Straight from the Horse’s Mouth

Posted on Fri Oct 10th, 2025 @ 9:21am by Kennedy Kelly & Maeve MacKenna & Jennifer Bryant & Josiah Martin

4,453 words; about a 22 minute read

Mission: Episode 7: Pathogens and Contagions
Location: X-Mansion - Stable
Timeline: March 2, 1992

The barn on Xavier’s property had been many things over the years. In the mansion’s prime it was a carriage house and stable that held the finest animals and transportation the robber barons could afford. Then it was downgraded to stalling pleasure horses and for storage of a new Model T. By the time the expansive garage was built closer to the mansion every horse was gone and it became a place to store unwanted items. It became shabby enough to become a haunted house for Halloween and was eventually burned down on Christmas thanks to an angry Shinobi Shaw. So when the mansion was rebuilt following Havok’s attack it was decided that the barn would be rebuilt too.

When Jean returned to the property as headmistress the first horses were purchased. Her justification for the expenditure was something along the lines of animal assisted therapy was beneficial to trauma patients but in reality it seemed like a personal desire to restore the mansion's grounds with something beautiful and serene.

With the animals arrival a new chore had been added to the routine, stable duty. Students were expected to clean stalls, water the horses, and provide hay. It was a chore with mixed reactions, some were afraid of the large animals and were quickly removed from the responsibility while others seemed to thrive in the environment.

Kennedy was one of the people who loved the addition of the stables. An experienced dressage rider before her arrival at the mansion, it was a part of her previous life that she had loved but thought had been lost forever. Dressed in her English riding attire, the tall blonde was first to arrive at the stables that morning where a single horse whinnied at her arrival.

“There’s my handsome boy.” Kennedy said with a wide smile as she walked over to the bay colored Dutch Warmblood that had been excited to see her. She offered the horse a carrot as she stroked his soft muzzle. “Should we go for a ride once everyone is fed?”

Maeve pushed open the stable door with her shoulder, the scent of hay, leather, and old wood greeting her like a memory. The sharp tap of her boots on the floorboards followed her in, and she paused just inside, letting her eyes adjust to the warm light. It was different than home—grander, more polished—but the sounds were familiar: snorts, soft hooffalls, the creak of leather tack.

She approached the nearest stall where a grey mare shifted, ears flicking in quiet curiosity. Maeve offered her hand, palm flat, and smiled when the horse dipped her head to sniff it. “Not quite the shaggy ponies I grew up with,” she said softly, brushing her fingers down the mare’s neck, “but you’ll do just fine.”

Looking over at Kennedy, already in riding gear and chatting to her own mount, Maeve tilted her head. “He’s a stunner,” she said, nodding toward the bay. “You’ll have to show me some of that fancy riding sometime. I mostly stayed bareback when I could—less to untangle when the wind kicked up on the cliffs.” Her voice was light, but there was a quiet fondness beneath it. “Haven’t mucked a stall in a while though. S’pose it’s like riding a bike... just smellier.”

“Titan is beautiful, isn’t he?” Kennedy agreed as she stroked the slicked out and strong neck of the warmblood. It was rare to see her so enthralled with something outside of a book since the Legacy Virus reared its ugly head and had taken Kurt away, maybe there was some truth to Jean’s idea that animals on the grounds could help some of them. "I think the horses are much better than most of the people we meet out in public these days."

Maeve gave a soft snort of agreement, her fingers still resting lightly on the mare’s neck. “Aye, no arguments from me there. Horses don’t stare, or flinch, or whisper like you’re something contagious.” Her voice wasn’t bitter—just tired, matter-of-fact in the way someone sounded when they'd long since accepted a truth they didn’t like.

She stepped closer to the stall, brushing a bit of straw off the mare’s back. “Back home, there was this old gelding named Bran—mean as sin, but he’d let my sisters braid flowers in his mane if the day was right. Didn’t care what you looked like or who you were, just wanted his oats and a dry place to stand. I think maybe we all need more of that lately.”

Her hand moved gently along the mare’s flank, eyes softening. “I was thinking of calling her Clove.”

