"Before we go further." He reached into the darkness and lightly bopped Vinyl on the head. "Use that horn you have and get some light in here. It ain't just fer show."
"Oh yeah." Light blue light began to fill the room from her glowing horn. "There we go."
Bullette's simulated irises narrowed slightly. "Deactivating high-sensitivity sensors; color detected."
Vinyl perked an ear at the metal pony. "How? I mean, sure, things get more grey in the dark, but that didn't sound like that."
"Negative," agreed Bullette, pointing ahead from the back of her mount. "Proceed!"
"You heard the filly." No Name dared to advanced, looking around suspiciously. With the light he could see that they were entering what appeared to be a shelter of some sort. "Someone thought they could ride out the worst of it..." He glanced to the left. "Guess it worked, sorta."
"It did?" Vinyl slipped in under him, easily scooting between his massive legs to get into the room. "Woah." There was a dead pony, not skeletal, but not fully fleshed either. Like a mummy, it was shriveled and dry looking, curled with one hoof reaching out for something it would never actually get to. "Yeah... guess it did..."
"Weapon detected!" Bullette pointed to a rack that seemed to hold a small collection of rifles fitted for equine use.
"Ain't touchin' that." No Name shook his head. "Guy was nuts enough to trap the door headin' out. Why wouldn't he trap his guns?"
Vinyl advanced on the rack. "That's easy. He was probably scared someone would try and come in and get 'em. They never did, but he'd want to be able to get these." Without fear, she grabbed a gun in her magic and yanked it off the rack. Nothing exploded. "See?" She turned back to No Name, holding the gun high. "Now we have sweet loot."
No Name wobbled a hoof in her direction. "Check if it has any bullets. Bullette, is this what you were predicting?"
"Negative! While valuable, there should... be more."
He didn't ask how she knew. He just nodded softly. "Right. Keep lookin' around."
Vinyl began poking and prodding at the gun, eventually getting it open. "Nothing." She grabbed the other two and flipped them open. "Nothing. Empty." She floated them towards No Name. "Still valuable, right?"
"You have no idea." He gestured towards his saddlebag. "Don't try to cram those in there, just tuck them under the straps."
"You got it." She soon adorned No Name with the three rifles. "So how many grams are we talking here? 10? 20? You never told me how many we owe."
"Estimated usage: 15 grams." Bullette tilted her head. "I am not aware of the value of these firearms."
"I bet my friend back in Turves would know." He thought of the griffon that had repaired Bullette. "Still, they're new, not made of junk, and don't look rusted. Gotta be worth somethin', maybe a lot of somethin'."
Vinyl hiked a brow at the set strapped to No Name. "Are you saying we did it? We have enough?"
"Good chance."
Vinyl shrugged. "Well, great, but..." She gestured further into the bunker. "Whatever we leave is probably getting taken before anyone we know comes to check it out. So we either finish checking this place out, or give it all up."
"Well, ah wasn't gonna say otherwise." No Name stepped around the body lightly, glancing around. "Shoot... They could send a whole team that knows what they're doing and probably get so much." He nudged against the cold display of something electronic on the way past. "We don't even know what we're lookin' at. I'd guess that's a radio though. Wonder what he was listenin' to."
Bullette tilted her head at the dessicated body. "Gender non-confirmed. Power required for proper identification." She suddenly bounced down from No Name and sprang right back up to grab the little box. "Initiating power transfer."
Vinyl thrust out a hoof. "Hey, careful! I don't want my favorite little filly getting hurt."
No Name's snout wrinkled a bit. "What she said. You sure that's safe?"
"No." A wire slipped free of her hoof and plugged into the box on the side.
It's front panel glowed softly as numbers appeared. Static emitted from it in a soft hiss of snow. "Identity confirmed. Radio detected. Initiating sweep." The display showed its station changing rapidly from one side to the other. It stopped quite suddenly. There was no static, but also no music or someone talking.
It was beeping. Soft and steady beeps at different lengths but the same tone and everything else.
Vinyl squinted at it. "Why's it beeping horse code at us?"
