Our cart was not returned, but a new one rolled out. It wasn't being pulled by us. One of the local ponies was attached with a serious look on his cute little face. Even rioting ponies were hard to see in a truly imposing light, at least so far as I was concerned.

We had our clothes back, and they even trusted me with my sword again. That was quite the display, I decided. Even if I was untrained at combat, I could cause significant harm if I moved at the right time. Not that I planned to. If they were going to see us back to Canterlot safely, great.

While they prepared for the journey, I hiked a thumb at the house that had been our temporary home. "You know that's a health hazzard, right?"

Rough turned from the pony she had been talking to. "What are you going on about? That's built quite securely, and I don't see a single splinter on the lot of you."

I made a lowering gesture. "Not the house itself, what comes out of it. There's nothing separating the... leavings from everyone else." I could see it clearly once I had come out. The inside outhouse's trench was right by the road. "It's just another way to spread disease."

She looked between me and the problem. "We're worried about making sure the sun rises tomorrow and you're worried about the stink someone makes? Get out of here, engineer." She stressed that part of the word in almost a hiss before pointing towards Canterlot. "Take them, and come back once they're delivered."

We pushed across the hills, a mighty caravan. Things were different. We had enough ponies to keep predators away, and many of us appeared to be combat ready. Food involved more utilitarian dried and tough food rather than the sweeter stuff Water and Easy had selected, but it kept hunger at bay.

The forest seemed far less imposing on the return trip. For one, it was our second time instead of the first. For another, we weren't alone. Even the timber wolves were hesitant to rush at our mob.

"I would have set them on fire," confidently stated Easy as we went.

The poison joke was still there, clogging the path. Our new companions grumbled softly on seeing it. "Guess that wasn't a lie," noted one before pointing into the forest. "Let's carve around it."

They grabbed axes from the wagon and hacked free a new path with surprising swiftness, working their way around the patch of blue trouble. Could I even be affected again while I was under its curse? I wasn't sure, but the possibility of it finishing the job wasn't 0%, so I opted against tempting fate.

I liked my fingers, damnit.

We made it past without any puffs of spores that we could see and pushed on through the forest.

When it came time to climb the mountain, there were no shortcuts. We didn't try scaling it directly. It was follow the windy trail back and forth, slowly but safely. That felt like the theme of this return trip, slow but safe. There wasn't much adventure in it, but we were making it in one piece. On some level it seemed almost disappointing, as if the first trip were lessened somehow.

But that was just me being silly. The first was still just as dangerous, even if the second was routine.

When we crested the mountain and Canterlot came into easy view, Water looked the most immediately happy. "Home," she sighed out, trotting forward, her eyes locked on the castle we could all see.

An arrow landed just in front of her, bringing her to a sudden halt. Ponies stood with bows planted into the earth. The one that had fired the first was drawing a new arrow to load as more melee guards galloped out to meet us. "That's far enough," declared the first to reach us. "Quite bold of her, sending an attack directly on Canterlot."

"Hold it hold it!" I put up my hands. "I am Ian Langerman and I'm returning with news for the council. They were just seeing me here safely, nothing more."

The guard inclined an ear at me. "I don't recall Mister Langerman having hooves..." Still, his eyes wandered past to Easy, Water, and Work. "You must have some story to share. Head inside, we'll deal with these."

Work shook his head quickly. "I'm afraid I cannot accept that, Sir."

Easy rolled her eyes. "Much as I'm looking forward to not camping out, yeah, let them go."

The ponies that had guided us this far were watching, but weren't reacting, not directly. I had expected them to reach for weapons or break into a run, but they were being remarkably patient. I gestured at them. "They're just going to turn around and go home. No one has to fight today, and hopefully we can settle this whole thing."

"They are criminals, Sir." He squinted at the lot of them. "Hostile insurgents, in fact."

I shooed at our escort, waving them away. "They're going home. If that was the wrong thing to do, I'll be strung up for it at court, which is where I'm going anyway."

They turned back and began the slow descent down the mountain, leaving us behind with our own troubles to deal with. The guard snorted in a uniquely equine way. "I will be reporting this, Sir. We could have gotten valuable intel from them." He turned to the castle and the other ponies that were standing down. "This way. I'd put you under arrest but, as you said, you're already going to the right place."

Work hastened to be at my side as we entered Canterlot-proper. "If it helps, Sir, I agree. It would be a very poor showing to arrest them just after they did us a favor."

Easy strolled up along the opposite side. "Besides, if we can call this whole thing off, even better, and what's the point of jailing people then? You do have a plan for that, right Boss?"

Oh, sure, plenty of plans... Or maybe just one. I planned to show off that letter and argue their case for them.

"You're back?" asked a familiar elderly voice. "Ah, yes, there you are. And in one piece."

