The Royal Archives
“Ms. Inkwell? Raven, dear? Is something the matter?”
Raven shook her head firmly, freeing herself from her daze. She had been writing down what Celestia was saying for the past ten or so minutes, but she wasn’t really listening. Her mind was elsewhere, and the princess picked up on that. Their mid-morning meetings normally went exceedingly smoothly, and were often done by this point. Yet, for one reason or another, Raven had been behaving fairly sluggish this morning, often times taking a bit longer than she ordinarily would.
“Yes, princess. You’ll have to forgive me,” said Raven, massaging the bridge of her nose. “I haven’t been sleeping very well at all this past week or so.”
“I see. Is there something on your mind?” asked Celestia. “You’ve always been the worrisome sort, so it wouldn’t surprise me if you’re stressing yourself out more than you should.”
You know damn well what’s stressing me.
Raven fought to keep that thought in her head, instead working up a forced, tired-looking smile.
“It’s not that, your highness, but thank you.”
“Hm… You know who’s brilliant for this sort of thing?” Celestia didn’t bother waiting for Raven to answer. “Harpy. Your mother has a myriad of wonderful remedies for insomnia. Back when my nightmares were… Particularly troubling, she’s helped me get sleep when the Royal Alchemist’s greatest sleep potions failed me. You ought to ask her when you have a chance.”
“Eh… I’m familiar with my mother’s remedies, and they never seemed to work for me…” said Raven, trying not to think of the many cups of frankly horrid herbal tea she had been forced to drink over the course of her childhood. “Speaking of my mother… I found it a bit strange that she decided to return to work in the castle.”
“I was quite surprised myself. I was terribly afraid that I’d seen the last of Harpy Inkwell,” said Celestia. “Of all the ponies to ever advise me, she’s the one who’s held the tightest connection to me and the throne. Even still, at her age, I didn’t blame her one bit for retiring, especially considering what a worthy successor she left.”
“Right. Well, your highness, if I may ask… How come you didn’t tell me you intended to hire her?” asked Raven. She spoke carefully, not wanting it to seem as if she was interrogating the princess. “It was quite a shock when I found out she was working the Royal Archives.”
“That’s just it, dear; I never did intend to hire her. It just sort of happened. We were just finishing up her new contract when you and Mr. Oak invited her to brunch. I thought it would be more fitting for you to hear the good news from her. I can’t imagine why she never mentioned it to you. Perhaps she wanted to surprise you. You could never really tell with Harpy.” Celestia gave a good-natured chuckle, flooded with good memories of her old friend. “Ah, but, since you mentioned the Royal Archives, I actually have an errand for you.”
“Yes, of course.” It took all of Raven’s intestinal fortitude not to roll her eyes out of her skull upon that revelation. Of course she’d be going to the Archives. She wasn’t sure why she ever could’ve expected anything else. “What do you need, your majesty?”
“A few books and scrolls. Here, take this list.” Celestia summoned a scroll of parchment with her magic, which she slipped into Raven’s open, waiting saddlebags. “Give it to Harpy, she’ll get it right to you. There’s one particular one that is very important, it’s called Arcana Mysterium- The Complete Almanac of Magicks and Witchery. The First Edition is what I need, and be prepared for a wait. That one especially is very deep in the Archives, indeed.”
Not only would she be going to the Archives, but Raven would be stuck there for a considerable amount of time and forced to directly interact with her mother. If she didn’t know any better, she’d think that Celestia was setting her up for failure.
“Right away, your highness,” said Raven with a bow. “I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
Celestia smiled as her aide departed the room, her smile falling into a small, tired frown as the doors shut behind Raven. She shook her head and sighed, using her magic to summon a thick, heavy, leather-bound book, the title Arcana Mysterium etched onto the cover. Celestia blew off the dust, cracking it open and giving it a read.
“Just what am I going to do with you two?” she sighed, flipping through the book’s ancient pages. “So damn stubborn, the both of you…”
“Ah, Raven! You finally decided to stop avoiding me.”
