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 8: Chaos
“Go ahead and rinse,” Colgate told her patient.
The older mare in the dentist’s chair swished a mouthful of water in her mouth and then spit into the movable sink.
“Everything looks good, Mayor Mare,” Colgate continued. “Your teeth are in great shape. The whitening potion is still working, so please refrain from consuming anything but water for the next hour.”
“Understood, Dr. Colgate,” Mayor Mare replied. “I’m just glad this year’s appointment wasn’t interrupted by some terrible crisis.”
Colgate laughed. “You have had some bad luck there.” She recalled the mayor’s appointment the previous year had to be rescheduled due to Nightmare Moon’s attempt to bring eternal night to Equestria. “Maybe you shouldn’t schedule your appointments in summer?”
“It’s still the best time for me.”
Colgate cleaned her tools and prepared for her next patient as Mayor Mare settled the bill with Snow Glimmer. Once she was done, she escorted the mayor to the door.
“Have a nice day!” Colgate said as she waved.
At the end of the hall, Sharp Eye opened the door to his office. “Hey, Colgate,” he called.
“Ah. Good morning, Sharp Eye.”
“Have you seen a pink cloud?” he asked.
Colgate looked at him curiously. “Sometimes, around sunset, the clouds look pink or orange.” She smiled. “It’s actually quite nice to watch.”
Sharp Eye shook his head. “No, I mean pink, like cotton candy pink. I saw a pink cloud earlier this morning, moving exactly the way clouds shouldn’t move. And then I saw more of them out by the farms. But they’re gone now.”
Colgate looked out the window. “Whatever it was, it’s gone now. It was probably nothing.”
“I hope,” Sharp Eye said.
Gold Watch was at home, enjoying one of the great privileges of being retired—the midday nap. But something felt wrong about his bed. It was like he rolled over and found a cool but uncomfortably firm surface.
He opened his eyes and blinked slowly. He saw his bed up against the wall. The door to his bedroom was above him. Gold Watch was actually sleeping on his bedroom window.
He looked out the window, and he clutched his head. His body was telling him the window was down. But looking out the window, he saw nothing but sky, a sky filled with strange pink clouds.
“I said I was retired!” he shouted to the sky. But even as he complained, he sprung to action. He pushed away his bed sheets and cautiously felt his way through his bedroom. Something was messing with the local gravity, and he dared not trust his senses. He crawled slowly until he reached his front door. Opening it revealed a gap between house and ground. He then steeled himself and jumped.
Looking up, he could see his house was slowly rotating. Other houses in the neighborhood were upside down. Another house had its doors swapped for windows. He shook his head and headed into town.
Gold Watch only managed a few steps before his hooves slipped from under him, and he fell to the ground, sliding another foot. It took him a while to figure out exactly what kind of slippery substance he found himself in. “Soap.”
He cautiously rose and stepped gingerly, being careful not to lose his footing again. He slowly walked towards town, turning down a familiar street.
Green Tea’s shop looked untouched by the chaos around him, an assessment that went out the door once Gold Watch stepped inside. Inside, teacups, saucers, spoons, and boxes of tea danced in the air. He blinked. The dance looked like a waltz.
Gold Watch didn’t see anypony in the shop. “Green Tea?” he called.
“I’m here,” he heard her squeak from behind the counter.
Gold Watch dodged the bizarre display and looked behind the counter. Green Tea was hiding, her back pressed to the corner, covering her head with her forelegs. She peeked out at him. “What’s going on?”
“I don’t know, but I’m going to find out,” he said. “Now stand up.”
Green Tea hesitated. Gold Watch reached for her. “You’ve dealt with real dangers from the Everfree Forest all your life, Green Tea,” he said. “This is just craziness. You won’t get hurt.” The pain in his leg from when he slipped reminded him that wasn’t exactly true, but he didn’t think Green Tea had a reason to fear serious harm.
Green Tea took Gold Watch’s foreleg and pulled herself up. She stared fearfully at the weird procession taking place in her shop.
“I have my suspicions about what’s happening. I think what we all need to do is pretend this is an ordinary day,” Gold Watch said. “Can you do that?”
“How?” Green Tea wondered.
“Well, I’m browsing your shop. Aren’t you going to try to sell me a variety of tea?”
“Oh. Well, I brewed up a pot of pekoe tea.” Her eyes focused on the dancing teapot.
