The Blazing Sun

"Come now, Anon. You can't seriously still be upset about that!"

Oh, you were really upset. That was the second time you had been involuntarily dropped into a bath by Daybreaker, and you were not having any of it. Just because she could dry you off in seconds with a simple spell didn't mean that it didn't happen. You sighed internally, giving her your best fake smile. "I'm not upset. We're supposed to be meeting Applejack, correct?" You say, trying to move the subject and the day along.

"Ah, yes. It's about that time, isn't it? She’s likely waiting for our arrival in the meeting room."

And so, the two of you walked through the winding halls of the castle, all the way back towards the center of the castle, where Applejack would be waiting. You had only been in the Royal Meeting room once; back when you had first arrived in Equestria. You still remembered the entire day vividly, almost as if it were yesterday. The confusion, the fear, the anger. Especially when only a week later you were told the terrible news: you were stuck here forever.

Your family, your friends, your life goals and aspirations were completely taken from you by an accidental blip in spacetime. All those years of school, the small bits of trauma you accumulated when growing up, and the effort you put into everything you did, rendered moot by freak chance. What was the point, then? Sure, Earth wasn't the best of places. Equestria was much friendlier, with a less ruthless economy and everlasting peace… It just made the feeling of not belonging creep even further into you. You're a human, not a pony.

You weren't born with the ideals of friendship and magic instilled into your brain like ponies were.

"We’ve arrived, Anon." Daybreaker said, snapping you out of your trance. You glanced at her. She was frowning at you, her brows furrowed slightly. You shook your head, waving a dismissive hand at her as if to say you were completely fine. She opted not to speak, and instead opened the door to the meeting room.

The room was the same size as you remember it– absolutely huge. The walls were decorated with gold and a shade of pearlescent white, shining a purple glow from the magic that also prevented sound from escaping the room. A long table meant to seat many ponies sat in the middle of the room, spanning about twenty five chairs on each side, with two on both ends. Applejack– the Element of Honesty, you remembered– sat in the middle of the row. Daybreaker nodded at her as she made her way to the opposite chair. You followed, taking a seat beside Daybreaker as the both of you scooted in.

You didn't really mind Applejack. She didn't judge you, nor anyone else for that matter, most of the time. She was an all-around good pony, and she had tried to help you to get over your anger with Twilight. It didn't work, but she certainly did try. What Applejack saw in that purple annoyance, you didn't know. However, the Applejack sitting in front of you and Daybreaker wasn't the same smiling farmer that you remembered. She was serious, and her eyes were fixed onto Daybreaker.

"Miss Applejack, I am very happy to see you. It has been a couple of months, has it not?"

"It has, Princess Daybreaker." She said with a tip of her hat. "I'm sorry to bother you with my issues."

"Nonsense," Daybreaker said with a smile. "You don't bother me at all. You are a staple of our society, Miss Applejack. You are considered a hero, and a great friend to many, including myself. Your letter did not describe anything in particular, only that you had wished to discuss something serious. What is it that troubles you?"

Applejack grabbed her hat and set it to the side, her hair looking frazzled. "It's about the apple contract that we have with the crown, ma'am."

Your ears perked at that. Apple contract? Probably something to do with funding, you assumed. It seemed that you weren't the only one interested, as Daybreaker's ears perked up as well. "I am familiar with the contract, Miss Applejack. It's one of the few long-lasting contracts from the old-times that we still have in place. The land that we gave you, and the money that came along with it. What about the contract concerns you, Miss Applejack?"

Applejack looked down at the table, her eyes slowly squeezing shut. "I've… broken the contract."

Daybreaker leaned back, her head raising up in a professional manner. She was posturing herself as she would in the courtroom now. This definitely wasn't good news. "Explain how you’ve broken the contract, Miss Applejack, and be specific."

"The land went dry." Applejack said with a shake of her head. "We knew we could get the land back in shape, but it would take too much time and we didn't want to skip out on the money. We sold a chunk of the land, which broke the first condition in the contract."

Daybreaker nodded her head. "Continue."

"We've been selling to other kingdoms at higher prices, ma'am, and the Griffons caught on."

Daybreaker closed her eyes shut and flared her nostrils as she exhaled. You didn't exactly know what the issue was. So what if they sold to other kingdoms for a bit more? That'd make sense, imported goods usually cost more than locally made. You didn't know any specifics though. "That is in violation of the fair-trade contract we have with the other kingdoms, isn't it, Miss Applejack."

"Yes, ma'am."

"We have that in place for a reason, Miss Applejack. That contract was made a long, long time ago in times of war. It was made to make sure that as the leading nation of the world, we were to act fair and just in everything pertaining to foreign nations. Apples, as simple of a food as they might be, are among the largest share of exported foods that we have, and you are the main provider. You haven't been selling through official channels, have you, Miss Applejack?"

