“S-So, how?” - I asked with a trembling voice, looking straight at Octavia’s face.
Going back to the tavern by her side, and still being alive, somehow calmed me down a little. I was still a bit shaky, but I also felt that most of my senses were back and operational.
“I don’t exactly know how to answer such an imprecise question.” - She lowered her gaze to the beer
she was holding with both her hooves on the table. But she wasn’t too eager to drink it. So she looked at me again.
“And more on that,” - she continued. - “you’re the first pony who I actually have to explain anything to”. - Well... maybe that didn’t give me any answers, but it created my first particular question.
“How so? How come no one ever asked you about it? I haven’t noticed if anyone was scared of you here. I don’t understand why, because they suppose to. However, that yellow pegasus from earlier was even worrying about you.” - Now that I think about it, assumption that everypony in this town was crazy, has pretty high chances to be true.
She smiled a little at my conclusions and looked at her beer again.
“No... Nothing like that. It’s just...” - She raised her eyes - “...that you are the first pony, who actually ever saw me in that state.”
My mind, which a while ago had restored its functionality, went blank again. How in tartarus, could a living, flying star, fighting a giant dragon go unnoticed two hundred meters from the town's center?! But I wasn’t sure of my luck enough to ask the question in that way.
“Don’t get me wrong.” - I moved a little forward - “But, how could it be possible that no one have ever seen you? You are quite hard to miss.”
The desire to know the answer was my curse. When I get too offensive, it would sometimes not end well. This would mostly occur at the beginning of my career. But sometimes it was a blessing. When the right question was asked, every unwanted factor in my mind, from anxiety, fear, to even alcohol, would completely disappear.
“Well...” - She sighed a little, her head resting on her hoof while looking at the wall next to our table - “That’s the reason why I came to this town in the first place.”
“Sorry,...” - I started. She directed her eyes at me with her face still turned at the wall. - “...but I still don’t understand what is so special about this place.”
“Haha.” - She laughed a little as she turned her face at me. Her hoof got back to it’s previous position on the table. - “I don’t blame you.” - She started. - “Because, what makes this town special, is much too subtle, even for your great observational skills.” - Then she moved forward and leaned over the table. I did the same so we could be in the whisper range. “The thing is...” - She started with a half whisper. - “...that in the entire town, there is not even a single window.” - She smiled and straightened on the chair, leaving me with a stupid frown on my face.
Hit by my own weapon. That was ironic. But I must admit that I like her style, somehow. I haven’t had as much luck as Octavia had earlier, though. The tavern wasn't such an empty place as before, and two stallions next to the bar giggled at my sight. Which, on the other hoof, helped me to sober up from this awkward state much faster than Octavia did. I got back in my place.
“You’re good.” I said, narrowing my eyes at her. - “But don’t say that there’s never anyone outside.”
“You won’t meet anyone when there’s a dragon, that’s for sure.” - She said, and took the first sip of her beer, causing me to look at mine. I realized that this was the first time in a while that I actually looked away from Octavia. My eyes hurt a little. She put her mug down and continued. - “There's not a single pony in this town that won’t go hide in their basement when they at least hear the dragon. I wonder, when was the last time anypony has even seen a dragon here.”
“Like half an hour ago?” - I said with a little awkward smile. It still wasn’t much of a pleasant memory.
“Oh, right.” - She said with a little smile and took her mug again. - “Sorry about that.” - She looked at mine. - “Better start to drink your beer, or it’s gonna get cold.” - She took the next sip of her’s.
“No, no. Don’t be sorry. It wasn’t that bad.” - IT WAS HORRIBLE! - “And you killed that dragon, right? So you did something good.”
She choked on her beer.
“WHAT?!” - She yelled, loud enough that it was probably heard outside. Everypony inside looked at her. But after a while of awkward silence they all went back to their previous activities.
Octavia just looked at me with wide eyes.
“I didn’t kill it!” - She said in a half whisper. She was a little angry, like I had hurt her feelings.
“But... Wha... - I hobbled in confusion. - “But, I saw it collapse! That was a powerful hit! - I said, trying to not be too loud.
“Yeah!” - She rolled her eyes. - “But it doesn’t mean that I killed it! I would never kill a friend! I wouldn’t kill anything!”
What? What had she just said?! Maybe I just misheard her. But I was always sure of my ears. There is no way that I heard her wrong! Well... There's always a first time for everything. Please... I’m not that old. I definitely heard it right! So where is the problem then? The brain? Have you hit your head recently? I don’t remember anything like that! Well... Then maybe we found our answer. But I don’t feel any pain or have any wounds! There has to be something else! Hm... Right... Then maybe... She drugged you? She couldn’t! What happened that made you trust her? She just admitted that she’s friends with...
“Are you ok?”
“Eeee... What?” - I was brutally dragged back to reality. Octavia’s concerned face was right next to mine.
“Oh thank Celestia.” - She said with relief. - ”You got white like the snow outside and I wasn’t sure if you were still breathing?”
I realized that I was half standing, so I collapsed on my chair and looked at the floor.
