``Mayor, what do you intend to do about the reconstruction efforts?''
``We've already called on state services to aid in rebuilding, but we welcome any additional help from our new,'' the man faltered for a moment as he searched for a word, ``visitors.''
All eyes fell on the two forms looming over the makeshift lectern. The entirety of the press conference fell within the shadow of just one of them, and both were sprawled across the sands, trying to look as unimposing as possible as the sun set over the ocean behind them.
Massive pupils glanced at one another, one set blue, the other green.
``Sure!''
``We'd be happy to help.''
By the time the cameras went back to the mayor, he still wore that distinctive face seen so often on TV as of late. They called it the ``portal look'', and it was mirrored behind every held camera. Like his constituents, he hadn't fully adjusted to the visitors either. One of the reporters in the crowd shifted gears.
``What do you intend to do about the causes of all this damage?''
``Our visitors have helped move rubble and place certain stranded firetrucks back on the ground where they belong when possible, but as you know the job is far from over. Some buildings downtown are barely standing and we're in the middle of carefully planned demolition to replace them.''
``And the mad scientist behind all of this?''
``While we cannot promise a full pardon, he and his team have been working around the clock to fix the situation. We'll have him explain.''
A new figure was waved onto the podium. As he took the microphone, he did his best to ignore the booing and other jeers from the bystanders lining the beach nearby. Some members of the press even gave him distasteful looks. Behind him, those pairs of blue and green eyes were locked onto the figure; it was the first time since their arrival that they saw the man responsible.
``I have received funding for my project,'' he started, raising his voice over the outrage. ``And I am devoting my work to allowing us to send our two visitors back as quickly as possible.'' By the silence in the venue, he could see that they were skeptical to say the least.
He glanced to the mayor, expecting to be relieved of his talking duties for the time being. What he got instead was a wry grin and a thumb pointing at the press. ``They're gonna have questions only you can answer,'' he said, turning back to face the crowd. The scientist did his best to contain a groan and force something other than a frown. As the press began bombarding the scientific figure with questions, the two visitors serving as the meeting's backdrop exchanged concerned looks. Sensing a break in the questions, Orchid audibly cleared her throat. Side conversations abruptly halted as all attention went to the kaiju.
``When can you send us back?'' she asked.
``I've got a not-so-little foal waiting on me,'' Gabby explained.
All eyes fell on the man trying to take the bullseye off of his back. He adjusted his lab coat and pretended to brush some sand off for a moment as he tensed under the widespread scrutiny of the press and most of all, the two creatures. Sure they were friendly, but being this close did not keep the hairs from rising at the back of his neck.
``As soon as I can. It'll take awhile to get all the calculations and repairs and of course we have to find where the actual problems were and get all the bugs out an-''
Gabby sighed. ``In other words, it's gonna be a while.''
The blue one beside her, Orchid, visibly wilted.
``I-uh, it can't be that long. I'm sure I'll be done by the time the city finishes the repairs!''
The lavender kaiju wore a face of understanding, but it failed to conceal her disappointment; deep down she knew this was essentially the equivalent of being told a flight had been canceled with no clear reschedule date.
``Oh Ribbon, I hope you're doing okay without me.''
She imagined the filly raiding that cookie factory they went to a couple weeks ago and her face fell.
Orchid, on the other hand, just looked confused. ``You collect ribbons?''
``Oh, no; Ribbon is the name of my daughter back home. By adoption, before you ask.''
Both man and monsterhorse clamped their mouths shut, the gears in their heads almost visibly turning. The scientist was the first to shake it off.
``Well rest assured, uh, Gabby, I'll get you back to your Ribbon as soon as possible.'' He turned to Orchid. ``And you back to your... uh...''
``Defense Corps,'' she said, groaning.
To their credit, the others just nodded.
The scientist clasped his hands.``Right. Well, as much as I love crowds, I'm going to continue my work in the lab.'' He withdrew a smartphone and tapped its surface a couple of times. ``Carl, get the car.''
