//------------------------------// // Chapter7: June 21st-26th // Story: Mandatory Motherhood // by dargondarkfire //------------------------------// Mandatory Motherhood By Dargondarkfire Ch. 7 June 21st. I’m sorry about stopping abruptly. I’m not sure what happened last night, it felt like I was dying! It was like death itself was wrapped around me and sucking my soul out! My breath was crushed out of me by something, all my muscles felt useless and limp while contracting at full force. None of that explains the feeling in my core, around my horn, but it still had that duality... A hollow feeling to something that was all around us. The magic, it was just gone. Colgate told me if I hadn’t grabbed her leg she probably would have went running off into the night. Colgate said it wasn’t as bad for her. She felt like she had to run, and when I stopped her, her next instinct was to hide; piling on top of us had been her instinctual option, I guess. There had been so much screaming, so much that I thought I had another person screaming in my head. I woke up with a pounding headache and gasping for breath.   I wish that was the worst of it, but Starla... It hit her the hardest. When I got done emptying my stomach I found Colgate nudging Starla with a hoof. At first I thought it was some sort of game, until I saw Colgate’s worried face. When I got closer, I-I lost it. Starla wasn’t moving; she looked like she wasn’t breathing. I was so out of it I didn’t realize that my magic was surging. If it wasn’t for some weird ring thing that Colgate pulled from her bag and tossed over my horn, I probably would have blown half of the motorhome up.   Colgate was crying herself while trying to console me, which helped. I pulled myself up close to Starla and cuddled her. I felt like I had just lost something very important and didn’t know why! I’m not her mother, so why do I feel this way!? I cried for what felt like hours.   It was around noon when I realized something was off. It felt like something had ever so slightly rubbed my cheek. I thought I was imagining things, but I figured that it wasn’t going to hurt to check. So, I laid my head back down next to Starla and leaned my ear against her chest. At first, I didn’t hear anything, but then I noticed a very faint thumping sound and felt a very faint exhalation of air against my ear.  My heart raced, and I screamed for Colgate.   By the time Colgate finally showed up, her face looked just as bad as mine was earlier. She was wondering why I was suddenly so cheerful until she noticed Starla very slowly and softly chewing on my ear. She jumped on top of me and nuzzled Starla, who weakly giggled and leaned into the affection. I’m not sure where Amore had been all day: my attention had been focused on Starla, who I thought had died. But she appeared out of nowhere, to me at least, shoving her head between us and began barking with enthusiasm as she licked Starla’s face, making her giggle weakly.   We spent the most of today cuddling Starla while she recovered. By dinner time Starla had recovered some of her energy. Colgate made dinner while I kept Starla occupied by practicing my magic. I made a game out of leading Starla around with feathers. I couldn’t stop laughing when she managed to catch a wad of them out of my magic, she looked like she had just eaten a chicken with all the feathers sticking out of her mouth.   After dinner Colgate’s mood seemed to take—     “Crystal, can we talk?”   I jolted sideways at Colgate’s sudden interruption. I calmed down and checked Starla, worried that my sudden movement had woken her up. After seeing she was still asleep, I nodded. “Sure, what’s on your mind?”   Colgate’s ears folded down against her head as she looked away to avoid eye contact. She seemed to be struggling with something she wanted to say before she finally took a deep breath and let her desire be known. “I-I want to go home.”   I paused and thought about what she said. “When you say home, what do you mean?”   “I mean, where I came from. I want to go back to Eque—I just want to go home.” She almost let something slip again. I wanted to point it out and pry her for details, but her teary eyes held me back. “Everything is so empty and dead. We have found no one, and we get chased by dogs! I’m hot, tired, stinky, sweaty and I can’t wash or clean anything. And worst of all I can’t brush my teeth because of our water rationing!”   Before I could respond she slammed her hooves on the edge of the bed and I could see the mixture of anger, sadness, and fear in her eyes. “And to make matters worse, whatever it was last night, that ripped away all the magic around us, and almost killed Starla. I mean we both thought she was dead for a little while! You both have almost been killed twice now!”   I just smiled and tried to calm her down. “Yeah, but I’m fine, Starla is fine, and you’re fine. If we keep going I’m sure we will find someone and—” I was promptly silenced as Colgate’s nose collided with mine and I could feel her hot breath on my lips.   “This is nothing to take lightly, Chris! How do you think all of this makes me feel? What would I do without you, Chris? You’re my only friend on this goddess-forsaken planet!” She gasped for air after she finished yelling, having really wanted to get her point of view out.   I looked away, trying to hide my frown and a slight blush from her lips getting so close. There were a couple things I wanted to ask her about what she just said, but one thing caught me off guard and cut me deep: she referred to me as a friend… “I’m your friend? Really?”   I caught her off guard with my question and she gave me a look that asked if I was joking. “Of course. Why is that so surprising!?”    “Because other than my long-distance friends on the internet, I had no friends who lived in town, or anywhere near me. No one to hang out with, no one to spend time with.”   She looked at me with shock and a touch of familiarity. “You had no friends nearby whatsoever?”   I was about to say no but stopped after a moment of thought. “I did at one point, but they all either abandoned me or moved away and we lost contact.” I sighed and laid my head down. “My best friend even started ignoring me because I wouldn’t go out drinking and hanging out with some shady friends of his. But maybe that was for the best. The only time he wanted to hang out was to go to a restaurant, then he would ask me to cover his part of the tab, promising to pay me back or buy me lunch in return. He never did.”   Suddenly I found my face pulled up against her chest. “There, there, Crystal. If you need to cry just let it out, I’ll stay right with you for as long as you need.”     June 22nd. I didn’t realize I had been holding any tears back until Colgate told me it was okay to cry last night, and at that moment the dam broke loose and I cried and cried until I fell asleep against her tear-soaked barrel. I woke Starla up from my bawling last night as well. She curled herself up under my neck and made this adorable purring-like sound until she fell asleep. I didn’t have any dreams last night; it was rather peaceful for once.   I spent most of the night crying and telling Colgate things until I passed out, some of which I have kept bottled up since I was a child. I guess Colgate must have turned the recorder off or deleted the conversation because I never could find it in the files... It's probably better that way. I woke up still wrapped in Colgate’s arms and Starla trying to feed on my slightly larger-looking teats. It felt rather pleasant, and Colgate smells good, really good, and she looks rather cute…  What am I thinking?! I’m a man-turned-unicorn-tiny-pony-mare-thing! I still find human women attractive! At least the ones in movies and magazines I still find appealing. What is wrong with me?! I’ve felt funny the last couple of days and certain parts of my body have felt off. It’s your season.   Ugh! This will drive me crazy! And I can’t do anything about it! I’m going to get breakfast. Colgate should have it ready by now.     While Colgate and I were finishing up with breakfast, Starla curled up next to Amore and fell asleep. I guess even a baby horse can run out of energy. She just finished the last of the foal milk we got from that ranch store. I am going to have to search for more of that animal formula, unless Colgate or I suddenly start lactating.  “Colgate, sorry for last night.”   She looks at the recorder suspiciously then sighs figuring what I’m probably going to ask. “It’s alright, Crystal. I’m having second thoughts on leaving now… I’m sorry. My friend Twilight would never let me hear the end of it if I abandoned you.”   I paused at her mentioning the name of one of her friends. She had never named any of them before. I felt like she opened up a bit, but I wanted to see if she would say anymore herself. Well, maybe a little push to get her talking. “If you want to go home I could drive you there. Just give me the directions.”   Colgate spit her coffee out all over the table. “Eck, ahh, what? Um, no, that’s okay! I’m going to push on!” I watched as her horn lit up and the entire roll of paper towels floated over and proceeded to dump half the tube onto the mess.   I smirked as I watched her clean. She switched from her magic and stood halfway onto the table while she used her hooves to shove the paper towels around. “It can’t be that far away, right? I know you couldn’t drive before you met me, so you must have been dropped off and have some way to contact them for a pickup. if that’s the case I can drive you there.”   She slipped off the table with a wet, coffee-filled wad of paper towel landing on her head. “That’s, err… No; I know what you’re doing, Chris. I’m not telling you I’m from Equestria and Princess Luna sent… me? Oh pony feathers!” She started to freak out after leaking some info. “Forget I just said that! Wait, are you recording this?! Erase it! Please erase it and forget I said anything!”   