“Let me get that for you.” Gold Watch casually plucked the teapot out of the air with his magic and placed it on the counter. Green Tea set her hoof on it, so that it wouldn’t fly away. She then took out a teacup from a stack that wasn’t floating.
She poured the tea and offered the cup to Gold Watch. “It’s an imported tea, but the aroma brings me back to the Whitetail Wood. I think you’ll find the bitterness pleasing, but there’s also a sweet finish.”
Gold Watch sipped the tea. “It’s a good quality, I can tell. But I’ve said it before. It’s still tea.”
“One day, I’ll find a tea you like. Now, do you need any coffee?”
“I’m good,” Gold Watch replied. He glanced back to the display. It seemed less energetic, just floating in circles, without the grace it had previously demonstrated. “You probably won’t get many shoppers today. What do you normally do on a slow day?”
“Clean and restock shelves. If it’s particularly slow, I will balance my books.”
“Perfect,” Gold Watch said. “Do what you normally do. The more ordinary, the better. Trust me on this. I think it’s already working.”
“Okay, Gold Watch. I’ll do it.”
Gold Watch gave Green Tea a reassuring embrace, and then departed.
Gold Watch headed to his original destination, Town Hall. Given the time the chaos started, he suspected the mayor and the other town workers would be inside. He hoped they would be implementing their plan.
He was wrong. Even though nothing was going on inside Town Hall, Mayor Mare and her two employees were cowering in a storage room.
“Gold Watch! What are you doing here?” Mayor Mare asked.
“I came to volunteer, to help keep Ponyville safe. What’s your plan?”
“Plan? We don’t know what’s happening!” she replied.
“You don’t have plans in place to deal with Tier One threats?” Gold Watch asked.
Three ponies stared at him blankly.
Gold Watch facehoofed. “Every year, around the first of the year, Princess Celestia sends out a scroll describing known threats to Equestria. The Canterlot police department reviews it every year. But since you don’t have a police department, it’s probably sent here. The list includes individuals and organizations, both magical and mundane, but at the top of the list are what are called Tier One threats. These are beings with power that rival the Princesses. Our responsibility is not to confront them, but to keep ponies safe.”
“I don’t recall this letter, but if it was sent near the beginning of the year, I know where to find it,” volunteered the stallion, who Gold Watch remembered was named Red Tape. He departed, soon returning with two file folders in his mouth.
Together, Gold Watch and the others paged through various government correspondence until they found what he was looking for. They moved the letter to a desk and spread its pages across the surface. Scanning through the letter, Gold Watch had to shake his head. The wording of the letter was very gentle. If one didn’t think about it, one might not recognize that the letter was talking about extremely dangerous creatures. It’s wonderful that Princess Celestia didn’t want her little ponies to worry, but sometimes they really should.
“I’m sure we’re dealing with this one,” Gold Watch said, pointing. “Discord. Spirit of chaos, antithesis of harmony.”
“Celestial level power in chaos magic? What does that mean?” the younger mare asked. Gold Watch didn’t remember if he had ever heard her name.
“It means this creature, Discord, has a level of magical power that rivals Princess Celestia. If you remember your history lessons, there was a period where he ruled Equestria. That’s the level of power we’re talking about. To be specific, it means he can interact with celestial bodies. He can manifest his magic over a broad area, without being in direct visual contact and without active concentration. But he is neither omnipotent nor omniscient nor omnipresent. He will need to spare some attention to all his chaotic work. And that’s how we deal with him.”
“What do you mean?” Red Tape asked.
“We came up with plans in Canterlot. It’s all theory, or it was until today. I helped a friend on the way here, and so I think it will work. Discord’s modus operandi is not just to act, but to revel in the chaos he causes. And so we need to tell everypony to ignore it.”
“How do we ignore that?” the young mare said, pointing. Out the window, a herd of small woodland creatures ran by. They could be seen out the window of Town Hall because their legs had been altered, looking more like stilts than limbs.
“We have to. It’s important to remember that Discord is not actively malicious in the same way as a being like Tirek is, but accidental harm is a very real possibility. And if he finds this accidental harm to be amusing, it may become deliberate.”
“We need to tell everypony about your plan,” Red Tape said.
“Right. And focus on getting everypony home,” Mayor Mare added.
“Parents shouldn’t be separated from their foals at a time like this,” the younger mare said.
