Hey, Batter! Volume 3: Angel of Mirth

As I resume the game this time, I find my character once again waking up on his own.  In fact, it isn’t until he gets out of his bed that I hear Pinkie call out, “Mormon, are you awake yet?”

I answer back, “I just woke up!”

Pinkie Pie says, “Well, as soon as you’re ready, meet me out in the orchard; and we’ll get to harvesting fruits.  Everypony else is either out in the vineyard, the vegetable garden, or the grain field.  I know it doesn’t take long to pick fruits; so, while we may be behind everypony else, we should meet on the front porch at the same time if we leave now.”

I have my character head to his bedroom door to open it, and I reply, “I’ll be there shortly.”  And, as my character gets to the door and opens it, I hear my pink angel pony friend moan as though she’s losing her balance, followed by a light thud.  After that, I’m not surprised when my character opens his door and steps into the hallway to see Pinkie Pie roll onto her front, get back up on all fours, then turn a hundred eighty degrees to face him.

The pink angel pony smiles up at him, at me, and says, “So, let’s get going.”  And, she proceeds toward the kitchen, where she waits for my character at the door.

As soon as he makes it to her, she opens the door and trots through it, then, I assume, heads for the front door.

My character, after passing through the kitchen door, closes it behind him, then turns to the front door to show me, through his eyes, that Pinkie Pie is already there.  Then, when he reaches her again, she opens the front door and proceeds to gallop through it, leaving my character to close it as soon as he’s also through it.

In the orchard, I have my character choose the apricot tree to harvest fruits from.

My main indication that Diane has taken over Pinkie Pie is hearing the pink angel pony’s voice, devoid of emotion, say, “Please choose seven apricots.  Then, you can donate one to Ataahua for her muffins.”

I’ve had fruit-flavored muffins before, but none that had apricots or apricot filling in them.  But, something about muffins containing apricot appeals to me; so, I have my character follow Diane’s advice, and harvest an extra apricot to donate to the gray pegasa for her muffins.

In the mean time, Pinkie “Diane” Pie chooses an apple tree and bucks it, causing six apples to fall from it.

Of course, since my character’s attention is focused on harvesting apricots, my only indication is a loud thud, followed by rustling and a few more, quieter thuds.  And, by the time he’s finished and returns his attention to the pink angel pony, Pinkamena is back in control, with the six apples hanging from her mane.

She leads my character, bouncing over the fence and back to the front porch.

And, I’m not surprised to see, when the human and the angel pony get there, that the other three ponies and the dinosaur are back on the front porch as well, each with their harvest.

It’s Lyra who, with her magic, opens the front door, then holds it open for the rest of the group to enter.

Then, once my character is past the front door, he moves ahead of the group to the kitchen door, which he opens, then holds open for the rest of the group to enter, then follows them in, closing the door behind him and Lyra.

With the six in the kitchen, it’s pretty much business as usual.

My character donates the extra apricot to Ataahua for her muffins, and Lyra donates a few grapes for the same purpose.  Then, while Ataahua, Pinkie Pie, and Topsy Turvy make the muffins; my character, Lyra, and Weed Whacker clean the rest of the fruits and the vegetables and prepare them to be eaten raw.

Then, when breakfast is ready, my character carries the tray with the prepared food into the front room, where the group gathers on the couches around the coffee table, and joins together in eating the prepared meal.  Then, when they have eaten all they can, they join in cleaning up the remnants, then proceed out the front door, to and through the front gate, and on into and through the Everfree forest and on into Ponyville.

En route to Sugar Cube Corner, I’m sure I hear Applebloom’s voice saying something about bowling.

Evidently Pinkie Pie hears it too, as she turns to my character, to me, and says, “Let’s get to Sugar Cube Corner as soon as possible.”  And, she points herself in the direction of the bakery and gallops as fast as she can in that direction.

I can understand why.  After all, this is the first day based on the episode, “The Cutie Pox.”  The Cutie Mark Crusaders plan on trying to get their cutie marks in bowling.  But, it’s Applebloom that’s going to get her ball to even touch one of the pins.  Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo are going to try to cheer her up in different ways, including a cupcake at the bakery.  And Pinkie will also try and fail to cheer up the little yellow earth filly.  But, that’s yet to come.  Right now, the group races to keep up with Pinkie Pie to get to the bakery.

Once the group arrives, Pinkie enters through the front door, then gallops up the stairs, to the end of the indoor balcony, and, or so I assume, into her party room up the stairs.

In the mean time, Lyra, Ataahua, and Weed Whacker take their positions in the kitchen, while Topsy Turvy and my character take their positions in the front room.

A few minutes later, Pinkie Pie, sweating but smiling, emerges from the door.  She trots along the caged hall to the stairs, descends them, then trots into the kitchen.

It’s about the time that Topsy Turvy helps Mrs. Cake put a few fresh loaves of bread on the mid-lower shelves that the Crusaders come in talking about how their latest attempt to get their cutie marks was a failure.

Applebloom proceeds to amble up to the counter, then rest her head on top of it.

Sweetie Belle requests a cupcake from Mr. Cake.  Then, when she gets it, she pushes it in front of the evidently depressed yellow earth filly and says it’ll cheer her up.

But, Applebloom pushes it away and says, “No, it won’t.”

At this point, I have my character sit on the floor next to her; and I ask, "Would you like to talk about it?”  While I already know what her problem is, I still figure it’s best if she identifies her problem first.

Applebloom looks up at my character, sighs, then looks back down at the cupcake she pushed away and grumbles, “No, Ah don’t.”

It’s Scootaloo that says, “Aw, come on now, Applebloom.  You did the best out of all of us.”

Sweetie Belle confirms, “Yeah.  At least you didn’t gutter your ball.”

Applebloom groans, “Yeah, Ah didn’t knock down no pins, neither.”

At this point, I ask, “So, what happened?”

Sweetie Belle looks up at my character and answers, “Well, we went over to the bowling alley to see if we could get our cutie marks in bowling.  But, things didn’t go according to plan.  My ball always went in the gutter.”

