On a Pale Horse (Umamusume/Youjo Senki)

[uioor1]

Regarding the whole discussion on if Shirogane is even willing to have kids, this bit here seems pretty clear to me that she's open to the idea. Not necessarily actively looking or anything like that, but if she definitely 100% wasn't interested in kids she wouldn't be considering the ability to pass the restaurant down to those future kids one of the upsides of her new life that makes her so content

Dream? "...I have a family that cares for me at their own expense and expects too little in return; I live in a pleasant place where aside from natural disasters, I do not have to fear for my life, and barring severe economic downturn, I will have something to inherit to pass down to any children I might have."

Shirogane smiled. This life felt like a dream, like the retirement she imagined in her past lives.

"What else could I wish for?"

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[Rexmaster1]

Would you kindly spoiler that image? It's quite large.

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Sorry, I'm new to this site, could you tell me how?

 

[uioor1]

Sorry, I'm new to this site, could you tell me how?

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again, but this time add a / after the bracket, but before SPOILER

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EDIT 2: Just look at this link, it explains how to do the markdown stuff

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[tacobowl8]

Before the image, type

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again, but this time add a / after the bracket, but before SPOILER

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Well, QQ (and probably most xenforo forums) also has a BB-codes page: https://forum.questionablequesting.com/help/bb-codes/

As far as what Rexmaster wants to do (and uioor1, the plain tag is your friend (it keeps BB code from rendering)), surround the content you want in the button with spoiler tags:

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[mauveine]

Sorry, I'm new to this site, could you tell me how?

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BB codes

The list of BB codes you can use to spice up the look of your messages. This page shows a list of all BB codes that are available.

forum.questionablequesting.com

for spoilering (ignore w's)[wSwPwOwIwLwEwR]spoiled text, video or image[/wSwPwOwIwLwEwR]

 

[macdjord]

EDIT: Not trying to be a smartass or anything, QQ is auto completing the Spoiler tags and they keep coming back when I remove them

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FYI: you can use the [plain] and [/plain] tag to tell Xenforo to not parse any tags in a given section of text. It also disables the rendering of smilies and the parsing of @-names, which can be useful for things like PHO chapter in fics.

 

[BlastHardcheese]

From my perspective, I believe those interpretations are overstated. I don't disagree that they exist and are important, but they seem overly limiting. I think Tanya is more than capable of falling in love or being interested in finding a partner. You just need to establish the conditions that allow her to do so, and I don't think it would be a struggle depending on the story you're writing. I can imagine that in this story, she would be more than willing to settle down after her racing career ends, once she completes her education, and she inherits the family restaurant.

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IMO the way to go with Tanya and romance is that she justifies the relationship to herself as being for the economic/social/family benefits, but in truth it's because she is absolutely head over heels for the person.

 

[Sheogorath's Avatar]

IMO the way to go with Tanya and romance is that she justifies the relationship to herself as being for the economic/social/family benefits, but in truth it's because she is absolutely head over heels for the person.

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Pretty much. One thing the WN gets across pretty well is the fact that Tanya isn't as much of a self-serving rational being as she thinks she is. She just has the emotional intelligence of moldy cabbage. She clearly cares about her subordinates, but rationalizes it away as her "not wanting to waste investments," and she doesn't understand that she's started to develop some pretty bad PTSD post-Arene. Given that the Journalist the WN and LNs use as a framing device is canonically her grandson, I'd bet she did just that.

 

[ranmatoushin]

Given that the Journalist the WN and LNs use as a framing device is canonically her grandson, I'd bet she did just that.

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Wait, what?
Please provide a source to that, I've yet to have seen any information regarding that, and it's the first I've even seen it mentione.

 

[CantFocusOneThing]

https://mangadex.org/chapter/b76e7fa7-a249-4079-b0ff-effb45b8bf2d/15 I think this chapter settles my vision on what kind of future the salaryman wanted; the soldier could only hope to be explicit about wanting a "retirement" and i hope the uma version reaches her ideal future now that being X isn't there, and even if somehow it comes back, it gets its ass beaten by the 3 Goddesses, specifically the parts when it says, "I needed that job", "So i could build the foundation of my future". I just want to see her ult very soon. Races can change your life and there is no bigger race than the one called life.

