Slowtrot and I explained our situations to the mayor on how we were from the west and how a teleportation spell had sent us here, though both our explanations were inconsistent to say the least, and Slowtrot being from far in the past was both confusing to me and the mayor. If time was as messed up as it seemed, then maybe I hadn't met Slowtrot down there, or it was a different him… you know, best not think about it. Skipping the confusing parts, I did explain that I might need to head out west to find a way home and getting enough money for it was at the top of the list. I was also not going to just accept charity, though some help would be nice. I felt the sooner I could pay for my own food and board, the better.

The mayor kindly let us prattle on. After that, he offered us solutions to our predicament. If we could do the jobs, then he could give us the jobs, pointing out that he is the mayor.

Important as he was, I had seen the mannerisms before. I heard the words used weave through politics and smelled the heavy perfumes that most used to hide the smell of sweat when meeting their betters. I knew I could not trust him with the truth, or even a half-truth, as he reminded me too much of other power-hungry mayors. They were sweet on the outside but filled with nothing but slime on the inside.

I could tell him I am a princess, descendant of princess Platinum herself, or that I am a mirage pony, born with the ability to draw magic from the air itself and power old tech as a stand-in for a spark battery, but telling him that would likely just make me a playing chip in a game of power, likely to be traded off to some young or old empire.

No... not if I could help it. I am determined to not let that happen to me, so I would keep that part of my heritage secret along with my magical ability. I’ll head west in hopes to reunite with my kin. If there were Mirage ponies out west, then that's where I needed to be. Through them, I may return home, and then… I don't know, maybe support my sister, maybe unite my people… or give them a reason to rebel, and then die…

Maybe, just maybe, it was a good thing I was so far from home. My own existence was giving the peasants a reason to rebel, as I, a mirage pony among the unicorns, served by the mirage ponies. My existence was nothing more than a disaster for mother, the queen, yet I was allowed to live… but why?

After we had discussed it some more, Mayor Espresso decided that Slowtrot would help one of the important ponies in town, but he would first need to get his messy mane and beard cut.

As for myself, I had impressed him enough that he decided that I should help lighten the administrative work for the town, mainly being the Karats assistant for the time being.

"Alright, just… well don't touch anything, I have everything how I like it." Karat explained, leaving me with a job most ponies could do. She told me not to touch a thing despite her desk being a mess. I would understand if she had notes and files everywhere, but her workspace was a mess of nick-knacks, almost nothing work-related.

She then left with Slowtrot, he seemingly on guard around her as she tried to flirt with him. I sighed and looked at my workstation on what I should do next. I saw nothing that explained anything on what was going on in this town other than several times that meant nothing to me.

"Miss Harp?" Deputy Willow spoke up. "Are you okay with this?" he asked as the mayor trotted up behind him.

"Of course she is. Secretary work is easy as pie," Mayor Espresso spoke up. "If Miss Karat can do it, I’m sure she can do it."

Willow shrugged and looked at me. "If you ever need help miss, I'll be around. Just ask for me.”

I nodded, as did the deputy, then he left.

"Right. Mayor Espresso, what's on the schedule for you to do next?" I asked as I looked through Karat's mess of a desk.

The mayor cleared his throat. "I think my next appointment was to meet with the NCR representative in town.."

Looking around I found a paper that said noonish along with "NCR"

Taking it, I passed the paper to the mayor. "Looks like it says you need to be there at noon."

He nodded. "Then I'll be off. You do… whatever secretaries do."

I raised an eyebrow at him. "Sorry, but shouldn't my job be to assist you and not just stay here?" Not that I couldn't stay here, but right now all I would do was nothing. I needed to make a further impression on the mayor.

He paused for a moment. "You know what, that's a good idea. It would have a bigger effect on the NCR to see you then for me to just tell them about you." He smiled as he spoke. It was the smile of a pony announcing his new political weapon. "Care to join me?"

I nodded as an answer, half wanting to get along with the mayor, and the other was out of curiosity to what this NCR was.

He nodded. "Alright. Just be careful. They are a tricky folk. Actually, just take notes. I'll do the talking."

I nodded. We left his office, bringing a small notepad and old pencil in tow.

