//------------------------------// // Chapter 4: Swarm // 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 4: Swarm Colgate levitated her pick and mirror back to their place on her tool tray, then pulled off her mask. “I’ve finished your cleaning. But you have a cavity, so we’ll need to schedule an appointment to fix it. Colgate’s patient crossed her forelegs. A scowl crossed her pink muzzle. But her pink patient today wasn’t the one she knew had to be in desperate need of dental care. Rather, she was a blank flank filly with a violet and white mane. “Now, Diamond Tiara, your cavity is on the side of one of your molars. That tells me that you’ve been neglecting to floss. Remember, you need to brush twice a day, and floss every day.” Diamond Tiara harrumphed. “Flossing is a big bother.” “It’s easy. Just make it part of your evening routine,” Colgate said. “Easy for you to say. You’re a unicorn,” Diamond Tiara said. “When I was a filly, I used my hooves to floss, just like you. Let me show you how.” Colgate reared and rested her barrel against the sink. She took the end of the floss in her pastern, and looped it around her fetlock several times. With the container still gripped in her other pastern, she pulled the floss tight. “See?” Diamond Tiara frowned and looked away. “Now, Diamond Tiara, if you want your smile to be as pretty as you are, you have to take care of your teeth. Don’t you want to be pretty?” She smiled. “Daddy always says I’m the prettiest filly in town. So I should be the best me I can be!” “Even if you have to floss?” “Even if I have to floss.” “Good. Now, here’s your toothbrush and a fresh container of floss. I’ll expect your father to set up another appointment within a week. Okay?” “Sure thing, Miss Colgate,” Diamond Tiara replied. Colgate escorted her patient out of the office. At the same time, Sharp Eye was doing the same with his patient, a bespectacled gray filly of the same age as her patient, with a spoon cutie mark. The two fillies greeted each other with a peculiar dance and the phrase “Bump, bump, sugar lump, rump!” They chatted amiably as they departed, Diamond Tiara complaining about how unfair it was that she got a cavity. “Are you closing down for the day?” Colgate asked Sharp Eye. “Yes, isn’t everypony?” he replied. “Probably. It isn’t every day that Princess Celestia visits!” “Has she visited Ponyville before?” Sharp Eye asked. “Not in the time I’ve been here,” Colgate said. “She probably has more time to get away from Canterlot now that Princess Luna has returned.” “Or she may be coming because her favorite student is in town,” she noted. “Possibly. So, how are you helping out?” Sharp Eye asked. “I’m going to help with putting up the ribbons.” “Me too!” “I’m going to grab a quick bite to eat first. You want to join me?” Colgate asked. “Sure. Sounds good!” A few minutes later, Colgate and Sharp Eye sat down with their hayburgers. In the middle of chewing her burger, Colgate paused and stared. “What’s wrong?” Sharp Eye asked. “I just realized what this looks like. I really hope my father doesn’t pass by.” “We’re just two colleagues having lunch,” Sharp Eye said. “That’s not what my father wants to see. You know how parents are,” Colgate said. Sharp Eye sighed. “I sure do.” Gold Watch was getting ready to go help with the arrangements for Princess Celestia’s visit when he heard a knock on his door. He wasn’t expecting his daughter to stop by, and if she closed down her office at the same time as every shopkeeper today, there wasn’t enough time for her to make it to his house. He opened the door cautiously, but smiled as he saw a familiar face, the pink mare from Sugarcube Corner. “A good morning to you, Miss Pinkie Pie.” “Hiya, Gold Watch! Can I borrow your harmonica?” Gold Watch stared at her, perplexed. “I don’t have a harmonica.” “But I thought all cops played harmonica. Oh, wait! You must have been one of those cops who would periodically break into a song and dance routine with the rest of the police department!” The confused expression remained on Gold Watch’s face. “Pinkie Pie, that sounds like the worst idea ever.” “It was!” she chirped. “Well, sorry to bother you. I know there’s a harmonica somewhere in town!” And with that, she trotted off. “Well, that was weird,” Gold Watch muttered. “That’s not going to end well,” Sharp Eye said as he and Colgate walked through town. Colgate glanced over to where her friend was looking. “The banner?” she asked. “Yes. The letters that mare is writing are too large to fit the full message.” “It’s a good thing we still have a day to fix things, then,” Colgate said. A mare spotted the two of them, and trotted up. “Hey, Colgate, Sharp Eye! Glad you could help,” she said. Mint Pastel was a confectioner, but the ribbons tied in her mane showed everypony what task she was organizing today. “We’re ready to help with the ribbons,” Colgate said. “All right then. Follow me.” Mint Pastel’s candy shop had been repurposed for the day. Spools