"A historic Tenno Sho begins—go! A clean start with no stragglers! Leading the pack, as expected, is Mejiro Rampage, unleashing her signature big escape! Chasing her is Ryan or McQueen—no, Lady Saber! Lady Saber surges forward, neck and neck with Rampage! The Knight of Dust, a dirt horse girl, storms the Tenno Sho stage, burning for revenge after the Teio Sho, challenging the queen with fearless grit!"
The Tenno Sho (Autumn) had begun. Rampage took the lead, as everyone predicted, her big escape setting a blistering pace. The expectation was that McQueen or Ryan would give chase, but Lady Saber shattered that script. Despite the turf stage, she ran like it was her battlefield, tailing Rampage with stunning precision.
"Her running's got some serious weight!" McQueen exclaimed.
"We're not backing down either!" Ryan added fiercely.
"McQueen and Ryan are closing in! They're battling the champion head-on! The Mejiro trio—nothing short of pillars—faces off with Lady Saber! She's a dirt specialist, but this turf is no obstacle!"
Lady Saber's unexpected surge stunned the crowd and trainers alike. Sure, she'd run turf before, but dirt was her domain. Many assumed she'd falter here, but the rain-soaked, heavy track—deemed treacherous by most—was her playground. While turf horse girls struggled, Lady Saber thrived.
"Compared to muddy dirt, this is a highway!" she laughed.
McQueen and Ryan, stronger on heavy tracks than most, held their own with power to spare. But Lady Saber's forceful stride was a complete blindside, forcing them to heighten their guard.
"Rampage leads, half a length ahead of McQueen, then Ryan. Lady Saber follows, but here comes Last Flare, climbing the ranks! She's breaking into the lead pack—now it's a five-horse girl showdown! They're seven lengths ahead of the rest. This is the terrifying power of Rampage's escape!"
Rampage's high-octane breakaway set a brutal pace, with McQueen, Ryan, and Lady Saber in pursuit. But Last Flare was gaining fast.
"No way I'm letting a dirt horse girl steal this!" Last Flare growled.
Fresh off a three-race win streak, including a victory over Dai Taku Helios in the Mainichi Okan, Last Flare was determined to topple Rampage. A dirt horse like Lady Saber wouldn't ruin her moment. She surged, hitting fourth place just past the halfway mark, right ahead of Lady Saber.
"You might be Rampage's favorite, but turf isn't that easy!" Last Flare taunted.
"Your words, right back at you," Lady Saber shot back coolly.
Pressure didn't faze her. Her eyes locked on the goal, undeterred by any obstacle.
"I won't lose to a horse girl who thinks dirt's second-rate," she declared.
Despite Rampage's efforts to elevate dirt racing, old biases lingered. Last Flare's words dripped with that prejudice, fueling Lady Saber's resolve.
"Rampage, McQueen, and Ryan are nearly side by side! Is the race down to these three? Two lengths back, Lady Saber and Last Flare duel! Both are running hard—wait, Last Flare's closing in on Lady Saber!"
"Like her, I'll keep pushing—guts!" Last Flare roared.
But Lady Saber wasn't done. Digging her hooves deeper into the ground, she lowered her stance, head down, adopting a ground-hugging form. With a burst, she shot forward.
"What!?" Last Flare gasped.
"Lady Saber surges ahead! She leaves Last Flare in the dust, chasing the Mejiro trio! Unbelievable—the Knight of Dust from the dirt world storms toward the Mejiro three! Low to the ground, teetering on the edge of a fall, she charges from the outside—Lady Saber assaults!"
Past the fourth corner, with 600 meters left, Lady Saber caught the Mejiro trio from the outside, slicing through the rain like a storm-born knight. But only the queen had been waiting for her.
"You're here!" Rampage shouted, her blood pumping.
Her rival's arrival sent her heart racing, each beat fueling her fire. McQueen and Ryan, sensing it, grinned too—no trace of nerves, only the thrill of facing a true foe. There was only one thing left: to run this moment with everything they had.
"I won't lose—not for the Mejiro name, but for me!" McQueen declared.
"I didn't earn a Triple Crown for nothing!" Ryan roared.
"Full throttle—let's go!" Rampage bellowed.
The Mejiro trio charged, and Lady Saber's face lit up with joy. They acknowledged her threat, treating her as a true rival. Now, her sole mission was to topple Rampage—her original goal, but now with every ounce of her being.
"Rampage leads! McQueen chases, Ryan surges! The trio that split the senior spring races is in a league of their own, but Lady Saber clings on! She's closing the gap from the outside—three lengths! Rampage escapes, McQueen pursues, Ryan presses! Wait—Rampage pulls ahead slightly! Half a length!"
No one yielded, all racing for victory. This was why the Emperor attended—to witness this spectacle, this raw passion. Every horse girl on the track made the trip worthwhile. As that thought settled, Lady Saber unleashed a final charge, but it fell short. The Mejiro queen crossed the finish line first.
"Mejiro Rampage wins! Second, Mejiro Ryan! Third, Mejiro McQueen! The Mejiro house sweeps the podium! Lady Saber, with an incredible chase, takes fourth, half a length behind—oh, she's down! Is she okay? Yes, she's up, dusting herself off!"
Rampage claimed victory. McQueen and Ryan pushed to the brink, but the final gap felt infinite. Lady Saber, spent from her forward-leaning sprint, faceplanted after the finish but sheepishly scratched her head, standing.
"That was unreal, Ran," Ryan said. "You escaped us."
"Absolutely ferocious," McQueen added. "Autumn's yours."
Ryan and McQueen praised Rampage's run sincerely. McQueen glanced at the scoreboard, relieved to see no inquiry, but Ryan caught her, making her look away awkwardly. Rampage, catching her breath, turned toward the imperial box.
"…"
Silently, she knelt. Ryan and McQueen, startled for a moment, quickly understood and flanked her, kneeling in unison, heads bowed. The stands erupted in cheers.
"A kneel of respect! The Mejiro horse girls, claiming the top spots, offer their deepest salute to Their Majesties. What an incredible race, what a display!"
The Emperor, smiling, applauded them. The crowd's ovation roared, as if thanking the racers instead.
"How'd you know?" Rampage whispered.
"Well, you knelt to Their Majesties," Ryan said.
"Actually, Lady's 'Saber' name made me think…" McQueen admitted.
"Ugh, I wanted to do it too," Lady Saber sighed. "Would've fit my knight vibe."
In the stands…
"What splendid granddaughters," a voice said.
"Thank you, my pride and joy," another replied.
"Lady's run was electrifying too, right, Sirius?" someone asked.
"Y-yesh, absolutely!" Sirius stammered.
"Oh, Sea-chan's all nervous!" Ramone teased.
"You're quite close, aren't you?" another noted.
"Yep, right, Sea-chan?" Asama giggled.
"Y-yes, Grandma…" Sirius mumbled.
Postscript
Last Flare's basis is Prekrasny. "Last" comes from tweaking "Pre," and "Flare" ties to "Krasny," Russian for "red river," implying radiant beauty like the sun. Since there's a mob horse girl named Sun Flare in the anime, I connected it to "Flare."
And… over ten years of posting, and I've received an illustration! Thanks to RPG-7 for the AI-generated Rampage artwork, featured in the table of contents. Once again, a huge thank you to RPG-7!!
[Illustration Display]
----------------------------------
The next chapter is already available on Patreon! If you'd like to read early and support me, check it out here ❤️ [pat*eon*com/Greyhounds]