//------------------------------// // 3 - Younger Objections // Story: Dark as Ink at Night // by David Silver //------------------------------// For a brief but wonderful time, Raven watched the workers busy themselves and only had to call out when they slowed or wandered from her meticulous plans. All was going according to plan. Looking back, that was, itself, a sign that something was coming. "What's this?" A female dragon, a younger one, landed and looked over the construction with confusion. "This wasn't here before." Raven emerged from the castle, moving directly for the dragon that was not at all part of her plans. "Ma'am, we're busy with an official Equestrian crown project." She stood tall, confident that the nature of her project would send the interloper scurrying. It did not. Smolder cocked a brow at Raven. "Yeah, cool, but no." She hiked a thumb at the crystal tree there in the courtyard. "That tree-house is ours. You know that, right?" Raven looked at the tree-house, her horn glowing as she produced her clipboard and went over the blueprints. "That's not mentioned." "It is now." Smolder put her hands on her hips. "I see." Raven turned the clipboard around for Smolder to examine its contents. "You will be pleased then to know that I've allowed a ten feet clearance on all sides, to ensure no harm befalls your tree-house or its contents. It is not involved in this project." Smolder practically glared holes in the clipboard. “And what if it gets bigger?” Raven looked back, and down at her clipboard and up to the clubhouse. “It’s… a building. How could it get bigger?” Smolder flapped her wings into the air, hovering over Raven, her arms thrown up. “It’s a magic house grown out of a world-saving tree. A tree growing bigger is normal.” Raven continued to flip through her sheets. She hadn’t made many assumptions it would grow larger. “Are you sure it would get larger? It grew from the tree of harmony, right?” Smolder folded her arms, still up in the air. “That’s right. It’s kind of a big deal.” “Didn’t… Twilight’s castle also grow out of the Tree of Harmony?” She looked up over the clipboard to the dragon above her. “Her castle hasn’t changed in shape in the years it’s been around. I see no reason to assume that this would change that much.” Smolder frowned from her place above, starting to lose a little height. Raven flipped the clipboard back around matter-of-factly. “With ten feet for clearance, I’m sure that’s enough to fit your tree-house, so we can get moving.” “Well, what about getting to our treehouse. A bunch of extra walls and ponies in the way doing whatever you want them to do won’t be very good.” “I don’t see any reason it would be much harder. The renovated paths should be relatively straightforward." Raven pointed at her own hooves and the imaginary dotted line leading to where the entrance would stand, so stately and ready to receive guests. "As residents, we will get you passes to enter during off hours, of course." Smolder landed, hand to her face. "Wow, yeah, great. We’ll need your permission to go to our treehouse. I'm glad I just put that thought in your head. Look, whoever you are—" "—Raven Inkwell." Raven nodded properly. "Whatever." Smolder waved it away. "We were here first. Try to act like that matters, a little, okay? The tree got here first, and we were second. You're a distant third." “This was a project assigned to me by Princess Twilight Sparkle herself–” “Well it’s not hers to give away!” Raven sucked in a little air and steeled herself. She was no stranger to having to get more harsh. She had dealt with many a Canterlotian citizen who didn’t like a project, or the timing of an event, or any decision of Princess Celestia. Having to explain what was up, and that this decision was already made and already took their situation into consideration was a somewhat unpleasant task, but was necessary. “As princess, she in fact does have the authority to create these projects, anywhere in the kingdom.” She stood herself up, trying to look as impassive and serious as she looked Smolder in the eyes. “And I believe that the terms I am presenting are more than accommodating, given that fact. The project will continue with or without your approval, and if you will cause a problem for us it will be a problem for you.” Smolder scowled, nearly growling. “This is ours. Not yours, not Twilight’s, not the Ponies of Equestrias’. Ours.” The two stood there, in the grass and sun, the construction behind them, the wind blowing between them, as neither gave way. "You go fast." Yona came stomping in, Sandbar behind her. "What race? We not do—" She came to a stop, seeing the workers busy and Smolder having a heated chat with Raven. Sandbar accelerated towards them. "Woah, what's all this about? Don't you work for Princess Celestia? I thought she retired!" Raven blinked at the newcomers, backing off a half step. "I work for the royal family, as is my honor, yes." She tapped her hoof, waiting for a reply, but received none. "That the royal family has exchanged ruling members does not immediately cause me to be dismissed. Now, as I was saying." She turned back to Smolder. Smolder stepped back, her hands on her hips. “She was saying that she’s takin’ over the castle here, building up whatever around it, and going to make us get permission to come into our treehouse.” “Wait, really?” Sandbar tilted his head. “That’s kinda messed up.” Raven’s eyes widened only a little. These were the other ponies–er–creatures, who were involved in this tree house? Just how many were? She regained her senses, and stepped back a little so that she could address the group, to be safe. “No, that’s not correct, I said that I would make sure you would have passes to come through during off hours in the castle.” A silence fell and it looked like both the Pony and the Yak were clearly thinking this through. “Well… uh.” Sandbar finally piped up. “That’s pretty similar to having to ask you permission to come through.” Raven frowned. “But I just said, you will be allowed through.” “Through what, though? Like, guards? Will they have to check our passes?” Raven flipped through her notes, retrieving the requisite pages. “Yes, the current plan is to have a system of passes to tell who is allowed through at what times, with people who will be paying for entrance having their own passes with dates on them.” The three there peered at the documents, apparently reading them over. “This very confusing,” the yak finally said. “We have to go through this and show necklaces to get in every time?” “Well… yes, there will need to be security for a site such as this,” Raven explained, “especially once it is open to the public.” “And I bet there will be a lot of ponies coming around,” Smolder said, snorting. “Paying to see the castle, I guess. Is our treehouse an exhibit?” “Of course not!” Raven exclaimed, folding up the notes. “If you want a copy of the notes I can give you it, but I assure you, you will be given passes to be let in, you will have a path to come in, others will not be allowed in. Everything is already provided for, and the project will proceed as planned.” “I guess…” Sandbar rubbed the back of his head. “She does say it’ll all be in order.” Smolder scoffed. “It sounds like a heapload of trouble as is and we don’t even know if these are actually the last plans.” “I can assure you the plans are stable.” Raven adjusted her glasses. “Unless you have any suggestions.” “Don’t build anything and leave us alone?” Smolder snapped to say, with a smarmy grin on her face. “Unacceptable.” Raven said, her own expression unamused. Another bout of silence fell across the group. Sandbar raised a hoof. "We're getting carried away. Um, ma'am?" He looked to Raven with what he hoped was an inviting smile. "We just care about the tree. It means a lot to us." Smolder shrugged with a huff, eyes rolling. "As if she cares about that. If Twilight didn't tell her personally, it may as well not exist." “We go, friends.” Yona turned for the ramp leading up into the clubhouse. “Yeah, let’s get back into the treehouse, we’ve got an assignment to do,” Sandbar replied with a defeated sigh, beginning to walk into the house proper. “Fine, but this isn’t over.” Smolder flapped her wings, conspicuously not looking at Raven as she passed. As the three of them made their way into the treehouse, Raven listened in to them chattering about it vaguely. “You think we go to Twilight?” “Yes! She’ll set us right.” “I dunno, if this is really her plan, she must have a good reason for it...” as they trailed off into the castle. Raven sighed. Another issue of somecreature not liking her project. Certainly not as important as Princess Luna’s approval, but somewhat troubling nonetheless.