knight

Holly Dash, just trotting across the finish line, realized something suddenly. There were only two ponies ahead of her. She blinked, eyes wide, shock splattered all over her face. She...she had...won!!?!?! A prize?!?! Like...not just a participation ribbon!??! How was that possible she was--she looked back, and saw Applejack just galloping to the finish line. She must have galloped faster than she thought! She felt bad again--she had left behind another friend she had just made. She didn't even hear the congratulations that was offered to her, and as a unicorn pony approached her, the third place necklace floating within her magic, she turned away and trotted back to Applejack, who had tied with two other ponies for twelfth place. She approached, head low, and apologized. "Ah...Ah'm so sorry, Applejack...after what ya did for me, and then Ah just left ya in the dust like that...." She pawed the earth with a hoof, "Can ya ever forgive me?" The frustrated unicorn pony had caught up with Holly and had a twinge of annoyance on her face, "Congratulations, number....uh...number...." She looked at Holly's flank, and there was no number. "Oh, ponyfeathers! It must've fallen off when Ah landed in that sap....." She muttered, sure that she would not even get her reward now, what with her number missing. The unicorn just smiled, "Oh, don't worry so much! We've heard various announcements throughout the race on placing, so we know you've been in the race this whole time. Now, if you wouldn't mind..." "Yes, Ma'am!" Holly put her head up high and proud, and allowed the unicorn pony to slip the 3rd place medallion around her neck. With wide, proud eyes Holly looked down at the gleaming bronze trophy, and realized something else, too. She had beat that griffon!

.....???? The Trollestia confounds me. The app probably should've been locked, so only those with a password could enter and edit it.

Holly had a serious lag in the home stretch, but thank Celestia that that orange earth pony—Applejack—had come along. She had been too stunned initially to spare a response or a courteous hoof shake to the orange earth pony, and had stood mind-numb, and quivers shaking as she wheezed, finally catching her breath, inhaling the sweet air as though it was the last air she would breathe. She had never realized how much she depended on her mouth before! It was still swollen and red from the tear from the stubborn sap. She sighed, and when she was finally ready to speak to the orange pony, it would seem, was still with her, and hadn’t bolted off from the race. She was just lowering an offered hoof, as Holly had missed the extended courtesy in her grope for breath. "Heh, heh. That's ok. These things happen. Well, the best thing to do now is just run it out. Now that you can at least run, you should just work on finishing the race, and we're almost done! I'll run with you if you don't mind." Holly smiled at that, and as she responded, she couldn’t help but notice the sting on her lips, “I’d…really…*cough* like that very much, miss Applejack.” She smiled back at the earth pony, “I suppose there’s no way I’ll beat that cheating griffon now, huh?” She turned back, realizing she so rudely had not returned the introduction, nor confirmed her presence during the parasprite infestation. “OH, my apologies. My name is Holly Dash. I was here around the time of that…swarm,” She chuckled slightly, her voice thick with the odd accent of Beakbreak, it almost had a southern hint like Applejack, but was dingy, tainted with something, and almost cleaner at the same time, “I sell fruit, you see. I had actually just started selling fruit when I came to Ponyville…and half mah stock was eaten—Ah’ve heard that somepony got rid of them nasty bugs, though, so Ah’ll have to come back and give you a sample of my wares some time.” While she was yapping, she had unwittingly started galloping along with the orange earth pony. Being here with the yellow-maned pony made her feel awful about how she had told Stormsong that she would run with her, and deserted her for the sake of competition. She felt ashamed. She would be sure to apologize to her friend at the finish line. “So, Applejack, was it?” She grinned humorously, and as they galloped into the home stretch, she looked at her running companion, “How DID somepony get rid of those durn parasprites?”

(OOC: My previous post was ignored, so...continuing as though Holly had just tripped, so as not to really affect the flow.) Holly Dash looked up from her awkward positon. She had tripped over something stuck in the sap, and was greatly relieved at the arrival of an orange-pelted pony, with a long blonde mane. She had been stuck, knees and face glued to the spot due to the thick, stick pool of sap that she had been unfortunate enough to land in. "Hey, is everything alright? Are you still running the race just fine?" Holly was astounded. Did it LOOK like she was okay? No. She couldn't even get her mouth out of the sap to speak, so she couldn't answer the freckled earth pony. Desperate to get out of her position, she pulled and yanked at the sticky sap, screaming in the back of her throat, so it came out as nothing but, "MMMMMMHHMMM HHMM MMHH!!!" The twist of her head caused more of her colorful mane to get stuck in the sap, and she couldn't help uttering a pained groan, her mane hairs being plucked from her mane. She pounded the earth with her rear hooves, her rump flailing in the air as she struggled against the sap, and she pounded her hooves some more, frustrated. She was actually lucky, if any more of her muzzle were in the sap, she wouldn't even be able to breathe. Luckily, she had landed on her chin, and just had a bit of a slip up and found her mouth in the sap. The sweet smell she was forced to inhale was getting into her head. Her head was already pounding from the overwhelming scent, any more of this and she might pass out. With wide, pleading eyes, she looked up at the orange pony, "MMMRREEEEEEFF???" Was her garbled word for 'please.'

