We had reached a milestone. A great pipe rested at the base of the mountain, its end closed off, but filled with water. I swept my eyes along its length back up into the mountain where not a single drop of water was leaking. "You are a fast worker..."

Work Pants dipped his head faintly. "It is the name, Sir. We have the water coming down from the peak reliably now, but this project is now at an impasse. Do you want us to begin the tunnel work? Not our specialty, I won't try to hide, but we're ready to continue."

"Take the rest of the day off, paid." I turned back towards the castle. "Time to see if things are moving the way I hope they will."

"As you say. Thank you." Work trotted off to tell his work crew the good news.

With a sudden pop, Easy appeared a few feet away and quickly turned towards me. "There you are! The council's looking for you."

What? "All of them?"

"All of them," she sang. "I think it's good news before you get too upset. Shall we go?" She offered a hoof towards me.

"The castle is where I planned to go, so this works out." I took her hoof in a hand. "You getting better at teleporting?"

"You tell me." The world stopped existing a moment before we appeared within the castle, in our room. "Ta da."

I wasn't sizzling or smoking. It hadn't hurt, and it was fairly instantly. "You are getting better," I assured with a smile. "Do you remember you used to be scared of the idea?"

"The first time is always the scariest." She waved it away. "There are so many things that could go wrong, but once you get a feel for it, it's not too bad. Now, let's go visit some council ponies." She strode past me for the hallway with a determined look.

"Where is your father?" I asked as I caught up with and walked beside her, my strange humanish gait throwing off the clip-clop of her equine trot in noise with my clops mixing with hers. "Keeping busy while we get ready for his part?"

"He never admitted it, but he really wants to see the city, so he's taking the opportunity."

I hadn't paid him yet, so... "Did you slip him a few bits?"

"How could I not?" She smiled gently, glancing aside at me. "He's my dad, and he looked so eager... He's really enjoying himself, and I'm not going to stop that, really..."

"No, that's good of you. I hope he's finding some interesting things." Who knows, he could even learn something relevant to the task, but that wasn't the goal.

We settled to companionable silence as we approached a room I had been to before. The guards standing by the door nodded towards me, neither gleaming with the bright gold I would know all of Celestia's guards to eventually wear, but they weren't hers, not yet. "They are waiting for you," noted one. "Please enter."

Inside they sat, not facing us, instead each other. They were discussing a sheet of parchment that rest between them. Celestia was nodding to something a councilmare was saying, "--going just fine. With the return of the armed forces, law enforcement is building back up to where it used to be."

The councilstallion let out a dramatic sigh. "It's good to be able to breathe again. The city felt like the nation as a whole, choking on itself. Its recov... Oh, our guest is here."

Their eyes all looked up towards us then. Celestia inclined her head towards two available cushions. "Please, join us. I have good news for you."

The mare nodded softly. "Imagine our surprise; really, the Diamond Dogs? Giving them land in Equestria..."

"If they can see this project through." The stallion shrugged softly. "But this is beside the point, we already gave approval."

With a glowing horn, Celestia set down a new scroll. "And this is their response. Shall we read it together?"

I sat cross-legged on the cushion, my hooves pressing against my legs in a way that my old feet wouldn't have. Ah, the wonders of an altered body. "I am guessing you already have?"

Celestia ran a hoof gently along the scroll, trailing a wax seal. "Actually not. You must proceed one way or the other, and we determined we would discuss this, no matter what the reply may be."

Easy thrust her right forehoof at it. "Well open that up and let's see what we're working with."

I had no argument for that. "Hopefully good news."

The councilmare took it in her magic and popped the seal open with ease, unfurling the scroll. She read the words aloud, her eyes slowly passing left and right.

Good Day, Ponies

We not expect letter. So nice. Want diggers? We have diggers. Give diggers home? Is good. You treat well, yes? On the way.

Nice letter, will send more,
Mittens, Queen of Dimondia

Celestia inclined her head faintly. "I couldn't have asked for a more positive reply."

The councilstallion rolled a hoof at the floating scroll. "So uncouth in their writing. Is this the sort of citizen we desire if this is as well as their own queen can manage?"

I shrugged at that. "We're not hiring them for their eloquence. They know how to dig."

"And that's what they'll do," chimed Easy in agreement. "What land are they getting though?"

Eyes looked from face to face, settling on Celestia, who inclined a wing. "There is a fine plot of land that is currently seeing very little use at all. Not far west from here, in the lowlands, where we were considering farming opportunities."

The councilmare perked an ear. "Are they taking that land then?"

The councilstallion snorted softly. "They prefer underground, don't they? If they stay there, we can farm over their heads and be done with it."

I shrugged softly at that, having some idea of how it'd play out, but it wasn't my place to change the world I was making. The diamond dogs had a part to play in future events. "That sounds quite reasonable. When should they arrive?"

