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Showing results for tags 'running of the leaves'.
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Don't Be Scared of the Leaves Fluttershy
brianblackberry posted a gallery image in Canterlot Community Art
From the album: Regular Cast Pics
The Running of the Leaves event picture sans text. Reposted for people in case they just want a copy. Doing the background was pretty interesting. Fun fact: None of the background or foreground are used vectors, they were all individually drawn in Sai and colored in Photoshop. I must be crazy.© Characters © Hasbro Artowrk © Brianblackberry
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From the album: Previous Generations
a quick drawing of one of my ABSOLUTE favorite g1 ponies, Gusty. I'm trying to get into the style of the backgrounds on the show, first real attempt.© Hasbro, Flutterscotch
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I want to thank and congratulate everypony that participated in this years' running of the leaves event! I know it came early, but you were all troopers and stuck with it, and I am frankly impressed with the amount of interactive RP that emerged from this whole concept. I would very much like to hear your feedback about the race, and any ideas to mix it up/alter this type of system for future events. This is very important to me so please take the time to provide feedback and your thoughts- I busted my flanks for two weeks, please take a few minutes to let me know what you think can be done better/differently, and what went well! As a thank-you for participating, Artax and I (which means I talked a lot and he did all the real work), have come up with a few special awards to give to everypony that participated in the event. Those few lucky ponies who managed to take the top three slots will get a much more rare, special award celebrating their achievement! Congratulations you guys! You are what make this board worth having, and this is a little way for us to reward those who participate in the site's special events! Wear your award with pride- there are only going to be 37 of them on the entire board! And now finally, what you are all waiting for! Here is the current leader board for the Running of the Leaves, 2011 as per the first FINAL segment of the race! THIS IS IT! Your winners and final rankings are below! Thanks for being patient everypony- updating this every other night has been a real challenge with everything else going on in my life, but I had a ton of fun doing it. You are all worth it; and I would do it again. And I probably will many times :heart: The Leaderboard Final Results: For reference: Scores are shown above- the first number is the random 'roll of the die' score, the second number are points awarded for RP quality, length, and pozzaz! My scoring range is 0- not much there, 1 - A bit minimal, saw room for expansion, 2 - Good RP post covering all of the bases, 3 - Very good RP, including reacting and initiating interaction with other ponies, or in some way adding a unique and delicious flavor to the RP.
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- ROTL
- Running of the Leaves
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The Setting Rp here your placement post-final segment of the race! Congratulations to all of you who made it through from start to finish! You have three days to RP this section before it closes- any celebrating/post race RP character interaction can happen here before the event is permanently locked! -Lampwick 'Flicker' Jane- Lampwick felt alive. Her hooves found the earth but barely seemed to touch it- she floated like she was riding the breeze that swept through her mane, slipped along and underneath her, through her legs and over her back, catching her tail for just a moment then gone- this must be what its like to be wind. Her surroundings floated along with her. It seemed like it was all moving in slow motion; but that slow motion was happening really fast. There were so many ponies alongside her- colors of every sort as they dashed towards the finish line. Lampwick watched them- could see the effort of their breath, the strain of their strong legs- the determination in their eyes- it was like Lampwick was so alive that life had nearly slowed to a stop. To one side was a beautiful white and mint-maned pony, shining in the dusky light as leaves whipped around between them. On her other side were some more ponies and a griffon- amongst them a young foal with pastel shades of rainbow in her hair, and the sky-blue pony with the golden Lyre along her flank. Lampwick opened her mouth to say something again, but as the falling golden autumn leaves crossed her gaze and fell in between them, she lost her words and simply watched the beauty of all the motion around her. She couldn't find words, there just weren't any that could do such a moment justice. In silence, but with a peaceful smile, and a burning appreciation for the day in her chest, she watched the mare, griffin, and foal all slip on ahead. Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath- then pushed herself even harder- then felt the rush and roar of the crowd as she bolted past the finish line. She kept running for a little while, as the noise and pack of ponies quickly fell behind her, she felt the excitement and exhileration bleed out quickly, allowing her to regain her senses, and allowing time for her tired body to ring in from all sorts of locations she had forgotten about in order to complain. Slowing to a trot, then slowing to a stop, she looked back the few hundred feet at the throng of ponies, and shouting, and noise. Wow. That was so much fun! I'm- so- tired! Whew! For a long burning moment (or perhaps that was her lungs), she felt a companionship with the ponies that she'd run with; a sense of kindred-spirit with so many strangers that were all sharing that incredible journey with her. As much fun as it was, I think I'll stick to walking when I travel... Taking a few deep breaths, and feeling the wobbliness in her legs start to take over, she thought it would be best to keep moving- walk off the exertion before her muscles cramped up. She circled a few times in place, watching and listening to the voices of many ponies congratulating one another and receiving medals. How exciting- maybe next year, I can take one home to show Pa! Someday, my treasure chest will be bigger than his; and then-... well, that didn't matter right now- she still had an entire year before heading back home to Canterlot. By then, she'd be ready! Turning away from all the excited hubub- but with a pleased sway in her trot, and the rest of the world at her hooves, she headed down the path out of White-tail wood.
