//------------------------------// // Governor Brousseau (part 1) // Story: The Reservation // by Kyuubi325 //------------------------------// United States State of Lincoln City of Ulysses (Capital) Governors Office 9:43 AM Governor Brousseau sat at his desk reading through the variable mountains of paperwork. He wasn't what one would normally expect for a state governor, not even past 30 (something that wasn't helped by his rounded baby face), blond hair just a bit on the long side, with a three-piece suit that he didn't look quite comfortable in hugging his partially tall and thin muscular frame. Reports ranging from Infrastructure construction to near-constant updated lists of new townships across the fledgling state. He adjusted his frameless glasses on his nose before setting down the report on the new power plants so that he might reach into his desk for some Tylenol. Just as he was about to swallow his intercoms buzzed to life. "Mister Brousseau? General Cook is here to see you." A feminine voice spoke. Reaching out he pressed the button. "Send him in Trixie...." He said before letting go. A few moments later a decorated 4-star general made it was past the double oak doors. In contrast to the governor's youth and rounded babyface, he had a much more aged and haggard appearance. Short thinning and graying brown hair with a more angular wrinkled face seemingly stuck in a sour look. His broad hand clutching an antique leather satchel that was worn with use and age. "Good evening governor I assume you know what this meeting is about?" He asked raising an eyebrow. The governor sighed and motioned for him to sit in the Antique wooden chair in front of his rosewood desk. "I'm sure I can guess, please sit. I'm assuming you are here to discuss the issues in the red zones?" He rubbed the bridge of his nose in an attempt to ease the headache. "Indeed, the latest incident is making the guards nervous. Many are wondering why we don't just bury them and be done with it. Especially when many of soldiers patrolling and guarding the fences keep getting injured." He sighed leaning back. "Those radicals won't except Sunbutt is dead, cremated, and tossed into the sea. Should have been obvious they weren't going to go along with it when they sabotaged the peace negotiations with their remaining potion weapons." "Yes I'm aware of their fanaticism, I did serve on the front lines during the invasion you know..." The governor stated a bit annoyed as he knew what he was going to recommend next. "It's still my recommendation that they should be properly incarcerated. They have shown little interest in reforming or being productive members of the state." The general said while the governor shook his head. "Or we could just ship them off to China to pacify their military." "And my answer is still no, I won't have the Red Zone Reservations become Super Max prisons. Neither will I ship them off to their deaths." He looked up from his desk. "Well, then I struggle to see alternatives, the Red Zone ponies have not shown any willingness to work in state work projects, or even be transferred to the yellow and green zones. They actively believe anyone who's not one of them is a traitor to the cause." The General grumbled. "They just cause trouble for my men and consume the basic grains we ship into their camps." "I'm aware of their economic inactivity, as I am aware of there hatred of ponies who gave up or ratted them out to us. But I won't condone what your recommending. Do you want a panic of the Equestrian Remaint?!" Governor Brousseau shouted. "It wouldn't even have to be official and you know it, we just have to wait until another one of their so-called Revolutions. Then it's a matter of charging them in the courts." The general shrugged. "I won't hear it, I gave my word to Administrator Twilight that I would give her a chance to reform them." The Governor rubbed the bridge of his nose. "She couldn't even show her face in the yellow zone before being chased out by an angry mob. The green zone ponies won't even give her the time of day." The general rolled his eyes. "She really was a bad choice for their provisional government. What the hell were those fools in Congress thinking back then?" "In a word? They thought the herd mentality was still strong around Alicorns. They overestimated her appeal I suppose, but it doesn't matter, many of them are out of jobs, and we're stuck with her." The governor sighed. "Right, let's change the subject to more pressing matters... How prepared are in terms of ground forces?" "Ah, yes the China problem... you would think when we agreed to help them rebuild after the seismic activity of Convergence Day they would... Nevermind." The general leaned back. "The new bases are coming along well, currently 6 are fully operational, with another 5 coming online by the end of the year." "How many of those are the new naval bases?" He asked raising an eyebrow. "2 of the fully operational bases are naval, while another 2 are the ones that will be finished