That made me think about what the poison joke had done, which was apparently enough for psychic grannie to get a whiff. "Oh. Mostly, at least. Tell me you've come with a miracle and they've surrendered."

Not so much, I silently thought to myself. You'll find out with everyone else, tomorrow, in court. It's already too late for today.

"You'll keep me waiting? I suppose I can stand this much..." Her presence seemed to fade, my thoughts becoming my own.

We were being given an escort. The guards nudged anyone else not fast enough about getting out of the way free of the street as we proceeded right up to the castle. It was also a good chance to experience the ripe stench of the city. It was the weeping sore that pointed at the troubles that faced the kingdom. A lot of it could have been solved without a fancy new sewer system.

But they weren't getting a sewer system, or even clean streets. I wondered how it was affecting the other cities of Equestria. Images of an old-timey version of Manehattan jumped into my mind. Did it even exist yet? I'd have to get a current map of the kingdom to be sure which cities were actually there or not.

That wasn't helping us at that specific moment. We ascended the stairs to the castle and the guard that seemed in charge turned to us, pointing at Work Pants. "Mister Langerman will call for your presence, presuming he isn't clapped in irons."

Right, he wasn't officially in my employ anymore. "One moment, I do owe him payment." I dug out the money that had been trusted to me and ... How much was he owed?

Easy seemed to read my indecision without words, trotting up and taking the bag in her magic. "Standard pay per day, plus hazzard." She started piling bits up in front of Work in neat rows. "And a tip." She placed down a larger denomination bit to end it all. "See you next time, right?"

Work folded an arm across his chest and dipped his head, ears going low a moment. "It was a pleasure to walk at your sides. I trust we will do it again, once this distasteful business is comfortably behind us." He gathered his bits in his magic and squirreled them away into his shirt and that pocket that ponies had. "Good luck, all of you."

We left him behind and entered the castle. Water Lily inclined her lead to the right. "I should resume my duties, Sir, Ma'am. I'll visit when I can." She smiled brightly, if a little awkwardly. The guards didn't stop her from moving quickly down a hallway to join the other maids in the upkeep of the castle.

Our little adventuring party was being stripped away. It was just me and Easy, back to where we started, in our room. The major difference being that we were told to stay there and not leave until it was time for court.

"You really stepped in it," noted Easy, seated on her bed on her belly, watching me. "Is that paper supposed to change it all?" Her eyes darted to where I was hiding it. "Do we even know it's the right spell?"

No. "I can't read magic. Can you?"

She rolled her eyes. "That question hurts. Really, Boss. Magic is one of my 'things.' Pass it over."

I drew out the rolled scroll and held it towards her. It glowed in her magic as she pulled it the rest of the way, unfurling it as it came towards her. "Now let's see..." She ran a hoof over the paper, frowning in concentration. "Good news, it's not a little spell." She pulled it more open with her magic. "And... it just keeps going... and going..." She pulled it out and out, unfurling in a grand display.

"This is going to take a while, Boss. No way around it." She sat up, her interest piqued. "I'm on it."

That didn't leave me with much to do. Watching a unicorn study up a spell wasn't going to get me much. I wanted to go talk to Celestia. I wanted to investigate. Who did throw that first spear that launched the civil war in the first place? That felt like an important question, seeing as both sides saw the other side as the agressors and didn't want to back down in part because of it.

"Wow," breathed out Easy. "I never knew the magic word for the entire sun before..." She swept a hoof reverently across the scroll. "This is no... joke." Her eyes raised as if looking towards the sun through the castle itself. "You'd have to practically kill yourself trying... Oh... Is that... wow..." She sank to the bed, looking drained. "Wow..."

"Are you alright?" I moved to the side of her bed with a clop with every step. "You didn't try to move the sun just now, did you?"

"No!" She dropped the scroll suddenly. "No no no! You couldn't pay me enough bits to try! I just got to the core, the sun..." She pointed a quivering hoof at the scroll. "Just reaching that far, pulling that hard... Unicorns were not designed to do... that. It's too much! No wonder, oh, wow, no wonder."

Was she in shock? I put a hand on her shoulder, squeezing gently. "Come back to me, Easy Breeze. No one's asking you to cast that spell, promise."

"Y-yeah... I'm just imagining... what it would have been like." She smiled at he oddly, a haunted look. "Imagine taking a boulder and working it up a steep hill in the rain... then do it again the next day, then the next day... And the day after that." Her teeth began to grit together. "No wonder..."

I had no idea Easy was capable of such sympathy, still, it was a daunting task that eventually left unicorns crippled and worthless. "And Celestia does it practically without effort."

Easy thumped against the wall she was beside. "That's literally her destiny. She's also twice as big, and an alicorn to boot. Good on her."

Author's Notes:

Welcome back to square 1! Are you ready to play New Game +? Ian better not typo in his speech/debate come the morrow. A lot depends on it.

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