//------------------------------// // Chapter4: May27-29 [updated] // Story: Mandatory Motherhood // by dargondarkfire //------------------------------// Mandatory Motherhood By DargonDarkFire Ch. 4 A note to whoever is reading this: I have added in descriptions of what actions everyone made while I recorded this to the best of what I can remember. I felt that just reading the text straight would not give depth to the events that took place. “May 28. I’m going to have a short interview with my new friend before I pick up where I left off.” “Hello, everypony! I‘m Colgate!” She waves a hoof in the air. I raise an eyebrow at her vivacity and waving. “Um, Colgate, there is no camera. It’s just a voice recorder. You know that, right?” She giggles and waves a hoof towards me, like waving for a recorder is common. “Well, of course, Crystal; you showed it to me. You don’t need to explain how it works; I’ve seen them before, just not so small.” I groaned as she laughs at my reaction to nickname that she picked for me. “Colgate, please don’t call me Crystal. Also I take it you mean a cassette recorder?” She confirmed by nodding her head. I blinked dumbly, then coughed to clear my throat. “Okay, we are getting sidetracked, sorry. I just want to know why you waved for the tape recorder.” “Oh, it’s the sort of thing a friend of mine would do. Since she’s not here, I figured I would do it for her.” I want to say she’s joking, but she is dead serious. I don’t think an actor could have said that with a straighter face. “Okay, then… Anyways, let’s start where I left off last night: where you announced your name loudly despite telling me to keep calm and quiet to not wake Starla up.” I nuzzled Starla next to me, causing her to yawn and snuggle closer to me. Poor thing had a long day. She gave Starla a smile before focusing back on me. “Sorry about that; she didn’t wake up though. I was just really excited to finally find somepony here! Too bad you weren’t somepony important.” I gave her a glare. Why does being someone important matter? “That’s kind of rude, you know.” “Sorry!” She shrinks back apologetically, which causes me to sigh. “It’s fine. I did kind of guilt trip you into staying here and helping me.” I couldn’t help breaking eye contact with her. I watch her snicker and laugh before she catches her breath “Truthfully, I’m glad you did. After you showed me just how far I would have to travel by hoof, I don’t think I feel safe sleeping alone outside for that many nights.” She gave me a reassuring smile as she placed a hoof on my shoulder. I felt a bit better after that. “You’re welcome... I think.” She giggles and lays her head on her forelegs. ”We got off topic again. How about you explain our day, and then after that I tell you a bit about myself?” “Alright; I’ll pick up from when we first met.” I think back for a moment and clear my throat. May 27. I laid on the ground in shock. I was sandwiched between two very large dogs with my forelegs in a death lock, holding Starla to my chest. I had apparently just survived an attack from several very hungry dogs. Standing in front of me was a female unicorn with a very wintery color scheme, sporting the most perfect shiny teeth I had ever seen. (Why thank you.) She finally broke me out of my stupor by patting my face with her wet hoof. “Keep calm and don’t move too quickly, okay? You’re experiencing the backlash from a severe magic flare.” I think being stunned was better because as soon as my thoughts straightened out, I felt like I had been hit by a burning train and smashed through a brick wall. I heard the sound of crinkling plastic being shaken, before I felt cold water splash onto me. (Sorry about that.) After the shivers subsided, I turned to see a blue tarp, which was surrounded by a slightly white glow being set onto the ground next to something shiny. I wanted to get a closer look at it, but someone’s voice caught my attention. “You’re a lucky mare, you know that?” “Yeah, I guess I am, aren’t I?” Colgate moved back into my line of sight and gave me a puzzled look. “You guess you’re what?” I gave her my own puzzled look. I sighed. “Didn’t you just say I’m a lucky mare?” She shook her head with a slight frown. “No, but you are. I think your mind might be making up things to keep your attention away from your headache. They can get pretty nasty.” Just what I needed, phantom voices. I tried to get up only to have Colgate push me back down with her magic. “Whoa, easy. Like I said; that was a nasty big magic flare you had there. I’m surprised you didn’t level the block with the spell you unleashed.” She smiled at me sheepishly before grimacing slightly. “If not a bit gruesome.” Her horn began glowing white as the shiny object I noticed before floated into my range of sight. It was a dog’s leg inside a thick chunk of glass or something. I’m going to skip the details, and move along. I wanted to ask her to bury the thing, but she wasn’t done explaining things to me. “You didn’t get them all, however. The one going after your daughter managed to avoid getting pulled into your flare. If it wasn’t for these other dogs he would have gotten you once the magic faded.” The golden retriever from Amore’s pack walked up to Colgate and nudged her head against her leg, which she returned by giving the dog a scratch behind the ears with the edge of her hoof. I coughed and licked my lips as I eyed my canine friends. “So… they killed him?” She shook her head and blew a raspberry. “No! They couldn’t land a single paw on him. He looked like a trained military dog or something. They could only keep him away from the two