//------------------------------// // 9 - Goodbye, Ponies // Story: Duet in the Dust // by David Silver //------------------------------// Octavia was strapped onto a cart of considerable size, loaded with covered packages. Vinyl was frowning at it. "That's not cool. She literally just earned the right to not do that if she doesn't want to." Randal was paying neither of them mind, speaking to Sandy a short distance away, "" He clapped her on the shoulder. "" Sandy's expression turned to shock and he pulled her closer. "" Sandy took a little breath, forcing herself to nod. "You really stepped in it, Octavia." She turned from Randal and approached the wagon with the earth pony attached. "Letting that raider go is just asking for them to come running back with revenge in their eyes, and that's a threat to everyone else." Octavia shrank a little. "I didn't intend for that to happen. She... I'm sorry. It was my responsibility and I failed." She glanced towards Vinyl. "After so many years, you'd think I would know how to handle one uppity mare." Vinyl burst into laughter, throwing a foreleg over Octavia. "Good to see your sense of humor's still intact. So, what do we have to do to get Octie out of time out? She's not going back to being a pet, is she?" Sandy glanced back at Randal, who was already leaving. "No, she's a person, and a person gets punished." She pointed at the cart. "Not much different than a pet, there. You do bad, you pay for it." She lowered her voice to a conspiratorial whisper, "Besides, this gets you two to Turves, which is where I wanted to get you two anyway, right?" Octavia's ears perked up, hope shining, but she said nothing, lest she interfere with a misplaced word. Vinyl had no such reservation. "Oh yeah! What's that place like? Do they have an appreciation for rock there?" Sandy hiked a brow. "You'll explain what rock is on the way there. Shall we begin? The way is relatively safe." She turned and pointed out of town. "There's even a road after a day's hike. They upkeep it." They set out, marching away from the village, one human and two ponies. Octavia's eyes wandered over the still-eerily flat land they were passing through. "It must not be far away if they trust just you and two ponies to handle this." She looked back to the wagon she pulled and its various packages. "If I were a bandit, which I am not, this would be an ideal time for an attack." Sandy shook her head. "I've done this loop dozens of times. We're close enough you can barely even count it as waste traveling." She stuffed a hand into a pocket as she swept her vision across the horizon. "We spend almost no time outside the protection of one town or the other. A bandit making a dive on us would be being braver than most care to be." Vinyl snorted softly. "Unlike the ones that came rushing directly for us?" Sandy rolled a hand. "That was just stupid. Stupid they do. Now, let's not tempt the gods any further with such talk. We will arrive safely and laugh at why we were so scared." Octavia drew the wagon along with her strength, finding reasons to be thankful for the flatness of their corner of the world, though that made her think. "Is it flat everywhere?" "Mm?" Octavia raised a hoof to wave about. "Flat. Are there mountains and hills and valleys somewhere?" Sandy nodded with an incredulous noise. "'Course there is, just not right here. I hear told there used to be a lot more of them before The Blaze went and knocked most of it down and filled in what went down. 'The Great Equalizer', that's what some people call it." Vinyl trotted up next to Sandy. "That's not a cool name. What did it, you know, look like? I bet I could come up with a better name." Sandy hiked a brow at the grinning pony. "I was not there personally, as you can imagine. This was some time ago. None alive in the town is ancient enough to have seen it with their own eyes." She kicked a stray pebble out of their path as she hiked, eyes turning to the thick cloud cover up above. "They say it was like the universe itself had gone mad." Octavia quirked an ear. "That sounds a bit dramatic. Are we speaking 'Discord's bored' levels of strangeness?" "Couldn't say what that means," admitted Sandy with a shrug. "Sheets of fire that could encompass from one horizon to the next, lakes of acid, thunderstorms strong enough to pulverize entire buildings..." Her right hand clenched a little. "For every hundred souls, one made it still