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The Setting And here they are! Its a long stretch, and everypony is s for the finish line! So many ponies neck and neck- this is what you saved that burst of energy for! Put all your effort into this final sprint! Who will win this years Running of the Leaves? It's been a fantastic race everypony, but it will be up to the judges to determine the winners! -Lampwick 'Flicker' Jane- Things had gotten crazy. Really crazy. The race had turned from a race into... well, not really a race. Ponies and creatures alike had stopped to unbury each-other from the puddles of sap, sometimes banding together into groups of three or four to remove one another from the sticky hang-up. For all that it had seemed- the race had stopped. Lampwick was intrigued. She slowed down and found herself pushing, or pulling a few stuck ponies here and there until everypony was free. Once a group had freed all of its immediate surrounding ponies, it would then move to another group of ponies. What had once been a small crowd of ponies was very quickly turning into a dense pack again, much like the pile-up at the bridge; except this time ponies werent competing to get across- they were helping one another so that no-pony was left behind. It was then that Lampwick realized the underlying attitude and lifestyle of the ponies gathered here in around ponyville for the Running of the Leaves- while the race was competitive, everypony here deep down was a team player. While many many ponies had become stuck in the sap- not one pony would be left behind today- even the leaders of the race had stopped to help a very cross looking griffon. Lampwick had always been a rather solo-going pony; loving company, but always finding peace within her own thoughts. Witnessing such... spontaneous teamwork, and loyalty to what seemed complete strangers, found a little nook in Lampwick's heart, and warmed it. In a way it all made sense- the trees here needed the ponies, and the ponies needed the trees; much like the ponies in the race needed each other. Lampwick felt like she was witnessing something important, but she couldnt quite put it into words, or thoughts. All she knew was that it made her feel good and warm somewhere deep down; and when it came down to it, it was moments like these that Lampwick traveled for. The little unexplainable. beautiful, mysteries in life that really made her feel alive. Lampwick had just finished helping a group of ponies free the last of the trapped, and for a long moment it seemed everypony had stopped. Heads began to turn towards the last stretch of the race when a large shadow passed overhead- the large balloon from the beginning of the day rose out from behind the tree-line, and in the distance voices and shouting could be distantly heard. Squinting ahead, Flicker could see a large banner, and a growing crowd of ponies along the treelines, waving and shouting. The finish line. A few leaves fell from the still heavily-laden trees. It seemed everypony was noticing all at once. Lampwick saw other ponies begin to move from the pack, starting up to a trot. Her legs burned and the excitement she had felt earlier exploded in her chest. This was it! Rearing up, Lampwick gave a loud whinny amongst the large group. "Lets go everypony!" Lunging forward into a full sprint, Lampwick burst towards the front lines of the group at a gallop. Her mane whipped in the wind with her speed, and she had never felt so alive and fast. Here it was, the last leg of the Running of the Leaves!
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The Setting: The sidelines of the race- feel free to RP any OC's or cast ponies who would like to RP around the Race event, but not within the race threads itself. Enjoy!
