The Equestria Games had just concluded, and their esteemed coordinator, Ms. Harshwhinny, had just started leaving the premises after a riveting closing ceremony. It was a spectacular sight, even for her, and yet, she was experiencing a feeling that nopony had ever publicly spotted her in. She wasn't feeling like her typical stern self, nor was she excited over the spectacle that she had just witnessed. She was... depressed. She was wondering to herself what she would do next, for she had not scheduled herself to supervise any new projects or events for at least the next few months to come. This sense of not being needed, or having the need to assert herself, left her feeling hollow, perhaps even useless. As she exited the stadium's boundaries, she tried to shake off her emotions, over the possibility that she'd be spotted looking sad, and with her professional status, she could not afford to look emotional. One pony in particular, however, an orange pegasus stallion donned in the golden armor of a royal guard, couldn't help but notice her looking upset in some way. He affixed his eyes on her, trying to follow her without being noticed, only to bump into a pillar and cause her to turn her head towards him in reaction.
"Sir Sentry, I presume? It is rather undignified of a royal guard to be fumbling around. You must remain steadfast." As he listened to her voice, he couldn't help but pick up a sense of loneliness in her vocal tone. A familiar sense of loneliness that he too had been experiencing.
"Yes, Ms. Harshwhinny, ma'am," he replied with a salute. She continued walking along her way, finally exiting the premises of the stadium, while he held his post, still thinking about the middle-aged mare.
A few days had passed since the two locked eyes, and Flash Sentry was relieved to learn that he had been given the day off. He decided to take this time to explore the Crystal Empire, as he had only known the castle inside and out since he was stationed inside it. He was walking through a particularly empty street, still adorned in his guard uniform, sans his helmet, when he noticed the same middle-aged mare sitting on a bench, looking rather somber.
"Ms. Harshwhinny, ma'am," he said trying to get her attention, "why are you still here in the Crystal Empire? Don't have a home to return to somewhere else?" She looked up at the blue-maned off-duty guard with a neutral expression, even more so than when she was maintaining her professionalism.
"Yes, I do suppose you are right, but I currently have no obligations in my hometown, and I have been meaning to see the rest of the Crystal Empire for myself." He nodded in understanding, and in doing so, he noticed a sense of listlessness in her, one that could only accompany a lack of ambition or drive. This vibe he felt from her felt oddly familiar, and he couldn't help but feel obligated to help her, so he took a seat next to her, and looked at the sky above them as he started to speak.
"You know, I didn't get to see much from the Equestria Games, since I am a royal guard, but from what I saw, it was one of the most exciting years ever for the event. I almost wanted to participate myself." She looked at the optimistic stallion and feigned a grin at him, trying to be polite, only to return to her moping immediately afterwards. He looked at her, and placed his wing on her back, which unnerved her, but she was too depressed for any physical reaction. "Hey, if it would help you feel better, I could come with you to see the rest of the Empire. I've been wanting to see it for myself as well, and from the looks of it, you could use a companion for a while." She looked at him with a slight sense of perplexity, as nopony had ever offered to accompany her in her ventures before, but all the same she nodded in acceptance and the two both stood back up and started to walk together.
Ms. Harshwhinny was no expert with conversation that did not regard business as usual, and Flash Sentry was still feeling anxious over being able to speak with a mare, even one at her age, so the two did not speak with each other much, if at all, but they did occasionally look at each other and smile. After an hour or so of walking together, Ms. Harshwhinny decided to break the ice.
"Sir Sentry, may I confess something to you?"
"Go ahead, Ms. Harshwhinny." She took a couple of deep breaths before finally speaking again,
"There is another reason why I did not return home from the Equestria Games after they concluded. You see, where I live, it is nothing but business and formalities, and I did need some time to escape it all. But then I remembered that I do not have any family or friends to spend such time with. You would think a professional such as myself would be able to keep herself steadfast, like I told you to, but in reality, without something to occupy myself, my life is rather sad and hollow. I simply hope you don't look at me as some sort of depressed old mare for this." He placed his hoof under her chin, looked into her eyes, and replied,
"Ms. Harshwhinny, don't worry yourself so much. Your reasons for maintaining your professionalism are the same as mine for enlisting in the royal guard. I don't have any real friends or family either, and nopony ever seemed to care for me. All I've ever wanted is somepony to care about, as well as return the favor. I thought by joining the royal guard, I would gain some discipline and self-respect, and perhaps meet somepony who saw me as a great stallion for it. Sadly for me, that hasn't happened. I came close with Princess Twilight, but it's as if I wasn't the same pony she thought I was, and we had only bumped into each other twice. I'm sure I sound like some pathetic sad sack to you right now, don't I?"
