own pet.”

Hearing this from the pale-green unicorn, I first have my character focus on her, at which point he shows me that she's settled into a sphinx-style position, looking at the grass immediately in front of her.  Seeing this, I decide to have my character approach her.  When he stops approximately a foot away from her, I ask, “Are you alright, Lyra?”

Lyra looks up at my character and answers, “Yeah, I’m fine.”  Then, she inhales deeply, then exhales slowly.

For a moment Scout distracts my character, bringing the disc for him to throw again.

I accept the distraction long enough so that my character can take the disc from the timber wolf, then toss it as far away as he can.  Then, I have him focus on the pale-green unicorn again; and I say, “You never said anything about wanting a pet before.”

Again Lyra looks up at my character, then says, “I hadn’t thought about it until Rainbow Dash brought it up.”  She then turns away from my character again, resting her head over one of her front limbs, and says, “Now, it’s all I can think about.”

I can understand the role of peer pressure in making a decision.  I don’t know if peer pressure has anything to do with this, but it’s clear that, in spite of having Weed Whacker to take care of, my pale-green unicorn friend is still feeling lonely, and thinks that having a pet is the answer.  And, maybe it is.

But, right now, I have to think about other members of the group as well.

Pinkie Pie is getting another lesson in flight from Ataahua.

Topsy Turvy is playing with Gummy.

And, it’s clear that Weed Whacker is worried about Lyra.

In spite of Scout being back and clearly demonstrating that he wants my character to throw the disc again, I decide to focus my character's attention on the pale-green unicorn; and I say, “Well, maybe we can go visit Fluttershy after this, and you can talk to her about it.  In the mean time, I’m thinking that Weed Whacker here wants you to give her a ride or two around the park again.”  I notice Lyra looks up at my character; so, I ask, “So, will you do that until the rest of us are are ready to go?”

At this point, Lyra rises to all fours, then looks up at my character again and says, “Well, alright, Mormon.”  And, she turns to the herbivorous dinosaur and uses her magic to lift her up and put her onto her back, after which she asks, “So, where shall we go?”

I allow my character to look around at where Twilight, Applejack, and Rarity are playing with their pets, and where I’ve been throwing the blue disc for Scout.  Then, I have my character point out the places as I answer, “You can go from the tree here to the edge of the woods, then around to that corner over there, then back to the tree.  That should be safe enough fun for the both of you.”

Lyra nods and says, “Alright.  Thanks, Mormon.”  And, with that, she gallops off past the tree and toward the edge of the woods.

Seeing the pale-green unicorn active again, I have my character rise again, then toss the disc for Scout.

For a few more game hours the play date continues on this way.  Then, as the sun starts approaching the mountains, Twilight decides to call an end to the play date; and the group gathers, pets and all, and makes its way to and through the woods toward where they’d entered.  Then, once outside the woods, they cross the bridge, then make their way to the library.

There, Twilight says, “While Mormon and his friends make it back to their home, let’s everypony else go back to their homes and drop off their pets and get their books; and we’ll meet up with Mormon again at his house.  Does everypony agree?”

Applejack and Rarity each vocalize their agreement, at which point the group separates into four:  Applejack and Winona to head for Sweet Apple Acres; Rarity and Opalescence to head for Carousel Boutique; Twilight, Spike and Owlowiscious enter the library to get ready for the reading before leaving, save for Owlowiscious, who stays there; and my character and his friends to head toward the Everfree forest.

Before going into the forest proper, my character and his friends make a stop off at Fluttershy’s cottage, where I give Lyra a chance to make her request to the yellow pegasa to adopt one of her critters as a pet.

I’m really neither surprised nor disappointed when I see Fluttershy react to Lyra’s request with the same amount of enthusiasm as how she reacted to Rainbow Dash saying she wanted a pet, except that she doesn’t drag, she doesn’t have to drag, Lyra to her cottage.

When the yellow pegasa calms down from her initial reaction, she clears her throat and asks, “Now, what kind of pet do you want?”

Lyra looks at my character and grunts in curious uncertainty.

I decide to try to clarify by asking, “Do you want a bird?  A mammal?  A fish?  An amphibian? A reptile?  An arthropod?  Something like that?”

Fluttershy smiles and says, “Yeah, I suppose that’d be a good place to start.”

At this point, Lyra starts rubbing her chin with a front hoof.  After a second or two, she says, “Well, I don’t want a pet that Gummy or Scout’d try to eat, so no fish or amphibians.”  Then, as a spider tries to crawl up her other front hoof, she puts down the one she’d been using to rub her chin, recoils and emits a stifled groan of disgust, then says, “And, I’m not comfortable around bugs.  So, no arthropods.”

Evidently saddened by the pale-green unicorn’s reaction to him, the spider turns and ambles away.

At the same time, I say, “That just leaves birds, mammals, and reptiles.”

In the mean time, Fluttershy vocally empathizes with the spider, then turns to Lyra and says, “You didn’t have to be so mean to him.  He was only trying to be your friend.”

At this point, I have my character put a hand between the two ponies; and I say, “Now, let’s remember why we came here.”  I then have my character focus on the yellow pegasa as I say, “Lyra just said what kind of pet she doesn’t want.  All she needs to do now is decide what kind of pet she does want.”

Focused on my character, Fluttershy says, “You’re right, Mormon.  I’m sorry.”  She then turns to Lyra again and says, putting a front hoof on my character’s hand to lower it, “I just hate to see one of my creatures get hurt feelings.”

In response, Lyra nods and says, “Yeah, I understand.  I just prefer to have a pet with a spine and no more than four legs, that’s all.”  Then, going back to rubbing her chin with the front hoof she’d used before the spider incident, she continues, “I want a pet that’s different from what Mormon and Twilight and her friends have; so, no dog, no cat, no rabbit, no alligator, no owl, and not timber wolf.”  She then puts the hoof down again and, turning to the yellow pegasa again, asks, “Did Rainbow Dash decide what kind of pet she wanted yet?”

