//------------------------------//
// 1 - Taking an Assignment 
// Story: Dark as Ink at Night 
// by David Silver 
//------------------------------//

Raven Inkwell considered her words, scrawled out busily with her floating quill, her horn glowing gently as she worked. She had the entire day worked out, one event after the other. "Your highness." She looked at Twilight Sparkle, sitting tall on the throne. "I've prepared your schedule."

Celestia would have smiled. She would have thanked Raven for her work and took the list for study. Twilight, instead, looked surprised. "I mentioned this before." Her magic easily took the note from Raven. "But I have my scheduling thoroughly prepared. Thank you for the effort, but your talents are better used elsewhere."

“Princess,” Raven watched her notes end up in the out box, “You don’t have to do that. My job is to be on top of these things for you.”

Twilight pursed her lips briefly, but smiled after. “I know, Raven, but I like to be on top of these things myself, and even for that I have my assistant,” she waved her hoof at a small dragon who was carrying a stack of papers nearly as large as himself. Spike smiled uneasily and tried to hide behind them.

Twilight took the stack of papers, pulling out a smaller package of them. “And I meant it, when I said your talents were needed elsewhere.” The package was presented to Raven. “I have a task for you.”

Raven took the package, opening it up–

—--


Raven’s hoof slipped as she stepped off of the giant log, causing her to splat down in the wet mud underneath.

While she had remained on the path Princess Twilight had suggested, the forest remained untamed. It was wet in places a pony needed to step, and sported no few dangers. "Stick to the path," she reminded herself as she pressed forward. "I'll be there shortly."

She looked ahead to where she hoped to see the top of a castle, but only trees taunted her in that dense forest of the Everfree.

Eventually, though, the trees began to thin. Small bushes turned to clumps of wildflowers, and soon Raven stood before the decaying structure she knew well: the Old Castle. The castle of the Twin Sisters. One of whom used to be her boss, her literal sun, and her reason for being.

The castle did not look good. Most of it still stood, but what parts fell into ruin had done so thoroughly. Broken spires jutted out, vines had taken hold across the walls. What windows were left were almost all shattered. But Raven took pride in her job, already thinking through what had to be repaired and in what order those would have to be done in order to see the task done. "I won't fail in this."

She made her way into the ruins proper. The interior definitely was not designed in the same way that Canterlot Castle was. The areas in it remained dark, often having corridors with small slits to let in enough light to see, but not enough light to really illuminate the surroundings.

The walls were peppered with books and tapestries, too. All valuable historical artifacts, by now, and Raven only wanted to touch them when she had something to do with them, leaving them safe for now.

And she noted passages deeper into the castle. Princess Twilight’s notes included that there were underground chambers and secret passageways, which she would have to map out more comprehensively as well.

As she explored, looking for a place with enough light to spread out, she found the significant (and possibly active) landmark of note: a glimmering crystal house that was also a crystal tree, the regrowth from the Tree of Harmony, with ties to some of the students of Twilight’s friendship school, back in Ponyville.

She peered into it, and in stark contrast to the dilapidated castle, the interior was opulent and new. But also it appeared empty, and Raven was here to fix up the castle. In fact, she would have to be sure the new layout could accommodate this tree, and potentially even accommodate it growing over time.


There were lots of ways this project could go, and each of them more complex than the last. And yet, Raven couldn't help but feel excitement. She could prove to Twilight she was worth her talents beyond scheduling. Perhaps that would help open her new ruler and boss to accept her help in scheduling?

She paused, ears pricking at a sound. Had something moved? Perhaps it was a wild beast. Raven scowled in its direction, considering her options. While hiding was a perfectly acceptable option, it felt like a dead end. She had to control the castle, not hide from part of it. She strode towards it instead. "Whatever you are, I am Raven Inkwell, and I come with royal authority." Not that a cockatrice would care too much about that.

But, coming around the corner, she saw no monster. Instead, royalty, dark furred and with a delicate frown of thought. "Princess Luna?!" Raven jumped with surprise. "I didn't expect you to be here."

Luna examined Raven for a quiet moment. "I could say much the same. But this is my castle, so I would say you are the pony in the less likely position, if we had to compare." She rose to her metal-clad hooves. "Why are you here?"

"For the restoration project, Princess Luna." Raven glanced at her papers. "I thought you had retired, with your sister. Where is she?"

Luna shook her head. "It does not matter." And she started to walk past Raven, back out the way she came. "Not here."

Raven grimaced and wheeled around, following Luna. “Well,” she removed the paperwork and hovered them in front of Luna. Luna did not take the papers like Celestia would. “I am tasked with restoring this–” She bumped against the wall, losing some distance, and trotted to try to keep up. “--historic site to a condition that might be usable again.”

Was it her imagination, or did Luna speed up? She was certainly having trouble keeping up. “And preserving the information and books within.”

Luna abruptly stopped, causing Raven to stumble in place. “But why are you here? Shouldn’t you be keeping a schedule for Twilight Sparkle? Taking notes? Making sure the Diplomats have the tea in time for them to meet with her?”

She was so large. Obviously Celestia and Luna were always large, but Celestia was always approachable. Luna was big and staring Raven down with a sour expression.

“W-well,” Raven struggled to regain her social footing, standing up. “Princess Twilight Sparkle tasked me with doing this,” She hovered the page showing that it was signed with Twilight’s seal, indicating she personally supervised the paperwork.