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The Setting Wow, can you smell that tree sap? It'll make some wonderful syrup once it's all been gathered! Watch your hooves, or you may end up in a sticky situation! There are drops of tree sap everywhere, making a lot of the path way sticky. Although, I bet that syrup is mighty tasty... -Lampwick 'Flicker' Jane- The world was fuzzy and warm all around her. She was dimly aware of the flecks of sun that flowed over her coat like warm speckles. The world swayed back and forth, rocked, bounced lightly; it was rather soothing, like being carried along her Pa's back when she was just a foal. She used to drape her arms over his shoulders, stick her nose in his mane, and fall asleep there. Maybe thats where she developed her first love for traveling. Lampwick yawned loudly- so loudly that she woke herself up. Blinking groggily she stopped her canter and looked around. The rocky path had turned back into soft earth, and trees were more dense again, and there were puddles of water lying all around. "Well thats not right... last thing I remember is taking a break next to that sign... how did I end up here?" Lampwick looked down and observed her legs; they felt a little tired, but they didn't ache with the exertion she had felt before she stopped to rest. Looking around proved that she wasn't in the same place as before... Lampwick suddenly realized that she'd been jogging with her eyes closed. No, that wasn't quite right; shed been racing while asleep! Placing a hoof against her ear, she gave her noggin a good confused rub. She could see ponies in the near distance, both in front of her and behind her, perhaps she had followed them by scent and sound. Either way, Lampwick felt pretty good- but she could certainly use a drink of that water; she felt parched after that nap! Stepping up to the nearest puddle she immediately realized it wasn't water. The sweet smell of the liquid was unmistakably sappy; and while this sap smelled awfully sweet, she was certain it would simply make her mouth that much drier. Truth be told, she feared it getting in her mane or tail far more than that simple inconvenience though. Maybe she could come back after the race with a few empty jars and fill them up to have later. She liked that idea- and promptly deciding that that is exactly what she would do once she got back to Ponyville, she set off down the trail again to catch up with the ponies around her. A slight blush crept into her cheeks. Hopefully too many of them didn't notice her unusual behavior; and maybe she could overhear just exactly where she was in the race too. Oh colt, would she have a story for her Pa when she saw him this year!
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The Setting Make sure you follow the sign! Well, usually. Sometimes there is a pony or two who like to switch the sign pointing to path ahead over to the path leading up the mountain side. Careful though, the path is very rocky right here, and a pony could easily trip and hurt themselves. -Lampwick 'Flicker' Jane- Phew! Lampwick's lungs felt like they were on fire! As the thought shot through her head, she took a cursory glance down at herself to make sure that she wasnt indeed, on fire. Relieved to rule that terrible option out, she decided that the next immenent threat was that her lungs might explode. Pretty sure that wasnt the case, Lampwick still thought it a good idea to take a break until she felt a little less likely to catch on fire, or explode from her exertion. Puttering out fast along the increasingly rocky trail, she trotted up to an old rickety sign and leaned up against it. Lampwick liked old rickity things; she loved things that had the feeling of age and mystery about them. Sure, it was just a sign, but it felt like a little piece of home sticking out of the ground. Phew- she had run hard that last stretch- all the ponies clustered up about with her; all the leaves falling throughout the forest, the wind and motion and life in the air as they stampeded through- it was just so exhilerating. Lampwick had never been an athletic pony, even though she had been a very mobile pony all her life; but for this day she thought she could really understand the excitement and joy that pegasi seemed to feel when gliding through the air. It was exhilirating. She was pretty surprised she could keep up; but that wasnt going to happen without a rest- she knew she'd pushed herself harder than ever before, and the race wasnt even over. Her eyes were droopy, and her lungs tingled uncomfortably. Long deep breaths seemed to help calm her thudding heart- and it felt so good to shut her eyes and just let them rest... Lampwick was soon asleep; dozing away against the old rickety signpost. As she leaned into it to let it support her weight, the little arm of the sign was pushed out to point down the trail branching off to the right. Unknowingly, Lampwick had pointed the sign to the quicker and easier trail around the mountain side; the steeper old-trail path to the left wound up the mountain, and over it down the other side to meet up with the other path. It was a longer and harder path, but the view it offered was also breathtaking- from a vantage point that high up, a pony could see quite a bit of the race from above.
