Duet in the Dust

by David Silver

4 - Into the Ash

Mealtime came around. This was announced by a single knock on the door. It opened a moment later without time for anyone to answer it. The others seemed to accept this, though Octavia and Vinyl perked their ears towards the sudden disturbance from the relative comfort of their shared bunk.

A human stepped in, an unfamiliar one. "Dinner." Male, with a considerable beard. He set down a bag of... presumably food. "Later." And he was gone. No hello, no goodbye.

Octavia inclined her head towards the bag. "Is that really the manner they break bread here?"

Shiela swung out from the lower bunk beneath the ponies. "I don't know how the rest of the town handles it, but we are not welcome to dine with the others." She crossed the floor to the bag easily. "For now, we should divide our take."

"Food!" came an excited cry from further in, Quarter Inch dashing towards them in an excited scamper of her short legs.

Vinyl hopped down to the floor. "Hey, where are the other people you said lived here?"

Shiela kneeled down, picking up the bag and raising it up onto a table as she rose back to her feet. "They are on a task for the sake of the community, together. It is normal for us to be sent together."

Quarter waved the whole thing off. "The humies don't want to hang out with us, we're too amazing for them." She hopped up onto a chair, standing on it rather than sitting on it. "What's for dinner? Is it jerky? What is it jerky of? Any vegetables? Any fruits?"

Octavia slid down behind Vinyl, the both of them trotting up. Vinyl nodded towards the bag. "Not much you can put in a bag like that and wouldn't make a mess, right?"

Shiela nodded in kind, reaching inside and pulling out the bounty. Three potatoes, still steaming, but clearly not cooked entirely with the way it didn't get smashed on the way. She produced a few tough looking stalks of some kind, and a collection of tough, jerked, meat that she spilled across the table in a bounty of basic sustenance.

Quarter did not hesitate, scooping up a third of what was offered. She stuffed a small bit of the jerky into her mouth, chewing it even as she hopped back to the ground with her food. "Alrighty! No starving today!"

Vinyl reared up to get a better look at things. "Hey, didn't she take more than her share?"

Shiela shook her head. "Octavia has been deemed a pet. There is no share for her, only for you, Vinyl. You have to share with her. Those are the laws of this town." She began to divide out half of what remained, separating Vinyl's share from her own.

Octavia flinched, shrinking a little, but Vinyl didn't seem fazed. "Pfft, as if sharing with Octie would bother me," she declared confidently. With a glowing horn, she gathered up what food remained. "Time to eat!"

"This isn't right..." Octavia ran a hoof across the floor. "I'm not doing my part, and it's costing you what you would otherwise have gotten."

Vinyl snorted in an equine fashion. "So? You're my best bud. Ain't letting you starve even if you busted all your legs forever, uh, don't do that. It's hard to play music with busted hooves."

Shiela smiled at Vinyl even as she returned towards the bunk. "You are a fine friend. It is a pleasure to know you."

Octavia followed after Vinyl. "Yes, you are fine. You're helpful. You're handling this all unreasonably well, Miss Scratch."

"Huh?" Vinyl peeked over her shoulder. "What do you mean by that?"

Octavia leveled a hoof at Vinyl. "From the moment we arrived, you've smiled and gone along with it, like battling horrible monstrosities is just a thing you do. Like being swept up in an entirely alien culture is just a thing you do. Like being told to live in an unlit longhouse is just a thing you do! You haven't shown the slightest reaction to anything outside of amusement!"

Vinyl crashed onto her haunches, a hoof lifting up to thrust at her own chest. "What? I should shout some more? Would it be better if I was crying about it?" Octavia winced, remembering her own tears, but said nothing. "We're here, it happened. We can mope about it or live with it. I'm on the live with it side, dig? Now, this is dinner." She pointed up at the floating mass. "I'm going to eat some, and I'm saving some for a musical pony that can make things peaceful. If you run into her, send her on after me."

Octavia watched Vinyl walk back to the bunk, sagging with a sigh. "That went excellently," she muttered to herself. Without further word, she slunk back to the bunk and climbed up to sit across from Vinyl. Vinyl had broken the potato in half and was chewing on her side. The rest was scattered across the mattress. Octavia reached for one of the scraggly looking veggies. It was some kind of root, she figured. She gave it a nudge. Hunger was eluding her at that specific moment. "Mmm."

Vinyl hiked a brow behind her tinted goggles. "You know I'm not angry with you, right?"