Fluttershy giggles quietly and answers, “No.  I showed her all the creatures that’d make good pets, and she had a difficult time choosing among a bunch of flying critters, most of them birds.  But, there’s this tortoise that still hopes she’ll adopt him.  She’s planning on holding a contest to see which pet’ll be the best for her.”

Lyra goes back to rubbing her chin as she says, “Well, I don’t want to interfere with Rainbow Dash’s contest, so whatever critters are going to compete in that contest I'm going to have to assume are already hers.”  She then groans in uncertainty before asking, “So, what am I left with?”

As a group of small, hopeful-looking mammals line up in front of the pale-green unicorn, I decide to speak up and say, “Now, I hope you don’t mind me adding some restrictions of my own.”  As Lyra and Fluttershy turn to my character, I continue, “I’m all for having a song bird around my house.  I do enjoy their singing, after all.  But, Lyra, whatever creature you choose as your pet, I just want you to know that you’ll have to keep a careful watch over it.  Fluttershy won’t like to hear this, but I’ve chased away or killed all the rodents that have invaded my turf.”

I’m really not surprised at all when Fluttershy, after hearing my last statement, covers her mouth with a front hoof, shakes her head, and sniffles harshly.

I add, focusing my character’s attention on Lyra, “There are rodents that humans keep as pets, including mice and rats.  But, as for me, if you want a rodent as a pet, and want it to have its freedom, then the best choice is a Guinea pig or something larger.”

Presently I hear scurrying sounds; and, when I look back at the gathering in front of my pale-green unicorn friend, I see that, indeed, the group has shrunk, with the smaller rodents having left.

At this point, Fluttershy whimpers, “Well, at least Mormon warned us.”

Lyra responds by grunting in uncertainty, then clearing her throat, then saying, “Yeah, you’re right about that.”  Then, looking at the remaining creatures, she says, “So, this is what I have to choose from.”  And, the first one she approaches and sniffs is a raccoon.

Seeing this, I speak up and say, “From what I understand, raccoons are really smart.  A creature that can easily learn how to live around other creatures, such as humans, ponies, alligators, and timber wolves, would have the best chance of becoming part of the family.”

I can’t help noticing the raccoon looks up at my character, and seems to smile at him.

Then, Lyra responds by saying, “So, there’s promise for the raccoon.”  Next, she approaches a ferret and sniffs it.  She then takes a step back and groans in disgust, then says, “I’m sorry, but I can’t have a pet that smells like … that.”  Then, as the dejected ferret wanders off, the pale-green unicorn approaches the next creature in line, a beaver, and sniffs at it.

Now, I speak up and say, “I’ve never had a beaver as a pet.  I don’t doubt it’d be willing to fish from my pond.  I just wonder if a beaver could share with a human and a toothless alligator.”

At this point, Lyra, focused on the beaver, tilts her head and asks, “Well?”

The beaver tilts its head in response and chatters for a second.

Now, Fluttershy says, “He wants to know what you mean by 'share,' Mormon.”

I open my mouth to answer, but Pinkie Pie steps in front of my character and answers, “Mormon, here, fishes from a pond on his property every once in a while to catch a fish from there and eat it.  And, Gummy catches and eats a fish from there on a daily basis.”

I add, “I’m not suggesting you give me and/or Gummy a piece of any fish you choose to catch, I’m just wondering if you’d be willing to take only what you can eat for one meal from the pond, and leave plenty for all of us.”

The beaver marches up to my character, chattering furiously the entire time.  He continues chattering after stopping maybe a few inches from my character, in front of him, then concludes his chattering a second later by slapping his tail on the ground behind him.

A few seconds later, Fluttershy, who has evidently taken a half step back in surprise from the beaver’s tirade, puts her hoof down again, then takes a moment to clear her throat before saying, “Uh, Mr. Beaver says you must not know much about beavers, or you wouldn’t be accusing him of being greedy.”

I decide to have my character kneel down on one knee before I say, “You’re right, I really don’t know anything about beavers.  If I accused you of being something you’re not, or suggested as much, then I’m sorry.  If Lyra chooses you to be her pet, then I’ll be willing to learn more about you.  I might make this mistake again, I may make all new mistakes.  But, that doesn’t mean I’d be against you becoming part of the family.”

I must admit, I’m surprised when the beaver approaches my character, after I’ve spoken, climbs up one of his legs, then stands on his knee and sniffs at him.  Then, afterwards, he turns and jumps off of my character’s leg and gallops back to the group in front of Lyra.

In the mean time, if I’m not mistaken, Topsy Turvy seems to be comforting the ferret that Lyra rejected.

I think I also see Weed Whacker playing with what could either be a mount horn lizard or a bearded dragon.

Back to Lyra and Fluttershy, as the beaver returns to his place in the group in front of the pale-green unicorn, she sniffs at a few more creatures before returning to the beaver and saying, “I believe I’ve decided which one I want as a pet.”  And, with that, she nuzzles the beaver.

As the rest of the creatures disperse, I notice that Topsy Turvy ambles toward the yellow pegasa and asks, “Uh, Fluttershy, may I have this ferret as a pet?”

Fluttershy smiles as she answers, “Well, as long as Mormon agrees, yes, you may.”

I state, “I’ve had ferrets as pets before.  They’re carnivores, so if they eat plants or plant parts at all, it’ll be extremely rare.”

Fluttershy then turns to the pale-green unicorn and asks, “And, you’ve decided on Mr. Beaver as your pet, Lyra?”

The pale-green unicorn stops nuzzling the beaver long enough to grunt to Fluttershy in affirmation.

The yellow pegasa turns to my dinosaur friend and asks, “And, Weed Whacker, it looks like you want to have the mount horn lizard you’re playing with as a pet?”

My observation about mount horn lizards and bearded dragons is that perhaps the only difference between them is their geographical origins.  Mount horn lizards are native to American deserts, while bearded dragons are native to Australia.  From what I’ve seen of them, their shapes and colors are extremely similar.

