"It's weird you don't call it 'The Running of the Leaves'."
I snorted at Mayree.
"That's a bit of a muzzle-full, isn't it?" I shifted the picnic basket on my back and waved a hoof at the fancy banner our school's foals had made and hung over the lane between Smile Harbour's houses. "Think of all the wasted paint! 'Fall Run' says it all with half as many letters."
The narrow space was crowded with everypony who had turned out: doddering old nags come to cheer on the youngsters; sailors, shopkeepers, tradesponies, and farmers from miles around — some eager for the run, others to set up stalls and hawk drink, food, and other wares; and happy foals with a day off school, giggling and scampering about underhoof. Where Mayree and I walked, ponies from out of town who'd never seen a human before made space and stared up at her with wide, curious eyes.
Sun Squall squeezed through the colourful jumble of bodies and pranced over to us. "Hi, Mainstay! Hi, Mayree! All ready?"
She wore a light blue volunteer's vest that clashed badly with her tangerine fur.
Mayree chuckled nervously and said, "I haven't run a marathon in ages but I'll try to keep up." She hauled the basket off of my back and set it on the cobbles. "Are you sure you can carry this?"
"Yep!" She didn't even check the basket's weight, just nodded and said, "I'll meet you at the Grinning Grove, like we planned."
"Okay, thank you. I'm not in this to win and I'll need a break after a few miles."
I wasn't trying to place either. Fishing was more about patience and strength than endurance, so there was no chance I'd be in the top ten even if I tried. Honestly, I'd rather have spent the day out on my sloop, but a social gallop and a picnic with my friends would make a nice change of pace.
"Come on, everypony! We're almost ready to begin!" the mayor shouted over the chattering crowd.
Mayree literally stood out as we gathered behind the start line. I ended up squeezed between her and the town's mailmare, Daisy. Dark green feathers pressed me on one side and bare tanned-tawny skin on the other. Mayree wore pink shorts, matching pink and white slippers, and a light jacket made of some fuzzy red fabric. It wasn't enough to keep her warm and the stubble on her hinds pricked up in little bumps. I don't know why she shaved off what fur she had. I hope she had some thick clothing because it'd soon be so cold that, even with my winter coat growing in, I'd need to wear my raw-wool scarf and cap.
The mayor called, "Ready!"
"Steady!"
"Go!"
Ponies at the front charged forward and their hoofbeats merged into a loud rumble as onlookers cheered. After a moment, the pony in front of me surged ahead and, hooves slipping on the cobbles, I lurched into a gallop. The postmare and I matched step but she soon pulled away with her longer legs and lighter build. Even though we were all trailing in the middle of the herd I'd still bet on her to win — in fact I had. Her daily rounds took her all over town and out to distant farmsteads, and she knew to pace herself, unlike the foals leading the charge.
Mayree ran by leaning forward, her long hinds catching her fall as her fores pumped in an opposite rhythm, I guess for balance since she didn't have a tail. Her gait was a bounding lope that always seemed on the verge of disaster. I'd love to see a whole pack of humans running a race someday — it must be a breathtaking sight!
The herd slowed and went single-file to round The Hump. I followed Mayree's rump and couldn't spare a moment for a lucky pat because the next pony's breath was right on my tail! I hope they enjoyed the view. Most of the gnarled trees along the cliff edge were evergreens and only shed a few brown needles as we thundered past. We ran by Mayree's front door, a couple of boarded-up heaps, and then up into the low hills. There were more trees here and the red, yellow, and orange leaves flew! I gasped a laugh as Mayree spluttered and waved them away from her face.
As we crested a hill, I saw the postmare was moving her way up, slowly catching the herd leaders.
Go, Daisy, go!
After a few miles of easy gallops downhill and painfully surging up the next, we turned inland and entered the forest proper.
My hooves kicked through drifts of leaves and they fell thick as snow, filling my nostrils with their crisp scent. Mayree and I lagged behind with the older ponies and foals. She was limping, and though I could easily have left her in my leafy dust, I stuck by her side. The leaf-covered trail was churned and soft from so much hoof pounding and we followed it from the woods into a meadow of dry grass and fall-blooming flowers. Sun Squall was an orange blob, hovering in the air above a small patch of forest a mile or so ahead. She must have spotted us, or at least Mayree's obvious figure, and dove toward Grinning Grove.
She'd reserved a nice spot in the shade, close by the trees, and laid out the picnic blanket and food.