A few moments later, Joey slipped into the stable, considerably less well-dressed than Kennedy in well-worn boots, spurs, and jeans. Truthfully, he liked when the stables were part of his chore list. Growing up his family had stuck with traditional gender roles, so, while he was learning, he was still rather less adept at the indoor household chores. Stables, on the other hand, well, tourists loved horseback riding even if it was impractical. He smiled at the girls. "Morning, ladies," he said. He had dressed to ride, but had not been sure if he would, but maybe he would. Fortunately, there were western saddles available. He closed his eyes for a moment, feeling the horses before he stepped over to a rather spirited palomino quarter horse. He gave it a gentle stroke while reaching into his pocket and pulled out a horse cookie. "Hope I'm not intruding, but I traded off to get stable duty over laundry."

“Morning Joey,” Kennedy greeted their latest edition to the school. “No you’re not intruding, we were just getting started.” She stepped away from the bay horse and began to pull down the stall forks that hung next to the wheelbarrow. “I traded kitchen duty to be here, but that’s probably to everyone’s benefit.” The Boston born princess had never cooked a day in her life before coming to Xavier’s and she was so bad at any type of meal preparation that everything she helped make ended up tasting slightly burnt. “Last week I ruined dinner and I think everyone is still traumatized by it.”

Maeve gave Joey a glance over her shoulder as she brushed straw from her hands. “Morning,” she offered, her voice low but not unfriendly. The palomino nuzzling his pocket earned a small smile. “Looks like you’ve made a friend already.”

At Kennedy’s mention of burning dinner, Maeve huffed a laugh through her nose and leaned an elbow on Clove’s stall gate. “Aye, I remember that. Tasted like regret and charcoal. Think the potatoes never recovered.” There was a hint of amusement in her voice, but her eyes were soft—more alive out here than they’d been in days. “But I’m not judging. I’ve set porridge on fire before. Don’t ask how. Even I don’t know.”

She turned her attention back to Clove, the mare flicking her ears as Maeve ran a hand gently along her neck. “Feels good being out here, though. Quieter. Simpler. Nothing asks questions except maybe the horses.” Her gaze drifted past the others, toward the soft light filtering through the stable doors. “I could use more mornings like this.”

“That’s part of why I wake up so early.” Kennedy agreed as she began to clean the stall of the small grey quarter horse named ‘Millie.’ The mare was much older and accustomed to children, making her a favorite for the younger students. “I usually wake up and dance long before the sun is up. I’m making coffee by the time the newspapers arrive for the day. Plus there’s always hot water available for my morning shower. I think I screamed during my first shower here, it was lukewarm at best.”

Kennedy emptied her fork into the wheelbarrow before repeating the act again. “I’m hoping things get better over the summer. Once people can spend more time outside, sickness levels as a whole usually drop. That might take some of the pressure off of us…” She bit her lower lip as she paused, debating how grim she should let the conversation get, “They killed a guy in Wyoming yesterday, a mutant out late at night and some drunk guys mobbed and beat him. He had a tail so they knew once they saw him that he was a mutant.”

Jennifer came in in jeans, boots, and a synthetic looking coat that was probably a bit heavy for the weather. She also wore gloves and a hat. She saw everyone already at work. "I'm not late, am I?" She pulled her wrist up only to remember she wasn't wearing a watch and laughed slightly at herself.

Joey looked at yet another girl entered the stable. Dear LORD but this place was fully of very attractive women to tempt his teenage hormones. Of course, he knew well how to deflect. "Just in time for morbid conversation," he said before turning back to Kennedy. "I wish I could say I was surprised, but that seems about right," he said, referring to the beating. "We're real good out west about minding our own business if you keep quiet and are invisible, but you start drawing attention, whether it be mutants, or queers, or whatever, and things get hostile real quick. S'why my parents sent me here, even with the virus."

"Is there any other kind these days?" Jennifer lamented softly. She looked around the stable. "I really don't know what I'm doing when it comes to horses," she admitted.

Maeve’s eyes had dropped to the straw underfoot as Kennedy spoke of the man in Wyoming, her jaw tightening until it ached. A tail. That’s all it takes for a death sentence now. She let out a slow breath before looking back up at Jennifer. “You’re not late,” she said quietly, the edge in her tone softening. “And horses don’t need you to know every trick. They’ll feel your calm, or your fear, and they’ll answer to that. Truth be told, they’re easier company than most people these days.” Her fingers brushed down Clove’s mane, steady, deliberate. “We could all use a bit of easy.”

