Fast Shadow's charge came to a sudden halt. She hadn't stopped. She was, in fact, moving faster than before, but it was straight down. The ground beneath her had given out as earth exploded upwards as if the world had detonated beneath her, leaving her to fall between the disintegrating chunks of rocks.
She desperately pedaled her hooves before she found a larger rock on the way down. It crumbled as soon as she tried to push off of it, but she ran right through it into another, larger rock that didn't collapse under the pressure. She jumped just before it struck the ground that was thankfully there.
She landed with a heavy grunt, having survived the fall, The stones were coming back down, raining in a pelting of earthen hail. "By Blaze's fiery beard..." She pushed ahead through it, towards the other noise she could hear.
No Name was not mounted by Bullette. He wore her as the weapons platform she was designed to be. He ducked around a lashed tendril of debris and junk, the thing they fought casually incorporating bits of dirt and stone into its furious assault.
"Innocent detected," spoke his half-armor. "Heavy weapons disabled."
"Aw, damn it. This really... isn't the time." No Name scrambled away from the calmly pursuing equine figure.
"Give it back." It had not changed its approach, coming closer with those glowing red eyes born of nothing but the petty fury that comprised it.
The bunker they were in was reduced to a burnt shell. It was clearly resting on a much larger structure. Whatever it was made of resisted Belle's explosion, standing as a metal cube in the revealed crater around it. "Give it back."
"Do you think this counts as 'minimum safe distance?" Vinyl stood at the lip of the new crater. "Looks like it to me."
Octavia shook her head softly. "Are you making a joke at a time like this? They look like they're in real trouble down there."
Fast Shadow closed the distance at a hurried scramble, swinging her strange spear up with a casual twist of her side as she came. "Not sure what that is or what you did to get it going, but I won't let it join the wastes. We have enough horrors out here, thank you."
The spear sparked and crackled violently as Fast's eyes flared just as brightly as if she were powering it with some kind of internal power. "Go back to Hell and tell them we aren't interested!"
"Bloody hell, she's unhinged!" No Name backed away from her just as quickly as he had the undead monster pursuing him.
Fast Shadow paid no mind to his worried call, crashing into the sandy creature spear first. The electricity flared and exploded against it. The creature shrieked and backed up a step. "Give it back," it moaned as if in bitter cry against an unfair world.
"Elemental vulnerability detected," noted Bullette as she began to reform into her filly shape, pulling back together on top of No Name. "Employ electrical attacks."
"Oh, sure, I'll just... ask the clouds to get with the lightnin'." No Name frowned at the two fighting. "Or we could get the heck away?"
"Invalid tactic." Bullette crossed her arms. "We must assist!"
"Can you zap it?"
"Affirmative! Get closer." She struck her hooves together, power crackling between them powerfully. "Ready!"
Vinyl squinted through the dust to where the action was. "She's pretty good..." She watched as Fast drew out a shield just in time to deflect an incoming spray of glass and rocks. She was holding it clenched tight in her teeth and twisting about to drive her strange spear at the creature.
Neither side was surprised by the other, causing the fight to become more of a dead lock as both parried and swung, trying to find a weak point to attack.
A soft whicker got Vinyl's attention, glancing up at the big horse that Fast had left with them. "Oh, hey there. It's alright, she wouldn't have wanted you falling down there." The horse chuffed softly as if agreeing with the idea.
With a roaring hiss, No Name charged the thing. The creature paid him no mind, confident in his lack of ability to deal any real damage.
That opinion proved incorrect as Bullette clopped her hooves on either side of the thing's head on the way past, electricity lighting the battlefield in a deadly display. Bullette flopped against No Name as he charged past. "Recharging," she weakly noted, riding him limply.
"Give it back." The structure that made it up wasn't as complete as once it had been, bits of dust falling away even as others were grabbed as if it were desperately trying to keep its insides in the right place and only partially succeeding.
"I'll give you back," grunted out Fast as she drove her spear into the chest of the momentarily staggered beast. Light and crackling flared across the battlefield as she pressed forward, preventing it from backing away and keeping the electrified spear in contact with it. "There's nothing for you here. Go away."