Applejack kept her gaze down, and a tear fell to the table. "No, ma'am. We've been selling to them without reporting it to the crown."

Daybreaker looked at you for a moment. "As I have previously said about the Elements of Harmony, they are not what the public makes them to be." She looked back at Applejack. "I assume that this was not a recent development. What is the reason that you come to me now and not sooner? Is it because the Griffons were going to report it, so you decided to get your story out to me first?"

Applejack looked up at Daybreaker, her eyes filled with tears. You felt your heart squeeze at seeing one of the ponies that treated you decently be judged so harshly. Yet, with the further details provided, you could see how this could present a gigantic issue. Trade deals were explicit in their contracts, and breaking even a single rule could result in either party getting pissed off.

"Y-Yes and no, ma'am..." Applejack sniffled. "The Griffons were going to report it, but I don't want to manipulate the situation in my favor. I wanted to make things right, and come clean..."

Daybreaker chuckled, a hint of that anger spilling from behind it. "The Element of Honesty, lying for however long about their family’s trade. The crown gave you that land and that money to help the economy; to bolster our relations with other kingdoms, and you spit in the face of royalty. Trading is the reason we are at peace, Applejack. Instead of pillaging each other for resources, we trade. Instead of murdering thousands for valuable land, we trade. Instead of trying to swindle the other side with every trick in the book, we fall back to trade and the principles of it. Do you understand how dangerous this could have become?"

Applejack nodded, now fully crying. "Y-yes I d-do, ma'am..."

Daybreaker slammed her hoof onto the table, standing up in a display of dominance. Applejack cowered back, and you scooted your chair backwards to avoid any potential fighting. "You do not understand, Miss Applejack, and that is precisely the problem! You are lucky that the Griffons do not rely on apples as heavily as some other nations do, and you are lucky that they are primarily fish-traders. Water, food, and land, are all reasons that nations go to war, Miss Applejack. Depriving them of a fair trade is one of the easiest ways to start a war. And what if the Griffons decide to sanction us in retaliation, and let the rest of the kingdoms know about this ordeal?"

Your heart began to beat fast as your anxiety spiked. The tension in the room kept rising, and you had a hard time trying to concentrate now. Even if it wasn't you being chewed out, you could still feel the anger coming from Daybreaker, and that alone was enough to trigger something inside of you. Your foot tapped the floor nervously, your hands gripping the sides of your chair, ready to bolt outside of the room at any moment.

"Miss Applejack, do you know what we get from the Griffons?" Daybreaker asked. Applejack opened her mouth to speak, but Daybreaker slammed her hoof onto the table once again. "No, you do not, Miss Applejack. We get valuable resources from them. We get metals and jewels, different types of stone for building our houses, and most of all, we get many Griffons who are in need of jobs, and are willing to do heavy labor that we cannot afford to do ourselves. Sanctioning us would take all of that from us, and what would the other kingdoms think? We would lose our trust."

Applejack sobbed, her body shaking. "B-But we're j-just selling a-applesss..." She cried out. Whatever she was hoping to achieve from speaking didn't matter, as Daybreaker grabbed the Element in her magic and forced her to look in her eyes.

"Just Apples? That's how it starts. We pride ourselves on our ability to have morals, and to do good things when others would shy away from the difficulty. We help those in need, even if they've hurt us in the past, and we are patient with those who hate us. But you?" She let her magic dissipate, allowing Applejack’s head to stare at the floor again. "All you wanted was bits. No taxation on your bits and apples, and no way to keep you liable for shipping your product. You wanted to be free from consequences, and where did that lead you?"

Daybreaker scoffed as she turned to you. "We are done with this meeting. A guard will escort you shortly, Miss Applejack, and you will stay in one of the castle’s rooms. Your family will also be brought here for further questioning, and if necessary, detainment and to be tried."

"No!" Applejack cried out. "It w-wasn't them, it was me!"

Daybreaker looked back at her, her eyes squinted. "How can I trust the Element of Honesty if they lie? For all I know, your whole family has been stealing from the crown, and using your secret channels of exports to funnel other kingdoms their contraband. How far does the rabbit hole go, Miss Applejack?"

"I-I swear! It's not-"

"It goes as far as you're willing to dig, Miss Applejack." Daybreaker said, forcing the two large doors open and turning to you. You followed her quickly, not willing to be the next person to get chewed out. Daybreaker didn't say a single word to you as she slammed both doors shut and summoned a quill and paper. She scribbled something quickly, and allowed both items to dissipate in a cloud of smoke.

"Captain Shining Armor has been informed of his new duties involving Miss Applejack." She said to you, her eyes flickering with anger. "Let us go somewhere private, Anonymous." She said, her posture completely straightened as she walked down the corridor, each step pronounced.

