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// 39 - It's Nothing 
// Story: Duet in the Dust 
// by David Silver 
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Vinyl was pressed close to Octavia. Crown Shine was on the other side of her, pinning the mare between two ponies that had more than enough affection for any one pony each. Vinyl nuzzled into the larger form of her friend. "Does it hurt? You alright? I mean... really... You're huge, girl."

Octavia's cheeks darkened, her voice low in response to be mindful of those who slept, "Are you calling me fat, dear? I am not in pain, thankfully, though it did... sting as it happened." She could still remember when the horn had erupted from her head. Her wings twitched with the echo of agony at their birth.

Vinyl noticed the movement and her nuzzling moved to a wing. "Do these work?"

"I haven't much chance to test that." She inclined an ear towards Vinyl. "Perhaps when we are in a safer place? Why were you all out here?"

"Duh. I mean, duh... Seriously, girl, you know why. We were looking for you." She prodded Octavia with a hoof. "We went from place to place getting into all kinds of trouble." She laughed softly, leaning against Octavia. "But we found you, finally."

Octavia smiled quietly in the dark before her head came down, resting on the floor. "I wish you had been... perhaps a week or two sooner..."

"Are you alright?" Vinyl sat up, concern on her face. "Really, does it hurt?"

"It's nothing." She snorted softly and closed her eyes. "We will return to Turves, see that Crown Shine is given a good home--"

"What?!" Crown sat up suddenly. "I have a home, with you."

A low groan escaped from Octavia. "Why aren't you asleep? Everyone go to bed."

"As you wish." He went quiet.

And she felt good. Give an order, get results. That was.... ugh... She shook her head with a scowl, trying to shake those thoughts away.

Vinyl nuzzled in under one of her arms, nestling with her, but being blissfully quiet. Octavia decided to allow that, fading away between two ponies that adored her for very different reasons.





The wind died down, and faint light began to show through the little cracks in the building. Day had come, as well as it ever did most times in the wastes.

Bullette was the first to rouse, having never actually slept. "(Thank you for your hospitality,)" she sang at the human. "(And for your trust.)"

"(Yeah.)" He gestured towards the door. "(Think you can get that big one out of the way?)"

"(Affirmative!)" She pronked towards the slumbering No Name. "Error, doorway inaccessible!" she sang cheerfully.

"Yeah yeah." He yawned widely, his snakes joining in the motion in a chorus of yawns. "(Hey, thanks fer not tryin' ta stab us in the night or nothin'.)"

"(Yeah, see ya.)"

No Name got the hint, rising to his hooves and nudging the pony pile that was Octavia. "Time to go."

Soon many sleepy ponies were outside, and a very energetic Bullette, pronking around them in little bounding trails, ash kicked up with each bounce. "Mission accomplished," she sang as she went. "Lost puppy retrieved."

"Yeah..." No Name looked Octavia over. "But I think she caught some local bug."

Octavia's cheeks warmed as she backed up a step. "Nothing for it. I'm still Octavia Melody, not 'queen' anything."

"So my mare's gotten hornier with age, don't see me complaining." Vinyl wagged her brows, knowing full well the double entendre she was spinning. "Seriously, an alicorn?! That's awesome!"

No Name started away from the metal hut. "Use that damned thing on your arm to point the way to Turves. We're done."

Octavia huffed at Vinyl's outburst. "Were it possible, I would trade it with you, Vinyl, if you covet it so dearly."

"She isn't nearly as deserving," cut in Crown Shine with a smile. "Not queen material at all."

Vinyl blinked at that. "What? Hey! I can be very queen-like!" Her cheeks puffed out with indignance as she raised an arm and soon had the map pulled up, banishing the points of interest in favor for Turves. "It's, uh, that way." She pointed the same hoof onwards.

Crown Shine remained in Octavia's shadow, always within inches of her, though he seemed less dazed than he had before the others arrived, as if the presence of more ponies was somehow comforting to him. "The large one," he whispered. "Is he actually a pony? He isn't, uh... a proper pony."