With a wordless howl, the equine dispersed. Fast turned away from the beast towards No Name. "It's not often I rescue something your... size?"
"Ain't so sure I'm 'rescued' just yet." He pointed past Fast.
Behind her, the dispersed glass and dirt was coming together in a whirling maelstrom, a tornado of pure malice that began to swirl towards her. "Give it back." Its words were literal whispers on the wind, easy to miss among the more pressing noises of its angry swirling. "Give it back."
"What did you take from the thing?" squeaked out Fast as she danced away from it before she could be drawn into its violent eddies. "Stubborn tornado, we're not giving you anything!"
"Affirmative," cried Bullette, looking recovered. "Resume electro-therapy!"
"Yeah yeah..." No Name circled the thing in a spiraling approach, trying to put the monster between himself and his 'savior'. "Can you even pin a tornado?" He wasn't sure, but he tried anyway. The closer he got, the more grit began to be kicked up, abrasing against his every softer portion harder the closer he came. "Sure wish I had some damn goggles about now."
Octavia nudged Vinyl gently. "Shouldn't you be singing them some sort of battle song?"
"Oh yeah!" She hopped over the lip of the hole, her magic flipping her headphones around to face outwards. "I'm comin'! You can't fight properly without a slamming soundtrack to do it to."
Fast lifted an ear as a new noise joined the struggle. Electronic music was approaching rapidly. As it came close enough to hear clearly, she could feel a new power welling up in her. She smiled viciously at the swirling eddies. "It seems we have more allies." She didn't bother to offer a chance to withdraw or flee to the seemingly mindless opponent, instead charging directly for its center with her crackling spear at the ready.
No Name chuckled wryly as the sound of Vinyl's music reached him. "Cavalry's here." He charged ahead towards the center of the thing. "Do your thing, Bullette!"
"Affirmative," she cried, voice warbling wildly as she reached out with two crackling hooves. She shoved them into the body of the living tornado and seemed to be jolted, ears twitching. "Electrical interference detected!"
The electricity angrily pouring from her hooves met and mingled with Fast's thrust polearm. The entire tornado began to glow with the combined and mingling power. Electricity arced wildly in different directions as if it were being swirled about as readily as any speck of glass or stone.
"Give... it... back..." sighed out the voice, fading as the air began to calm and disperse. Bits of dust fell to the ground around them, leaving them heaving, but victorious.
Fast twisted herself, her spear ceasing its crackling and sparking. "Alright... So... what did you do?" She pointed over at the exposed cube. "That's going to kill the first curious person to come to the area. Who are you all?"
Vinyl turned down her music and flipped it back onto her ears. "Yo. We already met. I'm Vinyl Scratch."
No Name raised a brow. "And you're unhinged."
Fast snorted softly. "And you have literal snakes in your mouth that talk for you. You have so little room to be eyeing me like I'm the freak here. Now, your name?"
Octavia slid down the edge of the crater, the horse following after her with seemingly more sure hooves than she had.
Bullette raised a hoof. "Fast Shadow, searching..." She frowned a little. "File found?"
"That ain't so sure." No Name arched a brow back at his companion. "What's with that?"
Vinyl waved at No Name. "Big guy's No Name. The cute filly there is Bullette Belle, a perfectly normal filly for her age."
Fast's brows went up together. "Perfectly normal," she echoed with uncertainty. "Nice to meet you now that our lives are not being directly threatened. What are we doing about that?" She gestured at the exposed piece of military bunker. "That will kill people, no doubts about it."
Bullette pointed at Fast. "I remember a poster. You were on it."
Fast tilted her head a little. "A poster? That's flattering..."
"This was before the Blaze." Bullette frowned, her voice lowering in octaves. "Error..."
No Name shrugged softly. "I don't remember no Fast Shadow."
