For the time, we skipped the neighborhood Work had warned us from. Advanced understanding of some key problems would do little to stop angry ponies from acting out against us. Besides, they could yet become employees, if I had a concrete position to offer them. That would be solving two problems at once.

"Where to?" Easy swiveled an ear at me as she walked ahead. "We've seen a lot of Canterlot and it's getting late."

By which, I assumed, she meant she was tired. She wasn't wrong to be. We had just spent the entire day surveying the city. My thoughts were interrupted when my foot came down on a perfectly clean brick. The air was fresher and the buildings on either side looked nicer as well. They didn't look noble, just clean. "Where are we?"

Easy shrugged softly. "I haven't been around so much until you dragged me around." She tapped around the clean roadway. "Whoever lives here takes pride in keeping their way clear at least. Good for them."

"Let's find out who this pony is." She stepped on rejuvenated hooves towards the gate that separated the small yard of the house on our left from the road. Her horn glowed as she opened the gate without difficulty. "Not locked."

I followed her to the door of the two story house. It looked small, maybe enough for a basic familty? Maybe not. Either way, I walked up and noticed the knocker. It was an outline of a griffon; a curious choice... I reached for it and struck it against the metal backing, producing a deep thunking of a knock.

"Just a moment," came a harsh female tone before the door opened to reveal the owner of the house matched her knocker quite well. The griffoness before us raised a brow. "Ah don't know either of ya." She pointed a claw at me. "I don't even know what you are, so make it fast or I close the door."

Easy slid a hoof across the line, getting her foot in the door. "We're not here to bother, promise. We just couldn't help but notice how much cleaner it suddenly got as we went by. You do a nice job keeping your slice of the city straight."

"Yeah?" She narrowed her eyes a moment. "You know that's the law, right? I'm just the only person that does their job."

Wait, what? I had to know more. "What is the law, exactly? We appreciate your time."

"Better be doing more than appreciating." She sat on her haunches and crossed her arms. "Anyway, it's pretty simple. If the road in front of your house isn't presentable, you're supposed to be fined, big time. Funny thing, I ain't seen a single person get fined so far. Whatever. I don't feel like living in a dump, so I keep the place clean anyway. What's it to you two, anyway?"

I waved outwards across the city. "I'm hoping to clean this place up in the most literal sense possible."

"Good luck with that." She scroffed as she reached for the door. "No, really, good luck. I wouldn't mind seeing it, but I doubt it."

I gently nudged Easy back. We had no reason to keep the griffon longer than we had. "Canterlot has as many social problems as it does engineering ones, arguably more." I motioned to the closed door. "When immigrants are the ones following the law and it isn't being enforced, it's little wonder the city's a mess."

Easy shook her head. "It's the same where I came from." She turned away from the house. "If you didn't have a clear road for ponies to walk past, you got in big trouble. I just thought city ponies were messed up, which is still a possibility. Where to, boss?" The way she said that last word had some friendly sarcasm in it.

"I think we need to head back to the castle. It's getting late in the day, and we need to talk." I began the trek back towards the royal seat of power, however little it was being enforced.

"We're talking right now." She bumped into my side. "What's on your mind?"

"I meant we need to talk to whoever's actually in charge. I thought that was Celestia, but maybe not? We need to be sure."

"It is a whole kingdom," reminded Easy as she hopped over a small pile of refuse in the way. "I bet there are ponies in charge of different things. Even my little town had more than one pony. The mayor and the sherriff aren't the same mare."

I had thought 'princess', for lack of a queen, would be the one to talk to, but perhaps I had been mistaken. We made our way through the crowded city. It seemed other ponies were just as eager to get home, and they weren't eager to let us, or anyone else, go first. Some pushing was required, but the traffic did move, and we emerged into the yard of the castle just as the sun was dipping across the horizon.

It had been a full day, but not an unproductive one, I decided silently. The guards nodded towards us as we approached.

"Welcome back," said the one on the left, a pegasus in their traditional gold armor.

"Princess Celestia said to inform you that she would be available after sundown," added the one on the right, a unicorn.

Easy perked at the news. "That's good, where is she?"

The first frowned faintly. "That message for him." He pointed a hoof at me.

I held up my hands placatingly. "She is my acting assistant, don't mind her."

Some tension seemed to ease from both of them. The second nodded. "She can usually be found in one of her studies. Ask a guard inside the castle and they can direct you."

The first's eyes wandered away before coming back to me directly. "What exactly is your business with the princess?"

Easy took a step forward at that. "We're here to put a smile on her face by making her problems go away. Exactly what I came here for in the first place."

