//------------------------------//
// Chapter 14: Recruiting Orni, Part Two 
// Story: Princess Essenta 
// by Pone_Heap 
//------------------------------//


Renata Arc


With just a bit of trepidation, Dechaa led the girls out to the sparring grounds Sunday morning. Loress playfully nudged her along, while those who’d gone the day before felt just a little sorry for the unicorn. Orni was in high spirits that day. Orni had all but declared her wish to go along with the company, wherever that may take her. The Knollwing had decided to walk to the grounds with her family, taking their sweet time about it. It might be their last day together as a family…

While some things were looking up, Loress was still cross. Their fearless leader, the princess, had pulled a disappearing act and nopony knew where she might be. The company checked the pubs… restaurants… the morgue… she was nowhere to be seen. The search around town had not been fun. It had been stated the town almost ran out of alcohol the night before. Many larders were bare, ponies having housed and fed so many guests an extra night. It was a small relief the harvest was to begin in days; the town wouldn’t have lasted the month.

The town didn’t really last the night… it was a mess! Ponies lay here and there, some too drunk to move, some passed out, many with their clothing bearing witness to their dinner. One could almost see the smell, now that it was warming up. Perhaps it had not been the best idea to head to the grounds so early, but they’d wind up there soon enough.

Making it out to the grounds, Wilka went to grab her weapons chest. It was quiet. Other than a food wrapper blowing around in the wind, the sparring pit and its surroundings seemed deserted… Turns out it wasn’t, made evident by Wilka’s shriek. It was hard to believe such a girly noise came from the little Pegasus… or not. She was little more than a filly, after all.

She’d found Essenta, snoozing in the shed somepony had built to house things for the ring. She didn’t appreciate being disturbed and grumbled darkly. The company feared the worst; Princess Essenta went and drank her weight in ounces and would soil herself soon as fight.

But she was fine, yawning, “Oh, g’morning, girls.”

Of course, as she stirred, Loress loomed over her. Essenta withered under her unusually fierce eyes, boring into her.

“I’m… really sorry for what I said… It was… stupid and I shouldn’t have gotten upset. I don’t know what I was thinking.”

Essenta continued to look down, hoofing a small patch of sand. But Loress gave a pleased little chortle and hauled the princess to her hooves.

“It’s alright, Princess. I’m just glad you… didn’t do anything foolish.”

Essenta hoofed her front leg with the other, “It was tempting… but I’m glad, too.

Zyra shook with laughter, “Cap, why’d you sleep out here?!”

“I… was… too embarrassed to come back. And there wasn’t anyplace else to sleep without some shitfaced pony tripping over me… so I came out here. At least it was quiet.”

The girls found this more than a little amusing, to Essenta’s irritation.

Dechaa whimpered, “So… are we keeping the same order we had planned…?”

Wilka buffeted her, eliciting much complaining from their healer, “Yeah! Do you really think we’d screw you out of the fun?! Just don’t win too much. I don’t wanna have to follow that…”

Dechaa cuffed her, “Fine… I promise I’ll leave something for you.”





The unexpected had happened… or rather, it had never happened before. There were even more ponies out at the sparring grounds than had been Saturday. News traveled fast enough, so in addition to another fair chunk of Renata showing up, about 200 ponies from around the countryside showed up. They’d heard that Orni, possibly the toughest pony in the country, had been defeated by a representation of female perfection, no less without weapons.

The town had no idea, straight up, how they would deal with this many… especially if some wanted to stick around until Monday. There was literally standing room only and food and drink would run out in a week…

Dechaa might have been concerned for the townsponies she’d grown to love, and even the drunk stallions that she had begun to tolerate nipping at her ass, if she wasn’t about to deal with a Knollwing. Loress patted her shoulders as Dechaa agonized, her face baring witness to what Orni had done with her stick; Loress didn’t look quite as pretty that morning. Not one to fuss about her looks that much, she still wanted to hide her face.

But Dechaa didn’t care much about that, either. Staring across to Orni, she knew her goose was cooked. She couldn’t use magic; those were the house rules. Sure, she’d beaten Loress, but she had magic, got lucky, and Loress willingly submitted. She barely used her mouth for anything other than taking in food and talking. Why bother with sword practice or much else when your horn works?!

