Rumble was a colt who often found himself in a lot of circumstances that most ponies would never get into. Part of the reason was because he worked as the apprentice chef in the Canterlot castle, which placed him near the Princess herself and her circle of advisors, even if a colt like him would not actually interact with said circle. More important was the fact that his very special somepony happened to be the student of the Princess. These two things might amount to him sometimes talking to the Princess, but not much more than that.
No, the biggest reason Rumble often found himself in one mess or another was because his special somepony and closest friend happened to be named Cozy Glow. She also happened to be friends with Flurry Heart, Cadance's daughter. By virtue of great fortune and/or great misfortune, and a tendency to not shut up and just go back to sleep when he should have, he all too often found himself roped into whatever went on between some of the most powerful ponies in the land.
Like now, for example, when he somehow sat together with Cozy and Flurry on a plush pillow in front of Twilight Sparkle herself.
"Now that you are all here, I wanted to make an announcement about your friendship lessons going forward," Twilight said. Rumble wondered why she had asked him here then, as he was not her student. "You see, when I first learned about friendship, Princess Celestia let me live in Ponyville with my friends for a long time. That way I could build on the friendships the six of us made in our first adventure together and grow as ponies and as friends. I would like to see the same happen with the three of you."
Flurry nodded energetically. Cozy remained impassive, ever suspicious. Rumble kept listening. "Of course, you will still have lessons with me, alone or together, but I want to complement that with practical lessons too, for all three of you. You will not become better friends by just talking to me. You need to be out there and experience your friendships, just like I was!"
"I'm ready to experience!" Flurry said, standing up and puffing her chest out, like a soldier at exercise.
Twilight smiled. "And you Cozy?"
Cozy nodded. "I suppose that makes sense. If you and your friends did that, then it must be good. You became an alicorn."
"And you, Rumble?" Twilight turned to him without acknowledging the last part of Cozy's statement.
"I mean… it sounds like fun, but I have to be in the kitchen most days," Rumble said. "I don't want to quit. Chef Ramson's taught me more in just these months than I'd have learnt in my whole life alone!"
"You won't have to quit," Twilight said. "You'll just have to be part of what you can, and decline when you have to." Rumble nodded. He really would have wanted to be part of it all, especially with Cozy. But his cooking was important to him too. Besides, now that he had a special somepony, one should be able to cook for her, right?
"For the first activity I have in mind is this weekend on Sunday."
"What happens on Sunday? There's no holiday or anything," Cozy said.
"Not in Canterlot," Twilight said. "But the three of you will be going to Ponyville to participate in the Running of the Leaves!"
Cozy and Flurry both tilted their heads in confusion. "It's an earth pony tradition," Rumble explained. He had reacted the same way when he heard about it for the first time when he moved from his parents in Cloudsdale to his brother in Ponyville. "For late fall a group of ponies have to run through the forest to make sure every leaf falls, so that the trees are ready to sprout new ones next year. Ponyville tends to White Tail Woods like that."
"Fillies and colts too?" Cozy asked reluctantly. She did not seem too thrilled about this.
"Yep, they have a shorter route through the outskirts of the forest," Twilight said. "There's also the fall market. It's traditionally the last time to buy and sell fall produce. After that it's mostly winter, and nothing much grows anymore."
"The market is usually really fun," Rumble said with a sidelong glance to Cozy. "They have mulled cider, roasted chestnuts and hoof crafted stuff. I'd love to take you, if you want."
"Golly…" Cozy blushed just a little. "I guess that sounds pretty nice."
"Then it's decided," Twilight said.
"Then I can introduce you to Sweetie Belle," Cozy said to Flurry. "She's really kind. I bet you'll like her."
"I look forward to meeting her too, then," Flurry said. Rumble just hoped Sweetie Belle wasn't still angry at him for the whole anti-cutie mark movement he had briefly started that one time. What had he even been thinking with that?