The Royal Archives were impossibly large, a twisting, winding labyrinth of shelves and countless ancient tomes. It was expressly forbidden for common ponies to enter without an escort, not for fear of theft or vandalism, but for fear that the poor sod would never be found again. Indeed, all workers of the library were taught a special warp spell that would bring the caster to the Archive’s front door, simple enough that the Archive’s anti-teleportation charms allowed it through. Additionally, Archive workers were given special crystals that they could break against the ground to call for help if they ever got lost in the countless aisles and rows of books and scrolls. The odds of two ponies bumping into each other while working were about one in a million.
The fact that Raven ran into her mother almost as soon as walking into the Royal Archives gave her the impression that Harpy was waiting for her.
“Hello, Mother,” said Raven tiredly. “I haven’t been avoiding you. Not intentionally, anyway. Just been busy with work. Speaking of…” Raven produced the list from her bag, passing it into the dark maroon glow of Harpy’s magic. “Princess Celestia needs these books as soon as possible.”
“Hm… Art of the Steal, Historical Figures Shaping Equestria and… Arcana Mysterium?” Harpy hummed thoughtfully, looking over the list. “And you’re certain that she wants Arcana Mysterium?”
“She wrote the list herself.”
“Sweet Goddess above, you’re making the princess write her own lists?” asked Harpy, absolutely aghast. “What do you even do here, Raven?”
“I do not let her write her own lists!” Raven knew that, if she did, they’d be so crazy and unintelligible that nothing would ever get done. “She had this ready before I even came in.”
“And when did you come in, hm? If your performance from when I returned is any indication, I think it’d be safe to assume that you were tardy?”
“5:30, actually. Before you came in, if I recall,” countered Raven. Harpy leered at her child for a moment before breaking into a small smirk.
“Fair enough. Take twenty points. Come on, most of these are near the front, but for Arcana Mysterium, we’re going to have to go in rather deep,” said Harpy. Raven nodded and walked alongside her mother, delving deeper and deeper into the Archives. “You wouldn’t happen to know why the princess is looking for Arcana Mysterium, would you?”
“No. Why do you ask?”
“It’s an odd read. Very old, and horribly outdated.” Harpy maneuvered through the shelves, the veritable maze disorienting to all but the most experienced of archivists. “If the princess needs enchantments or charms, there are books with better spells that are more easily found.”
“Maybe she’s feeling nostalgic?” suggested Raven. “She could just be in the mood for an old read.”
“Perhaps…” The two ventured deeper into the Archives in silence for a bit, until Harpy broke the silence. “So… About that friend of yours. Garrus, right?”
“Yes…” Raven was immediately on guard by her mother’s sudden line of questioning. “What about him?”
“And you’re certain you two aren’t an item?” asked Harpy, her tone with a false layer of innocence that would fool most other ponies. “Why is that? Is he taken?”
“Garrus’ love life is none of either of our business,” remarked Raven. “And that’s besides the point. I’m just not interested in Garrus, not in that way. We’re colleagues and friends, nothing more.”
“Interesting…”
“I wouldn’t say so.” Raven was, on the best days, a rather possessive pony. There weren’t many material things that Raven particularly cared about, and ponies were even lower on her list of priorities in most cases. But, when she did care for something, Raven tended to take extra care to keep those rare special things close to the chest. Harpy knew this, and she was prepared for Raven’s guarded response.
“Hm… I wonder if he’d be more interested in you if you took better care of yourself,” musd Harpy. “You look horrendous, dear. Not enough sleep, I imagine. You’re too young to have crow’s feet.”
“I do not have crow’s feet,” snarled Raven. Without turning to face her daughter, Harpy used her magic to conjure a small hoof mirror, which she held in front of Raven’s face. Raven peered at her own reflection, tugging down on her face with her hoof, then let out a curious hum. “Okay, so maybe I do. But it’s not my fault. This job is—”
“This job’s importance is second only to the throne itself, and you’d do well to remember that.” Harpy turned round one last corner, coming to a large shelf of thick, dusty, ancient looking books. Harpy lit her horn up with magic, pulling tomes from the shelf in order to check the titles. “You never treated this job with the sort of respect it deserves.”