Scootaloo turns to her unicorn friend, snorts, then says, “Yeah, at least yours guttered in our lane.”  She then turns to my character and adds, “I bucked my ball, and I guttered it, five lanes over.”

I can’t help chuckling to myself about that.  While I saw what happened in the episode, it’s actually more entertaining to hear these three fillies talk about it.

Then, Applebloom looks up at my character and says, “Well, Ah tried holding the ball in my mouth.  Then, on my way to the lane, Ah tripped and fell.  Ah heard a ball hit some pins and knock ‘em over, and Ah thought it was my ball, 'n' that Ah'd a-gotten my cutie mark.  But, Ah didn’t.  Instead, it was the colt in the lane next to ours who got his.  All Ah was able to do was git my ball up to the first pin.  It tapped it, then bounced off.”

I can’t deny, at this point, that what Applebloom said, not to mention what I remember from the scene in the episode, reminds me of a movie.  So, I decide to adapt the line it reminds me of as I say, “Well, you can look at it this way.  If the objective of bowling was to get the ball as close to the first pin as possible without knocking any of them over, you’d be the grand champion.”

All that does is cause the little yellow earth filly to glare up at my character and pound a front hoof on the counter as she says, “But, that ain’t the objective, is it?”

As Applebloom turns back to the counter, I decide not to say anymore.

And, that’s when Pinkie Pie trots in and asks, “Is everything alright in here?”

My character focuses on the pink angel pony, and I answer, “Applebloom’s upset because her last attempt to get a cutie mark didn’t go very well.”

Then, Applebloom once again draws my character’s attention to her as she growls out, “It failed!  Ah tried to git a cutie mark in bowlin’, ’n’ it failed!”  She then drops her head back down on the counter and whines, “Ah’m never gonna git a cutie mark, never!  Ah’m a’gonna be a blank flank ferever.”

I suppose I could mention to Applebloom how poetically she just rhymed, but I figure I’m in enough trouble with her right now.

In the mean time, Pinkie Pie says, “Hey, I know what’ll turn that frown of yours upside down!”  And, she grabs the little yellow earth filly under her forelimbs and flies her up to her party room.  She sets Applebloom down just long enough to open the door, then grabs her again and flies her up the stairs.

As Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo gallop to catch up to the pink angel pony, I decide that my character should remain downstairs and keep following his assignment.  I already know how Pinkie Pie’s going to try to cheer up Applebloom, and I also know it won’t work.  Still, it’s worth trying at least once.

Maybe twenty or so game minutes later, the Crusaders, lead by a still-depressed Applebloom and followed by a distraught Pinkie Pie, exit through the door to Pinkie’s party room, head along the balcony and down the stairs; and the Crusaders go to and out the bakery’s front door.

Pinkie Pie, who has stopped at the bottom of the stairs, looks up at my character and says, “I don’t understand.  This is the second time one of my parties has failed to cheer up somepony.”

I state, “Yeah, when someone’s determined to be in a bad mood, there’s not much that can be done about it.”

The pink angel pony sighs, then asks, “Do you think anypony can cheer her up?”

I answer, “Probably not a pony, and evidently not a human.  This is probably a job best suited to a zebra.”

Pinkie Pie nods to my character, to me, and says, “I hope Zecora can help her.”  Then, she shakes herself out and, with a determined tone to her voice, says, “I need to get back to work.  If I couldn’t cheer up Applebloom, I just need to get better at my parties.”  And, with that, she marches back into the kitchen.

Perhaps an hour or so later, Mr. Cake calls break time; and my character and his friends gather just outside the front door for a snack.

I’m not all that surprised to see that Pinkie Pie has a salad ready for Weed Whacker and flower sandwiches for herself and the other ponies.  I am surprised, though, when the pink angel pony has a cheese-filled, folded-over tortilla ready for my character.

I offer Pinkie Pie my thanks as my character receives the snack from her.

Then, as my character takes his first bite of the cheese-filled snack, I hear Twilight, behind my character, innocently ask, “Mormon, what is that?”

My character turns his head to show me the purple unicorn curiously pointing with a front hoof at the snack he’s holding.

I answer, “It’s a quesadilla.”  I then have my character offer it to her, and I ask, “Would you like a bite?”  Now, having seen all five seasons of My Little Pony Friendship is Magic, I know that Twilight Sparkle is afraid of quesadillas.  I even have a back story to go with it.  But, I see no reason to let those around me know that.

Also, my intention is not to torture the purple unicorn.  In the cannon of the cartoon, there's no given indication of Twilight being afraid of quesadillas.  Of course, there's no scene where she comes in contact with a quesadilla.  Spike did in a previous episode, but not Twilight.  So, what better time than now to bring up that issue?

Still, it's really not a surprise to me when Twilight responds by shrieking, then backing away from my character and whimpering, “Keep that thing away from me!”  After that, she turns and gallops away.

After a few seconds, I hear Pinkie Pie ask, “What was that all about?”

I keep my character from taking another bite of his snack long enough for me to shrug and answer, “I guess she doesn’t like quesadillas.”

Pinkie Pie eats her sandwich in one mouthful before saying, “I’ve seen ponies not like things before, and they’ve never acted that way.  Maybe I should go and see if she’s alright, see if I can find out why she hates quesadillas so much.”  And, before anyone can stop her, she bounces off toward the library.

As my character takes another bite of his quesadilla, I hear Lyra say, “Well?”

My character focuses on the pale-green unicorn, and I ask, “Well, what?”  And, it’s then that I notice that she’s glaring at my character.

Lyra asks, “Well, aren’t you gonna go with Pinkie?”

Pinkie had given my character the quesadilla, and no plate or anything like that to put it on; and I’m not about to have my character put an item of food on the ground.  I answer, “When I’m finished eating, I’ll go after her.  She’s headed to the library, right?”

The pale-green unicorn growls before saying, “You really had no idea that Twilight hates quesadillas?”

I answer, “I didn’t think she was that scared of them.  And besides, it was Pinkie Pie who gave me the quesadilla.”

