I Really Can Fly

WE CAME SECOND!! 

IMPORTANT: I am still in the process of finding lost links! They should be up asap.

So here we are, Peggy and Seksy's Entry for the AUSe-Olympics. Hope you like it!

INFO

POINTS - 40.5

Stables: Earthenbrook-Stables

Rider: Peggy-Sue Henson

Horse: EBS SeksyAndINoIt orstrix.deviantart.com/art/EBS…

Number: 08 (On back and bridle)

Event: AUSe-Olympics Cross Country

Music: Hinted in story. 

Show Results (.5):

orstrix.deviantart.com/art/Eas… (AWAITING RESULTS SHOUD BE UP SOON)

Arrival Images (6):

Training Images (8):

STORY 

Peggy sat wide awake in her bed. She never slept well before a show and this was no exception. The biggest event of her life so far was tomorrow and he as nervous as hell. She had tried all her usual tricks, sleeping pills, reading, watching TV, warm milk but nothing was working. She doubted that her and her noble steed were going to win but she was still astounded that she and Seksy had made it thus far already. She was so proud of him but still she sat with her laptop researching the other competitors for tomorrow. RvS Just a Boy.... Champion Stallion, Midnight Magic Gaz.... Oh dear look at all these points, Even this mule has better stats than my boy! If we manage to pull this off I'm am going too be VERY surprised. 

*The following morning*

Start this now - www.youtube.com/watch?v=qZ7wgD…

Peggy's tea couldn't have been made sooner. She had bags under her eyes, her hair was a mess and she felt like death. Needless to say she hadn't slept a wink, not good considering the importance of the day. There was one thing she needed now, caffine and lots of it. She got dressed in her tracksuit pants, polo and jacket and, after having a very quick breakfast of beans on toast headed out to the stables at an hour that not even the owls were out at. It was a beautiful morning, cold and crisp, providing a welcome change from the hot stale air of the cabin she had been staying in. A cool breeze drifted by providing a little bit of energy that the caffeine couldn't quite give. A familiar whinny greeted Peggy when she walked through the stable door. 

Clasping her mug she approached the black stallion, hand out to give her boy a pat. He accepted pushing his velvety nose into her palm. The soft touch warmed the pair, giving off a comforting heat. Peggy stepped into Seksy's stall, removing his night rug and replacing it with a nice yellow show set that she bought him for this event especially. He had been washed and readied the night before, a big weight off the red head's shoulders. She lead him out of his stall and out to where the big Earthenbrook truck was waiting for them. Everything had been packed and ready to go and so the two set off, just as the orange sun was rising on the horizon. 

...

As the truck arrived at the cross country course the sun had risen and was casting a golden glow over the land. After much caffeine and a sudden adrenaline rush Peggy began to pump herself up for the day ahead. Despite a severe lack of sleep she had energy to last her days. She circled a few times to find a good spot and upon finding one pulled up to a stop. She unloaded the Warmblood and tied him to the trailer. Looking around she saw some impressive sights. Big trucks, shiny horses, hurried grooms and calm riders. All the things she didn't have. Hell she was impressed Seksy didn't roll overnight. He was a very fidgety stallion and it was starting to show as he pawed at the ground and was constantly moving around. By now it had warmed up a bit and it made it a little easier to commence final preparations. Giving him a good brush, a quick saddle up and a rapid change of clothes for herself, Peggy mounted her horse and lead him to the warm up arena ready for her turn on the course. 

The landscape was beautiful, the trees, grass and air all smelled fresh and very unique, a sweet eucalyptus smell filling the air. Seksy soon however, became agitated with the other horses trotting and cantering around him. He began to half rear a pigroot around around the arena and Peggy could feel the glare of other riders on her back. She was definately the underdog of the crowd. Slowly riders began to disappear to the starting line. She watched them disappear. It was only a matter of time before teams began to reappear, horses sweaty and riders pleased with their times. Then it was their turn. Their number was called and they approached the starting line. Cameras were everywhere, broadcasting their every move to the viewers at home. She was proud of their efforts so far and no matter where they placed they had done themselves proud. They entered the starting box, ready to commence the run on a lifetime. 

"Come on boy, this is our one and only shot. LETS DO THIS"

Start this music here - www.youtube.com/watch?v=TIiOIc…

The pair took off. It was about 10am and they had blue skies, a few white puffs on the horizon. Peggy knew her family at home would be watching and she wasn't going to let them down. The thunder of the the stallion's hooves on the ground and the rush of the wind in her face brought her into a time where people would gallop over the country without a care in the world. Approaching the first jump she let her mind go and as they cleared it they disappeared out of the camera's view. For a few short minutes Peggy and Seksy were the only ones that mattered. 

Galloping through the Australian landscape was exhilerating. They flew over the jumps just as the Wedgetail that joined them. Not once did the black stallion miss a beat, he placed himself in all the right places, carrying himself and his rider over the obstacles with ease. It seemed, while they had the world to themselves, that everything went in slow motion and that the team matched each other mentally and spiritually. They rounded a corner and saw what used to be the horse's kryptonite. Water. It had been dyed pink and Peggy thought there would have been some resistance from Seksy but somehow it didn't slow him down. He pushed even harder and seeing the cameras made something in his mind change. The combination was a tricky one. There was a shark jump into the water, a small run then up on to one bank, up onto another then a log/brush spread combination out. 

Seksy charged on and leaped in to the pink water, tackling it head on. Seksy kept his head up and pushed though the water. He glided out of the water onto the first bank, stepped up on to the second and flew over the last bit of the combination. It flt like they were soaring through the sky. The cameras zoomed the images through to Earthenbrook where Jess, Bruce and James cheered on their winning combination. Peggy and Seksy raced through the rest of the course to the finish line where only one jump stood in their way. It resembled the one from the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, a hoop jump made of wood. They cleared the jump and took the final 5 strides to cross the finish line. 

After calming the mount down Peggy let him walk slowly and with ease back to the truck. The ride they just experienced was surreal and on of the best of their lives. All the two could do now was pack up, grab a hot shower and await the awards ceremony where they would find out if their ride was enough to bring the underdog up to the top......

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WEEEE ITS DONE. Im soooo happy with this piece. I absolutely love this piece and i hope you guys do too. If you guys think theres anything that could be improved here please let me know

CREDITS

Horse - google ziizone.net/cross-country-hors… If you know the original artists PLEASE LET ME KNOW!

Everything else - me

EDIT 6: I lied again.... added banners. 

EDIT 4: Finished i think...

EDIT 3: Tack and rider coloured and shaded. mane tail added. 

EDIT 2: BG finished, shading started

EDIT 1: BG updated, a few detail on horse and rider