He didn't really think she'd still be angry though. While he didn't really know Sweetie Belle that well, he had still been in her class for years. She didn't strike him as a pony to hold grudges. Unlike somepony else he could name.
Flurry looked quizzically at him. "Are you thinking bad stuff about Cozy?"
He was just about to answer, but Cozy's glare cut him off. "N-no! Nothing but happy thoughts everywhere over here," he said quickly.
Cozy huffed and batted at him with her tail.
"Everypony," Twilight said with some authority. "Stop that right now. If you don't have anything more to add, you are free to go, Rumble. For you two fillies, I have prepared a few friendship questions for you to work with today…"
Rumble got up and made himself scarce before Twilight got him involved in the friendship lesson too. He'd prefer not to be late back to his actual work.
Come Sunday, Cozy, Flurry and Rumble sat in a train cart together on their way to Ponyville. Cozy approved of this. With them in the train car sat Rumble's mentor Ramson, head chef in the Canterlot Castle, and Twilight's parents, who had insisted on coming to see the fall market. Cozy was not very happy about this.
Ramson was okay. Mostly he kept writing on a notepad, except for when he sighed forlornly with a glance towards his apprentice. Twilight Velvet and Night Light though, blabbered on faster than a woodpecker pecks about every inane subject under the sun. And why did they look so happy about it? Something about their endless happiness somehow made them even more irritating. At least Cozy did not seem to be alone in this sentiment. Poor Flurry Heart was squeezed in between them, weighted down by her saddlebags and forced to not only listen to their endless twaddle, but also be part of it.
Really, this might just be the first time when she thought growing up in an orphanage for most of her life might have been a good thing.
"Flurry, what did the duck say when she bought lipstick?" Night Light asked.
"I don't know?" Flurry said morosely.
"Put it on my bill!"
It was all Cozy could do to not groan. They had been at this for the entire journey! How many bad jokes did they know? And why were they all stupid puns?
"Ponyville Station, everypony!"
Barring maybe the time when Rumble confessed to her, the conductor's shout might have been the sweetest sound she had ever heard. She and Rumble practically bolted for the door. Flurry Heart tried to follow, Cozy saw, but her saddlebags were so heavy she didn't get away before Twilight Velvet had magicked her up on her back to carry her.
"Granny! I'm not a little filly! I have my cutie mark! I can walk on my own!"
Cozy felt a bit bad for leaving Flurry behind, but she was not so reformed as to try and save her friend. No, in this situation it was everypony for themselves!
She and Rumble spilled out on the train platform first of all. The ponies waiting to board looked after them when they cleared it and dashed into the small station house. There was a timetable and some benches, along with a booth where one could purchase tickets. More importantly was the pony who was waiting inside.
"Hi Cozy! I got your letter!" Sweetie Belle said, jumping up and down and waving. Next to her were the other two members of the Cutie Mark Crusaders, Apple Bloom and Scootaloo. By their looks, Cozy guessed they were a little bit wary about her. She supposed she should have expected that - not everypony was going to be as forgiving (or maybe naïve) as Sweetie Belle.
"Hi," Cozy said to Sweetie Belle. "it's really nice to meet you again."
"Uh-huh," Sweetie Belle looked from Cozy to Rumble and back. "So… about that thing we discussed last time…"
"It's all taken care of. It was just like you said," Cozy admitted with a sidelong glance to her special somepony. It was Sweetie Belle's who had helped Cozy understand her feelings in the first place.
"I knew it!" Sweetie Belle said with glee.
"Hey, Sweetie Bell, what are you on about?" Scootaloo asked.
”Yeah, c'mon, spill it!" Apple Bloom added.
"Hmm…" Sweetie Belle glanced over to Rumble. "I don't want to say right now. Later though, okay? Promise."
"Ah guess… if you say so," Apple Bloom said. She turned to Cozy fully. "Name's Apple Bloom, if ya need a reminder."
"No, I remember. And you are Scootaloo."