“Right,” Gold Watch said. “Let’s divide up the town into four sections, and spread the word.”
Mayor Mare strode over to the wall, where a map of Ponyville was pinned. “Lime Swirl, you live down here, so you take the southwest portion of town. Red Tape, head to the northwest. Focus on the businesses by the railroad tracks. I’ll take the offices and shops to the northeast.”
“Mayor? Let me handle that part of town, please,” Gold Watch said.
Mayor Mare nodded. “Okay. I’ll take the southeast.”
“I don’t get it,” Lime Swirl said. “Why is this happening to Ponyville?”
Gold Watch thought about it. “Harmony,” he said. “Discord opposes harmony, so he seeks a confrontation with the Elements of Harmony.”
“I hate to see another burden placed on the backs of those brave mares,” Mayor Mare said.
“Don’t worry, Mayor. They can do it!” Lime Swirl affirmed.
“I hope,” Gold Watch said. He motioned with his body, and the others followed him to the door. “The ground’s slippery,” he warned.
“You don’t say,” Red Tape deadpanned as he looked at the soapy slick below.
“Let’s go. Try to help as many ponies as possible, and let’s regroup at sundown,” Gold Watch said.
Then the sun set, despite the fact that it was 1:13 in the afternoon. “Let me clarify. We’ll meet back at 8:00 PM,” Gold Watch said.
Gold Watch stepped into Sugarcube Corner. It was a bit past lunch hour, but normally there would be a few ponies at the tables, savoring a milkshake or just reading the paper. But today, nopony was there. Two plates lay abandoned on one of the tables.
He looked again. There were two ponies there, hiding under that table. Gold Watch recognized two of the mares who sold flowers in town.
“Let me help you up,” Gold Watch offered.
“We can’t go outside!” one protested.
“It’s so frightening, I couldn’t even faint!” said the other.
“I know everything is strange. But the best way for you to stay safe is to go home and then stay inside,” he said.
“We could get hurt!”
“I don’t want to get turned into a monster!”
“I know matters are... unusual. But the chaos outside is not directed at you. Your biggest risk will be the environment. You’ve gone outside during winter, when it’s icy, right?”
The mares nodded.
“I want you to go outside and walk home. Pretend the ground is icy, and walk carefully, just like you would in winter,” Gold Watch said. “Then go home, and tend to your flowers. Act like it’s just another day, where nothing strange is happening. If you do that, then the strangeness will fade.”
“How can you be sure?” one of them said.
“Nopony can be absolutely sure. But knowing who’s causing this, I’d stake my horn on you avoiding the strangeness.” Gold Watch extended his foreleg.
Cautiously, one of the mares took it. Gold Watch helped her up. Seeing nothing bad happen, the other accepted the stallion’s aid.
“Be careful,” Gold Watch said. “And if you see anypony, tell them it’s best to stay home, and act as if nothing strange is going on.”
Gold Watch stood calmly and nodded as the two mares headed out. He had decades of experience in projecting an air of confidence and authority. But never before had it been so difficult to do.
He had come to Sugarcube Corner primarily because he was worried about the Cakes. They weren’t behind the counter. He listened. He heard the sound of... something, coming from the kitchen.
Gold Watch hurried to the kitchen. He saw the two bakers. Cup Cake’s heavily pregnant form was pressed against one wall. Carrot Cake stood in front of her, a broom in his mouth, as he defended her from what looked like bags of dry goods.
“Of all the things that could be flying around...” Gold Watch muttered. It was the heaviest items, save for the ovens themselves. It didn’t make sense, but knowing Discord, that was the point.
“Is somepony there?” Carrot Cake asked as he took another swat.
“It’s Gold Watch. Are you okay?”
“Does this look okay?” Carrot Cake said.
“Are either of you hurt?” Gold Watch clarified.
“No, but if I don’t stop these things....” Carrot Cake grunted as he swung his broom fiercely at a sack of flour. It hit with a loud thwack. The sack burst open, covering the gangly stallion in flour.
Even though Gold Watch knew the importance of not reacting to the chaos around him, he snickered. Cup Cake also laughed. That didn’t make Carrot Cake any happier.
“Carrot Cake, Cup Cake, are the fires out in your ovens?” Gold Watch asked.
“Yes. We doused the flames once strange things started happening,” Cup Cake said.
“Then you should get out of here. Go into your residence. I’ll explain once we’re inside.”