Taking one Wilka’s training dirks from the chest, she tried it in her mouth. It tasted like crap… She plodded out to face Orni, her friends consoling her along. Fighting Loress, she’d felt an unfamiliar confidence, if only because she had a plan. But now, all she felt was… well, despair was far too strong a word. She felt slightly less hopeless than that but had no confidence. She only hoped it wouldn’t hurt too badly.

Greeted by the same catcalls Loress endured, Dechaa stood on one side of the ring, facing Orni and her staff. Well, one of her staffs… A newer staff made of oak, it appeared, rather than pine. Great… The staff might sting a little. Dechaa whined a little at the thought.

The same unicorn from the day before barked to those in attendance, “Thank you for coming out! To those who showed up today, welcome! To everypony who bore witness to yesterday’s historic event, welcome back! I present to you, our town sweetheart- now with a record of 296 wins and one loss- Orni Valkea!”

The ponies clapped, cheered, and whooped it up. Nopony who saw her fight Loress thought any less of her. She was still their little champion. Orni blushed, looking very touched, and waved cheerfully to her friends, neighbors, and fans. The company knew this might be the last time they’d see Orni for a time… if Orni made the final commitment to join them on their crazy quest.

“And now, it pleases me to introduce a mare who needs no introduction! Her beauty, only surpassed by a few, and I could count them on one hoof… She wouldn’t dance with me, but maybe somepony else had better luck! Please welcome Chaa, the fair!

Dechaa scowled, the fair?! The audience ate it up. The catcalls and whistles increased in intensity.

“Chaa! How about we make a little music?!”

“Chaa! Buy you a drink, later?!”

“I could pinch that filly all day!”

“Two pounds of silver says the unicorn won’t last 5 seconds!”

“Does her running away from Orni count for the time?! Chaa’s pretty fast when she wants to get away from you!”

“You’re supposed to be some kind of doctor, right?! Does this look infected to you?”

“Here’s a bet! A month’s pay says the unicorn’ll be done in one clash!”

“You’re on! Even she may get lucky!”

All this brought even more laughter.

It disgusted the healer. Orni felt pretty bad for her and so did quite a few ponies. It became apparent to Dechaa, that since Loress… put herself “out of reach” the day before, she was the object of everypony’s assholery that day. It really pissed her off. She wouldn’t “take it out” on Orni, Orni was her friend, but… she’d give all those peckerheads something to ogle!

Orni saw the light in Dechaa’s eyes. She’d regained her composure from her introduction, now maintaining an even look. Inwardly, she was quite pleased… she’d never planned to go easy on Dechaa. Now she wouldn’t even entertain the thought. She’d give Dechaa a fight. The company, seeing Dechaa fired up, felt a little better about it.

“And now! Fillies and gentlecolts, let the first match of the day begin!”

Ignoring the racket going on around them, the two mares paced around the ring. Dechaa’s nervousness was more or less gone. She’d just do what she could.

Orni hadn’t seen Dechaa fight, but knew she’d been able to deal with Wilka for a time. Even using her magic, that was nothing to sneeze at. She’d beaten Loress, for what it was worth. Even with magic and a playful opponent, felling Loress was not unimpressive. She’d done everything she could against the Terran and failed to do more than give Loress a bunch of bruises. She couldn’t hold back. It could cost her.

Neither was eager to make the first move. But Orni made it anyway and both mares charged to the center of the ring. Orni took a swing that Dechaa somersaulted to avoid, even catching Orni’s back leg with a hoof. It kept Orni from turning around immediately. Somepony just lost his month’s pay…

It took a second, but Orni rounded on Dechaa, looking to sweep her legs. She easily jumped, going headfirst into Orni’s trunk. It hurt, but Orni was solid enough it didn’t even knock the wind out of her. Dechaa was in too close for Orni to use the staff, but Dechaa had no prospects either, so the unicorn jumped back; Orni could have still walloped her with a hoof.

The company was cheering on both mares and the audience found itself reflecting on its choice of words.

Orni found herself flummoxed. Dechaa, she knew, wasn’t a bad fighter, but this wasn’t what she expected. After just two clashes, she knew she’d picked a terrible weapon. She should have figured Dechaa to be the close quarters type. She’d misjudged… but if she could keep her at a distance, she could tire her out or incapacitate her.