Sitting more human-style, Lyra holds her sandwich, or what’s left of it, in one front hoof while she closes her eyes and plants the other front hoof between them, then shakes her head.  A second later, she removes the front hoof from between her eyes, stops shaking her head, sighs, and says, “Look, none of her friends knows why she’s so afraid of quesadillas.  All we know, all we’ve known from the first day we met her, is it’s not a good idea to offer her one, because she always shrieks and gallops away from it.”

I pause for a moment before I say, “I’ll remember that from now on.  If I ever have another quesadilla, I won’t offer it to Twilight.”

Lyra and the others present talk about other things while the group finishes their snacks, after which they rise; and Lyra turns to my character and says, “Let’s head over to the library.  We can see if Pinkie Pie’s still talking to Twilight, and maybe the rest of us can talk with her.”

Then, from behind my character, I hear Pinkie Pie say, “No need.  I just got back.  Twilight’s just fine now.”

My character turns to her, and I ask, “So, did she say anything about why she’s afraid of quesadillas?”

The pink angel pony, still looking up at my character, at me, answers, “Mormon, maybe it’s best if the two of us talk about it in my room upstairs.”

I hear Lyra ask, “Well, what about me?  I’m one of Twilight’s friends.”

Pinkie Pie looks down and snorts out a sigh, then looks up at the pale-green unicorn and the human and says, “Alright, but just the three of us.  Weed Whacker, Topsy Turvy, and Derpy can wait outside, or just in the front room, either way as long as it's just the three of us.”  She then nudges the front door open with her snout.

The angel pony, the unicorn, and the human, in that order, make their way through the front room of the bakery, up the stairs, and in through the first door at the top.

Once inside, I click on the room and say, “Soundproof on.”

Pinkie Pie turns to my character and says, “Thanks, Mormon.”  She then sits down canine-style and says, “I went over to the library with Twilight to let her know I was sorry about what had happened.  And, that's when she told me why she’s so scared of quesadillas.”

It’s Lyra who asks, “So, what is it?”

Pinkie answers, “When she was a foal, Twilight was poisoned when she ate some moldy cheese.  Ever since then, she’s been afraid of everything that even looks like cheese.  She figures she can eat things with cheese in them, as long as she doesn’t notice the cheese.”  The pink angel pony then looks up at my character, and I see her ears droop as she adds, “I guess the cheese in the quesadilla was too obvious for her.”  And, she looks down again.

I have my character reach out a hand to stroke the pink angel pony's mane, and I state, “It wasn’t a bad idea for you to serve me the quesadilla.  I did appreciate it.  It was good.  I guess neither of us were expecting Twilight to react to it the way she did.  It’s a good thing to remember, the next time we have quesadillas.”

Pinkie Pie looks up at my character and starts to smile, but still sniffles and rubs at her nose with a front hoof.

Then, Lyra says, “I had no idea.  No wonder she’s so scared of quesadillas.  I suppose they can have other ingredients in them, but a quesadilla is basically just a tortilla shell, folded over, with a lot of melted cheese in it.”

When Lyra’s finished speaking, I ask, “Pinkie Pie, are you alright?”

The pink angel pony whimpers, “I guess so.”  And, again she sniffles.

At this point, I have my character open his arms to the pink angel pony; and I say, “Come here.”

Pinkie Pie nods a couple times, then jumps in to my character’s open arms and starts sobbing quietly.

At this point, I say, “Now, it wasn’t your fault.  Remember what I said about the quesadilla you served me?  We just learned something new about Twilight Sparkle, that’s all.”

One frame after I finish talking, or so it seems, Lyra joins in the hug, placing herself, somehow, in one of my character’s arms so that the two ponies and the human are sharing a group hug.

After a few seconds, the three separate; Pinkie Pie and Lyra approach the door; Pinkie Pie opens it; and I click on the room and say, “Soundproof off.”  Then, the three exit the room.

As the angel pony, the unicorn, and the human descend the staircase, an excited Mr. Cake, marching rapidly in place, says, looking quickly from the three to the front door and back, “You’ve gotta come see this.  Applebloom’s just come into town, and she’s got two cutie marks.”

I know what that means, and I know what Applebloom did to get those cutie marks.  And, I find myself unable to avoid thinking out loud, “I’m guessing one of the marks is for loopty-hooping, and the other is for balancing plates on sticks?”

Mr. Cake answers, “I haven’t seen the cutie marks for myself, but what she’s doin’ right now seems to point to that being the case.”

Lyra moves ahead of Pinkie Pie and follows Mr. Cake outside, but Pinkie Pie stays put next to my character.  She turns to him and, focusing on me through him, asks, “You know what’s going on, don’t you, Mormon?”

I answer, “Yes, I know.”

Pinkie Pie continues, “And, you know how to solve this problem, right?”

I answer, “I know that, if she doesn’t have it already, Zecora will have the solution; and we’ll have to wait until tomorrow for her to use it.”

Pinkie Pie looks down and sighs, then looks up at my character again, at me, and asks, “So, what do we do in the mean time?”

I pause for a moment before answering, “Well, there’s really nothing much we can do for right now.  We have our roles to play, and we'll have to follow those roles until then.”

Just then, I hear Mrs. Cake from the kitchen ask, “Pinkie Pie, will you come here for a moment?”

Pinkie starts for a moment before turning to the kitchen and calling out, “Coming, Mrs. Cake!”  She then turns to my character and asks, “So, will you come with me before going outside to watch Applebloom?”

I pause for a moment in thought before I say, “Sure, why not.”  And, accepting that as instructions, my character follows the pink angel pony into the Cakes’ kitchen.

There, a worried-looking Mrs. Cake turns to the curious angel pony and asks, “Pinkie, do you know what happened to these corn cakes?  We seem to be short half a dozen.”

I’m unable to see Pinkie Pie’s face; but I can see, through my character’s eyes, the pink angel pony shrug, and the ends of her wings twitch alternately, as she says, “Beats me.  I only had one.  And it was really good, too.”

Mrs. Cake looks at Pinkie Pie for a few seconds, then sighs and says, “Well, if we can’t find the other five corn cakes, then we’re gonna have to make six replacements.  In the mean time, let’s go out and see what Applebloom’s doin’.”  And, with that, she makes her way to and through the back door.