of you.” I shuddered. “Then where is he? Did he run away?” The dog in question walks up to Colgate, whimpering. “No, I stopped him.” I shuddered at the sight of the dog who nearly caused my death, who nearly took Starla’s life in front of me. Other than some burn marks, he looked fine, and that didn’t sit well with me. What did she do to stop him? What punishment did she give him to compensate for what he tried to do? One of Colgate’s bags opened up with the same glow coming from her horn, and a pile of teeth in a jar floated out. “I did some emergency dental surgery.” I looked from the teeth to the dog who whined, then yapped, showing me his now-toothless mouth. I couldn’t help but laugh, which caused me go into a fit of coughing. The Rottweiler didn’t look amused, but he couldn’t really complain after what he did. Not that I would have understood him. “Once I’m sure he is truly sorry and made amends, I’ll put his teeth back in.” she stated while shaking the jar. “What? How?!” I gawked at her in shock. She giggled and put the teeth back in her bag. “Simple. I’m a dentist!” I continued to stare. Which caused her to sigh before smirking. “The same way I took them out: with magic!” It’s official Colgate. You are the scariest dentist I have ever met. (Hey!) “So” I started, “why am I outside and not say…” I waved my hoof around, the one I managed to slip free. “Not indoors?” Then I pointed over to the courthouse, and towards the SUV. She shook her head while frowning. “I didn’t want to risk any magic surges by moving you with levitation or bumping your horn on something. By the way, that’s going to be sensitive for about a day or so, so don’t try using it, alright?” I looked up at my horn and noticed that it looked like it was covered in ash and frowned. “I have no clue how to use it properly.” She looked at me with wide eyes. but I continued talking. “I guessed I could lift things with my mind after I saw… some things in that circle. But I have no clue how to do anything; it isn’t like we humans know how to use... You said magic, right?” She nodded and stared at me for a second before sighing. “I guess you guys really don’t know how to use magic.” (What did you mean by that anyways?) (Um, let’s talk about that later, I don’t want to derail your story.) “So, did you show up here because of the message as well?” She asked with a soft smile. I laughed with less coughing this time, before shaking my head. “No, I’m the one who sent the message.” Her face turned into a giant smile at this and she clapped her hooves together, which was rather cute. “Oh, yay! So, are you the mayor? Or, maybe, what is it called? The governor? An official of some office?” I shook my head at each one, causing her smile to shrink with each answer. “Are you any sort of leader?” I rolled my eyes while cracking a smile. “Other than changing Starla’s diapers, I’m not in charge of anything.” She slapped her hooves to the side of her face and groaned. “I spent the last four days looking for a leader of some sort in this town! And I can’t find anypony other than a mother and her foal?!” I frowned. “First off, I don’t see why you’re looking for a member of the government so badly, but whatever changed me and spirited away everyone probably took every single leader of anything away.” I pointed my hoof at her. “Second, you kept showing up at who knows when, because it definitely wasn’t 3 p.m. Third, why didn‘t you help me sooner if you were watching?” I stopped and grimaced at my outstretched hoof; I miss having fingers. “And Fourth: I am not her mother!” “Christa—er Chris...” She placed a hoof on my shoulder, looking worried. “Are you crying?” I ran a fetlock across my eyes to find my foreleg damp. “I guess I am.” Colgate pulls me into a hug and sighs. “Do you need to take a break?” I took a deep breath and shook my head. “No, I’m fine; let’s continue.” Colgate sighed before giving me a small, sad smile. “Alright, but I think you should stop worrying about Starla’s real mama showing up.” She quickly pulls me into a hug. “It’s unlikely she will show up in…” “Colgate?” I blinked in surprise “She will show up in what?” She quickly jumped off the bed and ran out of the room. “Sorry, I need to go to the bathroom really badly!” “Ok…” I let out a sigh. “I guess I’ll ask her about it later.” I explained to the suddenly-confused Colgate how I was a Human male before I woke up as a female pony, and that I had found Starla alone in a hospital. It floored her. The next thing I knew she was hugging Starla and myself, which finally woke the little one up. Starla was very drowsy at first and only made cute noises at first. Once she woke up completely; the bawling began, which meant it was time for food and maybe a diaper change. I tried to get up only to collapse and tumble off the bed. I had forgotten that a dog had played Tug-o’-war with my leg and I lost. I didn’t hit the ground, however. instead I found Starla and myself being carried through the air while surrounded by a white aura, the same aura coming from Colgate’s horn. No, it wasn’t white like the one from my horn; hers is a really pale yellow, likened to a soft gold. Heh-heh sorry; It was weird floating through the air. I had to guide her to the SUV and explain how to open the back. As she set me down I saw that I had slept in a crater two inches deep in the road… Out of control magic is scary. Luckily there was one bottle in the cooler, and Starla drank that down in a heartbeat. While Colgate disinfected and bandaged my foreleg, Starla decided she wanted more food. That was embarrassing, but Colgate didn’t pay it any mind. I felt bad not being able to help Colgate change Starla’s diaper, because starla put up a big fuss. I don’t know if it was because someone new was changing her, or if it was because she was still hungry. Colgate told me she is heading to a town she found on a map; a map she got from the store with the sign that read Walmart. The mystery of the tipped over map rack has been solved! She says she knows nothing about a big circle with runes in it, however. “She seems to be hiding things.