Otsdarva

Just as Douglas had begun to feel he should begin looking for another cafe he noticed a pony turn around from a wall, having looked over something but Douglas wasn't sure what. The slender stallion was Bramble Rose, the friend of Ginger's that had suggested meeting for tea. The stallion sat before him and offered a gentle greeting. Douglas smiled, giving a nod. "Hello to you too, Mr. Rose. It's nice to know I didn't pick the wrong cafe." Douglas replied. Looking over the stallion, Douglas seemed to think Bramble was a little unsure how to handle talking to him when he began again. "The weather? I suppose it has been very nice lately, what with the fall breeze coming in. Those weather ponies do an amazing job." Douglas heard him mention a lovely Rainbow-maned mare but he had never seen such a pony yet so Douglas let it slide.

Douglas glanced around at the other tables, taking in the atmosphere around them for a second before letting out a light hum. "This is a very nice place, I can see why you suggested it. I hope Miss Mint isn't rushing herself, muscle aches can make even common chores a struggle if you're not careful." Douglas mused aloud, catching sight of the earlier waiter passing by. Douglas had considered seeing if they should at least order their drinks while they waited on Ginger to arrive. "Do you think we should place our ord--" just then a clank of a tray cut off his question as Ginger had arrived, laying her cookies on the table. "Miss Mint, you made it! I was just about to ask if we should order our drinks now." Douglas explained, listening for her to continue. "Oh, please. You're not that late, I just got here a few moments ago myself. Take a seat, relax!"

Everypony was here now and after a slight peak at the side of the tray he could see a few treats hanging out and they looked amazing. "Ginger, is it alright if I take one now?" Douglas asked, rather sure that it would be impolite to just grab hold of one and begin eating. Douglas was trying to ease himself down, while he didn't show it he was being way too strung with the way he referred to the others and wanted to stop that. Waiting for her reply with a smile Douglas saw the waiter beginning to make his way to them, he slowly started thinking of what he could have to drink.

Douglas slowly rose up with the new day, his muscles felt stiff and he'd rather spend the morning in bed. He knew otherwise though, forcing himself to roll out of bed and onto his hooves. Slowly he moved about the room, gently stretching his body out over a course of steps throughout the room. While Douglas often pulled wagons that worked his muscles, it wasn't often that he just straight sprinted without anything to hold him back, the end result being a few sore muscles in places he forgot could get sore. "Ooh...pushed it a little hard at the end yesterday, Trotter!" He groaned gently as he ran his hooves under a sink, using them to wash his face and then slick back his mane. Content he looked awake and decent, Douglas slipped on four little cuffs around his hooves and made for the door.

Leaving the inn, Douglas began to wander around Ponyville. He remembered where a few buildings were, but most of the town remained relatively unexplored except for the main street and marketplace. It was with a little luck that he didn't cause any trouble with his aimless wandering. At one point he could smell the baked goods at Sugarcube Corner, but after a wrong turn he lost the scent. "Well this has become quite a task. Odds are they're already waiting for me" Douglas chided to himself. At least his wandering had gotten his muscles moving again and the soreness was fast fading away.

Douglas was beginning to grow a little upset at his lack of directions when he finally came upon the marketplace, it was bustling quite well. Still, it was a place he had moved through the times he had delivered in Ponyville so he relaxed a bit now that he was on familiar ground. Douglas waddled his way through a few crowds, pushing through the thick of the market with ease and now starting to feel in a more comfortable area as he moved down a few more streets. Douglas felt he had his bearings now and sure enough located a nice little cafe that he could only assume was to be the place the three ponies would gather.

Moving to one of the tables, Douglas took a seat and carefully looked around the at the other ponies enjoying tea and sandwiches and it started to make him feel a little hungry. Against his tummy's plea though, Douglas decided it would be better to hold off eating until Miss Mint could arrive with the Cookies she said she would bake. Although, he didn't know how long that would be. Just then a little menu was passed to him. He didn't even notice the waiter until he was standing over Douglas. "Oh, I'm waiting for two friends to show up. Can you hold off until they arrive?" Douglas asked, receiving a neutral look from the waiter before he nodded and left Douglas at the table. "Well then, it seems like I'm first to the cafe...or I found the wrong one. Either way, all I can do now is sit and wait for the others." Douglas thought, nodding slightly to himself. The thought of who would arrive second not to far from his mind as he leaned back in his chair and tried to relax himself.

Mine would have to be the Inglip Memes...

Spoilered for size and minor violence.

Indeed, I think we all had an amazing time. I wonder how many other events we'll have in the future.

Indeed, maybe a small after event thread to close up what few stories are still awaiting an ending.

That was an amazing event! I can't believe how much fun that was! I was really begging for a top ten finish, pity I got knocked down to 12th right at the end! Better luck next year! Congrats to Diego and Lyra for taking the gold! Nice work everypony, not just the ones on center stage but the ones behind the curtains as well! If it weren't for your organization and coordination of the event this may not have turned out as fun as it did.

