Chapter 12: The Pegasus Princess Struggles

“All right, Kuolan, let’s go,” said Mia after mounting the horse.

For the past few days, she’d been spending all her free time riding the moonhare, Kuolan. She gently stroked its neck, then gave the sides of its flank a light kick.

She’d been getting in a lot of real practice lately. After all, she’d considered horses to be her lifeline ever since she’d been trying to escape the guillotine timeline. Horsemanship was a skill she knew she absolutely could not afford to cut corners on. Her recognition of its vital importance, combined with her recent burst of concentrated, cram school-style training, allowed her to discover a fundamental truth.

“When it comes to horseback riding, at the end of the day, the most important thing is to match the horse’s rhythm. As if you’re trying to breathe together. It’s like how you have to step in time with your partner when dancing!”

The horse slowly shifted into a walk, and she continued to signal it through light taps. Right, left, right, left... At this point, it was important to tap out a steady rhythm that was easy for the horse to follow. A good rhythm made for a happy horse, and a happy horse made for a smooth ride. The same rule applied when speeding up. The crucial factor was to rebalance oneself in preparation for the faster gait and to match the horse’s pace while signaling it in time with one’s feet.

The trick is to match the horse’s rhythm.

As soon as she’d realized that, the rest of it had all clicked. Harmonizing with her partner... Moving together... Those were concepts she knew like the back of her hand. When dancing, she also had to move in time with the music while matching her partner’s steps and strides. Horseback riding and ballroom dancing were one and the same.

Now, for those of you who have—understandably, considering the general trend of Mia’s particularities—forgotten, you are hereby reminded that Mia was actually a good dancer. Masterful, even. As a result, she’d picked up horsemanship fairly easily. Basic riding was already no problem for her, and her skills were quickly moving from the realm of competent to impressive. So delighted was she by her own aptitude that it went straight to her head, causing her to entertain such thoughts as “I should totally start calling myself the Pegasus Princess.”

“Hm, at this speed, it’s sort of like triple time. If we go a bit faster, the gait turns into quadruple time. That means the timing for when I start signaling should be...” she murmured.

That’s right. At last, Mia’s <Dancing> skill had produced a bonus offshoot in her skill tree. She now had <Horse Riding> at the level of C-. Given this advancement, she understandably felt that mastery over riding moonhares was within her reach, but for some strange reason...

“Hnnngh... Why...”

She’d followed Malong’s advice, keeping Kuolan at a slow walk, but she still couldn’t help but let out a frustrated groan.

The rhythm’s off a little again. How come it changes every time I start hitting a good groove? I swear, this horse...

Her irritation was justified. Whenever she settled into a comfortable rhythm, signaling as necessary in time with their gait, the horse would change its tempo. And not all at once either, which was the worst part. It would happen subtly, a quarter beat every few seconds, until their relative rhythms were completely out of time. There was something uncannily unpleasant, almost insidious, about the slow onset, as if she were experiencing a gradual descent into syncopated madness.

The mismatches were still manageable at a walking pace, but they would be a much bigger problem when they sped up to a trot, during which the horse’s body would bob more violently up and down, forcing the rider to employ a technique knowing as posting that involved alternating between standing and sitting in order to soften the impact. When attempting to post this trot, she’d repeatedly fail to match Kuolan’s rhythm, causing its back to slam painfully into her rear over and over.

“Ooooh, my butt hurts so much... You’re doing this on purpose, aren’t you? I know you are!”

As if it had understood her complaint, Kuolan promptly craned its head toward her and neighed, peeling its lips back in the process.

“Y-You stupid... Oh, I know what this is. This is payback for taunting you with that carrot cake yesterday, isn’t it? But you ended up eating a good half of it anyway!”

Gnashing her teeth in anger, she dismounted.

Ugh, I can’t work with this horse. We have zero chemistry. No, we have negative chemistry. How come I’m stuck with this thing? I like the obedient ones so much better. They’re so docile and adorable...

It bears mentioning that almost every competitor in the Horsemanship Tournament would be bringing their own horse from home. Most of those participating in the speedriding event would, of course, be riding moonhares, and Ruby was no exception.

Grr... I can’t believe this thing is the only available moonhare the horsemanship club has.

She couldn’t ask for a horse to be sent from Tearmoon either, having attempted this very request—and for a regular, garden-variety horse at that—when she’d first joined the club only for a hysterically worried emperor to butt in, screaming about how “It’d be a national tragedy if she got on such a big horse and accidentally fell off!” In the end, they’d sent her a tiny little pony. Very safe, but also very disappointing.

What should I do... At this rate, I’ll be lucky if I don’t make a complete fool out of myself, never mind winning the duel...

Just as she crossed her arms and began considering her options, a voice interrupted her thoughts.

“Hey, Mia. How’s it going?”

She looked up to find a horse clopping toward her. Atop it sat Abel.

“My, Abel. You’re practicing today too?”

“Of course. I want to win.”

He, along with Sion, would be competing in the horseback swordsmanship category.

“I see. Well, I suppose I should expect nothing less of you, Abel. You seem very comfortable on that horse of yours. It’s very impressive.”

“Is it? You’re no slouch yourself, in my opinion.”

“I’m certainly no slouch, but this horse— Eek!”

Something thumped her from behind, and she almost fell over.

“What the—?!”

She spun around to discover Kuolan’s muzzle occupying the space where her back had been.

Flippin’ moons! This horse! He has to be messing with me!

She glared. Abel regarded it too, albeit with a more thoughtful expression.

“Hmm... I wonder if he doesn’t like how the two of us are together so often. Maybe he’s jealous.” He scratched his chin. “I think he likes you, Mia.”

“He likes me? Huh...”

She eyed the horse again, this time with more curiosity.

He might have a point... I do remember Anne telling me about how when a boy likes a girl, he acts mean to her because he’s trying to get her attention.

With pursed lips, she studied Kuolan, who responded with its characteristic grin. It was a very aggravating gesture, what with the way it pulled back its lips to reveal its big horse teeth.

“So that’s how it is, huh. I see what’s going on now. You— Hm?”

She suddenly noticed that Kuolan’s nostrils were twitching. Based on past experience, this kind of phenomenon was usually followed by...

“Oh you’d better not— Wait, let me back away— Gyaaaah!”

There was a mighty hack-a-pchoo, followed by the sound of fluid hitting fabric. Struck by a sneeze powerful enough to raise a storm warning, Mia toppled backward onto her already-bruised buttocks.