Our dwelling wasn't a shack. It had three bedrooms, a serviceable kitchen (with a wood-burning stove, and no wood), and even an indoor outhouse, though that did not imply plumbing. It was little more than a hole over a ditch far below, which I couldn't imagine would be at all pleasant for anyone daring to approach it.

Work and Easy got a room each, and Water appeared at my bedside after everything else was settled. I didn't turn her away.

Food came twice a day, in the morning and at night. Water was given in the form of a barrel of the stuff with mugs to serve up individual portions.

Right on time, a knocking came around dinner. Water trotted to the door and had it open with a glow of her horn. "Thank you," she bade without even looking.

"You're welcome," replied a female voice, a mare stepping inside with a soft smile and a platter of food balanced on her back. I knew her. I had seen her, in the visions given to me by psychic grandma. That was the pony that had stood opposed to the royal sisters, come wandering in with our supper.

Was it another test? I felt like it had to be. She wanted another view of us. This was also a great chance for us to immediately react to her, which would reveal things about us. It was also trusting, I decided, or she was very confident in her ability to subdue all four of us if she had to.

"Are you all doing well?" she asked as she allowed the platter to slide off of her onto a small table.

Work nodded towards her. "Apologies for making you go through the trouble, ma'am. I'd be delighted to handle my own chores."

Easy waved a hoof diffidently. "If this is what they want, they get it. Mister slave driver over there doesn't give me days off usually."

She hadn't made the barest of hint of wanting a day off! "Thank you," I said to the mare, trying to ignore Easy's nettling. Should I reveal I recognized her? The thought warred. "You look familiar."

She hiked a brow at me, her eyes sweeping over me with their piercing brown. "Do I? You're much more recognizable. Poison joke, was it?" She wobbled a hoof at my form in general. "What a poor joke. Does it hurt?"

Water stepped partially in front of me like a little mare shield. "I see to his needs."

The mare snorted softly at that. "I imagine you do. It must be trying, being cooped up in here."

None of the other ponies that had come had spoken with us for more than a sentence or two, she was already over that. I decided to take the lead in chatting with her, "It's not too bad, though we'd love to actually be doing things rather than being a drain on the town."

She smirked suddenly. "And you'd rather have your clothes back."

Did I mention we were all naked? For three of us, that was less of a big deal, a fashion mistake at best. I suppose I should be grateful I was a satyr, which meant less to dangle. "That would be nice," I easily agreed. "Clothes aren't against town rules, I hope?"

"Oh, no." She shook her head slowly. "But most of the ponies here can't afford the luxury." She peered at me. "Nor three servants. Nor a wagon and two swords special for a trip... You were quite the successful pony, before you got cursed, hmm?"

She had a point. I could try to weave an elaborate lie... or go with the truth. "I'm an engineer. My projects are being stifled by the unrest in the kingdom. I want to make it a better place, but I can't because resources are going towards it instead of improving the lives of its people."

Her expression brightened, a smile spreading as her eyes darted to the other ponies, but she had me in the center of her sights. "That sounds closer to some truth... I am unfamiliar with this word, 'engineer'. Are you mispronouncing?" She raised a brow at me. "If you are a builder of fortifications, is this not exactly as you would wish? Surely there is plentiful call for your talents."

Did Engineer used to mean that? Crap. "I want to clean the water of ponies and remove filth from their land. I want to attack disease so people can live longer and happier lives."

She sank to her haunches, blinking. She looked to Easy. "You are his 'manager', explain his words."

Easy threw up her hooves. "I help him find ponies and keep track of his schedule. I have not a clue what he actually does except it involves pipes."

Work cleared his throat into a raised hoof. "Regardless, that sounds like a noble ambition."

She slowly nodded towards me. "Since pipes are not involved in anything I would consider an ingineer's--" The word was subtly different from engineer. "--duties, I will assume you are using a new word." She put her hooves on her hips, rising up to stand much like I was. "You're here. How do you plan to resolve things so you can play with your pipes?"

That was a blunt question. "Can we start--" I rolled a hand, as alien as that might be for a pony. "--with what would need to change to make the people here happy?"

She fell back to all fours, peering up at me as if I had grown another head. "Where do we even start?"

"The beginning?" I ventured hopefully. "We're all Equestrians. We want the same thing, in the end, right?"

She gestured towards the floor with her hooves. "Have a seat then." She hopped up on a broad-bottomed chair, facing me. "The basic problem is that of... agency. Ours is being taken from us, by a pretty face in an ivory tower, whispering her sweet lies down to us, comforting and gentle." She rolled her eyes. "She will handle everything, until she dies. Everyone dies, that is the nature of things."