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The Setting The most important part of the race! Here is where there are the most trees—and the most leaves! There's the smell of bark and sod in the air, along with the buzzing of bees and twitter of birds. Such a lovely site... Ooops, don't get too caught up in the scenery now! -Lampwick 'Flicker' Jane- Lampwick had narrowly avoided the hub-ub at the bridge- she considered herself lucky. She'd just had her fill of the crystalline pure cool water and was heading up the bank when ponies began falling into the water. Hornets began to fly, and what was once just a small crowd had turned into a furor of confusion and bustle. Lampwick found this all interesting enough, but she certainly didn't want to find herself in the thick of it. Turning away from the throng of ponies laughing, cheering, and jeering, she focused along the trail before her. She'd thought she'd been in the forest before- but had come to realize that the forest was much more thick with the golden and molten hues of fall than any landmark previously before. The trail was littered entirely with the colors of the sunrise and the sunset, and she could barely make out where there was trail, or simply forest floor. As if responding to her in like fashion- the forest erupted with sound as a sudden gust and breeze passed through the uncountable number of leaves still clinging to the trees. For all that had already fallen- many many more needed the encouragement of the stampeding ponies to bring them down. Lampwick had lost the commotion of the world around her, caught up in her new momentary fascination with the forest. For a long moment she just watched the forest- drinking it in slowly, just as she had the water from the creek before, but this drink filled up a cup deep inside her- a place in her that yearned for wonder, mystery, and beauty; and here in this moment, she had found it. A smile spread slowly across her muzzle. Feeling a part of the forest for that brief, private moment, she reared up onto her back two hooves, held her stance for a moment as her weight shifted- then like a pendulum in swing from one extreme to the other, she brought her weight and force down, smacking the ground with all the force her body and hooves could muster. For what seemed like a long moment she waited, searching the trees with her eyes. A few sparse leaves broke away from the maze of color that enveloped the canopy above her, swaying in the calm air as they made their way to settle upon the path. Feeling mildly dissappointed from the lack of reception, Lampwick looked back up at the leaves of the trees expectantly. It was then that a griffon blew past her at break-neck pace; followed by a brown pony, the skye-blue pony from earlier, and suddenly many many more. The force of the building stampede as it unwound from the bottle-neck of the bridge grew quickly; and as the earth trembled with the collection of hooves the leaves all around Lampwick began to fall- not just a few here or there, but hundreds- thousands even- maybe even hundreds of thousands! Lampwick's eyes grew and her expression lit up- now that was like the stories her Pah used to tell! The sight was breathtaking. Without loosing another beat of her sped-up and excited heart, she reared, gave a loud whinny, and was off to stampede with the others through the heart of Whitetail Wood!
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The Setting Don't fall in! The bridge across this stream is narrow, only allowing for two ponies to cross at a time. But, there's always the wider path through the cool water! It's a nice place to stop and dip your hooves in—when there isn't a race going on! -Lampwick 'Flicker' Jane- Lampwick had just been lost in her thoughts, gazing out over all those apples and trees, and how delicious they looked. She was certain she could make the time for one if she came upon it. Oh the joys of traveling; finding new fruits and flowers to taste- ponyville apples hadnt been on her list of recently enjoyed in a long time- it looked like it would be time to change that! Putting a little excited flick into her tail, she began to turn back to the path when a soft, melodic voice reached out to her; it tickled her ears in a friendly way; much like a friendly nibble across the whithers would. "Careful there, the apple family can be awfully defensive about their trees, and a couple of them are in this race so they may spot you." Lampwick turned her head to catch the playful smile of a sky-blue unicorn with golden eyes- that matched the golden mark she sported along her flank. Lampwick couldn't place the name of the instrument, but it looked vaguely familiar to her. It reminded her of her youth at canterlot; but those days were spent daydreaming about other locations in the world- and truthfully, her life in Canterlot was much of a blur to her nowadays. She opened her mouth to speak, but found that no words would come; she wasnt a witty pony, or a terribly social pony- but she knew she wanted to say something, but not what it was. Instead, she simply watched the blue pony trot off and disappear amongst the many ponies as easily as she'd stepped into her life. She reminds me of Canterlot. Giving it a moments thought, she finally shrugged and let her smile bud across her face. I'll think of it eventually~ With that, she flickered her tail and joined back in the race, leaving the visage of the acres behind her, to follow the path downward that cut between them. She kept up a brisker pace than normal, fueled by her curiosity to search the crowd of ponies. She saw many slowing to take a break, some chatting, some tossing objects between one another. She even stopped at an applejuice stand that looked like it was being mobbed by thirsty ponies. She listened to a particular pair of a parent/foal co-team running the race together that made her smile; and even saw some ponies sharing berries together on the side of the path, but as she continued on moving her way up the pack she still hadn't caught sight of the blue pony from earlier. After a good hour of running, Lampwick needed a break. She caught her breath at the edge of a small glade, just past a small bridge that overlooked a babbling brook. The trail had begun to get much thinner, and ponies were having trouble sharing the path; but when it came to the bridge it was an out-right stampede-jam. She had gotten lucky to fit through with a small foal with a white coat who had shown amazing speed and stamina, but other ponies were bunching up and jostling each other (rather nicely, considering) in order to get through the bridge first. Many pony had decided to bypass the bridge and try their chances racing down one bank, splashing over the wet stones, and up the other side of the bank. While she was certain she had passed a good many ponies, she watched as a good many passed her in turn. The sight and the feel of the entire thing was...exhilerating. She didn't care if she won or not- just the feeling of running with so many ponies made her feel as if the entire forest....was alive. Her heart beat with excitement- she was itching to get back on track- but first she needed some water. With care to not slip and injure herself, she made her way down to the brook, let her mane down, and took a long refreshing drink.