Within a brief minute, the chief's trusty vehicle could be spotted on the side of the road nearby, with his second-in-command at the wheel. It was up in the air whether or not he diverted some of his granted funding towards needed car repairs. More than a few cameras pivoted to watch as the slick paint job rolled closer. Ignoring them, he made a beeline up the designated path, a police presence keeping the crowd off of him for the moment. A door slam and an engine rev later, the car pulled off and away from the conference, en route to the lab.
Gabby waited for the car to be well out of earshot before resting one of her horns across Orchid's back reassuringly and giving her a gentle smile. ``I believe you, you know.''
Hope blossomed across her blue face. ``You mean it?''
``Mmhm. As detailed as you are about it, it has to be real.''
A wayward thought crossed the kaiju's mind as she looked about at the crowd more-or-less dispersing. ``I like the beach, but can we sleep somewhere that won't get so much sand caught in my tail?'' She looked behind herself at the lines the glowing ends of her tail were dragging across the shore.
Gabby winced at the horror of that much sand, but reluctantly glanced at the side that she slept on for her nap. Seemed she was taking some of the beach with her unless she took a dip in the ocean first.
``I think the mayor mentioned something was being set up in the park for us.''
``All the way back there?'' Orchid huffed. ``Right in the middle of the city?''
``It's not that far... And, well, we already kind of leveled it for them.''
``Yeah,'' Orchid admitted as she ashamedly circled her forehoof across a patch of beach before looking up again. ``Think it's ready?''
The lavender one was already dipping into the water and trying to rinse the sand off of her side. ``Only one way to find out.''
At their scale, the trip didn't take long, though between the two of them, Gabby knew how to deal with traffic in the now recovering city. Orchid, whose only experience was when the streets were mostly clear due to emergencies, was stuck repeatedly trying to find a way to sidestep through rush hour.
Gabby was content to watch until a wandering hoof got a little too close to clipping a bus. Then, she waved her own tendrils to get the increasingly frantic kaiju's attention before she completed her step.
``Nonono! Over here! Just, step where I step.''
Soon, the two were moving single file through the packed street, finding the perfect gaps between motor vehicles until the familiar whirl of a chopper got their attention. The megaphone crackled for a second before the voice.
``Attention, giant monsters!''
Orchid didn't bat an eye but Gabby quirked an eyebrow. ``I think I prefer `kaiju,' if that's the alternative.''
Both turned their heads to the noise expecting a news helicopter, but were surprised to see a police blue paint job instead. The pilot was apparently crass today. ``Whatever. Due to safety concerns, we'll be providing a police escort. Just stay put, we're clearing the street ahead of you.''
Gabby rolled her eyes as police cars merged onto the road up ahead. Was this really necessary? She thought they were doing just fine picking their way through the dense roadway. Orchid had only claimed the life of a single mailbox so far; she had to learn this sort of thing someday, right? She cast a look at Orchid, who was staring at the helicopter like an angel that had just come down from on high specifically to save her day.
Not given a choice in the matter, the two were steadily marching down the street. While the regular evening traffic had been removed, they were still surrounded by enough flashing squad cars to occasionally rival Orchid's blue with their own.
``I like that we're getting a light escort,'' she said as they crossed another intersection towards the park.
Gabby glanced down at the swat trucks near her rear hooves. ``Light? This feels more like we're going to jail than to the park.''
``Nah, they'd have more mechs!'' Orchid replied cheerfully.
They turned a corner and found themselves at one of the intersections of the park, still bearing the many marks of their first visit. Trees were knocked down, shrubs stomped flat, a gazebo slain, and various muddy hoofprints worn into the dirt.
The cars parted to give them room to cross the already partially removed perimeter fence, but neither could quite appreciate their new accommodations.
``So, we're uh, sleeping here, huh?''
``I know what I'm doing tomorrow, that's for sure.''
``What?'' Orchid asked and turned her head to the side like a curious dog.
``Decorating.''