We came to a small building next to the train station. The building proudly hung a flag over its door. It was a white flag that depicting some sort of two-headed beast looking at a red star while standing on red ground. I didn't understand the symbolism of the flag, but it reminded me of the peacekeeping organization, Orthrus, back home. I also got the feeling that this NCR was important if they had their own building and the mayor had a meeting with them.

Inside reminded me even more of home with how clean and organized it was inside. There were propaganda posters neatly decorating the walls. One poster showed several different creatures along with different ponies in a marching formation. Under it, the poster read "together we survive." Another poster showing a pony with a gun, protecting what looked like a family from what looked like bandits with spikes, and above the image it said, "Heroes wanted. The NCR needs you!" It was a mix of collectivist and individualist posters, leaving me a bit confused about what their angle was.

The secretary was a pegasus mare in a clean tan dress uniform. It was nothing flashy, but not made for any action.

"Mayor Espresso, Ranger Gavril is waiting for you inside," she said in a clear and friendly tone.

"Good to see you too Miss Candy Corn. Any chance you will be free later today?" Espresso asked.

The mare, Candy, waved to herself with her wing. "Mister Espresso, my work doesn't just end. If it did, my husband would not like to know you were courting me. I'll just pretend you said something less irritating while you can go on your way." She then tapped at her terminal and adjusted her black-rimmed glasses with a smile. "Alright. The doors open. Head on inside."

"I like her,” I whispered.

"So do I," the mayor responded. "She has spice. The kind I like."

"She did say she has a husband," I reminded him.

He only smiled bigger. "More the better," he said as he trotted further into the building.

Inside the office, we found a griffin behind a desk surrounded by a stack of papers held down by a revolver each. His feathers were a gray-black with blood-red stripes. The rest of him was a dull gray. From his paperwork, he looked at us with bright blue eyes. The griffin gave me enough attention to make me feel uneasy.

"Finally!” Ranger Gavril exclaimed with a deep, gravelly voice. “You got rid of that useless secretary. Are you now willing to talk sense?"

The mayor cocked an eyebrow, and I sighed.

"Sorry, but I'm just a new higher to assist the secretary. My name is Harp Melody." I offered my hoof to Ranger Gavril.

The griffon accepted my hoof and shook it. "Ahh, one of the ponies that fell into the town. Good to see that you're awake and well. I'm the liaison from the New Canterlot Republic, Gavril."

"Ahem." The mayor cleared his throat. "As we are greeted, let's get to the business at hoof. The first order of business being the NCR Correctional Facility, if I'm not mistaken."

I pulled out a notepad and pencil I was given. Holding the pencil near my hoof with my pipbucks levitation spell, I'd begun writing down what was being said.

Gavril nodded. "Yes, the prison." He pulled a paper from his desk, scanning it with his eyes before offering it to us. Espresso didn't take it, so I did. I even looked it over carefully.

"The warden has been asking for more workers to increase efficiency,” Gavril continues, “and, with how the president has been promising further expansion of the railway, it would be beneficial for both of us if your town ceased most executions in favor of sending the prisoners to the NCRCF." The old griffon was slow and direct with his words, but not so much that it sounded patronizing. It was just enough to get an idea across.

"Well you would have to talk to the sheriff about that. Ashy handles executions and such, so it's not my job." Espresso said without care. Both Gavril and I suppress a face hoof.

Scanning the document as nopony said a word, I saw that it listed several different kinds of criminals desired for the NCRCF, mainly petty criminals. Among them included ponies called raiders. Nopony had yet spoken, and the mood felt like it was going sower fast, so I felt like it was best to salvage the situation. "What the good mayor means is that though he runs this town. He must delegate law and order to the peacekeepers, otherwise he risks the townsfolk becoming confused to whom to turn to for law and order. Whatever is said here in regards to the dealing of criminals cannot be taken as anything but a suggestion. Not without including the sheriff as counsel." I then placed the document into my saddlebag "But I'm sure that the dealings of petty criminals can be easily negotiated if given the time."

