//------------------------------//
// 46 - Hi! Now Go. 
// Story: Duet in the Dust 
// by David Silver 
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A deep and dangerous male voice barked, "(what are you doing?!)" A larger human was in the doorway, his eyes on Dim Flash.

Dim squeaked, going stiff. "(Just sayin' hi to some people.)"

"Guard. Duty," he said each sylvan word slowly and purposefully, hiking a big thumb upwards. With an angry snort, he vanished back inside.

She laughed nervously. "Ah, yeah... kinda have to get back to that... but, really, you came here?! Are you nuts?! You're... also sporting wings these days." She reached a hoof up, but was too short to reach Octavia's folded wings.

Vinyl suddenly came between Octavia and Dim, pushing the smaller pony away easily. "If you had let us go, we might have avoided that. You helped her have to become a False Queen or whatever."

Dim flopped onto her haunches, but didn't stop, falling over entirely backwards. "I didn't do that." She rolled over onto her belly and bounced back up. "Looks good on her though. Ugh, you are the hardest friend to keep out of trouble."

Bullette inclined her head with a click. "Friendship file detected. Do you consider Octavia a friend?" She looked between Octavia and Dim Flash.

"Huh? Yeah. 'Course I do!" She threw her forelegs wide, rearing up to do so. "She saved my sorry patoot when any normal pony would have filled me with lead and kicked me into a ditch."

Octavia reached over Vinyl, pressing her hoof to Dim's raised nose. The poor thing flopped over, unbalanced by the soft touch. "I have a favor to ask, then we will be properly even, and all crimes you committed will be forgiven."

"Look... uh... guard duty." She scrambled back up onto her hooves. "We can talk later?"

No Name tossed his head. "Come find us. We'll talk, catch up."

"Yeah catch up!" agreed Dim Flash excitedly, bouncing in place. "Yes!" She scurried back towards the building in a bundle of energy, looking happier about the day in general.

Bullette perked her ears at her mount. "I thought you did not like her."

"Still don't," agreed one snake as another took over, "but she might be real useful."

Vinyl nodded towards Octavia even as she began to turn away from the building that held their goal in theory. "I think Octie had the same thought in her pretty head." She clucked her tongue. "You know, cool stuff to talk about not in the middle of the street."

There was little argument for it. The group started towards their temporary home.

A shot rang out, dirt kicking up a precious inch from Vinyl's left forehoof. "(Don't move,)" barked a new female voice.

Bullette quickly found the source of the shot, a figure with a longarm in an elevated position. A sniper. The one that spoke was approaching them directly, two firearms already out, one in either hand and a smirk on her face. "(We can make this fast and painful or slow and painful.)"

No Name suddenly charged without warning, drawing his massive sign as he moved, the pole clenched in his mouth, snakes hissing around it. Bullette's hooves began to unfold into weapons along with her back, her personal longarm coming into being.

Vinyl was the first to react between her and Octavia, crashing into her larger friend and bowling her into an alleyway. "Aw fricken ow!" A second shot had caught her in the leg as she dived into cover, but they had a building between themselves and the sniper.

No Name brought his sign down in a cruel slice, gouging the ground where the gun-woman had been standing an instant earlier.

"(Ready to fight?)" With a sharp flurry of shots, she unloaded from her right gun into him, leaving a peppered trail across his front in a display of what an automated pistol could do. "(Slow and painful it is.)"

Octavia shoved Vinyl with a thought against the wall of the alley. "They are likely after you. Stay." Her gun floated free into ready position.

A sharp pop announced the next shot of the sniper, followed by a loud ring. Bullette squealed in a discordant mess of notes, a new hole punched into her metal body right between her eyes. Fortunately for her, that was not where her brain was.

Her mount drew his sign forward from the ground, throwing dirt wildly at his attacker. She waved a gun as if trying to ward the grit spray, but his sign hadn't stopped its move. He wasn't aiming to just throw dirt. The sharp edge of the sign caught her at the elbow and kept going, sending the still-loaded gun sailing in a fine arc of its own. The human screeched in pain, staggering back away from him.