That was not exactly what I remember Easy being there for originally, but I saw no reason to argue it. "We've been surveying the city for improvements that can be made."

Both sets of their brows went up together. The second inclined his head faintly. "Improvements?"

Easy raised a hoof in return. "We shouldn't keep the princess waiting." That got both to return to rigid attention, and we walked past them into the interior of the palace.

The stately halls were clean and clear, besides the waitstaff and the royal ponies that moved about. One of the latter came trotting towards us briskly, his ears directed at us. "I say, have you a moment?"

Easy looked ready to say something perhaps foolish, and I put a hand over her snout just in time. "How can we help, sir?"

He smiled at me. "How polite, more than I would have guessed, I admit. I hear you've bent the ear of her majesty." He hiked a lone brow. "Gossip is running wild with what you wish with her."

I didn't need gossip circles running wild about me. It was quite bad enough I was what I was. "I was looking for a job, a position in her service improving Equestria, starting with Canterlot."

"That's a tall order." The noble's horn shone a soft purple as a small canister of something floated into view. "And a little vague, perhaps? Do you have a specialty you plan to bring to bear, besides your bathing skills?"

That had gotten out? Should I have been surprised? He must have noticed my reaction with that little smirk on his fuzzy face.

"I've seen far more bold, and less effective, means of attaining the princess' audience." He held up a lone hoof, wobbling subtly in a 'come here' motion. When I leaned in, he whispered, "You would be well-advised to avoid repeating it, lest ponies begin to think your interests in the princess are less than pure." He sat up. "Unless, of course, they aren't. That is a dangerous game to play."

I had been duly warned. "Point taken. Tell me, do you know about who is in charge of enforcing the laws through the city?"

He reared back a precious inch in surprise. "Like most cities, we have a local sheriff for local laws. We also have the royal guard. Where one starts and one ends has been something of a sticking point, but they work well enough."

Easy frowned and advanced that inch given. "The guards patrol the streets then? I don't remember seeing them out and around."

The noble pony popped open his container, revealing it to have some kind of powder and a puffy thing that held it. He dabbed his snout lightly. "I'm afraid that is beyond my usual spheres. I am a diplomat, returned from assignment to the Saddle Arabians. Fine people, if you don't mind being the shortest pony in the room."

Easy looked suddenly interested. "Are they really as tall as the stories go?"

"It can be worse when you're beside them. They are no larger than the princess, but they are all so large and in a crowd of them, well..." He put his puffy ball back in its case and snapped it closed. "But that is a horse of another color."

"It's been nice to meet you, Sir...?"

He caught the hint, and met my offered hand with his hoof, bumping them together. "Soft Word, a pleasure...?"

It was only fair. "Ian Langerman." I waved over myself. "I feel certain we'll be talking."

"Easy Breeze," suddenly introduced Easy as she put a hoof forward. "We have plans, big plans!"

Soft took her hoof and gently kissed the top of it. "I haven't a doubt you do, miss."

Easy warmed in her cheeks and ear tips, drawing her hoof back. Her words were lost in the moment. I assumed she was expecting a hoofbump instead of a polite kiss.

A thought came to me. "I don't suppose you know what study the princess would be in? She wanted to talk to me."

He turned in place before pointing down a hallway. "She traditionally retires after setting the sun to that one. Third on the left. Do knock before entering." He leaned forward. "Another audience, and private? Ponies will talk."

"She will be with me." I motioned to Easy. "We have work to discuss."

"Well played." He looked over Easy. "Keep her close at hoof. Good luck, Mister Langerman." He walked away at an easy pace, waving down another pony to speak to.

Easy shook her head, speaking quietly, "Did he like like me?"

I settled a hand on her head. "I'm fairly certain he was being courteous in a noble way. He didn't mean anything personal beyond a friendly hello."

"Nobles can be even wierder than whatever you are." She rose up to all fours and started walking where Soft had pointed. "Let's go chat with the princess."

I couldn't argue that and moved to follow after Easy. "This project has gotten more complicated than I first estimated." There I was, thinking I could just deal with the engineering and call it a day. I'd be lucky if we even got to laying the first brick before we got through a maze of other hinderences.

Canterlot was sick, and it wasn't a sewer that would clean it away.

We arrived at the named door. It had no markings on or around it to hint what was beyond it. I raised a hand and rapped gently with the back of my hand, knuckles against the wood.

"Come in," replied a familiar female voice.

The princess was in, and it was time to talk. This time, there would be 100% less soap bubbles involved, in theory. We had plenty to go over.

Author's Notes:

Written at Midwest Furfest, my first time trying to peddle Ponyfinder at a not-pony convention. wish me luck!

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