((OOC: I feel that

The grand finale, the final stretch! The last leg of the Running of the Leaves was upon them all! As Douglas, Mobius, and Survey broke out of the White Tail Woods and onto the final straight-a-way they realized they had waited too long and were being enveloped by the rest of the pack. Douglas could see both of his new friends falling behind him. His body ached from top to the bottom, head to hoof! He could barely believe it was finally coming to an end! This one, eventful day, full of crazy twists and odd moments had really worn him out. From bad starts and early breaks, to exhausting swims and foul play. This has been a rather interesting day, it was simply amazing that he had so much fun today.

It wasn't soon that Douglas recognized the mare in front of him, it was Miss Mint! He was glad to see she was had gotten over the bridge in good time and even found her way ahead of him. He wanted to speak with her again, but it seemed like she was focused on the race so Douglas assumed it would probably be best if he waited. It was soon after that Douglas heard somepony call from behind him. He glanced back at the pony who called him. "Yeah! One hay of a day!" Douglas replied, his breath labored as he checked ahead of himself before hearing the Scruffy pony continue. "Well, I at least hope there's none left!" With that simple reply, Douglas decided it was time to push harder for the line. The straight-a-way was a long dash ahead and he could slowly feel himself slipping into a racing mindset, the colors of the Ponies around him soon blurring as solely the road remained unaffected by his vision!

"Push for it, Trotter!" he thought, his muscles crying for a break as he rushed through the pain, wanting to edge out one or two more places before the line! "I've come this far! The line is right there! I'm crossing it and I'm going to pass everypony I can!" Douglas could feel himself gaining on Ginger, his mind pulling his thoughts away for the moment before shaking them off and making for the finish! It was going to be a close run, he could feel himself moving alongside other ponies as they either charged past him or dropped behind him. Douglas couldn't tell if he had anymore in the tank to push forward in the pack, but he knew he at least had enough to hold his place! The line was in sight, fast closing in. It was now or never to make that final move!

Tucking his head down slightly, Douglas groaned through gritting teeth as he pushed forward for the finish! It was going to be his last chance to edge out one last spot! The banner above the line and the checkered line across the ground the only things his eyes still recognized! It was going to be closer than ever for the finish! He could feel ponies along side him on both sides, his competitive spirit wanted to beat them all to the line! "Douglas Trotta' Across the line!" he barked as he came upon the finish. Desperate for that last edge Douglas did the unexpected and dug his hind legs into the ground, diving forward, forelegs outstretch as he soared across the line! His body crashed and tumbled over the line, the sacrifice more than worth it if he gained an extra position from it!

His body coming to rest across the line, Douglas slowly pushed himself to his hooves...his body so weary and tired from the run and his undercarriage sore from sliding and tumbling over the line. He was fast regretting his decision to jump for the line, but it was all in fun. Cringing as he slowly began walking around the finish, he plopped down on his haunches as the other ponies came across the line. Douglas looked for the ponies he recognized and cheered for them to charge on! He slowly stamped his hooves as soon enough all the ponies has crossed the line. Douglas slowly stood up after the race was finally over, he knew for a fact that tonight he was going to sleep like a newborn.

Standing up wobbly he began moving through the field looking for familiar faces. There were still a few ponies coming across the line, but most had already finished and were trying to regain their strength. He saw quite a few ponies helping others, either with getting a drink or keeping them active to cool down. It was after pushing past a few ponies nudging those that were resting that he came upon Survey. "Hay! Wasn't that fun? And look at all the leaves we knocked down!" Douglas exclaimed as he moved alongside Survey waiting for his reply. "I have to say, I had a lot of fun. Definitely hoping to come back next year, how about you?" he asked, seeing his friend was still a little awkward with his speech. "I just hope next time there isn't so many obstacles, some of those were just unreal." After his little chat Douglas said his goodbye and began looking through the crowd for another familiar face.

After a little more wadding along the surge of ponies Douglas came upon Mobius. The Pegasus had finished just a ways behind Douglas and he hoped Mobius wouldn't be too worn out. "Mobius, hay! That was quite the rush at the end, huh? I didn't see the pack come up on us until we were swarmed by them!" Douglas said, his breathing still labored from the sprint to the finish. "I'm shocked we did as well as we did! So you coming back next year?" Douglas couldn't help but feel himself let out a quick stretch as he listened to Mobius' answer. "I believe I'll be running again, as long as work doesn't interfere than I'll be here!" Just then he caught something in the side of his eye, a streak of green had passed gently by. "Hay, It was great fun running with you and Survey, hopefully we'll meet again sometime." Douglas said, lifting a hoof to Mobius. "Let's continue this later, alright? I'll see ya around!" With his goodbye said, Douglas waited on Mobius' reply before trotting off after whatever it was that caught his eye.

"Hm...Hey, it is Miss Mint!" Douglas said as he saw her through the crowd. He had thought he had seen her while talking with Mobius and wanted to apologize for getting split up. "Hello! Miss Mint! Ginger! It's good to see you finished alright!" Douglas stated as he pushed his way through the other ponies. "That was some finish, wasn't it? Didn't think everypony would bunch up again for the final dash! Did you see who won?" Douglas soon trotted alongside the mare as she moved around the area, he could feel his muscles begging for a rest. Although he made sure to keep moving for awhile first. "I'm sorry our conservation earlier got disrupted. Now that the race is over maybe we could have a little more time to talk."

