//------------------------------//
// 10 - Welcome to Turves 
// Story: Duet in the Dust 
// by David Silver 
//------------------------------//

The hulking form of No Name turned  as one of his snakes looked into the center of the town. "Are you staying or just visiting?" it asked in a pleasant male voice.

Another quickly followed with a feminine cast, "No pressure. You just don't look like the wandering kind."

Octavia glanced off to the side where Vinyl was engaged in trying to be more robotic than the robot that wasn't trying to be robotic. "We're just here to help our friend do some trading, but I imagine that takes some time. She will come find us when it's time to head back." That was when it caught up to her.

Did she want to go back to that town?

She frowned softly. "No, don't think that way," she spoke to herself. "She's expecting your assistance. At least--"

Bullette perked an ear at Octavia. "Error, dialogue target not found."

Octavia startled back into awareness. "Oh, nothing, sorry. I was just thinking poorly."

Bullette reached up to pat at Octavia's side. "This happens to us sometimes too."

No Name laughed, a curious sound as all his snakes laughed in their own ways, like a crowd laughing rather than a single person. "Welcome to life. There will be bad thoughts, and some good ones we hope."

Vinyl huffed softly, her attempt to dance the robot ignored. "What are you all going on about? Where can a mare get a drink around here? Didn't that guard say there was a well or something over there?" She pointed into the center of the town. Without much of a pause, she trotted right past everyone towards her goal.

Octavia rolled her eyes. "Don't mind her, she sees what she wants and she tends to go for it. Harmless in this case. I do presume this town is safe?"

Bullette bobbed her head quickly. "Probability of hostile encounter below 20%!" she chimed happily. "Danger level: Green. Octavia."

Octavia's ears perked up as her name was spoken. "Mm?"

"What do you do?" asked the robotic filly with a curious look on her face.

One of Octavia's ears flipped back. "Before I was brought... here, to this world, I was a musician."

She looked Octavia over curiously. "In what fashion did you create pleasing harmonies?"

Though she had not meant to, Octavia flinched. "Oh, well..." The thought of how long it had been since she could practice was brought to the fore and she shrank beneath that weight. "I used to play a cello, carved from... the loveliest wood by a pony that really knew the art and loved it..."

No Name put a hoof on Bullette's back, gently tapping at her. "That looks like a sensitive topic," he said in a soft masculine tone, a little reedy as it half-whispered.

"No no, it's alright." Octavia righted herself, taking a soft breath. "It was a harmless question from a curious filly." Robotic or not, she silently added. "I'd love to show it to you, but that was left behind with the rest of my life. Where did Vinyl get off to?" She felt the urge to have a drink herself, even if water seemed too mild for what she was feeling.

She nodded to her two new 'friends', or at least acquaintances and began wandering towards where Vinyl had rushed off to.

"Error," spoke Bullette in a sad tone, echoing with a low warble. "Should I pursue?"

No Name shook his considerable head, speaking in a more certain tone, "Nah. She needs a minute. If we see her again, you can hug her then."

Bullette perked at that, clopping her metal hooves together in a rapid little beat. "Saving permissions!" She bounced up to her hooves. "Let us continue seeking fun."

Octavia looked around as she went, taking in the rustic homes. They were, at the core, not much different than those in the human town, but there was a hint of personality in each one. The people who lived in them, when visible, were far more varied, and their houses matched. One had a yin-yang mounted over the door, and the next a horseshoe. She saw a colt pounce on a vulpine creature that appeared just as young, the two shrieking in delight in their wrestling.

A little smile touched her lips. It wasn't an awful place, so far she could see. Sure, it was still in the same ashen wasteland that was the world, but... better, a little, so far. She tempered her good spirits, reminding herself that she was just looking in, peering through a window at the neighbor's house and saying it looked better than what she had. That was easy to do, it came natural. The grass was always tastier on the other side of the fence and all that.

"New in town?" She looked up towards the new male voice and saw a griffon. The griffon was propped up against a wooden railing, watching her intently. "You new in town?" he casually repeated, as if she might have missed it.