“I do my job fine, Mother,” snorted Raven.
“‘Fine’ isn’t good enough, Raven. You are the Right Hoof of the Throne. You’re the Royal Advisor! Princess Celestia depends on you to aide and assist her in the goings on of the entire kingdom of Equestria. You don’t get to do your job ‘fine’, Raven. You must be excellent on your worst day.”
“I’ve dealt with more difficult and delicate issues than any other administration before me.” Raven huffed, getting more irate as time progressed. She despised when Harpy thought fit to lecture her. “I’ve organized three separate shifts of political power in Equestria. I’ve dealt with things you couldn’t even wrap your head around.”
“And that’s exactly it, Raven. Nopony is doubting your skill or talent,” fired Harpy. “You were born for this job, but you don’t live up to your potential! You’re so capable, you should be so much better. That swimsuit shoot is a prime example. Despite all of your accomplishments, you still allowed something like that to compromise Princess Celestia’s image.” Raven could feel her anger mounting with each passing word. It was all but impossible to refrain from shouting. “You’re lazy. You’re sloppy. You’re taking our family name and raking it through the mud.”
“I never wanted—!” Raven bit her tongue, catching the venom in her mouth before she let it slip. Even in her anger, she knew that what she was about to say would be dumping fuel on the fire. Instead of exacerbating the situation, Raven took in a deep breath and tried again. “I never wanted to disappoint the family, Mother. I assure you, I’m trying my best.”
“And what do we do when our best isn’t good enough?” asked Harpy, the question practiced and essentially burned into her daughter’s brain. Raven didn’t even have to think about it before answering.
“We make our best better,” she sighed. Harpy didn’t turn around, but gave an affirmative nod and hum before pulling a book from the shelf. “Good. And here we go. Arcana Mysterium- The Complete Almanac of Magicks and Witchery.”
“Good. I’ll get this back to the princess,” said Raven, accepting the book and carefully setting it on her back. “Mind warping me back? It’s a bit of a trot, and I’d rather get back to work as quickly as possible.”
“Teleportation isn’t good for books, especially ones that old,” said Harpy, ignoring Raven’s raised eyebrow. “We’ll take the scenic route.” Harpy cleared her throat as she led the way. “Besides, is catching up with your mother really such a terrible idea?”
“Well… I suppose a walk is fine.” Raven followed Harpy again, silently studying her. “Is there something on your mind?”
“There’s always something on my mind, Raven.” Harpy dodged the question, something Raven easily picked up on. “Between work, and you, and a million other things, I’m not exactly afforded the luxury of not having something on my mind.”
“Me?”
“Do I have to spell it out for you, Raven? I worry about you. You’re not taking care of yourself,” said Harpy. “You look sickly. You’re not eating like you should, and I’m sure you’re drinking, despite my orders.”
“I’m an adult, Mother. I can drink if I like.” Raven was very defensive on this point. Of all the people to lecture her about drinking, Harpy Inkwell should be the last one in line. “A beer or two after work is no harm done.”
“Hm. You’d think.” It got quiet for a bit, the silence slowly melting into tension. “Have you been keeping in touch with Birch?”
Raven contemplated ignoring Harpy, or dodging the question like her mother had to her. She very much so didn’t want to have this conversation, but it seemed to be out of her hooves. Deflection would make things worse, so Raven was forced into telling the truth.
“Sporadically. We swap letters occasionally,” said Raven carefully. “I'm a bit overdue, to be honest.”
“And how is he?”
“He's good. Enjoying his retirement.” Raven chuckled slightly. “At least one of you is.”
“Heh. That's good. Where is he these days?”
“Travelling, like you're supposed to be. Last I heard from him, he was headed to Mareizona. Some sort of music festival.” Raven smiled darkly at the idea. “You know how Dad is with his music.”
