All trademarked items in this fanfiction is owned by their respective copyright holders (Umamusume Pretty Derby by Cygames, the Haru Urara name by the owner of the horse, etc). The ones owned by me are past and future OCs, plot, and author's thoughts. This fanfiction is made solely for entertainment purposes and not intended for any material gain..
Springtime for the Beauty
"How is she?"
"She seemed comfortable. We got her blankets."
"It's so sudden…"
"Nothing is sudden at that age."
"Do you think…"
"She's a stayer, that one. It'll be fine."
"But the-"
"She'll be fine."
…
It was another defeat.
Haru Urara groaned as the hot shower touched her skin. This is the third time this month, and the twenty-third overall. This is even a non-graded regional race, practically a shove-in victory for other Tracen Academy students.
The keyword is, other Tracen Academy students and not Haru Urara.
Urara's weariness was just too deep this time. She had booked a room at the racetrack lodgings and would catch the first train in the morning, rather than try and catch the last train home. By the time she hit the mattress, she was out like a light.
...
Urara came to consciousness somewhere unfamiliar.
It was a small room, maybe a bit larger than her own shared room in Tracen. There were straws and fodder scattered about. A long trough is filled with clean water.
By far the strangest thing in the room, however, is the beast there. It stood on four spindly legs, though the upper thighs were well-muscled. It has a long head and thick, lean neck. Its tail swished around, eerily similar to a horse-girl's tail.
"Hello there," Urara can hear the beast say. Its voice is genial, but tinged with worldly experience.
"You… speak?" Urara replied, her tone unsure.
"It seems that I could," the beast answered the question, its tone a little amused. "I even sound like one of my caretakers… well, these things happen I guess."
"Then… what are you? I mean… I never saw anything like you before…" Urara said.
"I am… a keiba, the humans said," The beast said. "A racing horse."[1]
"A horse girl?" Urara exclaimed, her tone full of surprise. "But… you look so different! You… don't look like me at all!"
"That I am. Yet… you. You feel quite familiar," the horse said. "Like a long-lost friend."
"Me… too. You feel like… a distant cousin," Urara admitted in a reluctant tone. "Uh… do you have a name?"
"My caretakers always call me Haru," the horse said, followed by an amused-sounding neigh. "Shortened from Haru Urara."
"B-but… that's my name!" Urara exclaimed.
"Maybe you are me, but from another world," Haru said in an amused tone. "And I, you. It's funny."
"You're… right…" Urara said before chuckling. It was a light and brittle sound.
"So, the Haru Urara from another world," Haru said. "What brought you here, to this neck of the woods?"
"I… I don't know. I'm lost, I guess," Urara said. "Where is this, anyway?"
"I think we are in the Kōchi Keiba-jo," Haru said. "The racetrack where I spent most of my life racing."
"Is that so…" Urara said. "How long ago was that?"
"Mm, many seasons. I was here for maybe five winters and six summers," Haru said, fondness in her voice.
"That… wasn't very long…" Urara said.
"Most don't stay for more than three," Haru said.
"Did you… win?" Urara asked, almost timidly.
"It depends. I feel I won for staying that long," Haru said. "Others said I lost a hundred and thirteen times, however many that is."
"A… a hundred and thirteen!" Urara exclaimed. "I… I…"
"How about you, the me from another world?" Haru said. "Are you winning?"
"I… I haven't," Urara said, her eyes downcast. "Twenty three races. No win."
"Is that so…" Haru said.
"You… must be disappointed in me," Urara said.
"Should I be?" Haru asked.
"I… don't know…" Urara replied, sighing. "I mean, surely you have tried your best…? Better than me at least…"
"Some days I tried, some days I didn't," Haru answered the question. "Are you disappointed in me, now?'
"No… I just couldn't…" Urara said. "You… make do with what you have. You kept going."
"Then I think you have done the same. You tried your best, sometimes. You simply couldn't in other times. But to get up in the morning and face what life gave you, every day, is an admirable feat in its own," Haru said.
"I guess…" Urara sighed. There was a comfortable silence for some time.
"Hey, other me," Haru said. "Want to run together?"
"You mean, side by side or something?" Urara replied, puzzled.
"No, together. You on my back, like racing horses ought to where I came from," Haru said, her head making a gesture to the odd contraption on her back.
"No, I can't possibly…" Urara exclaimed. "That would be… rude of me!"
"I offered it to you, the other me from across the universe," Haru said after a short giggle.
"But… I don't know how…" Urara said.
"Don't worry, I've been doing this for years. I'd like to think that I'm pretty good at this," Haru said after chuckling.