"Oh, yes, very much so," she confessed easily. "I'm not bothering you, am I?"

"Nah." He pushed off leaning on the rail to standing bipedally easily. "Just thought it was odd. If you just came in from outside, where's your weapon? You one of them 'my body is my weapon' kinds?"

Octavia shook her head rapidly. "I am a musician by... trade." Her teeth clenched, realizing the lie of the statement at current. "I can do a little magic..." But it wasn't that much magic. "I'm good at finding things?" It all sounded increasingly lame to her own ears and she stomped a hoof, frustrated with herself.

"Hey, hey, not trying to pick fights." He held up a single hand as he came closer. "Just figured there may be business I need tending to."

"Mmm? I don't have money," she quickly warded, feeling a sales pitch coming on. "So if you were--"

"--Ain't looking for it," he replied with a sudden spit to the ground. "Only the larger cities try to make money. With each one making a different one, pfft. Anyway, hey. The name's Lunarquills, nice to make your acquaintance and all that. Now, are you ready to stop being naked?"

Octavia glanced behind her, her face pinkening. Sure she only wore a bow, and that was more than enough on Equestria. Lunarquills was dressed entirely. He had a hat on his avian head and a jacket that seemed worn over cobbled armor that shielded the rest of his form. He was ready for a scrap. Compared to him, she was very naked. "You're a tailor?"

"Huh? No." He drew out a pistol easily, but didn't hold it properly for firing. "I make little beauties like this one. Tune them up real nice, to fit the owner. This one's not made for ponies, but I know how to make those."

Octavia remembered the little raider she had let go. That small assailant had wielded a gun in her mouth. She hadn't actually examined the tool. "How does that even work?" The idea of holding something like that in her mouth sounded a little terrifying, and she didn't get the mechanism that would allow it.

"I'll show you." Lunar waved towards a stone building. "Smithy's in there, where I do my work." He led the way with a soft whistle. "Grab an apron on the way in. Ain't the place for being literal naked."

Octavia followed him curiously. A rack of aprons was hanging just inside the door and she availed herself of one, nuzzling into the loop at the top. "Little help," she called, unable to easily tie it off on her back.

He chuckled softly as he grabbed the two dangling strings and brought them together , securing the apron to her in a firm knot. "Most ponies I know would sooner die than admit tying something takes them 'least twice as long as someone with fingers."

Octavia ignored the warmth in her cheeks. "It would be rude to keep you waiting. You're only here for my benefit."

"Thanks for the consideration." Lunar turned back for the flames of the forge. "Now, when I can, I avoid heating metal." He hiked a thumb at it. "We're not here for that. Now..." He reached up to a tall shelf and rooted around for something even he couldn't see. "It's around... here!" He pulled something small into his hand. It looked similar to the first pistol, but the back of it was dramatically different. "Now, see here? You bite this part." He ran his finger along the handle, large enough for a pony's teeth to chomp on easily. "See that rod in the center? That's for your tongue. You press it forward, bang! You just shot the gun. Easy."

Octavia tilted her head left and right, considering the weapon. "And it propels the bullets..." She reached for it with her hooves, awkwardly feeling over it. Lunar did not stop her from taking it as she pawed at it gently. "It holds six of them. How do you replenish them?"

Lunar grinned, his beak capable of the motion despite being a beak. "I had a feeling you'd like the feel of a quality piece. That one has no bullets, which is the only reason I'm alright with you handling it like that. You'd have shot  something a few times by now." He had an amused tone as he spoke. "Now, reloading can be tricky for ponies. You only really have one grasping point." He tapped the side of her snout for emphasis. "Best I've seen is to grab the gun between your forelegs real tight and hold it still while you load."

"Sounds awkward," murmured Octavia, though she still held the gun, turning and examining it. "Awkward... but functional. I would be... just as strong as anything else if I learned to use this, yes?"

Lunar slapped the outer thigh of his right leg. "The great equalizer, yeah, that's how that works. The only thing you need is aim, and that comes with practice. Well, that, and a quality piece. This really your first gun?"