of ribbon, aqua and royal purple, covered every surface. Four ponies were using hooves and magic to tie the purple ribbon into bows. “The plan is to use the aqua ribbon to decorate the trees as well as the roads. The purple is being used for bows,” Mint Pastel explained. ‘We have pegasus volunteers handling the trees, but we need more hooves on the roads. Can you help?” “Of course,” Sharp Eye said. “Likewise,” Colgate added. “Great. Now, we want to cover the main road, both to the east and west, starting from the town square and working out. I want you both to take a spool of aqua ribbon and a box of the bows. Colgate, you take the west, starting from the bridge over the stream. Sharp Eye, you go east. When you run out, come back for more supplies. I’m sure you know how to tie the ribbons, since every single time we decorate the town, we use the same style.” “Of course,” Colgate replied. Sharp Eye looked to Mint Pastel. “I’m afraid I’m new to town,” he said. “Just think Hearth’s Warming decorations and you’ll get the idea,” Mint Pastel said. “Ah.” The two ponies departed, heading in opposite directions with their ribbon. Already, ponies were busy at work, cleaning the streets, tending to flowers, and putting up decorations. Colgate waved to some friends as she walked past. She was a bit disappointed not to be working alongside her office neighbor; this would have been a good time for them to talk. “Or maybe not,” she thought, as she again found herself using her mouth to force an unruly ribbon into place. Gold Watch walked into the town square. The town was abuzz with activity, reaching a level that almost approached a slow Sunday in Canterlot. He quickly scanned the crowd, looking for someone who might be in charge. He finally found a blue earth pony stallion, who was passing out tools and sending out ponies. “Good day. I’m looking to help out,” Gold Watch said. “Of course! Everypony is welcome,” the stallion replied. “Are you new to town, sir?” “Yes. I moved here about two months ago. And please, I’ve had thirty years of ponies calling me sir. Just call me Gold Watch.” “I’m Noteworthy,” the stallion replied. “We could use more hooves handling the cleanup.” Gold Watch looked around. Several ponies were tending to the roads and lawns with brooms and rakes. Compared to the parts of Canterlot his job took him to, this part of Ponyville was positively immaculate. “Things look pretty clean to me,” he said. “‘Pretty clean’ isn’t good enough for the Princess’ favorite student,” Noteworthy said. “She wants everything to be perfect. And I don’t want to see Twilight Sparkle upset.” “Why not?” “I heard the last time she got upset, she lost control of her magic and burst into flames.” “Really? I mean, I know of that incident when a dragon appeared in Princess Celestia’s school, and a few others over the years, but that was a long time ago.” “Let’s just say that I know the type. In the music world, there are some conductors who have perfection envisioned in their mind, but the standard they set is simply too high. When the inevitable off key note happens, everything falls apart,” Noteworthy explained. “The reaction is always a lot worse than the error which triggered it. Now picture the same reaction, but with a unicorn possessing legendary magical ability.” “That’s why you’re working so hard?” Gold Watch asked. “Actually, no. It’s an honor that Princess Celestia is visiting Ponyville, and I would also like the visit to be perfect. But let’s be honest. She wouldn’t be visiting if it weren’t for Twilight Sparkle’s presence.” “I suspect Princess Celestia will be making official visits more often, now that Princess Luna has returned,” Gold Watch commented. “But I have to agree. She’s coming to Ponyville first because of Twilight Sparkle.” Gold Watch picked up a broom with his magic. “Now, where can I help?” “How about Town Square? There are a few ponies there already, but the more we have, the quicker the cleaning will go.” “All right,” Gold Watch said. Gold Watch joined the group of ponies sweeping the well-packed earth of Town Square. As it was a simple task, he had plenty of time to think. Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns was good at protecting Canterlot from the problems caused by skilled but young unicorns, who frequently experienced magical surges. Still, when something happened, ponies noticed, and that led to calls to the police. Rarely did these calls require anything more than calming the populace. During the last ten years of Gold Watch’s career, the name Twilight Sparkle was known as Princess Celestia’s personal student. To the police officers of Canterlot, she was also known as the filly ultimately responsible for many of these calls. When she failed, she failed big. Gold Watch decided he wanted to see how Twilight Sparkle had changed. Would she be a good leader of ponies now? Following an afternoon of hard work, Ponyville was spotless and looking festive. Gold Watch watched a number of