 

[Vadelent]

Over the course of her brief tenure at Tracen so far, Shirogane had observed that many of her classmates seemed not to notice her for no clear reason. She hadn't been intentionally sneaking around, but there were too many cases where her classmates had been surprised at her presence for it to be a coincidence.

It was a bit odd, since she didn't remember this phenomenon happening that much beforehand, and some of the incidents with motor vehicles probably had more to do with her height than any unusual sneaking ability.

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Maybe I'm just less noisy in comparison to most students there." That could track with how Suzuka-san seemed to have heard her in the relative quiet of early morning.

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Slow is smooth, smooth is fast. Less often stated is that smooth is often quiet. Her training not to jostle the food during her deliveries is likely the key factor here. A smooth, steady gait with low impact on the ground would mean the food is less shaken up and as a consequence means her stride is quiet silent for someone running so fast.

Oh…well I guess I am your senpai then."

She and many others. "I'll be in your care."

"R-Right…do you want to go running?"

"That was my intention coming out here, yes."

"Ok then!"

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That… That almost feels like an uma's equivalent to a confession. An intent to woo. I might just be reading too much into it. XD

Geez, pony-chan, you don't really have to keep talking while doing sprints."

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{squints} If she has the capacity to speak easily while sprinting there's yet more speed she can eak out. Move those legs little pony cause you're still holding back.

 

[Sheogorath's Avatar]

Wait, what?
Please provide a source to that, I've yet to have seen any information regarding that, and it's the first I've even seen it mentione.

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Checking a translation of the WN, I was mistaken. Sorry about that, but I was remembering a pretty bad mistranslation of the final chapter where poor Andrew gets some of the truth from an Albish intelligence type after failing to uncover much beyond the name "Degurechaff." I got it confused with Side Story 3 of the WN where Zettour gets floored when he finds a "leaked" document with a dedication to her "and their two children."

 

[Rexmaster1]

Before the image, type

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. After the image, type

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again, but this time add a / after the bracket, but before SPOILER

EDIT: Not trying to be a smartass or anything, QQ is auto completing the Spoiler tags and they keep coming back when I remove them

EDIT 2: Just look at this link, it explains how to do the markdown stuff

https://forums.spacebattles.com/help/bb-codes/

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Well, QQ (and probably most xenforo forums) also has a BB-codes page: https://forum.questionablequesting.com/help/bb-codes/

As far as what Rexmaster wants to do (and uioor1, the plain tag is your friend (it keeps BB code from rendering)), surround the content you want in the button with spoiler tags:

[spoiler]
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generates:

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Content

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FYI: you can use the [plain] and [/plain] tag to tell Xenforo to not parse any tags in a given section of text. It also disables the rendering of smilies and the parsing of @-names, which can be useful for things like PHO chapter in fics.

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I tried my best...

Sorry, my neckbeard isn't long enough.

 

[Vadelent]

"So far during your time at Tracen, you have not injured yourself in any way, something none of your classmates have managed to avoid, even if, thankfully, all incidents have been minor so far."

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Hmmm, I imagine if she's going to get hurt anywhere it's going to be in an official race. Likely when she's hugging the bar to squeeze past at speed and someone "accidentally" nudges her into it.

 

[Jadalier Rune]

Hmmm, I imagine if she's going to get hurt anywhere it's going to be in an official race. Likely when she's hugging the bar to squeeze past at speed and someone "accidentally" nudges her into it.

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Nah, she's going to sense it. Just because she's rusty of war doesn't mean she can't sense hostility and dodge it. Just because she left the soldier life, doesn't mean the soldier in her left her.

 

[Crispy Taco Shell]

Hmmm, I imagine if she's going to get hurt anywhere it's going to be in an official race. Likely when she's hugging the bar to squeeze past at speed and someone "accidentally" nudges her into it.

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In Japanese derbies, physical roughing is banned and even accidental nudging can result in disqualification and fines. An uma would have to have some serious beef with Shiro to attempt that.