Dechaa knew Orni was fairly weak with the staff against her. But if Orni wanted to keep her away, she would hold onto the staff. Still, she’d readily ditch it if she thought it was a good idea. Knowing she had only one or two chances to get in close before Orni cast away the staff and laid into her with hooves, Dechaa galloped in.

Orni was ready to receive, but she wasn’t ready for Dechaa to fling the dirk at her face. Acting on skill rather than instinct, she batted the dirk away with the staff. By invention or incident, Dechaa had an opening. It would have been better for Orni to just shift her head a bit.

Even Orni wasn’t able to stop Dechaa as she drove into her. Dechaa propelled her across and around the ring, desperately trying to get her on her back or at least knock her over. Orni was in trouble; Dechaa held the staff, tangling up Orni while managing to keep three legs on the ground as opposed to Orni’s two back legs.

Orni saw her chance and sprang to the side. Dechaa was still under a lot of momentum, causing her to tumble. Orni turned and swung the staff. Dechaa had recovered; she would defend herself, Orni was sure.

Only Dechaa didn’t raise her guard… She wound up, and with all her weight behind her, aimed a haymaker at Orni’s ribcage. Orni saw it coming but couldn’t do much about it. The staff hit Dechaa full in the side of the head, but Dechaa’s hoof found its mark. Orni was lifted off the ground by the force of the punch. She could feel several ribs breaking. And it hurt.

Orni fell back, crying out as she hit the ground. Dechaa had been knocked out by the blow to her head and fell where she stood. The audience gasped, having witnessed this. Orni was tough… but she was unused to being hurt in such a way. She was squawking in perfect agony, rolling around in the sand.

Everypony murmured as the company rushed out. The old town doctor, the one that saved Orni’s life all those years ago, went with them.

“Orni! Hold still! Quit moving.”

Loress held her still while the doctor looked her over. The ribs were broken alright. Dechaa had really connected. The girls were aghast at the borderline suicidal move. Take a hit like that for a gamble?! It was very “not Dechaa”.

Everypony was shocked. Not only had Orni been hurt for the first time in a fight, it had been the joke of the town for the last few days that did it. The mare had some serious stones… They would have applauded the gamble but found it hard when their town sweetheart was in such pain.

Wilka was able to heal herself, but she could also do so with others. She wasn’t good at it yet, by no stretch, but a unicorn’s magic helped greatly. Zyra was attempting to sooth the injury. The girls found themselves wishing very much their healer hadn’t just clocked out. But what was there to do?

As the ribs began to sew back together, they were able to move Orni, where she continued to recuperate on the sidelines. It would take some time for everything to heal, but she’d feel as if nothing happened within an hour.

Dechaa was taken away on a stretcher. Determining she would be okay after a while, they laid her in the shade. Now she got applause. And respect. She just wasn’t awake to hear it.

It was announced there would be an hour-long break, allowing everypony lunch if they had it along. All the restaurants and pubs were, for the residents of Renata, conveniently closed for the day. Essenta and company left Dechaa in the shade, in the care of Zyra, to join Orni.

Orni was wincing as Wilka mollified the receding fractures. Orni still couldn’t believe Dechaa would do something… so crazy. It was insane, doing that. The others couldn’t agree more. But were they giving her too much credit? Did she take the hit, not seeing it? Or… did she take it for a chance to do in her opponent? It was a mystery… one not solvable until Dechaa came to.

Essenta was more than just a little worried about her best friend.

“Oh, what was that?!” the princess almost sobbed. “What was she thinking?”

Ama kneaded Essenta’s shoulder, “None of us expected such a thing, but Dechaa will be fine. Do not worry… Orni, how are you?”

Orni flinched as Wilka prodded her, “I’ll be- yip­- good in a while. How bad’s Dechaa?”

Loress chuckled, “Oh, she’ll be fine. You really didn’t pull any punches out there, did you?”

Orni regretted what happened to Dechaa, but it had been a genuine match, “I couldn’t afford to… not like I would anyway… but I really tried to keep her away. I should’ve thought about it a little more… Shoulda just fought with hooves.”

Loress nodded, “Might have been better for you. Close up is how she got me. I wasn’t holding back then… oh, no. When I knew what her plan was, with those cesti, my only hope was to control the fight… and end it quickly.”

Orni was just a little miffed, “You went easy on me, though…”

“I did no such thing… We were just sparring, it’s not like I was going to kill you or anything,” the Terran joked. “I won’t say she didn’t get lucky… she won a couple high-risk gambles, not that she was lucky to take that whack. That was something… I wouldn’t have done.”

