Author's Note
I saw this comment on Reddit, and the idea refused to leave me alone. You are welcome.
Where did everyone go?
Grover VI was not certain of how he had ended up alone with the earth pony. Less than fifteen minutes ago the entire ballroom had been filled to the brim with ponies and griffons celebrating the newfound friendship between Equestria and Griffonian Empire. Now it was empty except for the two of them. Everyone had disappeared so fast magic had to be involved. Given there were ponies present, that was entirely possible.
The gray mare stared at him with a blank expression on her face. Maud Pie. She was dressed in an Equestrian officer's beige evening uniform, and a purple pickelhaube sat on her head. A bit of purple mane peeked from under the helmet. The young emperor had heard about her exploits during the Great War but had not expected to meet her face to face.
Everything was quiet, apart from the howling of February wind outside, and the crackling of a fire in a large hearth.
As the silence dragged on, Grover found himself praying to Boreas that his light orange feathers hid the blush on his face. Grover refused to admit to having a crush on the pony. Neither had he stolen several looks at her throughout the evening. Still, that impassive look on her face seemed to judge him.
"Um... good evening ma'am," Grover began, shuffling his orange robes. "I hope you are well."
"I am," she answered after a short pause with a monotone voice. Her gaze shifted a little to the right. It was the first time she had moved since the two found themselves alone. "You are the Emperor. We met at the reception."
"Yes," Grover answered, his mind racing for something to say. He kicked it in the flank so it would work faster. Normally it was not this slow. It wasn't slow at all. The two had exchanged formalities hours ago, so now he did not have the extra time they provided.
"I should get the door," Grover offered. "See where everyone is."
"No need. Princess Cadence sealed the door. We cannot open it."
Oh. Grover realized he would have to talk with a mare he most certainly did not have a crush on. Thankfully, captain Pie took the initiative. "So, you prevented the army from putting down the student protests and negotiated with the leaders?"
It was a surprising question, but at least it gave them something to talk about. At his affirmative answer, the mare continued: "That was a nice thing to do. Boulder approves." She pulled a small pebble from her breast pocket.
Nice was an odd word. The right thing was more along Grover's-
"Boulder?" He found himself asking as lady Pie's actions registered in his mind. "Is that Boulder?"
Grover's fears of appearing foolish were dissuaded by her slow nod. " Boulder is my pet. He likes you. Isn't that right, Boulder?"
The stone in her hoof remained silent. Grover blinked. The stone remained damning in its silence.
"So, do you like rocks, or is Boulder a special case?" Grover asked, hoping he did not accidentally interrupt the pebble.
"I was a rock farmer," she answered. "I liked rocks. Then the army hired me to dig trenches. I still like rocks but in a different way. After the war, I still dig rocks, but don't farm them."
Don't question the farming part, Grover thought. What he said out loud was: "That is interesting. I have never met someone with such a profession. Is rock... farming any different from mining other things, like coal or iron?"
"There are differences. Rocks are farmed, like rye or wheat. Coal and iron are mined like copper."
Of course.
"But I understand why you haven't heard about it. It is a rare job."
Grover nodded along, listening intently. It was surprisingly interesting. Apparently lady Pie was capable of digging through stone with her bare hooves. He found it hard to believe, but then again, ponies had magic unlike any other creature's. When the war against changelings began, that ability had been useful for entrenching at an astonishing speed, even in terrain too hard to fortify.
"You are great at working with stone," Grover admitted after Maud- LADY PIE- was done with her explanation. "Do you need to recognize different kinds of stones from one another?"
"Yes," she answered, gazing at the wall. "The walls are made from granite. I would have to use more strength to get through it than the steatite statue at the staircase.
Grover paled as he realized what statue she was speaking of. The giant statue of Grover I was irreplaceable in every sense of the word, and the thought of someone being able to destroy it just like that...
"Are you alright?" lady Pie asked, suddenly appearing in front of Grover. "You are paler than marble."
"I am fine," he hurried to reassure her. "Thank you for your concern. How exactly do you recognize different materials?"
"Smell. Taste. The texture. I usually look at the color first."
"Could you show me your skills in action? Can you tell what the chandelier is made of?" Grover pointed at the large chandelier in the center of the ceiling.
"It is made from Angelite," the earth pony answered without hesitation. "It has been polished, so it looks different than in nature."
"That is impressive," Grover admitted. He would not have known about the material, had he not read a book about the palace's rooms during a bout of boredom.
"Your eyes are the same color."
"Sorry?"
"Your eyes are the same color as the polished Angelite. It looks nice."
Before the flustered griffon had a chance to say anything, a strong gust of wind smothered the hearth. Darkness filled the room, with the only light coming from the chandeliers.
"The room has no heating," lady Pie observed. "With the stone wall, it will be cold very soon. Princess Cadence will not let us out for a while."
"How do you know?"
"Maud sense."
Maud... never mind. Grover accepted he would not understand the pony, and leaving that obstacle behind, became a happier griffon.
"Does your uniform protect against the cold?"
"No." With that, she walked next to Grover and sat down. "This is the most effective method of staying warm."
After a moment of silence, Grover tentatively reached out with a wing. "May, I lady Pie?"
"Yes. And you can call me Maud."
With that, Grover wrapped his wing around Maud's barrel. It was an effective way to keep them warm, after all. As the emperor watched the last embers fade away, Maud leaned in closer than was necessary. For the briefest of moments, he could have sworn a smile appeared on her emotionless face.
XXXX
Outside the ballroom, Cadence leaned away from the door with a smug grin. Next to her, an old pink griffon scowled as she noticed her face.
"I cannot believe I agreed to this. The number of favors I had to call in to set up the ball during your Hearts and Hooves day, and then make everyone leave the ball was astonishing. All to set Grover, my baby Grover, up with a foreign officer."
"And, you lost a bet on how long it would take for them to embrace," Cadence reminded her. Behind the pink griffon, princesses Lycklig and Sköldsvärd seemed particularly pleased.
"How did you even know she was interested in him?"
"I am the princess of love. I know the captain's sister, general Pinkie Pie. I believe you can see where I am going," Cadence explained to the duchess.
"I do indeed. Oh well, favors well used."
