A Second Chance

by nimaru

A Decent Proposal

Chapter 3. A Decent Proposal

Crystal Quarry had lost track of time. She couldn’t remember how long it had been since she’d eaten or slept though, judging by light beams shining from the upper windows, it was sometime in the late afternoon.

She stepped back and stared at the monolithic hunk of marble that was carefully transported to her workshop almost a week ago. It was an impressive stone; standing a full three-pony’s height and weighing many tons. Even with the shop’s arched ceilings, the slab had barely fit.

It would be a dream-come-true under most circumstances, but at that moment, it seemed to Crystal to be much more of a nightmare. Despite the singular honor and once-in-a-lifetime opportunity this task entailed, the expectations were steep; probably impossible.

She narrowed her eyes then turned her head; trying to see the figure inside the stone; waiting for her to release it. She raised her chisel once more and struck it weakly with her hammer.

*TINK*

“Urgh!” she grunted as she flopped to the floor. No matter what she did, she couldn’t find inspiration and, as much as she wished for it, the masterpiece wasn’t going to fall out on its own.

“How did I get into this mess!?” she wondered aloud.

She thought back to the day she met Rose Petal. The pretty mare had seen several of Crystal’s works in the garden and wanted to commission a piece of her own. But being timid by nature, she’d brought a friend to help her.

Crystal Quarry shuddered at the memory.

Winter Willow seemed nice enough though Crystal had caught her intently staring in her direction several times. Eventually she and Rose Petal finished making the request and had left, but for weeks afterward, Winter Willow would find excuses to “drop by and chat”.

Crystal didn’t know what to make of it, but figured some of the other artisans would have noticed the outsider. Thus with a little investigation, she learned the green menace’s true identity: Canterlot’s Minister of Social Restructure.

She wracked her brain trying to figure out what in Equestria could she have possibly done to capture the attention of a pony with such authority and status. Nothing came to mind, but rumors said that Winter Willow’s true passion lie in her secondary duties as head of Heart Healer Hall and that if she thought you were in need, she was relentless.

It was ridiculous of course. Crystal was successful and productive; just because she preferred solitude didn’t mean there was anything wrong with her. Besides, as far as she was concerned, the whole concept of heart healing was a sham in the first place. Anypony who stayed at home crying instead of picking themselves off the floor and facing their problems head on needed a firm hoof, not cuddles. Regardless, Crystal tolerated the interruptions mostly because Winter Willow was the client’s chosen representative, but also because she always brought food.

During their “lunch chats”, Willow would occasionally ask about Rose’s request, but more often than not tried to engage Crystal in casual conversation. Crystal held back at first, but Winter Willow was a really good listener; nodding, prompting her to continue, and seeming to be genuinely interested in what she had to say. Before she knew it, she was ranting about her thoughts on responsibility, hard work, self-reliance, and her disdain for “heart-healing”.

As the thoughts and feelings came flooding out, Crystal had suddenly felt uncomfortable and stopped speaking mid-sentence; though she didn’t know why. She hated feeling vulnerable and was about to lash out when Winter Willow stood, thanked Crystal for the conversation, and excused herself. As she left, Crystal thought she looked pensive and maybe even a little sad.

The next few weeks passed blissfully without interruption until again there was a knock on her door. She expected that Winter Willow had made her return, but instead found a pony that every artisan knew by reputation if not by name… Luau.

Luau didn’t have an official title, but from trade routes and commerce to construction and urban planning, it was said you could see her hoof in every corner of the city. Her organizational skill and energy were the stuff of legends; there was hardly an event in Canterlot that she didn’t help to prepare.

For now, she was serving as grandmaster of ceremonies for the upcoming “castle completion celebration”. Crystal already knew all about it of course; everypony did. But Luau couldn’t contain her excitement and prattled on anyway:

“… the city isn’t complete, but we’ve already accomplished so much… much needed distraction after the banishment… ”

It took so long to get to the point that Crystal had almost missed it: “need a grand sculpture. One crafted by a master to inspire the public for generations with its beauty and strength! A creation so divine that Celestia herself would be in awe!”

It was a lofty goal pitched with unparalleled enthusiasm, but Crystal wasn’t sure if her talents could produce the kind of greatness Luau hoped for. She tried to turn down the request, but a loud bang followed by a small quake announced the delivery of the stone to Crystal’s back shop door.

Whatever protests Crystal had were drowned out as Luau loudly shouted commands to a grunting team of pegasi and unicorns. They positioned the enormous slab in the workshop and disappeared moments later. As Luau left, she called back with one last ominous statement, “my liaison will be along soon to see to your needs.”

And before Crystal could shake the chill that ran down her spine, Winter Willow landed gracefully with a “hello” and a smile.

