Stage Six: Whitetail Woods! Caught in a Sticky Situation?

[Dashman562]

ZIG! ZAG!  ZOOM!

 

Boulder Dash was one of the lucky few to not got stuck in the sappy much as he moved and ran with the top racers in tandem.  Unlike a few ponies who got stuck in the sappy mess, Boulder Dash was running through the woods just as he did as a colt unimpeded thanks to his luck and awarness.  He passed the stuck and now sticky Pinkie Pie and Ra Ra hoping they would be okay, though figured Pinkie would actually like being stuck in the sweet sap.

 

However as he soon caught up with Taira, he heard a loud BANG and turning back he ducked as he saw something pink fly at him with great speed and shoot over head.  "What in Tarnation?  Was that a comet?" he asked as he looked up in confusion.  However as he heard Taira call out to Pinkie he blinked a bit and grunted in shock.  

 

"Well that was unexpected.  I wonder where she keeps those things?  She can't keep um in her saddle bags....can she?" he asked his new Kirin friend.

[Pretzelparty]

 

A grin spread over Taira's muzzle as he hear the strong gait of a certain country-pony behind him. He was about to try and catch up with Fire Walker ahead of him, but Boulder's arrival bought Pinkie Pie more time to try and get her scaly friend unstuck before his ride would attempt his final dash to the finish line! Another puddle of sap was jumped as the stallion slowed ever so slightly to allow one of the friends he'd made on this route a chance to catch up.

 

 "Welcome back again, Boulder-san! Seems those sandwiches are in almost in reach, aren't they?" Taira smirked playfully over to the strong skulled earthpony, "Seems I'll have to stop going easy on you soon!" 

 

The sap patches were starting to get fewer and farther between as the group made their dash to the finish line, speed building up and pulling layer after layer off the trees around them! He could only imagine how things must look to the ponies in the stands. "As for where she pulls all those things from? Hm... I'm guessin' she's got some sort of secret compartment in her mane! Maybe you can ask her, in time you'll both in a similar position: Behind me!" Seemed with the end so close in sight, Taira's urge to give some competitive verbal jabs was only growing.

 

 

 

[RainbowFoxxy]

 

"Oh my gosh!" Pinkie jumped up and dusted herself off. There were still some bits of sap around, even some small strings still connected between Pinkie and Ra-Ra. She took a few steps towards the big kirin. 

 

"Gummy!" She reached up and gripped the gator tightly around his midsection. "I'm so sorry Taira!" She tried to pull him loose but he was firmly stuck between Taira's horns. "Gummy was no supposed to bite! Were you Gummy?" The gator's right eye rolled towards Pinkie from his stuck position. "Come on off of there you!" She pulled hard. Gummy stretched like a rubber band but remained stuck.

 

Taira tried his mist magic to no avail. 

 

"What are we gonna do with you...?" She eyed her gator ruefully. How was she going to get the gator unstuck? "Just a sec!"

 

Pinkie took off like a shot over to the stand with the honey candies and was back in a flash! She held out a honey pop in front of Gummy's eyes.

 

"Well...you want a honey pop Gummy? Do ya?" She waved the treat back and forth, Gummy's eyes followed the treat.

 

POP!

 

The gator opened his mouth and dislodged himself from the kirin, firmly planting his gums around the honey pop!

 

"Ha ha! I knew you couldn't resist!" She kept holding the stick from the honey pop and placed the gator on her back. "There ya go Gummy! Me and you together to the end!"

 

She glanced ahead of her. "Speaking of the end...the race is almost over!" She trotted in place. "And those guys are ahead of us again!" She called back to Hawke! "Hey there pretty griffon! You gonna let those stallions beat us?" She pointed to Boulder and Taira. "Cause we gotta catch up quick!" 

 

 

[Dashman562]

Boulder Dash didn't mind the tough talk.  If anything he reveiled in it.  As such Taira's challenge was answered as he made a bee line with his reserves and was soon neck and neck with the Kirin.  "I'm not making it that easy on ya pardner.  Family honor would never allow it" he said as he ran with Taira with the finish line close by.

 

As he ran he spotted a certain pink pony that was recovering from her inverted launch, passing her and her griffioness friend as he sped by.  "Come on Cutie Pie.  I'm a need a nice reward from ya after I cross the finish line with a Gold medal round my thick neck!" he called out and winked at Pinkie Pie as he sped by.

 

Laughing out loud he soon pulled forward and spotted a certain orange furred mare and a blonde tail that caught his attention off to his side and green eyes that could stop any Stallion dead in his tracks.  Though in Boulder's case he just speed faster towards her as he closed the distance to get a good spot in the closing part of the race.

 

"If yer plan was to use the cute flank of yearn to get me moving faster it's working like a charm AJ.  But I hopes to see ya join me in the winners circle for some fresh hot food in the end" he called out to Applejack.