No Name cocked a brow. "I wouldn't have guessed you'd know that."
Vinyl snorted up at him. "What, just because I like to rock I can't know things?"
Bullette was not replying, tapping a hoof in time with the beeps. Vinyl noticed it with a tilt of her head. "Is she translating?"
"Translating?" Bullette seemed to come around, bouncing to her hooves. "Is it not a song to be enjoyed?"
No Name reached to put a hoof on her little head. "Suppose it could be, but it also means somethin'."
Bullette set the radio down carefully and it continued beeping despite not being connected to her. Vinyl smiled a little. "It had a battery? Great."
"It does, but it is of minimal functionality." Bullette gestured at the radio. "Expect no more than ten minutes of operation."
"Huh, that might be--" No Name didn't get to finish his thought, the radio suddenly smoking dangerously before catching on fire in a cheerful little bonfire of melting plastic.
Vinyl grabbed it with her magic and tossed it in a barren little corner where nothing else could catch fire by the blaze. "Maybe it was more worn down than you thought."
"Incorrect voltage used," sadly intoned Bullette. "It's battery was unable to withstand the strain. "
No Name inclined his head towards it. "No selling that then, but do you have the beeps it was making memorized by chance?"
"Affirmative. Beep beep ... beep ... beep beep," Bullette began reciting the beeps and pauses faithfully. "Then it repeats. I thought it was the refrain."
Vinyl kicked the flaming radio until it was out, smoking fitfully. "Good job. That means we can still translate it... if we knew the code. Hey, Bullette, do you have a radio?"
"Affirmative." From within her came Duck's excited voice.
"That was a D U K special, Duck in the house! With his new and awesome co-DJ."
"Quarter Inch, turning the bolts on your heart!" came the gnome's excited voice.
"Quack! As guardians of Turves' friendship quota, we'll start a little song that'll bring warmth to the coldest hearts."
"It's really cheerful!"
Their voices were gone, replaced with the peppy and rapid-tempo music.
Octavia's voice drifted in from above, "did I just hear Duck down there?"
"Just a radio," shouted Vinyl back at her. "How are things up there?"
"Just fine. Nothing's moving, just the way we hope it continues. Everything alright down there?"
"Affirmative!" Bullette bounced in place before focusing on Vinyl. "Why did you inquire on my radio abilities?"
"Can you send, or just receive?" She brought her forehooves together. "Could you send something to Duck? I have a hunch he or his duck friend may know the code."
"Negative," she sadly denied, head sagging for just a moment. "Radio does not operate in that fashion. Any signal sent will be received in all directions."
"Oh, right." Vinyl tilted her head. "Well, just saying hi shouldn't be so bad, right?"
"Affirmative!" There was a brief moment of static from within her. "Broadcasting initiating... now. Hello Duck! Can you hear us? Broadcast end. Playback initiated:" The music from before filled in the space.
The music abruptly stopped. "Woah! We have a broadcast buddy! Quack!"
"I didn't even know we could have those!"
"We can! I bet they're listening. Hiiiii!!! Quack. It sounded like Bullette, my favorite little filly. Are you eating enough bread?"
"Oh, Bullette? Hiya!" greeted Quarter Inch just about as enthusiastically. "Go ahead and talk."
The audio cut off. "I can only receive or transmit, not both at once. Hello! This is Bullette Belle. I am transmitting all detected audio."
Vinyl caught the hint. "Hey Duck, Quarter! Great to hear you two. We have a puzzle for you."
No Name nodded at Bullette. "We'll say 'over' when we're done talkin'. That's how you do that. Over."
Bullette switched to receiving mode at No Name's prompt.
"Oooo, a puzzle?!" excitedly gushed Quarter Inch. "Lay that brain teaser down on us."
"Yes! We are ready to help friends in need. Also hello Vinyl and No Name. Double Quack!"
There was a moment of awkward quiet before Dolan's voice came through. "Over."
Bullette swapped to sending mode, her eyes turning a bright green to help signify the swapping.
Vinyl stepped over to Bullette. "Go ahead and play back the code for them."