Also, physically manhandling Shirogane during a race would be a bad idea. Her warhorse instincts would result in the target uma being beaten bloody and everybody involved getting suspended. Depending on how televised the event was, Shirogane could get a bad lifetime reputation and lose sponserships. Worse, Tracen Academy and her trainer would have to deal with 24/7 scandal news coverage and uncomfortable investigations by the sports commissions.

 

[Alphea]

Shirogane Ozrel, Aka The Money Machine

 

[Vadelent]

"Look, you already stand out a bit, and if you wanna catch enough attention to get into the Triple Tiara circuit, you've got to stand out magnificently." The diva of an uma laced her fingers together and stretched, pulling her arms up above her head. "So work with what you got.

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Having taken to looking up the Uma's in question when their names come up I know precisely what you did there girly and what you meant by "stand out".

She had prayed for a trainee who wasn't too eager to get herself injured, or too blinded by the glory to be mindful of her own limits. Now it felt like the Kami had a sense of humor about her life.

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Got a bit too much of what you desired eh? Knows her limits excruciatingly well even if she's dreadful at knowing comparatively where she stands to her schoolmates.

Still, Shirogane did know Polish to some degree, enough to converse simply with her grandparents

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If she thinks it's good enough to converse with her grandparents I'm going to take that to mean she's fluent enough to serve as a professional translator.

Akira wasn't quite sure if she had ever realized how beloved she had become by being so effortlessly good at what seemed like everything while not lording it over everyone else.

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Normally I imagine quite a few people would get frustrated with that and not like her on principle.

And also bringing food.

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Ah, there we go. Most people, especially children, can be bribed into liking other people with food. Especially if it's good food.

 

[LordTom]

I feel like I am missing so many social cues when I read the fic and comments.

 

[Yonlionz/Amber]

I feel like I am missing so many social cues when I read the fic and comments.

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Just like Shirogane herself

 

[TheSmallSauce]

A couple pages back, I was struck by an evil plot bunny dredged from the hitherto unplumbed depths of the mind of one @ScarredPunLover.

… I'm imagining a Racer who once had a fierce rival—but said rival starts to fall apart and/or give all their focus to Shiro, and thus leaving the racer behind. You can play into it as a shipping thing or jokes about relationships in general, though I think there's more fun to be had in the racer watching their rival fall apart, self-destructing slowly but surely, "because" of Orzel.

Click to shrink...

This plot bunny has been mercilessly gnawing at my attention for the last two weeks, so now that I've happened upon some free time, rest assured I will raise that plot bunny into... (What do you call a fully realized plot bunny?) a fully-fledged plot jackalope. Putting that aside, I felt like the plot jackalope would be be missing it's horns, so to speak, without at least some appearance (with dialogue!) by the main character. Unfortunately, I am what you might generously call utter garbage at consistent character writing, especially with characters that I had no part in creating. So while Shirogane has as a person diverged somewhat from Tanya, which gives me some leeway in depicting her character, I still felt it prudent to do some research on what makes Shirogane feel like, sound like and act like Tanya. After all this is still a Youjo Senki fic, some part of Tanya needs to be recognizable in her reincarnation.

The research began, as it always does, by returning to the literature. To preface, my experience with Youjo Senki started with Selphius' German rendition of Los! Los! Los!, which lead to the singular season of the anime, which of course lead to the manga in search of evermore wonderful historical fiction. The light novel was, as all good light novels seem to be, under lock and key by Yen Press and their tyrannically slow translation team, so I never got around to reading it. And as infatuated as I was with the story, I chose not to trudge through the hell that was the machine translation of the web novel, that way lay madness and pronouns for one character changing five times in a single sentence, but I digress. All this is to say that my primary interaction with Youjo Senki came from the manga, which is the source from which I draw most of my ideas about who Tanya is.

In the manga, perhaps the chapter that most examines Tanya's character is chapter 19, in which the Salaryman lays out his mindset and worldview in plain terms. Nowhere else is the basis for Tanya's understanding of the world so explicitly stated.

Spoiler: Chapter 19, Page 4 & 6

Tanya

"When I was a little boy, I had come to understand that and adult's personal nature differs from his outward apperance."
"If I don't be a 'good boy', I'll be excluded!'
"I needed to live for people's expectations."

