So much poop (Patreon)

While Granny Smith dealt with the complicated and potentially messy situation involving Applebloom and Stone Mane. Link Nearby Rainbow Dash watched ponies deal with an even more messy problem in my Equestria dreamscape.

The steam shovel engine chuffed and produced a steady stream of grayish smoke and steam as it slowly so rotated its cab. The chief pony operating it brought its movement to a halt over the ever growing hole. Releasing another lever resulting in a clattering of chains as the shovel arm swung down into the mixture of mud and noxious fluids. The earth pony running the shovel yanked back hard on another lever and once again chains started to be reeled back in. As they did the shovel arm swung up bearing another shovel scoop full of dirt, mud....and well stuff that most ponies really preferred to not be nearby.

Overseeing the entire operation was the brothers Outhouse and Buzzing Flies. They were constantly on the move around the work site monitoring the progress of the job. More than a dozen ponies were on site. The back area of our cottage was now home to the already mentioned steam shovel, 2 steam powered pumps, various materials that might be needed to repair the septic tank, and now several large piles of very aromatic dirt and other organic elements.

"Honeysuckle. How much mer room ya got en that there tank?" Outhouse called out to the mare monitoring filling of one of the waste tanks the team had brought out to the sight. The orange and yellow earth pony peered in briefly and before yelling back.

"We're past the halfway mark! Better git the next tank ready fer filling. With the ground so soggy here we don't want ta git this thing bogged down and unable ta move it!"

"Right!" Outhouse yelled at a pegasus stallion who had just landed after running an errand. "Down Wind! Git over ta my brother and tell him ta git the next tank wagun over here fer filling!"

"On it!" The stallion yelled over chuffing and hissing of the steam pump he was standing by. Then he took off looking for Buzzing Flies.

He found the stallion standing out on the road alongside Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy who watching on with a look of horror and disgust. The the mares standing here because from this location  one could see what was going on, and almost not smell the entire operation.

"So much poop." Rainbow Dash said softly as she looked on with a shocked expression.

"Um. Yes Dash. That's a lot of, uh....poop." Fluttershy validated her friends observation.

For his part Buzzing Flies seemed to taking this time to enlighten his customer, whether Dash wanted him to or not, about what the mares were watching unfold before their eyes.

"Now! We've dug down tu the tank, and at moment it luuks like wut we've gut here is ah classic example uf a full tank. Which has caused the line tu back up!"

About this time Down Wind swooped down and landed alongside Buzzing Flies. "Hey! Your bro says you need to get the other tank wagon ready for filling!"

"Right!" Buzzing Flies whistled sharply at a nearby team of 4 earth ponies that were already hitched up to a wagon that had a large, riveted tank of iron sheets attached to its frame. Having gotten the the lead pony's attention the brother yelled. "Plunger! Git yer team over ta da hole! We're switchin out the tanks!"

"Yeah, yeah!" Yelled the lead pony. "Okay everypony ya heard the boss. Freshin up yer stripe and lets git goin!"

Attached to the collar of everypony who was working at the site was a flat, cylindrical plug of waxy material that fitted neatly into a recess of their work harness. This waxy substance had a strong menthol smell to it. After checking to make sure they had no mud, or worse, stuck to a front hoof ponies would rubbed a hoof on the material and then make a stripe under their nostrils. This helped to blunt the worse of the smell coming from the work site. With this accomplished the lead pony released the brake and the team moved out.

Buzzing Flies turned back to Rainbow Dash. "Now! Where wuz I? Right! I reckun with any luck we'll have this all wrapped up in nu time ma'am. Unless we discuver sum unferseen issue. Like a excessive fecal matter has backed up and bruken the line. Then we'll have tu–"

"You can stop now!" Rainbow Dash blurted out suddenly. She paused and took a deep breath and promptly regretted it. True you couldn't smell the worse of the operation, but that didn't mean you couldn't smell it all. Attempting to ignore the queasiness in her stomach. RD spoke again in a quieter voice.

"Thank you." Dash said in an overly polite voice. "For your professional advice. However myself and Fluttershy have other things we need to do. Ssssoooo. I'll stop hanging around and distracting you from your work." RD looked over at her friend. "Come on Fluttershy there's something we need to do." Then she took off. A second or so later her friend followed."

"Um, Rainbow Dash." The chiffon yellow mare said as she hurried to catch up. "What exactly do we need to do?"

RD's prismatic colored mane flapped in the slipstream as she looked back over her shoulder at her longtime friend. "The only thing one can do after observing what we did."

"Uh, and what, um is that?"

"Get a drink."

To be continued.