Octavia smiled warily. "You are not known for your temper, dear Scratch. Look... I am dreadfully sorry, but this is a most unreasonable situation... Worst of it being that I feel so helpless." She nudged one of the tough plant stalks. "I am nothing but a burden to you, and that is unacceptable. I'm a grown mare, and used to earning my own way."

Vinyl waved it away. "Ain't no thing, really. Come on, eat with me. I hate eating alone." She grabbed the other half of the potato in her magic and floated it over to Octavia. "You'd think the harder part in the center would be a turn off, surprise, it actually works out. Try it."

Octavia peered at her friend. They looked content, but that was a fairly normal expression for them. She raised a hoof and the potato floated onto it before being released, just to roll right off onto the bed. Octavia swore, even as her cheeks went a deep and angry red. "E-excuse me! That was most unladylike of me, but..." She reached for the rogue spud, grabbing it between her hooves. "Being an earth pony had its limitations, and those seem to have redoubled."

Vinyl put a hoof to her chest. "Look, Octie, calm down. I'm totally serious. You have magic." She pointed the same hoof down at the elf below them. "Shiela could feel the music in you before she even noticed mine. Did she ever notice mine? Whatever, not important. You have the music." She tapped her chest. "Right here, er, here." She reached across to tap Octavia's chest instead. "You know it. I know it. You just have to find it. I know it's going to be awesome, once it comes out."

Octavia smiled gently, her tension ebbing with the kind words of her companion. "How can you even be sure of that?"

Vinyl rolled the same hoof as a bit of jerky floated up towards herself. "Look, the way I see it, we're in an awesome death metal rock cover, right? We both have to have the power to rock out, just the way that works. I mean, sure, doom and gloom, but we'll play so hard, we'll blow away the problems. It'll be great, just trust in the flow of the music."

Octavia's smile deepened a little. "That is entirely unreasonable... and yet entirely you, Vinyl. Thank you." She pulled up the potato, cradled in her hooves, and sank her teeth into it. It wasn't spiced. It wasn't buttered. It was, in fact, the worst potato she'd ever had. Still, it was food. She was tired of complaining, especially in the face of her resilient friend. She forced herself to wolf it down, just so she wouldn't have to taste it for long.

Vinyl took it the wrong way. "Atta girl! Not so bad, right?" She smiled, teeth displayed. "I knew a little food would help cheer you up. This stuff's a bit tough, but it has an interesting taste." She nudged over one of the scraggly roots. "Once we find your music, we'll be able to get what we wanna eat instead of what we're given."

Octavia blinked at that. "Wait, what? Whatever do you have in mind?"

"I echo that question," spoke Shiela from below. "Do you have a plan?"

Vinyl shook her head lightly. "Tonight, we eat. Just keep it cool and take it as it comes. We'll handle this." She grinned at Octavia. "First we have to see how awesome your music is. Show me up, mare. Make me jealous." She lifted a hoof. "I'm looking forward to it."

Octavia couldn't help but smile a little in return. "You sound like one of those crusaders, trying to convince a pony their cutie mark will be exciting and grand."

"Same difference." Vinyl shrugged. "We just have to find yours, and stressing about it won't help."

The conversation petered off into eating. They eventually found sleep on the crowded bed. Vinyl didn't seem to mind Octavia's proximity, leaving Octavia to bear it quietly, lest she be the complaining one, again.

She just had to prove her worth.

---

"<Pony, it's time.>" Randal was pointing to a map that hung on the wall. "<We're on the hunt, but not for food. We're raiding an abandoned town for salvage.>"

Vinyl looked towards Sandy without a word. Sandy took the hint, repeating in a language that could be understood what Randal had just said.

"Gotcha. So what are we looking for, specifically?" Vinyl rolled a hoof. "Oh, and Octavia's coming too."

Randal crossed his arms as Sandy relayed the pony's words. "<Take it if you wish, it is your pet to do with as you please. You will be accompanied by a few trained salvagers. Your primary role is that of support, as is your specialty. Stay alert. Their success is your success. Their survival, is your survival.>"

Vinyl bobbed her head lightly as Sandy translated the words back. "You got it. Go to a bunch of worn down buildings, take everything that looks cool, make sure everyone gets back in one piece." She thrust up a hoof with a smile. "I can do that."

Sandy shook her head. "I'll be with the team. I know what will be useful or not, and you know I can fight."