Spoiler: Chapter 19, Page 9 & 10

Spoiler: Chapter 19, Page 13

Salaryman

"If you abide by the rules, you can follow a path laid out for you."
"That's how I managed to find a path to a generally satisfying life. By acting as a good cogwheel to society."

Tanya's worldview is shaped by her experiences in her previous life as the Salaryman, where she came to understand that people rarely act entirely in accordance with their true desires. Instead, individuals adapt themselves to societal expectations, rules, and norms in exchange for stability, acceptance, and the benefits that society provides. Influenced by rationalist and meritocratic ideas associated with the Chicago School of Economics, she concluded that the most effective way to live comfortably was not to rebel against these systems, but to understand and optimize herself within them. To Tanya, society functions through incentives, institutional structures, and predictable rules, and the individual who best adapts to these structures is rewarded with security, status, and personal freedom. Her goal therefore becomes finding freedom within the boundaries imposed by society, primarily through relentless self-improvement and competence, with the ultimate aim of achieving a stable and comfortable life.

Spoiler: Chapter 19, Page 11

Salaryman

"People who don't follow the rules give me a great deal of anxiety. Everything I accomplished by following the rules can be threatened by their disorderly conduct."

This worldview also explains Tanya's hostility toward irrationality, incompetence, and ideologically driven behavior. Because she perceives herself as having faithfully followed the implicit social contract throughout her life, she struggles to understand people who knowingly act against their own interests or against the stability of the systems around them. In her eyes, emotional idealism, reckless nationalism, blind faith, or revolutionary thinking are dangerous because they disrupt the predictable order upon which rational planning depends.

Spoiler: Chapter 76, Page 24

Tanya

"No matter how hard you work, your wage will never increase, but good job! Now keep working! Profiting is bad! The state will manage it instead! If you slack off, you're going to be reeducated! Forced labor!! Keep working!! Everyone's poor!! Someone's complaining? Too bad, you're going to be purged!!"

Which leads to her hatred of collectivist ideologies such as communism, something that stems less from simple political opposition and more from her belief that systems disconnected from merit and competence inevitably undermine efficiency and punish exceptional individuals. To Tanya, a society that redistributes rewards regardless of effort removes the incentive structures necessary for productivity and stability, while authoritarian governance introduces arbitrary power that makes rational self-preservation impossible. More than anything, Tanya fears helplessness and unpredictability, which is why she places such importance on rules-based institutions and personal excellence.

That covers my understanding of Tanya Degurechaff, the soldier. Her personality and worldview are similar to those of her previous life, but they aren't identical. Chapter 58 of the manga actually goes out of its way to state it in no uncertain terms.

Spoiler: Chapter 58, Page 31 & 32

Tanya

"I figured you'd say that, you greenhorn who only lived through the Showa and Heisei era."

Salaryman

"You've changed. Did you find comrades you can trust?"

Tanya

"Of course. I'm none other than Tanya von Degurechaff."
"I'm different from you."

So as Tanya, she's changed a lot compared to the Salaryman through her experiences. It lends credence to the idea that even though Shirogane is a continuation of Tanya as a character, she isn't the same person anymore.

"Shiro, dear," her mother began, pursing her lips seriously. "Why don't you say anything if you are still hungry?"

Shirogane stared back at her in bemusement. "I eat about as much as you do. If I eat more then it will use up too much food."

The adults shared a look, before their expressions softened and father laughed.

"Shiro-chan, if you need to eat more we will buy more food."

"But that will cost money."

"Well, yes…but that's not so important," her father waved off. "We buy a lot of food to begin with, a little more won't make that much of a difference."

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Fortunately, it didn't appear that Suzuki Shirogane would have to worry about any of the dangers that the Soldier did. Not only was she born after the World Wars (this world somehow following a similar history despite the lack of horses) at a similar time to the Salaryman, she was not an orphan, and actually had parents.

Or more specifically, parents that actually took child rearing seriously.

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Dream? "...I have a family that cares for me at their own expense and expects too little in return; I live in a pleasant place where aside from natural disasters, I do not have to fear for my life, and barring severe economic downturn, I will have something to inherit to pass down to any children I might have."

