Spike refusing to get up and going back to sleep: check

May 9, 2011

Have you ever wondered where that galaxy far, far away is located? Or when the Vulcans are coming to make first contact? How about the magical land of Equestria? While Canterlot's coordinates are contested, one thing's for sure: we all live in the Everfree Forest.

Home to Zecora, parasprites, Steven Magnet the sea serpent, cockatrices and manticores, the Everfree Forest is the generic spooky "other" place in My Little Pony. The visuals in A Bird in the Hoof suggest it's outside the jurisdiction of Equestria, making the adjacent Ponyville a border town. Applejack considers the forest unnatural because it doesn't obey the same laws of nature as the rest of Equestria. But the Everfree Forest sounds quite normal as we learn what the ponies consider "unnatural."

Three ponies share their most feared characteristics of the Everfree Forest during the episode Bridle Gossip. Applejack says the "plants grow," Fluttershy whispers "animals care for themselves," and Rainbow Dash hisses "the clouds move all on their own!"

Rarity faints straight away.

While we never get to see plants grow (wouldn't that be an exciting season opener), we do see nature functioning as it does on Earth within the confines of the Everfree Forest. Trees develop wild and unchecked in episode two, the aforementioned cockatrices and manticores seem to be living comfortably, and there are no Pegasus ponies controlling the skies, leading to varying shades of gloomy, unsupervised weather. Sound familiar? Sure, it's the real world with some unreal occupants. But if that's abnormal, what are the ponies expecting?

Princess Celestia may be the creator goddess of the world, but her normal routine is limited to raising the sun each day. It's the ponies of the land that exercise fine control over the forces of nature. Weather is generated and managed by the Pegasi. In Look Before You Sleep the Pegasus ponies cause a terrible thunderstorm because they forgot a routine shower the week before. Rainbow Dash clears the clouds in Ponyville, but she also puts them there to begin with. Shade and sunshine are important in equal measure, but I'm reminded of a ditch digger who later fills the holes she makes. Fear of the Everfree Forest may be a kind of job security for those with wings.

Fluttershy takes animal domestication to a new level. Her house is a combination animal hospital / pet playground, but Winter Wrap-Up shows how the ponies regulate the natural behavior of all creatures. Animals emerging from hibernation are presented with a basket of food, their homes are cleaned, and the sleepy ones are woken up individually. The Pegasus ponies also guide birds back to custom-designed nests in Ponyville. It's all part of the tradition of wrapping up winter, but what would happen if Fluttershy forgot to wake up some animals? Would they sleep forever or starve to death? If Rarity can't make enough nests, are the birds capable of building their own? This may be the hook to the magic of friendship: it's mandatory for most living things.

What would happen if the ponies left Equestria? Prypiat proved that nature will rebound in the absence of human civilization, but there's less reason to think the same would occur in a pony-less Ponyville. Every animal is effectively domesticated; we never see an instance of Equestria's creatures caring for themselves.

Only in the forest can they ever be free.