//------------------------------//
// 133 - The Trial of Honesty 
// Story: Re:Harmony 
// by starcross7 
//------------------------------//

The massive doors to the Truth loomed over her, and the apple-shaped emblem beamed down upon the Rebel Mare Applejack like an eye of judgment. 

This was it.  The last Trial.  The Royal Sisters had nestled themselves around a gathering of the lab-coated Nyxes as they bore witness of what could be a great success or utter failure. 

It was not their eyes Applejack was worried about.  Nor was those from Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Rarity, or Rainbow Dash.  Twilight Sparkle stood next to her.  She was neither close or apart, but her mere presence sent the orange earth mare's heart racing as sweat slowly coated each hair of her fur.  There was no way she could hide the large gulp in her throat or the tremor in her own legs. 

"Are you okay, Applejack?" Twilight asked. 

The orange mare took a deep breath and tipped her Stetson backwards half-an-inch. 

"Of course, I am!" feigned Applejack.  "I can let y'all down after conquerin' the last four Trials so darn easy."

"You shouldn't lie, Applejack.  This is the Trial for your Element of Truth."

Applejack sighed again.  "All right, I was lyin' about that part about not bein' all right."

"It's all right to be nervous, darling," said Rarity. 

"I was scared at first," said Fluttershy, "but Twilight supported my decision to conquer my Trial."

"You just have to get over it, Jacks," said Rainbow Dash.  "It's no big deal."

"And then you can look back and laugh at the ridiculous things we did!" Pinkie added. 

"I know it's been hard for all of us, but we've conquered every Element of Creation except one," said Twilight.  "Come what may, I'll support you."

Her heart raced, but to a different beat.  Applejack could not tell if her blush was exposed, but it no longer mattered.  She could tell her right now.  She could tell her beloved Twilight everything, but right now, she could not be distracted by what was most important to the world. 

"All right," said Applejack.  "I’m ready."

She need not have to transform her Element of Truth to her sword to open the doors.  Merely desiring to obtain the truth caused its orange apple-shaped jewel to glow, and so did the emblem at the entrance.  Without interruption, the doors exposed the massive chamber adorned with dark brambles and thick roots.  These plants did not appear alive, but they didn't appear dead either.  No leaves protruded from its thorny branches, and no flowers bloomed. 

In the center stood a wicked bipedal tree-like creature.  It rose up to its primary legs and opened its single eyes that had a twisted emblem of an apple.  To say that Applejack and her friends had a bad feeling was an understatement.  By far, this Guardian was the most foreboding. 

"I AM THE GUARDIAN OF DECEPTION," it spoke with a scratchy boom.  "I KNOW ALL.  I KNOW THE TRUTH.  THE BEARER OF THE ELEMENT OF TRUTH, APPLEJACK, AND THE ONE CANDIDATE TO THE SIXTH ELEMENT, TWILIGHT SPARKLE, HAD ALREADY CONSENTED IN THEIR HEARTS TO SUCCUMB TO THE TRIAL OF HONESTY."

"So, you already know what our names are and what we want," said Applejack.  "Ain't surprised.  Now, quit yer yappin' and take us to the Trial already."

"FOOLISH MORTAL.  THOU HATH NOT REALIZED THAT EVER SINCE THOU ACCEPTED THE ELEMENT OF TRUTH, THE TRIAL HATH ALREADY STARTED… AND THOU HATH FAILED!"

The dark uprooted themselves and upset the structure.  As the ceiling collapsed, the Guardian of Deception sent out its hellroots indiscriminately at everyone, pony and Nyx alike.  Applejack barely managed activated her Sword of Truth in time to cut them away before they could hurt her.  Rarity was forced to undo her handkerchief and turn it into an effective cutting string thanks to her Element of Empowerment.  Pinkie Pie zipped away in her Pinkie Gear rescuing any stranded Nyxes who were about to be attacked, while Rainbow Dash carried a shocked Fluttershy away. 

