Chapter 12: The Running of the Leaves
Retirement Blues
By Alaborn
Standard disclaimer: This is a not for profit fan work. My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic is copyright Hasbro, Inc. I make no claim to any copyrighted material mentioned herein.
Chapter 12: The Running of the Leaves
Gold Watch looked over the sea of young faces crowding into the combined guard post and police station. To her credit, the young teacher was doing a good job of keeping them mostly settled down. “Now, class, I want you all to thank Mr. Gold Watch for taking the time to talk to you about being a police officer,” Cheerilee said.
“Thank you, Mr. Gold Watch,” the class chorused.
“Yes. As Miss Cheerilee said, my name is Gold Watch. I was a police officer in Canterlot for forty years, starting as a beat cop, and advancing to detective, where I worked for many years. And after I retired, I moved to Ponyville. Now, I’m the police chief, but I’m also the only police officer.
“Most of you grew up in Ponyville, and as a small town, it doesn’t have the need for a police force, like Canterlot and other big cities require. But it’s time for Ponyville to have its own police station. We will need a police officer or two in the future. Maybe that will be one of you?
“Now, I’m sure you’re wondering what police officers do.” Gold Watch waited for the foals to nod. He discussed briefly the roles the police played in Canterlot, talking about the jobs done by patrol officers and detectives. He included a few foal-friendly stories from action he saw, like catching a bank robber as a beat officer, or tracking down somepony who robbed a Canterlot museum when he was a new detective.
“Thank you,” Cheerilee said after he finished. “Does anypony have any questions?”
A pegasus colt raised his hoof. “What’s the difference between the Royal Guard and the police?”
“Good question.” Gold Watch smiled at the colt. He wondered if this was Rumble; the colt shared the soft facial features of Silver Shield. “Both the Guard and the police work to keep ponies safe. The Guard fights against any external threat, and also protects the princesses and Canterlot Castle. The police face down bad ponies in town. But if you need help, you can talk to either a guard or a police officer.”
“Ooh! Ooh!” a pink earth pony filly shouted, jabbing her hoof into the air. “What if we witness a really bad crime? Like treason?”
“I really don’t think....”
“Like, releasing Discord from his prison. That’s got to be treason, right?”
“Hey!” a white unicorn filly protested.
Cheerilee rolled her eyes. “Diamond Tiara....”
“Little filly, if you do see somepony do something bad, you should talk to somepony who can help. But we live in a monarchic government, and Princess Celestia cannot be guilty of treason.”
“Huh?” Diamond Tiara said.
“Following the escape of Discord and his recapture, Princess Celestia released a statement that the responsibility for his escape was entirely hers. When she banished Nightmare Moon, it broke her connection to the Elements of Harmony, which was the only reason Discord could free himself.” Such statements by the princess were rare; Gold Watch had lived a long time, and that was only the third he could recall. When something very bad happened, Princess Celestia didn’t want anypony, or group of ponies, to get the blame. “Miss Cheerilee, did you talk about Discord in class this year?”
The teacher nodded. “I discussed what the princess said when we talked about what Discord did to Ponyville.”
“So, young filly, it was nopony’s fault but Princess Celestia, and you shouldn’t accuse her of treason.”
“Burn!” a tomcoltish pegasus filly said to Diamond Tiara.
Another filly raised her hoof. “Mr. Gold Watch, are you going to be running in the Running of the Leaves?”
It took Gold Watch a moment to figure out why she asked that question. The poster advertising the Running of the Leaves and the new race was on the bulletin board behind him. “No, old ponies like me shouldn’t run that far. But I am organizing the event. We’re having a competitive race with the normal Running of the Leaves, and afterward, there’s a short fun run for all the foals. The pegasi will be gathering the fallen leaves, and you can run and play in the big pile of leaves.”
The foals were around that age where most would think themselves too old for that kind of play, but Gold Watch thought some of them might want to participate. Most of the foals shrugged, but three of the fillies looked excited.
“CUTIE MARK CRUSADER LEAF JUMPERS, YAY!”