Shirogane smiled. This life felt like a dream, like the retirement she imagined in her past lives.

"What else could I wish for?"

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This, I feel, is an important part of what separates Shirogane from Tanya for me. Here I think she finally understands that these are people who will always support her, no matter what. Shirogane still values stability and her family represent the greatest kind of stability: unconditional love and support. And while she still speaks in transactional terms, she's clearly softened up. I would probably go a bit further than that and say that Shirogane isn't as confused by or scared of irrational actors as a result of having this support system.

"Even so, I can't exactly leave my parents to do all the work," Shirogane added. "My grandparents are not dead yet, but they are getting old enough they can't help as much." At least they didn't need to spend so much time looking after her now that she had demonstrated her ability to look after herself. Still, it would probably be better for their health if they moved towards retirement. It wasn't helped by the fact that her parents couldn't really afford another child since she consumed enough resources for at least two.

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It's why she feels so indebted to them and a why a big part of her character is centered around making sure that her parents and grandparents can retire and live comfortably. These people not only said that they cared for her unconditionally, they also showed it by delaying their retirements and working hard to support her without ever asking directly or otherwise for her to pay them back. It probably doesn't hurt that running the restaurant once her parents retire means that her path to a comfortable life has not only changed, but gotten significantly simpler.

There had also been a distinct lack of self aggrandizing entities this time.

Perhaps the Salaryman had been correct that the Thing had been no real god, or perhaps, as the Soldier suspected, they had simply been discarded after they were found to have no further use.

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Another important detail, I think, is that she no longer has to constantly look over her shoulder for the possibility of being screwed by a malicious supernatural entity. Shirogane has a much less stressful life, no need to worry about god pissing in your dinner and no need to worry about being shot out of the sky or taken as a prisoner of war, which means she's a lot more easygoing than Tanya. No performing an emergency craniectomy on unruly ponies here. Though it seems that there are some habits she can't quite let go of yet.

Shirogane blinked, finding herself turned around and her fist smashed through the speaker that had played the starting…gun noise.

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In chapter eight, we get to see that she has a violent reaction to gunshots and loud noises, a carryover from her second life.

"Just because I am faster than you doesn't mean I'd make a good racer," Shirogane pointed out. "I was mostly interested in these things because I wanted to see how much of a difference it could make." Working at a restaurant could often mean standing around in a hot environment for long periods of time, not to mention irregular mealtimes, so the energy gel packs and electrolytes could help with avoiding dehydration when working in the kitchen. It would also help with PT.

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Here she is using an abbreviation with a military origin, I reckon a normal person would probably just say fitness. Then there's the harsh and realistic critique she has of her own running. She'd probably already considered the prospect of racing and come to the conclusion that she lacked the ability to compete at the top level, and also that it was probably an unreliable career path.

The racing academies were some of the best schools for umamusume, both academically and in regards to training programs, but gaining entry was a competitive endeavor, and most of the roster would inevitably be filled up by children from notable pedigrees due to being selectively bred for improved performance. There was some degree of nepotism, but most of the time they did win out in fair competitions.

Shirogane had not heard of any umamusume with a pair of human parents doing particularly well on the racing circuit, so it seemed likely she would be far outclassed.

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"It isn't as simple as that," Shirogane deflected. "First of all, that depends largely on at least showing in a big race. However, the majority of the purse goes to first place, and from those winnings, a chunk is taken by the academy, and more fractions are cut off by taxes, so the take home amount is far less than what may appear."

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Case in point. She's not one to dream, even in this life.

But whatever the case may be, this body and brain, being not entirely human, seemed less inclined towards the zealous obsession the Soldier had developed, being much more attached to the tangible than the theoretical. Perhaps it was to be expected of a hybrid of horse and human, but as the animal in question did not seem to exist in this world, it did not seem a good idea for her to wonder out loud about. It could also have been due to the Soldier's common usage of computation orbs and the adaptation of her brain to using magic from a young age making her mind in her last life more agile than her current one.

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Then we also have the change in brain chemistry to consider. No matter how much one might try, biology is pretty hard to defy. In the manga, this is actually played for a gag.