There were a few mishaps and fumbles, but after a short while Haru was trotting gently with Urara on the saddle. They exited the room and circled the paddock for a bit, before they entered the track proper.
"They used to put the gates over there," Haru said, making a gesture to a short run-off part of the track. "I would start there, and then run the oval until I finish."
"Don't you ever feel… bored?" Urara said.
"I don't know. Maybe I should have," Haru said as they approached the runoff track where the gate usually stood. "But it's fun seeing other horses, day in and day out. I'd like to think that I made a few friends."
"I see," Urara said as Haru circled around and pointed her body towards the track.
"Hold on tight, now!" Haru said as she broke into a gallop.
The run was a rush. Urara felt like she was riding an earthquake. The first turns were a little frightening.
Yet Urara felt… right.
She adjusted her stance. Little by little, she learned the perfect point between holding on and letting go. She learned to not fight. She learned to flow.
They had just finished two loops of the course when Urara gathered enough of herself to speak through the buffeting wind.
"Haru-san! This is incredible!" Urara all but shouted.
"Likewise! I feel I can push faster!" Haru replied. "Shall I?"
"Please be careful!" Urara shot back.
"With you, I feel I can achieve everything!" Haru exclaimed as she accelerated.
On and on they go, every loop faster than the last.
Suddenly, for a fleeting moment in time, Haru Urara felt whole. Perfect and unbeatable. She was as swift as the winds that carry her, and as thunderous as the cadence of hooves her other self is making. Transcendent.
Then she woke up, felt the tears in the corners of her eyes, and cried.
...
"Haru Urara," Symboli Rudolf said, the pink-haired maiden across her table.
"Yes seitoukaichou!" Urara replied, saluting her.
"You have been selected by popular vote to run in the Tokyo Daishouten, next week," Rudolf said. Her gaze was sometimes thrown to a sheet of paper she was holding. "Tracen would have sent Oguri Cap and El Condor Pasa to compete, but the former got severe food poisoning and the latter has to fill in-person paperwork for her departure to France. The slots were then put to a fans' vote, and they selected Taiki Shuttle and you to compete."
"E-eeeh? Me? In a G1 graded race?" Urara said in a dumbfounded tone. "I… I couldn't possibly—"
"... Compete in such a prestigious race?" Rudolf said in a preemptive statement.
"Yes, seitoukaichou!" Urara quickly replied to the question. "I'm… I'm just a provincial horse girl who happened to be…"
"Nevertheless, the fans have voted. You have narrowly beaten Shinko Windy by less than two hundred votes. Tracen Academy is thus honor-bound to fulfill the fans' wishes," Rudolf explained. "It's too late for another vote so you cannot back out."
"I… but I'll bring shame to our school's name…" Urara said in a sad tone. "You know I haven't won any races since I joined Tracen, seitokaichou."
"So? Taiki Shuttle is the stronger competitor," Rudolf said, her expression softer. "If anything, the pressure to win is on her. You just need to show up to honor your fans."
"I… I guess so…" Urara said.
"Then, it's settled," Rudolf said, clapping her hands once. "You and Taiki Shuttle will depart one day before the race. Make sure you're prepared. That's all from me."
...
"Oguri-senpai!" A loud exclamation sounded in that peaceful afternoon. "We come to visit!"
"Oh, Pa-san," Oguri Cap replied. She was lying on the hospital bed, reading a comic book. An IV drip is hooked to her arm.
"I brought along one of our replacements for the Tokyo Daishoten, dess!" El Condor Pasa made a gesture introducing the entering Haru Urara.
"Hello..." Urara greeted.
"Haru Urara-san, great," Oguri said, nodding. "I voted for you."
"You… voted for me?" Urara said, dumbfounded. "Why?"
"The wind said so," Oguri said. "I'm sure you'll win this time."
"Oh, Tracen will win I'm sure! Taiki Shuttle-san is looking strong in our practices…" Urara diverted the conversation.
"She is, dess! But I'm sure you'll give her the fight of her life!" El said enthusiastically. "I saw you practicing the last few days, dess! I think you're improving a lot!"
"L-let's not get ahead of ourselves shall we?" Urara said, flustered.
"Urara-san," Oguri said as she pulled her square-motif headband from her head and presented it to Urara. "Here, a lucky charm."
"N-no! I can't possibly-" Urara tried to backpedal as Oguri put the headband in Urara's hand and closed her fingers around the object.
"Take it to the finish with you. It worked for my mother, and it worked for me," Oguri said. "I'm sure it'll work for you too."
"B-b-but this is y-y-your precious thing!" Urara said, panicking. "I-i-i hadtaken too muchofyour time sogoodbyeandgetwellsoon!"
