//------------------------------//
// An Infusion of Integrity 
// Story: The Persistence of Destiny 
// by Cold Bolt 
//------------------------------//

In a bright flash, six ponies materialized on the front steps of Ponyville Town Hall. One of them collapsed, wincing.

"Owwww..." moaned Starlight, gingerly rubbing her horn.

"You alright there?" asked Applejack.

Starlight nodded, her breathing somewhat labored. "I'm - I'm fine. Just... a bit of mana burn is all. I can... teleport all day if it's just me, but... six ponies at once is a bit much..."

"Well, it worked." Sunset gave Starlight a gentle pat. "Alright, fearless leader, you got us out. So what's the plan?"

Starlight slowly stood up. "We need... the Elements of Harmony. They're the only thing powerful enough to stop Nightmare Moon."

The Doctor's eyes lit up. "Why, I think you might be right! That's the ticket, then!"

Derpy blinked. "Huh?"

"Think I might be missing a page here too," said Applejack.

The Doctor cleared his throat. "The Elements of Harmony are a quintet of jewels, the crystallized essence of Harmony itself, which serve as a weapon against the dark and chaotic aspects of our world. They have not been seen for nigh on a thousand years now, forgotten by most and regarded as legend by the rest."

Sunset quirked an eyebrow. "So you knew about the Elements, but not Nightmare Moon?"

"Upon initial reading, I may have assumed that passage about 'defeating the moon' to be... metaphor? It certainly makes a great deal more sense now than it did then..."

"Never mind that now," said Starlight. "The Elements are as real as Nightmare Moon herself, and I know where they are. We need to make our way to the old royal palace, from before the capital was moved to Canterlot. That's where they're being stored."

"The Castle of the Two Sisters," said the Doctor. "Yes, of course!"

"Well, what are we waiting for?" demanded Rainbow. "We're already out here. Let's go get those Elements of yours and give this jerk what for! The longer we wait, the more danger we're all in."

"Oh, oh, um!" Derpy waved her hoof in the air.

Starlight blinked. "Uh... yes, Derpy?"

"Can I stop by my house really quick first? I have more muffins I can bring if we have a long way to go."

Rainbow opened her mouth to protest, but thought better and closed it, glancing instead at Starlight.

"That's a great idea, actually," said Starlight. "C'mon everypony, let's follow along. We don't know what might be out there under eternal moonlight, so we should stick together."





"You seem pretty calm about this," said Sunset.

The party sat somewhat scattered in the middle of town, preparing for the journey ahead of them. With no relevant belongings to their names, Starlight and Sunset sat just out of earshot of the rest of the group, keeping watch over their surroundings as they waited.

"Do I?" Starlight rubbed her head as she watched the Doctor helping Derpy tighten her saddlebags, full to the brim with food. A second set sat on the ground beside him, full of other provisions. "I sure don't feel calm."

"Then you're probably doing better than you think, considering we only just met these four ponies and they're already willing to follow you into danger."

Starlight blinked. "Man, how did that happen? Don't tell me the spell did it." She paused for a deep breath and a glance at the moon. "Then again, I guess I have kinda done this before?"

Sunset tilted her head. "Done what, exactly?"

"Led a ragtag party on a mission to save Equestria from an evil villain," said Starlight. "I'll probably have to give you the details later, though. Ideally when we're not in mortal peril anymore."

Sunset chuckled. "Yeah, probably a good idea. Still, if that's true, maybe you've got a knack for this."

Starlight sighed. "I mean, I was kind of hoping I wouldn't have to do it again in the first place, but I really don't have anypony to blame that one on but myself, huh?"

Before Sunset could respond, the other four ponies approached them.

Derpy and the Doctor had their saddlebags, of course. Rainbow Dash had zipped off to her cloud home briefly; her wings poked out from beneath a sturdy-looking cloth vest, and metal coverings adorned her forelegs. Applejack carried only her hat, the farm too distant to visit in what time they could spare.

"Looks like we're as ready as we're gonna be," said Applejack. "All this waiting's making me antsy. Where's this castle of yours?"

Starlight cleared her throat. "In the middle of the Everfree Forest."

Reactions to this declaration were mixed. Applejack let out a low whistle, Rainbow clapped her metal-clad forehooves together with a clang, the Doctor cringed... and even in the pale light of the moon, the color began visibly draining from Derpy's face.

"The, the, the... E-Everfree Forest?!"

Starlight nodded slowly. "I know it's dangerous, but it might be our only chance."

"But..." Derpy recoiled, ears flat against her head and her eyes even more askew than usual. "But it's full of monsters! We - We'll all get eaten for sure!"

Applejack sighed and slowly walked up to Derpy, taking a seat beside the terrified mare and putting a foreleg over her shoulders. "Look... this here mission is gonna be real dangerous, and it's good you know that before getting involved. There's a fair chance we won't all be making it back home in one piece."

Derpy shivered.

"But them ponies back in town hall are counting on us, even if they don't know it yet." Applejack pulled Derpy a bit closer, turning the touch into a partial hug. "We just might have a shot at stopping this Nightmare and getting our princess back, but we gotta stand tall and stick together. I know you got it in you, June bug. Do you?"

Derpy looked into Applejack's eyes. Slowly, her fitful breaths evened out, and she reached forward and gave Applejack a good squeeze. "Thank you. I... I needed that." Pulling back, she rubbed at her eye for a moment, a soft smile on her muzzle. "Sorry about that, everypony. I won't let you down, I promise."