The dark roots kept coming, crushing tents, tables, and monitoring equipment.  Fires started and blazed wildly, but nothing harmed the deadwood branches.  Even Sunny or Princess Celestia and her sister Princess Luna had trouble blasting the roots away as it continued to break down walls, floors, and ceiling. 

"It's just an illusion," muttered Fluttershy.  " It's just an illusion, it's just an illusion, it's just an illusion."

"Get a hold of yourself!" Rainbow Dash cried.  "Illusion or not, I'm gonna punch this stupid tree ten times over!"

With a free hoof, Rainbow Dash initiated her signature Rainbow Bullet Punch against six oncoming hellroots, and immediately splintered it in a rainbow flash.  It was useless.  The roots grew back and multiplied, forcing Rainbow Dash to fly away to safety with Fluttershy in tow. 

As for Applejack, she cut three more before a fourth one approached her from behind.  Rarity managed to block it and mesh it to pieces using her handkerchief's thread into a grid pattern.  Usually, she would complain that she had to ruin a beautifully embroidered piece of fabric, but the fighting spirit displayed in her eyes did not give her time to do so. 

Applejack was forgetting something, and in that moment, she realized too late. 

Twilight, who had stood alone underneath her Aegis Shield spell using her magic to zap the roots away, was caught by surprise when a dark hellroot appeared from below and snatched her away by her hind leg.  Her cries summoned Applejack and sent her into a rage that she ignored her other friends and the oncoming branches.  She charged forth and continued to cut more of the cancerous branches heading her way. 

"Twilight's in danger!" Fluttershy cried.  The timid yellow pegasus broke free from Dash's grip and activated her Element of Empathy's special ability, and to her advantage, there was a lot of roots to break and a lot of things to repair.  Butterfly Stars attached themselves to roots and destroyed them at a rapid pace as she repaired the floor, but it was still not enough.  Rarity, Rainbow Dash, and Pinkie came to her aid and continued cutting at the roots, and even still that was not enough.  The hellroots grew back like a hydra, and Twilight continued screaming as they coiled around her body. 

Applejack's friends could only do so much, but Applejack herself had to do more.  She increased her cutting speed.  Damn the burning pain her neck.  Damn the blood coming from the gums of her teeth that gripped her sword.  She continued cutting, cutting, and cutting.  She brushed the pain from all the thorns, because the pain her beloved Twilight suffered was worse.  As for the pain of losing her… She would not know what to do. 

She was getting closer.  The branches had smothered Twilight's entire body, and only her gasping face was shown.  Applejack cut through one more branch until it knocked her Sword of Truth from her mouth.  She did not need it.  The rebel mare tore through the branches with her bare teeth as she continued through the spiked thicket.  Even as branches wrapped around her legs, she kept pushing forward, and she would break every leg if she had to. 

Then she stopped.  She could no longer move, nor did she have the strength to.  She was so close, and now, deep in the spiked thicket, the rebel mare and the First Magisister were face to face.  One was in tears from all the pain, and the other was in tears at the utter shame of failure. 

"I'm so sorry, Twi!" Applejack wept.  "I failed!  I got you killed!"

"It's okay," said Twilight.  "Please stop crying."

It was heart-wrenching, and it was more so that her beloved lied that everything was okay when the damn Guardian of Deception decided to fail everypony without ever giving them a chance to face this "trial".  Applejack heard the unmistakable sounds of thorns cutting through fur and bones crunching.  Despite it all, Twilight was at her calmest, and her face, though marred with streams of blood, was as beautiful as ever. 

"I… I… I love you, Twilight."

The unicorn smiled back.  "I love you too, Applejack."

“You don’t understand.  I love you.” 