“. “Maybe, she—” I stop talking and look around in time to see Colgate come back into my room and give me a puzzled look. “Sorry, Colgate, I think I’m hearing things again. Could you get me an Advil and a glass of water?” “Sure, Crystal.” She gave me a smile and left the room, only to peek her head in a second later. “Um, what is Advil and where is it?” I groaned and slapped my face. “It‘s Chris, not Crystal, and it’s the bottle labeled Advil on top the microwave in the kitchen.” Colgate gave me an apologetic look and disappeared back around the corner. “How can she not know what Advil i—” A shout came from outside the room. “What’s a microwave?” “For the love of the maker!” I growled. Some medicine and water later... I still felt guilty for this. I guilt-tripped her into staying and helping me in exchange for driving her to other towns. (I said it’s fine, Crystal.) (You're doing that on purpose now, aren’t you?) So on top of that, she’s going to teach me magic in exchange for teaching her how to drive. She said she would do it without the driving lessons, but I insisted. Her first lesson was driving us back to the house. Amore and her dogs rode in the SUV with us, but I made Gums — yes, that is officially his name now — followed us on paw. I didn’t want him to come home with us. I wanted him to pay for what he did or to just disappear. But ,Starla made me give him a chance because she latched her hooves around his muzzle and hugged him. I truthfully didn’t want him near Starla, but it's hard to stay angry at a bawling dog who's being hugged by the same filly he tried to eat. The rest of the day was mostly looking after Starla, getting the much-needed medical supplies, and getting cleaned up. When it came time for dinner, Colgate wanted to have a nice dinner before we lose our utilities, so we went to the nearest restaurant. That happened to be Prime Rib, which Colgate had to break into with a set of dental picks before she could cook us up a nice meal there. The food was going to go bad once the power went out, so best to use it before you lose it, right? Colgate did a doubletake when she first went into the kitchen, and almost refused to cook because of the smell, her face having taken a green hue. How is that possible through fur? does blushing show through fur as well? The reason why was pretty clear, at least since the restaurant's main dish was in it’s name, so the kitchen was saturated with the smell of meat. The dining rooms didn’t escape this fate either, but it was tolerable at least. She decided that looking for food elsewhere would be a big hassle, and agreed to make our meal there, on the condition that we eat in the wine cellar dining room. I spent most of the time playing with Starla, keeping her out of trouble, and changing her diaper while Colgate cooked dinner with cotton balls in her nose. She decided it was safer if I didn’t try holding a knife in my mouth, and Starla would cause chaos in the kitchen while dinner was being prepared. When it was time to eat, I secured Starla and myself at the table, then almost fell back out of the chair at what I saw. I couldn’t stop staring at the amount of food she made. Spread before me was cheesy, buttery broccoli, potato skins without bacon, large salads, eggplant parmigiana, fettuccine alfredo with some lumpy white and pink stuff in it, toasted bread with sliced tomato, a soft white cheese, and even more vegetarian delights. I wish that the sheer amount of food she cooked was what stunned me, but not so. It was three other dishes she had set in the very middle of the table: king crab, shrimp scampi, and a large piece of salmon roasted on a piece of wood. Colgate noticed my shock and told me that ponies are not strictly herbivorous, so I can eat fish and shellfish. I admit I was skeptical, but there was meat in front me me that I was told was safe to eat. So, I took one of each. Now let me say that before the change, I never liked fish or seafood. Crustaceans creeped me out, and I didn’t like the texture of fish. Well, looks like whatever changed me decided not to fix that part. To top it off, the fish had an off taste and a smell that the seasonings didn’t quite cover up. I took three bites of fish then thanked her. She was disappointed that I didn’t like it, which made me feel bad for not finishing the fish I took. She was going to say something about the fish as I bit into a shrimp, and then there was no more shrimp and I noticed Colgate staring at me with her eyebrow twitching. I didn’t get to try the crab after that. Why do sea bugs taste so good?! After my little episode of causing the shrimp scampi to go extinct, she told me that fish is usually an acquired taste for ponies. I guess the best way to explain it would be; fish is like durian fruit. It’s probably not that extreme, probably more like lutefisk. It’s basically an acquired taste. For the rest of the night she wouldn’t stop bugging me about eating all of the shrimp. Maybe she shouldn’t have cooked it so well, because I never get shrimp cooked right anywhere I go! The most surprising thing of the night, however was when Colgate said she didn’t