Duet in the Dust

by David Silver

13 - To Leave a Welcome Nest

There was no grand party for the event. Long Shot had shown up though. "Succeed or fail, I command you to come back, if you can, and know you are welcome here."

Vinyl made a flowery gesture with her hoof even as she lowered her front, bowing far more elegantly than she had to. "As you command, Our Queen. Even if we may end up leaving."

No Name was facing out of town, looking out along the faint road that cut a path into the wastes. "I'll keep them safe," he promised in his default tone. Another snake was facing the girls. "As if we'd do anything else," sighed the second.

"I know you will," agreed Long Shot. "Take care of yourself too. You are a beloved subject as well, worthy of protection."

No Name looked over his considerable shoulder at Long Shot. "(Ya don't have to lie for their sake.)"

"(I am not in the habit of speaking falsely,)" retorted Long Shot with an irritated huff. "(You are my subject. I forbid you from coming to harm.)"

No Name shook his head, snakes dancing in a light bobbing in the motion. "(You can't 'forbid' that and you know it.)"

"A good queen at least tries..." Long sighed to herself as she turned away. "(Please.)"

Octavia looked between the departing queen/sheriff and No Name. "I will assume what you spoke in another language was for your ears only. Are things alright?"

"Yeah," he said, though in a mildly feminine tone. His pitch swung back to his default as he rose and took the first step. "We should go. It ain't getting any closer."

Their procession began. Unlike the last times Vinyl and Octavia went traveling, there was no cart involved, and neither of them had much attached to them. No Name had heavy saddlebags filled with their food and water. He was the largest, and seemed to be able to hold it all without complaint.

Bullette had a smaller set of bags on, likely worn despite any amount of complaining from her large caretaker. Her bounces didn't seem to make them bounce as if they held much, as if she had put them on just for the sake of wearing them and matching No Name. "Adventure begin!" she sang out as they left the town borders. "Danger level: Yellow. Permission to disengage safety locks?"

"Yeah, you do that," agreed No Name, though he didn't sound happy about that. "Keep in my sight though. I have to keep you safe, and we both have to keep them safe, right?"

"Affirmative," sang Bullette as a series of clicks and pops came from inside of her. "Safeties disengaged. Combat mode accessible."

Vinyl hiked a largely unseen brow. "That huge gun coming out of your back wasn't 'combat mode'?"

"Negative." Bullette appeared to be as excited as No Name was sullen, singing each word with a smile. "I have many other armaments that are not permitted for use within settlements."

"Fer the best," agreed No Name. "That's how we got chased out of a few towns we've been in."

Bullette skid to a halt. "Error! I have caused you sadness."

No Name reached out a hoof, booping his metal ward on the nose. "You ain't done no such thing. C'mon."

Apparently satisfied, Bullette bounced forward, resuming her enegetic pronking along the dusty road. The ashes of the waste seemed to grow thicker as they went, away from the fastidious cleaning of the town increasingly distant behind them.

Octavia swerved mildly to walk alongside No Name. "I gather no such mishap has occured in Turves?"

"You'd think that." He was smiling awkwardly. "But that ain't entirely true... We caused some trouble there, but Long Shot chastised us plenty instead of gathering up an angry mob to chase us out. That mare's a little... not there, up here." He gestured upwards but didn't bring his hoof to his head, perhaps too busy walking. "Not that I mind it. We're all a little something these days, and at least her broke's a nice broke."

Bullette shook her head. "Sad Time 90-Alpha-Beta. It ended with a gift." She nodded firmly to cap it off. "Long Shot is the best queen."

"She's the only queen you ever met," corrected No Name, facing forward. "And I don't think she's even one of those."

"Error. She desires that title. It has been accepted by the people. She is a queen," spoke Bullette in a slow processing of the points in her debate. "Long may she reign."

Vinyl snorted out a half-chuckle. "She's also a sheriff. Queen sheriff! There's a title. Any idea why she's, uh, that? I mean, did she run for sheriff, then go for queen?"

"The way I heard it," spoke No Name, eyes scanning the horizon as he walked. "She wandered in out of the wastes a long time ago. Thin, hurt, barely there, but she went and declared herself Queen of Turves right there on the spot. Starving, she began barking orders and telling people what to do."