"Affirmative." The beeps began to play in faithful reproduction, echoing out for both those around her and across the radio transmission.
Vinyl nodded when it ended. "That's it. What's it mean? Over."
Her eyes flipped from green to yellow. Duck's voice gasped audibly. "Oooo, you found the Wasteland Beep. There's all kinds of them. That one's not far from here. I've heard it before, yes, quack."
"Yes yes! I've heard that one." Quarter Inch clapped eagerly over the broadcast. "'Situation Normal, please send additional canned meat.' They say it comes from military bunkers. Are you near one? Exciting!"
"Over," helpfully supplied Dolan, seeing as the other two would never admit to being done talking.
Yellow turned to red as Bullette Blinked despite having no organic eyes to need such things. "That message is less than optimal for analysis. We are lacking in canned meat."
No Name rolled a hoof a bit. "Alright, so that's really close?"
"Affirmative." Bullette bobbed her head quickly. "Based on signal strength... calculating... within 100 feet."
Vinyl clopped her forehooves down. "Then we have to find what's making that! And it can't be this." She waved around the tiny one-person bunker they were in. "Oh, over."
Red turned to yellow. "--going to find it?!" came Duck's voice, already speaking before the switch-over. "Woah! Be careful, but have fun! Quack."
"I wish I was there," sighed out Quarter. "But a knight must be faithful to her queen, and she had ordered my services elsewhere. I'm with you in heart." There was a low thump. Had she beat her own chest?
"Over."
Yellow turned to red. "Ending transmission. It was nice to hear from both of you. Thank you for your assistance. Friendship points earned." Her red eyes became normal, the radio within her going silent. She looked to the others and held up a hoof. "I must advise against proceeding. A military bunker is danger level ultra-violet."
Vinyl slowly blinked. "I thought purple was the highest."
No Name tilted his head. "We thought that too," spoke one of his snakes in a milder voice in his confusion.
"Military facilities house the most pressing hazards." Her voice wildly modulated in her worry. "I will be unable to protect any of you. We are not prepared for such danger." She thrust a hoof at Vinyl. "This warning is doubled for the lost puppies. Severe injury or death is guaranteed. Do not proceed."
No Name chuckled softly. "Not even 'really likely' or nothin', just 'yeah, this is gonna happen'. I see how it is." He shook his head as he turned for the exit. "If it's that bad, maybe we should just take whatever we can find in here and call it a day. Not like there ain't things worth takin'."
Vinyl wrinkled her nose. "We're sitting on top of a bunch of real treasure and we're just... backing out..." She looked to the shaking Bullette. "Well... alright..." She sighed as she cast her eyes about the room. "You two have put your necks on the line for us plenty already. I won't get snippy that you don't want to do it some more."
Bullette nodded in a single firm motion. "Affirmative. Before the Blaze, they made things that could cause great harm." She went quiet a moment before raising a hoof to direct at herself. "They made me... I am relieved that we will not attempt this action."
Vinyl suddenly tackled Bullette to the ground, hugging the little metal filly tightly. "Don't you even dare to start thinking like that. You're made of 100% awesome!"
No Name casually pulled Vinyl free, sweeping her away with a powerful hoof. "Besides, you ain't 'made'." He set the same hoof on her back. "You were raised by a pony that didn't know what he was doin'."
"You did an acceptable job." She bounced up against No Name, her smile returning. "Now we are stuck with one another. This is an acceptable fate."
"Yeah." They shared a little smile of known hurts.
"What's this?" Vinyl was lifting a mechanical device in her magic. "Is this a can opener?"
"That's exactly what that is." No Name nodded at it. "Take it. It's metal if nothin' else. Someone may want it fer what it is. Any cans around here? That pony had ta eat somethin'."
Vinyl casually tossed it into No Name's saddlebags. "Only empty ones." She kicked over a small pile of them in a great clatter.
No Name frowned a little. "Guess we know how they died then..."
"Insufficient nourishment," agreed Bullette. "Cans have a low weight to value ratio. Seek higher values for optimal carrying capacity use."