I frowned and put my hand, no, my hoof out to protect the recorder. “What? Why? Colgate, why is it so important that you keep these secrets? Also, who is Luna and what is Equestria?”   Colgate bit her lip, panic visible in her eyes. She finally took a deep breath and looked me in the eyes. “Crystal, sorry, Chris... It’s to keep myself, others, and now Starla and yourself safe.”   I raised my eyebrow at her reason for keeping things secret. “Safe?”   Colgate looked lost in thought for a moment before sighing. “I won’t say much, but I need to be cautious in case any of ‘them’ are pretending to be humans left behind. There is a group of bad ponies who want to exploit what happened here and they are not above lying, pretending to be innocent, and even killing. If they realize I’m from Equestria, they might try killing me on the spot and I’m no combat mage. As for you, the more you know the more danger that puts Starla and you in.”   I looked at Colgate in disbelief. “So, you’re saying you were pretending to be human and trying to fool me in case I was one of them?” She nods her head in confirmation. I stared at her, digesting what she just told me. I smacked my hoof into my face, causing Starla to burst into giggles. “So, you have been pretending to be a human left behind… By walking perfectly on all fours, using magic like it is the most natural thing in the world, and giving me advice on how to be an equine from years of experience?! Have you once thought about the image you have been putting out?”   Colgate opened her mouth to respond but stopped. I could imagine the gears in her head spinning as she realized why I had been prodding her for details. I couldn’t help but smile as her eyes bulged. I was getting some revenge.    However, you know what they say about petty vengeance: it’s like the sweetest candy, but the sweeter it tastes, the more bitter the aftertaste. Colgate began crying and my heart sank. Now I felt like a real dunce. Even if I should have been told more, she was right: if those bad people ran into us, everything she could have told me would put all of us in danger. I pulled her into a hug; it was all I could do to help at the moment. Starla rubbed up against her and Amore leaned into her side.   We stayed like this till Colgate calmed down, which luckily gave me time to think and get my mind off a nagging itch that has been slowly building up in my stomach. I’ll ask Colgate about it later, because it’s starting to get irritating and I feel like I’m cooking. It’s not an itch.     “Hey, Colgate.” She looked up at me from her book on the couch, where she has been rather melancholic ever since she calmed down. I didn’t know what book she was reading, but it was one the old owners of the RV had. “If you still want to go home I’ll—”   “No. I was stressed and freaked out. I handled myself badly and I’ve caused you a lot of pain because of my lies. I’m sorry. I still want to continue, but if you want to part ways...” She looked away in shame as she tried to hide behind her book.   “And what? Leave behind my teacher and best friend? As if. You’re a cute girl and I won’t leave you alone till the end.” I thought she would be happy that I wanted to continue traveling with her, however her face turned bright red and she covered it with the book.   “I-I, um. Okay, thank you.” She cleared her voice, uncovered her head, and looked up at the ceiling. “So where are we going to next? With what we went through, it slipped my mind.”   “We are going to Laramie, where the State University is.” I walked over and put a hoof on her shoulder, causing her to jump and look at me. “Hey, even if we don’t find anyone in Laramie, why don’t we stay a while? You can teach me how to walk properly and help me get my magic under control, and I can help you learn to blend in better. How’s that sound?”   Colgate thought for a moment. “I don’t mind stopping there for a bit… But could we go back to Gillette?” I’ll admit, I was surprised. I hadn’t planned to go back, or at least not for a while. “Yeah, we can do that. Do you mind if I ask why?”   She looked away and sighed. “You’re probably going to think this is stupid but… I left something in the apartment I was staying in near the courthouse where we met. It’s really important to me and I really want to get it back.”   I gave her a smile. “You have done a lot for us, Colgate. I have no issue with going back for something important.”   She jumped forward and hugged me while shouting, “Thank you!” Then she bolted out the door. A few seconds later I heard the truck engine start up. “Um, you’re welcome?” Hey, listen!   “Well, I guess it’s time to get on the road… Wait!  We need to unhook the generator from the station first, Colgate! Please listen!   