Having reached about as far as his rear hooves along were going to carry him, he couldn't help but sigh in relief as the others came to his aid. When he felt his tail being bit and firmly yanked, however, he let out a shocked whinny. "Hey-whoa-huh?! Ain't ya gonna buy a pony dinner first?!" he called back as he found himself getting pulled, his wings unfurling and flapping lightly to help further stretch the sticky goo extending from his hooves to the puddle, which by now stretched for a couple of yards. The plan worked, though, and in a few short moments, a loud 'snap' resounded from the string, sending him toppling over the red Earth pony and onto his back, skidding a short distance before coming to a halt.

After lying on his back for a few moments, his eyes derping once again, he would shake his head and quickly hop up onto his hooves... only to wretch slightly at the unusual feeling before glancing down, noticing dirt and dust already caking over his affected limbs. "That's jus' nasty," he mumbled before sighing and shaking his head, "I really hope this stuffs washes off easy." As he spoke, he began to trot towards his saviors, leaning down to nudge them with one of his rear hooves - an unusual gesture, but the only way to avoid getting any more of the annoying substance on anypony else. "Thanks fer the save. Ya alright?" he asked with a wry grin, giving a friendly wink before nodding down the track, "'Cause we a clear path up ahead 'n a race t' win."

Douglas continued to pull with Survey to free Mobius, letting a scowling groan out. "Hay! Shush up! I can leaf you here!" He mumbled through Mobius' tail when the Pegasus suddenly flapped his wings to help with the sap. The combined efforts of all three finally causing the Pegasus to snap free from the sap and tumbled clear over Douglas. Letting out a grunt as he felt the Pegasus' weight roll over him, Douglas spat out the tail and felt himself pushed to the ground. "...Well, at least that's over with." He said, gently spitting a little dirt from his mouth when he was smushed. He just laid there for a for seconds until Mobius came over and gave him a slight nudge with his rear hoof. "Yeah, I'm alright..." Douglas said, pulling himself to his hooves. "You good Survey?"

After giving a little shake, Douglas looked where Mobius had nodded. "What do ya know? Is' all clear from here." Douglas said in agreement. As nice as the sap in White Tail Woods smelled it was about time for them to get a move on and finish this race! "So then, shall we get a move on?" Douglas asked, more or less already knowing the answer. Slowly he made his way around the puddle Mobius had gotten stuck in, no need for that to happen again! Once past he looked back to make sure Mobius and Survey were following before galloping for the end of White Tail Wood and the homestretch of the Running of the Leaves! "Alright, I'm sure we'll see the grandstands soon enough! I hope we're the first ones there!" Douglas roared, feeling a spike of energy come into him now that they were through the sticky obstacle!

Snaps his attention forward upon hearing an unusually dull splash from Douglas accidentally landing a hoof in the sticky substance covering the track, noticing the red pony was quite a ways ahead and - more significantly - past an absurd amount of puddles in the road. "Oh horseapples," he mumbles to himself before taking in a deep breath, preparing himself for a series of no doubt difficult hops. The pegasus soon began repeating the same motions as Douglas had before him, carefully hopping to the dry patches that zig zagged along the road until he finally overdid a jump on one, finding himself descending rapidly towards a puddle. "OH HORSEAPPLES," he repeated again, much louder this time as he did unfolded his wings, lightly flapping them once to propel himself a bit back, the unusual correction causing him to skid onto his hindquarters on the dry patch, his hooves only an inch from the puddle. "Phew... better t' crash than get suck in this stuff, I think," he muttered before scooting back little ways.

After getting up and shaking off slightly, he took a moment to pause, looking back at his wings before raising a hoof up to tap it against his chin. "Did that count as cheatin'...?" he began, talking to himself rather than anypony else, "I mean... I wouldn't of done it if these hazards weren't here... 'n I honestly doubt they were a planned portion'a the race..." After thinking on it for a moment, he shook his head furiously, stomping a hoof on the ground, "No! Even if it wasn't entirely fair t' other ponies, I didn't use my wings t' gain an advantage on anypony like that griffin. It's no different than if a unicorn uses some magic t' make a path across 'em or get themselves unstuck." Nodding resolutely, he would spring forward, hopping over the puddle and landing on the next dry spot before repeating the same motion, eventually reaching the clearer portion of the path up ahead. 'Besides, I've happily sacrificed my time t' help other ponies. That was jus' a lil reward for bein' a good sport, s'all.' He thought to himself as he continued down the track after Douglas, briefly glancing back once again to see if Survey was keeping up.