At any rate, Weed Whacker answers, “If it’s alright with Mormon, then sure.”

As the attention of the dinosaur and the yellow pegasa are directed toward my character, I say, “Well, just so long as Gummy doesn’t try to eat him, I have no problems with it.”

Now, my character automatically shifts his attention to the green, toothless alligator hatchling on Pinkie’s back, and I notice his tongue is hanging out of his open mouth; and he seems to be frowning with his eyes.  Is he expressing disgust at my suggestion?

Then, I notice Pinkie Pie turn to look at me and nod her head.  I can only assume I have my answer.

Then, Ataahua trots toward her fellow pegasa and asks, “Uh, Fluttershy, may I have the raccoon as my pet?”

At the gray pegasa’s question, the raccoon gallops up to her, then rises on its hind legs, apparently clasps its front paws together, and starts chattering excitedly.  She then turns to the yellow pegasa and chatters some more.

In the mean time, Fluttershy, after emitting a giggle at the raccoon’s behavior, answers, “Well, Derpy, like Weed Whacker said, if it’s alright with Mormon, then it’s alright with me.”

As the two pegasae turn to my character again, I have my character focus on Ataahua; and I say, ”Well, the raccoon’s going to be your responsibility.  As long as you’re willing to accept that responsibility, sure, you can have the raccoon as your pet.”

At my response, the gray pegasa and the raccoon look and smile at each other; and, while Ataahua proceeds to nuzzle the raccoon, the raccoon proceeds to hug Ataahua’s face.

I then have my character focus on the yellow pegasa, and I say, “I came here because Lyra wanted a pet.  I guess I wasn’t aware that Weed Whacker, Topsy Turvy, and Derpy also wanted pets.”

The yellow pegasa covers her mouth with the joint of a front hoof and giggles, then puts the hoof down again and says, “Yeah, when a group comes, and just one of them wants a pet, everypony else in the group starts playing with a critter; and, soon enough, everypony in the group has a pet.”  And, again she covers her mouth with the joint of a front hoof and giggles.

I wonder aloud, “Have there been any returns of pets?”

I can only guess that I’ve said something wrong again, as Fluttershy looks toward the ground.  When I’m about to ask if she’s alright, she answers, “Uh, unfortunately, every now and then, a pony comes back with a pet he or she chose, and, for some reason or other, decided he or she doesn’t want a pet after all.”

I respond, “Probably because they realize a pet is more responsibility than they can handle, or because they’re not allowed to have a pet, or something like that.”

Fluttershy sighs before saying, “Yeah, those are the most frequent reasons.  Some ponies drop off injured pets, then never come back for them.”

Kind of interesting how my character, in his position of kneeling on one knee, can still manage to walk.  He takes two steps toward Fluttershy and strokes her mane; and I say, “Well, I’ll see to it that my friends take good care of their pets.  After all, I have a pet to take care of, too; although, he seems to have no problems taking care of himself.  So, I can only assume he has a reliable source of food and water.”

Now, the yellow pegasa looks up at my character, smiles, and says, “Well, when it comes to the trees and other sources of food you have on your property, your pets should have plenty to eat.  And, if your pond is fresh water, then they should have plenty to drink, too.”

I respond, “I suppose so.”

Then, from behind my character, I hear Twilight’s voice call out, “Mormon, I thought you’d be at your home by now!”

My character turns and instantly focuses on the purple unicorn, after which I say, “Yeah, Lyra wanted to get a pet.  And, as it turns out, Weed Whacker, Topsy Turvy, and Derpy also got pets.”

Twilight calls out in response, “Well, if you’re finished there, then let’s get going to your house!  We’re looking forward to tonight’s reading!”

I have my character turn his attention to each of his friends; and I notice that the ponies each have her pet on her back; while Weed Whacker has her pet on her head.  I ask, “So, are you ready to go home now?”

I get, for a response, staggered variations of “Yes.”  And, even Fluttershy takes maybe a minute to disappear into her cottage, then reappear with her copy of the Book of Mormon in her mouth, before joining the group heading toward my character’s house.

With everyone evidently ready, I have my character lead the group to and across the bridge, then, with Twilight and the friends that have joined her, on into and through the Everfree forest.

As soon as the group reaches my character’s house, my character and those living with him immediately go to work harvesting fruits and vegetables; and, reluctantly, Ataahua agrees that making muffins this time around would take too much time; so, she and Topsy Turvy, at least for the purposes of the time constraints, agree to not harvest oats for muffins for the reading.

On the other hand, hoof, whatever, Twilight and the other element bearers eagerly help with the preparation of snacks for the reading.  And, even the pets of Ataahua, Lyra, and Topsy Turvy prove to be willing and able assistants in the preparation.

When the snacks are ready for the reading, it’s Twilight, Lyra, and Rarity who, using their combined magic, take the snack platter from the front room to the front lawn, while my character retrieves the TV tray from his work room and puts it on the lawn for a place for the snack tray.

And, it’s about this time that Princesses Celestia and Luna arrive, each with their copies of the Book of Mormon.

While the readers gather around the snack tray, forming a circle, I have a look through the chapter.  Aloud, I make the observation, "It looks like chapter twenty-seven in the Book of Mosiah has thirty-seven verses in it.  Each can read at least two verses just from the one chapter."  Then, as my character looks up and sees that ponies and dragons have produced their copies of the book and turned to the right page, I have my character focus on the nighttime princess; and I ask, "Princess Luna, will you begin the reading with verse one?"

The nighttime alicorn smiles and nods to my character in agreement and affirmation, then looks down and reads, "And now it came to pass that the persecutions which were inflicted on the church by the unbelievers became so great that the church began to murmur, and complain to their leaders concerning the matter; and they did complain to Alma.  And Alma laid the case before their king, Mosiah.  And Mosiah consulted with his priests."

Princess Celestia then reads, "And it came to pass that king Mosiah sent a proclamation throughout the land round about that there should not any unbeliever persecute any of those who belonged to the church of God."  She then looks up and says, "A reasonable proclamation."

