//------------------------------// // Chapter 3: Settling In // Story: Retirement Blues // by Alaborn //------------------------------// Retirement Blues By Alaborn Standard disclaimer: This is a not for profit fan work. My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic is copyright Hasbro, Inc. I make no claim to any copyrighted material mentioned herein. Chapter 3: Settling In The knock on the door came at exactly 8:30 AM. Gold Watch opened it, greeting his daughter. “Just let me get my bag of bits, and I’ll be ready to go.” The pair headed to Sugarcube Corner. It was the first time Gold Watch had visited the bakery on a Saturday, and he observed the subtle differences. Sure, the same three ponies were working, and the shop was as busy as normal. But the way ponies interacted while there was different. Outside, ponies enjoyed their free time, talking and doing whatever their hearts desired. That included, apparently, a pegasus content to bounce a ball on her head. Colgate chose a raspberry scone and asked for half of it to be wrapped to take home. Gold Watch selected a carrot cake muffin, which he fully anticipated would be the best he ever ate, given the name of the stallion who owned the shop. With one bite, he determined it was. “So how are you settling in?” Colgate asked. “Pretty good. I’m still not sure what to do with all this free time. I’m learning about timber wolves right now, but I can only take each of those classes once.” “A hobby?” Colgate suggested. “You know, I don’t even know what you did with your free time after Mom passed.” “To be honest, I threw myself into my work,” Gold Watch admitted. “When I was with my fellow cops, I could forget that I was alone, at least until I returned to my empty apartment.” “So, definitely a hobby. What would you like to do?” “There are some planter boxes by my windows, and a garden box out back. Maybe I could try gardening?” Colgate chuckled. “You’re in an earth pony town, and you want to grow your own food? Whatever floats your boat, Dad.” “I’m just glad I’m not busy. Busy would imply troubles. I knew this town would be quiet.” “Well, there were a few things that happened since you got here,” Colgate noted. “Let’s see. A cow stampede and some bad muffins. Those are the kind of problems I can live with. It sure beats bank robbers and foalnappers.” “There was also the falling cargo a few days ago. Somepony could have been hurt!” “And I’m glad nopony was hurt,” Gold Watch said. “There aren’t many pegasus delivery companies in Canterlot, but there’s a saying, one overturned cart can shut down an entire district. It looks like Ponyville didn’t even notice. It’s nice not having to worry for once.” Colgate picked up her wrapped scone and tucked it away. “Well, I’m glad you’re happy, Dad. I need to get to my errands. I’ll see you later.” “I have some shopping of my own. Take care, Colgate.” The two ponies departed Sugarcube Corner. Gold Watch turned to head to his favorite shop, thinking about how smoothly everything had been going. “What do you mean you’re out of coffee?” “Sorry, Gold Watch,” Green Tea said. “My order was in one of the crates that got dropped a couple of days ago. The replacement order will take another week to arrive.” “Now what am I going to do?” Gold Watch asked. “You could buy some tea to hold you over,” Green Tea suggested. “I have samples of the Grey Cloud blend here.” She poured some tea into a small cup. “That was a rhetorical question,” Gold Watch said. “But thank you for the offer.” He sipped from the offered cup. “What do you think?” “It has a pleasant bitterness. But it’s still tea.” He set down the cup. “Your shop is wonderful, Green Tea, but I’ve spent my life drinking coffee. I don’t think anything’s going to change me.” “Well, you can’t blame a mare for trying.” “I’ll see you in a week, then,” Gold Watch said. “Take care.” Gold Watch headed to the marketplace. At once, he felt dozens of ponies appraising him, looking to see if he was a potential customer or just a browser. After glancing over a few carts of foodstuffs, they had deduced what he was shopping for. That’s when the calls began in earnest. “Plump, ripe tomatoes! Fresh picked!” “Crisp daisies!” “Get your carrots here!” “Delicious apples, fresh from the orchard!” Carrots sounded good, so Gold Watch headed over to the cart. It was definitely the same cart; the less weathered wood patching one side was distinctive. But this time, there was a mare behind the cart, instead of a stallion. “See something you like? How many bunches do you want?” the mare said. “Probably one bunch. Let me examine them first.” Gold Watch inspected the carrots, lifting several bunches