Gavril smiled from the corner of his beak. "I like her." He said before putting on a more serious face back on. "But on that, could you talk with your sheriff? She may be excellent at her job, but vigilance does have its limit. The amount of ponies she sends to the gallows is getting to a disturbing number. The rangers are known for rooting out and killing raiders as judge, jury and executioner as most would say, but when we're finding ourselves competing with Ashy, it's either that your town has problems, or she's more trigger happy than our loosest of loose cannons."

Espresso sighed, showing some irritation. “If I must remind you, the train brings in new ponies every day, some of which commit crimes, and all of whom come in from the east NCR territory.” He then adjusted his tie and put on a smug smile. “I’ll consider your proposal, and… talk with Sheriff Ashy, but I’d also suggest that maybe the NCR should stop letting so many dangerous ponies slip through their hooves.”

“Fair enough,” Gavril huffed before leaning back and opening a drawer in his desk. “But it’s not like we can sake down every creature that boards the train.” He then pulled out a bottle of wild pegasus whisky and two shot glasses. “It’s as president Grimfeathers says, there's no quick and easy solution to peace, even if you choose to do it with bullets.” The griffin poured himself two glasses of whisky then offered one to Espresso.

The mayor accepted the glass. “You say that, but look how much better things have gotten in the last ten years. If things keep up like this, there might be no more raiders in the wasteland.”

Gavril nodded and sipped on his whisky. “It does look that way. If we remain vigilant, maybe we can actually rebuild the Equestria of old, but things like raiders tend to be like weeds, so only time will tell if things stay stable.” He then finished his shot glass then and put it down as he pulled out another document. “Now I’m sure you're not here to just listen about the NCR’s concerns with your sheriff.”

Espresso finished his shot glass before responding. “Yes, that’s correct. It’s about your offering to aid security for the festival as well as the delivery of supplies for it. Though grateful, I have to formally turn it down.” This got Gavril to raise an eyebrow as Espresso continued to explain. “The Caravaners known as Blue Skies have offered us a better deal in the matter, so we will not be needing the NCR’s support in this. Not that we don’t appreciate the NCR’s support. It has done well for this town, but as you know, the ponies of New Appleloosa value their independence. Having NCR soldiers patrolling our streets would send the wrong message.”

With a deep breath, Gavril straightened himself up. He passed the mayor yet another document. “Well that’s unfortunate to hear, but not unexpected, so let's just move onto the last subject I want to discuss with you.”

Looking at the document, several photos of young mares were attached.

“I’d like you to pass this off to sheriff Ashy,” Gavril requested. “It would be good to have a few more eyes out looking for these mares.”

“Are they some sort of gaggers?” the mayor asked.

Gavril shook his head “Missing ponies. There are no connections between them except for a whole lot of worried parents.”

This time Espresso raised an eyebrow. “You do know that ponies go missing all the time? The young run away, going on some adventure, so what’s new about this?”

“What’s new is that the NCR is a government, one with responsibilities to its citizens.” Gavril had a serious tone in his voice, but then took another deep breath, calming down. “Look Mayor Espresso, all we want is for your ponies to keep an eye out. If they are just runaways then that's fine, but if they're in trouble, then the NCR has a duty to bring them home."

The mayor huffed, "alright, Gavril. I can at least do that, though I can't see how any pony can simply disappear in NCR territory.”

“Then again, you do have those mutants, and we don't know how stable they are. I mean, they could be just as much of a timebomb as ghouls are," Espresso said as he passed me the document. I placed it in my saddlebag.

Gavril waved his claw dismissively. "Trust me, that has already been considered and acted upon. Personally, I don't trust those alicorn mutants much myself. Neither do I trust most creatures back in the NCR. It's actually become a problem for the Followers with ponies avoiding their free clinics in fear of disappearing.”

“That aside, just keep an eye and ear out. The sooner we find out where these mares have gone, the sooner we can bring them home, alive if possible." the griffin again requested.

Espresso got up from his seat "Well, I'll send them my wishes and prayers Gavril, but now I should mosey on and see Ashy. She also had something to talk to me about." He then turned to leave.

"It was good meeting you, Ranger Gavril," I said before putting the notepad away and followed Espresso out.