like fish at first, until her parents forced her to eat it regularly for several years as a filly. “Agh!” I yelped at something biting me while trying to get under my stomach. Looking over, I watched Starla digging at my side. I let out a sigh and rolled over so she could get at what she wanted. “Colgate, mind getting a bottle for Starla while I start?” “Sure, I don’t mind. And don’t worry; I’ll check the temperature before I bring the bottle back.” She hopped off the bed and made for the door. I couldn’t stop myself from watching her swaying hips and took in the sight of her curves. As she slipped out of the room, I spoke my mind before realizing it. “I wonder why she has tattoos on her butt.” I watched Colgate leave the room, waited a few seconds, then let out a sigh. “Probably a good time as any to mention this now, but I’m certain Colgate is hiding something from me. She called herself a filly. I can see how maybe a group of people changing into ponies could cause someone to use different words, but she said it like she meant it, like she meant she has been a pony most of her life. And there is no way a small town of humans turned ponies could remain hidden for, I don’t know, twenty or thirty years? I need to ask Colgate how old she is.” ”Possible.” I fidget but can’t move around to much. If I move while she’s trying to get food she will bite me. “That isn’t the only thing, either: she knows magic, and a lot more than she lets on. I swear she teleported, or something, because one moment I was watching her digging through her saddlebags, and the next she was standing behind me, saying that she was ready to head out for the day. I didn’t even blink… I think. Or, maybe I just spaced out. But I know I saw her clean her dental picks with magic. If all of this is so new, how does she know how to do this? Someone has to have taught her. It’s not like there is a magic school for unicorns on earth, right? I wish the net was still around, so I could see if platform nine and three-quarters was real right now. I slap the bed and twist my hoof into the fabric. “Before I forget, she is surprised by a lot of stuff. Stuff that only someone who’s Amish might not know about would be, and then she knows stuff that would be related to it. She knew about records and CDs, but not computers or USB drives, or how a CPU talks to the southbridge to—er bad example. Sorry, what I mean is; it’s like her knowledge of technology is spotty, she has never seen a cellphone or a laptop until now, but yet she knows how to operate the dental tools at the dentist office.” I can’t help but scrunch my face up. “That isn’t even the worst thing. She avoids answering anything personal or explaining anything I catch her on. Ugh; I just want to scream! I know she’s hiding something, because even people who live in Banner know about modern technology. Come to think of it, she asked me who Mike Enzi was while I listed off random names of important people in Wyoming. Mike Enzi is the Senator of Wyoming. How could she not know who one of the most important people in the entire state is when she is looking for leaders?” Now my face stings from face hoofing in aggravation... ”Move on.” Breathing deeply I sighed while rubbing my hoof up and down Starla’s neck “Yeah.” Then I realized something that was off. “...Wait, would someone seriously name their kid Colgate?” I thought for a moment and then groaned. “I read that article last year about parents who named their baby ‘Jedi’.” May 28 (Morning). I didn’t get my usual wake up call from Starla today. That honor went to Colgate as she jumped on top of me after Starla bit her, trying to get milk from the source. Part of me feels bad for not being able to do that, while another part of me is creeped out by the thought. Colgate was shocked but didn’t get upset over it. She actually thought it was cute and called me mama again, then flipped me on my side to let Starla keep herself busy while she warmed up a bottle of formula. There isn’t much of the breast milk left, so I picked a formula and gave Colgate instructions to make the milk formula mixtures to hopefully ease Starla into the new diet. I have seen my cousins change formula with their kids, and a lot of the time the kids can’t keep the new formula down for very long until they either get used to it or the parents change back to the old one. So far Starla hasn’t had any tummy issues with the formula milk mix. Her face, however, tells me that she really doesn’t like the taste. After Starla was fed we got cleaned up for the day, but then I felt even worse; not only am I unable to grab stuff, but my leg is hurt so Colgate had to bathe all of us. The tub doesn’t have much room for moving around in with two adult ponies and a foal, and it felt odd to bathe with another adult. It was really weird when she used her magic to clean me, because it was like tingling, disembodied hands running through my fur. I grunted and took the cleaning to my rear; I really didn’t want my backside itching again. Yes, Colgate cleaned me, and it was weird. Colgate seemed to do it like it was perfectly ordinary. Wherever she came from must have a different view on personal space. I had to nag Colgate to spend some time with Amore’s pack, but she eventually gave in. Starla loves being around the dogs and they love her too, and I enjoy their company as well. Most of the pack seems wary of Colgate, which makes her nervous, but I don’t think it’s because she’s new. I think they probably heard about her oral defense maneuver and don’t want dentures any time soon. Amore and a poodle rode with us around town, which