Work Text:
(Third person POV)
The infirmary waiting room was depressingly sterile, no one spoke despite anxiety running rampant in the room. It was supposed to be a easy training day, with summer camp rapidly approaching it was meant to slow down harsh training to make it easier on everyone for the transition to sand.
Despite the careful preparation, Vodka got hurt she tripped and fell hard. Her ankle swelling rapidly, bruises already starting to show. After the initial panic everyone rushed her to the infirmary. after letting the nurses take her back everyone filed out into the waiting room. five, ten, then fifteen, and then thirty minutes passed. finally the nurse came out with a neutral expression on her face. "We will need to keep Miss Vodka overnight for observation but the initial checks look good."
At her words the entire room lets out a deeply held breath. "so she'll be okay?" Scarlet asks with barely contained concern in her voice. "I can't say anything for sure, but based on my own experience she should be able to recover within two weeks. Though this means she more than likely will have to sit out a portion of the summer training." With that hopeful yet grim prognosis, the rooms optimistic tone crashed into the ground. "Anything you need from me ma'am?" Okino asked concern lacing his voice, drops of sweat falling down the corner of his face. The iconic lollipop nowhere to be found. "Just your signature on the observation paperwork. You can fill the accident report out in the morning."
Looking out the window it was rather late checking the clock in the room it was nearly 10PM. "Alright, girls go on and head back to your dorms. I know you will want to stay here Scarlet, but right now Vodka needs to rest and the staff need to keep an eye on her." Scarlet gave one of her signature pouts before giving a relucent nod. As Okino signed he heard the rest of the team leave. "Anything I need to know now that they're out of the room." He asked the nurse with his concern fully on display. Convinced it might be worse than the girls would be able to take. "Simply that she needs to remain in observation for the fact that if we can guarantee she's been off her foot for 24 hours her recovery time will shorten massively. As well do note that afterwards she is barred from training for at least two weeks, probably longer if I'm being honest."
Okino let out a deep sigh at those words and finally put a new lollipop into his mouth, the sugar acting as a slight balm to his nerves not that it helped much. "Thanks for the honesty, I figured it was gonna be a lot worse. I'll head out now." With a small nod and a smile Okino left the infirmary. His steps not as steady as his words.
(Okino POV)
"FUCK!! That's the third injury in 2 months! First Teio bruises her ankle bad enough to stop training for a week, then golshi manages to follow that up by getting bit in the eye causing her to be benched from racing for nearly a month. And now Vodka is in the infirmary with an injured ankle."
Somehow in my internal ranting I managed to land right in front of the Three Goddesses fountain. Seeing them just stand there, like their own children hadn't just gotten injured repeatedly, something deep inside me just snaps, like a string pulled taught for too long. "why…. why do you let them get hurt so much? No matter what I do, No matter what I try to prevent injury, it keeps happening." I look to the statue to see that somehow, they look like they pity me, as if they're explaining something to an idiot who won't ever get it.
"Don't look at me like that, your the ones causing your children pain! All they want to do is run and be free is that too much to ask!" In that fit of rage I rip the lollipop right out and chuck it at their faces, only to miss and have it land in the fountain. " Fuck you, Fuck all three of you for making them suffer no matter what. Your not worthy of the titles of goddess, hell golshi would do a better job than the three of you." out of breath and out of rage I simply turn around and head for the trainer dorms, unaware of the smirk now gracing the statues faces as if heralding a rather ironic fate.
The trainer dorms were sparsely lit on the outside, most staff having long gone to bed. The cool summer nights only tamped down the still present but cooled rage. "Its not worth anymore yelling today, I need to get some sleep." climbing the stairs I arrive at my apartment, opening the door into my plain,rather undecorated apartment. the table covered in sports magazines and coupon sheets for sports equipment. diet plans pinned to a corkboard, the race scheduled on the white board next to it. the only real furniture was the couch and coffee table a stack of DVDs with the team's races on them spread around. It looks more like an office than a home. taking a deep sigh of exhaustion I take off my shirt and pants and change into some boxers before crashing face first into the pillow.
I awake slowly, I feel the wind first, strong and steady like a parent's guidance. As I begin to move I firmly push off the turf, feeling its steady grip beneath my feet like the steadiness of a warm home. as I stand I see the sunset in the distance, I feel the warmth of support for a dream I never had.