Despite the exterior design of Sugarcube Corner, the residence behind the shop was like any other. It looked a lot like Green Tea’s house, thought with less clutter. Cup Cake reclined on the couch, while Carrot Cake stood at the bathroom door, scrubbing the flour off of himself with a wet towel.
“What Ponyville is seeing right now is almost certainly the work of Discord, spirit of chaos,” Gold Watch said.
“I guess that explains why Pinkie Pie went to Canterlot,” Carrot Cake said.
“She ran into the house, speaking nonsense, even more than normal for her,” Cup Cake added. “Cornfields of popcorn, cotton candy clouds, chocolate rain... and then she ran off. We went back to our lunch service, and that’s when strange things started happening.”
“I’m going to ask you to do your best to ignore these strange things.” Gold Watch went on to describe his strategy of dealing with Discord. “So for you, just think of it as a slow day. You decided to close early, and just spend a quiet evening together. What would you do?”
“Well, I’ve been trying to knit some booties for the little ones,” Cup Cake said.
“That’s perfect. Perfectly ordinary.” Gold Watch did a double take. “Wait. Little ones?”
“Yes, we’re having twins,” Cup Cake said.
“Please don’t tell anypony,” Carrot Cake said. “We want to keep it a surprise, and we don’t want to impose on anypony coming to the shower.”
“Will do. You two enjoy your quiet, normal evening.”
As if on cue, the sky again switched from day to night.
The main reason why Gold Watch wanted to work on the northeast part of town now stood in front of him. The Ponyville Professional Building housed a lawyer, a chiropractor, an optometrist, and his daughter’s practice. Gold Watch knew he needed to help everypony in the building, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t going to see if his daughter was okay first.
He pushed the door to the dentist’s office open. A jet of water squirted him in the face, getting into his eyes. He blinked until his vision clear. Then he felt one of the dentist’s tools polishing his horn. He smelled mint.
Gold Watch batted away the polishing tool. “Colgate?” he called.
There was no answer. He checked every room of the office, dodging animated tools, but found nopony there. His heart sank.
Gold Watch ran out of the office, heading to the optometrist’s office at the end of the hallway. He pushed open the door, and then breathed a sigh of relief. Colgate and her hygienist Snow Glimmer were sitting in the office with Sharp Eye.
“Dad!” Colgate called.
“I’m glad you’re okay,” Gold Watch said. “You found a place that’s not affected by the chaos magic.”
“Excuse me? What do you think this is?” Sharp Eye said.
The optometrist was pointing to the wall, where a rack of eyeglass frames stood. But they weren’t normal. The frames were comically large, and were attached to a fake mustache and a large triangular nose that had to be from some hideous monster’s face.
“I have no idea what that is,” Gold Watch said. “I’m working with the mayor. We’re trying to get everypony to go home, stay safe, act boring, and pretend that nothing strange is going on.
“That doesn’t make any sense,” Snow Glimmer said.
“We’re dealing with a creature that doesn’t make any sense,” he retorted. He described the success he observed when he tried this tactic in Green Tea’s shop.
“Okay,” Sharp Eye said, though he sounded unconvinced. “I was thinking of crawling into bed and hoping to wake up tomorrow, with this day being nothing but a bad dream.”
“Spending the day in bed. That’s perfect,” Gold Watch said. “Colgate, promise me you’ll go home and stay indoors.”
“I promise, Dad.”
“Good. I’m going to check the rest of the offices, and head out. If you see anypony on your way home, ask them to go home and stay there.”
“Okay,” they all said.
Gold Watch continued to visit shops and homes, sharing his advice. It was already 6:30 PM, or six days later if one was counting the movement of the sun and moon. Now at the edge of town, he saw several farms in the distance. He hoped that Discord’s chaos magic had confined itself to the town proper, but he doubted he would be so lucky.
The first farm Gold Watch reached was Sweet Apple Acres. The strange magic wasn’t doing anything at this moment, but its impact was clearly visible on the farm. It wasn’t just the chocolate puddles he was trotting over. There were mounds of popcorn, apple trees bowed under the weight of boulder-sized apples, and cotton candy film in various places.
Gold Watch passed by the farmstead, and what greeted him was not a pretty sight. The old matriarch was dancing, in a way she didn’t look like she had the agility to accomplish, and her grandson was digging through the fields like an oversized red mole. He was panting, with a happy vapid expression that reminded Gold Watch of a dog’s. He shuddered.