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The Setting Ah, the smell of apples! Some of the racers may be tempted to stop for a quick snack! The race has just begun, but it's not too early for some ponies to take a rest. The leaves may leave the trees, but most of the apples still need to be bucked off. There may be a few tasty ripe treats laying around though! -Lampwick 'Flicker' Jane- Flicker had watched the flood of hooves, feathers, manes and bodies pour forth from Ponyville for a good minute or two. The last time she'd been to the running of the leaves was when she had visited from Canterlot as a foal with her parents. She'd watched the ponies run through white-tail wood, but eventually became more interested in the wood than the contest itself, and wandered off on her own. The way the light poured through the branches and leaves of the forest in sparkling shafts to illuminate the forest floor had seemed so mystical in her youth. It was a common sight for a traveling pony of her age nowadays, but something nostalgic stepped into her; and she felt her limbs itching with that ever-so familiar need to just...go. Taking only a moment to drop the flag from her mouth and fill her lungs with an excited breath, she then nimbly hopped over the discarded piece, and fell into the wide margins of the race, trotting casually alongside the more evenly-paced ponies that seemed to be there for the exercise rather than the competition. There was a lot of jostling up ahead as someponies competed to get into the front of the pack, but many more seemed to just be happy to be part of the event. Lampwick fell in beside an older pony the color of sea foam who was trotting beside a young filly of similar shades, but with a mane the color of a morning sunrise. She listened to the older pony tell her grandfilly of the many great races in the past that she'd participated in, and how athletic and young she had been, and thats when she had met the apple of her eye, a handsome stallion with eyes the color of emeralds. They had raced neck and neck for hours... Lampwick's thoughts began to trail off from the old mare's story as the sweet smell of apples began to fill her mind. Taking a moment to look back she could see that the first leg of the race had already dissappeared quite a ways behind her! She had been trotting briskly, keeping up with the main pack of ponies, and gave a moment to admire the old Mare's spunk for keeping up with such a lively group of ponies in her old age. Perhaps there was more truth to the Mare's story than one would have initially expected. Up ahead Lampwick could see a few of the other contestants of the race stopping to catch a quick breath. The path ahead seemed to make a slow and lazy curve down the crest of a hill, perhaps opening up into a valley. Flicker picked up her pace a little to catch up and see what the other ponies had stopped to admire, and as the last of the trees blocking her vision fell behind her, she too slowed in her tracks. For acres and acres as far as she could see- apple trees spread over the horizon- their glossy red fruit lost in the reds and golds of fall, swaying in the early afternoon light. "Woooow...." Flicker managed to breathe out; her words tinged with the awe she felt for the beauty and size of such an orchard. In all of her travels, she had never seen a valley like this, and it was breathtaking. In the near distance she could see the shadow of the large balloon that had been floating over ponyville earlier. Beneath it, in its shadow, the leaders of the race were blazing down the trail as it wove its way through part of the orchard, before disappearing again behind trees and hills. Flicker squinted her vision to see if she could make out who was in the lead- but there were so many ponies clustered together that she couldn't make out any distinguishable features. Many of the ponies nearby had caught their breath, and were determined to catch up to the leaders of the race. A wrong turn in the orchards could easily allow the other ponies to catch up. Flicker wasn't much into competition, but even so the thought of it was a bit thrilling. Mustering her energy and long endurance gained from traveling extended distances, Flicker set off to see who would would win this race! But perhaps not before she might try one of those delicious looking apples hanging from the nearby trees...