"I can hear you," grunted No Name through one of his snakes. "Ain't like they asked me for this to happen or not."

Crown squeaked in horror, hiding under Octavia.

Octavia nudged him forward. "He won't harm you. He is a dear friend and stalwart defender. He has sheltered us from so much since we arrived, we owe him our life several times over."

"O-oh..." Crown twisted an ear at No Name, looking his scarred form from top to bottom. "Oh, um... well... um... if my queen finds favor in you, I do too!" He started to smile a little, as if he was just coming to that conclusion out loud, and seemed particularly happy with it. "Y-yes, thank you, for keeping Octavia safe. You... are very, um... smart, actually... I mean..." He put a hoof behind his head, ambling on the other three hooves.

"You knew she was worth protecting... long before we did. I... We... only just met... but she is so special... so... um... special enough to leave..."

Vinyl suddenly crashed into him from the side, barrel to barrel. "Yeah, we're all here for 'Tavi. Welcome to the club. So, what's your story, besides shining crowns? We got that part."

He almost toppled, caught entirely by surprise. "O-oh, um... Vinyl was it? You are... also her faithful subject... right?"

Vinyl looked up at the regal walking Octavia and back at Crown. "For her, sure, I'd faithful all over her. We're roomies, actually. We met each other by playing music, even if it was very different kinds of music." She nodded confidently. "Oh yeah, you do know we're not from here, right? Like... this world, at all."

Crown blinked, eyes bulging a little. "What? I mean... How? I... oh... Oh..." He flopped into the ash suddenly, looking defeated.

Octavia lifted him into a sitting position with her horn. "We have to keep going, Crown, what's wrong?"

Crown looked up at her, tears brimming in his eyes. "You aren't... one of us... No... wonder you were so different... You can't be the true queen. I was so stupid!"

Octavia's teeth set, backing a step.

No Name grunted as he turned to the stop in the procession. "Look, Crown whatever, you get up and you get moving, or we leave you out here to die. Do you think the next bandit or hungry beast will care how broken your heart is? Get up."

Octavia frowned at the acidic pep talk. "I promised I would protect you, and I mean to do that, but I need you to stand up and walk, Crown Shine. I am the same Octavia you knew yesterday."

"But I didn't know." He rose to his hooves and started ahead, head hanging. "I don't know much, I suppose..."

Vinyl glanced sideways at him,  head forward. "Who does?"

"She does." He tossed his head towards the large form of his queen. "She knows... a lot. It was me that was dumb, not her... She... even tried to tell me to just stay where I was..."

Vinyl threw an arm over the mildly deformed pony. "Yeah, but you came anyway, because you wanted to. How's it feel, doing what you want? I get the feeling you don't get to have that often where you're from."

"Scary."

"Yeah, it is that." She squeezed him even as she crashed into him, jostling him. "But you get so much better things afterwards. You have a big, scary, world just waiting for you to reach out a hoof and have it. Now lift that chin, bucko." She brought her arm back around so she could put her hoof under his chin, lifting it up. "It isn't that bad."

Octavia smiled gently, listening to the two. "She isn't wrong," she gently counseled. "Vinyl may seem a bit... interesting, but she is a good pony." Her wings fluttered on her back. They really wanted to move, even if the idea was mildly concerning to Octavia. She hurried to be beside No Name. "Pardon, I know this is... unlikely, but have you any experience with flight, or wings in general?"

He inclined an ear towards her. "Probably comes natural. You got the hang of your horn fast enough."

"That's... different." Octavia's nose scrunched as she trotted beside him. "The horn doesn't involve throwing myself into the air and somehow getting back down without breaking a few bones in the process. How do pegasi deal with this? Do they set out nets?"

He snorted at that. "That would be cute, but I ain't ever seen that. I think they just tough it out."

"Tough it out," she echoed with a little sigh. "Right..." She cleared her throat, keeping up with him. "That aside, thank you, for seeking me out. I'm certain it wasn't an easy task."