"She ain't wrong." No Name stepped through the relatively small room, squinting at what lined the dusty shelves. "No bullets? Guns don't work without 'em. Not much reason they'd be out."
"Pre-Blaze bullets are within optimal value ratio," sang out Bullette as she bounced around, searching for the lost munitions.
Vinyl turned her magic from one curious thing to the next. Many were so old and decayed that they were fairly valueless, crumbling into bits as soon as she handled them a moment. Some were not. With curiosity perked and her eyes wandering, she didn't even notice when her hoof went into a little hole and she toppled over with a pained yelp.
"Aw that hurts..." She muted any curses she might have had in mind, slowly pulling her hoof free of the little hole. "Who puts a hole in the middle of the floor?"
Bullette bounced away from it. "Do not interact!"
No Name hiked a brow. "Why are we scared of a hole?"
Bullette pointed at it. "Likelihood of entrance to ultra-violent danger, 75%"
No Name rolled a hoof. "Or it might be just where they were hiding the bullets."
"Risk reward ratio is unfavorable." Bullette crossed her little arms, squatting on her hind legs. "Do not proceed."
No Name turned away from it with a huff, searching the shelves with his large hooves. "Pity the radio broke, woulda been worth somethin'."
"Just melted junk now." Vinyl nudged the smoldering pile of parts. "Oh well. We can't be that upset; not like we didn't get stuff worth taking. Speaking of that..." She moved over to the body that was just there. "Are we just going to keep pretending this isn't here? I mean, shouldn't we bury it or something?"
No Name hiked a brow. "Time we spend doin' a favor for someone beyond carin' is time we could get jumped."
Bullette nodded in agreement. "That would not be logical."
"Ain't nothing 'logical' about it, just..." She squinted at the long-dead pony. "I wouldn't want to just be left there... just... like this... Least we can do is put them somewhere better. Hay, set them on fire or something. Anything other than just... let them rot in the middle of the floor."
"Don't think there's no rottin' going on."
"Affirmative." Bullette nodded firmly. "Moisture content critically low. Value detected!" She leaned in over the expired pony and reached with her mouth, casually grabbing something attached to the pony's wrist and working it free. "Mission complete!" she sang, the armband, or legband in the case of ponies, dangling from her teeth.
"Hm?" No Name turned to get a better look. "Holy crap on a stick. Is that what I think it is?"
"Affirmative." She paused. "We should confirm our thoughts are in sync. This is a Luminated Assistance Piece, otherwise known as a LAP." She let it drop onto a held out hoof. "Value: Error."
"Error?" Vinyl squinted a little. "The way you were acting, it was... really valuable."
"Affirmative! Its price is beyond known scales."
No Name started moving for the door. "It's time to go."
"Affirmative." She was soon on top of him, dropping the LAP into his saddlebags. "How do we leave?"
There was only the rope still dangling down to leave through.
Vinyl followed them out of the bunker. "Woah, hold on a step there. Why are we leaving all of a sudden."
"This confirms my suspicions." Bullette bobbed her head. "Evacuation is recommended."
"What, did only military people have one of those... whatever they are? What is it? Tell me something!" Vinyl went up to the rope and grabbed it in her teeth, working her way up it as if it wasn't a big deal. "Come on. Ain't they ever made you climb a rope in gym before?"
"Vinyl," came Octavia's relieved voice from above. "You're just in time..."
Bullette tilted her head at her ascending friend, then looked down at her mount. "Proposed action?"
"Didn't figure I'd run into a pony that knew what a gym class was." He snorted softly and grabbed the rope in his mouth. "I'm going to climb by walking," spoke one of his snakes, unbothered by the rope in his mouth.
"Position secured!" sang out Bullette.
Just as he started to try to walk on the wall, placing a hoof up against the dirt, something grabbed one of his ankles. "Give it back," croaked a voice dry as dust. Behind them was the body of the pony that they had left behind. It teeth were on his ankle, not piercing it, but holding it steady. "Give it back..."
"Aw hell no!" He stomped down with his other hind hoof, crushing the head of the thing into so much grit and dust.
Bullette squinting down at it. "Probability of defeat, 25%"
"Really, only 25%? I damn exploded its head and only 25%?"