ponies bringing in foodstuffs. Fruits, vegetables, sandwiches, and desserts were placed on a mismatched assortment of tables. He hadn’t noticed any of these ponies working in town that afternoon, which made sense if they were busy preparing food to share. Gold Watch selected a daisy and cucumber sandwich and nibbled on it as he wandered around the tables. He nodded and stopped by the Cakes’ table. “Why are these cakes sliced into such irregular shapes?” Gold Watch asked. “It’s a funny story, that,” Carrot Cake said. “We had a few of our desserts... rendered unsuitable to serve at the big event tomorrow,” Cup Cake added. “So we decided to save what we could and share it with all you hard-working ponies. Thanks for helping, Gold Watch.” “Just doing my part, ma’am,” he replied. “If you’ll excuse me, there’s somepony I want to meet.” Colgate was happy with the length of ribbon she had placed throughout the town. Everypony was ending work for the day, and a growl in her stomach told her it was just in time. She wandered over to carts laden with food. The carts were familiar from the marketplace, but this time, they were sharing their bounty. She stopped at the Goldens’ cart. Golden Grain was there. Rather than the normal bundles of carrots they sold, he had spread individual carrots across the cart’s surfaces. “This looks like a perfect snack,” Colgate said. She reached out with her magic to pick up a carrot, only to feel somepony else’s magic fighting her, an orange aura fighting with her own blue. They both stopped at the same time, and Colgate looked up to see Sharp Eye. He laughed nervously. “Sorry about that.” “No, sorry, I should have noticed you.” “I’m the one with the good eyes.” “Relax, you two. There are plenty of carrots for everypony,” Golden Grain said. “I’ll take this one,” Colgate said, pointing to the carrot nearest her. Sharp Eye nodded, and this time, they took their carrots without a fight. “So you’re a carrot fan too?” “Of course,” he replied. “They’re good for the eyes, after all.” “And for the teeth as well,” Colgate said. “I remember when the school cafeteria put ‘Edible Toothbrushes’ on the lunch menu. I was a little disappointed to see that they were just carrots.” Sharp Eye’s keen vision allowed him to see a stallion approaching the carrot cart. But he wasn’t looking for this particular stallion, and didn’t pay him any special notice until he spoke. “How are you doing, Colgate?” Colgate winced before putting a smile on her face. “Hi, Dad.” “Who’s your friend?” “This is Doctor Sharp Eye. He just set up shop in my building. Sharp Eye, this is my father, Gold Watch.” “Gold Watch. Gainfully retired,” he said, offering a hoof. “A pleasure to meet you, sir,” Sharp Eye replied, shaking his hoof. Gold Watch looked over the new arrival. He looked like a decent unicorn, even if horribly farsighted. The way his daughter had emphasized the word doctor in her introduction suggested she wanted to portray their relationship as strictly professional. He decided he would tease Colgate about her new coltfriend later. “Let’s grab a table,” Colgate suggested. The various tables in the town square were donated for the evening by the local businesses; Gold Watch recognized the tables of at least two of the cafés he frequented. They took a seat on the hay bales surrounding one table. “How did your ribbon tying go?” Colgate asked Sharp Eye. “It was harder than it looked. Those ribbons are nearly impossible to manipulate with magic,” he replied. “I know! I don’t know how Rarity does it.” “Rarity? Isn’t she one of the Elements of Harmony?” Sharp Eye asked. “Yes, but for years, I knew her as the local clothier. Watch her the next time you get an outfit made. The fine manipulation she can do with her telekinesis is incredible.” She turned to Gold Watch. “How about you, Dad?” “My telekinesis is nothing to write home about.” “Dad, I meant how did your day go?” “That was a joke, Colgate,” Gold Watch said. “I just helped with some sweeping. The town looks great, don’t you think?” “Sure does,” Colgate said. “I can’t wait for Princess Celestia to arrive,” Sharp Eye said. He looked around. “Did either of you see those strange creatures today?” Colgate shook her head. “What strange creatures?” Gold Watch asked. “I have no idea. They were small, maybe the size of a golf ball. Two pairs of insect-like wings, big eyes, and they looked fluffy, kind of like a dandelion puff. I spotted a weather mare, I think it was Rainbow Dash, with one, and a couple of other ponies as well.” “Is that one of the monsters from the Everfree Forest?” Gold Watch asked Colgate. “If it is, it’s not one I’ve heard of,” Colgate said. “It looked too cute to be a monster,” Sharp Eye added. “Remember what I always said, Colgate. Appearances can be deceiving,” Gold Watch said. “Relax, Dad. I’m sure everything will be fine.” It was mid-morning on the next day when Gold Watch returned to town. He immediately noticed the strange creatures Sharp Eye had talked