You do a few forward lunges, sweat now beginning to form on your brow before being conveniently absorbed by the sweatband wrapped around your head. It's a brisk day outside, and a cool wind blows over you as you continue your warm-up routine. There are many ponies of all shapes and sizes around you, each of which wearing a number of some kind on their flanks. You have one clipped to the side of your shorts, the number reading "68."
So close.
Tia walks up to you, a wide grin on her face as she does so. Her mane has been tied back into a ponytail, and she has the number "67" covering her cutie mark. She seems downright giddy as she greets you.
"Ah, sunshine! I'm so excited!"
"Hm? I'm glad to hear that, but haven't you taken part in the Running of the Leaves countless times?"
"In the past, sure. But I haven't done so in moons! Ooh, I feel like a filly again!"
"Try not to get too excited, Tia. I think you're freaking out the competition."
You both glance at the ponies around you. Occasionally, one or two will glance at Celestia before looking away sheepishly. They're not quite sure how to respond to their ex-ruler taking part in the same event as them.
"Oh, they'll be fine. It's not like I'd send them to the moon for beating me or anything." Celestia smugly flips her ponytail to the other side of her head in a show of confidence. "Besides, I don't plan on losing anyway."
"You might want to reconsider that, princess!" A voice from behind your wife interrupts your conversation, causing both of you to greet the new arrival. Making a dramatic landing on the dirt path next to you is none other than Rainbow Dash, the fastest member of the Wonderbolts and a close friend of yours. She looks at Celestia with a confident smile and a fire in her eyes. "I don't care who enters this race. I intend to win!"
"That's enough, Rainbow Dash!" Trotting up to your little group is Applejack, who promptly gives Dash a light, playful smack. "I'm sorry 'bout that, princess. She tends to get overly competitive at these sortsa things."
"Oh, it's quite alright!" Tia chuckles at the sight of Rainbow Dash and Applejack scowling at each other. "A little healthy competition never hurt anypony. Besides, I'm not a princess anymore! I'm just another competitor like everypony else!"
"But you're an alicorn!" Rainbow Dash shouts, her voice more excited than anything. "You have to be good at competitions like this."
"Were I a few hundred moons younger, I don't doubt that I would leave you in my dust. Now though... well, I've spent a whole lot more time doing paperwork than physical activity for many years, that's for sure." Celestia looks to the sky for a moment, but she quickly closes her eyes and snorts before falling into a laughing fit. "HA! Oh, who am I kidding?! I can still leave you in my dust!"
"I'd like to see you try!"
Celestia and Rainbow Dash press their noses against one-another as sparks begin to fly in every direction. You and Applejack wordlessly share a glance. This is not the rivalry you were expecting to happen today.
"Sunshine!" Your wife calls out to you without breaking eye contact with Rainbow Dash. "You will be running alongside me, correct?"
"Tia, I seriously doubt that. I'm pretty fit by human standards, but compared to your average pony, I couldn't hope to even come close to winning this race."
"Ugh, fine. I'll just have to handle this myself."
"If you want to make this a real competition, you'll play by the same rules as AJ and I!" Dash has a smug, almost sinister grin on her face. "No wings! No magic! Just running."
"Hah! I could do that with both wings tied behind my back!"
"Good, because you will."
"I-"
Before she can react, Dash has already secured Tia's wings with some rope. With a sigh, AJ makes her way over to Dash and does the same to her.
"There. Now we're all on an even playing field. Ya happy?"
Both Dash and Tia nod, the sparks between them continuing to fly.
Hoo boy, this ought to be good.
You pace yourself nicely as you continue jogging through the woods. Back in your old world, you took up jogging as a hobby. It's an easy activity to keep up with in Equestria considering how clean the air is and how beautiful the landscapes are. Still, your earlier assessment about your performance was correct. If this were a race among humans, you'd probably be doing pretty good. However, as it stands, you're near the back of the pack. Ponies are just naturally faster and have more endurance than you do. That's not to say you don't have some physical advantages of your own, it's just that they wouldn't help you in a race like this. Oh well. You didn't come here to win anyway, and it's not like this is your first time taking part, either. You have been living in Ponyville for a few years, after all. It's just another fun tradition to take part in.
