Nothing Without Me

by chillbook1

Back to Work

Raven strolled through the corridors of Canterlot Castle, her saddlebags filled to bursting with assorted files and documents. She had been away from work for approaching 2 weeks, far longer than she had ever left the throne unassisted, and she was determined to make up for lost time. Luckily for her, her nights of studying Canterlot tax law until the wee hours of the morning were done, and all she needed to do now was meet with people, get documents where they needed to get, and secure one last little tax code. Raven was almost done with the debt forgiveness program, and her mind was already beginning to prepare for the rapidly approaching Grand Galloping Gala (which was a whole other headache she had to deal with).

But, for now, Raven needed to see the princess, and that’s what she intended to do. She was falling back into her groove, maneuvering through Canterlot Castle as if she hadn't ever left. Other members of castle staff had noticed her absence, and while Raven didn't think she had very many workplace friends, they seemed to have missed her, giving her an occasional "welcome back" as she passed them on her way to the throne room.

"Ms. Inkwell!"

Raven stopped just a few steps from the throne room's door, turning to the source of the voice behind her, and grinned. Approaching her was the youngest of the alicorn princesses, Twilight Sparkle, who had her own hefty saddlebags to carry. By her side, clutching a multitude of scrolls and quills in his tiny little claws, was Raven's favorite dragon.

"Princess Twilight! So good to see you," said Raven, bowing as Twilight approached. She glanced up and flashed a small, but genuine, smile. "Hey there, Spike."

"Hi, Ms. Raven!" said Spike.

"What brings you two all the way to Canterlot? If you don't mind my asking." Raven had been searching for a reason the visit Ponyville for quite some time now, so Twilight and Spike's unexpected arrival was rather convenient.

"Princess Celestia wanted to see me," said Twilight. "Something about the Gala, I imagine." Twilight smirked, nudging her assistant. "Spike, on the other hoof, was hoping we'd bump into you."

"Twi!" Spike's face flushed, much to Raven's amusement.

"Is that right?" said Raven with a grin. Spike slowly, timidly nodded.

"He was hoping you could give him some tips and pointers," continued the princess. "With you being the greatest advisor in Equestrian history and all."

“Well, I’m sure I don’t have to tell you, Spike, that an advisor's work is never done. I unfortunately can’t stop what I’m doing at the moment for a quick lesson, as much as I would enjoy that.” Raven feigned a deep contemplation before grinning. “Although… Well, the first thing you should learn while working a job like this is how to maximize your time. If you can do two things at once, it would be smart to do so. And, as it just so happens, I think I can find a way to do my work and talk shop.”

“Hm? What do you mean, Ms. Raven?” asked Spike, curiously.

“Would you like to shadow me for the day? You can come along while I get my stuff done, swap trade secrets, get to know each other a bit better,” said Raven. She glanced up at the princess, and quickly added an amendment to her offer. “If Princess Twilight is okay with it, of course."

"C-can I, Twi?" Spike turned to his princess, eyes alight with whimsy and excitement. After a moment of careful consideration, Princess Twilight cracked a tiny grin and nodded.

"As long as you promise to be on your best behavior, I suppose there's no harm," said Twilight with a chuckle. "I hope it's not a burden, Ms. Inkwell."

"Nonsense. With all the things I need to get done, some company might be just what I need." Raven cocked her head and, with an almost tangible level of excitement, Spike crossed the hall to stand by his idol's side. "With you by my side, I daresay my schedule for the day doesn't stand a chance."

---

Time had an incredible way of changing one's perspective.

After over two decades of working at the castle, Raven had changed a lot in the way that she thought of the job, the way she approached certain issues. Certain problems that used to engage her mind, challenge her to find a good solution, now we're but mere annoyances. Going through the motions.