"And I'm Rumble," Rumble said. "But... you already know that... Anyway, our last one's a bit tied up at the moment, but-"
"Lemmie down! Lemmie down!" Flurry Heart shouted before she was finally freed from the magic that held her and she jumped down from Twilight Velvet's back. She all but ran over to Cozy and the others and placed herself as far from her grandparents as she could.
"Ooooh…" All three Crusaders intoned in chorus. Cozy rolled her eyes at the gawking. She knew it was not Flurry's fault ponies did that, but it still annoyed her to see the adoration everypony poured over the young alicorn. From the way Flurry flicked her ears back, she did not like it either. "Are you really an alicorn?"
I guess I am..." Flurry answered. "But just call me Flurry, alright? Please?"
"Ah'm Apple Bloom,” Apple Bloom said. The reverence in her voice was still present. "An' this here's Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle." She indicated the other two crusaders. "We run the Cutie Mark Crusaders here in Ponyville, to help ponies get their cutie marks."
Flurry was about to answer something but was interrupted.
"Alright, Flurry," Twilight Velvet called. "You can play with your friends while Night Light and I visit the fall market Twilight talked so much about. Make sure to sign in for the Running of the Leaves before it starts in three hours. We will be at the market square if you need anything. Make sure you always wear your scarf and earmuffs so you don't catch a cold, and always look both ways before you cross the street."
"I know! Okay?! I'm fine!" Flurry shouted, her tail shifting this way and that in annoyance.
"And we have brought your Whammy if you want him!" Night Light said and levitated up a pretty old, patched stuffed snail. Everypony glanced at Flurry, who flushed red like a beetroot.
"I- I don't know what that is," Flurry squeaked. By instinct, Cozy knew that everypony knew she was lying. They also collectively and silently decided to not call her out on it. Flurry had suffered enough already. "Let's just go, before they put me on a leash or something."
"They'd do that? Really?" Scootaloo asked.
"I wouldn't be surprised," Flurry grumbled and quickly escaped the train station. Cozy followed with the rest of their group.
"So… what do you wanna do? We've got some time before the Running of the Leaves start." Apple Bloom said. Cozy guessed the question was directed to all of them, but she looked at Flurry.
"Well… I guess we should go and get signed into the race," Flurry said. "So we don't miss it."
The Crusaders nodded and led Cozy and the others through the town. They had all congregated close to Flurry, leaving her and Rumble a little bit by themselves. Cozy tried to not be jealous about once again being sidestepped by Flurry. At least with her nearby, nopony stared (or glared) at Cozy.
"I thought about taking you here from a weekend," Rumble said. "Even if you've been here when you were in Twilight's school, it's a pretty nice place in fall. Especially when the Apples sell the cider from the last harvest. They make some of it weaker, so foals can drink it too and it's really good."
"I've never had cider before," Cozy said. Only as of late, when she had started to be part of Equestria like a normal filly, did she begin to realize just how much she had missed out on before. She tried not to think too much about it though. She couldn't change anything about her past anyway.
"I'll try to get some for you then! Trust me, it's not a real fall without Apple family cider. I think that's why Ramson's here too. He's securing the winter's supply for the castle, and Twilight."
"Shouldn't you be with him then? If he's here, and you are too?" Cozy asked. Not that she wanted him to leave, but it did sound a bit strange.
"I actually asked him," Rumble said. "He said that if I even got near Granny Smith when negotiating the price, she'd chew me up and spit me out before I even got to open my mouth. I've never really met Apple Bloom's granny, but Ramson seemed to think she is pretty tough.”
"Huh… well, let's hope it works for him, so we can have cider at the castle," Cozy said, even if she didn't know what was so special about this cider. Was it really that good?
"You said it!" Rumble said.
"You two, come on! Let's register, and then Flurry said she wanted to go bowling! You okay with that?" Scootaloo waved them over to the small registration booth that Cozy hadn't even noticed until now.
"I'd like some bowling," Rumble said. "How about you, Cozy?"