at the end of the year." The general seemed to think. "What are the reports on the Chinese fleet?" He asked with a hint of concern. "Well, they are still struggling with supply issues, as most of their infrastructure was damaged beyond use. Even with our help rebuilding it's going to be years before they can bring their full forces to bear." The general started to dig into his satchel looking for his reports. "What are their fleet's current numbers?" The governor asked still wary of the giant to the west of them. He continued to dig through his satchel before finally pulling out a manilla file opening it as he glanced at it. "Around 173 vessels, though many stay at or near the docks due to fuel and supply shortages. Many of these ships are older, such as the Kilo and Whisky class submarines, type 072 landing ship, type 051 destroyer, type 053 frigate, and type 062I class gunboat. With limited numbers of their more modern navy in operation service along with supply vessels." Governor Brousseau raised an eyebrow. "That's a lot of old ships... why would they use them instead of scrapping or mothballing them and making use of their more modern fleet?" "Simple. Spare parts." The general said as if it was common knowledge. "Spare parts?" The governor cocked his head curiously. "Yes spare parts, as you know much of their industry was destroyed by the earthquakes from Equestria's continental plate being suddenly shoved into place. Breaking the Pacific Plate effectively in two." He started to dig into his satchel again pulling out another file. "Because of this, they have to make do with what they have. In this case their stockpiles of leftover Cold War parts which for the last few decades have been sitting in warehouses nearly forgotten about." "What about their few more modern vessels?" The governor set his glass back down. "Despite the fuel and parts shortages they continue to have the Aircraft carrier Liaoning patrol with a full escort. Near our economic exclusion zone most controversially I might add. Its escorts include a type 055 destroyer, two Type 054A frigates, one type 056 corvette, and 6 replenishment ships of various classes." At this, the governor raised his eyebrow. "Why did we let them so close?" "They were still about 400 miles away in international waters. With this state being situated in the middle of the Pacific near their former patrol routes. It's doubtful the naval commanders will adjust so readily. They also claimed it was a navigation error, as they were still working on updating their GPS. They only just recently got their satellite network back online." "I'm sure they have. It was just an honest mistake." The governor said sarcastically. "Indeed, this new territory's strategic importance only seems to grow. Which only makes them want it more." The general eyed the crystal bottle of scotch on a nearby shelf. "Especially now the cats out of the bag about those Reds actual supplies of Rare Earth Elements." "I take it you read the geology reports?" The governor sat up and made his way to the shelf to grab the scotch and two glasses. The general smiled as the scotch started to be poured in front of him. "I have, Rare Earth Elements, rich ores, phosphorus, oil, the list only goes on." He chuckled darkly. "If anything good came out of the Conversion War it's America's second Golden Age of manufacturing." He said taking his full glass and raising it in a sort of cheer. "Careful what you say... people could get the wrong idea. Still...if Celestia hadn't lost her mind she might have made her country rich beyond her wildest dreams." He raises his glass. "To the dead tyrant, who made America a superpower reborn." He drank the scotch quickly in one gulp. "Indeed, so how is your reelection campaign?" He asked curiously to make friendly conversation while sipping his scotch in a slightly more refined manner. "You New-Republicans certainly have changed the political landscape." "What do you expect with one of our own negotiated an 83 percent forgiveness in Chinese held American debt in return for helping rebuild their infrastructure?" He tilted his chair back. "It's going well, my approval ratings remain strong in the high 70s to low 80s." "Is it really forgiveness? Or are we just paying it off with construction?" The general chuckled taking another sip of his scotch. "Must be your charm." "That and the rapidly growing state economy. People do tend to vote for whoever guarantees a full wallet. Can you believe what kinds of new businesses and factories are opening up?" "I don't have to believe anything while touring the new Army Base in the Badlands I got to see one of those new Vagabond cars." He smiled a bit at the memory of the small and simple diesel car. "Oh yes, made by the Duzgo Motor Company. I got to tour their first factory over by Black Hollow, apparently, the founder is the nephew of the original Duzgo Car Company founder in New Zealand. He was determined to make the next car of the people, I suppose with local sales numbers he's