June 23rd. Hello! This is Colgate. Crystal isn’t feeling herself today, so I asked if I could do a recording. She spaced out for a bit, but she said “sure” when I asked her the second time. She has been complaining about being hot and she hasn’t been sleeping very much; in fact, she said she didn’t sleep at all last night. Starlight isn’t keeping her up if that’s what you’re wondering. Starlight is the quietest baby I have ever met.   I can’t get Crystal to tell me why she is having sleeping issues, but I suspect it has to do with her dreams. A while back I recall her saying that she remembers everything that happens in her dreams since she has changed into a pony. I wish I could talk to Pri—er my boss; I know she could help Chris out. Maybe she would open up more if I told her more? No. That’s too dangerous. The less she knows the better. She is right, however: I stick out too much with the magic I use and the way I walk. I guess we have a lot to teach each other.   So, what does Crystal usually talk about? Oh yeah! How the day went. Well, we didn’t find anypony. If anypony is here, they either don’t want to be found or left town. Oops; I shouldn’t say anypony, should I? Laramie has been another letdown. I can see why Crystal had high hopes, however: this is a college town and a large population of students would be here when the sp— um, event happened. It really didn’t go as we predicted.   I can also see why Crystal said it would be a good place to teach and train each other. Lots of space, lots of big buildings with big rooms, and I haven’t seen very many animals. I wouldn’t mind returning here after I get my item back. Maybe I should have told her what it is? No, it’s not important. I’ll just keep it in my bag once I get it back.   What is important is finding a leader. It isn’t hopeless, is it? I mean, not every leader in this world could be a lazy, self-centered being who can’t do anything for themselves, while manipulating everyone around them for their own agenda… right? I know that wasn’t in the criteria to be left behind. Never mind. Thinking about it doesn’t help anything.   I have been thinking. Crystal isn’t a leader of the government or a guard, or anything. But do you think Pr— my boss would consider Crystal a leader? She isn’t really leading anyone, but she is taking care of Starlight, and taking every step she can to care for her while keeping all of us alive and moving forward. She can also be bossy and demanding, but she always makes good points and has reasons why she says to do something. Like when she told me to wipe towards Starla’s rear and not to her front. I was confused and a little upset that she was telling me how to do it in a “do it this way or else tone”, but then she explained to me that wiping towards Starlight’s tummy can rub her poo into a… spot that could cause infections. She normally doesn’t order me around, truthfully, or even be mean about it, but she does it when something can have profound consequences.   If I don’t find a leader, that would be something to consider. The only issue would be if I could take Starla as well. I was rated strong enough to bring at least one individual back with me, but could I take two with me? I guess I’ll see if it comes to that. I— Huh? What was that?   “Crystal, is that you? Crystal? I— Ahh! Crystal, w-what are you d-doing?!” I was suddenly on my back looking up at Crystal, who was standing over me, her face flushed and her breathing heavy.   “I’m so hot, I’m burning up!” She was speaking between pants and she took a big breath and stuck her nose into the side of my neck and smelled me. “You... smell really, really nice.”   “AHHHH! Cry-Crystal! What are you…” Then it hit me. I had noticed it before, but I was so used to it from other mares around me that I hadn’t paid attention, but now it was strong. Crystal was in heat. “Crystal, get a hold of yourself, please!   “I’m burning up, Colgate… Please, help me.” She kept lowering her face closer to mine with half-lidded eyes. I could feel her hot breath on my lips and I braced myself to be kissed: she couldn’t help it. Your first estrus can be rough.   Before Crystal could go further her eyes shot open. “Ooohha mwawa cowa hahaha wee!” Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Starlight riding on Amore’s back, gibbering in glee. Amore was giving us a look, or at least the look dogs back home would give us, as if to say “Really?”   Crystal stared at Starla, then looked me up and down. After looking back at Starla her eyes widened in horror and she screamed before running into the bathroom. After she slammed the door closed, I heard the door being locked and the shower turn on.   I looked back at Starla, and she looked just about ready to cry. I admit I don’t have much experience with foals back home, but Starlight crying would just make things worse. “Shh, shh, shh. It’s alright, Starlight, your mama isn’t angry at you. In fact, I bet she will want to hug you when she comes back. You stopped her from doing something she had no control over.”   Starla sniffled and began to rub her eyes. “Mwawa cwa?”   