When Mrs. Cake closes the back door behind her, I have my character kneel down and put a hand on Pinkie Pie’s back, causing her to start once again.  Then, when she turns to my character, I say, “Now, we both know that you ate all six of those missing corn cakes.”

The pink angel pony looks down, and her ears droop, as she says, “Yeah, you’re right.”  She then looks up again and says, “They were just so good, and I couldn’t help myself.  I only meant to eat one.  I probably would’ve eaten all of ‘em if nopony else had been there.”

I state, “You know you’re gonna have to tell Mrs. Cake about it.”

Pinkie Pie responds, “Yeah, I know.  And then, I’ll have to make six more cakes to replace the ones I ate.”

I ask, “Do you think you can keep from eating them this time?”

Pinkie answers, “I can make the batter for 'em, and pour ‘em into the pans, and put 'em in the oven.  But, I’m gonna need somepony else to take ‘em out again.  They were just smellin’ so good, …”

I watch the pink angel pony trail off, then I smile as I say, “I understand.  When food comes out of the oven smelling good, it’s hard to avoid eating it.”

The pink angel pony smiles up at my character again, then frowns and looks down again and asks, “Do you think this means I’m gonna lose my wings?”

I answer, “I doubt it.  As long as you tell Mrs. Cake what you did, and Pinkie promise you won’t do it again, you should be fine.”  I don’t mention her having to keep the Pinkie promise, because I know how important those promises are to her; and besides, this is one of those I’m sure she’ll be able to keep.

Pinkie sighs, then says, “Well, let’s go out and see what Applebloom’s doin’.”

I only nod in agreement before my character follows the pink angel pony back into the front room and out the front door.

Once outside, Pinkie Pie trots on ahead in search of the little yellow earth filly, only to find her coming up behind her.  And, I have to wonder if it’s Diane that causes Pinkie to collapse and allow Applebloom to jump over and ahead of her on the metal hula hoop.

I must admit, it is rather fun to watch, as much in the episode as in this video game.  And, I also know that the two marks that Applebloom has right now are the only ones she’ll get until tomorrow.

In the mean time, after hopping over Pinkie Pie, Applebloom rides on the hoof past her siblings and grandmother, although she pauses long enough to spin the hoop around the necks of herself and Granny Smith.

Then, Applejack whistles through her front hoof, then kicks a table with a stack of plates and a pie in its tin, causing the plates and pie to fly into the air.

Applebloom catches the plates on her hooves and the cake on her back, then tosses them into the air again and tosses the hoop with them.

In the air, the hoop cuts the pie into eighths, which then land on plates on two picnic tables, four on one table, and four on the other.

Somehow, I’m not surprised to see Pinkie Pie occupy a spot at the first table where a piece of pie has landed on a plate.  And, not just because I’ve seen it in the episode and faithfully duplicated the animation in this game.  But, she still enjoys the piece of pie while watching the little yellow earth filly enjoy the attention she’s getting.

At any rate, after the pie is eaten, the four Apples make their way out of town, with Applebloom still twirling the hoop with her tail and balancing two plates on sticks on her nose, out of town and back to Sweet Apple Acres.

In the mean time, as ponies clean up after the impromptu party, my character and his friends return to Sugar Cube Corner so that Pinkie Pie can hopefully inform the Cakes of what she’d done and get to work on replacing the corn cakes.

Well, as it turns out, the Cakes are so occupied with other things that they apparently don’t have time to hear Pinkie’s confession, although they still allow her to make six more corn cakes to replace the six that have come up missing.

After that, it’s just a matter of another game hour before the Cakes close up Sugar Cube Corner for the rest of the day, allowing my character and his friends to make their way out of town, to and through the Everfree forest, and back to my character’s house.

Once the group gets there, Pinkie Pie asks me if she and I can have a meeting in my room.

I agree, then lead the pink angel pony to and into my character’s bedroom.

Once both are inside and my character closes the door behind him, Pinkie Pie ambles to my character’s bed and hops up onto it, then circles around a hundred eighty degrees, then settles into a sphinx-style position with her front hooves hanging over the edge.

As my character approaches her, the pink angel pony sighs and says, “I wish I could’ve gotten a chance to tell the Cakes about eating those six corn cakes.  It’s not as bad as when I killed Gilda and had to tell others about it, but it still doesn’t feel good.”

I reply, “Yeah, doing bad things isn’t intended to feel good, and the only way it’ll lead to good consequences is when the one that did the bad thing confesses, makes corrections, and stops doing the bad thing or things, and does good things instead.”

At this point, Pinkie Pie puts her head between her front hooves and sighs before saying, “I know.”  Then, after a pause, she adds, “Who would’ve thought that repenting would be so difficult?”

I snort before I say, “It is interesting how it seems to require a schedule in order to get back on the right track again.  But, I can see that you regret lying to Mrs. Cake.”

Now, Pinkie sniffles before whimpering, “If I’d known how important those corn cakes were, I wouldn’t have eaten them.  I—regret—that—too.”

As the pink angel pony starts sobbing, I have my character start stroking her mane; and I say, “You have tomorrow to take the opportunity to repent to the Cakes.”

Presently, Pinkie Pie lifts her head up and looks at my character, at me, and asks, “And, what if I don’t get a chance to repent to them tomorrow, huh?”  She then lowers her head between her front hooves again and mournfully asks, “What if I never get a chance?”

I answer, “If you need to schedule some time to talk with them, maybe that’ll be your best option.  You won’t be able to for the rest of today; but, like I said, maybe tomorrow.  Explain what happened.  You’ve already replaced the corn cakes you ate.  If that isn’t enough, well, it’s at least a start.”

Pinkie Pie sniffles a couple more times, then sighs as she looks up at my character and says, “You’re right.  Thanks for listening to me.”  And, she starts to smile again.

I answer, “I’m glad I could help.”  Then, as my character rises and walks to his bedroom door, I ask, “So, shall we go out and gather some fruit from the orchard for snacks for the reading this evening?”