"It was somethin'." He perked an ear at her, but his eyes remained forward, walking along at a steady rate. "Your friend really took to it."

"What? It was fun." Vinyl had caught up, trotting with a cocky grin. "We ran into all kinds of crazy things. Anyway, we have you back, so let's get that portal thingie and get home already."

"Ah, yes... We were about to do that, weren't we?" Octavia looked out ahead, but Turves was not in sight yet. "I would dearly like to get home."

"Yeah? What're they gonna say?" No Name frowned a little. "Neither of you are the ponies you were before coming here."

Vinyl shrugged softly. "Says you. I was an awesome rock goddess on arrival, and I will leave exactly that. My fans will love the Everglow stories I have to share. I bet I could work them into some of the songs, hmm..." She tapped at a chin thoughtfully.

"I'm afraid that--"

"You're leaving?" came a sudden small voice. Crown Shine was there on the other side of Octavia, looking up at her with fearful eyes.

Octavia let out the air in her lungs in a slow sigh. "Not before you are safe and secure, Crown. I promised you."

"Have no fear!" suddenly chimed Bullette. "All will be dealt with in accordance to operation [Redacted]!"

Everyone looked to the metal filly on No Name's back, but she had no further input on the matter.

Octavia ruffled Crown's mane with her magic. "I won't leave you in a poor position. I didn't forget that promise."

"Y-yes, of course..." He moved in closer to her, walking in her shadow. "It's so large and... scary. I feel stupid saying that so many times."

"Then you should cease saying that," helpfully added Bullette, nodding her head confidently. "You have at least three friends. That is a greater number than others. Be happy."

"Three?" He looked between those present. Octavia, surely she counted? He hoped... Vinyl seemed to be alright with his presence, though he didn't really grasp where she was coming from...  he'd... have to work on that. The strange metal pony robot had quite vocally declared him to be her friend.

She seemed nice,  if a little scary.

But that was all of the world, a little scary...

"At least I have friends," he softly agreed, remaining close to his anchor, the queen that would not rule him. "I hope she's alright."

Octavia's ears danced at that. "Who?"

"Tunnel Runner... We... were friends... and now I'm gone..."

"Friendship malfunction!" sadly cried Bullette. She bounced down off No Name and was at Crown's side in a flash. "It is never good times to leave a friend, but they would not want you to be sad if they were really your friend."

"Really... of course! We were great friends... She knew what... We understood each other so well... I was always happy when they put us together on a task." He smiled in fond remembrance of working alongside Tunnel Runner. "She wasn't as good at polishing crowns. I wasn't as good at running through tunnels... I showed her how to do it better, she showed me... I miss her."

Bullette Belle's ears sagged. "Enemy designation adjusted."

He blinked at that. "What?"

"If the faithful can have such good friends, they can't be all that bad."

No Name snorted loudly at that, easily hearing the exchange from closeby. "They're trouble, Little Belle, you know that. Shoot first."

"Error!" She pointed at Crown Shine. "I am pleased to have hesitated. Good pony detected."

Octavia smiled gently. "It's growing darker, but I agree. The faithful are not made up of bad ponies, just terrible ideas, and desperation. They are doing... bad things; out of some..." She trailed off, seeing Crown looking so vulnerable and worried at her chastising the faithful. "It's a big mess, is what it is. I feel certain if you took each individual pony out and set them somewhere kinder, most would become perfectly happy and productive ponies."

With the coming of the evening, they settled down. Crown curled beside Octavia. Vinyl was not content for that, diving right for the center of her altered friend and climbing her until her horn touched Octavia's. "Hello, horn sister. What's it like? I mean, I always had one, default state. Tell me what having a horn is like."

Octavia's ears were pinned on her head, frowning slightly at the presumptuous scaling. "It's... very strange. I want to reach for something with my mouth, but if I keep my head back, the horn reaches to do it instead if I focus on it just so..."

"Huh, I never thought of it that way." She rubbed behind her head with a hoof. "But yeah, that makes sense. Can you do any magic with it?"