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*Update - Sept 4th, 2011!* The event is now live! The first leg of the race can now be role-played in! Hop on over there quickly and dont get left behind!!!! The Starting Line *Original Post* Oh My Little Ponies, could it really be?! It is! As the summer season burns off, we here at Canterlot are ready to kick off a new season- season 2 of my little ponies, and the season of fall! The Running of the Leaves Roleplay Event will be a forum-wide race that anypony can participate in! A forum race?! How the heck does that work?! Let me explain! :smile: -The Running of the Leaves is a race that spans through the White-tail woods. We will have a special thread for every two days of the race- each of these two days represent a different 'neck' of the race through White-tail woods. -Everypony on the forum can race with one Mane RP approved OC. For each 'neck' of the race that user RP's their OC running through, we (the staff) will roll a die, and add it to their 'race score'. There are seven sections of White-tail wood to be raced through! -We will also evaluate the quality of each post per section of the race, awarding it 0-3 (up to 3 possible points) and add that to the 'race score' for that section of the race. Quality of posts will determine how many points are awarded. You can post more than once in a section of the race, but quality will always beat quantity! The person with the highest race score at the conclusion of the race will be the victor! -This system leaves a lot of the race up to random chance (which is much like a real race- you never know the strength of all your competitors!); but everypony will be able to directly affect their chances by how well, and how often, they choose to RP the race. -Because of the way this is set up, even if you miss a 'section' of the race, you wont necessarily be out of your chance for 1st place- hang in there and give it your best! If you join late to the race, no problem at all! Just start RP'ing from the section that everypony is currently on- you never know, luck may just be on your side! Summary! -7 sections of White-tail wood = 14 days of RP! -Each section will be open for 2 days- Thats two days to RP each section of the race. Once a section has passed, you will not be able go back to RP in it! -You will earn race points for each section of the race you participate in (1-6 random chance, + 0-3 based on quality/frequency of RP. Thats a potential 9 points for each section!) -There will be prizes for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place! Give it your best shot! -If you dont have an OC for the Mane RP, now's the time to submit! I'll be making personal rounds these next few days to help get as many OC's approved as possible for the race! :heart: The Running of the Leaves will be starting September 4th, 2011, and will conclude September 17th, 2011; the same day as the premier of season 2! Be sure you don't miss YOUR chance to show Equestria just how Iron Pony you are! We look forward to seeing you there! P.S. We've got so many events planned for the upcoming months (soon to show up on our calender!) that the Running of the Leaves is going to take place a little early (at the beginning of fall, instead of the end of it), but we think thats a fair trade-off for the upcoming projects we have in mind. If you're excited about what's to come, let everypony know! The more the merrier! This post has been promoted to an article This post has been promoted to an article -
The Setting It's a beautiful day in Ponyville! Everypony is waiting to take part in the Running of the Leaves, which is sure to be a race to remember! Some ponies are warming up, while others merely chat it up with fellow competitors. Everypony is preparing how they know best! It seems there may be a few ponies who have let their nerves get the best of them. But, racing or not, the sun is shining and the trees are colorful, waiting to spread their crispy leaves all over the forest floor! -Lampwick 'Flicker' Jane- Somewhere overhead a large balloon hovers, its shadow floating over the ground and walls of ponyville. Squinting her eyes at the bright sky, Flicker glances up at the graceful wonder as it cruises on by, chirping out its excited chatter. She could barely make out the shapes of the passengers so distantly up- in all of her travels she had never seen a balloon so... big. "On your marks!" a distant voice chimed. In fact, she hadn't been to ponyville in years! And now somehow she had got caught up helping out somepony name Mrs. Mayor without so much of a chance to pipe in a word of protest; but Flicker didn't really mind. Traveling was all about the spontaneous! The wild, the new! The town was just overflowing with ponies, This was perfectly right by her. Now all she had to do... what was it again now? It was something to do with the flag she'd been carrying for the last half hour or so. "Get set!" Flicker leaned on the pole next to her, trying to remember. There was so much chatter it was hard to think! She focused on the gentle waving of the banner attached to the pole beside her, watching its shadow move over the floor, much like the balloon above. But this shadow wasn't floating, it was rippling in the wind, like a w- Aha! That was it! Waving! "Go!!!!!!" Flicker perked up and gave the flag in her mouth a wild shake, waving it back and forth in time with the pony across from her. All around her the sound of hooves burst atop the earth, and the edge of Ponyville erupted in stampede as the great crowd of ponies gathered surged forth across the starting line. "Oh how exciting!!!" Flicker thought to herself as the rush of so many ponies flowed past her. "Good luck to everypony!"