[DreamWanderer]

Having turned the Corner Heart shield Returned to a gallop at full speed. Out of now where there was a loud boom up ahead. Shortly after Applejack excused herself and took off ahead toward the noise. Heart Shield was rather curious what all the commotion was about. Rearing his head into the wind He galloped in leaps and bounds. The narrow trail finally forked with the main trail. Thankfully it was less littered with puddles of sap. Rounding another corner He saw a group of ponies up ahead, This was as good as time as any to catch up. Using every last bit of energy he could muster he galloped ahead, churning the leaves behind him. Passing the Honey pop stand he keep his head low and focused on gaining as much ground as he could. He remembered seeing a Bright red colored pony a little ways back. That pony seemed familiar to him. Recalling his memory he recognized her as another Royal guard member, A higher ranking one if he remembered correctly. It had been just after he joined the Royal guard. He should have gave her a proper greeting, but he was focusing on not getting stuck at the time. "Man that would have been doubly embarrassing to get stuck then"  He thought to himself as Ran along. Closing in on the group now, he could see Applejack, and a host of other ponies he hasn't meet yet. Eager to meet new ponies he hurried along as fast as he could to catch up to them. 

[Pretzelparty]

 

 

Now that was surprising. Taira thought that the little gator might have been stuck thanks to the sap he'd eaten... apparently he just really liked the back of his head. Was there something sweet in his mane? Did some of the sap drip onto it when he wasn't looking? Those were questions for later, "Thank you kindly, Pinkie-san! However this race ends I hope to celebrate with you once it does!" He snickered as he picked up the pace to pull forward ahead of Pinkie and Hawke.

 

Boulder responded to Taira's challenging words just as he'd hoped. The exciteable country stallion pulled on ahead after giving some honeyed words to Taira's pink pony compatriot. The kirin had hoped that he might move along ahead and surprisingly allowed himself to drift behind slightly as the race continued on. There was an opponent in the running he wouldn't let carry on without a bit of fun. Taira sniffed a few times at the air until he noticed that chaotic aroma behind him along with Hawke , "How's the view back there, friends? I trust you'll be more than happy to enjoy it all the way to the finish line!" 

Taira let himself drift back a bit further until his long banner of tail was left lightly dancing over the end of strife's muzzle before the kirin again picked up his speed, "I'm surprised that a mountain has managed to outpace disorder itself! You'll need to step up your game if you want to win! Just push past that wall before I steal the victory from under your nose!" Taira was entirely expecting some sort of silly comeuppance for taunting exactly who he was taunting who he was taunting... but if he could get a chance to get a leg over Discord himself that was something he could brag about back home! Meanwhile atop his head, The Bandit was looking rather nervous on top of his mount. The raccoon seemingly revving the kirin's horns as if urging him to go faster so he could escape a potential punishment.

 

[Hippo]

 

Applejack galloped alongside Ra-Ra, easily able to blow off the steam that had simmered inside of her for six sections of the race. Thanks to the good old fashioned nature of running your legs off, the mare was able to really begin disregarding everything around her that wasn't immediately pressing as a race concern. This included her previous over-analyzing of other racers' integrity and inability to conduct themselves by the expectations of the official Running of the Leaves rulebook. Her mental wall, as Ra-Ra and herself would put it, had started to shed its skin and the true earth pony tenacity that gave Applejack her reputation had begin to show more and more. The tear ducts in her eyes were only swollen for a minute. Applejack had a few moments of vulnerability, but she was very grateful of Coloratura giving her the pick-mare-up after the unexpected outburst from Applejack. Applejack's wall was littered with self-arguments and toxic intervention of honest-doing, and only somepony who truly knows and understands how she operates would be able to tame the beast within the mighty mare to a point of peace. "Thanks for the support, best friend," she said warmly to a heavy galloping pattern of breathing. "Couldn't have done this without you, and wouldn't want it any other way."

 

Behind the girls, Boulder Dash was bulldozing by. The brown over-sized stallion spoke flirtatiously, something about Applejack's hind quarters being some sort of motivation for the earth pony.  Applejack held her insides from regurgitating, her attitude much clearer now than it had been before. "Is that so, partner? My appetite is going to be sated mighty reasonably. I'm not sure I even want to eat in the winner's circle, after takin' a bite out of you and everypony else before this race is done." Applejack sped up slightly to the increased pace-setting that side banter typically provoked.

[tacobob]

 

“Nah, it’s usually a pretty standard little race...One with history.”, the officer made sure to add as she ran alongside the small pack of ponies and other creatures.  “There was that one race where Applejack and Rainbow Dash got into a fight....Well, maybe not a real one, but one of those slappy fights that brings up a giant dust cloud..And then you can’t see the ponies fighting..I’m pretty sure it’s the same physics as those giant snow-balls that always seem to roll down hills and catch ponies in them...And then keep rolling.”, Fire Walker let out a dry chuckle, “I remember that race...Mostly because I lost to Princess Twilight Sparkle...And this was before she ascended and got wings....”, she huffed. “So basically the worst involved dust-clouds and being an life-long military mare who lost a race to an skinny little unicorn.”

 

Thankfully the kirin was able to avoid the sticky patch of sap. It probably would have taken him ages to remove all that gunk from his shaggy fetlocks. "It's like those who were supposed to be minding the weather and the tracks this year did not show up..Hope everything is okay...Maybe they caught the flu? Hoof in mouth? Pony pox?" Maybe that ol' pest Discord had something to do with it! He probably turned off those pony's alarm clocks! Or slipped them something funky in their breakfast! It had to be something! She did not like Discord one bit! Not with a fox, not in a box! Not in a bar or even a railroad car! Not even during the winter or fall! She did not like Discord at all!

