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// 4 - Fellow Statesmare 
// Story: Dark as Ink at Night 
// by David Silver 
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Raven sat up in her bed. The morning light spilled through the curtains into the modest room that Raven had rented from a local in Ponyville. She gazed out the window into the countryside, watching Celestia’s sun spill over it. Except it wasn’t exactly Celestia’s sun anymore, was it? That job was now Twilight Sparkle’s job.

Raven sighed. There was nothing distinctly wrong with the job that Princess Twilight was doing, was there? Of course not. Neither was the fairly sudden decision for Celestia to leave. She had trained Twilight well, or so said the common knowledge. But Raven did wonder, for a time, why she was suddenly pushed to the side.

It wasn't like Princess Celestia didn't have the workload of the entire kingdom before, she managed it with grace and the best—

She shook her head. "Enough dour thoughts! Time to greet the day." She would get little done, thinking sour thoughts of the past. She slid to the ground and freshened herself for a new day.

Soon, Raven was trotting through the roads of Ponyville, eyes locked on her destination and ignoring the friendly faces around her. She had little time to talk to them. Her immense task wouldn't complete itself.

"Raven?" That voice made Raven pause. She turned to see a gray-maned mare looking at her with shock and a smile. "That is you! How have you been? I miss you around here." Mayor Mare trotted right to Raven's side. "You were quite the assistant when you visited before."

“Oh, Miss Mare.” Raven turned her head, stopping entirely. She of course remembered the mayor of Ponyville. She would know of this mare even if they hadn’t worked together, this was an important elected official, after all. 

Mayor Mare grinned at her, the usual warm, professional, and knowing smile of a politician. "So what brings you to Ponyville today, my dear? Anything I can do to help?"

Raven straightened her posture out a little, standing tall. "Ugh."

Mayor Mare inclined her head at the sound. "Oh dear. That's the sound of a pony in a place I've been in before." She glanced aside and back at Raven. "Do you want to vent at a fellow political mare?"

Raven closed her eyes, nodding a little. "Just a little." She took a deep breath. "I am the supervisor of a major construction project, the renovation of a castle in the Everfree Forest, a project assigned to me by Princess Twilight Sparkle." She pointed the way with her horn. "So far, the material parts are simple enough. But the ponies around it are a swarm of problems that will not let me work in peace."

Mayor Mare nodded slowly. "The Everfree is quite the project, indeed. Lots of creatures that aren't used to working with ponies in there, eh?"

Raven cleared her throat. "That's putting it mildly." She cracked a faint smile. "I suppose I should be happy that I have not been assaulted by the monsters of the forest, yet. No, my latest problem comes from entitled creatures that claim a small bit of that land as their own."

Mayor Mare started at that. "Really? I can't think of anycreature that could claim any part of the Everfree, of all places. Who and why?"

Raven closed her eyes. "The young creatures that seem to live in the nearby tree house. I am unsure how they came to be there, but they are a pony, dragon, griffon, and a yak, if I recall. They are apparently also are well connected to Princess Twilight Sparkle."

Mayor Mare stroked a chin thoughtfully. "Oh, mmmm, yes. Those are students, of Twilight's school." She pointed the way. "The one she began before she became princess, of Equestria, that is." She frowned with new thoughts. "And they're in your way? How unkind of them. I thought they were such nice creatures. Why won't they let you get to work?"

Raven shook her head. "They have not damaged the work, not yet. They just are causing problems and wanting me to stop all work for them. It is as if they have no idea the consequences of their actions, or that I am trying to work in a very difficult place."

"I can scarcely imagine many harder." Mayor Mare gently nudged Raven forward, to walk along with her. "So, what is it they wanted, exactly?"

Raven waved it away. "They want free access to their tree, but it is in the courtyard of the castle. I need to repair the gate, and then to lock that gate to have any traffic control to that historical land. Giving them permission to pass didn't seem to mollify them." She did walk with Mayor Mare though, moving through Ponyville at a sedate rate.

"Well, they didn't have to before." The mayor pondered it a little. "Do you suppose that's all they want?"

"I asked for any and all problems with the project, and this is what they offered." Raven paused a moment to sigh. "A small request, but an impossible one."

Mayor Mare tapped at her chin. "Well, the tree, is it actually theirs or not?

"All my research, to my regret, agrees that the tree is rightfully theres." She considered her mayoral friend. "Why?"

"So, give it to them. You don't need that." Mayor Mare reached out a hoof and began to draw crude shapes in the dirt. "If this is the castle, and here are the gates. And here's the tree. Close enough?" Raven nodded along with the basic presentation. "Good, then, let's pretend this just isn't here." She smudged out the gates entirely. "You could secure the castle the old fashioned away, with good locks."

