[Gift] Prompt 23 - Christmas Lights (Gift)

Mace, Lady, and Gravedigger all stood in the familiar field of Thorn Rose Stables munching on what little forage was to be found in the winter. They could have headed over to the spacious and well stocked shelter not far off, but all three had just finished another training run with their riders and were enjoying the cold weather that gave them just as much energy as the magic their riders threw around. 

Lady was the lightest colored and shortest of the set, her cremello coat broken only by the darker rift mark. Mace was pitch black save a single white sliver of right on one front leg and a tail that started as grey and quickly turned white. Gravedigger was nearly as dark, but his coat had been lightened by his dun patterning in all save his legs and the black rift marking that ran along his body. All three had the same milky eyes, made blind by the rift marking on them. 

They’d now been ridden together enough in some detailed courses that required precision that they were familiar enough with each others smells and movements to a point they moved in a way no one was likely to realize they were blind until getting closer. 

That was what drew Gravedigger and Mace’s attention when Lady stumbled over an unexpected obstacle in the pasture. It was long and thin, like a rope, but it didn’t feel like a rope. Gravedigger came up alongside her, his dark nose nuzzling at her to verify she was where she wasn’t hurt. Mace came up alongside as well, but he leaned down to examine what Lady had tripped on. 

He nibbled at the not-rope gently, finding little nobs of something harder sticking off the main ribbon. He started following the thing along the field. It was definitely longer than he expected. He’d felt these things before, when his rider and her family had come to decorate his stall. Lights, he thought he heard them call them. 

He pulled on the lights, hearing Gravedigger and Lady protest as the cord wrapped around their legs. He stopped immediately and followed the lights back to help them get untangled. Lady was doing a good job of it, her movements patient and guided by the touch of her sensitive nose. 

Mace had been a bit impatient, kicking at the lights and getting more tangled in them until Lady stuck her nose against his and Gravedigger chewed and pulled at the lights until they came free. 

Mace snorted in annoyance and moved away, a few of the small lights breaking under his hooves as he backed away. He stopped and gave another annoyed huff as he stood still for long enough for Lady to take one end of the lights in her mouth and drag them away. 

They jingled a little. Not enough to be bells, but more the delicate sound of glass hitting glass. Nothing broke, but the sound was still loud in the quiet field. Gravedigger followed along, still curious as to the lights. After a moment or two, Mace followed as well, his ears twitching in the direction of the other two as he followed the sound. 

Lady pulled the lights to the shelter, trying to get them out of the field. Gravedigger caught the other end, pulling it to stop her. Mace, not wanting to be left out, grabbed the strand in the middle. 

Lady huffed and stamped her pale hoof on the ground, pulling against Gravedigger. Not to be outdone by the smaller mare, Gravedigger pulled the opposite way. Mace tossed his head, amused by the game of tug-of-war forming over the lights, and pulled the middle to make something of a triangle. 

It was probably a good thing the lights weren’t lit, though the residual magic that was used to light them was apparent as they pulled the strand of lights harder. By some miracle, it didn’t break. Rather it just kind of stopped giving and forced the three horses into a standstill. 

Gravedigger gave in first, dropping the end of the lights and tossing his head. He wanted to do with the lights what his rider had and put them over the shelter. Lady and Mace both stumbled as the tension on the lights suddenly vanished. 

Lady dropped her end a moment later, no longer interested in the lights and instead turning her head to sniff at the fresh smell of feed from the shelter. There’d be time for that later though. For now the annoying things needed to be out of the field so she wouldn’t trip on them again.

Mace had decided the lights were more of an amusing toy and took off with them, brushing by Gravedigger and Lady in an effort to get them to play. 

Gravedigger had no problem with this idea, taking off after Mace and trying to catch the lights based on the sounds he was hearing from them. When he finally snagged them, he carried them triumphantly back to Lady, whose amused snort made him decide to try and hang the lights and get the other two to help. 

He wasn’t sure how tall the shelter was, but he reared up and tossed his head as he released the lights, trying to throw the end up on the top of the building. Mace, standing nearby, mimicked the motion as he tried to figure out what was happening. Lady, having been standing a bit to the front, backed up in confusion. The motion had seemed planned, but it felt random. 

The second time she was ready for it and thinking she might have some idea what Gravedigger wanted, catching the end of the lights as it came down, still too low to make it to the roof. She nudged Mace towards the middle and reared up, trying to tell the taller black horse what to do. 

She moved to the other side of the shelter, the lights long enough to easily reach and gave a snort. Mace reared, catching the lights on his front hooves and trying to kick them up onto the roof as Gravedigger tried to move them closer to the building. 

The first few tries failed, but on the third attempt a lucky shot allowed the lights to catch on a shingle of the building. Lady, Gravedigger, and Mace all just kind of froze for a moment, surprised it had worked, before Lady tried to toss her end up. 

It didn’t quite work as intended, and the lights fell to the ground at an odd angle, the middle still caught on the shingles. She gave and annoyed huff as Gravedigger tried his side and succeeded. Mind you, he was far taller and had practiced the move a time or two. 

He pranced over to her, pleased, as he repeated the trick on her side. 

The three horses gave pleased sounding whinnies and touched noses as they congratulated themselves on hanging lights just like their riders, and decided that maybe it was time to eat and get some rest. Most likely they’d be back on the trail again tomorrow and having a grand time of it. 

All of them slept through the arrival of a very confused stable hand, who found the strand of lights in a disorganized bundle on the roof. And they barely twitched an ear as the ladder was fetched and the lights put on neatly. They’d won their fight with the lights the night before, and what happened to them after wasn’t their concern.