Octavia inclined her head faintly, imagining the strange sight of a malnourished alicorn rambling out orders in a starving stupor. "And they accepted her?"

"I wasn't there for it." No Name lifted his large shoulders. "They musta liked what she was saying. They said the town turned a corner. It stopped shrinking, then started growing. Once she was cleaned up and given the sheriff's star, she took to it eagerly, and Turves ain't doing so bad, right?"

Vinyl shot a hooves up mid-step. "Nah, not a bad place at all. It's kinda like Ponyville, with all the different kinds of people living together all nice and cozy."

"Ponyville is mostly ponies," corrected Octavia. "Turves had--"

"--Mostly ponies," cut in Vinyl. "Sure, most of them were the smaller ones, but they were still ponies. I rest my case."

Octavia perked an ear at her companion, noticing she could hear music coming from her headphones, but her horn wasn't glowing. "I thought you were saving your batteries?"

"Turves has a generator, and it works. I plugged it in and let it charge up." Vinyl reached up to tap at her headphones. "I got plenty of juice. If it runs low, I can switch back to horn power." Her horn did glow then, snatching out a small cylinder from her pocket. "I got a flashlight while I was there." With a click, a faint light appeared, shining out into the ashen daylight.

Octavia nodded at the small device. "Not a bad idea. That may come in handy, especially if we're attacked at night again."

Bullette popped up between them. "You were attacked?! I will not permit a repeat of this event."

Vinyl reached over to pat Bullette on her lower back. "You're a good little metal filly. I feel safer having you around. I bet you'd know how to handle a crazy doggy or a bunch of insects, right?"

"Countermeasures online," easily agreed Bullette. "Lighting situation will only slightly impair effectiveness. Have no fear, Bullette Belle is here!" She began to sing towards the end of her report, looking happy about her combat ability.

Octavia's eyes spotted and followed a lonely tree sprouted out of the flattened land. They were not approaching it, passing it at an angle. "When there are so few of them, only one really stands out." She couldn't help but watch the tree as they slowly moved past it. "I wonder what it would grow, if it could grow something..."

Vinyl looked to where her friend was focused. "Is it even alive?" It looked thin, skeletal, and had only a spattering of leaves dangling from it to capture what counted as sunlight. "Not sure it ever made any fruit at any time."

Bullette's eyes clicked over to join the crowd, peering at the tree. "Error. Tree species does not produce fruit."

"You recognize it?" asked Octavia with some surprise."

"Affirmative. Oak." Bullette nodded with confidence. "Food source, minimal."

Vinyl stepped to the side, closer to Bullette. "Say, do you eat?"

No Name's hoof came down between Vinyl and Bullette, answering for the temporarily flustered filly, "Only when she wants to."

"Correct," agreed Bullette, going with the answer No Name provided. "As a standard and healthy filly of my age and development, I eat perfectly standard amounts of ration and water for optimal health and operation."

Octavia shook her head at the exchange. "So, No Name, I notice you have no gun?" She glanced at her own, strapped in a manner as to be quickly reachable with her mouth. "Vinyl and I have one, Bullette... has several from the sounds of it."

"Guns ain't fer me," agreed No Name. He opened his mouth wide and the snakes within hissed softly before one resumed speaking, "The snakes are too small to hold a gun, no room in my mouth to do it. It's alright."

"If you don't mind my asking... how do you fight then?" Her eyes wandered over No Name. "Do you stomp things?"

"If I have to," he agreed, admitting that was a real possibility. "Barring that, this sign on my back ain't armor."

"Sign?" Her eyes darted over him, noticing there was a sign strapped to him, which she actually had assumed as part of his armor. It was a dirty red near the top and had words on it. SLOW CHILDREN AT PLAY is what it read. "I see... You swing that?"

"If I have to," he repeated. "I usually don't have to do it more than once or twice."

Octavia imagined the heavy metal being swung around by the large pony and felt quite certain she wouldn't want to be the target of that agression. "You've done this longer than we have, I presume?"

"Been around." His voice did not imply he was an eager participant in the talk.

Octavia picked up on the hesitation and let it die an ignoble death between them.

The first night away from town, Vinyl set up the tent they had brought. She pulled it free of No Name's bags with a glowing horn and quickly had it propped up. It had plenty of room inside... except for the pony who had carried it.

