AN: Thank you to everyone who has kept with Lavendr and the elements thus far. It means the world to me. Enjoy the chapter.
The Seventh Element: The Element of Hope
Chapter 18
Hopeful Honesty
Lavender waited in Twilight's room and a barn door appeared as soon as Twilight left.
"Okay. Here goes… You can save her. You saved everypony else." Lavender said as she straightened the tiara on her head and went through the door. Upon entering Lavender gasped at the sight before her. What she assumed was once Sweet Apple Acres stood before her. The trees were barren and rotted through the barn had gaping holes in the ceiling and walls. The paint had peeled in most places and the entire place looked decrypted. As Lavender looked about she saw no signs of Applejack. "Applejack! Where are you?!" As soon as she shouted she heard noise in the barn and raced to it. The barn door squeaked noisily when Lavender opened it. She looked in and saw in the back a familiar outline.
"Whose there?! I'm warning ya one step closer and you'll get it," Applejack threatened angrily as she came into the light. Lavender gasped in shock at the sight before her. Applejack looked awful. Her mane and tail were in varying states of disarray. Her beloved hat was in taters and her eyes were hardened and cold with anger and hate.
"AJ..." Lavender slowly walked further into the dilapidated barn. Lavender looked heartbroken at her friend's appearance and the look of the orchard. "Oh AJ." Lavender's voice seemed to echo about the barn causing her to hear the pain in her own voice at saying the country pony's name. Applejack moved and saw who had called to her. Upon seeing Lavender Applejack's eye got colder and angrier as she glared at the unicorn before her.
"What in tarnation are you doing here?!"
"What? AJ what are you talking about?"
"Ya know exactly what I'm talking about traitor!" Applejack grabbed a rope that was hanging by her and ran at Lavender. Lavender stared wide eyed before teleporting away from her.
"AJ what are you doing? I'm your friend!"
"You aint no friend of mine! Why would you be? After everything you did!" Applejack turned and charged at Lavender again.
"AJ I don't know what you are talking about!" Lavender continued teleporting herself about the room.
"Stop callin' me that! You lost that privilege!" Applejack continued chasing after Lavender. Lavender realized that Applejack wasn't using her name and that she was running out of energy from constantly having to teleport herself.
"Applejack please." Lavender tried to teleport herself again but found her magic wouldn't work. Applejack's eyes glinted cruelly and she smiled darkly at Lavender. The rope went out and caught Lavender easily. Applejack pulled the rope tight constricting Lavender. "Applejack please. What ever happened I can help… please… Applejack…" Applejack glared at her.
"Ya wanna know what happened?! Fine!" As Applejack spoke the room shifted to how Lavender thought Sweet Apple acres was meant to look like. The trees were vibrant and filled with all sorts of apples. Lavender watched as the image Applejack who looked as she should bucked apples. She is so beautiful. Lavender thought as she watched the country pony in her element. Although Lavender's enjoyment quickly came to a halt as she watched the other elements approach with an image Lavender leading them. The image Applejack smiled as her friends and secret crush approached.
"Howdy girls what brings ya all out here," the image Applejack asked them.
"Oh cut the country sentiments Applejack," the image Rarity told her harshly.
"What?"
"You knew this was coming Applejack," the image Twilight told her.
"What are you talking about?"
"Oh AJ don't play dumb. It's not working," the image Rainbow Dash told her patronizingly.
"We know it was you who helped Demonica escape," the image Lavender told her sympathetically looking at the image Applejack sadly. The image Applejack stared shocked. Just as shocked as the real Lavender was.
"What in Equestria are you talking about?! I'd never do that! You know that."
"Applejack Lavender saw you," Fluttershy said softly.
"Wh-what? How could she when I never did anything."
"She used a type of magic only learned in Ponavia," Pinkie Pie told her ex friend.
"What does that even mean?"
"It means that you are done as the Element of Honesty," Twilight said as her magic pulled the very element from Applejack, where it had been at her neck. "You won't need this anymore." Rarity lit her own horn and covered all the trees in the orchards. It wouldn't be until later that the spell was revealed to be a decaying spell which destroyed the trees. The elements all left baring Lavender who stayed behind and watched Applejack begin to fall apart.
"You believe me right sugar cube," Applejack asked the image Lavender. Lavender smiled sadly at her.
"Of course I do." Lavender's sympathetic smile changed to a vicious and cruel one. "How could you have done something I did? And to think I thought it was going to be hard to cause them to turn on you. Their dear element of Honesty. Ha! I can't believe how easy it was." Both the image Applejack and the real Lavender stared in horror at the image Lavender.
"Wh-why?"
"Why? I had to choose somepony. And why not the one who had cared the most. How much better it would be to see you fall. Why would I ever choose you?" The image Lavender laughed darkly as the image Applejack finally broke down and rushed off. The real Lavender had had enough and was crying.
"No! Stop it! Stop it please," The real Lavender begged as the image began to fade away. Applejack watched as the unicorn before began to weep. As she watched her green eyes began to slowly lighten back to what they had been. The country pony realized this Lavender had no idea what had transpired. Or she was a very good actress.
"You… you didn't have any idea at all…" the real Applejack said as she watched Lavender compose herself.
"No. And Applejack I can guarantee that wasn't real. We would never do that to you. Take your element from you. You are the Element of Honesty! I'm sorry for what Demonica did to you.
"Demonica? What's she got to do with this?"
"Everything. Demonica is the one who created that Applejack. What you experienced from what I can tell is your worst fear. I've seen it with the others. They were trapped in their worst fears to be used by Demonica so they would give up hope of their elements. Without the elements she could rule all of Equestria. But Applejack I got them out and I'll get you out too!"
"No. You won't" A voice said from the Barn's entrance. There at the door was another Lavender. "Don't listen to her Applejack. She's a trick from Demonica. Sent to get you off your guard to finally end you and the others."
"No I'm not," the real Lavender shouted angrily at the fake.
"She is. Why would I ever willingly come back here to you?"
"Why would you?... After everything…" Applejack said as she turned to the fake her eyes dulling once again.
"No! Applejack! AJ! Fight it! Please don't listen to her," the real Lavender begged Applejack.
"Why should I?"
"Because you know this isn't right. That you would never turn on your friends just as we would never turn on you. You know lies Applejack you are the Element of Honesty. See the lie before you now. Please!" Lavender moved toward Applejack as she spoke. "You were my first friend the first pony to truly show me what was out there. Please don't throw that away." Lavender was before her and threw her front hoofs about the earth pony. The warmth of Lavender's hug pulled Applejack and she closed her eyes reveling in the warmth as she hugged the unicorn back. As the two hugged Applejack glowed orange and Lavender glowed lilac though her glow began at her tiara instead of her cutie mark.
"No," The fake lavender shouted as she disappeared and the room became new again before disappearing altogether. The room now was just the stone room it had once been.
"Come let's go see the others," Lavender said to Applejack who nodded in agreement. The two left through the door ready to see their friends and to end Demonica's reign of darkness.
AN: Read and Review please and thank you