As we trotted through the busy streets, Espresso did not say a word. We traveled all the way to the sheriff's office then proceeded straight inside. The office was a dusty building with four desks in the middle, two small prison cells on the side, and a cage on the other side filled with guns and ammo crates. No pony was at the desks, but there were four ponies in one cage and two in the other. Most of them were just sitting on a bench, not paying us any attention.

A huff came from Espresso as he turned to look at me. His face looked less than pleased. He spoke with a stern voice. "Alright. You're new and young, so I'm going to be nice. Your job is not to speak for me, not to pontificate, or negotiate. Your job is to sit and look pretty. you understand?"

"What?" I breathed in confusion.

Espresso sighed. "Listen, Miss Melody, I have everything under control. I know who to talk to and what to say to them. For example, that griffon back there; give him a hoofstep and he, like the rest of his kind, will take you for every cap you own. No matter what they say, we all know what they are. They will always be greedy mercenaries. The same goes for that pegasus secretary because, when the going gets tough, the pegasus will run and hide in the clouds like the cowards they are." An irritated huff came from Espresso. "The NCR is doomed to fall apart, and if we're tied to them, then they will drag us down with them."

I put on a straight face, finally understanding exactly what the mayor was; a two-faced coward. I'd be shocked if I hadn't seen ponies like this before. Frankly, I was disappointed with how quickly he dropped the mask. Back home, such masks rarely ever came off.

The mayor then trotted over to one of the desks then pounded his hoof on it. "Alright. Just leave the papers Gavril gave you here and head back to my office. I need a drink."

Trotting over, I didn't sign or roll my eyes as I wanted to, but simply smiled and did as I was told.

"Should I leave Ashy the notes of the meeting?" I asked.

Espresso paused for a moment, then asked, "Notes?"

"Yes. They’re more a transcription of what you both said but, without it, Ashy will know what to do," I explained.

"And that would be what?" A mare spoke up from outside as she trotted in. "And I see you're already putting the new mare to work."

"Oh, Ashy!" The mayor exclaimed. "Yes, well she's quite a smart mare, so I figured that I give her a chance as an assistant."

Ashy trotted over to her desk. She lifted the document in her magic, carefully examining it. "Missing ponies? Can't say I've seen ‘em." She then took my notebook from me, scanning it over. "I see. So the NCR is again shit at their job and looking to us for help, but that's what happens when you invite Redeye's lackeys into your organization. They should have just killed them all." She then tossed the document to the side with a huff. She sat at her desk and looked at the notes. "And also butting into my business, telling me how to do my job. Justice is not meant to be kind or fair. It just has to be done."

"Then I'm to assume that we’re done here then?" the mayor asked.

Sheriff Ashy passed the notebook back to me. "Actually, I need a few things approved. I'd do them myself, but some pony wanted to have everything official so that some group they hate can't call him lazy."

A groan came from Espresso. "Fine, but you know we have a thin budget right now. I can't have anything that will disrupt the festival."

Ashy looked over at me and smiled. "Good thing you got a new assistant that seems more than capable. Just have her go over the documents as we talk in private."

There was a pause from Espresso, then a nod. "Alright." He looked over at me. "Miss Melody, if you could look over Ashy’s papers and figure out the budget costs."

I held onto my fake smile while nodding back. With that, Ashy pulled out a file and placed it on her desk. After that, the two trotted over to a room in the back, closing the door behind them.

Taking a seat at Ashy's desk and opening the file, I began reading through what was written. What I found, other than sloppy writing, was a request for the start of some kind of garrison for the deputies to sleep and prisoners to be held. If started, there would be a gallows at the center and a watchtower.

Another document was for the procurement of new guns, something about a pony named Spot Weld not being fast enough with repairs and modifications.

I found a third document with a listing of several ponies crimes committed and waiting for the approval to send to the gallows. It seemed that the ponies were repeating offenders, Ashy notes that they would not leave town and that they would stay a "problem" unless sent to the gallows.

I then pulled out the NCRCF document from my saddlebag and compared the condemned ponies to those who the NCR are looking for. It matched up enough, like killing two radroaches with one bullet, except nopony had to die.

Looking over the NCRCF document more, I saw some other benefits, such as that the NCR was willing to give aid to towns that sent them prisoners. It’s an odd offer, but it seemed that the NCR used the prisoners as a labor force, which made sense. The aid offered looked to be in weapons, ammo, medical supplies, or food and water.