Unfortunately, being lost in thought was just as bad as taking in the scenery, and Mobius soon heard another dull splat - this time directly beneath him. Still moving forward, he would trip, falling onto the dry patch of land just in front of the puddle he'd stepped into with both front hooves, his rear hooves still dry... although both were now in the air as he laid on his chest. He would lay there for a few moments quietly, his eyes rolling around in a derped fashion before he shook his head, regaining his composure. "...Horseapples..." he grumbled through a sigh before pushing himself back onto his rear hooves. "Hey! Douglas! Survey! Anypony! A lil help, please?" he calls out as he begins trying to tug his hooves free, sticking his tongue out in mild disgust at the gooey feel of the substance. A bright-eyed look suddenly replaced his annoyed expression as an idea popped into his head, the Pegasus rearing onto his back hooves, leaning back with all his weight so that the sap was stretched, the pale gold stallion then walking backwards as he attempted to stretch the sticky goo to its absolute limit. "Just... a.... lil... further...."

Douglas was feeling good to be free of the majority of the mess, all that remained were a few smalls puddles and one or two big ones before they finally broke out of the White Tail Woods. Taking a brief glance back, Douglas saw Mobius open his wings and pull an immediate stop. Seeing this, Douglas slowed to a halt and watched as Mobius thought over his actions before tucking his wings back in and continuing through the rest of the sap filled puddles. "Gotta say, I'm envious. Would'a saved me a sticky hoof" Douglas chuckled as he soon began to run again. Douglas couldn't help but think of the benefit of being a Pegasus or a Unicorn, of course that doesn't mean he'd forsake the strength he has as an Earth pony.

Just then Douglas put on the brakes as he heard Mobius suddenly call out for help. Turning back he saw the golden Pegasus was stuck in the sap. It was a decent sized puddle too, so it definitely had a strong grip. Douglas carefully trotted back over a few puddles to reach Mobius. Looking over the puddle he was stuck in as Mobius began to struggle against it. "Well, w're gonna 'ave to pull you out. This might sting a bit." Douglas commented, looking back to Survey. "Grab hold and heave, my friend." Douglas stated as took hold of Mobius' tail and began pulling with him. "Stresh it out! Ish gonna shnap!" Douglas said, pulling Mobius' by his tail. Slowly he took a step back, feeling the sap fighting against them all the way as they tried to pull Mobius free.

Mobius continued down the path from Whitetail Woods and into the next section of the race, keeping himself at least within earshot and view of both Douglas and Survey as he ran. If he was right about this next stretch, there'd be plenty of hazards to hold any of the three ponies back, and so the pale gold Pegasus figured it would be best to stay near them both to receive help if he accidentally got stuck in some of the sap, or to help one of his comrades if they found themselves in the same predicament. As he had predicted, he noticed a number of dark patches along the road ahead where sap had been spilled or, as he had to admit in some obvious cases, overflowed. "Alright. Eyes peeled, you guys. No more takin' in the scenery," he shouted to both Douglas and Survey, as well as any other ponies who happened to be nearby, "Looks like we got ourselves an obstacle course for this stretch!"

As if on cue, the very second he finished speaking a large patch of sap came across his path, forcing the Pegasus to make a long leap across the dark brown liquid, his years of touching down on the ground while still moving forward when landing from a flight coming into play as he skillfully continued on at his previous pace, beginning to increase it from a relaxed canter into a full fledged gallop. "Y'see? No problem at all! Jus' gotta concentrate 'n react!" he shouted in a re-assuring, confident tone, leaning to his right to turn sharply around another puddle of sap before centering himself on the track once more, his eyes darting around to see if anymore puddles were ahead of him before he chanced a brief glance in Survey's direction, wanting to make sure his friend and first time racer hadn't gotten held up by the sticky brown substance.

Douglas held tight within the small group of friends as they soon came into the sixth leg of the race. The puddles that littered the ground would probably deceive several other racers of the sticky substance that truly laid in their path. Sticking together as best as possible they began their movement through the next area, Douglas heard Mobius' call to keep alert at all times. He couldn't agree more, if there was ever a bad time in this entire race to take your eyes off the road than this was surely it! The puddles of sap were upon them in no time. This was going to be harder for the Earth pony than it was for the Pegasus. Douglas shifted his weight to the outside to pass a puddle in the center, followed by throwing himself to the opposite side of the road to avoid a large puddle. His body trying to keep up with his mind, Douglas could only take a half step before barely hopping the next incoming puddle. Slowly he shifted back into the middle of the road, letting himself take a deep breath to relax. "Phew! Cut that last one a little too close!" Douglas said, keeping his eyes focused on the road instead of looking back at his fellow racers.

Looking a little ways ahead, Douglas felt a returning dread as the next grouping came up. "How the hay does so much sap wind up on the road?!" Douglas exclaimed at the sight ahead of him. Sure enough, there were now only small puddles, but they practically littered the ground! Douglas chewed his bottom lip as he came up upon the next set of puddles. Each small, but their numbers nearly uncountable! Douglas stumbled, putting his forelegs out shorter than his momentum could hold as he hopped the first few puddles. His eyes scanned the road ahead as he placed his forelegs down onto the ground split slightly more apart than he was comfortable with. His hind legs barely splash in the puddles as Douglas hops awkwardly to his side to get by the next puddles he didn't have time to leap over. "This...is...Crazy!" Douglas mumbled between hap-hazard steps and hops until one of his hind legs caught a puddle. Letting out an angered groan, he jerked his hoof out with the squishing snap of the sap. Finally hitting a clearing, Douglas could feel his hoof collecting dirt with each step from the small sap that coated his back hoof. "That could've been bad!"

