//------------------------------//
// 31 - Significant 
// Story: Duet in the Dust 
// by David Silver 
//------------------------------//

Octavia peered at Vinyl, looking her in the eyes, and yet, not.

"Octi? You alright?" It was a bit unnerving, having Octavia seeming to be staring through her so intensely. "Seriously, cut that out."

"Just answer the question, kindly." She nodded, her eyes still trained on not-quite Vinyl. "I hear something." Her ears did not move, nor did her vision waver.

"My... dad got them for me, alright?" She backed away a step. "Stop it! This is not cool at all."

No Name's hoof came down just in front of Octavia, forcing her to blink with his leg in the way. "Use your words, Octavia. Yer not makin' a whole lot of sense right now."

Octavia shook her head vigorously as if to clear it. "It's... Did your father purchase them in a store, or did he acquire them from some other place?"

"He got them at an auction, alright?" Vinyl looked at Octavia out of the corner of her eyes, not willing to face her that moment. "He said the people were gonna just, you know, toss it, but he knew it was awesome, and he gave them to his favorite little awesome filly."

She cracked a little smile. "It used to be so big on me..."

Octavia returned the smile. "Of all the things, that you manage to take care of."

"Why wouldn't I?! they're... you know, special... Anyway, why?" She raised a hoof and felt her goggles a little possessively. "There's nothing wrong with them, right?"

"Just the opposite... Vinyl, I know... you won't like this, but can I borrow them?" Octavia extended a  hoof towards Vinyl. "I will take the utmost of care with them."

Vinyl's eyes narrowed. "There are a few problems with that idea. #1, ash, it's everywhere. I enjoy having some eyewear so I'm not squinting all the time like the rest of you whenever the wind picks up." She stomped a lone hoof down. "#2, it's mine! You could ask for almost anything else, Octi, you know that. I wouldn't even think about it. We're tight! You know that! But not this..."

Bullette tilted her head. "Insufficient friendship points. You may wish to amass more before attempting again."

No Name drew his hoof out of the way. "At least we know what ya want, but why?"

"Yeah, why?!" Vinyl wheeled towards Octavia fully. "That's a rather sudden question to have. The only thing I'd rate as high as these goggles are my headphones."

"Those won't help." She made a little proper dismissive gesture towards the headphones. "Your goggles have history, and with them, I'll be able to see."

Vinyl blinked softly. "Wait what? Oh! Ohhhhh! This is special Octavia-blend magic? Girl, why didn't you say that to start with? I mean, I'm still not reaching to take these off, but at least I don't think you're trying to hurt me." She narrowed her eyes a little. "These are mine, Octi."

"I am perfectly aware of your ownership, Vinyl." Octavia took a slow breath. "That is why I am asking. They will help us, I'm certain. Just... even for a day?"

"An entire day?!" Vinyl stomped with all four hooves, dancing in place in a tantrum that ended with her plopping on her haunches. "Look, fine... Fine! One day, then never again..." She reached up towards her goggles. "Find your own, Girl." She peeled them up off of her head, eyes squeezed shut.

"It's not that bad, Vinyl, you can open your eyes."

"Dun Wanna." She held out the goggles in her magic, floating there as she trembled, looking ready to cry.

Octavia reached for them, carefully getting it onto her own head. She didn't pull it down over her eyes, apparently satisfied with it resting on her forehead. "It's... yes, yes, this is just perfect." She turned in place, frowning as she pawed at the ash. "I feel ready. Let us begin the search."

Vinyl felt around with her closed eyes until she bumped into No Name. "There you are. I'ma just follow you."

No Name snorted softly. "Seriously. Ya ain't gonna spot much with yer eyes shut."

"Affirmative. Sound-based location is sub-optimal in this scenario." Bullette reached up a hoof to bat at her flicking ears. "Please resume use of light-based receivers." She leaned towards Vinyl a little. "I would like to see your eyes as well."

Octavia arched a brow. "Is that what this is about?" She turned to No Name. "I don't suppose you have some backup goggles, preferably tinted?"

He ducked back on himself and pulled out a ratty pear of smokey goggles. "It used to protect against the sun, but ya don't need that kinda protection much these days."