In working on contingency plans for dealing with Discord, Gold Watch had read the historic accounts of Discord’s reign. His powers included directly manipulating ponies, such that he was often depicted as holding a marionette’s strings. Not having seen that today, Gold Watch held out hope that Discord’s return wasn’t going to be as bad. He even maintained a slight glimmer of hope that he was completely mistaken about the source of the chaos.
But now he was sure. There was no way that Discord wasn’t involved.
Gold Watch wondered why Discord’s influence was stronger here. Then he recalled that one of the Elements of Harmony lived here. He was glad that the Cakes were still in control of their actions.
“McIntosh! Granny Smith!” he called. But there was no reaction from either pony.
He prayed that wherever Applejack was, she was kicking Discord’s misshapen posterior.
Further down the road was the Goldens’ farm. The giant wooden carrot that marked the family’s barn was matched by unnaturally large carrots in the fields. Seeing no sign of the couple, he ran to the farmhouse and knocked on the door. “Golden Grain? Golden Harvest?” he yelled.
“Who’s there?” Golden Harvest asked.
“It’s Gold Watch. Are you both okay?”
Golden Harvest opened the door. In a single swift action, she pulled Gold Watch inside and kicked the door shut with a hind leg. “What are you doing out there? It’s dangerous!” she said.
“It’s my job, ma’am.” Gold Watch shook his head. His practiced response when ponies asked why he risked his own life was no longer accurate. “It’s not my job anymore, but it’s what I want to do. It’s what I have to do.”
Golden Grain joined them in the foyer. “What is it you have to do?”
“I’m working with Mayor Mare and the rest of Town Hall to tell everypony to stay inside and ignore the chaos.” He looked around. “Things appear calm here.”
“Living so close to the Everfree Forest, we know to stay inside when strange things happen,” Golden Harvest said. “We took one look outside, with the chocolate rain and twisted forest creatures, and decided we’re not going to market today.”
“A wise decision. The chaos is the work of Discord, and I’m afraid he’s visited his magic on McIntosh and Granny Smith directly.”
“Is Apple Bloom okay?” Golden Grain asked. Gold Watch raised an eyebrow. “The young filly, about ten years old?”
“I didn’t see her.” He had forgotten about her; she wasn’t a fixture in the market.
“I hope she’s okay. If the house isn’t safe, she probably retreated to her clubhouse,” Golden Harvest said.
“Where is that?” Gold Watch asked.
Golden Harvest opened the door. “I’ll check on her. We farm ponies need to stick together. Gold Watch, you go help the ponies in town.”
Gold Watch nodded and smiled as the farm mare headed off.
Gold Watch reversed his circuit through town on his way back, looking for anypony in distress. Everything was quiet, save for the flashy chaos magic, the strange weather and floating buildings. He spotted a few ponies through windows, doing ordinary things. There was even an old mare on her porch swing, sipping lemonade like any normal summer evening.
He returned to Town Hall early, at 7:14 PM. Mayor Mare and Red Tape were already there. “Mayor, report,” he stated.
“Nopony’s hurt. I’ve spread word about your plans to as many ponies as I could find. A lot of the parents are worried; there’s a group of foals on a field trip to Canterlot right now.”
“Any chance we could get word to Canterlot?” Gold Watch asked.
“There’s a telegraph office at the train station, if it’s still working,” Red Tape said. “The problem is, the telegrapher is one of the ponies I sent home.”
The three ponies saw Lime Swirl running to them, heedless of the slippery road. “I saw the Elements of Harmony!” she shouted. “They’re coming back to fight Discord!”
“Where is he?” Gold Watch asked.
“On the outskirts of town, not far from my house,” she replied. She pointed, but it was too far away to see anything.
A brilliant rainbow stretched overhead. It then grew, forming a dome over all of Ponyville. Gold Watch felt a powerful magic flow over him, calming him, despite everything that he had seen.
He blinked, and Ponyville was back to normal. Buildings were back on the ground, in their proper orientation. Celestia’s sun was back in its proper position in the sky. The roads were back to being normal dirt. The clouds above were fluffy and white.
All around, ponies opened doors and windows. Cheers resounded across Ponyville. Families, neighbors, and total strangers embraced.
“Let’s go thank them,” Mayor Mare suggested.