Gold Watch winced and rubbed his ears.
Gold Watch smiled as Green Tea lifted the lid off a casserole dish. A warm meal in her home sure beat the food that awaited him at home, hay and some carrots that weren’t very fresh. “It smells wonderful,” he said.
“I’m happy to have somepony to appreciate my cooking again,” Green Tea said.
Gold Watch took a spatula in his magic and cut a portion of the casserole for his marefriend. He then took a large portion for himself. He inhaled the aroma of the casserole, its vegetables and mushrooms and noodles and cream sauce and topping of crispy fried hay. “It looks delicious.”
“Tasty and a good way to stretch this week’s purchases,” Green Tea said. “How goes the preparation for the Running of the Leaves?”
“Everything’s set. There have only been thirteen entries from out of town. I don’t think that’s a lot. I’ll have to ask Dawn Runner to be sure.”
“That’s your officer friend from Canterlot?”
“Yes. My replacement as detective, and a skilled runner.”
“It’s probably good that you didn’t get a lot of entrants. Ponyville doesn’t have much in the way of inns.”
“I didn’t think about that.” He had stayed in a Ponyville inn exactly once, on the trip where he came down to look for his house. “Are you going to be collecting herbs again?”
“Yes. I’ll be out there before the racers, collecting all I can.”
“Stop by when you’re done. I’ll be stuck waiting for the racers to finish.”
“Will do,” Green Tea said. “More casserole?”
“I’m fine,” Gold Watch said.
“You’re welcome to take the leftovers for lunch tomorrow.”
Gold Watch smiled. Left unspoken was that he would be here when packing his lunch the next morning. They were spending most nights together, more often in Green Tea’s home. Being together filled a void that he always knew was there, but had tried hard to ignore.
“Thinking about something?” Green Tea asked.
“The Running of the Leaves reminds me that winter’s coming. And I don’t want to spend another cold winter alone. Perhaps we should stop being apart, and move in together?”
Green Tea smiled. “I thought you’d never ask.” She paused. “But which home?”
“You have a home, Green Tea. My place barely qualifies as a house. Besides, you have your shop to consider. I think the choice is obvious.”
“I didn’t want to impose,” Green Tea said. “I’m not sure when you can move in, though. I’m normally busy until first snow....”
Gold Watch leaned over and interrupted Green Tea with a kiss. “My dear, we have plenty of time to worry about the details. Tonight, let’s just focus on us.”
A pale orange earth pony stallion stepped into the police station. Gold Watch looked over to the pegasus guard on the other side of the cells. “Better keep alert, Red Sky. There’s a miscreant in town,” he quipped.
“Good to see you too, old man,” Dawn Runner said.
“Wait. You have friends?” Red Sky said, feigning shock.
“Very funny. This is Dawn Runner, an officer from Canterlot.”
“Somepony’s got to keep Canterlot safe,” Dawn Runner said.
“When did you get to Ponyville?” Gold Watch asked.
“Last night. I rested up, and ran the course in the morning.”
“Do you normally run the race before, you know, running the race?
“I always ramp up my training before a race. And the best practice is on the course itself,” Dawn Runner explained. “For a road or trail race, it helps to know the lay of the land, know where the changes in elevation are. It’s less important for a track race.”
“What do you think of Ponyville?” Gold Watch asked.
“Quiet. I’m sure there’s nothing for a police officer to do here.”
“Yeah, it’s quiet,” Gold Watch said. “Except when it isn’t, and there’s something terrifying that, frankly, Canterlot hasn’t seen in, well, as long as I’ve been alive.” He motioned to an empty chair. “Have a seat. Coffee?”
“No coffee when I’m in training mode.”
“Guess that means I could never be a runner,” Gold Watch said.
“You told me that last year. Remember, something about trying to run?”
“Yes, in this race. Don’t remind me.”
“I’m sure organizing the race is more your speed.”
“It’s a lot more work than I imagined,” Gold Watch admitted. “And not a big payoff.”
“Not many sign-ups?”
