Cordelia had never ridden a horse, she was terrified of them, so much so she had never even entertained the thought of getting up onto one, let alone have the beast start moving. It made her question how it was exactly that she was sat in a saddle, holding on for dear life as her wide girthed, skewbald pony plodded lazily along the beach front. She had been told his name was Jack and that he was a 'lovely boy', she would believe that when they were home and safe. Cordelia did enjoy the scenery, she couldn't fault it. The pale yellow glow of the setting sun with tinted pick clouds shimmering on the breaking waves made for a perfect atmosphere.

Another, larger horse came thundering past, the blonde witch that sat perfectly balanced on its back giggling with glee as the grey mare raced along the beach, crashing through the waves and spitting up diamond droplets of water that caught in the sunlight. Jack began to quicken his pace and Cordelia scrambled to gather her reins in a panic. She pulled as hard as she could, leaning back and tugging the reins up with a small protest from Jack.

"Whoa there" she said nervously, slowing Jack back to a steady walk. The grey horse circled a few yards away and began making its way back, the sideways jog it was responsible for made the blondes curled hair bounce around her head like it was made from some kind of elastic material.

"Gee, Delia," Misty grinned, trotting back and pulling back to a walk next to her "Keep up."

"Misty I told you I can't"

"Aw, come on , it's great fun! An' Mary-Jane here's a great runner. She loves it."

"So I see, Misty- if I could I would but I simply can't." and she wasn't lying, merely sitting on the horse made her feel queasy, never mind racing up and down along the beach. But this was the entire reason she was here, Misty had wanted to go, so they went, no questions asked. It was more of a spontaneous 'spirit of the moment' type thing really. And if anyone could get her onto a horse it was Misty Day.

"If you don't like it we can go." the younger woman nodded with a smile, pulling up her horse to a halt "Its fine."

"No Misty it's not..." Cordelia held the reins awkwardly opposite her chest, her fists clenching with frustration "-teach me." she looked to Misty, shortening her reins in her hands "Teach me- I can do this, so how do I-ugh- get him to- to run."

Misty smiled warmly and gave a little laugh, she leaned down from her horse and put her hand reverently onto Cordelia's "First you have to learn how to hold them reigns right." she spoke softly, her fingers looped around Cordelia's, carefully and tentatively moving each into the correct position, allowing her hand to linger a little longer on the Supreme's skin. The Cajun witch sat upright onto her horse and straightened her saddle.

"Right, now ya' need to keep ya' hands down, right down near his withers.

"Withers?" she asked, disconcerted.

"Shoulders." Misty encouraged.

Cordelia rested her hands on the two bones either side of the saddle, the wiry hair of the patchy cob brushing against the back of her hand.

"Do you wanna move now?"

Cordelia nodded "Yes, yes I do."

"Just give him a teeny little nudge with your heel."

The headmistress gave a glance of concern but Misty's calm and resolute demeanour confirmed this would not cause the animal any kind of distress, she put the smallest of pressures onto Jack's side and he began to move forward with Misty's mare bouncing excitedly alongside. Its nostrils flaring and foam beginning to accumulate around the chest and girth areas on the electrified grey.

"Shall we go faster?"

No.

"Yes." She said.

Misty gave a gleaming bear toothed smile "Same again okay? Little nudge an' that'll get him trottin' right alongside me n' Mary-Jane."

She did what Misty said and the horse began its quickened pace, Cordelia gripped the front of the saddle as her body bumped up and down, left to right, seemingly uncontrollably. Her sight was blurry and she could hardly see with her helmet slipping down over her eyes.

"Misty!" she called out, the head mistress could hear laughter from her left- wild, uncontrolled laughter "Misty, this isn't funny I'm going to fall!"

"Delia," the young witch answered her calls at last "Stand up."

Cordelia rose in her stirrups, the burn on her calves instantly kicked in but the ride was smoother and she could finally see ahead on the open shoreline. Mary-Jane broke into a canter and Jack followed her, trying to keep alongside the large strided mare. The wind rushing into Cordelia's face and the powerful sound of rhythmically persistent hooves onto soft sand was an adrenaline fueled euphoria. A frenzy of excitement and danger coupled with her lover's giggles and smiles of ecstasy forced her into some kind of higher enlightenment. Time blending together and melting into a puzzle of confusing and delayed reactions and emotions.

"Are you okay?"

"Yes!" she answered "This is amazing!"

Mary-Jane sped up, the two equine mounts hurtling down the beach at break neck speed.