“That stallion tried to be in the band at our wedding,” laughed Harpy. “The man was a damn fool…”
“Sure was. We used to give him a hard time about writing all over the house. Every room except his studio.” The memories of Birch were bittersweet, indeed. Raven tried not to think about him if she could avoid it. Even these memories, the happier ones she held for her father, felt like a stake was being driven between her ribs. The bad ones often made Raven feel as if she was drowning.
“We argued for hours about putting in that damn studio. Every house we found, we had to pass on because there wasn't enough studio space,” snorted Harpy. “And yet, he wrote my anniversary song in the bathtub.”
“Most mares would feel special to even get an anniversary song.”
“If there was one thing Birch was good at, it was making me feel like a princess. He was a good stallion.” Harpy let out a sigh. “It's a shame what happened.”
“Yeah. Shame.” Raven tried not to seem especially bitter for the rest of their journey to the Archive’s exit. She couldn’t tell what was going on in Harpy’s mind and, at the moment, she didn't especially care. Raven just kept going, using the cover of silence to push the memories away for the time being.
“Well, that didn't sound too bad,” said Garrus, depositing himself in his seat. Raven sighed, taking the spot next to Garrus, which left one last spot for Moon Shine to claim.
“I agree. Based on what you told us about Harpy, I expected this story to be a lot worse,” said Luna, noticeable disappointment in her voice. “I want a refund! I paid good money to take joy in your suffering!”
“My mother has her moments. I don’t know what made her ask about my dad, though,” said Raven with a shrug. “Those two haven’t spoken to each other in years.”
“What happened between them? She left him?” asked Luna. Garrus elbowed her in the ribs, shaking his head. “Ow! What the hell, Griffon?”
“Not cool…” said Garrus.
“He left her, actually,” said Raven. “Probably the best decision he ever made.” She narrowed her eyes at Luna. “And that’s the most I feel like talking about it, so how about we drop it and get some drinks?” Raven peered around the room, her confusion mounting. “Where’s that barmaid? Someone call her.”
“I… I don’t know her name,” said Garrus. “Huh. How long have we been drinking here? And I never learned her name…”
“Now that I think on it, I don’t think I ever caught her name either.” Raven pursed her lips in thought. That barmaid was a good mare, always kind and receptive to her patrons. She kept the rowdiness of the place to a minimum, and she was always discreet about Raven visiting the establishment, knowing how difficult it must be for somepony of her stature to have a drink in peace. “I kinda feel bad. Moon?”
“Huh? The hell are you looking at me for?” asked Luna with a shrug. “I barely know your names. What hope did some bartender I’ve spoken to twice have?”
“Sorry for the delay! What can I get you?”
Raven, Garrus, and Luna all turned to see the new voice as it neared their table, and what they saw made their eyes grow wide in shock. A mare approached, an alabaster unicorn with a beautiful pale pink mane. She had a bright smile to go with her stunning magenta eyes. On her flank was the image of an orange sun setting along the horizon. She was stunning. Gorgeous. Regal.
Like a princess.
Immediately, the trio of friends were put on edge.
“Hi! I don’t think I’ve seen you around before. What’s your name?” asked Garrus with his patented grin plastered across his beak.
“Oops, sorry, I never introduced myself,” said the mare. “My name is Solar Flare. Please forgive me, it's my first day on the job and I'm a skotch nervous.” Solar craned her head at the party of three, the gesture drawing attention to her noteworthy height. “So, what can I get for you three?”
“Just a round of beers to start with,” said Raven cautiously. Solar nodded and used her magic to scribble that down on her notepad.
“I shall get that right to you.” Solar stowed her notes away in her apron pocket, then gave the trio a good-natured smile. “If you three need anything, please do not hesitate to call!”