 

As for the wedding. "It's still in the planning stages..The very slow planning stages.", she woefully grunted, "I hope to have it at the Castle Of Friendship as Princess Twilight has offered to officiate the whole thing." And she would have to go to the bachelorette party as well! Off to the 'Wild Stallion Saloon' in Las Pegasus! She wouldn't mind seeing what a few drinks would do to her current boss. *

 

One thing confused the mare. "Autograph? Why in the world would you want her signature?" The farmer was already in a rather heated argument with the mare...And Pinkie...Apparently she was a little tired of her shenanigans! Ho-Boy! Applejack was not one happy pony! Would this mark the return of the dust-ball? Thankfully, cooler heads prevailed, but that did not change the fact that the pair cheated! As did Discord.....And possibly her fiance...Wherever he was at the moment. Hopefully not head first in an tree stump somewhere. Covered in honey...Being bedeviled by hungry bears! Or he might be dragging Ice Storm and her silly armor back to the starting line.

 

As she pondered what sort of madness she had witnessed, a somewhat familiar sight strolled into view. It was guard Heart Shield! She only hoped they didn't dig out old General Pummel to help train when Fire had been sent away! She had been schedule to help train the hardy young stallion, but the mess in Fillydelphia had to be taken care of. And she ended up smelling like 'poo-gas' for days. And dealing with the brothers and their sass. Oye. She could picture the old gargoyle as he tried to train a bunch of new recruits. Pummel was better suited roaming the dark and spooky halls of the 'Haunted Stables' in Whiny Land!

 

Heart was busy trying his best to avoid the sap-pits. She would have to chat with him after the race. Maybe he could help her find Swift Squall and Ice Storm!

 

 

Spoiler

 

* Basically this

 

 

 

[Pretzelparty]

 

 

Eventually the Bandit's urging to move along convinced Taira he should heed them. If he'd managed to light a fire in the belly of the god of chaos himself, he wouldn't want to be too close when the bomb that was his resolve went off. Falling back in the running earlier was an entirely purposeful action he'd taken in the hopes he could actually make the run a bit easier for himself. How would letting oneself fall behind in a race make it easier to reclaim the lead one might ask? Well, the answer was simple. Slipstreaming! 

The kirin pulled on ahead, positioning himself behind those leading the pack. The wake of leaves behind them loomed very close and only grew as the bulky kirin slipped behind the leaders! Being behind these fast moving ponies shielded him from wind resistance and drag, letting him spend less energy that he could use for the final stretch! When one racer in the group came to a turn, Taira would snatch it up to slip into the wake of another competitor! Seemed this old kirin had a few new tricks he was fully willing to strut as he strategically made his moves, gradually coming closer and closer to the front!

 

On top of his head, The bandit was grinning and chittering with glee. The raw speed blasting over him making his cheeks flap and kept his eyes glued open. The Kirin surged on ahead with a delighted grin on his face, "Get Ready for the Right of your life, Ringtail!" FOr a moment he found himself caught back up with the red mare he spoke to earlier, "Best wishes on your big day when it comes! ... And remember! If you ever fight, it's not you against him: It's both of you against the problem!"

[Dubstep]

Hawke chuckled at Taira's taunting. "Oh the view wouldn't be too bad if it weren't for the brick house in front of me." she countered with a grin. The beefy stallion certainly couldn't be considered a 'wide load' in the terms of being fat. But he was stocky and thick! And he certainly wasn't made of glass. Truthfully though the view wasn't bad at all!~ The griffon smiled over at the grey unicorn and snrked. "Eh don't let em get to ya. Winning the race ain't the only thing that matters. It's about having fun out here too. Making friends, enjoying the fresh autumn air, getting some grade A exercise!" of course the griffon was entirely unaware of the real depths of the rivalry between Taira and this unicorn...or exactly who this unicorn was yet exactly. "And you've certainly done all three of those so far! Made a friend with me and I ain't even got your name yet." Hawke winked at the unicorn, maybe that would be enough to get the mysterious and handsome stranger to give up his name.

When Pinkie showed up the griffon grinned and waved happily at the mare "Hey Pinkie! Yeah, we'll catch up with them soon! I was just giving this guy here a pep talk." she said nodding towards the stallion. "He was getting a little winded there so I grabbed him a honey pop as a pick me up! I got you one too! A sweet for the sweet." the griffoness gave Pinkie a wink as she passed the pop over. "How're you feeling dude, think you can keep up with me and Pinkie over here? I betcha can! I believe in you!" giving the stallion a pat on the shoulder, she motioned forward. "Pump those legs, we've got this! There's no losers in this race!" Hawke pressed onward, making sure to keep an eye on the stallion. He seemed like a nice guy, she'd hate to see him strain himself too hard. Races were meant to be fun after all, maybe all he needed was some more friends...ones that he wasn't in a personal competition with that is.