//------------------------------// // Chapter 12: Clarity // Story: Princess Essenta // by Pone_Heap //------------------------------// Renata Arc Orni Valkea’s story, as far as Renata knew, began about nine years previously. The Knollwings, to some degree, had become nomadic ponies. In search of new magic and new opportunities, they struck out into the further reaches of the continent. Away from the eastern mountains from which they historically drew their magic, there had to be another source. Orni was traveling with her father, mother, and siblings. They were in a group of about 60 ponies. Doing what they could to make ends meet, they eked their way west. Camping near Renata, but not visiting, they were attacked by slavers. With few exceptions, Knollwings had lost their great power but still commanded high prices… far more so than a regular Pegasus. Separated from her family, the terrified Orni watched as her fellow Knollwings were captured. She’d almost escaped, when she was shot from the sky. She survived the crash, but her wings were in pieces. Staring down at the screaming little Knollwing, her green eyes pleading for some form of mercy, the slavers left her. A crippled Knollwing was good for nothing, anyway. With a few captured, they’d be rich anyway. The little filly lay there, exposed for a couple days, too hurt to move. Even her voice had dried up. All she wished for was some release. She no longer thought of her mother… father… siblings… friends… Orni just wanted release. It so happened, when the farmer called Linus Valli and his wife, Polyxena, heavily pregnant with their second foal, were out picking fruit, that they came across this little one. Shocked at what they found, but unwilling to leave her, they fashioned a stretcher, and with the utmost care, spirited her into Renata. Upon seeing the extent of her injuries, and the necrosis endured, the kindly old village doctor thought she might be done for. But he’d dealt with some of the worst injuries imaginable; he’d been a surgeon in the army. He quickly realized, after a careful look, that this was a Knollwing. If any Pegasus could make it through, it was a Knollwing. Hating himself for it, but finding little choice in the matter, he had to remove what was left of her wings. He knew little of Pegasus anatomy, but he was able to clean up her injuries to the first wing joints right off the shoulders. Otherwise, her durable body and constitution had kept her alive when others would have died. So, he kept her hydrated and waited. It took the little one a couple days to come around. Confused and surprised at being alive, she quickly regained her wits. Realizing what had become of her, she was beyond devastated. The old surgeon could think of nothing to do for her. He didn’t speak her language and would have been unable to find the words to console her, anyway. But a pair of ponies had been watching with great interest. Polyxena had rarely left the Knollwing’s side as she slept. It was a mother’s touch that comforted the broken filly. Nopony had known Knollwings had been through the area, until what remained of the camp was discovered. There was no sign of them. And no way to know where they might have gone. The little Knollwing was alone in the world. That is, she might have been. The farmer Valli and his wife elected to adopt her. The first thing they learned was her name. Orni Valkea… “Orni the White”… With her tattered wings, it hadn’t been evident at first, but Orni possessed a feature most rare among her ponies. She had wings of white. A distinctive feature of Knollwings were their wings, usually brown or gray, contrasted with whatever color coat they may have possessed. It was perhaps the reason they were so hunted. And seeing a prize like Orni fall through their hooves, the slavers simply left her to suffer for their “trouble”. Despite her obvious sadness, she grew to love her new family. She adored their little colt and insisted on feeding him. Regardless of their inability to speak or understand Knolltongue, it was obvious their ward missed… her younger siblings. One of the first things she did when she was active again, was seek out the stallions that found the campsite. They’d collected food, a few weapons… But what Orni wanted were the books and scrolls. Unable to read them, the stallions had stacked them up. So, Orni saved the material from some trash bin and took it home. Orni was seven, close to eight, they figured out. They began to suspect Orni was no ordinary Knollwing within a few weeks. She picked up the Common Tongue in a month. Soon after, she was able to tell them about herself in words. After two months, she could read and write in the language. Her strength, quickly recovered, on top of her speed, set her apart from anything they knew of the Knollwings. It may have been difficult to believe she would fit in with the other foals in town, but after the rocky start she had, she became just another one of the neighborhood foals. She read her own material