As the ponies trotted steadily along the mountain trail, soft moans emerged from Pinkie Pie.
"You tired?" Applejack questioned, which received a reply of "Uh huh," from Pinkie.
Truth be told, they were all tired. The combination of unrelenting heat, a lack of water, and a seemingly endless path caused their inevitable exhaustion. The only factor that spurred them to carry on was their strong inner motivation. They knew that by preventing the creation of an immortality potion, they would be ultimately saving Equestria.
Which was kind of their job.
"Come on guys, we can do this!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed, "Besides, eventually we will be at the top of this mountain and there will be nowhere else to go. Purple will have to listen to our reasoning."
Twilight nodded in agreement. She walked a few yards to the edge of the mountain steppe. She gazed out into the distance, and surprisingly, her eyes began to water. Her tears silently dropped to the ground, which reminded her of how far they had all come. The others joined her in her position and enjoyed a brief moment of silence together.
----------------------------------------------
Twilight rounded another corner with her friends close behind her. This time, she had to cover her mouth with her hoof to stop herself from gasping. She motioned for the others to stand with her.
Rainbow Dash began, "What is it, Twi-"
Just 50 feet away stood Purple Potion, unguarded and looking quite pensive. She was examining a short plant and scratching her ear.
"Let's make sure not to scare-" Fluttershy started, but was immediately cut off.
"There she is!" Rainbow Dash yelled out, "Let's follow her, girls!"
Twilight Sparkle, Rarity, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and Pinkie Pie all dashed off and began to chase Potion. Purple Potion noticed them and a flash of horror swept over her face. After picking a single leaf off of the plant, she ran away from her pursuers.
"Oh dear," Fluttershy said, having no choice but to follow the others.