Saint-Noel Academy was home to a myriad of clubs. Some were focused on academic research and inquiry. Others were for the betterment of technique in swords- or spearmanship. There were even clubs devoted entirely to pastimes and hobbies, such as the Tea Party Club, which was extremely popular among the academy's female population. Outside of classes, a wide variety of activities were available to satisfy the fancies of these students used to lives of luxury.
It just so happened that one of these clubs caught Mia's interest.
"Ah-hah! Found it," said Mia as she walked up to the stable. "Hm. As expected of Saint-Noel. Very impressive."
The stable housed over thirty horses, which was enough to field an entire squad of the Imperial Guard in Tearmoon. While the petite princess strolled around peering curiously at the animals, all the other students of the horsemanship club broke into a nervous sweat.
Female students rarely came to the stable. The unique odor of horses was foreign to the island, and many girls found it rather foul. What, then, could possibly have brought the Princess of the mighty Tearmoon Empire to a place like this? Figuring that whatever it was, it must be no laughing matter, nobody in the vicinity could work up the nerve to ask.
Nobody except one young man.
"Hey, miss, what're you doing around here? Get lost or something?" he asked, completely undaunted by Mia's presence.
She turned in his direction to find that she recognized him. He was a second year student of the academy's senior division, making him four years older than her. His frame was thick and muscular, and he had a healthy tan to his skin.
"My... I do believe you were the one who was walking the horses on the day of the party."
"Oh, you're the miss from that time," he said as he gave his forehead a firm slap and let out a hearty laugh. Clearly, he remembered the time when Mia had the misfortune of being sneezed on by a horse right before the party. The offending horse was one of his. "Sorry about that. I'm the leader of the horsemanship club. Second year senior. The name's Lin Malong."
"I am Mia Luna Tearmoon." As always, she tugged at her skirt and performed a curtsy. "Judging by your name, I presume you're from the Kingdom of Equestria?"
"Dang, gotta say it's an honor that the Tearmoon princess knows my name," said Malong with a grin. Then his expression suddenly turned serious. "So? What's the deal? Still got some hard feelings about the other day? Don't tell me you want that horse dead or something."
There had been a time in the past when a female student had shown up screaming about how she'd had a terrible experience with one of the horses, going as far as to demand that it be killed. Angry complaints were one thing, but harming the horses would be out of the question. He looked at Mia. If she went that far...
"Hm? Why would I want the horse dead?"
"Uh, I mean, she ruined your dress, didn't she?"
"The dress?"
There was a pause. Then, Mia laughed as though she'd just heard something absurd.
"Oh, please. Why would I possibly want to have a horse killed over a dress?"
For Mia, it was extremely obvious which one was more valuable. A dress couldn't help her run from the revolutionary army. A horse could.
"I just came today to take a look at the club and see what you do here."
She wanted to learn how to ride horses, and she had a very compelling reason. Back when the revolutionary army was after her, she'd tried to escape by horse cart, only to discover that even the strongest horses couldn't outrun horsemen if they were pulling a heavy cart. Consequently, it didn't take long for them to capture her. While not having a revolution would be most ideal, if it happened, she needed to be able to make a swift escape to the neighbouring kingdoms. To that end, she had to learn how to ride a horse herself. Between the guillotine and some horse snot, she'd gladly choose the latter. So long as the horse carried her to safety, she could easily overlook the fact that it had once used her as a handkerchief.
That's right. Mia had learned to forgive, and for her, that was a big step.
"Take a look, huh..."
Malong scratched his chin. Unlike the people of Equestria, who were said to have been born and raised on horseback, Mia was from Tearmoon. He couldn't fathom why the princess of such a mighty empire would be interested in the Horsemanship Club.
Amongst polite society, horse riding was not considered a noble pastime. Horsemanship was a practical skill with a very specific purpose — to conduct warfare. It was military in nature. While the ability to ride warhorses into combat might be valuable for boys, it was arguably an entirely useless skill for a girl. Granted, there was occasionally the odd girl who expressed interest in hunting, but... A glance at Mia's arms told Malong that she was no archer.
"You can look all you want, but are you thinking of joining the club?"
"If I do, will I be able to learn how to ride a horse?"
"Well, sure... But do you want to ride a horse?"
"I certainly do."
"...Why?"
"Because it can take me somewhere far..." Mia gazed into the distance. "As far as I want to go."
Ideally, so far that no revolutionary army could ever get to her. Horses were, in her opinion, her most practical method of escape.
"Somewhere far, huh..."
Mia's words struck a chord with Malong. She spoke of a truth known to every Equestrian since childhood. Horses elevated their riders, allowing them to strive higher and farther than they could alone. On the back of a horse, no distance was beyond your reach. They were partners who offered the freedom to, as she had said, go as far as one wanted to go. It was a sentiment that would never be voiced by those who viewed horses as nothing more than instruments of war or pets to pamper.
No mere princess, huh... Looks like this miss here is more than meets the eye.
Just then, Mia heard a voice,
"Princess Mia? What are you doing here?"
Which sounded rather familiar.