"Did Ya'll think that welcoming was a little, Ah dunno. Overboard? Even for Pinkie?" Said Applejack as she spread out a white and red checkered picnic blanket on grass still wet from the morning dew. Reaching into her saddlebags she took several paper cups, plates and napkins and started setting them up on the blanket.
"I mean, I felt the blast from her party cannon all the way back at the farm. She don't normally pack that cannon o hers with that much punch. Just seems like a bit much ta me." AJ said after finishing the set up and reaching for the actual picnic basket gripped in Rarity's magic. The picnic basket held a modest number of apples, a cutting knife, apple butter and jam. A staple for every one of their picnics.
"I agree darling. She was clearly showing off." Rarity said as she reached into her own saddlebags to bring out fresh milk and various fruit juices in prepackaged boxes. "...or maybe she has it out for our Lord Protector. Who's to say what dwells in the mind of our Pinkie Pie."
"Oh. I hope she doesn't do that for a while. The party cannon scared off all my critter friends." Fluttershy said laying down and resting her head on the soft blanket. She ruffled her wings a bit before giving a sigh. "It's been days and they still haven't turned up."
Applejack placed a hoof on Flutteryshy's back. "Now don't you fret sugar cube. they'll comeback soon enough they always do. We can all have a talk with Pinkie. She'll listen to her friends if they have concerns. Ah know she will."
Fluttery looked up at Applejack and smiled. "You're right Applejack." The smile on her face faltered and she lay her head back down.
"Why Fluttershy, whatever is the matter?" Rarity asked, concerned.
"Um. I'm really glad that Twilight invited us to this picnic and all but..." Fluttershy risked a glance at a dark and ominous looking cave that loomed over them a short distance away. "...did she have to pick a spot right next to this big scary cave?"
Both Rarity and Applejack followed Fluttershy's gaze to the dark gaping maw in the nearby cliffside. Rarity shuffled her hooves uneasily. The White Tail Woods was a very beautiful place, much nicer than that dreadful ever free forest so close to home. The downside was that the woods were much closer to the foothills of Canterlot which made for interesting rock formations and caves that left a lot to be desired. Any number of predators tended to call these places home.
"I do admit, it IS a rather unorthodox location for a picnic." Rarity mused, and Applejack nodded.
"Ah feel like Twi knows somethin we don't and this is her way of telling us."
Rarity and Applejack gave each other a worried look.
A flash of purple light signaled the arrival of their purple friend. She had a large basket of bread, grains, fruits, vegetables, various pastries, some hay fries, daisy sandwiches and chips along with copious amounts of water bottles. This wasn't a picnic. This was a feast. She deposited them in the center of the picnic blanket not bothering to unpack. Twilight's gaze went from Fluttershy, to Rarity and then to Applejack.
"Good mornin Twi." Applejack said cheerfully. Her good cheer faltered when she caught the look on Twilight's face. She was worried.
"Hello girls. Did you by chance see any pony else around here recently?" Twilight asked looking toward the direction of the cave before scanning her surroundings.
"It's just us Twilight." Rarity said tentatively. Twilight didn't respond. Applejack couldn't take it anymore and stamped her hooves down on the ground beneath her feat sending a stack of paper cups toppling onto the grass.
"Land sakes girl. What's going on? You look more worried than Granny Smith at a ..." Whatever Applejack was about to say died in her throat as she heard a strange noise coming from the mouth of a cave. Hooves dragging on stone. Everypony tensed. A figure started to emerge from the darkness.
"Right on schedule. Just like he said." Twilight muttered with quiet relief and more than a little awe. Applejack, Rarity and Fluttershy looked stunned at the sight of Octavia Melody coming out of the cave and emerging into the light. She looked gaunt. Her eyes half closed in a daze, her mane was an absolute mess. Her coat was marred everywhere by dirt. Saddlebags filled with rocks chaffed at her flanks. Her hooves went from stone to dirt. Then her hooves found grass and she paused. Octavia squinted at the sudden sunlight and covered her eyes with a hoof. She took a tentative sniff of the air, to a huge gasp of air and smiled.
"Octavia. Are...are you alright?"
"Tw...Twilight? Is that you?" Came Octavia's voice, dry and raspy from disuse.
"Yes Octavia. It is."
Octavia threw her forehooves around Twilight and sobbed dryly, as she was too dehydrated to form tears. The weight of Octavia plus the rocks she carried caused Twilight to nearly fall to the ground, but Twilight was able to steady herself. She placed a comforting hoof around Octavia and returned the hug.
-----
The rate at which Octavia ate and drank, worried both Applejack and Rarity. While the way she ate was not particularly unladylike there was an unmistaken ravenous desperation with which she wolfed down her meal. Twilight sat patiently at her side while Fluttershy sat next to her pouring the next drink.
"Not too fast now..." Fluttershy cooed like she would to one of her sick animals. If Octavia was offended by Fluttershy's tone she didn't show it. Octavia nodded in understanding as she took the offered drink. When Octavia slowed down enough to breathe. Applejack and Rarity finally made their concerns known.
"Octavia. Who did this to you?" Applejack asked, a cold anger growing in her chest.
"It was the Diamond Dogs wasn't it." Rarity stated, eyeing the bag of rocks discarded at the mouth of the cave.
Octavia paused for a moment and looked at the both of them as if unsure about what to say. She then turned to Twilight.
"You didn't tell them?" Octavia asked weakly.
