For those of you waiting for the next update of Starfield Academy, you get three tomorrow. I've had a bit of a hard time in the last few times, and I needed something else to do, so I wrote this. For those of you not, I hope you enjoy anyway!

DAY ONE

The white stallion had no idea who his master would be. All he knew, was the harsh man who had brought him into the airy, roomy, albiet lonely, stables, hadn't offered him a kind word.

The sound of footsteps made the stallion's ears perk up. He looked down the hallway to see the man from before walking towards him with a young boy.

The stallion knickered softly, when they stopped in front of his stall. Reaching over the stall door with his long neck, the horse sniffed at the boy.

"His name is Antonious, Julian. He will be yours to car for, to train, to ensure wins with, understand?" The man asked, voice harsh.

"Yes father." The boy raised his hand to rub Antonious' muzzle, blue eyes full of wonder and fear, "I understand."

Julian at Age 12

"Good run, Antonious." Antonious let out a loud neigh as Julian, now twelve, dismounted and ran a hand over the white stallion's neck, before working on unsaddling and unbridling him.

"Julian!" Both boy and horse jerked at the sudden shout. Antonious pinned his ears forward when a younger look- a- like of Julian ran up, only to stop when he saw Antonious.

The horse lowered his head and let out a low knicker, sensing the boy's fear.

"Yes, Nero?" Julian asked, working on rubbing down Antonious with a brush.

"Dad's upset again." The boy had yet to move.

Julian tensed, and Antonious pinned his ears back, pawing the straw on the ground and snorting.

"What about now?" Julian sighed.

"He was going over your grades with your teachers. He found a C on one of your tests." Nero said.

Antonious felt Julian freeze, and he turned his head to nibble at his master's hair, trying to reassure him.

"Gah! Antonious stop that!" Julian waved his arms.

Nero giggled in his childish way, "He must mistake it for hay!"

"Oh, hush up Nero!" But Julian was laughing too.

Antonious threw his head up and let out a joyous whinney that rang off the walls of the stables.

Julian at Age 16

After a strange run- in with the dark forces Antonious had warned his master of, the one named Tsubasa on the far side of master's estate, both rider and horse came back into the stables. Even as late as it was, Julian stayed, feeding and brushing his steed while talking to him.

"I'm sixteen, Antonious." The horse flicked an ear back, even as he ate out of his bucket full of grade- A oats. Julian ran a brush over his coat, talking to him.

"Dad hasn't aknowledged it. Nero has though. He was up this morning in the kitchen, trying to bake me a cake." Julian laughed and Antonious snorted.

"I wish dad was an actual father." Julian murmured, "He only wants me to bring pride to the family name. But I don't want that. Of course, if I say that to dad's face..."

Antonious raised and turned his head, nipping at Julian's long red jacket.

"Antonious! Stop that! What is it with you and-" Julian eyed him, "Trying to get my mind off of my problems?"

Antonious flicked his ear, snorting.

"You understand me, don't you?" Julian moved in front of the horse, wrapping an arm around his nose and his free hand going through Antonious' mane, stroking it.

Antonious jerked his head up, and moved his lips through Julian's hair. Julian laughed, and swatted him away, "Well, it's good to know someone listens." His smile faded, and the light dimmed in his eyes, "The World Beyblade Championships are coming up. Dad wants me to be the leader of the EU team, to be number one. But what if I can't?" Tears filled his eyes, ones of fear.

Antonious stepped forward, laying his head on Julian's shoulder and let his master wrap his arms around his neck.

Both man and horse stood there in the dim light of the stall, the only sound being Julian's cries.

After the World Championships

"Julian!" Antonious barely faltered at the shout of Nero's voice as he jumped over the oxer. Instead, he stuck to his perfect landing, and hardly without Julian directing him to, turned and trotted over to the edge of the paddock, where Nero and Julian's friends stood.

Friends... Antonious flicked an ear as he trotted over. It was strange to see his master being so kind and different after the event that had decidedly ended Julian's father's reign of terror over his two sons. But Antonious wasn't complaining.

He did get more carrots and apples from the blue haired girl, Sophie.

Speaking of which...

When Antonious got to the edge of the fence, watching out of the corner of his eye as Nero backed off quickly, he reached his neck over and began snuffling at Sophie. The girl laughed and reached into her pocket, pulling an apple slice out and letting him crunch it out of her hand while she ran a hand through his mane.

"What are you guys doing out here?" Antonious flicked an ear, listening to his master.

"We wanted to let you know, you've been riding out here for a near two hours." Sophie said, "Though you'd like to take a break and come train with us for a while."

"Besides, it's not like Nero can take over Antonious' afternoon ride." The redheaded boy, Wales, said.

"No I can't." Nero said, quickly, "I'm afraid of horses- at least, riding them."

Wales, Sophie, and the bulky boy- Klaus- all turned to stare at him.

Julian sighed, "He has been since he was young. I've tried to get him over it, but it's useless." He swung off of Antonious, "Even if he knows that Antonious is so well trained he won't buck him off."

Nero shrugged, and slipped through the gaps in the fence, "Sue me. Here. I can take Antonious and rub him down while you go hang out with the rest of the team. That much, I'm not afraid of."

Julian handed over the riens, "Sponge him with a cool towel?"

"Yep."

"Feed him a quarter bucket of oats?"

"Clean his hoove-"

"Julian. I got this. I did while you were travelling the world in the Beyblade Championships!" Nero exclaimed. Antonious snorted in agreement.

"Alright, alright. Just... making sure." Julian reached up and patted Antonious on the neck. The horse answered by reaching out and biting at the sleeve of his jacket.

Julian laughed and patted his nose, before turning and slipping through the fence himself, "Just be careful."

"Yes, mother." Nero rolled his eyes.

Julian opted not to respond to that, and Antonious knew it was a good choice, as if he did, there'd be another half hour of good- natured brotherly arguing.

Antonious watched with ears perked forward as Julian and his friends walked off, talking and laughing as they walked up the trail and their voices fade out.

Nero turned to Antonious, "You ready, boy?"

The horse snorted, and turned his body just slightly, allowing Nero to quickly swing up on to him, reins gathered up in his hands. Antonious reared up a little, letting out a loud neigh, before turning and taking off towards the far side of the paddock.

With a mighty huff, Antonious leapt through the air, and flew over the fence. He felt Nero move with him, rising out of the saddle and leaning over his neck, before both rider and horse hit the ground smoothly. Nero laughed as he sat back down, and Antonious turned his head so the boy could stroke his muzzle.

"Way to go, Antonious." Nero murmured, "Now? How about we finish that afternoon ride of yours?"

Antonious tossed his head, and turned, taking off down a trail and past the forests of the Konzern estate. Nero let out a loud laugh, leaning forward in the saddle and letting Antonious run.

Antonious went easy on the boy, despite this being one of his rides of many, because he could still the sense Nero's fear whenever he was near. It wasn't that he didn't trust Antonious- Antonious trusted the boy as much as he trusted his true master, Julian- it was the fear that something may still happen.

It didn't matter which one rode him, Antonious flew over a small creek, both Konzerns were Antonious' masters. And until the day he died, the white stallion vowed to watch out for the both of them.

Drop a review, tell me how it was?