"gοδ δαмη but-", gasp, "-I'm out of-", gasp, "-shape." Mayree flopped down and lay on her back with her limbs spread out and her lumpy chest heaving.
I panted and told her, "Y-you did well! Better than I thought you would."
Humans didn't seem designed for running, but she'd kept up and we'd beaten quite a few ponies to the Grove. Even I was close to blown, despite being an earth pony. Foamy sweat drenched my coat and I steamed in the chill air. Sun Squall quietly hoofed each of us a cold flask of water as the stragglers arrived. There was no sign of Daisy, but she and the other contenders wouldn't rest until they crossed the finish line.
Lunatics.
Once we'd caught our breaths we tucked into a light lunch that was heavy on sweets.
"Did you see the postmare?" I asked Sun Squall.
"Daisy Hooves? She was in fifth as they went past."
I smiled and sipped a cold bottle of cola. Good, very good. Looked like I'd have a few extra bits to splash around on Hearth's Warming.
Mayree grimaced as she took off a slipper. The white stocking over her long paw was wet at her toe pads and I could see and smell a little blood. She peeled the cover off and hissed at her broken blisters.
I'd had them before, when a line sawed into a leg, but never on the bottom of my hoof!
"Ouch, that looks blintzing painful."
"It is." She growled as she carefully tugged the stocking back on. "These aren't the right sοςκs for running and I'm way out of shape. Sorry guys, but the Fall Run is over for me."
Sun Squall wrapped a wing around her. "Aww… You were really looking forward to it too."
Mayree chuckled and winced as she put the slipper on. "ƒμςκ мε. Sss… Oh well, there's always next year, right? I'll have to get off my lazy rump to train and maybe import some better sοςκs."
Sun Squall chirped, "What's that word mean?"
"sοςκs? They're-"
"No, the one you said earlier, 'ƒμςκ'."
"It means, uh-", she leaned over to whisper in Sun Squall's ear.
"Oooh… We used 'buck' for that in Cloudsdale."
"I know, and that always seemed kind of lame and confusing to me. I mean, Applejack bucks trees but she doesn't, uh, buck her trees. At least I hope not…"
Sun Squall giggled and said, "I guess it depends on how you say it. Like, you can go into Smile Harbour's bakery and order a dozen cupcakes, but if you run around on the street yelling 'cupcake' at everypony, the Coast Guard will come and take you away." She grinned at me with mischief twinkling in her eyes and asked, "Hey, Mainstay, what do you say here instead of 'buck'?"
I snorted, glanced left and right to make sure nopony would overhear, and leaned in close to whisper, "Tart."
"Pfffffft! Ha ha ha ha ha ha haaa!" Sun Squall toppled over and rolled in the grass while laughing her head off. Mayree smirked and cocked a disbelieving eyebrow at me.
"Brownie?" I casually said while offering her a little basket of treats from the bakery.
She took one and asked, "And what does 'brownie' mean?"
I winked and told her, "You don't want to know."
After lunch, we packed everything away and walked back to the trail, with Mayree wincing at every step. If I galloped myself ragged, I might come in somewhere in the middle of the herd but she wasn't going to limp home until sunset.
That wouldn't do.
I stepped in front of Mayree and said, "Get on."
She laughed. "Don't be stupid."
She tried to move around me but I stepped in front of her again. "Please, let me carry you. You'll just make it worse if you muffin-well hoof it back to town."
"Mainstay! I weigh more than you, I'll break your cute little pony back."
I snorted and rolled my eyes. "An earth pony can carry three or four times their own weight all day long. You won't be a problem."
Sun Squall hovered behind Mayree and shoved her forward with a head butt. "Go ooon! Get on his back! You know you want to." She giggled like a loon.
Mayree swatted at her and whined, "No! What if somepony sees us?" She glanced around at the ponies who were still eating and resting before the final leg. Some were glancing our way curiously. "What if a photo ends up in the newspaper? They'll-"
"Have a heartwarming story about friendship?" I bumped my hip against her hinds. "I'm not going to stop bugging you until you try."
"Me too!" Sun Squall gleefully chirped.
Hah! Take that Mayree. Always ganging up on me with Sun Squall. How do you like it? I gave her my most friendly grin and flicked my tail happily.
She threw her hands in the air. "Fiiine. Buttered biscuits you guys are annoying sometimes", she protested, but I caught the ghost of a smile on her lips.