"Sure do." Vinyl nodded in easy agreement. "We'll come back with a big haul."

"<It is more important that you ensure the hunters return safely.>"

Vinyl paused a moment, ears pricked at Randal. The statement, once translated, was one of genuine care for his people. "Thanks for trusting me. I'll do my best." She put a hoof at her chest. "We got this."

Randal dismissed them, moving right along to the next matter on his plate. Sandy escorted Vinyl out of the small office. "Be prepared, we depart in an hour."

"That soon?" Vinyl raised a brow behind her goggles. "Alright, not like I was doing much in the first place. I'm kinda looking forward to it. I'll go tell Octie. Where do we meet up?"

Sandy pointed down the main road as they emerged out onto it. "Just at the edge of town. We'll go with carts in case we find anything worth taking that's too heavy to shoulder in a pack. If you're taking Octavia, she could help with that."

Vinyl flinched just faintly. "Let's, uh, not insist she be the pack pony?"

Sandy sighed softly. "I know you care about her, and that is good of you, but she does need to do her part, as do the rest of us. If she can't help search, or battle, at least helping pull the cart is better than nothing."

Vinyl started to trot towards the inhuman longhouse. "Don't worry about it. She'll help, promise. Besides, she's, you know, my pet, right?"

"You don't mean that."

Vinyl didn't pause. "Nope." She left, not even looking back at Sandy.

Sandy shook her head at the departing pony, a wry smirk on her face as she turned away to get her own things in order.

Vinyl opened the door to the inhuman longhouse with her magic. "I'm back!" she sang as she stepped inside and kicked the door shut behind her. "Did ya miss me?"

Octavia looked over from where she was seated on a chair at the table the food had come from. Quarter and Shiela were also at the table. It was like they were sharing a meal, except no food was present. Octavia smiled gently at Vinyl. "What did he want from you?"

Vinyl waved it off like it wasn't a big deal. "They just want us to go watch the other people search for stuff. I'll help them if trouble starts, and if you can lend a hoof, that'd be great."

Quarter Inch clapped her small hands together. "Salvaging? Why didn't they send me?! I love salvaging! Oh, the things you can do with the right parts..." She crooked a smile, head full of visions of gizmos. "Bring me back a little something? I'd love to have a tinkering project to keep me busy."

Octavia reached to the right, setting a hoof on Quarter's shoulder. "If I see anything that would perk your interest, I will be certain to secure it for you."

"Really?! You are the best pony!" Quarter jumped at Octavia, suddenly hugging her. At least there was no pinching or pulling involved, unlike the child.

Vinyl laughed merrily. "Making friends, eh? You want anything, Shiela?"

The elf shook her head. "There is little that I need from a salvaging journey. I use my people's traditional weapon."

Vinyl perked an ear. "What's that?"

She inclined her head towards something at the bunks. "I have a bow, and I am trained in its use. I know most use firearms these days. They are easier to use... But it is tradition, and I've already put in the effort at becoming skilled at its use. It brings me joy."

Octavia sat up, Quarter dangling from her. "I... know that feeling precisely. It is part of what drew me to play the music I do. When you play with classic instruments, you can feel the weight of those who came before you... It is comforting, and humbling. I can feel... It's like they're with you."

"Exactly so," agreed Shiela with a smile. "I knew I felt something in you. As your friend says, you will find your music, and I hope it will be something grand and wonderful." She rose to her feet and crossed an arm over her chest. "Good luck, both of you. Travel as safely as you can. I would be saddened to lose you as quickly as I learned of you."

Quarter slid free of Octavia. "What she said! You two better come back in one piece or I'm gonna be so mad! Randal's gonna have to kick me out because I won't stop screaming!"

Vinyl turned around, pointing back the way she just came. "Alright, alright. We'll take care of ourselves, promise. Come on, 'Miss Melody', we have a job to do."

The two ponies trotted out of the darkened interior into the slightly brighter conditions of the outside world. Even during the day, it wasn't that much brighter outside, with the perpetual cloud cover keeping things from getting much brighter.

Octavia caught up with Vinyl. "They want me to carry things again, don't they?"

Vinyl wobbled a hoof. "They won't be upset if you could. Don't worry about that until we have plenty of loot needing to be brought back. In fact, forget it. Show your pretty eyes are good for finding things."

Octavia's cheeks darkened swiftly. "Vinyl!"