"Absolute first," agreed Octavia easily. "I saw my friend use one, but she's a unicorn, so she cheats."

"Lacks a little something, doesn't it?" he agreed with her. "Just floating it around and thinking about shooting things. What's the grace in that? Nah, you'll shoot them the right way." He pointed at the gun she was still flipping about. "Like it? Why don't we use that as the base?"

"Base?" Her exploration slowed. "Whatever do you mean?"

"I mean--" He leaned in and took the gun, hefting it easily. "--that this is just the shell of a gun. I'm going to customize it, just for you. Think of this like a cute little chick, full of potential and eager to please. Give it a little in my care, and I'll make a proper bird out of it."

Octavia tilted her head at him, processing his griffon-flavored sayings. "I see..."

"By the way," he noted as he set the gun aside. "How's my sylvan?"

Octavia blinked softly. "It's just fine. That's what we're speaking, right?" It sounded Equestrian to her.

"Huh, good. Most people speak common around here, but you're a horse, and they speak sylvan as a rule." He grabbed a small tool and began working it into the joints of the gun,  popping out the drum that held the bullets suddenly. "Seemed a safe bet to try a conversation."

"You're doing quite well," assured Octavia. "If you hadn't mentioned, I wouldn't have known it wasn't your first language... Which one is 'common' again?"

"(This one,)" he replied easily, his eyes not leaving the gun he tinkered with. "(I'll focus on balance, since you're new. You can switch over to power later, when you've got your aim centered.)"

"Ah..." She recognized some of the rise and fall of the trade language. She had heard it once or twice, but... "Could you switch back please?"

"Hm? Sure." He tapped the gun with the end of a screwdriver. "This'll take time. Guns don't grow in a day. Buzz off and I'll find you when it's ready."

Octavia shrank back a step. What a dismissal. Still, the griffon was literally giving her something for free. She wasn't sure how much room she had to complain. "I'm just visiting," she warned, starting to wriggle free of the apron as she returned to the rack it came from. He made some noise, but didn't really respond. She hung up the apron, the knot still tied, and fled into the street.

There was a princess. Octavia's jaw hung slack at the sight of the grand alicorn. Her wings were unfurled and the ponies around her seemed to defer to her in exactly the proper way a princess should be treated. She was addressed Vinyl, who was busy looking irreverent as always. "Greetings," spoke the princess in a loud voice that demanded attention. "I formally welcome you to my kingdom. Turves is ever pleased to enjoy the presence of traders and artists, of which you are both."

She had pink fur, like Cadance or so Octavia decided. Her mane ran in soft waves with the color shifting as it went, with areas of deep red and vibrant green and blue. Worn on her front was a star, a golden star. It was attached to the dress she wore as if it held it in place, though Octavia doubted that was true. That star seemed familiar... Oh, yes, it was a sheriff's star. Why was she wearing that?

"Nice to meet you too," replied Vinyl, bobbing her head lightly. "Long Shot, huh? Are you good with guns then?"

Long Shot, the princess, smiled gently. "That used to be my profession, a lifetime ago." She leaned in, voice lowering, "and that is Queen Long Shot. Mind that."

Octavia jumped as something poked her rump. Turning to look she saw a human standing there. "She's the sheriff, but don't argue it. She's a good one," advised the human, nodding towards the exchange.

Octavia nodded softly before approaching her friend and the large authority figure. Long Shot saw her coming long before she arrived. "The number of visitors grows! And another with a musical mark. Are you two related? I, Queen Long Shot, welcome you to Turves."

Vinyl closed the distance, throwing a foreleg over Octavia. "This is Octavia Melody, a classy mare. She puts up with me because she's actually a saint in disguise."

Long Shot stepped closer at a leisurely rate. "Is that so? Well, Miss Melody, it is a pleasure. You are also visiting, we trust?" She raised a clad hoof and did a slow sweep with it across the area. "Welcome, and avail yourself of what we have. The locals are eager to trade if you would wish it." She suddenly lifted her head, shouting in the common tongue, "(These are our guests, treat them well so long as they return the favor. If not, you know what to do.)"