and discovered new things in her new language. She began to train in the ways of her ponies, aided by the texts she had rescued. The years passed, with Orni gaining three more siblings. Despite not being their sister, she was their big sister. It became hard to imagine life, for anypony, without Orni around. She was as much a fixture in the town as the dairy farm on which she flourished. When Orni was 14, she’d become quite a young beauty. A reserved filly, she was a friend to all. Around this time, Wilka Starling arrived. Nopony knew who she was or from where she came, but she settled outside of town, building her little nook in the forest. The two young mares became the very best of friends, in large because of their skill in martial arts. The matches witnessed by other ponies led to a fame that became the Saturday ass-kicking destination for so many. Orni and Wilka enjoyed it, so why not? Also, Orni was probably the only pony on Earth Wilka had trusted with her own sad life. They formed a bond beyond that normally seen. But Wilka was the pioneering sort, hoping to set out into the world again. And she wanted nothing more than Orni to come along. The two of them toyed with the notion, but never did much with it. Orni felt she was where she belonged, even if she was a Knollwing. Wilka resigned herself to living in the woods, biding her time until something interesting came along. And this had brought them to the last couple of days. Loress whistled. That was some story. Dechaa felt rather touched as well. Farmer Valli shifted himself and sighed, “So you see, girls… the idea of Orni leaving is a couple years in the works. My wife and I… the rest of our children… and the town… we all love our Orni. But there’s more out there for her. And I’d like nothing more than for her to have a chance to see it… if she’s so inclined.” Loress couldn’t withhold something, “Sir, there’s something you should know… Our little quest you’ve heard of… it’s… something of a farce.” Dechaa muttered, “Loress…” “Dechaa, it’s the truth! Sir, the princess’s father never really intended to send her anywhere… or the unicorns. It was a ploy…” He sat nonplussed, “I don’t like the sound of this… explain.” Dechaa sighed, “King Dale was tired of Sen causing him trouble, so after she… acted up, he thought he’d… ‘scare her straight’ so he could send her away in exchange for a dowry. It’s what we’ve been calling a ‘fool’s errand’. We’ve… been on the run coming up on a month.” He frowned, “Well, what’s she doing all this for?” Neither mare could answer. Loress shook her head. “We… really have no idea. It changes everytime somepony asks her. She says she wants to… ‘turn the world upside down’ and ‘achieve fame not even her father can smother’… Saying it out loud, it sounds…” Dechaa leaned against a hay bale, “Batshit crazy…” Loress nodded, “Yeah… something along those lines. I know you want Orni to step out, but… there might be nothing good at the end of this rainbow.” He raised an eyebrow, “Why did you follow her? Why did any of you follow her?” This was even harder to answer. Why did they follow the princess? They had answers as they were sure the rest did. To them… they sounded… a little pathetic. Loress fidgeted, “I… wanted friends. I’ve… never really had any and the princess offered… so did the other girls. I’ve only been with them a week, but it’s been so much fun.” She was embarrassed to admit it, but she’d said it. Dechaa felt her reason was even more pitiful. “Sen and I have been friends since we were little fillies. I… guess I’ve just followed her as long as I’ve known her. One afternoon we were at her favorite pub, and an hour later we were running as fast as we could for the Dale’s border… And after we got away… I knew I couldn’t just go back… none of us can just go back. I know what’s waiting for us if we go back… or get captured.” The farmer listened to these reasons without any visible emotion, “I don’t think you’re telling me the whole story. I can see, just from the few hours I’ve known all of you, that all of you seek camaraderie. But none of you are stupid, I can tell. Something else swayed your choice to go along… or at the very least stay.” They looked back, unsure where this was going. “You girls give yourselves too little credit. What really attracted you to Princess Essenta?” Dechaa couldn’t find the words. She’d known Essenta for a long time. The same thing that pulled any of them in had kept her around, but it wasn’t something she could communicate. Loress could. And she had some rare language to make her point. “…As crazy as this… fool’s errand is… something deep down told me… to follow her… Something told me she could do it. It’s hard to fathom, seeing her shit-the-bed drunk like she gets, but… sometimes… I can see a sureness. I can see a clarity… a faith that she can change the world. But… I’m not so sure, sometimes.” She gazed into space almost dreamily. The farmer chuckled, and she caught herself. Even Dechaa thought that was weird… the kind of