//------------------------------//
// Liar 
// Story: The Monster We Made 
// by Corah Il Cappo 
//------------------------------//

They say honesty is the best policy. They're right you know. It's always better to tell the truth than it is to lie. Why, I've been working Sweet Apple Acres and selling off my produce since I was a filly, and I've never once made a crooked deal!

Honesty. That's me alright.

I'd been working on the farm when it happened. Princess Luna came to me and said she needed me for something important. I thought that those fancy Canterlot ponies had finally gotten a craving for some of my sweet apple pies. I couldn't have been more wrong.

Something seemed... off about the Princess. Looked like a storm cloud was hanging over her head. I asked her what was going on. I wished I wouldn't have.

"Celestia is dead, and Twilight Sparkle is responsible. I am here to gather the remaining five elements. They may be Equestria's last hope."

I just couldn't believe it. I didn't want to believe it. Twilight? A murderer? It sounded like one of Pinkie Pie's bad jokes. But, as I soon found out, this was no joke. The other four came, and with heavy hearts, we boarded a train bound for Canterlot.

When we arrived in the city, I was shocked. The last time we had been to Canterlot, the streets were bustling with ponies, the air was heavy with the smell of perfume and cologne, and the din of juicy gossip rang out in all directions. Now, it felt like a ghost town. The town was silent, empty, and, for lack of a better word, dead. The faint echo of the wind whistling though the decadent white columns was the only sound. It felt scary and foreboding, not warm and welcoming as it had in the past.

We delved deeper and deeper into the city, the unrelenting silence nearly palpable as we neared the palace. There were no guards. No royal court. No mob of admirers trying to sneak their way in. Only the soft clip clopping of hooves against stone as the six of us breached the deserted gates.

The Princess lead us through the courtyard, and into the throne room.

The floor was spattered with crimson flecks of blood. Two princesses, Cadence and Celestia, lay dead. I... I cannot even begin to describe the sight. It was a nightmare from which I could not awake. I swallowed the lump in my throat, and fought back two urges. The first was the urge to cry, the second the urge to vomit.

What Luna had said was true. Twilight Sparkle, my friend, had become a murderer. I didn't know how, and I didn't know why. Those things didn't matter anymore. All that mattered was the harsh reality I faced.

We were Equestria's last hope.

I was honesty.

"Twilight Sparkle, you have committed crimes against Equestria, against the Royal Court, and against Harmony itself. You have made yourself an enemy of Equestria, and thus an enemy of Harmony. Prepare to face justice."

I felt an all too familiar sensation start to take me over. The Elements were at work now. I was lifted from the floor and surrounded by the glow of honesty. Yet, somehow, it all felt wrong. The Elements always put my mind at ease, but now, my head was swimming. What would happen to Twilight? Would she be turned to stone, like Discord? Was she perhaps possessed, as Nightmare Moon had been? Or would she be destroyed entirely?

These questions bounced about in my head as I hovered. I watched as a bright orange light engulfed my body, and twisted like a corkscrew to join five other streaks in a brilliant rainbow of magic. It hurtled towards our former friend, and I awaited the imminent collision.

"Enough!"

The collision never came.

There was a flash of pure white light, and I was thrown back. I tumbled over and over until finally slamming into the marble wall. I had a large gash on the back of my head, but I was otherwise unharmed. Apparently, I was the lucky one.

I wearily rose to my hooves to survey the damage. The room had been rocked by a massive explosion, no doubt caused by Twilight. The other five were badly injured. Some might have been dead. I couldn't tell. The whole world seemed to be shaking. Or maybe that was just me.

My friend turned enemy stood in the center of the throne room, surrounded by cracks of bright purple lightning. She was terrifying, yet beautiful at the same time. She looked like a real goddess.

"Listen Twilight. I'm your friend! I always have been, and I always will be. C'mon sugarcube, I'm tellin' the truth!"

My plights fell on deaf ears. I knew now that there was no way out. I had failed. We all had. We were all going to die.

Then, I heard a voice.

I didn't "hear" it, with my ears, but rather felt it. I felt it inside my head.

It was her. She said only one word to me.

"Liar."

That single word hit me harder than any insult ever had. I'd never told a lie in my life. I was the Element of Honesty.

I choked back the tears. Now was not the time to cry. Trembling, I made my way over to Fluttershy, who was now sobbing pitifully. I couldn't bear to look at her. Her back legs had been torn to shreds, leaving her unable to move. I placed a hoof on her as she blubbered, never taking my eyes off of the goddess. Her tiny frame was shuddering violently as she cried, and I was unable to comfort her.

The goddess looked at us. I knew what was coming next.

Fluttershy asked if we would be okay.

I lied.