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Three weeks ago, Fallon would have never imagined herself standing in a stable. Two weeks ago, she would have never believed that she could actually be part of a school-sponsored team. Last week, she would have never wanted to practice sports of any kind. But today, Fallon was examining a stall for a horse that was to be hers, that would ride for a team that was renowned in Destiny City and the surrounding area. How had it happened so fast?

Well, Fallon knew the first part. In France, she rode dressage with a group of friends as part of a rehabilitation program for mistreated horses. The organization hadn't been her idea. One of her friends had a mother who raised horses in the countryside, and a father who served as an investigator for cases of animal cruelty. Through some parental prodding, the preteens agreed to start a club for girls to work with these horses and, if possible, train them for competition. It was fun, spending weekends riding through the hills, and Fallon felt like she was making a difference, even if the horses didn't belong to her.

The second part was Barren Pines and all the trouble it had caused her. Neither of her parents recalled the school. Most adults, actually, only thought Fallon was crazy when she brought it up. Her parents only knew that their daughter had left France to return to her hometown of Destiny City to pursue her education at Crystal Academy. But she never made it to the school. The assumption was that she was ambushed on the plane ride over, abducted by the same monsters who organized the black market organ ring in the first place, and then hidden away for the six months that she wasted away there. It was too difficult to convince them otherwise, and she was tired of talking to psychologists.

When she actually did make it out of the hospital, Fallon seemed perfectly fine. This concerned the psychologists. She didn't show signs of trauma, not much at all, and they considered this signs of trouble brewing ahead. Clearly, she was just suppressing her feelings, and gasp, eventually they would have to explode. So what was the answer? Team sports! At least to her parents. They begged Fallon to join a team (apparently French Club was not enough involvement). They even called the school and sent counselors after her. Eventually, she caved and chose the Equestrian Team, assuming her parents would balk at the thought of purchasing a horse all the way from across the ocean.

They didn't.

No, her mother had taken to it like it was her sole mission in life, sending Fallon photos of horses daily, asking what breed she would like, reading books on it. The pool of horses had been narrowed down to three, each a different breed, and Fallon had an envelope containing their photos and descriptions in her pocket. She hadn't looked at it yet. No, she wanted to see the stables first, to get a feel for what it would be like to ride again. It had been two years since she had been in the saddle. Would it come back to her again? And would she ever be good enough to actually compete for Crystal Academy?

Idle hands reached for a polished metal hook sticking off of one side of the pen. Stall after stall lined each side of the narrow stable, each end open to the cool breeze and sunshine outside. Most of the stalls were filled with horses, some grazing quietly out of feed bags, others dragging their hooves over the floor.

And soon her horse would be among them.

In spite of herself, Fallon was happy. Happy, and concerned. She had never owned her own horse, despite having both care and riding experience. What if it didn't work out? Already, her organized mind was fitting a new equine companion into her life, finding holes for her to take a taxi out to the rural town adjacent to Destiny City where the Crystal Academy horses were boarded. Looking around the stables, Fallon knew that soon she would be a part of it all.

So she smiled.

With the shuffling of hooves and sporadic whinnying of horses, Fallon did not notice the entrance of the dark-haired girl. She was lost in her head, imagining the things that lay just around the bend. When the strange girl spoke, Fallon stiffened, certainly surprised but not comically so. "Oh," she said, resuming her posture quickly. Her eyes flickered to the mare whose snout the girl touched. One of the early photos her mother sent resembled the horse in the stall, but Fallon could not place the name of the breed. It was easy to confuse them anyway.

Gathering her wits, Fallon released the hook and turned to face the other girl, letting her hands hang by her sides. "Not thinking about it anymore. I am," she said, gesturing to the open space. "I haven't ridden in a couple years, and it will be a new horse, my first horse of my own actually." Fallon felt her eyes lingering on the other girl's horse. They looked familiar with each other, probably had been a pair for a while. Would this stranger look down on Fallon for never owning her own horse until she was fifteen? It was a possibility.

