//------------------------------//
// An Ounce of Optimism 
// Story: The Persistence of Destiny 
// by Cold Bolt 
//------------------------------//

"Sooo..."

Starlight gazed about as the group marched on into the ever-expanding forest.

Sunset quirked an eyebrow. "So what?"

"Did any of that seem... weird to you, just now?" Starlight glanced back at the party as she spoke.

Sunset rolled her eyes. "You mean, other than the fact that it was probably the most un-Rainbow-like thing I've ever seen Rainbow do? Nah, no way."

Starlight stared at the canopy above the path. Was it just her imagination, or did it seem to be gradually closing up?

"I heard that," declared a raspy voice.

Starlight winced as a blue pegasus caught up with them. "Sorry, Rainbow Dash. We're just... thinking out loud, is all."

"S'fine." Rainbow shrugged. "So the Rainbow you remember is different, huh?"

"Just a tad," said Starlight. "She, uh, probably wouldn't have been quite that merciful with the manticore back there."

Rainbow seemed to ponder this for a moment. "Well... she's probably got her reasons, I guess," she said at length.

"That's pretty different too," said Sunset. "She's not nearly this modest, or open to differing perspectives."

Starlight nodded. "I know one thing you have in common, though: you both definitely have a thing for helping those in need. I guess no matter the timeline, Rainbow Dash is always a dependable pony."

"Yeah, well." Rainbow reclined in midair, somehow still keeping herself aloft as she folded her armored forelegs behind her head. "Good to know my awesomeness is a constant then."

Sunset snickered. "Yeah, that's more like the Rainbow we know."

"Say, I'm curious..." Starlight scratched her head. "Where's Fluttershy?"

Rainbow flailed in alarm, nearly falling out of the air before righting herself and looking away pointedly. "W... where'd you get that name?"

Starlight blinked. "In our timeline, you two are practically best friends. Why, did something - "

"I don't want to talk about it." Rainbow's voice cracked as she cut off Starlight's inquiry.

Starlight's gaze briefly met Sunset's. "Uh... alright. I guess it's not really that important."

Trees rustling in the breeze punctuated the silence between them.

"I'm - " Rainbow cleared her throat. "...I'm gonna go scout ahead."

"Alright. Don't go too far," advised Starlight.

With that, Rainbow fluttered a ways ahead down the path, somehow staying within view despite not glancing back to make sure, but remaining as far out of earshot as possible.

A soft voice came from behind the two unicorns. "Is something wrong?"

Starlight glanced back once again to find that it was now Derpy's turn to catch up to them. "I'm not sure... I think we struck a nerve."

"Does the name Fluttershy mean anything to you?" asked Sunset.

Derpy shook her head. "Uh-uh."

"It's fine, Sunset," said Starlight. "We have more important things to worry about right now, and I don't want to upset her more than we already have."

Sunset sighed. "Yeah, fair."

"Uh..." Derpy pointed a hoof forward. "Would one of those things involve finding out why Rainbow is staring at the darkness like that?"

"Huh?"

Starlight squinted at the path ahead, only barely able to see in what little moonlight now pierced the thick forest canopy above. Sure enough, Rainbow Dash stood perfectly still, transfixed by something ahead of her in the darkness. Moreover, her tail was tucked between her hind legs, and her ears were flat against her head. As she got closer, she realized she could hear Rainbow's ragged breathing, coming out in uneven gasps that made her sound on the verge of hyperventilating.

"Rainbow!" Starlight hissed. "Rainbow, what's going on?"

No response. Rainbow was frozen stiff.

The party came to a halt just a few feet back from where Rainbow stood, unable to read the situation.

"What in tarnation got her all spooked?" Applejack held her hat against her head, as though hoping it might shield her from whatever was ahead of them.

"My turn," said Sunset. Taking a step forward, her horn lit up, an orb of flame bursting from it to hover above her head and cast a warm light over the area.

The six of them now stood in a small clearing, its confines only barely visible even in the light of the miniature sun... which also illuminated a multitude of dangerous creatures staring them down from all sides - a snarling timberwolf, a towering minotaur wielding a hefty battle axe, a skeletal pony holding a dagger in its mouth... Even a swarm of parasprites stood to bar their way.

"It's a trap!" yelled Starlight. "Fall back!"