The blue kaiju pursed her lip. ``Yeah, it doesn't have nearly enough water.''
``I can fix that, remember?'' A lavender horn pointed up at the evening sky.
``Oh yeah, Rain Dab.''
``Rain Dance. We can make this work. I promise.''
``Yeah, you better; we don't have anywhere else to put you,'' The helicopter megaphone squealed.
``Oh,'' Orchid frowned.
``Even more reason to make this space livable for the both of us without being an eyesore on the city,'' Gabby chirped up, but not before scowling at the helicopter. ``If we're going to be here for a while, we might as well make it nice.''
Orchid nodded. ``But how?''
Gabby looked up at the helicopter again.
``I don't suppose you have some cement, concrete, and/or a pile of bricks lying around, do you?''
The chopper's loudspeaker popped with a burst of static. ``Do I look like a gardening store to you?
Orchid just blinks while Gabby pouts.
``....We'll figure something out.''
The days started to blur together but a routine began to form with each one: The kaiju would wake and either visit or were called to various construction sites around the city. At the end of every job, Gabby would ask for excess supplies to rebuild the park/habitat, to which most would oblige simply for speeding up months of work, if they had the materials to spare. In between rebuilding sessions, Gabby would be hard at work, mapping out the park to suit both their needs and still be resident friendly. She had spaced out a deep lake that would serve as her aquatic friend's bed, and a relatively lush place for her own slumber.
The chief scientist wasn't spared from a routine, either: He and his team still spent most of their waking hours refining the portal generator and quadruple-checking every little detail. Having to see the once-pristine skyline littered with cranes--and an occasional glimpse of one of the kaiju--filled him with a mix of pride and disgust at the double-edged outcome his experiment brought him. Sure he had funding and all the time he could ask for to work on it, but it wasn't exactly by choice anymore. He sighed and returned to his desk, pouring over another multi-page batch of data, before blinking and pulling up a weather report. There was testing scheduled for later that day, and he didn't want to make that mistake again.
It was hard to tell without a calendar, but Orchid wagered it had been a couple months since their abrupt arrival now. As she trotted back to the park from another job call, under her own escort, of course, she couldn't help but take a glance at the skyline around her. Fewer cranes were present among the buildings, and, now that she thought about it, most of the rebuilding projects had become too interior for either kaiju to lend assistance. Once she got back to the park, her escort receded and she went around its perimeter to the plotting lavender horse, who was wiping her brow with one of her prehensile horns. She had just finished adding some more details to her map of the park. There were now marked spots for various greenery and even sidewalks to be strung throughout.
``How'd it go?'' The lavender one's face relaxed as she turned her head. Orchid's presence must've single-hoofedly brought her out of deep thought.
``I think I've got this demolition thing down!'' Orchid relaxed her tail strands, causing a fair bit of rubble to clatter to the street below. Her ears perked at the noise, then immediately drooped. ``The cleanup part, on the other hoof...''
Gabby shook her head and grinned. ``Don't worry, we'll get it taken care of. I imagine there'll be more where that came from, `cause it looks like I'll have to pour any concrete we get myself...''
``Think we'll get any materials today? They've almost finished fixing the buildings on the West side.''
``I don't know, but I really hope so. I can't make much more progress without them and--'' The all-too-familiar sound of sirens cut her off.
The pair glanced across the parksite to see yet another police escort appearing in the intersection. ``I thought that was your last one for today, Orchid...''
``I thought it was, too,'' she replied back as the cars continued on. The first non-police car that appeared caught Gabby's attention in particular. It was a massive dump truck, of the variety you'd see in quarry excavation sites. Well, massive to normal people; to the kaiju, it was in the realm of ``dog-sized'', but seeing as it took up most of the street it was on, they could understand why the escort was needed.
The two patiently watched the truck and its entourage approach. The monsterhorses would have been impressed if they hadn't gotten used to squeezing through packed streets on their own. At twenty-five feet tall, the loaded quarry dump truck was nothing to sneeze at, even if the mega mover only came up to partway up their legs. When it trundled close enough for them to look into the back, their jaws dropped. Where dirt, ore, and rocks would normally sit were instead various materials.
