2015 Prix de L'Arc de Triomphe 

::The winter race:: 4th place   

Story: Word count: 1074

“For once, I'll admit, I'm nervous” Katalina said with a slight waver in her voice, giving Apollo a small pat on the shoulder. Due to her shoulder injury, she was unable to ride Apollo and even though she would ride the mare, even with a messed up shoulder, she didn't get very far with the idea because as soon as Justin and Dallas found out, she was immediately scratched as Apollo's jockey. The Apocalypse would be ridden by Marry Jane, Aka MJ. An interesting yet frightening sight, especially since Apollo had a bad habit of acting out, especially if someone different was riding her. Sighing heavily, she looked up at the blonde, smiling faintly but reassuringly “Be safe, keep her at the back of the pack and don't let her run ahead too soon. She'll burn herself out that way” Katalina had a habit of reminding MJ of these things, that she already knew but the redhead simply couldn't resist. It was like a parent telling a child what to do, only this time, it was the complete opposite. Especially since MJ was actually older than Katalina. It was more of a child telling the parent what to do. MJ smiled back at Katalina and nodded to her, taking up the reins in her hand “Don't worry, I'll take care of your baby” she chuckled lightly, turning the massive red chestnut away from her. “See you when the race is over with!” the blonde chimed before disappearing out of sight.

~At the track~

As per usual, the feisty red mare put up a fight with the loads. Around and around they went, her head tossing and mouth gaping open with snared teeth, trying to bite and snap at the man who tolerably lead her into circles until she was “safe” enough to be put into the gates. MJ didn't interfere, only to give a light tug when the mare came to close to the man but otherwise stayed out of this small sparring between beast and human. Apollo was not a mare to mess with at times, with her high head and crooked bite and even her excellent aim with her legs, it was best to stay out of her way and just go with the flow. MJ straightened up before leaning down onto the mare's back, watching as they moved closer and closer to the gate until they were finally in. It seemed then that everything, the noises of horses nickering, the crowd, the speaker, everything, it just had been drowned out at that very moment. Apollo lifted up her head and danced in place, snorting loudly and bobbing her head as she stared in front of her. She felt the hard metal gate clamp behind her but remained dancing, her ears pricked forward. Shifting her weight, she leaned back onto her quarters and dug her hooves into the soft ground beneath her, preparing in anticipation for when the gates would open. RANG the bell sounded loudly and the gates flew open, suddenly there was noise but it was of horse hooves beating against the turf and loud snorts as the horses began down the track. One by one, they took their places on the field and kept at steady paces. MJ kept Apollo at a steady pace in the back but it was clear, she would not be able to keep this hold. The massive red mare was constantly fighting the bit, pulling and snorting with all her might and trying to gain control. There were times where the mares head would twist in mid run as she tried to get the upper hand but no matter how hard she fought, the firm grasp remained and kept her at bay. It wasn't until they rounded the first corner that MJ let up on the reins and allowed the mare into a faster pace but quickly regretted this decision, the mare powering ahead with loud snorts and ears pressed firmly against her neck. Her hooves beat rhythmically against the soft turf as she powered her way up in an attempt to get gain some more ground, the mares strides were long and filled with power as she moved forward. It wasn't long till they gained ground and moved up with the others. Ahead of them was WBS Wise Jewel who was being boxed in by several other horses including WBS Ghost hour but after a struggle, the light chestnut was able to break free and move into the open, however that freedom did not last. Suddenly tension was building up in Apollo's muscles and MJ noticed a change in her behavior, looking to the right she saw WBS Wise Jewel, AKA Dee, cutting to the side in an attempt to get into the open. It wasn't until moments later that she realized her own chestnut was heading straight for Dee. MJ couldn't decide if this was Apollo's aggression showing on the track or if the mare was just so focused, that she didn't see Dee but she kept at a full gallop and was slowly leaning into Dee's direction. MJ took action and started to pull against the reins with all her strength to the point she was standing in the stirrups and shifting her weight backwards but despite her efforts and yelling -that got drowned out by the hooves, cheering and speaker- it was too late. Apollo smashed into the lightly colored chestnut, her head held high and mouth gaping open from the shear force of MJ's grasp. Their bodies clashed into one another and Dee let out a shriek of terror as Apollo rammed into her chest first, their legs getting briefly caught but not enough to disturb Apollo's stride. MJ tried her hardest to stop the mare but it was to late, Dee was god knows where and Apollo was running stiffly towards the head of the pack. MJ couldn't look back...afraid she would see Dee and her jockey on the ground or even worse, covered in blood and barely able to move. It was no lie. Apollo had enough strength to barrel down another horse and keep moving at a even stride, enough that it allowed her to ram into Dee and then leap to the side, just enough to be able to continue down the track. It wasn't sure what happened to Dee and her Jockey...It was just clear that Apollo was quite heartless and cruel.

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Of course DA makes the background look a bit darker, grrr >> Oh well. The show entry is finally posted and that background/the poses/everything just about killed me ;-; Comments/faves welcomed! <3


Please note that I had permission from angry-horse-for-life to do this and that no horses were injured without the permission of their respected creator/owner. For Dee's point of view and how the impact affected her, PLEASE, go here and read Pringles entry: Read here!