With a satisfying final click, Bullette unleashed flaming torment on the woman, changing the tone of the human's cries from agony to frantic death.

Octavia lined her shot and with an uncomfortably loud bang that left her fuzzy ears ringing, the sniper drew back. She wasn't sure if she scored a hit or not, but she made them hesitate, and that was enough for the moment. "Vinyl, are you alright?"

"We're moving," grunted No Name, charging past their alley. "C'mon."

They were not chased by anyone, and any new person they ran into shied well away from the battle-ready group. Few seemed eager to throw themselves at the giant with a bloody sign or its mount that had far too many weapons already drawn and brandished.

Octavia's comparatively graceful revolver seemed quaint in comparison.

That didn't make the people they hurried past happy to see them; expressed with shouted curses and interesting insults involving unlikely anatomic feats and dubious genealogical facts. Despite this, they got away from the ambush and as they approached the maze, began to wind down. Bullette had returned to her adorable default, with the addition of a hole. "That was extremely unfriendly. Negative friendship points assigned."

Vinyl slowed to let No Name catch up. "Let me help with that. You look messed up."

He snorted like an angry horse. "I thought I heard you get shot."

"Already handled it." She blew on a hoof, walking on the other three. "Rock goddess, remember? Now it's your turn." Though he grumbled,  he didn't stop her from dispensing with healing music and restorative pats with her rock-blessed hooves. He began to rain little bits of bullets as his wounds closed under her power. "Much better. What a bunch of mooks, all they got was one of their own incinerated."

No Name rumbled like an idling engine, his narrowed eyes focused on the winding street they worked along. "The sniper shouldn't still be breathin'."

Bullette softly bopped him on the head. "Remember the mission!"

"Yeah yeah, we left didn't we?" He looked up as best he could at his rider. "You alright?"

"I am operating at 97.48% efficiency," reported Bullette with a smile. "Damage was largely cosmetic. Minor damage to internals detected."

"I'd like to damage their internals," growled out No Name with seething fury.

"I'm batting..." Vinyl tapped at her LAP with her magic. "99%? I thought I healed it all. Whatever, close enough." She shrugged softly. "Anything we can do to help, Bulbul? You know my magic doesn't, uh, work on amazing fillies that are standard for your age."

Octavia hiked a brow as they came up on their inn. "I should imagine that a skilled smith is required."

"Negative." Bullette reached up to tap at her hole. "Self-repair has been initiated. With a continued healthy diet, recovery will complete in 14 hours, 23 minutes, and 12 seconds."

"You have a healthy diet?" Vinyl blinked as she pushed into the building. "We're back!"

"(Hey,)" grunted the barkeep, just tossing a rag onto a hook and slapping down two glasses. He filled them with different colored liquids and slid them towards waiting clients.

No Name nodded softly as he stormed past. "(Hey,)" he shot back with the same lack of any real commitment to the statement.

Soon they had returned to their room. Octavia perched on a bed, Vinyl next to her. "That was... productive, if also troubling."

"That was kind of horrible." Vinyl stuck out  stuck out her tongue a little, nose wrinkled.

"Being shot?" asked Bullette, ears perking.

"Nah, I got over that. I meant those two getting, you know... hurt like that."

"Killed," corrected No Name. "Hurts you get better from. Pretty sure the only medicine they're getting is a shallow grave."

Octavia winced, teeth bared a moment. "I would rather not consider that. Let us turn our attention back to the present. We have made contact with someone already on the inside. They could help us get to the sphere much more easily. They will likely not just hoof it over, but they could arrange for eyes to turn away for just long enough..."

"I get yer meanin'." No name climbed up onto the other bed, making it squeak under his and Bullette's weight. He leaned to the side, tilting Bullette towards the lip of the wagon. "Go ahead and eat what you want."