It surprised them to hear Loress say that. Even the stoutest hit wouldn’t knock her out so easily… but the pain she surely felt. It was why she stuck close to Orni, if only to deaden some of the blows. Her noggin still hurt.

Orni couldn’t figure it out, “If she did intend to take the hit, why would she? She knew a full swing would have finished her…”

It was a question none of them could answer. Did she do it to prove something? Maybe. Was it a desperate move, barely calculated? Possible. Nopony knew… Maybe she just wanted to win. A true all or nothing wager.





After about an hour, Orni’s ribs were fine and she’d never felt better. Dechaa had regained consciousness but not her senses. The last fight was declared a tie. Nopony would have had it otherwise. Orni was conscious, but she was done. The girls rather looked forward to telling Dechaa she’d managed to tie with a Knollwing in a fair fight.

Zyra wanted to see the fight with Wilka but decided to watch over Dechaa instead. Essenta, over the initial shock of seeing her oldest friend put to the ground as she was, was eager for the next fight. Wilka was good… She was very good. All of them had a decent fight with her, but now they would see something on another level, perhaps.

The thing was, Wilka and Orni knew each other well. They knew the other’s fighting style intimately. They’d sparred, played, and traded secrets for two years. It would either be a long, miserable affair or one of them would see quick victory.

The old friends both enjoyed the staff, so it’s what they’d spar with. The crowd was now very excited. They’d seen the little Pegasus get whupped most weekends, but they usually had a good scrap. The two mares faced off. They had a little chat, something nopony else was privy to.

“Wilka… I’ve decided to go along with all of you.”

Wilka cracked a smile, “I know… but you still need to fight Essenta. I don’t think either of you will be satisfied until you have it out. I’ve only seen it a couple times, but she’s dangerous. Don’t underestimate her… and don’t turn your back, either. What she showed me… I have a feeling she didn’t show me everything she had. Just be careful.”

Orni nodded, “Well… I suppose we’ll have plenty of time to play in the future but… I’m a little sad… that this’ll be our last fight, here.”

“It might not be… but it may be some time. What do you say we give them something to remember?”

Orni felt her eyes heat up but managed to push the lump back down her throat, “You don’t even have to ask. I do have a question, though… Why put Essenta last? I’m sure you have some reason; you always do. But why? Why not make our fight last?”

Wilka gave an all-in sheen, “Because it’s something nopony here will ever forget.”

The announcer stood at the ring’s center, “Now, for the penultimate fight of the day! Our longtime friend Wilka Starling will take another crack at Orni! Will she walk away victorious, or round out 60 losses? We’re about to find out! Give her a hoof!”

They did more than that; they roared for their other town sweetheart. Really, that’s what Wilka was to all of them.

Orni stood easily, but with voice dripping emotion, “Ready… my friend?”

Wilka felt the same way, but damned if she was going to show it to everypony, “Oh, yeah… I’m good and ready. No holding back now, right? I’m in this to win. A victory against you wouldn’t mean anything to me, other than here.”

Orni could relate, “It has been quite a home for us. I’ll miss it dearly…”

Unaware of the heartfelt exchange between the two, the crowd was in a frenzy as the announcer raised a hoof.

“Orni! Wilka! Give us a fight!”

Both mares sprang from their side of the ring. They clashed in the middle. Nopony could make out what happened, but it came clear when Wilka collapsed, looking dazed. Orni stood over her, holding out a hoof. Smiling, Wilka took it and was dragged to her hooves. They walked off, embracing and giggling. The crowd, unsure of what else to do, politely applauded the girls… It had been the shortest match they’d ever had.

Essenta, sticking close to Dechaa, stood up. Zyra felt… something different radiating from her dear old friend, the “Captain”. Slowly she began to paddle towards the ring, dirk clamped in her mouth. Orni, seeing her approach, left off with Wilka; they’d have all the time in the world to enjoy the other later. She began to make her own way. It was time to face the princess.

The other mares in the company noticed Essenta’s air; it was… overwhelming. From her radiated the profound certainty that occasionally popped up with her. She’d shown it each time one of them had joined them… that dubious charisma. But it was more than that. They did feel she could do the things she claimed.

