November 2nd, 1000 Domina Solaria
“I’m not saying I don’t know why we have to do it,” Rainbow Dash grumbles as she paws against Doug’s light jacket, trying to nuzzle her way inside. “I’m saying that I don’t like that we have to do it.” She and Applejack are snuggling on the couch with Doug, waiting for the annual Running of the Leaves later that day. At the base of the couch rests Twilight, her head buried in a book about how earth ponies pull off the season change. Medivh and Winona are sitting at the window, watching the sun tick higher and higher, while Tank makes lazy circles around the ceiling.
“It’s just two extra days of work in the cold,” Applejack retorts, her own coat already starting to fluff up in response to the lowering temperatures. “Ah don’t mind working in the cold all that much. Takes a bit more out'a me, sure, but two more days growing means two more days we’re making bits instead’a losing ‘em.” She nudges Doug from her spot next to him, though with a bit more insistence that they get moving instead of staying put on the couch.
“And I don’t mind either, but I’m just saying that Cloudsdale being around throws a wrench in things.” Rainbow huffs. “And we’ve got the chief weathermares constantly flying around. I feel like I’ve always gotta be looking like I’m working, even if we’re just supposed to let the clouds rest!” Rainbow manages to unbutton Doug’s jacket, snaking her way inside and shoving her nose into his armpit.
“Rainbow!” Doug yelps, though the two mares next to him keep his shudder from moving much. “How do you possibly get your nose so cold!?”
Rainbow’s voice is muffled by the body in her way, “Working outside. Duh.” She rolls slightly to peer up at him, “You kinda have to pay a little attention to what we’re talking about.” She pushes her way back in, warming up her nose while Doug grumbles to himself, laying back down, one arm against resting against Applejack while the other flips through yet another weather report.
“Well, you’d be working out there regardless,” Applejack continues. She looks outside, Cloudsdale having passed Ponyville and continuing towards Canterlot. “It really that bad working winter weather instead’a autumn? Ah didn’t think it was.”
“Autumn’s harder, sure, but it’s not too bad. Winter’s harder to set up, takes longer, but autumn keeps you working all day at a lighter rate.” Rainbow looks up at Tank, the tortoise sleepily bumping into the wall, his little torticopter starting to slow down as well. “Twi, I think Tank needs another recharge.”
“I redid the spell this morning, at your insistence, even though it lasts for at least a week.” Twilight turns her head to regard Rainbow, “As I told you before, the problem isn’t his ride running out of juice.”
Rainbow huffs as she rolls her eyes, resting her head on Doug’s chest and staring at him from underneath his report. “What do you think, big guy? Do tortoises hibernate?”
“No idea,” Doug replies, flipping to another page.
Rainbow ponders this for a few seconds. Above her, Tank yawns, smacking his lips a few times before nodding off. “Do humans hibernate?”
“You’ve known me for seven years, Rainbow.” Doug lowers his eyes from the report to stare into hers. “What do you think?”
“Hey, just because you don’t hibernate doesn’t mean that humans don’t hibernate.” Rainbow cuddles up next to Doug. “For all I know, us mares keeping you nice and warm all winter keeps you from hibernating.” She pokes him in the belly with a cold hoof, grinning at his brief grimace.
“Humans don’t hibernate,” Doug says, his hand leaving Applejack to poke Rainbow in the belly. “And you’re the one putting on winter fluff.” Rainbow’s eyes narrow as Doug’s finger scratches her lighter belly fur. He continues in a sing-song voice, “And it makes you just the cutest!” as he nuzzles the back of her head. "Yes it does! Who's a-"
“You’re lucky it’s just the four of us,” Rainbow says with a mock glare, her cold hoof coming up to silence Doug. “I’ve got an image to maintain!” She snuggles up next to Doug, just for Applejack to push off the couch.
“Alright, you two, Ah think it’s close enough. We best be going, now.” Applejack turns from the front door, eyes tracing over Doug as he buttons up his jacket and puts on his lighter boots. She shudders briefly, forcing a smile. “Ah’m sorry, Doug. It just don’t seem right, you racing in that outfit.”
“You’d rather I just be in boots, gloves, and a hat?” Doug chipperly asks as he lightly punches Applejack in the withers. He dons the last two of those items with a shiver. Each of the ponies mimics the action as they step outside. Even if there isn’t any snow on the ground - well, any is too strong, since a certain gray pegasus likes to stomp on the big poofy white clouds that Cloudsdale ships all over Equestria in preparation for winter - the chill air still nips at any exposed flesh, a portent of the winter’s wrath.
Or, maybe it is just a fluke from Cloudsdale being in the area. Regardless, the four competitors head to a clearing by the Whitetail Woods. Several tables are set up with refreshments, others with articles of winter clothing for those who forgot to bundle up, and the registration desk. Applejack gets her ‘8’, Rainbow Dash her ‘11’, and Doug his ‘73’.
Doug raises an eyebrow when Twilight gets number ‘42’. “Any particular reason you chose that number?”
“No, not really,” Twilight replies. She glances back at her flank, the paper fusing to her coat. “Why? Does it mean something special?”
“Not that I’m aware of,” Doug says as they head to the starting line, setting up near the back of the pack of ponies waiting to begin. “Just a reference. Don’t worry about it.” Twilight nods, a slightly confused look as they seem to be facing the wrong way.
Far off to the side Pinkie Pie hoofs Cherry Berry a bag of bits, then clambers into the Twinkling Balloon. She grins as Spike leaps up next to her, now an aerial view for her announcing. Her grin grows even wider as Lemon joins in next, though she has to draw the line somewhere. The balloon takes off, hovering above the competitors and participants.