Spoiler: Chapter 11, Page 37 & 38

Could you imagine this scene but she's straight up just a horse?

Shirogane

"—Hm? Stay Gold is in the same ship? It's something all horses go through? A horse like me? I AM!!! A HUMAN!!!"

Where was I going with this again...?

Right, examining what makes Shirogane feel like Tanya, and what sets her apart.

tl;dr

Shirogane feels like Tanya because she keeps the same rational, analytical, control-oriented mindset, but she differs from her in what she values and the way she interacts with others because the safe, supportive world of Umamusume removes the fear and hostility that originally hardened those traits into something colder and more defensive aggressive violent.

Thanks for coming to my tedTalk, I lost the plot halfway through though.

Plus I'm still writing that evil ass plot bunny. Curse you, @ScarredPunLover, you did this to me! Though now I feel like I can write Shirogane's part better...

Spoiler: Thing

 

[ScarredPunLover]

Curse you, @ScarredPunLover, you did this to me!

Click to shrink...

Everything is proceeding as I have foreseen…

Take up your keyboard. Create the omake, and your journey to the dark side will be complete.

Now, young @TheSmallSauce … you will write.

 

[Dame Verylin]

Everything is proceeding as I have foreseen…

Take up your keyboard. Create the omake, and your journey to the dark side will be complete.

Now, young @TheSmallSauce … you will write.

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Ara ara ara? Máster have you been seeing other apprentices behind my back? It's only supposed to be us two master, you know? I turn away for a moment and find you corrupting someone else towards the dark side. What am I supposed to think? This apprentice will not stand for it!

Turn on your keyboard @TheSmallSauce, it is time to d-d-d-duel!


Ahem, take some cringe damage back. Anywho, joining in for the prompt. Know what would be funny? If master had a secret side (chick) apprentice that suddenly appeared and decided to steal the prompt as well.

Let us all journey towards the dark side together!

 

[ScarredPunLover]

Ara ara ara? Máster have you been seeing other apprentices behind my back? It's only supposed to be us two master, you know? I turn away for a moment and find you corrupting someone else towards the dark side. What am I supposed to think? This apprentice will not stand for it!

Turn on your keyboard TheSmallSauce, it is time to d-d-d-duel!


Ahem, take some cringe damage back. Anywho, joining in for the prompt. Know what would be funny? If master had a secret side (chick) apprentice that suddenly appeared and decided to steal the prompt as well.

Let us all journey towards the dark side together!

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I haven't the slightest idea what the fuck is happening here

anyway, yes

Something, something, something, Dark side- something, something, something, complete

 

[FluffyVoid]

Turn on your keyboard @TheSmallSauce, it is time to d-d-d-duel!

Click to shrink...

Someone said duel?

View: https://youtu.be/u3K8VlxVLKo?si=kk3_jrcOlacIHMrX

 

[TheSmallSauce]

Spoiler: Rival bit

"Merry." Legadonia's gaze lifted as her rival came into view.(Is this name too much? But it sounds like a racehorse name, kinda like Regaleira.) "It has been some time since you last came to practice. Have you been unwell?"

Merry looked preoccupied, her attention fixed on something Legadonia could not see. She noted it as something to bring up to her trainer at a later date, as distractions were dangerous on the track, though for now there were more pressing matters at hand. They had a score to settle.

"Shall we race?"

Merry walked straight past her, muttering under her breath the entire time. That was unusual. Merry was not the type to refuse a challenge, especially not from her. Legadonia hesitated only briefly before, against etiquette, she turned and followed her rival. They walked for a while before she finally spoke up, unable to hold her curiosity any longer.

"My rival, if I may be so presumptuous, but who or what are you looking for?"

That was enough to make her stop.

Merry had brought them to the river a short distance south of the campus. From where Legadonia stood, she could see a pale-haired uma on the opposite embankment performing what she could only assume was an extreme variation on the sprint drills her own trainer had introduced recently. Something about endurance for poor weather, she mused.

"Shirogane-san, then?"

"I need to observe her training."

"Truly?" Legadonia did not think there was much to be gained there, her rival's style was too different. Still, it was possible she was overlooking something. "I confess I do not see what could be gained that could not be gained by racing me instead."