The crowd didn’t notice. Who was this facing their Orni? She was some alcoholic, wannabe brawler who took swings at her own friends when she was drunk. She was just some nopony. And the princess was okay with this. Nopony that didn’t already know who they were didn’t need to know.

She even heard jeers that had Dechaa’s sounding tame. Dechaa was the star that day and the ponies realized it. Essenta… wasn’t sure that she would have been able to do what Dechaa did. That took real courage… or Dechaa was just crazy and/or didn’t know what she was doing. They’d find out later.

Originally planning to use the dirk, Essenta dropped it back into Wilka’s crate and stepped to the ring. Orni, about to choose the staff again, stopped cold. What was Essenta up to?

“Essenta… I know the rules say no magic, but… I know how the cesti work. We could each take a set. Sound interesting?”

With all her heart, Essenta was glad to hear that, but, “I’m fighting barehooved. Do what you want.”

With that, Essenta tossed aside her light armor. This further perplexed her friends… Orni too. Face Orni without protection? It was crazy.

Orni stood across from her. Considering all this, she chose to go in weaponless herself. She took off her own armor, leaving a simple tunic as Essenta had. The crowd inhaled as one in a big, townwide gasp. The mares would face each other as they were.

Ama, in particular, was getting excited. She knew they were about to see something out of this world. The others wished they had her confidence. This was uncharted territory.

Orni wasn’t sure how she’d fight. She knew Essenta’s style from two fights. She’d almost shattered a leg punching Loress and had simply stood across from Wilka as they clobbered each other. What she was sure of was the princess was different.

Essenta heard the crowd jeering her. She couldn’t blame anypony. She’d been such an ass. And she was about to steal away their sweetheart? What would they do when they found out? Would they have to run? Would they string her up? That would be one lousy way for a princess of the Dale to go…

The announcer pulled them each from their thoughts, “For the last fight, we have Sen from up north!”

There wasn’t much else to say. The crowd whispered. Orni looked across to Essenta.

“Essenta? What’s it all for? I know what you want to do, but why? Do you have an answer yet?”

Essenta sighed, “I don’t. I think about it… all the time. But I don’t have an answer. All I know is I’m after something… and for some reason they all decided to come along. I just know I need to keep going.”

“Well, in case you haven’t figured it out… you have another one that wants to go along with whatever it is.”

Essenta was taken aback; she didn’t know as she’d slunk off the day before, “Really? You’ll come along?”

“With all my heart, yes, Essenta! Let’s go turn the world upside down! We still get to fight, though, right?”

Essenta did a take, “Of course! But, I don’t know why we should even bother…”

Orni smirked, “But something tells you to do it anyway. Your essence… it’s something I’ve never seen before. And I want to fight. I guess… fighting’s in a Knollwing’s blood. That’s enough for me.”

As the two conversed, the announcer made ready to call for a start and it got the girls’ attention.

“And now… begin!”

But they didn’t start; Orni looked most forlornly to her new leader, “Essenta… I’m… ready to tell them. Could I do it before we start?”

Essenta saw the tears welling up in the little Knollwing’s eyes, “Go right ahead. Take your time, dear. And don’t fuss over me… I’m not going anywhere.”

Orni began to cry a little as she stepped to where the announcer stood. He was surprised to see her walk over. She’d never done it, not in 299 fights.

“Zep… is there a way you could magnify my voice… like you do yours?”

He was confused, “Uh, sure, Orni… Put a hoof on my shoulder.”

His horn glowed, and she did as she was told. The audience sat rapt, waiting for their little champion to speak.

“Everypony! I… I love all of you! This has been my home since I was just a little filly… You’re my friends and I love you! But… it’s time for me to go.”

Loud whispers and gasps broke out, but they quieted down when it appeared she’d speak again.

“I… I’m going with Wilka! We’re leaving… with these wonderful mares you’ve all met the last few days! I… just decided last night… It’s where we want to be! So, this will be my last match here… for at least some time… But… this will always be my home! Nothing will ever change that! I’m… sorry… but this is what I want to do!”

Nopony could say a word and many were moved to tears. Orni pulled her hoof away from the announcer.

“Thank you… Zep.”

He was shocked at the announcement, “Uh, sure, Orni.”

She giggled. He never was much for when words really mattered. Orni stood across from Essenta once more.

“Thank you… Essenta. I’m ready… whenever you are.”

