On a Pale Horse (Umamusume/Youjo Senki)

[Water Sorcerer]

In the real world, Shirogane would be the safe horse; the eternal silver always aims for second place to never lose.

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Also the safe horse because Shiro is too polite and hardworking to be a bitter or a menace like Goldship.

 

[Jetsmillion]

Shirogane for Silver and Nice Nature for Bronze.

 

[Greymatter02]

Yeah, I wouldn't want Shirogane chasing me either, and as expected 2nd place though it was a close one.

 

[Kuroyanagi]

With some time to kill, Shirogane grasped her saber sheath in her left gauntlet before drawing it free with her striking hand, raising it up to eye level to inspect the diligently shined but disappointingly dull blade. Red eyes stared impassively back at her in the reflection of well-polished steel, and her ears peeled back flat against her hat as anticipation continued to build.

Running a gauntleted finger over the edge, she felt a huff of derision escaping her, even though it was eminently unreasonable for what was supposed to be a prop to be honed to killing sharpness.

Had she still the Soldier's magic it would not be a grave issues, but alas, no such mechanism existed in this new world, and Shirogane found herself idly running the back of the blade against the studded knuckles of her gauntlet, a shiver of delight coursing through her at the sound of steel running over steel.

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Horses are panicky at the best of times, but the sound of metal against metal, the already high pressure of a G1 stakes race, and her very very disconcerting red eyes, it's no wonder they were psyched out before the gate even opened. It's even funnier because she keeps her ears splayed back to hear behind herself but keeps accidentally signaling "Stay the fuck away from me or I will kick you"

 

[Hotroman]

I like the idea of some of shiroganes noteworthy competitors being not from tracen and just sorta freaks who like rush of racing against her or just enjoy running too much to realize shes terrifying.
All that to say hey I'm here to stan Bold Emperor as my goat.

 

[Dr.Degenerate]

Shiro remains an accidental menace to other umas. Poor umas.

Incredible chapter. A great race, plenty of good character moments from both the racers and the spectators (I especially liked the bit about Shiro depositing some of the winnings in the family account whether her parents want it or not), and a little reminder that as nice as it is to watch your favorite uma win, plenty of others had to lose.

 

[One-who-reads]

If her constantly coming in second place is a bit about her being the "Argent Silver" in her past life... that's funny, I approve.

 

[Jadalier Rune]

From what I can see, Shirogane's "ability" only affects the Uma adjacent to her. Could this range increase as she gains more fame among the Uma?

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No, it affects the others… it's just that the closer you are to it,the more terrifying it is.

 

[GarfRed]

Just waiting for Shirogane to run long distances and just staying for so long, don't the UK and Australia have longer races? I wonder if Shirogane can go international in the near future.

 

[ScarredPunLover]

but keeps accidentally signaling "Stay the fuck away from me or I will kick you"

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Have to wonder what a real-world Shiro's trainers/handlers and jockeys would've been like, and what stories they'd have to tell about being near the horse that looks perpetually pissed off, but is probably the calmest one it out there.

just sorta freaks who like rush of racing against her

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Ha, now there's a thought. Shiro hits such an infamy point, that many of her opponents drop out… only to be replaced by adrenaline junkies and actual masochists who get some kind of high from the experience. The thrill of fear, as every instinct in their body screams "DANGER, DANGER," even though they are safe and at no risk of harm from Shiro.

Perhaps there's a particularly obsessive masochist or two that fantasizes about Shiro viewing them as less than dirt, or some such?

oh, there's much amusement to be had here, methinks.

 

[RandomNew]

Thank you for the new chapter!

This is quite the exciting chapter, I love how unintentionally scary Shriogane is. That sword tapping is chef kiss.

I kinda want to see Shirogane interaction between her fans or if she have any, haters.

She didn't seem pleased with coming up short, exactly,

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Hah! Short. Rudolf is proud of you Grass.

 

[DerpyDragonTM]

Triple Crown and the Triple Tiara.