Water looked scandalized. I could imagine her not even having a concept for the unaging Celestia ever passing. If I had my way, she would live for many more centuries at least. Would I be around to see it? "We're talking about raising and lowering the sun and moon?"

She thrusted a hoof at me. "Precisely! Good. I had feared we'd have to start further back... The art of a circle of unicorns controlling the heavenly bodies was almost lost, almost... I found it." She brought her hooves together slowly. "I found it and brought it away from Canterlot, to others. She didn't want us to have it, a secret to a world where she didn't exist." She leaned forward towards me. "And you are not as good at bluffing as perhaps you thought. The idea frightens you, maybe apalls you. What is life without Celestia and her cronies watching over everything?"

Work coughed softly. "Pardon me, ma'am, but I should imagine most ponies would at least wince at the idea."

She glanced towards him briefly. "True... Well, speak your peace then."

I extended a lone finger towards her. "You have me at a disadvantage, miss...?"

"I am Rough Bearing," she said with some pride, sitting up tall. "And you are in my town. I presume you've already figured that part out." Easy and Work both nodded, though Water looked genuinely surprised. "And you are Ian Langerman, rising star of Celestia's court." She smiled wickedly. "Come to quell the rebellion with more of her sweet words. Go on, make your promises."

Well, crap. "I won't."

"Giving up before you start?" She hiked a brow. "That's--"

"--I'm not giving up," I quickly cut in. "I'm not here to spout promises or platitudes. I want to resolve this."

Rough was quiet, watching me a moment before her smile fell. "I think I believe you... That only makes this more tragic. This is not a matter that will be 'resolved' in this room, I should think. Celestia has proven at her own hooves that she and her sister are not invincible. Her sister is dead--" She slammed a hoof down on the table that held the food, rattling the tray with the impact of her sudden violence. "--essence scattered across the moon in a public display of barbarism we can see nightly. If she can die, so can her sister, and with her, we would all be lost. That is the world she is building."

My companions were looking to me. They didn't have any good arguments to forward. "She isn't dead," I said before considering how hard that would be to prove.

"What?" She shook her head. "You can see her grave in the night sky. How can you even imply otherwise?"

I abandoned that. "I don't think you're wrong, mind you. That isn't information that should be lost. Things do happen."

She smiled thinly at that. "Thank you for seeing further than the 'council' ever managed."

"But that doesn't translate into throwing the country into civil war." I slapped a hand down on one of my furry knees. That was a casual reminder that I had those. "That information should be not only allowed but safeguarded, preferably in more than one place."

"More than one place?" She sounded confused at the idea. "What do you mean?"

But I had an answer for that! "If Celestia dies without a backup, what do you fear? What happens if this spell is only in one place and it is lost? It's the same problem, with the same solution. This spell should be in more than one place. It simply has to be. Do you have the only copy?"

Rough's brows furrowed in a frown. "Turning my logic on me, so this is why they can't stop talking about you. Tell me, have you done this to Celestia yet?"

"We've had a few chats," I admitted with a tenous smile. Was that a good thing? "I try to be logical. I'm not in this on any side but making the world better for the people in it. I just wanted to address some large problems in Canterlot, but every step was met with barriers and they eventually led to here and... this." I waved a hand vaguely about. "In the end, I want to get back to building, not fortifications, but--"

"--Enough," she interrupted with a snort. "I will send you back."

Easy cocked a brow. "And the catch is...?"

Rough smiled softly. "I'm sending you with a copy of the spell. You'll display it in court and explain exactly what it is and what it's for. Their response will be enough of an answer to this gesture. I am also sending some of my ponies with you." She pointed at me. "Don't need more... accidents... do we?"

Water sat up suddenly. "We're free to go?"

Rough waved a dismissive hoof. "You're hostile agents, as reasonable as you may be. I gain nothing having you around, and spilling your blood across the ground just makes me into the monster they assume I am."

That was a phrase I had heard before. "We're all ponies." Well, I wasn't, technically? "We want the same thing. I don't think most of them want to fight you."

She hopped down from her chair and moved for the door. "Show them the spell. That will be proof enough. I don't expect much."

"Wait! One thing." She turned at my outburst, looking tired. "Just a small thing." I held two fingers close together. "On the day of the first conflict, when the council was there, and you were there. A spear was thrown, from your side, or so I'm told. That was the start--"

Her expression became a mask of rage. "Is that what they say!" She turned to face me, shivering with obvious fury. "That we hurled the first stone?! Not a single pony in my army threw that spear! Show them the blasted spell and begone!" She banged on the door and it opened instantly, allowing her out with an angry grumbling all the way down the stairs.

Author's Notes:

A new month, time for new chapters! Idly, thank you to the patrons that keep this story going! What do you think of Rough Bearing and her place in all this?

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