weird that has a pony create distance from another. Loress blushed, “I… guess that sounds pretty stupid… The princess is my friend… but it wasn’t just that!” He laughed openly, “Charisma… It’s always questionable. There’s no telling where it’ll wind you all up. That crap about the rainbow makes a little more sense now…” He stood up, “I’m sorry to pester you about such things… We don’t always know what drives us. Sometimes it just doesn’t make sense. Don’t concern yourself over any of that. You’re my guests and you’re welcome to stay for the weekend. Do tell the princess and the other girls what you see fit to tell them. I really should just keep my mouth shut, but… I doubt Orni or Wilka would have told you much. If you haven’t seen it… they’re rather close… Well, good night, young mares.” He left them and they themselves went to sit outside the bunkhouse for a time. They could hear Essenta snoring and fussing in her stupor. Farmer Valli had given them plenty to think about. Despite a hangover the size of the moon, Essenta was up before daybreak, helping Orni with her chores. Loress and the rest of the company who hadn’t known her for very long had heard of her industriousness but couldn’t believe it. Dechaa looked on in mild disbelief, “This is normal for her… She doesn’t go that hard often, but a rough bar night never stopped her from working back home…” The others could only nod. Once the morning chores were done, Essenta and Orni went into town to make some deliveries. Loress helped make breakfast and was still finding hard to buy how energetic the princess was. The company worked some that day, Essenta especially. That night was even worse than the one before. Not only had Essenta made an absolute ass of herself, she even tried to start a fight with somepony that wouldn’t stop hitting on Dechaa. A very drunk Pegasus stallion was holding onto Dechaa’s neck, begging for a dance… and maybe something else. Dechaa tried to just walk away but he got angry about it. Before things could go any further, Essenta grabbed him and threw him halfway across the pub. All became silent. Essenta ambled up to him, eyes reflecting possible homicidal intent, “You motherfucker…” The stallion, seeing the trouble he’d invited, wanted no part, but Essenta still went for him. When Loress tried to pull Essenta from this mischief, she took a swing at Loress. This shocked the pubgoers and the company as well. Loress grabbed her and set her straight ahead. Essenta… didn’t look good. It wasn’t clear until she threw up on Loress. The Terran, looking furious now, roughly dragged her out, uncaring of the scene it made. The girls followed worriedly. She was quite upset about all this and the company, who’d had their own fun, to a lesser degree, tried to talk Loress down. But Loress made up her mind about something… And in a pig’s ass would anypony be able to stop her. Loress was so upset, she went to sleep in the wagon. The girls went to sleep, thinking the trouble had diffused. It was a few minutes past dawn on Thursday. Essenta, drooling into her pillow, stinking of the night before, slept contentedly. The birds were chirping, and the company was having a good snooze. Everypony was asleep, except one. Loress threw a bucket of ice water at the princess, full in the face. Essenta sat up quickly, with a girlish shriek, bonking her head on the bunk above her. She gazed around, dazed and blinded in a fine shroud of hangover. The rest of the girls woke with a start. Essenta sputtered, “Wha’ the fuck?! Who-? Lore-!” The Terran hauled Essenta out of the bed, with very little gentleness. She opened the door and sent the still-drunk mare sprawling across the yard. Orni, out doing her early morning chores, gasped. She was about to move to Essenta when she felt a hoof at her shoulder. It was Farmer Valli. Looking down at the little Knollwing, he shook his head and led her away from the scene. She didn’t need to see this. Essenta, now filthy from rolling around in the muck, continued to sputter. Before she could even get her wits about her, Loress doused her with another bucket of ice water. Essenta blubbed in the puddle, coughing and spitting. The company gathered at the windows of the bunkhouse, staring. Something told them it would be best to keep out of the way; in fact, they went back to their bunks, deciding not to even watch. Loress gazed down at Essenta, eying her as if she’d never seen the other mare. Essenta, finally getting her vision straightened out, screamed at Loress. “Cunting what are you doing?! What the fuck?! You bitch!” Loress didn’t like that much; she hauled the princess, roughly dragging her across the yard. Out of sight of the bunkhouse, and hopefully anypony else, Loress threw her into a water trough. Essenta spluttered in the container, ass in the air. Loress pulled her out. “You ready to listen?” “Fuck you!” Loress frowned, “Oh… that’s no way to talk to one of your friends, Essenta.” She shoved the princess’s head into the trough again. She waited a