Holly slowed her pace as she entered the sweet-smelling wood. The trees smelt so wonderful here! It gave her a craving for pancakes. With whip cream and strawberries and blueberries and...her mouth was watering at the thought of all that deliciousness. But that didn't keep her from keeping an eye on the sticky ground. She trotted along cheerfully, watching out for sticky puddles of goo, and hopping over the ones unavoidable. She then heard a racket. "Come.... on.... Swift... Breeze..." She looked over to see a male pegasus pony, stuck in the sap. She could not bring herself to simply walk by when somepony needed help. She hesitated only a second before trotting over to the pegasus pony. "Quite a sticky situation you got yurself in, huh?" she asked humorously, smiling widely as she eyed the points where he was stuck, being careful not to go into the sap herself, "Lemme help you outta there, pal!" She powered up her horn, and lifted the pegasus pony with some effort, biting her lip as she concentrated. She pulled this way and that--the sap stretched taut, but did not snap. She frowned, and began trotting away, still holding the male as she walked, the sap began to snap in places. Until finally, with one final yank from her horn, he was sent sprawling free. Unfortunately, Holly had been tugging towards herself, and the pegasus was sent crashing on top of her. Luckily enough, they didn't land in another pond of sap. She chuckled and smiled at the pegasus pony, a total stranger, crashed on top of her, "Well...Lucky I came along, huh?" She laughed, "My name's Holly. Holly Dash. Nice to meetcha!"

Oh, my! No need to apologize! n.n thank you very, very much. I'm glad I said something. I wouldn't have known that you had missed it, otherwise. XwX

*is highly upset that she got a '1' for her two posts* >: / I disagree. They were at least 2 worthy. *harumph* C'mon, Holly, we can beat that nasty griffon cheat!

"Says the pony who tried to trip me up earlier!" Holly was taken aback at the griffon's wild accusation. She had done no such thing! "You really think you can talk after that low blow you tried to pull earlier?" "What in all of Equestria are you talking about?!" ​Holly was flabbergasted at the griffon, but she seemed to completely ignore Holly's accusation, and didn't even seem to notice her attempts to push down the griffon's wings, so she gave up the pull on her magic. Holly frowned as the griffon cawed down at her, infuriated by the impudent lies. "This race is anything goes as far as I'm concerned." "You dirty cheat!" she turned away from the griffon, disgusted by her dirty tricks, she turned to the ponies that had escaped the rock slide. Stormsong was near the pile of rubble. Holly ran over the piles of rock and debris to her friend, continuing past the ponies heading in the wrong direction, just to assure herself that her friend was alright. She almost passed out with relief when she saw her long haired friend was alright. "I'm so glad you're okay," Holly was lightly panting, slowing down had truly given her the breath she needed, and although she had lost her place at the front of the pack, she was determined to at least beat the cheating griffon, "I am SO glad that you're alright, I--I don't know what I'd do if my very first friend was hurt..." she placed a hoof across Stormsong's shoulder, smiling warmly at her, "I'm sorry I left you, but...." She glared up at the griffon, more determined than ever, "I can't let her win." She reared up, whinnying a battle cry like her ancestors did back in the days before ponies had civilized language. She was ready to run like her ancestors, too. In her imagination, she was free, running wild on the plains and the grass bending under her hooves. Her mane whipped and lashed in the wind, and she excelled past the ponies she had just backtracked too, and flashed past the rockslide site, leaping rocks to her advantage and pushing herself forward, her lungs filled with the rush of a second wind. She may not win this thing, but she wouldn't let that cheater beat her!

wait...what...when did I magically start winning? Holy celestia! O_O!!! *GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAASP!!!!* lucky Holly!