Thank you Mane and River for the commitment to this event! I must say, this has really become a rather interesting turn of events. Those dice are quite effective at mixing things up. I was sure the best I would do is make mid-pack because of missing the first stage, now I'm sitting outside the top ten.

Douglas let his mouth drop as Mobius dealt a coup de grâce to the incorrect sign. His nervous laughter following as Douglas watched him reposition the broken sign. "Well....I S'pose that works...technically it is correct now..." Douglas commented as he began his way around the mountain pass, more than willing to see where the right path most ponies had passed up on lead to. He was mostly certain that it would eventually lead back to Ponyville and as long as there were trees to shake, well then Douglas was more than ready to get running! "Okay then! Let's a move on!" Douglas called, taking off down the right path while looking back to make sure Mobius and Survey were with him. The path of the trees seemed to curve slowly to the left as they started to move. Douglas made sure to give his hooves a few nice, hard stomps as they moved along, figuring not as many ponies had ran this course as it needed. As Douglas looked over the sights at the bright oranges of the trees, he could see the mountain side hanging tightly to his left. Seems like the trail was going to wrap around the mountain, so he assumed that they'd soon wind up heading back towards Ponyville sure enough.

"Well, this has certainly been an exciting day! I can only imagine with a few legs left it's going to get really bad!" Douglas hollered to the others between breathes. "Let's keep an eye out for dirty racers!" Douglas continued along the winding path as the mountain side slowly started to arch behind him. It wasn't going to be much longer now! And as soon as he thought that, he saw a slab of rock on the path. "Look out, debris!" Douglas panted, moving to the clear side of the road to pass the rubble, not noticing the two ponies off the trail that took an express route down. Ahead, he could see where the paths from the mountains rejoined the path they were on and continued onto the next leg of the race, the many trees that surrounded them now held an additional feature, buckets for sap collecting, it seems they were nearing the end of the White tail wood. It would just be another short stretch of trees before the sprint to the end!

Mobius turned to the dark red Earth pony that approached him and Survey, offering a shrug and a nervous chuckle. "Not entirely sure which way it originally pointed. This other sign next t' it was made by somepony in the race, I'm guessin," he would turn as he spoke, putting a hoof on the scuffed up sign, "It SAYS they went left, 'n says 'real path' below that, but there's a buncha messed up writin' past that. I'm wonderin' if the right path is actually the real path, myself." After finishing, he would look up the left path, gesturing towards it with one hoof. "I mean, there aren't even that many trees up that way as far as I can tell, 'n this race is s'posed t' be about knockin' the leaves down, right?" Again, his attention would shift, this time towards the right path, the same hoof he'd been pointing towards the left path with moving to point down the right path instead, "So why would they have us avoid this tree-lined road?"

Another thought struck him, causing him to turn to face the dark red pony, glancing back at Survey before back at the newcomer. "And there was a griffin earlier that was cheatin'. I bet she had somethin' t' do with all this." The pale gold Pegasus would then pause briefly, letting out a frustrated grunt while stomping a hoof on the ground, "Why couldn't this be a fair race? S'all hornets 'n snakes 'n flyin' Earth ponies 'n cheatin' griffins in it, it seems." He then paused once again amid his rant, blushing briefly at another realization while lifting a hoof up to rub at the back of his head. "Sorry. I'm so frustrated 'n busy rantin' that I forgot t' properly introduce myself," he chuckled before offering a hoof to the red stallion, "My name's Mobius Blaze. What's yers?"

Douglas sat there listening to the Gold Pegasus' explaination, slowly he began nodding his head to the Pegasus. "I feel the same way, the right would make the most sense." Douglas agreed, watching the Pegasus change his perspective to the right path. Slowly the Pegasus looked over Douglas and the Unicorn before voicing his thoughts on the Griffin that supposedly was cheating throughout the race. Then the Pegasus broke into a rant of all the incidents that had befallen the race, the sudden outburst giving Douglas a chuckle at the display. The term 'flying Earth ponies' was probably one of the funniest things he had heard in a long while. The winded rant had left Douglas visibly shaking as he tried to contain his laughter, a hoof covering his snickering mouth. After taking a few breathes Douglas finally got himself under control as the Pegasus put out a hoof and introduced himself. "Hay, don't worry about it. We all get a l'il heated from time to time. Douglas Trotter, nice to meet you." he replied, accepting the hoof shake with the Pegasus. "Well Mobius, whoever caused it sure brought the race to a grinding halt, yet again." Douglas said, shaking his head slowly. "S'pose we couldn't put it past the Griffin, nearly kicked sand in my eyes some while back."