Fast shrugged softly. "I didn't pick my name. Anyway, that isn't getting us out of this hole. Sure Step!" She smiled as her horse came close. "Big oaf, you could've waited for me." She closed the distance and gently hugged her horse, making the little nonsensical happy noises pet owners were known to make when around their beloved animal.
The horse seemed content to accept the affection and return a few nuzzles and nips, tugging at her mane and ear in a way that could have been painful, but Fast didn't seem to mind in the slightest.
Bullette clopped her hooves. "Friendship detected. Friendship file created for Fast Shadow. Friendship file created for Sure Step."
Octavia caught up with Sure Step, breathing a little harder than usual. "Is everypony alright?" She looked from person to person before nudging Vinyl. "Do you have anymore healing power?"
"Tapped out." Vinyl shrugged softly. "Even us rock goddesses can only jam out so much in a day. It takes it out of you. I vote we get away from here and back towards town."
No Name snorted softly. "Look, this ain't our problem, and beyond what we can fix. I say we get out of here." He pointed back towards Turves. "We tell them what happened. If someone with more experience and power wants to come storming in here, well, they'll do it pre-warned. Otherwise, not our problem."
Octavia frowned at the exposed segment of the cube. "Is there some... way we could bury it again?"
Fast snorted at that. "I should think not, without weeks of effort, or countless years of natural action." She sighed softly. "I'm afraid No Name here is correct. We either push ahead and explore it, or we get out of here, and I came here to check on you all, not go nose-first into danger, which I did anyway." She rolled her eyes. "Why do you two seem... familiar." She looked to Vinyl and Octavia. "There's something about you two..."
No Name stepped between the two mares and Fast. "They ain't from around here. Anyway, you did your good favor. Thanks."
Bullette suddenly bopped him on the head. "Incorrect friendship behavior."
"She's unhinged, dangerous, and--"
Vinyl lifted a hoof. "This is the part where you tell us what 'unhinged' means. So far I know, it means nuts, and she hasn't really struck me as nuts besides being willing to come save your big butt."
Fast let out a slow breath. "The unhinged are those touched by the power of Everglow itself." She bumped her spear with a hoof. "It lets me power my electrolance here." It crackled to life a moment. "It keeps me from being ripped to shreds too easily. It also makes me dangerous."
No Name nodded. "Emphasis on that last bit. It's power, pure and simple. You know what power does."
Bullette proceeded to bonk him once more, striking him with her hoof. "I am powerful."
"Yeah, but I know you..."
Bullette pointed to Fast. "Begin accruing friendship points!"
Fast smiled thinly. "Let's get out of this hole. I think we can all agree with that goal." She reared up onto two legs just to jump up, swinging herself into position on top of her horse. She ran a hoof gently along his neck. "The crater's not too steep, we should be able to just walk out."
The group began to move, ascending the walls of broken stone. They knew they had reached the top when they began to step on ash instead of pulverized stone and dirt. They had returned to the ashen wastelands. Octavia was the first to pull herself back up over the lip. "Despite the words of my companion, I am quite grateful for your presence, Miss Shadow. Thank you for your timely assistance."
"A pleasure to help such a polite mare." She glared at No Name, her eyes about equal with his while mounted on her horse. "Did I get your name?"
"Octavia." She dipped her head. "We were just trying to pay back a debt we incurred with the town of Turves."
Fast perked both ears. "How did you end up in debt to an entire town rather than a given person?"
Sure Step snorted as if in agreement of that being surprising, or perhaps in response to his rider's emotional state.
No Name shrugged softly. "They sprang for our medical bills. These two insist we even that ledger out right away, so here we are."
"I can appreciate that thought." Fast smiled gently at the two mares. "Are you going back to Turves then? Just as well. I had meant to resupply."
Vinyl lifted an ear as she began to trot towards Turves, leaving the bunker's secrets behind. "Do you live there?"
"I should imagine not." Fast tossed her head in No Name's direction. "People get nervous around the unhinged. I can only help from the outside. They let me come in and trade once in a while, so long as I keep moving afterwards."