succeeding where his uncle failed." "With how many army privates drive them I shouldn't be surprised." He took another long sip of his drink. "How are your relations with the local state militia groups?" "Not too bad, being recognized as a staunch supporter of the Civilian Armament Act certainly helped my approval in those groups." He started to dig into his desk for something. "I'm guessing you have a reason for bringing that up?" "Just a few M60 Patton's that are ready to retire. They just aren't suitable for training, the new M1A2C is too different of a beast." General Cook murmured with an almost sad look on his face."I'd rather sell them to some rich enthusiasts or one of those state-recognized militias then have them scrapped. They've served too well to be melted down into I-beams." "Ah, so you want to put them up for auction? Are you sure you're not looking to help pad out your budget a bit more?" Governor Brousseau asked bemusedly. "Among other obsolete equipment yes. I won't lie it would be nice to pad my budget a bit more though." He admitted. "Alright... I trust you have compiled a list of items you want at the next state-sponsored auction?" The governor asked curiously. The general just smiled pulling out a binder and setting it on the table. This was going to be a much longer meeting them he was prepared for. ——————————————————— Three hours of working through that binder, it was always shocking how much equipment was left warehoused and forgotten about for decades. But they worked through it, finding acceptable items to auction and others to properly dispose of. It was a long process but they eventually came to a mutual agreement. Once the General left the familiar sound of a stomach rumbling brought him back to reality. Pressing the button on the Intercom he spoke. "Trixie? Do I have any other appointments today?" He asked before letting go of the button. A few seconds passed before the speaker buzzed to life. "Not until four." The voice responded curtly. He slowly stood up from his desk and stretched before making his way out of his office. Eventually passing by a desk where a solitary blue unicorn in what could only be described as a 1930s secretary outfit with a blue flat-brimmed hat sat. "I think I'm going to get something from O'Hares, it's about time for your lunch. Want to join me at the pub?" He looked over as the formally nomadic mare gazed up from the computer screen. "Don't you have re-election to think about?" She raised an eyebrow. "Being seen with a pony might give voters the wrong idea." She said a bit jokingly. "Well, then I'll just have to remind them how important you were with keeping the refugees calm during Operation Barnyard." He mused while the mare just grumbled. "All I said was to let the soldiers help." She mumbled gently. "They had been following you around the wreckage for months. You were pretty much their.... herd leader?" He asked curiously. "I didn't ask them to follow my wagon.... they just kept congregating around it... then they kept coming to me with their problems..." She murmured mostly to herself. "It's Alpha Mare... but close enough." "You still helped and kept them together. Not many could lead hundreds out of a war zone." He said while adjusting his suit. "Mhm..." She didn't seem to enjoy the praise. "Come on Trixie, I know you've been skipping meals." He adopted a more thoughtful look. "And how would you know that?" She raised an eyebrow suspiciously. "For one... when you bought that secretary outfit it was form-fitting... now it looks like a tarp strung over you." He frowned a bit. "Keeping your schedules straight is stressful work..." She grumbled a bit but relented, more than likely to get him off her back. "But if you're offering a free meal, I suppose I'll have to accept. Rent is coming due this week anyway." She exhaled slowly getting up from her desk taking a moment to straighten her secretary uniform. "Well? Trixie doesn't have all day." She said momentarily slipping back into her third-person speech patterns. ——————————————————— The walk to O'Hares was uneventful with only a few people asking to shake the governor's hand. Though more then a few did drive by selfies of the youngest governor in the United States. Still, the occasional constituent looked uneasy around his secretary. Though the mare didn't seem particularly perturbed by it seemingly focused on the traditionally designed pub ahead. It probably took more than twice as long as it should have to reach it, especially only be a few blocks away. But the familiar smells of pub food hit their noses. Even Trixie seemed to be uplifted a bit by the smell, leaning forward to further inhale the comforting aromas. Once they arrived at the double wooden doors they pushed their way inside. A young ginger-haired woman in a green dress with white sleeves tilted her head before her eyes widened in recognition. "De Gahvernahrs 'ere! Set de good table!" She cheered. "We don't need any of that Mrs. O'Hare I think both of us would be happier at the