Rainbow Dash reads, "And there was a strict command throughout all the churches that there should be no persecutions among them, that there should be an equality among all men;"

Pinkie Pie reads, "That they should let no pride nor haughtiness disturb their peace; that every man should esteem his neighbor as himself, laboring with their own hands for their support."  She then looks up and says, "Much like Mormon's been doing with us."

Twilight Sparkle reads, "Yea, and all their priests and teachers should labor with their own hands for their support, in all cases save it were in sickness, or in much want; and doing these things, they did abound in the grace of God."  She then looks up and says, "I'm guessing this means they were outlawing priestcraft."

Spike reads, "And there began to be much peace again in the land; and the people began to be very numerous, and began to scatter abroad upon the face of the earth, yea, on the north and on the south, on the east and on the west, building large cities and villages in all quarters of the land."

Rarity reads, "And the Lord did visit them and prosper them, and they became a large and wealthy people."  She then looks up and says, "I'm guessing by 'large' this writer means 'numerous.'"

Applejack reads, "Now the sons of Mosiah were numbered among the unbelievers; and also one of the sons of Alma was numbered among them, he being called Alma, after his father; nevertheless, he became a very wicked and an idolatrous man.  And he was a man of many words, and did speak much flattery to the people; therefore he led many of the people to do after the manner of his iniquities."  She then looks up and says, "Ah remember a few days ago, Mormon, you talked 'bout how the sons of Mosiah were the instigators of the movement agin the church."

I respond, "Well, the fact of the matter is that, while the sons of Mosiah and this Alma Junior were mentioned specifically here, it could be because they were the instigators.  It could also mean that they were simply symbols of the movement, or were mentioned because they were sons of leaders.  Let's read more about them."

Fluttershy nods, then looks down and reads, "And he became a great hinderment to the prosperity of the church of God; stealing away the hearts of the people; causing much dissension among the people; giving a chance for the enemy of God to exercise his power over them."

Lyra reads, "And now it came to pass that while he was going about to destroy the church of God, for he did go about secretly with the sons of Mosiah seeking to destroy the church, and to lead astray the people of the Lord, contrary to the commandments of God, or even the king—"

Ataahua reads, "And as I said unto you, as they were going about rebelling against God, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto them; and he descended as it were in a cloud; and he spake as it were with a voice of thunder, which caused the earth to shake upon which they stood;"

I read, "And so great was their astonishment, that they fell to the earth, and understood not the words which he spake unto them."  I then state, "It's not every evildoer that gets a visit from an angel telling him or her to knock it off."

Topsy Turvy reads, "Nevertheless he cried again, saying: Alma, arise and stand forth, for why persecutest thou the church of God?  For the Lord hath said: This is my church, and I will establish it; and nothing shall overthrow it, save it is the transgression of my people."

Weed Whacker reads, "And again, the angel said: Behold, the Lord hath heard the prayers of his people, and also the prayers of his servant, Alma, who is thy father; for he has prayed with much faith concerning thee that thou mightest be brought to the knowledge of the truth; therefore, for this purpose have I come to convince thee of the power and authority of God, that the prayers of his servants might be answered according to their faith."

Princess Luna reads, "And now behold, can ye dispute the power of God?  For behold, doth not my voice shake the earth?  And can ye not also behold me before you?  And I am sent from God."

Princess Celestia reads, "Now I say unto thee: Go, and remember the captivity of thy fathers in the land of Helam, and in the land of Nephi; and remember how great things he has done for them; for they were in bondage, and he has delivered them.  And now I say unto thee, Alma, go thy way, and seek to destroy the church no more, that their prayers may be answered, and this even if thou wilt of thyself be cast off."  She then looks up and asks, "What does this mean, 'even if thou wilt of thyself be cast off'?"

My character automatically focuses on the daytime princess, and I answer, "If you'll remember in the fourth chapter of the First Book of Nephi, Nephi was taught that it's better for one man to be destroyed than that a whole nation should dwindle and perish in unbelief.  Here, we have something of a variation of that principle.

"Alma Junior and the sons of Mosiah have been going about to destroy the church that Alma Senior set up, following God's commandments.  Now, an angel is telling them to stop what they're doing.  And, Alma is specifically being told that if he wants to be destroyed, or cast off, it's better that it just be him than that the whole church be lost.

"There are going to be examples of entire cities of wicked people being destroyed while a few of the citizens, the righteous of them, are saved.  And, I have to wonder if those are cases where one person living in each of those cities lead them to their destruction.  If so, then it's a demonstration of the principle that Nephi was taught, at least the negative end of it."

Seeing that Princess Celestia seems satisfied with my answer, Rainbow Dash reads, "And now it came to pass that these were the last words which the angel spake unto Alma, and he departed."

Pinkie Pie reads, "And now Alma and those that were with him fell again to the earth, for great was their astonishment; for with their own eyes they had beheld an angel of the Lord; and his voice was as thunder, which shook the earth; and they knew that there was nothing save the power of God that could shake the earth and cause it to tremble as though it would part asunder."

Twilight Sparkle reads, "And now the astonishment of Alma was so great that he became dumb, that he could not open his mouth; yea, and he became weak, even that he could not move his hands; therefore he was taken by those that were with him, and carried helpless, even until he was laid before his father."

Spike reads, "And they rehearsed unto his father all that had happened unto them; and his father rejoiced, for he knew that it was the power of God."  He then looks up and, in confusion, grunts, "He was happy that his son was struck dumb and motionless?  That doesn't sound very nice."

I decide to answer, "Alma Senior wasn't happy because his son was struck dumb and motionless.  He was happy because an angel from God had let his son know that what he'd been doing wasn't what he was supposed to be doing, that his son had been called to repentance."

Rarity reads, "And he caused that a multitude should be gathered together that they might witness what the Lord had done for his son, and also for those that were with him."