Holly stopped dead on her hooves, turning back. The crashing sounds of the earth alerting her to the actions that she had just buzzed pass. She looked up and saw the brown winged shape in the sky. That stupid griffon! She had challenged her so abruptly, and then ignored her? How dare she! She pawed the earth furiously, and turned around, giving up the spot she had unconsciously gained up near the front of the pack. She barelled back to where some ponies were gathered about where a rock slide had taken place. She looked up to where the rocks had fallen, and saw the griffin that had yowled at her earlier. "Too busy cheating?!" She called up at the griffon, and her horn glowed brightly, and pushed on the griffon's wings with her magic, a sweat forming on her cheek from the effort, "afraid you won't win if you fight fair?! Lose the wings and quit cheating, squawky!!"

"So, that's how you want to play then?" Holly's smile drooped, and she tilted her head in confusion. The griffon seemed to have mistook her for someone, as she was speaking as though to someone she was very angry with. That seemed odd, not many ponies had as colorful of manes as she did. "I know your game. You recognized me as a threat, huh? Now you want to trip me up." Holly was only even more confused, her ears dropped and her eyes widened in total confusion at the furious, taloned she-griffon. "Well, I'm not going to let that just slide!" Holly was nearly blown away as the griffon screeched into her face, she could almost feel her fur fly out with the force of it all. "I've got my eyes on you! Believe me, if you try anything, you'll regret it..." Holly was left on her flanks, wide eyed and totally confused, as the griffon jetted off, her wings excelling her forward. She didn't know this griffon, but she'd be darned to pony heck if she was going to let her win too easily. She lifted her rump in the air, her front hooves pawing the ground, "Sorry, Storm--I'll see you at the finish line!" With a flex of her back, her chest was on the ground, she wagged her tail excitedly before pushing off from the angled ground, and speeding after the griffon, her horn poised forward, slicing through the air at a speed easily rivaling the griffon. She did not care of the other ponies, her eyes were only on the brown shape of the griffon steadily moving towards the front of the pack. The burning in her lungs only pushed her on, and as she panted, it was like applause in her ears. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity of weaving through ponies and skirting around trees and corners, she was at the griffon's side. She said nothing, just brought her neck up out of her nose dive and looked at the griffon, grinning smugly before sticking her tongue out and pushing past the stunned she hawk, diving her head down once more, her horn slicing through the wind as she galloped.

It would seem that they had caught up a little bit--Holly had pushed her brisk pace onto Stormsong, and had forced herself onward as well, increasing her pace every chance she got even the slightest downward slope beneath her feet, the gravitational pull pushing her pace faster. There was a couple times where she had pulled out past Stormsong in those moments when she let her feet fly down the hill, her tri-colored mane streaking colors behind her as the rolling hills that dove into the Whitetail Woods--where her home and garden were--a territory all too familiar to her. "WOOOOOOOHOO!" She cried out cheerfully, blazing past ponies in her rush of speed. She closed her eyes as the wind pressed into her eyes, knowing full well the turns of the path, as she had traveled it many times. In her rush, she took a moment to call back to her companion, "C'MON, STORM!!!" > TTHHRUMP!!! < Before she knew what hit her, she was brought to a sudden halt as she slammed into a certain--not pony. As the dust settled, it became clear that it was NOT a pony that she had crashed into, but an all-too unhappy GRIFFON. She shook herself, and tried to handle this pleasantly, smiling, hoping that the griffon would take things lightly, "Sorry about that! Y'know how it is when you get those rushes of wind in your face--y'just can't stop!!" Completely unbeknownst to her, she had just done to the griffon what the griffon had just done to some poor pony--though she did it on accident.

"I um... sure, but... if you wouldn't mind too terribly much... I don't want to get left too far behind." Holly Dash, despite herself, was a little bit flabbergasted by the pony. She was obviously hungry, and nopony she ever knew could ever think of winning a race without something to fuel them onward. Was it something about herself? She looked down at the fruit in her basket--thinking maybe there was something wrong there. No, they were as beautiful as the day they were plucked--no bruises or bugs. She could still taste a bit of their sweet flavor in her mouth. But the mare before her seemed to have already gotten up in her mindless pondering, and she immediately went to follow. Before she knew it, though, the blue unicorn had turned back towards her, as though she had forgotten something. "Um... my name's Stormsong... and you are?" Holly smiled and magicked the basket between them, "The name is Holly Dash, it's a pleasure to meet you, Stormsong. I'm a fruit vendor--but I love a good race!! Nopony in Equestria could keep me from participating!" Her voice held the odd accent that came from living in the rough town of Beakbreak all of her life--similar to a griffon's cynical tone, but with the soft melodic note of a gentle pony. She magicked out a berry and munched on it, "But nopony in Equestria is gonna be finishin' this race on an empty stomach! And since I ALWAYS wake up late in the mornin'--I hid this basket here, so I could catch breakfast on the way." She gave a smile to her fellow unicorn, "Perhaps we could run together? I don't have many pals in Equestria--I know someponies from sellin' on the road, but I haven't been doin' that too terribly long..." She couldn't help the frown that came as she thought of her life before she left Beakbreak. She looked back up to the mare, and returned the smile to her face, "We could be friends, though. If you want."