probably wasn’t the best idea while trying to teach Colgate how to drive. I have seen noticeable improvement in her driving today, despite her fears and freak-outs. Just wish she would steer and use the pedals with her hooves, because magic is cheating. ”Really?” I wanted to look for an RV at the Camplex, but Colgate said too much walking would not only slow down the healing but make my injury worse. So, we ended up getting more medical supplies. I’m not sure if we can really use human medicine, or if that Advil had been safe to take, so I hope neither turn out to be a problem. I guess at this point gathering supplies isn’t something I need to mention, but I think you will get a kick out of this. I laid on a bench, keeping Starla entertained while Colgate went to restock her dental hygiene supplies. It was a good twenty minutes and Colgate hadn’t come by once. I was slightly worried, so I got Starla on my back and went to look for her. I found Colgate standing in the middle of the dental hygiene aisle, a single tube of toothpaste floating in front of her. I was worried something had happened to her till I got close enough to see her face. I saw a giant, open-mouthed smile that reached her starry-eyed gaze. I looked at the tube of toothpaste and noticed what brand it was: ‘Colgate’. I didn’t think she would be in joyful shock over a brand name she shares her name with, but we ended up taking every product that had Colgate on the label home with us. I’m so glad I had her take the truck and not the SUV. Ugh! I have never ever seen anyone this giddy over toothpaste. I couldn’t even get her to explain why she was freaking out, because she just kept squealing in joy or making these ‘squeeing’ sounds. Actually, thinking back on it, the squeeing sound was kind of adorable, albeit creepy. “There you go, Starla. You can give mama a break now, ok?” Colgate startled me slightly as she poped up beside me, levitating a bottle to Starla. “Bwah-hooo!” Starla shouted before grabbing the bottle and began sucking away. She paused as she realized that it’s more formula than milk before she reclines her back against my side. I really wish I could use a camera right now. “So, are you done for the night, or is there anymore to cover?” Colgate asks as she watches Starla slowly drink from the bottle, her enthusiasm having diminished once she realized that it contained more formula than the previous bootle. “Not really, but could I ask some questions for a bit?” I watch Colgate tense slightly before relaxing. “Sure. Can’t guarantee I can answer them.” She motions for me to go ahead with her hoof. I thought for a moment on what I wanted to ask before it hit me. “Why do you have tattoos on your hips?” I glanced at her sides as best as I could. Colgate’s cheeks turned an adorable shade of red. “Wha-what do you mean? I don’t have tattoos on my hips.” I felt a hole being burned into me as she gave me a very embarrassed glare. It didn’t last long because her ears jerked straight up into the air and her face took on a look of realization. “Wait, do you mean my cutie mark? I felt my eyebrow twitch as I heard this insane name. “Cutie mark? You call your tattoos cutie marks?” Colgate scrunched her face up and bulged her cheeks out in the most adorable way. “They are not tattoos! They are magical symbols that appear when you discover your special talent!” She stated proudly with a smirk. I rolled my eyes. “Well, I think you’re lying. You’re just embarrassed that your oddly mirror-like tattoos transferred to your new body.” I could tell I hit a nerve as her face turned red and she yelled right in my face. “For the last time; they are not tattoos!” I let out a sigh, knowing I needed to defuse this. “Well, it doesn’t make any sense.” She gave a snort while continuing her staring contest with me. “What do you mean?” I pointed a hoof at her hip to make my point. “You’re a dentist, correct?” She nods her head while looking slightly unsure of what I’m getting at. “You are very obsessed with it, and thus your good at it, right?” She nods her head again while shooting me a look telling me to get on with it. “If your special talent is dentistry… Why do you have an hourglass on your hip and not something dentist-related?” “Heh-heh... Hey do you smell that?” She asks me as she suddenly flips from being upset to panicked. I—Eww. “Yes, I do.” Movement to my side catches my attention and I see Starla hopping in place with a sagging diaper. “Someone needs a diaper change again, don’t they?” I guess tactical diaper change ruins question and answer time. Colgate gives me a pleading look before she notices my leg reminding her of my injury. She frowns and lets her ears fold back as she resigns herself to diaper duty. It has taken her a few tries, but Colgate has gotten used to changing Starla’s diaper. I know she doesn’t like doing it, but atleast she has her magic and doesn’t need to worry about getting anything in her mouth. I watch in awe as Colgate stands on her hind legs and holds Starla up in the air with her forelegs, letting her dangle without a diaper while making funny faces. My amazement is turned into laughter as Starla suddenly reaches out with a forehoof and pushes against Colgate’s nose. “Gahh! No, Starla! No booping!” Starla’s face went from curious to uncontrolled giggles as Colgate twitched her nose in discomfort. It didn’t take long before Colgate joined in and laughed as well. I laughed so hard that tears ran from my eyes. It lasted for a bit but I finally got myself under control and wiped the tears away with my fetlock. “I think it’s time for bed, don’t you, Starla?” Starla