Gabby looked at the supplies in a stunned shock, slowly approaching the convoy with gentle, curious steps. ``There's no way all of that's left over from one site...'' She walked carefully around the dump truck, giving the materials an even closer inspection, as well as giving the drivers of the escort a mild scare as her hooves filled most of their vision. She barely noticed the panic, more keen on the packages of bricks, concrete and cement mixes, piping for water features, and various metal parts--for park benches and pergolas--that lined the inside of the dump trailer. ``...or one company, for that matter...''
The driver of the dump truck had a much different reaction: He chuckled to himself. Of all the things he was told to expect on this already-unorthodox delivery assignment, the one thing he was not anticipating was to catch one of the monsterhorses completely off guard in this fashion. He grabbed a megaphone and stepped outside the cab. He raised it to his lips and clicked the tab, but was abruptly cut off.
``We can hear you just fine,'' said Orchid, sauntering up to be parallel with her curious acquaintance.
When he lowered it, he was greeted with two, looming faces.
``Oh. Right,'' he grunted, tossing the megaphone back in the cab like a child's toy. ``I told them I didn't need it, but nooooooo, they insisted,'' he said, rolling his eyes. Orchid just giggled as the man cleared his throat. ``Anyway,'' he said, looking at Gabby in particular, ``you are indeed correct, miss! This did not come from one place! This park was on the city's to-do list ever since the beginning, but once word got out that you two had your own plans for it, we were instructed to pursue other projects. Now that most of these projects have moved to more, uh, `delicate' phases, we do have to finally address the issue of reconstructing the park.''
``So, does that mean we can't work on our home anymore?'' Orchid asked.
The construction worker's grin somehow managed to get wider. ``Quite the opposite, actually! We're here to help! Me and some of my boys are admittedly curious as to what you've got cooking,'' he said, gesturing behind the dump truck. The pair glanced over it to see a small fleet of typical construction site vehicles finishing off the rest of the convoy. ``And, between me and you two, I've got 50 bucks riding on the fact that you've got a plan. You, do have a plan right?''
Gabby hadn't felt so relieved and overjoyed since she learned she had a friend in Orchid instead of an enemy. It was her turn to giggle as he oh-so-subtly divulged that there was a bet. ``Oh, we've got a plan, but you'll need a more aerial view to see it. Care to take a ride?'' A nod was all she needed to see before gently wrapping a horn around the man and hoisting him until he rested atop her head. She then walked around the park until her carefully drawn plan was correctly oriented, and it was only seconds before an audible gasp was heard.
It was like nothing he'd ever seen before. He could make out every detail, knew what every number was referring to, he could almost envision the finished park in his head, and this was all from a series of strokes in the now-dried mud. He rapidly shook his head, he blinked a few times, he even pinched himself; surely he must be dreaming, right? With his arm giving a stinging pain to the contrary, he gazed over at where he parked the truck. ``Oi! Bill! You've got to see this! Oh, and bring that 50 bucks while you're at it!''
As the days passed, more and more volunteers poured in to assist the determined kaiju with their public project. Walkways were laid out, trees were planted, some even transplanted with the help of Orchid, and the lake bed was carefully dug out and lined, though several adjustments had to be made after city planners alerted them when they encroached on vital underground utilities.
Each day they worked, they couldn't help but wonder at the progress of the portal generator. The street lamps flickering as the machine was spurred to life to run diagnostics ensured they never went too long without thinking about it. When the finishing touches were being added to their living space, the temperamental machine still wasn't quite ready, or, so the chief scientist said.
There was one time that part of the lake bed suddenly disappeared and was replaced with a familiar dark, shimmering sort of liquid. Orchid was in the process of using her tail strands to make little indents for various foliage, when she caught the shimmering out of the corner of her eye. She flagged down a helper.