I stepped over and stroked her head. “That’s right, she still loves you and will be very pleased with you.” Starlight immediately perked up, threw her forelegs in the air, and squealed in joy, causing Amore to bark and walk off parading Starlight around outside while she screamed, “Wheeee” and, “Awoooo!” I trust Amore to protect Starlight. If she even thinks there is trouble she will come right back.   “I better go check on Crystal. She is probably really confused and— “AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!” Freaking out right now. I should probably turn the recorder off for this. Sorry.                 So, I am in heat… I plugged the drain and have been sitting in a puddle of chilly water for several hours now. Colgate spent a good half hour talking to me about what I had almost done and what is going on. I feel horrible! I almost… Sorry, let’s keep things family-friendly. Colgate wasn’t happy with what happened, but she was understanding of my situation. I’m not okay with this, but unless some demigod pops into the room, and offers to make me a stallion, I’m stuck like this. If you were wondering, she brought me the recorder when we were done talking. I think what she talked to me about is something best left for a classroom lecture.   Truthfully, I don’t want to leave the bathroom. Not until this is over, at least. That isn’t going to happen, though: I promised that I would take Colgate back to Gillette, so she can find her missing… Come to think of it, she never said what she was missing, just that it was important. Ugh! It better not be her toothbrush.   Sitting in chilly water isn’t really going to do me much good. I think I’ll go for a walk and clear my head. The bathroom is starting to stink anyways. I— Ahh! Starla?! How? How did you get in here? The door is locked, and I didn’t hear it open. You know what? It doesn’t matter. For all I know you are Loki or something. Even if whatever is trying to make me accept everything would make me feel like this is normal, I don’t care, I just know that having you around keeps my head clear. Not I. Maybe… can fix.   Come on, Starla, let’s go for a walk. I saw a bookstore downtown, and I want to expand the selection of books we have so that there is something other than estrus-teasing romance novels… I don’t trust my magic enough to risk any of the tablets as test subjects. Maybe I should look for more electronics while I’m at it.     (Starla got ahold of my recorder and managed to turn it on while we were scavenging. I have included… The parts that are not boring.) “Amore, I haven’t seen a dog around town since we got here. Do you really have to follow us?” Amore barked in response and wagged her tail, easily keeping up with my awkward and slow walking. “I should have grabbed a car. Archie! Quit pecking at the straps of my saddlebags! Colgate had worked hard to set up those things, so I could wear them and haul the wagon without being chafed.” Archie squawked at me, waddled up my back, and sat on my head. I swear this bird is part car, the way he does whatever he wants and comes and goes as he pleases.   Starla rolled around in the wagon, playing with a couple of toys as I trotted down the street. If she tried to climb out Amore was quick to entertain her, so she would stay put. After ten minutes I could see the bookstore I saw earlier in the day. Unfortunately, the door was locked, and Colgate wasn’t with us. I didn’t want to damage the building and make it accessible to wild animals. I thought about Colgate’s magic and lock picking, then I suddenly had an idea.   “Hey, Amore, think I can use my magic to trip the tumblers and open the door?” Amore whimpered in response and backed away. “Oh, come on! I haven’t made anything explode recently… Okay, maybe I did last night, when I tried to use my magic to pick up a glob of green beans to eat. But this is different!” Amore huffed, lifted Starla out of the wagon and hid in the entryway of the business next door. Archie looked around wondering what I was going to do.   “Fine, scaredy cat.” I heard Amore bark, causing me to laugh. I looked at the door for a minute and then laid on the sidewalk around the corner of the entrance. “Maybe it’s better to be safe, rather than be sorry.” I began to concentrate before glancing up at Archie. “If you bite my horn I will eat you.” He lightly squawked and decided to hide in the wagon instead of stay on my head.   I calmed myself and let the magic flow to my horn. It had become much easier with Colgate’s lessons and I could sense everything around me without getting pulled away anymore, just not very far. I looked at the lock and felt it with my magic. I pushed my magic inside of it and felt for the pins. This was probably far more than I should have tried: I could barely keep a fork under control, and Colgate had only just started lessons on manipulating multiple objects at once. Stop!   