Today was a day that marked the passing of the seasons in Equestria. Gone was the bright green of the trees that had been present in Ponyville for so many months, and in their place was a beautiful display of reds, yellows, oranges and golds. Everywhere one looked on this crisp early morning, there were the signs of Autumn. The day had just begun, and there was still a coolness to the air as ponies woke up and went about their business, their breath easily visible as they did so. But, on the outskirts of town, there was a gathering of ponies involved in what, arguably, was far more important than anything anypony else was doing right now. Dozens of mares and stallions were running along a path right on the outer edge of Ponyville's territory, amidst a plethora of trees both young and old, each clad in a marked number. The running of the leaves had begun.
Unicorns, earth ponies and pegasi alike were taking part in this, and even those who were not were there to see them, smiling and cheering them on as they ran as hard as their hooves could take them. With every tree they passed, the sheer force of their run dislodged whatever leaves were there, creating a veritable rain of them in their wake that left the floor of the path behind them utterly littered with the foliage. But, for as active and energetic as all those runners were, they were nothing compared to the two mares who charged far ahead of them. Applejack and Aurora Dash, each bearing their own number, was running at a level far above all the other participants, and had, in fact, left them behind a long time ago, creating something of a personal race between themselves. Aurora, who had apparently not decided to wear the garb of the Lunar Guard today, smirked as she turned to her fellow racer.
"Not bad, Apples."
Applejack, hearing that, returned the look.
"Same ta you, Dash."
The two mares focused their attention in front of them, making sure to be especially aware of any slight bends ahead of them, ensuring that they take just the right angles necessary to try and get an edge over their rival. But, they matched each other, step for step, much to Applejack's simultaneous interest and annoyance.
"Mah family have been runnin' this ere race fer generations, now. But y’all? Ya run it like ya were born fer it!"
Aurora chuckled.
"I've been trained for speed since the time I could crawl, Equestrian! When it comes to getting ahead..."
She regained her earlier smirk, casting a sideways glance to Applejack.
"...you won't find one better than me."
Applejack, not at all intimidated by that, let out a laugh of her own.
"Fancy talk, Lunar. But let's see if ya can beat this."
And with that, Applejack upped the ante, charging forward with a reserve of energy that Aurora, judging from her expression, had clearly not been expecting. But, this brief moment of being impressed at her opponent did not last long, and Aurora's customary cockiness returned to her expression. Without warning, she too began to make her way forward with additional speed, and as such, took no time at all to catch up to Applejack, much to the latter's obvious surprise. She raised an eyebrow at the unexpected arrival of the Lunar mare, and for a time seemed irked by it. But, a mere moment later, she simply smiled, perhaps realising that, at long last, she had a real challenge in this competition. Both mares continued like this, going on and on at land speeds that were probably unheard of for those in Ponyville, dodging stones and trees and whatever else managed to get in their way. But, at the end of it all, there came the inevitable end.
"There! The finish line!" Applejack remarked.
Aurora had seen it too, and said nothing, merely nodding with clear focus and intent. Both mares now gave it their all, running to such an extent that most would have felt their hearts on the verge of exploding from the sheer effort. There was a crowd gathered at the ending line, and all on the Ponyville side of things were cheering long and hard for Applejack, whilst on the other side, there was a collection of Lunar Guards, who stood in a display of discipline and silence, watching their Commander with great interest. The mares drew closer and closer, to the point where they could almost taste the finish line. Then, in an instant, it was all over. The line had been crossed and a roar of approval went up from the gathered crowds. As the cheers went on, Applejack and Aurora, who had to simultaneously skid to a halt, began panting furiously, sweat falling off their brows. After a good long while of this, it was Applejack who broke the silence.
"Well...that...that...that was pretty good."
Aurora, catching her own breath, smiled to her.
"Yeah...it...it was."
The two shared a laugh together, and after a few further minutes of just trying to recover from their exertions, they stopped and stood tall once more, just in time to see the collection of other racers finally catching up to them. Many of the friends and families of these latter ponies cheered for them, but for the two main participants, they were more focused on each other, with Aurora in particular gaining an intrigued expression.
"Gotta hand it to you, Apples, that was one heck of a race."
Applejack smiled.
"Ah’ll say! Ah've never known somepony ta be able ta keep up with me like that!"
"Oh, she did far more than that, Applejack."
Turning, both mares now looked to the one who had spoken. It was Twilight, trotting towards them happily and, after reaching them, looking to Applejack in particular.
"From what the finish line photographer tells me, you two came in on a draw!"
Naturally, both mares seemed surprised by this, looking to one another.
"Has that ever happened before?" Aurora asked.
Applejack shook her head.
"Never! This is the first time!"
Twilight giggled.
"I wouldn't be surprised if you two set some kind of record after that display!"
Aurora smirked.
"I wouldn't be surprised either."
Applejack stared at Aurora for a time, not quite looking like she knew what to think about all of this. But, in the silence that followed, she turned, looking down the path she and Aurora had just come down, and thinking on the race they'd just finished. Then, after that time had passed, she broke out into a smile, taking out a few steps to her rival and, in a surprising move, offering an open hoof to her.
"Good race, Dash...it was fun."
Aurora turned to her, and while taken aback for a second or two over this, soon returned the smile, taking her hoof and shaking it. As one would expect, Twilight was especially happy at this camaraderie being displayed here, but said nothing as Aurora spoke.
"So...same time next year?"
Letting out a hearty laugh, Applejack answered.
"Ah look forward to it!"