breathing." Vinyl tapped at her chin as her other three legs carried her forward. "That sounds pretty cool." "Cool!?" blurted Octavia, giving her friend a skeptical peering at. "It was," agreed Sandy. "Cold and hot and everything else it could be." She hopped up on what may have been a tree stump at some point but was little more than a faint memory of the idea. "The only mercy was it was over as quickly as it began. But that's enough of that. I don't even know enough to answer more questions about it anyway." Vinyl pushed on with a smile. "What started it? I mean, the world doesn't usually just, you know, end, because it feels like it. Crazy magic meteor? Insane cultists?" Octavia bit at Vinyl's tail and yanked her back. "Have you no manners at all? This appears to be an uncomfortable topic, and yet you insist." Vinyl cocked a brow at Octavia before returning her goggled eyes to Sandy. "I'm not bothering you, am I?" Sandy was quiet a moment, hiking through the ashes. The conversation died awkwardly, Vinyl silencing herself for a little while before the urge became too great. "So, uh, you know I didn't mean anything, right?" "I am aware." Her hand reached out and landed on Vinyl's head, her horn poking up between two of Sandy's fingers. "What you lack in manners, you also lack in a mean spirit. It's hard to think about, that something happened you weren't there for, that you have no say in, that gets to decide all of... everything." She lifted her shoulders, softly running her fingers through Vinyl's mane. "I guess that'd be true even if it was a happier thing." Vinyl nodded, the hand not leaving her head, not that she complained. "I suppose that would kinda suck. I guess it's different visiting the rock cover versus being born and raised there." She raised a hoof to her chin. "I never thought of it like that. I guess it's a lot less cool from that angle. Damn, blowing my mind." Sandy crooked an awkward smile as they approached the beaten remains of a road, faint scatterings of black where the paved road once stood proudly. The effect of its presence was still felt, making things smoother, especially for the wagon that Octavia drew. "You know," spoke up Sandy as they followed the street. "Normally I'd make this trip with another human or two. I'd usually be gushing about visiting Turves." Octavia pulled forward closer to Sandy. "Why not do that now? We'd love to know where we were heading towards." Sandy went quiet again, withdrawing. Vinyl trotted with a lean, bumping into Sandy lightly. "What has you down, Sandy? You're not your usual cheerful self?" She smiled, but it wasn't a joyful expression. "I'm thinking too much. Turves is a nice place." She turned, walking backwards a moment, eyes scanning the direction they'd come in. "Mostly little ponies, some bigger ponies, like you. Some panda people, Big Mao they're called." Octavia's ears pricked up. "Pandas?" "I'm not kidding," she assured, hands up held up in deflection. "Griffons, foxes, and even humans to round out the mix. It's a blend of races, all living together, surviving." Vinyl tilted her head. "If you have an awesome place like that just a few days hike away, why not go there?" She shook her head. "Is it a rundown shack or something?" "No..." Sandy hastened her steps. "Farming town first, but they have guns enough to keep raiders away, bigger than our dot in the ashes, but not by much. They have a working generator." Octavia glanced at Vinyl as she hastened to keep up. "While I think my friend may be prying a little... it does beg the question. If it's better, why haven't you migrated?" Sandy went quiet, marching on in sullen silence. Octavia dipped her head. "Please forgive us if we are speaking out of turn." "You are," she said with more acid than she intended. "Sorry... Look, that's my home. It may not be the best, but it's my home, alright? We got parts I don't like, but that doesn't mean I just give it up the second I see better." She crossed her arms under her chest as she walked. "I try to make it better. I want our place to, you know, improve, not leave it behind, alright? Don't you two have a home?" Octavia's ears fell at that, almost stumbling under her load before her hooves got back to walking. "I miss our home terribly. Working electricity, running water, no... ash everywhere... Meals were an assumed thing, and... I'll stop. This isn't fair. That's a world away." Vinyl reached out a hoof, patting Sandy on