"Not that I am aware of... It can glow." Her horn began to shimmer with purple magic, shedding gentle light across the area and chasing away the gloom. "See?"

"Ooo!" Vinyl focused, drawing up her own light. "We're color matching!" Their purple colors were curiously similar. "If you're, you know, alright with this, I'm way alright with this. All hail Queen Melo--" She was suddenly thrown to the ground, Octavia's hoof holding her down with a scowl on her face. "O-oh... Um... did I say something wrong?"

Octavia lifted her hoof lightly. "Do not call me that... I am not a queen. I am Octavia Melody."

Vinyl sat up, shaking herself as she did so. "Why are you still wearing that crown then?"

Octavia glanced up towards it. "Because it makes Crown Shine happy to see it on my head after he works very hard to make it shine. Any pony can wear a crown and that does not make them a queen or king or princess or anything."

"I mean, it is a nice crown." Vinyl shrugged softly. "All shiny and purple, like your magic. It looks sick in the light." Her eyes fell to the quiet but watching Crown. "Hey, can I have one?"

Crown blinked at that, eyes bulging a little. "Oh, um... I... don't have others. They gave her one, and I take care of it, but they don't let me collect them..." He sat up slowly. "Do you want to be a queen?"

Octavia's hoof came down between them. "No she does not. She would be a terrible one at that."

"Harsh!" Vinyl stuck out her tongue. "I'm already a queen... of rock. And the queen demand--"

A crown was suddenly dropped on her head, let go by Octavia's magic. It was a bit oversized for her, listing to one side. "Oh, uh... yeah, I guess this could work."

"No!" Crown was up on his hooves in an instant. "Please stop doing that, please... That crown is for you, not her." He advanced on Vinyl purposefully.

Fortunately, Vinyl willed the crown up and off, hovering it towards Crown Shine. "Hey, wasn't my idea. Friends do that, rib each other. We're just messing around."

Crown accepted the purple brass crown with a happy sigh. "Please lower your head."

Octavia made a little annoyed noise but did lower her head to be properly crowned once more. "All better?"

"Much better." Crown smiled with a heart put at ease. "Please don't give that away... Please."

Peace began to settle on the camp, and soon sleep came to those who desired it.

Crown woke with a start. Bullette was firing her back-mounted rifle at something in the distance with sharp cracks. He followed the direction of the barrel to where some great beast was being warded away, eventually losing interest in the camp under the continued barrage of bullets.

With the threat handled, Bullette casually folded the gun back into herself, resuming the appearance of a harmless filly robot. "Good morning," she sang towards Crown, apparently knowing he had woken up. "Breakfast." She pointed to a small bag. "Water." She pointed to a hanging skin.

"Thanks." He climbed to his hooves and went to find a ration, a thing he'd never eaten before. "This is food?"

"Affirmative. Eat one to satisfy your nutritional needs."

"Right, um..." He chomped into it, breaking off a wedge and starting to chew at the tough dried food. "Oh..." It wasn't as nice as proper faithful meals usually were, not by far... "T-thank you." Despite that, it was more than nothing, right? He was fairly sure the metal filly owed him nothing at all.

"You are welcome." She bounced towards him. "What is your favorite color?" she asked, eager to earn additional friendship points.

He blinked at the question that felt like it was out of nowhere. "I like purple right now."

"Right now?" Bullette tilted her head with obvious confusion.

He pointed to the purple crown resting on Octavia's head, then down to her cutie mark. "Purple is nice, and comforting. It protects me."

"Oh! Affirmative! Then I like blue and purple as well." She pointed at the slumbering form of No Name, blue as he was, purple eyes hidden. "Friendship points earned." A little victorious song emitted from her. Suddenly she gasped despite having no lungs. "All of our friends have purple. It is all of our favorite color!"

Crown dared to reach out, setting a shaking hoof on the purple part of Bullette's shell. "You too."