Presently, Pinkie Pie bounces onto all fours, then hops off of my character’s bed, and says, “Oh, yeah, that's right.  We do need to do that.”  And, as my character opens the door to his room, she bounces past him and through it, down the hallway to the kitchen, and waits for him in front of the kitchen door.

I can’t help smiling as my character exits his room, closes the door behind him, then walks to the kitchen door and opens it for the pink angel pony.

With the door open for her, Pinkie trots through it, behind the closest couch, and on to the front door.

My character follows Pinkie through the kitchen door, closes it behind him, then walks to the front door and opens it, allowing the pink angel pony to exit, then follows her out onto the porch, closing the front door behind him.

And, wouldn’t you know it, Lyra, Weed Whacker, Topsy Turvy, and Ataahua are already there, with their harvests.

So, I have my character open the door for them again, and allow them to enter.  Then, once they’ve done so, I have my character close the front door again.

Pinkie Pie leads my character to the orchard, and bounces over the fence.  Then, while my character climbs over the fence, Pinkamena turns control over to Diane, who proceeds to choose an apple tree to buck apples from.

In the mean time, my character, now in the orchard, chooses the pear tree and searches for pears to harvest.

The time is relatively quiet, except for the sounds of Diane bucking apples from the tree she chose and my character picking pears.  And, when the human and the angel pony are finished, they meet at the fence again, where I see that Pinkamena is back in control of Pinkie.  From there, Pinkie, mane decorated with apples, hops over the fence; and my character climbs over it.  After that, the human and the angel pony make their way back to the house.

My character opens the door for Pinkie Pie, who gallops inside to the kitchen door and holds it open for my character, after he closes the front door and makes his way toward the kitchen.

Inside the kitchen, I notice that Ataahua and Topsy Turvy are already in the process of preparing muffins for the reading, using berries that Lyra donated, while Lyra’s cutting up vegetables and separating fruits from stems after Weed Whacker, in the sink, has cleaned them.

My character and Pinkie Pie donate their harvests to Weed Whacker to clean.  Then, Pinkie Pie moves to help Ataahua and Topsy Turvy; and my character helps Lyra and Weed Whacker.

While I’m not entirely sure when the four others started preparing their harvests for reading-time snacks, with the help of my character and Pinkie Pie the process concludes in a matter of maybe ten or so minutes.  And, the group does seem to get a minute to rest before I hear a knock at my character’s front door, indicating that the guests have arrived.

Pinkie Pie, Lyra, and Ataahua take control of the snack tray, while Topsy Turvy and Weed Whacker follow my character ahead of them to the front door.  There, my character greets guests first, then encourages them to move aside to allow the three ponies taking care of the snack tray to pass.  Then, while the three ponies are moving the tray down the stairs of the porch, my character runs to his work room to get the TV tray so the snack tray can be placed on top of it.  And, he’s outside just in time to place the TV tray ahead of the three ponies handling the snack tray.

And, it isn’t long after that when Princesses Celestia and Luna appear, each with their own copies if the Book of Mormon.

I guess that reminds Lyra, Weed Whacker, Topsy Turvy, and Ataahua that they don’t have theirs with them, as they gallop or run inside again to retrieve their copies.  And, it’s only a minute or two before they’re back outside again.

As ponies and dragons around the circle proceed to open their books and turn to the right page, I say, "Now, the next chapter we'll be reading in the Book of Mosiah, chapter twenty-six, is thrity-nine verses; so, the reading should go around the circle about three times."  Then, when I notice that everyone is evidently at the right page, I have my character turn to my herbivorous dinosaur friend; and I ask, 'Weed Whacker, will you read the first verse?"

She looks up at my character and smiles and nods, then looks down into her book and reads, "Now it came to pass that there were many of the rising generation that could not understand the words of king Benjamin, being little children at the time he spake unto his people; and they did not believe the tradition of their fathers."  She then looks up and asks, "Is it really that difficult for two generations of humans to understand each other?"

As my character focuses on the herbivorous dinosaur, I answer, "While the basics of a language might not change; at least where I come from, a word can mean one thing to one human, and mean something very different to another.  And, it can be the same between generations.  Sometimes, a word can be used for one generation, and never be used so frequently again.  For instance, there's the word 'diggity,' which, from what I understand, was used to demonstrate appreciation or excitement.  Nowadays, someone can use that word, and maybe only the one using that word will understand what it means.  It just isn't used anymore.  The Nephites may have been in a similar situation.  Words used by the established generation might not have been used by the rising one, which may have had their own words that the previous generation didn't have.  Does that answer your question?"

Weed Whacker simply smiles and nods.

Princess Luna then reads, "They did not believe what had been said concerning the resurrection of the dead, neither did they believe concerning the coming of Christ."

Princess Celestia reads, "And now because of their unbelief they could not understand the word of God; and their hearts were hardened."  She then looks up and says, "This is starting to sound like Laman and Lemuel."

Rainbow Dash reads, "And they would not be baptized; neither would they join the church.  And they were a separate people as to their faith, and remained so ever after, even in their carnal and sinful state; for they would not call upon the Lord their God."

Pinkie Pie reads, "And now in the reign of Mosiah they were not half so numerous as the people of God; but because of the dissensions among the brethren they became more numerous."

Twilight Sparkle reads, "For it came to pass that they did deceive many with their flattering words, who were in the church, and did cause them to commit many sins; therefore it became expedient that those who committed sin, that were in the church, should be admonished by the church."

At this point, I have my character look up; and I say, "Here, we have the start of a really interesting chapter, if you will, in the history of the Nephites.  Later on, we'll find out about five young men in this 'rising generation' that were most likely the instigators of this movement among the Nephites, four of them sons of Mosiah, and the other the son of Alma.  But, that's for later chapters.  Suffice it to say, we'll learn about their repentance process, and how they'd do more to build up the church than they could do to damage or destroy it."  I then have my character turn to Twilight's assistant, and I say, "Spike, you may go ahead and read the next verse."

The purple dragon nods, then looks down and reads, "And it came to pass that they were brought before the priests, and delivered up unto the priests by the teachers; and the priests brought them before Alma, who was the high priest."

Rarity reads, "Now king Mosiah had given Alma the authority over the church."