El Condor Pasa blinked as Urara hastily vacated the room, leaving the two in a figurative cloud of dust. Urara did take the headband, though.
"Uh… Oguri-senpai, are you sure?" El asked in an unsure tone. "It's after all a keepsake of your mother's, dess."
"I have five more in my room," Oguri answered as she rummaged in a bedside drawer and pulled out an identical headband. "Mom sends a couple every so often because I used to break them all the time."
...
Haru Urara gulped.
Oguri Cap's headband sat snugly on her head, keeping her hair at bay. Fans were understanding of her choice of headband, and even praised her for remembering the absentee.
Urara's draw puts her in the number 3 gate, out of a full eighteen horsegirl grid. The placement was not very advantageous, but her running style meant that she could hang back and wait for a good line to present itself.
She absentmindedly touched the headband to calm herself, just as the flagman signaled for an imminent start.
The chime sounded.
The gates opened.
The race is on.
...
Taiki Shuttle tried to breathe. The race had been tight since the start. She lost sight of Haru Urara almost immediately after the first bend. From what she used to hear about Haru Urara, that was par on course.
She now battled Russian Gold for the lead and the win. The final bend finally opened up. It's the final furlong. Taiki Shuttle pushed hard as soon as she hit the straight. Russian Gold was just in her peripheral vision. Behind that one is probably Agnes Digital, she thought.
Then suddenly, from the inside of the course, she saw a blur of pink.
The crowd went wild. The race was not over yet. Haru Urara had come up from behind, contesting the lead.
This is fun, thought Taiki Shuttle.
So they battled, pink and white against green and brown. Agnes Digital tried taking the outside, but she would not make it by going wide this late in the race. Russian Gold kept her pace and bearing. There's another one trying to follow Haru Urara's path. It was chaos.
Taiki pushed herself like never before. She is strong. She will win.
She crossed the line, yet the chant from the grandstands told another story. That story is a resounding Urara! Urara! Urara!, repeated.
Taiki Shuttle quickly looked back, just as a collective gasp sounded.
There was a bloody headband on the track dirt.
...
"How is she?"
"She'll be fine."
"But the-"
"She's a stayer, that one. It'll be fine."
"Do you think…"
"Nothing is certain at that kind of chaos. There will be inquiries."
"It's so sudden…"
"She seemed comfortable. We got her extra blankets."
...
Urara came to consciousness to a familiar scene. The room at Kōchi Keiba-jo was quite identical from her last visit. However, the beast she knew as Haru laid on the floor, among extra straw paddings and blankets.
She looked old. Frail.
Not long for this world, Urara's mind whispered.
Haru's eyes fluttered open, locking a soulful gaze with Urara's.
"Are you winning, Urara?" the racing horse asked, her eyes cloudy.
"Yes, Haru," the horse girl replied, tears welling in her eyes. "Yes I am."
Then Urara woke up.
...
For some reason, nearly the whole Tracen Academy showed up when Taiki Shuttle wheeled Haru Urara into the school grounds. A big banner with various congratulatory messages was spread on the side of her dorm building. The Maiden of Twenty-three Starts has broken her streak… with a dramatic win in a G1 race she was somehow voted into, even.
There was enough hugs and handshakes to make Urara's head spin that day.
Victory came with a heavy cost, however.
The pileup that ensued in the Tokyo Daishoten finish line was ruled as an accident stemming from negligence, and three horse-girls had been handed sanctions. Haru Urara's injuries meant that she was most definitely going to skip on the opportunity of racing in the Twinkle Dream tournament this year despite her eligibility as a G1 race winner. For that, the racing association is willing to give her a pass for the next year's tournament, provided her injuries healed between them.
Thus, life goes on...
...
"Hey Urara? It's time for your physiotherapy…" King Halo said as she opened her shared room.
"Coming!" Urara said as she put down her brush.
"Still doing your painting?" Halo asked, looking at the large canvas containing Urara's partly finished painting. "Queer beast, this one."
"I saw it in a vision," Urara said after she chuckled.
"It looks familiar, somehow," Halo said. "Does this kind of creature have a name?"
"Yeah," Urara said after she buttoned her jacket. She threw a last gaze to the half-finished painting before answering.
"She's a kyōsōba."
A/N:
[1: this is a bit of a wordplay that doesn't translate that well into English. Both kyōsōba and umamusume has the kanji for horse in them, which I highlighted with the italicized 'horse'. Thing is, there are no actual horses in the Umamusume world so they wouldn't have known. Plus, the uma kanji in the series is slightly altered to reflect the lack of horses in that universe.
I should be doing Capriccio but I just can't help it, I was this close to ugly-crying.