The skewbald pony gave a jolt of power from his behind, launching Cordelia into the air and for a split second she was gliding over the floor in the quiet- she felt the grit of the sand slam into her face and tear into the flesh on her cheek as she continued to roll, she wondered if she would ever stop and she sure as hell wasn't about to put her arm out to stop herself from her death defying tumble. The Supreme felt venerable as the large hooves skimmed past her head, the disorientation of the experience odd, giving her some kind of momentary amnesia where her mind seemed to slip into a trance like limbo. She didn't attempt to come to some realisation of where she was until she had fully stopped moving, Cordelia had somehow flipped over onto her back, squinting up at the sky, her eyes were covered in sand much like the rest of her body which had crumpled to the floor and sunk into the wet sand. There was simply silence, her and the wind, it was one of the sounds she enjoyed most, albeit misty's laugh. Misty- where had she gone? Was she okay? How had Cordelia come across this thought only now. She cursed herself and was about to force herself to sit up in a wild panic to find the younger witch until she heard the popping and squelching of two horses approaching, stopping and a rider dismounting, both feet hitting the ground with a thud.

"Shit, Delia, are you okay?" Misty asked, concern and worry plastered all over the younger witch's face.

There was Misty and the Supreme's worry bolted in the opposite direction.

Cordelia propped herself up, her dazed expression glassing over her face as the rest of her body swayed from side to side. The Supreme wasn't exactly sure what happened other than she saw ground and now she was sat up, so did she just fall from that horse? She did- she did just fall from that horse. The older witch mustered up a small nod and an incoherent "Yehuh." not her best response in hindsight.

"That was my fault I'm really sorry Delia I-"

Cordelia put a hand over her cheek "It's okay, it wasn't your fault."

Misty made a muffled whimper somewhere between a laugh and a sigh. "...Your face is covered in sand." She said unclipping Cordelia's helmet "And so is mine now... How do ya' feel, anythin'- hurting?"

The younger witch traced her hands over the Supreme's arms and shoulders, kneeling in the sand next to her and checking for any possible resulting injury. Cordelia knew the risks of the sport –another reason she kept away from it- and it wasn't like she couldn't just heal herself up and be done with it but she wasn't going to protest Misty's wandering hands dancing softly over her skin, her distress breaking every so often through the deadpan expression the Cajun witch tried so hard to keep on her sand covered face.

"What happened?" Cordelia finally asked, still relatively confused.

"You fell off." Misty sighed impassively.

"Oh..."

"-Yeah"

"Are you okay?"

"I'm not the one that fell off Miss. Cordelia"

"That's-that's right, you didn't, what- where are- where's Jack?" Cordelia's brows furrowed as she looked away from Misty, Jack was stood a few feet away completely still next to Mary-Jane looking rather sorry for himself with his off centred saddle and bridle that hung over his left ear. The pair still panting from their competitive exploits.

"When you came off I-ugh, I reached down and grabbed holda' his reins, he was pretty easy to slow down, unlike Kentucky national champ over there, quicker than a gator grabbin' holda' some muskrat passin' by"

"Um- thank you for ughm- getting Jack for me."

"Hey, thanks for not breaking anything, that'd'a be a tough one to explain on the way back." Misty smiled, slipping her hand into Cordelia's, the Supreme smiled, her senses returning to her at last however all composure and decency was lost and never to be found. She pulled on the young witch's hands and allowed herself to fall back into the wet sand, taking Misty down with her, laughing and grinning as the young witch's weight pressed onto her chest. The curly haired Cajun placed a small kiss of the supreme's clean cheek and rested her head under Cordelia's chin with a placid sigh.

"Its gettin' dark, we're going to have to move soon." Misty groaned.

"I suppose we are."

"I don't want to, it's nice here isn't it Dee?"

"Yes it is. But I get to see something more dazzlingly beautiful every morning I wake up, so it makes it easier to leave here."

"You're a big soppy mess ya' know that?" Misty smiled, lifting her head from Cordelia's chest and putting her forehead against the Supreme's "I love it."

Cordelia sat up reluctantly, Misty sitting on her lap with her one arm around the back of her neck. The older witch slipped the reins from Misty's hand but Misty was quick to pull them back and keep hold of them.

"If ya think I''m letting ya' back on Jack you've got another thing coming."

She grinned "Then what do you propose, I walk back?"

"No!" Misty beamed devilishly, putting Cordelia's helmet back on and brushing the sand off it as she rose from the ground "You're going to ride on Mary-Jane with me."

"Ugh- I don't know, Misty. I don't think I can-"

"-trust me" the Cajun witch peered into her eyes with a light hearted smile, extending her arm and offering out her hand "I won't let'cha fall Miss Cordelia."

That was that, Cordelia didn't need to hear anything else from Misty that would convince her to not get back up onto a horse.

Misty gave Cordelia a leg-up and hopped on in front of the supreme, whose arms wrapped tightly around Misty's waist. Jack in tow in Misty's other hand, the grey mare was complaisantly calm and collected as they made their way slowly back to the stables on the other side of the beach, the shimmering puddles that blended infinitely with the sand aglow with an orange haze cast out by the almost downed sun. Cordelia rested her head on Misty's shoulder.

"We should come back here some time."

"We most definitely should-" Cordelia smiled softly "Just- not on horses if that's okay?"

"Okay..." Misty giggled lightly "After this, we should go bungee jumpin' or somethin."