Applejack reads, "And he caused that the priests should assemble themselves together; and they began to fast, and to pray to the Lord their God that he would open the mouth of Alma, that he might speak, and also that his limbs might receive their strength—that the eyes of the people might be opened to see and know of the goodness and glory of God."

Fluttershy reads, "And it came to pass after they had fasted and prayed for the space of two days and two nights, the limbs of Alma received their strength, and he stood up and began to speak unto them, bidding them to be of good comfort:"

At this point, I speak up and say, "We'll find out what Alma Junior went through when he gives his account in the Book of Alma.  But, for now, suffice it to say that this experience had a profound effect on him."

Lyra looks up and says, "Well, he was unconscious for two days and two nights; so, it must've been quite the experience."  She then looks down and reads, "For, said he, I have repented of my sins, and have been redeemed of the Lord; behold I am born of the Spirit."

Ataahua reads, "And the Lord said unto me: Marvel not that all mankind, yea, men and women, all nations, kindreds, tongues and people, must be born again; yea, born of God, changed from their carnal and fallen state, to a state of righteousness, being redeemed of God, becoming his sons and daughters;"

I read, "And thus they become new creatures; and unless they do this, they can in nowise inherit the kingdom of God."  I then have my character focus on Lyra, and I say, "Actually, the effect goes deeper than just him being unconscious for that period of time.  But, like I said, we'll have to wait until his account in the Book of Alma to learn the details about it."

Topsy Turvy reads, "I say unto you, unless this be the case, they must be cast off; and this I know, because I was like to be cast off."

Weed Whacker reads, "Nevertheless, after wading through much tribulation, repenting nigh unto death, the Lord in mercy hath seen fit to snatch me out of an everlasting burning, and I am born of God."  She then looks up and says, "Here, he talks about almost dying repenting, and being snatched from an everlasting burning.  I'm guessing this happened while he was unconscious.  Now, that was quite the experience."

Princess Luna reads, "My soul hath been redeemed from the gall of bitterness and bonds of iniquity.  I was in the darkest abyss; but now I behold the marvelous light of God.  My soul was racked with eternal torment; but I am snatched, and my soul is pained no more."

Princess Celestia reads, "I rejected my Redeemer, and denied that which had been spoken of by our fathers; but now that they may foresee that he will come, and that he remembereth every creature of his creating, he will make himself manifest unto all."

Rainbow Dash reads, "Yea, every knee shall bow, and every tongue confess before him.  Yea, even at the last day, when all men shall stand to be judged of him, then shall they confess that he is God; then shall they confess, who live without God in the world, that the judgment of an everlasting punishment is just upon them; and they shall quake, and tremble, and shrink beneath the glance of his all-searching eye."

Pinkie Pie reads, "And now it came to pass that Alma began from this time forward to teach the people, and those who were with Alma at the time the angel appeared unto them, traveling round about through all the land, publishing to all the people the things which they had heard and seen, and preaching the word of God in much tribulation, being greatly persecuted by those who were unbelievers, being smitten by many of them."  She then looks up and says, "You know, I wouldn't be surprised if a lot of those unbelievers had known Alma Junior before the visit from the angel.  And, knowing him then, it would likely be very difficult for them to accept him after he'd been converted."

I respond, "That may be the case.  But, Alma still put forth the effort to preach to them after his conversion.  No doubt, this was part of his repentance process."

Twilight Sparkle reads, "But notwithstanding all this, they did impart much consolation to the church, confirming their faith, and exhorting them with long-suffering and much travail to keep the commandments of God."

Spike reads, "And four of them were the sons of Mosiah; and their names were Ammon, and Aaron, and Omner, and Himni; these were the names of the sons of Mosiah."

Rarity reads, "And they traveled throughout all the land of Zarahemla, and among all the people who were under the reign of king Mosiah, zealously striving to repair all the injuries which they had done to the church, confessing all their sins, and publishing all the things which they had seen, and explaining the prophecies and the scriptures to all who desired to hear them."

Applejack reads, "And thus they were instruments in the hands of God in bringing many to the knowledge of the truth, yea, to the knowledge of their Redeemer."

Fluttershy reads, "And how blessed are they!  For they did publish peace; they did publish good tidings of good; and they did declare unto the people that the Lord reigneth."  Grunting with interest, she looks up and says, "I'm guessing that the Mormon writing about these young men, Alma, Ammon, Aaron, Omner, and Himni, must've thought that, to Isaiah anyway, their feet must've been very beautiful on the mountains."

With my character focused on the yellow pegasa, I state, "Based on what's written here, they did qualify."  I then have my character stand up, and I add, "Later on, we'll learn that the sons of Mosiah, after preaching to the Nephites, weren't satisfied with that; and, with the blessings of their religious and political leaders, they went to preach to the Lamanites next.  But, that's a story for another time.  For right now, I think we should call an end to this reading.  Thank you for your attendance, and I hope to see you tomorrow.  In the mean time, those of you returning to your homes, I hope you have a safe trip."

At my dismissal, the ponies, dragons, and human gather in two groups.

The element bearers and Spike, lead by Pinkie Pie, make their way to the front gate, where Pinkie Pie bids each one of the other element bearers, as well as Spike, farewell.  Then, she waits until the group of six disappear into the Everfree before closing the gate again and returning to a position next to my character.

At this point, Princess Celestia looks at the remaining group and asks, “So, how many of you want to come with Mormon and Topsy Turvy to Canterlot Castle?”

I’m really not surprised to hear Pinkie Pie, Ataahua, Lyra, and Weed Whacker each volunteer to come with my character and Topsy Turvy to see the pink earth mare take care of her father.  But, whether I should be or not, I am surprised to see the new pets of Lyra, Weed Whacker, Ataahua, and Topsy Turvy approach and, in their own ways, volunteer to join the ponies and dinosaur.

The four new owners then turn to their pets and tell them that they should stay “here at Mormon’s house,” that they won’t be gone for very long, and that Scout and Gummy will look after them.

