OMG!!!! I'm sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

oooooooooooooooooooooooooo sorry I haven't updated since March!!! My internet went down!!! Please forgive me! The good news is I can update more often becuase I wrote 88 pages of this story while my internet was down! You're welcome, and I'm sorry! Please review! I won't really be able to change anything up coming, because I've written everything, but... just please! I'm desperate! I appreciate it! -Ally.

"Yeah?" Amy responded.

"Thanks. Just thanks. I'll see you on Saturday. I can't come around to Heartland for the next week because of practices and runs and stuff. Bye." Ty said.


Soroya smiled. She knew what had happened. "Okay, Amy, I'm going to head home. I'm tired. Plus, it's late and you need to think about Mr. Love...s" Soroya said.

"The week better go by faster than I think it will, otherwise," Amy chagrined, "Until Friday, this is going to be a living hell."

Soroya smiled, "Bye, Ames. I need you to give me a ride tomorrow. My car needs some repair work. I'll call you." Soroya slipped out of the room.

"Bye!" Amy called after her. Amy didn't feel like having dinner that night. It had been a really long day. She took a nice, hot shower and drifted to sleep.

The rest of the week wasn't really that exciting. Amy bypassed Chris as much as possible without the mien of avoiding him. Although the look that Chris shot Amy every time she cut him short was heartbreaking, it was necessary.

Ty, as he promised, didn't come to Heartland to check up on Dylan. She screened his calls, too, along with Chris's. It just didn't feel right to delete one person from your life and not do the same to the other.

On Thursday afternoon, right after Amy got home from school, about three thirty, she lay on her stomach on her bed, doing her American History homework. "Ugh! I don't get this! Who actually cares who led Athens into its age of democracy... certainly not me!" Amy yelled at herself.

"Amy, dear, I said finish your homework and then you can go to the horses. The new border isn't coming for another hour! The rider is supposed to be a girl your age. Finish up. I really want you to meet her!" Marion called from downstairs, hearing Amy's outburst.

"Fine!" Amy muttered.

"Finished, I'm done!" Amy screamed as she shot down the stairs with her notebook just to prove to her mom that she had completed the five page essay on the difference in the lives of Athenian and Spartan women.

"Good, good, Amy." Marion praised as her eyes quickly darted over the messy cursive/printed stapled papers.

Amy looked up expectantly at her mother. Marion smiled. "Go, Amy. Change and then meet Lou and me here in twenty minutes." Marion was laughing at her!

Amy didn't care. She itched to groom a horse and breathe in the smell of the stables. "Thank you! Thank you!" Amy said hurriedly.

Although how excited Amy was to rocket to the stables, she also knew that she had to dress respectively for the new client. She changed into low sling rise black Ariat jodhpurs with a full seat. For her top, she decided to go a little different than usual, pulling on a loose fitting blue-and-pink-and-white-striped polo from Abercrombie under a baggy-but-cute light pink Heartland hooded sweatshirt with "Heartland" monogrammed in navy blue.

Satisfied, Amy jogged downstairs and pulled on her boots and half-chaps. Once out in the yard, Amy took in a deep breath.

"Mm, it's such a nice day to be in the stables." Amy said to herself while basking in the sunlight on her way to the fourth barn. This was the barn for all the other problem horses. Four doors down on the right was a small, feeble pony named Spartacus.

Spartacus was there because he lived with an elderly couple named Stan and Judy. Spartacus was cared for mainly by Judy. When Judy passed away last month, Stan could no longer take care of him and decided to send him to Heartland. Once arrived, Lou had noticed that he had a slight, non-life threatening, case of laminitis.

Since that discovery, Amy and Alex had made it a priority to exercise him lightly every other day. It was Amy's turn today, and she quickly snatched the lead rope from the tack room.

Spartacus just looked up when Amy crept into the stall, but his eyes were immediately filled with a glint of light. "Hey, boy." Amy said as she clipped on the rope to his halter.