shouted “Gweh-heh!” as she was set back on the bed, and immediately jumped over to me and climbed onto my back without her diaper. Colgate smiled apologetically at me before climbing onto the bed. “I think she agrees that it’s time for bed. You don’t need me to set anymore of those, um ‘downloads’ for you tonight, do you?” I shook my head and yawned. “No; all the websites I can think of cannot be found except for one site, and there are no seeders found for anything I can think of that’s useful there.” I felt Starla make herself comfortable on the back of my head and then let out a cute yawn. “Are you going to put a fresh diaper on her?” I was shocked by the sudden impact on my back as Colgate used it’s vacancy as a pillow. “Nah, she’ll be fine. I’ll take care of it in the morning.” She yawned and snuggled into my back, making soft cooing sounds. I gulped with worry at her plan. “Um, you promise to clean things if she goes in the middle of the night, right?” My only answer was the light switch being flipped and light snoring a few minutes later. “Ugh. Fine. Good night Colgate. Night Starla. May 29. So, this turned out to be a far more interesting and hectic day than I imagined. I took the recorder with us today and recorded some of what happened. Recorder? No dog attacks, but it seems like half of Amore’s pack has taken up residence around the apartment now. It actually feels a little safer, even though I wince whenever Gums comes into sight, which is often since he sits — and apparently sleeps — right in the apartment building entryway. I want him to leave so badly! But seeing Starla hug him slightly breaks the image of what he did in my head. It doesn’t help that he started crying when Starla hugged him as well. I guess as long as he stays on the concrete, in the entryway, he can stay. Maybe I’ll find him a dog bed to sit on. I’m back to walking on all four of my hooves now, but I limp and Colgate keeps nagging me not to put too much pressure on my left foreleg. I’m honestly surprised at how fast it’s healing. I don’t know if it’s how a pony body naturally works, or if the magic in the air is speeding it up? Maybe it’s a combination of both? When I asked Colgate she seemed like she was going to explain but stopped and said she wasn’t sure. Gah! I’m once again wondering if she is keeping info from me, or if she truly doesn’t understand everything about our new bodies. Well, you probably have been dying to hear how my dentist appointment went. I guess I shouldn’t put it off, so today’s first recording begins now! Oh, sorry for the loud background noise. “Come on Crysta—Chris. I’m not going to hurt you. Just sit on the chair and open wide.” Colgate pointed to the vacant chair that she had painstakingly prepped for half an hour. I couldn’t help but shudder as I fought my fear and climbed into the chair. “I’m not sure about that; half of your prep time you spent playing around with the drill!” She chuckled and levitated the x-ray bib on top of me. “I was just making sure everything worked correctly, yah know? Just in case it’s needed.” I caught the glint in her eye that told me she absolutely wanted to try it out. I wanted to bolt right then but the fact that she didn’t grab the x-ray machine made me curious enough to stay. I was just about to ask what she was doing when I felt a slight tingle and a flash of light. “What was that?” I shook my head and blinked the spots out of me eyes. She popped back into my line of sight, looking slightly cross-eyed for a moment before picking up a couple of tools with her magic. “I just took your x-rays. I don’t see any cavities or damage. Shame, I wanted to—” She stopped as she caught me glaring, causing her to chuckle and approach me with the tools that were floating along in her aura. I kept my glare as I looked over the tools floating in the air. “Those aren’t the ones you used to pick the lock, are they?” She groaned and rolled her eyes. “No, Even if they were, I would clean them before using them on a patient anyways.” I lowered my glare and sighed. “Sorry. How did you learn to do that anyways?” She smirked as she looked into the mirror tool. “You figure out a few tricks after forgetting your office keys at home and going back for them would take too long. Now open up and let me work my magic.” “Alright. Just don’t use any mint, please.” I saw her eyebrow raise. “I’m allergic to mint.” I mumbled before opening my mouth wide to let her start. I’m going to say it now, but after a bad dentist I had as a child I’m deathly afraid of dentists. I hate them. I don’t hate Colgate, but I prefer to stay out of the dentist office. (You need your checkups!) After twenty minutes of poking around in my mouth, cleaning my teeth, and coating them with fluoride, she shocked me by already being done. “That was extremely fast and painless for a cleaning.” Colgate’s smile beamed proudly as she began cleaning the tools she used. “I’m the best dentist in Equ—” I noticed her stop and turned my attention away from the play pen we had set up for Starla, who was soundly sleeping despite all the noise. “The what?” She stared at me a moment, like she was thinking, then smiled. “Sorry. Equine. I’m the best dentist equine you will ever meet!” I couldn’t help but start laughing. “I’ll give you that. You’re probably the only dentist left in the world.” She started laughing as well, but I couldn’t help but notice she looked kind of sad. I didn’t get any time to think on the matter as our combined laughter was the key to waking Starla up. “Mwa-wa!” I bent over the pen and pulled her out with my forehooves. “Hey there, Starla. Have a