Lime Swirl led the way to a large celebration. The Elements of Harmony were still there, surrounded by a crowd of grateful ponies. The harmony that was an essential part of Equestria was back, and stronger than ever. And at the heart of it all, lying on the ground, was one petrified draconequus, face eternally frozen in shock.
“I’ll ask the trash collectors in to dispose of this rubbish,” Red Tape quipped.
Sleep did not come easily to Gold Watch that night. Ponyville was safe, but only for the moment. He thought about the many other threats to Equestria. So many defeated villains were trapped in Tartarus. What if the gate to Tartarus, so close to Ponyville, failed? What would Tirek do if freed?
Eventually, Gold Watch fell asleep, as he was roused from sleep by a pounding on his door. For somepony to be knocking at 6:48 AM, it must be important.
He opened the door, finding Lime Swirl there. “Princess Celestia has invited everypony in Ponyville to come to Canterlot!” she said breathlessly. “There will be trains leaving every ten minutes, starting at 8 o’clock!”
“Great. I’ll be there.”
“Good! I’ve got to spread the word. See you later, and thanks again!”
Gold Watch nodded and shut the door. He’d be ready to go after a shower and a cup of coffee. He headed to the kitchen and turned on his coffeemaker. From the cupboard, he pulled out a bag of coffee beans. As soon as he opened the bag, he saw something was wrong. The coffee beans were green. Somehow, the chaos magic had unroasted his coffee.
Gold Watch checked the two other bags of coffee beans he had. Both were similarly affected.
He sighed. There could be no doubt. Discord was truly an evil villain.
Gold Watch marveled at the sight of the throne room of Canterlot Castle. He had been there on several occasions during his life. The room was as opulent as ever, with its stained glass windows, marble floors, and thick red carpet. The guardsponies in their golden armor stood watch. And Princess Celestia, standing in front of her throne, was as awe-inspiring a sight as ever.
But never before had Gold Watch seen the throne room devoid of nobles, courtiers, and hangers-on. No, today, the throne room was filled with ponies he recognized, the ponies from his new hometown. He spotted Colgate, standing on the aisle. Gold Watch nodded to her, and found a place in the middle of the crowd.
With a fanfare of trumpets, the doors opened. Twilight Sparkle led her friends and fellow Elements of Harmony down the carpet. They took positions on the stairs leading up to the throne. They smiled awkwardly as they waited for Princess Celestia to speak.
“We are gathered here today to once again honor the heroism of these six friends who stood up to the villain Discord and saved Equestria from eternal chaos,” Princess Celestia intoned. Her horn flared, and a new stained glass window was revealed, showing the heroes imprisoning Discord.
The room erupted in cheers. Gold Watch happily joined the celebration. Princess Celestia smiled as she watched her little ponies. She briefly made eye contact with Gold Watch. He could have sworn he saw something in her smile.
“But that is not all we are celebrating today,” Princess Celestia said. “I wish to thank everypony in Ponyville for staying strong as Discord tried to turn your town into the chaos capital of Equestria. Not in the last millennium has anypony had to endure the whims of Discord.
“Ponyville is back to normal, and nopony suffered grave injury. And there is one pony we need to thank, for going above and beyond the call of duty. Gold Watch, please step forward.”
Gold Watch stood there, his jaw hanging open, until somepony nudged him. He jumped, and then stepped onto the carpet. He had never before received any honor like this.
“For keeping a level head and helping everypony avoid the attention of Discord’s magic, we thank you.” In her magical aura, she held a medal.
“Thank you, Princess. But I can’t accept this honor. I was just doing my job.”
The princess smiled. “But how could you be just doing your job? I have it on good authority that you are retired.” The princess winked, and two stallions stepped out of the crowd, an older pegasus and a younger earth pony.
“Chief! Dawn Runner!”
Gold Watch shook hooves with his former boss and his replacement. Again, the crowd cheered. But this time, they were cheering for him.
After receiving his medal, Gold Watch stayed, talking with a smaller group, including the chief and Dawn Runner, Mayor Mare, and Colgate. “You deserve this honor,” the mayor said. “You were prepared to act when I wasn’t ready.”
“Please don’t get yourself down, Mayor. Remember all you do to protect the town from the Everfree Forest.”
“There’s a place for you if you want to keep helping Ponyville,” Mayor Mare told Gold Watch.