I pushed myself into the lock, looking it over. “Huh. I wonder if the locks have enchantments on them where Colgate lives? I think a unicorn could rob everyone blind with their magic.” I couldn’t so much as see the inside of the lock, it was more like I was feeling it. I slowly tried to manipulate the pins, trying to get them into the right positions. When I thought I had it, I gave it a twist, and found that I had bitten off more than I could chew, as I felt the strain of trying to manipulate so many things at once. I pushed more magic into it and tried to twist it again. I could faintly hear the lock jitter as I tried twisting it back and forth.   I want to point out that Colgate was right: I have a tough time keeping the amount of magic I need to do something to a minimum. In fact, I put way more than I need to in every spell. I mentioned in the past that spells can… act differently when overloaded, right? Well, I made the lock explode, and shattered the glass in the door… and the front display windows... and the door is kind of in fifty pieces that were spread across the street and inside the shop. Ouch!   If Amore could talk she would probably say, "I told you so," right now. “Well, so much for keeping the wild animals out.” I looked at the glass that was everywhere, including all over me. I sighed and took a step forward, causing the glass to crunch under my shoes as I took a step forward. Thank the maker i found those horse tennis shoes a while back. I paused and looked back to see Amore looking down at the glass and whimpering while keeping Starla back.   “Amore, why don’t you watch Starla while I look around? I shouldn’t be too long.” She yapped at me and carried Starla off to a shady entryway. “Let’s see... science books, how-to guides, or novels first?” I felt Archie’s talons wrap around my horn before I could turn to go inside. “Ack! That is not a perch, Archie!”     “So, let me get this straight…” I sat on my rear—er, haunches—while Colgate looked back and forth between me and the lock in the door to the Wyoming University library. She had caught sight of me heading here after I dropped off my load of books from the downtown bookstore. “You blew up a door trying to pick a lock with your magic, and then decided to practice it on the door to every business coming back to the mobile home while covered in glass. And then you found it was easier to just thrash the inside mechanisms so that the door would just open?”   I nodded slowly. “Yes, you can’t always be around, so I had to figure out some way to get in without making a mess or commotion.” She looked at me disapprovingly for a moment before letting out a sigh.   “Chris, trying something like that on your own was stupid and dangerous. But what’s done is done and, despite being a bit barbaric with your magic, it works. Unfortunately, the doors can never be locked ever again.” She looked at me then at Amore, who was holding Starla up in the air by her diaper, since she was desperately trying to get to me. “Let’s get that glass out of your fur before Starla has a magic surge because she can’t get to you.”   “That sounds good.” I got up and followed her. It looks like Colgate isn’t too mad.   “You don’t get to sleep in the RV tonight, by the way.” WHAT?! ”Told you stop.”     Sometime after finding a hotel room to sleep in, I shakily levitated a book onto the bed that Starla and I were lying on. Colgate insisted that being here wasn’t a punishment for trying to open doors without supervision. She claims it was because she wanted to air the RV out overnight and my condition would just build up more of the smell. Truthfully, I think it’s both reasons. I pull the sheet partway over Starla and myself and flip the camping light off.   Starla pushes closer to me in the dark, but it doesn’t last long as I reach out with my magic and lift the book up again. My aura lights the room up enough to see the book and read it, although I don't think I can do this for very long. “How about a story tonight, Starla?” She looks at me with wide eyes and then back at the book. “This is a classic. My mother read these to me on rare occasions when I was a child. This book is called ‘Mother Goose’s Nursery Rhymes.”   I opened the book clumsily to a page depicting several sheep and a shepherd. Starla squealed and held her front hooves out toward the book. “I’ll take that as a yes. Baa, baa, black sheep…”     June 24th. We got on the road several hours later than I wanted, but I found something weird. I was going through the truck stop to see what was still edible and I found a radio room, one of those communication radio systems. What was weird was that the equipment was turned on. Since there were no signs of anyone going through the place I guessed it must have been on when everyone vanished.   Not that weird by itself, but what was weird was that I could faintly hear something coming from the radio. If I was still human I probably wouldn’t have noticed it. Curiosity got the better of me and I climbed into the chair and fiddled with the knobs. I lost whatever it was several times but managed to get it back eventually and clear up the signal. It was utter gibberish to me. Bad; don’t want listen.   