Essenta hoofed the sand, “Sure.”

The whole of the community watching could feel the air change. They all got chills and didn’t quite understand why. Orni stood there, a wild smile on her face. She looked… formidable. Essenta returned the potent smile. Her normally placid amethyst eyes flared. The two mares began to pace, eyeing the other as cats might. The smiles never left their faces…

Then they charged in, leaping through the air! They collided while airborne and began to grapple as they tumbled into the sand. Each was fair at grappling: Essenta had done it with her brother Abetelles and Orni with Wilka. Rolling around in the sand for a while, it was clear Orni was slightly stronger physically, but not so enough to overpower the princess. Essenta was much stronger than Wilka and Zyra… Dechaa, too.

Orni tried locking Essenta up, pushing her around the pit. Essenta caught herself, and kicked Orni across the ring, with a little help from the Knollwing’s momentum. While Essenta ran at Orni, a bellow building in her throat, Orni dove, sending the princess end-over-end. Orni tried to pounce, but Essenta rolled out of the way. Essenta popped Orni in the jaw. It was the first big hit of the fight... not powerful enough to hurt her, but to get Orni’s attention.

Orni grinned, a trickle of blood at the corner of her mouth, if the princess wants to box… I can oblige. The two weaved around, trying to land punches and kicks, rarely landing anything. They weren’t even really trying yet. It was clear they wanted this to go on for a while. Why exactly, nopony knew… except maybe the two mares. They weren’t trying to kill each other or anything… they were just sparring.

It was getting hard to watch for the company.





After a while, Dechaa finally stirred again. Her head was a little cloudy and hurt, but she was all there. She saw Zyra looking off somewhere.

“Zyra… what’s going on?”

The mage looked down, “Oh, Dechaa. You’re finally awake.”

Dechaa’s mind swam, but, “How’d things finish up? I guess Orni beat me… I… don’t remember.”

Zyra smirked, “Oh, you didn’t lose. You tied with her. But we can talk about that later. If you can sit up, look…”

Dechaa sat up slowly, allowing the blood to rush from her head more slowly. She looked to where Zyra pointed. There was Essenta… and Orni… and… had they been in a war?!

Their faces looked like strawberry jam as they staggered around the ring. The crowd was making no sound at all; they only watched. Occasionally, one of the mares would weave up to the other and throw a punch or kick. Half the time, nothing landed; they were too loopy to aim. Dechaa was aghast. She made it to her own hooves and zigzagged over to the rest of the girls, watching this with awe.

“Dechaa! You really need to sit!” Zyra pulled at the other unicorn.

Dechaa was about to open her mouth to tell somepony to stop all this, but… she was as enthralled as anypony else. Loress was watching more thoughtfully than the others, as if she was carefully considering everything.

Dechaa mumbled, “Loress… how long… how long have they been at it?”

Loress shook her head wonderingly, “Almost an hour. They’ve… really been going at it.”

“Why?!”

“Dunno. I think they just want to see what the other’s got… But… I don’t know. It should be over soon though.”

It did look that way. They were slowing down more now, barely able to stand.

Orni gasped, snuffling with her broken nose, “How… much… longer… tired…”

Essenta wheezed, spitting out a molar; she managed to breathe a little easier with her own nose intact, “You ready to call a draw? I called one with Wilka.”

“You’ve asked… twice already! Still… no!” Orni spat.

“Okay, then… I’m gonna end this!”

“Oh, piss on… you, Princess! This… is my fight.”

Pulling down deep, from where, nopony knew, they each barreled in for a final hit.

Orni couldn’t lift her front legs anymore, but she could stand on her back legs.

Essenta couldn’t make it on two legs but managed to wind up a front leg.

As Essenta sank her hoof into Orni’s ribs, Orni headbutted Essenta right in the nose. Orni gagged, coughing up just a bit of her morning snack. Essenta’s nose finally broke and her head was juked.

Orni’s neck was stronger and her head harder than Essenta’s. The princess went flump and Orni followed a couple seconds later.





Essenta…

Essenta…

Essenta… wake up…

The princess opened her eyes. She was in the shade of a tree. She… felt like shit. Groaning, everything hurt, and she couldn’t move. Her face burned, filling her eyes with tears.

Dechaa’s sharp brown eyes tore into her, “Hold still! I’m trying to fix your nose.”