And, just like that, she was gone, headed for the bar to grab drinks. The trio watched her go, unable to tear their gazes from her, though there seemed to be multiple reasons for the stares. She seemed not to notice the three sets of eyes glued to her, even as she filled the flagons and brought them to the table. She smiled, gave a little curtsy, and disappeared in the bustle of the bar in order to serve other patrons. When she was out of earshot, the trio finally let out what they were thinking, almost simultaneously.
“What fresh hell is this?!” demanded Raven.
“How did she find us?” Luna kept her voice hushed, low, and dripping with panic.
“Goddess above, she’s beautiful,” sighed Garrus wistfully. The mares at the table looked at him as if he had sprouted a second head. “What?”
“Have you gone mad, Griffon?” asked Luna. “Or are you just as dumb as you look?”
“Seriously, Gary, what the hell?” Raven drained her beer immediately, then stood up to gather her things. “We need to get out of here?”
“For once, you’re right, Inkwell.” Luna similarly finished her drink and began packing up, ready to leave at a moment’s notice. “I don’t know where we plan to meet next, but it can’t be here. Let’s just hope she doesn’t recognize me and incorrectly assumed that you two losers have a social life.”
“Wait, wait, wait,” said Garrus, shaking his head. “What’s happening? Where are we going? What’s your problem with Solar Flare?”
The mares stared at Garrus for a moment before they each grabbed him by the arm and lifted him up, preparing to drag him out of the bar.
“That’s Celestia!” hissed Raven. Garrus was about to argue with that notion. He was about to reason that it would make no sense for Celestia to be there, and that the odds of her showing up must’ve been incredibly minute. He was also going to say that, if that was really Celestia, she probably wouldn’t look similar to her or have a similar name, because that wouldn’t make for a very good disguise. He was about to call the very idea ridiculous.
Garrus then took one look at Moon Shine, and he felt his every argument fall apart.
“Son of a bitch…” he said, grabbing up his beer and draining it in one big swig. “Let’s go!”
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I get the feeling that Solar Flare is not actually Celestia. If it is, she's crap at acting. Luna at least blended
Hahaha, excellent work on that ending. While I think Solar Flare is almost certainly Celestia(I mean come on), part of me hopes it's not so our three drinkin' buddies can look silly. Keep up the good work!
she is right 50 hours is a break steel workers used to have to work 86 to 96 hours 7 days a week
Oh dear lord do I hate Harpy...sympathetic moments or not, ugh! You're not good enough, you need to work harder, you're an embarrassment, AND HOW DARE YOU BE EXHAUSTED!
But the ending was hilarious. They really are sisters aren't they.
8949225
We've already learned that Celestia is, in fact, a terrible actor. Even though I agree that it would be funnier if it wasn't her, my bet is that it is.
And personally, I'd love for her to join the crew and have Raven have the best relationship with her boss.
Oh lord, Princess “interfering old bat” Celestia strikes again.
8949342
I work 4 or 5 days a week. I have 16 hour shifts. Being in the medical field certainly pays well, but I just spent my two days off running errands and sleeping.
Celestia...this is NOT one of those times to just let ponies sort it out among themselves. This is a time to smooth things out with each other, like getting Raven's mom to be less of a bitch.
It's not Celestia. But she'll someway, somehow, be fired repeatedly and always start working on the bar they change to on the day they do. And, in the day they actually do confront her about it, she'll be reduced to tears and will be ready to run just as an unicorn with the same color scheme and cute mark appears, looking for a job
This Celestia now has all my hate. If I could I would set Discord to try to date her and not taking a no for an answer.
And honesty if I was Raven I would quit. A hostile work place is not a laughting matter.
>not using Sunny Skies
Come on now.
8950404
Yeah, Harpy is definitely a disaster which is bringing down the whole story, and as expected that mess didn't get better this chapter.
8950921
Buh-bye. Hope you find something you enjoy reading more than this
8950710
Sunny Skies is her Pegasus alter ego, not her unicorn disguise. Jesus, why do I know this :D
Yeesh.
The more I read Harpy, the more I only see a controlling, mentally abusive, interfering, and projecting personality.