"Yay!" melodically sang Bullette as she dove into the pile of assorted rations, bullets, and other bits of junk. With loud crunching sounds, she began consuming metal to replace what she had lost.

Vinyl watched Bullette go to down. "Go Bulbul! You really do have an appetite when you want to have one."

Bullette's head popped up from the side of the wagon. "A healthy diet is required for the upkeep of your health."

"Even if your diet is a little different than mine," added Octavia. "I am very glad to hear you can do that. I was... worried we'd have to wait until we made it somewhere safer before seeing to your repa--injuries."

"Thank you for your concern." Bullette sprang up onto the lip of the wagon, balancing there. "Repairs are underway. Initiate idle mode until arrival?"

Vinyl grunted and hopped up to her hooves. "I'd rather be doing something, but yeah, guess just waiting is the best option until Octavia's little girlfriend shows up."

"We do not have anything remotely close to that relationship," hotly defended Octavia. Vinyl was wearing that smug look that implied she said it just to get a rise, and it only made Octavia all the more incensed. "She is a pony I took pity on, once, who repaid me by not killing me as her friends stole our goal away."

"That's still a good deed," argued Vinyl. "I mean, not, you know, perfect or anything..."

Bullette sprang from the wagon onto the back of her #1 friend. "Entering idle mode for optimal repair time." Her eyes closed, not that they were even actually her eyes. Soon she was emitting little snoring sounds, curling up on No Name.

No Name smiled faintly, perking an ear back at the sleeping form on his back. "Nice shot, by the way... I don't think you nailed the guy, but still, a good shot."

Octavia floated her gun into view. "He was concealed, and withdrew when I fired. I couldn't see how good of a shot it was."

"Still..." No Name lifted his shoulders, but it was a meek shrug, lest he bother Bullette. "You've improved a lot since the first time you fired a gun out of your mouth."

Vinyl threw an arm over Octavia, hugging her with a grin. "My girl's a beast when she wants to be. Now, I think Bulbul has the right idea. Let's chill out and wait for your little friend to show up."

The room became quieter as the occupants relaxed and time began to pass, broken by a sharp knocking on the door.

Vinyl jerked upright, having actually dozed off. "Huhwhat? Who's there?!"

"Dan," came the reply through the door. "Open up, got some news."

No Name rose and stepped down from the bed that squeaked with relief. Bullette was already awake and sitting up on his back. "Ain't in the mood for shit today." He grabbed the handle of the door and jerked it open, "What do you want?"

"Afraid t' say I'm the deliverer of shit." Dan had his hands up, no guns held in them. "You know a Dim Flash, right?"

Octavia's ears flicked towards Dan. "What of her?"

"She got in trouble and couldn't make it today. Something about 'letting a LAP just walk away' or something like that? As if anyone would do that." He smirked as he said it, eyes on Vinyl's leg. "Anyway, she asked me to tell you."

Vinyl drew her leg back protectively. "They tried to take it."

"Those were competitors, not even on their own turf. When all the noise started, all sorts of attention showed up." He closed the door behind himself. "They scattered, but a few of 'em were caught and grilled, which is how she got in trouble."

No Name bared his teeth, his snakes hissing in angry agreement. "I knew there were others."

"There were." Dan nodded as he pedaled his hands emotively. "But, you see, noise like that? It makes opportunity. It let me go see what trouble you all were getting into, just another curious person butting their nose in. They told us to buzz off, sure, but not before I learned a thing or two, and got a word in with Dim."

Octavia pointed at him directly. "You were following us."

"Maybe."

"Enough." Octavia brought her forehooves together. "You will tell us what you want from us, precisely. We have a value to you, and I would know that measure."

No Name suddenly barked a laugh. "No, no, I get it."

Vinyl blinked towards the larger pony, perched on the bed as she still was. "What do you get?"