Amy led him out into the open and they walked for ten or fifteen minutes around the yard. When Spartacus wanted to sniff something, Amy encouraged it. The sooner he got back into the swing of the outside world, the better.

Spartacus seemed to be tiring out, so Amy directed him back into "Barn Number Four." His hay net was waiting for him there and he munched it up eagerly. "Bye, Spartacus." Amy whispered as she slipped out of the stall.

Her mom had said to meet her in twenty minutes and the timing was perfect. She darted up to the house and Lou and Marion were talking in the kitchen. Once Marion spotted her, she smiled.

"Wow. You're actually dressed civil today, Amy. Congratulations." Lou said.

"Gee, thanks," Amy said sarcastically. "You don't look too bad yourself." Amy pointed at Lou's dirt-streaked Levi's and faded tee. Lou quickly stuck out her tongue at Amy.

"Okay. Time to get down to business, ladies," Marion began, "The new border is a Trakehner Thoroughbred cross stallion. His name is... mm, hold on." Marion said as she sifted through the pile of paperwork cluttering the kitchen counter.

"Ah ha, his name is Formal Obsession, often times called General, or Gen. Um, his sire is Formally Dark, and his dam is Weaker Obsession. He will be staying in barn three, stall number eighteen. I asked Don to Antibacterial it." Marion began.

"Okay, so, does he need any special food, any different brushing boots, splints, anything?" Lou questioned.

"That's important, but what about his discipline? If he's staying in barn three, he must have a field." Amy interrupted.

"Oh, right. Lou, write this down on a pad of paper. He takes three cups Power Performance, two scoops of Multi-V, one tablespoon of Body Boost, and a teaspoon of Workout Drainage. And his rider makes a special request that he gets half a chopped apple and carrot stirred in." Marion paused for a breath.

"But, mom, that's like giving a pro athlete a two dose of steroids!" Amy protested.

"Amy, when you see him at four-thirty, you'll see the impact of this on him. We must stick to this feeding plan for the first few weeks, and then we are righted to change it as we will." Marion looked into Amy's eyes. "Amy, I trust you to stay with this. Don't do anything silly, okay? When the time comes, I'll let you take this, but not until then."

"Yes, mom." Amy sighed, "I'll go with this horrible feeding plan until otherwise noted."

"Good. That's my girl." Marion said. "He is a world champion in dressage. His rider and owner, the girl I was telling you about, is planning to go to the Olympics with him. Last year, he competed in the Grand Prix, but couldn't go as far as had hoped, straining his tendons in a competition the week before." Marion said.

"Oh, great! We'll see how great he really is." Amy enthused.

"Oh, great?" Lou asked. "He will probably be high strung and hard to handle."

"That's because you just see the profit of the face value, not the real thing inside your business." Amy shouted.

"Well, maybe that's because the 'face value' of your 'real horses' are what pay for those expensive Gucci things and dozens of Abercrombie bags you love so much!" Lou yelled back.

"Well, at least I have a life consisting of more than, eating, sleeping, drinking and being locked up in my office for the entire day until dinner is ready!" Amy replied with a smirk.

"I'd rather be a recluse than risk my life everyday being around problem horses that could rear up and lash out and kill me!" Lou countered.

"Oh, yeah? Life is all about taking risks, Lou. There are probably more risks being in your office that standing in a paddock with a problem horse. Just think, that letter opener could cut right through your finger. Whereas, that horse could look at me and just go contentedly sniffing the sand." Amy was getting tired of arguing with Lou so much. She just wanted it to stop, but she couldn't will herself to it.

Amy sagged her shoulders and pulled out a stool from under the bench. "I'm fed up, Lou. Just stop. Can we just, I don't know, stop fighting for a second?" Amy breathed in a deep breath and closed her eyes, regaining her breath.

"Yeah, okay." Lou replied grabbing a stool for herself, and lying back in the same position as Amy. Amy looked over and they smiled at each other.