“Maybe twenty from out of town by the time we’re done. I’d give you an accurate total as of today, but the mail won’t be here for another hour or so.”
“Don’t be discouraged,” Dawn Runner said. “If things go reasonably well, word of mouth will spread through the running community, and you’ll get more ponies to come next year.”
Gold Watch nodded. “Any news from the station?”
“Nothing on any old cases,” Dawn Runner said. “We’ve had two prisoners escape.”
“Escape? How?”
“That’s the problem. We’ve seen no sign of physical escape or magic.”
“So they walked out of prison?”
Dawn Runner shrugged. “For all we know, they may have.”
“You might want to talk to some ponies who aren’t cops,” Gold Watch suggested. “See if they know of any magic or tricks.”
“Sure,” Dawn Runner said. “But I’ll worry about that later. I’m on vacation.”
Saturday arrived, and with it the Running of the Leaves. The scheduled start time was 9:00, but Gold Watch arrived at 7:30, ready to help with the setup. A few ponies were there, setting up a booth and the familiar stage.
“Does the stage mean the mayor is coming?” Gold Watch asked one of the volunteers.
“You know the mayor; she never misses a chance to talk.”
“I’ll make sure she knows that the race starts at 9:00 sharp,” he said. Gold Watch had gotten advice about organizing a race from Dawn Runner; one of the details he warned him about is that runners demanded punctuality. They didn’t want to wait once they were mentally prepared to race.
The booth was soon assembled, and Gold Watch took a seat behind it. Starting at 8:00, ponies started arriving.
“What’s this 10K?” the first pony asked.
“We’re doing a race, just like the ones held throughout Equestria during the course of the year. There’s a 20 bit entry fee, and prizes to first, second, and third in each age group. If you want to do the normal Running of the Leaves, that’s free, and the town’s giving out medals like normal.”
It was a question Gold Watch answered many times that morning. The visiting runners from out of town were obvious. Sure, being unfamiliar earth ponies with enviable physiques was one sign, but the way they gave their name, paid the entry fee, and collected their number suggested they’d done this many times before.
Surprisingly, several of the locals signed up for the race, too. When Gold Watch told Rainbow Dash and Applejack about it, they looked at each other, smirked, and slammed their bits down. Golden Harvest signed up as well, as did Shoeshine, and three other ponies Gold Watch didn’t know well. The pride of Ponyville must be defended, though Gold Watch doubted anypony from town had a chance against ponies with a special talent for running.
Things slowed down by 8:30. Gold Watch surveyed the crowd. It resembled any Ponyville gathering. Good friends conversed. Local merchants and farmers set up their carts, hoping to sell their wares. The main difference was the out-of-towners. They warmed up and socialized with each other, with an easy camaraderie born of their shared passion.
At 8:45, Mayor Mare showed up. Gold Watch hurried to meet her. “Mayor, if you want to speak, please keep it brief. The visiting racers will be expecting the race to start on time.”
“Certainly, Gold Watch. I wasn’t planning on talking for long anyway.”
Gold Watch nodded, but he doubted Mayor Mare had ever planned on making a short speech.
The mayor took the stage and tapped the megaphone. “Good morning, and welcome, all, to beautiful Ponyville, and the first annual Whitetail Wood 10K. As we prepare the forest for winter with our traditional Running of the Leaves, we welcome visitors from across Equestria to our race. I encourage everypony to enjoy the beauty of the forest, and race in the spirit of friendly competition.
“I would like to thank Barnyard Bargains for sponsoring the prizes, and the many volunteers who helped make this event happen. I would especially like to thank Gold Watch, without whose help we never would have pulled this off.”
Gold Watch used the mayor’s speech to review his checklist. The official clock was set up. The pouches with the prize money were set aside. The paper strip to mark the finish line was ready to be hung up. The racers were organized by age band.
Wait. He had forgotten to do that during registration.
It wasn’t hard; a simple divination spell was used to identify a racer’s age, and his number was color-coded by age bracket: 15 to 29, 30 to 39, 40 to 49, and 50 plus. He even made note of the traditional colors used in racing.