The retired stallion thought about the previous day. It had been a long time since he felt so alive. Helping ponies wasn’t what his cutie mark was telling him, but it was his calling nonetheless.
Gold Watch saw the chief give him a knowing smirk. He looked to Colgate, who was nodding subtly. He sighed and spoke. “Mayor Mare, if you’re still willing, I would be honored to serve as Ponyville’s police chief. But only until you can find somepony younger to take over for me.”
Mayor Mare smiled. “Welcome aboard, Chief.”
Dawn Runner then pressed something into Gold Watch’s hoof. It was a police badge, reading Gold Watch, Chief of Police, Ponyville P.D. “How in the world did you create this so fast?” Gold Watch asked.
“Actually, we made this shortly after you retired,” Dawn Runner replied.
“Never thought you’d stay retired for so long,” the chief said.
“Guess that’s it for my attempts at gardening,” Gold Watch said.
“Dad, I’ve seen your garden,” Colgate said. “It’s already done for.”
“That it is,” he replied with a laugh. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, there’s some police work I need to get to.”
“You’re back on the force, and this is your first stop, Sergeant?”
“It’s Chief now, Pony Joe.” Gold Watch’s favorite stool still fit his rump perfectly, and Pony Joe’s chocolate doughnut with sprinkles, served with a cup of coffee, was still the ideal breakfast. Or lunch, as the case may be. “It’s a shame there’s still no doughnut shop in Ponyville.”
“Can’t help you there, Chief.” The unicorn turned to the other two officers. “How about you, Chief, Detective?”
“Just coffee,” the chief replied.
“Powdered doughnut for me,” Dawn Runner said.
As Pony Joe went to fulfill the order, Gold Watch spoke to his former associated. “Now that I’m a cop again, I’d better ask if there are any criminal elements threatening Ponyville.”
“The scum of Canterlot wouldn’t have any idea what to do there,” the chief replied.
“Whatever happened with that Cult of the Nightmare?” he asked Dawn Runner.
The earth pony looked to the chief. “It was the strangest thing. We were all ready to write this off as the work of crazies, but then we captured somepony who knew a lot of what the first cultist knew. He knew it disturbingly well.”
“How did he know?” Gold Watch asked.
The chief shook his head. “The scum broke out of prison. We don’t know how.”
“Could it have been mind magic?” Gold Watch asked.
“I wish we knew,” Dawn Runner said. “And there’s still no news on that case.”
Gold Watch nodded and sipped his coffee. There was no need to elaborate further.
“I’d better return to Ponyville,” Gold Watch said after he finished his meal.
“Getting right to work?” the chief asked.
“There’s something I need to do.”
It was evening when Gold Watch made it back to Ponyville. He stopped home long enough to drop off his medal and badge. Following that, he headed back into town, his legs carrying him to a familiar destination, and then to the back of the building. He knocked on the door.
Green Tea opened the door. “Gold Watch! Please, come in! Tea?”
“Sure, I’ll have a cup,” he replied.
Gold Watch took a seat on the couch. Green Tea soon returned with a teapot and two cups, balanced on a tray on her back. She set the tray down on the coffee table and poured two cups of tea.
“Everypony’s been talking about how you were personally honored by Princess Celestia,” Green Tea said.
“It was nothing,” he replied, sipping his tea. It was the pekoe he had tried the previous day.
“Nothing? It was not nothing,” she said firmly. “Yesterday, I was terrified. But you came, made sure I stayed safe, and helped make the chaos go away. And then you helped everypony else in town.”
“It’s my job. Well, it’s my job now,” Gold Watch clarified. “I took the mayor’s offer, and I will be serving as Ponyville’s police chief until we can find somepony younger to take over.”
“That’s great news!” Green Tea replied.
“I realized that I need to listen to my calling. For as long as I can still help ponies, I’ll do so. But that’s not why I came over.”
“Oh?”
“Yesterday, there was somepony I was worried about most of all. But it wasn’t just my daughter on my mind.” Gold Watch took Green Tea’s hoof in his own. “Green Tea, I haven’t cared this much about somepony in years. Would you make this old stallion happy, and be my special somepony?”
Green Tea reached over and embraced Gold Watch. “Of course, you old fool.”
They broke the hug, but stayed in each other’s forelegs. Gold Watch looked at Green Tea. He leaned in, and his lips brushed hers.
Gold Watch had never appreciated tea until he tasted it on the lips of his marefriend.