about. There were a lot more of them. One buzzed around his mane and tried to brush against his face. “Shoo,” he said, brushing the little pest away with a forehoof. They were cute, but Gold Watch wasn’t a pet kind of stallion. He was the one who had to put his hoof down when Minuette begged for a kitten. Sure, there were practical problems with keeping a pet in a Canterlot apartment, and that explanation was good for his wife, but he just didn’t want to deal with the mess. Coughing up hairballs? He shuddered. The creature, still flying near him, started coughing. It then hacked an impossibly large hairball, which landed on Gold Watch’s nose. “Like I was saying,” he muttered as he scraped the mess off his face with his hoof. Gold Watch stared as the mess quickly dried off. Four wings shook free, and two big eyes opened. Reproduction through magical cloning? He shuddered at the implication, but for now, he just wanted to get indoors. He headed to a café, arriving just after his daughter. “Would you two like a table outside?” the hostess asked. “Yes,” Colgate replied. “Actually, we should eat inside,” Gold Watch said. “But it’s a beautiful day,” Colgate protested. “Just trust me on this, Colgate,” Gold Watch said. “But we’ll take a seat by the window.” The hostess took the two ponies to their table. They reviewed the menu, and placed their order as soon as the waitress arrived. “So what’s going on, Dad?” Colgate asked. “You know those creatures Sharp Eye talked about? They’re everywhere, and they’re pests.” “I saw them. They were cute,” Colgate said. “Cute or not, they worry me. They’re multiplying, Colgate.” “That still doesn’t explain why we’re eating inside.” “Just a hunch. Even a magical creature needs energy to reproduce, and the most logical source of that energy is food. Let’s watch.” Gold Watch looked out the window. On the other side of the street was another cafe; a pair of ponies were enjoying an early lunch. One looked very familiar to the stallion. “Is that your friend, Lyra Heartstrings?” Colgate nodded. “She’s not really my friend anymore,” she said. Upon seeing that look on her father’s face, she continued. “I mean, we’ll still say hello to each other, but we grew apart years ago, after we got our cutie marks.” “You were so close. You used to call her Ly-Ly.” Colgate pressed her hoof to her forehead. “Dad, you need to stop living in the past. We outgrew foalish nicknames long before we started hanging with different crowds. I have new friends now.” “Like your new coltfriend?” “He’s not my coltfriend!” “Why not? He’s nice, a professional....” “We just met, Dad. He moved to town the same week as you did,” Colgate said. “You’re not too young to think about settling down.” Colgate opened her mouth to protest, but the waitress chose that moment to bring them their food. Rather than risk saying something she would later regret, she chose to focus on her omelet. They ate in silence for a while. At one point, her father put down his fork and was staring out the window. She looked as well. Outside, a swarm of those cute puffballs was attacking Lyra and Bon-Bon. In less than a second, the creatures consumed their lunches. Poor Lyra was driven to tears. “Hungry fellows, aren’t they?” Colgate said. “Looks like they’ll eat anything.” “Yeah.” Gold Watch pushed his plate away. “Sorry, but I just remembered something I have to do at home. I’ll look for you in the town square.” “Uh, sure, Dad,” Colgate said. Gold Watch kept a brisk pace as he galloped home. The creatures were absent from his neighborhood. He opened the door to his house, and breathed a sigh of relief as he found things undisturbed. He opened the cupboard and pulled out his bag of coffee beans. He secured them in a metal tin and looked around for a place to secure his most valuable possession. He looked out the window and smiled. Heading outside, Gold Watch used his magic to dig a hole in the dirt of one of his planter boxes. He dropped the tin in the hole, and pushed the dirt over it. His task complete, he trotted back to town at a more leisurely pace. Back in town, things were quiet. Gold Watch found his daughter. “What happened?” he asked her. “A few ponies came through town, and herded those creatures into a giant ball of fluff. I think the creatures were pushed back into the Everfree Forest.” “Well, good.” Gold Watch looked around. “Looks like we need to clean up a little.” “There were only a few things eaten. It could have been much worse,” Colgate said. Cleaning up turned out to be a greater challenge when everypony wasn’t organized to do so. It took a lot of running around to find brooms and shovels. But even with this haphazard effort, they made progress. Gold Watch worked quietly alongside Colgate and Sharp Eye. “Look, it’s Princess Celestia!” Sharp Eye said, pointing to the sky. Gold Watch took his word for it; he could see a speck, but since that speck was in the direction of Canterlot, he assumed he was right. Shortly after going back