the side. "Hey, it's cool. I can appreciate that." She bobbed her head in a firm nod. "That's some loyalty. You stand by your family, right?" Sandy's tension cracked, a little genuine smile forming. "Right." She re-hastened herself. "But we're not your family." They made small talk as they walked, but the day passed peacefully. They made camp and chewed on their tough trail rations. Vinyl laughed as she ate. "Somehow, it tastes better after a day's hiking than when you're sitting around in that house." Octavia gave an unsure nod. "Work makes any food all the more pleasing." They settled in to sleep as the overcast light of day faded into the pitch dark of night. There were no stars and no moon brave enough to peek through the unseen clouds above them. Octavia woke with perked ears. She heard something. It was coming closer. She couldn't tell what it was. "Vinyl, Sandy..." she harshly whispered as she dug in her pocket for something, anything. She found her hoof bumping into Vinyl's miniature. She drew it into the darkness. "If only I could be so impervious," she sighed to the super pony. "Clad in the force of superheroism, nothing could stop me." She smirked, but also felt power flowing. A field of force blinked around her, shimmering in the darkness. "Or... that will work, I suppose. Sandy?" Force field or not, the waking presence of a warrior was called for. "Mmm?" called a sleepy Vinyl. Octavia scrambled backwards before she could even see anything, not that she could see anything in the darkness. She had felt and heard the presence of countless scuttling things. Her shriek echoed out across the plains as she fled the unseen presence. The sound of shattering glass, then a bright flare of light. Sandy was on her feet, having just thrown something. The flames burned at the creatures unfortunate enough to be where the bottle she had hurled happened to be, but the others were rushing around it, seeking out their meal. "Who ordered the cockroaches?!" demanded Vinyl as she woke up in a scramble, joining Octavia with pinned ears. "Not cool!" Octavia took a step forward, emboldened by her magic. "They're just... bugs." She drove a hoof down, squashing one, but behind that one were countless others, swarming up along her hoof without delay. "Oh, oh! Oh! Get them off of me!" She flailed her foreleg as she scrambled away, shrieking in dismay. "They're getting inside!" Vinyl tackled Octavia suddenly, brushing at her with her hooves wildly, sweeping the angry bugs free of her. "Got 'em, got 'em!" Both looked up as an explosion lit up the darkness and washed heat over them. "Grenades out," announced Sandy a bit too late to make much of a warning of the fact. She was already drawing another deadly little ball as she backed away from the angry insects. "Seperate, don't let them swarm you," she urgently instructed along the way. Vinyl did not seperate from Octavia, shivering at the gloomy vision of the oncoming cockroaches that seemed to favor the idea of horse flesh. "D-do you... nevermind! Octie, do something!" Octavia perked an ear at her stricken companion. It was a far cry from the usual shout into battle she had seen. She reviewed her options as best she could. She could try to make them scared, but did insects know fear? She already had the armor of force, but they could crawl into that if they wanted. Still... if... maybe? She nudged Vinyl back, keeping them ahead of the oncoming swarm as she dug out her miniature. Even as a fresh explosion tore apart what looked like a large portion of them, and they kept coming, she lifted the mini to her chest. "I implore you, whatever it is, come and save us!" She could feel her power surging, something was happening, she was doing it. "Yes, like that! Do it!" With a rushing suction, power fled her, converging into the form of a pony. Not a pony like Vinyl or Octavia. It was a small horse, with glowing white eyes. With an immature whinny, it charged at the swarm with no reservation for its own safety. Unfortunately, ponies were not built for battling angry swarms of insects, and the cockroaches were soft in scuttling up its legs even as it stomped on them wildly. Flames engulfed it, and the roaches, and everything else in the area. The moment of relative stillness, with the pony distracting them, was enough for Sandy to hurl one right in the center, engulfing them in force and fire to match her fouled mood. "And stay down!" There was nothing