"I've beaten you before," Merry replied immediately, almost absentmindedly.

That drew a faint huff from Legadonia. A statement of that sort was imprecise, and therefore improper. Their record was even, hardly a matter of being beaten, but she would let it pass.

Merry continued after a while, still looking away. "But I can't catch her."

Across the water, Shirogane maintained her pace without the slightest hint of fatigue.

"That's all there is to it."

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Continuing on from this bit...

---

Second To Silver​

---

"Merry." Legadonia's gaze lifted as her teammate and rival came into view. "It has been some time since you last came to practice. Have you been unwell?"

Merry looked preoccupied, her attention fixed on something Legadonia could not see. She noted it as something to bring up to their trainer at a later date, as distractions were dangerous on the track, though for now there were more pressing matters at hand. They had a score to settle.

"Shall we race?"

Merry walked straight past her, muttering under her breath the entire time. That was unusual. Merry was not the type to refuse a challenge, especially not from her. Legadonia hesitated only briefly before, against etiquette, she turned and followed her rival. They walked for a while before she finally spoke up, unable to hold her curiosity any longer.

"My rival, if I may be so presumptuous, but who or what are you looking for?"

That was enough to make her stop.

Merry had brought them to the waterway a short distance south of the campus. From where Legadonia stood, she could see a pale-haired uma on the opposite embankment performing what she could only assume was an extreme variation on the sprint drills her own trainer had introduced recently. Something about endurance for poor weather conditions.

"Shirogane-san, then?"

"I need to observe her training."

"Truly?" Legadonia did not think there was much to be gained there, her rival's style was too different. Still, it was possible she was overlooking something. "I confess I do not see what could be gained that could not be gained by racing me instead."

"I've beaten you before," Merry replied immediately, almost absentmindedly.

That drew a faint huff from Legadonia. A statement of that sort was imprecise, and therefore improper. Their record was even, hardly a matter of being beaten, but she would let it pass.

Merry continued after a while, still looking away. "But I can't catch her."

Across the water, Shirogane maintained her pace without the slightest hint of fatigue.

"That's all there is to it."

Legadonia did not answer immediately.

Her gaze followed Merry's, though not to where she was looking, but to what she was not seeing.

Shirogane was, by any reasonable measure, an outlier. The sort of athlete whose baseline distorted comparison if taken without care. It was a point often demonstrated, less in words than in imitation, by those who attempted to replicate her training without understanding it.

"…I see."

It was a high bar her rival had set for herself. That, in itself, was not without value.

Merry had never lacked motivation. The problem had never been its absence, but its direction. Legadonia would have to be mindful of that now that it had found a new focus.

The thought was accompanied by a sliver of discomfort, the feeling lingering only a moment before she quelled it. Her rival's renewed resolve was difficult to object to on its merits.

"So," she said at last, "how will you proceed? You have shown me your target, and I trust you have a plan."

Merry did not speak at once.

Her eyes remained across the water still. One foot shifted unconsciously against the dirt beside her, testing an angle that was not her own.

Then she nodded, stiffly.

"My rival," Legadonia said after a measured pause, "I must remind you that a race is not decided by speed alone. And few, if any, can sustain her pace for as long as she can. You would do well not to be rash."

Merry offered no reply.

The next time she spoke, it would be to their trainer.

---

By the time Legadonia arrived outside the office, Merry was nowhere to be found.

"She left?" she asked.

He nodded. "About three minutes ago."

Legadonia glanced toward the practice grounds visible beyond the hallway windows.

"Without waiting for…"

"Mm."

That earned the faintest crease between her brows.

"Merry ordinarily considers routine important."

"She does."

"It has become less so of late. "

A wry smile crossed his face before his expression settled once more.

"She wants to push harder."

Legadonia was quiet for a moment, tail swishing.

"I suspected as much."

"I approved it," he admitted. "Within reason."

She regarded him a moment longer than necessary. Merry had a tendency to interpret things in her own way; it was rarely malicious, but it was rarely precise either.

"I trust her to know her limits." He continued. "She knows her body better than I ever will."