In the days that followed, the green menace made herself surprisingly useful; supplying Crystal with whatever tools she needed, regularly restocking the pantry, and taking over cleaning and gardening duties. The healer no longer attempted to pry into personal matters, but there was a constant and subtle expectation of … something that kept Crystal permanently on edge. It was exhausting.

*KNOCK* *KNOCK*

“Coming!” Crystal yelled in response as she rolled upright.

She walked upstairs grateful for the distraction. No amount of dwelling would solve her creative block and even if it was Winter Willow behind that door, after staring at white marble for hours straight, she thought it would be nice to see some color.

*************

Crystal stared for a moment at the pure white pony, unable to believe her eyes. She was so plain that if it weren’t for her blue eyes, she’d have seemed like a statue herself. Even her flank was bare!

It was so unexpected that it took Crystal a moment to notice the green menace sitting and smirking beside her. Crystal was sorely tempted to shut the door since anything that made Winter Willow that happy could only mean trouble.

But knowing there was no way to avoid her, she instead said, “Oh. It’s you,” with all the politeness she could muster.

“HelllLLO Crystal Quarry!” Winter Willow replied cheerfully.

Her enthusiasm filled Crystal with dread. “What do you want?” Crystal flatly asked.

“Actually, I have a bit of a problem that I’m hoping you can help me with!”

“Yeah…?” Crystal reluctantly prompted.

“My friend here appears to have memory loss and I just don’t know what to do with her,” Winter Willow shrugged.

Crystal blinked slowly. Don’t know what to do with her!? Don’t you have an entire hall with beds and attendants to handle just this kind of problem?

“I would have kept her in the hall” she continued; seeming to read Crystal’s thoughts. “But I really think she needs to be with other ponies in the city. And then I thought of you! The Artisan District is fairly quiet and you have plenty of room…. and of course we’ll pay you for her expenses.”

“I don’t think I need the distraction of two ponies Winter Willow,” Crystal objected coolly.

“Oh did I forget to mention that she’d be taking over for me for the time being?” Winter Willow smiled innocently. “Why, with her here, I just wouldn’t have any reason to stop by anymore. You can certainly come visit if you have questions about the commission, but I’ll be happy to leave you to your work for as long as you’re willing to provide for my friend here.”

Crystal held her breath.

She had no idea what Winter Willow hoped to gain from this, but it seemed too good to be true. She may not know the white pony’s circumstances, but if Winter Willow felt comfortable leaving her in a workshop with heavy stone, sharp tools, and a distracted artisan, she couldn’t need too much attention.

Crystal momentarily considered that the white pony might not be what she seemed, but while Winter Willow was devious, she was no liar.

The deal was as clear as the blue sky, a houseguest in exchange for freedom from the green menace’s unwanted attention. And even if things went badly, powder pony could be escorted back to healer hall and Crystal would be no worse off than before.

Winter Willow sat patiently with a smug look on her face while Crystal worked it through. Then, somehow sensing when the time was right, she said “So are we in agreement?”

“Alright Winter Willow,” Crystal replied. “I’ll take care of your friend for you.”

She turned to the blank pony and said, “So… I guess you’re going to be staying with me for a while. What’s your name?”

“Wouldn’t you usually give your name first?” Winter Willow cloyingly asked.

Crystal glared at her briefly, celebrating on the inside that she’d not have to deal with her for much longer. “Uh… yeah. Sure. So…” She habitually flipped her hair out of her eyes, causing a small cloud of marble dust to fall in the process.

She impatiently blew the dust away and said, “I’m Crystal Quarry.”

The white pony had been staring at her curiously, but frowned suddenly and said nothing.

“And you are?” Crystal asked, annoyed. Is she daft too?

The white pony smiled genuinely in response while Crystal’s question hung uncomfortably in the air. The silence was finally broken when the pony’s stomach grumbled so loudly that Crystal nearly started.

Crystal looked wide eyed to Winter Willow who was smiling; clearly amused at the outburst. She met Crystal’s gaze for a moment before saying, “It looks like everything’s fine here. See you around Crystal Quarry.” And with a quick flap, she was gone.

She turned back to the white pony who looked sheepish at the outburst. Now that they were alone, the reality of the situation set in and Crystal started to have second thoughts.

What have I gotten myself into!?

Author's Note:

Finally, the two main characters of the story meet.

A few notes: This took a LONG time not only because I was working on many other things inbetween, but because this chapter was REALLY hard to write. I actually rewrote and cut large parts several times until I finally felt that it wast conveying the right amount of information and in the right way. Despite the fact that I finished two other comics and several vector art packages, I've been working on this chapter for the last month solid.

Part of the issue was that I realized that there was no way to continue the story unless I started writing some of the later chapters NOW. What that means is that since Chapter 2, I've written FOUR other chapters (including this one). The good news is that after I reach the half-way point in the story, the rest should come out pretty fast.

Comments

[reader238]

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