Waking up never felt so good, which immediately raised a red flag for you. You shot up-right– your eyes focused, not dazed like they usually were in the mornings. That sickening feeling in your stomach didn't show, and your body didn't tremble either. You got up to your feet and went to the bathroom, checking yourself in the mirror, bringing your hands up to your eyes.

Your baggy eyes were gone and your skin looked much healthier, feeling less stretched than before and its color returning to normal. You sat there, staring at the mirror and for the first time in months seeing a reflection that didn't represent a ghost. You shook your head, your hand balling up into a fist, and slamming it down onto the counter. You knew exactly why this had happened.

Someone put a spell on you.

Someone, in your sleep.

After all that time of telling Luna to stay away from your dreams, what does she do? She waltzes into them and tries to make things better, and invading your privacy. Your mind was always the one thing that nobody had control over, and she still violated that. You admitted that you felt better and loved this new feeling of not dying, but you hated what it took to get it. It felt like getting away with cheating on an exam.

You looked over at the clock and realized you were almost late, and so you got dressed as soon as possible and headed out the door, sprinting all the way to Daybreaker's room. It didn't help that she wanted you to come in thirty minutes before your shift from now on. Your hand paused just before knocking as usual, but the normal trembling that came with it was gone. You knocked, and the door immediately opened, showing Daybreaker to be sitting at her desk.

"Ah, Anon. I'm glad you're here. We shall eat breakfast soon enough, and I will brief you on what will be happening today. Your opinion will be needed, and it will touch on many sensitive subjects that must be handled delicately. We can't let ourselves starve when making such decisions, of course. What would you like to eat?"

"I uh... I'm not sure."

"Well you must hurry with your answer, as I am about to send the order very soon. We will be having our breakfast brought in today. We have servants available to us for that very reason, though I must admit going out is nice once in a while. Perhaps a cutlet of meat would suffice your needs this morning?"

"Meat?!" You exclaimed a bit louder than you wanted. "I mean-uh... Yeah, I suppose. Isn't that against the rules here though?"

Daybreaker laughed, her head craning backwards with a smug grin. "No, dear Anon. What do you think the Griffons will be eating when they come later today? I eat meat occasionally as well, though I do not show it off to the rest of the common ponies. They think of it as taboo, yet what else are my sharpened teeth for? Grass? No, and I know that your sharpened teeth aren't for eating just fruit either. You're lacking certain dietary needs, aren't you?"

You cringed as she licked her lips in front of you. "I... H-How about a... uh, pancakes and... bacon? Yeah, bacon." You said, a bit nervous about ordering meat in front of her, as you were strictly told it was a very taboo thing. You felt relieved as she nodded and wrote it down onto a letter, along with some other things before it disappeared into thin air.

"Take a seat, Anon. There's no need to be standing all day." She said as she gestured to the chair next to her. You walked over and took a seat, looking over at all the paperwork on the desk. Most of it you couldn't make out as it was all scattered, but a few papers were facing you and you were able to read them. Plans for how the meeting was going to go with the Griffons, plans on what to do with Applejack, and how to inform Twilight or something of the sort.

"I sense that you're curious on how we are going to handle these meetings today. I must tell you, I'm not quite sure on how to go about them myself, but I have general plans. First, we will be meeting with Twilight Sparkle to inform her of her friend's transgressions against the crown. She will likely be upset and try to fight in her friend's name, which we will then use as an argument for her innocence. Then, we will decide in private what we shall do with Applejack."

"What about the Griffons?" You asked.

"After we decide our punishment, we will then tell that to the Griffons. If they accept, then all shall be good in the world. If not, then we will be in for a very long and lengthy discussion on how best to punish Applejack, hopefully abstaining from the idea of killing her."

"Killing her?!" You exclaimed, your eyes widening. "T-That seems a bit far for a little trade of apples, don't you think?"

"Perhaps." She said with a nod. "I overreacted when she told me, but what I said still rings true. There are three things that lead to war, and that's water, food, and land. The Griffon territories aren't the right climate to grow apples in, thus making them a delicacy in their kingdom. When they learn that they were being sold black-market goods, they will question our authority on proper trade. They usually handle such transgressions with the punishment of losing ones extremities, or simply death."

You sigh, shaking your head. "Cutting the hands off a thief... There was a culture back home that was like that."

"Oh?" She asked, her ears swiveling towards you. You shook your head, reminding yourself to not tell too much about your home. While she may want to learn more, you knew that you should probably keep most things like that a secret. Delving into Earth's history was delved into many things that you didn't want to be endlessly prodded on by the likes of Daybreaker and Twilight.

"Nothing much other than that. S-So, we deal with the Griffons, and then we inform Applejack of what we will do with her?"

Daybreaker sighed, leaning lazily back into her chair. "I wish. Once both sides formally come to an agreement, depending on the outcome, we'll likely have to hold a public trial. If we come to the terms of exile, or throwing her into the dungeon, we can't do so without letting the public know. If not, the citizens will be outraged. While they are below us in status, they swarm us in numbers. A nation will fall if it is not transparent with its subjects on certain things. It's a tricky game, Anon."

"A game I'm not fond of playing." You admit with a groan.

"Oh come now, Anonymous. You must be faring a little better in this trade. After all, since you've started working under me, you've improved a lot. Today, even, I notice quite the change in your demeanor. What may have caused such a thing, my Assistant?" She questioned, a smirk dawning on her face and her eyes playfully half-lidded at you.

"Just feeling better is all. Nothing more to it." You say, trying to not bring up the subject of her sister meddling in your mind with her trickery in the dream-realm. You'd have to deal with that later in the night as well, added on to the multiple meetings and strenuous tasks throughout the day. It was clear that today held no breaks.

A knock came to the door. Breakfast was ready to be served.

Author's Note

It's been awhile hasn't it?

We've had a very big pause inbetween chapters. Life has not been very kind to me, as I've recently quit my job and endured many workplace accidents, along with the loss of another family member. However, chapters will slowly return back to normal hopefully soon. We'll see.