Luna’s sour expression deepened.


Raven got defensive. Of course it had to be Twilight who assigned this to her. She wouldn't have taken this on herself. "My normal work has been reassigned, as Twilight sees fit."

Luna waved Raven away. "And, as she orders, and my sister ordered before her, so you must do."

Raven felt stunned, smashed by those words. "O-of course?" She couldn't even comprehend an alternative. "They are my liege, and I am their humble servant. This is my job."

Luna leveled a hoof at Raven. "I am also a princess of Equestria. Will you listen to my commands?"

Raven's gut clenched. The Moon Princess had vanished for years. The idea she was giving direct commands was absurd, considering she had also retired alongside her sister.

Luna's eyes narrowed, and she bared her teeth, with fangs gleaming. "I thought not. My domain remains mine. My sister did not see to its disposition, nor did Twilight Sparkle."

"And what--" Raven stopped her question, realizing the answer. "Dreams?"

"Of course." Luna half-lidded her eyes. "What else would I speak of? Dreams, and the night. Neither of which have another ruler to take their charge. Now, I have a question for you." She nodded at the papers Raven floated along. "Do those tell you what this castle will be used for, in Twilight's mad fantasies?"

Raven tried to regain control of the situation. "It is not my place to ponder such things, but Princess Twilight Sparkle intends to use it as a museum."

Luna chuckled dryly. "A museum. My entire foalhood--" She sighed gently, turning away. "Turned into an attraction for gawkers."

“It’s not gawkers,” Raven argued “It would help this generation gain an appreciation for the events of ancient history.”

Luna turned back. “Ancient…”

Raven’s expression fell, hearing this response.

“If you hadn’t noticed, I am still here.” Luna’s expression was obscured by her facing. “I remain.”

“I’m sorry,” Raven scrambled to recover. “It was a slip, it was just… a thousand years ago.”

“A thousand years that I was not around for, you mean,” Luna said.

Raven considered her trusty clipboard and flipped through it, horn glowing with her lifting magic. "Then, may I propose, this may be of use to you as well, Your Highness."

Luna turned around, looking at Raven curiously.

Raven presented the top paper, on which were details of her current plans. "We intend to restore the castle to the glory of your youth. In this plan, we'll get to all of the old sections. As we work on this, we will, and must, explain the differences and demonstrate them, of those days, and these." She waved out over the area the castle was in, even if it was night. "Ponies must appreciate the changes, for good, or ill."

Luna was silent for a moment, before raising a hoof. "These pages indicate nothing of the sort. They're mostly about renovations to make it livable for your workers. There is not one word about preserving it. No word about leaving any of it untouched. And not even a hint that you will document or label what is different between the old ways and the new ways."

Raven adjusted her glasses with a sly smirk. "Astute, but, ma'am, this is only step one. Our first priority is to get this castle intact, so that no further damage can befall it, or its contents. Only then can we even consider what we will do with it all."

“And then where is it written that Twilight Sparkle’s intention is to use it as a museum?” Luna raised an eyebrow.

“It’s what she told me–” Raven began.

“And even if this were true, then it would be turned into one of those awful ‘tourist traps’ that I have been subjected to to show me the various histories of Equestria?” Luna began to pace. “A record of lives, robbed of their gravitas, a place for ponies to go when they need a place to amuse their foals for an afternoon?”

“I would not--” Raven was cut off again.

“Wouldn’t you?” Luna stepped up. “I saw the memorial to Commander Hurricane. And I saw a group of schoolfoals bored, trying to sneak away. I saw the ancient site where earth ponies commemorate their relationship to the land, and I saw some ponies selling an oversized hat to wear to look like a tree.

“Did those ponies believe they were honoring the past? I’m sure. But instead they either turned it stale or turned it into a place to do commerce.”

“But–” Raven began again. “This is what Princess Twilight wants.”

“I have met Twilight Sparkle before, Miss Inkwell. I do not believe she has a very realistic opinion on the use and regard of such sites.”

Raven clenched her teeth, a thousand ideas jostling in her mind, but not a single one of them coming to her lips. "You don't have all the answers." Luna turned away. "Just commands from a ruler wet behind both ears." She marched away without another word, path straight and wings tight.

Raven opened her mouth, but nothing came out. The frustration filled her up inside. She grabbed a book from the shelves and threw it in Luna's wake, sending it tumbling into a wall and crumpling to the ground. She realized a moment later the crime she had committed and grabbed the book with her magic, floating it over.

She sighed miserably as she put the book back where it belonged. "It didn't deserve that. I am better than that." She closed her eyes, doing her best to regather herself. "My mission is--" She swelled with her breath. "--unchanged."

But then, once she had a full breath in, she couldn't let it out. What was wrong with her? Why didn't she argue back with Luna? Why was she so afraid?

And she bit back a scream as she took out her quill and started writing out her schedule and observations for that day, trying to calm down.

She kept at this for several minutes, before her own actions occurred to her. She frowned deeply. She should be working on this project, not fretting about whether her princess would approve of her.

"I need to take full measure." She rose to her hooves. "I need to hire construction ponies. There are things that must be done, and I am here, feeling poorly for myself. What would Celestia think?" She cringed, realizing what she had said. "What indeed?"