introducing. (Sunfrost & Phantie)

ETERNAL PHANTOM AND KRYSTAL YHATE

Following in her sire's hoofsteps, Phantie had taken a liking to working out when the sun had not yet risen. But unlike her sire, she preferred to work when the sun was either rising or falling, when the light of day bled into the night or was masked by the coming darkness. Thus, for once, Krystal had brought the fierce filly to the public track at the crack of dawn, intending to get some work in. They were competing in the Red Stakes soon, in a massive twelve horse field against fierce competition. Phantie had proven her dominance over many divisions, especially the two year olds when she had won the Burning Blaze Stakes, by never placing lower than second in seven starts. She was due for the win that would make her a grade four, and Krystal wanted it badly. Phantie was more like an older horse in some respects. She had the attitude and focus of one for sure. And physically, she was built as though she had experience. It was hardly a surprise, as racing was in her blood.

As Krystal trotted the filly onto the dirt track, constantly on her guard for a sudden lunge or attack from her, she was surprised to find that Phantie was actually showing some emotion. Something was up. The usually stoic black two year old was pulling on the reins, wanting to speed up, actually showing an emotion of some sort - a desire to go on. Was there some other horse on the track? It was too dark for Krystal to tell, so she let Phantie go at a canter to see if they could catch up to whatever had caught Phantie's interest. A blur of black ahead of her caught Krystal's interest, but not before Phantie lunged violently into a full on gallop and caught Krystal completely by surprise. What horse could elicit this response from her filly?

They drew up alongside the filly, whom Krystal realized was nearly identical to Phantie. What are the odds that Phantie has a twin sister? she realized, and then blinked. Wait a second. She DOES have a twin sister. What the heck is wrong with me? That must be her! But who's riding her? Is that Akita Rose? I can't tell at this speed! Anxious to discover who it was, Krystal raised her voice in a question that could hopefully be heard above the wind. I'm assuming that's Midnight Thriller...which would make you Akita Rose Stables. I can't tell if you are at this speed. Can we slow down please and talk properly? Though the odds of getting a complete slow down aren't great.

It was like looking in a mirror, really, except the other rider wasn't her. Krystal would have almost found it funny except for the fact that Phantie felt deadly cold. She couldn't explain it, but the aura emanating off of her filly could compete with Deadly Desires' for coldness. There was really no other explanation for this behavior. The horse they faced, the filly that appeared inclined to lunge at Phantie, was Midnight Thriller. And Krystal needed to back Phantie up a bit before they got into a fight, through speed or through teeth. Who knew siblings that just didn't get along as these two weren't?

Krystal saw the look of effort cross the other jockey's face as she slowed Midnight Thriller down and grinned. Her expression as she did the same with Phantie was almost exactly mirrored in the other's face. It truly was an almost surreal experience, and Krystal grinned widely despite the effort of slowing Phantie. It took work to get into something that resembled a canter without being a gallop. Now, perhaps, she could speak and be heard by the other rider.

There's no question. That's Midnight Thriller. Which means Akita Rose is back, right? Her question was more like a statement with a question word tapped on the end to confirm. If Akita Rose was back...the racetrack was going to experience some fiercer competition, and already things were bad. This was a headliner, something to report.

It was like the presence of her twin sister was enough to turn the flickering, quiet fire of Phantie's competitiveness into a blazing conflagration. Her eyes were particularly expressive. Her entire bearing had become more bold. Her head was held higher and her body was entirely more erect. Krystal kept a light rein on the filly, fully expecting her to become disobedient at some future moment, but at the same time knowing that she was experienced enough in her relationship with her to be able to effectively deal with it.

Krystal smiled at the rider of the other horse. What was her name again? It began with the letter K....but rather than dwell on it, she decided to just ask the question and be done with the embarrassment of having forgotten. Amber would never have forgotten, and Henna definitely would have given how stressed she had been this year with her horses. Krystal was also getting steadily more stressed as the Breeders Cup approached. She had a reason for her forgetfulness, yes, but that still didn't excuse it.

Thanks! She's been a surprising performer for me. We're looking to tackle some major things next year! When asked about her future plans for the filly, a wide grin split her face. We're looking at the Juvenile Fillies this year, and then the Triple Crown next year. We already have a Tiara performer, potentially, and Phantie can take the boys. It's just her and a couple others thrashing each other in races right now. It'll be good to have Midnight Thriller on the scene! What are you plans for her? And I'm sorry, but I honestly forget your name. It's been a while. She ended her sentence with a small, self-deprecating laugh.

There was no doubt in Krystal's mind that this twin sister of Phantie had the capability to annihilate on the track. If the speed she felt while riding her own filly was any indication, well, Kirsten over there would be in for a treat when they started running and outperforming those around them.

Krystal noted the trembling of her filly's sister and smirked. She saw her expression mirrored on the other rider's face and started to smile. If you're thinking that we need to let these two race each other, right here and now, then yes, that's exactly what I'm thinking as well. Let us go in a furlong or so, yes? Krystal was really curious to see how Midtee ran. Did she mimic her sister's front running or closing style? Was she just as unpredictably clever and strategic? Did she listen to her jockey or disobey?

The single furlong passed quickly, and Krystal released her filly. Feeling the competitive fire within her, Krystal was surprised when Phantie actually dropped back a little bit, adopting a closing position. What the heck? Why wasn't she up front duking it out? Perhaps this was an attempt by her filly to get a feel for her sister's strategy.