"I haven't played much… golly, if only somepony could teach me," Cozy pretended to sigh. She knew exactly how this would go down…
"I can teach you! I've even taught the basics once before!" Rumble said happily.
Cozy knew that. In fact, she had spied on him when he did… actually, come to think about it, she should probably tell Rumble about that at some point. She was probably not supposed to keep the fact that she had spied on him a secret now that they were in a relationship, right? It didn't seem right. She made a mental note to get back to that later, when nopony else was around to judge her for it.
"Thanks! Then let's bowl," Cozy said.
"We could even have a tournament!" Apple Bloom suggested. "Canterlot versus Ponyville. But Ponyville's gonna win, of course. Scoot's great at bowling."
"Oh, yeah?" Rumble smirked. "Well I'm not too bad either. I'm gonna send all three of you to the floor faster than the pins!"
"Oh, it's on!" Scootaloo said, wings buzzing in excitement.
"Girls, do you want to register or not?" The pony in the booth asked impatiently. Only now did Cozy notice that there was, in fact, a small line behind them.
Once they were back on track, the registration was quick, even if the clerk pony did a double take at both Flurry's and Cozy's names. Flurry was registered as number eight, then the Crusaders, then Rumble and then last Cozy, as number thirteen.
Bowling really was fun, Flurry could now conclude definitely. She could even throw her balls mostly straight now. Only about half of the shots she took went out of bounds. She even managed to get one strike! She was proud of that and it didn't even matter that Scootaloo and Rumble got five strikes each and Apple Bloom got three. She was still proud of herself.
Poor Cozy and Sweetie Belle didn't get any, and "Team Canterlot" lost pretty badly, but it was still really fun. There was somepony on the lane next to them, and he landed almost only strikes!
Now however, it was time to move on to the main event. She and her friends had lined up by the starting point, together with maybe a dozen or so other foals. As usual many were looking at her, and Flurry wanted to hide behind her wings, but she didn't - that would only make them stare even more. She concentrated on her friends instead.
Rumble stood at the forefront, legs bent and tail swishing slightly, ready to take off. Cozy looked like she wanted to be someplace else, really, but nonetheless kept her eyes forward. The Crusaders were standing in a line and everyone was smiling.
A purple pony with three smiling flowers for a cutie mark came out in front of them.
"Alright everypony, I'll just give a rundown of how this is going to work. Your lap goes on the inside of the adult track all the time, and takes about one and a half hour to walk, or usually between forty-five minutes and an hour to run. Remember, the faster you run, the more leaves you can blow off the trees. Also, as this is an earth pony tradition, pegasi should not be flying. You will be following these markers." She held up a bright red ribbon. "Look for them on trees and bushes. If something happens, there will be pegasi flying above the trail, so if you wait, somepony will come. We have a small stop with water at the midway point, if you feel like you need it. Any questions?"
The small herd of ponies collectively shook their heads. It all seemed pretty clear, Flurry thought.
"Good. Then without further ado…" The officiator-pony stepped away from the track and took up position next to it. "On your marks… get set… GO!"
Flurry dashed forward as fast as her hooves could carry her. She liked to think she was pretty fast. She was one of the fastest fillies when they did sports back at school in the Empire. But now she soon found herself overtaken. Rumble, Scootaloo and Apple Bloom all passed her and scuffled with other ponies at the front of the pack. Cozy and Sweetie Belle found themselves further back.
It wasn't really fair, Flurry decided. The other ponies were older than her and had longer legs! In fact, Sweetie Belle was gaining on her too. Cozy, while being just as small as Flurry, was also gaining. She had a somewhat manic glint in her eyes. Clearly, Cozy did not want to be last. But Flurry didn't want to be last either. She wanted to blow down many leaves, like a strong filly!