bar." He smiled at the young woman who tilted her head before looking down seeing the secretary mare. Looking nervous she bit her lip but sighed gently. "Alright... we'll get you set oehp at de bar." She remained concerned about the pony but motioned to the dark wood bar set up in front of a vast wall of booze, along with more taps then a hotel. Trixie grabbed one of the menus with her hooves instead of magic not wanting to garner further attention from the locals. Luckily the bar was nearly deserted so she could look through the specials in peace. "I think I'll have the vegetarian shepherds pie." She mumbled a bit as admittedly it reminded her of the foods she would get at Equestrian Stables, a sort of non-alcoholic tavern. "Ah, I'll have the Corned Beef and cabbage, with Irish Mist." He looks over curiously. "You're not going to get something to drink?" "I can't afford to get drunk, especially not in public." She mumbled gently. "I'll just have some ice water." "Trixie, this is an Irish Pub, you can't afford to not drink." He tried, but her frown stopped him from pushing it further. Eventually, the hostess came back and took their orders. "Trixie... you need to relax... I know you want to provide a role model for young foals. But isn't teaching moderation better than absence?" He asked while sipping from his drink that had just come. "...No... even the foals that have parents can't always depend on them to be role models... but the ones who don't have anyone... I have to be the ideal pony... so that maybe they'll have a guide to... be better then what we were all left with." She hunched over sipping her water. "It's because of the refugees isn't it?..." He looked over at her worried. "Why wouldn't it be about them?" She said in an almost pandering voice. "Ponies died under my watch..." "You didn't have a choice Trixie, you made the best of the options you were given..." He sipped again. "Few could do what you did to keep the group safe..." "...Is that supposed to make me feel better about what I did?" She deadpanned. "Because it doesn't...." "You saved lives, Trixie." He said while their food came with the hostess making a hasty retreat sensing the mood between them. "...By leaving others behind to die..." She seemed to stare forward before pulling off her flat-brimmed hat turning it over. Inside it revealed charred bits of purple stared fabric sewn into the into it, all holding a small rough paper journal. "Do you know what's in this journal?... and why I keep it close?" He seemed to think about his responses carefully before shaking his head. "No, I'm afraid I don't..." Deciding to play ignorant though he could guess what it contained. She flipped it open with her magic and turned to a random page before she started to read. "Double Diamond, Tree Hugger, Zipporwhil, Sunny Daze, Gustave le Grand...." She continued to read before stopping. "Do you know why I wrote these names down?" "...Their ponies that died following you?" He said only to be surprised raising his eyebrows when she shook her head. "No... they were ponies I chose to leave behind... Double Diamond had an open fracture.... he couldn't walk or even move... we didn't have the supplies or strength to carry him.... so I chose to leave him behind while he was unconscious from the pain..." She tapped her hoof and motioned the hostess to pour something... anything from the tap. "Tree Hugger kept stealing what little water we had for her Mossy Birch sapling... So I banished her from the group... knowing she wouldn't survive alone...." He continued to listen to the mares as the tears started to drip from her face. But didn't speak knowing this was the most open she had been about her pain in a long time. "Zipporwhill and Sunny Daze caught Glanders... if they stayed...i-it would have spread it to the whole group..... so I told them I would take care of it......" She sniffed shaking. "S-so I lead them away to a ruined village... I helped them into some dirty bed in a ruined h-home..... A-and told the two filly's a healer would be along soon... those little fillies.....looked me in the eyes and smiled.... and asked if I could tell a story t-to help them sleep..." She started to shiver struggling to hold the large mug in her hoof without splashing it onto the counter. Eventually bringing it to her face. "S-so I did... I-I regaled them of the wondrous exploits of the Great and Powerful Trixie..... f-from the time she vanquished a fearsome Ursa Major... to the time she used her great Magic's to banish the Shades back to the shadows.... they hanged onto every word... I don't even know how long I spoke... but eventually, the two of them fell asleep.... wheezing and coughing... y-yet so peaceful..." "Trixie..." He watched realizing what was coming next his eyes widening. "Without m-medicine.... o-or healers t-they didn't have long..... t-the final stages of G-glanders are hell.... bleeding l-lesion growths on the body.... l-lungs filling with blood and mucus....... n-noses spewing brown slime..... leaving