"And you trust her judgment of it above your own."

"I do."

"Trainer—" The start of a correction began to take shape before she caught herself.

He met her gaze.

"But I also trust you."

That made her pause briefly, as she registered the role being placed upon her. He continued before she could gather her response.

"Run alongside her for a while. Keep an eye on things."

Legadonia watched him carefully. "You believe she will overdo it."

"I believe," he said carefully, "that Merry is at her worst when she convinces herself she is alone."

That, more than the request itself, seemed to resolve something in Legadonia.

"Understood."

---

Merry had already started by the time Legadonia reached the track.

That alone was unusual.

Their warmups had long since settled into habit, less by agreement than repetition. Merry ordinarily waited, if only so they could spend the opening laps attempting to unsettle one another before training properly began. Today, however, she was already midway through the bend.

Legadonia slowed near the rail. Something about the run looked… off.

Merry's stride usually carried a certain sharpness to it, an explosive quality held barely under control even at training pace. Now the movement looked smoother, flatter somehow. Less forceful on entry, more measured through release.

Legadonia watched another lap in silence.

Merry exited the far turn hugging the inner rail closer than usual.

Strange.

Her usual burst was nowhere to be seen.

"My rival," she called evenly as Merry approached the post, stepping onto the track alongside her, "it has been nearly a week since last we raced. I am beginning to suspect you have abandoned our usual arrangement."

Merry glanced sideways. For a fraction of a second, genuine surprise crossed her face.

"…Legadonia."

"So you do remember me." Legadonia teased as she matched pace beside Merry with practiced ease. "And yet you began without me."

"I wanted to warm up first."

"You are five laps in."

"Then I have warmed up thoroughly."

Legadonia exhaled softly through her nose, closer to an amused chuff than genuine reproach.

There she was.

Merry's attention might have wandered somewhere beyond the track these past weeks, but at least some part of her rival remained intact enough to answer teasing with teasing.

The reassurance lasted precisely until the next turn.

"You are altering your stride," Legadonia observed after another turn.

Merry's ears flicked once.

"Slightly."

"And suppressing your acceleration." She added.

"I am testing a new pace."

Legadonia's gaze narrowed almost imperceptibly. So, this was not a matter of merely training harder, but training differently.

Merry leaned forward slightly entering the straight, carefully regulating the rhythm of her breathing. She was conserving motion, suppressing the explosive release Legadonia had long since come to expect from her. The effect was strangely familiar; less the stride of a sprinter than that of a stayer preparing to endure distance.

…Imitating Shirogane.

The realization settled unpleasantly in her chest with an unfamiliar weight. One more thing to account for.

She kept her voice even. "And your conclusion thus far?"

"That this pace is sustainable."

"For her, perhaps." Legadonia corrected.

Merry did not answer.

They rounded another bend in silence.

Legadonia watched her rival carefully now. The adjustments were subtle enough that another runner might not notice them yet, but to someone who had spent years racing beside Merry, the differences stood out immediately. She was smoothing herself out, shaving away instinct for efficiency in a manner that felt studied rather than natural. It did not suit her nearly as well as she seemed to think.

"Merry."

"Hm?"

"You are aware that copying another athlete is not the same as understanding them."

"Yeah."

The answer came too quickly, but Legadonia let the matter rest despite the unease it stirred in her. Not because she believed Merry, but because pressing further now would accomplish little beyond making her defensive. Instead she matched pace as Merry gradually increased speed through the next straight, the two of them settling into the familiar rhythm of shared practice even as something about it felt subtly off-balance.

Several laps passed that way before Merry finally eased near the starting line, breathing harder now, though the dissatisfied set of her expression suggested she considered the session lacking in some regard.

"One more," she said quietly.

Legadonia studied her for a moment. Merry was not exhausted enough to justify the vacant look in her eyes, and that alone was troubling.

"…Very well," She replied at last. Better that she not leave Merry to run alone.

They resumed together.

But as they entered the next turn, Legadonia realized Merry was no longer running against the person beside her.

She was running against someone who was not there at all.

---

I'm sure I'll reread this in the morning and find a billion things I'll want to edit or add onto. But for now, this should appease the plot bunny.