You have no idea where your wife is. You imagine she's probably up near the front with AJ and Dash, but you can never be too sure with her. She doesn't get competitive all that often, but when she does, it's typically best to keep your distance. Ever since retiring, she's been enjoying the chance to let loose when it comes to competitions, and the result is an overzealous mare that gets way too excited at the prospect of winning.
Which is exactly why it comes as such a shock to you when you make it over a hill and see her on the side of the path, her head held low.
You quickly approach her, immediately realizing that she's panting quite severely.
"Tia! Are you okay?!"
"A-ah, sunshine... I'm fine." Her words are broken up by her exhausted breaths.
"What happened to you?!"
"It... it seems I'm... a lot more out of shape... than I thought I was."
"One too many cakes, huh?"
"Shut it."
"I'm just saying. Maybe you should have paced yourself a bit better."
"But then... I wouldn't have... been able to keep up... with them."
"And look at you now. You can't keep up with them anyway." She glances up at you, but finds it too difficult to raise her head. "Tia, one of them is a professional athlete, and the other does intense physical labor on a daily basis for a living. I don't care how naturally gifted you are, you were never going to be able to compete with that without training."
"...Hoo." She finally composes herself enough to stand up straight. "I suppose you have a point. Still, this is awfully embarrassing."
"Hey, you had to learn somehow, right? Now you know what you've got to do if you're serious about competing again." You give her a smile and start jogging ahead. "Come on, we have a race to finish!"
Immediately, she trots right on past you, effortlessly overtaking your pace even in her exhausted state.
"Sorry sunshine, but I'm certainly not letting you beat me too!"
You can do little but chuckle as your beloved wife takes off, leaving you alone near the back of the pack once more.
Hey, at least the scenery is still beautiful.
You, Tia, Dash, and AJ regroup after the race. It appears that Applejack won this one, but since Dash won the year prior, that makes them even in overall wins once again. Both give you and Celestia a genuine smile.
"You did pretty good, princess! E-er, I mean... Celestia? Gosh, that's weird."
"Thank you Rainbow Dash, but I understand that I fell short much earlier than anticipated. I apologize for not giving you the competition you were hoping for."
"Uhh, there's really no need to apologize for that. Besides, Applejack is the one who won, anyway."
A light blush makes its way to Applejack's cheeks.
"I-I wasn't as excited by the prospect of racin' ya as Dash here was, though."
Tia chuckles.
"Still, I had a lot of fun. I look forward to seeing you two again next year! Who knows, perhaps then I will be the competition you were hoping for, hm?"
"I'll take you on anytime!"
Rainbow Dash and Celestia shake hooves, causing you and Applejack to share a glance once again.
What a strange pair.
You wake up with a stretch the next day. You reflexively look to the space in bed next to you, but you are surprised to see that Tia isn't there. You quickly glance around the room, seeing no sign of your lovely wife.
"Hm."
With a shrug, you decide to get dressed and ready for the day. It's unlike her to wake up before you, but not entirely unheard of. Perhaps she had business to attend to that you forgot about.
You tie the laces on your running shoes, take a big swig of water, and make your way to the front door. The sun hasn't completely risen yet, and it's time for your morning run. You'll probably do a slightly slower pace than usual today thanks to your race the day prior. No need to overstrain your legs, after all.
However, as you step into the crisp morning air, you're greeted by a surprising sight. In front of your house, doing a few careful stretches, is Celestia. Her mane is once again tied back into a ponytail, with a headband much like your own wrapped around her head with her horn comically sticking straight through it. After a few moments, she looks up at you as she finishes another stretch.
"Ah, good morning sunshine!"
"M-morning, Tia. What are you doing up so early?"
"I thought about what you said yesterday, and I realized that you're right. If I want to live up to the image that other ponies have of me, then I need to start training!"
"Training?"
"So, I'm going to be joining you on these little morning runs of yours!" Her voice is enthusiastic, but her eyes open wide as if she suddenly realized something. "Er, assuming that's okay with you."
After a moment of awkward silence, you begin to laugh.
"Sure, Tia. Though, you'll probably end up leaving me behind again."
"Oh... I hadn't thought about that." Celestia looks contemplative for a moment before smiling. "But you're right, I will! Good luck with your run, sunshine!"
Without another word, she immediately takes off in a random direction, leaving you alone once again in front of your small Ponyville home. As absurd as that was, you find yourself smiling and shaking your head as you begin doing a few warm-ups of your own.
What are you gonna do with her?