Tight Fit's horn glowed softly, a lever glowing the same color. "Thank you all for coming. This is the culmination of about half a year of thinkin' and plannin'. I hope... one day... a pony I never meet will enjoy this. They may know my name, or not, but they will feel my hoof on their withers, makin' their day a little brighter."

Soft clopping rippled through the gathered crowd. I was the odd one out with my clapping.

"Now, let's show what I've done." The lever came down. A rod lowered into the running stream and began to rotate, propelled by the motion of the river itself, like a drill that faced towards the current of the water and spun around and around by the grooves in its surface.

A small red light moodily flickered. It was barely a light at all, but Tight Fit was already grinning like a fool. "Yes! I'll just..." He hurried around his generator and soon everyone could hear him tinkering with it. The gloomy red light became brighter, filling with the glow that inspired a new wave of clops.

There was a noise like a pop, and the light faded instantly. Tight poked his head around to see it. "Oh... the light didn't handle that very well... Still a work in progress, but you saw it! Electricity, controlled!" He gestured widely at the machine, but it had little left to show for its effort.

Some ponies began to rise and wander off. Celestia was not one of them, striding towards Tight Fit. He saw her and looked a little nervous. "I just need to revise the lamp, you see. It'll take a little more time. I hope you aren't--"

She placed a hoof on his nose, silencing him. "Does this device create smoke?"

Tight blinked softly, clearly surprised by the question. "No, Ma'am."

"Did he tell you how to make this?" She didn't point at me, but I think Tight and I both knew who she meant.

"I borrowed his library, but I made it myself." Some of his pride was returning. "This is a new thing. The Tight Generator!"

"Then I would see you continue." Her hoof lowered to the ground. "He trusts you with his library?"

Tight Fit's ears danced. "He... wanted to see what I do with it, Ma'am. He's encouraged me to build and try new things." He put a hoof behind his head. "It's all new, but he hasn't told me what to do with it, just set me on it like a foal given wooden building blocks. I right feel like a foal again." He suddenly pointed to the dead bulb. "I'll fix that!"

"I want pony solutions to pony problems," I added, joining the conversation. "As much as I enjoy being here, and being part, I am not a pony. One day I may not be here, and if all the solutions are made for me, where will you be?"

Celestia glanced towards me, a flicker of her eyes, but her attention was on Tight. "I would see you continue this, to master electricity." She leaned in closer, their noses almost touching. "I ask only that you avoid smoke. Can you do that?"

I don't think Tight Fit was used to Celestia taking such a direct interest in him. He was glancing about nervously. "I... planned to, Your Highness. I prefer fluids. I was the first pipe worker Sir Langerman had, so it just made sense, to me, to go to my old friend, water, to make electricity."

Celestia nodded as she turned away, apparently satisfied with her words. "Ian." She was closing with me. I wasn't that far away, a few steps and it was over. "You seem to be fixated on the long game. Has no one informed you, that is my profession?" A little smile touched her lips. "I would hear your plans to create pony solutions. Send me a missive." And off she went, trotting back towards what other business she had.

Easy threw a leg over her father suddenly, hugging him by the neck with one arm. "It worked! Mostly. Pity about the light going out."

"That was poorly timed," he agreed. "I read how the humans got around that, but I can't do that... I'm trying to make a pony bulb, with what we have." He returned the gesture, hugging her close. "Thanks for coming to see it."

"As if I would miss my dad showing off!" She pushed away with a big smile. "You looked so proud! It'll only get better, I'm sure of it."

"You did good." I clapped him on the shoulder. "You did what you actually set out to do. Making light bulbs isn't your specialty."

"No... reckon it isn't." He turned to look at the generator. "But it isn't doing much without somethin' to... do."

It was true, a generator not connected to something was just a noise maker without a purpose. Then an idea hit me. "What if we used this to make up for the sudden river?"

"Hm?"

Easy gestured at her dad. "What he said. What are you talking about?"

I pointed to where a basic covering had been made to allow traffic past. "What if your engine could raise and lower that as needed, and the gate behind it?"

Tight frowned as he fidgeted from hoof to hoof. "Well... mmm... We'd need a motor, like the one you built... wrap the chains up in it... turns... carries... Yeah... Yeah!" And he galloped off, apparently overtaken with an idea. I didn't stop him.

Easy was sighing with a smirk. "And he'll be busy for a little while. Why'd you go and do that?"

"Because he has to succeed." I gestured at the still humming water power generator. "This works, but doesn't do anything, and I think that's bothering him, a lot. It needs to get something done, then he can say he did something."

"Speaking of that." Her magic flipped the switch back to the off position. "No reason to have that going right now."