Octavia hurried towards it, peering. "Oh... Well, nevermind then."

Vinyl jumped as something bumped into her. Her magic wrapped around it. "Huh? Already done?" She got her goggles back on her face and blinked open her eyes. "Sweet relief!" She arched a brow at Octavia, seeing she had a ratty old pair on her head. "You mean I didn't even have to make a sacrifice for the team?!"

Octavia tapped at her head. "These are hundreds of years old, they will suffice. I didn't feel their presence in No Name's bag. I do appreciate you--"

Vinyl suddenly tackled Octavia to the ground, her forehooves on either side of Octavia's  head. "Nothing doing. I demand a sacrifice in return."

Octavia tilted her head. "Besides getting ash all over... everything... what can I do for you, Vinyl?"

Vinyl leaned in and down, her voice dropping to a whisper, "Just a little kiss."

Octavia began to blush terribly. "Vinyl! No! I will not sell my affection in that way."

Vinyl took a quick back-step, almost tripping in her retreat. "You're making it sound like I'm... I'm not that way, Octi."

Octavia climbed to her hooves, gently brushing at the ash that clung to her. "Nor am I."

Bullette tilted her head left and right. "We are in agreement? Yay?" Her voice warbled with her confusion.

Octavia smirked softly as she trotted over to No Name. She reared up on her hind legs and kissed Bullette on the cheek. "Don't change."

"Mission accepted!" sang Bullette with a bright smile.

Vinyl huffed softly. "Really? You're doing it like that?"

No Name started to march further into the ruins. "Maybe we should focus on what we came here fer?"

Vinyl followed along after him. "Yeah yeah. I'll find something, just you wait." She suddenly hurried ahead and hopped over some low rubble into a building, grumbling as she went.

Bullette pointed at Octavia. "Initiate improved scanning techniques."

"I plan to..." She reached up and tapped at the old goggles on her forehead. "I just have to... focus..." She closed her eyes a moment, just breathing. "Alright, now... what do we want to find?"

No Name arched a brow at that. "What, you... I don't even want to start askin'. I dunno, something we can sell?"

"More specific," she prompted. "The more specific, the better, though if it isn't here, then we won't find it."

Bullette hummed electronically to  herself a moment. "My hunch was that there was a cache of weapons. Attempt to detect automated firearms."

"Aren't all firearms... automated?" Octavia shook her head slowly. "What makes one--"

No Name coughed softly. "She means the kind that can fire over and over really fast, instead of havin' to keep pressin' the trigger."

"Oh!" Octavia frowned softly. "Yes, those... You mentioned them during your story, didn't you? That makes... that situation all the more clear... I hadn't understood that matter properly before."

"And you didn't ask about it?" He hiked a brow.

"It felt like a delicate subject." She turned and began walking slowly into the ruined town. "I didn't want to cause discomfort. Now then..." She went quiet and still, her face one of concentration, but there was no action that any of them could see.

"Magic detected," suddenly noted Bullette with a curious tilt to her warble.

Octavia directed a hoof downwards and to the west. "That way. I can't... really say much more than that. The impression is so... weak, but I feel it."

No Name's snakes hissed softly  before one nodded at Octavia. "Can you do that again?  Not here. If we have two spots--"

"Triangulation routines online!" sang out Bullette, looking excited at the idea.

"It's... tiring, but I will try." She looked around in a slow circle. "Where should we try for another?"

"Any idea how far away it is?" He hiked a brow softly. "That would be a big hint."

"That it did not reveal, just that way." She pointed down and westwards. "It's under things, which is sensible enough. Anything on the ground or above it would have been located long ago. It may be buried with no way to reach it."

Bullette clopped her forehooves. "Incorrect! We can create a way to reach it."

No Name nodded at that. "Hey, Vinyl?!" he shouted out in a chorus of snakes. "Get back here!"

"No!" came her distant shout in reply.

Bullette tilted her head. "I did not expect that response..."

Octavia lifted her shoulders. "Then we had best go find her." She turned in the direction the voice had come from and started forward. "We don't want her getting into trouble."

They all set out for her. No Name called out, "found somethin'?"