Marion grinned. "I knew you two would grow up one day. But, for now, we have some work to do. Lou, can you finalize the paperwork, and Amy, go out to the barn and check that everything is finished with the stall. Make sure they have a space cleared for his tack in the tack room and all that."

Amy and Lou groaned in unison. Marion chuckled. "Get used to it, ladies. In a few months, your father and I won't be here to guide you in this. You'll have to figure it out yourselves. Get some practice now. Go on, shoo." Marion teased.

After getting out of the house, Lou and Amy trudged their separate ways. Lou got to her office and found a note taped outside her door. It read:

Hey, Lou.

Are you free tonight?

Say yes.

-Scott.

Lou smiled. Scott was Heartland's vet and also Lou's boyfriend. She went into her office to call him and tell him yes. She found a bouquet of red roses on her desk.

"Oh, Scott!" Lou said to herself.

Meanwhile, Amy had gone to the barn to check up on the status of General's stall.

"Hello, Miss Fleming. I presume you are here to see how things are going with the stall?" A stable hand Amy recognized as Don said.

"Yeah. Thank you, Don. Is there a spot cleared for his tack?" Amy asked. Don nodded.

"Enough room for two saddles and two bridles, two cubbies for his accessories, a few hooks for helmets, lead lines, halters, etc. that the rider might want, and a rail to hang at least two saddle pads for drying." Don said.

"That's great. What about his feed schedule? Did you get a copy of that?" Amy questioned.

"Mm hmm. We have enough of that plan premixed for today and tomorrow. We'll have to order a new shipment after a month or two of him staying with us. There are four buckets marked as F.O. for"

"Formal Obsession, yes." Amy cut him off. "May I check the status of the stall?"

Slightly embarrassed by the interruption of his reply, Don answered, "Yes, yes you may."

Noticing the flush in his cheeks, Amy said, "Oh, sorry, Don. I didn't mean to be rude like that, sorry, it's just, General should be here in less than fifteen minutes and I need to set everything up. But, you know, it wouldn't be possible without your help."

"Thanks, Amy. That means a lot to me. Um, can you check the stall yourself; I need to help Fred with that new horse Dylan." Don said, looking a bit antsy.

"Oh, can I come with you on that? I haven't seen Dylan at all, yet." Amy asked.

"Oh, I don't think that would be a good idea! Well, catch you later!" Don shouted hurriedly as he ran out the barn.

Amy was puzzled at that. What could be so weird about Dylan that no one was willing to let her be there? Amy shrugged it off. She had more important priorities at this moment.

She came to the eighteenth stall. The metal framework was gleaming and the wood oak paneled half-door was bright in the gleaming sunshine from the sky light. A fresh bed of straw had been laid. The navy blue water bucket was full, and Amy knew well that it had been mixed with a few drops of Star of Bethlehem in case the horse was in shock of coming to a new place.

In the feed bucket were all different colors of the feeds General required. On top were four slices of apple and four of carrot. Amy shook her head in disbelief. Wow. These feeds are going to kill this horse, and they know it. But, the apples and carrots are a sweet touch from an obviously caring rider. Amy thought.

As Amy left the stall satisfied, she noticed the nameplate on the door.

Formal Obsession (General)

Owner: Danielle Blake

Contact Number: 1.804.863.9674

Rider: Danielle Blake

Contact Number: See Above

Vet: Scott Trewin

Vet's Number: 1.804.517.8972

Trainer: Amy Fleming

Trainer's Number: 1.804.876.0987

Amy saw her cell phone number on that board and smiled. Hey, at least I'm being recognized. She thought.

Her cell began to ring in Lou's ringtone which was "Undeniable" by Mat Kearney. That was just always the song that Amy liked for Lou even though it had nothing to do with her personality.

"Hey, Lou. Let me guess. I should go outside, make myself look presentable, and smile because the new border is here."

"Hey, you got it in the first try. See you, Ames." Lou teased.