Once the mayor finished speaking, Gold Watch took the stage. “Thank you, citizens, guests. We will start with the racers in the 10K lining up; they will begin at 9:00 sharp. Those participating in the Running of the Leaves will go five minutes later. Now, before we begin, I’d like to ask the racers to line up for age grouping.”
As the racers got in line, a pony who was definitely not a racer pushed her way to the front. “Mr. Gold Watch!” she called.
“Yes, Miss Twilight Sparkle?”
“You’re using Alter Ego’s Age Identifier, right?”
“Yes, that’s the spell. How did you know?”
“I read a book on running last year,” she replied. “It would save time if I cast the spell on everypony.”
“That’s a good idea.” Gold Watch showed her his checklist. “Can you also change everypony’s number to match this color scheme?”
“Sure.”
Gold Watch stepped up to the megaphone again. “Correction. You won’t need to line up. Miss Twilight Sparkle here has volunteered to cast the spell on everypony. The only thing that you’ll notice is the color of your number changing. So, even if you’re not running in the 10K, you will be able to see how your time compares within your age group.”
Gold Watch projected a calm demeanor, but on the inside, he was mentally reviewing what to do if something went horribly wrong. But nothing did. Twilight Sparkle easily cast the spell over dozens of ponies, and all that happened was the colors of ponies’ numbers changed. A brief visual inspection revealed that the colors were right as well.
Gold Watch glanced at the clock, confirming it showed the right time. “Racers, line up,” he announced. Twenty-some ponies took their position at the start of the race course, almost pawing the ground in their eagerness. “On your mark. Get set.” The clock hit 9:00, and Gold Watch channeled magic through his horn. A spark or magic flew into the air and exploded with a loud bang. And with that, the racers were off.
“Runners, get ready.”
The mass of Ponyville residents was less eager to start, but they moved to the line, and took off when he fired his horn again. Now all Gold Watch had to do was sit and wait. The first racer would be finishing around 9:30.
And then somepony came to the registration booth, a unicorn mare with a white coat and three star cutie mark.
“Where is everypony?” the unicorn asked.
“The race started at 9:00,” Gold Watch said.
“I know that. But these things never start on time,” she replied.
“They will from now on.” He levitated over a number. “Go ahead and run if you want.”
The mare took off. Moments later, the mailmare trotted up, smiling, a bag clenched in her teeth.
“I needed my racing muffins!” she announced cheerily.
With the delectable aroma coming from her bag, Gold Watch could almost excuse her tardiness. “Enjoy your run.”
And then came a charcoal pegasus stallion with a white mohawk. He was flanked by two mares. “You’re late,” Gold Watch said.
“Sorry. But I had to warm up before the run. You know, for safety.” He looked to the mares, who tittered.
Gold Watch facehoofed. He didn’t need to be a trained detective to notice the signs; it was obvious just what kind of warming up the stallion had done. “Here are your numbers. Just go.”
Three minutes later, a brown earth pony stallion trotted up. He had a cutie mark of an....
“Oh, for the love of Celestia,” Gold Watch shouted, pointing to the hourglass on his flank. “You have a time-related cutie mark!”
“Yes, and I do apologize for being thirteen minutes and twenty-six seconds late,” he said. “I had a time-sensitive project in my workshop. But I did promise myself I’d run this year, as a personal challenge. I care not for the prizes.”
Gold Watch passed the stallion a number. “I’ll still track your time,” he said.
As what Gold Watch hoped would be the last straggler took off, he wrote down the stragglers’ start times. A few minutes later, another pony arrived, coming directly from the forest. He smiled.
Green Tea walked up, dropped her bulging saddlebags, and nuzzled Gold Watch. He returned her affection, stealing a kiss.
“How was the foraging?” Gold Watch asked.
Green Tea looked back at her saddlebags. “Quite good. How did the race preparation go?”
“I swear, some ponies can’t follow instructions,” he said.
“I have just the thing to cheer you up,” Green Tea said. She nosed into her saddlebags, retrieving a metal cylinder.
“Is that what I think it is?”