Celestia's magic wrapped around the letter, taking it from the councilmare and rolling it back up. "This could not be said with certainty, but I feel confident that wheel is in motion. Speaking of that, the gate guards speak with awe at the tremendous pipe you have running down the mountainside, and we had a few... concerns."

The stallion stood suddenly. "Is that temporary? Will you be hiding it eventually? It's quite ungainly to see, as impressive as it is."

I hadn't put a lot of thought into that, but it was true. The future Canterlot had no huge visible pipe connecting it to the mountain. "I'll make that the next project, to have them conceal it without making it inaccessible; work it into the natural face of the mountain."

The councilmare nodded softly. "That is all that we ask. You have the masons on the case, we're certain they can do something about it." Her gaze went to Easy. "We are told your father has joined the effort."

"Tight fit," she agreed with a nod. "He'll be handling the smaller piping in and out of homes to connect with the big pipes, right?" She looked to me for confirmation.

Which I gave, "Exactly correct. He isn't on the case yet, or being paid. We need the tunnels started under the city before he can get to connecting them to individual houses."

Celestia swept a hoof slowly through the air. "Speaking of that, I would like the castle to enjoy this water. Fresh water not born of magic sounds lovely."

The councilstallion blinked softly. "It wouldn't be clean."

The councilmare shook her head. "You haven't been paying attention. Mister Langerman?"

"We will be using magic filters," I gestured in the vague direction where that enchanter worked. "The water will be entirely natural in origin, but we'll clean it thoroughly before it reaches any tongues, or cooking pots or tubs. Since we're on the topic of this project, we've done a survey of the city as best we could, but if you have a more detailed map of the buildings we'll be working with?"

Celestia's horn glowed as she grabbed a book from a shelf. "I thought you may ask that. Take this." She set it in front of me. "This has a full map of the castle and all adjoining buildings. Please do not allow the book to leave your sight. It has... privileged information."

The councilmare sighed gently. "Such trust... Mister Langerman, I have a request."

"Hmm?"

"Will you formally swear fealty to the nation?" She tipped head head towards me. "You have stated your intentions clearly enough. Think of it as a formality, if you would prefer."

The councilstallion raised a hoof. "We would welcome you as a full and proper citizen."

Was I not that already? Things had gone from glacial to feeling at times uncomfortably fast. "Of course I will. I am here to help Equestria, and it is my home." Not like I knew how to go back, or was really in a hurry to. I was enjoying my new role in a new world.

Celestia gently brought her forehooves together. "I suggest this not be a simple declaration of intent. We have heard it, and so have they. You have a much more convincing show of faith at your disposal." The two councilponies looked to her curiously. "I think you know what I mean, Mister Langerman. I will not force that of you. But if you find favor in her..."

The councilmare suddenly had a wicked smile. "A paramour? How have I not heard of this...?"

Easy clopped a hoof on the table. "We're not here to chat about how the boss makes a mare happy." Eyes were turning on her. "W-what? It's not me! Sheesh, some professional etiquette and all that. He's my boss, not my boyfriend."

Celestia, I noticed, had looked towards her, though I was pretty sure she knew exactly who was being hinted at. All the better to play dumb. I set my hands down on the table more calmly than Easy had. "I'll talk with her. This isn't a choice for me to make on my own."

"I accept."

Like that? "This is a permanent thing, just to remind."

"You have shown me nothing that would make me shy away from that." She set down a duster she had been holding in her magic and turned to face me entirely. "I wanted you all to myself since before today. You asking just makes that easier. Do you agree to be mine? To be pampered and brushed and lavishly oiled to keep your skin delightfully soft and supple?"

Once in a while, I forgot her skin fetish, then she would just remind me... "Am I more than a patch of skin without fur?"

She frowned sharply. "I'm not a filly. We've been through quite a bit already, and I expect there will be more ahead of us. You'll make your oath to Equestria as a whole, my promise is to you." She reared up onto two legs. "I will support and love you, as I expect the same in return. I will learn to think as you do, as you learn of my ways. In the end we will both be changed, but for the better I think."

"He beat you to the punch there." Easy was gesturing at my lower half. "Can't really argue about becoming more pony with that going on."

"Easy... Is there a reason you are always here, even when we're discussing private things, or doing private things?"

She sat up tall. "We're family. Sure, I'm not going to start smooching either of you, but we are family, like brothers and sisters. I'm here to make sure you two don't do anything too stupid. Now thank Big Sister Easy properly, or she may find something better to do."

At least I had friends.

Author's Notes:

Get married, hide pipes, get diamond dogs. Boy things are picking up speed I think.

Written early for patreons who got this ahead of everyone else. Want to get early chapters, or even your own story written? atreon!

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