Amy pulled off her sweatshirt, slung it over a chair in the tack room, and put on her best new-client-has-arrived smile.

A chrome Lincoln Navigator was just pulling up in the driveway. Attached to the back was a sleek, purple trailer. On the sides of the trailer were, in white, Just a Touch Stables: Dressage, Jumping, Eventing... Equestrian.

Amy smiled at that motto. It didn't nearly match the excellence of Heartland's. Marion waved Amy over.

"Come here, Amy. I want you to meet the girl, Danielle." Marion said.

The man in the driver's seat stepped out. He looked about thirty with already thinning brown hair. He was short, wearing a baggy Stanford college sweatshirt and jeans.

Out of the passenger's seat came a girl. She looked about Amy's age, probably seventeen or eighteen. She had blond hair cut into a sleek, stylish bob. She was wearing, Amy noticed, the newest white Ariat breeches with show boots. Her top wasn't that formal, consisting of a simple, white polo, accessorized with a fanning, plaid Burberry scarf. Amy felt in her pocket for her own Chanel sunglasses to match up to the girl's Ray Ban aviators.

"Hi, I'm Danielle, well; I like to be called Danni. I'm happy to be at Heartland. I've heard so much about it. It was a perfect opportunity to board General here when he strained his tendons and became massively engulfed in his own self-pity, kind of. It's nice to meet you and I'm sure I'll get to know a lot." Danielle smiled.

Amy was mentally surprised for a moment. She knew that type: The girl, who pretends to be happy and polite, even puts on a fake smile with her effort, but Danni was actually genuine, the real thing. Amy couldn't help but smile.

"Hi, I'm Amy Fleming. The main 'healer', if that's what you'd call it, here. It's good to know that you're interested in the methods and training at Heartland. We train without force, but getting to know the horse and using natural instinctive elements that the horses would use in a herd situation." Amy said, stepping forward and holding out her hand which Danni shook willingly.

"I'm Marion. I spoke with you on the phone. While the hands unload him, tell us more about General." Marion said.

"You see, we are planning to go to the 2008 Olympics. We had been training massively before, and the week before the Grand Prix, he strained his tendons working in wet sand. I kind of feel that he's disappointed in not going, and sad that he let me down, which he didn't, he's a smart horse. He understands the importance of things, emotions. And, he doesn't put the heart into things anymore, as if, he thinks that it's all over and that was the end of the line. He's still the greatest dressage horse ever, but I don't get that spark. He'll do everything perfectly, but not with enthuse. Do you get it, sort of?" Danni looked concerned for the sake of her horse. Who wouldn't be?

"Yeah, I get it. You don't feel that connection and bond from before, and that was what made competing worthwhile. It's you and your horse riding together as a team, side-by-side." Amy said, understanding Danni.

"Exactly, that's it perfectly. I feel he could be more. But, listen, can we sit down, I'm tired from the ride over." Danni asked.

"Oh, yeah, sure, follow me. Amy led her through Barn One to "Amy's" office on the end of the stable block. It was called hers because Amy had taken on the task of redecorating it and it was very teenager-y.

Danni fell into the only beanbag chair in the corner. She sighed and looked Amy directly in the eyes. "There is hope that you can cure Gen, right?" She questioned seriously.

Amy returned that grave look, said, and meant it, "Of course there is."

Danni, in reply, laid back farther into the chair. A few minutes of silence passed and Don came into the office. "Oh, would you ladies like anything to drink? If not, Danni, General is ready for you to see now." He said.

The short man Amy had seen with Danni earlier came in beside Don. "Dan-Dan, we have to go soon, so come check up on Gen. Don has been showing me around, and, although I was skeptical before, Heartland, by the looks of it, is an excellent facility. I'm glad I gave in instead of taking Gen to that place, Greenbrier. Come on."

Amy was happy that they decided to come to Heartland, not Greenbrier, the stables that produced made, push-button ponies. They, unlike Heartland, treated their horses cruelly and unfairly. Amy glowed with that praise.