left of the pony but a singular hoof, and even that was fading away, blowing away as if comprised of energy itself. The faint echo of its whinny drifted over their ears as it vanished as if it weren't there to begin with. The darkness had returned. They could hear the occasional scuttle of a roach, but they weren't coming to attack. Their swarm blown apart, it seemed their bravery had gone with it. "Are you alright?" called Sandy. "Vinyl, some light, please?" "O-oh yeah... sorry." Her horn began to glow, letting them gather around the campfire they had abandoned. "I... don't like roaches..." Octavia pat her on the shoulder. "There there, I didn't like them either." She shuddered with memory. "And they were on me!" Vinyl winced away. "Sorry..." Sandy settled back down, her breath slowing. "No one was hurt. We're all alive and whole. As things go, that went well. Vinyl, how did you summon that glowing horse? Are you learning new spells?" Vinyl pointed at Octavia instantly. "She did it! I was... too busy freaking out... Sorry." "Stop saying sorry," sighed out Octavia. "You've been nothing but a champion so far. You're allowed to panic just once." She nodded at Sandy. "That was me... It didn't help as much as I was hoping." Sandy slowly laid down, pulling her thin blanket over herself. "It was just what we needed. Thank you. Get some sleep." Sleep did not come swiftly or easily, but as the adrenaline ran its course, fatigue slowly pulled them into its embrace, and day returned, clear of any angry insects. The first they saw of Turves was two people, one a small pony, the other a tall bear of a person. They had rifles slung on them, the little pony's strapped to her side in some elaborate harness. The bear raised a brown pawhand towards them. "Hey, traders?" he called in clear sylvan. "Oh, is that you, Sandy? Welcome back." The little one tilted her head at the group. "Sandy doesn't usually come with ponies. Something new?" She sounded suspicious of the idea of something new. The bear patted her small head. "Don't be like that. They're guests." He stepped forward with confidence, a smile on his face. Sandy met him, putting out an arm. "Little Rose, good to see you're well." "As if I'd have it any other way." He accepted her offer for a one-handed embrace, the two squeezing on another briefly. "Introduce us to your friends." He looked to the two ponies curiously. Sandy did just that, gesturing to each, "This is Vinyl Scratch, battle bard and self-professed 'goddess of rock'. That is Octavia Melody, also fancies music, but her magic is harder to define." Octavia dipped her head towards the two guards. "A pleasure to meet you both. Where should I be bringing this?" She hiked a hoof back at the cart she had hauled. Sandy grabbed the harness that attached Octavia to the wagon and pulled it up and off. "Actually, I'll take that from here. I'll go get the trading done. Go ahead and have a look around. You'll like it." She smiled with a tinge of something else, but fled rather than face any questions the two had for her, the cart rolling behind her. Little Rose, who was not little, nor delicate looking, waved in a grand gesture. "Let me show you into town. It gives me an excuse to get a drink." He turned and began leading the way. The little pony peered at him and then the two strangers. "You trust too easy." She kept her eyes on the two new people, but followed along. Vinyl looked up and down across the broad back of the bear. "Well aren't you a big one!" "The biggest," agreed the bear with an unseen smile. "That's why we're the Big Mao, just like our grandma. Never saw one of us before?" Octavia strode ahead, her steps easier without a cart strapped to her. "I must confess you are the first. I've seen other interesting species, but not a bear that preferred clothing, nor whose fingers were quite..." Her eyes darted from the bear to the rifle slung on his back. Firing it would require proper fingers, she figured. "I'm sorry, I must seem so rude." "Nah," he assured. "Everyone's curious the first time. Welcome to Turves." He gestured up ahead at a town, a real town, with people and buildings and farms and people moving about as if they lived there, rather than scrabbling for survival when not hiding away. "I'm gonna get that drink I mentioned." He hiked a thumb towards the center of town. "There's a well there, feel free to stop by if you get thirsty." "Wait for me!" The little pony rushed