Essenta quickly found she was able to breathe more easily.

Dechaa looked off, “Zyra… bring me the… urgh… teeth. I need your help with them.”

Zyra’s beaming face winced at what she saw, “Well, Cap, you didn’t quite break your record for teeth lost when you were 13, but you came close! Maybe next time.”

Dechaa treated them to some rare language, “Don’t fuck with me and come here! Really, don’t fuck with me… my head still hurts.”

Trying to talk around the unicorns putting her teeth back where they belonged, “Wha’ da fuh w’r oo doon, D’ch?”

Dechaa prodded Essenta’s nose, still tender, “Shut up and hold still!”

After a moment, they were done.

Zyra patted Essenta on the shoulder, “You should feel normal tomorrow, but… you’ll be pretty sore for a while.”

Essenta rubbed her muddled head, “How long was I out?”

Zyra considered, “About two hours. Mostly, you were just sleeping. You gave us quite a show, Cap!”

“Who won?”

Zyra told her, “Orni did. They argued whether it was a tie, but… I guess they only saw fit to award one of those today. But Orni only stayed up two seconds longer than you.”

“Where is Orni?”

Zyra giggled, “She’s with her folks… she was in almost as bad of shape as you, but she woke up pretty fast. Dechaa and I fixed her up. Wilka’s been helping us too.”

Essenta looked around, “Where’s Dechaa?”

She was upset Dechaa had taken such a foolish risk… if she did. She wasn’t the first pony to ask.

Dechaa, sitting nearby, actually shrugged, “I… don’t know. I… just wanted to win.”

It was all she’d say about it. Essenta and the girls could have turned this over in their heads, but… whatever… It sure earned her some respect.

Essenta slowly sat up, eyeing the lump on the side of Dechaa’s head, “That’s quite a bump… You could’ve at least ducked.”

With that aside, Essenta managed to stand. Her ribs, mashed up early in the fight, stopped hurting after a while. And all she felt now was a dull throb. But her whole body felt that way. Smiling to herself, she recalled plenty of good hits of her own landed.





It was quiet at the Valli Farm. The family was out doing their chores, with little enthusiasm. They nodded to the princess, with… respect. Essenta wasn’t sure if she deserved that. She was taking away their daughter after all.

Managing a little dinner, Essenta and Orni joined the girls in town. The town had decided that afternoon they’d have a little going away party for their two young mares. Essenta and Dechaa and indeed the others, definitely earned a little reverence the past couple days. They’d witnessed history, as far as the town was concerned. But the night was for their newest companions.

Essenta spent the night in a corner, drinking strawberry squash and watching the festivities. Her friends were having a good time, but she was satisfied where she was.





The next morning, everypony got up early and packed. Wilka pulled what she needed from her cottage and went to the farm. Loading up their wagon, it was time for everypony to say their goodbyes. The family and the very few that knew just who the party was, prayed their young ones were in good hooves. They reasoned they were… even if none of the girls were perfect, they brought out the best in each other. They could always pick up the other’s slack.

The other ponies in town were unsure of things. They didn’t know who these mares were or where they came from. They even followed an alcoholic teenager, so it seemed… but they were certainly special mares. They’d never seen anypony as powerful as some of them were.

So, before the town, Orni and Wilka said their farewells. Wilka was ready to go; a few of the girls saw she was ready to burst out crying… Orni lingered a moment.

“Mom… Dad… No matter what, you’ll always be my mom and dad. Thank you… thank you for loving me! Gallus, Cleon, Tethys, Helena… You’ll always be my little brothers and sisters… I love you all… Maybe someday… I’ll meet my other family… but even if I do, this will always be my home!”

The little Knollwing broke down, her family joining in. The company looked upon the bittersweet display, willing to give it as much time as was needed. Wilka had to turn away; she’d watched all she could handle, while keeping her composure.

But eventually, they were all ready to go.

“Little company!” Farmer Valli trumpeted. “Take care of our girls! They’re so very special to us!”

Essenta and company turned, beaming. They certainly would try.

“Goodbye… and thank you!” Essenta called back.

The little party went on. Soon they would move out of the scrubby forest back into the steppe, but that would be a week away. The desert was a little further south. Then the Badlands. And somewhere, beyond that… and more mountains… was the Great Southern Jungle.

They could get there, but it was another 2,000 miles. They’d get to know each other really well before then…