Taking Spike under her wing, so to speak, changed how she saw her work quite a bit. Although he had grown up around the castle in his own right, he didn't have quite the same experiences as Raven. He had adjusted to his simple, calm, quaint life in Ponyville quite well, and he was still awed by the fast pace of Canterlot business. Even still, Raven had to admit that the little drake was a professional, as he did a very good job of maintaining focus and readiness during Raven's brief meeting with the princess.

"So, what's first, Ms. Raven?" asked Spike as the two departed from the throne room.

"Well, let's see." Raven produced a scroll from her saddlebags, giving it a quick read. "To prepare for the Gala, we need to get a few permits notarized, get a message to the kitchens, and request a guard detail to assist in the escort of merchants and booths to the castle grounds." Raven rolled her scroll up and returned it to her bag. "How do you think we should do it?"

"Oh, uh… Hm…" Spike scratched his chin thoughtfully. "Well, we're closer to the barracks, so we could arrange the escort… But, no, the Captain is probably going to want a formal note, which means we need to see the Archivist. Plus, the main kitchen is on the way, just a bit off. So we should go to the Archives, notarize those permits and get that note written off for the guards, and then swing by to speak to the head chef on the way back to see the Captain. Right?"

"Couldn't have planned it better myself," said Raven with a nod. Spike absolutely bubbled with pride, his joy beyond infectious. "Let's go, then. This shouldn't take long."

Raven led the way down the corridor, her new protege sticking by her side. She was impressed with how well he held himself together. Spike carried himself like a true professional, clearly attempting to soak up every bit of knowledge he could while in Raven's presence. She couldn't help but smile at the little guy, a little light to brighten her otherwise dreary, gloomy, heavy week.

"And here we are," said Raven, gesturing to the doorway of the Royal Archives. "Let's see who's working today." She led Spike through the door, into the front lobby area of the massive, twisting, labyrinthine library. The front desk was currently abandoned, which wasn't unusual. With all the books, tomes, documents, and records that the Archive held, there was always something to do. With nothing else to do, Raven and Spike approached the desk, and the young dragon jumped up to ring the little silver service bell. After a moment of silence, Raven rang the bell twice more, attempting a third when a voice interrupted her.

"Hold your horses, I'm coming!"

"Oh, dear," sighed Raven. "I didn't think she'd be here today…"

"Who?" asked Spike, tilting his head curiously. In lieu of a verbal answer, Raven gestured for the archway that led into the Archive proper. After just a second, the Royal Archivist made her presence known. Harpy arched her brow as she approached, taking a seat behind the desk.

"Hello, Raven. I thought you were taking time off," said Harpy.

"I could say the same to you," countered Raven, matching her mother's expression. "But things don't often get done if an Inkwell isn't around to do it."

"Fair enough. So, what can I do for you, missy?" Harpy turned her gaze to Spike, as if noticing him for the first time. "And who might you be? You seem a bit young to be doing royal business with my daughter."

"Hi, I'm Spike. Princess Twilight's assistant." Spike reached his claw forward, eagerly shaking Harpy's hoof. "And you're Harpy Inkwell, right? You're a legend!"

"Is that so?" Harpy couldn't help but snicker, turning her bemused gaze to his daughter. "Are you putting together an Inkwell fanclub, Raven?"

"Spike here is helping me get things ready for the Gala," said Raven. "On the job training, you see." She nudged Spike forward a bit. "So? You're on point, Spike."

"Right! Ms. Harpy, if you could spare a minute, we could use your help," said Spike, his professional demeanor betrayed slightly by his almost giddy excitement. "We need some permits notarized, and a note for the Captain of the guard so that he could lend us a guard detail for the Gala."

"A very reasonable request, Spike. I'd be happy to help," said Harpy. She used her magic to pull her quill and parchment from her desk, quickly scribbling out a letter. "Give me just a moment to finish this note, then I'll take those permits off your hooves. That's going to take a day or two to finalize, I'm afraid."

"Here you go," said Raven, digging through her saddlebags and depositing the documents onto the desk. "Thanks a lot, Mom."