Octavia frowned at that, walking along aside Sure Step. She didn't try to look at Fast Shadow, far above her. "That's not reasonable at all. You're a hero and a good pony. People should be delighted to have you as a neighbor."
No Name shrugged softly. "If it wasn't fer Long Shot being there, I woulda been kicked out too. She didn't stand up for you, Fast?"
"She might have wanted to." Fast arched a brow. "If I let her, that is. I don't want to strain the town, and I don't need to settle down."
No Name chuffed suddenly. "That's what I said! She got me anyway..."
Fast suddenly smiled naughtily. "Maybe she likes her stallions large." Sure Step snorted softly.
Vinyl broke out into laughter. "While that's funny, I doubt it. She, uh, they don't do... anything?"
"Not that it's your business," grumbled No Name as he walked along.
Octavia shook her head softly. "Let's not linger on the relationships of people who are not ourselves." She glanced aside at the big horse. "I... what is that? They are... not a pony, I gather?"
Fast gently stroked Sure Step's neck. "Sure here? He's a horse. Related to ponies, not as... clever, but faster, bigger, stronger, and more delicate. I keep him healthy and fed, he carries me around and helps protect me. We're partners, right?" Sure Step whickered in reply, sounding affirmative.
Vinyl circled around the back of Sure Step. "He's a whole lot of equine. Sorta like No Name, minus the snakes and not as talkative. Heya, Sure Step."
Sure Step leaned over and lipped Vinyl's ear the moment she was in range, drawing a squeal of giggles from the mare. "Oh, wow! He's affectionate too. Where can I get one?!"
Fast raised a brow. "Have you ever had a pet before? They are a tremendous responsibility. If you get one solely for what it may bring you, you are consigning it to misery. Caring for them is an unending task." She squeezed with her hind legs gently, steering her mount. "It is rewarding, but to see it as less than a duty will not suffice."
Octavia smirked at her friend. "Do you remember the plant you purchased?"
"You're gonna bring that up?! It's not my fault!"
Octavia rolled her eyes. "You watered it approximately twice over the span of a month. If Fluttershy hadn't seen it wilting in the window, it would surely have perished."
Bullette raised a hoof just to level it at Vinyl. "Irresponsible."
Vinyl gasped dramatically. "You too?! Aw, everyone's against the Scratch getting an awesome horse..."
"Horses are expensive," noted No Name, glancing aside at the beast that rivaled him for size. "Expensive to buy, expensive to keep. Miss Shadow here must be doing pretty well for herself if she can have one."
Fast twitched her pink tail lightly. "I work hard for the continued ability to do that. Fortunately for me, there are many wrongs to right, and scraps of decency that cause trade goods to fall into my hooves. When that fails, there are places like the one we just left. Speaking of..."
She looked aside at No Name, veering her horse in closer. "Those guns you have attached to you appear to be suspiciously... mint. Pre-Blaze?"
"Yeah..." No Name edged a little further away, but Fast casually kept her horse veering to keep up. "What about 'em?"
"I risked my hide saving the lot of you. One of those would be a perfectly equitable trade?" She rolled a hoof towards the three guns. "That leaves two for the rest of you. Not an unreasonable trade, I should think."
No Name looked ready to unleash into an angry torrent, but Bullette beat him to the punch with a thrust hoof. "Unacceptable!" she sang, smiling. "We should liquidate the goods into more easily traded materials, then shares can be alloted."
Fast raised a brow. "You're lucky I prefer smaller guns to big long arms like those." She leaned over, peering at the guns. "Gorgeous... Make sure you get a good price on them."
Vinyl bumped into Sure Step, almost getting stomped on for her trouble. "Woah! Hey, you use that big... spear thingie, why do you like small guns?"
Fast shook her head. "It's not obvious? Small guns I can hold in my mouth. Large guns are harder to use. The electrolance works just fine resting on my side as it does. I have a friend who prefers large guns attached to themselves, the larger, the better..."
"She sounds like my kinda mare." Vinyl grinned at the mental image. "Is she around here?"
"Her name is Sonja." Fast nodded softly. "You never know exactly where she is, much like myself. Perhaps the Author will decide our narratives will cross, but the odds are against it."