Applejack reads, "And it came to pass that Alma did not know concerning them; but there were many witnesses against them; yea, the people stood and testified of their iniquity in abundance."  She then looks up and asks, "Uh, aren't these sons of Mosiah and Alma?  How could they not know 'bout 'em?"

I have my character focus on the orange earth mare, and I answer, "Those brought before Mosiah and Alma may not necessarily have been their sons.  Or, if they were, the young men might've hidden their actions sufficiently from their fathers that they just didn't know about 'em.  At this point, since I don't know exactly what happened, all I can do is theorize.  But, that may be enough.  I doubt my life will be incomplete if I never know the details of what happened.  The important part is written in this book."  I then have my character turn to the yellow pegasa and nod for her to read the next verse.

Fluttershy nods back, then reads, "Now there had not any such thing happened before in the church; therefore Alma was troubled in his spirit, and he caused that they should be brought before the king."

Lyra reads, "And he said unto the king: Behold, here are many whom we have brought before thee, who are accused of their brethren; yea, and they have been taken in divers iniquities.  And they do not repent of their iniquities; therefore we have brought them before thee, that thou mayest judge them according to their crimes."

Ataahua reads, "But king Mosiah said unto Alma: Behold, I judge them not; therefore I deliver them into thy hands to be judged."

I read, "And now the spirit of Alma was again troubled; and he went and inquired of the Lord what he should do concerning this matter, for he feared that he should do wrong in the sight of God."

Topsy Turvy reads, "And it came to pass that after he had poured out his whole soul to God, the voice of the Lord came to him, saying:"

Weed Whacker reads, "Blessed art thou, Alma, and blessed are they who were baptized in the waters of Mormon.  Thou art blessed because of thy exceeding faith in the words alone of my servant Abinadi."

Princess Luna reads, "And blessed are they because of their exceeding faith in the words alone which thou hast spoken unto them."

Princess Celestia reads, "And blessed art thou because thou hast established a church among this people; and they shall be established, and they shall be my people."

Rainbow Dash reads, "Yea, blessed is this people who are willing to bear my name; for in my name shall they be called; and they are mine."

Pinkie Pie reads, "And because thou hast inquired of me concerning the transgressor, thou art blessed."

Twilight Sparkle reads, "Thou art my servant; and I covenant with thee that thou shalt have eternal life; and thou shalt serve me and go forth in my name, and shalt gather together my sheep."

Spike reads, "And he that will hear my voice shall be my sheep; and him shall ye receive into the church, and him will I also receive."

Rarity reads, "For behold, this is my church; whosoever is baptized shall be baptized unto repentance.  And whomsoever ye receive shall believe in my name; and him will I freely forgive."

Applejack reads, "For it is I that taketh upon me the sins of the world; for it is I that hath created them; and it is I that granteth unto him that believeth unto the end a place at my right hand."

Fluttershy reads, "For behold, in my name are they called; and if they know me they shall come forth, and shall have a place eternally at my right hand."

Lyra reads, "And it shall come to pass that when the second trump shall sound then shall they that never knew me come forth and shall stand before me."

Ataahua reads, "And then shall they know that I am the Lord their God, that I am their Redeemer; but they would not be redeemed."

I read, "And then I will confess unto them that I never knew them; and they shall depart into everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels."

Topsy Turvy reads, "Therefore I say unto you, that he that will not hear my voice, the same shall ye not receive into my church, for him I will not receive at the last day."  She then looks up and says, "Here, we seem to have a demonstration of freedom to choose whether to follow a good path or a bad one.  And, whichever course we choose, God won't interfere with our decision, except to warn us if we've chosen the wrong path."

I reply, "Indeed.  You did well in identifying that."

Weed Whacker reads, "Therefore I say unto you, Go; and whosoever transgresseth against me, him shall ye judge according to the sins which he has committed; and if he confess his sins before thee and me, and repenteth in the sincerity of his heart, him shall ye forgive, and I will forgive him also."

Princess Luna reads, "Yea, and as often as my people repent will I forgive them their trespasses against me."

Princess Celestia reads, "And ye shall also forgive one another your trespasses; for verily I say unto you, he that forgiveth not his neighbor’s trespasses when he says that he repents, the same hath brought himself under condemnation."

Rainbow Dash reads, "Now I say unto you, Go; and whosoever will not repent of his sins the same shall not be numbered among my people; and this shall be observed from this time forward."

Pinkie Pie reads, "And it came to pass when Alma had heard these words he wrote them down that he might have them, and that he might judge the people of that church according to the commandments of God."

Twilight Sparkle reads, "And it came to pass that Alma went and judged those that had been taken in iniquity, according to the word of the Lord."

Spike reads, "And whosoever repented of their sins and did confess them, them he did number among the people of the church;"

Rarity reads, "And those that would not confess their sins and repent of their iniquity, the same were not numbered among the people of the church, and their names were blotted out."

Applejack reads, "And it came to pass that Alma did regulate all the affairs of the church; and they began again to have peace and to prosper exceedingly in the affairs of the church, walking circumspectly before God, receiving many, and baptizing many."

At this point, I decide to speak up again and say, "There's a saying among us humans, that necessity is the mother of invention.  That is to say, we don't search for something until the need arises.

"Here, up until this point, there had apparently been no need to ask if someone who hadn't repented should be allowed into the church or not because all who had wanted to enter the church had repented.  Now, there's a rising generation that wasn't listening to the older generations, and was refusing to do what was right.  Here the need arose; and so Alma, the high priest, searched for an answer to his question.  And, because he brought it to God, God gave him the answer he was looking for."  I then have my character focus on the yellow pegasa, and I say, "Fluttershy, you may continue."

Fluttershy nods, then looks down and reads, "And now all these things did Alma and his fellow laborers do who were over the church, walking in all diligence, teaching the word of God in all things, suffering all manner of afflictions, being persecuted by all those who did not belong to the church of God."

Lyra reads, "And they did admonish their brethren; and they were also admonished, every one by the word of God, according to his sins, or to the sins which he had committed, being commanded of God to pray without ceasing, and to give thanks in all things."