A few moments of silence passed. This girl... if her horse was in the stall just a few down, they would be bound to see each other once Fallon's horse got here. It would be nice to know someone. "I'm Fallon. I go to Crystal Academy, just joined the equestrian team actually." Her eyes moved back to the mare. "Is she yours?" With her own horse forthcoming, Fallon found herself suddenly engrossed in the animals. She wasn't much for pets -- they were terribly messy -- but horses were different. They had their own houses, for one, and they wouldn't shed all over everything. They could be trained. They could be used to accomplish tasks. No, Fallon liked horses, even if most other animals got on her nerves.

When Jada invited her closer, Fallon obliged, crossing the short distance between them. "Yes, I'd love to help. I need to get back in the habit anyway," she said, looking around for a riding blanket. When she didn't see it, she asked, "Do you have a riding blanket for Lady?" Wide magenta eyes flickered up to the horse, and then back to Jada.

Though she was headed to the stables, Fallon hadn't dressed the part very well. She had a pair of skinny jeans on with a pair of dark gray heeled boots and a 3-quarter sleeve sweater. It wasn't terribly bad, but it certainly was not the kind of outfit you got messy wearing. Oh well, she could make the sacrifice to lift a saddle or two. "My mother has narrowed it down to a few horses, each a different breed. She sent me a letter today with their photos. I haven't looked at it yet." Fallon wasn't sure what she was waiting for with the letter. Each time her mother sent the images, she took time to research the breed, keeping meticulous notes. Now that the decision was upon her, Fallon was a little apprehensive about making the wrong decision.

There was something easygoing about Jada. It was a hint of control without being overbearing, just a good sense of how to move things forward. Fallon had just opened the chest when the dark-haired girl offered to let her brush out Lady. It was an easy task, but Fallon was afraid to mess it up. No matter, Jada was right. She needed practice. And she could get Jada's opinion on the horses too? Even better. "Yes, I'd be happy to brush her out," she said, crossing back to Lady's side. The horse was larger than the ones Fallon had ridden back in France, but not by much. It didn't hurt that Fallon was on the tall side for a teenage girl too.

Fallon slipped a hand into her back pocket and pulled out a small envelope. "My mother put the photos of the remaining horses in there. They are all different breeds, but the horse in the image is the one I would get, should I choose it," she explained, passing the envelope to Jada and taking the brush. "I would appreciate an expert opinion. Whichever horse I choose will be mainly used for dressage. I'd like to try my hand at jumping too." With that, Fallon turned to Lady and began to brush her out, being careful to keep a reassuring hand on the mare's side.

When Jada opened the envelope she would find four photos:


Friesian, stallion, 16.6 hands.


Arabian, mare, 14.4 hands.


French Trotter, mare, 16 hands.


Andalusian, stallion, 15.8 hands.

Fallon's mother had kept the girl updated on all of the horses, even beyond what Fallon would have expected. Living an ocean away, Mrs. Novette-Naim wanted to do everything that she could to seem closer. "The Trotter is the oldest. She's eleven. She is a gentle mare, but was largely used for endurance training. The breeder says she is great for agility courses, but her age makes me wary. I want a horse I can grow with. I'm not afraid of having to train them a little," she said. She completed Lady's flank and moved forward, focusing her brushstrokes higher up.

"The Arabian is the youngest. Just four. But she was raised in a family of racing horses. My mother says that the breeder won't stop talking about how fast the horse is, how she has a great spirit about her. She hasn't entered any formal competition," she explained. The Arabian was lovely, but Fallon didn't want to handle a toddler of a horse. She was experienced, but she didn't want to have a break a horse entirely. Sure, the breeder claimed the mare had all the basic training and just needed to learn its rider, but Fallon wasn't convinced.

In her mind, it really came down to the Friesian and the Andalusian. Though her mother had only mentioned it in passing, they were also the two most expensive of the horses she was considering. It figured Fallon would sense the more prestigious horse. And, as Jada had noticed, Fallon did enjoy black horses. "The Friesian is seven, and the Andalusian is six. Both have competed in dressage competitions this year, but mostly low-ranking stuff. The Friesian earned a ribbon or two, but in minor circles. The Andalusian has also been raced in agility competitions. Not sure how well it has done." Fallon loved the look of the Friesian, but part of her loved the Andalusian. She couldn't put her finger on why. They were a mature, docile breed -- and refined.

Still, Fallon thought it might take a face-to-face greeting for her to know for sure. Either way, Jada's opinion would be appreciated.