Now, I don’t know about anyone else; but, if I were in the position of the new pets, I don’t know that I’d consider the possibility of being cared for by a wooden dog and a toothless lizard all that encouraging.  So, I’m not all that surprised when the new pets beg for another minute or two before they give up and take their positions on the front porch with Scout.

With that matter evidently settled, the remaining ponies, the dinosaur, and the human gather on the lawn; and Princesses Celestia and Luna close their eyes and bow their heads; and their horns start to glow and sparkle.

One frame later, the group is in the Canterlot Castle garden in front of Discord’s statue.

As Princess Luna trots toward the castle to get Grounds Keeper and the cleaning supplies, Princess Celestia trots off toward the hedge maze, requesting that I join her.

My character automatically follows the daytime princess in; and, once the human and the white alicorn are far enough in that they’re hidden from the rest of the group, Princess Celestia turns to my character and says, “Now, this time, I first want a report about what you’ve learned about cutie pox.”

Since this is my back story about the apparent affliction, I decide to report, “Well, based on my sources, I’ve learned that the first instance actually involved a group of ponies that used the Heart’s Desire flower to get their cutie marks.  But, there was an unexpected side effect, in that, while each pony did get a cutie mark, the Heart’s Desire didn’t stop there.  As the ponies demonstrated the talent symbolized by their individual marks, they each got another cutie mark, which meant they had another talent to demonstrate.  The peer pressure of the ponies around them to demonstrate the new talent overcame the good judgment of the ponies with the second marks, and they started demonstrating the new talents associated with the new marks, along with their first ones.

“It wouldn’t be for another few hours, in fact during the night, when the next mark to appear on them would force them each to demonstrate a third talent.  And, as long as the ponies demonstrated the new talents represented by each new cutie mark, the Heart’s Desire would keep giving them new cutie marks, and new talents to demonstrate.  But, not only that, all the marks would act on the ponies, instead of the ponies acting on the marks.  Evidently, because other ponies weren’t aware of what those ponies had done to get those random marks, they saw it as some sort of disease, which they called cutie pox.”

Princess Celestia rubs her chin with a front hoof and grunts with interest before saying, “Considering the reports from Applejack and her little sister Applebloom, that makes a lot of sense.”  She then puts the hoof down again and asks, “So, Mormon, what’s the cure for cutie pox?”

I answer, “There’s a flower closely related to the Heart’s Desire, called the Flower of Truth.  If someone plants the Seeds of Truth, and an afflicted pony confesses that he or she had not earned his or her cutie marks but got them from the Heart’s Desire flower, then the seeds would sprout and blossom into the flower; and all the afflicted pony had to do after that was eat the flower in order to be cured.”

At this point, the daytime princess smiles and says, “Thank you, Mormon, for solving this mystery for me.  There have been no recorded deaths from this mysterious illness.  But, thanks to you, it’s no longer a mystery.”  She pauses for a moment before adding, "Also, thanks for answering my question during the reading.  Since I'd read that part about the angel telling Alma to stop destroying the church even if he wanted to be cast off himself, I'd wondered what that meant."  She then asks, “Now, do you have any new information about Lyra?  Have you learned anything new about unicorns from her?”

I answer, “Well, I don’t know if this is something new or not, but I learned today that she wanted, or has been wanting, a pet.”

I notice that Princess Celestia grunts in affirmation before saying, “I have noticed some new animals at your house.  I’m guessing one of them is Lyra’s?”

I answer, “We visited Fluttershy’s cottage on the way back to my home, and there Lyra decided on what kind of pet she’d want.  She decided on the beaver.”

The daytime princess then asks, “And, what about the other creatures I saw?”

I answer, “Lyra’d rejected the ferret because of its scent, so Topsy Turvy decided she wanted that one as a pet.  While the raccoon was still in consideration because of some observations I’d made, Derpy decided to keep it as a pet after Lyra chose the beaver.  And, Weed Whacker got to keep the mount horn lizard as a pet after Fluttershy observed her playing with it for a while.”

The white alicorn observes, “So, that means everypony at your house has a pet then.”

I reply, “Only the pets have no pets, unless you want to consider them owning their owners.”

The daytime alicorn chuckles for a second before saying, “Well, if I consider that, then I have to consider Philomena owning me.”  And she chuckles some more.

I force a chuckle of my own before I say, “Yeah, just a thought.”

I still hear Princess Celestia smile as she says, “Well, the need to care for another creature isn’t strictly a human trait.  As you’ve seen, even ponies have a need to take care of each other, or even a creature that isn’t a pony.”

I state, “Well, considering that I’ve seen almost all of the element bearers with pets, and even you with your own pet, that doesn’t surprise me.  And, after all, why should it just be humans that want to take care of each other?  Why shouldn’t other creatures have that survival instinct as well?”

The white princess nods and says, “Exactly.”  Then, she asks, “And, on the subject of Derpy, has she taken the opportunity to teach Pinkie Pie more about flying?”

I answer, “Well, as a matter of fact, she did give Pinkie another lesson during the pet play date.  And, based on what I’ve seen, I’d say the lesson was successful.”

The white alicorn grunts in agreement, then asks, “And, any idea what that lesson was?”

I slowly answer, “Well, actually, I didn’t take the opportunity to ask.  But, based on what I’ve seen, I’m guessing it wasn’t her lesson on hitting objects without getting hurt.”

Princess Celestia says, “Well, based on what I’ve seen, she seemed to be enlisting the help of other pegasi to teach Pinkie Pie how to dodge moving objects.  And, she picked up on that lesson really well, really quickly.  And, from what I’ve seen, Rainbow Dash has yet to learn how to hit things like walls or mountains or even the ground without getting hurt.  If Pinkie Pie can learn that, maybe she can teach it to Rainbow Dash.”

I state, “Well, I wouldn’t put it past Pinkie Pie.  She is a good student.  I just hope that Rainbow Dash will be receptive to such a lesson.”