At this point, I have my character stand up; and I say, "And, that'll be the end of the reading for this evening.  I thank you for your participation; and, to those who are returning to your homes, I hope you have a safe trip."

At my announcement, ponies and dragons around the circle rise and start picking up and closing their books.

Lyra, Weed Whacker, Ataahua, and Topsy Turvy gather on the front porch.

In the mean time, Pinkie Pie gallops to the front gate and holds it open as she bids her friends, Twilight Sparkle, Spike, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and Applejack, farewell.

Once Spike and the rest of Pinkie Pie’s friends have disappeared into the Everfree, and Pinkie Pie has joined up with the other four on the front porch, Princess Celestia approaches the group and asks, “How many of you want to come with Mormon and Topsy Turvy to Canterlot?”

I’m really not surprised to hear shouts from everyone in the group of five, other than Topsy Turvy, affirming that all want to go with the pink earth mare and my character.

Taking note of this response, the daytime alicorn turns and trots midway into the lawn, next to her sister, then turns back to the group of six, and, smiling, says, “Then, come here, my little ponies, and my sister and I will teleport you with us to Canterlot.”

Accepting that as their invitation, the four ponies, one dinosaur, and one human join the two alicorns as they bow their heads and close their eyes, and their horns start to glow and sparkle.

Then, one frame later, the group is once again in front of Discord’s statue, in the garden of Canterlot Castle.

While Princess Luna trots toward the castle to get Grounds Keeper and the cleaning supplies, Princess Celestia turns to my character and asks, “Mormon, will you follow me into the labyrinth?”

I answer, “Yes, ma’am,” and my character follows the white alicorn into the hedge maze.  And, the human and the alicorn stop when they can no longer be seen by the ponies and the dinosaur.

At this point, Princess Celestia turns to my character and asks, “So, what have you learned today about Lyra specifically, and about unicorns from her?”

I pause for a moment in thought, then answer, “Well, one thing I’ve learned about her, which doesn’t surprise me, is that she cares about her friends.  I learned today that Twilight’s afraid of quesadillas, and Lyra joined me in learning from Pinkie Pie why she’s afraid of them.  Apparently it’s one thing about Twilight that Lyra hadn’t known about before.”

The daytime princess folds her wings somewhat and closes her eyes as she says, “Yes, I know that Twilight was poisoned as a foal after eating some moldy cheese.  And, since then, she’s been afraid of anything even made of or containing cheese.”  She then opens her eyes again as she says, “While I can understand her fear of being poisoned again, she still needs to learn that not all cheese is poisonous.”

At this point, I state, “Still, she demonstrates another way that you ponies and we humans aren’t all that different.  Frequently, although it doesn’t always work, all a human needs is to get sick once from eating or drinking something, and he or she will never again consume the thing that made him or her sick.  He or she may even become afraid of it.”

Princess Celestia responds by sighing, then saying, “Well, it’s nice to know that there are commonalities between you humans and us ponies.”  She then asks, “Have you learned anything about Pinkie Pie, about earth ponies, today?”

Answering with the first thing that comes to my mind, I say, “Well, earlier today, the Cutie Mark Crusaders came in after failing to get their cutie marks in bowling.  And, it seems that Applebloom took it the hardest.  She even refused to be cheered up by one of Pinkie Pie’s parties.

“She left; and when she came back into town, she had two cutie marks.”

I’m not surprised to see Princess Celestia startled by the news.  She asks, “Did you say two cutie marks?”

I answer, “That’s right.”

The daytime princess’s alarm turns to worry as she says, “The last time any of my little ponies had more than one cutie mark per pony was before Granny Smith was born, when there was an outbreak of cutie pox.”

I know what Princess Celestia’s talking about, but I still ask, “Cutie pox?”

The daytime alicorn answers, “Yes.  It started and ended mysteriously, and there was no chance for anypony to study the outbreak.  It seems that there was a group of ponies that suddenly got cutie marks all over their bodies.  And, they were forced to fulfill the talents that came with them.  The first two or three of the talents were of little or no use to ponies, except for display.  And, while talents that appeared after that could prove useful, the ponies became exhausted from having to do the things represented by their cutie marks.”  She then turns to my character and says, “Mormon, I want you to keep an eye on Applebloom.  The next time we meet in here, I want you to tell me if a cause was found, and a cure.  Is that understood?”

I nod and answer, “Yes, ma’am.”

The white alicorn nods back, then says, “Very well then.”  She then inhales deeply, then exhales slowly, then asks, “Have you learned anything new about Derpy Hooves, anything about pegasi?”

Slowly, I answer, “I didn’t get a chance to learn anything new about her or about pegasi, no.”

At this point, Princess Celestia smiles and says, “That’s alright.  Tomorrow is the pet play date for you and the element bearers.  You may get a chance to learn about her then.”

I seem to remember writing to the princesses about the pet play dates, so I’m not surprised that Princess Celestia would know about them.

Then, Princess Celestia asks, “Is there anything else you want to report to me?”

There are a few things I can think of, but I decide that Pinkie and others can write their own reports on those subjects.  So, I say, “No, I believe that’s all.”

The white alicorn nods to my character and says, “Very well, then.  Let’s return to the others.”  And, she canters past my character and toward the entrance to the hedge maze.

And, as soon as she’s past, my character follows her.

Back at Discord’s statue, by the time the human and the white alicorn make it back there, Topsy Turvy is, from what I can see, halfway through cleaning her father, and not quite halfway through the song she’s singing.  It takes a few more minutes before she’s finished.  And, while Grounds Keeper takes the cleaning supplies back to the castle, the pink earth mare once again wishes that her father won't remain a statue for another thousand years.

It’s Princess Luna who teleports my character and his friends back to his house, after which she returns to the castle.

From there on, the six disperse to their normal duties preparing dinner.

My character chooses the plum tree to gather fruits from, and Pinkie “Diane” Pie requests that he harvest an extra to donate to Ataahua for her muffins; and I agree to that.

In the kitchen, after it’s cleaned, I have my character donate the extra plum to Ataahua so she can bake it into some of the muffins that she, Topsy Turvy, and Pinkie Pie make.