It felt like an eternity before Twilight’s eyes widened.  In that moment, the dark hellroots stopped moving.  They loosened and started disintegrating.  Ponies and Nyxes that were caught in the thorny branches found themselves gradually touch down on the ruined floor.  The wounds they suffered remained, but the relief from having to fight against the Guardian of Deception any further was the relief they all needed.  The Nyx cheered, and the Royal Sisters hugged one another. 

Not everyone was joyous at the apparent completion and triumph over the Trial of Honesty.  Applejack, who had held the truth within her heart for so long turned away from her friends and covered her face with her Stetson.  Physically, her tears had dried up, but the ones in her heart kept up its torrent. 

"AJ!" Pinkie cried.  "We won!"

"Or rather, you won," said Rainbow Dash.  "I know you had it in ya."

"Girls," said Applejack.  "Leave me alone."

"What for, darling?" asked Rarity. 

"I must be a freak to y'all."

"Jeez, haven't you been livin' in this world for the past twenty years?" asked Rainbow Dash.  "We ran into dragons, changelings, orthrusses--ow!"

It sounded like a jab to her stomach, but Applejack did not know who did it.  It was likely anypony did it, including Fluttershy. 

"Maybe I was out of line," said Dash, "but c'mon, I knew it the moment we met."

"I knew it too!" Pinkie cried.  "We shared a prison cell together, and sometimes at late nights, AJ would—"

"I sort of knew you two were close," said Fluttershy.  "Please forgive me, but I used my Element to see if it was true…"

"I had a strong feeling that was the case even before I tried setting you up with Lord Trenderhoof," said Rarity.  "I only played along with our little sisters just to be certain."

"The real big bummer is that the last pony to know is Twilight herself," said Pinkie. 

"Yeah," said Dash.  "What gives, Purplesmart?  Your crush was in front of you the whole goshdarn time!"

"Rainbow Dash, please," said Rarity.  "Twilight is shocked after all that has happened here—and I don’t mean that ghastly tree-monster attacking us."

"Twilight, are you all right?" asked Fluttershy. 

Applejack could not bear looking at Twilight, but she could not resist it.  She turned her head slightly, and saw, past her friends, the purple unicorn sitting on her haunches while a female Nyx bandaged her body as she remained in a state of shock. 

"I…" she spoke.  "I didn't know."

"For an egghead, you were heckuva dense," said Dash. 

"I kinda hoped she was keeping it a secret so she can through a 'coming out' surprise party," said Pinkie.  "Too bad it wasn't the case."

"I'm flattered," said Twilight.  "I suppose things like that can happen.  I mean it's in the Gaean books, and they say it's a phase…"

"You're right!" Applejack cried.  "It's a phase, right?"

"Um…"

She might have made it worse.  Twilight's face turned red, and she lowered her head to hide her embarrassment.  At the same time, a rush of disappointment filled the chamber, mainly with Pinkie Pie burying her head to the floor and Rainbow Dash facehoofing.  It seemed like Twilight and Applejack wanted to look at each other, but even if they could muster the courage to do so, they would not be able to face one another. 

The ruins of the Guardians' chamber rumbled, and due to the damage caused by the Guardian of Deception, it was likely to collapse upon itself.  Instead, the center of the main floor started opening up, and rising up was a marble pedestal containing a shimmering white orb larger than what anypony had seen so far. 

The Elements of Creation of the five existing Bearers had already reverted to their golden necklace state, and their jewels glowed until they fired beams of orange, blue, pink, purple, and red straight towards the giant white orb.  The shell of the white orb vanished, revealing a golden crown studded with blue gems with a six-pointed star nestled prominently on the top.  The crown, or rather, the Sixth and Final Element floated down and rested upon Twilight Sparkle's head, who had now broken herself free from her shock and stupor. 

"It's pretty," said Fluttershy. 

"I'll say," said Rainbow Dash.  "In a girlish kind of way, of course."

"Hey, wasn't your crown-thingy-Element supposed to give you an Oath?" asked Pinkie Pie.