"No, not at all," she replied in fascination, "that is exactly how I feel, the only difference being at my age, any sort of love interest seems pointless. My life is almost half-lived, and I do not have any connections with anypony. In a business sense, perhaps, but not in a kinship sense." He could only feel bad for her, partially in empathy, but in a sympathetic sense as well.
"You know, I must say, you're quite the interesting mare, Ms. Harshwhinny. If you wouldn't mind, I could take you out for dinner later tonight at this restaurant I've heard about, my treat. " She blushed and her heart raced, as nopony had ever been so kind as to offer to take her out to dinner, unless it was a corporate meeting of some sort.
"Why... I'm flattered, Sir Sentry. Very well then, I'll meet you in which location?"
"Do you know about the metropolitan diner, south of the castle? That's the place I had in mind. Does that location at sundown sound good to you?"
"Most certainly. I shall prepare myself and meet you there." As the stallion nodded and flew off, she had put on a smile she had never given since she saw the three young fillies first perform Ponyville's flag-carrying routine from this year's games. She started walking along her way, thinking only about her plans for the night, and the stallion she would share them with. Meanwhile, Flash Sentry was quite exhilarated. He was tempted to consider this as his chance to finally have a date with a mare, but he snapped back to reality and remembered he and Ms. Harshwhinny had barely known each other, and jumping to such conclusions could only turn out disastrous. Either way, he was still happy to know he would finally have somepony with whom to share a casual evening.
Princess Celestia had finally lowered the sun, and Flash Sentry was standing outside the restaurant he had mentioned, wearing a tuxedo. He had occupied his waiting time by thinking about Ms. Harshwhinny, and everything she had told him. As he waited, he realized he may feel a sense of affection for her, despite their large age difference. He finally noticed the middle-aged mare walking towards him, dressed in a fine purple suit as usual.
"So, looks like you found me. You sure know how to dress to impress, Ms. Harshwhinny."
"I could say the same for you, Sir... oh, forgive me, Mr. Flash Sentry." He gave a sheepish smile and walked to the entrance, opening the door for her. "Oh my, such a gentlecolt. Thank you." He smiled and followed her in, bumping his head into the door along the way. A waitress greeted them and brought them to a table, as Flash Sentry has already made reservations for the two of them, to Ms. Harshwhinny's impression. As the two took their seats, and started looking at their menus, Flash took a glance at her and blushed.
"You know, Ms. Harshwhinny, I must say, you look rather ravishing tonight."
"Oh... why thank you," she said with a slight blush, "but really, I simply found something formal to wear and came as is, nothing special." He was impressed by her humility, and nearly got flustered.
"How do I look tonight?"
"Well, rather dashing, if you must know. I'll admit, a casual dinner does not come often for me, not to mention we've only known each other for a few days, so I did not exactly bring a list of topics to discuss."
"It's okay, Ms. Harshwhinny, I didn't really think of much to say either. I honestly never thought I'd get this far with anypony else." The two of them suddenly looked into each other's eyes and smiled, as another waitress came to their table to take their orders.
Their orders had finally arrived after a quiet, perhaps even awkward wait, and Flash Sentry, being the active nature, started feasting on his own meal, granted he wasn't quick about it, as he still wished to impress Ms. Harshwhinny, whom he saw as his superior. Before she could take her own first bite, Flash decided to re-spark the conversation.
"So, Ms. Harshwhinny, you said you never really had much family or friends to care about in your life, just like I did. I hope I'm not sounding too bold by asking you what you mean by that."