Comparing the potential costs, the compound was likely still far out of reach, but the NCRCF would solve the other two issues, so I ripped out a paper from the notebook. I quickly wrote down a suggestion to, instead of executing the current prisoners, send them to the NCRCF in exchange for new firearms. This way it would save time and money. Though I was a bit confused as to why the NCR would do such an exchange for prisoners, all the documents said was that they were for the expansion of the railway system.

Satisfied, I leaned back. I could faintly hear what the mayor and sheriff were talking to each other about.

"I'm telling you, I don't trust them. Using raiders as bodyguards, it's nothing but trouble." Ashy spoke, sound very annoyed.

"Gaggers Ashy. They're Gangger. Even the NCR recognizes them as that," Espresso said calmly. "Blue Skies knows what they are doing in hiring them. How else have they managed to carve such a lucrative trade route from the west in under a few years? Through them, the town will be rich, so don't fuck with them." His tone had turned stern.

"The Desperados? I don't care if everypony calls them gaggers, they are clearly raiders. It's only a matter of time before they show their true colors," Ashy warned aggressively.

"Here. I'll talk with Quicktrot and see if she can change who she's using as muscle. From what I've heard, the Desperados don't come cheap, so there might be some wiggle room with Blue Skies on the matter, but until then . . . don't fuck with them! This town can't afford any shit to go down." Espresso's tone had returned to being calm.

The name Quicktrot had caught my undivided attention since I had met a strange mare by that name before ending up here. She was, for all purposes, a female version of Slowtrot. Unlike Slowtrot, who was just friendly, she was friendly at first, but turned out to be a conniving and cruel monster that took the form of a pony. If she was here, though I would not trust her, she still might know of a way to get me home.

There was a noticeable pause, lasting for what felt like a minute, before Ashy spoke up. "Fine, but I don't want them doing business in town. They can do their jobs, but nothing more."

"Fuck! Fine, Ashy. I'll have it that they can only do business through their employer. Will that work?" Espresso conceded.

"That's fine," Ashy agreed.

After a moment, the two returned to the main room. I did my best to look like I was not listening in on them.

"Miss Melody, how does Sheriff Ashy's documents look?" Espresso asked with a fake cheery smile.

I smiled back, very sure that he was both not going to like what I was going to suggest, but he might also find it hard to argue with.

"Well,” I said, “I don't know about this compound idea. I don't know what the town's budget is, so I left it alone.”

“As for the gun procurement and what to do with the prisoner's, that can be solved with the NCRCF," I said in my most cheerful tone.

"What?" Espresso said in a confused and concerned tone.

I put the documents down for the two to see. "You see, instead of executing the prisoners, we send them to NCRCF in exchange for firearms or ammo. This way the prisoners are taken off your hooves and the deputies get a few new guns. It’s a win-win."

The mayor was now becoming visibly angry as he attempted to keep smiling, but Ashy looked inquisitive on the idea. "I do recall that the NCR has been sending a chain gang down to work one of the smaller quarries." She picked up the NCRCF document in order to examine it. "Well, without a gravedigger, we are starting to run out of holes to dump the bodies in, so maybe it is time to ease up on the executions." Ashy then passed the document to the mayor. "I think I'm going to have a chat with Gavril to negotiate over what he will give us for the prisoners."

"Are you sure about this, Ashy?" Espresso asked, sounding more concerned. "It is the NCR. If we start giving into them, they will start asking us to change our town more."

Ashy paused for a moment, then nodded. "True, but didn't you say that we need to keep the peace with the NCR? Sometimes we need to give up something to get what we want.”

“Well, I want to get rid of these repeat offenders as well as get my deputies better armed." She said with a smile.

Espresso huffed and shrugged. "Alright. I'll let Gavril have his win, but you better make sure we get the most out of the prisoners." He then glared at me. In return, I smiled back. "Let's go, Miss Melody. I have other business to attend to, and this time remember your place."

I left the chair in order to follow him. "Right, boss. I'll make sure to look pretty, unless I'm needed for anything more." He huffed again, then turned and stomped out the door. I followed right behind him.