after him as he left them just standing there at the edge of town. Vinyl cocked a mostly unseen brow. "Huh, they don't seem upset to have us, you know, just kinda here." "It is a bit of a difference," agreed Octavia, slowly taking in the town. "This place feels... alive." "You say that." Vinyl was facing a new direction, peering at something. "I don't think that is." "What?" Octavia turned in the same direction to see a filly rushing towards them. She was sized properly for a pony filly, but she was not a pony filly, not entirely. Metallic legs kicked up dust as she rushed towards the two, her electronic eyes fixed on them. "Hello!" Sang the mechanical filly, her voice a strange synthetic thing that slid in octave even as she spoke as if being autotuned far too eagerly. "My name is Bullette Belle and it's very nice to meet you!" Her voice dipped up and down in registers wildly, a grin on her metal face. Vinyl raised a hoof to her face, trying to hide her snickers very poorly. "Oh... wow... a real robot pony!" Bullette shrank away at that. "I am perfectly standard for my life phase!" Vinyl tilted her head. "You are perfectly awesome is what you are." Octavia shoved a hoof out in front of Vinyl. "Nice to meet you, Bullette. That's a very nice name. I'm Octavia Melody, and this is Vinyl Scratch." A soft tremble lifted both of their eyes to the sight of an equine shape approaching them rapidly on heavy hooves. Its eyes were on Bullette, lumbering towards her. "You know you're not supposed to do that," sang one of its snakes. Speaking of those snakes, it had several, dangling from its mouth as if they had just decided to take up residence there. The one speaking sounded like a concerned schoolmarm. One beside it spoke like a biker, "And you've gone and started talking to strangers? What'd we tell ya about that?" "Sorry, Papa No Name," sang out Bullette, not looking very sorry for her actions. "Introductions: This is Octavia Melody and Vinyl Scratch." She noticed only a moment later that she had pointed at the wrong ponies. "Error in operation order, reverse please." Vinyl tilted her head at the monstrosity that appeared to be the robot pony's... parent? Owner? "Uh... hey?" The beast certainly looked the part of a death metal rock album, she decided, so he/she fit in with the world. She felt increasingly confident, placing No Name right in the 'belong here' camp. "We're visiting with Sandy, from the human town." The big beast never spoke. Its snakes did, even if its face conveyed expressions, smiling or frowning appropriately as its snakes spoke for it. One in a neutral male voice seemed to stretch forward a little. "Nice to meet you both. A human town? They don't usually like us around those kinds of places." "Affirmative," agreed Bullette in a sad downturn of her melody. "You are better at human diplomacy. What is your secret?" She bounced forward, metal joints tinking with each spring. Octavia put a hoof out, keeping some space between herself and the metal filly. "It was a rough introduction, but we lucked out. I don't think we can blame any specific action we took, save for being polite and helpful." Vinyl grinned. "Also being awesome helps." She nodded towards Bullette. "Like you are. Don't know why they wouldn't want a super cool robot pony around." No Name frowned at Vinyl, a snake whispering in a harsh whisper everyone could hear, "Ix-Nay on the Obot-Ray!" Vinyl extended a foreleg as if offering a hug. "Why? I mean, wow, if I could be a robot, sign me up! I'd make the most wicked electronic music ever, and forever! Just keep fixing the parts that wear out and I could rock out through the centuries!" Her horn glowed as she made her goggles show an electronic mimicry of eyes much like Bullette had, sharing in her smiling expression. Bullette tilted her head with some confusion before she approached Vinyl. "You are not a robot," she pointed out before giving Vinyl the hug she offered, squeezing and being squeezed as the two reached some kind of understanding. Octavia sighed at the exchange with a little smile. "And that's Vinyl for you. My apologies, this is just the way she is. She means nothing offensive by it. If it helps, I am fairly sure she is sincere in her admiration of Bullette." No Name shook his head, though his snakes remained facing Octavia, stationary in the air despite the movement of his head. A paternal male spoke, "I'm just watching after her, you know?"