from two different parts of the wagon. They looked good, as he expected, but more importantly the carrots were of consistent quality. A salespony who didn’t try to dump off her inferior product first was one he liked to deal with. As for the encouragement to buy more than he needed? He’d just have to deal with that. He was about to select a bunch of carrots when somepony asked “What’s that?” Gold Watch looked around, and then up. From a distant mountain, thick smoke could be seen. “Is there a fire?” one pony asked “Are we in danger?” another said. “It doesn’t look like a fire to me,” Gold Watch said. A pegasus flew into the marketplace. “Hey, everypony, Twilight Sparkle has news about the smoke!” he shouted before quickly flying off. The carrot-selling mare kicked a couple of levers on her cart. Wooden panels covered the carrots and secured them. “Better go see what’s going on,” she said as she locked the wheels of the cart. All around the marketplace, ponies were securing their carts. “Sorry I couldn’t buy any carrots today,” Gold Watch said. “This will probably be quick. I’ll head back as soon as Twilight Sparkle’s done talking.” She chuckled. “Figures I’d be in town when something funny happens.” “As opposed to the stallion I’ve seen with your cart? Your husband?” “Yeah,” she replied. “Ponyville is perfectly quiet anytime he’s in town.” “It seems pretty quiet to me.” “You must be new here,” she replied. “I am. I’m Gold Watch, by the way.” “Golden Harvest. Or call me Carrot Top. Everypony else does. And don’t worry, Ponyville isn’t as boring as you think.” She pointed a hoof upward. “Case in point.” The two ponies walked in silence as they joined the growing crowd. Golden Harvest maneuvered them to a spot on the bridge; they had a clear view. They spotted Twilight Sparkle up ahead, carrying a letter in her magical aura. “Listen up!” she shouted over the crowd. “Smoke is spreading over all of Equestria.” “I think that’s obvious,” Golden Harvest muttered. Worried words echoed through the crowd. “But don’t worry; I’ve just received a letter from Princess Celestia informing me that it is not coming from a fire. It’s coming from a dragon.” That got the crowd talking. Fortunately, Princess Celestia had tasked the Elements of Harmony with encouraging the dragon to leave. But after they left, the ponies in the crowd were still shuffling on their hooves nervously. Gold Watch recognized the sight. Ponies who witnessed crimes or other tragedies would often react negatively. Really, any bad situation could trigger a reaction. In large groups, this could cause a panicked stampede. He shook his head and pushed to the center of the crowd. “All right, everypony, it’s time to return to your daily business and stop worrying,” Gold Watch announced. “Or worry if you want, but it won’t make a difference.” “But it’s a dragon!” one pony protested. “A hundred years of smoke! You heard Twilight Sparkle!” “Look, everypony, dragons aren’t some monster out of the Everfree,” Gold Watch said. “They’re thinking creatures, just like ponies. Sending somepony to talk to them is exactly what we should be doing.” “But what if it doesn’t work?” somepony shouted. “Then we escalate the issue until we find something that works. If necessary, Princess Celestia herself will intervene. So, again, there’s no point to worrying. I suggest we all go out and take advantage of the unexpected shade!” Gold Watch suggested. “How about it?” he added with a smile. Gold Watch kept a smile on his face as he watched the crowd. The murmuring died down. Slowly, ponies began to disperse. He breathed a sigh of relief. “Is that true?” Golden Harvest asked. “Yes, for the most part. I might not have the details right, but dragons are one of the serious matters that will get Princess Celestia involved if necessary,” he explained. “Princess Celestia wants her little ponies to run their own lives, but part of that is understanding when she needs to intervene.” “Do you think Twilight Sparkle and her friends will succeed?” “That I don’t know,” Gold Watch admitted. “But they did free Princess Luna from her nightmare. Now, I still have to buy some carrots.” “Right. My carrots aren’t going to sell themselves!” Returning to the marketplace, the various sellers were quick to reestablish their carts. The familiar sounds of haggling returned, though quieter than before, as if the ponies in town were afraid of attracting the dragon’s attention. More than a few nervous glances were cast upward. “Do you sell seeds?” Gold Watch asked Golden Harvest. “I mean, not now, but come next spring?” “Sure. A lot of ponies enjoy gardening.” Golden Harvest looked at his horn. “But do you