"You--" He poked the human with the flat of a hoof, nudging him. "--ain't got a damn person. You ain't with no small gang, or a large gang. You ain't with anyone."

Dan looked ready to argue the fact, but after a moment, he sagged with a huff, spreading his hands wide. "Caught me. Dan's only got Dan, and that's been enough."

A sudden smile spread on Vinyl's face as she sat up. "That actually makes me trust him more."

Octavia rolled a hoof. "Perhaps. Very well then, you approach us as Dan, and only Dan, with no others attached, but 'Dan' is mystery enough, I should think. You want something... Is it Vinyl's adornment?"

Bullette clopped her metal hooves suddenly. "You have earned one friendship point and opened a file. You could earn more." She leaned forward dangerously, almost toppling from her tall mount. "Do you wish to continue?"

"Hey, hey, glad you're all havin' a great time." No Name sat down facing Dan. "But this guy could be the end of  us, or not. I'd rather be sure, 'right? The way I see it, someone called four fingers when they got five means someone else thinks they should have lost a finger."

Octavia's smile was less grand than Vinyl's, calculation behind her eyes. "I see. That makes you valuable."

"Valuable? Huh, here I was worried you'd start gettin' nervous. Look, I ain't trying to mess with ya none." He waved the palm of his hand at each pony present. "Life's a bit of a shit show, you know? Somethin' interesting and not trying to tear you a new one shows up, I gotta check it out."

No Name leaned forward. "You love sticking your naked little nose in business, I'm figurin'. She already knew you, didn't she? I bet you and she have history."

"Who?"

Vinyl tossed her head towards Octavia. "Her little buddy."

"Dim Flash," finished Octavia. "You knew her, before yesterday."

"Huh, yeah. She's interestin' and doesn't try to rip people in half. I ain't got that big of a standard, you know?" He propped himself against the wall, looking at the others there. "So, alright. You got that figured out, now what?"

"Now," spoke Octavia with authority. "Now, we make use of our newest friend. I have a feeling you're just as curious as we are. We want the orb they took from us. You can help us get it."

Vinyl wagged a hoof with a wry smile. "And no running off with it, man. That'd be uncool, and you don't get to have friends if you steal from them."

"Which is exactly why I wouldn't do that." He waved his hands left and right wildly. "If they catch me even looking at that thing, I'm toast. If I do it while Dim's on duty, I'm making her toast."

Bullette clopped metallically with a broad smile. "Correct answer."

Octavia wrinkled her nose. "I can't say that I comprehend her motivations clearly, but Dim appears to hold me in fond regard. She is... like a few others I have met, who would be good, in better surroundings. I fear she has little comprehension of how her actions truly impact those she victimizes, however."

"Eh, yeah, fair cop." Dan shrugged softly. "She never did seem to 'get' that. I ever tell you how we met?"

Vinyl bounced up to her hooves. "No, but you're going to tell us. Wait a second, let me get snacks." She bounced over to No Name's bed, empty at that moment, then onto the wagon, willing some scrap free. "Be right back!" She hurried from the room, giggling softly the entire way.

No Name moved to ascend onto his bed, but Belle hopped free, her eyes on the human. "You have had friendship. I was 74.23% certain!" She clip-clopped her hooves. "And not in a strictly utilitarian fashion. Do you enjoy accruing friendship points?"

"Uh, yeah." Dan didn't have anywhere to park his butt, so leaning on the wall had to do. "I prefer friends that don't owe you shit, and that you don't owe. You hang because you want to, ya know?"

"I do know!" sang out Bullette, looking overjoyed. "However shit makes a poor bartering tool. I cannot recommend it."

Dan snorted out a laugh at that, reaching for Belle. Under the glare of No Name, he succeeded in petting the metal filly without losing any important parts. "You're alright."

"She is much more than that," argued Octavia with a soft smile.