"Yeah," came the muffled reply. "Just wait a second..."

They heard something rustling, falling bits of brick from above. Octavia peered up at it with everyone else. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah yeah." With a sudden bang, a solid wedge of stone hit the ground a few feet ahead of them. Vinyl climbed to her hooves from where she had been pinned. "Got it!"

Bullette clopped eagerly. "Congratulations! What did you get?"

Vinyl grinned triumphantly as something floated up beside her. It looked like a little metal box, dinged and caved in.

No Name squinted at it. "Ya sure whatever's in there isn't busted apart?"

"Nope!" She hastily began to climb down from her perch, hopping from one platform to the next. "But I'm ready to find out." She set the box down in front of everyone and gestured at it. "I present..." Her magic glowed around it and she just frowned, grunting softly with some unseen effort. "It's locked, figures."

No Name casually knocked it over with a kick of a hoof. "More than one way ya can get in..." He glanced back at Bullette. "Any reason I shouldn't?"

"None detected." Bullette nodded rapidly. "Proceed!"

He put his considerable mass behind it, the metal groaning and buckling under the pressure.  With a sudden pop, the case's latch came loose, the box falling open and his hoof almost falling in, pulled back at just the last minute. "There ya go."

Vinyl grinned triumphantly. "Let's see what hides within!" She lifted up the box and held out a hoof, turning it upside to spill out its contents.

A broken strand of metal spilled out over her hoof, some of it falling off into the ash. Among the tangled coils was a centerpiece. "Huh, pretty." She held up what had once been the center ornament of an amulet. It was a soft blue color, cut into the shape of a heart.

Octavia sighed gently. "I imagine that once brought a pony a great deal of happiness..."

"And now they are dead." Vinyl casually stuffed it into No Name's saddlebag. "And now it will bring us some happiness."

Bullette suddenly played a victorious little jingle from deep inside her. "Mission not complete." She pointed at Octavia. "Firearms detected."

Vinyl cocked a brow at Octavia. "You're hiding guns on us now? When will the shady dealings end?"

"Ha ha, very funny." Octavia pointed in vaguely the direction she remembered. "It's down there, somewhere. Maybe one, maybe more. Belle seems to think there should be many available."

Vinyl tilted her head. "Is that what the goggles were for?"

"Error!" Belle pointed in a subtly different direction, but her hoof kept wobbling left and right along a precise horizontal line. "The first record is along that direction. A second record is required for triangulation. Let us begin!"

Octavia nodded at Vinyl. "In reply to your question, yes. These goggles allow for... knowledge. I am starting to understand it now. Old things, weighty things. They have power in them that I can draw out." She reached turned and poked her nose in her bag, coming out with her doll and figurine. "One of these is a bridge between places, of callings and responses. A pony once held it dearly, dreaming of reaching out to exotic places, and drawing them close."

Vinyl shook her head. "You're sounding like Pinkie after a few too many drinks of the good stuff. You sure about that?"

"Absolutely." She lifted the doll a bit higher, balanced on her hooves. "This one echoes the struggle of life and death and the flow of both. For some, she was fear, for others, salvation. This duality echoes in her magic and what I can draw from her."

"Searching databanks." Bullette frowned a little as little clicks emanated from within her. "Magic type detected: occult." She brought her hooves together in a metallic clang. "The rarest type! Congratulations!"

Vinyl pointed a hoof up at her own face. "Hey, what kind of magic do I use then?"

"Arcane," replied Bullette without a delay.

"Is... that rare?"

"Negative." Bullette shook her head softly with a sad downturn in her voice. "Apologies."

Vinyl wrinkled her nose. "Well, whatever. My magic heals people and makes people rock harder." She turned to Octavia. "Rarity isn't everything."

"Don't let her hear you say that." Octavia smirked a little.

"That... was awful." Vinyl laughed despite it and shook her head. "I didn't think you had it in you. Alright, let's have that magic and find our way to those guns."

Octavia set her other implements away with a soft nod. "Very well. This one has the advantage of not needing to be constantly put away." She glanced up, though she could only see part of the goggles from her vantage point. "Wearing them seems to work just fine."