to work, Gold Watch’s ear perked. “Is that...?” He looked up, and another swarm descended on Ponyville. This time, Twilight Sparkle and the other Elements of Harmony were in the middle of the mess. Immediately, the creatures began to attack the remaining food. “What do we do? They’re eating all the food in town?” one said. “My apples!” another said. “We’ve got to do something. I got it! I’ll cast a spell to make them stop eating all the food!” Twilight Sparkle said. Her horn glowed for several seconds as she cast a powerful spell. Violet energy rippled over the creatures, and they stopped their eating. They stopped everything. The silence was eerie. At least until Pinkie Pie appeared, saying something about tambourines. Everypony ignored her and waited with bated breath as the creatures looked at the food. If the creatures had noses, they would have turned them up. But then they looked around. One of the creatures opened its mouth impossibly large, and consumed an entire wooden bucket with an apple in it. It then spit out the apple. The creatures then swarmed the town, beginning to eat every inanimate object. They even attacked ponies’ clothes and accessories. Sharp Eye was swatting at the creatures with his tail and hooves, trying to protect his glasses. Ponies began to shout and panic, punctuated by one mare shouting “Everypony for herself!” “Please, calm down, everypony,” Gold Watch said. “Calm down!” he shouted. “These creatures are just hungry, but they aren’t going to eat us. I don’t think we can save town square. Seek shelter, preferably in your own homes. If you’re wearing clothes, take them off. Try to drive these creatures away physically if they start attacking your belongings.” “Dad, you don’t need to do this,” Colgate said. “Yes, I do.” “Then I’m staying with you,” she said. “Colgate, go protect your office. I know how valuable your tools are. I’ll be fine,” Gold Watch said. “That goes for you, too, Sharp Eye.” “I think he’s right,” Sharp Eye said, swatting another one of the pests. Colgate walked away, but not without looking back at her father. Ponyville was in crisis, and Gold Watch was in his element. Decades of experience kicked in. He projected an unnatural calm as he made decisions, gave orders, and worked to avoid making a bad situation worse. “Oh no, here she comes!” Gold Watch looked up. The one unusual thing about dealing with a crisis is that it made him lose track of time. Seeing Twilight Sparkle and the others return, he paused and caught his breath. He had been in crisis mode for forty-nine minutes. The crisis was still there, of course. More of the creatures followed Twilight Sparkle and her friends. She was frazzled, having the appearance of a pony with nothing to lose, an expression he had seen on too many desperate criminals over the years. “Okay, here’s the plan. Rainbow Dash, you distract them,” Twilight Sparkle announced. The pegasus flew by, screaming, pursued by the creatures. “Good. Everyone else, we need to build an exact copy of Ponyville right over there. We’ve got less than a minute.” Forty-five seconds, Gold Watch noted silently. “Zecora was right. We’re doomed,” she admitted. “Oh no, the Princess’ procession is here! It’s all over!” Strangely, Gold Watch heard music, the kind a marching band might play. He recalled that there wasn’t a parade on today’s schedule. His unasked question was answered when he saw Pinkie Pie, marching as a one-pony band. He immediately noticed that one of her instruments was a harmonica. “Pinkie? We’re in the middle of a crisis here!” Twilight Sparkle said. “This is no time for your... nonsense?” The creatures finally stopped flying around. They seemed to be bouncing in time to the music. The creatures lined up in front of Pinkie Pie and began hopping out of town. Twilight Sparkle and the other Elements of Harmony followed Pinkie Pie out of town. As for Gold Watch, he had to spread the word it was safe to come out. “I hope Twilight Sparkle is never put in charge of anything,” he said to himself. Gold Watch knocked on each of the nearby doors, spreading the word that all was clear, and asking the ponies inside to help spread the word. That was standard Canterlot police procedure. He then headed to find Colgate. That was a father’s duty. Not long after they had left, Twilight Sparkle and her friends returned, the librarian looking as if she had just finished a final exam. Gold Watch observed the frazzled mare speak briefly to the mayor before heading off in the direction of her library. Mayor Mare headed to the town square, the townsponies falling in around her. Once they had gathered closely, she addressed the crowd. “Princess Celestia has an emergency she must attend to in Fillydelphia, so today’s visit is canceled.” “What were those things?” somepony asked. “Apparently, they are rare creatures called parasprites. Thanks to Pinkie Pie, they’ve been safely returned to the Everfree Forest. Now, let’s take this opportunity to repair our