"This is only a stopgap..." There had to be more ponies than Tight Fit, working in other fields. They had to make a foundation that built on itself. Progress, for ponies. "For now, let's go."

"The project's done, Sir." Work Pants nodded softly. "Water's flowing right. Not much more to be done. The rest is out of our hooves. I hear the dogs are about done too, but not much we can do to help them finish up."

I thrust a hand out and it was met with a hoof. "It was a pleasure having you on the team."

"Likewise, Sir." He inclined his head. "If you have further need of us, send word to the guild."

Guild? "They've taken you back then, besides my work?"

"How could they not?" He smiled a serene smile. "We have a reputation now, a good one. We're the ones working to bring water to the city, and we did a good job, didn't we, Sir?"

"Without a doubt." I gave a thumbs up, even if he likely didn't see that gesture often. "Great! I was worried a moment you'd be going right back to being hungry after me."

"The fear had been there, Sir... But it seems it was unfounded. I'll continue leading my ponies and we'll have other things to build." He reached up for his hat, tilting it towards me. "Take care, Sir. Maybe we'll work together again."

I didn't feel sad when he left. I knew, someday, his descendant would be rich and well off, but also a good pony. I had handled that correctly.

Speaking of the things he had built...

Water was flowing just a foot away. "Clean water." The dog pointed. "Dirty water." He walked down a narrow tunnel to show me water with unfavorable smells. The two were separated by stone, and a big metal door. "Dirty water get bigger." He dropped to a knee and reached down to put a hand just over where the water rushed. "Half big before."

"We're getting more and more of the city connected," I explained. "More ponies using the water, more dirty water."

"More dirty water," he agreed, rising back to his feet. "Who clean?"

"The water flows out, doesn't it?" I pointed where I thought the outgoing spigot was.

"Dirt." He suddenly grabbed me and pulled me over, his other hand thrust down into the murky water. "Look."

There, at the bottom, it was small, but it would grow. The sewers needed cleaning and upkeep. Of course they would... "That will be up to the ponies."

The dog scoffed at that, thrusting me back suddenly so hard I almost fell over. "Pony not know tunnels. Give job." He thrust a thumb at himself. "We clean, get paid."

That really wasn't how that was supposed to go. "What about the land you were promised? If you're doing this, you're not using the land."

The head dog shrugged. "Take it. Some go. Some stay, work." He thumped his chest. "Go talk ponies. Tell them. Give job."

Another dog gave a bark from across the dirty waterway. "They not listen. Not want us around. We take land, go."

"That's not true. They let me stay around." I mean, really, I was pretty not-pony. "I'll talk to them."

"You talk, we go." The other dog stormed off, apparently set on their path. They would become the diamond dogs of Ponyville. But maybe they didn't all need to be that?

"I'll do what I can."

"Good." He clapped me on the shoulder. It was about as bad as being shoved. They were strong! "You smart, listen. See problem, fix. We fix, get paid." He nodded, confident in his logic. "We wait."

There was one thing... "If you want to make a good impression, you need to look the part."

He scowled at that. "Not pony."

"Not pony," I agreed. "Doesn't mean a diamond dog can't look good. Come with me." It was my turn to put a hand on his shoulder and start guiding him. For all the shoving he had done, he seemed alright with me doing it back. "I'm going to get you a new set of clothes. They need to see you're worth respecting."

He made a little canine noise that I think roughly translated to 'what?', but he came with me. We emerged into town and I got to use my new discretionary funds to get him into something smart looking. "Now, these clothes aren't for work."

"What point of clothes not to protect?" He pulled lightly at his new vest, turning left and right as he regarded himself in a mirror.

"They do protect, but not from work. They make you look good. They make ponies see a creature worth treating decently." I ran a hand along my own shirt. "The fancier the clothes, the more they think you have money and manners, and the more they want to work with you."

"Protect from stupid ponies." He grinned a little, uneven canine teeth on display. "Get it. Look fancy. Get job."

"Get job," I agreed, offering a hand. Unlike the ponies, he knew the gesture and met the hand with one of his, making a proper shake of it. "You don't want to call ponies stupid. They'll be paying you."

"Oh... yeah. Good thought." He nodded at me as if I had just shared a secret with him. "Not call boss stupid to face, bad idea. Used to you boss. You not boss?"

"Once the sewer is built, I'm not the boss," I assured. "So you need a new boss, the ponies. They can hire you for this."

"New boss... Yes. Make boss smile, get job." He dusted his new clothes lightly, not that they needed it. "Ready."

"Almost." And off we went. I had to set appointments, and get him before the council without making himself look bad. Surely that'd be easy, right?

The future would still look familiar, I hoped.

Author's Note

We jump around a bit in this chapter. A lot of good things are happening, I think. Things are getting done!

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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