them like that would have been t-to cruel.... b-but so was what I did..... I took a pillow... and and......" She downed the large mug in one go as if trying to drown out the memory. A hand rested on her shoulder and slowly but firmly squeezed trying to ease her. "Trixie... I didn't know....." "How would you?....." She looked up her eyes red and irritated, her mane dropping over her left eye. "I-it only took less than a minute... a-and they were gone....... the only member of the herd who knew w-was...... was...... Gustave....." "He was your friend... wasn't he?...." He asked pulling her over into a makeshift hug. "W-we didn't even know each other before the war... But when the first barrier fell... and bombs were raining everywhere.... he pulled me from the wreckage...." She motioned for another mug biting her hoof. "I'm not even sure why he did it... t-there were so many around us he could have saved.... but he carried me out of Manehattan in my old wagon... I couldn't move for days...... Equestrians are more susceptible to shock... yet he cared for me.... when we could he would stop and just talk...." "What about?..." The governor asked. "N-normal things.... t-the weather... some good food we've had...... n-normal things... I could almost believe there wasn't a war going on...." She sniffed lowering her head. "Eventually I was able to get back onto my hooves... but he was always there helping me along.... o-over time ponies started to follow us.... seeing how... I guess all together we seemed to be.... attracted them to us as we traversed the wreckage... ponies looked to me for guidance..... but I looked to him for leadership....." "He knew about what I did for the group.... the o-others just blocked it from their minds... after I came back without the filly's..... I-I just wrapped my hooves around him and sobbed into his plumage...I don't even know for how long... but he just comforted me... I-I saw my self as a monster worthy of Tartarus! Y-yet he pulled me back from the abyss." Her face collapsed onto the sticky bar just staring ahead. "What.... happened to him?....." He swallowed as the back of his throat dried. "W-we finally found a Royal Guard outpost after weeks of wondering...... everyone thought we were saved! H-how couldn't we? S-seeing Equestria's finest in their glinting golden armor.... when they approached everypony let out a sigh of relief...." She sipped another full mug. "T-then they said we were under arrest for t-treason..... a-apparently some ponies sold out the Royal Guard for supplies and safety... s-so anypony from the war zone was suspect....by Royal Edict." "What did they do?...." He asked while she looked over with empty eyes. "What do you think they did?... they locked us up... interrogated us v-viciously... demanding answers we d-didn't have... and... and... decided on execution... a few of the guards p-protested... but the captain reasoned innocent or not they couldn't afford to spare the food or supplies for the war effort... they were g-going to kill us all in the morning... after taking the few colts to be trained into guards.... seeing a colt be dragged away from his m-mother... t-then having a magic blot shot through her eyes when she tried to resist?....it.... broke me... I just sat in my cell while ponies around me b-begged for me to do s-something..." He motioned her to go on lifting his hand to motion the hostess to shop bringing the inebriated mare more beer. "W-when one of the stallions who was guarding just g-got too close to my cell... I-I.... grabbed him from behind and started to strangle him with my hooves. Gustave muffled his screams and choking... eventually he passed... and we got the keys... but once we got everypony out... the c-captain got wise of our escape attempt... while we ran out the back the warning bells rang... m-magic bolts rained down from the guard towers.... a-a lot of us didn't make it... but even in the woods w-we weren't safe... a bunch of nearly starved ponies couldn't possibly outrun well-fed and t-trained guard stallions..." "You asked him to lead them away didn't you?..." He asked while she just weakly nodded. "...Did you know gryphons can m-mimic over 300 different sounds?... s-stage performers like me aren't strangers to using their m-mimicry for our acts... and Gustave over the w-weeks...he learned to mimic e-everyponies voice in the group... when I asked if he could lead them away using that a-ability... he just l-looked me in the eyes... and said y-yes... I could see in h-his eyes... if I didn't ask him he w-wouldn't have ever done it...." She looked over at her rapidly depleting mug watching the moister drip down the chilled glass. "But he did do it... didn't he?..." He asked while Trixie looked up and nodded. "Y-yes....I-I asked my friend to kill himself for the group...and he knew it.... b-but he just.... just smiled... and said he would be back soon to make us all eclairs... I-I could almost believe him for a moment .... just watching while he dashed into the bushes