Douglas slowly stood back up, looking up at the mountain path, seemed a few ponies had already chosen that path. He hoped they would be alright, but something else went through his mind. It made Douglas curious, thinking if he went the other way if he'd come out of this leg ahead or behind those who took the left path. "Well, by now I think we're all in agreement that it's the right path. I take it, we should probably try to correct the sign...but we don't really have any tools for that, do we?" Douglas asked, giving himself a quick stretch while waiting on a reply. He soon turned his attention to the green Unicorn after listening to the Pegasus' reply. "Oh, um I didn't catch your name yet, have I? I'm Douglas, it's nice to meet you!" said Douglas, lifting his hoof for the Unicorn. After waiting for the Unicorn to respond back, Douglas gave a quick nod and looked over the two ponies. "Alright then, we just about ready to move?"

Douglas continued onward for the deep wooded area surrounding the Mountain pass. Glancing back at the Pegasus he helped and hoped it wouldn't be held against him if he want on without him. Slowly as the tree line at the mountain's base started to move closer Douglas could see a few ponies gathered at a fork in the road. An apparent faulty sign being the main cause of the hold up. Upon trotting to a stop Douglas looked over the ponies. One being a pale Gold Pegasus and the Other a lime green unicorn. "Hay! Did the sign fall loose?" Douglas asked, plopping onto his haunches a little ways from the sign to rest. He started to think about which way was the proper route to take. "So...any idea which way it originally pointed?"

He wondered if the left path was correct. Thinking that Ponyville was the finish so they'd have to work their way back around sooner or later. That would lead to the left being the proper path, except there were few trees and the right path held many trees. Thinking in a racing perspective, the left could probably be correct, but the race was only a side-goal. The real reason for the Running of the Leaves was the shake down the leaves, which meant they should probably take the right path since it held the most trees. Douglas lowered his head as he thought over the predicament. He felt he should voice his views on the path, but he wasn't entirely sure on which route to take. "Hm, I'm leaning right...but I'm not completely sure."

Those dice rolls really change the layout when you least expect it!

Douglas kept himself along side the Pegasus, waiting for an answer on his offer when soon enough, the Pegasus spoke. "I can see, but not well... All is a blur. Thank you, friend." Douglas was about to respond to his reply when the Pegasus spoke up again after a shake of his head. "I should be fine in a little while, but we should be cautious. There is danger ahead, and not just from the race course..."

"Well, If you're so sure about that then alright!" Douglas said, staying right beside the Pegasus as they began through the long winding right turn. "And Yes, I noticed it too. I believe it was the Griffin kicking up the sand, It almost caught me as well but I was trailing behind. Anyhow, we should reach a long straight after this turn! You can rest there!" Douglas did his best to stay right along side the Pegasus, keeping his taps as light as needed to corrected his path. It was going to be a little longer until the Pegasus could stop to clean his eyes though. Slowly they took into the long right-hoofed turn. The Pegasus putting his weight on Douglas with the odd tap. "Alright, good! Last part of the turn and we're clear!" Slowly leading into the next turn, Douglas braced himself for the Pegasus' weight as they pulled through the wide turn.

"Phew...We're through, the trees clear away in a few steps! I'm going to nudge you to the side, alright?!" Douglas said, gently moving against the Pegasus as they started down the long straight-a-way. "I hope you don't find it rude of me to set you off here, I've dawdled long enough back at the farm."

Hm...it's tough with his mother. You could feign ignorance about knowing she doesn't want him to have any. Although that could still get a little touchy. Honestly, I'd say get 'em. If only 'cause he's a good kid worthy of a present he'll actually enjoy.

Just as he was starting to think he could relax a while in the run, dirt, leaves, and rocks got kicked up in his face. "Agh!!" He turned his head and closed his eyes, keeping even more from getting into them. He shook his head and blinked, wincing as he tried to clear his eyes. All the world was a blur as he teared up. He dropped back just a little, using the brightly colored blobs moving about near him he saw the other racers as to judge where to stay on the right track. "Of all the dishonorable... low down.. underhanded tactics..." he grumbled. Were this a fight, he might have expected such a thing, but in a race?

He squinted, trying to make out just who was ahead of him, speaking in such a sarcastic tone. "So, that's how you want to play then?" the voice asked. "I know your game. You recognized me as a threat, huh? Now you want to trip me up." Swift Breeze tensed up. Something didn't seem right about that tone. "Well, I'm not going to let that just slide!" snarled this irate voice. "I've got my eyes on you! Believe me, if you try anything, you'll regret it..." Did they notice his earlier rescue and thought him a threat to eliminate by any means? He couldn't see who was being addressed, so he had to be prepared for anything.

Partially blinded, Swift Breeze was wary. Was this some irate, bad-natured pony trying to bully their way to victory? He shook his head again, trying to clear his eyes. If it was a pony, Swift would have trouble dodging a well-placed hoof, he pondered to himself. ...and that wasn't even counting if they had other dirty tricks to pull. If it wasn't a pony... there were several other things that could be just as dangerous. "So much for a calm run through the woods..." the pegasus pondered aloud. "And these ponies go through such a race each year, just for the leaves..." His eyes narrowed, determination setting in once again. He wasn't about to let himself be knocked out of the race, be it pony, griffon, dragon, diamond dog, or any other species that could talk doing the dirty tricks.

