The Dale Arc
It was late spring in the year 4781. All the crops in the Dale had been planted. A healthy amount of snow had protected and refreshed the land, with gentle rains to help establish their hopefully bountiful harvest. It looked like it would be a warm summer, if the histories proved right… a nice, warm summer with just enough rain to help everything grow. It was quite a sight, the fields greening up with their emerging plants.
Outside the capitol of Greendale, one could see the castle standing above the rest of the city. Unlike many similar cities, there were no walls around Greendale. There was a wall around the castle, but the city was open and free, giving it a feeling unlike any other place in the Eastern Central Valley. The edges of the city gave way to great sprawls of farmland and storehouses, roads going off into every imaginable direction, giving the valley and surrounding areas easy access to the bounty of the Dale.
On a farm owned by an Earth pony and his family, Vess, master of the stead, was moving along his rows of beets. The fertile land also proved good for weeds, and the land was rife with them this year. A few bad days the year before delayed tilling out the weeds, allowing them to spill their seed all over Vess’s field.
He and his children, as well as a few neighbors were pulling and hoeing everything they could. They’d been out since dawn, and were looking forward to lunch, now that the sun was high in the sky. It wasn’t really that hot, but a break would be welcome.
Dressed in a simple tunic, her evenly cropped pastel orange mane and tail coated in muck, Princess Essenta struggled with a particularly nasty thistle. But it came up, roots and all. She knew there was only so much to do about these nasty perennial weeds, but if they could keep them from reproducing, that was something. Looking around, she noted the decent progress they’d made that day.
She was glad to see so many had come out to help. There weren’t that many unicorns, but they sure were helpful in a farming operation. The citizens of Greendale helped each other out when they could. They couldn’t afford not to. Not greedy but knowing how precious their land and commerce was to so many, they did everything to maximize their efforts.
After working along her row a few more minutes, Essenta leaned on her hoe. Her back was killing her. Then again, so was everypony else’s. Giving a quick stretch, she got back to it. It came as a relief when Vess’s wife called out to them.
“Food’s on, everypony! Come get you some.”
Along with the others in the field, Essenta shouldered her tool and trotted towards the farmhouse. She smiled at the foals cheering. They’d been out there working just as hard as anypony else and were ready for a break. A few foals gathered to the princess.
“Princess, can you stay for lunch?”
“Princess Essenta, can we play?”
The princess laughed at the little ones, leaning her hoe on a rack with the others, “I’m afraid not… I have some business at the castle later today.”
The young ones voiced their disappointment but knew Essenta had her royal duties to attend to. Anyway, they could play another time.
Essenta yawned and stretched, cracking her back a little, “Vess, do you think you have enough help later today? I could try to send a few out here… I know a few ponies that still haven’t worked off their winter roundness.”
Vess laughed, “Oh, no. I think we have this covered. Everypony here has agreed to stay the rest of the day. We should be fine. Thank you so much for your help, Princess.”
Essenta often wished ponies would just call her by her given name, but she was a princess. She supposed some formalities needed to be observed.
Vess’s wife approached, “Princess, I know you have to get back to the castle, but would you like some shepherd’s pie for the road?”
Essenta wasn’t hungry, “Oh, thank you, but I couldn’t eat another bite. There was this huge patch of plantain in my row and… well, you know I’m fond of the stuff.”
The princess wasn’t above eating much of anything, and what pony didn’t enjoy plantain? Wishing her well, they went to join their friends and family. Essenta dusted off her tunic a little and trotted into town.
As she made her way through the market place, ponies greeted her from every direction.
“Hello, Princess!”
“Good day, Princess!”
“Does Vess need any more help today?”
Essenta smiled at this, “He said they were fine, but I’m sure he wouldn’t mind an extra set of hooves later.”
She trotted on, greeting and receiving greetings. She wasn’t in a big hurry, but she couldn’t dawdle either. She suspected some ponies knew already, but she had a suitor visiting that day. They came occasionally, now that she would soon come of age. And she hated it.
She liked some of the princes and kings that came through, they were good ponies, but she had no interest in being tied down somewhere. Still, she knew it to be her duty as a princess of the Royal Family of Dale. She knew since she was young, this would happen someday, but back then it seemed such a long way off. Now it was there and as plain as the grime on her tunic.
Essenta didn’t look forward to the scolding she would receive from her chambermaids. It would take some doing to get her up to snuff for a royal meeting. She’d have to take a bath, select a gown, have her mane done up, and sit through some clumsy old mare slopping on some makeup. She knew she would probably do the makeup herself, upon seeing those shaky, old hooves. Essenta loved old Rosy, but it was time for her to retire and enjoy some time with her grandfoals.
Leaving the courtyard surrounding the castle, she was greeted by a couple guards at the gate. They smiled, saluted, and raised their pikes to let her through.
“Good afternoon, Princess. How are things out at Vess’s?”
“Weeds are coming up pretty heavily this year, but they should have it taken care of in a few days.”
The other guard nodded, “Uh… you might want to avoid your father for now. He’s sore that you took off this morning.”
She scoffed, “Since when is Father not sore with me? We went over everything last night. I’m not worried about the meeting.”
The first guard chuckled, “Well… good luck, Princess Essenta.”
A little smile on her face, she trotted through the gate. She wasn’t concerned about the suitor. She’d managed to scare off the rest of them without even trying. Literally, she just acted like herself, with no malice, and they pulled any offers of dowries, tucked tail, and ran home. Her father looked furious, like he was about to bust a blood vessel, every time it happened. Essenta didn’t care much. She didn’t really care what her father thought about much of anything.
But what would she do about the future? She couldn’t just be a princess forever… Someday, she would be a queen. Trying to ignore the twisting in her stomach, she sighed, now outside her bedroom. Let’s just see what they brought in this time.