good nap?” She responded by smiling and reaching her hooves towards my face while making a gurgling sound. “Would you like to have Colgate check your teeth?” Colgate seemed to really enjoy this idea. “Gweewa!” I moved her over to the exam chair, and so began a half hour of just trying to get Starla to keep her mouth open for Colgate to look in her mouth. “Well, most of her teeth have come in, and I think—” Colgate squeaked as all the lights went out and the machines lost power. “What just happened?!” I sighed as I pulled Starla off the chair, who was getting fidgety in the sudden darkness. “That… was the power going out.” “Can you turn it back on?” Her voice sounded slightly panicked, which just caused me to sigh as I shuffled to the window and used my teeth to pull the screen up, letting sunlight in. “Sorry, Colgate, but unless you know how to operate a coal-fired power plant and fuel it, that’s the end of our power supply.” I bent down and let Starla climb on my back. “Well, we better get moving. I don’t know how long we have.” “What do you mean? How long till what?” She asked as she hurried to put as many tools into her bag as she could and hurry after me into the dark halls of the dentist office. “To get a refrigerated truck and get what we can from the stores, and then get what we can from the hospital before the backup generators give out.” So, it probably wasn’t the best idea to try having Colgate drive alone, but I rather not leave any vehicles behind anywhere. Thank the maker that the traffic is gone. We picked up a refrigerated truck from the Pepsi dealer and went to the grocery stores to get what perishable food was left, and with Colgate’s newly-revealed skills we raided the pharmacies. Thank goodness there were some books and charts in the pharmacies that listed what medicines were used to treat what, or else we might have ended up with things that I wouldn't have known how to use. Regardless, I still wasn't sure what was safe for us. I know that some of it can be prescribed for pets; I’m just not sure what the dosages would be. Hopefully I can figure it out with the veterinary guides I downloaded. Not sure anything would be safe for Starla, however. I think I should mention this, but walking on sidewalks, asphalt, concrete, and hard tiles starts to make your hooves hurt. I’ve been ignoring the pain for a while, but the bottom of my hooves are starting to look rough, and Colgate is whining about wanting something called a hoof cure. Why do I bring this up? Horse shoes. Not those metal things people hammer into the hooves of horses. There are actual shoes for horses, though they look a bit more like a croc or a boot. I pulled us into a Co-Op to look for equine medicine and saw boxes of these. Most of them are far too large for us, however, and none fit Starla. I think Baby shoes are stubby enough that she won't need to worry about chipping her hooves up. I managed to find a few pairs for young horses and fit Colgate and myself. Colgate chose a pair of dark blue shoes and I took a red set. They also have shin guard-like strap-ons, but those are too long to wear. It feels weird wearing these; it’s like having shoes on my hands, but with no hands… I miss my hands. Er, sorry. Anyways, I realized a few things while we have been raiding the dark stores and trying shoes on. I realized that I’m about four, maybe five inches taller than Colgate, and she says she’s average height. I don’t know why being a little taller than average makes me happy, but it does! That, and trying shoes on feels girly, and I dislike it. Then there’s Colgate, who keeps looking at my thighs. I have no clue why. She won’t talk about her “Cutie Mark” either, and avoids the topic. Doesn’t everyone where she comes from have them? Hmm... Maybe I should try asking her after she’s had a few drinks. Oh, before I forget, Colgate got after me for using my horn as a flashlight. I still did it for a while, until I got a really mad headache and Colgate told me. “I told you not to do it.” But it feels demeaning to carry a flashlight in my mouth! I want to learn magic even more now! She said she will start teaching me tomorrow. Oh, I can’t wait! Sorry for the outburst, there; it’s just that the thought of learning magic sends a shiver down my spine. Not in a bad way, though. It’s more of an exhilarating feeling. “I’m getting off track here.” The last place we hit was the hospital. To be truthful I kind of didn’t want to go inside. I was afraid Starla’s birth mother would be sitting in the entrance waiting for me. Her eyes burning and hooves stomping towards me as she screamed that I had stolen her baby. Colgate could tell I was uneasy once we went inside, and, unsurprisingly, we found the place empty. She told me if I had anything I needed to do, anything at all, that she would be fine on her own. I decided to take her up on her offer because I had a couple of places that I wanted to check. I also had some questions about Starla I wanted to find answers for, so my first stop was the security station I had checked on the first day. What was I looking for, exactly? I wanted to make sure I hadn’t missed someone somehow. It was really starting to bug me. So, I spent about a half hour looking over and fast-forwarding through video footage, watching the same energy—no, magic wave make people vanish. I eventually ended up on the footage of the nursery, and found myself shocked. There had to have been at least 20 babies in the nursery when that wave hit, and only Starla had been left behind. I couldn’t stop myself from staring as I watched her crying in her crib, eventually stopping