"Snacks!" Vinyl had arrived, the door swinging under her magic. She set down a big platter where the two beds met, allowing any of the ponies to treat themselves. The door slapped shut behind her as she hopped up next to Octavia. "Alright, hit us with a story!"

Dan smiled sheepishly as he pushed off the wall. "Well, I'm treatin' myself if you're gettin' a story out of the deal." He snatched a gooey bit of savory snack and the story began.





So, there I was, just hanging out, minding my damn business. Yeah I was watching other people too, that is my business. So anyway, there I was, it was early afternoonish, and this gang comes rolling in, lookin' mighty high and mighty off a raid or ambush or whatever.

One of the captives they had was a little pony you know, but she wasn't kicking or screaming. They had her all tied up, but she was going along with them with a smile and even trying to talk with them, but they didn't look like they were having it.

They slapped her hard enough to send her skidding, and I was pretty sure they'd keep right on it until she shut up when another little pony got in the way, wearing their colors. He told 'em to buzz off, that she was his. Now, she looked like she done found her hero, but I saw the way he was looking. He was claiming her like property, not out of the kindness of his heart.

He got her up off the ground and led her away, and soon she was wearing their colors too, looking happy about it. Now, don't get me wrong, going from meat to even a low-ranking member of a large gang? That's still an upgrade, but still... I saw her every once in a while, doin' chores or whatever.

One time she was lookin' mighty lost so I figured, why not? I pretended to cross her path accidental-like. Now some people get really angry when you cut them off, she was all smiles.

"Hey!" she chimed. "Do you know where to find a medical kit?"

She had been sent shopping, but she didn't know her way around the heap like I do. I offered to take her to where you could find a kit or two, and we had a chance to chat it up along the way. I learned her name, she learned mine. I asked her if she was, you know, happy, being owned like that.

"Don't be stupid," she wrinkled her little face and spat away from me. "We're a couple. I own him too. We're already expecting. I'm gonna be a momma." She got the damndest little dreamy smile. "And he'll be the daddy. I'm gonna tell him tonight, actually... He'll be so excited!"

We got her kits and I sent her home with a promise to chat some other time. She didn't care that I wasn't part of her gang, and never asked what gang I was with. It just didn't matter in her little head. I put it out of my own mind and got back to business, at least until I next spotted her.

It was only the next day, and she was by one of the wells, the side of her face swollen up something nasty. She had bruises  all over that you could see even with her fur in the way, and her face was a mess of tears. She was trying to wash herself and doing a terrible job.

Part of me just wanted to keep walking. It rarely paid to get involved when someone was roughed up that bad, but a choked sob froze me in place. She was hurtin', and I just couldn't... ignore it, so I gave up what I originally had in mind and 'accidentally' wandered past her. "Hey Dim."

"O-oh! Hello, Fingers." She smiled, a fake fake smile. "Nice to... see you." She kept wiping at her face with her legs, trying to compose herself, badly. "Isn't it a nice day?"

It wasn't. There was an ash storm predicted to be on the way. It was dark and the air tasted that special ash sour. "Yeah... You get into trouble?"

"No!" She turned away. "No... I'm... I'm fine." The tears started with the last word and she began shaking. "I'm fine!"

"You don't..." I was goin' to say she didn't look fine, but I thought better of it. "What happened?"

"I... told him the good news."

And that had caused that? The way I saw it, when one of those alpha types claimed a random girl, them getting heavy was exactly what they wanted. I was going to ask about it, but she was crying again, and we were drawing a crowd of people peering at the sad little pony and the human schmuck.

I took her hoof and pulled her away. Now, mind, she's a little thing, but she could have made a big fuss. She didn't. She came with me, following my lead with dazed eyes. Even her crying got a little quieter as we worked back to my turf, you know, the Maze.

Once we were there, I got her to a quiet little dark place, and I sat her down and I let her get it all out. She got her cry on for... I want to say it was an hour, but I don't have no watch, so good luck guessin'. Either way, she started to come around. "Thank you," she had weakly stuttered, sitting up. "For being a friend."