"Then we don't have any more time to lose," said Sunset.

Starlight nodded, pointing her hoof down the road. "To the Everfree Forest!"





By and large, the six of them were in fairly high spirits, despite having spent the past several minutes marching down the lone road through the forest. The moon provided more than enough light to see the path before them, and they had found neither hide nor hair of any dangerous creatures thus far. That didn't stop Starlight from worrying all the same, however; marching at the fore of the party, she found herself glancing this way and that at every shadow and rustling branch for any sign of danger.

"Yipe!"

This resulted in her yelping in alarm as Sunset gently tapped her shoulder from behind.

"Wow you're jumpy," observed Sunset. "What's got you so paranoid, anyway? Everything's gone smoothly so far, and Nightmare Moon doesn't even know were here yet."

"But that's just it," said Starlight. "We don't know that for sure. What if she detected my teleport? What if she's lying in wait to ambush us, or set some kind of trap?"

Sunset paused for a deep breath; that was a fair point. "Well... how much of the story do you remember? What's the first thing she does, and where?"

Starlight rubbed her chin with her fetlock. "Let's see... I remember something about a rock slide? The path continues at the bottom of a cliff, but how are we going to get down...?"

As though in response to her inquiry, the trees parted to reveal the cliff in question, towering hundreds of feet over the valley below. A wall of rock stood to the left, contrasting the sheer drop ahead and to the right. Starlight immediately halted in her tracks and threw a foreleg to one side, prompting the others to stop as well.

The Doctor blinked. "Is something the matter?"

"I'm not sure yet." Starlight turned to Sunset. "My horn's still burnt out. Can you scan for magic on the path in front of us?"

Sunset nodded, lowering her head as her horn lit up. A faint ring of light burst forth from it, expanding as it flew forward and passed over the path ahead. It dissipated a few seconds later as Sunset lifted her head and glared at the ground. "Looks like you were right. I'm sensing earth magic... I think it's a ground disruption spell, about a ten-foot radius."

"Right about what?" Applejack quirked an eyebrow. "Something you ain't telling us?"

Starlight sighed, shaking her head. "I wanted to wait until I was sure..." She swallowed. "...but it looks like we've lost our advantage. Nightmare Moon knows we're here."

"What?" Rainbow missed a wingbeat and nearly fell out of the air.

"She's rigged the path ahead to collapse if we walk across it," said Starlight. She spent a moment thinking before turning to Rainbow. "We need a safe way down to the bottom of the cliff. Do you think you can take a look around the corner up ahead?"

"On it!" Having recovered from her initial alarm, Rainbow flew up to the edge of the cliff for a better look. Pointing a hoof around the corner, she turned back to the party. "This way! There's a switchback that leads down into the valley!"

"Is there anywhere along here we can cross safely?" Starlight asked Sunset.

Sunset stared at the path for a moment. "The spell gets weaker closer to the wall. If we stay right up against it, we should be able to get across on foot." She paused. "...I mean, hoof."

The Doctor gulped. "I feel pressed to admit I was never terribly fond of heights..."

Derpy hovered beside him, giving him a reassuring smile. "Don't worry, I'll catch you if you fall."

One by one, the four ground-bound ponies inched their way along the path against the wall. The Doctor went first, followed by Sunset and then Starlight, with Applejack in the rear.

"Doing great, Doc," said Rainbow as she coaxed him forward. "Just a little further..."

"Whew..." Starlight let out the breath she'd been holding her entire trip across as soon as she reached safe ground. "Okay. Once Applejack is across, we're in the clear for - "

"Whoooooah!"

Applejack let out a wail of alarm as, inches from safety, the ground beneath her finally gave out. Eyes wide as dinner plates, Starlight immediately spun around and dropped flat on her belly, just barely catching Applejack in time. Her eyes briefly followed the old hat now fluttering away in the breeze.

"Hang on!" Starlight gritted her teeth, straining to keep her forelegs locked with Applejack's as a cascade of rocks tumbled down the cliff beneath them. "You'll be okay! Just don't let go!"

"Don't... Don't need to tell me twice!" Applejack's rear hooves scrambled for purchase on the crumbling cliffside.

In seconds, Rainbow flew beneath Applejack, gripping her rear legs and lifting with all her might as a magical aura courtesy of Sunset carefully guided them back onto solid ground.

The three ponies landed in a heap. Starlight laid on her back, panting as beads of sweat dripped from her forehead.

"Thanks, y'all," offered Applejack as she climbed back up on all fours and took a deep breath to steady herself. "I owe you one."

"Don't worry about it," said Starlight. "If we're gonna pull this off, we have to work together, no matter what."

Derpy wiped some nervous sweat from her brow. "That was a close one... Good job, everypony!" She rubbed the back of her head with a forehoof. "...You're okay, right, AJ?"

"Well... I sure am gonna miss that hat, but otherwise I'm right as rain," said a smiling Applejack, who turned to point a hoof down the path. "No time to dally, now. Let's get a-hoofing it so we can give that Nightmare what for!"

Despite this, the two unicorns paused for a moment at the top of the switchback as the rest of the party made their way down.

"Still solid as a rock," said Sunset. "Good to know Applejack hasn't changed much."

"Yeah, even if our situation has..." Starlight sighed. "Let's hurry. We can't afford to fall behind."