It is one thing for a parent to want the best for you and try to give you advice for a position you hold that they held for years, but it is entirely another matter for them to pretty much walk all over you and tell you how to live your life and do your job. Between the infantile point system, the seeming 'how dare you suffer fatigue on the job' commentary, and the all but spoken 'you must do my job better than I ever did with a fraction of the experience' implied in her tone, her berating of Raven's performance, without actually seeing what's going on and providing actual usable advice is both ineffectual, AND takes a wrecking ball to Raven's self-confidence.
Were I in a conversation with Harpy and she unloaded the 'You make Celestia write her own lists?!" shock, I would have responded quite curtly with: "Last I checked, she was the Princess. Who am I to tell her if she can or cannot write a list as she sees fit? I'm her assistant, not her babysitter. And contrary to how it may seem on some days, I'M NOT HER MOTHER." And done my best to shut Harpy down on the spot. That, or I would have gone full sarcasm: "Yes. I also make her balance the national ledger to help keep her mind sharp. Also Leg Day. The guards love Leg Day."
The implicit 'you have failed' that comes out of the woman when she makes her response about the list is a very destructive negative feedback statement. And worse, the fact that she makes the implication instantaneously based on the existence of the list, before even getting information on the circumstances of the list, says a lot about her internal opinion of her own daughter.
Harpy definitely lives up to her name in the classical use of the word. She is an annoying, potentially nasty woman who masks her destructively-controlling nature behind a 'for your own good' excuse. While there may be historical/situational excuses as to why Harpy is the way she is, it doesn't change the fact that her behavior and personality are huge negative features. Any child hoping for their sanity would break ties with a woman like this as soon as possible and vanish from any social circles they frequent while getting as much geographical distance as they can. The fact that Raven has not only failed to do so, but followed in the family footsteps into the exact same job shows that she's actually more under Harpy's proverbial thumb than she even realizes.
In order for Raven to come away from this situation in a manner consistent with a psychologically healthy person with a good outlook on their future, she must overcome Harpy. And that is to say, she cannot PLACATE her mother by doing well enough that her mother approves. That would just be living in her mother's shadow, which isn't good. She must shut her mother down and break the intrinsic control her mother has over her. And this may require outside assistance.
The most likely avenue of such assistance might be Garrus and Luna, more importantly, Luna. Harpy has no experience with Luna, and Luna has no fond rapport with Harpy that clouds her judgment of her personality. Luna should be able to see the situation from the outside, and also have the clout to be able to run interference in a way Celestia cannot either directly say 'no, don't' to with royal authority, or create a machination quickly enough to have effect. Luna's dreamwalking abilities also give her methods to approach the situation that give her a different way to influence events.
To look at it a different way, the Inkwells have traditionally served the crown by keeping Celestia on a leash, allowing things to run smoothly. Luna is quite feral by comparison. And despite the family career history going back generations, no one in living memory has ANY experience actually doing the job of house-training a princess. Luna would be the ultimate smack in the face to Harpy in this regard.
And if you were to ask me to aim the plot here in any direction, I would aim it as 'the new duty of the royal archivist is to support the regent of the night'.
And break out the popcorn.
Chillbook1, you've created a monster. Now it must be slain.
8949481
If you are referring to the recent episode, I wanna remind you of its ending. Celestia was perfectly able to act really well. She even acted like she could not at all during the episode. Her motivation? Who knows? Maybe she wanted to teach a lesson, or we saw good old S1 Trollestia again. Anyways, who are we to question a goddess. *praise the sun*
8952023
It's been used for both, though.
I swear to god Celestia is behind all of this
How can Daybreaker even be Celestia. I mean I highly doubt she would go for such an obvious disguise right? I swear this will definitely be a mistake.
Also good job on not making Raven's mom a completely one-sided asshole, I mean she is an asshole but at least she has some "human" like qualities
8952024
many words, I like
8952029
Fair point, but personally I don't know if 30 seconds of ad-libbing on Celestia's part makes up for almost a whole episode's worth of being terrible when working from a script. In terms of acting the bad acting, I don't think she would raise the sun off its usual time without being desperate to save a show that she royally (ha) effed up.