Mayor Mare steps up first. “Welcome, fillies and gentlecolts, to this year’s annual Running of the Leaves! As you all well know, during this time we gallivant through the woods in order to bring about the end of fall! With, of course, the falling of the leaves! So, without further ado!” Mayor Mare motions upwards.
Pinkie Pie pulls out a large gong from inside the balloon, Lemon a mallet nearly as big as she is. Spike’s eyes go wide, diving for cover and covering his ears as Pinkie Pie holds the gong off the railing. Lemon nearly falls out of the balloon as she swings the mallet, a deep ringing reverberating across the clearing.
“And they’re off!” Spike shouts as the race begins, a horde of ponies stampeding down the path. A great cloud of dust rises up, blocking the sights and sounds of the Whitetail Woods to either side.
Twilight runs with Applejack, Rainbow, and Doug to the starting line, but as she enters the dust they seem to disappear. She stops, waiting for the dust to clear; did they race ahead already? Well, Dr. Eckhed’s Guide to Running recommended that she pace herself. There is no such thing as going too slow! All she-
“Ugh, they’re going the wrong way again!”
Twilight turns, her mouth opening as she turns, spotting her herdmates running the wrong direction! And at a pretty good clip, too, though they seem to be hanging back and looking at her. It isn’t until Doug waves his arm, dropping back even further, that she finally gets her legs moving to follow along.
“Doug!” Twilight calls as she gets close, the human easily matching her pace. “You’re going the wrong way!”
“No we’re not!” Doug says with a smile. “While there may have been several proposed amendments to the rules of the Running of the Leaves to designate a certain direction as the ‘correct’ one, they have all died in committee or been fillybustered.”
“It’s pronounced ‘filibuster’,” Twilight retorts, glancing back at the start line.
“Regardless,” Doug says with a smirk, picking up his pace a little, though they stand little chance of catching Applejack and Rainbow Dash, “it’s how we’ve run the race the last, oh, six years or so. Plus, gets me away from the string of competitors up ahead, letting me enjoy the sights.”
“That’s what I wanted to see, too!” Twilight exclaims with a smile. “It’s so fascinating, watching the leaves turn color and fall, even if it’s just from two ponies! And, I suppose, once we swap places with the main group we’ll be able to see fall in all its glory!”
“Yeah, just have to watch out for any stray stumps or rocks,” Doug says as he steps to the side, dodging a particularly nasty looking stump. “Though, with my boots, or your hooves, I suppose it isn’t as much of an issue.”
“Yeah,” Twilight says, inspecting her hooves before turning her sights back on the trees around them. She’s barely even feeling winded, even at their fast pace! “Hey, thanks for going running with me before. Do you run every morning?”
“Rain or snow,” Doug replies with a smile, though he cocks an eye as Rainbow is walking along the path, her head watching the trees around her. Doug calls out, “You okay?”
“Me? Yeah, I’m fine,” Rainbow replies, a slightly worried look on her face. “Hey, Doug, I’m, um, curious.”
“Curious,” Doug says flatly. He doesn’t slow down, but Rainbow easily matches his pace.
Rainbow nods. “Curious. Hyperthetically, if I wanted to, say, keep an animal. Like, a bear. You know Harry?”
Doug briefly closes his eyes. “I don’t know if bears make good pets, but go on.”
“Not as a pet!” Rainbow rolls her eyes. “I mean, if I wanted to keep a bear from hibernating, what would I do?”
“I would ask Fluttershy,” Doug says.
“I’m asking you.” Rainbow sighs. “Fluttershy will just tell me that hibernating is good for certain animals, and that they need the time to rest and recuperate and that messing with that cycle is bad for them.”
“It sounds to me like you already asked her.” Doug glances over to see Rainbow roll her eyes again. “But, from what I remember, animals hibernate to conserve energy and stay warm. They start hibernating when it gets cold, and the days get shorter.” Doug glances upwards. “So, to keep a hypothetical animal from hibernating, I would write Princess Celestia and ask her to keep the days nice and long.”
“She said no,” Rainbow Dash replies. “And then proceeded to lecture me about how the ground is like a hibernating animal, and needs the time to replenish and some other gibberish that I didn’t understand.”
“I hardly think my explanation was gibberish,” Princess Celestia says from behind the three. They each turn to look at the alicorn; her stride, while longer, falls perfectly in time with them.
“Sup,” Doug says with a short head nod. Celestia nods back. Twilight and Rainbow Dash gape at the Princess, their internal debate of whether or not to bow solved by Doug continuing to run forwards, Celestia staying with him.
“The Falling of the Leaves is one of my favorite times of year. After all, it heralds winter, and all the wonderful celebrations during that time. After all, ponies - just like the land - need a time of rest. It’s why we added Stallion’s Day to the week, after all.”
Doug nods, then turns to Rainbow. “To answer your question, though. Barring that, I would try to keep him well fed and warm. Maybe use a greenhouse.”
“Why would the color of a house matter?” Rainbow asks, flipping her mane forwards and looking at the green strands.
Doug shakes his head, “No, a greenhouse is a house made of glass. It lets light in, but doesn’t let heat out, so it stays nice and warm. That way you can grow plants and stuff year round.”
Rainbow’s eyes grow wide. “Doug, I’m begging you, don’t ever tell Applejack about that, or we’ll never get another day off!”
Doug reaches over, rubbing Rainbow on the head. “No need to worry about that. I like my time off, too.” He looks over at Princess Celestia. “So, why are you here again?”
Princess Celestia shrugs. “With Cloudsdale here, this is the only Running of the Leaves happening right now. All the others happened prior. I like the holiday, so I decided to show up. Why? Am I making you uncomfortable?”
“Nah, just curious,” Doug says, the four continuing at their fast pace.