town. Everypony, gather what you can.” The ponies sprung into action, some heading off, others gathering trash and loose boards. “What’s going on?” Gold Watch asked Colgate. “Everypony works together to help the ponies affected by whatever comes out of the Everfree Forest. Once you live here long enough, you’ll know the drill.” “Really? This happens a lot?” “Sure. Some beast strays from the Everfree, stomps on somepony’s shop, and we all help them fix it.” Colgate waved her hoof over the damaged town. “It’s just normally not so, you know, widespread.” “So what do we do?” Gold Watch asked. “Ponies are gathering tools and raw materials. They’ll be back soon. Just follow somepony, and let the magic of harmony tell you what to do.” Ponies often talked about the magic of harmony, but having spent his life in Canterlot, it wasn’t something Gold Watch had experienced. “Might be nice,” he said. “Hold on a minute, Colgate.” Gold Watch trotted over to Mayor Mare. “Madame Mayor, if you’re serious about establishing a police department here, why don’t you take this opportunity to build a police station? You know, add something to the guard post?” ”That’s a good idea,” she replied. She scanned the crowd. “Blueprint!” she called. A blue pegasus stallion trotted over. His cutie mark was a design in white lines, just like a blueprint. “Yes, Mayor?” he asked. “When you’re supervising the repairs to the guard post, can you direct the construction of a small addition to the building?” “Sure. I can use one of my standard designs. What do you need?” “Well?” Mayor Mare asked Gold Watch. “For a town like this? You won’t need more than two offices, I think, plus a floor area where a hoofful of ponies can work. And don’t forget a place for the coffee machine.” “Only the essentials?” Mayor Mare asked, raising an eyebrow. “Coffee is essential to police work,” Gold Watch stated. “Very well. Blueprint, I trust you to have matters in hoof,” the mayor said. By this time, ponies were returning with carts of bricks and mortar, wooden beams, hardware, and tools. Supplies were distributed into other empty carts. Then the townsponies gathered into small groups, heading off to various buildings in need of repair. Gold Watch found himself drawn into one of these groups, the one Blueprint was in, and walked towards the guard post, almost without thinking. The guard post was a building of sturdy stone with barred windows and a shingled roof. The parasprites didn’t appear to have had a taste for stone. But the wooden door and part of the roof was eaten. As a song played in Gold Watch’s heart, and the hearts of everypony around him, he fell into the rhythm. As he helped hammer together the wooden frame of the building extension, he watched the pegasi in his group replace the wood of the roof, add tar paper, and finally nail down fresh shingles. To one side, an earth pony and a unicorn worked together to construct the new door and attach its hardware. Once one frame was built, the larger earth ponies and pegasi grabbed ropes and pulled the frame into position. Boards and plaster were quickly added to the extension. And then, they were done. It didn’t take long, and it didn’t even feel like work. Working together, the ponies of Ponyville had restored the guard post and expanded it. Gold Watch felt a feeling in his hooves, an urge to move, and he followed. Now in a smaller group, Gold Watch joined in as the ponies made repairs to other shops and residences. The damage here was smaller, a missing shutter here, a half-eaten sign there. Repairs were simple: do a quick fix, and then move on. After the repairs, everypony would be able to stay safe from the elements, but paint and other decorative fixes would have to wait. Gold Watch frowned as he saw the damage to the plants as well, from the parasprites’ first attack. Trees were missing leaves, bushes had large holes in them, and planter boxes were empty. It was the latter that make Gold Watch the most upset; he had come to appreciate the beautiful and fragrant flowers that seemed to adorn every home in town. Other than his own, of course. Speaking of his own home, the group of ponies he was with was heading to his neighborhood. In his desire to make sure everypony was safe, he hadn’t thought about his own home. Fortunately, the damage was getting more sporadic the further they traveled from the heart of Ponyville. After a few more repairs, he finally spotted his own home. He immediately noticed something was off. He quickly surveyed the details. Chimney, present. Roof, intact. Door and windows, good. Shutters, present. Then he noticed the asymmetry of the two windows. One of his planter boxes was gone, almost completely eaten, with only a few chunks of wood still attached to the wall. It was the planter box where he had hid his coffee. “Oh, come on!” he screamed. A friendly hoof tapped his shoulder. “Don’t you worry, friend. We’ll fix your house.” “It wasn’t the house I was worried about,” Gold Watch grumbled.