As Soft as Stone
By Winter Quill
Three hooves; that was how far she made it off the train before being swarmed with one disaster after another. Half a dozen of her aides had surrounded her in a half circle all talking at the same time even as she put her last hoof on the ground. With an exaggerated sigh and a squint of her eyes she looked around at the other ponies. She had only been gone for three days, so naturally everything had fallen apart in that time.
“What is it now?” Ms. Harshwhinny asked, eyeing all the other ponies. There were a few moments of silence before they all started speaking again, pushing in a bit closer around her.
She wasn’t truly surprised by the reception, with only two days before the start of the Equestria Games it seemed that everything that had been going so smoothly had fallen apart. She just wished that her aides would be orderly about it! The more they pushed and yelled the longer it would take for her to resolve their problems.
Without another word she stepped forward to the first pony and looked at the papers that were dancing in her magical glow. She skimmed over them in a few moments and found the decision an easy one to make. “No, we cannot move the griffons to a higher floor. If we do that everyone else will demand to be moved as well. It will be a disaster,” she said.
With one crisis resolved she worked her way through the rest. “No, the Crystal Heart cannot be moved for the opening ceremonies. If the Princess wants a local hero to light the flame then we will be happy to arrange it. It’s too late to bring in a special order of grass for the minotaur delegation, they will just have to accept the same hay as the Princesses. Please remind the zebras that magic is strictly disallowed in all non-magical events. That includes good luck potions.” She moved through each issue with quick efficiency, dispatching each issue with only a moment’s thought.
The last issue was a bit more detailed in nature and she actually paused to read it in full, not just skimming over the text. It seemed that there was an unfortunate overlap in two events, but that was easy enough to fix. “Push the Ice Archery finals back an hour. That will give everyone the time they need.” Well, not everyone. It would mean that there wouldn’t be enough time to clean away the laden clouds from the Rain Making finals before the last event. There would still be time before the closing ceremonies to clear the sky, but it would be a close thing.
“Now, is there anything else?” she asked the ponies around her.
They all shook their heads.
She sighed again and rubbed her temple with one hoof. “Then why are you still standing here. We have no time to waste, get onto it,” she snapped. A moment later all the ponies scattered away from her, leaving her alone on the platform.
Taking in a deep breath, Ms. Harshwhinny allowed herself a few moments to relax. The Equestria Games were too important to leave to chance, yet there was far too much going on her to do every single thing. She trusted her aides to do their job, but sometimes they just didn’t have the initiative to solve the problems themselves. After three years of working on the games such minor disasters no longer fazed her, not after all that had happened. From the overextended task of selecting a city, dealing with not one but TWO additional princesses and their support staffs, as well as the late inclusion of a team from the griffon empire, some minor squabbling parties and scheduling errors were almost beneath her notice.
Letting out a long breath, she shook her head and glanced around the platform. Her first assessment had been wrong; she wasn’t alone. A single gray earth pony was standing a few feet away, looking at Harshwhinny but not saying a word.
“Can I help you?” she asked, the words dripping with annoyance.
The mare paused, as if she had to think over the question. “No,” she finally said.
“Then why are you still here?” she asked. It wasn’t as if there was a line to leave the train station, and she could see a number of waiting carriages.
“I’m waiting for my sister,” the mare replied, her voice low and almost monotone. As she spoke she motioned outside with her muzzle, towards the road to the station. In the distance she could see the outline of a few approaching ponies and as if on cue a pink mare leapt into the air and gave a vigorous wave in their direction.
Ms. Harshwhinny chuckled under her breath; even from a distance she recognized the approaching mare. “Yes, the pink one. She is part of Princess Twilight’s entourage,” she commented. She was also the pony who had ordered two thousand party balloons and a cake the size of a house. A part of her was looking forward to discovering what sort of party they would be for.
“Friend,” the mare quickly corrected, her tone changing just a hair, like she was scolding the other pony. “They are friends.”
“Very well, a friend of the princess,” she replied, looking at the gray mare again. She was wearing a long dress that covered her past her flank and hid her cutie mark. It was a shade of grayish blue that contrasted with her coat, yet it still seemed to match.
They stood together in silence until the pink mare reached them, hopping along on all four hooves. As soon as she got close to the gray mare she started hugging her with all her might.
“Thank you for waiting with me,” she said, apparently not even bothered by her sister’s grip.