``Hey, did you fill the lake?''
A passing worker glanced over at the lake bed, then back up to her. ``No. ...Why?''
``Uh oh.''
Gabby's ears perked up as she turned her head, catching Orchid's concerned look first before settling on the `water'. ``Everyone get away from the lake!''
The busy workmen formed a small crowd near the edge of the lake bed by this point. Some looked back at the lavender horse with concern. ``Why?'' Perfectly on que, a stray leaf was blown onto the surface, where it slid through unimpeded and vanished. Gone to wherever it might lead.
``Oh. That's not how water works.'' Murmurs from the crowd showed a general consensus with Orchid's statement.
Abruptly, the formation vanished, taking with it the chunk of the lakebed it was covering up. As everyone peered into the now deeper hole, they found a water main had been severed and taken as well. Even now, water spilled out across the bottom. The two kaiju merely shrugged as everyone around them started a discussion about sending calls out to the city to shut off the water line.
``Well, by the time they fix that we'll probably have the lake filled anyway.''
While they waited for the specialized repair crews, Orchid waded into the large pond and plugged the break once it had nearly filled.
Gabby chuckled a bit at her antics. ``Well, that works until they get here, I guess. Is it deep enough for you?''
The kaiju looked down at the water level, well up to her withers. She testingly crouched lower until she was submerged in the muddy, still-disturbed water. She popped back up like a particularly lethargic crocodile and wiped the dirt that had swirled around her face. On the shoreline, gawkers waited to hear her judgement.
After a long pause, she grunted. ``It's really muddy still.''
``But is it deep enough?''
``I was all the way underwater. Didn't you see me?''
Gabby tilted her head to the side, playfully annoyed. ``Okay, fair, it's deep enough. Do we need to line the lake with something to keep the water clear for you?''
``It'll settle eventually. Just... hold on.'' Orchid made a face like she was going to sneeze. ``Wai-aaach-'' and buried her head back underwater where a torrent of bubbles quickly shot to the surface. When she resurfaced for a final time, she sheepishly rubbed at the end of her snout with a hoof. ``Got some in my nose.''
``Gesundheit.''
``Entschuldigung. Danke.'' Orchid nodded sagely, only to pause as she collected a few stares. ``What? I'm from the defense corps,'' she said matter-of-factly. ``Don't look at me like that.''
``I don't think `defense corps' is going to bail you out of this one.''
Slowly, Orchid sank back into the dark pool.
The days continued to drone on. Over time, the two monsterhorses became used to the crew of workers at their disposal. With the added help and their own heavy lifting, the pair saw the end in sight for their little project far ahead of schedule. Orchid in particular was enjoying her new sleeping accommodations, and Gabby eventually got around to getting a part of the park ready for her to sleep on as they worked. As the workers poured over and abided by plans that were more-or-less perfect copies of theirs, they watched as the original template became less lines and etched words and more grass and trees.
Finally, after a particularly long day of hard work, Gabby sprawled down in her side of the park, looking around. She couldn't remember the last time she had been summoned to assist with a project, and was having an equally hard time remembering when Orchid was last called to remove a building. Speaking of her aquatic horse friend, she glanced over to the lake, whose surface was reflecting some of the light from the new lampposts dotted around the park. The occasional bubble rising to the surface along with a telltale glow emanating from below signaled that kaiju blue had turned in for the night a while ago. Figuring that she should do the same, she rested her head to the ground and entered into dreamland once more.
Blearily, she blinked the sleep from her eyes and stretched. It was another sun rise, but more importantly, for the first time, Gabby awoke to a pristine park. Gone were the volunteers and workmen, replaced by quiet street lamps and benches. She was so tired at the time that she barely remembered even saying goodnight to everyone. Every new tree and shrub had been painstakingly dug and planted in just the right spot. She shifted her weight, listening to the noisy crinkle of the tarp laid across the ground to form her makeshift bed. She looked at the patch of sand just past the edge. She could make out a part of the plan she drew into the soil, where a clump of roses sat by a walkway, a carved line not quite covered over by the fill-dirt.