mimicking all of our voices...those still alive.... and those we lost....all to lead the guard away..." "You.... never got closure did you?....." He asked while she picked at her nearly forgotten shepherds pie. The fork pressing against the stale crust. "How could I?... do you think the Royal Guard was concerned about labeling graves during all that chaos?.... no.... for all I know he was dumped into the river and torn to bits by the current..... or left to rot in the woods while animals picked at his carcass... a few weeks later trying to avoid the fighting we were found by the some Green Berets who had been searching for the very outpost we escaped from..." "That must have been troubling...." He said unsure exactly what to say. "You think? Having the horrible monsters Celestia kept ranting about show up, right to our camp?... I expected us all to be slaughtered... but they offered us aid... in return I sold out those Guard Stallions.... they didn't even ask... I didn't care..." She tipped her glass back trying to get just a bit more beer out of the glass. "When we were lead to a refugee camp I still assumed the worst... even after everything I still couldn't accept Celestia had gone loony...." "...From what I heard a lot of ponies idolized her before Convergence Day..." He picked at his corned beef and cabbage still debating if he should eat anymore. "That's an u-understatement... I know hu-humans doubt us when we say she controlled our s-sun... but she did... at least I t-think she did..... I d-dunno anymore.... she was the g-great light-bringer.... and we were her little p-ponies... she never s-steered us wrong... she even b-banished her own sister to k-keep us all safe... so when she told us we were going to help humans by..... by....." She looked ready to retch. "W-we went along w-with it... w-why wouldn't w-we? She w-was always r-right b-before... b-but ponies a-always l-looked the o-other way w-when one of the few New Foals were a-around... a-all most everypony knew s-something w-was wrong with them... but we i-ignored it..." She sniffed. "W-wandering around the w-wreckage g-gives you t-time to t-think...S-sittin in an... Hic!... encampment e-even more so...." "What did you think about?..." He asked continuing to sip his drink, having not even received a refill yet. "A-all that thinking m-made me.... a-and maybe other p-ponies r-realize... she wasn't t-the p-protector... o-or wise g-guardian w-we imaged her t-to be....." She wobbled on her stool. "Ignoring her sisters d-despair... s-sending a few mares barely o-out of school to fight ancient e-evils... letting s-some half-grown c-colt b-be the C-captain o-of the G-guard... c-cause of t-that w-we nearly l-lost Canterlot t-to so half s-starved bugs... the l-list o-only goes on...she w-was just a m-mare w-who's l-luck f-finally r-ran out..." She seemed to be visibly struggling to sit up now. "I-I dunno w-what finally pushed h-her over the e-edge... but it's o-our fault f-for n-not putting a-an end t-to her l-lunacy b-before C-convergence... m-maybe if g-Gypsy p-ponies l-like Trixie reminded ponies w-what Alicorns u-used to b-be sooner... we w-would have...... have......" Her eyes went cross and she fell forward, face slamming into the sticky bar. Governor Brousseau looked around worried, but thankful O'Hares hadn't had it's after work rush just yet. Pulling out his phone he texted the limo driver to come and take the poor mare back to her apartment. Deciding it would be best if she slept this off, as she was in no condition to do to her job. He slowly heaved up the pony helping her to her hooves. Letting her lean against him as he guided her to the waiting limo, the mare in no condition to argue with him, just climbed into the back and flopped onto the back seat. Closing the door he watched the limo drive off, a feeling of guilt washing over him as the car turned the corner. ——————————————————— The walk back to the office was much quieter this time around, only a few people asking to shake his hand while he put on a brave face. His four o'clock meeting still hanging over him somewhat dreading it but he couldn't ignore it either. Entering The traditionally styled government building he took a moment to glance at the now empty secretary desk before pushing his way past the doors. He had about thirty minutes to prepare for his last meeting of the day he wasn't about to waste them. Reading through the paperwork didn't take particularly long, simply because there was so little to really go over. Beyond some issues being brought up about the reservations, this could almost be referred to as a social visit. Eventually, a firm knock was heard from the double doors before a deep voice spoke. "Governor Brousseau? Twilight Sparkle is here for the meeting." The voice said from behind the doors. "Send her in..." He said as the two doors were pushed open followed by no less than four armed guards each making their way to the corners of the room. A few moments later the purple mare and her young drake entered. Spike