“Yes, it’s one of those canisters with a thermal spell on it. Keeps cold beverages cold, and hot beverages hot.” She unscrewed the cap, and a heavenly aroma greeted Gold Watch. The cap, which also served as a cup, was soon filled with steaming hot coffee.
“The perfect way to fight the late autumn chill,” Gold Watch said.
Green Tea gazed off to the forest. “Do you think the race will be a success?”
“I know we didn’t collect enough in entry fees to cover the prizes. But I wasn’t expecting to,” Gold Watch said. “I guess success will be having the visiting runners enjoying the race, and telling their friends to come next year. But like you mentioned, how would Ponyville host a lot of visitors?”
“Just do what the farm families do,” Green Tea responded. “Put everypony up in the barn.”
“Probably not the impression of Ponyville we want to leave,” he replied with a laugh. He looked to the woods. “I’m curious to see how the locals will do.”
“Who’s running?”
“Golden Harvest, Shoeshine, a few others, but I’m really interested in how Applejack and Rainbow Dash do. I told you the story from last year, right?”
“They couldn’t even beat an old stallion like you.”
“Right. They’re obviously good. But I hope they don’t mind losing to ponies who are better runners.”
“Do you think your friend is going to win?” Green Tea asked.
“Not sure. I mean, he’s dedicated to his running, and he practiced the course, but still, he’s getting old.” Gold Watch laughed. “Not sure I’m one to be talking.”
“Nonsense,” Green Tea said. “We both have plenty of experience in the subject.”
“Well, we’ll know the answer in about eight minutes.”
Gold Watch enjoyed the warmth of his coffee, and of his marefriend leaning against him, as he watched for the first runner to emerge from the Whitetail Wood. At 30 minutes and 16 seconds, the first pony crossed the finish line. It wasn’t Dawn Runner, but one of the younger stallions from out of town. And for the next two minutes, racers poured out of the woods. Dawn Runner finished third overall, twelve seconds behind the leader.
Five minutes later, the last of the 10K racers, one of the locals Gold Watch didn’t recognize, crossed the finish line. With that, he started organizing the results by age group, checking the color on each pony’s number. His friend did finish first in his age group.
He felt Green Tea nudge him. “Look up,” she said.
Gold Watch looked up. He felt and heard a low rumbling, vaguely recalling the sensation from the previous Running of the Leaves. Finally, he saw the results of the large group of Ponyville runners as the leaves dropped from the trees in a massive cascade.
“Impressive, isn’t it?” Green Tea said.
Gold Watch nodded.
“I always like to watch that before I leave,” she continued.
“Leaving so soon?”
“I have herbal teas to make,” Green Tea replied. “And I’m sure you’ll be busy here.”
“I have to distribute the prizes, and there are a few more planned activities,” Gold Watch said. “I just hope somepony else will deal with the foals and their leaf jumping.”
With a goodbye kiss, Green Tea departed. Gold Watch finished writing the results, and posted them. Rainbow Dash, who most certainly wasn’t first in the race, was first to check the results. She walked away disappointed, after confirming that she not only finished behind Applejack, but also behind many other ponies. As the others went to review the results, Gold Watch took the stage.
“Thank you for coming to the inaugural Whitetail Wood 10K,” Gold Watch announced. “I will be presenting medals and prizes for the top runners in each age group. If you participated in the Running of the Leaves, Mayor Mare will be distributing medals for the fastest runners.” He motioned to the mayor, who was waving eagerly.
Gold Watch announced the winners for the 15-29 age bracket, and distributed the gold, silver, and bronze medals along with pouches stuffed with bits. “And now, in the 30-39 age bracket, in first place, with a time of 30 minutes and 28 seconds, Dawn Runner, from Canterlot.”
Dawn Runner came to the stage, and Gold Watch shook his hoof. “Good job.”
“Thanks. I could have done better.”
“We always can do better. Be sure to keep that attitude on the streets of Canterlot,” Gold Watch implored.