Suddenly I feel several figures rush past me. "Come on trainer, keep up!" Scarlet yells as she urges me to follow. Seeing the rest of the figures as my team I run toward them, worried about them. Somehow I make it there almost instantly and before I could slow down they start to run again. Keeping pace I feel the wind in the ears on top of my head? My legs feel stronger the power flowing through my every step. As I run farther my eye level seems to lower without me bending down and before I know it I'm eye level with Vodka. "Why are you running Vodka your ankle is injur-" I cut myself off as I see her ankle, it's perfectly normal, as if her injury never happened. "Whats going on here, Vodka you were just in the infirmary?"
I blink and then nothing, the girls are gone and whats left is a empty void. I blink once more and see three figures. far off and blurry, like an unfocused camera. "So you have demanded answers from us, without even knowing the price. How bold of you for such a young pony." Despite not getting a clear picture of them I can hear the smirk and slight approval in their tone. "Well, you saw her, getting all worked up for the sake of her trainees... To the point of shouting at us! she's everything we desire their trainers to be." A much more motherly voice spoke calmly and with a deep caring tone. "Did they just call me 'she'?!" Unable to move any part of my body I can only watch as the three seem to get closer yet further away. "You were very brave to do what you did, not even knowing the cost, you truly represent the best in your profession. ************". Feeling my body return to me I can only do one thing "Who are you?!?" The only thing I get back is a slight smile as if I already know exactly who they where. Slowing coming to my senses I feel as if my body went through a blender.
I groggily get out of bed and slowly work my way to the bathroom. almost tripping my way through the door "I never trip? What is going on" I get in front of the mirror and turn the lights on.
I can't think over the sound of my own scream.
"WHAT THE FUCK!?!?!" all I can do is yell and scream in shock as I look dead into the eyes of an Umamusume, I'm a human not an uma! "who the fuck are you!" I yell before clamping my hands over my mouth. "that's not my voice!" I start to do random hand motions, waving, the fox thing Inari One does, even making a dog shadow puppet. After seeing this uma copy every movement I finally look down and see a chest I never had. "That's not right." I can only stare in disbelief at a body part I never had yet is there anyway. a testing squeeze confirms it is in fact my chest. "book! I need a book!" I run out the bathroom only to fall into my bed, my legs carrying me a lot faster than I expected. getting up and shaking of the fall I head to the table and look at the magazines. "I can read them…Fuck." I somehow pull out a chair before I crash into it staring blankly into the magazine, my last change this was a dream, gone.
"I turned into an uma. What the fuck am I gonna do… What am I gonna tell the team. What am I gonna tell Tazuna!" Before I can spiral my door is busted down by Tazuna. "Trainer Okino! are you…okay…Who are you?" I can only look at her with an expression of you know who I am mixed with I don't know how to explain this. "Hey Tazuna, I'm… not really okay mentally, physically I seem to be fine."
I can only look at her, as her face turns into one of shock and not a small amount of horror. "Okino is… is that you?" "Yeah its me, quite the change of looks huh?" I can tell the joke doesn't land with her. She simply shuts the door and then sits down at the table. "I can tell it's you, you look similar enough and your attitude and way of speaking hasn't changed." "Thanks for the vote of confidence." As I look at her I notice a lot more about her than I ever did, her hat subtly twitching, her nervous movements as she has to take in my new look. "Now what? I cant exactly go into work looking like this?" I ask as she clearly takes her time thinking of a solution. "Well First we need a name, I assume spica would be a part of yours?" "yeah probably, part of the ship part of the crew and all that." "So how about a crown name?"
I give it some thought "a crown name would be nice, give me some sense of normally while this is going on. But what would I even use?" my face must have made a look as Tazuna gets a look on her face. "Tokino." "Tokino? Who's crown name is that?" "an old racer's from what I know, they vanished years ago and no one has used the name since." I give the name some thought Tokino Spica. It clicks with me in the way 'Okino' did all those years ago. "Tokino Spica…I like it, it fits perfectly." I can feel my tail wag as i say my new name out loud. All Tazuna does is give me a warm almost teacher like smile, as if she's watching a new student enter the school for the first time. "well then miss Spica, I do hope your not late on your first day. I'll handle the director for the time being you simply inform your team, they deserve to know your okay." With that final message she stood up and left, leaving me alone with my thoughts. "well this is gonna be one hell of a first day."