Danni said, "Guys, this is my manager slash whatever instructor Nick. Nick, this is Amy, Lou, and Marion. And, I told you never, never to call me Dan-Dan in public, or, for that matter, EVER!!!"

Amy stifled a giggle. Nick just came in and patted Danni's shoulder. Everyone knew that her anger towards Nick wasn't real. From the sounds of it, Nick had probably called Danni "Dan-Dan" in public many times before.

They defiled to the third barn, eighteenth stall, to General's stall. He gave a low, effortless whicker at the site of Danni, and she feebly smiled in return. Amy caught her first sighting of General.

He stood at about sixteen hands tall. He had a very powerful build and amazingly muscled hindquarters. His coat was a rich, dark chocolate brown and he had one, straight blaze down the middle of his forehead. There was no excess fat on his body, but you couldn't tell his rib-lines. Everything about him was toned and as he sniffed his surroundings and drank his water, you could tell the muscles rippling under his glossy coat.

Amy gasped. Danni caught her expression and smiled. "Yep, this is my boy, Gen," She began as she clapped him on the shoulder, "his feeding plan may seem like death on a silver platter, but he was bred for that kind of stuff. Scott even okayed it."

Amy was getting to like Danielle. They were very similar and obviously had the best intentions in mind for their horses. Amy knew that Danni had thought everything out and wasn't willing to chance with a horse's life on stake. Amy was the same way.

Amy decided to voice her thoughts and said, "I'm really happy that you thought to ask a vet. It's good to be really aware and open to the affects of your actions, and knowing how, and if to stop. Good for you."

"Thanks. That means a great deal to me. I always thought that I was more just a rider than making good of that gift. We're alike, you know." Danni pointed out.

"Yup, very. So, is there anything else to know about before you go? I know that you'll be coming back often, but for now, anything?" Amy asked.

"Well, I like for half an apple and carrot to be mixed in with his food, which I see you've got. He needs polo wraps if, and when, you jump him, of course. And, um, nothing... oh, yeah!" Danni reached into a duffel bag next to the stall door marked: D. V. B. and pulled out a Glad Tupperware bowl filled to the brim with some gooey, purple substance in it.

"This is General's rub-down balm. I read that lavender is good for relaxation, so my grandma mixes up a batch of this and it's very affective to soothe him after a long workout before bed. If you run out, tell me. It's my grandma's secret recipe, so I have to ask her to make more. I don't even know what's in it besides lavender and jasmine; and I know what it does. So, that's it!" Danni said daintily.

"Okay. That's cool. I'll definitely try it. That's a form of an alternate remedy, you know. You're healing at home, and you don't even know it!" Amy exclaimed.

"Great! Well, I'm going home with Nick, now. I have an apartment on Mansfield Street, just a few miles away. I have a car, so I'll visit. I'll be here on Saturday if that's okay? Probably I'll be here around one-ish. So?" Danni said.

"Okay. We have your number, and I'll call if anything happens. I love the nameplate, by the way." Amy said pointing to her name on the metal plaque.

"Yeah, I though that might be a nice touch. Bye, Amy, Lou, and Marion! See you on Saturday." Danni turned to General. "And I'll see you soon. I promise. Cross my heart and hope to die." Danni murmured into General's mane.

She jogged down the barn to Nick who was tapping his foot waiting for her. "Nice girl." Marion said to Amy once Danni had disappeared down the drive. "Hate to say I told you so, but, it's true. You and Danni could be best friends."

Amy smiled and hugged her mom. "Mom, I told you so doesn't even cut it." They walked down the barn aisle together after Lou, too, disappeared to go call Scott about their date.


So? I know it might have nothing to do with Ty, but you have to stay with me. I've been steering off a little lately... trying to make life a little more interesting. Danni is based off a real girl I know, but Danni in the story has a little (um, well large) tweek. Lol. Review, please!

xoxo, Ally