Twilight sighed and shook her head. "No Octavia, I didn't. Rock said that the less people that knew about it the better."
"Tell us what?" Rarity asked looking from Twilight to Octavia. Twilight frowned and looked at her friends apologetically.
"I'm sorry I didn't tell you. I just didn't want you to worry. Octavia here has been under the tutelage of Lord Rocky Road, Ponyville's Lord Protector. She's learning how to control her earth pony magic."
Applejack and Rarity looked incredulously at Twilight.
"Earth pony magic? Twi, you're not making sense. Earth Ponies can't do magic. And what do you mean under tutelage? What kinda studying leads you into a dank and dirty cave?"
Octavia set down her half eaten-sandwich. "Earth ponies can do magic. I..." Octavia placed a hoof on her chest, feeling where a bolt had previously struck her. She remembered that eerie red glow. The look of resolve on Rocky's face. "I've felt it first-hoof."
Twilight nodded. "Applejack do you remember when Chrysalis captured us and brought us out into Canterlot?"
Applejack snorted. "How could I forget. That was humiliatin."
"Do you remember that stallion that stood up against Chrysalis? Not Flash, the earth pony."
Applejack scrunched her nose as she recalled the orange stallion from her memory. "Yeah, the one with them fancy schmancy martial arts? Kicked the bug queen right in the flank?"
Twilight nodded. Rarity gave a slight "oh" in recognition finally putting the two together.
"That's him? That's our Lord Protector?" Rarity said smiling a bit despite herself.
Twilight nodded. Octavia finished that last of her drink before taking her turn to speak.
"I've been training under him since the day after he came to Ponyville. He warned me it would be the hardest thing I'd ever do, and it would only get harder from there." She covered her eyes with her hooves and gave a low groan. She uttered a string of profanities in Germaine that no pony but Twilight understood the meaning of. "I had no idea how right he was. When he told me what the first step was in accessing the first gate, I thought he was joking. But he was absolutely serious. We went to Twilight to ask permission from a third party, something about accountability, I don't remember anymore." Octavia took a deep and raggedy breath.
"I've been lost in that cave system ever since."
"WHAT!?" Rarity, Applejack and even Fluttershy yelled causing Octavia to fold her ears and wince in pain.
"Nicht so laut ihr verrückten Stuten!" Octavia rubbed her ears in pain. Having heard nothing but silence for days. The sudden noise sent her head reeling. The erratic mares calmed down at the sight of Octavia in pain. Applejack spoke but this time quieter.
"You mean to tell me you've been in that there cave for THREE DAYS!?" Applejack whisper-yelled throwing her Stetson down onto the ground in anger.
"Just under three. I think?" Octavia looked at Twilight and Twilight nodded. Before Applejack could say something, Rarity's hoof stopped her.
"Applejack. Let her finish her story." Applejack snorted, but visibly relaxed she sat on her haunches placed her Stetson back on her head and nodded.
Octavia took another breath.
"Rocky led me deep into this cave blindfolded. Spun me around a few times so I couldn't get my bearings. He told me to find the exit using any means necessary and that he would be back to remove the blindfold. I waited. I waited for so long." Octavia sobbed. "It felt like an eternity of waiting. When I finally got to thinking that he wasn't coming back I made to remove the blindfold myself." She chuckled darkly. "To my surprise it was already gone. Everything was so dark, there was no difference between my eyes being open and my eyes being shut. I stumbled and swore and hit my head a couple of times. I was so scared. So hungry, tired and thirsty."
Octavia narrowed her eyes down at her forehooves. "I think I hated him at one point. Cursed him even. I called for help several times. I swore to quit being his apprentice. There was no response to my ravings only silence. There were other things in that cave too. Giant bugs and slithering somethings...I don't know...I couldn't really see but they all left me alone."
Applejack tensed. Rarity gave her a look and Applejack calmed down.
A small smile crept up on Octavia's features as she looked to the mid distance with faraway eyes. "I think it was at the end of the second day when I started to feel it. This sensation in my hooves every time I took a step. Like I was part of the stone and soil. It was like every step was a question and every time I asked, I received an answer. Vibrations. Feedback. The cave became clear to me now. I could feel it. It's strange to say but I felt like I WAS the cave."
Applejack did a doubletake at Twilight and gaped in disbelief as the purple pony was taking notes using her quill and several rolls of paper that were also stuffed into the bottom of the picnic basket.
"The cave became clear to me. After some trial and error, I found my path. I found my way out. It was a long way to the exit and..." Octavia choked up. "...and then I realized. From the feedback that I was getting from the stone and soil, from whatever this first gate was...that I wasn't alone. I wasn't ever alone." Octavia broke down and started to cry. When it was clear she didn't have anything else to say. Fluttershy and Twilight both wrapped hooves and a wing around the sobbing Octavia. Fluttershy and Twilight both hugged her. Rarity stood up to join them.
"Where is this so-called Lord Protector now. Leavin a mare down in a dark and dirty cave to die. What kinda stallion does that? Shouldn't he be here? Facin what he'd done like a real stallion? Ah'd sure like ta give him a piece of my mind."
Octavia stopped crying, blinked tears away from her eyes, and looked at Applejack. Without a word she turned her head to the mouth of the cave. Everypony followed her gaze and nearly jumped out of their skins as a chill ran down their collective spines. Standing in the threshold between light and darkness was Rocky Road standing in complete stillness, gaunt, tired, covered in grime and ichor. Octavia's voice wavered only slightly.
"I told you Applejack. I was never alone."