Just my opinion.
8952400
I still haven't seen the episode to which you're referring, so I genuinely have no clue
8952400
Chillbook, spoilers below.
When it comes to acting, there's definitely more than one type. Celestia is a master of keeping a poker face (unless it involves being miffed at Discord). And it's more than just being blank. It's about exuding one emotion when she's feeling another. With her millennium of experience running Equestria, and daily management of dealing with nobles and petitioners alike, she's going to be unrivaled in skill. Pushing an emotion to the front and exuding it to manipulate others while still being herself should be nothing.
Method-acting, meanwhile: Essentially 'becoming the part', is a completely different animal. The way Celestia's 'bad acting' is displayed so deliberately wooden and manufactured looks more like someone who's well aware of how they look and is trying to go 'hey, you realize how dumb this actually sounds, right? Let me trainwreck it in front of you so you realize it.' I mean, seriously. The line she was doing was about as corny a moment as you can get. Everything else seemed like she was shuffling off and waiting for Twilight to have a meltdown, and just messing with the stage actors. But then Twilight didn't have her meltdown, and Twilight didn't pop up to go 'That was terrible acting!', and that got Celly's nickers in a twist.
8952505
Fair point. I studied theater myself for a few years in both high school and college (total about 7 years), so it's a decent reminder. I never had the experience/misfortune/pleasure(o.0) to purposely act badly. At least not on stage—only in co-players' planning phases.
Celestia's thousands of years of putting on a face for the nobles is certainly good practice, though you could make the point that the episode revolved her needing to say lines that were fed to her instead of her instinctual acting. The fact that Celestia even points out that she only wanted to be part of theater production and not necessarily on stage is testament to the fact that she may have genuinely been that bad at acting and wasn't trying to be possibly malicious in an implied 'your play totally sucks' manner like you're suggesting.
Either way, though, your argument does hold merit.
I think instead of running they should invite Celestia along for drinks. Poor old girl probably needs a break.
8952029
Acting on the stage and real life deception are very different skills. I can easily see her being very good at reading ponies, knowing what to tell them to get what she wants and how to manipulate them while still sucking at being a stage actor.
8952024
That's how I read her as well. It's all to familiar sadly.
I think it's time to call in the big guns, Tia. Sic Twilight on them and make sure all three know she won't go away until the Inkwells can actually get along like reasonable adults.
8950710
Honestly, it's nice to see some version of her come up with a different alias.
8954699
The same way we like the name Muffins, right?
Oh boy this just got more 'interdasting'! A bit odd to see Harpy shed a bit of that 'overbearing-mother bitch-mode' while talking about Birch.
As for "Solar Flare" I'm with our drinking-trio.
@Admiral
You've made plenty of great points in both of those large comments of yours. And it was pointed out the Tia wanted to be a PART of the production, not in it. So who's to say that Tia acted terribly on purpose--as she did at the end to troll everyone--to make that point and get to where she wanted to be; directing, which she's the best there is.
Eagerly awaiting the next chapter!
8959189
This isn't Discord and @ing someone won't get their attention. You have to actually reply to their comment if you want him to see it.
Glad you're enjoying.
8959223
Apologies. I don't even USE Discord
Did NOT see Celestia's second piece of trolling coming. Good job.
8959223
Continued support post!!!!
Yeah, no. Harpy is still a totally unlikable irredeemable bitch, and Celestia has the gall to say RAVEN is being stubborn? She really is an idiot.
And as an addendum, I think Raven's father was perfectly right to divorce his wife and am only sorry he didn't take his daughter with him. THAT'S how insufferable I find Harpy.
I'm not sure why, but I imagined Chrysalis from 13 when picturing Solar Flare in my head. Also, these princesses need better disguises.