"Oh, it's really no trouble at all. Perhaps elaborating on my past will help me convey how I feel." He looked at her in attention, as she began to explain her past. "As you can probably imagine, I grew up living a life of hard work and studiousness. My parents raised me quite strictly, given I was an only foal, and rarely acknowledged any affections for me, even on the celebrations of my birthday, which were never even very festive to begin with, as they saw it as just another day of business as usual. Now, they weren't at all neglectful of me, mind you, they did tend to my needs as any other parent would, but everything else, I had to earn. Their acknowledgement, their respect, sometimes even their love. When I was in school, I was told to remain focused on my studies, as that was my main reason for attendance. Even then, I had tutors, counselors, and other supportive figures in my education to meet with afterwards, so I never had much free time to enjoy with other students, and as a result, I never exactly made any friends. The good that came of this was that I was always at the top of my class, and being the highest honor student, my cutie mark that you see here emerged. Tragedy then struck when I finally completed my education and my parents suddenly took ill and quickly passed. I was left all alone with nothing but my own studies and serious nature to reinforce myself. I always remembered to keep myself upright and uptight, for that way, the family business would remain intact. Even today, I continue to carry on the wishes of my late parents." The stallion was shocked, almost brought to tears even, as he never expected a mare like her to be so deprived of an enjoyable life. As she placed a hoof on the table, he met it with one of his own, looked into her eyes, and replied,
"Honestly, I know how it feels to have a lack of support. I came from a life of tragedy too, if you don't mind me explaining." She affixed her eyes on him, as if to show that she was listening, as he continued to speak. "I was raised by a single father. He was, to be blunt, pathetic. And he wanted to do everything he could to prove to me I'd end up just like him. We were poor when I grew up, and I could barely afford to go to school. I'd be attentive with my studies in class, while trying to build up my own self-esteem back home. I wanted to prove to the stallion I generously called my father that I would someday be worth something. I was never the brightest student, and I was always kind of a klutz, in fact I still am that way today, as you've probably seen, however, when I finally finished school, I passed by a booth where they were recruiting new trainees for the royal guard. I knew in my heart this was my golden chance to shine, and that's when my cutie mark appeared. I quickly returned home to tell my father of the news after signing up, only to find he had taken his own life shortly before my return. I was left alone, just like you were, but I had to keep going, for my family's sake. I left for my training a few days later, and the rest is history." She was dumbfounded. She knew he wasn't the most studious of royal guards, but she never expected a past so similar to her own in this stallion. The two locked eyes again, this time in a sense of connection, if not affection.
"You know... I haven't arranged for a place to stay for the night, Mr. Flash Sentry. If I may be so bold, would you mind letting me stay the night with you?"
"I'd be honored, Ms. Harshwhinny." The two of them nodded and leaned in, giving each other a quick nuzzle, before looking around to make sure nopony noticed, and they continued to feast on their meals, or rather start feasting in Ms. Harshwhinny's case.
After they finished their dinner, Flash Sentry escorted Ms. Harshwhinny outside the restaurant, hoof-in-hoof, and led her to his home at the edge of the Empire. It was surprisingly humble, considering his position as a royal guard, being only one story and having a living room, kitchen, bathroom, and two bedrooms. Then again, given the story he told her, the surprise factor was much lower than one would expect. After leading her inside, he took a seat in the living room.
"Ms. Harshwhinny, if you wish, you may freshen up in the bathroom. I was hoping to catch up on my studies of Equestrian history, anyway." She nodded and headed for the stallion's bathroom, as he lay down and started reading through a large book. She came back into the living room some time later, with a bathrobe on and a towel wrapped around her mane.
"I hope you don't mind if I borrowed these for the night. I would have brought my own had I known I would be coming here ahead of time."
"It's not a problem at all, Ms. Harshwhinny. I was just about to head to bed, since I have to return to my guard duty tomorrow. Speaking of which, there's another bedroom across the hall from mine for you to sleep in."
"Actually, Flash Sentry, if it wouldn't be too much trouble for you, perhaps we could share a bed? You see, until I met you, I've never met a pony with whom I share so many commonalities, and although our age difference is striking, I would love the company of such a fine bedfellow." He blushed deeply at the mare's response, but he was actually feeling the same way himself, so he simply nodded in agreement and walked to his bedroom. She took tome time alone to contemplate the connection the two of them have made, despite only knowing each other for a few days, and soon followed him in with a smile and noticed him already under his covers.
"Just come in whenever you're ready, unless you want to take the other bedroom," he said to her in a soft vocal tone. She still felt somewhat unsteady, having been accustomed to sleeping alone for so long, but she felt far too enthralled in him to spend any further time alone, so she slowly walked into the bed and got herself under the covers. It was rather comfortable for her, and she slowly turned to her side and closed her eyes. Meanwhile, Flash Sentry placed a hoof over her back for an embrace, and she smiled in response.
"Flash Sentry," she started with her eyes still closed, "thank you for the most amazing evening I have ever had. Because of you, I finally have something to think about when I'm not focused on my work. You're quite the pony, I must say, even if you are slightly clumsy."
"It's my pleasure, Ms. Harshwhinny. And hey, if you ever need a break from work, you can always come back at any time."
"I may just end up doing so, with your incredible hospitality." The two looked into each other's eyes and shared a quick peck on the muzzle between each other before closing their eyes and drifting off to sleep for the night.
The morning sun had just been risen, and both ponies had woken up at the same time, as if their minds had synchronized. Flash Sentry quickly got up, had a light breakfast, and donned his royal guard uniform, as Ms. Harshwhinny dressed herself in her purple suit. The two walked out the front door together, and gave each other a quick hug before saying their goodbyes and parting ways. They both couldn't help but smile knowing that an unlikely relationship had formed between the two of them, and they each have the memories from the night before to fuel them to do their best in their work. Somepony had to be there for both of them, and neither of them could have asked for a better choice than each other.