She gasped all the louder. "Affirmative! We are purple." She  bounced up and down with a big smile. "Oh, you are not purple," she noted, looking over his more faded-yellow colors. "It is not a bad color."

"Not purple though," he admitted with an off-smile. "Are we... still friends?"

"Affirmative." She jumped forward and touched nose to nose with the pony she had been ready to murder not long ago. "The others are waking up. Good morning!" She began to point the way to the food and the water to each of them, despite at least two of them already being very aware of where to get both things.

Vinyl yawned widely, covering her mouth with a hoof. "Heyhey, Bull. You and Crown getting along?"

"Affirmative! Level 1 friendship almost attained."

"There are levels?" Crown tilted his head. "What are we now?"

"Level 0 with hopes of level 1." She nodded confidently. "We are progressing well. What is your favored edible object?"

He blinked softly.

Octavia leaned in and whispered, "she means food."

"Oh! Yes. I like honey-glazed oats." He licked over his lips, thinking of it. "With a side of cantaloupe slices and a big glass of grapefruit juice."

Vinyl quirked a brow at that. "I can not wait until things like that become an option again. Octie! Seriously?! You were enjoying things like that while we were trying to find you? Girl! I'm so jealous right now."

"That sounds great," claimed Belle, despite likely having never experienced any of it.

"What's yours?" he asked curiously, unsure of what exactly metal fillies ate.

Vinyl was suddenly between them. "Bullette's favorite things are friends and partying. She also likes teaching bad things to leave her friends alone."

"Affirmative," cried out Bullette with complete agreement. "I also enjoy music."

"Let's get some going." Vinyl soon had some electronic tunes thumping out of her headphones for all to enjoy, the topic of what she ate run right over.

Octavia set a hoof on Vinyl's withers as she chewed at her floating ration. "Vinyl... That was kind of you to intercede, however, I would deeply appreciate it if you did not treat my time spent... as any manner of vacation."

"Oh, yeah, sure." She flattened an ear off to the side. "I didn't mean anything by it. I'm so glad you're back, Octie. I missed you... a lot. I mean a lot a lot..."

"I missed you too." She smiled gently, the small anger within her fading away. "I will admit... having a horn isn't... terrible. I'd rather have my own mane flow, but... it isn't that bad."

Vinyl grinned up at Octavia. "Just you wait, I'll show you some great tricks. Having a horn is great!" She bounced in place. "Speaking of that, hey, you still, you know, an earth pony under all that? Shoot, how can you even tell that..." She pointed at Octavia's wings. "Those are super obvious." the hoof moved to point at the horn. "If you don't notice that, you'll get an eye poked out. Earth ponies are, uh... Shoot,  I'm sounding racist. I'm not trying to be, I swear! I love my earth pony friends, you still among them. Can somepony tell me what really makes an earth pony, outside of things they don't have?"

Octavia hiked a brow at Vinyl. "Yes, you are sounding rather tribist right now, Vinyl... It was thanks to my lineage that I walked out of the same trap that required extensive expenses to recover you from." She poked Vinyl in the chest softly. "I can only hope that vitality is still burning bright within me, but I will admit, that is hard to easily determine. Some earth ponies feel a connection to plants or animals, or even both. I'm afraid my interests were elsewhere."

No Name shoved Vinyl suddenly, almost sending her sprawling. "You can't even argue that. She was the only one of us beside Belle that walked out of that in one piece."

Vinyl regained her footing, snorting in annoyance. "Aren't you an earth pony?"

"Hmmph, no... I'm not even technically a pony? Not anymore...  It's complicated, whatever, not an earth-bound."

"He is a friend," argued Bullette Belle, as if nothing else really mattered. "My best friend, top ranking in friendship score by a considerable margin."

"Proud of that." He offered an arm and she bounced up onto it. Soon she was mounted on his back. "Everyone ready? We have plenty of ground left to cover before we're back at Turves."

"Affirmative!"

"Certainly."

"Let the rock train roll out."

"Y-yeah..." Crown tucked in close to Octavia, and the procession began to move towards safer places.