"You earned many friendship points," congratulated Belle, clopping her hooves. "Friendship points assigned for good behavior."

Dan smirked a bit at that. "I wish everyone gave 'friendship points' so easily. Anyway, so there we were...





I asked her what happened and brushed some of her hair out of her face.

"He said I was his... toy, not his mare. He said his mare would be furious. He hit me, a lot... He said he'd keep hitting me until I was 'fixed'."





Food fell from Vinyl's arcane grip to splat on the platter it had come from.

Octavia slowly blinked. "How... utterly barbaric. How... completely cruel..."

"You don't know the half of it."





So I asked her what she thought she had been in his eyes. And how she smiled. It was a haunted smile, as if she knew she was retelling a dream, a lie she had told herself. She had thought she was his mare, his partner for life. She thought she had found a partner to live with, die with, raise little ones with. She had been so very perfectly happy, so damn happy.

That had been literally beaten out of her. He made it as clear as the weeping sores on her that she was a toy, to be used and discarded, as he pleased. She wore the gang colors just so other members wouldn't touch her, and other gangers wouldn't dare go near her, but she was his and his alone, and she was property, less than even a slave, just a sex toy that happened to breathe and needed an unfortunate amount of food.

Now, mind, you're probably thinking, Hey, Dan, why didn't you rescue her?

Well, for one, thinkin' you can just 'rescue' people is how you end up dead. For two, I did ask her. I told her she could just run. Run and never stop until she was anywhere else.

She declined. "Stupid jerk," she finally got out, standing up. "I'll show him. He thinks he's in charge..."

She marched right back to the gang, and she took her place back, but some of that innocence was gone. She manipulated him, and he was not a hard one to work, or so she told me later. She eventually had him wrapped around her hoof, and she never put herself in the position to be beaten again.

Last I heard, she even managed to get him to ditch his old mare, making her the only mare he has, even if he isn't about to call her his mare, ever. She doesn't care. She went back there, and she took him. He does what she wants, always thinking it was all his own idea. She learned how to suggest things, how to say things so the pressure was put on him and it never seemed like it was just 'his toy acting up.'

But she's still there.





Octavia shook her head slowly. "That is beyond horrible. Are you certain she would be entirely opposed to being... rescued?"

No Name shoved a hoof between Octavia and Dan. "I wouldnt even try. She made her decision."

"She did... with what she had." Octavia huffed softly. "Regardless, she does not sound like someone entirely aligned with her gang. She may yet betray them, were a worthy cause presented."

Vinyl rubbed behind her head. "I feel super bad for her now. Nopony should... ever have to deal with that. At least if you get munched by a monster, it wasn't personal. It was hungry, and, surprise, you're meat." She looked Dan in the eyes. "Tell it to me straight, if you were suddenly a superhero, what would you do with Dim?"

"I ain't no hero," he started, holding up his hands. "But if I could get away with it; I'd get her far away from here, somewhere with lots of little ponies that would never dream of hitting her. She's... a nice person, even now. You saw her expression when she saw you, Octavia. She... I dunno. It's her life."

Belle inclined her head left and right with soft little metallic clicks. "I wish to learn more of Dim Flash. Do you have other stories?"

Dan smiled at that. "Hey, hey. I don't try to be no gossip none. I fed you plenty of her personal business. At least wait a bit before you go pumping me for more info." He dusted his pants lightly. "Now, she'll be in trouble for a day or two, then we can talk again. It's just a matter of what you plan to ask. Mind, if it involves leaving her out to hang, I'll betray the lot of you long before I hurt a single hair on her little body."

Octavia felt a gentle smile spreading. "That was the kindest threat I have been delivered in some time..."

Vinyl thrust out a hoof, hanging in the air. "Lay it on me. You're an alright guy."

He met the hoof with a balled fist. "Don't claim to be nothin' but Dan, an' that's plenty, I figure."