And, in the mean time, my character, Lyra, and Weed Whacker prepare the rest of the fruits, as well as the vegetables, to be eaten raw.

When the preparations are complete, the group of six gather in the front room, with my character carrying the tray of food.  As my character places the tray on the coffee table, the ponies and dinosaur occupy places on the two couches; and, once all are seated, and the food blessed, the group join forces in eating the prepared meal.  Then, once it’s eaten, the group join in the cleanup, then separate and head to their rooms.

But, it seems that once again Pinkie Pie follows my character and asks, “Mormon, may I join you in your room?  I have a question or two I need answered.”

Once I’m sure Lyra and Weed Whacker are on their way to their room, I have my character hold the door open for the pink angel pony; and I say, “Sure, come on in.”

As she enters, Pinkie Pie says, “Thank you.”  Then, while my character closes the door behind the two of them, she trots to my character’s bed and jumps up onto it, then turns toward my character and settles into the familiar sphinx-style position.  She waits until my character is close enough before saying, “The first question I have is about something that came up in the reading, something that I found … curious.”

By this point, my character is already kneeling on one knee next to the pink angel pony.  I ask, “What would that be?”

Pinkie Pie answers, “In one verse in this evening’s chapter, verse eight, it’s written that Mosiah gave authority of the church to Alma.”

I respond, “That’s true.”

Pinkie Pie then asks, “Does that usually happen?  Is one human given control of the government of you humans, and another human given control of religion?”  I open my mouth to answer, but Pinkie interrupts and adds, “I mean humans in your real world, not in this video game.”

I take a moment to collect my thoughts before I answer, “Well, from what I understand, no, it isn’t.  When America separated from England, it was apparently normal practice in England to have a national religion, a religion that served as the government, which was, from what I understand, Catholicism.  Because the religion ruled the country, it didn’t allow for a lot of freedom.  And, because of that, and because Americans value their freedom, it was agreed that, in America, there should be a separation of church and state, which is to say that religion should hold a different position in society from government.  Such separation is still highly valued today, allowing for people to believe what they want, to adhere to whatever religion they want, without the government punishing them for not believing in a particular way.”

Pinkie Pie grunts in interest, then says, “I see.”  She then tilts her head and asks, “Do you think this kind of separation of church and state existed among the Nephites?”

I have to pause and think about that for a moment before I answer, “I suppose that’s possible.  While Mosiah ruled over the Nephites as their king, he was a godly man.  He did his own work, so he wasn’t a burden to his people.  But, he also made sure, evidently, that religion had a separate position from the government.  So, it is likely that there was a separation of church and state among the Nephites, although I have to wonder if it was as strict among the Nephites as it is among Americans.”

At this point, Pinkie Pie seems concerned as she asks, “What do you mean?”

I answer, “It’s recorded, as much in American history as in that of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, that the first prophet of the church, Joseph Smith Jr., ran for president of the United States; and it seems that a lot of people liked him, or at least the things he was running for.  But, being the leader of a religion, I guess Americans became concerned that, if he were to become president, he might make the religion he lead the main religion of America.  And, that was, I suppose, at least one of the things that lead to his being killed when he was.”

Now, Pinkie straightens her head in surprise as she says, “Wow, that is strict.”  She then relaxes somewhat as she adds, “I don’t know if ponies would go that far; but I would hope that, if we thought our most favorite rights were in danger, we’d defend them, too.”

I have my character reach out and stroke Pinkie Pie’s mane, and I ask, “So, are there any other questions you have for me?”

At my question, Pinkie Pie seems to melt as she answers, “I’m … still worried about that lie I told.  Do you really think I’ll get a chance to tell the Cakes about it tomorrow?”

I answer, “I’m sure you will.  I know you regret lying to Mrs. Cake; and, if you have to make an appointment, one way or another you’ll get your chance to repent to them.”

Pinkie Pie sniffles as she says, “I hope you’re right, Mormy.  I really don’t want to feel like this anymore.”  And, she nuzzles my character.

I don’t say anymore, just allow my character to stroke Pinkie Pie’s mane for a while longer until she pushes his hand away with her closest forelimb.  Then, I have my character stand up and walk to his bedroom door, while Pinkie Pie jumps off of his bed and follows him there.  Then, when he opens the door, the pink angel pony trots past him through it, then to her room once my character closes his door again.  That’s what I’m assuming, anyway.

At any rate, my character then goes to, then climbs into, his bed and goes to sleep.

If there’s one thing I expect for tomorrow, it’s that it’s gonna be a busy day.  There’s the pet play date, where I expect Rainbow Dash to let her friends know that she’s interested in getting a pet.  Then, there’s also the situation with Applebloom, and her evidently contracting the cutie pox.  And, there’s Pinkie Pie, and her lie to her bosses.  Two of those will meet their conclusion the game’s tomorrow, but the first will just be starting.

I do have a back story for the cutie pox, which makes sense to me considering the story in the episode with that name, “The Cutie Pox.”  While there are no historical visuals in the show, at least not in the first five seasons, my guess is that whatever number of ponies that there were, ponies without cutie marks, must’ve gotten their hooves, or whatever, on the heart’s desire flower and used it to each get a cutie mark.  But, there was a side effect associated with that kind of practice, in that more marks appeared; and the ponies with those marks, as Princess Celestia mentioned, were forced to do whatever those marks symbolized.  The cure, then, was in a related flower, known as the flower of truth.  When the seeds from that flower were planted near the infected ponies, all they had to do was confess to using the heart’s desire flower to get their cutie marks, and they’d be freed from the influence of the heart's desire flower, which meant all their cutie marks would disappear; and they'd finally be able to rest.  Again, it’s just a theory.  Whether it’ll be confirmed in any future episodes or not is yet to be seen.

In the mean time, I’m sure that Pinkie Pie will get a chance to tell the Cakes what she did, or at least they’ll hear about it.  Whatever happens, once they know, it’ll be up to them whether they’ll forgive Pinkie Pie or not, whether they place further restrictions on her or not.  But, that’s for the game’s tomorrow.  So, until then, I save and close the game.