and looking around before crying some more. I don’t know when or how, but while watching the events unfold I had somehow gotten Starla into my lap. I hugged her close as I watched her cry herself to sleep on the monitor, only for her to wake up later, where I got to see the whole event play out again. The scenario repeated itself several times before I saw myself enter the nursery and pull her out of the crib. I felt grateful that I was there for Starla and gave her a kiss next to her horn. No child should be left alone. I had set up the recorder to take notes on what I found. Instead, I recorded nothing but the sound of hooves on tile, of Starla knocking toys around, and of her chewing on a paper cup as I held her. “You were alone all night long, Starla. You were hungry and alone. I’m sorry I wasn’t there.” I held her tighter, causing her to drop her cup and nuzzle into me. “Mwa-wa” was her only reply. It has an odd sound to it. She says that a lot around me now. “Ahh, by the looks of it I think she forgives you.” I was startled by Colgate coming around the side of the security station desk and suddenly speaking up. “Oh, those are nice quality!” “Sheesh, Colgate. You trying to give me a heart attack?” I panted and relaxed my grip on Starla, who turned her head, looked at Colgate and squealed in delight. She was about to say something when her eyes widened while looking at security feed, and then she gave me a scrutinizing look. “You said you’re not her mother, huh?” My right eyebrow raised at her question and I looked at her, wondering why she asked me this question again. “Yes.” She pointed her hoof at the monitor as her horn lit up and pushed the rewind button, letting see myself licking Starla. “Then why did you mark her with your scent?” “I-I what?!” Colgate just broke my brain. She sighed as she paused the video and dumped a cup of water on my head, bringing me back to reality. “I’m going to go out on a limb and say that you probably didn’t know, and had no control over yourself, since I have no clue what went into that part of the spell. But what you did is an instinctual thing mothers often do to their newborns, to tell other mares that the foal is their child.” I’m pretty dumbfounded here, and I missed something I think, but... “So, I just claimed someone else’s child as my own?” I looked down at Starla with worried eyes as she was nipping at the hair on my chest. Colgate sighed and looked away. It kind of sounded like a relieved sigh, but I was feeling too distraught to tell. “Maybe yes and no. But, if her mother is gone, then I’m going to lean towards no. I have a feeling you were picked to take care of her.” I set Starla on the floor and got off the chair. “Thanks, I guess.” I mumbled as I bent down, letting Starla get on my back. Colgate frowned. “I didn’t mean it in a negative way. I don’t think her birth mother left her behind by choice.” She trotted after me as I tossed her the recorder and headed to the elevators. “Wait! Where are you going?” I let out a sigh as I hit the call button with my hoof. “I’m going to find Starla’s mother’s room and see if I can find any answers.” I feel like there has to be a reason why Starla’s mother wasn’t left behind to care for her. No matter how sick she was it probably completely healed her. I heard an odd noise from Colgate, causing me to look back at her and see the odd grin on her face. She does that a lot when she seems at a loss for words. “Why do you say that?” I couldn’t help but let out a grim chuckle in response to her question. “Because I had very high blood pressure, damaged lungs from second-hand smoke, and was nearly blind in my left eye from a kid attacking me in elementary school. All of which physically hindered me greatly, not to mention the fact that I was overweight.” I couldn’t help but slyly smile and do what might be a sexy pose. “And now I’m in better physical condition than I have even been in my whole life!” I must have actually pulled the pose off because Colgate’s face turned red. “Um… I see your point.” “Mwa-wa gwhaa na-na!” I looked to my back and saw that Starla was gone, only to notice that the elevator had arrived and Starla was sitting in the middle of it, smiling happily, just as the door began to shut. I freaked out and shoved my injured leg in between the doors, causing me to yelp in pain and the doors to reopen. Colgate looked at me like I had just did the stupidest thing ever and sighed. “You know we are the only ones here, right? You could have just hit the call button and opened the elevator back up.” Starla began laughing while clapping her hooves together. Blinking like a fish, I did the first thing that came to mind; shout. “Fudging banana sushi casserole fragging pizza!” Colgate turned the recorder off before she tried to calm me down, just in case I started shouting things that would make a sailor proud. Well, would you like to know what I found? I don’t think it’s really my place to share that. Colgate and I decided to pack away the files we found and let Starla decide what she wants to do with them when she’s old enough to understand these things. Colgate said something about manticore food when he comes back, but that’s just silly; manticores are just myth. And I’m a talking unicorn saying manticores are just a myth. Talk about irony. I’m surprised that Starla and Colgate haven’t woken up from all my talking. I don’t know when I’ll record next; recharging the recorder is going to be difficult without electricity. Guess I can check Chris’ Supply for something. I think we should really look for an RV tomorrow, though. Anyways, good night.