Octavia entirely missed the last part, nodding towards the princess/sheriff. "This is a lovely town you have here."

Long Shot smiled brightly, looking personally complimented by the idea of her town being a good one. "We all work very hard to keep it just that way." A small pony rushed up to her with a tray balanced on his little back and on that, a mug of water. She gestured to Octavia. "Take it to her, she looks thirstier."

Octavia's ears perked as the small pony rushed towards her. "Oh, thank you." She sat so her hooves were free, carefully working a hoof through the large handle that seemed made for pony convenience. Her other hoof kept it from tipping over and she had refreshing water at last, mmm. "Lovely. If you don't mind asking, does this town have a specialty besides survival?"

Long Shot looked baffled at the very notion. "To survive is barely the minimum," she said, shaking her head. "We are a farming community." She extended a wing to the west side of the town, then the east, swapping wings. "We act as a trade hub. Where many cities fear merchants and strangers, we welcome them with open arms and a pinch of common sense. Most of them want the same things we do, don't they?"

A vulpine assistant that shadowed her nodded softly as he checked over a clipboard that was strapped to his side. "Your Highness, it's time for the patrol check."

"Ah, yes." She turned from the two new ponies. "If you need anything at all, you simply let us know. Duty calls!" She began to walk away with her gathering, talking about patrol routes as they went.

Vinyl whistled softly. "Now wasn't that something? And she calls herself a queen, not a princess, and she runs this little place?" She chuckled with obvious amusement as she let Octavia go and moved to be in front of her. "What a backwards world, huh?"

Octavia nodded numbly, still processing things. "Yes... Is she capable of magic? Could she get us home?"

"Nah, already asked that." Vinyl waved the thought away as if it were not important. "They don't have any big magic people around here." She leaned in suddenly. "Did you know that mare used to be a stallion?"

Octavia blinked slowly. "That is... fascinating, but how is it any of our business? She appeared to be quite well adjusted to what she was."

Vinyl shrugged softly. "I thought it was interesting, sue me. One of the townies whispered it to me while she was going on this big welcome speech. You're not wrong though, I mean... If she's comfy being a she, go her."

"I don't even think alicorns can be anything but," mused Octavia, though she had no qualification to say one way or the other. "A noble sacrifice, if she did it just to help the town."

"Decided to stay?" asked a familiar male voice. The Big Mao that they had met before was lumbering towards them, padding his sides as he went. "Can't blame you. This is a nice place to be. Not the best, but far from the worst."

Vinyl perked an ear. "Huh?"

Octavia rolled a hoof. "As she said. We're just giving time for trading to complete, then we'll be on our way."

Little's brows went up together. "Your human pal's already taken off." He hiked a thumb towards the east. "Took the cart with her, loaded with what she traded for. Uh, you..." He trailed off, both ponies taking off in a gallop as he spoke. "Oh, uh, good luck?" He gave a mighty shrug, moving to resume his patrol.

They scrambled side-by-side, galloping down the mercifully clear street. It may have been the ashen age, but the people of Turves swept their property and kept it clean, giving a nice runway for them to run as quickly as they could.

"Whatever possessed her?" gasped out Octavia as she ran. "It's not safe for any one pony to go wandering off alone."

"Yeah, she needs the rock goddess to keep her safe." Vinyl flashed a grin, but it faded quickly, focused on running as she was.

Octavia's run was abruptly stopped by a bullet. It was a bullet the size of a small horse, crashing into her and knocking her to the ground. It began hugging her as she flailed. "Hug attack successful," sang Bullette, who had acted as her name sounded like with great pride.

Vinyl circled around, laughing wildly despite the situation. "You got her good!"

"Vinyl!" Octavia struggled to her feet, the filly still attached to her in eager hugs. "She's getting away!"