Octavia frowned at it, then No Name, and back again. "This will not do."

"Ain't no big thing," assured No Name, settling down beside the tent. "Anything sees me, maybe they'll think twice about bothering the rest of you."

Vinyl's still glowing horn reached with her magic, plucking out a blanket. "You can at least have this." She snapped it in the air, then let it fall over No Name, draping him in cold-warding softness. "Much better."

The three females withdrew into the tent, but Octavia still looked unsatisfied. "It's not fair, and don't start telling me I should accept that. We're not in a town, we get to decide what is fair and what isn't."

Vinyl lifted her shoulders. "I gave him our blanket, and where are we going to find a bigger tent out here? I thought he'd bring his own tent with him."

"As did I," sighed out Octavia. "Or I'd have gone ahead and gotten a larger one."

Bullette looked back and forth between the two. "I do not require sleep. I should wait outside." She rose smoothly. "Enter!"

"Mmm?" came from the outside. "Are you talking to me?"

"Affirmative. We are trading places."

No Name's head poked into the tent, though his eyes were closed. "Bullette, that won't work. There's not enough room."

"There is sufficient space," assured Bullette as she walked out under No Name's head. "I will watch for trouble. Scanners online. Sleep well."

No Name's head pulled free of the tent, his eyes opening to see Bulllette sitting quite resolutely in the growing darkness of night. "You don't have to do this..."

"I have already chosen. I do not require sleep." She pointed to the tent. "Bring the blanket."

He sighed, pulling the blanket close, held in the little mouths of several snakes at once. With very careful shuffling, he was soon inside, Octavia on his left and Vinyl on the right. None of them had much room, his considerable bulk pressing them against the sides of the tent.

"It's warm," noted Vinyl, rolling onto her side. "G'night."

Octavia rolled her eyes and looked to her large companion, her voice lowered to a whisper, "Why didn't you argue with her?"

"Nah... When she admits... she ain't a normal filly, it means she's serious. It hurts her." His ears pinned against his head. "I ain't gonna take that away from her." He sank entirely, eyes closing. "She prefers being a filly... That means sleeping and at least pretending to eat and drink."

Octavia gently pat his side with the flat of a hoof. "You're a good father."

"Doubt it." He smirked faintly. "Only she has though..."

---

"Sufficient light for activity resumption," sang out Bullette in a curious wakeup call.

The tent lurched to the left as voices muffedly escaped it. Vinyl was the first to tumble free, sleepily laughing as she picked herself up and started dusting herself off. "By the power of rock, I dismiss bedtime mane!" She ran a hoof through her frazzled mane and it was clean of the grit of hiking and sleeping, resuming its normal shape without complaint.

"Mm?" Octavia was the second free of the tent. "Were you casting one of your spells?"

"Yeah, a little but awesome one." Vinyl was grinning with pride as she turned around. "Where's Bullette?"

"I am here," sang out a pile of ash digitally.

Vinyl's horn glowed as she brushed away the ash in broad sweeps, revealing a safe but buried Bullette. "Begone, bed-time ickies," bid Vinyl as the ash was repelled from the watchful robot filly. "See? Best rock magic."

Bullette stood up, shaking despite there being little left to shake free. "Thank you for your assistance. Did you sleep well?"

Octavia poked at her friend. "May I impose on you to turn some of that 'rock magic' my way?"

"Nope." Vinyl grinned at the surprised look on Octavia's face. "Use your own magic. You have that, remember?"

"Well, yes..." Octavia curled on herself and pulled her two implements free. The doll of the old age, and the little super hero mare figurine. "Mmm..." The doll had brought fear, and felt heavily of the emotions of the old age. It was a tie to things that would not help her clean herself. She tucked it back where it had come from.

With the sound of canvas being pushed aside and something popping free of the ground, No Name emerged from the tent even as it collapsed around him, leaving it as a dissheveled mass of cloth on the ground. "Good morning," several of his snakes spoke at once in a shared sleepy chorus.

Octavia was peering at the super heroic mare. She poked the super heroine lightly. "If you wanted something to happen, you'd just want it to happen, and it'd happen. But I'm not a super hero."

Vinyl hiked a brow. "Hey, morning big guy. And says who? You're pretty super in my book. You can't do it because you never tried before."