looked a bit uneasy around the heavily armed guards, Twilight, on the other hand, seemed more used to it. "Hello, Tristan." She smiled gently before taking her seat motioning Spike to sit down next to her. "Hello Twilight, I trust your trip to Ulysses was uneventful?" He leaned back with a slight smile on his face. "As much as it could be, you know how those armed guards make Spike uneasy..." she said softly while the drake blushed looking away. "They don't...." He murmured gently. "I know, I've tried to explain that your the least likely pony to attack me... But they never listen." He sighed. "Let's get down to business, what are your latest proposals? Oh, Spike help yourself." He asked leaning back after pushing the candy bowl up to the drake who proceeded to shove his scaly fingers into it. Twilight simply cleared her throat as she took a second to rehearse what she had gone over in the limo. "Firstly Green Zone 2 also known as SulfurHoof by the local ponies needs its well pump repaired, it's leaking water and causing sinkholes..... after that we are having some issues with law and order, some ponies are reporting items stolen and as of right now we lack funding or approval to have any sort of gua-... I mean police force to keep the peace... ponies in some areas have taken the law into their own hooves..." "A screaming mob does not justice make..." He said thinking a bit tapping his desk. "The well is easy enough, I could get some of the state's surplus to go towards it and label it aid to avoid any grumbling... the police force is harder... as we often require at least a high school diploma and some training for law enforcement..." "...I know... but surely theirs something that can be done..." She gave him a pleading look. "I'm not saying I'm not going to do anything Twilight... I'm saying what you need is tougher than fixing a broken well pump..." He closed his eyes before having an epiphany. "I might be able to convince the Lincoln Sheriffs Association to send some help, maybe a few deputies at the least. The Police Union is a bit tougher on ponies since the... Equestrian Embassy Bombings..." It wasn't what Twilight was hoping for but she understood the Governor's limitations. "Thank you, just having a deputies Bronco patrolling the Reservations might discourage further theft..." "I'm assuming you have other issues with the reservations?" He asked while she nodded. "The Badlands are rather... unpleasant to look at... so I was going to see if I could get approval for the beautification of at least the common areas." She asked while he seemed to think. "What did you have in mind?" He raised an eyebrow. "Nothing too complicated, maybe some trees and greenery to help with the surroundings." She said simply. "The ground is very inhospitable, would the plants last long in that harsh environment?" He said with minor worry knowing how tight the reservations funds could be. "The majority of the reservation encampments have earth pony majority's." She started to think back to those studies the humans did a few years ago. "As you know, Earth Pony Magic is really just colonies of composting microorganisms and Plant-Growth promoting bacteria that cover much of their body. Particularly their hooves... all they need is seeds and some compatible yard waste then they are set..." "...I need more than that Twilight, I don't want to spend money on seeds and compost only to find the locals aren't interested... I need at least surveys of locals and maybe even commitments... the voted committee budget for the reservation is tight. My personal recommendations only go so far with them." Twilights face scrunched up like she bit into a lemon as he brought them up. After meeting them it was hard to believe she wanted to be a Bureaucrat as a filly. "That's difficult....." She bit her lip while Spike looked back at were with worry. No doubt remembering their last personable visit. "Most ponies won't talk with me..." The governor frowned. "You were planning on doing it yourself? What about the budget we allocated for your personal staff salaries?" "...if you look over the spreadsheets you'll see that budget has remained untouched..." She sighs rubbing the drakes head reassuringly while Spike stopped munching on the candies remembering when they tried to find some ponies to hire. He knew why, but he had hoped by now her constituents would have stopped blaming her. "I see... I might be able to lone my secretary." He said while Twilight looked at him like he was crazy. Even Spike looked up from his sugary feast in surprise. "Trixie.... you want Trixie to help me run the reservation?" She said incredulously. "Nothing that dire Twilight I assure you. I just mean she could help survey the locals and maybe get commitments." He said which didn't put Twilight too much at ease, her monthly visits always started with that blue mare glaring at her behind that desk. "I don't know...." She bit her lip. "I assure you she can be very professional when she needs to be." He said while