Fact: girls love horses

[vivat_regina]

The first thing that hit one on entering the holodeck was the smell of fresh air, grass and trees - in short, spring. There was a light breeze in the air, though the sun was warm, and there was even the gentle sound of birdsong off in the distance. Off to the right was an inviting looking evergreen wood with spires of long, straight pines, the distinctive brown, needle-cushioned floor of a coniferous forest, and shafts of light filtering between the wide-spaced trees. Off to the left was a picturesque little stableblock, apparently standing all alone in the middle of nowhere, some horses milling around in the pasture surrounding it. Off in front were rolling hills as far as the eye could see.

Inside the stable, what Regina couldn't believe was the smell. Fresh forage, clean horses, oiled leather - it was all just as it should be, warm light filtering in through the slatted stable block windows, the sounds of the horses shuffling and nickering to one another in their stalls.

She understood illusion - all too well. But the ability to fool the senses so completely on such a scale was simply remarkable - all the moreso that it was done not with magic, but with science.

"Computer, I'd like a palfrey mare, chestnut with a white blaze, a little over fifteen hands."

"There are six varieties of palfrey available: the single-foot, the stepping pace, the tolt, the rack, the-"

"Forget it," she interrupted. "Just give me a big black Thoroughbred."

And there she was standing in front of her, a living, breathing, and yet apparently non-existent horse. She was even a little antsy, snorting and picking her feet up in her eagerness to get going. Regina was no less eager.

"Computer: flat saddle, curb bit and bridle, please."

"There are four varieties of English saddle available: close contact, dressage-"

"All-purpose, computer, give me a break here."

---

Trying something a little different for this EP. Since it seems weird to me everyone coming upon a person at a given moment, particularly when it's a time like saddling up, I've also put two TLs in comments marking other points later in the same general timeframe and location, also open to everyone. Pick whichever setting you fancy; spread things about a bit - think of it as three EPs for the price of one!

Comments

[dr_lauren]

"Oh, wow, horses, okay." Lauren stared up at the large black creature in the stable aisle, earning a suspicious eye-swivel from the horse. She should've been expecting it, really, but it was just so... big.

"Sorry, I wasn't sure if this was just a general simulation or what," she said to Regina then, pulling her gaze away from the animal and offering the other woman an apologetic smile. "But I had better go and leave you to it... oh, happy birthday, by the way."

[vivat_regina]

"What? Oh... of course, thank you," Regina said. "You don't like horses?"

"They're, ah... large, and unpredictable," Lauren replied. "It's not that I don't like them, I'm just wary of anything that could break my leg as soon as look at me."

"Well, I'm sure the computer could create you a small and predictable horse, but it wouldn't be quite the same," Regina said with a chuckle, feeling the horse beside her dip her head to nudge her shoulder and reaching to scratch her forehead. "Did you never ride as a child, then?"

"I took lessons, but I stopped as soon as my parents would let me," Lauren admitted. "I take it you were more of a fan?"

"Hah, you could say that, yes. Well, there's never been a better time to try again - I'm sure this place has safety protocols or what-have-you."

Lauren paused, considering the horse that was now standing placidly by Regina's side. Surely a make-believe horse couldn't be that bad. "If you're sure I'm not interrupting. I could just as easily go back to the lab," she hedged.

"Not at all - after all, this was your idea, wasn't it? Skill-sharing? C'mon, we'll find you something a little less big and energetic," she said, patting her own mount on the neck before turning toward the stalls. "I'm sure we could spec something specific from the computer but we might have more fun with one of the random generations... Let's say hello, see who you like."

The idea of saying 'hello' to a horse (or stable full) wasn't exactly Lauren's idea of a good time, but Regina seemed a lot happier than Lauren had seen her in a while and she didn't want to turn down this overture of - well, if not friendship, at least good will. "Sure, why not? Lead the way."

The horse Lauren ended up with looked like something out of a Disney movie - petite and delicate, its coat a beautiful dappled gray. The doctor was mainly concerned with the fact that it seemed relatively docile and close to the ground, though she had to admit to a certain girlish thrill as Regina talked her through grooming and tacking it up. Regina had picked out a new horse for herself, too, unsaddling the black horse and leaving it in a stall, instead putting a rather bulkier saddle that matched Lauren's onto a shorter, stockier-looking bay.

"Right, I'm not a riding instructor so I'm not going to drill you," she said now as she led unbothered horse and nervous rider to the mounting block. "Besides, that would be boring for both of us. Okay, so d'you remember how to do this? Take the reins, here, good, and put your foot in the stirrup - don't worry, I've got her. Great, so, shift your weight and swing your leg over, one smooth movement - perfect, no problem."

Regina smiled encouragingly as Lauren slipped her other foot into its stirrup and settled into her seat. "We're just going to go on a nice light hack through the woods," she said, leading Lauren outside before heading back inside and emerging a few moments later on her own horse. "Computer: please don't throw in any random happenings that'll spook Lauren's horse?"

"The pine forest and spring algorithms feature approximately seventeen random system events that might cause the equine programme to behave erratically. These include-"

"Well then just... oh, never mind." Regina pulled level with Lauren, glancing over and rolling her eyes. "This thing hates me," she said. "At least the replicators don't give you lip."

Lauren gave her a tight smile, the 'seventeen random system events' still echoing in her head. "And you even said please," she commented, trying to keep her fingers on the reins from forming a deathgrip.

"Come on, then," the other woman said now, tipping her head toward the forest. "Let's go exploring."




The programme was incredibly detailed - Lauren saw species of birds she had no name for, numerous squirrels and other woodland creatures cavorting about the roots and branches of the towering trees, and flowers that she swore came straight out of a fairytale illustration. Her mount was as forgiving as she had hoped for, and she had even worked up enough nerve to suggest to Regina that they go a little faster, leading to a breathtaking canter through a sunlit break in the trees.