really want to wait all year for a harvest?” “Miss, I’m retired. I have all the time in the world,” Gold Watch replied. “At least, for growing vegetables.” “Yet another reason why carrots are superior to apples. You don’t have to wait years for them to grow!” Golden Harvest said, raising her voice noticeably. Over at the next cart, the large red stallion tending to a sizable supply of apples nodded. “Eeyup. Can’t argue with you there.” “You’re no fun, Mac,” Golden Harvest teased. She turned to Gold Watch. “Applejack’s better at the give and take.” “Well, you two have fun,” Gold Watch said. He paid for his carrots and headed home. He wasn’t worried about the dragon. But his smoke was beginning to irritate his sinuses. Gold Watch spent the day puttering around his home. He still had a number of boxes full of old belongings to put away. In one, he found old photo albums. Lifting it out with his magic, he settled onto his couch and flipped through it. He shook his head as he saw the young stallion he once was, and the mare who had never stopped being beautiful. And there was Minuette, back when she was just a filly. The album chronicled her milestones. Her first spell. Standing proudly with her mother, saddlebags packed, on her first day at Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns. A bunch of pictures of Minuette with one of her classmates, Lyra Heartstrings. Playing some game with her old foalsitter, Cadance. A picture from her cuteceañera, wearing a cute lavender dress that showed off her brand new cutie mark. The time between photos started to stretch out. There were few pictures of Minuette as a young mare. Gold Watch recalled how he threw himself into his work, and consequently grew apart from his daughter. The photo album still had a dozen blank pages, with nothing to fill them. Gold Watch stored the photo album on a bookshelf. He opened his shutter and checked outside. The smoke was still hovering over town. But at least he had gotten used to the smell. Though he couldn’t see the position of Celestia’s sun in the sky, he knew it was 5:30. He didn’t feel like making dinner, so he headed into town. Ponyville’s streets were sparsely populated, compared to the average Saturday evening. Either fear or discomfort kept most ponies inside. The cafe Gold Watch headed to was similarly empty. “Good evening, sir,” the waitress said. “Just one?” “Yes. Could I get a table by the window?” Gold Watch requested. “You can have as many tables as you want,” she replied, leading him to a table. “What would you like to drink?” “A cup of coffee, please.” He didn’t normally drink coffee in the evening, but since he wasn’t able to have any that morning, he decided to make an exception. Gold Watch lingered in the mostly empty diner, picking at his salad and daisy sandwich. From where he sat, he had a clear view of the mountain where the dragon was sleeping. He watched the smoke lazily drift from the peak. After an hour, Gold Watch thought he spotted a break in the smoke. Sure enough, the gap grew; smoke was no longer pouring out of the cave. Whether or not that meant the Elements’ mission was a success remained to be seen, but things looked hopeful. “Worried about that dragon?” the waitress said. “I think things are going to be okay,” Gold Watch replied. “Guess we’ll know in a few hours.” “Need any more coffee?” “No, thanks. Just the bill.” Gold Watch paid and left the diner. On his way home, he noticed a familiar older mare; she turned to approach him. “Good evening, Madame Mayor,” Gold Watch called. “Likewise, Gold Watch. I just wanted to thank you for helping with the crowd today.” “Just doing what I was trained to do, ma’am.” “You kept calm at a time when ponies were inclined to panic. That’s something we don’t see enough,” the mayor said. “Like I said, Ponyville could use somepony like you.” “And like I said, I’m retired. But retired or not, I’ll do my best to keep everypony safe.” He paused. “May I ask what brings you out tonight?” “It looks like Twilight Sparkle and her friends were successful in dealing with the dragon. I’m spreading the word to the pegasi in town to meet at dawn to help clear away the smoke.” Gold Watch nodded. “A wise decision. I don’t want this smoke to hang around any longer than it has to. And speaking of smoke, I think I want to get out of it.” Mayor Mare nodded. “Good night, Gold Watch.” Gold Watch returned home, spending the evening with a good book. It was late when the coffee finally wore off and he felt ready to turn in. He contemplated his first major Ponyville crisis. Things weren’t bad at all, he thought. There was just one problem remaining. He was still out of coffee.