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Shiro is def not gonna win Triple for the Crown, that side of the Classics is absolutely TERRIFYING. As for the Tiara, not sure since idk any of the winners (I dont even think we have a Umamusume for them either) but its gonna be a lot more likely.

Honestly, Shiro's strengths will be in Long races. Theres a chance she'll win the Kikua (3rd Crown) however the historic horse (or uma in this case) was Seiun Sky I think?

Honestly though, she might do really well in the Triomphe. The Soldier was living her life in a very much European-esque location (I think it was specifically German inspired?) so I expect Shiro to not have field disadvantage, but I honestly think she'd excel there.

Theres also well known Long races in Australia, of which I believe one whom winners come out known as 'Strongest Stayers' or something.

 

[RandomNew]

(I dont even think we have a Umamusume for them either)

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We do have the umamusume of them already, though they're not appear in this fic yet.

 

[GarfRed]

Honestly though, she might do really well in the Triomphe. The Soldier was living her life in a very much European-esque location (I think it was specifically German inspired?) so I expect Shiro to not have field disadvantage, but I honestly think she'd excel there.

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I wonder if Shirogane in Europe discovers her version of the zone during the triomphe and starts smiling like her days back in her 2nd life.

Then comes the sound of artillery fire and boots matching. Beware, beware the pale horse has come.

 

[Xenoxn]

As for the Tiara, not sure since idk any of the winners (I dont even think we have a Umamusume for them either) but its gonna be a lot more likely.

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Off the top of my head Dober won two of the triple tiara races, so did Scarlet. Waaaaaaay into the future we'll get Mejiro Ramonu, Almond Eye, Gentildonna and Still in Love who have won the Triple Tiara. All of them are scary motherfuckers but it is extremely unlikely that Shirogane will race against any of them, the timeline just doesn't fit.

 

[MARch Of Time]

All of them are scary motherfuckers but it is extremely unlikely that Shirogane will race against any of them, the timeline just doesn't fit.

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34 year old Shirogane "Eternally 17" Orzel in 2018, casually placing second for her 20th-straight Triple (Silver) Tiara, ran this year because she "just felt like getting some exercise this afternoon" and "didn't particularly set her sights on winning when she plans to run home and cook dinner after", making her record 595 : 93 : 502 : 0

Almond Eye, having collapsed after Shirogane death-stalked her into running for her life so hard that she won first place: "SHE'S CRAZY, THAT OLD JAPANESE LADY IS CRAZY"

 

[Jadalier Rune]

Almond Eye, having collapsed after Shirogane death-stalked her into running for her life so had that she won first place: "SHE'S CRAZY, THAT OLD JAPANESE LADY IS CRAZY"

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OLD!!! Man that Uma is going to get her butt kicked.

 

[MARch Of Time]

OLD!!! Man that Uma is going to get her butt kicked.

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15 year-old Almond Eye's Uma Logic: "Her hair is gray and she's not in high school, she's ANCIENT"

Shirogane, 1998 Legend: "I may have multiple lifetimes worth of being too old for this shit, but I'm not too old to teach you some manners"

 

[CantFocusOneThing]

Perhaps not, but to some degree they are an expression of reality." Shirogane turned one of her ears towards the stage, it was almost her turn. "At the very least, it is a metric showing how much people believe in you…or how little."

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She didnt knew it but the other Umas that didnt have confidence feel their spirit shake.

As Shirogane's positioning forced the two pace chasers into blocking each other, Grass burst forwards, whizzing past the stumbling runners and rounding the final corner in a wide turn that would normally not be very efficient, but here it allowed her to avoid the disruption her teammate had engineered.

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Ah the block runner strategy that the trainer sees succeeding.

 

[WrandmWaffles]

It's like that sometimes. You going to check something for something else real quick and boom, six hours of research.

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This included consulting an irl JRA racing fan to explain some of the what the charts mean on NetKaiba, lol.

"She was sharpening her sword in the gate! I thought she was gonna killl meeeee!"

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"Don't be ridiculous, I wasn't sharpening it."