"Mh-hm. Here, that should convince Falchion to spare you a few men. I made sure to specify that the leader of this squad be somepony you can work with." Harpy winked, then rolled up her note and sealed it with a wax stamp she kept on her desk. "I imagine you don't have time to stick around and chat? That coffee was a nice change for us."

"Sorry, Mom. I've got a lot to do today." Raven took the letter and slipped it into her saddlebags. "Saturday, though… Maybe you could have lunch with me and Gary?"

"Of course. Your work is never done, hm? Oh well. Goodbye, Raven." Harpy waved noncommittally, looking over the documents that Raven had given her. "Oh, and you should be on the lookout for a package. Hopefully it'll get to you tonight."

Curious though Raven was, she didn't bother asking any questions. She knew that Harpy wasn't typically this coy, and any attempt to gather more information would most likely end in frustration. Even still, it was nice to see that their coffee conversations had seemingly begun to mend their relationship. Still not quite right, as far as Raven was concerned, but progress was progress.

Raven and Spike waved as they departed, heading for the next stop on their checklist: the barracks.

---

"Ah, Ms. Inkwell. Here to disrupt my men again, I see," said Captain Falchion, barely looking up at Raven and Spike as they entered. "What can I do for you?"

"Charming as always, Captain." Raven approached the Captain's desk, shaking her head slightly. "Spike, Captain Falchion, head of the Solar Guard. Falchion, my friend and apprentice, Spike."

"What do you want, Inkwell?" Raven shook her head, but withdrew her letter nevertheless and slid it onto Falchion's desk. The Captain arched his brow, opening up the letter and giving it a quick once over. "Really? Again, Inkwell?"

"It's for the Gala, Captain. Spike and I are getting things together for the celebration," said Raven, glancing down at Spike. The dragon was quiet, but watching carefully to absorb all the knowledge he could. "This won't take long. Just an hour or so for you to put a team together, and then you'll have your men back."

"Doesn't look like you're too busy, anyway," remarked Spike. Raven flashed him a tiny smirk, turning back smugly to face the Captain.

"As you can see, that letter is official and—"

"Alright, alright, enough." Faction shook his head, cleared his throat, and then let out a bellowing shout. "OAK! FALL IN!"

A series of crashes, clanks, and sounds of scrambling claws echoed from outside, followed by the door swinging open and a very panicked looking griffon entering the room. Garrus slid to a stop before his Captain's desk, saluting before him without even casting his good friend Raven a look.

"Lieutenant Oak, reporting in!" said Garrus, much to Raven's amusement.

"Apparently, the Solar Guard is being reduced to bouncers and security guards. I remember back when soldiers actually protected things that matter…" grumbled Falchion. "In any case, you're with Inkwell. She's putting together a detail for this damned Gala—"

"Language, Captain," said Raven sternly. She gestured down to Spike, at which point the Captain simply rolled his eyes.

"In any case, you're running point on this assignment. Anything goes wrong, it's on your head. Got it?"

"Sir, yes, sir!" said Garrus. Falchion shook his head, then returned his attention to the paperwork he had formerly been filing.

"Is that all, Ms. Inkwell?" asked Falchion, tapping his hoof restlessly. "Or would you like to disrupt my work some more?"

"A pleasure as always, Captain Falchion," sighed Raven. "Spike, Lieutenant Oak, let's go."

And, with that, Raven led the pair out of the office and into the barracks proper. Garrus kept himself in "Royal Guard Mode" as they departed, matching dutifully until they were far enough from the Captain's quarters so as to not risk being overheard. Finally, when he was sure they were safe, Garrus loosened up, letting out a chuckle at Raven's irate frown.

"Always fun to talk with Falchion…" said Raven flatly.

"What's his problem, anyway?" asked Spike. "Do you normally bug him for guards?"

"If you were to hear Falchion tell it, she asks for protection every other day," laughed Garrus. "He's a good guy, though. Just a little… rough around the edges."

"Reminds you of home?" asked Raven, giving Garrus a gentle nudge. He laughed, scratching his neck sheepishly.