Who knew that today would end up with the Princess yelling and screaming at one of the Elements? And who would've guessed that Applejack of all ponies would be the one to lie to her? You were expecting Daybreaker to suddenly behead the poor farmer, but it seems she knows when to stop. That was certainly one of the harsher things that you've seen Daybreaker do to somebody, and you couldn't even argue against it. If what Daybreaker said really did happen, then it could prove to be catastrophic to the infrastructure of Equestrian society. You’re not familiar with this world’s politics; the Griffons or whoever might ACTUALLY take Applejack’s back-door deals as a cause for war with Equestria.

“This is bad. This could be very, very bad if the Griffons decide this is worth fighting over. We’re in no shape to be fighting a war right now. This is EXACTLY what I was talking about when we left the guard inspection. And of course it’s an Element Bearer who might have caused it. This is just my luck, too– I complained about how ponies had too much faith in the Elements instead of an actual military, and now an Element may end up getting us into a war!”

Daybreaker seemed to be going over the day’s events in her mind, stressing over what Applejack had told her as the two of you make your way to Daybreaker’s bed chambers

You and Daybreaker both arrived at her room. You shut the door behind yourself after Daybreaker stormed in. She walked over to her desk and sat in her chair very slowly. She set both hooves on her desk, staring at them for a moment before looking up at you. "Of all the Elements… Miss Applejack was the one that I did not expect to do such a thing. She lied to the crown, cheated other kingdoms by gouging her prices, and possibly more. To think that I even trusted her."

You sat in the seat in front of her desk. "What are you going to do with her?" You asked, your anxiety still spiking.

"I'm not sure." She said, leaning back in her chair. "If she were anypony else I would throw her in the dungeons, but that would cause a public outcry, no matter how severe the crime that she's committed. That’s the issue with idolizing simple ponies. The common ponies begin to think that they are icons of truth and prosperity, yet they are liable to make the same mistakes as anypony else. The Elements should never have been entrusted to the ponies. What do you think?"

Again, you hated answering questions like this. "Well... We know she's done good things and she has helped the economy, despite her transgressions against the crown, right? If so, then all of that should be accounted for, and we don't know what the Griffons are going to say when they report it. They may just... wave it off?"

"I wish." Daybreaker said with a sigh. "Griffons are hard-headed and stubborn. They would rather die on a hill to defend a point that's proven wrong than admit that they are wrong. Luckily, they aren't dependent on that specific trade, but to imagine if they were..."

Daybreaker grabbed a brush with her magic and began to brush her fiery mane. Despite it being made of literal fire, it didn't burn like it. It was a soft, physical flame that enveloped whatever touched it in comfortable warmth. Not that you got to feel comfortable when you were washing her off, though. "I wanted today to be a relaxing day, to spend time with my personal assistant, and to take care of things I have been unable to tend to. However: we were met with inadequate guards who were only good for decoration, an Element who has lied to the crown and committed a crime, and Faust knows what's next."

You could feel sympathy building for her, even though you didn't want to feel bad for her. Yet you could understand what it felt like, having to deal with a shitty day and wondering what might come next. You laid your hand on the table with a smile, as genuine a smile as you could muster. "Things could be good for the rest of the day, or not. We just need to keep going and see it through, right...? When is lunch? We can look forward to that."

As if you even wanted to eat lunch with the demon, but it was better than her having a mental breakdown.

Daybreaker looked at the clock on the wall. "It is eleven twenty-three. It seems that our walks have taken more time than I thought they would, but lunch is served at one o’clock. Are you suggesting that we eat lunch together? You usually dine by yourself, Anonymous."

You shrug, giving her a nod. "It's better to eat with someone when you're not having a good day. And, it's better to have me around just in case something bad happens while we're eating, right? What if you uh... have to yell at another Element today? You'd rather have me around to accompany you, right?"

Daybreaker tilted her head. "I suppose, but you are not one to enjoy my company very often. I do know that you still have a distaste for me." She said whilst licking her lips. "So, this is not something I was expecting. However, it would be rude of me not to accept your proposal. We shall eat lunch together, and discuss the events of the rest of the day." She said, pulling a clipboard from her desk and looking at it. "It does not seem like the rest of the day will be bad, nor busy. That is, if we are lucky."

"Then let's hope we're lucky, I guess...?" You say with hesitancy. You were never a lucky guy. Look at the predicament you're in! If you were lucky, you'd be in Las Pegasus playing Poker and drinking, hearing the loud music of the bar drown out your sorrows and having some mares come up to you asking for a dance. Well, you weren't sure about the last one, but everything else, yes.

Daybreaker smiled at you. "Let us hope we are lucky, then."