"Who is getting away?" asked one of many snakes, No Name catching up with his rambunctious mechanical companion. "What's wrong?" he asked with an old man's voice.

Vinyl pointed in the direction they had been running. "Sandy, the human that was with us when we came here. She left without us."

No Name went still a brief moment, a look of something in his eyes. "Oh, I'm sorry... Bullette, lost puppies."

Bullette released Octavia with a gasp that ran through octaves wildly. "Lost puppies! Oh no! Where?! She looked at Octavia with new eyes, digital tears building in the corner of her eyes. "Nooooooo," she called, voice even more unstable then usual, warbling chaotically as she wailed. "Do not panic!" she suddenly said, voice snapping to almost stable. "You are adopted."

Vinyl blinked softly. "Were we just 'adopted' by the coolest little filly I've ever met?"

No Name shook his head. "Don't feel obliged. She just hates it when people get abandoned like that. Ain't the first time we saw it." He spoke in a friendly male voice, what seemed closest to his 'default'.

Octavia blinked softly. "Abandoned? This must be a mistake. Why would she?"

No Name shrugged in a mighty ripple of muscle. "Couldn't rightly say. People have their reasons." Another snake darted ahead of the first, speaking in a female tone, "still, she isn't all wrong. We'll help if we can. You're not in a bad place."

Bullette bobbed her head with the speed only a machine could manage. "Your assimilation begins now. Prepare to be loved!"

Vinyl's horn glowed as her headphones began to play music loudly enough for others to distantly hear. "Well, alright then."

"Alright then?!" Octavia huffed at her friend. "There you go again, just taking what comes. We just... finally earned our place, and... here we are again, at the bottom, and nowhere closer to getting home, and I should be happy with this?! Why are you so..." She turned away suddenly, trying to calm her breath and her hammering heart.

No Name reached a large and heavy hoof, giving Octavia the gentlest of nudges. "Hey, this ain't the bottom," he spoke with a foal's voice. "I've been there... this isn't it. We'll help, however we can, promise. I know we just met, but we met for a reason, ain't that right, Bell?"

"Yes!" She bounced in place. "You are now project A232-Qi-Beta! Success parameters have been set, preparing to engage." The noise of a starting jet engine began to come from her despite no visible fans or other sources of the noise.

Vinyl snickered at the mechanical filly. "You are so cute I think I die a little of sugar overdose every time you talk."

Bullette gasped in alarm. "We must adjust your diet to lower your sugar intake!" She leaned towards Vinyl, squinting at her. "Please begin a list of your staple foods."

Octavia looked aside at No Name. "Thank you for your concern... I just need... some time." She rose to her hooves. "Please, make sure Vinyl doesn't get herself into trouble, if you would."

No Name didn't stop her from wandering off, giving her space to process her feelings. He turned back to Vinyl going over what she ate as Bullette produced the noise of a dot matrix printer, dedicating the facts to her memory quite loudly. "I don't think her diet's wrong, Bullette, she was just joking in the first place."

"Oh." The sound stopped within her and she perked up, forgetting the attempt to diagnose Vinyl almost instantly. "We should inform the local authorities to the change in your citizenship."

"Say what now?" Vinyl hiked a mostly hidden brow at Bullette. "Care to translate that?"

No Name nodded softly. "She ain't wrong. You're part of this town now, unless you plan to start wandering, and I don't recommend that. It isn't your life. Leave that to... stronger people."

Vinyl looked up at the big strange pony that was No Name. "Hey, dude, you know, if you want to talk, I'm open for that, right?"

No Name blinked in surprise. "I'm here to help you."

"And I totally appreciate that, really." She put a hoof to her chest. "And it works both ways. I've had roadies like you, strong, reliable, torn up inside. If you don't say anything, they just move on, being broke. So, uh, yeah, you want to talk sometime? You just lemme know, anytime." She held out a hoof that was quite small compared to his. "It's what friends do, right?"

"Friend status accepted!" cried Bullette with joy, her hoof clopping against Vinyl's far faster than No Name could have even had he been rushing to accept it.