few seconds before pulling her up. “You ready to calm down yet?” “You 19-year-old virgin!” Loress chuckled, in spite of herself, “That hurts, Essenta. And who are you to say such a thing?” Again, she dunked the princess. This time she held her a little longer. Still the princess screamed and frothed in the water. Loress yanked her out. “Are you calm?” “Just because you’re stronger than me-” Down went the princess, for another drink. This continued for another couple cycles, often with strong language. “Essenta… calm…” Essenta was now sobbing, “…Leave me alone!” Loress decided this wasn’t working. She dunked Essenta once more and then hauling her out, threw her bodily into the yard. She walked up to Essenta, not enjoying this a bit. Essenta was bawling, coughing, and curled up in a shivering mess. It was a sorry sight. Loress knelt, to raise the princess’s chin to look at her. Essenta, as she had the night before, tried to take a swing. Loress easily caught her hoof and sent the princess end-over-end. Wilka had been spending the nights back at her own dwelling. She heard noise near the pigsty and went to see. She saw this awful mess and might have opened her mouth if Loress hadn’t glared at her. It was crystal clear what Loress’s eyes said, forget this and move along. She did just that, going to find Orni and Farmer Valli. Essenta once again lay in the yard; she was absolutely filthy, a mixture of vomit, mud, and straw coating her body. She cried, tucking her legs up to her chest. Loress sat down beside her. The princess was probably ready to hear what had to be said. “Essenta… listen to me…” She whimpered, “Please… leave me alone.” Loress scooted in closer. She put a hoof to Essenta’s back and stroked her. Essenta recoiled at first, but then relaxed some. Still, she wept and was tucked up close to her chest. The Terran comforted her, until Essenta began to nuzzle in return, “Oh, Loress… I’m… so sorry. I…” Loress hauled her to a sitting position. Essenta, eyes streaming, looked into Loress’s countenance. She was a little surprised to see her friend crying as well. Loress pulled her into a firm embrace. “Oh, Princess… I’m worried about you… so are the other girls… I can guess, but it’d do little good. Please tell me what’s wrong.” The Terran wasn’t sure if she’d get much response or not, but she got an answer. “Oh, Loress, I’m… I’m a mess. Some stupid, spoiled princess… I don’t even know what I’m doing… I’m taking you all on some joke of a journey… For what? My father, who wishes I’d been born a colt? I don’t… I don’t know… I’m sorry… I… hate m-” Essenta sobbed brokenly into Loress’s now filthy tunic. She shushed the princess. “There, there, Essenta… It’s alright.” Maybe none of this was alright. Loress knew Essenta was confused and upset, but there was a lot to be seen, yet. Deciding she needed to let up on the princess, Loress helped her to her hooves. “Come with me.” Loress led Essenta to the outdoor bath. Loress, ready for all the morning might have had to offer, had a warm bath ready for Essenta. After helping her undress, she carefully scrubbed the princess. Her firm, yet gentle touch reminded Essenta of her days back home. Loress lounged by the bath, Essenta soaking peacefully. “Loress… I… need your help…” Loress tried to hold back the crack, but barely managed. “Not the drinking, Loress… I know I need to… control myself… It’s something else.” Loress’s interest was piqued, “What?” “I don’t know what to do about Orni… It… seems so wrong to try to pull her away from all this. Wilka, I’m sure she’d come with us, but… what do you think we should do?” Loress had been turning this over in her mind for a couple days. Essenta… had never asked any of them for real advice before… Loress was glad the princess had the wisdom to do so. “Princess… I know what you said to Ama, Wilka, and myself when we each asked you what this all was about. And I believe you. I believe it all. But there’s more to it… isn’t there?” Essenta splashed around a little, looking into the morning sky, “I… don’t know how to describe it. There’s… something I’m after. I truly don’t know why you all came along for this, when I don’t even know what I’m after.” Loress gave a little smile, “Someone a little more seasoned than me said we don’t always know what steers us. Sometimes it doesn’t make sense. But don’t worry so much. We’re here because we want to be.” Essenta sank down lower in the tub, burbling. Continuing, “As far as Orni goes… what’s your heart tell you? Deep down, what do you think you should do?” Essenta thought a moment, “I think we should keep moving. And if she wants to come along, I’d love to have her. I don’t really care what she is… she may even be more powerful than you… I want her to be our friend. I want… to be somepony worth being friends with… somepony worth following. I don’t know just what the future holds, but… I want to keep moving, whatever’s waiting for us…” Loress closed her eyes and smiled from the bottom of her heart, “Yes, Essenta… That’s the