Holly had this all planned out! As she and the ponies that were at pace with her arrived in the apple orchard, she headed off the path towards a specific tree. Hidden in a bush at the base of a tree was a little basket. She pulled it out, and unfolded the blanket off of the top, revealing swollen red strawberries, plump blueberries and a couple of blackberries. While she was all for a good apple, she much preferred the fruit from her cart. She licked her lips and sat down, munching on the berries. While a few ponies also stopped, most only grabbed an apple and went on their way, a couple stopped and caught their breath, before trotting on and pushing themselves harder. She then noticed a female unicorn--a soft blue in color, settled down. Holly wasn't too far away, so she actually heard the rumble as the other unicorn stared at the apples--of course, not wanting to steal them. She looked back to her own basket of berries. She smiled, and picked it up by the handle, trotting over to the pony she didn't know--Stormsong--and set the basket down, smiling, "Hungry?" She sat down next to the other female unicorn, glad to offer a hungry pony her pride and joy, and the--literal--fruit of her labors. Although she was a grocer pony, she was always happy to feed a hungry pony, "You can certainly help yourself to some of my fruit. I packed in a little too much." She grinned again, "I'm always glad to feed a hungry pony!"

Holly Dash was, initially, hesitant to reenter the city of Ponyville. She kept her distance at first, worried that perhaps the infestation of Parasprite had not taken leave since she was last here to attempt to sell her fruit. It seemed clear enough--the buildings were all in tact and she didn't hear any of the familiar sound of buzzing that the insects made. She trotted into town with wide eyes-scanning the place for any sign of the bugs. Last time she had nearly lost all of the fruit in her cart. It was a peaceful day, not much about. She picked up her pace to a more cheerful jaunt, and managed to make a couple sales as she trotted along, before catching site of an elder pony with two younger ponies--she knew one of the ponies to be Applejack--tales of the six elements of harmony had reached even the outcast peaks of Beakbreak, and when she had been here last she had seen them--but had not been able to speak to them, panicking at the bugs and leaving town without even a single sale. She plodded towards the three ponies, and just as she neared, Applejack headed off. She resisted the urge to frown, and since she had now been noticed by the elderly pony and the one younger, she could not get off with an aversion. They looked almost ready to follow Applejack as she arrived, "Greetings Ponyville citizens!" She said pleasantly, a friendly smile wide on her face, "Any interest in getting your hooves on the BEST fruit in Ponyville?"

What a glorious day it was! A glorious day for a race, especially. It was not her forte, to say the least, but Holly Dash had something in her that just couldn't resist a race! Maybe it was the little ounce of 'Dash' that she had in her. She wasn't a slow pony to say the least--there were times where she'd travel between towns in her cart in half the time that it took some other travelin' ponies she knew. Her number was plastered over her cutie mark and she was rarin' to go! She jogged in place lightly on her hooves, impatiently watching the ponies around her gather, the balloon rise into the air, filled with hot air. She had heard tales of the running of the leaves back home in Beakbreak, but it was something all too different to actually be here. Her whole body was practically pulsing with excitement! Somepony with a thicker build budged past her, grunting as he did so, and flashing her a nasty look. She frowned, and stuck her tongue out at the bully of a stallion. "GO!!!" The shout caught her off-guard, and before she knew it, everypony else had passed her by, and she was left coughing in the dust. "Ugh! *hack hack* that no good *cough* stupid *hack* son of a donkey!" she reared up and pawed the air with her hooves in a fury, before stampeding after the variously colored rear ends of all the ponies passed. She found the hindquarters of the stallion who had shoved her, and picked up her pace, smashing into his shoulder and pushing him aside before rushing past him, and settling into pace at about the middle of the runners--not rushing to the front, but not doing the 'pace yourself' routine at the rear of the pack. She was pacing herself, of course, but in her own way. With a grin on her face, she ran on light hooves. She was gonna win this thing!

My friends and I did a MLP cosplay a while back. I'd love to post pictures but....they don't show up? o.o But I'm a cosplayer, and it retains to the topic!