Douglas was hanging back around the middle of the pack, debating whether or not he if he should push on to the front. He was sure his lady friend from earlier was probably still behind, but he could only hope one of them caught up with the other eventually. Tucking his head downward, Douglas picked up his pace. The colorful hues of the leaves dropping before his eyes giving him a renewed energy, as the trees at his side blurred into an orange wall along the track. He could feel himself becoming focused on the track. The pounding of his hooves begging the trees to shed their leaves. The 'Orange wall' soon started to blur ahead of him too, it's many shifts and turns outlining the path. It felt like he was chasing a bright serpent. It's never ending flight from Douglas coalescing into several break neck turns that he himself waited nearly to the last moment before diving from the outside of the road to the inside of the turn. Sound soon faded from his consciousness. The leaves crunching under his feet and lungs gasping for breath the only sounds he could hear. His eyes remained locked open, never blinking regardless of how long he ran. To Douglas, the other racers weren't even there anymore. It was simply an instinctual urge he felt to shift lanes to pass. He didn't even see who he was running by.

His mind focused solely on the track, whatever form of pacing or body regulation was long gone as Douglas sprinted full out. The wall along his sides seeming to swirl and mesh together over top of him as the tree cover of the forest became much heavier. It was an ethereal tunnel, the view watching these blurred color whiz by him, the orange hues bleeding one tree to the next. Even with the inability to recognize the shapes, he noticed the bright, beautiful swirls and blobs of the overhead tunnel of leaves. Douglas soon felt his lungs burn, becoming heavy with each forceful stomp of his hooves. His eyes shut in a calculated manner, waiting till he reached a small piece of straight road each time.

As the Orange wall wrapped around the trail Douglas followed until he saw a rush of grey and beige colors wash up in front. Blinking his eyes and coming out of the racing mindset he caught sight of leaves, dirt, and sand being kicked up and jammed his hooves into the ground, turning his face away and shutting his eyes. Opening them again once it had died down he saw a griffin running off and to his side were a few other ponies. One being a celadon Pegasus, violently shaking his head as he ran. "Is he still running with sand in his eyes?" Douglas thought, imagining the pony could become a hazard himself if he wasn't aware of who was beside him. Giving his head a quick shake to get the debris from his still damp mane, Douglas shifted his running line to that of right next to the troubled Pegasus. "Hay! Can you still see? There's a turn coming up!" Douglas hollered, looking ahead quickly. "Lean against me! I'll guide you through!" Douglas offered, gently nudging against the Pegasus to show where he was.

It's fine as it is for the purpose it serves. This event should be ran as advertised. Should you wish to change any rules, by all means wait for the event to end and then throw up a feedback topic, mass pm'ing those that competed to give their feedback on the event and what they think could be tweaked, changed, thrown away, or added.

Great finds. Very nice! lol

Douglas was happy the mare, Ginger Mint, was willing to talk. As much as it was a race, if he just made a dash for the finish Douglas was sure the event would have felt rather empty. "My that's a lovely name you have, Miss Mint." And it seemed their conversation was going alright, albeit with a shaky start. They continued to trot along the road to the way out of Sweet Apple Acres and Douglas was fine with the pace they had been moving at. Slowly though, Douglas found himself regretting his earlier choice of words when he saw Ginger begin to frown. He must have screwed up something!

"This race... It doesn't last more than a day does it? I mean, I know the Whitetail Woods are vast, but they'd have said something if that was the case right?" Her question got Douglas thinking for a second before answering. Hoping to correct his earlier mistake, Douglas tried to think how long the race would go on for before giving an answer.

"No, I really doubt it would. They would have told us if that was the case. But it'll definitely be nearing sunset by the time we finish I'd imagine. I was just saying it's early because I was planning on resting after I got through Sweet Apple Acres. I think it was...12 or 13 sections in the race? Well Ginger, I figure a break every three sections would be the fas'est time without bur'ing too much energy." Douglas answered, soon catching that he let his little drawl slip out at the end. He was happy his coat was red, hoping it would be hard to tell if he was embarrassed.

"Oh, you said you were tricked into racing? Do you have any idea who it could've been?" Douglas asked, hoping to shake off his embarrassment with a new topic. He waited on her reply with his full attention before continuing. "Hm..I wish I could help ya there. I decided to run today 'cause I don't get to run fast all too often when I work." He had to admit it was rather weird to hear about somepony being tricked into running. As far as he knew, everypony who was running did so because they really wanted too. He began to think if there were other ponies who were also tricked.

"I must say, that's the fur's time I've her' of somepony being tricked into running. Still, I thin' you'll do fine. We gots 'um good ground on the others... Blegh! This lazy tongue, causing me trouble again." Douglas finished, his cheeks soon burning when he realized he said that last part allowed. Looking at Ginger's face he let out a nervous chuckle. "Sorry about that. Uh, 'she' tends to get lazy if I flap my gums too long." He could only imagine how weird he must of sounded, hoping he could at least save their conversation.