“Think nothing of it,” she told the young mare and turned to be on her way. It really wasn’t a task for her to simply wait, but it didn’t hurt either. Still, there was quite a bit left for her to do if she wanted the games to be successful, and she couldn’t afford any distractions.
* * *
The Crystal Empire was a peculiar place. A small pocket of warmth and light nestled into the foothills of the northern mountains. It was only by the love of the crystal ponies that the city and surroundings were warm even during the coldest of winters; even so when Celestia’s sun set so did the temperature, leaving the nights chilly but not quite freezing.
It was the sort of night that Ms. Harshwhinny enjoyed. The cool air felt good against her face and flanks while her familiar jacket kept her warm enough not to be bothered. It let her relax, even for a few minutes, which helped with the stress.
Carefully she pushed open the door to third floor balcony that ran the width of the hotel, the very same hotel where she kept her office for the Games and where all the VIPs were housed. As soon as she stepped outside she felt the cold air washing over her, making her close her eyes and let out a soft sigh. The opening ceremonies could have gone better, but hardly anyone was bothered by Mr. The Dragon’s hesitation in lighting the flame, instead they thought it was all part of the show. It the end he had gotten the job done and that was that. Still, as bungles went it was hardly a memorable one, not like the time the flame pylon broke at the Vanhoover games.
The games proper would be starting early in the morning with the first of the Dew Race competitions and she wanted to be there to be sure it started without a hitch. But that was for the morning. For now she was going to enjoy the brisk cold evening air before returning to her office to deal whatever disaster had come up during her short absence.
She was a bit disappointed when she heard the door open behind her. All of her aides had been trained not to bother her when she was out on the balcony, not unless it was a risk to life and wing. She turned her head to scold whomever it was, only to discover that the gray pony for a few days before. There was a serine look on her face as she stepped out onto the balcony, the door swinging closed behind her.
“What are you doing here?” she asked.
The mare cocked her head to the side, her straight hair swaying slightly. “I’m staying here,” she answered.
It took a moment for that to sink in and then Ms. Harshwhinny felt foolish for having even asked the question. “Yes, your sister is part of the Princesses entou…” she let the word trail off as the memory of their last meeting returned. “Is a friend of the Princess, and you’re staying with her?”
The only response was a slight nod as she walked to the edge of the balcony, looking out over the night sky as the aurora danced between the distant peaks. Planting her hooves onto the ground she seemed to freeze in place, staring intently into the distance. The only sign that she was a pony and not a statue was the slightly twitching of her tail and the occasional blink of her eyes.
Harshwhinny was going to leave the young mare to her own devices, but never seemed to find the will. Instead she found herself just watching the mare as she watched the sky. There was a sense of calmness about her, a serenity that seemed to fill the space she was in. It was like watching the stillness of a pond, or maybe the unaging face of a mountain.
“It’s rude to stare,” the gray mare said, not looking away from the sky.
That made her blush even more, and drop her eyes to her hooves. “I’m sorry, I was just wondering what you are looking at.”
“The mountains,” she replied, apparently unperturbed by the social gaff.
“Why?” she asked, walking up to stand next to the younger woman.
“Because they are made of rocks,” she said, the slight modulation in her voice almost making it sound like it should have been obvious.
Harshwhinny nodded and looked at the distant mountains. There were still snow capping many of the high peaks, but some of the lower ones had melted leaving the rocks and stones to be laid bare to the sky. “And what makes them special?” It was an inappropriate question, but her curiosity got the best of her.
The mare flicked her ears back and lifted her muzzle to point at the aurora streaking across the sky from the palace. “The way they glitter in the light, each one is different from the other. They each reflect a different shade depending on their age and composition.”
She looked back at the bare mountains, narrowing her eyes to look closely at the stones. Indeed there was a soft twinkling of light, hardly noticeable against the glow of the sky, but she could see it. The small motes of light shifting in swaying as the ribbons of light washed across the sky, both reflecting and changing the light that was given to them and made it their own. They danced together, creating patterns in the light and darkness.
“It’s amazing,” she said, having never seen anything like it before.
“I know,” the mare said with a hint of what might have been pride in her monotone voice, but it was hard to tell. That was the last thing she said that night, instead of talking they stood there, watching the light twinkle and dance off the mountains until one of her aides did come for her. When she finally slipped back into the office she found herself feeling far more relaxed then she had in months. She knew it wouldn’t last, there was always a new pile of problems to resolve, but she allowed herself to simply enjoy it for a few more moments before returning to her job.
