Mandatory Motherhood: Short Stories

Everfree Forest

This story takes place a couple of weeks after Chris met Colgate.

Chris watched as Colgate nervously looked at a flyer on Yellowstone Park. “Colgate… are you ok?”

Colgate continued to stare at the pamphlet, so Chris poked her shoulder causing her to jump and squeak. “Uh, I um what?”

Chris sighed. “I asked if you are alright, you have been staring at that pamphlet for a while now. Is there something wrong with it?”

Colgate gulped and held the pamphlet open for Chris to see. “T-this place is t-the Everfree forest.”

Chris looked at Colgate oddly and then looked at the pamphlet. “That is Yellowstone Park Colgate. Not this uh… Everfree forest.”

Colgate shoved the pamphlet into Chris’s face and shouted. “Yes, it is!”

Chris growled and pushed her head through the pamphlet. “No, it’s not, I have been there. It is just a forest with geysers, hot spring pools, and steaming mud pots.”

Colgate sputtered. “That's just all the more proof that it is!”

Chris sighed in response. “How is it the same place from where you came from Colgate?”

Colgate looked to the side and thought. “Ok so maybe it's not the same place where I came from but it’s the equivalent here?!”

Chris dead eye stared at Colgate. “Oh a similar forest… wow… so scary…”

Colgate sputtered. “But it is scary! The Everfree forest is… un-natural!”

Chris shook the pamphlet off of her head and lay on the floor. “And how it the Everfree forest… ‘un-natural’ Colgate?”

Colgate gulped and looked seriously spooked. “B-because it’s dark and scary and… the animals take care of themselves!”

Chris raised an eyebrow questioningly at the last remark. “Colgate… wild animals take care of themselves… They are wild animals after all.”

Colgate sputtered again and looked disheveled. “The… animals take care of themselves? You don’t make nests for the birds? Clean out burrows for them? Give them food?”

Chris just started at Colgate as she rambled on about mostly absurd ideas. “Other than making birdhouses for wild birds which people usually do to tempt birds they like into roosting near them, and putting out food to attract birds and some animals for them to watch. All of those are absurd… but there are groups that at times go around giving wild animals inoculations or rescue injured ones and help them recover then release them.”

Colgate just started at Chris in confusion for a while. “Animals take care of themselves… it is natural…” She thought about it for a while then shot back. “How about ancient castles? Or a zebra who lives in the w forest and makes potions?”

Chris took the pamphlet between her hooves and playfully set the hole over Colgate’s horn. “No, that is absurd. Plus until recently zebras didn’t talk and magical ponies didn’t exist.”

Colgate thought for a while and looked at what remained of the pamphlet then smiled. “Can we go there then?!”

Chris smiled at Colgate and shook her head. “I can barely walk and I rather not deal with all the bears in the park.”

Colgate dropped the pamphlet as a fearful squeaking sound escaped her lips.