Fallon multitasked brushing out Lady with periodic glances backward at Jada. It was funny how easily she could remember how to perform these tasks, how to follow the curve of the muscles, how to put enough pressure. She'd also forgotten how large horses could be, and how your arm could grow sore without daily brushing to build those muscles. Her ears pricked to hear Jada's assessment of the horses, and to her delight, it was largely the same as her own.

Retraining an endurance horse for dressage could be a nightmare. Fallon was tenacious, sure, but she'd rather have an untrained horse than have to repurpose one already headed down another career path. The Arabian bothered Fallon too, though she couldn't say why. It was a perfectly lovely mare, but... something was off. In Fallon's mind, it really did come down to the Friesian and the Andalusian. She was happy that Jada felt the same. "I agree. I have to see them move," she said, moving to Lady's other side and making short work of it. "Both breeders have offered to let me come by and meet the stallions, get a feel for their temperaments and gaits. I'm going tomorrow. Whichever one I prefer will be in these stables by Monday." It was strange to think of how close that day was coming.

Truth be told, the process had moved quite swiftly. Less than a month ago, Fallon had decided to join the team, and her mother was on task in an instant, searching for potential horses the moment they hung up the phone. Fallon had an inbox full of images and descriptions the next morning. And now the field had been narrowed. She would be riding the Andalusian or the Friesian in a matter of days. Was she even ready?

Fallon was nearly done brushing out Lady. She was a large horse, but she seemed kind. Afterall, she was docile enough to let a stranger brush her out. Not all horses were the same. "You seem to know a bit about sport horses," she said, crouching down to finish the foreleg. "I know you don't ride for Crystal. But do you compete?" If Jada was a competitor too, she would be even more valuable to Fallon.

Fallon finishing brushing out lady and passed the brush back to Jada, taking her photos back too. She deposited the envelope back in her pocket, smoothing over the uneven edge. It was nice to hear another person's opinion, much nicer than Fallon would have thought. "Thanks," she said with a nod. The rental horses were not new information to Fallon. When she first contemplated joining the team, the faculty advisor took her out to these stables to see the property. A bay American Quarter Horse named Lucky Star gave her extra legs for the day. She didn't care much for the name, but Lucky Star was an old, gentle mare. Certainly well within Fallon's control.

"It's funny you say that," she had, helping Jada with the tack. "They reserved Lucky Star for me in case I wanted to ride today. I didn't plan to go out, but I think I will now." Fallon had no plans until a few hours from now, plenty of time for a little ride. It would be nice to see the ranch from a rider's perspective too. Jada seemed nice enough, agreeable too.

Holding up a finger, Fallon took a few steps toward the open doors. "Let me just run and grab her from the other stables. I'll be right back." A long cinnamon ponytail bobbed behind Fallon as she walked out into the sunshine, disappearing from view when she turned a corner.



A few minutes later, Fallon returned, and she wasn't alone. Lucky Star clopped faithfully behind her, following the lead line without complaint. The mare was already tacked up and ready to ride. "Do you want to ride in the ring? Or just walk the trail?" There were actual practice rings for riders to hone their competitive skills, and then there were the long, sloping trails that filtered throughout the property, perfect for leisure riding. "I don't want to train on Lucky Star, but if you need to practice a few things, I'd be happy to watch." She didn't want to impede on Jada's own time spent riding, but Fallon had no intention of practice jumping on a horse that she would never ride again once her own came to the stables.

When Jada mounted her horse, Fallon did the same, though not as gracefully. At least it hadn't taken her multiple attempts. Once she got her own mare, she would quickly develop the muscle memory to know just how hard she had to tug herself up. Both horses she was considering were fairly large, but Fallon liked it that way. She enjoyed feeling impressive.

"The trail sounds great," Fallon said, moving Lucky Star alongside Lady Luck. The Quarter Horse was not spared the bit. It was only a rental, and the stables had rules. The rental horses had to be in standard gear, regardless of riding level. It was fine by Fallon. Lucky Star might be docile, but she didn't know the horse well enough. It might be the kind to spook.

With a location decide, Fallon gave her thighs a squeeze to urge Star forward, being careful to let Jada lead the way. "Have you always boarded Lady Luck at these stables?" she said, making small talk as the ride began.