Well, I expected this result. If the race had been longer, would Shirogane have had a better chance, or would she have lost anyway?

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Generally the more each runner has to expend energy, the better Shirogane's chances. While this was a Mile race, it was also at Nakayama, which is one of the hillier courses so is more tiring for junior runners.

"She wasn't going to kill you, relax."
"How do you know?!"

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"Of course I wasn't going to kill you, that would get me disqualified!"

P.S. You know, I think the contrast in how Bold Emperor ended up after facing Shirogane will spark rumors—once Shiro becomes more famous—about the existence of races and rivals that Shirogane deems "worthy" versus those she considers mere filler.

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All that to say hey I'm here to stan Bold Emperor as my goat.

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Part of the reason she isn't as bothered by Shirogane is that Bold Emperor is an End Closer/Late Surger, so just didn't spend as much time being near Shirogane during the race.

But Bold Emperor is a fairly strong opponent, and in most other generations she would have a decent shot at a Crown. The IRL horse actually did make a solid go at it though he didn't win any of the crowns.

Shiro on the track is kinda like IRL Stego, debuffs everybody and gets 2nd. Hope she gets to meet her senpai soon, whenever she returns from whatever she's doing.

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Shirogane has already met Stay Gold, they are in some of the same classes. And yeah she'll probably be compared to Stay (Away from) Gold since she also terrorizes the race track.

Oh holy shit Shiro, you can't fucking do shit like that.

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"What do you mean? Taiki Shuttle spins her prop revolver for fun too."

"Taiki Shuttle doesn't look like she's going to kill you!"

"I am 145cm tall, how intimidating could I possibly be?"

I love that, this golden year is mostly super forgin talent... and two girls from the sticks, one of who was literally found on the street, neither having been raised by Uma.

What a weird group.

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Technically, Special Week also has foreign ancestry, but she wasn't raised by an uma, as her mom died in childbirth. IRL that happened too, but because the mare they tried to imprint baby Spe on didn't like him at first, he was raised more directly by the humans, so was much more comfortable with humans compared to a lot of other horses.

Also the safe horse because Shiro is too polite and hardworking to be a bitter or a menace like Goldship.

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The funny thing is that Shiro is probably among the most dangerous umas out on the track, since she's got a lot harder bones and her G1 costume comes with gauntlets originally designed to help an uma break skulls.

Horses are panicky at the best of times, but the sound of metal against metal, the already high pressure of a G1 stakes race, and her very very disconcerting red eyes, it's no wonder they were psyched out before the gate even opened. It's even funnier because she keeps her ears splayed back to hear behind herself but keeps accidentally signaling "Stay the fuck away from me or I will kick you"

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Have to wonder what a real-world Shiro's trainers/handlers and jockeys would've been like, and what stories they'd have to tell about being the horse that looks perpetually pissed off, but is probably the calmest one it out there.

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To clarify, Shirogane really only peels her ears back when running, otherwise they're just very alert all the time. But yeah, IRL horse Shirogane's handlers would have some wild stories.

"One night we heard the horses freaking out, so we went to check on them and we found a bear inside the enclosure. It was dead on the ground with its skull caved in, and Shirogane was just standing next to it like nothing happened."

If her constantly coming in second place is a bit about her being the "Argent Silver" in her past life... that's funny, I approve.

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Shirogane also can be literally translated as silver.

Shiro is def not gonna win Triple for the Crown, that side of the Classics is absolutely TERRIFYING. As for the Tiara, not sure since idk any of the winners (I dont even think we have a Umamusume for them either) but its gonna be a lot more likely.

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While the 1998 Mare lineup is not as stacked as the stallion lineup, it is by no means a weak year.

20th-straight Triple (Silver) Tiara

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As funny as that would be, the Triple Crown/Tiara Classic are reserved for Classic year runners only.

 

[Acerer]

Well, I hope to see Shirogane win a G1 soon, because finishing second in every chapter is frustrating ...unless, of course, you're saving Shirogane's wins for the Triple Crown and the Triple Tiara.