Kennedy nodded her head in agreement to all of their reactions, she had single handedly managed to dampen the mood in the barn. She hadn’t meant to, it was just hard to keep her feelings to herself especially after she had once had someone to confide in. It was like a dam had been broken and then poorly patched back together and now the occasional insight or emotion managed to leak through.

“Just don’t stand right behind them. They have blind spots and will kick if spooked.” Kennedy attempted to turn the conversation back towards their chores rather than the headlines. “Stay in front of them and to the side, move slow.” She finished cleaning Millie’s stall and then took down her water bucket, it dropped her arms and shoulders thanks to its weight. “And watch out for Titan, he bites.” She warned Jennifer of the large bay horse at the end of the stalls before lugging the bucket off towards the water pump.

Jennifer nodded and got a brush. She slowly approached one of the smaller animals, a gentle smile on her face. She reached up to first run her hand along the mane, staying in front of the mare and a little to one side. "Hey, there. How are we feeling today?" She leaned closer. "I know you're just meeting me..."

Joey smiled a little as he approached Titan. "He just needs a little extra care, that's all," he said. "Too many treats by hand will do that," he said as he began mucking out the stall. "You gotta be careful any time you give a horse something out of your hand that you don't get nipped. They don't mean nothing, usually, but still hurts."

“He just likes to be spoiled.” Kennedy said with a touch of baby talk in her voice as she spoke about the tall warmblood before she hauled the fresh water bucket back to Millie’s stall. “And who doesn’t like being spoiled?”

"Nobody I know," Jennifer answered her.

Maeve snorted softly at Jennifer’s reply, brushing straw from her sleeve. “Aye, true enough. Though spoil Titan too much and he’ll start thinkin’ he owns the place. Big lad like that, ye’ll be second in command before long.”

Clove shifted in her stall and Maeve reached up, fingers finding the soft patch just behind the mare’s ear. The horse leaned into it with a low huff, and Maeve’s mouth tugged into something close to a smile. “See? Doesn’t take much. Bit of kindness, bit of patience. They don’t care what’s on the news or what folk are sayin’ about us. Just want to know you’re not here to bite ’em.”

Her gaze flicked back to Kennedy and Joey, then to Jennifer. “We could do with more of that in people, I reckon. Less suspicion, more carrots.”

She gave Clove one last pat and bent to scoop a forkful of straw into the wheelbarrow. “Anyway—looks like the horses have the right of it. Keep your head down, find comfort where ye can, and let the world get on with its foolishness.”

"Maybe," Jennifer said but she sounded unsure. She kept brushing the mare in front of her. "What's her name?" she asked the others. She was new to the horses.

"The white one is Millie, the one with Maeve is Clove, and the pinto is Snickers." Kennedy said while stepping away from Titan, she began to stuff hay bags for the horses to graze on throughout the day. "They were purchased from a kid's summer camp that was closing down... well everyone but Titan. They're all sweet enough to let children and beginners ride, I'm sure you could give it a shot if you wanted to try. Heck, I bet Joey will put the saddle on for you and everything."

"They could all do with some exercise," the boy agreed. "And yeah, I'll put on the saddle if you ask, but better would be to teach you to do it. Unless you want to ride side-saddle. Then you'd be better off asking Kennedy for help. None of the women-folk back home have much patience for that much prim and proper."

“I don’t ride sidesaddle!” Kennedy said with a touch of indignation. She was easily vexed and many found it funny to upset her on purpose, especially when her pert nose scrunched in bunny-like disapproval. “I was a Reserve Champion in Eventing. That’s an Olympic event you know, not just riding dusty trails on the back of a mule.”

Joey laughed. "Down, down citiot," he said. "You know full well the American, British, and western competition circuits all have side-saddle eventing, even if it is a lot smaller a field" he shot back. "And if you think navigating the desert, rim, and canyon descents and ascents is easy, well, pretty sure I can get my folks to let you come and disabuse yourself of that notion real quick like," he added while also taking a look at the saddles. "A western saddle's good for a beginner unless you plan to get all fancy like Miss Olympian over there, but we only have one, and since it fits me, I doubt it'd work well for you. We have some trail saddles that should do though."