I pulled Colgate away from packing up and got her to listen to the signal, message, or whatever the stuff that was coming through was. She listened for a bit as it repeated, then suddenly she was digging through her saddle bag things. And when I asked what was going on she pushed me out of the room and locked the door. She showed no sign of her coming out, so I finished the cleanup and packing. The only thing I didn’t mess with till Colgate came out was the generator.   Colgate wouldn’t tell me what the message repeating on the radio was. She just said the code was similar and wondered if the code had been remade because it was compromised. I guess that was another reason to check Gillette, to see if anything was sent to her.   We stopped in Casper for the night, Colgate seemed fine when we left Laramie, but she looked pale when she got out of the truck at the station that we used on our previous visit. She said she was fine, but I’m not sure if she really is: she seemed spooked. She didn’t want to talk about it, and she has not pressed me to talk about my lack of sleep, so I guess we are even.   That is the reason I’m still up and recording… I’m afraid to sleep. Need sleep.   Dream log 2. I finally got some sleep, but it wasn't much because Starla needed a late-night snack. With what little sleep I got, though, I had a dream that I thought was worth recording.   I was inside the crystal hallways again. which is odd, because I usually don’t have repeat dreams except for a certain nightmare when I was a child, but I don’t want to linger on that.   So, I was in the crystal hallways. And I just walked for a bit and quickly found myself in what I’m going to call my dream man cave for now. My favorite fantasy characters seemed to be in a heated argument over which fruit combinations made the best fruit punch, so I wandered around the room, inspecting things in more detail. I was busy examining a magic eight ball, one that had a teal colored eye looking back at me through it, when I heard the same crying sound that wrecked my dream the last time I had this one. Maybe it’s caused by Starla trying to wake me up?   Again, the sound seemed to come from that crystal spinning in the middle of the room. I decided to throw caution to the wind and take a look. The crying was far more intense the closer I got, and things only got weirder from there. Every time the flat surface faced me for a moment I could see an image, but I couldn’t tell what I was seeing. It was like watching an old, retro color tv with the display being ninety-five percent static. I decided to try and touch the crystal, but before my hoof made contact everything around me blew up like a storm of shattered glass and I could hear someone scream, “Sisters!”   I promptly woke up to Starla jabbing her horn into my side, trying to get me to turn over. I obliged her for what little good it will do.     June 25th. Well, today didn’t go as planned. Colgate locked herself in the bedroom, saying she was going to check that message we picked up again. I’m confused and intrigued, but she refuses to talk about it. Well, driving with her in the room would mean leaving the truck behind, so I had to figure out something.   After searching the hotel near the truck stop, I put Starla and Amore in a truck and drove around town. I want to mention that I don’t see or hear as many dogs as the last time we were in Casper. I’m going to guess they have become scared of anything human-related moving nearby; or, since no one is around to feed them, they may have begun to hunt each other. I would rather not linger on that thought.   We ended up at Best Buy and I piled as many laptops, tablets, PCs, and some other electronics into the truck’s bed as I could. I’m becoming a hoarder at this rate, and I don’t know if we will have enough room to store everything if I keep scavenging like this.   Nothing else happened today. Around dinnertime, Colgate came back out, and of course, she wouldn’t tell me anything, except that she thinks she made progress. As for sleeping arrangements, Starla and I slept in a hotel again. Colgate said my smell is much weaker, so I should be out of season now. She just wants to make sure the smell doesn’t linger.   I’m going to try sleeping now. Hope I have good dreams… This time. Speaking Enequish? English? So long.   June 26th. We finally returned to Gillette today. I Have to say I was very confused, but it’s a sign! Someone is here in Gillette! Or at least was here in Gillette. Whoever they are, they must be the world’s worst driver, because just about every vehicle at the truck stop parking lot has new collision dents! When I find them, I’m going to give them a piece of my mind!     “Chris! Whoever was here smashed into the generator we left hooked up!” By the Maker! I take that back, I’m going to feed them my hoof!