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Nah, considering the story beats, she'll probably be a silver collector. Her main claim to fame is her utterly cracked racing schedule and healthiness. 4 races a month for 12 months is abuse trainer Hana! Says everyone but Shiro who is counting the money.

 

[eager slacker]

4 races in 2 months is Uma abuse for a regular Uma. 4 races in 1 month is Shiro taking a week off to unwind.

 

[Impstar]

Well, I hope to see Shirogane win a G1 soon, because finishing second in every chapter is frustrating ...unless, of course, you're saving Shirogane's wins for the Triple Crown and the Triple Tiara.

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Only issue is that Shirogane just... isn't that dominant a racer outside of longer races? She's definitely better than your average racing horse, as this race showed, but she's not the best in any length except for maybe long and her competition among her peers is pretty stacked with strong racers. It might be awhile before she actually gets first in any G1. Or maybe not, up to the OP.

 

[HarbingerOfCrazy]

Joke is: she runs the race, then she runs straight to the bank.

 

[Jadalier Rune]

"One night we heard the horses freaking out, so we went to check on them and we found a bear inside the enclosure. It was dead on the ground with its skull caved in, and Shirogane was just standing next to it like nothing happened."

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That's so fucking wild. Holy shit if this was an IRL horse.

 

[Tonyloco]

Great chapter, seeing Shirogane misunderstands how much she can intimidate other Umas racing her own way and chasing her opponents like Jason from Friday 13.

With the comments about her being like a Terminator, once Terminator 2 comes out she would get compared to the T-1000 since she almost never seems to be out of breath, looks calm and composed while racing and the T-1000 real form is a liquid silver being.

The chase scene alone would be compared to the scared Uma´s running away from the little Uma who can.

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I wonder is she would be willing to do the Robot for her dance at the end of the races.

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People who can be responsible for their actions, especially in an era where the traditional big name families are loosing their edge in the market.
Thinking's of Shirogane's in later yearsonce she gets a reputations of racing a lot and never getting hurt, the traditional families trying to stay relevant and have strong heirs, someone like Shirogane would be looked as a very strong potential mate for many of the strong Uma's since her stamina and ability top stay healthy with a racing story that would break most Umas.

Many would love to get her to have kids, to inhering her stamina and resistance to injury crossed with the speed of faster horses.

 

[guisniperman]

"One night we heard the horses freaking out, so we went to check on them and we found a bear inside the enclosure. It was dead on the ground with its skull caved in, and Shirogane was just standing next to it like nothing happened."

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"With Shirogane, you can throw everything you know about equine body language into the trashcan. They simply don't emote like a normal horse, stoic soldier that they are. One time her handler was pampering them before a race when their Ears suddenly went backward! The Handler immediately looked behind Shirogane and the man coming from behind the box with the knife threw himself out of the way fearing a deadly kick. That man was promptly arrested."

 

[eager slacker]

That's so fucking wild. Holy shit if this was an IRL horse.

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If Shirogane was a real racing horse they would try to breed it with an incredibly fast yet fragile horse like Agnes Tachyon and hope that the offspring hit the genetic lottery. Other than the lack of top speed, Shirogane is basically a Fist of the North Star character that would somehow scare dangerous predators while being perfectly obedient to the trainers.

 

[mauveine]

well, whipping out the sword before the race is certainly an aura-farming move

 

[ScarredPunLover]

The chase scene alone would be compared to the scared Uma´s running away from the little Uma who can.

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My favorite bit about the T-1000 chasing the bike is the behind-the-scenes info that Robert Patrick was in way better shape than anyone expected, so he actually caught up to the bike the first few times they shot the scene

Can't remember if he was told to slow down or they had to speed the bike up a bit

Can't wait for T-1000 and Orzel cosplayers to start staring contests at random

Edit: or they take part in contests where you have to keep a straight face while others try to make you laugh.

If there's a cash prize, maybe Shiro will even show up, and no one figures out it's really her until afterwards