The daytime princess agrees, “I hope so as well.  If Rainbow Dash can’t, I fear she’ll hit something hard and break a bone or two.”  She then asks, “So, anything else you’d like to report?”

I pause for a moment before saying, “You know, there’s one thing I’ve observed in Pinkie Pie, at least, that reminds me of my own observations and experiences when it comes to humans.”

The white alicorn asks, “And, what’s that?”

I answer, “Well, I won’t get into any details, because I think that should be for Pinkie Pie to report.  But, I have observed that a guilty conscience can be as troubling to a pony as it can be to a human.  Suffice it to say, from me anyway, that Pinkie Pie did something wrong yesterday.  Today, she was going to get it taken care of; when, after Applejack planted those Seeds of Truth reserved for Applebloom and demanded that someone tell the truth, she ended up blurting out what she’d done wrong from the doorway of Sugar Cube Corner.”

Princess Celestia says, “The suggestion is that Pinkie Pie had lied about something.  And, I’m guessing she’s on the course toward making up for her mistake.”

I answer, “She and the Cakes had a discussion about it; and, yes, she is making up for her mistake.”

At this point, the daytime princess nods and smiles, then says, “Well, if there’s nothing more that you want to report, then I think we should return to the others.  Topsy Turvy should just about be done taking care of Discord by now.”  And, with that, she turns toward the entrance to the hedge maze and canters past my character.

This time, my character automatically waits for the white alicorn to pass before following her out of the maze.

When the human and the daytime alicorn make it back to the group in front of Discord’s statue, indeed Topsy Turvy has finished cleaning it, and is nearly finished with her song.  After a few seconds, when she’s finished singing, and once again wishes that her father won't remain a statue for another thousand years; Grounds Keeper takes the cleaning supplies and, following Princess Luna, returns to the castle.

In the mean time, my character and friends gather around Princess Celestia, who bows her head and closes her eyes, and her horn starts to glow and sparkle.  And, one frame later, the group of seven are back on my character’s front lawn.

As the ponies and dinosaur take positions in front of the steps, Princess Celestia opens her eyes and, looking at my character, says, “Now, you have another busy day tomorrow.  Be sure to get plenty of rest before then.”  And, with that, she disappears.

Then, from behind my character, I hear Pinkie Pie say, “Well, let’s get to work harvesting food for dinner.”  And, before my character can focus on her, I see her gallop past him on her way to the orchard.

I have my character turn to focus on the other ponies and the dinosaur, but they’re also ready to take action.  By the time my character has turned to them, they’re already on their way to the vineyard, the vegetable garden, or the grain field.  So, I decide to have my character follow Pinkie Pie into the orchard.

By the time my character’s gotten there, Diane has already taken control of Pinkie Pie and chosen an apple tree to buck apples from.  So, I have my character make his way to the plum tree to pick half a dozen plums from it, plus one for Ataahua for her muffins.

As my character harvests plums, I hear Diane say, “At least one of the new pets is capable of eating plants as well as meat.  Perhaps we should harvest at least one extra fruit for those that can eat them.”

I don’t know much about mount horn lizards.  If they are as closely related to the Australian bearded dragons as I think they are, then maybe they can also eat plants as well as insects.  And, maybe raccoons can eat plants as well.  From what I understand, there are several rodents that can eat both plants and meat; and I think beavers are among those.  But, if I understand correctly, ferrets are strict carnivores.  So, Topsy Turvy’s pet will likely have to go fishing at the pond or hunting in the forest for his food.  In the mean time, Diane may be right; and it’ll be a good idea to harvest at least one extra fruit for the new pets that can eat fruit.

I suppose I’ve gotten so lost in thought that I needed to hear Diane say, “Mormon, that’ll be one too many.”

My character freezes in place, but still turns his head to focus on the pink angel pony.  Then, when he turns to the number of plums he’s holding, I notice he’s holding eight plums in one of his arms.  When my character looks up again, I notice him holding one more plum, ready to pluck it from its branch on the tree.  I have him release his grasp on the fruit, then turn back to Diane; and I say, “I guess you’re right.  I was lost in thought, and I wasn’t paying attention to what I was doing.”  Then, as my character drops the hand back to his side, I ask, “So, Diane, have you gotten any extra apples for the new pets?”

Diane nods, then answers, “Pinkamena and I have agreed that one extra apple for the new pets should be enough, along with what extra fruits and vegetables everypony else has harvested for them.  I shall return control of Pinkie Pie to Pinkamena, and she will gather up the apples in her mane.  Then, we will return to the front door.”  And, before I can answer, Pinkie’s mane and tail curl; and she trots, no bounces, over to the fallen apples, gathers them up, and hangs them in her mane.  Then, when she’s done, she turns to my character and says, “Let’s go back to your house now.”  and, she bounces to and over the fence.

My character follows after her, and the two meet the rest of the ponies and the dinosaur on the front porch.  Then, my character opens the door to allow the ponies and the dinosaur to enter.

It’s Lyra who trots ahead of the group and opens the kitchen door with her magic to allow the rest of the group to enter.

In the mean time, as I wait for the rest of the group to enter, I can’t help noticing that Lyra, Weed Whacker, Ataahua, and Topsy Turvy have been reunited with their new pets.  As Weed Whacker, the last in line, and her new pet, enter, I can’t help wondering if the new pets are going to help with the preparation of the food.  Such assistance would be welcome.

And, indeed, as my character follows the herbivorous dinosaur inside, closing the door behind him, then follows the group into the kitchen, I notice the new pets have taken their positions next to their owners, and are ready to help them.

As my character donates a plum to Ataahua for her muffins, I find I can’t help chuckling to myself as I watch her raccoon and Topsy Turvy’s ferret handle the fruits and vegetables much the way I’d expect small-handed monkeys to handle them.

Lyra’s beaver handles the fruits and vegetables with somewhat better dexterity, but such a small creature as Weed Whacker’s mount horn lizard seems at a loss on how to handle fruits and vegetables larger than itself.  My character is still the best at distributing the fruits and vegetables among the ponies, but the new pets put in their best effort.