"Give it back," croaked the voice as the rest of the body fell into the same dust, gathering together into an equine figure, just as thin and emaciated as the original body, its eyes glowing a baleful red shade. "Give it back."
Bullette's hoof began to expand as the attachments to allow it to operate as a flamethrower slid into position. "Initiate combat!"
"What's going on down there?" Vinyl poked her head in from above. "The hay is that thing?!"
"Give it back." It lashed out at No Name's exposed rump with a dusty hoof, leaving razor-like lines of blood in a cruel rake. "Give it back."
"Aw fuckin', I heard you! Damn it all." He released the rope and twisted around to face the thing. "Keep it in yer pants." Not that the thing approaching him had pants or many other things a pony should have. Just spiteful anger.
Octavia pointed to where dust was being kicked up in the wastes, approaching them. "We have our own problems. We either try to hide and hope they pass, or we meet them, or...?"
"Give it back." It struck with surprising swiftness, bashing No Name across the face with the texture of an aggressively thrown bowling ball covered in sandpaper.
Bullette screamed in defiance. as the last tube plugged into place. With a soft click, the flames began, washing over the sandy creature in a great plume of heat.
"Give it back." It did not seem harmed by the fires that lit it up, some of the sand that comprised it fusing into glass and its attack continuing unabated, only growing sharper for the heat applied to it.
"This ain't workin'!" No Name pulled his sign free and brought it down on the sandy foe, forcing it back a precious foot, but causing no lasting injuries that he could see. "Shoulda listened."
"You should have," agreed Bullette. "Danger level: Purple. Permission to unlock?" Her eyes turned to the peeking Vinyl. "Withdraw to a minimum safe distance."
"Mini... Octi, we gotta go." She gave a magical tug at Octavia as she broke into a gallop away from the hole.
"What are you..." Despite her confusion, Octavia got to her own hooves and dashed after Vinyl, trying to catch up to her with a growing frown.
"Give it back." It attacked his sign, abrasing great gouges of the abused paint along with the metal that hid underneath it. No Name did all he could to keep the thing at a distance, slowly edging around it, though there was nowhere to run towards.
Above, both could see the dust drawing close. Vinyl slowed a little for Octavia to catch up. "Look, we're gonna have to deal with that ourselves. They're busy down there, and there isn't any pause on that track list, if you get my meaning."
"No, but I understand enough." Octavia let out a soft breath. "We'll have to handle this reasonably. With any luck, they're just travelers, like us, and they won't want trouble."
The sound of hooves became audible in the air. Not that there weren't already hooves hitting the ash. Whoever was approaching was riding a horse, a real horse. Big, powerful, and not so smart. It bore an equine rider. Attached to the pony's side was a strange pole. A spear? It didn't look like a proper spear, or lance. It was a weapon, they were both fairly sure of.
The pony was female, with flowing pink hair, brown fur, and blue eyes that were partially hidden behind goggles. "You there," she called out in the sylvan tongue. "I am not a brigand. What are you doing here?"
Octavia's expression brightened into a smile. "I'm glad to hear that, miss...?"
"Shadow. Fast Shadow." The mare nodded softly towards Octavia, then Vinyl. "Pleasure to meet you both."
"Uh, hey," greeted Vinyl with a raised brow. "What brings you out here?"
"That voice! Yes, you were talking to Duck, weren't you?" She slid off her horse easily, patting the beast with a gentle pat of her hooves and a few soft words.
Vinyl blinked softly. "You heard that?"
"One of the better things to listen to out here." She approached, her horse trailing behind her. "I heard someone was close to this beep and had to come look. It's dangerous. I'm glad you're both alright."
Octavia glanced back towards where they had left their friends. "We are growing intimately aware of that fact. Our friends are locked in combat with... something."
Fast Shadow scowled at that. "Then we haven't any time to lose. Where are they?" When both mares pointed, Fast Shadow bolted towards the trouble in a spirited gallop.
They were left standing there with Fast's horse. The horse snorted softly, looking at them as if just as annoyed at being left behind as they could be.