Chapter 23
It was the day of The Running of Leaves. Crowds had gathered at the Lavender Tree Plains, east of Ponyville. Excited chatter floated over the Starting Line, in a disjointed and discordant chorus. Throughout Ponyville, and at points along the route, ponies were celebrating the end of the season. And though the harvest itself wouldn’t finish until the week after, Fall was drawing to a close.
Among the runners, Twilight Sparkle and North Star were waiting for the race to begin. It had been difficult for Twilight to convince him to participate, but with some help from Big Mac, she’d gotten him to come. North was only here because the harvest was coming along so well. Both were wearing their racing numbers, but while Twilight wore her 14 on her cutie mark, North had refused, putting his 26 on his chest.
“Are you ready?” she asked, turning to look at him. She was concerned about him, since he still hadn’t talked to anyone. He nodded, and she felt a slight reassurance.
“The race will start in three minutes!”
The call came clearly through the surrounding crowds. The racers began to line up, and Twilight nudged North’s shoulder.
“Let’s get to our starting places.” she said.
North nodded, then went to the back of the racers. Twilight went to her place near the middle, and stretched out her hind legs. Their plan was to do the race together, pacing themselves so they would last longer. It was a beautiful day, and Twilight intended to enjoy it as much as possible. The shining sun was offset by the cool air.
“Heeeeeeello!” A familiar voice resonated from the speakers. It Pinkie Pie. She’d offered to commentate, and no one had had the heart to refuse her. “AAAAAAnd welcome to The Running of the Leaves!”
“Here we go.” said a pony a few over from Twilight.
“Get ready for the race!” shouted Pinkie. “I’m sure this is gonna be a fantastic one!”
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I heard Pinkie Pie, and got ready for what came next.
“All racers to their marks!” she shouted.
Everypony who hadn’t already, did so. This included Applejack and Rainbow Dash, who were apparently trying to settle a disagreement. They’d run this race before, and intended to prove who was a better athlete with it. I’d heard all about it, and expected this to be interesting.
“Get ready!”
I watched all the ponies in front of me crouch down, then braced myself.
“GOOOOOOOOOO!”
In a cloud of dust, everypony in front of me set off. All of them, except Twilight and I, started at their full speed. I trotted forward to run beside her, and we set off. We ran through the sparse trees, laden with their pink leaves.
When we turned northward, we passed Rainbow Dash’s house, and the Diamond Dog fields. Ahead of us, the White Tail Woods spread out in a green mass. Far to the north, Canterlot was visible on the side of the a mountain. The waterfalls glistened faintly as they fell downwards.
As we entered the woods, I sniffed the air. It was fresh, and smelled like dry leaves. Those same leaves crunched under my hooves, crackling as they got thrown back in my passage. The leaves had fallen from their branches, leaving them bare.
“It’s nice, isn’t it?” I glanced over at Twilight. She was smiling happily. “It’s really beautiful out here.”
I nodded. At the first branch, we turned right. We passed a few ponies, who’d spent all their energy during the beginning of the race.
“What did I tell you?” she said. “Slow and steady wins the race.”
We curved southward, going past the tall red cliffs to the east. Three more ponies fell behind us, panting from their exertions.
In the southern woods, we came upon multiple streams, which fell from cliffs above us in brilliant cascades. The waterfalls refracted the light of the sun into a conflagration of colors. We had to slow down a good bit here, and cross the streams on a series of flat stones. In the water below, small pebbles and stones had been eroded smooth by the flowing water. And to our right, the streams fell again, and flowed west towards Ponyville. The town stretched out below us, up and over the distant West Cliffs.
After a long while, we reached the southernmost part of the woods, where the trees turned dark and twisted, and the undergrowth became tangled and thorny. This was where White Tail became Everfree. The trail split here, continuing forward into Everfree, and west towards the Orchards. While the Everfree path was narrow and tangled, the west path was as clear as the one behind us.
We turned west, obviously.
We came to a hill, which we slowed to climb. When we crested the top, we could see the clock tower, rising above the leaves. Ahead of us, we could see some of the other racers. They too had slowed down. Twilight had been right. Not that I hadn’t known.
The trees began to grow thinner, and we emerged from the forest. Fluttershy’s house was to the left of us, and the clock tower ahead was showing three minutes until two.
“We’re making good time.” said Twilight. “Halfway there, and its only two o’clock.”
To our right, the ground sloped down into a shallow valley full of apple trees, through which the streams we’d crossed earlier flowed towards Ponyville. The beaver dam crossed the further one, then the streams flowed down to Ponyville, and circled southward. As we trotted past the clock tower, it struck two.
We turned left, and looped around a giant pile of rocks. Somehow, the peak of the rocks had a miniature snow storm. After travelling a short stretch through the East Orchards, we turned towards the farmhouse.
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Braeburn was working in the orchards. He bucked a tree, and the apples fell into the barrels around its base. He wiped the sweat off of his forehead, and looked up at the tree. All the apples had fallen, so he started picking up the barrels and loading them onto the wagon he’d brought out with him.
He heard a thundering of hooves from the road, and looked up. A group of ponies from the race galloped past. He glanced at the tree, then trotted down to the road. He looked left and right. To his left, the group of ponies was turning around a corner, heading towards the schoolhouse.