"Maybe that since this is the Sixth and Final Element, it doesn't need one," Rarity suggested. 

"Do you feel any different, Twilight?" asked Fluttershy. 

"I'm not sure," replied Twilight.  "This thing feels powerful, and I don't know the exact nature of its abilities.  Sunny, do you know if it has a name?"

"The name of your Element remains unknown, even to me," replied Sunny.  "If I were to give it one, I would call it 'Destiny'."

"I suppose it would have to do then.  Now we can go back and stop the war before it has begun."

Applejack would say something, but by then it was too late.  In the corner of her eye, she saw one of the Night Guard ponies float down and whisper an alarming report into Princess Luna's ear.  Luna, in turn quickly flew over and landed before everypony with a pale expression. 

"I have dire news," Luna said.  "The nations of Pegasopolis and Gaea have started attacking each other.  War has broken out."

"But we fought so hard!" cried Fluttershy.  "It might be too late!"

"It's not too late," said Twilight.  "Neither side has launched their most powerful weapons, and we would have already known by now if they did."

"That's great and all," said Dash, "but we won't have time to get back there before they annihilate each other."

"We'd have to go through the Sky Castle and Black Cloud all over again," said Rarity.

"Unless the Princesses has a super-duper spell that will transport us lickety-split," said Pinkie.  "Sunny, please tell me that you do."

"As a matter of fact, I do," said Sunny. 

"If that's the case," said Rarity, "why couldn't you two stop the war?  You even have a standing army as well."

"We may be powerful, but we are not invincible," said Luna.  "Recall that my sister was captured by clever earth ponies in the past, and the same can happen again."

"We also have Discord and many of Pegasopolis dragons to contend with,” added Sunny.  “Let us not forget that the Seventh Element has taken over Trixie's mind and soul, and by now her power has grown exponentially."

"Pegaspolis in the north," said Twilight.  "Gaea in the south.  Dragons, Discord, and my friend Trixie.  We're going to have to stop the war on multiple fronts, but we need to get back to the Spitfire as soon as possible."

"Very well," said Luna.  "I shall start initiating the long-range transportation spell using Rainbow Dash as a conduit.  It will be easy to locate your airship due to the undying loyalty of her crew."

“But we’re still hurt,” said Fluttershy.  “I still need to—”

Sunny cut her off by casting a warm spell that enveloped the Six Bearer's bodies in a yellow glow.  All wounds were healed instantaneously, with no exchange of damage need.  However, Applejack saw a hint of exhaustion in Sunny's eyes.  She knew that as easy as that spell looked, it was draining, even for an alicorn. 

Shortly after, glyphs immediately appeared beneath Twilight and her friends' hooves, and then a column of light surrounded them.  However, one of them did not appear beneath Sunny.  This caused the concern with the purple unicorn as she looked up to her protective guardian and mentor. 

"I will be joining you shortly," said Sunny.  "Luna and I will need to prepare ourselves for the battle against Discord.  You and your friends have your own battles to fight.  Focus on them while we focus on ours."

"Will we see each other again?" Twilight asked. 

"In due time.  Be brave, Twilight Sparkle, and may the light of magic guide you."

The Six Bearers began floating away, but even with the desperate situation, Applejack's friends were excited.  Rainbow Dash had her usual cocky grin, and Pinkie Pie could not help but spin around in glee.  Rarity remained composed as princesses do, but she still retained her noble determination.  Fluttershy was still Fluttershy, but despite her hesitation, she was certainly ready to fight for what she believed in. 

Then there was Applejack, still reeling from the shame from admitting her true feelings towards Twilight Sparkle, and fate always seemed place close to her.  Both the purple unicorn and the orange earth pony would exchange glances, but never had much courage to retain their stares or speak for a while as the teleportation spell began accelerating. 

"Twi," said Applejack, "I…"

"We can talk about it later," said Twilight.  "We have a war stop."

"Yeah, I know."