“You don’t have to be mean and start calling me names.” Kennedy replied in a tone that wasn’t filled with uppity outrage but one of hurt. Her mask of being untouchable American royalty dropped and they saw the fragile person that resided beneath. There was a brief pause as she collected herself, “Let’s just get these chores done so we can go about our day. Okay?”

Jennifer seemed a bit lost by the exchange. She was still trying to figure out what all of these terms meant but it was clear that Joey had upset Kennedy. She reached up and stroked the mare again, "It's okay, Millie," she said, repeating the name.

She turned to Kennedy and spoke softly. "I just really don't know anything about this stuff, Kennedy. I was hoping you could help me a bit. It sounds like you have a lot of experience."

Then Jennifer just gave Joey an expectant look.

“Maybe some other time.” Kennedy offered her a watery smile as she continued to work. She was moving faster now, her pace was rushed as if to finish the chores as soon as possible. “I’m sure Joey could help you too, I’m not the only one who knows something and he’s more…approachable.”

"Some other time," Jennifer agreed.

Joey looked back and forth between the girls, and stole a quick glance at Maeve. He grasped he had upset Kennedy, although he really only been intending to return her jab with relatively light teasing of his own. He jerked his head slightly trying to tell the other two to pull back a bit as he moved over to Kennedy. "Hey, sorry," he said. "I didn't mean to strike that big a nerve," he added. "Come help me with the tack room for a minute. Need to sort out what matches everyone to go for a ride, and the kids who put stuff away last time made a right mess," he added, hoping she would get the implication he wanted to talk more without necessarily doing it in front of Maeve and Jennifer.

“Yeah, no worries… It's fine. I didn’t mean to be a jerk either.” Kennedy said with a soft shrug of her shoulders. While she was prone to pouting and overreacting she at least didn’t shrink away or deny her own faults. Then again, self awareness without an effort to change probably wasn’t as insightful as it could be. She glanced over at Maeve and Jennifer when he asked for her to follow him to the tack room, a silent conversation between girls that spoke volumes within a single look. “Sure,” Kennedy agreed before following him into the small space that held the saddles and bridles.

“Something tells me you don’t actually care about riding gear right now.” In the close confines of the tack room Joey was able to notice how tall Kennedy was, the level of her blue eyes matched his own and despite her wounded reaction to his words her shoulders remained square and her posture straight. She smelled faintly of what could best be described as expensive vanilla which was a frivolous addition of perfume especially when one planned to work with sweaty horses. “So what is it?”

Joey smiled. "Not entirely accurate," he said, pointing to the gear which was, in actuality, rather a mess. "We do need to sort this out before anyone can go riding, but I thought you might like a minute to put your face back on. I really didn't mean to hit a sore point throwing back at you," he explained as he started sorting through reins. "And you can tell the others your virtue is perfectly safe. This would not be how I tried to ask you out. Even my standards are higher than that."

“My virtue isn’t really something that’s considered around this place.” Kennedy snorted out the words with a haughty laugh. Her relationship with the X-Men once named Jace, now known as Shinobi Shaw, leader of the Hellfire Club, had been a disastrous event that required the Alternate Class to save Kennedy from her pending role as his captive White Queen. Then she had tumbled into a relationship with Kurt Wagner with a rather public display of their love; it had been known to everyone at Scott and Jean’s wedding that they had fallen for one another. Both had ended in heartache for Kennedy despite her giving both men everything that she was. “Besides, rats gross me out.”

Kennedy folded her arms across her chest as she lifted her pert nose into the air. “I don’t need you or anyone else worrying about my decorum. I’ve been through a lot with those girls and I’m not ashamed of them seeing me break or falter when something hurts me. I know you might not believe this but I can be pretty okay to talk to when the other person isn’t being a jerk to me.”

"You're right, I don't really," Joey replied, his own annoyance flaring somewhat. "Then again, you have been rather a 'jerk' to me in general as well, so I do not exactly have much to compare to, so pardon me for trying to be nicer."