Raven's brows went up together. "Is it so simple?" She let out a weary sigh that turned into a short laugh, a relieved one. "Sometimes, all you need is a fresh set of eyes. The obvious answer, right in front of me, and I had been blind to it." She stood taller and smiled, genuinely, at the mayoral pony. "Thank you, Madam Mare."

"Not at all. I've been there, my dear." Mayor Mare winked at her. "And I've been able to reach out to you a few times for a proper answer to things. As I said  before, we political mares need to have each other's backs. Not like the usual pony is rushing for the task, hm?" She nudged against Raven gently. "So let's give up on that gate. Leave them open, or even tear them down, and they'll have no reason to complain."

"I am available, should you have need." Raven dipped her head at Mayor Mare. "Thank you." With a revised mission secured, Raven proceeded at a trot back into the Everfree, heading towards the worksite, with a spring in her step.

Unfortunately, she found that the Spring would not last. It was not that the workers had slackened, they were still making fine progress, but the voices were already raised.

Raven picked up the pace, and she found Hard Hat being scolded by Luna herself, her voice carrying well through the old passages.

"And yet, this is still true," Luna said, "I wish to see what is being done."

Raven emerged from around the corner, hurrying towards the conflict. "Ma'am? What troubles you?"

Luna huffed, glaring at Hard Hat. "This pony won't let me see all that they have done, and are doing."

Hard Hat pointed up to his titular safety garb. "This is a hard hat only area. We don't want anypony getting hit by a falling bit of masonry, especially not a princess, ma'am. It's for your own safety.

"A rule like this is meant to keep workers and customers alike safe and healthy," Raven explained to Luna. "We must have such rules to prevent accidents. But of course, a princess would not require one." She glanced at Hard Hat and back to her. "Still, we must set a good example, ma'am. Hard Hat, do you have a spare?"

"Hm? Yeah." He reached back and drew out another hard hat. "Never leave home without a spare or two."

Raven gestured to the hat, then at Luna. "Ma'am, kindly. Put this on and the problem is resolved."

Luna bristled, wings fluffed. "I can protect myself." But she did take the hat in her magic, floating it to rest on her head. "Really."

Raven gave a curt nod. "Wonderful. Now, as you were?"

Hard Hat stiffened. "Right." He bowed to the princess. "Princess Luna, and Assistant Inkwell, if you'll follow me." He began a tour of what they had accomplished, and what they were working on. Though he was proud of his work, it mostly came to making sure the old stones were going to stay, rebuilt in places where that was impossible. "We are on schedule, so far. The outer facade should be finished within a moon. With that secured, weather damage should stop being a worry anywhere in the castle."

Raven smiled broadly. "Excellent. The princess and I shall take a look." She looked over the work. "Remember, do not rush the quality. If the work is flawed, we will have to repeat it and that will make things take longer."

Luna nodded a little. "Is this always how your projects proceed?"

"Absolutely. In Canterlot, if the royal family commissioned a piece, it could take months to be completed. As the project manager, my job was to keep everyone involved working without burning out." Raven lifted an ear. "Besides, if they had to repeat the task in a few short years, that cost Equestria more than if they had done the project correctly the first time. Unacceptable. It is my gladly accepted position to lessen the load, not increase it later."

"It seems that you enjoy talking about it," Luna observed. "Are you fond of the work? Or do you simply talk of it because you believe you must?"

Raven opened her mouth, paused, and looked at her. "Ma'am." She shuffled awkwardly, called out like that. "Both are true in part, I suppose." She coughed into a hoof gently. "Oh, Hard Hat. I apologize, but we need to discuss an alteration to our plans."

Hard Hat huffed at that. "Always the case. Big one, or small one?"

"A small one, thankfully." She led the way outside the castle where she could point at the gate. "You can keep the walls, but remove the gates themselves. This area—" She waved across the entire courtyard that contained the tree. "It is to be public space, with no access control of any kind." She turned in place to face the door they had just exited through. "That does mean this needs to be secured and securable. Is this within your means?"

"Hm." Hard Hat tapped as he turned left and right. "We're gonna have to make some adjustments. I'll inspect the walls to see what they can hold up. We may have to reinforce parts, but, yeah, sure." He shrugged with a little smile. "Me an' the boys'll get it done for ya, Miss Inkell, ma'am."

Raven smiled softly back. "Glad to hear it, Mister Hard Hat. We have a great deal of trust invested in your firm. Make us all proud, now." She looked to Luna, who seemed to be mulling over the plans. "And let me know if she gets in the way," Raven whispered far more quietly. "But be polite, please. She remains royalty, even if her sister has abdicated the throne."

Hard Hat nodded. "Not the first 'trouble' client we ever had, ma'am. Better get back to it." He dipped his head briefly and trotted off back towards the others, shouting commands as he went.

Raven stood up tall with a content smile. Satisfaction sounded from each step she made, or so it felt. "This project is moving."