Twilight mulled it over in her head. "Twilight, she might be the only chance to get some real feedback from the reservations...." Spike spoke up with a chocolate covered muzzle. "Alright... and Spike I said you could have a few... not the whole bowl." She relented before looking down at the drake with disappointment. "...you wouldn't stop for Dairy Queen on the way here...I was hungry!" He pouted a bit up at her. "And you're supposed to be on the diet..." She patted his head. "I guess I have no choice, if Trixie is willing to offer me help, I'm in no position to say no.... speaking of which... where is she?" The governor thought about his response carefully. "She had some food poisoning from lunch so I sent her home. Beyond that her attendance is impeccable." He nodded but noticed something was bothering Twilight. "You have something else on your mind?" Twilight nodded beyond Spike the governor was the only individual she could really speak to. "Yes... I've been meaning to ask if I could get Spike transferred to one of the multi-species schools. Online schooling is alright... but just because I don't have a social life doesn't mean he shouldn't." She smiled only partially joking while she ruffled the drakes fins. "That could pose some security risks..." Seeing her frown he continued. "But I'm sure I could talk with the districts and get him in." "Thank you. Spike? Could you step out for a bit? We have to talk about some... grown-up stuff." Seeing the drake pout about to go into the classic tirade that he wasn't a kid she quickly added. "Just ask that nice limo driver to take you to the McDonald's down the street." His eyes lit up. "But only a kids meal with apple slices! I don't want to check my credit balance and find you bought multiple combos again!" She said joking a bit knowing he had learned that lesson after getting his stomach pumped. "Fiiiine...." He slipped down from his chair and waddled off. "He's a good kid." The governor smiled watching him go. "Ya..." She smiled just a bit of pride in her heart. "I just wish he wouldn't sneak so much junk food." "Kids will be kids..." He looked at her more seriously. "Since you sent him off to eat junk food I assume you have something more personal you want to discuss?" "...yes..." Her eyes looked a bit more misty. "I've been thinking about... that day we met... and what came after..." "...oh..." He frowned a bit at that memory. She lowered her head. "We both know the only reason I got this job was because of you..." "That's not true Twilight, they based their choice on the reports I filed. I didn't embellish anything I assure you." He looked at her. "Besides the argument could be made easily I wouldn't have gotten my job without you." He smiled at her. "...My help was the equivalent of unlocking the back door." She frowned deeply at that memory. "You ordered guards away from the back walls of Canterlot, then sat at the edge of the barrier for hours each day until my recon unit got the go-ahead to contact you." He said to her as she avoided eye contact. "If it wasn't for you we would have been shelling that barrier for weeks, nevermind the potential for civilian losses. You saved lives Twilight." "I only had to do it because I refused to see the truth until it was too late..." She sighed gently. "They shouldn't have chosen me... Trixie would have been a better choice..." "My secretary?" He raised an eyebrow tilting his head curiously. "While I was in Canterlot Castle having lavish meals with Celestia... she surviving in the ashes, leading ponies to safety... I was Equestria's hero.... but when it came time to really help my pony's... I failed miserably when it mattered most...." She lowered her head. "...She doesn't consider herself a hero Twilight... she had to make harsh choices out there on her own..." He frowned. "What do you mean?" She asked looking up while rubbing her eye. "... it's not my place to say... you should ask her yourself..." He said while looking down at his desk. "Still... the difference is telling... she was out there... I wasn't... she knows what those ponies went through... I don't..." She sighed. "We rarely get the jobs we deserve..." He said monotonously. "That saying seems to have more meanings then I thought..." She mumbled mostly to herself. "I know it's a job your coming to realize you don't want, but it's the job you have. For that, you have to at least try for them, even if they hate you for it." He said with less vigor then he had hoped. "Was that supposed to make me feel better?" She asked with a deep frown. "It's the truth, I know lying to you won't do any good." He said looking at her sadly. "No... it wouldn't..." She slowly scooted off her chair and stretched her hooves. "Thanks, Tristan... I guess I just needed to talk it out... but if I ever get the chance to give up my position tell Trixie she can have it." She smiled sadly trying to cheer up the mood. "Alright, I'll make sure to pass that along to her..." He watched the former princess leave with a similar sad smile.