//------------------------------//
// CHAPTER 19: Apprentice - PART III 
// Story: One Pony Death Punch 
// by Sol Nemesis 
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"Octavia dear. Are you and Rocky... involved?"

Octavia sunk deep into the warm water, using the froth of bubbles as cover and groaned. She absolutely refused to look in the direction of Rarity's sly grin. After the training was over and everypony packed up to leave the White Tail Woods, Rarity absolutely insisted that they enjoy the rest of the day at the spa. Her treat. Octavia didn't raise any objection. After days in that cave, she had forgotten what being clean felt like. Octavia should have known there were strings attached.

What was supposed to be a retreat from the rigor of Rocky's training, was actually a web weaved by the gossip queen that was Rarity Belle. There was no way Octavia wanted to leave the comfort of this bath. In addition, Octavia felt obliged to satisfy Rarity's curiosity in order to repay her for her generosity. Well played miss Belle. Well played.

"I do think it was rather sweet how the two of you hugged things out." Added Fluttershy before she winced and sunk into her own cover of white foam. "That is, after you c...c...clocked him."

Rarity hummed her agreement. Octavia finally developed the courage to glance at Rarity and Fluttershy who sat on the opposite side of the shared bath. She remembered the look of fear on their faces from almost being crushed by the boulder she chucked at them and decided to relent. Octavia felt like she owed them that much.

"Our relationship is...Complicated." Octavia finally said, though she felt something heavy weigh on her heart. For a moment Octavia thought that she might cry and was ready to drop back into the water at the first sign of trouble. But somehow, she prevailed against the first wave of emotion to rock her.

"After today though, I'm not sure he'd want to continue." Octavia said evenly. Professionally. With as little emotion as possible.

"I said some pretty awful things down in that cave and he was standing right there the whole time. Watching over me. Overhearing everything." Octavia choked up a bit. She quickly splashed warm water on her face to compose herself. Rarity and Fluttershy watched the act with a little bit of concern. Here was a mare who had just been through Tartarus, and she was tearing up over the stallion that had sent her there.

"The worst part is. I agreed to all this. He told me exactly what was going to happen, how hard it was going to be, and I agreed to it."

Fluttershy made her way over to the mare who now had a mix of suds and tears running down her face and onto her coat. She did nothing else but sit beside Octavia. 

"Balancing both would be a challenge he said. Understatement of the century." Octavia's half-hearted laugh turned into a sob as she buried her face into her hooves. Fluttershy placed a hoof on Octavia's back and was a little surprised when Octavia leaned into her. 

"There, there, it's alright. I don't exactly know what you're going through right now Octavia. But I do know what's important."

Octavia took several breaths to try and stop the sobs. After achieving a modicum of success, she turned to Fluttershy.

"Was ist das?" Octavia said in Germaine

"What's important is, whether YOU want to continue." Fluttershy cooed. 

"Das Training oder die Beziehung?"

"Both."

Rarity sighed and smiled to herself. Well said Fluttershy.

Octavia breathed in and out as she looked at Fluttershy and then at Rarity. Considering the question deeply. After a moment she looked down into the bathwater at her own reflection and closed her eyes. She instantly felt everything all at once. The customers next door, the mice running under the floorboards, Fluttershy's beating heart, the crackling of soap bubbles exploding on the surface of the water. It was all so much. She searched beyond the walls into the lobby where Rocky waited. His heartbeat was quick. He was... anxious? Twilight and Applejack were with him, they were talking. If she concentrated hard enough, perhaps she could hear what they were saying. Octavia opened her eyes immediately at the sudden temptation to eavesdrop. She came to understand the gravity of the power that she now wielded, and how dangerous it could be if she wasn't careful. 

"The training. I'll have to think about...as for the relationship..." Octavia took a deep breath and smiled. She placed a hoof on her chest.

"I have to continue. No. I WANT to continue. I've never felt this way about anypony before and I know that if I end things now, I'll regret it for the rest of my life." Octavia's eyes widened in realization, and she suddenly had to fight the strong urge to dive back into the water and stay there.  "Ich glaube nicht, dass es Liebe ist... jedenfalls noch nicht..." Octavia mumbled. 

Rarity and Fluttershy both smiled knowingly at each other before Rarity gave a squeal of delight. "Well darling. Let's not waste anytime then. How did this all start? Tell us EVERYTHING!"

This time Octavia DID dive into the water and stayed down there for as long as she could. Rarity and Fluttershy only laughed at her expense.

---

Rocky Road had finished his seventh juice box since his arrival at this so called "spa". He had no idea what a "spa" was, but it became clear that a spa was some type of bath house, and a fancy one at that. Rocky didn't really bother with the luxurious looking bottles or strange looking herbs and creams, just soap and warm water. After scrubbing every inch of his coat, he rinsed, jumped out and shook himself dry. As expected, he was the first pony out into the lobby. Twilight and Applejack hadn't gone into the baths. Both were discussing something in hushed whispers. They stopped as soon as Rocky came within earshot. Without looking, Rocky tossed the expended juice box at a waste basket somewhere behind him. It clattered quietly off the rim.