"Show us how good they are." Vinyl wobbled a hoof. "I already found something. Your turn, Tavi."

Octavia took a slow breath and went still. As they watched her, Vinyl glanced up at No Name. "Hey, how valuable is the thing I found anyway?"

No Name seemed to consider it a moment. "Well, kinda low on the utility sida things, but it's shiny. Shiny's still a value."

Bullette bobbed her head. "Merchants will trade for it to trade to people with too much influence and insufficient logic ability. Estimated value in diamond dust, 3 grams."

"Boo-yeah!" She pumped a hoof in victory. "How much did we use getting everypony all healed up?"

Bullette began ticking with calculation. Octavia woke from her trance before the answer came. "That way." She pointed in a new, still downward, direction.

Bullette shook her head. "Initiating triangulation." Her previous calculation was rudely cast aside. "Plotting point... It is..." She pointed. "That way, 300 feet."

Octavia smiled gently. "Three hundred? Well, we'd  best be moving then."

Vinyl walked with the others towards the theoretical goodies. "So, it's, uh, all underground? Think there's a basement we have to get into or something?"

"Or somethin'" agreed No Name. "It's probably buried. We'll haveta dig, or find something that ain't want t' be found. Don't like it. If she could cast a spell to find it, why wouldn't no one else do it? Has to be a reason."

Bullette clopped her forehooves. "Magic file #283-AF-6. Certain materials can interfere with the operation of divination magic. Lead is the most notable and effective of materials. A thin foil of lead is sufficient to interfere with most attempts at divination."

Octavia nodded softly as she followed. "Alright, so... why was I able to find something?"

"I can answer that." Vinyl had a big grin. "And I ain't even an expert. It's still metal, metal that's, you know, hundreds of years old. It probably just peeled away a little, just enough for little Octavia's magic to slip in through the cracks and bam! Guns!"

No Name arched a brow. "Huh, that could explain it. It was all nice and safe from thieves... until it wasn't no more. Let's get it before the next group shows up to claim it."

They arrived at a broken plate of cement that was, at one time, the foundation of a building. It was razed to the ground, with not even the remnants of walls remaining. Bullette was pointing directly down.

Vinyl frowned at the pointing hoof, then the slab of broken concrete they had to work with. "Yeah... So where's the way in?"

No Name pulled free his stop sign. "Reckon it's right here."

Octavia blinked softly. "Will you just... begin digging, through cement?"

"Nah." He walked to the edge of the slab and drove the sign into the dirt there, starting to slowly make a hole. "Either it keeps going," spoke a snake, unimpeded by his busy mouth. "Or, you know, it doesn't. Kinda hoping it doesn't."

Vinyl thrust a hoof at Bullette. "You have a gun that can punch through the dirt for us? You have all kinds of weapons, right?"

"Negative." She shook her head quickly. "Any weapon that would be of assistance in this matter is locked to purple level threats. Access denied!"

Octavia drew out her figurine. "Please lend your assistance," she begged, holding it aloft. Little bits of dirt began to lift and toss themselves aside, an unseen presence silently helping No Name if one discounted the sounds of the dirt itself.

"Yeah yeah, I'm on it." Vinyl moved up next to No Name with a glowing horn and began scooping out dirt with him, allowing the hole to grow deeper all the faster. The cement slab continued down as the hole got deeper and wider. Bullette joined them, digging like a dog with paddling forehooves to help dislodge and move the earth. Octavia was the only one not actively digging.

"I'll keep a watch." She looked around slowly. "You wouldn't want to be surprised."

"Yeah, sure..." Vinyl rolled her eyes behind her goggles. "We could be jumped at any moment..."

"Probability low... but not zero." Bullette nodded. "Sensory data obscured by activity. Continue monitoring, Octavia."

Octavia smiled gently. "I thought my idea had some merit to it, hmm?" She settled on the slab, seated on her haunches as she looked around, scanning the horizon for trouble.

No Name brought down his sign in a terrific swing and it hit the dirt and kept right on going. He stumbled forward with the momentum, giving a chorus of a yelp as he crashed through the hollow dirt into the darkness below. A great thud emanated a moment later. "Ow..."

