A/N: So, this was also fun to write. Hence why it's up so early after the last one. Yay!

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the recognizable characters, Disney/Pixar does.

After the first day, Finn continuously went to the arena to be with Holley. She quickly warmed up to him, and always looked forward to when he came in the morning.

Finn and Ethan still kept their routine - training in the morning and afternoon - but it was a bit different. With Holley in the mix, if they needed the indoor arena, Holley would follow. She was wary of Ethan for the first week or so, but after seeing how Finn wasn't scared of him she began trusting him. Within two weeks she was tagging along closely behind Finn, and even trying a few of the dressage moves if she felt like it.

They never practiced shooting around her though. Finn had learned she was terrified of gunshots when one accidental shot had fired just outside the arena. Finn had merely lifted his head towards the sound, but Holley had flung herself up into a rear, jumping at least four feet off the ground. With the way she landed, Finn was sure she'd broken or at least sprained something. He found himself walking towards her before she even landed, an instinct drawing him to her to make sure she was ok.

And after that incident, Finn hadn't even thought of shooting around her.

After the first week of her following Finn while Ethan was riding, Ethan began feeding her hay from his hand while he was riding Finn. That's how he won her trust (that, and as stated before Finn wasn't afraid of him, so why should she be?). By the third week, she was following Ethan and Finn separately. She still followed Finn more, but if Ethan called her - not by her name, the only one that knew her name was Finn, so Ethan simply called her 'girl' - she'd usually go to him.

And Finn had become extremely protective of the filly. Over the course of two months, Ethan had noticed a change in the way he acted when he was around her. One time, he'd walked in when the filly and Finn were laying in the arena (with the filly laying on her side and sleeping) and Finn had given him a death stare. Ethan had backpedaled out of the room as quickly as he could without making noise.

Ethan had also noticed she'd put on a bit of weight, which was a good thing, along with muscle. She was still thin, but her ribs weren't showing as much. She'd filled out, some muscle showing over the normal areas where muscle should be visible, and her eyes gradually got brighter.

Finn could see the fire return to them, that curious, hopeful, energetic gleam in those jade green eyes.

And gradually she became more energetic as well, to where Finn and the filly more often than not would play fight or run around a bit in the arena.

The fifth week she was at HQ, Jake had pulled Ethan into his office and explained he wanted the filly to tell him her name, where she was from and what her history was. Ethan had been reluctant to go through it, figuring since she hadn't already said anything to anyone that wasn't Finn, she didn't really wanna speak about her past.

But seeing as Jake was his boss he didn't have much of a choice.

He'd gotten Finn to y'all to her a bit about it, but he said she was only willing to discuss it with him. Ethan had shrugged, told him that was fine and just to relay the information to him so he could tell Jake, and that was that.

It was a much more traumatic history than what should've happened to the two and a half year old filly.

He remembered that conversation very clearly.

"Holley said she was born into the fighting. Her mother was a successful assassin, and her father was an upcoming assassin as well. They were forced to have her, and her mother didn't care for her much. Her father she never saw at all. She said when she was a few months old she was weaned and began difficult training to become an assassin like her mother. When she did something wrong she'd get 'punishment', which could range from a few whippings to a cut across her legs with a knife. When I ran into her that one day she said she'd just finished her first mission, where she'd failed it, and gotten shot in the foreleg for it," Ethan could swear he saw red flash through Finn's eyes as his whole body tensed and ears pinned. "Holley said just before we caught her she'd been on a mission, and had she not been caught, she would've failed it anyway."

"Did she say who trained her?"

"Yes. Professor Z along with a couple of stallions names Grem and Acer. She told me they loved abusing and..." a quick pause as Finn cleared his throat, hoping Ethan got the message.

Ethan did, and went wide eyed. "Did they...?"

"No," and after a moment Finn added, "Had they, they would be dead by now."

Ethan chuckled, "And where is she from?"

"She was born in London, but moved to Germany when she was a week old."

Ethan had told Jake, and the topic was not brought up again. Whenever someone mentioned any of those names around her, she'd flinch. Finn would notice, and press his forehead to her neck. It was a gesture he did often to calm her.

Another week had passed, and Jake has once more pulled Ethan aside.

"I want you to tie the two together and let them outside."

"What for?"

"Holley seems restless, and Finn should want to go out by now."

Ethan hummed, but nodded, agreeing. Finn was defintiley longing to go outside, and Holley would like being outside. So right after their conversation he had grabbed a fifteen foot lead rope, a halter for Finn and another for Holley, and walked into the arena.

"You two wanna go outside?"

Holley and Finn had come running up to him, Finn sliding to a stop in front of him while Holley took a little longer to slow down. He slipped the halter over Finn's face, but showed the halter to Holley and allowed her to study it before slipping it over her face with surprisingly no trouble. Ethan then tied one end of the rope to Finn's halter and clipped the other side to Holley's.

They followed Ethan to the door that lead outside, and once it was open the two sprinted out the door. Finn's ears pricked as he whinnied, stretching his legs and throwing his head around. Holley had to stretch her legs to keep up with him, but she was able to keep with him.

Ethan watched as Finn lead her to his, Sid's, Rod's and Leland's usual spot out in the yard. Leland was already out, and he picked his head up to greet them.

Finn stopped a ways away so Holley could get used to Leland, and it was a process but eventually she dropped her head to graze while Finn and Leland talked for a bit.

Ethan smiles softly before returning to cleaning his tack. He knew soon he'd probably have to train her sooner or later. He could see the same spark in her that Finn had.

The need to work.

A/N: so, how was this? I really loved this chapter to be honest. I also didn't reread this, so spelling mistakes are probably in there.