"What? You're going to argue that?" Vinyl turned to her friend with a grin. "Miss fancy has lovely eyes, just a fact. That's why I hide mine, they look cheap compared to yours." She waved the thought away. "Hey, maybe the talk you had was onto something. That's kinda... your thing?"

"My thing?" Octavia's eyes followed the path of two people hauling some heavy object between them. "What thing is that, precisely?"

"Tradition." Vinyl clopped her hooves together. "I mean, there ain't a bit of our tradition here, but there is tradition, you know, history. That's your thing. Find it, and I bet your music will come out."

Octavia raised a dubious brow at her friend's insight, but didn't argue as they began to walk. They were there first, but another person came not long after. It was a male with a scraggly half-beard, not grown in thick enough to call a proper one, but nowhere near clean shaven. The man was unusually pale compared to most of the others, his skin a light peach color. "Hi."

Octavia nodded towards him, looking over his rugged overalls that led to sturdy shoes and back up to a cap that adorned his head and concealed much of his mane. "Do you speak our language then, that's quite nice."

He shook his head quickly. "Only little speak. Sorry."

Vinyl waved it away. "No big deal. You ready to go get some salvage?"

"Go get, yes. It good." He gave an emphatic thumbs up. "You magic pony?" He was looking at Vinyl as he asked.

She nodded quickly. "She's just as magic," She pointed at Octavia. "We just haven't figured it out yet."

"Magic?" He looked doubtful about that. "Wait." He leaned against a post, eyes set towards the interior of the town.

Octavia sighed gently. "Thank you for the support, Vinyl, but I don't think he was won over by your confidence."

Vinyl nudged Octavia, though her eyes were on the town with the human. "I don't care what he thinks. You're the important one."

Sandy approached after a few quiet minutes, another human male with her. That one was hard to make out the details of. He was garbed feet to head in clothing, with goggles even covering his eyes. It was all an ashen grey, camouflaged to fit in with the terrain. Sandy waved to each, "Tim, Hank." She pointed to the ponies. "Vinyl, Octavia."

Greetings were exchanged, but the fully hidden human spoke little but a soft grunt of acknowledgement.

"You all know me, Sandy. Let's go get some supplies." She hefted up her spear and began to use it as a walking stick as she stepped forward. "I know you two have been here before. Randal--"

Tim shook his head. "<You know I don't speak that very well.>" Hank nodded, but said nothing.

The party began to move as one with the squeak of wheels. The fully-concealed man was currently charged with pulling a wheelbarrow-like device.

Sandy let out a little breath. "<It is unfortunate that they don't speak our language, but we work with what we have.>"

Tim nodded easily at that. "<With what we have. You're our translator. It's not usual Randal takes in people that don't talk right.>"

Sandy hiked a thumb at Vinyl as they walked. "<He appreciates her talent. It can turn around a fight, and we're fairly sure she has other magics besides that. She's also cooperative, other than wanting to remain close to her friend.>"

"<I'd like to be with my friend too.>" Tim smiled wryly. "<Can't even fault a person for that. Tell them where we're going, I can wait.>"

Sandy gestured up ahead, transitioning to sylvan without a pause, "We've raided this town before, many times. Randal is sure there are still things to be found. It just means we'll have to dig harder and deeper than a casual glance at the surface debris."

Octavia raised a brow skeptically. "When you say 'raid', I pray you don't mean to the detriment of another group of people?

"No one's that alive anymore," assured Sandy as she began to descend a steep hill, using her spear to stabilize herself as she half-slid down the ash-dusted surface. "Everyone who had right to it is long dead. We're just glad there aren't ghosts to go with it."

Vinyl bobbed her head, possibly with the music her horn's glow allowed to play in her headphones. "Right off a death metal cover, like I told you. If we see a ghost, totally gonna say hi, jus' sayin'. Running just makes them chase you, ya know?"

Octavia shook her head slowly. "Anything we should bear in mind, besides taking care in where we step if these are aging structures?"

"That's the most important part," agreed Sandy as she hit the bottom of the incline and resumed her hike. "Don't assume any floor is safe. Don't assume any wall is safe. Check twice before you move. Better slow than dead, in this case. Let's get back with everyone we left with."

Hank suddenly grabbed Sandy at the shoulder as his other hand thrust forward and to the right. Sandy looked without a word as the atmosphere around the humans seemed to change instantly. Danger was present.