A 'random event' did occur on the way back, when a light rain began to fall, filling the air with the smell of pine resin and fresh, damp earth. Neither of them were particularly well-dressed for the occurrence, but Regina didn't seem to mind in the least, and Lauren figured that if the worst thing that was going to happen was a little rain, she could deal with it.

At last they emerged from the treeline onto the open fields, and Regina turned to Lauren with the warmest and most relaxed expression the blonde had ever seen on her face. "One last run?" she suggested. "To tempt fate before we head in?"

"I suppose it couldn't hurt," Lauren replied, smiling back at her. It was nice to see Regina so relaxed, and she thought for a moment about suggesting they make this a regular 'thing'. Well, let's see how this goes first...

"Okay, then, we're headed up that rise," Regina said, nodding to a gentle slope before them. "Just keep your weight low and let your instincts do the rest, okay? Great." Lauren had a feeling that if this was even half the information usually imparted by riding instructors then they were really ludicrously overpaid, but this seemed to be all Regina was going to give her, because with a "Follow my lead," they were off.

It wasn't so bad - the horses were moving quickly, eating up the ground with their long strides, but Lauren balanced herself well enough, her fingers knotted in her mount's mane to keep her hands from jerking on the reins. As they reached a full gallop and Lauren felt her horse's hooves leave the ground completely with each stride, she began to realise why it must become so addictive - it was terrifying, yes, but amazing, too, a spark of exhilaration igniting in her stomach. Regina was off to the side and a shade behind her, hair buffeted by the wind, moving as though, to coin the cliché, she and the horse were one contiguous entity, and Lauren wondered if she looked half so graceful. They were going so fast, now, and we aren't even wearing helmets, and it was as just as this through struck Lauren that her horse's hoof struck a rock, or a dip or it stumbled or something anyway, and she realised that her weight wasn't as 'low' as it needed to be as she felt herself flying through the air, right over her mount's head.

Several things happened at once in the split seconds that followed. Lauren heard the bland tones of the computer and a much more urgent cry from her companion, though in her panic she didn't parse a word either of them said. The horse itself flickered and disappeared completely. And then she felt the curious sensation of not one but two forces fighting against the usually inexorable pull of gravity trying to slam her into the ground - at once she felt both a strange pillowing sensation beneath her, as though the air had suddenly become thicker, heavier somehow, and a much less pleasant sensation at her core that pulled her almost violently backward, twisting her diaphragm painfully, winding her and jerking her slightly upward before, at last, she hit the ground face first with a surprisingly gentle impact, as though she'd merely tripped on a pebble and faceplanted into the grass under her own steam.

Only moments later, Regina was at her side, kneeling in the grass. "Lauren? Lauren, are you awake, can you hear me?"

At first all Lauren could do was cough, which at least reassured Regina she wasn't dead or unconscious. Eventually she pushed herself up on one elbow, sucking in one deep breath after another. "Yeah, I'm... I'm okay."

Regina seemed to relax immediately at this, presumably reassured that if the doctor said she was okay, she was probably okay. "What did I say about keeping your centre of gravity low?" she said then, though her relief was evident in her tone and expression.

"If I ever planned on getting up on a horse again I'd remember that," Lauren said, wincing as she rubbed a hand over her midsection. "Ow."

"Oh, now, don't say- what's wrong? You didn't fall hard, did you? The computer said it had initiated safety proto... what?"

This last utterance came in reaction to Lauren's own facial expression, which had turned to concern at the sight of a thin trail of blood trickling from Regina's nose - which she noticed herself a moment later as it dripped off her upper lip.

"Your nose is bleeding," Lauren said, frowning and pushing herself closer. "Did you hit your head? Here, let me see your eyes..."

"No, no, I'm fine," Regina said, retrieving a tissue from somewhere about her person to press it to her nose while Lauren ignored her assertions and checked her pupils anyway. "Really, I'm all right. It just... happens sometimes at the moment."

"Do you have any idea what the triggers are?"

"Mm," Regina muttered with a non-committal jerk of her chin. "Don't worry about it, it's just... overreaching, it's fine."

"Overreaching? Regina, if you're not well you really shouldn't be doing strenuous exercise like this..."

"No, not physical exercise, it's..." Regina made a face. "Really," she said. "It's all right."

Lauren didn't look convinced but didn't press the matter, merely making a face as she pushed herself to her knees. "Some safety protocols. I feel like I've been hit with a baseball bat."

The other woman flinched. "Sorry," she muttered.

"It's not your fault, I should've known better," Lauren said, shaking her head. "I think from now on I'll leave the riding to you."

"No, it is." The other woman's face slumped into an expression of resignation. "I... reacted. I tried to stop you falling. It was probably my magic that got you hurt, not the safety programme."

"Your magic?" Lauren blinked. "That was pretty strong. I thought most people's powers were lessened here."

"They are."

"Wow."

"And anyway, it was a reflex, and... well," Regina said, pulling the bloody tissue away from her nose and waving it in her hand. "As you see."

"Thank you. And I'm sorry if it... hurt you."

"Sounds like I'm the one who hurt you. Please don't let this put you off riding - or horses. That could have happened to anyone who wasn't pay ing attention and was running before they could walk," Regina added with a dry smirk.

"Mm. Well, maybe I'll stick to running on my own two feet for now."

"Count yourself lucky you're winded. If you weren't I'd be firing the programme back up and making you chase down your horse."

"That sounds... terrible," Lauren said with a good-natured grimace. "Thank goodness for diaphragm spasms."

"C'mon, let's get back. Oh... 'end programme'?"