"That is curious logic at best." Octavia felt the miniature between her hooves, closing her eyes. She tried to imagine herself clean and groomed, but no such simple magic came to her.

She heard Vinyl gasp and opened her eyes. Her brush was floating in the air, plucked from her pocket. It was not glowing with Vinyl's magic. It came at her and she shrank away, but it came faster than she moved. It began to brush her mane. Blinking in surprise, Octavia sank to her haunches, submitting to the seemingly aware and capable brush. "Did I do this?" she asked to no one in particular, eyes watching the brush as it worked through her mane fastidiously.

Bullette bobbed her head. "Sorcery detected. Alias: Unseen Servant. Power level, 1.3. Danger level: harmless. Manifester: Octavia Melody. Congratulations!" She brought her forehooves together in her rapid-fire clapping.

Vinyl stuck out her tongue. "Damn mare! You just showed me right up. I just did it the boring way, and you made a brush treat you like a queen? I'd say that's a step up." She reached up a hoof to tap at her own horn. "And you're muscling in on my territory. Earth ponies making things float. It ain't right." She laughed despite her words, looking far more amused than angry.

No Name was trying to fix the mess he made, clumsily gathering the tent. Just as he managed to get it somewhat folded, Vinyl snatched it and began re-folding it in the air, cheating in the way that unicorns did. He shook his head and turned to Bullette. "No trouble?"

"No danger detected within acceptable perimeter," agreed Bullette. "Mission resume?" Just a brief moment was all it took for her to perk up. "Error, breakfast required." She pointed at Vinyl. "Ingest low sugar rations for increased health."

"Yes, mom," snorted Vinyl as she tucked the folded tent into No Name's saddlebags.

Author's Note:

A short chapter?! What is this?! I'm at Bronycon and it's about time to get moving. I apologize for not hitting 4k on this update and pray my patrons will forgive me this slight.

The adventure begins! Still, they have two fairly solid companions with them. It feels slightly less perilous this time.

Comments

[Chrome Masquerade]

"You'd think that." He was smiling awkwardly. "But that ain't entirely true... We caused some trouble there, but Long Shot chastised us plenty instead of gathering up an angry mob to chase us out. That mare's a little... not there, up here." He gestured upwards but didn't bring his hoof to his head, perhaps too busy walking. "Not that I mind it. We're all a little something these days, and at least her broke's a nice broke."

Ain't that the truth!
As Socrates reputedly said, "There are two kinds of people in the world. The first are foolish, but think that they're wise. The second are wise because they know that they're fools."

[Chrome Masquerade]

"Doubt it." He smirked faintly. "Only she has though..."

Only father/one she has,

[Crystal Treasure]

I've said it before and I'll say it again: Bullette is the most adorable little murder machine ever.

When there are so few of them, only really stands out.

only one

Only she has though..

Only one

foroehooves

forehooves

[StormDancer]

"And you're muscling in on my territory. Earth ponies making things float. It ain't right."

Oh Vinyl... you poor, poor, sheltered little clubber. We all know Daisy is the forerunner in Earth Pony Levitation. <chuckles>
img2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20130207020726/mlp/images/e/e9/FANMADE_Earth_pony_using_levitation_S1E8.png

[StormDancer]

9074266
Agreed! Absolutely love Bullette.

[David Silver]

9074253

9074266
So quick to correct someone's speech. No Name ain't cottoning to your fancy demands!

[Chrome Masquerade]

9076001
Meh. I tried.

[FanOfMostEverything]

And so the latest adventure begins, and Vinyl discovers the wonders of least wish. Or prestidigitation, as the unimaginative call it. She's going to have fun with that one...

In any case, looking forward to more. Sorry I didn't say hi at Bronycon. Bit of a typo on my part. Speaking of...

in a mildly femenine tone

Feminine.

[David Silver]

9082956
Wait a moment, my brain... did I run into you? I'm so annoyed at not remembering this.

[FanOfMostEverything]

9083049
I definitely saw you at the Ponyfinder booth, but I never stopped by. Sorry again.

[David Silver]

9083060
Aw! Maybe next year? I don't bite, honest.

[howard035]

So Octi has Necromancy and Conjuration as implements? Good choice. Hope to see her servitor down the line.

9074266 Indeed. Bullette needs to come back to Equestria with Vinyl or Octi, she's far too cute to ever leave us!