The herd progressively thinned out to a line as they ran. Flurry could only rarely see the ponies at the front. Rumble held on pretty well, but he was not at the very front. Scootaloo was together with Apple Bloom and a few other fillies, mostly earth ponies. Then there were a line of others. Flurry had decided to not come in after another random pale purple foal. She hoped that goal could keep her motivated, because she was getting tired.
But she was not last anymore! She heard Cozy huff and pant behind her, even if she still soldiered on, clinging to Flurry like a leech. She suspected that maybe Cozy had decided to not let Flurry beat her. Sweetie Belle, meanwhile, was about in the same state as Cozy. Struggling, but determined not to be left behind. And even behind them, there was a trio of colts: One plump earth pony with a knife and fork cutie mark, and then a somewhat strange pair of colts, one short and gray and one lanky yellow. The lanky one had a snail for a cutie mark, and to be honest, Flurry could see why in this race. He was moseying more than running, sometimes stopping to pick the leaves right off the trees and bushes with his mouth.
At least their little group did manage to generate some wind. Flurry saw plenty of leaves falling in their wake, mostly from the undergrowth and bushes, but some of the lower branches too.
"I'm… not… out… yet!" Cozy wheezed and piled on some more. Her motions were clumsy and her mane was already in a mess, but the zealous fire in her eyes only seemed to become hotter and hotter.
"Me neither!" Flurry shouted back and poured even more into her legs. She knew she had the strength of an earth pony and she was not in bad shape, but she was still small. Besides… maybe she should let Cozy win? She clearly was working like a possessed for it.
"Wait for me!" Sweetie Belle squeaked. She bent her head and tried to keep up. It worked, but only for a few seconds she flagged and began to fall behind, though certainly not for lack of trying.
Cozy came up neck in neck with Flurry. Flurry realized that if Cozy had a goal to beat her, then Flurry's goal should be to beat Cozy. That was fair. She even unfurled her wings and flapped a little. Not enough to fly, but it could generate a small boost, and it relieved her tired hooves a little. It barely took a moment before Cozy copied her. But Flurry's wings were larger. Slowly, ever so slowly, she managed to pull ahead. First she couldn't see Cozy's ears… then her mouth disappeared from view… and finally she couldn't see Cozy next to her at all anymore, even if she heard her gasping breaths and heavy hooffalls.
A small shack came into view, slightly off the road. Some ponies ran in, while others continued. A table of water bottles stood outside.
"T-t-truce…" Cozy wheezed behind her.
"Ok…ay," Flurry replied. Her lead was not large enough that she wanted to forgo the water to try and hold it. If she thought Cozy might go for the water, then she might have continued, but Flurry knew there was no chance of Cozy letting Flurry off to get water. She was far too stubborn for that.
They both stumbled over to the table and Flurry magicked down two bottles of water. There were some other foals here, but many had opted to skip the drink. Flurry didn't know how they did it! Her legs felt like jelly already, and they were only halfway done!
She folded her legs under her and laid down on the dirt. It was worth some dirt to rest. Cozy followed her example.
None of them talked. They just drank their water. Even that had to be done carefully; drinking meant she had to stop breathing for a second or so, and even that made her pant harder when she was done. In fact… she didn't know if she had ever been this tired before. She definitely had never pushed herself like this before.
Was this what Twilight had wanted? That her friendship with Cozy would bring out the best in them?
If so, then Flurry hoped that the next time, "the best" would be a little less exhausting.
"You… done?" Cozy panted.
Flurry tipped the water bottle upside down to try and get the last tantalizing drops. Her throat still felt woefully dry. "I guess…" she said and sat the bottle down.
"Okaythenlet'sgo!" Cozy said and shot up and away before Flurry had even had a chance to react.
"Hey! That's not fair!" Flurry shouted and scrambled to her hooves to give chase. "We had a truce!"
"We had a truce!" Cozy shouted over her shoulder.
"Come back here you… you…" Flurry shouted before the ache in her legs and shortness of breath returned to stifle her complaints. But she fixed Cozy's back with a harsh stare. She was not going to lose now! She was not going to lose!