princess I decided to follow.” Essenta finished with her bath and put on a fresh tunic. She wasn’t quite feeling up to breakfast, but Loress gave her a nice mug of juice to sip on. Leaving the princess outside in the fresh breeze, Loress joined the company and the Valli family for breakfast. It was a quiet affair. None of the girls asked any questions about what had happened. They trusted Loress had done what she knew to be right. The princess spent much of the day, sitting. She gazed out to the fields, watching ponies laugh and work, preparing for what looked like a bountiful harvest. She thought of the Dale. At the higher latitude, they’d be harvesting already. Seeing the land gave her a small yearning and a slight homesickness she hadn’t felt before. Her mind clearing, she noticed just how lovely Renata was. It seemed a fine place to live. That night, all the girls went into town again, but not to any pub… Well, Ama did, but nopony worried about her. She’d made some interesting acquaintances and the company was pleased to see her loosen up a bit. There was another dance, but not the wild kind they’d been at two nights previously. Essenta, feeling good, despite her rough morning, sat with Wilka and Orni. Zyra was once again amusing the foals present, with Dechaa and Loress joining in on the fun. Near the dance floor, Essenta sat by as Wilka rejected yet another stallion asking for a dance. He left in a manner most forlorn. Orni was coming back with fresh strawberry squash. Essenta took a sip, finding it most pleasant. She smirked at Wilka, “Wilka… that’s five stallions already! You’re such a pretty little thing. Why not enjoy yourself, have a dance?” Wilka could tell the princess meant well. She’d had a certain lucidity about her since Loress had kicked her ass a little. She was like a whole new mare. “I, uh…” Wilka blushed. “I hafta go!” And she did go, bolting out of the vicinity of the dance floor, over to Zyra’s magic show. Essenta turned to Orni. “Orni, what’s her problem? I didn’t take Wilka to be a shy mare…” Essenta sipped on her squash. Orni looked sadly after Wilka, “There’s… a lot to it. Best not to worry about it.” Understanding the gravity of the statement, Essenta reformulated her plan, though she didn’t really have one. But before the princess could work her lackluster charm on the Knollwing, Orni spoke. “…You’re really taking Wilka along with you, huh?” Essenta snorted, almost choking on her delicious, non-alcoholic treat, “Snrrt!” She coughed explosively, Orni hoofing her a cloth. Essenta gasped her thanks and wiped her face. “I’m sorry, Essenta… I didn’t mean to… I’m just sad Wilka’s leaving.” Orni wasn’t any kind of fool. Essenta knew Orni knew they wanted to take them both. But Orni held such a strong attachment to Renata. Broaching the subject was daunting. Still… Essenta knew what she wanted. She had a unanimous lack of confusion in her mind when she spoke. “Orni… There’s nothing I can say to convince anypony to follow somepony like me. I don’t know why the girls follow me, truly. I just know they’re my friends. We’ve only known you a couple days, but… you’re our friend now, too. I can’t imagine what your life may have been like… I doubt most could guess what mine’s been like. “When I left home, I didn’t stop to think about the things I’d miss. I was scared… angry… desperate. Spending a few days here has only reminded me of the things I now realize I miss so very much. Asking you to give all this up?! I feel like a real ass, Orni… But… I have some idea of what I want to do. It may sound vague, stupid, maybe… even nuts, but I want to show the world I’m not just some princess with a dowry tied around my neck! “Whether I want to prove my father wrong, or achieve fame, or… something else, I don’t know. And I know how selfish I’ve been. But for some reason, Dechaa, Zyra, Ama, Loress, and even Wilka want to follow me. We’re on a fool’s errand; what we seek might not exist or has been lost… all this for the façade of appeasing my father, the king. And wherever things end up… I’d like you with us.” Orni sat, mesmerized. But she still didn’t just totally fall for it, hook, line, and sinker like the others had. “Wow, Essenta… you do have somewhere you want to go. I… just need to think about it. I’m flattered, truly, but… I need to think.” Essenta nudged her, “You don’t know how good it is to hear that. Somepony at least thinking about following the likes of myself to who-knows-where, before jumping in…” Orni beamed, “Thank you, Essenta… I’d like to talk to you about something as well. Please.” “What is it?” “About myself… I want to tell you.” Essenta nodded and finished her strawberry squash, “Okay, Orni.” “Let’s go to the bunkhouse. We’ll have some quiet, there.” Essenta told the girls she and Orni were going back, and they wished each other goodnight. The next day was Friday. Then Saturday. In about 36 hours, they had decided, they would spar with the little Knollwing. But first, they would enjoy another day in Renata.