There was a lazy curl of smoke raising in the distance. Sandy dug out a set of binoculars. Sure, one of the lenses had a huge crack in it, but that just made it a heavier spyglass. She raised it up and peered through the good lens, staring at whatever was out there. The ponies watched her and looked to the two males, who seemed ready for trouble, but were still.

"<Travelers, grave tenders.>" She let out a breath of relief. "Harmless."

The other two humans let out sighs of their own, sharing in her relief. Tim clapped Hank on the shoulder. "<You have the eyes of an eagle. Glad you're with us.>"

Hank nodded, but did not reply.

Octavia watched Sandy put her binoculars away. "Who are they? Are we going to greet them, or avoid them?" A thought occurred to her. "Are they ponies?"

Vinyl raised a hoof at that. "Great question! Are they?"

Sandy threw her backpack around her shoulder, getting it back into place. "Pretty sure I saw one. Grave tenders tend to not be racially divided. Death comes for us all, hooves or feet, fingered or not."

Vinyl grinned, unphased by the grim topic. "Do they rock for the dead?"

Sandy blinked at the question, resuming her hike. "I have no idea what you mean by that. They give them proper burials and try to ensure their spirits arrive in the afterlife properly. It is good job, if a somber one. I don't envy them, no one does, but no one stops them either. We all hope a grave tender attends us, just once..."

"Soft Whisper," spoke Tim suddenly. "They sing Soft Whisper."

Sandy nodded in agreement as she walked. "Soft Whisper is the goddess of death, a pony. She is a good goddess, and yet one no one rushes to see."

Vinyl leaned towards Octavia as she trotted. "They worship the pale horse of death. Tell me that isn't wicked as all get out! Death metal record cover, called it!"

Octavia shook her head. "They may... but they'd still..." She trailed off, glancing at her human companions. She slid in as close to Vinyl as she could. "At least they accept everycreature."

Vinyl shook her head even as it bobbed in time to her music. "Don't be like that. Let's focus on what we're gonna get done. How far to the place we're digging around in?"

Sandy glanced up towards the faint brighter spot that was the sun, a thing she may never have seen without the clouds in the way. "We should arrive within the hour. The grave tenders being here is good news. If there was trouble, it would have fallen on them first. They are not being stealthy."

Author's Note:

That Hank guy, so quiet... What will we find?! It's like christmas... in the ashes.

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Comments

[badninja]

So how long do we all think that Octavia and Vinyl will not be speaking or understanding the language that everyone else is speaking and who will understand first? My money is on Octavia.

[Chrome Masquerade]

A human stepped in, an unfamiliar one. "Dinner." Male, with a considerable beard. He set down a bag of... presumably food. "Later." And he was gone. No hello, no goodbye.

Man of few words, apparently.

[Chrome Masquerade]

Octavia flinched, shrinking a little, but Vinyl didn't seem phased.

fazed.
I have been seeing that typo a LOT as of late.

[David Silver]

8948986
The typo did not do its share and was outcast from the town.

[Chrome Masquerade]

8949005 I take that to mean that you fixed that.

[David Silver]

8949050
That is how we fix those who do not contribute, is it not?

[Chrome Masquerade]

8949053
(shrug) There are worse fates. But that suffices.

[Daremo]

Vinyl had broke - Vinyl had broken

Octavia's smile deepended - Octavia's smile deepened

the worst potato she ever had - the worst potato she'd ever had

but it had an - but it has an

She nudged ahead - She nudged over

his rugger overalls - his rugged overalls

her eyes where - her eyes were

pointed to the points - pointed to the ponies

She slide in - She slid in

[David Silver]

8953056
Found a bonus typo to cast into the wastes while I was going. Hirrah!

[FanOfMostEverything]

Interesting bits of possible foreshadowing for Octavia. A number of potential paths spread out before her. I wouldn't be surprised if she figured out which kne she was on during the scavenging trip. Of course, that implies a certain degree of peril...

I suppose we'll see.

[David Silver]

8954427
I am curious as to your thoughts on the world so far as I've been hinting and building bits of it as our protagonists explore.

[FanOfMostEverything]

8954536
A postmodern postapocalypse (which is to say an apocalypse after the tech level reached ours or higher) is certainly a stark contrast from the Everglow we know during the first rise of humanoids to greater prominence. There's a lot of implied history scattered throughout the story this far, many of the details likely lost in the dust. I'm deeply intrigued.