Ground Surge held his horn fast against the edge of the large circular table. Magic flowed from him, streaming instructions and complicated spell matrices into the even more complicated magical artifact.

The map lit up with a blue light and emitted a soft chime. A projected image of Equestria flickered into life above the table.

“Phew.” Ground Surge stepped back and wiped the sweat from his brow with a hoof. After a quick stretch, he made his way across the castle atrium. Crystal dust fell from the ceiling above, detritus from the pegasi doing their last minute carving. He found his supervisor standing next to the break table, his face twisted in its eternal frown. “Alright boss, updates are done. I can't believe they tried to push these on us a week before deadline.”

Swift Deadline grunted, then spat on the ground. “Nothing but demands and complaints from those froo-froo idgits up in Canterlot. First it's all ‘oh we need a new castle,’ then ‘oh can it be made out of crystal?’ Now they want the whole thing attached to a magic faultline and they want it all miniaturized when they're done. ‘It should fit in a box!’ Freaking unbelievable.”

Ground Surge poured himself a glass of water and drank from it greedily. “At least the money's coming through. Ain't like some of those jobs we've done where we have to fight for every paycheck. Working for the crown sure has its perks.”

“Yeah… about that.” Swift Deadline glanced about the room, then leaned in close to whisper. “Kid, what's the one thing I always tell you?”

Something popped above them, sending down a shower of sparks and a smoking pegasus. “Always make sure you have on the right protective gear before you stick your horn in something?”

Swift Deadline sighed and rubbed at his snout. “You damn idiots! What do I even pay you for?” He took a deep breath. “No, not that. The other thing. When a job comes in.”

Ground Surge tapped his hoof on the clear crystal of the floor. Just where was this going? “As long as the money's good, don't question it.”

“That's right. That advice has served me well for forty years.”

They stood together in silence, even as the roar of construction continued around them.

“You questioned it, didn't you?”

“Ssh!” Swift Deadline moved close enough to violate at least several workplace proper conduct guidelines. “Look, I know you probably don’t wanna hear it, but I gotta tell someone. It turns out that ‘Crown Princess LLC’ ain't actually affiliated with the crown at all. They're a subsidiary of dCO Enterprises, which is owned by some place called SparkleCorp.”

Ground Surge swallowed. “I've never heard of either of those.”

“Me neither. That chain goes back half a dozen times until it dead-ends in a paperwork warehouse in Southern Canterlot. I don’t get it, Ground. A big old fancy magic castle that my daughter would love to have as a toy. At best, it feels like a vanity project for some rich eccentric schmuck. But then why go through so much secrecy? It’s giving me nightmares.”

“Boss…” Ground Surge glanced back towards the magical map. It seemed deceptively simple, even if he knew how complicated the underlying magic could get. Could it be something dangerous? Could somepony get hurt from this?

“Hey boss,” a pony called out from a nearby room, “we’re low on paneling for the basement. You want I should go get another shipment?”

Swift Deadline cleared his throat loudly, then stood up straight. “I thought I told you to do inventory yesterday! We should have had just enough. I swear, we’re already over budget and when you’re dealing with idiots like this...” He sighed, then shook his head. “Sorry for all that, Ground. Go see if you can help with the lights on the third floor. And pretend we never had this conversation.”

Ground Surge chuckled, then rubbed at the back of his head. “Sure thing, Boss. You wanna pretend we didn’t talk about this over drinks later? I feel like I could use the extra help forgetting.”

“Better things to spend your paycheck on than booze, kid.” Swift Deadline grunted, then spat on the ground. “But for this, yeah, I think you’re right on that one.”