Bullette hopped up and down in place. "Error! Initiate rescue protocols." She circled in place without getting much done.

Vinyl set a hoof on Bullette's metal back. "Hey, calm down. He's alright. Ain't ya?" she shouted out the last part into the hole he had found.

"Yeah... fine..." drifted back up, sounding pained but awake and coherent.

Octavia rose to her hooves. "Do you have rope down there?"

"I do, but it needs to be up there!" came his bellowed voice. "Any ideas how to get it from one place to the other?"

"I do." Octavia gestured downwards. "Go get it from him," she spoke more gently, only to raise back into a shout, "Hold out the rope. Something will take it from you."

Her unseen force promptly stepped into the hole. There was a new smaller thud a moment later. Octavia blinked softly. "I thought it floated..."

"It landed on me," complained No Name from below. "Uh, it took the rope, but it's not going anywhere."

Octavia put a hoof to her face. "If it can't fly, it can't return... so much for that idea."

Bullette leaned in over the darkness, squinting into it. "Objective sighted. Initiating retrieval." She held out a hoof a moment before flames rocketed out of the hoof towards her, propelling the hoof down into the darkness. She twisted her entire body as if leading the arm in its journey and a moment later it came zooming out, split in half with the rope dangling on the metal connection between the two halves of her hoof.

She held out the stump of her arm and the hoof landed where it began, clicking into place as the rope fell in front of her. "Mission success!" she sang out in a joyful tune.

Vinyl's glowing horn took hold of the rope and passed it up towards Octavia. "Go tie it somewhere nice and secure."

"On it." She grabbed it in her mouth and hurried away She found the corner of the next house and ran around the projection of cement, securing the rope as quickly as she could. "Alright, can he climb out?"

"Why would he do that?" Vinyl shrugged before she hopped right in, sliding down the rope with an enthusiastic 'Whee!' that grew lower as it descended into the pit.

"Fun detected!" Belle was only a moment later, sliding down the rope with an excited, "Whee!" to accompany.

Octavia returned to the hole to see the rope dangling down into the darkness, with none of her friends in sight. "Well... that's... one way. How do we plan to get back out of there when we're done?"

Vinyl's voice echoed from below, "you  just keep your pretty eyes out for trouble. We'll go get the guns and be right back. Won't be any trouble."

"Ah like how you just, ya know, assume that." No Name huffed softly. "Speaking of that, spare a little touch up, in case we run into something that really wants a piece?"

"Yeah yeah." She placed a hoof on his side. "By the powers of rock, be restored to adorn the cover of future records!" With a bright pulse, some of the hurt of his tumble was eased away.

Belle scrambled back up to her usual spot on his back. "Resume adventure." She pointed into the darkness. "The next stage is there."

Vinyl frowned a little. "Next stage?" She stepped forward into the gloominess that became utter darkness, bonking her nose right up on a metal door. "Oh, found it! Hey, No Name, could you open this like you opened the box?"

"I can try." He let out a soft breath as he lumbered forward. "Can't make no promises or nothin', but I'll give it a shot."

"Just be careful down there," came Octavia's worried tones. "If I see anything up here, I'll give a call, otherwise assume I'm just fine."

"You got it, Tavi!" She nudged against No Name lightly. "It's our turn to be heroes. She had her shot finding this place."

"Yes! Friendship is equal responsibility." Belle bobbed her head rapidly. "Initiate opening!"

No Name leaned in and felt around a moment. "It has a knob, pony style." He closed his teeth around it and gave it a slow turn.

The door exploded towards him, blown free of its hinged in a great exhaust of flames and force. The door slid over him, crumpling with the impact even as he shouted in pain. With a low thud, it crashed to the ground, half-wrapped around him, but with no force remaining in it.

"Be wary of traps," noted Belle unhelpfully. "Probability, 78%."

"Yeah, thanks." No Name took a slow step back, letting the metal fall completely to the ground.

"That looked like it really hurt... Stay still and let me help make that better." Vinyl shoved the metal away with a grunt of mental effort before she placed her hooves on No Name, bidding him to be restored with the power of rock.

They had just barely gotten into the secret cache, and already they were burning through their healing resources.

Surely it couldn't get worse.