To his right, North and Twilight were trotting towards him at a leisurely pace. He grinned. He whooped, and North locked onto him.
“Great job y’all!” said Braeburn. “Keep it up!”
North’s pace started to increase. After a moment, he blasted forward. Twilight gawked after him, then sped up a little.
“North!” she called. Then she sighed, and applied herself more fully.
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I blasted past the schoolhouse, where Cheerilee and her class were watching the racers go by. I was past in a few seconds, and I could see the train station ahead. The same tree I’d seen when I’d gone to meet Braeburn had shed its leaves, and the ground was covered in its golden foliage.
I paused at the tracks, making sure no trains were coming. Then I crossed, and ran north-northwest towards the hospital. The patients were watching, and I felt a little embarrassed. It was here I passed a group of ponies who’d slowed down.
When I reached the fields north of Ponyville, I turned eastward, and then south. When I crossed the tracks again, I passed another group. My pace continued to grow, until the steady pounding of my hooves resonated in my ears.
One-two-three-four. One-two-three-four. One-two-three-four. One-two-three-four.
I was going past the water tower, when I caught up with two mares. Applejack and Rainbow Dash were neck-and-neck, going flat out. And I passed them. That must’ve been a big surprise to them. I heard their gasps of surprise, and smiled to myself.
When I crossed the finish line, there was cheering. I slowed down, then I heard someone start cheering my name. I looked around, confused. Then I saw Pinkie Pie and Rarity running up to me.
“Congratulations, North!” said Rarity.
I knit my eyebrows, confused.
“You won!!!” shouted Pinkie Pie. “You’re the first one back!”
Just then, Rainbow Dash and Applejack got there.
“That was amazing!’ said Rainbow Dash. “How?”
I shrugged, then Twilight caught up to us.
“What happened to slowing down?” she asked. I lowered my head, blushing slightly.
“It’s fine.” she said. “I just… didn’t expect that.”
“It was quite impressive.” said Rarity, stepping up next to me.
I felt uncomfortable. I hadn’t meant to win, and I wasn’t enjoying the attention. Somepony handed out the place-medals, and I ended up with a golden one around my neck.
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Somehow, I managed to escape the crowds. When I got back to the farm, I retreated upstairs to my room. I was trying to avoid contact, because I really didn’t like everyone making a big deal out of what had happened.
I sat down on my bed, and took the medal off of my neck. I examined it. It was engraved with a large 1, and gleamed softly. The fading light that came through my curtains stained everything red. Somepony knocked on the door, and I looked up from the medal.
“North, are you here?”
I got off of my bed, and went to the door. I opened it, and looked out at Braeburn. He was wearing his hat and vest, saddlebags, and a big smile.
“You okay?” he asked. “You disappeared.”
I nodded.
“Good. I have a surprise for you.” I raised an eyebrow, and he smiled wider. “Come with me.”
I followed him outside, where the stars were coming out. He pointed to a folded up telescope, and I perked up.
“Twilight let me borrow this. Thought you might enjoy takin’ a look through it.”
I nodded, picking up the telescope.
“To the hill?” he asked. I nodded, and we trotted into the trees.
Once we got to the hill, I set the telescope up. I looked up at the night sky, picking my target.
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Braeburn was happy that he’d brought North up here. He’d disappeared after the race, and he'd wanted to be sure he was feeling okay. After getting the telescope from Twilight, he’d brought it to the farm. North was aiming the telescope, one eye closed as he adjusted the focus.
North smiled, then looked over at him.
“What is it?”
North stepped aside, and Braeburn walked over to the telescope. He looked through it, and saw the planet Venus, hanging in black. He studied it for a second, then looked back at North.
“That real interestin’.” he said. “What else is there?”
He stepped aside, and North changed the direction and focus of the telescope. When he stepped back, Braeburn looked through eagerly. This time, an entire galaxy was in view.
“What’s that one?” he asked. North blinked, and looked down at his hooves.
Braeburn smiled, and pulled a book from the saddlebags he’d brought.
“Here you go.”
North looked up, and frowned. He took it from Braeburn, and examined it. It was an astronomy book, full of constellations and star charts. Twilight had told him to take it. North scanned through the book, then handed it back. Braeburn examined the page. The Andromeda Galaxy. He looked back into the telescope, then at North.
“Is it Andromeda?” he asked. North nodded, smiling.
After that, they ended up playing a game. North would pick something, and Braeburn would try to find it in the book Twilight had lent him. They found Alpha Centauri, the Orion Nebula, the Crab Nebula, and something called the Whirlpool Galaxy.
By the end of that, Braeburn was looking up random stars in the astronomy book. When he looked up, North was resting on the ground, using Braeburn’s saddlebag as a pillow. Braeburn decided they should go inside now, before he couldn’t get North to move. He nudged him. North opened his eyes, and looked up at Braeburn.
“Time ta go inside.” he said. “It’s time fer bed.”
North got groggily to his hooves, and picked up the bags he’d been using as a pillow. He slung them over his back, Then helped Braeburn take down the telescope. They walked slowly back to the farmhouse, enjoying the cool night air. It ruffled their manes and tails, like a playful foal.
Braeburn left the telescope in the kitchen, then went upstairs. North had disappeared back into his room, so he went ahead and showered. Then he went to bed.
He fell asleep almost immediately.