As the race dragged on, Flurry felt her pace slow, no matter what she did. Not quite as many leaves fell from the trees around her as before, and the ribbon markings did not pass by quite as fast either. But Cozy was struggling too, enough that Flurry did gain on her, bit by little bit until they were neck in neck again.
"Just… give up!" Cozy snapped between her breaths. Sweat poured down her brow. Her mane sagged and her curls had started to unravel. Her every step was heavy.
"Nev…er!"
Then suddenly they were on a straight path out of the forest! All the competitors who had already finished the race sat on the grass and watched them. Scootaloo was there, and Apple Bloom too. They started cheering when they saw them both approaching.
"Come on! It's not far now! Come on all the way!"
The cheering caused them both to tap into hidden reserves. They threw the very last they had into the race, barreling towards the finish line. But Flurry was stronger! She inched forward, just barely outrunning her rival! Cozy growled next to her, but to no avail! Flurry's face split up in a grin. She saw the finish line, and there was nopony in front of her!
She was going to win.
She was really going to win!
"Come on Cozy! Are you going to let a Princess beat you again?!" Rumble suddenly appeared at the front of the herd of ponies watching. "Come on! I know you can do it!"
A pained grunt came from behind Flurry… and the hoofsteps closed in! But the finish line was right there, just a few seconds away! But Cozy reappeared at the edge of her vision, nearly stumbling over her own hooves! It was a brutish, lumbering dash, but she was gaining!
With one last desperate effort, Flurry jumped forward and over the finish line, a fraction of a second before Cozy. She caught herself with her hooves but was too tired to keep her balance. She slipped and tumbled and rolled on soft grass, before she stopped on her back. The other foals immediately gathered around her.
She grinned. "I… won! I…I won!"
"Uh… actually, I won," Scootaloo said. She had a nice blue ribbon around her neck. "You guys actually came in tenth and eleventh."
"Well, I still won!" Flurry insisted with a grin. "I came in before Cozy."
"Yeah, you did," Scootaloo said. She offered a hoof. Flurry took it and heaved herself up. The group of curious ponies backed away to give her some space.
Cozy was a little further away from her. From the looks of it, she had all but collapsed after the race was over. Rumble sat next to her. Flurry limped over to them. Now that the adrenaline and motivation to win was gone, her legs felt oddly dull.
Cozy's eyes were glazed over and her entire body looked limp. She laid on her back and breathed heavily. Her chest rose and fell like a pair of bellows.
"Wow, Cozy! You actually managed to hang on to Flurry for the whole race! She's like an earth pony, you know. That's really impressive." Rumble said, his fur matted with sweat from the exhaustion.
"But… I… didn't…” Cozy wheezed. Cozy's looked like those words caused her more pain than the exhaustion.
"I never thought you would have gotten here half as quick as this!" Rumble replied soothingly and combed through her messy mane. "Most pegasi don't run on the ground very much, and I've hardly ever seen you do it! Besides, if the race had only been just a little longer, I'm sure you would have overtaken her! You did really well! I'm proud!”
"But I did well too, right?" Flurry asked. As much as she felt bad for Cozy's sadness, it was Flurry who had won, after all.
"Yeah, you did really well for your age," Rumble grinned. "oh, and don't take what I shouted the wrong way, okay? I just wanted to spur on Cozy, and I figured that would do it."
"It did," Flurry admitted with a tired giggle. It had been a near thing. Just where did Cozy get that sort of endurance from? From what Flurry could gather, Cozy had been running more on willpower than on stamina for almost the whole race.
Flurry looked down on Cozy's tired face. Only now did some sort of recognition seem to return to the small pegasus. "I… guess you win… this time," Cozy admitted quietly between her breaths. "But only this time!" She added with that same manic glint in her eyes and a mischievous smirk.
Flurry smiled. "You can try!" She reached a hoof forward.
Cozy managed a tired and sincere smile and bumped it with her own shaking hoof.