“Sorry for that.” - I said and looked at her. I can’t say that her concern vanished entirely, but she was mostly in the same state as before...
“Did you just say,...” - I started. I giggled a little because of the silliness of the question I was going to ask. - “that... that dragon was your friend?” - I smiled, of course it can’t be.
“Yes, he IS. Maybe he'll be unconscious for a while, but he’s still alive, remember? I didn’t kill him.”
Congratulations Pal! Your mind is completely fine! Of course besides the fact that you've started talking to yourself a little too much.
“WHAT!?” - I yelled so loud that again everyone in the tavern looked in our table’s direction. And again we had to wait a while before I could continue again.
“How can it be?!”
* * *
The first time I had heard about Octavia was in Gray Light City, the biggest port city on the south of the continent. It was in a small tavern at the land edge of the city. I usually choose taverns from the side of the sea, because it’s much more probable to hear a great, new story from a sailor from a faraway country, like Western Rift or Equestria, than from one of the natives,(Especially after you've heard the same story for the 10th time). But at that time, I was kind of short on money. So I had to spend the night in the cheapest inn in the town.
There, I met a group of merchant ponies, who were heading north with their next shipment for the capital city. They told me that they had found a new, shorter way through the Catnicktzar Mountains. These mountains are famous for having a big population of dragons, and there are also stories about a town full of insane ponies living there.
The caravan leader said that they had once gotten surprised by a tempest and didn’t have much choice other than to go through the forbidden route. They couldn’t believe that they had safely reached the Rust River Town. And there, in the town’s tavern, somepony had explained their luck to them. That in one of the huts lives a powerful pony named Octavia, who protects this part of the mountains from blood thirsty dragons.
I wanted to meet that pony, and get to know the full story. So I went with them for the journey.
We marched for ten days. And everything I listened to were stories about The Amazing Dragon Fighter Octavia. When we had reached Rust River Town they continued on their journey, but I stayed behind, full of their wonderful tales.
* * *
I stood up and placed my front hooves on the table. Now I think I may have gesticulated a little too much. - “Now I can see that the stories I've heard about you were a LITTLE undetailed. But all of them have ONE common detail! That you are Octavia The Dragon Fighter, proudly FIGHTING dragons, so the last village in the Catnicktzar Mountains, remains in one PIECE!” - With the last word I hit the table with my hoof, causing my mug to jump a little, while Octavia calmly took a sip from hers.
I reminded myself to look around, but apparently no one was interested in us anymore.
“So...” - She started, putting her mug back on the table. - “From your reaction, I'm guessing that your intel isn't usually that completely wrong. Would you like to sit down, so that I can straighten this out a little?”
I had no argument against that, so I did as she told me and sat back in my chair.
“So... Do you have any questions in particular?” - She asked, and leaned on the table, crossing her front hooves.
“Two or a million.” - I said, moving back a little while also crossing my hooves. - “First. What about you fighting dragons?”
She sighed.
“The thing that's wrong with that question is that there aren't DRAGONS in the first place.” - She raised a hoof and gesticulated a little while explaining. - ”There is only one dragon, Cuddlefrog.” - I raised an eyebrow when I heard the name. But Octavia continued. - “Maybe at first he was coming here on rampages, and that’s why most of the citizens have moved away. But now he comes every couple of weeks only because he likes to spar with me.” - She finished her explanation and, using her gesturing hoof, grabbed her mug and took a sip. It caused a quick unpleasant frown to appear on her face.
-”Eh... Cold.” - She said and again in one large haust drank all of what her mug contained. I tried to act
unimpressed though, because after the most ridiculous answer I ever heard, I had decided to switch into “just accept it” mode.
She put the mug on the table.
“Ok.” - She said and raised a hoof to order her next hot beer. Causing the barman to immediately put down the mug he was polishing and start filling another one from the beer tap.
I really wonder how he is able to control what is going on in the whole tavern with only one eye.
“What is the second of your million questions, then?”
I had to think about it. Actually no. I knew exactly that I had only one question left to ask. But I wasn’t sure if it was the right time to ask it. I looked at my mug. I had half of my beer left. Well... There was nothing to lose anymore. I took my mug and tried to drink all my beer in one glug like Octavia had done with her's being almost full... But failed and did it in two.
“Well...” - I said, and looked at my mug as I started playing with it in my hooves. - “My second question was already asked two times today.”
“So... Now is the best time to ask it the third time.” - The barman put two piping beers on our table. He also wanted to take the empty ones, so I had to quit playing with mine. I gave it to him with a nod. Octavia grabbed her mug in both hooves, and quickly sipped it.
“The thing is, that I would like you to start from the beginning. So my question is...” - I started moving forward with my hooves crossed on the table looking again into Octavia’s eyes. I then asked my question, saying every word slowly. - “... Why is a pony like you, leaving a paradise like Equestria, to spar with dragons, in this land of Eternal Winter?”
Octavia looked down at the steamy mug in her hooves and answered with a sigh.
“It’s gonna be a long story.”