87 Days left...
Dimitri, Ferdinand, Sylvain, Ashe, Marianne, Bernadetta, Lorenz, Leonie, and Hapi were investigating rumors in Southern Hyrule.
It was said that the finest horses in all of Hyrule came from the Fural plains in the south. And some members of the Company had decided it was time to acquire true battlehorses. To that end, the five of them had journeyed to Highland Stable, in the south. From what they had heard, the best horses in Hyrule had come from there.
In front of the stable, they saw an elderly Sheikah man painting. "Oh, hello there!" the old man said. "You're Ignatz and Lysithea's friends, aren't you? You may not have met me, but they helped me reach the Fairy Fountain in Kakariko Forset. My name is Pikango."
"Greetings, Pikango," Ferdinand said. "Is there anything of interest around Hyrule's southern steppes?"
"As a matter of fact, there is," Pikango said. "I came here because I heard a rumor that somewhere around here is where the Horse God Malanya resides."
"A god of horses?" Marianne asked. "That would explain why the horses, both in Hyrule in general and in this area specifically, are as fine as they are." While it might have escaped the notice of members of the Company who weren't experts on horses, it hadn't escaped any of their notice that Hyrule had exceptionally good horses.
"While that is interesting," Ferdinand began, "a divine blessing alone does not a great battlehorse make. Horses have to be specially bred and trained for war. If there are suitable horses for us, they'll be found here, not at Malanya's abode."
"Still, a divine blessing could be beneficial," Lorenz said.
"We'll pay a visit to Malanya after we choose our horses," Dimitri said.
The stable did have battlehorses for sale, but only seven. "How do we decide who gets one?" Ashe asked.
"We'll just have to determine which horses would make a good team with each of us," Marianne said.
The biggest and strongest horse went to Sylvain, because his armor was the heaviest, and Ferdinand got the second strongest. Dimitri got a smaller, faster one. Bernadetta, Leonie, and Ashe were assigned a trio of horses who were trained to be good for horse archers. Lorenz got the last of the horses, one that was average in most respects but was the most comfortable of the bunch with magic.
He wasn't comfortable enough with magic for Marianne or Hapi's purposes, though, so they would need to look elsewhere for mounts. Assuming there were suitable war horses to be found anywhere else.
Malanya's Spring was atop a large hill to the southeast. When the nine of them went there, they encountered a fountain that looked much like the Fairy Fountains. However, the being inside was most certainly not one of the Great Fairies. It had hands that weren't attached to any arms, a body made of what looked like painted linens, and face that looked like a wooden mask in the shape of a horse's head. Quite frankly, it was the most unnerving being they had seen in Hyrule yet.
"My name is Malanya. I am the god who watches over the horses of this world," the being said. "And the nine of you...you are people who treat horses very well. I suppose, then, I won't make you my next meal. Ha ha! I only jest. What can I do for you?"
Nobody spoke for several seconds. Bernadetta had elected to hide behind Dimitri, and was audibly shaking. None of the others could really blame her; Malanya set all of their teeth on edge.
"We recently acquired war horses that we intend to ride into battle alongside the Hero of Hyrule," Ferdinand eventually said. "We were hoping for a blessing for our war horses, as our battle will be dangerous for them as well as for us."
"Well, I could ask you why you would put good horses in such danger," Malanya said darkly, causing them all to cringe. "Ha ha ha! I only jest. If your horses truly did not wish to fight with you, you would never be able to convince them to. I will give them a blessing to keep them safe. But there is one thing. The Hero isn't with you. Does he have a war horse?"
"Well...no," Ferdinand said.
"That won't do, that won't do at all," Malanya said. "The Hero needs his horse. And I know just the horse."
On the trail behind them, a brown mare with a white mane walked up to them. "Hello there," Marianne said.
"This is Epona," Malanya said. "I had hoped the Hero would come to collect her himself, but I understand that there is much to be done in a very short time. She's actually the same horse he rode before the Calamity, brought back from the dead. And before you ask, no, I can't bring loved ones back from the dead. It only works on horses; human souls aren't my purview."
Leonie thought of something. "What about pegasi? Do they fall under your jurisdiction?"
"They do, but they aren't native to Hyrule," Malanya said. "I can't just summon some for you. They would be an invasive species. Even if I summoned all females or all males, they might breed with the local horses. No, I won't give you pegasi."
"It was worth a shot," Leonie said.