Finally finished. Her design was finally finished, and she could sleep in as long as she wanted.
Except...
``Ma'am. I'm sorry, but I'm here to collect my bucket excavator.''
Gabby instantly snapped awake, a green eye locking onto the tiny form of the worker. ``Your...excavator?''
``Yeah, your friend went out with us last night to celebrate and she uh,'' he trailed off and merely pointed.
There, in the newly repainted parking lot, was Orchid, hugging a steam-shovel, tail curled around the cabin as she lay on her side, a forehoof dangerously close to knocking over a trash can.
Gabby let a soft ``D'awww'' escape her lips despite the situation before blinking. ``Wait, I thought she was asleep in the lake. I saw the glow and everything.''
``We installed lights near the pier and the fountain, remember?''
Gabby blinked incredulously, sitting up. ``...Oh yeah... They're such a nice touch, too. Guess I was really tired last night.''
``We all were. Half the foremen are taking the day off.''
``I'm fairly certain they've earned it. Give me some room, and I'll see what I can do about the excavator.''
The worker obliged and backed up a ways, allowing Gabby to slowly clamber to her full 90-foot height. Had this been towards when he started assisting with the park, the worker would be intimidated to say the least, but after being around the both of them for so long, he acted as cool as a cucumber, even bothering to jog alongside her as she gingerly trotted towards her sleeping friend.
``Hey, hey, wake up,'' Gabby said, gingerly tapping Orchid with a hoof.
``Oh, Cherno Alpha,'' the sleeping kaiju groaned. ``No, don't boop my snoot.'' She squeezed harder, the steel holding, but not without a scrape of the treads being pulled closer across the concrete towards her belly.
``Orchid?'' Gabby asked, resisting the boop temptation and shaking Orchid a bit harder while minding the expensive equipment currently serving as a teddy bear for the kaiju. Orchid's glowing tail strands suddenly darted towards Gabby. She winced as she felt them, only to realize that they had brushed past her. She turned her head to see that they had another target in mind.
``Why me?!'' the workman wailed as he was brought closer to the sleeping kaiju and added to her rapidly growing treasure horde of cuddleable objects. Pressed up against her neck, he managed to get an arm free enough to wave at the stunned Gabby.
``Oh no!'' the lavender monsterhorse cried and started to nudge Orchid even harder. ``Orchid, let go, you gotta let- uh oh.'' She quickly found an array of tail hairs wrapped around her hoof. They pulled at her with surprising force, yanking her hard enough to make her trip and slump onto the concrete against the still heavily sedated kaiju.
Gabby turned herself around, now face to face with the unhappy worker.
``Why are these so strong?!''
``I don't know!''
``Well now what?''
``I guess we're both sleeping in until she wakes up. If I tried to free us by force, the excavator could be damaged and you could get hurt.'' Gabby glanced downward. Her own close proximity now caused the machine to be sandwiched between a mauve stomach and a grey one.
The workman sighed and brought his cell phone out with some effort. ``Hm? Yeah? Hello? Yeah, hey, I'm going to have to an unwilling vacation day. No, nothing like that. Just, got the excavator stuck in a kaiju. No, not like that. I don't think they eat metal. Hold on, do you eat metal?''
Gabby pondered the question before her eyes widened. ``I could; she does.''
The color drained from the man's face. ``That's a maybe. Wait, boss, why didn't you ask about me, first? No, I'm stuck! Call the army or something! They already tried that? Oh.''
``I'm told there were similar results the first time,'' Gabby chirped up. ``I guess we really like to cuddle. Look on the bright side, at least you'll be comfortable.''
``I think I still get hazard pay for this,'' the man replied. The phone buzzed one last time. ``Oh.''
``What's it say?''
``No hazard pay.''
They both let out a defeated ``Aw.''
Orchid, dreaming of whatever kaijus dream of, sighed happily. ``Aw.''