Twilight and Applejack stared at him for a moment. Rocky raised an eyebrow. Twilight gave Applejack a sideways glance before elbowing her in the ribs. Applejack jerked up and looked at Twilight who nodded towards Rocky who in turn resisted the urge to roll his eyes and instead took a seat on the floor waiting for Applejack to do whatever it was Twilight convinced her to do.

"Look. Uh. Your Lordship..." Applejack said grabbing her Stetson into her hooves from atop her head.

"Please don't call me that miss Applejack." Rocky said wincing at the title of 'Lordship.' "Rocky or just Rock is fine."

"Oh thank Celestia. That would have made things much more awkward." Applejack said breathing a sigh of relief. She stepped forward.

"Rock. Ah thought ah'd apologize fer blowin up on ya back there at the cave. Ah still don't agree with what you let Octavia do. But at least you were stallion enough to go through it with her."

"Huh."

Now It was Applejack's turn to raise an eyebrow. "What?"

"Wasn't expecting an apology from you Miss Applejack. Perhaps I misjudged you. I thought you were at least as stubborn as I was."

Applejack gave a laugh. "Rocky. Ah can promise ya. Ah would run circles around you in the sheer stubbornness department." 

Rocky couldn't help but smile. With the tension diffused Twilight felt it was safe to speak up.

"I can vouch for that one. Applejack here once tried to harvest her entire crop by herself."

Applejack laughed again. "Darn straight. Almost did it too. Then I hurt mahself and others."Applejack stared in the mid-distance as if lost in memory before shaking her head. "Never mind about that we're getting off topic. Your turn Twilight." Applejack stepped back and Twilight came forward.

"Rocky. I think we both want to know what's next for Octavia. You mentioned how the training was hard, and it was only going to get harder." Twilight levitated her notes from the now empty picnic basket and started shuffling through them. "When you came to me for permission for this trial to open the first gate, I only agreed because I have personally seen you in action and you promised me that she would exit the cave in three days tops. You also promised that you would be watching over her the entire time. All promises you kept.  That being said..." Twilight breathed and Rocky was astounded that she could say all that with such clarity and with one breath. 

"...what Octavia went through was not healthy and she most certainly needs to stop by Ponyville General Hospital to confer with a doctor. We're just concerned that future training will be just as...if not more dangerous than this ...Were also concerned that you will pressure Octavia into continuing. After today, I'm hoping you'll give her some space and maybe give her a chance to reconsider her training. Or at the very least take it...I don't know...a little slower." Twilight gave the nicest smile she could muster.

Rocky frowned and Applejack was a little surprised to see the normally strong and steadfast stallion slump a bit. 

"I am inclined to agree." Rocky Road said. When he didn't elaborate, Twilight and Applejack shared confused glances and shrugged.

"Well...alright then." Applejack mumbled. Scratching her head. "Somehow I thought ya might need more convincin."

Rocky shook his head.

"The decision was hers. It's always been hers. She can quit whenever she wants. No strings attached." He said remembering the harshness with which Octavia spoke about him in the cave. "This is what I get for trying to have it both ways." He mumbled and swayed on his hooves. Rocky moved for the door but instead crashed into the wall next to it. The impact was such, that he shook the entire lobby. 

"Uh sugarcube. Are you alright?"

"Honestly? No. My Fourth Gate is about to collapse, and I would really like to make it home before then."

Applejack looked at Twilight quizzically, but the purple unicorn was already checking her notes again.

"The Fourth Gate of Limits. Something about increasing the physical and mental endurance of earth ponies beyond what is normally safe and/or possible." Twilight scrunched up her nose in thought. "Now why in Celestia's name would you need that gate right now?"

"I haven't slept in three days." Rocky said feeling the wall for that blasted door.

It took a minute to properly process what Applejack and Twilight just heard. Their eyes went from Rocky's sagging posture to the juice box laying on the floor. Their minds began to race. It certainly wasn't like Rocky to display weakness, he fought hard not to show it during his bout with Chrysalis that Twilight knew for certain. And Applejack knew after all she saw of his abilities out by the cave, that there was no way he would miss a shot like that, even if it was from behind the back.

When Twilight did a health scanning spell on Octavia, she was malnourished, dehydrated, but not very sleep deprived. Octavia mentioned on the way back to Ponyville that she rested for a few hours at most, but that meant that some pony had to have been watching over her while she slept. That could have only been Rocky. In her concern for Octavia she had completely forgotten to check on him. Applejack wracked her brain but couldn't remember seeing the stallion eat anything from that picnic they had set up outside of the cave, and suddenly felt equal parts alarmed and ashamed. The stunned mares watched in horror as Rocky found a window, successfully opened it and slipped outside, instead of using the perfectly good door that was literally four steps to his right. 

"Twi. We gotta get him home. Ah know how this goes..." Applejack said concerned. Twilight nodded and the two of them ran out into the mid-afternoon sun after the Tei-Rah-Do Master.

But to their dismay, they found no-pony. The Tei-Rah-Do Master was lost to the crowded streets of Ponyville. Leaving a bewildered and panicked Applejack and Twilight in his wake.