"Apology accepted,” Kennedy replied as she lifted her pert nose up into the air as she climbed back up onto her high horse. Whether he had intended it to be an apology or not, she was going to take it that way. Rather than lingering in the tack room with Joey, she went back out to where Maeve and Jennifer had been left to finish the morning chores.

“Boys.” Kennedy said to the pair as she went back to helping them clean up after the animals, “You can’t live with them…”

Maeve snorted, flicking a wad of straw off her sleeve. “...and ye can’t bury them in the muck heap without paperwork,” she finished, deadpan. “Tragic, really.”

Turning to Jennifer, she waved her over. “C’mere, love—hand on her shoulder, slow strokes with the brush, aye? Keep yourself by the neck so if she twitches you’re clear. You’re grand.” Clove leaned into the brush and Maeve’s mouth tipped warm. “See? Easy company.”

She hooked a thumb toward the yard. “Once we’ve mucked out, we’ll take a loop round the paddock—nothing fancy. I’ll walk beside you, Kennedy can show off, and Joey can tag along if he wants.” A beat, grin crooked. “Carrots all round—people included.”

“Breakfast carrots?” Kennedy said with a chuckle “Are we horses or rabbits?” She thought about Maeve’s comments for a moment before a quote ran through her mind I can do things you cannot, you can do things I cannot; together we can do great things. “No, that’s okay, let’s all just go for a walk together, I don’t need to ride by myself.”

Kennedy looked back toward Joey who was still in the tack room. If they were going to go on missions together, if they were going to endure dangerous and mighty things they would have to get along and work together. “Come on Joey, let’s all go for a walk together and you can tell us about the ranch you worked on.”

Maeve tipped a nod, pleased. “Walk it is.” She slipped into Clove’s stall, looping the halter over the grey’s nose with easy hands. “C’mon, a stór,” she murmured, clipping the lead and giving the mare’s cheek a fond rub. “Out we go.”

She eased the door wide and backed Clove out, keeping her at her shoulder. “Mind your toes,” she added lightly to Jennifer with a quick grin. “We’ll do the long loop by the paddock fence.” A glance to Kennedy, softer: “You lead with Titan; we’ll fall in behind.”

As they started for the yard, Maeve flicked a look toward the tack room. “Joey! Bring your cowboy stories—pace is ‘grandma after Mass,’ so you’ve time to paint us a picture.” Then she clicked her tongue once, Clove’s ears pricked, and the little procession began to move.

Jennifer furrowed her brow, slightly thrown for a moment, but she cleared her head with a small shake. "Out we go," she agreed, watching as Maeve easily placed the halter over Clove. The other girls really seemed to know what they were doing here. She took a step back and then followed Maeve out, smiling lightly as she watched the horses. She looked around. It was nice to be outdoors. "I could get used to this," she said. She looked to Joey. "So you have a lot of stories?"

Joey had come back out of the tack room and had taken out the palomino to follow along behind the girls as well. "More than a few. My family's one of the concessionaires out at the Grand Canyon. We do more river trips but us kids learned all the ranch work 'cause we partner up with a ranch for flying people out at the end of trips and folk love to horseback ride for some reason." He paused for a moment and watched. "Now, make sure you stay a bit to the side. You don't never want to be directly behind a horse. Unless you want to end up as one of my stories."

"I wouldn't want that," Jennifer said, staying to the side.

“Don’t worry, we’ll have you riding off into the sunset in no time.” Kennedy offered Jennifer a reassuring smile as Titian pranced and pawed on his lead by her side, the thoroughbred blood in him demanding speed but he was too good mannered to really act upon it.

“Maybe Joey and I can teach you stuff in tandem?” Kennedy suggested as she leaned forward a bit to better look at him “Joey can teach you the sensible stuff, like basic horse etiquette and how to saddle them. And I can teach you the flashy stuff, like how to build a good seat and have quiet hands.”

It was the best she had to offer and she felt like it was the right thing to do. While her life had once been posh and extravagant and Joey’s practical and pragmatic, they had both ended up here at Xavier’s School. It wasn’t just about learning their mutant abilities, it was about learning about one another.

“You too Maeve.” Kennedy added on in an attempt to include her as well, “We’ll have enough horsemen around this place to run our own rodeo.”

The mental picture of a mutant rodeo was enough to make all four of them laugh as they walked the horses together, side by side.

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