"Yeah. For better or worse…" He shook his head, turning his attention to the dragon beside him. "Hi, I'm Garrus, Raven's friend. And you must be Spike, right? Rave told me all about you." Spike nodded slowly, not quite to terms with the idea that Raven Inkwell had told her friends about him. "Well, good stuff, little buddy. The way I see things, if you can thaw Raven's cold, shriveled little heart, then you can do anything."

"Hilarious. Do you have a team prepared already or what?" asked Raven. Garrus peered around the room, trying to pick out a specific pony from the tangle of guards. He gave a whistle, beckoning to the red maned pegasus that turned.

"Shep, I've got an assignment for you," said Garrus as Private Shepard approached.

"Sure thing. What's up?" he asked. He tilted his head at Raven curiously. "Is this…?"

"Yeah, I'll introduce you two properly soon enough, but for now I need you to go get Delta Squad. We're doing security work in the lead up for the Gala." Shepard gave a determined nod, barely wasting time with waving before running off to gather the rest of their team. Garrus chuckled, shaking his head. "Kid better slow down, else he'll end up outranking me before I go back to Griffinstone…"

"Who's Delta Squad?" asked Raven.

"Just some boys and girls who helped me get settled when I moved in." Garrus counted off the names on his claw as he listed them. "Ash, Alenko, Eedee, Rex… Good guys. You can count on them to keep things in order."

"Good, good. I'll have a list of stops for you by the end of the day, just need to check in with the princess to make sure there's not any unusual merchants or anything," said Raven, checking her watch and letting out a sigh. "We should probably do that now, after we stop by the kitchen. Who knows what else needs doing. You get out at a decent hour tonight?"

"Mh-hm. Now that I have a team to lead, I can actually go home early if I wanted to." Garrus flashed a grin. "Perks of being in command. What, you thinking Ne'er-Do-Wells?"

"Actually… My place? I'm still sorta… drained. Don't really think a loud, crowded bar is what I need right now." Raven hoped she didn't need to elaborate, not particular eager to relive the difficult past month or so. Luckily, Garrus nodded in understanding. "Cool. Mind telling Moon Shine for me? I'd do it myself, but Spike and I still have a lot to do."

"Say no more. I better get the team up to speed, anyway." Garrus waved goodbye as he turned to see to his men. "Nice meeting you, Spike. And, good to see you out and about, Rave. I was worried about you for a while."

"Heh. See you around, Gary." Raven laughed slightly as Garrus disappeared amongst his fellow guards. She nudged Spike with her hoof, giving him a little pat on the back. "Nice work today, Spike. You've made today go much easier than it would have otherwise."

"Just happy to help! Doing all this by yourself must get pretty lonely, huh?" said Spike. Raven gave a little nod. "Well, at least you've got some friends here. Garrus, this Moon Shine pony, your mom. My only co-worker is a stupid owl Twilight adopted…"

"Yeah, I guess it could be worse," snickered Raven. She gestured for the door, leading the way out. "It's good to have people looking out for you, or else you'll go nuts in this job."

"Ms. Raven? Can I ask… Why was Garrus worried about you?" Raven tensed up slightly, but she tried her best to remain composed. "Is… everything okay?"

"Yeah. I've had a rough couple of weeks, is all," sighed Raven. She paused for a bit, deciding that Spike was enough of her friend that she could be open with him. "My father… He passed away recently."

"Oh no. I'm so sorry," said Spike.

"It's okay. He went out peacefully. Just… I wish I had more time with him. There's still so much I couldn't tell him. Didn't have a chance to say goodbye. Or that I loved him."

"I bet he knew already."

Raven gave a small, bittersweet chuckle, realizing that Spike was probably right. Birch had always been a very intuitive, knowing, understanding father. He must have known how much Raven cared for him. Despite their issues, the dysfunction in their family, Birch knew that he was loved and cared for by his daughter and his ex-wife. All the way until the end.