When dinner is finally ready, the group of ten gather in the front room; and, the new pets and their owners share positions on the couches and enjoy their meal together.  That is, all except for the ferret, who waits at the front door.

It takes me a moment to realize that he’s waiting to get his own food before I have my character rise and open the door for him.

At any rate, while the group enjoys their food, I bring up the matter of names for the new pets.

The first to react is Ataahua, who nuzzles her raccoon pet and says, “I wonder what kind of name would work best for my friend here.”

I think aloud, “As far as I know, the Maori have never heard of raccoons, so they have no word for them.  But, there’s one feature the raccoon has that distinguishes them from other creatures, at least as far as humans are concerned.  The black coloring around and between their eyes looks to humans, at least where I come from, like it’s wearing a mask.  And, the Maori have a couple terms that mean mask.”

Ataahua holds out a front hoof toward my character and says, “Yeah, that’s all well and good.  But, you’re right.  My raccoon friend does look like he’s wearing a mask over his eyes."  She then puts the hoof down again as she continues, "And, you know, maybe I can give him a name that fits that.”  Then, after pausing to hum in uncertainty, she asks, “I wonder, is there a job that might require somepony to wear a mask, maybe a job that requires stealth?”

Presently, Pinkie Pie speaks up and answers, “Well, there’s the spy.”

Now, as the gray pegasa turns back to her new pet, she grunts in interest.  After a few seconds, she asks the raccoon, “So, what do you think?  Would you like to have 'Spy' as your name?”

The raccoon takes a moment to scratch under his chin with a front paw, evidently pondering over the name.  Then, he puts the front paw under him again, smiles at Ataahua, and, chattering, nods vigorously.

Ataahua chuckles happily and says, “Alright, then, I’ll call you Spy from now on.”

In the mean time, it seems that Weed Whacker has been thinking about a name for her new pet.  With the mystery of a name for Ataahua’s raccoon pet solved, the herbivorous dinosaur says, “I’ve been thinking of names I could give my new pet, but none of them work for me.”  She then looks up at my character and asks, “Do the Maori have a word for ‘dragon’?”

I answer, “I wouldn’t be surprised if the Maori word, ‘tarakona,’ is an adaptation of the English word ‘dragon.’  Why do you ask?  Would you like to name your pet that?”

Weed Whacker repeats the word, ‘tarakona,’ over a few times, each time seeming to take more of an interest in the word as a name.  Then, she looks up at my character and answers, “You know, I think I would like that name for my pet.  Alright, I’ll call my pet Tarakona from now on.”

Then, Lyra, nuzzling her pet beaver, says, “I’m guessing they don’t have beavers in New Zealand.”

I respond, “Not that I’ve ever seen or heard of, no.”

For a while Lyra looks at her pet and hums in a tone that almost sounds to me like disappointment.  Then, after a minute, she turns back to my character and asks, “What was the name of that one Nephite?  He was a priest of a bad king.  He believed the words of a prophet, then lead a group of other Nephites to a new land, where they worked really hard to build a life for themselves.  Do you remember that Nephite’s name?”

Instantly the name comes to mind, so I say, “I’m guessing you’re thinking of Alma.”

Presently, Lyra nods and says, “Yeah, that’s the one, Alma.”  She then turns to her beaver pet and, tilting her head, asks, “Would you like to be called Alma?”

Evidently the name appeals to the beaver, as he immediately nods vigorously and chatters in excitement.

And, it’s about this time that Topsy Turvy’s pet ferret comes in with a fish in his mouth.

Seeing this, Topsy Turvy says, “I think I’ll call you Fisher.”

The ferret rises up onto his hind legs and looks around, evidently unsure about what’s just happened.

At this point, I say, “I guess that means that all the pets have names, then.  If there’s nothing else, then let’s finish our dinner so we can get to bed.  Like Princess Celestia said, we’ve got a busy day ahead of us tomorrow.”

If anything further is said, I lose track of it as the group finishes the dinner, then cleans up the remnants, then separates to their individual rooms.

That is, all except for Pinkie Pie, who asks me if she can follow my character into his room.

In agreement, first allowing Lyra, Weed Whacker, and their new pets to pass by, I have my character open his door for the pink angel pony, who trots in and to my character’s bed, then jumps up onto it.  She then spins a hundred eighty degrees so she’s facing my character again, and settles down into a sphinx-style position and allows her front hooves to dangle off the side of the bed.  Then, after my character closes the door to his room, and while he’s walking toward her, she says, “You were right.  I did get a chance to talk to the Cakes about the lie I’d told after all.”

I respond, as my character kneels on one knee next to Pinkie Pie, “True, although I guess you could’ve waited until it was just you and me and the Cakes before you said anything about it.”

Pinkie Pie grimaces, then smiles and chuckles nervously before saying, “Yeah, I guess I didn’t realize just how much that lie had been bothering me.”

I have my character reach out and stroke the angel pony’s mane, and I say, “But, now you’ve got a plan on how to get back on their good side.”

Now, the pink angel pony’s smile becomes more genuine as she says, “Yeah.  Thank you for helping me with that.  You were right.  The Cakes still want to keep me as an employee, and just want to know they can trust me again.”  And, with that, she rises to all fours again, then hops up on her hind legs, takes a step or two toward my character, and lands on him, giving him a hug, which my character returns.  Then, when they separate, she says, “Well, I’ll head to my room now.”  And, she hops off of my character’s bed and toward the door.

My character follows her there, then opens the door for her.  Then, as soon as she’s fully in the hallway, he closes the door behind her.  Then, he prepares for and goes to bed.

If this day is any indication of what the game’s tomorrow is going to be like, then indeed it’s going to be another busy one.  And, I’m looking forward to it.  So, until the next time I play, I save and close the game. Next Chapter: Chapter 8: A Mascot for Loyalty Estimated time remaining: 2 Hours, 26 Minutes