"Honestly, it was nicer earlier this morning, but I shouldn't complain."

Douglas was starting to carry past the mare when she answered him. She was a pale Chartreuse, although to Douglas she seemed an off white matched with a delicate green. He forced himself to slow down to her trot, almost at a comical pace and getting a little ahead of the mare through the sheer momentum he carried. If she was willing to talk than he'd happily oblige the mare. Turning his head to face her he was able to get a better look and he was suddenly doing his best not to nip his bottom lip in suspense. She was rather cute, his luck, now if only he could himself from locking up or saying something stupid.

"Well...I suppose it was nice this morning. But with fall bringing in the cooler weather I guess it would." Douglas replied, doing his best to make sure his accent didn't slip through. "So, why are you running today?"

Douglas had planned to carry himself far into the next leg before slowing his pace, but he had to admit, some gentle talking amogst fellow racers and possible friends was worth more than a good finish. Allowing the mare to catch up with him before continuing at her pace he listened intently to her response before offering a gentle nod. He began to wonder where else he could aim their conversation until he remembered he hadn't given his name yet. "My apologizes, my name is Douglas Trotter. It's nice to meet you. I gotta say, I'm surprised to see some ponies slowing their pace so early. This race is suppose to be very long."

He continued to travel in step with the mare, giving a quick glance ahead to make sure he didn't lose his heading, as well as to see how far it was till they left Sweet Apple Acres. "Oh come on you foal...think of something..." his mind shouted at him, although his soft smile concealed the argument underneath.

((OOC: Alright, too eager to hop into this for quite some time. Time to make up lost ground))

Douglas felt relieved to be closing in on the pack now. After a horrendous start from the third row left him blocked out from advancing and running blind through dust, he had finally dropped back enough to last and slowly started to work his way back up through the field. His pace a gentle gallop, he admitted that he was probably rushing himself, but he wanted to make up for his bad start before he slowed into a calmer pace. The number stuck to his flank indicated that his number was 46. Douglas gave careful glances to the sides of the road. The endless row of trees that surrounded both ends looked near bare to Douglas, the pack of ponies ahead easily stripping most leaves with little effort. It seemed like Douglas had far more ground to make up than he thought, although the sight of the earth basked in such bright browns and oranges was a very peaceful sight. It made his charge back to the pack all the more uplifting as he soon approached a rather nice hill and broke over it's crest.

"Uh, whoa..." he uttered, taking in the sight of the near endless apple trees that wrapped around Sweet Apple Acres. After long travels had him more than familar with the Apple name and it's many products. As well as having passed through Ponyvile several times while hauling wagons, this was the first time he ever ventured down the old country roads that snaked around the town and saw the Orchard first hoof.

Darting down the hill, Douglas could finally see some of the ponies ahead. Although the leaders were far out of his view, he could at least see up to the mid-pack and the many small clusters of ponies jockeying for position down the winding road. Douglas wanted to pick up his pace and just go all out to close the gap, but it would just be a waste of more energy when he was clearly making up lost ground at his steady gallop. The many apple trees that zipped by made his mouth water, albeit he already had a good meal an hour before the race. Carefully Douglas moved up the pack, passing the small handful that stopped to enjoy the scenery or dropped their pace to a slow trot. As he moved from one side of the road to the other to make his passes he looked at each pony, giving a quaint nod to whoever he passed. Douglas couldn't blame some ponies for already slowing up their pace, but he figured with the length of the race it would probably be better to hold off slowing his pace until he reached the next leg in the circuit. "I can't believe the turn out for this event. I almost could've sworn this was Manehattan from all the ponies in town today." he thought, noticing he was ever closing the gap on some of the other groupings.

Soon enough he could see the barn of Sweet Apple Acres coming up on his side and low and behold, there was the orange coated successor of the Apple farm, dealing out juice to the ponies looking for a break. Douglas let a out quick chuckle as he gave a gentle nod as he passed the booth, it's owner, and her first customers of the day. "Ooh, she's a shrewd little swindler...Cute though." Douglas thought as he passed by the barn and encircled the road around the weathered farm house. Putting his focus ahead of him as he finally passed the center of Sweet Apple Acres, it was all about reaching the outskirts and entering the next leg in decent positioning before he allowed himself to rest.

"Alright, Trotta'!" He hollered at himself, his slight accent slipping out in his excitement. "The Oz' on favorite has stopped. Lets puts 'um ground between 'er!" Slowly he could see himself closing up on a small cluster of ponies ahead. Lowering his head a bit, Douglas let the cluster ahead act like a small windbreaker and inched in behind them. "Fine day fa' racing, huh?" he called to the ponies he was closing in on.

Indeed he absolutely does, although I suppose they both have their charm!

Very nice backgrounds, I suppose I should add mine in as well. As if you couldn't tell by looking, mine is related to Monster Hunter.

Well since you wanted an Edit, Black Fang...You got it. I'm never too keen on posting big images though, even if they resize.