Hands on my withers, she cocked a leg over my back as curious onlookers grew even more interested.
"Oof. Uh… maybe scoot tailward a little." My already weary legs trembled. She was heavier than she looked but it was better with her rump more-or-less sat on top of mine.
"Sorry, I don't know how to sit on a pony. I've never ridden before."
I grunted and said, "Well, I've never been ridden before."
"That's not what I've heard!"
"Shut up, Squall." That bar-bet with a griffin didn't count. I was drunk and barely remembered it, so it was best if everypony else forgot about it too.
I took a couple of experimental steps to see how easy it would be to walk with her weight shifting my balance way back. It wasn't too bad, but we'd have to make a few rest stops.
"My ƒεετ are dragging." Mayree lifted her hinds up and squeezed them to my barrel, making her paw slippers dig into my sides. Instinctively, I lurched forward and she would have tumbling over my rump if she didn't have a painfully good grip on my mane.
"Oops, sorry. I can't hold them up like that the whole way home, anyway. No such thing as sτιяяμρs in Equestria, I guess?"
"I don't know. What are sss… Sssurrrr…" I gave up trying to pronounce the sibilant growling mess of a word and lamely finished, "…they?"
"Loops hanging down off your back that I can stick my ƒεετ into."
Sun Squall flapped around us, holding a hoof to her chin, humming while trying to think of a way to help.
Mayree sighed and stood up. "Thanks, Mainstay, but this isn't going to work."
"Your jacket", said a black unicorn colt with a bright yellow mane who I'd seen about town; I think he was the farrier's foal. He trotted over and waved at Mayree's top. "You could tie the sleeves into loops and hang it over his withers, kind of like a waggon harness."
"Mmm… Worth a try, thanks colt."
Mayree unzipped and slipped off her jacket while standing over me with her bare thighs pressed against my sides. She tied the sleeves and draped it over my shoulders. Slipping her paws into the loops was an awkward struggle, and I had to quick-step sideways a few times to keep her from falling off. Once she was settled, her weight shifted forward and took the strain off my hind quarters. I took a few experimental steps and Mayree wobbled, stiff as a board, while squeezing me between her hinds and clutching at my mane.
"Relax, I'm not going to let you fall."
She giggled nervously and said, "Sorry, this is really weird."
"It sure is!" The colt laughed and called over his shoulder, "Ma, Pa, I'm gonna go back to town with them, alright?"
"Wait up a moment and we'll come too", a hefty mare shouted back as she started tossing plates and half-eaten food into a wicker hamper.
Guess this was a show she didn't want to miss.
We ended up with pretty much everypony who'd still been at the Grinning Grove tagging along. Young and old gathered around us and snaking through the forest, chatting and laughing, with Mayree riding high over the parade. I worked up to a steady trot as both of us grew more confidant, so it didn't take all day to get back to town… just most of it. We were dead last of course, but I proudly trotted across the finish line to the whole town stamping their applause and cheering. I was lathered, exhausted, and smiling so hard my cheeks hurt.
Winning fifty bits on Daisy Hooves made it even sweeter.
We left the post-Run celebrations early, and I insisted that Mayree ride again. It wasn't far, but I didn't want her tearing open the blisters the Doc had carefully cleaned and bandaged. Plus, it was fun carrying her, since she and Sun Squall thought it was hilarious and it felt heroic, somehow.
"Okay, okay! Woah!" Mayree tugged on my mane as I trotted right through the front door with her still clinging to my back.
Sun Squall wrinkled her nose as we went past and as she shut the door she said, "Whew, you both stink! Time to hit the showers!"
"You heard the filly!" I belted out a loud whinny and started carrying her down the hall. It was too good a joke to pass up.
"Nope, nope, nope! Let me off!"
Mayree struggled to get her paw free and toppled off of my back to sprawl on the floor, laughing. I stopped to make sure she was alright and she just waved me off.
"Go on, you first. You did most of the work, anyway."
"Okay, I'll be quick."
"You'd better!" She sat up, tugged on the front of her loose shirt and said, "Whew, I stink like a cowpony after a rodeo."
I shut the door, turned on the taps, and snuffled the matted fur on my sides while I waited for it to warm up. Beneath my own studly aroma were hints of Mayree's floral soap and her own unique, slightly musky odour that vaguely reminded me of melon rind or maybe griffin. Yes, sort of similar to a female griffin. Must be a predator thing.
I didn't mind it at all.