There were two distinct problems with this suggestion. The first was that the path behind them was now just as blocked as the path ahead, the aforementioned minotaur glaring at them from behind... and the second was that none of them seemed willing to move so much as a muscle.

Starlight trembled, barely able to stay on her hooves. How had all these things managed to sneak up on them so readily? Why hadn't Rainbow warned them something was wrong? She wanted to fight, to rush forward and try to give her friends some sort of opening to at least flee and regroup, but her legs were too busy shaking to cooperate. She opened her mouth to speak, to question the situation at least, but all her throat could produce was a strangled cry.

Mere minutes ago, they had stared down a furious manticore and lived to tell the tale. In the back of her mind, Starlight knew something was disturbingly off about the whole situation - well, beyond the fact that they were surrounded by foes chomping at the bit to tear their party to ribbons - but her brain was too addled with adrenaline-fueled panic to do much of anything.

snrk

Except... wonder what that noise was?

"Pfft, hehehe..."

Was... was that a snicker? Their foes celebrating their helplessness, no doubt... except that it was coming from right beside her.

"Hahahaha~!"

The Doctor, having remained strangely quiet for some time, suddenly broke the eerie silence of the standoff with a genuinely amused chuckle.

"D... Doc... tor..." Starlight's voice was half whimper, half frustrated hiss. "What are... you... doing...?"

"Oh, nothing, nothing at all!" By contrast, the Doctor's voice was nothing short of jovial. "Just wondering what we must have done to anger these fine folks so! Look at this one." He pointed a hoof at the skeletal pony. "He's got a real bone to pick with us, hasn't he?"

The silence reigned for several more seconds, before...

"Hmhmhm, heheheheheee~" Derpy's bubbly giggle joined in. 

"Wh...? Derpy!"

"What?" Derpy fought to get her words through her giggles. "It was funny~"

"But we should really watch out for this one," the Doctor continued, now turning toward the minotaur as it gave a furious snort and tightened its grip on the axe in its hands. "He's got a major beef!"

Now it was Applejack's turn to join in the amusement. "Heheh, beef..." Repeating the joke to herself had her suddenly burst out laughing as well.

"Applejack, what's gotten into you?"

Grinning, the Doctor turned toward the timberwolf. "I wouldn't worry about this one though. This dog is... all bark and no bite!"

"PFFT!" Rainbow flopped onto her back and clutched her chest. "D'ahahaha!"

"Rainbow, not you too!"

"And these over here!" The Doctor scowled, pointing a hoof at the parasprites. "You're no threat! Just a nuisance is all. You lot had better..." He paused briefly, already laughing at his own joke. "...bugger off!"

Sunset covered her muzzle with her forelegs, shaking with mirth.

Visibly incensed, Starlight whirled on the rest of the party. "Come on, this is serious! We've got a major fight on our hooves! We need to rally and..."

She trailed off as she met the Doctor's confident smirk, their companions too busy giggling to themselves to respond.

"Wait..." Blinking, Starlight glanced around. "Something's not right here."

The Doctor trotted nonchalantly up to the minotaur and gave it a poke with his hoof. As though made of dry sand, it dissolved immediately and vanished.

"An illusion," said Starlight. "But illusions aren't this powerful! Unless..."

"Unless they're backed with an enchantment?" suggested the Doctor. "Such as, oh, I don't know... a fear enchantment?"

Starlight practically gaped at him. "But... how did you recognize it? You're not even a unicorn."

"I had my fair share of adventures when I was your age," he said as he trotted around the clearing, dissipating the rest of the illusory creatures as he went. "Ran into more strange magic than you can shake a stick at! Had to get good at improvising, you see. Turns out nothing breaks a fear enchantment like a good, hearty chuckle!"

Starlight sighed, but smiled in spite of herself. She spared a look at the others, who seemed to have finished laughing and were simply exchanging looks with varying degrees of amusement.

"But puns though? Seriously, Doc?" Rainbow gave him an incredulous look.

A beaming grin was his only response.

Derpy wiped a happy tear from her face. "Hehe... I mean, it worked, didn't it?"

"Sure did," said Applejack. "Reckon that's another trap down."

"Looks that way." Smiling, Sunset gave a flare of her horn and brightened her hovering light source. "Here, everyone. Stay behind me until we get some moonlight back."