* * *
A week nearly passed before she encountered the gray mare again. She was talking with her sister as they walked through the crowd, the pink mare having to force her way through while they simply parted around her sister.
Harshwhinny was at the palace balcony after having explained the impromptu disaster of a ‘concert’ that she would never have planned. It was easy to spot the gray mare, with her pale violet hair and long dark blue dress. It was made even easier as her pink sister kept jumping around the crowd… and even off the heads of a few ponies.
It was quite the show, and she watched for a short time until the two sisters parted ways. The pink one was heading towards the stadium while the gray mare was heading towards the edge of town, away from any events that might be taking place. That raised her curiosity and without much of a thought she found herself slipping out of the palace to follow.
Even as she made her way through the crowd she found herself questioning why she was doing so. She had no reason to be following this mare; in fact she didn’t even know her name… yet a part of her felt as if she had no other choice. There was something about her quiet disposition and the way she seemed to bring stillness to the world around her which captivated her.
She was only slightly surprised to find the mare was looking through a large field of stone left over from the construction of some of the facilities. There was a look of concentration on her face and her tail flicking from side to side as she methodically touched every stone in front of her.
Walking up to stand next to the mare, she watched this task for a few moments before finally speaking. “What makes these rocks interesting?”
“They are sedimentary rocks, typical of the ranges further to the north. They are erratics brought here by the glaciation of a hundred thousand years ago,” she replied, her ears twitching back slightly.
Ms. Harshwhinny looked back down at the rocks then to the mare. “I never knew that,” she admitted, watching as the mare continued to work her way through the stones. “And is that why you’re looking through them?”
“No. I’m playing a game with my pet, Boulder” she replied.
“Oh, Hide and seek?” she guessed, receiving a nod in return, “What does he look like?”
Without a word she reached into the pocket of her dress and pulled out a small rock, holding it in her hoof. “Like this.”
All she could do was raise an eyebrow. A pet rock… somehow that seemed to be a perfect fit for the stoic mare and as pets went a pet rock would be rather self sufficient. “Just like that?”
“Yes. This is his long lost twin, Igneous. We just found him yesterday,” she said, rolling the stone in her hooves before tucking it back into her dress.
The older mare turned to look out over the field of stones, there were rocks all over and if her pet was ‘hiding’ behind one it would take some time to find him. “Would you like some help?”
“If you want,” she replied, lifting her head up to finally look at Harshwhinny.
In all honesty she didn’t have the time to spend searching for a rock in a field of rocks, but she found herself nodding her head and turning her attention to the stones in the field, gently pushing over one at a time. After a few moments of silence she felt the need to speak. “I never introduced myself to you, I’m Olympia Harshwhinny,” it was rare for her to tell someone her first name, but it felt right in this case.
“Maud Pie, and it’s a pleasure to meet you,” she replied, though with her flat tone it almost sounded like sarcasm and yet it still managed to be sincere.
With that out of the way the two mares returned to the task of locating the hiding Boulder and neither one finding a need to say a further word. It seemed natural for Maud, she was almost like a rock herself yet still had a warmth to her that seemed to be hidden under the apparently muted emotions. Yet the more she saw the mare the better she could read the little things about her. The cant of her ears, the flick of her tail, the way her eyes seemed to flash for just a moment. There was so much hiding under that ridged surface yet only the smallest part seemed to slip free.
She found the young mare to be pleasant company, the serenity she kept about herself seemed to be contagious and even though they were hunting rocks she found herself feeling relaxed. In fact the moment she discovered Boulder hiding behind a pile of rocks (and he did indeed look exactly like his brother) she felt a slight pang of disappointment that it would all have to end.
“I found him,” she said, holding the stone gently in her hoof as she turned back to Maud.
As soon as she set her eyes on her pet they went wide, followed by a hint of a smile. “You found him,” she agreed, her ears perking up even as her tail swished from side to side. Even with her muted tone it was clear she was very happy.
Carefully she handed the pet over to his owner. “That was nice,” she said, and honestly meant it.
Maud nodded and tucked Boulder into her pocket, next to his brother. “We should do it again,” she said.
That made her smile as she nodded her head. “We should, though not today. I have to get back to my office before that dragon decides to create his own sporting event. But I hope I can see you later.”
“I would like that,” she replied this time the corners of her mouth turning up just slightly with the hint of an actual smile.