"Yeah, he did, huh?" said Raven. "Come on, Princess Celestia can wait. We still have to speak to the kitchen, and we may as well grab some lunch while we're at it. I don't know about you, but I'm starving."

"Sure thing, Ms. Raven," said Spike with a nod. "Thanks for taking me out on the job with you." Raven laughed, giving Spike a friendly little jab with her hoof.

"The way I see it, I should be thanking you."

---

"Yo, Inkwell." Moon Shine stood in Raven's doorway, holding a large, rectangular parcel in her magical aura. "This was outside. Has your name on it. Figured you'd wanna check it out."

"Hey, Moon Shine. Come on in, Gary's been here for like ten minutes." Raven stepped aside, letting Luna into her home. "I've got pizza on the way."

"Excellent. More importantly, though…" Moon Shine stepped into the apartment, setting the package by the door. "You got any booze?"

"Yeah, I just got a few bottles. I—" Raven realized that Luna was no longer listening, her focus devoted on the newly stocked bar. "Why do I even try?"

"Don't worry, Rave, I'll play bartender," said Garrus, sliding behind the bar. As Luna approached, Garrus quickly fixed her a gin and tonic, which Luna quickly downed. "You gonna open that package, or are you gonna leave us guessing?"

"Keep your pants on, you dodo. I just need a knife," said Raven, crossing her home to her kitchen.

"Raven's got a knife?" Garrus clasped his claws on either side of his face dramatically. "Oh no, Moon Shine, run!"

"Funny. As if a knife could hurt me," snorted Luna, tracing her hoof around the rim of her glass, turning her attention to Raven. "So… How have you been, Inkwell? Not that I care, of course. I just thought this is probably the normal thread of conversation. Just trying to cover all bases while we're all still sober enough to speak." Despite Luna's words, it was pretty obvious to Raven that her friend was concerned, which brought a small grin to her features. She retrieved her knife and returned to claim her package.

"I'm doing good, Luna. Some time away was nice, but I'm glad I'm getting back into the swing of things," said Raven, carefully slicing open her package. "Really, though, I appreciate you asking."

Luna didn't respond, so Raven busied herself with opening her mail. It was pretty light for its size, not making much more than a dull thudding as Raven jostled it around. With her curiosity mounting, Raven tore away the packaging to get at the goods within.

"Whoa… It's my dad's guitar." Raven pulled the instrument from its case, turning it over and inspecting it. On its back was a note, which Raven quickly unstuck and read. "'He'd want you to have it. Don't let it collect dust someplace. Signed, Harpy.' Wow, I thought she took this… This is the guitar he played when he proposed to her, and the day I was born."

"That's pretty cool," said Garrus, giving Raven a genuine smile. "Do you play any?"

Raven smirked, then brought her father's guitar into position. She put one hoof to the frets, and the other to the strings. Raven paused for a second, both to absorb the moment and to build anticipation. When she was certain all eyes and ears were on her, she gave the strings a few quick strums; shrieking, discordant, off-key notes screamed from the instrument, a sound not dissimilar to nails on a chalkboard. Raven muted her strings with her hoof when she saw both Luna and Garrus covering their ears, grinning at the almost horrified expression that her friends were wearing.

"Nope."

Comments

[Pinklestia]

Well... sometimes tragedy can give you a push to improve your life.

[lazyreader19]

"Nope."

Finally onto the new stuff, and it does not disappoint! Love Spike to bits, and that "Nope" at the end was perfect.

Onto the next one :p

[Ether Space]

Loving the Mass Effect tie ins.

[Pony4Koma]

"Raven was almost done with the debt forgiveness program, ..."
Raven Inkwell, patron saint of college students!

My reaction to all the Raven & Spike moments in this chapter: https://youtu.be/_ew8ScbfYkQ?t=36
(Please ignore the former US President in the clip... )

Raven with a guitar... Unexpected, but not unwelcome. Will she do a song later?