9055970
Thank you for your feedback and opinion. My only response is that there are normally two sides to every story, and this one has more like three or four. Right now, you only know Raven's
9061698
I'm sure Harpy does have a side. That doesn't mean it'll make her more likable. After all, when Albinocorn elaborated on his Moondancer's backstory in Spectacular Seven, for many that only made us hate her MORE.
I haven't read this in a while, but I'm glad I went through my bookshelves; I'm already itching to reread all of it at once.
Here's hoping for a new chapter soon.
9435640
Ah, okay. I had to go back and reread that passage to make sure, but you're right. the way you broke it off to quote made it seem like the princess' aide was asking something. My fault for not double-checking.
Okay, all caught up now. First, the good. You certainly know how to give a character personality. Raven, while bossy and hard-nosed, is still likeable in that "Dear lord, I'm glad that's not me" sort of way. She's like a tiger; beautiful, strong, and doesn't take guff from anyone, but this is one kitty whose belly you do not want to rub. Garrus is an amusing Costello to Raven's Abbot. Funny and endearing, but I fear for his safety, because I know that one day, he will hit on the wrong mare, and end up orbiting the sun a lot closer than he would find comfortable. Luna is almost as much put upon as Raven, but since we don't get to see much of her, the effect is lessened. Overall, I like the premise as well as the main protagonist.
Now, for the bad. Yeah, let's drag the elephant out of the corner just so we can get some breathing room. Harpy is really hard to like. I get what you're trying to do with her, but ouch. You did good with the last chappie, by showing her more vulnerable side, and letting her have a more civil conversation with Raven. Heck, you even hinted at some big secret she's hiding that could hurt her, and possibly Raven, earning even more points for her (Hah! See? I can do it too!). However, she's got a huge hurdle to overcome for the readers, but she's finally making some headway, I think. Keep it up, and show us more of her vulnerable side/love for her daughter. The second worst thing here, is Celestia. To be blunt, she kinda comes off as a bit of an airhead. Yeah, I know, live for a thousand years, and the baggage just keeps building up, but that's a really human way of looking at it. I would imagine that a being who lives for literally millennia would find a way to cope with it, hopefully one that doesn't put undue stress on those around her. Now, the Celestia in your story might actually be an airhead, and that's fine. But most of us have a different picture in our head about her, and when your portrayal clashes too hard, there's going to be conflict in the comments.
All in all, I like the story, and will stick with it, and hope you will as well, rather than become discouraged by the comments. I know how hard it is when something you've put so much effort into has people railing against you, and wanting to fire your work... from a cannon... into the sun. Hang in there, man.
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I don't know where this idea came from that I ever wanted Harpy to be likeable. She's supposed to be hard to like. She's supposed to be a judgemental hard ass. That's sort of the point of her character.
Secondly, yes, Celestia is a bit of a ditzy airhead. Again, this was by design. She's a bit scatter-brained and more happy-go-lucky than Raven would prefer. That's the point. Raven feels like she's doing more to keep things running smoothly than Celestia, thus her claim that Equestria would be nothing without her. That being said... Celestia is nowhere near as dumb as people seem to think she is. She saw through Raven's lie at the fundraiser, and she's acutely aware of the tension between Raven and Harpy, thus why she manufactured a situation that put them together in such a way that they ended up talking to each other. Celestia isn't stupid, she's just a silly old mare who's been alive so long that stressing over the small stuff has lost its charm for her.
I appreciate what you're doing and the time you put into commenting, but we're kind of past the point of discouragement. People have already dismissed this story to the point where now I'm writing the story for me and me alone, at which point I may as well not write it. If and when this story gets continued, I will undoubtedly be turning comments off just so people will shut up and let me tell my story.
Thanks for the time and effort. I'm sorry it was ultimately a waste.
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I assume you already know that principalities are ruled by princes and princesses, so I'll just chalk it up to, as you've said, writer's preference. I only commented that because I've seen so many writers use the wrong form of address in MLP stories, and was trying to help. But, since you don't need it, I'll just shut up and read. Same for the rest of my comments.