* * *
Ms. Harshwhinny had thrown the world ‘disaster’ around rather casually in the time leading up to the start of the Games. Every minor thing could, and usual was, called a disaster. Now, when confronted with the real thing she knew just how unfortunate that had been. A few teams being late, that was just an inconvenience, nearly having a huge cloud of ice level half the stands, that was a disaster.
She felt numb as she went through the motions, checking over all the pegauses who had helped to make sure no one was injured, conferring with the judges and finally announcing that the Ice Archery event would resume in a short time. Everything had to be calm and professional, trying to balance between being concerned for everyone and remaining in charge. It took all her control to keep her voice in check as she publicly thanked Spike for saving the day, even though every fiber of her being wanted her to hug him tight and cheer his name.
When the last speech and finally been given she found herself walking off the field and into the back hallways of the stadium. As soon as she was out of sight of the crowds her confidence deflated and she sank down against one of the plain stone walls. Her whole body ached; not with pain but with something far worse.
Closing her eyes she dropped her head against her hooves and let her ears sink down into her hair. She couldn’t help but wonder how much of this was her fault. Had she been too focused, too driven? Could she have prevented this if she had only slowed down and paid more attention? Was she too selfish? The possibilities rocked in her mind, making her head spin.
“Olympia?” a familiar voice asked.
She lifted her head, finding that Maud was standing in front of her, a look of worry pulling at the corner of her turquoise eyes. She took one hesitant step forward and reached out with her hoof, pulling it back like she wasn’t sure what to do with it. A moment later she shrugged and moved to sit next to the older mare, resting close to her.
Ms. Harshwhinny leaned against her, feeling the stillness of her body even as she shifted a bit, moving to get more comfortable.
“I’m a terrible pony,” she whispered, causing Maud to jump just a little bit.
“Why would you say something like that?” she asked.
The older mare let out a long breath of air and closed her eyes. “When the ice cloud started to fall, the first thought that went through my mind, the very first thought, was ‘This is going to ruin me’. How could I be so selfish when so many lives were in danger? What kind of pony does that make me?”
Maud cocked her head to the side, her ears twitching slightly backwards. “How long did you think that?”
“Only for a moment, but that was long enough,” she said with a sigh.
“But you knew it was wrong, even as you thought it?”
She nodded.
With a small nod the light gray pony placed one hoof on top of hers. “Then you’re not a terrible pony at all.”
Oddly enough the simple words were enough to allow the worry to slip away. If Maud, of all ponies, thought she wasn’t bad, then it must be true.
“Thank you,” she said, the hugged Maud tightly to her, the younger mare seemed to freeze at the contact, her whole body going even more still then normal. For a moment she wondered if she had done the wrong thing, but a second later the stillness melted away and Maud returned the hug.
They pulled apart for a few moments and Harshwhinny was surprised to see the other mare was smiling. Not the slight smile that pulled up at the very corners of her mouth and the edges of her eyes, but an honest to Celestia smile.
She returned the smile and relaxed back against the wall. “I want to thank you as well for being around these last two weeks. Our occasional meetings have been some of the most memorable parts of the games for me.”
Maud nodded, the smile melting away to its usual subtly. “For me as well, no one has ever watched the mountains with me before. Not even my sister.”
“They were lovely, I would never have seen them without you,” she replied.
The other pony nodded as they fell back into a comfortable silence. The sound of the games was echoing from outside the stadium, muted by the structure around them. It created a low bass rumble that seemed to permeate the walls around them. Closing her eyes she relaxed against Maud, feeling the stillness against her, like a rock holding place against the flow of a stream she was unyielding, but in the best possible of ways. With her she could let it all go, the guilt and the anger washing away. True, there would have to be an investigation and it might even truly be her fault, but for the moment that meant nothing to her.
“When are you leaving?” she finally asked.
“Three days.”
She nodded and opened her eyes, looking down at the top of Maud’s head. “Would you like to have dinner together before you go?”
Maud lifted her head, her eyes glittering like the stones on the mountain side. “I would like that,” she replied, the hint of a smile still on her lips.
Olympia returned the smile and leaned against the mare. For now she didn’t know what was going to happen, something that was rare for her, but she wanted to find out. It didn’t matter how things turned out between her and Maud, at least not yet. For now all she wanted was to be with her, and that was enough.
Author's Note
I can offer no explanation as to how this idea came out, but once it had sneaked into my head I really had to give it a spin. I think it came out pretty okay over all. For a one shot it was kind of fun to write even if quite a bit of what I had planed for the story was cut (but I think it's better for that).