After the prizes were distributed, many ponies departed. Some stayed to chat with friends, much like any day in the park. Gold Watch, for his part, helped with dismantling the stage. He waved to Miss Cheerilee, who apparently had been saddled with escorting the group of foals into the woods.
After an hour of work and socializing, Gold Watch noticed Dawn Runner trotting up. The stallion had a small bag balanced on his back.
“Hey,” Dawn Runner called. “Glad to see you’re still here.”
“Leaving already?” Gold Watch asked.
“Yes. I’m taking the afternoon train home. I have a wife and foals waiting, you know.”
“It’s a shame you couldn’t stay longer, and really get to see Ponyville.”
“I’ll be back soon enough, and I’ll bring the family,” Dawn Runner said.
“Next year’s race?”
“No. I was thinking of the wedding.”
“What wedding?”
“Yours, of course,” Dawn Runner said. “I saw how you looked with your marefriend.”
“She brings me coffee. What can I say?”
“The way to your heart. Do you have a date picked out?”
“We just talked about moving in together,” Gold Watch retorted. “But, yeah. Someday soon. It just seems right, you know?”
“You’re looking at her the way you used to look at Blue Opal. I’m sure it’s right.”
“We’ll see, Dawn Runner. We’ll see.”
Dozens of times floated through Gold Watch’s head that day. The schedule for the Running of the Leaves, the finishing times of racers, his appointment with the Mayor on Monday. But there was that one time that was always present and yet unknowable, the amount of time one has left. He thought back to the lovely mare who made a chilly morning that much more enjoyable. Whatever time he had left, he knew he wanted to spend it with Green Tea.
Stats
Page generated in 0.024 seconds
Total duration
678 users online
822,684 hits today, 2,561,572 yesterday
FIMFiction
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
Designed and coded by knighty & Xaquseg - © 2011-2024
Follow & Support Us
Support us
SubStar
Chat!
Discord
Follow us
Twitter
MLP: Friendship is Magic® - © 2024 Hasbro Inc.®
Fimfiction is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Hasbro Inc.®
I'm writing something like this, although I have a psychiatrist restarting his career instead of a retired police officer. Now I'm curious about how you take it.
Finally, a new chapter. Been like a week since ANY stories in my hundreds upon hundreds of incomplete favorites update. You good sir, have all my yes.
Can confirm; I was at a turkey run and the announcer lady took too long explaining things and trying to make the warmup all cutesy and everyone was cold and someone threw a foam football and beaned her on the head. I don't even know where they got a foam football.
5686695 Pinkie Pie keeps them stashed all over Ponyville. You know, for foam football emergencies.
Hah!
I've finally figured out why I like the Gold Tea relationship so much, I think I'm jealous of them on behalf of my mother as odd as that may sound. My mom is a bit on the older side and is divorced, and while she works for my sister and stays busy, she lives alone and I worry at times that she's lonely. What I wouldn't give for her to find a nice, older gentleman to take care of and be taken care of in turn.
I continue to enjoy the running subplot quite a bit, for similar reasons as above. A couple years ago I wouldn't have cared, but starting to run as a progression of my exercise regimen has payed dividends. Sometimes those dividends are soreness and pain, but ehh.
Hahaha!
You know, I'm kind of surprised that the rewards didn't walk off at some point while Gold wasn't watching. With the mention of the prisoner escape further up, I was suspicious something would come up. I suppose that's just a slow burning plot line instead.
As much as I love Dash, that's the result I expected. Being world-class in one sort of athletic endeavor doesn't automatically make you world-class in everything. I'd put money down on her if it were a flying competition, but since this wasn't I'd expect average results at best. I'm more curious about how AJ placed since we know from the show she has trained for rodeo competitions and I assume that would work on her speed and endurance as a happy side effect.
5691193 I figure that Applejack edged out Rainbow Dash, but they finished behind all the dedicated runners in their age bracket. Sorry, girls; best in Ponyville doesn't mean best in the world.
As for the slowly burning plot lines, I will say that not all of them will work their way into the story of Gold Watch.
Nice to story with little interaction with the mane six. Also nice to see that dashie and Aj didn't win anything.