Winning Prompt! ​

One of his most fulfilling platonic relationships!

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Vez has always felt out-of-place. Despite the fact that he’s got many acquaintances, both mares and stallions, Vez couldn’t help but feel like there was something differentiating him from others, even though he couldn’t quite put his hoof on it.

In the stables, he had friends of similar ages to him, like Hyas. Both stallions were of a similar age, and, quite the charmer, Hyas soon adopted the quieter stallion as a friend. They were close, but they were never best friends, no matter how much Hyas pushed into his space, Vez never allowed him further.

But that didn’t stop Hy from trying. He’d comment on the weather, on the state of the grass, on what the humans were up to or what kind of training they had gone through that day, and Vez would answer enthusiastically. But Hyas soon learned that Vez would clam up when he spoke about the pretty mares, how he’d mutter a ‘yeah’ but not run with it like the other stallions would. And, so, Hyas started speaking about the stallions, but again, it’d shut down the conversation. And so, Hyas started to avoid conversations about mates and mares, at least with Vez, but didn’t treat him as any less of ‘One of the boys’, unlike the others, who rolled their eyes at his lack of interest in the mares. He still included him in play fights and chases, still ensured that he was pulled into conversations. Hyas became Vez’ right-hand man, even if Vez had tried to push him away.

 

Until one day, when everything changed.

On this day, one of the pastures next to the stallions’ shared pasture was filled not with ERRPs, no. These horses were shorter, stocky, with thick set legs and square heads. Immediately, the pasture full of thoroughbred stallions were plastered up against the fence, eager to lay eyes on the interesting new mares.

Hyas encouraged Vez over with them, but, despite his curiosity as to who they were, he didn’t approach with Hyas. A number of the mares, curious, too, about the long-legged sports horses that stared back at them, approached the fence, speaking eagerly with some of the younger stallions.

One, in particular, caught Hyas’ eye, but not because of how she looked, despite the fact that she had a pretty coat.

“Excuse me?” The young stallion called out, and the unusual tobiano turned her green gaze to him, dipping her head in greeting.

“Hi there,” the mare replied, stepping towards the fence where Hyas was standing. “I’m Vrirta.”

“Hyas.” He offered his own name, then directed his attention to why he called her over. “If you don’t mind me asking, what’s on your leg?”

To his surprise, the mare huffed out a small laugh, tilting her head down to look at what Hyas was talking about. There were these things just sitting above her hooves, decorated with black, gray, white and purple stripes.

“Oh, these things? The humans call them, uh... bracelets, I think?”

Hyas nodded, but remained silent, urging her to go on.

“I wear them because they remind me of who I am. I know that I’m different to everyone else, and instead of hiding it, I wear it in these bracelets!”

At that, Hyas couldn’t help but tilt his head, curiosity burning behind his chocolatey eyes.

“Different? Different how?”

“Oh! I’m asexual!” That earned nothing but a tilt of a head from the stallion, leading her to laugh, the sound joyous, musical. “Ah, okay. So you know the way some horses like stallions?” Hyas nodded. “And some like mares?” Again, a nod. “Well, I don’t like either.”

And suddenly. it was like a switch clicked in Hyas’ head.

“Can you- would you hold on a sec?”

Without waiting for an answer, the stallion spun, thundering across the pasture to where Vez stood.

“Hey, Vez c’mere.”

“Huh? No, Hy I’m-”

“No. Come. Here.” Without waiting for a response, Hyas grabbed a mouthful of the other stallion’s mane, earning a cry of pain, and dragged him to the fence.

“Can you repeat that, please, for him?” Hyas asked, and, as she spoke, he watched as Vez’ face turned from definitively unsure to ecstatic. For the first time in as long as he’d known him, Vez lit up, speaking quickly and enthusiastically with the mare.

 

But, Hyas couldn’t help but feel a pang of... what, guilt? Jealousy? He had stood beside the liver chestnut stallion for as long as he had, but he could never pull this sort of excitement from the other stallion. Perhaps this mare was the friend he was waiting for, the friend he really needed all along.

Dejected and downtrodden, Hyas moved away from the fence, back in towards the center of the pasture. All of the other stallions, Vez included, remained at the fence dividing them and the strange mares. Hyas hadn’t gotten much wallowing done before hooffalls approached him quickly, and he barely had a chance to look up before the liver chestnut shape collided with him, the other stallion rearing playfully up against his side.

“Hy look!” Vez’ voice came muffled, as though through gritted teeth, making Hyas stare. A small flag, decorated with the same colours as the bracelet-things the mare wore, was held between his teeth. “Look what Vrirta gave me!”

Snapping playfully at the flag, Hyas pinned his ears in play, secretly delighted that his best friend was looking genuinely cheerful for once, Hyas snorted.

“Where’d she even get that? Gimme!”

 

Over the following months, Hyas and Vez became closer than ever. Hyas watched as Vez even became close with the other stallions in the herd, eventually broadening his friend group to include both stallions and mares. Hyas was at his side when the decision came to be gelded, Vez deciding that he would be happier without the stresses that came with life as a stallion. Hyas was determined to remain next to him while on stall rest, and was the first at his side once he was back in pasture.

Vez became more of a stallion once gelded than he had been before, romping and playing with the others, even instigating it with the others.

And, decorating the space between both of their stalls, flying proudly in support of the liver chestnut gelding, was Vrirta’s Ace pride flag.