Octavia narrowed her eyes a moment. "Author?"
"Another pony god," provided No Name with a shrug. "They got a lot of them. Not as many as humans though. Humans make them up for every little thing. Kinda crazy if you ask me. Like we need that many."
Vinyl tilted her head. "Make them up? If they're gods, aren't they the ones making things up?" She shrugged her shoulders. "Or do I got the idea of gods backwards or something?"
"Dawn Event would love this conversation..." Fast smiled wistfully as she rode along. "That is a heavy topic that you could debate for a lifetime with scarcely any progress found at the end of it. I prefer to place my faith where I feel comfortable. I walk in The Brilliance's warmth, hoping for a return of the sun. The Author weaves an interesting life for me. She decided I should meet you four, and here we are."
Octavia scoffed at that. "You decided to meet us, and that decision is one I am personally grateful for. It seems demeaning to negate that decision by saying some other force beyond us made it for you."
"That I can agree with." No Name nodded lightly. "Ya decided to come check things out. That's on you, not anyone else."
"Friendship points accrued," agreed Bullette with a happy bobbing of her head. "What is your favorite color?"
Fast blinked at the sudden question. "I find myself partial to shades of red. Why?"
Bullette bobbed her head. "Red is a pleasing portion of the spectrum," she agreed with hesitation. "I like pink." She pointed at Fast's bouncing mane. "Your mane is a nice shade."
Fast colored faintly, laughing at the compliment. "Thank you, Bullette was it? Your mane is... very aesthetically appealing."
Bullette gasped in several octaves at once. "Thank you!" She looked positively radiant at the precise praise she received. "What do you enjoy doing when survival requirements have been satisfied?"
Fast considered that with a frown. "It may feel counter-intuitive, but I enjoy sparring. I especially love teaching. If I can beat a few educational bruises into some young warrior so they don't get murdered later, that's a day well spent." She patted her spear with her left hoof. "Better a rude jolt from me than being run through or filled with bullets."
Vinyl made a face. "Wait, does that thing come in settings other than 'electrocute the snot out of it'?"
Fast nodded. "I can strike to stun. It's painful, but leaves no lasting harm. Would you like to try it?"
Vinyl hopped away. "Thanks but naaaaahhhh."
The dim light of day began to fade. Night was coming and the group slowed. Fast slipped down from Sure Step and began the process of feeding and watering her beloved horse.
Octavia and Vinyl worked together to get the tent erected, with No Name driving in the stakes that would keep the tent from blowing away in the case of strong winds.
Not to be left out, Bullette got a small fire going in a circle of stones. She clopped her hooves when the fire started properly. "You may initiate the processing of edibles," she sang joyfully.
Fast settled beside Bullette. "I don't often bother starting a fire, it draws trouble. Still, since it's here... why don't we pass the time amiably?"
Vinyl tilted her head a little. "How do you figure we do that?"
"We can tell ghost stories." Fast nodded softly. "You two look like you may have a new one or two." She glanced between Vinyl and Octavia. "I'll start, to be polite."
Evening became night as they shared tales of creepy things. They were not tales of direct threats. They had enough of those in the waking hours. No, ghost stories appropriate to share in the wastes were of more subtle menaces that stalked and unnerved.
Octavia stroked her instrument case gently. "That was when she realized, gazing into that mirror, that there was no monster. She was the monster, and she could see in her own eyes that she was still hungry."
Fast clopped her hooves lightly. "Delightfully intimidating. I would not wish that fate on anyone. No Name, do you have a story to share?"
He huffed a little sigh. "None I want to repeat. Belle?"
"Yes!" She bounced up to her hooves. "Initiate background music." From within her came eerie and warbly music to set the mood.
Vinyl laughed at that, her horn glowing as she switched tracks. "Here." She flipped them around and filled the air with better quality spooky music. "There you go."
Belle's music faded. "Thank you. There was once a little colt..." She began her exactingly precise tale, her little hooves waving wildly.